My Little Summer Day - Chapter 4 - Natsu's Birthday and First Job?
Thank God the Birthday Song is now on Public Domain! CAN'T SUE ME NOW!
After Lucy had brushed her teeth extra early this morning, she got a call from Wendy. "Lucy-san. We're outside the door." Lucy nodded. "Alright. Got the cake?"
"Yup!"
"Sweet! 'll let you in now." Lucy walked to the front door and opened the door, welcomed amusingly by Erza, Gray, and the two dragon slayers trying to keep Kumori quiet while trying to hold their gifts. Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily were the ones who carried the chocolate cake. Lucy gestured them to come in quickly.
Erza opened the box and took out the cake, placing it on the small table. The cake was chocolate like previously mentioned with vanilla frosting and strawberries (obviously Erza chose the cake). Gajeel had set up the candles while Wendy and the exceeds places the gifts on the counter.
Lucy looked at the clock. "Natsu should wake up any moment now." The hobby novelist stepped back and smiled at the display. Everything was all set. "I'm gonna wake him up now. Stay quiet."
When Lucy reached his room, she barged in and shook the birthday boy awake. "Wake up, Natsu."
Natsu groaned. "Five more minutes, Mama."
"I got something for you, Natsu." Without listening to her child's protests, Lucy lifts him out of bed by under the arms and made him brush his teeth and hair. Once he finished, Lucy went inside the dining area. Natsu followed her.
"Surprise!" The surprise was finished off with a party blower courtesy of Gray's son carried by Happy. Natsu blinked as Lucy approached him. "Happy birthday, Natsu!"
Once the news sunk in, Natsu's eyes widened with his smile. "Really? For me?" Erza nodded. "Now let's cut into this cake already!" Impatient, Erza requipped a large kitchen knife with a sinister look, causing Gray, Wendy, and Lucy to shake and Kumori to cover behind his father.
Lucy ticked. "Erza! We're here to have a good time! Not scare Natsu!" Erza softened. "I'm sorry. Please hit me!" The kids looked at her like she was a polar bear wearing clothes.
Wendy sighed at her antics before setting her eyes on Natsu. She lifted him on a chair, making Natsu huff for being babied. "C'mon, Natsu." They began to sing.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Natsu. Happy birthday to you!" After they finished singing, Natsu blew out the candles as Lucy took a picture.
Out of nowhere, Erza requipped her knife again. "Let's cut into this sucker!"
-cut-
Once they were satisfied (Natsu and Kumori especially since they had cake for breakfast), Gajeel gives Natsu a long, wrapped box. Excited by it's size, Natsu tore the wrapping and opened the box, revealing something that was the last thing Lucy was expecting.
"EH?!" Lucy, Wendy, and Gray gaped at the fire stave that Gajeel and Pantherlily had gave him. The weapon was around seven to eight feet long with a metal white handle and an orange diamond shaped lacrima. Natsu was extremely excited now. "Thank you!"
"Hang on!" Lucy interrupted. "Natsu is too young for this!"
"Alright," Gajeel replied coolly. "We'll just wait for Natsu to get older. Maybe like, twelve to thirteen years old?"
"I wanna use it now!"
"No, Natsu! Wait until you're older!" Lucy took the stave and placed it on the counter until she had found a place to hide it.
Erza gave Natsu her present. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy when the gift was short sword. "ARE THEY ALL VIOLENT?!" Lucy yelled, somewhat pissed. She also took the short sword and sheath and placed it on the counter to hide later (maybe even throw out the weapon without her noticing).
Luckily for the mother's sanity, Wendy, Charle, and Happy gave Natsu some cool magic toys that were little wands that would make illusions based on what movements the holder does. Lucy had to make Natsu put them down so they could see what Gray and Kumori got for them.
Natsu opened the box and pulled out a scarf. A white scarf with a scaly pattern.
The moment when the others other than Kumori and Gray saw it, they were struck in the heart with nostalgia and slight pain. It was obvious that they had put their best effort into making it as accurate as possible. It looked like the real thing, only clean and brand new.
The child was highly intrigued by the item and was surprised it was actually softer than it looked when he pressed it on his face. The scarf was so long like the original that the some draped with Natsu tried wrapping the muffler around his neck.
"This looks cool! Thank you." Gray gave him a pat on the back. "Looks good on you, kid!"
Lucy smiled sadly. 'Natsu…' She finally decided to give Natsu his birthday present. "Hey Natsu? What do you want to do for your birthday?"
The moment Natsu heard this, he took the chance. "I wanna go on a job!"
Everything went silent.
"Uh, are you—"
"Of course! A job will definitely help you in the future!" Erza butted in, comically shoving Lucy aside.
"Hang on, I'm—" She was interrupted by Erza grabbing her by the collar.
"Don't you realize the opportunity? Think of all the experience Natsu will have! Once he's old enough to join Fairy Tail and travel all around Fiore, this experience will guide him."
"Do you have any idea how varied—"
"THINK ABOUT IT! You don't want your precious son to go on his first job all lost, do you? Natsu Heartfilia, wandering around in the forest on his first official job, lost and scared with no idea what to do. DO YOU WANT THAT?!"
Now that that passionate yelling made the mother think, she didn't want that. Everyone else either stared at Erza or laughed at her eccentricness.
-cut-
Lucy, albeit scared and nervous for Natsu's safet, stood in front if the request board with Natsu holding her hand. He wore the scarf he was given and some appropriate clothes. Erza had wanted to experience Natsu's experience, so she decided to go with them.
