This is the last chapter of my story. I hope you like it, and I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read it. :)

Day Seven: The End

"Natsu! You're home!"

"Happy!" The dragon slayer cheered as he jumped from the couch.

Lucy was now wide awake, scrambling to grab the thrown blanket to cover her naked body. When she was decent, she looked over at the doorway to see Natsu hugging a ball of blue fur. He spun around, revealing a small creature with large white wings. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" The high chirping voice said back.

The blonde stared in confusion as she pieced things together in her head. The pink haired man had described his friend Happy to her a few times, and so far the animal in his hands matched the description. Plus there was the obvious fact that he said the word Happy.

The ex-maiden decided to not butt in, letting the two have their moment before asking questions.

"What took you so long! Everyone was worried!" The blue creature spoke.

Natsu loosened his hold on the little guy, letting Lucy see he was indeed a cat with wings. His little blue tail swished through the air in excitement.

"I met someone," the dragon slayer answered, eyes landing on the celestial wizard.

Happy turned to look at the couch, where a strange woman sat. "Hi, who are you?"

"I-I'm Lucy..."

"Hi Lucy!" The blue exceed greeted, "do you like fish?"

The blonde blinked in surprise. Out of all the things he could have said to her, that had not been one she was expecting. "Umm... I guess?"

Happy flew away from Natsu's hold, floating through the air until he landed near Lucy's covered feet. She watched as he pulled a small green backpack towards the front of his body before presenting her a fish. It flopped a little in his hand, confusing the blonde even more.

'How is that thing still alive? And I'm pretty sure it's way bigger than that backpack...'

"You can have this as a welcome present," the blue cat held out the fish to the woman. "I was going to give it to Carla, but I can always catch her another one."

Lucy opened her mouth, but no words formed. She glanced up at the dragon slayer, seeing a silly grin on his face. She looked back down at the feline before shaking her head, "I'm confused."

"Huh?" Happy said, cocking his head to the side. "Why are you confused?"

"Hey Happy," Natsu started, walking over to the couch. "Let's give Lucy some time to rest. We had a long trip over here." He chose not to mention the physical activity they just endured before the exceed showed up. He was glad for the timing, knowing it would have probably scarred his friend to see him having sex with the woman.

"Okay," the feline nodded. "I have so much to tell you about the guild anyway!"

"Let's talk outside," the dragon slayer suggested before turning to Lucy, "if that's okay with you. I think it'd be best for you to sleep, that way you're rested when we go to the guild tomorrow."

The ex-maiden smiled, letting her eyelids drop a bit. "I am pretty tired," she agreed, slipping into a sleeping position. "Wake me up when you get back?"

Natsu gave her a thumbs up, matching his goofy grin. It was the last thing Lucy saw before she lifted the covers over her face. She barely heard the door close before she passed out.

"Luce..."

The blonde grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut and scrunching up her nose at whatever was disturbing her sleep.

"Hey Lucy..."

She let out a small groan of protest before sinking deeper under the blanket. A wet sensation on her neck jolted her away, causing her to snap her eyes open. Her hand flew to her neck, trying to find the source. She sighed in contentment when she realized it was the dragon slayer.

A low chuckle sounded in her ear before another swipe of Natsu's tongue ran along her throat. "You told me to wake you up Luce," he let out a low growl as he felt her body automatically lean into him. "What'd you want?"

"Mmmm," she hummed before turning around. It was then that she realized she was still undressed, so she quickly pulled the blanket up to her chin. A few coughs sounded from the ex-maiden in an attempt to clear her throat.

"I just wanted to talk for a bit," Lucy mumbled.

"About what?" The dragon slayer asked, snaking his arms around her.

"Are you going to tell Happy about who I am... What I was?" She asked, shame laced in her soft voice.

The pink haired man nuzzled his cheek against hers, "I told him what he needs to know for now. I figured I'd leave it up to you if you wanted to tell everybody."

"Everybody?"

"Yeah, the other Fairy Tail members. I'm sure they'll be curious about you," he said, feeling his arm under her start to tingle.

"Is Happy going to tell anyone you're back? It seems like you were really missed, sorry..." She knew if it wasn't for her, he would probably be back home way before now.

"Don't worry about that," Natsu let out a half-laugh. "In a weird way I kinda had fun. Well, not some parts... But I'm glad I was there. And no, I bribed Happy to keep his mouth shut. I'm gonna have to go fishing soon to catch a lot of fish, but it'll be worth it to surprise everyone in the morning."

"You seem to really enjoy surprising people," she commented, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his neck.

