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February 14th, X779

Nibbling on a cracker that Wendy had shoved into her hands upon hearing that Lucy still required food, Lucy's eyes trailed Natsu. She knew that he knew she was watching him, but he didn't seem to mind; in fact, he often watched her, too, when she went to do something. Whereas Natsu kept an eye on her to make sure she didn't disappear, however, Lucy couldn't help but watch Natsu and note the differences from the last time they'd seen one another.

There was a seriousness that hadn't been there before. Sure, Natsu had occasionally taken things seriously, especially when it came to their safety and the Vhalis, but not like this. He'd never been serious about everything. There was a ferocity that came out in occasional sharp words, too, though he avoided speaking to Wendy in such a way when he could. When it came to the other gods…he had now qualms about speaking bluntly to them.

It was as if someone had snuffed the light and joy out of his life, leaving a desperate husk of the Natsu she'd known before. He was constantly seeking signs of danger, not even stopping to dwell in Wendy's excitement over his simple ability to keep her warm or laugh when Lucy teased Gray about the way he watched the waters, waiting for Juvia's arrival.

Guilt struck hard when she realized she was the light that had been snuffed out. Lucy wondered if she ought to apologize for that – for leaving him as she had, even when she'd had no choice about the matter. Lucy worried he was even angry at her for it sometimes. She'd not always been the nicest person to be around. She'd often been grumpy and more concerned about survival than anything else, but even then…if Natsu cared about her as much as she did him, then she supposed Lucy might feel similarly had their roles been reversed.

Regardless, there were other things to worry about for now. Juvia was coming shortly, and then Levy and Gajeel would depart the Borealis while Gray ferried them along the coast to seek out signs of where Loke might have gone. "He had enough power that we might be able to track him if we can get close enough," Gray had told her. "Hopefully."

The ship, which had pulled free of Hyacinth's docks at some point in the night, rocked abruptly beneath them. Lucy staggered, throwing her arms out to keep her balance. She could have sworn Gajeel's face paled as he gently worried a piece of shrapnel out of his knee, as if the movement made him feel ill. Gray, who'd been eyeing the sea, lit up.

Juvia had come.

It went much as it had last time. By the time Juvia had deposited herself on the deck, flooding it with salty sea water that stung various cuts that had almost healed on Lucy's body, Lucy had hurried to join the others, Happy in tow. Natsu sidled over to stand beside her, looking as if nothing was wrong. Lucy knew otherwise; a gentle touch to his side told her the spot where the fallen god had got him was still on the mend.

Juvia's blue eyes darted among all those present, as if counting them. Her brows lifted, but she said nothing about the number of those present as she turned her face to Levy and spoke directly to her. "You kept your word. Thank you."

Levy smiled warmly at Juvia. "You'd have done the same."

Lucy wasn't sure about that, but she kept that to herself. Instead, she straightened when Juvia's sharp, ancient gaze turned on her. Her attention flicked between Lucy and Natsu, surprise lighting her face. "Interesting," she breathed after a look at Levy, too.

Lucy sighed. "I wish people would stop using that word."

"But it is, isn't it?" Levy began bouncing on the balls of her feet, beaming. "Interesting, I mean. Lucy, do you know when the last time we couldn't understand something was?" Lucy was unnerved by the sheer delight in Levy's voice, the curiosity burning in her gaze as she grinned at Lucy. "We get bored when we don't find new things to learn about."

A small, but audible hum erupted from Natsu. "Lucy's not something you get to pick apart."

"I wasn't going to." Levy rolled her eyes. "You ought to be more interested in knowing more, too, Natsu. It's not something you're able to just push under a rug and pretend not to notice. Others are going to notice. Maybe even other fallen gods that have been hiding in the dark corners of the world."

Natsu bristled as Lucy grumbled, "As if we don't have enough to worry about."

"May I?" Juvia's request silenced those aboard. She offered her hand to Lucy. Suddenly uncertain, Lucy glanced at Natsu, who nodded and nudged her towards Juvia with a wary grimace.

Lucy slid her hand into Juvia's. Juvia hummed in a soothing way as she cupped Lucy's hand between her own. There was a heartbeat in which nothing happened – and then there was a sharp rip that tore her hand from Juvia's. Lucy spluttered a gasp, stumbling back, and Natsu's continuous hum jumped several pitches.

Juvia's eyes shone with laughter. She ignored Natsu entirely as she said, "Well, you are certainly not a god, but I do not think you are like me either. It is something I ought to have noticed the last time we met, but I was far too focused on other matters." She tipped her head to the side. "It's as if someone took various pieces of spirits and gods and humans and stitched them all together into one being."

Gray snorted, folding his hands behind his head. "So you don't know what's happening either then."

"No. I cannot say I like it." Juvia wrinkled her nose at the admission before spinning away, pausing just once to smile so warmly at Gray that Lucy averted her gaze. "I will be off now. There's work to be done, especially when the gods cannot truly do their own work. Thank you again," she added, glancing from god to god and landing at last on Wendy. "I could not enter the cursed waters, as much as I dislike admitting it."

