Chapter6

"So?" Erza looked at the black haired guy who was staring at the ground waiting him to talk. Gray raised his head to look at the redhead girl as his nervousness walked to this place. He took a deep breath and removed his hands from his pocket as he opened his mouth to talk.

"I know about them since a year ago." Gray answered as he looked down at the ground waiting for Erza to talk. She stayed silent for a moment and then decided to talk.

"So was that the reason you broke up?"

"… No, she broke up with me because she didn't want to hurt me." Gray told Erza and then paused a little but then continued. "That time she was so sad because Lucas, she loved him but he never cared. But that time she only told me about her feelings for another person and didn't mention his name."

"… That's…" Erza said as she looked down at the ground. He realized that she was silent then he raised his head to look at her as well.

"So, what about you?"

Erza answer was silence and staring at the ground. She didn't know how to put the words to answer him and was thinking of what he was saying. Natsumi went through a lot though. "That…" she spoke some seconds as she kept looking at the ground. She raised her head to look at him, "It was after they had their fight, after she completely changed. Natsumi told me after I kept asking her." She said as the both of them kept silent. Gray raised his head to look at the sky and took a deep breath through his mouth.

"This world is so strange," he said catching Erza's attention to him.

"What?"

"This world never gives you what you really want… if a person loves someone, he won't get his love to him and when the other one finally realizes his feelings but it will be already too late for him to do that because he would have changed." Gray faked a smile as he kicked the small stone before him on the ground.

"But that time both of them were in love with each other,"

"… That's true but, what's the use of being in love with someone and your heart is bleeding because of him." Gray sighed as he kept looking at the redhead. "Natsumi was suffering because of him and she won't forget that easily." Gray moved his head to look at the other direction as he made Erza stared at the ice mage thinking about his words but stopped when suddenly a question stroked her mind.

"Do you still love Natsumi?"

The black haired moved his head slowly to her direction with wide eyes and sweat dropping from her face.

"W-W-What are you saying?" his face looked flushed with red.

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

"Of course not what are you saying?"

"Then, you care about her so much…" Erza took a step forward to him.

"…" Gray opened his mouth to talk but then stopped then he took a deep breath to let it out with a sigh. "I care about her because we are friends." Erza stared at him trying to believe him. "She… is pitiful." Erza's face suddenly changed as she looked at him with a shock.

"You…"

"At first, everyone thought that she has an iron heart but I realized that..." Gray took another breath as he buried his hands in his pockets. "She has a very sensitive character and she gets damaged easily. Her heart can't take more damages though." Erza kept looking at him.

"Just a minute ago I heard you saying… 'If you love her just tell her that'… do you have schizophrenia?!" she raised a brow and let one down as she became speechless looking at that helpless guy.

"Schizophrenia you say…?" Gray laughed. "No but, I just wants to see Natsumi happy though…" Gray grinned.

"Hey, wake up already!" the black haired guy threw a pillow on the head of the blonde haired trying to wake him up. The blonde Lucas groaned as he moved his head to the other direction as he ignored the ice mage. Gray rubbed his messy hair as he looked away from him as he started to walk out from the tent he sat in.

"Did he wake up?" Erza walked to look at Gray.

"No," he shook his head and stretched his arms out in the air as he yawned. "I think he drank so much last night that made his head heavy." He brought his arms back to his side as he moved his head to look at the pink haired girl who was brushing her tears. He cracked his neck as walked towards her putting his hand on her shoulder. "Yo…"

"Hey," Natsumi said with sleepy eyes as she didn't even tire herself to look at him. She yawned while she had the tooth brush inside of her mouth. She didn't sleep last night even though she tried to clear her mind from thinking about him. Gray paused staring at her as he felt that something was suspicious with her. He let go of her shoulders as he grabbed his tooth brush as he started to brush his teeth after putting the tooth paste on it.

"You didn't sleep well, did you?"

"I didn't sleep at all." She answered as she started to clean her mouth from the tooth paste.

"Really?" Gray answered as he paused looking at her. "That guy seemed to be awake too, is there anything going with you two?" he asked knowing how ridiculous to ask something like that. What he thought that the salamander would take time to think of the answer but she didn't.

"No," she answered him very quickly as she started to walk away to the others. Erza looked at her coming towards them as she remembered what they talked about last night and started to remember how hard it's been to Natsumi. She was about to say her name but then the blue cat interrupted.

"What are going to do? Lucas doesn't want to wake up!" the pink haired girl leaned her head as she looked at the blue cat.

"I will be waking him up." She smiled as she walked away from them. Both Gray and Erza looked at her in a shock.

