Hiya and welcome to chapter nine! :D Sorry for the long wait. I know some of you were asking if I'd ever update lol! Just btw the answer will always be a big yes! I know I have it written at the top of my profile page, but I will finish all stories I've started, no matter how long it takes! :D

I've just been sort of arguing with myself about what to include in each chapter, and life is unfortunately a little time-consuming too. It's like it doesn't know I have fanfiction to write or something. Psht. Life. So unaware. XD

Anyway, ignore my silly rambles and enjoy! :D

Chapter 9: The Business Trip

As far as sleep went, Lucy was positive she was hardly getting any. At least, way less than she should be. Ever since finding that key on her bed, and visiting Natsu, she'd only gotten one good night's rest. The others? She was either wide awake and staring at the ceiling, or kept in a light and fitful sleep as she had fast-paced and confusing dreams one after another. And honestly, she felt as if the insomnia was catching up to her.

And so when there was a light knock on her door at around six in the morning, she wasn't exactly thrilled. "Go away," she grumbled. "Just five more… hours." Maybe if she stayed in bed long enough her brain would get the message that she'd like to fall sleep for a bit.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lucy, but I really do have to wake you." Virgo opened the door a crack, peering through hesitantly as if she expected Lucy to chuck a shoe at her to get her to leave. Lucy instead pulled the covers over her head.

"Please, I'm so tired," Lucy whined. Stupid Natsu, keeping her up at night talking and then giving her brain so much to think about she couldn't sleep afterwards. He'd pay for this somehow.

Virgo paused. "Are you alright, Miss Lucy? You've been looking rather tired lately…" So Lucy had been right: people were starting to catch on that she wasn't exactly resting well. Ohwell, she could blame it on something else like nightmares if anyone asked –which wasn't exactly untrue- and they would probably nod and give her her space.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she grumbled. "Just… a lot on my mind." She figured she could tell Virgo that much at least. The maid was rather sharp; she'd probably catch on that it had something to do with the key and not ask further. Lucy was right.

Virgo cleared her throat. "Alright, and if it was up to me I'd let you sleep as long as you'd like, but your father wants to see you in his office."

Any remnants of sleepiness that plagued Lucy were immediately thrown out the window. Her eyes shot wide open as she flew up to sit straight in bed. "He what?" she swallowed, staring at Virgo as if she'd just seen a ghost.

The maid blinked, obviously taken by surprise by her reaction. "H-He said he'd like to see you in his office." It was something that normally Lucy would've grumbled at before trudging down the hallway to see what he wanted. But this time…

Oh god he'd found out. She'd dillydallied a little bit the past night in coming up from seeing Natsu. Granted, she hadn't waited too long and she hadn't seen or heard her father, but that didn't mean he hadn't seen or heard her. What if he'd found out? What if he'd seen her coming from the greenhouse and knew she'd found out about Natsu? She still didn't know really any of the details of the situation but she still got the feeling that having Jude know she knew… well it just wasn't exactly a good thing. The way Virgo had stressed his secrecy over the keys had really convinced Lucy of that. Well that, and the fact that Natsu seemed tense over how quickly she moved in leaving to avoid Jude.

Oh god he knew. What would he do? Lucy knew her father wasn't exactly violent. He wouldn't lay a hand on her but… she honestly didn't know what he'd do. But by the slowly forming pit in her stomach she knew she didn't exactly want to find out. He could be a terrifying man when he wanted to be. And now that she knew he had some prisoner? It really sent a chill through her veins.

Lucy felt the blood drain from her face and Virgo shuffled inside. "Miss Lucy, are you sure you're alright?" she looked beyond worried.

"Y-yeah," Lucy nodded stiffly. Yes, she was fine. She was overthinking this. He could be calling for any reason… But then again he hardly ever called her to his office, let alone in the morning when he was usually so busy with work he couldn't even take time to eat breakfast. This was something important… He'd definitely found her out.

There was no way she could go and see him. She could fake being sick… or maybe she wouldn't have to fake it as her sinking stomach was already making her rather nauseous.

She heard a light ruffle and spotted Happy slowly crawling out from underneath her bed. He'd spent every single night since they'd met under there. He stretched lazily, yawning and looking up at her with a questioning gaze. He didn't seem worried.

"Miss Lucy?" Virgo grabbed onto her shoulders and shook her lightly.

Lucy slowly tore her eyes from the cat and back to her maid. "Really, I'm fine," she said slowly. If Happy wasn't worried… surely she didn't need to be. She swore that cat picked up on everything, and surely if Jude had found out, there'd be a whole storm of things coming her way, and surely the cat would at least pick up on that. He seemed to be quite in the know.

She took a deep breath and somehow forced her legs to swing over the side of her bed. Yes, she was fine. Assuming things was the absolute worst thing she could do right now. She'd felt so secretive since she'd received the key, as if she was walking on glass that could shatter at any moment. She'd never really kept a secret before in her life, mainly because she hadn't needed to. But surely she wasn't so bad at keeping them that he'd found out just from how she was acting, and hopefully he hadn't seen or heard her step out at night. And even if he did… he loved her. He wouldn't do anything too rash. At least she hoped so, anyway.

She watched as Happy sat down and curled his tail around him, tilting his head as if confused as to why she was so worked up. He'd be there, too. And while yeah he was just a cat, he was somehow slowly bringing her comfort, as if he was her small little security blanket. …Man, she really needed to get it together.

