Without knowing what had happened in the guild after he left, Natsu walked toward the exit of Magnolia without haste, strolling through the familiar streets with his hands in his pockets. The sun was already stronger, warming the air, but the light wind made the walk peaceful. He wasn't in a hurry; on the contrary, he would take it slow to help him organize his thoughts.
He wanted to get stronger to protect Fairy Tail and honor his predecessor's memories.
That was his initial goal.
But after receiving his unique ability, his goal was to explore all the worlds that exist and become even stronger.
Squeezing the Sun in one hand, trapping the Moon in the other, and hurling the stars as if they were embers... who in this world wouldn't desire such power? It was the most dazzling vision of all, in his opinion.
Shaking his head to dispel these thoughts that he kept deep in his heart, he continued walking calmly.
He passed by the bakery where, years ago, he used to invade with Happy to steal hot bread. The familiar smell hit him full force, bringing back memories that made him let out a short, almost imperceptible half-smile. He didn't stop, just let the memory dissolve in the air, like smoke.
When he reached the city gates, he paused for a moment. The white scarf swayed with the breeze, and he took a deep breath, inhaling the morning scent mixed with the flowers growing around the dirt road ahead.
But before he could take the first step onto the open road, the calm voice, though slightly trembling, reached him from behind.
"Natsu-san..."
He stopped, turning his face slightly over his shoulder.
"...Juvia?" He murmured, slightly surprised.
The surprise wasn't from the fact that she had appeared out of nowhere behind him; he had already sensed her "scent" a long time ago due to his keen sense of smell. The surprise came from how beautiful the girl before his eyes was.
He already knew, from his predecessor's memories, that she was beautiful. He knew about the long blue hair, the large eyes, that porcelain-pale skin... but seeing it in person was another thing. It was like comparing a photo to something real. Her body was incredible, the generous curve from her waist to her wide hips, and her firm breasts, enormous, defying any notion of proportion for someone her size.
Natsu grumbled mentally while keeping his eyes fixed on the woman before him.
"This world is a tease..." he thought, adjusting the scarf with a distracted gesture: "...Should I thank the author for creating such beautiful characters?"
Of course, his predecessor would look at Juvia with the same respect as for any guild companion, stuck in that mix of naivety and typical stupidity. But him? He wasn't blind. He had been a university student, he had enjoyed life, he had known women and knew very well how to recognize when he was in front of something absurdly hot.
"Gray really is an idiot..." the thought arose, loaded with irony. "A woman like that, practically throwing herself at him, and the guy only knows how to play hard to get. If it were me... tsc, never mind."
She stopped a few meters from him, taking a deep breath, as if she had run from the guild. Her blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, shining under the sun. For a moment, she seemed to hesitate before speaking.
"Mira-san asked... asked Juvia to go with you."
Natsu stayed silent, looking at her for a few seconds.
.... Don't get it wrong, he wasn't staring at those big breasts of hers. One thing left him confused; there was something strange in her gaze, different from what he remembered, more faded, sadder. But he didn't say anything. He just turned his eyes back to the road.
Natsu nodded slowly, an ironic smile curving his lips.
"Of course Mira would do that..." He commented softly, adjusting the scarf naturally. His gaze returned to Juvia, calm but firm: "Then, let's go...."
He took a step forward and extended his arm, handing her the mission paper.
"Here." He said simply: "Lunareth Village, north of Fiore. About three days of travel there, if we go at a normal pace..."
Juvia took the paper carefully, as if it were something more important than it really was. Her eyes scanned the lines of the mission, but her mind seemed distant.
Natsu noticed, but didn't comment. He just started walking along the dirt road.
Juvia quickened her pace a bit until she was beside him. The silence between the two wasn't heavy, but it had a strange air, as if each was too trapped in their own thoughts to start a conversation.
Juvia clutched the mission paper against her chest for a few seconds before putting it away, walking beside him. The silence lasted a little while, until she let out her voice, low, almost shy:
"...Natsu-san doesn't mind that Juvia came?"
He turned his face to her, arching an eyebrow.
"If I minded, I would have said so already." He replied without beating around the bush, his eyes turning back to the road: "But... did you want to come? Or did you just come because Mira asked?"
Juvia bit her lip, hesitating, but answered sincerely:
"Juvia... didn't want Natsu-san to go alone. After what happened with Happy..." Her voice faltered for a moment, before concluding: "Juvia can't help but worry...."
Natsu stopped for a second. He didn't look at her, just stayed silent, the white scarf swaying with the breeze.
"...I see." He murmured, resuming his step.
He let out a short laugh through his nose, trying to lighten the weight in the air.
"You sound just like Mira. She always thinks I'm going to get into trouble alone...."
"It's not 'thinking'..." Juvia murmured, glancing at him sideways, her voice carrying a soft weight: "Natsu-san always gets into it...."
He shrugged, without denying it.
"And that's why I get stronger. If I don't stick my neck out, who will protect the guild?"
Juvia lowered her eyes, thoughtful. His direct way seemed unchanged, but this time there was something more serious in Natsu's tone.
"...Then, Juvia will help." She said firmly, even though her voice still carried that melancholic sweetness: "If Natsu-san is going to protect Fairy Tail, Juvia will too...."
He looked at her for a moment, assessing the shine in her sad eyes that she tried to hide, and ended up letting out a half-smile.
Natsu let out a long sigh, shaking his head with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"You said that nicely, Juvia... but don't make that your life's purpose..." He said in a tone more serious than she expected.