"It's just fun," the dragon slayer cringed, "but maybe we should wait a few more days before going to the guild..."

"Why?"

"Happy said Erza's really mad at me for taking so long," he could only imagine the pain she'd bring him for being late. Apparently the redhead and Gray had been counting on him returning so they could take on harder missions, so they've missed chances at making more money.

"I remember you saying she can be really scary," Lucy sighed, not understanding how a single woman could terrify a demonic dragon.

"She is!" Natsu yelped, then apologized for being so loud next to her ear. "She can be really mean when she wants to be. Not to mention that stupid stripper. Happy said he's been telling everyone at the guild I probably got lost! Dumb ice princess..."

"Uh..." Lucy really didn't know what to say to that, so she just laughed, "you're friends sound interesting."

"That's a word to fit them..." Natsu grumbled, already preparing himself for their reaction when he shows up tomorrow. "Is that all you wanted to talk about though? We should really get some sleep." The dragon slayer's arm was already numb, but he didn't mind. As long as he got to hold onto the woman he loved, he was fine.

"I... I just had one more question," the ex-maiden confessed, feeling her cheeks heat up. She pulled away from his warm neck so she could look him in the eyes. "What are we?"

"What do you mean?" The pink haired man asked, noticing the blush on her face. It was hard to see since the only light source was the moonlight seeping in from the window, but it was still noticeable.

"Well... I'm not really familiar with the terminology, but are we together? Like a couple?" Lucy hoped that love meant being with each other and just each other. She didn't know if she could handle seeing Natsu with anyone else. Just thinking about it made her heart hurt.

"Of course we're together," he said as if it were obvious. "I mean, as long as you want to be..."

"Yeah," she nodded, messing up her already tangled hair. "I want to be with you."

"I don't really like labels, so how about this," Natsu proposed a compromise he thought both of them would be comfortable with. "I'll be yours, and you'll be mine?"

The blonde smiled, "I like that."

They sealed the deal with a long, languid kiss. It was unlike any of their other kisses, both taking their times to really explore each other. When Lucy finally pulled away, it was due to a yawn.

"Okay really now," Natsu said, pulling her closer to his body. "Time for bed."

"Who knew you'd be the responsible one," she joked before closing her eyes.

"I can be responsible," he feigned offense.

The two laughed before finally settling into the couch. They shared one more kiss before accepting the sleep they both desperately needed. Besides, they had a big day tomorrow.

The next morning went by in a flash. Lucy and Natsu woke up to a loud and cheerful voice that she now recognized as Happy's. The blue exceed showed up at the house bright and early to make sure they could start their day as soon as the sun began to rise.

The ex-maiden got up easily enough, but the dragon slayer begged for more sleep time. He only got up once Lucy asked him where his bathroom was.

"See... about that..." Natsu gave her a sheepish grin as he eyed the blonde. "...We don't have one... You're gonna have to go outside..."

"What?" She deadpanned, unsure if he was joking or not. 'How could a house not have a bathroom?'

After Natsu repeated himself, absent a joking tone, she asked, "where am I supposed to wash up?"

"There's a lake behind the house!" Happy answered, flying in lazy circles above the two.

"I see..." Lucy sighed before turning to Natsu, "Do you have a shirt I could borrow?"

The man gave her a questioning glance, "what's wrong with your shirt?"

"You..." She remembered Happy was there, so she finished with a whisper, "you ripped it when we were... you know..." Thoughts of Natsu tearing her shirt in an attempt to rid her of it came to the front of her mind, causing her to blush fiercely.

"Oh yeah..." The pink haired man laughed as he stood from the couch, causing Lucy to tug on the blankets to keep them over her body.

The dragon slayer walked around the house to find a clean shirt. The closest he found was one he wore right before he left to go find Igneel.

Before he gave her the shirt, he threw on his one-sleeved black coat, fastening it to his body with a brown belt. All he had left to do was put on his scarf and sandals and he'd be ready for the day.

Lucy on the other hand, took much longer to get ready. After her cold bath in the lake, she dressed in her non-matching clothes and headed back to his house. There they decided it was time to head to the guild.

The oddly-grouped trio walked through the forest towards Magnolia. They wouldn't have a long journey once they reached the town, since Fairy Tail was located near the edge of the forest Natsu and Happy lived in.

The blonde fidgeted with Natsu's shirt. It was a few sizes to big for her, but it would have to do seeing as her shirt was ripped during their little 'session' last night. The shirt's material was soft, and surprisingly smelled like Natsu, even though he said he hadn't worn it since before he left to go find Igneel.

