The weather remained bad the following morning, but Natsu was impatient to move on even if it meant they had to walk. Cold rain and a persistent wind made the journey into the mountains rather unpleasant and Lucy didn't hold back on voicing her complaints about wet feet, chafing boots and cold hands. He was forced to listen to endless harangues on how stupid it was to hike when staying an extra day in the warm, dry cave wouldn't cost them anything because no one else would be stupid enough to move about in this weather, and just gritted his teeth against the growing impatience. Better listen to Lucy's nagging voice than waste time - he repeated it so often in response to her whining that it grew into a mantra he fell back on whenever his temper threatened to flare up.

Truth was, Lucy had almost as much fun tormenting her friend as she had hiking up and down mountainsides. Wet feet and aching limbs were nothing in face of this grand adventure, but she made sure to keep her wide-eyed amazement and gasps of wonder to herself as the landscape grew steadily wilder and more dramatic for each mile they covered. The Teeth were tall and sharp and loomed over their heads with a bombastic elegance, exuding a sense of the same serene danger one might find in the lumbering steps of a bear or perhaps in the sleepy eye of a lion. Whenever the girl remembered to look up and take in the blue-green slopes and snow-capped peaks before them it was as though all her aches and worries simply melted away along with any bad temper.

But however much she wished it, no amount of scenic views would cure the cold she dragged onto herself on the second day in the rain. It began with an unassuming itch at the back of her throat and a few coughs that grew more persistent until she couldn't take more than a few steps without hacking and wheezing. Lucy refused to complain about that particular plight however and pressed on even when Natsu offered to stop and rest, placing one foot before the other with bull-headed stubbornness. The dragon watched her struggle over the course of a day, but when she still insisted on continuing on the morning of the third day despite a high fever and rattling coughs that shook her entire frame, he finally set his foot down.

"I'm in a hurry to cross the mountains, not to see you kill yourself" he muttered as he packed the sniffling girl into a bundle with his coat, the fire outside their makeshift shelter stoked until it could have passed for a bonfire and spread much needed warmth throughout the entire campsite.

"Why are you so stubborn? You've been complaining about everything else without holding back, I don't get this sudden bashfulness."

He looked a bit annoyed as he sat back beside her, arms folded across the chest. Lucy sniffled weakly and wished that her head could stop aching - heck, every joint in her body was aching, but it paled to nothing compared to the midget with the sledge-hammer that had invaded her brain.

"I don't want to hold you back" she mumbled, carefully avoiding to look at the man. Rain was still falling outside but it had slowed into a light drizzle that was more cold than wet and draped the forested slopes in a misty haze. "Don't want to be a burden..."

"Huh!?" The dragon looked positively incredulous as he stared. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Then, I'm sorry for being stupid..!" Alas, raising her voice was not a good idea. Her flaming protest was cut short as deep, wet coughs cut like searing blades through her throat and lungs, leaving her breathless and panting once they receded.

"Hey, you okay?" He looked a bit worried, but Lucy didn't deign answer. Did she look alright? Who was the stupid one now?

The rose-haired man sighed and scratched his chin awkwardly, gaze trailing around the slanted roof of branch and leaf that sheltered them from the rain.

"You're not a burden" he muttered, almost too quiet for Lucy to hear. "Even if you were, it's not one I'd mind carrying."

It was probably both kind and sweet of him to say so, but it didn't please the young woman in the slightest. "I don't want that" she retorted, wishing her clogged nose didn't make her sound so pathetic. "I want to be able to do things on my own!"

The dragon raised a silent brow. "You already are" he said, sounding as though he was making some kind of point. "What's wrong with accepting help when things get rough?"

"I've been getting nothing but help all my life" she reminded with a sulky pout. "Help getting dressed, help choosing friends, help avoiding anything even remotely fun. What's wrong with wanting to walk beside my friend instead of stumbling along behind or being carried?"

To her great astonishment Natsu began to laugh. She gave him a very unladylike glare, not seeing the humor in anything at the moment. He must have realized because with some effort he calmed himself and donned a serious face, immediately ruined by the lips that kept wanting to twist into a grin.

