I can't believe I'm doing this.
I really can't.
I posted the third epilogue chapter on July 24, 2012 where I am…but the difference in the time zones made it where the site registers that it was posted on the 23rd instead. UGGGGHHHH. But I really want it to say the twenty-fourth and I don't want to give anyone a false hope by taking down chapter 18 and reposting…so I'm working on 19. Let's see if my manic energy from last night/this morning will help me out again!
Here's USHA's fourth epilogue chapter. Enjoy!
Natsu and I sat around the fire like any other night before, but this time the air was permeated with an almost tangible sense of anxiety.
I was going home. I was really going to go back to Fairy Tail, and not just for a few days to recover—I was going back. My heart was beating wildly against my chest and I wasn't sure how I'd manage to cope with the nervousness I felt.
How…how would everyone receive me?
It was a stupid worry because my nakama had never really held grudges against their fellow members, especially when there was a good reason. Laxus, despite all he'd caused, had been easily accepted back into the guild after showing up to attempt an ill-fated rescue on Tenrou Island, so it was only plausible that I, who had left in an attempt to keep all my friends from being hurt more than necessary, would be accepted just as easily or even more so, right? And yet the worries still plagued my mind.
It's going to be fine, I told myself, taking a deep breath while Natsu played with some fire in a lull of conversation. They'll accept me back.
"You're quiet tonight, Luce," the pink-haired man nearby observed softly, resting an elbow on his knee. I ran a hand through my bangs with a sigh, looking up to offer him a weak smile that betrayed the nervousness in the pit of my stomach.
"Sorry," I apologized sheepishly, looking down at the ground. "It's just…"
"You don't have anything to worry about," he said, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him tilt his head up to look at the stars above us in the night sky. "You should know that, Luce. No one's gonna be angry at you, you know? They're just going to be happy that you're finally back…that you've come home. You shouldn't be nervous going home. Just walk in like you used to, because you know it's where you belong."
He didn't prompt me to say anything for the next few minutes and I sat in silence, thinking over everything I knew about my guild and myself and also about what Natsu had said. I knew he was right and that I shouldn't be so nervous, but it wasn't something I could shake so easily. I had pretty much abandoned them all, betrayed their trust, and just disappeared without leaving anything but a manuscript for Levy and furniture for Fairy Hills. I hadn't even said goodbye. I'd just uprooted and booked it out of there as if I was running away.
As if…? No, I really was running away, wasn't I?
"I know…" I finally answered Natsu, so softly that my voice cracked. "I know all that…but I can't help but worry anyway."
"Then…just remember that I'll be with you," Natsu suggested, smiling in a mature and comforting manner that still seemed foreign on his features. But it did the trick—knowing Natsu would be walking through the doors of Fairy Tail with me would make it a thousand times easier to keep my head held high.
A more confident, less nervous smile finally spread across my own features and, looking at my toes, I murmured, "Thanks, Natsu. That helps a lot."
I cast a quick glance up at him to see him smiling another one of his mature, soft smiles at me and I dropped my gaze quickly. For what seemed like the thousandth time since we'd been at Porlyusica's house, I felt my heart fluttering painfully in my chest.
"Glad to be of service," his voice had a light, joking lilt to it, and I chuckled, standing and brushing my butt off. "What, going to bed?"
"I need my beauty sleep if I'm going to be walking five miles to get back into town and walking into Fairy Tail on my own two feet for the first time in over four years," I quipped playfully, stretching my arms above my head and feeling my shoulders rolling as I did so. "Remember what I told you about a girl's appearance? How it makes us feel better to show off a little?"
Natsu nodded and I could tell by his expression that he wasn't exactly sure where I was going with that.
"If a girl looks her best, it also helps give her confidence, too," I told him, then put a finger in front of my lips in the classic shushing pose. "But don't let anyone know that I told you that, 'kay? It's a very secret girl thing."
The pink-haired dragonslayer chuckled, playing with the fire.
"Got it," his grin was more childish this time, more him. "The secret's safe with me."
