Hello there, dear people! First of all, I want to apologize. Last chapter was pretty messed up. I mean I was kind of bored and I wanted to write something funny, but I just ended up writing something stupid, so sorry… And also I haven't written in a while, eh-heh… That's because I was punished and no laptop, ipod, tv, and stuff like that. Thank you dad, I was finally able to live the real life! No kidding, I am really grateful. And I got some cool ideas, so I don't regret anything. But however, here's the following chapter:

The taste of freedom

Natsu felt a cold shiver travel his body. The squeezed Lucy managed to ask him if there was any way to get out. For a second, he stood still like he was made of stone himself.

''Natsu!'' the girl grew impatient as he wasn't answering. He thrust his arm even more and desperately touched the rock wall for any hole. But there was none.

''I don't understand…'' he whispered.

''What? What's wrong?'' she also whispered and, even though she didn't want it to be as obvious as it was, her voice betrayed her worry that was slowly turning into panic.

''I felt the wind.''

''What's wrong, Natsu? Isn't there any way of getting out?''

''I know I felt the wind!''

''There isn't?'' she whispered more than surprised.

For the next few seconds, none of them made a single sound. Lucy's arm was starting to get numb and her whole body ached, especially her back. But she felt none of these. She was logically panicked.

''Where did it come from, then? The wind.'' She whispered.

''I don't know! How could I know?''

He was probably even more panicked than she was and this surprised her. His voice was shaking. She bit her lip and her following question had been hold up.

''Are you all right?''

He laughed heavily lacking any scent of amusement.

''All right? I'm stuck in a stone with a nerd and I don't know if I will ever get out of here.'' He paused, then continued: ''Man, women can be stupid sometimes. Even nerd women.''

She kept quiet, but she was getting angry herself. His voice has been shaking the whole time, but she didn't think he was scared. She could've said this to him, but she would just anger him more and now wasn't really the best time for their daily fight. After a lot of minutes of trying to get in a better position or actually trying to find a way out, they stopped moving once again. Lucy was getting more and more agitated herself, but Natsu was exaggerating. His whole body was trembling and sweating. He was panting more that you would expect from a pro in martial arts. As the girl was trying to calm down, the teenager was reaching the point of his maximum exasperation. After Lucy decided she was too annoyed by his exaggeration and she kept silent quite enough, she spoke through her teeth:

''Will you stop that? You are panicking me more than needed, ok? I think I am worried enough!''

''At these times I need comforting, not an exaggerating rat.'' She also added.

He kept sweating, but she noticed he tried not to pant anymore. He was taken by surprise - he didn't realize it was so obvious how panicked he was. His heart must've beaten really fast and powerfully.

Lucy made huge efforts to back up on the ramp they had slipped on. After much pain, she acknowledged it was pretty impossible to climb that crazy thing.

''Oh man… oh dear stupid gender of human race… What in the world are we going to do?...'' she whimpered.

Then again, Natsu couldn't reply. Why in the world was he trembling to hard? Well she knew because she could feel it, considering how narrow this place was.

''Natsu, you gotta go or something? Because you're much too agitated.''

He must've thrown her a glare, but we couldn't know – it was too dark.

''You're stupid.''

''See? Even your voice is shaking! What's wrong with you?''

She suddenly decided that as Natsu was in the same situation as her, he must've needed comforting just like she did. That feeling in her heart – she wasn't sure what it was – seemed much like guilt. Seeing –well, now seeing, it was much too dark, but anyway – the way he was, she could've said he needed comforting a lot more than she did.

''Come on, it's not like we're going to stay here forever.''

Well, maybe they did. That what both of them thought at that moment.

''It's going to be all right.'' She whispered sadly. She was half trying to convince herself, too. ''So please stop being so panicked.''

