Me: Hello, everyone! I have another one for you!

Natsu: I get to tell this chapter, right?

Me: Yes, Natsu, you are the speaker.

Natsu: I'm all fired up now!

Me: Please read and review! I don't own rights to Fairy Tail! Enjoy!


Frozen and Forgotten Feelings

Sadness

Natsu POV

A growl rose in my throat as I stared up at the night sky. Why did she have to remember Ice Princess' name instead of mine? Pulling up my scarf so it covered my eyes, I went back over what happened.

She was staring at Gray from where she was cradled in his arms. Wait, he had her...in his arms! "Hey, Popsicle," I growled. "What were you doing?" Something stirred in my belly as he gently put her down, surprise written all over his face.

He raised an eyebrow and huffed. "Unlike you, I was helping her cope, moron."

My anger grew and my fists turned into balls of fire. "Did you just call me a 'moron'?!"

A small whimper came from my left, catching my attention. The anger I had died as I caught sight of her behind a tree, her chin resting on her knees. Tilting my head, I walked over and plopped down next to her. "You okay?"

She turned her head away, looking in the opposite direction. "I'm sorry, but could you move away just a few inches?"

Blinking, I scooted a little to the left. "Here?"

"That's fine," she whispered, looking out across the old estate. "How long has it been?"

"Well," I pondered. "The last time you were here was the whole Infinity Clock thing." Her head tilted as I began to tell her the story. When I got to the part of Michelle Lobster's disappearance, her head shot upward and I found myself looking into pools of sapphire. "Lucy?"

"I remember her..."

I blinked, then grinned. "That's awesome!"

Her bangs fell and covered her eyes. "She just wanted to see me again...and look what happened..."

Kneeling in front of her, I grabbed her hands. "Hey, listen to me for a second. She was so happy to see you that it didn't matter to her what the price had been. Besides," I reached into the bag she had next to her and pulled out her doll; I'd seen her put it in her bag multiple times and found that she brought it with her on missions. "She didn't really leave. She's right here."

The second I pulled out the doll, her eyes exploded with tears and her body began to radiate with a familiar coldness from before, but more severe. Her body shook with sobs as she cradled the doll in her hands. "I…She…How…"

My chest clenched painfully as she sobbed into the doll. Seeing Lucy, who was usually so bright and cheerful, so sad did something to me. I blinked as a droplet hit my nose. Looking up, I noticed the clouds above us growing bigger and bigger as her sobs grew louder.

"It's almost as if she controlling the weather."

I glared at the ice wizard who had interrupted our conversation. "Dude, don't cut me off."

He rolled his eyes. "Focus, moron. If we don't calm her down, she's going to explode again."

As if on cue, she threw her head back and unleashed a scream that blew us against a tree-line that was a couple feet away. I leapt to my feet as the ground suddenly became ice covered. One glance at Gray told me that he hadn't cast anything, which meant... A pain bloomed in my chest as I watched her throw back her head, releasing a scream that pierced my eardrums and my heart literally cracked when I caught sight of her tears. The ice covering the ground slowly worked its way up the trees around us, turning them into spiky pillars.

My jaw dropped as Gray created a wall, trying to stop the ice's advance, but ended up being encased inside it. "Moron!" I shouted, dodging a wave of ice that accompanied another scream. "I thought you knew what you were doing!"

"Shut up and focus, fire-freak!" he shouted back, his voice muffled because of the ice, struggling to bring his hands together to use his magic. "I can't move!"

"Looks like it's up to me!" I grinned, leaping to the top of a frozen cedar. "I'm fired up now!"

"Natsu, wait! You can't afford to be an idiot right now"

"Fire Dragon: RRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!" I smirked as my fire licked across the ice. Any second now the ice was going to disappear and I couldn't wait to tell everyone back at the guild that I saved his ass.

"Idiot! Don't let it hurt Lucy!"

My eyes widened as tongues of fire reached for Lucy, who hadn't moved from the center of the strange ice flower that bloomed around her. "Crap!" Using another roar, I launched myself off the cedar, taking it with me, and planted it in the fire's path. In slow motion, the ice slowly rose over the tree and began dancing with my fire, throwing rainbows of sparks everywhere. If I didn't move quickly, the ice was going to spread!

"You're not going to get anywhere by being a moron, moron, so stop destroying stuff and listen to me! This is one of the times where being gentle is more effective than being destructive! You have to calm her down by being sensitive for once!"

"I know that!" I bellowed at the worthless popsicle, sending him a glare.

He rolled his eyes. "Sure you did."

My heart cracked a little more as she screamed again, and I felt my breath catch as the flower grew bigger, nearly encasing her in its petals. She looked so sad and gloomy... I called her name, climbing over the ice towards her, ignoring the burning pain shooting up my legs and arms. "Lucy?"

Her teary eyes rose, turning from sapphire to crystal, and locked with mine. There seemed to be no end to the sorrow and anguish that I saw in them. Knowing that she was harboring so much pain only made my heart break a little bit more.

"Lucy, I'm going to try something." I cupped my hands and set them aflame.

"Dude, are you insane?!" he yelled, his eyes wide. "That could blow us all to hell!"

"I have something for you, Lucy." I grinned, proudly holding up my creation as I approached her. I had formed a Flaming Lotus flower with gold and crimson flames. "I want you to have it."

From the center of the blossom, she watched me come closer. Her head tilting from side to side, eyes locked on the blazing flower in my hands, but she made no other movement to stop my advancement.

"Lucy," I called softly, kneeling in front of her and pressing a hand against the ice wall that separated us. "I know you are hurting right now, but you're not alone. I'm right here with you, I will always be next to you." My lips lifted into a smile as her eyes became beige.

"Nat...su..."

My chest exploded as my name left her lips in a soft whisper. "That's right," I whispered, leaning forward to rest my head against the ice. "I'm right here."

She leaned forward and rested her forehead on the ice, her eyes slowly becoming darker. "I'm so alone..."

"No you're not," I chuckled, giving her my best smile. "I'm here, remember? And here is where I'm staying until you are ready to come out of that ice sculpture."

"What's that?" she pointed to the lotus in my hands.

I smiled. "It's a gift for you, Lucy." Her eyes locked with mine and I saw surprise flicker within their depths. If she accepted my lotus, she would not only warm herself up, but it would also portray something much more important... "Would you accept it?"

She looked from me to the flower in my hand, then back to me. Slowly, as if afraid it might burn her, she reached out and placed her hand on the ice. It formed a glove around her outstretched hand as she reached for the flower, but it melted the second it made contact with the lotus or myself.

"It's not going to hurt you," I whispered when she made to withdraw her hand. "I would never let anything hurt you, Lucy."

Gingerly, she placed a few fingers on mine. "I won't get hurt?"

"I promise." With a smile, I passed the lotus to her.

The second the lotus made contact with her bare skin, a scarlet glow traveled up her arm and covered her being. I watched in excitement as the ice melted away into steam as she hugged the lotus to her chest. The scarlet was replaced by a golden glow, and I saw her lips lift into a smile. "It's so warm..."

I lunged forward as she fainted, catching her before she made contact with the ground. The lotus in her hands gave one last flicker before it disappeared, completing its task. Holding her tightly, I lowered my head to rest against hers. "Please don't cry anymore, Lucy, I won't let anything or anyone hurt you..."