"If you keep tugging on it like that you're gonna stretch it out," the pink haired man informed as they reached the edge of the forest.

"I can't help it," the blonde said, trying to resist the urge to pull at the hem once more, "I'm nervous..."

"What's there to be nervous about?" Natsu asked, oblivious to her concerns.

"What if they don't like me," she worried, "or if they don't want me to join the guild..."

Happy spoke up, flying between the two love birds, "don't be silly Lucy. They'll like you for sure."

"Really?" She asked, glad it was someone other than Natsu comforting her. She was beginning to suspect he was just doing it to make her feel better regardless of the truth.

"Aye!" The exceed twirled before straightening out again. "I do have one question though," the blue feline looked over towards the blonde, "where are you going to live?"

"Huh," the ex-maiden pondered to herself, realizing she hadn't thought about it. "I'm not sure, but I'll figure something out soon."

The dragon slayer shook his head, finally joining the conversation. He threw an arm around Lucy, forcing Happy to fly higher if he wanted to avoid being stuck in their embrace. With a large grin Natsu said, "you can stay with us!"

"Are you sure?" The blonde asked, wondering if that was a good idea. It would let her be closer to Natsu, but would that be moving to fast? She wasn't really sure what the social norms were.

The dragon slayer would be able to provide shelter and safety, and she could help clean up around their house, and perhaps cook for them if they wanted her to.

"Of course I am," he said, a gleam in his green eyes. She noticed the red flickering, causing her to wonder if that would ever go away. Her view didn't last long, because he tore his sight away from her and towards the flying feline. "As long as you don't mind."

"As long as she doesn't take my fish, I'm fine with it," Happy chirped before dropping to the ground to walk beside them.

"You guys don't have to do this," Lucy reasoned, not wanting to intrude on their personal space. "I can find my own place, it'll just take me a bit..."

"I know we don't have to do it, I want to. I can even buy a bed if that's what you're worried about. That way you don't have to sleep in the hammock or couch," the dragon slayer offered.

Natsu's gaze landed on her, making her cheeks warm up. She bit her lower lip before nodding, "okay."

He sealed the deal with a quick kiss to the crown of her golden hair, wondering if that was going to be the new thing for them when they agree on something. "Good," he said, ending the conversation just as they stepped from dirt to pavement.

"Wow," Lucy said when she finally saw the first bit of Magnolia. "It's so pretty."

"That's nothing, wait 'til you see our guild," Happy stated as the trio made their way through the town. It was late in the morning, so street vendors were already open for food and services.

"Hey Luce," the dragon slayer said as they passed through the shops. "Did you want to buy some clothes before we get there?"

The blonde glanced over to the man, then down at her clothes which consisted of Natsu's shirt, her wrinkled blue skirt, and boots. The ex-maiden sighed before shaking her head, "we don't have any money. I spent it all trying to get back..."

"That's not a problem," the pink haired man explained, "I have some money saved up from the house."

Her eyes lit up from the thought of getting into clean clothes, "I promise I'll pay you back!"

The dragon slayer snorted, "don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll make enough on a mission when we pick a job."

"You want to go on jobs with me?" She asked as Natsu tugged her towards one of the open shops.

"Of course," he assured, "I wanna go on lots of adventures with you. And you too, Happy!"

"Aye!" The blue cat followed behind, letting his feet do the work instead of his wings.

Lucy smiled at Natsu's kindness, "thank you."

Thirty minutes later, Lucy emerged from the shop wearing a brand new outfit. She tried to stick with cheaper clothing, but Natsu insisted she get something she actually liked, knowing she didn't have much control over what she wore for most of her life. He was just trying to treat her.

She ended up getting a soft orange shirt, with a red ribbon laced around her neckline. A matching red skirt adorned her body, with red sandals covering her feet. What she was most thankful for was the new panties and bra, though she was unsure why Natsu insisted on her getting a red and black set.

She put the older clothes in her bag, next to END's horn. The ex-maiden still felt nervous, but Natsu once again told her there was nothing to be worried about.

For added measures, the dragon slayer took her hand in his, lacing his fingers with hers for the duration of their journey. Happy help back his snickers, knowing that it'd been years since Natsu acted this way around a woman. It made the blue exceed happy to see his best friend so happy.

Once they rounded the last corner, Lucy gasped. The two males remained silent, letting the blonde take in the sight of their guild in peace.

Her wide brown eyes flitted up and down, left to right. No matter how long she looked at it, it took her breath away. The first thing she noticed was the large gold sign that said FAIRY TAIL in big black, elegant letters. The next thing she noticed was the large, castle-like structure. It was similar to the Sabertooth guild, but this one was more colorful. That, and it didn't give her a creepy vibe.

