Three days had passed since the night in the garden, and since then I hadn't been able to get my mind off of Lucy's powers. In those three days as they talked in the library, I was always able to detect a distaste and almost hatred of her powers whenever they came into conversation. In fact she had even mentioned that she held all the blame on how her life turned out on her own powers. Lucy often talked about how she always wanted to go on adventures and write a book about them since she was young, but never had the chance since she was taken away from society as a threat when she was seven, ten years ago. She never once left the academy since.
When I heard this I wanted to be able to do something for her, so she would feel such anger at her own gift. Then one night while we were talking in the library, I had suggested something on the spot without even thinking before the words had left my mouth.
"How about I teach you to control your powers?" I had said from out of the blue. Lucy had immediately turned to look at him in utter shock; as if that was the most ludicrous thing she had ever heard.
"I can't be taught." She said matter-of-factly, "I've had five different mutant teachers before they finally gave up on me last year, and I accidentally hurt three of them."
"My favorite teacher, Mr. Clive, always says that the best teacher you could have is yourself, because you're the only one who has your individual gift. I won't actually be teaching you per say, I'll only be there to couch you and offer encouragement."
Lucy looked down at her lap, hugging the whole of her body closer to herself, curling up in a tight ball, resting her head in her knees. Her face was that of a solemn despair, as if she had lost all hope long ago. I thought to myself on how I could possibly persuade her, and then I came to a swift realization.
"Lucy, how is it that you make yourself invisible?" I asked.
"Huh?" She raised her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"When we first spoke, you appeared and disappeared without me being able to see you. How did you do that?"
"I… turned my body and clothes into glass." She replied puzzled to what I was getting at.
"And how did you manage to survive having your organs turning into glass?" I continued, hoping she'd she my point, and she did as she spoke slowly.
"Well… I trained for... years until I was able to…" The realization finally hit her. She already did have a level of control over her powers, but it was her fear that let it get out of hand.
"You see Lucy, if you can train yourself to turn into glass and live, then you'll surely be able to learn control. The first step to mastering your powers is accepting them. So my first order as your new couch is for you to accept the powers you were given."
And that's where our miniature training in the library after hours began. Lucy was neverable to grow a liking for her powers, but after a few days she was able to at least accept that they were the ones she was born with,thus making her the individual, privileged owner. We took baby steps at control, starting with simply turning a piece of paper into something else, a pencil, I had decided, since they both came from trees. For a bit it wouldn't change at all, Lucy had been too nervous of losing control that she couldn't focus her powers, so I showed her breathing exercises and simply stretches that were meant to calm the body and mind. I am proud to say that I didn't stare at
her form for too long.
As I had hoped, these exercises were enough to calm her mind, so I resulted into coaching her into meditating on her own powers to change the object. I didn't have a power anything near hers, but I often saw other students use meditation as a way to practice control and casting. At first she kept accidentally morphing part of the table along with the paper, so, to not let it discourage her, I would have her reform the table out of the paper or pencil.
One week into our practicing, Lucy was able to disassemble an entire lamp, and form it into a stone statue on command, though it took her several minutes of meditation in order to do it. I had felt so proud. Since our first meeting my sleep schedule had become wonky, as I stayed up past midnight every night just, in a totally normal and healthy way,
watched Lucy from afar. But now that we actually started talking, becoming something that resembled friends, I've been even less and less amounts of sleep. Especially after I started to help her train. I tried to hide it from my other friends at first, saying that I had just been gaming up at late hours, or saying that I was too awake or had homework to take care of. In a way it was homework. Whenever I was away from Lucy, I would often think of new ways to motivate her, or different practices for her. Most everyone didn't question me beyond that, Erza always looking skeptical of my excuses for the deepening bags under my eyes and my lack of attention in and out class. However, it was Gray that I had the hardest time convincing, as he knew about my obsession- I mean interest in Lucy Heartfilia. Still, Gray thought I was just having a hard time getting over her; he had no idea that I was seeing her pretty much every single night, and I'd like to keep it that.
This isn't something that concerned him. Even so, my delayed reactions and sluggishness caused him even more worry and suspicion past that of late night moping. The sudden appearance of my new cat Happy was the hardest thing to explain. Most everyone didn't really believe me when I said I saw him walking around the gardens even though that was the actual truth, and his blue fur only caused for more curiosity and questions, so I just told them I wasn't sure where he came from or why he was blue. Gray wasn't too keen on bringing the cat into or dorm, as we weren't allowed to have pets, but also because he was worried the cat was going to lead to some kind of endangerment. I simply called him out for being too paranoid and brought the cat in anyway.
