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December 13th, X777
Lucy rubbed her throat with a pained grimace and cast a swift look around. She knew better than to think there was water nearby. She'd looked, and Natsu, with an oddly keen ability to find things, had already told her there likely wasn't any. Still, she needed some. Her containers were empty, and she needed to refill them. If she didn't…well, the Vhalis wouldn't have to chase Lucy down. Dehydration would kill her first.
They'd run out of water some time ago – a day or two prior, with only a small handful of snow from recent dustings to soothe the thirst. Not that Natsu, who was chatting her ear off as they walked, seemed to care or notice. He seemed to not notice that they'd not had water in a while, content to simply tell her about the mountains around his home.
Finally, just because she didn't know if he was aware of just how dire the situation was getting, Lucy cut him off. "Natsu."
Natsu clamped his mouth shut and whipped his head around to look at her. His eyes were so sharp on her, focus intent, that she found it almost unnerving. "What's up?"
Lucy had to fight back her instinctive smile that almost graced her lips, something that had started happening more often than not whenever Natsu looked at her as if she had some kind of secret he was the only one privy to. "We're changing our priority for now. We need to find some water more than we need to get to Crocus."
Natsu blinked at her with child-like curiosity. "Why?"
Lucy gawked at him, floored. "Why?" she echoed. "Why? Natsu, we've been out of water for well over twenty-four hours now! My throat feels like it's on fire." As if to back her up, her voice cracked, hoarse. "How are you not as desperate as I am for water?"
Something akin to morbid interest slid over his features as Natsu studied her. "Why would I need water?" he asked as if it was the single most ridiculous thing Lucy had asked him in the week they'd known each other. He made a mindless gesture with his hand, but when he saw her genuine distress growing, he hesitated. "Do…do you want me to find some? I'll go look around for you."
Lucy gave herself a few seconds to be angry with him. She let herself glare until he shark back a little. Then, she let go of her anger. It wasn't helpful, and Natsu wasn't doing this to be cruel. "No," she mumbled, running her hand down her face. "No. We'll just…keep an ear out for water. Please let me know if you notice any."
"Yeah," he said, not taking his gaze off of her face. "Sure, Luce."
"Lucy." Lucy didn't know why she insisted on it when he ignored her. She swallowed painfully, throat sore between the lack of hydration and cold, dry air. But she wouldn't complain, because it did her no good, and while Natsu was ignorant of their needs, she trusted him enough to know he really would look for water as they walked. "Ready?" she asked him, fighting the urge to rub her sore legs. They'd been walking almost nonstop, and her body certainly felt it. She envied Natsu's seemingly endless energy as he nodded and bounded a few steps ahead. He paused to wait, of course, looking over his shoulder at her. His onyx eyes were bright with joy as if he enjoyed life in this ruined, broken world.
No, Lucy corrected tiredly. Not his endless energy.
More like his ability to see the best in things, even when there was no more good to see.
Lucy had been trying to think about everything but water as they walked along when she heard it: the trickling, bubbling sound of a creek. Her head snapped around immediately, blonde hair flying, and she stopped so suddenly that her companion crashed into her with a grunt. He'd been walking particularly close for some reason, looking around intently as if he expected to see something, for some time now. "Lucy?" he immediately asked, concerned.
"Did you hear that?" she breathed, eyes seeking the source.
Natsu straightened, as if he expected a Vhalis to come charging at them through the trees. His gaze sought them, too, and his mouth tightened when Lucy flashed him a bright, excited smile, surprised he hadn't heard it. "Water," she said when he didn't answer. "I can hear water."
She rounded in the direction of the water, clearly intending to take off and find it, but Natsu called her name sharply. "Lucy!" She ignored him, striding towards it, but was brought up short when he yanked her to a halt, gripping her wrist so tightly it screamed in protest. When she looked back in surprise, she was startled to find him glaring at her. He was angry, and for some reason, that unnerved her, especially when her flesh seemed to sting beneath his touch. She was quick to pull her wrist free, and she rubbed the spot. Natsu never got angry. At least, she thought with a furrowed brow, not with her. Occasionally, he looked like this when he looked to the sky, or when they were threatened by nearby Vhalis as they sneaked past them.
