Chapter Five: Promise

Lucy didn't expect the afterlife to feel like she had just landed flat on her butt.

Or have pokey grass underneath her.

Groggily, she sat up, blinking away the last of her disorientation, her eyes finally adjusted to what seemed the golden illumination of twilight.

"Ugh, heaven feels pretty much the same as earth," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

She had barely opened them again when was felt someone hug her. A male someone. A half-naked male someone. A half-naked male someone that smelled like the fresh crisp air of wint-

"Gray?!" she called incredulously, and his grip around her only tightened in response.

"You idiots," he grumbled in her ear, "don't ever put us through something like that again."

Lucy's eyes were now stinging with tears and her heart was pounding at facts she still couldn't fully process, even though they pointed to one glaring super-fact.

She hadn't died.

She was back.

Back home.

It was reaffirmed as a tired looking Levy crouched down next to her, turning the embrace into a group hug that was soon joined by the likes of Mirajane, Yukino, and even Cana.

Lucy allowed herself to bask in the warmth of her family before a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Guys," she called, doing her best to pull away. "Natsu! Where's Natsu?"

"Lucy?!"

Lucy froze.

She barely noticed as veryone else silently pulled away so she was the only one now seated before the Gate.

She saw Happy, Erza, Wendy and Gajeel jogged to a halt behind him.

Lucy took in his still frame, frozen, though panting where he stood.

Where he stood.

Where Natsu stood.

Her Natsu.

Choking back a sob, Lucy launched herself onto her feet, just as Natsu began running towards her.

And without a qualm, she jumped into his open arms, not caring as he toppled backwards, not caring as they fell onto the ground.

She couldn't help the tears that seemed to pour unstoppably now but she didn't mind them either – after what felt like a very long time she had cause for happy tears.

She felt Natsu's arms wrap tighter and tighter around her too, and if the rumbles in his chest and the low whimpers she could hear were anything to go by, he was in pretty similar shape.

No one said a word as the two held each other and cried out their jubilant relief.

Having had her fill of his warmth and scent for now, Lucy lifted her head to really look at the person she had missed so much.

Natsu seemed to have the same idea as he gazed adoringly back at her, caressing her cheek with the barest of touches.

He yearned to finish what he had been trying to do before they were so painfully interrupted. And so Natsu raised his head to bring his closer to hers, Lucy – without much thought – titling her own to a side, in response.

"Oooohhhh, look, they're gonna kiiiiiiiiiiss!"

Neither of them could hold back the happy - albeit embarrassed - laughter Happy's taunt induced. Lucy even managed to drag Happy out of the air to pull at his ears in punishment.

"Man, did I miss home!" Natsu declared, watching the two in his lap with a grin.

"Me too!" Lucy concurred, letting go of Happy.

"How did you get us back though?" Lucy wondered, climbing off Natsu to face her exhausted looking team, Freed, Gajeel and Levy, Happy flying back to settle contently on her lap.

"Yeah, what even happened to us?" asked Natsu, also sitting up.

Levy's eyebrows furrowed as she began explaining. "It looks like the Eclipse Gate displaced you guys in time. You used quite a lot of magic together near it, and that triggered some sort of defence mechanism that separated you and sent you guys away." She toyed with the edge of her skirt nervously as she added in a quiet – "It would have been permanent had Ultear not stepped in."

"Yeah," Gray spoke up, "and it took everyone among the allies and the entire guild to cast Fairy Sphere around the goddamn Gate and even then we only got you out because Ultear and Rufus unison raided your asses out of there. Any longer and you guys would've been history. Us too, because of time getting messed up and stuff."

"Rufus?" asked Natsu.

"To alter the memories of those we met?" Lucy speculated.

"Precisely," responded an especially tired looking Freed. "A few runes to help boost his magic and in no time he was ensuring you guys don't disrupt the time space continuum."

Despite how overwhelming all of it was, Lucy figured that the explanation made sense, considering everything she could remember from before getting sucked into the past.

It also made a good chunk of her worries about having meet little Natsu vanish, just like that. Though not without a mild sadness at the thought of the little guy not remembering her.

"But why were we sent to the past?" Natsu asked.

