CHAPTER TWENTY

The various battles going on within the forest outside of a human town were nearing their end, most hard fought. Erza was finally close to finishing of Midnight when it happened. The sky above them turned to night and unleashed heavens wrath on those below. But as the destruction ceased and the dust started to settle, the Valkyrie was surprised to see she was completely untouched and her opponent lying unconscious in a crater of earth.

Gray and Lyon found themselves in similar situations. Watching in awe as a burst of light in the forest far away called forth the very heavens. They'd already subdued their speedster opponent, somehow, but the destruction avoided them all the same.

Natsu watched Cobra stop mid-fight to look up in horror right before the sky turned black. "No, it can't be," the poisonous drakon had whispered right before the stars themselves brought down their wrath. Natsu looked around and saw the source of the destruction not too far from him, a burning bright beacon of light that shot up into the heavens.

Lucy.

When the destruction ceased, all members of the Alliance were unharmed, and their enemies that still fought had been knocked unconscious and beaten. All looked to the fading black sky above them with wonder and some with fear. Such power was almost unheard of, save for a handful of creatures.

It was Erza who found Lucy first. She'd flown over, marveling at the destruction beneath her as she approached the epicenter of the blast. She landed in a patch of untouched earth where Lucy's body lay, bruised and bloodied. Across from Lucy, not ten yards away, was the unconscious and burned form of Angel of the Oracion Seis. Three pinpricks of golden light glowed from beneath the earth surrounding Angel. Erza grabbed the three golden keys, which were warm to the touch, and pocketed them for later. She knew Lucy would want to speak with the spirits and maybe even form contracts with them. Erza scooped Lucy up in her arms, ignoring the pains from her own battle, and swooped up into the air once more.

Lucy's body was cold, but every so often there was a pulse of heat and light. The Starchild was extremely low on magical energy, which was unsurprising after such a feat. The Valkyrie soared above the ruined remains of the forest and landed near the portal that brought them to the outskirts of the village, where Wendy and the men from Blue Pegasus had gathered, each looking a little worse for wear. Wendy was currently healing Hibiki, who had a nasty cut on his forehead.

Erza landed and changed into her regular armor and skirt. She gently placed Lucy down next to Wendy and touched the girl's shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. She knew battle was not easy, especially for someone as sensitive as Wendy.

Soon after Wendy began examining Lucy's form, Natsu burst through the tree line, panting and sweaty. Then Gray and Lyon followed. All bore the wounds from a hard-fought battle. Natsu's gaze went straight to Lucy, and his eyes widened.

He darted to her side, worry coiling in his chest. He hovered over her as Wendy worked, the little drakon's face twisted in confusion. He grabbed her hand in his and squeezed. Her skin was cool, and with every heartbeat there was a flash of heat. Natsu looked to Wendy, waiting for her assessment.

"This is strange," Wendy said slowly. The wounds Lucy bore looked better, and she didn't seem as battered after Wendy's healing magic swept through her body. "She's nearly drained of magic, but there's something else, like a veil?" Wendy closed her eyes and placed her hands over Lucy's chest. Her brow furrowed in concentration and her hands began to hum with magic.

"There's something giving her magic, something inside her…" Wendy moved her hands across Lucy's body and her eyes shot open and she jerked back.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Natsu asked, his grip on Lucy's hand tightening. Wendy looked at him, then up to the sky above.

"I think, Lucy's even stronger than we thought. Whatever she did, whatever that spell was, it unlocked something inside of her. More depth to her magic. It's a source that I've never seen before. It was like looking up at the stars and they looked back at you." Wendy shivered. Natsu pursed his lips and looked down at Lucy's sleeping face. With each heartbeat, the flash of heat he felt spread until her entire body was nearly back to a normal temperature. But still the flashing light continued. "What's happening to her?"

"The starlight is so different from a human body, almost too powerful for it to contain. I think her body is adjusting to it again." Wendy answered. She met Natsu's concerned eyes and smiled softly. "She's going to be fine. She's just resting and healing."

