XXX


December 8th, X777


The late afternoon found Lucy heaving herself from the floor with a quiet groan. Her body ached from sleeping on such a hard surface despite the carpet. She peered around the bedroom she'd deemed safe enough for the night, ensuring her things were where she'd left them. While she'd agreed to stick with Natsu, she didn't trust him entirely just yet. He could have robbed her of all her supplies and run off while she slept, after all.

But they were all there, which meant all she needed to do was check and see if Natsu was still there.

Lucy gathered her things and went downstairs to where she'd last seen him. The house was silent. The only sound she could hear was that of chirping birds outside. Lucy bit her lip. She really hoped he'd not run off. Even if she didn't trust him further than she could throw whim, it had been really nice to have someone else hanging around.

Lucy dumped her things on the kitchen counter when she found the room and began shuffling through cabinets, searching. He'd show up or he'd not show up, she decided as she fished around in a deep corner cabinet. At least, she found, there was supplies in this house. Lucy was thrilled when she found some canned food and snacks, and she was even humming by the time she shoved them into her bag, eyes glowing.

"Hey, Luce!" said a voice cheerfully, making her jump.

Lucy yelped, smacking her head on the cabinet she'd jerked out of. "Ow!" she protested, rubbing the spot. She glared over her shoulder. Natsu smiled sheepishly back at her, apologetic but not at the same time. Instead of apologizing, he showed her several large pieces of paper he held, proud of himself. Lucy frowned as she questioned, "What is that? And don't call me that, my name is Lucy, Natsu."

"Maps." Natsu smiled wickedly at her. "I found 'em while you were wasting your night sleeping."

She thought he ought to have wasted his night sleeping, too, and she voiced just that as she came over to peer at the maps. "Didn't you sleep at all?"

He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Caught a few winks." Lucy didn't believe him one bit as she turned her attention onto his maps. She leaned in to peer over his shoulder as he rambled, shaking the papers out so she could see, "There's one for what I think is the town we were in. Magnolia, right? And then I found one for the entire country, and another for some place called Crocus."

A smile crept over Lucy's face as she took the maps and took them to the island at the center of the kitchen. She spread the map of Magnolia over it. "Well, this is definitely a good find," she said after skimming it with thoughtful eyes. "It's three years old, but not much would have changed since then. Same for the other two," she added after checking the dates. She squinted at the map until she found their position. She tapped it, finger lingering on the spot. "There," she said. "We should be in that area, so we're already well on our way to being free of Magnolia."

Natsu crowded her, peering over her shoulder with interest. "So this is Magnolia? The town you were in?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "Did you not know where you were?"

Natsu shrugged, waving a hand mindlessly as if chasing her words away. "Towns, cities – they're all the same to me. I don't come around often enough to know which one I'm in."

Lucy didn't bother to consider that. She simply skipped over that piece of information and put Fiore's map out next. "Magnolia's here," murmured Lucy, tapping Magnolia's location. She furrowed her brow as she considered their position, comparing it to the remainder of Fiore. Finally, Lucy groaned, throwing her hands in the air as Natsu peered curiously at her. "Everything's so far. We could go to Hargeon," she pointed it out on the map, "but what if there's no other survivors? It's smaller, less likely, and so far. There might be less supplies."

"Wouldn't a city be better then?" Natsu asked, folding his arms and studying the map. "If you want supplies, there'll be more in a city. More people, more chances of supplies, right?"

"Yes," said Lucy, "but that means more Vhalis, too." They'd have to be careful. She ran her fingers over Crocus, eyes darting this way and that. "Crocus it is then. But I don't know about the state of it. It's probably horribly ruined after the Fall. I doubt you'll know much more about how it's doing than I am. Still, it's worth a try."

"I might be able to guide us a little." He whistled cheerfully as he leaned over the maps, a soft smile dancing across his lips as he traced a path over the map, starting where they were and ending near Crocus. "I used to walk paths in the areas around the city you want us to look for. My village was further north, closer to the volcano at the center of the mountain range, but we'd travel around the general area for trade. If you can get me close, I can show you where to go."

Village? she almost asked. Lucy got the feeling that he wanted her to ask for more information. There weren't any villages near Crocus, after all. It was the only significant civilization for miles. At least, it had been, before the Fall. The nearest town to Crocus was days away, and that was by car let alone when they were traveling on foot.

Lucy leaned in beside him, studying the potential routes they'd take from Magnolia to Crocus. "I think I can get us close enough. We can cut through these forests and find the interstate that heads right to it. We'll need to stop often though. It's better to have safe stopping places then continue at a quick pace and get ourselves killed when we run into Vhalis."

