Attention, conservative pills or any other kind of drug that you're told of in this story and especially this chapter, don't actually exist. From what I know, but… who knows? I just played with biology, don't take anything seriously.

Every muscle in my body is highly strung. We fall on our sides and the impact makes me lose grip over him. Our bodies part and roll down the highway for a long time. I feel my arm, my legs, my face, my head, all being hit in what seems like the same time. It hurts a lot. I roll for what takes like eternity and then I finally stop on my side, and I fall on my back. For a moment I can't move. I try. I know I have to survive, but I can't move a muscle. I start breathing again.

"LUCY, COME ON!" the President yells and I bring myself to slowly lift up. He's also making huge efforts to limp towards me. I look in the distance and I see the car of the goat stop. They saw us.

It felt like my whole world crushed down under one disastrous notice. They saw us. The tears rush again in my eyes, but I wipe them away with my dirty, bleeding arm. There isn't any time or crying. I take his hand and stand. He came back for me. He was closer to the bushes and he could've ran or hid, but he chose to come back and help me escape. And now he's encouraging me with all he's got.

"Come on, we can do this! We're done the hard part! Now all we have left to do is run!"

And he pulls my hand to run faster as if he doesn't even feel the pain. This man is truly made of steel.

Since they spotted us, we can't hide in the bushes anymore. I can see the men exiting the car and come running with their guns pointed at us. I instinctively cower and protect my head when a bullet passes too close to us. I trip, but keep running. We're in wide opened field. I pant trying to control my heartbeats. Other bullets pass beside us, trying to get our feet. And we're in opened field. But the President doesn't let go of my hand. He keeps running as if at the end of this endless flat, there's help. As if we'd ever escape.

The President's head turns back and his eyes widen when he sees the tears falling like a river down my face.

"There's nowhere to go." I cry. "Give up. Can't you see we've got no way of surviving? Just give up."

He stares at me with those beautiful eyes and then frowns, gripping my wrist tighter.

"Never."

We start running even faster even though I feel like I can fall any second now. The men are catching up with us fast. This is useless. I'm holding him back. I'm a burden.

"Let go of me."

"No."

"Let go of my hand!" my tears are falling like crazy and inside my heart, I don't want him to ever leave me die.

"I thought I already made myself clear! I'm not leaving you behind!"

"But we're both going to die at this rate! At least escape and then send somebody back for me!"

"If you don't shut up, I'm going to tie you up and then you'd really have to way of escaping!"

"Why do you think that we're going to escape!"

"Because as long as I've got two hands and two feet, I'm going to go to the end of earth if that's what I have to do!" he yells back at me. I widen my eyes and his words fall like a stone inside me. The feeling is like pulling the trigger of a gun. Something inside me, something that I've never thought was alive, started moving out of the blue. That something made me look at him with, big, glittering eyes. That something made me realize he's right. It made me run faster because I knew that that hand I was holding was never going to let me go. I suddenly trusted that hand.

I look back to check on the men. The amazing feeling I just met was shortly cut off when I saw that specific bullet escape the pipe. Somehow I knew that its target was us; and it was going to get its target this time. My lips part and I yell "WATCH OUT!". I push the President on the side and he falls rolling a few feet. I, on the other side, close my eyes when I know it's too late. At first all I feel is pressure and then billions of needles piercing that small place in my stomach. I swallow it all and I'm not sure myself what's going on.

"LUCY!" the President stares at me wide eyed while standing up. I continue running, ignoring what just happened.

"I'M FINE!"I yell back grabbing his hand. This isn't going to stop us from escaping. I can still run, so we can still do this. A strange feeling I can't explain overwhelms me. I don't like this feeling, it's something I'm always trying to pretend it doesn't exist when I encounter with it. It's something that makes me cautious about a lot of things, something that I don't want to think about.

Oh yeah, it's fear. It tastes like blood. Or maybe… it isn't fear that tastes like that.

The President is faster than me no matter how determined I am to get away from the men running after us. Dang, I really am holding him back. Look, I'm panting so hard, I don't think I'll be able to keep up like this for long. And even this place is shaky sometimes. Look at how it's all becoming blurry. Funny, I don't remember ever getting my sight this blurry after running. I mean, at the base I would be able to run so much more and so much faster than this. But the President keeps shooting me worried looks. I'm holding him back really badly. My feet are tangling. And why… do I get the feeling that it all has to do with the odd piercing in my stomach. Nah, it couldn't be that important. What's important right now is to get rid of them. Right. They're bad. They want to make us slaves. See, all I have to do is think about slaves and I already feel the bitter taste of blood in my mouth. Really, really odd. Even my sight is blurry. Must be because I didn't have much oxygen in the trunk, right? It's all going to be fine. Just fine. Just fine. Juuuust fine…

Oh? What's this? I fell to the ground. The President is yelling my name. Look at how pretty his hair is. Why didn't I notice this earlier? And his eyes are so deep, so black, so… so… Wait, what was I saying? What was I doing? I need to keep running. I have to reach… reach what? Well look at my hand reaching on its own the President's face. Why am I holding his face? Why does he have a funny light in his eyes? Could it be, the President's crying? Naaah, not possible. Why do I feel so strange, anyway? I feel blood coming out of my mouth. That's funny, I didn't know it was possible. And I can't seem to move my eyes from that point in the sky. I need to keep running, though. If not me, then the President needs to.

