"Natsu, hear me out," Lucy blurted before Natsu had the chance to move. "I never meant to hurt anyone. I was just trying to help you guys. Every battle we have, it's always as if I'm just tossed to the side. I only wanted to help."
The dragon slayer just glared at her, unmoving.
Lucy began to tear up. "I couldn't stand the fact that my friends were getting hurt. Master was even down, and Erza, too. If I saw you fall...I wouldn't have been able to bear it." She looked down and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I understand if you don't forgive me. I just wanted you to hear me out."
Natsu just stood there, looking down at the ground and covering his face.
"...I really missed you, Natsu." The blonde turned around and began to walk away. Then, the pink-haired man grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him, taking her in with a hug.
"I didn't want to leave. I just wanted time to get this thing through my head. Whether or not you really meant to hurt me or the guild." He pulled away and looked at her with a smile. "So, why don't you say we get the old gang back together, huh?"
Lucy smiled back and threw her fists into the air with a "Yeah!"
When they arrived at the guild hall, Gray - almost-naked, again - was pinning two guys against a wall and Erza was almost about to slam the table she was holding, onto someone, before noticing Lucy and Natsu. The crimson-haired mage put the table down and waltzed over to them.
"Where have you been, Natsu?!" She pulled him in by his shirt collar and glared at him.
"Hold it, Erza," Screamed the ice wizard, "I get first dibs on him!" He shoved Erza out of the way and took the shirt collar for himself. "Where do you get off on running away for so long, flame-brain?!"
"Where do I get off?! At least I came back, snowman!" The dragon slayer retorted.
"What's that supposed to mean, fire-breath?!" The ice wizard yelled back.
The two began arguing, as usual, until Erza butt in and separated them.
Lucy was happy about this, though. She missed the arguing between the two and Erza always being there to stop it. While Natsu was gone, she didn't really spend time with Erza or Gray. She mostly talked to Mira or Levy. Sometimes Wendy, too.
"Hey, Lucy, did you eat the tuna?" A little, blue cat asked, walking up to her.
"Oh yeah! It's right here in my bag, Happy," Lucy tapped her bag.
"You didn't eat it? Now it's gonna go bad. I knew I shouldn't have given it to you," Happy said jokingly, "You're lucky that Natsu has feelings for you." The cat hugged Lucy's leg.
Lucy smiled and looked off for a moment before realizing what Happy had just said.
"Did you say he has feelings for me?" The celestial mage asked, earnestly.
"I thought he told you when you guys were by the crater..." Happy looked up at Lucy, innocently, "Oh well. I guess he doesn't have feelings for ya!"
"You can't just change your mind like that, cat!" Lucy yelled at the cat. Happy ran off in fear and the blonde stood there, staring at Natsu. His vest had been tossed to the side, revealing his mildly-toned body.
"I'll fight you, too, Erza," Roared the fire mage.
Lucy fell into a sort of trance. "He is kind of cute when he's angry...or when he does anything for that matter." She thought, continuing to stare at the fire dragon slayer.
Natsu looked over at her for a brief moment, noticing her staring at him. He returned her stare with a smile, then continued to yell at Erza and Gray.
"I've had enough of this," Exclaimed Titania Erza. She threw both Gray and Natsu to opposite sides of the guild, destroying tables in the process.
Watching Natsu - although no harm to him was meant - getting hurt made Lucy's heart skip a beat. She watched as he rammed into innocent tables and guild members. The celestial wizard almost felt...angry towards the red-head.
"There. That ought to teach you both a lesson." The armored mage dusted her hands off and approached Lucy. The celestial wizard stood, unmoving and very frightened. "I suggest we go on a mission, Lucy. Now that Natsu has returned, we can finally get paid!"
"Wait. You're telling me that you or Gray didn't take a single job request?" The blonde scratched her head in confusion.
"Why would we," The ice mage said, approaching the two, "We're a team. We'd never take on a job with just three-fifths of a team."
"Hey guys, I already found a great job," Natsu beamed from the request board, "It's paying four-hundred-thousand jewel to get rid of some stinky rats." The dragon slayer spoke as if he wasn't even thrown fifty feet.
Lucy looked at her fellow team members for a moment before jumping up into the air. "Let's do it!"
"Hey, wait for me!" A young, blue-haired mage said, running towards Lucy.