Hey ya, I know, your probably thinking, wtf! A new chapter, it's only been three hours since the last?! I know, I know, but I couldn't help myself, I loved writing this chapter, and I can't wait for you to tell me what you think! Thank you for reading it this far :) Here it is ;) a special long chapter :D

Disclaimer: You know the drill...

WHEN WE WERE KIDS

CHAPTER SIX

When I woke up, I was out on the street, ready to go to school with Natsu and Cana walking with me. It was a normal day like any other. But then, out of nowhere, this voice sounded "come home, or else" It said. I turned around to see if anything was there. There was nothing. "What's wrong Lucy?" Cana asked. "Yeah, you look like you've seen a ghost." Natsu added. I shrugged it of. "Nothing." And I continued to walk. The voice sounded again. "Then suffer the consiquences." It said. I turned around again, but once more, no one was there. "Lucy." I looked back at where my friends were, to see my father. I shrieked, Cana was on the floor, not moving, and he held Natsu by his hair, lifting him of the ground. He held a knife to his throat. "Now will you come home? I can have your friends killed with a simple phone call. Come home, or else." He said, and slashed Natsu's throat.

I woke up, with a yelp, all sweaty. It was a nightmare, it was a nightmare, it was a nightmare. I had to tell myself over and over again. What was scary about it was the fact that it could happen, my father could kill someone if he wanted to, he had the power. Plenty of dark guilds would kill for him, as long as money was involved. I got up, and started getting ready for my day. I looked out of my window, to see if Natsu was up, and okay, not, cutting himself or something. His curtains were still drawn, so I just got ready normaly. When I went out the doorway, I could see Cana walking up the path to my house, I waved, and she caught sight of me. We reached each other. "Hey Lucy, I was just coming to get you."

"Morning Cana. That's nice of you, wich house do you live in?"

"I live in number eight, it's further down the road. Is Natsu with you?" She asked, looking around.

"No, isn't he with you?"

"Nope. Let's go and get him, he'll be late if he's not ready." We walked the fifteen meters that separated our front gates, and quickly walked down his path. Cana knocked at the door, and was greeted by the small old man, Mokarov. "Hi Gramps." She said.

"Good morning Cana, and...Lucy? Was it?"

"That's right sir."

"Oh please, drop the formalities, call me Gramps." He said. I smiled in return. "I suppose your here to get Natsu?"

"Yep." Cana said, taking a swig from a clear bottle she grabbed out of her bag. Mokarov didn't mind. "NATSU COME ON! YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE TO GET YOU!" He yelled. A door slammed open, and out walked Natsu, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Cana and I sweatdropped at his appearance. He wasn't grinning as usual, he wasn't even smiling. He looked really pissed of. "By Natsu, don't-" Gramps started.

"Shut up." Natsu replied, in a really cold tone. It sent shivers down my spine. He pushed pass the old man, and we quickly moved out of his way as he walked through the doorway. He didn't wait for us. He just walked down the path. Cana and I ran up to him, catching him up. "Natsu! Wait up! What's got you out for the kill?" Cana asked.

"Give me your vodka would ya?" He said, not waiting for the reply, he grabbed the bottle out of her bag, undid the cap, and took a long swig. He sighed and wiped his mouth. "Aah. Nice to have something that burns." He said. He took another swig, and another, until the bottle was drained. Smiling creepily, he chucked the bottle on the road, and swung his arms around our knecks. "Hey, you girls should totally ditch school today and come with me."

"Natsu. You just downed seventy-five centilitres of vodka. You are pissed." Cana said.

"Come on, you girls are no fun." He said, poking our cheeks.

"We need to go to school Natsu. You need to come to." I said.

"Na, it's boring. Don't you want to come Luce? We can go to lily bridge if you want." He said, with hazy eyes, he was definitly drunk. At eight thirty in the morning.

"No. We need to go." Cana said.

"Alright, well you guys go, but I'm staying out." He said, removing his arms from our shoulders, and walking in the opposite direction.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Cana said to me.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." I replied. "Shouldn't we go after him?"

"If Natsu's ditching school, then there's a good reason. Best thing to do is leave him be." Cana said back. I looked back, and saw him sway down the road.

"Shit, he really is bad." I said. Cana turned my head back round, telling me to focus on the road.

School was as always, exiting, but I missed Natsu. He was a large part of the life and soul of the group. I hung around with Erza all day, as she told me about what everyone was like in primary school. "Cana couldn't drink then, and she always wore dungerees. She never wore dresses, or skirts. She hated showing her skin, but as soon as she got her firt taste of alchohol, she started craving it. A four year old who craved alcohol, Gramps told me."

