Hello my dears! After some time away from writing, I finally found inspiration again! May this story give you some joy :)
Travelling.
Just this word brings small chills of happiness through our bodies. The chance to get out of your daily routine, your everyday habits, and your usual people can be considered thrilling, in the least! Travelling implies moving. Moving implies new. New implies surprises. Surprises… Well, if you keep your mind opened they are usually very good. The feeling of normal boredom that comes with a settled life gets erased. This is what travelling means to normal people, such as the majority of the people in this train station. However, I'm a different case.
I'm not…normal? Well, I kind of am, I mean, I do have one head, two arms, two hands, two legs, two feet, you get the point! But, at the same time, I'm a bit different from the rest of the people surrounding me right now. You see, I'm not travelling in order to get a small and well deserved vacation. I'm not a get-away-from-my-routine kind of traveler. Right now, I belong in the get-away-from-my-life category. I don't have a kind of life that allows me to get away for a week or two, and then return with my batteries full. I'm not that lucky…
I don't travel, I run.
I run to find eternal escape. I run to get away from the person who has hurt me most in the world… My father. Getting your freedom taken away from you, living trapped inside a mansion with no chance of getting new acquaintances besides the ones suitable for an arranged marriage… No, nopety nope! We're not in the ancient's times where princesses were given to those who presented more money and noble titles! First of all, I'm not a princess! Just a filthy rich heiress… Unfortunately. I bet my life would be easier if my father wasn't who he is… A Heartfilia.
He probably never saw it coming… The sudden disappearance of his only child. I can't say I regret running away in the middle of the night, just with a small bag and my Spirit Keys. If being locked up is awful for a woman, imagine if said woman is also a mage! Well, don't imagine, I'm right in front of you… My magic was trapped as much as my body and soul. And my Spirits deserve to be free, just as much as I do. I'm not running alone. I'm running with my keys, and I'm running for our freedom.
I've been in so many different lands this last year, I even lost count. Right now, I'm just in another train station, another like many I've seen. Same type of people, with a small smile on their lips and faraway look in their eyes, imagining what kind of adventures lies ahead. And me, with the most carefree smile and eager spirit, ready to embrace whatever new destination comes to me. This time, I bought a ticket to the first land that showed on the board. The criteria to choose is always different, this time the number one is in order to celebrate my first year as a free woman.
The train must be arriving soon, maybe ten more minutes. I take the time to look around, and appreciate the beautiful landscape this land provides. However, my precious moment is interrupted as a boy with pink hair passes right in front of me, invading my personal space. Pink hair… Really? Out of all the beautiful colors that exist in the world, he had to dye his hair with the most girlish one? Well, that would have been a perfectly normal thought, right? Yes… Too bad I said it out loud…
The boy stops in his tracks, and turns around. My face turned into the color of his hair, literally. I was so embarrassed… However I covered it up, and let out a small "Sorry". He let out a small annoyed puff of air, and I thought he would continue on his way… Surprise surprise, he starts walking in my direction! He stops right in front of me, invading my personal space once again. The pinkness of my cheeks does not disappear.
"It's natural", he says looking straight into my eyes.
I must have had a brain freeze because the only thing I'm capable of saying is another "Sorry", this time with a questioning connotation.
"My hair! It's my natural color. Wanna see?" he asks and bends his head. I've only just noticed he's a little bit taller than me.
As I look into the roots of his hair I realize two things. First, this is not dyed indeed. Second, his hair has a very particular smell…
"It smells of…" I don't even have time to finish as he lets out a small laugh followed by the word I was going to say.
"Smoke? Yes I know, what else would it smell of?" he asks, with a grin adorning his lips. Why was I looking at them? I really don't want to think about it now, I'm not ready to blush again…
I was going to retort that it should probably smell of flowers, but I realized in time it would shoot down his masculinity once more. So instead I answer him, smiling, with a light "I don't know, sorry".
He tapped my shoulder. "Awww don't worry, normal people don't always understand why I smell like that". Once again I realize two things. First, all of him smells like smoke, not only the hair. And second… He called me normal. A warm feeling spreads quickly through my chest… The last time I was considered normal was in my own head. Suddenly I feel the need to hug this stranger. Instead, I give him a warm smile that reaches my eyes.
"I'm not that normal…" I stopped myself, but it was too late. I said precisely what I was not supposed to say. I admitted out loud my lack of normality. I look quickly to my feet; sure the boy would walk away now that the look of a lost girl marred my facial features…
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Pain. That's all I feel after hearing his words. Wow, who could have guessed a stranger's opinion would affect me so much. I'm ready to turn away when he speaks again.
"You are way nicer than most people I ever met!" I feel paralyzed. I keep my head down, but my eyes turn up to stare at him. My mouth forms a perfect "O" of surprise. I must look like a small child… At seeing my perplexed expression, the boy gives me the most perfect and adorable smile I've ever had the pleasure to receive.
"Most people would have ignored me, because of my hair, my smell, the way I dress and because of Happy" as he speaks I look at his outfit for the first time. Indeed, exposing your abs is not that normal… But I don't feel the need to complain! And I also notice a small blue cat sleeping in his arms. Happy, I guess.
That's when I realize… I'm not alone. Someone else has felt rejection in the skin. Probably not inflicted by his father, but still. He was ready to be pushed down the moment he approached me, just like I was ready to be ignored by him the moment I admitted I was not normal.
But none of that happened. I kept our conversation, and that was the reason why I stood out from the usual people that surrounded this pink haired man. I accepted him, and apparently he accepted me too.
I finally relax my shoulders, and the boy notices.
"Good to see you again. For a moment you looked trapped in your own world!" Simple words, but so incredible true. He saw right through me, didn't he?
I tried to joke a little. "I guess my Spirits called me to their world for a while" I said with a light voice.
The boy's eyes widen. "You have magic too?"
It's my turn to be surprised. "Too? You mean you're also a mage?!" he nods quickly, the smile returning.
"Not normal ugh? You just became the most normal person in this train station to me!" I cannot even begin to explain how much this sentence means to me… Well, it's probably not necessary, right?
I don't have to reply, my smile is all the answer the boy needs. As we look into each other eyes, a loud noise fills the air. I look away first, and pay attention to my surroundings once again. The train has arrived.
A dreaded feeling engulfs me. I realize… I don't want to say goodbye.
"Is this your train?" he asks. I seem to hear some hesitation as he speaks, but it's probably just my imagination. My voice is suddenly lost, I can only nod.
Once again, I'm surprised. The one hundred watts smiles returns to his face.
"Great, let's go then…" he grabs my wrist and I swear I felt an electrical shock the moment his skin touched mine. Only then I realize he's looking expectantly at me… Did I miss something? …Then it clicks… He left the sentence open, and I must complete it.
"Lucy".
He gives me a grin and points towards himself. "I'm Natsu, nice to meet you Lucy!"
Just like that, we are no longer strangers. As we take our seat and the train begins to move, motion sickness kicks in and Natsu becomes unable sit straight. Gently I put his head in my lap. Not a very usual thing to do, especially with someone you just met. But after all, we're not normal. And we're happy this way.
As I look down at Natsu's peaceful face, I finally get the feeling. The feeling I won't be running anymore. From now on, I will only be travelling.
And this is it! I hope you enjoyed!
Feel free to expose your opinions! I'm always eager to learn and improve :)
All my love, R'Peach*