"Lucy left?"
My body practically shakes with disbelief as my panic increases. Seven pairs of eyes stare back at me, unsure how to react now. My panic must seem as a surprise to them, but they didn't overhear the conversation I heard. Lucy shouldn't be alone right now! She can't be!
Mira extends an arm and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Natsu, breathe. What's wrong? Do you know where Lucy went?"
"She left her phone and jacket here," Cana adds. "She seemed to be in a kind of rush, but didn't say anything. I thought she was going to deal with someone in the hotel, not go outside."
I shake my head, wrapped up in my thoughts. "No, no, she couldn't have done that. Nobody knows we're staying here..."
"Are you serious?" Gray asks, his eyebrows raising.
"I... I... I have to go find her. You guys stay here! AND DON'T LET THAT FLOWER DIE."
I turn in place and bolt out the door, just in time to hear Gajeel call, "wait, it's supposed to rain!!"
Screw the rain. Lucy's out there.
~
Once I'm outside, I try to steady my breathing. I don't know where she went, and I won't be much help if I have a panic attack. I didn't see her on my way back to the hotel, so she didn't go in the direction I went. The only other place I know are the docks, in the complete opposite direction. Maybe for some reason Lucy went back there. I look up at the dark sky and shrug my shoulders. It's the only thing I have to go on. Taking another big breath, I shoot off running in that direction, calling her name as I go.
"LUCYYYYY!!! LUCY WHERE ARE YOU?? LUUUUSSHHHHHEEEEEEE!!!!"
My voice echoes in the still darkness, and I realized with a jolt that, while it may feel like it, I am not running through a deserted town. In an attempt to be more respectful, I tone down on the yelling. But only a little.
"And you have to tie the knot Lucy..."
"I'M SORRY DID YOU SAY LUCY??" I jump in front of the two people holding a conversation, a wild look in my eyes. The two kids stop walking to look at me. The little boy looks at me with a touch of fear, but the girl who was talking looks at me like I'm insane. They must be siblings walking home.
"Uhh, no I said 'loosely.' Are you okay?" The girl asks. My body deflates a little, and I feel the light in my eyes dim.
"Uh, sis?" The little boy tugs on her jacket. "Ma told us to not talk to strangers. Especially the crazy ones."
I lean in close to the little boy's face and raise an eyebrow. "Do I LOOK crazy to you?" He shrinks back and pleads with his eyes to his sister.
"Ok, we're leaving..."
"WAIT. Have you seen anyone pass by here? A blonde girl about this tall, really big breasts?" I add to my description with hand motions.
The girl tilts her head and rolls her eyes. "Actually, I did see a girl pass here. She looked like she was searching for something."
"Good luck, crazy man! Sis, what does this hand motion mean?" Her little brother copies my motion as she pulls him away, but I don't have time to worry about that.
The clouds must have collected and are covering the moon, because soon enough the little house lights and random street lamps aren't enough. I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight feature. Swinging the light around, I try calling her name again.
"Lucy! Luce, please answer me. If you're there, give me a sign!!"
I look up at the sky, waiting for Lucy to magically appear before me or call my name, but the only thing I hear is a loud crack of thunder. Gentle drops of rain hit my face, and I start to wonder how much rain Gajeel read in the forecast.
"Ahh shit," I mutter, bringing up my phone flashlight but holding it more carefully. Each time it gets hit by the rain I want to dry it off on my shirt, but seeing how wet my shirt is anyways, it wouldn't help.
When I finally reach the docks from before, I feel like collapsing. My legs hurt from all the running and swimming from tonight, and I barely have energy to walk another step.
"LU... CYYY!!!" I call out in two separate breaths with my waning strength. Out of nowhere, I hear a sound like wood hitting wood, and something splashing.
"God, Natsu you scared me!"
My spirits lift immediately, and I propel myself towards the angelic voice, and the angelic girl it belongs to. Tripping on the way, I fall into her and wrap my arms around her. The entire world seems to sway with the relief I feel... Unless it's not the entire world. In my blind happiness, I failed to notice Lucy was on a docked rowboat. I must have tripped on the edge of the boat.
"OH MY GOD LUCY DID I HURT YOU ARE YOU OKAY??!"
The words don't process in my brain very well, but then again how often do they process well anyways?
"Natsu please take a breath and relax, you're making the boat rock. I'm fine, I can't believe you found me." I grab her face between my hands and inspect her.
"Luce, you gave me a heart attack! Running away? What were you thinking!?"
She gently takes my hands and holds them. I gather myself into a more comfortable sitting position across from her. The rain had already soaked my hair through, and I feel my bangs plaster against my forehead. Lucy looks at my forehead and smiles, before talking again.
"Run away? Natsu, is that what you were thinking?? Why would I run away?"
"I..." I bite my cheek but decide to tell her anyways. "I overheard your talk with your father. Before. I'm sorry Luce, I didn't mean to invade your privacy, I swear."
She takes another breath. "Were you able to hear everything?"
"I don't know about everything. But I heard what your father was saying, and I-"
"Great! What my father said. Because his words are worth so damn much." She leans forward and presses her head into my chest. "I'm happy you came to look for me, but I wasn't running away. I actually just came here to look for something. I was searching all the boats..."
"What are you looking for?" I take out my phone and turn the light back on. "I'll help you look."
Lucy sighs in relief, "I'm looking for my bracelet."
I almost drop my phone in shock. "The bracelet? The charm bracelet?!"
"Yes." She nods apologetically. "It must have fallen off last time, and I've been searching all the boats. I just got to this one, and I should've known it was on this boat, it's number-"
"Twelve." I finish for her. "Your lucky number."
"Y-yes," she stammers, her face turning red. "I didn't know you knew that."
"Of course," I smile up at her. "I want to know everything about you." I turn back to the small source of light we have, and look under the bench I'm sitting on. A small glint tells me there's something reflecting the light, so I reach my hand under.
"Don't hurt yourself, Natsu!" Lucy says gently, giving me space so I can sit on the floor and reach further. Feeling with my fingertips, I finally feel something cold brush against my fingers. Straining a little more, I grab it and pull it out. Lucy raises the flashlight to the thing in my hand, and the light bounces off the chain, illuminating a heart, a rose, a star, and a key.
"Oh you found it!" Quickly and carefully, I clasp the bracelet around her wrist again. She lunges forward and gives me a big hug, causing the boat to rock again.
"I did, and I'm glad I did. Now we can get off this wretched thing." I place a hand on the edge of the boat, just for Lucy to grab my arm. The two of us look over the edge of the boat together, and into the murky, dark depths of the ocean.
No longer were we rocking gently on small waves hitting the poles of the dock, feet away from the shore. Somewhere along the lines, the rope docking the little rowboat had come undone and the rocking had propelled us out to sea.
"I... We... I was so focused on..." Lucy stammers, gripping the side of the boat. I groan and look at the empty notches where the oars would have been. The owner must have put them away somewhere else, because they sure as hell weren't in the boat.
"Luce, you don't have to make excuses. We'll find a way back to shore, don't worry. Look, I think I see one of those smaller islands up above. If anything, we'll just aim to land there. Didn't Gray and Juvia swim out to one of those?"
She suddenly looks on the verge of tears, "yeah, but they're the water freaks! How will we manage?"
"The way we've managed any time before. Just trust me." Lucy rests her head against my chest the way she did before, and I feel the rain hit my shoulders and head much harder than before. My nerves must have made me numb to the rain, or maybe it's just the cold. I stroke her hair gently.
The response Lucy gives me is not one I was expecting, nor one I understand at all. At least, not yet.
"But it's so hard to trust, Natsu. It's so tiring."
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