[Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Fairy Tail world, which is trademarked by Hiro Mashima.]

Paranoia had me changing the rating. Nothing too graphic, but people can be so odd. Also, we're nearing the end. .M.

"I let it go. It's like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let it go, and the river brings you home."

– Joanne Harris [Five Quarters of the Orange] –

.07. His Decision

[Grand Magic Games: Day 3]

"If you are just joining us, today's challenge is the Naval Battle. If our viewers don't remember the Naval Battle from last year's games, the participants enter the water sphere and must knock one another outside of the sphere. Points are awarded based on the order of elimination. Once there are two remaining competitors, a five-minute countdown will commence. Should one of the participants fall out of the sphere during this time, he or she will automatically receive last place and will not gain any points for their guild."

"We currently have four competitors left in the sphere, Gnome Hunters being the last guild to have been eliminated from the sphere. Many will recall last year's Navel Battle, where Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail was barely able to withstand the brutal onslaught by Sabertooth's Minerva Orland."

"Ah. Yes. That was quite the savage beating on Ms. Heartfilia. Medics are standing at the ready should we have another repeat of– What?! Did you see that folks?! Chrisack of Dullahanhead has taken out Scarmiglione's Shibui with a solid kick! The sphere is rippling! That was entirely unexpected! Shibui appeared to have had the upperhand, but Chrisack survived the attack!"

"Dullahanhead really has taken an astounding lead just after crushing their competition in the preliminary games and first day of the x792 games! Will today be just as monumental for them?"

"I am truly impressed by their show of power. Chrisack is proving himself to be quite the capable mage, earning him quite the reputation among the competitors."

"They are shaping out to be this year's hot-hot-hot favourite, even so early in the games. It is truly inspiring!"

. . .

Natsu listened to the steady rhythm of his sandals against the cold hard cobblestone street. The streets were empty as the last chime of midnight run over the slumbering city. He rolled his head over his shoulders as boredom had him yawning loudly. His calloused hands moved from the shadows of his cloak, and he pulled at the edge of his hood while tucking the long strands of his pink hair securely under the fabric. He grumbled as the tips of his hair tickled his neck. He needed a haircut, the voice in his head told him. "I need a whole lot of things," he retorted to his internal voice.

The dragon slayer scowled as the words left his lips. There he was doing it again – talking to himself aloud – and he had to wonder if he was standing on the brink of being weird. Apparently, just being near Lucy was enough to turn him into a certifiable weirdo. There was little solace in the back-and-forth that carried in the whispers of his mind, though it did nothing to stop him from dwelling on the doubts that had him restless at nights. The magazine he had procured days before certainly did nothing to ease his mental anguish. If nothing else, his mind seemed unwilling to do much of anything but think of the blonde celestial mage on the first night of the games.

Lucy sending out her whip with a snap. Lucy dancing while wearing a slim red gown. Lucy sleeping under that garishly pink duvet of hers. Lucy puffing out her cheeks at Happy and his teasing. Lucy tucking the loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. Lucy wrapping his scarf around his neck. Lucy smiling at him with happy tears in her eyes. Lucy reaching out to take his offered hand. His brain seemed perfectly content to play an endless reel of Lucy memories despite how the rest of his body wanted his brain to just shut up.

It was enough to drive any normal man insane.

His traitorous imagination had run rampant that night with vivid images of her. What had started out innocently as recollections of their adventures quickly descended into some of the most graphic images of her – though he did rather enjoy the one with her dressed in the dark red lacy number while she whipped around her electrifying river of stars with the simple flick of her wrist. He had tossed and turned in his mat, careful to keep his grunts of annoyance muted to avoid waking the sleeping exceed by his side. But, it was the memory of their death-defying tumble in the bell that finally had him quietly kicking his blanket off his body as he suddenly felt hot under the collar, and he finally accepted that his brain wasn't going to allow him to sleep. He had disappeared into the forest to train, finding some reprieve in splitting gigantic boulders by a waterfall several kilometers away from their camp.

