'…We were lonely kids starving for love, but finding nothing but hatred." Sasuke Uchiha
Lucy was practically a zombie walking when she was led from place to place. He had woken her at an ungodly hour where the sun hadn't risen yet. She was content with him leading them back to the guild, as yesterday they finished a joint-job. It wasn't Fairytail, in fact it was some guild she didn't even know. Which was filled exclusively with women, it was interesting to say the least.
It was eight when she finally really woke up, and after a few cups of coffee. They were in a carriage on their way back. The entire day was filled with little small talk until they got into another hotel. Slept until the next day came, and again, early once more.
A little break was made as they stopped in a small town, one that she didn't care to remember. It was when she realized something, she had totally forgotten about the Sorcerers weekly magazine. It had been more than two weeks, all this new excitement in her life really made her forget about it.
With that in mind, when they stopped next she eagerly ran to the nearest store to see the newest edition of Sorcerers magazine. When she got to the stand, however it wasn't the newest edition that surprised her. The previous issue featured her and Naruto. Needless to say she was thrilled to find that she and Naruto was actually a part of the front issue of the magazine, along with members of Fairytail. It was from an issue from a week ago, she had forgotten that her picture had been taken.
She let out an excited scream as she quickly bought it and walked back carriage where Naruto was. She read the front cover, the left half was a photo of her and Naruto taken by that random photographer. It was actually a nice one despite it being candid, taken by their left side as they stared at the camera. Both of their respective emblems on their hands were shown.
While the right side half showed the guild of Fairytail, Erza the Titania was prominently featured. Along with two that she recognized earlier, apparently their names were Natsu 'The Salamander' Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster.
Salamander, so that's what he looked. Wild pink hair with his muscled chest showing, he looked around the same age as her. Even the Titania looked not much older than her now that she had a better look.
They were younger than she thought.
Several captions were printed around them, the biggest 'Fireshadow of Omnibus' and 'the faces of Fireshadow revealed' as well as 'The teaming up of the Titans and the Mice'
She squealed in delight and cried when she realized she was moving up in the world already. Naruto sent her an odd glance, "The hell is wrong with you?"
She ignored that and gave an excited reply, "Look, look, just read this with me, "She moved up alongside him and held the magazine for him to see and read with her.
"The mice?" Naruto said as he read the cover in the carriage they were in. "That's…so lame."
"I mean we are a small guild with hardly any reputation." Lucy stared with curiosity.
"Kinda stupid," Naruto mumbled some other incoherent words as he read the feature that she already went through.
During the monthly guild meeting, a shadow of conspiracy loomed over them… Team Natsu, comprised of… attempted to stop the attempted assassination plot… However, Guild masters of Fireshadow's Naruto and Fairytail's Makarov was there to meet the individual, already knowing of the danger they presented…
"Well to be honest I kind of just stumbled there, didn't have much of a clue."
…When Zeref's construct appeared, Naruto bravely suggested that he would deal with it himself, a proclamation of the assurance he had in his abilities. In the end, he had destroyed the creature with a single strike.
"Lucy Heartfilia is Fireshadow's newest addition to its small ranks (Front page). Shikamaru Nara had apparently retired while the status of Shizune is unknown. Naruto had shown a glimpse of his power during a fight against one of the dark mage Zeref constructs. The witnesses were many of the guild masters.
"It was a sphere with four blades, when he threw it just completely obliterated that huge creature, it actually broke some of the windows from the force of its explosion, that was before it fell onto the guild masters meeting building."
Many didn't pay much attention to the young guild master before then, and thought he wasn't one to take note of. However, the quick display proved them wrong. Naruto was present in the 'newest guilds' column in the June 8 X784 issue.
"I think; he may be above some of the guild masters. Especially if possessed similar magic to that."
"Would you think he think he was capable of reaching S-class?"
"Perhaps, that magic was definitely S-class. It left no trace of this magical creature that appeared, other than the lower half that wasn't touch by this sphere's influence. It was like it didn't exist to begin with."
Naruto, the guild master of the small Fireshadow hadn't applied for an S-rank promotion, nor was there any records of any previous application. So who is this mysterious blond who came out of nowhere?
"Lucy, this is all your fault." He stated.
"Huh! What why!? I didn't do anything."
"I just felt like blaming someone," He smirked lightheartedly. "Well, guess I couldn't keep a down low every single moment of my life, something was bound to happen."
They were silent for a little while until she came up with a question. "So what kind of magic was that anyway? I think I heard… Rasenshuriken."
