Chapter 14: Rain Drops
Natsu
(Third Person POV)
Rain pounded softly upon the window pane.
Natsu shrugged on an ebony fur-trimmed jacket; pairing it with some faded jeans. He finished with a pair of Jordans and started making his way over to the door. He retrieved a strikingly red umbrella from his closet and exited the door.
He made his way down the stairs to the foyer of the building. The foyer was a buzz. Tenants jostled to and fro. Strangers took shelter within the building to escape the sudden downpour. Natsu scanned the vestibule, looking for a certain blonde. His eyes catching glimpses of golden hair through the colossal glass doors. He pushed his way through the hustling crowd and opened the glass doors.
Lucy was crouched beside a large, brown, card-board box. She wore a beige trench coat that stopped just below her ass. It drew attention to her large chest and hugged her waist. She wore dark-blue cut-offs. A tar-black tank-top peeked out from under the trench coat. Black combat boots completed her outfit. His breath hitched. Heat rushed through his body. He felt the sudden urge to kiss her breathless and take her right then and there.
It was official. Gray was rubbing off on him. That, or he'd turned into somewhat of a pervert over the years. Shaking away the perverseness in his mind, he sauntered over to the blonde. Keeping a fair distance between them.
Lucy
(Third Person POV)
The canopy of leaves from the large oak tree sheltered the kittens from the rain. Even so, droplets leaked through its crevices. Soft mewls sounded from the box. Lucy grinned. 6 beady eyes peered up at her. Lucy picked up her coral umbrella and opened it. She placed the object over the box of kittens. The kittens mewls decreased as they began to nestle together. She gingerly stroked their small bodies and sighed contently.
"I thought you hated pink," someone laughed nervously, referring to the color of her umbrella. Lucy swiveled around on her heel.
Natsu.
He held up a bright red umbrella. His dark brown eyes staring straight into her sepia ones. Lucy looked away, an uneasy feeling settling over her.
"It was on sale," she replied stiffly. She could feel the tips of his mouth quirk up. She debated on whether or not to round-house kick that smug grin off his face.
There was an awkward silence. By-standers stared at the two as they walked by. The tension in the air seemed to grow. Rain pounded softly on the cold pavement adding to the tense atmosphere.
Lucy got up from her spot; determined to walk away before things got even more awkward. Her attempts ended vainly when Natsu grabbed her wrist.
"What?!" she spat, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. Natsu flinched, then looked away, blushing slightly.
"Come with me. You'll get wet," he said softly. Lucy looked at him with disbelief.
"Is that a hentai pick-up line or some shit? If I come with you, you'll make me wet?" she rebuked, rolling her eyes. Natsu let out an exasperated sigh.
"Lucy, I'm not seducing you. You'll catch a cold. My umbrella's big enough for two," he repeated. He looked peeved. Hmm, bonus.
"I don't give a fuck," she retorted, flicking away his hand. She crossed her arms over her chest and began to walk away.
"Lucy. I swear to god. I will carry you to school under this umbrella if my life depends on," he threatened. Lucy turned around and stuck out her tongue. Natsu smirked wickedly.
Natsu/Lucy
(Third Person POV)
"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN DRAGNEEL!" yelled Lucy, thrashing her arms and legs. Natsu had flung the ticked off blonde over his shoulder. He walked down the busy streets of Tokyo not caring about the on-lookers. Rain droplets slid over the umbrella. People watched the couple with mixed expressions. Some feigned disinterest. Whereas some looked scandalized. There was the occasional amused expression. And a few whistles. Natsu smirked.
"Natsu. I will chop your balls off and make it so you can never reproduce ever," Lucy threatened, blazing a hole into his back with her eyes. Her aura as black as tar. Natsu felt a chill creep up his back.
"I guess I'll be sacrificing my balls then," he replied with a shrug.
"When I get down. I'll make sure to fucking cut your eyes out and shove them down your throat. So then, you can watch me rip your throat out," she snarled, her voice icier than Pluto. Venom dripped from every word. Natsu started to sweat.
