Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday update! Sorry for any confusion from last chapter about our update schedule. Mslead put the wrong day in her AN and never got a chance to fix it. Be assured our schedule is still Wednesday/Sunday for updates, and if we're ever off we'll try to let you all know.


CHAPTER 16

Bring a Spring Upon 'er

Turn the ship in a different direction


The silence was thick after Juvia's rather bold announcement. Only the sound of a bottle rolling out from Cana's loose grip echoed between them. That, and the awkward clearing of Natsu's throat.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say goddess?!" Lucy finally exploded, breaking the thick silence all at once.

"I did." Juvia swept towards Natsu, setting a hand on his shoulder, "I apologize for the deception. It was never my intent to reveal myself to you, and I fully intended on continuing work as a sailor aboard your ship."

"The goddess of the sea doesn't know how to tie an overhand knot." Cana mumbled.

"Knots aren't made out of water." Juvia snipped back at her, cheeks rosy at the reminder of her subpar knotting skills.

Her attention snapped back to Lucy, "Again I didn't mean to deceive you, but to reverse Natsu's curse for him to regain his legs, I had to join him on land. If I return to the sea, his tail will claim him again."

"Why all the secrecy though?" Lucy demanded, unsure if she should be talking so harshly to a goddess. Now that she knew, it seemed a little harder to speak casually with her. The last thing she wanted was to get swatted like a fly.

That didn't cool her irritation one bit however.

"You could have just told us!" She growled, but was cut short but Juvia raising a hand. Her eyes were narrowed on the captain, flashing with warning and a touch of fear.

"Hush now Captain Heartfilia." She soothed, her eyes looking past her to the horizon, "Too much knowledge is dangerous, and not why I revealed myself to you. If you know too much, the protections on your crew could become undone by the dark force that has hunted you since you were a little girl. My protections on your crew can only withstand so much."

"More importantly, the explanations would take too long and we are pressed for time." Her expression tightened, "The Nine Demon Gates have been released from Tartaros. The abyss was broken, the large creature you saw before came to the surface for safety or it was hunting."

"We believe the Destroyer is the one responsible for opening the gates, and we also have reason to believe that you are one of his motivations for risking overrunning the world with demons," Juvia murmured.

"Me?! Why?" Lucy demanded, her eyes going wide. Her eyes flashed from the quiet Natsu back to the goddess and a slow suspicion began to take root in her mind.

"It's because he asked my father for my hand isn't it?" She asked, filling in the blanks, and glaring at the guilty way Natsu shifted.

"What!" Gray shouted, head whipping to his captain, "That slimy pile of shit wants to marry you? I hope you told him no!"

His hand wrapped tight around his forearm, mostly by reflex, but Juvia picked up on the motion.

"Of course I said no!" Lucy growled, "Are you telling me that he didn't get a hint?"

"Unfortunately for some gods like Acnologia, hints are often ignored," Juvia stepped towards Lucy, "He has attempted to force the hand of more than one before. And it is no coincidence he frees the gates just before asking for your hand. The gods have interfered with his marriage plans before, I imagine he would not care for a repeat."

Juvia stilled at the sight of Natsu's head dipping into his hands at the reminder of the old bride. The heel of his hand pressed hard against his eye, her words plucking at something uneasy in his gut. The dragon grit his fangs as he pushed aside a headache. Juvia just swallowed and shifted her weight.

Everyone ignored it, all save Gray, who noticed immediately the way Juvia looked at Natsu's reaction. Not with concern, but with worry.

Was she afraid of what he would remember? If anything at all?

That concerned him. She'd said knowledge was dangerous. Was it possible Natsu had been tangled up in whatever had happened four hundred years ago?

The timing was certainly... convenient.

However, he didn't have time to dwell on it as Lucy crossed her arms over her chest with a frown, "Okay look, I understand why this is a serious thing, and why it involves me, but I'm not going to arbitrarily agree to this without knowing why I should risk my crew."

"You're refusing?" Juvia asked in genuine surprise, followed by a flash of temper that had Gray shifting nervously.

"Did I say that?" Lucy snapped, and took a breath, "Listen, I'm not outright refusing, the Fairy Tail's never been one to shy from adventure and this is no different. But I'm not tangling myself up in this, and risking the lives of my family, without a better explanation than a goddess asked us to. By all rights I should have us sailing as far away from here as we can get and let you and the other gods figure yourselves out without getting us mortals involved."