However the hardest thing in all of this was seeing Lucy in passing in the the urge to walk over to her was near torturous. Just as she did in the past, she didn't pass me as much as a glance, not a single form of acknowledgement whatsoever. And that somehow made me even more riled up.
Gray would sometimes see these looks of longing, which would only cause him to narrow his eyes at me with suspicion. I would play it off as best I could like nothing was going on, but keeping my eyes away from her radiant form was more difficult than it seemed.
That night, tonight, only a few hours prior, I had waited for the shadows of night time to rise and give me cover. My usual escape time was fromeleven thirty to midnight, as the guard post changed for those thirty minutes, making the southeast hall leading to the library deserted of any security. This as well as it was past Gray's bedtime, being the freak he is and going to sleep at ten thirty almost every night. Making now the ideal time to escape. I crept out of my room and stalked quietly through our dorm, Happy in my arms as he usually was, almost making it past the living room into the hallway that lead to the front door, but was caught off guard when the lights were suddenly flipped on, exposing me. I hastily turned around, a deer in the headlights, and came face to face with Gray, who had apparently been sitting in one of the lounge chairs the entire time.
"Hey, Natsu." He said sarcastically, "Where are you going at this hour?"
Up until now I never thought I would be caught, so I didn't have anything to say as an excuse this time. There was no logic behind him leaving at this hour. They had a mini fridge with food, a bathroom, and a TV with agaming console, there was no reason for him to leave the dorm.
"Um… I'm uh… going on a walk." I answered haphazardly unsure what
else to say.
"Mhmm." Gray hummed, causing me to fidget in my spot, knowing that I had finally been caught red handed. The ice wielder across from him didn't say anything for a couple moments, instead he just stared and drank in my image (oh my gosh that sounds wrong, forget that), making me feeling even more guilty (that makes it sound worse).Eventually he breathed a sigh and got up from his arm chair, and walked over to me putting his hands on both my shoulders.
"Natsu, you know you can tell me anything right? Since when did we start lying to each other?" He asked, looking a little hurt.
"I'm sorry Gray, but this doesn't involve you." I winched at my own words, but it was for the best that I don't let him interfere. He just doesn't understand what I'm feeling.
"This has to do with that Lucy Heartfilia girl, doesn't it." Gray stated as a fact, not a question. I didn't bother to answer him, he figured it out, and so I turned my head to look at the wall. "Natsu that girl is dangerous. I told you that involving yourself with her will only get you hurt, or even worse." He warned me once again, worry and concern etched into his facial features. But I would not listen, I could never convince him to believe otherwise, and he'll never understand my reasons.
"Lucy would never hurt me, I half complete trust with her."
"First name basis now, huh? How much have you been allowing her to twist your mind?"
"She would never do such a thing! You could never understand my love for her, and you can't stop it."
"Love? Natsu this isn't love, this is an obsession!"
"No it's not! This is loyalty and dedication! If you would move
past your fear of her powers like I have, then you would be able to see what I
see in her."
"Natsu use your brain for once in your life! That girl has the mutant's crown, only those with enough power to destroy the entire planet have those, and that's only when they can't be killed. Think about it Natsu, that means that the government has already tried to put her down but failed to do so."
"Lucy never asked for her powers! If you stopped being such a punk bitch you would understand how much she's been suffering!"
Gray didn't say anything back, and remained silent in his then did I realize that we had been yelling at each other, hopefully not loud enough for anyone else to hear us. We let our words sink in, this fight different from any of their previous ones before. We had both gone too far, but said what we had to. I pushed myself past him, happy still in my arms, and I walked out without another word to my best friend.
When I closed the door I paused outside in the hallway for a moment and looked back at the door, considering going back and apologizing. But I stopped myself, knowing that I was right. Those in fear of the unknown can never discover its wonders.
'Tonight's the night.' I decided as I walked stealthily through the walls. After about a week and half of careful practicing I decided it was time for Lucy to take it a step further. She could now disassemble and reassemble the largest objects in the library, which means she needs larger targets, targets that were best found outside the school walls.
When I walked into the library I saw Lucy I our usual spot, waiting for me, and I made my way over to her. Sitting myself down across from her, I set down happy atop the table and asked her if she wanted to do just that, leave school grounds to train. The conversation went a little like this:
"Hey Lucy, how about we take our training outside the library. There's not much you can practice on in here anymore." I pointed out, gesturing to the whole of the library.
"But where would we practice? Guards are constantly watching the outside and halls, we won't be able to practice outside." She replied back.
"I know that, that's why we should go, outside the barrier wall." I said with a cheeky grin
"What? Are you crazy?! Don't you know the punishment for leaving the school without permission?"
"Of course."