This guild looked inviting with its playful scheme and excessive 'fairy' logos decorating the building. At the top was a bell tower with a large gold bell hanging from the center. In one word, she could describe the guild as magical.

"Great aint it?" Natsu said, giving her hand a squeeze that caused her to blink. She quickly closed her mouth, not realizing it had opened while taking in the sight of the Fairy Tail guild.

"Y-yeah," she found herself saying, cursing herself for not thinking of something more clever.

"Come on, let's go in," the pink haired man pulled Lucy's hand, guiding her to the large wooden doors to the building. Happy was right behind them, floating through the air in excitement at the woman's reaction once she went inside.

Lucy wasn't surprised when the dragon slayer kicked open the doors yelling, "I'm back!"

The ex-maiden watched as the man she loved let go of her hand before running up to a shirtless man. She thought they might hug just like Natsu did with Happy once they were reunited, but the opposite happened.

The dragon slayer's fist met the paler man's face, sending the guy several feet back before he caught his footing.

"What the hell, Fire Crotch!" The man stood up, rubbing his cheek where Natsu hit him. The man had short, spiky black hair with some of the raven locks forming bangs.

"Happy told me you went and told everyone about Juvia! I thought you were gonna wait for me so we could celebrate!" The pink haired man yelled, steam lifting from his body.

Lucy stared in utter confusion, turning towards Happy to get some answers, but the blue exceed was already flying through the large guild hall towards the bar. The blonde looked around, observing how their guild looked like a restaurant/bar. It was nothing like Sabertooth, aside from the mission board near one of the walls.

She clutched her bag's strap as a form of comfort, noticing some wandering eyes landing on her from different parts of the guild.

"What were we supposed to do?" The raven haired man shouted, "you've been gone for weeks?!"

"We had a deal, Ice Princess!" Natsu stressed, crossing his arms over his chest, clearly upset over the news that he missed out on the party they had to celebrate the union of the ice-make wizard and the water mage.

Truthfully he didn't care about the party, he just wanted to be there to see everyone's happy reaction to the news.

"I'm sorry, but you took too long. Did you get lost or something?" The Ice Princess asked. "How hard is it to find a dragon?"

Lucy grimaced at the question, even though it wasn't directed towards her. She knew exactly how difficult it could be to find a dragon.

"I got distracted!" Natsu huffed, pink tinting his cheeks.

"With what?"

At that time Lucy paled, because Natsu turned to look at her, causing everyone else in the guild to give her their attention as well.

"...Uhh..." The ex-maiden debated escaping, but the pink haired man was quicker than her.

He leaped up in one swift movement, landing next to her within seconds. The cheerful grin that surfaced on his face made her heart flip, then speed up when he wrapped a warm arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I found someone who needed help," Natsu explained, his thumb rubbing against her side in an attempt to sooth her. He could hear her subtle rapid breathing, sensing she probably wasn't ready to meet everyone just yet. It was a little late for that now though, so he tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her.

"This is Lucy, she's really cool and really nice. She's also kinda weird," the dragon slayer earned a few laughs from his guild mates as they studied the new woman.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, his heat spiking a few degrees. His green eyes glared back and forth to all the males, a feral growl escaping his throat. "She's mine! So hands off!"

The blonde let out a soft eep when he tightened his grip on her, showing everyone how territorial a dragon could be.

"You... met a girl?" The raven haired man asked, trying to stifle his laughter. The man turned to look at a woman to his left. "I told ya he wasn't looking for Igneel!"

She had fair skin and long blue hair. Her eyes matched the color of her beautiful locks. "Juvia is happy for Natsu," the pale woman replied, "now she has one less love rival for my darling Gray!"

"What?" Natsu groused, "for the last time! I'm not interested in that Pervy Popsicle!"

The man known as Gray dragged a hand over his face, "Juvia we've been over this..."

"Juvia is still not convinced," the blue haired woman threw her arms around the shirtless man as if to stake her claim. The woman was about to list reasons she had suspicions, but she was cut off by another person.

"So Natsu," a new feminine voice appeared behind the dragon slayer and celestial wizard, causing the male to tense. "I can assume you have a good reason for being late?"

"Y-y-yes... Er-Erza..." The pink haired man glanced over his shoulder, seeing a redheaded woman standing by the guild's entrance. She was holding a long sword with wings protruding from the handle, before it vanished into thin air.

"And what is the reason?" Titania asked, unaware that he already explained since she just showed up for the morning.

