I've been at Fairy Tail all morning, trying to think of a solution for my problem. But, I am still coming up with nothing even though I've been here for the past 5 hours! I growled under my breath in frustration. I hate this... I thought. I'm so sick of seeing her do all of these things for a dead man! And for what? A 'well done' from him?! Or maybe a 'pat on the head'?! It'll never happen! I mentally yelled at myself.
Lucy...
I watched it all happen, over and over again, as she was clueless to what was really happening with her. She just couldn't let her past go completely, and I could see it.
She's already told me the things that she'd done in the past to try and get her father's attention, but it never worked. And here she is, years after she'd run away from home and told her father that she didn't need 'pretty things' or 'money' to make her happy, subconsciously still trying to gain her father's attention. She has no idea that she does it, but I can hear her say stuff like 'I bet my father would've been proud of this achievment' or 'I wish he could see how well I'm doing on my own'... Sometimes it's not even a sentence, and I still know what she's thinking, and just says 'Father' or 'Papa'.
It breaks my heart to see her like this, especially since there's no way in hell she can get his attention - he's dead. He passed away 5 months ago. I know this, because I was there when she got informed of the news in Acalypha when she willingly went to go see him - for the first time in her life since she'd left, before the lost time on Tenrou Island happened. Yet, she's been trying so hard, without realising it, and it'll just amount to nothing.
I've tried to tell her of the things I'd noticed, many times, before but she doesn't seem to acknowledge it... I think, that the reason she's still trying to get his attention, is because she thinks that her mother's death is her fault and her father had blamed her for it... When I think, from what she's told me, it clearly wasn't her fault at all. Her stupid father just wanted someone to blame, and Lucy just seemed like a good 'scapegoat' at the time.
And because of that, Lucy had gone through hell. From being scolded for trying to make him smile, to crushing any dreams about her future that didn't concern the Heartfilia Railways.
Lucy's a broken angel, and she has been since she was 10... Since her mother died. Her father practically treated her like dirt since then - hell, he even came after Fairy Tail in the past because he wanted to marry her off! He doesn't deserve the tears she's shed for him, but she does it any way.
It hurts to see her like this. I hate it. I have to do something, but I have no idea what... I'm at a loss.
I sighed deeply, and slumped my head against the bar. Lucy just frustrated so damn much! Even if I love her, she's just way too much for me to handle sometimes. Whether it's about this, or if it's about how she always tell people - and me - that we're 'best friends forever'. I had being in the friend-zone, but it's better than nothing I suppose. I just want to take away all of her pain, all of her 'attempts for Jude', and just kick'em out the fucking door! It's maddening to not be able to come up with any way to help her with her issues.
"What's up, Natsu?" I heard Mira ask. I lifted my head up enough to see Mira staring at me in concern.
"Mira, can you help me?" I asked. Mira looked surprised, before smiling teasingly.
"Is it 'lover problems' with Lucy?" She giggled, and I knew she was trying to get me all flustered and deny it, but I was in no mood today.
"Kinda of..." I said. Mira gasped.
"Kind of?! You mean you're finally going out?!" Mira questioned excitedly.
"No, we aren't. I want to be with her, but she doesn't see me that way. We're 'Best Friends Forever!', remember?" I said, raising a brow at Mira. I know Lucy's told that line to pretty much everyone, so Mira would be no exception. "And besides, that's not my main problem right now..." I grumbled, slamming my head on the desk again.
"Y-you do?! That's great news, Natsu! And... Yeah, she does say that... I guess... Oh! I know! I'll get her to realise her feelings for you!" Mira said, completely ignoring the second half of what I'd said.
"Mira," I said warningly and lifting up my head to give her a look, "Don't. Last time you tried to help anyone out with stuff like this, it ended in disaster. Remember what happened when you told Juvia about that guy, who ended up being a con-artist, who you thought sold legit love potion? Everyone went crazy with declarations that first thing they saw as their rival! Stay out of my love life, Mira. I'm only warning you once." I said. Mira sweat-dropped. "And besides, I did say that that wasn't my main problem right now." I said.
"Oh... Then what is your problem?" Mira asked.
"It's what Lucy's doing, but she doesn't realise she's doing it. I've tried to tell her, but she just thinks I'm making it up!" I groaned in frustration. "I'm wanting to get her to see that I'm right, but I don't know how... I've been here for 5 hours, trying to think of something, but I'm empty-handed." I explained.
"Well, what is she doing subconsciously?" Mira asked. So, I told her. Mira looked surprised, but I just found it annoying. Why can't Lucy just quit doing that?! She should know that her mom's death wasn't her fault... But I get the feeling she doesn't think that way.
"Hmm... Well, have you tried singing it to her? Or writing it on paper? How about recording her say that stuff?" Mira asked. At first I groaned at the obcurdity of it all, but then an idea struck me. Finally!
"Mira, you're a genius! I know what to do!" I declared, running towards the guilds' doors. "Thanks Mira!" I yelled behind me, as I shot out of there like a bullet from a gun.
