Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!
If anyone would like me to do a oneshot that I haven't done yet (even thought this is only my second) please tell me. Don't worry, I would give you the credit for the idea! Please comment!
Now being Beta read by crwatters.
Enjoy!
Natsu paced around the guild, feeling as though he was the only one there. That, of course, was not true. Happy was there, flirting with Charla and eating fish just like he always does. Charla was in the guild, ignoring Happy's advances. Cana was sitting at a table in the middle of the guild, using her cards to tell others their fortune. The annoying ice-freak was charging at Gajeel, who had called him "ice stripper". Erza was eating her very own strawberry cake happily, not noticing the fight since she was so indulged with her cake. Mira was walking around, serving the mages what they ordered. Even Gildarts was visiting the guild, saying that he was just in town for the day and wanted to see his newfound daughter, the Card Mage, Cana. So, really, all was normal on the guild with the fights and the noise. Except, one person was missing. Was he the only one who noticed Lucy wasn't there?
Granted, Lucy had run out of Fairy Tail holding a job request yesterday. Natsu had attempted to follow. Keyword being attempted. When he stepped outside the guild, it seemed as though she was waiting for him.
Flashback
Natsu ran out of the guild, his mind set on following Lucy. He pushed the door open to find Lucy waiting outside for someone. Was she waiting for him? He looked at her fully, his eyes caressing her body, seeing it was tense and sweaty. "Hey, Natsu." Lucy said, a little shy. Why was she being shy? She never was."Hey Luce! Are you going on a job?" He asked curiously, trying to get a peek at what the piece of parchment had written on it. Lucy clutched it tighter in her hand to make sure he didn't see and smiled at him, nodding.
"Yeah, but I want to go on this one alone. Are you okay with that?" Lucy asked, biting her lip between her teeth. She had hoped to be in and out of the guild fast, just grabbing a request and leaving, but unfortunately, Natsu was already at the guild when she walked in. Once she saw him, she knew she would not be able to leave without him following her.
Natsu's curious face turned into a worried, concerned one like that of a parent's. He always cared for Lucy, just like he cared for everyone else. They were his family and not one of them was allowed to get hurt within his sight. Yeah, there were some accidents that he couldn't stop, but he was able to stop most of them and had kept his family safe for a long time. He was, however, more protective of Lucy, and did not like it that she was trying to go solo now. He would not be able to protect Lucy if she went on the quest alone. He frowned, thinking it over. "I'm not too sure if that's a good idea, Luce." Natsu said worriedly. Lucy's eyes got a hard look in them when he said this, one of pure determination. "And why not?" She asked, feeling offended.
Natsu groaned inside his head as he saw the look that showed she was going to be stubborn about this. "I don't want you to get hurt. You can't go alone." The second statement immediately followed the first as he thought about what could go wrong. He didn't know what the request is, but he figured it was dangerous and might hurt his beautiful Celestial Spirit mage. Lucy started to glare, taking the sentences that come out of his mouth the wrong way without him knowing it. "I can take care of myself! I don't need you to protect me!" Lucy said, starting to yell at the end. Then she froze, her hands covering her mouth as she realized what she had just said. Natsu then started to get angry and sad.
Lucy gulped down a lump in her throat. She could not believe she had just said that. Natsu always protected her whenever she needed it. The time she Natsu fought Gajeel for her when Phantom Lord attacked was a prime example. Natsu was always there. "Natsu..." She trailed off when she noticed Natsu glaring angrily. "You'll need help! You can't do it alone!" Natsu yelled, not thinking about what he was saying. The once regretful look in Lucy's eyes turned angry and she glared angrily at Natsu again. "So you're saying I'm weak? How dare you! I'll prove myself on this request. I'm going alone and that's final!" Lucy yelled, running away in the direction of the train station.
Lucy had run away, angrily tearing up in the corner of her eyes. Natsu could smell the salty tears coming from her big brown orbs, and they made him feel guilty. He had just come to terms that he and Lucy had just had a fight. Both of them had said some pretty hurtful things, but Lucy was the one hurt the most. Natsu had made her cry. He had sworn to protect her and beat up anyone who made her cry, but now he was the cause of her sadness. Did that mean he should beat himself up?
Present
Natsu growled as he remembered what happened. He had been so stupid and mean. Natsu continued to pace and breath heavily. Guilt was beginning to creep back up his chest, pushing pain into his heart. Yesterday was the worst day in his life. Natsu sighed, sitting down at a table roughly. He slammed his forehead onto the table in defeat, thinking about Lucy. Why hadn't he asked her when she would be back?
