So this is where the fluff ends and the angst begins (not permanently, but for a while). I like writing angst, so there will probably be quite a bit of it (the rest of the things I've written for NaLu week are angst for the most part). I'm sorry?
Anyway, NaLu week day 4: Protect.
"Forget this life, come with me; don't look back, you're safe now. Unlock your heart, drop your guard; no one's left to stop you." -"Anywhere," Evanescence
Blood. That was all he'd really seen.
Everything was hazy, blurred. Vaguely, he registered the ominous thump of a body hitting the ground, a cough, a scream, a deranged, distant laugh. There was no way he'd seen what he thought he'd seen. Not a chance. He wouldn't let that happen. Natsu would never let any harm come to Lucy. That was his final decision.
And yet, here he was, watching her die as he stood by helplessly.
In retrospect, Lucy wasn't really dead. She was standing right there, tears leaking from her eyes, talking to the future version of herself. Natsu glanced to his right, away from the morbid scene in front of him. Lucy wasn't technically dead…yet. But if they couldn't do anything to change the future, she would die here in seven years. It didn't make much sense, but that meant that if he couldn't change it, Lucy had seven years left to live. She'd die at age twenty-four. Natsu clenched his fists. That meant she didn't have much to look forward to.
Natsu bit down hard on the inside of his lip; almost hard enough to draw blood. The thought of her dying so young scared him. And if it scared him, it would surely scare Lucy. He hated seeing her scared, and he usually couldn't do much about it. In the end, he just wanted his best friend to be happy.
"Your guild mark…it's gone…"
Natsu's breath hitched. Her guild mark was gone? Did that mean she would leave the guild? Leave him? Or…was the guild gone? No, that couldn't be, Neither was acceptable.
"Hey Natsu! Look!"
"That's nice, Luigi…"
"It's Lucy!"
The memory of Lucy's first day at the guild was like a slap to the face. She'd been so happy that day; so proud of that guild mark. Natsu felt his lip trembling, but he continued to hold back his tears. He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't have to, because this wasn't really happening…
As if him thinking that it wasn't real set Lucy's fate in stone, future Lucy's eyes went dull then. There was no breath from her lips, only blood trickling down her pale cheek from the inside of her mouth. She was gone.
The flood gates finally broke.
He wasn't sure what exactly he'd said to the others, only for them to leave. He growled something malicious, possibly murderous, to future Rogue, but he wasn't paying attention to his words. Natsu's mind could only process one thing: he had to protect Lucy.
There was no way he'd let anyone kill Lucy. Not now, not ever. He'd decided a long time ago, when Phantom Lord kidnapped her. As long as he was around, he would never let anyone so much as touch Lucy. No one would hurt her, make her cry, or take her from the guild. Because he wouldn't let them.
He loved her far too much to let anyone so much as lay a finger on her.
Natsu felt himself fighting future Rogue, unaware of his movements, as if some outer force was controlling his body without his mind's consent. But he was aware of his words now, and he heard himself, loud and clear, shouting his final condition; a last-minute decision that he would protect Lucy from one more thing.
"No one will steal Lucy's future!"
"Natsu! Stay quiet!"
"Don't move yet!"
Natsu ignored the two women, dragging himself toward the lifeless figure a few feet away.
"Lucy is…Lucy…"
After what felt like an eternity, Natsu reached his best friend's limp form and collapsed over her. Tears ran rampant down his face, violent sobs racking his body. "Shit…" He choked. There was pain in his chest, as if he could physically feel is heart breaking at the sight of her. Or maybe the stabbing pain was just another injury that he'd somehow failed to notice before; he couldn't tell. It hurt to cry, but holding back didn't seem to be an option. Everything hurt. His head throbbed, his throat burned, his whole body screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't. Lucy was lying dead in front of him. She'd been in the back of his mind, gnawing at his thoughts, for the past…how long had it been? He didn't know. He didn't care. It didn't matter. How long he'd been fighting, how long he would fight, none of that changed anything.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't defeat future Rogue.
Natsu grabbed at future Lucy's cloak, balling up the soft material in his fists. The tears came down harder. Was there another way to change all of this? Probably not. Maybe someone else could defeat future Rogue. That was all he could hope for. Future Rogue said he was as good as dead…that meant he could never do it. Whoever would do it, if anyone, it wouldn't be him. That certainly beat no one defeating him, but Natsu's anger was getting the better of him. He hated future Rogue more than he'd ever hated anyone. Natsu wanted to tear him apart, to cause him excruciating pain, worse than the pain he himself was going through. He wanted to torture that man. He wanted to kill him.
…He'd never wanted to kill anybody before.