"Well, then, my job here is done!" I bowed to him with a teasing flourish and spun around to continue my trek toward the cabin. "So now I'm going to turn in. Don't you dare wake me up a second before eight, though! If you do, the beauty part of beauty sleep will be meaningless and I won't forgive you!"
Behind me, I heard him chuckle again and I smiled softly at the sound.
I still found it a huge relief that our friendship had been so easy to rekindle; it was actually more like it had never faded in the first place. The only catch was the fact that I was falling faster and faster for him when I knew that I shouldn't. We'd been back together for about four and a half months now, stuck out at Porlyusica's house for my training…and four and a half months wasn't nearly enough time to fall for someone, was it?
I knew I was being foolish, but I couldn't help but futilely try to deny my feelings. It just felt so…so wrong to still have these feelings for him after I'd been the cause for so much of his pain and so many injuries.
Lying there in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to convince myself that it wasn't right to be in love with him after all that I'd done, it was only a matter of time before memories of my loving mother swam through my mind, clouding all other thoughts. I closed my eyes and let myself remember the advice she'd always told me to hold on to.
"Mama…?" I asked, clinging to my mother's slim, delicate fingers as we walked through the gardens behind our big house—no, Mama called it a 'mansion'. "Mama, can I ask you something? It's really important!"
Layla Heartfilia laughed and stopped walking, kneeling down by me so she could be at my height. Mama always made a point of talking to me eye-to-eye, like I was already a grown-up. It made me really happy.
"Of course you can, Lucy," Mama answered my first question, tucking a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear. "You know you can ask Mama anything!"
I let go of her fingers, sliding my hands behind my back. I started to fidget nervously, unsure of how to ask what I wanted to ask. One of the maids had seemed almost offended when I'd asked and another nicer maid had told me that sometimes it was a touchy subject. What was I going to do if Mama got mad at me for asking, too?
No! I shook my head firmly, causing Mama to quirk an eyebrow at me. I couldn't give up now! This was the most important question I had ever wanted to ask!
"Mama…" I started, taking a breath. "Mama, what's love? How do you fall in love? When do you fall in love? Why does love hurt? And can people fall out of love just like they can fall in love? How long does it take to fall in love?"
All of the questions tumbled out one after another and finally I gasped and covered my mouth, aghast. I hadn't meant to ask so many questions at once, but after I had finally mustered the courage it was hard to stop myself from asking every single one. And I wanted to know the answers so bad! All my picture books had the pretty princesses and the handsome princes and always told about them falling in love with a happily ever after, but one of them didn't have the happily ever after part, so I got curious.
Mama's eyes widened a little at all my questions, and I looked down and bit my lip sheepishly.
"Well, that's a hard question, Sweetie," Mama said slowly, tilting my chin back up with a single, slender finger. "What made you think of it?"
"In my new book, it doesn't say that they lived happily ever after," I murmured embarrassedly, pointing my toes towards each other nervously. "I just wanted to know what happened to people who don't live happily ever after…"
"I see," Mama grinned at me. "Lucy's a smart girl, for seeing that. So I'm going to do my best to answer you, okay?"
I nodded quickly, a smile coming to my face. "Tell me, please!"
"Well, first off…'love' is a feeling people get. You have to decide what it is for yourself though, Lucy, because it isn't the exact same for everyone. But to start with, someday you'll meet a boy who makes you feel happy and laugh. You'll like to play with him all the time and he'll make your heart beat faster and faster. If he makes you mad, or even if he makes you cry, you'll want to be by his side. That's what falling in love is. And the reason it sometimes hurts is because he might not like you the same way. But that's why there are so many people in the world—so every little princess can find her prince."
"How do you know, though?" my curiosity was definitely peaked.
"You just do," Mama replied simply, running a hand through my hair. "It's not always clear why or how…but you'll just know."
I giggled. "So I will find him? I'll find my prince someday?"
"Of course you will, Lucy," Mama tweaked my nose. "But until then, you'll always be my little princess."
With a giggle, I waved her hand away…but then I realized that she hadn't answered all my questions. I pouted a little bit, and she noticed.
"What's wrong now, Sweetie?"
"But…when do you fall in love? And how long does it take?" I asked shyly, peeking up at her through my bangs.
