"Back again?"
Looking up from the book I was reading in my hand, I find Nab's friendly smile beam through the thick beard that surrounds his mouth. He continues to smile while he scoops up and heaves a good amount of hay into Penelope's stable with his pitchfork.
Nodding, I walk past the male towards the back of the stables where large bales of hay are stacked over one another taking over more than half of the storage space. I find a stool tucked in between two stacks of hay and take a seat on the low chair while placing my book on top one of the bales before leaning back on the prickly hay behind me. I then pull my shawl tighter around my shoulders and front before tucking my hands under my arms to keep them warm against the chilled air that fills the drafty room. All the while Nab continues to go about tending to the horses and cleaning without pause while whistling a tune that comforts me.
The male doesn't bother to ask me any questions like what it was that I was doing spending my lunch in the stables and not with the children. He doesn't ask if there is something wrong or prods for other information. He hasn't asked a single question since I started spending my lunches here for the past few days.
It's the only place I feel safe after finding out that Jose was within the castle.
I am not hiding because I'm afraid that Jose is still within the castle walls. On the contrary, he has been gone for two days now. He had left the same day he arrived which was all the better to discover when I had returned from town with the children, Erza, and Jellal – an escape that had been suggested by both Gray and Gajeel.
Truthfully, I've mostly been spending my lunches here to avoid Natsu. Especially since he's been having lunch with us for the past two days and it has become increasingly uncomfortable to be around him. Mostly because he tends to throw me wounded puppy dog eyes that pull at my heartstrings but also sours my mood. It's as if the cycle of push and pull were starting up again between us.
Will you leave if I say I don't love you?
The question from that night leaves my eyes burning while the warmth of anger constricts my chest.
It repeats and repeats in a never-ending loop inside my head, taunting. A bothersome song that makes fun of my broken heart as well as the fact that I can't leave to get away from the humiliation I have put myself through. Not when I promised him that I would never leave. Not when I had promised myself that I would never go against my word ever again.
"Have you had lunch yet?" Nab asks as he makes his way back towards me from where he stores his supplies. He doesn't seem to notice my internal struggle as I try to reign in my erratic emotions while I remain leaning back on the bale of hay that has become my backrest as I stare up at the dark wooden ceiling of the stable.
"Mirajane made stew," I respond without really giving the male an actual answer. He still doesn't question me as his face lights up.
"Stew?" the male asks while perking up with the mention of the food being served, "Mirajane's stew is the best! Do you mind looking over the stables a bit while I go and get some?" he then asks, and I nod before he trudges out the door and into the snow without another word.
Once Nab is gone, I can feel myself settle down a bit as I wrap the shawls I've been wearing tighter around my shoulders.
I can feel myself relax with the background noises of grunting horses and the sweet smell of hay. I let the peace of my surroundings lull me into a calm meditative state.
Chapter 50 - Burning Revelations
POV: Lucy
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
I don't know how long I stay in the stables, but before I know it I can hear the children squealing in peals of joy outside of the stables. Their laughter is contagious that leaves me smiling and feeling a bit lighter knowing that they have nothing to fear. That their life, though at times chaotic, is good and that they don't suffer the way their father and I have.
Putting down my book that I had picked up again a while ago to continue reading, I listen closely to the sound of their laughter. The muffled crunch of the snow tells me that they are running. Probably throwing snowballs at one another or at whoever is supposed to be watching them while I sit nearly hidden around the bales of hay stacked around me. I'm tempted to leave my little corner of silence, but I'm not yet ready to go out and have the remnants of my energy be sapped by the children's antics.
I love them, but sometimes I need just a good hour away from them to recuperate some strength and energy.
While I listen carefully to the noise of the children running around outside in the snow, I don't notice the quiet footsteps making their way towards me. Especially since I have my eyes closed so that I can listen to the children better without any visual distractions. Mostly because I don't want the children to run into the stables and discover my new hiding spot that I now use in lieu of the astronomy tower which has been overrun by the two-evil spawn. I'm in no mood of searching for a new hiding spot any time soon.
"So this is where you've been hiding," a somber voice gently says making me jump and turn towards where the voice had come from.
