~Act 2~

~Of old castles and mysterious inhabitants~

Part 2

Natsu opened the curtains and let the feeble daylight illuminate his room. He cringed as the light stung his pale skin, but he didn't move away from the window. He needed this simple pain… He inhaled, stretching more of his neck over his scarf to expose it to the light.

He was in the middle of enjoying the addictive sensation when Happy's cheerful chattering echoed through the corridors, accompanied by that smell. Natsu groaned in a way that was almost a wince as he pulled his scarf over his face. This lady just awoke from her trauma and was already a bother. She would never leave him at peace during her time in the castle, he could predict it already…

Natsu gritted his teeth as the door creaked open, Happy releasing a shout of victory while her scent poured in, practically drowning his nose in it.

"What do you want…?" He sighed defeatedly, refusing to turn his head towards them.

"Why are you acting like that?" Lucy asked.

"I'm the same as usual."

"No you're not!" Happybat exclaimed, appearing in front of Natsu's head. He then said in a hushed tone, "Natsu, she's your mate, don't be stupid…"

"Shut up, you decided she was, not me…" Natsu hissed back. He flickered his gaze over to where Lucy was; he appreciated that she had the sense to stay over by the door, but why was she staring at him like that?!

"Why do you want me out so much? And why did you heal me if you don't like my presence in here?"

"I already answered that. I owed you, so I healed you. Now we're even; you can go when you feel better."

"And how exactly do you expect me to go back?!" she replied with a sarcastic tone. "I'm in the middle of nowhere; the only village nearby almost killed me; my carriage is broken, my friend is… dead…"

Natsu finally broke his staring contest with the window and looked at the wounded woman. She seemed so pale… Her initial shock from the attack was coming back to her, obviously. She was shaking, and she staggered towards the closest chair. Happybat immediately flew towards the sobbing girl and snuggled against her arm.

"...I still can't believe it…" Lucy sniffled, petting Happy and accepting the limited comfort he offered.

"I'm sorry."

The puffy-eyed lady looked up to her host; Natsu had unexpectedly spoken up.

"I'm sorry 'bout your servant…he was your friend?" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes he is… He was."

"I've never heard of nobles being friends with the common people before." Natsu couldn't help the cackles that followed, but stopped immediately when he saw the daggers Lucy and Happybat were sending him.

"I-I mean… Sorry… I know what it feels like to lose someone close to you."

Lucy didn't answer. She wiped her eyes, and instictively felt gross for not using a handkerchief. But this strange man, who lived in an apparent huge castle yet didn't look like a lord, wasn't the slightest bit bothered.

"Y'know…" Natsu added softly, for once. "Happy can carry you, once you feel better."

"HEY! I'm not a delivery service!"

"You kinda are, little buddy…" Natsu snickered at the fuming bat, and this simple argument made Lucy smile a little.

"I'm not carrying her, she's heavy. You need my consent for that." Happybat crossed his wings under his puffy chest.

"You're impossible. How about..." Natsu stared at Lucy. "You write a letter to your family, and tell them to fetch ya on the road leading to Magnolia?"

The lady's eyes widened in fear.

"But… Don't you think they will be there? Those awful people?! What if they wait for me and kidnap me and break my parents' other carriage and…oh my god…"

"Hey, hey, it's fine, relax!" An alarmed Natsu tossed his arms in front of him, as if it could chase away the panic attack of his guest.

Lucy breathed in and out and sunk in the armchair. She realized Natsu was much closer to her now. What an improvement.

"I have to write a letter, that's for sure." Lucy nodded, letting her gaze fall to the floor. "To warn the estate...about Capricorn. And to tell them I'm here."

Now it was Natsu's turn to look horrified. "What?! You can't tell them you're at my home!"

"But… What am I supposed to say then?!"

"Just tell them where to find you, on the outskirts of Magnolia, and they'll fetch you," Natsu suggested with a shrug. "That's not difficult!"

"Really?! And how will we know they're here?!"

"...I'll know, certainly."

