Natsu POV

On our way back to the guild, Lucy all of a sudden fell down to the ground. I instantly panicked - thinking that something had happened - and couched down to her level.

"L-Lucy! Are you alright? What happened?" I demanded. Lucy's face was in pain and I felt helpless. "Lucy!"

"Don't worry, Natsu.. It's nothing.." Lucy said, when she could finally control her expression - putting on a fake happy face.

"..That's just bullshit, Luce. What's wrong? Something hurts, I know it." I told her. "Don't hide things from me, it makes me sad to see you try and hide the fact that you're hurt.." I muttered.

"It's just.. I am fine, Natsu. My ankle is just hurting because I accidentally sprained it when we were all searching for you." Lucy informed me. Well, damn. Now I felt bad, because if I didn't go off and hunt' then my Lucy wouldn't have hurt herself. I cupped her face in my hands.

"Lucy.. Don't hide the fact that you're hurt. If it hurts, then let it show. It isn't good to keep things bottled up." I told her, not expecting for her to pick up on the double meaning behind my words.

She nodded at me, silently. And just like that, her façade was gone and her face went from a fake happy one to a majorly pained expression. Wow, it must've hurt worse than I thought.

"Hold on tight, Luce." I told her. She looked at me curiously before comprehension fell upon her pained face. I swiftly, in a fluid motion, picked her up and held her in my arms. She was surprisingly light. I would've thought that my Lucy would have been heavier. She was about the same amount of heavy' as a Lucy-sized bed pillow. I smiled to myself, in spite of the situation.

"N-Natsu!" She gasped my name. I sighed, dreamily. God, I loved it when she said my name like that. I can't dwell on it though, because if I do then I will end up with some very impure thoughts. And impure thoughts, right now, is not really appropriate.

"Yes?" I replied, teasingly.

"P-put me down! What if someone sees you doing this? So suddenly.." she mumbled.

"Now why would I do that? You're hurt and making you walk would just hurt your ankle more. And besides, I don't care what other people think." I reminded her.

She sighed, giving in. I grinned, victoriously, as I began to walk passed Erza and Grey - once again, left speechless at what I am doing. I looked over to where Happy was.

"Oi, Happy! Go and tell Gramps to prepare that feast of ours, ok?" I said.

"Aye, sir!" Happy replied, flying ahead of us. I smiled. I could tell that Happy was looking forward to the feast - because he knew that fish was going to be served, too. I chuckled. That is so like Happy, getting excited all over a fish. Lord knows that Happy only gets excited for two reasons - Carla.. and fish.

Lucy looked at me curiously, so I told her what I was thinking. She laughed, and the sound was like music to my ears. I smiled gently at her. Honestly, how could I have been so blind?

Grey and Erza decided to speak up then.

"Do you want us to go ahead, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, so we can give you your private time' with Lucy, before everyone swoops in and steals her?" Grey snickered.

I am pretty sure that my face was on fire because Lucy squeaked and Grey nudged me, nodding once at my face. I calmed myself down, and answered Grey.

"If you guys wanna go ahead, then that's completely your choice. Do you want them to stay, Lucy?" I asked her. If she wanted them to stay, then I'd tell them to.

"Actually, I need to talk to you Natsu.. So.. Erza? Grey? Could you please leave Natsu and I alone? We will be at the guild later." She said. I looked at her in surprise. What did she mean by that last part?

"Sure." Erza said, looking knowingly at Lucy. I was confused. I looked at Grey, and he just shrugged. It seems that I'm not the only one confused. Lucy merely blushed and nodded once at Erza.

Ok, Grey and I just went from merely confused' to what-the-hell-is-going-on confused' in less than 5 seconds. Erza grabbed Grey's arm and walked off with him in tow. He looked at me for help, and I just gave him an apologetic smile. Lucy wanted to talk, so I couldn't help him right now.

"Hey, Natsu? Can you take me home? I want to fix up my ankle. We can talk in my apartment, too, while I bandage it." She asked of me. I, again, looked at her in surprise. I shrugged and smiled, as I began to walk to Lucy's house instead of Fairy Tail.

Once I got there, I asked her if she had her key on her.

"Ah-ahh.. No, I don't.. Sorry.." She apologised. I shrugged again, taking a few steps back from her front door. "What are you doing, Natsu?" she asked me. Instead of answering, I ran up to her house and jumped up to her window-sill. I clutched onto it with the arm underneath Lucy's legs, as I opened her window with the hand that was behind her back. Once the window was open enough, I gripped onto Lucy again and slipped through. I placed Lucy on the bed, and went in search of her first-aid kit.

"Hey, Luce! Where is - never mind! Found it!" I called out to her, as I found and grabbed her first-aid kit from underneath her kitchen sink. I walked back to her with it in-hand and sat down beside her. I grabbed the leg with the hurt ankle, and rested in my lap. I patched up her ankle in silence - which was confusing for me, because didn't Lucy say that she wanted to talk while her ankle was being patched up?

