Final Chapter – The Kiss

Author's Note: that's right, my beautiful readers! It's finally happening! Sadly, though, this is the last chapter. I'm sorry I didn't have a few more chapters. I just had a plan for this chapter, and I was too excited, so I had to get it up. It was fun, though. And don't worry. This is not gonna be the last time you see me. I have my fanfiction filled with NaLu drabbles, and I have two upcoming stories, both are also NaLu. One is called Never Cheat Death and the other is called Destiny of the Stars. Please go to my profile for the details and tell me which one you would rather I work on first, okay? I love you guys. Thank you so much for reading. Your reviews were amazing and helped me get this far in the story. Without your reviews, Shizukesa probably would've been only 6-9 chapters, like it was intended to be. And if you haven't already, please put me on author alert! You don't wanna miss my upcoming works! Hope you enjoy the final installation of Shizukesa Town! It's extra long just for you!

Ever since that storm, Lucy had a strong feeling that Natsu had the same feelings for her as she did for him. And after that night, the rest of their stay in Shizukesa just flew by. And thankfully, nothing bad happened after the little incident at the café. It was a peaceful couple of days. But their trip ended far sooner than either Lucy or Natsu would've liked. Before they knew it, they were already on a long train ride home.

The ride back to Magnolia seemed like an eternity for Natsu. The poor boy felt like he was dying inside the whole time. He didn't know what he would've done if Lucy hadn't been there with him. Thanks to her, the ride wasn't nearly half as bad as it could've been. His head sat in her lap the entire time. It was mostly her smell and the feeling of her hand stroking his hair that calmed his stomach down.

It wasn't until late at night when Natsu and Lucy arrived back in Magnolia. "Yes!" Natsu exclaimed, stepping off the train. "We've finally stopped!" Lucy giggled, following close behind him.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, smiling. "It was fun, Natsu, going to Shizukesa with you." Natsu turned to her, grinning widely.

"Yeah. You know, besides you getting sick and me getting hit the head with a Sake bottle." Lucy laughed and lifted a hand to inspect the left side of his face.

"It looks so much better than it did three days ago," she said, giving him a radiant smile that made the air leave his lungs. She yawned. "I should go home. It's late." She turned away to leave, and Natsu couldn't stop himself from reaching out. No…

"Wait," he pleaded, grazing her arm with his hand. Lucy felt her heart flutter with hope at the sudden action. She turned to face him, looking at him expectantly as she adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. He stepped up beside her. "I'll walk you." The celestial wizard was a little disappointed, but accepted the offer nonetheless.

"Alright." The fire wizard smiled brightly and stuffed his hands into his pockets, elated that he still had some time to spend with her. The night wasn't over yet. The walk from the train station to Lucy's apartment was fairly decent. Neither of them said anything. They both felt comfortable just being by each other's side. It was nice to be in a city they recognized. As usual during the night, the streets of Magnolia were nearly silent, and nobody was out besides the two fairies. They shared an occasional glance, but unlike in Shizukesa, they held their glances. In the very dim light, Natsu's already dark eyes were lightly shadowed, equipping him with a very intense, highly addictive stare. Lucy smiled timidly and switched her gaze to her feet as they walked. A warm smile curled onto Natsu's face. She was so cute.

She walked passed him to hop onto the edge of the sidewalk beside the river. She'd missed being able to do that. Natsu watched her as she walked with her arms out to her sides, a content grin on her face. He loved that smile. He would do whatever he could, everything that was in his power to see that smile every day. The celestial wizard turned her head to look down at him. She giggled cutely at him, earning a grin from the dragon slayer. He turned away before he did something stupid like blush again. Lucy slowed her pace to allow some space between them. She carefully stepped down from the edge of the sidewalk to stand on the same level as him. Trying to be quiet so he won't hear her, she ran up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and jumped onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Ah," he breathed, surprised at the sudden weight on his back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Lucy's smiling face. She giggled again and he couldn't help but play along. He cupped his hands under her thighs to keep her in place and spun around in circles, causing Lucy to squeal and cling to him, wrapping her arms around his neck to prevent herself from falling. He kept spinning for several seconds, laughing while he did. She buried her face into his scarf.

"Natsu! Stop!" she yelled between giggles. "You're making me dizzy!" He did as he was told and abruptly halted his movements, the inertia causing the girl on his back to swing to the side. Unable to stop laughing, she straightened herself up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. Her laugh was contagious, and Natsu couldn't keep himself from laughing along with her even if he wanted to. Their laughing echoed in the empty streets. Natsu jumped onto the curb beside the river and began walking in uneven paces, doing everything he could to prevent her laugh from stopping. Without any warning, he leapt back into the street, his powerful legs vaulting them high into the air. Lucy yelped in surprise and felt her stomach drop as they landed. They were both silenced immediately when Lucy hiccupped. Natsu stopped and looked at her, slightly caught off guard by the dainty noise. She had a hand over her mouth, staring into his eyes with the same expression. She bounced as she hiccupped again, causing Natsu to snort. Her hiccups were adorable. Lucy glared at him. "What're you laughing a-hic!" Natsu turned away and tried to conceal his amusement.