"He was helping me," Lucy answered, not sure why Natsu was suddenly acting so terrified. She knew he said Erza was mean and scary, but she seemed fine to the blonde. Maybe a little authoritative, but not someone to coward away from.

"And who might you be?" The redhead asked, dropping her tone to one that was more friendly.

"Lucy," she said, pulling away from Natsu to offer the woman her hand.

Titania took the hand with a crushing grip, shaking her hand as if it belonged to a vulcan's. "Pleased to meet you Lucy, I'm Erza."

The ex-maiden winced, quickly withdrawing her hand to the safety of her chest. "You too," she said, forcing a smile.

"May I ask how you delayed Natsu?" The requip mage lifted a red brow, waiting for the blonde to answer.

"I umm... well..." Lucy really didn't want to answer that question right away. In fact she had no idea how long it'd be until she felt comfortable enough talking to anyone besides Natsu about her past. Luckily for her, Natsu came to her rescue... sorta...

"Hey Wendy!" The pink haired man waved his hand, getting the attention of a young woman with long blue hair. She appeared to be a few years younger than Lucy. "I need your help with something!"

Erza noticed the nervous look in Natsu's eyes, and decided it'd be best to not push anything else on the blonde woman. If they wanted to talk, they'd talk. Until then, the redhead would trust the judgement of her guild mate.

Lucy recognized the name Natsu said, recalling him saying she was the youngest dragon slayer he knew. If she remembered correctly, the girl uses sky and healing magic.

The young woman smiled at him as she padded over. She tripped on her way over, but quickly recovered before giving him a big hug. "I'm happy you're back! We were all so worried!"

"Sorry about that," he said with a sheepish grin.

"It's no problem," the blue haired girl assured as she pulled away. "What do you need help with?"

The fire dragon slayer turned to Lucy, holding out his hand. She already knew what he wanted, so she fished in her bag until she located the item. Her slim fingers pulled out the tip of his black horn. The ex-maiden handed it over, seeing the hopeful glint in Natsu's eyes.

Natsu presented the horn to Wendy, "do you think you could heal me since I have the other piece now?"

"Uhhh..." The young girl gave him an uneasy smile, "I'm not sure, but I'll try my best!"

"That's all I can ask," the fire dragon slayer said. Wendy asked him to meet her in the infirmary so they could try healing him in private since she knew most people at the guild were uncomfortable seeing Natsu transform into his END form.

They all knew it was still Natsu, but his demonic appearance was terrifying none the less.

Natsu gave Lucy one last look, "you gonna be okay by yourself?" He leaned in, whispering in her ear, "you're not gonna leave... right?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice that stung Lucy's heart.

The blonde responded with a soft kiss on his cheek, hoping he got the message that she was fine and wasn't going anywhere. She felt bad that he was worried, but she understood.

She watched as the two dragon slayers disappeared from view, but she barely had a chance to notice their absence because she was quickly ambushed by new people.

"So you and Natsu huh? You're definitely the cutest girl he's been with," the man known as Gray said.

The blue haired woman from before smacked his chest, "Juvia does not like the way Gray talks to this woman." She turned to Lucy with a half-scowl, "you will be love rival number two!"

"What?" The celestial wizard took a step back, frowning from confusion. 'How am I a love rival?'

"Don't mind her," Gray said, dropping an arm around the blue haired woman's shoulders. "This is my girlfriend Juvia. And I'm Gray, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Lucy would offer them a handshake, but she was still sore from Erza's ministrations.

"Hello!" Another blue haired woman stepped up, except this one was much shorter than the other woman, and her hair was only to her shoulders. "My name is Levy, and this is Gajeel."

Lucy glanced over to Levy's side, then up so she could see the tall man beside her. He looked scary with his facial piercing and dark red eyes. Long, unruly black hair adorned his head, ending somewhere near his lower back. Instead of saying anything, he simply grunted, as if the action were enough for an introduction.

"Don't mind him," Levy sighed before pushing the tall man to the side. "I hope you're having a good time here. You look a little nervous."

"I am," Lucy confessed, tugging at the end of her shirt. She didn't want to say anything about her past, but the kind eyes Levy owned made her feel warm and safe. "I'm just not used to meeting so many new people at once."

"Really? Well I hope we don't make you uncomfortable," the short girl gave her a wane smile.

"It's fine," the blonde assured, holding out her hands in a mock surrender. "Just a little overwhelming."

"I know what you mean," Levy said, "when I first got here I was the same way, but we'll grow on you."

