Disclaimer—I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility with...wait—okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me.
.
In this black and white world
You were the one ray of light
(Rain by Taeyeon)
.
|September 9th, 2005 — Southgate Park|
"And that one is Aquarius." Lucy pointed towards the blackened sky, eyes wide with wonder as her fingertips traced glowing stars. "Do you see it?"
Lying beside her, Natsu scoffed and rolled his eyes. "All I see are a bunch of dots," he grumbled.
"No, no. You're not looking hard enough." She abruptly sat up, loose grass and flower petals flying from her hair as she pulled a huffing Natsu along with her. "Look closely. See that one bright star? That's Sadalsuud. Now just...follow the ones surrounding it. It makes a pattern, see?"
Natsu hummed, squinting with furrowed brows and a scrunched nose. Lucy had a goofy grin on her face as she waited for his reaction. And after a few moments, he finally sighed, "yeah, I still don't see nothin'." Lucy's smile instantly deflated into a pout. "That so-called pattern looks just like all the other ones you've showed me."
"Oh, you've got the be kidding me!" Lucy exclaimed. She grabbed Natsu by his chin, squishing his cheeks in her grip as she jerked his head upwards. She jabbed a finger towards the sky. "How can you not see it? Keep looking!"
"Okay okay, I see it! Now let go," he managed to say, and Lucy begrudgingly released him. Natsu rubbed the dull ache out of his cheeks, briefly glaring at his pajama-clad friend (she stuck her tongue out at him in response) before looking back up at the ancient—really stupid, if you asked him—constellation. "I mean...I can see it," he admitted slowly, "but I still don't know what it's supposed to be. Honestly, it looks like a deformed stick-man failing to walk."
The blonde blinked, glancing back and forth between Aquarius and a resolute Natsu. "Um," she tilted her head to the side before eventually nodding, "I...guess I see what you mean."
"And that other one from earlier, what was it? Pisces?" He pointed at a random cluster of stars in the sky and Lucy patiently tugged his hand towards the correct spot. "That one looks like two balloons, but like...one is in the middle of popping. And that one," he focused on the right one that time, surprisingly, "the one you said was Cancer—it literally looks like an upside down Y that was written by a third-grader."
Lucy watched Natsu closely as he continued to accurately (albeit childishly) describe each of the many constellations she had shown him. And with every line of stars he'd come across, his stories behind their shapes would grow more and more bizarre. According to him, Leo was a renegade triangle that longed to be a hexagon. Capricorn was a mutant banana that was raised in the city sewers. And Scorpius was the celestial depiction of a vigilante snake delivering a deadly blow to the worm that killed its family.
Yes. They were all very...him.
"O-oh and um, that one! Cassiopeia?" Natsu peeked at Lucy to make sure he pronounced it correctly, and with her nod of confirmation, he went on with yet another narration. "Yeah, Cassiopeia. That one looks like a giant mountain that has arms, and he's really happy so he's waving them around all excitedly—you see it, right?" It was now Natsu's turn to grab Lucy by her cheeks (ah...karma), and he smiled mischievously as he guided her attention towards the five twinkling stars. "Look, he's saying hi to us, Luce!"
Lucy snorted, but waved back at the supposed mountain with Natsu anyways (though to a much less frantic degree). Although his way of stargazing wasn't exactly what she had expected (though what had she expected? For him to bust out a pair of glasses and recount every constellations' history and meaning? Yeah, not likely), Lucy still couldn't find it within herself to be annoyed, or even disappointed.
"How's the weather up there!" Natsu laughed at his own joke, the sound loud and carefree and really all Lucy needed to know that, whatever the circumstance, if Natsu was happy, well then...she was happy too.
"I bet the temperature is out of this world," she soon added with a soft smile, and Natsu gasped.
He high-fived her, "oh, nice one, Luce!" and released that boisterous laugh of his once again.
Lucy couldn't help but laugh along with him (as ridiculous as the entire conversation was), and it was then she decided that, yes...
She was definitely happy.
.
|September 18th, 2005 — Warehouse J|
Natsu hated last-minute calls for missions.
He had been asleep (as all normal human beings should be at three in the morning on a weekend) when that annoying alarm Gajeel had been ordered to install in everyone's rooms started to blare. It was such an annoying sound—near deafening and shrill and something no one should have to wake up to—and Natsu found himself spewing every single curse word he knew as he tore himself out of bed.
His movements were robotic, his face expressionless as he quickly changed his clothes and left his bedroom. As expected, he was the first to step out into the hallway, meaning he was most likely the first one to wake up, meaning he was just way too used to this bullshit. After a few moments, Gray and Loke finally scrambled out of their respective bedrooms, Gajeel (that tech bastard) not too far behind, with Alzack being the last to arrive seconds later. While Natsu stood tall, arms folded behind his back and shoulders squared (just as his father had drilled into him), the others were hardly awake—slouched, rocking back and forth, and only two seconds away from falling back asleep right then and there.
Natsu shook his head. It seemed no matter how many days, no matter how many years had passed with this same routine, they would never be able to adapt to all of his father's outlandish demands.
Natsu didn't know whether or not he should be proud or angry that he'd had a ten-year head start on them.