When he had wandered back into the clearing, the golden hour of sunrise had just finished. Natsu was flushed from the exertion and had been ready to collapse into the blissful arms of sleep – had he not inadvertently woken up Happy as he tossed the blanket over his head. With the exceed awake and already bumbling with energy, the dragon slayer had been forced to push aside his exhaustion and greet the second day of the games.

The day was a blurry haze, and Natsu wasn't quite certain how he managed it. He briefly recalled sitting on the stone surface of their perch high above the games, the stone staff's shadow moving with the sun. They watched the competitions with mild fascination, wondering how any of the guilds involved could ever believe they rivaled Fairy Tail. The running commentary between himself and his exceed friend was entertaining enough to keep him from falling asleep on the spot, but in general Natsu found the entire day disappointing. The games were lacking, not because the guilds were incapable of strength. The competitors just had no heart, and their magic reflected that lack of passion. It showed in their stances, in their strategy, and in their punches. They lacked what Fairy Tail carried in their veins, and it made the games dismally boring.

When he and Happy had finally returned to camp after the second day of games ended and after they had filled their bellies with charred pork and raw fish, Natsu had slipped into his mat with every expectation that sleep would claim him quickly. Clearly, he had been foolish. Once Happy was contentedly purring in his sleep with soft mumbles of Charle accepting his gift, the dragon slayer had slipped away in the dead of the night in search of the blonde.

On the second night of the games, from the safety of the rooftops, Natsu had followed her when she exited her apartment to meet Shirou at her door, had followed them to the dimly lit and intimate bistro where the white haired man opened the door for her, and had followed them until they stopped in front of a closed confections shop.

He had watched as her body barely trembled and her face had momentary flashes of emotion that had his own heart wondering. He had listened as Shirou spoke to her with a gentleness in his voice, and Natsu found himself thinking, with hesitant acceptance, that the man didn't seem to have anything but real affections for his partner. The man clearly cared for the celestial mage. He couldn't quite pull at the reason, but the dragon slayer knew that he didn't like Shirou for that alone. When he heard those words again – I love you – on the evening breeze, Natsu had been sure that the steady thrumming in his heart stopped instantly. The pinkette waited for her response, but when Shirou only leaned in to capture her lips, his eyes narrowed at the large hands that gripped at the fabric of her dress like it was a lifeline. When her hands traveled over his chest with care to disappear into the styled white strands of his hair, Natsu decided that he had had enough and had leapt away without a second glance behind him.

It had been too much. He was sure he had caught the drifting taste of her tears on the breeze, but Natsu couldn't stop until he reached the slumbering campsite. He tossed and turned in his mat, feeling no comfort in the hard ground under the thin bedding while flashes of incoherent dreams had him waking at different stages in the dead of morning.

He woke up with the ever present dull ache in his chest and a headache, and Natsu didn't bother to watch most of the third day's challenges –telling himself that he didn't need to deal with the motion sickness – and chose instead to steal glances at the celestial mage. He felt the familiar soreness over his heart and he wondered if Lucy loved the man who clung to her so tightly. Would she treat him differently now that she had found someone else? Could he even call her his partner now? It didn't feel right not being near her now that he was back, and he couldn't quite answer why he continued to keep his distance.

For the moment, despite his own confusion, it was enough to see her. She had watched from her spot in the press box, happily chatting away with Jason every so often. He had smiled as his mind brought her image to the forefront, her hair bouncing and glinting with the shine of the high sun. There had been moments when she wasn't cheering or talking to the other reporters. From his high perch, the dragon slayer had thought she looked wistful and deep in her thoughts, her chin propped on the palm of her hand as her elbow rested on the railing. He had wondered if she had noticed the lack of spirit and had wondered if she too thought of their family of friends. It was a far-away look, one that eased the ache in his heart just enough.

