With birds screaming right over the blondes head, making her wake up and glare at the innocent animals.
"Ouff…" she complained silent to herself as her body were aching after resting on the cold ground all night. With tired hands she started to release her hair from leaf and other sorts of mixed nature.
She had ran away from Natsu so quickly yesterday, that she forgot the way back to camp, nor she didn´t want to return, not right that moment. Now the daylight could show her the way back, and she couldn´t make that choice to stay away anymore.
She was surprised over the quiet mood in the little camp, most of them were still sleeping, but she couldn´t see a pink haired dragon slayer anywhere as she sneaked into the tent where Levy soundly were sleeping, finding her bag as she changed her clothes.
"Lucy, is that you?" Levy said, rubbing her tired eyes. "I´m so sorry about tonight, if I had knew…"
"It´s okey, it wasn´t your fault." Lucy calmed her down. "But what will I do if I meet him today?"
"Don´t worry, that's a very low possibility… I don´t think we are going to fight one on one today…"
Wrong… Wonderful, clever Levy who never used to be wrong about anything. This was hell, their last competition was a labyrinth. Start from the mountains and throughout the woods, always having a wall on both your sides.
"Everyone have their lost items?" Makarov asked them as they stood ready at the starting line. Nobody answered him, just nodding with a firm grip around the object. Lucy hugged her egg, it was too big for her pocket and too small for holding with two hands.
"Good luck and begin." Master shouted, almost making her drop the egg before she got her senses back and started running after the rest.
Earlier, long before the sun had risen Gray managed to find Natsu back at the camp, moping as he took care of his hand, making the wound stop bleeding at least.
"Natsu what the hell is your problem?" Gray asked him. Stopped when he saw the glare he got from the dragon slayer.
"Leave me alone Gray." He warned him.
"It´s just me." Gray squatted before him. "It might have been a long time since we could talk like this, or even try to get along long enough to talk. But have you really changed that much?"
Natsu frowned as he met Grays eyes. "I don´t know what you´re talking about…"
Gray laughed as he stood up again, stretching his arms above his head. "You worked your magic with Lucy anyway, congrats she hates you now."
"Gray, just shut up." Natsu closed his eyes, trying to forget the ice mages presents. But his dark voice took him back to reality.
"Fine, but you don´t have to act all almighty. Master told me what you´ve been doing."
"Great, did you keep a diary too?" Natsu mocked him.
"Don´t pretend like you don´t care. If master hadn´t saved you that time, you would have died, and for what? A meaningless shadow?"
"Okey, if you want to talk about people then why don't we start with you? Don´t act better than me when you still sulking after that water woman."
"At least I´m not afraid of my feelings…" Gray snorted back, started to get annoyed, feeling like his younger self by every minute.
"Shut up." He repeated, feeling sick of this conversation. "Are you finished? Because I want to sleep something before sunrise."
Gray just shrugged and walked away, it didn´t seem that he could get through to the dragon slayer, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
"Lucy watch out." Lisanna screamed, making Lucy jump away from the falling tree.
"Thank you…" she screamed back, her back fierce against the wall. This labyrinth wasn´t easy, especially when her head wasn´t in the game. Her body protested as she started to run again, this time next to the wall always looking up the sky after more traps. The sun stood high, making her feel sweaty and dirty. The autumn never seems to surprise, and in these mountains it was worse, she enjoyed the shadows from the trees as she had reached the forest. She made her way through the little lake, feeling the cold water surround her, suddenly being dragged down.
"Open the Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"
She saw the mermaid passing through the gate before the water made her body flush away as she got smashed back on the ground.
The egg! It was gone, she met Juvias eyes just to see her smile.
"Want it back?" Showing off the egg in her hand. She just had to get past the water woman without getting drowned by her or Aquarius.
It took Lucy more than two hours to get past Juvia, but that wasn´t because of her entirely. Sure she got the egg safe in her arms, getting Juvia down on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"You´ve really improved." A voice said above her. "I take over from here Juvia, good job."
Juvia just nodded as Natsu took her place.
"It´s not fair…" Lucy protested. "I´ve already beat Juvia, I´m done!"
"O really? You think that it so easy? You know better than anyone that the original plan never works out!"
"Haven´t you other people to harass during this trial?"
"You´re the only one left…" Natsu said, behind him Lucy saw Gray helping Juvia away. She hoped that she didn´t overdo it.
"What happened…" but Natsu didn´t answer her as he started to fire up, making her back away as she could feel the heat reach her.
"So what did happen next?" Levy asked Grey and Juvia who walked next to them, back to the city and their beloved guild.
"I have no idea, but since master told us to return I guess he´s handling it."
"Handling what?" Makarov wondered as he pop out, from nowhere.
"Master? Why are you here?" Gray shouted.