A genuine smile surfaced on Lucy's face, seeing what Natsu meant when he said everyone at Fairy Tail welcomed new people with open arms. The two females talked for a bit, not getting into anything person, just general knowledge about Fairy Tail. Levy pointed out different people while Lucy tried to make a mental note of their names and faces.

Before she knew it the short girl was talking about the history of the guild and where the name came from. Lucy didn't notice how much time had passed until Gajeel nudged Levy, muttering, "I'm hungry. If you want to join me I'll be at the bar."

Levy nodded to the tall man before turning back to the blonde. "If you need anything, or just want to talk, I'll be here. Gajeel and I aren't leaving for another mission for a day or so, so I'll be around."

"Thanks," the ex-maiden said before waving at the two, already feeling more at ease in the guild. She thought she finally got a minute to herself, but she was mistaken.

"What do you think of Fairy Tail so far?" Happy asked, landing on Lucy's shoulder.

"I like it," the celestial wizard smiled to herself as she felt herself slowly blend in with everyone else. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could really belong somewhere. There was a sense of purpose here that she lacked at the church. "I can see why Natsu wanted to bring me here."

"Well you're the first girl he's brought to Fairy Tail," the blue exceed mentioned before floating above Lucy's head.

"I am?" The blonde felt her face warm up, knowing she was sporting a bright blush. The feline didn't get a chance to tell her yes, because a loud voice cut him off.

"Guess what, Happy!" Natsu exclaimed as he ran up to the flying exceed. He had some fresh blood in his pink hair, but it appeared to be drying up.

"What?" The curious cat asked.

The dragon slayer stopped when he was a foot away from the blue feline and Lucy. "You don't have to carry me anymore!" Natsu's words confused Lucy, so she waited for some much needed clarity.

"I don't?" The exceed asked, his head cocking in the process.

"Nope! Check this out!" The pink haired man removed his coat, handing it to Lucy. Then he adjusted his pants so they hung low on his waist. No one said anything as he took a few steps back, shutting his dark green eyes. The temperature around him spiked as his body glowed a vibrant red.

Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what he was trying to do. 'But if he transforms, won't he be in pain?'

His pink hair started to part, two black tips protruding from the spiky locks. A few guild members gathered around to watch as his black horns grew from his head.

Lucy's heart raced, she feared the screaming, the blood, but it never came. In fact, Natsu smiled as his black horns sprouted from him, until they reached their full lengths.

The blonde was amazed. The sky dragon slayer known as Wendy really did heal him! It was a great sight to see after being scared with the memories of Natsu's anguish over the pain of having his head ripped open again and again.

The skin on his arms and legs began to toughen, until it turned a dark red color and transformed into scales. The rough pattern spread to his shoulders and part of his face.

Lucy's grip on his coat tightened when she felt the wind gust past her, his massive wings making their debut. They looked just the same as before, with red scales adorning the bones, with a light pink webbing connecting each piece together.

The last part of him to transform was his backside. If someone were to be watching from behind, they'd see his lower back/upper butt morph into a hard red stump. The odd shape started to grow, forming a long, spiked tail. The heavy appendage fell to the ground, landing by his clawed feet.

"Whoa," a few wizards murmured as they watched their fellow guild mate transform into his demonic form, known as END.

When he opened his eyes, people gasped.

His eyes were completely black, with small red irises centered in the darkness. Light didn't reflect in his eyes, almost as if it swallowed it up.

He opened his mouth, showing off his razor-sharp teeth. "Ta da!" The demon laughed, holding his claws to his stomach and oblivious to the terror his distorted voice brought. "You should see your faces," he continued laughing, a wicked tone added to the distortion of his voice.

Noticing that no one was moving or speaking, the demon stopped. "What's wrong?" He looked concerned, or at least that was the feeling he tried conveying. His eyes refused to let any emotions seep out, remaining hollow and dark.

When no one said anything, Lucy decided to speak up, "you're not in pain?"

The guild members turned their attentions away from the dragon slayer and onto the blonde woman. They all seemed surprised she would talk to the demon. Although they knew this was their friend at heart, none of them had ever seen him fully transform, and the sight was frightening.

Lucy was used to seeing him in this form now, but this time he seemed happy. She took a step closer to him, causing the corners of his lips to lift. He may be a demon, but she loved him no matter what he looked like.

The dragon slayer shook his head, his pink hair waving around his black horns. "Nope! No pain," he looked down at his claws, "I actually feel pretty damn good!"

Lucy couldn't help herself as she wrapped her arms around him, startling the demonic dragon and the people surrounding them. A few seconds passed before Natsu settled his clawed hands around her waist and shoulder, careful to not puncture her body.