"Run…" the word escapes my lips. "Go." I can't seem to understand why I said that, though. Why does he need to run? Why do I feel like I'm slipping? I can't slip. I have to hold tight. Something tickles my stomach. I take my trembling fingers to it and I feel something squishy and hot. It's blood.

The President suddenly slaps me, putting his hand on my wound.

"WAKE UP!"

He wraps a piece of material around my abdomen and I feel his strong arms lift me. He starts running again.

Why?

Where to?

"Don't die on me Heartfilia! Don't you dare die on me! You hear me?! Listen to my voice! Concentrate on my words! Don't lose!"

Lose? Lose to whom? What is he talking about? Is he even talking to me? I can't seem to understand anything anymore. I just know that there's a pain in my stomach and I'm slowly losing control of whatever it is.

"Listen to me! Do you know where we're going?"

I concentrate on his voice and even if it seems like the hardest thing ever to do, it calms me down a little. I feel like a fish. The ocean's pulling me, but there's this one hook that I hold on and that's pulling me out to the surface. Well, I think normally this wouldn't be case, but this is the best description I could come up with.

"We'll immediately reach a twin highway where someone will take us. They will help us and then we'll be safe. Do you hear me?"

I can't feel the tops of my fingers anymore.

"Just hang on a little longer. I know you can, Lucy."

He looks at me with those amazing eyes of him.

"I believe in you."

"You know, when we get back, you'll act again!"

Act? Well, doesn't that word sound pretty. What did it mean again?

"I'll give you the best role, the best character! You'll pull it out perfectly and everybody will be so proud of you! Your movie will be loved and a source of inspiration for many, many people!"

Why, how nice it all seems. But I can't imagine anything. I just see it as if it's inside a keyhole, tiny and unreachable. I want to live like that. I want to act. But when I think of what I want, there's something else that comes to mind.

"You'll get the biggest Grammy prize and what other prize is available!" he laughs fake. "People will admire you. Hannah will admire you. You'll have your friends to look up at you."

He stops talking for a while. I'm looking at him. His expression is a painful one while he's looking in the distance. His eyes fill with tears. It's the first time I'm witnessing this.

"But that's not what you want." He lets out a painful breath. I pay attention. "I know that's not what you want. Because you're just like me, Lucy."

The tears roll down his cheeks and I know he's not crying because of me. I just triggered something inside him.

"You just like me. And we don't give a shit about all this stuff. We need something else."

He grits his teeth.

"Love."

A snowflake.

That's how I feel right now. I'm falling so slowly, so painfully.

In so much danger to cry.

Love.

The word is even lighter than me right now. But when I heard it, it just keeps repeating itself in my head, it falls like lava over my frozen heart. It happens before something is blown inside me, something bursts out like a volcano. I can't name it, I can't describe it. I just know that I'm suddenly like a desert crying for rain, I'm suddenly like a hungry lamb crying for food, I'm suddenly a lonely girl crying for love.

Have I not tried my entire life to reach it through fame, through the love of my fans?

Well here I am, emptier than a shell, standing at the edge of everything, not knowing what might be below me. Should I have the wings I need, I'd fly and not fall. But who will ever give me these wings to fly?

I look at the President and I know he feels the same thing as me. A last pair of tears escapes my eyes; somehow I know it's the last one. He looks at me and sees that I'm smiling softly. Not understanding what for, he smiles back at me.

And in that very moment, a bond was created between Natsu and me. A bond of deep, deep friendship. I just knew it.

And then, I didn't know anything anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"IT'S A MIRACLE! EVERYBODY, IT'S A MIRACLE! IT WORKED!"

The powerful laugh hurts my ears, but at the same time it makes me slowly wake up. I fill my lungs with fresh air. My muscles feel rested and that gives me a comfortable feeling. I'm surrounded with fluffiness and a nice smell of flowers. I open my eyes and after the blurriness goes away, I look around me at the source of noise. Somewhere in the background I can hear a regular beeping going at the same time with the powerful beating of my heart.

"She's a very lucky girl indeed."

All the faces are foreign to me. There are mainly nurses and some doctors, but the rest of the people I can't identify. I try to raise myself as confused as I am, but the worst pain I've ever felt in my abdomen strikes and I scream falling back on my soft pillow.

"DON'T!" a doctor yells rushing to me. I'm gritting my teeth with an amazing pressure trying to kill the pain. I find myself starting to tear up. "Don't move. It's very dangerous. Can you hear me?"

I can't speak. I just look at him and nod shortly, my tears falling silently. I can't believe such a pain actually exists.

What happened? Why am I again in a hospital?

And then, with a fast flashback, I remember blurrily what happened.

I remember how I died.

I look wide-eyed at the doctor's eyes. What's going on? I was supposed to be dead. He looks back at me with a pain of deep, onyx eyes that look very familiar to me. But he's got short black hair and wrinkles. I've never seen that nose of chin before in my life. I don't know who he is, no matter how strange the feeling he spreads is.