"Natsu.." She breathed my name. I froze for a millisecond, before continuing to patch up her leg.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I.. I have to be honest with you... I have never liked you.." She said, flat-out. I stopped what I was doing immediately, and turned to look at her with a hurt face. She had her head hung enough so that her eyes were hidden behind her bangs. Her words were like daggers to my heart. Just when it was healing and swelling with affection for her, she cut it open again. Why did she say something so hurtful?

"L-Luce.." I strangled out her name. She flinched.

"Let me finish!" She begged. I just nodded silently, fighting back my tears that were threatening to fall. "I never liked you, Natsu.. not as a friend. To me, you weren't just my Nakama. You were way more important to me than that. I could never find it in me, however, to confess to you in any way, shape or form. It was hard for me, not telling you everyday.. the day you ended our friendship.. that day almost killed me. I was already thinking of ways to off myself, you know? It hurt so much, to see you with that expression.. to hear that tone of voice you used.. it wasn't the Natsu I knew, not the.. not the Natsu that I.. that I.." she struggled for words. I was at a loss, I wanted to help her out it this, but she needed to do it herself. This was my Lucy getting a burden, that only she can handle, off her shoulders.

"Back then, you weren't the Natsu that I had loved.." I was now dumbfounded. She had loved me back then? Really? "But now.. Now that you have told me the reason why you were so cold - and I couldn't be any more happier." Ok, let's turn my 'dumbfounded' into a 'shell-shocked' feeling.

"Wh-Wha.." I couldn't say it. I couldn't dare ask her, 'what the hell are you on about, idiot?'. Oh no, not only would she kick my ass, but I would also kick my own ass for interrupting her.

"Let me explain; back then, I thouht you hated my guts for some reason. Don't ask me why. But now that I found out you're real reason.. Well, actually, I guess I am more relieved than happy. It turned out that I was wrong - that you did still care about me. You just cared about me so much that you were scared about it. I am relieved, really, that it wasn't because you somehow wanted nothing to do with me anymore." she told me. OH. Now I understand. The silly celestial girl - as if I could hate my Lucy. Never.

I was about to speak, but she beat me to it.

"Natsu, I guess what I am trying to tell you is.. Is that, I have loved you for a long time, Natsu! And I still do!" she confessed abruptly. My face caught fire again. "GAH! Natsu! Put that out! I don't want my home to burn down!" she scolded me.

"Ahh! Sorry, sorry.." I muttered, putting out my flames. I could tell that my face was really red - because even though the physical flames were gone, my face still felt like it was on fire. "S-so.. You.. Like me?" I blinked rapidly.

"Idiot! No I don't! Have you not listened to a word I said?" she yelled. What?

"What? But, you just said-" she cut me off.

"I said that I didn't like you. I love you, Natsu." Lucy said, her face was similar to my own in colour right now.

I was grinning like a mad-man, at this point. The woman I loved just told me, multiple times, that she loves me back!

"I love you too, Lucy!" I told her, happily. My god, I was down-right smitten by this celestial mage - and I wouldn't want it any other way. Quickly, I turned around and finished off her ankle. After that, I turned back to her and I scooted closer to her.

"Lucy..?" I breathed her name. She looked up at me - as she was looking down at her hands, which were in her lap - and she was about to reply, before she noticed how close our faces were. I brought my hands to her fave and cupped her cheeks. They were so soft and smooth. I brouht my face closer to hers and stopped just millimeters away. "I love you, so damn much.." I said, before closing the distance.

Her lips on mine were amazing. She tasted so good. I felt like if I were to die, right here and now, then I would die a very happy man. Our kiss made me feel like electric pulses were going throuh my body and wreaking havoc on my insides. Butterflies violently errupted into my stomach and my head felt dizzy. In truth, we've only been kissing for about 5 seconds, and she was already making me feel like this. It was the most remarkable thing I have ever experienced.

I remember that one time when I was still a little boy, I had asked Igneel what it meant for a dragon to fall in love. He said that dragons had 'mates' - and that once they find their 'mate', they were extremely loyal to each other. They loved each other so much that they bonded for life. He had told me that just from what humans would call a 'kiss' that it would feel like nothing else we'd ever felt - nor feel - before. Well, I guess that if me and Luce were dragons then we would be mates. Because I certainly know that I will never feel like this with anybody else, never, not even Lisanna. Hell, Lisanna couldn't even come close to what I feel for Lucy with a twenty million foot pole. Lucy is like nothing, and no one, I have ever seen. I would never give her up for anyone or thing. Not while I have any say about it. Lucy is mine, just as I am hers. I am seriously in love with Lucy, and I know that I wouldn't be able to live without her. I have never been able to, not since we first encountered each other. Even through our Nakama-less months apart, I wanted to be with her.

That's it. I have decided. I don't care if it is 'too early' or 'inappropriate timing', no way in hell am I going to let tonight slip away without asking Lucy this one question. I will wait until the party at Fairy Tail is in full-swing, then I will ask her. I will ask her that one question in front of everyone in Fairy Tail. I just hope I get a positive answer..

"Come on, lets head over to Fairy Tail.." I told her, after breaking our kiss and got my rapid breathing under control. Lucy nodded, so I got up and lifted her in my arms again. I grabbed her house key and keys from her desk and gave them to her. We exited her house and left for Fairy Tail.