Nightmare Key here! Thank you for all who have read this. I know I left it at a cliffhanger the last time. Sorry about that. For now, let's get on with the story. I present Chapter 4.
Lucy struggled to try and push Sting's weight off her but it proved to be too difficult. He was too heavy and she was afraid to cause any more sudden movements as the railing beneath her seemed to creak in response to her every twist.
"If you fell from here…I wonder if you'd end up like that too, Lucy?"
No! I don't want this! Those words came out as unintelligent babbling as Sting covered her mouth even roughly with his left hand while his right fiddled with the end of Lucy's hair. Testing their silkiness between his thumb and forefinger.
"If you struggle, I'll make you fall right now. It's alright, isn't it? With this, Lucy will be able to go to the world where Natsu is." Sting said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly to form a sly grin.
Natsu? That's right, she would be with Natsu and everything would be alright. All this suffering would end. His voice calling her name was the only thing that filled her mind at that moment and she felt a sense of happiness wash through her as she saw Natsu, the Natsu she remembered and loved. Joining him would be the greatest gift since right now, the only thing that greeted her every morning was despair and loneliness.
"Good bye, Lucy."
Sting then leaned forward and took her mouth into his. Sting's ice-blue eyes gauged her reaction but she was too shocked for words to respond. He held onto her shoulders making sure she did not get away and he darted his tongue inside her open mouth. He sucked and claimed her tongue in his, tilting her head upwards slowly to deepen the kiss.
What is this? What's with this? Stop! Lucy shoved at his chest but he used his weight to press down on her. She closed her eyes on instinct and Sting closed his. She seemed to be swept in a torrent of emotions. Part of her hated it but another part of her loved it. To be doing this with the brother of her boyfriend, not even a month after his passing was just unheard of. Help me, Natsu!
Upon breaking lip contact, Sting gave her a smirk full of triumph. Triumph of making her feel so torn apart? Lucy could only continue to look up at him as the starting droplets of the coming rain dripped onto her cheeks leaving a wet trail from her face to her uniform.
"Ah, it's raining. Let's head back inside before it gets worse, shall we?" Sting said, placing his hands in his pockets and had begun to walk away from Lucy's slumped figure.
"Why did you do something...something so horrible? Answer me, Sting!" Lucy shivered, her hand covering her mouth.
"Did you really think I'd kill you? Nee, you asked about it didn't you, Lucy? You said, 'What's the real reason that you're acting like Natsu?'" Sting replied, his back facing Lucy as he continued. "You stole my precious Natsu away from me so…I won't let you enjoy something like death."
"I want to see Lucy's suffering face. For that reason, wouldn't using Natsu's appearance be…the most effective?" Sting turned his head around and the wind whipped his hair around, letting Lucy see just how dangerously evil the person in front of her was. A person who wanted her to suffer so much. His eyes devoid of emotion, she felt like she would be consumed by it if she kept on looking at those fathomless orbs.
"See you tomorrow, Lucy." Sting opened the door and left Lucy wide-eyed and speechless. The rain came down on her and she was soaking wet when she had returned home.
Drying her hair after a long, hot bath made her feel refreshed but deep inside she was torn to pieces. Sitting down at the edge of the bed, she grabbed the photo frame where her smiling face as well as Natsu's greeted her.
"Geez, it's Natsu's fault. It's because Natsu was soft on Sting that he…he grew up with a brother complex. What's worse, he hates me to the core! That's why something like that really makes me so frustrated. It's annoying!" Her kiss with Sting kept on replaying in her head and she rubbed at her lips furiously with the back of her hand. Tears began forming at the corners of her eyes and she let them fall.
Remembering Natsu's kisses and how gentle and sweet they were as compared to Sting's rough and sudden kiss made the tears flow faster.
"Natsu…" That's right; she would never see his smile again. She would no longer be able to touch him either. 'Wouldn't using Natsu's appearance be…the most effective?'
Even though Natsu isn't here anymore. Sting has the same hair…the same build. He hates me!
"I don't...want this…Natsu." Lucy continued to rub at her lips until she drew blood. This is the weight of the sin of killing Natsu. She put her face into her hands and wept for all that she had lost, not noticing how a dark figure watched her from the shadows of the house just opposite her room.
Sting watched her with a vacant expression and closed the blinds of his room. Opening the closet door and seeing his reflection on the built-in mirror inside it, he touched it and said, "Watch me from now on, Nii-san…"
"Morning Natsu." Lucy hugged the picture frame to her chest and saw the glow of the sun illuminating the nearby houses. Her eyes were a bit puffy from crying all night but she concealed it with some cream. It's started again. Today is another day without Natsu.