She stood up, glancing back at Virgo with a smile that she hoped didn't look too forced. "Let him know I'll be right there."

Virgo frowned before shaking her head. "I'm worried about you, Miss Lucy." She looked to the doorway before bringing her voice down to a whisper. "I don't know what you found out about that key, but it's really taking a toll on you… at least your sleep, anyway. I really did advise you not to look into it." She tsked and brushed out the wrinkles in her dress. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Lucy's smile turned more genuine. Virgo really did care, which was also a little comforting. "Yeah, I will. And I'm fine, I promise, my head's just a little cluttered is all."

Virgo shrugged, rolling her eyes as if she knew it was more than that, but didn't want to push for answers. "Alright, I'll go tell him." With that she sauntered out, shutting the door with a light click behind her.

Lucy watched the door handle for a moment, her mind traveling back to her conversation with Natsu the past night. Jude hadn't done anything wrong in putting him down there. She needed to remember that. It would put her more at ease when talking to him.

Happy let out a tiny cough again as she halfheartedly grabbed a pair of clothes out of her closet. She looked down to him, pulling a tank top over her head. He looked worried. "Are you worried about me?" she feigned surprise. He'd scratched her, hissed at her, smacked her, and many other kinds of abuse not only when she'd given him his bath but also when she'd tried to go out into the hallway the past week, but now he looked concerned. At least he cared; although she still wasn't sure that he wasn't bipolar. Maybe if he didn't do something crazy in the next few days she'd begin to consider that maybe he wasn't out of his mind.

Happy rolled his eyes before letting out another cough that she took to mean that yes, he was worried about her. Although it'd been sarcastic again, she swore. He had such humanesque facial expressions it was sort of creepy.

"I'm fine," she sighed, pulling on her shorts. "Just worried that Father… y'know… found out I knew about Natsu." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You wouldn't happen to know if he… did… would you?" God she felt crazy talking to a cat like this.

Happy stared at her for a moment before letting out a small meow. It was the first time he'd ever meowed around her, despite being a cat, and it took her a little by surprise. Part of her had wondered if he'd somehow lost his voice box or something since he just let out little coughs. Apparently not.

She wasn't entirely sure what the meow had meant but as Happy stretched and trotted over to retire underneath her bed again, she figured he'd meant in some weird way not to worry about it. She looked out the window for a moment before rubbing her eyes. Really. She needed to stop talking to this cat like it was going to talk back. She could lose her sanity real quick. Talking to animals was the first stage, right? Thinking they were talking back was the second… right?

Wow, she really needed some sleep.

Her eyes flitted to her bedside table for a moment, where she'd stored the key. She'd grown a little worried about having it around her neck all the time, even if she did have it going down the back of her shirt, so she'd resorted to putting it in her nightstand, buried beneath layers of paper and knickknacks. It wasn't the safest of places, but she figured it was safer than having it on her person, where someone could notice it or it could fall out or swing around to the front at any moment.

Lord help her. Whatever this conversation was going to be about, she hoped it was anything but the key.

It felt oddly reminiscent of the day she'd scrounged around the entire house trying to find the set of keys Jude owned as she climbed steps and weaved down hallways towards her father's study. Of course, she'd actually found the keys there… She wondered if they were still underneath his desk. There was an odd sense of accomplishment in knowing that she had actually found them, although she hoped that he hadn't noticed they were in a different position or angle or something… Surely he would've addressed her about it before now, if so.

She didn't let herself pause in front of the door, knowing that her nerves and her spiraling thoughts would just get the best of her and she'd be a mess when she finally made it inside to talk to him. So instead she turned the handle and barged in without any warning. She knew she was supposed to knock, but she was really afraid she wouldn't have the courage if she even paused for even a moment.

Jude looked vaguely surprised, glancing up from the paper he was scribbling on as she appeared in the doorway. Lucy swallowed, her eyes flickering to anywhere but her father. He was a very intimidating man and he let off a very unapproachable aura. Not to mention that his office was still as dim as ever, and also not very inviting. He really needed to turn on a brighter light; it was like living in a coffin.

He gestured for her to come stand in front of his desk as he quickly capped his pen and straightened the stack of papers.

Lucy was positive she looked strikingly like a robot as she hobbled inside, forcing her legs to move every step. 'Act normal,' she kept telling herself. He probably just wanted to talk about… She didn't know what he could possibly want to talk about. Maybe he was going on a business trip or something. She stood straight as a soldier in front of his desk, staring down at him and trying not to let her hands shake.

Her eyes wandered down to his desk. That's where the keys were… just beneath the wooden surface… She swore she could almost feel the box underneath his desk. Her eyes snapped back up to his. Don't look at them, idiot. How suspicious would that be?

Jude gave her an odd glance before clearing his throat. "Lucy, I have a couple things I'd like to discuss with you."

She gave a stiff nod. There was no way she was going to answer him. She was positive her voice would be so shaky it would give her away. She wasn't as nervous as she had been when Virgo had first entered her room, but her heart was still pounding in anticipation. Seriously, she couldn't think of anything he'd want to talk to her about unless he had found out about her key and Natsu… She gritted her teeth.