"I´m on my way home…" master simply said.
"But… then nobody stayed to make sure Lucy and Natsu are okey?" Lisanna wondered.
"Nope…" master laughed and kept going without a single worry in the world.
"Why don´t you just call out one of your spirit?" Natsu asked after she had dodging his attack over an hour now, just with that annoying whip in her hand.
"For the same reason you don´t attack serious, because apparently we can´t attack each other…" Lucy sighed.
"Just give up then…" Natsu complained, but stood firm in front of her.
"How I try, I can´t seem to get through to you anymore. I mean you´re so different, what happened with you?" Lucy begged to know.
Natsu shrugged, he couldn´t look her in the eyes.
"If I tell you, will you stop this S-class?"
"Probably not, so what happens when all this is over?" she screamed, gesturing her arms around to exaggerate her words.
"Go on a new mission…"
Lucy couldn´t breathe, how could he come home like this, just to leave again.
"Don´t you love this guild?" she whispered.
"Huh?" Natsu said, taking a step against the blonde as she started to cry. "Lucy…"
"Don´t touch me." She screamed, stepping away from his hand. "You moron… I hate you… hate you."
Those damned tears started to flow, making her lose grip of everything suddenly feeling strong arms around her.
"Let go of me!" she started to kick and scream, trying to break free but he was to strong and didn´t flinch, how hard her punches were he didn´t let her go.
"Don´t cry Lucy, I can´t stand to see your tears." He said in her ear.
"Then just leave." She growled, as she had stopped resisting, just standing there letting him hold her up straight. "That´s what you want anyway!"
"Do you really think I don´t love my guild?" he asked her.
"Why do you care? You´re always gone…" she started to get sleepy in his arms, she forgot how damn hot his skin were and it was petrifying comfortable, she hated herself for liking it.
"I won´t let you go until you take back what you said."
Lucy didn´t say anything, he would get tired eventually.
But Natsu just started to laugh. "Don´t think so little of me, I can do this all day."
"I´m so tired of this…" she suddenly said. "I don´t know what you want with me, we´re not friends anymore, we barely guild mates and soon we won't be seeing each other at all."
"We still have Team Natsu right?"
"That doesn't work when the team split up."
"If I asked you to come with me, leave everything in this city and be gone for years, would you do it?"
She gasped, trying to find air when he´s grip tightens. "If you had asked me this before everything I would have said yes, not a doubt. But why do you ask me right now?"
"So you´re engaged…"
"Huh?" Lucy didn´t get it, why did he bring this up again, and right now?
"If you wouldn´t be, then you would have said yes right away."
"So it was a test?" she said, trying to get away again but he didn´t let her.
"Just take back your words and then you can do whatever you want."
"Fine, you love your guild. I know that, I´m sorry alright!"
As by magic he let her go, as he stepped back almost seeing a little disappointed.
"What are you going to do?" he asked her as she reached down to pick up the egg.
"Finish this." She said, walking past him, he didn´t even try to stop her.
"And after?" he yelled.
"Probably go home." She turned around to see him, was this the last time? "I´m not engaged. That was a joke made up by Levy because of Grays ignorance."
"Lucy wait…"
"For what?"
She had reached the little hill, in the middle a big rock stood firm on the ground. As she placed the egg on top of it, it started to shine. Show them that she had won this trial, and had the ability of being an S- class wizard.
"You´ve passed…" Natsu said behind her as he followed her movements.
"Let´s go then." She turned around watching his stunned face. "You asked me to come and I accept… It´s a mission from master right?"
He nodded as his heartbeats started to race when she smiled towards him again, that Lucy smile which could lighten up the world, make it brighter than the sun ever could. "Happy are supposed to meet up with me tomorrow…"
She laughed. "I´m not going to sit around and wait for you anymore, I will help you as this awesome friend I am."
He dragged her closer again, making her yelp of surprise.
"Lucy, you were never my friend." He growled low studying her confused face before he kissed her, tasting the sun from her lips as she answered him gently. He crushed her defense brutally, having to help her stand straight as her legs felt betrayed her, feeling numb.
"I guess this could work…" she mumbled against his lips.
"I´m done with guessing, I want you Lucy…"
How did he do that, just snap his fingers and she was hooked. Just like a rabbit, catches by the big bad wolf. But this was worse, because his eyes were already starting to eat her.
"Natsu…" she mumbled when she felt his hands on her legs, butt, back and neck, making her shiver underneath his touch. "I don´t know…" trying to back away from him.
"Do you hate me Lucy?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You said you hated me…" in her confusion he managed to snatch her closer again, feeling her warm flesh pressed against his, driving him insane.
"Of course not, it was stupid of me to say something like that…"
"Good." He kissed her again, stopped her next word as he couldn´t think straight anymore. "Then stop trying to fight me."