The silence that fell in after these words was even thicker than the darkness. They both felt its weight like the whole cave – or whatever this thing was – fell on their shoulders. They were also starting to feel how the oxygen was slowly getting all used up. Breathing was now even harder. And, above all, Natsu wasn't getting any better. He gulped, than whispered with his extremely shaking voice:

''I'm claustrophobic.''

Then it hit her. It hit her hard, like a thunder. How… just how in their world, or this world, the Fairy Tale world, couldn't she realize until now? It was surprising, yes, but at the same time, it was obvious. Lucy was only able to whisper:

''I… I didn't know…''

And now, she had another reason to be worried. Another period of silence followed, period in which Lucy desperately tried to find ways of getting out, both with body and mind.

''Natsu, look. I am sorry that you are claustrophobic and we are here, in this situation; really! But I need more than one mind to find a way to escape. We can't wait forever, so please! Try to help me, ok?''

''L-Lucy…''

His voice sounded so bad, she was freaked out.

''What?''

He was starting to gasp for air. She was freaked out even more. Did the fact that he told her he was claustrophobic only made him realize the truth more than needed and panicked him even more?

His gasping turned into desperately trying to breathe.

She felt his hand catch her arm in the dark tightly. And the catch turned into a grip.

''haa-I…I can't haaa-breathe…!''

But she could see that very well. She was now ten times more freaked out.

''It's ok. It's ok. Come on. Try to breathe slowly. Come on. Breathe in…''

And she breathed in as an example, then breathed out after saying: ''… and out…''

Natsu tried to do as she said and done, but he only felt the lack of air. He stated agitating so much in panicked her even more.

''Natsu! Natsu. Listen to me. Ok? Calm down. Everything's going to be fine.''

She felt tears filling her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. How were things going to be fine? Her voice was shaking almost as much as his voice did.

'' Come on. Breathe. We're going to get out of here, you'll see.''

His body was trembling so hard, he was also shaking her. In her ears, his desperate breathing echoed painfully.

''Think about the time when we get out, ok? Think about the green grass and the wind outside. Think… Imagine the blue skies and the birds that are flying freely, all right? Come on, imagine.''

He calmed down a little, just a little.

''Come on, we're going to get out of here, you'll see. Just wait. It's going to be ok.''

He shut her eyes tight. She hoped she would find a way out soon. It was obvious the both of them were relying on her right now.

Suddenly, a loud sound somewhere above them, like a rock falling was heard. She cocked up her cars, her heart beating fast

After a pause of deep silence, she could hear something that sounded like steps. She immediately got her hopes up and she wished so hard there was a person, it hurt her beating heart. Natsu also seemed to notice, but he still had problems with breathing.

''H-Hello?'' she said.

Her voice echoed in the silence. Then a little rock fell somewhere beside them and another couple steps could be heard, this time a little further.

''HELLO! IS ANYBODY THERE?!'' she now screamed with fear that that person –if it was a person- would leave.

Another little pause of silence and she heard the steps forming a run; and the person left.

''HEY! THERE'S SOMEONE DOWN HERE! HEY! DON'T LEAVE! HELLO?!''

She was now desperately trying to get that person to come back, but it didn't seem like he/she was still there. She was pretty positive there had been a person – a human. She cursed herself for letting him/her get away. Maybe it had been a child that heard her and got scared; and ran away.

She got over the sadness and anger and returned her attention to Natsu's condition. He wasn't a lot better, but he could somehow breathe again. But he was getting bad again seeing how probably their only hope ran away.

''M-Maybe he'll some back.''

''Or she will.'' he whispered.

She smiled in the dark. He was calmer than she thought – he hadn't lost his sense of humor.

The period that followed seemed like years. It's worthless to say that the both of them almost didn't have any hope they would get out of there. Natsu was really bad with his claustrophobia and Lucy did her best to help him. It was the worse situation they had ever been into.

