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February 13th, X779

Natsu was in the midst of attempting to stand up with Wendy and Levy's help when the Borealis roared to life beneath them. Even he jumped. For a ghost ship that had seemed silent before its wreck, it was now thunderously loud. Levy uttered a soft, relieved laugh. "The curse was broken. Someone must have killed the fallen god."

Natsu's stomach twisted as he rasped, "Who cares if it was killed?" He had bigger things to worry about – like the fact that the creature might have been capable of killing Lucy. If he'd actually seen her, of course. He was still trying to figure out if he ought to believe what he'd seen or not, if the glimpse of her had been a hallucination.

Charle, having been crouched beside the doorway that led down into the Borealis, suddenly hopped to her paws. Her fur bristled as she watched something they couldn't see. "Charle?" called Wendy nervously, glancing briefly at her cat as she ensured Natsu's wound wouldn't tear back open.

Charle ignored her, electing to purr loudly instead. She was answered by a horrendous, ear-piercing caterwaul as a small, furry blue body hurtled into the dying sunlight. Happy paused to brush his nose against Charle's in greeting before darting over to Natsu. "Happy!" Natsu choked out, ignoring Wendy's warning when he snagged the feline, nearly buckling back down to the deck in the process. Happy nuzzled into his chest with a purr as Natsu clutched his wild friend to his chest with a shaken breath. He'd worried he'd never see Happy again.

"Watch your feet! Don't–"

A yelp silenced everything in his head. His mind went blank when he snapped his head up to see none other than Lucy Heartfilia stumbling over the lip of the doorway. She'd have fallen if Gray hadn't been a step behind her, hand darting out to snag her elbow. Gray's dark eyes gleamed with tired laughter as he helped her out, and she threw him a rude gesture that drew a snort from Gajeel as he trailed out after them.

The ointment Wendy had been applying to a gauge on his arm fell from her fingertips. "Lucy?!"

Lucy's face turned in their direction, and for the first time, Natsu thought she might actually be real. Joy lit up her face, as beautiful as she'd looked when entering Levy's wards for the first time. "Wendy!" she cried, and within moments, Wendy had abandoned Natsu to careen into her embrace, already weeping. Lucy laughed hoarsely. She buried her face in Wendy's hair as Wendy cried into her shoulder.

A faint smile crept onto Natsu's lips, even as darkness threaded ever so faintly through his vision. It didn't knock him entirely askew this time, instead fading. Maybe it was finally clearing up. Regardless, if Wendy was seeing her, then Lucy was definitely alive and well.

His stomach twisted with impatience. After giving them as long as he could bear, Natsu called, "Lucy." His voice cracked on her name. Months of loss struck all at once, threatening to strangle him. His chest heaved as Lucy looked up at him.

A pathetically small, but keening hum erupted from him when Lucy abandoned Wendy and bolted towards him. Her golden hair flew wildly around her face as she slammed into Natsu so hard that he was carried back down to the deck. Pain flared through his side when he hit the ground, and Wendy squawked in protest, but Natsu could have cared less. He found himself sobbing Lucy's name again and again, burning tears flowing down his cheeks as he pressed his face into her throat and crushed her against him.

Lucy didn't mind when those tears struck her skin. She only wound her arms around his neck and held him as tightly as he held her, ignoring the golden blood that stuck to them both. Natsu wound his fingers in her hair, trapping her when she tried to pull back. He tried to imbed every second of this moment into his memory, just in case she unexpectedly disappeared on him again.

Lucy laughed quietly when another sob wracked through him. She pulled back just far enough to cradle his face lovingly in her hands and push her forehead against his. Her dark eyes searched his, glistening with her own tears as she smiled brightly. "Natsu," she whispered. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

She was unbothered by the ashes and embers that whisked across her cheeks when he puffed out a gasp. "You've been looking–" He cut himself off, choosing to drag her close so he could crush his lips against hers. Lucy uttered a muffled sound of surprise, but had no qualms about kissing him back.

Natsu was so overjoyed to have Lucy actually there in front of him – not an illusion, not a hallucination, but Lucy – that he wasn't even annoyed when Gajeel curled a lip and muttered, "You two are disgusting."

"Gajeel," chided Levy, exasperated. Wendy clapped her hands, beaming, and Gray sighed heavily.

There were plenty of questions to be asked, supposed Natsu as Lucy pulled back with a flustered, delighted expression. He still had to find out exactly what had happened to her, what was different, what tugged so oddly at his chest now.

But that could wait for now.

Natsu was just happy to have his Lucy back.