Lucy puffed her cheeks out- this guy was infuriating! "And just how will you accomplish that miracle, sir?!"

"That's my business," Natsu grunted assertively, his eyes narrowing as he glared at nothing in particular. Lucy shuddered at how quickly his tone had changed, but she let it go for now.

"Why can't I say I'm staying at your castle? What castle is it by the way? I've never heard of a castle in this area."

"Stop asking questions, you're getting too personal," Natsu complained as he rubbed his temples. "Where do you live?"

"...you do realize you're asking me a personal question as well?"

"Please, I saw you nearly naked; I think I'm past that point with you."

"Eeeeeh?!" Lucy screeched, suddenly feeling violated as she instinctively covered herself. Happy only giggled at her reaction, while Natsu coolly shrugged- how else was he supposed to fix her up?

There was almost a twinkle in his eyes as he watched her freak out, and by the ghost of a smile coating his lips, Lucy knew he was enjoying it. She swatted at him for his questionable looks and that blatant comment in the first place; he easily slid out of her way and looked at her like she was crazy for trying.

"Hmph…" His attitude was absolutely insufferable to Lucy, but she had to admit, it was a refreshing change of pace to not have someone kissing the ground she walked on or trying to suck up to her to get in her father's good graces. To even be challenged the slightest bit...it was frankly entertaining.

And it made her drop her guard, just the slightest bit.

"...Heartfilia Estate."

"Huh?" Natsu piped up again, too busy snickering with Happy to hear her the first time. Lucy slightly flushed, glancing away as she clutched at her arms.

"Heartfilia Estate. That's where I live."

Natsu's face lit up with realization and some excitement, nodding firmly.

"All right then! In that case, Happy, you can fly there with her letter, and they will send somebody for you, and you can go back to your life…and everything will be back to normal!" He sighed in relief. Lucy's face fell at his wording, but it was Happy that voiced his thoughts.

"...I didn't say I would fly there. Where is it?"

"...You-you don't know where it is?!" Lucy stammered in shock and abruptly stood up from her chair.

"Errr, no?"

Lucy gaped at the bat before stepping closer to Natsu; Natsu took a giant step back. "Natsu, surely you must know where it is, right? It's one of the biggest estates of the country!"

"Nooot really…" Natsu coughed and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not really following the noble business, y'know?"

"...Noble business? What on earth are you talking about?! This is not 'business'! My family owned their estate for 150 years!"

"Not business," Natsu echoed in confusion, suddenly lost in his thoughts. "And so young too…"

"What?" Lucy huffed, tired of him mumbling to himself. Natsu snapped himself out of it and shook his head, running his fingers through his bangs.

"Ah, ain't nothing. Anyway, how do we get there?"

"I don't know! I'm never the one driving!"

Natsu groaned loudly at her as he threw up his hands.

"Great, so you can't send anything to your family."

"...apparently not. Unless your crazy neighbors decide to help me."

"I wouldn't count on that," Natsu snorted, rolling his eyes at the very thought. Lucy frowned at him before making her way over to the windowsill, proceeding to sit on it and gaze out over the horizon.

"How about the Macgardens?" She spoke up again. "Do you know them?"

"The what? Where is that? I've never heard of any gardens around here..."

"It's not a place; it's my family's ally." Lucy made a face at his ignorant tone. "And they are the parents of my best friend."

"I see...well then, where does she live? Maybe Happy knows how to go there!"

"I doubt it…" the bat grumbled, just as Lucy bit her lip nervously. She was trying to remember the specifics...she had just gotten back from traveling there…!

"Err… The Macgarden Estate?" she finally croaked out uncertainly. Natsu's face was utterly deadpanned.

"...you'll have to be more specific."

"The Tulip Mansion of the Macgarden Estate?"

Lucy cringed at the audible smack Natsu's hand made when it collided with his forehead. Frantically searching for a different solution to recover herself, she snapped her fingers and gestured at Happy.

"Happy, maybe you could take my letter to the nearest village and...give it to the postman!"

