Hello all!

Just so you all are aware, I'm going to be completely gone until March 30th. I'm going out of country :O South America! I'm super excited but also a bit freaked out... (Also, malaria pills...*shudders* grossest thing ever).

Thank you all for the abundance of reviews/follows/favorites! It means so, so much to me to know that you like it! I hope you enjoy the Nalu- err, I mean, enjoy the chapter~

Chapter Two

70 Days Before the Truth

I step in through the door at exactly 4:00, just barely making it to the top of the hill in my beat-up car. The Heartfilia Estate where I live is located high up on a hill behind Hargeon. My dad owns the entire plot of land, so technically, the entire hill is ours. You would think that because my dad is filthy rich I'd have a smartphone, a fancy car, and designer brand clothes, but that's not the case. My dad doesn't ever give me any money, mostly because the maids do all the housework, and he is extremely strict.

He always tells me that I'm lucky I even have a car and a phone: technically, a true lady shouldn't have either. I know he got me the phone so I could keep in touch with him (or, in other words, so he would always know where I am and keep tabs on me), but I still have no clue why I got a car. Not that I'm complaining. I asked my main maid, Virgo, and she replied with, "Perhaps Master does not want you showing up to school all sweaty after walking down the hill and into town."

Speaking of Virgo, she and my butler Capricorn are talking in the entry way when I step inside. It sounds like money talk, so I ignore it. I watch as Capricorn eyes my sandy swimsuit in distaste, but he says nothing. I slide off my wet, filthy flip-flops and hold them in my right hand, since my feet are cleaner than my shoes. I make my way up the polished wood staircase, swirling upwards towards the upper rooms of the house. I hear my father's footsteps as he moves around his office, most likely searching for something. I sigh to myself. He probably doesn't even know that I left home...

I gaze at the blue ink on the back on my hand with a small smile. Feeling excited, I change quickly, putting on a pink shirt, black skirt, and red strap heels. I dry my hair, then fix it into it's usual side ponytail. For some reason, my stomach is uneasy, as if this is a big deal. I am freaking out right now... Which is stupid, because all I'm doing is going to Natsu's house...a boy's house...

Suddenly, I feel ready to puke. This whole thing is insane to me. I've never been over to anyone's house but Levy's, let alone a boy's house. What if I make a complete fool of myself? What if his family hates me or thinks I'm a slut or something? Even worse, what if they get the idea that Natsu is interested in courting me! I slap my forehead. Courting... No one uses that word anymore... I'm in total lady-mode right now, this isn't good... I'm definitely going to make a fool of myself...

At precisely 4:45, I pull up in front of Natsu's rental house: 2765 Jostle Way. The garden is very green and lush, which is surprising because of the intense heat. The house's exterior was nice and clean, and through one of the slightly transparent curtains I saw a shape of a young girl move by. I smile. That must be Wendy, Natsu's sister. The front door opens before I even begin to make my way up the walk, revealing Wendy's appearance to me. She's a small, young girl with brown eyes and adorable blue hair up in pigtails. She appears to be maybe 12 or 13. In her arms is a white cat, who narrows its eyes at me. I walk up to her, looking away slightly awkwardly. Wendy smiles shyly. "Hi...are you Natsu's girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?!" I splutter. "Um, no, I-I'm just his friend, that's all."

"Lucy's here!" Natsu's voice suddenly hollers from inside the house, somehow knowing that I was at the door. "Finally!"

"Finally?" I repeat as he joins Wendy in the doorway. "I'm on time, silly."

Natsu shakes his head at me, causing his scarf to shift against his red Magnolia High t-shirt. "I waited forever..." he complains, turning to address Wendy. "Didn't I, sis?"

Wendy giggles. "It was only fifteen minutes."

"You're only counting sense earlier when-"

"Natsu! Wendy!" a kind voice calls. "Dinner's ready! Bring our guest inside, please!"

Natsu grins. "C'mon, Lucy, you're not going to want to miss this! Grandina's cooking is the best!" I step in through the doorway, following after the Dragneel siblings. The house's interior wasn't filthy, but neither was it clean. I'm assuming that most of the stuff here is Zirconis' though, since quite a few objects on the shelves are dusty. As I venture further into the house, something furry brushes against my legs, and I look down into the adorable face of a blue cat.