"Fair enough." Natsu cracked his knuckles, as if he hoped otherwise, and then folded the maps neatly. He pushed them into Lucy's hands when he finished. "You can have 'em. They're your maps now."

"That's nice of you," she said, amused, "but there's plenty of supplies in this house, and since you're going to be eating some of it…you can help me carry it." Natsu sputtered, opening his mouth to protest, but Lucy ignored him, cutting him off. "Natsu, I can't carry all of our supplies by myself for what will be weeks, if not months, of travel. I need you to help me carry stuff. So, let's see if the people who owned this place were considerate enough to leave us a bag for you to use, okay?"

As Natsu grumbled lightly, but agreed, Lucy eyed him closely. She studied his odd clothing. It was old – ancient, even. It looked like it came from another time entirely, a single piece of white cloth wrapped elegantly around him. He stuck out like a sore thumb, she thought. If he was going to think himself a god, he certainly dressed the part. "We're going to get you something new to wear while we're at it."

Natsu grew defensive immediately, looking down at his clothes. "There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing," he said sharply.

"I didn't say that," Lucy said hastily, soothing the annoyance that sprung to his face. He was exasperating. Unintentionally, but exasperating nonetheless. "But we need to avoid getting spotted, and that'll stand out big time, Natsu. Besides. It's December. It's not suitable for the winter weather. I don't even want to know how you're not frostbitten yet."

Natsu picked at his clothes with an annoyed huff, not pleased. "Fine," he grumbled. "Let's get looking then."

Together, they went to search through the bedrooms within the house. There were four, and Lucy was becoming discouraged by the time they reached the third room, but the master bedroom turned out to have just what they needed. Lucy cheered excitedly when she pulled a duffel bag from beneath the bed, and Natsu, having been fishing through some drawers, grinned at her contagious excitement.

Content that she had a bag for Natsu to lug around, Lucy went to work on tracking down some clothes for Natsu, too, after sending him downstairs to fill the bag with what food was left in the kitchen. "Fill what you can with water," she'd added as he'd ducked out.

Lucy pocketed a lighter she came across while searching and was still happily thinking about it when she came across some clothes that might work for Natsu. She even found a nice, warm black coat that she worried would be a little small, but it would have to do though.

Thumping down the stairs, Lucy called, "Hey, Natsu! I found some things…" She trailed off when she realized he wasn't where she'd sent him. The half-filled bag of supplies was there, on the kitchen island they'd used to study the maps, but Natsu was nowhere to be found. She anxiously checked the nearby dining room, and then the living room. She felt something in her stomach drop when she couldn't find him. "Natsu?" she called, rushing for the front door.

Her knees quaked in relief when she found him in the middle of the front yard, glaring up at the sky as if he could see something she couldn't. Whatever it was he was looking at, he didn't like it. A deep frown creased Natsu's face. That frown vanished when Natsu heard her call his name though, flashing her a wide, warm smile. His onyx eyes gleamed and he rocked back onto his heels as he called back, "Everything good?"

Lucy studied him for a moment, trying to control her breathing. She nodded. "Yeah," she said, smiling tentatively as he scurried over to join her on the front porch. He beamed down at her, just a few inches taller, and Lucy relaxed, relieved to still have her only human companion around. "I found you some clothes. And a lighter."

Natsu seemed a little disappointed when she dragged him inside to show him, but he still went to change in the next room over – albeit rather grudgingly. He complained about them, muttering under his breath, but went to change nonetheless. Lucy ignored him as she worked on finishing packing, disappointed when she realized they'd never have enough to make it all the way to Crocus.

Nevertheless, when Lucy finished, she looked up and found Natsu hovering in the entryway to the kitchen, wearing the clothes she'd found for him. The T-shirt fit fairly well, as did the jeans she'd found. The coat was a little small, just as she'd expected, but it would work. "They fit!" she said with a broad smile, eyes lighting. Lucy went to check him over, plucking at the short sleeve of his shirt, thoughtful. It was just a fraction too tight, but not enough to make him too uncomfortable. "Do the shoes work?" she asked, nodding at the boots he carried. They were heavy hiking boots, and she hoped they'd provide better protection than the literal sandals he'd been wearing.

Natsu's lips twisted into an unhappy smile as he dropped them onto the floor and shoved his feet into them to show her that they did. "I hate these things," he complained, pulling the scarf he'd tossed around his throat again away from his mouth so she heard him clearly. It was the same scarf he'd worn since he'd fallen through her roof. "But they fit."

"Better to hate them and live then to die from freezing to death," said Lucy with a grin, not bothered with his complaints. She'd said worse.

