A/N: Trigger warning for this chapter. The court hearing in this chapter will be covering the sexual assualt part of the case. And, that might be a little... too much for people. Some of the scenes may cause readers to feel uncomfortable. If you do feel uncomfortable, you can either read until you can't handle and skip the rest of Day 3 of the case or just skip Day 3 altogether. I will summarize what happened in Day 3 for those of you who couldn't get through it in the author's note at the end of the chapter.
On the brighter side, there's a big announcement at the end of the story so please read the author's note at the end! Other than that, enjoy :)
Part 11.
I don't own Fairy Tail or any of it's contents.
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Flashbacks/Dreams"
Fallen Star
-O-
"She is like a falling star who has finally found
her place next to another in a lovely constellation,
where they will sparkle in the heavens forever."
- Amy Tan
-O-
October 22nd, 2011
Day 3
There was something different about Lucy today, and Natsu couldn't quite put his finger on it. As they sat in the courtroom, awaiting the arrival of the judge and her bastard father, Lucy sat silently, looking like she was contemplating life.
Today, they were bringing up the molestation evidence.
It made Natsu cringe in disgust having to think back to when Lucy showed up on his doorstep, covered in bruises and blood, looking like she was ready to fall apart by a single touch. It was haunting how the outline of every bruise was permanently sketched into his mind.
But, to lock Jude Heartfilia up, they had to bring out all pieces of evidence.
"Please stand for Judge Gran Doma."
The entire courtroom rose as the head of the courtroom entered. He made his way towards the judge's desk and signaled for the room to sit.
"You may be seated."
Natsu sat down and eyed Lucy from behind. She seemed a lot stronger with her shoulders squared up and her head facing forward. He was glad because he could only imagine what type of emotion would be stirred in the courtroom today.
"Today marks Day 3 of the Jude Heartfilia case. We will be addressing the charge of molestation and involuntary rape against Lucy Heartfilia."
Natsu could feel the air thickening in the room. Briefly looking behind him, he could see mixed looks etched on the faces of his fellow classmates from Fairy Tail.
None of them, including himself, knew exactly what they were in for.
"Your honor, if I may?" Capricorn took no time to wait for Jude Heartfilia's lawyer.
Gran Doma nodded, giving the goat like man the go ahead.
"I would like to call Jude Heartfilia to the stand." Said man stood from his place and walked towards the man. The air was thick with contempt as the entire crowd gathered in the courtroom was glaring at the older Heartfilia.
"Master Jude Heartfilia," Capricorn began, "Or, that's what I use to call you before you fired me as your lawyer." There was few whispers throughout the room, but it was information Natsu already knew.
"For many years, you were an honest man. A man who was highly respected, a man who people looked up too. You ran an honest company and followed the rules. You lived a tired, but happy life with the late Lady Layla Heartfilia and Miss Lucy Heartfilia, did you not?"
Natsu watched as the mustard haired man eyed Capricorn slightly. It was hard to believe that the man standing at the stand was once a well-respected businessman. All the memories the pink haired teenager had of the aging man was of distaste and hatred. Lucy use to say that even though her father was always busy, he still was happy to see her mother and her at the end of the day.
"I did." He replied, monotonous.
"So what changed? What was it that compelled you to hurt your own daughter?"
Looking at Lucy, Natsu could see his best friend turn away from the man she called her father. She couldn't even look at him.
How could she?
Jude Heartfilia remained silent, as if contemplating the question in front of him. As sickening as it was, the pink haired teenager was curious for the man's answer. What did compel someone to hurt their own child? As far as Natsu was concerned, neglection didn't even compare to Lucy's troubled home life.
"My Layla passed away from an unknown disease. She was taken away from me when I needed her the most. I was angry. I was hurt. I didn't understand why she was taken from me. I was a good man. Why did misfortune come to me? I made mistakes in my life, yes, but I was human. I simply didn't understand."
What kind of human being hurts their own child?
"You didn't understand why your wife was taken away from you?" Capricorn asked and Jude nodded in response.
"And that is why you hurt your daughter? Because you didn't understand why the Late Lady Layla passed away?" Natsu noticed the underlining passive aggressive tone in the man's question. But the pink haired boy agreed with the goat like man.
Jude justified the actions taken against his daughter because he simply didn't understand why Lucy's mother died?
What a load of crap, he thought.
"I didn't see much of Lucy when she was younger. I was always working, so it was only natural that Layla cared for the child." The older Heartfilia stated. Natsu knew of this because when they were younger, Lucy did always mention how she hardly saw her father, which was why she was so close to her mother.
"When Layla died, I didn't understand how or why it happened. I looked for every explanation possible." He quieted and the pink haired boy narrowed his eyes at the man at the podium. "The only explanation I could conjure was that it was Lucy's fault."
The crowd began to murmur as the words left the man's mouth. Natsu turned towards the blonde and he could see her somber face. She was facing the floor, gripping onto her black dress. Her demeanor and reaction gave Natsu the idea that she had already heard this before.
"Why?" Capricorn asked.
"Because her mother was always caring for her. She had to watch over the child. Dress her, feed her, play with her. Lucy was the reason my Layla was dead. Because she exhausted her mother's health and made her vulnerable and prone to disease. Lucy caused her mother's death."
"That's bullshit!" Gray shouted as his dark eyes were raging with fury. This was the first time that Natsu had seen the dark haired man show any type of outburst, surprisingly. He was aware of the brother/sister relationship Lucy and Gray had. And even though it made him jealous as hell, he respected Lucy's decision to keep the stripper around.
So, Natsu was surprised Gray had kept silent this long.
"I agree with the stripper. You are fuckin delusional!" Gajeel added to the mix as he stood next.
"What a load of shit!" Cana then stood, glaring at the man.
Natsu was steaming with anger and wanted nothing more than to join his friends and defend Lucy. He wanted nothing more than to march to the podium and put the older Heartfilia out of his misery. He wanted nothing more than to burn her father to a crisp.
But, he knew he had to restraint himself because Lucy was going to need him for this part of the trial.
But, fuck, he thought. He wanted to cause a scene and make the miserable bastard pay. Especially, with that comment. You don't just blame your daughter for your wife's death! How detrimental is that to a child? To blame them for killing their mother? The burden and guilt that child would carry for something they didn't do would swallow them whole!
Turning his head back towards Lucy, he watched the color of her skin drain, and a pale white arise. Her eyes were brimming with sadness and hurt. To think that all these years, Lucy was told by her father that she killed her own mother.
And he never knew about it.
He gripped his pants and growled, his frustration growing by the second.
"Natsu, restrain yourself." He could hear Erza say next to him as she stood up. For a moment, he calmed and watched with wide eyes.
"Please excuse me, Judge Gran Doma." The judge looked upon Erza with curiosity as Erza turned towards Gray, Gajeel, and Cana.
"Sit. Now."
Natsu watched as the Titania threw the iciest, demonic, terrifying glare of her life towards the two boys and drunkard. Whatever inclination the boys and Cana had to continue forward vanished as they sat down without so much as of a grumble.
For once, he was grateful he restraint himself. Erza was sure to eat the boys and Cana alive afterwards.
"If any more members of the Fairy Tail Academy make an outburst during the duration of this trial, they will be immediately removed from my presence and I will personally see that each member is arrested and prosecuted… immediately. I will not have any more interruptions in my court. Understood?"
His voice boomed throughout the entirety of the courtroom and all members of the Fairy Tail Academy muttered a collective "Understood," which echoed throughout the room.
"Capricorn, you may resume."
With a nod, the man turned back towards Jude Heartfilia.
