Fairy Tail 1. Just a Crush

**I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. MASHIMA HIRO DOES.**

Lucy sighed heavily. She sat alone at a table watching Lisanna and Nastsu from afar. Her body was bent as her head and arms lay across the wooden table and her golden locks scattered over her porcelain face. Lucy buried her face in her arms. She felt something turn at the pit of her stomach. It wasn't a sick feeling or any form of cramps. There was no fever, no sniffling cold, no headache, no cramps, and no allergies. Today just felt a little off.

"Things will be different now," Lucy whispered to herself softly_. It's been two years since they last saw each other. Which means they have a lot of catching up to do_ Lucy thought to herself. Ever since Lisanna returned, the two of them looked like a couple- though the idiot was probably too dense to see the poor Lisanna's feeling.

To be honest, Lucy didn't know how to react to the fact Lisanna was alive. It was a mixture of feelings which she couldn't quite figure out. Sure Lucy was happy that Lisanna was alive all these years. She was Mira's and Ellfman's beloved sister after all, and a dear member to everyone in Fairy Tail. Why would Lucy be upset with Lisanna coming back from the dead?

A few days ago, her best friend Levy asked if there was anything wrong with her. Jokingly, Levy teased Lucy about being jealous of Lisanna spending so much fun with her dimwit of a best friend. The summoner assured the bluenette that the green monster of jealousy hadn't taken over her. Why on earth would Lucy be jealous of Lisanna? That had to be a joke! Lucy was just as strong as her, wasn't she? Lucy wasn't weak at all! She was just as attractive as the shape-shifter with better curves to boot! Right? Why on Earthland would Lucy be jealous of a girl like that? Who cares if she had Natsu wrapped around her little, porcelain finger? Lucy doesn't need an idiot's attention to be happy. It's not like she was head over heels for the well-built pink dragon. It's just a stupid feeling that will go away soon after all.

Lucy buried her face deeper into her arms. Is this how Juvia feels about love-rivals? Lucy wasn't in love with Flame Brain (or Gray for Juvia's sake). It was just a simple crush that school girls get, right? It will go away soon at least.

The first time Lucy met Lisanna was right after they came back from Edolas. It was cold and raining. Natsu gave Lucy his red coat. It still smelt of smoke and ash even though it was drenched in the rain. Gajeel had a funny grin plastered on his face with tears streaming down his face. He finally got the cat of his dreams, Panther Lilly. Lilly brought out a white haired girl whom he tied up with his bare paws thinking that she was an imposter. When Lisanna saw Natsu, Lisanna attacked Natsu with a big hug that knocked the two to the ground. From the stories she heard, it was obvious that Lisanna had a crush on him back then, and it is obvious now. Well, it's obvious to everyone except for the pink haired moron.

Lucy admitted to herself that she had fallen for the pink headed idiot though she was in denial about being _that_ much in love with him. This wasn't how she imagined herself falling in love. A handsome prince charming with dazzling eyes would come to her rescue just like the books she read, not a pink haired idiot dragon with a white scarf!

But how could she stop herself from falling for him? He had saved her life twice on the first day they met. The first one was from falling into Bora's cursed charm ring. The second time was when he rescued her from Bora once again on the rocking boat at the cost of destroying the port with the military right at their tails afterwards. He took her to the guild of her dreams where she made real friends other than her Celestial Spirits. He tricked her into being his teammate and brought her to her first mission. He tricked her into doing a crazy S-Class mission that involved demons and a curse. He wiped away her tears when during the Phantom Lord Incident. He caught her when she fell off Phantom's Sky Prison. It was his voice she heard from afar. And when she couldn't walk anymore, he gave her a piggy back ride home. He was her knight in shining armor that her mother had read to her in fairytales despite the fact that he happened to be a fire breathing moron. And when Lucy went back home to the Heartiphilia Estate, he was there ready to bring her back home to Fairy Tail. Of course Erza, Gray, and Happy were there was a blob of pink leading the pack. And how could Lucy forget the words that Happy said. "He cried at the thought of you leaving Fairy Tail," Happy's words echoed in Lucy's head. She shook her head trying to stop thinking of him. How could she stop thinking of him when were together 24/7?

Hell, Lucy stood up her first ever real date because of the moron! To this very day, Lucy hadn't had her first date, much less her first kiss. She trusted him enough to catch her when she fell of Phantom Lord's Sky Prison. During Oracion Seis, she fell off a damn waterfall trying to save him from the clutches of the raft which was giving him a terrible case of motion sickness. She was crazy enough to hop on to a roller coaster at Edolas to save the motioned sickened dimwit who later puked on her. She'd risk her life to save him. All her precious memories were of him, including the sad ones.

_If only I was stronger_, she thought _he wouldn't have to go through hell because of me. _She remembered the first time they met, well second encounter actually. On their second encounter, his face was abnormally green. He came to save her because he felt that he didn't feel that he really saved her from Bora and for causing her to go bankrupt with the lunch she paid for him. He saved her multiple times even if he was near death. She remembered the time when Gajeel had captured her. Beating after beating that Gajeel had placed upon her, she endured. In fact, she thought it fit for all the times she brought danger to Fairy Tail because of the name she was born with.

When her pink knight came back with his noble steed Happy, he looked already tired and his magic power was nearly exhausted. But at one look at Lucy, his fists went ablaze and he fought for her yet again. She was helpless without her keys. All she could do was watch with Sagittarius as the fight continued. After the fight was over, her knight was all bandaged up and looked like a mummy. All Lucy got was a simple blemish on her stomach. It was all her fault for his pain, not Lisanna's.

How silly it was of her to think for a moment that the great Salamander would even be interested in a weak Celestial Mage as herself! She remembered the day when Mira told her "I think Natsu might love you" then over hearing Wakaba and Macao's conversation of Natsu and a crush that he was planning to see later on in the evening. It just so happened that the great dragon slayer had asked her to meet him by the Oak Tree in the park, she saw him blushing! The great and mighty Salamander blushed! The world must be ending! Or was she dreaming that she could raise the temperature of the already hot headed idiot. Or was she imagining that she could make his heart skip a beat like how hers skip two whenever he flashes his toothy grin to her.

Of course, it wasn't meant to be. She had to let him down for the sake of the team and their friendship. R-right? But Lucy couldn't do it. She spent hours to prettify herself with Cancer's help just for him. Later, she rehearsed what she was going to say to him. She constantly thought about what their children look like only to find Happy looking cats. When the time had come, she was so disappointed at the same time very relieved to find out he wanted to use Virgo to dig up a damn box of embarrassing old pictures of guild mates.

_Pathetic Lucy!_ She screamed in her head.

Salamander needed someone better, not a rich and spoiled blond. Without her keys, she was nothing. Her hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly that great. She wasn't on par with the level of magic power her teammates were in. Was Lucy just someone he used to mend his mourning heart? Guild mates often commented on how she looked and acted similarly like Lisanna when he brought her.

"Hahaha!" Lisanna's laugh broke Lucy away from her train of thought. Now, Lucy was sitting up right. Lisanna's laugh had startled her. The 'lovely duo' was still hanging out at the table across from her. Lisanna seemed to inch closer to dense flame-eating-chicken-dimwit. Lucy couldn't help but cringe. He looked so happy with her. That genuine toothy grin, she couldn't possibly make him smile like that.

"Things will be different now," Lucy repeated to herself in a hushed murmur. She wanted to go back in time. Maybe she should have confessed to him. Wait… This is just a school girl's crush. It will go away soon. Lucy hoped it would. The stinging pang in her chain increased greatly. She liked it better when she was 'dead.'

_No! _ Lucy thought _I will not think like that! As a friend, I __**will**__ support him. I need to be happy for them._

Lucy got up from her seat and headed towards the job request board where Nab was still deciding on a job. The walk was long and lonely. The only sound she heard were her the click and clack of her boots. There were no fluttering of wings and the fishy smell of her most favorite blue cat. No smell of the intoxicating ash she grown accustomed to, no heavy feet running and no booming voice yelling that he'd beat her to the job request board.

The job request board was bigger than she thought it would be. Usually a blue feline would hover over her shoulder and search for a job with her. But the crazy cat was showing Lisanna some fish. The celestial wizard scanned the board for a job that would be easy enough for her but still be enough to pay rent. She didn't want to badger her friend to accompany her on her job. After all, he had a lot of catching up to do with Lisanna. She'd only be a hindrance, a nuisance, a lonely third wheel.

This would be the first job Lucy would do without her crazy dragon friend. Plus, this time she'd get the full reward without splitting it or having to give part of it away to the Magic Council for damages she didn't do. Lucy grabbed a paper that interested her. It seemed simple enough to her. How hard could fighting a few criminals be? Her spirits could handle it and so could her. She could do it. After all, her magic has increased greatly. She could summon a spirit for a longer amount of time and her whip skills with Fleuve d'étoiles had increased as well.

Lucy hurried to the bar where Mira was drying a few glasses.

"Mira," Lucy called, "I found a job that I'd like to do."

"Okay," the silver haired woman said as she wiped one of the glasses to the point where it was glistening. "Is Natsu coming too?"

Lucy's heart sank a bit as she answered, "No." Lucy was sad that she was going to be traveling alone.

"Oh," Mira said surprised. Ever since Lucy came to the guild, Natsu was by her side. After all, he brought her to the guild. But since the very beginning of their friendship, the two had been inseparable. "Is Gray coming then?" Gray and Lucy were pretty close. Mira presumed that maybe...

"Juvia will not accept this!" Juvia said. She revealed herself from a pillar she was hiding behind to spy on the ice Mage who was walking around in his boxerd as usual. Juvia came running to Lucy exclaiming, "Juvia will not let Lucy be alone with Gray-sama on a mission!" It was loud enough for everyone to hear, that is except for the certain Mage who seemed to be oblivious as the pink haired moron.

"Then you could go too Juvia," Mira suggested. The thought of being on a mission the whole day with Gray was making Juvia's temperature going up. She began to think of taking care of him and possibly getting rid of Lucy. Killing her love-rival would only be a bonus.

Lucy who wasn't in the mood for any of Mira's matchmaking replied as kind as possible, "Nah, Gray always gets fined for walking around town nude or in his underwear so part of our reward goes to pay that along with stolen underwear. Besides, he's just as destructive as Natsu!"

"Then are you going with Erza?" Mira inquired.

"She's off slaying a volcano demon," the blonde answered. Maybe Lucy would have gone with the crazy red head but she hadn't returned from her S-Class mission yet.

"That's right," Mira chirped. "I must have forgotten. Why are you going on this mission?"

"We'll," Lucy began, "My rent is due next week and this job will cover it."

"I don't mean that," Mira said in a bubbly giggle. "Why are you going on a mission without Natsu? You two are always together!" Mira leaned towards Lucy holding her face in her palms and bending her body on the counter so that her elbows propped her upright. Mira was imagining what it might be **IF** the two were to a couple. Why was Mira doing this to her? Was it to remind her that the mighty Salamander would probably never go on a mission with her ever again? Or was she just teasing her? Mira knew that Lisanna had a thing for Natsu. Why was she doing this?

"We are not always together!" Lucy barked defensively. "Besides, he seems busy right now."

"Uh-huh," Mira responded sarcastically. She pointed to the table where Lisanna and Natsu were at. Lucy stared in bewilderment. Natsu had gotten up on the table and was dancing his childish dance with Happy. To Lucy, it looked like a chicken dance. "He doesn't seem too occupied." Mira responded.

"This is a mission I want to do," Lucy said pointing to herself. "I want to do it by myself. I haven't done a solo mission." The last mission they went to, over two thirds of it went to pay the damages he caused all because he burnt town a chapel.

_It's cause he won't let you_ Mira thought to herself.

"Are you sure Natsu will be okay with that?" Mira questioned. The simple question baffled the blonde. Why would he care? They were _**just**_ friends and nothing more. Natsu never showed any signs in liking her. The only thing that Lucy knew that Natsu had ever shown passionate feelings for was not a person. It was his fire food. He had a magnetic attraction for his fire food and picking fights.

"Why wouldn't Natsu be okay with it?" Lucy asked her older friend.

Mira didn't hesitate to answer. "You know Natsu," Mira replied. "You're his best friend in the whole wide world. He has issues with relationships after Igneel left him. He might think you're leaving him."

Lucy hadn't thought of that before. "He doesn't need to worry," Lucy replied with an assuring smile. "We're best friends and I'll always be there for him. I'm not going anywhere. Fairy Tail is my home and my family."

"Okay then," Mira said in a defeated tone. "When are you leaving?"

"First thing in the morning," Lucy answered. With that, Lucy walked home.

Mira looked at the Celestial mage as the blonde exited through the double door of the guild. "You're just as dense as him," the wise silver haired woman whispered softly that only she could hear.

Lucy walked excitedly down the road to her house. She balanced herself with her arms out on the side of the canal that led to her house. Plue followed behind her as the faithful snow dog normally did. Her mind was filled with emotions. There was excitement and fear. But most importantly she was going to be alone. A mission was going to be the thing to clear her mind and straighten out her feelings. She wanted time to escape her nightmare and wake up to realize that her prince is still out there. She wanted to continue writing chapters of her life even if it meant that she had to slay the evil monster alone. She didn't need her pink knight and his blue steed.

But inside, she just wanted to forget about her stupid crush!

**THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I'M STILL NEW AT THIS, SO DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME. I HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE ANY MAJOR ERRORS. SO PLEASE REVIEW AND RATE! **

**NEXT CHAPTER: THE MEANING OF PARTNERS**


	2. The Meaning of Partners

**BEFORE BEGINNING THE NEXT CHAPTER, I JUST WANT TO THANK KNOW-YOUR-PLACE FOR BEING MY FIRST EVER FOLLOWER AND REVIEWER. I WAS SO EXCITED THAT I CALLED A FRIEND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO EXPRESS MY SPILLING JOY. JUST ASK MY GOOD FRIEND, OH-TANGLED. ****YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY ALL THE REVIEWS AND FAVORITES HAVE MADE ME!**

**ANYWAYS, I WAS SURPRISED TO GET SUCH A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO THE STORY. FOR THAT, I'LL WORK EXTRA HARD ON THIS SHORT STORY!**

**I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. HIRO MASHIMA DOES.**

**CHAPTER 2: THE MEANING OF PARTNERS**

Lucy woke up that morning feeling colder than normal. It had been happening a lot lately. At first she was relieved that her best friend had stopped breaking into her house and inviting himself to spend the night. But inside, she deeply missed her partner's terrifyingly warm presence.

