Tail Of A Fairy

25.

As the women came back the men breathed a sigh of relief. They all loved their children, but none of them could really understand how to take care of them alone. Children were confusing to them.

Natsu was still deep in thought as Lucy came to him. She could see he was burdened by something. As Nashi tumbled towards his mother, she picked him up. Resting her son on her hips, she gently grabbed her husband's hand. Natsu looked up at this, a small smile slowly worked its way onto his face. Lucy pulled his hand, and he stood up a little straighter. His wife was here. His son was here. For now, he was grateful for it.

"So," Lucy asked. "What did you boys do today?"

Nashi wiggled excitedly. "Atlas! Roar!!"

Lucy flinched as he yelled in his ear. "Oh, so you played with your stuffy?"

Nashi shook his head violently. "No, no!" He cried. "I Atlas and Sub warrior!"

Lucy turned to her husband for a translation. Natsu chuckled and leaned over to whisper in her ear. Lucy felt the heat of his breath as he told her.

"We played make-believe. He was a dragon and Subaru was a hero. Gael and Nayeli were high in a tower guarded by the dragon."

"Oh..." Lucy finally understood. Then she asked Nashi "Were you a strong dragon?"

"Strong!" Nashi declared. "Very strong!"

Lucy chuckled at her son. He was so much like Natsu.

As they reached their house, Happy and Freyr welcomed them. Natsu grinned and bolted up the hill, tackling Happy to the ground. Nashi wiggled out of his mother's grip. Freyr flew down to his friend and began to play. Lucy settled down on the grass as the boys played.

Lucy sprawled out under the setting sun and watched as the stars came up. She watched as the constellations of Leo and Virgo took to the sky. She gently traced the outlines of her keys, steadily breathing in time with her heartbeat. As she traced the broken key of Aquarius, her hand shifted. There it was, right next to Aquarius' new key. It had taken time for her to find it, and even more time to make it her own.

Silently, Lucy headed into the house. It had been a while since she had seen any of her friends from the celestial world. And she wanted to start with Aquarius.

Natsu paused as he heard the door open and shut. Happy paused in his pulling of Natsu's hair. Even Nashi and Freyr paused with their fathers. Nashi looked from his dad to the door of his home. Slowly, he got out of Freyr's tackle and stood up. Natsu sat up to watch his son. Happy went and put his arm around his own son.

Nashi toddled towards the door. Natsu stood up and opened the door for him. As Nashi slipped in, Natsu sat back down. Like an obedient puppy, he sat outside the door of his house. Happy came over and put his paw on Natsu's knee, waiting with his friend. Freyr watched from where he was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Momma?" Nashi called.

He looked around the living room but his momma wasn't there. He walked towards his parents' room. The door was open, but Nashi didn't go in. There was something special about that room. Something Nashi didn't want to break. But through the open door he could see that his momma wasn't there. So he moved on.

He pushed the kitchen door. The lock had always been burnt for as long as Nashi could remember. His poppa was a great fire wizard.

Nashi toddled on down the hall to the last room; his room. His little legs worked a little faster as he came into the room. He was quiet, and his momma didn't see him come in. He tilted his head in wonder. There she was, her back to the window. The setting sun made her golden hair look a little pinkish. She was curled over, hugging Nashi's Atlas stuffy. The stuffy's head was darkened. And as Nashi reached up to touch his momma, he could feel the wetness.

"Momma?" Nashi barely spoke.

Lucy opened her eyes to her son. There he was, his tiny face troubled for her. His hand reached for his stuffy and was slowly pulling it. Lucy wiped her face quickly and picked Nashi up. She bounced him on her knee gently as he hugged his stuffy.

"Momma cry?" Nashi asked innocently.

Lucy smiled first as his perception, but then felt the weight of it. Nashi, a mere two-year old, had seen his mother cry for the first time. She sighed. She was his mother- someone who should protect him. Yet here he was, when she was too weak to comfort him, and he was comforting her.

"Momma's alright Nashi. I just had a visit with an old friend."

"Oh." Nashi paused while playing with his stuffy. Then, all at once, he turned around to look his mother in the eye. "Friend gone?"

Lucy chuckled slightly. "I guess you could say that. I don't see her much. She goes away a lot."

Nashi looked down, his round face contemplating. "If friend gone, it hurts?"

Lucy looked at her son, wondering what was going through his head. He was so young, but could understand so much. "Yes, Nashi. It hurts when she's gone."

"Then Momma never go. Poppa never go. Go hurts."

Nashi was a wonder to Lucy. Here she was, crying from loneliness and separation from an old friend. Lucy remembered how she felt when Natsu went off on a job; the hurt she felt knowing he was away. And it worsened because Lucy knew it was essential. Natsu and Lucy were quickly running out of money. It was rare now for Natsu to take a job. Lucy believed her dangerous labor had part to do with it. Natsu didn't enjoy going on jobs as much anymore. He smiled and waved as he left, but Lucy knew her husband. As soon as he turned away, Lucy knew his smile would fall off his face. And the smile he had when he returned was brighter than any smile before that.

How could Lucy make Nashi feel those same emotions?