"These necklaces are simply breathtaking..." I smile as I gingerly hold the chain with my family's crest, the royal crest of the kingdom. I run my thumb over the silver design of intricate work, detailing two crossed swords and a pair of wings splaying out behind the blades, a symbol of strength and freedom. Two things I ironically was deprived of as a princess. A bitter smile forms on my lips.

"For someone who hid from the royal guard you seem awfully interested in that crest," Natsu's warm breath tickles my ear from behind making me jump. I quickly place the necklace back down and flash a quick simile at the woman selling the different pieces of finery. I turn to Natsu with a wide grin plastered on my face.

"I just can't help but admire beautiful things," I shrug along with my response to him as I clasp my hands together behind my back, beginning to walk farther into the mass of people. Natsu seemed to catch interest in something and stepped aside and I stayed no father than two paces from him.

"Yo, boss man! We jus' unloaded the new cargo; next round up is startin'!" a louder conversation catches my attention. The voice sounds all too familiar and a shiver races up my back as my hairs stand on end.

"Look for the blonde, that Heartfilia. She has to be somewhere. I want that girl...damn runt got away," I heard a pause in the distinct voice as my heart leapt into my throat. The trafficker. Without a moment's hesitation I grabbed Natsu's arm and pulled him from the stand. My eyes darted everywhere to find a good place to hide and they landed on a dim walkway between a butchers shop and a blacksmith's.

"Yo, Luce, what's wrong?" I yanked his arm harder as my already shadowed eyes zeroed in on the alley.

"Just hurry!" my voice came out harsher than I first intended, but maybe that's what tipped him off to the fact that something was seriously wrong. I glanced back to see the trafficker peering in our general direction so I quickly righted myself and hid my body behind Natsu's larger frame. I saw Natsu looking about and scanning the crowd but when he frowned I heard him click his tongue. He must not know who I'm now clearly hiding from. In a few short seconds his arm that I wasn't gripping was around my waist, and his body was pressed against mine so closely that even the slightest breath I inhaled carried his scent, which took the edge away from my nerves.

"Mind explaining?" His voice was low and calm, but something in his voice made the calm seem deadly and I found myself yearning to be back within the confines of his bed.

"Later," I grit my teeth and squirm slightly in a feeble attempt to break out of Natsu's grip.

"No, not later, now." I don't respond, only squirming more under the intensity of his eyes on mine. Finally Natsu lets go but he pushes me to the wall, still shielding me from view of the packed street. He draws so close that our noses almost brush against each other, my face flushes and I drop my gaze.

"Captain... I..." My voice falters.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me," his words where gentler now. I took a deep breath before looking towards him again.

"Someone who I am running from...is out there-if they see me..." I clamp my mouth shut stubbornly. I had said more than enough, but the stern look I was getting let me know this conversation was far from over. He pushes off the wall and keeps his arm on my waist, guiding me forward onto the crowded street on the other side of the alley way. We were a larger than comfortable distance from the ship and to make the situation worse we were alone.

"How are we-" Natsu silences me with a shake of his head. He stops quickly and purchases a cloak, throwing the soft white material over me and lifting the hood up to hide my hair and face. The sun was sinking fast and most of the light was coming from nearby torches and firelights.

"Okay, if you see whoever it is that you are running from I want you to nudge me twice, I'll make sure to hide you," he instructed me quietly and I merely nodded my head meekly. I could feel the tenseness of his muscles as he was on alert. I clung to him closely, my stomach still turning in dread. I felt lightheaded even and I leaned my head on his arm, tugging him gently to a stop.

"Are you okay?" I hear him ask distantly.

"Y-yeah, I'm just-t shak-ken..." My voice trembles even now.

"Do you see them?" More concern this time, but I hadn't seen the trafficker... I had glimpsed some of his henchmen but at a good enough distance not to feel too worried about them particularly. I shake my head to tell him no, but as I brought my head up I immediately tensed. Ahead of me in the crowd was the very guard who had escorted me to the ship.

"Natsu, ahead, the man in the armor pieces...!" My mind is tumbling now as I am quickly pulled aside.

"Do you trust me?" I look up at my captain who was staring ahead.

"What?" I question him.

"Do you trust me, Lucy?" This time he looks down at me.

"Y-yes...of course," I quickly respond without much hesitation.

"Whatever happens, don't follow me." and before I can respond I shriek in surprise as I'm lifted into his arms. He climbs up an assortment of crates and onto a rooftop where he sets me down. "Stay put," is all he utters before leaping back down, making large strides towards the guard. The guard has called others to his side and I watch in horror as people quietly dart away, knowing what was coming. It was a port town after all, and these sort of things where common... Even I knew that. I stood up and from my vantage point tried to gauge how far from the ship we where, and just how many enemies we where facing. I saw a few more people making their way towards the guard and the trafficker was not far behind. A cold rage flooded me before I dropped down to hide behind a chimney.