"Flame-brain! What are you doing? Trying to lose a few brain cells?" The bastard ice-princess asked. "No, he wouldn't do that. He already has a low number." The iron-freak taunted, trying to rile the usually short tempered Fire Mage. "Go away! I'm not in the mood!" Natsu snapped at them angrily. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
Instead of leaving peacefully, both mages sat down at the same table as Natsu, smirking at each other. "Hey, Salamander?" Gajeel asked, getting Natsu's attention. "What?" Natsu said sharply, already getting tired of both of them.
"Is it about Lucy?" Gray asked for Gajeel. They got their answer when Natsu tensed up and glared at them, baring his teeth. "I'm just worried. That's all!" Natsu told them, wishing they would stop. He was already going through enough torture in his mind about her.
"Where is she anyway? I haven't seen her all day." Gray said, not realizing that that was the cause of Natsu's anger and worry. "You bastard!" Natsu yelled loudly while slamming his fists on the table.
Natsu gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger. He was sure that both Gray and Gajeel knew that he was upset that Lucy wasn't there. Why had they brought her up in a conversation like this? Gray looked at him startled and confused. Gajeel slowly shook his head at Gray, knowing full well why the Salamander was angry and that Gray should shut up.
"Bunny-girl went on a quest." Gajeel told Gray, continuing to stare at Natsu. When Lucy is mentioned, Natsu would tense up in worry. Gray's eyes widened. "By herself?" He asked in shock, glancing at Natsu. Natsu usually went with her on jobs, so why was she alone on this one job?
Gray kept his eyes on Natsu, thinking he was taking this hard.
"What kind of job did she go on?"
"I don't know." Natsu looked down at the table as he answered, ashamed that he never found out.
"You don't know?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow since Natsu usually knows what's up with Lucy.
"Well, did you ask Mira?" Gray asked, trying to figure out how in the world Natsu didn't know. Natsu looked up at Gray with wide eyes. He sat there for a moment, just starring before he jumped up and raced over to the bar, not answering Gray's question. "Well, I guess that's the answer." Gajeel said, chuckling at Natsu. "Yeah. I can't believe he didn't think of that! That idiot!" Gray said, shaking his head fondly.
Mira was busy cleaning the bar and serving the mages of Fairy Tail. No one could say she didn't work hard for the guild she loved. She had just walked behind the bar, intending to make the drink that Wakaba had ordered. As she pulled out a cup for the drink, she heard someone calling her name. "Mira!" Natsu yelled, trying to get her attention. Mira looked up to see Natsu crash into the bar and lean closer to her. "What can I do for you, Natsu?" Mira asked, curious as to why Natsu looked like he was in a hurry. "Do you know what kind of job Lucy went on?" He asked hurriedly, fidgeting as he waited for her to answer. Mira smirked, knowing full well what this was about. "Let's see." Mira said, smiling kindly. She pulled out a big book in which she keeps a copy of the job request and the name(s) of the mage(s) that go on them. Mira turned a few pages before stopping on one, pointing at it. "Here it is." She happily said, handing him the request. Natsu read it as fast as he could.
HELP US!
There is a Wyvern terrorizing our village. We need help defeating it.
Place: Balsam Village
Warning: Highly dangerous. Would suggest teamwork against this creature!
Reward: 400,000 J
At the bottom of the request, a picture of a Wyvern was shown. It was mostly green, although there were a few different colors on the creature. The body was covered in scales, except under its neck, stomach, and tail. It had deathly sharp claws and webbed wings attached to its arms. Spikes were sitting at the top of his head, going down its spine and to the tip of its tail. There were also spikes going down both legs and on both heels.
Natsu stared at the request in shock. This was the job Lucy had went on. Alone. A job that literally had 'would suggest teamwork' on it. Natsu could not believe her stupidity. "Why would you let her go on this job alone?" He aggressively asked Mira, blaming her for what had happened.
Mira's eyes widened. "She went on it alone?" Mira asked with concern, having just found out. Mira thought of Lucy as a sister and to found out that she went alone on a dangerous job, worried her more than anything else could. Except, maybe her brother or sister doing the same thing. Mira gulped down a lump in her throat that had climbed up because of the worry.
"How could you not know?" Natsu asked her with wide eyes, not believing that Mira hadn't realized Lucy was going alone. She keeps track of everything.