"Good morning, boys." And here he came, the head man himself, still dressed in the crisp tailored suit from the night before as if he had never slept at all (and knowing him, he most likely hadn't). He approached them slowly, dark green eyes scrutinizing the line of young men. All of them were now upright and attentive, backs straight and eyes focused on the wall ahead of them. It was almost funny, Natsu mused, watching as his comrades suddenly got into their proper positions once they heard his father's voice. They clearly didn't want to be punished for their lax postures, because no one ever wanted a punishment from the so-called "Underground Dragon."
Igneel Dragneel. Probably the biggest dickhead in the world besides Jude Heartphilia, in Natsu's eyes.
And he just had to be born his son. Lucky him.
"There seems to be a...problem at our southern headquarters." The smallest of frowns tugged at Igneel's lips as he announced this, something that no one but Natsu would have noticed on the older man's generally stoic face. "I want the five of you to go down there and fix it." And by fix, he meant repair whatever damages were made (both monetary and physical) and kill everyone who was in charge.
Natsu already knew who the sub-leader of the southern headquarters was: Bickslow Freeman, a man who had been working for his father for nearly two decades. It was shame that they'd have to lose such a loyal man to a mistake that was probably minuscule and easily manageable. But alas, they weren't the notorious Dragneel Family because they were merciful.
No...even if it was human nature, to err was to die here, and that would surely happen to Bickslow and his men now that Igneel caught wind of their screw-up, whatever it was.
A heavy palm landed on Natsu's shoulder and his body stiffened. His father was right beside him, giving him a look that he knew all too well. "You will lead this mission, Natsu." His voice was low, but still spine-chillingly intimidating. Natsu didn't dare look Igneel in the eye as he nodded. "Good. Don't disappoint me." There was an unspoken again, and Natsu's fists clenched at his sides as he father retreated.
No, he couldn't disappoint him again. Because, even if Igneel was a record-breaking prick, he was still his father, and Natsu refused to be anything but a loyal son to him. That was his duty, wasn't it? Filial piety, or whatever the fuck—it meant that he was supposed to obey his father's commands. Admittedly, saving Lucy had been an impulsive action of his, something he hadn't bothered to think through, and Natsu was more than surprised he had somewhat gotten away with it. When he had returned that fateful evening, hours after he had dropped Lucy off a block away from her father's office, he was warmly greeted by a slap in the face from Mira and angry stares from everyone else. They had all (including himself) expected his father to deal with him in one of his infamous ways, but imagine their shock when Igneel merely snorted at the sight of him and hummed a deep interesting.
That reaction was probably more scary than anything Natsu thought his father had planned for him. It didn't stop the teen from sneaking off to spend time with Lucy afterwards though. He was sure that simply talking to her wasn't breaking any rules. And if he kept her out of harm's way (from his family, more specifically), he wouldn't have to piss everyone off by saving her again. It was simple. He just had to be careful.
Whether he wanted to accept it or not, Lucy was becoming the world to him. And if he had to choose between her and his father...
Well, he really didn't want it to come down to that.
.
|October 10th, 2005 — Heartphilia Manor|
"Oh my god, you're not supposed to smash the egg onto the counter!"
Natsu batted his eyelashes innocently and raised his yolk-sodden hands. "Oops?"
Lucy rushed over to him, muttering this and that under her breath as she took his palms in hers and led him towards the sink. "Silly, you're supposed to crack them gently," she instructed with a light scolding tone as she rinsed his hands off. "That way, you won't leave a mess behind."
The pinkette smirked, one eyebrow raised. "Since when did you become the cooking expert?"
"Since I started cooking you meals every other day," she answered simply and Natsu pursed his lips. "Now, come on. Since egg duty is apparently too much for you, you can be on stirring duty instead."
"Stirring? I like stirring!"
"I can tell," Lucy giggled as Natsu began to bounce in the old slippers she'd given him. "Follow me. If you can stir batter just as well as you stir up trouble, I'm sure we'll have the best cupcakes ever made."
A thoughtful look appeared on Natsu's face while Lucy pulled him towards another (much cleaner) counter. "Uh, should I feel insulted or complimented by that?"
"Neither. Just get to work," she ordered and Natsu gave her a salute.
"Sir, yes sir—I mean, ma'am. Sir, yes ma'am. Wait no."
"That bowl isn't going to stir itself!" Lucy chirped and Natsu quickly got down to business. He cracked his knuckles and his neck, stretched his arms, slapped his face, and narrowed his eyes at the bowl of lumpy batter before him.
"Cupcakes," he growled, "it's time to meet your maker. Or should I say..." he paused for dramatic effect, "baker."
Lucy merely watched him as he began to stir the seven hells out of the poor batter, bits of the concoction soaring across her miniature kitchen. She could only smile as he worked, her eyes glittering with amusement.
Ah...how can I have a crush on such a weirdo?
.
|October 20th, 2005 — Warehouse J|
"What the hell is that?"
Natsu flinched at the sound of Cana's voice echoing straight into his unsuspecting ear. He quickly covered up the band-aid on his shoulder, shielding the white and light purple (you mean lavender, Lucy had corrected. No, I meant light purple, Natsu had insisted) swirls from the drunken woman's sight.
But it was already too late.
