Goodbye (for now)

Natsu deeply regretted stepping out of Igneel's car the moment he pleaded to meet with his parents (the poor old man almost spitted out his instant coffee on his adoptive son, surprised). It was quite weird, actually. Igneel drove him almost instantly in that same day to their place, and Natsu wonders why he knows their address.

Perhaps it was because of their regular meetings, at that fancy café downtown where all the rich people ate at. If his parents were really rich, then Natsu must've been missing a lot on his life right now.

He sighs, shaking his head to remind himself that he's doing this for Lucy only.

Lucy.

He insisted that the blonde should accompany him, possibly to ease the tension between his parents if ever, but Lucy was so persistent in staying inside his room that Natsu could only sigh while buttoning his winter coat. Seriously, if not for him, then she wouldn't be able to go to Heaven.

The last favor.

Once he finishes this, then the annoying ghost can finally disappear out of his life and he can live peacefully once again—without people staring at him as if he's talking to an imaginary friend. He can finally be free without forcing himself onto other people, doing their crap and helping shit out.

'Fuck. I've been too nice for the past few months.' He widens his eyes in surprise.

But somehow, the feeling of Lucy being gone seemed...sad. Without her annoying cheers and persistent callings, Natsu would feel empty. He sighs again, shaking his head one more time. Seriously, why is a dead person causing so many headaches for him? The pink-haired teenager feels himself getting a migraine already, and all because of a stupid ghost.

Pushing aside the heavy feeling in his chest, Natsu takes a deep inhale before his fingers momentarily brush the doorbell, lips pressed into a thin line while he waits patiently.

"Yes?" a woman's voice calls.

"H-hi…" Natsu feels so pathetic right now, looking so weak and realizing his voice just cracked. "U-umm…this is N-Natsu Dragneel, may I speak to...um-"

Without a second to spare, a woman in her forties suddenly appears in front of him, running to the teen with open arms and a bright smile.

"Son!"

In that same moment, pure bliss was what Natsu could only feel.

XXX

"Tch, that pink-haired asshole sure is taking his time. I should've come with him instead." Lucy mumbles to herself, flashing the room a bored look while she floats around for something to play with. But all Natsu has inside was trash, trash, and more trash, actually (except for a decent bed and a closet, but everything else consisted of trash.)

'Men.' She rolls her eyes while plopping down on Natsu's single bed. It took quite a lot of effort not to sink down considering she was a ghost, but she's willing to spend all the energy she has right now. She's probably going back to Heaven once Natsu gets home anyway.

Suddenly, the idea of going to Heaven didn't seem that nice to her anymore.

"My dear mom, I wonder if I'll be able to see you in Heaven. Natsu's a big meanie sometimes, but other than that, he's actually sweet and caring. You'll love him once you see him. He's cute, he's nice—well, sometimes, and he's really awesome. I can't help but like him, actually."

"You can't help but like who?"

As if on cue, Natsu appears by the door way, a curious look on his face while he raises a brow at the girl on his bed. "And what are you doing there lying around like a potato?"

"I am a potato~" She pouts, but shakes her head. "Enough about me, let's talk about you. What happened with your parents?"

Natsu simply flashes a grin, sitting down beside her. "They're amazing. They're filthy rich business people, but they're really nice. Man, I am so glad that I met them. They promised to visit every week and attend to my every need from now on, but other than that, I'll still be living with Igneel. I grew up with the old fart after all, and I'll miss him if I move away. How did you even meet them?"

"Oh them?" Lucy scrunches her nose in thought, recalling all her memories. It was getting a bit rusty now that she rarely needed them anymore. She's a ghost, after all. Ghosts don't really need any memory to function. "I think I met them on a business meeting with my father. They told me that if their son was alive, I'd be the same age as him and…and…" Suddenly, the girl blushes red, turning silent.

But Natsu couldn't help but pry, curious. "And what?"

"I-it's nothing. I told them that their son must probably be alive right now, and I may or may not have accidentally promised to help them find him. But the good this is, you're here. Yeeyyy!" The blonde quickly floats to him with her usual grin.

"You're silly."

"I know!"

Natsu raises a brow at her, frowning. "Is something wrong? You're being weird today. Not that you're not weird in the first place but…really weird. Like something fishy, you know."

Mavis, Natsu should take a job as a mind reader in the future.