"Yup, that's what it's called," He smiled, Naruto placed his hand for her to see, a yellow spherical orb appeared that hovered in his hand. "This is what it's based off of, the Rasengan. The other one had a wind element added to it."
"Wow, I never noticed how gold or yellow it was before."
He smiled. The orb suddenly grew in intensity, almost violent, but there were no blades like before.
"This is something my father invented. I improved it by what you saw earlier." He looked extremely proud of that fact. The sphere in his hand disappeared, "Anyways, I'm going to go ahead and sleep, wake me up in an hour would you?"
"Umm, okay, sure."
Lucy stared, his hood hiding his eyes. Soon after, there was a slow breathing as he slept. Well, she guessed she could just continue reading her magazine, among other things that she could do for a while. That time really passed by quickly however.
"Hey, Naruto, get up it's been an hour." It took very little to awake him, all she needed to do was say his name. He made an exaggerated stretch and was wide awake a moment later.
"When's the next stop?"
"The guy said in a half an hour"
He gave a nod as he looked at the map he had, mumbling to himself. "This is so much slower than I thought, why do you like this way?"
"Taking the carriage is faster than walking."
"Hmm, it does help me sleep too I guess. I have a few things I need to do back at the apartment. We have a payment to do before the weekend and I really don't want to pay extra, I also have a personal reason. I have to meet with this guy before he goes on away for a little while."
"Who's this person you're meeting?"
"Just some guy who finds out how the magical artifacts I collect work," He replied, seemingly looking anxious suddenly. He bounced his leg up and down on the carriage in a show of restlessness, "He closes in another three hours and he won't be back for two weeks."
Guess he really was passionate about his hobby of finding magical trinkets if he really didn't want to miss it.
"Too bad, it takes all day to get back, you're out of luck I suppose," Lucy replied. Even though she would also have to help pay a little extra, it was his problem he wanted to take this joint-job.
Naruto looked at her, and shook his head in disagreement. He then called the carriage to a stop, so she followed his lead and hopped off it too. It had already been paid for, so they had no problems if they willing to get dropped off. The carriage resumed its pace, leaving them behind.
"I'm not sure what we're doing," Lucy commented. "But I followed you."
"Going the faster route." Naruto stretched. "Alright princess, how do you want to get on? On top?"
She felt herself go red at her line of thought. Naruto looked at her, pointing a finger in accusation. "My first impression of you was right. Pervert."
"Shut up! What are we going to do anyway?"
"Man, the way you travel is way too slow for my taste. At least it catches up on my sleep."
She noticed that, he always slept on the carriage rides except for the train.
"Anyways Lucy, I'm going to carry you. I'm asking if you want to get on my back or do you want me to carry you in my arm."
"So your going to carry me all the way to Onibus town before time ends?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, and why are you saying it so sarcastically?"
"Wait, you're serious?"
"Since when I'm I not serious?" Silence. "Okay you win this one. C'mon Lucy, we'll get there, why are you so opposed to letting me carry you?"
"Oh, like a princess?" Lucy replied mockingly. Before she realized the state of Naruto's only arm. That got rid of the thought that he could run it that quick. "Wait, how are you supposed to carry me if you only got one, uhm, arm?"
He smirked. "As for that issue."
Naruto did something weird with his hand, making little signs with his hand that she didn't recognise. A small plume of smoke enveloped him, or rather his right 'arm' before it quickly ran off, it revealed Naruto with two appendages.
"How the hell did you do that?!" She asked incredulously.
"Transformation, it's all there physically, but it's not permanent and it's not useful for getting my arm back in a fight. I have another way too, but I prefer not to use it."
There was just more and more to him wasn't there? She hesitantly reached out to touch his 'ghost' arm, it was solid to the touch. It was also weird to witness him with two arms when she was used to just seeing one.
"Are you done touching me now? I want to get going."
"Uh, um, yeah."
He then kneeled down for her to get on and she climbed on his back. His hands grasping her thighs and her chest pressing up against his back. Lucy felt her face flush from the intimate touches, as it was the most contact she had with a boy. She trusted him enough however.
Her womanly pride took a wound when he showed no obvious distress or any hint of perverse joy. There was no doubt in her mind that he had some thoughts about it. Her legs behind supported by his firm hands.
He suddenly sped up, a normal pace before it drastically increased with each passing second, the greens around her became a blur and she let a surprised scream.
"Ow, knock it off you're loud." He yelled back.