Dark eyes stare into my own when I open my eyes. They are so close that I can't help but yelp from the proximity of the male's face. This causes me to crash into the stacked bales of hay behind me while dropping my book on the male's foot.
Natsu winces from the impact, especially since I had been reading a rather large tome, and jumps on his right foot while clutching his left with his hands.
"Your majesty! I'm so sorry!" I apologize frantically as the male drops down on the pile of hay to my right so that he can nurse his injured foot.
"Don't be," Natsu waves me away as I reach out for his foot without thinking, "It doesn't hurt that bad."
"You are a terrible liar," I say as I lift up my book from the ground and dusting any clinging hay and dirt off of it. Levy would kill me if she saw any of the books in disarray.
"You calling me a liar Miss Ashley?" the male challenges while a teasing smirk graces his lips. An action that leaves the corners of my mouth twitching in response.
I want to give my own playful retort, but my mood quickly sobers when his words from the last time we were alone like this were spoken.
Will you leave if I say I don't love you?
I don't love you…
"Hardly," I answer, my words almost a whisper that evaporates in the chilled air around us, "I should be getting back to the children," I then say before moving to stand up and the male winces as if I had struck him.
"They're fine," Natsu hurriedly says while grabbing a hold of my arm while preventing me from standing up from my seat, "Grey is watching them for a bit."
"Grey? You do remember that the last time Grey watched over them he was taken captive, bound, and shoved into a pantry, right?" I ask, skeptical that the children would obey the male after what they had done to him that time that Natsu had been sick on Tenrou Island.
"He'll be ok," Natsu shrugs, amusingly unworried, but he grows serious once again as he looks down at where his hand is grabbing my arm. Just above my elbow and with enough force to keep me from leaving, but gentle enough that he isn't hurting me.
Natsu remains quiet for a few short beats and the only thing I can hear is the children playing outside and the occasional grunt from the nearby horses. The pink-haired male's hand warms me and I want nothing more than embrace him so that the rest of me could be warmed up by his natural heat, but I keep my ground.
I had made the choice to stop pursuing him after all.
"Your maj…"
"I need to talk to you," Natsu cuts me off while finally looking up at me. The urgency in his eyes alarming me as I stare at him curiously.
What else was there to talk about? Why drag this situation any further?
But even as I think that I can't help but patiently wait for what he has to say. Hopeful that he might have changed his mind. That he was now going to give me a proper answer.
Natsu remains silent for a few minutes. All the while he remains holding my arm, his own trembling, as his eyes are fixated on where his fingers continue to curl around my arm.
Outside, I can still hear the children laughing and running around in the snow. I can also occasionally hear Gray's own laughter echo through the walls with the cold wind blowing into the building dragging all the other noises within the building towards us. The wind also brings in the cold smell of wood and hay as well as the musty natural smell of the horses. Still, Natsu remains frozen as he seems to be gathering his thoughts for what he wants to speak to me about.
"I'm sorry," are the words he finally says after such a long pause of silence and I want nothing more for him to explain what it was that he was sorry for, but I remain quiet. I wait for him to finally look up as he releases his hold on my arm and lets his hand drop so that he is now holding onto my freezing gloved hand.
He grows quiet again and looks as if he were having an internal way with himself. I can only imagine what it is that he is thinking, and against everything I had said about ending what was going on between us I can't help but lift from my seat and sit beside him on the bale of hay.
Our legs are pressed against each other as I take both his hands in my own and the action seems to settle him a bit as he sighs heavily. He then clutches my hands back and rubs his thumb over the back of my right hand right over my scar that tingles from the warmth of his hand as I patiently wait for him to finally speak.
"Lucille… I… I'm afraid," Natsu forces out while once again avoiding my gaze as I squeeze his hand encouragingly, "I'm afraid and I don't know why," He continues, his voice quivering with every word he speaks.
"I never knew the Dragon King feared anything," I joke, but when he doesn't respond with a laugh of his own I can't help but ask, "What is it that you're afraid of?"
