Summary: After years of searching, Igneel was found - and then he was gone. Natsu's left behind, broken and hurt. But Lucy doesn't move to console him. None of Fairy Tail understand her actions. Why won't the resident Princess save their childish Dragonslayer from himself?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters.

Every mage in Fairy Tail had been waiting for this day. It had been a long time coming, ever since that July 7th years ago when, as if summoned, all dragons disappeared off the face of the earth.

The day that Natsu Dragneel's life-long quest would finally bear fruit. The day he found Igneel, his adoptive father, and the creature who taught him the dragonslayer magic that had given him the title of Salamander.

But the day was bittersweet. Igneel, along with Grandeeney the Sky Dragon and Metalicana the Metal Dragon, had only come to bid their foster children a final good-bye. No reason was given other than the passing mention of a Dragon King's feast, but it was still hard to stomach. Gajeel was even more cold and grumpy than usual as he spoke to his iron-plated foster father, while Wendy sobbed as she hugged her foster mother's snout. Even Natsu was somber, his fists clenched at his sides as he argued with Igneel in hushed tones.

"Why can't they stay?" Mirajane asked Master Makarov. "The dragons, I mean."

The little old man crossed his arms. "Dragons aren't safe anymore, Mira," he replied. "As long as there are people who desire the power of dragons for themselves, they can't be safe." A fleeting thought of his grandson Laxus briefly flashed in his mind. "Only the dragonslayers can kill them. If there are no more dragons to slay, then there will be no need for the dragonslayers to kill them."

"Gajeel looks very sad," said Juvia. "Sadder than Juvia has ever seen him before." Her eyes clouded with tears, and above them, the clouds began to darken. "Wendy, and Natsu as well...they are so sad."

Lisanna sniffled as she stood next to a silently crying Elfman. "Natsu's talked about finding Igneel for years. He's obsessed with it. This...this is too much for him."

Other members of Fairy Tail were likewise worried about the dragonslayers' states of mind. Cana, dead sober for once, bit her nails as she huddled beside Macao. Alzack and Bisca stood together, the latter clearly upset as she held her partner's hand. Erza was watching with silent tears streaking down her cheeks. Gray, his arm around Juvia's shoulders, was trying to keep his head at the sight of his friend's melancholy. Charle, Happy, and Pantherlily huddled together as they watched their partners say their goodbyes.

Levy rubbed the tears from her eyes as fast as she could, but more replaced them. "Lucy, I can't watch this," she choked out. "Gajeel...he was so happy when we heard the dragons were back." The solid script mage's shoulders shook as she watched the Iron Dragonslayer. "I don't know - what he'll - what I can - "

Next to her, Lucy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't crying. Her face was perfectly calm, watching one pink-haired Dragonslayer as he argued with the dragon who raised him.

"Take me with you!" Natsu demanded. "I can hold my own, I promise!"

Igneel shook his head. "No, son. It's time for me to go." One claw reached forward to touch Natsu's chest. "You have found a good family here. Chaotic and strange, doubtless, but they are a group you love you as their own. You will not be alone again."

"But I want to go with you, Dad," insisted the pink-haired boy. "Please!"

"Igneel." Boy and dragon looked to see Grandeeney turn her head towards the sky. "It is time. We must go."

"Fine, get lost," grumbled Gajeel, obviously sulking. He walked to Wendy and scooped the sobbing child up in his arms. "Good riddance, idiot father."

Metalicana gave a humorless chuckle. "Buzz off, scrap-metal son."

"Good-bye, Wendy," said Grandeeney. The three dragons spread their wings wide and backed up.

But Natsu kept pace with his father. "No! I'm going with you!"

"You can't," Igneel said.

"Why not?"

Igneel sighed. "Natsu, do you remember what I once told you when I wouldn't let you fly on my back?"

Natsu frowned. "Find your own wings."

"Well then, get to it." And Igneel used his tail to knock his son down, giving him, Grandeeney and Metalicana enough time to get airborne.

He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, but they were already taking off. "Igneel! Wait!" Natsu ran after the rising dragon, his hands reaching for his adoptive father like a child for a balloon. "Igneel! Don't leave me!" he shouted, tears coming to his dark eyes.

Lucy watched him run with a sharp aching stab in her heart. The sight of the normally smiling Fire Dragonslayer looking so abandoned was painful to watch. He'd worked so hard, searched endlessly for years to find his father, and now that he had, Igneel was leaving again.

