A/N: This chapter features the song Disorder by Joy Division. If you do not know this song, I recommend listening to it once or twice before you read so you can place it in the story. Unlike the first chapter, the song does not line up with the timing of the story, but the lyrics do hold significance to where they are.
Disorder
"What did you say your name was again? Luigi?"
"Lucy."
After being pulled down from the rail of the bridge, the blonde immediately began sobbing against Natsu's chest. He pulled his jacket around her small body, whispering to her that everything would be okay. Of course, he didn't know if this was true, but he would do everything in his power to make it so. His words were only met with harder sobs. He sat her down next to the boombox, silencing the music with one hand while keeping a comforting arm around her shoulder. He found her shoes and placed them gently on her feet in the hope that they would lend her whatever warmth they could offer. As he held her, his eyes momentarily flickered down to the words and images she left painted on the pavement below.
When she had finally calmed down, he offered buy her some coffee. He couldn't just leave her alone after what he witnessed. He asked if she was a local or had a traveling companion, but it seemed she was alone. Alone, and dancing in the street. Alone, and standing on the rail of a bridge. He was relieved that she spoke no desire to be left alone. There was something about this girl that he couldn't shake. If leaving her meant her soul left the world, he would stick by her side- if she let him.
"Lucy, huh? My name's Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."
After walking in silence for quite some time, he had only managed to out her first name. They eventually came across Mermaid Heel 24-Hour Diner. Their waitress- a woman with long violet hair, full bangs, and a bored expression- gave the pair a strange look, presumably noticing the blonde's tear stains along with the colored chalk streaked on the white of her dress. He ignored her piercing eyes and focused on doing whatever he could to help this strange girl.
"So what brought you to Hargeon?"
The blonde responded only with her gaze as she continued to sip her coffee. "I guess you don't feel much like talking, do ya Luce? That's okay. I'm gonna talk though. I'm told I can't shut up most of the time." Lucy just stared down at her caramel colored drink, hands grasping the mug for warmth. She worked hard to push all emotion from her face, but Natsu could see the remnants of embarrassment. He understand why. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he had witnessed. He couldn't tell if this act was a planned attempt to take her own life. It seemed almost like she had been caught up in the moment. All he knew was that she needed help. And he was going to give that to her.
"Mind if I order some food? I'm pretty hungry." Natsu flashed her a large grin. Again, she just looked at him. "Warning, I'm a messy eater. Gray usually yells at me. He's this jerk I grew up with. We fight a lot." He waved the tired waitress over to their table and continued to order nearly half the menu. The dark-haired woman clutched the handle of a butter knife sticking out of her apron pocket in frustration. For a second, Natsu wasn't sure if she was going to unleash the dull blades fury on him. Under ordinary circumstances, the dark-eyed male would have expected the blonde to react similarly to his large order. Yet, he was unsurprised to find her eyes had not left the swirling brown liquid between her hands.
"When I was thirteen he and I got into a pretty destructive fight. I mean, there was debris everywhere. We broke a couple tables and chairs. I even managed to smash my very first guitar over his head. I miss that thing. It was beautiful." For a moment, Natsu's eyes glistened, lost in the nostalgia. But Lucy remained unresponsive. With a sigh, he continued his tale. "Anyway, after I totally defeated Gray, I tripped on a beam and fell into some particularly sharp pieces of wood. That's how I ended up with a scar on my neck.
"I would show it to you, but I actually covered it with a tattoo a few years back. See?" The pinkette unwrapped his black and white scarf and gestured to the right side of his neck. Black and red ink traced out small scales covering the spot where his scar had been. "I sealed the weakness up with something much stronger: dragon scales." Natsu smiled again. This time, Lucy really took a moment to study that smile. It seemed so genuine. It stretched out to cover a third of his face, causing his eyes to squint to make room. His lips were clearly chapped from the crisp October air, and his teeth shone a bright white. It was a comforting grin, if you ignored the overly sharp canines.
Then, for just a moment, Natsu swore she was going to say something.
"I noticed you have some ink as well," The twenty-four year-old gestured to her shoulders. The chalk-stained girl craned her neck in attempt to look at her own body, not realizing she was still wearing his jacket. She turned back and took another sip of coffee before setting her mug down on the table. Her eyes refused to meet his. "Maybe some time you can tell me about them. They're constellations, right?"