"Why am I…" I ask so hoarsely that I need to repeat again to be understood.

"Alive?" the doctor asks with a voice that I swear I've heard before. "It's a miracle. Somebody dropped you off telling us nothing much. He gave us this little bag with magical dust." He grins and I look at him confused. "It seems it's a medicinal drug, but we've never seen anything like this. So we did research while you were thought to be dead."

"Hey, hey, beginner, there's no need to give out so much information!" a frowning doctor hurries to say.

"The girl needs to know what brought her back to life."

"She wasn't brought back to life, you idiot. She was given the conservative pills before she was a goner."

"What's that?"I ask totally surprised of what happened.

"How much of nowadays medicine do you know?" the second doctor asks me.

"It seems that not enough." I reply weakly.

"The conservative pill, also known as the 'KBD- keep before death' pill. It's a pill that looks like any other which, reacting to the gastric juices, releases a protein that is fast absorbed into the main stems. The protein is very sensible to the white cells and the two, when they meet, release an electrical wave. Through many complex processes, the heart receives the waves and receives it as information of pausing. In other words, the heart sleeps for a period, making it seem like the person is dead."

"You were shot in a vital spot. Even if you were actually still alive when you got here, we couldn't have done anything without the drug we received along with you."

"This drug has amazing effects on the white cells, mainly responsible with healing. As soon as we gave you the dust, you started healing as if you were a machine."

"Also with the help of the operations." The doctor with the onyx eyes says smiling at the other one.

"Of course. We took out the bullet."

I didn't understand much from what they patiently tried to explain to me, but here's what I did understand. The President gave me pills to keep me alive for a little more and then dropped me off at a hospital along with my salvation. Then my question is, why did he leave? Why didn't he explain to the doctors everything himself and remain?

I find myself disappointed that he left me alone. It would've been much less stressing to face a familiar face here. I sure am thankful that he saved my life again, though. I thought I was a goner for sure.

"Today we killed the effect of the pill early in order to awake you. The bad part is that what we used to kill it, along with the drug applied on your deep wound, are a terrible combination. That's why you can't move. The pain is probably tripled, but you are out of any danger to die. You're safe. A few more weeks of rest and you'll be good to go."

"Weeks?!" But I don't have that much time! What if the goat's flock is going to find me? And the organization already lost contact with us, with me! What if they'll think I ran away and will hunt me down like a traitor? I can't wait that long! "Even with the effect of the drug?"

"Sorry, sweetie, you're not getting any more of that. A drug is a drug, after all. Now that you can heal on your own, we'll leave your body to do its job. The only things that you'll be having are unsalted food and lots of water."

I sigh frustrated. What am I going to do?

"Dr. Guild, we should get going." The second doctor tells the one with the onyx eyes looking at his phone's screen. "It seems Room's 16's patient just woke up."

"Oh, don't wait for me, you should go."

"Don't you want to see how the injection goes?"

"I've already seen one, I can pass on that."

"Alright, then. I'll leave her in your care."

"Yes, thank you."

"Mr. Guild, please don't forget that you have an appointment at three sharp." A nurse says looking at a schedule.

"Thank you Nancy, I didn't forget. I'll start preparing as soon as I finish with miss Jacobs. I need to give her a few more instructions."

All the other people seem to have stuff to do, so they leave one after another, leaving me alone with Dr. Guild.

After a small pause of silence, I say:

"My name isn't Jacobs."

He smiles at me.

"Julie Jacobs, that's your name."

I hesitate awkwardly.

"No, it's not. My name is…"

He cuts me off while smiling:

"That's your name. At least until you leave the hospital."

I slightly widen my eyes. What? Why does he…?

"Who are you?" I ask silently.

"I'm Henry Guild, nice to meet you! I've been working here for a little while… Well, not exactly working. I walk the hospitals preparing to be a doctor. You are the first case in which I've actually managed to be useful. I participated theoretically though, not practically."

I'm still confused.

"Why did you give me a new name?" I ask a little jokingly.

"Because we can't call you by your real name, stupid!" his expression suddenly changes and he's so amazingly familiar, that I shock myself asking:

"Mr. President?!"

Instead of being surprised, he rolls his eyes smiling.

"Why did it take you so long to figure out?"

Wait, so he is the President?! I don't understand anything anymore!

He walks to the door and opens it. His head disappears for a moment as he's looking in both directions, checking the hallway, and then he comes back in locking the door. He draws the curtains of the window and in the slight darkness he grabs his hair. Under my shocked eyes, he lifts a wig and then pulls out of his head his 'face', a mask brilliantly made! And under all that, the head of the President running a hand through his ruffled, salmon hair appears.

My heart is beating enthusiastically, even though I don't exactly know why. The same pair of onyx eyes looks at me mischievously and I smile.

"I can't believe this." I laugh, but my abdomen hurts so I need to stop. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you." I say weakly.

"Well, it's ok. That means that I've got a pretty good disguise." He grins. "At least I won't have to worry that somebody will find me out during these following weeks."