"That's sweet of you," Natsu replied, sarcastically. Was it just him? Or was Lucy suddenly +100 degrees Celsius but her voice -1,000,000 degrees.
They'd now reached the edge of the forest. There was a short-cut leading to the school through there. Natsu walked down the pathway till he reached a clearing. The relentless rain seemed to pour down harder. The wind picking up speed.
Lucy, finally having enough of Natsu's stupidity, devised a battle tactic. Angling her right foot towards his torso, she made a sharp kick. Natsu cried out in pain, releasing her legs from his hold. Lucy then dropped onto the pavement in a hand-stand position; interlocking her legs around his torso at the same moment. Lifting the pink-haired male off the ground, she flung him into the air. Finishing the move, with a forward handspring.
Natsu landed into the sodden, mud-stricken grass with a sharp thud. A crippling sensation prickling through his spine. It wasn't enough to break anything, but it did leave him momentarily paralyzed.
Lucy stared at Natsu with blood red eyes; her inner bitch mode activating. Killing intent was written over all her features. Her body poised for attack. Natsu felt ice replace his spine.
Fuck. She was going to kill him. Natsu had recently discovered that Lucy had taken up kick-boxing and several other combat-related sports during middle school.
He needed to distract her. Lucy drew closer and closer to him.
Fuck. Think Natsu. Think.
"Will you spare this poor, innocent, kind soul… if…," he started. Lucy snorted.
"I'm not so sure about the innocent bs but I'm listening," she replied. She leaned against a big rock. Her lips were slightly parted. Rain water slid down her cheeks. A red hue tinging her cheeks from the cold. Her halo of golden hair flew up in the wind. She looked like a badass angel, posing in a thunderstorm.
Natsu averted his gaze. Afraid that she'd find out he was staring if he looked too long. Mustering up what little composure he had left. He cleared his throat and replied.
"What if I sing you a song?" he said softly. "Even if I'm not as good a singer as you."
Lucy
(Third Person POV)
A… song?
Natsu… singing?
It'd been awhile since she'd last heard him sing. Memories of their past together flitted through her mind. It would be a lie if she said she didn't want to hear him sing.
"Depends on what song," she replied softly, fixing her eyes on the dark clouds above. The water was now seeping through her jacket and drenching her shirt. She pulled off her trench coat which had now become heavy with water. Droplets trickled down her bare arms and onto her black tank-top. Droplets of water snaked down her cleavage. Whatever.
She turned to look at Natsu. His face was scarlet red and he was covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Lucy raised a brow. Natsu was muttering indecent words underneath his breath. Lucy couldn't help but smirk at his behavior.
"See anything you like?" she jested, rolling her eyes.
Natsu paused to think about her words.
"Lots…," he mumbled, looking away.
Silence.
Electricity sparked through her veins. Lucy felt heat rush up to her face. She bit down on her bottom lip hard, tearing at its flesh. His words had affected her more than they should have.
"Aren't you going to sing?" she spat, interrupting the silence. Natsu looked at her and flashed her a warm smile.
"Of course. I can use my phone right?" he queried. Lucy nodded, not knowing where he was going with this.
Natsu scrolled through his playlist. A smile lit up his face when he had found the song. He winked at her and walked over to her, hitting play.
"Hey! Where's the drums?" started the voice from Natsu's phone. ["Classic" by MKTO. Listen to it before reading this part. It helps.] Natsu started walking around her, clapping his hands to the beat. Swaying his hips from time to time. Lucy stifled a laugh.
"Oh whoa-oh-oh-oh," he sang along. His voice silky and smooth like milk.
"Let's go!" finished the voice on his phone.
"Ooh girl you're shining. Like a 5th avenue diamond," sang Natsu, standing in front of Lucy now. Moving his body to the song. Lucy arched a brow, smirking.
"And they don't make you like they used to. You're never going out of style," winked Natsu. The tips of her lips began to quirk up.
