Lucy could tell Natsu was antsy. For one, the creepy-crawly feeling of his nerves was radiating throughout her chest, making her almost itchy, and for another, he kept rocking from side to side, eyes locked on the building a short distance away. His chest was tight with anxiety, enough to make both of them breathless, and Lucy almost wanted to just shake him and tell him to chill out. It was Wendy after all. The young dragoness had not once been intimidated by Natsu, even when everyone else had been wracked with nerves.
Even in the three days leading up to the destruction of Crocus, she'd fought tooth and nail to stop the Keepers and Guardians from sealing her friend away, if what Gray had told them was right. "She cared a lot about what happened to Natsu," Gray had told them before leaving them to their own devices, "and she nearly left the guild over it after it was said and done."
Lucy wound her fingers through Natsu's and squeezed them tightly. "Sitting here and watching their home like a creep isn't going to help anything, Natsu."
He shot her a rather dirty look, rolling his eyes. "I know that," he muttered and pulled her forwards, talking under his breath about something she didn't quite catch. Whatever it was, it earned him a grumble from Happy, who changed to Lucy's shoulders. She eyed Natsu quite suspiciously after that. Happy never chose her over Natsu unless Natsu had done something he thought was incorrect or wrong.
Which meant something Natsu had just said was likely highly insulting, though that was probably just because he was as anxious as he was and didn't know how to process the feelings without getting irritable about it.
Sighing, they made their way to the small cabin, which was quite cute in Lucy's opinion. It reminded her of Yukino's cottage, even, and she found her heart aching with grief at the memories that accompanied it, both good and bad. Natsu eyed her as she knocked on the door, pulling back to investigate the emotions that swirled in his chest.
He was forced to focus, however, when no more than a few seconds after Lucy had knocked, the door ripped open and Lucy was tackled in a tight hug by someone she scarcely recognized. "Lucy!"
Wendy had grown. Lucy knew that. She'd known it before she'd even found Natsu again. Wendy had to have grown over the last few centuries. It was impossible for her to not have. But for her to be this grown up…she was nearly as tall as Lucy, looking more like a young adult than the girl Lucy remembered her being. A lump formed in Lucy's throat as she pulled back to look at Wendy, who beamed at her in a familiar way.
She'd known this would be hard for Natsu, Lucy realized, but she'd not considered just how hard it would be for her to see Wendy all grown up.
Blinking tears back, Lucy smiled faintly at Wendy as she rambled, "I knew you'd come back because Gray told us, but I was starting to think he was lying even with the magic we felt way out here last time, and with Happy being gone and everything, but–" She broke off and smiled widely at Natsu, who was staring at her with widened eyes. Lucy thought he rather resembled an owl as rather than hugging him, Wendy tucked her hands behind her back and said simply, "Hi, Natsu."
He swallowed thickly, uncertain, and glanced at Lucy for help. She merely smiled at Natsu encouragingly until he said hoarsely, "Hey, Wendy."
Wendy merely lit up at his greeting and stepped aside to let them in. "Chelia's not here; she went to Hargeon to visit some old friends," she said as Lucy and Natsu peered around themselves upon stepping into the small cabin. It was cozy, with simple decorations and dozens of plants piled around the central room. Many looked to be herbs of a valuable kind, because the protective look that Wendy took on when Natsu curiously poked at one quickly had Lucy stopping him.
Lucy couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face when Happy suddenly leaped from her shoulder with a yowl, hopping over to greet a familiar white-furred feline when she appeared. Charle eyed all of them with distaste, swatting at Happy almost playfully when he got too close. Happy ignored her, of course, and merely purred loudly as he butted his head against her.
Scooping Charle into her arms, Wendy smiled hopefully at them as she said, "Will you stay for dinner?"
Gently, Lucy said, "We have to get back to the Archives, but we'd be more than happy to come back some time for dinner." Natsu had gone quiet enough to concern her, but then…Natsu had always surprised her.
Not one to dance around topics, he cut Wendy a sharp, wary look and said, "You tried to stop them."
