Chapter Five: Restless Nights and Restless Feet.
Gray started, blinking blearily as he struggled to sit up and identify what had woke him.
"Juvia?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to focus them in the darkened forest.
Deliora whinnied, letting out a snort as he shook his mane. He seemed at ease, so there wasn't any immediate danger.
"Gray should be sleeping."
He strained to catch sight of her in the darkness, finding that she somehow seemed to melt into whatever atmosphere she was in.
"I was, something woke me."
"Juvia is sorry, I was afraid you would be cold. The night has a chill in the air."
Gray looked down and noticed the blanket draped over his hips. "Oh...um, thank you. I don't really get cold though, being from the North I'm kind of used to cold weather."
He finally spotted her, sitting with her back to a tree not far from him. As he watched, her figure seemed to ripple, form appearing to warp before re-materializing. The dappled moonlight and shadows from the overhead canopy creating light patterns across her skin like sunlight on the surface of a lake.
"Oh...Juvia didn't know."
The sadness in her voice tugged at his chest and he cleared his throat. "It's alright, really. Thank you for being so considerate."
She brightened up, smiling shyly.
"Can you not sleep?" He questioned.
She shrugged. "Juvia is not used to being mortal...nymphs don't really need sleep so…"
Gray nodded. "Are you cold?"
She shrugged again.
Rising onto his feet, he took the blanket she had laid over him and walked over to drape it around her shoulders. "You should try and get some sleep, we've got a long way to go tomorrow."
Juvia seemed to shrink down into the blanket, her chin tucked down into the thick fabric. "Where are we going? Back to your home?"
He shook his head. "No, as much as I want to help my country at the moment, I have a mission that needs to be accomplished first. We're going to Magnolia, I need to negotiate an alliance with them, their forces could help us turn the tide of the coming war."
Juvia nodded. "Magnolia is very far, across the ocean."
Gray let out a sigh. "I know...I'm afraid by the time I travel there, negotiate, and return, it'll already be too late."
Juvia stretched one pale hand out from underneath the blanket, placing it lightly on his arm. "We can do it. Juvia believes in Gray."
He smiled slightly. "Thank you." Clearing his throat, he straightened up and dusted off his pants. "You should try and sleep."
She nodded, snuggling deeper down into the blanket. "Alright...goodnight, Gray."
"Goodnight."
Lucy found herself slowly registering things. Consciousness creeping into her sleeping mind.
She was so warm, the sheets felt smooth underneath her bare legs, her heartbeat was slow and steady still from sleep.
Curling her body slightly, her legs brushed something, and she froze.
Thoughts clicked into place and the events of the previous night filtered into her brain.
Natsu. He was in bed with her.
She peeked an eye open, surprised to see it was still night out, the nearly full moon casting a silvery light into the room and dimly illuminating everything.
Natsu had gone to be shirtless, dressed only in a pair of loose shorts. He was curled on his side, back facing Lucy.
She was just starting to roll over and try to fall back asleep when she noticed that he was shaking slightly.
Pulling the folded blanket off the end of the bed, she was about to cover him when she saw the expression on his sleeping face.
His jaw was locked, muscles jumping as he ground his teeth together. Narrow brows were bunched together and pulled low over his eyes. His lips twitched, curling back in a pained grimace.
Was he...having a nightmare?
"P-please...I'm- don't...so-sorry...I'm sorry...don't leave…" He choked out, body still shaking.
The sight and sound of his distress caused Lucy's heart to clench painfully.
"Natsu-"
"Don't bother trying to wake him up." A small voice murmured.
She turned her head, looking in surprise at Happy. The small exceed landed on the bed beside her, looking at his friend with sorrowful eyes.
"He has nightmares a lot...I've tried to wake him up before, but it doesn't usually end well. He's really hard to wake up, and he can be violent if he's half awake and still dreaming."
Lucy glanced back at the young man. "Why...why does he have nightmares?"
Happy shrugged. "I think he dreams about his past. He doesn't really have any memories from before he was five or six years old. I think deep down he still remembers what happened, but it was so awful that his mind blocks it off."
"I-I don't...I don't want to- d-don't make...please…" Natsu pleaded, tears leaking from between his tightly shut eyelids.
"Is...isn't there anything we can do?" Lucy asked, feeling her own eyes well with tears. She'd had her own share of nightmares after her mother died.
"Not really...I've tried talking to him about it before, but he hardly ever remembers what he dreamed about, and I don't really want him to remember." Happy sighed and nuzzled his nose against Natsu's shoulder before returning to his chair and curling back up. "Just try to fall back asleep, he should calm down in a little bit."
Silence fell back on the room, except for Natsu's quiet whimpers and mutterings.
Lucy tried to decipher some sort of meaning from the jumbled words but couldn't piece anything together.
She hated seeing him in so much pain, it physically hurt her chest to see him so distraught. The cocky young man was replaced by a terrified little boy, and it was heartbreaking.