"Sorry, Wow! This is fast!" She replied, her furious pace of her heart from the speed. Impossible even. Was this with the help of his wind? But to be this fast, and the transformation too, she had heard that some mages took a second magic. Lucy swore that he was going faster than the trains.
"I can go faster, and I used to go on the trees but they aren't the same around here" He said, his efforts did nothing to slow his speech. She held on more tightly as he began to sprint faster, she would have thought that it would have been shakier ride but it was surprisingly smooth.
"Why the branches?"
"Jump from each one, trees aren't as big here though," He replied. "Any way's it'll take a bit to get there."
"So what was about the other way? About your arm I mean."
"Oh, how do I put it…" He pondered for a moment, "I can form a 'magical' construct. It's not flesh or anything, just gold and glowing. I don't want to use it though; it has a drawback."
"Now I see why you walk around."
The act of stretching really made her bones crack, she had been a bit uncomfortable on the way here but it seems like they made it on time and with an hour to spare. Naruto didn't even look winded. What a monster, he had been running the same pace without rest or at a slower rate. A small plume of smoke appeared from his arm, before leaving only an empty space.
"How did you lose your arm anyway?" She hoped he didn't reply with anything vague, or outright ignore her in some cases.
There wasn't a whole lot of other pedestrians around but was likely connected to the weather. Dark clouds hung in the sky, with a slight drizzle of rain. She didn't have an umbrella, but they were already in Onibus so it didn't matter much. Though it did still annoy her.
"Lost it in a fight against a good friend of mine," He smiled. That didn't seem to be something to be smiling about, good friends didn't do that to each other. "Him too actually, losing an arm I mean."
"No way, what happened?" Was it an accident? Her guild master seemed so capable, and in a way he carried himself despite his missing arm. Lucy thought he wasn't going to answer, especially with the prolonged pause. When she looked at him, he was contemplative.
"We forced too really, because of our beliefs. It had to happen, but I didn't want to kill him, because I believed it didn't have to happen. For him, it was the other way around. It was a similar goal, but different ways of reaching it."
"Are you saying you tried to kill each other?" That was intense.
"Yeah. He's my friend."
It was probably the most he had ever revealed in himself, even if it was still vague. "Did he come out okay?"
"Yup! Last I seen him he was, He's my best friend and only rival. I'm sure everything is all fine with him."
A rival indicated they were equal, or comparable in strength. Now, just how high was that? In their 'spars' as he called it, which mostly involved her eating dirt in some manner. She had yet to land a solid hit.
"Well I hope whatever you both set out to do it was important enough that you had to do that to each other."
Naruto simply turned to her. He had such a surprisingly large smile in his face that his eyes closed. "Of course!"
Lucy was awed, this suited him more than that other lazy attitude he had.
He said more, despite her not urging him to do so, was he really opening up? They walked together through the town, as rain slightly picked up in intensity. It seemed like it had been raining quite a while as puddles were formed in small uneven portions in the streets.
"I actually had a bit more of my arm up to my elbow, but that got infected which was surprising really, I never got sick in my youth. Guess my immune system got a bit shot." He chuckled, like there was some hidden joke.
"Don't you miss your arm? It should make some things difficult right?"
"Not too bad, I don't think my fighting really suffered, just at the beginning perhaps. It just needed to get some use too. Although it makes writing really annoying."
"Uhm…You…Write?"
Naruto looked at her, "A little I guess."
Suddenly she hesitated, and talked about something else. "I can't believe you got here in time."
"Yeah, I have trouble working those magical transportation things, or whatever they're called."
That was surprising, but she remembered that he barely figured out how to work the magical stamp. She had gotten a hold of it, and it was fairly easy to grasp on how it worked. Lucy had debated on switching the color from her blue one, but decided she wanted to keep her original one.
They said nothing more until they entered their apartment building.
"Finally, just need to go see that guy after." He fumbled with his pockets, trying to find the keys to the door.
"That was exhausting, I think I deserve some shopping when this weather dies down." Lucy commented.
"Shopping shopping shopping, sheesh," He yammered on as he opened the door.
Lucy witnessed a visible flinch from him.
There was a loud burst of sound. She heard the yell of pain from Naruto as torrent of water blasted him away, the force was enough to rip him through several walls. Lucy stumbled back, hitting the ground.
Water flowed through the hall, as the perpetrator appeared. Standing by the door, was a woman with blue hair. Despite being inside, rain fell on the umbrella she held. She wore a blue dress and large fur hat. Her hair in long curls, Lucy saw the dark blue eyes stare into her own.