"I'm so glad you don't hurt anymore," she whispered so only he could hear.

"I'm glad too," the voice of the youngest dragon slayer sounded from their side.

"I guess it's alright," Gajeel muttered in a rough voice from the bar.

The blonde almost forgot all dragon slayers had enhanced hearing, leaving her to giggle as they all shared a moment.

"So you can fly on your own now?" A small voice resonated from behind Lucy, that was recognized as Happy's.

The ex-maiden separated herself from the demon, letting Natsu address his friend.

"Yup! I can change whenever I want thanks to Luce and Wendy!" END grinned, until he saw the sad smile on the exceed. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing... I just don't know what I'm gonna do now. That was the only way I helped in fights..." The flying feline landed on a table, his tail slack and his eyes watery.

The demon approached his friend, letting his long tail drag along the wooden floor. His clawed hand gently landed on Happy's head, giving the cat a few pets. "Don't think like that! You've saved my ass a ton of times," Natsu saw the way Happy's tail twitched to life. "And besides, if that's what you're worried about, you can start carrying Lucy!"

"What?" The blonde asked quickly, unsure if she wanted to be flown around anymore. She accepted it when they were on their way to the guild, but she saw no reason to fly now.

"Really!" Happy exclaimed, body rising in the air as his wings flapped once. He flew around the guild until Lucy's eyes lost track of him.

She opened her mouth to protest, but before the words could slip from her mouth, she felt something hit her back. The arm holes on the shirt she wore tugged upwards, and before she knew it, she was in the air.

"Aahhh! What the heck?" The ex-maiden kicked her legs, trying desperately to reach the ground. Her face lit up when she saw the men of the guild looking up at her with blood seeping from their noses.

She tried pulling her skirt closer to her body in the front and back, but she knew they could see far more than she wanted to reveal. "Let me down you stupid cat!"

"Aye Sir!" The exceed chirped, not at all fazed by her insult. He started to descend until her feet touched the ground.

Happy let go of her clothes, allowing the blonde to approach the dragon slayer who was busy laughing his ass off at how silly she looked flailing her limbs in the air.

"It's not funny!" Lucy sneered, but secretly it was a bit fun flying without the possibility of blood dripping on her. She'd never admit it and give them the satisfaction though.

"Hey Natsu... I don't think I can carry Lucy," the blue exceed tried to whisper into the pink haired man's ear, but Lucy heard every word perfectly.

"Why's that?" The demon tried whispering back, but his distorted voice left no room for discretion.

"She's kinda heavy," the feline said bluntly, not bothering to keep his voice low.

The blonde felt her eye twitch as she heard those words. It made matters worse when Natsu opened his mouth to reply.

"Yeah I know. We should probably talk to her about it. Maybe some exercise will help?" The demon laughed, playfully teasing the blonde.

The two males snickered while Lucy groaned, "umm, I can hear you."

"Come on Luce, you know we're just kidding," END cast her a smile before closing his eyes. His body glowed red as his transformation subsided, leaving Natsu in his regular human form.

"Oh wow! That was the fastest I've done it! I bet if I keep this up I can be faster than Erza when she requips!" Natsu cheered in his normal voice.

"Doubt it," the redhead said as she stepped up to the pink haired man. "Gray and I were about to leave on an S-Class job, are you interested?"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu punched the air above him. "I'm ready for any mission! What's the job!"

Gray approached the small group when other guild members started to scatter, relieved that Natsu wasn't in his demon form, and surprisingly didn't cause any damage.

"We're going to lift the curse on Galuna Island," the ice-make wizard informed.

"Isn't that the island with all the demons?" Happy asked, flying up to land on Natsu's head. The cat was holding a wet towel that seemed to come out of nowhere, attempting to wash the blood from his hair.

"It is," Erza confirmed before handing Natsu the job request.

"Whoa! Seven million jewels!" The pink haired man's eyes lit up at the reward amount. "That can buy a lot of food!"

"Aye!" The blue exceed chirped.

The blonde maiden took a step back, already feeling like she was intruding on their team. She would miss Natsu while he was gone, but maybe that gave her time to meet some of the guild members... 'That Levy girl seemed nice...'

"Yes, it's a hefty reward. On top of that they're offering a golden gate key," the redhead said, missing the way Lucy flinched. "Since we have no use for it we can either sell it or perhaps give it to Yukino from Sabertooth."

"I have a better idea!" Natsu said, reaching out and grabbing Lucy's wrist. The ex-maiden had been caught unaware, and let out a tiny yelp as she was tugged to his body. He wrapped his arm around her, tucking her against his warm frame. She realized he seemed to like to keep her close, probably because she had a habit in the past of leaving him behind.