"Jude, you say Lucy caused Lady Layla's death. That is what prompted you to hit her?" He asked the former CEO and he remained quiet for a moment.
"Yes. I believed Lucy caused my wife's death. She was constantly having to care for the child. She defoliated her health. She caused her mother to get sick and die." Natsu watched as Jude shifted his gaze over towards his best friend.
But Lucy refused to meet her father's eyes as she was eyeing the ground.
"And I despised her for it. She killed my Layla. She killed my wife. The love I had for my child turned to bitterness and hatred. I couldn't stand to look at the child because she looked so much like her mother, yet wasn't her mother. It wasn't fair that I was stuck with a child who killed her mother." He paused, the entire room grew tense. "So hitting her was punishment for her mother dying and Lucy being kept alive."
Natsu growled, his eyes beginning to hurt from glaring so harshly at the man. He could feel his nails digging deeply into the palms of his hands, managing to draw blood.
It made him think a lot about his past with his parents. Igneel and his mom always blamed him for what went wrong in his life, as if Natsu had played a hand in their misfortune. Igneel constantly patronized him while his mother always belittled him. From all angles in his life, he was constantly being put down.
So when Natsu discovered the family and the love Lucy received, he was jealous.
He was jealous and envious that she had two parents that loved and adored her. He admitted it was petty, and something he wished he never thought. But Natsu couldn't help himself as a child. He couldn't stop himself from wanting to be wrapped in tight hugs by his mother and smiled at by his father.
It was some sort of sick twist of fate that Lucy's mother passed away and her father became this monster.
"So you admit to being aware of the fact that you were hitting your own daughter?" Capricorn asked once more.
"Yes." He answered without hesitation.
"Do you also admit to silencing Mrs. Suppetto from what she had seen and firing her for that sole reason?"
Jude remained quiet for a moment, before saying "Yes, I terminated Mrs. Suppetto of her position and threatened her from saying anything of what she had witnessed."
All Natsu could do at this point was shake his head in anger.
Capricorn nodded, jotting down in his notes. "Alright. I am finished."
The guards went to the podium and removed the oldest Heartfilia, bringing him back to his seat next to his lawyer.
"Now, we will address the claim of sexual assault against Lucy Heartfilia." Judge Gran Doma spoke in his stern voice.
Natsu could feel his stomach churning and a coil springing deep within. An urge to vomit, to empty his early breakfast from his stomach hit him hard.
This was a topic he wanted to avoid.
It infuriated him to no end to know that her own father had touched his daughter in ways that she should not be touched. It sickened him to know that Jude Heartfilia took away Lucy's innocence, relatively speaking. He hurt her in ways that a child should never be hurt.
He could still see the broken, disheartened girl that showed up on his door step all those weeks ago. He could still see the fresh bruises and cuts that encompassed her body. He could still see the way she flinched from him, like if he would hurt her.
He could still see it all.
Capricorn stood, looking down at Lucy with a reassuring smile.
He could hear him whisper "Are you ready for this?"
Lucy smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes, I am ready."
"Mr. Maron, do you have anything you would like to start with?" Judge Gran Doma asked Jude's lawyer as he sat in his seat.
The lawyer stood from his seat and fixed his coat, then cleared his throat as he went on to say "No, I do not, Judge Doma."
"Very well," Judge Gran Doma shuffled papers around in front of him. "Capricorn, you may begin."
Said man gave a curt nod to the judge and stood up, walking over towards the middle of the room.
"I would like to call Lucy Heartfilia to the stand." The goat like man asked.
It felt like time stopped as Lucy stood from her seat. Natsu watched her closely, his eyes heavy with worry. The sad smile that was on Lucy's face disappeared as a confident gaze glazed over her pale skin. Judge Gran Doma gestured for her to return to the podium and Lucy complied.
As Lucy walked up towards the stand, Natsu scanned the room where friends of Lucy were scattered. From the members of Fairy Tail to the former workers at the Heartfilia Manor, these people were all here to support the girl that is Lucy Heartfilia.
"Ms. Heartfilia," He began, as he walked his way over to the stand, "You've claimed that Jude Heartfilia has sexually molested you?"
"That is correct." Lucy replied as she kept her eyes on Capricorn. Natsu watched closely with anxiety.
"When was the first time your father touched you, Ms. Heartfilia?"
Natsu gripped the fabric of his dress pants and waited anxiously for Lucy to reply. The blonde did not share this type of information with her when they were living together for a short period of time. She refused to talk about anything that pertained to her father.
"When I was 13." There was a sharp intake of breath for the pink haired boy as Lucy replied. Natsu glanced around the room for reactions of his fellow classmates.
The members of Fairy Tail Academy were stone like frozen as they looked at Lucy with hard eyes. He was glad that Erza forbade Wendy from attending today's hearing because a child like Wendy shouldn't be subjected to this type of horror.
"Can you recall the incident for me?" Capricorn asked.
Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Natsu was frozen in place, wondering what could be running through Lucy's mind right at this second. Was she scared? Was she nervous? Was she reliving every time her bastard of a father hurt her? It frustrated him to no end that he could not help her in any ways other than sit silently.
"I was coming home from school after a late practice at gym. I knew I had to make it back fairly quickly because I knew papa would get angry with me for being late. I felt bad because Erza invited me over to her home to have a girl's night, but I had to refuse the offer." Lucy began. Natsu casted a look over towards the student body president and saw her pale as Lucy spoke.
"I ran home and arrived about 15 minutes late only because I was stuck at the bus light. When I got home, I could hear Papa speaking on the phone with someone and I tried my best to sneak upstairs and act like I was already home and he just didn't hear me come in." The pink haired boy watched as Lucy closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "When I got upstairs, I was relieve because it didn't seem like he noticed."
"But I was wrong." She spoke solemnly.
"About 30 minutes later, papa came into my room, shouting at me. He was demanding for answers, asking me why I got home so late, who I was with, and reprimanding me for not following the rules like good girls should. He came up to me, grabbing my arm, and threw me to my bed. When I tried answering his question, he slapped me and told me to shut up. I could smell the alcohol in his breath and I knew it was better to stay quiet than to continue angering him by speaking."
"He continued yelling at me, calling me pathetic and a disgrace to the family. I let him continue his rant without disrupting him until he had nothing left to say. Once he was done, he threatened to hurt me worse if I got home late again. When he left the room, I broke into tears and sat in my bed for the rest of the night."
As Lucy spoke, Natsu could feel the pain in his mouth from gritting his teeth so lightly. And the pain from the palms of his hand began to numb from the pain. There was so much anger bubbling in him as he glared deadly at the man that was Jude Heartfilia. A flame erupted in his chest and there was a burning sensation that was threatening to take over. He could feel his body beginning to shake and he wasn't sure how much longer he could control himself.
Lucy paused and closed her eyes. By the way her face scrunched, Natsu could tell Lucy was in pain.
"Lucy?" Capricorn asked as he walked up to the stand.
"Right. I'm sorry." She apologized before continuing. "I laid in my bed all night, not really having the energy to do much. I don't remember what time it was, but I remember my door being opened and fear spread throughout my body immediately. I just kept wondering what I could have done to upset him now? And when he sat on my bed and put a hand to head, I froze in absolute terror."
Lucy swallowed and locked eyes with Natsu. Finally, he could see it. He could see the raw emotion swimming within her brown irises. There was a mask, a stone wall separating herself from him. And he tried his best to get through it these past couple months, but she was refusing to let him.
And now, he could see everything.
She was falling apart right in front of him and he couldn't do anything for her.
He nodded in reassurance, letting her that he was there for her. That nothing she said now was going to change anything between them.
