This made Natsu so angry at her. And yet he so much wanted to see her, talk to her... heck just to be where she was was enough. But just that thought also made him so mad too.
He punched the tree which was right in front of where he stood. The trunk scattered into pieces and what was left fell to the ground. He didn't even know where he had gone off to. But it seemed like he was in a forest in the outskirts of the city.
The moment Lucy left, he had left as well. He didn't want to talk to Ark. And Ark didn't stop him. He was just as less inclined to talk as Natsu was.
Did Lucy actually care more about that guy than she cared about him?
Wait. Where did that thought come from? When did he start comparing his own worth to someone else? Ark made Lucy happy. Shouldn't he be happy for her? So why was he so angry?
"Natsu..." Happy was really getting worried about his friend. For days now, Natsu had not been acting like himself. In fact since Lucy had cried into Ark's arms, Natsu had already started acting differently. But it wasn't until their last mission that he changed so much.
The boy who was warm and cheerful was suddenly so irritable and moody. His change was beyond Happy's understanding. He only knew it had something to do with Ark and Lucy.
"Let's go see Lucy..." Happy suggested cautiously. "We know where she's at."
Instead of heeding the exceed's advice Natsu sat on the ground and crossed his arm stubbornly on his chest. "She doesn't want to see us, so why should we force ourselves on her?"
"I don't think that is true Natsu." Happy felt like crying. What Natsu said actually hurt Happy. Although Natsu was his closest family, he could not imagine Lucy not being a part of that family. That Lucy and Natsu were not on good terms really pained him. "Lucy was just angry. You know how she is when she gets angry."
Had it been another time, Natsu would have noticed just how hurt Happy was about the situation and would console him with encouraging words. But Natsu was just too angry. "She cares more about her boyfriend now than she does about us. Forget Lucy."
Happy's body started to tremble as he tried to hold back his tears. "But you said we would be together forever. Are we not supposed to be family?"
Natsu finally woke up from his own wallowing. "Hey come here." He gestured to Happy and the exceed slowly flew closer to Natsu. Natsu playfully thumped his head with his fist the moment he was in reach. Then he grinned at Happy.
It still wasn't his usual happy-go-lucky smile, but Happy was glad Natsu was no longer angry. "You are right." Natsu told Happy in the most cheerful voice he could summon. "Let's apologize to Lucy. And if we have to accept that boyfriend of hers, I guess we can do that to. I mean..."
Natsu's smile stared to disappear. "I mean..." Now that he was no longer angry, something started to throb in his chest that felt a lot like pain. "We have done it before, haven't we?" But the cheer had gone out of his voice.
"Let's just talk to Lucy." The exceed wanted to hurry up and patch things. "Let's just tell Lucy the truth. Lucy being with that Ark person is painful for Natsu. Lucy will never want Natsu to be hurt. Lucy will understand."
Natsu blinked at Happy's words. Was Happy right? Did he really not want Lucy to be with Ark? He thought about Lucy snuggling into Ark's embrace, holding his hands, and smiling into his eyes. The pain in his chest tightened, as if a stone had embedded itself forcefully into his heart and was slow expanding.
It had not been Lucy's fault at all, Natsu realized. Something was definitely wrong with him. Something dark and evil must be growing inside of him to the point were he wanted to snatch away Lucy's happiness. He cannot let such evil win.
He stood up and nodded at Happy. "Let's go see Lucy."