The celestial mage was accustomed to waking up with strong arms wrapped around her that made her feel safe and secure easily melting in them. Somehow, the smell of ash and smoke that burned her nose didn't bother her. In fact, she liked the smell that woke her up.

Lucy found it cute how her partner would whimper words and twitch in his sleep. He looked like a child, so vulnerable. It was a side of him that only a handful of people saw. But she hated it when Natsu would have a spontaneous muscle contraction that knocked her out of bed and onto the piercing cold floor. The guy dreams of fighting Gray in his sleep! That's when she would push him out her window and lock her window. But still he'd manage to melt the metal lock and break in as she was changing her clothes.

But as of now, she missed him terribly. She missed the annoying cat that would constantly tease her. She missed them breaking into her bathroom when she was taking a shower. She missed the chaos she would always hear as she got dressed. She missed yelling at them for breaking her furniture. She missed his funny grin he'd give her when she caught him in the act and trying his best to blame Happy for the chair that now existed as ash. She missed the times when Natsu would make her breakfast "better" by adding Tabasco sauce or chilies to her cereal or smoothies. But most of all, she missed their company. She missed _him_. It was something she had grown used to. The chaos she knew so well was a typical morning routine.

It was hard not to think of _him_. The empty sound of her apartment screamed his name. The void, the nothingness, the cleanliness, the silence that rang through the house was something that Lucy wasn't used to.

Lucy had been used to being by herself in a big and empty mansion. For the vast majority of her 16 years of life, she was all alone. Sure maids and butlers kept her company, but she had no one that truly understood her and all her quirks the way _he_ did.

Sulking about the past like this wouldn't help her. With that thought in mind, Lucy got up from her bed and quickly got ready. She tied her golden locks up to the side with her blue ribbon and grabbed her belt buckle that held her keys and whip. She looked out her bedroom window one last time hoping that he'd come in. Some part of her wanted Natsu to come in and ruin her mission. If only he was there with her, she knew that everything was going to be okay. Just that little action, she would know that they could continue being friends. But Lucy knew didn't want to let her heart down. After all it was just a stupid crush.

With that, Lucy locked her door and began her solo mission.

-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-

The pink haired dragon slayer walked through the streets of Magnolia with his hands behind his head and his trusty feline friend flying behind him. The duo was headed for the (in)famous guild known as Fairy Tail. The sun shone brightly with such ferocity with no cloud in sight. It was a perfect day to be outdoors doing something fun.

"Happy," the Salamander called, "what should we do today?"

"We should go fishing," the catamander answered with glee.

"Nah," Natsu rejected, "Didn't we do that yesterday with Lisanna?"

"Aye, sir!" the cat answered.

"We should go on a mission," Natsu suggested. "It's been a while since our last one which means Lucy's rent is due soon."

"Aye," Happy commented, "If Lucy doesn't pay her rent we can't come over and work out in her bedroom."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed, "Plus her bed is much more comfy to sleep in than our old hammocks."

Happy agreed with that. The two continued to walk down the streets of Magnolia until they reached a big gate. Above it read: FAIRY TAIL. Natsu was proud to be a part of his guild. And why not? Everyone here was his friends. To the public, it was a rowdy bunch that seemed to destroy everything in its path. To him, Fairy Tail was more than just a rowdy bunch of destructive mages. They were his family, his nakama, and he was willing to fight for any of them including Princess Popsicle Stick.

Natsu and Happy entered the two double doors of the guild. Everyone was there and accounted for but Natsu knew something was missing. There was a missing scent in the air and he couldn't quite figure it out. But before he could ponder on it more, Happy suggested a small race to the job request board. How could Natsu resist such an offer?

Happy and Natsu raced to the job board knocking down a few guild members along the way. Some even yelled profane words towards him. The early morning ruckus was a clear signal that Natsu Dragneel had entered Fairy Tail's doors.

Natsu's white scaly scarf and salmon colored hair didn't go unnoticed by a certain Strauss sibling who was waiting eagerly for him. Yesterday, they had gone fishing. The day before, she came to his house and he showed her pictures and items that pertained to their past before she died. The day before that, he took her their favorite picnic spot in the park. And the day before that, he took her to their place where they first found Happy and started their family together.

"Good morning Natsu! Morning Happy," Lisanna greeted.

Natsu looked at the silver haired woman and said, "Oh, hey Lisanna."

Afterwards, he went back scanning the board. He wished that his partner liked challenging missions the way he did. But for some odd reason Luce preferred an easy job over defeating a bunch of monsters. He would never understand that. Lucy defeated a giant rat that weird pink haired girl controlled. She was strong enough to beat one of the members of the Thunder God Tribe in which Gray miserably failed at. She saved a bunch of people from Naked Money, a dark guild, who was stealing money in which the army failed to help the people inside. She saved Loke from that cool-mustached spirit king. She withstood Oracion Seis's Angel when he couldn't because he was dying on a floating raft. She even fell off a waterfall to save him and she gave him new clothes since there was barf all over his. She defeated a humongous octopus in Edolas that was almost the size of a dragon.

_What a waste of strength_ Natsu thought to himself.

"What'cha doing?" Lisanna asked.

"Looking for a job to do," Natsu answered.

"Oh," Lisanna replied. "A job _does_ seem fun right now." Lisanna emphasized her words hoping that Natsu would invite her. She missed her best friend and first love dearly. Seeing Edo-Natsu everyday in Edolas made her miss the real one all the more. Sadly, Natsu is oblivious to the subject of the heart. He didn't understand Lisanna's hidden innuendo.

"Uh-huh!" Natsu agreed shaking his head. "Me and Lucy have so much fun going on missions together, huh Happy?"

All of a sudden Lisanna felt her heart stop. Shock consumed her. She couldn't quite piece it together. Edo-Lucy and Edo-Natsu were close friends, but never considered an item because of their differences. But two years couldn't possibly be enough time for Natsu to forget what they once had!

"Aye sir!" The cat agreed while biting on a piece if fish that he grabbed from his green knapsack.

"Aha!" Natsu exclaimed. He had found the perfect job for his team. It was beating a few vulcans who were causing some farmers distress. Natsu thought that since the reward was huge that there would be a bunch of them. He was all fired up for the action. He was determined to beat up more monkeys than Lucy or Gray or both combined. Natsu grabbed the paper and headed toward the bar where Mira was wiping down the counters.

"Mira," Natsu called, "I found a job that Lucy and I are going to do." He was waving the paper in the air. Lisanna grimaced at what Natsu said. Lucy wasn't even here and he already asked her to be his partner in this mission. Whatever happened to _her_ being _his_ partner? How could this happen?

Mira was cleaning the countertop of the bar. She looked up at Natsu and said, "Lucy isn't here."

"I'll wait for her. When she comes here today, we'll do this job," he said.

"No, I mean Lucy _isn't_ in here," Mira said with emphasis. "She went on a mission already."

"SHE WHAT?!" Natsu exclaimed loud enough for the whole city of Magnolia to hear.

"She went on a mission already," Mira repeated. "She should be in Shirotsume now."

"But why?" Natsu whined. " We're partners! She can't just leave me."

"She said she needed money to pay her rent," Mira answered.

The word "partners" pierced Lisanna's heart. What happened while she 'died'? In just two years, Natsu found a partner and it wasn't her. She always imagined that she and Natsu would go on missions together fighting criminals and monsters side by side. They would fall in love just like in one of those fairy tales Mira would read to them when they were younger. He would propose to her on the spot where their first "home" and "family" began just by the forest. Then one day, she pictured herself in the most beautiful and elegant white dress in all of Fiore. Down the aisle was her childhood friend with his familiar toothy grin. He would be wearing his scaly scarf that looked surprisingly good with his white tuxedo. Hand in hand they would get married, say their vows, and live a happily ever after together with their beautiful children. They were supposed to grow old together. Did her dream die with her?

"Y-you have a p-partner?" she asked him. She could barely bring out the words from her lips. Her face slightly heated up and her pulse began to beat faster. Her palms began to grow clammy giving evidence that she was growing nervous over the topic. Natsu shook his head up and down childishly with a proud grin. "When d-did this happen?"

"I don't know," he answered. He places his finger on his chin trying to remember how it all started. "I saw a job request for burning a book in a fat guy's mansion. It paid a lot of money. But the only way to get into the fat guy's mansion without look suspicious was by becoming one of his maids."

"So you asked her?" Lisanna it inquired.

"No," Happy answered for Natsu, "From what I remember, he tricked Lucy into making a contract to be his teammate."

"But my plan didn't work out," Natsu stated. "Her sex appeal failed during the mission."

"R-really?" Lisanna asked. Natsu had never shown any girl interest. She spent a lot of time with him when they were children and even more during their teen years. All her life, Natsu had been blind to her growing affection toward him. His obliviousness only made her fall for him all the more making her determined to make him fall for her the way he made her fall for him. But all of a sudden, he thought that _Lucy_ had a sex appeal? Lisanna wasn't even sure if Natsu thought that she was attractive.

_What had happened while she was gone! Yesterday it seemed that nothing had changed. _Lisanna thought_._

"It's seems that you're very fond of Lucy," Lisanna stated trying to act normal and attempting to control this nervous feeling.

Lisanna couldn't help but feel jealous the way Natsu's face lit up at the topic of his female partner. He even gave her a nickname while she had none. She couldn't help but wonder if she could make his face light up like that. In just a short amount of time, Lucy was able to weave her way into the depths of Natsu's heart, and Natsu wasn't even aware of that. Lisanna feared that Natsu just saw her as a friend and that it was too late to become more.

"Luce and I have always been going out on missions together," Natsu stated. "We're a team!"

"You weren't _always_ been a team," Mira corrected, "Before you met Lucy, you'd do your missions with Happy."

To Natsu, it seemed like they had been partners for a long time. Maybe it was because they worked so well together. Lucy was nice and strong. She was different compared to most female mages in their guild.

"Why don't you go and take another damn mission?" Cana slurred in on the conversation. She was tired of listening to Natsu's complaints. He was interrupting her precious time with her beautiful keg of sake. "Just go back to the way things were." Cana took a gulp of sake before ordering more from Mira.

"I don't want things to go back to the ways things were," Natsu whined like a little child. "Jobs are always more fun when she's around."

Natsu didn't want things to go back. He liked the way his partnership with Lucy was right now. He enjoyed her company. They worked well together. Natsu liked Lucy's place. It smelled better, was a lot cleaner, and it was closer to the guild. Her cooking was a lot better than his cooking that's for sure. His only critique is that her food needs to have a little spice in it.

There was a rumor that Gray was going to ask Lucy to be his partner on a mission. Of course, Natsu wouldn't let that happen. So he asked Lucy to accompany him on some random mission. He wouldn't allow Gray to take his partner. He could find his own. There was something that Natsu liked about Lucy being _his_ partner, and only his partner. To make sure Lucy wouldn't desert him, he followed Igneel's guidelines on partnership including: fighting together, walking home together, sleeping together in the same bed, eating together, traveling together, doing missions together, protecting each other, and making as many babies as you can together. Natsu didn't know how to do the last one. Igneel never fully explained that one. If they weren't partners, then things would have to go back to the boring way it used to be and Natsu didn't want that.

"Natsu liiiiiiiiikes Lucy," Happy teased rolling the word extra long for his dragon slaying friend. Lisanna couldn't help but cringe at Happy's innocent teasing.

"Well of course I do," Natsu said nonchalantly. At this sudden outburst, Cana spluttered her sake out of her mouth. Mira gasped at his sudden confession. Inside Lisanna felt like crying. He had openly admitted to having feelings towards the blond. "Doesn't everyone in Fairy Tail do?"

_He's so dense. He doesn't know his own feelings for Lucy. _ Cana thought.

Natsu was surprised at his friends' response. He really did like Lucy. She'd pay for his food; let him stay at her house; take care of him on train rides unlike Erza who would put him out of his misery in just one punch; let him sleep in her comfy bed; if he was injured she gently took care of him; she gave him a new strength when he felt weak.

"Why are you so bugged about Lucy going on a mission?" Cana said as she wiped the remnants of her drink off her face.

Natsu honestly didn't know why. Knowing that his partner left him, he sort of felt like a part of him was missing. Lately, he began to miss his friend's company- her radiant presence, her smile, her laugh, her constant yelling, and her complaints of her rent. He was hoping Lucy would help that feeling go away.

"You know, Lucy's a strong mage too," Mira informed him. "You don't have to worry about her safety. She could take care of herself and her spirits care for her deeply."

"Yeah, I know," Natsu said.

Natsu was too familiar with Lucy's strength. Her Lucy Kick was very painful as he had first-hand experience himself; and damn, Lucy knew how to use a whip. Her keys were strong too. The cow was a buff pervert, the mermaid spirit was vicious and evil-she wasn't at all nice like the maid that could turn into a gorilla- and Loke was pretty strong as well. He didn't like the way he or the buff cow treated Lucy-especially Loke. He couldn't quite explain the feeling he got in his chest when Loke would sweep Lucy off her feet and say words that made her blush madly. But that feeling would go away when Lucy would make him disappear with her magic or just plain out reject him.

"Really?" the three girls looked at him in surprise with his response.

Cana and Mira were used to Natsu's overly protective feelings for Lucy, but Lisanna was still learning this. She didn't think that anything could have changed while she was gone. Would things be different if she hadn't "died" in the first place? Would she be his partner instead of her?

"Yeah, I know that Luce is strong," Natsu repeated. "But I don't understand why she didn't tell me she was going on a mission. She usually tells me and I go with her because we're partners."

"I told you," Mira began. "Lucy said that she needed to pay her rent."

"But Luce would have at least told me!" Natsu said. He was trying to figure this out. This didn't make any sense to him. Lucy was always rational aside from all her weird quirks. Lucy was his best friend. He knew her well.

"Why do you care so much for Lucy?" Lisanna asked with a little roughness in her tone. "What's so wrong with Lucy going on a mission without you?"

Lisanna had been quiet for a while as jealousy began to swell inside of her. She couldn't believe this. Lucy had a nickname. Whatever happened to hers? While she was gone, it seemed to her that Mira had been meddling in Natsu's relationship. Mira knew how Lisanna felt for him. How could she! Maybe if Mira allowed Natsu to go on missions with the Straus siblings, it would her as Natsu's partner. Hell, Lisanna had carved their names on the tree where their family had begun. It was supposed to be their fate! Now she wasn't sure if her dream would even come true. How could fate be so cruel to her!