Lucy nodded and continued on.
"Papa began to touch me in places that shouldn't be touched. He removed my blanket and ran a hand down my body. I could remember his words so clear, like they happened yesterday. 'You look just like your mother.' He said as his hand went under my shirt. 'I couldn't stand to look at you when you were younger.' He said to me as he touched me inappropriately. 'But now, you look just like her, I can't help myself.' He said as he kissed me on my forehead."
"The alcohol was seeping through his skin and I told myself over and over that he was just drunk and didn't mean it. His hands were all over me, undressing me, touching me, burning my skin as he told me how much he loved my mama. 'You look so much like her, Lucy. Every time I see you, I can't help myself.' He said as he undressed himself. I wanted to vomit as he began to do things I can't even bring myself to say."
How could someone be so sick?
He wanted to vomit. He could feel the insides of his stomach churning in disgust.
Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He was ready to snap. He was ready to end Jude Heartfilia's life at this very moment. He was shaking with animosity and not even Erza's fierce grip on his shoulder was keeping him in place.
"I didn't understand what was happening when he forced me down and pinned to my bed. I just cried and cried as he kissed my tears away, saying 'You are your mother's daughter.' And it hurt so much when he-" But Lucy stopped herself from continuing on. The tears were now falling from her brown eyes as they went wide.
She was reliving this nightmare in her mind.
As she sat there and recalled the night she was first sexually molested, Lucy was experiencing all the memories that were haunting her till this day.
"Lucy, do you need a moment?" Natsu could hear Capricorn ask. He wanted nothing more than to console her, envelop her in a hug and let her know that everything was alright. That the monster of a man wouldn't touch her ever again.
She wiped the tears away from her face and shook her head. She muttered an apology and took a moment to compose herself.
As she was doing that, Natsu took a moment to look around the room.
He wasn't surprised to see the collective looks of fury and hatred spread on the faces of those in their seats.
Natsu could see the murderous aura radiating from Gajeel as the former delinquent was being held down by a distressed Levy, who was also clearly upset. The bluenette's eyes were red and there was clear horror written across her sweet disposition.
He could see a blazing Cana refraining from speaking as she was being restrained by Laxus, who normally, wore a stoic look. But today, his eyes were filled with absolute rage and indignation.
He could see Gray clenching his fist tightly on the material of his jeans as malice reeked from his presence. Juvia was sitting close to him, her eyes filled with malice and irritation.
Lisanna was being consoled by Elfman, who remained silent but the anger was obvious in his dark eyes. And Mira was sitting with a demonic aura surrounding her body. If looks could kill, Jude Heartfilia would be dead this very moment.
"I'm sorry." Lucy spoke, gathering Natsu's full attention once again.
"Take your time, Lucy." Capricorn reassured her as he paced slowly in front of her.
"I'm ready to continue, Capricorn." Lucy said firmly. The goat like man nodded, fixing his glasses.
"Lucy, you were saying it was hurting when he did something to you? Can you please tell us what he did?"
She nodded in reply.
"It hurt when he entered me."
Natsu closed his eyes, trying to rid the sick image from his head. He had never felt so heavy in his life.
"It hurt when he continued doing it. I tried telling him it hurt, but he told me to shut up like the good little girl I was. When he finished, he pulled out and laughed. He laughed at me and said 'Always so good, my daughter.' He kissed me and walked out the door."
"And just to make sure, this was the first time, correct?"
Lucy nodded. "Yes, that was the first time."
"How many times did it happen, do you remember?" Capricorn asked.
The blonde bit on her lip and a look of concentration settled on her unusual pale face.
"It only happened once when I was 13, but as I got older, it became more frequent. I honestly can't give you the right answer."
Natsu began feeling numb. This was sick, he thought over and over.
"Did he ever hit you during the time he molested you?"
Lucy nodded. "Sometimes. It depended on whether I fought against him or not. There was some days where I tried to fight him off. There was others when I didn't."
"I see." Capricorn nodded, and tapped a finger against the manila folder in his hands. Natsu studied his next movements very carefully, as well as Lucy's.
"So your father, Jude Heartfilia, has been hitting you since you were 8 years old. Is that correct Ms. Heartfilia?" Lucy's lawyer asked.
She nodded.
"And the first time this man had sexually molested you was when you were 13, am I correct?"
Lucy nodded once more.
Smiling at the youngest Heartfilia, Capricorn turned his attention towards Judge Gran Doma.
"If I may, your honor, call up Jude Heartfilia to the stand?"
Judge Gran Doma gazed over Capricorn slightly and narrowed his eyes. Natsu too was surprised to hear that Capricorn wanted to talk to Jude Heartfilia.
"Proceed." The judge said as Lucy stood from her seat.
"Thank you for your honesty Lucy. I know it must have been difficult for you." Natsu could hear Capricorn say to her as she tightly smiled at the older man who was defending her.
"It was no problem, Capricorn."
He watched Lucy walk back to her seat, his eyes never letting go of her figure.
What was she thinking? What was going through that mind of hers these past few seconds? Did she want to run out crying of this courtroom? Did she want to murder her father as much as he wanted too?
What was she feeling?
Lucy locked eyes with him, catching him off guard. She smiled at him and sat down, leaving Natsu to ponder on even more questions. Why did she smile at him like that? Like she was going to disappear this very second. Why did she smile like everything was going to be okay?
He kept his intense stare on the back of her blonde haired head, searching for the answers. Natsu wasn't a boy of thought. He wasn't exactly high on the list for critically thinking skills, often relying on gut and will power.
But this was Lucy.
And he wanted to figure it out, figure her out. Before it was too late.
"Jude Heartfilia," Capricorn began, his hands behind his back. "Would you say the statements your daughter has claimed are true?"
The pink haired boy shifted his gaze towards the man at the stand and immediately snared. If that man even thought about denying her claims…
"Yes."
His face hardened, biting at the inside of his cheek.
"In this manila folder in my hand, I have x-rays and MRI scans of Lucy's injuries. I also have a copy of her chart of what injuries she had sustained in the last month of her hospitalization." Natsu cocked an eyebrow and was curious as to where Capricorn was trying to get to.
"As you can all see," Capricorn turned to the crowd and opened the folder. He pulled out an x-ray of what looked to be the rib cage. The pink haired boy could see Lucy stiffen immediately. "This is Lucy's ribcage area."
"If you look closely, you can see small, hairlines around the area of her ribs. There are multiple in just the lower area." Capricorn was moving his fingers around the x-ray and Natsu was gripping the material of his slacks tightly.
What the fuck was Capricorn trying to prove?! Why is he showing Lucy's injuries to everyone? Isn't it enough that Lucy has to talk about the incident, never mind being shown what happened to her?!
"And this is just one of many. Lucy has sustained injuries in the last 6 years, injuries that have not healed completely because of the repeated abuse. Some of these are dated to be at least 2 years old." Capricorn turned towards the judge and asked, "If I may, Judge Gran Doma, refer to an audience member?"
Natsu was confused, not knowing what Capricorn had planned. And what audience member could he be referring too?
"You may." He spoke, Natsu noticing his tone unsure.
"Dr. Mystogan Fernandes." Natsu almost got whiplash by how fast his head turned towards the back of the room. His doctor, the man who stayed by his and Lucy's side the entire time, was standing there, with a hard face. He had no idea that the man was attending the hearings.
Then again, Natsu hardly paid attention to the back of the room. His eyes were always focused on what was in front of him.
"If you could please let the court and audience know what type of injuries Ms. Heartfilia sustained?" Capricorn asked, directing all attention towards the doctor in the back, with Jellal Fernandes sitting right next to him.