Natsu's gaze burned into her as Lucy and Wendy worked together to gather Lucy's scattered belongings, which had flown all over the deck of the Borealis during its initial crash into the docks of Hyacinth. It had been harder than she'd cared to admit to pry herself away from Natsu to do it, but there were things to do and valuable objects that needed to be found.

The four gods were discussing something serious, though Lucy didn't care to pay much attention to what they were talking about. Lucy suspected Gray was relaying a lot of what she'd passed onto him over the last few months. At least she'd not have to repeat it all again.

"Lucy," said Wendy, and her voice trembled just a little, as if she still couldn't believe Lucy was there with her. "What's this for?"

Lucy moved closer, peering over Wendy's shoulder. A smile lit her face. "It's for you," she said. The toy cat she'd kept for so long now was a little worse for wear. An ear had been ripped off when the Borealis had wrecked, but it was whole otherwise. "I thought you might like it. Since it looks like Charle."

Wendy's face brightened with joy and she immediately hugged it to her chest. "Thank you, Lucy!"

Laughing softly, Lucy patted her shoulder affectionately. "Glad you like it. Did you find everything you could in your section?" Wendy nodded. "Then I think we got as much as we're going to get. Thanks for helping. We'll reorganize everything after we've eaten something."

Something in Wendy's eyes wavered, as if Lucy had said something that upset her. But instead of saying anything about it, Wendy said, "Okay. Come on, Charle, let's go show Natsu what Lucy gave me." She rushed over, calling Natsu's name. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the way Natsu seemed to soften as Wendy thrust the stuffed cat out for him to look at.

Focusing on what she was doing, Lucy hauled her bag onto her shoulder. She fought to ignore how Happy wove impatiently between her ankles, purring. He'd been following her ever since things had calmed down. It warmed Lucy's heart. Considering she'd once not wanted him to come along, he'd become quite the helpful little cat.

When Lucy turned to join the others, Natsu was already watching her again. His eyes were sharp, wary, as if he was terrified she'd disappear into thin air. Lucy threw him a smile that seemed to lessen some of his fear. In a rare moment, he hesitantly looked away from Lucy, instead glaring at Levy when she said something he clearly didn't agree with. Lucy began picking her way across the deck, pretending she didn't see a piece of metal lift itself back into place. Even after living on the ghost ship for some time, some things were still strange to see, and that had been one of them.

Something white and familiar stopped Lucy in her tracks. Natsu's scarf still lay where Wendy had left it on the deck, stained with gold. She frowned, wondering why no one had bothered to grab it for him. He wouldn't admit it, but he was having a hard time moving around. Without much thought about it, Lucy snagged the scarf, folding it neatly and pretending the ichor on it didn't bother her as much as it did. There was a strange feeling in her chest, but she ignored it.

As she joined the group, Lucy bumped her shoulder gently against Natsu's, cautious of his injuries. He glanced at her – and spluttered in alarm as she draped the scarf around his neck. He instinctively seized her wrist, making Lucy jump. "Lucy–"

She frowned at his reaction, trying to jerk her hand away, but he held fast and peered at her hand, as if worried. He seemed troubled when he found nothing amiss. "What?" Lucy huffed. "I didn't think you wanted it left on the ground. Unless you want me to put it back, which I can totally do…" She broke off when she realized it wasn't just Natsu watching her; everyone else was, too.

Levy broke the silence first, eyes wide like an owl's as she pulled the flower crown from her head. "Lucy, take this for a moment."

Gajeel stepped in, snagging Levy's wrist. "Hell no–"

"Oh, shush, she's not going to do anything with it." Levy pulled away and pressed the flower crown into Lucy's hands despite her protest. Awkwardly, Lucy stood there with it in her hands, uncomfortable with the way they all stared at her. A tug in her chest and a flicker of exhaustion made her push it back into Levy's hands. Levy blinked when blossoms flowered among wilting petals. "Interesting," she whispered, hazel eyes practically glowing with interest.

Gray peered at the flower crown before lifting his brows at Lucy, who glared at them all. At least Wendy seemed as lost as Lucy felt.

To her surprise, it was Gajeel who answered her silent demand. "You shouldn't be able to do that," he said, and when Lucy looked closer at him, she thought he seemed a little nervous. He prodded thoughtfully at his injured shoulder, disguising his discomfort. "Gods can't touch other gods' diales, lady."

"Lucy," she grumbled, annoyed that he didn't seem inclined to use her name despite knowing precisely what it was for months now. "And why not? I just picked it up. Nothing stopped me."