Jude's eyebrows pinched and she could tell he felt something was off. However, the good thing about her father's chilly personality was that he didn't ask questions like, "Are you alright" or "What's wrong".

"Do you remember our trip to Era?"

She was caught off guard, faltering for a minute, squinting her eyes as she began to think. Era? Oh yeah, that's right, she had gone there for a meeting with her father. They'd met with a rather nice man, although she'd been so lost in thought over her key she hadn't heard much –if any- of the meeting. Ooh, she hoped he didn't expect her to remember anything specific. "Yes, I do."

Jude nodded, as if proud she could recall it. "Then you'll also remember there was talk of a trade with Rowan?"

Rowan… oh right, that'd been the man's name. It all came slowly back to her. At the end of the meeting Rowan had asked if the trade was still on and her father had said it was… or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, there had indeed been talk of a trade. She'd asked Jude about it when they'd gotten in the car to return home, but he'd told her she didn't need to worry about it yet. Although, then he'd said something about it keeping her busy or entertained or something… which felt a little ominous. "Y-yes," she said. "Although, I don't believe I was told what the trade entailed."

Jude nodded. "No, I don't believe you were either. Which honestly isn't too important." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Lucy your studies will be resuming on Monday. I presume you knew that?"

Lucy blinked. Right, her schooling. She'd been so preoccupied with all the clutter involving Natsu and the key it was like she was suddenly living in her own little world. In fact, daily living hadn't even been crossing her mind at all lately. She'd wandered around the house, eaten meals at the table and whatnot, but her mind had been completely elsewhere. It was approaching the second week in August, which was when her studies usually resumed from summer. Normally she would've known that they would start back up on the second week's Monday, but honestly, that'd been the last thing on her mind.

She stiffly nodded. "Y-yeah, I knew that," she said, looking to the side and trying her best not to let out an awkward laugh.

Jude seemed not to notice. "Good, then I must tell you that you'll be joined by two other students this year."

She nearly choked on her tongue. "Wh-what?!" She'd been homeschooled since she was five, and never had there ever been any talk of private schools or any alternative learning. Jude hired what he considered as the best teachers, or rather teacher, which Lucy thought was the teacher from hell -although her methods were effective, as she swore she remembered every mundane fact she'd learned since before she was even tall enough to look out the window. Lucy'd just assumed she would continue to be tutored by herself for the remainder of her time. Hell, she figured Jude would probably hire a college professor once she was done with traditional schooling to teach her after that, just to keep her close to the family business.

Jude nodded. "The trade Rowan and I were speaking of involves two of his sons."

Oh dear lord. Lucy tried her best not to roll her eyes. Of course, it was this again. Her father was quite adamant about finding a man that was "too her liking" and also competent enough to take over the Heartfilia business when he retired. Ugh. She'd hoped he would finally let it go for a while.

At least he wasn't forcing her into anything, she guessed. He never told her who he wanted her to marry, or date, or whatever he was hoping for, rather just introduced her and hoped she'd hit it off with whatever boy he'd chosen that time.

It appeared he'd picked up on her exasperation. "Give them a chance, Lucy." He was stern, but not angry. "All they are doing is joining you in your studies. They're your "classmates", if you will. Our trade was simply schooling with you, for a bit of land. But who knows, should you take a liking to one of the boys, they are both quite competent in all areas." She swore she saw his chest puff out in pride as if he was already imagining calling one of those boys his son in law. She somehow suppressed a shiver.

"Yeah, they're just schoolmates," she mumbled. She hated to disappoint him but chances were it'd end up like all the other failed attempts at "finding her a husband" and Jude would be irritated for months. Oy vey.

Jude sighed. "Just give it a chance." He shuffled the papers on his desk before plucking one out and skimming over it. "Their names are Gray and Lyon. The rest I'll let you find out for yourself. They'll be arriving on Monday at eight o'clock sharp, and Aquarius will begin her lesson at eight thirty. While yes, I do wish you to acquaint yourself with these boys, I still want you to take your studies seriously."

"Yes, Father," Lucy sighed. Her straight posture had completely wilted throughout the conversation. At least he seemed not to have found out that she knew about Natsu… which was definitely beyond a relief. Although, this was probably her second least favorite topic. Who knew, maybe Gray and Lyon would be nice and she'd make a couple friends. She hadn't really been introduced to many children her own age throughout the years, after all.

"Also, in around another week or so I'm enlisting another instructor for you, since your… class size is growing." Jude made a face as if he wasn't sure he liked the thought of Lucy being in a class, instead of having one-on-one tutoring. "But you needn't worry about that yet." Jude set down the piece of paper and clasped his hands, looking up to his daughter. "Any questions?"

Lucy was positive she looked like a wilted flower now. Still… it could've been worse. He could've found out about her key. But still… just… ugh. That was all she could manage. It sounded like a lot of work to try and deal with these two new "students" and while she was a little excited by the possibility of a new teacher, taking away time from being instructed by Aquarius, whom she was positive absolutely hated her, it also sounded like a lot of work. A lot of time away from trying to figure out the entire situation with Natsu. Why couldn't summer last forever?

"No, no questions," she sighed.

Jude nodded, looking pleased. "Alright. You are dismissed- Oh, I also meant to tell you that I'll be going out of town for a business trip tomorrow. I'll return Monday night, so I won't be here when you meet Gray and Lyon, but I do hope you'll give them a warm welcome. We want to show them nothing but hospitality in this house." He sounded awfully stern. Jeez, the way he'd said that it was like he expected her to slam the door in their faces or make them sit outside or something.