"We think because it was less taxing for the gate to send you to a time that already has been. It also puts your own existence at risk, when you see your future self at a time you're not meant to, even if the Gate can't sustain that existence for long," Levy explained carefully.

"That's funny," Lucy mulled out loud. "Because I never saw my younger self, I met..." she turned pointedly towards Natsu.

"And I was with you," Natsu responded, wide-eyed.

And as their gazes met, for one infinite moment, the world around them didn't exist. All that did was them and the hazy memories that they suddenly had access to.

"You guys..." Levy's voice full of awe, brought them back, "you guys went to each other's past?"

They nodded mutely and Levy only seemed stare back wide-eyed before some thought seemed to make her extremely happy. "You guys share a bond so strong you unintentionally defeated the Eclipse Gate! Unintentionally!"

Gray whistled a low and teasing tune, as most of those gathered there began chattering over what that could mean. And it didn't take too much of a good eye to see that the two in question had taken on a bright red hue.

"Enough of that," Laxus declared, with all the authority of a guild master. "Now we head to the guild and rest. Tonight we celebrate the end of the war!"

And despite everyone's fatigue, the responding cheer could have been heard from miles away.

Natsu and Lucy shared a grin at the general excitement, the same thought echoing happily in both their minds.

'They were home.'

The guild was a mess.

No, usually it was a mess, but on that night it was the sheer personification of chaos.

Brawls, dancing, stare-downs, drinking games and challenges of which guild was best were witnessed all across the guild hall and its three floors, now open mages of every rank.

They had all proven their mettle after all.

Except the Master's room and the guild library of course - the latter a mutual effort by Levy and Freed to ensure their nook wasn't trashed.

The partying was not to finish even after sunrise as people celebrated irrespective of guild, rank, back stories, rivalries, or even previous crime records.

It was the best end to a war Fiore had ever seen.

Where those lost were never forgotten, and those alive didn't forget to live.

It was wonderful.

Which is why it puzzled Natsu to not see Lucy around after a while.

He followed her scent - thrilled at being able to again - and found her on the roof of the guild, watching the stars pensively.

"Yo," he greeted gently, not wanting to startle her.

"Hey," she responded, not taking her eyes off the night sky.

Natsu quietly settled on the roof next to her.

"You kept your promise, we did meet again," he said softly.

Lucy smiled. "And you did bring me Fairy Tail."

"Literally, best decision ever!" he announced happily, and Lucy giggled.

"So now I know where the Lucy kick came from," she mentioned fondly.

"And I know where your nickname came from, huh Luigi?"

"Since when is that my nickname?!"

"I just decided it was, new memories and all, remember? Besides, you chose it for yourself!"

"I was pushed into a corner and had to choose the first thing that came to mind!"

"Which was Luigi. What does that say, Lucy?"

Lucy turned to give him a full-fledged pout at that, and Natsu only laughed. The sound did happy things to her and Lucy decided she felt brave enough to scoot a little closer to him.

The intensity of his laughter came down a notch when he felt Lucy lay her head on his shoulder, eyes still trained at the sky.

He soaked in the pleasant sight, smiling at the very thing that he was worried only a few hours ago that he would never get to witness again.

And they shared a comfortable silence for a while, Lucy inching a bit closer to Natsu's frame, Natsu resting his head on hers and letting her know he didn't mind her closeness in the least.

On the contrary, he relished it.

The two didn't have to talk to express just how thankful they were to the other for being their pillar through what was the darkest hour of both their lives.

Natsu knew he would owe Lucy forever for the company she kept and how much hope she was able to give him at a time when he was so painfully lost.

And Lucy knew she would be forever thankful to the person who helped her so carefully through the loss of her beloved mother, and the rough beginning of her father's abuse.

Not a word of it was actually spoken, but they knew anyway.

At some point Natsu, turned so he would speak right into her ear, "So, Lucy," he began, his voice so low and rapsy that it had Lucy stiffen in her seat. "When are we going to play Mr. Dragon, Lucy and The Mean Vulcans again?"

And Lucy burst out laughing. Trust Natsu to manage that even in supposedly emotional moments like these.

"I love it when you laugh," he commented easily, lost in the happy sound.

