I'm back! Like I promised! \^.^/
Honestly, I think my villain last chapter was rather shallow, (I think the entire chapter was a fail) but I couldn't think of anyway to 'define' him without making him sound like a total idiot. And as much as I love idiots (Fairy Tail's full of 'em) that wouldn't be suitable to the plot. So sorry if you hated him. (This is the last chapter you'll hear him in!)
And I thought I would get bombarded with things like 'GRAHHH! I HATE YOU HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME YOU BETTER YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND UPDATE!' but then, you people are kind lovely souls that I love from the bottom of my heart. So I got nothing of the sort. C:
I like how I kinda put Levy on the spotlight though. :3 I mean, she got her second origin too, but Mashima Hiro never let her do anything... ==
My, how time has passed... seems like only yesterday I wrote chapter one. Never thought I'd get this far. But it's all thanks to you people *hug hug squeeze squeeze* Enjoy chapter 12!
"LUCY!" Gajeel clapped his hand over his ear as the familiar voice rang in his head.
"Dammit Salamander, why you gotta be so loud..." He muttered.
"Gajeel?..." Levy asked him, her eyes worried.
"Quick Shrimp, pull out the lacrima. Get us to Lucy."
The blue-haired mage nodded, then did as he asked, fear for her best friend etched on her face. She cupped the lacrima in her hands, and Gajeel rested his hand on her shoulder. "Please! Bring me to Lucy!"
Gajeel squinted as light enveloped him, and his surroundings disappeared.
"Wendy! Wendy!" The young girl turned around to see Happy stumble into Porlyusica's house, barely able to fly. He collapsed in exhaustion in Wendy's arms, and she asked "Happy! What's wrong?!"
"Lucy... Natsu..." He whimpered. "They need help..."
She gave a curt nod, and turned to Porlyusica. "Thank you so much for today Porlyusica-san! I must be going!" The little Dragon Slayer then called Charle, and the two zoomed off in the direction Happy came in.
"I didn't tell her where Natsu is..." Happy moaned.
Porlyusica tasked. "Worry about yourself. You used too much magic power." She picked up the cat and gently laid him in the bed, then turned away to make her medicine. "All she needs to know is the direction you came from. Her senses will tell her everything else."
"...Will they be okay?"
"However much I hate humans, I have to admit that they're the most persistent bunch I've ever seen. They won't be killed off so easily."
Happy sweat-dropped. "The two kinda seem unrelated."
"This is why I hate humans!" She barked.
"But I'm a-" Happy was quickly shut up when she shoved a spoon in his mouth.
"Just be quiet and take this!"
"Aye..."
"LUCY!" Gray and Erza turned towards the sound, then each other.
"Natsu!" They shouted at the same time. Suddenly, Erza requipped into her fastest armor, and quickly dashed ahead, leaving Gray in the dust.
"Don't leave me behind!"
"Enjoy the view." Diabolos cackled.
"Anti-Script: Rewrite!" Lucy blearily looked up to see a small girl fly through the air, her arms crossed, and an Iron Dragon Slayer right behind her.
As soon as the Jutsu Shiki disappeared, Natsu and Gajeel rushed at Diabolos, who was frozen in shock. The force of their combined blows sent him flying straight through trees, out of sight and out of mind.
"Lucy!" The three mages gathered around her, the blonde mage now unconscious.
"It's my fault... It's my fault..." Natsu repeated over and over again. Her body was covered in bruises, and the few cuts she had bled profusely.
"Tch. She's losing too much blood." Gajeel then turned to Natsu, and gave him a good whack to the head. "Shaddup Salamander! If she ended up like this you probably couldn't help it."
"Everyone! Please back away!" The three looked up to see Wendy hovering in the air above them, Charle sweating from flying so quickly.
They did as she asked and the Dragon Slayer landed neatly beside her, immediately healing her the best she could.
"Will she be okay?" Levy asked, worried.
"She's lost so much blood..." She whispered, focusing on the wound on her stomach. "And these wounds are hard to close..." She turned to Natsu, who watched silently with empty eyes. "Natsu-san! What did she get hurt by?"