"Is this Happy?" I ask Natsu, bending down slightly to pet his head. He mews, nuzzling his nose against my palm.

Natsu nods excitedly. "Yep! Isn't he awesome?! He's the greatest cat ever! No matter what Metal Head says about his stupid Lily!" I giggle, giving Happy one final pet, then I stand back up again. Natsu leads me around a corner, then through a door. A slightly fancy dining room meets my eyes, and I gasp in spite of myself. The food on the table looks amazing.

"Wow..." I breathe. "That looks delicious."

"Right?!" Natsu replies with a grin as he makes his way to the table. He yanks a chair out, then plops into it almost dramatically. He winks at me in a goofy manner, then snatches a roll from the table and stuffs the entire thing in his mouth. My eyes widen as Wendy giggles and takes the seat across from him.

"Natsu!" Grandina shouts as she enters the dining room. "Get that roll out of your mouth! Be polite for once!" Natsu shrugs, spits it out, then sets the soggy blob down on his plate. Grandina turns to look at me. She's a beautiful, very mature-looking woman, with thick blue hair and pure white eyes. A smile spreads across her lips. "Hello there. You must be Lucy. Come sit down, there's plenty to eat."

"Thank you," I reply politely, then gently take the seat next to Natsu.

"Such good manners!" Grandina exclaims. "You should teach some of those to my son here." Natsu laughs nervously. Grandina takes the seat beside Wendy, then looks at Natsu again. "You can eat now."

"All right!" Natsu cheers. "I'm all fired up!" He then proceeds to pile massive amounts of steak and mashed potatoes onto his plate, which he then covers with hot sauce. I shake my head, smiling slightly. I've gotten fairly used to his weird eating habits, so this doesn't come as a surprise. I spoon some green beans onto my plate, then gently take a baked potato from another platter. I set my napkin in my lap, then daintily cut my steak into small, bite sized pieces.

"Bread?" Wendy asks, passing my the bowl.

"Yes, please," I reply, taking a roll for myself. Grandia is still staring at me, blown away by my manners. As I dab the corner of my mouth with my napkin, she speaks again.

"Lucy, would you mind telling us a little more about when you and Natsu met? I've heard his side of the story, but it'd be wonderful to hear yours."

"Yeah, Natsu leaves out stuff," Wendy says, popping a green bean into her mouth.

"I leaf ou' youless infamation," Natsu replies, his mouth full to the brim with food.

"Natsu!" Grandina scolds him. He swallows right as I glance at him. His face turns a light shade of pink, showing embarrassment for the first time about his eating habits.

I clear my throat, preparing to tell the story. "Well...uh...we met at Beachside Ice Cream & Yogurt..."

About a half hour later, everyone had eaten their fill, and we split to go do separate things. Grandina had some work to do, and Wendy went to go call her friend Cheria. This left Natsu and I to finding something to do. We were camped out in "his room" right now, Natsu sprawled across the bed and me seated in a fluffy brown beanbag. Natsu yawns, glancing at the ceiling.

"I'm bored..." He turns his head to look at me. "You wanna do something? Like video games, or we could prank call Gray..." He then frowns. "But maybe that's not a good idea... I've already prank called him three times today..."

I shake my head slightly. "Silly..."

"Weirdo," he replies without missing a beat, a huge grin on his face. I smile back at him, feeling my face flush. In the dim light, he looks almost...attractive. I push those thoughts out of my head, and instead take to smoothing my skirt. "Let's do something," Natsu whines.

My face falls, and I slowly look up at him. "Natsu?"

"Yeah, what is it?" he says, seeing my expression. He is suddenly serious, as if he flipped a switch inside himself. "Oh...is this about earlier...?"

"Yes..." I reply softly. "Natsu...did you...do anything...crazy in elementary school?"

"Crazy?" he frowns. "What do you-" Then he stops. "Oh." His face falls. "I don't want to scare you..."

"Tell me," I insist.

Natsu squeezes his eyes shut, and when he speaks, his voice is shaking. "I...I used to bring a lighter to school...I would burn paper in the bathroom... It just...helped..." He looks so weak and frail, like a timid child fessing up to doing something horrible.

