AN UPDATE SO SOON?!

Yeah, yeah I know :) Alright this chapter, will be telling you of course, Lucy + Natsu and also Horito and his situation back in the castle. And honestly, I was really excited to write this chapter cause it's the first time I've ever done it from Horito's perspective! Alright so I've decided to change my format a bit since I'm also adding some snip bits of Horito.

So please enjoy, and without further delay, Chapter 7 of Resurrected Love!

Previously on Resurrected Love

She could see the small cliff coming closer to them.

They had to stop tumbling before-

The rocks below them were gone, and time slowed once more. Then suddenly she realized, she couldn't swim.

Never did anyone taught her how to swim. She knew how to ride horses, tend to the flowers, play some sports that didn't require any running. But never swimming.

Lucy's arms that were wrapped around Natsu tightened, scared for her life as she had never been outside of her castle in such harsh conditions. Then something seemed to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry."

His arms tightened around her, making her feel a bit safer. He shifted around so that he would take the impact of the water. Natsu was determined that this decision that they had made together, won't be regretted by either of them. They will get out of this alive, and survive. After all, he had promised.

Cold water engulfed them the next second.

All she could see was the color of pure darkness. Her fingers and toes tingled with the uncomfortable sensation of a thousand little thread needles piercing through her skin. She could also feel the ache in her muscles, along with the throbbing in her head that was constant like the beat of drums. It was unbearably cold, and soon she couldn't take it anymore. She tried moving her head but her neck felt stiff, groaning, she tried to pry her eyes open but it took all the strength that she had left to do so.

The first thing she noticed was the unusual wooden ceiling, with a blanket neatly tucked around her, keeping her as warm as possible. Though despite the effort, she felt like she was out naked in the cold. Why was she here though? What exactly happened? Forcing herself to turn her head to the side, she saw a fire pit in the middle, with soup brewing on top.

Then she saw Natsu's limp figure on the other side.

"Natsu…" She croaked, and then someone else was blocking her view. Looking up, it seemed to be a little girl much younger than her, with navy blue hair in two ponytails.

"Please, try not to move." The girl gently inquired, setting down a bowl of steaming soup. "You both have been unconscious for two days."

Lucy couldn't find the strength to do much anyway.

"How… is he?" She finally managed to say, wishing that whoever was in front of her would shift a bit so she could see Natsu's condition.

The girl stayed silent for a while, with only the soft clangs of the spoon stirring the soup filling the quiet cabin. "He was in critical condition," The girl began. "If he was treated any later, he would have an infection on his back. Though he should be fine for now. "

Lucy's breathing hitched, "Is the arrowhead out of his back?" The blonde was already feeling much better, but her insides still felt like a mess.

"Yes." The girl simply answered, surprising Lucy a bit. This girl couldn't be any older than 12, and yet she already managed to take out an arrowhead behind someone's back? Still unable to calm down until she sees Natsu for herself, she starts sitting up, only to be stopped by the blue haired girl.

"Please." Lucy begged, "I need to see him."

"… You're still really weak. I don't think it's best for you to get up until at least, after you've drank this bowl of soup."

Despite Lucy wanting to check on Natsu, the girl was right. Lucy was already getting back her senses and feel, but she was still slightly shivering. Reluctantly, Lucy took the bowl of soup. "Thank you."

"My name's Wendy, how about you?" She asked, standing up and going towards Natsu to tend to his injuries.

The blonde managed to get a glimpse of Natsu. He didn't have his shirt on anymore, and the bandages were neatly wrapped around his left shoulder. His pink hair seemed ruffled and his features looked a bit paler than usual. "My name's Lucy. And I know I've said this before, but thank you."

Wendy turned over her shoulder to give a small smile, "It was really nothing. Though it's really Natsu-san who you should be thanking."

Lucy placed down the bowl of soup, now nearly gone, and asked, "You know his name?"

Wendy nodded, "He came up to me while I was picking up herbs, you were unconscious in his arms, and when I saw what state both of you were in I couldn't say no. Both of you were badly injured, and it seemed like Natsu-san was really tired, because he fell asleep the moment he knew you were going to be okay."

Her heart fluttered, feeling warm inside and grateful for Natsu looking out for her, she took off the blanket and tried standing up.

"Lucy-san! You have to stay down, you've only just woken up." Wendy came scrambling towards the blonde who tried wobbling over. The princess shook her head, stubborn. Finally, when she managed to sit beside Natsu, she placed the blanket over him and tucked it in.

"I only had one blanket since I live alone… and he said you needed it more than him." The girl inquired, silently sitting beside Lucy. A moment of silence passed between them before Wendy said, "Natsu-san told me you guys had run away from the royals."

Lucy stiffened.