"The nearest village is Magnolia. They don't have a lot of mail since it's so small and it would be pretty easy for them to recognize your seal." Natsu answered on Happy's behalf. He folded his gloved hands behind his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. "By the way, do you even have your seal?"

Lucy tensed before quietly shaking her head. The situation was growing more and more hopeless by the minute...

"And...your estate people would open a letter with no seal?"

"I don't know! I never took care of that!" Lucy shouted in her defense, even though the truth wasn't making her case look any better. "Maybe we don't receive a lot of mail...or maybe we do..."

Her uncertainty caused Natsu to release a roar, also making her flinch when he abruptly kicked over his own bedside table in a fit of rage.

"Talk about a colossal waste of my damn time! Jeez, can't you nobles do anything without making it all so complicated?! I just want you outta my castle but you can't even do that!"

Lucy shrunk back at his scathing tone, suddenly feeling ashamed. "Sorry…"

"But wait!" Happybat shrieked, hovering in the middle of the room with a gleeful expression. "That means she's gotta stay now, right?! Hooray~!"

"No it doesn't!" Natsu interrupted quickly. "And besides, she doesn't even want to stay here in the first place-!"

"Actually I do."

Both Natsu and Happy whipped their heads towards Lucy, where she now had her hand pressed against the glass of the window as she kept staring outside. She could certainly see the Heartfilia Estate from this perch; the place that had robbed her of so many life choices…

Her hand clenched into a fist, and she leaned her forehead against it.

"I don't really want to go home for now…"

Natsu stared at her with wide eyes for the longest time, his thoughts nearly divided in two. This girl...this noble honest-to-goodness wanted to stay in this dark, dank, and frankly shoddy castle?! Was she just seeking some kind of thrill?! Because oh boy, if she was, she'd certainly be in for it…

There was no way she desired to stay for his sake though. He could see it in the contempt she held in her gaze; her reasons for wanting to stay put...they were entirely selfish!

"I don't get you," Natsu started slowly, the words coming out raspy as he made his way closer to her without realizing. "There's nothing appealing here...nothing you could possibly want!"

Lucy rose from the window to challenge his claims, but suddenly he was in front of her, towering over her as imposingly as he could.

"You'd really want to stay here...where it's only me and Happy? I don't think we can reach your demanding standards, Princess…you'll be complaining within a day...so what do ya possibly expect to get out of this?!"

He bent slightly so that his face was hovering over hers, and so she could receive the full intensity of his glare. For a moment Lucy's eyes flashed with fear, but this was quickly replaced by rage as she gave him a harsh shove in the shoulder. He stumbled backwards, gaping at her in shock.

"Stop arguing with me, idiot! You have to keep me here anyway! I'm literally out of options here!" Lucy shouted back. "There's nothing I can do about it, even if I wanted to! So stop snarling at me and- i-is that blood?!"

"Whut?" Natsu asked dumbly, having no idea what she was talking about. Lucy gawked at him before gesturing towards the arm she had pushed- the same one that had been stabbed by Mirajane. Natsu blinked and stared at it, only now feeling the pain after he acknowledged its presence.

"Eeeeeeh, whoops," he hissed through his teeth, clutching at the wound as it soaked his satin glove crimson. Happy hovered over Natsu's shoulder and clicked his tongue.

"Aw, what the heck Natsu, I thought you said you took care of your wounds!" Happy exclaimed.

"I did," Natsu grunted, giving Happy a look telling him to shut up. Of course, this went over the bat's head.

"Oh don't tell me you focused all your attention on Lucy-!"

Lucy's sharp gasp of realization filled the room, making Natsu roll his eyes at being busted.

"She needed the aid more than I did-"

"I can't believe this!" Lucy scoffed, immediately marching next to him and reaching for his arm. He sharply stepped back and glared at her, only to nearly cave as his right leg wobbled- shoot, he'd forgotten about the stab wound there too!

"Natsu!" Happy winced in fear for his friend. Natsu limped towards his bed and sat on it, gritting his teeth and refusing to complain. Maybe they would back off…

"Happy! Go find some leftover bandages along with some wet cloths, now!" the annoying lady ordered.

