15: home sweet home.
"Are we there yet?" Natsu asked for the one millionth time.
"What do you think?" Lucy asked.
Natsu stared at the grassy fields that went on for miles. "No..."
Hours away from the city, Lucy was driving her and Natsu to the Heartfilia Estate which happened to be in the Deep South. The nearest building was about 4 miles away and it felt as if they were going nowhere since all they could see were fields and animals grazing the pastures.
"We're getting close," Lucy said.
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Really!?"
"Yeah. To the nearest town," Lucy answered.
"Finally!" Natsu cried.
"Who said my house was there?" Lucy asked.
"It's not?" Natsu asked. Lucy shook her head.
Natsu pouted as he slouched down in the passenger seat. "Why you live so far away anyway?"
"Rich people buy big mansions right? But there's no space for big mansions so they buy them in the countryside where there's lots of space," Lucy answered.
Natsu faced her. "You never told me you were rich."
"I thought I did," Lucy responded.
"All you told me was that you're not from the city," Natsu answered.
"I'm a Heartfilia so that should have been a dead giveaway," Lucy answered before realizing something. "Forgot...you wouldn't know that. You've been stuck inside of the Book of END."
"Even back then the Heartfilias were hella rich," Natsu said.
Lucy raised in eyebrow of interest. "We were?"
"Yeah. The women in the Heartfilia Clan had to give birth to a child. Then, they would sacrifice themselves to the dragon gods. In return, your family became rich," Natsu answered as if it were nothing.
Lucy, who was caught by surprised, swerved on the road before regaining control of the wheel. "Sacrifice ourselves!? Why!?"
"Lemme remember...you told me why..." Natsu started to think about it. "Oh yeah. Your family had the special ability to speak to spirits, so you guys were really close to the heavenly realm compared to other humans. I guess in today's terms, that make you guys wizards. Anyway, in order for there to be peace in the kingdom, the women in your family were sacrificed after giving birth in order to calm the heavens down. Because of the sacrifice, the Heartfilia Clan became all rich and shit but the clan lost all of their influence after everyone stopped relying on us dragon gods for every single thing."
Lucy frowned. "...wow..."
Natsu noticed her frown. "But it's fine now! The sacrifices don't happen anymore! And your clan even got their wealth back!"
"That still doesn't sit well with me though. Did the sacrifices work at least?" Lucy asked.
"Eh...it was more like we just went along with it," Natsu answered with a shrug.
Lucy was about to glare at him when she stopped herself. She had to keep her eyes on the road. "So there weren't supposed to be any sacrifices?"
"I have no idea what idiot said there had to be sacrifices but when they started happening, we just went with it. We didn't want the sacrifices to go to waste so in a way, they did work. We 'calmed down' I guess," Natsu explained.
"I'm so glad I didn't get sacrificed," Lucy answered.
"You were supposed to though. You were supposed to marry the king then get sacrificed. But you ran away and lived in the woods. Soon I came and we started living together!" Natsu said proudly.
"I'm so glad I ran away," Lucy said in relief.
Soon, they arrived at a small, rural town. Lucy drove to the nearest gas station to put fuel into her car.
Natsu got out of the car and stretched his arms. "How much longer until we make it to your house?"
Lucy looked up at the sunset as she filled up her tank. "30 minutes. It's gonna get dark soon..."
"30 minutes!?" Natsu cried in disbelief.
"You brought an overnight bag, right?" Lucy asked.
"Nope," Natsu answered.
"I told you to bring one, though," Lucy said.
"I was kinda rushing so I forgot to pack one," Natsu answered.
Lucy frowned. "Well...that's not so bad. I can tell the servants to get you whatever you'll need."
"You didn't pack one," Natsu answered.
"Cuz my stuff are still at my house," Lucy answered.
Soon, Lucy's tank was filled up and 30 minutes later, they were in front of the huge golden gates with a gothic looking "H" on the gates.
"Damn..." Natsu said in awe as the gates slowly opened, giving them access into the forest that awaited them. "Even in this life you lived in a house in a forest."
"This isn't there forest. It's our garden. It circles the whole estate," Lucy answered as she continued driving.
"For real!?" Natsu cried.
A mile or two later, they were out of the "woods" and were now in front of the large Heartfilia Mansion. Lucy circled the gothic water fountain and parked her car right in front of the double doors of the mansion.
"We're here," Lucy answered, turning off the car.
Immediately, the double doors flew open and a small, middle aged maid ran out. "Miss Lucy! You're back!" The maid cried.
"Spetto!" Lucy cried, holding her arms out so she could hug the maid.
"You scared us when you left! How many years has it been!?" Spetto cried.
Lucy smiled apologetically. "I bet my leaving caused trouble for you and the others." She bowed. "I'm so sorry."
Spetto looked alarmed. "Don't be sorry! I'm just happy to know that you're okay!" The small lady started to ball her eyes out. "I was prepared to rip my heart out the minute I hear that you're not okay!"