"That's a pretty long swim for him, you know? This is unmarked territory." Wendy went back over to grab Lucy's nearly finished bowl of soup. "He was really worried about you, since he said that your heart was beating slower than average. He really cares for you." She chimed, as she filled the bowl once more.

The blonde stayed silent, watching Natsu as her mind played a video of what had happened when Natsu pulled them both out of the water.

Later, Lucy learned that the unmarked territory that they were at right now was the Lerabor Forest, which was between the Heartfilia Land and the Rular Ocean. Wendy, was apparently living by herself out in the woods, who collected herbs for travelers who happened to pass by. She didn't remember much of her past, though she knew that she was happy with where she was now, helping the few people who passed by her cabin. It turns out though, she wasn't good at hunting, therefor nearly drinking soup everyday. Lucy immediately felt sorry for the girl, and as much as she wanted to help, Lucy didn't know how to hunt.

If she was thrown into the wilderness all by herself, she'd be a goner within the next 48 hours.

"Where did you learn to use which herb on specific injuries?" It was asked out of pure curiosity, since the girl lived in solitude.

"My mother taught me which herb for which injury, before she passed away."

The similarity between Lucy and Wendy grew, yet despite the fact, Lucy couldn't find any words of comfort, because there was none for the ones who have lost someone dear to them. Before the blonde opened her mouth to say something, Natsu stirred beside them, groaning.

"Natsu!"

"Ugh… L-Lucy?" He squeezed his eyes before slowly cracking them open. "Man, I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually feel kind of cold." Slowly, he propped himself up, his face scrunching up in effort. Finally he managed to sit upright, hunched forward he scratched his head. "Hey, have you seen my scarf?"

Lucy could cry with relief, and without thinking twice she went over and embraced him tightly. Natsu grimaced, before giving a nervous chuckle and returning the hug with only one of his hand. "Lucy, it still stings."

"Oh! Sorry.." Quickly, she released him.

"How're you feeling, Luce?" He asked, already have found his scarf and tying it loosely around his neck.

"I feel much better, thanks to you and Wendy." She smiled over to the little girl, who blushed and looked away. "I-I'll go get some more herbs. It's best for you two to not stand up and go out while I'm gone." Wendy instructed, before going over to grab her basket, and leaving the two alone.

"… Thank you, Natsu."

He didn't reply, except he scratched the bridge of his nose. "There's no need."

She could feel tears stinging the corners of her eyes, as both of her hands took a handful of her own nightgown. They both had nearly died! And all she thought of back there was the fact that she couldn't swim, and that she was utterly helpless in water. "I was pretty useless back there… If it weren't for you to have swam such long distances, and pulled both of us out then walk maybe miles before you came across Wendy.. we'd both be-"

"Lucy."

She didn't realize that she had been crying until he was wiping her tears away, "I would do all of those things again in a heartbeat, if it would mean to keep you safe."

Lucy sniffed, "But if I'd been stronger, maybe you wouldn't-"

"Hey, hey look at me." He lifted her chin, and his eyes held hers, strong yet gentle was all that she could describe it. Her heart fluttered, and her hands tightened. "You couldn't have done anything, and besides, weren't we both ready for those kinds of situations? I mean as long as we're alive and have our things-"

"Natsu, we lost the bag somewhere along the way." She quietly whispered.

"O-oh. Well that doesn't matter!" Natsu laughed, his hands suddenly behind his head, "We'll come up with something along the way." He calmed down and his lips twitched into a small smile, "Besides, it's not like we had any food in there." Then his eyes came across the fireplace. "As a matter of fact…"

XOXOX

It's been 5 days since Natsu woke up, and his recovery was surprisingly fast, though Wendy was still tending to his injuries every single time he brought back some meat he hunted for the day.

Not to forget that he ate fire really astonished Lucy, but, comparing to the situation when he'd been revived from the dead? It wasn't much. Besides, she might as well call this a side-effect from coming back to life until Natsu laughed his head off.

"I eat fire because I'm a fire dragon slayer." He continued, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world as tears were forming in his eyes, "Man you actually sound more pathetic than you think!"

"Wow, gee, thanks Natsu." She mumbled, embarrassed with herself.

"And actually it's really good, want to try some?" He handed over a small ball of fire after calming down, and the blonde only sweat dropped. "No thanks, I'll stick with the… boar."

Wendy had been throwing sticks into the fireplace right outside of her cabin, silently watching the fire dance at night. She hadn't spoken much ever since she came back from herb picking the other day, and it worried Lucy. The girl had been alone her whole entire life, with maybe a bit of knowledge with her mother who soon passed away.

The princess eyed the little girl, before standing up and crouching next to Wendy. "Hey, you alright?" The girl only nodded, throwing in another stick.

"Is there something bothering you?"

