Natsu was sitting in front of the map again, looking at his pin points (which were now marked with a marker since traveling with a map that had thumb tacks in it proved not only ineffective, but kinda painful). He was searching for places he'd forgotten, or perhaps for places that could be considered more special to Lucy than others.
He listened half-heartedly as the girls recapped their visit with Hisui to Gray, Gajeel and Jellal.
Jellal had been a bit of a surprise. When the boys returned to the hotel with him in tow, the first thing they noticed was the lump on his head. Right away, Levy had run to get an ice pack. They were currently all in Levy and Gajeel's room, swapping their findings of the day.
Jellal pressed the ice pack to his head with a hiss, "I can't believe I got mugged."
Natsu furrowed his eyebrows, but did not look up from the map. Somehow, he was pretty sure that's not what happened to Jellal, but much like any statement from Erza, it was better not to question it.
"So what did you boys do today?" Juvia asked, kissing Gray on the lips.
The boys exchanged glances. They had unanimously decided to keep quiet about their stalkers. Natsu had enough to worry about and they didn't want to scare the girls, not that the girls were push overs.
"Ice cream/fruit pie," Gray and Gajeel said at the same time.
The girls looked at them, heads cocked. Natsu smiled to himself. The girls weren't that stupid. They knew something was up too.
"How are you doing there, Flame-Brain?" Gray asked, happy to change the subject. He leaned over the map, eyeing Natsu's multitudes of X's, "We gotta check all those places?"
"Nah," Natsu said, looking over his map again, "I don't think so. I originally marked all the places Lucy and I have ever been on the map. Now I'm just marking the ones that meant something to us."
"Akane Beach," Levy said, checking the lump on Jellal's head. He grimaced when she removed the pack, "Remember the week we spent there as a result of one of our missions? That was fun."
"Yeah," Natsu replied, "I got that."
"Galuna Island," Gray suggested, "It was kind of bad at first, but it ended up being a good experience."
Natsu nodded. He didn't have that. He carefully marked the island as a possibility.
"Dawn City," Gajeel said gruffly, "We went to that mansion that time to protect some girl at a dance. If I recall, you and Bunny Girl were awfully close that trip."
Natsu sighed, marking it on the map.
"Well, we're technically right in the middle of Fiore right now," Levy said, offering Jellal some medication for his headache, "So we can go anywhere you want next."
Natsu studied the map carefully again, not answering her.
"We know it's not Hargeon and it's not Crocus," Juvia grabbed a beer out of the fridge, tossing one to Gray and Gajeel, "So where was special, Natsu? Somewhere that meant something to both you and Lucy?"
"Tenrou Island?" he said slowly, half a question. He remembered the battle with Kain…the look on Lucy's face when she refused to leave Natsu to battle him alone. He remembered when Happy took control of Mr. Cursey and forced Lucy and Natsu into 'compromised positions'. He remembered using Lucy's body through Mr. Cursey to defeat Kain. Would that be special to Lucy? It was the first time he'd entertained the thought that maybe she cared about him as more than a friend too.
"That's kinda nuts, man," Gajeel said, drinking back his beer in pretty much one swallow, "I don't know if there's a lot of good memories there. We all lost 7 years of our lives."
Natsu didn't mark Tenrou Island.
Levy didn't like how quiet Natsu had been since their meeting with Hisui. She sat beside him for a moment, studying his serious face. He glanced up at her, trying to manage a half-smile.
"Why don't you take a break?" she asked sweetly, "Let's go check out the night life of Crocus."
"No thanks," Natsu stretched his arms up, "I'm on the tired side. And I have too much to think about. You guys go ahead," he rolled up his map and headed for the door, "If you don't mind, I think I need some time alone."
He shut the door behind him to retreat to his room. Tonight, he would share with Jellal.
"Sometimes he's better, sometimes he seems so depressed," Juvia said softly, looking at the closed door with a sigh, "I wish I knew what to do to help him."
"We're helping him the only way we can," Gray assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead, "He is definitely coming along. He's the most focused I've seen him in 2 years…well, maybe ever."
