My Roman Fairy Tail

My Return

I hesitate by the narrow path that leads to the hidden pool. I worry that Lucy is angry with me. I haven't visited in a month, because on business. She probably thinks that I forgot about her and the promise to give her a real home or that I up and left for war.

With the aid of some courage, I began the slow walk up. It's just as slick as the first time I was here. I pause outside the hole as two female voices converse. One is definitely Lucy, but the other is new. It sounds feminine, but more mature and very grouchy.

"I have a date, and, surprisingly, so do you," the strange voice says. "How did you manage to find a boy like him in the woods?"

"It's not a date!" Lucy blurts. "I just have a friend visiting. So what if it's a boy my age? I can only assume that his parents are of noble birth and he is married." Lucy sounds sad. I now how hard it is to feel alone. She has her celestial spirits, though, so at least she's not completely void of contact.

I heard a 'poof' and a 'splash' come from inside the cave. A celestial spirit must have been in there with Lucy. I decide that it's time to man up and see her. I suck in a deep breath and let it go.

I duck through the section in the cliff and spot lucy resting on a rock. She smiles at me and dives in. Her head pops up at the bank, where we sat the last time, and she hops out of the water, into her human state. I sit with her, again, and smile.

"Why haven't you come back in so long? It's been a moon cycle since I saw you," says Lucy. "Did Leo find you alright? Was he rude?"

"Leo was ok and found me just fine. And... I really wanted to see you. I just... I had to work so that I can fix up a home. The one I told you about," I sulk.

"I thought you'd forgotten about me. Your wife must think it's strange for you to be gone for so long then leave after a strange man tells you to visit me." Lucy pulls her knees up and hides, then turns to put her feet - er um, tail- in the water.

She begins to leave. Before Lucy can take her hand off the bank, I grab her wrist. It's soft like the silks from the East. Unlike the water, which is as cool like an old, unweilded sword, she's warm.

"You think I'm married? I'm a boy off the streets, with no parents, turned soldier. I live on the edge," I tell Lucy with a confident smile. She giggles at me and turns back around.

"I guess I don't, anymore," chirps the little mermaid. I laugh with her. She has such a cute laugh. She blushes a little and her eyes crinkle.

"Who was that you were talking to when I was coming here?" I ask. She gives me a worried glance, fearing I heard their conversation.

"It was one of my spirits. Her name is Aquarius, the Water Barer. She's like a mother to me," explains Lucy. "She can be rude at times, but has a kind heart if you look hard enough." I am amazed by how much she cares for her spirits. She treats them like family, the way they're ment to be treated. She's an extraordinary person.

"I realize that I never told you who I am. I'm a mage, too," I say with a tad bit of embarrassment. Lucy's eyes widen. "I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer." With that, I set the palm of my hand ablaze in an orange burst. I twist my fingers to create patterns and move it.

I stare at Lucy as she watches in amazment. She is captivated by my fire. I extinguish my hand. Lucy pushes her torso out of the water, bringing her gleeful face near mine, to express her delight with my tricks.

Lucy speaks for only a minute before stopping. Her words slowly die out as we are closing the gap between us, millimeter by millimeter. My right hand wanders to her hair. I tuck a strand of the soft, satiny stuff behind her ear, but I can't stop myself from sliding my hand to the back of her head.

Blood flushes our cheeks slightly red. We're only inches apart. I can see a brilliant shine in in her chocolate eyes. I can smell the sweet scent of vanilla on her skin. I close my eyes, ready for the inevitable.

We don't kiss. Not really. Our lips do touch, but just touching. The roar of the waterfall can't drown out the sound of my heart pulsing in my head. It's torture to not kiss her. I close my eyes for a moment to savor it.

Lucy speaks pulling away from my lips, "Is this right? Should we really be doing this?" I think before speaking. I don't want to stop our special feelings, but I don't want to rush.

"I think we're okay. I have no problem with this if you are okay with me doing it," I whisper.

"Natsu?" squeaks Lucy.

"Lucy?"

"Can I tell you something?" Lucy seems so nervous about whatever it is. I think for only a second before I answer.

"Of course. What is it?" I ask. Lucy makes a funny, mumbling noise and I can see her get a little redder. She looks away, as if she is rethinking her decision to tell me. I open my mouth a tad to ask her about it and she slides to the side. I assume she wants whisper it. Instead, I get a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I think I like you, Natsu Dragneel," Lucy whispers in my ear. Her breath wisps across my neck and I get a shiver down my spine. I think I feel the same.

Out of all the humans she had seen and fled from... I'm the first to see her. I suppose this makes me special. With so little interaction, meeting someone for the first time must be exhilerating. And, from what I have heard about mermaids, a man is the best of prizes.