"Aren't you expecting a bit much from yourself?

"Huh!?" It was her turn to stare now, as Natsu gave up and let a wide, toothy smile spread across the face.

"This spoiled princess wants to keep pace with the dragon? Hah! It's a hundred years too early!"

Anger and hurt deepened the color in her already flushed face, fever making her more sensitive than usual. She could hear the playful teasing in his voice, saw the glitter within the dark eyes, but the remark still hurt. She opened her mouth to snap back, but before she had time to speak he shook his head and hushed her with a soothing gesture.

"Don't be so impatient" the dragon man continued, still smiling. "I get what you're saying, but it's only been a week. A single week, Lucy! Of course you're not strong or fast and I'm not expecting you to be either. That's not why I brought you along."

"Then why did you?" Her tired, bleary gaze was a challenge, the hoarse voice an ocean of insecurity. Natsu blinked sheepishly and fingered the tassels of the scarf-turned-headband, opening his mouth to speak... only to change his mind and think harder on it when he realized how much she needed the answer to be honest.

"Because you interest me" he eventually said slowly, dropping his gaze onto the fair-haired girl.

"... that's all?" Lucy felt faint, disappointment like a stale taste on her tongue.

"Isn't it enough?" He raised a brow, lips twisting into a lopsided grin. "You're a nice, interesting person and I have fun when you're around. I want to talk and laugh and play more games with you and since I couldn't stay in the castle and you wanted to leave, I brought you with me."

In her chest the heart pounded hard and fast, but as his words slowly reached her feverish mind, the ache in the chest gradually faded until only a slight weight of hesitation lingered.

"Then what was all that about stealing and not letting me go back?"

Had she read too much into it? Was that growling declaration of ownership really nothing more than a result of a childishly egocentric desire to possess a favorite toy? Lucy wasn't even sure what she had expected, but for the reason to be so simplistic...
But even as her lips began to pull back in a smile, something in the eyes of the dragon changed that made her tense and hold her breath. His grin disappeared in favor of a very serious expression that stayed on as he leaned in closer, a red-scaled, clawed hand landing softly on the ground right next to her face.

"Exactly what it sounded like."

Her eyes widened as they stared up into Natsu's face, so grave and intense and... greedy. Heartbeats raced in her chest, his face was so close that she could feel his breath against her cheek.

"I want you around, so I will keep you around. If ridiculous laws and stupid old men prevent me from being where you are, then I will have to keep you where I am."

The ache intensified again, her chest constricting painfully.

"...and what about my will?"

Speaking was so hard, the words were only a soft whisper breathed through lips that barely moved. The dragon blinked slowly, onyx eyes regarding her thoughtfully at first, then narrowed in sudden worry.

"You don't want to come with me?"

Somehow she managed to move her head from side to side in denial. "I want to" she clarified quietly when she noticed mounting dread, clearly stemming from a misunderstanding. "It's just that you never asked..."

Blinking Natsu leaned back, expressions changing so rapidly from fear to relief to confusion that she almost began to laugh.

"I did ask!" he protested, suddenly indignant. "I asked if you.."

"..wanted to leave the castle" Lucy interrupted, regaining control over herself now that he wasn't so close anymore. "That's it."

"Really? I didn't?"

He struggled so hard to remember that it almost looked painful and the girl had to fight back laughter once again. How could a man go from scary to almost cute in such a short amount of time? Eyes glittering with barely retained mirth she watched her friend as he thought, flinching slightly when he gave up and almost fell back over her again with a hand on either side of her bundled up frame, a bright smile almost splitting the face in two.

"Then, Lucy do you want to come with me? It'll be dangerous and scary, but if you still want to go then I'll set you free."