But what surprised the pink-haired teenager next was the sudden hug that he received from the ghost. It was warm and tight—almost human-like, really, and he was wet. No, literally. He's wet. Lucy's crying right now on his chest, and if not for her sad face, he could've laughed at how ugly she looked like (not really a good thing to say to a girl but hey, it's Natsu we're talking about).

"H-hey, w-why are you crying?" He was never the type to be good at comforting people. Yes, you heard it ladies and gentlemen—Natsu Dragneel is a sucker for crying girls. "L-Luce…"

"I…I'm so proud of you, Nat-chan." Her voice is weak and shaking, but Natsu could feel the sincerity coming from it as she jerks her head upwards just to grin at him, tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks. "A-all my life, I-I never had the chance to get close with my father. My mother gave up on me when I was at a young age, and my father…he never really noticed me."

"He loved my mother so much that…that even looking at me, the carbon copy of my mother, felt so painful for him. He didn't so much as spare me a glance, and I thought that all my life, I was nothing but shameful. Long story short, I never really made him proud. I was a troublesome kid. And just when I gave up on life did I realize…that he truly loved me."

She continued. "I committed suicide on my birthday, when he was out of the country for a business meeting. I thought that he wouldn't care anyway. I-I thought of running away at first, remembering all my friends, but really…would a teenager even survive the cruel reality of the world today? Slowly, but surely, I felt the blade cutting my skin, blood oozing out of my body. But I wish I didn't. You know why?"

Natsu didn't feel like talking. All he wanted was to just listen, but he looks at Lucy with a sad look and manages to croak a horse, "Why?"

"Because the exact same day…I didn't know that he was out buying the perfect gift for me." A lopsided grin appears on her face as she tries to wipe the tears away. "The business meeting…the 'I'm-busy' card…everything was a lie. He was actually finding the perfect way to reunite with his one and only child. He even wrote letters for 7 consecutive years, all containing words of apologies of how crappy of a father he was, and that he's sorry he's never there for me."

"'I'm so proud of you, Lucy. And I'll always will be.' were the last words I read on his letter. I realized how shitty of a daughter I am, and how stupid I was for not being able to forgive him. I wish that I could still say sorry, and tell him that I'll always love him no matter what." Lucy smiles at Natsu, holding his hand. "So Natsu…you should always appreciate your parents. You might not know all the efforts they've done just to make you happy. I wish I could've realized that sooner…if I did then..."

"Lucy…" He raises his hand to wipe the tears from her face, only to pass through the blonde's face as if it was a transparent wall. "Lucy, what's…w-what's happening?"

The blonde merely gives him a sad smile, stroking his cheek. "It's time, Natsu."

No.

"I have to go now…"

NO.

"I'm sorry but…the deal's done. My favors are done. The debts have been paid. There's nothing I can do anymore but disappear…" The clock strikes twelve, indicating midnight—indicating it was time for Lucy to go. The ghost simply smiles at him again, breaking the hug, and patiently waits while her body slowly, disappears into thin air.

"NO!" Unknowingly, tears begin to form in Natsu's eyes as he grips on to what's left of Lucy's hand, only for it to fall to his side again. "No, you can't. No! Lucy, you can't leave! I…I-I…"

"I'm sorry, Natsu but…I have to…"

"N-no…" Desperate calls were the only thing coming out from Natsu's mouth right now. He felt so weak and pathetic; his body becoming numb, his voice becoming weak. He drops on his knees, looking at Lucy with shaking eyes.

He should've been selfish. He should've just stayed home, or at least, spent the last remaining hours of this day with Lucy, instead. Spending every day, helping people with an annoying but cute ghost by his side didn't seem that troublesome anymore. In fact, he wishes for it to just happen forever if it means Lucy staying with him.

"I'm so proud of you, Natsu. I really am. You did well." Lucy softly says, giving him a peck on the cheek. "You changed. You're not the Natsu I first met anymore. You're a new Natsu. A kinder, cooler, happier, more awesome version…"

"Goodbye, Natsu."

"I'll always love you."

Those were the last words Natsu heard before she disappeared. Memories of an annoying, blonde ghost completely disappearing from his life.

Author's Note: Before you guys curse me for ending the story, I did write 'for now', right? So...um...you guys can just share in a review or something if you still want me to write an epilogue of some sort. Merry Christmas, by the way! If you want an epilogue, I promise I'll make a happy ending!