The train ride probably could've gone better, Lucy thought. She wouldn't have guessed someone who was practically half-lizard would get super bad motion sickness.

Said half-lizard was currently hunched over in his seat, groaning in pain, which hit with every rattle of the train. The sight was amusing, but there was a part deep down in her that made her want to reach out to him, and run her fingers through his hair.

Lucy promptly told this part of her to shut up.

Natsu made a small whining noise and curled up into a ball in the seat next to her, and Lucy couldn't help but notice how different his features were from when they had first met. Instead of being all rough posture and sharp, heated, gazes, he was now like a little ball of cuteness and pain.

The image was truly adorable.

His eyes snapped open as they arrived at their first stop, on their way to Alverez. A port town called Hargeon.

Natsu felt half dead after that gruesome train ride, and prayed to the heavens that he would never have to ride one again. But lucky, or unlucky, for him, the next ride wasn't a train…

It was a boat. Which was still bad. Maybe worse.

But he supposed he had some luck in all of this mess, however small it may be.

"What?! The next boat doesn't leave for another three days?!" His blonde comrade cried, aghast.

Natsu couldn't help the smile of victory that adorned his lips, giving a small fist pump to the air happily, but immediately stopped his celebration as Lucy turned and shot a sharp glare at him, making him step back nervously.

"Well," The boat guy started, winding up some rope over his arm "Take the time to enjoy the scenery, and the annual fire festival is tomorrow night"

Natsu practically shoved Lucy aside, eyes alight with sheer joy "Did you say fire?!" He asked excitedly. Lucy rolled his eyes at him, but he chose to ignore the motion.

"Well yeah, every year, on the first day of summer, we celebrate when the fire god, Igneel, descended from the heavens to give us fire. The gods immense heat also is what caused what we know as summer" The man explained joyfully.

Natsu felt his heart warm up at that. He knew Lucy probably didn't understand, not yet anyway, but hearing that this town celebrated them made him absolutely elighted.

"You guys sure are heavy on myths, huh.." Lucy noted, her tone hiding an underlying 'this is the most bullshit thing I've ever heard', making Natsu frown.

He crossed his arms over his chest firmly, looking Lucy in the eyes "After all you've seen you don't believe myths?" He asked incredulously, raising a thin brow in her direction.

Lucy pursed her lips in thought, clasping her hands behind her back "Are you telling me it DID happen?" He finally asked.

This girl… The whole trip she had been trying to yank full answers from him, but she didn't seem to understand he couldn't tell her. He had been trying to act as oblivious as possible, and Lucy was not making it easy, no sir.

Natsu tsked, turning to head back to town, maybe find a place to stay "I'm saying, not everything is what it seems." He said, hoping he didn't say too much. If they found out… It would endanger his life, and hers.

Lucy couldn't believe how much Natsu's eyes lit up at all the fire. If there was a perfect living description of "pyromaniac", it would be Natsu, that much was for certain.

She wasn't quite put her finger on the emotion he might be feeling, but found herself smiling as he marveled at the fire-themed souvenirs, and cursing his empty wallet at the prospect of being unable to buy some.

Somehow, seeing him like this made her heart warm from the inside out with fondness. Some would say he was most attractive while in the midst of saving her life. It was a classic trope used in most action-romances novels. But Lucy found herself being lured more to him by the quirky things he did.

She had noticed that whenever he woke up, he would yawn and ruffle his hair. Whenever his hair was wet, instead of drying it with a towel, he would shake his head like a dog. He has a tendency to hug things in his sleep, and it was all these little things that somehow made fondness spiral throughout her body.

Lucy couldn't pinpoint why exactly, she felt this way, and could only think back to what Natsu had said before;

"We are, we just haven't met yet"

Maybe those words weren't as cryptic as she thought? Maybe she just needed to think about it in a different way?

Her train of thought was cut off as they reached the center of town, where a giant bonfire was, with a bunch of people, men, women, and children alike, dancing, talking, and laughing around it. The entire scene felt warm, and not just from the fire.

It sounded strange, but the atmosphere reminded her of Natsu. Lucy thought of the story that man had told her, as she watched Natsu being pulled by his scarf into the chaos by a drunk brunette, making him join in the dancing.

Lucy faintly wondered , as she watched Natsu dance happily, all rumbling laugh and warm smiles, was this what the "fire god" was like?

She never got to finish her train of thought as Natsu grabbed her arm, pulling her into the crowd to dance as well, and right now, with the bright smile on his face that rivaled the fire, she couldn't possibly say no.

((LINE CUT))

More than Natsu liked to admit, the vibe of the festival really got to him. It wasn't too much of a surprise, he always fed off of jolly atmospheres, and in those moments, as he danced with Lucy, her blonde hair that framed her delicate face fanning around her body, he had actually forgotten why they were there.

It wasn't the first it had happened, honestly, just the first it happened in this life. Many times before had he been drawn in by things such as parties, and festivals, that he completely lost himself in it, and others did too, and he would just start to blend into the background.

Once before he had been stuck in a similar limbo, back when parties used to last for weeks, and it wasn't until Lucy found him had he realized what he had done. It was a dangerous thing being so closely associated with fire.

Natsu blinked rapidly as the crowds dispersed from the streets, the fire dying out, and the sun rising in the distance.

All at once he felt exhaustion hit him, and he quickly scanned the area for Lucy, panicking as he saw no trace of her. He normally would've sniffed her out, but he felt his own fire burning so dimly, that his senses were dulled immensely.

Groaning, Natsu trudged forward, ignoring the stares he had gotten from people as he walked by like he had a serious hangover.

"Luuuucyyyy…" He called, stopping briefly to lean against a wall, trying to keep his eyes from closing on him.

"Natsu?" A feminine voice called, making Natsu's head jerk in that direction, and saw a vague blur walk towards him.

Natsu sighed in relief, moving to head towards her "Lu-" He stopped himself as he realized the person now wrapping their arms around him wasn't who he wanted "You aren't Lucy." he said, hoping he didn't sound as weak as he felt.

"Shh… I'm going to take care of you…"

It was the last he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Lucy had retired to their hotel room sometime after midnight, telling Natsu to join her when he was ready.

She slipped out of bed and started about her daily routine, taking a shower, brushing her teeth, eating breakfast, the works. But she frowned as she noticed Natsu's absence throughout the entire day.

'He's probably sleeping in again' The blonde decided, and walked to his room, her frown growing deeper as she saw no signs of him.

"Did he never come home?" She asked herself, worry now coursing through her, and she pulled out her phone, now grateful Natsu had forced her to add his number to her contacts list, and quickly called him.

The phone rang for an agonizingly long time, before he answered, making Lucy sigh in relief "Thank god, I was so worried… Where on Earth are-"

"Go back home, Lucy." He cut her off, before the line went dead, leaving Lucy to stare at her phone screen in shock. But something kept nagging her as she thought about what he had said.

Whoever it was that told her that, it wasn't Natsu.