Because of the exhaustion, Lucy was really tired. Getting advantage of a moment when Natsu was better, she rested in silence. Sitting with her eyes closed, ignoring the pain in her whole body, losing to the need for sleep, she was slowly shifting in the world of Dreams. Really, lately she had been in a lot of worlds: her own… Fairy Tale… the Dreams world…

*step, step, step*

She and Natsu flinched at the same time. Steps. Someone was close. Someone was above them. At first the doubted it. Maybe they had been too desperate to get out and they went mad. Now they were hearing things, things that could be their salvation. But they heart steps again, and this time, they were sure it wasn't just their imagination. In that darkness, two hearts were beating extremely fast with hope and fear.

Another bunch of different and weird sounds followed, each getting closer and closer to them. Finally, the biggest sound of them all was heard a few inches above them, on the rock ceiling. A huge rock was somehow removed. Dust got in their eyes and little rocks fell on them. A weak light gently shone upon them, but they couldn't feel it. The clearest air they ever breathed filled their lungs and the smell of earth and nature hit them with the best sensation ever. A man's voice could be heard over the sound of little rocks falling and coughs because of the dust.

''Well, well...! What do we got here?!''

Two strong arms caught Natsu firmly and pulled him through a large orifice, helping him stand; but Natsu fell on the ground, which was consisted of the softest grass he had ever felt. It was obvious he couldn't stand – his feet were limp after standing in the same position for hours. He felt like he breathed in the whole oxygen on earth. He was feeling more alive than he ever did. He slowly felt his claustrophobia vanish like he never had such a thing. Since he had his eyes closed, he tried to open them. The mild light of the moon seemed stronger than he remembered.

While Natsu was enjoying his freedom, Lucy was also helped outside the cage. After she also swallowed the wonderful feeling of being outside, she looked at their savior.

He was a tall, grinning man, with dark blue hair that seemed black in the darkness of the night. Beside him, there stood a shy little boy. The man was wearing a long, white coat with a huge collar. His arms were placed on his hips and he was looking curiously at the two.

''T-Thank you, sir.'' She said shyly to the man.

''You shouldn't thank me. Instead, let me ask you: What in the world were you doing in my animal trap?! You scared the shit outta my son and he came running telling me a talking animal was caught in out trap!''

The two looked at the laughing man surprised. It was a pretty smartly designed trap, they acknowledged. But how could they tell him they were transported there by a crazy witch who wanted to have fun with some aliens! Lucy kept quiet, but Natsu spoke:

''We were trying to get out of the cave, but we… slipped…''

The man started laughing even harder and threw them suspicious looks.

''And what exactly were the two of you doing in the cave?'' he said grinning wider and changing looks between them.

For a second, they didn't react, both from different reasons. Lucy didn't understand what he meant, but Natsu did and he was thinking what to do. He took the wisest choice. He smiled with fake embarrassment.

''People can't tell anything they do, now do they?''

''Well maybe some people are a little too young to do some things, now aren't they?''

It was like the man's grin was getting wider and wider.

''You gotta take advantage of life as much as you can, now don't you?'' Natsu also grinned.

The man looked deep in his eyes and then started laughing heavily.

''I couldn't have said it any better, brat!''

By the time they changed these words – totally fake from Natsu's side; please don't misunderstand, Natsu was totally against what he said, but he decided to play along – Lucy had realized what they were talking about and she was blushing furiously. Good thing it was dark and nobody could notice.

''Don't feel embarrassed by my questions!'' the man laughed ''I was just playing around with ya'!''

He looked once again at the two and decided to get friendlier.

''So. Are you guys from these places or did you run far away from home like two lovebirds you are?''

''N-No, we're not from around here.'' Lucy said.

''By the way. My name is Macao and this lil' guy here is my son, Romeo.''

He patted his son's back heavily with pride.

