Ooh~ I have so many ideas in my head. I've been inspired! I really hope you guys enjoy this one-shot. It's my entry for my third one-shot contest! Yes, I love NaLu way too much and I'll make another one-shot that's not NaLu next time. Maybe...

Host of Contest: Fairytail50

Won: 1st Place

~~~

Author's POV:

"Ha! Beat you again!" Lucy shouted, as she made it across the finish line. Natsu and Lucy were playing Mario Kart Wii. It's a car racing game, but with a variety of characters, stages, and villainous items. The game just so happened to be their favorite. Mostly due to the fact that they get to troll each other.

"No fair! You got a red shell at the very last second! I call hacks!" Natsu grumbled, trying to control his competitive attitude. When you get a red shell, the person who's in front of you gets paralyzed for a few second when hit. It's really effective when racing. Lucy got really lucky.

"What can I say? The game loves me," Lucy said with a smirk on her face. Natsu rolled his eyes and tackled her to the ground. Lucy was caught by surprised by his sudden act. The one thing that Lucy hated the most was when someone tickled her. Natsu was just one of the few people who knew that about her.

"You shouldn't be too confident, Lucy," Natsu said, as he chuckles evilly. Lucy begged for Natsu to let go, but he didn't listen and started tickling her sides. Lucy began laughing really hard. She did everything she could to escape, but Natsu secured her in place. Lucy could feel the oxygen in her lungs depleting the more she laughed.

"N-Natsu! Haha!" Natsu stopped when Lucy called his name. She sucked up all the air she could muster and sighed. Her sides really hurt from all of that tickling. Natsu lied down next to her and had a satisfied smile on his lips. Lucy punched Natsu on the arm, but he just laughed.

"That was fun," Natsu said, a grin visible on his face. Lucy's breathing returned to normal and she looked at Natsu with her eyebrows narrowed. She hated when people took advantage of her like that. It made her feel weak. Natsu was the only exception, however, because she knew he was just being playful with her. Like he always does.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" Natsu's lips curved more upward, as he stared into Lucy's eyes. The both of them were only friends for a year, but they felt like they've known each other for a long time. Their friends questioned how they came to be friends in the first place, since Natsu was two grades ahead of her. It didn't make any sense, yet they never questioned their unbelievable bond. It was invincible, as if nothing could tear it away.

"I know, but you still love me," Natsu said with his cocky, yet adorable, smile. Lucy's cheeks burned a bright red and her chest tightened at his words. She knew he didn't mean it that way, but she couldn't stop blushing by just hearing him say that. After all, they were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Lucy, your mom is waiting for you outside. I believe you have somewhere special you need to be?" Grandine said, as she opened the door to Natsu's room. Lucy squealed in delight and packed all of her stuff in her little pink backpack. Natsu was confused by her sudden change in demeanor, but he didn't question it.

After getting all of her stuff, Lucy started walking. She felt like she missed something, but she shrugged it off, believing she gathered everything with her. Lucy made her way to the door with Natsu trailing behind her. She opened the front door and saw her mom in the car waving at her with a smile on her face. Lucy waved back and turned to Natsu to give him a proper goodbye.

"Next time, let's play some Mario Super Sluggers. You said you wanted to get revenge on me for that game, but we never got the chance to play it." Natsu scratched his head. He didn't know where he put his Mario Super Slugger game. He was pretty angry when Lucy won the tournament by a single point. He vowed never to play that game again.

"Uh... sure..." Natsu said, unsurely. Lucy waved goodbye and hopped into her mom's car. Natsu watched, as they drove away from his house. After they left, Natsu dashed into his room to find his game. The last time they played Super Mario Sluggers was three months ago, so he didn't remember where the game was.

Time went by and Natsu still couldn't find his game. He sat down and tried to remember the last time he stashed it. As if he remembered something, Natsu looked under his bed and found his game covered up with a lot of dust and lint. He picked up the game, but just as he was about to clean it, he saw a book lying behind it. Curiously, he opened the first page of the book and realized that this was not a book. It was Lucy's diary.

He wondered how Lucy's diary magically appeared from under his bed. Then, it suddenly clicked to him. When the both of them were about to play Mario Kart, Lucy was writing on some kind of book. Natsu, at that time, didn't know she was writing on her diary. Because he was always so curious, Natsu peered over Lucy's shoulders and started reading the first sentence of her entry. However, Lucy could sense him behind her and quickly closed her book, while sliding it under Natsu's bed.

Natsu sat on his comfy mattress with Lucy's diary in his hands. He was debating wether or not to read it. If he chose to read it, he would be able to know all of Lucy's secrets. However, he would violate her privacy and she would probably never forgive him if she figured out he read it. On the other hand, if he chose not to read it, he would respect her privacy, but his curiousness may never die down.

After thinking about it, Natsu's drive for knowledge took over him. Hesitantly, he opened the diary to the first page and started reading. He was surprised to find out that she wrote this diary the day they first met. It talked about her likes, dislikes, her friends, just the general stuff you would find in a diary. As Natsu kept reading, he noticed there wasn't a lot of secrets in there. It was probably because she didn't have a lot of drama in her life.

Natsu skimmed all the way to the last page. The entries kept repeating itself, so there was no point for him to read it again. The last entry was the time Lucy was at his house today. He made himself comfortable, but before he could read the diary, Natsu's phone rang. He looked at the contact number and realized it was Lucy who was calling him. He switched his phone off and started reading the last entry of the diary.