"Of course I care for Lucy. I care for all my nakama," Natsu answered. "She's my partner and my best friend even though she's so weird. We're supposed to do everything together since we're partners."

Lisanna had heard enough of it. Her heart was at its breaking point. She couldn't take it anymore. She was his first best friend. He was her first love. They used to be pretend to be a married couple when they were younger. They even argued custody over Happy.

_Damn it all!_ Lisanna screamed in her head.

It was like she had lived in a nightmare, knowing that she would never see _her_ Natsu ever again. But one day, she woke up and found the Natsu _she knew_. It wasn't Fireball Natsu. It was her Natsu, _her_ _Natsu!_ When it was all over and she came back to Earthland, she learned that he was far from arm's reach. Oh, how screwed up fate can be! She just had to "die" before Lucy came to the guild. Things would have been definitely different, if she hadn't "died" in the first place. It might have been her instead of Lucy as Natsu's partner.

"Well maybe she doesn't want to go on a mission with you anymore," Lisanna said a little harsher than she intended. "You know I ha-"

She was cut off by Happy who was tugging gently at Natsu's puffy white pants. "Natsu," the cat said with teary eyes. "Does this mean that Lucy doesn't want to be partners with us? It explains why she always kicks us out of her house and why she didn't tell us about her mission."

Happy liked Lucy too. They became best friends. Happy didn't even mind sharing a piece of fish with the Stellar Mage if it brought a smile on her face. In fact, he'd gotten used to Lucy. He couldn't bear the thought of Lucy breaking up the team. She made a promise on her honor as a Stellar Spirit Mage.

"No," Natsu patted his cat's head. "Lucy is Lucy. She just wanted to do a mission by herself, right?" Happy felt a bit assured as Natsu bent down to wipe away one of his falling tears. "While she's out on a mission why don't you and I go on a mission for old time sakes?" The feline nodded.

_Yes, things can go back to the way they are supposed to be. _ Lisanna thought

"Aye sir!" Happy said with new happiness.

"While we're at it, let's find a job that's more difficult and beat more bad guys than she can," Natsu suggested.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said with more emphasis than before. "What kind of job did Lucy take?"

"It's the one of capturing a bunch of bandits outside of Shirotsume," Mira answered.

"That one?" Cana asked. "Did you hear that the reward went up to one million jewels?"

"N-"

"Really?!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed in unison giving Mira no chance to talk. Both of them had a surprised expression plastered on their face

"Yeah, apparently they got some new mages that could use magic very well," Cana answered.

"Dammit Luce!" Natsu snapped. He was angry at hearing the news. He was so angry that he punched the job request back onto the board where a new visible crater could be seen. Knowing that Lucy had left him behind hurt, but what the hell was she thinking of taking a difficult mission without him to go along. At least Natsu had the _decency_ to invite her along. Lucy could have done the same thing. He left the guild in a hurry leaving the three women baffled with his reaction and the rest of the guild in hushed whispers.

"Did you just lie to him?" Mira asked Cana sternly.

"Can I have more sake?" Cana answered.

-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x-

**PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW- WHEN I WAS WRITING, I FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO WRITE UP NATSU. I HOPE HE'S NOT TOO OOC. I TRIED TO MY BEST TO KEEP HIM IN CHARACTER. THEN AGAIN, IN THE MANGA I WAS SHOCKED TO SEE NATSU MAKE A SMART MOVE. MAYBE I COULD BECOME SMART TOO!**

**ANYWAYS, THE NEXT CHAPTER IS ENTITLED: JUST A MEMORY**


	3. Just a Memory

**THIS CHAPTER IS LONG COMPARED TO THE OTHER ONES THAT I PREVIOUSLY MADE. I KNOW I HAD ORIGINALLY ENTITLED CHAPTER 3: FOR LIFE, BUT AS I WAS TYPING I HAD PASSED FIFTEEN PAGES OF MATERIAL. SO I DECIDED TO SPLIT IT IN TWO.**

**I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. MASHIMA HIRO DOES.**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3: JUST A MEMORY<strong>

Lisanna stood there at the bar dumbfounded. She tried her best to process it all and surmise the meanings of Natsu's actions. Her eyes never strayed away from the doors that Natsu had exited.

_No!_ Lisanna yelled in her head.

Lisanna then ran after Natsu Dragneel. Her legs burned with each step she took. Her full on sprint was nothing compared to the hot-headed boy's speed. It was hopeless. A part of her told her to stop there in her tracks, but Lisanna clung to a hope that everything wasn't over. Even though her head told her that it was false hope, her heart told her something else.

Every moment they spent together had to mean something to the oblivious boy. The precious moments spent at the river fishing as a family, all the festivals they participated in together, the hours spent talking to each other at each others' homes, the long walks they took at night. It was there, written in the stars by the hand of destiny. They were inseparable. There had to be a way that she could rekindle that fire that used to be there.

_He's just dense. He's just dense_. Lisanna repeated those words to herself.

Tears started to cloud Lisanna's vision, but she refused to let any fall. Natsu couldn't have replaced her. Those onyx eyes that looked deep into her. The unfailing friendship they had for one another. Their sweet fairy tale was already planned out. She had only one goal in mind:

_I have to confess! I have to, or it will be all over, all over._

She's told him countless times of how much she cared for him. Most of the time, she realized that Natsu would think that she was joking about them ending up together. She wasn't. She said it all the more because she loved the way his face would get red.

They worked well together. Lisanna was angry at never seeing Natsu's love interest at first. She knew him better than anyone, dammit! Well, she _used_ to know him better than anyone. All the stories he told her, it was his missions with her. How could she miss that! The excitement in his movements as he got on the table to emphasize their grand adventures together- it was suppose to be her! Those stories that Natsu told with such fire, they were supposed to be his experience with her. Fate, that horrible bitch, how could she do that to her?

A sudden shock of pain met at her side. She wasn't used to this much strenuous running. In Edolas, she never did missions. She couldn't even use magic. Her days were primarily spent in the kitchen with her brother and sister.

_I hope I'm not too late! _Lisanna thought.

At the train station, she stopped and panted taking in the much needed oxygen to fill her depleted lungs. A messy patch of pink hair caught her attention. There was no one in the city of Magnolia with salmon color hair other than Natsu Dragneel.

"Natsu!" she called trying to grab his attention. "Natsu! Natsu!"

She chased him down till she got to the boarding station. Lisanna looked fervently for her first crush among the sea of blurred faces. "Natsu! Happy!" she repeated as she shoved people away from her path.

"All aboard!" the conductor called out loud.

Lisanna jumped up to see who was at each window searching for a white scaly scarf, blue cat, and pink hair. He had to be somewhere. The train whistle blew and began to move slowly. Lisanna began to run with it.

"Lisanna!" a voice yelled back. Happy opened one of the windows and looked at her. "What are you doing?"

"Let me," she began in steady pants for breath, "talk to Natsu real quick."

Happy looked at his poor motion-sickened friend. His face was as green and it looked like food was about to come out. "I don't think you want to talk to him right now. But I can take a message."

"No," Lisanna said. "Just get him to the window."

"You sure?" Happy asked. Lisanna nodded her head. "Aye, Natsu!"

Before long, Natsu was at the window. He looked deathly sick. "Lisanna!"

"Nastsu, I-"

"Help me!" he cried reaching his hand out towards her.

Lisanna stretched out his hand towards him just barely touching his finger tips, but she had to stop. She had ran out of platform to run on. All she could do was see the green and pink disappear in the distance.

"-love you," she whispered softly to herself.

_-xx(flashback)xx-_

"_An egg! I found an egg!" a little Natsu yelled waving the humongous thing over his head._

"_An egg? Where on earth did you find that?" Makarov asked showing little interest._

"_Over in the forest to the east!" Natsu answered with much energy._

"_Heh, that's a pretty good find for you, Natsu," a young Gray said. "So what, shall we all eat it together?" Gray licked his lips thinking of how tasty the meal was going to be._

"_Don't screw around!" Natsu yelled angrily. "This is a dragon egg! I'm gonna hatch it!"_

"_A dragon?!" everyone exclaimed in disbelief including Lisanna._

"_Well, look," Natsu began as he placed the heavy egg on the floor. With his right hand he pointed to a mark that reminded him of Igneel's might foot. "This mark here looks just like a dragon claw."_

"_You, you think?" Gray said in disbelief. He had hoped that his idiot of a friend was smart enough to realize that the egg in his hands wasn't a dragon's egg._

"_So old man, can I hatch the dragon? Please?" the little pink haired boy pleaded with his big onyx eyes._

"_What are you talking about, you little fool?" Makarov asked. "There is no magic in this world to desecrate life itself. Life is a force born of love; no magic can hope to match it."_

"…" _Natsu looked at him with his big onyx eyes with confusion etched on his face. He was young and didn't quite understand Makarov's words. "Old man, are you okay? I don't get what you're saying at all."_

"_Perhaps you're still too young, eh?"_

"_What he means is that if you want to hatch that thing, you'll have to do it with your own strength, diligently, and properly. After all, usually you do nothing but destroy things. This is a good opportunity for you to learn about the birth of new life," the young red-haired knight explained._

_The guild members recognized the young knight's immense strength. Erza was young for her age, but was a force not to be reckoned with. Even the adults acknowledge Erza's ability as a mage. She had built a reputation. Some called her Titania, Queen of the Fairies. In her presence, they straightened up their act. Natsu and Gray would automatically become best friends not wanting to get beaten up by her, again._

"_Oh, so Erza's back, is she?" a menacing voice began. She too was a feared mage, known as the She-Devil. In a fight, these two were on par. They had ten times more destructive power than Natsu and Gray combined. "Let's pick up where we left off then. Go on, bring it on," Mira challenged_

"_Fighting again?" a little Lisanna exclaimed. Unlike her sister, Lisanna was kind and gentle. She was used to her sister's tough exterior. It was only to scare people away from her siblings. But at home, Mira was the kindest person Lisanna knew. Mira was an overly protective and meddlesome sister._

"_Mira," Erza said with hard eyes, "now that you mention it, we hadn't settled things yet, had we?"_

_The two then went on an all out spar. Swords were flying, dark magic was tossed, punches were thrown, and terrible insults were said. Each one, showed no mercy in their fight. Gray and Natsu looked at the fight with such an upset face. They had to control ever fiber in themselves to not join in on that tempting fight. They were furious at the fact that it wasn't okay for them to fight and brawl but it was okay that those girls could._

"_Gah!" Natsu yelled in frustration. "One day, I'm gonna beat the crap outta both of 'em!"_

_A gentle finger tapped Natsu on the shoulder. What Natsu found was Mira's little sister, Lisanna._

"_Hey, Natsu!" she smiled at him with her big blue eyes. "Can I help you raise that egg too?"_

"_Oh, you're gonna help me, Lisanna?!" Natsu asked surprised. He had never talked to her before because Mira always thought so poorly of him._

"_Uh-huh!" she said clasping her two hands together. "It sounds like fun, raising an egg!" Her face was full of excitement._

"_Still... How the heck do you even go about hatching an egg, I wonder?" Natsu asked. He had no clue on how to raise an egg. Natsu needed all the help he could get._

"_I read in a book once that eggs only hatch if you warm them up," Lisanna informed him._

_Suddenly, a little light bulb went off in Natsu's head. "Warm them up?" he said to himself. "That's my specialty!" Natsu exclaimed in glee. Fire started coming from his lips as he was spouting flames at the egg._

"_You can't do that!" Lisanna yelled at him grabbing the egg from Natsu's burning flames. "That's way too hot. You're going to burn it!"_

"_Really?" Natsu asked surprised. Lisanna couldn't help but giggle at the boy's stupidity._

"_I'll show you how," Lisanna said. "Take over: Animal soul." In an instant Lisanna transformed into a giant and colorful bird. She then sheltered the egg under her wings. "Why don't we see if I can warm it up like this, okay?"_

"_Ohh! A giant bird!" Natsu said with such fascination. "Great Idea, Lisanna!" _

_Lisanna couldn't help but feel flustered for a minute. Her cheeks went pink, but the bright feathers covered it up. She had never been acknowledged like that before. Mira-nee always told her that she was weak and needed to train more._

"_Let me try!" Natsu said. He took the giant egg and tucked it under his shirt. Lisanna couldn't help but laugh at how funny Natsu looked._

"_You look pregnant, Flamebrain!" Gray mocked._

"_Shut up!" Natsu yelled back. "You won't be saying that when my brother eats you!"_

_That's how it was for the past few days. Natsu and Lisanna took care of this dragon egg, keeping it warm and giving it all the love it deserved. They even built a little base playing pretend. Every day, that's where they met up. Older guild mates called it young love to Mira's dismay._

_During that time, Lisanna became closer to Natsu. Mira-nee wasn't too happy about Lisanna spending time with "Erza's scummy little group." But who was she to deny her gentle sister of this?_

"_Hey come to think of it, you live on your own don't you?" Lisanna asked Natsu one day in their golden hut._

"_Yeah," the ten year old boy said._

"_What do you for food and stuff?" Lisanna asked curiously._

"_I eat at the guild," Natsu answered._

"_Paying for it and everything?" Lisanna asked. Mira paid for her food and Lisanna never saw anyone pay for Natsu's food._

"_Isn't that what the work is for?" Natsu said as if it was the obvious answer. Lisanna felt so bad for him. All his life, he had been alone. At least she had older siblings to take care of her._

"_Hey," Lisanna said with a twinkle in her eye. "How about I make something for you sometime?"_

"_What, you can cook?! Natsiad exclaimed in shock. Natsu had tried several times at his own house. He either burned his food or his house would turn into flames. Good thing he could eat flames, but that wasn't exactly the same as having real food to fill you up._

"_Well, I'm not as good as Mira-nee," Lisanna said. "Or Elf-Niichan."_

"_Whoa, whoa , whoa!" Natsu exclaimed he tried to picture the two siblings cooking. He couldn't see Mira cooking food. He pictured her slaughtering the food with a butcher's knife with such a sadistic smile that made him cringe. But Elfman cooking? Yeah, that made sense. But where was Lisanna going with this. Natsu quickly grabbed the egg away from Lisanna._

"_Well, you're not having this egg, all right?!" Natsu yelled at her. "A dragon's gonna hatch out of here! It could even be Ingeel's kid and my baby brother!"_

_Lisanna sighed. "Don't tell me you thought I was trying to eat the egg all along? I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of there as well! That's why I'm helping!"_

_Natsu was happy to hear Lisanna's words. He hugged his egg dearly before singing out, "I hope it hatches soon!"_

_A little giggle escaped Lisanna's lips. "You know, Natsu, You're usually all rough and stuff, but you can be really nice and cute sometimes, too. You're just like Mira-nee!"_

"_Wha-?"_

"_Maybe when we get older, can I be your bride!?" Lisanna asked. "Natsu you're the dad and I'm the mommy. As the dad, you'll have to protect your wife and son."_

_-xx(End of Flashback)xx-_

"Natsu, I love you!" she screamed out loud as she watched the train disappear into the horizon.

