Chapter 36
The sudden fall of the flower stands that stood on each side of the chairs, separating the aisle from the guests's chairs, made everyone gasp in shock. They looked the person who caused the sudden commotion at the sudden stop of the wedding.
It was Jiemma.
His hands are clenched into tight balls and teeth are gritted. "Are you telling me this wedding will be called off?!" He spat on Natsu's face.
He smirked. "What if I say yes?"
Jiemma wasn't able to hild himself and walked a few steps towards Natsu with an accusing pointer finger towards Natsu. "You..!" He stopped and tried to calm himself. He then turned to Lucy and smiled viscously. "So you're telling me you chose this man over the Heartfilia Group?"
Lucy was quite taken aback. She can't say anything. She was speechless and above all was shaking. What if she say yes? The Board members are here and they too is against her taking Natsu as her partner. There are a lot of people who'll be a witness to her answer. And if she does so choose the company, what would Natsu feel? Will he be mad at her for choosing the company over him?
But the thought of Lisanna and him kissing made a knot on her stomach. She balled her fists at the thought. That's one reasons she was able to come down to this decision of choosing the company, getting married to a person she doesn't even love and keep all the hatred and sadness all to herself.
She looked at Natsu. Not aware of the tears coming down her eyes. She could see his eyes full of worry, fright and terror. What was he afraid of? He barged into this wedding, but what for? He had her now. He played with her heart. Making her believe that he actually had special feelings for her, he made her decide to choose him over the deceased Dragneel. She even ignore the guilt feelings she's having for Natsu Dragneel.. But the thought of him with another woman made her feel that the pumping of blood in her heart stops. She felt the lack of oxygen and breathing became a struggle. Even after everything, she still wanted him. She needs him. Her thoughts are in chaos. Natsu Dragneel was the only person she ever loved, but this Natsu—Pinky.. How come he had this effect on her? She had locked her heart away with no thought of looking for it And have it back. Of course, she has come to the point that she had fallen for him. Hard. Maybe if he's Natsu Dragneel then this wouldn't be happening. Natsu would know what to do. She would have him. He must have been a good successor even though in their younger years he showed no interest of running the company, she knew he had the skills. And just having him beside her made her feel that she can do anything. But, he isn't.
Natsu Dragneel is long gone.
And the company.. It's the most important thing for her right now. Nothing else. She would do anything for it. Still, this Pinky. It made her heart beat once more. She smiled genuinely as Gramps told her back when she arrived from Tenrou. He was able to change her, and together with the whole gang, she felt like she's living once again.
"I —"
"Don't tell me you're going against your father's last wishes?" Jiemma interjected before Lucy could say anything.
"Shut up!" Natsu shouted as to everyone's surprise. "She'll run her life the way she wanted to." He looked at her. "Luce, I don't care if it's.. not me you want to be with or whomever it is. After everything, I wouldn't be surprise if you won't listen to me or even look at me in the eyes. But I'll get in the way if you dumbly follow anyone's orders without you being happy about it. I-I didn't come here for myself, like take you as I leave. Live happily ever after and whatever. I came here for you, I'll support any decision you might come up with." He smiled warmly at her. "I just wanted to check if you're okay with this. That's the only reason why I'm here, I guess. You know what I felt and I still hold on to that promise in Tenrou, when we arrived at the airport.. Everything is true."
Lucy on the other hand looked surprise. She wiped her tears with her white wedding gloves. Looking at Natsu, she must have gone a long way since the day she met him. She almost and completely forget about Natsu Dragneel and all the sorrows of losing the family she knew because of the happiness he delivered in her life.
"So.. Lucy, what do you choose? Is it to continue with the wedding?" Jiemma asked smiling slyly. "Be a good daughter and fulfill your father's last wishes or be a bad one who'll turn up against him?" He is actually in a win-win situation here. Either way he'll have the company all to himself. He chuckled at the thought.