"Ooh pretty baby. This world might've gone crazy," he sang, doing a turn. He was so into it. Lucy bit down on her fingers to keep from laughing.
"The way you save me. Who can blame me? When I just wanna make you smile?" he sang, flashing her his trade-mark carefree lop-sided grin at the last line. Something about the lyrics and his smile made her pulse quicken. Just a bit. Just a tad bit.
"I wanna thrill you like Michael. I wanna kiss you like Prince. Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye. Like Hathaway. Write a song for you like this," his volume increasing. His smile never once faltering.
"You're over my head! I'm out of my mind! Thinking I was born in the wrong time! One of a kind, living in a world gone plastic. Baby you're so classic. Baby you're so classic. Baby you, Baby you're so classic," his dark eyes blazing into hers. His face suddenly turning serious. Lucy looked away.
"Four dozen of roses. Anything for you to notice. All the way to serenade you. Doing it Sinatra style," his smile returning. His Shakira-like dance moves returning. Lucy snorted. "Damn. I bet that gets all the woman," she smirked.
"Ima pick you up in a Cadillac. Like a gentleman bringin' glamour back. Keep it reel to reel in the way I feel. I could walk you down the aisle," Natsu sang, throwing off his jacket. Lucy raised a brow grinning. 4 more guys, one dick, pointing one direction and he could start a boy-band.
(…I'm sorry to all my 1D fans xD. I just had to! They're probably amazing people! xD)
"I wanna thrill you like Michael. I wanna kiss you like Prince. Let's get it on like Marvin Gaye. Like Hathaway. Write a song for you like this," he repeated. At this rate, they were going to be late for school.
"You're over my head. I'm out of my mind. Thinking I was born in the wrong time. It's love on rewind, Everything is so throwback-ish," he sang, kneeling in front of her. Lucy looked at him bemused.
"Out of my league. Old school chic. Like a movie star. From the silver screen," he sang, his breathing becoming a bit ragged. Her heart… What was up with her fucking heart?! Thump-thump. Thump-thump. They locked gazes for several breathless seconds.
"You're one of a kind living in a world gone plastic. Baby you're so classic. Baby you're so classic. Baby you're so classic…," he trailed, unable to finish the song. They sat like that for several more seconds. The only sound being the gentle pattering of rain. Natsu was the first to break away. He walked away from Lucy to retrieve the umbrella. Leaving her to think about the song.
The electric sensation she'd felt earlier still hadn't left her body. What the heck was he doing to her…?
"So what'd you think? I even got to show you my amazing dance skills," he grinned. Lucy stifled a snort.
"Superb. Phenomenal. Amazing. Encore," cheered Lucy, sarcastically. Natsu smirked.
"Enough to save my ass?" grinned Natsu. Lucy smiled wickedly, scooping up some mud.
"Nope," she snickered, chucking the ball of muck towards his face. It smashed across his cheek. Lucy burst out laughing. Natsu gave her an oh-know-did-not-just look. Lucy smirked, giving him an I-just-did look.
"Natsu, your face looks like crap," she snickered. Her eyes alight with humor. Natsu flashed her a devil may-care smile, scooping up mud of his own.
"I know. It's sexy right? Join me," he snickered, hurling the ball of sludge at the blonde. Lucy squealed as it splattered across her neck.
"Game on mother fucker," grinned Lucy.
Erza
(Third Person POV)
Natsu and Lucy stood in front of the whole class. Drenched head to toe in mud. The brown sludge oozed down onto the floor. Nonetheless, the two hardly looked like they cared. Lucy looked ticked. Whereas Natsu had a smug grin plastered on his face.
"Please explain to me. How you 2. Can be two hours late. Drenched in mud," sighed Yui-Sensei, pinching the bridge of her nose. She sounded resigned. Erza's face was alight with humor. But she too wondered, how the fuck this happened.