Mira shook her head guiltily, saying "I thought she went with Levy or Juvia, seeing as you were here. I'm sorry." She answered. Natsu kept his onyx eyes on her until he determined that she truly was, since it involved his partner. He growled angrily and asked "When will she be back?" Mira winced at the growl and question.
She didn't know how long it will take Lucy. "Maybe a few days…" Mira trailed off as she bit her lip. Natsu started pacing again, the worry getting to him, not allowing him to sit still. Should he go after her? She wanted to be left alone but he didn't know if he could take not knowing if she was okay or not for 'a few more days'.
Natsu barely made it through the night.
Mira smiled sadly the next day at the clearly disheveled Dragon Slayer. He didn't look his best right now, not that he would usually dress up to go to the guild, but he would have his shoes on the right feet and his shirt would not be inside out. Natsu ran a hand through his hair obviously deep in thought, which worried her a bit. Natsu was never one to think, much less overthink. "Why don't you go after her?" Mira asked him, wanting to give him some relief.
He sighed, banging his head on the bar top. "I don't want her to think that I don't trust her, cause I do, but I'm so worried. She's also really mad at me already because I didn't want her to go alone." Natsu explained to Mira.
"Then why not go if she's not back by tomorrow?" Mira tried to solve the problem. She then had a great idea, perhaps her best one ever. Maybe Natsu and Lucy would get together after Natsu ran off and passionately saved her! She then deflated, realizing that that would probably never happen, not even in her dreams. Natsu was not one of romantics. Natsu stared at Mira like she was an angel. He jaw was dropped and eyes shined with admiration. "That's a good idea! Thanks Mira!" Natsu said happily, bounding off to fight Gray. He could relax now, knowing he would see Lucy tomorrow, no matter what.
Lucy sighed as she sat at the table. She had just finished her job. The Wyvern had been pretty easy to defeat with the help of Loke and Aries. They always worked good together, and Lucy had a feeling that the two liked each other. Of course they denied whenever she asked, but she'd keep her hopes up. After she had finished, the village had wanted to thank her, so they decided to throw her a feast. She tried to get the feast cancelled but they weren't hearing any of it. She wondered what her guild was doing right now. Natsu would be fighting definitely, Erza stopping the fight or eating cake. Wendy would be fretting around, seeing if anyone needed help, while Charla would be ignoring Happy's advances on her. She smiled at the thought of the guild. They were like family to her.
"I guess I should find a place to stay." Lucy mumbled to herself, standing back up after about a minute of sitting. She must've gotten some weird looks, but she didn't mind. As Lucy walked around, many villagers were pointing at her and whispering "That's the wizard that helped the village. The one that defeated the Wyvern!" Lucy smiled and waved, while on the inside of her head just sighed tiredly. She wanted some sleep before the feast the next day. Her magic felt a bit drained and she felt as though she could sleep right through the feast. She wouldn't be so disrespectful though, it was being held for her. She passed many stores, arcades, and restaurants, though she didn't find one inn. She had all but passed every building in the damn village.
There was one last building at the very edge of the village. As she got closer, she could read the sign clearly.
BED & BREAKFAST
Lucy's eyes lit up at the sign. She loved these kinds of inns, and she could not believe the luck of finding on in this small village. She did a celebratory dance inside her mind as happiness fled through her. She pushed the door open, a little bell ringing throughout the lobby. "Hello. How may I help you?" The women behind the desk asked, smiling politely. "Hi. I would like a room for the night please." Lucy said, smiling widely.
The women nodded and looked down at her desk to write it down in a huge book. "That'll be 20,000J please." The lady said, holding out her hand. Lucy groaned at the price but forked the jewels over, just wanting to lay down. "Your room is Room 12." The women said, holding out Lucy's key. Lucy took the key and thanked her. She then headed to her room.
As she opened her room door and turned on the lights, she was pleasantly surprised. The bathroom was clean (the first part she checked) and the room wasn't cramped. There was a desk and a chair, where Lucy could work on her novel, if she so chose. She had brought it with her just in case she had some inspiration during the job. The bed was a queen size, one size bigger than her own back in Magnolia, and she didn't have to share with anyone (Natsu). Now to finally get some sleep.
The next day, Natsu raced straight to Lucy's house once he woke up. If she was back she would either be there or at the guild. Natsu woke up early that day, excited to see if 'Luce' was back. He ran all the way there, with Happy flying next to him.
