Poor Natsu didn't sleep a wink all night. He was busy switching between watching Gildarts and Erza like a hawk. Terrified that Laxus would try to harm either one of them. Come morning he was exhausted and could barely stay awake in his classes. He almost dropped to the floor once or twice. When his last class ended he decided to take a little snooze before going to meet Gray. He had just fallen asleep when he awoke to the sound of Lucy screaming in anger.

"How could you do this to me?!"

Natsu sat up in a flash and he saw Lucy arguing with her boyfriend Loke.

"Lucy I can explain." Loke told her.

"Explain what?! Explain how you've been lying to me this whole time?! Going behind my back?!"

"I didn't plan for this happen!"

"So that means I should forgive you?! That what you did wasn't wrong?! If you think that you are sadly mistaken!"

"Lucy please-" He said reaching for her.

"Don't touch me! Just get away from me! I can't even look at you right now!"

"Okay." He sighed before walking over to his parked car and drove away. As soon as he was gone Lucy broke down on the campus stairs and started crying. Now Natsu was completely awake and deeply worried for the young blonde. He also wanted to apologize to her for he how acted while under the symbiote's influence.

"Lucy?" He said walking toward her with caution.

She wiped her tears away before turning to face him.

"Natsu I didn't see you there. What brings you by?"

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I had been acting recently. I know it really scared you and I promise you that's the last thing I ever wanted to do."

"But you're back to normal right?"

"Yes."

"Then I won't hold it against you."

"Really?"

"Yes I'm just glad you're back to the way I like you."

"You do? I mean you like me like this? As the wimpy nerd?"

"No I like you as the sweet, sincere, loyal, and honest guy that you are."

"Lucy you're making me blush. I'm not that great."

"I can think of a lot of people who beg to differ. Like myself." Her smile then faded to a look of sadness and irritation. "I'm sure you'd never lie, deceive, and utterly betray your girlfriend."

"Well I can't say that for sure because I've never had a girlfriend." He chuckled, hoping to cheer her up. When that didn't work he decided to just use comfort. "I...I saw you crying. Are you alright?"

She was about to deny that nothing was wrong but she needed a good friend to voice her real feelings to.

"You know how Loke has been recently busy with classes and work so he's been blowing me off a lot lately?"

"Yes."

"Well I just found out that the reason he's been so busy isn't because of classes or work, it's because he's been cheating on me with one of his classmates!"

"You're kidding." He said in shock.

"No I'm not!"

She began to sob again. Natsu couldn't bear to see her upset like this and it made him very angry. How could Loke do such a terrible thing to her? And why would he do it? Why would he even look at another woman when he had Lucy's affections? After all she was the most wonderful woman in the world. Was he stupid?

"Are you sure he was really cheating?" Natsu asked her.

"Yes. His other girlfriend called me, telling me that they were in love, and that he was only dating me because his parents thought I was more compatible."

"Ouch."

"And when I confronted him about it, he tried to pull the whole honest mistake bit with me. But oh no! I was going to buy that crap! One secret date with another woman is an honest mistake, one secret kiss with another woman is an honest mistake, but secretly going out with another woman for a semester is absolutely not an honest mistake! I can't believe he'd do this to me. He's pond scum! No he's lower than pond scum! He's the fungus that feeds on the pond scum!"

"I'd say lower." Natsu added. "He's the puss that infects the mucus that cruds up the fungus that feeds on the pond scum."

"Yes! That's what he is! Thank you! I just don't understand why he'd do this."

"My best guess is he must've been out of his mind."

"Why do you say that?" She asked.

"Well why else would he cheat on the perfect woman?"

Lucy blushed and smiled a little.

"You think I'm the perfect woman?"

"Doesn't every man think that?"

"Oh." She giggled. "I'm not the perfect woman. Actually I have a lot of flaws."

"Like what?"

"I'm a people pleaser."

"Well that's not always so bad, just as long as you don't let people walk all over you."

"That's thing I do, do that. I let everyone walk over me. My father, my soon to be ex boyfriend, my friends. I never really do what I want to do or get to be who I want to be. You, Gray, and Juvia are the only people in my life who don't use me as a doormat. And you're the only people I can really be myself with."

"Is that really true?"

"It is."

"And you don't like that? I mean you don't like that you're a doormat and not who you really are for everyone excluding us three?"

"Yes."

"Then change it."

"Change what?"

"If you don't like it, change it. Be yourself with everyone in your life especially your dad."

"You don't understand. Ever since Mom died Dad has had to carry the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. He's the chief of police and a single father, he had to protect and manage the city and me. If I cause trouble by doing what I want and acting how I feel it'll just make things harder for him."

"Lucy I understand where you're coming from. Once high school hit I basically kept everything hidden from my dad. Put on the facade that I was the smart kid who always got good grades and never had a care in the world. Of course he suspected that it wasn't always like that and he heard about my bully problems from Gray's aunt, so he would try to get me to talk to him but I never did and I'll regret that for the rest of my life."

"Why?"

"He knew I had problems but I wouldn't tell him about them or let him help me. I never told him anything because I didn't want to burden him but by doing that I made him feel like a failure as a father. That's what he feared most, that he wouldn't be able to help me or raise me to be a decent person. That I'd be selfish and uncaring like...Like my mom."

It pained him to refer to her as that, Lucy saw the pain and gently gripped his hand in comfort.

"Gray told me that your mom left." She said. "I'm so sorry. How old were you?"

"I was six. She didn't even have the guts to say goodbye to me and she left for the dumbest reason. Money problems, can you believe that? I get money is important and all but she had a husband who worked his ass off to fix those money problems the best way he could and she had a child too. A child she made, gave life to, and loved for six years. So how can a woman just do all of that and then leave like it never happened?"

"I don't know." She said. "I really don't know."

"Dad said she loved me and if anyone was to blame for her leaving it was him. Because he just couldn't make her happy. But that's bull! He was more than capable of making her happy but she chose to be angry with him instead. He tired his damndest to love her and be happy with her but she didn't try at all. Sometimes I wish he had never met her."

"Don't wish for that. If they had never met then you would have never been born."

"A bonus."

"Natsu you don't really mean that do you?"

"Maybe."

"Natsu what a terrible thing to say about yourself."

"I can't help but feel that way sometimes Lucy. Because I feel like I ruin or endanger the lives of everyone I know and care about. I mean think about it, my dad died because of me."

"Your dad died because he was shot by a mugger."

"Who I could have stopped!" He shouted with guilt. "You don't know the whole details of what happened that night. I went to a wrestling match, I participated in the match and won but the guy who worked there cheated me out of the money I earned. Five minutes later the mugger robs him, he runs by me, I could have stopped him but I didn't because I was so pissed at the other guy. Next thing I know my father, my only family, the man who gave up everything for me including his marriage is dead in the ground and it's because of a murder I could have prevented but chose not to."

He was getting emotional and he didn't want to be seen like this by her. He tried to run but she stopped him and gently made him sit next to her, giving him full permission to let out how he felt.