"You mean you'll actually stay?" I asked surprised and what surprises me even more is that my heart starts jumping happily.

"Of course. Well, I've never understood biology that well, so it's a pain in the butt pretending to be a doctor apprentice for more weeks in a row."

He suddenly smiles kindly and sadly at the same time.

"So hurry up and get better already."

I look really surprised at him.

"You're going to remain for me?"

He frowns slightly flushing.

"Well, it's… a normal thing for a leader to do. And… after all…" he reddens even more. "… I owe you one."

I stare at him and the huff.

"What are you talking about? You saved my life four times and I only saved yours once. You don't owe me anything."

"I saved many people's lives, but nobody's ever saved mine. Plus, you did that while I had promised to protect you. In the end you were the one who protected me."

His figure is very serious and something tells me that I should just accept it. His eyes widen as he starts spacing out.

"It's been a very long time since I last felt that scared." he whispers.

"Scared of what?" I also whisper filled with emotion.

"I don't know… Of losing a comrade. A friend."

I can't stop a smile forming on my lips.

"Thank you, President. I really appreciate it."

He smiles back at me. I can feel how the relationship between us drastically changed during that experience. I can't believe we became friends. Two weeks ago I almost hated him! But he's gained my deep respect and trust. And that is a really big thing.

"Please…" he says softly. "… call me Natsu."

My eyes automatically widen and I stare at him with amazement. N-name? I can call him by his first name?! I grin. What kind of incredible honor is that?!

"Natsu…" I try saying it out of the blue. It comes out low, soft and warm. I see how he shudders and looks at me with surprise or astonishment, I can't tell. Why? Is he not used to hear his name spoken by somebody else? I remember Gray said it once and the President actually angered. I mean, Natsu. I should start getting used to it. I smile.

Our eyes are locked in each other's for a long moment and suddenly, I feel my heart beating a little faster. It's silent and I start feeling a little uncomfortable, but for some reason, not able to break free from his eyes.

"Lucy, I…" he speaks with a voice soft and tender that makes my heart beat even faster with nervousness. What is he going to say?

"Yes?" I ask a little impatient and excited at the same time.

He shakes his head fast as if he changed his mind. He smiles shortly.

"I'm just glad you're back."

I smile a little disappointed. Why? Why would I feel like that?

"I'll come back a little later to check on you and then we can talk about the other things."

"Oh, that's right!" I say shocked of how I could forget. "What happened to the woman? To the goat? How did you manage to escape?"

"After you lost consciousness, they would've killed me too. But there was this car parked in the neighborhood. I… well, I started yelling and as soon as the bastards realized I could easily have a witness to my death, they gave up and returned to the car. I gave you the pills, escaped, and then a mother gave me a lift to a hospital. Of course I didn't stay there, it would've been to obvious and the goat could've come any second and kill us silently. It's her town, she could've hired a doctor to kill us. So I gave us secret identities and left the city. They're searching desperately for us as we speak."

A shiver goes down my spine.

"I knew we weren't safe yet." I say sadly.

"For now, they won't find us. All you have to do is stay still. In the unluckiest of case, one of her dogs would come inside to check if it's you and then kill you, but nobody is allowed to have any form of weapon and if anything, all you have to do is shout for security."

I give him a hopeful look and he gives me a smile.

"You're going to be safe."

"You said that the last time."I pout. "And I almost died."

"U-Uhh…" he puzzles and rubs the back of his head.

"And this time I really can't do anything while you'll be busy looking at some injection process!" I chalk it up against him. He looks at me amazingly guiltily not knowing how to excuse himself. He looks so funny that I burst out laughing, only to start whimpering the next second.

"I was just kidding. I trust you. I mean, I am safe now, right? So you did keep your promise somehow." I smile encouragingly.

Instead of receiving the message, he asks amazed:

"You trust me?"

I just look at him for a while.

"Yeah?"

"You do?" he insists.

"Yes, I do!"

A grin slowly forms on his face.

"I see." he cheerfully says. "I see."

I raise an eyebrow at this kind of reaction. What could he be plotting now?

"I have to go now." He tells me. "But before I leave…"

He sits on the edge of my bed.

"You know, everyone at BLS when finished a mission has the right to a small vacation. If you want, you can have your vacation here, at the hospital. But I doubt that. If it's you, you'd want to remain outside of the base as long as possible. In that case, after you leave the hospital you can hang around one day."

"Really?! That's amazing, who wouldn't want that?"

"Well, most people return to the base the moment they finish the mission because it's dangerous. We're assassins, after all."

"I'm not an assassin."I pout. "I don't want to ever return to the base."

He lifts his eyes and pierces me with that deep onyx.

"Even if I left you alone and returned?"

The question startles me.

"Wh… what? L-Leave me alone? What do you mean?"

"Then there'd be nobody to protect you." he continues.

I start blushing and no matter how much I want to stop it, I can't.

"N-Nobody asked you to babysit me!" I object.

He grins.

"I know, but I did say I was going to keep an eye on you, didn't I?"

"Y-You still suspect me for trying to escape? Now, in this condition?!"

He lowers his face at me.

"I suspect you now more than ever."