"Yes, I will." She had to admit her tone had turned a little more chipper at the thought of Jude going out of town over the weekend. Although it'd crossed her mind that he might have been calling her in to let her know he was going out of town, it seemed like a bit of an afterthought after explaining to her what this "trade" had been about. However, this trip might give her some extra time over the weekend to work out some of the Natsu situation.

"Good." Jude nodded to the door and Lucy took her leave.

As she quietly shut the door behind her she let out a sigh, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders. At least he hadn't found out she'd found out about Natsu. She'd said that to herself at least three times since they'd started their conversation, and figured it was what she should focus on. It was the positive in this situation, and looking on the bright side wasn't the worst idea in the world. And who knew, maybe this whole trade thing would work out in her favor. It wouldn't be too bad having someone to talk to, after all… although she'd still much rather just spend her time talking to Natsu.

Her eyes widened at the thought. No, no, no, not talking to Natsu just… thinking about Natsu? Ooh that didn't sound much better. It wasn't that she wanted to talk to him, she just… wanted answers from him. And talking was the only way to get that done.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. Even her thoughts were paranoid. She just wanted more time to sort out the situation. There. That sounded much better.

She leaned her head back against the office door. She'd have less time to think and less time to go down and see Natsu if she wanted any sleep at all once her studies resumed, but she'd still havesome time. Plus, she had the weekend, and she also had today. And today she'd ask him about her key, and hopefully get answers.

At least clearer answers than he'd given before. She felt her lips twitch towards a smile of what she could only place as nervous excitement. Right, she'd get some answers about her key; the key she had somehow grown extremely attached to.

She shoved off the door with a newfound pep in her step, despite the tired fog still in her head. Maybe she'd go get some coffee to wake herself up; she did have what promised to be a late night talking to him ahead of her, after all.

0=0=0=0=0=0

"Hey, welcome back!"

As much as she hated to admit it, going down to see Natsu had felt… normal. It was only her third time descending into the greenhouse and her third time seeing him, and yet honestly, most of her nerves had subsided. Granted, she wasn't quite accustomed completely to… him, and his quick greeting had indeed startled her, but it all felt a little… routine. Oh god, was this becoming routine? It was still just all so… weird.

"Thanks?" she replied, flinching again as the doors slammed shut behind her. This time all of the torches survived the gust of wind, and she swore she spotted a smirk on his face as he looked up to one on the wall. Happy trotted over and sat down near Natsu's cell, quickly delving into taking a lengthy bath.

Even the cat had gotten used to this. She'd only gone down twice before. Down into the floor of the greenhouse, to a corridor where some boy was being held and enforced by twelve doors that required specific keys to unlock. How on earth was she already getting used to that? As Natsu smiled his toothy and innocent grin again, she began getting her answer. Yes, he sort of freaked her out, especially in his situation, but he was comfortable to talk to.

Man, she really had let down her guard. What was wrong with her?

"I honestly didn't expect you to come down tonight," Natsu piped, sounding excited. "Last time you waited a week."

Lucy frowned, shouldering off her jacket. "That's only because this cat wouldn't let me down here," she spat, jabbing a thumb at Happy. Man, was it warm by Natsu's cell. Maybe the air just didn't get any circulation because of all the doors… but wouldn't that make it colder since it was underground? She immediately pushed the thoughts out of her head. Temperature was definitely the last thing she needed to be putting her mind to. "Speaking of which," Lucy said. "Why wouldn't Happy let me down here? He was really adamant about it too."

Natsu blinked before she presumed he shrugged. "It was probably for the best."

She scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Seriously, did he not understand how to answer a question?

"So last time you said you wanted ta ask me about the key?" He'd completely disregarded her question, and as she puffed out her cheeks in a pout she spotted another smile on his face. Natsu just couldn't answer anything straightforward, could he?

He was just so easy to be around, and she felt herself talking to him as if she'd known him for ages, despite basically having just met. That sense of security had also lured her into pouting a little playfully, just as she would've with any old friend, instead of pushing further for an answer. His entire persona was just so easy to be with.

She was also rather surprised that he was getting right to the questions this time. No real introduction, no "hey how are ya" but straight to the point. Which she was grateful for, but also took her by surprise. He'd had such issues with her questions the last time; it was a little shocking he'd be eager to get to them now.

"Yeah, about the key…" It was definitely the first and main thing she wanted to talk with him about tonight. She hadn't even brought down her journal to prompt her questions. During the day, after her small chat with her father, Lucy had retreated back to her room with a cup of coffee and opened the journal. She'd scribbled down what Natsu had replied with the past night underneath the questions she'd asked. His answers hadn't been what she'd been hoping for, but she figured she should still jot them down nonetheless. They had some meaning, after all and if she could get enough out of him, perhaps she could figure out the situation on her own without him spilling all the beans.

"What about it?" Natsu asked. His eyes tracked her movements like a falcon watching its prey as she removed the key from around her neck. She handled it carefully, staring down at her distorted reflection in the glowing red surface. She slowly lowered herself to sit criss-cross on the stone floor and sighed. "You like it?" he asked when she didn't immediately respond. He sounded worried.

