Lisanna stared blankly at Natsu, her lips slightly parted and her eyes wide in a look of pure awe. She couldn't believe what she had just heard and it was impossible for her to make sense of the stormy jumble of emotions in her brain. After the initial shock wore off she felt joy, longing, disbelief, but most of all, fear. Despite the millions of times she had played this scenario in her mind, she had no clue of how to respond. Eventually her silence led Natsu to nervously prod,

"Lisanna? Are you alright?"

Her eyes snapped back into focus and she blustered nervously for a moment.

"What? Oh... Yes I'm fine... Just..."

She couldn't figure out what to say. Of all the countless words she had learned throughout her life, none could ever match her current feelings. She stood up quickly and turned around, suddenly-and for the first time in all their relationship-she actually felt naked, like an exposed nerve.

"Sweetheart," stuttered Natsu, "I'm sorry if this was all too sudden for you or if it wasn't the right time... I just..."

He trailed off when Lisanna nodded curtly.

"It's alright Natsu." She said, "I just... I need some time to think."

As for the Dragon Slayer himself, he felt nothing but pure terror, his heart pounding against his ribs and his mouth dry as parchment. Nothing he had ever faced before had made him feel like this, not Oracion Seis, not King Faust, not even Grimoire Heart. Had he screwed up in rushing like this?

Lisanna turned to Natsu, "Listen, do you mind if I go out for a moment? I could really use some air."

Not finding the strength to respond, Natsu sat on the bed and nodded weakly. Lisanna planted a soft kiss on his forehead and walked to the exit, wrapping herself in a thick bathrobe before walking out onto the grassy yard behind the house. She instinctively looked to the right and saw the old wooden bench where she and Natsu used to lounge on warm afternoons. At the time, the wood had been freshly made by Laki and the smooth iron frame just wrought by Gajeel. Now the wood was worn and tough, and the iron was turning slightly red in some places.

She had a fond memory of an afternoon the day after an especially tough mission. She had been sitting up and reading a book while Natsu lay across the bench, asleep with his head in Lisanna's lap. She sat back down in her old spot and ran her fingers along the wood. After a moment, she noticed the ring on her third finger and lifted her hand to her face. As always, she marveled at the craftsmanship and smiled slightly when she remembered the first time she'd put it on.

•••

Natsu had excused himself to the bathroom before going to sleep, while he was gone she had slipped the ring off her finger to marvel at the delicate silver work. Every one of the dragon's scales had been painstakingly defined and its face was gorgeous, long horns were etched into the silver and its expression was almost benevolent.

I wonder if the man who carved this ever met a dragon, she asked herself, or if it actually looks anything like one... I'll ask Natsu.

Lisanna's thin white lips curled up into a smile as the habitual warmth she associated with her lover rushed through her. She heard the bathroom door open behind her and she quickly slipped it back on as Natsu crawled into bed and pulled her closer against him. Lisanna's pale cheeks turned bright red as she shifted slightly to get more comfortable.

"I love you Lisanna..."

"I love you too Natsu..."

Within moments, his breath slowed and deepened. Lisanna knew he was asleep but she wasn't quite tired yet. She spent this time reliving the wonderful day they'd spent, her cheeks blushing furiously as she gladly relived their passionate love making. This line of thought brought her back to the ring. Her eyes fluttered open and she noticed which finger she had subconsciously slipped the ring onto. For a moment she considered moving it, out of fear that Natsu might see it and panic.

It's too late for this, I'll change it tomorrow if I still want to.

•••

But she never had...

Lisanna had thought about it many times, and yet never could bring herself to change it. It was her dream, that she and Natsu could be together, never to be parted again. But now she was the one who was scared of what the ring meant, and she didn't know why; she knew this was what she wanted, so why was it so hard to say yes?

Her head ached from trying to answer the question any way she could, the gown was soft, the air was warm, and she felt her eyes slide shut

•••

She was rising slowly into the air, but instead of feeling light and relieved, Lisanna's heart filled with dread and her eyes shot open.

"No… Not again… It can't be…" She knew this lifting sensation, "Anima!"

She span around and saw two images on the ground beneath her that only redoubled her fears, somehow both overlapping but clearly distinct from one another. One was Mirajane as she had looked when Lisanna had 'died'. She was bruised and tattered, sobbing in the dirt as she screamed for her little sister. The other was set in the ruins of Edolas' royal city, once again Mirajane was sobbing on the floor. This time it was Edolas' Mirajane mourning her sister, Edo-Elfman hugged her tight as tears rolled down his face.

"No I don't want to see this!" Lisanna cried desperately, shaking her head, "I don't want to see them cry anymore!"

It was the ultimate torture, being drawn into darkness, reliving both times she had lost her old life, seeing the tears streaking down her siblings' faces like furrows of acid. The images faded away and she drifted into the dark, curling into fetal position as she floated through an infinite void, the deafening silence broken only by her increasingly pathetic sobs.

"NO MORE!"

The scream split the dark like a foghorn blasting over the ocean. Lisanna's eyes flashed open, She was on the floor of Grimoire Heart's ship, unable to stand after having taken a barrage of Hades' power. Gray, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, and Laxus were all strewn across the floor, nursing the terrible injuries they had sustained. Despite this, all were staring at the source of a flickering light that cast all else into shadow. Lisanna followed their gaze to see Natsu on his feet, his entire body rippling with magic, lightning arcing furiously and flames roaring impetuously against Hades.

