I promised I'd update this story right? Sorry it took forever. But, here I am! I actually wrote this days ago when we had an internet shortage at work. Then life and Digimon Tri happened and I forgot to update it here. I promised myself I wouldn't continue to write those Digimon fics before I post this. So here it is.
How Lucy meet Natsu and got into FTE. Not much NaLu, more Lucy's POV but yeah. I love how Natsu just storm into her life. *heart*
Title and fic inspired by YUI's song "LIFE" (that I shamelessly gave to Mirajane haha).
Enjoy!
is this love?
LIFE
Her heavy sigh seemed to be the only thing she could hear with the swing's creaking.
She tried to restrain the tears to fall again; she was probably looking horrible with the heavy crying.
She took a couple breath in, trying to calm down.
Unconsciously, she started to hum her favorite song; Mirajane's "Life". Singing was always the thing that made her feel better, whatever her father said.
"All the days that have passed have made me who I am now
It's because it's not simple that I can go on living"
Before she knew it, she was singing loudly, the empty park echoing her voice. She finished the song and smiled to herself.
She jumped when someone started clapping. She looked up, embarrassed someone had caught her singing her emotions out.
The person gave her a full grin and in the dark, the only thought she had was how his canine were way sharper than a normal person. But somewhat, it didn't scared her off. He seemed young, maybe around her age.
He let down the luggage he had on his back and she quickly realized the luggage in his hand was a guitar case.
He opened up and let out the guitar. Without any words, he sat down on the ground, just in front of her, and started to strum few chords. She quickly recognized as the one she had been singing previously.
He stopped.
"Sing," he said. It almost sound like an order. She wanted to tell him who did he think he was to order her around but he resume playing.
This guitar sounded nice. Too nice to let her pride step in.
So she sang.
They finished the song and all she could see was his grin, almost as if it was lighting up the whole park.
"Natsu," he said, "My name's Natsu."
"Lucy," she replied.
He posed his guitar down in it's case and sat on the swing next to her. Since he was closer, she could more properly seen his boyish feature and the pink hair.
She giggled.
"Do you often come here?" he asked.
She looked down, remembering the reason she had been here the first place. "No."
She glanced back at him, and saw the disappointment written in his face. "But I could come back."
He lighten up. "Nice! I'll be back tomorrow so you better be there!"
Without more, he jumped on his feet and took back his guitar.
"See you later Luigi!"
"It's Lucy!" She shouted back but he was gone.
She wondered about the strange boy, Natsu she reminded herself, all the way back to her house.
/
It lasted for two months.
Every day or so, Lucy would meet with Natsu in the park and they would jam songs together. A few times, kids and their parents stopped to listen to them but most of the time they were alone.
They never really took the time to talk about each other. It was always about music. Which songs they knew, which songs they liked, which songs they wanted to play... By that time, Lucy discovered that not only Natsu could play guitar but he also had an incredible voice.
Natsu found Lucy's obsession on Mirajane; the recent favorite of the medias, quite amusing and Lucy found Natsu's admiration of Lighting, the most popular rock band at the moment, quite cute.
"That's why," confessed Natsu one day after their jamming session, "I'm a trainer at FTE."
FTE being Fairy Tail Entertainment, one of the biggest talent agency in Fiore. The once that Mirajane and Lighting were part of, to name just a few.
Lucy shock was written all over her face. "You are?"
He grinned, the same grin she saw over and over again. "And you will be too."
"What?"
"I spoke about you to Makarov, he said he wanted to meet you."
She had no idea who was Makarov, but she knew it was a bad idea. "Natsu..." she sighed, "Thank you. But I can't."
She tried not to let his dejected expression influence her. "Why? Lucy, your voice is incredible. You shine when you sing. I think you'd make a fantastic artist."
She blushed at the sudden compliment; she knew Natsu liked her voice, but it was the first time he'd complimented her so much. "I still can't. Papa..."
She didn't finish her sentence. She took a long breath in.
"My mother was a singer. An opera singer. You might have heard of her; Layla Heartfilia."
Natsu didn't move.
"She died seven years ago. She died from cancer, but till her last breath, she wanted to sing. She's my real idol, my model. But because of she died, even the way she died is unrelated to music, my father put her musical career as the cause. I guess it was his way to grief."
She paused looking at Natsu, his expression still unreadable.