He opens his mouth to answer, but hesitates before looking me straight in the eye and saying, "You," in such a brusque way that his voice cracks.
I'm taken aback by his statement of fearing me, and he doesn't seem all that fazed when I lean back and shoot him a confused look.
"Me?" I ask and he nods slowly, his piercing eyes still glued to my own with a growing determination burning like coals against the dark obsidian, "But… why?"
"Because… because you want me to love you back. You want me to return your feelings," he states, finally releasing his gaze on me as if he were ashamed at what he was saying.
"I never wanted to force you into anything," I reason while feeling my own heart begin to crumble because he was going to say the words I had been hoping he wouldn't have to say, "I just wanted to know your intentions and your feelings, given how your actions have been seeming to be telling me things that I probably looked too deeply into," I explain, hating how my voice seemed to quiver and grow even more silent with every word I spoke, "But I understand now. You were confused with your feelings for me, and your heart remains with your wife. You loved her, after all, and that love could not be replaced with a silly governess such as myself…"
"Stop it," Natsu demands in such an angered tone that he makes me jump when his hands are suddenly holding my face while angered eyes look into my own, "Stop it," he repeats while swiping my cheek with his thumb, and it is at that moment that I realize that I am crying.
Why am I crying?
"You're right, I love Lisanna and I don't think I'll ever stop loving her. She was my best friend, my wife, and the mother of my children. She was my world, but she was the one who taught me to not dwell on the past. To not let it drag me down and to only move forward." Natsu's voice wavers, but his hands don't even tremble as he continues to hold my face with such a gentle touch, "I'll always love her, but… but my heart is learning to love again."
Natsu swipes his thumb over my cheek again while giving me the smallest but most sincere smile that warms my toes. I can't help but cry even more when he leans his face forward so that our foreheads are touching in that soothing way he's always done since we were kids. I can't help but lean into his touch.
"I'm sorry that I yelled at you the other day," Natsu whispers, his warm breath fanning down over my face, "I want nothing more than to tell you everything that I feel, but it feels that if I tell you the truth you'll disappear again… but I don't know what that means," Natsu grunts in frustration as he pulls back again so that we're face to face, "Every time I get closer to you, every time I see you I want nothing more than to hold you and never let you go, but I get ceased with a fear that I can't explain or understand… Why do I feel this way towards you Lucille? Why can't I tell you how I feel about you? Why does it feel like I know you?"
Because your subconscious remembers the pain I made you go through.
The reason that he is pushing me away is because of what I did to him. It's all my fault!
Bracing myself, I grab a hold of Natsu's hands and slowly remove them from my face. I steel myself because I've had enough of the lying and sneaking around. I'm tired of the continuous pain I kept putting the male through…
I was going to tell Natsu the truth, even if it meant that he would forever hate me.
"I need to tell you something…" I tell the male when he shoots me a questioning look, but there is nothing else I get to say when his attention drags his eyes away from me towards something behind me.
Wondering if it is the children or Gray, I turn to look when I am suddenly frozen in place from the unwelcomed intruder.
"My my, what a romantic sight this is," the low voice of Jose Porla sneers as he stands a few feet away from us, his smile wide and wicked.
The very smile that still haunts my dreams.
My head begins to swirl at the sight of the personification of my nightmares. The monster that has tortured me time and time again. The very being that I am supposed to be hiding from.
"Jose, you're back!" Natsu perks up as he stands so that he can go and welcome the intruder whose austere smile causes me to stand so that I can stop the unknowing male from getting any closer to the monster, "I thought you had already left for Oak Town… Lucille, what's wrong?" The male t addresses the villain before looking down at me, worried, as I cling to his arm without tearing my gaze from the still smirking man before us.
"Those were my plans, yes, but I decided to return. I just couldn't get the thought out of my head that I was unable to meet the very woman who has bewitched you," The male sneers as he looks over towards me, the threat in his eyes apparent to my eyes alone. "And must I say that you have wonderful taste my boy. Far better than your previous bride, may her soul rest eternally."
Chuckling, almost in a pained manner, Natsu shakes his head as he smiles at the older male, "You know that isn't something to joke about Jose," He then tells the male who cocks his head, his blood-curdling smile never once faltering.