"What's that you puny brat?" Laughed Hades, "You truly believe a bit of lightning will shield you from the power of-"

The rest of that sentence was never heard as Natsu flashed forward and struck Hades aside with a punch that tore apart a third of the ship's remaining roof.

"I SAID NO MORE!" The words rang out in the air, loud and powerful before he continued in a lower, but even more rageful voice, "You've hurt them… My friends, my family… You made them cry…"

He shot off again, darting away from Hades' magic chain and landing a double handed hammer strike on the dark wizard's head.

"YOU MADE MY LISANNA CRY!" Another punch, "I SWEAR I WILL END YOU!"

Hades was able to catch Natsu with his chains and fling him into the wall behind Lisanna.

"Natsu!" She shouted, trying to crawl to him, to make sure he was alright.

"It'll be alright Lisanna." Came a gentle voice from the smoke, Natsu stepped out and stood between Hades and his lover, "I'm gonna burn this bastard away, along with with all our tears!"

She noticed a single tear slide off his cheek and strike the ground before her. More drops started falling, and within seconds Lisanna found herself sitting at a table and looking out a window at thousands and thousands of drops of rain crashing from the sky. She was smaller, she could feel it, and a young Elfman sat across from her, looking out into the room with apprehension. Lisanna turned to face the noisy guildhall.

Mira and Erza were tearing away at each other as Macao and Wakaba shared a beer with the master and Cana read her tarot cards.

"This place sure doesn't lack for energy, big brother Elf!"

Elfman nodded half heartedly and returned to his book, secretly praying not to be swept up in his sister's fight. Lisanna plopped her head down on the table and scanned the hall; Reedus was sketching a portrait for another guild member, Nab was searching for a job on the quest board, and Gray cheered on Erza and Mira's fight.

That's funny… Where's that Natsu kid? He's usually always here.

Her eyes turned back to the window and went back to watching the rain, resigned to a dull afternoon. As she scanned the cliff though, she noticed a shock of pink hair that caught her eye immediately. Natsu was sitting on the edge of the cliff, hugging his knees tightly and looking at the dirt.

This isn't the Natsu I've seen around the guild…

Without a second thought Lisanna slid off the bench, told Elfman she'd be right back, and rushed to the door with her red umbrella in hand. Once outside she opened the umbrella and walked around the guild, smiling slightly as she skipped through puddles. She got to the back and looked again for the lonely boy in the rain; he hadn't moved an inch. After a deep breath, Lisanna smiled widely and approached him.

"You shouldn't be sitting out here in the rain, you'll catch a cold!"

Natsu looked back in surprise, "Oh, it's you… Lisanna right?"

Lisanna nodded happily, "Yes, and you're Natsu, you really should come inside, I've barely gotten to know you!"

The boy looked back to the floor and furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't want to go back in there… He wanted some peace and quiet…

"You were raised by a dragon right?"

Instantly, Lisanna knew she had him. At the mention of dragons Natsu turned to her with a face like a beggar at a feast.

"Y-Yeah"

Lisanna smiled and exclaimed in genuine fascination, "That's amazing!"

Natsu leapt to his feet, "Yeah! His name is Igneel! He's super strong and he taught me Dragon Slayer magic!"

"Please tell me more about dragons! Can we go inside?"

The boy grinned. "Yeah!"

They spent the whole afternoon together, talking about dragon slayer magic and Igneel, making jokes, laughing, and playing. At the end of the day little Lisanna was so tuckered out that Mirajane carried her all the way home and tucked her into bed.

As Mira wrapped her little sister up tight, the little girl asked, "Mira can I go play with Natsu tomorrow if the rain stops? Please?"

"Why would you want to play with one of stink Erza's groupies?" the big sister teased with a soft smile, which, at the time, she reserved only for her siblings.

"I really like him…" muttered Lisanna as she drifted to sleep, "He's really very nice and funny deep down."

Mira kissed her sister on the forehead, "Then go play with him, but don't come to me if you get cooties!"

As the door closed and Lisanna fell slowly asleep, she heard Mira's muffled voice through the door, "Well Elf, it seems our baby sister has a crush."

Lisanna was still smiling the next morning…

•••

And she awoke with that smile too her eyes fluttering open and warm memories flooded her heart. She was in bed, still in her gown from last night. Natsu must have carried her in while she slept, but he wasn't in the room now. Lisanna stood up and walked to the stairs, when she reached the bottom she looked outside and saw Natsu gazing over the field, his back to the door. Lisanna walked up behind him. It was obvious, truly there had never been any question, but Lisanna had been so terrified of losing her old life again that she couldn't take the step into the future, now she knew for sure.

She wasn't losing her old life at all, because she still had him.

Her arms wrapped around his waist, her forehead pressed against his back, and he laid a hand softly on her own.

"Lisanna, you're up, how did you sl-"

"Yes"

"What?"

"Yes Natsu."

Without a single word, he turned in her arms and pulled her in close, his lips resting against hers.