Who Would Have Thought?
Summary: As a small child, Lucy only had a few, good friends. Her childhood was relatively normal and fun for a little girl. However, there was one person who would ruin it every chance he got by playing pranks on her, teasing her, and calling her cruel names. After 10 years apart, will love arise? Or will old habits begin to surface once again?
Chapter 2
~Two Days Later~
"Aaaaaaah! My room is almost completely bare!" Lucy exclaimed as she walked into her bedroom that had brown boxes scattered around the room. Most were packed and taped while others had room for additional stuff to be stored was the middle of the day, and she had stayed home from school. In fact, her mother allowed her to stay home from school for an additional day and for a good reason. The reason being is that little Lucy and her parents had a lot of packing to do in a short amount of time.
All that morning, Lucy had been packing and organizing clothes, toys, and other items in her room into boxes that her father had gave her the day before to use.
After she took a deep breath, Lucy walked over to one of the large boxes in the middle of the room. Inside, she had a sticker with the word 'toys' written in crayon. All the boxes around her were labeled the same way.
"Mmm.. I still have a lot of stuff to put away in these boxes." She mumbled to herself as she then walked to her closet that was nearly empty of clothing and shoes. All that were left were a few dolls that were had fallen from the top shelf.
"I wonder.. what my new room will look like.."
Lucy sighed as she dropped the dolls down into the toy box. For the next few minutes, she went around her room packing the rest of her stuff she felt like she wanted to take with her. The things that she left behind would be donated to a charity for good will. After growing a bit bored with putting things into boxes, she then walked to sit on her bed and began to think. Her mind carried her back to the day she had the accident with Natsu at the park.
It was one that would dramatically change her life from that point on forever.
~Flashback~
Two nights before, around dinnertime...
Lucy's father, Jude, had arrived home just as Layla had finished setting the dinner table with plates, spoons, forks, and knives. At that moment, she was getting the food placed on the table while her husband walked through the front door. At the same time, Lucy had rushed downstairs to greet her father with a big hug and nearly caused him to stumble backward into the front door.
"Daddy, daddy! You're home!" His daughter cheered happily right as her mother walked in on them.
"Haha, Lucy, it's good to see you still have that strong grip of yours. But can you let me go for minute, so I can give you a proper hug?"
"Sorry..." The little one apologized as she let go of her father which allowed him the chance to stand up correctly.
Jude only laughed at his daughter's sensitivity and gave her a warm, tender hug. "Haha, it's okay, Lucy. How was school tod... hmm? What happened to your knees?"
"Huh? O-h, it was stupid Natsu's fault!" Lucy fumed as her daddy bent down in front of her. "He pranked me with a fake spider at the playground today, and made me cry!"
"Mmm... well, I'm sure he didn't mean it. Boys will be boys, Lucy. They have a different way of playing with others than girls do. They like to play rough."
Lucy poked her bottom lip out in frustration. "Don't you mean, Natsu will be Natsu? He didn't even say he was sorry!"
Her father shook his head. "Well, I'm sure he was sorry, Lucy. And maybe he didn't know how to say he was sorry. Especially to such a pretty little girl like you."
The comment caused a blush on her face. She quickly shook her head in disagreement. "Y-yeah right!"
*Ding Dong*
*Ding Dong*
*Ding Dong*
Jude stood up to his feet and looked back to the door. "Mmm.. I wonder who it is this late at night?"
In reality, it was only eight at night, but it was still late in his book. He turned to open the door to a young boy and his father. The two were familiar to both Lucy and her father.
"Ah, Igneel! And young Natsu! It's nice to see the both of you. It's been a while." Jude said with his humble grin on his face. "What brings you here at this time of night?"
There the two were on their doorstep. Although Igneel's hair was a darker shade of red in contrast to his son's pink hair, he was the splitting image of what his son would possibly grow up to look like.
"Natsu!?" Lucy, completely shocked, grabbed a hold of her father's leg and stayed behind him while she kept her eyes on Natsu and his dad. "What's he doing at my house..?"
Igneel smiled and pushed his son forward. "I learned of an incident that occurred at the playground today from Ezra. One involving my son playing a mean prank on your daughter, Lucy."
Natsu scoffed and folded his arms across his chest. "Ezra's such a tattle tale..."
"Natsu!" Igneel said his name sternly. The boom of his father's voice caused his son to drop his arms to his side and stare straight ahead. He looks a bit annoyed by having to even be at Lucy's home. "He's come to apologize to young Lucy for hurting her."
"You hear that, Lucy? I told you." Jude reached back to take a hold of Lucy's hand. "Come on now."