Natsu studied her as she tugged at his coat sleeve, wondering if she could alter it for him. That is, if they could find things to adjust it with. Maybe it'd help him stop complaining so much if she made it more comfortable for him. "You're very obsessed with not dying," commented Natsu.

Lucy stopped to stare blankly at him. Then, Lucy rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to go back to the kitchen and finish what she was doing. "Yes," she said over her shoulder, drawling the word. "Because I can't say I'm interested in dying, Natsu."

Natsu trailed after her and snagged the maps, folding them neatly to put in the bags. When he'd finished, he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and said quietly, "Death's not so bad, Lucy." She looked at him, exasperated. "It's not," he said firmly, even as he picked up her coat and offered it for her to put on when she finished. "Humans just fear the unknown. You don't know what comes next, and that's what scares you, not death itself."

Lucy wanted to snap at him, tell him off and order him to tell that to the people who'd lost their lives when the Fall happened. She wanted to tell him to explain how nice death could be to the Vhalis, who likely suffered. But…he wasn't wrong, she supposed. Death didn't have to be a bad thing. She fumbled with her necklace, remembering how it had softened her mother's face when it had once been wracked with agony from the disease that had slowly stripped her of life.

Rather than saying something that would have hurt Natsu's feelings, Lucy chose to slip her arms into the coat he offered, zipping it up securely. "Right," she murmured. "Let's go."


They walked and walked, crossing mile after mile. Occasionally, Natsu would ask something that should have been common knowledge with genuine interest that was, admittedly, somewhat endearing.

Natsu turned out to be inclined to help little living things they came across, too. While crossing a small, crumbling bridge in an area that looked like it had once been a popular locale for hiking and camping, they came across a goose. The bird wasn't injured or anything, merely shuffling around searching for food. When Lucy got too close, it lifted its black head and started honking loudly, flapping its wings. Lucy squealed when the goose lunged at her, scurrying her way off the bridge. She glared over her shoulder at it – only to stop dead in her tracks, mouth falling open.

Natsu was crouched by the goose with a sunny smile, not at all frightened as it continued to honk at him. Even so, it didn't try to chase him off, she noted sourly. It even let him run his fingers lightly over its bill and head. "Sorry," she thought she heard Natsu tell the goose. "I don't think Lucy would let me give you food. But you should try the town nearby. It has a lot of canals – or some forest ponds."

The goose honked, flared its wings, and took to the sky. Natsu straightened, brushing himself off. He stopped when he saw Lucy staring wide-eyed at him. "What?" he said defensively, anxiously running a hand through his pink hair.

"I just…you were talking," Lucy said. "To a goose."

"So?" retorted Natsu, gesturing after the goose. "The goose was hungry. What did you expect me to do? Not tell it where to find food? Poor guy's hungry 'cause humans have been feeding it for so long it didn't know how to find its own meals."

Lucy winced, guilty. She remembered feeding the geese in Magnolia's canals bread crumbs. He had a good point. "Yeah, sure, I guess I see your point. No one deserves to starve. Not even a goose." She fumbled with her zipper, pulling it further up to protect her throat from a cool breeze. "But if you're done helping wayward geese, we should go. Bridges like these, with their little shadowy areas, are a good spot for hiding Vhalis." She pointed at the side of the bridge, and Natsu came to join her quickly as he listened intently to her advice. "Not only can they trap us on the bridge, they can drag us into the water and drown us. Vhalis aren't picky about how they kill you."

Natsu nodded, and Lucy was pleased he was actually paying attention to her. While the guy had been under a rock for the last few months as the world fell apart, he did absorb information quickly, and Lucy was sure it wouldn't be long before he'd be good at surviving on his own. He looked sad, however, when she finished, looking over his shoulder as if he could still see the goose. When Lucy questioned it, Natsu shrugged. "God stuff," he said quietly, gaze filled with mournful guilt.

Lucy decided not to push him, only nodding and starting forward again. They had a long walk ahead of them.


"We are not," Lucy declared, leaving no room for argument as Natsu proudly brandished his arm to indicate the space he'd found, "staying in the open, Natsu."

He frowned unhappily. "You said to stop in safe places, right? Look." He pointed at the small quarry he'd tracked down. It was surrounded on three sides by high, rocky slopes nearly twenty feet tall, with a sandy floor. "It's shielded on three sides, Luce. There's no cracks or caverns something could hide in, and there's only one way in or out unless someone wants to break their necks."

