Yo gyus, Roji here, and once again with a new chap, I hope you enjoy ^^

WHEN WE WERE KIDS

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

I continued the letter so far it made no sense, the bargain they were talking about, I didn't understand, they said they would tell me if I said yes, all I knew is that it involved pain and saying goodbye to Natsu. And if I could do that, I would be willing to go through any pain they threw at me.

"Yes." I said, out loud, they will of heard me. I put the bottle of pills in my bag, and stopped crying, I had no tears left. Three days left in Magnolia, I would do my best not to cry one tear.

Drama class started. I wouldn't be there for the play, but it didn't matter, just this one hour left with Natsu, even if all I was to him was hatred, this one hour I would enjoy. I walked into the classroom where it was taking place, and I was met with various stares, pity, confusion, hatred, only one pair of eyes wasn't looking at me. Natsu, who was looking at his hands in his lap, his eyes closed. Another crack in my heart appeared as I saw him. Never had I seen him like that. He looked like he was on the verge of crying. I could of died, seeing him like that, knowing it was my fault, I could of died.

"Lucy! Come in!" Mira said. She was organising it this year. I walked in, and sat next to Levy, who was smiling at me, probably the only person to do so, along with Mira. Everyone else hated me for what I did to him, and I didn't blame them.

"Right everyone, I want you to do some improvisations. We will practice mirror movements. The pairs are the ones who are closest with each other in the script, so Juvia, Cana, and Freed with Bickslow, Lucy with Natsu..." she said, everyone started to get up, and stand in front of there designated partner. Mira knew exactly what she was doing, making us look into each others eye. I swear... but I did it. I got up, and walked in front of him. He stood up, but didn't look at me at all. We didn't speak.

"Yo, my name's Natsu. And you're...?"

"Lucy."

"Nice to meet you. Your name is funny."

"Look your partner in the eye." Mira said. I was already looking him in the eye. The expression, smile with your eyes, came to my mind, and I tried to. He looked up at me. Another crack, as I saw the moisture in his eyes. His eyes...

"So Lucy, you're going to Fairy?"

"Yes."

"Cool. In our class, we are all nakama, so we won't bite. And relax, you're making me feel awkward."

"One of you, decide who will take charge, and which one will be the reflection." Mira continued. Oh god, speaking. I waited, so did he, then we spoke at the same time.

"Do you-?" He started, while I said. "You can-"

"Shall I?" He asked, a crack in his voice.

"Sure." I said, still trying to send a mental message.

"Now mirror each others mouvements." Mira said.

"Catch."

"Thanks."

"What shall we drink to?"

"It has to something meaningful."

"Something we both know."

"Life?"

"Na, to normal. I know! I propose this toast, to windows!"

"That is kind of disturbing. Can I not get dressed without you watching me?"

"Don't think so highly of yourself. Thanks to windows, we have broken the ice."

"Okay, I suppose, to windows."

He raised his right hand, and I folowed suit. He ruffled his hair, and I did the same. He put his hand back down, he lifted his leg of the ground, and pretended to march, swinging his arms by his side. He was smiling, like as if we were still friends. He couldn't see me looking at him, as he was concentrating on my feet, and me on his eyes. But all of a sudden he looked up, and stopped marching. I was unconsciously smiling to. I stopped. He stopped smiling. We continued the exercise. He lifted his left arm up, and waved, then bought it back down, and did a mouvement, like as if he was throwing something.

"Right, Lucy, it's this way. I'll show you Lily bridge, it's really nice, if you look down onto the riverbed, you can see waterlilys, and sometimes frogs."

"Waterlilys? I've never seen one."

"You've never seen a waterlily? Wow."

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"You said you were all nakama in your class. Do you think all the others will have room for a new friend?"

"If you have room for real friends in your heart, then there's no doubt that you will fit in perfectly. I'm sure they will be your friend, even though they haven't seen you topless."

"Now switch" Mira ordered. We stayed in the position of throwing something. Then I had an idea. I moved, like as if I was catching something, he did to. I smiled, and bowed down, in thanks. I then pretended to hold a cup, or a can, of something. I saw his eyes widen, as he started to understand. I pointed my finger up, like as if I had had an idea, he was still mirroring me, but he seemed to of caught the idea. I then raised the hand that was holding something.

"Switch again." Mira said. He kept his hand raised, and approached it to mine. We touched hands, like as if we were touching glasses, or cans, like on the first day we met each other. I saw him smile, as we stayed there, then, his lips moved, forming words.

"To windows." They said. I smiled, and mirrored him, mouthing "to windows" as well. He put his hand back down, and extended it out towards me, I took it, like we did, when we were going down to see Erza, Cana, Gray, and Mira. A tear swelled up in my eye, and rolled down my cheek, it was a tear of joy. I was able to tell him sorry, and he understood.

"It's true. Your like family to me, that's how special you are. And even though it hasn't been long, it feels like an eternity."

