AN: You guys are too nice. Seriously, I was squealing like a five year old when I read your comments.
Hmmm.. many of you have different theories on this and how Natsu popped up. Well, I decided to perhaps make it 6 chapters long, simply because I don't want to condense the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. I just own this particular story.
Chapter 3: Her Nakama
Did you know? Everybody has dreams…
The next morning, Lucy woke at some ridiculously early time in the morning, fully alert. For some reason, she felt more alive than she had in weeks; the goofy grin on her face was beginning to hurt.
After lying in bed for fifteen minutes, she took a shower. For half an hour. She was giddy, excited, childish. And after that- ahhh, what the heck- she ended up eating bananas with butterscotch for breakfast, not caring about her weight or health or anything.
Lucy glanced at the time. It was nine o'clock. Only seven hours left to go.
She spent about half an hour just choosing an outfit. Usually, Lucy would just wear whatever was comfortable, but her new found energy seemed to require something more… appealing.
After digging through her drawers, she found some clothing that she didn't even know she owned. A denim miniskirt (when had she last worn one of those?) and a lime green tank top. It was the best dressed she had been in a while.
Noticing that the weather wasn't exactly warm, she threw on some dark tights, a black jacket and converse. Looking in the mirror, she grinned, not for the first time that morning. She felt upbeat, happy. Lucy even had the confidence to wear her signature Fairy Tail hairstyle, with a part of her hair tied up into a side ponytail. It was odd, but she was elated, glowing with happiness.
Nevertheless, she couldn't help but notice that the rain had yet to stop.
Natsu Dragneel's life had been… surreal.
So surreal that he wanted to scream.
So surreal that sometimes, he'd just light a match and watch it. Watch it burn and feel as though he was part of that flame. And when it was extinguished, so was he. When he forgot to extinguish it, those times that the fire crept its way to his fingertips and burnt them, he was reminded of just what a failure he was. He was a flame and flames always burn out eventually, no matter how brilliant they are.
His "father" referred to his "son's" behaviour as "pyromania". Apparently, "people just like him" used flames as a way to "vent out stress or emotion".
Natsu didn't care, because he was going to snuff out one day anyway, right? Like a flame: no matter how hard he tried to burn, his existence would eventually fade into nothing. The boy knew he would die someday, so what was the point?
His father… all his efforts to fight had been in vain. Pointless, really. At the time, Natsu hadn't understood the definition of malignant melanoma; all he'd understood was that his Daddy was sick. Natsu remembered his own words with painful clarity, down to the exact pitch of his voice. "But sick people can get better, right?"
Daddy couldn't. That was one candle out.
Three months later, he was by the lake. Natsu couldn't remember how he got there, nor did he intend to leave. It was three am, way past his bedtime, but he couldn't get into the house without Mama.
And she was in the lake, staring at the moonlit sky, her hair floating around her like a painting. She didn't get out, didn't dry herself off, didn't ruffle her son's hair and take him home.
Her candle was doused out. Two down, one to go.
Natsu Dragneel became an orphan when he was seven years old, the only flame left. A lone candle trying desperately to illuminate a room far too large; it would only be a matter of time before the flame died away and all was plunged into darkness.
His new family tried, they really did. They treated him as if he'd lived there forever, helped him with his homework, introduced them to his friends.
He didn't bother being grateful though. Why try to feed such a small, insignificant flame when there were bigger, better things out there? They were stupid for trying.
They weren't, however, because they succeeded. On his tenth birthday, Igneel gave him a gift, one that transformed the pitiful flame of his candle into a sun, one that lit up his entire life.
Happy.
He found himself doting on his pet kitten, loving the way it would lick its paws, never minding when the feline slept on his bed and got cat hair everywhere, laughing at its eager reaction to fish.
Natsu had called his companion Happy because that was how he felt.
He also stopped wetting the bed after that (yes, he wet the bed as a ten year old. It was embarrassing, but at least his family were kind about it). Natsu started hanging out with new people, began to mess around like a typical boy. He began to smile, a wide grin that became his trademark.
For seven years, he had been blissfully happy. And he still was.
But where, oh where, had he seen that girl before?
By the time four o'clock came around, Lucy's giddiness had turned sour. She was nervous. Very, very nervous.
Staring at the sign of the "Pixie Café", she bit her lip and fiddled with the edge of her skirt. Her miniskirt. Suddenly, she was less confident in her clothing. Why had she gone and confused herself with the Fairy Tail Lucy? The real Lucy wasn't pretty nor confident (in her low opinion).
On the bright side, the rain had reduced to a light drizzle. That was about all the optimism she could muster.
Lucy stared at her feet, shuffling awkwardly. She really, really didn't know what to-
"Hey, Luce!"
With a start, she looked up into the beaming face of her friend, eyes widening at his sudden appearance. Oh, and the fact that he was completely invading her personal space.
Somehow unable to move, Lucy stuttered out a reply. "H-hey, Natsu…" she said, her voice going high pitched at the end. Internally, she cursed her stupid nerves. They were just hanging out, right?
"Uhh… Luce? You okay?"
"I'm fine!" she answered rather quickly, leaving an awkward silence. She stared into his eyes like a rabbit in the headlights, he stared into hers quizzically.
Finally though, he threw an arm round her shoulder.
"Let's get going then! I really want ice cream…"
His arm was… warm. Very. Lucy allowed herself to relax. "Natsu, have you even noticed the weather? It's not exactly prime ice cream time, is it?"
"It's always ice cream time!"
And with that she giggled, the first laugh out of the many that would occur that day.
"No way! You're joking, right?" she spluttered, clutching her stomach as her entire body shook with laughter.
"I'm not! Transport is evil, I'm telling you!"