Natsu glanced up at the night sky as he pulled himself out of his memories, his eyes focusing on the few stars that fought against the soft glow of the lacrima lights that lit the abandoned street, and sighed. It was the third night of the games, and for hours he wandered around the city, opting to remain on the streets instead of leaping over the rooftops as he had done for several nights. His feet shuffled slightly as his body finally felt heavy. "Probably best to head back to camp," he mumbled to himself as he turned the corner.

His eyes caught the sight of a group of five mages who lingered outside of a closing bar. They were boisterous as a number of them blew a puff of smoke into the warm air around them. Natsu straightened though he dipped his chin to keep his face hidden in the shadow of his cloak. His eyes focused on the emblem on a bare arm. Hydra Skeleton. His memory moved quickly, realizing they were one of the guilds that remained near the middle of the rankings. Their voices carried easily down the empty streets, and the dragon slayer didn't need to extend much effort to listen to their conversation.

"Shit. The master is really pissed."

"We're gonna have to do something drastic to get ahead."

"Dem other guilds ain't worth shit, but we ain't doin' what we supposed to be doin'."

"That be hard. Game officials be watching for anything off after what Raven Tail pulled last year."

"Ain't no time to be chick'n. We gotta wipe dem other guilds off the rankin'."

"Don't know man."

"I'm just glad the other guilds aren't here."

"Wa'cha sayin'? Lemme tell ya's. Mermaid Heel's full o' weak bitches. Blue Pegasus' a bunch o' prissy man whores. Lamia Scale's o' weird shits. Sabertooth's had some bite, but dem walking pretty boy dragon slayer 'came guild master and quality control went straight the shitter."

There was a round of laughter that filled the still air. Exhaustion made way to irritation as Natsu's hands balled up into fists, and he felt the familiar swirl of warmth around his body. His steps were heavier as he took steady strides towards the group.

"Whatever, man. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with Fairy Tail."

"What 'bout dem? Dem won the games last year outta luck, that it. Only shitty thing 'bout dem not being 'round is ain't no eye candy no more."

"Fuck. Yes. Fairy Tail's got the best spank material."

"Erza, man."

"Fuck no. Mira."

"Two words: Lucy Heartfilia."

"Shit. Yes."

"Dem tits were the best."

"I wouldn't mind tearing that ass up."

"I bet that mouth of hers is talented."

"With a body like that, money's on her being able to take on at least three of us."

Natsu's fists tightened. His eyes narrowed as he watched one of the men placed a palm flat on the air in front of him and thrust his hips lewdly in front of him. The lecherous laughter had Natsu's anger bubbling easily, his fingers sparking with tiny flames that craved tinder and his cloak wafting on the warm air of his magic. The voice in his head growled at the very notion of their filthy and unworthy hands on any of the women, but it roared with near uncontrollable rage at the idea that they'd dare imagine his partner in such a way. Unworthy sorry excuses for men who dared to think of her as nothing more than an object for their own pleasure. He released a low and audible growl as a need to protect Lucy pumped energy into his veins. His steps slowed as the bar door opened and a solitary waitress exited.

Her eyes widened briefly at seeing the group of mages near the door. She nodded an acknowledgement, her lips tight as it formed a thin line, before she quickly turned to lock the door behind her. Her arms tightened around her body as she rushed her movements, her hands shaking slightly as she inserted the key to lock the door.

The men shared a quick look among them, and those smoking threw the ends of their tobacco sticks to the ground and extinguished the heat with the tips of their shoes. Their faces lit up with interest, their lips turning up into sneers slowly. A few looked around while they quietly tightened ranks to surround her.

"Yo, beautiful. Glad you're able to join us now."

Natsu quickened his steps, watching as the woman's jaw clenched and her body tensed.

"Night," she mumbled as she turned and kept her gaze down. The woman made a move along the wall to escape only to find her path blocked as two of the men stepped in front of her. "Excuse me."

"Hey. Hey. Where you goin'?"

"Yeah. Come on out with us. Night's still young."

"No, thank you." She yelped as a hand roughly gripped her arm.