Holding back was impossible this time. He was such an idiot, such a happy-go-lucky fool of a weirdo and when he smiled like that it was impossible not to smile back. Like a ruptured dam her laughter burst forth, clear and bubbly and utterly unrestrained - at least until a quick intake of air set off another coughing fit and she was left in a sweaty, trembling pile on the ground. The dragon frowned and looked worried again, but Lucy still smiled widely as she sucked precious air into her lungs, then nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, I'll come. Thank you, Natsu."

"Hey, why are you laughing?"

"No reason..."

"You're weird."

"You're one to talk."

They stayed in camp that day. Lucy was sleeping most of the time while Natsu kept the fire going. Few words were exchanged between them but the silence was comfortable, more so than it had ever been before.

The next morning she was still feverish, but the weather had cleared enough that the dragon decided he didn't want to waste time walking anymore. Adding his own shirt and coat to her clothes before they left, Lucy felt either too hot or too cold as the illness wreaked havoc with her body. The cold wind and the steady heat from the dragon's skin didn't help the matter much either, but at least she was spared the strain of walking.

The dragon's brow lowered steadily as her condition worsened, worry glowing in his eyes whenever their gazes met. The woman wished there was something she could do to reassure him, but any words would come out false if they came out at all - so she only smiled weakly before letting her head sink back onto his shoulder, relying on Natsu to hold her steady whenever coughs tore through her lungs.

They really ought to stop and find someplace to rest, they both knew that. But the pass that lead to the other side of the ridge was so close now, the sky finally clear enough to let them pass through. Turning back and waiting for another chance might mean they had to stave off pursuers, and they didn't have time for that. So Natsu gritted his teeth and kept going, flying as fast as he could as the air grew thinner, the peaks closer. Lucy could feel the rapid beat of his pulse against her cheek, knew from the tight grip of his arms that he was pushing himself to the limit. If she had been stronger she might have objected, insisted that they land and got some rest... Her mind was only half there even when she was awake however, high fever turning her to ash from the inside out. So she watched and kept smiling whenever Natsu looked her way, unable to grasp why it made him so miserable.

When the top of the pass came nearer, Lucy forced her thoughts to clear just enough to actually see the landscape around them. High walls of glistening ever-white snow stretched out on either side as far as the eye could see. Below their combined shadow flitted hastily over rock and boulder, over ice and glittering snow and before her was a small sliver or clear blue sky that grew larger the higher up they came. She held her breath as Natsu beat his wings once, twice, three times...

...and suddenly the world lay before their feet.

Natsu glanced down at the girl when he felt her stir, and following an impulse he went down at the highest point of the pass, taking a short break while offering a chance for her to look. And look she did, feet on the ground but mostly held up by the dragon's strong arms; it was a good thing he didn't let go, because between the illness and the awe she felt, Lucy likely would have collapsed on the spot.

It was as though she stood on top of the very world itself. Before her eyes the ground dropped into a steep fall that would have taken days of treacherous climbing to traverse on foot, down and down until ice became rock and rock faded into multicolored lichens, grass and then finally forest, the trees growing taller and stronger as the ground gradually leveled out. More mountains cowered at the base of the gigantic ridge, but from here they looked little more than hills, rolling green waves that rose and fell and rose again until the landscape flattened in a blanket of untouched woodlands, intersected here and there by clear blue rivers and glistening lakes. On and on it stretched until, just on the horizon where earth and sky began to mingle and clouds lingered in a misty haze, she thought she could see the forest fade into distant grasslands.

The girl could have kept watching the view forever, but didn't protest when Natsu renewed his firm grip on her and pushed off into the sky, the pressure from his feet setting off a small avalanche that followed them down the mountainside. Lucy laughed as she watched the snow tumble and roll and drag along more snow, until all the mountainside was alive beneath them.

"The world is beautiful" Lucy mumbled with a hazy smile as she hugged herself closer to her friend, not quite remembering when he had stopped feeling too hot and simply become comfortably warm.

"Yeah, and there's plenty more to see" he muttered back, "so hang in there, Lucy. I'll find us a place to rest, and some food. Wouldn't be too bad with some fried fish now, what do you say!"

She smiled and hummed, lips forming words that came out as little more than a blur. Natsu's shoulder was warm and comfortable, and she was so very tired.

