"And where does this go?"

Lucy stuck her head from behind a heap of crates. Brushing her bangs off her face, she wiped her hands on her shorts. Natsu, who was holding a huge clock, stared at her, waiting for an answer. She hurried towards him.

"I'll take that. I told you, I don't need your help."

They were standing in the huge front room of Lucy's new house. It was the third day of moving, and only the accessories and souvenirs needed to be sorted out. Lucy had brought some of the ornaments from her old mansion, which had been stored in a warehouse after it was sold, and now, the house had turned into a home. The last of the pictures were to be put up, and the crates had to be put away.

Natsu had stayed back, helping in the move despite Lucy's protests. She was adamant, and refused to let anyone help, and Natsu was equally determined to do anything to be a part of the move.

"Give it to me."

"Tell me where to put it, and I'll do it myself."

Lucy let out an exasperated shriek. Robin sat on the table, swinging his legs while munching on sushi, watching the pair squabble for what had to be the millionth time that day. He'd been given his own room in the house, and Lucy had even put a few toys and warm light lacrimas for him. He'd been accepted as part of Natsu's team, and he got along well with nearly everyone.

A while later, the clock hung on the wall above the dining table, and the crates had been removed. Lucy sat heavily on the new carpet, exhausted. Natsu sat cross-legged on top of the table, and looked at her.

Lucy was sweaty, and strands of her hair were plastered to her face. She wore shorts and an old t-shirt that clung to her pretty tightly and showed off her curves. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was panting slightly, her eyes closed. Natsu stood up suddenly, almost knocking Robin off the table. Robin stared at him. Natsu looked flustered. Lucy's eyes shot open.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" She asked.

He shook his head, and picked up his shirt from the back of a chair. Untying his scarf from his forehead, Natsu headed for the door.

"It's getting pretty late. I-I should go."

"Hey, I made spaghetti for you, ya know," Lucy said, getting  up.

"No, it's fine. Lock your doors. See ya tomorrow," Natsu said abruptly, and hurried outside, into the night. Lucy stood at the doorstep, and watched him walk quickly down the street. Once he'd disappeared from her view, she shut the door and pushed the bolt into place. Turning around, she looked at Robin, who was looking at her questioningly.

"What was that about?" She asked, almost rhetorically.

He shrugged.

Natsu stumbled down the dark alley, panting. He hadn't done any physically strenuous thing - he'd just walked, in fact - but he was perspiring, and his heart beat too fast. Seeing Lucy like that...it wasn't even like she was naked or anything, just a little flushed. It had a weird affect on him. He felt a fire, gnawing on his insides. And the weird thing was, he liked the feeling. He realised that he wanted something. No - he desperately needed it. He wanted...her.

"Shit shit shit shit," He muttered to himself.

He sat down on the ground, and buried his head in his hands. He felt something else now. He felt afraid. Afraid of this new feeling, and even more afraid of how he liked it. All of a sudden, he scrambled to his feet, making up his mind. He ran, following the all-too-familiar route to my house.

_______________________________________________________________

"I don't know, man. I've never felt this before. Is something wrong with me?"

I stared at Natsu, who was sitting in front of me, looking so... disjointed. He was shaken. I sat down next to him, shaking my head. Such an idiot.

"Uh, maybe you're attracted to her? Has the thought occured to you?" I said, selecting my words carefully.

He sat straight up, his eyes wide.

"To Lucy?"

"To Lucy. A female. You saw her in a compromising position, you said? It's normal for a guy to feel that way." My mind was racing, wondering what he'd seen that could've triggered him so much. Maybe Lucy wa-

Bad Gray. Pervert.

"No, I've seen her naked before. Many times, in fact. I got into the shower with her once too. This is different!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What? The shower?"

"It was an accident," He said quickly, seeing the look on my face. He groaned and got up.

"I'm not okay with this. Am I turning into a pervert or something? I wanted her, Gray."

I got up, headed to the counter, and pulled out a bottle of beer. Pouring him a glass, I held out my palm in front of it, and two Fairy Tail shaped ice cubes fell into it.

"Drink this, and get a hold of yourself."

Natsu nodded and sipped a bit. Then, he shivered.

"Do you think it's your Dragon's mating instinct or something?" I asked, toying with the cross that hung on a chain around my neck.

"Mate? Lucy? I haven't even thought of sex, and stuff, man."

That's when I realised that Lucy still hadn't told him about 'The Night', as Erza liked to call it. I was very tempted to contradict him, but I shut up for Lucy's sake. If she wanted to tell him, she could tell him herself. I didn't have the right. Besides, if I did, I was sure that I'd lose the bet with Erza, and I didn't want that to happen.

"Do dragon slayers have mating instincts and stuff, though?" I asked.

"Uh, Gajeel told me that Levy told him that dragon slayers could have them. Since they're basically dragons, and all. But why Lucy, and why now?"

I was extremely curious as to why Gajeel and Levy were discussing mating, but an idea popped into my mind. If he did have carnal instincts, then he wouldn't have much control of what his body did. And maybe, he felt them because of 'The Night'. Perhaps, his body had accepted Lucy as his mate or something, and gone into overdrive. It seemed a little far-fetched, but I couldn't see why it couldn't be that way.

"Maybe it's cause you're close to Lucy, dude. You're with her nearly all the time. It's kinda weird, and sort of stalker-ish."

I felt bad for saying the last part, but I'd made a bet, and I was out to win it.