"Thanks, that's how I feel to."

"Seriously though, I think you might be my best friend Lucy."

"Natsu, I think you might be mine to."

"Best friends?"

"Best friends."

A knock came at the door.

"Come in!" Mira called. In came Felicia.

"Hello, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to borrow Lucy for a while, can she take the rest of the class of?"

"Of course, anything for model student Merel." She said.

"Thank you. Lucy?" She said. I nodded, wiping away the tear. I let go of his hand, took my bag, and left.

She was walking along at a quick pace.

"Felicia, what's the matter?"

"It's about the place on the council. You can have it."

"Um...about that...I can't."

"Why?"

"I'm not staying at Fairy High." I said. She stopped.

"Why?"

"I've learnt magic. I go in three days." I said.

"But..." she said. Something had changed in her voice.

"Felicia?"

"But you can't..." she said. I couldn't see her face, but her straight fringe hung over her eyes.

"Felicia?" I repeated.

"Don't go Lucy. You..." She started. She turned around, and I saw her face, she looked sad! Felicia Merel, well known ice cold heart, looked sad! "You're the closets thing I have to a friend, I like you, please don't go..." she walked towards me, and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't put you under pressure like that. Another letter." She said, and slipped one into my hands, before walking off. I stood there, glued to the spot.

Felicia had just hugged me...

The letter, the bargain, okay mind, back on track. I opened it.

Dear Lucy,

Not nice. That theatre act wasn't funny. Today is your last day. Here is the bargain.

Tonight, we will come and get you, don't try to resist. Silver will be let free. The pills we have given you are a type of pain method. If you take one, the pain is equivilent to having your body pierced with needles. We want you to take all the bottle, that's forty pills. Equvilent to...we don't know, you'll be the first to find out. Take these, and you can see Natsu Dragneel tonight, before you leave. Only tonight. Go home for the rest of school, we will vouch for you.

It's been nice playing, enjoy.

The time had been changed so much, that it didn't even matter anymore. What mattered, was that I had tonight to tell. I sighed, in relief. The painfull wait was over, and I could finally leave, without having to face the wait of the three days. Tonight.

On my way home, I had flashbacks. Meeting Erza, her asking me if I'd seen a half naked boy and a pink haired boy run of somewhere, meeting Cana, who imediatly started flirting me, meeting Natsu, that was embarassing... Gray, Mira, everyone else. Natsu twisting my legs under the table, Erza shouting I love unicorns, Juvia reading Jules Verne, it all went by in a flash, then I had flashbacks of before Magnolia.

I got home, and packed, then slept. I don't know why I packed, I just did. Time flew by, and it was seven p.m. when I woke up. Just at the moment when my eyes opened, there was a knock on the door. I walked over to it, opened it, and found Cana. Cana...

"Lucy, hi, again of school?" She said.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Natsu. Tell him already." She said. She seemed sober.

"What do you mean? Oh no, not again..." I sighed, knowing she was going on about her shipping me and him.

"No, I'm not joking. He's really sad right now, the most sad he's been in ages. The nurse took him out of class because Levy told her about what happened."

"What happened?" I asked, worried.

"He broke down in tears at the end of theatre. Like, real tears, Natsu, you know it's bad. And he had already been sobbing, but then, he just cried, Levy went and told the nurse, and she took him out. He didn't come back to school afterwards. Speak to him, Lucy, please." Cana said. I just stood there, mouth open like a goldfish. "Here, he told me to give you this." She said, and gave me a piece of paper, torn out of an exercise book. My last letter.

"Thanks." I said. She walked of. "Cana!" I called after her.

"What?" She asked.

"I mean it, thank you, for everything." I said. She looked puzzled, then smiled.

"That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow, bye!"

"Yeah, goodbye, Cana." I closed the door, and went and sat in my room.

Yo Luce. Now that was freaky, we just totaly became telepathic. I don't know what's going on with you. It feels like you're trying to tell me something, doing those mirroring movements in drama, but then you tell me you don't need me anymore. Somehow, that just didn't feel like you were saying it. But those mirroring movements, just now, that felt sad, and happy at the same time, like as if you're saying goodbye. That thought keeps poping up, and it scares me, don't say goodbye, Lucy. Please don't.

And that's where it ended. The cracks deepened, and I felt the little bottle in my pocket. Needles stabbing every inch of my body? To say goodbye to him, propely? Bring it on.

All of a sudden, this mad urge was pulling me. I walked into the bathrrom, and leant over the sink, and took a long drink of water, before tiping the whole forty pills up, into my mouth, and one by one, they slid down my throat. I waited.

Maybe they don't work? That's cool, I can-

"AAAAAAARGH!" I yelled, falling to the ground, and curling up into a ball. They weren't just needles, they were red hot, fifty centimeter needles, going through each and every nerve, organ, muscle, bone, eye, finger, splitting my very mind in half with pain. So much pain, that the scream had gone, and I just lay on the floor, blinded by pain.