"Because you're the best."

Lucy transferred her gaze to Natsu and found him grinning warmly at her.

"Right?" He asked and stepped forward, "More than that, you're Fairy Tail. The Fairy Tail I knew didn't just hunt for treasure. We went after any threat to our family: mortal, beast or god. We laughed in the faces of the pantheon and lived to tell the tale." He stepped up to her, his face inches from her own, "We never backed down. And I know this Fairy Tail doesn't either, right? What better help could a god ask for?"

"More than that, Acnologia is coming after you Captain." Natsu cocked his head at her, "And he's not concerned about things like boundaries or mortals verses gods. Fairy Tail is all about family, and if it's up to the crew to stand and fight for you or run away until the day he finds you. I know what answer I'd pick."

"Brat has a point." Cana drawled.

Lucy stared up at him for a long moment, unable to tear her gaze away from his eyes and the warm challenge within them. It warmed her inside, and a blush dusted her cheeks as she huffed out a laugh.

"Your habit of being right is entirely obnoxious Mr. Dragneel." She replied and turned to face her crew, "What say you then Fairy Tail?" She called stridently, "Shall we show the gods how pirates save the world?!"

There was an answering roar in response, the crew responding to the encouragement. Natsu flashed Lucy a crooked smile and dragged himself back to the railing where a Juvia was watching with dark eyes.

It was clear the goddess hadn't appreciated the back and forth. Although he was having trouble getting a good read on her. Many gods and goddesses had egos that were fairly easy to scratch, and Natsu just hoped Juvia's was more durable than the average god's. Lucy was either fearless or had nerves of steel to court a god's wrath by denying them anything.

He also knew Juvia was afraid of something though. He remembered the goddess well enough to recognize the deep seated fear that sparked her anger and a worry for the Captain she refused to speak about. He said nothing, however, as he watched the scene play out.

Juvia's eyes travelled over Lucy for an assessing moment, seeming to consider her in a way that made the silence thick. A wry smile fluttered over her lips after a moment, not quite reaching her eyes, "That is one reason why it must be your crew." She hummed, "You are all entirely too reckless."

"The Gates will be trying to make it to our sacred temples. Fortunately for us, the Navigator is the only one who knows their locations." Juvia turned towards the railing, "The information was deliberately erased from our minds after the last conflict to avoid just such a situation."

"Oh." Levy murmured, setting a hand on Lucy's arm, catching herself in Juvia's side stare. She swallowed, wondering what kind of frustrated thoughts were running through the woman's head, and hoped her old friend wasn't going to out her here and now. She didn't think Juvia would expose her secret in such a way. Although she knew there was no way she could sustain the secret now.

"If that's the case then we have to talk to the Navigator as soon as we can." Gray mused, "If she's the only one who knows the locations then she's going to be a prime target."

Levy squirmed a little uncomfortably as Lucy nodded.

"Crocus isn't too far out of our way." The captain mused, "And the Scholasticate and her primary temple are located there anyway. We'll need a major resupply anyway. Once this starts we may not have the luxury of stopping again."

She turned to Levy, "How long do you think it would take for us to... Levy?" She frowned at her friend's pale face, "Are you alright?"

Levy jerked a little and smiled wanly at Lucy, "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just..." She waved her hand in an all encompassing motion and Lucy smiled softly.

"Yeah, I hear ya." She murmured and straightened up, "Alright!" She called stridently, "We're going to need to travel as light and fast as possible! That means the hoard stays where it is for the moment." She held up her hands at the disappointed groans, "I know. We'll just have to make sure we come back for it later. For right now, I want everything locked back up. We take only Hoteye's original chest and split that by the usual shares."

She looked at Gray, "Get the supplies stowed as fast as possible. The sooner we can get started on this the better for everyone." She shifted her gaze to Natsu, "Natsu, I want you to oversee locking the nest back up while we prepare for departure."

"Aye cap'n!" Natsu and Gray replied simultaneously, and shot each other a look that had Lucy smirking.

"Alright!" She shouted, "Get moving you dogs! I want us ready to leave by dawn!"

"But first maybe you should get dressed," Cana drawled out to Natsu before leaning forward and giving the two sailors a lazy smirk, "Both of you."

Natsu glanced at Gray, who had somehow lost his shirt and pants somewhere in their discussion. He raised an eyebrow at the man, a little confused by the actions and cocked his head, "I have an excuse Fullbuster, why are you naked?"

