What was it that brought them together, to be united in this perfect love?

It started on that day, when she had found herself facing mortal danger, desperately in need of a savior. He came in the form of Natsu, who cut down what danger he could and swept her away from the rest. From then on, they were inseparable. They shared every part of their life with each other. That was how it was to this very day.

Yes. She often reflected upon that day with fondness. It was a day that had changed her life, after all.

Lucy, a caring lady in the full bloom of youth, stood alone on the beach, gazing over the sapphire water with her mahogany spheres. Her golden hair danced lightly in the ocean breeze, tickling against one cheek as she smiled to herself with anticipation, resting her cheek against one hand as she crossed one high-heeled foot behind the other. She wore a rouge shirt that left her coral-flushed alabaster arms bare and a tight blush-colored miniskirt showed the shape of her hips and the alabaster, tinted with hazel, tone of her legs. Her locks flowed in a purulent torrent past her shoulders, complementing her childlike healthily color-touched pale visage. For a moment, she absorbed herself in these thoughts, of her, and Natsu.

"Lucy," Natsu said simply with an admiring look-over and a beaming grin. His kiwi-colored windows to his soul complimented his pastel strands, brushing against his ears, belying his burning heart. He was dressed in his own unique fashion, a style unlike that of anyone else Lucy knew. He had a toned but slender body covered with khaki skin. A prominent scar stood out on his cheek. As Lucy drew nearer, she caught a note of his familiar scent, a mixture of earthiness and sourness that was uniquely his. She smiled to herself. It always reminded her of the time they shared.

"Oh, Natsu! You came!" Lucy said breathlessly, reaching out to take him into an embrace. With that, they began to walk along the beach.

The air was salty and warm, the sun sparkling bright and the waves foam-crested and royal blue, and yet Lucy could not let herself be happy. She wanted to reach for Natsu's steady hand, always a comfort, but it was her sadness -- who was she to burden Natsu with that? Although she tried to stop them, her lips trembled, gemstone orbs filling with unshed tears.

But she couldn't hide from Natsu. He took her by the hand and drew her toward himself, and when she looked up into his face, he had a smile warmer than the sun.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "You know you can tell me anything."

She tried to smile, to show him that she was happy there, with him, but her roseate lips would not obey her.

"I'm sorry," she lamented softly, ducking her head. His fingers, calloused but gentle, tipped her chin up.

"Don't be!" he ejected worriedly, warm globes searching out her own. "I don't ever want you to be sad! I know, I'll tell you a joke! A dragon rider, a mage, and a bard all walk into this bar..."

"Please," Lucy breathed. She shook her head violently, sending her hair whipping back in forth in the sea breeze. "No jokes. I can't take it. You're so kind to me and so good and I ... and I..." She turned away as the tears came anew, spilling like pearls over her cheeks. Natsu was quiet for a moment. His arms circled around her and she let herself lean back against his strong, lean chest. She always felt safest when she was with him.

"I don't want there to be anything between us," Natsu said softly. "I love you, Lucy."

"Oh, Natsu," she sighed adoringly. She turned in his arms and caught his face between her delicate hands. For a long moment, all they did was gaze into each other's eyes, each filled to the brim with emotions unspoken, deeper than the ocean all around them.

After a few moments, they found themselves walking down the beach again. Something rose to the front of Lucy's mind -- something she had been trying to beat back all this time. It was so special to her to be with Natsu, and she didn't want to pass that time making them both feel horrible. But it just wouldn't leave her alone.

With concern, Natsu turned his rebellious windows to his soul toward her. "Lucy? What's wrong?"

"Natsu... it's..."

And at that moment everything came together, all of the magic and the hurt that had been building that day, and he locked his spheres with hers and whispered, "You can tell me."

It was like a floodgate burst, or some barrier of fear had been struck down. Lucy shook her head, and everything came out at once. "It's... it's my parents. My mother, my father... sometimes I can't believe they're gone. It's not just that they're dead, but when it happened, it... changed so much. Sometimes I wonder about what it'd be like if it all went back.... I don't even know how I would feel about that. It just... it hurts, Natsu, thinking about it. It just hurts."

Natsu listened silently and solemnly. At last, when all the words had left her and she was at a loss for words, he reached out to her and took a deep breath to whisper back, "Lucy... you're not alone. I know what it's like -- it happened to me too. I know that pain. Igneel’s death... sometimes it still comes back to haunt me. I know it's not easy." Natsu placed his hands on Lucy's shoulders. Lucy's eyes began to burn, and she abruptly pulled him into a fierce embrace. His depths widened at first, but then he too felt overwhelmed by emotion and succumbed to the warmth of her touch.

"You," Lucy whispered, her breath hot on his ear. "As long as you're here, I'll be all right." They held each other as tears trickled down cheeks and dripped onto the shifting sands to be carried away into the sea. With time and soothing embraces, their pain dissipated into a mist swept out by the ocean breeze and into the setting sun.

They basked in each other's quiet companionship for a few moments.

"Look... it's the sunset."

Lucy lifted her head at Natsu's words to behold the dying sun's salmon radiance. "How beautiful."

After a moment of silence, he said quietly and seriously, "It's destiny, isn't it? Us, together."

She clasped his calloused hand and murmured in response, "A love this true must be fated to be."

He brought their clasped hands to his lips. "As long as the world goes on, as long as time flows... we will be together."

Lucy sighed with contentment and brought him closer. She gazed at the beautiful blonde rays of the falling sun, thinking about everything that had transpired on this day and all that would pass between them.

"I love you, Natsu."

"I love you too, Lucy."

Their lips met, and honey-colored strands met coral ones, aflame in the dying light. The sand was their witness and the rumbling ocean their approving audience, and Natsu, her eternally faithful lover. Lucy thought to herself that nothing could be more perfect in the world.