Uwaaah, sorry that I didn't update! I had HOMEWORK TT-TT and I had to do it all on the night before the due day because I procrastinated to write more of Fairy Tail Academy. Sowwy! L
Review replying time!
xSocialButterflyx: Aw, you're sho shweet. Thank yew! And, in my opinion, you're not weird at all! You clearly haven't met me and my friends x3 O.o
TheGrammarQueen: Same! I hated him in the Tower of Heaven arc, but then I started liking him more and more as the anime progressed :D
And, disclaimer, I don't own Fairy Tail, Mashima – sensei does, blah blah…
~Chapter Four - Nakama~
I screw my eyes shut, willing this to be a dream – no, a nightmare. This is just a nightmare, Lucy, don't freak out, just stay calm and pinch yourself…
As I grab the skin on my upper arm and squeeze, my hair practically stands on end in pain. God, that hurts! "Ow!" I shriek, and rub the red patch on my bicep. The pain quickly recedes, and I open my eyes again, expecting to be in the scratchy old bed I was renting at an inn I was staying at this morning.
Unfortunately, I am not at the inn. Every single person in the dorm is staring at me, their eyes wide. Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Wendy, Lisanna, and…I groan inwardly as my gaze lands on Natsu, whose face is slack, no longer smiling, and his mouth hanging open. I feel hot tears welling up in my eyes. What is he going to think of me now? He's going to hate me and send me back to my hellhole of a home…
Letting the tears spill over, I choke out, "I'm sorry, don't think badly of me, minna…"
And then, I tear towards the slightly ajar dorm-room door and I'm out in the corridor, the uncontrollable sobs making my chest heave violently. Stumbling blindly down the empty, dimly lit hallway, the tears obscuring my vision, I have to take in huge, unattractive-sounding gasps of air from the sobs constricting my throat. I can't believe it…why did Jellal say that? How did he know, anyway? I make my way quickly down the tiled stairs, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand. Everyone is going to hate me, aren't they? There goes my chance of escaping my old life and getting the education I dreamed of…
Suddenly, the tip of my boot catches on a step and I go tumbling down the rest of the flight of stairs, the edges striking bruises all over my whirling body. I don't even open my mouth. I'm too preoccupied with another pain – the pain like a knife stuck inside my poor heart, thinking about returning to my father and the gawping faces of my newly-made friends.
Finally, I reach the landing where the stairs twist to accompany the wall and land hard, my butt painfully taking the fall. Here I huddle, against the wall, my face buried in my knees, feeling my sweaty blonde strands fall over my legs…and I cry.
I cry for my lost education. I cry at the thought of my enraged father. I cry for the friends I'll never get to know better. I cry…I cry for Natsu…someone I really wanted to be friends – or more than friends – with, and now I can't.
"Lucy."
My head jerks up, and it's then I realise how horrible I look. I can feel my mascara sliding down my flushed, mottled cheeks and the eyeliner spread around my eyes. I probably look like a panda. My blonde hair is sticking hotly to my forehead, and the small half-ponytail that rests on the side of my head is falling out. All over my legs are big, bold, beautiful bruises that are now edged with green. Urgh. I realise these imperfections even more when I see the person standing in front of me is Natsu. Him, out of all people!
"Lucy, I…" He starts to say, but then his eyes widen as he sees the bruises on my legs. "Luce, you're hurt! You're bleeding!"
I peer down at my limbs and see the red oozing out of numerous large cuts. I touch my face and it comes away bloody. "Oh, I am," I say expressionlessly, my voice still somewhat shaky from crying. Then I turn my face away. "Don't look at me…"
"Why?" Natsu's gentle voice is startlingly near my ear and I turn my head, and I almost faint when I see his face right by mine, smiling. What's there to smile about? Nothing! "Stop smiling!" I say crossly, trying to wipe the mascara tear streaks off my cheeks.
Natsu's smile widens. "And why should I stop?"
"There's nothing to smile about!" I let the tears flood my eyes again, and my attempts at getting my mascara-tears off are wasted.