He exhaled a relieved breath, some of the tension in his chest loosening at her words. He brought her hand up to his face and gently kissed her palm, holding it against his cheek. Natsu didn't know what to do with this swelling emotion inside him. There was fear and concern, but also something else. Something deeper. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not when he was still figuring out what he was feeling. Not when he was still too cowardly to face what he felt for her.

Erza watched Natsu carefully as she listened to Wendy's words. She could see the raw emotion on his face, something she never expected to see from Natsu, of all people. She looked back to the enormous circle of destruction Lucy had summoned and knew that Oracion Seis, and whoever else, would stop at nothing to get a fraction of it for themselves.

Just as her thoughts turned to the Oracion Seis, Jura burst through the trees, limping. He fell to his knees before them and coughed and sputtered. Erza rushed to his side, Wendy on her heels. "Jura, what happened?"

"The Oracion Seis…they're gone," Jura managed to say between pants. Wendy was already working on healing him, sweat dripping from her brow. Erza shot up in shock, equipping her dragon empress armor and preparing to fly out when Jura grabbed her wrist.

"Something, it came and took them. Teleported away with their bodies." Jura explained. Erza cursed. Gray and Lyon looked into the forest in anger. Before anyone else could do anything, Hibiki spoke from where he was sitting. "They teleported?"

Jura nodded. Hibiki smiled and with a wave of his hands a golden apparatus appeared in front of him.

"They must be truly desperate then. With my magic, we can find them."

Lucy felt strange. Her entire body ached, but not in a bad way. It was almost a pleasant ache, like something one might feel after a satisfying stretch or exercise. There was this warmth inside of her, something deep in her chest that pulsed in time with her heart and sent its warmth all throughout her form. This new echo beating alongside her heart was strange but familiar. It felt like her normal magic, just more intense. She breathed deep, feeling the true depth of that power and its source. She remembered a night sky, filled with sparkling shimmering specks of light. Stars. Lucy remembered seeing all of the heavens above her, remembered feeling a connection to them, a connection that was severed and she felt an ache of longing in her heart. That's where this power was from. She was descended from a star and its essence still lived through her. Its power came from the heavenly sky above, and that power was with her now.

While Lucy felt that stabbing longing for the heavens, it subsided as she thought about where she was and who she was with. Fairy Tail, her friends, her newfound family. They were with her now, and while her starlight would long to rejoin the heavens, she was happy where she was.

Once again, she woke in the Fairy Tail infirmary. A habit she couldn't seem to get rid of. She sat up in the cot in an empty room. Her keychain was on the table next to her and she snatched it up and held them close to her chest. It was then she noticed the three keys sitting by themselves off to the side. She reached out to touch them but paused. She'd fought those spirits, even severely wounded one. What if they didn't want to see her? What if they didn't want to become her friends and form contracts?

As if sensing her distress, there was a flash of golden light and Leo appeared before her. He sat gently on the edge of the cot; his eyes filled with a softness Lucy didn't feel she deserved. She sighed, looking between him and the three new keys, and Leo reached over and grabbed her hand in his.

"My dear Lucy, you've been through quite a lot today, huh?" He patted her hand. Lucy nodded and let loose a sigh.

"I could feel you, during that fight. I felt your anger. It felt like you were pouring your magic into me." She looked at him with questions in her gaze. Leo released her hand and ran it through his mane of golden hair.

"I knew you wouldn't want me popping out," he winked, "-but I couldn't do nothing when that bitch was using Aries that way." His expression morphed to anger and sadness, filling Lucy with even more regret for what she did to Aries.

"I didn't mean to," she started, wringing her hands together anxiously. "I didn't see her until the last minute and by then it was too late. I just hope she's okay."

"Don't worry, she's fine. Happier now that she's no longer under Angel's control. All of them are," Leo said. "And whenever you are ready," he paused to grab her hands with his, pulling her gaze to his own. "They want to speak with you."

Lucy nodded, squeezing his hands in gratitude. The spirit smiled at her and sighed. "I must be getting back, there's a few things going on now that Angel doesn't have those keys anymore."

