CHAPTER TWELVE: A TASTE OF FOREVER
In the deep darkness, you shine like a flaming red sun.
I am so addicted. And la, la, I'm being pulled into you.
Cold air that freezes me starts to get hotter.
It's getting hotter and hotter. I can't take this anymore, yeah.
My scattered mind and heart revolves around you tonight.
Impeccable red moonlight puts me in a hold.
Your scent surges through me; it shakes my sense.
Right now, I'm in a world that's only filled with you.
"Lucy!"
Natsu's screams tore through him like reopened wounds. Fear burned like bile in his gullet. All around him the world turned to chaos.
Sting fell defeated on the ground at his feet, a bloodied Rogue crouched over him. Neither could fight. Fellow contestants surrendered to their wounds, desperately clinging to frays of life.
Natsu couldn't make it in time. Lucy was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. He succumbed to bleak dolor, heart racing, eyes burning with tears that wouldn't come. He watched Yasu snatch Lucy from the ground, her screams deafening. All he could do was run and hope and pray.
Flames licked from the depths of his soul, hissing, crackling. They spilled through him, rolling heat and smoke and ash. He roared.
Save her. Save her. Save her!
"Speak of your future and it shall become your will to live."
Natsu froze. Everything around him slowed to a blearing halt. Colours muted and disappeared, leaving only a strange, hollow darkness. Something large moved within the surrounding smog. Familiar red shimmered in the light of Natsu's flames. It couldn't be...
Igneel.
Natsu fell against his father's neck, nuzzling scales and slick warmth. Igneel nudged him gently, affectionately. Time waned.
"Am I dead?" Natsu whispered.
Igneel bellowed a mighty laugh. "Dying is far too simple for you, Natsu."
He lowered his head, disheartened. "This isn't real, is it?"
"Oh, I'm real, son. As real as my love for you."
Natsu's gaze snapped up. "But how?"
"Yasu's powers corrupt time itself," Igneel whispered. "The demon you see now is no more than a conjuring formed by his lingering grief. Destroy it and he will be freed."
"So you're a memory," Natsu realised.
Igneel smiled. "A memory, yes. But all memories are real, aren't they?" Igneel pressed a claw to Natsu's chest. "I exist here, within you."
"There are so many things I want to tell you," Natsu said.
"I already know," Igneel said. "We are connected, Natsu. I am always with you. I see every mistake you make, witness every victory. I'm so proud of you."
Natsu burst into tears. "I wasn't strong enough," he said. "You died because of me."
Igneel cuffed him around the head. "Foolish boy, my decisions are my own. As are hers." He gestured to the flicker of time passing them by—to Lucy.
She was alive.
"Igneel, I..."
"Don't let the demons of your past chase away the light in your future."
"Igneel, please!"
"Save it for the woman you love." Igneel inhaled the smog in a fading breath. "I'm much too old for sweet talk. Now go to her, Natsu. To the future."
"I love you, Igneel."
Igneel smiled. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Please don't name your children after me."
Natsu dissolved into emotional laughter, tears and blood streaming down his cheeks. Despite every aching need to stay with his father, Natsu raced into the crumbling arena, leaving Igneel far, far behind. His heart opened up like a balloon filling with air, lifting him into a twisted sense of euphoria. Light, delicate. He leapt over the great fissure and into Yasu's devouring shadow. Something clattered by his feet.
Lucy's keys.
Natsu grabbed both keys and yelled, pouring every inch of his heart into the summoning. Loke shot through the sky like a lambent bullet, striking the demon's thorned head. Bone crunched and shattered. Yasu screeched, throwing Lucy high into the air.
Virgo tunneled beneath the demon's feet, trapping him in the crusted earth. Yasu stumbled and fell, his massive form hitting stone with a resounding crash.
Flames burst from Natsu's feet. He vaulted high into the air, grabbing Lucy out of the sky. He spun to face the demon, blazing lightning erupting from his angered fist. Yasu wailed a sound so grueling it almost sounded human.
They landed together in the upper row, Loke and Virgo dropping gracefully behind them. Lucy's head dropped against Natsu's shoulder.
"This is bad," Loke said. "Her bones are..."
"We failed you, Princess."
"Where were you?" Natsu snapped.
Loke hesitated. "We heard Lucy crying for us, but something got in our way. The bridge between our worlds was too weak to cross."
