Chapter Three: Venture
When Lucy woke up the next morning it was with more than a little disorientation, and she started upon seeing Natsu curled up next to her looking as tiny as he did.
Before the previous day's events crashed onto her.
Sighing deeply, she turned to look at Natsu once more. He had yet to let go of her arm but was otherwise looking peaceful, clearly still lost in the magical world of dreams.
Lucy smiled affectionately, running the hand of her free arm through his hair, keeping away any thoughts too heavy just then, simply enjoying how cute the little boy looked.
Moments later, onyx eyes opened slowly, taking in the sight of Lucy before him. Natsu stared sleepily through half open eyes for a few seconds before shooting her a happy, lazy smile.
"You kept your promise," he rasped.
Lucy only returned his smile, hand resuming its course through his soft locks. 'Are grown-up Natsu's hair also this soft?'
"That feels nice," Natsu sighed, pushing his head further into her hand.
Lucy giggled at the cute sight he painted. "You look just like a cat."
Natsu frowned at that. "I'm a dragon," he corrected seriously, before resuming his cat-like behaviour.
"Uh-huh," said Lucy, before pulling her hand away to stretch and then rolling onto her stomach so she could push herself up.
"What's that?" Natsu asked suddenly.
Lucy turned to look at him, finding him staring curiously at her guildmark.
'Uh-oh.' Lucy's brain was immediately swarmed with warnings and panicked questions. 'Should I tell him about Fairy Tail? Won't that change things for him? What if he doesn't end up in Fairy Tail as a result? What if he ends up like Gajeel in a bad bad place? Oh God, what if he - '
"You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna," Natsu's quiet voice broke through her mental rant.
Lucy turned to see him looking both concerned and dejected. And it did horrid things to her heart.
Sighing she gave in, answering in the best manner she could. "It's the sign of my home," she began, unintentionally smiling warmly at her guildmark. "It let's me stay hopeful, reminding me that I have a family who all love me and that I'm never ever truly alone."
Natsu sat up as she spoke, soaking everything she was saying. "How are you never alone? Weren't you when I found you?"
Lucy took a minute to silently appreciate how that had been the second time he had found her.
"Well, physically speaking yes, but my family is out there somewhere, waiting for me, and that gives me courage."
She watched as Natsu quietly took in her explanation, nodding silently to himself, unconsciously holding onto his scarf.
"So Dad's kinda with me even without being with me?"
"In a way, yes."
Natsu smiled wide at that, liking the idea. "Does your family have dragons?"
Lucy hummed, counting mentally. "Sort of. Mine has three very dragon-like people."
"Three?" Natsu asked incredulously.
Lucy laughed at that. "Yes! They're of different kinds, but in their own way manage to get along with each other and the rest of us."
Natsu nodded quietly and Lucy was surprised to see him frown sadly. "You have a big family. I only know Igneel."
Lucy leaned over to pat his head reassuringly. "Not all family are the ones you're born with or those who raise you, Natsu. I found this family when I was seventeen years old - and they're my friends and teammates. My comrades. I'm sure yours is out there somewhere waiting for you. They just don't know it yet."
"Friends can be family too?" he asked, hope ringing loud in his soft spoken words.
"Uh-huh." Lucy nodded briskly.
Natsu mulled over that for a bit before speaking again. "We're friends so... that makes you my family too, right?"
Lucy's eyes widened at the plea before she spoke. "Yes, Natsu," the blonde said firmly, hoping she conveyed how much she meant it. "We are family."
Natsu then surprised her by launching himself in her arms for a huge hug. "So that makes you Luigi Dragneel!" he declared, eyes glittering with happiness. "Good, now let's look for breakfast!" he said, hopping off of her lap and heading towards the forest.
Leaving a rather stunned Lucy behind.
"Whaff ar'ya foin'?" Natsu asked around a mouthful of apple. He decisively ignored how ash could have tasted better on his tongue than the fruit did just then, forcing himself to bite, chew and swallow.
"Making rice balls!" Lucy announced, not taking her eyes off of where she was carefully packing the sticky rice into little pyramids just a bit smaller than her palms.
Natsu studied her busily working, standing on a stool so as to be able to reach the kitchen platform. The room was empty at Lucy's request, one she allowed herself to ask since breakfast hour had just finished – the staff happily giving her the space, even having readied the ingredients for their little mistress.
"What're rice balls?" Natsu asked quizzically, not having heard of them before.
"Well, they are rice. In the shape of balls and they have little yummy bits of fish or meat or pickles inside and are really tasty. Mama used to make them every time Papa's mood was low and I thought today was a good day to cheer him up."
Natsu smiled at her determination watching as she put all the effort her little arms would allow in shaping the perfect rice balls, her tongue unconsciously sticking out in the process. "And what's today?"