She pulled him in for a quick hug, thanking him again for his help, before he dissolved into golden light and disappeared back into the spiritual realm. Lucy ran a hand through her hair, breathing deep and collecting her thoughts and emotions. She could barely remember the spell she cast right before she passed out, but she remembered the power she felt. It only made her wonder what Oracion Seis could want with her magic. Nothing good, of course, but she was still curious. They must know something she doesn't or hasn't been able to find yet. It was a little frustrating, that was for sure. Especially since her friends were still being put in danger because of what she was.

Lucy couldn't help but wonder how everyone had faired during their own battles earlier. She could assume that since she was back in the guild that maybe they all got out alright. She stared at where Leo had been sitting, missing her friend already. She grabbed the keys and placed them on the ring with her others. Her fingers stroked the warm metal fondly. Her starlight sang inside of her, resonating with the keys. Her thoughts turned again to the magic inside of her and what it was capable of. Leo's warning rang in her head. The threat of a fatal supernova still a possibility, though something inside of her told her that threat was reduced somehow by what she did in the forest. Her power was different now, deeper, more connected to the heavens themselves.

Though she did get close in the cottage, a memory she didn't want to relive. It had only been a couple of days ago, but it felt like years. So much has happened since then. Her nightmare and the terror that followed had been pushed to the back of her mind, somehow. Though if she sat quietly for a moment, she could still feel the slimy cold creeping up the back of her neck. Shuddering, Lucy stood and stretched. She could still feel the ache in her chest and ribs from the beating she took from Angel, but it wasn't so bad.

Lucy walked towards the door, pausing when she heard laughter and loud voices through the thick wood. She pushed down the doubt residing inside her and opened the door, stepping out into the main tavern of Fairy Tail. Everyone was mingling together downstairs, those from other guilds in the Alliance sitting around a few tables and talking with Fairy Tail members. Jura was speaking with the Master and Hibiki, Mirajane and Wendy and Erza were nearby, laughing at something. Gray and Lyon looked on the verge of arguing again, each reaching for their shirts before a glare from Erza put them back into place.

She found herself looking for Natsu, though the fire drakon was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to Erza, smiling when Wendy pulled Lucy in for a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're awake! I still can't believe the magic you summoned, it was super amazing, also a little scary." Wendy twisted her hands together.

"Very impressive, I didn't even know there was magic of that scale," Erza commented. Lucy smiled sheepishly. "I didn't know I could do it either, I don't even know if I could do it again."

"There are such magics, rarely accessed. For drakons we can go into a kind of primal state, where our draconic powers are amplified, and we channel the true power of our ancestors," Wendy explained.

"Huh, interesting," Lucy said, her mind wandering to the missing flame drakon.

"Um, is everyone okay? What happened?" Lucy asked, fighting the urge to glance around the room for a puff of pink hair again. Erza looked at her knowingly, a small smirk pulling at her mouth.

"Everyone is pretty okay, some a little banged up. Hibiki is working on tracking them, someone portaled them away after you brought the heavens down." Erza clapped Lucy on the shoulder. "And Natsu is upstairs, by the way."

A flush worked up Lucy's neck and face as she sputtered for an excuse. Wendy giggled as Lucy flustered around for a few moments. "I wasn't- I mean, he's-"

"He was waiting for you to wake up, but Erza managed to convince him to go shower and wash the grime off," Wendy said.

"We have some time before our next move. We don't even know where they are, and still don't know their motives, but Hibiki says he'll get a ping on where they may have portaled to in a few hours or so. Maybe even longer." Erza said, nodding over to where Hibiki was sitting, a golden apparatus full of strange symbols and numbers.

Lucy said goodbye to her friends and moved to the stairs leading to the upper floor of the guild hall. She yearned to see him, but there was still a nervous flutter in her stomach. Apparently, there would be some downtime before they moved again, before they would face Oracion Seis again. Last time they didn't have a lot of time to just talk or hang out, which she doubted they would get soon but nevertheless. Her mind flashed back to their near kiss in the cottage, the way he'd seemed nervous when holding her the other day, and the warmth she felt whenever he was around. She was starting to guess that her own feelings were no longer that of a friend. Truth be told, she probably knew for a while but just didn't want to admit to what she was feeling.

