Lucy's POV
Sighing into the earpiece, I turned it on, alerting all of the others. It was about ten minutes in, and none of us could even smell the dark lord. However, I had realized that we didn't need to, and was now about to tell the others about it.

"What is it, Blondie?" A grumpy voice came in, and I giggled.

"OI! YOU BASTARDS LAEFT ME HERE!" Natsu then roared, who I assumed had finally figured out how to use the earpiece. I cringed at his volume, my heightened senses killing me.

"Keep it down, will you!" Gajeel snapped, and I silently thanked him, because Natsu went quiet on the other end.

"Anyways, I kinda forgot to tell you that I kinda have a way to kinda get us where we need to go without the struggle… So, don't freak out if you happen to look up and see Acnologia!" I said the last part in a rush, and I could feel Wendy's stare bore into my back as I took out the said dragon's key. Standing up, which was risky since we were riding on a dragon and about a thousand miles from the ground, I did my best to keep my balance.

"I summon thee, King of Reborn Souls, Acnologia!" The dragon appeared, and Grandine disappeared while Wendy and I hopped over onto the other dragon.

"Yo, Acnologia, you have this sort of link thangamabob with Zeref, right? In that case, do you think that you can take my friends and I there?" I asked politely, hoping to get a yes from the tired dragon. He muttered profanities under his breath, and immediately took that as an okay. Giving a last minute warning to Wendy, I began teleporting to the others to bring them back with me, and left the shivering girl alone on the great beast.

Wendy's POV
I called out for Lucy a second too late as she disappeared with a poof! I looked at the almighty dragon, the same beast that had condemned us all to a horrible fate the day of that S class exam. Acnologia… I shivered in fear. How was Lucy able to capture this great dragon? How was she able to conquer any dragon at all? Once again, I shivered, but was startled when I heard a low, unfamiliar, and grumpy voice speak.

"Stop shivering Shrimp, it's annoying." The dragon spoke, yet it held some sort of feeling behind it… Kindness? Definitely not. Concern? Nope, that wasn't it, either… Nostalgia? Wendy shook her head, and stopped shivering. Maybe she would be able to trust the dragon a little more. That is, of course, if Lucy had been able to tame him.

Lucy's POV
I wiped off a little sweat off of my forehead. I had to travel through the celestial world to teleport, and because of the time lapse, I had to be quick. Also, not to mention the fact that I had to make 6 trips in total. I had finally picked up Natsu, and now, it was time for the sixth trip back to Acnologia, who had, quite considerately, slowed down for the sake of my magic. Smiling to myself, I summoned up my magical energy, and before we knew it, we were all on the back of the dragon. I heard Acnologia groan over the amazed exclamations of the others, and crawled up to his neck.

"Hehe, sorry, is this too heavy for you?" I asked out of concern.

"No, it's just that I have more imbeciles to deal with." He answered bluntly, once again letting a groan escape his lips. I grinned, and looked over my shoulder at the others. They were all staring at the electric blue scale patterns with interest, and I immediately went to the thought that they've never ridden a dragon before. I almost acted shocked before I snapped back to reality. Rolling my eyes, I wondered if I was officially nuts. Of course they've never ridden a dragon before… I slowly closed my eyes, and laid down on my back, wanting to get some sleep in. It was already evening, and we would most likely be using lots of magic early in the morning. Shooting one last glance towards the now bickering bunch, which had now, surprisingly, included Wendy, I shot them one, last unnoticeable smile, and let my mind drift into the space of sleep.

Natsu's POV
I heard Lucy's breathing become even as she closed her eyes, and I glanced her way. Golden hair splayed over black and electric blue scales. A fragile, girlish body, yet holding so much power. Relaxed expression, with clenched fists. She had become very interesting. But, no matter how much she changed, she is, and will always be the same old Luce that I know. My eyes then trailed down to the dragon that I was seated upon. Good to know that dragons didn't count as vehicles. I had never ridden a dragon before, and to be honest, it felt great; the way the wind flowed through my hair, the exhilarating thrill of being beyond even the clouds themselves. I guess that the sky wasn't the limit, after all. I grinned mischievously, already scheming something in my head.