But never with her. Not even when she spoke so sharply with him.
As he searched her dark, uncertain eyes, his anger seemed to melt away. He offered a faint, crooked grin in apology. "Luce…we can't go to that water source. It's not safe."
Her lips parted and fury sparked in her chest. "We need that water, Natsu. We will die without it. We really need it. Badly." She was surprised when he didn't comply with her demands as he usually tended to do, instead refusing to back down. He even shifted into a wider stance and folded his arms, as if bracing for a fight.
"And I told you I'd watch out, but we can't go there. Not to that water."
"Why?"
His gaze slid over her shoulder and hardened as if he could see something that she couldn't. When she looked over her shoulder, nothing was there, which made her all the more frustrated and confused. "Can't you trust me about this?" Natsu asked finally, turning his attention back onto her. "Please? I said I'd keep you safe, and that's what I'm doing."
"...fine," Lucy grumbled, sighing heavily and rubbing her hands down her face. "Fine!" Frustrated, she started stomping in the direction they'd been traveling initially. Natsu trailed behind her, sticking close and keeping alert. They were silent for a long while, and Lucy refused to so much as look at him for a while, throat parched.
After what seemed like ages, Lucy had calmed enough to not fly off the handle as she asked through clenched teeth, "Why?" She looked back at Natsu, who faltered. His hands shifted on the strap of the bag he carried, fidgeting. "Why couldn't we stop there for water, Natsu?"
Natsu stopped walking entirely, and so did she. He touched his scarf, adjusted his bag to make it more comfortable to carry, and fidgeted with the fringes of his scarf as he considered how he should answer. Finally, he said cautiously, "It's a shade." When Lucy frowned at him, not sure of what that meant, he said with exasperation, "You didn't want to hear god stuff!"
Lucy sighed. "Just tell me. God stuff or not."
Natsu hesitated, but she could see the gleam in his eye when he began to speak, as if he liked to tell her about his ideology. "Each god has a different set of things they have to do, but there are only three who deal with humans after death. One is Death. She delivers the final kiss to humans." He shuddered, as if even the mention of that god unnerved him. "One watches over the souls after death and protects them. And one ferries the souls to Hel – what you call the afterlife.
"Sometimes," Natsu seethed quite suddenly, eyes narrowed into slits, "the god that ferries the souls doesn't do his right and misses one, or he can't convince it to board his ship that'll take it to where it needs to go. They can become ghosts. The longer they linger, the more their souls twist until they can't be saved at all. We call a soul that can't be saved a shade. Mavis usually strikes them down."
A chill ran down Lucy's spine. He was so matter-of-fact, confident in his beliefs. More so out of her own curiosity than anything else, Lucy asked, "But what about the Vhalis then? How do you explain them? You said they were some kind of lost souls, but that can't possibly be the same as a ghost."
Natsu's eyes lit with mischief, and for a second, she knew he was considering teasing her about "god stuff," and her usual dislike for discussing it. Instead, he reconsidered, and said seriously, "The Vhalis aren't like shades. They weren't even offered passage on Gray's ship. They don't have the mark showing he tried." His face fell and Natsu looked incredibly saddened by the thought. "They don't deserve this, you know. I'm going to make sure they get to Hel safely once I figure out what Gray's been doing, so they don't have to suffer anymore. Then I have to figure out how to get home."
Lucy mulled over the information he'd given her as they started forward again, forgetting her anger towards the lack of water. While they really did need water, Natsu truly believed what he was saying, and she found she didn't want to scold him for his beliefs. They were, after all, his. Not hers. While she didn't necessarily think he was one hundred percent sane with him thinking he was a supposed sun god, she couldn't deny him his beliefs. Lucy wondered who'd taught him such things, if his family had anything to do with it.
A thought occurred to her. "Natsu," she said, glancing at him. "Do you have any family?"
