Hey everyone! This chapter will be from Bickslow's perspective :)
I hope you enjoy it! Again, if you can think of any good chapter names, feel free to let me know, ALSO! If you have an awesome quote that you think would fit in, let me know what it is and I shall put it in there and credit you while I'm at it!
Anyway, onto the story!
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"So, what are we doing today?" Lucy asked, looking up at me with joy shimmering in her eyes. She looked excited, bouncing as she walked down the path beside me, her soul flaring as brilliantly as her smile. It was contagious, and I found myself smiling with her.
"I thought that we should start with a reminder of the good in the world." I tried not to look at her but found myself staring from the corner of my eye. She looked puzzled, arms crossing across her chest and her finger tapping her chin.
"And what does that involve?" She looked up at me quizzically, the confusion marring her face adorably. I couldn't help the smirk that donned my lips as I looked down at her, bending my knees slightly in my stride to bump shoulders with her in a conspiring manner.
"You'll see." At the image of her disgruntled pout, my tongue slid from my lips as laughter bubbled from my throat, surprising even me, she simply had that way about her, making your soul flicker with joy as hers did. She rolled her eyes and we continued in silence, and I found myself searching her soul and seeking out the part that had bothered me initially. It was still there, the deep, dark gash, as if something had swiped at it, clawing it apart and leaving it blackened, bruised. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I noticed the park fast approaching.
"We're here." I stated simply, avoiding her gaze as I headed for the seat at the far end of the park, her following closely behind.
"Ah, Bickslow, what are we doing here?"
"I told you, I'm going to remind you of all the good in the world."
"And how exactly does a park do that?" She sounded sceptical, and a little irritated, as if I'd wasted her time on a prank. 'Gosh she's stubborn' I thought as I felt my eyes roll of their own volition.
"Just sit down would you." With an eye roll of her own, she followed my command and sat beside me, a respectable distance between us.
"Okay, the good in the world. Where is it?" She gave me her classic Lucy glare and I found myself shaking with laughter.
"All around you. Look." Physically turning her head so she was staring ahead of her, I asked, "What do you see?" She eyed me judgmentally from the corner of her eye before sighing slightly and doing as I asked.
"I see… Kids playing. Families having picnics together. People? What has this got to do with anything?" I couldn't help but smile sadly, I was right.
"Would you like me to tell you what you're missing?" She gestured to the people in the park, motioning for me to continue.
"I see innocence. I see laughter, and love, and joy. So much joy. I see trust and respect. Look again Lucy, and tell me what you see." When I turned to her, her mouth was slightly agape, and she nodded fiercely, determination steeling in her eyes as she turned to face the park again.
"I want you to see it. I want you to see the care the parents have as they raise their children in the air. I want you to see the love the child has as they look at their parents and siblings. I need you to see it Lucy." I heard my own voice trail off as she concentrated on the families playing before her. Turning my attention to the scene as well, we watched as a boy no older than five years old tripped and fell, tumbling to the ground in a fantastic display of limbs. We heard his piercing cry as his mother raced to him, scooping him into her arms and kissing his tears away as she soothed him. I turned towards the girl beside me, a soft smile on her face and her soul shimmering below the surface, waiting and wanting to flare outwards with love, but she seemed to be containing it. I frowned.
"I can see it." She whispered, interrupting my train of thought, her eyes still on the scene, her expression filled with love and sadness. "I'd forgotten what that feels like." She was still whispering, but this time, it was filled with sadness and pain. She wiped her eyes before turning towards me, her soul wrapping around itself, comforting her.
"My mother used to kiss my knee when I fell over and grazed it." She looked wistful, her eyes filled with tears. "She said her kisses were magical and that they would heal me. My knee would never hurt as much after her kisses." She smiled through her sadness, her soul folding further and further around her, fighting desperately to comfort her. She was offering up a piece of herself to me, a piece, I was sure, she hadn't offered to many, if any at all.
"I don't remember my mother, but my elder sister used to do something similar for my younger sister and I." I was just as shocked as she was by my own admission. Blushing under my helmet, I focused intently on the people around us, rather than the girl beside me, gazing at me as if I was a rare gem. Seeming to notice her own rudeness, she forcibly turned her eyes elsewhere, a slight blush evident on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, about your mum, and the staring. I've never heard you talk about family before." I nodded, I could feel how embarrassed she was, she was an open book when it came to her emotions, but she was also genuinely saddened, and I knew I could trust her.