Hesitantly reaching forward, she brushed her fingers across his forehead and through his hair, gently whispering soothing things to him.
"Shhh, Natsu, it's just a dream. You're safe, everything is alright, sleep now."
She continued to stroke his hair and murmur to him, watching with relief as his muscles relaxed and he let out a quiet sigh, the pain seeping away from his face.
Even after he'd slipped back into a deep sleep, she continued to softly brush her fingers through his hair, surprised at how soft the salmon locks were. Eventually falling back asleep, curled up against his back.
When she awoke the next morning, the bed was lacking Natsu's warm body, but the covers placed snugly around her body replaced his warmth.
Blinking and rubbing her eyes sleepily, she let out a yawn as she sat up, looking around the room, frowning when she noticed the lack of her two traveling companions.
All of their stuff was still here, so they must be somewhere close by. More than likely getting breakfast somewhere.
Hurriedly getting dressed and tying her back in a braid, she made her way to the front desk.
"Um, excuse me, did you happen to see a pink haired young man and a blue haired exceed pass by earlier?" She inquired at the front desk.
The clerk leaned against the counter and nodded. "Yes ma'am! They passed through here a couple hours ago, said if you woke up before they got back to tell you that they'd be down at the harbor."
Lucy frowned slightly. "The harbor? Do you know where exactly?"
He shrugged. "My guess would be down by QC, ask any of the sailors down there, they'll show you where it is."
She nodded. "Alright, thank you, we'll be back to collect our stuff soon."
He waved a hand dismissively and turned back to the book he had been reading. "Sure, take your time."
It didn't take Lucy too long to find the harbor, following the smell of the sea and sound of a busy dock.
She'd visited the ocean side once or twice when she was pretty young, back before her mother passed away. Those were happy days, playing on the beach with her smiling parents.
Seeing the sparkling blue water brought with it waves of bittersweet memories, and she smiled fondly as she watched the sun beams bounce off the surface of the water.
Remembering her original intent, she approached a sailor who was mending a net on the edge of the dock.
"Um, excuse me?"
He looked up, raising one bushy eyebrow. "Eh? What can I 'elp you with missy?"
"Can you tell me where, uh- QC is?"
Both caterpillar eyebrows rose at that, small sea glass blue eyes blinked at her in surprise. "QC, huh? What would a pretty little thing like you be wantin' with a place like that?"
She blinked, doubt creeping into her mind. "I-I'm looking for a friend?"
Realization seemed to dawn on his face, and he nodded, looking her over with slight disapproval. "Ah. Well then, it's over that-a-way." He motioned over his shoulder. "You'll know you're close when you catch a whiff o' the smell."
Lucy frowned. "Um...thank you?"
"Er, miss?"
She paused and turned back toward the man. "Yes?"
"A young thing like you shouldn't be in such a...distasteful way o' life. Do something with your life, eh?"
"Uh...sure." Lucy said, now thoroughly confused. Waving awkwardly to the old man, she headed in the direction he had indicated.
A few moments later and she understood what he meant by smell.
Wrinkling her nose, she coughed and tried to keep her stomach from turning by the overwhelming scent of seafood, alcohol, and body odor.
Soon enough she caught sight of a large, weather-worn sign reading "Quatro Cerberus, come for a wild time!" Included on the sign was also a rather...risque illustration of a dancing girl.
Uncertainty caused Lucy to pause, biting her lip as she listened to the ruckus exploding out of the dirty building. What would Natsu be doing in such an unsavory place? His super scent must be killing him with all the unpleasant smells around. Could he be here for food?
She wouldn't put past him in all honesty.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, squared her shoulders, and walked through the front door, narrowly avoiding a burly man crashing into the floor as raucous laughter filled the air.
She'd never been timid, quite the contrary in fact, her parents and servants were always remarking on her boldness. But even she felt nervous in what she now distinguished as a rather shady bar.
"Hey blondie! What do ya go for?" A drunk man called, eyes lingering far too long on her curves.
"Excuse me?" She said, casting the man a firm glare.
"Payment, how much for a round?" He asked again, licking his lips lewdly.
Realization hit Lucy like a truck and she gasped, kicking the man straight off his stool when he attempted to grope her. "I am not a prostitute you sick pig!"
The surrounding bar patrons- some scantily clad women and rough looking men- roared with laughter.
Lucy felt embarrassment creep onto her face. So that's what the old man meant, he thought she was a prostitute. Glancing down at her clothes- still Natsu's- she wondered what about wearing a man's clothes made her look like a prostitute. Granted, the large neckline tended to show off a little more of her cleavage than she was used to, and the pants showed off her legs which wasn't customary either.
But still!
Ducking her head and weaving her way through the sweaty bodies and curling smoke in the air, she looked around for the telltale head of pink hair.
After several tedious minutes of being jostled back and forth, leered at, and wandering hands reaching for her, she finally pushed her way to the bar and caught the bartender's attention.
"Excuse me."
She turned toward the blonde, black hair swishing over her shoulder. "What can I get you, doll?"