She blinked, confused.
"...What do you mean?"
Natsu looked ahead, the wind stirring the scarf.
"Back then, you couldn't go two sentences without mentioning your 'Gray-sama' this and that..." He commented casually, before turning his face toward her and continuing: "But now it's different. Besides, I sense... this strange smell coming from you. A deep, heavy sadness. What happened between you and Gray?"
Juvia's eyes widened. For a moment, she was speechless. Since when was Natsu so observant? Her heart raced, not from shame, but from surprise. However, soon that surprise was swallowed by the hurt she had been keeping in the last few days.
The silence, the pain, the lack of someone to vent to... it all came together, and the words simply escaped.
"...On Tenrou Island..." She began slowly, her voice choked: "Juvia and Gray fought against Meredy. She used a strange magic... a link. Everything one felt, the other would feel too. Pain, fear, anguish... everything."
At this point, Juvia's eyes trembled, welling up.
"But it wasn't just that. I also felt Gray's true feelings...."
She clenched her fists, her voice becoming more trembling.
"He sees me only as a guild companion. Nothing more.... Feeling that directly, feeling that... coldness, was like something breaking me inside. As if Juvia's heart had shattered...."
Natsu remained silent, walking beside her, listening to every word.
"Juvia even thought about leaving Fairy Tail..." She admitted, the confession coming out as a whisper: "Because every time she looked at him, it would be painful. But Master Makarov talked to me earlier... asked me not to do that. Not to run away...."
Her voice died in the air. The wind continued to blow, but now it seemed to carry the weight of that confession.
Natsu turned his head to face her, with a neutral expression, but inside, he was surprised that this had happened.
He remembered the original story; Juvia had fought against Meredy and that bizarre magic that linked her pain to Gray's. In the original work, that had only reinforced her obsession, as if her brain was fried from so much dopamine and oxytocin dumped at once.
But... here it was different.
Instead of just feeling the physical pain, in this alternate reality, Juvia also accessed the feelings rooted in Gray's heart, that coldness built since childhood, with Ur's death, with Deliora, with everything.
If he thought in terms of neuroscience, it was almost logical: her brain registered that as an absolute rejection, not just physical, but affective. The cognitive dissonance hit hard. How to continue feeding an obsession if she herself "felt" that Gray didn't reciprocate? The only way to survive that shock was to recalibrate.
That's why, she ended up deciding to give up on Gray in this world.
But this only confirmed one fact for him; Gray could only be gay, which left him somewhat perplexed.
Another fact that he confirmed with this.
Or just reinforced.
It was that this world is truly real.... it's no longer just the anime.
So, besides Happy having died on Tenrou Island... this also happened?
He sighed deeply, trying to hold back the bad mood that was growing.
What would be the next surprise? Would she say that Erza gave him a blowjob while he was unconscious...? He thought sarcastically. If that had happened and he had no memories of it, he would be very pissed.... As his friend would say, he would enter his villain arc.
Natsu sighed; although he had thought of several things, only a second had passed in reality.
Without saying anything, he suddenly extended his arm and pulled Juvia against him.
Her body froze in the same instant, total surprise. Her teary eyes widened when she felt his firm chest against hers, the scorching heat that seemed to radiate even through the scarf.
"...N-Natsu-san?" She stammered, not knowing where to put her hands.
"Be quiet for a bit." He murmured, his voice low and firm.
He simply wasn't good with sentimental words, so he decided to just hug her without ulterior motives. A friend of his had gone through something similar in his past life, and this helped her....
Juvia stayed rigid for a few moments, but his firmness had nothing invasive about it. It was a direct hug, no frills, but it carried real warmth. Gradually, her breathing slowed, her body yielding, until she ended up closing her eyes and resting her forehead on his shoulder; it was warm and comforting.
And that warmth spread. First through her shoulders, then her chest. Her heart, which moments before seemed too heavy, began to beat differently, not out of control, not suffocated. Simply... alive.
Her chest tightened, but not from pain. It was a soft tightening, as if something was opening inside.
"Is this...? Is this what Juvia always wanted to feel?"
There wasn't the desperation to be accepted, nor the emptiness of waiting for someone who never looked at her the same way. What bloomed there was small, almost shy, but it had firm roots: the feeling of being seen, of being cared for... simply because.
"If Natsu-san knew how much this means... maybe he would laugh at how silly Juvia is."
A thought crossed her mind without her being able to stop it:
"Juvia could stay like this forever..."
After a while, Juvia let out a trembling sigh.
"...It's strange." She murmured, her voice muffled against him. "Since Juvia joined Fairy Tail... no one has ever done this."
Natsu arched an eyebrow.
"This what?"
"Hug Juvia... like this."
He scratched the back of his neck, awkward, but didn't undo the hug.
"Then you're hanging out with the wrong people." He said in a somewhat gruff way.
Juvia laughed softly, even with teary eyes. That rough but sincere way was typically him. And, somehow, it made her feel lighter.
Natsu finally released her, turning back to walk without looking directly at her.
"Let's go already. If you're saying you're going to help me, then it doesn't help to cry on the way."
She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to regain her composure.
__________________
(A/N: Did you enjoy the chapter? Then you should know that over on my Patreon you can read up to 10 chapters ahead for just 5 dollars! And yes—for that price, you also get full access to all of my content. That's right: cheaper than a snack… and with way more drama, action, and guaranteed emotional damage.
The link is right below. See you there!
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you so much for your support — you make all of this worthwhile.)