"I.. I would like to have the company.." She said softly but everyone heard it. Jiemma smirked in victory. Natsu was crashed inside, but he managed to smile at her weakly when she was looking his way.
Natsu shrugged defeated. A slightly disappinted but happy smile was on his lips, giving Lucy a sign that he accepts her decision with all of his heart. "Okay the—"
"But, Natsu I love you." Lucy tightened her hand in her dress. She bit her lower lip feeling everyone's stare on her. She felt relieve to have let her feelings out. Inhaling deeply, she felt like she's now able to do anything. "I would love to have you beside me, Pinky." Natsu's eyes widen a small smile grazed his lips and there was a glint in his eyes saying he was shocked and was happy at the same time.
"So, it shows that you chose that man over the company." Jiemma said. A small smile still lingered on his lips. "Now, the co—"
"Actually, Lucy, you don't have to choose." A voice said at the end of the aisle. Standing by the doors is a tall figure leaning against one of the walls near it. Everyone looked his way.
"Rogue!" Yukino smiled as she called for his name.
"Rogue.." Sting mumbles sitting up at the fall with Yukino supporting him.
The said guy walked inside with a sly smile on his face. "What happened to that? Someone took you down for a change?" Rogue said walking towards Sting and Yukino. He chuckled lightly.
"Shut up."
There is a woman walking behind him, following him shyly. Jiemma's eyes widen as she approached the altar together with Rogue. She hid behind him as Jiemma's glaring eyes bore into her. As they neared the altar Natsu spoke.
"What do you mean she doesn't need to choose?"
Rogue stopped. "This lady here, witnessed everything. She was with Jiemma and Lucy's father during Jude's last moments."
"What are you talking about? What does she have to do with this?" Natsu asked.
"The will." Lucy mumbled. She walked towards the lady and Rogue. "What's the meaning of all of this?"
The lady with glasses and purple hair bowed down on her as Lucy came near her. "I'm Kinana. I am new in the hospital but I was assigned to look after your father that day because the head nurse was called in the emergency room." She breathed deeply. "It was night when Mr. Jiemma arrived at Mr. Heartfilia's room. He asked me to leave but I was not allowed to leave the room and so Mr. Heartfilia asked me to stay inside but close the curtain separating his bed from the whole room.. They were talking about business and soon they came down to your father's last will. I heard everything. Mr. Heartfilia's message to you." Kinana looked at Lucy. "Mr. Heartfilia signed a blank piece of—"
"Arrest that fraud!" Jiemma shouted in anger.
Soon enough a number of guards surrounded them. Rogue shoved Kinana behind him, protectively. It's not that there's something special going on but he chose to protect the truth.
"Put all your weapons down!" Lucy commanded the men in white long-sleeved shirt. They slowly and hesitantly put it down as ordered by Lucy.
"Who said you'll follow her order?" Jiemma said. "I am the CEO, you should be following my orders. Arrest that nurse!"
Lucy got in the way and stopped the guards on their way to cease the girl. Natsu immediately readied himself to protect Lucy, and get inside the circle, but she spoke and the tone in her voice made him stop.
"I am a Heartfilia, by blood. I own the company and I don't just have a position in it, I basically own it! So go back to your places." The guards looked at each other but followed Lucy's orders.
Natsu smirked. "That's my girl."
There is a tinge of red coming up from Lucy neck painting her cheeks and she pouted and glared at Natsu, which made the guy chuckle. She turned to the nurse. "Please continue Ms. Kinana."
"Well your father signed a blank paper saying that Mr. Jiemma should write everything he had told him. Because what your father said that time, is your father's true will." Kinana finished.
"What was in the will?" Bob asked suddenly getting involved in the whole conversation.
"As I remembered it correctly, he was entrusting the whole company in her daughter's hands. He told him to convince the Board that Lucy is now skillful enough to manage the company and that Ms. Heartfilia should find the lost Dragneel."
Lucy's hands reached her mouth. "W-W.."
Natsu stiffened on where he stood. How did Jude Heartfilia knew about his existence?