She couldn't have used all her power already. It was impossible.
They set her down on the stone steps, Lucy's arms falling limp at her sides. Her breath rattled, labouring and weak. Despite her broken bones, Lucy's hands sought him out for comfort. Natsu took her hand gently.
"We have to..." Lucy winced. "We have to help them."
Natsu stared down at the bloody arena. Yasu was already standing again, demonic form radiating untold powers.
"Protect Lucy," Loke said.
Lucy's spirits leapt into action, assisting the few mages left in the fight. Among them, Gildarts had risen from the bodies, his power streaming across the Domus Flau. A flicker of hope filled Natsu's body.
"Can you stand?" he asked. "We need to move."
Lucy grimaced. "I think. Maybe."
She rolled her ankles, testing for breaks and fractures. She blanched, clearly in pain, but despite everything Lucy wobbled to her feet.
"My legs are about the only things not broken," Lucy wheezed.
"Lean on me," he said.
Gildarts crossed the arena in a blur or power and determination. Behind him, Minerva joined the fray, Yukino hot on her trail. Libra and Pisces accompanied her, along with members of guilds Natsu didn't know. Happy spotted Natsu across the burning battlefield, but something Gildarts said stopped him in his tracks. They shared a long, sorrowful look. Happy was their bast chance at rescuing the others. They'd see each other again soon.
Yasu rose again, punching and flailing like a spin-top with no end in sight. Flames spit from the demon's great maw.
Natsu helped Lucy descend the rows of seats, her body following along like dead weight. They'd barely reached the middle row when she choked up blood, spraying crimson defeat across the empty seats.
Natsu turned to face her. "Lucy, as you are now..."
Lucy grabbed his hands tight, her broken fingers so delicate he thought they might crumble. Even this was too much for her. Her dark eyes burned through him, clinging to ashen hope in a blaze of destruction.
"We have to help them," she begged.
"Not in your condition! Lucy, you'll die!"
"So what if I do? What's one life for—"
"Shut up!"
Lucy's mouth opened. Silence prevailed where words failed her. Shock. Fear. Confusion.
"Don't you ever talk about dying again," Natsu snarled.
"Natsu..."
"I would rather become a demon than live in a world without you."
Lucy held their hands between them, her body trembling. She nodded, assured, afraid. "Please be careful," she said.
Yasu turned towards them, bodies flying around him like swatted flies. Nuisances and nothing more. How could they defeat this thing? It was the raw embodiment of guilt. Such a thing couldn't simply die.
"Do you trust me?" he said.
Lucy smiled. "Of course."
Reluctantly, Natsu let go of Lucy's hand. She dropped to her knees, exhausted, her warm heart following him into danger. Natsu joined Gildarts on the battlefield, their reunion halted by the rage of demonic fists.
"I don't suppose you can eat that?" Gildarts gestured to the black flames scorching through the arena.
Natsu wrinkled his nose. "I'm not usually one to turn down a meal, but that doesn't smell so good to me."
"Ah, so you have grown up," Gildarts mocked.
"You're the one gettin' wrinkles, old man."
Gildarts guffawed. "Could an old man do this?"
With a mighty shove, Gildarts propelled Natsu high into the air, far above the demon's reach. Natsu closed his eyes, suspended in the briefest absence of time. He thought of Igneel. Of Future Lucy. Of Ultear.
Seeds of guilt flowered into buds of hope within him. Natsu drew his flames, called on the power Igneel bestowed him.
His eyes opened.
The demon's hands closed around him. Flames wheeled around his arms, burning so hot not even Yasu could hold them. He broke the demon's grip.
"I'm the son of Igneel," Natsu said, smashing through teeth and muscle. "And I won't lose to you demons anymore!"
Rivers of darkness exploded through the arena. Glimmers of memories long past burst to life from the surrounding fissures. Dragons poured from the skies. Natsu's eyes widened. This was...
Natsu crashed into the ground. Gildarts lie unconscious in a crater of his own creation. Yasu dropped to his knees, temporarily stunned.
How could they defeat time?
Shadows passed over him. Dragons and death. Natsu stared into the crimson sky, streaks of smoke smearing the horizon. He didn't breathe. Didn't dare. Dragon fire burst across the arena.
Natsu clambered to his feet. "What can I do?" he whispered.