Gray yelped, as if startled by his state of undress, darting away to fetch his clothing while the crew laughed and called them twins. Fire and ice, opposites in their own ways and just as naked.

Natsu found himself a pair of pants waiting for him on a barrel and hoisted them up to his waist, not super concerned about being shy over his body at all. He shrugged into a tunic, snapping his hands over the close over buttons.

The crew all separated, doing their own tasks. Even Juvia slipped off with Levy to no doubt have their secret little discussions without mortal ears around. Natsu watched them leave with some amusement, bending down to focus on tying up his boots.

Out of all things he had the most trouble with this. Relearning how to use his legs and even going so far as to have the coordination for laces was quite the learning curve.

He saw Lucy's booted heels come into view, a grin flashing on his face, "You ready for more action Captain? I thought you had enough of that for a day what with the world ending and all."

Lucy snorted and shook her head, "I'm made of tougher stuff than a few shakes Natsu. The gods haven't rattled me since I was a child."

"They should." Natsu grinned, "But if it makes you feel better I think Juvia likes you."

Making a non-committal hum, Lucy ignored the comment and reached out to brush a red emblem of ink on one of his exposed shoulders.

"I don't think I've seen this symbol before, I meant to ask you about it earlier but didn't have the chance, I saw it in your nest as well but it seems very familiar." Lucy eyed the odd shape with amusement, "What does it mean?"

Natsu looked down and smiled affectionately at it, "I guess that didn't make it into the history books huh?" He grinned at her, "It's Fairy Tail's symbol! The mark is magic. I used to have a special stamp to apply it."

He poked at it, "See? Because it's magic the mark doesn't fade or come off unless more magic is applied to remove it. All my crew had it when they joined." His expression darkened a fraction, "And anyone who got kicked out had it removed."

"A symbol for Fairy Tail huh?" Lucy replied and grinned slowly, "You know, I rather like that idea!"

A number of them already had tattoos of various kinds. She personally had one that circled her upper arm, and another of the Traveler's symbol clutched in a phoenix's talons at the small of her back. But a mark specific to their ship appealed to her.

"I'd go for that." Cana spoke up from where she was working, "I think it's a great idea."

"Yeah!" Elfman agreed enthusiastically, "A ship's symbol would be manly!"

Lucy traced the outline of the symbol on Natsu's arm with her eyes, "It looks familiar somehow, like I might have seen it somewhere but I just can't place my finger on it."

The thought looked like it disturbed her, and Natsu realized the only place she might have seen it... would have been on Gajeel. Natsu couldn't remember if the young god still had his marking.

"It gives me a soothing feeling." She clarified after a moment, oblivious to Natsu's thoughts, "It reminds me of home."

The comment warmed him, and Natsu smiled back at her having finally wrestled his boots into submission.

"Then my old symbol is yours to use however to please for your crew." Natsu stretched out, hands settling on trim hips, "I'm going to go close up the hoard and nest."

He looked up at the island, confident steps taking him to the gangplank. The smile that was over his face was filled with a fond sort of happiness, "I missed this place."

"You came here to Clover often then?" Lucy asked, leaning on the railing when he began to walk down. Natsu just glanced at her over his shoulder, that smile only widening.

"Of course, but that's not what it was called back then," He moved down to the sandy beach, hands resting on his hips and closing his eyes against the beating sun at his shoulders.

"Tenrou Island is the home of all fairies," Natsu smirked back. It always welcomed those of his crew back, and would continue to protect and shelter them no matter what happened.

Because while life went on, this home was still marked for Natsu and those he sailed with. That much was true.

—::—

Far above the clouds, a short man sat in a throne of gold. He was old and diminutive in size, but his eyes held a colossal spirit restrained in a small frame.

He shifted his weight, groaning in displeasure of his uncomfortable throne, pushing himself off to the very edge where it seemed like he was considering making a jump for freedom.

Something which he might have attempted had it not been for a red headed woman standing vigil next to his side. The Titania, a goddess with sharp sense to her and a clever mind for battle remained in her armor. She was always ready it seemed, and she barely blinked when her hand landed on the small man's shoulder

"Master Makarov, are you trying to sneak out of this meeting with the gods before anyone actually arrives?" Erza gave his shoulder a small squeeze, "It is your duty as Creator to be here when we hear Black Steel's report."