It was a rather vague statement that made Lucy grimace, but they all knew what he meant. Wendy's eyes sharpened and she lifted her chin proudly. "I did." Lucy remembered then, that Wendy had already been a few hundred years old when they'd met. While it was easy to recall that a thousand years had passed…she forgot that some of the people she'd known were much, much older than her by the time she'd come to the past.
"I told them that there was something else we should have tried to figure out," continued Wendy, no sign of her smile as she pressed her face into Charle's fur. Charle purred comfortingly in response. "There had to be another answer. You wouldn't do that. I knew you wouldn't do what they said you did without a good reason, and I knew you'd lost your Marked One, but you…you never would have done what Igneel did."
The look on Natsu's face was one Lucy wasn't sure she could understand entirely. It danced the line between devastation and fury. This was why he'd not wanted to see Wendy, Lucy recalled. He'd not wanted someone who remembered all the good things to now know what he was. Didn't want to see the aftermath of what he'd done when he'd torn those expectations apart.
Didn't want to have to break what sliver of hope that he'd not done what he'd done remained.
"And if you did do it," continued Wendy, "then there must have been some other reason, because the Natsu I grew up with wouldn't." She said it fiercely, eyes flashing as she studied their faces.
Natsu clenched his jaw, staring her down for a few moments. Lucy knew better than to try and comfort him. She could feel his confusion topping the mess of emotions that surged through him, tightening his chest and making him defensive. He wouldn't do well with her attempting to comfort him, not now as he rumbled, "I did it, Wendy, so they would seal me away. I burned Fiore's capital to the ground so they would let me sleep."
Her lips pressed into a hard line, as if she didn't want to believe it, but knew she couldn't deny it. Not when he, himself, was telling her as such. So, Wendy said evenly, "But you tried something else first. That can't have been the first thing you tried."
Light sparked in the darkness that kept Lucy's mouth shut, and she glanced briefly at Natsu. He hadn't changed, still unreadable, but regardless, he nodded curtly. Just once, a quick jerk of his chin.
For Wendy, that was enough to confirm whatever story she'd piled into her head. "You didn't want to."
Admittedly, Lucy didn't expect Natsu to admit quietly, "No. I didn't. But I did what I had to." He paused, hesitant, and then added, "I didn't want to turn into another monster like Acnologia." That said, Natsu averted his attention entirely and snatched up Happy from Lucy's arms, ignoring her half-hearted protest. Happy only blinked happily at Natsu, purring in a way that was likely meant to soothe him. Natsu settled a little then, tightening his arms gently around his familiar.
Lucy thought that Happy might have been more of a comfort to Natsu than she could ever hope to be in moments like this.
Changing the subject entirely, Wendy whirled around, her hair flying around her face. "Well," she declared, "since you can't stay for dinner, we can at least have snacks. There's got to be a lot of good things Natsu's not tried yet since you've been staying in the Archives. Gajeel tries to take Levy a few good snacks, but he can't really leave very often either."
Lucy brushed her fingers fondly down Natsu's arm, smiling warmly at him when his gaze darted to hers. She searched it for a moment, questioning, but Natsu gave no answer to her silent questions, so she bumped him gently with her shoulder and slipped past, calling for Wendy. "Do you want any help with something?"
Wendy looked like Lucy had given her the sun to hold in the palms of her hands.
"That wasn't so bad," said Lucy as they left, waving over her shoulder at Wendy. Wendy looked a little tearful, though her smile was bright. As if she was worried that they'd disappear again when they left, but was telling herself that at least one glimpse was better than none. Natsu wasn't sure how to feel about that.
Even knowing the truth, Wendy was interested in visiting with them again.
She knew he'd ripped Crocus apart on purpose.
But she didn't care. She wanted to see him again.
Natsu exhaled softly, smoke puffing from his lips, and Lucy nudged him. "Natsu?" she prompted quietly as they made it to the treeline, content to walk as long as they needed to for him to sort himself out before they Portaled elsewhere. It was something Natsu appreciated. When he'd lost her to the Eclipse Gate, people had harassed him endlessly to try and get answers when what he'd really needed was a few days to sort through it all. Of course, he'd never been able to, but no one had given him the chance to try, and he'd resorted to chasing them away as viciously as he could.