"It might take forever to find that key," Gajeel kicked his feet up on the sofa, pulling Levy beside him to cuddle, "How long do we follow him?"
Jellal took the ice pack off of his head, examining the blood on the cloth, "Be patient. You've been on your journey for what…3 days? I have an inkling we won't be looking forever. Something tells me things are about to start moving faster."
"What gives you that idea?" Levy asked.
"It's simple, really, "Jellal said, "It will dawn on him what place Lucy thinks is the most special for them. I don't think he knows yet, but I'm willing to bet that sooner or later, it'll come to him. And when it does, he might really need us for support."
Gray caught Jellal's eye, asking him mentally if he thought now was a good time to tell the girls about Sorano. Jellal shook his head subtly. Maybe now that she'd been seen, Sorano would go her own direction. Then again, Maybe not. Either way, there was no need to induce pointless panic.
Natsu was dozing off in the comfortable hotel room. He'd laid in the bed, staring at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, recalling memories and trying to think about what Lucy would consider special.
He knew he was falling asleep. His eyes were heavy. He welcomed the heavy feeling. Often times, sleep provided a reprieve from the constant thinking he'd done lately. Sometimes it seemed like every memory with Lucy was special and he had trouble deciphering why one place would be more special than another. As long as he was with her, it was all special to him.
He was standing in a meadow, long green grass surrounding him.
"I'm dreaming," he realized.
"I forgot how handsome you are," a sweet voice said behind him.
He turned to her, marveling in her absolute beauty. He could smell her strawberry-vanilla scent so clearly. Her hair was down well past her butt, blonde curls caressing her gorgeous body. Her luscious breasts were barely contained in her trademark halter top. He skimmed her long legs with his eyes.
"I have missed you," she said breathlessly, running to wrap her arms around his torso.
He kissed her longingly, "Not as much as I miss you."
They kissed for several minutes, Natsu reveling in her taste, the way she smelled, her hands exploring his body.
"We don't have much time," Lucy said, regretting it even as she pulled away, "If we're going to talk, we need to do it right away."
"Why?" Natsu asked, "Wouldn't you rather –"
"Yes," Lucy said right away, "But you're only dreaming and dreams don't usually last long. Besides…aren't you sharing a hotel room with Jellal tonight? I'm not sure he'd appreciate you having that kind of dream."
He nodded, pausing as he gazed into her eyes, "Are you real?"
She shook her head, "No, I'm just your subconscious trying to make sense of what you've done today."
He continued staring into her eyes. He couldn't tell if that comment was sarcastic or if she was actually just in his subconscious.
"You're working very hard to remember a place that would be special to us," she ran her fingers down his face, "A place I would think to hide a key. We have so many good memories."
"Can you help me? All the memories are special to me. I can't think of one that stands out above the rest."
"Oh c'mon, Natsu. You're telling me some memories don't make you happier than others? You were remembering Tenrou Island earlier and what you were thinking about were good memories. But were they game-changer memories?"
"Game-changer memories?" Natsu repeated.
"Think about the memories, Natsu. Something will stand out. What was the game-changer?"
"But Luce, they're all special to me."
"You've almost got it," Lucy whispered, "Don't worry. It will come to you. Think about what brought you and I close."
"LUCY!" Natsu yelled, reaching for her as she became luminescent, "Please don't go! You just got here!"
Tears streamed down his face as he reached for her, his hands swiping through her fading body.
"Please Luce! Don't leave me alone again! I need you. I need you so badly!"
He collapsed to his knees in the field, weeping loudly, "Please don't go!"
"Natsu! Natsu!"
Natsu stirred, recognizing his body was being shaken by a gentle hand. He looked up, eyes still half-closed with sleep.
"You were having a nightmare," Jellal explained his actions, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Natsu sat up, rubbing his tear-infested eyes, "I'm fine."
It was morning. He got out of bed and retreated to the bathroom, hoping Jellal hadn't seen the tears streaming down his face.