"I love it," she said quietly, looking up to meet his gaze. What she found wasn't the playful look she'd last seen on him. She nearly cowered under the newfound intensity in his eyes. She'd seen them burn before, both times she'd visited him, but this was new entirely.

It was searing as he stared into her eyes, his gaze unwavering as he nodded slowly. "Good, I'm glad." Her hands clutched tightly around the key as her heart flew to her throat. She swore her knees would've buckled had she been standing. There was something so powerful about his eyes, his pupils narrowed to near slits as he stared at her, unblinking. Of all the things she remembered about him, his eyes were easily the thing that stood out the most. They were just so… inhuman, in fact, he himself seemed so inhuman, as if taken right out of another world and plopped into this cell. She wasn't sure what caused the change in his eyes, and honestly, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

His eyelids fluttered a moment later and he finally blinked. When his eyes opened again they were cheery and sparkling again, yet still the unrelenting pitch black they always were when they talked.

Well, the two times they'd talked. She guessed she couldn't really say "always" about anything about him. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and relaxed her grip on the key. He could make her freeze with just one look… She moved the conversation onward. "So you gave this to me? As a birthday present?" She still found it a little hard to believe, what with him locked up down here…

"Yup," he chirped. "Well, not me personally. I gave it to Happy to give to you."

She stared up at him. Oh, that made a little more sense. Although, she'd never seen the cat before the day she'd taken him in... "How'd he get it in my room?"

Natsu's eyes sparkled. "He's super talented. Y'see you got a gutter pipe that goes down the house right by yer window. He totally climbed it and slipped in through your window. Y'know you really should leave it locked." Natsu's eyebrows pinched as if he were worried.

"I do leave it locked…," she said, her gaze trailing to the side. Had she left it unlocked that day? She often opened her window to let the breeze in, maybe she'd forgotten to lock it back up the night before or something. It wasn't out of the question. And while she was beyond amazed that Happy had managed to climb some drain pipe up two stories, she guessed it wasn't impossible either. She let out a sigh.

There. This whole situation had to be something like that. Where she thought it was impossible for Natsu to give her that key, when in reality there was a good and at least semi-reasonable explanation behind it. She needed to stop overthinking things. Surely whatever… situation… Natsu was in, it was all explainable somehow, and something completely believable and maybe even ordinary… Although ordinary seemed to be pushing it.

She turned the key over in her hands. "Where'd you get it?"

"I made it." Pride laced through his voice and in looking up to him she knew he was sporting a very cocky grin. Hell, if she could see more than just his face she would've sworn he poofed up like a proud peacock.

"You made it," she repeated, sounding skeptical.

"Yup."

He'd made it. Down here. In there where he didn't even appear to have decent clothing. "Really," she said, raising an eyebrow. "How?"

Natsu's entire expression fell and he slouched so far his face went out of view of the slot. "It took… forever." She heard him grunt, followed by a thunk that she took to mean he'd sat down hard on the floor.

"How long is forever?" she asked.

There was a pause and she swore she could hear him whispering numbers to himself before he replied. "Five years."

She choked. "Five years?! You've got to be kidding me!"

"Hey," he whined. "It's a nice key, okay?"

"Y-Yeah it's a really nice key but… five years?!" She looked down at it in disbelief. What the hell. He'd worked on this thing for five years? Yes, she could believe that it took that long if he was down here without much… material… to make it out of but goodness, she herself would've given up much sooner than that.

"I had to collect metal scraps little by little y'know." He sounded a little peeved. "I couldn't just get up and go to the store." She rolled her eyes. He obviously thought she was somehow making little of all he'd gone through. And she definitely wasn't doing that… She'd somehow gotten quite fond of the key. In fact, it took a lot more effort than she'd care to admit to put it in the drawer beside her bed when she left to go somewhere. She wanted it around her neck at all times. Because not only was it undoubtedly intriguing and beautiful, but it'd been a present, and apparently a "homemade" one at that.

"Listen, it's absolutely beautiful and I love it and I'm definitely glad you used those five years to make it but… I mean… didn't you think maybe you were wasting your time? Just for a key?" There was an immediate scrambling sound from inside his cell and she scooted backwards a few inches instinctively, her eyes flickering up to the slot as he reappeared. His eyes were once again aflame as his hands flew up to grab the small bars, making a loud and sudden boom.

"Wasting my time? Never." It was quiet as he slowly stared her down, and she sensed that that was one thing she should probably let go. Five years just to make a key as a present? She thought it was wasting time, although it was strikingly clear he felt the exact opposite.

She held up her hands to let him know she believed him and would let it go. It was obviously something he was passionate about. Although why, she wasn't sure. What had he gained from giving it to her? She guessed the key had gotten her down here… although in spending time with him it seemed as if she had more of an agenda than he did. She had questions to ask him, all he wanted to know was her favorite color. He was an odd one, that was for sure.

Her eyebrows pinched and she ran her thumb across the key. "You said scraps of metal? But this looks like… glass." She'd thought it was blown glass when she'd first seen it, and even now she'd still believed it to be true. The way it was so intricately woven and the way the light seemed to dance off of it… it was something only glass could produce.