"Forgive me my boy, I was only teasing," Jose then chuckles, and I can't help to notice that with every word exchanged Jose's lackeys seem to be slowly surrounding us.
The unsuspecting king doesn't even notice, and I have no way of telling him what is happening. That Jose is not here for a simple heart-to-heart conversation, but here to take me away. Apparently, by any means necessary.
Gripping Natsu's arm tighter, I press into his back while attempting to hide from Jose's view which only causes the older male's smile to deepen almost sadistically. He's thriving off my fear and Natsu's unsuspecting nature, and that only causes my heart to jump when Natsu pulls me so that I'm no longer hiding behind me.
"Lucille Ashley, I want you to meet Count Jose Porla," the pinkette says while continuing to pull me around him and I am too numb to fight as I keep my eyes trained on the burgundy-haired male.
"Auch ante," Jose greets while taking my hand to kiss it as he bows respectfully. I simply pull my hand away from his as my breathing quickens, my heart hammering in my chest like a frightened rabbit's. A rabbit who is staring into death's eyes.
"Jose has been like a second father to me. Always watching out for me and supporting me when no other royal would. I probably wouldn't have taken the crown had it not been for his insistence," Natsu says, the proud glint in his eyes disgusting and leaving me wanting to puke.
"You shouldn't trust him," I blurt, instantly regretting my words when both males whip their heads to look at me. Natsu's looking confused, and Jose's looking annoyed.
Barely noticing my apparent fear, Natsu wraps his arm around my waist and holding me close as if trying to comfort me. He tries to get me to look at him, but I'm afraid that if I look away from Jose he'll attack us and I need to be alert when Natsu is so blinded by the male's apparent malice.
"What a deceptive little thing," Jose sighs while watching us, looking amused to say the least, "You should really watch out with this one my boy. She has the face of a heartbreaker and a liar. She'll ruin you before you even realize it."
"What are you saying?" Natsu asks as he tenses up, clearly growing irritated with Jose's cryptic words, "What is the meaning of this?" the male then asks when he finally realizes that we've been cornered. Any means of escape gone, "Jose, explain yourself!"
"Tut-tut my boy, didn't I raise you better than to raise your voice at your elders," Jose croons as he wags a finger at Natsu who shifts so that he's slightly covering me with his body. "Fear not my dear boy. Nothing will happen so long as you do as I say," Jose instructs while his face morphs into a stern expression, as if he were scolding a child rather than the king of a powerful nation.
Where were the knights when you needed them?
Clutching onto Natsu's coat, I try to see if I can find a situation to get out of this ordeal, but there seems to be no escape. It has also been quiet outside for a while which means that Gray must have taken the children back to the castle. There is also the fact that Nab would not be back for a while. Not when Mirajane's cooking would keep him occupied for a good hour.
There was no one who could come out to help us.
Without us even realizing it, two of Jose's lackeys jump at us and separate us. The tall thin male I recognize as Sol holds me down, his monocle-clad eye glaring down at me victoriously. On the other side, Natsu his held back by both Aria and Totomaru. However, it isn't long before Natsu is able to get out of their grip by fighting them off with ease.
Once he is free and his captors are left groaning on the ground, Natsu turns to charge towards Sol and I, but freezes when the thin male brandishes a knife that he presses against my neck.
I squeak from the cold metal of the blade pressed against my neck, fearful that with any wrong move Sol would slice open my neck. I know that it is not a real possibility, given that Jose clearly wants me alive, but Natsu doesn't know that. For that reason alone he remains fuming in the tight circle that surrounds him as he glares over at Jose who beams with a triumphant smile on his face.
"What is the meaning of this Jose?" Natsu growls, his face warped from his anger with his nose flared up in the building rage, "Why are you doing this? I thought we were family?!"
Scoffing, Jose shakes his head as his face morphs into an expression of disgust, "We were never family. In fact, I have hated your guts since the day I first met you all those years ago. What a fool Igneel was at adopting such trash as yourself, but I guess you being adopted came in handy. I was able to manipulate you all these years after all."