Something about how she felt after casting Urano Metria, the longing she felt for the stars above seemed to trigger something within her heart. She knew now she was falling for Natsu, but she doubted he felt the same way, after all he was supposedly the densest in Fairy Tail. His affectionate side was just possessive drakon behavior, she told herself. She couldn't deny the depth of her feelings anymore, but she wouldn't change anything yet. What if he didn't reciprocate? She couldn't lose their friendship.

Lucy paused at the top of the stairs, looking for any sign of Natsu in the many rooms meant to house guild members in need. She spotted a cracked door and headed for it, pushing it open and calling out for Natsu before heading in. The small bed was untouched, the door leading to the attached bathroom cracked open. A flush worked up her cheeks when she remembered Erza said he was washing up.

"Natsu?" She called again, standing awkwardly in the small room. She heard shuffling from the bathroom before Natsu stepped out, his hair slightly damp. He smiled when he saw her, rushing over and pulling her into a warm, damp, embrace. She smiled into the crook of his neck, holding him just as tight. A rumble echoed from his chest as he nuzzled her hair.

"Moje hvězda," he whispered. Heat bloomed from his skin, encompassing Lucy in Natsu's flame. Her smile widened and she relaxed into his arms. "I was so worried, when I saw you."

Lucy pulled back slightly to peer into Natsu's dark eyes. "I didn't mean to worry you."

He lifted his hand, running his fingers through her shimmering golden hair before resting his palm against her jaw. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Lucy leaned into his touch, the selfish part of her relishing in his affections. She tried to give him a look over to assess if he was injured but he wouldn't let her move out of his grip, not even an inch. She huffed and he pulled her tighter against him. "Not allowed."

"I just want to make sure you aren't horribly injured," she laughed.

"Better now," he murmured against her hair. Lucy let out a relieved breath, tension in her shoulders relaxing. "Me too."

They stood there for a few minutes, just holding each other. Lucy relished in his warmth. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the feeling of his breath fanning over her ear and neck. He pulled back, looking at her with what seemed like awe mixed with something else she didn't know how to name.

"You're magic, it's like nothing I've ever seen," he pulled her down to the bed, sitting so close their legs touched.

"Yeah, and it's what's brought all this terror and danger to everyone." Lucy sighed. Natsu grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Hey, it's not your fault. They're the ones in the wrong, a bunch of selfish dickheads."

"Maybe, but still. I can't help but feel like this was my fault," Lucy confessed. "I don't know why my magic is so important to these people, or why they won't stop hurting the people I care about." She sniffed, her eyes welling up with tears. She quickly wiped them away, hating how she felt so helpless and weak inside. Natsu's fingers grabbed her chin and turned her face towards his. Anger burning in his dark eyes.

"Don't you ever say that. You are my Luce, and your magic definitely is special and wonderful, but that don't give these assholes a right to try and take you. And we're stronger and better than them." His gaze softened and he gave her a tender smile, something she rarely saw from her impulsive partner. His thumb stroked her jaw.

"I wish you could see yourself how I see you," he whispered, so quietly it seemed as if he didn't even mean to utter the words aloud. Lucy's lips parted in surprise. Her heart fluttered with something she dared to call hope, a hope she had been trying so hard to quell since that day in the cabin.

"And how do you see me?" She asked, her voice soft, barely above a whisper. The air between them grew taut, heat filling the air as Natsu's magic flared. His eyes darted down to her lips, and his hand cupped her cheek. She could feel the callouses on his palm and fingers but also the intense warmth emanating from his body that seeped through her skin, warming her from the inside out. That kernel dwelling inside her, the strange flame, flared and sparked. Her breath caught in her chest and Lucy reached out, grabbing his free arm in hers. The corners of Natsu's lips twitched, and he moved his eyes back to hers.

