CHAPTER 4

All Messed Up

Two feet clash against the ground.

Running forward, always.

Those eyes look ahead to a future.

Even if the mind doesn't see yet.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Lucy ran along the walkway, pushing through the multiple crowds, ignoring almost everything.

Annoyed shouts were all put in her direction. But those ears were deaf.

The blonde girl was crossing the street without looking both ways. She made it safely across but suddenly, something passed by from behind.

Golden hair swayed. A lumbering truck had swept through, bearing it's shining headlights. Cutting through the air.

Maybe she should have stayed on that road. It would have done her and probably everyone living a great favor. The female certainly didn't want to be here anymore.

The pale face kept it's emotionless barrier.

No. This was all her doing.

A weed in the flourishing garden. One that spreads through, like a disease. Poisoning everything in its path. A mistake that created an even bigger problem than herself.

How ironic.

And it was up to her to do something about it.

She lifted the pale face up.

Drops raining down from the gray sky splattered across her skin. It seemed like tears were flowing in tiny rivers, bearing the weight of gravity, pulling down.

She sighed silently.

Yes. This was her realm. A world of raining tears. Backgrounds with dark colors. Suitable for her.

Funny isn't it, rain can be a calming element. Quiet and pattering in the background. Yet, when things build up, all is let out. And the seemingly gentle beads of water turn into sharp knives.

A place with sadness and misery. She opened her eyes again and ran on. That mind only focused on one thing now.

Sights trained on one spot in the distance.

Determination could be seen in all of her features.

And so Lucy continued her search.

With that thick wall surrounding, and non-existent cracks.

Not knowing that even if it was a gray world-

There's always a rainbow after the rain.

Always.

No matter how long the downpour lasts.

A man was in an apartment. He looked at the still body on the ground with cold eyes. Not making a sound, the male took all of his belongings and walked into the room next door.

Looking in, he noticed no one was in there. Shock was written all over his face. His ears had never heard anyone leaving.

The man's mind went into a frenzy. He was going to be in trouble if he didn't think of a plan. The blond male needed to get away, and fast.

The body stayed still while inside, everything was a panic. Pages laid out, thoughts formed, actions were planned.

Walking out the door, an overcoat was put on. His hand reached into the deep pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

He made an urgent call with someone and quickly explained the situation. The two came to a conclusion and the device was put away.

Jude walked away, leaving no evidence behind.

Seemingly disappearing from two lives for a long time.

Whisked away with the wind and seasons.

Turning on a corner, to another destination.

Explanations and secrets leaving along with him.

Natsu was having a normal morning. Well, normal by his standards.

"DAD! WHERE'S THE FOOD?" he yelled out while rummaging through their empty cabinets.

"CHECK THE FRIDGE!" a voice rang out from upstairs.

"NOTHING!" he faced the stairs while holding open the fridge.

"GO TO THE MARKET!" and a wallet came bouncing down. Natsu sweatdropped.

"OI! I'M NOT GONNA BE YOUR MAID!" his fist shook at the ceiling.

No answer.

The teen sighed heavily and picket the leather object up. Well, at least he would be in charge of what food to buy this time.

The pink haired male remembered the last time they were shopping. He had been lazy and didn't go. The result was when Igneel had glanced at a dieting commercial and decided that NATSU could shed a few pounds. WHAT THE HELL?! He was a prodigy in sports! And carrots were a bunny thing.

The man rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut, almost knocking the hinges off.

"Oops." he muttered and just continued on.

Straggling into the elevator, he leaned against the wall and pressed the button for the lobby.

Just as the metal doors almost closed, a girl came out and was running towards him.

Using his natural instincts, Natsu quickly put his hands between the door and successfully stopped it from moving in any further.

A brunette was panting and stumbled into the elevator.

"Thank you." she let out while being hunched over.

"No problem." and he resumed his spot by the wall.

She glanced up and immediately blushed. The guy with her in the large device was certainly handsome. She could see his muscles and six pack. Not to mention his unruly hair and strong facial features.

But the teenager didn't seem to notice and was just mumbling random things under his breath such as 'idiot dad' and 'dieting'.

