A/N: Wow, ok. So I was actually going to make this chapter much, much longer, but then I realized that it would probably take me another couple of days to complete it and I wanted to give you guys something to read much sooner than that. If I had stuck through with my original plan, in this POV, it would also mean that next chapter would be extremely short, and I don't like doing that to you guys.

Also, I was a little hasty in uploading it, and I didn't really spend a lot of time proofreading, cause I have been a busybusy bee this week, so forgive me for any errors you see.

And finally, enjoy this chapter, cause I'm pretty sure you will all start to hate me soon.

(Warning, Natsu has a potty mouth.)

As it turned out, Lucy's new dress adjustments were not fit for climbing trees. But that didn't stop her, nor did it seem to bother Natsu. Well, maybe it had, but he had kept ahead of her the entire time, gently leading her through the woods by her hand. When they reached a large tree some time later, he had climbed up first, showing her the spots to place her hands and feet. Even though she remembered climbing trees in the garden when she was little, she had never climbed one this large, and he had to reach down and pull her up halfway through. Now she was sitting next to him, her feet tucked underneath her in an awkward way as he was crouched next to her, his wings folded in as much as possible on his back, his tail wrapped around the front of his feet, leaning forward slightly as he scanned the forest around them.

She had the sense to stay quiet, because really, what animal would wander near when there was a bunch of noises being made, but she was starting to get nervous/excited. As well as hungrier and hungrier. She hoped that Natsu was an excellent hunter, but then realized that he kind of had to be to have lived on his own for this long.

He turned to her suddenly, smiling as he held out his bow. "Are you ready?" His voice was as soft as a whisper, and even though she heard him perfectly, she was completely confused.

"Ready for what?"

He took her hand and placed his bow in it, and the long piece of wood turned out to be heavier than it looked. "You see those two trees back there that look like they're making an X?" He leaned into her and pointed out into the distance, and she followed his gaze and gesture to see exactly what he had described: two trees that were leaning over on opposite sides, creating an X with their trunks. "You're going to aim for the middle of those two trees."

She held the bow in her hands, staring at him incredulously. "What do you mean, I'm going to aim for it? I don't know how to shoot a bow." She tried her hardest to keep her voice a whisper, but it was hard to keep the slight panic out of her tone.

Natsu smiled at her. "I know; I'm going to teach you. Here, keep the arrows on your lap; they're easier to grab if they're in front of you." He sat the quiver of arrows across her legs, and then started to manipulate her hands. "Grab the bow right in the middle, with your finger just underneath this mark right here. That's where your arrows will be placed, and your finger can help keep it steady if you're just starting out." His hand closed over hers gently, showing her exactly what he wanted from her. He looked up at her, and then scanned her body quickly. "You need to turn your body this way, it's easier to aim." He stood up as he talked, grabbing a branch above her head and swinging around. He landed softly behind her, then grabbed her shoulders and adjusted her position.

"Why is it easier to aim when you're turned sideways?" Lucy knew her voice was a little shaky, but with all the touching that was going on, on his end, she couldn't help it.

"It's easier to stay steady, and you can pull your arm back more comfortably." He placed his hand on the small of her back, and she had to stop herself from gasping. "Keep your back straight, but relaxed. Lift your chest up as much as you can while keeping your back relaxed; try not to tense up." She followed his directions as best as possible, and she must have been doing a good job because she heard him hum his approval. He removed his hand from her back, placing it on her empty hand and guided her fingers to the bowstring. "Now, when you draw back, you're going to take a slow, deep breath in, and hold it."

Lucy was thankful for the opportunity to take a deep breath, because at the moment Natsu was flush against her back, his hands grasping hers, his cheek practically against hers. She closed her eyes briefly, opened them, then started to take a deep breath. As she did, he guided the hand that was holding the bow up, and at the same time helped her pull back the string. "Don't tighten your muscles in your arms too much, just keep it straight and relax." His mouth was warm against her ear, and his whispered words sent a shiver down her spine. "Before you let go, start to release the breath you took, then release the arrow." She slowly let out her breath, and then she and Natsu released the string together. "Perfect." He reached down into her lap, absently grazing the top of her thigh as he pulled an arrow from the quiver and handed it to her. "Now let's try with an arrow."