"How about we go on a delivery mission? That's safe, right?" As Lucy was about to reach, ignoring Natsu's huffing, Erza stopped her. "A delivery mission isn't gonna give Natsu the proper experience. How about a Vulcan hunting job?"
"Yeah!" cheered Natsu, being on Erza's side. Lucy became frantic. "Natsu, are you sure?"
"I can handle it!" Natsu pointed his thumb to himself and puffed his chest with pride. Erza ruffled his hair. "Atta boy!" She lifted the boy up to the paper, allowing him to rip it from the bulletin board. The blonde tried to stop them, but gave up.
"So, Erza, on another job?" asked Mira in her everyday kind voice. However, she was especially in shock when it was Natsu who placed the paper in front of her. "Lucy and I are gonna take Natsu on a job. It'll be a good experience for the future."
"Uh, I see." Mirajane registered the mission. "Alright, have fun!"
-cut-
The three finally arrived at their location. I thick forest. All and all, Lucy isn't very pleased. 'What if vulcans now go after children?' Her novelist imagination soon takes control.
A vulcan grabbed Natsu and ran away with him, leaving Lucy behind not knowing where it took him. "NATSU!"
After a moment of imagination, Lucy comes back to reality. "N-Natsu? Are you sure about this?" Natsu looked at her like she was crazy.
"Of course I am!" The boy looks at Erza. "Aunt Erza! Beat up all those vulcans, please?" he begged. Erza smirked. "Of course, Natsu! Those vulcans will regret every life decision!" Erza yelled sadistically. Lucy face-palmed.
Erza became alert. "There's a vulcan up west. Watch what I do, Natsu. Back away." Natsu obeys and a large vulcan erupts from the greenery. "Ooooh! Two women!"
Natsu cheered, "Beat him up!"
"Requip! Black Wing Armor!" Erza requips into her armor and begins to fly and delivered some heartfelt swings of her sword before giving a swift kick, effectively beating the vulcan to an inch of his life. Lucy giggled nervously while her son was jumping up and down.
Erza landed and requipped to her regular armor. Fascinated by Erza's display of awesomeness, Natsu looks up to Lucy. "Mama! Can you beat up a vulcan? Please?" he begged. Lucy didn't think it would hurt. She heard rustling from behind her.
The celestial mage readies her Taurus key. She was expecting just one vulcan.
Instead, she got a whole herd.
"EH?!" Recovering quickly, Lucy summons Taurus, who eyes her. "Your looks mooove—"
"Make a pervy remark in front of my son and I will send you over the moon without my key!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Lucy transformed to her Taurus star dress and, with Taurus, lunges herself at the vulcans.
"Yeah! Beat em up!"
"You're doing good Lucy!"
Motivated by encouragement, Lucy and Taurus keep on going, trying to knock out as many of these monsters as possible. 'Now Natsu knows how strong of a mage I am!' She looked back hoping to see Natsu smiling like an idiot, only to see both Erza and Natsu dumbfounded. 'EH?!' Natsu points behind her.
The celestial mage looks behind her too see a vulcan around five times the size of the regular creatures. 'Oh sh—'
The giant, no humongous, vulcan easily knocks out Taurus, sending him back to the celestial spirit world, and grabs Lucy unexpectedly, holding her in a crushing grip. The creature disappears with her.
"Lucy!" cried Erza. "Don't worry, Natsu, I'll—"
However, Natsu was gone before Erza even looked over to his side. "That's definitely Natsu..."
-cut-
'Why does this feel so familiar?' Apparently, the vulcans were smart enough to cuff her in magic negating cuffs. 'This is so embarrassing…'
The vulcans were circling around her, clapping their hands above their heads like idiots while the leader towered over her.
Meanwhile, Natsu peaked into the cave his mother was held captive. He squeezed his fist. 'How dare they?!' Next to him were rocks that were around four inches in diameter. He took off his scarf with an idea…
"Hey you!" Lucy and the vulcans follow the voice.
"NATSU?!" Suddenly, a rock was catapulted at the leader vulcan's head.
The pink haired boy was standing at the cave entrance next to a pile of rocks. He was using the scarf Gray gave him as a slingshot (that a person swings in a circle and launches).
Natsu loaded his slingshot, swung and hit one of the vulcans, knocking it out. Lucy became paranoid again. "Natsu! Get out, it's dangerous!"
Unfortunately, Natsu didn't listen and continued to knock out more vulcans. For the next rock, he aimed at the leader's head. "No one takes Mama away!"
The rocks, however, just made him mad. The creature began to go after Natsu.
"NATSU!"
"DON'T YOU DARE!" In the nick of time, Erza in her purgatory armor hits her club against the vulcan's thick skull.
"Erza!" exclaimed Lucy, beyond relieved that Natsu was saved in time.
Erza requipped into her Lightning Empress Armor and shot a blast of lightning at the leader, defeating him all fried. Erza freed Lucy from the magic negating cuffs.
-cut-
Once they were back at the guild, Lucy gave Natsu a stern look. "You really scared me, Natsu. What if Erza didn't show up and the leader vulcan managed to hit you?"
"I did it because I was scared what they were gonna do to you," Natsu argued.
"I'm able to defend myself, Natsu. You're not ready yet. You could've seriously gotten hurt," scolded Lucy. 'I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you did.'
The boy looked down ashamed. Lucy sighed. "However, I believe you could make a strong mage in the future. You may have scared me so much, but I'm so proud of you." The blonde stood at eye level and hugged her son.
"Just don't do anything that stupid again!"
"Yes, Mama."