Chapter 4

3 Years Later

(Lucy's Data Log on Natsu)

Right away, Natsu displayed signs of heightened intelligence. So, I kept him and brought my work home. By 18 months, Natsu began to show signs for way to communicate with me and my mother. Whenever he needed to communicate with me, he would pull out a picture book and show me what he's saying. Around that time, I haven't detected for any signs if illnesses in him.

By age two, Natsu had unique ways of figuring things out. As he got a little bit bigger, he could swing his tail to open doors to get around. He'll even go to the fridge and decide for himself on what he wants to eat. To test his intelligence, I create a labyrinth in the backyard and put his favorite food as the prize if he could complete the labyrinth. Every day, he would improve on his minutes to solve these labyrinths. His best time is around 1 minute and 24 seconds. Around that time, he did get sick for about 3 weeks. But surprisingly, he made a healthy recovery on his own, which proves the drug in his DNA, which he got from his mother, is still in effect.

When Natsu was 3-years-old, Natsu's intelligence continues to grow as it begins to exceed the intelligence of a regular human. During a time when I was playing chess with my mom, Natsu took an interest in it and decided he wanted to play. Surprisingly, Natsu beat me. I mean, what are the odds of being beaten in chess by a dragon? At the same time, Natsu gotten sick again, but he manage to recover on his own in just 2 days.

From every moment he seems to be getting sick, the drug just keeps improving. As I demonstrated on what this drug can do, it can increase one's health as it has been doing in Natsu. By analyzing his appetite, he's been eating like a horse and almost every day he's full of energy as if life is an adventure for him.

Continuing to record all her data on Natsu, Yukino came knocking on Lucy's door. Lucy answered the door and couldn't help but notice the saddened look on Yukino's face.

"Yukino, why the long face?" Lucy asked, concerned. "Nothing's happened with my mom, has it?"

"No," Yukino answered, taking a deep breath. "She's fine. Lucy, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can look after your mother. I'm not trying to be selfish. Just right now, my sister called me and my mother… she's gotten Leukemia and they have her in the hospital. I really don't to do this, but…"

Lucy stopped her and calmed down Yukino. "It's not your fault and I completely understand. You got to do what you got to do. Go and take care of your mother. She needs you."

Tears came out of Yukino's eyes as she hugged Lucy. "Thank you. Really… I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lucy assured her. "None of this is your fault. Things in life just happen."

After saying their goodbyes, Lucy was concerned on finding someone else to look after her sickly mother. Each day her mother looked like she was getting worse and it was only a matter of time until the cancer took her.

The next day, when she went to work in the lab, Lucy's couldn't take her mind off her mother. She felt so distracted when she saw an employee storing away the CNCR-818's in the fridge container.

Realizing there weren't camera's by the container, Lucy started to become desperate to see her mother become better. What she did next was steal an employee's card that had access to the container, where it laid on the table. She slid her card as the container opened, recognizing the ID as the supposed employee.

Being quick, Lucy manage to sneak at least 3 vials of the CNCR from the container. When she came home that night, she put the vials in the fridge since they needed to be kept at a cool temperature.

Taking one of the vials, Lucy headed upstairs where her mother was waiting for her. As she laid in bed waiting for Lucy, Lucy took out the syringe that was used for her mother's medicine and poured the CNCR-818 into the syringe.

Puzzled by the strange blue-green liquid Lucy put in the syringe, Layla said, "Lucy, what is that exactly?"

"It's that new medicine that we've been working on in the lab, mom," Lucy explained. "Don't worry. It will make you better. I promise."

Layla remained calm as Lucy injected the serum into her mother's body. Natsu watched from outside the window and just figured Lucy must be giving Layla her usual medicine. However, he wasn't aware this was the same serum that was in his mother that passed on to him.

When morning finally arrived, Lucy woke up when she heard a noise coming from downstairs. It sounded like the TV was on. She figured Natsu must have turned on the TV as she went into her mother's room to check on her. However, he mother wasn't in there.

Concerned, Lucy rushed downstairs calling for her mother and saw her in front of the TV doing her aerobics. Lucy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mother was so sick that she became almost bedridden. But now she was doing exercises and look 100% healthy.

"Mom!" Lucy called out, getting Layla's attention. "Hey, are you okay?"

Layla smiled and replied, "Well, of course I am, Lucy. In fact, I've never felt so good in my entire life. The medicine you developed sure does the trick. What do you say later on we go to grab a bite to eat?"

Smiling and crying with tears of happiness as she wiped her eyes, Lucy replied, "Sure. I'd love that very much."

Lucy couldn't believe how much has been happening. It all proves that the CNCR-818 was indeed really for human testing. However, she knew she couldn't get ahead of herself just yet. Like Natsu, she needed to keep a close eye on her mother and be sure the drug worked on her as well.