Title: High Wire

Summary: Lucy always was the smart one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

AN: If you haven't read chapter 416, go read it now. This has so many spoilers, you will choke. And, after you read that and hopefully then read this, pm me if you need someone to freak out with. I don't normally post something I've just written but chapter 416 drove me nuts. Still debating whether it's a good type of insanity or not.

"Ne, Natsu, I think we're being dumb."

Natsu stomped down a guilty flinch and hesitantly peeked over his shoulder at Happy. He chuckled nervously. "Nah, we're brilliant. What makes you think we're being dumb?"

Happy stared flatly at him. "We should've said goodbye in person. At least to Lucy."

Natsu flinched before he could stop himself, the guilt turning in his stomach already drowning out any excuses he tried to make. He pouted and turned away from Happy. He wasn't ready to think about why he couldn't face Lucy right now, nor how pissed she was going to be when she found that letter. He violently shook his head, trying to get rid of the persistent feeling of doom hanging over his shoulder.

Happy flew in front of him, scowling. "You know she's going to be mad. Even madder than all those times she's caught in the drawer with all the lacy stuff."

Natsu tried smiling nervously, only nerves strained it beyond any hope of believability and a high-pitched giggle escaped him. Happy's stare grew flatter and Natsu tried waving the feline off. "Don't worry about it so much. There's a whole year for her to calm down."

Happy scowled at him. "Or a year for her to get even madder! Come on Natsu, I miss Lucy already. I want another hug from her."

Natsu sighed, shoulders slumping. "Look Happy, I miss her already too. But, this is all for their sake! I need to get stronger, before something else comes to destroy Fairy Tail!"

Happy sighed. "I know. But, I was thinking, why couldn't we stay here? Magnolia's used to us destroying stuff, they won't get too mad if some trees are leveled every now and then. Plus, we'd still be near-Lucy!"

Natsu jumped slightly from Happy's shout, the cat already zooming over his shoulder. Natsu yelped and tried to grab his partner's tail, only to freeze when he noticed Lucy's red face and heaving form over his shoulder.

And he's pretty sure she wasn't red from running to catch him.

She smiled serenely down at Happy, who was clinging to her chest and crying that he had missed her a lot. Which was a bit ridiculous, seeing how it had only been a couple of hours since they had last seen her.

Natsu chuckled weakly and hesitantly edged closer to her, half of mind to grab Happy and run for it. He needed a break and she was the only one capable of stopping him. "Hey Lucy."

Lucy ignored him and continued to rub Happy's head soothingly. Which meant Happy was trapped in her arms and it was going to be tricky getting him out. Natsu edged a bit closer, just out of Lucy's reach.

"So," Lucy drawled, her eyes hidden in her bangs. "You're leaving for a year?"

Natsu paused in shock. She was oddly calm about all of this. He had expected tears or rage or hitting or something that was more like the firecracker Lucy he loved so much. Not this...cold creature standing in front of him, talking like they were just discussing the weather and hiding those pretty eyes from him. What the heck happened to Lucy?

"Well?"

Natsu frowned. Wasn't she upset they were leaving? Natsu nodded and mentally kicked himself when he realized she couldn't see. "Yep."

"Oh," she said flatly.

Natsu leaned forward, alarmed. This wasn't Lucy. She didn't act like this, she was much more vio-

Smack!

Natsu's head jerked to the side, Lucy's harsh slap oddly relieving. Natsu grunted, pouting and rubbing his cheek. As much as he liked that she was acting normal again, those dark, dark raging brown eyes were enough to have him quailing. "And you thought that was acceptable!"

Natsu flailed his arms. "I need to get stronger to protect you!"

Lucy's glare hardened, arms tightening around Happy who was watching the two of them with wide eyes. Lucy gritted her teeth, Natsu and Happy instinctively shrinking away from her. "Dammit Natsu, I am not a damsel in distress! And what do you mean leaving to get stronger? I never would have expected such idiocy from you."

Natsu flinched. "Look, I'm going to be going a more dangerous quests, the type you hate, I can't bring you with me."

If looks could kill, Natsu would be roasting in hell right now. Who knew Lucy was capable of a more murderous look than Erza's glares?

"Just because I whine on those missions, doesn't mean I hate them." Lucy's teeth grinding was audible and Natsu winced. Lucy only grinded her teeth when plotting someone's demise. "Now, unless you come up with a reason for why I shouldn't drag you back to the guild and put Erza in charge of keeping you here, you're going to drop this idiotic idea and come back peacefully. Got it?"

Natsu frowned back at her, lips forming a slight pout. "You can't just order me around."

Lucy stomped up to Natsu, bringing herself nose to nose with him. "I can and will until you prove to be capable of making life decisions."