Lucy eyed the space with a critical eye. He had a good point, but at the same time… "The Vhalis don't care about breaking their necks. They're already dead, so they'll just throw themselves over the sides." Natsu's face fell, and Lucy hastily rushed to add some praise. Something about the guy wanted her to make sure he knew she wasn't turning around because she didn't like it. "It'd be great if there weren't Vhalis around. We'd be better if there was a cave, actually. One defendable entrance."

Natsu furrowed his brow with a slow nod. "I don't see why we have to stop at all. Can't we just keep going?"

Lucy laughed softly at the silliness of his question. "Natsu, I need sleep. So do you." She spoke firmly, ensuring he knew that she wasn't joking. "If we don't get rest, we'll be exhausted, and getting caught off guard while you're exhausted is a recipe for disaster. All it takes is one mistake and we get our throats torn out by some nasty teeth. Come on. Let's see if we can find somewhere else. We'll keep this one in mind and backtrack if we can't find something else."

They moved on, searching for another place to stop for the better part of three hours. Finally, Natsu managed to track down yet another place; Lucy thought he was quite good at it. It was even the kind of shelter she'd mentioned: a small cavern in the side of an equally small cliff, barely a dip into the surface of the world. The cliff lined a small river that fed into Magnolia's canals. Lucy beamed at the sight of it, clapping her hands together.

"Perfect," she declared. "So long as there's no Vhalis, of course."

Natsu beamed, pleased he'd managed to find what she'd been wanting. "I'll take a look and make sure there are none," he said cheerfully, gesturing for her to stay where she was. She wasn't too excited about that, but Lucy let him go without complaint.

As he disappeared into the shadows of the small cave, Lucy curled her fingers around her necklace, worrying the metal. It was warm from being tucked against her skin beneath her coat, and she found it comforting. It was as if her mother was there beside her. At least, that's what Lucy had always thought when touching her necklace like this.

Her mind wandered as she waited for Natsu to come back. He was odd. Weird, even. Maybe she was just as crazy for putting her trust into someone like him. But Natsu seemed to be a good person. He was working hard to help her and himself, even checking with her about smaller things he wasn't sure about. He wanted to live as much as she did. And while she thought him a little ridiculous sometimes, Natsu wasn't completely oblivious. He was incredibly observant and kept them well away from Vhalis. Lucy had no doubt it was that skill that had kept him alive for so long.

Natsu popped his head out a short time later, eyes gleaming. "All clear," he chirped. He crooked a finger, indicating she could come and look at the cavern herself. "C'mon, Luce, it's actually got a lot of room in here."

"Don't call me that. My name is Lucy, not Luce." She briskly walked over to join him, not sure why she even bothered. He wasn't going to listen to her. Natsu stepped aside so she could sweep into the small cave, and her eyes widened as she took in their safe space for the night. It was perfect for a full night's rest, with enough room to make a small fire even. "It's perfect. Thanks, Natsu. We'll need some firewood–"

"I'll get it," he offered immediately, dropping his bag.

Lucy stilled, eyeing him. Her lips pressed into a hard line. "You're not going to ditch me out here," she said suddenly, uneasy and scared of being abandoned in the middle of nowhere alone, "right? You'll…you'll come back?"

At first, Natsu looked offended. It reassured her that he'd never even once considered the idea of abandoning her and leaving her behind. But it quickly turned to reassurance. "Nah," he said. "I wouldn't leave someone behind like that. Never. I'll come back as soon as I have what we need."

Relief coursed through her and Lucy offered him a shaky smile. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Shyly, Lucy added quietly, "I'm sorry for being rude all the time, Natsu. About every little thing. I just…" Lucy faltered, wondering why she was spilling so much information to a man who was still pretty much a stranger to her. Lucy took a deep breath, somewhat ashamed of herself. "I'm scared, all the time."

Natsu softened and he offered a smile gentle enough to soothe her guilt. "You're human, Luce," he said simply. "It's okay to be scared of what's happening. But you don't have to be scared anymore. I won't go anywhere without you, got it? Besides." A sly, confident smile slid over his face, his onyx eyes gleaming almost mischievously. "The Vhalis won't lay a finger on you while I'm around. Promise."

A smile kicked at the corners of her mouth. "God stuff?"

"God stuff." He winked, and then slid from the cave. He sang softly to himself in what sounded like another language, one Lucy didn't recognize. The words sounded ancient though, and as Lucy watched him go, her fingers curled around her necklace, she found she was grateful that Natsu had fallen into her life.


Chapter 3! I'm so excited we're getting places. And look at me, keeping up on updates thus far. I'm very proud.

Thanks to reviewers (marn-marn, Guest #1, and LyliASL!) as well as those who favorited and followed! I really do appreciate it! :)