Lucy's POV

I yawned, and looked around as my eyes fluttered open. I tried to get up, but felt something weighing me down. Looking at my body, I found two muscular arms wrapped around my waist, and my eyes followed them to their owner, Natsu Dragneel. I had gotten used to him sleeping with me like this, and with the wind going strong, I appreciated his warmth, and turned around to face him. He looked so peaceful while he was asleep… he looked kind of cute. Blushing at this thought, I gingerly took a lock of his hair, twirling it around in my fingers as I stared at his face. He was wearing a soft smile, and I could just imagine how his onyx eyes would sparkle whenever he got excited, along with that boyish grin of his… I smiled to myself, but failed to notice that my face had gotten considerably closer. Our lips were an inch apart.

Without thinking, I moved forward, and softly pressed my lips against his. It lasted for only a second, but I felt like it was the perfect first kiss.. first kiss.. first kiss…

FIRST KISS?!
Jerking my head back, I stared at him once again, wide eyed. I slapped myself, wanting to wake up from this crazy dream. I'm NOT a pervert! I didn't wake up, though, and sighed. At least, he wouldn' know about this, right? Looking away, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, hiding my flushed expression from the world. Thankfully, I was able to drift into sleep again, being able to escape this crazy reality, if not only for a few hours.

Natsu's POV

I woke up to Lucy nuzzling into my neck. To say that I was shocked was an understatement. Luce was always the one who woke up first. But now, here I was, staring at Lucy's sleeping face like some creep. I couldn't help the grin that slowly creeped onto my face, and I studied her content features. Was it true, what Igneel had said?
FLASHBACK
"I know that i haven't been able to tell you much about it, but she's your mate. You should know what that means by now, and if you don't, you'll have to find out by yourself. I can't help young love." The dragon grinned, and I stared on, confused.

"Mate…?" With that one, unanswered question, Igneel disappeared, leaving me alone to ponder what he meant. I remembered him telling me something about a mate, like how you were supre protective or something like that…

Sitting down, I messed up my hair with both hands, giving up. Lying down on my back, I closed my eyes. Man, I was tired. Mate, huh? I guess I wouldn't mind strawberries and vanilla…

FLASHBACK END
Leaning in, I planted my lips on hers before jerking back when I felt her stir. I smiled even wider. Igneel told me to do this to the one you 'love'. I was guessing that love was when you were overprotective of someone, and when you always wanted to stick by them. Well, that's how I felt around Lucy, anyways.

"First kiss…"

Lucy's POV

When I felt him pull back, I fought hard to keep back the threatening blush which was willing itself to escape.

"Second kiss…"

Natsu's POV
When I woke up again, Lucy was gone, but everyone else seemed to still be sleeping, based on what I was hearing. Getting up, I looked at the sky. IT was still dark, but I saw a little light peeking over some clouds. My eyes scanning over the area of the dragon, I then realized that there was another dragon present, and this one happened to be someone I've never heard of before.

Lucy's POV

I sat on Chronis', the dragon of time, back, watching as the sky rolled past. Everyone else stayed on Acnologia, and I was beginning to regret waking up so early. It wasn't even dawn, for Mavis' sake, yet here I was, deciding to all of a sudden go cloud watching. Running my hand through my blonde locks, I absentmindedly stroked Chronis' crème scales, and my gaze dropped down to the other dragon. Whispering, I asked Acnologia a question.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Who do you think I am, child?"

"A magical being that can run out of magical energy"

"Hah, don't underestimate me."

I smiled at the dragon, only to notice that Natsu had woken up, and was staring at me. Motioning for him to join me, he carefully jumped over, meeting me with a questioning gaze, but he didn't say anything.

"You're up early." I remarked, but Natsu quietly scoffed.

"You're one to talk, you know?" He replied, watching as a part of the sun revealed itself.

