So how about Fairy Tail chapter 416? What'd you guys think about it? I currently have no heart nor do I have any emotions left.
You know Nalu is real when Natsu leaves Lucy a letter and she begins to cry over how lonely she'll be, though. I'm so excited to see what Mashima decides to write!
Okay, well on to the fanfic..
This chapter is based on the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. I completely recommend looking at their pictures of the Kuroshio Sea Tank. It's absolutely stunning.
It's been a while since I chose to end the chapter the way I did. Well, it's a first for this fanfic.. Oh, how I've missed it.
Thank you guys for all the reviews, favs, and follows. I really appreciate it. :]
Enjoy this chapter, everyone!
The second Lucy's eyes opened the next morning, she leaped out of bed. She had dreamt of visiting the aquarium and now she was ecstatic to actually be going.
"You seem happy today," Natsu remarked when listening to Lucy hum as she made breakfast.
"Of course I am," she replied with a smile. "We're going to aquarium today!"
"So what?" he lifted an eyebrow.
"I've never been there before," she explained.
"It's nothing to be that excited over," he scoffed.
"Be quiet," she mumbled, not paying any mind to him.
"Levy-chan are coming over here to pick me up, by the way," she notified.
"Gray is coming here to pick me up, too," Natsu responded.
Lucy's breath stopped as vivid images flashed her mind.
"There's no way they'll come here at the same time, right?" she asked nervously.
"We'll see," he smirked at her anxiety.
It wasn't until an hour later when there was a knock on her front door. She sneaked up to the door to look through the peep-hole.
"They're here!" Lucy whispered frantically.
"Go inside already!" she forcefully pushed on Natsu's back so he could go inside his room.
"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered while entering his room and closing the door.
Lucy hurriedly opened the front door, knowing she was taking too long to answer it.
"Hi, guys!" she grinned at her friends as they stood at her doorstep.
"I still love this place, Lu-chan," Levy sighed happily, entering the apartment.
"You're still very clean," Erza observed as she scanned the spotless apartment.
"Of course," Lucy nodded like she didn't just clean everything two minutes ago.
"Do you have any food?" Cana asked, inviting herself into the fridge. "Whoa, there's a lot of food in here."
"I like to stock up," Lucy bluffed.
"Cana, hurry up and eat," Levy whined. "I want to go to the aquarium already."
"Me too," Erza agreed.
"Your fridge looks like there are two people living here," Cana remarked when she settled for a simple mozzarella cheese stick.
"No way," Lucy waved her hand. "I'm the only one here."
"You can't forget about Happy!" Levy reminded, scooping down and picking up the blue cat.
"Happy is the same color as your hair," Erza stated with an amused look.
"Hey," Levy frowned. "My hair is darker than his!"
"I can't tell if I'm looking at Happy or Levy's hair," Cana snickered.
"Where did Levy-chan's hair go?" Lucy played along.
"Can we just go to the aquarium?" Levy crossed her arms in front of her unhappily after releasing Happy.
"Let's go," Lucy giggled as she led her friends out of her apartment. She could hear Natsu's door creaking open when she closed the front door.
"I've never been to the aquarium before," Erza confessed while they walked together.
"Neither have I," Lucy and Levy admitted.
"Do you guys ever go out?" Cana raised an eyebrow.
Lucy didn't pay too much attention to the retort Levy was saying because a dark head caught her attention.
Gray was walking in the direction of the apartment. Beside him, walked a white-haired girl with bright cerulean eyes.
Lucy was relieved Gray didn't come at the same time as her friends, but her stomach churned at the thought of the girl being inside the apartment.
But she easily brushed them off; she had nothing to do with them.
"I'm so excited to see all the fish," Levy clapped in excitement.
"You've said that four times already," Cana rolled her eyes.
"You're lying if you say you're not excited either," Lucy responded.
"We're here," Erza announced.
Laughter and streaming water sounded out into the air from the open doors of the aquarium. The girls eagerly stepped inside to buy a ticket to enter.
To make things easier, the girls went for the automatic ticket machine. Erza did all the work as Levy raved at how clear the water was from the tanks she could see.
"Erza?" a voice asked behind the girls. They simultaneously turned around to see who it was.
"Hey, Jellal. What are you doing here?" Erza greeted with a smile.
"Natsu and Gray wanted to hang out here," Jellal answered with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Weird," Cana mumbled.
"Why don't we all hang out again then?" Levy suggested.
Lucy desperately wanted to object the idea, but the brightness of Levy's eyes made her stay quiet.
"Is it alright if we do?" Erza questioned.
"They won't care," Jellal shrugged. "The tickets are cheaper if we're in a group, anyway."
"Great!" Levy cheered.
"They should be here soon," he glanced at his watch. "But knowing them, they'll probably be late."
A question about the girl Lucy saw with Gray was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back. It'd be smarter just to wait.
