Chapter Two
She didn't know what she should've expected from a fight club match. Somehow inside of her mind, Lucy imagined a small mass of students lining the bleachers, not too much enthusiasm, but when she stumbled into the large gym, peeling off her gloves, scarf, and long peacoat, she was met with a wild crowd. People were decorated in school colors, some even going as far as to paint their faces - and many people held signs in the air, although none of the fighters had arrived in the room to see them. It seemed that the fight club was a rather big deal.
Levy had granted her special permission to visit the preparation rooms in case she decided to come, but Lucy decided to solely visit the one belonging to her blue-haired friend (albeit, Lucy struggled to find it since the competition was being held at the school of the opposing team). The door was open, and when Levy looked up to greet her friend, they both smiled widely. While Lucy was garbed in a long-sleeved pink turtleneck, black skirt, tights, and knee-high boots, Levy was dressed in a sports bra and legging capris, lacking shoes or a proper shirt; it was odd to see each other so out of school uniform.
"Lu-chan, you made it!" Levy greeted, rising from the stretches she had been doing prior to the blonde's arrival.
"I couldn't miss your fight, could I?" Lucy teased, leaning against the doorframe. "How tough is the competition?" If her cheeks hadn't already been red from the bitter cold, then they would've flushed with color, because she knows that Levy had already responded to the same question from her multiple times.
However, she didn't seem bothered by the question. "I heard they're good."
"I bet you're better." She hadn't even meant to say it, but it slipped past her lips and was received with a smile.
"Thanks, Lu!"
"Levy, you're up." A sudden voice spoke from behind Lucy, causing her to nearly topple over in fright.
When she craned her neck to get a view of the person behind, she realized that it was the redheaded girl. Ah, what did Levy say her name was? Wendy? No, that was the little one… Hm… "Erza!"
Lucy was met with the piercing glare of the other woman, and leaning against the doorframe was all she could do to prevent herself from cowering under her powerful stare. "Who might you be?"
"This is my friend Lucy! Lucy, this is Erza," Levy introduced them happily, sliding past them out the door. "C'mon, Lu!"
"Okay!" Lucy nodded, jogging to catch up to her friend - then spinning around to wave to Erza. "Nice to meet you!"
Erza gave a small smile, mimicking her wave. "Likewise."
It turned out that Levy was actually an exceptional fighter. After leading Lucy back to the gym and ordering her to stay "right there," the shorter of the two took her place across from her opponent.
She wasn't as strong as the other competitors may have been, but she was agile and quick in her movements, able to hit critical points on the boy's (the boy was introduced as Ren) body. However, where Ren lacked the speed to match Levy, he made up for it by strength. Once he got a clear shot at Levy, she was sent stumbling backwards, but her resilience from the shot was "awesome," as Lucy said aloud. The fight lasted for nearly ten minutes before Levy was able to take Ren down, not unscathed herself.
This fight club was a lot more intense than she thought it would be.
As Levy walked over, slick with sweat, Lucy handed her a water bottle. "You did great!"
Then, as if on cue, a majority of her team burst into cheers behind Lucy. They were behind me the whole time? she thought as she cringed away, startled by the sudden noise. Almost immediately, though, the second battle began between Wendy and a blonde boy, Eve, and it was during this round that Levy properly explained the rules.
Every time there was a match, five players from each team were selected to compete by the team. Sometimes there were one-on-one brawls, like the ones occurring as they spoke, but sometimes they had longer tournaments (a majority of these tournaments were held on the weekends), where the teams of five competed in events other than one-on-one matches. There was a time limit of fifteen minutes for each one-on-one, and if neither player was down by the end, then it was a draw. However, the winner is proclaimed when the loser either forfeits, is pinned down for more than ten seconds, or is rendered unconscious. Lucy was told by Levy that the latter was a more common occurrence. If a person joins a fight club, they must sign a waiver claiming that the school board is not liable for any temporary or permanent injuries.
"A FTFC member hasn't lost a battle by tapping out before. We're pretty stubborn," Levy laughed, scratching the back of her neck. "We don't like to give up. If we can stand, we can fight."
Lucy couldn't help but smile, a sense of admiration bubbling within her chest at the look on Levy's face. Warm. This club, in spite of the violent throwdowns occurring at every match, seemed to have a very familial aura - and it seemed like something that she, herself, could appreciate.
Odd timing as it was, her phone vibrated in her hand, drawing her attention away from Wendy's battle with Eve and to the illuminated phone screen, which notified her of a text from her father.