''I-I'm Natsu and this is—''

''I'm Lucy.'' she cut the boy off. She didn't need someone to introduce her. She was also somehow pissed off by the fact that Natsu was acting now like he was the boss and he was the one who was speaking, while a few minutes ago he was panicked by his claustrophobia. She had lost a lot of energy trying to help him and now he was ignoring her! She was so pissed off! And also, there was something odd. Normally, he would've been disgusted at the idea of what the man insinuated they had planned on doing, but now, he didn't react. He was either too decided not to let the man know the truth and to play his game, either he went quite desperate to get away from anything and just rest, which was kind of impossible and illogical, either… nah, this was also impossible. She decided not to give it much thought.

''Well nice to meet ya'!''

''Yeah. Um, by the way, do you know a place where we could stay the night?'', Natsu asked.

''Sure, it'd be nice to get rid of you and go back to sleep, but it's almost morning.''

''O-Oh.''

They both thought of insisting. They were really tired and they would've given anything for a good sleep in a nice, soft, warm bed. Lucy also wanted a hot bath before the sleep.

''Well I guess I could take you to the Cana's. We could drink until the dawn, we've got nothing better to do, anyway.''

He gave them a playful look and grin, then added ''At least I don't…''

The girl blushed once again, almost felt offended, but didn't comment. The boy also kept silent a while.

''Please do.'' he eventually said.

The man named Macao yawned then told them to follow him. He took them through a little forest that was probably out of the city, or more like village, and walked like he had stepped on the same path for years, like it was daylight. The two kept a small distance so they could whisper and talk the situation over without being heard.

''What's Cana's? A bar? If yes, I don't think I want to go there.''

''I also think it's a bar. But come on, don't be stupid. We have to play his game.''

''What are you talking about? And also, what was that thing about us all about?''

''Don't say it like that, it sounds like we're in a relationship or something.''

''Don't change the subject!''

''You coming, brats?'' Macao yawned over his shoulder.

The hurried a little, then continued their talk.

''Listen, I don't like this situation.'' Lucy whispered.

''Will you shut up? I already told you we gotta play his game.''

''What game? Get real, it's the same even if we do or do not remain in his help.''

''Well isn't it easier to be in his help?''

''And what does that have to do with his 'game'? Do you think that is we agree to everything he says we're going to pass this situation with an A+ or something?''

''Just shut up, you're annoying.''

Obviously, he knew she was right and this was more annoying than he thought it would be.

''You make me wish I didn't bring you back to life!''

He glared at her evilly while she stared at him surprised and hurt. Her face was completely covered in the beautiful white light of the moon. Her eyes were really shinny and they seemed so big and innocent in that moment. Once again, for Natsu, the time stopped and he found himself staring at her. Especially her eyes. He could feel how he was sinking in those deep, breath taking eyes. All his anger slowly vanished and his heart was beating a little faster. Something was off with him every time he looked at her like this. And as much as he tried not to think about what she did for him, these memories just kept striking him. The way she pushed him when the arrow was about to hit him, the way she tried to comfort him in the cave… And… for a moment… an idea suddenly came to his mind. Could she like him? Well, he was one of the main subjects in her diary and she wrote herself that she never hated him and she sometimes wished they would be on good terms. So, could she like him? And… why did he feel like he wanted her to like him?

This new idea seemed to obsess him until he went back to reality.

''I died because I saved you! It was only natural you would save me as well!''

''No, it wasn't.'' he said. He tried to be more attentive to her actions, to see if it could possibly be true that she might like him.

''Yes it was! W-Well… if you wouldn't… then it would mean you are a terrible person! Man, wouldn't I hate you then!''

He smiled playfully.

''How could you? You would be in grave by then.''

She looked at him extremely pissed off.

''I wish I didn't save you. And I would've left you dead. I would've went back home alone.''

He got closer to her with his tricky smile and playful light in his eyes.

''No, you wouldn't do such a thing. You're too soft-hearted to do it.''

She got closer to his face until their faces were inches apart. She smiled devilishly.

''Try me.''

