Chapter Seventeen: Realisation (Alternative, Part One)
WARNING: There is a spoiler ahead if you haven't found out about Cana's family and past yet!
Lucy's POV
Waking up to the bright rays of sun in my eyes, I nearly, tumbled out of the tree as I leaned back like I usually did to stretch when I woke up.
"Ah!" I yelped, grabbing the branch in the nick of time. Breathing a sigh of relief, I hoisted myself back up and realised someone had fallen on my lap, squashing Happy.
"Natsu?" I cried. He must have fallen asleep on me last night on my shoulder and by suddenly moving, he had fallen on my lap.
"Ite!" cried Happy as he got squashed by Natsu. He was immediately up and flew above Natsu's head, hitting him with his little fists, "NATSU! I was sleeping!"
I laughed a little at Happy's cute little form, looking more adorable than scary really.
Natsu finally reacted to Happy's little hits and opened his eyes, "What is it, Happy?"
"YOU SQUASHED ME!" accused Happy, puffing little clouds of steam from his head, anime-style.
"Ah, Hontou?" said Natsu. Then he shrugged and went back to sleep on me.
"Don't go back to sleep!" yelled Happy.
"Um, Natsu?" I said, poking his head once. I poked him many times before he finally opened his eyes, "Huh? Lucy?" Then he sat straight up and looked at me observingly before smiling, "I sense good magic power! I think you're all healed!"
"Indeed she is," said another voice. I looked to my side and saw Porlyusica standing on our branch. She slowly approached us, perfectly co-ordinated on the branch.
"Where did you come from?" cried Happy. I gave him a warning look, not wanting Porlyusica to get her broom again.
"Stairs," replied Porlyusica, gesturing at an opened door in the trunk of the tree where a flight of stairs led down to the base.
"WHAT THE HELL?" I cried. Although I was glad she didn't crack at us yet. I suppose since Happy was a cat, it was OK.
"Don't 'what the hell' me," snapped Porlyusica, flicking me in the head.
"Ite!" I said, rubbing my head.
"But it seems your magic levels are all good again," said Porlyusica, "So, now you can leave." She turned back towards the stairs.
"T-Thank you so much, Porlyusica-san!" I said, bowing at her.
She stiffened as if my 'thank you' surprised her. Then she said, without turning around, "That was hint, you know."
"Oh, OK… we'll leave," I said, giving the scarf back to Natsu, "Here. Come on," I stood up, nearly falling off the branch as soon as I did so. I sighed, envious of Porlyusica's balance. I might as well have been walking on a tightrope.
"Yeah," said Natsu, getting up, "Arigato na, Granny!"
Now I stiffened and grabbed Natsu by the arm, "OK! Let's go, hurry up!"
The same dark aura surrounded Porlyusica as she heard 'that word'. She began to turn around but I had dragged Natsu off by then as we landed on the ground. I looked back once in case she was going to, I don't know, kill us with magic or something but she didn't.
I swear she was smiling before I ran into the forest and I could no longer see her.
Once we were a considerable distance away, I stopped and caught my breath.
"Geez, Natsu!" I said between pants, "Was it that hard to say her name?"
"Well…" said Natsu, scratching his head.
"That was a rhetorical question!" I said, standing up, "Anyway, we should get back to town and the guild. I have to take a shower too," I said, realising I probably stank by now.
"Or you could just come along to our house!" grinned Natsu.
"OK," I shrugged. I hadn't really been to Natsu's house before so I was quite curious to see what it was like inside.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"HOME SWEET HOME!" shouted Natsu, running inside his house, Happy flying closely behind. I smiled and entered the home only to be completely surprised. The inside was a mess! Random dolls and stuff scattered on the floor, a hammock hung on a tree, drawers upturned and the contents pouring out and entire dust piles in corners. I sweat-dropped, wondering how Natsu and Happy never got covered in dust living here or didn't even have a feather-duster in sight? I might not have wanted to be a rich, snotty girl but I still liked tidy, clean places.