Struck silent, Natsu watches Jose with heartbreaking confusion as the older male slowly makes his way towards me.
"Hello my dear. Did you miss me?" Jose then asks, his face only a few inches away as he takes a hold of my chin forcefully causing me to cry out in pain.
"Leave her alone!" Natsu yells, but remains standing where he is when Jose's other lackeys brandish their swords and point them towards him to keep him still, "Jose, I swear if you put another finger on her I'll…"
"Come now boy, don't make me laugh. Given your disadvantage in this current situation you shouldn't be foolish enough to be making threats. You have no power here your majesty."
All around us, all of the surrounding henchmen laugh along with the gloating male who straightens up while twirling a few strands of my hair in between his fingers. This only seems to anger Natsu more who growls menacingly at our captor, but doesn't make a move for fear that something might happen to me.
"Fear not my boy, we'll be out of your hair soon. I simply came here today to retrieve what belongs to me. Isn't that right, my dear Heartfilia?"
Jose sneers at me, the vile look in his eye gleaming with an excitement that leaves a chill running down my spine as I freeze from the sound of my family name. Hearing him address me by that name left me sick to my stomach.
"Heartfilia?" Natsu asks, clearly dumbstruck from the mention of the family he seems to hate more than anyone in the world, "I thought Jude and his daughter were back in Magnolia?" Natsu then asks as he tries to make sense of what was going on and what Jose was implying.
Cackling, "No, no my boy, they've been missing for a whole year. Neither the Duke nor the Duchess have been spotted in the town for months. Not since their house burned down, a work of art that I am still very proud of, mind you."
Natsu is taken aback by the confession, as if he couldn't bring himself to believe what the man was telling him.
"So Loke was right, you did burn down the Heartfilia Manor," Natsu realizes, sounding as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
"Amongst other things," the older male simply shrugs, "Although, I must say that my best work has been tricking you into thinking that a lot of the bad things going on around the kingdom had to do with Jude and his family," the male laughs maliciously along with all of his goons, "Really played you for a fool, but I must say, I have not been the only one…"
"What do you mean?" Natsu asks, panic seeming to overtake his shivering body as the burning rage he is holding back causes his eyes to almost light up.
Tilting his head, Jose frowns as if he is disappointed with the king's reaction. However, when he turns to look at me and notices my own hesitation, he seems to put two-and-two together, "So you haven't realized it yet," Jose notes. Clearly talking to Natsu rather than me, "Of course, you never did meet her, so it's understandable that you wouldn't recognize her."
Looking back at Natsu, the pink-haired male gives the count a confused look, "What are you talking about."
"Oh, nothing much. Just the fact that the Duchess Heartfilia has been hiding right under your nose when we all thought she had disappeared along with her father." Jose turns to look at me, and with a smug smile asks, "Haven't you, Lady Lucy Heartfilia?"
Keeping my mouth tightly shut, I turn to look at Natsu over Jose's shoulder who stares back at me with uncertainty painted over his face. It's almost like he can't process the information that has been revealed to him, but somehow it seems to make sense to him.
"Luce…" Natsu starts, but he is quickly cut off when Aria hit him in the back of the head effectively knocking the male out.
Natsu drops to the ground facedown while all of Jose's goons laugh from the display.
"NATSU!" I cry out as I try to lunge towards the unconscious king.
As thin and frail looking as the green-haired male named Sol appears, he is surprisingly strong. That much I realize when I try to lunge for the fallen king only to be held back by the unwavering grip of the male still holding me down. All I can do is watch as Natsu lays on the ground without moving a single muscle. A feat that strikes panic into my heart, especially once I realize that there's a patch of blood peeking through the male's pink locks.
Gripping my chin with a bruising force, Jose pulls my face so that I'm forced to look at him as he smiles victoriously down at me.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you my dear," the male croons before forcefully kissing me. His grip on my chin tightens when I try to pull away causing me to cry out. I don't even realize that Sol isn't holding onto me any more until Jose pulls away and throws me on the ground, "Come now men, we've got what we came for. It would be better for us to leave before the knights realize that their king has gone missing."