Several minutes later, Gray and Natsu entered the aquarium with a white-haired stranger trailing behind them.
"Hey, Lucy," Gray immediately greeted with a smile.
"Hey, Gray," Lucy responded with a wave. She didn't bother to greet Natsu.
"Hi, Erza! Long time no see!" the stranger gave Erza a hug.
"How have you been, Lisanna?" Erza returned the hug.
"I never knew how popular Erza was," Levy secretly whispered to Lucy.
"It seems like she knows everyone," Lucy nodded with her own whisper.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Lisanna apologized when she released Erza and noticed the other girls. "I'm Lisanna."
"I've seen you before," Cana spoke with a frown. "Is your sister Mirajane?"
Lisanna nodded. "Do you know her?"
"I go drinking a lot where she works," Cana answered with a grin.
"I'm Levy," she greeted, giving Lisanna a smile.
"I'm Lucy," she introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you two!" Lisanna smiled cheerfully, her short hair bobbing all over the place.
Lucy and Levy returned the smile; they could tell they were going to get along well.
"So there's eight of us," Erza stated as she turned back to the ticket machine. Jellal stood beside her to watch the screen.
"We're going as a group?" Natsu inquired.
"Do you have a problem?" Erza glared over her shoulder.
Though the glare wasn't directed at her, a shiver ran through Lucy's body. It seemed like there was a shiver running through everyone but Jellal.
"Not anymore," Natsu replied quickly.
Finally, the tickets were purchased and the group of eight ambled into the aquarium. Lucy's heart pumped with anticipation.
"Look at all the fish!" Levy exclaimed.
"There's so many," Lucy breathed out, not knowing where to look.
"This is amazing," Cana chimed in breathlessly.
The girls couldn't get enough of the immense amount of fish swimming around in the tanks. It was as if with each blink, a new fish entered the tank.
"Looks like you're having fun," Gray viewed Lucy as she peered into the tank.
"How can you not have fun looking at all these fish?" Lucy quipped, glancing at Gray. The water reflected off of their eyes.
"They're just fish," he shrugged. "There's nothing cool about them."
Lucy's jaw dropped with surprise.
"Look at that shark!" she pointed at the large shark swimming in front of them.
"What about it?" he raised an eyebrow.
"You don't find that cool?" her mouth remained wide open.
"Not really," he scratched the back of his head.
Lucy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She scanned the area and when her eyes fell onto a poster, she strode to it.
"Let's go to this," she commanded.
"A whale show?" Gray asked.
"Yes," she nodded. "There's no way you can't find this cool."
Gray's eyes studied Lucy with amusement.
"Everyone, Gray and I are going to go to this whale show," Lucy declared to her friends.
"I want to go!" Levy shouted.
"Me too," Erza agreed.
"Let's all go then," Gray stated. "But I'm sitting next to Lucy."
"Why would you want to sit next to her?" Natsu scoffed.
"Because I think she's cool," Gray replied, earning a small laugh from Lucy.
"And soon you'll find this aquarium cool," she grinned while they started to walk to the show that began in fifteen minutes.
"Why aren't you moving, Natsu? Come on," Lisanna waved her hand to beckon Natsu.
"S-Sorry," he blinked out of his trance.
The show was outside and nearly all the seats were filled. The only empty row was the very front.
Lucy was determined to make Gray impressed about the aquarium. She absolutely could not wait for the show, but the person who sat on her left side made her want the show to end already so they could leave.
"Why are you sitting next to me?" she asked under her breath.
"Do you think I want to be?" Natsu inquired.
Their shoulders bumped against each other every so often, so she scooted closer to Gray. She didn't mind his shoulder too much.
"It's starting!" Levy proclaimed.
Lucy clapped once the show began and Gray couldn't help but join when seeing how excited the blonde was.
"Are you impressed?" Lucy asked eagerly each time a whale did a trick.
"I've seen better," he responded plainly.
"Have you ever seen a whale before?" Natsu inquired eventually, leaning over to look at Gray.
"Why does it matter, Flame-breath?" Gray's eyes narrowed, leaning over as well.
All Lucy could do was sit still as the boys started to insult each other. When she could see both Gray and Natsu's face in front of her, she took a deep breath.
"You two are suffocating Lucy!" Lisanna yelled as she pulled Natsu's shoulder back.
"Thanks, Lisanna," Lucy breathed out in relief. She was glad she didn't have to do the shouting.
"And now time for the last trick of the show!" the announcer revealed, their voice echoing throughout the entire area.
"I-It's over?" Lucy asked with disbelief.
"That's what she said," Natsu responded with an eye roll.
"But Gray hasn't been impressed yet!" she exclaimed, turning to Gray.
Gray looked at her blankly, surprised at how persistent she was being with him. He oddly enough admired her for it.
"Maybe next time—"
Gray was instantly cut off as freezing water was splashed on him. Everyone that sat on the right side of him was soaked from the water due to the whales.