"Dude, what are you wearing that thing for?" she elegantly slurred and rested her body against him. "It's so girly~"
The pinkette grumbled something Cana was too far gone to comprehend, and gently pushed her off of him. She simply flopped right back. "It was the only one I could find," he eventually answered and prayed she would just leave him alone.
Of course she wouldn't though. She was Cana, and Cana could never just leave people alone—especially not when she was drunk out of her mind.
"Liar liar liar," she noisily sang, pinching his cheeks, and Natsu regretted ever leaving his room that morning. "We don't even have band-aids like that. Did you forget that I stock everything here~"
"No. I didn't," was all he said, and with that, led the stumbling woman to a nearby chair and sat her down.
He was about to walk away, more than ready to just drop the entire conversation, when she suddenly reached out for his arm. He stopped and she looked up at him through glazed eyes, her smile weird and almost creepy as she whispered, "did a girl give that to you?"
"You're drunk, Cana."
"Drunk. Not blind."
Natsu glared at her, snatching his arm away. "Drop it," he said gruffly.
And Cana let him go, smirking now in an all too knowing way. She leaned back in her chair, still eyeing him with crossed arms. "As you command, sir."
.
|November 11th, 2005 — Tenrou Academy|
A hand gently tapped her shoulder and Lucy turned around, coming face to face with the bored eyes of her class' vice-president, Juvia Lockser. "Are you Luigi?" the blue-haired girl asked, and Lucy gave her a strange look.
Juvia was a very...off kid, if Lucy were to put it lightly. She would often be found talking to herself (or to the Tamagotchi she kept hidden in her uniform pocket), and whenever she was forced to interact with other students, she'd always look as if she were on the verge of tears—like it physically hurt her to be around others.
How she became vice-president was still a mystery to everyone in the class, but Lucy didn't mind working with her. As class president (yes, bask in her awesomeness), it was her job to accept every and all students for who they were. So filing documents, decorating hallways, and cleaning classrooms: those basic student body tasks were easy to do with the constantly brooding teen.
But actually talking to her...well, that was a completely foreign experience.
So yes. This sudden confrontation was a little uncomfortable. And perhaps it showed on her face, because before Lucy could shake her head no, say that Juvia had probably mistaken her for someone else, the girl continued, almost impatiently, "whatever. Your boyfriend told me to call you over," and she pointed to a nearby window.
Lucy nearly choked on air when she saw the burst of pink and flailing arms standing beyond the glass panes. She hurriedly thanked Juvia (who shrugged and briskly walked away) before speeding over to the window and the now dancing—"Natsu!" she whispered harshly and the boy simply smiled. She scowled at him and motioned towards the working students behind her. "Don't you know where this is? I'm in school! What are you doing here?"
"I'm bored. Let's go dye Happy's fur again," were his slightly muted words and Lucy shook her head at him.
With her hands on her hips, she said, "go do something else. I can't hang out with you right now."
"But why not?"
"B-because I'm busy, obviously!"
Natsu pressed his face against the window, softly killing her with a pair of wide puppy eyes. He bottom lip trembled. "Un-busy yourself, please?" he begged and Lucy had to shield her eyes away from his beseeching ones. "School is a waste of time anyways. You should drop out like I did."
"Um. I don't think so. Look," she held her wristwatch up for him to see, "it's almost dismissal. Just give me another hour, okay?"
"Sixty whole minutes?" Natsu slumped against the window, his nose and lips flattening against the glass. He looked downright silly. "Come on," he drawled, "just cut now. You can't possibly miss anything important."
"Natsu—"
"Just go with your boyfriend already." That same monotone voice from earlier reached Lucy's ears, and she spun around with a squeak. There was Juvia, her hands crossed and her face as expressionless as always. "I'll cover for you. Just go out the backdoor in the auditorium. I've done it tons of times and security has never caught me." The faintest of smiles graced her pale lips, and Lucy wondered why Juvia didn't do it more often. "Go on. Your little loverboy is waiting."
"He is not my loverboy!" Lucy snapped with a blush and Juvia gave her a dull look. "O-okay, whatever. Thank you...I guess. I'll make this up to you on Monday."
"No need. He's smudging the windows with his face, so anything that'll make him leave is perfect for me."
"You're the best, random girl I don't know," Natsu cheered. Juvia just waved him off, though that wasn't enough to stop Natsu from clapping loudly and singing For She's a Jolly Good Fellow at the top of his lungs. After singing it twice, running out of breath, and then singing it one last time (Juvia left sometime after his first note), he finally turned to Lucy. "Why are you still here? Let's go! I'll meet you by that backdoor!"
"Don't rush me! You're making me into a delinquent!" she barked at his retreating form. She watched as he rounded the building's corner, a skip in his step, and Lucy heaved a sigh. "Ugh, what am I going to do with him?"
.
|November 22nd, 2005 — Warehouse J|
Gajeel peeked over Levy's shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the basket she was currently packing. A blanket, bottles of water, bags of chips, and other typical picnic snacks that he was beyond sure Levy didn't even like. Strange. He poked her side, "what are you doing?"
Levy yelped, slamming the picnic basket shut before whirling around to face the burly teen. "U-um," she stammered, "just...you know. Nothing much."