Mama sighed softly, then said, "No one knows when they're going to fall in love, Lucy. It just…happens. Sometimes it takes a long time to creep up on you and sometimes you fall in love at first sight. And sometimes you might only realize that you were in love when you can't see him anymore…his absence will hurt too much and you'll realize that you really wanted him to stay."
"T-that's so sad, Mama," I sniffled, backing away when Mama tried to wipe my eyes. "So…it is possible for someone to fall out of love?"
Mama nodded solemnly and I let out a wail.
"But t-that's not fair!" I cried. "W-what happens to the princesses whose princes fall out of love with them? Will they be all alone?"
"Didn't I say it earlier, Sweetheart?" Mama came forward and wrapped me in her arms. "That's why there are so many princes in the world. Sometimes, even if two people are in love, they're not right for each other, so they fall out of love. It's really sad, but it happens sometimes. The good thing about it is that when they go their separate ways, they can find the prince or princess that they're supposed to be with. Isn't that happy, in the end?"
"Y-yeah, I guess," I agreed reluctantly, still sad for all the girls who lost their princes to another princess.
"You guess?" Mama prompted, knowing immediately that I was keeping something to myself.
"Well…what if a princess never meets the prince she's meant to be with, or what if she misses her chance with him? What then?"
"Oh, Lucy," gentle hands stroked my hair, comforting me, "she just has to keep looking."
I sniffled again and said softly, "If my prince left me for someone else I'd give up on love…"
Mama really surprised me after I said that when she held me away from her and said, "Don't say that, Lucy! Don't ever say that. I know that sometimes it will be hard, and sometimes you'll get hurt, but no one ever fell in love without trying. You can never give up on love, because if you do you'll never be happy. Okay?"
My only response was a little sniffle.
"You can never give up on love, Lucy," the older blonde woman said firmly, "no matter how hard it is. Promise me, okay? Promise me that you won't just let love slip through your fingers—fight for it and act on it even when you're scared of rejection. If you never even attempt it, you can never succeed. So make me a promise right now, Lucy…a promise that you won't give up on finding love even when life is a challenge."
"O-okay," I rubbed my hand across my snotty nose, not even caring about the grossness. "I promise, Mama. I won't ever give up on love and I'll find my prince someday and before another princess can steal him away, I'll tell him just how I feel and let him do the rest. And if he doesn't feel the same, I'll try again and again until I find him!"
Mama smiled at me again, a true, bright smile.
"That's my girl."
" 'I'll find my prince someday…' " I repeated aloud, a small, wry grin on my lips.
I found him, Mama, I thought, staring blankly at the ceiling above me. I lifted my hands up into my view, studying my unpainted nails thoughtfully. I found him…but I'm too scared to tell him even though I promised you I would…
The light from the fire outside was dimming, so I could only assume Natsu was either finishing it off by eating the flames or putting it out so he could come in to bed sooner. For a few moments I watched the flickering shadows on the cabin walls, thinking about what I had promised my mother and pondering my feelings. It was hard to keep myself from leaping out of bed and running to him now that I had remembered my mother's words for the first time in several months, but I held myself back on a new, devastating thought.
I had certainly been gone long enough for Natsu to find himself a girlfriend, right?
Stop it, Lucy! I scolded myself, rolling over and pulling my blankets up over my head. Now is not the time to think about things like that.
And so, with just a little bit of difficulty, I fell asleep.
It seemed like just a few minutes ago when I woke up in Porlyusica's little cabin to the sunlight streaming in the windows.
It seemed like mere seconds ago that I had wrapped my arms tightly around the older woman even though she vehemently protested the contact with a human and only seconds ago that I had bid her farewell.
It seemed like only an instant had passed since Natsu and I had started walking back toward Magnolia.
Mavis, where did the time go?
Looming above us in the midmorning sunlight was nothing less than the grand door to Fairy Tail. My home. The wood was a little more weatherworn than I remembered it and the paving stones we stood on were a little more trodden, but it was still the same building I had left behind a little over four years ago now. I glanced a little nervously at Natsu beside me, but he just flashed me a huge, toothy grin. The grin helped me gain courage and I stepped forward, palms on both doors, and shoved.
