Emotions are running high! Placing a warning for the dark thoughts and suicidal ideation.
The Fire Dragon Slayer sprinted as quickly as his legs would carry him to Lucy's apartment. Lungs burning under the intense pace only fueled Natsu forward. He ran through the streets of Magnolia as fast as he could. The Dragon Slayer needed to see for himself that she was unharmed.
After being parted for nearly a year, Natsu was desperate to have his partner by his side. Things have been different with Lucy gone. The last six months have been especially tough on the Dragon Slayer. In the past months, Natsu has been dealing with a recurring nightmare. It always starts with Lucy and Virgo in a room with someone Natsu wasn't familiar with. The middle is always different, however it ends with blood everywhere, and Lucy nowhere to be found. With the unexplained feelings of despair and anxiety, he felt even more of a need to find answers.
With the building in sight, the Dragon Slayer felt as though cement blocks fell on his feet. After being gone for almost a year, who knew if Lucy even wanted to see him.
That's crazy talk! Natsu convinced himself after several moments. She's been sending me letters, telling me she can't wait to see me. I need to hurry and get to her place!
Natsu quickly approached the apartment where Lucy was staying. Seeing a pink haired maiden on her steps brought a smile to the Dragon Slayer's features. However, it faded as quickly as it came once he saw the tears running down Virgo's face.
"Virgo, what's wrong?"
The Celestial Spirit jumped at the sound of Natsu's voice. Seeing the Dragon Slayer caused her to feel a significant amount of relief. "N-nothing. My Princess is inside. I'm sure she will be happy to see you."
"What's got you this upset? I've never seen you like this." The pink haired wizard sat on the steps, next to Virgo.
Taking a few deep breaths, the Maiden attempted to compose herself. "I'm sorry. I've been so strong for my Princess, that I haven't had time to process everything that's happened."
The Dragon Slayer's eyes were wide as he listened to Virgo give her account of the events. From the moment she began talking about the Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart, Natsu's blood began to boil. Hurting innocent non-magic users was unacceptable! Several emotions began to erupt from Natsu, the main ones being anger and frustration.
He wanted to find the men that did this to Lucy and make them pay!
"You should go inside." the Maiden interrupted his plotting of revenge. "I know she misses you. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Virgo gave Natsu a small grin, attempting to reassure him. "Lucy's the one who needs you right now. She should be out of the bath by now."
Salamander nodded before he rushed inside. The moment he opened the door, Natsu heard the shower running from the other side of the apartment. Not wanting to interrupt her, the Dragon Slayer began to pace back and forth. He was unsure of what to do! Every fiber of his being wanted to run straight into that bathroom and make sure she wasn't harmed.
However, after finding out about her recent endeavors, it probably wouldn't be the best idea to sneak up on her.
Natsu perked up, hearing sobs coming from the bathroom. If it weren't for his sensitive ears, he may not have heard it through the white noise of the shower. Unsure of how to proceed, the Dragon Slayer stood frozen in the middle of the living room. There's gotta be something I can do…
"Salamander?" The Maiden's voice came from behind him. "What are you doing?"
An idea lit up Natsu's brain, his feet taking him quickly to the kitchen. "Has Lucy eaten today?"
"I've tried several times to get her to eat.." Virgo's voice sounded defeated, following him. The Celestial Spirit flopped into the barstool, her head falling into her arms on the counter. "She always tells me she's not hungry and not to worry about it."
The Dragon Slayer sighed, giving the Maiden a sympathetic look. It didn't surprise him that Virgo already tried to get Lucy to eat. Natsu knew that food was usually the last thing on the Celestial Mage's brain. She has so much on her plate, eating never came first like it did to Natsu.
"Well, she's never turned this down. I hope it does the trick." The Dragon Slayer began by raiding her fridge for the ingredients he was looking for. Thankfully Lucy almost always kept the stuff around for their guilty pleasure meal. "I know I'm asking a lot… But someone needs to check on Lucy. When I walked in, I heard her crying in the shower."
"I know the perfect person." Virgo mentioned with a grin. "She is in water, afterall."
Leaning against the wet tile of the shower wall, Lucy's eyes were closed as she allowed the hot steaming water to hit her back. The Celestial Mage didn't know how long she'd been standing there. Her knees were beginning to shake. After her bath, Lucy decided to wash away all of the soap from her body. However, as she was standing there, images of her new friend continued to flood her mind.
Thirty minutes passed, and Lucy's position never changed.
The young woman leaned forward, turning the cold water completely off. The nearly boiling hot water reminded her of a certain Dragon Slayer's touch.
Being in the Celestial World for two days has felt surreal. Although it was supposed to be a time for her to heal, and process her emotions, all Lucy did was try and remember details about the men that attacked them. They were completely covered in black, from head to toe. The young woman didn't recognize the weapons they were using. However, this didn't come as a surprise to her. Being a part of the magic world, Lucy utilized different weapons than ones such as those.
The men were silent in their movements, but each one was deliberate and precise. If it hadn't been for Horologium and Virgo's quick thinking, Lucy hated to think about what could've happened.
"Make sure he knows how you feel….." Melody's voice was like a whisper in Lucy's mind. The memory shook her to the core. It was the one persistent thought over the last forty-eight hours. "You don't want your loved ones…... To go without telling them how much you love-"
A sob escaped Lucy's lips. She didn't deserve to die… Melody was so full of life, full of love. Why did this happen to her?! It should've been me! The young woman's mouth opened in a silent scream. Her fingers ran through her soaked hair as she began to hyperventilate.