~~~

Dear Diary,

I know that I keep talking about the same things over and over again, but to be honest, I'm having a hard time coping with my feelings. Well, I just don't really trust myself, because what if I forget about you and then someone else starts reading you? I would hate for that to happen. I can't keep this any longer, so I guess I'll start off by talking about Natsu. I haven't known him as long as my other friends, but I consider him my best friend. I can trust him with anything and I know that when I need help, he'll always be there for me. I know I shouldn't be feeling like this around him, but I can't stop it. He's really oblivious to the fact that most of the girls I know has or had a crush on him. He must have a crush on one of them, which kind of makes my heartache. Not to mention that he'll be graduating this year. I'm happy that he's studying overseas, but a part of me wishes he could stay here. It's so selfish of me to say things like that, but it's true. I kind of developed my feelings for him when he told me he got accepted to his dream school. That's when I realized I couldn't imagine my life without him. Wow, I'm making this sound all dramatic when it clearly shouldn't be. As if we're ever going to work out as a couple... right?

~~~

Things weren't the same as they were before, after Natsu read Lucy's diary. It was all so new to him. He never felt so conflicted in his life. Lucy liking Natsu was something that never crossed his mind. He only thought of her as a friend and nothing more.

The only thing he worried about during and after school was if he ran into Lucy. He didn't want to talk to her unless he sorted out all his feelings. It was eating him up. Ignoring Lucy was something he dreaded. He couldn't stop thinking about her. It made him unhappy. Even his parents could sense that from him.

They're conversations grew shorter. No, it was never a conversation. Lucy asked him questions about his day of wether or not he was going to eat lunch with her. It all just stopped at one point and Natsu couldn't remember when. Even Lucy couldn't remember when. They stopped hanging out with each other and they also stopped addressing each other. They were both badly affected by it. The both of them missed each other and yet somehow, they didn't have the courage to tell each other how they felt.

Natsu already figured out what Lucy meant to him, despite how oblivious he was about his feelings. He wanted to talk to her, but there was never a perfect time to. Every time he tried to get close to her, Gray Fullbuster would be in the picture. Today, Natsu could see him talking with Lucy. The way he made her smile and laugh was too painful for Natsu to see.

Natsu walked as far away as he could from Lucy and Gray. It brought, however, Lucy's attention. Lucy ran to Natsu, forgetting the conversation she had with Gray. She called out to him, which made Natsu stop in place. He turned around and saw Lucy running up to him. She caught her breath and spoke.

"Natsu, why did you walk away from me?" She asked. Natsu didn't turn around, but started walking away from her. Not once did he look back to look at her expression. A part of him didn't want to know.

Lucy didn't do anything. She just stood there, watching Natsu get smaller and smaller. It felt like he was leaving her, yet Lucy saw this coming. From the moment Natsu started ignoring her, she knew things weren't going to be the same. So, she learned to accept that Natsu had moved on. Moved on from what? She had no idea.

Everything was so dull and bland. The laughter and happiness seemed to all disappear the more Lucy and Natsu stopped being friends with each other. Even their friends noticed this, but they couldn't do anything about it. Well, they never thought to do anything about it. They thought it was best to leave the two alone. That was until Gray had a plan.

The last day of school. It was the day when Natsu would have to say goodbye to all his friends and say hello to college. It was the day when Natsu and Lucy may never see each other again. Of course, the both of them were used to it by now. Or so they think.

