Hello, minna! ♥ This is my first one-shot, hehe.  So, please go easy on me. ^.^;  Today was a great day, because I had to re-take a Biology test I did really bad on.  I ended up getting a "B" on it, woop woop! cx  I hope you all enjoy this small little one-shot, though. c:  I dedicate this one-shot to emeralddrop. Thanks for being such a great friend! ♥ Everyone must go check her out!  I hope to update "Legend of the Fallen" soon!  Hopefully this will satisfy you all until then, ne?  Remember, feedback is greatly appreciated!  I hope you all like it!  Until next time, everyone!

я y - c н α η ,

т н є  и α ℓ υ  ω я ι т є я--❦

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"Don't be ashamed to weep; it's right to grieve.  Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water.  But there must be sunlight also.  A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us."

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Lucy had seemed to be acting down lately.  Everyone noticed it, but they felt as if they should leave it alone.  Despite themselves and their curious attitudes, somehow they felt that it was best not talking about it.  It pained them, however, when they realized this.  Being Lucy's friends, they all wanted to do something to make her feel better.  

But, as Makarov said exactly: "Give her some time.  Maybe it's just something from the past."

However, Natsu noticed more things than anyone else did.

When no one was looking, Lucy's faked expression of happiness would turn to concern and sadness.  When they talked to her, they didn't notice that Lucy was putting up a front; that she was hiding a sadenning thought within her.

However, Natsu knew and saw it; and he was suspicious.

It all started just three days ago, when she came in through the guild doors and sat at the bar next to Mirajane.

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Lucy sighed, a lingering thought at the back of her mind.  As she sat down at the bar area of their newest and back-to-normal guild, she was unable to help herself from setting a reminder in her head.

Just three more days... the blonde thought, her eyes softening sadly as she stared at the wooden tabletop, lost in thought.

Mira turned from polishing glass cups given to her by her guildmates, seeing Lucy had appeared there.  "Oh, Lucy!  Good morning!"

Lucy shook her head lightly, shaking herself from her reverie after Mira's voice rang through her head.  "Eh?"  Lucy exclaimed lightly, surprised and not alert to her surroundings.

Mira blinked a few times in puzzlement.  "Is something wrong, Lucy?"

Lucy abruptly shook her head, sweat-dropping in embarrassment.  "Ano...it's nothing, Mira!  Really!  I just didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm a little tired still..."

To try and emphasize her point, Lucy yawned loudly, covering her mouth as a tear of tiredness appeared on the corner of her eye.

Mira looked at her with amusement.  "What were you doing so late at night anyways?"

Lucy racked her brain for a plausible excuse; luckily her smart wits and sharp intuition came up with an idea for her.  "I was writing,"  Lucy found her mouth replying.  "I got too much into it, I guess."

Mira smiled at her, amused.  "My, my.  You need to be more vigilant, Lucy."

Lucy laughed nervously.  "Y-Yeah...sorry."

Round one finished,  Lucy thought in her mind with relief.  Lucy one, Mira zero.  Let's hope it stays that way.

The real reason why Lucy had been up so late is because she had been stressing over what to give to her father.  The anniversary of his death was approaching, and Lucy had no idea what to set atop his resting place.  On top of that, it had been a strange coincidence that her father had died on the same day and month Lucy's mother had.  Lucy did not know what to bring her beloved mother, either.

Lucy did know, however, that the faster it approached the more heavyhearted she became.  Since the Grand Magic Games and the Dragon Invasion, Lucy didn't have much time to think back on her family.  It was days like these that showed her just how much everything went wrong, and how much she wished she could have done something.  Lucy sometimes did believe the death of her mother was her fault; that somehow, she could have prevented her mother's illness.  The thought knawed at her like a dog with a bone, and it seemed to weigh down her thoughts even further.

It was unfortunate, however, that as Lucy thought about this, Natsu and Happy were creeping up on her to give Lucy her monthly scare.

"Don't even think about it, Natsu.  Happy."  Lucy replied neutrally, the two mischevious males halting in their tracks.

Mira blinked in surprise.  "Lucy, you could never tell when they'd start to approach you until now."

Natsu pouted his bottom lip.  "C'mon, Luce!  That's no fair!  You must have cheated somehow..."

"Aye!"

Lucy had her hand on her cheek, her eyes clossed sassily as she stuck her chin outwards in defiance.  "Tondemonai.  No way, I just had a feeling, that's it.  When someone isn't in the mood for a prank, they don't fall for tricks easily."

Natsu and Happy groaned, disappointed their master plan hadn't worked.  They both slapped their faces into the wooden counter, their expressions sluggish and marked by the table as they brought their faces back up lazily.

