Natsu stretched, a mighty yawn erupting from his very empty stomach.
Forcing himself out of bed, he lumbered to his backpack and dumped the remnants from the last trip onto the floor. He paused, realizing this was exactly the kind of thing he shouldn't do if he planned to have Lucy come back to live with him. Her apartment was gone, so chances were, they'd live here together. He made a mental note to talk to Mira about cleaning it for him and packed less dirty things into the backpack. Maybe Mira would do his laundry too if he paid her enough. He unrolled his bedroll, wrinkling his nose at the musty smell. Apparently, he'd forgotten to air it out. Chucking it aside, he grabbed the spare bedroll, adding it to his backpack.
His stomach reminded him again that he was hungry. Going to the secret stash that he and Happy kept, he pocketed a good amount of jewel for his trip. He could always come back for more if he needed to.
Looking around the place, he nodded to himself. Yup. He had everything. His eyes fell to the bed and he stared at it.
"I'm coming for you, Luce," he said under his breath.
He locked the door behind him, as Happy wasn't really staying much there anyway. He told Natsu he'd just continue staying with Wendy and Carla while he was gone. He marched up the path in pretty good spirits when his stomach reminded him one more time that he really needed to eat.
He changed direction, giving in to his stomach and marching back to the guild. Maybe Mira would give him breakfast and he could ask her about cleaning his house for him. As he neared the guild, he saw Gray and Juvia dropping their backpacks outside the door, obviously there to get their breakfast as well before heading out on a mission.
"What's up, Flame-Head?" Gray said in greeting, opening the door to allow Juvia through.
Natsu nodded his greeting, going straight to the counter to order.
"I'm hungry, Mira!"
She laughed, putting a large plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He sat at the counter alone, enjoying probably the last good meal he'd have for awhile.
Remembering to ask Mira about cleaning his place, he dropped some extra jewel on the counter before saluting her, "Well, seeya!"
She smiled, "Be safe, Natsu. Remember where your home is, okay?"
He nodded, "Look after Happy, k? Keep a tab of his fish. I'll take care of it when I get home."
"Sure thing, Natsu."
He nodded to various guild members as he made his way to the door.
"You should take your map, "Master Makarov said, appearing out of nowhere beside Natsu.
"Gramps! You scared me!"
"I hope you find what you're looking for, Natsu," Master said honestly, "It's been a long couple years and it would be good for you to find peace again," he leaned forward, hugging his boy firmly, "Bring her home," he whispered in Natsu's ear.
Natsu's eyes widened slightly. Master believed him?
After rolling up his map from the board, Natsu pushed open the doors of the guild to the outside world, ready to begin his new journey. As he adjusted his eyes to the blinding light of the sun, he glanced down the stairs and paused.
Gray, Juvia, Levy and Gajeel were standing there, backpacks on, ready to go.
"Got a mission?" Natsu asked, starting down the stairs.
"Yeah," Gray said, walking after him. The others followed.
Natsu didn't turn his head back to observe them, "Catching the train?"
"Nope," Gajeel said.
The five of them walk in a horizontal line, Natsu in the middle. They were nearing the edge of Magnolia. Natsu stopped, the others clamouring to a stop around him.
"You don't have to do this," he said softly, looking down at the ground.
"Yeah," Juvia said, "We do."
"I'll be fine," Natsu said, "Go home."
"That's just the point!" Levy said, smiling brightly at him, "You are fine…for the first time in 2 years, you're smiling and acting like Natsu again."
"Doesn't matter whether we believe you or not," Gajeel said, thumping Natsu's back, "You believe it. And you were right. If there's a small chance this could be true, we owe it to you and to Bunny Girl to find out."
"Plus," Gray added, "The more you become more like the old Natsu, the better chance that I'll have to kick your ass soon. We haven't had a good brawl in ages!"
Natsu didn't know what to say, so he shuffled his feet in the dirt before mumbling a, "Thanks guys."
He started to walk again, the others falling into step with him.
"So where are we going?" Levy asked.
"No clue," Natsu replied.
"What are we looking for?" Juvia asked as they entered Magnolia.