"Morning Lucy!". "Morning Lu-chan!"
Lucy waved at both Erza and Levy and tried to hide the weariness in her voice. "Morning, Lucy."
She released a sigh. Not forgetting another day with Sting here. Lucy turned at the sound of his voice and met Sting's grinning face.
"What's wrong, Lucy? You're making such a scary face."
"Quit grinning like Natsu. It's shameful." Lucy said, already making her way to her seat which was the last seat near the window. When she saw Sting grinning like nothing happened, she could have thought that yesterday had just been a dream. The only thing that she was certain of is that Sting would be here from now on. Sting is…scary.
Lucy gazed longingly at the seat right beside hers and a smile broke out on her face. "I want to see you so badly, Natsu." She whispered and sat down on her seat. Seating down she saw the times that Natsu and her had spent together during class.
"Lucy…there's something making you feel bad?" Natsu said, a pout on his face.
"There's nothing like that, seriously. Do I really look like I have a problem?"
"You sure? You're stomach has been growling since just now though. I know I'll grab some peanut-butter toast at the cafeteria." Natsu was already gung-ho to go down when Lucy pulled at his collar and sat him back down.
"Firstly, the only problem here is that my stomach isn't the one that's growling, it's yours. Secondly, peanut butter toast is your favorite. Mine is strawberry jam or have you forgotten." Lucy huffed out a breath and was confused whether she should smack him hard or just laugh at how he looked so panic-stricken by her comment. She just could not take anymore of Natsu's hilarious face that she burst out laughing. Natsu was puzzled by this but joined in a second later.
"Sorry about that. If anything happens though, promise you'll tell me." Natsu gave her his signature grin and it melt her heart at seeing how sweet he was.
"Yeah, I promise."
When she sat there, relief coursed through her and as she closed her eyes, it felt to her like Natsu was sitting next to her. Relaxing her head on her arm, the good old times with Natsu came to her easily. However, a clatter beside her made her jolt upright knocking her chair down as she stood.
"First period was Math wasn't it, Lucy?" Sting plopped down onto Natsu's seat like he was meant to be there. It irritated her and she began shouting at him, gaining her classmates' attention.
"Why is Sting sitting here?! That's Natsu's seat. That's not your place. Hurry up and get out!" Lucy tossed her Maths Assessment book, which was prepared beforehand on her table, at him. It only managed to smack his elbow as he blocked it with ease. The room was filled with loud chatter as they watched Lucy with surprised faces.
"Lucy! What's wrong? Calm Down!" Erza motioned her to sit back down while Levy held onto her from the back preventing her from going all out on Sting.
"Sting is…Sting is sitting in Natsu's seat like he wants…" Lucy yelled over the noise of the mumbles of the others who stood to witness her outburst.
"You're wrong, Lu-chan. Sting-kun has been sitting there because the teacher told him to. You see, up until now, Sting-kun has been sitting in a row that was disconnected because there weren't enough seats. That's why; for the sake of finally adjusting the seats…the teacher sat him in Natsu's seat."
"Sorry, Lucy. That's the reason why I'll be sitting here." Sting played with Lucy's book, smiling ever so slightly at how uncomfortable his sitting there made her feel. The bell rang and the rest hurriedly went to their seats. Erza and Levy gave Lucy unsure looks before she told them she'll be fine and that they need to sit down before the teacher got there. They nodded in unison and walked off.
"You don't need to be so scared, Lucy. I won't do something in the classroom like I did yesterday." Lucy's heartbeat thumped wildly in her chest. She clasped her hands tightly and brought it to her face. Cut it out. That's Natsu's seat. Don't hate me with the same appearance as Natsu. Don't do something like sit in the seat next to me. She wanted to yell it at him, to let him know how much his mere presence irritated her beyond comprehension. Yet it died at her throat when the door opened and the teacher came in to start the first lesson of the day.
Lunch came and as Lucy started to wash her face, Levy and Erza came up to her. It was probably going to be about her weird behavior before. "You sure did surprise us earlier, Lucy."
"I'm sorry, you two. I even dragged you guys into it."
"Don't worry, it's fine. As long as you've calmed down, Lu-chan. Then, shall we head back to the classroom?" Levy said, adjusting her yellow-striped headband.
I don't want to go back to the classroom. I'm scared of going back to being…beside Sting.
"I'm sorry. As I thought, go on without me."
"Lucy!" They both screamed after her but she had already ran a good distance and knew they would not be able to find where she was. She heard the bell marking the end of lunch break and knew the exact place where she could get a breather.
