Everything felt off, wrong, like a glove that didn't quite fit like it should. Lucy figured this odd sensation was due to her inescapable confusion—after all, it felt like she was living a life that wasn't her own. She had friends, guild members, an apartment that she had no recollection of. It was so bizarre—everything felt off kilter.

Natsu had brought her a change of clothes from her apartment, and she'd changed in the infirmary washroom. She'd spent a solid ten minutes in the bathroom glaring at her reflection in the mirror, trying with all her might to find something recognizable about herself. Another twenty minutes passed and she was still a stranger to her own eyes, so she gave up. She changed and left the bathroom.

Lucy knew that, even if she could remember her past, this would surely be the loneliest day in her life.

"C'mon," Natsu said once Lucy emerged from the washroom, taking a couple steps towards the door. "Let's go."

Lucy didn't follow behind; she froze in place. To her, in her mind, he was still a complete and absolute stranger, and the knowledge that he knew her didn't lessen this. She couldn't just follow behind him blindly, not when she didn't trust him. "Where?"

The rose haired boy shrugged. "The guild hall."

She blinked a couple times, thinking over that suggestion. "Why?"

He had a plain look on his face. "Gotta eat sometime, don't you?"

Fair enough, she supposed. But going to the guild hall would mean interacting with guild members, and the idea of that instantly made her stomach lurch in protest. More strangers that knew more about herself than she did. Could she even face them? Could she handle the guilt of not knowing her closest friends?

"Aw, come on, Luce," Natsu murmured, taking a step towards her, a hand outstretched towards her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Lucy's brown eyes flickered down to the hand he offered to her, eyeing it with suspicion; she cringed away from it, shielding herself slightly out of instinct. Her heart was beating rapidly against her ribs, a combination of adrenaline and fear rushing through her system.

Natsu saw the pure fear in her eyes, and his expression crumbled into one of hurt and pain; he glanced away quickly, hand dropping to his side. He took a step back, distancing himself from her. Not once in their friendship had Lucy ever been afraid of him—truly afraid— until that instant. And it shook him to his very core.

For a second, Lucy felt bad denying him, cringing away from him, but she couldn't help the fear that was currently in charge of her every move. She was totally alone, totally confused, with absolutely no cure for her current state. She had nothing but fear to trust in.

"I don't think I can go to the guild hall," Lucy whispered, voice shakier than had anticipated. Her hands were shaking, now. How long would it take for this fear to dissipate? "I can't see anyone. Not yet."

Natsu's gaze searched her face; he gave her a solid nod. "I get it."

"I'm sorry," She said, and she really meant it. She was sorry that she was too much of a wimp to face her forgotten friends; she was sorry that she felt out of place. She was sorry she'd forgotten him.

"Don't worry about it, Luce." He turned to face her, eyes bright. It was like he'd totally forgotten her brutally rejecting his friendly action a moment ago, like it had never even mattered. "So, whatcha wanna do, then? It's getting boring sitting in here all day."

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. What do I usually do?"

He thought about that for a moment, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "Well, usually we're at the guild in the day, but that's off limits, so..." He trailed off, but came back around a few seconds later. "I could show you around Magnolia."

Lucy's eyebrows shot up, surprised by his suggestion. It wasn't a half bad idea, honestly—getting to know the city that she lived in was a pretty good way to learn more about herself. Besides, from what she'd seen out of the infirmary window, it was a beautiful place. "Really?"

"Sure."

And off they went.

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"So, you don't remember a thing?" Natsu inquired as they walked around the city streets, basking in the warm sunlight.

Lucy sighed. As much as she didn't want to talk about it, she figured being honest was the best thing right now. Besides, Natsu had spent hours walking around the city with her, describing the local festivals and activities, and he deserved to have some of his questions answered. "No. Nothing."

"Not even the mission?"

Lucy shook her head. "Nope. It's like...I can try and think back, but there's nothing there. Just white, blank pages. The last thing I've got is waking up with you in my face."

Natsu snorted. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. Sorry I screamed at you."

"Don't forget threatening me with a thermometer."

Lucy cringed thinking about it. She'd been pretty harsh to him—but in all fairness, from her perspective, he'd been a stranger harassing her. "Look, let's not get all nostalgic about that precise moment, okay?"

Natsu laughed, letting her brush it off. His expression fell serious a second later, and he turned his gaze from the cobblestone streets to Lucy's face. "So, how you doin'?"

She shrugged, making a face. "Can't complain, really. I don't remember anything that I've lost."

Natsu's eyes softened, and he stayed serious, ignoring her sarcastic response. "No, really, Luce. Are you alright?"

Lucy met his eyes; the concern in his face made her throat go tight. Clearly, he cared for her. They were friends. But the fact that she'd forgotten all of the memories of their friendship...it made her heart ache so much that she could cry. When she spoke, her voice was soft, weak. "I'm sort of a mess," She confessed. "It's just like...I'm a total stranger to myself. I don't feel like I fit in my own skin—I don't even know who I am."