Lucy patted Spetto on the back. "Don't worry. I have a bodyguard who is willing to do anything for my safety."
That was when Spetto finally noticed Natsu awkwardly standing to the side. She broke the hug and pointed her finger at him. "Who's he!?"
"The bodyguard I was talking about," Lucy answered.
Natsu blinked and pointed at himself. "Me? Bodyguard? I'm your boyfriend though."
Spetto screamed. "Boyfriend!? Miss Lucy, you've never shown interest in anyone! You've gotten yourself a boyfriend!" the water works returned. "I'm so proud of you, Miss Lucy! Marry him and give birth to a lot of babies for me to take care of!"
Lucy was absolutely flustered. "No! You got it all wrong! I mean, yeah, we once were a thing, but now, I mean..." She sighed in defeat. "Can we go inside?"
The minute they entered the mansion, Lucy was hit with the feeling of familiarity.
She used to slide down the golden railing of the double staircases.
She used to sit down directly in front of the front double doors as she waited for her parents to return home.
She used to run down these very halls as she was chased by Aquarius, one of the Celestial spirits her mother would summon for her in order to prevent her from feeling lonely.
She frowned. We're here for answers, not for memories.
"I'll tell the chef to prepare a large meal for you two," Spetto said.
Lucy was about to decline when Natsu butted in. "Sweet!"
"In the meantime, I'll show your boyfriend to the guest room. We can't have an unmarried couple share a room yet!" Spetto cried before turning serious. "You should see your father. He has been meaning to talk to you for a long time."
Lucy hid her hands behind her back to keep anyone from seeing them clench. "Yes. Of course."
She and her father were not on the best terms when she left. Her plans was to come home, look through her mother's books, and leave. She was actually even planning to sleep at a hotel in town instead of in her own room. She did not want her father to know that she was here.
The three of them went upstairs and walked down the halls to the guest room that was closest to Lucy's room.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" Natsu cried before flopping down onto his bed.
"Dinner will be ready soon! Don't have too much fun while I'm away!" Spetto cried before running off.
Lucy and Natsu were left in the large guest room.
Natsu wrapped himself in the blankets. "This is so soft! Can I take this with me?"
"No, you can't," Lucy answered, walking over to the window. The stars are already out.
Natsu sat up. "Okay, so after dinner, what's the plan?"
Lucy thought about it. "I wanna get out of here as soon as possible...but Spetto's very loud. By the time dinner's ready, everyone should know that I'm here...which will make things a lot more complicated..."
"Wait. You don't want to stay here?" Natsu asked.
"I ran away for a reason," Lucy answered.
"Whoa. It's like history is repeating itself," Natsu said.
"In a way," Lucy answered, remembering that she had run away from home in her past life to avoid marriage and getting sacrificed.
"So, why did you run away this time?" Natsu asked, sitting criss-cross on the bed.
Lucy crossed her arms and leaned her back against the wall. "This place hasn't felt like home ever since my mom died. So...I just...left."
Natsu noticed the way Lucy squeezed her arm. "Coming here must have be hard for you."
Lucy looked out the window and noticed her mother's grave. "I'll be right back. There's something I need to do."
"I'll follow," Natsu said, standing up.
"You don't have to," Lucy said.
"But I want to," Natsu said.
Lucy didn't say anything for a while. "...fine."
They left the guest room and went down to the portion of the garden that had belonged to Layla Heartfilia. When they kept on walking, they arrived at the grave.
Natsu stood behind Lucy and watched her with his hands in his pockets.
Lucy, who was standing directly in front of her mother's grave, cleared her throat. "I'm...sorry for not visiting." She didn't know what else to say so she fiddled with her fingers for a little bit. "I've been writing you letters over the years. I'll give them to you the next time I see you...which will be when I open the gate to the spirit realm. The letters are by goodbyes and sorrys. You'll forgive me...right? Or should I give my keys to Yukino who has a nobler reason to open the gate to the spirit realm?"
Fuck, the water works are coming! She thought as she blinked away her tears.
Natsu came up to her and hugged her from behind. Although she was tempted to, she didn't push him away. A part of her actually enjoyed the hug.
"Miss Lucy! There you are!" Spetto cried, running towards them.
Lucy quickly left Natsu's embrace. "Spetto! What's wrong?"
Spetto smiled. "Dinner's ready!"
Natsu blinked. "Already!?"
"We have a team of 5 star chefs cooking for us and the team is lead by Aeb, the number one chef. Of course dinner was fast," Lucy proudly explained.
The three of them left the garden and entered the large dining room where a whole feast prepared for a king was waiting for them.
"Welcome back, Miss Lucy!" The servants who were all lined up cried.
Aeb smiled. "We made your favorites!"
"Thank you so much!" Lucy cried as she sat at one end of the table.
Natsu sat next to her on one of the sides. "I can't wait to eat all of this!"
Lucy faced the servants. "There are so many plates! Natsu and I can't finish everything! You guys should join us!"
"No, Miss Lucy. That would be improper!" Spetto cried.
