Beach Time Adventures!

Chapter 1: The Start

Most of the Fairy Tail wizards that didn't have jobs decided to go to take the weekend off and go to the beach together and stay in a house for the weekend. Master Makarov did not necessarily think that was a brilliant idea knowing the destructive power of a certain flame thrower and ice machine. He was surprised to find out that they were actually able to rent the house as well as to hear what the term was for rental. Erza was to keep her eyes on the dragon slayer and ice maker whenever possible to prevent any unnecessary damage from occurring. Only 50,000 jewels, much cheaper than Lucy's rent! She even jokingly thought about permanently renting the house but then realized she would be too far from her friends. Elfman, Mira, Cana, Juvia, Levi, Erza, and a few others had already left the day before Natsu, Happy and Lucy so the three of them had to walk through the Forest of Truth to get to the house since there are no roads in or out of the remote beach town of Cerulean.

The Forest of Truth is a forest the size of Magnolia that separates Magnolia from Cerulean. The forest is also rumored to have mystical properties that help one realize their heart's truth, hence the name. The town of Cerulean is known for being secluded and very old fashioned. Despite this, the forest was well traveled by other people due to the fact the Cerulean is also a popular tourist location for those looking for adventure or relaxation. The journey through the forest takes about half a day on foot. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy departed from the guild at 9am. Natsu was glad that he didn't have to ride any transportation to get to Cerulean. It was nearly 10am when Natsu, Happy, and Lucy reached the Forest of Truth. About 5 minutes after entering the forest, Natsu started walking closer to Lucy and then said, "Oi Luce, what do you think of relationships?"

Why am I asking her this? What am I thinking? Why is my heart beating so fast? Why is it whenever I look at Lucy, my stomach drops?, thought Natsu.

Lucy didn't understand why he asked her that question. "Uh, I don't know. They are nice I guess. But I can't really say…" her voice trailed off.

"Oh, okay! I forgot you've never had one." Natsu gave a half-hearted laugh as he said this and tuned his face away from Lucy's. She didn't understand why he was acting so strange and why he asked her that weird question, so she just shrugged it off.

"He llllllllikes you," whispered Happy into Lucy's ear.

"Cats aren't supposed to talk! Just sit there and meow!" said Lucy. She was partially embarrassed about what had happened followed by Happy's remark. Then Natsu got quiet.

"Natsu, are you okay?" asked Lucy.

"Huh? Oh yeah Luce, I'm fine!" He blushed a little and turned his face away from hers. He looked at Lucy who was now a little ways ahead of him and humming.

"Oi Lucy, you seem to be in a good mood today," said Natsu.

"Huh, what? Oh, I'm just excited to enjoy the beach with everyone! Right Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" exclaimed Happy.

Natsu was still a few feet behind Lucy when she said, "Come on Natsu! Usually I am the one struggling to keep up with you!"

I'm going to do it! I refuse to be nervous around her. What kind of Fairy Tail wizard am I if I can't even do this simple thing?, thought Natsu.

"Oi Lucy, can I ask you something?" said Natsu.

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Oh, well… It's more of an action than a question…"

Lucy just looked at Natsu with a puzzled look. Then Natsu suddenly reached down for Lucy's hand and grabbed ahold of it. Lucy could feel her face turning as red as Erza's hair.

"Wh..Wh..What are you doing, Natsu?!" exclaimed Lucy.

He had a firm grip on Lucy's hand, though it wasn't a forceful hold. It was warm and kind. She started thinking, why is he doing this all of a sudden? There's no way he could… Happy couldn't be right. He was just teasing!

Still walking hand in hand, Natsu looked a little embarrassed, but happy. Lucy couldn't help but smile at the dragon slayer. As Lucy was looking at him, she began to think..

Gosh he's so attractive. I know I've thought that for a while, but I just can't stop thinking about it now that he held my hand… But wait, we are team members and anything between us would make things difficult, right? But, at the same time I don't want him to let go of my hand. Lucy kept walking hand in hand with Natsu, just treasuring the moment that they were sharing. Then Lucy thought, wait, what if this is all part of him just teasing me?!

I will laugh to make things less awkward and more relaxed. I hope this works, thought Natsu.

Natsu let go of her hand and stopped walking. Lucy turned to him and was about to ask if he was okay when suddenly he burst out laughing. Lucy was extremely confused and angry. She knew he was just messing with her. She was so mad at herself for thinking that Natsu actually liked her back. She stormed off without even looking back.

"Oi Lucy, where are you going?" asked Natsu while looking at Happy extremely confused.

"To get away from you!" Lucy was teeming with anger. Natsu didn't understand why she was so mad all of a sudden and why she wanted to get away from him. He was worried about what was wrong and thought that laughing maybe wasn't such a good idea, but he shrugged it off knowing that Lucy would eventually get over whatever it was that made her mad. Then, Lucy suddenly stopped in her tracks. I'm going to get even with him for this, she thought. Lucy decided that she would tease him back but she wasn't sure how to go about it. If I take it too far, my feelings for him might become exposed or it might not even bother him. I have to think about this carefully, thought Lucy. She decided that she would use her "sex appeal" and make sure there was no such thing as personal space. She was sure that that would be enough to get Natsu back. Lucy eventually let Natsu catch up to her and they were walking a little farther from each other than they were earlier. It was now past 11am. It had only been about two hours since they set out from Magnolia and they still had about six more before they were going to reach Cerulean. Lucy thought to herself, it's now or never Luce. If you don't do it now, you'll never have this kind of courage again.