He was not convinced. "Are you planning on going somewhere?"
"Er...maybe? Maybe not. Who knows? I'm just saving this for a random day. Because, uhh, you know how I like to sometimes just go out for picnics, right? Yeah, that's what this is for." She waved towards the basket, her laugh high-pitched and all over the place as she then tried pushing Gajeel out of her room.
As she expected, he didn't move an inch. Curse his giant body and her frail little arms. "So you're going to picnic...in November?"
She nodded. "Yes. Definitely. Don't judge me."
"It's kind of hard to believe you when you don't even like to go outside."
Levy covered her face in embarrassment, releasing a long sigh. "I am awful at lying to you," she grumbled.
"You're awful at lying in general. Now tell me what you're really doing."
She looked at him then, bottom lip protruding in a cute way she knew was hard to resist. "Can't you just pretend you never saw that?"
Gajeel was unaffected, the heartless brute. He simply folded his arms and said with a mocking tone, "you're just making me want to know more, shrimp."
"Okay fine!" she exclaimed in frustration. She went back to the basket, not even bothering to hide anything as she resumed packing it with small treats. "It's for Natsu."
"Natsu?" That made things even stranger. "Why would he need something like that?"
"Lucy wanted to have one last picnic before the weather got too bad and I—"
"Who's Lucy?" Gajeel interrupted, racking his mind for why that name sounded so familiar.
Levy slapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no," came her muffled words. After a minute of her eyes bouncing anxiously around the room for a distraction of sorts (and finding absolutely none in her state of distress), she finally looked at Gajeel, hopeful. "I-I didn't say Lucy. You must've misheard me. I s-said...Juicy?"
But Gajeel was ignoring her, still caught up in his thoughts as he tried to tie that name to a face—Lucy Lucy Lucy, he knew that name. He had to. She was...a part of some mission, wasn't she? But which one? It wasn't the Bickslow mission, was it? No, there hadn't been any females in the southern headquarters at that time. Their latest raid then? No, he hadn't known any of their names. So...when?
Could it have been...
Something clicked in Gajeel's head.
"No. No," he snarled. "The Heartphilia target? Natsu is still in contact with Jude's daughter?! Levy."
Levy ducked her head down. "Don't yell at me!" she squealed.
Gajeel grabbed her by her arm, roughly tugging her towards him. "Explain," he demanded and Levy shook in his hold.
Add my big mouth to that Cursed list, she miserably thought as she cleared her throat. "I-It..." her voice cracked, and she gulped, "it all started this past summer..."
.
|December 1st, 2005 — Heartfilia Manor|
Her name was Jenny Realight. She was young, unrealistically beautiful, surprisingly smart, and was the absolute bane of Lucy's existence.
"I remember when I was your age," said woman crooned in that irritating voice of hers that just grated Lucy's ears. "I didn't like my dad's girlfriends either."
Lucy's eyes rolled as she began to stab her peas with a fork.
"And he had so many of them too. Like...there'd be at least three new women each month. It was hard learning all of their names and not accidentally mixing them up," Jenny continued with a giggle and Lucy silently jammed her fork into another defenseless pea. Jenny didn't seem to notice (for such a perfect person, she was still somehow too dumb to realize that her presence was unwanted). "There was even one named Jennifer! And it would confuse the hell out of my brother and I whenever our dad would call her. But looking back, it was pretty funny. Even though Jenny was a huge bitch."
So your name wasn't the only thing you two had in common, huh? Lucy thought with an inward smile.
"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I get how you're feeling right now, Lu." Jenny reached over the dining table, resting her hand against Lucy's. However, the connection didn't last long. Lucy hastily pulled her hand away, as if burned by Jenny's touch. The slightly older woman actually looked hurt (not that Lucy cared) and she sighed, "I just really want us to be friends, Lu. I was friends with a few of my dad's girlfriends—like Melissa, and Ultear. They were absolute blasts to hang out with and that's the kind of relationship I want to have with you. Close friends, almost like sisters. Is that...okay?"
"No," was Lucy's immediate response. Jenny reared back in surprise as Lucy then stood from her chair. She dropped her fork onto her plate of unfinished food, frowning down at the woman who had invaded her home and sent her family to the pits. "If you think two months of wandering around this house and bugging me with your mindless conversations are enough to make me want to become friends with you, then you are severely mistaken." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she planted her hands onto the table, leaning closely to Jenny's perfect and stupid and gorgeous downcast face. "I hate you," she hissed, "and I will never forgive you for tearing my family apart. My father may think you're some angel, but pardon me for not being distracted by your tits like he is. You made my parents divorce. You made my mother leave. And you made me feel like an outsider in my own home. So no. It's not okay." Her back straightened, face contorting into a scowl, as she harshly added, "enjoy this while it lasts. My father will surely toss you aside soon, just like he did with my mother."
Jenny remained frozen in her seat as Lucy stormed out of the dining room, the air thick with tension as the doors slammed in her wake. The model flinched, squeezing her eyes shut. "Well fuck."
.
|December 12th, 2005 — Warehouse J|
SENDING
—
What r u doing this xmas?
—
To: luigi
12/15/05 07:18 pm
.