"Wow, you've known each other for more than ten years! I feel like I'm intruding.."

"No..no, not all of us. Natsu arrived here when he was nine." Erza said.

"Really? What happened?" I asked.

"Gramps found him roaming the woods one day, a little pink haired boy roaming the woods on his own. He was about five then. He spent four years living at an orphanage in Clover city, until Gramps decided it was time to adopt him. So Natsu lived with Gramps in Magnolia from then on."

"Wow...so why was Natsu in the woods?" I asked, shocked by his difficult past.

"He deosn't remeber. He doesn't remember anything until the day he met Gramps." Erza said. I looked down at the side walk, thinking about when I saw him cry last night. Maybe it had something to do with that... I decided not to dwelve to deep into his personal life, I didn't want to unearth a touchy subject. Levy asked me to stay at school with her, and visit the library together. We spent ages, looking through books, talking about stories, and rearranging them. When we finally got out, it was eight p.m. I rushed home, hoping Obba-chan wouldn't be mad. When I walked inside, and said "I'm back!" She came swooping out of the kitchen, with a worried face on. "Lucy!" She said. I stepped backwards, slightly afraid. "Lucy! Thank goodness, did you and Natsu come back together?" She asked.

"N-no, why? Isn't he at his house?" I asked, worried. She shook her head. From the kitchen came Gramps, with teary eyes. "Gramps! I-I'm sorry! I-"

"No...no, it's okay, it isn't your fault. He's a stuborn child, but it's getting dark, please will you look for him?" He asked me.

"Yes, of course!" I said. I dumped my bag and rushed back out of the house. I had no idea where to go, so I went into town, in the direction he had gone. The streets were quiet, and the sky was nearly black. Grey clouds were shielding the sunset. I looked for about three hours, through little streets, nearly getting myself lost. I poked my head through the final little alley of Cherry street, and sighed in relief, as I saw a figure sitting on the floor, against the wall, with an empty bottle in his hands. His pink hair was still distinct, even through the night. I walked down the alleyway, and sat down next to him. He looked up quickly, and back down. "Yo." He said.

"Natsu... are you drunk?" I asked, snatching the bottle from his hands, examining it.

"Uuuuh...I just drank my fourth seventy five centilitre bottle of vodka, so I think so..." He said, his words were slurred and dragged out. He snatched the bottle back, and threw it in the corner of the alley. "Fuck this." He said.

"You wanna talk?" I asked him.

"About what? My fucked up past? My fucking life that I can't even remember?" He said, holding his head in between his arms.

"About anything." I said. He laughed, and put his arm around my shoulders. That's when I realised he was lacking a shirt, and only had his scarf on the upper half of his body. "Natsu, where's your shirt?"

"Can't remember." He said, leaning onto my shoulder. I sighed. It was cold. I felt a few wet raindrops land on my skin, and they soon turned into a heavy downfall.

"Come on, it's time for you to come home." I said, getting up, and picking up his bag.

"Where is home?" He asked. The question broke my heart. I knelt down, right in front of him, resting my hands on his knees.

"Home is the place where you can go no matter what, it's the place where people who love you are. Gramps loves you like a son. So go home." He smiled, and looked up at me. It gave me time to really catch his apearance. Tear stains on his face, a scratch on his left cheek, bloodshut eyes, and a small bruise by his jaw. Then, a sight that was very welcome. His smile turned into a grin. I smiled back, cupping my hand around his jaw, stroking it. He closed his eyes. I got up, and held out a hand. He took it, but staggered, holding himself up by the wall. I put his arms around my shoulders, and put my arm around his waist, and helped him walk home. The rain didn't help the journey. The normal fifteen minute walk took us an hour. He half slept on my shoulder, as we got drenched. He must of been freezing, with nothing on. I decided to make him speek, just to get him back to his senses.

"So, Natsu. You still haven't told me why you chose Luce as a nickname." I said.

"Hmmm. I suppose it's how I would write it. With an e at the end. Not a y."

"Not a good enough reason."

"I just like that name. It gives off an air of...I don't know." He said, lifting his head up, and resting it back down. "You know, your a really nice person, despite your attitude, you are really nice, it feels like I've known you my whole life, Luce. You're the quickest person I've made friends with." He said, I felt myself blush, and blamed all the balbering on the alcohol.

"Hm. So, did you hear what the school play was gonna be this year?" I asked, trying to avert my mind so I could stop the blush.