"Why are you so set on seeing Lucy today?" Happy questioned, having missed the two conversations Natsu had had with the three guild mates. He missed Natsu practically showing his feelings for Lucy the whole time because he was trying to get Charla to agree to a date. Natsu blushed at Happy's question, something the sly cat did not miss.
Happy smirked and opened his mouth but Natsu cut him off with a glare before he could even start his signature saying to annoy the Dragon Slayer. Happy usually said this while Natsu was hanging out with Lucy. He didn't let it on that it annoyed him in front of Lucy, but when they got home, Natsu had been angry at Happy for creating all of the awkward scenes.
"You know why." Natsu answered his question gruffly, running ahead of the cat due to annoyance. The blue-furred Exceed rolled his eyes and continued on the journey to the Celestial Spirit mage's apartment.
Once there, Natsu looked at Happy, who knew exactly what to do. Happy grabbed the back of Natsu's shirt and pulled him up into the air, higher and higher until they reached Lucy's bedroom window. Natsu knocked, patiently waiting. Patiently waiting in Natsu's mind was to never stop knocking and if she didn't answer after about 30 seconds, break the latch on the window and opening it up. This is what Natsu skillfully did when Lucy did not open up after his knocking started. Natsu sniffed around, seeing the Lucy's scent was start to fade away, a sign that she hadn't been there yet. Natsu shrugged, thinking that Lucy could have gone to the guild before going home.
"Come on, Happy. Let's go to the guild!" Natsu exclaimed, before energetically running off in the direction of the guild. Happy nodded and flew behind him. Natsu ran into the guild at top speed, causing the things he knocked into the move a couple feet away from him before dangerously tilting, some even falling. "Slow down!" A commanding voice told Natsu, who did what the command said because if he didn't, he would get hurt, or worse. He shuddered at the thought. A redhead walked into Natsu's view with a dangerous glare on her face. "Why are you running?" She asked, a sword in her right hand which she clenched tightly. Natsu gulped and stuttered "I-is L-L-Lucy here?" His only answer was a shake of her head, signaling no.
Erza sighed, deciding to let Natsu off the hook, knowing how much Lucy being gone was affecting him. "Very well." Erza said, keeping her observant eyes on him. Natsu seemed tense, almost animalistic, like he was about to pounce. Mira walked in smiling until she saw Natsu. Her happy mood crashed and it went serious. "I haven't seen her, Natsu." Mira said sadly, while Erza just looked back and forth between the two mages. "Here Erza! Have some cake!" Mira said, handing Erza a piece of strawberry cake. It was so Erza did not listen to their plan and stop them.
"Here's your chance, Natsu. Go! Before Gray or Gajeel challenge you!" Mira made sure to add that last part in. Natsu nodded and ran out the door. "I'm coming for you, Luce!" He mumbled to himself.
Lucy sat up from her bed, having just woke from her sleep. She hadn't been sleeping for very long, maybe 5 hours at the most. She wanted more sleep but nightmares were plaguing her mind, keeping her from rest. She shivered under the covers, wishing someone was next to her right now, like how Natsu was usually. With Natsu on her mind, her memories flashed to the day she left, just 2 days before. She had accused Natsu of calling her weak and ran off angrily and teary eyed. She was still angry with him, but it would have been nice to have him with her right now. Her eyes wondered to the window in the room. She had opened it right before she went to sleep out of habit. The curtain flapped with the breeze that came through.
Lucy sighed and layer back down. It looked just before dawn outside, making Lucy wish she could have slept longer. Once she's up, she couldn't go back to sleep. She rolled around in the bed, hoping to find a comfortable spot and drift back off, something she is able to do from time to time. It didn't seem like she would be able to this time, though. After a good forty minutes, Lucy gave up and sat back up. A yawn forced itself through her plump lips as she stretched. Lucy stood up and went to the bathroom, planning on taking a bath.
"Plue. I should call him out." She said. Right before she did though, Loke popped out bowing to her. "I'm very sorry, princess. Plue has some plans for today so he wishes to not be called. That's ok, right?" Loke glanced up, making sure Lucy was fine with it, which she was.
"Yeah, Plue deserves it." Lucy said with a smile. It was the truth. "Thanks very much. Anyway, when's the feast?" Loke asked, rubbing his hands together with a hungry look. She rolled her eyes at him saying "Not til tonight. I'll probably leave the village right after. I want to sleep in my own bed." she pouted as she said the last sentence.
