A/N: This chapter was fun to write! It made me think of my days as a martial arts instructor! And of course, I couldn't resist some steamy sparring~

CHAPTER TEN: TOWARDS VICTORY

It's so hard to think this could fade away.
But what goes up must come down.
Why can't we just live life with no consequence?
And always live in the now.
Forget about the sunrise; fight the sleep in your eyes.
I don't wanna miss a second with you.
Let's stay this way forever.
It's only getting better if we want it to.
You know that I wish that this night would never be over.
There's plenty of time to sleep when we die.

When you lose someone precious, the world doesn't spin. It plummets. And memories of their face rotate in days and weeks, growing fainter with each passing year. If time had a name, Natsu would curse him. Igneel's voice grew distant overtime, and Natsu's yearning for a family, his desire to reunite with his father, only served to grow stronger because of it.

He'd lost Zeref to a cruel and twisted fate. His parents. He'd watched Future Lucy die without ever truly knowing her at all. What right did he have to a family, when all he could do was watch them die? He was beginning to understand Gray a little bit. There was nothing quite so nocuous as the trepidation of holding someone so close they perished in your very arms.

Like all those memories, the good, the bad, days with Lucy blurred out of existence. Their little home flourished with Lucy's dulcet promises and Happy's impish gibes. Natsu intended to cherish the little things from now on. He'd snap every memory into the puzzle of his mind and build on every piece until it formed the perfect picture. Something he could hang permanently in the back of his mind.

Their days in Crocus were just the beginning of this masterpiece.

Happy's voice cleared his worries: "What're you spacing out for, Natsu?"

Stood opposite him, Lucy brandished a quick smile, mischievous and merry. "I think he's afraid to lose," she teased.

Lucy slid into a stance on her end of the mat, hips centred, feet pointed. She learned quickly. But it was in motion—in real time—that she lost her poise, her prowess. Lucy's compunction stopped her from playing dirty, even if it meant assuring defeat. That made her predictable sometimes. It also made her Lucy.

Natsu didn't hold back.

Lucy leapt into a swift spin kick, barely missing the tip of his nose. He dipped backwards, pivoting around her, and readied himself for her next attack. She crouched into the landing, clumsy, exhausted. Lucy whirled towards him, driving her elbow into his side. Whip-snap quick. Natsu used his mistake to step into her blind spot. He kicked her hard in the back. Lucy gasped and pitched forward, arms flailing. Natsu caught her wrist and pulled her to safety. Her breath hitched. He tugged her back against his chest, giving her a moment to rest.

"That one hurt," she panted.

"Tired already?"

"Yes."

"Too bad," he said.

Lucy flashed a pleasant smile over her shoulder. Paralyzing. Perfect. Natsu forgot himself entirely. Lucy seized this moment to fix her ponytail, smoothing wisps of blonde hair behind her ears. She calmed her breathing. The motions exposed her slender neck, sweat and skin and seduction. Natsu held his breath.

The foggiest of memories surfaced. The taste of warm skin on his lips. The rousing lilt in her voice as she whimpered against him. He only wished the circumstances hadn't been so dire, and that he could muster that same bold courage while awake. He would kiss her again. Right now.

Don't think about biting her. Don't think about biting her. Don't think about—

Damn it.

Natsu's subconscious would be the death of him.

"I thought I had you this time," she said, snapping the elastic around her hair. "That was my best kick yet."

Natsu slid a hand around her stomach and gave it a light push. "You rely too much on your legs. Power comes from the core, Lucy."

She fit so perfectly against him, the half to his whole, the lace to his boots. Had it always been this way? Her soft scent filled him completely. The smell of lavender hopes and vetiver comfort. She was home. Natsu focused his mind.

Not the time!

She tensed under his hand. "I'm using my core, Natsu. I'm using everything. That's why I hurt so much."

"This isn't much of a fight," Happy complained.

Natsu kicked her leg backwards, forcing her into a bow stance. He pressed a finger against the small of her back. She straightened.

"Like this," he said. "Point your toes outward. Landing a kick is no good if it costs you your balance. And don't look where you're going to hit me. You might as well put a bullseye on my face and aim for that."

"Get a room, lovebirds~" Happy teased from the sidelines.

Lucy stepped away from him, suddenly shy. "I'll work harder."

They said love is blind, but Natsu had never seen anything as clear as he saw her. It was a little glaring, holding onto feelings so crisp they might cut him marrow-deep and leave him for dead. But this was Lucy. And everything she did, everything she touched, radiated pure, resounding light.