"I don't talk about them." She nodded in understanding, but she had offered that information to me about herself, and I would offer the same to her. "They both died. My elder sister and I fought a lot, but my younger sister… I really miss her. I miss both of them." She gently placed her hand over mine, giving it a squeeze before returning it to her own lap, her eyes seemed to hold understanding and sadness.
"I don't talk about my mother a lot. I write to her though, I tell her about everyone else and all our adventures, but I rarely tell anyone about her. Natsu probably knows the most, now that I think about it." Her voice trailed off thoughtfully, but I hadn't missed it. The flare in her soul as she spoke of her mother, it was soft and loving, but the moment she thought of Natsu, it ignited brighter, more passionately than I had seen her soul before. I was awed. It was as if when Natsu was in the picture, her soul wasn't as broken and bruised. Genius struck.
"Natsu really cares about you, you know." My voice was light, teasing, and it had the effect I'd desired, lightening the mood almost instantly. Her face brightened as she stuttered out nonsense of how it wasn't like that, but her soul shone irrevocably bright at the mention of the boy caring for her. 'I can work with this…'
"Seriously Cosplayer, he confronted me this morning about you." Her face grew hotter, redder. I couldn't help the chuckle as my tongue rolled from my mouth.
"Stop it!" She whined, hiding her head in her hands. "I swear it isn't like that. We're best friends, that's all!"
"I don't believe you for a second, Cosplayer." I chuckled at her attempt to glare. "Come on, you can tell me." I couldn't stop the wink even if I'd tried. This was gold. Continuing to glare pathetically, she crossed her arms over her chest before giving in and slumping low.
"He just likes to spend a lot of time with me, but it's not like that, we're just friends!"
"And..?" I cajoled, waving her onwards with my hands, her soul was alight with mischief, so I knew I wasn't overstepping any boundaries. She considered me for a moment, weighing up her pros and cons before glancing around and leaning in, drawing me in as well.
"What I tell you, you can't tell anyone! Got it?" Nodding vehemently, she sighed.
"He likes to break into my house and climb into my bed. While I'm in it!" I laughed, I couldn't help it. Only Natsu would be so oblivious. She laughed with me until we were gasping for breath, holding each other upright.
"Seriously? That guy has no clue." She smiled, a genuine smile, and I felt my face falter. 'Why would she trust me with this?' I thought, letting the smile slip from my face.
"Because I can see that you're trustworthy." My eyes shot to her face, transfixed on the brilliant smile on her cheeks.
"Did I say that out loud?" She confirmed my fear with a nod before elaborating.
"I'm good at reading people, and I know I can trust you. Regardless of the fact that we don't speak a lot." She turned towards me, a soft smile on her lips as her shoulder bumped mine, "I can see your spirit, Bickslow." She turned her gaze back to the people rushing about the park before continuing. "Not like you see souls, at least I don't think so. It's something my mother taught me. She said a person was most genuine when they were on their own. When they had nothing to gain and nothing to lose. She said that in those times, if you concentrated really hard, you could see the persons true intentions." She turned back towards me, a reminiscent smile on her face, "Your intentions are pure. And if you'd like, I would love to be your friend." Her soul was shimmering the same way it had when she had asked for my help initially, filled with hope and affability. I nodded, unable to say no to such purity. She grinned wider, and for a few moments, the silence of our company and the children's laughter was enough.
"Tell me Cosplayer, what do you see now?" I watched her as she looked out at the dwindling crowds, the slowly setting sun gently caressing her face before the looming clouds overtook its dazzling rays. "Don't hold back this time. You need to let it out, think of everything you see before you, everything you feel, and tell me. What do you see?"
"I see love."
…
"Nothing is quite as beautiful as someone who survived losing everything and still has a gentle heart."
~Unknown
…
I know a lot of quotes, but clearly not the writers of them! (ಊ)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's the longest one yet, and there is plenty more to come.
Next up, Lucy tells Natsu about her day with Bickslow.
Happy reading~!