Natsu nodded, the fire in his eyes dying as the conversation moved on. "Well, I started with scrap metal and sorta welded it together and then…" He stopped short and she leaned forward, waiting for him to go on. He cleared his throat instead. "A craftsman never reveals his secrets. But you could say it's like… metal encased in glass or something." Man, he was even being secretive about how he made the key. Was there any question he could actually answer? She frowned, once again turning the key over in her fingers.

Even if he wouldn't answer about what it was made out of, it didn't take away from the fact that it was still absolutely amazing. Something that sort of tugged at her heartstrings… although she wasn't sure why.

"Hey, so we still have the question for a question deal?" The playfulness was completely imbedded back into his tone. Even when he'd been serious when she'd asked about why he was down in this weird jail cell-like place, he hadn't been as defensive as he was when talking about the key. And his eyes had definitely held something much deeper when she'd said she loved it than with any of her other questions. Maybe it was because he made it. Maybe he felt close to it. But hell, how did he make it so it fit so perfectly in the locks?

Right, a question for a question. She could ask, but his came first. She nodded. "Yeah, sure. Hit me."

"Hmmm." He sounded excited. "Okay, what's your favorite animal?"

"Seriously?!" she nearly whined. First a color and now an animal? What were they? Kindergarteners?

He looked shocked. "B-But I thought that was a good question…" His voice died down and he looked toward the ground. She'd been pouting earlier and he'd smiled, but she'd be dipped if when he was pouting she felt as if she'd just punched an adorable puppy. Guilt and regret coursed through her. Man, just one look and she absolutely caved.

"Um… I don't really know what my favorite animal is." He perked up, another grin stretching across his face as he watched and waited for her answer. She chewed on her tongue, thinking. "Really, I don't know. Maybe… a lion? They're pretty ferocious. Or maybe… I dunno, honestly. I haven't ever really thought about it." She hadn't realized she'd never exactly been asked the questions he was asking her, even as a child, until now. No one had ever asked her favorite animal before, ever, even when she was little. Why was that? She'd always felt a little isolated, but she'd had maids and other help who practically raised her, and all of them had cared immensely about her. Maybe they'd just never thought to ask.

Natsu nodded enthusiastically. "Lions are pretty cool!" Was there anything she could say that he wouldn't get excited over?

"What about you? What's your favorite animal?" Natsu's mouth formed an enthusiastic 'o' before he brought a hand up to scratch his chin. Man, he sure was excitable. It sort of made her want to giggle, but at the same time it made her feel like shaking her head.

That was sort of how her relationship was with him, she guessed. She felt two things for everything he said and did. He smiled that smile and she wanted to feel at home, but she also wanted to feel a little unnerved that it was so easy to be with him. He half answered one of her questions and she was confused, yet frustrated, and also a little… afraid. The way he talked and acted they all contradicted each other. One second he was like a cheerful two-year-old and the next she swore he was a wild animal. Everything about him was just confusing and contradicting. Maybe that's why she felt so mixed up inside when it involved him. Maybe it was trulyhim that was making her feel so confused, not her own shortcomings in figuring out what she thought of him.

He was unique, she'd give him that.

"I like cats like Happy," he said, nodding. "Ooh wait no, I like salamanders." He nodded again. "Salamanders."

Lucy saw Happy look up at Natsu with what she swore was offense before he turned around and plopped down, his head on his paws as he let out a series of small chattering sounds that she swore was him mumbling angrily. She smirked. So she wasn't the only one this cat gave attitude to.

Salamanders. And odd choice, but she guessed it wasn't too odd for someone to like lizards. People had them as pets, after all. He wasn't the only one in the world who liked them.

"Okay, my turn," she countered and he nodded for her to go on. "How did you make this key so it fit those locks?"

Natsu beamed. "Ooh! I can answer that one!" He seemed thrilled. "I'm assuming you found yer father's keys, right?" She swore she saw him bouncing up and down slightly in excitement as she nodded. "Alright, well those twelve are for the twelve doors, yeah?" She nodded again. "Well that last one, number twelve, the red one that he has that isn't anywhere near as good as mine, works on all the doors." She'd known that; the little slip of paper in with the keys had said key number twelve was universal to all the doors. She had to admit it was a little amusing to watch him so excited over answering a question though, so she didn't tell him that she already knew. "Well, I just copied the design of that key!" She swore she could hear the 'ta-da' he'd probably said in his head as he stopped bouncing, his eyes wide and happy as he waited for her response.

By the look on his face, she would've sworn he'd just told her something that would blow her mind. In all reality… she was a little surprised she hadn't thought of it herself. "Oh, I see, so you took it from him to model it off of, or something?"

Natsu deflated as she didn't seem as excited as he'd undoubtedly hoped she'd be when hearing his answer. However, his cheerful spirit didn't wane. "Yup, pretty much, but without him knowing since making your key was completely secret. Plus, y'know, it's not like he would just give me the keys." He gave a slightly awkward laugh.

She cracked a smile. Yeah, Jude most definitely wouldn't want Natsu getting his hands on those keys. At least, that's what she'd figured, and what Natsu had just confirmed. She really did wonder what on earth had happened that had her father wanting Natsu locked up so badly. "So you're pretty talented then, with welding or however you made it." Of all the questions she wanted to ask, knowing how he'd made the key was really probably down at the bottom in terms of priority. However, she had to admit with him not entirely answering how he made it… she was becoming more and more curious by the second. Plus, welding? The only fire she saw was in the torches on the wall and she seriously doubted he could weld with a torch. Maybe the welding he talked of wasn't the traditional spark-spewing task she'd always heard about.