"I suppose so," Makarov grumbled, looking rather put out over the idea of doing his job. However despite his words, there was a solemness to his eyes that Erza could easily spot, "Black Steel sent word ahead of some very troubling news he found in Magnolia. Juvia has returned, and not alone. She comes with the Champion."

Erza fell silent, her breath choking in her lungs as she stared at her Master. She could feel a slight stinging to the backs of her eyes, a tremble in her breath and wild joy trying to claw its way from her breastplate. Natsu. Could that mean Lucy had been reborn - finally after all these years?

"Has Tempest truly come back from hiding?" Titania breathed out instead, trying not to jump to conclusions. Her eyes clouded with hope, but also well bred caution, "It has been so long since I've even seen Juvia."

"Those are the rumors," Makarov allowed.

"They ain't false."

The two deities looked up to find Gajeel walking in, his perpetual scowl sharper than usual, as he stomped in and snatched a tankard without looking at what was in it, "An' a lot more besides."

"The more concerns me." Makarov hummed, "If Juvia was just returning to us she could've easily come to visit. I'm worried that she hasn't." He shook his head as Gajeel opened his mouth, "We'll wait until everyone's here to hear your report."

Gajeel closed his mouth with a clack and dropped into a seat, "For the best." He grunted, "I sure ain't tellin' this twice."

"Not even if your drake asks you to?" A deep voice rumbled in amusement as they all looked up to find an older and wilder version of Gajeel walking in, "That's awfully rude hatchling." He smirked, "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised with that vile look in your eyes."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with my eyes damnit!" Gajeel snarled, surging to his feet to glare at his father, "An' I ain't been a hatchlin' for centuries!"

Metallicana threw back his head in a laugh as others started to slowly trickle in and looked over at Makarov, "I presume there's an appropriate distraction in place to keep the Destroyer's attention from this meeting?"

Makarov snorted, "An actual one as it turns out. Pergrande and Bellum's border skirmishes have evolved into openly declared warfare. That's not something the Destroyer can leave unsupervised."

Metallicana nodded and promptly stole his son's tankard as he sat down, smirking as Gajeel growled and took a swipe at him before handing another one over. The other gods ignored their antics, long since accustomed to the pair's particular brand of insanity, and within a few minutes the hall was filled with gods and goddesses watching Makarov expectantly.

"We have some news from Black Steel concerning Acnologia's movements," Makarov rumbled. Despite his stature, his presence filled the room and caused even the rowdy dragon gods to fall silent, "He is plotting against us."

"You think he's gotten wise to our plan to take him down." Metallicana growled, his voice lifting over the surprised murmurs of the gods.

"On the contrary, I don't believe that rat ever trusted us enough not to have a plan against us to begin with." Titania glanced at the Master, uncomplimentary towards her counterpart.

"Black Steel has heard news from the Navigator, who was unable to join us here today." Makarov nodded, nodding towards the dragon who wasn't looking happy by the reminder he wasn't with his lover, "You have the floor Gajeel."

"Yeah, Yeah." He scowled, dropping his tankard down and hefting himself upright.

"As you know, Levy is currently serving aboard the Fairy Tail as part of a personal mission." Gajeel began, his voice firm and confident as he began his report, "More importantly, The Tempest has returned, emerging from the abyss to join her on the crew. Foregoing the obvious "whys" for now, it's obvious Acnologia took advantage of Juvia's departure from the ocean."

"The demon gates ain't contained any longer, they slipped out from cracks made by the Destroyer." Gajeel went on ahead, waiting just long enough for the gods to react as explosively as they were known to do.

The only ones quiet were Metalicana, Titania and the Creator.

"Erza," Makarov muttered, "We may need Jellal for this."

Erza nodded minutely, but cleared her throat to signify it was time for Gajeel to continue.

"Enough!" He roared, silencing the room with his deafening bellow.

The gods fell quiet, glaring at Gajeel for his interruption, but the dragon paid them no mind. Out of all the gods, he was one of the grumpiest and could quiet a room with just a shout.

"Juvia and Levy believe they mean to trap us by locking us in the abyss the same way the old order did to Tartaros." Gajeel continued, speaking of a time that was before his rebirth as a god.

"The good news is that until Tartaros itself is freed from the Abyss, then they have no way of regenerating." Gajeel smirked, "And so long as Juvia remains alive, that anchor is going to be sitting on the ocean floor until it falls apart."

