CHAPTER EIGHT

LOST AND FOUND

Crocus was just as loud and lively as that last time Natsu was here. In fact, it was getting awfully close to being too loud and too lively with the amount of people who wouldn't leave him alone.

From the moment he stepped into the large city, he couldn't avoid the numerous shop keepers and young ladies from flocking him at every angle. He had too many boney elbows jabbed at his side and too many pointy papers poking him in the eye as they begged for autographs, hugs, and various other forms of physical contact. He was getting annoyed of constantly being recognized and badgered by the public for his attention, especially since no one even cared about him like this until that damn tournament.

He had enjoyed his life being occasionally recognized as a Fairy Tail wizard when he ventured out of Magnolia, but he hated the celebrity status they gave him. He didn't belong on a pedestal, he belonged on the battlefield using his magic for good. He didn't mind the praise at Carbume as much, besides the fact that his guilt clouded his ability to accept it, because at least he had worked for it by helping them. Crocus only saw him as the guy that defeated the twin dragons on his own. The one from the guild that came directly from the bottom and showed up every single guild that had wormed their way to the top in the past seven years. They didn't praise him for saving their city, it was impossible considering the entirety of Fiore couldn't even remember the Eclipse Gate. No, they praised him for winning the Grand Magic Games, as if that's what his entire existence amounted to.

He tried to politely shake off the crowd without causing a scene, and it worked as eventually the group dwindled down as he worked his way further into the city. A few of them were awfully persistent with their desires, demanding the dragon slayer to give them something after having ignored them the entire time. They gave up over time, because Natsu was not in the mind frame to give in to demands right now.

It didn't make much sense to him either. His life had changed so drastically in the past year, or really the past eight years if you count the seven he was trapped on Tenrou Island in a temporary stasis. He'd gone on so many adventures with his friends, good and bad. He'd saved Magnolia from Laxus and Thunder Legion along with the rest of the guild during Laxus's little rebellion. He'd helped protect Wendy's guild in Nirvana, worked together to save Earth Land from the king of Edolas, fought against Hades and Grimoire Heart on Tenrou Island, disappeared for years only to come back to everything he'd ever known changed for good. His guild mates had aged, Fairy Tail crumbled, and they were the laughing stock of Magnolia. Then he and the rest of Fairy Tail proved themselves to Fiore and the rest of the judgmental guilds, and ended up risking their lives to fight off seven dragons that escaped the Eclipse Gate.

And Crocus only seemed to remember one little event, the fight between him and Sting and Rogue.

He wasn't left alone until the second hour of his arrival, by then his attendance had lost it's marvel and he became just as unimportant as everyone else roaming the streets. He caught sight of the large cardboard cut out of him and Gray, arguing over food. There was a window sign of Erza smiling down at the entrance to a shop and another cut out of Lucy perched on the ground as she waved at a basket of Plue plushies ready for purchase.

He let himself stop as he saw her face. He hadn't seen her in almost two weeks, and one of those weeks he was asleep, but it still felt like too long. His worry and fear has made each day, hour, and minute feel like an eternity. He stalked closer to the cardboard impersonation. Realistically he knew this wasn't Lucy. Lucy wasn't made of cardboard, forced to stay in one position for the rest of her life. Lucy is a strong capable wizard with intelligence, not an advertisement on the side of the street. But Natsu couldn't tell that to his heart that was yearning to hug her, hold her, and make everything right again.

The only stupid decision she's ever made was the choice to run away, but Natsu couldn't even blame her with how the guild had handled the situation. But that's okay. Actually it wasn't, not until he found her and she hopefully forgave Gray, but he could pretend it was okay if only so he doesn't break down.

He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of pretzels, hotdogs, dust kicked up into the air, cheap cologne, fresh stream water, paint fumes, lilies, honey, soft, love, compassion, need…

Natsu's eyes dilated, resembling an almost entirely black orb. He took in another breath, stronger this time, and caught the same scents as before, only much more prominent now that he was paying attention. That wasn't just the scent of the surroundings of Crocus, that was Lucy. She was here, she was just here!

