With her report turned in and no work scheduled for the day, Lucy sat nervously in an outside chair, the hot sun beating on her skin. Her black-and-white-striped tee clung to her uncomfortably as sweat slid down her spine. Why she decided to wear black knee-high boots today was beyond her. They were cute, but she preferred sandals, a tank top, and a skirt in this weather.
With her blonde hair flowing freely down her back and bangs covering her eyes, flashbacks of last night flooded her mind. The electric shock her dominator shot towards her colleague. The sound of him gasping before his body hit the floor with a thud. Inspector Erza's eyes narrowed on her. Lucy covered her face in the sweaty palms of her hands. There was no way she could return to work, not right after that.
"Awe," a high-pitched voice Lucy recognized interrupted her thoughts. "Lu, I'm sure your first day wasn't that bad."
Lucy looked up as her blue-haired friend began to sit in the chair across from her. Her friend's orange romper swayed with the breeze with a matching headband keeping her wild blue hair out of her doll-like face. Almost instantly, Lucy could feel the knot in her stomach loosen.
"Levy," the blonde whined. "It was horrible…"
Her friend gave her a worried glance before she continued.
"And I can't even talk to you about it because it's 'classified information.' Honestly, this is the worst."
"Well," Levy smiled as she held her chin in the palm of her hands. "You seem stressed, but your psycho pass isn't cloudy whatsoever. Are you sure you're even that upset about it?"
"O-of course I am!" Lucy whimpered as her fingers tugged her hair. "I couldn't get a blink of sleep last night."
Lucy knew her friend hadn't meant any harm with her remark, but sometimes it bothered her how her psycho pass never seemed to change. She would lay in her bed wondering if she just didn't care as much about things as she should. Even last night, her calm psycho pass disturbed her. Maybe she was emotionless...
She sighed. "I'm starting to think I'm not right for this job."
"Careful, Lu. Are you starting to doubt the Sybil system?" Although her friend wore a teasing smile on her face, Lucy could almost hear the warning. While in school, Levy and Lucy had always teased about Sybil kidnapping those who didn't believe the system and brainwashing them. They were just rumors, but there wasn't proof against the idea either.
"No…" Lucy frowned. She hadn't exactly lied. The Sybil system had dropped the crime rates in Fiore by half since its role in the city had started ten years ago. Thinking about last night, though, Lucy understood how that was possible and she couldn't exactly agree with the system's ways...
"Well, your aptitude scores are top notch." Levy smiled genuinely at her friend. "You could've joined me in being a journalist if you wanted to. Heck, you could've chosen anything with your scores."
She reached out and grasped Lucy's hands. "I still don't get your choice, but I know no one can do this better than you can."
Lucy squeezed her friend's hand. "Thanks, Levy."
"That's what best friends are for, right?" Just like that, a switch had turned on in her blue-haired friend. Her smile turned devious as her eyes squinted at the blonde. "And best friends are also here for boy talk."
"No. Levy."
"Come on, Lu. Tell me, tell me! Any cute guys catch your eye?"
Lucy groaned. There was no way to escape this, was there? "I have a feeling you're asking because you have a cute guy to tell."
Levy cheeks reddened quickly, and Lucy took her chance to turn the tables. "Oh! I was right! Spill!"
After her talk with Levy, Lucy climbed the stairs leading to her workplace. Levy had eventually told her about the man she had fallen victim to. He sounded scary, actually, when Lucy thought about it. A guy with long black hair and piercings all over his body didn't sound pleasing to her at all. However, Levy blushed the whole time as she spoke highly of him. Her friend's happiness seemed contagious even at this moment. As Lucy stood a few feet from the front door, she didn't feel quite as nervous.
That feeling was quickly slipping though. What lied inside the building in front of her was probably a good kick out the door. With hunched shoulders, Lucy pulled out her compact, an item that looked a lot like makeup and a tiny mirror, but was actually a clothing hologram. Lucy pressed her finger down on a button labeled work before her striped shirt and shorts were replaced with a white blouse, black dress coat, and a black skirt.
Of course, she knew better. Her clothes from earlier were just under this image of work clothes. One nice thing about Sybil technology, she guessed as she walked through the front door.
Walking through the halls, heading towards Unit 1's section was difficult. As Lucy got closer and closer, her head told her to turn back. Run. She didn't have to be here. Her heart told her otherwise. She needed to see him. Make sure he was alright and to apologize.
Nope! I can do this tomorrow!
Before Lucy had any chances of turning back, the door slid open. A girl looked up at her from inside, lights from computers lighting up her skin in the pitch black room.
"H-hello," Lucy called out. She stepped in close enough for the door to slide close. "I'm looking for Wendy Marvell?"
"I'm Wendy," the girl smiled shyly, reaching her hand out to greet her. Lucy shook her hand. There must be another Wendy Marvell here surely…
"Lucy Heartfilia...You're the analyst for Unit 1?"