"We can give the key to Luce!" The fire dragon slayer smiled as he looked down at his woman.

"Give it to Lucy?" Titania glanced over to the blonde. "Are you a celestial wizard?"

The ex-maiden nodded, hand grabbing the flap to her pouch to show the redhead her keys. "I'm a wizard," she confessed, feeling some weight lift from her shoulders.

"I see," the requip mage shared a glance with Gray. The raven haired man nodded before she turned her attention back towards the celestial wizard, "would you like to join us to Galuna Island?"

"Really?" Lucy asked incredulously. These people knew nothing about her except her name, her status with Natsu, and her type of magic. 'Why would they want my help?'

"She'd love to!" The fire dragon slayer answered for her, arm tightening around her. "Wouldn't you?"

"Y-yeah," she found herself saying, surprised by how genuine it sounded aloud.

"Then it's settled! She's joining our team!" The pink haired man placed a quick kiss to her temple before finally releasing her. "You guys won't be disappointed. You should see her in action! Especially when she uses that whip!"

The blonde blushed from the compliments Natsu showered her with. It felt nice having someone's faith, and she wouldn't let him down.

"Welcome to our team," Erza held out her hand, which frightened Lucy.

"Umm, how about a high five?" The celestial wizard lifted her hand, palm out, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision. She did, because a second later the requip mage's hand slapped against her own, leaving behind a loud smacking noise and a wincing Lucy.

"You'll need to officially join our guild before we leave," Gray addressed before pointing behind Lucy.

The blonde rubbed her sore hand as she turned around to see the woman Levy said was named Mirajane holding up a weird item. "Where would you like your guild mark?"

The ex-maiden looked over to Natsu, who gave her a reassuring smile. She glanced back at the white haired woman before holding out her right hand. "Here," she said, watching as the older woman placed what looked to be a stamp on her sore hand.

Light shined between her hand and the stamp before she felt the skin tickle. When Mira removed the stamp, a pink Fairy Tail emblem adorned her flesh.

"So I guess you really do like pink, huh?"

Lucy looked up to see Natsu peering over her shoulder at the mark. His soft, clean hair brushed against her cheek, that slowly warmed up from his closeness. "Yup," she nodded at the man who held her heart.

"So when are we leaving?" Natsu called out once he pulled away from Lucy's face.

"Well we were going to leave an hour ago, but you went and wasted time with your late arrival!" Gray yelled, earning a grunt from the pink haired man.

"What'd you say to me?" Natsu marched over to the ice-make wizard and slammed his forehead against the other man's.

The raven haired man pushed back, eyes narrowing, "I said, we would've-"

Lucy stopped listening to their bickering, now knowing it was a usual thing between the two males. She took one last look around the guild, smiling at the place she was sure to spend her future in.

She didn't know what this new life would bring, but it was sure to be better than her life full of lies with Zentopia. She wasn't sure if she'd ever run into the church officials again, but if she did, she'd have Natsu by her side to help her through whatever they could throw at them.

The ex-maiden glanced at Erza, who was currently holding Natsu and Gray up by the scruff of their necks, yelling something incoherent.

Lucy smiled, realizing that she might have more friends very soon. Fairy Tail felt like a place she could call her home, with friends that seemed more like family to each other. This place felt safe, and she let go of her fears of being alone.

"Hey Luce!" Natsu's voice rang through her ears, bringing her back to reality. "You comin'?"

The blonde haired woman turned to see him standing at the guild's doors with Erza, Gray, and Happy.

Lucy smiled to herself, warmth spreading in her heart. 'This feels right.'

Running up to her new friends, she shouted in a cheerful voice, "yeah!"

She didn't know what her future held, but she knew it'd be full of fun and adventures as long as she stuck around with Natsu, the fire dragon slayer.

Also known as...

The END.

This story is officially finished! I'm glad I was finally able to participate in Nalu week!

Thank you for all the favs/follows! And thank you to those who reviewed: FlameDragonHime, ToastedWeirdBrain, Crimsonlink310, silver light of, SakuraStar1862, AnimeArmorFreak, & ToastedWeirdBrain.

Thank you so much for reading this story, and thank you mikethepokemaster for suggesting the idea.

I am going to be taking at least a week off from writing, because I burned myself out with these two recent stories. I'll be back soon with another fic. Let me know though, what do you like best? One-shots, short multi-chapter (3-15 chapters) or long multi-chapters (30+ chapters). Just curious, I know everyone has their own opinion. Also who likes AU's more, or canon stories more?