"Ms. Lucy Heartfilia came into the Emergency Room sustaining three gunshot wounds. It was also noted that she had vaginal abrasions, swelling along the ribcage area, and swelling around the eye area. When we took Ms. Heartfilia in for CT scans, MRI scans, and X-ray scans, we were surprised to see how many old fractures she had that hadn't healed. Once we got the full background of the situation from the police, it became obvious that this was domestic violence and molestation situation."
Natsu relented on this, already knowing how grave Lucy's injuries were. They had told him at his stay in the hospital. But for others, as he noticed, this was the first time hearing this.
"Thank you, Dr. Fernandes." Capricorn turned his attention back towards the man sitting in the podium.
"Not only have you inflicted wounds on your own daughter, but you also caused harm to another person in this room." Lucy's lawyer turned and gestured to the pink haired boy in the room, causing Natsu to go wide eyed in surprise.
"You shot Natsu Dragneel thrice, and caused severe immobility to his shoulder. Lucy wasn't enough for you. You had to go after Natsu as well." All eyes turned to Natsu and he almost withered from the attention going his way. What the hell was Capricorn getting to? The boy asked himself as he tried his best to ignore the stares going his way, particularly to his immobile arm.
"Why did you do all this, Jude? Why did you resort to killing Lucy and Natsu?" He asked and the room went breathless, anticipating the answer that would finally put an end to this trial.
The mustard haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Instead of watching him, Natsu kept his eyes on Lucy. The blonde was studying her father carefully, her eyes pleading for an answer to all the questions she had been asking herself since the death of her mother.
"I loved my Layla very much. I loved my family very much." He began, "When Layla died, my who world died. I couldn't bear to look at my daughter because she reminded me too much of my Layla. And as she grew older, she began to resemble my Layla more and more with each passing day. I couldn't help myself because the more Lucy looked like her mother, the more I missed Layla. So I used Lucy to forget about her."
Natsu wanted to scoff in the face of the man sitting at the stand. His voice was drowning in sorrow, almost as if he was looking for sympathy. It disgusting him, made the insides of his stomach coil.
It was an impossible thought to look for sympathy in a court room who was ready to murder you. It was impossible to look for sympathy in a room full of people who support the victim. It was impossible to look for sympathy in a room full of people who cherish the victim, who love her, who would die for her.
But no sooner, there was a darkness washing over Jude Heartfilia. His gaze turned to fury and there was a snarl at his lips. He was scowling towards Capricorn and his voice was venomous as he spoke.
"Natsu Dragneel was a pest. From the first time I met him, I knew he was going to be a bug. I loathed how he clung to Lucy like the dog he was. I loathed how happy my daughter was whenever she was in his presence. Even my Layla was entranced by this foolish boy's antics." His gaze turned to Natsu and the boy glared back towards him.
"That damn boy was taking away the only connection I had to my Layla. I knew Lucy harbored feelings for the boy and I wanted to put that to an end right away. Lucy was mine and mine alone. I didn't want to share her with anyone, especially that God damn boy!" Jude shouted with intensity and Natsu could feel his insides burning.
A venomous glare was plastered to his golden tanned face as rage filled his veins like poison.
"When Lucy ran away after I had my way with her, I knew she went to that damn boy's house. I knew that she was going to seek shelter with him. I also knew she wouldn't call the police because that girl is selfless. She learned that from her mother and I knew that she was going to wait it out. I knew because she was that predictable."
Natsu watched as Lucy tensed and he could see the horror in her eyes. She was playing right into his hands the entire time and it just dawned on her, on the both of them.
"There was no greater satisfaction than pulling the trigger on the boy. Seeing him fall and wither in pain caused me great joy. I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face as he shrunk to the floor and cried for his life." A sadistic smile reached Jude's lips as he cackled in his seat. An overwhelming feeling of hatred coursed through Natsu's body as it took him all his strength to sit still.
"I knew that if I killed the boy in front of Lucy's eyes, she would never be able to live with herself. I knew she would follow me, overwhelmed with guilt that she inevitably killed him." Lucy was rigid in her seat and Natsu could only replay the conversation from the hospital room all those weeks ago. He could remember her sobs of guilt, her sad, brown eyes and how they lost the will. He could remember the way she seemingly gave up.
"I wanted Natsu Dragneel dead. And my only regret is that I couldn't kill him."
Natsu stood up abruptly from his seat and caused his seat to knock over. The fury in his eyes were blazing and his body was shaking from absolute anger. The malicious aura around him was enough to fill the room with tension as all eyes were directed in the direction of Jude Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel.
He was shaking, his fist clenched tightly at his sides, aching to be released from their position. The snarl on his lips and the deep v between his brows weren't loosening.
Just one hit.
Just one hit and he could end Jude Heartfilia's life.
That was all he needed.
All he wanted.
"You fuckin' bastard." His voice was dangerously low as he shook. "I hope you rot in hell."
He took one step forward, one of his fist clenched tightly. Natsu knew it was a stupid idea to charge at the man. He knew.
But he didn't care.
All he could think about was inflicting pain on the bastard who had tormented Lucy and made her life a living hell. All he could think about was putting this man through his on personal hell. All he could think about was the absolute joy he would feel as his fist connected with this pathetic excuse of a human being's face.
A formidable smirk reached the lips of the man. "I'll see you there, boy."
Rage was all that he felt as those disastrous words left the man's mouth. His body was ready to pounce and murder this pathetic man. He was ready to tear him apart, limb from limb.
But a small hand at his chest prevented him from taking another step forward.
"Natsu," Her voice was silk, smooth like as she pushed him back towards his seat. "I know, Natsu. I know."
He refused to make eye contact with her, his gaze never breaking Jude's.
"Natsu, you're better than him." She spoke softly to him and the intense shaking in his body was beginning to unnerve. "You are better than him."
Lucy was always his voice of reason. She helped him control his temper issues, his passive aggressive nature. She worked with him for years. Once he was a snotty nosed brat with a temper who loved seeking fights. Now, he was much calmer and only sought fights when they seem fitting.
"Natsu, please."
Finally breaking his sight from the man, he looked down at the girl with innocent brown eyes. He could see her pain, her agony, her broken spirit.
The shaking stopped and Natsu could feel the adrenaline rush slipping. The resentment was still strong in him, but the fury that overtook his senses diminished, allowing him a clear head to think with. He sighed, deeply and grabbed Lucy's hand.
"I'm sorry." He apologized. She smiled, mouth a quick "thank you."
Slowly, he sat down, avoiding the gazes directed at him. He looked over to his left and saw Erza nodding her head, sharing a look of empathy with him. Relief washed over him, knowing that the scarlet woman would normally have his head.
The pink haired boy looked up and could see the judge staring him down with anger. Natsu was so blinded by his anger that he forgot about the warning that was given to them earlier. He bit down on his lip, hoping that the judge would let this slip as there was no interruption like that of Gajeel's, Grays, or Cana's.
"As you can all see, Jude Heartfilia had every intent on hurting these two. There was no mental issue, no lapse of judgement, no mental sickness that would give reason to his actions. He had every intent on killing Natsu Dragneel and even his own daughter." Capricorn paced around the front of the room, eyes on the jury.
"Is there anything more you need to add, Capricorn?" Judge Gran Doma asked.
Said man shook his head. "No, I am done with any further questioning."
"Very well." Gran Doma grabbed the papers around him and piled them neatly. He overlooked the entire courtroom and said "This concludes the activities for the day. The jury will meet shortly following the end of this meeting and tomorrow will decide on the fate of Jude Heartfilia. The day after we will meet again for the court's decision."