The young girl nodded.
"O-oh…" Lucy wasn't sure what to say. The girl in front of her couldn't be any older than 15 years old! And she was a PSB analyst?! "Uh, I was told you could tell me about Natsu Dragneel's recovery?"
The girl nodded again before turning back to the computers. A moment later, Natsu's unconscious body came up on the projected onto the wall. He laid on a hospital bed, white hospital shirt replacing his blouse from the other night. Lucy bit her bottom lip as she stared at the scene.
"He's still resting, but he should be fine by tomorrow." Wendy said. After Lucy continued to watch the image, the analyst smiled. "You can go in and see him if you want…"
Lucy wanted to refuse. Seeing him while he was unconscious wouldn't do any good. But she nodded her head anyway.
Once she was left inside the recovery room alone, Lucy sat in a chair not far from Natsu's bed. She watched as his chest rose and fell, a machine beeping steadily next to him. What had I done? she thought as she covered her face.
Something rustled the sheets and a higher pitched beep caused Lucy to sit up. Natsu's face scrunched up as his hands grasped the sheets under him. The machine next to him told Lucy his heart rate was rising along with his crime coefficient. 147.
It was 134 yesterday...
Lucy didn't know what to do. She quickly rushed to his side but she questioned if it was best to wake him or let him be. Maybe I should get a nurse in here?
"L-" Natsu spoke but too quiet for her to catch. She hovered over him to hear better, waiting for him to say something once more. She watched as his knuckles turned white and his chest rose quickly.
Looking back at his face, Lucy placed her hand on his forehead. He was burning up!
"Where are the nurses?" She scoffed. Thinking quickly, she rushed to the bathroom attached to the room. Throwing the hand towel in the sink, the fabric began to soak with ice cold water. Lucy rushed back into the room where the monitors beeped loud and quick. Her fingers brushed his bangs up before patting his skin with the cloth.
"Sorry," she cried. "I'm so sorry..."
After what felt like an hour, Natsu finally calmed down. The monitor beeped slow as sweat dripped down his face. His psycho pass didn't budge, though. Lucy felt emotionally exhausted, but the words Lucy was able to catch from him before kept her mind busy.
"I... -venge... sorry..." Lasagne? Was that what he said afterwards?
La.. sea-na? La Sona? L-
"Hey..." a voice broke her thoughts. Lucy turned her head and saw that Natsu had woken up... with her hand still pressing the cloth to his forehead. Her hand quickly removed itself as if it had been burned.
She didn't know what to say. Well, she couldn't say anything. Her throat was dry and her stomach felt tight and twisted. His eyes widened suddenly, and before she knew it, tears spilled down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed.
He sat up slowly, removing the cloth from his forehead and staring at her in bewilderment. His eyebrows rose and suddenly a throaty laugh filled the room. "You're weird..."
"What?" was all Lucy could say in a hoarse voice.
"Inspectors don't apologize to enforcers." He smiled down at the cloth in his hand. "You're weird."
"Sorry..."
Natsu grew quiet and his features softened. At some point, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but he shut it just as quick. Lucy wiped her sleeve against her cheeks and sighed. "I'm not cut out for this job, am I?"
"What are you talking about?" Natsu scoffed. "You choose to protect a victim instead of harming them. You were able to put justice before duty. I think that's pretty cool."
He smirked at her, making her heart warm.
"Thank you." She couldn't understand how he could so easily forgive her, but she didn't want to think further into it. Tomorrow would be a fresh start for sure.
"Besides, Erza tases me and Gray all the time." Natsu laughed and Lucy couldn't help but giggle with him. In the end, she was happy her partner was Natsu. Anyone else and they might have told her off, told her to leave and never come back.
The monitor beeped loudly as Natsu's psycho pass changed in the slightest. 146. Lucy stared at it for a long moment, remembering just who she was talking to. A latent criminal...
I don't understand. Your psycho pass… She must have spoken out loud. Natsu was no longer laughing but looking at her with a questioning gaze. "Sorry, ignore me!"
And he did just that as he spoke, "You know, I actually need a slight favor..."
Slight favor her butt! Sure, can you check on my cat and make sure he's fed didn't sound bad at all, but boy had she been wrong. Once she had left Natsu to sleep longer, she hopped on the elevator and headed for the living quarters of the enforcers. Once she had opened the door to Natsu's place, the cat started bouncing up the walls.
"Come here, Happy," Lucy called, as she continued to make a grab for him. However, her fingers could only brush against his blue fur before the cat jumped away. Honestly…
"Don't be alarmed," Natsu had said. "His fur is permanently blue- he's not sick or anything. He just had an accident with some paint or somethin' is all. Oh, he also likes girls so you should get along just fine."