Lucy, I will be going on a business trip until the very end of this month to close a very important deal. I expect that you will be on your best behavior. The workers will be around the house for a few hours each Saturday.
It was typical for him to leave so suddenly, so for the first few moments, she thought nothing of it. Her phone was placed into the pocket of her jacket, and she let her gaze find Wendy once again. The younger girl seemed to be losing the match, and it was proved when she fell onto her backside, too exhausted to really move. She didn't tap out, though, waiting for a few seconds before rising to her feet - shakily. Eve looked reluctant as he took up his stance once more, easily dodging Wendy's fist and instead forcing her to the ground, knee pressed to her back and his hands holding hers down. Ten seconds passed and the referees called the match, granting a rightful victory to Blue Pegasus.
That was when it hit Lucy. Until the very end of this month. It was the second day of December. She would be alone on Christmas once again. Every year, she got the same news: her father would be away for Christmas and New Year's, and she knew she should be used to it by now. Every year, though, it still hurt, waking up to an empty home and realizing that no one would be celebrating Christmas with her. She usually spent the day sleeping, or writing to her mother, or marathoning something on Netflix. She usually spent the day alone, but it still hurt every time she did.
As some of the Fairy Tail club members aided Wendy to the infirmary, Lucy leaned towards Levy, barely able to whisper. "I'll be right back." She didn't leave the other with any more details, and she didn't meet the concerned stare she felt boring holes in her back.
Unsure of where to go, Lucy roamed the halls for a few minutes before deciding instead that she needed a breath of fresh air. Cold, but fresh air. She could only thank the skies above that she remembered to slip on her jacket before exiting the building. For awhile, she walked, putting a distance between herself and the excitement going on inside of the school.
Crystal-like snowflakes drifted from the sky, and she glanced up for a moment, watching her hot breath dance away into the crisp air. Through a break in the clouds, she could see one star shining brighter than the others, seemingly twinkling, winking. Something told her that her mother was watching her.
She had to drop her gaze to the ground, her lip quivering as she fought to hold back her tears. Lucy missed her mother. Oh, she missed her mother more than anything in the world. Layla Heartfilia was one of the kindest souls in the world. She gave everything to help people, and she was repaid with death. It's not fair.
Lucy brought closed fists up to her face, wiping away tears that had slipped down her cheeks before a sob passed through her lips. As soon as her mother died, she lost her father, too. He was there, physically, but he offered no emotional support. He distanced himself until he treated her professionally, unlike how a father should treat a daughter. He left her all alone. She was all alone.
Suddenly, a face popped up in her mind.
"You're new here, right?! My name is Levy!" The girl grinned warmly, offering her hand for a handshake.
Lucy looked up, surprised by the sudden welcome, but she accepted her hand nonetheless with a bashful smile. "Yeah, today is my first day. I'm Lucy."
Levy took the seat next to her and began chatting away, and Lucy couldn't help but feel comfortable with this girl. They talked about books and continued onto the topic of a novel Lucy was authoring, and all the blonde could do to conceal her reddened cheeks was hide her face behind her hands. "I wanna be the first one to read it!"
"Wha-?" Lucy stared at Levy, mouth agape.
"C'mon, Lu!" The nickname made her lips quirk up the tiniest bit as Levy continued. "I bet you're a great writer! I'll even help you edit it if you want!"
"Thanks," Lucy breathed, astonished not only by her forwardness, but by her kindness.
"What are friends for?"
Friends. She wasn't alone, she realized. Levy was her friend - and she decided it then. She would join the fight club, no matter what, because even if no one else liked her, she still had Levy.
Just then, she heard the crunch of snow under feet. Her frigid fingers swiped the last traces of tears from her eyes and she glanced around, her stomach doing somersaults when she was unable to spot anyone. It was dark and she was alone, a good block away from the lively school. It was time to head back, she opted, walking rather quickly towards the school building in the distance. Perhaps it was nothing.
She hoped it was nothing as she came closer to the school.
She found she was wrong when she stood before the school, something prodding at the back of her leg, causing her to squeal in terror.
It was a dog. A fluffy white dog, clearly without a home judging by its emaciated appearance and low whimper. Her eyes glanced from side to side, double-checking for an owner, before scooping the small creature up and wrapping her scarf around it, providing temporary warmth. A small smile made its way onto her lips as she raised her eyes to the heavens once more, the star still there, shining away.