The couple stood awkwardly at the front. Lucy played with the edge of her tank-top. The guys ogled at Lucy's attire. Erza was taken aback when she saw Natsu giving the boys, death glares.
"Well… you see," started Lucy. Natsu cut in. Knowing Lucy sucked at lying.
"Lucy here. Was um… DROWNING IN A LAKE OF MUD!" blurted Natsu. He was just as bad as Lucy.
"But Lucy went to nationals last year with her swim team," said Chelia; one of their classmates.
Natsu started to sweat. Erza could hear him curse.
"She… SHE FORGOT HOW TO SWIM!" proclaimed Natsu. Lucy face planted her hand.
"How does one forget how to swim," replied Jet, snarkily. Erza smirked.
"Um… Um… SHE WALKED INTO A POLE," exclaimed Natsu. Lucy started banging her head on the board. Erza stifled her laughter with a cough. Lucy shot daggers at her with her eyes.
"So let me get this straight. Lucy walked into a pole; thus, making her forget how to swim. Then you spent 2 hours saving her from a muddy lake," affirmed Yui-Sensei, shaking her head. Natsu nodded furiously. Lucy looked like she wanted to die.
Yui-Sensei sighed heavily.
"It's fine. Go take a shower and change into your gym clothes," she instructed. Too tired to even care anymore. Lucy and Natsu mumbled.
Erza picked up a few lines.
"We should take one together," whispered Natsu.
"I will drown you in a lake after splitting your head open with a pole," hissed Lucy, hurling his lie back at him.
"Hey. A man can dream," snickered Natsu.
Erza smiled. At least they were getting along. She didn't know how long that'd last though…
Sting
(Third Person POV)
Sting was pissed. Pinkie kept intervening in his and Lucy's relationship. Sting slumped in his seat. He buried his face in his arms. He didn't want to see her cry any more. No, he couldn't handle it. That day… when she sent him that text. If only he'd checked his phone that day…
Then maybe…
Maybe she'd have one less tear to cry. Maybe she wouldn't have felt so alone. Maybe she would have changed schools earlier. Maybe she could have had a voice when she was getting abused.
Sting wasn't the type of guy to cry. But when he'd seen Lucy's texts…
He. Was. A. Mess.
Flashback...
Sting walked out of the washroom. A towel hanging limply at his waist. Beads of water were sprinkled on his chest and hair. He'd just come back from his school trip in Nagoya and was now on vacation with his family. Collapsing on to his hotel-room bed, he retrieved his phone from the night stand. The last time he'd checked was about a 4 months ago. It'd been awhile since he'd last talked to Lucy.
He booted the device up and waited for the loading screen. When it did load, he was taken aback.
50 texts, 5 missed calls, 1 voice mail from Lucy Heartfilia. 100 recent missed calls from Erza Scarlet. The last call literally 5 seconds ago. Sting was suddenly stricken with panic. 50 texts?! Missed calls from Lucy?! 100 missed calls?! He was about to open up the text box but he was cut off by the sound of his ringtone.
He quickly pressed accept and put the device on speaker.
"Hello?!" he cried frantically, up righting himself into a seating position.
"Hi! Is this Sting Eucliffe?!" demanded the voice in a frenzy.
"Yes…? What's wrong?!" he trailed, his voice edged with panic.
"Lucy…," the voice trailed, coming out uneven. Lucy?!
"What about Lucy?!" I demanded, the intensity of my voice increasing with the mention of her name.
"Lucy. Her... her wrists were burned and she was pinned down while a girl forcibly hacked off large portions of her hair," stated the voice in one fluid line.
Wait.
He felt his body go numb. His bones suddenly feeling like Jell-O. Did he… did he hear right…?
"WHAT?!" he yelled angrily through the receiver.
It didn't make sense… why would… why would someone… to Lucy…
"How are things at school?" he questioned, suddenly getting the feeling she was hiding something.
"Ahh, it's great. I've made tons of friends. Oh look at the time. My dad's going to get mad if I'm late. Bye, Sting!" she answered in a haste.
"IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I SAID," yelled the voice. He started hyperventilating. A fog had settled within his head. Sting pinched his temples. His world was starting to reel.
"Where. WHICH HOSPITAL?!" he demanded.
"Tokyo Eclipse," the voice replied firmly.
Sting shot out of bed. He shoved his clothes and belongings into a duffel bag. He shrugged on the first thing he saw. He scribbled a quick letter on a sticky-note to his parents. Grabbing his bag, he burst out of his room. Running down the stairs, taking 3 stairs at a time. He burst out through the glass doors. The cold air blasting across his face.
He halted a taxi and climbed.
"Where to kiddo?" queried the driver.
"The airport please," he answered, his vision becoming mildly distorted.
Sting was seated in the first class cabin within the plane. He'd had to wait 3 hours for it. It was now 3am. Most of the other passengers were asleep. Panic clouded up his systems like a drug; preventing any pretense of sleep.
Lucy's name was the sole thing on his mind. Food didn't matter. Sleep didn't matter. Clothes didn't matter. Nothing else fucking mattered but Lucy. Most teased him for being so close to a girl. But none of it bothered him the slightest.
Lucy had saved him from himself.
She was his guardian angel when his abusive father beat him.
She shielded his tiny body with the threat of calling the Heartfilia police. She protected him from his father's bat. That bloody fucking bat that had tainted his childhood crimson. Lucy was the one who called CPS when his dad was about to beat the living shit out of him while his mom watched from the door. She was the one who held him while he cried. She was the one who visited the adoption center every day. Even though, she knew her father would slap her if he found out.
He'd been adopted by a very rich family afterwards. His adopted mother and father treated him with such love and care as if Sting was made by them. And only them. He was so grateful to Lucy and his parents; his love for them was infinite and couldn't be put into words.
Sting loved Lucy with everything he had. If he didn't have Lucy, he would've committed suicide.
That's why he couldn't stand the fact.
That someone. Someone thought they could fucking harm a pretty little hair on her head. That some fucking person could fucking pull out a match, fucking light it up and strike it against her wrists.
Sting balled his hands into tight fists. He would kill them. Permanently KILL them.
There was still over 24 hours left till he reached Japan. He pulled out his phone from his jeans and turned it on. He clicked on messages. He scrolled to the bottom one.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Hey Sting… It's been a few days since you left. It's actually kinda lonely without you… haha…
He skipped a few which were similar to the first. Then he stopped.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Sting… I lied… School isn't really going well…
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Actually, I've been feeling really lonely lately….
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: I like rumors. I find out so much about me, that even I didn't know.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Haha, guess what happened today at school… I was told to die. Haha, I didn't even know their names… Funny. Right. Haha
Sting felt his chest tighten. Her fake laughs…
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Was it really that funny when they pushed me to the ground and I started bleeding…
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Oh look… he's there. Laughing with them. Haha. Haha. Ha… Ha…
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Is it really that funny… If so…Why am I not laughing Sting?!
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Bullying. Words. None of it really hurts. But you know what's killing me…? I confessed to the guy… who told me to drink bleach.
Sting froze. Re-reading the text over. Again. And again.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: I didn't go to school today because he was there. Actually I'm getting homeschooled.
Sting started flipping through more of the texts.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: I hate this. I hate what I'm becoming.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: I can't do this anymore. Their words are cutting me apart.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: I feel so alone.
[LucyTheNotSoDumbBlonde]: Where are you Sting?! Where the fuck are you?!
Then there was the voice mail.
Lucy's shaky voice flooded through the receiver. "… Maybe drinking bleach wouldn't be such a bad idea."
Sting gripped the phone tightly. Almost cracking the screen. For the first time since his childhood, he let the tears flow out.
Flash back ends…
Lucy had finally somewhat recovered from her Elementary trauma.
In Grade 8, the two had decided to go out. There was definitely love in the relationship. Just not a… spark. Rouge said it was more like brotherly love than anything.