The doors groaned a little bit as they swung inwards, and silence reigned for a few long seconds after they had finally stopped moving. I spotted Levy squinting at us and finally a huge grin broke out across her face.
"Lu-chan! You're back!" the solid-script mage shrieked in delight, lunging forward. I couldn't help but step up and accept her embrace with a light laugh.
"I missed you, Levy-chan," I said softly, almost shyly.
"I missed you too!" she beamed at me, tears swimming in her eyes. "But you're back now! Are you just visiting or did Porlyusica kick you out or—"
"I got the okay to leave," the news felt so great to relay. "We worked out a plan that Porlyusica thinks can help keep my power under control and she let me leave. I don't have to go back anymore—I can stay here."
Everyone had been listening in, and as soon as the last word passed my lips an enormous cheer kicked up around me. Elfman barreled through the crowd that had begun to surround me and picked me up in the manliest of bear-hugs and Mirajane was right after her brother, commenting in quick succession on my hairstyle, how glad she was that I was home, how worn out I looked, and again how glad she was that I was back.
"Welcome back, bunny girl," the stoic iron dragonslayer had a large hand on my shoulder and nodded to me stiffly before melting back into the crowd. Levy simply glowed at his actions and I knew she was proud of her boyfriend—although, from what Natsu and Gray told me, the two kept their relationship mildly low-key.
"Where's the alcohol?" Cana's unmistakable voice lifted up above the tumultuous noise that permeated the room. "We've got a reason to celebrate, so bring on the whiskey! The wine! The gin! The beer!"
"Hear, hear!" a few voices chorused after Cana lifted her pint in the air from right next to me. Two of the voices were definitely Macao and Wakaba and sure enough, the older mages came into view with wolfish grins on their faces to welcome me back.
"Welcome back, Lucy," another unmistakable voice said, and all attention turned to the old man sitting cross-legged on his favorite portion of wooden countertop. Master Makarov beamed out at the scene before him, and I could tell he was almost in tears. Just the sight of that and the realization of just how many people were close to tears or crying made me want to break down.
"Lucy," I turned immediately at the sound of Erza's voice, and she smiled at me. "Would you mind sitting with me and talking for a while?"
Okay, that was close to the last straw. The tears welled up and I hurriedly wiped a few escapees away, nodding vigorously. It took me a few tried to get my voice to come out but when it finally started to work, the words that came out of my mouth were an instant agreement. "Of course, Erza! I would absolutely love to."
The two of us made our way to a table a little removed from the chaos that was unfolding because of my return and, although it didn't stop various guild members from coming up to me and welcoming me back or giving me a hug, it gave us a reasonable amount of privacy.
We didn't talk about much, but it was nice to talk to Erza for a while before Cana came and dragged me away to drink with her a little.
After Cana had monopolized a bit of my time, along with her drinking buddies and her father, Mirajane had to pull me up to a stool at the bar, insisting on feeding me. She talked happily about the few new couples that had popped up and I had a suspicion that she was part of the reason behind them although I didn't voice the thought aloud. And after Mirajane it was Wendy and Romeo—Wendy wanted to make sure my body was holding up fine and Romeo asked if I wanted to go on a mission with the two of them and Charle sometime. They passed me off to Nab and Reedus and Visitar, who didn't really say much at all except ask for me to sit still and smile so Reedus could paint a new picture of me. The two married couples and their kids grabbed a few moments then, Bisca and Alzack introducing me to their three year old son and Laki and Warren letting me hold their newborn baby boy.
I thought it was never going to end, and part of me never wanted it to. It was a bit exhausting to be the center of attention, but it was rewarding all the same.
The next person to monopolize a bit of my time was Juvia. She came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder, calling my name softly. When I turned around to see her I almost couldn't believe my eyes. Juvia had already been pretty—she'd always been pretty—but now that her hair was even longer than before and she let it curl naturally…it made her utterly gorgeous. She gestured for us to walk outside for a few moments and I obliged.
"Juvia, I'm—"
I was going to tell her I wasn't interested in Gray at all, and so I wasn't going to try to take him from her. She had always seen me as her love rival for some reason, right? So I wanted to quell any misunderstanding right off the bat.