"Juvia had been tasked with the capture of Lucy Heartfilia, Ah, and it's you. Come with Juvia or- "
Any other words she might've said were interrupted when a blur flew past Lucy. Naruto bore a sphere in his hand. Except, when he reached the intruder, the attack simply passed through her. She became transparent and shimmered like the surface of water.
"What?" Naruto replied dumbstruck.
"Watch out!" Lucy yelled. A whip of water appeared beside the blue haired girl, grabbing a hold of Naruto's ankle before being pulled inside their apartment that hid them.
More loud crashes were heard as Lucy picked her self up to see what was happening.
She saw Naruto being slammed against the wall in their living room, the tendril finally let go as Naruto was hidden temporarily behind the turnover couch. The woman, Juvia, blew the couch away that revealed Naruto kneeling in the water.
Here she was witnessing her guild master, one she thought was powerful getting thrown around like a doll. Lucy was no match for someone like her.
"Drip, drip, drop, Juvia now thinks this is a waste of her talent, but Master Jose tasked me with this because we don't know you well."
This Juvia, who seemingly like to refer herself in third person wrapped Naruto in a sphere of water that hovered over the air. Naruto looked around in the water he was held in, there was a breath he let up as oxygen escaped from his mouth, bubbles flowing and obscuring his face.
"Juvia's Water Lock cannot be broken, and he'll stay there until he suffocates unless Lucy comes with me." Her dark blue eyes settled on her.
"O-Okay, just please don't hurt him!" Lucy begged. What was happening? Why was she doing this?
"Good, Juvia only expects complete compliance. A job that Juvia exp-"
She was interrupted when a strong jet of water pushed Juvia away and crashed her against the wall.
"Water, you can use water magic too!?" Lucy yelled in surprise, as she witnessed Naruto form his mouth like he was whistling, firing pressured water with his fingers close to his lips. The sphere surrounding him being sucked into his mouth. It was also the weirdest way she'd seen it being channeled before it stopped.
A brief silence was all that was left before whips and jets of water started being thrown from Juvia.
"No, Juvia's thinks this is impossible," She stated as she recovered, her clothes disheveled and wet. Juvia's arms went wide as she formed more magic.
Naruto dodged several water-blade shaped attacks, which easily tore through the furniture and through the walls behind it. She could only watch as Naruto quickly and skillfully evaded each and every one despite how many were being thrown. Spins and elaborate movements were made, like if he was gymnast.
Once again, the orb appeared in his arm once gain despite that it hadn't worked last time. Juvia seemed aware of this, letting herself get hit with the attack as she manipulated water around him to finish him. The blond stood in front of Juvia, his hand implanted in her stomach, water formed around his palm.
"I always like to shock cute girls," Naruto smirked.
This Juvia person was shocked, literally (Lucy couldn't believe she thought of that) as lightning crackled from Naruto. Juvia convulsed and let out a pained scream before the 'Naruto' fizzled out of existence in a form of electricity. Juvia's eyes wavered, stumbling over before seemingly passing out. The hat she wore fell off, and she began to topple to the soaked floor before another Naruto appeared to catch her.
"Lightning? Water?" Lucy stated in shock from the recent events. "What the hell just happened?"
Naruto peered at her as she held Juvia in his arm, "Geez, Yeah, made a lightning one and… You know what? Now's not the time to be talking about stuff like this."
"Right…" Lucy replied, seeing the passed out form of Juvia. She looked calm, and including Naruto their clothes were wet from the magic being thrown around.
"Wow, she really messed this place up," Naruto inspected the state of their apartment. Water started to lightly flood the floor, the couch was completely torn apart, while the walls and several behind it was too." Thank god our next-door neighbors don't seem to be here. Heheh."
"You're…laughing about this?" She asked. He didn't look nervous, not like she was anyway.
"Well, there's not much to worry about in the first place Lucy. Besides, she wants something to do with you. I won't let her."
Something about his statement made her blush. Like it was a law. And It was all in the same natural voice describing how tasty a dish of instant ramen was.
"What are we going to do with her?" Lucy asked. Naruto took a breath as he thought about it.
"First we'll find out what she wanted with you, I don't know who this Master Jose is though." Naruto replied, and with one hand slung her over his shoulder and giving Lucy a clear view of what she wore underneath her dress.
"Ah! Don't carry a girl so unceremoniously!"
"Lucy give me a break, I got one arm here. I can't even see."
"R-Right, but you can make one for a while,"
He rolled his eyes in response, like it didn't matter all that much. At least he had no view and wasn't trying to peek. He stood up and walked down the hall to his room where it wasn't destroyed by their battle, or soaked. Naruto placed her on his bed with surprising gentleness, despite his one arm.