She was very confused and just stared at the ground, still bearing a red face.

Just then, there was a ringing sound and her companion had swept out into the large room as soon as the bottom floor showed.

"Jeez, this'll be a long trip." the male said to himself while speed walking out.

And just as he made it out the glass doors, a girl with flowing blond hair bumped into him.

His onyx eyes widened and he quickly regained his balance, putting a foot behind them.

"Hey, you ok?" Natsu asked while looking down.

'Strawberries' he thought.

'Wait what? No no no. I'm not becoming that smelling pervert Loke.' the male shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts out.

And that was when his mind realized that he, Natsu Dragneel, was holding a teenage girl probably the same age as him in his arms. Also, they were both soaking wet.

The strong male distinctly felt the cold raindrops falling onto his skin.

The stranger lifted her face up. The boy could definitely see that he had never met her before.

Large brown orbs stared straight up at him. Hope flashed through an emotionless mask.

"Igneel?" she whispered.

He jolted in surprise. Many people had mistaken him for his father, because they both looked and acted alike. But he had pink hair, and Igneel red.

The strange girl then noticed his hair color.

"Oh." she let out in disappointment.

Natsu could see the sad expression and wished he could be of more use to her.

"Um, do you know my dad?" he asked.

If Lucy had been running for a long time now, she didn't let it show. Even if her legs felt like fire, she wouldn't take a break. Her mom had been the only one in her whole life to show a but of kindness. As a child, Lucy had always been home-schooled so she never saw any people her age too often. And when she did, she wasn't allowed to talk to them.

Her mother had given her a life to live for. But now she repaid with a gun. That weapon might as well have been shot by her.

The scenery passed by in a blur. She just needed to make it to the only other person she trusted. And just then, a flare of unspeakable pain shot up from her legs and arms.

An almost unnoticeable wince flashed through her features. The bruises and cuts hadn't healed yet. And to make it worse, she could feel some makeup washing away from the rain.

At that moment, Lucy registered something. This place looked very familiar.

She looked all around, while still running forward.

Yes!

Her destination was just up ahead. Remembering that there was no time to waste, her body used up her last burst of speed.

Just to get to that tall building up ahead.

Making it through the crowds and workers,she ran across the roads and streets.

Finally, the shining glass doors appeared up ahead. But someone was just coming out.

The blond was going too fast and couldn't stop in time. Well, unless she wanted a face to face meeting with the hard ground.

Her eyes shut tightly as soon as the person's shirt drew near.

"Ugh." she grunted softly. The breath was knocked out of her lungs and she was way too tired to move.

The female expected to bring them both down, but this stranger was pretty strong and managed to hold them both up.

Lucy could feel a six pack underneath her hands. Thank goodness the man wasn't weak. She wasn't sure she could get up on her own.

"Hey, you ok?" the guy asked.

To most girls, his voice would have sounded smooth and dreamy. But this one wasn't like most females at all.

She opened her mouth to reply but came up with nothing.

The brown eyed woman could now experience the full pain of her journey and the toll on her multiple wounds.

But that voice sounded oddly familiar...

"Igneel?"

That was the first word to come out. The person holding her up looked exactly like the caring father she knew and loved. All his facial features were exactly the same.

Yet after closer inspection, the girl could see that he had pink hair instead of a fire red. Also, this one looked so much younger. Her face fell without knowing.

"Oh." she murmured.

His onyx eyes looked into hers and she could see the confusion swirling around.

"Um, do you know my dad?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

In another perspective, time seemed to stop. We all know that this golden haired girl had just shook hands with fate. But in her mind and soul, nothing happened. No spark. No click. No understanding. No KNOWING.

And that one sentence would change her dark and stormy world.

Because sometimes, the simplest things can mean the most.

For good, or for bad.

OK, finally done this chapter. Took me a lot of my study halls but I made it.

So this chapter is dedicated to amulet2579. I DIDN'T FORGET! ;P

And I wanna give a shout out to chara beats 90. Still celebrating! Congrats ;).

So that's it! I think this was a pretty good chapter;) look forward to writing more and reading your responses!

You're all awesome. ;) Yes. Yes you are.

-SkyFairies