He hated that nightmares brought these feelings to light. The deeper he sank into the shadows, the brighter she shone, until Natsu wanted only to bathe in her existence. It left him sick and scared and shaking.

Summer had arrived much too quickly, giving them less and less time to prepare for the impending tournament. When he didn't train with Lucy, Natsu found time to spar with Sting and Rogue, utilising his full strength as he needed to. They'd all remained in Crocus for the time being, with Yukino assisting the guild from their inn. Minerva remained too, though she seemed vexed by their participation in the tournament and refused to indulge Natsu's curiosities. She'd kicked his ass in a fight, too.

Then again, his mind hadn't been in the fight.

"I'm so sore," Lucy complained.

No more distractions.

Natsu threw her across the room. She twirled on a heel, barely catching herself on the edge of the mat. Skin glistening with sweat, Lucy glowed with progress and pride. In just a short time her muscles had recovered their firmness. She snapped the band of her sports bra and huffed, sweat dribbling between her breasts. She'd removed Aquarius's key for this round.

Time to get serious.

He'd promised to train Lucy harder than she'd ever trained before. He'd promised not to hold back. He'd never withhold strength simply because it was Lucy. Her opponents wouldn't, and that's exactly why she needed preparation. This was about endurance. Nothing more.

He'd make a rival of Lucy yet.

"What're you waiting for, Lucy? I'm all fired up."

"Me? You're the one standing around gawking!"

"Does your tummy hurt?" Happy asked. He'd refereed their matches all morning, though he'd been particularly biased in Lucy's favour. Natsu wondered if they were plotting something.

"I've never felt batter," Natsu said.

Lucy sprang into action. She charged him head on, showing less fatigue than before. Adrenaline was a dangerous thing. Many people craved it, but the drain was detrimental. And that's exactly why he was going to win. She needed to control her breathing if she was going to pass her body's limits.

Almost on reflex, Lucy commenced their fight with a hook kick. She'd gotten into a pattern now and it would be difficult to break it. Her leg snapped for his neck. He caught her right ankle as it neared his face. Lucy grinned. She leapt into the air and hooked her free leg around him. They crashed into the floor. She squeezed her thighs around him, wrestling him to the mat. Natsu stared in mute awe.

"I'd say that's my win," she said.

She'd repeated the patterns on purpose.

"You're so cool, Lucy!" Happy cheered.

She offered her hand. Natsu took it gently, allowing her this moment to shine. They stood together, Lucy rubbing the tension from her legs. Natsu unraveled his scarf and threw his shirt on the ground. His entire body shuddered with untold delights. The glow of victory drained from Lucy's face.

Things were finally getting interesting.

He beckoned with one hand, Come here.

Lucy stepped back. "I don't like that look one bit."

Natsu's smile widened to the point it almost hurt. "What're you waiting for?"

"I think I've changed my mind," Lucy said.

"Let's fight, Lucy!"

She shrieked as he approached. Natsu rushed in without hesitation, bubbling with newfound energy. She blocked his first punch, barely dodging the second as he followed with a right hook. She ducked out of his way and barreled for his side of the mat.

"Happy, tell him to—" Lucy blanched. "How are you asleep right now?!"

They traded blow for blow until Lucy's arms reddened and bruised with every successful guard. She faltered, and Natsu struck her midriff. She spluttered and dropped to one knee.

"Lucy?!" Natsu's lust for a fight screeched to a mortifying halt. "Lucy, are you okay?"

Memories of that night haunted Natsu. He remembered grappling with her on the living room floor, barely himself, barely not. He remembered hurting Happy. Neither of them spoke of it, but he sensed a growing fear within them. He remembered it all so vividly—the taste of her skin on his lips. Insidiously addictive. She must remember it too.

Damn it.

Lucy dragged him onto the mat, rolling them over with practiced ease. She straddled him with a playful smile. "Got you."

"You..." She'd faked injury?

"You said not to get distracted. You should take your own advice, Natsu."

Natsu's heart thundered in his chest. She wiped more sweat from her brow, her eyes dazzlingly bright. He swam in their warmth, drowning deeper with every breath. He could've moved her easily. He should have. But Natsu couldn't find the strength. His gaze roamed her flushed skin, watched beads of sweat trickle down her toned stomach. Her chest rose with every breath. She looked so strong. So...