"Oi Natsu…" said Lucy.

"Hmm? What's up? You feeling better now Luce?" asked Natsu. To her, he seemed genuinely concerned.

It's all a part of his plan, she thought. He thinks this is all a joke. Lucy unbuttoned her beach cover-up a little more to show more of her chest and started to move in a little closer to him. She then latched onto his left arm while pressing her breasts up against it. Lucy was happy she decided to wear her bathing suit instead of packing it. Natsu turned to look at her and when he saw what she was doing, his cheeks started to turn the color of his hair.

What is she doing?, he thought. This isn't like Lucy. Maybe if I just keep walking and try not to acknowledge it, she will stop. It appeared to Lucy that this small act of sexualizing herself didn't appear to be working on Natsu. She decided to take it up a notch. She grabbed for Natsu's hand while still pressing her body up against his and then rested her head on his shoulder. Although Natsu wasn't showing it, it was starting to break him. I can't believe Lucy is doing this! What is wrong with her? I hope she's not getting sick. This isn't like her. At the same time though, I don't want her to stop. I love having her so close to me, he thought. Even as he thought this, he was doing a good job of not showing it on his face.

Lucy was getting frustrated again. Why is it not working?, she thought. I was sure that this would drive him nuts! I guess I will just have to step it up even more! But what should I do next? Then, as if her mind and body weren't collaborating together anymore she went and kissed Natsu on the cheek. They both stopped in their tracks. Lucy immediately let go of Natsu and stammered a few feet away from him. What did I just do? Did that really just happen?!, thought Lucy. She could feel her face burning up. She knew she must have looked as red as a lobster.

Natsu looked extremely confused and shocked, but surprisingly happy. Lucy wasn't expecting that reaction. Did she really just kiss me? Is this a dream? What just happened?, though Natsu. Happy was giggling in the background, although Lucy and Natsu didn't even seem to notice.

Still pink in the cheeks, Natsu said "Oi, Luce…. Uh… What…", but all he could do was stammer and blush.

"I….I….I…. I'm sorry!" exclaimed Lucy as she immediately put her head down and tried to hide her blushing face. I'm so embarrassed, she thought.

"Why?" asked Natsu. Lucy then looked up at his face to see that toothy grin she loved so much. She felt a little bit better, but still couldn't help but to think that he was still messing with her. Then as if nothing had happened, Natsu looked straight into Lucy's eyes and grabbed her hand again. Lucy smiled and blushed. At that moment she knew that he was no longer teasing her. They continued to walk like that for about two hours. Happy was now just flying behind them. He couldn't believe what he saw himself.

It was now a little after 3 pm. Natsu decided he would carry Lucy for a few hundred yards then set her down after she rested a little. He could tell she was starting to get tired from all this walking.

"Oi Lucy, you look tired. Want me to carry you?" said Natsu.

"Hmm? Oh uh no, I think I can manage…" said Lucy. She didn't want to trouble him. She could just call upon Horologium to carry her but she decided to keep walking without any help.

"Come on Luce, let me carry you for a bit!" insisted Natsu.

"…Okay, but only for a little while."

Both Natsu and Lucy stopped walking and Lucy got on Natsu's back and wrapped her legs around his stomach. She could feel the warmth emanating off his body. It was a moment of pure ecstasy for her. Natsu couldn't help to blush because he realized that he would have to touch Lucy's thighs to hold her properly. He was a little embarrassed. Lucy was happy to just be able to relax a bit and let her feet and legs rest. Natsu continued to carry her like that for over an hour, and within the time Lucy had fallen asleep.

It was now near 4:30 pm and the sun was sinking lower into the sky. They were getting closer to Cerulean and would reach the town in less than 45 minutes. Lucy had woken up a little while ago and Natsu set her down. They walked very near each other. Their movements were almost perfectly in sync. Lucy was asking Natsu a question, but his mind was elsewhere.

Now is the best time to do it! The sunset is beautiful and it makes Lucy's skin glow. What could be more romantic than this? I have to do it before we reach Cerulean. And if Gray were to see me, I would never live it down, thought Natsu.

Then just when they were about to reach the gate to the town, Natsu stopped and looked at Lucy with sincere and passionate eyes. Lucy blushed a bit and turned away. Why is he looking at me like that?, she thought.

"Oi Natsu, what's up? We are almost there. Let's keep moving," said Lucy. She hoped that would break his focus and they could keep moving. As Lucy started to walk away, Natsu latched onto her wrist and pulled her close to him. Lucy turned to see his face within inches of hers. Natsu leaned as if he was going to kiss her on the lips, but as if Lucy's words just reached Natsu's ears, he stopped and let go of Lucy's wrist.

"Come on Luce! We are already late as it is! Let's go meet up with everyone else!" exclaimed Natsu. Then he bolted towards the gate. Once he saw the gate to Cerulean, he became like the normal Natsu. Lucy stood still. Her face was completely flushed. She was so embarrassed. She shook it off and ran as fast as she could to catch up to Natsu.