Chapter Six
The next morning they headed for Malba City on foot, content to enjoy the nice day and each other's company. Happy leisurely flew above them while Natsu and Lucy walked hand in hand. Now that the job was over and they were heading for the possibility of finding Aquarius' key, Lucy was starting to let the nerves take over. The hand not wrapped in Natsu's was shakily fiddling with whatever it landed on whether that be her hair, her clothes, or her bag. Natsu noticed her discomfort and tugged gently on their entwined hands.
"It'll be ok Luce," He said as Happy landed on his shoulder. "Whether it's her or not it'll all be ok. We won't stop until we find her again."
"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed in agreement.
"Thanks guys," Lucy let her other hand hang to her side as the nerves subsided.
When they arrived in Malba City they headed for the center of town where the shop Yukino mentioned was located. The small shop was right off the main square and said Dobson Magic Shoppe on the front. Lucy stopped short outside the door forcing Natsu to stop as well.
"It's ok Luce," He wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed. "You ready?"
Lucy smiled and nodded. Natsu's constant confidence was such a comfort. He made everything so much easier. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. An older gentleman sat behind the counter next to a teenage girl. They both looked up when the bell above the door rang and smiled at the new comers.
"Welcome," The older man said cheerfully.
"Hello," Lucy smiled back and came up to the counter. Natsu followed and stopped next to her with an arm wrapped around her waist while Happy landed on Natsu's shoulder.
"Can we help you find something specific dear?" He asked.
"Oh my gosh Grandpa!" The teenage girl grabbed his arm before Lucy could reply. "Don't you recognize them?"
Her grandpa sheepishly shook his head. Lucy smiled at him to hopefully make him not feel so awkward. No doubt the girl knew who they were either from Sourcerer Weekly or the battles a few years ago.
"They're only from the best guild ever! Don't you remember Fairy Tail from the Grand Magic Games? This is Natsu Dragneel that Fire Dragon Slayer that beat two other Dragon Slayers by himself!" The girl looked back at Lucy and perked up. "You're Lucy Heartfilia right? The celestial wizard?"
"I am," Lucy smiled and nodded.
"I bet you're after this then," The girl stood and ran to a shelf along the back wall. She came back and held out a small case that, to Lucy's disappointment, held a silver key.
"It is, but I actually have one of these already," Lucy fingered the key which was another Nikora key like Plue's. "Thank you for showing me."
"Of course! Come back anytime!" The girl was practically bouncing on her feet with excitement as they headed out.
Lucy's shoulders slumped in defeat when they exited the shop, but she only let herself despair for a short moment. Natsu rubbed a hand against her back while Happy flew to land against her chest and hugged her.
"I'm sorry it wasn't her Lucy," Happy said.
"That's ok," Lucy replied and rested her head against his. "Thanks for coming with me guys."
"Of course," Natsu pressed a kiss to her temple.
"It's still early," Lucy looked around the square until she found an inn on the other side along with a restaurant and public bath nearby. "Maybe we can rent a room for the night and just hang out before we head back?"
"Aye sir!" Happy gladly agreed.
"Oh yea sounds good to me!" Natsu said in agreement.
They headed for the inn and rented a single room with a king bed. The room came with a bathroom with a large soaker tub that Lucy was envious of. They stowed their gear in the room and headed back out again to have lunch at the nearby restaurant Lucy had seen. Natsu and Lucy slid into a booth together towards the back of the restaurant while Happy took the bench opposite. Natsu wrapped an arm around Lucy and pulled her close to his chest. He could sense the intense disappointment pouring from her in waves despite how much she was trying to suppress it. He'd been worried this is what would happen. Being this close to Magnolia just couldn't be possible.
"I'm sorry Luce," He whispered and rested his head against hers.
"I really wanted it to be her," Lucy whispered back.
"I know," Natsu said.
The waitress arrived then and took their orders with a large amount of nerves showing. When she left they realized why as the other waitresses and some other patrons of the restaurant were staring and not so subtly pointing at them. Lucy sighed as she realized they were recognized again. At first, the recognition had been somewhat nice. After all they'd done and sacrificed, having people fawn over them was almost like a reward. After a while though it was getting very old and awkward.
"Damn they're all staring at us again," Natsu grumbled. He all but lit his hands on fire to start a fight, but Lucy placed a hand on his thigh to settle him.
"They'll lose interest in a bit," Lucy said.
Soon the waitress brought out their food and Natsu forgot about all the staring as he began to dig in. Lucy chuckled as both Happy and Natsu stuffed food into their faces. Nothing had changed with these two. When they'd finished their meal they headed back out in search of something to do and found themselves wandering among the shops. They stopped at a bookstore where Natsu dragged Lucy down into the aisle that held her favorite genre and told her to pick one. They then stopped at another shop that had bath salts and potions where Natsu again told her to pick something special. They finally stopped in front of the public bath house.
"Want to try it out?" Lucy looked up and asked.
"Nah we've got one we can enjoy together back in our room," Natsu whispered in her ear.
Lucy felt a shiver run down her back when his lips made contact with her ear. She glanced up at him to find he was staring down at her intently. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She was beginning to realize he'd spent the day trying to make her feel better and that just made her love him all the more.
They ended up going back to their room as the sun began to set. Happy offered to go so they could have some time alone, but they both quickly refused and said they'd rather enjoy the evening all together. Natsu pulled a card game from his pack and Happy settled on the bed across from him.
"Wanna play with us Lucy?" Happy asked.
"Sure," Lucy accepted the cards he held out to her and Lucy sat down on the bed next to Natsu.
They spent hours playing and laughing just like normal until Lucy's eyes began to droop and her head came down on Natsu's shoulder. Natsu put his hand on her thigh and chuckled. He glanced at Happy who had a similar reaction.
"Guess it's bedtime Happy," Natsu whispered.
Happy put all the cards away while Natsu pressed a kiss to Lucy's forehead and gently woke her. He normally would've just put her in her jammies himself, but he figured she'd be uncomfortable with that with Happy there. Lucy stood and pulled her pajamas from her bag and headed for the bathroom. Natsu pulled his scarf and vest off, folded them and placed them on top of his bag. Lucy came back out and crawled into the big bed while Happy claimed one half of the pillow she'd laid on. Natsu climbed in beside her and pulled her close to rest against his chest. They fell asleep wrapped up together with Happy by their side and while they didn't find what they were looking for, the break from Magnolia was exactly what they all needed.