Natsu shrugged. "Yup, pretty crafty." And without a missed beat or time enough for her to respond, he continued on. "My question!"

She nodded, bringing her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. "What're you gonna ask this time? My birthday?" It'd been rather sarcastic although he took it as completely serious.

"Ppssht, no," he scoffed. "I gave that to you for your birthday. I know what day it is."

And it was when he made comments like those that the feeling she got from him did a one eighty. She'd been sarcastic and amused, just like she would've been with a good friend, yet that comment… he knew when her birthday was. She had no idea who he was or even what his name was until a week ago and yet he'd known her birthday. Before they'd even met. Not only that, but she inferred that if he'd been working on this key for five years, and it was a present for her, he at least knew of her existence, or who she was, for the past five years.

She clutched her legs tighter and her rocking ceased as she stared wide-eyed at the ground. Yes, it was comments like those that made her heart suddenly pound in what was akin to fear. Maybe he was light-hearted and easy to talk to… but maybe that was all for show. She didn't know anything about him aside from his first name, that he owned a cat, his favorite color and now his favorite animal. He could be anyone. He could be pretending the entire time. Maybe those piercing eyes were the true him that laid behind this façade of a carefree boy. That's right… she didn't know anything about him, or what he wanted, and she shouldn't let her guard down. No matter how much she felt at ease, she needed to remember the situation again.

He was locked up, and it couldn't be for no reason at all. And he knew things about her, stuff that he probably shouldn't have known. They weren't on equal ground. He knew everything about the situation and a lot about her, and she knew nothing. She couldn't forget that.

He said her name, recognizing the change in her, but she didn't answer. "U-um," she stuttered, trying her best to curb her newfound nerves and bring her head back to the current situation. "Y-yeah I guess that was stupid of me to say," she said, forcing a laugh. "Sorry, so what's your question?"

She had to force her eyes to meet his, and what she found was something she hadn't exactly expected, or seen in him before. His entire face had dropped, his eyes deep and sad as he looked down at her. Had he sensed he'd startled her? She didn't take him for the type to quickly pick up on other's emotions or thoughts, especially of someone he didn't really know, but…

"Lucy, I…" He sighed, looking at the ground. "Um… no just… you ask another question." His voice was completely devoid of any life, instead a sinking sadness weaving through his words.

She felt a little bit like she'd punched a puppy again, but this time it was muted by her sudden hesitance. She wished she could find some medium between the two. She didn't want to be all buddy-buddy with him, at least not until she knew what was going on, but she also… she didn't want to be this easily scared by the situation and how much he knew, either. There had to be a reasonable explanation… She didn't know if he was someone she could trust or not, but somewhere in her gut she thought she could. Gut feelings were usually what people were supposed to go on, right? But a gut feeling wasn't enough for something like this. She didn't know whether her life was in danger; she'd never gotten the feeling it was, but sometimes she wondered if she was reading the entire thing wrong.

"A-Are you sure?" she asked, clutching the key in her hand tightly.

"Yeah," he said, nearly inaudible.

The key throbbed in her palm and she quickly uncurled her fingers. It was glowing again, like it had so many times before, pulsing out a warmth that was comforting and yet a little too hot all at the same time. She felt eyes on her and quickly raised her gaze to his. He'd been looking at the ground the last time she'd known, but she found his eyes, watching her intently. He quickly averted them, as if he'd been caught.

Her eyebrows knitted together as the key faded back to its normal swirling red. "Do you make it do that?"

His eyes met with everything but hers. "U-Uhm, I don't know what you're talking about."

She pursed her lips. What a terrible liar. "It is; you're totally making it do that."

"Whaaaat?" He forced a laugh. "Pfft, just, psshht, no."

She felt like laughing herself. He was absolutely the worst liar ever! "How do you make it glow like that? And it's so warm; how do you do that?!" She scrambled to her knees, looking up at him eagerly as a newfound excitement overtook her. She guessed she hadn't ever really taken time to think about why it glowed and pulsed heat… She honestly wasn't sure why she hadn't. It was a key, after all. Keys didn't just do things like that. It was so weird and if he was making it act like that… It had to be some sort of magic trick. When he was making it he probably put some sensor in it or something. Still, she was beyond curious.

He looked back to her, a sparkle of amusement dancing across his eyes for a brief second. She hadn't realized it, but within just a few seconds the entire aura of the conversation had changed. She'd been nervous, and a little afraid a second ago but with just a few words… she was about to laugh, and incredibly curious. What was with him? It was a little scary how quickly he could change her mood. Had she not have been so preoccupied about her thoughts of the glowing key, she would've perhaps taken a bit more time to ponder that thought. He could make her swap from one emotion to another faster than anyone else; she was positive of it.

"I'm not making it do "that". What is "that", anyway?" he asked, a smile in his voice. Ooh he was such a liar!

She scrambled to her feet, walking closer to his door without thinking or hesitating and held the key up on eye level. "You know what I'm talking about. You can make it all glowy and warm! You're totally the one making it do that!"

His eyes were practically sparkling the more she talked and the more excited she got. He cocked an eyebrow and leaned his forehead against the door. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lucy. You've gone crazy."