"The zodiac." Natsu was surprised when she actually answered his questions. Her eyes remained on her coffee, but she had actually responded. Her voice was quiet, and still a bit hoarse from crying.
"You have a thing for stars, huh?" The annoyed waitress approached the couple, arms full with various plates of food. The blonde remained quiet while the older woman set the meals, plural, down in front of Natsu. He fought his urges to attack the feast in front of him and thanked the waitress. The woman scoffed and went to turn on the radio, sick of listening to him babble. Eyes as dark as coal fell onto Lucy in anticipation. He got her to speak once, could he get her to do it again? "Are you into astronomy or astrology?"
Her hesitation was palpable.
"Eh... Some of both... My mother-" Her voice trailed off and once again she sat emotionless. Her eyes widened, their- rather dim- light missing, seemingly glazed over. Natsu could tell that not all of her was sitting at that table. A second later Lucy returned to earth, but she kept her gaze low. "Look," she whispered, tone laced with defeat, "What you saw... I wasn't- I don't want to- I mean, I'm not-"
"It doesn't matter right now." Natsu stopped her. Right now, she didn't need to explain herself. She had been through enough. The strain in her voice proved how difficult the topic was. He wanted to keep things light. Taking a bite of his biscuits and gravy, he spoke to comfort her. "We don't need to jump into that. Lets just have a conversation."
If he had blinked, he would have missed the small upwards tug of her lips. A conversation. Her body warmed slightly by the comfort of the word. Like human beings. A few feet away, the waitress scoffed, turning up the radio just as a new song began.
I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand,
Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?
"That was a pretty incredibly mural you drew back there." Natsu shoved the last of his biscuits in his mouth, moving the plate out of the way and reaching for a hefty sausage omelet. "How long have you been practicing art?"
You can do this, Lucy. It's just a small question. There's no need to think about... Before her mind could go there she answered him as hastily as she could. "About ten years."
These sensations barely interest me for another day,
I've got the spirit, lose the feeling, take the shock away.
"Sweet. That's how long I've been playing guitar." There was that smile again. So real. So kind. Are there really still people like this? "I don't know if you've heard of the Salamander, but I'm pretty well known. Well, in Magnolia I am. That's where I'm from. Where are you from?"
It's getting faster, moving faster now, it's getting out of hand,
On the tenth floor, down the back stairs, it's a no man's land,
"Uhh..." No words came out of the twenty-three year-old's mouth. A thought swam through her brain. Somewhere I never want to see again. She couldn't tell him that, though.
Lights are flashing, cars are crashing, getting frequent now,
I've got the spirit, lose the feeling, let it out somehow.
He knew there was no getting answers from her. Either she was uncomfortable talking to a stranger, or the past was too painful. Probably both. He pushed another empty plate away, this time his hands returned with a stack of pancakes. "Lucy, it's okay. I don't need to know everything about you tonight. You've clearly had it rough. Things must not have been easy for you, wherever you come from."
What means to you, what means to me, and we will meet again,
I'm watching you, I'm watching her, I'll take no pity from you friends,
Her eyes flickered up to meet his momentarily before staring at her mug again. "But if you let me, I am going to help you. And that doesn't mean going into your past to fix what was broken. Nothing can really be fixed. But scars can heal and people can move on."
Who is right, who can tell, and who gives a damn right now,
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
"Now, from what I can tell it seems like you're an aspiring artist." Her eyes met his again, but this time brown remained trained on onyx. "I was really... entranced... by your dancing. And you sure have a way with chalk." Her eyes flickered away just for a moment, tugging nervously on the sleeve of his jacket.
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know,
"I think you have a creative soul, Luce. So I think I can help you. Have you ever heard of an artist guild called Fairy Tail?" Her anxiety skyrocketed, fists met with the tabletop and causing various plates and cups to clatter. Chestnut eyes widened.
I've got the spirit, but lose the feeling,
I've got the spirit, but lose the feeling,
"Did you just say Fairy Tail?"
Feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed getting a better taste of the characters as well as a little insight into the mystery that is Lucy. Please don't count on me to update this quickly in the future, I've just had these chapters written for quite some time now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review or PM me. As always, please let me know what you think and how I am doing. If you find anything you think I need to fix, let me know. I have an overwhelming need for this story to be perfect.