Yearbooks. A book of memories that could never be forgotten. It was also the perfect time to get signatures from your classmates and teachers. Natsu and Lucy got all the signatures they wanted, but they felt incomplete. It was as if they were missing something.

It was time to go home. Everyone was emptying their lockers and saying goodbye to their friends one last time. Natsu was just about to leave, until he received a text message from his pal, Gray. He opened the text and it only said to meet him at the library. He didn't question Gray's motives and headed to the library.

Natsu opened the door. He found no one there. Not even the librarian. He looked around and heard someone drop a book. He went to where the sound was and found Lucy picking up her book from the ground. It took her a second to realize that Natsu was standing in front of her.

"I have to go." And just like that, Lucy dashed out of the library. Except there was one problem. The door wouldn't open. Lucy tried forcing it to nudge, but it wouldn't give in. Lost for breath, Lucy gave up, but just as she was about to kick the door open, she saw Gray with the keys to the library in his very own hands. Gray Fullbuster's plan had just started.

"I'm not letting any of you guys out, until you've sorted out all of your problems," Gray said, as he deliberately slipped the keys into his back pocket. It just occurred to Lucy that Gray's mom was the school librarian. That could be the reason why he must have gotten the keys to the library.

"We don't have any problems, Gray. Just let us out," Natsu said, joining in. Gray shook his head and walked away from the two of them to work out whatever issue they have with each other.

Nobody talked. It was really quiet, which was kind of appropriate, considering they were trapped in the library. Lucy looked at Natsu, trying to blab something to him. It didn't have to be a word, she could just make a sound, but nothing came out. Her mouth was closed shut.

Natsu looked at Lucy and saw her making eye contact with him. Everything stopped. It felt like time stopped along with it. They were just staring at each other, trying to find answers within their eyes. Why they've been avoiding each other, lost contact with one another, but nothing. Nothing was there, but the feeling they were getting from each other.

"Hey... remember when we first met in the library?" Natsu asked, starting the conversation. Lucy laughed lightly and sat down on one of the many chairs. Natsu took a seat next to her, while reminiscing the first time they met each other.

~FLASHBACK~

"Hey, freshman. What kind of book are you reading?" Junior Natsu asked Freshman Lucy. Startled, Lucy's first reaction was to hit Natsu in the head with the book she was reading. She then gasped and went to go check to see the guy she hit was still alive. Fortunately, he was.

"Oh, my goodness! Are you okay?" Lucy asked, concerned about the wellbeing of the guy she hit. Natsu nodded his head and got off from the ground, while caressing his bruised head. Lucy felt really bad, so she pulled up a chair for him to sit down.

"For a freshman, you're a pretty tough cookie. N-Not that I was saying you're weak or anything, but I just didn't see that one coming." Lucy laughed wholeheartedly at him, while taking her bottle of iced water and placing it where his head hurt.

"You know, normally a person would ask me what my name was and introduce themselves." Natsu got the hint and got his hand out to give Lucy a handshake.

"I'm Natsu, the guy who got hit by a book. I'm a junior in high school and you seem kind of scary. What about you?" Natsu asked, shaking Lucy's hand. Lucy giggled and began introducing herself.

"I'm Lucy, the girl who's really sorry about hitting you with a book. I'm a freshman in high school and you seem kind of funny." The two of them just stared at each other with smiles visible on their faces. They didn't even notice that their hands were still together. Probably too busy enjoying each other's company.

~END OF FLASHBACK~

"How could I forget? It's hard not to miss a goofball like yourself," Lucy answered, pushing Natsu lightly on the arm. Natsu felt touched by her words. It may be taken as an insult, but Natsu knew better. Lucy loved how silly he could be sometimes. She never wanted him to lose sight of that.