"I am capable of making life decisions!" Natsu protested. "Like leaving for a year long trip. I even stocked up on provisions and cash a couple months beforehand, just in case."

The air around Natsu dropped several degrees and Natsu froze. Lucy was giving of a deadly aura worthy of Mira's and it was damn terrifying.

"What?"

Natsu backed up into a tree, trapped. What did he say now?

Lucy's eyes were hidden underneath her bangs and Happy was shivering from in her arms. Lucy's head snapped up to glare at him and Natsu could've sworn her eyes were red. "You've been planning this for months?"

Crap, did he say that out loud?

Lucy stalked up to him, completely trapping him against the tree. "What. The. Hell." Each word was accentuated with a jab to the chest and damn, were her nails sharp. Lucy dug all of her nails into his chest and something snapped.

"Look, fine," Natsu growled, gripping Lucy's shoulders and pushing her away. "I need to go on a lot of extremely dangerous jobs and I can't do that with you there because you're a trouble magnet that gets into the weirdest situations and then I need to help you and can't think straight and go nuts because of it." Natsu took a deep breath and looked away from Lucy's shocked face, glaring at some innocent tree nearby. "It's not safe for any type of fire mage to completely lose their cool, especially a Dragonslayer, and that was the first lesson Igneel ever taught me. I didn't really think about it until he died but I can't ignore that lesson anymore! So, I need to become stronger which means training, which means away from here-"

Smack!

"Oww! Stop hitting me!"

Lucy huffed and smacked her forehead against his chest, squishing a squirming Happy in between them. "You idiot."

"Hey!"

Lucy smacked his chest and Happy squirmed free, the tickling sensation at odds with the sharp sting and Natsu let out a strained giggle. Lucy narrowed her eyes and dug her nails into Natsu's bicep, trapping him. "Did you ever think that strength wasn't the answer? What happens when you come back and see me in a dangerous situation again? Don't argue," Lucy said, cutting off Natsu's protest with a finger on his lips. "You know it will happen, I like my lifestyle too much to give it up. Strength won't stop you from going nuts again, it'll just add more fuel to the fire. You need to accept that even if I'm not as strong as you but, I can still handle myself."

"I don't think you're weak," he mumbled around her finger.

Lucy just raised an eyebrow. "Then prove it and stay as my partner. We're equals Natsu. You're not allowed to run off."

Natsu pouted sullenly, his lips pressing against her finger, though he did stop fidgeting a bit. Her nails dug into his arm and Natsu stiffened.

"And," she said slowly, eyes narrowing again. "Mr. I-am-King-of-Nakama, what on earth made you think that leaving would make you stronger. Of all the idiotic things, I never thought you would think that. A family is stronger than an individual, you go to one to become stronger, not leave it!"

But it hurts so much more when they leave you then.

Natsu's frown twisted into a scowl and he glared over her head. He tensed, honestly ready to make a bolt for it again but, Lucy's nails dug harder into his arm with one hand and she gently cupped his cheek. Natsu jerked back slightly in confusion but, Lucy followed.

"I know it can hurt."

Natsu's nose twitched. Damn her perceptiveness!

"And I'm not saying it won't. But then you have the good times. And the good times…"

Natsu peeked at Lucy when she trailed off, and all his irritableness and anger drained when he saw her soft smile. She hadn't smiled like that in a while. His shoulders slumped and she beamed at him, all dimples and squinty eyes.

"The good times are the best treasures in the world!"

Natsu's head fell back against the tree with a solid thump. Dammit, he was supposed to be gone before she tracked him down and made sense with her stupid logic and argument. He sighed before letting Lucy interlace her fingers with him, dragging him gently away from the tree and back to Magnolia. He still felt that he would be better off alone but, well, he never had been able to say no to Lucy and she made a lot of sense.

He nearly bumped into her when she suddenly stopped. "What?"

Lucy whirled around and smacked him on the chest. Hard.

Natsu's protest died on his lips when he finally noticed Lucy's red rimmed eyes. "You are not allowed to leave me behind," Lucy hissed. "We're partners, through thick and thin."

Natsu gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Through thick and thin."

Lucy nodded, whipping back around and marching back to town. Natsu heard a small rustle by him and turned to see Happy flying next to him, smiling smugly. "Oh, shut up."

Happy's grin grew. "I told you so."

Natsu rolled his eyes and Lucy looked over her shoulder. "Told him what?"

Happy flew a circle around her head, a visible spring in his, er, flight. "That he was being dumb."

Lucy laughed. "Duh."

Natsu pouted at the two, even if they were completely justified. It's not his fault Lucy had always been the smarter one.

He was just eternally grateful for it.

AN: Eh, weak ending but it is getting rather late and I should be in bed right now. If something similar or better doesn't happen in the next chapter, I'm going to freak. And probably write more spur of the moment fanfiction, which really isn't a good thing.