He tripped, stumbling, and then gave her a look. It was a meaningful one that immediately made her regret what she'd asked him. Rage, pain, grief, devastation, self-loathing, misery. It broke her heart just to see it. She knew without being told she'd asked the wrong question, and that she shouldn't ask again.
"Sorry," Lucy murmured awkwardly, staring at the ground. "Too personal. You don't have to…well, don't answer that."
Natsu was surprisingly quiet for a few minutes as they walked. He was the first to break the silence, however, when he said, "Dead." Lucy looked at him, startled. He offered a small smile, reassuring her that he wasn't upset with her for the question. "They died a long time ago. I have a different family now." His voice rose and fell softly, cracking on the last word. "But…I lost them, too, when we fell. I don't know where they went, or how to find them. I've been trying for months. We should be able to track each other. We can sense one another through our…" He trailed off, fingers brushing his scarf fondly. He gripped the material tightly between his fingers. "But I always sucked at it. So…unless someone tracks me down, then I won't be able to find them."
Lucy bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. She hesitated, and then offered, "Natsu?" He glanced at her, wary. "I could help you find them. If you'd like. We can look for your family while we're looking for my new home. And…" She cleared her throat, flustered. "You could always stop by, you know. When we find my new home. I could listen and keep an eye out for information to pass on to you when you come through."
Some amusement sparked in his dull gaze, and Natsu slowed his pace to walk beside her. He playfully bumped her with his shoulder, as if he'd known her all their lives. "I thought you said no god stuff," he teased, "and my family passing through would definitely be god stuff."
Lucy warned him with a glare, even as she fought to keep a smile from her lips. "Don't make me take it back," she threatened, tossing her golden hair over her shoulder. "But seriously."
He smiled sincerely at her then. "Thanks," he said quietly, and for just a moment, she thought his eyes glowed as bright as the sun. A trick of the light, Lucy told herself after a moment's hesitation. She didn't want it to be anything else, so it wouldn't be. His gratitude turned to wicked delight. "I'd love to see what you could do to Gajeel."
"Gajeel?" echoed Lucy, the strange name sounding odd on her tongue.
"God stuff," sang Natsu.
Lucy rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Oh, just tell me. We've been through every inch of small talk I can think of, and I can hear it all without believing it, you know. Besides that, it clearly means a lot to you." She might not believe it, but Natsu did, and it wasn't fair of her to prevent him from talking about something that meant so much to him. "I won't get mad about you talking about it so long as you make sure I can keep up."
Natsu stopped to stare at her. He nearly vibrated with excitement as the words practically burst from his mouth. "The god of warfare." Natsu started walking again, close enough to bump shoulders. "He became a god a few centuries ago, maybe a millennia or two after I did." Lucy tried to not let her disbelief show regarding his age, but he waved her off. She decided not to delve into that particular subject just yet. "Gajeel thinks he's big and scary, and I guess he can be sometimes, but everyone knows he's not because of Levy. She's the springtime goddess, the one who brings life to the dead of winter."
Lucy's head was already spinning at the sheer amount of information he was unloading on her, though her attention sharpened when Natsu suddenly frowned and said uncertainly, "I'd like to find her the most. Levy was missing even before we all Fell. She had a fight with Gajeel and went to take a breather, but she never came back. I spoke with her right before she did. When Gajeel came to ask me where she'd gone, he didn't like my answer." A sudden mischievous grin graced his lips. "I have a scar from that."
Lucy let him ramble on like this for some time, figuring she had no better conversational topics. And it was rather interesting to listen to. At the very least she'd get to know Natsu a little better.
A piercing, eerie scream woke Lucy from her slumber. She lurched upright, heart in her throat. Lucy noted the simmering embers that lingered from the small fire Natsu had helped her build. He'd fetched firewood that she'd fed it until it had been big enough to warm her numb fingers. Natsu scarcely seemed to notice the cold, something she envied.