"They'll be aiming for the temples as quickly as possible," Erza shook her head, "It doesn't make sense he would do all this at once. Acnologia is patient, frighteningly so."

"It's true, it's unlike Acnologia to be so reckless and tip his hand. He's not known to show undo carelessness. Not unless—.." Makarov narrowed his eyes at Gajeel, who averted his gaze to the side.

"She's been reborn, hasn't she?" Makarov spoke sharply, "The Celestial Princess?"

"The heavens refer to her affectionately as the Fallen Star," Erza murmured, painful grief and hope warring on her face, "She was the only one who made Acnologia lose himself."

"Aye, well she's back." Gajeel confirmed with a sigh, "Lucy Heartfilia, current cap'n of the Fairy Tail." He scowled, "She ain't what you might remember though. Her life's been a helluva lot harder than any natural born goddess's would. I wasn't even sure it was her until recently. That damn family reuses its names too often."

"You're sure it's her?" Erza asked sharply, hope mingled with heartache that was centered around her husband. It had always been a blow to the goddess that she'd never gotten the chance to avenge her sister-in-law or her shieldbrother.

"She asked for her traditional weapon last I saw her." Gajeel rumbled, "The Fleuve d'étoiles. Don't think she realized it at the time, but she described it perfectly. Not another Heartfilia woman's done that." He scowled as he crossed his arms, "An' Accnologia's asked for her hand."

"HE DID WHAT?!"

The question erupted from several throats, but Erza was by far the loudest and most indignant, "That slime has no right to go anywhere near my sister-in-law!" She snapped, "Not after what he did!"

Gajeel smirked, "Don't worry. Cap'n Blondie not only refused but chewed her old man up one side and down the other. It was beautiful to watch. I'll show you the memory later."

"That still leaves us with what we're going to do in the meantime." Makarov said, getting the meeting back on track, "We can't all storm down to the mortal realm to deal with the issue. Doing so would invite attack or worse on us all. However, we can't sit idly by either." He eyed Gajeel, "You mentioned before that Prince Natsu is one of the reasons Juvia has finally left the abyss?"

Gajeel snorted and nodded again, "Aye. Cap'n's back on land. The Lady's gotta be with him though. Somethin' about how her spell worked. He ain't the only one either, but that ain't important. What's important is she's revealed herself to the Fairy Tail. Asked 'em to go after the relics before the gates can."

He scowled, "There's already signs memorys're startin' to resurface. Cap'n got a whole boat load of 'em not long ago. If we're not careful they'll remember everything before we want 'em to and pull the bastard's attention straight to them."

"This is going to get complicated quickly, I restrained the true extent of Acnologia's power four hundred years ago when he violated my rules and used his strength to threaten and hurt mortals. But if Acnologia is aware of the Celestial Princess, he will stop at nothing to get to her." Makarov rumbled.

"And there's nothing we can do to stop 'em from getting their memories back," Gajeel grunted, "Acnologia was comin' after Lucy even before the Cap'n got back to the Fairy Tail."

"That's why he's begun his treachery now. He needs us gone so we won't continue to interfere with his plans. It was only by sheer luck that the Tempest was summoned four hundred years ago." Erza glanced at the Master, "I cannot sit by idly and let this monster have his way yet again with my husband's sister. Or allow him to slay my shieldbrother again."

"She's been reborn twice because of him." Her gaze cast down in sadness, "She should have been a goddess. She should have been with her family. Not cursed and chained to the sea forever just for her safety!" Her eyes flashed with unrestrained anger.

Makarov frowned and curled his fingers together, his expression somber, "We are in a difficult position Erza, and I understand your frustration. Lucy was dear to me too don't forget. It's your counterpart that has brought so much pain down."

"As such, I will allow you to go to the mortal realm, a war has broken out that requires Acnologia's attention. It seems fitting that yours will be needed as well." Makarov gave the woman a small smile.

"Use the excuse to go to Crocus and get a message to Levy with her temple and give your sister-in-law as much help as you can. I will send word to Jellal that his sister has been found once more." Makarov seemed settled on the idea.

"What about me gramps?" Gajeel grunted.

"Acnologia has already killed ya once runt, you really want to get into the thick of things? Yer still a baby compared to him." Metalicana spoke up, eyeing his hard headed son.