"Lucy? Hey, don't fall asleep now! Lucy!"

She wanted to stay awake, but it just wasn't possible. The eyelids were so heavy and the world kept spinning, making her dizzy. Lucy closed her eyes promising herself that it was just a little, only for a short while...

The next time she opened her eyes it was dark. Not the stifling, perfect darkness of a room or a deep cave, but rather the dark of hiding your head beneath a blanket on a cloudy night. The air around her was warm, a dry and comfortable heat seeping into her from above and especially from the soft cushion below, so reminiscent of her feathered mattress at home that she sighed in quiet delight.

It would have been so pleasant if she hadn't been so cold. It felt as though she had been doused in icy waters until her entire body quivered, trembling so violently that it was almost impossible to lift her hand and move away the hairs that annoyed her eyes. Touching her own skin came as a shock; against the intense cold of her fingers the cheeks felt burning, skin clammy and damp.

Ah, right. She was still sick. Then, the soft thing she was lying on... Lucy pulled weakly at the cloth that covered her face and pushed it down, lungs greedily devouring the cool night air as it embraced her burning skin. Expecting to see stars gleam against deep velvet blue, her eyes met only the rough weave of branches and twigs that made up the roof of a new shelter, deceptively similar to others she had slept under recently. If she turned her head she knew she would find the red glow of dying embers in the fire pit, and if she raised her head just a little...

Yes, it was Natsu. He lay outstretched on the ground, one arm beneath the head and the other draped loosely across the small of her back to make sure she wouldn't fall off. Some part of her squealed quietly at the realization that she was lying squarely on top of him, head against a very shirtless chest - but she was too hazy to remember why it was a big deal, too occupied with the thirst that dried her throat and made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth.

The rosy-haired man cracked open an eye and raised his head a bit when she stirred, a relieved expression spreading along with the soft smile when she looked back.

"Hey, welcome back. How are you... feeling?" A wet, painful cough replied before Lucy could, making the dragon wince sympathetically as he sat up, warm hands rubbing her back as she convulsed.

"Thirsty" she said hoarsely when she was able to speak, breaths shallow and strained as she leaned against him for support.

"Mmh, no wonder. But I think.. yeah, the fever has gone down a bit." His hand felt big and rough against her forehead but the touch was very careful, almost tender as he tested her temperature. Reaching for a bulging water skin on the ground he helped her drink her fill before throwing a thick log and a handful of tinder onto the fire, making small flames poke out of the ashes, lapping at the fuel like hungry red cat tongues.

"How long was I sleeping?" Speaking was easier now but her tongue still didn't want to obey like it usually did. It seemed to be twice its regular size and slightly crooked, making the words come out slurred and unclear.

"Half a day, just about." Natsu settled in with his back against one side of the shelter, arms still maintaining their grasp on her. The girl didn't complain, it was much nicer than sitting by herself. He was always warm, and his shoulders were at just the perfect height to lean her head against. "You were more unconscious than sleeping though. I've never seen a fever so high before."

"I'm sorry for making you worry..."

"As long as you get better." He didn't deny having worried, and it made the girl wonder just how bad it had been. She coughed again and felt relief when something loosened enough in her chest that breathing became a bit easier. The taste of phlegm in her mouth was nasty however and she quickly reached for the water again.

"You hungry?" Natsu asked after a while, dark eyes following her movements to make sure she wasn't overdoing anything.

"There's food?" She didn't feel like eating but the mere mention made her stomach clench, reminding her of how empty it was.

"Yeah, I promised you fish, didn't I?" He sat up just enough to enable himself to reach for a small package by the fire, revealed to be large leaves wrapped around a beautifully grilled trout.

It was probably delicious, but Lucy couldn't feel the taste of the pinkish meat when she put it in her mouth. Her fingers still reached for more, urged on by gratitude towards her friend as much as hunger - yet she couldn't bring herself to eat much. When she finally shook her head and pushed it away there was more than half of it left.