"Be real, if I left, I'd die in less than a second."

I realize I just admitted I need his help. I kind of regret I said it out loud. He smirks at me.

"I know."

"But you're going to protect me, aren't you?"I joke.

"It's a gentleman's job to protect the lady." he smirks wider and I laugh. There's no way he could possibly see me as a lady.

Before I could reply to that, a knock is heard at the door and the Pre- Natsu freezes. He grabs his fake face, puts it on with difficulty and then does the same with the wig.

The latch is pushed downward, but the door is locked. The person on the other side knocks again and asks:

"Mr. Guild? Are you inside?"

"The doctor is not here! I'm sorry" I call out loud. "I locked the door because I wanted to sleep. I didn't want to be woken up… just yet."

I bite my lip because I feel amazingly awkward saying something so selfish.

"What?! Ms Jacobs, you're not supposed to move!"

"I'm sorry. I'll open the door right away."

"NO!" the nurse yells extremely alarmed. "No, it's alright! Just don't move! You should at least a while until you open it again! Holy cow, how in the world were you even able to stand…?" she mutters to herself the last sentence amazed.

I chuckle embarrassed for lying and look at … at Natsu. He looks back at me and smiles joyfully, even if it's hard to notice under that mask. I don't understand why, but he looks so much more charming smiling like this rather than frowning gallantly at the trainees. I'm happy I could see this side of him.

I'm slowly blushing realizing it's becoming a little awkward.

"Y-You should probably go." I say. "B-But before you do… Thank you… N-Natsu… for everything."

I'm blushing for real right now and he looks at me a little taken aback, but pretty happy.

He eventually leaves and I fall asleep. I must underline how painful it was before I could finally drift off, as my entire body itches terribly. I don't know the reason for that, but even though at first I didn't give it much attention, now, a few days later, I'm starting to understand it's much graver than I imagined.

The doctors explain to me that the healing drug takes its time before it's completely gone. In other words, I still have what's unwanted of it in my body. I have a substance that makes me want to scratch all over and it's definitely ten times worse when you can barely move! Other than that, the second effects to the drug (beside fastening the growth of the cells in my wound which is actually healing), are also starting to appear. My nails and hair are growing too fast for me to understand. I can see the difference from one day to another.

But the good part is that I'm getting better and better. I can currently move freely in the hospital, even though I'm almost limping, and from time to time, they even allow me to have a minute of fresh air. Natsu is visiting me every day and even if we're not always talking from friend to friend, at least we're talking from doctor to patient.

He amazes me more and more each day. He's incredibly intelligent and reliable. He's a fearsome enemy and that can only make me sigh with relief because he's my ally.

Right now, it's about time they came with my lunch and I know he's the one who's going to bring it to me. We're going to talk for a few minutes and then he's going to leave in order not to raise any suspicions.

I wait patiently since there's not really anything else I can do. My stomach's growling loudly in the silence of the hospital in the evenings. I'm biting on my nails. I pin up my hair, and then do it all over again. I repeat it a few times until I like the result. I start walking around aimlessly in the room. He's late.

The door opens just as I'm thinking this, but the person who enters is not Natsu. He's a tall, nerdy looking guy with baggy clothes and shaggy hair. Is he a doctor? I've never seen him before. He closes the door without a word and then limps towards me smiling.

"Ms Heartfilia? Nice to meet you, I'm Eros Rainhill."

As I'm slowly freezing, I realize three things. One, he knows who I really am. Two, he's the goat's son. Three, I'm alone in a room with the goat's son.

He immediately sees how I can't open my mouth. Before I can tell him my 'real' name or say anything else to escape the situation, he hurries to explain himself.

"D-Don't worry about who I am or why I know who you are! I mean, you probably know that I'm the son of the person you're looking for."

There aren't many people with the name Eros nowadays, but still this could've been a coincidence. His words, however, convince me of the truth. He is the son of the person Natsu is supposed to assassin. And had I been caught, I would've become his person's slave.

So then, what is he doing here, how does he know who I am, and why is he using such a nice tone?

As I'm still speechless, he continues to talk.

"So I've come to make a deal with you." he exclaims with seriousness.

When I finally open my mouth, I tell him that I'm not the person he should be making deals with.

"Aren't you part of this mission to assassin my mother?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say narrowing my eyes. Of course I'm not going to divulge such secret information to a random person that claims to be somebody important.

He shifts uncomfortably.

"You don't trust me." he concludes.

"Of course I don't."

He looks at me impatiently.

"Y-You have to! We don't have time! If… if she notices I'm not home, then she'll get suspicions and start looking for me!" he starts to panic and keeps motioning with his arms in the air. "I'm not somebody you should get suspicious of!"

"Give me a break! Why are you even here?" I step back.

"The visiting hours aren't over yet."

"True. But did they allow you to just barge in like that?"

"I didn't barge in!" he finds trouble trying to speak fluently. "I came in like a normal person with normal purposes. Why do you think I'm suspicious?"

He steps towards me impatiently.

I pull out a pocket knife Natsu gave me for these kind of situations.

"Stay back. I don't want to that close to me, you got that?"