I feel warm arms encircling me, and I immediately feel my sobs calm down. Natsu's…hugging me? I slowly avert my eyes up and see that he is, indeed, hugging me, his concerned onyx eyes meeting mine. Whoa. Wayyy too close.
"Luce." He starts talking, quietly and fast, as if wanting to tell me as soon as possible. "We all knew you were a Heartfillia. We were surprised at first, because we knew your family is a famous name in Fiore but we didn't know why you were here. We came to the conclusion that you ran away. But, Luce, we didn't care! Everyone has their differences, and this happens to be yours. But that doesn't stop us from becoming good friends! Gajeel used to be a thief, but we don't care! Gray is a stripper, but we don't care! Cana is an alcoholic, but. We. Don't. Care!" Natsu grabs both of my hands, squeezing them tight. "We're not going to tell anyone, Luce, if you don't want us to. We're nakama. I would never do anything you didn't want me to do.
"When you ran off, we were all shocked but I knew why you did it – you were afraid to go back and lose your education at Fairy Tail Academy. Right?"
"No," I say without hesitation.
Natsu raises an eyebrow, still clutching my hands tightly. "Then…what?"
"I'm afraid to go back and lose my education here…but I also was afraid I would lose my friends. I was afraid I would lose…you." Oh, God, did I really just say that? A blush warms my face up.
Natsu stares at me, and suddenly a blush unfolds on his face as well. Ah! Awkward. Why did I say that?
"W – well, um," Natsu clears this throat, "I was afraid of losing you too."
Aww. He's so cute.
"OK, uh, anyway. Being nakama means to stay by their side, and loving them unconditionally. So, Luce, no one is judging you. Come back to the dorm. Please."
I flick my gaze downwards, biting my lip. "But then…why were they looking at me weirdly before I left?"
Natsu looks at me quizzically for a second, then recognition dawns on his face. "Oh! Lucy…" His voice ends in a burbling laugh. His laugh is just so vibrant, humorous, full of life – I just want to listen to it and see his larger-than-life grin every day. "That wasn't because of your last name! That was because you pinched yourself!" Then he starts rolling around, laughing and laughing and laughing.
What? That was why they were looking at me? "Really?"
"Yes!" He manages to reply, before he dissolves in giggles again.
Rolling my eyes, I kick him. Hard. "Stop!"
"Ouch!" Natsu sits bolt-upright, his hand clutching his backside. "Luceeeeee, that hurt!"
"Good! It's my Lucy – Kick. I expect you to get very familiar with it." I support myself against the wall and, despite my banged-up legs, I manage to stand up shakily. "Now, let's go."
Natsu looks up. "Where?" He asks cluelessly. That boy is as dense as a friggin' rock.
Sighing, I tell him, "Back to the dorm!"
"Ohhh!" Natsu half-shouts in his epiphany. "OK, let's go!" Then, unexpectedly, he loops his arm behind my back and I feel his strong, warm arm against me. It feels good, like he – literally – has my back.
"Hey, why are you doing that?" I squeal nevertheless, squirming. Then a streak of pain shoots up both legs, and I crumple, with Natsu supporting me just in time.
"That's why," Natsu grins, and helps me hop up the stairs, with me relenting grudgingly.
That's what it looks like on the outside, anyway. On the inside, I'm practically dying because of this boy. Does he not realise the things he does to me?
But one thing that warms my heart is Natsu's nakama statement, how they always stay by their side and love them unconditionally. For a dense guy, he can actually be quite wise. To know that I'm Natsu's nakama, in the very least, makes my face grow warm and I feel all cosy and protected.
Before we know it, we're standing in front of the door. Despite the feel of Natsu's strong body close to me, I feel nervousness bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. What if they don't accept me? What if I'm not their nakama? What if –
Natsu whispers in my ear, making me start. "It's OK, Luce."
Nodding resolutely, I feel the apprehensiveness fade away. Natsu reaches for the doorknob of the door which blocks me from my fate. Then he stops, his hand hovering above the shiny gold metal.