Around me, Jose's men shuffle about ready to move out of the stables. Next to me, however, Natsu remains on the ground unconscious but breathing. I shuffle towards the male and touch the back of his head where blood stains the tips of my fingers causing my heart to cease. I needed to find a way to get help for Natsu, but before I can formulate a plan I am pulled back by my hair as Totomaru glares down at me looking irritated.
"Didn't you hear? The boss said it's time to go," the male growls before forcing me to my feet by pulling even harder on my hair.
Crying out from the pain of feeling my hair being pulled out of its roots, I try to fight off the male as another one of Jose's henchmen comes forward to bind my arms behind my back. Still, I continue to try to fight off my captors, and even manage to hit my head back against Totomaru's face, when I am suddenly swept up and thrown over Aria's massive shoulder.
"Let go of me!" I scream at the top of my lungs, but I'm ignored as Aria continues to make his way towards the entrance of the stables. Meanwhile, Totomaru seems to stay back as he stares down at the unconscious king with a pensive look on his face.
Once we're out in the open, Aria turns to his right to follow the group as they make their way into the forest that is immediately behind the stables. That way, if anyone from the castle were to look out through the window they would not be able to spot us. The perfect plan for a perfect getaway.
Looking around, hoping that someone from the castle, possibly Nab, I notice a heap of white and black nearly hidden between the stables and the forest. It doesn't take long for me to realize that the heap is a body and that body belongs to none other than Gray. Gray, the person who was supposed to be watching over the children…
The sound of the frantic horses drags my attention away from the fallen knight and back towards the stables where Totomaru was making his way out. At first I thought that there was nothing wrong, but it wasn't long before I noticed the thick cloud of smoke making its way out from the stables. Smoke that meant that a fire had been started within the wooden building. A fire that would consume the unconscious male who was still trapped inside and abandoned on the ground.
If Natsu didn't get out of there he was going to die… just like my father.
Snapping out of my daze, I start to scream out so loud that my voice quickly starts to grow hoarse. I also fight against Aria's tight hold who only holds on tighter so that I won't fall off his shoulder. His tight grip does nothing to stop me from continuing to struggle and scream as the orange flames of the building fire are starting to peek through the entrance to the stables.
Even though we are no longer close to the stables, now shrouded by the leafless trees, I can still smell the smoke. Still feel it burn my nose and lungs while an imaginary heat burns my hands that are still bound tightly behind me.
My eyes sting from the smoke and frustration as I quickly start to lose strength from attempting to break free from Aria's unwavering hold on me. I quickly realize that my struggles are futile and that Natsu's fate had been sealed, all because of me.
"ETHERIOS!" is the last thing I remember calling out before a numbing darkness suddenly overtakes me.
So I took a few days longer to finish this chapter, only because I kept going back and changing some things. Either way I hope you all liked it.
In other news, it's finally Scorpio season! My birthday is this weekend! Next week is Halloween! And I am drowning with midterms... what a week to be barely alive...
Anywho, next chapter is going to be a doozy. It is actually a chapter you've all been waiting years for and I am happy to say that I will finally be working on it. If you don't know what I am talking about, well then I guess you'll have to wait until the chapter comes out so that you can find out *muahahahaha*
If more than 15 people can guess what the chapter is going to be about I'll do everything in my power to get the chapter out before Halloween so you don't have to wait two weeks for it.
Shout Outs
Great amazing thanks to my Fantastic Favorites...
- PersonWithASmallUserName
- emilmarberg07
- Ashara star
- Paige'slibrary
- Cricketoreo
- fanficlover818
- shadowknight6398
- Pinacik
To my Fabulous Followers...
- PersonWithASmallUserName
- Cricketoreo
- fanficlover818
- shadowknight6398
- Audro
- Pinacik
And to my Fantabulous Reviewers...
