Be Careful What You Wish For

Safe Haven

Lucy's POV

I open my eyes and see that I am fine. I look myself over and I am not burned. I don't even feel warm. In fact, I feel cold? Odd for me to feel warm with a fire wall behind me. I look forward and see that the fire dome was covering what seems to a small cottage of some sort. I start walking toward the cottage and hear a crunch. I look down to see..... snow??? Why was there......? This made no sense. I shook my head and just kept walking. I opened the door to the cottage and look around to see the room littered with books and scrolls. This just confused me more. 

I walked deeper into, what to me was a library and looked around. Some areas were covered in dust, others looked like it was areas where someone stays often. I picked up one of the books and I couldn't even read the title. I wiped the book and say that the book was from over fifty years ago. I set the book down and pick up a scroll. The scroll looked to be a how to do a spell....... This was a scroll for one of the first magic spells ever! I set the scroll down and shake my head. 

Natsu, I am looking for Natsu. Stay focus. You can't get lost in a book now. A book falls next to me. I jump because it had startled me. I look up and see that this place has a second floor. I saw pink fluff and knew right away. It was Natsu. I looked for a way to get up to the second floor. I found a set of stairs. I walked right up to him. He either didn't notice me or didn't react when I had approached him. 

"Hey."

He looked up at me. I couldn't read him. He tilted his head slightly to the right. 

"What are you doing here?"

It was so strange seeing him look at me the way he was. He seemed different, but that was excepted. He has a different history than the Natsu I know(and love). I have to not treat him like my Natsu. I have to be careful because I don't know anything about him. I don't know why he reacted the way he did. I don't know why he doesn't seem..... stable. 

"I came to find you."

He stared at me for a moment. 

"Is there a reason?"

I was taken back by the question. The way he asked the question made it seem like he didn't just run off after getting what seemed similar to a panic attack. The way he said that also made me think that people don't come for him if he runs off. 

"Well, I was worried about you."

"Why?"

"You ran off after freaking out."

He tilts his head to the left. 

"Freaking out?"

"You know, when you had that reaction and you started to lash out."

He looked away. 

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine. It was probably something we said."

He doesn't say anything. I look around and see a book placed in front of him. That's different........

"You like to read?"

He shakes his head. 

"I can't read well."

Right, Erza taught him how to read. He said Igneel taught him, but then again.... Igneel is a dragon and most likely didn't know human language well.

"I like looking at the pictures. This one reminds me of...... of my dad."

He points to a red dragon. I read the title of the picture. Fire Dragon King. No wonder it reminds him of Igneel, it is Igneel. I sit next to him. I can't let him know I know his dad is a dragon. 

"It says 'Fire Dragon King'. If your dad was a dragon, I believe that's why it would be familiar to you."

"My dad is a dragon."

I have to act shocked. 

"You have to be joking."

He shakes his head and looks up. 

"I..... I don't remember much about him....."

Okay, that's different. 

"I remember........... that he taught me magic............. taught me how to live out here......... I have small memories of him, but other than that, not really anything."

"So... why'd you come here?"

"I feel.... relaxed when I come here. More..... calm. I feel safe here."

He was surprisingly very open to me. I just wish that I could read what he was feeling. It was strange to see him like this. It was also strange to think that he was blind in his left eye. He didn't talk much, but when we first met him he had a hard time speaking to us... Why was that?

"Why did you have a hard time talking to us at first?"

"Hmmmm. I mainly speak in the monster tongue....."

"You aren't a monster......"

"I know I am not a monster."

Didn't he call himself one earlier?

"I know them though." 

Erza's POV

Gray was talking as if hadn't talked in weeks. His voice sounded rough and it was ahrd to make out what he had said, but he had asked where Natsu and Lucy were. Happy spoke up.

"Natsu ran off and Lucy went after him."

Gray tried to stand up but swayed a bit. 

"Hey, no. You stay down. You were out for a while."

I forced him back down. I had Happy go get Gray some water. Carys had flown up and grabbed a purple berry. 

"We don't have a lot of these. He will need to get more later. For now, have your friend eat this. It should help him."

I took the berry from Carys and had Gray eat it, against his will. He for some reason didn't want to eat it. I was able to get him to consume it around the time Happy came back with water. He also informed me that the griffin was acting funny and had flown off. I don't know much about griffins. In fact, I know almost nothing. Gray drank the water with no problem and he looked at me. Something was wrong, but what?

"Natsu.... is he really... is he really here? It wasn't the fever messing with me?"

"..............Yeah.... he really is here, Gray. He saved our lives from that monster that attacked us. You have been out for a while. According to Natsu, that monster had poison on it's claws and you almost died. We honestly thought that he was gonna kill you because we didn't know he was human. He said that you would die if he didn't help you. Carys here has also been helping. If anything, I think she taught him."

"I was part of his teaching. I wasn't the only one who taught the boy how to live out here. I..... they're back."

I step outside and see that Natsu and Lucy have returned.

A/N: So... this chapter I have mixed feelings on, so it is good, but I feel like it could have been a little better. How? I have no idea. Anyway, this story is coming along and I am enjoy it. I hope you guys are enjoying what I have written as well. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will happily answer them(Unless it spoils the story). Have a great Day, or night, or whatever time it is for you when reading this. Stay safe. See you on the next chapter. 

7/17/2020

~Zolf