"Some kind of shadow magic..." He mumbled.
She nodded, as if she had already guessed and was making sure. "It must have entered her bloodstream. It'll take some time to drain it, and I won't be able to close the wounds until then." She chewed her lip. There had to be some place where she could do this properly.
"There's a town near here." Gajeel commented, reading her thoughts. "I don't know about a hospital, but all you need is a place with a bed and bandages right?" Wendy nodded.
"Just use this to get her back home." They turned around to see Ultear, handing them the Teleport Lacrima that the Levy and Gajeel had used just now.
Levy's eyes widened. "How?! That broke the second we used it!"
"My Arc of Time magic can turn anything to its past or future state. It applied to the lacrima as well."
The Script Mage gratefully took it from her hands, and Gajeel gave the woman a suspicious look. "Why are you here?"
"I just came to this town to shop. It's famous for it's clothing." She added. "But there was no one in the town, and I happened to hear a scream. So I ran over."
"...Coincidence?"
She shrugged. "Suppose so. Guess that's how fate works." She glanced at Lucy, who was in no better condition than she was a few minutes ago. "Should you really be standing here chatting? She needs help."
Levy quickly nodded, and instructed them all to touch her. Gajeel took her shoulder, like before, and Wendy grasped her arm, her other hand around Lucy's wrist. Natsu held Lucy by the hand. Levy thought of the guild's emergency room, and the whole group disappeared in a flash of light.
Fate, huh?... Ultear chuckled to herself. Fate has a weird way of making me come here, filling my head with an undeniable need to shop.
This was not his day. This was totally not his day.
Not only did he get beaten up by a girl and two psychopaths (ironic, coming from him), he didn't managed to kill her.
But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't stay there. That pink-haired one would have given him hell on a plate. So he managed to slip away after being thrown into the trees.
He dragged himself away from the scene, never feeling so crappy in his entire life. He soon, however, stumbled upon a red-haired mage, wearing some weird-leopard print armor.
She narrowed her eyes, and Diabolos quaked. "You. You're the one who hurt Lucy." Crap! This was her friend!
He was so scared it wasn't even funny. If the pink-haired brat's face had looked like Satan earlier, then this woman was that times 100, with the ever-so-lovely addition of Medusa.
"You hurt my guild mate. For that, you die." She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see none other than Gray. "Gray, look away and cover your ears."
Gray pouted, but turned, seeing her expression. He crossed his arms though, determined not to cover his ears.
Erza looked back to Diabolos to see he had taken the opportunity to run, and she dashed after him.
Gray changed his mind about not covering his ears when he heard the sickening sound of bones cracking, quickly followed by hoarse, chilling screams that sent tremors up his spine. He then became puzzled as he heard strange... shoveling sounds.
Oh hell no! The Ice Mage thought in horror. She's not shoveling out his insides right?!
He cautiously looked again to see Erza carrying a blade covered in blood from tip to hilt, covered in dirt, and a small mound protruded from the earht, a sword staked in the middle. Gray stared, and Erza explained "To save any wandering citizens the poor sight of his body."
"N-nice memorial you have there..."
"Fitting, is it not?" She said bitterly, her jaw going slack.
Gray slowly nodded, and followed the leaving mage out of the clearing.
Natsu sat near Lucy as Wendy worked late into the night healing her, resting his head on the back of his woven hands, which were propped up by the elbows on his knees. Wendy had healed his poor excuses for hands a while ago, though the pain still lingered. And not just in his fists either. The smell of Lucy's blood haunted him.
He gripped his shirt, trying to stop the aching in his chest. It was unfamiliar to him, and he didn't know how to deal with it. He couldn't protect Lucy. He already promised he would, yet he couldn't. He didn't.
He squeezed his hands together, feeling the urge to cry again the third time that day. But he couldn't cry for her. He didn't deserve to. He was the one who hurt her in the first place.
If I didn't run ahead, she might not have gotten hurt. He thought sullenly. If I walked with her like I always did, we could've fought Diabolos together. I could have protected her.