"Juvia is not worried about you stealing Gray away anymore," the rain-woman smiled gently and I realized with a start that she had dropped the 'sama' from the end of Gray's name. Even though the two were together, I had previously had a hard time imagining Juvia saying his name without any honorific attached.
"That's a relief," I sighed, relaxing a bit more. "What made you change your mind?"
"Gray is the one who confessed to Juvia," she admitted, and when I looked over she was blushing a nice shade of red. I hid my smile as she continued, "and besides…Lucy has eyes for only one person, isn't that right?"
At those words, I stiffened up a little.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Juvia noticed that, whenever you think no one is looking, you steal glances at Natsu. You've been doing it ever since the two of you got separated from the beginning."
I felt my cheeks burn.
"Well, I—"
Juvia's laugh made me stop, and I turned to look at her embarrassedly. She merely cast a sweet smile my way and said, "Juvia thinks it's really cute and also that Lucy should tell him how she feels before it's too late."
I sighed.
"I know…but it's easier said than done."
"Juvia agrees," the blue-haired woman giggled and I couldn't help but join in. The two of us turned to head back inside but she paused for a moment, looking around at me with a smile on her face. "Juvia also thinks that this could be the start of a great friendship. Don't you agree?"
"Of course," I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face. And I would have been completely content with talking to Juvia some more if I hadn't been pulled aside by Gray as soon as we walked in, who smiled at his girlfriend before asking how I was and a little bit about Porlyusica's plan. Master Makarov motioned us over as soon as Gray asked about the plan, and so I explained it to the two of them in detail.
When I was finished explaining, Master asked, "If you're supposed to have three spirits out, then where exactly are they?"
"The rotation doesn't start until Wednesday," I said twirling a strand of hair around my finger thoughtfully. "The first of the month. Porlyusica also said she thought I needed a little bit of time to rest up, so I've got the next two days to do whatever I please before I have to call out my spirits and start the rotation."
"I see," Makarov nodded, and Gray excused himself after giving me a quick squeeze, and I watched him go to Juvia's side.
"Master, I'm sorry—"
"Don't apologize to me, child," the old man waved off my words. "You're back now, alive and well, and that's all that matters to anyone. Everyone was just waiting for you to come back home."
"Well, then," I smiled a little, "I'm home."
The master grinned at my words.
"We'll set you up at Fairy Hills," Levy said as the partying died down a little. "But take your time coming so we can finish getting you a room ready, okay?"
"You guys don't have to—" I began to protest, but to my surprise a hand covered my mouth from behind.
"Let them have their fun," the voice of the hand's owner whispered in my ear, and a chill went up my spine at the pink-haired man's proximity to me. Natsu then addressed the three girls—Erza, Juvia, and Levy—who were planning on getting a room ready for me. "You guys go on ahead. I'll keep her occupied for a while. Will half an hour be long enough?"
"If we leave now," Erza said, all business. She gave a curt nod and a thankful grin to Natsu before turning and striding out of the guild.
"Thanks, Natsu!" Levy piped up, and to my chagrin she sent a not-so-secret wink in my direction.
"Juvia is grateful, too," Juvia nodded her head to Natsu and directed a sweet, serene, all-knowing smile at me. The gestures of the two blue-haired women who had already noticed my feelings made my cheeks burn hotter than they had already been doing because of Natsu's closeness.
"Get going!" Natsu called, and they laughed as they left. I reached up and removed his hand from my mouth, turning around to face him.
"Natsu!" I started, frowning. "I can't let them do so much for me—"
"They missed you, Luce," Natsu cut in, and it was an effective way to shut me up. "They missed you, so let them do at least this much for you."
I sighed, and he knew he'd won.
Now I crossed my arms and stared him down, and he raised an eyebrow at me.
"You said you'd keep me occupied. How on Earthland do you expect to do that?" I pretty much demanded, staring him down. "You know very well that I could just follow after them and help them if I choose—"
"Nope. Because you're going to take a walk with me," Natsu turned me around with a single push on one shoulder and then he dropped his arm across both shoulders to steer me out of the guild building. I ducked out from under his arm pretty quickly, my face burning although I hoped that he hadn't yet noticed it.