"She'll be up pretty soon, in another couple minutes," He commented, before creating a sign with his hand and another appeared. Clones. She touched the one nearest to her to confirm that he actually real and solid.
Both Naruto's looked at her. Suddenly a stray thought passed through her mind, an activity involving lack of clothing and two people together.
No, no, no, no. Not with her, definitely no. Maybe like, some faceless woman with him with those clones. Oh god that didn't help. Needless to say she had thought of some new material to write with that didn't involve polygamy.
Just with the same person!
Naruto seemed oblivious to her thoughts as they filtered out of the room, leaving the original here alone. "Anyways, want some ramen? We haven't eaten yet."
"S-Sure," Lucy replied in embarrassment at the focus of her thoughts, she couldn't look at him in the eye. She wasn't really hungry, as her appetite disappeared from all the commotion. Naruto looked nonchalant, a contrast to her.
However, her apprehension was lifted and replaced by guilt when she noticed that he was rubbing his chest where he had been hit. He flinched when he touched a sensitive spot. It was all her fault; they were after her for something. A dark mood enveloped her.
Naruto gave a sigh. "Man, this is going to cost us more Jewels, know anything about why she wanted you?"
"No, nothing at all."
From the thrashing he had seen earlier, him going through the wall, being thrown around… It was a lot to take in, and it wouldn't stop playing in her mind. Whoever Juvia was working for, they wanted her, and she didn't want Naruto to get hurt to protect her. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. She would not cause Naruto to go deeper in debt or get hurt any longer.
"Naruto I…I don't want to cause you trouble, you got hurt because of me an – "
"-Look," Naruto interjected, cutting her off before she spilled these feelings that suddenly sprouted. She looked at him. There was this sudden change in demeanor. His brows furrowed, an unenthused expression. Lucy looked his blue eyes, filled with sharpness, with assertiveness that she had never seen before. She felt her heart starting to beat faster with the intensity of his voice.
"Where's that confidence I've seen before? You obviously want nothing to do with what they want with you. Saying something about not wanting to cause any trouble, you were about to suggest leaving right? I get that it's pretty selfless of you and that's fine because that's what you choose to do, well guess what? I have a choice too and that choice is to help you, and to be honest it's not a decision, it's something I have to do Lucy. Because that's who I am, and because we're friends after all. So it's no big deal at all."
The heir of Heartfilia could tell that his statement was not something to be denied, and even the nodding of her head was just a formality. Lucy felt the fluttering of her heart beating so fast in her chest she was afraid it might burst. She couldn't even look at him in the eye anymore, a color that just so happened to be her favorite. It was just so blue! She had no idea that a friend meant so much to him. She had no idea that he was like this, or could be like this.
He looked good, not drop dead gorgeous but... Oh god, she had a crush on him. Sure she thought he was pretty nice looking before, but thinking he was physically attractive was different than having a crush. He was kind, teasing, and, and….
Lucy calmed herself down from this recent revelation, like he said before, now was not the time. Naruto didn't seem so much different, going back into that relaxed state of mind. Her eyes were drawn to the girl passed out on Naruto's bed.
He yawned.
"You're not going too… I don't know, tie her up or something?"
"My hand and my uh… Rasengan went through her, the normal stuff I have won't work I think. Besides, I defeated her, I can do it again."
She nodded, feeling her inexperience in these situations grab a hold of her. She should have remembered that detail, she was better than this. Still, some excitement was felt. This would be her first interrogation, how would be done? She was expecting it to go along like the novels she had read. Maybe she should just watch, and see how assertive Naruto would be in a situation like this.
"Want a bowl? Its ramen," Naruto gave a smile at this girl that repeatedly called herself Juvia. She had woken up mere moments ago, looking at her unbound hands. Perhaps he could have placed Shukaku's seal, but it wasn't a message he wanted to convey.
Sure, what they called ethernano was chakra, but how they utilized and manipulated that chakra was different than what he did. The chakra here was in the atmosphere, almost like nature chakra, except uh, weird. He wasn't smart enough to know the deep specifics of it, but they were different. While they drew it from the outside, his 'magic' was generated from within him. Not everyone could use it, in contrast to everyone using it back home.
Whatever, he wasn't some scientist.
"Juvia…is confused." She said, making him focus on the task at hand. Man, he got too lost in his own thoughts some times. He had to have some form of entertainment before Lucy came along.