Maybe she was still here.

He took one last glance at the fake Lucy that was giving him much needed comfort just a few seconds ago, and gave her a small grateful smile, "I'm comin' for ya Luce. Don't go too far."

He dashed from his spot moments later, nearly toppling over a few people who he could hear shouting from behind him. But he couldn't get himself to care. He had a one track mind filled with Lucy's scent, guiding him through the streets of Crocus like a hunting dog. He skillfully maneuvered himself between the crowd as the scent got intoxicatingly sweet. It was like he was addicted to it, and it was hard to focus on his surroundings until he found himself face a busy street cart. This is where he got the awful paint smell from, but Lucy's scent was all over this cart, covering up the overwhelming paint scent with her lilies and honey. If he took more time to sniff the air, he could make out the remnants of Loke's scent too, and Natsu couldn't be happier.

He let his gaze scan the area, unable to pinpoint where Lucy was among the people. It was a busy city with loads to do and plenty of people to do it, which meant each street was packed with tourists and locals alike. He looked at each individual person in line, hoping to see her face, her hair, her keys, anything that was distinguishingly Lucy, but found nothing but cautious glances and creeped out expressions at having caught him looking in their direction. He turned in circles, desperate for even a glimpse of her. He tried to pinpoint her location, but her scent was moving with the people, hiding where she may have been or moved too.

He felt his heart drop, panic flooding his system again. He got his hopes up, but he was so positive he would find her here unharmed, healthy, and happy. It was wishful thinking, but at the very least he had hoped to find her. Whether she was healthy and happy could be fixed eventually. But instead he got nothing but an empty heart and her lingering scent taunting him with what could have been.

But her scent was here. Meaning she was here at some point. And he wanted to bet she probably bought something at this very cart, with smelly paint and funny looking paint brushes. The man working it was servicing another man, handing him some cheap scrap metal with a smile. The line was moving fast, but not fast enough for his liking. He didn't have the time to wait in line when she could be getting farther and farther from him with every passing minute.

So he did what would probably have had Erza strangling him for, and marched right up to the front of the line. He ignored the loud protests from the other people waiting behind him, and as they got louder, he gave a heavy glare that thankfully had most of them backing down. His eyes were full of fire, passion, and determination that said I dare you to try stopping me. It had everyone shuffling back, giving the dragon slayer space to turn back to the angry looking cart worker, "Hey have-"

"What the hell, man!" The man interrupted, throwing his hand dramatically in front of him in display of irritation, "You can't disrupt my business like that! Wait in line like everyone else!"

He was rather short with his head only coming up to Natsu's chest and was coated in thin layers of soot and paint, likely from the products he sold and worked with. He was probably only a few years older than himself, but he held himself with strength as if to compensate for his small stature. His face was scrunched up causing the veins in his face to stand out against his dirtied skin.

"I don't have time to wait in line," Natsu seethed, his voice coming out like a growl that momentarily had the other faltering, "My friend could be in danger and you want me to wait in your damn line?"

The paint scent was so strong at the cart it was almost nauseating. Natsu fought off the urge to gag at the fumes, making his glare look a bit more like a disgusted grimace. He tried to focus on the honey and lilies still winding through the wind, drawing comfort from the smell as much as possible.

"Look buddy," The man shouted back as he quickly recovered from his shock, "You don't get to come here demanding things and expect me to follow along!"

"Come on, man," Natsu groaned with annoyance as he leveled him with a childish pout, "It'll only take me a minute to ask you a question and for you to answer. No need to get all pissy over it."

"This," The man circled his arms to gesture at his stand and waiting customers, "is a business! I have things to sell and people to sell them too. No one is telling me what to do, especially you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu narrowed his eyes at the man, letting his temper rise again as he was faced with yet another roadblock in his journey. Here he was, close enough to literally smell her, and this child sized man was going to stop him?

"It means if you don't fuck right off, I'll call the guard to dispose of you. Or better yet, I'll take care of you myself."