Lucy turned to grin at Natsu. "My birthday!"
Natsu's mouth dropped open. "Really?! You should have told me earlier! Happy birthday, Lucy!"
Lucy giggled and voiced her thanks, before turning back to making the snack. "Papa and Mama told me that the day I was born was one of their happiest days, right up there with when they got married!"
She set aside the one she had just wrapped the nori around, picking up a new pile of sticky rice and shaping it. "I thought maybe if Papa remembered his happy days with Mama, then he could be happy with her memories, like I am. Like you taught me!"
Her smile had been so much like his Lucy's, Natsu dropped the apple he was attempting to eat, completely disarmed by the grateful expression.
Mildly flustered at the praise, Natsu used picking the fruit up as an excuse to not make eye-contact, mumbling something about not having done much, prompting more laughter from Lucy.
"How are we doing with the oniigiri, Lucy-sama?" came another voice, startling Natsu. How had he not smelt her when she had been so close?!
"Really well, Spetto-san!" Lucy told the old lady, pointing at the two ready ones. "Thank you for showing me!"
"Oh, Lucy-sama, I was glad to have been of service," she replied happily. "Would you like me to stay and give you company?"
Lucy smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, but Mr Dragon is here so I'm not alone."
Mrs Spetto titled her head to the side in confusion. "Mr Dragon?"
"Mm-hmm, he's right here," she said, pointing to Natsu.
Mrs Spetto glanced where she was pointing, not seeing what she apparently should have. Giggling, she pretended to be surprised at what she "saw", "Ohh! Is he your new friend, Lucy-sama?"
Lucy paused and turned to give Natsu a happy grin, before answering her housekeeper-in-chief with an emphatic yes. He knew the sweet old lady couldn't really see him, though was grateful that she didn't play away his existence either.
"Well, I'll leave it up to you and Mr Dragon then!"
"Alright!"
A few minutes later and Lucy was finished with five incredibly tempting rice balls.
"Hey! They look like a professional chef made them!" Natsu complimented, patting her head.
Lucy blushed joyously at the praise.
"I have to pick one now," she said, leaning back to evaluate with one was the best.
"How come?" Natsu asked.
"I can only carry one," she said, eyes gauging each rice ball for aesthetic appeal.
"Hey, I can carry the rest!" Natsu offered.
Lucy shook her head and puzzled Natsu when she declared with confidence, "No, you can't."
Natsu pouted at that, and moved to pick up the plate to prove her wrong, more than a little miffed at her questioning his ability to lift a small plate.
And was surprised to find she was right.
The weight wasn't a problem at all. Especially since he couldn't even rest his hand on the ornate plate without his hand slipping right through.
Unaware of her friend's mounting panic, Lucy yelled, "This one!" before picking the second rice-ball up and heading out of the kitchen.
"Please wait in my room, Mr Dragon! I'll tell you all about Papa's reaction when I come back!" she said, pushing the door with her back and darting to her father's study.
Natsu on the other hand, numbly made his way to Lucy's room, somewhat comforted that he did have to open the door on his way in.
Sighing, he sat down heavily two steps into her room, rubbing his palm over his face, wondering not for the first time what was happening to him, his fear and worry now only renewed at the new occurrence.
So he couldn't touch some objects, couldn't taste anything, his sense of smell, faulty and nobody but little Lucy could see him.
Oh, not to forget that he didn't know how he reached there or how to get back, or where his-age-Lucy was.
Well, shit.
When Lucy's bumbling thoughts finally caught up to her, she realised how Natsu was now nearly out of sight and quickly got up to follow him.
'Lucy Dragneel,' she thought, flushing again. 'Nonononono. That should not sound that natural.'
And yet somehow it did, much to Lucy's confused chagrin.
So lost in her own conflicting feelings was she that she didn't even notice having walked out of the forest until she heard a voice. A very familiar voice.
Turning immediately to her left Lucy found two people walking on the same beaten path she was now standing on, making their way right towards her.
Lucy's eyes widened as she saw Makarov and Porlyusica deep in discussion, and her heart soared at the sight, running towards them without much of a thought.
"Master! Porlyusica-san! It's so good to see - " she was interrupted just as the two senior guildmembers made their way past her.
Going right through her.
Lucy stood rooted to her spot, eyes wide and heart thudding in a slow, loud, painful pace as she quickly assimilated what had just happened.
What her state of being at this point in time now clearly was.
Now that she thought about it, she realised how weird it was that she hadn't sensed Makarov coming. Porlyusica was understandable, she wasn't a mage, but the Master's magical ability ensured an easily detectible aura, for those sensitive enough. And she was one such person.