"Aye sir!"

Apparently not- Natsu inwardly groaned as Happy bolted out of the room at breakneck speed. Natsu was so distracted with mentally calling Happy a traitor that it took him a few moments to realize Lucy had sat herself upon his bed -joy, her scent was there TOO now!- and was once again reaching for his sleeve.

"Ack, stop, I'm all right," he insisted, shying away from her touch. Lucy grabbed the edge of his cape and yanked him back, proceeding to untie it and free him of it.

"No way, you're bleeding! That's definitely not 'all right' to me!" Lucy complained. "You cared for me, at least let me return the favor..."

Natsu raised his head to stare her dead in the eye. "You know, you sure like to 'return the favor' a lot...stuff like that is only going to get you hurt."

"Well sorry that I'm not an awful person who'll stand by as someone bleeds out in front of me," she retorted, successfully capturing his arm right as Happy flew back in. He literally threw the bandages and soaked cloth at them; Lucy was hit by a bandage roll while the wet cloth smacked Natsu in the face.

"Sorry," Happy chirped guilty, landing on Natsu's pillow. Natsu removed the cloth from his face and held it hostage when Lucy tried to take it from him. "Natsu, let her help! Please…"

"It's really not that bad Happy-"

"But I don't like seeing you hurt!"

At the sound of pain in Happy's cry, Natsu's grip loosened on the cloth- Lucy was able to snatch it from him. He tensed up, thinking that Lucy was going to charge straight at him, but she remained still.

"I'll only do it with your consent," she said seriously, never letting her eyes leave his.

Natsu inhaled sharply- his heart was already racing with how close she was, staring at him with wide brown eyes full of stubbornness...and even a bit of concern? Her chest rose and fell with careful, cautious breaths; the small actions made her damaged dress, low cut as it was, slide slightly off her shoulders and revealing more of her skin to him.

He swallowed thickly- oh, it would be so easy to get a taste of her right then and there, especially with her aroma practically punching him in the nose with how strong it was, but he could do this. He was stronger than his circumstances. He could stay in control...he already did it earlier, when he was the one dressing her wounds.

"Just...get it over with," he grumbled as he buried his face behind his scarf. He fumbled with the buttons on his shirt until Lucy moved his large hands out of the way, using her far more lithe fingers to undo them. Lucy was completely neutral to the action until she started to guide the sleeve off his left arm, which then caused the shirt to slip off his other shoulder and leaving his delicious-looking chest out on display for her eyes to feast upon.

Tanned skin was pulled tautly over his abs and pecs, each of them well-defined and practically welcoming Lucy to come and touch. This was the first time she saw a man topless, as nobles were really strict on protocol...and this man's torso was not the least bit unattractive. She gulped slightly, intimidated by such a fine-toned physique, but after realizing what she was doing she pulled herself back together.

'Whoa, focus,' Lucy told herself, squeezing the cloth in her grip. She spied Natsu smirking at her out of the corner of her eye, so with a hint of spite, she pressed the cloth against the wound just a bit harder than she needed to. Instantly Natsu's face contorted, and once she felt he'd had enough she went about cleaning his wound with more care.

"You're really covered with bruises…" Lucy said under her breath. As she wrapped his arm up in a bandage, her gaze wandered again, but this time it was focused on all the small black and purple welts that marred what was otherwise perfection.

Before she realized, her hand reached for one near his neck; both of them tensed, but both for totally different reasons.

For her, it was because he was so warm to the touch. It was nothing that made her feel like she was receiving a burn, but enough to send a rush of energy up through her fingertips and through her whole body, igniting her entire being in a spark. His skin was also remarkably rough- not unpleasant, but far more stiff than skin should have been. Perhaps it was just all his muscle…

For him, meanwhile, it was because she was driving him crazy and she didn't even know. She'd done nothing more than glide her fingers against the many places where the villagers had branded their anger with rocks, and somehow that got the fire in his belly rolling all over again. Her touch was the first in ages to be so gentle; a touch of comfort instead of contempt…

"Y-You can bandage my ankle now," Natsu blurted out with an extreme lack of tact, the abrupt words snapping Lucy out of her own trance. With a quick and silent nod, she hastily pulled Natsu's shirt over him so that he was at least partially covered again, then moved down towards his leg. Natsu kicked his shoe off just before Lucy rolled up his pant leg, exposing the other stab wound. Happy handed her the other wet cloth, and she got back to wound cleaning.