My eyes found Natsu again and I watched him draw his sword before twirling it in his hand to right it. He carried himself with confidence, I even spied a large grin on his lips as he approached the massive guard. I rushed a count and discovered there where at least about fifteen guys against him. Without hesitation the guard brought out his own blade and swung broadly at Natsu, who parried the attack with a simple flick of his wrist. In that same motion he twisted his blade to come around in a flash attack. The other men began to attack now too and I swear I heard Natsu chuckle.

My captain was surrounded, but he was fighting off more men than what seemed possible. The first unfortunate few to be hit by his blade would grab their sides howling in pain, smoke rising from the spots. When one of the men collapsed completely I saw a burned mark in his clothes that was still smoldering. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion; how had him and the others received burns? I turned my attention back to Natsu when I noticed small flames licking at the air around his blade. My mind went blank as my eyes witnessed something I thought was extinguished.

He's using magic!

My heart hammered as I made this realization. I raced to make excesses. Maybe it was an unknown attribute of the blade. I knew it conducted magics related to fire well, but that might be why he could activate this hidden power somehow? Or he had dipped it in oil and caught it in one of the fires lit around us, slowly becoming the only light source. The clashing of more blades shattered my thoughts and I watched the sheer black surface of Natsu's blade dance with the dull grey ones of our enemies. He spun and attacked, leapt forwards and backwards to avoid attacks before slamming down on his current opponent. He sliced through the guards' blade and knocked him out cold with the hilt of his sword before he looked up to me. I was frozen as I stared down at him, his chest rising and falling as he panted, sweat shinning on his skin in the firelight of the street lamps.

I snapped out of my daze and scrambled to my feet, clambering to the edge where I raced down the crates. When I got to the ground I hurried to the corner but when I rounded it I stopped dead in my tracks. The look Natsu had on his face was unreadable, but he looked infuriated and disgruntled, but when he saw me something more like relief passed over him. I made my way towards him, already asking if he was okay. He shrugged it off with a small smile.

"I have faced much worse than that without so much as a scratch," He laughed softly and that prompted me to smile. "Let's head back, I have something to talk to Erza about, and you and I have some unfinished business." his words made my cheeks flare up remembering what happened not long ago.

"I–It isn't much of a problem now, they won't chase me anymore," I say nervously, hoping to avoid more talk about my past.

Natsu was shaking his head. "There's more to your story than you are letting on to, and I can't just sit by and let this happen..." he reaches up to rest his hand on my head but it soon slides to my cheek. "You're important, Luce. And I can't let you live in fear your whole life. Not when I have the power to make things right for you," his eyes meet mine and I don't look away this time. I slowly drift closer to him and I feel the tips of his fingers on my waist but he suddenly pulls back.

"We should go..." he mutters quietly before walking away from the quiet street towards the dock. I trail behind him and clutch the cloak closely to my body until I am back aboard. Natsu and Erza talk in his room while we sail away from the town, and before long it is only me and someone steering the ship outside. Someone would occasionally come out to smoke or be alone but I was waiting for Captain and Second in Command. That's all he is. Natsu is just... my Captain... right?

"Thanks, Erz. We will get there tomorrow. I'll get what I can tonight," I hear Natsu's door open as he finishes speaking with Erza. I turn and see her striding away from his door and across the other side of the deck to the girls rooms. Curiosity pokes at me while I make my way towards Natsu's room. He was leaned over some documents of his desk as I slid the cloak off, hanging it on a peg near the door. I spot a nightgown and I change into it while Natsu wasn't looking. I let down my hair completely from it's crown braid I had put it in while shopping earlier. After kicking my boots off I make a split second decision to lean my arms on Natsu's shoulders.

"Thank you for today," I mumble quietly after feeling him go rigid at my touch. He relaxed and sighed.

"Anything for you," he barely says above a whisper. I smile and kiss the top of his head before straightening up and walking towards the bed, but before I make it three steps a hand is around my wrist and I feel lips on my back through the thin fabric of my nightgown. My face heats up quickly and my heart jumps before his hand lets go. I stay still a moment before diving onto the bed and hiding myself. I heard a small chuckle from him before falling asleep, only I didn't expect to be awoken again later that night.

"Lucy, let's go outside for a few minutes," Natsu's voice drew me up and I looked at him tiredly.

"Why..." I barely mumbled a response.

"We need to talk."