I think I'm going to keep my story separated into it's parts, and if I get a few ready, I'll just post them all together. It will keep the flow that I've got going, and it'll be easier for me to keep track of things. So be ready for a few email bursts if you're getting updates (sorry in advance!)

Moon'N'Tide: Forgotten and Surprise Guest both were rated M for a bit while I was getting used to the system, so I'm sure that's how it happened. I'm glad you're here, though, however it happened!

I really do appreciate all of your reviews, guys, and I read every single one. They really brighten my day.

As always, thanks for all the love, and happy reading!

It was nearly three months later that she finally revealed herself. Lucy was pacing the garden, worrying a small piece of cloth in her hand, when she felt the tug. She arrived at her altar as she usually did, but this time she moved to stand behind it. She could see faint colors from the flowers now. They were red, orange, and blue, with one black flower in the center that she had never seen anywhere else before.

She had learned, as her vision in the human world continued to clear, that her building wasn't black as she thought, but a combination of red and blue stones, with orange clay holding them all together.

As a goddess, she was able to move about the holy grounds and see the other altars, so she'd finally gone out and seen what Natsu had been talking about. The grand mausoleums the other gods had were all stark white, except for one on the farthest end that was made of dark red stone and clay. That one was her favorite. Inside was a large sculpture that looked like a dragon, a near identical likeness to Igneelish, the god of fire. She wondered how many times he'd revealed himself to them to allow them to get it so lifelike. As a dragon, he tended to avoid the others, preferring to seclude himself in the mountains near their home, away from the others.

It had not escaped her when she visited that a very familiar bouquet of flowers, minus the black flower, had been left on Igneelish's altar. Seeing it had given her an idea, and she'd spent nearly the entire week perfecting the gift in her hand, but she had done it.

Lucy grabbed the flowers, which disappeared from the human world in a swirl of black and gold, and replaced it with the cloth in her hand.

Natsu jumped up and Lucy reveled in the way his face lit up. In awe, he reached forward and took her gift in his hands. She had created a new constellation before his visit, and sewn its pattern into the piece of cloth, as well as an outline around the stars so he could see its true form.

"Wow! You really are here!" He looked around excitedly, and Lucy's happiness faded. It took her a moment to figure out that what she was feeling was regret. She hadn't even thought about how he'd been coming to her for months, bringing her offerings for months, without even knowing if he was giving his offering to a goddess or an empty altar. Lucy readied herself and slowly pushed her form into the human world.

She was rusty, so it took her almost a minute to finish revealing her whole form. When she was done, she had to take a moment to let the dizziness fade.

Lucy let out a deep breath as she finally opened her eyes, surprised by the sudden appearance of so many colors, especially the unexpected vision of Natsu with pink hair. It had always appeared pale, but hadn't quite revealed itself to her through the veil yet.

He was watching her with wide eyed amazement as she appeared, clutching the fabric to his chest. She instantly loved his hair, since it was the same shade as her favorite flowers in Droycarus's flowers, and it complimented his dark eyes. Her eyes were drawn to the dirt on his cheek and clothes, and it became a struggle to maintain her smile. She knew he was struggling, but seeing him dirty and in his threadbare clothes made her sadder than she'd ever been.

"WOW!" Natsu jumped up, so excited he was vibrating. "You're real! You're a goddess! I knew you were a goddess! That was so cool, can you do it again?! What's your name?! Did you get my flowers? I brought you a bunch and I didn't know if you got them, but they disappeared like the stuff from the other altars so I guess you musta. Do you like other things? I might be able to bring something else-"

Lucy began to laugh as Natsu grew more and more excited. He left no room for her to answer and the longer he went on, the louder he got as he words began to run together. Natsu stopped suddenly and when her laughter receded, he began to fidget. "I'm sorry," he said.

Immediately, Lucy squatted down. "Oh my, why are you sorry?"

"I said something stupid, didn't I?" Lucy watched him recede into himself, wrapping his arms around his body and pressing his lips together. "The adults say that I say stupid stuff all the time. I don't mean to. I don't want to embarrass Zeref, but I always do and-"

"Oh child, I wasn't laughing at you because of that." Anger, hot and fierce filled her veins. The thought that she wanted to hurt anyone who had said such terrible things to him was a surprise. She ignored the feelings and focused on him instead. She reached forward, and despite what she knew of how the other gods interacted with humans, she took his hands in hers as she knelt in front of him.