Or, at least she used to be.
'Am I technically even alive?'
She lifelessly looked over to see Makarov and the medicine lady chatting calmly, walking on as though they hasn't just moved through a person.
And the understanding that had just dawned on her brought along with it a sudden wave of anxiety and fear that had Lucy wrap her arms around herself as though trying to hold herself together and keep from falling apart.
The threat of chronic loneliness not alien enough, but certainly cripplingly potent.
"Luiiigiiii!" came Natsu's panicked voice as he ran out onto the path.
Effectively catching the attention of those passing by.
Catching sight of her he stomped to her, evidently angry.
"Where were you? You promised to stay!" he huffed at her.
"You can still see me?" Lucy breathed, hope and relief washing over her.
"Well, duh! And don't you vanish like that on me again! Not like..."
Lucy felt extremely guilty as she saw his little shoulders quiver with barely reined emotion.
"Excuse me," came a voice interrupting her attempt at apologising. "But who are you talking to little boy?"
"Luigi," he stated looking cautiously at the short old man who had just spoken.
"Who is this Luigi?"
"My frien-" Natsu turned to point at her, only to find her with a finger on her lips, motioning for him to not mention her.
"Uh, no one," he amended, shrewdly catching on.
"I see, and where are your parents?"
Natsu looked at him sceptically before subtly turning to Lucy wordlessly asking if he should answer. Upon receiving an encouraging nod from her, he turned to face Makarov and respond.
"Dad vanished," Natsu said softly, "and I've to find him." His gaze shifted to his feet.
And because he did so he didn't see Porlyusica whispering something into Makarov's ear.
But Lucy did.
She saw him nod solemnly at the old lady before clapping loudly. "So little boy! Would you like to join a guild?"
"A guild?"
"Yeah! Where mages band together and go on missions. We're like a big family, all watching out for each other, and together we make the best in all of Fiore!"
Natsu seemed to mull over it for a moment. "Will it make me stronger?"
"Oh yes, it would! And there are a lot of kids your age so you can make friends too!"
The idea of friends and a family like the kind Lucy described was exciting enough, but just in case Natsu looked once over at Lucy in question and grinned when he received a definite nod from her, now all doubts gone.
"Count me in, old man!"
…
The whole way to the guild, Lucy followed them silently, fuelled by both the need to ensure Natsu was okay (even though she technically knew he would be) and her own wish to see the guild – her home – once more.
Makarov had been explaining to Natsu about the guild, and in turn prodding him about his father and his form of magic. Natsu easily answered the queries, his excitement warding away any need to be cautious.
As he did, Makarov and Porlyusica would exchange very subtle glances, ones that Natsu missed but Lucy caught on.
'They had known about the dragons all along!'
"And who is this Luigi you mentioned earlier?" Makarov prompted.
"A friend," Natsu replied in a non-committed manner, and Lucy was glad he had caught onto her wish of not being talked about with these people.
Lucy sighed. There was far too many things about this she didn't know and that was becoming increasingly both apparent and worrisome.
Natsu was still seated on the floor in a daze when Lucy ran into the room in tears and threw herself onto his lap, burying her face into his chest as she cried.
Snapping back to the present, Natsu instinctively held her close, worried about the sudden outburst.
"He yelled..he didn't...he was angry and he threw it away on the floor and he yelled so much," she tried explaining between sobs.
Natsu could barely hold back the sheer anger and revulsion he felt towards Jude. Lucy's father or not, the man was even more of an asshole than Lucy had explained he'd been.
Who would throw something a child made? A child? Let alone your own daughter? After she put so much effort into making it too.
Growling at the man responsible and his own helplessness in the situation, he held her close and let her cry, not saying or doing anything to stem the flow of her tears.
When the bawling had reduced to mere hiccups, Natsu picked the sabotaged rice-ball that she was still cradling in her palms and chucked it into his mouth.
"Wait, no don't, that's from the floor!"
Natsu ignored her every word, grinning as he made a show of licking his fingers. "That," he declared loudly, "was amazing!"
And he was absolutely certain it would have been too, if he could still taste. He had been witness to the amount of effort she had put in, after all.
"You didn't have to eat it..." Lucy mumbled, her little face tinged pink at his praise.
"I wanna have the rest too, give me!"
She looked suspiciously at him through her eyelashes and Natsu grinned back happily, glad to see her not as upset anymore.
"They're for Spetto-san and the others," she said quietly.
Natsu smiled, smothering the suspicion that she knew he couldn't eat anymore in favour of appreciating her kindness.
Seriously, Jude was a major arsehole.
"How about this?" he began, standing up and picking up Lucy along with him, "as a special birthday treat, you get to have this Mr Dragon as your knight for the day! And I shall do anything the Princess asks me to do!"