He calms down a little when he sees the blade and backs up as if he only realized he's been approaching me.

"Listen, I'm here to help you guys."

"How can I even know you're who you claim to be?" I thrust the knife at him dangerously close.

He lifts his hands, but then searches through his back pocket frantically. Assuming he's going to take out a weapon I tell him not even to think about it and hold my knife even closer to his neck. But he reveals a wallet and I calm down. He takes out his identity card and gives it to me.

Eros Rainhill, male, born February 1990, matching picture. He's telling the truth.

"Very well. I believe you. And you're saying your mother is…."

"Hillary Rainhill. She's…" he motions a fat belly and then continues "… big and she's been though a lot of surgeries. Her face looks rather fake. She's really bossy and stupid. In a word, she's ugly and disgusting. "

It's like this guy took the thoughts right out of my head. I'm starting to like him.

"That still doesn't prove much. Why are you here?"

"I want to help you guys."

I freeze.

"You want to help us kill your mom?"

Now this is freaking unexpected.

"No." he frowns. "I have a lot of info you'd use. Heck, I can give her out on a plate to you guys. But the only condition is that you won't kill her."

I suddenly smile. Alright. This convinces me. This guy's on our side. And I like that he doesn't wish for death.

"Why are you doing this?"

He seems extremely troubled by my question. As he makes and effort to phrase his answer, the door is thrown open and the noise pulls a flinch out of both our bodies.

In the doorway there stands Natsu dressed as the doctor, angrier than I've ever seen.

"Lucy!" he yells alarmed but at the same time relieved seeing that I'm alright. In that moment something extremely freaky happens in my chest. My heart starts booming painfully. It hurts so much that I'm completely confused. I feel happy when I think that he worried for me. I can't break free from his gorgeous eyes. I'm so glad that he's here.

The confusing moment passes and I watch him run towards me. I break free from the magic and realize the scene must look wrong to him. I'm pointing a knife at a guy with a hobo-look that has his arms lifted as if prepared to do something. The Presid- NATSU! Dang, I need to get used to this. Natsu pulls out a gun and looks so perfect doing it, that my heart beats even faster.

"Get away from him, Lucy! He's the goat's son!"

The poor guy lifts his arms even more, trembling from head to toe at the gun's command. I immediately react and run in front of him

"What're you doing?!" Natsu yells at me shocked. "I told you to get away from him!"

"Stop! He's on our side!"

"He's somebody I might have to kill in my mission!" he hisses at me in order not to be heard by unwanted ears. "How can he be on our side?!"

"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE?" a bodyguard yells from the hallway.

"Sh*t! Let's get outta here and take care of this guy!"

"That's what I'm telling you!" I scream. "He wants to help!"

"Then why were you holding a knife?!"

"Because I didn't trust him either, but now I do!"

He looks at me doubtfully and I can't help being amazed how thrilling his glare is.

"Put down your gun!" I scream shaking the strange thoughts out of my head.

He eventually does so, and not because I told him so, but because the guard is now in the doorway glaring at Natsu, the supposedly 'Henry Guild', at me, a patient standing, and a shaggy stranger.

"What was that noise just now?"

"A stranger came in without warning, sir." Natsu points at Eros accusingly. "He's suspicious. Who allowed him to enter this place?"

"I did, Dr. Guild." The guard glares back at Natsu. "Is there any problem he's causing?"

"Yes!"

"No!"

We screamed at once and now Natsu's glaring at me instead.

"There's nothing suspicious with him. I appreciate your worry, Dr. Guild, but he's a relative of mine. He came to visit."

Silence falls over us all and Natsu is glaring through me so much that I can tell how he's meaning to tell me "You're wrong about this. You'll see and then you'll regret you didn't listen to me". It hurts more than I expected it to. I don't want him to be mad at me. It almost makes me want to agree to him and turn Eros over to the organization. But I'm not as weak as to give up in front of some unidentified emotions.

"Are you sure there's no other problem?"

"Yes, thank you." I say fast, not lending Natsu any second to speak.

"Then take care." He nods his head at us, still looking as suspicious as his job makes him. As he leaves, I close the door dodging Natsu's angry eyes and at the same time, the throbbing in my heart.

As soon as it's all safe, he rushed towards the poor trembling guy and catches his collar in his strong fist.

"What do you think you're doing here?" he hisses through his gritted teeth. He shakes him a few times so that I have to push him away.

"Stop that! Let the man defense himself before being so violent!"

Natsu completely ignores me and calls for an answer.

"J-Just as she said, I'm here to help!"

For the next few minutes, we explain him everything Eros had explained to me. Even after he's calmed down, Natsu doesn't look me in the eye, which hurts me more than expected.

"I hate my mother." Eros explains. "I hate her, but not as badly as to go to the extent of murdering her. So I want to make a deal with you. You can lock her up or even hurt her, but not kill her."

"Buddy, I'm being paid to kill her." Natsu lets him have it straight. "I'm being paid to completely erase her from the purchasers' list on the black market."

"Yes, but she's done enough things to be locked for life!" he persists.

