Natsu sighed miserably, sitting close to the once floating water, which now flowed gently below the ground.
Things were different, not bad, but different. Natsu wasn't sure if he was really ok with any of this. Maybe if he at least had his car things would be just fine, but he didn't and that was what killed him.
He looked at his reflection and let out another heavy sigh.
"Now I really am just useless and weak." He mumbled under breath, hitting the reflection of himself away with his hand.
A shadow covered over his eyes seeing the reflection begin to take form again; the reflection of a timid, helpless, cowardly boy staring right back at him.
"Oi that better not be self-loathing I hear coming out of your mouth." Lucy glared, standing behind him dangerously.
Natsu flinched at the sound of her voice, quickly standing to his feet.
"L- Lucy-San!"
"About time I found you..next time go someplace I'll actually look instead of making me waste my time." She huffed, displeased at having wasted so much time looking for him.
"S-s-sorry! It won't happen again!" He apologized, bowing repeatingly.
"Would you quit bowing!" she hit him, too annoyed to really hold back, Natsu's face being planted into the dirt.
He twitched, merely muffling a dirt full apology in response as he lay on the ground
Lucy sighed, seeing the meek pink haired boy shakingly stand back to his feet, coughing out the dirt he had shoved in his mouth.
"N-not that I'm...not happy to see you..or..telling you where you can't or can go...but what are you doing here?" He managed to ask, through a coughing fit, making sure to keep the hacking of dirt away from Lucy.
"Isn't it obvious? I said I was looking for you didn't I?" She scoffed, waiting impatiently for him to finish.
"M-me?" Natsu blinked, finally managing to calm down from his fit.
"Is your name Natsu?" She arched a brow at his response.
He blushed slightly in embarrassment.
"We'll...yeah, it is." He replied back lamely, to which Lucy's glare only darkened.
Natsu, who saw this, quickly interjected, before she could speak; sensing her annoyance rise.
"Y-you see what I meant to say was!..what I meant to ask was..Why were you looking for me?"
"Hm?" She blinked, looking almost taken back by the question.
She didn't really understand why herself, but everyone had kept bugging her about Natsu's whereabouts, making her think of his pitiful, self-loathing form.
She had to find him. It was what she had decided to do, but now that she had...what?
"I said..Why were you looking for me?" Natsu asked again, bringing her out of her thoughts, looking just as confused.
He could have sworn he had seen Lucy begin to blush.
"C-Can't I check on my partner every once in a while?!" She growled defensively, surprising Natsu by her sudden outburst.
"N-no!... I mean.." He smiled nervously, stumbling back as she drew close.
"No?" She glowered,
"What do you mean no?"
"W-What I meant to say was!-"
Without waiting for his explanation she reached out; grasping the collar of his jacket.
"This better be good.." She warned.
"L-Lucy-san wait! I wasn't telling you that you couldn't I-" Natsu stumbled, losing his footing, having backed up too many times from Lucy drawing close that he fell back.
Lucy, not expecting the sudden weight in change, found herself falling forward. As she tried to regain her balance for the two of them, Natsu frantically made a grab for her with his other hand.
He had thought it be easier for Lucy to pull him back if she had a better grasp of him, but when he snatched her arm and pulled, she lost the little balance she had and fell back into the shallow water; falling on top of him in the process.
She crushed the air from him as she landed, taking only a small moment of time before she lifted herself off him; sitting up right
She grimaced over the slight pain,
"N-Natsu..are you ok?"
"Y-yeah" he coughed, taking in a gush of air as she lifted herself off him.
"These little rocks in the water...hurt a lot more then you'd think when you hit your head against them." He continued, trying to regain his vision seeing so many Lucy's begin to take form above him. He had hit his head hard it seemed.
She sighed in relief,
"Well maybe if you wouldn't have panicked and had just let me pull you in instead of making another grab for me-"
"That's nice Lucy's-sans~" he interrupted, merely smiling up to the many girls he was now seeing.
"...Did I say I was done talking?!" She pulled at his cheeks, irritated at his interruption, stretching them as far apart from his face as she could.
"IM MORY IM MORY IM MORY!" He cried over and over, squirming under her trying to get away.
"Your...what?" She blinked, releasing his cheeks.
"I said I'm sorry!" He cried out, massaging his stinging cheeks.
Lucy watched him before sighing once more, this time out of exhaustion from dealing with him.
"You're hopeless Natsu..."
"...sorry.." He mumbled softly, lowering his gaze from hers.
Now that he thought about it, sorry was all he ever really said and all he was ever GOING to say now.
Without his car, he really FELT hopeless. He wasn't brave like Lucy or strong like her, so what good was he really now to her as a partner or any of the other guild members?
Lucy softened as she glanced once more his way, seeing his empty sad expression.
What was she doing? She was supposed to be here cheering UP Natsu, not putting him more down then he already was.
"Natsu..."
Her voice brought him out of his thoughts as he looked up to her.
"Hm?"
She smiled softly at him, putting a hand a top his head.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, surprising Natsu.
"Mirajane explained that you might be having a more harder time with all the change going on...and I guess me calling you names...and hitting you around doesn't do much help."
He looked to her in awe, not having expected herself to explain at all, and to actually admit something like this. She was always surprising him. One minute she was beating the crap out of him, the next she was pushing him; encouraging him, defending him, using him as a test dummy for her many torcher techniques and now she was apologizing? What was next?
He always knew she had some problems when it came to expressing her real feelings, but that didn't mean Natsu understood what she was trying to say all the time. If anything she only continued to baffle him more and more. Which was the real Lucy? The tough one who everyone feared (including himself) or the kind scared one that only seemed to come out rarely?
Before the earth landers had come and changed everything, he had seen this other rare side. Only him. She was keeping a tough front for everyone including himself, but he had caught her. Seen it, perhaps by accident, but he had still seen it.
Her tears.
Her scared expression.
"Lucy-San..." Her name slipped out, his eyes widening, realizing he had said her name out loud.
"What?" She blinked, not entirely understanding why he looked so flustered.
"O-Oh! n-nothing! I'm just..happy..that uhh...you were worried about me...so much."
"I never said I was worried...I said I was "sorry" those are two different things." She pouted, her own cheeks reddening.
He laughed then taking her hand as they both stood from the water.
"Right well..still...I feel a bit better...I know it's going to take me awhile to get used to this new change and all but...I don't want to worry Lucy-San and everyone, so I promise I'll try to lighten up...and give this newly changed world a chance." He smiled, feeling a bit of his gloom from before lift.
"You don't have to get used to this new changed world Natsu."
"I don't...understand?" He blinked, confused.
"You don't HAVE to get used to this changed world because we're going to get your car to work again. Magic or no magic."
His eyes widened at what she stating. It was impossible, there was no way and yet she was actually...considering.
"Lucy-San...you don't have to for my sake-"
She placed both her hands a top his shoulder then, looking at him hard.
"It will WORK Natsu."
His eyes teared, as her own eyes burned with determination. There was no doubt in her eyes. No hesitation. She was absolutely sure; confident.
"I promise." She assured him, giving his shoulders a slight squeeze before letting him go.
Smiling through his tears, he gave her a nod and wiped his tears away. He followed her back to the guild, his darkened mood now far behind him. He trusted Lucy, and knew she would continue to try, she wouldn't give up hope and neither would he. She was his hope. His partner.
His twisted, confusing, terrorizing, good hearted partner.