She was pretty sure she was going to end up snapping the bow, or dropping the arrow out of the tree, because of how wound up he was making her. Was he even aware of the things he was doing, or was he just trying to be a good teacher? She took the arrow and placed it on the string, and Natsu fixed the placement for her, then removed his hands from her completely. "Look at your target before you draw back, focus on it, think about where the arrow needs to go." Lucy stared at the trees, mentally marking the spot she wanted her arrow to hit. She took a deep breath and lifted the bow, drawing back the string. She held her breath and aimed, keeping the arrow in her line of sight as she adjusted the angle of her stance. When she thought she had a good aim on the trees, she started to exhale, and then allowed her fingers to slip off the string. Her arrow went flying through the woods, but she didn't see where it had landed. As she let go, she felt Natsu wrap his arm around her waist, then saw him lean forward out of the corner of her eye. Lucy turned her head to stare at him, relishing in the fact that he had had his hands on her the whole time they had been up here.

"Damn Lucy, you're a natural." Lucy stared at Natsu's profile, not really paying attention to what he was saying, but memorizing his features. His slightly slanted eyes were squinting as his mouth was drawn back in his intoxicating smile. His teeth looked sharp, especially the pointed canines that always seemed to be breaking into his bottom lip. His tanned skin looked rough to the touch, but Lucy knew firsthand that it was smooth and always warm. Suddenly, his black eyes slid over to hers, and he turned his head to face her.

She figured she should be embarrassed, but she wasn't. The only thing she was feeling was what felt like butterflies turning in her stomach, and a slight excitement that had nothing to do with running from guards, or traveling to town on her own, or shooting a bow for the first time, and everything to do with him. She grew up reading about love at first sight, and how the princesses felt an immediate connection to her princely hero, but she never took any stock in it. She knew that love had to be grown, that it had to be built upon a foundation of trust and security. But looking at him right now, she felt all of her earlier beliefs fly away.

Natsu's eyes slid down to her mouth, then grazed back up her face. His smile was gone, but his eyes were burning, hopefully with the same passion she was feeling. Lucy reflexively licked her lips, and his gaze immediately went back to her mouth. They were already so close, it would only take a small effort to lean forward and close the distance between them. Natsu's hand was still around her waist, and she felt him squeeze her slightly, before moving forward.

A branch breaking in the distance ruined the moment, and his head shot to the sight of the sound. Following his gaze, Lucy saw that a deer had ventured into the same area she had just shot at. It was grazing nonchalantly, obviously unaware that they were near and armed.

"Lucy, you can do this." His voice was even quieter than before, and full of confidence for her. Without taking too much time to think about the weight he was putting on her, or about how rude it was for this deer to interrupt that special moment between them, she stared at her target, picking up an arrow from her lap and setting it against the string. Following his advice earlier, she took a deep, surprisingly steady breath, and drew the bow. She held her breath, lining the tip of the arrow with the animal still grazing ahead of her. Releasing her breath slowly, she let go of the string and watched her arrow fly.

The arrow hit the deer in the side, in the middle of the chest, and Lucy watched as it faltered to the side. Excited that she had hit her target, she didn't notice that Natsu was not sitting next to her until she heard the crunching of sticks sound off in front of her. He had jumped off the tree, which was a good twenty feet in the air, and started racing for the animal, which was trying to stand up and run. Lucy watched shocked as he moved with lightening speed across the foliage, his wings spanned out behind him, the knife she had used earlier in one hand. Natsu jumped over a fallen tree, and used the momentum to land on the deer, plunging the knife into its chest and twisting sharply.

The deer twitched once, then fell completely lifeless. Lucy stared at the work that had been done, supposing she should feel grief for the animal that she had a part in slaying. But this was the food chain, wasn't it? She ate meats at home every day. This was really no different.