"Igneel!" screamed Natsu, still trying to catch up to his flying parent. He was so focused on Igneel that he wasn't looking where he was going. Specifically, at the cliff he was running towards. Erza yelled his name in warning, but Natsu was oblivious. Panicked, Lucy broke into a run and tackled him to the ground, skidding to a halt just before the edge of the cliff. Her limbs tangled in Natsu's, she could only watch as Igneel and the other two dragons shot past them both and took off for the blue sky, huge wings beating tirelessly.

Natsu kicked her off. "What did you do that for?" he shouted. "Now he's gone! I've lost him again!" Angrily he shoved her back to the ground. "I hate you, Lucy! I hate you all!" he screamed, tears streaming down his cheeks as he bolted for the forest.

"After him!" yelled Makarov.

But Lucy shouted, "NOBODY MOVE!" in such an Erza-like voice that everyone, including the red-haired ex-quip mage, froze in their tracks. All turned to the blonde Celestial Spirit mage. "Let him go. He'll come back eventually."

"Lucy?" More than one person was confused by her tactics. It was no secret that she probably had more-than-platonic-feelings for the fire mage, so why wasn't she the one on point to bring him back to Fairy Tail?

But Lucy shook her head. "Leave him alone. If you must, one person go and find out where he finally ends up. But don't talk to him, don't go near him, don't even leave a lacrima to spy on him. Let him mourn in peace." With that, she turned on her heel and headed back towards Fairy Tail, leaving the rest of the guild to stare after her in disbelief.

Two days later, Natsu still hadn't returned.

Fairy Tail was remarkably quiet for those two days. Not a big surprise, as Natsu was one of the chief reasons for property damage in the guild. But with his absence, many other acts of wanton violence and destruction didn't happen.

Lisanna, the one chosen to follow Natsu, had returned to report that he'd taken refuge in a group of ruins in the forest about half a day's run from Magnolia. Once there, he'd apparently set up a few rings of fire around them to keep out intruders. She'd tried to fly over them with her Take Over Wings, but the flames had risen to block her every time. Obviously Natsu wanted nobody to come near him.

The other dragonslayers weren't acting much better either. While neither had gone MIA in the woods, Wendy and Gajeel had put up similar "Leave me alone" barriers. Wendy locked herself in her room at Fairy Hills, refusing to speak with anybody, including Charle. Gajeel was frequently up on the roof of the guild, munching on whatever scrap iron he could scrounge up and likewise avoiding everyone. Lily couldn't get through to him, and neither could Levy, not for a lack of trying.

Only Lucy was acting as if nothing had changed. She still came into the guild with her usual cheer, greeted everyone with a smile, and spent her time reading or surveying the mission board for anything she could do solo. When Happy came to her looking for reassurance and comfort, she readily gave it to him. But when asked to retrieve Natsu, she merely shrugged and said, "Let him be."

Two days became three, then five, and before people could blink, a week had gone by without the return of the Salamander. Lucy still refused to let people go to see Natsu, even Erza and Gray and Happy. Nobody would accuse her of being callous, but some people began to question her actions.

Makarov finally cornered Lucy one day and asked her point-blank. "Why are you not going to see him?"

The Celestial Spirit mage looked at him. "Because he doesn't want to see anyone right now."

"Are you still hurt that he said he hated you?"

Brown eyes glared at him. "No, of course not. He was upset and lashed out. He just needs time to come to grips with what happened," she said, returning to her task of polishing her keys. "That's not going to be easy, and having people pester him with pity won't help at all."

"You sound as if you speak from experience."

"People pestered when Mama died." There was a blankness in Lucy's eyes for a moment, then it disappeared. "I hated them for it. I won't have Natsu hate you all for this. You're all his precious nakama, and you're all he has now. He'll see that in time."

Makarov blinked at her words. From the mouths of babes come wisdom, he thought to himself, smiling faintly. "Very well Lucy, we'll leave him be. But we can't leave him out there forever."

She nodded, never looking away from her keys. "I have no intention of doing that."

Finally, two weeks after Igneel left, Lucy entered Fairy Tail with a serious expression on her face. Walking through the guild, she went up to each of the Exceeds and told each to come with her. With the flying cats, she then grabbed Levy and led the whole group towards the steps that led to the roof. Gajeel was still up there, chewing on what looked like one of the balcony railings from the upper levels and staring over Magnolia's rooftops.

Lucy tugged on Levy's hairband. "Just sit with him," she whispered to the little blue-haired mage. "Sit beside him and don't say a word. You too, Lily," she said to the black cat. "He'll talk in his own time. Just be there for him."