Suddenly, the thought of kissing her stroke him. He found it extremely odd, but he was surprised to realize he looked at it differently than he did last time when he had dared to kid with her (first chapter) about stealing her first kiss. Now he felt like… he wouldn't mind it. His eyes rolled down from her eyes to her lips. They were white and fleshy; and suddenly, he wondered how it would feel to kiss them. Would it be warm and soft, while he would feel shivers going down his spine or would it be normal like a simple kiss between a parent and a child? He didn't know why, but he was getting curious.

Well, even if it took so much to describe this feeling, it only happened in a glimpse of a second. He stopped himself from doing anything stupid and straightened his back, getting away from her face that was somehow getting dangerous for him.

''I'll… remember to try you next time I die, all right?''

''Can't wait for that time…'' she sighed with a slight smile.

He looked at her, then forward in his way. He kept silent a while, but spoke soon enough:

''Really?''

She glared at him shortly. Needless to tell, no, she didn't want him to die, but she wouldn't have admitted it, not in such a dense mood like the one they were in. And so, she decided just to roll her eyes and let him guess the answer.

Macao announced the two teens they had arrived at 'Cana's'. They saw a pretty big inn with the pretty old letters 'Cana's' made of wood, hung up on the top. Even though it was probably like three in the morning, they could see the inside was full of life and light. Lucy was starting to feel nervous. Many men's thick voices were thinking something full of nonsense, many were probably dancing considering how much noise they were making and somewhere, in the background, they could hear an instrument playing. It was more than obvious they were all drunk. Macao opened the door for them and the sound got so much louder and the lights so much stronger it was a little shock for them. The big room they entered was full of all kinds of people: tall, short, slim, fat, happy and sad and so on. There were only a few women who were dancing with the men on the little dance floor they all had formed in the middle of the crowd of people. All the joyful ones – most of them probably happy because of the alcohol - were dancing, singing and laughing with the huge glasses in one hand, while the sad ones – the ones who were drinking to become happy – were sitting at the tables looking at the whole energy surrounding them. The atmosphere was agitated and stinky – sweat combined with alcohol.

Without realizing, Lucy felt the need to stick closer to Natsu. She felt much too vulnerable through all those big men. They both stood there like frozen, looking at their surroundings without saying a word. Macao left them and walked to the bar, telling Natsu he had to change a few words with the barwoman. They noticed the woman was a brown haired beauty, with a wide grin and a lot of energy. They deduced her name was Cana. They saw her greet their Macao with a friendly punch and change more than 'a few' words.

After a pretty long while of not doing anything but stare, Lucy got even closer to her neighbor and whispered in his ear, her eyes glued on the merry men.

''I don't like this place.'' she declared.

But, for her surprise, she noticed a little smile on Natsu's lips and his shining eyes told her he felt the opposite.

''Why? They seem like good people! They're happy and worriless!''

''That's because they're drunk!''

This time, he looked at her.

''If you don't like this place, then just leave.''

She glared at him with shock. She couldn't find her right words to tell him just how stupid and evil he was saying that.

''And go where, exactly?!''

Macao seemed to have finished his talk and returned, saving Natsu from replying something unnecessary.

''Listen, brats. I'm going to take my kid home, but don't worry, I've arranged everything for you to stay here. I'll come back later, but until them, you might be exhausted, so I got a room for you two. The barwoman over there is going to help you if you need anything. But if you like, you can stay here a little more before going to sleep. Oh, and also, if you're hungry, you can just order something.''

In that moment, the two teens realized just how much they had been starving the whole time. They felt like they could even eat wood.

Macao left along with Romeo, who had been waiting outside the whole talk, and the two waited another two minutes on their places. They eventually decided they want to eat and walked over to the bar. Cana was looking at them while she rested her head on her hand and while her grin didn't seem to even vanish.

''Yo, strangers! What can I get for ya'?''

''Um… Do you have something to eat?'' Lucy dared shyly.

''Sure we do.'' she laughed. For some reason, the two were amusing her.