Hopefully, she'll believe me this time...
It's been two weeks since that talk with Mira, and I've finally gotten everything I need. I've gotten proof of her saying these sayings on a lacrima video recorder and I've written a song to help me prove my point. Now she has no choice but to believe me! I'm sure of it!
I walked through the guild doors, a mischievous grin on my face. I walked over to Mira and asked if the stage was free, which she replied with that Gajeel was using it. That pissed me off, so I went to the stage to find Gajeel. He was once again, trying to sing, but ended up soundin like a dying dragon.
"Best friends stick together, shoo be doo bah!" Gajeel strangled out.
"Get off the stage, you dying animal!" I yelled at him, throwing the nearest chair at him. It hit him in the face, causing him to fall backwards.
"You bastard! I'm trying to sing here!" Gajeel growled at me.
"Yeah, trying to! It ain't working out for you, Metal-breath!" I yelled. Gajeel got pissed and then attacked me.
"Shoo be doo bah!" He yelled, whilst trying to deliver a flying kick to my face. I blocked it with a kick of my own.
"Iron freak!"
"Fire eating wierdo!"
"Fork eater!"
"Flaming sneezer!"
"Bastard!"
"Maniac!"
"That's it!" Gajeel and I shouted, and then brawled. Whilst we were brawling, however, we'd unfortunately knocked over Erza's strawberry cake... Fortunately, though, Erza got distracted from us and beat the living crap outta someone else.
The brawl continued on for a while, but eventually died down. Once everyone was all sore and exhausted from fighting, I noticed that no one was on stage. I took this as my chance. I ran up on stage, and set everything I needed up. Once it was all done, I put the remote I'd borrowed into my pocket, and looked for Lucy.
Coincidentally, she had only just arrived and was looking at the state of the guild with exasperated eyes.
"Oi, everyone!" I yelled out, gaining everyone's attention effectively.
"Don't tell me you're gonna sing, ash brain!" Gajeel insulted.
"Yeah, I am! Now shut up!" I yelled. Gajeel just grunted, looking away. "But, before I do... I need to say something." I said. Lucy looked at me with suspision.
"Lucy," I began, the whole guild turning to look at her. "You don't believe me when I tell you about what you subconsciously say and whatnot, so here's a little video for you to watch!" I said, grabbing the little remote from my pocket. I pressed a button, and a lacrima on a podium came out of the floor. I put the recording into the podium, and the video I'd put together started playing.
"Ok, so here we are Luce! This is a compilation of all the times I've been around you and you've been saying those things - for the past two weeks! If this won't get you to believe me, then at least give my song a chance after this is finished!" The me on the lacrima-vision said. Lucy just rolled her eyes, probably thinking that it wasn't a real video. Figures.
The first shot, was when we were walking into town to buy some groceries for her, me walking behind her so that I can record it, and all of a sudden she stopped by a bookstore and looked through the window.
"Huh... I bet that book would've made Dad more cautious in the past..." The Lucy on the lacrima-vision said. As she kept walking, I turned the camera to see what book she was looking at. 'How to tell if you're going BANKRUPT!'
The next scene was when we were on a job and Lucy had stopped by a park and watched a little girl and her dad play.
"I wish Papa would've looked at me with those kind eyes..." Lucy said.
The next, we were just exiting Fairy Tail and we over-heard some slutty-looking teenage girls, that were walking past Fairy Tail's entrance, talk about how their dads were so kind and nice and spoiled them rotten with affection.
"Must be nice... Having a doting father like that..." Lucy sighed.
And the next, Lucy and I were on a job again, but this time we had just finished fighting a monster and this little girl had run over to Lucy and cried, saying that she couldn't find her Daddy. Lucy and I looked for him, and found him with a bunch of concerned parents, and he was asking if anyone has seen her. Once the two reunited, with a heartfelt hug with tears going down their cheeks, Lucy went quiet for a second, before whispering.
"I wonder if Papa was worried when he found out that I'd run away..."
The next scene, we were in the library, researching our next mission, when Lucy had just finished a book on how to deal with businessmen - from polite to posh. Lucy sighed and looked down.
"If Papa ever saw me reading stuff like this... I wonder if he'd be proud..."
Next, we were heading back to Magnolia, right after visiting Luce's dad's grave again. We'd just finished hearing yet another pair of horrible girls talk about how they wished that their dads would die and stuff. It was also right after Luce said that she was 'fine' and that 'they're entitled to what they think of their dads'.
"I wish I could've seen you before you passed... I hope your proud of who I am, now..."
The next scene, it was at night and we were just heading off to bed for the night after travelling for the day. Lucy looked up at the stars with a sad smile on her face.
"I hope that Dad's okay... It'd be great if he was with Momma, that way he'd be happy..."
Then, the next scene we're heading to a cafe to have some lunch out for a change. She was reading the menu when all of a sudden she had on a blank face.