"This is our home," stated Natsu as if the sign outside stating 'Natsu and Happy's House' with an arrow wasn't obvious enough, "What do you think?"
"When was the last time you cleaned this place?" I asked curiously.
"Hm… Dunno…" said Natsu, sincerely looking as if he'd forgotten completely. He turned to Happy, "When was it?"
"I think it was when Lisanna told us to before she supposedly died," said Happy.
"THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO!" I shouted, "You're telling me you did NOTHING since then?"
"Too lazy," said Natsu, brushing the issue aside, laughing, "Never saw the need and we can live in here. Besides, we spend most of our town in the guild and your apartment anyway!"
"And I can see why," I said, looking around the room, "Come on; we have to get cleaning right now."
"Why?" asked Natsu.
"Because it's obvious this place needs it. Come on," I said, producing cleaning materials (dust pan, broom, feather duster and cloths for wiping) out of nowhere, "You two can start dusting." I threw them a feather duster and a miniature one for Happy, "I'll sweep up and wipe stuff."
"Demo, why, Lucy?" whined Natsu, "It's not that bad, honest."
"I'll make sure the next mission we go on will be by boat or train," I said.
"EH?" said Natsu, already looking purple, "Unfair, Lucy!"
"Unfair!" shouted Happy.
"I'll buy you the biggest fish," I bribed.
"Cleaning~ Cleaning~" sang Happy cheerfully while dusting the small corners we couldn't reach while flying.
"Oh, come on, Happy!" complained Natsu. Grumbling to himself, he started dusting around. I smiled at him, "Thank you, Natsu."
He seemed surprised and then smiled back, "It's OK."
As sunset came (yes, their house is this dirty. :) )
"FINISHED!" shouted Natsu, lying on the floor of their wiped and shiny house.
"Ah… tired…" groaned Happy, face down beside him.
"Good work," I smiled although I was dead tired as well. Looking at them exhausted now, I felt a bit bad, "I'm going to take a shower, and then I'll treat for dinner, OK?"
"FISH/FOOD!" shouted both mages, instantly energised, "Arigato, Lucy!"
"OK, I'll just shower," I said, going into their bathroom. As I finished my shower, wrapped in a towel, I looked at my clothes and sighed. Of course they were covered with dust. Suddenly a flash appeared and Virgo stood there, holding some fabric.
"Virgo!" I cried happily, never more glad to see her.
"Here, Hime," said Virgo, handing me the clothes she was holding. I smiled at the clothes, a simple strappy black dress which went down to just past my knees and matching shoes and ribbon to tie my hair up. Also a black, shiny clutch which I placed my wallet into.
"Arigato, Virgo," I said gratefully.
"Oh, that's nothing, it's the most plain outfit I could find since you're going to that sushi place again, aren't you?"
"Happy wants fish so Happy gets fish," I said, as I did the strap on my black heel and replaced my current ribbon with my black one.
"Could you please return my clothes to my apartment?" I said, tossing her a key, "Use that to get into my room."
"Understood," said Virgo, picking up my other clothes and about to dig underground.
"Wait, wait!" I cried, stopping her, "I'm begging you to just go there normally, please? I don't want some humongous hole in Natsu's house."
Virgo nodded and opened the bathroom window to jump out.
"Arigato, Virgo!" I called before going out.
"Yay! Lucy's out! Now we can go eat— Hey, where'd you get new clothes?" said Natsu before realising himself, "Virgo."
"Right," I said, "But it sort of destroyed my purpose to keep clean if I was going back into my dirty clothes anyway so Virgo came. Anyway, let's go." I held my clutch tightly so no one would steal it as we went into town.
"Fish~ Fish~" sang Happy, flying about.
"You seem to sing a lot today," observed Natsu. I laughed, quite enjoying Happy's little show, really.
"What's wrong with it?" said Happy, as he continued to sing happily.
As we entered the restaurant, the place was packed, unexpectedly.
"I don't think there are any seats," said Happy, flying above our heads and scanning the room.
"We'll just get take-out then," I shrugged, going up to the counter to order.
When the order arrived, I payed as promised and got a huge fish out for Happy (also as promised) and thanked them.