It was when she looked up and saw the depths of the dark blue of her eyes when he realized what kind of person she was. It was a familiar look, one that he would recognize in anyone's eye. After all, it was something that he had known so well, experiencing it for a large part in his youth.
Loneliness.
Naruto took a quiet breath. While things were certainly better here than in the Elemental Nations, there was still the occasional atrocity. Like in the port town where he found the slavery ring, or nearly the same thing occurring in that tower, he had put a quick end to them both when he found out.
There were also many other things he saw out in his travels. Despite that, there was still plenty of goodness in this world.
He didn't know her life story, but loneliness was something he sympathized with. Hell, he saw it a bit in Lucy too, even if her eyes didn't reflect as strongly. It was partly the reason why he decided to let her join.
"Juvia does not understand why you did not tie her." The pale skinned girl said.
"Is it because you tried to hurt me? Well, it'll probably take a lot more of that for me to mistreat you, or to be mean to you," Hell... He made good friends with Gaara who had initially done everything in his power to kill him, among other examples. "Well, you tried to take Lucy and I couldn't allow you to do that, so I had to stop you of course. That's what friends do."
He brought the ramen to her once again. Calling upon Kurama negative emotion sensing, but he sensed no evil from her, negative emotions yes, but nothing like killing intent. Man was it hard to actually distinguish those negative emotions sometimes. It was damn easy with the white Zetsu's but they all felt the same and they were numerous. He wished Kurama had expanded upon that, like what kind of emotions… He was getting off track once again.
"So? Ramen or no?" He asked.
"Juvia still does not understand."
His patience broke as he sighed loudly, and tried to settle himself before he spoke.
"Of what? It's not too hard I think and I'm trying to be nice, and it's also why you're not tied up. Listen, you must have been alone for a while, even in that guild of yours, or otherwise I wouldn't be able to see. Trust me I know how that feels, still…"
He couldn't help but smile.
" …One day you're gonna find friends that'll do anything for you, and you for them, as far as all the way to the end of the world. Let me tell ya, for people like us, there isn't much that can beat a feeling like that. I promise that you'll be able to experience that. I've always held true to promises."
Oh yes, he believed in such a thing. His friends back home were likely trying their hardest to bring him back. Ever since black Zetsu came out of fucking nowhere and grabbed him and pulled him into this dimension. He and Sasuke were lucky to even reverse the Genjutsu on everyone.
Juvia's eyes widened, and was that a blush? Probably cold from the water, she did soak his bed too. Either way, it covered her entire face.
"You know what Juvia feels? It feels like her heart is going to burst."
"From how wise my words are? Well I've been told I'm unpredictable." He replied. Naruto wasn't exactly sure what to say. It was also accompanied by 'Knucklehead' but they didn't need to know that little detail.
Getting fairly hungry, he took a bite of the bowl intended for her. Lucy was still eating while paying rapt attention, she must have been hungry too if she was so intently paying attention to every little thing while eating.
"Honestly, I just want to know who paid your guild to get Lucy. I don't really care what guild you're from, just the ones who hired you." Naruto said. He could have rung up Makarov and found out who this Master Jose was, but it wasn't the jackpot. He wasn't trying to draw any more unwanted attention to him.
He was going to leave eventually, even if no artifact could get him back.
"Juviahadnever, Juvialovesyou! " Juvia said.
Huh? She spoke too quickly for him to hear correctly. "So mind telling us who wants Lucy?"
She looked away, calming herself.
"Juvia will tell you, that…it was Lucy's father that hired us."
Lucy's expression filled with surprise, and Naruto remembered that she had never said anything about her parents, nor did he ever ask. However, he could see to Lucy that it made sense to her. He wasn't sure if there was some animosity between them, but the look in her eye told him.
"Lucy? Want to see your dad to make sure?" Naruto asked, and she nodded. "Alright! Let me finish my ramen before we go."
He dug into the ramen originally intended for Juvia. Naruto spotted the shaking of her hands, the quick glance away as he noticed her eyes trying to peek at him. The blue in her orbs had suddenly sparked, like a new life.
Hmm.
Luc sat in the private train that belonged to her father, she wanted to get it this finished, so she had told Naruto she wanted to run from Onibus town. She probably could have gone on ahead alone, but the guild Juvia was from was still on the hunt for her. So it would likely be a bad idea…and well, it was hard to slip away when she lived with Naruto.
"So do you think that it's okay to leave Juvia back there like that?" She asked.
"Sure, she could find herself out. If she lied then whoever sent her would be back anyway."
"You're placing a lot of trust in her."