"So, um…" Lucy began, desperate to find something else to focus on as she worked. "H-How did you manage to heal me? You did a much better job than I am right now…"

Natsu shrugged and buried his face deeper into his scarf. "Eh, your injuries weren't as bad as they looked, that's all."

"Right…" Lucy huffed at the liar. She was beginning to grow annoyed with his dodgy and indirect answers, so she tried a more piercing question that would hopefully get him talking. "And this castle...it's truly just you and Happy living here?"

"Yep," Natsu replied blankly, making the 'p' at the end pop.

"Well why's that? I mean, it's pretty large for just a man and his...freakishly sized cat-looking bat…" She abandoned her previous thought to quickly point at Happy. "Hey, speaking of, why are you keeping something like him as a pet anyway?!"

"Pet?! I take offense!" Happy gasped, holding his wing over his heart. Natsu pursed his lips and leered down at her.

"Yeah, Happy's not a pet, he's my friend! And I won't tolerate him being referred to as anything less!"

"That's not the issue here; you have a giant talking bat as a p- friend! That's not normal!"

"I fail to see what's wrong with this," Natsu stated with a dumbfounded blink, making Lucy moan in disgust and give up for the moment. Trying to talk to this guy was giving her a headache...

"Well, either way I'm done," Lucy sighed, glancing around before groaning and wiping her hands on her dress. It was ruined away… Natsu testily moved his foot around before carefully placing it on the floor- as long as not too much pressure was applied, he would be able to walk with a bit more ease than before.

He had to admit, Lucy did a good job...for a noble who probably never had to cut her nails by herself.

"There, see? That wasn't torture, was it?" Lucy remarked haughtily. Natsu muttered otherwise under his breath, but chose to keep it to himself. Instead he fully rose back to his feet and disappeared into his closet, changing into fresh clothes while tossing the dirty ones over his shoulder. Lucy once more founded herself disgusted by his slobbish habits.

"So this is the part where ya leave for your own good, right?"

Natsu stepped back into the open with his arms stretched over his head and his cape back in place, lazily smirking at her. Lucy put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ah, no, this is the part where you show me to my guest room and treat me with the hospitality I deserve."

"Pah! Nippy, aren't we? I already told ya you're not getting any special treatment," Natsu scoffed as he tugged on a fresh pair of gloves. "In fact, I still want ya gone...but you're not going to go, are you?"

"I couldn't even if I wanted; traveling in my condition just wouldn't be wise," Lucy stated seriously, yet a tiny smile grew on her face. "Besides, what's wrong with a little company?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Natsu scoffed. "And what's wrong with you anyway, willing to up and crash with a stranger out of the blue?"

"When you phrase it like that it sounds tactless," Lucy huffed. "And I'm pretty sure if you wanted to do anything bad to me, you would've done so already. I fell asleep in your presence more than once, not to mention I'm wounded…"

"Yeaaaaah…"

"And after all…" Lucy continued, stepping over to his side, eyes shining up at him. "You've already shown that you can take care of me…"

Natsu jolted as his face turned red. "Wh-what's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"Idiot! You brought me all the way back here and dressed my wounds…what did you THINK I meant?!"

"Ah…ahm…nothing, nevermind." Natsu tried to forget the image of a nude Lucy constantly popping in his mind since she arrived in his room.

He covered his nose and beckoned her to follow.

"I'm only agreeing to this at all because you saved my life...and because you are a nice person, in spite of your rudeness. I've never seen such a feisty noble."

Lucy frowned and trailed after him down the dark hallway. She stayed close to him, as she felt a bit scared by the creepy atmosphere, which contrasted drastically with Natsu's bedroom.