Lucy hobbled towards him, no longer clad in Scorpio's Star Dress. Her magic was failing. She pitched forward, broken bones barely holding her steady. Natsu caught her gently.
Yasu strode towards them, ominous, powerful. A guttural snarl tore through the sky, the beating of wings filling Crocus with raw terror.
They were going to die.
Lucy took his hands into her own, squeezing as best she could.
"Look at me," she said.
Natsu's gaze snapped to hers. "Lucy?"
"Look only at me," she told him.
White light burned in those shimmering eyes. Future Lucy manifested within the fluorescent warmth in her soul. He sensed a surge in magical power.
Natsu pressed his forehead to hers, acknowledging her strength, her love. He welcomed the touch of her skin, longed for more of it, recalled the words he'd been so desperate to say. He had to do it now, while he had the chance.
"Lucy, I—"
Flames burst from Lucy's skin, incandescent white and gold. Natsu called upon his strength, combined it with hers until all that separated them was flesh and bone.
Rings of fire and light swept across the ruined grounds. Lucy's flames drew from Natsu's heat, summoning something hotter than fire within him. He held her empty eyes and searched the depths of her soul until he found her waiting, arms open. His magic fell into her warmth.
Yasu's great hands passed through them, disappearing in waves of pure light. Of Lucy's heart. The flames swallowed everything until all that remained was her. Natsu felt his wounds closing, the blood drying, his bruised muscles restored. People all around him began to stir, their voices an echo of victory.
"Thank you," Yasu whispered, and in a wave of light he was gone, no more than a delicate ripple in the wave of life. The dragons and all their guilt went with him.
"See, you're not a monster," she said.
Natsu stared at her. Had she just healed the entire arena?
They collapsed to their knees, fingers still clasped between their chests. Relief weighed on him like gravity, pulling him down, down, down.
"We did it," Lucy breathed.
Wisps of steam billowed from her scorched arms, blood and burnt skin already dried to scars. Her broken fingers moved freely once more. Remnants of magic warmed him still, her very soul shivering through his cracked resolve. He'd never felt anything like it. Not even E.N.D.'s magic could touch them here. Not now.
Lucy's heart had reached everyone. The arena glittered as though the stars themselves had fallen to grant their wishes. The sweet cinnamon aftertaste of their combined power cleansed the world of smoke and blood.
She teetered forward. Natsu steadied her, his hands gliding across her shoulders. He dipped a hand into her bloody hair, fingers smooth and quick against her neck. She smiled.
"I was so scared," she whispered.
'Don't you think you owe it to yourself to be honest with her?'
"Lucy."
"My legs are seriously numb, Natsu."
"Lucy?"
"I can't stop shaking. Look at my hands."
"Lucy!"
She flinched. "What? What's wrong? Did you get hurt? Oh no, did something go wrong? What about here?" She touched his chest. "Does it hurt—"
'Why are you holding back?'
Natsu kissed her. "Lucy."
She froze completely. "Yes?"
Natsu grabbed her face and kissed her again. His mouth tasted hers slowly, passionately, as though he'd been starved of her all his life. Lucy's hands fell against his chest, her eyes fluttering closed. Natsu kissed her harder, desperately. He closed his eyes, indulged longer in the warmth of Lucy's lips and the sweet comfort of her hands over his heart.
Was this how it felt to be so completely, irrevocably in love?
She drew back, breathless, her eyes a glitter of tears. Natsu touched his forehead to hers, relief unshackling the guilt in his heart. Years of remorse ran free at last.
"Lucy," he said, "you are my future."
"Lucy! I'm so glad you're alive!"
Happy burst into the room at full speed, a whirl of blue tears and white relief. He crashed into Lucy's waiting arms, tears bursting on his cheeks, voice crying without restraint.
Natsu cleared his throat. "I'm here too, you know."
Happy whipped around to face him. "I was so scared, Natsu," he wailed.
Natsu could only smile. He watched them across the room, his body sore despite the healing effects of their unison raid. In all his years as a mage, Natsu had never witnessed anything like it. It was so like Lucy to tap into a power that helped others.
Following the battle with Yasu, those who'd recovered were brought to the infirmaries surrounding the arena. Many of them were without injury, though it was best to be certain. After all, their magic had restrictions.
"There, there," Lucy soothed Happy. "You were so brave, helping all those people to safety. A real hero."