She entered a room behind a curtain while she waved over a table, telling them so sit.

Natsu was walking casually while Lucy was never getting away from him more than two steps, feeling the need to be protected from those animals. She was constantly looking around with tension and rushing after her neighbor, whose steps were bigger and faster. They sat down on the wooden bench, but this time, Lucy dared to stay of the other side of the table from him. And they waited.

Suddenly, a man bumped into Lucy accidentally while he was dancing. The girl squealed scared and the man turned around to face the one whom he hit. He had raven hair, a shirtless, muscled chest with a weird tattoo on it and, surprisingly, he seemed their age. When his dark eyes met Lucy's, he grinned and decided to sit beside her.

''Yo, pretty! Whatcha' doing down here? Why aren't ya' dancing?''

She shut her eyes filled with fear and whimpered ''I don't dance''.

The pushy man insisted, saying:

''Why, you don't seem happy at all! Come on, this night isn't for sadness!''

And saying this, he caught Lucy's arms and pulled her off her seat. He dragged her in the middle of the crowd of people who were dancing nothing specifically. This was much more different from what Lucy had heard clubs, in her days, were. They were dancing something from the Middle Eve. And even thought in the moment she felt herself lifted from her seat she was freaked out, she calmed down a little feeling how gentle that man was. He started spinning her and he was dancing so well that even though she didn't knew even one step, all she was doing was keep the right position not to fall from losing balance and she found herself dancing perfectly. It was a shock for her, but the strange seemed to expect this. She looked at her with big eyes and he replied with a wonderful smile that made her heart flutter and her cheeks flush. He didn't seem drunk at all. Maybe some were actually happy from the crowd.

Well, we could say her heart started beating again and, in less than a minute, she was already enjoying herself. She was moving so fast, she had no idea what was happening. Only after she suddenly changed partners with somebody else, she realized that everyone, noticing her and the boy dance a dance, they all followed their example and in a few seconds, everybody –who had a partner to dance with- was dancing that kind of chain dance, in which they all seemed to dance with each other.

Lucy giggled. This was actually fun and she only now noticed how nice these people were. Even if some were drunk, they were wake enough to focus of a funny dance. She was spun again and she almost tripped when she felt the two hands of the teenager catch her in another spin, with which they started dancing with one another again. She recognized a violin in a corner of the room and another instrument she never saw before. And then, her eyes met with the teenager. She was smiling constantly.

''I'm Gray.'' she managed to hear over the loud music and noise.

''I'm Lucy.'' she replied, also smiling.

''Are you having fun now?''

She laughed and nodded. The dance went on for another couple minutes, time in which she told Gray she and Natsu were travelers and no, they weren't together. In that moment, he had smiled and had said something like ''Good for me'', and after that, she also found out a few things about the place they were in. It seemed like the witch Lollipop had sent them pretty far away, in a foreign land that was known as The Land of Dragons. Men who looked for adventures lived in this place. It was also a very merry and lively place.

And after the dance ended, she stood in front of Gray, both panting, smiling and having a playful light in their eyes. Lucy felt like she was starving more than ever and she excused herself, thanking the guy and promising him they would meet again the next day and talk more. It seems like he actually enjoyed her company and that made the girl so happy! It wasn't everyday that you are dragged into the middle of the dance floor by a super handsome guy who made you promise him you would meet him again. She felt her heart race with happiness when she returned at the table Natsu was supposed to be. She found him staring at her, not exactly as happy as she was. He had his head rested on his hand and he already finished eating his huge meal. He was already drinking. She somehow started feeling guilty that she left him like that. Well, it wasn't like she left him. She gave him a last look in which she could almost see the dark aura around him. Was he mad? Is yes, why?

She sat down quietly and started eating.

''Did you have fun?'' he asked sarcastically.

She stuffed her mouth even more, sparing herself from answering.

And he kept staring at her.