Clearing his throat, Natsu showed her his hand. Lucy was taken aback by the scars that laced it, as if something had repetitively burned him. "Luce, other gods' diales are supposed to hurt you. You shouldn't be able to just 'pick them up.'"

Lucy took his hand in hers, pulling it closer to inspect the scars. "And whose were you trying to touch, Natsu?"

Natsu's lips quirked as he let her look. Wendy glanced at him with wide eyes. "That's why the key kept hurting you, Natsu?" Natsu huffed, not seeming all that pleased that Wendy knew about that. "Because it's a diale now? Is it Lucy's?"

"Yep." Gray shoved his hands into his coat pockets and rocked back thoughtfully. "We already knew Lucy's a little different than the rest of us though. She's more like Jellal than she is like the rest of us."

"Maybe." Natsu's gaze lingered on Lucy's face again; she could feel it. "But Jellal has a false diale. Lucy's is a full."

"And Jellal can't restore power." Levy's words quieted everyone else as she placed her diale back on her head. The blooms had flowered entirely, creating a beautiful circlet of snowdrops interwoven with thorns. "Gray said that Loke had mentioned you were a vessel for Valhalla…that could prove troublesome for whatever it is you and Loke were trying to do. You're essentially a damn crafted in the middle of a river, Lucy. You open every now and then to allow one of us to take from Valhalla, whereas we could hardly attempt to touch it before."

Lucy snapped her attention to Natsu, startled, and realized that even in the past few moments since she'd given him his diale back, the air was a smidge warmer and there were the smallest of suns glowing in his eyes again. "Great," she grumbled, "so on top of being the weird one, I'm also a water fountain."

Gray grinned, though his amusement faded just as quickly as it had appeared. "Mavis won't be thrilled if we can find her."

Natsu's face hardened at the mention of the spirit of Valhalla. "If Mavis wanted it done differently, she should have thought of something before she disappeared on the rest of us." He spun on his heel, stooping to grab Happy despite the grunt of pain that escaped him. Whatever the fallen god had done to him, it had clearly left some damage in its wake. "What Mavis wants or doesn't want doesn't matter. As soon as Juvia knows this area's safe again, we're going."

There was a cut on Lucy's forehead, just below her hairline. It wasn't bleeding anymore. It hadn't in a while, and was even healing rather quickly, all things considered. Not as quickly as a full-blooded god like he and the others would have, but quicker than Wendy for sure. It looked nothing like the cut he'd seen on her neck before he'd lost her.

It didn't stop his stomach from twisting with panic every time he looked at it and recalled how Lucy had slowly descended into illness, worse and worse with each passing day.

Natsu couldn't seem to tear his eyes from that cut, even as Lucy slept soundly beside him. She'd settled down hours before between him and Wendy, who'd curled into a ball with her back pressed against Lucy's. Lucy had buried her face against Natsu's leg. Happy and Charle were nestled comfortably in the crooks of their knees. His lips twitched when Happy purred again in his sleep; he'd done it countless times since Lucy had settled down with him. It wasn't just him and Wendy who'd missed her.

Not for the first time, Natsu's disbelief swallowed him whole, and he stroked the hair from Lucy's face. He'd pleaded for a miracle. Mavis hadn't been the one to give him what he'd wanted, but a miracle had definitely occurred. He owed Loke big time if what Gray had relayed was to be believed. Something about Loke stealing her soul to use as a vessel in some way, even when it shouldn't have technically been possible.

Footsteps caught his attention just moments before Gajeel dropped to sit a short distance away, his crimson eyes burning like magma. He was clearly irritable about something. Natsu wondered if he'd had another fight with Levy; the pair had been arguing consistently for the last few hours, though no one could figure out what they were fighting about.

"What?" said Gajeel irritably, narrowing those glowing eyes at him.

Natsu scowled back, unable to help the hum that built in his chest. He wished he had better control over that. He swallowed it back as best as he could and said, "You're the one who came over here." He glanced down at Lucy again. After a moment, he dared to ask, "What are you and Levy going to do now?" He and Levy's mutual interest in finding Gajeel and coming to this area was completed. There was no need for them to hang around anymore.

Gajeel considered the question, to his surprise. "Dunno. Levy wants to find Makarov. Thinks he'll have more answers than he let on with Loke and your Favored." He let out a huff, gaze sliding to Lucy briefly as she stirred in her sleep. "You?"

Natsu let out a breath, startled by the question. Gajeel rarely returned such a question. "Lucy said she was worried about Loke and the friends she and Wendy had in Hyacinth. Guess we're probably going to figure out where they went."