How the hell did this happen?... He wondered to himself silently. We only smiled at each yesterday.
But her smile hurt him too.
He looked up as the clock struck midnight, and suddenly felt himself being thrown against the wall.
"You idiot!" Loke screamed in his face. "How the hell could you let that happen?!"
He pushed the Spirit's hand away, and snorted half-heartedly "And where were you? Aren't you supposed to be her prince or some shit?"
"Don't give me that crap Natsu! I had no choice!"
"Guys... please stop..." Lucy moaned weakly. The two were too caught up in their dispute to notice however, semething that angered Wendy greatly. The blonde tried to sit up, only to slump back down from the effort.
"Lucy-san, please stop!" Wendy pleaded.
"She depended on you Natsu! How could you let her down like that?!"
"She doesn't want me!"
"Stop!" She gasped. But even that was too much for the mage in her weakened state, and she passed out again.
Wendy turned and scowled towards the two men, who hadn't heard a single thing.
Loki grabbed him again and gave him a hard shake. "How stupid can you be?! She already told you Natsu! She was dying and she fucking smiled and told you she loved you! What else do you need to open your eyes?!"
"She smiled at you too!" He screamed.
"You wanna know why she smiled?!" Loke pressed his face to Natsu's and roared "SHE WAS SMILING FOR YOU NATSU! SHE WAS TELLING ME SHE HAD YOU TO PROTECT HER!"
Natsu gaped at him on shock. "What?..."
Loki gave him a hard punch that flung him straight into the wall, and Wendy snapped.
She clenched her fists and stood up, and shouted "Natsu-san! Loki-san!"
"WHAT?!" The ferocity in their voices would've sent grown men running straight for the hills, but the 12-year old girl held her ground.
"I understand that this is a matter you must settle..." Her eyes were stormy, and she yelled "But you cannot fight here! You are the last thing Lucy-san needs to recover!" She then thrusted her finger towards the door. "Leave! Or I will use my magic and make you leave!" Her expression was more of a pout, but it was effectively threatening.
The two looked at her shocked by her glare. They then proceeded to shooting daggers at each other.
"You first." Natsu muttered.
"I'd rather not have you kick my ass down the stairs, thank you very much." Loki retorted.
"OUT!"
The two flinched, and Natsu quickly jumped out the window while Loki proceeded to using the stairs.
After the room fell silent. Wendy sat back down and resumed her treatment. "Men..." She muttered.
The Sky Dragon Slayer turned to reach for something, and Lucy smiled.
She grew up so much... Lucy thought silently to herself, a small smile turning on her lips. She grew up when we weren't looking...
Wendy turned back to Lucy, and thought Lucy-san looks awfully happy... I wonder what she's thinking.
Natsu waited outside, scarf flapping in the night breeze. Loki soon stumbled out of the building, ready to roll.
"Let's finish what we started, Leo." He ignited his right hand, the flame almost dazzling in the night.
"Indeed, Salamander." Loke used his magic in kind, and the two rushed at each other. This was no longer a fight for Lucy. It was a fight between men. For now, they will not speak. They will fight now, and talk afterwards.
This time, Natsu's mind felt clear. Not like when he first challenged Loke, or when he fought Mirajane. His battle senses were at their max. He ducked down to avoid Loke's fist, who did the same. He then spun on his hand, and swung his leg, yelling "Fire Dragon's Claw!"
The Spirit jumped back to dodge the blow, and he chanted "O Regulus, grant me your strength..." He then planted his feet in the ground, and aimed his hand directly at Natsu. "Regulus Beam!"
"Roar of the Fire Dragon!" The two forces exploded on contact, and sparks and showers swirled in the air.
Loke dropped his guard just for a second to watch the magnificient display, and Natsu ran at him straight through the flames, catching him unawares and landing a good solid hit to the jaw.
"Dammit..." He growled, ripping off his dismantled glasses. The lens hit the ground with a few clatters, then broke as Loke stepped on it and lunged for Natsu, his fists lighted.
