Prompt 4: Promise
Rating: K to K+
{Listen, my dear son, as I tell you what you need to hear...}
Natsu stomped his way back from the guild, shivering. It was a warm summer day in the city of Magnolia, but for some reason, he sensed a disturbance of sorts in the air. Today, everything was cold and held the sting from Gray's ice in battle. The city hadn't retained its usual cheerfulness, he noticed as he walked the dim streets and looked up into the grey sky.
A storm is coming.
He was careful not to slip on icy sidewalks or sludgy streets while traveling to that place. It was nothing all that special to him, anyway. Which was ironic.
His own house doesn't even seem friendly, not in the way that Fairy Tail is.
You'd think that, after living in the same shack for so long, it'd hold some sort of significance to the dragon slayer. It should feel comfortable, right? It was his resting place, and it had been ever since he arrived in Magnolia oh-so-long ago.
But it wasn't his home. The only place that was like that was with his nakama.
Unbeknownst to him, that had all changed with the grasp of a hand.
Natsu finally made it back to the clearing that could technically count as his "property"—filled with ash, sweat, blood, tears, and anger. Most of the trees were burned to the ground, probably from training. Or maybe during an outburst of some sort. He wasn't really sure.
However, there was one certain tree that remained, tall and proud. This area usually looked messy and disheveled, but when the clouds loomed overhead, it gave off an ominous, post-apoctalypyic feeling. Especially that lone tree, standing strong and living in the middle of disaster.
He sat in its shade, leaning against the sturdy trunk and allowing Happy to curl up in his lap for some rest. Today was a rare occurrence for Natsu. As soon as he awoke, memories started flooding back to him—ones of Igneel and his few years as his foster son. Before he was Salamander.
The wind carried him away without a sound, and I never even noticed...
Back then, every day was a new adventure. He always knew that the sun would shine, there wouldn't be such a thing as cold, and he would learn something important from his dragon father.
... How could you leave me? Why did you leave me?
How could Natsu have let him disappear in the blink of an eye?
The weather was like this on that day. The heat and humidity were sweltering, but he thought he was going to get frostbite or freeze to death without Igneel to warm him up.
He promised me he wouldn't go. He lied to me.
{Some promises are made to be broken...}
So, there he sat for seconds, minutes, hours on end, staring into nothing. There was no measurement of time where he was. Only the beat of his heart and the roar of a dragon.
...
"Natsu? What are you doing here?"
He knew that voice. It was her. God, did he need to see her right now.
He turned to see Lucy staring down at him with a troubled look on her pretty face. She had pink on today. His pink.
It suited her well.
"We've all been worried for you..."
Dad, years ago, I made a promise. One that I'm not breaking anytime soon.
"Sorry, Luce," he apologized, scratching the back of his head and giving a half-hearted smile. She did the same, with her eyebrows creased in worry.
"Cheer up, Natsu... Wow, I never thought I'd ever say that..."
The sun was setting, and night would soon fall upon them.
"Hey, follow me back to the guild. We've all got something to show you," she told him, winking and holding her hand out to him.
Happy stirred in his lap, immediately jumping up. "Natsu, let's go!" he chimed, grinning.
The teen took her hand and beamed. "Alright!"
Lucy giggled, pulling him up and dragging him along, probably all too unaware that she was still holding on.
Natsu, however, felt that certain warmth again as he tightened his grip.
This was home.
{... But others are meant to last an eternity.}
No matter what, I'm going to protect Luce.
Ugh, I pretty much rushed on this one in order to get it in on time. I hope it's good enough. :/ Maybe I'll re-do it someday. Maybe.
So, here's a quick interpretation on the awkward breaks:
Italics- Natsu's/Narrarator's thoughts. It's a weird combination.
{Brackets and Bold}: Igneel
I swear, they'll get better and longer. At least, day six should. Most likely day seven as well. I've just got a thing with deadlines. I hate them, and they hate me.
Thanks for reading!