There was tension in the air as the judge spoke to the room.
"Court is dismissed."
"All rise for Judge Gran Doma." One of the officers spoke as the man stepped off the judge's chair and made his way towards the back. Natsu and the gang watched the man disappear in a back room.
He directed his gaze back towards Jude Heartfilia and sneered. He was currently being grabbed by multiple security guards and being escorted to the back.
How easy would it be to just jump in and end Jude Heartfilia's life, he thought to himself.
Even though there was multiple police officers surrounding him, the pink haired boy was stealthy enough to wiggle his way in and put that man out of everyone's misery.
"Natsu?"
Looking down for the source of his name, Lucy was observing him, her face washed with concern.
"Yeah?"
She took hold of his hand and gripped it tightly.
"Let's go home, Natsu." She smiled tightly at him. He slumped his shoulders and allowed himself to be pulled behind her.
"Yeah, let's go home."
October 23rd, 2011
Day 4
Day Break- Court Break/Jury Decision
Natsu had almost forgotten what it was like to sit down in the walls of your own home. With all the news about the trial and the revelation that Drug King Igneel Dragneel was his father, it was next to impossible to find some quiet. School was the last thing in his mind as he sat in Erza's bedroom, staring at the hot coffee in front of him. Having already missed so much school, Natsu figured that another week wouldn't hurt anyone.
It wasn't that he was necessarily skipping either.
The pinkette was stuffed in a courtroom all day.
He had a legitimate excuse to not wanting to be confided in a small room with 30 other people.
But now, as he sat in the middle of Erza's living room in her apartment, he couldn't help but worry for what today and tomorrow would bring.
"I don't think I've ever seen you look so concentrated."
Natsu looked up from his coffee and smiled at the new figure entering the room.
"Well, you know, coffee gets me thinking."
Lucy laughed, shaking her head. "Natsu, you don't drink coffee."
He cracked a smile.
She sat beside him on the couch, silence heavy in the air.
Today the jury was deciding on Jude Heartfilia's fate.
Yesterday had been emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting. Lucy was naked, completely vulnerable to the entire court room. They didn't leave a part of her body untouched as the evidence came to light.
It took everything in Natsu not to walk out. He didn't want to hear Lucy being laid out like some type of blue print, exploring every single part of her body. It was disgusting how they became vultures so quickly, picking at her from every corner.
"It's nice to be able to get away from that stuffy room. I'm so bored having to constantly sit in there!" She said as she stretched with a light smile on her face.
How could she be so calm and relaxed? It was like she didn't have a care in the world! Natsu was glad that she was smiling, laughing with him and his friends. But how could she not be worried about what was to come? He was dying over here!
"And as much as I love dressing up professionally, I do miss being in leggings and yoga pants." She commented.
"How are you not freakin' out right now, Lucy?" Natsu asked, his dark eyes full of concern gazed over to her figure.
The smile fell from her face and her eyes dimmed. Lucy's hands clenched at her lap, a grim line forming at her lips. Her brown eyes were unreadable. She didn't look sad, but she didn't look happy either. Her eyes were ambiguous and Natsu couldn't read what she was thinking.
"You know what I've always dreamed of?" She said, a far off look in her eyes as she stared at nothing in particular.
Natsu arched an eyebrow, casting a cautious glance at the blonde. "What?"
"Us living in a world where magic was actually real." A small smile graced her pale lips. "Where we all specialized in a type of magic, something that separated us from one another, but still brought us together. And for a living, we would go out on these missions where people would pay us to battle monsters or thieves or people who use magic to hurt others."
"We would have like a guild or something, name it Fairy Tail, and we would all use that as our base. Master Makarov would run the guild and we would all be part of this huge family. Wouldn't that be something, Natsu? To live in a world where instead of worrying about trivial things like school, we would live in a world where magic was real, where magic could be used for good."
"Yeah, that'd be something. Maybe dragons would exist in that type of world." He threw her a cheeky grin, and she laughed in response.
"Yeah, that would be pretty cool." Lucy giggled. "You would definitely have some type of fire magic. You are such a pyro that any other type of magic wouldn't quite make sense."
Natsu grinned, liking the idea of having fire magic. "I would totally kick ass! Imagine me with fire magic?"
"Yeah, I could imagine you destroying buildings and causing havoc. Imagine all the fees we would pay? Our reward money would most likely go to fixing what you broke."
The rosette pouted. "That's a real mean thing to say, Luce."
"You know it's true."
Natsu couldn't deny the truth behind Lucy's words. He was destructive and aggressive by nature. He's had his fair share of fights, some which ended with him and his victim in the hospital. If he was given the magical power of wielding fire, who knows what type of destruction and mayhem he would cause.
"I guess you're right… What about you? What type of magical power would you have?" He posed and Lucy put a finger to her chin.
"Hmm… that's a good question." She remained silent for a few seconds. "Well, I'm not very strong physically wise, but I am intelligent. I guess if it were possible, I would like to have some type of Zodiac magic. The type of magic where I could summon the 12 zodiac signs."
Laughing at her notion, it was a classic Lucy move. "So like cards or keys? To summon the zodiacs?"
"Yeah." She smiled. "Exactly. I would use keys. That way they are easily accessible!"
As they went on, creating this magical world that enchanted Lucy, Natsu let his thoughts travel to the depths of his mind. He wished they could live in a world of magic. That way, in a world where magic was real, he could have used it to protect her. It would had been easier to keep her away from the evil in the world. He could have had more access to her, maybe realized the truth earlier. Maybe in that world, Lucy wouldn't have had to hide such an awful secret because it would never happened.
But watching Lucy, smiling and laughing, as she created this world where she gave life to these new villains and integrated everyone in their lives, swelled his heart with happiness. Because even when she was faced with adversity, she still managed to keep the smile on her face.
So he didn't mind sitting with the blonde for what felt like hours, discussing how Gray would most likely have ice powers because of his love for the cold or how the only fitting magic for Erza was something that would represent her nobility and what type of adventures they would encounter on their journey's. It was entertaining, and it kept Natsu's and Lucy's mind off the next day, where they would hear the decision of the jury.
"It's not that I'm not freakin' out." Lucy said as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her hands around her legs.
"I'm terrified." She confessed. "I'm so scared for tomorrow. It's so much easier to create a world where pain doesn't exist, where you can pretend that things like rape don't happen. Getting lost in a world where magic exist, where you can live an actual fairy tale, where you can just poof everything away seems much more ideal than waking up tomorrow with a heavy heart."
And Natsu agreed, thinking he'd rather wake up in a world where magic was real.
"I see him in my dreams."
Now this surprised Natsu.
Lucy was hell bent on keeping her personal thoughts to herself. He tried his best to crack through her steel walls and have her share her inner demons with him, but Lucy never cracked. He noticed that it was putting a lot of strain on their relationship and making her uncomfortable, so he stopped asking her eventually. But, it still killed him knowing that Lucy was fighting a lonesome battle on her own even with all this support around her.
"He's always in my dreams. He haunts me every day." She began, grasping at her hands. "At least once a day, I can hear him calling out my name. I feel him touching me. I can feel him on me." She tightened the grip on her legs much harder. Natsu looked to her with concern. "I always feel like he's watching me. I can never concentrate fully because I feel like he's everywhere I go."
"Luce…"
"And there is never a night where I don't go replaying the night he tried to kill us." She confessed as the tears started to bud at her eyes. "Every night, since waking up from my coma, I have dreamt of him pointing that gun at you. And all I see is blood flying everywhere and you laying on the ground in a pool of your own blood. I think of him pointing the gun at your head and threatening to kill you. I dream of how close I was to getting my best friend killed."