The two exchanged blows for hours. Not stopping, not thinking, just fighting purely on instinct.
That doesn't mean they weren't trying their best though.
Scales had worked its way onto Natsu's jaw, and covered nearly half his face, signaling the use of Dragon Force. Leo, who had a hard time keeping up with the Dragon Slayer's furious strikes, only managed to block a few blows before another sent him sprawling backward. The Spirit was slowly being overwhelmed.
The fight raged on over several hours, progressing with the rising sun. Though Natsu had taken a good many blows, he was still far less tired than his opponent.
Loke had gone past his limit long ago, but he didn't give up. His pride wouldn't let him. He shakily stood up, and straightened his stance. "O Regulus... Grant me your power!" He panted. It's all or nothing... He thought. "LION'S BRILLIANCE!"
As he had next to no magic power left, he slightly modified it so the rays would do more than just blind him. He watched through one eye as the intense light enveloped Natsu, hiding him from Loke's view. When the light faded however, the Spirit was dismayed to see that the attack left him virtually unscathed, mostly due to his scaled absorbing most of the impact, though he was rubbing at his eyes profusely.
Of course, that would've been the perfect time to give him heck, but at that very same moment his body finally chose to shut down. He fell to the ground, so exhausted that it this point nothing even hurt anymore.
"You win Salamander." He called out. "You beat me."
Natsu grinned, and walked over to him. Loke stared as he offered him a hand, then took it. "I'm not standing, you know."
Natsu pulled him up to a sitting position, and said "Then I'll sit." He thumped to the ground and did just that, crossing his legs. "So why were we fighting again?"
Loke thought for a moment, then remembered. "It was over Lucy."
"Oh, okay." Natsu then stuck out his tongue, and announced "Well, I won! So she's mine now!"
The pink-haired teen watched in confusion as Loke started chuckling, which soon came out as full-blown laughters. "What's so funny?"
After the joyous sounds subsided, he gasped "As much as I love her, I never wanted her that way. I love her the same way any spirit would love an owner such as she, though I suppose a little more would be accurate since she saved my life." He laughed again at Natsu's gawking face, then added "She was always yours Natsu. She was yours the second you were caught pulling her by the wrist to the guild, and has been ever since."
"Wh-what? Since back then? How?"
"We just felt it." Leo said simply. He looked up at the sky, its pitch-black abysses now lightened from the rising sun. "It's been a while since then... about 8 years."
Natsu did the same, and muttered "Yeah..."
"So are you two children settled now?"
The boys looked over to see Makarov, who stood with a content expression on his face. Even sitting, the two of them were still taller.
Loke smiled, and said "I'm older than you Gramps." He knew he was contradicting himself, but calling Makarov by any other name was simply unthinkable.
"I might be." Natsu added, remembering when he was trapped behind the Jutsu Shiki Freed had put up.
"You were once a part of Fairy Tail, therefore you will always be considered my child, regardless of how many years you've lived. Actually..." He looked at the Spirit, his eyes barely open. "You still have your stamp, no?"
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and muttered "I do actually. Couldn't bring myself to take it off."
Makarov nodded, and then turned to Natsu. "And you." He tapped his stick. "The same thing applies, but I am still very much older. Your magic is what held you back, not your age."
"Oh... That's cool. I should go tell Gajeel later, he's still pretty much convinced that he's a geezer." He paused then changed his mind. "Nah, forget it."
Leo and Makarov chuckled, then Leo said "I best be going." He held out his fist to Natsu, and said "Take care of Lucy for me."
"Not like I'm letting you sit on your ass while I do all the work, but yeah." He bumped it, and the two exchanged grins. Leo then turned to Makarov, and said solemnly "Thanks for everything Gramps."
"Don't mention it."
Natsu and Makarov watched as Loke slowly faded away, leaving nothing behind but his broken glasses and the wounds on Natsu's person.
The two sat in silence for a short while, admiring the sun that was rising slowly over the horizon. Makarov then broke it, and said "I think Wendy's all done with the healing. You could go check up on Lucy."