"I thought you didn't follow nobles' business. And you don't even know the most recognized families of Fiore…" She pointed out, doubtful. "How could you know what nobles are like and how they behave?"

Natsu, caught off guard again by this very talkative girl, sweated in his fresh clothes.

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Do you always dodge them?"

"You talk a lot. Even Happy doesn't talk that much."

"Aye Sir!" The bat collapsed on Lucy's head. "But you like to talk too, Natsu!"

"Just not to me...right?" Lucy asked sarcastically.

As Natsu didn't answer, Lucy decided she wanted to know more about this very unusual man.

"Are you a lord?"

"...no."

"Did you steal this castle?"

"Are you listening to yourself? How can I steal a castle?!" Natsu rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean! If you're not the lord, then you're not the owner!"

"That's not your business."

"Of course...what's your full name?"

"Just call me Natsu. I don't like formalities."

"Are you a peasant? What do you do for a living ?"

"I enjoy solitude and silence."

"Do you realize you sound like a creep or a criminal?"

"What would you know about criminals? Have you ever met one in your giant estate?"

"No...but I read a lot," Lucy confessed quietly.

"About criminals?"

"About almost everything."

Natsu frowned at this. What if she read also about people like him…

"Almost?"

"Yes, I can't read all the time unfortunately, because I have to do my heiress job…going to balls, being a hypocrite with potential allies, visiting the peasants' villages to be sure everything's fine...and that reminds me…"

Natsu stiffened. He already knew what she was going to ask.

"Why did the villagers try to kill you?"

Lucy didn't have time to take the question back; Natsu suddenly whirled around and pinned her against the wall in a single move. Happy jumped from her head and hastily flew away.

"You're really starting to annoy me, Lady Curious…"

Lucy's eyes widened in terror when she saw those dark eyes so close to her, a dangerous spark glowing in them, along with...something else...desire?

"I'm your host for now, it's true, but you don't wanna push me…" Natsu growled threateningly.

He could see and smell the fear running through Lucy's body...such a sensational body at that… He licked his lips and stared at hers; such perfect, plump lips…round and ripe enough for him to bruise against his own...

"Y-you're very close to me…"

Her sudden stuttering made something click in Natsu's mind.

Hunting is always better when the prey is conscious, scared to death, begging you for mercy… And you're so close to it you can smell the fear...Right Natsu?

You disgust me, Ever.

Oh come on, don't tell me you've ever resisted that thrill!

Natsu blinked and pulled away, putting as much distance as he could between them. Lucy was confused… He looked very dangerous and yet...she was practically sure he wanted to kiss her. She saw many gentlemen- or so they were called- lick their lips like that before trying to initiate a lip lock.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like questions." There he was, averting his eyes from her again. "Are you done with them?"

"Can I ask one more?"

"You know I ain't gonna answer."

"Why are you so hot?"

Natsu snapped his gaze back at her in an instant, raising his brows and feeling heat rise in his body.

"Tha-that's not what I meant!" The flustered lady protested when she saw a smirk spreading on her host's face.

"She liiiiikes you!" Happybat flapped his wings excitedly.

"No! I meant your skin! Why is it so hot? It's not normal!"

"Right, my skin is hot, keep telling yourself that…" Natsu snickered devilishly and licked his lips again, although he did not move from his spot. "I have an abnormal body temperature, that's all. Now...turn around."

"What?"

"Turn around, your room is right behind you."

Lucy spun herself around, and noticed she was indeed leaning against a door. She held her breath as she opened the door, expecting some sort of abandoned pigsty, but instead gasped quietly when she entered.

A large bed was centered in the middle of the room, dressed with velvet sheets and huge pillows that were certainly too much for one person. The floors were covered in a plush dark carpet, and the walls had more of those faded pictures, but the thing that caught her eye the most...was that it was spotless.

"I have to confess, I wasn't expecting something so...pristine," Lucy stated, taking her first few steps into the room. Natsu shrugged and leaned against the door.