"I'm sorry, you know, about everything I've done." Lucy was puzzled by Natsu's apologize, but that was until she saw him pulling out her diary from his own backpack. Angry, Lucy pulled the diary away from him and turned red with fury. She swore to herself that she wouldn't let anyone read the diary. Now that it happened, she couldn't blame anyone, but herself.

"How much have you read?" Lucy asked quietly, as if she didn't want to know.

"I read all the way to the end," Natsu guiltily replied. Lucy slammed her head against the desk. If he read all the way to the end, he must've read the confession she wrote. Lucy wanted to run, but because Gray locked them inside the library, there was nowhere to go. So, she just sat there and didn't do anything. She didn't know what to feel. Angry, sad, hurt? It was all so weird to her. However, there was this one question she had in mind.

"Why did you avoid me?" Lucy asked, trying to hide the fact that she was scared to ask that question. She could feel her heart pacing and her adrenaline rushing. She almost didn't want to know why. What if the answer wasn't what she was hoping for? What if the reason why Natsu avoided her was because he didn't want to be her friend anymore? It just might be enough to kill her.

"I was... afraid. You have been my best friend ever since I met you and the thought of us being together never really crossed my mind. I don't want us to stop hanging out with each other, because I know that if I screw this up, I can never talk to you again and the thought of that scares me." They were just looking at each other, mostly conflicted. Lucy wasn't expecting that sort of answer from him. She was waiting for him to tell her that he didn't like her back or he liked someone else, but he didn't. He was just scared that he may never be able to see her again and that was enough for Lucy to crack a smile.

"Have you ever thought about what I was thinking? Us being together scared me too. I'm happy with the way we can just talk about things and never get awkward about it, but I couldn't ignore my heart racing every time I see you. It took me a while to admit that I like you and believe me when I say that it hasn't been easy for me. I was so confused that I wrote it in my diary, hoping to get some closure, but it didn't." Lucy looked at her diary and turned to her latest entry about her confession. She remembered the part when she talked about how Natsu was going to study overseas and how she may never see him again. Her smile then faded into a frown.

"When I saw you talking to Gray, I got a little... jealous. I thought I was confused as to what I was feeling for you, but it became very clear. You're right, I am an oblivious person, but it shouldn't have to take this long for me to figure out my feelings for you. I know this is late, but I realize now that I like you, Lucy, which is kind of a big deal for me, because you're the first person I ever liked." Lucy couldn't describe the emotion she was feeling. She could, however, feel her face getting redder and her heart beating uncontrollably. Without thinking, Natsu wrapped his arms around Lucy and embraced her in a hug. All of a sudden, Lucy bursted into tears and started crying all over Natsu's shirt. She was happy. Despite the fact that it took him a long time to realize that, she was happy to hear him confess to her how much he liked her.

"You made me cry, you jerk," Lucy said, still crying into Natsu's shirt. Natsu chuckled and wiped away all of the tears that streamed down her face. He could see it. Lucy's smile. For some reason, her smile always gave him an excuse to be happy and he missed that so much. He was this close to losing her and he knew that if he did, he was going to regret it for the rest of his life.

"Can I ask you something, Lucy?" Lucy nodded and Natsu opened his backpack to take out his yearbook. He placed the yearbook in front of Lucy, along with a pen, and had a huge smile on his face.

"Can you sign my yearbook?"

~~~

That took longer than I expected. I'm so sorry for not updating and being a lazy potato. I don't know if I can promise you guys that I'll be able to update soon, but I sure hope I will have the chance to. I may go on a little, tiny hiatus, but I'll be back. Or maybe I won't, but I don't know. Hope you like this one-shot. ♡

~TheKonfusingKK