Thick snow fell lazily from the sky, sprinkling them in white despite the shelter he'd made out of the massive root system of a fallen tree. It didn't do much to make her feel safe, however, as another wail filled her ears. It split off into a haunting sob that echoed through the trees, and Lucy began to rise to her feet, the sound tugging at her heartstrings and urging her to find the source–
Natsu's hand gripped her shoulder gently and scared the living daylights out of her. "Don't," he muttered, eyes flashing with warning in the dim light of the moon. When Lucy stared at him, startled, he yanked her hood over her head playfully. As she squawked and tried to fix her hair, shoving it out of her eyes, Natsu stood. Lucy found him shockingly graceful for someone who often tripped over himself out of pure, rushed excitement every day.
She watched him anxiously, tucking her fingers into her armpits to keep them warm. She kept her hood up. It helped to protect her burning ears. Lucy hoped they could find a proper shelter the next time they stopped.
Natsu hovered a few feet away, body tense, and Lucy eventually grew tired of listening to him. Ignoring his demand, she clambered to her feet and went to peer over his shoulder. Lucy's breath puffed out in a soft white cloud near his ear as she whispered, "What is it?" He didn't respond to her question, face like stone. His jaw tightened as he glared out at the trees, and Lucy searched them until she saw it, too.
A figure stood in the trees. It was a woman, dressed entirely in white. She glared balefully at them from where she stood ankle-deep in the creek they'd considered safe enough to stop by. Lucy regretted that choice as the woman glowered, skirts billowing in the bubbling water. Stringy black hair stuck to her damp skin and chest, and when she tipped her head back to wail again, it sounded as if she was much further than she actually was.
Lucy's heart thundered in her chest. She grasped Natsu's arm tightly as fear crept through her. "Is that…?"
"The shade? Yeah." Natsu scowled at the shade, stepping forward, and the shade vanished as if his threat was enough to chase it off. Lucy glanced at him nervously. While she didn't believe in gods, it was hard to ignore the impossible when one could see them with their own eyes.
Natsu studied the spot the shade had occupied for a few moments longer, then turned back to Lucy. "We should leave in the morning," he said, and Lucy nodded in agreement. She really didn't want to stay after what she'd seen. Returning to their small shelter, Lucy knelt beside their fire and prodded at it, trying to relight it. It had dwindled to mere embers.
Natsu nudged her aside after a few moments, taking over. He murmured to himself in that odd language Lucy hadn't been able to recognize until the fire promptly started growing again. Lucy watched him quietly. "What language is that?" she asked. She'd never heard one like it. It was musical, and she could recall him singing in it a few days prior. Actually, he used the language relatively often now that she thought about it.
The smile he gave her was one of surprise and delight. He spoke in the language in question again, voice lilting and expression mischievous enough to tell her he was teasing her. Lucy half-heartedly glared at him for it, even as a smile tugged at her lips. Cackling, Natsu rocked back, rather calm and quiet when compared to his usual wild behavior. "It's the language I grew up with," he said, breathing out softly and watching his breath curl in the air. "No one speaks it anymore, so I guess it's pointless, but…"
Lucy argued immediately, "It's not pointless." It was clearly an old language – ancient, even. It was impossible to not be impressed by his knowledge of it. Lost languages were incredibly difficult to become fluent in, especially when no one else could speak it. It was a good reminder that while Natsu appeared immature and behaved ridiculously on a regular basis, he was clever, too. Clever enough to learn something Lucy couldn't, and clever enough to keep himself alive.
"It's beautiful," she added, thinking of the songs he'd sung when he thought she wasn't listening. Natsu grew flustered, ducking his head, and Lucy laughed softly. Settling back down to sleep as exhaustion swept through her again, she smiled sleepily at him. She needed to get some rest if they were going to travel hard again the next day, and so did he.
Natsu seemed to swell with pride as Lucy began to doze off, curling on her side. She blearily decided to compliment him more often, finding that she liked the warmth of his response to it.
As she slid into slumber, she could have sworn she heard him humming some ancient lullaby, an unfamiliar language curling sweetly in her ears.
Some new stuff and god talk begins! Stuff will be picking up in the next few updates, and I cannot WAIT.
Thanks to reviewers (TheAngelicPyro, sonicloudaj, Guest #1, and Nami4Life!) as always, as well as those who favorited and followed!