"W – what?" I ask, my teeth kind of chattering.
"It's about Lisanna," He says slowly.
My heart goes cold. What about her…? Is he going to tell me that he likes her or something? Swallowing the lump in my throat, I snap, "What about her? Do you like her or something?" Oh, Lucy, why are you so stupid sometimes?
Natsu looks shocked. "No! Luce, she's just a childhood friend! What I was going to say was that…" A sheepish smile appears on his lips and he scratches his head bashfully. Natsu, bashful? That's an oxymoron.
"Well…I've seen the way you look at her, like she's a rock star or a celebrity or goddess of beauty something. Just because she's the sister of the model Mira-jane, you don't have to be like that, OK? She's a normal person. Plus…" At this point, his face has become the colour of his hair. "Uh…I like you just the way you are."
Wow. That's as cheesy as you can get.
But, of course, I happen to be a sucker for those kind of things.
I turn my head to one side, my face as pink as Natsu's.
"OK, I will. And uh…thanks."
Natsu smiles that adorable bashful smile and quickly looks at the doorknob to hide his face. "So…are you ready?"
"As ready as can be," I say, smiling.
"OK! Let's do this!" Natsu keeps his arm firmly on my back, opens the door, and taking a deep breath, we duck into our dorm.
I lie on my bed, my hands tucked beneath my head, looking straight up at the unadorned ceiling.
It turns out that in the Fairy Tail Academy dorms, you get your own little room. The room where everyone was gathered was the common room/lounge, which is like the central place. There are two doors that lead off from there, one to the girls and one to the boys. So we don't all have to sleep together, which I thought at first. Thank God. But we all still count as one room.
I'm here because I don't really want to talk to anyone anymore, after the gushing 'are you okay's' and the 'we're sorry's' that ensued after Natsu and I walked back into the dorm. I was grateful at first, but after a while it got a bit repetitive. But still, I feel bad for ever doubting them.
The only person I really want to see now is Natsu, but he's not allowed in the girl's dorms. All the guys aren't allowed, and vice versa. Erza and Lisanna showed me here, then tactfully left without a word, seeing I was tired out and just wanted to be alone for a bit.
I don't deserve their kindness, do I?
Hugging my snowman/doggy plushie I called Plue ages ago, I fiddle with the carrot nose and sigh. There's no point being a grumpy butt! After all, I've got a whole three years ahead of me to enjoy, and anything could happen in it! A small smile spreads across my face.
I check my glow-in-the-dark alarm clock. Six thirty. I'd better start getting ready, since Erza told me the school cafeteria starts serving dinner at seven.
Slowly, I unfold myself from the fluffy sheets and unlatch my suitcase. Now this is what I love about choosing my outfit for whatever occasion: to mix and match and find some long-lost hair-tie or adorable skirt.
Slipping the bow out of my hair holding the half-ponytail up, I flick my music on and start sorting out my mess of folded clothes. Forgetting that there are twelve other friggin' people in this building, I start singing really loudly, swaying my hips to the rhythm. God, this song is catchy!
"Never break a sweat for the other guys
But when you come around I get paralysed.
And every time I try to be myself,
It comes out wrong like a cry for help…"
"LUCY!" I hear someone shout over the music, and then I realise how loud I was playing it. Oops. And I've sorted like, one outfit. Rushing for my music player, I tap a button and spin around, smiling sheepishly.
It's Levy, and she's grinning with one hand on her thin hips and one on the open door. "Geez, Lu – chan, I called you like fifty times." She shimmies into the room and plops herself on my bed, closing the door with a clunk behind her.
"Hey! Don't just invite yourself in." I laugh, half-annoyed and half-amused. Why the hell did I think she was timid when I first met her? She's like a mini devil.
Levy ignores me, lying back on my bed with a sigh, kicking her feet high. "Hey, Lu – chan…" She says.
"Yeah?" I reply distractedly, finding a sock and not being able to find the other one. Ah! I hate it when that happens! Then as soon as I give up, it's going to appear. It's just sock logic.