Lucy shook her head. "I'm looking for someone, I was just wondering if you saw him. He's kind of tall, lean, has pink hair? He might have had a small blue exceed with him?"
The bartender grinned, cat-like eyes glinting. "Yeah I saw him, don't get too many specimens like that 'round these parts." She raised narrow eyebrows. "Better than the usual clientele, eh?"
Instead of correcting her, Lucy merely sighed and shrugged. "Sure, could you tell me where he went?"
She motioned toward the back of the bar. "Out back, should be in the third round by now." She laughed and winked at Lucy. "Have fun with him for me, yeah?"
Lucy nodded and turned away quickly, hoping the woman hadn't seen the blush quickly spreading up her neck.
Practically running to the back of the bar, she ducked out the back door and then froze in her tracks, eyes going wide at the sight that greeted her.
A large circle was placed a few yards in front of her, the structure made from a heavy wooden fence stuck deep into the ground.
The inside of the circle was dug down into a shallow pit, the inside full of soft sand, areas of which containing suspicious stains.
There was a large crowd of people around the circle, cheering and howling at the two men standing in the center.
One of which was none other than the man she had been looking for.
His hair, normally tied back, whatever pieces that were loose sticking every which way, was plastered to his neck and face with sweat. Droplets of sweat also trickled down his back chest, every inch of exposed tan skin glistening.
He was grinning, green eyes shining as he squared off against his opponent. "Come on! Just give up already!" He challenged, motioning with one bandage wrapped hand.
Lucy pushed her way closer, watching in fascination as the fighting commenced once again.
Natsu moved like fire, flickering here and there, never seeming to stay in one place as he lashed out and hit his opponent.
Before too long the larger man was falling to the sand, too worn out to continue fighting.
The crowd roared, some booing, others cheering. Natsu hopped in place, raising a victorious fist into the air. "Who's next?"
"Natsu!" Lucy called, leaning against the fence.
His head whipped around in her direction, grin widening happily when he spotted her. "Hey, Lucy! What're you doing here?"
She frowned slightly as he walked over. "Looking for you, what are you doing here?"
Before he could respond, Happy flew up bearing a large coin purse. "Look at how much we won, Natsu!"
The salmon-haired young man grinned. "Awesome! That'll keep us in food for a while." He turned back to Lucy. "I needed to burn off some steam, plus we needed money, so I killed two birds with one stone, as it were."
Lucy shifted uncomfortably as some people pushed past her, lowering her voice and hissing at him. "Do you do this often?"
He blinked. "Uh...yeah? It's the easiest way to make some quick cash."
"Salamander!" A rough voice shouted.
Natsu turned around and looked at a dark haired man who was seated on the other side of the ring, his vest looked too small for his broad shoulders, and barely covered any skin at all.
"Salamander?" Lucy whispered to Happy.
"That's his fighting name." The exceed explained as Natsu shouted a reply.
"So what's it to be, Bacchus? I get my cash now, or what?"
The tall man, Bacchus, waved away the two girls hanging onto his arms and stood up. "You've got one more round, winner takes all."
Natsu grinned, sharp canines flashing. "Sounds good to me!" He turned around to Lucy and motioned to her hair. "Say, do you mind if I borrow that hair-tie? Mine broke after the first round and my hair's being a pain."
She nodded, undoing her braid and handing him the tie.
"Thanks!" He said, quickly tying his unruly hair back.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Bacchus purred, eyes zeroed in on Lucy. "What have you been up to, Salamander? Holding out on your old friend?"
Natsu snorted. "Old friend, yeah right. Are we gonna do this or what?"
Bacchus stroked his chin, narrow eyes growing devious. "Hmmm, I've just thought of a way to make this more interesting."
Lucy saw Natsu's shoulders stiffen, on the defensive in the blink of an eye as he almost imperceptibly moved further in front of her.
"Oh? Just what are have you thought up this time in that twisted mind?"
"A little extra motivation, an additional wager." Bacchus drawled. "You win, you take all the money and leave with my blessing." His eyes hardened. "I win, I get to keep all the money...and the blonde."
Lucy gasped, the sound almost lost as Natsu snarled and balled his fists.
"You won't lay a finger on her you slimy bastard!"
Bacchus threw his head back and laughed. "Looks like I read the situation right. Listen, kid, if you beat me, then I guarantee that neither I nor my men will touch a single hair on your girl's pretty little head."
"She's not my girl, or anyone's for that matter. She's a friend, and I look out for my friends, unlike some." Natsu defended. "I'll grind your pathetic ass into the ground!"
Lucy felt fear ignite in her chest as she was hemmed in on all sides by tough looking men. Could Natsu beat him? He'd already fought two rounds and the owner of the bar seemed to be in excellent shape.
What would happen if he lost?
"Ready?" Bacchus taunted, cracking his neck.
Natsu flashed Lucy an encouraging grin and turned back toward the center of the ring, rolling his shoulders as he replied confidently. "Oh yeah, I'm all fired up now."