There was a crowd growing around them as the man squared his shoulders and set his fist in position. The line had separated, giving Natsu room to back up enough for a proper fight if he wanted to. The city was eagerly waiting, almost matching the excitement and anticipation that the Grand Magic Games must give them every year. It was like an addiction to them, they only say their brawl as entertainment.

"Oh really?" Natsu scoffed, eyeing the man in amusement. He was surprised the man was so willing to fight him given his history with Sting and Rogue. It seemed regardless of the amount of shops that plastered his face over their products, this guy didn't recognize him, "You're gonna beat me up? You're like half my size!"

As if to prove his point, Natsu extended his arm straight out to let his palm land on the others head, which only proved to anger him more, "I may be small, but I pack a punch!"

Natsu sighed at the cart employee, rolling his eyes in annoyance before giving him an amused stare, "Alright if it's a fight you want, I'll give it to you. I never back down from a brawl."

The man blinked at him in confusion, obviously not expecting him to give in. He looked side to side at the surrounding citizens that had begun to circle around them in awe, waiting for the first punch. Natsu rolling his shoulders, preparing his fists in front of his face, "So we doin' this with or without magic?"

Natsu grinned in satisfaction when the guy gulped, letting the fear finally show on his face as his previous cocky nature drained out, "M-magic?"

Ah, so he wasn't a magic user. He seemed to have a lot of confidence to challenge anyone knowing he didn't have a single spell to his name.

"Yeah, magic," Natsu repeated as if it was obvious, "If you don't have magic that's fine, I can fight without fire."

"I didn't know you had magic."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How had this guy seriously not recognized him? His whole existence just screamed wizard. Not to mention he was broadcasted across Fiore for everyone to see. Maybe this guy just wasn't a fan of the tournament?

His opponent inspected his form, letting his eyes roam over his shoes, tunic, bright pink hair, and finally landing on his guild mark. Natsu could see the moment the revelation struck and his fear grew tenfold. His fists were twitching and his legs were shaking in fear. With the crowd that he had drawn together, it wasn't likely he would back down unless he would rather face embarrassment. So he gave the man one last chance to surrender, "Or, you could just answer my questions and we could skip this whole thing."

The other swallowed his emotions, licking his lips in thought. The spectators let their head swivel to each of them, until the man spoke up and everyone turned to him, "What questions?"

"About my colleague. I'm sure you've heard about her in the news," Natsu replied calmly, letting the fight ease out of him with each passing second, "Lucy Heartfilia. She was here."

"The Celestial Wizard?" The man asked cautiously, "I haven't seen her."

"Bullshit!" he suddenly cursed, causing the crowd to watch carefully for the fight they had been hoping for, "Her scent is all over your little cart," Natsu slowly stalked towards the small man. He looked every bit terrifying as the rumors said he could be, "Think. Blonde hair, pink guild mark, probably has an orange haired guy with her."

The man shook his head, curling and uncurling his fist as his eyes darted from face to face in search of an answer, "I swear man, I didn't see her! I would remember if I did, she doesn't exactly blend in with your guilds popularity.'

"That didn't stop you from not recognizing me," Natsu shot back with anger coating his voice, but quickly calmed himself down. He forced his agitation to simmer below his skin. He couldn't lash out here or else the guild would be answering to it. When he sighed and turned his back to the cart owner, the crowd dispersed in disappointment. The man gave a sigh of relief before offering Natsu an apology, "I'm sorry about your friend. I'll keep an eye out for her, if you'd like."

Natsu gave him a soft smile, but his sadness dripped into it more than he wanted it to, "Yeah thanks, I'd appreciate that. Um, sorry for like, ruining your business," He gestured to the now non existent line.

"It's alright," he waved it off with a grim expression, suddenly less bothered by his lack of customers, "I'm sure they'll come back eventually."

"Well in case it takes a while," Natsu said, offering him a handful of jewel, "This should make up for it."

"What?" He gasped, "I can't take this."

"I'm not asking," Natsu pushed his hand closer, hoping his smile brightened just enough for the man to accept. He deliberated for a moment longer, but eventually took the jewel into his own hand. Natsu bid him a good day, turning to walk back the way he came. His mood had dropped significantly, and not even the faces of his guild mates all over the city were cheering up his mood.