"Dunno!" Natsu shot her a mischievous grin, "You really want to come? Knowing I have no clue what we're looking for and no idea where to find it?"
"Hell ya!" Gray slapped him on the back, "We wouldn't miss this chance to laugh at your ass for nothin'."
The girls exchanged glances. Natsu didn't know about the call to Yukino and Sting the guild had made after Natsu left last night. She had explained everything to them and suddenly, Natsu's renewed sense of life made a lot more sense. More than that, there was actually a glimmer of hope that Lucy was not lost to them. They knew they had to help Natsu through this. Hope beyond hope, Natsu would realize at the least that even if they didn't find Lucy somewhere during their journey, all his friends cared and supported him, no matter how crazy he was acting.
Hargeon.
They entered the town, nostalgia smacking Natsu in the face as he remembered the first time he'd seen the beautiful blonde, fan-girling over the fake Salamander. He wasn't sure what made her shake off Bora's enamouring spell, but she didn't stay fooled for long. He remembered her first demonstration of power with Aquarius and how they'd taken down Bora together. It seemed so long ago now.
"So where do we start?" Levy asked.
This was Natsu's show. The others had no better clue about what they were looking for or where to look for it than he did. So, they would rely on his instincts.
"The wharf," he said monotonously, "That's where I first saw her."
They moved in silence and stood at the busy marketplace, taking it all in.
"Don't suppose her key would end up in a magic shop?" Levy suggested. She was pointing to the only magic shop in Hargeon. Natsu remembered it well.
"Let's check it out," Gray suggested.
They entered the tiny shop single file, their large backpacks proving to be a bit of an issue.
"Welcome!" the same old man from all those years ago smiled, "What can I do for you today?"
"Have you got any Celestial keys?" Juvia asked.
"Just this one," the shopkeeper held up a small, silver key, "It's Ursa Minor. Little bear constellation."
"We'll take it," Natsu said, quickly forking the money over without trying to barter. He remembered Lucy's story about bartering this man, trying to get the price down with her feminine wiles. He found himself fighting the urge to smash his nose in.
"Ursa Minor," Gray said slowly as they walked out of the shop, "Wish we could see it."
Natsu's face lit up, "We can! Watch this. This will impress THE HELL outta you!"
Dropping his backpack on the ground to give him a bit more wiggle room, Natsu held the key out the way Yukino had showed him.
"OPEN! GATE OF THE URSA MINOR!"
The familiar DING DONG sounded and a fuzzy brown teddy-bear-like creature appeared.
Natsu bent down beside his new little friend, "Hey little guy! What would Lucy name you? Boots? Muffin?"
The others were staring at him in disbelief.
"Since when can you open gates, Dip-shit?" Gajeel demanded.
"Oh – I didn't show you? I can totally open gates now. Yukino showed me," Natsu pet the little bear on the head, "But I'm not very good yet. So far, I've only been successful with this little guy and Plue."
"Well shit!" Gajeel and Gray exchanged glances, "Who knew Salamander could learn more than one type of magic?"
Unable to resist, the girls were petting the little bear as well. His face was adorable with large, shiny eyes. Beyond that, his fur was soft and he seemed to like the contact.
"POOKEY!" Natsu said suddenly, "It's the perfect name!"
"OH POOKEY!" the girls echoed.
"Oh brother," Gajeel rolled his eyes
"Oh sickening! Pookey is the perfect name?" Gray mused, "Hey Fire Tits, I didn't even like it when Erza used that name to tease you and Lucy that night. Pookey."
Levy and Natsu each took one of Pookey's hands and started down the road to find a hotel.
"Seriously? It's gonna be Pookey?" Gray yelled after them watching their retreating backs, "OH C'MON! What self-respecting bear wants to be called Pookey?! NATSU! You can't be serious!"
Realizing he was being left behind, Gray jogged to catch up.
"That bear is going to have complex, Flame-Brain! And it's all going to be on you! Hope you're happy now! Did you hear me, Natsu? COMPLEX!"
From the shadows, a lone figure watched the scene, stifling laughter of his own, then continued to follow the wizards. Tomorrow, he would approach them. He needed at least two of them to help him with the job.