Lucy's eyes widened in surprised while Natsu burst out laughing. Gray's head was withdrawn as his hair dripped with water.
"Gray?" Lucy squeaked. "The water is ice cold. Are you okay?"
"Can the whales do that again?" Gray asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat.
"W-What?" Lucy blurted out.
Gray's eyes became large as he realized what he had asked. He cleared his throat and leaned back to regain his composure.
"N-Never mind," he stuttered.
"Are you impressed?" she questioned with a smiling spreading across her lips.
"Of course not!" he shook his head, causing water droplets to land on Lucy.
"You are!" she proclaimed happily.
"Whatever," he mumbled while standing up. Lucy didn't notice the show had ended until he extended his hand out to her.
"Are you going to get up?" he inquired, shaking his hand for Lucy to grab it.
"Lucy can get up by herself," Natsu stated with a hint of annoyance.
"Natsu," Lisanna whispered.
"It's fine," Lucy assured. "He's probably jealous that I'm paying more attention to Gray."
She intended it to be a joke, but when she got up on her own and saw the look in Natsu's face, she knew Natsu didn't take it as one.
"I'm just kidding—"
"Let's go, Lisanna," Natsu spoke as he turned around and walked out of the row they were in.
Lucy tilted her head to the side in confusion, but knowing that he was with Lisanna told her he'd be alright.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked Gray as she took a look at his damp clothes.
"The cold doesn't bother me," he replied with a shrug.
"Are you sure you're not going to get sick or anything?" she double checked, just in case.
"If I get sick, I'm counting on you to bring my health back," he responded as he started to exit the row, his lips curving up into a small smile.
"I guess I don't have a choice," she sighed. "Where is everyone?"
"I can't believe they left us," Gray said while they walked together back into the aquarium.
"What should we do?" she asked, her eyes scanning the area.
"Let's go look at the fish," he proposed. He didn't leave her much of a choice since he had already started to walk towards the tanks.
"Whoa," Lucy whispered when they met up with a tank that took up the entire wall.
"It's the second largest tank in the world," Gray informed as he observed the tank with her.
"There's four whale sharks," she continued to whisper, her legs urging her to get a closer look.
Lucy had to tilt her head up to look at the whale sharks swimming above her. She had never been this close to something so stunning before.
"Amazing," she spoke with mesmerized eyes. The sound of the trickling water was utterly calming.
"Lu-chan!" Levy's voice echoed throughout the aquarium.
Lucy spun around to find Levy rushing towards her with worry painted all over his face.
"Where did you go?!" Levy asked breathlessly. "I was so scared something happened to you!"
"Sorry," she apologized while comforting her worried best friend.
The rest of the group joined Lucy and Gray several seconds later. They stood in a circle as they spoke.
"What are we going to do now?" Cana required. "I'm beat."
"Yeah, me too," Natsu agreed with a yawn.
"Then let's call it a day," Jellal stated.
"Sounds good to me," Gray said, looking at Natsu. "Mind if I come over for a while?"
"Do what you want, Ice Princess," Natsu shrugged while leaving the group.
"See you later, Lucy," Gray nodded quickly as he went to catch up with him.
It wasn't long until the group scattered into various directions.
Lucy's legs were quite tired from all the walking she had done today, but since Gray was going to the apartment, she forced herself to walk Levy home.
"That was fun, wasn't it, Lu-chan?" Levy sighed with delight.
"I want to do it again," Lucy admitted.
"Let's go again during the summer," Levy replied.
"Deal," Lucy grinned.
"Let's hang out again soon!" Levy waved from her door when they reached her home.
"Of course!" she nodded, watching Levy enter her house.
"What do I do now?" she muttered while strolling to her apartment.
She reluctantly pulled out her phone and called the number she forbade herself to call unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Hey, Natsu," Lucy spoke into her phone. "Is Gray still there?"
"He is," Natsu answered plainly.
Lucy sighed, conflicted on what to do. She could go to the library, but all she wanted to do was lie down on her bed at home.
Natsu and Lucy were silent on the call, but he spoke up after a while.
"Gray is leaving now," he revealed.
"Really?!" Lucy asked with relief. "Okay, thanks."
She quickly hung up on the call.
Normally, Natsu would make fun of being kicked out of the apartment, but he was uncharacteristically quiet. It made her uncomfortable.
Lucy then remembered the look on his face when she made the joke about him and Gray.
"I should apologize to him," she told herself, already rehearsing her apology.
There was no way she was going to fight with her roommate that was slowly becoming her friend.
When Lucy could easily recite her apology, she hiked up the stairs to her apartment. She hastily unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Hey, Natsu, can I talk to you for a second—"
Lucy froze when her eyes met with the person in front of her. She opened her mouth slowly, not believing what she was seeing.
"Gray, what are you still doing here?"