CHAPTER 4 IS HEREEEEEEEEEE.
Sorry for the long update guys! (Is it long? O.o)
Feeling kinda dejected now cause i just recieved my o level results and i didn't do as well as i wanted to. Sigh T^T
Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. If I owned Fairy Tail (I, The human minion) I would make a character of myself and I would have awesome magic! And be with Gray ^^ and urge Lucy and Natsu to hurry up and be together. Booyeah! And to Jennifer Laurens for her story! Since this was inspired from her.
summer's lullaby: Updateeedd! Thankyou for your support! :D
blackangelsky: Read on to find out! (; Manymnay thanks! ^^
Senbei x Cup Ramen: HELLOOO! :D haha aww thanks! That makes me really happy thanks you two! :D haha next chappy is here! Thanks for your support 3
LONGER CHAPPY HERE WE GOOOOO!
Natsu sighed. "Igneel, if only you were here, you would know what to do. How are you doing Igneel?" He recalled how much fun they had together, Igneel teaching him to read and write, Igneel taking care of him when his biological parents left him to fend for himself. A small smile found its way up his face. It was nights like these when he felt defenceless, vulnerable, alone would he cocoon himself with those precious memories of him and Igneel. Igneel was one of the reason why Natsu spent every ounce of energy he had doing everything right. Other than the usual getting into trouble with the Council of course - but that was in his blood, the power to destroy- . Early on he'd figured out that if he made everybody happy things would be smooth. People wouldn't leave him again, people would like him. That was they way he liked things. But even then, sometimes he felt it just wasn't enough. "Destruction is in my veins, how ironic that now everything around me is slowly falling apart."
His thoughts trailed back to the last mission he had with Lucy. It was one of those rare times where he would be able to spend time with Lucy alone. During the mission, things had been easy going, right until they met an unexpected obstacle. A dark mage had appeared out of nowhere, dead set on beating Natsu. It turned out that the dark mage was one of Zero's new recruits, and he was instructed to do one thing only - bring back Natsu, alive, and leave no trace behind. He recalled Lucy's face as she continuously fought on, despite being heavly injured. The pain her face bore brought on an unexplicable pain in her chest, and when she fell unconscious, his only though was fear that she would leave him. He figured then on that if he distanced himself from Lucy, the lesser was the fear of losing her. However, things didn't turned out the way he wanted it to be. He found himself constantly looking in her direction, and picking fights with her just so he could hear her voice talking to him again - even if the words wasn't what he wanted to hear specifically.
Sighing he sat heavily on his bed.
"Igneel, where are you?". Loneliness and sadness turned to anger and frustration which pulsed through his veins. He remembered going away, leaving once he heard any news of a dragon sighting, sometimes leaving for long periods of time. But each time, failing. Failing and failing. He shrugged of fhis vest, balled it in two tight fists and threw it at the door.
Nearby, Happy sat on his makeshift bed, staring worriedly at Natsu. "It's one of those days again ..." Recently, Happy had found that these nights were becoming increasingly more frequent. He missed the old Natsu, the one with an easy grin and ready laughter. The one before the mission, where he blew his top at Lucy, and ignored her. Happy missed Lucy too, but he knew better than to interfere with Natsu's matters.
"Natsuuuuuu ... " Happy let out a worried sigh.
Back at the guild:
The weapon was heavier than it looked. Natsu held it carefully, making sure not to drop it. For weeks they'd used wooden imitations for practice. After Makarov's detailed instructions and warning about the use and cause of the rented rapiers, not to mention the insurance release forms they'd all had to sign, none of the guys dared to take the first, despite all being seasoned fighters, few had ever fought with a rapier. That and if they destroyed anything, Master was sure to beat the crap out of them. He took pride in directing and producing this play.
As the muscles in his arm carried the weight, Natsu realised he could never show fatigue. It'll get easier. The more you did something the natural results was that it became easier.
He counted on that.