"Now, now. You shouldn't be so rude. We just want to get to know you better."

Panic quickly overtook the frightened expression on her face, and she tried to twist her arm away. "Let me go!"

The dragon slayer's sights focused on the mage, the lewd pantomimer whose hand gripped her arm tightly. The man was the tallest of the group, his body bulging with muscles and a thick neck that barely seemed to overwhelm the small head that sat upon it. Natsu's feet moved in a steady and strong walk as he neared, and he barely contained the long growl of disgust at the group. He reached the group just as they were able to close ranks even more around the woman, bumping roughly into several shoulders until he reached the giant mage in the center of their circle. There was a beat of silence as the mages stared at him. Careful to keep his head covered by the hood of his cloak, he lifted his chin enough so that she could see his eyes. "You'll be okay," he told her kindly.

She whimpered as she tried to move but the grip on her arm only tightened, fingernails digging into her skin.

"She ain't goin' nowhere." His voice roused the rest of the group from their stunned silence and their bodies shifted to close around Natsu. The pantomimer released the woman into another man's hold and he turned to face Natsu.

His eyes swept from side to side as his head turned just enough to assess their positions. Natsu sensed the shift in the air as the giant pantomimer's offending hand made a move to grip his shoulder. The pinkette snickered as he allowed it, a dark smile hidden in the shadow of his cloak. The grip on his shoulder tightened, Natsu couldn't help but think the attempt to intimidate as cute.

"Ain't polite to interrupt. You could have your turn after we're done."

"Don't you know who you're messin' with?"

"Maybe we should teach him a lesson?"

Natsu ignored the chatter. His head tilted to the side just enough so he could peer up at the giant over the edge of his cloak's hood. He assessed the man's weakness – of which there were many and certainly not limited to the thin weak legs that held the monstrosity of an upper body, clearly the man had skipped leg day – with a quick scan through narrow angry eyes. "Funny you'd say that," Natsu retorted calmly, anger dangerously simmering in his tone. "Cause from my point of view, you need a lesson on how to treat a woman and a lesson on shutting your mouth." He watched as the man's eye twitched and his nostrils flared, and Natsu was ready before the first wave of magic flared into the giant pantomimer's body.

The giant growled, his grip tightening upon Natsu's shoulder. His free arm lifted and his knuckles cracked as each finger curled into his palm to form a tight fist. He threw the fist at Natsu's head while the hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder attempted to pull the man's face to meet the punch.

Natsu's body didn't move, his feet creating cracks into the cobblestones as his magic kept him rooted to the ground and a small crater formed immediately around his feet. His hand flew up to catch the fist before it could even breech the outer edge of his personal space, and he tilted his head to the side briefly to study it. "You call that a punch?" he asked disappointedly, his hand around the giant's fist closing slowly to tighten its hold. The sound of breaking bones echoed against the buildings that lined the empty streets before the resounding scream took over. "Fuck. Ice princess' bitch slap was faster and actually hurt," he mused. There was a momentary pause. "But, don't tell him that. I don't need ice prick getting a fucking big head."

His hand tightened even more, and his ears twitched with satisfaction at the whimper that came from the man. The giant fell to his knees as he tried to pull his broken fist from Natsu's tight grip. The pinkette flashed a toothy grin that shined through the shadows of his cloak, and the mage shivered as a dark aura overwhelmed him. "Now. This is what you call a punch," and before anyone could comprehend what he said, Natsu let his fist fly straight into the man's face.

The remaining four Hydra Skeleton mages watched with wide eyes as their fellow guild member's head snapped back and his body would have followed had the dragon slayer not held him in place by the fist in his hand. The giant, the strongest of their group, was easily knocked out with a single punch.

Overwhelmed by shock, the man who held the woman's arms had loosened his hold. Natsu turned his attention to the woman who stared at the giant by Natsu's feet. "You should leave," he told her gently.

She managed a shaky nod as his voice snapped her out of her own sense of shock, and she slid along the wall past the mage that held her captive. "Th- thank you," she stuttered before she broke out into a sprint.