"Yeah..." He suddenly shot up, remembering he had other friends. "What about the others?! Happy, Gray and Erza?!"
"Happy is resting at Porlyusica's house, and Erza and Gray are back at the guild. They already completed the mission and collected the money. You're free to take it whenever you wish."
Natsu sighed in relief, and absentmindedly nodded. He felt like a really bad friend now, forgetting about Happy. Money was the last thing on his mind.
I think I'll go see Happy first... He thought. Without his blue haired friend, Wendy wouldn't have been there to save Lucy. And I'll get him a fish too!
Hands behind his head, and still battered but not quite beaten, he began walking towards the forest, determined to catch the biggest fish humanity and Exceeds have ever laid eyes on.
"Wendy?..." Porlyusica peeked into the emergency room, then smiled when she saw the young Dragon Slayer sleeping by Lucy's bed, resting her head on her arms.
The old woman walked over to the two females, and inspected Lucy. Her eyes widened when she saw that most of her wounds were healed.
"How on Earthland?..." She muttered. Wendy had truly outdone herself. Though the wounds were healed, there were still traces of them that could only be seen with a critical eye, which was how she knew there were a lot of them.
Even the bruises... She thought to herself. External bruises were usually unnecessary to treat, as they healed on their own over time, so Porluusica assumed that the girl only did it to ease Lucy's discomfort. Such a kind girl... She used the new techniques well.
But she couldn't have Wendy sleeping in such a position. Her back would break years before its time. She quickly prepared a tea that will help her sleep and restore her magic energy, then proceeded to gently shaking her awake.
"Oh..." Wendy rubbed at her eyes, and breathed "Grandeeney-san..." Oh, how she disliked that name. But she just didn't have the heart to tell the girl otherwise at the moment
"No need to wake up child. Just go sleep on the sofa. I made you tea, so try to drink a little bit of that."
"Okay Grandeeney-san..." She wobbled out the door, bracing her arms on the walls for support.
Alone with a sleeping Lucy, Porlyusica sighed. These humans get into so much trouble, it's almost other-worldy.
She finished up Wendy's job, healing the few marks that were left and slowly feeding her the same tea she gave to Wendy.
When she finished, she lounged on a chair and relaxed, keeping a close eye on the Celestial Spirit Mage. Though her wounds were trivial, she had used up her magic to the point of near death. And magic was a mage's lifeline.
"Stupid Dragon boy... Leaving a girl to fend for herself." She muttered. She shook her head, then thought I've grown soft.
She jumped as she saw Lucy stir, and walked over to the girl. The blonde slowly opened her eyes, and, seeing the old woman, she sat up and smiled. "Where are we?"
Porlyusica blinked. "You're in the guiild's emergency room. Do you not remember getting injured?"
"I got injured?!" Alarmed, she threw off the covers and began inspecting her body for any wounds, but of course, seeing none, looked at her suspiciously. "From what?"
Porlyusica sighed, and shook her head. "No, never mind." No point in telling her what happened. "How are you feeling?"
"Pretty good, actually." The girl stretched, and twisted her body. "Is it okay if I go home?"
Porlyusica thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see why not." She then turned away and grumbled "And don't come back. You humans stink."
Lucy sweat-dropped. "This is my guild." And you're a human too. She thought silently.
The old woman glared, and snapped "Get out!"
Lucy scrambled off the bed and out of the room, though poking her head in one last time before leaving. "Thank you Porlyusica-san!" She couldn't didn't really know what she was thanking the old mage for, only that she felt she needed to.
The lady merely huffed, and turned away. "Thank Wendy."
Lucy blinked. Of course! Wendy! She remembered her sitting by the bed, healing her.
So I was injured... She thought in wonder.
She quickly left the room, trying to recall the past few events. By now, it was clear that she had lost some of her memory, but before the fight between Loke and Natsu, she had no idea what had happpened.
...Did I really tell Natsu I loved him? A blush crept up her cheeks, as she recalled her Spirit's words. No way.
And I was... dying? Dying from what?