Unfamiliar flames burned in his stomach, blue and beating. Natsu pulled her against him. She gasped, falling flat on his chest. He rolled them over, both hands on either side of her face, his knees squat against her waist. Lucy's breathing laboured.

"Who said anything about being distracted?" he said.

"Point made."

Lucy didn't make a move. She gazed hard into his eyes, drawing his weaknesses to light. Natsu couldn't take much more of this. These amplified feelings would kill him long before Zeref's magic did.

"Why are you holding back?" he asked her.

Hypocrite.

Lucy's gaze darted away, searching for more lies. "I'm not."

"Yes. You are."

She chewed her lip. "I don't want to waste magical power on you. I'm going to need it for the fight, you know."

"Are you worried you'll hurt me?" he taunted.

Something akin to a yes flickered in Lucy's eyes. But she wasn't worried about physically hurting him, he realised. This was about...

"Are you afraid of me?"

Of course she was. He'd tried to kill her.

Lucy recoiled as though his words punctured every living organ in her body. She glanced away, focusing on the barren walls of their living room. They'd moved a lot of furniture to make room for their session.

"How could I ever be afraid of you?" she asked.

Natsu leaned closer. She turned at the motion, her nose a hair's breadth from his own. He inched closer, drawn in by her open gaze. She was telling the truth. Her hands moved to his chest, warm, gentle, accepting. To his surprise, her eyes fluttered closed, trusting, expectant.

This was different.

Lucy wasn't kicking and screaming. She wasn't protesting or rejecting him with embarrassment. A spark of something hot and dangerous crackled in the air between them. His eyes flickered to her neck. Flashes of memories that weren't quite his own appeared like ghosts in his mind. He remembered exactly where the bite mark had been.

Just one taste...

Natsu brushed his lips against her neck, purposeful, but with enough grace that she might think it an accident. He lingered at her ear.

"Then fight me for real," he whispered.

Natsu leapt to his feet, leaving Lucy a trembling mess on the mats. She covered her face and groaned. He turned away, his face beating hot.

That was way too close.

The Domus Flau was more impressive with each renovation. Framed stone plaques detailed recent tournament winners, rows of statues decorating the ashlar walls between every column, faces of mages and kings long past. The gazes of great men and women followed Natsu into the western porticus, where lines of mages gathered to determine their fates.

The first round commenced at noon: of the sixty contestants, only thirty would remain. A battle royale, they called it. Natsu could hardly wait.

He slowed by a figure of three heads. Two brothers and a sister, their marble expressions filled with sorrow. The woman's eyes were closed. Something about it set his heart on edge. Why did she look so familiar?

"So how long are you going to hide it?" Sting asked.

He'd almost forgotten about the others. Rogue and Sting followed Natsu through the tunneling colonnade, their exceed companions close behind. Happy insisted on staying with Lucy. They'd been glued to each other since Natsu's night of shame.

The summer heat pressed in around Natsu like gloves clinging to his skin. Even for him, the air was stiflingly hot. Adjusting the scarf around his head, Natsu rebuffed Sting's curiosity with a simple: "Hide what?"

"Look, I'm not trying to pry—"

"You are," Rogue put in.

Frosch appeared on his shoulder. "Fro thinks so too."

"Hey, I just want Natsu to be happy," Sting argued.

"We all do. But this isn't something you can decide."

Sting rolled his eyes. "Doesn't it bother you, seeing him all goo-goo eyed?"

"Of course it does. But this isn't about us. Stay out of it, Sting."

Irked at being talked about like he wasn't there, Natsu pushed through the crowd and approached the board of rules. Sixty people. This was going to be an epic battle.

"Looks like it's a free-for-all," Natsu said.

Sting grinned. "Then you'd better not get in my way, Natsu!"

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea. The last time..." Rogue hesitated.

"This won't be like last time," Natsu promised.

Rogue had every right to be worried. After all, he'd stared into the broken eyes of his future self and lived to tell the tale. He knew what could go wrong. But here he was, the same old Rogue, with Frosch ever at his side. Everything was as it should be.

Sting clapped a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You know, Natsu, a tournament is a great place to confess your—"

Rogue punched Sting in the back.

"Hey! You can't punch your guild master!" Sting grouched.

"I can when he's an idiot."

Natsu stifled a laugh. Seeing Rogue and Sting banter reminded him of Gray. No matter how often they butted heads, Natsu cared about Gray. It was because he trusted him so implicitly that they could bicker like that. It's just what friends did. Of course, Natsu's feelings for each Fairy Tail member were special in their own right. He admired Erza's discipline, Lisanna's kindness, Lucy's...