All of a sudden, Lucy didn't feel alone in her bathroom. This caused her body to freeze. The blood in her veins turned to ice, despite the steaming hot water surrounding her.
"You really are a sight for sore eyes, huh?" A chuckle came from behind the young woman. Lucy screamed as she turned. The moment her eyes locked on her Mermaid companion, all of the previous jitters went away. However, they were replaced with irritation
"Hey! What the hell?!" The blonde glared. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Don't yell at me!" The bluenette rolled her eyes. "I could tell something was wrong all the way from the Spirit World."
"Well people don't normally pop up in the shower."
"With all that crying you're doing, I'd hardly call this a 'shower'." Aquarius crossed her arms and gave her friend a sympathetic look. The bluenette turned the knobs on the shower, allowing some colder water to come through the pipes. "The hot water isn't good for you. We can't have you boiling alive in here."
As the Mermaid took a good look at the Celestial Spirit mage, she hardly recognized her. Even though Cancer redid her hairdo to her original blonde, her features radiated grief. It'd been a very long time since Aquarius had seen this look. It was similar to the long gazes she would see after Lucy's mother passed away. The young woman would sit in her room for days, just staring out a window. Her toys would go unplayed for days.
The Celestial Spirit embraced Lucy. She wrapped her arms tightly around her friend. "What happened to Melody is a terrible thing, I know. However, you have so many people that are thankful you're home! Lucy, you're lucky to be alive!"
"I shouldn't be…"
"Lucy." Aquarius interrupted her quickly. "If you are constantly thinking about what could've or should've happened, all you're doing is creating scenarios for something that's in the past. What's done is done, and we are so grateful that you are alive to tell the tale."
"Melody should be here with us. She didn't deserve to die!"
"I know she didn't, sweetheart." The Mermaid tightened her embrace, her hand running along Lucy's back. "We need to honor her memory by living every day to the fullest, just like she did. I know Loki talked about going to the Guild Hall. I'm sure that your friends are on their way to figure out who did this, as well as looking into the Grimoire Heart guild."
The young woman's frame shook as she cried on the Mermaid's shoulder. Her face hurt from all the tears shed over the last two days. Her body was filled with grief, and it seemed this was the only way it was coming out.
Aquarius continued to speak to Lucy soothingly. "You're back in Magnolia now. All of your guildmates are super excited to see you! I heard a certain Dragon Slayer got so impatient, he stormed the guild hall the second Loki got there."
"Really?"
"Yep, he screamed and hollered until he told him where you were." The Mermaid chuckled. "I think he's on his way here."
A small smile crept onto Lucy's features. "Natsu.."
"I'm sure he's excited to hear about your adventures. Whenever you're ready, get out of the shower and get into some comfortable clothes. I know those fuzzy pajamas put you in a better mood."
"Thanks Aquarius." The Celestial Mage grinned as she told her friend goodbye. The young woman took a few moments to collect herself before she turned the water off. Lucy stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel from the rack. She took her time drying off, doing her best to remain grounded. Thinking of the Dragon Slayer brought a little bit of sunshine into her clouded mind.
As Lucy exited the bathroom, the scent of food made her mouth water. The young woman hadn't been hungry for days. The scent of Natsu's Spicy Noodles however, caused her stomach to growl loudly. Rushing to her closet, the Celestial Mage found clothes to change into.
Lucy put them on before she glanced towards her bed. A white scarf was laying there on her pillow. It had become one of her most prized possessions, something she never parted with. The young blonde takes it and wraps it around her neck before she rushes into the kitchen.
In front of the Celestial Mage stood a Fire Dragon Slayer. His pink hair was just as disheveled as always. As he flipped the noodles and shrimp together in the wok, Lucy couldn't help the heartwarming smile that lit up her features. The last few months seemed like an eternity away, now that she was back home where she belonged.
Natsu turned his head, seeing a figure move in his peripheral vision. The scent of sweet sugar and velvet wafted into his nose from the right. As he rotated, the Dragon Slayer was embraced tightly by his blonde best friend. The pink haired wizard took his hands away from the wok and turned the stove off, before wrapping them around Lucy tightly.
The heat radiating from Natsu's body immediately calmed the Celestial Mage. Suddenly, all of the feelings of grief were washed away for a moment. The only thing that mattered was the man in front of her.
"I see you're wearing my scarf." The pink haired wizard chuckled. "The whole guild has missed you to pieces. They've been waiting for you to come back, especially Levy and the rest of the girls." The pink haired wizard's voice was gentle as he spoke to his best friend.
"I'm so glad you're home." The Dragon Slayer whispered, a smile permanently set on his features. Natsu gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "I want to hear all about your adventures."
The two stood in the middle of Lucy's kitchen embracing each other. Natsu was waiting for Lucy to say something. However, after a moment he noticed his chest was getting wet. Along with her damp hair, tears were running down Lucy's cheeks at an alarming rate.
"What's wrong?" Natsu's eyes widened, tightening his grip on her with one arm. His left hand came up to wipe the tears away from her cheeks.
Instead of an answer, the Celestial Mage's stomach began to rumble once again. This caused the Dragon Slayer to snicker.
"I'm… Just happy you're here. I've missed you." The corners of Lucy's mouth turned into a small grin.
"Let's get you something to eat!" Natsu insisted.