- HoPe-BriNgeR1 = I know! It feels like just yesterday I was barely writing my first chapter before announcing it to my readers that I was going to do it. Now three years have gone by! Also, I'm doing pretty good with school and this story. I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I dedicate all of my off days to work as well as any assignments that I can finish up. In between all of that I try to sneak in a bit of writing, and yes the revelation on Chapter 9 of 100 year quest had me shrieking. Like, I had noticed the little hint at the end of Fairy Tail, but when that popped out in the new series I was rolling with excitement. Lastly, yes I do read Eden's Zero. I'm really liking it so far. I've got to be honest when I say that the first few chapters had me in tears from how emotional they were. Thank you for fangirling with me!
- Angelfusion15 = Yay! Another Dr. Who fan! Fun fact, my other story Paranormal - which I should really be bringing out of hiatus soon *sweatdrops* - is also loosely related to an episode where the 11th doctor, Amy, and Rory get stuck in a super labyrinth-esque hotel that shows them their greatest fears. I can't name the episode at the top of my head, but I do have to say that that was a super creepy episode. Dr. Who overall is just an amazing show. Also, thank you so much for saying that I am one of your favorite fanfic writers. It really means so much for me to hear that as well as hearing you say how much you enjoy my work. Thank you!
- Kauia = Yes, I remember now! You had asked about Juvia being the one to set things up for Lucy at the castle, which was an idea I've had since the beginning of the story. I always do love your insight and how you can read my mind. Also, yes. Jose wears masks in front of people he tries to manipulate, but since Lucy never fell for his tricks he resorted to just showing her his true self whereas Natsu has known and trusted Jose blindly for years, which kept the older male from continuously wearing his 'mask' around him. Also, i could never think bad about you for wanting more chapters, only because I want them too lol. Let's see how far I can drag the story along, eh?
- DecemberRome = 1) Because I'm sadistic and love watching my lovely readers pine for more. 2) Because it's way more fun if we're all corrupted together my dear. That is what great friendships are made of, lol. 3) Love you too and I promise you I will!
- Rose = I know, I'm sorry I've dragged it this long, but fear not my dear, your pain and waiting will soon come to an end. Sooner than you might think...
- Littlest1 = I'm glad you liked the chapter, and yes, Jose does know how to play his role very well. You're right, snapping does not mean breaking and we will see Lucy fight tooth and nail to get out of Jose's claws.
- MicroFire = That is EXACTLY how I reacted when I read the chapter. I even went and ran to my brother and forced him to read the chapter so that he could fangirl with me. Also, I don't Gajeel knows or suspects - I could be wrong - but if he doesn't know I can't wait for him to find out! GaLe is also my second favorite ship right under NaLu and me reading and public and trying to contain my excitement is also another thing we have in common. I also know how hard it is to watch the end coming faster than we anticipated. When I realized how many chapters I need to finish I was blindsided since I had thought I still needed a good few more chapters, but I was wrong. These upcoming weeks of torture will hurt us all, and I don't care that you weren't here since the beginning. You're here now and that's all that matters to me and hopefully you'll join me once again in my future adventures. (Ps. NaLu NEEDS to become cannon. I won't take any other answer otherwise nor will I forgive Hiro. And yes I did, I even laughed when he tried to take it off of her)
- ChiliR612 = I'm glad you liked the chapter, and yes! The story has finally reached the chapters where tension will only continue to grow before it bursts!
- stranger1999 = Indeed they are getting spicy *sips cup full of hot sauce* very spicy indeed. Lol, rainbows and sunshine have been shoved into a trunk, locked up with chains, and shoved into the farthest corner of the attic where it can barely be seen through the thick darkness. Natsu's and Lucy's relationship is indeed hanging on a thread, and we can only hope that it doesn't snap.
- Guest = I'm so happy that you enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. College is going by well - though, I am so ready for this semester to end - and yes, the new Fairy Tail has also made my life complete! Hiro is such a tease for making us believe for a year that Fairy Tail had officially ended and would only come back as the last season of the anime. My poor Kokoro.
- sarara1.8 = It is, and the heart-wrenching will only continue
Well that's all the shout outs for today.
If you are enjoying my story so far please follow, favorite, and review - remember, reviews are a writers candy - and if you have any questions or ideas you'd like to see put into this story you can also PM me and I'll gladly add it in.
Until next time my lovelies.