Both Levy and Lily nodded. Giving them a reassuring smile, Lucy left them and took Happy and Charle back downstairs. "Nobody goes up there until they come downstairs," she ordered Mirajane. "I'll be back in a while." The white-haired Take Over mage nodded and shot every mage in the building a glare that was very reminiscent of her "Demon Persona", just to drive the point home.

Walking to Fairy Hills, Lucy told Charle, "Go fly up to her window and knock lightly. If she doesn't answer, leave and then come back. Have a drink with you when you do it - tea helps, or hot chocolate. When you get inside, sit down with her and don't pester. Just let her cry or talk or whatever she wants to do. Then put her to bed and tell her that you love her."

The white Exceed frowned slightly. "How do you know this will work?"

"Personal experience." Lucy looked up and saw they had reached the dormitory. "Go on. I can't guarantee she'll let you in immediately, but you have to keep it up. Let her know she's not alone."

Charle nodded, spread her wings, and took off. Silently wishing her the best, the blonde mage took Happy and turned towards the woods Lisanna had said she'd followed Natsu into. "Ready to fly?" she asked.

Happy spread his own wings, picked her up, and shot off for Natsu's hiding place.

They saw the fire before they saw the ruins.

Lisanna had been right; the fire was contained in a series of rings, surrounding the ruins and dividing them so as to completely protect Natsu from the outside world. Self-sufficent, they burned without fuel or leaving marks on the stone steps and groundwork. Natsu sat at the center of the ruins, huddled like a child with his knees drawn up to his chin, his face hidden from view.

Happy set down just outside the first ring of fire. "Lucy, is he okay?" he asked, hanging off her shoulders. "He's never done this before."

"I'm sure he's fine, Happy," Lucy said. "Why don't you go home and get some fish ready for dinner? I don't think we'll be long."

"Aye." With a last hug, the blue Exceed took off for home, leaving Lucy at the edge of an inferno. Straightening her shoulders, she patted her keys and took a step towards the circle of flames.

Go through them really fast, she told herself. Don't stop, don't think about it. Thinking means second guessing, and that will end badly. Taking a steeling breath, Lucy held it and walked through the fire. Flames licked her skin as she passed, and the hem of her skirt caught fire. She quickly patted it out.

He must've smelled the burning fabric, because Natsu's head shot up. "Lucy?" he said in shock, eyes wide as he saw her walking through his fire. "What are you doing?"

She didn't answer him. Through the first ring, Lucy kept walking until she reached the second ring. Her skirt caught fire again, and she smelled the nose-crinkling odor of burning hair. I'm going to look like SUCH hell after this, she thought as she forged on ahead.

"Lucy, stop!" Natsu yelled, jumping to his feet. "Don't! Go back!"

The blonde girl ignored him. Passing through the next ring, she could feel her skin start to blister and burn. Her boots were beginning to hinder her progress; the soles had melted into rubbery pools. Hopping out of the fire, Lucy hastily discarded the ruined shoes and continued towards the final ring of fire barefoot.

She was close enough to see every tear track on Natsu's face. "WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" he screamed. His anger made the fire rage higher, hotter, and fiercer.

Gritting her teeth, Lucy pressed on. Heat pressed against her skin as her hair started to char and her skin tingled with the fire. The bottoms of her feet felt like she was walking on black asphalt on a summer's day, screaming in protest with every step she took. Ignoring all the pain her body was experiencing, she focused on reaching Natsu. When she stepped out of the fire, she could barely keep on standing, but she found the strength to do so.

"I can't leave you alone," she whispered, brown eyes locking with his dark ones. "You hate being alone." Stepping forward despite the pain it caused her, Lucy reached up and framed Natsu's face with her hands. "I won't leave you Natsu," she promised, bringing his face down to rest her forehead against his. "Not on purpose. Never of my own free will."

The rings of fire instantly burned out, dropping the temperature by about ten degrees. The pink-haired dragonslayer was crying again, his hands reaching up to grip his wrists. "Why?" he sobbed.

Lucy knew what he was asking. "This is what I always wanted someone to do for me when Mama died. I wanted someone to come after me, to care about me. To break through my walls and tell me that they'd never leave. I wanted someone to be there for me, not questioning how I felt or what I wanted to do. I wanted somebody to just let me talk, somebody who would just listen and not say a word. I wanted someone who cared." By the time she finished, her own tears were leaking from her eyes. "Natsu, when Igneel left, I wanted so badly to tell you it would be all right. But I knew you wouldn't hear me. I knew you needed to grieve on your own. So I left you alone. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

They stood there, foreheads touching, tears streaming down their cheeks, as the loneliness of the last two weeks melted away. It was Natsu who pulled back first, letting his hands glide down her arms to her shoulders. "I burned you," he murmured, voice rough with shame as he looked over her ruined clothes. "I'm sorry."