He shrugged, "I'm sure she'll lock the door on her way out."
It wasn't what she meant and he knew it, judging by the smile he had. Besides, they didn't have a door anymore. She wasn't sitting across from him like usual, but this time right beside him. It seemed that his usual travel woes had all but disappeared.
Such perfect timing, especially since that now she didn't mind in the slightest if he looked.
Despite all the nervousness she had felt earlier, it had disappeared, from the initial information of learning that it had been her father that had sent Juvia to collect them. A guild no doubt, one of the legal ones.
Well, if Naruto wasn't worried, then she would be the same. In fact, Naruto seemed to be dozing off at the moment. It helped her keep her head level, and her nervousness pretty much all disappeared when he started snoring.
She couldn't help but smile.
What would she say to her father when she got there? It's been more than a year since she left her father's place. While she was still the only member of Fireshadow, she still felt that it would grow soon. Her thoughts were centered on these events, what her life had revolved around. She thought about what she found out today, of her father, and about the sleeping blond next to her. It was like Naruto was a whole different person from yesterday, or rather who he always was before Juvia blew that jet of water at him.
Since there were no distractions, she was able to find her answer.
Lucy roused Naruto from his slumber when they finally reached their destination. She planted her feet on the platform, seeing the small living quarters that the workers had. She saw the mansion in the short distance, overlooking it.
"Wow, you were this loaded?" The 'were' wasn't lost on her, he considered her free from her father, independent. Somehow, he gave the appeal that he was oblivious, but it was totally wrong. Naruto was so perceptive at times.
"I was yes," She replied, feeling the breeze of the fall air, the wonderful colors of dead leaves filled the grounds as she walked through.
The small quarters where the workers were housed had a lively air to it, it came close so quickly. Many easily recognized her, calling her out her name in surprise, and respect.
"You haven't been neglecting your studies have you?"
"Master Lucy!"
"Lucy you found a man!"
That sent her blushing nor did she want to look at her fellow blond, but it was when Naruto decided to speak up.
"Yo! Lucy's here! Part of my guild! Second strongest member Heh!"
Her fierce, professional gait disappeared for a split moment before she was able to retain it. She felt a tinge of heat on her cheek and the blonde hoped that it didn't ruin her image of being a strong woman worthy of being a main character in a novel. Naruto continued to boast of her own accomplishments while she tried to respectfully carry herself through. A worker representing her father eventually came through.
"Lucy, your father requests you in his study."
Not a whole lot has changed since she had left last year.
She was suddenly whisked away to change into more formal wear while Naruto followed closely behind, keeping oddly silent.
When she stepped out of the room in a beautiful elegant dress with frills her guild master was waiting for her. When she was spotted by him, his eyes slightly widened and she could see his gaze quickly lower before settling back to her own orbs. This was the first time that she had actually caught him checking her out.
She felt like it wasn't right, this wasn't her.
It was only the sound of her shoes echoed in the hallways and it felt wrong to her, it was a few moments later when she realized that the blond beside her made no sound. He was still walking, but he made no conscious effort of it. Naruto himself was inspecting the walls of paintings and other decoration.
"Hmm. It was only three years ago when I learned about who my mom and dad were. I kinda wish I knew more about them or that they were able to…" He stopped himself, taking a breath. "Well, I can't change the past, and I suppose if I did, I wouldn't be the person I am today."
He finished, giving a wistful smile. She couldn't reply but he seemed content with that, like he just wanted to share. He grew up without parents, and they were gone just like her mother. He was a good person, that she already knew. Naruto just accepted her for who she was, whoever Juvia was despite that she was enemy.
It felt like she had stayed a life time with Fireshadow, even if it was only a month and that they were only the two of them. She did feel quite happy; it was only the start after all. The ending however, seemed to be already drawn out and written. That it would end with Naruto leaving, and her leaving to some other guild, which made her feel a bit sad. Still, that left the journey to that end, if it was like any decent novel there might be a plot twist hidden somewhere, or just an entertaining road.
They stood outside her father's study, and she took a deep breath and turned to him. "Naruto, I need to do this alone."
All he did was nod and leaned against the wall beside the door, and she entered without him. Her father stood in front of his desk, his sharp gaze that settled on her.
"I'm glad you have come back on your own accord Lucy; it seems like Phantom Lord completed their mission with efficiency. I knew they were the better investment."
Phantom Lord, which was a guild that competed for the top spot, alongside Fairytail. So her father thought Naruto was a member of it then.
