.

"Natsu seriously, where are we going!?" I continued to question for hundreth time that day.

But just like all the other times, Natsu remained silent, throwing a simple shrug and a cheeky grin my way as he dragged me away from the car up a narrow country path. Somehow I had found myself pulled away from the safety of home and driven outside to the middle of nowhere.

Trees towered to the left of us, aligning in uneven rows further from the path. The forest looked huge from the outside, like it would take years to walk through it. To the right, just more country road. The ground below us was gravelly, crunching under every step.

I stumbled up the path beside Natsu, feeling him tug on my hand. I looked up from the ground to meet his eyes.

"It's just 'round here." He smiled, nodding his head toward a slight turn in the path. He squeezed my hand before releasing it and jogging ahead.

"Come on! I'll race ya!" He called, turning behind to look at me for an answer.

I rolled my eyes before jogging up to meet him, where he then sped up into a sprint.

"Natsu, slow down I'm too unfit!" I panted, trying my hardest to catch up as he powered ahead.

Soon, he turned the corner and was out of sight. I stopped to catch my breath, placing my hands on my knees. I let out a sigh.

"Natsu!" I yelled, bringing myself to walk again in the direction he disappeared.

As soon as I hit the corner I was suprised that Natsu wasn't there waiting to jump out and scare me. My brows furrowed as I looked around, only to see a dead end where the forest blended into the road.

"Natsu?" I called out again, squinting my eyes as if it would better my vision. Where the heck did he go? "Come on, this isn't funny."

The longer I looked, the scarier the forest seemed to be. The way it wrapped around the footpath, creating a dead end made it feel more clostraphobic as if it was wrapping around me. I noticed a small break in the thick bush, as I got closer it certainly looked like it was man made... maybe from numerous people going through.

I smirked as I gracefully climbed through the entanglement of leaves. He thinks he's so sneaky hiding from me... I thought. I stepped in, entering the area behind the bush.

My breath was taken away, just like that.

A gasp escaped my mouth and a quiet 'woah' whisped through too. When I'd left the house to go to an unknown place with Natsu, i definitley wasn't expecting to enter a whole new world. But thats where I found myself.

It was like this; from the other side, it simply looked like a forest, curving around the dead end of the road and fading into a hedge of some sorts - possibly belonging to the back garden of a locals house. But as soon as you stepped through the little hole in the hedge, it was unexpected.

I stood with my jaw dropped, staring wide eyed at the views around me - Natsu's disappearance vanished from my mind.

"Woah..." I mumbled again, my eyes wandering.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

His voice startled me, causing me to jump back, wide-eyed.

"Where did you go!?" I questioned Natsu, who was stood beside me nonchalantly with his hands resting behind his head. His eyes flickered to meet mine as a cheeky grin pressed against his lips.

"We we're racing remember? Geez, your memory must really stink." He remarked, lips curling at the corner into a subtle smirk. "Anyway, I totally won."

"Stupid." I mumbled, bringing my mouth together in a pout. I took a step forward, gazing back toward the scene ahead. "What is this place?"

Natsu followed behind me, wrapping a warm arm around my waist as we stood side by side.

He hummed. His fingers finding there way under my shirt just a little, tickling the bare skin beneath.

"I just stumbled across it one day. Thought of you." He squeezed.

The sight was magnificent.

Where the forest ended, the garden started. It was ancient, like it was fashioned a long time ago. Ruin-like pillars scattered the area, slowly swallowed by thick, green vines and flowers over time. The pillars lined paths etched into the grassy ground, encouraging any passer-by's to follow. The pathways were sheltered by thicker vines branching off to entwine with eachother, creating a ceiling type cover. The paths split off in many directions, twisting and turning as if the place was never ending.

Natsu's hand slid into mine, his warm fingers wrapping around my cold ones. I turned my gaze toward him and smiled.

"I really love you Lu-"

"NATSU? Is that you?!"