"Eh? Lucy's my best friend. Juvia's around you all the time. Isn't that creepy?" He asked.

I looked at him in surprise. "Seriously? Juvia and I are different, you idiot."

"Whatever," He said, opening my kitchen window. "Happy will be waiting. I gotta go. You weren't much help, but thanks anyway."

Then, he jumped out, and sprinted into the night, his scarf flapping after him.

"Anytime," I muttered, shaking my head.

_______________________________________________________________

Lucy bustled about her kitchen, fussing over Robin and making breakfast at the same time. She looked at the clock.

"I'm late, damn it," She said, attacking the boy's hair with a comb. Robin's wine-coloured hair was nearly always messy, and it was a forest of tangles in the morning. Lucy sighed, and pulled out a key from her pouch.

Cancer tended to Robin's hair, while Lucy served breakfast. There was a meeting of sorts at the guild, and she was running late. In her hurry, she didn't notice that Robin was quiet, and seemed melancholy.

"Will I ever see Ma?" His little voice trembled. Lucy, who was trying to get an egg roll out of the boiler, paused. Cancer disappeared in a puff of smoke. She stared at the little boy for a second, and then rushed towards him. She threw her arms around him, and patted his head gently. He didn't cry, but he buried his face, in her embrace.

She pulled away, and kneeled, so that she was at his eye level. Her brown eyes looked into his dark ones.

"I promise you we'll find her, okay? We'll start searching for her today, if you want to. We'll make enquiries, and we'll pursue hints, okay? We'll go to the guild, and after the meeting, we're gonna do this, okay?" Lucy said, her voice calm and reassuring.

Robin nodded. Lucy opened her mouth to say something else, then hesitated. Then she decided to say it anyway.

"But Robin, your mom's been gone for a long while now, right? You shouldn't be disappointed if we don't find her soon, okay? You'll need to be strong. And if you are, I'm sure we'll find both your parents."

He smiled, then his expression turned thoughtful.

"Does that mean I have to make my spells stronger?"

"Eh? You're a wizard?" The thought had never occured to Lucy before. She mentally smacked herself. She'd been trying to get this boy into the guild without knowing whether he was a wizard or not. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the huge clock.

"Shi- we're late. I'll wrap an egg roll for you. C'mon, let's go."

They ran all the way into the guild hall, and crept in. The benches were facing the stage, and nearly all the seats were occupied. Almost all the members were present, and their backs were to them. Lucy looked for Natsu, and caught sight of the familiar pink hair.

She made her way towards his bench, pulling Robin with her. Levy, who was sitting with her team, and Gajeel, waved at her. She responded in kind, and sat down next to Natsu, who flinched.

"Hey," She whispered, moving closer to him so that Robin could sit. Natsu gave a small smile, and put a finger on his lips. He gestured towards the stage, where Lucy could see the master, and Wendy, who stood next to him. Master Makarov was standing on a stool, but he still wasn't visible to the people at the back.

"-proud of how she has grown, and how well she's been contributing to the guild. And to add to this, she's now going on for further education-" The master was going on about Wendy.

Natsu snatched the egg roll from Robin, and Lucy hit him sharply on the arm.

"You ass!" She said, a little too loudly. Natsu pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her. Master was still talking about how he was proud of Wendy. Clicking her tongue impatiently, Mira stood up.

"Master, maybe you should get to the point?"

Gramps blushed a little, and then beamed.

"Porlyusica has asked Wendy to live with her and specialise in healing."

The hall was dead silent. Applause broke out, and Natsu let out a whistle. Lucy clapped loudly, cheering. Robin looked at her questioningly. Wendy blushed, grinning.

"Is it a big deal?" He asked, chewing.

"Yes!" Lucy said loudly, over the applause."Porlyusica hates people, but we like her, and we're always trying to get her to talk to us and be friends and all that. And now, she chose Wendy to go live with her for a while! I'm really proud of Wendy, too!"

"Now," Master said, once the clapping had subsided. "We also have a new member. He's been with us for a week now, but I think we ought to give him a proper initiation. Robin, can you come up here?"

Lucy, Natsu and Robin looked stunned. Then she grabbed the roll out of the boy's hands, and pushed him to his feet. Robin ran to the stage, weaving in and out of the benches. Master pulled him up by his shoulders, and made him face the guild.

"Go Robin!" Erza called out, and he turned the same shade as her hair. Mira stood next to him, a stamp in her hand.

"Where do you want your guild mark?" She asked him. Robin didn't stop to think.

"On my arm, like Natsu!"

Gajeel and I booed, and he grinned at us. Natsu put an arm around Lucy's shoulders, excited.

"LIKE ME!" He roared.

As Mira pressed the stamp to his forearm, everyone cheered. Everyone at the guild had grown to like this wide-eyed, lively kid. He beamed, looking at Lucy.

Suddenly, the applause was interrupted by a crash. Someone had stood up suddenly, and toppled a table in the process.

She stared at Robin, her violet hair glistening in the light of the lacrimas. Her face had gone white, and she was trembling.

Robin, who had been smiling wide, looked as if he had seen a ghost. His lower lip shivered.

"Kinana....what's wrong?" Master asked, jumping off the stage.

The hall was silent, and everyone heard what Robin said next.

"Ma?"

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Okay but that was kinda obvious. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAS OVER TWO HUNDRED READS. AAAAAAAAH. I love you guys, seriously. Thank you for Reading!!!

Love,
~T.