Chapter 8

Sweat dropped down my spiky hair as it stuck to my neck. My vision is focused on and only the ball. 0:03. I flung the ball high up in the air as I jumped for more access. 0:02. The ball traveled across the court, over my teammates and over the opposing team. 0:01. The crowd cheered, drowning out all the pats on the backs of congratulation from both teams as the ball dropped to the ground through the net.

"Good game! Good game!", a face I don't know school my hand before sprinting to his sulking teammates. Our coach, who is also my father, Igneel made his way over to me as everybody lined up beside one another. They knew how strict my father was.

"Good Natsu.", he praised, patting my head. His fierce, red hair and sharp, slanted eyes could've said so otherwise but we also know how compassionate he could be at times.

He walked along the line of Fiore's Basketball players, either giving them praise and complements or criticisms and flaws. Then he turned around and started trudging towards me. I knew the question was coming. He always asked whenever I would win a game at the last second, which I can completely understand since I sometimes turn into a monster at certain circumstances.

My father loomed over me, his slanted eyes squinting far more. "Natsu.."

"Yes, sir.", I cleared my throat.

"What were you fighting for today.", he stated in a manner far from a question. He demanded it.

I gulped, the very few times Natsu Dragneel had become nervous and witty. I raced through all the shits and messes in my brain box and looked for the thing that stood out most. What have I been thinking mostly about today? My gold and treasure...

My breath caught in my throat as I uncovered the mystery while my father had grown impatient.

"Natsu.. What had driven you to win the game.", he repeated.

Someone along the line snickered and made a witty comment, "More like what had driven him to get this over with so tomorrow could happened ." At this everybody laughed as father's stare became more fierce. I glared at the person down the line and saw Loke smirking at me. That bastard..

I was about to speak before father interrupted me. "Full sentences, Natsu."

I groaned, shrinking into an even smaller person. "I... I was driven.. to finish this game..", I hesitantly spoke up.

"Because..", he urged me to continue.

"Because I wanted it to be tomorrow, just like Loke said.."

"And why is that?", he questioned.

I stumbled over my words, creating an exasperated sigh/groan. "So...", I started, drifting into my little world with only my one treasured gold. "So I could see her."

Silence over took the gym, the crowd and the opposing team already having left a while ago. My teammates gawked bewildered at me, not believing that I'd actually make this something serious and not just one of my phases when I get bored.

My father broke the nerve-wrecking silence. "Her?"

I nodded almost immediately.

And as expected, my father bursted out into a jolly, booming laugh. He dropped his clipboard and bent over, holding his stomach. As did everybody else. I groaned, a tick mark appearing in my forehead.

"You guys I'm serious.", I called out to them while they rolled on the floor.

Finally, my father regained his normal self, wiping a tear off the corner of his eyes. He looked at me, first with amusement, then with realization.

"Y-you're serious..", he gasped, halting the laughter of the rowdy boys.

I glared at him, then nodded. "What, you think I was joking?"

"Natsu-san you said the exact same thing with the past gazillion girls.", Sting shook his head, standing up with the others.

"Yeah and you know how that ended. You spit at their face and just passed it off as just another joke.", Gray joined in.

"Yea but this time I'm serious.", I sighed, clenching my fist. I guess I was pretty much a dick and only now have I realized.

"I'm guessing by the look of your face, you've finally realized that you were a dick, huh?", Gajeel snickered, reading my mind.

"I understand why Lucy-san would hate you.", Sting stated, earning a frown from me.

"Oh, so her name is Lucy, eh?", Igneel chuckled.

I frowned at my teammates. As much as I want to show her off to the world, I also don't want my father to gawk all over her and tell her my flaws and mistakes I made as a child. "Just... Just don't mess this up...", I pouted.

His face dropped. "Son, you aren't kidding. You're really serious..?!", he questioned again, putting an aggressive hand on my shoulder.

I shot him a look that shut him up. "Yes I'm fucking serious, like I said. Dad, don't mess this up, I really love her!", I growled, stomping away from shocked teammates and a proud father.

I wandered aimlessly around the empty halls of the school, stopping here and there at certain bulletins and classroom windows to see what was going on. At this hour, you were supposed to be at your electives, so me bailing an early release gets to spend free and alone time. Though I wish Luce was here.

I don't know how I came to fall in love with her. Most likely it's because her hair always flows the right way and the way her hips sways had become a rythm to my heart. Her face is like an angel's and it would be my pleasure if I got to see it everyday. She was just so damn hot!

I didn't realize I was leaning against a window looking at a pillar nearby, until Gray and the gang snuck up on me from behind.

"BOO.", Gajeel whispered seductively in my ear, jabbing his pointer and middle finger in my ribs. I felt the hair on my neck stand on end, acting upon instict, I grabbed his arm and rolled him over my shoulder, into the pillar causing it to crack.

"You goddamn pyromaniac what the fucking hell was that for?!", he groaned, sitting up in agony.

"Nobody gets to that to me!", he shouted back.

"Except Lucy."

"Okay, who the hell said that?!", Natsu angrily turned around to the others who were whistling and trying to hide their laughter. Loke, being the brave and idiot one, spoke up.

"Natsu, why and how in the world did you manage to fall in love with my princess?"