"I'm not laughing," he lied. You could tell just by hearing his voice that he was smiling.

"Yes, y-hic!-you are!" Natsu was trying so hard not to snicker, but found himself unable to do so.

"No, I'm not."

"Stop lying to-hic!-me, Natsu! I can feel your shoulders sh -hic!-aking!" The fire wizard couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw his head back, causing Lucy to back away, as he laughed. Lucy hiccupped as she smacked the back of his head. He leaned his had forward.

"Ow…" he said. It actually did hurt, but he continued to laugh nonetheless.

"Stop la-hic!-laughing at me!"

"I…I…I'm sorry," he apologized between chuckles. "B-But your…ha…hiccups are so…cute! You…you sound like a m-mouse!" He mimicked the noise she makes, causing Lucy's face to flush to a dark red. Lucy huffed and folded her arms, hiccupping while she did. Natsu looked at her, and when he saw the look on her face, he fell into another fit of laughter. "Come on, Luce," he said, bouncing her on his back as he walked. She felt like she was about to lose her balance and fall off, so she quickly leaned forward to grab onto his muffler. "Lighten up. I was just teasing." She didn't respond to him.

"Hic!"

Natsu swallowed his laugh. "Hold your breath."

Lucy looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "What? Hic!"

"Hold your breath. It'll get rid of your hiccups." Lucy thought this over for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and holding it. She held it for as long as she could and let it out as a puff. It was as if she aimed it, because it went passed his scarf and hit him perfectly on the neck. He shivered as goose bumps erupted down his arms. "Did it work?" he asked, trying to ignore the hairs that were standing on end on the back of his neck. Lucy waited a moment.

"I think so."

"That's good." Natsu turned onto the bridge just down the street from her apartment. Lucy looked over her shoulder at it as he walked away from it.

"Natsu?" she said.

"Huh?"

"Where're you going? My house is over there."

Natsu grinned at her over his shoulder. "Who said we were going to your house?"

"But…"

"Relax, Luce. We're just going to the park. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet."

Lucy's cheeks felt warm against the cold winter air. She smiled and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Me neither." They arrived at the park in no time, and just like the rest of the city, no one was there. It was odd seeing it so vacant. "It's so quiet," said the blonde, looking over the park with curious eyes. Natsu smirked and hoisted her higher on his back.

"You scared, Luce?" he teased. Lucy scoffed and glared at the back of his head.

"As if."

"It's okay if you are."

"I'm not!"

"You don't have to act tough."

Lucy smacked the back of his head. "I'm not scared, Natsu! Why do you have to tease me all the time? It really starts to hurt my feelings after a while." Natsu stopped and sighed. He bent his knees a little and dropped her thighs, setting her down gently on the grass. He turned to look at her, and was stunned to see her eyes glassy with the beginning of tears. He felt his heart sink into his stomach. He'd made her cry. She folded her arms and looked away from him, visibly trying to hold back a sob. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said softly. "Don't cry, Luce. I'm sorry. It was just in good fun. You know that." Her lower lip was beginning to tremble. "Luce…" The celestial wizard looked at him through the corner of her eye, and she couldn't hold back to laugh. Natsu took a step back, confused. She wiped the tears from her eyes and playfully smacked his chest.

"Gotcha!" she sang. Natsu chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"You got me. Veeeery sneaky." Lucy smiled and walked passed him, towards the playground. She sat on the ledge beneath the monkey bars. Her eyes followed Natsu as he approached the end of the monkey bars. As he got ready to jump up and catch them, a thought hit her.

"Hey, Natsu?" she said.

"Wassup?" he answered, hopping up to grasp the metal bar.

"Do you remember when we went to that bookstore in Shizukesa?" As she talked, Natsu swung himself up to the top of the monkey bars with little effort. It still amazed her how he could do such things and make it look so easy. He easily stepped on each bar, walking toward her.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked, trying to sound casual. He was hoping to never talk about that again.

"You never told me why you left so quickly."

Natsu froze. "Y-yes, I did. I told you it was—"

"I know what you told me," she interrupted, looking up at him with curious eyes. Her tone wasn't at all angry or frustrated, she was just interested in the real reason he had fled that building so quickly, but Natsu felt as if he were a toddler being called out by his mother. "But what you told me wasn't the truth, and don't try to tell me otherwise." The young man sighed, defeated, and lowered himself to lay on his stomach on top of the monkey bars.