She could feel the dragon's worried gaze on her as she sank back against him and forced herself to smile. "Later" she murmured, eyes already half closed and thoughts scattering like sparrows before a prowling cat. "So tired..."

"Just sleep. We're not going anywhere until you're well again."

Sighing gratefully the girl nodded and twisted in his arms until she was comfortable again. Falling asleep was as easy as closing her eyes, as comfortable and soothing as the rhythm of a dragon's heartbeat against her cheek. It didn't matter that they were faster than they should be, making funny double takes whenever she moved.

It took nearly four days for the worst of the cold to pass. It might have disappeared sooner if she'd been in a warm house and a comfortable bed, but she was nothing if not cared for. Natsu was so careful and attentive to her needs that it was almost frightening, his normally so careless blundering completely gone. As her thoughts became more coherent Lucy was amused by how reluctant he was to let go of her whenever he had to do something that required both hands. Did he think she would break or get worse by lying on the ground instead of being propped against his chest? The better she got the more annoying it became too, especially when her shyness caught up with the situation and made her blush under his touch until he insisted she had become feverish again.

Natsu wasn't stupid however, no matter how much he loved to act like it. It didn't take him long to realize the real cause behind it, and it amused him to no end.

"Shouldn't you be used to it by now?" he teased over the meal on the evening on the fourth day, eyes glittering mischievously at Lucy over his food. "After all the flying and sleeping and drying and keeping warm..."

There was no stopping the rosy color from spreading over her cheeks and she kept her eyes firmly on her own fish when he began to laugh, much too enthused by her reaction.

"I really think I'm the normal one here" she muttered between bites, finally able to fully appreciate the mild, mouth-watering flavor of the trout, seasoned with herbs that left a pleasantly bitter tang on the tongue. "People aren't supposed to touch so easily..."

"Who told you that, those stuck-up pricks in the castle?"

She nodded.

"Well, there you have it. This ain't a castle, no need to follow their rules. Just do what you want to do!"

Oh, if only it was that easy. It just didn't matter how many times she told herself that she really was used to being dragged around, lifted, carried, pulled in or pushed away; whenever she felt a muscular arm drop down around her shoulders the heat immediately rose to her cheeks, until she barely reacted to it anymore. Lucy didn't dislike being treated so familiarly, on the contrary. It was heartening and comfortable and she could really see herself getting used to it. But that in itself was the problem - should she really allow herself to become so familiar with a man she knew so little about? Not only a man, a dragon to boot! That Natsu was a friend she had learned to trust helped a bit, but only somewhat. It definitely didn't keep her from being shy, nor from pondering the flutter in her stomach that appeared from time to time, seemingly without cause and definitely unwanted.

She was grateful when they picked up their travel again, the pace much more languid and pleasant than before now that they felt safer. The Teeth rose behind them like a giant wall, a promise of safety that Lucy welcomed with far more trust than Natsu did. He remained wary as they went on, but agreed quite easily to stop and rest whenever something caught the eye of the adventurous princess, be it a clearing below, a peculiar tree along the way as they hiked through lush forests or startled deer that stood like frozen statues for several heartbeats before it took off in high leaps between the trees.

With a dragon by her side it was easy to be brave, even reckless at times. When they woke at night to the howl of wolves the princess shuddered in delight and listened with gleaming eyes rather than fear the skulking shadows, and it was quite easy to scale tall trees or wade through knee-deep waters without seeing the bottom, knowing that he would definitely save her if something went wrong. Natsu did prevent her from overexerting herself again, but it was just as well since Lucy still coughed whenever she got winded. And really, pushing herself over her limits to prove her strength and usefulness to someone who didn't care about that was quite stupid.

She did insist on being taught how to set the nifty little traps he used to catch rabbits and small birds with, however, and struggled for several days with flint and kindling until she managed to make her own fires. Natsu started rolling his eyes whenever she came over with a determined look and glittering smiles, but his protests were weak and easy to push past, almost as fake as his lack of enthusiasm whenever she finally got the hang of something.