"This dish was Dad's favourite... I wish I could've made him something, so he could see that I really could cook... Unlike when I was a kid messing about in the kitchen..."
After that, the video ended. I looked over to Luce and saw that she looked confused and guilty at the same time.
"If you still don't believe me Luce, then here's a song for you." I said. I cleared my throat and pressed a different button on the remote I was holding, it had the soundtrack I'd made specifically for this song. It's a hidden talent of mine, since I'm secretly a decent DJ. I'd put the remote away, and started to sing when it was my queue to. I didn't need a mic, because my voice was loud enough without one.
"You showed him all the best of you
But I'm afraid your best
Wasn't good enough
And know he never wanted you
At least not the way
You wanted yourself to be loved
And you feel like you were a mistake
He's not worth all those tears that won't go away
I wish you could see that
Still you try to impress him
But he never will listen
Oh broken angel
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams
Oh broken angel
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe
Oh you can't believe
And now you've grown up
With this notion that you were to blame
And you seem so strong sometimes
But I know that you still feel the same
As that little girl who shined like an angel
Even after his lazy heart put you through hell
I wish you could see that
Still you try to impress him
But he never will listen
Oh broken angel
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams?
Oh broken angel
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe
He would leave you alone
And leave you so cold
When you were his daughter
But the blood in your veins
As you carry his name
Turns thinner than water
You're just a broken angel
Mmm angel
You're just a broken angel
Oh angel
And I promise that it's not your fault
It was never your fault
And I promise that it's not your fault
It was never your fault...
Oh broken angel
Were you sad when he crushed all your dreams?
Oh broken angel
Inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe
He would leave you alone
And leave you so cold
When you were his daughter
But the blood in your veins
As you carry his name
Turns thinner than water
Oh he would leave you alone
And leave you so cold
When you were his daughter
But the blood in your veins
As you carry his name
Turns thinner than water
You're just a broken angel
Mmm angel
You're just a broken angel
Oh angel
And I promise that it's not your fault
It was never your fault
And I promise that it's not your fault
It was never your fault
And I promise that it's not your fault
It was never your fault..." I finished, seeing that Lucy was crying. I hated seeing her cry, and loathed it if I made her cry, but she needed to hear and see all of this. She wasn't being true to herself, and I hated it.
"I'm sorry, Luce... But you had to see the truth." I said, looking at her guiltily. Lucy looked at me with an unreadable emotion in her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you cry. If you hate me now, then I'll accept it. I forced this on you, after all." I told her. I would be depressed if she hated me, but I deserved it.
The next thing I know, Lucy's made her way through the guild crowd, that had formed when I was singing, and walked up on stage next to me. Then, she slapped me. And hard enough to leave a red mark.
"That is for doing this to me. I thought you were above this sort of thing." She said icily to me. I flinched, but bared with it.
"You have every right to be mad, I'm sorry."
SLAP.
"Don't apologize." She said. I hung my head in shame. I then felt her hand lift up my head to look at her, and she gazed into my eyes for a moment. And then, my world froze.
She kissed me.
I froze, not believing it, but when I felt her pull me away, I pulled her closer. I didn't want the kiss to end just yet, it felt too good. It was like we were the only two people in the world. Even though I was, theoretically, on cloud 9 I knew that we had to breathe, so I broke the kiss. When I did, I saw her blushing. I knew I was, but it was really a sight to see on her. Absolutely beautiful...
"A-and the k-k-kiss I g-gave you was a-a-a-a thank you f-f-for lettin m-me see the t-t-t-truth..." Lucy stuttered. God she was just too adorable! My head felt like it was on fire.
"KYAA! Natsu, put out the flames!" Lucy shrieked, leaning away from me. Ahh, so my head really was on fire... I put out the flames, and looked at her apologetically.
"S-sorry... You just looked too cute, just then..." I admitted, looking away with a hand over my mouth, a blush going across my face and my eyes hidden behind my bangs. I heard Lucy squeak, as the guild suddenly cheered and we remembered that we werent alone. Lucy hid her face in my chest to hide from all the cat-calls and 'congratualtions' that were thrown around. I smirked.
I picked her up, bridal style, and looked at her with a grin. "How about we hide from the army of Fairy Tail who wanna question us on our relationship and stuff?" I offered, Lucy just turned red in the face and nodded. I chuckled and jumped down from the stage and ran to the exit, speeding up once we got outside.
Whilst I was running, Lucy gave me a kiss on the cheeck as she wrapped her ams around my neck. I blushed, but kept running. I almost stumbled, however, when I heard her whisper into my ear.
"I love you, Natsu..."
I gulped, and blushed harder, whilst she just giggled at me. I growled and kissed her on the lips, after stopping abruptly to do so, and pulled back to whisper in her ear.
"I love you, too."
I pulled back to see her gaze at me with pure affection and love, and practically melted at the sight. I kissed her again, this time with more passion and for longer.
I've wanted this for so long, and I finally have her heart... Just as she has had mine, for a long time.