"Uh…" How should he put this without sounding weird? How could he tell her the truth…without telling her the truth? He thought for a moment, trying to put together the right words. He must've taken longer than he thought, because she called his name.

"Natsu?"

"I, uh… I was…embarrassed." He looked down at her to see her reaction. She was taken aback by what he had said. Of all the things she expected him to say, telling her that he was embarrassed hadn't even occurred as a possibility to her. She snorted and couldn't stop herself from poking fun at him.

"You? Embarrassed?" she repeated. "Natsu Dragneel, the all mighty dragon slayer, embarrassed?" She paused for a moment. "What could you possibly have been embarrassed about?" Natsu blushed, and thanked Mavis that it was dark and Lucy couldn't see it.

"You," he said, almost under his breath. Lucy's smile slowly faded. What the hell did that mean? He was embarrassed about her? What about her was embarrassing to him? He must've sensed his mistake and realized he just stumbled into dangerous territory, so he started to explain himself before Lucy could start yelling at him. "Well, not you exactly, but… Um…how do I say this?" He rested his forehead against the cool metal, looking down at the ground through narrowed eyes. Lucy could sense his distress, and felt as though she shouldn't push him. He obviously felt uncomfortable talking about whatever had happened that day, and she knew he hadn't meant what he said in a rude way. She'll let it slide just this once.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said after a moment. Natsu looked up at her, surprised to hear those words. She wasn't looking at him; she was looking up at the sky, admiring the shining stars that decorated the thick black blanket above. "You're obviously uncomfortable, and I don't want that." She turned her gaze to him, a mischievous grin dancing on her face. "Plus, I'm pretty sure if you think that hard for an extended period of time, your brain might explode. Stick to your simple thoughts, Natsu." The dragon slayer scowled and stuck his tongue at her, which resulted in a cute laugh from his friend below. His dirty look quickly switched into a smile. After Lucy sobered up, she released a long yawn. "Natsu, I'd really love to stay and talk with you more, but it's really late. And I'm a little tired from that train ride." Natsu sighed and looked at her with a pout. He tried to hide his disappointment, but Lucy could see right through his little mask.

"Fine," he said. "You wanna go home and sleep instead of spend some time with me. I get it."

Lucy giggled and stood up to look at him closer. Her eyes were exactly leveled with his when she stood up straight. "It's not that, I promise," she said, lifting a hand to ruffle his rosy hair. "I'm just tired. We can hang out tomorrow."

Natsu whined, resting the side of his head on the cold metal, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes. "That's too long of a wait."

Lucy's smile softened. He was so cute when he was pouting. She spoke on a slightly lower level, her hand now stroking his hair. "You're such a juvenile, Natsu. You're like a little boy."

"So I've been told. Come on." He rolled off the monkey bars, landing perfectly on his feet. He held out a hand to help Lucy down, although he knew she didn't need it. The blonde grinned and took his hand, hopping down to the ground. Just her luck, her foot landed on the one icy spot in the whole park. She gasped as she slipped and fell back. Thankfully, Natsu still had a hold of her hand, and was able to pull her up and into his chest before she bonked her head on the metal pole behind her. "Whoa," he exclaimed. "You are tired." Lucy looked up at him with a small smile before steadying herself. "Let's get you home."

Natsu felt his mood darken when her apartment came into his line of sight. They arrived at Lucy's house far sooner than they both would've preferred.

"So, uh, I'll see you at the guild?" asked the blonde, clasping her hands together behind her back. Natsu's shoulders dropped. He didn't want to leave her. He didn't want to go home. He never really realized how much fun he has with Lucy until their little trip. And now that they were parting ways, he suddenly felt like there was a pit in his stomach. It was a very unpleasant feeling.

"Uh, yeah," he said softly. He looked down at her. The moon was reflecting in her soft brown eyes, making them shine as she looked up at him. He was finding himself getting lost in her eyes, and looked away while he still had the chance to do so. But now he had a new problem. He was faced with the decision of how to say goodbye. He could hug her. No… If he did, he wasn't so sure he would be able to pull away. He could just say "see ya" and leave. No… That would be easiest, but he couldn't just leave. That would be incredibly rude, even for him, and doing that to Lucy would leave a bad taste in his mouth. So he decided on the lamest one in the book. He held out his hand for her to shake. Lucy looked down at his hand and sighed. Oh, well. She reached out and took it, giving it a light shake. But then…she didn't want to pull away. She couldn't. She took in a deep, shaky breath.