"Let's go," I said, going outside, "Where do you want to eat?"
"LET'S GO!" cheered Natsu, suddenly sweeping me up bridal style and running towards a direction.
"CHOTTO MATTE! NATSU!" I screamed but not too loudly so no one would think I was getting kidnapped. But still loudly enough to sound strict.
"What? It would've taken forever if I didn't do this!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, hitting him on the head.
Soon we arrived at Natsu's chosen place. It was a grassy spot with some flowering trees around. It seemed familiar and after a few short moments, I finally realised where it was.
"This is the place where the Hanami Party took place," I said, smiling at the trees. The blossoms weren't rainbow-coloured yet but it was beautiful all the same.
"Yeah," said Natsu, grinning, "You never got to come to this place so I decided to bring you here."
I smiled and sat down, "Thanks. Which sushi do you want?"
Natsu sat down and we talked happily, eating while Happy sat between us, chomping on his large fish. Finally all the food was gone.
"I'm stuffed," said Natsu, leaning back, putting his hands behind his head.
"Maybe because you ate three quarters of the whole order!" I said. Though I didn't particularly mind. I didn't feel very hungry and the sushi pieces I managed to swipe were filling enough.
Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Are you still hungry?"
"No…" I said.
"Then what's the problem?" said Natsu, lying back down.
I laughed for a second and then went to lie beside him, "See any stars?"
"Nope, the trees are blocking the view," replied Natsu, although he didn't seem to mind.
After a few minutes of silence, Natsu finally spoke up, "Ne, Lucy?"
"Nani?" I said.
"What do you think of me?" he sounded quite nervous asking the question, a rare thing for Natsu. I was immediately suspicious of something about to happen. The same feeling I had when Gray confessed…
My spit suddenly caught in my throat and I tried to swallow it down.
"A great friend," I replied, hoping I didn't sound as stressed as I felt. I did notice I spoke really quickly though, "You're one of the most interesting and… just all around best people I've met."
Natsu seemed pleased by this. Quickly, I asked him a question so he wouldn't ask me any other awkward thing, "W-Why do you ask?"
Natsu turned around to face me and he smirked at my blushing face, "You're stammering and blushing." His confidence seemed to suddenly come bouncing back to him naturally.
"Just answer the question!" I snapped, looking away, aware I was still blushing.
"I wanted to ask because…" said Natsu, his arms constricting around me and pulling me to him before pressing his lips to mine. I felt nothing like what I felt during the play rehearsal.
Compared to that time, a firework seemed to go off within me, yet nothing had changed about the way Natsu kissed. It was almost exactly like Gray's. Gray…
It was my own feelings and body reacting. I moved my lips slightly, perfectly in sync, like a dance with him. The feeling stayed with me, throbbing strong inside my heart.
Had I fallen for Natsu Dragneel?
Then Natsu pulled away first and hugged me close. My head rested in the crook of his neck.
"I've fallen for you, Lucy," said Natsu, "I promise to never hurt you. Be mine?"
I was literally hyperventilating against him and not because he was holding me so close. A million thoughts ran through my head like an electric current, starting with 'WHAT THE HELL?', followed by, 'But I still love Gray…' and then finally, 'But Gray doesn't love me anymore…'.
"I…" I said, fumbling about in my head for that stupid speech I was supposed to memorise especially for moments like this. Of course when I was still a Heartfilia wealthy girl, my father had tried to fix me up with plenty of other rich sons of big companies. But of course none of them clicked with me so I had come up with a never-fail speech to turn them all down nicely.
And I now forgot it, I was hyperventilating so much.
So I used my own head to think. Gray and I were practically in separate worlds now, there was no way I could keep hoping. Even if I did, every single day. But nothing ever happened just by wishing for it. Natsu was basically the equivalent of Gray, roughly. Everything I liked it Gray, Natsu also had. Caring for friends, assertive, kind and funny… If I had to move on with anybody, it would be Natsu.
"I… Yes," I finally said, burying my head against his chest. Part of his scarf draped down and I rested my head on that.