INBOX-OPEN
—
Probably going to spend "quality time" w/ my dad & his gf
—
From: luigi
12/15/05 07:19 pm
Natsu gagged at Lucy's text. It had been four months since she had told him about the woman her father had been seeing for the past year, yet he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that someone actually wanted to be with a scumbag like Judy. The mistress, her name was Jenny, and she was hardly older than Lucy herself—maybe mid-twenties? Maybe even younger. She was a model, someone Natsu had surely seen on the covers of those magazines Loke liked to gawk at, and she seemed fairly nice from how Lucy described her. Annoying. Painfully air-headed. But still nice.
That didn't mean Lucy had to like her though. Especially since it was this "nice" woman that caused Lucy's mother to move out one day and disappear without a trace. The older Heartphilia woman had only left two envelopes behind, one addressed to Lucy and one addressed to Judy. While Luce had refused to open hers, Judy had practically torn his apart in all of his rage. And inside, much to Lucy's displeasure, was Layla's signed portion of their divorce documents.
So yeah. Jenny definitely wasn't a topic Lucy liked talking about.
SENDING
—
That sounds lame. U should skip out on that n chill with yours truly :D
—
To: luigi
12/15/05 07:22 pm
.
INBOX-OPEN
—
I would but my dad would most likely explode. He's been rly grumpy w/ me lately. Trust me, I want to. But I can't :-(
—
From: luigi
12/15/05 07:23 pm
Natsu frowned at his screen. Well, that certainly sucked...
INBOX-OPEN
—
That doesn't mean xmas eve isn't an option tho ;) pizza & ice cream at northbelle bridge?
—
From: luigi
12/15/05 07:23 pm
Oh, but trust Lucy to brighten up his mood in a matter of seconds. Natsu snickered to himself as he thought about how fun it would be to spend his Christmas Eve with Lucy. It had been a few days since they were last able to hang out, and it would probably be a little while longer until they actually could. Lucy was busy with studying for her final exams for the semester, and although something as trivial as that generally wouldn't stop Natsu, he was busy himself with his father's missions. A raid here, a delivery there. Not to mention all of the patrolling he had been forced to do lately to make up for his "error" from that passed summer. Christmas Eve seemed like the perfect day to finally reunite with his closest friend.
Besides, he had the absolute best Christmas gift planned for her.
SENDING
—
Sounds awesome. Can't wait to finally see u, luce '3'
—
To: luigi
12/15/05 07:26 pm
"Luce? Who's Luce?"
Natsu jumped out of his seat as Gray appeared behind him. He blanched, shoving his cellphone into his pocket as the black-haired teen eyed him curiously. "She's no one," he flatly replied.
And Gray sneered. "Don't be like that, boss. I know we aren't the closest of pals, but we're both guys, aren't we? Guys always talk about this stuff with one another. Now..." his lips twisted into a smirk, and before Natsu could even think about running away, the older male pounced. He tackled Natsu to the ground, and the two began wrestling over the beeping cellphone. "J-just—give me the stupid—give me the phone! Let me see it!"
"What the hell!" Natsu howled and accidentally elbowed Gray in his jaw. "Get off of me!"
Gray kneed Natsu in his ribs. "Who's Luce, huh?! Is she your girlfriend? You said you were gonna see her—what, you two going on a date?"
"Why are you reading my text messages?"
"Because I'm nosy! Now tell me!"
"I told you, she's no one!"
Really, Natsu didn't want things to get too serious as he tried prying Gray off of him. The last time he had done so had been three years prior, when the two of them were fighting over the last brownie Mira had baked. It was stupid, Natsu had known that, but they were younger and clearly way more immature then, and the resulting fight had ended with Natsu sporting a black eye for three weeks and Gray in the hospital for one. While his father hadn't really minded (if anything, he looked somewhat proud), Mira was the one to berate them for their reckless behavior.
"We do not fight our comrades," she'd harangued, "not when we're all we have."
A fourteen-year old Natsu hated to believe it, but Mira had been right. They were all they had. Most of their family members were either dead, missing, in prison, or stationed in some distant part of the country. And being reminded of that fact, that they'd all be alone if not for each other—if not for this fucked up syndicate that his grandfather had constructed and his father fearlessly led—made Natsu swear to never fight seriously with his comrades.
...until now, that is.
He couldn't help it, really. Gray had still refused to lay off, in all of his playfulness. And he probably didn't mean to, but god he was frustrating Natsu to hell, making him unbearably anxious because no one was supposed to know about Lucy. So, in his fear of his secret being discovered, he did the only thing he could think of.
He punched Gray square in his face.
Gray reeled back in both shock and pain, staring at Natsu with eyes widened with disbelief. His hand slowly came up to his face as Natsu scooted away, and his fingers grazed against his nose. A thin line of blood dripped down. "Y-you..."
"She's no one," Natsu repeated, his voice becoming steel. He stood from the ground, making sure his phone was held tightly in his grip. He looked down at a stupefied Gray, guilt and regret briefly shaming him before he brushed the feelings aside. "Tell no one what you saw."
Gray could only glare at him, his nose throbbing and mouth smeared with blood. "As you command, sir."
.
|December 13th, 2005 — City Police Department|
"Wakaba, status report."