"Your hand is really warm," she whispered, looking up at him. It took every fiber in Natsu's being to keep his hand from shaking. Now was the time. It was really going to happen this time. There was nothing to distract them, nothing to interrupt them. It was just them. Natsu stepped forward. Keeping his one hand laced with Lucy's, he lifted the other to brush her hair behind her ear. Lucy felt a pink blush crawl onto her cheeks. Feeling a blush take over his own cheeks, he dropped his hand and used it to cradle Lucy's other one. Her skin was so soft…

"Luce," he started softly. He took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Lucy, you are the most wonderful person I've ever met. You're something special to me. You're the one person I can't say 'no' to. It's impossible for me to remember my life before I met you. My day just isn't the same if I don't see you." She smiled softly and he felt his heart skip a beat. "Your smile makes my heart go crazy." He laughed. "Everything about you makes my heart go crazy. You're beautiful in every way, inside and out. You're my best friend, and nothing can ever change that." He paused, smiling weakly. "I-I'd do anything for you, Luce. You're all I can ever think about." Lucy shyly looked down.

"Natsu…"

The rose-haired wizard cupped her chin and gently tilted her head up to look at him. He briefly bit his lip. He inhaled deeply to try and calm his racing heart. He couldn't remember ever being so nervous. "Lucy, I…" He trailed off as he slowly but surely leaned forward. His heart was thumping hard against his chest and all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears. "I'm in…" Every thought in Lucy's head vanished and time seemed to stop around them. She found herself holding her breath as he got closer. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his lips barely brush against hers. Natsu hesitated. Why'd he stop? He's so close. Just a little more… Lucy was growing impatient. No. They were so close this time. She wasn't going to let him chicken out now. She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. Natsu made a noise of surprise and his eyes widened in shock. But the shock quickly subsided, and he closed his eyes as he melted into the kiss, eagerly returning it.

The celestial wizard wrapped her arms around the dragon slayer's neck, whilst he snaked his arms around her waist, locking her against him. Lucy tangled her fingers into his hair, gently holding onto the back of his head. She quickly took notice that his lips were searing hot. In fact, his whole body was burning, although she wasn't surprised, nor did she mind. He was radiating a very comfortable heat, and it felt nice to be this close to him, especially in the cold winter air. She could get used to this. Natsu nipped gently on her lower lip. Deepening the kiss, Lucy lightly traced his lips with her tongue. The rosy-haired boy obliged to her request, their tongues battling for dominance. She celestial wizard moaned at the feeling of them being so intimately mashed. Natsu tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her a touch closer, as if she needed to be swayed.

After a minute or two, they broke apart, desperate for air. Lucy looked up at Natsu through her eyelashes. She giggled, earning a small grin from the dragon slayer. "What?" he asked quietly. Lucy shook her head.

"That was just…weird," she said, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"How so?"

"I don't know. I mean, I just kissed my best friend. I just never thought it would happen."

Natsu chuckled. "Me neither. And I have a admit, it was a little weird. But then again…" He paused, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. "I've always liked weird." The blonde held his gaze, feeling another blush sneak up her neck. His eyes were so dark and smoldering, and the look he was giving her made her weak in the knees. She giggled nervously and looked away, unable to look into those onyx eyes any longer. Natsu laughed quietly and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Natsu?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm in love with you, too." Natsu grinned and lowered his head to peck her lips.

"Good." The two guild mates shared another two-minute kiss. When they pulled away for the second time, Lucy licked her lips and slid her hands down to his chest.

"I should, um… I should go inside," she told him, looking up at him with apologetic eyes. "It's late." Natsu sighed and loosened his grip around her waist, lifting his hands to remove hers from his chest and hold them.

"Yeah, okay," he said quietly. Lucy knew he was disappointed, so she gave him one last kiss on the cheek before turning toward her door. Natsu held onto one of her hands for as long as he could without moving from his spot, letting it slip from his grip. She opened her door and stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. The fire wizard was entirely incapable of resisting the small voice in his head. He stepped up to her and cupped her cheek in one hand, and her hip in the other. He pulled her into the sweetest kiss, catching her off guard. After a few seconds, he slowly pulled away, just enough to lean his forehead against hers.

"Sorry," he whispered, leaning away. Lucy smiled shyly and stepped inside her apartment, her eyes never leaving his.

"Goodnight, Natsu."

The Salamander grinned warmly. "Night, Luce." The blonde smiled at him and disappeared behind her door. Natsu stared at the door and sighed. He turned around and began towards his own home. A huge grin formed on his face, and he triumphantly shoved his fists in the air. "Yes!" He did it. After two years – or nine, depending on how you look at it – he finally did it.

All thanks to an innocent vacation that lasted one week.

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