Standing on stage with Elfman, playing Tybalt and Gray, cast as Paris, he wondered if any of them thought the weapons would present a challenge. He was the first to lift his. Holding his left arm in position he pointed the sword at Gray. "A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit."
Immediately Gray and the other boys took up their weapons, tapping each other's tips in a playful fight.
'This is nothing, my ice would make a finer weapon then this." Gray stabbed at Natsu's stomach.
Dancing back, Natsu grinned "50 Jewels say i'm the last one standing."
"You're on, flame-brain." Gray smirked.
With wild hoots, the boys took the challenge. Each waved their weapons in Natsu's direction. He darted out of the way, barely conscious of the crew and cast slowly gathering in the guild to watch. Sweat pearled on his brow. Minuted clicked by. One by one, the boys sloughed off in exhausted, embarressed heaps to the side of the stage. Only Gray remained. Natsu's grin faded to a jaw set with determination. He locked eyes on Gray. He jabbed and lunged without any signs of slowing.
His right armed ached, but he thrust anyway. A shot of adrenalin kicked in. He focused on Gray's tiring form, on winning. In a last burst of energy Natsu growled, giving the next few spears all he had and knocking the sword from Gray's hand, leaving Gray cursing. The guild cheered, applauded and Natsu heard the chant of his name - Natsu, Natsu, Natsu - and odd ritual that accompanied anything public he did lately ( other then him destroying things, of course. ) facing the seats he took a good-natured bow.
Quickly, he strode over and extended his hand to Gray, smirking. "You owe me 50 Jewels, Ice freak". Gray worked to his feet and the boys slugged fists.
"Tch. Who said I was done yet? I let you win this one, but that doesn't mean I'll let you win another. Rematch. Soon."
Natsu grinned in response and scanned the audience. Lucy was looking at him, he felt her gaze even from the stage. She stood inside the guild doors. Had she caught the fight? She sat in the audience with some of the girls. He hoped they weren't talking about him. It still burned to think of what she said about the kiss. The worst part was that he couldn't understand why she said it. Did she think it was cake kissing her? He sweat just thinking about it. Pressing the tip of the sword to the stage floor, he spun the weapon to distract himself. He had only kissed one other girl, and it hadn't been as scary as kissing Lucy. Lucy was ... Lucy.
He glanced at her again. She chatted animatedly with Mirajane and Levy. Part of her blonde hair was pulled up in her trademark side ponytail at the side of her head. He remembered her wearing it that way since they first met. He'd pulled on the silken lock more than once just for the fun of it. He grinned.
But soon enough, the grin faded. Even if they hadn't hung out for awhile, what she said was rude. he'd never say anything like that.
Last night he debated going over to her apartment and chewing her out. If it was any other girl he would have. He expected her to know better. She'd been his best friend and partner. Once.
Makarov had the boys run through the fight scenes with the real rapiers again. Natsu was grateful for the distraction. The play was a dream for natsu and the guys; boys balancing on the razor's edge between being boys and being men. It also gave them a break from having to go out and do missions. To fight with swords, not magic, dance with girls and romance Juliet, well, it was all pretty cool.
His friends thought he tried out for the play because they all dared each other. In the deepest corner of Natsu's mind the real reason was completely his own.
Lucy.
What would an extra two hours a night cost him if it meant he could hang nearer to her? When Master cast him as Romeo, he was stoked, hoping for an opportunity to make things right again. He missed knew that what he done wasn't in the best interest of anybody now.
One day he found himself looking at her when she was doing the most ordinary thing - talking. His heart beat hard in his chest at the sight of her smile. At the way her blonde hair shimmered. He tried to learn more about her- what she talked about, what she ate, from catching what he could from covert source: Mirajane, Erza, Gray, Levy, Cana. Occassionally her name came up in casual conversations with the other guild members, but Lucy carried a status at Fairy Tail that was renowned. Exclusive. Natsu smiled. She was only Luce to him. He'd nicknamed her that on the first day they met. Somehow after all those missions, and her elusive past as a -once- rich heiress, she'd grown and turned into this beautiful goddess no guy felt worthy to to talk to, let alone reach out and touch.
