Kyoto, Japan
It was all darkness. The only thing Lucy could hear was her breathing as she tried to get back up. The darkness in her mind enveloped her before she could hear the voices around her. Her eyes opened slowly.
"Get up, Lucy!" a deep male voice yelled from the back of the room.
As soon as she managed to open her eyes, she went back to looking around her again to verify that she was in the same spot before her mind had gone completely dark. She tried to get up as the voice commanded and felt all her muscles and nerves screaming loudly for her not to, but she couldn't stop.
"Get up!" the voice demanded again.
As soon as she fully opened her eyes, she saw the figure that was in front of her. A man of average height who was waiting to know what her next move would be. The man who was yelling and demanding that she get up was standing right behind him, arms crossed and a serious expression looking straight at her. Her father.
"Come on! Fight! Don't let your opponent have the upper hand!" he yelled again.
She could barely see, her eyes were still getting used to the environment and the bright light inside the room. As soon as she finally stood up, she got into a defensive position, warning her opponent in front of her that she was ready to continue the round. He just responded with an attack stance and launched himself at her. She managed to dodge some initial attacks, but lost her balance again when the man hit her in several parts of her body, which caused her to lose her strength and fall back to the ground. She coughed from the impact of the attacks and as she turned to try to get up again, she looked in the direction of her father, who was looking back at her with a disappointed look.
"You're still very weak." he said, "You'll never succeed that way."
"N-No! I can- I still can-"
"No, you can't." he replied firmly as he turned his back and walked out the door, leaving Lucy to look at him, "You're not ready."
She could feel the sting in her eyes as some tears started to form.
"Dad, wait! P-Please, wait!"
He continued walking without looking at her again. She tried to suppress the tears, but it was getting harder and harder as she watched her father disappear with disappointment in his eyes again. She just wanted him to recognize her. She just wanted him to see her worth someday. She would make him proud one day. She was going to be her father's best spy.
7 YEARS LATER...
Milan, Italy
It was a balmy evening. The business work that Natsu was required to handle in the city of Milan, in Italy, had not gone as well as he had expected and he needed something to distract himself. It was not the first time that his father had asked him to take care of some company business with some interested partner. He didn't particularly care about the company or the wealth or the business, but he always ended up taking the job because it gave him the opportunity to travel to some distant country and he wouldn't have to live with his father for a while.
Once he arrived at a very popular bar in Milan, he sat down at the counter and ordered a whiskey. His plan was just to drink until he got bored, as usual, or find the company of some woman who cared enough to be his point of distraction for just a few hours.
If anything ever happened to his father, he would be the heir. The heir to the wealth and the great company that had existed in his family for decades. He was not particularly interested in this, but he never had the opportunity to confront his father on the subject, since he knew it was better not to say anything than to make his father angry or disappointed.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang and he rolled his eyes as he saw the name on the display. He took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, dad?"
"Is the deal done?"
"Not yet. Things got a little complicated."
"I don't have time to deal with complications, Natsu. The deal has to be ready by the end of this week. Our company's future depends on it. Make sure you do a good job, like I asked you to."
Before he could respond, his father disconnected the call. He sighed as he looked at his drink and pulled back his hair, "What a mess."
He sipped his whiskey as he thought about what he was going to do next to make the deal with the interested partners go as planned, while the piano sounded in the air and people in the bar chatted about the most futile things. He was so distracted in his thoughts that he only came back to reality when he felt someone bump against his back that caused his arm to be pushed and almost spill the drink on his suit.
"Hey! Watch where you're g-"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence once he noticed the blonde woman standing in front of him. She was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. He was completely speechless as soon as he saw her wavy blonde hair and her brown eyes wide open from being surprised. She had a tight black dress that gave him the opportunity to subtly notice her curves before looking back at her face when she spoke.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay! It's okay, relax." he smirked, "No need to be so worried. It happens."
"Oh, I-I'm so embarrassed." she covered her face with both hands and looked away.
"There's no need for that, really." he raised his hands, "C'mon, I'll buy you a drink."
"No, I couldn't accept that. I almost ruined your suit and you're buying me a drink? That doesn't seem right."
"Like I said, it's okay." he smiled again and she simply looked around before sitting down on the chair next to him.
"So, to whom do I have the pleasure of buying a drink?"
"I'm Lucy." she smiled back.
"Natsu, pleasure to meet you."
He asked the barman for the drinks and once he came back with both glasses, Natsu immediately grabbed his and handed her the other one. She smiled and nodded while thanking him.
"My god, I'm so clumsy!" she laughed embarrassedly.
"It's okay, I've had those days too."
"I almost ruined your suit!"
"Oh, this?" he pointed to his suit, "It's nothing, I'd just buy a new one." he laughed, "Do you come here often? I don't remember seeing you before and I think I'd remember you."
"Oh, no! I'm not from around here, I've only been here for a few days. I'm travelling."
"Is that so?" she nodded, "Well, in that case, we're on the same boat. I'm travelling as well."