Everything.

His heart gave a traitorous leap. So maybe he valued just one member ever so slightly more than the others. But it wasn't like he'd choose Lucy so easily over everyone else. She just...

She made him feel so differently. So vibrantly. As though the world had been mute all this time and her smile revealed Fiore's true colours.

Open your eyes, son of Igneel, a voice whispered.

Natsu blanched. What the hell was that?

"See! He's doing it again!"

"Just leave him be," Rogue said.

"You're such a caring master," Lector praised.

"See, Lector gets it."

They doubled back, emerging into fresh, clean air. Natsu sucked in a long breath. He spotted Lucy across the arena, gathered in the lower cavea. She sat talking with Yukino, her blonde hair tucked into a short braid. She smiled when she saw him coming.

"Why are you holding back?" Sting asked suddenly.

Natsu stopped walking. "Why do you care?"

"Enough," Rogue warned.

"Sting is worried about his friend," Lector snapped.

"I'm not holding back," Natsu said. "Lucy deserves more than I can give her. She's always reading those huge books and imagining her future, and I can't be what she needs me to be."

His future was uncertain. Natsu couldn't offer Lucy a maybe. Not when she deserved an assured forever.

"That was remarkably honest," Rogue said.

"Fro agrees!"

"Who are you to decide what she deserves?" Sting said. Natsu flinched. "What if you're the future she wants? You're just making excuses."

Natsu's excuses were all he had. The only bridge standing between Lucy and the icy depths of a raging abyss. He couldn't take that step forward, not when the path remained so unclear. What if she crossed to meet him and the bridge collapsed? How could he ever hope to save her from those deep, dark waters underneath?

He couldn't even save himself.

"Whatever's going on with you, Natsu, you should figure it out. After everything you've been through, do you really believe she's going to shun your feelings? And if she does, who cares? This is Lucy. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to be honest with her?"

"They're coming this way," Rogue said.

Lucy approached on Yukino's arm, a stone-faced Minerva close behind them. She'd become Lucy's shadow in recent days. Natsu couldn't tell whether the girls were bonding or playing some kind of weird game.

Natsu clenched a fist. "After," he said.

Sting and Rogue shared a soft look.

"When the tournament is over, I'll tell Lucy how I really feel."

He might not have forever, but even a day would feel like an eternity with Lucy beside him. She was his future.

His forever.

Crowds gathered in the cavea, filling seats with eager faces. The midday sun beat heavy on the stone arena, wrapping the sixty contestants in layers of merciless heat. Natsu stood at the edge of the participating guilds, Lucy quiet beside him. He timed his breathing with hers, shook free any stray thoughts, any last regrets. Distractions weren't welcome now. Not until they'd won this thing.

Members of the audience cheered as they recognised guild members and friends. Lucy scanned the faces, her gaze calm, studious. Natsu fidgeted beside her, itching to make his mark, anxious about what might come after.

Sting's words had rattled him.

"Let's win this thing, Lucy," he said.

She nodded a cool agreement.

Happy waved from the eastern stands, Lector and Frosch cheering beside him. Yukino and Minerva sat in the row behind. Natsu caught Sting waving frantically to his guild members. Yukino flushed and offered a shy wave back. In spite herself, Minerva cracked a brief smile.

The judges were called to the stands. Natsu's heart gave a long, excited leap. Was he seeing things? No, that had to be... A familiar mess of disheveled orange hair ascended the stone steps. Gildarts noticed Natsu and stopped a few paces behind the three judges. He flashed a toothy grin and gave the two a huge thumbs up.

"No way," Natsu breathed.

Lucy giggled. "Is there anything Gildarts doesn't do?"

"Crap. Now I'm nervous," Natsu said.

Lucy side-eyed him. "Really?"

"What if the victor gets to fight Gildarts?" Natsu hopped from one foot to the next. "We have to win, Lucy!"

"Somehow I doubt that's the case," Lucy whispered.

She was probably right. But having Gildarts so close, seeing him there in the stand, changed everything. This wasn't about victory anymore. It was about pulverizing the competition and showing Gildarts just how strong he'd become.

"When this is over, let's stop and chat with him," Lucy said.

Natsu grinned. "I'm all fired up!"