"Na...What is it?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

"Sounds old." He said disparigingly.

"It's a beautiful story." I said, remembering reading it.

"Go on then, what is it?"

"You don't know Romeo and Juliette? Tsch... Well, it's the story of two rival families, who are neighbors. Romeo and Juliette fall madly in love with each other, but can't be together. They make a plan to run away together. So to trick her father, Juliette drinks a potion that will stop her heart beat. It does. But Romeo didn't know that, and he sees her, and kills himself. She wakes up to find him dead,and kills herself." I said.

"Uch. Depressing."

"More like beautiful. Imagine, being in love that much with a person, that you can't bear to live without them..." I said, my eyes going sparkily.

"Meh, whatever. I'm drunk. I can't imagine anything right now..." And I'm not sure, but after that I think he went to sleep. I dragged his heavy body home, to number four. I opened the door, and stagered through it. "I've got him! But careful, he's as drunk as Bickslow after a drinking competition with Cana!" I said. Gramps and obba-chan rushed out of the kitchen, and helped me carry him to the couch. I went and got a blanket, and put it over him. He stayed asleep. I walked back into the kitchen, where I saw the time. "It's midnight? Where did the time go!" And I sat at the table with Mokarov and obba-chan.

"Thank you Lucy." He said.

"It's okay, it's mostly my fault anyway, if Cana and I hadn't let him go off..."

"No, no... the boy's a stubborn brat, he would of gone of anyway."

"Lulu, can you bring this to him please?" She said, passing me a cup filled with hot amber liquid.

"Sure." And I took it and went into the other room. He was still sleeping when I got in, and he looked so peaceful, without the bloodshot eyes, and the angry face. I smiled. I got the little table, dragged it next to him, and put the cup down. When I looked back down, I was shocked to see that his eyes were open, and he was grinning up at me.

"Hello Luce." He said, still tipsy.

"Good evening. You should get some sleep." I said, going out of the room.

"Lucy, wait a minute please." He said, holding my wrist. I sighed and turned back around. When I saw his face, I gasped. His lips was trembling, and his eyes were tearing up.

"Oh...Natsu...don't cry." I said, sitting down on the floor so my face was level with his.

"I-I-I just...I want to know..." He stuttered.

"Do you want me to get Gramps? He's probably better to talk to then me."

"No...no, not right now. Please, stay with me Lucy. I'm sad." And he cried. I took a corner of the blanket and wiped them away.

"I know you are. I'll stay." I said, clueless as to why he wanted me to stay.

"I-I just need a friend right now."

"You've got plenty." I said, stroking his cheek. Great, I'm tending to a drunken, crying, adopted child. I really wasn't expecting this from Magnolia. I felt a pang of guilt as I thought that.

"I want to know who my father is, but-but he wont say...I know he knows, but he wont..." By 'he', I presumed he meant Mokarov.

"Shh...Get some sleep, you can talk about it in the morning."

"Lucy, can you do something for me please?"

"Whatever you ask."

"Actually, two things."

"Ask away."

"Can you not tell anybody about this please?"

"Of course, I wouldn't of anyway."

"And also..."

"Yes?"

"Can you sing?" He asked. I was taken back at first.

"Um...um, sure." He smiled, and closed his eyes. My voice wasn't anything special, but I could sing. A song popped into my head. I don't know why it was that one, I barely knew the lyrics, but it was calming. "When you try your best, but you don't succeed." I sang. A bigger smile appeared on his face. "When you get what you, but not what you need." I stroked his hair soothing him. "When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep." I was starting to feel tired myself. " stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face." I leant my head on the side of the couch. "When you lose something you can't replace" I was worried about the next line, the melody changed. "When you love someone but it goes to waste. Could it be worse?" Nailed it. "Lights will guide you home,

And ignite your bones,

And I will try to

Fix you." My eyes started to droop, and the rest of the song played in my mind, as I fell asleep.

Meanwhile.

'"When are you going to tell him?" Silver asked the relieved old man.

"I can't. Can you imagine what that would do to him?"

"He has the right to know."

"But he needs to find out for himself."

"Can't you give him a push or something?"

"I can't. If there was someone else, but I'm to attached to him as a father. I could never bring myself to tell him..."

A/N: Way to much enjoyment in writing that... Hope you enjoyed, and the song, is one I have become addicted to, I usually listen to anime openings/endings, Miku, Gumi,... but this one is special, it's Fix you, by Coldplay, seriously, listen to it, it's beautiful ... Hope you enjoyed, peace :) and thanks to starfiresusan and janekins for favirouting :)