Reluctantly, Lucy stepped forward to face her tormentor. However, she made sure to hold her father's hand. "H-hello!"
Natsu's dark eyes straight into Lucy's brown ones, but he quickly broke eye contact. At the same time, Lucy had noticed a pink tint on Natsu's face that she had never seen before. It made her wonder, but not for too long since his father began to speak directly to her.
"Hi, there, Lucy. I'm glad to see that you're okay. Natsu has something he would like to say to you." Igneel urged his son a step forward. "Natsu."
"I... or.." Natsu mumbled at first. It was obvious that it was hard for him to apologize, especially to a girl, but it had to be done. His father demanded.
"I don't think she heard you, son."
"I'm... orry.." He mumbled once again.
Igneel signed heavily and rested his strong hand on his son's shoulder. "Unless you want to be grounded from playing outside with your friends for the next few weeks, I suggest you speak up, son."
"I'm sorry! There! Are you happy now?" Natsu finally yelled at her. Obviously angry, he then turned to run past his father and out to the street where their car was parked. Igneel cursed to himself as he looked back at his son.
"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten into him." Igneel turned to see that Lucy had held her head down and was now starting to sniffle as if she was on the verge of tears.
"Apology not... accepted.." Lucy muttered sadly.
Igneel bent down and patted the top of her head. "I'm really sorry, little Lucy. Natsu really is sorry. He's just being a little hardheaded right now."
"H-he's always hardheaded!" Lucy exclaimed. "Baaakaa!"
Both of the older men let out a hardy laugh at her frustration.
"It's quite alright, Igneel. Don't worry about it." Jude assured him after his laughter had stopped. "Lucy's tougher than she looks."
"I can see that." Igneel commented just as they all heard footsteps approaching.
"Come now, dinner is just about ready. And I could use a little help with-" Layla told the both of them as she walked in on the three of them. "Oh, Igneel! It's a surprise to see you so late at night. How are you?"
"I'm getting along well, Layla, and you?"
"The same."
Jude suddenly cleared his thought. "Hey, Lucy, why don't you go and help your mother? I need to speak to Igneel about something important for a moment."
"Okay, daddy. Bye Mr. Dragneel." Lucy waved goodbye when she let go of her father's hand and took a hold of her mother's. Just as Lucy and Layla walked into the dining room, she only heard a small bit of their conversation.
"I was planning on telling everyone else tomorrow, but since you're here, I can go ahead and tell you about the news."
"About what exactly?"
"At work, I was pro-"
That was all Lucy could get before she was out of earshot. For the remainder of her dad's and Igneel's conversation, Lucy and her mother set the table with the last remaining food dishes that were prepared for dinner. Lucy had hopped into her chair, and Layla sat down as well just as Jude walked into the dining room.
"Let's eat!"
Dinner had began. Her mother had cooked all of their favorite foods, so it seemed to be for a special occasion. In the back of her head, Lucy wondered if it had anything to do with the news her father had planned to reveal at dinnertime. However, before she could ask, her mother stood up from the table and walked over to their locked wine cabinet across the room.
"Do you want some wine, dear?" Layla asked her husband. "I think you deserve it. I could really use a glass myself."
Jude nodded. "Yes. Make sure it's the '1967' bottle."
"Aaah, what a fine choice." Layla unlocked the cabinet and grabbed the bottle among the few others. On her way back to the table, she also grabbed two wine glasses. One for herself and the other for Jude.
"Dad?" Finally said, as she stirred around her steamed rice on her plate.
"Yes, Lucy, dear?" Jude took a sip of the wine Layla had poured into his glass.
"Well..." Lucy looked down at her plate and pushed around the some of the food. Her legs rocked back in forth in anticipation. "Mommy said you had big news to tell us about work, so can you tell us about it now?"
Jude had nearly coughed up his special wine. "That's right!"
"What is it? What is it?" She asked eagerly. "Tell me! Tell me!"
"Alright, alright." Jude laughed as he wiped the wine from his mouth. "Well, Lucy. You know your dad works at a really big company that invests in growing businesses, right?"
"Mhm."
"Well, today, I got promoted to a new job position. It's one that pays a lot better than my previous one and comes with a lot more health care benefits. However, the new job offer is in... Hong Kong. They want me to move as soon as possible to take the position before they offer it to someone else, so we're..."
"M-moving to Hong Kong? Isn't that near China?" Lucy's mind raced a mile a minute at the thought of moving from the home she's always known, Tokyo, Japan, to a completely different environment.