Lisanna collapsed to the concrete floor of the train station. Tears started to flood her eyes. Lisanna didn't know it back then as a child. That was the first time she fell for the salmon haired boy. Their time of pretend felt so real to her. She had fallen in love with him at the beginning. It wasn't right for fate to do this to her.

_You once said that you would come and find me if I were to disappear again. Is it still true?_

Those happy memories of the past kept her going in Edolas- the guild members that were so similar to the ones that she knew of at home. She imagined how life was going at home. Most of all, she dreamed of her best friend. The pink haired boy she would see first after another hard S-Class job with Mira-nee. She imagined his journey and finally finding Igneel. It never crossed her mind that Natsu would fall in love. Sure, it was inevitable for Natsu to finally fall in love with someone, but why did she have to return to Earthland's reality just to witness it all?

She recalled their first fishing trip together as a family. They were so happy together. It was just the three of them.

_-xx(Flashback)xx-_

"_Weren't you going to catch me a big one?" Happy complained again. _

_The three of them sat around a small fire watching their little fish cook. Every time they went fishing, Natsu would promise a big fish, but all they caught were little tiny fishies. Happy was getting tired of it and so was Natsu._

"_I know! You'll get one, just wait!" Natsu fumed._

_Lisanna giggled. "It's like you're the dad getting angry at his son."_

"_Why am I the dad?" Natsu asked._

"_I don't want a dad like that!" Happy cried. Natsu was furious with the comment._

"_I can't be the dad because I'm Happy's mom and your wife," Lisanna explained._

"_This again?!" Natsu exclaimed with a red face. "I never gave my permission for that."_

"_Aww! You're blushing again!" Lisanna teased. "It'll be true soon enough."_

"_Shut up!" Natsu said angrily._

"_But you're so cute when you're embarrassed," Lisanna told him._

"_She liiiiikes you!" the little blue kitten teased fueling Natsu's angery red face even more._

"_Stop rolling your tongue like that!" Natsu roared._

_-xx(End of Flashback)xx-_

Her heart ached so much. She was so ecstatic to be around him once again. His comradary, his friendship, it was all surreal to her right now. This pain that hurt so much inside of her was worse than the near death she experience by her older brother's hand. It hurt so damn much.

Just when she had accepted her new life in Edolas, he had to find her. He kept his promise to her. If she knew of this pain before hand, she would have wished herself to have never been found. Lisanna clenched her knees and let her tears fall down her face.

"Miss, do you need help?" one of the workers asked.

"No, I'm fine," she answered wiping away her tears with her blue sleeves.

Lisanna picked herself up and started a slow walk to the guild. She couldn't help but remember the good times they had together yesterday during the fishing trip. Everything appeared like it hadn't changed at all. It was like that she had never "died."

_-xx(Flashback)xx-_

"_It's just like old times, huh Natsu?" she said. _

_She hadn't been in this fishing spot for nearly two years. The soft, cool, green grass felt so good against her skin. The fresh forest air, the birds that sung a beautiful melody, butterflies and bees danced a waltz as they passed by lovely flowers, little forest critters that scurried about, and the fish that jumped in the air taunting poor little Happy. It was a perfect day for fishing._

"_Aye," Happy said. "You still suck at fishing, just like Lucy."_

"_Well, this is the first time I've gone fishing for a long time," Lisanna informed him. "Do you remember what happened last time we came to this spot to fish?"_

"_Uh-huh!" Natsu exclaimed. "Gildarts was with us telling us of his journeys and you brought us tasty food."_

"_Gildarts caught a dragon sized fish! It was so yummy!" Happy added. "Do you think I could catch a fish like that for Carla?"_

"_You liiiiiiike her," Lisanna teased him._

"_Don't be mean like Lucy!" Happy cried. "Besides, you didn't catch any fish last time either!"_

"_I did too!" Lisanna exclaimed._

"_She did, don't you remember Happy?" Natsu said. "It was small but a fish is still a fish"_

"_That doesn't count! It was too small to be eaten," Happy pouted. Then Happy's fishing rod started to shake. "Aye, sir! I caught a fish!"_

_The fish was tugging ferociously at Happy's line. You could even see Happy being dragged into the water. Lisanna lunged in to save Happy. Natsu followed by grabbing onto Lisanna's waist. After a good six minutes fighting for Happy's meal, Natsu pulled back with all his might sending the three of them backwards hitting a tree._

_Lisanna blushed feverishly at the close proximity they were in. His arms were around her and his warm hands wrapped around her hands that now held Happy's fishing pole. Both of them stared at each in shock._

"_A-are you o-okay?" Lisanna's voice faltered. She brushed a loose strand away from her face to hide her red face. They were so close together, but the look that Natsu gave her wasn't the one she remembered from years ago. Still, he looked just as cute as before._

"_Yeah," Natsu said. "Are you okay? Where's Happy?"_

_Natsu's questions was soon answered by a flying blue cat that plopped onto Lisanna's lap._

"_I'm sorry, Natsu," Happy cried. "I lost the-" A scaly blue fish landed on Natsu's head. "Fish!" Happy exclaimed with tears strolling down his face. He grabbed the fish that flopped on Natsu's head and began to dance around with glee. "I'm going to wrap this and give it to Carla!" Happy cried._

_Natsu and Lisanna couldn't help but laugh at their feline friend._

_-xx(End of Flashback)xx-_

On her back to the guild, she saw the big tree in the center of Magnolia's park. It was there were she saw him last before she "died." She walked up to the tree, their first secret spot before Mira dragged her home. Since then, they moved their secret base close to the forest. It was a place that even Mira wouldn't be able to find.

Lisanna climbed up to the high branches of the tree. Up in the high branches of that tree was where she carved their initials with a big heart surrounding it: ND X LS. She had carved it right after she had saved her. He was her hero that day.

_-xx(Flashback)xx-_

"_Lisanna! Lisanna!" Natsu called out in the dark forest. _

_Natsu could feel the thick fog on his skin. His palms began to sweat. He was scared, but Natsu would never admit it. It was all his fault that Lisanna was lost in the first place. If he wasn't so obsessed with finding Igneel, they'd be home by now. He should have slowed down for her. If he only slowed down his pace, she wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place. _

_Natsu couldn't go home without Lisanna. He'd have to deal with Mira and Erza, and Natsu didn't want to get beat up so badly by both girls. He swore to himself that he'll surpass them one day._

"_Natsu! Help!" Lisanna barely let out. The forest vulcan had a tight grip on her little frame. It was her fault for getting caught. She just couldn't keep up with him._

"_Let Lisanna go, you dumb ape!" Natsu yelled out with anger._

"_No!" the green monkey said. Glints of revenge were in his eyes. He remembered the last time he saw these brats mess with his dinner. "I picked it up, so it's mine! No returns!"_

"_Lisanna isn't an object!" Natsu yelled back._

"_That's right!" Lisanna squeaked. She groaned in pain as the monkey's grip on her tightened._

"_Since you're mine, why don't you be my wife?" the green monkey suggested._

"_No!" Lisanna's eyes began to water as she imagined her future life with green, hairy, ugly monkeys._

"_Ah!" Happy exclaimed. "This is a forbidden love!"_

"_That's not going to happen!" Natsu exclaimed._

"_I'm going to be Natsu's wife, so I can't go out with you!" she rejected the monkey as kind as she could telling him the truth._

_The monkey went out on a rage. "In this case, I'm really not going to give you back!"_

"_Say that again, you harry mo-!"_

"_I said, I ain't going to give her back!" the evil monkey said. "But if you want her back, then apologize to me!"_

"_For what?!" Natsu exclaimed._

"_Ahh!" Lisanna cried in pain as the Vulcan crushed Lisanna's body with his fist. "Do it Natsu!"_

"_Apologize!" the monkey commanded._

"_Have it your way then," Natsu said. He got down on his fours and sincerely apologized for the mistake he made to him. Lisanna's eyes were filled with tears as she watched her "husband" rescue her in such a humiliating way._

"_No way! Can't believe you fell for it!" the Vulcan said crushing Natsu under his gigantic foot. He began to dance all over Natsu's body. Lisanna was on the brink of tears and slightly dizzy because the Vulcan kept shaking her up and down in his happy state._

"_Damn you!" Natsu uttered under his breath._

"_Natsu!" Lisanna reached for Natsu's hand._

"_Time to finish you off!" the Vulcan said. With his free hand, he lifted a giant boulder that was sure to kill Natsu. But Gildarts came in just in time._

_Lisanna was happy that Gildarts had saved them from the forest Vulcan. But she was even happier knowing that Natsu was searching for her in the thick fog. It made her happy inside when she heard him call her name._

"_Hey," Lisanna began, "If I disappear again sometime, will you come and find me, Natsu?"_

_Natsu was puzzled by the question, "S-sure," he answered._

"_Promise?" Lisanna asked._

"_Yeah, I promise," Natsu pledged._

"_Pinky promise?" she said._

_Their little pinkies wrapped perfectly together as they sealed the ultimate promise._

"_So, you've got a wife already?" Gildarts asked._

"_Not again!" Natsu cried. Lisanna laughed._

_-xx(End of Flashback)xx-_

Lisanna faintly touched her carved art work. Should she change it? She was the only one that knew of this. Only one letter needed to be changed. She would have preferred staying hidden from this harsh reality. But he did keep his promised in finding her when she was disappeared. Lisanna began to sob.

_Oh Natsu, would you keep that promise still?_

Lisanna lost track of time as she wept bitterly for hours. Those bittersweet memories-was it possible to make more? Lisanna lifted her head up to see the skies. The sun was getting ready to set. Was she really crying for that long? Nature didn't seem to care for her feelings. The least Mother Nature could do was cry with her. Instead, the sky reminded her of her last day "alive." Not a cloud was in sight and the golden sun was wrapped in an unmistakable salmon pink sky.

With a swift hop, Lisanna jumped from her tree and headed towards the guild. Her crying had finally stopped. At the guild, she was surprised to find what awaited her. There was a huge crowd that had gathered around Cana. She was curious as to what was going on.

"Are you telling me that Natsu and Lucy are-?" Gray asked.

"Yep!" Cana said.

"Are we talking about the same Salamander?" Gajeel asked scratching his head.

"There's no way that's going to happen," Gray stated.

"Then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Cana taunted.

"Are you sure we're talking about Fairy Tail's Natsu?" Macao asked.

"Remember what happened last time?" Wakaba reminisced the last time Cana foretold of Lucy's Fateful Encounter, nothing big happened. They all expected Lucy to go on her first date, but she didn't. Cana did.

"You cheat Cana," Levy said. "You can see the future. It's not fair to us."

"My magic doesn't work like Carla's," Cana said taking a sip of her bottle. "It's different. How long do you think it's going to take for Natsu and Lucy to a couple?"

"One week!" Juvia yelled. She was determined to do everything in her power to get rid of her love rival. Making Lucy and Natsu a couple would leave Gray all to herself.

"What a man!" Elfman chimed.

"Really?" Gray asked Elfman and Juvia. "I'd say it would take at least seven years for that idiot to realize his feelings."

"You're such a pessimist," Levy told him. "I say, it'll take one year. You know, he did chase after her when Phantom Lord kidnapped her and when Lucy went back home. The poor little guy was crying for her return. Lucy's so lucky to have him. It's like she's really living in a fairy tale. He always saves her."

Lisanna knew of Cana's compulsive betting pools. They never really did attract that much attention but the whole guild was on this. Usually, they'd make bets on who was going to win a simple spar- never one on love affairs.

Upon listening to the conversations, it was evident that Natsu had more than friendly feelings toward the mage. He had brought her to the guild, took her to many missions with him, and he even uprooted one of the giant rainbow sakura trees in the park just so she could see it. They used to celebrate the changing of the sakura flower blossoms together. Not to mention, she heard of the countless times Natsu caught Lucy from near death. He was Lucy's hero. He was also her hero as well. She was his first admirer that never left his side.

"You're back, Lisanna!" Mira said in delight. "Where did you go?"

"Just for a little walk," Lisanna replied.

But Mira knew better. She saw the dried residue of her tears and wished to help her sister. "Why don't you come with me in the kitchen? I would sure appreciate the help." Lisanna nodded and followed her to the kitchen.

-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-

Lucy sat alone in her carriage. The carriage was to lure the bandits to her. Lucy had formulated a plan primarily depending on Cancer and Taurus. Cancer's cutting magic would be perfect for trimming down her opponents' magic, and Taurus's magic axe would be perfect for chopping down those spells. Based off of the information she gathered in town, she found that there were fourteen bandits in total. The leaders were the only ones that possessed magic skills. One used plant based magic like Droy's while the other used a wood based magic. There were obvious reasons why their attacks mainly happened in the Easter Pine Grove Forest. It was were their magic abilities flourished exponentially.

She gazed out admiring the majestic rocky, mountains and the pine trees that touched the the salmon sunset. It reminded her much of her first mission with Natsu- finding Macao. She was alone for this mission though. This was her solo journey. Fate must have another plan for her life.

Suddenly, Lucy heard a loud thud.

_As expected_ she thought.

"Get out!" she heard one of them yell.

"Get out or we'll destroy you and the carriage!" another man threatened.

Lucy was about to reveal herself to attack but then, her carriage began to shake. Lucy looked out her window and saw that her carriage was being lifted by giant vines.

"Open Gate of the Bull: Taurus!" Lucy yelled. Taurus busted out cutting the vines with his axe. Lucy had gotten out of the carriage just before it was crushed using her whip. Lucy took her fleuve d'etoiles and was able to ring it around a tall branch. Using her momentum, she swung around and kicked one of the bandits square on the face knocking him out.

"One down, thirteen to go," Lucy told him.

Taurus mooed at Lucy. "That was a good moooove Lucy," Taurus complimented. "I will protect your beau-mooo-tiful body."

