The Playboy of Fairy Tail High

Flame and Key

Again I find myself struggling to open my eyes, but this time it's blinding white light instead of searing darkness that greets my awakening senses. I hear the beep beeping of the hospital machines, and I lift my hand to find an IV attached to it. I'm in a hospital gown reclined in a bed, and there's a tube to my nose to filter my breaths with enough oxygen. I try to swallow, but my throat is dry and scratched.

"I feel sore all over..." is what I tried to say. I don't know exactly how it must have sounded, but I feel like crying at the sound of my terrible voice. If I sound like this, I wonder how everyone else is...

"You're awake..." someone slowly enters my room and pushes back the hospital curtain. "We were worried sick about you. You're one of the last to wake up, you know."

"Ca...na," I smile as she walks over to my bedside, flowers in her hand.

"It's been two days, if you were wondering. Everyone came by, your father even called. Even Lisanna stopped by, just once." Cana sits next to my feet, and I feel my hands unconsciously ball into fists at the sound of her name. "She was apologizing. I don't know what exactly for, since she has a lot of things to work out... but from what I heard eavesdropping, she wasn't asking for forgiveness. She was simply... apologizing."

I feel myself slowly nod. Turning my head, I see vases full of flowers, even random stuffed animals, and a bunch of cards. Cana laughs, "yeah. I tried to keep them from making it look too funereal, but it was pretty hard to avoid, seeing as you're famous." I silently laugh at that. She looks over at the pile of things people gave me while I was incapacitated, then looks to the door thoughtfully. Sitting right on the table next to me, bare and black as night, is the simple, cardboard box I barely saved from the fire.

Cana stands and sighs, "I should probably tell him you're up. He's been waiting outside your room ever since he woke up himself, despite what the nurses said." She laughs and shakes her head. "He wouldn't leave your side." With that, she leaves my room, and someone else occupies the space and seat she left.

"Luce..." The softest voice I have ever heard spoke my name in the kindest tone. My heart and spirits lifted as I saw him smile at me.

"Natsu..." I breathe quietly.

"Oh Luce!" He runs over to give me another hug, this time one that we could both savor.

"I was so scared," he finally says after a while. "I was terrified, actually."

"But you saved me..." I whisper. Natsu holds me at arm's length. "You saved us, Natsu. Thank you."

Natsu blushes and tries to look everywhere but my face. The warm light streaming in from the window hints that it's later in the day than I previously thought. Natsu's eyes rest on the hospital bedside table, and I find myself wondering how many of the things piled up here were from Natsu. Then I remember he was also in this hospital... I slowly look down at my hands, embarrassed that he was hurt because of me. My gaze rests on my charm bracelet, which for some reason the hospital let me keep on.

Natsu reaches past me and picks up the cardboard box. "I thought this was... I thought I... where'd you find this, Luce?" He opens it to check the contents, then blushes furiously.

"I was... getting it from the fire. That's why I was trapped back there."

"For real? So you risked yourself just to get this box?" He asks, surprised.

I nod, "of course. Because you got it for me, right?" Now we're both blushing. Natsu takes my hand, the one with the bracelet, and holds it in his. This boy is so much more than what he seems.

"I wanted to get you something. Wow, that sounds stupid. But it's true. I just wanted to get you something. To show you- no, to prove to you that I realized... I do care about you. Very much. Last night was just another small token of that. So, here." Natsu finishes lamely, but holds the box out to me. I take the box from his hands and meet his eyes. Slowly opening the charred thing, I reveal a tiny gold key.

"Wow," I breathe, at a complete loss for words. Natsu fumbles to pick it up.

"S- see? It's a charm for your, um, bracelet." He clasps it onto the bracelet, and I watch it shine in the light.

"A key," I smile, amused. "Almost as if..." I laugh, my voice slowly returning to me.

"Hey, why are you laughing?" Natsu asks, horrified that I didn't like his gift.

"I love it!" I quickly say. "I love it, Natsu, I really do. I care about you, too. I couldn't help but worry about you during the fire. I still can't believe you did that for me." He takes my free hand in his.

"I would brave a million fires if you were on the other side." Natsu is completely serious. His face, voice, everything. And that's what I think startled me into crying. "D-don't cry!" Natsu widens his eyes, "now what's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just... really happy. Thank you. For everything, Natsu. I'm crying because I'm happy. And I was laughing earlier because you... well you found the key to my heart." I spill out all of my emotions and sigh in relief. Natsu's gaze is intense, but I don't ever want to look away. In one swift movement, Natsu catches my face with his hands and kisses me squarely on the lips.

I melt into the kiss and reach one hand up to the back of his head, running my fingers through his pink locks. This feeling right now, this deep connection, is stronger than anything I've felt before. It's more than I've ever needed.

And now, it's all I ever want.