"Are you okay after that – incident?" She asks tentatively. I look back at her and see she has sat up on the bed now, and is bowing her head and not meeting my eyes. Aw. I guess she isn't really that much of a devil. Levy can be sweet – if she wants to.
"Yes, I'm fine!" I divert my attention to the suitcase and dig around in there, pulling out the second sock. Aha! I found it. "You don't need to worry, Levy – chan. I do feel a bit embarrassed, though, that I ran away…"
"No, no one minds, Lu – chan. Everyone's basically forgotten about it."
"Good." I shake out my favourite blue-and-white vest shirt and start hunting around for the skirt that goes with it. "Levy – chan, don't just sit there! Help me sort out this stuff!"
"Oh! OK." Levy slips off the bed and with one smooth move of her wrist, she has pulled out the skirt I was agonizing over from the mess of clothes in my suitcase. How did she do that?
"You're good at this!" I grumble.
Levy sticks out her tongue. "Maybe you're just bad at it, Lu – chan!"
I swat her with Plue. "I am not!"
"Are too!" Levy dodges the second swing of Plue and snatches it out of my hands, hugging it tightly to her chest. "Now, spill, Lu – chan."
Huh? "Spill what?" I raise an eyebrow cluelessly.
"About Natsu!" Levy rolls her large eyes, her mouth curling. "You're smitten!"
My face grows red and I hastily crouch down, pretending to sort some more clothes to hide my growing blush. "I – I'm not!"
"Yes, you are! It's so obvious. It's just that Natsu's a bit dense! That's why he hasn't noticed. Everyone else has." Levy giggles, winking cheekily at me.
"What?" I choke on my own saliva and wind up coughing on the floor, clutching my chest. "How do they know?"
Levy ignores my question and instead sings, "You just admitted you like him!" Then she tackles me, her evil face close to mine. Here comes the Levy Devil again. "Just say it! Say it!"
"N – No!" I squeak, while my breath comes in short puffs from the weight of Levy on my chest.
"Say it!" She bellows, and then brings out the ultimate weapon of torture.
Tickling.
I feel her spidery fingers creep up the sides of my torso and I shudder. Then suddenly, they're in my armpits, tickling the friggin' life out of me.
"S – stop!" I scream, my eyes watering. "OK, OK – I like him!"
Levy immediately sits back, a triumphant expression plastered over her face. "There! I knew it." She hops off from me and I wipe my moist eyes, trying to support my quaking body with equally quake – y arms.
"That wasn't fair, Levy – chan! That was blackmail!" I whine, managing to finally sit up. Levy just smiles and crosses her arms against her chest, satisfied.
Then I remember…that girl has a crush too! On Gajeel, out of all people. That girl is weird. "Hey, Levy – chan! You have a crush too, remember?"
Levy's face blossoms with red and she clutches her cheeks, diving into my mess of fluffy blankets. "I don't!" Her voice is muffled against the bed.
"You do! If you don't admit it, revenge will be friggin' sweet!" I yell, and then I leap onto Levy, wiggling my fingers in anticipation.
"N – no! Stop! OK, OK – I like him!" Levy screeches, repeating exactly what I was doing a mere ten seconds ago. Laughing, I slide off the bed. "Good, so we both know each other's crushes. So no blackmailing now, Levy – chan."
"Fine!" She flaps off the bed, disgruntled. "That was so not fair."
"Says you!" I retort, grabbing my pink brush that I laid next to my mirror and dragging it through my tangled hair.
"Well, you didn't tell me you liked Natsu –" Levy starts to say loudly, but suddenly my door slams open and with a squeal, I stumble back and trip over my own feet, landing butt-first straight into my suitcase.
All the girls – Erza, Cana, Lisanna, Juvia and Wendy – are standing in the doorway, smiling. Levy squeals and flushes furiously. "Um…did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Cana slurs, looking kind of bare without her gigantic beer barrel. "I didn't hear anything, just some yelling."
"Juvia did not hear anything."
"Why?" Lisanna asks curiously, peeking out from behind Erza's shoulder.