The middle-aged secretary shuffled nervously through his paperwork, piles of folders and wrinkled files strewn across his small desk. Jude stood before him, quiet as the man struggled to find what he was looking for. Minutes passed before Wakaba let out a breath of relief, a torn piece of paper in his hands. He smiled as he read it aloud, "status report on the Dragneel case, seventh year. Um, Elfman Strauss is still detained, no answers have been given as of yet. So Dragneel headquarters location, unknown. Igneel Dragneel location, unknown. Natsu Dragneel location...well, we assume he's still in the downtown area."
Jude growled at that and Wakaba jumped in his seat.
"U-um," he shakily continued, "no...no sightings have been reported. There have been a string of gang violence reports and drug cases though, and we think it could be tied to them. We recently arrested someone from another syndicate, a young kid named Rogue Cheney. We're still questioning him, but uh, we strongly believe he has information on the Dragneels."
"And that's all?" Jude asked with a tight frown. Wakaba nodded, fidgeting. "And what of my latest plan to draw them out? Has it been approved yet?"
Wakaba remained silent. He looked down, eyes wary and fingers wringing together. "About that," he choked out, "the higher-ups...they don't like it. It's—"
"Illegal, I know." Jude stepped closer towards his desk and the quivering secretary seated behind it. He looked down at him. "It's morally wrong, I know." He lowered his glasses, revealing blank and cold eyes. "But I don't care."
"Mr. H-Heartphilia..."
Jude held up his hand, instantly silencing Wakaba's imminent blubbering. He glowered as he viciously declared, "I will do whatever it takes to destroy those bastards. And you," he leered at his secretary, almost sickeningly so, "you will do whatever it takes to make that possible."
.
|December 14th, 2005 — Warehouse J|
"Damn Fullbuster, did you walk into a titanium doorknob or something?" There were many people Gray did not want to see so early in the morning, and Gajeel was definitely one of them. The technician looked ready to crack another joke (or two, or three), and Gray wished his body didn't ache as much as it did so he could punch that smirk right off of his heavily pierced face.
"If titanium doorknob is a code-word for our dear boss, then yes. Yes I did."
Gajeel's eyes widened, all looks of jest disappearing from his face in a flash. "No way."
"Yes way," the teen snapped and brushed his fingers against the bandage Mirajane had taped there that morning. "I saw something on his phone that I guess I shouldn't have and he almost popped me a new nostril because of it."
Gajeel shook his head. "No, Natsu wouldn't do something that reckless. Maybe a few years ago, yeah. But now? When his dad's training him to be heir? That's impossible."
"Well, consider it possible, buddy. My poor nose is proof."
"There had to be more to it than that," he huffed disbelievingly. "Natsu doesn't just punch his comrades. He's a little wild on the field, but with us, he's like...an emotionless rock. What did you do, idiot?"
Gray looked positively appalled. "What did I do?" he practically screeched, his voice echoing off of metal walls. "All I did was ask him about some girl he was texting! I mean really, Natsu—the Natsu Dragneel—texting a girl. That was something I seriously had to figure out! And so what, I was little too pushy. He didn't have to fucking punch me over it!"
"Wait...a girl?" Gajeel's mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Levy all those weeks ago, and his body became rigid. "You don't mean Lucy, do you?"
"You know about her?"
Gajeel hands fumbled in his pockets, and he looked away from Gray's suspecting eyes. "I...yeah. Levy told me about her."
"Well," Gray pried impatiently, "what else did she tell you?"
"Look, I don't think I'm supposed to be telling you this, man. It's not my business and it sure as hell isn't yours."
"I think I deserve to know who the reason behind Natsu's sudden assault on my face is, Redfox," Gray barked and pointed at his nose for emphasis. "Now spill."
Gajeel exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," he grunted and glanced around the hallway. It was clear, he noted thankfully, no one was in sight. He turned his attention back onto Gray, face grim as he whispered, "this remains a secret, Fullbuster. Got it?"
Gray merely raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and agreed nonetheless. "Got it."
.
|December 23rd, 2005 — Heartphilia Manor|
Sometimes Lucy wondered why she even bothered having dinner with her father. It was always a tiring experience, always quiet and weird, and it never ended well. After her mother left, things were never the same. She no longer looked forward to seeing her father come home from work after weeks of no contact. She no longer wished for her mother to return, re-marry Jude, and live happily ever after like she had dreamed for night's on end.
No, not anymore. If anything, Lucy was happy when her father stayed away. She was relieved that, whenever the sun set, it just meant another day had passed where her mother didn't have to suffer living in this suffocating house any longer. Yes, things were different now—she was different now. And she refused to look back at how happy she had once been: half-way across the world for ten years, naïve, foolish, blind.
Not even marathoning all of the Lion King movies could make her smile these days and, believe it or not, that was certainly saying something.
"And so she said, if you don't like my clothing line, then find a new designer. And that's when I knew Evergreen would be my best friend for like, ever." Jenny wasn't making things any better.