"To be honest, yes." The straightforward answer slightly disturbed Lucy. "It's been a few days since I've sensed them but…" Wendy seemed to look a bit guilty, "Remember that you said you were Lucy Heartfilia, and that Natsu-san was a fire dragon slayer mage?" The blonde nodded.

"Well, I've sensed the royal army walking around this area for the past 2 days. And they're getting nearer here." Wendy looked down, drawing circles in the dirt with the stick she was holding.

Lucy glanced up to see Natsu, who was narrowing his eyes at the little girl.

Suddenly, Lucy's stomach filled with dread, "Did you…" She gulped, "Tell them where we were?"

It hadn't even been a week, and now someone would sell them out, and Lucy would be forced to go back to her father and Horito, and Natsu would be sentenced to death. What would she do then if Wendy had told them? She can't blame the girl, Lucy was sure that whoever found her was probably going to earn millions of jewels. But if the girl sold them out… Lucy couldn't help but feel a bit… betrayed.

"No! No! Never. I would never do that!" The little girl panicked, raising her hand and shaking her head. "My mother taught me better."

Suddenly Luce felt guilty.

Natsu's stiff posture seemed to sack a bit with relief, and she could tell by the dancing flame's light that Natsu's eyes had gone soft. "What is it, Wendy?" He softly inquired.

"You guys should probably leave, before they come any closer." Wendy's head hung, "I didn't tell you guys mainly because… I.." Sniffling was heard and Wendy's hands shot up to her face to wipe away her tears. "I'm just scared to be all alone here, and I don't have enough money to move into the nearest kingdom and I'm too young to get a job. And besides, I can't show my identity to anyone otherwise I'll get killed!"

Natsu sat straighter, his head slightly inclined, "What do you mean your identity?" Wendy stiffened, before more tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm a mage, Natsu-san. And I'm scared for my life.."

Unable to bear the girl's crumpling figure, Lucy reached out and pulled Wendy into a tight hug, patting her head as she hushed.

Natsu only watched, with a grim expression on his face. Wendy was much younger than anyone he's met, yet she's scared for her life because of some stupid ruling. He tightened his fists, having already made the decision, "Why don't you come with us?"

Wendy's sniffling stopped, before gently pulling away from Lucy and staring straight at Natsu, "C-Can I?" Then she looked at Lucy with wide eyes.

Lucy's insides warmed when Natsu's lips curved into a small smile, "Of course. You are now our friend, and friends help each other out, right?"

The blue haired girl sniffed, before giving a determined nod. "Yeah!"

"So how far away were they, you say?" He returned to eating the fire, before hungrily eyeing the boar which was still roasting above the flames.

"I haven't checked yesterday," The girl pushed back her hair behind her ear, "But I could sense them about 20 miles out west." Lucy's eyebrows shot up, as she eyed the little girl who could sense people that far away. Was that possible? But then again, Wendy did say that she was a mage. What kind of magic does she have then?

"I could smell them that day because the wind was blowing our direction, and they had a huge group of people." She wrinkled her nose, "So it carried their scent."

Natsu nodded, before plopping another ball of fire into his mouth. "Then we should get going now."

"What?" Lucy squeaked, "It's dark though, and who knows what kind of animal is out there! It's too dangerous!"

"But if we don't move now they'll find us by daylight." He replied between chews.

Lucy sighed, defeated. He did have a point.

"I'll go pack right away." Wendy exclaimed, a smile beaming on her face.

"Natsu." Lucy whispered once the blue haired mage went inside to pack her things.

"Hm?"

"Do you know what kind of mage she is? Like can you sense what type?"

He simply shrugged, standing up and stretched his hands towards the sky, "It doesnt work that way. We won't know until she uses her magic powers. But she's on our side, I believe her."

"No I didn't say I had my doubts, I was just curious. I read somewhere in my books that there were many different types of magic, like Caster Magic, Holder Magic, and then comes Ancient Spells. Which seems what your type of magic is, Natsu. Something about being the chosen one for the dragons."

"Where did you read that?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

Lucy shrugged, "I did my research in the library."

He laughed, "Bookworm…"

"What?"

"Hm, nothing." Natsu chuckled again, before grabbing the spare bag Wendy had given him not long ago. "Wendy sure is taking her time." He threw the bag towards Lucy who successfully caught it. "Hey, Wendy!"

Crunch.

Lucy stiffened as a low growl erupted somewhere near them in the darkness, her heart beating against her ribcage. She looked up to meet Natsu's gaze, and he slowly shook his head as if to tell her to not move. The growling continued, and she could hear the beast move closer and closer. From what Lucy could tell, it was from Natsu's direction. She wanted to scream for him to move, but his eyes held hers, and she held in her breath.