Natsu weights it for a couple of moments, and then says:

"Fair enough, but do you know how much trouble I have to go though to lock her up for life? It's so much easier to just delete her form sight."

"Hey!" I complain. "Don't talk like that about somebody's life!"

"I already gathered all the information we need to do that. She doesn't suspect that her very own son would betray her, so it's all safe."

"How do we know that? I mean, how do we know that you're not just here to lure us out and then have your mother kill us right away."

Eros starts shifting nervously and he makes an effort to speak.

"You don't, b-but… That's why I'm here. I mean, that's why it's me. If I truly meant to betray you like you said, I wouldn't put my life on the line. I mean, you could kill me right now. Nothing stops you."

"Look, I never underestimate anybody. Especially my target's family. So I sill can't trust you until you prove me that we're completely safe."

I remember how hungry I am and I start to pay no more attention to the storm in the teacup that followed, Natsu trying to prove that he's lying and Eros trying to convince that he's on our side.

Eventually Eros had to leave not to lift any suspicions at home, but he promised that he'd return tomorrow to discuss everything. He can't understand why we don't trust him.

"Well tell you what." Natsu tells me a little later "If he really comes tomorrow, as dumb and defenseless as today, I might take into consideration trusting him."

I grin cheerfully.

"Great, you're starting to understand."

But even after I speak to him, he doesn't look me in the eye and ignores me.

"N….." I hesitate "Natsu…?"

He flinches and glimpses at me.

"What?"

I mean to ask him why he's ignoring me, but I change the question without realizing. I find myself blushing.

"Why were you so late? I was super hungry. I still am!"

"I had some business to do."

He washes his hands in the little sink in my room. It seems to me that he's just avoiding my eyes. Why's he so angry at me?

"Like what?"

"Doctor stuff." He says irritated and I bite my lip. No, I don't want to piss him off! It hurts…

"I'm sorry."

He glimpses at me again.

"For what?"

"I…."

I suddenly burst out, confused at my own attitude:

"I don't know! For whatever reason you're being mad at me!"

"I'm not mad at you!" he screams, but as he realizes he said that in the wrong manner, he blushes calming down.

"I'm not mad at you." he says softly and calmly.

"Then what's wrong? Why won't you even look at me?" I approach him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Who said I'm not looking at you?" he turns around and faces me, but then realizes how weird that sounded and tries to rephrase: "I mean, I am looking at you! R-Right now!"

He keeps blushing harder and harder because he keeps getting weirder. I, too, am blushing, because he's looking right into my eyes, making my heart beat like crazy.

I look away and he does too.

What in the world is wrong with me?! Why am I acting so weird? Why am I so conscious of the fact that he's so near? Why am I so conscious that we're alone in a room? Why is my heart beating so fast?

"Then… You're not mad at me?"

"No."

We keep staring off in opposite directions for a while.

"ARGH! I'm really not good at this kind of stuff!" He suddenly yells making me flinch. He squats and runs his hand through his hair.

"What are you trying to say?" I ask confused.

"I was really worried about you! I came thinking that I was going to save you and then, when I got here, you suddenly turned against me! It made me angry, alright?! That's what's wrong with me!"

"O-Oh." I start blushing madly. He was really worried about me. I don't even want to know how I look right now, thinking about this. So I hide away from his sight. "You should've just said so…"

You should've just said so?! What am I, his mother?! Couldn't I have come with anything better?!

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

Another long, awkward break of silence falls in. As I feel the need to say something, I embarrass myself even more when I ask:

"So why aren't you good with this kind of stuff?"

GOSH, I tried to joke, but now I sound like I'm flirting!

I laugh it off, but he doesn't do the same, which makes me want to die.

"I'm a President, an assassin. I suck when it comes to woman needs." He shrugs still a little red.

"W-Woman needs?" I ask confused.

"Like, talking about emotions and stuff." he scratches the back of his head. "We guys just treat each other to a beer and it's all forgiven."

I giggle and notice he relaxes a bit, probably relieved that everything's not so tense anymore.

"Sometimes I wish I were a guy." I joke.

"Why?" he smiles. So I guess we're all good now.

"I dunno, guys are so awesome." I say slightly blushing. "You're strong and self dependent and you have so much less worries than us girls!"

After a while, I see what I've done there and immediately try to clarify.

"I-I-I-I don't mean you, like as a person, just you, guys."

He sits down and stares off into distance with a nostalgic smile. I can't help but notice how cute it is.

"Huh, it's been a while since somebody's told me that."

I sit beside him silently.

"A girl told you that she wants to be a guy?"

"Yeah, a long time ago. She admired me a lot."

" 'Admired'? She doesn't anymore?" I ask.

He slowly saddens so much, that I worry I said something wrong.

"It all happened a few years ago, when I was still a general."

Uh-oh, a story. I assess myself a sad mood and sit myself in a better position.

"There's this girl that I was very good friends with. Her name is Lisanna. We made the best team in all missions and the President from that time sent us in the most dangerous, important ones because we would always manage them easily. It was like…" he hesitates to think. "… like we were one. We knew what each other was thinking, that's how well we got along. I almost couldn't wait the nex opportunity to go in a mission with her."