"Lost Dragneel?" asked some of the Board members. They were muttering incoherent words all by themselves. "Is it the son? Who?"
"If that's true then, the lost Dragneel must be the owner of half of the company." Said another Board member.
"That's true. The Dragneels are the chosen partner of Jude back then." Agreed by another member. "But who is it of the Dragneels that survived?"
"What are you talking about?" Rogue asked as he turned around to face the girl. "What lost Dragneel? They've been dead for so long, how come..?"
"I.. I didn't know. Because after that Mr. Heartfilia suddenly had an attack." Explained Kinana.
"Cease that guy for altering the will!" Makarov ordered the guards pointing at Jiemma. He too was in a shock state.
The guards held Jiemma in cuffs in front of Makarov. "Did you investigate about the lost Dragneel already?"
Jiemma chuckled. "I don't know.."
"Tell it already or your sentence will get worse!" Makarov raged.
"I've started since I heard there is one, who survived." Lucy strained her ears to hear their conversation. "And so far, I haven't had evidence but I know, I'm close." He smiled. "He's close." Jiemma whispered and laughed.
Makarov gritted his teeth and ordered the guards. "Take him away!"
Jiemma has always known that Natsu Dragneel was still alive and was in fact looking for him secretly since the day he met Natsu of Fairy Law. Soon, he gave up not able to find anything but when he got the will and the message from Jude that there actually is one Dragneel who survived, he widened the search. He didn't really know if it was the son, but he didn't bother thinking who it was. He just assumed it was the son who survived for his parents would always look after their son first.
"Someone survived?" Lucy asked Makarov as she walked towards him.
Makarov sighed. "Apparently, there is."
Lucy felt dizzy and weak. Suddenly she felt the energy coming out of her all at once. When she was about to fall Natsu caught her. His arm around her shoulder and another circling around her waist.
"Lucy..!" Makarov panicked but felt relief wash over him as Natsu caught her before she fall on the rock hard floor. Their eyes met and an agreement was made. Natsu nodded. "Bring her back to the hotel, I'll take care of the things here. And never take your eyes off her, never leave her side." He warned.
Natsu didn't need more explanation. He knew exactly what he meant. Now that the news of a lost Dragneel being alive became known to everyone, it will be really dangerous. Especially Lucy. She'll be in real danger because the master mind of the 'Dragneel Incident' back then would know where that lost Dragneel will be going to first. So Natsu, needs to protect her at all cost. He carried Lucy back to where the helicopter has dropped them. He could see Gray sitting at the floor of the chopper, his feet dangled at the high step of the helicopter.
Gray looked up and saw Natsu rapidly nearing them with an unconscious Lucy on his arms. He smirked. "I didn't know you'd be too desperate."
Natsu walked pass him and into the chopper. He situated Lucy on a seat next to him, puts seatbelt on her and let her head fall on his shoulder as he holds her hand firmly. Gray followed them and sat in front of them. "Let's go back to the hotel." He asked Erza who was now on the pilot's seat.
Erza didn't need to be told twice. She nodded her head and started to press some buttons and in less than 5 minutes they were flying. Erza was looking back at them from time to time. She doesn't usually take orders but when she saw Natsu's face she couldn't help but just do what he asked her to.
"What happened?" Gray asked finally wasn't able to hold back his curiosity. "Where's Yukino?"
It took Natsu a few seconds before he answered. "I must protect Lucy at any cost." He clenched his fists, the one not holding Lucy's hand.
"What?! I don't understand. Tell us what happened? Did sh—" He didn't even notice that Natsu didn't answer his questions.
"She was choosing me, I think, though half of me doesn't want her to choose me. I still can't believe she did.." He is smiling while he's narrating but it left his lips. "It was like that until Rogue came and brought the nurse who knew the true will of Jude. And like that the wedding was cancelled and Lucy got the company back." He stopped. "But the nurse said one more thing, Jude had been investigating about the lost Dragneel."