He had been so close. He knew she was there, otherwise her scent wouldn't be clouding around him. He tried to take comfort from it again, but it only caused him to shiver as he held in his tears. He shouldn't have put all of his faith in the scent trail, but he felt he owed himself some slack.

He sighed as he rubbed his palm over his face, pressing into his eye sockets for a moment and grasping his bearing once more. He couldn't give up after one failure. Aphrosilia told him to check magic shops and training facilities. It was already around 6 pm and he had yet to check any of them. He turned around in a circle, as he was trying to figure out where to go first, when he noticed an elderly man hobbling over to him. At first he couldn't tell if he was heading towards him or not but when they made eye contact and the man gave him a smile and a wave to come closer, he decided to do as he was told.

He was quick to approach him, letting the man have a chance to rest his legs. He gave Natsu a friendly smile, "Hello Mr. Dragneel. I'm glad to see you recovered after the Grand Magic Games."

Natsu laughed awkwardly, the games had been months ago. Of course he'd recovered, "Yeah! All healed!"

He raised his one bare arm to show the lack of cuts or bruises, and the man hummed along in agreement, "My, my young man. You sure are an active one you know. Going from mission to mission, and coming all this way to find your friend. You sure are a determined fellow."

Natsu didn't have a chance to respond before the old man was talking again, "My name is Edmond Mulberry. I own a magic shop not far from that cart you were at a moment ago," He said pointing in the direction of the wooden structure, "It's been in my family for generations. We sell as sorts of magic trinkets."

"A magic shop?" Natsu perked up at the mention, "Did you happen to see my friend? Lucy Heartfilia? Blond Hair, Pink Fairy Tail mark, Celestial Keys, she might have an orange haired guy with her?"

"Hmm," he tapped his fingers against his temple, "No blonde girls with an orange haired man, but there was a brunette with an orange haired man. She went through great lengths to conceal it, I would say. She had a cloak wrapped around her body both times she visited me."

"Are you sure? She had brown hair?" Natsu questioned with concern.

Was it possible that Lucy dyed her hair? He hadn't considered it before. She always took pride in her appearance, her hair being one of the larger parts of it. The blonde was a staple to her family name, and it was so secret she loved it with all her being. If she went as far as to dye it…

He couldn't dwell on it and risk letting himself fall further into his own fears and insecurities. He couldn't help her unless he found her. Once he was within arms length of his best friend again is when he can revisit these worries and figure out what it means.

"Oh yes, my boy. Definitely a brunette. But! She did have a pouch attached to her hip, and judging by the large ring peeking out of it, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a Celestial Wizard. Call it a hunch, but not much gets past this eye," Edmond gave Natsu a wink and small chuckle.

"Do you think it's her? Maybe she dyed her hair?" Natsu hoped this man was talking about his Lucy and not some random girl with an orange haired man.

The man nodded, "She was very mysterious, trying to hide her identity. I tend to be right about these things. I have a feeling your friend was the same one that asked me about Mount Dormala this morning."

Edmond pointed towards the large Mountain across town, "She was headed there. The mountain requires a guild mark to enter and has a multitude of monsters. It's a hunting ground for wizards to practice magic."

"Lucy went there alone?" Natsu pondered, feeling the worry clutch at his chest again. The mountain looks unassuming from a far, but he's sure that as he gets closer, the dangers will become apparent.

"I would hurry if I were you," The old man warned, "The farther into the mountain she gets the harder it will be to find her."

He didn't need to be told twice. With a quick thank you to Edmond, Natsu took off in a sprint towards the mountain. With night descending upon the city, street lamps began to illuminate the ground and families started to abandon the streets in favor of taking shelter indoors. Mothers were serving dinner and children were playing in their rooms. Fathers were coming home from work and restaurants were serving their dinner rush. But Natsu was running towards a mountain, because that's where his best friend was.