He sighs and pauses.

"Around the time I found out things about the organization that I wasn't supposed to, I was getting anxious a lot, even when I was beside her. My… our last mission… was meant to finish us off."

I widen my eyes.

"Did they find you out?"

"Yes. But they thought that we both knew. So they especially sent us in that mission that we were supposed to fail."

He frowns and I can see all the emotions of living that memory again coming to surface. I listen with my breath cut.

"Those bastards never knew that we could easily finish the mission if we did it together. But I made a mistake. And that mistake cost me everything."

"What mistake?" I whisper.

"We fought because I was acting strange. I knew they wanted to kill us and she was feeling my restlessness. In the middle of our fight, I proved how big of an idiot I was and I confessed."

He rubs his eyes tiredly, but his voice is shaking and that makes me wonder if he's crying.

So he was in love with that girl… I don't know why, but this idea gave me a tiny uncomfortable feeling which makes me guilty.

He waits an eternity before he's able to continue.

"Because of me, because of the shock of everything I told her…. she failed. A moment of not paying attention. That was all it took."

"She's…"I whimper under the weight of shock.

"Dead." He finishes my sentence loud and clear.

My trembling hand covers my mouth. Oh my God… She died…?

He's looking far into the distance numbly.

"But that happened a long time ago. Don't let it get to you."

"Even if you say that…" I whisper still shocked and under pain.

A long pause of silence follows. Oh my God… how must've he felt? You confess to the girl you've been in love with and then she dies… Now I understand why he's never been in missions ever since. It must've been a horrible burden. And it must've taken a lot of courage and strength to keep going.

A look at him filled with pain and compassion.

"I didn't tell you this to pity me."

"I know." I whisper.

"Then stop looking at me like that."

I lower my eyes but not because he tells me so.

"Why did you tell me this?"

"To make you understand why I'm not good at that kind of stuff and to have you stop nagging me." he tries to laugh, but he can't cover the fact that he just pulled the trigger to some painful memories.

"Natsu… I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you don't have to be."

I can't control what I'm doing. I just feel as if my whole body moves on its own when I stand up and slowly circle his body with my trembling arms. I hug him at my chest without thinking.

I expect him to push me away, but he doesn't move. He breathes in my clothes silently. I feel my heartbeats booming in my chest with pain, and the more it hurts, the sorrier I am for this poor heart who had so much to carry. My hand softly grips the mask on his face and I gently pull it off, revealing his chin, his lips, his nose. And then I revealed his sad eyes and set free his soft hair.

And it only takes our eyes to meet once to I realize as if a light bulb lightens up in my head, as if I find the sun in a sea of darkness, as if I only just opened my eyes for the first time in my life, to realize that I'm in love him.

I'm in love with the President. With Natsu.

It's not big of a shock. I've been feeling it for a while already, but I can only now put my finger on it.

This is a revolution. Lucy Heartfilia, the woman who is numb to the feeling of love, the woman that wasn't helped by any definition or shampoo commercial or other actors' performances, to understand what love is… is now in love.

And as I taste the bitterness of being so guilty of enjoying looking at him like this while he's suffering, I run my hands through his hair. My heart is beating like crazy and I keep feeling like I'm doing something wrong. I'm so terrible. He practically just told me how he could never love again, and here I am enjoying his touch like some crazy witch.

I suddenly walk away. This has got to stop. I can't allow this new, mean, traitor feeling called love to stand in the way of my judiciousness. I can't trick Natsu like this. I can't pretend to feel sorry for the girl who can't be competition anymore. I mean, I do feel sorry for her, I truly do. But I just feel like it can't be helped and there's nothing I can do. Not that I would want to do anything.

He sighs and breaks me free from the train of thought.

"I should probably leave."

My hands are still burning from the touch of his face. Why was he so still when I took of his mask? Why did he allow me to slip under his walls? Both with telling me the story and this?

"I…" I find my neck too dry. My chest hurts like crazy. I can hardly think straight.

"I think so too." I whisper winning over my desire for him to stay. I have to think. I need to be alone. I can't have him so close to me. It's wrong. It's a privilege I can't afford.

He rises, I turn to face him and our eyes meet again. Oh no, I feel trapped again. I can't look away. I'm afraid that he's too close and he can hear the beatings of my heart. I'm afraid he can see the pain in my eyes. The longing.

I think he can, however, read the tension in the air. He hurries to take his mask and coat and then he lets out a hoarse mumbling of "good night". Before he closes the door, I notice his cheeks are slightly blushed, which confuses me and makes me happy at the same time. I feel extremely sad when he leaves, but I try to ignore it.

I lay down to sleep and all I can think about is him. I can't fall asleep because of the butterflies in my stomach, but I keep telling myself that I'm hungry.

I can't believe this is happening to me. I can't be in love with him. I can't betray him like this.

I think it over and over and over again. I keep denying it. Every time I almost give up and accept the situation, his words pop into my head. And every time his words pop into my head, I think over and over and over again how cruel I can be. I'm guilty.

And all night long, no matter how much I try something else, all I can do is whisper 'I'm sorry Lisanna.'

I'm in love with him.