"Helped?" I echo. "Helped with what?"

Natsu clenches onto his scarf, trembling a little bit. A single tear slides down his cheek as he chokes out, "It helped when my father left..."

I nearly fall off the beanbag. "He...left?!"

"For a business trip when I was ten..." Natsu replies softly. "And he never came back..." He looks up at me with watery eyes. "Sometimes I think that he's still out there...just waiting for the perfect chance to come home and show himself...but..." He wipes the tears away, but they keep falling. He gives up, his shoulders sagging. "Everyone else believes that he...died."

I stand up and make my way to his side, where I sit next to him on the bed. To my surprise, he buries his face into my chest and openly cries. I wrap an arm around him, keeping him close to me. His whole body is shaking. Between sobs he manages to gasp out a few words. "I...I just forget about it sometimes...and then...when I really think about...I...I lose it..."

"Shhh..." I whisper, rubbing his back. "I understand..." I look upwards, and out his slightly dusty window into the streets below. "I lost my mother when I was only five or so... I've been lonely for a long time now... Levy was my only friend before I met you, and anytime I wasn't with her or at school, I was locked up in my room all alone... I just wrote things to pass the time, until my room was covered with paper... I know how it feels to miss someone, and to need a way to take it out..." I take a deep breath, holding back tears of my own. "I was never happy..."

Natsu looks up at me with dark watery eyes. "Lucy..." he whispers. "T-Thank you... I've never told anyone about this... No one knows except Grandina and Wendy..." He hiccups slightly. "Thank you for being here for me..." He blinks away a few tears, then rests his forehead against mine. "I...I trust you..."

My heart skips a beat, then returns to normal as tears brim in my eyes. I'm unable to stop them as they fall, mingling and mixing with Natsu's. A teardrop falls onto his hand that is clutching his scarf tightly, slowly dripping off and onto the bedspread. I gently set my hand over his, trying to comfort his sorrows and my own. "Thank you, too..." I reply softly. "I...I've never cried openly in front of anyone like this...I've never felt like I could tell anyone anything... I mean...Levy knows my pain but...she doesn't know how much it actually hurts me... But she wouldn't understand the way you do... She has a happy family..."

Natsu swallows, then opens his mouth as if he's about to speak. He's interrupted by the door swinging open, and Wendy's small voice saying, "Onii-chan? Lucy? It's dessert ti-" She stops when she sees how close we are to each other, and looks ready to leave when Natsu turns to look at her. Her eyes widen at the sight of the tears on his face, and then she understands. "Oh..." She looks down at her feet. "Dad?"

"Yeah..." Natsu replies, his voice cracking. "We'll be out in a minute..." Wendy nods in understanding, then slowly leaves the room, shutting the door behind her. Natsu turns back to me. "Lucy..." A small smile spreads across his face. "Can I call you Luce sometimes?"

Surprised by his sudden request, I stammer out, "Y-Yes. But where'd that c-come from?"

Natsu shrugs. "Just thought of it..." He stands up, rubbing his eyes furiously. "Do I look like I've been crying?" My heart sinks. Right then and there I understand...he wants to keep this a secret from his step-mom...he doesn't want her to know that he's in pain...

"No," I reply softly. "Your eyes are just a tiny bit red, that's all..."

"Good," Natsu reaches out a hand. I slap it. Natsu's eyes widen in surprise. "Huh?"

"Low five," I grin.

He laughs. "I was going to help you up, but okay then." He smiles. "You're learning, aren't you, Luce?"

My heart flutters at the nickname. "Yeah... I guess I am..." Then I follow him out of the room and into the light.

Ugh. Another bad ending... Oh well, I was pretty pleased with how the rest of this chapter turned out. Sad Nalu is almost as awesome as cute/sweet Nalu. I have no clue why I enjoy writing Sad!Natsu so much...it's just addicting.

If you enjoyed, a review would be super helpful. I'm trying to improve on writing sad scenes, so some feedback would be awesome.

Also, please, please vote on my poll! This may determine some very important things in the future.

~ForeverDreamer12, signing out :)