It had resorted in some nasty comments on his behalf, hurting people more than likely necessary, and he still owed some apologies for that behavior. He knew he did, even if it felt like he was going to have to tear the teeth from his skull to get them out.
He wasn't excited to do that one bit.
But…maybe apologizing for what he'd done to Crocus…his brow furrowed at the idea. He'd not thought of apologizing for that before, outside of telling Lucy he was sorry for breaking the promises he'd made to her. Perhaps that would be something he did if they really did go to the Fairy Tail reunion.
Natsu's gaze slid to Lucy, and his heart swelled with warmth when he found his Marked One smiling to herself at the beauty of the winter wood they were walking through. It was followed by a sharp ferocity that had him drawing gentle talons along the piece of soul cradled in his chest. He was careful not to dig in too hard, knowing that it hurt her. She'd told him as such after a particularly bad nightmare had dragged him from a night of sound sleep and he'd been too aggressive in ensuring she was there, even as she'd held his hand like he was a young child seeking his brother's comfort after a nightmare.
Natsu didn't deserve Lucy. At least, he didn't think so. But he could certainly try to be better.
"Luce," Natsu said suddenly, and she glanced at him immediately. He furrowed his brow as he asked, "Are we going to the reunion?"
She looked startled by the question, and he supposed he'd likely made her think he didn't want to even think about the potential of going. He hadn't initially, though he knew Lucy really wanted to go. "I don't know," she said slowly, stopping in her tracks. "Are we?"
He blinked once at her. "You wanted to go."
Lucy started to look amused with him, which only made him scowl in return. He didn't like when he thought she was teasing him, though he was more than happy to do it to her. "I do want to," she said quietly, growing serious, "but not if you don't. I don't think I'd enjoy myself nearly as much if you weren't there. Besides. It's been a long time since everyone's seen me, but…you were sealed into a mountain six months after I left, so it's been just as long since they've seen you. For those that remember…I bet they would like to see you, too, Natsu. And," she continued, looking skyward with a thoughtful expression, "there's no guarantee that the memory spell will fail just yet. You could see everyone before they remember. Just in case."
Natsu huffed softly. "I don't care about seeing everyone," he said, a fact that might have once been true. But now…he did admittedly occasionally miss the comfortable feeling of the guildhall, when people gathered and ate together or enjoyed one another's company. He didn't necessarily want to be part of that company, of course, but still.
It didn't hurt that Lucy clearly missed it.
"I think you'd be more happy to see people than you think," she said gently. "You always got along with Lisanna – and Asuka was human, but I'm sure some of her descendants might be there." They both winced at the reminder. Some of their guildmates were humans who'd been capable of wielding magic. They'd likely be dead now, lost to time and age.
Natsu gave a noncommittal grunt, glancing at her again with a wary look. "Laxus hates me."
"Since when did you care what Laxus thinks?" demanded Lucy, rolling her eyes. "He thought you were a demon out to get everyone. I'd like to think you proved him wrong several times over."
"I still tore apart Crocus, Lucy. To people like him, I'm what they think I am." He frowned at the thought. "You should go. Those people didn't mind you so much."
"Now you're just making excuses." Lucy surprised him when she gripped his arm and spun him to face her. Her hands dropped onto his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. "Natsu. We will go. Together. Hiding from the people who thought you to be a monster a thousand years ago makes you look as if you're guilty of what they're accusing you of. Prove them wrong. Maybe they won't get it, even now, but you cannot let those people win by not showing up because you're scared of them."
"I'm not scared," he barked, outraged, and she glared right back at him before softening her face somewhat.
"Well, I am," she told him, startling him, and he narrowed his eyes. Cautiously, Natsu checked with the piece of her soul he held so dearly to his heart. He rifled around in it and sure enough, there was a sting of fear there. "I don't want to talk about what happened with the Eclipse Gate, and I'm sure if they do remember by the time we go, they'll start asking a lot of questions. So, I'd like you to be there. In case they do."
