Chapter 4
Lucy was back in her apartment. She had only returned a week ago, but she couldn't stand staying in the infirmary and hearing people talk about her. Nastu and her had argued over the fact that she wanted to return to her apartment, and it was only when Mira piped in that she would stop by everyday to help out that Natsu agreed to let her go back to her apartment. Tears ran from her eyes as she remembered everything that had happened to her. Her body still hurt too much for her to move around her apartment, so she normally stayed in bed unless she had to use the bathroom. For the past four days Mira would stop by the apartment to help Lucy bathe, which she was grateful for. Not wanting to leave her side Nastu would stay with her until he had to go to his house for a change of clothes. On the third day of leaving her he decided to just bring a bag of clothes with him to her apartment.
As Lucy started to move to her side she saw a bruise on her arm that was caused by someone holding her down. Her stomach started the turn from the memory and she instantly felt dirty. Slowly she got up and stumbled her way to the bathroom. She was already out of breath when she leaned against her sink. Lucy turned the water on as hot as it would go and waited for her bathtub to fill up. Carefully she undressed and bit her lip as dull pain emanated from the few broken ribs she still had even with Wendy's healing spell. The water made her hiss in slight pain while she slipped into the tub. Even though her skin felt like it was burning from the water, Lucy started to wash herself. By the time she heard the front door close her skin was red.
"Lucy, where are you?" Natsu asked. "Erza and Gray are back and want to see you."
Lucy didn't say anything. She continued to scrub her body as vicious as her injured body could handle. There was a knock on the bathroom door before she heard it open.
"Lucy!" Natsu yelled when he saw her.
He grabbed one of her towels and wrapped it around her as he pulled her out of the steaming water.
"No, Natsu let me go," Lucy cried, "I need to get clean. I need to wash them off me."
"It's okay Lucy," Natsu whispered as he sat down on the bathroom ground. "Mira helped you bathe this morning. At the rate your going you might scrub yourself raw, and that water is way too hot for your skin."
"But I need it that hot. I'm too dirty. I need to wash them off." She didn't bother to hide her tears as she turned into his chest. Her shoulders shook with every sob that overwhelmed her body.
Nastu rubbed her back as he tried to calm her down. He took a deep breath when he heard her front door open and close. When he looked up Natsu saw Erza and Gray at the bathroom entrance and shook his head. He mouthed later to them and they nodded. Erza quietly set the jewels for Lucy's rent down by the door before she and Gray left.