Natsu's eyebrows knitted together, and he turned his head to face forward as they walked. "I could tell you some facts about yourself," He offered. "I'm kind of a Lucy expert."

Her eyes lit up, like a spark had been ignited. "You'd do that?"

"'Course."

A hint of a smile touched her lips. "Okay. Tell me about myself."

They continued down a cobblestone lane, passing cute little stores that lined the streets. It was getting to be late afternoon, and the sun was trickling closer and closer to the horizon; within the next hour, the sun would set and cast a dark shadow over the charming little town.

"You love cheese croissants. One time, I watched you eat twelve of them in half an hour."

Lucy blinked. "Almost wish you hadn't told me that one."

"You regretted it after—you kept asking me to murder you to save you from your severe stomach pain."

"That is...horrifying. Next, please."

He grinned. "This place, right up here," He motioned to a little storefront loaded with classic novels, "Is your favorite book store. Every time we get paid for a mission, you go in there and buy a book."

"So I like to read?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah," Natsu said with a nod. "But your more of a writer. You're working on a novel."

"Oh." Lucy blinked, surprised by this knowledge. Somehow, though, it made sense in her mind. Being a writer...well, something about it seemed to click with her. Like she recognized it as a part of herself. "Is it any good?"

He shrugged. "Dunno—anytime I try to read it, you punch me."

"Must not be very good, then."

They continued on the pavement, making their way down the twisty roads of Magnolia; Natsu was clearly heading Lucy in a specific direction, a destination in mind, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"You're a neat freak."

Again, something that seemed to make sense in her brain, somehow, as if deep down she knew them to be true.

"You love the smell of campfire smoke."

Lucy couldn't help but smile to herself. All of these little details—the ones you would think aren't important—seemed to paint the right sort of picture for her. Things were coming together. She didn't quite know herself, not yet, but these tiny little details felt...comforting. "How'd you figure that one out?"

He shrugged, as if the answer were obvious. "I set this town on fire once, and you told me."

Lucy's eyes went wide. "You set a town on fire?"

"Oh—I'm a fire mage." He thought that over, then rephrased it. "Fire dragon slayer."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Woah. Big shot."

"Shaddup."

"Come on—tell me more about myself. This is working."

That seemed to put a smile on his face. "Your favorite color is orange."

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks, causing Natsu to pass by her; he wheeled back, surprised by her sudden halt.

"Whatsa matter?" He asked, confused, hoping he didn't say something wrong.

This entire time, she hadn't known her favorite color. She hadn't even known herself well enough to guess. It had bothered her, irked her to her very core. It had been the one tiny detail that would send her mind into a frenzy. It was the one thing that proved to Lucy that she didn't know herself.

Everyone had to know their favorite color. They just had to.

And now, she did. Thanks to Natsu. Somehow, he'd known that she needed that tiny tidbit of information. Somehow, he'd known to tell her the one single thing that would make her feel better.

"Orange?" Lucy asked, tone serious.

"Yeah—you said orange was your favorite color." He paused, thinking of what more he could add, what more information on this topic he could throw in there. It seemed to capture her attention, seemed to ignite the spark in her eyes, and he didn't want to let the moment slip. "Sunset orange. You said it made you feel at home."

It struck home with her. Sunset orange. Of course it was her favorite color—how could it not be? Now that he'd said it, it only made more sense. It was fact, in her mind. It resonated with her soul.

She knew her favorite color, deep in her heart.

And suddenly, the possibility of remembering herself didn't seem so far off.

Lucy mashed her lips together in a straight line, trying to contain the smile that threatened to spill onto her lips. She looked up at Natsu, eyes bright. "Thank you."

"Uh, sure..."

She continued walking, pausing just long enough for Natsu to catch up to her. "You sure seem to know a lot about me."

"Well," Natsu murmured, struggling to find the right words for a moment. "You're my best friend. I know everything about you."

"We're best friends?"

He nodded back at her. "Yeah."

"Well...then I'm sorry I forgot you."

Natsu gave her a smile, trying to mask the pain that flickered into his eyes, but Lucy saw through it.

"Me too."

He lead her down a couple more streets before pulling to a stop in front of an apartment building; he explained that this was where she lived, on the second floor.

"Can we go in?" Lucy pressed, excited at the idea of seeing her house. After all, you learn the most about a person by observing their home; she'd learn a lot about herself by seeing how she decorated, what personal objects she kept.

So he lead her up and opened up the doors, and she stepped in, taking the entire place in. She ran her hand over the surface of her writing desk and she filed through a bit of her writing prompts; she touched the fabric of the curtains and the table runner. She looked at everything—the paint colors, the bedding, the organized bathroom cupboard—and found that everything made perfect sense.

Perhaps, deep down, part of her knew exactly who she was—it just needed to have its memory jogged.

She wasn't cured—she was nowhere near remembering anything—but at least now, she had an idea of who the hell she was.

And it was all thanks to Natsu.