"Really? What a coincidence. Then I suppose you don't know anything about the city either, I'm still pretty new at this."
"I know a little. It's not the first time I've traveled here." he smiled, "It's a little confusing at first, but you'll quickly realize that it's one of the best places in the world to visit."
"Of that I have no doubt." she looked around to check that they were both alone, "So what brings you around Italy?"
"Business matters, unfortunately."
"Oh, so you're a business man. Very intimidating."
"Not really, it's all just for looks." he smiled, "Sometimes it's more of a bother than a luxury." he continued, "It doesn't give me a chance to see the city as I wanted to, but at least I'm here and had a chance to meet a beautiful woman tonight. It was worth it already."
She smiled again, "Thank you. You are very polite."
"And you?"
"I just came to see this place. I've been wanting to travel the world and see new cities for a while, this is just the beginning, if all goes well."
"I see. I hope you get to visit many more places. There are lots of places out there that are worth seeing."
"Have you traveled much?"
"Yes, mostly it's always on business, but at least I have the privilege of not always being in the same place."
"I see." she looked down at her drink as she listened to him.
They talked for a few more minutes on various subjects. During the conversation, he couldn't stop looking into her enveloping brown eyes. He didn't know if it was due to the effect of the drink that was starting or if he was even a little attracted by her beauty, which was undeniable. She had a dazzling smile and that was enough for Natsu to feel that at that moment the only thing that mattered was her and he had forgotten about all the problems he would have to face once he returned home.
"Are you here alone?" he asked.
"Yes. I think one of the best ways we can get out of our comfort bubble and try to get to know the world so we can get to know ourselves is by doing it alone." she smiled as she positioned herself in a way that caused the strap of her dress to slide gently off her shoulder. Once she saw that he noticed it and looked subtly, she put the strap back in the right place.
She finally took her whiskey glass and drank it quickly, which left Natsu completely surprised as he looked at her. He tried his best not to open his mouth too wide so as not to show her that he was impressed.
"Do you drink very often?" he asked.
"Just sometimes, I don't appreciate alcohol very much."
"Really? I wouldn't guess. In that case, what would you say to a challenge?" she looked at him suspiciously, "A drinking challenge."
"As long as it's not one of those where I either drink or start taking my clothes off, I'm in." she laughed.
"I never rule out that possibility." he smirked and she looked at him in a way that showed she didn't doubt that, "But no, it's just a challenge to see which of us can drink the fastest."
Lucy thought for a few seconds before she accepted. The bartender brought them two more shots of whiskey and they both reached for their glasses. She subtly grabbed her hair and placed it on the other side of her neck, which allowed Natsu to have a clear view of it from his side and her collarbone completely exposed to him. He dazzled her for a few seconds and as soon as she noticed, she smiled and raised her glass in his direction, "Shall we?"
He nodded as he grabbed his glass, having some difficulty taking his eyes off her. Both drank quickly, not having the possibility of realizing who had been the winner, which made them ask for another round. They both went back to drinking quickly, following another round. This time, Lucy pretended to drink more slowly before the same thing happened again and the drinking started to take a toll on her head. Natsu was completely naive to her cheating and smiled as soon as he noticed that he won the round.
"That's better! I wouldn't lose that easily."
"Looks like you wouldn't." she smiled and looked at her watch, "Well, I better get going before the booze starts taking me to places I can't go back from."
"But that's the most interesting part." he smiled back. Before she could get up, he spoke again, "I don't know how long you'll be here, but if you want..." he pulled a small card from his suit and handed it to her, "I can show you more of the city if you're available. Call that number and I'll come to you."
She looked intently at the card. She looked at his number imprinted on it, as well as his full name, Natsu Dragneel, before smiling at him again, "What makes you think you'll see me again?"
"I'd be pretty disappointed if I didn't."
She laughed and thought for a few seconds before looking at him again, "You are a very subtle man, Natsu Dragneel." she stared at him attentively, "You're lucky to have good looks."
"Does that mean you'll call?"
She slowly stood up without removing her gaze from his as she picked up her napkin and smiled, "I'll think about it. I'll see you around somewhere."
Without saying anything else, she turned and headed toward the exit. Natsu just turned toward her and continued to stare as he watched her walk away with a mysterious gait. He didn't expect to meet anyone that made him interested that night, but at that moment he just wanted to know more about who she was.
Once Lucy left the bar and looked around to verify that he hadn't followed her and that no one was around, she headed toward her car. When she got in, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed the usual number.
"Yes?" a deep male voice spoke on the other end.
"It's done. I found the target."
"Did you make contact with him?"
"Yes, I already have a way to approach him."
"Good. Make sure everything is handled according to plan and that there are no distractions or obstacles. We don't want your mission to fail."
"I know. I understand."
"Don't forget everything you have to do and make sure your identity is not revealed, that's the most important thing."
"Yes, dad. I won't fail."
She wasn't going to. Not this time. She wouldn't fail again and her father would be proud.
"Good, that's what I want to hear. Our revenge is just starting."