You've got to do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love.
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~Natsu's POV

Oh, God.

She's beautiful. Lucy is beautiful.

Right now I'm looking at her fighting Icarus. At the beginning Icarus was definitely the stronger one, but Lucy grew throughout the fight. I saw her smile when she managed to summon three spirits.

She transformed from time to time in Star Dresses. And right now, it was mine. I couldn't believe it. She talked about the possibility of getting my Star Dress, but I never really imagined what it would look like.

It looked like my clothes, God damn it. It looked awesome on her.

Lucy advanced forward, setting her fists on fire. I smiled like the proud boyfriend I am. Her using fire is sexy as hell.

She punched him in the jaw, sending him some steps back. He gritted his teeth and used his magic to have rock sticks flying at her. She dodged them swiftly and shot fire at him. He used a wall to defend himself.

They glared at each other, trying to intimidate the other person. I know Lucy felt tired. She summoned four spirits and like five Star Dresses in total. The opponent on the contrary wasn't, at all.

I hope Lucy defeats him while still having the energy.

Icarus made a huge block in the air, as huge as half part of the ground. It even made me widen my eyes for a bit.

He let it fall on Lucy. "Watch out!" I yelled as she didn't notice it. How could she not see it? It made a large shadow fall over her.

She was too busy focusing on her opponent to notice. Icarus jumped back, out of the radius of the block. Lucy looked up and clenched her jaw. Before it crashed down on her she jumped backwards, just barely escaping it.

Lucy touched the ground, fire appearing around Icarus. It exploded quickly, Icarus was trapped in the fire. She ran forward, getting into the fire. She ignited her foot and swung it at him. He blocked it and ripped a part of her top apart. He played dirty.

Desperate much?

I gritted my teeth as more of Lucy's skin was exposed. Good thing my girlfriend was nowhere near embarrassed of her sexual body.

Lucy immediately fixed her top, so it wouldn't fall off, but Icarus had enough time to make a big hand of rock and hit Lucy with it.

Lucy was knocked back, and the bottom of her shirt wasn't there anymore. It showed more of her belly.

I glared at Icarus. "You fucking bastard." She just got my Star Dress and it's already torn.

Lucy's nostrils flared and she glowered at him. "You ruined it," she whispered angrily, but even though the distance was pretty big, I could pick it up. "You ruined it," she repeated again but more loudly. No doubt she was referring to the Star Dress.

I saw her face when she transformed into it. She loved it.

In a second she disappeared out of my sight, and my glance went to Icarus immediately. He looked in pain as he clenched his crotch. I smirked as Lucy appeared in front of him with her foot covered in flames. She kicked him fair and square in the guts.

Karma is a bitch.

Lucy threw a series of punches and kicks before he got up again. Nevertheless, Lucy was winning this battle.

I squinted my eyes when I saw a strange magic circle appearing on her arm. Just when she was almost done, she was knocked out unconscious.

My heart quickened its pace, what the fuck?

I looked at the referee, who was smirking. I was sitting at the edge of the arena, a bit dangerous, but who cares? I put my hand on a hook and put my feet against the wall. God, I was ready to jump down.

My friends also looked worried and prepared. "Lushee!" Happy shouted next to me.

"And the winner is Icarus, as expected," the referee said, grabbed Icarus's hand and brought it up. He grinned like he actually thought he won.

"No way Lucy was knocked out because of him," I yelled. She couldn't be. She had the upper-hand. "Someone put a sleep spell on her out and it wasn't fucking him!"

"You just can't accept the fact that your fragile girlfriend has lost," someone in the audience sneered.

I clenched my hands, glaring at that person. "Bold of you to assume Lucy's weak. The only one fragile one here is you, bastard!"

I saw some group in the audience standing up and running to the battle grounds. All of them held swords or other kinds of weapons. They were going for Lucy.

Assholes.

Someone swung a knife to her. I didn't waste a second and jumped down, pushing myself to go faster with my fire.

I dropped to my feet and caught the knife against my arm. It melted immediately. I looked over at Lucy. She almost won, until some fools put her to sleep. I guess she didn't have the energy more to fight the spell.

"Get away from the arena, Dragneel. You were banned, remember?" the presenter said.

"Like I give a fuck," I shouted.

I put myself in a fighting stance, looking deadly around me.