"Then why on Earthland would you suggest that?!" She screamed athim in a hushed voice.
"Because you haven't been outside this institution's walls for a decade, I want you to experience it again." I told her, my voice and eyes soft with earnest sincerity.
"This is so much bigger than even you realize. If you're caught outside with me, the punishment is worse than death… I can assure you that. The people keeping me here are nothing short of evil."
I thought back to Dr. Marson, the woman who referred to Lucy as her subject, not even as a living being. The loneliness, the experiments, the horror, I could only imagine what she went through for the most of her life, but I could never truly understand the way I want to. My blood burned with hot rage, the wood table underneath my hands starting to burn and cause smoke to rise. "Natsu calm down!" Lucy quickly placed her gloved fingertip on my hand to cancel out the flames, as to not trigger the fire alarm and alert anyone of their presence in the library. The flames I created were crystallized and turned into ice, but the ice crystals didn't stop there, and Lucy accidentally turned part of the tabletop into ice, as well as the very tip of my fingers, barely a millimeter worth; but enough to cause me pain. I wrenched my hand back and bit back a wail, clutching my hand to chest.
"Oh my gosh, Natsu I am so sorry! I- I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine Lucy." I cut her off, giving her the most confident grin I could muster, "You were just trying to help, and I overreacted."
"Y-yeah, but…" She murmured, unsure of herself. I saw her look back at her hands in fear, I knew what she was thinking, and I couldn't allow her to think it. I quickly slammed my hands over hers, making her jump in surprise. Her fear of what she could do cause her to do just that, and the ice began to spread from my fingertips and up my hands to my wrists agonizingly slow.
"Natsu! What are you doing?! Let go!" She demanded almost as a plea.
"Lucy, look at me." I commanded, to which she complied. "You can fix this. I've seen you do it, just relax and focus. I'll be alright."
"But I've never reversed what I've done on someone before, how will I know that you'll be fine?"
"I will be." Was all I said to calm her nerves. In truth, I was terrified as well, the feeling in my hands was starting to leave and go numb, but I couldn't let Lucy know that. She had to remain calm. Taking in a breath and letting it out slowly, I directed her with our breathing exercises, needing her to focus. Resting her nerves, Lucy turned back to our cupped hands and focused all of her power into reforming my blood vessels, muscle tissue, nerves, bones, skin, and even my finger nails. The reconstructing process was just as painful as the deconstructing process, and it felt ten times weirder.
This was the slowest Lucy had ever reconstructed something, but I knew it was to make sure she got everything perfect. It took maybe six minutes until she was finally done. She sheepishly removed her hands from mine, looking up at me with expectancy. I assessed my hands, my left was just fine, everything had been patched up fine, but my right hand was another story. If I hadn't bee looking right at it, I wouldn't have even known that it was there. I didn't feel it. Lucy seemed to catch on that something was wrong.
"Natsu? What is it?" She asked him, quickly becoming distressed as she noticed how limp and lifeless my hand was.
"Nothing that you can't fix." I smiled at her, again putting my full faith in her.
"But how can I if I caused it?" She questioned him hysterically.
"I hurt you… Oh Mavis, I hurt you." She cried as she collapsed in on herself, falling to the floor in a ball.
Lucy, Lucy listen to me," I said as I crouched beside her, desperate for her not to lose control in her fear. Energy was starting to radiate from her; the air was thick with the smell of fear. I had to stop her before another burst happened. In a moment of desperation, I pulled Lucy's face from her knees and placed her lips on mine, kissing her. Lucy gasped into the kiss and tried to move away, but I wouldn't let her. Steadily her power began to dissipate and ebb away, at the same time she stopped trying to pull away, and instead leaned into the kiss, returning it back, making it mutual. When her power finally left the air is when I finally pulled away, breathing heavily. Lucy looked at me with shock and confusion, and I only smiled back.
"You can fix this Lucy, I have faith in you." I whispered to her. Lucy shook her head and stepped back, out of his grip.
"Y-you can't do this Natsu, we can't do this." She said down casted, turning her back to him. "If you fall in love with me you'll be killed."
"By who?"
"Me."
And with that, she walked away, leaving me alone in the library.
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Gasp! Tis that the story description I spy? For those who have been following my stories for a long time, this story sort of reminds me of Enemies or Something Else, just because Natsu and Lucy meet each other at night in a separate location. I feel like the pace is really fast. Is it? I've noticed that I've always been horrible to Lucy in my stories. She always has such a shit life, wonder why that is.
P.s, if I were to stop doing the Favorite Follow Review thing, would you guys notice? Just a question, but I've done it in every single one of my stories since my very first one. Well, see ya.
Favorite, Follow, Review~