"Excuse me?"
"C'mon, Luce," Natsu grinned toothily at me. "Let's take a walk along the canal, for old time's sake. You can even walk up on the ledge if you feel like it."
I stared at him for a moment and his grin softened a little bit. I thought about immediately refusing him and turning to just sit in the guild to wait the girls out, but then I realized that it would just be Natsu and I. We hadn't been able to talk very much since we'd come home because everyone else had been eager to talk to me and then to him. And Mama's advice came back to mind. I felt very tempted to tell him everything…but for now, he was offering to go on a walk and as a girl who was undeniably in love with him, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
"Fine," I said, stepping up beside him. "But you're buying me a hot chocolate."
"Deal," Natsu's voice had a cheerful tone and that in itself was a relief to me.
Lucy was walking along beside him but avoided walking along the edge of the canal like she used to do. Instead she chose to look around her, watching people pass by on the streets and slowing down whenever she passed a building or store that had changed since she'd last been home. Watching her expressions change made Natsu smile softly. He was truly happy that she was home again and watching her helped him to come to a conclusion.
He simply couldn't live without her.
Everything that Lucy was, everything she had been, swam through his memory and he knew that the girl in front of him had all those parts and more. Her hair was a few inches shorter still, and she had four more years on her, but her chocolate eyes could still be just as expressive as ever and her scent, once he knew what to look for, was the exact same.
Lucy was Lucy, and Natsu couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again. And yes, he realized finally, he had loved her long before she left, and during her entire absence.
God, Natsu, you sound like some wimpy, pathetic idiot, he thought to himself.
But he couldn't deny it.
"Natsu!"
When Lucy grabbed his arm he was caught a bit off guard, but he looked down to her and noticed that she was pointing at the blooming rainbow sakura trees in the park. Her eyes lit up and she looked up at the dragonslayer with a grin.
"Remember when I was sick so you uprooted one of the trees and sent it floating down the canal for me?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Natsu cursed the fact that he'd stuttered and diverted his attention. He had a nagging suspicion that he might have said something very similar on the day in question, too.
"Sure you don't," the blonde laughed, but instead of continuing to walk along the canal she dragged him over into the park.
Natsu wasn't really the most romantic of people, if his lack of experience in love was anything to go by, but he felt like under a rainbow sakura tree was just as convenient a place as any.
I released Natsu as soon as I realized I was clinging to his arm and I bounced a few steps ahead. Right in front of us was the tree I'd mentioned—this was the rainbow sakura tree that Natsu and Happy had uprooted for me and then been forced to replant. I was pleased to see that it was still growing and flourishing and that it still bloomed out just as beautifully as it had that first time I'd ever seen it. I did a little twirl, feeling a bit childish, and turned to beam at Natsu.
"Remember it now?" I teased.
"Maybe a little," Natsu finally admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Do you have any idea how long it took to pull that thing up? And it took twice as long to replant it and then we had to take care of it for months to make sure it was going to live!"
I couldn't help it. I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Thanks again for that," I told him. I was about to let go of him when I felt his arms snake around my waist and then he was hugging me back.
"You're welcome," his voice was low and made my heart skip a beat. Not only that, but our hug was lasting longer than was probably necessary...although I really didn't want to step out of it just yet. I decided I probably ought to, though, and I took a step back after letting him go.
Looking up at him, I admired for a few moments how the rainbow glow lit up the area and reflected in Natsu's dark eyes. My heart burned and I knew I was probably close to my breaking point. I thought Natsu would take a few steps back as well, but he remained where he was and so the gap between us was only about a foot.
Promise me, Lucy.
"I—" I opened my mouth to begin, but it came out so softly that Natsu's stronger voice had eclipsed it almost completely.
"Luce," he said, and I looked intently at him, urging him silently to continue with whatever he was going to say. My heart skipped a beat when he took a short step to close some of the space between us. "I want you to think back to Porlyusica's for a few minutes, okay?"
Slowly, I nodded, then asked, "Where are you going with this?"
"It was the first day of training with making your magical energy spiral up and down your whip. Do you remember?"