Natsu stood up and turned to face her. As he started to walk back to their perch, Lucy started to climb down. She hit the grass and turned around just in time to see that he was inches from her.

Natsu kept walking forward, effectively pushing her against the tree, leaned down and kissed her hard. She gasped hard, and he opened his mouth to swallow it. His tongue swept the inside of her mouth briefly, and she instinctively pushed her own against his. She heard him moan, then felt as he pushed his chest harder against hers. Her hands wrapped around his neck, and she heard him place one of his against the bark of the tree by her head. Their tongues battled for a few more minutes, until they were out of breath. He was the one to pull away, and when he did he placed the hand holding the knife against the tree, on the other side of her.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't let that opportunity completely slip away. The deer or the kiss."

Lucy laughed. "Well, I'm glad. For both of those things."

Natsu smiled, and she watched as he moved his hand towards her face. Before he made contact, however, his eyes slid over to his hand, and suddenly his smile disappeared. He dropped both of his hands to his side and leaned back. Lucy opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but he interrupted her. "We should head back. It will take me a little while to prepare the meat to cook, and the sun will be setting soon."

Confused, Lucy simply nodded her head at him, and he turned and made his way back to the fallen deer.

They walked back in silence, her carrying the bow and quiver, him carrying the deer. Once they reached his cave, Natsu dropped the animal by the fire and went inside, bringing out a few different sized knives. Lucy sat the weapon down and began examining herself, realizing how dirty she was. But she guessed that was to be expected, staying in a cave and walking through a forest.

"Do you want to clean up?" Lucy jumped, not realizing that Natsu was standing right in front of her. He smiled lightly at her.

"Yes, actually, that would be nice."

"There's a brook on the other side of the mountain. I'll show you the way down there, and you can wash up while I prepare our food."

Lucy smiled back at him, "Sounds great." She reached out to grab his hand, wanting to feel the closeness they had had earlier that day again, but he pulled back from her.

He walked around her, avoiding her eyes. "It's not far. I promise." Lucy stared at his winged back for a few seconds, confusion and hurt blossoming inside her. Was he ready for her to leave? Was he starting to regret her presence and their kiss? She followed him around a narrow path, and as soon as she reached the back side of the mountain she saw the brook. The nearest side had been cleared of trees, whether from Natsu's own doing or natures. The stream started high, then fell down a staircase of rocks into a small pool of water, which looked crystal clear.

"I hope this is ok for you." Lucy turned to Natsu, who was looking at her like he was waiting for her approval yet knew he wasn't going to get it. She wasn't sure where this new attitude was coming from, but she already missed the Natsu from earlier.

She walked up to him, and as he tried to take a step back, she grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. She leaned forward quickly and smashed her lips against his, hoping her point was coming across quite clear. Don't back away from me now.

When she pulled back, his eyes were open wide, staring at her incredulously. "It's perfect. And it's beautiful. Thank you." Lucy smiled at him, then turned and started walking towards the water. She stood at the edge of water, contemplating whether she should get in with her clothes on and wash them all together or ask for something else to change in to.

Figuring that asking for more clothes would probably put him back into his "little mood", Lucy began walking into the water. It was warm, and she had no trouble sinking into the depths and submerging herself completely. While she was under the water, she untied the cloth in her hair, releasing both of the sections. Her fingers combed through the long strands, releasing all of the dirt and oil that had to have been accumulating within them. She stood, breaking through the top of the water and flipping her hair back behind her. Oh, yes. She already felt better. Turning around, her eyes fell upon Natsu, who was still standing where she had left him, staring at her with an open mouth and wide, burning eyes.

He looked away quickly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his head. "You'll uh," he cleared his throat, "You'll be safe out here. I'll just be right up the path, if you need me to help- I mean...if you need something, just yell." He peeked up at her through his eyelashes, and she smiled at him. His bashful, boyishness was back (at least for now), and he was obviously embarrassed about something. Natsu smiled back at her, then quickly turned around and started jogging back up the short path, disappearing as he turned the corner towards the fire.