Killing was wrong. Igneel always told him that, and he knew it was true. But that man stole everything from him. Not just from him. From everyone. He stole his family, his home, everyone's life. He stole Lucy's future. Theirfuture. Every time Natsu thought of his future, Lucy was in it. He always thought that maybe, if he worked up the guts to tell her how he really felt, just maybe they could be…well…something. Together. Not that he wasn't happy being her best friend. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so they say, and his heart, it seemed, wanted her.
But that didn't matter now, did it? They were both all were.
"I'm sorry Lucy. I'm so sorry. I know I promised I'd protect you but there's nothing I can do…"
"Who was that guy?"
Snapping back to reality, Natsu stood, slowly regaining his composure. "Was he an enemy?" Natsu swallowed hard, not daring to look anywhere but at the ground. "He did this to Lucy. He's my enemy."
Ultear and Meredy were silent for a moment, taking in his words, and Natsu felt his determination rising, his anger burning. Future Rogue was not just the enemy. He was Natsu's enemy. This was no longer about saving everyone; now, Natsu was being selfish for once. Future Rogue took Lucy from him, right in front of his face. He had a personal score to settle with that psychopath, and he'd be damned if he failed to do so.
He'd defeat future Rogue no matter what it took. He would bring down the man who took the most important person in the world to him.
He would change the future; for the guild and for Lucy. He couldn't afford to lose against future Rogue. If he did, he would lose her. If he did, he'd lose everything. And from now on, he decided, he would protect Lucy with his life. As long as he was alive, no one would ever hurt her again.
Natsu clenched his fists, his nails stabbing painfully into his palms. His decision was final. No one would mess with his friends or the girl he loved and get away with it. If he had to, he'd put future Rogue six feet under, even if that did put him in the wrong.
He was determined to change their future or die trying.
"It's over. Finally."
Natsu sighed, relaxing as he felt Lucy leaning closer to him, crying into the back of his shirt. "It's okay, Luce," He whispered, offering a gentle smile as he glanced back at her. "It's all over now. Everything's okay. There's nothing to be sad about."
Lucy sniffled, her grip on him tightening. "I know," She breathed. "I'm not sure what I'm crying for, but…thank you, Natsu. You saved everyone."
On a wild impulse, Natsu shifted and pulled Lucy into a tight hug as well. "I couldn't have done it without you," He whispered into her hair. He felt her laugh, as if she didn't believe him. That made him a bit sad.
She didn't believe him. She didn't know the half of it.
After all, the only reason he stood a chance against future Rogue was because he was too afraid of losing her to let future Rogue beat him.
They stayed locked in their embrace for a while, until Natsu finally pulled away. He took both of her hands in his own, looking her dead in they eye. "Lucy," He inquired, his voice hushed. "You trust me, right?" She smiled up at him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Of course I do, Natsu. You're my best friend. I told you, remember? I've believed in you since I joined the guild."
He returned the smile, a rare, soft expression etched across his face. "Good," In a daring move, he placed his lips gently on her forehead, causing her to blush slightly. He moved her hair away from her face, his fingers brushing across her skin briefly. After nearly losing her, Natsu felt a strange need to be near her, to constantly see and feel her, as if to reassure himself that she was really there and not really lying dead somewhere while he only imagined, out of desperation to see her again, that she was still with him. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise. I'll protect you."
Lucy let out a breathy laugh before wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest again. "I know you will. Thank you."
This time around, Natsu didn't hesitate in returning the hug. He buried face in the crook of her neck, one hand resting on the small of her back, pulling her towards him, the other tangled in her hair. He was happy, beyond what any word he knew could express, that she was there with him. She was in his arms; she was safe. And he planned to make sure she stayed that way.
I just had to mention Ultear in this one didn't I *muffled sounds of me sobbing hysterically in the distance*
So that was a kind of fluffy ending I guess, but seeing as my friend messaged me saying "and a big f*ck you to Tori for day 4 of NaLu week" after she read it when I posted it on tumblr, I'm guessing it's angsty for the most part. Ha. During the Grand Magic Games arc, I thought it was a little weird that Natsu kind of seemed more distraught over Lucy's future than the future of the guild, but I think that was Mashima's (kind of soul crushing) way of starting to develop Natsu's deeper feelings for Lucy (I'm pretty sure they've been there for a while but he's trying to develop them further. You know, Natsu's not exactly Mr. Subtlety). Anyway, because of that, I developed a theory early on that Natsu would end up defeating future!Rouge almost single-handedly because he was both too afraid to lose Lucy to let any of that happened and so angry at future!Rogue that he was like twenty times stronger. In the end, Natsu kind of did defeat future!Rogue on his own (but you know without Lucy's journal he wouldn't have gotten anywhere so technically Lucy saved the world but you know maybe I'm biased because I like to point out my favorite character's accomplishments so people will stop stomping all over her and calling her "useless" okaaaaaaay), so I'm keeping that headcanon until it's proven wrong (I feel like it's not going to be addressed so it's okay). Thanks for reading, hope you liked it :D