Lucy blushed at them affectionately; though they could be idiotic and childish, Lucy cherished them greatly.  Though Lucy would never dare to admit it, she always got a weird feeling in her stomach when Natsu was around.  You'd think, with how intelligent Lucy was (or at least how much she thought she was), she would understand it; but she had never felt this way before.

It kinda freaked her out.

Sighing, Lucy tried to get ahold of the sensation racing through her stomach, first warming up and then doing flips.  However, the light sensation seemed to almost make her sick, which didn't improve her mood at all.

"Lu-shee, you look tired!"  Happy exclaimed, poking her cheek.

Lucy glared daggers at the cat, and the exceed flinched as an invisible aura of "leave me alone" curled around him.

"Thanks for the observation..."  Lucy mumbled, standing.

"Oi, where ya goin'?"  Natsu asked, staring after her.

Lucy's legs seemed to turn to jelly as Natsu called out for her, but she kept her head up and just kept walking.  

Waving her hand into the air in farewell, she looked over her shoulder to retort a reply.  "I'm going out!"

"But you just got here, Luce!"  Natsu exclaimed in confusion and disappointment, Happy on the counter next to him.

Lucy's mood seemed to become somber once more.  "Do whatever, alright?  I just need to think for awhile..."

She had meant to say it to herself, but because of Natsu's keen sense of hearing, he heard every word.

He made a look of innocent confusion.  "Oi, think about what...?"  He murmured to himself.

Happy waved his hands in the air.  "Whatever, Nat-zu!  Let's eat a lot of food!"

Natsu suddenly grinned widely, a mischevious smile spreading across his face.  "Ah, let's chow down!"

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Lucy...wasn't feeling too enthusiastic.

It had been a few days since she had left Natsu and Happy at the bar, and since then, she could feel herself become more and more pensive.  She had been spending lonely hours in her apartment in the evenings, and hadn't been very convincing at the guild.  But how could Lucy help it, especially since she hadn't been able to come up with perfect gifts for her mother and father's resting place?  Frustrated, Lucy sat at her desk, more sadenned than ever.  Rubbing her eyes, Lucy pulled herself up from her seat, deciding she need some fresh air for awhile.

Deciding to go for a walk, Lucy headed for a hill that overlooked the city; the place she would once go when they had the run-down guild up in the forest.  It was still her favorite place to go when she needed to have some alone time.  Since the sun was setting, Lucy thought the view was beautiful, and that it was greatly relaxing there today.

As Lucy sat down, she began to remember scenes from her childhood.  Before her mother had died, things had really been perfect.  But, after her mother's passing, everything had changed.  Her relationship with her father had altered drastically, and for the worse.

But...when they had put their problems at ease, and had left with new beginnings...things seemed to be okay again.  That was once again ruined when the Seven Year Sleep came about, and Lucy lost her father, who had been waiting for her for seven years.

Lucy missed her parents.

She wanted to say sorry to them, for possibly disappointing them for things she might have done that could've displeased them.  Lucy wanted to say that she forgave them, and that she wanted to tell them she loved them.

But she couldn't.  They were far out of reach.

Lucy was staring out at Magnolia when she felt a warm substance hit her cheeks, and fall down her chin.  She touched her fingertips lightly to the side of her eyes, and was surprised to see tears there.  However, the emotion followed, and Lucy realized how hopeless and stressed she really was.  She couldn't find the right way to say things to her parents, and she couldn't even control herself to the point of holding tears.

But...maybe it was okay not to hold them.

Before Lucy knew it, her shoulders were shaking, and she was rubbing the tears from her eyes repeatedly.  However, they just kept falling, and she was left with red cheeks and teary eyes that still leaked tears every few seconds.

She wanted to see them.

Lucy wanted to hug her parents; to have her birth family with her again.  Yet, at the same time, she seemed to have to accept the inevitable truth.

That they weren't there with Lucy anymore.

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Natsu and Happy had decided to go search for Lucy.  Through the course of the last three days, they had been unable to stand the fact of Lucy's current situation.

They had split up, and now Natsu had caught Lucy's scent, following it by himself as he made his way towards the area her scent was strongest.  As he pushed away the shrubbery and the branches, Natsu wondered why on earth Lucy was back up here, in the area where the old guild used to be.

However, when he spotted her sitting up against one of the trees, he got lost in her presence and accidently tripped, toppling to the ground clumsily.  Natsu rubbed his head, mumbling to himself for tripping so easily.  It was then that he looked up at Lucy to prepare for a surprised face...

...to only see a sorrowed one.