"Lucy Heartfilia is off-limits," I declared to the audience. "Everyone who wants her should be going through me." I put a fire wall around us two.

Gray suddenly jumped into the space, along with Erza and Wendy. "They put Lucy in a fucking sleep when she was winning," I growled. Wendy dropped to her knees and began healing Lucy's wounds. "She's okay," Wendy concluded, saying the thing I already knew.

"Look, they planned this," Erza began, "the whole audience is planning on coming at us right this moment. The rest of us is guarding the outside of the fire."

Erza's right. I hear the sounds of battles going on. "Keep an eye on her, we will come when we're done. Don't let anyone hurt her, Natsu," Gray said and jumped out of my circle, the rest followed. I bent down and put her on my knees.

I slowly traced her arms with a finger, loving how smooth it is. Sometimes an enemy emerges, but I gladly kicked him or her out again.

As I caressed her face, my anger keeps growing. "Happy, get her in safety," I said through gritted teeth. My buddy flew around with a frown.

He nodded at me and grabbed her. "Aye." And then he flew away. I let the fire wall die down and looked around. Several people wounded on the ground.

I walked forward to the upcoming group from the audience. My fist on fire. Without hesitating I jumped forward and punched everyone of the group. I don't care who put Lucy in her sleep, I will fucking beat up everyone in the audience.

They all were accomplices.

I put my two hands together and formed a fire ball. I threw it at another group and went straight for more. They were all weaklings. Did they think that just because their number is larger, that they could win?

Fairy Tail. Is. The. Strongest. Guild.

Within a short amount of time several of the audience was beaten. Only a few of the thousands were left, they were all grinning, as if they were the one winning. One side was from us and the other side was theirs. The ones on the other side were mostly the participants.

We were now in a stand-off.

Icarus on the front, laughing like a maniac. "You beat the weak ones. You sure you little guild can keep up with all the strongest members of every dark guild present today? Including me?"

I scoffed. "You were beaten by Lucy, don't act all tough and bulky-"

"I wasn't!" he roared. "Lucy Heartfilia stood no chance against me."

I heard some of my friends chuckling. I smiled, but it wasn't the one I reserved for my friends.

"You, above all people, stood no chance against her."

It was enough for him to get livid and he sprinted towards me.

And he definitely didn't stand a chance against me.

Lucy did well, fighting against him. She needs more training to get better, and eventually she'll get there.

But I, unlike her, had years of training. And while she fought him, I studied his moves. I know all about his moves.

I dodged his punch and threw one in his stomach. I punched him into the ground, knocking him out immediately.

I heard several gasps, as I straightened my back. "Keep coming at us," I barked. "and we'll show you our power."

I heard their intake as they all glared at me, not my other friends, me. They tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to advance again.

"Gray," I yelled, doing a backflip to get next to Gajeel and Laxus.

He froze the entire ground where they stood. Some immediately falling and some not. Gajeel smirked, looking at the enemies. "Don't mess with us," Gajeel said.

The dragon slayers all took a deep breath.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

All of our dragon slayers magic combined gave a huge blast, and I'm sure most of them felt it. After the smoke cleared, more people were down, but not the most part. But a lot of them had scratches.

And we made a huge hole in the arena. "You guys are not welcome anymore," someone said.

"We never really were," Makarov said. He transformed in his bigger self, giving a threatening aura. His big face got closed to all the people standing.

"Don't hurt my brats," he demanded, unable to keep his anger. Then he punched the ground for extra measure.

I side boxed Gray, calming myself down. This was our goal.

We all turned around and left, leaving everyone speechless, except the really tough guys.

"Hold up," one guy said. My eyes widened as I felt magic coming at us.

"Duck!" I shouted.

God damn it. I turned around, glowering at them.

One of them threw me a smirk. "Our warning," he mocked. "Don't mess with us either."

"Speak for yourself," Erza growled, drawing out her sword.

"Just so that you know," he began, looking me straight in the eye. "The Heartfilia girl will be done for."

Lucy should be proud if they say that. People are jealous of stronger people.

"You will not lay a hand on her," I spat.

He held up his hands innocently. "We'll see."

I stroked up my sleeve and wanted to advance forward, but was blocked by two strong hands.

"Don't cause unnecessary drama now," Gray whispered in my ear, tightening his grip on me.

"Everything regarding Luce is not unnecessary," I scowled.