Ooh he was so full of it. She sensed he was tight-lipped about it, and instead of pressing further, she stuck out her tongue at him. "Meanie." He really didn't answer any of her questions, did he? She was just spinning her wheels coming down to see him… not that she exactly regretted it. He was sort of a goofball in some respects, and she sensed he was a little… ditzy in others, maybe… but he sure did hold his secrets tight. She'd loosen him up, though. She was sure of it.

She watched him smirk, his eyes flicking back and forth to both of hers, holding some emotion she couldn't quite place; although, she was still so curious about how the key reacted, she didn't think much of it. She resolved that it had to be something he'd put inside of the key. Definitely.

He heaved a deep sigh and she raised an eyebrow in question. "These little conversations really aren't long enough," he mumbled so quietly she could barely hear. His eyes flickered to the doors behind her. "I think you already know what I'm going to say, but your father will be down here soon so you better be going."

Indeed she'd inferred by his slightly more distant and slightly rushed tone wheat he was going to say. She also heaved a sigh, bending over to pick up her jacket. "You know, he's going out of town tomorrow… does that mean if I come down we can talk all we want?"

Natsu smiled. "So you did already know about that?"

"The trip?" she asked, slipping on her coat. "Of course I did… Why, did you?"

He nodded. "Yup."

Man… word got around fast. Or maybe Jude had just forgotten to tell her until today. "But does that mean we could talk longer?"

His smile grew. "It sure does. I mean, I don't think you could probably be down here all night without someone noticing but… y'know… longer. And I'll take what I can get."

Something about that made her excited, and yet also a little worried. He made it sound as if these conversations were what he was living for. Something in his voice made it sound that way, anyway, especially when he told her to leave every time… She shook her head to clear it. "Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow?" It felt weird setting a date to get together.

He nodded enthusiastically. "You bet."

She gave him a stiff nod. It felt a little weird to just say "see ya later" and move on. A lot of things felt weird. Probably because there wasn't etiquette for "meeting the boy your father's holding captive underground". She rolled her eyes at her own thought and tried not to groan. Seriously, what had she gotten herself into?

As she made quick work of unlocking the doors, and they mechanically shuttered upwards, Happy already leading the way, she held onto the key tightly. They'd just sort of been joking around about it… but when it'd turn warm…

She looked over her shoulder. "Listen, whenever whatever makes this key grow light and warm… just… thank you. Whenever it's happened, I've really needed it." She thought she'd humor him and his pretending not to know about how the key changed, but she knew. It'd been comforting in a lot of ways, and had brought her peace of mind on more occasion than one. The night when she'd been so confused about it all she was nearly at her wit's end, it'd completely consoled her, and she'd even uttered a "thank you" when it'd calmed her down. Granted, she hadn't exactly aimed that thank you at Natsu, although she guessed that's who deserved the thanks.

He gave her a rather knowing look before nodding once. She felt her heart flutter and a smile grace her features as the key in her hand pulsated heat once again, the shining light it produced barely peeking through her clenched fingers.

And it was times like those when she questioned how she could ever be fearful of him, or the situation, or how much he knew. Because her gut told her he wasn't anything to shy away from, and her head told her to be cautious. But through those moments, she felt her heart slowly siding with her gut, and telling her that maybe he wasn't anything bad, after all.

Well there it is! A lot of things are sort of taking shape and Lucy was able to learn a little about her key. Also the trade from chapter two is finally revealed. New classmates for Lucy, a new school year starting, and a business trip that is going to give her more time to talk to Natsu, woot woot. Yes, I feel as if this chapter/Lucy and Natsu's conversation was a little weird, but it was supposed to feel that way. She's trying to figure out exactly what to think of him still (so she's re-hashing her thoughts all the time), so as that transitions, it's bound to feel a little off. But worry not, it won't continue on like that forever! XD

Okay, I actually do have a couple sort of important things to say though! :D

One- In response to SnaveJ (I would've responded in a PM but I sort of wanted to say this anyway haha) yes, Gray and the other Fairy Tail characters will absolutely be appearing in this! We already have Gray, Lyon, and Aquarius mentioned, but I do plan on having a lot, if not all, of the characters make at least a little appearance eventually! I'm actually really excited for it! :D

Two- I'm loving the questions and hypothesis and suggestions for this story! I've gotten a few PMs even suggesting ways this story could go in case I have writer's block! However, I just wanted to put out there that I know exactly where I'm taking this story up until a point quite far in the future. I'm just sort of a slow writer, lol!

Three- Seriously. Thank you guys for the aMAZEing reviews and faves/follows and whatnot! I am just blown away by how many people are enjoying my stupid little story! Special shoutout to Akela-Nakamura, iamthewerepire, anime4eva222, Pyrinsomniac, fanficlover2014, and AlchemicGoddess15 whose reviews were just beyond amazing! Seriously, I swear every one makes me squeal like some deranged fangirl. XD

And Four- (probably sort of unimportant) I also just wanted to throw out there that I've started another NaLu story called "Up & Down". It's a more traditional AU, so if any of you are just bored out of your gourd and want something to read... I thought I'd put that out there, haha! (shameless self promotion ftw!)

OH my gosh sorry for the epically long authors note. They won't be that long from now on I swear! However the chapter lengths are getting longer... and that should be a new norm.

Anywho, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :D

~Foxtail-chan