Loke chuckled, saying "I bet I know why." He said it in a teasing tone, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive way. Lucy blushed, understanding that he was thinking about Natsu when he did that. "Stop that!" She shouted angrily and embarrassed. Loke just smirked and with a 'poof' went away.
Lucy sighed as she shook her head fondly. She enjoyed the company of all her spirits. They were her friends, so why wouldn't she? She already had a lot of friends from the Spirit World, but she couldn't wait to make more. As she thought this, she undressed and started to run the water, filling up the tub. She sighed as she got into the warm water. She looked up at the clock in the bathroom and saw it read 6:03. She had a lot of time to kill.
Natsu groaned as he rode the train, trying not to puke up the contents of his very small breakfast he had managed to remember right before he was pushed out of the guild hall by Mira.. Well, when he said remember, he meant mentioned to Mira, who then threw the small apple at his head shouting for him to go 'Save the day!', whatever she meant by that. Happy had decided not to go (Mira had glared at him until he said he wouldn't go) and Gray and Erza had been busy with their own jobs they were taking that day, so Natsu was all alone. He was the only one off to save Lucy.
Except, why did the village have to be far away? It was too far to walk there in one day, so Natsu had made the sacrifice of riding the train for Lucy. Big mistake. He supposed there were benefits, like being able to see Lucy faster and not having to sleep outside that night, but there were also consequences like his motion sickness. He grumbled to himself about the things he did for his partner all the way to the village.
When the train had finally stopped and Natsu was able to get off his own personal hell, he sprinted off, fell to his knees, and kissed the ground in happiness. "Thank god! I'm never going on a train again!" Natsu shouted, glad it was over. People gave him weird looks but he shrugged them off. Natsu glanced around the village, trying to find a good place to start. It seemed as though they were preparing for a festival later that night. Natsu started to walk around the town, glancing at everyone's hair, only looking for the blonde that had a side-pony, Lucy's signature hair-style.
It took him a good hour to actually see it. The side-pony with blonde hair. His eyes lit up, obviously happy he had found her, walking around and not almost dead. He started running her way, while her back was turned. He could hear her keys jingle as she walked slowly through the crowd that he was pushing out of his way. Her smell reached his nostrils, the scent of vanilla and strawberries that he could never get enough of. "LUCY!" He bellowed. The blonde turned and was shocked by what she saw.
Natsu had just about reached her when he bellowed her name. She turned with a shocked voice, that quickly turned to horror. Why? Natsu was in a position to tackle her. "Wait, Natsu don't! You're heav-" Lucy was not able to finish the sentence as Natsu tackled her. The air was knocked out of her lungs when she landed on the ground, the Dragon Slayer on top of her.
"Get off, Natsu!" She groaned, trying, and not succeeding, in pushing Natsu off. Natsu chuckled as he rolled off her and jumped up. He reached a hand down, which she took, and pulled her up.
Lucy glared at him, angry that she had been tackled. "I just cleaned myself Natsu! Now look at me!" She said, motioning to her clothes. There were stains of dirt and grass on them, from when Natsu took her down. Natsu sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and said "Sorry. I was just really happy to see you." He shot her his goofy grin, his fangs poking out from his lips. Lucy's heart instantly melted and she sighed and brushed herself off.
"It's fine. why are you here?" Lucy asked, curiosity shining in her brown eyes. Natsu smiled shyly and said "I was worried about you. I saw the job you took. Lucy, it suggested that you worked with a team. Why didn't you ask me and Happy to join you?" He was serious. She could have gotten hurt.
Lucy smiled, glancing at the ground. "I just wanted to prove myself." She said. Then she face palmed. "How could I forget that Mira kept a copy of the job and who went on the job?" She asked herself. It was stupid of her to forget that. Natsu shrugged and chuckled at her silliness.
"Just promise not to do that ever again. Please." Natsu told her. She nodded, not even planning on it. "Natsu?" She called his name. He looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry about storming off to go on the job," she apologized. Natus smiled and brought her into a hug.
"I should be the one to apologize, Luce. I'm sorry that I offended you. I was just worried." He said as he grasped her tighter.
"Natsu. Do you want to stay here for a feast or go back to the guild now?" Lucy asked, knowing which one he would say. He immediately let her go from the hug, too excited to keep a hold on her. "Feast! It's food Luce! You should already know my answer!" Natsu said, jumping up and down excitedly.
Lucy nodded and said "I thought you would say that. We'll leave for the guild after the feast." Natsu nodded, glad that Mira gave him the idea of coming today.
"I'm never taking a solo job again!" Lucy announced.