Gray turned me around and walked away, and I let him drag me with him. Though I wanted to beat that piece of shit, I know it won't do the guild any good.

I walked home without waiting for anyone. I slammed the door shut as I walked in my house. I was still angry after the 10 minute walk. Happy walked to me with a thick wooden stick, and suddenly he smacked me with it.

"Ouch, Happy. What's your problem?" I scowled, rubbing the spot.

"Shut up! Lushee is sleeping and she needs her rest."

I shut up right after, closing my eyes at my obliviousness. Of course. I petted Happy's fur, smiling. "Right. Thanks buddy."

Happy smiled. "I didn't do it for you. Lushee is my friend, too." Although the message was sweet, I could hear some upset tone in his voice.

"I know, Happy," I said and grinned. He high fived me and flew away, knowing I need some Lucy time.

"I'm getting some fish, watch over Lushee."

I walked to Lucy, sitting down on a chair next to the bed. I stroked her face. "You fought great, Luce."

She slightly snored, and it was cute. My heart took its time in speeding up. She's going to be the death of me.

I softly bent my upper body over hers, closing my eyes.

"Good night,"

The next day...

I woke up by some crying. At first I ignored it, because yeah, who wouldn't want to sleep more?

Hmm... I smiled when I dreamt about food and Lucy.

Lucy!

I shot my eyes open, looking up. "Lucy..." I said breathless, my throat dry from the sleep. "Why are you crying?"

What happened? Did we do something yesterday? I face palmed, the GMG for DG of course.

"I lost, again," she said and wiped her tears. Her hands were fisted and she didn't look at me.

I leaned in close and brushed her hands away. I wiped the tears away for her.

"You won, Lucy. If some asshole didn't sabotage you, you would have won."

"B-but—"

I shushed her, shoving myself next to her on the bed under the blankets. "It's okay to cry though. I would feel bad too if I lost."

Lucy sobbed. "You just said I didn't lose."

Did I? Geez, my attention span in the morning is zero.

I frowned, gripping her chin gently. "Just look at the positive things. You summoned three spirits, you transformed into my Star Dress. You improved."

She placed her head on my chest and closed her eyes.

No, not again, heart.

I wonder if she could hear the way my heart beats. I could tell she was still sad, but luckily she at least calmed down.

I brushed my hand through her hair, running smooth circles with my finger. "What happened further?" she asked, her breath under control.

I shrugged. "We beat up the audience and sent the rest a warning. They reacted with a warning of their own. Bitches."

Lucy hid a chuckle, biting her lip.

"You're really hot," she said and smiled.

"I know." I wiggled my eyebrows.

I thought back at the time I went through my own forgiveness stage. I watched Lucy through the River of Sight. She agreed with Mira that I was handsome.

My face flushed.

"Confident, much?" she asked, snuggling closer.

"Thank you for protecting me, Natsu," she said, looking at me.

I smiled gently, caressing her cheek. "I will always protect you."

She tipped forward, pecking my lips. Then she hugged my tightly. "Can we visit my mother's grave?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Uhh... sure. Where?"

"We have to take the train to reach it."

My fave drained of any color and I stared at her in horror. "Anything but that!"

She puffed her cheeks, pouting. "But I want you there," she whined.

"Can't Happy just fly us there?"

"No excuses, we're riding by train."

"But, Luce," I drawled out her name, pouting.

Later we went out bed. Lucy was in the kitchen, making me some food. And I was sitting on the counter, waiting for the food.

"You know, you could help me," Lucy said with a raised eyebrow.

I smiled sheepishly. "Neh."

She turned around and gave me the Erza-look.

I gulped, immediately standing up. "I mean, yeah, of course." I stood next to Lucy, waiting for directions.

"Just turn on the stove." I put my hand on fire, ready to put it on before Lucy slapped my hand away.

"Hey! You said I had to turn on the stove."

"With the buttons, idiot."

Right...

She did everything while I stood here doing nothing.

I feel like a complete idiot next to my smart Luce.

She was flipping the pancakes as I finally had enough. I walked towards her and embraced her from behind.

"You make me feel like an idiot, Luce."

"You are," Lucy agreed.

I broke the hug and looked deadly at her. "Do you want me to tickle you again?"

"Do you want me to kick you in the guts again?" She tilted her head, challenging me.

"I dare you," I said and got into her face. Of course I thought she wouldn't do it. I mean, who wants to kick this handsome guy anyway?