"It's it exciting, Lucy? You get to travel to a new place! How exciting is that?" Layla asked happily. "We'll see all the new sights, meet new people, and..."
Her mother went on and on about all the wonderful things they'll do once they move, but Lucy's mind was not paying close attention. She was a bit surprised about the sudden news. It was all happening so fast. In fact, too fast for her little mind to fully comprehend. She would be leaving the only home she's ever known. Most importantly, she would be leaving her friends.
"W-when are we moving?"
"In three days." Her father told her. "They really want us on a plane and on the way there as soon as possibly, Lucy. And I know it's on short notice, but try to understand. I have to take this job. It's for you and your mother. To give you a better life and to provide you with all I can."
"I..." Lucy stuttered. She tried to find the words to express her feelings. "I..."
Her mother noticed her daughter's confusion and walked over to comfort her. "Lucy, I know it's all hard to process right now, but you'll understand soon, I promise you."
"Okay..." Lucy nodded.
"Are you sure, sweetie? Do you want to talk about it?"
"Y-yeah.. no.. It's fine.. I'm glad.."
"That's my girl!" Jude, happy with his daughter's response, patted his daughter on the shoulder. "You're going to love living in Hong Kong! We all are."
"Yeah..."
~End of Flashback~
"All my friends... I'll be leaving them all behind.."
Levy, Cana, Wendy, Gray, Loke, Ezra, Nat... ew no!
Not that jerk!
How could he ever be my friend?
He's always mean to me, playing pranks on me, and calling me names!
I guess that's the only good thing about moving...
Lucy closed her eyes as her mind filled with millions of different thoughts about moving and leaving behind everything.
I'll be going to a new school..
Will I make friends there?"
Or will I meet someone mean like Natsu!?
"Lucy, deaaaaar~ I have something for you." Her mother sang her name as she walked into her bedroom. In her hands, he held a new outfit that Lucy had never seen before. It was a white lace dress that had a ribbon tied around the waist. In her other hand, she had a pair of shiny white shoes that matched the dress.
Lucy quickly snapped back to reality and sat up with a questioning glance toward her mother. "A new outfit? For what?"
"Well..." Layla started as she walked over to Lucy's bed to set the clothing down beside her. "I told your homeroom teacher about the move, and so your class set up a going away party for you tomorrow."
"Going away party?" Lucy questioned.
"Yeah, don't you want to say goodbye to all your friends?"
"Goodbye to my friends... yeah..." Lucy slowly nodded her head. Her hand touched the dress her mother had laid down for her. It was soft. A material that she had never felt before.
"Dad brought it for you. Isn't it pretty?"
Lucy only nodded once again. For a few minutes, she was quiet, but Layla could see teardrops running down her face. Her reaction to the new outfit was not the one her mother was expecting. Layla breathed deeply and pulled her daughter close.
"Lucy, I know all of this is so sudden, and I know that you're sad about leaving your old room, your friends, and your school, but it's for the best. You're going to meet a lot of new friends, have a big bedroom in a nicer home, and see and experience so many new things... and I promise, one day, we'll come back here... and then you can see all of your old friends again."
Lucy wiped her eyes from tears that had formed. "Y-you promise?"
"I promise." Layla said once more. She kissed Lucy on the cheek and gave her a warm hug.
"Now, do you need some help to finish packing? We're leaving right after your party tomorrow."
"N-no, I got it." Lucy said before she jumped down from the bed. "It's not that much now anyway."
"Yeah, well, I'll be downstairs wrapping up the rest of the plates and glasses, and your dad went out to care of last minute moving arrangements. So just yell for me if you need any help or anything." Layla left her bedroom and went downstairs leaving her daughter alone again.
Lucy turned her attention back on the outfit on her bed. "Hmm.. it is pretty. I'm sure Levy and the others will like it."
I wonder though...
Since it's a going away party, all of my friends will be there among some other school kids including him...
Will Natsu try to pull one last prank on me?
Or will he actually be nice to me this last time we see one another for a while...
Knowing him, I should probably expect the worse, but who knows?
End. (And again, sorry for any grammar mistakes and/or errors. I may go back to change or edit things, but it's only a 50% chance.)
A/N: Hiyaa, just wanted to say I'm really happy about all the positive feedback! So much that I couldn't help but update so soon again and make the chapter a big longer than the first. I really hope you all liked it. The next chapter will be out pretty soon, so yeah... that's it..
Oh yeah! Thanks for all the favorites, followings, and ect.! I really couldn't ask for more, :D
~Reviews and comments are my drug~
Bye!