Happy New Year! I know I didn't end things off in the last chapter on a light note... and I won't on this one either haha. But hopefully you guys will get some kind of clarity as to what was happening in the last chapter.

Things for me lately are super aggravating and it's a lot to deal with. I lost my aunt suddenly, I'm super sick, and I had to work a double shift over the holiday... now I have a busted pipe under my house so the new year is off to a fantastic start (sarcasm). Ugh, anyway, I hope you all enjoy this. I will try to update as I can. Maybe with me being sick in bed you will get more updates? we'll see.

Enjoy! Please review


He frantically rummaged through the various plastic tubs underneath the table of the open stall. When Natsu asked for a first aid kit, he was directed towards the med tent. He had no clue why there was no one in the med tent and even more so questioned why there was no first aid kit there! Paranoid he had missed it the first time, Natsu went through the containers once more.

His face brightened up when he found the red box he was looking for. He quickly opened it up to make sure the necessary supplies where inside. Finding what he needed, he left the containers as was and hopped the table to run back towards the volleyball court.

Natsu quickly turned left around the edge of the tent and ran into someone, causing them both to fall to the ground. Natsu opened his eyes to see Lisanna sitting in front of him on the ground. He let go of the first aid kit to help the girl to her feet. "Sorry, Lis, I didn't see you there," he stated excitedly.

"That's okay," she replied just as he was helping her up. Natsu bent over grabbed the kit and was just about to run away when she grabbed his arm. "Natsu, wait."

"Lisanna, Lucy is hurt, and I need to get this to her."

"I need to talk to you," she pleaded as she pulled on his arm once more.

Natsu pulled his arm out of her grip before stating, "I will talk to you later, I promise, but right now…"

"I love you!" she shouted, causing Natsu to stop dead in his tracks. "Seeing you here again and talking to you about how our lives are now made me realize…"

"No." Lisanna looked at the back of the pink haired boy just a few steps ahead of her. "No?" she questioned.

"You don't get to say that." He turned to face her, his face the angriest she had ever seen. "You were the one that got rid of me, remember?!"

"It wasn't like that, Natsu."

"Then what was it?!"

"I didn't want to hold you back. You talked about these great things… of traveling and going abroad for school; honestly, it intimidated me. I wanted you to do all those things and I didn't want you to miss out because I didn't want to go."

"That's life, Lis." He stated as he walked back up to her. "It's full of unknowns as well as excitements and disappointments. You gotta go where it takes you, and if you don't that's giving up. You gave up on me, on us!"

Lisanna reached out and grasped Natsu's shirt in both his hands, "But I'm here now! We can do this again!" Natsu grabbed Lisanna's hands in his own to remove them from him. "It's too late. You had your chance but now, I've moved on." He pulled her hands off and began to back away from her. "I'm here with my fiancé for crying out loud; there is no moving forward from here."

"Don't lie to me! I know about you and Lucy!" Natsu's eyes twitched slightly. "I know about your little game to pretend to be something you're not, and all just to appease Jude?! Your relationship is a lie!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Natsu screamed. A took a powerful step towards her; Lisanna couldn't help but cower a bit. "I love Lucy more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life. She isn't afraid to go after what she wants, and she inspires me to do the same." His voice toned down a bit and hinted towards softness. "I'm happy… I suggest you find something that can make you feel the same."

Natsu turned and began walking down the path back towards the volleyball court. Releasing all that at once honestly felt really good… and he admitted he loved Lucy. For the second time this week, he felt at peace… and he liked it.

With a smile on his face, he kept trudging forward. Lisanna raised her shoulders and clenched her hands at her sides. I can't let him go! She closed her eyes and screamed, "I'm gonna tell everyone you two aren't really engaged!"

Natsu stopped and simply chuckled, causing Lisanna to falter. "Go ahead." Lisanna's eyes shot open. Natsu turned around to face her, his face easy and content. "I will make it right." He turned around again and began calmly walking back to where he came.

Her knees shook and she hung her head. Don't let him go, not again. "Natsu," she pleaded. To her surprise, he actually turned around to face her. "One last kiss? Please?" She watched his chest rise and fall as he sighed. "One last time," he almost whispered.

Lisanna quickly wiped her tears from her cheeks before walking forward to him. The man before her was not the same Natsu she had known in high school; he was stronger, still searching for who he was but now on track to finding it. He seemed so assured of what he wanted and how he felt; in this moment, Lisanna found it odd that she was comforted and proud of this change but only slightly disappointed not to be a part of it.

She placed her arms around Natsu's neck and leaned up on her toes to reach him. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of his lips on hers one last time. All the memories of their time together flooded her mind in chronological order. She was drawn to him from the first moment she saw him, and she longed to be in his presence. She began to clutch her arms tighter around his neck to hold onto the memories as long as she could. The more she thought about what they've been through; however, the more content she was with letting go.

She needed to live her life and not be afraid of what experiences will come here way, good or bad.

Natsu placed his hands on her hips and held them there for a slight moment before using his positioning to push her away. He looked into Lisanna's eyes and saw a change; her eyes were red and watery from all her tears, but yet there was a shimmer of life in them. "You promised," he whispered. Lisanna looked down and nodded her head. She looked back up to meet his gaze, "Goodbye, Natsu."

The two slowly separated; Natsu walked back over to the first aid kit, which he dropped on the ground. He slowly picked it up, stared at it for a second then began walking back to the volleyball courts. Lisanna remained silent as she watched him walk away and disappear from her view. She smiled even though the tears rained down her cheeks; this was not an end, but rather, a beginning.