Fated to Love You
notes: just thought of this one randomly and had to write it. natsu and lucy are totally ooc but that's what makes this all the more fun! i love the idea that two characters can be completely different people in completely different worlds and still find each other and fall in love. they're just fated, ya know? ;) anyway, enjoy! i have some other ideas for this au too so i might actually continue this in later chapters. look forward to it! remember, you can request an au if you like! request as many times as you want!
/of flowers and photos
Natsu clutched at his stomach and groaned. "Someone get me outta here..."
Leaning out of the open window, he sagged against the bus with his eyes closed and his mouth open, ready to spew out vomit at any moment.
"I knew this was a bad idea," he muttered before gagging again when the bus hit a bump in the road. "Jesus - !"
His cat, Happy, seemed to meow in amusement as he curled up on Natsu's lap and purred himself to sleep. It was times like these that Natsu both despised and envied Happy for being able to fall asleep at any time, in any place.
"Are we there yet?" he called out weakly to the bus driver, who continued to ignore him. Natsu's head lolled with the motion of the bus, still dangling out the window.
His sharp hearing could detect whispers of disgust from behind him but he really couldn't bring himself to care. He was too busy condemning himself for embarking on such a stupid trip.
I'm so stupid, he thought to himself. Do I really need to go this far to get inspired? What was I thinking?
Natsu was an aspiring photographer. He enjoyed taking pictures of people and animals, but people always told him his forte was landscapes, followed closely by food. He had hit a dead end: he wanted to take pictures of one thing but everyone liked his pictures of other things better. What was he to do?
He figured he had two option. Option one: figure out what was wrong with his people pictures and fix it. Option two: find more joy in landscapes.
He chose option two.
He had heard of Layla Gardens before, but it wasn't till one of his good friends had suggested that he get away from the city for a while that he remembered it. His research showed that Layla Gardens were property of the Heartphilia Konzern, named after the late wife of Jude Heartphilia. They were said to be beautiful beyond measure and he thought if such a place couldn't inspire more love for pure scenery, nothing could.
So he hopped on a bus and prepared himself for the long ride.
Only he clearly hadn't prepared enough, because three motion sickness patches later, he was out and still on the godforsaken vehicle, without a clue as to how far away he still was from the Gardens. He was beginning to severely regret his spontaneous decision.
An hour and forty minutes later, the bus jerked to a stop and the driver yelled in a bored tone, "Layla Gardens."
Natsu forced himself out of his seat, picked up a still slumbering Happy, made sure his scarf and camera were around his neck, and dragged himself off the bus, still holding his stomach. "Thanks," he croaked to the driver. "Which way to the Gardens?"
With a heavy sigh, the bus driver pointed at a skinny dirt path and said, "Just follow that all the way down. If yer wantin' ta bus back to the city later today, the bus arrives here ev'ry hour. Now get!"
With a sloppy salute and a poor imitation of his usual thousand-watt grin, Natsu jumped off the bus and started walking. The bus zoomed away and within seconds, Natsu was back to normal.
He dropped Happy, who yowled in irritation, and shouted, "C'mon, Happy, let's go!"
He took off running, Happy chasing him from behind.
He arrived before a small wooden sign that read, "Beyond this point lies the beauty of Layla Gardens, property of the Heartphilia Konzern. Open to the public 24/7."
With a loud whoop, Natsu ran off again, clutching his camera eagerly.
The land slowly changed from plain grass to gorgeous flowers of all kinds and colors. Natsu looked around with wide eyes, awed by the number of flowers he had never seen before.
The wind was strong and warm, blowing through the flowers and Natsu's rosy hair. The sun shined down happily. It was truly a sight to behold.
"Wow..."
Happy sniffed at some flowers and sneezed cutely, then growled and wrapped himself around Natsu's leg. He didn't care for all the plants; he just wanted to eat fish.
Natsu grinned down at his cat. "Sorry, buddy. Fish later, 'kay?"
He trudged down the path, looking around and waiting for the urge to hit, but after many long minutes of walking and watching, nothing happened.
He began to frown. "C'mon, I need inspiration. Inspiration! Come to me!" He spread his arms out wide and spun in lazy circles.
Happy yelped.
Immediately, Natsu looked around for his cat, only to find that the creature had run quite a bit ahead of him. Scowling, he walked forward until he realized that his cat was wrestling with a white...thing.
He wasn't really sure what it was. It was white and round and had an oddly pointy nose and it didn't look like any animal he had ever seen or heard of, ever.