Seeing her with Happy made Natsu recall the future Yasu had shown him. If there was even the slightest possibility that he and Lucy would have a family, that all of this would be okay, Natsu was wiling to do anything. Give anything.
A light knock interrupted their moment.
Gildarts stepped into the room, wearing a grin so wide it could exist as its own person. Natsu mirrored the smile.
"You two never fail to surprise me," he said.
"A good surprise, right?" Natsu said.
Lucy beamed. "It's good to see you. Thank you for all your help."
"Thank you. I was beginning to think I'd chased a ghost," Gildarts said. "Titan Soul's full o' horror stories; hard to tell which ones are the real deal."
Lucy climbed off her bed, bringing Happy with her. "I'm going to step out for some fresh air."
Happy hesitated just a moment, clearly torn between Lucy's company and seeing Gildarts again. A quick snuggle made the decision for him.
The doors closed at Lucy's back, leaving Natsu alone with Gildarts's rigid stare. Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat, barely aware of when it had formed.
"So, you an' Lucy, huh?"
Had everybody seen that kiss? Sting hadn't shut about it all the way to the infirmary, and then he'd only stopped because Yukino dragged him into a different room. He'd have to thank them later.
Natsu's face burned. "Yeah."
"Damn it, kid." Gildarts smoothed his hair. "I had two more years in the bet!"
"You guys were betting against us?"
"No, no. Not against you. Just, ya know. With the rate you were goin'..."
Was everyone aware of Natsu's feelings before he was? No, no, that wasn't fair. Natsu had always been aware of his feelings. Aware of Lucy.
"We saw Cana back in Onibus Town," Natsu said quietly.
"Oh, yeah? Was she pissed?"
"Maybe a little."
Gildarts flopped onto Natsu's bed, the mattress creaking beneath the big man's weight. He drew Natsu into an embrace, the two of them sinking back onto the bed. Natsu wrestled in Gildarts's playful hold.
"Ya know, Cana's the greatest thing that ever happened to me," Gildarts said. "I think it's time I learned how to be a real dad."
Natsu raised a brow. "But you'll still fight me, right?"
Gildarts burst into laughter. "You got a one track mind, kid. You shouldn't be running into fights anymore. You've got a future to protect."
Natsu frowned.
"What? You nervous?" Gildarts asked. "Do we need to have the talk?"
Heat spread through Natsu like a foreign flame, burning everything it touched. He'd had more than enough talks from Erza to know exactly where this conversation was going.
"I want to make her happy," Natsu said.
"You really love her, don't you?"
Natsu nodded. "She's Lucy," was all he said.
"Loving someone can be hard." Gildarts sat up. "But the scariest things are always the most rewarding. That's why I take on all those wretched quests. The adrenaline rush reminds me that I have so much more to live for."
Natsu eased himself upright. "I find it hard to believe anything scares you."
"Oh, but the greatest men rise from fear."
Natsu didn't know what to say. He grabbed the tails of Igneel's scarf, recalling their bittersweet reunion. It was all he'd ever wanted. To just see him one more time.
"I don't know what I'd do if..." Natsu hesitated.
"Losing people is an inevitable part of life, Natsu. But that's what makes us appreciate people more. Cana makes me proud to be human every single day."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "You sound like an old man."
Gildarts scuffed his hair. "Watch it, kid, That'll be you someday."
Natsu recalled Yasu's vision once more. His entire body flushed with untold feelings.
"Sure," he mumbled.
"Did I ever tell you how much Cana looks like her mother?"
Natsu shook his head.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think of Cornelia," he said. "But a part of her lives on in Cana. Our children are the pieces of us we want to share with the world. There's nothing I wouldn't do to preserve Cana's happiness."
Natsu couldn't imagine ever loving anyone as much as he loved Lucy, but seeing Gildarts's eyes light up so brilliantly made him want to believe it. That some day, maybe, he'd have a piece of Lucy to hold onto if they were ever apart. That the love they share might be passed down for generations.
"But don't go gettin' all broody on me yet, Natsu. You and I got a few more sparring rounds in us. Besides, I don't think the guild's ready for a mini you anytime soon. Though, when it happens, it'll be the greatest gift you've ever had. Like the world is suddenly payin' all the debts she owes." He clapped his hands together. "Speakin' of gifts, I may have liberated this from the judges."
Gildarts dropped a small box into Natsu's hand.
"The prize. I'd say you more than earned it," Gildarts said.