I'm not sure how long it lasted, but it stopped, just suddenly, stopped. My vision refocused, and I panted, sweaty, and feeling sick. Very sick, actually. My stomach churned, and I ran to the bathroom, before throwing up. That caused more panting. But the pain had was slowly disapating, and I could go and see him now. I guess I had to be traditional. Still feeling sick and weak, I climbed out of my window, and walked along the garden, before climbing over the fence, and walking to his window. He was sitting at his desk. I knocked. He turned around in surprise, and grinned as he saw me, but a look of concern replaced his face as he saw my complexion. He rushed to the window, and I climbed inside.

"Lucy? What's going on? Why do you look so terrible?" Terrible? Since when did he use long words?

"It's fine, I just..." I didn't have time to finish, as my legs gave way again, from the leftover pain, and I fell again, but this time, he caught me.

"Here." He said, and he helped me to sit on his bed. "I'll get you a cup of water." And he went out of the room. He was acting strangely, as if...no. he came back, and handed me the cup.

"Thanks." I said, taking it. He sat down next to me. I drank, closing my eyes, savouring the water. I finished it it one go, and put it down on his desk. I looked at him. He was smiling. I thought he would be asking me what the hell was going on, but no, just smiling. I opened my mouth to speak, but I didn't know what to say.

"Lucy..." he said, something in his voice... I didn't have time to think, as he kissed me.

Kissed me. Hold on. Brain, please go into gear.

I tore myself away from him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I said. None of this seemed right.

"Kissing you. Lucy, come on, don't be mean." He said, taking the back of my neck and pulling me towards him. I turned my head, and his kiss landed on my cheek.

"Stop it!"

"You're annoying me." He said, still just as calmly. He took hold of my wrists, and pushed me down onto the bed, he climbed on top of me.

"Get off! What are you doing! Let me go!" I yelled, he still held my wrists. He wasn't acting normaly. He bent down, towards me, but I turned my head to the side, still shouting protests. He pulled my arms above my head, and held them there, with one hand, then grabbed the back of my head, holding a fistfull off my hair, pulling on it.

"Get off! That hurts! What are you doing! Stop it!" I said, but he still managed to kiss me. I clamped my lips shut, not letting them reacting, but I felt drowsy, tired. I stopped kickcing my legs, I was to tired, and then I felt the heaviness, take over my eyes, closing them

"Stop...it...whoever...you...are..." I managed to say, before he lifted his head up, and laughed. There must of been something in the water.

"Was this a nightmare or a dream?" The person asked. My eyes closed shut, while he was laughing.

Just as soon as they shut, they opened. I was in bed, in my room. My room with the view of the Heartfilia grounds, my view of the mansion. I sat up, quickly, and it made my head hurt.

"What?" I said to myself, confused to hell and back.

"Good morning, Lucy." A voice said. There next to me, on a chair.

"T-Tristan?" I said, I couldn't believe my eyes, what the hell was going on?

"What? Did you have a nightmare? You kept talking in your sleep." He said. No mistaking it. That floppy brown hair, the pale skin, his skinny stature, and his grey eyes, it was Tristan.

"A..nightmare? How long have I been asleep?" I asked, my head still hurting.

"The normal time. You kept saying names. Like Erza, or Carla, was it?"

"Cana."

"Cana, Juvia, and Natsu, you said that one a lot. Who's Natsu?"

"I guess someone I dreamed up."

"Goody or baddy?"

"He turned out bad, or did he, was that him? I'm so confused..." I said, holding a hand up to my head. He took it.

"Lucy, it's good to see you awake, I have some good knews." He said. I was still on the question.

How on earth could of that been a dream? There's no way I could invent any of them. But then, how come Tristan is here, maybe this is the dream?

"Tristan? Am I dreaming?" I asked. He laughed, that familiar laugh, the one that was always there for me.

"No." He said.

"Refresh my memory please."

"Okay. Lucy Heartfilia, fourteen years of age, fifteen in two weeks, blond, beautiful brown eyes, my fiancee-"

"What?" I said.

"My fiancee. Do you really not remember? I suppose it's the aftermath of the dream..."

Which one was the dream? There was know way I could ever have come up with that. Something wasn't right, and I would get to the bottom of it, because I beleived in my friends, there where not just dreamed up people. My life has turned into a real nightmare.

Next chapter! Waking up, or falling to sleep? Is Natsu real? How many of him are there, exactly...? And how on earth will love bites help solve the problem? The blackmail 'arc' is ending! But don't worry, there is still plenty more story for you...

Tell me if you want another Q&A, for Kimmykim who was sad to of missed the last one ;)

Damn, that's one long chapter...congratulations to Kimmykim, who has succesfully posted a review on all chapters! ;) I hope your mind is safe now StellarMEL... Love you all, super biscuits, bisous :* Roji