I could imagine Natsu smiling as he hugged me tighter, "I love you."
A huge weight had slipped off my shoulders as I hugged Natsu, beginning to move on from Gray, "I love you, too."
Normal POV
Cana walked across her room in Fairy Hills and sat down at her desk. Her room was average. She didn't keep anything particularly peculiar. Instead she just had a basic room with a fur carpet and large bed with a couple of pillows and thick blanket. She also had a large bookshelf and sofa with a coffee table. The weirdest thing she kept was a secret compartment which hid all her alcohol. Although the most precious things to her were on her wooden desk with the matching chair. Things like her diary, where she kept a countdown of days Gildarts would return home and notes of things she might say to him before he left again.
She also had her prized possession, a photo of her mother from so long ago which she regularly made sure was clean and sparkling. Next to that was a picture of the guild and a small box for her cards. It was quite late and dark so she lit the candle on her desk and got out her cards, placing them on her desk.
Cana often did some tarot reading before she went to sleep, to find out the chances of Gildarts returning, any dangers coming her way or anything that might endanger the guild in any way.
Picking up a card, she widened her eyes. The card she held was 'DEATH'. She looked at the position the card was laid and the neighbouring cards. Finally, she came to a conclusion and closed her eyes, thinking, the cards said 'closing of one door to open another'. What…? Suddenly she had an epiphany, realising what it meant, no way…
Quickly, she gathered up the cards and re-arranged them, picking one up again. It was the 'TOWER'. Cana placed down the card again and sighed resting her head on her hand, not needing to check the position of the card or the ones next to it.
A sudden change and the closing of one door to open another… Cana stood up quickly, bringing her cards and tugged on a jacket, opening the door to quietly make her way down the hall to Juvia's room.
Knocking quietly, she hissed, "Juvia? It's Cana; open up!"
Soon, the door silently opened and Juvia stood there in her dressing gown, "Cana? What's wrong?"
"There's a sudden change," said Cana, "With Lucy's feelings. She's closed off Gray and opened another door to move on."
"Natsu?" said Juvia.
Cana nodded, "It must be. I've read tarot cards for many years. There can be no mistake."
"What should we do?" said Juvia, opening the door wider, allowing Cana to step in.
"I don't know," said Cana, arranging her cards on Juvia's table, "That's what these are for. To guide us in a situation." She picked up a card and was emotionless as she put it back down.
"What did the cards say?" asked Juvia.
"It was the 'THREE OF WANDS'," said Cana, "Meaning 'show others the way'."
"So, that means…" said Juvia, "Tell Gray and Lucy what we know?"
"This is usually the type of thing the people involved work out themselves. If Gray doesn't realise his big mistake in letting Natsu take Lucy soon, we'll take action."
"How long are we waiting?" asked Juvia.
"That depends. Pick one," said Cana, placing each of the cards face-down and scrambling them around.
Juvia did as she was told and picked one up. She flipped it around, "It's the 'ACE OF PENTACLES'."
"We'll wait one day then," said Cana, "Hopefully Gray would be smart enough to realise what he should already know." She stood up and glanced at the clock on Juvia's drawer, stating it was eleven o' clock, "I better get back to my room. Have to get to sleep."
"Yeah, me too," said Juvia, smiling at her, "Good night."
"Night," said Cana, getting out. She sighed as she entered her room again and threw her jacket on the chair. Then she got into bed, putting her cards on a stacked pile beside her pillow, except the 'ACE OF PENTACLES'. She held it up and looked at it even though she could barely even see the outline of it.
I wasn't even tarot reading and yet… thought Cana, it must be a coincidence.
The cards around the 'ACE OF PENTACLES' when she scrambled them around… as she picked them up, she glimpsed them and it made the card mean something.
'ACE OF PENTACLES'- 'believe in the good faith of others'.
... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
These tarot reading things are actually true~ I looked them up online :D
Anyways, don't worry, the regular story will continue after this alternative. This is just for the people who prefer a more detailed and slow event.
You know what I'm going to ask so please do so. :)