The guilds were divided on each side of the arena, Natsu's group positioned to the east. The rules were read in a tedious fashion, and then the arena rumbled to life, walls and pillars erupting from the firm ground. The colossal maze formed shadows so great they consumed everything but the rising sun.

"The first battle is about to begin," the announcer declared. "Your goal is simple: Team members must make their way to the centre of the maze while preventing their opponents from doing the same. Only thirty of you can prevail. Once the quota is met, the losing teams will be evicted with magic. The walls are impenetrable, so you'll have to use your wits as well as your skills. And remember, both guild members must succeed in order to progress into the next round!"

Natsu's skin prickled with excitement. He grabbed Lucy's hand and squeezed, her own eagerness passing through him. In that moment there was only the two of them and victory.

Separating the contestants was a smart move. Many of them would lose before they even entered the maze, with thirty people on either side scrambling to be first. They'd fancy their odds in a fight this way. Natsu wouldn't fall into the trap.

"May the first round of the Summer Games begin!"

A horn blared and Natsu hefted Lucy into his arms, leaping over the heads of a pursuing team. A blast of flames shot them into the sky and over the lower wall into the maze. He dropped into a crouch and set her down in the cold shadows.

"Wow, did you just avoid a fight?" Lucy asked.

Natsu laughed. "There's plenty of time to fight."

"I'm impressed."

"Stay close, Lucy. We shouldn't separate."

"That would be a shame," a voice whispered.

Shadowy hands pulled Lucy from sight, leaving nothing but the faintest echo of her surprised voice.

Clad in all white, a single mage appeared in the darkness, black hair slicked back into a ponytail, heterochromic eyes glowing a fierce black and red.

"What did you do with Lucy?" Natsu yelled.

"I wonder," he said. "Will you waste time trying to find her? I hear you're quite good at that."

Natsu grimaced. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Wherever she was, he couldn't worry about Lucy right now. She would find her way back to him. She always did.

"You picking a fight?" Natsu said. "Bring it on."

"Apologies. My partner is the combatant among us."

A second figure rose from the shadows like a quill dipped in ink. He lunged at Natsu with brute force, blonde hair tamed in a manner akin to Sting's. Did he just pass through the floor? Wasn't that against the rules? Didn't magic prevent this kind of thing from happening within the maze?

Natsu hopped back, flames bursting through clenched fists.

The larger man stared with unwavering eyes. He pulled red stitches from his mouth, blood spitting with his words. Natsu's mind flashed back to his nightmare of Lucy, thread woven through her chest, her heart black and dead.

"This him?" the man asked.

"Takuya, meet Natsu Dragneel. Fairy Tail's pride and joy," Yasu said.

"Pride and joy? That's a lot to live up to."

"Indeed."

"Are you two gonna keep talking like I'm not here?" Natsu snarled. "Just who the hell are you guys?"

Takuya rapped his huge chest. "We are Titan Soul, chosen by the gods themselves. You have been marked by Ankhseram, brother of Zeref."

Natsu's blood ran cold.

"Good luck finding your partner, Fairy Tail wizard," Yasu said. It was as clear a threat as any Natsu had heard before. "It'd be a shame if you lost so soon."

Damn it. Why were guilds always picking fights with Fairy Tail?

They vanished again—two shadows scattered within darkness. Lost.

"Hey, get back here!" Natsu yelled, punching air.

Footsteps bounded into the maze behind him. He had to find Lucy. Quickly. They couldn't win if only one of them made it. Natsu followed her scent deeper into the maze. It didn't make sense. Whenever he got close, Lucy's scent vanished.

"Natsu?" It was Rogue.

"Where's Lucy?" Sting asked.

They didn't intend to fight, he realised. They were saving the best for last. Natsu couldn't wait to beat them in the finals.

"I lost her," he said.

"What happened? I thought you came in together?" Sting asked.

"I saw her not too long ago," Rogue said. "She was headed that way."

Rogue pointed to a passage on their left.

Natsu couldn't rely on his senses to find her. He needed something else. Something stronger. Natsu placed a hand over his chest.

More footsteps echoed into the surrounding passageways.

"We'll take care of the stragglers," Sting said.

"Find Lucy. And then win, so we can fight again," Rogue added.

Natsu raced into the adjoining corridor, following the path until he reached a fork in the walls. Left or right. Which way should he—

Loke manifested in a whorl of lights. Natsu tipped back in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Yo, Natsu. Been a while."

"Why are you here?"

Loke's expression darkened. "Lucy sent me to find you."