"He doesn't want me to purse a career as a singer, and I just..." she signed yet again. "I can't do that to him. He's my only family."
Natsu sat on the swing next to her and Lucy had a flashback of the first time they had met.
"My father was a photographer. He loved music too, but his real passion was photography. He disappear after an expedition in South America. Never found the body. My mother died giving birth to me."
"I'm sor-"
"When I was in doubt," he interrupted, "Music was there for me. My father always encouraged me to play guitar and sing. It was fun. Then, by his job, he made me meet Makarov. He disappeared few weeks after. So Makarov took me under his wing." He chuckled. "There's a couple of orphan kids or fuck up kids in the trainers; as if he liked to take broken children to make them stars. But we are all happy now. Waiting for debut but..." he shrugged.
Lucy looked down. "Thanks," she finished by murmur. "Thanks for telling me."
He shoved her with the swing making her almost lose balance. "Weirdo. We are friends, right?"
She smiled at him.
He stood up and took his guitar case. "I know you said you can't do that to him. But you need to think what you want. Make sure you won't regret, ok?"
He didn't wait for an answer but gave her a warm smile and left.
She didn't see him for two weeks after that.
/
She stood in front of the FTE building in awe.
Nastsu had sent her an email with information for an auditions. She had stared for a long time the email, debating if she was going or not.
Natsu's words hadn't left her since. She loved to sing. She just couldn't do that to her father. And even putting her father aside, there was always the fame, the paparazzi, the public, would she be liked?
But as Natsu had said, she didn't want to regret it. She wanted to take all the chances.
She had to. For her mother. For Natsu. For herself.
She entered and somewhat stumbled in the room full of other teens, around her age or younger. They gave her a number and she waited for her number to be called.
Once her number called, she felt like her heart would go out her mouth. She went to the audition room and was presented in front of three old man.
"Hello..." one of the man started, pausing to read his sheet, "Lucy. How are you today?"
"Nervous," she responded honestly.
The man chuckled. "Why is that?"
"It's kinda scary, an audition."
The man nodded. "It's your first audition?"
She nodded.
"Why now?" the other man asked. He looked really less friendly than the first one.
"A... friend of mine told me I shouldn't live with regrets... And singing has always been a part of my life. I just want to see if..." she trailed. She closed her eyes, thinking about her mother, and then opened them again, a bit more relaxed. "I want to see how far it can get me. If I can offer something to this world with my singing."
The first man who had spoke nodded, seeming content with the answer. "Then please, what are you going to sing?"
"I'm sure you already heard it a thousands time today but it is my favorite song. Mirajane's "Life"."
The man nodded and made a sign for her to start. She took a long breath in.
And sang.
Once she finished, the first man nodded yet again seeming pleased. "Thank you, Lucy. Please stay a little bit longer, in another room."
"But-" one of the man, the one who had been silent since the beginning, tried to say but the first one silence him with a move of his hand.
"Please," he said, looking at Lucy.
Lucy bowed a thank you, and followed the assistant. The assistant showed her an empty room with luxurious sofa and told her to wait there.
It was completely different from the other waiting room with plastic chairs and a cramped space.
Lucy waited few minutes but started to get bored. She opened her cellphone and started to play on it.
After 30 minutes, the boredom came back and she stood up, looking at the numerous prize and pictures that were further in that room.
"Are you Lucy?" she jumped at the voice. She turned and got starstruck.
In front of her was standing the one and only Mirajane, her idol since the white-haired woman had debuted 2 years ago.
Remembering what Mirajane had said, she merely nodded, afraid her voice would give her away.
Mirajane smiled. "Natsu told me a lot about you," she started and Lucy shocked face made her laugh. "I was sure Natsu had finally discovered love but he's still so childish. Please bare with him, ok?" she winked and Lucy wasn't sure how to say that she had no intention to look at Natsu that way.
She didn't have to say anything as someone entered the room. Lucy recognized him as the nice old man from the audition.
"Ah, I see you already met Mirajane," the man said. "It's good." He smiled. "I couldn't introduce myself before but my name is Makarov. Executive producer and president of FTE."
Lucy's jaw dropped.
"Natsu spoke really fondly of you. I have to say that this young boy's instinct have never been wrong. You are a real gem."
Lucy blushed, unsure what to say.
"I want to propose you something. But before, would you mind singing again?"