"Right, right. You go on thinking that." Lucy replied, wiping tears from her eyes.
The two had walked around the park before buying the oh-so-desired ice cream and from then on… it had been interesting. Natsu had tried feeding the ducks Lucy's ice cream. When they didn't come, he chased them, leaving Lucy to run after him. After being chased out by a hoard of ducks and angry parents, they'd then found their way to the cinema, yet the movie they desired to watch (an action comedy that was, in Natsu's words "Friggin' awesome!" and, in Lucy's words "looked different and intriguing") was sold out. Instead, they ended up watching a children's cartoon about a zebra that solved mysteries (which was surprisingly good).
Now they were in Lucy's apartment, once again eating Pot Noodle whilst talking.
Natsu narrowed his eyes at Lucy. "Okay, your turn to tell something embarrassing."
"Wait, what?"
"Go on. Make it even!"
Lucy twiddled a noodle on her fork, wondering what to say. Anything largely personal was out of the question, so….
"What's this?"
Looking up from her pot, Lucy shrieked and charged at Natsu as she swiped the papers out of his hand. Unfortunately for the blonde, one sheet fell to the floor.
Natsu dove to the floor and grabbed it, reading aloud.
"As the rich sunset draws near
My heart will hold you dear…"
He burst out laughing, punching the floor as tears streamed from his eyes. "Poetry! ROMANTIC POETRY!"
This subsequently lead to Lucy dumping her chicken and mushroom Pot Noodle on his head.
"Well…sorry, Luce." he stated. Lucy frowned. After the previous shenanigan, she had calmed down and was now attempting to wash the noodle out of Natsu's hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Huh? Don't girls like it when things go to plan?"
"What didn't go to plan?"
"We were chased outta the park by a mob of ducks, watched Detective Stripes and now you're washing my hair. That wasn't planned."
Lucy chuckled, fishing another string of noodle out and dumping it in the bin. "It's okay. Besides, Detective Stripes was badass."
"Not as badass as I am."
"You go telling yourself that, chicken and mushroom head."
There was a comfortable silence whilst Lucy, content that all the noodle was out of her friend's hair, squeezed in shampoo and began to gently lather his hair.
"…Luce?"
"Yeah?"
"Wanna do that again?"
"Of course."
She forgot what was so important about four o'clock.
"Mamma?"
"Yes, darling?"
"Look! Look!"
"Look at what?"
"See! A star! A gold star!"
"Let me see…"
…
"Is it good, Mamma? Is it good?"
"No."
"…B-but…"
"It's wonderful, Luce."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Let's put your Fairy Tail on the fridge, shall we?"
"Okey dokey!"
She hated mornings.
She hated getting up.
She hated funerals.
She loved her Mamma.
She hated her Mamma's funeral.
She hated the priest that droned on.
She hated the cold, empty church.
She loved her Mamma.
She hated the ugly gravestone they gave her.
She hated the ugly gravestones that surrounded her.
She hated watching the coffin be lowered into the ground.
She loved her Mamma.
She hated the people fussing over her loss.
She hated the black shoes she had to wear that pinched her feet.
She hated the fact that her father wouldn't look at her.
She loved Layla Heartfilia.
"Mamma?"
"What?"
"I wanna go home. It's cold out here."
"…"
"W-why are you crying? I-it's not that cold! I'll stay?"
"Natsu, promise me something."
"Yeah?"
"Like your name… warm your surroundings. Be joyful and bright, like the summer. I am the spring, melting into your summer."
"Huh? I don't understand..."
"Just be happy, okay? I-I want my baby to be happy."
"I'm not a baby! I'm seven!"
"You'll always be my baby. And you'll always be happy for your mommy- right?"
"Okey dokey!"
He loved his presents.
He loved the balloons.
He loved his birthday cake.
He hated the candles.
He loved the music.
He loved the way they sang so tunelessly.
He loved it when Igneel scooped him into a bear hug.
He hated the candles.
He loved the cards.
He loved the food.
He loved becoming eleven.
He hated the candles.
He loved his new kitten.
He loved its soft fur.
He loved watching it go crazy over fish.
He hated the flames.
"Hey, Natsu?" she asked absentmindedly, fingering his now clean locks of strawberry blonde hair.
"Yeah?"
"Pick an element."
"Umm… " Natsu thought for a second or so before deciding. "Fire."
Lucy chuckled slightly. "Of course."
"What do you mean, of course?" He said indignantly.
"Nothing." She replied innocently.
He snapped his head round to look at her. "Awww, Luce! Weirdo!"
"Stop it! I'm still washing your hair!"
They finally parted at eleven forty-five pm, promising each other to hang out together again- and to definitely rewatch Detective Stripes.
When she closed the door, Lucy allowed herself to just laugh. To laugh with relief, with happiness.
That night, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.
"So, are we ready to go then?" Erza asked, sword in hand. Lucy fingered her keys and nodded, Gray and Natsu grinned, and Happy answered with a trademark "Aye!"
"Let's go beat up some douchebags!" Natsu yelled, punching the air. Lucy couldn't help but grin, then remembered their mission and took on a more determined expression. They had some kidnapped girls to save, and Lucy was not going to go easy on these guys.
They had already met their client, already prepared. All that was left now was to fight.
That night, Natsu didn't sleep at all. He lay awake, attempting to find a reason for the weird recognition he felt.
A shame, really. Because, had he slept, he would have known. For a night, at least.
…But 90% of our dreams are forgotten upon awakening.
AN: Okay, so this wasn't the best of chapters. I was planning for this whole dramatic thing to happen here, but I felt that I needed to slow down and spend some time developing the characters before rushing in. I promise you all that the next chapter will be better! Thank you all for sticking by me!
¡Hasta lavista!