"Luc-"
She shook her head, cutting him off. "You know what's scarier than him? Than him hurting me?"
"Losing you."
Natsu's throat went dry as soon as the words left her lips.
"You don't know how much you mean to me, Natsu Dragneel. And every night, I think of how close I was to getting you killed. I think of how one small misstep that night could have caused you your life. How that bullet that nicked your neck, how it could have easily hit you in the head." She paused and he was at loss for words. "I distract myself by creating a world with magic and monsters, where we go on these adventures and pretend to fight for the good of the world. It's easier to live in a world I create than to wake up every morning feeling like a vile human being, like someone who isn't worth it."
"Every day is hard." A pause. "Every day, getting out of bed and facing the cameras, the judges, the lawyers, Erza, Gray, Levy, everyone from Fairy Tail, you, and him. It is draining. And absolutely exhausting. And I feel like giving up, like I can't do this anymore."
Hearing her confess to him, share all her inner demons, it was almost overwhelming. He knew Lucy was bearing her own share of burdens, but he never realized that such heavy thoughts were plaguing her mind constantly.
"I don't want to do it anymore. I want this to all be over." Lucy buried her head into her knees and Natsu could only watch as his best friend broke apart in front of him. What could he say to her? What could he do to take away her pain?
He wished he had the exact words to soothe her. But he didn't know what would help her get through this other than being at her side.
"It will be over." Natsu said, with confidence. Lucy lifted her head to face him as the tears cascaded from her red, brown eyes. He gave her a small smile and reached over, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It will be over and we can move on with our lives. He will get put jail for the rest of his life and we will move forward."
"All this sucks. Having the damn cameras in our faces, the news talking about us 24/7, and not to mention what school feels like." He nagged.
"But we're still here, Lucy." With a smile, he grabbed her hand and gripped it not too tightly, but enough to reassure her. "We survived."
"We have to move forward now." Natsu gave her a look of confidence. "We've been through hell and back. We know what it feels like to lose people we love, to be thrown away, to be abandoned, to feel so alone in this world. But we're still here. We've always just put one foot through the door and continued on with our lives."
"And that means we do the same here. Is it going to be hard? Hell yeah. I don't think this will ever go away completely. People won't say anything, but they are going to whisper about it. But that doesn't mean that what happened to us defines who we are. I am not just Drug King Igneel Dragneel's son and you aren't just Lucy Heartfilia, victim of a deranged and toxic former CEO."
"We are so much more than that." A grin etched on his lips. "I am Natsu Dragneel. A careless, stupid, obnoxious kid who doesn't think before he acts. I eat too much, don't clean enough, and don't try hard enough. But I can kick anyone's ass if you even try hurting the people I care about."
"And you." The pink haired boy paused, lifting Lucy's chin with a loving smile on his face. "You are Lucy Heartfilia. You're too smart for your own good. You read too many books and get overexcited over the weirdest things. You are stubborn to the bone and just as reckless as the rest of us. But, when push comes to shove, you are the strongest out of any of us Fairies."
"So, yeah. It's okay to be scared. Because I am too. But as long as we have each other, we're going to be just fine."
Lucy looked at him with a look Natsu couldn't decipher. Her brown eyes as of late had been shrouded by a barrier of emotion. Normally, it was easy for the pink haired boy to know what Lucy was thinking, what she was going to do next. But, now, he couldn't even tell what it was she wanted for lunch.
"Natsu…" She muttered. "Thank you."
With those three words, she buried her head into his chest and hugged him tightly. Though surprising, the young teenager was not against her actions. Returning the hug, he buried his nose into her pretty blonde hair and smiled.
"You're welcome."
October 25th, 2011
Day 5
Sentencing Day
The room was filled with chatter and Natsu was rubbing his hands together. He was feeling tense and the weight of the room was bearing down on his shoulders. And he wasn't quite sure why either. It was close to 9:00am, the official start time of the final day.
He just wanted Jude Heartfilia to be locked in a cell and rot away for the rest of his pathetic life.
"Calm the fuck down, Natsu."
The rosette looked up with a scowl at Gray Fullbuster, who was currently sitting at a chair by the entrance of the room.
"Don't tell me what to fuckin' do stupid ice princess!" He retorted, standing abruptly.
"Do you really think that they aren't going to lock the piece of shit up? After what happened the other day and the previous days? Come on, flame brains."
Natsu wasn't sure why the dark haired boy had decided to come over and try to calm his nerves when he knew it would be the exact opposite. Those two could never stand so close together without a fight breaking out.
"If this is your way of 'calming me down,' you're doing a real shitty job." Gray frowned immediately.
"Look you asshole," Gray said with a dangerous tone, "I'm just trying to help you out! There ain't no reason for you to be a dick!"
"I never asked for your help, stupid ice for brains!"
"That's the last fuckin' time I even try to be remotely nice to you, you stupid pyro!"
"For fuck's sake, thank fuckin God!"
"You dimwit! I'm going to kick your ass!"
Natsu and Gray touched foreheads, glaring intensely at one another. Both cocked a fist back, ready to throw blows until something separated the two.
"You two morons cut it out!"
Natsu and Gray were being shoved on opposite ends by two strong hands that belong to no other than Laxus Dreyar.
"What the fuck? Laxus! Let me the fuck go!" Natsu shouted against the massive man's grip.
"I said cut it out, Natsu." Laxus fiercely gazed over Natsu and suddenly the rosette felt small under the blonde haired man's gaze. The pink haired boy never felt intimidated by the blonde haired man, but Natsu shrunk now as Laxus held him by the collar.
"Out of all the inappropriate times to start fighting with one another." Laxus muttered as he released both boys from their hold.
"I don't want to hear or see it from either one of you for the rest of the day, got it?" It was more of a threat than it was a request, Natsu thought.
He and Gray both frowned, crossing their arms out in front of one another like if they were 5 year olds being scolded on the playground.
"When did Erza die and make you boss?" Natsu muttered under his breath as he pouted. Laxus scowled, but refrained from acknowledging the rosette's immature comment.
"Whatever." Gray said in response as he walked away with a glare etched on his face.
Once Laxus walked away, Natsu immediately searched for Lucy. They had both arrived to the town hall together, but were immediately separated once they entered the waiting area. Lucy was pulled aside to talk to Capricorn and Natsu was left with some of the arriving members of Fairy Tail.
Now his eyes were skimming the room for the blonde, hoping he could talk to her before they started. A smile broke on his face when he spotted her. She was talking to Erza and by the looks of it, she seemed pretty calm. There was even a smile settle on her face.
That was a good sign.
He made his way over, excusing himself between people. He could see Gajeel and Levy conversing with Cana hanging behind them. Mira was standing not too far, talking to that asshole Laxus. That ice prick Gray was busy trying to get Juvia off of him and Laxus' cronies of followers were hanging behind he and Mira. Other members of Fairy Tail scattered the area. He could even see Gramps speaking with Capricorn in the corner.
"Yo, Lucy! Erza!" Both young woman turned to the sound of his voice. They both smiled at his arrival.
"Hello, Natsu." Erza said as she clasped his shoulder. "I trust that you will be on your best behavior today?"
Tiny sweat droplets began to form at the corner of his forehead. Did Laxus rat him out? How was the even possible? Laxus hadn't even been near Erza.
He could hear Lucy giggle in the back.
"Aye sir!" Erza smiled at his reply.
