"Just forget about her, she's already dead."

"You're never going to find her, Natsu! It's been weeks on end!"

"You have to move on.. I know it's tough but let the time heal you.."

Fire mage aggressively tightened his grip on his arm, little droplets of blood coming to the surface. Flames of emotion freely jumped and danced from his enraged body.

"She's not dead.. she can't be.." the boy sobbed as his body fell forward, letting him land on his knees.

"Luce.."

He gripped on his vest at the spot where it definitely hurt the most; his heart.

- before -

"C'mon! It'll be fun!" Natsu announced happily while swinging with the job request in his hand through the air.

"But Natsu, we just came back from one!" Blonde wizard complained as she turned her back to face him. She placed her head in her arms in order to ignore the obnoxious mage.

"Yeah, but Gray and the others were with us! We gotta do one when it's just the two of us! Please, Luce! I won't ask for anything else for a week!" Natsu pleaded before an idea came to his mind.

"And this job does require a Celestial wizard, the reward is huge and part of the reward is a key.. but since you don't wanna go I'll just have to find another Celestial mage.." his words certainly caught blondes attention.

"Uh.. let me see it." She sighed and put out her hand. Natsu happily gave her the job, his grin never disappearing.

"Stop your smirking I can see it from here." she said while reading the request.

"Sorry.." he laughed and scratched the back of his neck.

After few moments Lucy's head rose up to look at the man in front of her. Her features pointed out her concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his grin vanishing.

"It says it requires a Celestial mage only, so it's supposed to be a solo job. I don't know about this.. don't you remember the last one that needed a Celestial wizard?"

"But the jobs aren't the same! I'm sure it'll be fine."

"If you say so.." she sighed softly and accepted her defeat. There was no point in trying to argue with someone as stubborn as Natsu.

-

The day was growing old and the hearth called, the sun sunk down beneath the tops of the pines. The light streaked through the boughs in both brilliant and shadowy beams. In the summertime they were white gold, illuminating the greens into virescent riots.

"This whole place looks so pretty.." Lucy said while taking deep breaths to feel her surroundings. It was calming.

"Yeah.." Fire mage said, dazed by the beauty of his comrade.

Her almost golden hair shone from the sunset illuminating her feature and her eyes sparkled like the stars on the cloudless night sky.

The only thing missing was someones hand in Natsu's. He longed for Lucy's touch, her soft skin brushing against his. To hold her just once in an environment like this; that was his wish.

But he couldn't. She didn't know about his feelings, not at all, which pained his heart every time he remembered it.

"Luce, I gotta tell you something.." he whispered quietly, almost nervously.

Natsu gazed at the blonde who moved in front of him as he took her hands in his. Their hearts began beating faster from the situation.

"I lo-"

"LOOK OUT!!" His eyes widened as he reached for Lucy. He quickly pushed Lucy on the ground and took the hit. He, himself fell as well.

"Natsu!" Celestial mage called out to his unconscious body, but she didn't succeed in waking him up.

Her hands reached for her keys to defend herself and the boy from any danger that might occur. Suddenly she felt a sting in her neck.

As she looked up all she could see was a tall man whose face was hidden behind the dark shadows.

"Who.. are you..?" She muttered before everything around her turned black.

-

"Ngh.." salmon haired mage slowly opened his eyes, yet to adjust to the blinging sun poking through the window.

"Natsu-san! You're finally awake!" A tiny blue haired dragon slayer yelled happily and jumped to his side.

"Wendy.. what's going on? Ugh, my head's killing me.." he bent down in order to ease the pain but it didn't help.

"Happy found you in the forest lying unconscious, he was so worried after you and Lucy didn't return so he left to look for you.." she said with her head hanging low, like she excluded something important from the story.

"I see, so Luce's resting in the other room?"

Boys question remained unanswered as Wendy had trouble with what to say. Her behavior was unusual to the boy so he naturally got suspicious.

"Wendy? Where's Luce?"

"She's uh.. we don't know where she is.." she whispered nervously, trying her best not to startle Natsu.

"What?!" She clearly didn't do a very good job.

"Happy only found you! Lucy was nowhere near, but we're searching for her Natsu-san! Please don't get worked up!" Blue haired mage attempted to keep the boy in the bed as started getting up.

"Don't touch me." He growled, sending the shivers down little girls spine.

He walked out of the room slowly but determinately as his wound stung his chest.

"Please wait, Natsu-san! I have to tell you something!" Tiny mage yelled from the room in attempt to stop him.

"What?" He spat.

"Y-You've been asleep for quite some time, um.. 4 weeks to be exact." She told him, making his eyes go wide in fear.

"And you didn't found Luce in 4 weeks?! She's been who-knows-where for the past 4 weeks?!"

"You can't just get up and go searching for her! We don't know if she's even alive!"

- reality -

"Luce's alive.. she's alive.. please, God, let her be alive.." Natsu sobbed into a pillow after he's been forbidden from going on searches for his comrade. He spent his time in her apartment, just smelling her sweet scent until she comes back.

He quickly stood up from her bed when he remembered something, he sprinted towards the woods they got attacked in.

As he was getting closer, everything looked the same. Same trees, same ground, same scents.

He was soon to come and he immediately started sniffing around. He began thinking how stupid of an idea this was, it's been four and a half weeks, there's no way her scent would still be here.

His hope increases greatly when he caught a whiff of her, it was faint, so very faint but it was there. A normal dragon slayer probably wouldn't be able to detect it but when you're as desperate as the pinkette you'd make miracles come true.

He was tracking down the smell mile by mile and it soon led him to the old tower. It looked old and crusty, like it could collapse at any moment.

Natsu sneaked around to find a different entrance from the main one. Soon enough it seemed like the luck was on his side. He found an open window which led him right in.

The boy looked around frantically, again, trying to smell Lucy's scent.

Her smell is strong, she's definitely here.

"Hey, you! Who are y-"

"Get out of my way." Natsu growled deeply as he burned the mans whole body.

"Luce..?" Natsu whispered in hope she could hear him.

"Natsu? Is that you?" Someone whispered back in less then a minute.

The tension that had kept him up for days and nights immediately melted into nothing, Lucy was safe.

The tears of relief began streaming down his cheeks as he ran to her. The bars which kept her locked up for so long were melted in seconds by the fire mage.

Nothing was now keeping them apart from being able to hug each other. Natsu wrapped his arms around her as she did the same around his neck.

They spent the next few minutes being grateful for one another before Natsu pulled away and connected their lips together. Blonde was taken by surprise but didn't hesitate to kiss back.

They were just so relieved to be together again.

"I thought I lost you.." he whispered before tightening his embrace.

"Never, ever, disappear on me like that again!" He spoke as he looked her dead in the eyes, he held her ice cold hand in his; proving the point of him being serious even more.

"Got it.." she said and put her forehead on his, letting their hearts speak.

———————————————————————

hello!!

hope you like this one!