Lucy shook her head no.
"Perfect. I will need you to sing the same song you sang at the audition."
Lucy glanced at Mirajane, who was all smiles, finding embarrassing to actually sing this song in front of the person who had fist created and sang the song.
She took a long breath in. "I start anytime?" she asked.
Makarov nodded. "When you're ready."
She took a few more deep breath in and out and started.
By when she hit the chorus, to her surprise, Mirajane joined in, harmonizing. She had done a couple of times with Natsu, but Mirajane had a higher range. She tried to focus on her own voice and not be distracted by the harmony.
Lucy felt shy but she could hear how pretty it sound, both of them singing.
Every time the chorus rolled in, Mirajane would add her harmony and she would stop at the verses.
Makarov clapped when they finished singing. "Excellent," his smile was huge and he walked to the end of the room. Mirajane followed him and Lucy took it as a cue to follow too.
They entered a huge office.
Makarov sat down behind the desk and showed with a move of his hand for Lucy to sit down.
"Mira, you can leave if you have something else to do."
Mirajane seemed torn. She then turned to Lucy. "We're going to meet again soon, ok?"
Lucy nodded, unsure what to say.
Mirajane smiled. "You're going to fit perfectly."
Without more, she left.
Flabbergast, Lucy turned back her attention to Makarov.
"If you hadn't guess by now, I want you in my agency."
"I kinda got the clue," Lucy replied, still a bit in daze, nothing had felt real since she had sang with Mirajane.
"You are still underage, you will need the permission of your parents."
Lucy slumped in her chair and looked down at her hands. "That will not be possible then."
She heard Makarov stand up and she glanced back up. He then showed her a photo. She recognized her mother in a heartbeat being with Makarov, both of them smiling.
"Your mother was a lovely woman," started Makarov, "when I heard you sing, I felt like she was alive again." He paused. Sensing Lucy wasn't going to say anything he continued: "I must say your style is different. I would never make you an opera singer even if you do have the potential. You have a charm, Lucy. A charm that is your own. Natsu saw it. Mirajane saw it. I saw it." He paused yet again. "It's going to be hard on you. People will constantly compare you to your mother. Even if we do hide the fact... you have too much of her for people not to realize. But... I have a project in mind. There is still a few missing puzzle pieces but you are certainly one of them. I want you to be part of this project, this team, this family. If you are willing to be in it, of course."
Lucy looked down yet again. "I want to." She then looked back up, meeting Makarov's eyes. "I want to try."
He smiled. "I just need a parent's permission. You will continue to go to school, but if you want, and if your father allows, you will be in the FTE dorms. You will have 3 singing training per week but the practice room will be open to you all days, all year long. You will also start dancing lessons."
"Dancing?" she gasped.
His eyes twinkled in amusement. "You'll need to do more than singing. I did tell that I had a project in mind. The dancing will start by 2 lessons a week. It will become more or less depending your improvement. Are you still willing?"
Lucy never nodded so hard.
/
Two days had passed since the audition. She still hadn't gather the courage to talk to her father. She had until the end of the week to hand over the papers to FTE.
She looked at her father's study's door. She knocked.
"Yes?" her father said.
"It's me," she piped in fear, her voice trembling.
"Enter."
She entered the study, who could easily compete with Makarov's office, and sat down in front of her father.
He posed his pen down and looked at his daughter.
"Papa..." she started.
"What do you have in your hands?"
She gulped, her heart beating hard and fast. "Papa, I want to be a singer."
He growled: "Lucy, I thought we already had this conversation."
"We never did," she started slowly, "we never had a conversation because you never hear what I tell you."
"Lucy, darling..."
"No Papa, you listen. I love singing. I know it is a hard job and it might finish in flame but I need to try. I am not like Mama. I want to try my own path but it doesn't mean I will finish like Mama!"
"You are only 15! You do not know what is good for you!" he shouted.
"But I'll never know if you keep me all locked up in a tower!" she shouted back.
He stayed silent but Lucy could feel his anger boiling.
"I am not happy, Papa," she finished by softly say, "I am not happy because I feel like I could do something else, something better. And maybe I am wrong because I am young but... I'll never know if I do not try. Papa please..." She blinked a couple of time trying to not let her tears get better of her.
"Get out."
"Papa..."
"Get out!"
She bit her bottom lip down and let the FTE contract on his desk.