Natsu gave a mock salute, resting an elbow on Lucy's shoulder and leaning lightly on her. The dismissive gesture drew a narrow-eyed warning look from Juvia. Juvia clearly found him insulting.

Not wanting to make an enemy out of Juvia, Lucy said quickly, "Before you leave, can we ask if you know where Loke went? He was accompanying some friends of ours from Hyacinth. Back when I first started staying aboard the Borealis with Gray."

Juvia seemed inclined to ignore the request, still glaring at Natsu. Grudgingly, she turned to Lucy, ignoring him entirely. "Only because you helped my dear Gray," she said stiffly. "They went ashore approximately seven miles to the west. From there, I cannot help you. My eels heard whispers of some considering a larger city, one at the center of the country." She cast a wistful glance at the mainland. "I've never seen such a city as they were discussing. It sounded larger than any on the coasts. Loke intended to stay with them until they reached their destination, I believe."

"Crocus?" guessed Wendy, glancing at Lucy.

"They were from Crocus. It'd make sense that they'd be interested in checking it out." Lucy frowned. "Unfortunately, it was big enough that I'm not sure it's a great idea. There's bound to be a number of Vhalis. I really don't know if we should consider following them, to be honest."

"It was the capital, right?" Levy tapped her chin thoughtfully. WHen Lucy looked at her, startled, she smiled ruefully. "I've been in this plane longer than you and Wendy, remember? When I initially lost my diale, it was to someone who came from Crocus. It was the capital even then."

Lucy was taken aback, opening her mouth to ask more though she likely had no business doing so. Juvia interrupted before she could. "I need to go now. The sea is calling." She turned to Gray, troubled. "We need to speak before I go. It's regarding a nearby soul."

Lucy wasn't sure if that's the truth or not. Regardless, as Juvia and Gray wandered away, heads bent close together, Lucy ducked out from beneath Natsu's arm and turned to face him. "What do you think?" she asked. Wendy scurried over to join their conversation. "Gray and I thought Loke could have gone back to Valhalla, but if you guys can't go back…and Crocus was big, Natsu. If you think Magnolia was filled with Vhalis–"

Natsu was clearly torn about the matter. "I owe Loke," he admitted, frustrated.

Wendy added softly, "There would be a lot of supplies in Crocus. Most survivors would have tried to leave the city." She perked up. "Besides, Lucy, if you can give Natsu power back, then he can keep the Vhalis back, right?"

Lucy ran a hand through her hair, troubled by the idea. "I don't know how that works though. Loke made it sound like Valhalla's power is finite. I don't want to ruin Loke and the others' plan – whatever it is – just because we decided to go somewhere that will definitely have things that can kill us."

"Do you think Juvia would know?" Wendy asked, looking over her shoulder at where Juvia stood beside the railing of the ship, clearly nearly finished with whatever it was she was talking to Gray about. "Or Levy, maybe? Do you think Levy could figure it out?"

"Probably not. Loke would be the one who knows, and even then, if Juvia doesn't understand everything, he might not either." Natsu tugged the scarf from his mouth. The way his eyes literally burned with light as he looked at her was strange; it had been so long since they'd done it. At the same time, Lucy forgot to notice, simply because it seemed to make sense. It was Natsu. Of course his eyes glowed.

Wendy hummed. "I'm going to go ask." She darted away before Lucy could stop her, calling politely, "Miss Juvia!" Lucy gawked after her as Juvia's attention turned immediately onto Wendy. Natsu stiffened, waiting to see how Juvia would handle the interruption. Luckily, she took it with grace, even smiling brightly at Wendy.

Natsu let out a breath. "Wendy's lucky right now. Really, really lucky."

Lucy glanced at him, lips quirking into a half-smile. "You've been on Juvia's bad side before?"

"Once." Natsu shuddered.

That was enough for Lucy to know that she didn't ever want to see what that bad side looked like.

Lucy had never noticed the moon so much as she had in the last few months. When she'd been human, she'd occasionally been awed by its beauty, or noticed how it lit the world around her. Now, it seemed permanently full whenever she looked at it, and its light seemed to ripple across her skin. She could feel its buzzing energy, making her bounce on the balls of her feet. She'd not felt so awake in years, even before the Fall. It was distracting enough that she didn't notice Natsu until he was quite literally right on top of her.

Lucy yelped in surprise when he playfully draped his arms over her shoulders and placed his chin firmly on her head. "I leave for two seconds, and you disappear like smoke."

There was a forced, playful lilt to his voice. Lucy saw right through it and leaned back against him. Once again, Lucy recalled those little differences – those little pieces of Natsu that were so different now. She almost asked him about them.

She changed her mind at the last moment, unsure of how he'd react. "Did Levy and Gajeel decide when they're leaving? And did Gray figure out what he's going to do?" She'd left them all as they'd begun the discussion. Poor Wendy had been so bored by the muttering she'd fallen asleep against Levy.

Natsu puffed out a thoughtful breath, ruffling her hair. "Gray's got something Juvia needs him to do. There's a soul somewhere at sea that's going to need to be ferried soon." Lucy winced at the thought. How would that person die? Would they starve at sea? Drown? "The other two are leaving when we do. That way Gray only needs to make one stop on land, where Juvia said Loke and the others went ashore."