"Ugh, Rogue. When are you coming back?!" grumbled Sting. Rouge, coming from a wealthy family, had to go overseas to finalize a business affair for his strict parents. Sting groaned and banged his head on is desk.
"Hello Class, I'm pleased to inform you that we've received a new transfer student!"
Sting didn't bother looking up. They'd had tons of new students over the course of September.
"Good Morning. My name's Yukino Aguria."
Must be a chick. But there was something about her monotonous response that made her seem guy-like in a way. Sting yawned.
"Sting, would you mind showing her around?" instructed Aito-Sensei.
Finally, Sting looked up.
Nothing could've prepared him for what he'd see when he looked up. The girl. …
Her hair was a light blue.
She wore a turtle neck that reached up to her neck and covered her arms. She wore baggy jeans that reached the floor, totally obscuring her legs. She wore thick gloves to cover her hands. A beanie covered most of her head. She wore dark shades that hid her eyes.
The hell? It was still Spring.
"Yukino would you please take off your glasses," ordered Aito-Sensei. The girl shook her head furiously. Aito-Sensei let out a deep sigh.
"Okay, Sting, please go show her around," said Aito-Sensei resigned. Sting got up from his seat. When he neared the girl, she seemed to take a step back. The two exited the classroom.
They walked in uncomfortable silence.
"You know… I don't bite," tried Sting, softly. The girl didn't reply. Instead she seemed to create even more space between them. Well that was a first. Girls usually clung onto him like leeches. There was more silence. Sting showed her important areas in the school, Yukino simply nodded throughout it all.
Sting stopped causing Yukino to stop a few meters behind.
"I got a question," queried Sting. Yukino stood their motionless.
"Why are you wearing a turtleneck in spring?" Sting questioned. The girl didn't reply.
Instead she started walking back towards the classroom. Making sure to go around him and not touch him.
"Hey wait!" he cried, grabbing onto her wrist. The girl froze. Sting was startled when her hands began to shake. The girl was rigid in fear.
"D-DON'T T-T-TOUCH ME!" she yelled, flicking away his hand.
The girl ran away, leaving Sting stunned.
What…just…happened…?
Lucy
(Third Person)
Lucy stood underneath the water. The ice cold water trickling down her warm body. The shower room was dark and vacant. She was the only one there.
She replayed the day's events. From when she'd discovered the box of kittens. To when Natsu carried her over his shoulder. Then to Natsu's singing. And lastly their mud battle.
...
"I don't even know who you are anymore."
Reaching over she picked up her I-phone, careful not to get any water on it. She clicked play.
She'd never forget the pain. She wasn't allowed to.
"Steven" by Jake Miller flooded through the room.
Or else she'd break.
I love the song "Classic" by MKTO; it's so cuteee. And "Steven" by Jake Miller makes me want to cry. Mud-fights are amazing. :')
Q/A:
This story is going to be a NaLu. Sorry Sticy fans. A lot of you are probably going to send me PMs about Yukino's character. Yeah, we all know she wears tank-tops, shorts, and stuff. But just wait. And you'll understand. Some might catch on later.
For people asking me to add in certain characters. I can't at the moment. It'll get so messy. Right now, Natsu and Lucy's relationship is still complex. They aren't going to go make-out anytime soon.
Yes. There will be chapters based on couples (Gruvia, Jerza, etc).
Lisanna's coming after a few chapters.
I don't really have much time to proof-read my works so pardon my errors.
This is my first fanfiction. And my first time writing a long story/novel. So please be considerate before you make judgement.
This isn't the happiest of stories. It's about people overcoming their inner demons and finding love, freedom, etc. I'm sorry for people who don't like this. My fanfiction's not for everyone and I understand that.
But even so! I'll never ever quit making it! :) I love every single one of my fans. All 89 followers; you're the reason I keep writing. :)
I'm also making a one-shot after I post this. :) So stay tuned!
Leave a review! :)
Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters.
This story belongs to me.