"You burn so bright, with so much love. The light that lives inside of you, it's-" he paused, chest rising as he took a deep breath, his hand moving across her skin to tangle in her hair. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me."

Lucy searched his face, that kernel of hope in her heart growing stronger with each passing moment. Her fears were squashed down by that hope, all her insecurities about what could happen if she gave in to the growing affection that she felt for her partner pushed farther and farther away.

"I'm the one who should be saying that. Without you, I'd be dead a hundred times over," she said breathlessly. Her heart was a pounding drumbeat that she knew he could hear. He swallowed down a lump in his throat, his eyes darting down to her lips again. That hope inside her filled her throat and threatened to burst free from her lips. Her skin was shining with flecks of gold and she knew her hair must be shimmering as well but she couldn't bring herself to care. Not when she could feel the dragon fire humming just below Natsu's skin, feel the tension of a string that seemed to tie them together, pulling them closer.

"I guess it's like fate that brought us together, huh," he murmured. He leaned in, closer and closer until their noses nearly touched. She felt his warm breath, saw the rapid pulsing blood in his neck, a drip of nervous sweat forming at his temple. She saw the question in his eyes, the insecurity. The flame of hope inside her heart was a raging inferno now, engulfing her entire being as she stared into Natsu's eyes. She inched closer, her eyes fluttering closed. She felt the heat of his lips drawing closer and closer. Until they met hers.

Lucy melted into the kiss, lifting her hands to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled her closer against him, his arm wrapping around her waist and tugging her closer. Her heart was beating so hard she swore it was going to burst free from her chest, and she could feel Natsu's was beating just as fast. She smiled against his lips, pulling back slightly to stare into his eyes, which were glazed over. Her fingers played with the soft tuft of hair on his nape and she felt his thumb stroking her side.

She kissed him again, slowly and tenderly. She moved her hands to cup his face and felt his fiery blush. Her hair was lit like a glowstick, as he so nicknamed. He tasted like smoke and cinnamon. When their lips met, something clicked into place, like the final piece of a puzzle falling into place. Her magic was bursting from inside of her, the stardust in her veins humming with energy.

Lucy heard a low rumble in Natsu's chest, and she couldn't help but smile again. She pulled back, staring at him with awe and wonder. She couldn't believe she'd just kissed him, that he kissed her back.

"Luce," he murmured, his voice low. A tingle went down her spine and curled into a pool of heat in her stomach at the want she could hear in his voice. He grabbed her face and pulled her against him once more, deepening the kiss. Heat spread through her entire body and she felt as if her blood was on fire. She kissed back with equal fervor, her fingers tangling in his soft locks once again. Lucy felt like she was in freefall, and she didn't care. They parted to take a breath, and locked eyes.

"I-" she began, before a knock at the door interrupted her. Her body jerked at the sound and the bubble they were in popped. The door swung open and Levy strode in, a large book open in her arms.

"Hey Lucy, I found something we might-" Levy cut off when she looked up and saw them, the burning hot blush coating both their faces and the rumpled hair and clothes. She stared at Lucy for a pregnant pause before a huge smile lit her face.

"You know what, sorry, I just realized, I have to go. Go back downstairs. Research. Go back to whatever you two were doing, whatever it was. That is," she said with a wink, slowly stepping back out of the room. "Oh, and whenever you guys are done up here, the Master wants to talk to us."

The door clicked shut and there was only awkward silence. Lucy's grip on Natsu's hand tightened nervously and she glanced towards him. He was still staring at the door, his brow quirked in confusion. She felt her heart drop and she bolted up to her feet, startling the fire drakon from his stupor.

"I'm gonna, um, just go downstairs. Yep. Gotta go see what Levy was talking about," she said, taking a few slow steps towards the door. Natsu blinked slowly at her, brow furrowing even more. The heat and confidence she felt just seconds ago cooled and faded, replaced by fear and anxiety.

"So, um, yeah. I'll see you," she said awkwardly before darting out of the room, leaving Natsu frozen on the bed.