...I'll just ask Loke later. She finally decided. Pretty soon, she stumbled down the stairs, only to find a sleeping, rather peaceful-looking Wendy. The small girl was curled up on the seat, an empty cup beside her.
Lucy knelt down by the girl's form and whispered "Thank you, Wendy." She softly kissed the girl on the cheek, and smiled.
The blonde suddenly shot up, remembering something else.
Natsu's angry and hurt expression flashed in her mind, as she remembered him yelling "You're the reason I was sad in the first place!"
Oh dear God, why did she not remember this sooner? She quickly hurried out the door, rushing toward the direction of Natsu's house.
"Hey Mira, could you get me a cup a' iron?"
The white-haired girl beamed at him. "Sure thing!" She quickly rushed away to get his order, and Gajeel rested his face on his hand. Ever since they got back with Bunny Girl, Shrimp reading nonstop. He was itching to back to that cave again, but there wouldn't be much point since he could barely read English, forget the runes.
"Here ya' go!" She handed him large cup with various metal articles inside, and Gajeel paid for the meal, then strolled over to where Levy was reading. He slammed the cup down on the table, and sat. The girl didn't acknowledge him, still engrossed in her books, and he snorted. "Hey Shrimp, can we go back yet?"
Without looking up, she said "I already told you no! I wanna wait for Lu-chan to get better first."
He waved his hand dismissively. "Bunny Girl's fine." As if to prove her point, the Celestial Spirit Mage dashed by the guild, blonde hair flying. "See? She's up and running."
Levy blinked in surprise, then scowled and whacked him in the head with the book. "Lu-chan's not a vehicle! Or a bunny!"
"Good thing she isn't. How the hell would Salamander ride her?"
Gajeel gave one of his weird laughs as her face flushed, and she shrieked "Gajeel!" She whacked him again. "That's not funny!"
"Ow." It didn't hurt in the slightest, and he made that pretty clear through his bored tone. "Whatever, can we just go now?"
She heaved a humongous sigh, one he didn't realize her small chest was capable of. He then burst out laughing, realizing what he just thought.
"Fine, we'll go." She glared. "And stop laughing!"
"Happy!" Natsu rushed into the room, dragging a ginormous fish behind him.
"Natsu!" The cat jumped up and tackled him, making him stumble. "You brought me a big fish!"
He grinned almost maniacally. "Yup! I hope it tastes good." He laughed as Happy's mouth watered at the thought of feasting on the creature. "I'm sorry I didn't visit you earlier. Forgive me?"
Happy vigousrisly nodded, then realization hit him and his eyes bugged out. "Natsu! I can't eat all that! What are we supposed to do with the rest?!"
His jaw dropped, and sported a similar reaction. "I don't know! Give it to Charle?"
"She hates fish!"
"Try anyway!"
The cat then curled up in the corner, facing the wall. "I'm scared..." Natsu sweat-dropped. How did he get there so fast? The Exceed then whirled his head, the sudden, freakish motion startling the Dragon Slayer. "Give it to Lucy!"
Happy sweat-dropped as Natsu leaned into the wall, his arm between his forehead and the supporting structure. "I don't know..." He muttered. Emotions swirled madly in his mind at the mere mention of her name. He was anguished that he couldn't protect her. Confused as to why she fought so hard for him when he yelled at her just minutes before. Happy she said she loved him. Hating himself for misunderstanding her smile. Fearing the possible putcome if he gave her the fish. Confused as to why he was so sad when he felt like he couldn't hold her. Confused as to why she smelled so good to him. Confused with his own thoughts. Confused why he felt warmer than usual. Overall, just confused about everything.
"Natsu!" He exclaimed in surprise, throwing his paws in the air. He then began scrambling around the room back in forth, shrieking in panic "Natsu's being weird! He's thinking! He likes Lucy!"
Natsu snapped his head around to glare at his best friend. "Sh-shut up Happy!"
"Natsu's thinking! The world's gonna end!" Natsu strode over and began pulling at his cheeks, much like Lucy had the other day without all the threats. "Lucy does that too." The cat mumbled. Natsu dropped him in surprise, and completely turned off.