"I'll just text Levy-chan that I went home," she mused, more to herself than to the dog. "I'll have to stop at the pet store on the way home, too, huh?" This time she peered down at the puppy, pursing her lips. "I think I'll name you Plue."
She started walking back to the parking lot, ignoring the numbness of her gloveless fingers as she trekked through the snow. Something felt wrong, though.
Her suspicions were assured to be correct when she saw a group of dark figures coming her way, hoods pulled over their heads as if to conceal their faces (it didn't do a very good job of it, but it sure did add to the creepy vibe they were emitting). Lucy stay firmly on the edge of the sidewalk, allowing enough space for all three of them to walk past her without any trouble.
She wished.
They stopped about ten feet away from her, and she could feel her heart skip a beat as one of them looked at her. "She's a pretty thing," one of the three grumbled to the others, earning short whoops and cackles. He stepped towards her, blocking her path. "We want everything you got."
"What?" she questioned stupidly.
"Money. We want money, blondie," the burliest one snorted, as if blondie was an insult.
"I don't have anything with me…" Her voice trailed off, lost with the wind.
"Well, then, we could think of another payment method," the first one hinted knowingly, a dark smirk pressing on his features. He took another step forward, prowling like a lion on its prey.
But he wasn't a lion, and she wasn't his prey. He was a human, and so was she.
Lucy didn't like the look he was giving her, so she pressed her lips together in a nervous manner and glanced over her shoulder. "I should get back to the school."
"No you don't," someone stopped her as she turned around, and she realized that a fourth man had crept up behind her.
Damn it.
She only hugged Plue tighter to her chest, backing away from him and closing her eyes tightly. Then -
Lucy spun around, foot high in the air as it collided with the head of the man nearest to her. She was surprised at the force behind it, but then again, her martial arts instructor had always told her that she was better with her feet. She couldn't waste much time thinking back, though, because the other three were fast approaching.
A slight squeal left her mouth when one of them made a grab for her, and she shot a hand out, knuckles connecting with his nose hard enough to send him stumbling back onto his rear end. Lucy could take on one guy, maybe two if they were weak enough, but four clearly strong men were overpowering.
But like Levy, she was quick.
She ducked under the arms of one of the men, sprinting past him and making a beeline for the school. However, she didn't make it far before something pushed her to the ground, earning a face-full of snow. "Get off of me!" she demanded, elbowing the assailant wherever she could hit - his neck, to be exact. He choked, gasping for breath, and she wormed her way out from under him, scooting back. Two were down, but the one she had punched had risen again with a bloody nose.
"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know," one of the remaining men sighed, as if the whole situation was her fault.
"You guys are pretty lame, taking on a single girl like that," someone spoke from behind her, moving forward and casting a dark shadow over her. She looked up, and found the face of someone familiar - Natsu! He was the one that she had accidentally punched in the face. Oh.
"You gonna mess with us, kid?"
"You messed with Luigi first."
She felt her cheeks burn up and a sudden embarrassing anger coursed throughout her. "It's Lucy!"
Natsu seemed to ignore her, though, as he leapt forward and took on two of them at once. Her eyes followed his movements - he wasn't a very graceful fighter, but he was powerful and quick, which was what really counted. He knocked them both down in a few hits, and they were sent away dragging their buddies.
Lucy stared at his back, lips slightly parted and embracing the dog rather tightly. "Thank you," she blurted, and he turned back to her, a cheeky grin on his face and a hand scratching his neck.
"No problem, Lucy," he beamed, offering a hand to help her up. "Let's go!"
"Go?" she asked, accepted the hand anyway and following as he began to pull her along.
He stopped, looking over his shoulder at her. "You wanna join the club, don't ya?" Another grin lit up his face, and she found herself smiling too.
"Yeah, okay!" she agreed, laughing and jogging alongside him as they made their way back to Blue Pegasus High. There, they encountered some of the club members waiting: Erza, Gray, Wendy, Gajeel, and Levy.
Not one of them could have ever forgotten the beaming smiles on Natsu and Lucy's faces as they greeted them.
Hey guys! So this was the second chapter of The Fight. It's a little bit messy, but I'm hoping my writing gets better as it the story goes on!
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading it!
One of the main themes/motifs of this story is going to be the idea of familial and friendly love, aside from romantic love (as this is a NaLu fic). It's going to be a big thing, so some parts are going to focus on relationships between Lucy and characters that aren't Natsu (i.e. Lucy x Levy), but the main focus is definitely NaLu. Just a heads up!
Constructive criticism is welcome with open arms! Chapter three will be up ASAP, too! :)