Just Us

Thirty-Third Meeting

"I would like to schedule an interview for Natsu Dragneel tomorrow at eight...Yes...I'm Lucy Heartfilia, his assistant...Yes...Okay, thank you so much. Alright, bye." Once I was done, I placed the phone down on the desk, and looked up at Natsu who stood in front of me.

He was smiling, but it looked almost mischievous. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He is ready to take vengeance on President Shizuki.

The day before, Natsu and his father, Igneel, discussed the various ways on how to get back on their relative. Some ways were too complicated to accomplish, others were too simple.

That's until Igneel suggested that Natsu should use his fame to expose Igneel. Natsu didn't quite get it at first, and neither did I, until Mira gave him a clue.

So, the next day, which is today, I decided to book Natsu an interview on one of the more famous news/gossip channels. It'll be hard for anyone to avoid, because the press will immediately eat the news up after Natsu's done.

I just hope that this goes as smoothly as I want it to.

That very next day, Natsu and I woke up earlier than usual to get to the interview.

"I wish you luck today, Natsu," I say as we eat breakfast quite hastily at the dinner table.

Natsu smiles at me. He chuckles a bit nervously. I can't blame him - it's an understatement to say I'm freaking out. He takes a small bite out of his toast before saying, "I know I only have one chance to do this...So, this has to go the way I want it to."

I take his hand from across the table. I rub my thumb in circles on the back of his hand reassuringly. "I know this is going to go well. As soon as the media hears one bad thing about Shizuki, they'll make into as much as a scandal as possible - especially since it's coming from his nephew."

Natsu stares at me, his eyes blank. Finally, he nods, determination flashing in his bright eyes. "Right."

Once we finish our breakfast, we quickly get ready for the interview. In the same room, we dress simultaneously.

Because of this, my face heats the moment he takes off his shirt, and his toned stomach shows. He catches me staring and smirks at me. "You still act the same, I see," he teases.

My eyes widen and I look away, embarrassed. "A-anyone would," I mumble. Suddenly, I feel something hit my face, blinding me. I take it off, to see that it's his shirt he was wearing previously.

"You're such a perv," he continues, his smirk getting noticeably bigger.

I gasp, "C-coming from y-you!" My face gets even hotter, and it feels like my whole body is on fire.

He laughs and my heart races. "I would do more…" He stops to connect eyes with me. I gulp. "...But we don't have time to waste." He winks at me suggestively, and I quickly nod, albeit still flustered and...a little turned on.

Geez, how can he get me like this so easily? I'll never be able to understand it.

I watch as he slides his sweatpants down. He's half-naked in front of me with his back to me. I can see all the muscles that he has on his backside. They move and shift as he puts on his shirt.

I gulp before shaking my head. I need to get out of it. I've seen him so many times like this, and even more naked.

So, I go to our shared closet and pick out some dressy clothes that would look nice for a big time interview. After setting them on the bed, I take off my shirt and pants. However, I feel eyes on me, and I turn around.

It's Natsu's turn to stare at me. My face heats almost immediately at the sight of his eyes on my body. "Y-you...mind…?" I stammer, my voice a hush.

"Everytime I see you in your most vulnerable state, it just reminds me of our first night together and how amazing I felt just looking at you," he says, as if trying to be sweet but I just find it weird.

I swiftly throw my shirt at him like how he did to me. But, he grabs it before it makes contact with his face.

He winks at me once again. "Nice one."

"Ugh, just put on your clothes!"

He laughs louder this time, until finally doing so.

Natsu fits into a nice button-up shirt with a blazer, and I almost get weak from the sight of him. So, to match him, I slide on a pencil skirt and a collared shirt. I style my hair so it waves down my back.

Then, after we were both done with designing ourselves for the interview, we walked out of his house and to his car. Throughout the drive, he had his hand on my thigh. I knew just from the stiff way he looked that he was beyond nervous. I have no idea what he's going to say to try to convince the media that Shizuki is bad news. But, I believe that he can do it.

I believe he can finally get revenge.

"Today, we are here with Shizuki Enterprise's own, CEO Natsu Dragneel!" the interviewer introduces.

The audience in the crowds claps and cheers respectably. Natsu bows his head a bit and grins at the cameras.

The interviewer continues, "Thank you so much for coming out here, CEO Dragneel." She smiles at him, her eyes sparkling.

I stand backstage, biting at my fingernails nervously. Please...Let this go well. Please…

"It's an honor to be here, Hiyomi," he responds, smiling at her right back.