Lucys mouth dropped open in a little 'O' before she quickly wiped her eyes dry and shot Natsu a hesitant smile, asking softly, "Can we go on an adventure?"
"We sure can!"
"We should take Michelle too!" she said, shaking a bit in her enthusiasm. "I'll ask Spetto-san to pack a lunch basket as well!" She exclaimed excitedly, before pausing and looking up at Natsu apologetically. "We'll have to stay within the east sector of the Manor premises though, so that Papa will not get angry."
"No problem," the dragon slayer announced happily. "Like I said, your day your rules!"
Lucy laughed giddily in response, dashing off to fetch Michelle before returning back to where Natsu was.
"I don't think I introduced you two," she thought out loud. "Michelle, this is Mr Dragon; Mr Dragon, Michelle."
"Hey there Michelle," Natsu waved. 'Long time no see,' he added internally.
"Here," she said, lifting the doll up for him to accept, "you can hold her while I go talk to Spetto-san!"
And before Natsu said anything more she was already scuttling away to her old house-keeper. He glanced down at the doll in his hands, and wondered not for the first time about how different things would be had he not been sent here.
Of a Lucy that never had a Mr Dragon around, and had no one to cheer up every time she cried. 'Did Lucy really have to go through all this alone?' he mused sadly, his appreciation of his cheerful, kind partner only growing.
"I'm back!" she yelled a small while, running over to him. Natsu noticed that she had also washed her face in the interim. "We can go now, Spetto-san said she'll send our lunch to us."
"Awesome! Let's go then," said Natsu handing her Michelle before turning so that his back faced her, and crouching on a knee. "Hop on!"
Lucy looked unsure for a moment or two before jumping onto him, and wrapping her arms around his neck for support. Natsu in turn, stood up, securing both her legs and thus her weight using his own arms, hoisting her to a more comfortable height on his back.
Taking in her giggles with a grin, he then opened her window and stood on its sill. "You ready?"
"Are you going to jump?" she squeaked.
"Yup!"
He felt her arms tighten a little around him before feeling her nod. "Okay."
And he did.
Now, the plan was to actually fly for a bit, Natsu was now pretty good at channeling his fire under his feet to let him do so – but a few moments off the ledge and Natsu realised there was no fire he could tap into.
He quelled a surge of fear at the observation by focusing instead on landing in a manner that didn't hurt Lucy or him.
Which was also something he was good at, though not quite as flamboyant as he wanted to be.
And in less than a second, he nailed a soft landing on the grass below, turning to Lucy to gauge her reaction, surprised at what he saw.
She was grinning wide, her mouth open to accommodate the width of it, her cheeks a sweet pink even as she laughed euphorically at the stunt.
"That was so much fun," she breathed.
Natsu took a moment to comprehend the fact that she also sounded impressed. Like he had wanted her to be. Even with no fire or flying.
"Wanna try that again?" he asked.
"Yes!" she said, and Natsu immediately began scaling the wall once more, until he reached the window and jumped again, positively ecstatic hearing her happy laughter - worry of his magic push far enough for him to care at that moment, Lucy's happiness and approval ensuring he didn't even need to put any effort towards doing so.
"I feel compelled to inform you that this is not quite how I ever intended to use my magic. I create based on my own memory, not suppress it or alter that in others – which is far more dangerous. It may as well be forbidden, Lost Magic or not," the memory-make mage warned.
It wasn't a yes, but neither was it really a no, and Gray was quick to catch onto that.
"Rufus," he said quietly, not quite exuding the calm he wanted to. "We need to save them. You heard Erza, what's happening will affect us too once the protective spell wears off. Ultear is doing all she can, but all of that would be meaningless without you."
Rufus' eyes narrowed behind his mask as he weighed Gray's words in his head. Moments later, sighing, he finally said, "I shall do my best."
Gray nodded his thanks, as they moved on to the next stage of the plan.
Both of them all too aware that the world as they know it couldn't afford anything less than their best.
Thank you awesome folks for you patience, feedback and support! :D
Two more chapters and Rewind will reach it's conclusion, omg. Thanks to you lovely people, I've got the confidence boost I needed and have begun the notes for my next multi-chapter - an AU this time - which would in all likelihood be waaaay longer.
My special thanks to Lyonsgirl, Alexa, ZeynepD, Kauia, bored-outa-my-mind97, Srae13, FireDragonPhia, , BrennaCoris, CopDog, Satisfied Reader, fairytail0630, otakunatic, Aviend, Soawksahm, sama775, BandGeek1234566, Crushing Chaos, CrystalRavenFairy and Juliastes as well as everyone who favourited and followed!