Natsu finished his fight scene with Gray, aka Paris, and glanced out over the seats to see where she was. She was alone now. he took his sword and hopped off stage.
"Next time you're dead, Flame Brain." Gray called from the stage. He angled his rapier at Natsu who gave him a mock salute.
"Whatever you say Ice freak." he said as he continued down the aisle.
Natsu went to the row of seats in front of Lucy and sat. She'd been Luce once and he didn't see anything wrong with reminding her of that. After what she said about him, he figured it was time.
Lucy's stomach jumbled watching the fight scenes. It was cool seeing the boys practise with the wooden rapiers, but the slick sheen, the sharp clanging of real rapiers swinging added an unexpected zeal to rehearsal. The sight of John deep in concentration was awesome. His face pulled tight, leaving his jaw hard, his lips set. She was captivated by the liquid way is body moved.
He looked hot.
He glanced out into the audience once or twice and that flash of fire in his eyes stoked her heart. Every time he looked at her she thought of the kiss. Once, he looked over and she was sure that his gaze lingered, that there was a message there. Don't lose it, she told herself. He can have any girl he wants and he most definately has no interest in you.
"Is it true?"
Startled, Lucy turned around and stared into the faces of four girls she recognized as other guild members she barely talked to. They weren't in the play; no doubt here just to catch their dear Salamander in action, and ogle at him.
"Is what true?" Rather than look at the girls, Lucy watched the boys spar.
The girls were silent for a few minutes, like they lost their nerve. Then the one Lucy recognized as he most public of the four sat forward, her elbows on the back of the seat nest to Lucy. Her eyes were glued to Natsu. "That you kiss Natsu in the play?"
"It's Romeo and Juliet, of course we kiss."
The girls exchanged glances, two whispered to each other. They leaned over the backs of their seats for more. "I heard he frenched you.".
How twisted facts got on the barbed wire of a rumour. "What else did you hear?" Lucy asked, reminding herself to keep her temper in check.
"That you slapped him."
"Yeah, and then you guys had a fight right in front of everybody.".
"Like that's something surprising." A girl interjected and the rest sniggered.
Lucy inhaled sharply, silently cursing them and reminding herself to breathe.
"No, That's not what I heard, I heard they used to be friends-"
"But then Natsu liked somebody else-"
"And then they never spoke to each other again."
She relaxed, and a smile bloomed on Lucy's face. She kept her eyes on Natsu. The rumours were rumours she'd heard before. Truth was she and Natsu had never dated. The closest they'd gotten to saying something special to each other was when Natsu fought for her, when she was captured by Master Jose. She still carried a small scar from that day, it was almost identical to the one Natsu had on his same hand. Lucy looked down on her hand and wondered if she turned Natsu's palm over, if the white white line identical to hers would be there.
"So did he french you?"
All Lucy knew about kissing she'd read in Magazines and heard traded in whispers. But to have tasted it and smooth and melting on her lips, Natsu's lips had surpased anything she'd conjured up in her mind.
"Natsu wouldn't french infront of an audience." She hadn't defended him since she could remember. Suddenly warm all over, Lucy hunkered down in the seat and kept an unfazed facade on Natsu and the boys on stage.
The girls, seeing that she was done talking, sat back for a few moments, whispering. Lucy strained to hear what was being said in spite of how she fought ignoring him. When they finally got up and left, she took a breath. The kiss was out there, and more juicy rumours would circulate. Every girl liked to be in the center of excitement. Lucy was no exception. Playing Juliet to Natsu's Romeo was the electric current lighting up the dull, common scenes halls of Fairy Tail now, bringing awareness of who she was to the galactic level of Natsu Dragneel, something she hadn't counted on when she'd auditioned for the play. But then she hadn't counted on him auditioning either.