Hiyomi, the interviewer, chuckles a bit. "Because of the fact that we don't see you much, I'm going to be asking you a few questions. Is that fine with you, CEO Dragneel?"

He nods. "Anything's fine by me."

Hiyomi claps a bit in excitement. "Excellent!...So, I've heard around that you're one of the youngest CEO's in Magnolia as you're just twenty-five! How does it feel to be a CEO? Is it as stressful as it sounds?"

Natsu thinks for a minute, his eyes dozing off. "Hmm...It can be stressful. I have countless meetings and paperwork to get done at times, and if I don't complete them in the limited time I have, it's not a good sight. But, other than that, I love my job. I've met a lot of amazing and kind people through my job, I've had so many opportunities, and overall...it's been very fun," he answers passionately. I smile a bit.

Hiyomi nods, understanding. "Yes, I feel you. Work can be quite stressful, no matter what profession you have. But, if you love your job, it won't be as bad...Anyway, I've also seen that you went on a business trip to Europe for three months! How was your experience there?"

Natsu chuckled. "I wasn't exactly there to go clubbing, I'll tell you that much." The audience laughs a bit. "I had very serious matters to get done there - such as numerous amounts of paperwork. But, Europe itself is a very beautiful place. The people there are so nice, and the scenery is absolutely stunning. I would go again if I had the chance."

Hiyomi giggles briefly. "I see. You know, I've went to Europe, but only for a week. I wouldn't imagine going for a whole three months! That'll be such a dream, am I right?"

Natsu smiles wryly. "Well, if you ever had the chance, I'd recommend it for longer than just a week."

"I'll take your advice," she replies. "Finally, I'm sure that everyone has wondered this question...Are you currently dating anyone at the moment? I'm sure someone as handsome and intelligent as you has found countless of stunning women, no?"

The audience squeals loudly at the question. I suppose Hiyomi is right - people have wondered if he's dating or not.

Natsu laughs sheepishly. I see his ears get a little pink at the tips, and my heart races at seeing him get nervous.

Hiyomi leans in a bit. It's obvious she's ready to eat up anything he's going to say.

"You see...about that…"

Hiyomi smirks. "Yeeees…?"

"Well, how do I put it…" He trails, scratching the back of his neck. "You see, the President of Shizuki Enterprise actually has a rule about that…"

Hiyomi leans back into her chair. She frowns a bit at realizing that she's not going to get the answer that she wants. "A rule…?"

Natsu nods, his eyes drifting. "Yes. President Shizuki put up a rule a little over a year ago for the company. He says that anyone dating another co-worker in the department will be fired if they are caught."

"So...It even applies to you, seeing as though you are the CEO?" she questions, confused.

"Yes, I am a worker at the company."

"Who would've known…," she says more to herself than to him. "Is there anything else that President Shizuki hides from the public?"

Bullseye.

She asked the perfect question for Natsu to begin his exposition.

Natsu gets the hint and smiles innocently at her. "As a matter of fact, I do."

Hiyomi was surprised to hear that answer. Usually, an employee or whatever the sort would avoid that question in order to not get fired or any other serious trouble. However, Natsu - he just went out and said it. "Will you be willing to share then, CEO Dragneel?"

"I would love to." With that, he shifts a little in his seat to face the camera. His face turns stern, his eyes blank. "Whatever you may think President Shizuki is like, you are wrong."

Hiyomi blinks, confusion written on her forehead.

"President Shizuki is nothing but a demented, sick man who only cares about money. I would know...because I'm his nephew."

The audience looks shocked, their eyes wide, their mouths gaping.

"I've kept that a secret for a very long time because I was afraid of what people would think of me. If people found out what type of man Shizuki is, they may think I'm the same way. Instead, that's not the case…" He stops to take a deep breath, and lets it out. "...Because my parents didn't raise me, Shizuki had to be my guardian. Instead of being the father-figure that he was supposed to be...he abused and punished me."

There were gasps throughout the crowd. Even Hiyomi was shocked beyond words.

"Growing up, I thought I was nothing. I thought no one loved me or cared about me. I thought life was just an empty void full of lies and betrayal. I resented everyone and everything...all because of my uncle's abuse and neglect," he continues, closing his eyes. "Finally, after becoming an adult, I've realized something." He opens his eyes again. "I can surpass my uncle. I can live my own life, without being under my uncle's arms...That is why I am the CEO of Shizuki Enterprise and that is why I work my ass off everyday...just to prove my uncle prove that I am something - that I can become the person I've always wanted to be...Although I'm not yet to be there, I believe that I will become that 'somebody'."

