You are my ice! I am your fire! - (Natsu x Juvia)

Unexpected news

— I'm home! Natsu exclaimed with a smile, closing the door behind him.

— Welcome back, Natsu! — a young man with a mane of scarlet hair gathered in a ponytail came out to meet him. Although, it was difficult to call him exactly a "man". He looked too young, at most twenty-something years old. But if you look into his golden eyes, in which you can see the reflection of the years he has lived, you will understand that he is much older than he looks.

— Well, are you ready to dive back into the depths of the past?

— Right now? Natsu was surprised. He shrugged off his backpack and, going into the kitchen, sat down at the table opposite the man.

"If you have no idea what's going on right now, it's okay. I'll explain everything. My name is Natsu Dragneel. I'm thirteen. And this is my sensei and, concurrently, my guardian, Igneel. I just got home from school and now it looks like I'm going to use it to sort out my night visions. These are not even dreams, but rather memories from a distant childhood, forgotten after so many years. In them I see myself and a girl with blue hair and eyes. She wears ponytails and a black dress with a ribbon on her belt. And... it's probably going to sound strange, but I think I really liked her at that time. And I still like it. So I want to find out who she is and meet her one day. This will be a surprise."

— OK, I'm ready, — Natsu closed his eyes and relaxed, letting his thoughts go with the flow they needed.

"I closed my eyes and immediately fell asleep. More precisely, in a trance. And when I opened my eyes, I realized that I was seeing a lucid dream. Everything was like last time, but with a different location and what was happening. I was standing in the middle of the desert. There's nothing around but sand underfoot. A strong wind picks up, creating something like fog. I covered my eyes with my hand, but realizing that the sand did not cause them any harm, I lowered it and went forward. I didn't know that my subconscious was a desert."

Noticing a human silhouette ahead, Natsu quickened his pace and loudly called out to him. The man stopped and turned to him. He was wearing a long black cloak with a hood thrown over his head. When the man turned to him, Natsu froze. The pale face of the girl from his dreams, framed by long blue strands, looked at him from the hood. The same hair, the same glittering eyes from under the hood.

— Juvia! the name came out of his mouth by itself.

The girl's face expressed surprise, a mute question in her eyes. She didn't seem to recognize him. Or maybe she just didn't remember.

Determined to get to Bluelace, Natsu ran towards her, holding out his hand. But as soon as his fingers touched her hand, she disappeared, scattering blue petals. Natsu stopped, catching his breath, looking at the petals flying next to him, then at his fingers squeezing emptiness.

He didn't know why, but the moment she disappeared, he felt... lonely. His soul was filled with sadness and longing that came from nowhere. It was as if not only she had disappeared, but also a part of his soul.

Natsu sat down, hugging his knees with his hands, looking in front of him with an empty gaze. He felt so bad as a child when the children refused to play with him, and he was alone all the time, and when his father died. A feeling of overwhelming emptiness, a hole in the chest instead of a heart. They say it's a different form of pain. It's probably true.

Images of the past flew before his eyes again. One was his first meeting with Juvia. Their families were friends and introduced them to each other. They were just kids then. Then she seemed to him a real angel — so beautiful was this girl. Natsu knew that appearances can be deceiving, but this did not apply to Juvia. For him, she was beautiful not only externally, but also internally. He did not understand why no one wanted to be friends with her either, why she was offended and said such terrible things. But, oddly enough, it was this that brought them closer together, despite the opposite of their characters. He was an optimist and the soul of the company, she was a pessimistic, shy and insecure girl, opening up only to her family members. When Natsu finally managed to get her out of the sink, he was fascinated by how brightly she shone.

The next picture-memory was the moment for which he is still ashamed. It was then that he realized he was lonely. Yes, he had a mother, brothers and sisters who loved and cared for him, but... he still felt lonely. And it hurt. It hurts more than when he defended Juvia from bullies throwing stones at her. It hurts to feel stones hitting your face and body, but it hurts even more to feel lonely, especially when you are a child.

Then he began to cry. Natsu never cried. Not in front of the abusers, not even in front of his family. He always smiled and said that everything was fine. But when I was alone, I cried. Boys don't cry, it's the lot of girls. That's what adults say. But tears don't make you weak. It's a sign that you're alive and you have feelings. Or that you've been strong for too long. That's what Juvia said when she accidentally saw him in this state. After that, she smiled and, saying that everything would be fine, hugged him. Her hands were always cold, but for him at that moment they were warm.

Further pictures-memories contained their moments spent together. They played, laughed, looked at the stars, even slept next to each other. Then he was happier than ever. He himself did not notice how he reached out to them with his hand, desperately wanting to return those happy times and the blue-haired girl.

Suddenly, these memories disappeared, and the location changed again. Natsu was surrounded by water from all sides. More precisely, he himself was under water. The hair that began to move in the water climbed into my eyes. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth, where the water immediately rushed. Natsu could swim, but all he could do now was twitch his arms and legs, trying to somehow get out of the water.

"At times like this, I regret being a fire mage.

— Natsu! — suddenly, through the thickness of the water, he heard the worried voice of Igneel, whose hand grabbed him by his jacket and in one sharp movement lifted him up out of the water.

The boy opened his eyes and coughed, clutching his throat. The man was standing next to him and slapping him on the back, his expression was still worried, if not scared.

— How are you? — he asked when Natsu stopped coughing and more or less came to his senses.

—It's fine," he replied with an awkward smile, giving a thumbs—up, "it seems I've dived too deep into my subconscious.

— There are things that it is better never to remember, — Igneel said in a low, mysterious tone, going to the window and gazing thoughtfully into the distance, — you know less, you sleep more soundly. But it's still up to you, Natsu. If you want to continue, I won't stop you.

— Thanks, but I think that's enough for today. I've seen enough. Let's eat instead. Natsu got up from the table and went to the refrigerator.

— "Since Mom and sister are not at home right now, will you have to cook something yourself? Hmm... how about sandwiches? Sounds good. Yes, let there be sandwiches." Nodding to his thoughts, he took out the cheese and sausage and reached for the bread.

— Do you remember what we talked about yesterday? Tomorrow you will transfer to a new school. Eat and go pack your things," Igneel said, making himself a cup of tea.

— I remember, I remember. By the way, I've been meaning to ask... — Natsu put a plate of sandwiches in front of him and got ready to eat, — ... why suddenly such a decision? It's not that I like it here, it's just interesting. Why did we suddenly decide to move?

— Akemi didn't tell you? Igneel was surprised, raising one eyebrow.

— No, — the boy shook his head negatively, bringing a sandwich to his mouth.

"You know that some magical families make one difficult and very important decision. To betroth your son or daughter to an heir of another kind, so that a strong team capable of fighting evil will come out of them. Akemi has already gone through this, now it's your turn, Natsu," while saying this, Igneel looked seriously into the gray eyes of the boy sitting opposite him, "we have chosen a bride for you. Tonight you and Akemi will go to another city where you can meet her and also go to the same school as her. Take my word for it, Natsu, she deserves it.

Natsu froze, dropping the sandwich from his hands. His face reflected the slow loading of the information he had just received. When it was over, his eyes became five kopecks. Shock and doom were reflected in them.

— What?! — his cry spread throughout the house and even scared the birds sitting on a branch of a tree growing by the window.