Lucy considered for a few moments before asking, "The Vhalis…do you think they'll be a problem?"

"Maybe. I'll make sure they aren't though."

There it was again – that sharpness that unnerved her. Lucy didn't have to be looking at him to know he wore some far off look in his eyes. She'd seen that look enough times now. Lucy considered letting it go again, but this time…

Lucy wasn't sure what Natsu would do if they ran into trouble, and that worried her enough that she twisted around in his grasp to search his expression. He blinked at her, confused, but there was still that look. Lucy took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before saying, "Natsu."

"Luce," he retorted, bewildered when she pulled back a fraction.

Lucy's lips twitched and she reached up to press her hands over his cheeks, cupping his face between them. Natsu's eyes narrowed suspiciously at her. "I think," she murmured, "we need to talk about what happened."

Just as she'd expected, he withdrew immediately, pulling free of her touch. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to want to," she calmly replied, wondering if this was going to be a mistake on her part. Too bad, and too late, she supposed. "I still think it's something we need to discuss. I know it was a bad day for everyone, but–"

Those little suns pierced the darkness, staring right into her soul. "It wasn't a 'bad day,' Lucy. You're my Favored. My friend. My…" He trailed off, voice cracking. It was as if Lucy had shattered a barrier he'd been shoving everything behind for some time. "The other gods…they're my friends because I don't have a choice. They're my family now. But you…I chose you, and I had to then choose to let you die."

The smell of something burning was stark in the air as Natsu raked a hand through his hair, voice trembling. "If I'd just…just done something different," Natsu rasped, irritably wiping the heel of his hand against his eye. Lucy's lips parted as pretty, burning tears smeared over his cheek. "If I'd just made Gajeel deal with everything on his own or something… I promised to keep you safe, and I ended up being the one who–" Natsu broke off, breathing ragged.

Lucy certainly hadn't expected quite that response. Still, her heart ached at the admission. Maybe he'd avoided talking about the subject with everyone around him, but he'd certainly needed to open up about it. She hesitated, unsure of what she ought to do to help him, but decided to try anyway. She slid her fingers into his, reaching up to brush some of those bright, glowing tears away. They seared painfully at her fingertips, and Natsu uttered a sound of protest, jerking his head back to try and stop her.

"Natsu," she said softly, squeezing his hand. "I was the one who agreed to it all. And as for the infection…those things happen, as unfortunate as it is. Humans get sick. It could have just as easily been spoiled food or something as typical as a cold that took me out. It had nothing to do with anything you did or didn't do."

Lucy smoothed her thumb over his knuckles, soothing him as best as she could. Heat sweltered off of him, accompanied by ash that stung her skin wherever it landed. He was still wildly upset by the subject. "I don't know why you are so angry all the time. I won't unless you tell me, and you don't have to, but just…don't let it turn you into someone you're not. Please? Don't let that fear swallow you whole and leave you unable to focus on the here and now. Things went wrong, but by some miracle…" Lucy swallowed thickly. "By some miracle, they're not wrong anymore."

Natsu listened intently to each and every word that left her mouth, and when she'd finished, Natsu snorted quietly. This time, there was no ash. Smears of glowing tears lingered half-dried on his cheeks as he slowly bent to rest his forehead on Lucy's shoulder. His pink hair tickled her cheek. He spoke so quietly, she almost couldn't hear him.

"I'm scared," he whispered. "I'm scared, all the time."

Lucy recalled a conversation from long ago, when she'd said the same thing. They'd only recently met at the time and she'd been terrified he'd abandon her in the wilds of the world. She'd not even believed him to be the sun god yet.

Lucy's lips curved into a small, warm half-smile as she turned her head to press an affectionate kiss to his temple. "It's okay to be scared," she murmured in his ears, echoing what he'd once said to her. "But you don't have to be scared anymore, Natsu." She wound her arms around him and pressed her face against his neck. "We'll figure it out together. With Wendy, too."

Natsu nodded slowly against her shoulder, exhaling shakily. "Okay." He faltered for just a moment before pulling back to peer at her. He met her gaze uncertainly and Lucy simply smiled as brightly as she could at him, looking every bit like the moon itself, in Natsu's opinion. Lucy found that her heart leapt for joy when he pressed his forehead to hers and murmured, "I missed you, Lucy."

Her heart leapt again.

Somehow, it sounded more like "I love you."

My apologies for the unexpected break! Writer's block is hard.

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the reunion! I was quite proud of it! I love emotional moments, as I'm sure you all recall.

On another note, if you want to see something super cool...for those who fans of ODAS, a lovely reader physically bound them into actual books! I posted (with permission) the photos they sent me on my tumblr (riverofmemoriesft) if you want to scroll through to look at them. I cried. A lot.

Thanks to reviewers (InWonderl4nd, hopelesskar, ShanpaiUniverse, DREAMCHASING, xennia-x, miste, fjsmothie, valeniel, nerdalertwarning, galactiaconstella, Littleanimoo, Sir Sasquatch, Meow Orbit, XxStar'sDustxX, nermansherman, & Star-Queen Lucy!) as well as those who favorited and followed!