But she proved me wrong. She drew her knee into my crotch, taking me by surprise.

Oh... shit. I fell on the ground, clutching my balls, rolling back and forth. "You... evil woman," I breathed out, groaning in pain.

She shrugged. "You dared me."

"Y-yeah, but I didn't think you were going to do it!" I yelled, gritting my teeth. I took slow breaths, focusing on something else.

Her kicks hurt like hell! I taught her well.

"Never underestimate me, Dragneel."

I slowly stood up and glowered at her. I ran forward without any warning and tackled her to the ground.

"Ouch. You hurt me," Lucy whined, trying to shove me off of her. Normally I would check where she was hurt and everything... but now...

This witch was going down!

"You hurt me too," I exclaimed, putting more of my weight on her.

"That was on accident," she groaned.

I rolled my eyes, giving slow kisses on her neck. "I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid."

Wait... does that even make sense?

Lucy laughed out loud, grabbed my head and pushed me away from her sweet neck. She squeezed my cheeks and stared at me with a small smile.

"You're crazy," she said, and her smile grew even bigger.

How could I fall so fast after I realized my feelings. I pushed my lips against her, kissing her. No chick could make my heart beat that fast. Well... Erza could but that is because of fear.

She responded to the kiss, placing my hands around her waist. She turned me around so now I was the one lying on the ground. She broke it, sitting up straighter. She panted, flying her hand through her hair.

I bit my lip. She was hot.

"Alright, let's go," she said excitedly. She stood up, grabbed my hand and lifted me up.

Huh? Part of me was surprised at how she managed to make me stand, and the other was confused.

Five minutes later we were sitting on the train. I gagged once the train started driving, and I'm pretty sure I turned blue. I tried grabbing the handle to my right to keep me from falling, but I grabbed nothing.

"I'm going to puke," I declared, covering my mouth when I felt liquid coming above.

I felt Lucy grab the side of my right head and pushed my head into her lap. I faced the seats for us. She played with the strokes if my hair, whistling a sweet tune. I closed my eyes as I focused on that tune. The tune felt like a kid sang it, innocent, sweet and cheerful.

I slowly calmed down, the stomach ache and dizziness disappearing. This woman... I like her a lot. I fell hard these days by just some little motions. She has to do the tiniest thing to make me fall harder.

Oh God, I feel like a little girl in high school, fangirling about her crush.

I felt hair falling on me, and Lucy's presence more close. She kissed my forehead, her lips barely brushing against me.

"Thank you for coming with me," she said, her voice strained as if she was in pain. And man, would I want to take her burden on myself. She rested her hand on my stomach, drawing circles around my abs.

Why is it so hot now?

"Don't do that, Luce," I said and changed my position. I was now using two seats, having my whole body on it and my body facing upward, one knee bent. "You turn me on doing that." I opened my eyes, meeting her brown orbs staring right at me.

"Is that all it takes?" she joked, continuing playing with my hair and abs.

"Can't help it," I said and played along. "Everything you do is a turn-on, even you taking a shit."

She rolled my eyes, followed by a chuckle. "You really set your standards that low, huh?"

"Well, I had to, to date you."

She slapped my head lightly, glaring at me. "Well, that's good. Now that I know you think you're way better than me, I can move onto the next guy."

"Bitch," I mumbled.

"Piece of shit."

I grinned. "I like you too." A lot.

"I don't," she said, taunting me.

I stood up, looking at her. "Okay, bye." And I walked to the middle of the train, immediately losing my balance and falling down. Oh gosh, I felt sick again. Worst decision ever.

Lucy laughed, lifting me back up to my shit. She did exactly what she did before to calm me down. And it helped.

"Just admit it, you can't live without me," she said playfully, having that goofy smile on her face knowing I am fucking powerless on the train.

I took my time answering, deep in thought. Could I? Live without her, I mean? I was survivng the whole time when I became a spirit. You can't count that as living.

Lucy makes me feel breathless, livid, powerless, handsome, good enough. I haven't fully realized it until now. I was finally good enough for someone to have a crush on me.

"I can't," I agreed, closing my eyes. "You make me feel special. You're special."

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Thank you for reading this chapter!! It was really long too... hehe oops.

As readers, how long do you want chapters? Shorter than this or...? This was like 3600 words now. Some people like longs chapters, others like short. What do you want?