Sighing in defeat, Lucy poured cat food into a bowl and sat on the couch, the only real furniture in the room besides a small fridge. There wasn't any way of cooking in the apartment so that must've meant Natsu ate in the cafeteria below the living quarters. Maybe enforcers aren't allowed to cook.
They couldn't leave the building either...
Her eyes caught a hammock in the corner of the room which she stared at warily. A pillow and one scaley-white blanket laid on top of it. Surely, Natsu slept on something more comfortable, right?
Suddenly, something soft brushed her leg, and a purr vibrated against her skin. Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh, now you want attention." Stupid cat.
She rubbed its head before picking the furball up and holding it to her chest. "You're such a butt."
That night, knowing her partner was alright, Lucy slept peacefully. Rather than the nightmare of her actions waking her early in the morning, her holo servant, Plue, barked at her like he usually did when she wanted up. "Puu-puun! Puuun!"
Lucy smiled at the holo. "I'm up, I'm up."
Sure, Lucy had no idea what Plue was saying most of the time, but he seemed to understand her. And if she needed any kind of reminder, a text bubble would just load up next to him. "Plue, can we set the apartment to 2777 Type C?"
Plue nodded before her lights came on and her home became decorated in the style she had at her parent's home. Instead of the gray walls and floors that her room actually was, her bedroom became all shades of pink. "Thank you, Plue."
She hopped out of bed, and headed for the shower. Today was going to be a great day.
Today is going to be a great day, Lucy reminded herself as she stood in front of Erza's desk, waiting for the Head Inspector to finish reading her take on her first mission.
"So your report says you made the right decision at the time," Erza spoke, her eyes leaving her computer screen to stare at the blonde in front of her.
"Yes, ma'am," Lucy replied. She tried her best not to collapse under pressure, keeping her back straight and giving the best determined face she could muster at that moment. "Our victim, Flare Corona, had an elevated crime coefficient, but it was only temporary. The therapy she's receiving while in custody is going well and her psycho pass is already recovering..."
Erza's features throughout Lucy's reply had gone from hard to harder. She was no longer paying attention to her, though, which was a relief, but to a point slightly over her shoulder. Lucy turned at a meow, coming face-to-face with the little blue furball.
"Yo," Natsu smiled, waving a hand to Erza with Happy perched on his shoulder. He was no longer wearing the red coat he had worn on her first mission but a matching uniform to her's.
"Natsu," Erza growled at her desk, pointing an accusing finger. "Why is that here?"
Natsu looked past his shoulder, turning completely around. Then he looked back at the Head Inspector. "What?"
Suddenly, a haughty laugh made Gray's presence reknown to Lucy. She looked back to see that his uniform had wrinkled greatly since she came in and his tie was on the floor. Erza sent a glare his way, which shut him up quickly, before she stood from her chair and growled, "The cat, Natsu!"
Natsu never flinched like Lucy had at the volume of Erza's tone. Instead, he gasped and covered the cat's ears.
"Happy is not a that!" He then whispered, "Don't listen to her, Happy."
Lucy didn't know what to do. She stood between an idiot and a very angry woman- make it the Head Inspector of Unit 1 at that. Part of her wanted to giggle and pet Happy, but this was a workplace...
"Either way," Gray chimed at his desk, "this is a job, not a petting zoo."
Natsu turned to the other enforcer, and they both had a glaring contest until Erza told them to knock it off.
The redhead let out a long sigh before plopping back down in her seat. "Natsu, I assume you read Inspector Heartfilia's report before coming in. Do you have anything to add?"
Lucy flinched at what was to come. Once the report was turned in, the higher ups would probably call for her, scold her, and fire her! She gulped. What would Sybil do if a citizen didn't fit in their given career?
She peered from under her bangs, but was surprised to find him grinning at her. "I say Lucy fulfilled her duty. That's pretty much it."
Lucy didn't know whether to be upset about him not addressing her as "Inspector Heartfilia" or to be happy he considered her enough of a friend to address her by her first name. Either way, she couldn't help the blush dusting her cheeks as she mouthed, thank you.
Before Erza could say anything back, a loud voice echoed through the room. "Unit 1, you have a new assignment."
Natsu smiled wide and tapped Lucy's back. "Ready, Inspector?"
Sorry this is late. I had planned to post a chapter a week, but I was moving into a new house these past two weeks so it was hard to find time to write. Not only that, but this chapter is so short. And I don't like it… but it will have to do. I promise next chapter will be more exciting, guys.
With that said, I want to give a special thanks to the people who reviewed or left a comment on chapter one on tumblr:
RansomNote, Yaushie, stargirl222, and celestialmarshmellow.
Because of your critiques/comments, I am so happy and will continue this for you guys.
Any kind of review is great ;)
(Also, I am in search of a beta? If anyone is interested, please contact me (You can also contact me on tumblr. My username is ash-is-boss))