-x-x-x-xx-x-x-x-

Not far off, two other mages were observing the scene.

"This isn't looking too good," the man said. "She has a strong aroma around her, Aisly."

"The trees tell me," the lady began as the wind brushed through them, "that she's from Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail you say?" the man began.

"Yes, Florence. I didn't think the mayor would actually hire mages," the woman stated.

"Poor fairy," he said. "I feel so sorry for this lone flower."

* * *

><p><strong>I WANT TO THANK ALL THOSE THAT HAVE FAVORITED, FOLLOWED, AND REVIEWED. I APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING TOO LONG TO WRITE THIS UP. I WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY WRITING A NALI CHAPTER MAINLY BECAUSE I LOVE NALU, BUT I JUST CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND BETWEEN THE TWO PAIRINGS. NATSU'S JUST SO KAWAII, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS A KID. DON'T YOU AGREE?<strong>

**I FIXED ALL THE ERRORS IN MY PREVIOUS CHAPTERS. I ALSO APOLOGIZE IF THIS CHAPTER WAS TOO LONG OR CONFUSING WITH THE MULTIPLE FLASHBACKS. PLEASE TELL ME IN THE REVIEWS SO I CAN EDIT IT AND MAKE IT FLOW BETTER.**

**PLEASE RATE & REVIEW!**

**THE FINAL CHAPTER: MINE**


	4. Mine

CHAPTER 4: MINE

I apologize for being a month late. I've been told that I run on Filipino time even though I live on the other end of the world. Hahaha... It's just that I've been so busy lately with school and my sorry excuse for a life. People refer to me as a typical nerd for being absorbed in books, science, and music. So sorry for the late chapter.

I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. HIRO MASHIMA DOES.

* * *

><p>Taurus swung his ax in a wild motion yelling words about protecting Lucy's perfect body. With each swift movement Lucy made, she was surprised to find that her hand to hand combat wasn't too bad. She must have learned a few things from her previous partners. It didn't take long to defeat the bandits. All that was missing was the two mages.<p>

Lucy let out a heavy breath. She was tired at the same time glad that she finished defeating the thieves. All that was left was finding their leader. "We did a good job!" Lucy sang as she and Taurus exchanged high fives. "Now we have to find the two-"

Lucy's sentence was struck short as she let out a gasp. Taurus had pushed Lucy down from getting hit by a thorny vine.

"Sorry so spoil your fun, little flower," the man said holding a yellow rose between his fingers. Lucy could see her attacker's figure in the pale moon sky. The man had long black hair that was tied up into a ponytail with a few strands that hung freely around his face. His face was very pale with piercing red eyes and lips. The man before her could easily pass for a vampire especially with the pointy canines that he had and the Victorian attire. "I am Florence. It appears to me that you have defeated all my men. I'm not to be taken lightly."

He tossed the yellow rose in the air creating a magic circle around it. "Petal Waltz." The yellow rose petals danced towards her, slicing her skin.

A cry of pain escaped Lucy's lips. Taurus couldn't protect Lucy. With all the little petals that hit him, he was sent back to the spirit realm. Lucy tried to deflect some of the petals using her whip, but some still hurt her. It was like a thousand shards had pierced her skin leaving millions of paper cuts. It stung like hell but refused to give up.

"Rose Raid," Florence. A strong wind came in with a sweet scent. The tornado began to destroy everything in its path.

Thinking quickly, Lucy ran deep into the forest to avoid it trying to come up with some sort of plan. Her heart was pumping fast. She felt the adrenaline flow through her veins. Her clothes were all torn up courtesy to Florence's magic. Up in a tree, Lucy hid herself as she devised some sort of play.

"Think, Lucy! Think!" she whispered to herself. "Natsu's not here to help me."

She wished Natsu was there. He could easily defeat Florence with his fire. It was no use wishing for something that you know won't happen. If anything bad happened, she could always summon Loke to help her. She avoided summoning him because she didn't like Loke's lewd remarks and constant flirting. Lucy remembered passing a river not far from here. Aquarius could easily take these guys out in one hit. It would be easily, but of course at a deadly cost.

"You can't hide from me!" Florence exclaimed. Lucy jumped at the sound of his voice falling out of the tree. She prepared to hit the ground with a loud thud but it never came. She opened her eyes to see an upside down world. A long vine with thorns kept her feet attached to the tree. Lucy struggled to free herself but the spikes cut through her boots and pierced her skin.

"You have a quite the aroma around you, Lucy Heartiphilia." Florence stated as he approached her dangling body.

"How do you know my name?" Lucy asked. She tried her best to keep her skirt from falling to reveal her underwear.

"My partner, Aisley," he began as he stepped closer to her, "is dear friends with the trees. They tell her everything and she tells me. They see and hear everything. Just by sight and smell, you can tell a lot about a person, dear flower. You have a particular smell that I can detect. It's strong and sweet but there's this horrid smoldering scent all about you along with fish. You must eat a lot of fish."

"I don't," Lucy informed him.

"Then you must be around it a lot. Anyways, we had to take precautions. You reeked of fire. As you know fire is highly destructive, but it appears that you aren't capable of using fire. You're just a rare celestial mage with a strong smell that possibly comes from a partner or dear friend of yours. Salamander, I believe is his name."

"His name is Natsu," Lucy corrected.

"Ah! That's right, your boyfriend," Florence said.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lucy replied.

"Then ex, I presume, or are you engaged?" Florence inquired.

"Look! We're just friends!" Lucy raged out.

"Nature says otherwise," Florence said. "You're eyes tell a story of heartbreak, am I correct?"

"Shut up!" Lucy yelled flailing her arms squirming to free herself from the trap. She did not want to talk about her relationship with Natsu with some stranger. She struggled, and then heard a _clunk_! Her keys fell to the ground. This was bad.

"Those keys are the source of your power. They are quite rare and would sell for millions. Thanks for making my job easier for me," Florence reached out to grab Lucy's keys but Lucy swung her upside down body to head-butt Florence before he could snatch her keys.

_Owww!_ Lucy screamed in her head. She tried to ignore the pain as she pried her ankles free with her bare hands and nails while Florence was on the ground rubbing his head. "Yes!" she exclaimed with her success but she forgot to hold on to something as gravity worked its magic on her. "Ooof!" she let out as she landed on her back. She quickly grabbed her keys and opened the first key in her hand.

"You're quite a lively flower!" Florence said as he rubbed his head. Damn that hurt him.

"Open Gate of the Ram: Aries!" Lucy chanted as she got up. She stood back to back with Aries with her fleuve d'etoiles in hand ready to fight.

"It's a pity," he began, "a beautiful rose like yourself should be cherished just like in those romance novels you write, correct? Where did you're fire friend go? I assume you are the Salamander's partner since that awful stench is his. Perhaps, he left you for someone else with a more enticing aroma."

_Crack! Crack! Crack!_

Lucy flung her whip hard at Florence. Florence dodged with ease with every crack Lucy made. Aries shot him with her pink wool while Lucy kept him occupied. Aries shot knocked him to the ground in which Lucy used her whip to immobilize him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "You fight with more fire in you! Did I touch a nerve earlier?"

She liked how her whip would do anything she told it to do. Lucy used all her might to fling Florence into the air smashing him into some of the trees. She didn't like the way he talked- his sentence structure, his diction. Why did he have to use such words! Afterwards, she flung him into the air.

"Wool bomb!" Aries bleated. Her pink wool shot up into the sky. Thinking quickly Florence used one of his own spells.

"Flower Canon!" he released a giant yellow rose from his magic circle. When the flower met Aries's wool, it exploded. "Floral Rain!" Sharp pointed darts with different colors of flowers came raining down her and Aries. Aries created a barrier with her wool to protect her and her master. Some managed to get through the barrier piercing Lucy's skin.

Florence landed gracefully to the ground. "You're fighting with more vigor, aren't you little flower? Archer's Thorns!"

A long-stemmed rose appeared. It rotated horizontally releasing hundreds of thorns.

"Wool Wall!" Aries bleated. Lucy hid behind the pink wool that protected her.

"Petal Slice!" Florence summoned a huge scythe decorated with flowers to cut the barrier.

"Wool Shot!" Aries did her best to protect her master.

"Good hit, Aries!" Lucy commended when she saw Aries's attack take effect on him. Everyone loved Aries's soft wool and grew attached to her attack and wouldn't move. "For the final blow, Lucy Kick!"

"Wood-Make: Spear!" a female voice cried. Aries pushed Lucy out of the way protecting her master from harm by taking the hit.

"I'm sorry!" Aries cried as she began to disappear from the female mage's magic spear that had hit her.

"Wood-Make: Cage!" Lucy soon found herself trapped in a wooden cage styled like a bird's cage. Before her was a beautiful lady dressed in an elegant, floor-length, deep green dress with black accents that seemed charred. Her dark brown hair fell to the ground in water waves. Lucy could tell that this mage before her was tired and had used up quite a bit of magic.

"You're late Aisley," Florence informed her. "You have burns on your skin and your dress is seared at the ends. What happened?"

"I had to take care of some trouble that I sensed," she answered. "Apparently, her partner wasn't far behind."

"I came alone," Lucy told them a little bit confused.

"Really?" Aisley asked with her purple eyes staring a Ltucy. "Then you wouldn't recognize this?"

Lucy gasped at the sight. "Natsu!" In Aisley's hand was Natsu's white scarf with drops of blood on it. He went everywhere with it. Aisley cackled at Lucy's reaction.

"Just as I thought!" Aisley exclaimed. "You do know him!"

"Lovers, perhaps?" Florence asked.

"We're not lovers," Lucy told them. "We used to be partners."

"Awww!" Aisley exclaimed as she grabbed Lucy's nose and wiggled it. "It's an unrequited love! How romantic!"

"These are real dragon scales," Florence said as he examined the white scarf in Aisley's hand. "We could get a beautiful sum for this piece."

"Here," Aisley handed the scarf to Florence who wrapped it around his neck. "Fire boy won't need this anymore."

"What did you do to him?!" Lucy was on the verge of tears. Natsu was strong. Aisley couldn't have killed him especially since Natsu had the upper hand. Wood burned in fire- an easy victory for Natsu.

"Well the little lizard with the cat got in my way as I was pruning the mayor for hiring a mage. The pinkette said that he was with you and put up quite a fight to know you're whereabouts. He doesn't think much, does he? That brat just kept spouting out words about 'Lucy this' and 'I'm going to kill you if you touch Lucy.' So when I got the chance, I put him to sleep with one of my poisonous solutions by simply striking him with my wooden sparrows. He's alive, but if no one helps him soon, he'll bleed to death before the toxins kill him," Aisley answered.

"Where's Happy?" she asked with tears streaming down her face. That cat had to be close by Natsu.

"The flying-blue cat?" Aisley asked. "He flew away with the rotten mayor. By the time feline comes for him, you're precious Natsu will be a withered corpse."

"No!" Lucy cried. She collapsed to the ground sobbing with her hands over her face. This couldn't be happening to her! She had to save Natsu. "Open Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" Lucy chanted. A golden light flashed around her.

"Princess, I'm ready for my punishment," a husky voice said. That wasn't Virgo's voice. Lucy found herself in the arms of none other than...

"Loke?!" Lucy exclaimed. She didn't have time for this!

"I'm quite offended," Loke began looking deep into Lucy's chocolate brown eyes conveying his hurt expression. "You haven't summoned me in a while. Here I am to offer my services, but you'd rather have Virgo. Am I that appalling to you? When were you planning to call me?"

"Where's Virgo? What are you doing here?" Lucy questioned him. "And put me down!"

Loke did as he was told. He adjusted his glasses before answering Lucy's question. "I told Virgo that I'd cover her day for her." Lucy still had a confused look on her face. "Remember in Edolas when I went out on a date and you _just had_ to call me during that time?" Lucy nodded. "Well, I'm repaying Virgo the favor."

"Oh," Lucy said.

"Where's Natsu and Happy?" Loke asked. Lucy looked to the ground not sure of how to answer that question with a tear that rolled down her face. It didn't take much for Loke to understand what was happening or at least perceived was going on. He had seen plenty of tears in his life, this one he too knew well. Loke knew of his master's feelings towards the Salamander and would do anything to protect her even though she didn't love him the way he loved her. He'd have to have a chat with Natsu later. Old habits die hard. Loke seized this opportunity to perhaps sway Lucy's feeling in his favor.

"Don't worry Princess, we'll save him. I won't ever leave your side. Regulus Punch!" Loke punched the bars of the cage shattering it to simple splinters. "Here," Loke handed Lucy some clothes. "Virgo handed me these to just in case. She mentioned that you had a habit of losing your clothes in battle just like Gray."

"I don't need your help getting dressed!" Lucy exclaimed smacking Loke in the process. To make things clear, her clothes would get damaged during the fight. Gray would take time to strip before a fight.

"Is she really going to change during the middle of a battle?" Aisly asked in wonder as she watched Lucy go behind some bushes and trees.

"I won't allow anyone to peek on my master!" Loke exclaimed. "Regulus Beam!"

"This one is rather strong, especially with his feelings toward Lucy," Florence said who barely dodged the attack.

"This ought to be fun!" Aisly commented floating on her wooden eagles.

"It's always interesting to see love bloom," Florence commented.

* * *

><p>"Natsu! Natsu! Wake up!" Happy cried slapping Natsu with his blue paws. Natsu squirmed in his sleep and continued to sleep. "Natsu! Wake up! We have to find Lucy! Wake up!"<p>

"Lucy!" Natsu screamed as he got up. He winced in pain. His body stung like hell. "Happy what happened?"

"This crazy lady with long brown hair was attacking a man and you wanted to save him at the same time find Lucy," Happy explained. "You snapped when you heard her say Lucy's name."

"I did?" Natsu asked.

His head hurt from the after effects of the battle. He began to remember the battle very well. It went fuzzy when those wooden sparrows hit him and red liquid oozed from his body. There was a funny smell to it. He tried to fight her but he couldn't keep his eyes open. She had used some sort of toxin on him. Natsu remembered trying to burn it when it entered his body but he had passed out. As he was impaled, the bitch had the nerve to take his scarf. She can't sell his scarf. It was his damn scarf! Igneel gave that to him as a gift!

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed. "I bandaged you up with all the medicines and ointments Wendy gave me."

"Thanks, Happy." Natsu said regaining more energy. "Let's go find Lucy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy picked up Natsu and they flew through the forest at max speed.