"Yeah, whatever…" I looked to the side at him, watching his profile, but looked away and blushed when I remembered what I did.

"I can't believe I kissed him in his sleep… Am I pervert?" unknowingly, I whispered my thoughts aloud, and this seemed to spark something within the other dragon slayer. He covered his mouth with his hand, but I swore I saw a small smirk play on his lips when he removed his hand. Ignoring it, I reached into the little backpack that I was wearing, and pulled out two granola bars. Taking one for myself, I lit the other one on fire, and tossed it to Natsu before I could get burned, and, as usual, he inhaled the thing without chewing it. I unwrapped mine carefully, and took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully. Swallowing, I turned to him once again

"So, how are we going to do this?"

Natsu smirked.

Acnologia's POV

It's been a day since I've been summoned, but Lucy insisted that I take a break. And so, here I was, in the spirit world while all the dragons basically judged me with their eyes.

"What?" I spat out, annoyed, but only received more stares.

"Tch." Igneel looked away, and I raised a questioning brow at him, seeing that he was quiet today.

Mizuki pouted, and looked at me with his ocean blue eyes. We were all in our human forms, to prevent chaos from ensuing in the spirit world.

"Princess has kept your gate our longer than any of us." Mizuki explained, smoothing his raven hair with his hand. Rolling my eyes, I groaned as I watched the humans through a window between the worlds.

"Whatever." I said, not thinking about the true meaning behind the words.

"She's gotten stronger." I heard Igneel say, almost thoughtfully, and I did a double take. Before I could question them, I got the answer myself. I was the strongest of the Reborn Souls, and she's been able to keep me out for a little more than a day without a hassle. I stopped myself from gaping as I turned back to the window, now watching the blonde mage talk to someone else with interest. I momentarily smirked, and mentally noted this. Impressive…

Lucy's POV

The sun was up now, but it was still pretty early, around & o clock, I would estimate. I had been talking for hours on end with Natsu about random things. Smiling, I leaned my head back, letting out a soft yawn. I missed talking to him like this. H always managed to cheer me up somehow.

"Hey Luce, how do you think I'll be able to beat Zeref's butt?" Natsu asked, grinning, his fists aflame. We landed on an island, but now I was concerned that Natsu was going to end up burning down everything. I just ignored it, though, and watched as the sun rose higher.

"It's a team effort, remember?" I asked, rolling my eyes a bit at his antics.

"Yeah, whatever. You're my only partner on this team anyway, but I guess I can handle Wendy." He replied, glancing at the said mage thoughtfully. I looked at my toes as my legs were stretched out in front of me, and felt the blush creep onto my cheeks.

I formed some ice, and quickly pressed it against my face, wanting to cool myself down.

"By the way Luce, when did you get so strong?" he asked, oblivious, and my eyes turned downcast for a moment before I regained my composure.

"When you went on that really long mission. I had trained for 3 months, but time was frozen, so in reality, I trained for a couple of years. I also met some new people…" I looked to the side, not feeling comfortable with topic anymore, seeing as it brought back bad memories. Natsu also seemed to feel the same way, because he all of a sudden went quiet.
"I should go get some food. Stay here and watch the camp." I suggested, and got up, leaving Natsu without looking back. When I heard nothing in response, I ducked behind the nearest tree once I was sure he couldn't see me. I held my chest, and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath.

"It's fine, it's fine. It's fine if you love him, it's fine if he doesn't love you back." My voice hitched at the last part, and I looked down in defeat. I started to walk again, occasionally picking berries and vegetables as I went along, making sure that they were edible. Of course, I could create a vegetarian meal with my elemental card magic, but the dragon slayers would obviously want meat. I shuddered, knowing that I hadn't thought this through. I stiffened even more once I saw a deer hop into the clearing I was in, staring at me in interest. I choked back a sob.