"Splendid. Now, if you don't mind me, I need to find Gray and talk to him about stripping during the middle of the hearing the other day." Both he and Lucy shared a look of concern as she stalked off to find the dark haired man.
"I feel sorry for Gray." Lucy stated. Natsu crinkled his nose.
"Stupid ass stripper had it coming." The blonde did not look pleased with his comment.
"Honestly. The two of you need to get over this animosity you have for one another."
Shaking his head, Natsu looked over the blond. "Never gunna happen!"
"I guess it can't be helped." She sighed, rubbing her arm.
There was a stretch of silence amongst the two and the anxiety that Natsu was feeling from earlier came back crawling.
There was no way they weren't going to put that man in prison for the rest of his life, right? That would be an absolute outrage. Why wouldn't they? The jury heard Jude Heartfilia confess himself. He sat in that room and openly admitted to wanting to kill both he and Lucy. There could be no other option but to put that man behind bars.
"Natsu?" For what seemed like the nth time in the last string of days, he was broken from his thoughts. Lucy was looking over him, her worry evident.
"What are you thinking about in the big ol head of yours?" She questioned with a teasing smile.
He smiled back. "Nothing you need to worry your pretty head about."
The blush rose to her cheeks almost immediately and she found it hard to find her words. He laughed, a sense of pride swelling within him. Only he could make Lucy feel that way, he thought to himself.
"Don't just go saying things like that, you idiot." She commented as she looked away in embarrassment.
"Why? Does it embarrass you?" He probed, coming closer to her with a smirk settled on his lips.
She pulled away immediately and her brows dropped into a v shape. "Of-of course not!"
He snickered, feeling satisfied with himself. Operation tease Lucy equaled success. She slightly punched him in retaliation and he continued pushing her buttons. It was like they were ten years old again, Natsu endlessly teasing her while she retaliated. There endless banter was the start of their friendship/relationship and it kept it strong all these years as silly as it may have seemed.
When Lucy seemingly gave up, the rosette took the opportunity to change the conversation.
"You ready for this, Luce?" He asked and she froze. Her eyes focused on the ground and Natsu was confused by the gesture.
"… Yes." She replied ever so slowly.
"Are you sure?" She nodded, looking up to him with a smile.
"They are going to put him away forever and this will all be over. We will get to moving on with our lives. We don't have to deal with the courts, the TV's, the news anymore." She assured him, but Natsu felt like she was reassuring herself.
It made him wonder if she was having the same thoughts as himself. It made him wonder if somewhere in the back of her mind, she was thinking that there was a slim, slim possibility that he would be found not guilty when clearly he was.
"Lucy! Natsu! It's time to go in." Both teenagers turned towards Capricorn as he smiled down towards the two.
Natsu's heart was ready to jump out of his chest. When he accidently touched Lucy's shoulder, he could feel her briefly shaking. Looking her way, he noticed the distress in her eyes and immediately sought to comfort her.
Instead, Capricorn grabbed both the shoulder and leaned in between the two.
"I know what you're thinking." The goat like man started, "I know the both of you are in an array of emotions at the moment and I know that this is a lot to take in."
'No kidding.' Natsu thought to himself as his gaze settled on Lucy.
"But, we will win. There is no doubt in my mind that Jude Heartfilia will be incarcerated for the rest of his life." There was a lot of confidence in his voice and Natsu wished he could let go of the doubts and just believe in what Capricorn was saying.
"Can you promise me that, Capricorn?" Lucy asked as they made their way to the front of the room. Capricorn hardly smiled and was always a serious man, but in that moment, he dropped his stoic faze and gave Lucy a warm smile.
"Lucy, I have done everything in my power to bring you justice. I promised your mother before her passing that I would care for you like you were my own. And I will continue doing so because you mean that much to me." Natsu had stepped away, allowing Capricorn and Lucy to have their moment. Inside, he wished he had someone that would reassure him the way that Capricorn looked out for Lucy.
"Everything ends here, Natsu." Makarov Dreyar walked next to the boy and he looked down at the old man that had taken him under his care.
"Yeah, finally." He commented, sour about his lack of comfort.
"You, my boy, have been far braver than anyone I have ever met." Makarov started as he went up to the boy and put a hand to the shoulder. "I know there has been a lot said amongst your classmates, but that doesn't take away the bravery you have exemplified."
"Natsu, I am proud of you my boy. And I hope you know that whatever happens after today, you still have your Fairy Tail, your family, to return too."
The rosette bit his lip and looked down at his hands, unable to look at the old man in the eyes. He could feel tears welling up at the ridge of her eyes.
Natsu Dragneel did not cry.
He did not shed tears.
But he wasn't sure how to handle this overwhelming sense of familial love.
He cracked a small, genuine smile under his hidden gaze.
So this is what it felt like to be loved, huh?
It was a good feeling.
That's when he felt skin on skin contact as a small hand grabbed at his. Titling his head up, Lucy was smiling at him with her soft brown eyes.
'You ready?' His eyes said as he held her gaze.
She smiled. 'Yes.'
And they stood there for a moment, finding comfort in each other's presence. Her small hand fit readily into his and at the moment, he realized he never wanted to let go.
"Everyone please take your seats." The bailiff at the front of the room said as the clock struck 9. He had no choice but to release the fragile hand of hers at that moment.
Natsu found his seat next to Erza, Wendy, and Gray. Gramps made his way towards the back of the room, overlooking all his students like the headmaster he was.
"All rise for Judge Gran Doma."
And just like the times before, they followed through with customs and started the final day of the trail with a case overview of the last 5 days. They briefly summarized what each day consisted of and what evidence and allegations were brought up. Natsu found it a bit of a snooze fest want wanted to take a nap before they got to the court ruling.
But a quick side elbow from Erza prevented that and he was grumbling in his seat about her lack of consideration.
But Natsu's relatively bright mood fell as soon as Jude Heartfilia stepped into the room. He was being escorted into the room with two police officers walking behind him. The old man avoided eye contact and he watched with a dark look as he took his place in the front of the room.
Judge Gran Doma patiently waited as Jude took his place and proceeded to continue. His attention turned towards the jury box.
"Jury, you have had 4 days of evidence and claims presented at you. You've had extra hours dedicated after the case to discuss whether or not the accused, Jude Heartfilia, is guilty of the crimes he has committed." There was a pause. "What does the defendant's plea?"
"I, Yajima, will speak for the grand jury on the decided plea for Jude Heartfilia." Yajima was a short old man, around the same size of their headmaster. Natsu narrowed his eyes, finding him awfully familiar.
"Proceed." Gran Doma spoke.
"For the crime of attempted murder on the 3rd degree against Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel, the defendant is found..."
Natsu held a breath and his heart began to race.
"Guilty."
There was a sigh of relief across the room and even slight clapping. Natsu couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips. He looked up towards Lucy and noticed that she was not smiling, throwing him off.
"For the crime of domestic violence against a minor, the defendant is found guilty."
Though hidden, the smiles in the room kept growing. But all Natsu could focus on was Lucy, who had yet to show any type of relief.
"And finally, for the crime of child molestation, the defendant is found guilty." Yajima sat down with the rest of the room and now it was time for the sentencing. With Jude being found guilty in all three cases, there was no way he would get away with anything less than life.
But his eyes remained on Lucy. She was beginning to worry him. Shouldn't she at least be showing some type of relief?
"Jude Heartfilia," Judge Gran Doma started and called man stood. "You have been found guilty for three crimes. What do you plea?"
"Guilty." The man said and the room sighed with ease.
"Jude Heartfilia, by the court of law and the city of Magnolia, you are hereby given a life sentence, to be served in the Alcapha State Jail. There will be no parole nor bail allowed." As soon as the words left his mouth and the sentence was finished, the room erupted into cheers.