Natsu thought through it for a heartbeat, studying her closely. Finally, his face twisted into an unhappy grimace, and Lucy lit up, knowing precisely what that look meant: he'd go with her to the Fairy Tail reunion.
He stilled when she suddenly cupped his cheeks in her fingers, her touch burning where it brushed. Natsu watched her sharply as she smiled widely at him, and then promptly brushed her lips against his own in a gentle, sweet kiss. Natsu returned the kiss immediately, devouring it in a burst of excitement and desire that made Lucy laugh when she pulled back, resting her forehead against his.
Eyes practically glowing with delight, she said quietly to him, "It'll work out, Natsu. And if it doesn't, we'll figure it out. Just like we've figured everything else out. Right?"
Natsu nodded, a quick jerk of his chin.
As long as Lucy was there, he felt that things would go well.
The Archives were exactly as they'd been when Lucy and Natsu had left. The air was still and thick with magic that didn't tend to exist in very many places anymore. Lucy suspected they'd certainly find it up near the Fortress, where Jellal and Erza lingered with other mythics. It didn't reach out to greet them, that magic; rather, it reluctantly seemed to settle when Gajeel appeared at the heavy doors, grimacing at them.
"You came back," he mused, seeming disappointed.
"Of course we did." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Now move, I've got some information for Levy I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear." It was the truth; Levy would be enthralled by the tales of their time on Tenrou Island, and then be excited to hear that Natsu had actually agreed to go to the reunion.
Gajeel snickered, but let them in, and Lucy cast her gaze around the entrance to the Archives as she always did. Lily wasn't sprawled out on the front desk sunning himself as he often was, which indicated that he was likely with Levy. Natsu grunted when Happy threw himself to the floor and raced off, tail high, to find his fellow familiar, though they both knew Happy would likely just annoy Lily into swatting at him.
"Levy!" Gajeel shouted, startling Natsu into glaring at him, smoke pouring from his lips. "They're back!"
Naturally, it was mere moments before Levy came sprinting out of the library she worked so diligently in nearly every day, her hazel eyes lit with excitement. "Welcome back!" she cried, not hesitating to crash into Lucy for a hug. Lucy laughed, hugging her back. She was careful not to brush her hands against Levy's filmy, limp wings, knowing that the slightest touch was not only uncomfortable for her, but a devastating reminder even all these years later of what Levy had lost.
"So," Levy said, "did you find what Mavis wanted you to find?"
Lucy nodded, glancing at Natsu to make sure she was okay to tell the details. He shrugged, leaving the decision up to her. "She wanted us to find this crystal. It had her body encapsulated in it. Igneel had eaten it, apparently, and when people from the mainland went to Tenrou…" She made a small, casual gesture, frowning. "Actually, it wasn't as good a trip as we'd hoped, I guess. The people who went there were all killed, which means they'll start looking into it. They might find Tenrou again."
Natsu pressed his mouth into a hard line at the thought when she looked his way. "We'll worry about it when it becomes a problem."
Lucy knew what he was thinking about when he narrowed his eyes suddenly. If more people went to Tenrou, they'd likely locate Igneel's remains and steal his bones again. That would be an issue they had to deal with on another day, she decided, running her hand through her blonde hair. Perhaps, it was something she and Natsu could work towards: a way to defend Tenrou alongside the likes of the Leviathan.
"Well, I want to hear all the details," said Levy confidently, grabbing Lucy's hand and tugging her towards the library. "I have a few reports to finish up. You can summon Loke to help us finish them quicker, and then we can hear about it over dinner."
Lucy didn't bother to try and stop her, only smiling to herself as she followed.
As nice as it had been to be out in the world again with Natsu, there was something to be said about coming back to some place that was comfortable.
Too bad it didn't feel like home.
Wendy at last! Thoughts on her little reunion with Natsu? ;) One to two more chapters! I'm sad and excited and nervous all at the same time - since, you know, we'll be saying goodbye to this era and moving on to an apocalyptic one.
Thanks to reviewers (FairyTailxFanGirl, mastercheif1229, and Rachel Maddison!) as well as those who favorited and followed!