He looks at Hiyomi. She flinches a bit. "And, to answer your previous question, Hiyomi…" He lets out a breath. "Yes...I am dating someone."

Even more gasps.

"I am dating my assistant. I've been in a relationship with her a little after she became my assistant. She is my world - my everything. I love her - I care about her. I would do anything to make her happy." He smiles at her, until turning back to the camera.

"Although I've hated my uncle for a very long time, I can no longer hold back my hatred after what he has done to not only me...but to my lover, as well."

Everyone stays silent. They wait for what he's going to spill next.

"During the time I was in Europe, my lover became pregnant. I came back home the very next day to look after her, and take care of her. However, a couple of weeks later, a co-worker and a close friend of her's gave her medicines for her pregnancy. Of course, it sounds nice of him to do so, but the medicines were laced with poison in order to make my girlfriend have a miscarriage."

"Oh my God…," Hiyomi whispers, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Now, I didn't know about this until she had a miscarriage. We lost our baby, and we never knew the cause. We were in despair for a very long time. We didn't even want to bring up what happened because of how miserable we were."

"How terrible…," she says, shaking her head.

Natsu sighs a bit. "So, my girlfriend went to tell the friend that gave her poison about her miscarriage. Mind you, she didn't know he did such a thing until he told her during her visit. And, the surprising part about all of this is...President Shizuki is the one who made him do it. He made him put the poison in the medicines in order for my lover to have a miscarriage. He's the one who killed our baby! Do you see, everyone?

He stands from his chair, his face red from anger. "Do you see how fucked up this man is?! That he would go so far as to killing our baby to get his way! Now...You may be wondering…" He starts pacing around, the audiences' eyes following him. "...Why am I telling you this…? Why should you care…? Because…I'm sick of people making President Shizuki seem like some sort of legend. He keeps a facade in front of the people he needs to impress, but after that...He's a monster."

After seeing everyone's reactions, I realize that everything is going exactly as planned. I didn't know it would go this well…

"Now, please…" His eyes become pleading and glassy. "Please make this man suffer...Please take my words into consideration. I've had enough...I'm done trying to keep this a secret. I'm done having him over my shoulder...So...Please...Just do this…"

It's silent.

Not one sound emitted from the audience.

Hiyomi quickly says, "And, that's all for the interview! Thank you for tuning in!"

The camera-man behind the scenes yells out, "Cut!", and it's all over.

Hiyomi rushes to Natsu and grabs his hands desperately. "CEO Dragneel...Thank you so much for doing this. I know how hard that must've been. I guarantee you that you'll get your wish, alright? The media will make President Shizuki suffer as much as possible from this - I promise you. Thank you again." She bows respectfully and walks off.

Natsu goes over to me, his eyes still very glassy. Then, when he's in front of me, he immediately takes me in his arms, holding me tight to him. He begins to sob into my neck quietly. I hold him even tighter.

"I'm so happy...th-that it's over...I'm so happy…," he whispers, sobs still coming from his mouth.

I rub his back assuringly. "I know, Natsu...I'm happy too...I'm so glad that we did this - that you did this...I love you…"

He lets out a breath. "Lucy...Thank you...for always being here…"

I smile, digging my face into his shirt.

I'll always be here...Just for you…

a/n: omg...wow...i cant believe it! guys i literally cannot believe that i updated out of nowhere like this LMAO! it's literally been 4 fuckin months since ive last updated, but im proud that i found the motivation to do so :))

so...we're nearing the end...i think the next chapter will be the last chapter? if not, then the chapter after the next. it's still very overwhelming to me that im almost done with this story after nearly 2 years. its been such a wild AND LONG ride, but ive learned a lot of things from this story, and met a lot of amazing people. i cant be more thankful for that so thank you :)))

also i just realized that ive written for this site for 3 years now! what the fuuuuckkk that's such a long time, i started writing on this site when i was like 11 in 6th grade! ive grown so much, and im almost 15, and nearly a sophomore in high school. time flies and it's fucking crazy how much ive evolved as a person.

anywayssss enough of that sappy shit - i have a wattpad and an instagram. of course im not posting on wattpad as of rn but i will soon, so if you want to follow me, my is etheralpink. as for my instagram it is also etheralpink. it'll be greatly appreciated if you follow both of them! :DD

so...i suppose that's it. idk the next time i'll be updating, so please dont get your hopes up lmao. im very busy these days and really stressed, so it will take me a while. but i will be back so please wait for me! i love you so very much - thank you for sticking around for so damn long lol and i'll see you all laterrrrr! :DDD