Sting glanced at the table beside him and gave a satisfied smirk. Seeing Lucy so uncomfortable and pissed off was entertaining. His real motive was to make her suffer. Burn in her mind the reason why he no longer had his brother with him. The reason why he'll make her life a living hell. It was only the beginning and the things he had in store for her would be much worse than what had occurred at the rooftop, that he can promise her.
"Sting-kun, what do we do? School's already over. I wonder where Lu-chan went…" Levy stared at Erza, her worry flowing off her in waves.
"Lucy hasn't come back at all. She left her bag and phone in her bag. We went looking for her but we couldn't find her. Levy and I have to go off for our part-time jobs so we really have to go…"
"That's…a big problem. I'll go look for her then. With this, that should solve it."
"Really?! Thanks, Sting-kun. Please tell Lucy for us that we'll listen to whatever problem she might have so don't hesitate to tell us. We are her friends, after all. It's the least we can do."
"You know, about Lucy. I think it will take a lot of time for her to recover from the wound of Natsu dying. I think it would do her some good if you could lend her some of your strength, Sting. You seem really close with her so we'll be counting on you from now on." Erza said, her gaze straight-on Sting as if she was baring her heart to him.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she won't have a chance to hide back in her shell."
Erza did not question him for his choice of words. She and Levy slung their bags on their shoulder as they made off in a hurry. Sting knew exactly what to do but for his plan to work, he had to get the lead star to play her role.
"I've found you, Lucy. Oh, I've found another lovely part of Lucy I love." Natsu snuggled closer to her, kissing a trail from her back to her nape. Lucy was as red as a tomato and screamed her protests, finding it ticklish.
"When I touch Lucy's hair, it feels good…since it's really pretty."
"Is that so?" Lucy turned her head slightly to see Natsu behind her, twiddling strands of her silky hair with his long, lean hands.
"Yeah, it's pretty. I love it." Natsu proved it by kissing it gently and Lucy had to tamp down the ever-growing temptation of ruffling his pink hair. She hoped that they would stay like this forever.
"Then for Natsu's sake, I won't cut it."
"Really? I love you, Lucy. I'll say it a thousand times and a thousand more. So Lucy, stay by my side forever."
"Baka! Of course, I will. I love you too much to go anywhere else. Well, if you're with me I don't really mind. Then, you have to promise you'll stay with me too." She held up her pinky finger to Natsu and it made her feel like they were little kids again.
"I promise." Natsu returned the gesture and grinned at her.
"Natsu!" Lucy got up and hit her head on one of the classroom's tables. Wincing, she rubbed the sore spot on her head and realized it was already dark outside. Making her way back to the classroom, she marveled the silence and was rather fascinated by how the moonlight formed shadows using the trees. Being afraid of something appearing, a ghost perhaps, she doubled her speed towards her classroom. When she reached it, her relief was seen evident on her face. Going to the window, she sat on her bottom. The darkness welcoming.
"I wonder if everyone already went home. Has Sting gone home too? Wait…what am I doing? Doing something like running away from Sting and hiding in an unused classroom for the entire day. Even though, doing this is useless."
Lucy took her hair into her hands, her eyes already swimming with tears saying, "I had a nostalgic dream. Natsu…why aren't you here?"
"I found you, Lucy."
Lucy sprung away and released a frightened scream. It was Sting. He was still here. She had to get as far away from him as possible. Far, far away. She made a dash for the door but Sting was not far behind. Throwing the door open, she ran for dear life.
"Wait. Why are you running away? Just when I went to all the trouble of looking for you…"
Why was Sting still here? I have to escape! I don't want something like yesterday to happen again. I don't want it! Natsu!
Lucy felt her foot twist and she lost her balance. She came crashing down with a thud and she felt the throbbing pain in her right ankle. Turning around and expecting the worse, she found no-one. There was no sign of anyone in the hallway and Lucy's heart beat wildly in her chest. Maybe she had been too scared. Maybe Sting didn't intend to do anything with her. Thinking that hiding for the time being would be a good choice, she tried opening the door of the nearby classrooms. They were all lock except for one and she flinched when the door rattled open. Quickly shutting it close, she surveyed whether there was anyone outside. There was nobody.
"This place…is the only one open? Thank goodness, I should be safe for a little while…" A mangled scream escaped from her as she felt strong hands wrapped around her chest. Her back to his front.
"I caught you, Lucy."
Well, I'm going to end this with another cliffhanger. I'm already starting on the next chapter so don't you guys worry. Anyway, until the next chapter. Nightmare Key signing off.