Why would Lucy send Loke to find him? Wasn't he supposed to find her?

"I need her if we're going to win," Natsu said.

"Are you asking to form a team with me, Natsu?" Loke grinned. "I'm flattered."

"Let's do this."

Hot on Loke's trail, Natsu followed along the right-most path, meandering through arched walls and over great holes in the floor. They leapt into a round room and stopped. Passages spread like sunbeams in every direction. Lucy turned to face them from the northern corridor, a vision of strength. She grinned.

"Took you long enough," she said. "Come on, I found the right way to go."

Loke grabbed Natsu's shoulder. "That isn't Lucy."

Natsu's body erupted in flames. "Then we'll just have to take her down."

"I'm right there with you."

Natsu leapt for the impostor, flaming fist beating hard against her stomach. She staggered back in surprise.

"Why are you..." Lucy dropped to one knee. "Ugh. It hurts."

"Don't listen to her," Loke said.

The room tilted, throwing them into a nearby passageway. Natsu crashed into the wall hard. Lucy landed on his chest.

"Ow, that hurts," she whined.

"Lucy?"

Loke's magic pulsed from the circular room, light burning with great heat. Natsu rolled them out of harm's way.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry!" he gasped.

The woman in his arms went limp, replaced by Future Lucy's dead body. Natsu shoved her aside in stark horror.

"What the hell is this?" he snapped.

Loke grinned. "Your fears were terribly easy to manipulate. I sensed you the moment you stepped into this arena. You are Zeref's blood."

Natsu stared unblinking. "I am Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel," he said.

"Son of Igneel," Loke mocked. "All this time you thought you were trying to find her, but she was never truly gone at all. So quick to panic when you think she's in danger. I wonder what would happen if she disappeared forever."

"You bastard! Who are you!"

Natsu's own face stared back at him, serpentine gaze dark and vengeful. Cracked scales shimmered in the light of his flames.

"I know everything about you, Natsu Dragneel. One glance and I saw into your soul. Into your past. Your future. You hate yourself so much, but you convince yourself that Zeref is to blame. The only monster you fear is the one in the mirror," the demon said. "You're so afraid. So vulnerable. You know your time is fleeting, yet you push away the thing you crave the most."

Natsu punched the demon square in the face, flames and fears bursting into darkness. Shadows slivered all around him. Future Lucy. Igneel. Zeref. His parents. Ultear. They stared at him with bloody eyes.

Titan Soul's Yasu stood among the shadowy faces of Natsu's regrets. So many people he could've saved. People he didn't even know but loved tremendously. The room chilled. Something nagged in the back of his mind.

'The Seeress Hitomi, Yasu the Observer, Takuya the Truthsayer.'

Great thorns protruded from Yasu's ears, deafening him. Fresh blood spilled down his neck and shoulders, oozing into the white folds of his uniform. He looked ethereal in his white robes. Takuya stood silently behind him, his lips sewn shut, his eyes weeping.

Images of Lucy manifested in the crystalline walls of the maze. She held a bundled child in her arms, cooing softly, her hair long and beautiful. Natsu touched the wall gently.

"What would you give for her?"

"Everything," Natsu whispered.

Yasu smiled. "Cherish her. Your bond will light the way."

"Natsu!"

"Go," Yasu said. "She calls to you. I have said all I needed to say."

Takuya nodded.

"May the gods be on your side, Natsu Dragneel," Yasu whispered. "You're going to need them soon."

Natsu turned to find Lucy racing through a nearby passage. She leapt into his arms, tears streaking down her cheeks.

"You took off without a word! I was so worried!" Lucy blinked. "Hey, isn't this..."

Natsu turned towards the circular room. Lacrima hummed with astounding light on each wall, signalling the success of their first task. They'd reached the centre.

They'd won? Why did he feel so deflated? Yasu's words left holes in Natsu he couldn't fill. Why did it feel less like a warning and more like a...

Goodbye?

"Thank you, Lucy."

"For what? All I did was run after you."

For existing. "For being you," he said.

She beamed at him. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"Forget it."

"No way. I'll remember it forever."

"I'm sorry I left you all alone."

"I wasn't alone," she said. "No matter where you go, you're always with me."

Cherish her.

Natsu took her hand. "Lucy..."

"Now let's go."

They stepped forward together—to victory.

Song: Close Our Eyes - Adam Lambert.

COMING SOON—
CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE PERFECT TEAM