Hey guys! Hope all is well. Anyway, Nalufan7 left a review saying that he/she didn't remember anything about Lucy's mom. So to clear up anything, in chapter four it was mentioned in passing that Lucy's mom has cancer. So yeah…
Enjoy!
Tendrils of cracks webbed out from one weak part of the off-white ceiling. They laced together in a tragic dance, crossing over each other but never mingling. The vague thought of the ceiling collapsing flitted through Natsu's head causing his heart to skip a beat, but he cast it aside. That was just the thought of a person with way too much time on his hands.
The methodical ticking of the clock irritated him mildly. It symbolised the seconds that passed without the other person in the room. A week had gone since that eventful night, and every day Natsu found himself five minutes early in the room where his therapy session with Lucy was first held, waiting out the entire hour by himself. He hadn't expected to see the flaxen-haired girl on the first day, but missing four of them just didn't seem like her, not that he knew her in any real way. He just didn't expect her to run away from him so easily.
Natsu frowned, eyes tracing one line on the ceiling and following its loopy path. He had even gone to school and not skip for the past few days with the hopes of stumbling upon her, but to no avail. She was nowhere. This led him to another train of thought, maybe she was shaken up really bad and decided to lock herself home; and this thought led to another, she was probably drowning in depression and spent her days huddled under her sheets with a sever case of …peoplephobia. He forgot the word. His increasingly dangerous thoughts led him to believe that eventually, without proper intervention, Lucy would loop a rope around her neck and jump off a table, leaving her empty body swinging limply to its own tune.
Natsu shot up off the sofa he was laying on in record time. He couldn't allow the blonde to kill herself. He had to go see her and apologise, tell her that he was a jerk, spill his reasons for his behavior…come clean. He had to.
With that, Natsu left the small office and quickly meandered to his vehicle. The drive to her home, or rather mansion, was tense even though it was spent in solitude. The mental image of the girl's dead body had struck a chord in him and resurrected some more thoughts that he hadn't wanted to visit. And the pathetic thing was that it was his fault the last time as well.
Stop it Natsu! He snapped at himself, she isn't dead yet. She wouldn't die, he would make sure of it.
Natsu absentmindedly bypassed the open and swinging gate, not even noticing anything amiss without its usual tight security that was present from his last visit. The grounds were uncharacteristically deserted and tools lay forgotten, strewn about the lush lands haphazardly, yet a passing glance was all it elicited from the man. He quickly parked his vehicle on a spot in front of the stairs leading to the entrance of the mansion. This final act, or rather lack thereof, of the persons employed raised Natsu's hackles. The last time he visited, the moment his vehicle crossed the gates a valet was waiting to park it in its rightful place, where ever that was.
He remembered because of his reluctance to let anyone else handle his baby. It was a sleek wrangler designed for power. Natsu had poured a lot of money, effort and patience into the masterpiece as he wanted to assemble it himself. Mechanics were always a hobby of his. He utilised parts from various other vehicles to create his ideal ride, usually going to work on it when he was exceptionally frustrated. As a result, it symbolised an assuage of sorts for him, and even now that it was perfect, or as perfect as it could ever be to him, Natsu still resorted to his jeep whenever emotionally imbalanced, even if it was just to sit and feel the cool leather of the seats beneath him or inhale the sharp scent that was distinct to it.
Natsu got out, locked the vehicle and made his way up the stairs and into the house. The grandeur of the mansion amazed him as much as it did the moment he first entered. From the sprawling grounds, sculptures and fountains leading to the actual building, to the shiny marble floors and opulent chandeliers. It was breathtaking. Portraits of who Natsu guessed were the family members were hung strategically on the lavish, yet simple walls.
Natsu pursed his lips, pushing aside his awe in order to truly assess his surroundings. There still weren't any signs of the staff and this was quite strange. With a more watchful eye and cautious steps, Natsu made his way up the spiraling stairs from the foyer. Despite his wariness and curiosity to find out what caused the household to be so shaken up, Natsu lingered, deliberately dragging out his steps.
He was reluctant to see Lucy. He hadn't thought this through, just acted on emotion and now that he was here and his mind wasn't as obscured with thoughts of suicidal persons, he wondered what to say. He knew that he wouldn't be welcomed with open arms, but he hoped that maybe Lucy had forgotten even though it was an extremely absurd thought.
Natsu was shocked out of his musings by the sound of muffled cry and the tinkering of breaking glass. He rushed to the room he heard it from, slamming the door open without any thought.
The occupant of the room stared at him in surprise. It was Lucy. Natsu gulped.
Her chocolate eyes were red rimmed and brimming with tears, some already leaking down her ashen face. The anguish brewing in the depths made Natsu falter. Bags and shadows were etched under her eyes, making her look gaunt. Strands of golden hair looked greasy as it escaped the confines of a poorly done knot and splayed onto her shuddering shoulders and back.
Her lips trembled and nosed flared as she glared at him. In one fluid motion, she turned towards him and lashed out, her palm leaving a stinging mark of rebuke on his cheek. Natsu reached up and touched his face in shock.
Lucy bit her bottom lip.
"It's all your fault."
Alright, so I know that some of you guys are probably wondering why Natsu was blowing things out of proportion because his line of thought was pretty farfetched, but it all has to do with his past. I know y'all can guess who the mystery person is, but the circumstances are very different. Thanks again! Don't forget to drop a review.