As he got closer, the city disappeared behind tree lines and Lucy's scent returned tenfold. Lilies and honey gave him the energy to press forward faster than before, leaving trails of dust in his place. As the entrance to the mountain came in sight, he allowed his body to slow. The two guards stood quickly as he finally stopped, heaving heavy breaths as he impatiently waited for the two men to let him through.

"Hello, do you have a guild mark?" One asked, which Natsu quickly showed to the two.

"Ah Fairy Tail!" He cheered, "Your Natsu Dragneel right? Man your guild is so cool!"

"Yeah, yeah," He replied breathily, "Our guild is pretty sweet. Can I go in now?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course," He replied, quickly making room for the dragon slayer to enter. As soon as he entered, he could smell Lucy distantly in the forest. As if he had a rope to follow, Natsu ran through the trees and forest brush, calling for her name. A fog settled over the mountain, making his eyesight hazy, but he refused to let that stop him. He called again, hoping she would hear him. He was getting ready to call for a third time, but an orange mane appeared between the trees.

"Loke?" Natsu asked, letting his grin grow on his face, "You're here! Where's Lucy?"

He ran up to the spirit, expected to see Lucy following closely behind. But as he got closer, he noticed the lack of the female wizard and the very apparent anxious face of Loke.

"Shut up Natsu!" Loke hushed him harshly. He rushed passed the dragon slayer, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him closer to the open path Natsu had come from. He remained quiet, allowing Loke to take him where he pleased, and eventually sitting himself beside the spirit on a large stone in the ground.

Loke exhaled loudly as he sat, resting his forearms on his knees. He was missing his signature suit, and wasn't even wearing the green coat Natsu had grown accustomed to seeing him in during his three year stay in Earth Land. Instead he wore a black hoodie that Natsu had never imagined the man would wear even if he was forced into it. He wanted to question the spirit as to why he dragged Natsu further from Lucy. Her scent was so strong now, and now that he knew she was near, he wanted to run to her immediately.

"I'm glad you're okay," Loke spoke suddenly, "You look a lot better."

He supposed he was referencing his near death experience that led to Lucy running away and him being forced into a coma for a week, "Yeah, a long sleep does you wonders. You know, except when you wake up and find out your best friend ran away because your other best friend was a dumbass."

"I'm glad you came," Loke spoke suddenly, "But I'm afraid letting you see Lucy might be a bad idea right now."

Natsu flinched back as if the word struck him like a slap, "What?"

"Look," Loke sighed, flicking his palms up as he talked, "Lucy hasn't been herself. I don't know how much you know about what happened-"

"I know it all," Natsu was quick to inform him, which Loke nodded in understanding.

"Well then you know what Gray did was fucked up," Loke said venomously, letting his glare attack the nearest bush.

"I made that pretty clear to him," Natsu's face hardened and the memory back at the guild. Of Gray's apologies and Erza's regret. Wendy had sobbed into his chest, beggin Natsu's forgiveness. It was hard to forget when the pain was ever present, "He won't be doing anything like that again, and wants to apologize if Lucy will allow him."

"That's the problem," Loke said with exasperation, "She doesn't think he was wrong. She thinks so poorly of herself. There's moments where I see progress, but it all goes to waste the moment someone compliments or praises her. She didn't leave because Gray hurt her feelings. She left because she thinks he's right. She thinks she needs to get stronger and anyone who tells her otherwise is lying to her."

"So why can't I talk to her?" Natsu shook his head in confusion, turning to face the spirit, "Would I make it worse?"

"You're her main source of pain, Natsu," Loke explained grimly, "Her entire thought process has been revolving around how she feels she almost killed you. For awhile, I thought you would be the only thing that could save her from herself, but I'm afraid it might do more harm than good. She's not the same person you remember her as, I don't know if she even remembers how to act like Lucy Heartfilia. She's gone through great lengths to erase anything that resembles who she used to be. I'm surprised you even found us."

"No one can keep me from the person I love," Natsu explained softly, almost too soft to be heard. But Loke did, and he gave Natsu a heartbreaking expression.

"I'm so sorry Natsu, I… I didn't know. I mean I kind of did. I had my suspicions but-" Loke paused, sighing out his surprise to calm himself down, "I know this is probably hard for you."

