Secrets within Fairy Tail

Chapter 28

Lucy's POV:

The rest of the week goes by quickly, and other than Igneel confronting me about the thin scars on my neck everything goes well. The only problem that I have found that I have, is the fact that I don't feel very hungry or tired anymore. Igneel noticed it right away, and told me to find some way to remember to eat and sleep without being reminded, and I did. I just decided that I would start eating whenever Natsu wants to eat, which is almost all the time.

This morning I wake up wrapped in Natsu's arms, the early morning light streaming through the window. It's so early that I probably shouldn't even be up, but it has been hard for me to sleep more than a few hours lately. I slowly unwrap his arms, not wanting to wake him and walk out of the room, requiping my outfit as I walk. I walk outside and lean against an incredibly tall tree for a moment, before using some of my memory make magic, and making a swing on one of the branches. I then sit down on it and start swinging it back and forth, lost in thought.

"What on earth are you doing up this early?" I hear Igneel ask from below me, and look over to find him standing a few feet from the house.

I shrug, looking at him with a smile. "I couldn't sleep." I answer truthfully, before using some of my magic on reflex and making another swing beside my own. "Do you want to join me?" I ask with a smile.

"Do I want to jump on a swing and act like a child?" He asks raising his eyebrow at me. "Of course!" He exclaims joyfully before getting on the swing. He then looks at me seriously, bringing himself back to the present. "How much sleep did you get?" He asks.

"Three... four hours." I answer with a shrug as if it isn't that big of a deal.

"What?! I know that you went to bed around ten, what else were you doing?!" He demands in outrage.

"Umm... I would rather not say." I answer, my cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red. "I'm fine, really." I add trying to change the subject. Igneel is my best friend, but he is also Natsu's father, and there are some things that I really shouldn't share with him.

"You are not, your sleeping far less than you should, and I have no idea why." He replies looking frustrated.

"Should I tell him?" I ask changing the subject to the one that I have been pondering over ever since I returned to the guild. I don't know if I should tell him, I have told him so much already, but I don't think I can tell him this until I have fully accepted it. I never wanted to be a dragon, I haven't even thought about the possibility in full since the day that Igneel proposed I become the dragon queen. It's just something that I know could change how Natsu treats me, how he acts around me, and I don't want any of that to change.

"It's up to you, but know that whatever you decide I will support you in the decision." He replies knowing exactly what I'm talking about.

"It's just... I don't know if he should know, not now." I murmur. Igneel understands my decisions better than anyone else, understands my reasons for doing the things that I do, and so he must know what I am going to do regardless of me telling Natsu.

"Whatever you decide, I know that Natsu will be okay in the long run. He's strong, he will get through this." He says with a reassuring smile.

"Given all that I still want your honest opinion in all this, do you think I should tell him?" I ask firmly, hoping that he will have an answer to all this.

"Oh course I think you should tell him, he's my son, I think that he should know everything that involves the people that he cares about... but I don't want him to get hurt either. I know that what you plan to do is going to hurt him, and telling him could cause more grief than it's worth." He replies honestly.

"Tell me what?" I hear a familiar voice ask, and turn to see Natsu has come to stand near the tree, I don't know how much he's heard, but it's obvious that I have to make my decision now.

"Do you remember when I left?" I ask jumping off the swing and walking towards him. He nods his head looking at me in confusion, wondering why I am mentioning it. "I know that I didn't give my reasoning for leaving, but now I think that I must. I became a dragon." I say, knowing he should know.

"A dragon? Why didn't you tell me sooner?! That's totally awesome!!" He exclaims joyfully.

"It's... I'm sorry, but you and I, we aren't going to work." My eyes fill with tears as I say these words, knowing how much I am hurting him by doing this to him again.

"What?! Why?" He demands.

"We just won't, I'm sorry." I whisper the last part, and before he can say another word, I walk away heading towards the guild with the knowledge that I have just hurt him again, like I promised that I wouldn't.

When I get back to the guild I don't even bother to speak to anyone, and just head towards Master's office, already knowing he is there. I knock lightly before entering, and he looks up in surprise. "Lucy, what is it that you need?" He asks with a smile.

"I would like to start going on solo missions... the ones that take longer." I answer honestly, not hiding anything.

"What ever for child?" He asks looking confused.

"I don't think that I can handle being around the others in the guild, I do hope that you can understand." I reply, allowing a tear to slide down my cheek. He is the only person in the guild that knows that I am a dragon, well I guess he's one of the people since Natsu now knows.

"Oh course, as a matter of fact I have a job that I was saving for Gildarts when he returns, but I think would be perfect for you." He smiles pulling a piece of paper out of one of his drawers and handing it to me.

"Thank you." I smile taking it and without saying another word teleport out of his office.

Natsu's POV:

I stand with tears in my eyes, wondering why Lucy is doing this again, I thought that things were better between us. I look up at Igneel, wondering what all they were talking about, and see that he is looking at me sympathetically. "Why did she do that?" I ask, hoping that he might have some answer for it that will help me.

"That was her way of doing you a favor." He replies.

"What does that mean?? How could she have been doing me a favor??" I demand.

"She just told you that she has become a dragon, and that is a burden all on it's own, without knowing the price for being one. She has known us long enough to know every secret that we have, and she knows what it would mean for you to long her, she was saving both of you from more pain." Igneel replies.

"What price is there for being a dragon?? I think it would be awesome!" I reply feeling confused. "Wait... did you just say that she was saving us from pain?? What does that even mean??" I ask.

"Being a dragon means that she has one of the few things that people would give up anything to have. We chose her as the queen, because it was something she never wanted, something she wanted even less after she joined Fairy Tail and made all her friends, after she met you." He replies.

"What could she have that people would want to much?" I ask.

"She is a dragon now, and because she is a dragon she cannot be killed easily, as it has become evident after the past week. She is far more powerful than she was before, so powerful in fact that we are lucky she knows how to control all of it, but these are all things she can live with, things she accepted a long time ago. The one thing that would make her want to end things with you, that would make her want to distance herself from the people she cares about, that would make her give up the things that she cares about, is the fact that she is immortal." He says. I stare at him in shock, not knowing how it is that any of this can even be possible.