"Eh, it's the only other room I bother to clean regularly, so...I figured this would be your first pick."

"What's so special about this room that even you bother to clean it?" Lucy asked casually enough as she felt the bedsheet. But Natsu's face suddenly darkened, his grip on the doorway becoming tight. He refused to even give a half-hearted answer to that question, so Lucy didn't dare press for more information.

Instead she found herself appalled by how dusty everything was, despite his claims of cleaning efforts. She continued to inspect the room, noting it was nicely decorated, but really cold, certainly because it was never used-

"Eeeek, spider! Spider!" Lucy suddenly screeched, horrified at the sight of a large black arachnid dwelling on the corner of the ceiling. "I am NOT sleeping in the same room as that...that…"

"I got it!" Happy cried, flying over to the offending creature. Lucy shuddered and looked away, not interested at all in seeing how the bat planned to dispose of the creature.

"There's some old dresses in the closet if you wanna change," Natsu finally spoke up, gesturing to the door in the back. "You can light a fire over there, and there's your own washroom, so you can stay out of mine."

Lucy's eyes lit up at the idea of a nice relaxing soak and clasped her hands together. "Ah, that's wonderful! Could you draw my bath right now for me, please?"

Natsu stared blankly at her before snorting in response, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"If it's a bath ya want, you can go to the kitchen, fill a kettle with water, and boil the water yourself on the fireplace!"

Lucy looked mortified at the thought. "What?! I have to do that myself?"

"Hey, who else would do that here?" Natsu gestured around, once again indicating that they were the only ones in the castle. "Certainly not me; I'm not your slave, Princess!"

"I'm not a princess! And honestly I don't feel strong enough right now…" Lucy murmured, remembering the trouble she had getting up the stairs.

"...Too bad, no bath for today then," Natsu smirked with a shrug. "Maybe you'll feel up to it tomorrow morning, hm hm."

"And what am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?" Lucy whined. "Just sit in this dusty room in desperate need of a bath?!"

"Do whatever the heck ya want- just stay outta my room and try not to touch everything," Natsu sighed as he dismissed her claim. "You should feel lucky I'm even letting you stay, quit trying to push it."

"I wouldn't have to 'push' anything if you just had a nicer attitude!" Lucy exclaimed as her voice rose. "You can dodge all the questions you want, but the one thing I'll never understand is why you're being so detached with me!"

She moved much too close to him, her scent rolling off her in waves. It was practically an invitation for him to pounce on her now.

"I'm here with no other option, so the least you could is try to make it a little more bearable!" Her voice rang in Natsu's ears again, but he was only focused on her advance towards him. "If I'm doing something wrong then tell me already!"

His head started to throb painfully; she was overwhelming all his senses...

"Why…" Lucy pleaded, actually sounding concerned for him. "Why are you acting like this?!"

"That's...ENOUGH!"

The sound shook the walls and rattled the decorations; Happy's eyes bugged out of his head as he squeaked and scrambled to hide under the bed, while Lucy hastily took a step back.

Natsu was literally quaking with anger now, broad shoulders shuddering with fury while a vein popped out on his neck. His posture went rigid as he held himself back from Lucy, but that didn't stop him from giving her a killer glare.

"I'm sick of your questions and you nosing into my damn business! I thought you were different from other nobles, but I guess not- you must control everything and everyone, and you can't stand somebody resisting you!"

Lucy was shocked into speechlessness by his scathing words as he turned heel and thundered towards the door, his cape serving to emphasize the rage that was radiating off of him. The noblewoman swallowed thickly- even Happy was terrified…

"I don't care what you choose to do- just stay away from me!"

Natsu grabbed the edge of the door, throwing one last enraged look over his shoulder before taking his leave.

"And with that, enjoy your stay, Princess."

He swung the door shut with a powerful slam, the sound echoing through the whole castle until it settled into silence, signifying an omen for what was to come.


A/N: Long scene huh? :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry we didn't update in a long time, exams are coming for both of us (aaaah), but we're not forgetting this story :)

Don't you love Happybat?