Natsu blinked a few times, his expression shocked as Lucy's face swung around to look at him in surprise at his appearance.

"Natsu?"  Lucy replied, a small hiccup escaping her throat.

Natsu gave Lucy a funny look, standing back up onto his feet.  "Oi...Luce?"

Lucy then realized that he must've seen her tears, and panicked, rubbing her eyes frantically.  "A-Ano...t-this is..."

"What're you cryin' for?"

Lucy tensed, not knowing what to say.  "I, uh..."

Natsu came up to her, dropping to his knees in front of her and surprising the Celestial Mage.  Continuing, he grabbed her face with both of his hands, inspecting it closely.

"W-What are you doing?!"  Lucy began to exclaim, getting flustered and becoming shocked.

Natsu continued to stare at her, and Lucy felt the skin Natsu's hands were touching begin to tingle and warm up.

"You are crying,"  Natsu finally concluded, his expression childishly puzzled.  "What for, Luce?"

Lucy sighed as Natsu dropped his hands, realizing she couldn't hide this from him forever.  "I've been really down and stressed lately because..."  Lucy directed her eyes to her hands.  "...tomorrow is the anniversary of my mother and father's passing.  And...I'm having a few problems with it."

Natsu watched her, his expression impassive.

Lucy rubbed an excess tear from the corner of her eyes; her tears had stopped.  "I needed to get them something special.  And...I haven't been able to find it yet.  Besides that, I guess I just...miss them."

"And what's wrong with that?"  Natsu replied, his voice neutral.

"Nothing,"  Lucy replied, her expression sad.  "It's okay to miss people who're dead now.  But...I just feel like it's a stupid thing to be crying about.  Especially in front of others, who might've gone through worse things than I.  But...I can't help but miss them."

Natsu put a hand on Lucy's shoulder, surprising her.  "Luce, you should know by now that we wouldn't care about that.  We were all worrying about you; Levy especially."

Lucy smiled slightly.

"I was worried,"  Natsu added, and Lucy's stomach did the freaky reaction again.

She resisted the urged to squirm, and felt her cheeks heat up slightly.  "Y-You were?"

Natsu nodded.  "Ah.  And know that next time you miss your parents, why not tell me?  I miss Igneel too."

Lucy laughed slightly, but appreciated his efforts.  "Igneel's still alive, though.  My parents aren't.  And...I kind of blame myself for that."

Natsu surprised her with a hug, pulling her in by the arms lightly.  Lucy's body seemed to freeze, and her eyes widened as her face rested in the crook of his shoulder.  Natsu rested a hand on the top of her head, and his expression was serene and surprisingly passionate.  Lucy was staring ahead in surprise, her eyes shaking in awe.

Natsu closed his eyes, and a small silence ensued for a few minutes before her replied to her.  "It doesn't matter where they are; they'll be with you, remember?  And there's no way their deaths were your fault, Luce.  If everything hadn't happened the way it did, then none of us would have met you.  I wouldn't have met you."

Lucy had put her hands on Natsu's shoulders in surprise, but when Natsu's words registered, she relaxed them.  Slowly, Lucy moved her hands and wrapped her arms around Natsu's chest, hugging him back tightly.

Lucy nodded slightly, blushing.  "Yeah, you're right..."  Lucy closed her eyes, blushing contentedly as she rested there with Natsu.  "That wouldn't have been very good.  Cause, after all, I wouldn't have met you either, Natsu."

Natsu gave her an amused and endearing look, though she could not see it.

"I'll go with you when you go visit them tomorrow, Luce!"  Natsu exclaimed, smiling down at her.

Lucy looked surprised at first, but then it turned grateful.  "Are you sure?"

He nodded.  "Ah."

Lucy smiled slightly, feeling much better than she had in days.  She was ready to face her parents this time, and give them a proper greeting and goodbye at their resting place.

"Natsu..."  Lucy began, her stomach doing flips.

"Hm?"

Natsu's expression turned surprised as Lucy rested a hand against the side if his face, her lips pressing into his cheek.  He actually began to blush, but before he could react, Lucy pulled away, standing up and facing the city again.

"L-Lucy...?"  Natsu muttered, his face red; which rarely occured.

Lucy smiled down at him.  "Arigato, Natsu.  You made me feel better."

Natsu blinked a few times, the blush still lingering.  Embarrassed and flustered, Natsu scratched his cheek lightly, looking away in the other direction.  Lucy didn't think he would say anything at first, but then he finally did so, grinning despite the blush still being there.

"Ah; let's go, Lucy."

Lucy smiled.

"Hai."

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I hope you all liked it!  Thoughts are greatly appreciated!