Lucy dipped her body back into the water and stared at where Natsu had just disappeared. She thought about Natsu and how he had been acting the night before and all this day, changing from what seemed like guilt, to anger, to resentment and then sorrow, all seemingly aimed at himself. Then there were moments when he would be playful, lustful, and carefree. He obviously didn't know how to balance his emotions. She kept forgetting that he had been living alone for the majority of his life, that he had very limited experience with other people. Especially with members of the opposite sex.

The epiphany hit her like a boulder. He didn't know how to react to what he was feeling with her. And all the comments earlier about how she didn't have to come back? He thought he had forced her here. He probably thought he had kidnapped her. In his mind, there could be no way that someone would actually want to stay around him, because no one ever had. His own father apparently abandoned him. And now there was a Princess who was hanging around, getting close to him, kissing him, wanting to stay? Natsu's mind was on overload, and the years of his self-loathing were probably weighing down on him heavily.

What could she do to help him? Obviously, she wanted to stay with him, but she couldn't just run away from her life forever. She always knew she would go back, but she also knew that when she did, her father would make sure she never got another chance to leave. So what would be the point in telling him that she would never leave him if her father would ensure that she would never see him again?

Sighing, Lucy dipped her head back into the water. There were so many things to think about right now, but honestly the only subject that mattered to her was Natsu. She would cross the bridge with her father when she came upon it. Right now, she just wanted to make Natsu feel like a human again.

She stood up, intent on getting out and making her way back up the path, but as she looked down she realized that her clothes were still filthy. Well, since she was here, alone...

Lucy dipped into the water, up to her neck, and began unstrapping her clothing. As she brought the pieces of her ball gown out of the water, she felt so much better. She had never taken a bath with clothes on before, and now that the water was cleansing every part of her she felt so much cleaner and more relaxed. Looking around, she saw a large rock on the side of the pool, lying perfectly in the sun. A great place to dry her clothes. She waded over, careful to keep the water at neck level, and set them out flat to dry. The sun would take a little time to dry them, so Lucy sat against the rocks and leaned her head back. The clouds slowly moving ahead of her in the sky mesmerized her, and the sounds of rushing water calmed her. She laid there for a while, not realizing how much time had passed.

Finally, she opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) and looked behind her. Her clothes had dried, and Natsu was probably done cooking by now. She stood up and reached for her top.

A loud clanging sounded out behind her, and she reflexively spun around. Natsu stood at the other edge of the pool, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open yet again. A huge iron pot sat by his feet on its side. Lucy yelped and collapsed back into the water.

Natsu blinked then spun around quickly, so quickly that his wings nearly knocked him off balance as they sliced through the air behind him. "Fuck, Lucy, I'm so...I didn't mean to...Gods, I'm so sorry. I just- I needed water and I thought...dammit, I didn't realize you were..." Lucy would have thought his stumbling speech was cute, had she not been so embarrassed her flushed skin could have been heating the water around her.

"I-it's ok." (Was it? He just saw her completely nude!) "I'm back in the water now, so..."

Natsu turned back around slowly, keeping his eyes on the ground. He picked up the pot and moved to the water, squatting down to dip the pot in and fill it up. The part of his face that she could see was bright red, and that made her feel a little better, knowing that he was as embarrassed as she was. He stood back up and turned around quickly again.

"I uh...I'll be back up there so you can...yeah." He started rushing forward, and within seconds he was back up the path and around the curve.

Lucy stared straight ahead for a few more minutes, letting her shock and embarrassment wash through her. Groaning, she sank all the way back into the water.

Well, that was one way to help him feel like a human again, if not like a full-grown man.

So many new things for the both of them: Lucy shoots a bow, Natsu sees a naked girl...

I am absolutely loving the feedback from you guys, so please: leave me love, leave me hate, doesn't matter, just leave me something!