The blue cat hesitantly trodded over to his friend, and waved his paws in his face. "Natsu...?"
No response.
"Natsuuuuuu...?"
"A-aye..." He stuttered, still shell-shocked.
"Why does my house smell like fish?!" Porlyusica burst into the room, her nostrils flared in anger.
Natsu and Happy looked at each other, and then the old woman. "You can have it!" They said in sync.
Porlyusica's eyebrow twitched, and a vein popped on her forehead. "I don't want it!" She screamed, hurling them out the door with the fish closely behind.
"I hate humans!" She shouted before slamming the door, not bothering to help the two mages squashed flat under the large creature.
"Natsu?..." The blonde peered into her partner's house, then did a double take as she saw the mess. Did she not clean this place a few weeks ago?
No, wait... She remembered. It was 7 years...
She sighed, and unconsciously began picking up some of the articles, gathering them up in her arms. She then shrieked, and dropped all the items on the floor. "What the hell am I doing?!" She screamed at no one. Lucy sighed again, and submitted to her strange cleaning desires. There wasn't nearly as much mess when she first cleaned it though, so it only took her about an hour.
Lucy sat on the cot and relaxed a little, slightly tired out from the work. She chuckled as she found herself wondering where Natsu was- this was no different than 7 years ago. Just for old times sake, she sat and waited for him to come home, the cleaning having numbed out her urgent need to apologize to him.
In the end, Happy and Natsu decided to bring the fish to the guild, much to Mira's delight. Natsu watched with a smile on his face as the young woman immediately rushed to the kitchen to prepare some fish stew, beaming as always.
"...Are we sleeping at Lucy's today Natsu?" Happy asked his friend.
Natsu froze. "D-do you really want to?"
Happy gave a sly grin, then nodded. He watched as Natsu furrowed his eyebrow, then grin in return. "Sure!"
I need to apologize anyway. He thought. "You wanna go now?"
Happy perked up. "Aye!"
Mira walked out of the kitchen carry a large pot, and amusedly watched as Natsu and Happy raced out the door.
She cocked her head. Did Natsu just stutter? She shook her head and chuckled to herself, ignoring the stares she got from a few of her guildmates.
I wonder what happened between them...
After waiting for another 2 hours, Lucy decided she had waited long enough, and left Natsu's house. As she passed the small section of the room where Natsu kept his most precious belongings, she smiled. Most of the things were a little worn out after 7 years, but they were still in unbelievably good condition. Most people would say it was magic, but Lucy knew that Natsu was just good at taking care of things that were important to him.
Closing the door behind her, she set of for her house, already knowing what to expect.
Natsu slumped against the edge of Lucy's bed, extremely bored from waiting.
It's been so long... He inwardly groaned. What the heck...
His eyes widened, and he shot up as Lucy walked into her room. Her eyes widened as well, as though she had suddenly remembered something.
"Natsu-"
"Lucy-"
"I'm sorry!" They both blurted at the same time.
After a slight pause, they both yelled at each other "What are you sorry for!"
"I'm sorry for making you sad!" Lucy shouted.
"I'm sorry for being such a dumbass!" He shouted back.
"I'm sorry for hurting you!"
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you!"
Lucy began to sob, and Natsu backed away slightly, hands in the air, tripping and ended up sitting on the bed. "I-I'm sorry Luce... Didn't mean to make you cry..."
"You idiot!" She screamed. Natsu watched in surprise as she threw herself at him, knocking him over flat on his back, and sobbed into his chest.
He silently stared at her for a few moments, then put his arms around her and pulled her closer, smiling into her hair. "I know."
Happy watched from the doorway, and thought They liiiiiiike each other. Not wanting to disturb his best friend, he slowly backed away, capturing the image in his mind should Mira ever want it.
Lucy cried for a few more moments, then slowly looked at her partner in the face, now very much aware that she was on top of him. On a bed.
"I-I'm sorry!" She shrieked, scrambling to get off him.
In her haste, her elbow brushed his stomach, and he choked. "I-It's fine."