The bailiff called out to the room and ordered a brief silence as he announced the departure of the judge. All stood and respectfully waited for Gran Doma to make his way out of the courtroom before celebrating.
Immediate relief washed over Natsu as he couldn't suppress the smile from growing on his face. He watched as Capricorn shook hands with Jude's lawyer, Mr. Maron. He also watched as they grabbed Jude Heartfilia and escorted him to the back. Just like the day before, he followed him to the back door.
In a brief moment, the two men locked eyes. Natsu scowled, his onyx eyes burning with hatred and resentment as the golden eyes of the older Heartfilia mirrored his emotions.
Natsu hated him.
He loathed him.
And he was overjoyed in the turn of events for Lucy and himself.
When Jude Heartfilia was shoved through the crowd and finally taken through the back, Natsu's eyes landed on Lucy, who wasn't celebrating nor cheering like everyone else was.
Yes, she was smiling as students and former students of Fairy Tail that knew Lucy came and congratulated her. But her smile seemed forced. And it wasn't quite reaching her eyes either.
It was fake, similarly to that time she came back to school after her mother passed away.
Why was she Lucy acting like this? Natsu tried wrapping his head around it as his friends crowded him, congratulating him on the win of this court case. But no answers came to mind.
All he could see was 8 year old Lucy standing at the front of the class, masking away her emotions and hiding herself from the world.
He reached for her, called out her name. But it was lost in the commotion of the court room. Lucy was swarmed with their friends, lost in the fray of the excitement. There was talks of a celebration being hosted for the win, but he paid no attention.
Even as Gajeel and Gray grabbed him and escorted him out, his eyes never peeled off the blonde. Because in that moment, when Lucy was left along for a brief moment, he could see the brokenhearted, broken spirited, and exhausted Lucy Heartfilia that he had seen so long ago.
And that frightened him more than anything.
A/N: And the case has come to an end. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and what Jude Heartfilia's fate ended up being. I don't really know anything abou the court of law and while I did do some research on it, I didn't follow the system accordingly. As promised, I will summarize Day 3 for those of you who didn't read it.
Day 3 brought forth the molestation and assault evidence. Capricorn questioned Jude to find his motive for hurting Lucy. Jude admitted that once Layla died, he felt nothing but sorrow and needed an outlet. He hit Lucy because he couldn't stand seeing her, with how she closely she resembled her mother. But, as Lucy got older, and looked more and more like her mother everyday, he couldn't help himself. Because he loved Layla so much, he used Lucy to forget about her.
Everyone in the courtroom was enraged and thought he was insane. Capricorn asked why he was so rude towards Natsu and his motives for wanting to kill Natsu. He answered that Natsu was taking away the only connection he had to Layla. And he didn't want to share Lucy with anyone else. So he thought by getting rid of him, it would make things easier and Lucy would never be able to live with herself and stay with Jude forever.
Everything relayed above is the conclusion for Day 3. Everything else was relatively straight forward. If you got this far it's because you read the entire chapter so you know what becomes of Jude Heartfilia.
Now, there are only 2 chapters left! The next two chapters should come out relatively quickly because they wont be as long as previous chapters. Because this story is coming to an end, I have already started thinking and planning out my next story.
But, I'm stuck and I need everyone's help.
I have come up with three ideas. One of the story ideas has actually been on my profile for quite some time and I was just going to get to it whenever I had time too, but I've decided I'm going to leave it up the readers to decide. So what I'm going to do is post the summaries for the three stories along with the story titles with it's information and you lovely readers will vote for what you like to see next in the reviews of Fallen Star. You have until I post the final chapter of Fallen Star to vote. I will announce the next story to be published at the end of the last chapter of this story.
So without further adue.
Idea #1 (Not going to lie though, the high school fanfics are getting kind of old):
Anime: Fairy Tail
Title: Gossip Fairy
Rating: T/T+
Pairing: NaLu, GaLe, Jerza, Gruvia, Miraxus (And many others)
Story Summary: This is heavily based on the T.V. series Gossip Girl. While the storyline will be COMPLETELY different from the T.V. show, 'Gossip Girl' will remain intact. Fairy Tail Academy: School for Magnolia's elite students. Everyone at FT was handsomely rich and lived a lifestyle like no other. Meet Lucy Heartfilia, queen bee of Fairy Tail Academy. She had everything. Money, Fame, Boys, the Looks. But one day, she just vanished. No one knew why or where she went. Year later, she turns up again. Where did she go? Why is she back? No one knows, but it won't be long until the truth is out. Especially with Gossip Fairy around.
Preview:
Hey East Sidders. Gossip Fairy here, bringing you all the latest scandals of Magnolia's elite. Junior year at Fairy Tail Academy is under way and you know what that means. Yes, a whole new year of some of Magnolia's most juciest and thirst quenching drama. And what better way than to kick off the year with some fresh juice? Word on the street is Lucy Heartfilia has returned. Where did she go? Why did she leave? Only time will tell. You know you love me.
-XoXo,
Gossip Fairy.
Idea #2 (This idea is the one I've been thinking of for a while and I'm really excited to write this story! I mentioned something about it a few chapters ago):
Anime: Fairy Tail
Title: From Across the Hall
Rating: T
Pairing: Mainly NaLu, but GaLe, Jerza, Gruvia, Miraxus all included
Story Summary: The apartment across Natsu Dragneel's door had always been empty for as long as he had lived there. But, the day finally came when someone moved in. No big deal, right? Except, the occupant of the apartment was stunning. She was a beautiful, strong, kind hearted, woman with an adorable, blonde haired child that had an infectious smile that matched her mothers.
But, that's no big deal, right?
Preview:
"Oh my god, I am so sorry about my daughter!" The much older blonde apologized as she bent down and scooped her daughter in her hands. "She has a habit of blurting things out, even when she knows she shouldn't." Natsu chuckled as he watched his new neighbor look down at her daughter with this knowing look.
"But mommy! He has pink hair!" Natsu laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck. What a cheeky kid, he thought.
"No worries. It is strange, isn't it?" The pink haired man winked at the child and she immediately blushed, hiding in her mommy's shirt. Her mother laughed.
"Well, I do apologize again uhh..?"
He smiled, showcasing his pearly white canines.
"Natsu Dragneel. And welcome, Ms. Heartfilia!"
The blonde giggled slightly. "Lucy Heartfilia. And thank you, Mr. Dragneel."
Idea #3:
Anime: Fairy Tail
Title: Rising Sun
Rating: T
Pairing: NaLu
Story Summary: Rising Sun is the counterpart to Fallen Star. RS will tell the story from Lucy's perspective. We learn what Lucy went through first hand. We learn her thoughts, her feelings, her encounters, her memories, her everything. While some events of Fallen Star will be featured, we will delve more into Lucy's side of the story. You will see more interactions with the characters of Fairy Tail than in FS. And of course, NaLu will be included.
So please vote for what you would like to read next! Remember, you have until I publish the last chapter of Fallen Star to vote! And if you don't post your vote in the review, you can also PM me your vote :) I could create a poll, but that would require you all going to my profile and doing it there. So, to just make it a lot easier, I'm doing it this way.
But, as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, but the point is it's out now, right? ;) Reviews, comments, concerns, questions, criticism, etc. are always welcomed! You do not have to do a double review when voting. Meaning, if/when you review, you can just include it like this: "Please update soon! And I vote for idea x." But, enough of that. Hopefully it won't take me long to update the next chapter!
Happy Voting!
Until next time!
-Dark Waffle