Leaving to become stronger

Part Nineteen

Two weeks after their previous mission, Team Natsu's now complete since Lucy's joined them.

They went on a multiple mission over those two weeks.

Natsu looked forward to each and every mission they took.

But, something keeps bothering him.

Lucy just kept observing them fight.

She would occasionally help, once in a while, when they're on a pinch.

Nevertheless, she just watched the fights like she was calculating something.

She would always suggest where the weakest points of their enemies and her calculations were always right.

Natsu kept having this feeling that she's hiding her real strength.

Natsu and Happy dashed inside the Fairy Tail pub and looked around for the celestial mage.

Happy immediately flew towards Wendy's direction.

Lucy wasn't there.

He walked towards Mirajane, wiping an empty glass, with a frown.

"Mira, do you happen to know where Lucy is?" he asked and Mirajane smiled.

"She hasn't come by, yet. Couldn't you find her with her scent?" Mirajane asked.

"Can't. I mean, I can still get a whiff but it's always faint." He confessed.

"Have you tried to look on her apartment?" Mirajane inquired and the dragon slayer nodded.

"Happy and I did. And, we even waited. But, she wasn't there. So, we decided to crash in the guild hoping she was here. It's like she's avoiding me." Natsu groaned, looking disappointed.

"Yare Yare. Are you two fighting?" Mirajane looked in concern.

"No... Yes? I don't know." The dragon slayer sighed.

"Oh my. If that's the case, this should be your first fight, no?" Mirajane frowned, completely worried.

"How can this be a fight when I didn't even know what we're fighting about?" Natsu questioned and Mirajane gave him a soft smile.

"Why not try to find out, what she's hiding from you? I'm quite sure she'd tell you." she asked and Natsu shook his head.

"I tried... but she wouldn't tell me." He scowled and Mirajane's lip tightened.

"Say, Natsu... Since when did you feel her becoming this... distant?" Mirajane interrogated and Natsu tried to think.

"For a while? Since, she got back?" He stated, unsure.

"I mean, before she left, did you ever feel like she was hiding something from you? Or, was this the first time this ever happened?" she probed and Natsu tried to think, once more.

"No... Wait! Yes, it started when I just got back to the guild, seven years ago. We talked but I knew something was bothering her and that she was hiding something from me." Natsu recalled.

"Did you do something that would have made her upset, before you left?" Mirajane pushed and Natsu didn't know where this was going.

"I don't think so." He stated, uneasily, and Mirajane just nodded.

"I believe you should talk this out with her. If not, who knows? Maybe she'd find someone she could confide in with her thoughts and, before we know it, she's partnered up with someone else?" Mirajane teased and the dragon slayer raged.

"That's not going to happen!" He banged on the table and stood up.

He walked out of the guild, leaving Mirajane smirking.