Natsu watched as she disappeared into the dark, the sounds of her frightened feet carrying back to his sensitive ears. When she was well out of his senses, he turned his attention back to the men who continued to gape at him. He growled, and allowed all the confusing emotions that kept him awake and restless to fuel his disgust for the men around him. "It really fucking sucks to be you," he told them as he dropped the crushed fist of the unconscious mage. "I've been in a really bad mood lately, and I feel like beating down a few jackasses. So," he paused and brought a fist into an open palm to crack his knuckles, "who's next?"

. . .

Natsu pulled the edge of his hood back and let the warm summer breeze to comb through his hair. He stared up at Lucy's bedroom, watching as the hem of her pink curtains swayed over the stone sill. The ever present aroma of honey and vanilla permeated through the summer air. He felt its effects almost immediately, his body easing as muscles began to relax and his mind quieting to a soft contented hum of easy thoughts.

Another deep breath allowed her scent to fill his lungs, and he nearly coughed as his senses caught the musk that mingled with hers. He growled with frustration. Shirou. Yet again, the man was with her. Tension tightened his muscles instantly, and Natsu's body flared with a desire to jump into her apartment, toss the man out the window, and curl up in his bed with his partner. Impatience and frustration had his body eager to move, though his heart kept him rooted to the street.

He brought his hands together to crack knuckles before he prepared to do just that - damn whatever weird thing was happening to his chest - when he looked at the shallow scratches on his hands. The scratches didn't even break skin and he knew they would disappear soon enough. Yet, it was enough to have the pinkette thinking back to the short scuffle. It didn't even qualify as a fight. One second, Natsu had just let his magic flare and it seemed like in a blink of an eye, he was surrounded by unconscious bodies without having had to dodge even one attack because none made it close enough to touch him.

He gently brought a hand to his bandaged arm and his fingers stroked the linen fibers in a swirling pattern. There was a flash of memory, and his heart felt heavy. The thumping of his heart slowed as he thought of Igneel, and the overwhelming sadness, though mellowed with time, made it ache. He had been too late to be of any use to his dragon father; he had lingered too long with Mard Geer and that had cost him. He had been too late, just as he had been too late to save Lucy's future self.

His fingers gripped at the bandaged arm tightly. Lucy. He had been too late to save someone precious to him, his had been reaction too slow and she had paid the price. Natsu growled at himself and he willed himself to stop punishing himself for the mistakes of his past. The world was always going to be surrounded by idiots like the five Hydra Skeleton mages. The world was also full of worse – the likes of Tartaros. Of Zeref. He had left to be stronger, and he had returned as just that. Stronger. Better. To protect those precious to him. The realization hit him square into the chest, his heart thumping with renewed strength – Igneel had been the catalyst, but Lucy had been the reason.

She had been the reason, and she had been enough to push him through the solitude of his training and the grief of his loss.

As he stared up at the window, a wave of determination overwhelmed him. He had become stronger to protect those precious to him from harm. It didn't matter if Lucy didn't believe he fit into her life because he would always be there to protect her. It didn't matter if he didn't fit into this new life because this Lucy was still Lucy. His Lucy. Whatever role Shirou now played in her life, it paled in comparison to his role.

"What you should be asking yourself, Natsu, is who are you?"

He lingered briefly, as the question repeated itself in his mind. His eyes focused on the curtain, watching it sway on the breeze, as his heart answered the question. He was Natsu. The answer was enough, and something deep within him knew it to be true. The dragon slayer took in another breath and took considerable effort to separate Lucy's scent from Shirou's. Sweetness surrounded him, and with the scent of her in his lungs, he dashed off to return to his camp.

He would sleep, he told himself, and the day would begin anew. In two days' time, he would make his entrance and she would be there to welcome him home. When it was time, Natsu knew she would join him. Because they were Natsu and Lucy. That was enough. It was always enough and it would always be enough.