Safe and Sound | Nalu

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six: Fall in Love Again
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"You don't remember me?" Natsu said quietly, looking down at the ground.

"I-I'm sorry. Am I supposed to?" The blonde asked in worry.

"I..." He stopped, looking directly into her eyes. His voice wavered as he murmured, "I'm your best friend."

She reached towards him, only to stop as he took a step away from her, shaking his head. He stumbled back even more until he turned around, hurriedly marking his way to the doors to leave the cafeteria.

Everyone stared at him in surprise. Gray nodded to the others before following after him.

"I'm really sorry, but as much as I'm trying to recall events, or you guys from my memories, it's just one big...fuzzy blur," The blonde rubbed her temples in distress. "And the more I keep trying, the more my head hurts. I'm really sorry..."

Erza gently patted her back, a reassuring smile on her face. "Don't push yourself, Lucy. I'm sure over time, you'll remember Natsu and the rest of us. How about one of us just shows you around campus for the rest of the day?"

The blonde nodded as Levy smiled. "I can do it, if that's okay."

"Yeah, sure," Lucy looked at the blue haired girl.

Erza waved as the two headed out of the cafeteria, leaving everyone else. She sighed, looking at the others. "How do you think Natsu's taking this?"

Wendy shook her head. "I think her just being alive has him in a better mood. It's horrible, what happened."

Lisanna looked at the floor. "I hope Lucy doesn't forget about us forever."

Erza nodded. "Well, if we can't get the old Lucy back, we'll make more memories with the new one."

Wendy smiled weakly. "Yeah...but guys..." The others turned to look at the blue haired girl as she fidgeted in place. "I'm really worried about him. Lucy meant a lot to him, and only having her forget him is just...it's heartbreaking."

"Gray's going to check on him," Jellal said. "He'll be fine. Natsu's always strong."

Everyone nodded, not knowing what else to say as Wendy pressed her lips into a thin line before letting her eyes drop to the ground.

She sighed and whispered under her breath, "Not always."

---

"So this is one of our many auditoriums we have at FTPA. Our main one is where auditions are being held, so it's probably best we stay away from there for now," Levy said as she and Lucy walked down the hallway.

"Auditions?" The blonde asked curiously.

"Er...never mind. It's just a school competition thing..." Levy frowned. "Now that I think about it, you signed up for an audition. But I think with...what happened to you...you won't be able to."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Oh..."

The blunette smiled. "No need to look so down. It's not your fault."