"See it as a feast to celebrate my return," Lucy said.
"Yes, you have returned," a deep voice laced with a southern twang said.
The hall grew silent as everyone faced the direction of where the voice was coming from.
There was Jude Heartfilia, CEO of the Heartfilia Konzern.
The servants bowed before running off to complete their tasks. Jude sat down at the other end of the table.
Natsu leaned over to whisper to Lucy. "Is that your dad?" Lucy nodded.
"Lucy. You have returned," Jude said.
"Yes I have, father," Lucy answered as she reached for her glass of wine.
"I see that you have adopted the ways of the commoners. You are even dressed as one," Jude said.
Lucy had nothing to say to that so she simply took a sip of her wine.
Natsu awkwardly slouched in his chair. The tension was so thick. Too thick even. It made him lose his appetite.
"I am glad you made the right decision and came back on your own free will. I was getting ready to pay that Phantom Lord gang into dragging you back here," Jude said as he cut a piece of meat.
Lucy placed her wine glass on the table. "That will only cause more trouble for you, father."
"I simply want my daughter back home," Jude said.
"You should not worry about me and instead worry about your own health," Lucy answered before narrowing her eyes at him. "Your health is more important than anything in the world."
"Who is this boy you have brought with you?" Jude asked, looking at Natsu.
"He is no one important," Lucy answered.
"I see," Jude responded.
They didn't say anything for a while as they ate their meal.
"A lot has changed since you have been gone. A lot of men have asked for a Southern Bell such as yourself to marry them," Jude said after the long silence.
"So you would like for me to marry one of them," Lucy concluded.
"You will marry the one with the largest influence. More are coming so we will wait about a month before you choose. Whoever you marry will help the Heartfilia Konzern expand and grow more powerful," Jude answered.
"Old habits really do die hard..." Lucy said to herself.
"Elaborate," Jude said.
Lucy gracefully put her fork and knife down and looked up at her father. "Long ago, our family would marry off their daughters and sacrifice them in order to appease the gods."
"Yes, that is correct," Jude answered.
"Is that not what we are doing right now?" Lucy asked.
Jude frowned. "Elaborate."
"For the sake of the expansion of the family business, you are willing to marry me, your only daughter and child, off to some man. Does that sound familiar?" Lucy asked.
"So how am I sacrificing you?" Jude asked.
"You are making me marry some man I do not even know. What if he is abusive? What will you do?" Lucy asked.
"Nothing, and so should you. You do not have to love him but as long as the two of you are married, it will benefit our companies. Think about your children's' future. It is worth it," Jude answered.
"Like I said, this is a sacrifice. The fact that you are willing to do nothing to save your own daughter should she get abused for the sake of the family business is the same thing as killing her in order to please the gods," Lucy explained before taking a sip of her wine.
Jude banged his fist on the table, causing the contents on the table to shake. "Do not forget that you are Lucky Lucy Heartfilia!"
"How am I lucky when I am receiving a death sentence?" Lucy asked, narrowing her eyes at her father.
"So many people would kill to have the life you have! There are people starving! People dying! People whose problems make your problems seem like nothing! So suck it up and deal with it!" Jude yelled.
Lucy calmly put her wine glass down and stood up. "It was nice talking to you, father. I only came here to pick up a few things." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. "Natsu. Let's go."
Natsu quickly stood up, bowed to Jude, and ran after Lucy.
"Yo! Was it a good idea to just walk out of there?" Natsu asked when he caught up.
"Good idea or not, it's happened," Lucy answered.
Although she looked calm on the outside, she was beyond furious. She had to leave the room or she would do something she knew she would regret. Natsu, having known Lucy very well from her past life, could tell how she was really feeling.
"You're not just mad at him for the whole marriage thing," Natsu said softly.
"It's not even anger. It's hatred," Lucy answered.
"Hate is a strong word," Natsu said.
"Trust me. When you find out what he did, you will realize that hate is the only thing you can feel towards that man," Lucy said.
"...what did he do?" Natsu asked.
Lucy stopped walking and rubbed her arm. Natsu also stopped walking and waited for Lucy to answer his question. Finally, she did.
"I watched him kill my mother right in front of me."
Random Fact: I would absolutely love it if my teachers and counselors would check their emails. Unfortunately they don't
Wassup!? It's ya gurl sugarsugarrush!
Bruh, this week was busy as fuck! I had no time to sit down and type up this chapter! But after watching the Winx Club live action when I was done with most of my work (I was obsessed with Winx Club when I was a kid), I was so fucking mad. Like, I made a whole list of things that the live action fucked up. Then I realized...I have time to write a list and rant to my friends...I could type up a chapter...so here's the chapter!
Reviews:
Copperreign12- Thank you so much! Lol, it's more like Lucy doesn't realize she's getting feelings for Natsu but, fingers crossed, she'll realize it!
I gotta finish the rest of my work so ima end this! Don't forget to PM me or leave me a review! Later, yo!