Gray's eyes widen. Erza gasped and almost got the chopper rotating. "Sorry!" She shouted back at them.
"H-How?" Gray stuttered.
"I don't know. Jiemma knew it too and had his investigations going on since the day he's given the will." Natsu lowered his head in defeat.
"Lucy? Does she..?" Erza asked out of curiosity. Natsu shook his head. "Then, why is she unconscious?!"
"She must be too shock. Her father's will was altered and now a news of a lost Dragneel came.." Natsu sighed.
"Plus, she confessed to you too." Gray teased.
"How'd you know that?!" Natsu asked shouting. A tinge of red painting his cheeks.
Gray smirked a d crossed his arms across his chest. "We're there from the start but we left after the confession. We know where it would lead to, but the lost Dragneel.."
"Yeah.."
"What will happen now?"
They reached the hotel and Lucy was sleeping the whole time. The Band Battle must have ended because the hotel was back to its original look when it doesn't have any event. Like any ordinary day, but for them today wasn't that type of day. A lot of revelations became known to them and the fact that Lucy could live by her own decisions and running the company is the best news they had so far.
Natsu laid Lucy on his bed for now at the Fairy Law HQ. He tucked her under his warm comforter and tucked a stray of her hair behind her ears. "Luce.." He stared at her face. It was more at peace now. She must have gone through so much. Natsu remembered the time when they were playing by the beach and Lucy was smiling from ear to ear.
It was that time when they were making sand castles and she just out done what he was building. He's never good at building things even from the start.
"I'm better than you! I knew it!" Lucy said laughing in front of him with her hands on her hips, smiling proudly.
Natsu was still sitting on the ground trying to build his 'manly' castle. "I'm better than you are in many ways! You're just good at sand castle making!" He stood and pouted.
"Just admit it Natsu. I'm always better than you." Lucy said crossing her arms across her chest. "You're still wetting on your bed how could you be better than me?!" She mocked.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Let's just brawl! Fight me!"
Lucy was taken aback and took a few steps back in fright of Natsu's challenge. She tumbled on her legs and fell on the ground. Tears started to pool her eyes threatening to fall. "Nats.."
She wasn't able to finish his name because he has lounge himself on top of her tickling her sides. "So you can beat me huh?!" Natsu mocked tickling her sides. Lucy was pushing him with all her might as she can't stop herself from laughing really hard.
"Na-Nat.. Su! Stop! Can't.. Breathe.." She managed to say.
He chuckled at the thought. He wanted to see more of those smiles, hear more of those laugh.
"Natsu, the lady says she gave up." Said a soft voice on their side.
"But mom she just said she's just having a hard time on breathing.." Natsu whined and continued to torture Lucy with his tickles.
"Natsu, we asked you to protect Lucy not make her suffer." Said another voice sitting on their side.
Little Natsu then stiffened and stopped. Lucy sat up from the floor of sand and tried to regain her normal breathing. She smacked his head. "I told you I can't breathe, not having a hard time breathing!"
A lady with long red hair reached a hand towards Natsu and he grabbed it. He stood in front of the sitting lady With regret on his face. She brushed the sand particles on his face and brushed his hair up. "A lady is a lady Natsu. You should know there's a tad bit difference between what she needs and what you need. Lucy will be a lady soon so you should practice acting towards a lady with her. What are you going to do now?"
"Be a gentleman. Yeah. Yeah." He frowned.
"So scout Natsu, I'm giving you an assignment! Listen up!" Said the woman now in a commanding tone. Natsu immediately stood straight and saluted. "I want you to take care of Lucy from now on."
"Sir, yes ma'am!" Natsu shouted still saluting.
"Very good, son." And he was engulfed in a tight hug.
Back at the room Natsu stiffened. He remembered something. He remembered his mom. He remembered small Lucy.
He remembered a little. Well, even if it's small.. It's a start. He smiled and held her hands between his. "Luce.." He whispered.