She didn't want to let her tears to get the best of her. She had to be strong. She passed in front of her mother's portrait.
"Mama, give me strength."
The next morning, the contract was on her nightstand with the note: "Leave and don't come back until you changed idea."
/
Her first weeks in FTE had been extreme. Between school and the training, she had little time to relax. She didn't even have the time to be with Natsu. Only once a week she would jam with him and Gray, another trainee of FTE who played the bass and had dancer background. Go figure.
She was sharing dorm room with Levy, a bubbly girl of her age who had been in FTE since she was 10. They quickly bond over their mutual love for books.
There was also Erza, who helped her with the dance lessons. Erza was a year older and really nice but a little bit spartan in her training. She also thought everyone could follow her spartan training. Other fun fact was that Natsu and Gray were completely terrorized by her.
Then there was Cana, who was aiming to be a rapper and was two years older than Lucy. Cana was basically the definition of cool. She had cool dance moves and a pretty voice to boot.
In the girls' dorm, there was also Lisanna, Mirajane's little sister. Even if she had debuted as an actress, she was still in the trainee dorms. Lisanna was as nice as her sister, and actually had a good dance background even if she only wanted to focus on acting.
She had only met Mirajane's brother once, but he had left a big impression on her. He was huge! Hard to believe he was the same age as Cana.
Talking about Mirajane, they had met a few times now, mainly at her singing training where Mira, as she insisted Lucy to call her that way, was helping with tips and advices. Mirajane and the other debuted artist lived in another building, after all, only for those who had debuted.
She also met the group Lighting once. Lucy found them quite scary but Mira had told her that they were all weirdos, even if they looked so cool and collected. Lucy was still unable to imagine it.
Those had been a main days in FTE.
It was hard, not thinking of her father. She had already written three letters to him but never find the courage to send them.
"Hey."
Lucy jumped at the intrusion. "Natsu! How many time I have to tell you not to come in the girls' dorm?!"
"Relax! Erza is in the gym."
Lucy rolled her eyes and wanted to point out it wasn't the problem but gave up.
A miaow was heard and Lucy beamed seeing the cat hidden in Natsu's jacket.
"Happy!" she exclaimed, taking the cat in her arms.
Happy was almost the mascot of the FTE dorms. Lisanna and Natsu had found him abandoned in front of the building and had took him in. The cat loved everyone and everyone loved him but he seemed to have a particular connection with Natsu.
She let her cat on her legs and scratched the back of his head, making Happy purr.
"So, what brings you here?" she finished by ask when Natsu made no movement to go away.
He shrugged. "You seemed down today."
She froze a little. Only Natsu seemed to read her moods like an open book. It sometimes destabilized her. She finished by sigh. "It's nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing."
"I was just thinking about my father."
He paused. "No news from him?"
She shook her head no. "I must have hurt him so badly."
"He hurt you too."
She glared at him.
"I'm just stating a fact." he said, looking sheepish.
"I... just want him to be proud of me."
"He'll be. He's just mad right now, but for sure he'll be proud when he'll see see his daughter on a billboard with the Dragons."
She laughed. "The Dragons?"
"Our band name."
"That is so cheesy," she said, laughing even harder.
"It's not! Why Gray and you agrees on the weirdest thing?"
"Because you have terrible taste. Let's face it."
He tried to argue but everything made her laugh even more.
Levy arrived by then, saluting Natsu as if it was normal he was in their room. "You might want to go, I saw Erza coming back."
Natsu turned livid. "Gotta go. Happy?"
The cat looked at Natsu, still on Lucy's laps, with an air of "Do you really think I will move from this position?"
"Fine. Stay there. Traitor." He went out the window, like he came in. "Bye Lucy! Bye Levy!"
And he was gone.
Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "This boy, I swear..."
Levy laughed, arranging her things and chatting about her day.
It's only latter, when the light were closed and she was tuck in bed, that Lucy realized how lighter she felt.
Maybe tomorrow, she'd post those letters.
The End.
Um... Yeah. Don't expect a sequel...? I know, it's bittersweet ending but I love bittersweet endings! But really, don't expect me to be into the Fairy Tail fandom for awhile. Digimon is eating up all my energy. But if you like Digimon fics, keep your eyes open for me!
Now that this shameless publicity is done, please review! lol
Thanks for reading!