He got up, and met Lucy's now tear-free stare. "Did you just laugh?" She asked. Only it wasn't much of a question.
"No!" He protested, trying to denying it. He then chuckled as Lucy experimentally poked him in the stomach, contradicting himself.
He watched in horror as she grinned, and suddenly lunged.
As always, when she attacked, him Lucy was unbelieavably fast. He tried to get away, only managing to bury himself deeper into the bed in the process. She tickled him relentlessly, and Natsu gasped through tears "Lucy- please- stop!"
"Never! It's payback!" She announced, still tickling him.
Natsu waited in agony for an opening between her pokes, and took it when he first saw it. He quickly flipped himself over so he was over Lucy, pinned her down with his legs, and started tickling her back. Fortunately for him, the blonde was no less ticklish than he was. And best of all, her midriff was exposed.
Happy tried to cover his ears as he sat in the living room, the sound of maniacal laughter filling his head. He was curious, but more so afraid of what he'd see. He heard a loud screech from Lucy, and shuddered. Yup, definitely afraid.
Getting rather tired of the noise, he left the house and went to Lisanna's, eager to talk to his foster mother after so long.
Gajeel grinned as he stood at the mouth of the cave. After much persuasion and occasional... 'threats,' Shrimp had finally agreed to bring him back here today. He glanced over at the small girl, who's face was still unbelievably red. "Ya' doin' okay Shrimp?"
She scowled at him, a look he rather liked on her usually bubbly face. "Sh-shut up! And call me Levy!"
He snorted. "Fine then... 'Levy.'" The sound felt strange on his tongue, but not bad. Not bad at all. He stomped into the cave, eager to check out the room they had discovered back then.
"Damned Dragon Slayer..." Levy muttered. "Don't gotta say my name like it's a disease..."
"Not all diseases are bad." He said nonchalantly.
She glared. "You have a screwed up way of flirting."
Gajeel's jaw dropped. "Me?! Flirt?!"
Instead of replying, she stuck her tongue out, much to his annoyance. She strode past him, and Gajeel grudgingly followed.
Seeing it was rather dark, Levy wrote out 'light' in the air, and a small, bright glow filled the small space. Gajeel squinted against the sudden light, and grumbled "Coulda warned me."
Even behind her, he could tell that the girl didn't give a damn.
As they entered the room for the first time, Gajeel did a double take. The room was way bigger than the part on the outside. Though it still wasn't quite big enough to fit an actual dragon, it was still a lot bigger than one would guess from the outside. He guessed that the trees his most of it.
Levy flared up her little light to give her a good view of the room, and she gasped in awe. Gajeel snorted. If it looked big to him, he could only guess how the room seemed to her.
Levy slowly walked over to where a small tombstone stood, and crouched down, bringing her light closer to the letters. Gajeel stood next to her, not bothering to kneel. "So what's it say?"
"'Here lies Lucille Heartfilia.'" She read aloud. "May 29th, X421 - January 9th, X467."
"May she protect the Gateway between Dragons and Humanity." Levy's eyes widened, and Gajeel stumbled to the ground with her.
Their minds were one, as they thought frantically There exists... something like that?
The more I write this, the more I'm convinced that I need to up the rating...
I recently found out that I've been spelling Charle's name wrong, so I'll go back and change that when I feel like it. =9
As for the story, I feel like this is becoming more of a romance thing. :/ I hope the last part changed that. :) (Please understand that I make things up as the story progresses. I do think very much about it when I'm not writing, but only for the next chapter.)
And just to make things clear, Lucy forgot only the part about the fight. Before that, and after she's in the emergency room, she remembers quite clearly.
And I am most definitely not gonna make Lisanna the bad character. :/ It always makes uncomfortable when she is, because I could tell from the very first time she was mentioned that she would be an unbelievably sweet girl. So yeah, she will stick to her 'canon' personality. (Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's the original series?)
I'm also thinking this will be a very long story. Many chapters ahead.
And I'm thinking about getting a beta reader. Not sure if I should though.
So yeah, hope you liked this chapter, please feel very free to review! :D