Nozomi POV

Lights are flashing in my eyes and I awake to something cold on my cheek and loud in my ears. I open my eyes to see myself lying face down on the ground. Everything comes back to me. Walking the streets with Natsu and Lucy, the drunken lads, the fight, the pain in my back. I feel around to my back and feel nothing physical there. I must have been knocked out by magic! I look around to see Lucy and Natsu lying unconscious on the ground! Oh no! This could not be happening! I promised Natsu I would protect him and I couldn't do that! I try to shake Natsu awake who suddenly stirs. He snaps his eyes open and looks around to see me. I instantly feel relief.

"Natsu. Are you okay?" I ask. He nods his head and turns to look in Lucy's direction. His eyes open wider.

"Lucy!" He shouts going over to her. He tries to shake her awake and slowly she stirs.

"What happened?" She asks groggily. "All I remember is Nozomi passing out and being held captive by that weirdo"

"That weird guy made you pass out too. I battled the two other guys and knocked them out and when you were knocked out Lucy, I battled the other guy and I passed out too." Natsu explained.

"Did you win?" I asked. I looked around to still see two of the three people knocked out on the floor.

"Where is the third?"

Natsu shakes his head. "I don't remember. I just remember you two passing out, I knocked out those two guys then I passed out too battling the one that was left."

"I'm so sorry! I should have been able to defend you both! Otherwise this wouldn't have happened!" I say with tears running down my face. I shoot my face upwards as I feel Natsu's hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay Nozomi. There was nothing you could do. We are all okay now."

I nod. "Okay. Let's get these two people to the police and collect our money and go home!"

We all nod and make our way to the police station to collect our rewards. They were so happy that they actually doubled the reward money for us! We kept from them that there were three people and one of them ran away however. We didn't want to stay here any longer than we needed to. We all really missed home. We went back to the hotel and told Erza and Gray what had happened and we went on our way home within the hour!

When we arrived back, I never realised how nice it was to come back! For years I had been coming and going in and out of hotels travelling looking for Natsu and now I have somewhere that I can actually call home. I already decided that I would need to have my own place once I get enough money. I had already told Natsu that once we were back I would look for somewhere to stay. It's not that I loved living with Natsu, it was the mess that I can't handle. It is just too much for someone who is a clean freak like I am. It's definitely something he must have picked up from growing up with Igneel.

"But Nozomi!" Natsu pleads for the hundredth time today since this morning. We haven't even left the house yet and he is getting on my nerves! I grab his face in two hands to once again put the point across to him.

"Look" I say looking him straight in the eye while we are nose to nose. "I have to move out. It's not that I don't want to live with you it's the fact that I need my own space. I'm used to living by myself and I like it like that."

Natsu just looks back at me quite defeated. Clearly he still doesn't like the idea.

"Are you moving far?"

I laugh. "I'm still going to be in Magnolia if that's what you mean. I found somewhere near Lucy so I won't be far from somebody from the guild if that makes you feel better."

He nods. I thought I would take the opportunity while I had it. "While I'm on the subject of Lucy… you two seemed very close on the way home from our last mission. I know that you lean your head on her lap when you are feeling your motion sickness but after that on the way home, you two were very…close. Is there something going on between you two?"

Natsu just looked back at me confused. "What? What you do you mean?"

"What do you think of Lucy? Is there something going on between you two?"

Again he just looks confused. "Lucy is my nakama. I don't know what you mean by 'something going on between us'"

I just shake my head in defeat. "Never mind. Come on let's go to the guild."

Once I reach the guild, Natsu goes to get us a couple of beers while I sit down next to Gray and flump my head on the table in defeat.

"What's wrong Nozomi?" Gray asks

I sigh. "Have you ever had a conversation with someone but it just goes in one ear and out the other?"

"You've been trying to have a conversation with Natsu haven't you?" Gray asks. I nod. "What about?"
I look at him hoping that he is not listening in. The last time I tried to have a private conversation with someone about Natsu he overheard everything. Damn his dragon slayer hearing!

I take a deep breath in. "About…. His relationship with Lucy"

Gray just laughs "Believe me we've all been wondering that same thing for years. Ever since Lucy came back with Natsu to the guild he has been a changed man. He's stopped looking got Igneel and moved on from when we thought Lisanna had died. Both of those things took a real toll on him and when Lucy came here…He just let it all go. Everything became about her. They have been together ever since. I remember one time in particular when Lucy was ill and she wanted to go see a particular Sakura tree that changes colours during a festival that happens here. She was so gutted she couldn't go so he dug it up and put it on a boat so it would sail down the river outside her house."

"That's so romantic! I had no idea he had it in him"

"Me neither, but that's Natsu for you. He always surprises us. But when it comes to Lucy…. He is different man. He's never shown any signs of liking girls except for Lisanna before he 'died'. It's like they say in folklore that when a dragon finds his mate, they stay together for life. Lucy is his mate in my opinion, but the both of them are too blind to see it."

"So you agree that Natsu and Lucy feel something for each other." I ask

"Completely. The whole guild thinks so too I just don't think they know it yet. We were expecting them two to get together years ago. If we didn't have the whole 7 year gap on Tenroujima, honestly I think we all would be with somebody possibly married or even with kids. Who knows?"

I accept this and take this as my opportunity. "Who do you think you would be with Gray?"

He looks at me with a mixture of puzzled and scared. "What do you mean?"

"Would do you think you would be with if the 7 year gap didn't happen?"

He looks away in thought, looks down at his drink in his hand and answers carefully. "I really don't know. I think everyone wants me to get with Juvia. I know that she likes me. It's so obvious with her calling me Gray-sama all of the time but…I just don't know. I promised myself that I wouldn't waste my time with someone if it wasn't going to work. I mean, take Erza. She has this old friend of hers called Jellal who got possessed by an evil spirit called Zeref and she has been constantly trying to save him throughout his life! Those two suit each other so well but they keep pushing each other away."

My eyes immediately start to buldge. "Z….z…..Zeref?"

He looks at me concerned "Yeah the worst mage in the whole of Earthland. He's tried to kill all of us many times but every time we somehow manage to get away. We're always on the lookout for him just in case. Do you know of him?"

I slowly nod my head with previous memories attacking my head making me start to shudder in fear. Why is that man around attacking Fairytail? Before Gray gets a chance to say anything more to me, Natsu turns up and starts another row with Gray while I stare at the table.

Zeref.

Is he here?

Was it some of his followers that attacked us?

Will he ever stop at getting what he wants? I look up at Natsu with pain etched on my face.

I'm so glad you don't know Natsu.

I hope you never have to know what I know.

So what do think Nozomi is keeping from Natsu? Hope you guys like this chapter! Nozomi is like the new Mira Jane lol

Please review/comment/follow etc Thank you to all of the comments etc that you have said so far! They always bring a smile to my face when I get a new one and they make me want to upload quicker! Three more chapters to go and this story will be over!