When she eventually finished eating in silence, time which seemed like forever, she took a gulp of bear –she first thought it was water, so don't blame her- and raised up from her seat.

''I'm going to take a shower, than sleep. Good night.''

She didn't know why, but she couldn't look in his eyes. Why in the world was he still glaring at her like that? He hadn't take his look off her face on second during the meal! It wasn't like it was her fault she got dragged into a dance! And what's wrong about dancing? She thought he liked this place, so why was he suddenly so mad after she danced a little? It wasn't like he wanted her to stay with him all the time, right? He was usually annoyed by her presence.

All these thoughts passed by her mind in a second. She didn't hear any 'good night' from Natsu –it wasn't like she expected it, anyway- , so she left without a word. She shyly asked the barwoman Cana where their room was and she closed the door behind her silently. She secretly decided she was too happy of the night's events to be saddened or angered by Natsu's reaction to the night's events. So she entered the little bedroom she was indicated by the barwoman and, after looking around a little, she gladly noticed that room had its own bathroom, thing she couldn't have dared to hope for.

After a whole hour, she could've sworn she had spent her greatest time of her life in the bath. She sighed pleased and, even thought she regretted the fact that she had to dress with the same clothes as the ones she wore over the day –you can imagine easily in what condition they were after many hours spent in a narrow cave- , she slipped under the clean and soft sheets after she shut the light of the candles. She almost immediately drifted off to sleep.

After many hours, she suddenly woke up. She could see the dawn outside the window, but is was still too dark to understand what was the thing that woke her up. In a few seconds, she realized it wasn't a thing, it was a person. A man, actually, fact which freaked her out. She looked at the silhouette that was approaching her bed slowly, like a zombie. She widened her eyes and drew the sheets closer to her. Suddenly, the silhouette let himself fall on the bed. That was when she noticed the strong smell of alcohol and that was also when she realized it was Natsu. She half sighed with relief, the other half remaining still scared.

Looking fast around the room, she saw this was the only bed. She couldn't do anything about it; she just wanted to go back to sleep.

''Natsu.''

Checking if he was drunk seemed like a wise idea. He just moaned something in reply and took the pillow under her head, using now two of them. She wanted to take it back, but at the same time she thought she was too tired to do it and sleeping without a pillow (that was pretty rough, anyway) was all right, too. Especially when you're so exhausted. She even wondered how could she wake up so fast only hearing someone enter the room when she thought she could sleep for years! She felt her eyes slowly close and, surprisingly, she decided not to care if she sleeps beside Natsu.

Didn't they sleep in the same bed so many times before, after all? A little smile appeared on her sleeping face and she dreamed of the days when she did everything with Natsu.

Now. You are probably, no, you are for sure curious about Natsu's reaction to the 'night's events', as Lucy calls them.

Let's go a little back at the time when they were staying at the table. Let's say Natsu was feeling a little victorious. We already know how he was trying to be more attentive to Lucy's actions – to see if she likes him or not. He was feeling victorious because he also noticed her tendency of getting stick to him. This was just approving what he had assumed. And, as you probably remember, he kind of wanted her to like him, even thought we don't know why. That was why his night was pretty good for now. All they had left was to wait for the food to arrive and eat – just great! He was starving. But wait. Who was that dude who was smiling so much at Lucy? Whoa, whoa! Why is he dragging her to the dance floor?!

This is where it all started. The confusion. The emotions. The anger. The fear.

Why? What in the world was that feeling inside his heart? It ached, but he was too proud to acknowledge it. He was looking at Gray furiously and biting from the meat in his hand. He wasn't even feeling the taste of the food. He was eating it like an animal, staring at Lucy, who was obviously starting to have a lot of fun. He froze a second when he saw her blush. She blushed! He couldn't believe she blushed! Did she like that damn stripper or something?! He felt how he began to hate the poor teenager even more. Needless to say, he was confused… Why would he care if Lucy danced with someone? She could dance with anyone she wanted; not like he cared! But still… he did care, and he didn't know WHY!

