The Dragon's Mark

A Trip to the Magic Library

"Well," Lucy said, "I guess this calls for a trip to the Magic Library." She frowned. "I guess I'll have to take Natsu with me."

Levy looked up from the stack of books she had pulled from the shelves to put back in their proper place. "Is that wise?"

Lucy nodded. "You heard what Crux said. Also, I thought master might have been making a mistake, talking to Natsu and I at the same time, but I think it was actually a good idea! I mean, I think it took awhile for Natsu to process everything, but I think the whole self-awareness for him is good. He can then know what's coming and how to control it. If he can control it," she ended thoughtfully.

"Levy, can I make a confession to you?" Lucy asked, moving closer to Levy and lowering her voice. "I love Natsu, I really do. However, I kind of wish he wasn't a dragon slayer." She lowered her head in shame.

Levy sighed. "I understand where you're coming from, but then, he wouldn't be Natsu, would he?"

Lucy shook her head. "I know," she sighed. She sat down by Levy's stack of books, sorting through them for her. It wasn't their first time reorganizing the library. "I feel bad saying it. I mean, I'm happy Natsu and I are finally together, but honestly, this whole dragon mark thing? It's kind of, um...."

"Scary? A pain? Inconvenient?" Levy suggested.

"Yeah. All of them."

They looked at each other and giggled. "Hey, you can't help who you love," Levy wisely stated. "I mean, look at me! He hardly knows I exist other than a place to rest his arm!" She admitted, rolling her eyes.

"Aw, come on. You know he sees more than that!" Lucy told her friend, grinning. "You just wait til it's your turn to go through all this!"

"Yep, and I'll have a veteran by my side telling me what to do and what not to do!" Levy smiled back.

They sorted through the last of the stack of books and regretfully left the rest of the library in its disorganization. Knowing that they had places to go, it would have to wait til another day.

"So, you up for a trip to the Magic Library?" asked Lucy.

Levy shook her head. "As much as I'd like to go, I feel that maybe it needs to be a trip with just you and Natsu."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Levy grinned. "Want me to look after Happy for you so you can have a romantic getaway?"

"LEVY!"

Later that Day, at Lucy's apartment:

"Can't we just walk this time?" whined Natsu.

Lucy shook her head. "That would take us too much time. If we ride the train to Eleon, then it'll only take us half a day to walk there."

Natsu moaned. Lucy felt sorry for him, knowing his motion sickness got bad. "Maybe we can ask Wendy to do that spell before we leave."

Natsu immediately cheered up. "Yeah! Great idea, Luce!" He grabbed her and kissed the top of her head. "I knew I had you around for a reason!"

Lucy detangled herself from Natsu and smiled. "Don't you need to get packed, too?" She glanced at her open drawers as she pondered what to take with her. Since they'd be walking, she wanted to travel light, but still wanted to make sure she had all the necessary items.

Natsu shrugged. "I guess so." He looked around Lucy's bedroom. He spent more time here lately than at his own place. However, he couldn't give it up. At least not yet. Maybe, though, he could start leaving some of his things at Lucy's. That might make it more convenient.

Lucy rolled her eyes as he climbed out the window. Trust Natsu not to use the door! She had long since given up yelling at him to start using the door!

They met up at the train station. Natsu had stopped by the Guild to ask Wendy to do her spell on him, so he was grinning from ear to ear when he walked up to Lucy. She noticed Happy was not with him.

"Um, where's your shadow?" she asked. Natsu at first looked behind him, then caught her meaning. "Oh, Happy? Believe it or not, Carla and Wendy asked him to go on a mission with them and he is one happy cat! I left him packing fish in his travel bag. I think one was wrapped in a bow."

We laughed, knowing Carla would be the recipient.

Riding on the train, Natsu kept sticking his head or his hand out the window. When Lucy fussed at him, he pouted. "Hey, normally I'm too sick to do anything fun." He huffed down in his seat next to Lucy, who was reading a book. "Are we there yet? This is boring!"

Lucy sighed. "Why don't you take a nap? By the time you wake up, we'll be there."

"Not tired," Natsu grumbled. He leaned over to see what Lucy was reading. "Who's Jake?" he asked, reading part of a page. Lucy sighed and marked her place in her story before closing the book. No way was she going to be able to concentrate on it.

"How about we play a game?" she asked Natsu. I swear, she thought, sometimes it's like entertaining a child!

Natsu looked at her expectantly.

"Let's play I Spy. I'll go first. I spy something that is green."

Natsu started looking around, naming everything green but the trees Lucy had selected through the window. She sighed.

"Um, how about a different game. Twenty questions. I'll think of something and you have to guess what it is - but you only can ask 20 questions. For example, you can ask if it's an animal, vegetable, or nonliving thing. The questions help you narrow down what the person has thought of."

Soon, Lucy wished she had renamed it 10 questions. Maybe 5 questions. Natsu was thinking too hard and the amount of time between each question grew.

Suddenly he frowned and touched his forehead. "This game makes me think too hard - my brain hurts. Maybe I will take that nap!"

Lucy secretly smiled, letting Natsu lay his head in her lap as she picked up her book and continued to read. She wondered if Natsu realized Wendy would not be around to cast the motion sickness spell when they came home.