The model had grown more brazen as of late. For some reason (one that Lucy just could not figure out for the life of her), Jenny thought it was appropriate to actually order her to wash her father's laundry. I would ask the maids, but it's their vacation time. Plus, my fingers might prune, and I can't have that, were her excuses and Lucy would've thrown Jude's clothes right into her face had the man not been standing right there. Knowing how pissy her father got whenever she shamelessly showcased her distaste for his new taste in women (he'd actually scolded her a few times over it), Lucy reluctantly obeyed, shooting the back of Jenny's head the deadliest of looks she could muster.
That had only been the first time.
The following day, Jenny had approached her again. Lu, can you go out and buy me food? There is absolutely nothing filling that's gluten-free in this house. And her father had said nothing. He'd looked at her expectantly, as if forcing her to do as Jenny had asked with just his eyes alone, and Lucy wanted to throttle her.
Lu, there's a giant bug in the trash! Come and kill it!
Lucy wanted to rip her hair out.
Lu, can I borrow this shirt? It looks like it'd be just my style.
Lucy wanted to break every bone in this obnoxious woman's body.
"Lu, guess who's going to be your new mom?" Jenny stretched her hand out, cooing at the shining glare of her ring.
Lucy just wanted to cry.
.
|December 23rd, 2005 — Warehouse J|
If there was anything Natsu hated more than last-minute calls for missions, it was having private meetings with his father. It was fine seeing his father while being surrounded by his comrades, watching his work from afar. But when they were like this—alone, behind close doors, and with a palpable silence between them—their strained, practically non-existent, relationship just became all the more obvious to him. And, although Natsu would never admit this, meetings with his father always left a sour taste in his mouth. It made his heart hurt, it made his eyes sting, and it made him wish his mother was still around.
At least then his father's blatant disregard of him would be less painful. Even by just a little.
"You've grown, Natsu." He always started these conversations like that, with something any other father would say with affection and not a belittling smirk. Natsu nodded, trained well enough to not reveal his emotions to the man seated before him. "I saw what you did to that Fullbuster boy. Mind telling me what brought it on?"
Natsu stayed quiet, keeping his lips sealed shut as he trained his eyes solely on the daunting red of his father's carpet.
Igneel didn't seem to mind though. If anything, he seemed amused by Natsu's response (or lack thereof). "You know," he began, "when my father was the leader of this family, he told me something that I will never forget: the walls not only have eyes, but they have ears and mouths as well. So beware of what secrets you spill, beware of what stories you tell, because not even the quietest of whispers will go unheard. Of course, he was senile by that point, so I didn't think much of what he'd said. But now...I understand him perfectly." Igneel cradled his head in his palm, staring at Natsu with those same eyes Cana had given him before. God, Natsu hated those eyes. They held something within them that made his stomach churn. As if their owners were above him in all aspects. As if they knew something he didn't.
Natsu gulped.
"Yes, you've surely grown, my son," the man continued and a chill shook Natsu's body to its very core.
My son.
Igneel Dragneel never, not once since he was a child, called him that.
"I have another mission for you." He suddenly sat up in his chair, pulling a large envelope out of one of his desk drawers. He held it out to Natsu, waiting calmly for the boy to approach. "And it seems it's one you've already begun on your own."
.
|December 24th, 2005 — Northbelle Bridge|
Hours had passed as Lucy waited for Natsu to arrive. The first had been spent preparing for a fleet of rocks to crash into her window. When that didn't happen, the next was spent scanning the bushes of her mother's hibiscuses (ones that had long since died) for his signature pink hair. She had waited calmly, sitting on her windowsill with her knees to her chest as time went by. She had waited and waited and waited until the moon was high in the sky, until everyone in her house was asleep, until the pizza grew cold and the ice cream melted, and waited until it was already midnight on Christmas day.
Even then, Natsu never came.
If this had been the Lucy of months past, she would have undoubtedly been sad. She would've given up on ever seeing Natsu that night, and would've buried herself in a heap of covers and pillows. She might've cried. Might've pounded her chest to dispel the aching hollowness that was sure to be there. But this wasn't that Lucy. This was the Lucy who knew Natsu Dragneel. She knew he would never just not show up, not after he'd promised he would. In the half-year she had known him, Lucy quickly realized that Natsu made it his mission to always be there when she needed him. He kept his promises, he always did. So for him to not be outside of her window, for him to not be there wasn't anything she should cry over.
Really, it was something she should worry about.
And as she crept through her house, cautiously closing the doors that led her outside, she knew that something was wrong. She was sure he didn't forget their plans, he never ever did. He wasn't ignoring her either because, according to him, he'd rather let Happy tear his face apart than do that.
Lucy easily climbed over the main gates, face determined.
Yes, something had to be wrong.
She practically ran to the bridge they agreed to meet on, out of breath and wheezing by the time she stumbled to the highest point. And there, standing against the railing with sad eyes gazing at the constellations in the sky, was Natsu. He was here. He was here and Lucy's heart soared. "Natsu?" she called out and walked towards him. "Natsu, what happened? I thought you were going to—"
"Lucy." It was as if he had just noticed her, as if she had snapped him out of some trance and he was only now coming back to reality. He looked at her with those unusually sad eyes, his lips trembling their way into a semblance of a disarming smile. He was in front of her in seconds, arms spreading wide as he enveloped her into his hold. "Lucy..."