* * *

><p>"Just give up," Aisley told her as she shot more wooden birds her way. Lucy barely avoided them. "He's probably dead by now. The poison's takes an hour to kill someone."<p>

"Lucy, please don't strain yourself. You're hurt," Loke told her. "I can take care of them on my own."

"You know that's not my style," Lucy retorted.

The celestial mage had to fight Florence and Aisley in order to get to Natsu. Natsu was somewhere in the forest sleeping, unaware that he was dying. He was a fighter, he won't die because of some poison. Lucy would have left when Loke instructed her to but Aisley decided to make things interesting by confining their fight by making these wooden walls while Florence decorated the walls with explosive flowers. The spells would only deactivate if they were defeated. If she could only fly over the walls!

Her ankles screamed in pain as she could barely stand up now. Florence had wrapped another thorny vine around her ankles and flung her towards the wooden wall full of explosives. If it weren't for Loke that caught her before that happened, she might have been severely injured or worse.

Lucy still managed to fight alongside Loke. Her new white dress that Virgo made for her was completely dirty. No matter what Loke told her, she'd continue to fight by his side. Spirits weren't tools; they were here friends. Maybe afterwards, Loke could help her with her hand-to-hand combat since he was considered a specialist in that criterion.

"Regulus!"

"Thistle Knuckle!"

The two male mages clashed with their magic power. Using his immense speed, Loke performed his melee attack on him. He was satisfied with the damage he caused but it wasn't enough for the walls to dispel.

"Shit!" Loke cursed beneath his breath. The attack came at a cost. He looked at his bloodied hands and torn black pants. He was a master at hand-to-hand combat. If his fists and legs were impaled it would be terrible dilemma. Thistle Knuckle wrapped around Florence's arms creating sharp pointy needles around it. It worked like a double edged sword by working well as a punch that severed through skin at the same time providing a protective layer of defense that had an aftermath.

This was bad. Loke could sense Lucy's magic power diminishing from him. He would have to turn to his "human form" if things were to get worse but that would mean that his true power would be lost. Lucy wasn't doing to bad fighting against Aisley's wooden figurines. If help didn't come, things would have a turn for the worst.

"Regulus Beam!" Loke shot a bright light directed at Aisley knocking her to the ground.

"Rose Raid!" Florence summoned a huge flower storm directed towards Lucy.

_Crap! I'm not going to make it in time!_ Loke thought. He ran as fast as he could to Lucy to bring her to safety but his legs hurt. If he could at least cover her with his body, he'd know that she'd be safe but he'd disappear into the Spirit World leaving her alone against these two. This was really bad.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Flames engulfed the flower spell burning the petals to a crisp. Lucy stood there in amazement. She recognized that fireball from anywhere and that voice. With him was his noble steed flying by him.

"This is for taking my scarf! Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu made two fireballs and combined it to make one huge flame. He then threw the big fireball at the two mages which resulted in a huge explosion. The walls dispelled signifying that Aisley and Florence had been defeated. When he was done, he took his scarf from Florence.

"Woah! You're a guy?!" Natsu exclaimed in shock. The long black haired guy wasn't the one he remembered fighting earlier. He or she was in a dress.

"Natsu! Happy!" Lucy jumped for joy. They were alive!

"Lucy!" Natsu and Happy both gave her the toothy grin she loved.

Lucy ran towards him stumbling along the way and surprised Natsu with a hug and dragged Happy in the middle of it. "You're alive! You're alive! You're here!" Tears rolled down her face.

"Lushee," Happy's voice was muffled, "your squishing me with your fat."

Normally she'd be furious but she was so damn happy to see them. "I'm just glad that you're here and alive!"

Natsu didn't know how to react to Lucy's sudden actions. "Of course I am, dummy! Why wouldn't I be?" Natsu began to wipe away Lucy's falling tears with his thumb.

"You were poisoned by Aisley," Lucy explained. "I thought you were dead."

"I'm not dead," Natsu informed, "so stop crying!"

"How did you survive?" she asked.

"Natsu naturally runs a high temperature all the time. His body must have burned off the toxins," Loke explained. He picked up the two mages unconscious body and swung it over his shoulder. "Both of you go back to town and rest. It's nearly midnight."

"What about you?" Lucy inquired referring to his injuries.

"I'll be fine, okay? I'll take care of these thugs," Loke said. "Oh and Natsu take care of her."

* * *

><p>Lucy woke up to the soft snores of her two most loved people. The three of them (including Happy) decided to save money by sharing a room together. It was nothing new when the people at the hotel told them that they only had one-room bedrooms left.<p>

She was glad that he had come to save her when he did. They could only go on missions like that once in a while. Lucy tried to keep reminding herself that. Even though Lucy did go on this job as a solo mission, Natsu did show up and saved her ass, _again_. This meant that Lucy had to give him half of the reward even though it was a simple hundred thousand jewel reward. It wasn't going to pay the rent, especially if Happy wanted a third of it which left her roughly thirty-three thousand jewels. How was she going to pay rent that was due in less than a week?

"Natsu wake up," Lucy sang to him. Normally she'd kick him off the bed but Aisley had severely injured him with her wood-make magic. "Wake up Natsu."

"Mine," he murmured as he brought Lucy closer towards his body. "Mine… Lu… No… Gray..."

_Of course he's dreaming of Gray! _Lucy thought.

The familiar scent of ash and smoke filled her lungs. She struggled to free herself to go and make breakfast but Natsu only brought her closer to him with his strong arms wrapped tightly around her weak frame. Natsu didn't want to let her go. He made her feel safe and secure. Before long, Lucy found herself sleeping again in his arms.

About an hour later, it was Natsu's turn to wake up. He let out a big yawn and stretched. Lucy was sound asleep right next to him. It was slightly odd seeing Lucy still sleeping in bed. Usually, she was the first one up. Maybe he'd give her a dose of her medicine by taking the covers away from her or pushing her off the bed and maybe throwing her out the window to wake her up. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to do it. She looked serene, happy, and well… beautiful even with her bruised cheek.

"Man, I had that weird dream again," Natsu said to no one in particular as he got up from bed to use the bathroom.

Natsu's dream:

_He dreamed of himself being in a nice suit with his scarf securely wrapped around his neck. Gray was next to him wearing the same thing, only without a cool scarf like his. They were at some church. Gray was acting all jittery and antsy over something. Master Makarov entered the room and called Gray and Natsu to follow him._

"_Damn, I can't believe this is really happening!" Gray exclaimed. It was odd seeing Gray with such a radiant smile instead of a smug smirk. Natsu couldn't stop himself from laughing so hard. It was a funny sight to see droopy eyes smile. Gray smacked him. "You're the best man! You're supposed to be helping me. I knew I should have picked Loke or Lyon to be the best man."_

"_Or you could have picked Elfman!" Natsu exclaimed laughing even harder at his own joke._

"_Bastard," Gray muttered at him._

"_Let's face it," Natsu began, "I'm the better man between them."_

"_Whatever, how do I look?" he asked._

"_Naked," Natsu answered._

"_What the-?!" Gray went frantic as he tried to collect the elements of his tux that was scattered along the hall ways. "Punch me, if I start stripping."_

"_Really?" Natsu asked. Gray nodded and Natsu punched._

"_What the hell, Flame Brain?!"_

"_You told me to punch you if you were stripping!"_

"_I was fixing my tie!"_

"_You should have told me that!"_

"_Still fighting on this joyous day?" Erza interrupted with a heavy sigh. Her arms were crossed and she had a very disappointed face. Instantly, the boys shaped up. "If you mess this up and ruin Lucy's day, I will punish you for your crime. Master is waiting for you both."_

"_Is today Lucy's birthday?" Natsu asked Gray as they walked._

_Gray laughed. "No you moron, it's her wedding day."_

"_SHE'S GETTING MARRIED!" Natsu exclaimed. "TO WHO?"_

_Gray rolled his eyes as he dragged him to the church. "You're an idiot. Come on Natsu!"_

__ Elfman, Laxus, Freed, Azalack, Gajeel, and even Lyon and members of Blue Pegasus was there wearing a tux all congratulating Gray. _The wedding was taking forever! The music was so slow, he felt like he was going to pass out of boredom. He wanted to know who Lucy was going to marry, but Mira and Erza both had given them the glare so he stayed quiet. Natsu could see everyone from the different guilds but they were sitting down._

_**Dammit Gray! Why are we standing up! **__He thought._

_The music finally changed to that "Here Comes the Bride" tune. Everyone stood up to see the bride. Lucy looked so pretty with her white laced up wedding dress. Her make-up was natural as it really brought out her hazel eyes and golden hair that was tied up in an elegant bun with a few strands that formed her face perfectly. Her face glowed with happiness. Her hair was a golden like the summer sun. Her face was flushed a salmon pink. Damn! She looked breathtaking even though she was walking down the aisle with Loke and Capricorn. Natsu couldn't help but smile at Lucy. Lucy smiled back at him but gave an even bigger to someone else, Gray?_

"_Who gives this woman, Lucy Heartifilia to be married to Gray Fullbuster?"_

_**She's marrying Popsicle Stick?**_

"_We do," Loke and Capricorn said in unison._

_Lucy and Gray then took hands._

_Lucy stopped by Natsu and gave him a hug. "You're marrying Exhibitionist?" Natsu whispered in her ear._

"_Yeah," Lucy answered. "I'm so glad you could make it all in one piece from your search! I know you'll find Igneel, soon."_

_The hug was short lived as Lucy walked backed to Gray. This was all wrong in Natsu's head. Lucy was his! Only his! _

"_Speak now or forever hold your peace," Makarov read._

_Natsu was sure as hell not going to keep his peace even though he was in damn Cathedral. __They were saying their vows right in front of him. How could Gray do this to him? What about Juvia? Natsu looked at the audience and saw Juvia with Lyon and a baby boy with light blue hair. Something in Natsu's chest began to boil. _

"_Bastard!" he yelled at Gray and punched him. "Lucy is mine!"_

_Natsu then swept Lucy off her feet and carried her down the aisle and out of the Cathedral._

"_Natsu put me down!" she yelled at him. Natsu did as he was told. "What the hell! You ruined my wedding!"_

"_You're marrying Gray!"_

_"I love him!"_

_"What about me?"_

"_Natsu that was ten ago! You left me to find Igneel, remember? You kept searching for Acnologia to gain answers for Igneel's whereabouts. You wouldn't let me come with you. I even went as far as tracking you down with Cana. Ha! But when I found you, boy where you mad Salamander. You broke my heart leaving me in Magnolia and you didn't even bother to write me one letter! For ten years I waited for you to come back home, I thought you were dead. I love Gray now. I'm sorry, but I have to go back to my wedding," Lucy said with tears._

"_Come back, Lucy!" Natsu cried. "Don't go! I'm sorry! Don't leave me. You belong with me, not Gray's! Lucy, I lo-!"_

That's when Natsu would wake up and tell Happy his dream. Happy just told him it was a weird dream and that there was no meaning to it, but he dreamed the same dream more than a dozen times by now. Happy then told him that he had a weird way of showing happiness for Gray's and Lucy's relationship by beating up Gray. Then, Happy told him that since his dream has happened so many times before it must come true just the way how Happy dreams of eating fish come true.

Oddly, Natsu didn't want his dream to come true. He couldn't quite explain it. He did everything in his power to ignore it but this feeling inside him pestered him. Just thinking about Lucy with another man that wasn't him made his blood boil. Natsu didn't seem to notice his change in temperature until he melted a doorknob as he exited the bathroom and to the kitchen.

"Lucy made me waffles and fish!" Happy cried in happiness.

"I also made you some too, Natsu!" Lucy gave Natsu a plate of waffles with syrup and chili peppers. Natsu thanked her and ate his meal. He was astounded at how his best friend knew almost everything about it. It was like they lived together!

Natsu stared at Lucy, trying to figure out his emotions. He knew he liked the blonde girl before him. He watched Lucy play with her strawberries on her plate with her silver fork. She was pretty damn cute. Yes he heard Gray say that to Lucy during the Oracion Seis arc. If it wasn't for his sickness he would have wiped that smirk off his icy face.

Lucy would never leave him, right? They were best friends. They signed a contract! Natsu's dream would never come true. Then again, Lucy did leave him behind. But Lucy does things for a reason she doesn't do anything irrational like him. Is it because he destroys everything? He'd do better, he promises. Is she tired of him messing up? Is it really because she doesn't want to be partners anymore? Is it because he always exposes her to danger? _Dammit_! Natsu cursed. His head hurt trying to think. But he continued to stare intently at her.

"What?" Lucy asked him. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Why did you go without me?" Natsu asked.

"Huh?"

"Why did you decide to go on a mission all of a sudden without me?" he asked.

"I needed the rent," she answered.

"Tell me the truth, Luce," his piercing eyes penetrated through her hazel eyes. Something in Lucy began to break. There was sincerity and concern in there with a mix of hurt. "Don't give me any bull. If it was for rent, you'd tell me."

Lucy hated how Natsu could see past her actions. He knew her that well. In such a short time, they were able to make a strong bond. "Can't you just accept that I went to pay off my rent?"

"But it's unlike you to go on a million jewel quest without me!" Natsu reasoned.

"Who told you that? It was a simple hundred-thousand jewel request," Lucy informed him.

"What?!" he exclaimed in shock. Cana lied to him. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I don't have to tell you everything, Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yes you do because that's what best friends do!" Natsu said.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed in Magnolia?"

"Because we're partners! Partners don't do solo missions, Lucy! Haven't you heard that there's no 'I' in teamwork?"

"We're not even a team anymore!"

"What are you talking about? Of course we're still a team!"

"Not for long," Lucy answered back.

"Huh?" Natsu was confused. "Are you breaking up the team?"

Lucy looked at Natsu with tears in her eyes. "I left before you could kick me off the team."

"Why would I do that?" Natsu questioned.

"Because I'm so weak," Lucy replied averting her eyes. "I'm not as strong as your, Gray, or Erza. I'm the weak link. I thought you were going to replace me with someone stronger, better, and more suited for the team."

"Who would I replace you with?" Natsu asked.

"I assumed you were going to replace me with Li-"

"Luce," Natsu interrupted, "I want only _you_ to be on my team. Me, _you_, and Happy are a team."

"But do you really want someone like me?" Lucy asked.

"Not some that is like you," Natsu began with a familiar toothy grin, "someone that is _you_! Without you, things just wouldn't fit right, ya know?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile. Inching closer, Natsu wiped away one of Lucy's falling tears with his rough thumb. Natsu surprised Lucy by wrapping his protective left arm around her small waist bringing her closer to him in a warm hug.