Natsu could feel the tears coming back, but he forced them back. He couldn't cry right now. Lucy was right there. He was less than a mile away from the girl and he was sitting on a damn rock talking to her celestial spirit instead. Nothing against Loke, but he really shouldn't be here.

"If I bring you to her," Loke spoke again, but his voice sounded strained, "And she reacts badly, she might lose her trust in me. And I'm not sure how she'll handle that. It took me so long to get her to lean on me a bit, to let me bare a bit of the weight of responsibility. Her guilt is controlling her, and if she loses her trust in me then there's no telling if she'll trust her other spirits. It'll ruin her and her bonds with them, and she'll be alone running herself into the ground until she loses it."

"What do you mean, 'loses it'?" Natsu suddenly feared the worst, and his heart really couldn't take it.

"I mean she might kill herself. By exhaustion, overwork, throwing herself in dangerous situations," Loke licked his lips, his eye brows creasing as he fought off his own wave of tears, "I don't want to entertain the idea of it being intentional, but I can't tell anymore Natsu. I can feel her pain through our bond and there are times when it gets so bad I don't want to let her out of my sight."

"It's that bad?" Natsu whispered, more to himself than Loke. He hated himself for taking so long, for letting Lucy hurt like this for so long. He hated Gray for causing it and he hated the universe for not intervening.

"There are better moments," Loke explained in a brighter tone, "Today she was acting a bit brighter, making jokes and such. It was only for about an hour but it was something. I was nervous about leaving her to come find you because she's developed a fear of being alone, but luckily she's sparring with Capricorn right now so I was able to sneak away and find you to have this talk."

It did sound like a complicated situation. If he was in Loke's situation, he wouldn't know what to do either. His heart was yearning to go to Lucy. he couldn't leave her to continue suffering. But if Loke was right and his appearance could make things worse, then why would he selfishly ignore that fact and go anyways? It was a selfish thing to do, but damn was it tempting.

He was getting ready to tell Loke he would give her time. That he would stay in contact and let Loke work on this until he thought Natsu could help. He had opened his mouth to speak, but instead of his voice, it was Lucy's screams that bounced off the tree trunks.

He threw his thoughts to the back burner, immediately coming to a stand. Just as Natsu got ready to run, Loke had disappeared in a flash of light. Natsu threw his caution to the wind, forgetting his decision to leave and jumping through the hurdles that were rocks and bushes until Lucy's screams halted. He momentarily stopped, fear gripping his every being because he had no idea if the fact that Lucy stopped screaming was a good thing or not.

He kept going, pushing his way through a few trees until he reached a campsite. He tried to catch his breath as he took in the scene before him. On the floor was a large frog looking creature, dead and oozing a blue goo onto the rocky ground with Loke standing atop it and Capricorn directly in front of it. Beside the creature stood a figure dressed in dark clothes, a tattered cloak in a pile beside her feet. Gone was the long blonde locks, instead replaced with short brown hair. Her pink clothes were replaced with dark pants and clunky boots. She had tears in her long sleeved shirt, exposing a few bloody cuts around her torso and arms. She was clutching whip covered in the blood goo, breathing heavily as she glared at the monster that had attacked her.

It was Lucy, and she looked so different. Loke wasn't joking when she said she wasn't herself. He could tell just from looking at her that this Lucy wasn't going to hop back to normal. He was debating on hiding himself or making himself known when she landed her eyesight on him. He could tell the moment the recognition flashed in her eyes. The fear that appeared was real, and it was of him. He could tell she was going to bolt seconds before she did it, but his brain couldn't process it until she was already rushing through the forest.

"Lucy!" Loke called, attempting to run for her, but Natsu was faster.

"I'll get her Loke!" He shouted behind him, leaving the spirit to look in their direction in concern, "Let me take care of this!"

Looks like Natsu was here to stay.

You guys I literally cranked this out in like three hours but then when I went to edit it and flesh it out I felt like it was missing something. I still can't tell what it is but I didn't want to keep sitting on a finished chapter lol. I really hope you liked it! Let me know what you think :)

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