Natsu tried to pull away at first, but she didn't let him. "What are you- goddesses shouldn't kneel!" He tried to get her back up but immediately pulled away when he realized he'd tried to push her without her permission. "I'm so sorry!"

"Natsu, please calm yourself, you have done nothing wrong." Lucy rubbed the backs of his hands, using her power to help calm him. "I only laughed because you are so excited, and it made me happy to see it. I do not have any other followers besides you, and I am thrilled to have one who is so happy."

"You don't have anyone else?" Natsu frowned. "Well, that's not okay! I'll get you more! I promise."

"I have no doubt that you will try," Lucy said, finally realizing that he was staring at her very intently. It was the longest anyone other than Levy had ever bothered to maintain eye contact with her, and she wasn't sure what to do.

"So what's your name?" he asked, his eyes still drinking in her face.

"My name is Lucinda, Goddess of the Stars and the Night Sky," she answered as he continued to stare at her. "You can call me Lucy, though."

Natsu was silent as he studied her, until he said something that completely surprised her. "Wow," he whispered. "You're really pretty."

Lucy was struck by the fact that she had never been complimented about her beauty before. Perhaps long ago by her parents, but certainly not since the accident. Self conscious, she lifted a hand to hide her scar. "I'm not that pretty. I have a scar, so I am flawed. The other goddesses are much more beautiful than I am."

"Nuh uh," he argued, "because you can't look at them!" Natsu vigorously shook his head. "They're so shiny, you can't hardly see their faces. You're shiny too, but I can look at you. Just like I can look at Igneel."

"Igneel?"

"Yeah, the dragon!" He threw his arms out. "He's huge and his name is Igneelish, but he said I could call him Igneel, because he likes me!"

Lucy had to bite back a laugh in case Natsu would misinterpret it again. Igneel had not favored a human in the entire time she'd been alive, so that he would like the same human who came to visit her...

He must be one interesting child.

"Thank you for the gift," he said, studying it intently. "I don't know what it is, but it's pretty. I don't have anything else this pretty."

"It's a constellation, a group of stars," she said. "I made it this week and added it to the sky."

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "You can do that?"

"That's my power; the one thing I can control." She waved her hand overhead, and the room became pitch black. When the light disappeared, his hand clumsily tried to reach for her. Since she could still see him, it was obvious to her that he was scared, so she reached out and took his hand in hers to make him feel better.

"Before I was given my position, the night sky used to be black, with only the moon for light." The moon appeared, giving off enough light that Natsu could see. He was staring above him, his hand tightly holding hers in the dark as he stared wide eyed at her illusion. "Stingulus is in charge of the day and the light, while Roguella is in charge of the night and the dark. Like the concept of yin and yang, they share a little of themselves in the other's space. Stingulus created the moon so that there was light at night and Roguella created shadows so there was some darkness during the day."

Lucy cycled the moon's phases once, noting how Natsu's hand tightened in hers as the new moon phase came and went. "When I became old enough to be given a task, the other gods and goddesses decided to put me in charge of the night sky. It was boring before I started, with the moon the only source of light or color. And then, I created Leo."

Leo's constellation appeared, the points morphing into a lion that roared before melting back into its stars. "I was worried about doing a good job when I first started, so I created Leo to be my courage, and to lead my Zodiac, which are the first dozen constellations I created."

Lucy spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Natsu about the night sky, showing him the many stars and telling him their stories, making sure to spend extra time on the dragon she'd created for him. He listened intently, his eyes focused above him and a giant smile on his face.

When she finished, she removed the illusion, revealing that it was late in the day. Natsu gasped when he looked outside. "Oh no, I'm going to be late!" He got to his feet and grabbed her gift so he could fold it and put it in his pocket. "I'm sorry, goddess, I have to go. I'll be back soon!"

"I promise to join you when you next visit," she said as she waved.

"Awesome! See you then!"

Lucy watched him leave with a smile on her face, and a lightness in her chest that she had not felt in centuries.