"You're _my_ partner," Natsu emphasized as their foreheads met.

Lucy felt warm and fuzzy inside. It was that oh-so-familiar feeling that she was trying to avoid but he had found her. Her face was a flustered salmon pink once again. Her body temperature rose at the close proximity they were in. She could feel his warm breath burning her cheeks. His muscular arm that wrapped around her that kept her falling made sure that Lucy was only paying attention to him and no one else. It didn't help that he had his right forefinger and thumb on her chin forcing her to look at the face she didn't want to see. His damned dark onyx eyes penetrated through her.

_Damn this stupid crush!_

"Not Gray's or Loke's," Natsu declared to her. "You're mine."

* * *

><p>Done! I'm toying with the idea of an epilogue as my punishment for being so late. I've got a one-shot idea titled "Just a Date." I realized that it would flow well with it especially with Natsu's dream. Anyways, tell me in the comments or PM me about what you think I should do with it. I apologize for any errors or for OOCness.<p>

Summary of Just a Date: It was just a date. Lucy had gone on dates before, why was this one any different? It would end just like the rest. But why did it bother Natsu so much? This one was different. She was going with a trusted guild mate. Still, it didn't quite feel right.

Thanks for reading! :D

Don't forget to Rate & Review!


	5. Response to Reviews

Just a Date:

Also I want to thank all of those who have followed and favorited Just a Crush. It may not seem like it, but the reviews have motivated me. If there's anything I learned from this experience, it's really hard to update weekly. I have new respect for those authors who update on a regular basis. I apologize for my habitual tardiness. I want to take the time to thank all my reviewers. The next chapter is the real epilogue. So you can skip if you want to.

**Know-Your-Place**: You have no idea how excited you made me feel to get a review. You were my first EVER reviewer and I squealed with delight. Just the fact that you reviewed motivated me to put the next chapter up- which I did within the following week. Though, I'm not sure if I'm ready to be a beta reader. I still make mistakes.

**oh-tangled**: you are a great friend of mine. Thanks for bugging me about this and making me update on time during the first four weeks. I apologize for the unannounced hiatus. Also, you are the reason why I'm writing all these responses because you had a good point. The readers deserve to know!

**Portpaphyro**: I hope you liked it since there are more chapters. It's okay. I really admire people who are bilingual. My friends consider me bilingual since I can understand a Filipino dialect but I can't speak it. However, I speak a little Spanish thanks to Spanish class. Hablo un poco español. That's all I got, sorry.

**Me ga mawaru**: Hi! I figured for my first fanfic that I should start with something classic. It seemed easy. However, I found it much more difficult. Putting your thoughts into words is hard. I wanted it to be slightly different because I think it's out of Natsu's character to kick someone off the team unless it was a life or death mission. Since Lucy's so caring (and a little self-absorbed), I would think that she would kick herself off the team before they could. I know that a lot of people use it but I wanted to try it out for myself. I hope you liked it!

**B2uitfulshawol**: I'm sorry that the next chapter didn't come as soon as you hoped it would. Haha.. I don't have an excuse for you… I just get lazy and if I don't like it, it goes to the recycle bin and I restart.

**Guest**: Not sure if you've returned to read it but I'm a little sad you skipped that chapter with Lisanna. I wish you didn't but I get that way too when I'm not a big fan of a ship! I understand. I wasn't offended at all. You answered my one concern when I posted that chapter: too many flashbacks. Thank you for your review. Next time, I'll keep it at a minimum.

**FelineDynasty**: I absolutely loved your long review. Not only did it make me cry, you were one of the reasons why I continued to write. I know how much time it must have taken you to write this. I have a love-hate relationship with Lisanna. I was into writing her part because like her, I had to suffer watching my best guy friend who I grew up with fall in love with best female friend. So I know the pain of being "replaced" really well. For the whole "aura" issue you had a question about, I was referring to Lucy's emotion and magic power. I dislike it when people make Lucy the weak one. Lucy doesn't have physical strength like everyone else, but she has more of an internal strength that comes inside. Thank you for the long review! Keep writing long reviews, promise?

**Senbei x Cup Ramen**: Reading your review has made me feel like an accomplished writer. I enjoy writing and I want readers to feel the emotions that I portray. The stories I like the best is when they make me cry and laugh. I wanted to be able to do the same. Knowing that you were attacked by the feels made me swell with pride. Rejection is a feeling that I'm familiar with if you read what I wrote to FelineDynasty. Thanks for taking the time to review.

**searching4somewhere:** I apologize for the ooc-ness. It made sense to me at the time (the Lisanna and Natsu part). I did not overlook your review. It made me a bit sad so I read Just a Crush over and over and over and over again. What I found was- I don't like to admit it- you were right! I made them a bit too overly love-sick. I need to go through to rewrite it to make the perfect balance. That is what I have been doing. You're right about Natsu completely blowing her off like that. I'll fix it, don't worry. Thank you for your constructive criticism and your time to review.

**Hapiflower**: thank you for writing a review and answering my question at the end. I debated because I thought it ended just fine where it was and I wasn't sure if I should do an epilogue. SO I made an epilogue for you. I had trouble. Nothing is as easy as it seems.

**Celtika82**, **Anonymous**, ** 12**, **beccaleigh97**, **CaptainPopcorn6544**, **Syaoran 837**, **melt0928**, **glorian175**, **shadizsato**, **skittle**, ** -roo**, **guest(s)**, **Dog's Paw Burning in Hot Ash**, and Followers and those who Favourited: Thank you for taking the type to write a nice review, to click the Favorite or Follow button. I'm glad you like it. I appreciate it very much even if it was just short little saying. Still, those few seconds you took to type have been encouraging.

So here's the epilogue: Just a Date

Summary of Just a Date: It was just a date. Lucy had gone on dates before, why was this one any different? It would end just like the rest. But why did it bother Natsu so much? This one was different. She was going with a trusted guild mate. Still, it didn't quite feel right.

Hope it was worth the wait...


	6. Epilogue

**I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. MASHIMA HIRO DOES**

Just a Crush: Epilogue: Just a Date

Summary of Just a Date: It was just a date. Lucy had gone on dates before, why was this one any different? It would end just like the rest. But why did it bother Natsu so much? This one was different. She was going with a trusted guild mate. Still, it didn't quite feel right.

* * *

><p>Natsu let out a heavy sigh by the bar. It was snowing and Natsu hated the cold weather. Life was pretty boring right now for him. They were supposed to go on a mission last week but Natsu got sick with a cold and Lucy's rent was due the upcoming Thursday. Since Natsu showed no signs of getting better, Gray went with Lucy in his stead. Natsu wanted Happy to go and watch over his Luce, but someone had to take care of the great Salamander.<p>

Now that Natsu was all better, Lucy didn't want to go on a mission because something came up. Lucy had an appointment that evening so she had kicked them out of her apartment so she would get ready. Natsu and Happy didn't bother to think of going without the blonde mage because a mission without Lucy was like a meal without fish (in Happy's words). It would be just weird.

The duo sat there at the bar, lonely. Mira couldn't help but notice the two boys' depressed looks. Mira brought a tray of their favorite foods. She hoped that the fire chicken and fish would brighten up their day. The duo let out another exasperated sigh. Well, the fish tray was immediately gone when Happy spotted it. Natsu on the other hand simply played with his fire food with his fork before letting out another exasperated sigh. Not even food could liven up their spirits.

"What's wrong?" Mira asked.

"Lucy's getting ready for an appointment," Happy answered with a heavy sigh.

"An appointment?" Mira questioned.

Natsu knew very well what this so called "appointment" was really about. Lucy only used the word "appointment" when she had a date. Last time she used the word "date," there were three mages that followed her and the writer boy the whole time. Natsu didn't want some random guy to get in Lucy's pants, whatever Loke meant by that. It took Natsu ever fiber in him to not strangle Gray and Loke in the process. Still, Lucy didn't even appreciate the help and effort that Natsu, Loke, and Gray had put in to make sure that their Luce was okay.

Of course, Lucy didn't believe any of the boys' stories. She accused Natsu for spicing up the dinner with the Tobasco sauce in his hand, Gray for freezing the poor guy when his tongue was on fire, and Loke for blinding the guy with his bright light magic. Lastly, Lucy accused the three for ruining her date and destroying the restaurant. They had ruined her second first date. (Natsu had credit ruining her very first date with that writer boy when he went on a mission without her. Lucy didn't want them to leave without her. So he took much pride in destroying her first date.)

Lucy had enough of it when the three boys got in a fight and blew up the place with their magic. Since then, she'd been using the word "appointment," but the three boys were smarter than that to realize its meaning and would do shifts in protecting Lucy with her dates.

"She's not even sick!" Happy cried. "I don't get why she won't go on a mission with us and Natsu won't go because Lucy's not coming."

"She's on her date, Happy," Natsu snarled out the words.

Natsu couldn't help but feel something churn at the pit of stomach. It had nothing to do with the food that Mira had given him. He hadn't even touched it. Lucy with Princess Popsicle Stick wasn't what Natsu expected. He saw him at Lucy's door and she welcomed him in with open arms. Both of them were dressed nicely. Natsu couldn't believe what he was seeing. Gray was wearing clothes! Not just any clothes, these were nice dress clothes like he was dressed up for something. She couldn't be attracted to someone like him!

Natsu and Happy followed the couple to a very nice and expensive but yet romantic restaurant. He couldn't understand the development that happened between the two. Natsu was about to go in and ask them questions- he simply wanted to ruin everything. But something made him stop in his tracks. Since when did Lucy look so pretty under the starlit sky or when did she look that cute when she blushed after laughing so hard? Lucy looked genuinely being happy with Gray. She couldn't possibly feel the same way he, Natsu Dragoneel, was feeling inside for her.

So Natsu Dragoneel, walked back to the guild and is now discussing with Mira. Lucy deserved better. The guy was a damn bastard even though they were friends. No one made a big deal about it but it was a big deal to him. The gossip at the guild didn't help much. His sensitive hearing picked up many words strung together that formulated a bad taste to his mouth.

"_Did you hear? Lucy's on a date with Fullbuster. Who would have guessed?" one said._

"_I saw it coming! Lucy spends a lot of time with Natsu and Gray. She was bound to fall for one of them," another stated._

"_Gray and Lucy look so cute together!" another squealed._

If only Natsu wasn't sick, he could have prevented this. Natsu couldn't do anything because everything happened while he was home, sick with a stupid cold. He wanted to know what had happened at the same time afraid of what he might find. He wasn't exactly sure why.

The Ice Freak better have not touched _his_ partner. Even that weirdo Jason came by to get the latest scoop on potential power couples. One of them happened to be, Lucy and Gray. Both of them denied that they were an item. But when Jason asked Lucy who should would prefer to date between Gray or Natsu, Lucy went beet red and refused to answer. That's when Loke came in and let's just say chaos appeared.

However, Lucy is currently on a date with Gray.

These so called "dates" were identical to the ones that he shared with Lucy. After their fun at missions, they'd have dinner together then go the hotel and sleep. It sounded just like the description Lucy said a date consisted of.

_Wait, are we dating?_ Perhaps, he'll ask Lucy about it later.

Still, Lucy insisted that it was completely different. Natsu couldn't see how they were any different, except for the fact that he wasn't some pretty faced idiot in some puffed up clothing (and at least he wore clothes). He kind of felt replaced. After one mission with him being sick, did she really replace him?

"Really?" Mira asked breaking Natsu from his train of thought. "Gray and Lucy are out on a date? I don't remember Lucy ever telling me or even Gray. I always thought Gray had a thing for Juvia. Lucy, I think li-"

"They don't have to tell you anything," Natsu said in a biting tone. He didn't mean it really. He was just upset and didn't want to hear any of it.

"Are you sure that they're on a date? Lucy would at least have told me," Mira insisted on the topic that Natsu wanted to avoid.

"I am sure," Natsu answered.

"Aye," Happy affirmed. "Lucy was getting ready for her appointment and Gray was with her and he was _wearing_ nice clothes."

"She kicked us out but not the damn pervert," Natsu added.

"I don't get why she didn't tell me," Mira pondered this for a while. "This doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe she wanted to keep it secret," Happy hypothesized.

"I wonder what's going on right now," Cana chimed in, "Perhaps their watching a romantic movie and he drapes his arm around her, or their having a romantic Italian spaghetti dinner, and Lucy gets a sloppy smooch."

"Oh Lucy's first kiss!" Mira squealed with excitement.

The last statement caused Natsu to choke on his fire food causing him to cough. That damn bastard wouldn't dare steal a kiss from _his_ partner. Natsu was well aware of his rival's more than friendly feelings for _his_ partner. His nose could smell Fullbuster's feelings. He was there when he practically confessed, even though it was Gemini being Gray who confessed. Still, Natsu had enough consciousness to see his own flustered partner's face and the smirk on that cursed bastard's face.

"What?" Natsu exclaimed once he could breathe again.

"I could see it now in Sorcerer's Magazine!" Mira squealed with glee in her eyes as she talked with Cana, "Snow falling around them, Gray with his arms wrapped around Lucy's waist bringing her in close for a deep, hot kiss and the caption at the bottom reading, Fairy Tail's Strongest Couple: Lucy and Gray! How romantic!"

In his opinion, Lucy and he currently hold the position of the strongest couple in Fairy Tail. Come on! Firstly, it was obvious that Natsu was stronger than Gray. Secondly, he has gone on more missions with Lucy than Gray. Thirdly, he did not like the picture Mira and Cana was putting in his head.

_Oh hell no! _

"Mira," Natsu began. "How could they be the strongest couple when _I'm_ stronger than Gray."

"Are you jealous?" Cana teased waving her bottle of sake in his face.

Natsu turned away to hid his face but they all saw the tint of pink in his cheeks.

"He llliiiiiiiiiiikkeeesss Lucy," Happy rolled the word extra long.

"Shut it, damn cat!" Natsu barked. Happy and Mira continued to laugh at him.

Natsu wasn't in denial. He was stating facts. Really, why would Natsu need to be jealous of Gray? Yeah, he liked Lucy. He liked Mira, Erza, Laxus, Gajeel, Lisanna, Elfman, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Romeo, and maybe he would like Gray better if he wasn't with Lucy. However, Lucy is special to him. Natsu liked the blonde mage more than the others he mentioned. She held a special place in his heart.

"I am not jealous!" he roared.