She smiled weakly. "I'm used to it. Being a part of Team Natsu gives one an excellent resistance to burns." The joke got the barest twitch of a smile from the Dragonslayer. "Hey, I saw that," she teased, poking his cheek. "Why don't you say we head back home? Happy went to get fish ready."

Natsu seemed unsure that he still had a home to go to. "Home..." he mumbled. "What about...Wendy? And Gajeel?"

"I'm hoping they're back to normal too," Lucy admitted, taking his hand in hers. "I gave Lily, Levy, and Charle the prompts to get them back."

He regarded her as if seeing her in a new light. "You knew what to say? How?"

Lucy shook her head. "I already explained that, flame-brain. Now come on, let's go home. If we hurry, we can make it back in time for dinner."

A great cheer went up when Natsu and Lucy walked into the Fairy Tail guild hall. Natsu barely had time to look abashed before he was given a smothering hug by Lisanna, Erza, and Mirajane. Other mages quickly joined in, creating a mass of bodies that threatened to engulf Natsu completely.

Lucy stepped aside before she was crushed, her eyes scanning the crowd for two other dragonslayers. Lily waved her down from the bar, where he sat with Charle and a few glasses of milk. "You were right," he said to the Celestial Spirit mage. "That iron-plated bonehead broke down and started telling Levy everything. She didn't even have to say anything." He jerked his head towards the tables, where Lucy could see Levy and Gajeel sitting together, the solid script mage resting her head against his arm, her hand entwined with his.

"Wendy is better as well," Charle reported. "She just kept talking as she drank, then fell asleep when I put her to bed. I'm going back in an hour to check on her." Her intelligent eyes looked at Lucy curiously. "I'm going to assume that you gave us that advice on the basis of personal experience."

Lucy shook her head. "Just the whimsical wants of a child," she clarified. "Well, I'll see you later. Time for dinner." Fighting her way through the press of people, she managed to pull Natsu free and get him outside. He looked considerably more cheerful, almost glowing with happiness as they headed to his and Happy's house.

It was while they walked along the canal (just as the fisherman called out to Lucy as she walked along the wall) that he suddenly stopped walking. She paused, carefully turning to face him. "Natsu? What's wrong?" she asked, seeing his face go blank for a few moments.

"What about...after?"

She knew what he meant. The blonde mage held out her hand, and he helped her jump down from the wall. "After dinner, I can stay with you," she said. "As long as you need me to."

"Can we go to your house? Your bed is comfy," Natsu said shamelessly.

Lucy rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Of course it is. Sure, we can do that."

Needless to say, Happy was ecstatic about Natsu's return. He sobbed with relief and joy as he tackled Natsu's head in a hug. Then he flew into Lucy's chest and sobbed some more thanks. They ate the fried fish amid laughs and smiles, and only Lucy knew that the Fire Dragonslayer was pretending to be strong for his Exceed's sake.

When Happy went back to the guild to hang with Charle and Lily, Lucy took Natsu by the hand and led the way to her house. He immediately crawled into her bed and curled up under her blankets. Lucy changed into her sleepwear and lay down next to him. When he snuggled next to her, she couldn't help but smile. He was acting like a child, and for good reason.

"I think I know why Igneel tol' me to find m'own wings," he yawned.

"Oh?" Lucy stroked his hair in the same way her mother used to when she was a child.

He nodded. "He prob'ly knew I'd hav' you," he slurred. "You've always been there f'r me, ev'n when I didn' wan' you to..."

"What does that have to do with wings?"

"Cuz you...are m'wings..." Natsu snuggled closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You help me...when I...fall...you always...lif' me back...up..."

Lucy smiled softly. "That's because you're my precious nakama, silly." Patting his spiky hair, she settled against her pillow and whispered, "Now, go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Good." His arms tightened around her. "I won't let you say good-bye," he whispered as he drifted. "I don't ever want to be left alone again."

"You won't." She smiled. "And I'll be your reason why," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

The dragonslayer smiled as he slipped into slumber. For the first time since Igneel abandoned him all those years ago, he felt like he was truly home.

Home was Fairy Tail. Home was his nakama. Home was where he had the wings that caught him when he fell.

Home was Lucy.

Virtual cookies to whomever (whoever?) can spot the subtly spoken lyrics in this fic! Hint: Skillet.

Review please!