Romeo, Natsu's little cousin who always hung around him and the gang, coughed before excusing himself to the bathroom to avoid being caught in a fight. Again.

Surprisingly, Natsu brushed the 'princess' remark off to the side and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "She's hot, simple."

Gray patted Natsu back, praising him, "Atta boy." While Loke rolled his eyes.

"You know, Natsu. Looks aren't everything Lucy has. She has a personality too, she has feelings and judging her by her curves and breast size definitely isn't going to make her happy.."

"What the hell do you know, kitty kat?", Gajeel commented, standing up. Loke looked around at everybody else, especially Natsu, who stared deep in his eyes with curiousity and a hint of jealousy.

"I've known her for as long as I can remember. We have roots and if you're going to take advice from someone about my princess. There's only two people you could go to and I'm one of them."

"Why would I need advice? I'm Natsu Dragneel, for god's sake. Everyone loves me and she will eventually too.", he boasted.

Loke rubbed his temples, shaking his head in irritation. "You don't understand, Natsu-"

"No, you don't understand you dumbass. Lucy will fall in love with me and-"

"And what?!", Loke yelled, clenching his fist tighter. "And after you'll just throw her to the side when you've got your fill- Natsu I don't give a shit if you do that to other girls but Lucy ain't just another chick that you meet on your way to your fucking grave. You fall in love with her, you stay with her. And since I've known you since middle school, I can honestly say that you didn't fall in love with Lucy. You fell in love with the idea that you'll seduce her just like you did with everybody, but I'm not gonna' let that happen, you hear me?", by now, Loke had Natsu by the collar, his raspy voice eminating a death aura that set shivers down everybody's spines. Natsu, taken aback by Loke's sudden confession remained still and emotionless to detain his dignity. Loke bit down on his lips, hard, before continuing. "You have no idea what she'd been through, you ungreatful son of a bitch. The last thing she needs is a bastard playing with her heart like it's a fucking basketball- hell, I'll jump the chance to kill you if it ever happened-"

"OKAY, OKAY. Clear this up, this instant!", the booming growl of Natsu's dad echoed in the hallway. Loke remained in the position, clutching Natsu's collar before the coach pulled him away with little effort. Loke then spit at the ground before trudging away with Michelle who was quietly watching a few steps behind the crowd. She didn't seemed fazed and that confused Natsu. Instead, before walking away, she looked back at him and gave him a blank look, as if agreeing at every work the kitty kat spewed out.

"What the hell was going on here?!", Igneel growled, stomping his foot on the ground, resulting in a few teachers and students peeking from their closed doors to witness the commotion. When no answer came, only anger rose higher as he repeated, "I SAID, WHAT, IN THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"Sir-", Gray's weak voice died to a whine. He cleared his throat, "Sir, nothing happened physically. I-It was just all words; verbal."

"And what about?", he demanded.

".. About a girl, sir."

"A GIRL?", he boomed, not believing that some girl could cause an uprising between two friends. "You mean Natsu's girl?"

"Well, Loke-san doesn't really agree with that. Says Natsu-san only fell in love with some idea about seducing her or somethin'.", Sting finished.

"And tell, me.", Igneel continued. "Why would Loke have any shit to do with that?"

Students started gathering around the crowd, listening in on their conversation, hungry for juicy gossip to ruin a certain blonde's life.

"He says she's his princess..", Natsu spoke up weakly, staring at the ground beneath him with confused eyes. "He says that she doesn't need me. He says I didn't really fall in love with her-dad is that true?" He looked up, helpless at the softening man in front of him. His arm dropped, the clipboard dangling freely from his hand.

"Son..", he whispered. "You tell me. What part do you like about this girl?"

Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but quickly decided against the idea. After a short silence, he spoke up again. "She's different.. she's new. I've never seen anyone like her and ... I'm curious."

"There.", Gajeel sighed, shaking his head. He started to walk away, the crowd of student opening a pathway. The others hesitantly followed him, heading back to the gym.

"What? Guys?", Natsu called, chasing after the line before getting stopped by his father. He looked back confused at the red haired man. "Dad."

"Natsu, you're not in love.", he stated simply. "You're just curious."

"I know I'm curious but-"

"It's not right to confuse one with the other. You're playing with that girl's heart just because you want to figure her out.", his father explained. "Look, I know I thought you how to be infamous with the ladies and all, I get it. You're young and you're free. But you have to know, taking that girl apart to understand how she works... son you have to put her back together. You can't just leave her after you discover every nook and crannies, she's your responsibility."

"I-I... I don't do that, do I?", he questioned weakly.

His father looked him in the eye and shook his head.

"B-But Lucy-..."

"You convinced your - you and Loke, convinced your friends that Lucy was special. They know that she is a seperate being aside from the others that Natsu Dragneel would even hold her high. So after hearing that you were not really in love with her, I guess they kinda' had enough, look, kid. I don't really get how you children do your thingy-majiggs these days, but your friends knows what the right thing you would do and what the douche thing you would do. They just don't like how you would trample over something you love and talked so highly about."

"But what if I'm really in love with Lucy... dad, what if.."

Igneel gave him a disapproving look.

"Then, Natsu... you wouldn't even know where you are."