"I apologize for leaving without a word, I regret those actions." She replied. It felt like a hollow apology, it was just courtesy. Naruto wasn't hurt badly, bruised perhaps, but she would stay civil with her father.
This was more about stopping her father from trying to escalate this situation. From what she knew about the blond standing outside the door, he wouldn't stand for that. Because if Naruto's earlier words about his friends told anything, and if she was included in that circle, he would go further than her father expected. Naruto just controlled too many types of magic for any common mage to have.
Her guild master was powerful, and despite only knowing him for a short time, she was willing to follow him to the end of the world too. Naruto just had that quality, and really, she didn't have much of a choice here. It made her happy.
"You are the daughter of the Heartfilia family, you live in a different world than everyone else. Your husband had been decided." He had said, like she had no choice in the matter.
She knew that she did not want to stay here, or marry some creep against her will. It really did remind her of what Naruto said how they were equals when they really weren't. He was slightly older, more experienced, but he really did treat her like one and he never held her own inexperience against her.
Lucy just wanted to be normal.
"This marriage will heighten our status, and you'll mother a son to continue our family name. This will also secure some security in case tensions increase in the east. That is all, so you may return to you room."
Naruto was just behind the door, so it was very likely he could hear everything that was being said. Lucy could feel herself shaking from the audacity of her father's words. It was…just absolutely preposterous!
Nothing had changed. Jude Heartfilia hadn't changed at all.
"If you think I will continue to listen to you then you are wrong," Lucy replied, and she witnessed the shocked look upon his face. "I know it was wrong of me to not say a word when I left, but I needed to get out of here. I will decide who I want to marry, because no one else can decide for me. It was hard to leave everyone behind, Mother would have said I should follow my heart, and what it says is to follow Fireshadow until the end. It may be small, it may not be perfect, and it may not be what I really wanted, but that doesn't matter because I can actually say I'm happy. Something that I can't say about here. I just want to let you know father, stop trying to bring me back, before things get out of hand. Because, it will not be you that ends it."
Lucy stopped. If only to help hold in the tears that was threatening to reveal itself. The emotional high she felt was like a dam about to break from the pressure. She took a calming breath that helped reign it in.
Her father still looked shocked from her words. Then, she heard the door click open behind her. Lucy glanced behind her, and she felt slightly ridiculous that she had torn off a part of her dress that Naruto clearly noticed. Of course, he didn't pay much attention to her but was glaring at her father.
"I know you wanted do this on your own but I can't help myself," He replied. Lucy stared at him wordlessly, his cerulean eyes literally burning with anger and it was all directed at her father, "It doesn't matter who you send because it will always end the same way, failure. The one who calls himself Lucy's 'Father' as if you can call yourself that."
"How da-"
"Shut it," Naruto replied with surprising harshness, one that even made her flinch. He carried enough authority in his voice to even shut her father up. "The duty of a father is to always protect their children and believe in them when that time comes. I may not be one myself but I know I'll follow my dad's example. He believed in me, and entrusted me with my master's legacy. Despite my inexperience, he figured that I would get through those obstacles. So, Lucy just wants your approval to be independent and you're not allowing that!"
"You don't understand-"
"Maybe not, but you don't understand your own daughter don't you? What I see is a man who is willingly pushing his daughter away because he doesn't trust her and thinks she's unable bear those burdens. I hope it's enough that she knows that I believe in her. She'll fail at times, but I know she'll pick herself back up because that's what it's all about. Even now, she's proving you wrong."
There was a finality in his statement, and unbearable silence hung in the air as he turned around and the door clicked open. Naruto held it, waiting for her. Lucy looked over to her unmoving father with an unreadable expression.
"He's right," She replied, and couldn't think of anything else to say. There were some intense emotions whirling inside her right now. Anger at Naruto interrupting her, but thankfulness that he was there.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, cry, or yell out in celebration.
Lucy followed through Naruto's mute suggestion and walked through the door. It was silent, only her own steps echoing through the halls.
It was when she found herself outside and gazing into the blue sky above when she finally discovered the emotion she truly wanted to express, it just felt true. She took a deep breath, seeing the gathering of workers down below. The sun shone brightly and warmly despite it not being summer anymore. She had to admit it was a beautiful day.
Lucy stopped, turning to him and gave him wide smile. He rose a brow in curiosity, he was always so expressive. Closing the distance between, she threw her arms around his frame and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you. For everything." She mumbled into his jacket. He didn't reply for a while, until he finally he finally wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"No problem." He sighed.
Lucy backed away, holding his hand and smiled. "Would you like to meet my mother?"