My curiosity was mounting. I really wanted to know what my favorite dragonslayer was getting at, but I'd have to wait while he finished beating around the bush. So I settled for nodding again, eyes widening slightly when Natsu leaned down just a little bit to continue.
"You said something while you were in the bath that night and I overheard," his voice was so soft I could hardly make out his words, but when I had finally comprehended what he said I had to stop and think about what I said in the bath. I'd talked to myself a lot—I'd wondered about Gray and Erza and Happy and how Levy was coping and how the guild would receive me, but what could he possibly take such a serious approach to…?
Oh, Mavis, he didn't hear that, did he?
My heart froze.
"Y-y-you heard me?" I asked him, my voice almost squeaking. "Why didn't you tell m-me?"
"It wasn't the right time," he said simply, and I couldn't help but to agree with him there. However, he leaned closer again and I tilted my head down in embarrassment, opening my mouth to say something—anything—to break the short silence, but he did so first. "But now I think it's time I said something about it."
I'm sorry, Mama. I've failed you again. I—
I stiffened for a brief moment, but then I relaxed against Natsu's chest and leaned into his kiss. My heart was thudding wildly now as opposed to being frozen as it had a few moments earlier. Beneath my fingers I could feel the pink-haired man's heart doing the exact same thing. So I hadn't been the only nervous person in this situation, then. That was a huge comfort.
The kiss was rather short, but my heart was still having a heyday and I wasn't sure if it could take much more. Natsu leaned forward and I felt his breath at my ear.
"I love you too, Lucy," he whispered softly, and it sent shivers down my spine.
I couldn't believe it. Even after everything I had done and all the pain that I had caused…Natsu accepted me. Just hearing those words out of his mouth made me want to faint, but instead I felt the warmth prickling at the corners of my eyes. When the first one fell, the pad of a callused thumb brushed it away.
A small laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside me. It was a giggle that made the tears start to roll and so I leaned forward and tucked my head into the crook of Natsu's neck. His arms wrapped firmly around me and it was an instant comfort.
"I love you, Natsu," I told him, laughing through my happy tears.
I know I shouldn't, I wanted to add, I shouldn't have the right to love you after all I've done and I certainly don't deserve you…but I do love you.
"I know," he laughed with me and for a while we just stood there, with me wrapped securely in his arms, under the blooming rainbow sakura trees. I couldn't have imagined a more picturesque place for my confession to take place in—no matter that it was actually Natsu who broke the ice on that subject. But really, what I couldn't believe most of all was the fact that my pink-haired nakama actually felt the same way for me.
We had been living together for months; he with full knowledge that I loved him and I with no knowledge of his feelings at all. It was kind of unfair, but I didn't mind so much anymore.
Another thing I didn't mind so much was that I never got that hot chocolate he promised me.
Just hearing Lucy say she loved him again made Natsu's heartbeat quicken. But they didn't have very much time before the rest of the girls came looking for Lucy, so after a while the dragonslayer slowly pulled away from the blonde girl.
"Levy and Erza might kill me if I don't get you over to Fairy Hills soon," Natsu said in a light, teasing manner. Lucy laughed, wiping her face of a few dried tears.
"We can't have that, can we?" Lucy smiled back, boldly reaching out to take the pink-haired man by the hand. Their fingers slid between each other easily and Natsu couldn't help but give her hand a reassuring squeeze as the two made their way out of the park and back onto the streets.
And so Natsu walked his new girlfriend—or was it almost-girlfriend?—to Fairy Hills, where the rest of the girls were waiting outside to greet Lucy, including Mirajane and Lisanna and even the married women. When the new couple came into their line of sight, Mira immediately locked onto their intertwined hands and nudged Juvia, who beamed.
"It's about time Lucy had a reason to be happy," Juvia said, starting forward with a boisterous wave and still wearing a grin at the sight of the two.
Well now…I'm not sure how that scene turned out. I had so much buildup that I'm not sure the actual confession was good enough…haha. At any rate, I hope you guys liked it. Another update for the anniversary! (Even though it's already the 25th here…).
One more chapter, guys. What are we going to do then?