The rest of the group were dumbstruck at the awe-inspiring pace Natsu and Gray set for them on their way home. Having been on the road for months, they kept up nicely. They reached Magnolia in record time.
The townspeople parted for the group of seven, staring in awe at their majestic appearance. Natsu lead the group, face tightened in solid determination. Gray flanked him on the left, their long strides matching. Gajeel, Jellal, Erza, Levy and Juvia followed behind.
Natsu heard the whispers again. And again, he ignored them.
"Natsu Dragneel – he's back!"
"He's such a hottie! Is he still single?"
"My mother said he once defeated a dragon!"
"They look so badass!"
The doors to Fairy Tail burst open. Fairy Tail members paused, looking up from what they were doing, then erupting into cheers, welcoming their comrades back with open arms.
His friends were still in the process of hugging all the other members, but Natsu was determined. He marched through the hall, heading straight for the library, back into his little corner. He paused, listening carefully. There was no heartbeat.
Spinning on his heel, Natsu headed for his next guess: Lucy's old apartment. His comrades managed to wrestle themselves away from the other guild members and followed him.
The landlady was argumentative, but eventually agreed to let Natsu in the door. It was empty, the previous tenants having just moved out. He listened, the others remaining completely silent. There was no heartbeat.
Once again, he turned and left the apartment without a word, heading to his next idea – his fishing hole. He, Lucy and Happy had had a ton of good times there. He reached the clearing, the others clamouring to a halt behind him and listened. Nothing.
Natsu was still determined. He headed to the rainbow magnolia, sitting under its' branches and remembering the day he sent it down river when Lucy was sick. Still nothing.
Natsu searched everywhere he could think of in Magnolia until dark fell.
"Go home," he told his friends, "Let's sleep on it and try again in the morning."
Gajeel grabbed Levy's hand, "Okay, Natsu. We'll meet you at the guild first thing."
Natsu nodded, waving to his friends as they left him behind.
The corners of his mouth turned up a bit in a devious smile. He knew where the key was. It had dawned on him as they crossed places off on the long list of places he and Lucy had happy memories. Somehow, it just seemed fitting that the others should be able to go home to their own beds while he and Lucy had a private reunion first.
Natsu took his time walking back to his house, admiring the scenery and remembering all the fun he and Lucy had had. Every adventure always ended in the same place. He unlocked the door to his small house and stepped inside. Mira had done a fantastic job cleaning it up. The laundry was all picked up, washed and folded. There was nothing out of place at all.
He left the door wide open and crossed the room to the bed. Lucy's bed. His bed. Memories flitted across his mind. All the Lucy-kicks he'd received for the first few years every time she woke up and he was in the bed, cuddling her. After awhile, Lucy had stopped kicking him out. She actually liked sleeping with him. He remembered all the times he held her in his arms while she cried after bad things happened. He remembered her nursing him to health when he'd been sick…in that bed. In turn, he had been her nurse at times. He remembered the late-night slumber parties with ridiculous amount of junk food they shared; movie nights that usually ended up as pillow fights. Sometimes, they just laid in the bed and talked for no reason. Other times, there were tickle fights. And again, the thing that had brought him to the realization of where the key was: EVERY adventure always ended in that bed. It wasn't over until they could both topple over in it for a good sleep.
A tear left his eye as he approached it, anticipation running through his veins. He heard it softly at first, then louder as he approached the bed.
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
"Hi Baby," he whispered, dropping to his knees, "I found you."
He looked under the bed first, amazed that Mira had even been underneath the bed when she cleaned up. There was nothing there.
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
He stripped the bed, tossing the sheets and blankets behind him, but being careful that he didn't miss the key if it was between the sheets or under the inside one of the blankets.
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
He smiled, "You're impatient too, aren't you, Babe?"
Thump...Thump...thump...thump.
Having searched the bed thoroughly, Natsu knew there was only one answer, "We'll get a new one, Luce," he said quietly.
Body lighting up with fire, Natsu drew in a breath, releasing his attack directly onto the bed.
"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
Thump…thump…thump…thump…
The material of the bed began to burn away. Natsu's eyes filled with tears as he could now prominently smell her strawberry-vanilla scent. He choked on his tears, falling to his knees, watching in awe as the fire burned a hole in the very middle.
A platinum key rose out of the centre. It was larger than the zodiac keys, about 6 – 8 inches long. A beautiful insignia outlined the edges of it.
"That's so Lucy," he thought to himself.
Light burst from the key, illuminating the roof in a bright, beautiful light, effectively squelching the flames beneath.
The key came to a stop a metre above the bed, suspended in mid-air.
"Luce," Natsu whispered. He rose to his feet and took a deep breath, reaching out for the key…..
….and that's when all hell broke loose.