Natsu could tell it was from behind him, and it was moving steadily closer. His urge to use his magic seemed to rise after every second, but if he were to use it now it would not only cause the probability of a forest fire, but it would also alert the soldiers that shouldn't be too far off from where they were. He watched Lucy's expression turn into pure horror, as the color of her face drained away. Her eyes were pleading him to move, but if he were to make any sudden moves then the animal will for sure take it up as a fight.

His eyes drifted towards the roasting boar, and Lucy's eyes followed. Honestly, she wanted to face palm for being so careless. They should've eaten it before any other animal could smell it.

Then the growling came to a stop, leaving only the sounds of quiet crickets chirping, but Natsu could still sense the animal somewhere near them.

"Natsu! Sorry I took so lo-" It was Wendy, coming out without knowing.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed when suddenly the bushes behind him rustled and the growl turned into a ferocious snarl. He turned around ready for the impact as it slammed against him. With a grunt he slid across the floor, holding the animal away from his face as far as possible.

It was a leopard.

Wendy panicked, unable to process what had just happened, as she stood frozen to the ground.

"Natsu, use your magic!" The blonde yelled desperately, as she watched him throw the leopard across from his body.

Scrambling up he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, grinning like a child, "Nah. It's more fun without it."

Finally Wendy snapped out of her confusion and ran towards Lucy, feeling incredibly guilty for what she had done. If she had come out silently, then maybe the panther would've left them alone.

"Lucy-san, I'm sorry I didn't know-"

"It's alright Wendy, we'll just have to figure out a way to get the panther away from us." She pointed to the roasting boar, "Leopards don't usually attack people, so it's probably desperate for food. Maybe, if we could..."

"God, just run!" Natsu yelled, dashing in-between them.

"Huh?"

Wendy watched wide-eyed as Natsu's figure seemed to grow smaller by the moment, then snapping out of her daze she started running for Natsu, "Come on, Lucy-san!"

The blonde sweat dropped, but with the still snarling leopard behind her she let out a small surprised scream before following her friends, "Hold up guys! Wait for me!"

"Prince Horito, we've searched everywhere in the kingdom, but Princess Heartfilia and a pink haired male is no where to be found!" The soldier reported.

"Then look harder, damn it!" The purple haired slammed his fists on the desk in the library. "I want the whole territory searched thoroughly, and if she's still not found, I want you to search again!"

"Y-Yes sir!" The soldier then marched away, closing the door behind him.

Horito sighed, sitting back down in his chair, rubbing his hand across his face. Where could she be? She had missed their wedding, and then suddenly to be announced kidnapped in front of the whole kingdom who attended. Now the whole place is in panic, and the king hasn't come out from his room since.

The prince had already looked around the library, hoping to find some clues to where Lucy could've gone. He found nothing, except a very disturbing picture of her, Natsu and himself back a year ago, which is now in the fireplace, burning. Had it only been a coincidence that Natsu and Lucy's kidnapper had pink hair? Yes, of course. It had to be.

Natsu was dead, killed by none other than himself. He had pulled the trigger twice to check if the mage was dead, there was no possible way of him surviving.

Anguish swelled inside of him at the thought of Natsu with Lucy. He had seen the sparkle in the blonde's eyes whenever Natsu walked in, the way she laughed when she was around Natsu, the way how she twirled her hair sometimes out of shyness and the way how her eyes held longing when Natsu left, and the most disturbing sight of all was the way Natsu, himself, looked at Lucy.

Natsu had that gentle smile, and his eyes would soften whenever Lucy would talk about the stories she had recently read. The way how he kissed the back of her hand in front of Horito, seemingly to make a point.

They were like a movie couple, only it disgusted Horito.

And the moment Lucy had said no to Horito's confession, jealousy had taken over him.

The good times were burnt just like the picture of them three, he was the one to blame. All of it. Lucy's tears, Natsu's tears, and his own despair.

Not wanting to relish into anymore of the past, Horito stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Get Ikizuo, and Guren." He demanded to Korin who happened to walk by, carrying a tray of tea for the king. "Tell them we're heading out."

The butler was taken by surprise, and before he could ask why, Horito was already out of earshot.

He will take action if those ignorant soldiers can't find Lucy. The prince narrowed his eyes in anger, fists clenched, while striding tall down the hallway.

If the king cannot take command, then it only falls upon Horito to take over. People will be expecting a lot from him, and he wished he could show his emotions for how he felt. Panicked, angry, betrayed, and dejected. He was never really good at showing his feelings, anyway, always taking the wrong course of action whenever it comes to his emotion. But his anger gets the best out of him, and it was because of his intolerance that he hurt Lucy in the most despicable way possible.

Horito clenched his teeth.

There he goes again, thinking about the past.

But first thing comes first, and Lucy is the top of his priority list.

He will find Lucy Heartfilia.

He will find her, and marry her even if she despised him most.