He started hating these stupid emotions that confused him so. He hated them so much, he didn't even realize he had finished eating and he was already drinking in frustration. He kept staring at Lucy and glaring at Gray. It would be a lie to say his hearts didn't skip a few beats when she was smiling.

And, obviously, this confusion was getting so big, he suddenly decided to be angry at her. When she came back, she saw his face. He must've looked really mad, because her smile vanished and this made him even angrier, but don't misunderstand. He was angry at himself to be won over by unknown emotions. Why wasn't she smiling anymore? Why wasn't he smiling at him like he did at Gray? For a moment, he felt like he somehow owned her and he was seriously mad that she didn't do as his heart secretly wanted. Deep inside, he longed to be smiled at. He wanted her to smile at him the way he did at that stranger. This made him ask her a stupid question. Did she have fun. Stupid. He wanted to do something funny to make her laugh cutely, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and, most of all, he was just getting angrier and angrier. While she was eating, he was staring at her again, but from different reasons.

That Gray bastard called her pretty, didn't he? Well, he was just starting to realize he was right. More right than he was even able to realize. He studied her every trait and wondered how could he never see that she wasn't ugly at all. Especially her eyes. It wasn't like they weren't ugly; they were beautiful. He was glad she didn't dare to look him in the eye and he took advantage of this at his very most. Soon, she was done. He was again angry because he couldn't dare step on his pride just like that – he would never acknowledge he had actually calmed down and probably even smiled while he was travelling her eyes with his look. She said good night. Wait, he wanted to say good night, too… actually, he wanted to say more. He wanted to keep her from going… But no! He will not throw away his pride like that! Know what? He won't even say good night! There, let her think he is mad at her and let her come back at him wanting to find out why he is like that. And so, let them start a conversation in which he could be funny and make her smile. His pride was telling him it wasn't his fault for the way he acted. His pride. It was all about his pride.

She left. He waited a couple of minutes imagining how she comes back. But no. She never did.

He gritted his teeth. That's right. How could he be so stupid to think she'll come back? She also had her pride, didn't she? He said a disgraceful thing and took a big gulp of bear. More than needed. Let's also remember he was underage and he wasn't supposed to drink alcohol. But then again, he wasn't in his world. And every world had its own rules. And besides, this situation needed a little comfort. He was so mad and sorry and confused… he just let it go and drank until the world started balancing from side to side and the men were singing even louder and happier. He felt himself grow much more cheerful. But with what was left of his conscious, he remembered this was his first time getting drunk, and so, he took it a little easier and decided just to go to sleep, being a little worried of the situation. In his way to the barwoman, he held a lot of things from falling on the ground (obviously you realized he was losing balance so he was holding against things) and when he arrived safely, he barely opened his mouth to ask which room, when Cana told him the place. He walked heavily and got out of the room. Man, he was drunk. He felt cheerful, but still tired and a lot of other mixed feelings. He eventually found the right room and opened the door with a loud noise. He also almost tripped on something, but somehow managed to remain on his feet. He spotted a bed somewhere and all he thought about that moment was sleeping. He grabbed a pillow from under something, and then heard his name called. He wanted to say something, but all that came from his mouth was an indecipherable moan. It felt so good in the bed! It relaxed his tired muscles. But he didn't have the energy to cover himself. It was hot anyway. But he didn't have enough energy to take his shirt off, either. In his blurry sight, he realized beside him was Lucy. He looked at her a few seconds. She was asleep.

The sun was slowly rising and he could decipher her traits even better.

What in the world has he been saying?

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

Well, how was it? I am so excited that I finally got to finish this chapter! And I am also happy because I played basketball and it was great! Kyaaah, I am in LOVE with basketball! But it does not matter. Sorry. So, I hope you enjoyed it! See (?) you next time and… well… please review! Your reviews are my drugs!