Lucy stilled, her head snapping towards him, her mood effectively dampening. And Natsu sensed it as it did.

"What's wr-"

"I missed you," she said softly, looking up right into his dark eyes.

"Yeah, I - "

"Never again, Natsu. I never want to be separated like that from you again," she turned to face him, and his heart hurt to see the tormented tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Before he could make a move to wipe them, Lucy crawled onto his lap, curling herself there.

Instinctively, Natsu wrapped his arms around her.

"It was a horrible feeling."

"Yeah."

"I was so worried about you, and me, and what was happening."

"Yeah."

"I hated being away from you so much."

"Mmm."

"Not just now, but even that year you left. It was horrible."

Natsu pulled her closer. "I'm sorry."

"And I don't want that happening again." She tightened her arms around his torso.

"It won-"

"But.."

Natsu froze. "B-but?"

"But I have to go."

Natsu immediately held Lucy by the shoulders, pushing her just enough to get a good look at her tear-stained face, worry painted across his. "What do you mean?"

"Aquarius' key. I have to find it. I promised her."

Natsu gulped at the brand new memory of the Mermaid he now had. "I can come with you."

Lucy shook her head gently. Natsu's eyes pinched in pain as he understood what that meant.

"And sure you have to do this yourself, Luce?"

She nodded mutely. "I..I know I have to."

Natsu pulled her back so she could rest on his chest again.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you."

"I don't how long it will take," she spoke despite her tears.

"I'll wait for you."

"It may even take more than a year."

"I'll wait for you."

"I may not even be able to keep in touch the whole while."

"I'll wait for you."

"I don't know if - "

"Lucy," he pulled her back gently so he could rest his forehead against hers, thumbs wiping away her tears. "Lucy, I will wait for you."

And she knew he meant that in more than one way.

Overcome by her own emotions for the man before her, she pulled him closer, running her fingers through his hair like he was doing hers, both of them just silently enjoying each other's presence.

Before they had to be separated once more.

"I will wait Lucy," Natsu said, his voice low and muffled by her neck, his warm breathe having her smother sudders, "but when you come back, I'm never letting go of you again."

Lucy's only response was to pull him closer, as if trying to lose herself in his warmth.

The sound of fireworks had them pull away to see the pretty lights shimmer across the sky.

Lucy stayed on Natsu's lap as they quietly admired the colours and shapes that appeared in the sky, just as they did the feeling of belonging and contentment they felt being so close to each other.

Sometime later, Lucy brought her forehead to rest back on his.

"Natsu, you are really, really important to me. More than you'll ever know."

Natsu smiled at her, aware but not at all perturbed by how close she was, close enough to -

"OH WOULD YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY?!"

"GRAY, OH MY GOD!"

"What? They were taking forever, MiraaAAAH!"

"Gihee!"

"Patience is Man!"

"T-t-t-the r-roof? F-for such activities?"

"You go, Lu!"

"You know what they need? They need to be nice and drunk first!"

"This is highly inappropriate of all of you! Laxus would certainly not approve of this!"

Just like that, the rest of the guild began popping out of their secret places around where Natsu and Lucy were sitting, exasperated calls for kisses soon descending into a fourth-floor brawl.

Lucy grimaced at the guild managing to even turn getting them to kiss into an excuse for a fight. She was distracted out of that thought process, though, by a tug on her chin.

And while everyone fought around them - fists flying, names being called, and entire guilds now fighting on the sloped roof of the guild - they all missed the event they had all gathered there to witness.

Except one little blue exceed who was happy to watch the sweet, gentle, moonlit first kiss that Natsu and Lucy shared.

The beginning of a long, happy life together full of them.

And that's a wrap! First multichapter done, omg. :O

I hope you all enjoyed it!

I wanted to once again thank you for reading this, and all your lovely support, especially through the reviews. Big hugs to all of you! ^^

As always, a special round of thanks and hugs for lucy, simpleory, Juliastes, AnimusLunari777, Alice Harkey, Wallnutt, ShyBookworm33, Crushing Chaos and both the Guests for your reviews! And to everyone who favourited and followed! *lessthanthree*

See you guys next time (hopefully)! :D