"N-Natsu, what's wrong? Are you all right?" She scrambled to push him away, to get a clear look at his face, and figure out what was going on. "You're worrying me, Natsu." She slowly wrapped her arms around him. "This is the first time we're meeting like this, without you having to pick me up, I mean. Did something happen?"
"Wait, you're not hurt, are you?" It was almost like he hadn't even heard her. He pulled back, scanning her body closely. And when he realized she was unharmed, he visibly slackened, his face relaxing and his smile finally becoming genuine. "Fuck, I've missed you."
She didn't acknowledge his first question, figuring it was just him being a worrywart. Instead, she chuckled, "yeah, I know," and brought her arms up to hang loosely around his neck. His hands settled on her waist in return, holding her close. "You scared me for a second there," she admonished. "First, not showing up to my window, then acting all strange as soon as I see you. Is everything okay?"
"I..." he paused, not knowing what to say.
And Lucy noticed that. Noticed the way his eyes took on that sad gleam once again, the way he bit his lip in worry, and refused to look at her. "Something is wrong," she breathed. "What is it? Tell me."
"N-no, it's nothing. I'm just..."
Lucy frowned, hands now cupping Natsu's face to bring his eyes down to hers. He hesitantly met her gaze. "Tell me," she said again, voice nothing more than a whisper.
His voice shook, uncontrollably so, as he whispered back, "he knows. My father...he knows."
The blonde didn't need to know anything else. She gasped, eyes blinking rapidly as she struggled to find the right words. "I-it's..." she inhaled, "it's okay. It's going to be okay, Natsu. We're going to be okay." A lie, but she didn't know what else to say. God, she just didn't know.
Natsu recoiled from the warmth of her hands. "No it isn't. Don't say that because it isn't, Luce!" He shrank away from her entire body then, withdrawing one faltering step at a time. "Do you know what he told me last night? Besides the fact that he's known about us for months now?!"
Whatever comforting words Lucy wanted to say stopped in her throat, nearly choking her as an onslaught of tears threatened to fall. She stretched out her hand, grabbing him by his jacket and bringing him back to her. Silently, she shook her head as he went on, refusing to believe him.
"He wants me to kill you, Luce!" he shouted at her, pushing himself away again. He gripped her shoulders tightly, shaking her. "He wants me to keep making you feel safe around me, t-to protect you. And whenever he commands it, kill you! He wants me to kill you!" He was near hysterical by this point, looking at her with eyes blown with so much fear. "It's not going to be okay, Luce. He couldn't get you before so now he's using me to do it—his own son. He wants his own son to kill the only person he's ever cared about and..." He froze and Lucy never knew that someone could look so painfully torn. "You're just to important to me, Lucy."
Her chest tightened. "Natsu..."
But he wasn't finished. It was like a dam had been broken within him and out came everything he had kept bottled up inside him for much too long. His grip had loosened on her shoulders, and he gently pressed his forehead against hers. "Never in my life have I ever disobeyed my father," he started, puffs of winter air ghosting past his lips, "until I met you. I hadn't gone to an amusement park or the beach since I was a child, until I met you. I never spent hours at an arcade, I never sat in a library just to watch someone else read, I never took time out to sit in the park and watch the sun rise, until I met you. You...you're the first person I've ever wanted to protect, the first person who's ever trusted me, who's ever treated me as their equal, and Lucy..." her body shivered at how softly he called her name, "you're the first person I've ever loved."
Lucy wanted to blame the weather for the blush that exploded across her face at his words, she really did. She could only stand there, body stiff and mind running at a mile a minute (was this happening? was this really happening? no, this couldn't be happening. but wait, it was happening. oh god, it was happening), and Natsu seemed to study her as she internally screamed for her body to do something. His fingers were cold as they slowly, oh so slowly, grazed her cheeks, tracing the contours of her face with such delicateness that Lucy finally broke out of her stupor.
She whimpered something unintelligible (his name or a confession of her own, she didn't even know herself) before throwing her arms around him, fingers tangling themselves in his hair. She could feel his smile against her temple, and her tears finally fell as his own arms tightened around her.
"It won't be okay," he whispered and she buried her face into his chest. "Things will never be the same after tonight. This will never be the same," he held her body closer, "so let's just leave."
Lucy peered up at him with wet and curious eyes. "W-what...do you mean?" she croaked.
He couldn't possibly mean...
"Run away with me, Lucy." Oh, that was definitely what he meant. Lucy looked at Natsu as if he had grown another head. "Let's run away and never look back."
.
.
一━══┳┻︻ To Be Continued ︻┻┳══━一
Author's Note: Well, this was unexpected. Another long chapter, this one being over 8,750...jeez. What am I doing? I guess chapters full of drabbles are easier to write? I should've done this much sooner then lol. Anyways, here's the plan: the next chapter will be an interlude of sorts, and after that there's only one more chapter left of this arc! It'll be the final fluff-fest before the storm comes because that's how I roll. Pray4Nalu2k16! Until next time, folks!
Also, just a heads up: "Heartfilia Manor" and "Heartfilia Estate" are the same place. I just suck at being consistent. Double also, I'm writing the next chapter for KMKM now, so if any of you are waiting for that, you won't have to wait much longer. Hurray?
Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter and review if you wanna!
chu~