Natsumi entered the tent as she sat down on her knees as she kept staring at his sleeping body. She kept staring at him for awhile and then took a deep breath through her nose and let it out with a sigh. She raised her arm out in the air and smacked Lucas on his right hip. Lucas suddenly woke up screaming from the pain as he grabbed his hip tighter. "Iteee!" he said while squeezing his eyes shut. He moved his head to the right side to see that bastard that hit him that hard to be surprised that it was Natsumi. He didn't say anything when he found those –no reaction- eyes she had staring at him.

"Good morning," he heard her saying as she stared at him.

"G-Good morning…" he said back as he looked at his lap feeling nervous around her because of what happened last night. She stood up and moved towards the exit.

"I will be telling everyone you woke up, get ready." Lucas watched her walking away as he felt his heart in pain. How much she was affected by what he has done to her? How many hardships she went through? That was all because of him and when she called herself his friend that didn't mean that she forgave him. Lucas sighed as he looked down at his lap. He remembered the day he saw Natsumi's tears in front of him and how hard that was to him. This painful life will be the hardest to them to live. The fact that she would never forgive him turned him into a shameful person.

Now he knows that she overcame his love but didn't overcome the pain he caused to her.

They got out of the train looking at that pink haired that was on her knees coughing and gasping for a breath. She was the weakest when she rides a vehicle. Minutes passed while she was still on the ground while the other trying to comfort her by rubbing her back. After feeling alright, she stood up as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I will never ride a train again." She said as she felt weakened. From the behind, Lucas put his hand on her shoulder as she moved her head to look at him.

"I will treat you for something since you are sick." He then grabbed her right hand as he pulled her together with him as he started to walk away from them.

"Hey, wait for me!" Happy yelled as he flew after them.

Natsumi licked the spoon she had in her mouth and then raised her head to look at the blonde and smiled. "It wasn't a bad idea though, thank you." She was having ice cream with her favourite menu, the tabasco sauce ice cream. He smiled in return as he licked his spoon as well. He moved his head to look at the blue exceed who was amused with eating his fish. He was going to treat him for ice cream too but, Happy refused and asked him to buy him a fish. He chuckled and returned his head back to the girl who was so focused in her food. He was going anything for her in order to see her smile.

"Ne, what do you think we can have a barbecue next time and we can invite Erza, Gray and Wendy as well." Lucas suggested as he looked into Natsumi's eyes. She raised her head while having the spoon hanging out from her mouth.

"Charle too, I will give her delicious as well." Happy said as he chewed the bite he took.

"Believe me, she will never take it."

"That's a great idea Lucas; we can make it at my house since it's on the valley. It will be a great view at night!" Natsumi's eyes gleamed as she imagined the place. The blonde let a warm claims his lips as he watched her reaction. He tried to forget about loving her but he can't realize that the more he watches her like that, the more he falls in love with her.

"It settled then, we can go settle a date for that with them."

"That would be so great!" Natsumi cheered.

"Here!" Natsumi put down the dish of appetizers on the table as she her grin was from an ear to an ear. "I hope you like these appetizers," Natsumi rubbed her left arm with her right waiting to see their reaction. Everyone's stretched their arms to take some except for Lucas who was busy preparing for the barbecue.

"That's really delicious," Wendy said as she looked at the pink haired girl. "Who made that?"

"Hehe… I made it." Natsumi looked down at the ground.

Lucas's eyes widened while hearing that she made them and quickly walked to the table stretching his arm to take one. Before he could take one, Gray immediately stretched his arm to grab the whole plate and ate it at once. Everyone's eyes widened at seeing that sight and Lucas was very upset because he couldn't take a single one and everyone did.

"What are you doing Gray?!" Erza yelled.

"I just liked that, is that wrong to ear?" he answered back as he wiped his mouth with his shirt's sleeve.

"No, but you finished them all!"

"It's alright, Natsumi didn't disagree for that." He said as he kept chewing. While chewing on the appetizers, he glanced at the blonde who was about to cry that he couldn't try Natsumi's food and smirked. He just wanted to tease him and that's why he did that. "But you know Natsumi, you are pretty good." Natsumi raised her brow and stared at him as the place went silent.

"What's wrong with you all of sudden? You normally fight together." Erza said.

"If I admit that she is good at cooking that would mean that I'm the strongest." He smirked. Natsumi walked to him and flicked his nose with her index finger and walked away without saying anything. Everyone was shocked of her reaction but Gray wasn't as he kept watching her as she entered the house. She was acting like that for awhile. Being amazed by the smallest things and being really sensitive. She was also not yelling at him like she used to do and that maybe because she still feels sorry for being the one to hurt him. Gray swallowed the food he had in his mouth and looked at Erza. "Didn't I tell you? She even admits that."