As Natsu sparred with the other actors, guild members and people from other guilds meandered in and watched. Natsu's prescence always drew a crowd. Lucy noticed that the girls moved closer to the front of the stage, to the fringe of stage lights where they probably hoped Natsu would see them.
He's just a boy. But he wasn't like any other and that was why he was the center of everything. She thought back to when they were still partners. He led rather than followed - Like Peter Pan - and that confident air promised adventure as well as safety.
She'd never known anyone like him.
The canker of jealousy she always felt for him was still inside of her so she reached for the book she had brought along today - Pride and Prejudice. She wouldn't play into the fascination the world held for Natsu Dragneel if she had the opportunity not to. But her concentration waned. Her eyes drifted back to the stage just in time to see him hop down, sword still in hand, and stride her way. The air around him buzzed and sizzled as he approached. He sat in front of her. Every eye in the room was on them, expecting another fight.
Natsu never hunched. As if refusing to completely relax, maybe due to her prescence, he sat erect, ready to soak up whatever stimulus surrounded him. For a moment he sat facing forward, giving her the chance to really see the back of his head, and the strong curve of his neck. He always wore his rose hair short, and spiked. For the play, he'd grown it out long, and the naps caused the hair to stand in feisty rebellion. It was shiny, like silken velvet. Her memory searched for the feel of it because she'd stroked his hair to keep him calm months ago whenever Natsu had motion sickness. More than once she had brushed dirt from it.
As he sat in front of her he looked around, offering her an opportunity to catch his attention. She fought a smile and forced herself to continue reading the tedious book in her lap.
"Caught up in your chapters?"
His smooth voice comforted, like molasses and orange tea. Her insides spun. She casually looked up. His skin was without blemish, another thing she envied as she fought the occasional pimple. She'd needed braces and he hadn't-of course. He had sun-kissed skin, which now set his white teeth to brilliance. But it was his eyes that captivated her: colorful, deep set opals, mysteriously changing with the sun or storm, or the color of his shirt. Sure, they were just Natsu's eyes and she had seen them for months now, but the effect was different now.
"Yes." She nodded and closed the book. Their past meant conversation was uncomfortable.
"You like it?" he kept his eyes on hers and the effect was somewhere between terrifying and thrilling.
"I like the story, but Mr Darcy's starting to get on my nerves. He's so cocky and arrogant."
"Obviously you haven't finished it."
This comment surprised Lucy. Natsu ... reads? Wow, that sure is shocking.. How much more of him do I still not know yet?"
"And I suppose you read it yet? Skimmed it through? No?" she said as she opened the book as if ready to read again.
He turned around fully and faced her, one arm casually draped along the back of the chair. He had gorgeous long fingers. Gentle looking hands. She blinked and tore her gaze away.
He shook his head. "I never skim - unless I'm in a hurry. And yes, I do read. Igneel taught me how to, occasionally using books as such."
"And then you just read the bold or bulleted parts right? I see, that's cool."
His left shoulder lifted. For a moment, neither spoke. Lucy wondered if he was going to say something more.
"You and Lisanna friends?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Just with the play and all."
They both heard laughter but only she looked to see whose it was. The four-pack of girls had moved nearer to them, trying to get his attention.
"Why?" She felt compelled to ask.
"That's what I want to know."
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you say that? About the Kiss?"
I feel like Natsu's character is quite OOC, so sorry if any of you guys feel the way! Or maybe ou feel it too after I mention it. Heh.
PLEASE REVIEW. You keep me motivated :D
OHHHH AND A CERTAIN ERZA AND A CERTAIN JELLAL HAVE A CERTAIN KISS IN THE MANGA!
I'M SO HAPPY! ERZA X JELLAL! 3
Ah I feel sick, hopefully I can manage to update soon. ):