"Aye sire! But Natsu, it's written on your face," Happy teased chuckling. Natsu couldn't hide it. He face was a darker shade of pink than his salmon colored hair.

"My cards tell me that Lucy will be getting something good tonight," Cana stated.

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked. "I think your cards are just broken."

Cana pulled out one of her magic cards and threw it towards Natsu's face. The card was engulfed in flames so Natsu opened his mouth to eat it. When he closed his mouth, it exploded leaving a very burnt and angry pink haired boy.

"Do you think it's broken now?" Cana taunted. "Okay flame head. Come here and look at my cards." Natsu did as he was told. He saw three cards: Lightning, Reverse Tower, and the Lovers card. "This is the combination for Jolt of Fate. When used in battle, it is a powerful attack. However, its meaning is different when it's used for Fortune Telling. Originally, I drew out this card." Cana took the Lightning card and replaced it with a card with a picture of the sun also known as the Fire card. "This card means passion and destruction as well as fire. Reverse Tower refers to the church or fate in this case- like their predestined to be. The Lovers card is self-explanatory. Together it means an explosion of fate and-."

Natsu got up and left having heard enough. He was going to prove Cana's cards wrong. Gray and Lucy weren't lovers nor are they fated. It was he that found Lucy, not Gray. He was the one that caught her off a building. Last he checked, Lucy didn't save Gray from a fearsome case of motion sickness.

"He didn't even finish his food," Mira pouted.

* * *

><p>Natsu wouldn't consider what he was doing as spying. It was more of watching over his comrade- not Gray by the way. He was watching over Lucy. Gray was the jack ass partner. He didn't trust the bastard to be alone with <em>his<em> partner. The stupid man could find someone else.

_Screw Cana's cards!_

Lucy and Gray were not going to end up together. There wouldn't be an explosion of fate between the two fated "Power Couple." He would prevent that from happening. Besides, Gray didn't have the chemistry with Lucy that he had with her. Natsu was doing this to protect Lucy from hurting herself.

It didn't take long for Natsu to find them. Lucy had a nice scent while Gray had a pungent smell to his nostrils. It didn't mix well with Lucy's scent.

Natsu made sure not to be noticed by the two. So he had on a perfect disguise. A black hat covered his pink hair, sunglasses, a black trench coat that covered what he would normally wear, a cane, and his white scarf wrapped around the upper portion of his face completing his disguise.

Natsu followed the 'power couple' into the movie theater. To further blend in, Natsu bought some popcorn and soda. Not wanting to gain any attention from them, he sat up on the balcony far enough where Gray won't sense him and close enough for Natsu to watch out for Lucy. Natsu didn't even pay attention to the movie. His eyes were fixed on Gray and Lucy.

A familiar scent was in the air- salty tears. He followed the scent which led to a strange person, was she crying?

"Juvia?" Natsu tapped her shoulder.

"Natsu-san, you are here too?" Juvia began. "Juvia heard about the rumors to see if it was true. She does not believe what she is seeing."

"I don't trust Gray with Lucy," Natsu muttered chomping on some more popcorn as he took a seat next to Juvia.

"Juvia cannot enjoy this movie with Lucy-san at Gray-sama's side," Juvia cried. "It should be Juvia at Gray-sama's side."

Natsu scoffed and continued to watch them. He decided to sit next to Juvia since he now knew that he wasn't the only one that was unhappy with the whole situation.

"Natsu!" the blue cat cried. The people around them shushed the blue cat. "I finally found you," he whispered. "Why are you in here? With Juvia?"

"I'm trying to watch the movie," Natsu lied. He hadn't even paid attention to the whole movie. The only thing that captured his attention was the singing snowman named Luffy or was it Olaf. He hadn't been paying much attention. It was about ice and he did not like the cold.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cried in a hush whisper as he pointed with his paw at the couple. "Gray is doing the move on Lucy."

"What?!" both Juvia and Natsu exclaimed in unison. The group of people on the balcony shushed the two.

"You guys know The Move, aye sir?" Happy questioned. Natsu just stared at the cat atop his head with a confused look.

"Juvia wants to know what is this 'Move' that Gray is doing to Lucy," her face was red. It looked like she was going to murder someone.

"You see Gray?" Happy pointed toward Gray.

"He's just stretching his arms," Natsu pointed out.

"I saw this in a movie once," Happy told him. "Well, the guy stretches his arm and then places it over the girl's shoulder bringing her closer to him. Then, he goes in for the kiss."

Both Juvia and Natsu watched Gray's arm with wide eyes. Gray let out a yawn and a stretch. He then, slowly placed his arm around Lucy just like Happy predicted.

"Gray really did the move," Natsu muttered.

"Noooo!" Juvia cried getting signs to be quiet from the mass of people on the balcony. Juvia was supposed to by Gray's first true love's kiss. Every fiber that was left from her sanity, she prayed to the heavens that Gray wouldn't do the move but no heed was paid to her prayer. She did not want Lucy to steal a kiss from Gray. Her imagination went flying and her body began to boil, literally.

Natsu didn't even sense himself heating up with anger towards the ice-mage. Lucy is his only. Natsu didn't catch the smoke the radiated from him until the smoke detectors did. Natsu had the balcony in flames and not even Juvia's tears could stop it.

* * *

><p>Lucy and Gray heard the raging bell and saw the people evacuate the building. Smoke and water was everywhere. Being good mages, they went to go find the source of the fire. Lucy summoned Virgo to guide the people to safety. The two mages climbed the stairs to the balcony where the source of the smoke was coming from.<p>

"Freeze!" Gray yelled as he used his most basic spell to freeze the fire. The fire continued to rage on and broke through the spell.

"This isn't an ordinary fire," Lucy told him. "Someone's controlling it."

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray ordered a frozen lance towards the source of the fire where he saw a shadow with glaring eyes.

"What the hell?" a familiar voice called to him.

"Natsu?" Gray questioned.

"Fire Dragon's: Iron Fist!" a fiery fist met his cold face.

"What the fuck, Ash-Brain?!" Gray screamed.

"You froze me!" another punch flew and a kick or two.

"You were about to burn the building down!" Gray and Natsu began to fight.

"Fire Dragon's: Roar!" Natsu's let out a humungous flame from his mouth. Gray swiftly dodged before he created his Frozen Hammer to attack Natsu with a solid hit. The two kept casting spells and Lucy was at loss for words.

"Back off asshole!" Gray cried as his ice axe plunged onto Natsu.

"You back off you damn pervert!" Natsu cried as he directed more flames towards Gray.

Lucy began to notice that the walls were on fire and a few parts of the building were covered in ice. Gray and Natsu were about to destroy the building any minute now. She had to stop them before this was going to go on Fairy Tail's tab.

"STOP!" Lucy cried.

"Bastard!" Natsu yelled as he took in a deep breath before he did another roar. "You did the move on her!"

Lucy pulled out one of her golden keys, "Open Gate-"

"What the hell do you mean, Flame Freak?! Ice-Make: Ice Cannon," Gray yelled. Then there was a giant explosion as ice met fire. Lucy never got the chance to summon. The building was reduced to nothing more than a vacant spot charred with a fresh layer of ice.

Lucy found her way out of the rubble with the help of Juvia.

"Juvia?" Lucy questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Juvia and Natsu-san followed you and Gray-sama," Juvia answered.

"Why?" Lucy asked confused.

Juvia opened her mouth to respond but Lucy couldn't hear her due to the yells and threats she heard coming from behind.

She turned to find Gray and Natsu in a battle of fists and decided to end this. Juvia and Lucy looked at each other and decided to stop them before they went to destroy another building. Juvia pulled Gray away from Natsu and Lucy grabbed Natsu before he could punch Gray in the face.

"Gray you tried to do the Move on her, you bastard!" Natsu roared at him.

"What the hell is that, Ash Breath?" Gray asked as their heads butted against each other.

"Lucy, tell me that you just didn't go on a date with Exhibitionist," Natsu pleaded.

"We didn't," Lucy said with a blunt expression.

"Then what is this?" Natsu and Juvia asked in unison.

Just then four kids popped out behind Virgo and came to hug Lucy and Gray.

"COOL!" a little boy gushed in admiration to Gray. "You destroyed the whole thing."

"Lucy-san, are you okay?" the elder girl asked.

"I wanted to see how the movie ended," the youngest boy cried.

"Lucy-nee!" the youngest girl exclaimed as she held up a blue unconscious cat. "Look what I found!"

"So, you guys aren't on a date?" Natsu asked.

"No!" Lucy exclaimed. "Where did you get that notion from?"

"There is a rumor going around that you and Gray-sama have been secretly dating now," Juvia began. "And that you have replaced Natsu-san with Gray-sama as your partner as you refused to go on anymore missions with Natsu."

"No!"Lucy cried. "None of it is true!"

"Lucy and I took a job last week and our clients to provide entertainment at a birthday party by displaying our magic. Impressed by how well we worked with kids, they asked us to babysit their four children as they went on a business trip this weekend," Gray explained.

"That doesn't explain the restaurant or why you didn't go on a mission with me, Lucy," Natsu huffed with his arms crossed.

Lucy let out a chuckle. "The reason why I didn't go with you, Natsu, on a job is because Gray and I are babysitting these kids for the weekend. We picked them up at the restaurant after their parents said their good-byes. Our clients were late so we decided to eat. After the meal, the kids wanted to see a movie. Then there was the fire and now this." The four children nodded their heads in agreement.

"So none of the rumors are true?" Juvia asked. With a simple nod from Lucy and Gray, Juvia gushed. "Gray-sama, I knew that you loved me!"

"Get off of me," Gray said as he tried to pry himself free from Juvia's embrace. His face was red from anger or was it more of embarrassment. He still had a reputation to keep up.

"So what about that move you did to Lucy?" Natsu asked Gray.

"What move?" Lucy asked curiously.

"You know in the movies when the guy yawns and wraps his arms around the girl before he steals a kiss," Natsu explained just like how Happy explained to him moments ago.

"Bullshit!" Gray exclaimed. "I wouldn't kiss Lucy, no offense."

"Ooo! You said a bad word," the youngest boy said in an accusing voice. The four teens forgot about the children that were there.

"None taken but why?" she said cringing. It's not like he's the first to reject her. Was she not kissable or something? Gray couldn't answer Lucy's question since Juvia was strangling him with such a big hug and drowning him in her tears of happiness. Thoughts of _Gray-sama would never kiss Lucy-san!_ rang through her head.

Happy snickered, "No one wants to kiss you Lucy."

"I'll kiss you!" the youngest boy shot up. The boy ran up to Lucy with his pursed lips only to be met with a firm hand.

The boy looked up to see a man with pink hair. His other hand engulfed in flames. "Sorry, kid. You're too young and short."

"Lucy-nee," the youngest girl began, "I'm cold, can we go to your house now?"

"Can we have hot chocolate too?" the eldest boy asked.

The four began the journey to her apartment as the snow began to fall quietly to the ground. It was indeed chilly. The walk was rather quiet than usual. Gray and Natsu didn't even hurl an insult.

Happy grew fond of the children. The youngest girl who carried him was named Lilly. The oldest girl's name is Rose. The younger boy was named Berry. Then there was Adonis the eldest. Gray and Juvia wer helping the kids get ready for bed once they finished their hot chocolate. Afterwards, Gray was going to walk Juvia home and return in the morning to help Lucy with the kids.

While in the kitchen, Lucy explained everything that has happened as Juvia and Gray gave the four children a bath. She mixed in the chocolate powder with the water and made some hot chocolate for Natsu.

"Natsu, how many times do I need to say it!" Lucy cried. "I don't like Gray and what does it matter to you?"

Natsu simply flashed a toothy grin. Lucy began to feel nervous again as she began to back up. She recently began to date again to get the idea of her and Natsu out of her head. Her efforts were in vain. For some odd reason, she kept seeing his face and little reminders of Natsu that a second date became rare.

"Dammit!" Lucy cried. She didn't realize that she placed her hand on the stove and burned it. Natsu, thinking quickly for once, remembered where Lucy kept her first aid kid. He sprung into action and began to tend to Lucy's burn as she sat down. Natsu applied the burn cream on her hand.

It had been a while since they spent time together. She tried to avoid him hoping this feeling she had for him would go away. Yet, the destructive dragon-slayer managed to demolish the bridge she made to keep Natsu out of her reach. He was here close to her with his cotton candy pink hair, dark onyx eyes looking at her with his caring orbs, his rough hands that held her own felt so perfect.

"Are you alright Lucy-san?" Juvia asked breaking Lucy from her trance. Gray, Juvia and the kids were all in the kitchen wearing a worried expression.

"We heard you scream in pain," Rose said.

"E-e-everything is fine," Lucy said.

"I see," Gray said with an arched brow. That's when Lucy noticed how close Natsu was to her. Her face was redder that Erza's hair and they were holding hands!

"Lucy-nee, is Natsu-nii your boyfriend?" Lilly asked carrying Happy with her.

"N-no," Lucy stammered trying to hide her blush.

"Yes, I am Lucy's boy friend," Natsu affirmed by putting his arm around her.

"That's not what she meant Natsu," Lucy said with a distraught face.

"I am a boy and I am your friend," Natsu stated. "I don't get it, Luce. What did she mean?"

"She is asking if we are dating," Lucy informed.

"But we do go on dates and you pay for my food sometimes," Natsu said. Lucy sighed heavily as she had to go explain again how their dates were different.

"Can I sleep with you on your bed?" the youngest boy, Berry, asked as he tugged on the hem of Lucy's skirt. "It's really comfy and mommy lets me sleep-"

Natsu cut him off. He didn't like the youngest boy, Berry. First, he tried to assault his Lucy with a kiss and now he wants to sleep with her. "Kid, Lucy and I sleep together," Natsu began, "and you get the couch."

Cana's cards weren't broken. It was indeed quite an explosion of fate that night.

Lucy thanked Kami that these kids were innocent. However, she had to explain to Juvia and Gray what Natsu truly meant. She also had to stop that damn cat from telling all of Magnolia that she and Natsu were sleeping together.

* * *

><p>Fin.<p>

I want to thank all of those who have followed and favorited Just a Crush. It may not seem like it, but the reviews have motivated me. If there's anything I learned from this experience, it's really hard to update weekly. I have new respect for those authors who update on a regular basis. I apologize for my tardiness. This isn't the best of my work but hope you enjoyed it. I apologize for any mistakes.

Don't forget to Rate & Review. Please?


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Fairy Tail, Drama, Romance