Slowly, I raised my finger at the animal, forming a gun like shape. The deer didn't move, and continued to stare at me. I felt energy form at my fingertip, and it started to glow subtly, but not enough to alert it. My breathing was ragged as I realized what I was about to do. I slowly closed my eyes as I did before, but this time, I wasn't able to breathe, and was intaking sharp breaths, not helping my anxiety much. The deer started to circle me, prancing around as if in a dance of sorts. Then, I stopped directly in front of me, and with my other hand, I stroked its head. It was so soft, so fragile, so helpless. Immediately, I pulled my hand back, shaking my head. Touching Virgo's key, I mentally told her to prepare a meal. I looked at the deer sadly. I was able to kill Aleci, though sadly, but now, I was back to my old self. Natsu gave me a soft spot in my hear, I suppose…

I stroked its head once again, softly smiling this time.

"I guess I'm still weak in some ways." I whispered to myself.

TIME SKIP
I sat down cross legged, bored. It was probably eight in the morning, and I had returned to see Natsu dead asleep again. I eyed everyone wearily, wondering how they could sleep so much. Playing with my now loose hair, I eyed the ground. I was being awfully counterproductive. Standing up with newfound vigor in my step, I brushed two of my keys, and Loke and Capricorn appeared before me.

Seeing that everyone was asleep, I quickly teleported us elsewhere, and Loke pounced on me while Capricorn bowed.

"Lucy~! You haven't called me out in ages!" the lion whined, and I giggled, returning the hug in a rare occasion.

"Didn't you say that last time?" I pointed out, and he stuck his bottom lip out in denial. I looked to Capricorn with a nod, and he returned the gesture.

"So, care to help me with some hand to hand combat?" They smirked.

Natsu's POV
I woke up to someone shaking me awake, only to see that I wasn't being shaken, but rather smashed into the ground by a very annoyed Gajeel. Glaring up at him, I held back the urge to punch him.

"Finally, the idiot's awake!" He yelled to Laxus, who nodded whle rubbing his eyes sleepily. Wendy yawned, and I mimicked her. Looking around, I realized that Lucy wasn't here.

"Where's Lucy?" I asked, confused, concern lacing my voice.

"I don't know, we just woke up and she was gone. I smell her, though, so she's nearby. Let's go get her so she can get that fat ass dragon up and going." Laxus replied, while I saw Wendy cover her ears, probably expecting the foul language from him. I smirked, and Laxus looked un-phased while Gajeel was plain amused. Jumping up to my feet, we followed her all too familiar scent to a clearing, where we saw her, jumping all over the place. We heard two other voices, and I immediately recognized them as her spirits. The others did, too, and we watched with curiosity. They were punching, kicking, and using any means necessary to try and land a hit on her, but she was dodging all of the attacks with ease.

She held her hands out in front of her, and seemingly grinned before forming an orb of magic.

"HOLY JUDGEMENT!" She yelled, and a bright, white beam shot out of her hands, forcing the two spirits back into their world, but not before they could give her a nod of approval. Once she was done, she started to heal the destroyed plants, and then stretched out.

She seemed to spot us, because she smiled and waved.

"Hey guys, ready to go for another round today?" She asked cheerfully, and we stood in a line, all of us either grinning or smirking.

"You know it, Blondie."

"Gihi"

"Let's do this!"

"I'm all fired up!"

She laughed at our responses, and pulled out her key in one swift motion, summoning the great dragon, the same dragon that almost killed us, yet is working with us, now.

"What are you waiting for?" She looked at us expectantly as she climbed onto its back, still smiling, yet I spotted a sense of excitement in her gleaming eyes.

"The adventure continues!"

I'm sorry for not updating. As i said before, i had a severe injury on my finger, in which I'm pretty sure my nail's going to fall off and I'll to take an x-ray, and on top of that, i just got sick. Not to mention, Friday was my birthday, that week i had testing, and on Saturday i had full day lessons while on Sunday i went to mu Uncle's to celebrate Easter. Anyways, I'm super sorry, I'll try to keep up with my schedule. Thank you for being so patient with me.