"Nothing!" I quickly say, and scrape my hair quickly back into the half-ponytail. "Why are you guys here, anyway?"
Erza points to the clock on my bedside. Six fifty-nine. Oh God! "It's time to go to the cafeteria."
"Ah! Guys, could you give us a bit of time to get ready?" I ask, discarding the brush and snatching up the blue-and-white shirt.
"OK, OK." Lisanna smiles, and then beckons Levy, who jumps off the bed and slips out the door, going to her own room to get dressed. "Well, come down to the cafeteria soon though!"
I hear Wendy pipe up, "We'll meet you there!" And they're gone.
Speedily, I peel off my uniform and wriggle into the blue-and-white vest and skirt. Gosh, they're a bit tight. My boobs are like practically spilling over. Oh well. I give myself one last fleeting glance in the mirror and I'm out of the door, seeing Levy come out of her door at the exact same time. Grinning, I call, "Levy – chan, over here!"
"Oh, Lu – chan!" She scoots over and eyes my shirt. "Well, isn't that a bit revealing?"
"Shut up!" I poke her. "It's not."
"Well, Natsu wouldn't be able to resist you," She teases, making me blush bright red.
"Stop!" I protest, but then I stop talking immediately, seeing someone's figure move out in the lounge. Hasn't everyone left by now?
"Oh, Luce!" I hear someone shout cheerfully in recognition and they peek their head around the doorway to the lounge. My heart skips a beat.
It's Natsu.
Did he hear that?
"H – hi, Natsu!" I squeak, moving my head so my hair slides over my face. "Haven't you gone to eat dinner by now?"
"Nope. I was waiting for you!" Natsu replies, leaning against the wall, his muscled arms crossed. Ah, he looks so cute in that green sweater! "So, are you coming or not?"
"Oh! Sorry." I step over and look up at him. Isn't he sweet, waiting for me? Then I see something that ruins the whole atmosphere.
Natsu's eyes aren't on me…well, they are, but to be specific…he's looking at my chest.
I feel my face grow warm and resist the urge to slap his face away. Instead, I cough discreetly and suggest as loud as I can without yelling, "Natsu, can we go now?"
"Oh, uh – what?" Natsu shakes his head slightly and, thankfully, switches his gaze up to me, his face rosy. "Um – sorry – OK, we can go."
We're about to leave when I remember – Levy. I glance back to see she's still standing there, looking lost and slightly hurt. "Levy – chan! Sorry, you can come with us!"
Levy gives a small smile and starts making her way towards us. But, I can tell that she's sad that Natsu came to get me – and Gajeel didn't come to get her.
Before Levy can reach us, however, Natsu looks back and says, "Oh, Levy, Gajeel's waiting for you outside the dorm. He said something about wanting to get to know the 'shrimp' better."
Levy's whole face lights up, and the worry drains straight out of me. I give her a quick, hopefully unnoticeable thumbs up and she flicks me one back, winking. "See you at the cafeteria, Lu – chan! Have fun!"
Have fun? I roll my eyes at her but Levy's already gone, through the doorway and out the dorm.
Then I think – this is awkward.
It's just me and Natsu in the dorm…
"Well, should we go?" Natsu says quietly, shuffling his feet.
"Uh, yeah…" I mumble, and we start to move towards the door. But then, he suddenly grasps my shoulder and I spin around, a tint of pink gracing my cheeks. "Um, what?"
A wide smile is glued across his face. "Just so you know…you're a pretty good singer, Luce."
Yay! Done!
So much NaLu at the start *_* at least, that's what I think. If there was any more, I would've exploded from all the feels. Then, some girl-bonding with Levy!
Anyway, I've got an awesome chapter next for you guys :D BE EXCITED!
Also, the song that was in this chapter is 'Heart Attack' by Demi Lovato. I think it describes the situation with Lucy and Natsu quite well *wink, wink*
See you guys! Remember to review or follow or favourite if you guys can. Btw, I appreciate the reviews and follows and favourites so far! You guys rock!
Byeeee!
