*peeks around corner* Am I still allowed to show my face here? D: I'm really sorry to all of you who were following this story for not updating! Q.Q I don't even have an excuse T.T (Somehow I always end up apologizing at the beginning of my chapters lol) Anyway, I hope there are still some people left who want to read this even though I've kept you waiting for a long time Q.Q Here's chapter 7!

Chapter 7: Change of Plans

The silence was awkward. So awkward, it was nearly unbearable.

We were sitting on the train, on our way to a place called Unmei no Machi. Well, Gray, Juvia and me were sitting; Natsu was hanging over the window sill, trying to hold back his lunch. The mood was pretty dense. Gray who was sitting next to me was staring out of the window and poor Juvia, who had ended up sitting next to Natsu, was staring down at her folded hands. This whole situation was messed up.

"H-hey, look!" I said in an attempt to fill the suffocating silence. "That bird over there was shitting on that man! Hahaha. Hah. Ha." 'Yeah, whatever, that was a great attempt, Lucy', I thought and mentally face-palmed at myself. If Happy was here, he probably would have given me his you're-so-embarrassing-look while chewing on a fish.

Shortly afterwards, the train came to a stop as we reached the City of Destiny. I had never heard of it before but apparently, it was a famous vacation spot for couples and after arriving I could tell why. The city's buildings looked really ancient and there were castle-like hotels everywhere. The streets were lined by trees and flowers and everywhere – really everywhere – were couples.

We followed the main street and arrived at a stunning plaza which was surrounded by several cafés and ice cream parlours. Everybody looked happy, as if they were enjoying their time. The smile which had formed on my face disappeared as soon as I felt that feared, dense aura creeping up behind me and I broke out into a cold sweat. Peeking back at Gray and Juvia who were standing next to each other but looking in different directions with a stern look on their faces, I decided to initiate step one of mission GRUVIA.

Clearing my throat, I stepped closer to the other three. "Well, apparently, there's a cave in the outskirts of this town. We should get there if we follow the road over there to the end." I said, pointing towards the opposite side of the plaza. "In order to complete this mission we need to retrieve the object which was stolen and hidden in there."

"Why can't the client to that himself?" Gray asked sceptically with a raised eyebrow.

"Because the cave is filled with traps and all sorts of dangerous animals", Natsu said devilishly and I could swear for a moment his eyes were glowing red. I was starting to regret putting him and Happy in charge of the cave's preparation.

"Exactly, and that's why we have to do it." I put my right hand on my hip and smiled. "So, let's go."

Following the road to its end, we had arrived at a hidden track through the woods. Because it was really uncomfortable, Natsu and I were leading the way, followed by Gray and Juvia who still weren't talking to each other. Getting them to talk would be a hard nut to crack, but I hadn't expected anything else from Gray.

"I hope you and Happy didn't overdo it", I whispered to Natsu who still had traces of the devil's face left in his features.

"What do you mean?" He looked at me innocently and I answered him with a threatening look. Natsu laughed. "Don't worry; they won't die."

I didn't know whether that should calm me down or worry me even more.

"Lucy, wait!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed.

I looked up at him in surprise when, suddenly, I tripped over a root and fell. Natsu managed to grab my arm in time and pulled me back. My face was only a few inches away from his chest when he asked: "Are you okay?"

I blushed and pushed him away. "Th-thank you, I'm fine!" Hearing him chuckle, I lifted my gaze and looked at him.

"So I guess in the past we're not dating yet, huh?" He said while we picked up our pace. I blushed even more and my hands tightened their grip on the straps of my backpack causing Natsu to chuckle once more.

"You're so cute", he said, crossing his arms behind his head. "I wonder why I haven't made a move on you yet."

"Wh-what do you mean?" I said flustered.

"Hm? Oh, I mean my past self. He should be in love with you already."

"D-don't talk nonsense!" I said, overtaxed by the situation and sped up a bit. Behind me I heard Natsu chuckle again.

"We're here!" In front of us was a huge entrance to a cave. Next to it was an old sign which said Keep out and there were broken chains lying at our feet. I guessed they were once used to keep people from entering.

"Let's go", Gray said, passing Natsu and me.

"Wait!"

He turned around and looked at me with an annoyed look. "What?"

"Put your pants on first."

Gray's gaze went down and he realized he had stripped again. After he was fully dressed, he cleared his throat and was about to take a step into the cave, when suddenly a man dressed completely in black darted out of it, holding a chest in his arms.

"Wait...", Gray said after a moment of silence. "We were supposed to retrieve something stolen from here, right?"

Understanding what he meant right away, Juvia sprinted off, following the mysterious man into the woods. Gray did the same, leaving a dumbfounded Natsu and a confused me behind.

"Say, Natsu...", I said.

"Hm?"

"That was not part of your and Happy's set-up, was it?"

"No", he answered. "It wasn't part of the original plan either, was it?"

"No."

"So that means..." We looked at each other.

"A real thief!?" We exclaimed in unison.

So that's it for chapter 7, I hope it's okay Q.Q Feel free to point out any mistakes and to insult me if you want, I will take it as a punishment for making you guys wait Q.Q

Thanks a lot for reading!