Within the box was a matching crystal key and lock. It wasn't Aquarius's key, but something about it emanated strong magic. Natsu took the key and turned it slowly.
"With these, you'll never be apart," said Gildarts.
"Never be apart?"
"As long as one of you has a piece of this set, you'll always find your way back to each other. Or so the inscription says." He paused. "Crap, maybe I should've saved it for a wedding present."
Natsu succumbed to embarrassment, no longer able to oppose even a lick of warmth. He groaned inwardly.
"Thanks," he said. "But Lucy and I will never be apart again."
That night, Natsu found Lucy sitting on the doorstep all alone. After spending the majority of the evening with Happy glued to her side, she'd finally wrested him away and settled him in their bed. Natsu hadn't had a minute alone with her since their kiss.
Thinking about it now left him feeling awkward. He fidgeted in the doorway, not entirely sure what to say, what to do. Things didn't have to be so different, but there were feelings left unspoken between them. An air of change.
Veiled by thin clouds, the moon shone a dim light on their little home, illuminating all that he held dear. Cold winds accompanied the summer night, chilling the air enough that even Natsu felt the sting of cold.
He unfurled his scarf and set it around Lucy's shoulders. She tipped her head back to greet him, her smile delicate, sad. They had a lot to reflect on.
Natsu joined her on the step, gazing out into the open street. There were times in life when silence said more than words, and not even actions would suffice. So he simply sat, quiet and thoughtful. He owed her that much.
Lucy leaned on his shoulder. "I wish the world would just stop spinning. Even for one day."
"I have something for you," he said.
Lucy tilted her head to look at him. He grinned, pulling the small box from his pocket. He tipped the key and lock into her palm.
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's the prize from the tournament."
Lucy straightened. "Did you steal this?"
"Gildarts gave it to me," he said, a little wounded.
Then again, he did steal a crown the last time they were here.
"So this is the magical item," Lucy said, twirling the lock around her finger. "What do they do?"
"According to Gildarts, as long as we both have a piece of the set, we'll always be able to find each other."
Lucy's cheeks flushed. She opened the lock with the key and clasped it shut around her chain, letting it fall gently beside Aquarius's key. She placed the key in Natsu's hand and closed his fingers around it.
"Then you'd better not lose it," she said.
Natsu tucked it away in his pocket. He'd find a better place for it later. Besides, he had no need of it right now. Not when Lucy was sitting right beside him.
"Is it weird?" she said.
Natsu studied her warm expression. "What?"
"Us."
Natsu mulled on the inference in her tone. "What about us?"
Warmth crept into Lucy's face like a sea of red, rushing in to drown whatever composure she had left. She averted her gaze and sighed.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Nothing has changed," he said. "I told you we'd always be together."
Lucy pursed her lips. "How are you so calm about this? Doesn't your heart feel like it's bursting?"
Natsu shrugged. "I guess so."
Lucy jumped to her feet.
Natsu grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"
"I'm tired," she said.
Natsu pulled her down to his level, his mouth finding hers without the need of magical keys and locks. His fingers curled into her hair, holding her close until he sensed the calmness in her. She peered down into his honest gaze.
"What was that for?" she breathed.
"I just wanted to."
"You're such an idiot."
He smiled. "And you kissed an idiot, so what does that make you?"
Lucy's mouth hung open. She sat beside him and sulked, sifting through emotions she didn't have to share. It was written clearly on her face. She twisted the ring on her finger, annoyed, embarrassed, content.
"I love you, Lucy," he said.
Lucy covered her mouth to suppress a squeak. He could see it in her eyes that she knew exactly what he meant. This wasn't the love of a fellow guild member. This was the love of a man who wanted to spend his entire life with her. To create a future she could be proud of. He might not be a prince from those books she liked to read, but Natsu would dedicate his entire life to being damn near close, if that's what she needed.
Lucy groaned. "This is so frustrating," she said. "All this time I've wondered how to say those words, and you make them sound so perfect on your first try."
"It doesn't matter how you say it, Lucy. If it comes from you."
Lucy captured his face in her hands, so forceful it stunned him. She leaned in close, her eyes hot, his face burning hotter. His composure slipped away. She squeezed his cheeks and huffed, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm so glad I met you, Natsu."
Song: Red Moon - KARD.
COMING SOON—–
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: OVER THE THRESHOLD