Nalu: The Siren's Song

Chapter 11

Sparks crackle and drift gracefully through the air along with burnt black ashes as the campfire illuminates the cold, dark night. After a not-so-satisfying meal, Wendy is the first to quickly go off to sleep, trying her hardest to seek rest in such a restless terrain, but Lucy and I are not quite as fortunate as her.
Soft, ghastly winds breeze through the trees creating alarming noises that spook us with every whisper. Shadows seem to melt off the shrubbery, taking on a form and life of their own. And the penetrating darkness surrounds us like a heavy, wet blanket.
Given our surroundings and our circumstances, I am surprised that little Wendy is even able to lay down, let alone sleep. She is extremely lucky to have such trust and faith in her protection and safety to be able to sleep so peacefully as if she is lying down in calm green pastures.
  Even though Lucy appears to be as frightened by our surroundings as any of us, a different reason seems to be keeping her awake as she slowly settles down beside me with a sleeping Happy in her lap.
We stay silent for a moment, just enjoying each other's company. After a short while, she lets out a small sigh. "You know, it is your fault we are here. In a dark, creepy forest, fighting wild animals, eating a disgusting giant wolf, on the run from all sirens- it is all because of you." She says with a small huff.
Before I can even process how to react to that, she silences me by placing a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you." She finishes with a soft smile.
   "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask. "You list off all these things, making them out to sound so horrible then thank me? Man, I don't understand women!" I grumble as Lucy smacks the back of my head. "Aww!"
   "Quiet! You're going to wake up Wendy!" She scolds me and I immediately shut up as I rub my sore head.
Lucy lets out an annoyed sigh as she resumes petting Happy to calm herself down. "You never had to help me, you never even should have trusted me... but you did. And now I am free. Thanks to you I have a way out now and as soon as we make it away from this island, my curse will be over." She says with happy tears forming in her eyes.
   "Oh, that's what this is about. Stop worrying about it, I helped you because I saw something different in you. I saw kindness, joy, sadness and love. The eyes never lie- that's what my father, Igneel, always says."
   Not able to contain them any longer, salty tears pour out of Lucy's eyes. "Now what?! Don't cry, please!" I exclaim as my arms swing around frantically, not sure exactly what to do.
   "These are tears of joy, dummy! I'm crying because I'm happy!" She says with a slight chuckle.
   In this brief moment our problems feel like they are all gone, like everything is fine. With her cheery smile that rivals the sun's own shine, the moment, the forest, and our hearts lighten.
   "Thanks, Natsu." She says as she wraps her arms around me in a secure hug. A toothy smile displays on my face as I hug her back, forgetting about the dark and the cold for that moment.
As her head buries deeper into my shoulder, my hand snakes around her waist comfortingly while my other hand plays with her soft, golden hair. My fingers find their way from the back of her head to her chin as I lift her face up to look at me.
Her chocolatey brown eyes stare deep into my onyx orbs as my thumb gently wipes away her tears. "Lucy, you don't have to thank me. I am the one who should be thanking you. You bring light to my life whenever you smile and everything always gets better whenever you are around. And I can never thank you enough for that."
   We stay in the hug like that for several minutes, watching each other's face closely while holding each other close. Snapping back to my senses, I clear my throat slightly and we part from the hug as I awkwardly stand up suddenly, waking up a frightened Happy. "Uh, we should try to get some rest now." I propose as I find a comfortable place to lay down.
   An adorable laugh escapes Lucy's lips as she gets up next to me and plants a small kiss on my cheek. "Night, Natsu." She whispers softly in my ear.
Before she can walk away, I quickly grab onto her arm to stop her. "Lucy, I think you missed." I say slyly making her flush a light shade of pink.
A mischievous smile quickly replaces her flushed features as she leans in for another kiss. But this time she gives me a quick peck on the noise and escapes my grasp before I can stop her again.
"Good night, Natsu." She calls over her shoulder as she goes to sleep next to Wendy with Happy. A goofy smile spreads across my face as I watch her.
   "Good night, Lucy."