Natsumi walked to the kitchen as she started to prepare some food as a appetizers instead of these Gray already ate all of them as she spaced out a little remembering that day Lucas suggested the idea of barbecue. It's not like she is trying to hurt herself by seeing him more. It's just that she is trying to cure the pain he left her but she believes that she won't be healed until she look at him eye to eye. While she was preparing the second appetizers, she didn't realize the blonde when he is coming through the door and even didn't smell his scent because the grilling smell was very strong. He grabbed both her shoulders sending chills down her spine. She turned her body surprised to see who was that bastard that scared her to find that he fell down to the ground laughing.

"You-!" she put her hands on her shoulders as she stared at him. "You did that in purpose!"

"I'm sorry," he wiped away the tears he had in his eyes as he tried to control himself from laughing once more. "I didn't mean it believe me…" Natsumi closed her eyes as she took a breath through her nose letting it out with a sigh. She put one hand on her waist opening her eyes and frowning.

"What brought you here?"

"… I came to tell you that you don't need to make another food, the grilling is about to be finished." He said as he stood up amending his clothes.

"Really?" she twisted her body cleaning the spot she put the appetizers in. "That's great to hear…" Lucas stared at her but then started to scan the place. It was his first time coming to Natsumi's house though.

"You have a beautiful house by the way…" he said as he started to take a tour through the place.

"I just cleaned it, don't make a mess!"

"Why would I?" Lucas said as he started to look right and left and finally something caught his attention, the quest board! He stared at that board as he let his hands to his sight and spaced out for a moment. He thought he knew everything about her but, he found out that he doesn't know anything about her. That's why he judged her wrong the past year. She is treasuring the friendship and treasure her moments in fairy tail. Just, how amazing this girl is?! Lucas walked closer as he caught something, a small piece of paper that was stuck on one quest.

'The first mission I had with Lucas.'

He stared at that paper helplessly unable to react. How could she become a person like that? The first mission was before everything happens but she never threw it and when he looked at the rest of the missions, he found out that it was even after what happened. She never became angry at these things but why? He inhaled oxygen as he stretched his arm out to touch that paper and smiled.

"Natsumi…" he whispered.

"Lucas," he heard her voice calling over him. He moved his head to the right direction to realize that she stood there looking at him while he was busy looking at something in her room.

"Ah, Natsumi… you are here."

"Yeah, I'm here," she stared at him and then her eyes moved to where he put his fingers and started to walk towards him. She stretched her arm out to grab on his one pulling it to her direction. "Come on, I'm afraid they burn the food."

"Yeah,"

"Ah, I'm full!" Gray said as he put his hand on his belly lying down on the grass staring at the dark blue sky.

"Me too," Erza smiled as she lied next to him. "I haven't this much from a long time ago."

Everyone sat down next to them as they stared at them while they were having a painful belly because of eating. "Then I think to make another barbecue together with the other guild's members." Natsumi said as she crossed her legs.

"That's a great idea, Natsumi-san." Wendy the blue haired said as she clapped her hands together. Natsumi brought her back to the back until it touched the ground. She took a breath to let it out as she stared at the beautiful sky.

"It was a nice idea to come over your house to have this barbecue." Lucas said as he looked at the sky. "The view is amazing here." In that moment any answer because all of them were focused in counting the stars.

"… Yeah," it was so dazzling and beautiful view.

"I think… I'm getting dizzy because of those stars." Erza stared as she had wide eyes staring at them.

"They are so beautiful… I started to feel that my mind is going to burst because of how many stars in there!" Wendy said catching Natsumi's attention. She sat up to look at the three of them to find out that their eyes turned into stars. She laughed at how they acted and looked away from them to find that Lucas was looking at her.

"You are… laughing?"

"Yeah, look at them… they are so funny!" she stood up heading to the table as she started to clean the mess they made while she was still laughing. Lucas followed her as he started to clean with her the mess they made while glancing at her every five seconds. Natsumi walked to the house moving to the kitchen as she put the dishes on away in order to clean it later and paused as she waited for the blonde to put them as well. She smiled and looked at him.

"The stars in this place are always making me dizzy not only them…" Natsumi told Lucas as he stared at her and laughed too. "But it's amazing you didn't go dizzy like they did." she laughed. Lucas didn't say anything as he kept staring at her and asking himself how beautiful she is.

"Because I was looking at more beautifier thing than the stars."