Gajeel grunted in understanding. "Crazy water lady might know where they are," he muttered, surprising Natsu. Someone was exceptionally helpful for once. They'd agreed to summon Juvia to the Borealis the next morning, after they'd all caught their breath. As it was, the sea had definitely calmed, as if Juvia knew the curse had ended. Gajeel sighed, rocking back. "Look–"

Natsu interrupted immediately, exasperated with the others. Why did they think they needed to comment on his life? "I couldn't keep Lucy safe because I let her get roped into your mess. So, we're going far away from the gods' mess now. We're going to go find Loke and the others, make sure they're good, and then track down Grandeeney for Wendy. And maybe, Grandeeney can find us some nice, secluded little place where they never have to know what Vhalis is again. I'm done, Gajeel."

Gajeel studied him closely, almost sympathetic, and it only served to irritate Natsu further. "That's a nice dream," Gajeel mused, resting his chin on his fist. "But it ain't reality, Salamander. Whatever Loke did…your little Favored is radiating power. It's going to attract stuff. More fallen gods, lost souls, who knows what else."

A quiet hum slipped from Natsu, and this time he didn't stop it. His temper flared. He hated that he couldn't come up with a response. So, he switched topics entirely. "How'd it feel losing an argument to Levy again, Gajeel?"

Gajeel was immediately distracted, just as Natsu had hoped. Magma burned brightly in his eyes. "You know what–"

"Will you two stop poking at one another like children and keep it down?"

Natsu grimaced guiltily as Lucy sat up with a yawn, mildly annoyed. He'd not even realized she was waking up. Rubbing at an eye, Lucy cast Natsu a sleepy glare, and then turned it onto Gajeel. "You're going to wake Wendy."

"Sorry," muttered Natsu. He couldn't believe it when Gajeel echoed the apology grudgingly.

"What are you two arguing about anyways?" Lucy folded her legs beneath her, hauling Happy into her lap. He merely yawned, showing them his small, sharp teeth before nestling back down.

Gajeel and Natsu exchanged a quick look that resulted in a silent agreement. Neither would admit what they were arguing about – especially when it was something so ridiculous. Rather than answering her, Gajeel hauled himself back to his feet and left, throwing a final rude gesture at Natsu over his shoulder.

Noticing Lucy's bewilderment, Natsu admitted, "He was asking what we were doing next and he didn't like my answer."

Lucy seemed unsurprised. Natsu couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. She wound her fingers through his, squeezing his hand. Natsu found himself blinking back burning tears, frustrated. He'd never been so emotional before Lucy. Well, not since he'd found out what had happened to those he'd cared about when he'd first become a god. He'd been devastated and had tried to hide away.

It was a comfort when Lucy rested her head on his shoulder and asked, "What are we doing?" He liked the "we" she put in there.

"Checking on Loke and the others, like you wanted." That, he'd been truthful about. He owed Loke, after all, and he didn't like being in debt to someone like Loke. It could become a tricky situation as a god. "And then we're going to find Grandeeney for Wendy. I told her I'd try to help her with that after we found out what happened to your soul."

Lucy nodded slowly, considering. "I'm sorry I missed out on meeting Igneel," she said, catching off guard.

He spluttered a small laugh. "Lucy, it's not like you could help it."

"I was looking forward to it, I think." Lucy frowned. "A lot of my memories of that time are still really, really fuzzy."

Natsu's hand tightened around hers. "It takes a while for 'em to clear up, and sometimes they don't. I'd rather you not remember, to be honest." He had a hard enough time remembering how sick Lucy had looked; he didn't want her to remember how it had felt, especially after what Jellal had said. "I don't…" He choked on the words, frustrated when he couldn't force them out.

I don't want to see you die again.

It was ridiculous. Lucy was a god now, like he was. Well, mostly. Regardless, gods didn't just die. Someone could cut his head off, and it might be an unpleasant recovery, but he'd survive. It didn't mean he wanted to see something like that happen to Lucy. Not again.

Lucy seemed to know what he meant. She twisted into what must have been an uncomfortable position and wrapped her arms around him. Natsu sank into the embrace, burying his face against her shoulder with a shudder. He went so far as to pull her into his lap so he could hug her closer.

Gods couldn't just die, but Mavis could cast them out, cursing them as she'd done the fallen god.

And Natsu would make sure Mavis never came back if that's what it took to keep Lucy safe.

AS PROMISED! At last, the reunion!

Thanks to reviewers (Meow Orbit, Rachel Maddison, InWonderl4nd, marn-marn, DREAMCHASING, xennia-x, hopelesskar, nerdalertwarning, SirSasquatch, takeagamble27, & Beebeebee07!) as well as those who favorited and followed!