"And Natsu's my captain!" Gajeel growled angrily, "I can't just sit around while this whole sorry story plays out again! I didn't bail on him before an' I'm not gonna bail on him now!" He shifted so his Fairy Tail mark was visible, "It don't matter what else I am, I'm still a proud member of Fairy Tail's crew. And if Salamander says we're gonna take down a god, then dammit I'm gonna have his back while he does!"

"You had his back the last time, and remember where that got you?" Metalicana demanded, "It was only by the grace of your divine blood, my blood, that you survived long enough for me to pull you out of the wreckage and save you!"

Gajeel grimaced at the reminder, but his eyes were still mutinous, "I know it." He replied after a moment, "But that don't change the facts. The Fairy Tail's my nest. It was since..." He trailed off with a scowl, unwilling to talk about the circumstances that had seen him swearing loyalty to Natsu.

The memory of those poor eggs still made him burn with shame.

Metalicana sighed, "Gajeel, it'll be dangerous. Putting aside the very real danger to you personally, that ship already has two goddesses on it. One openly, though she's not flaunting her power, and one who will surely be exposed before much longer. Are you willing to risk drawing Acnologia's attention like that?"

"There may be a way." Erza spoke up, her expression grim, and all eyes turned to her.

"How?" Metalicana asked, "You're already slated to assist your sister-in-law as much as possible. That alone will draw Acnologia's attention."

Erza crossed her arms, "Not if I'm nowhere near Lucy." She replied evenly, "As the Master said, there's a war that will require both his and my attention for a time. That puts me at a disadvantage for helping Lucy, but in an excellent position to keep Acnologia distracted from other matters longer."

She smirked darkly, "And if I happen to stumble across an escaped gate or two along the way... well... no one can blame me for dealing with escaped prisoners now can they?"

"Well it's not the best plan but it's better than what we've got, we can't afford to tip our hand." Makarov warned, his attention to Erza, "And should you meet Acnologia, you must remember to contain your powers. Unless invoked by a human's sacrifice, your unrestrained power will unleash war in earth for over a hundred years."

"We don't need what happened during the demon wars happening again. It was hard enough cleaning up Acnologia's mess the first time." Metalicana growled.

He reached out and squeezed Gajeel's shoulder, "You be careful though runt. You know the rules. If you interact with humans your form is restrained. You can be killed like that, and you don't have another get out of jail free card. You'd end up like the Celestial Princess."

"You know I hear a lot about the Princess, but when are y'all going to ever tell me the full story of her?" Gajeel grunted, giving his father a sour glare.

"Soon I imagine." Metalicana muttered, "Too soon."

Makarov sighed and shook his head, "Alright brats. Get going. You have a ship to catch Gajeel, and Erza has a war to oversee."

"Go give 'em hell."


And that's the chapter my loves! I hope you all enjoyed! I want to give a big shout out to all of our amazing reviewers. You guys got in a whopping 38 reviews for us! That's the best we've had so far this story! Thank you all so much and congratulations, you have all more than earned your preview! Enjoy, and we'll see you on Sunday (for real this time). :)

"Thanks Natsu." She murmured, shooting him a grateful look.

He chuckled softly and nudged her shoulder with his, "Anytime cap'n." He murmured, "Anytime at all."

Lucy hummed a little in amusement and they relaxed into a companionable silence as they watched the starry sky reflecting off the water. Maybe it was her imagination, but the stars looked brighter than usual tonight. Certainly they seemed close enough you could almost reach out and touch them. The sight made her smile until abruptly a yawn caught her by surprise.

"Sounds like you need some more sleep cap'n." Natsu chuckled, and she laughed a little.

"Aye. Maybe I do at that." She agreed and pushed away from the railing, "Thanks again for earlier."

"Was my pleasure." He replied sincerely, and Lucy was seized by the sudden urge to lean over and peck him on the cheek.

She throttled the ridiculous urge back and settled for patting him on the shoulder, "G'night Natsu."

"G'night Lucy." He murmured after her as she turned and headed back to her cabin.

Just before she closed the door she felt goosebumps trail all over her body as the soft sounds of a song reached her in Natsu's voice. He was singing. She wasn't sure why that surprised her, but it did. She liked it though. The song was unfamiliar to her, an ancient one no doubt, but it pulled at her heart and made her feel warm inside. Like a favorite song that bordered on an old memory.

She smiled into the dark as she kicked off her boots and jacket and snuggled back into her bed, the faint strains of Natsu's song washing over her as she fell asleep.