"Happy, what're you - "
"Plue! Plue, where are you?"
That was not Natsu.
There was someone else here?
Natsu jerked his head up, squinting at something in blue ahead of him. From the voice, the person was clearly female. He moved forward and just as he reached the tangled animals, she turned.
He stared.
Her hand was on her floppy, wide brim hat to keep it from flying away. She was dressed in a long, fluttery, blue sundress, her blonde hair shining golden under the sun and floating freely in the wind. Her face was worried until her eyes - were they brown? A warm, molten amber brown - caught on his. Then her face changed to something akin to curiosity and the touch of a beautiful smile danced on her lips.
His heart stopped for a moment.
Click.
He froze. She froze. Even the animals froze.
Had he - did he just -
"Did you just take a picture of me?"
Flinching out of his daze, he dropped his camera so it dangled on its own from the strap around his neck. His hand reached up to his neck, rubbing slowly, as he tried to answer her. "Uh - sorry, I just - I don't know what I was thinking - "
"May I see it?"
His eyes met hers again and he realized with a start that she was only a few feet in front of him. She held out her hand expectantly and he quickly pulled the camera over his head and placed it gently into her hand.
"Uh, be careful with it. Please," he tacked on as an afterthought.
"Alright."
She fiddled around with the buttons and controls for a few seconds before frowning and look up at him again. "Um, do you mind - "
"Oh! Oh right, sure." He took the camera and quickly found the picture he had just taken without conscious thought. His eyes lingered on it for a moment - it had really captured the moment well. It was stunning, to say the least. This was the kind of picture people fell in love with.
He gave it back to her and she proceeded to stare at it silently. The air was a little tense, a touch awkward, and a whole lot uncomfortable.
"Uh, I'm really sorry I took your picture without permission. I didn't even realize I had taken it until after." He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, uncertain if the look on her face was good or bad.
She spoke after a while. "Why did you take it?"
"I don't - "He stopped. He was about to say, "I don't know what came over me" but that wasn't much of an excuse. His eyes flickered to hers and found her staring openly at him. He swallowed and held her gaze before saying quietly, "Because you looked so beautiful."
Her cheeks flushed but at the same time a disbelieving brow rose up on her forehead. "Lines won't work on me. Believe me, I've heard more than enough of those to last me two lifetimes."
"No, I wasn't trying to - I didn't mean - " He huffed in frustration before trying again. "I'm not trying to sweet-talk you or anything. I just - that moment - that moment was perfect and I had to capture it. And while I will delete it if you insist, I hope you'll allow me to keep it because it's one of the best pictures I've ever taken, maybe the best one." He stared at her pleadingly, praying that she would believe him.
She studied him for a long time, her eyes moving between his face and the picture. Eventually, she sighed and returned the camera. "Alright, you can keep it. You don't look like a bad guy" - her eyes jumped to his hair and he knew exactly what she was thinking - "so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Just don't do it again."
"Yes'm!" he declared with a silly salute and he couldn't help but grin when he saw her hesitantly crack a smile. "You really are beautiful."
She blushed again and spun around. "How can you just say that?"
He blinked. "Because it's true?"
She cleared her throat and turned back to him. "Anyway, since you're here, would you like a tour?"
He tilted his head. "A tour?"
"Of the Gardens." She swept her arm out to indicate the whole of Layla Gardens. "This place is dedicated to my mother, so naturally I know it like the back of my hand."
"Your moth - you're Jude Heartphilia's daughter?" he exclaimed.
She nodded. "Yes. Though I'd prefer if you not tell anyone that you met me."
"Why not?"
She turned and began walking, so he trailed behind, glancing back only to make sure the two pets were following. "My father doesn't want me in the public eye at all. That's why no one knows what I look like. But it'll be obvious if even one picture leaks out." She spun back around with a wide smile. "Because I look exactly like my mother."
He grinned. "So beauty runs in the family?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "I told you pick-up lines don't work on me. What about you? What are you doing here?"
Natsu sighed and began to fiddle with his camera. "I want to be a professional photographer. I like taking pictures of people but my friends all tell me I should stick to landscapes. So I came here for inspiration." He smiled and surveyed the flower fields. "I never thought I'd come here and end up with my best picture ever - of a person." He smirked.
"And flowers!" She giggled and skipped ahead before doubling back. "Inspiration, huh? Then I know just the place!"
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him excitedly after her with a playful smile and they ran off hand-in-hand, laughing.
Natsu decided that the hours-long bus ride had been worth it after all.
© Copyright 2015 by The Siege
