“I’m supposed to-” The blond stuttered incoherently. “I’ve never been outside of the Heartfilia estate before you kidnapped me!”
“Why not? The door was wide open!”
“The wall was wide open and that’s because you came crashing through it!!”
Or: Lucy Heartfilia's life is thrown into chaos and confusion when a strange creature bursts through her wall and destroys her family mansion.
Chapter 2:
“I think I figured it out”
“What?” Lucy growled.
The boy turned his head to the side curiously, raising an eyebrow at her aggressive response. “Why you hate me so much; It’s cuz of your room isn’t it?”
Lucy growled again, biting her tongue in irritation. They’ve only been walking a few hours, although to her it felt like days. The Heartfilia’s were a very wealthy family. As a way to ensure they were perfectly safe, her parents decided to place their mansion in the middle of the woods.
Not creepy at all.
Currently the two were treading through narrow tree paths, Lucy trying with all her might to get used to her annoying extraterrestrial companion.
Apparently his name was Natsu and he came from the planet Ishgar. His dad was a freaking Dragon and the last thing he remembered before he came to earth was himself and the rest of his ‘guild’ in the middle of a battle with powerful demon knights who sought to overthrow every planet in the galaxy and probably beyond...
Either this dude was playing a prank on her or he was just a very open book.
But seeing as he had a tail, could transform into whatever the hell that thing was, and manage to burn down her room with fire coming out of his body… that was the most normal thing he had told her so far.
Still, Lucy was very stubborn and in denial.
“There’s no way that’s true.” she had said, kicking her feet at a rock in frustration. “If that’s the case then you can’t possibly be an alien! That’s something that comes straight out of fairy tales!!”
“I never said I was an alien, my name is Natsu.” he stared at her like she was the stupidest person on earth before muttering “Weirdo” under his breath. Which was pretty surprising considering she was the ONLY PERSON ON EARTH THAT HE KNEW-
If you couldn't tell, Lucy was at the last straw.
“What? Are you hungry or something?” The boy glanced back at her, holding a branch aside in an attempt to move forward. Lucy stared back at him, an equal amount of confusion on her face.
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you were at the last straw. Ya hungry?” He asked again. Oh right, how could she forget. The dang alien could read minds. How much more cliche could this get?
“I thought I told you to turn that off!” She hissed. Natsu rolled his eyes, gesturing for her to continue walking as he impatiently bounced the branch he was holding.
“I told ya, I don’t read minds. You're just a weirdo who likes to talk to herself.” Not true by the way. Lucy couldn't possibly talk to herself since she normally has no one to talk to anyways.
“Weirdo~” She heard him taunt as he let the branch go. The blond flinched away, the sharp stick flying past her face and making her aware of the injury it would have caused. It probably would have only left a scratch but still, she glared at the boy in warning.
They continued to walk forward, it felt as if the moon had been illuminating the sky for days now. Lucy was so tired.
“You wanna take a break?” He asked smugly, halting his heavy footsteps and looking her up and down. The heartfilia girl was dressed in a tight pink t-shirt, small gray shorts that comfortably hugged her waist, and Natsu’s gigantic sandals. The forest was no place for bare human feet, no way would she risk hundreds of tiny rocks and twigs stabbing through her feet.
That, however, didn’t seem to stop the tiny rocks and splintered sticks from tangling themselves in her nappy hair. She most likely looked like a clown right now and it was obvious, Natsu was thriving off of that thought alone.
“Can we just- why am I even here right now?”
Here, as in currency right in front of an empty highway. It was hard to tell exactly what time it was, but by the lack of heavy amounts of sweat dripping off of Lucy’s figure and the small slimmer of sunlight peeking out behind parted trees and leaves, it was obviously close to sunrise.
A small furry bunny maneuvered its way around some trees on the other side of the street, catching the attention of the pink haired boy who finally decided to answer her question. “You’re supposed to show me where to go.”
“I’m supposed to-” The blond stuttered incoherently. “I’ve never been outside of the Heartfilia estate before you kidnapped me!”
“Why not? The door was wide open!”
“The wall was wide open and that’s because you came crashing through it!!”
The alien swished his tail irritably, crossing his arms in a childish manner. His lips perked up into a pout as he murmured: “What about before that?”
Lucy felt her eyes widen, stunned by his sudden shift in mood. It was beginning to get more and more confusing trying to figure out what his master plan was.
For one, he was way too stupid to come up with a briliant evil plan to dominate an entire planet. That only took her a few minutes to find out.
And secondly, he was just… too nice. Yes, he did break through her wall, burn down her room and kidnap her. (She would make sure to hold that against him) But throughout their whole exploration within the forest, he has been nothing but gentle with her. (Aside from a few teasing remarks and that branch from earlier) With the sincerity in his voice now, she couldn't help but soften her murderous glare.
“My dad has high surveillance cameras and security placed all throughout the estate.” She whispered, looking out towards the deserted street in a dream-like state. “I told you, my parents were paranoid. I wouldn’t have been able to get out if I tried”
Natsu took his time replying, observing the way her eyes darkened and her lips turned down into a frown. He felt himself doing the same thing. “What do ya think they were afraid of?”
“Afraid of…?” the girl silently repeated, snapping out of her thoughts and staring at a tree, unstably rocking its head from side to side. “I’m not sure. My father works a lot so…”
“Work?”
“Oh right” She rolled her eyes. “You’re an alien so I should probably explain. Work is basically a job that you apply for. By doing something beneficial to society you get paid in currency. That would help you buy essential needs like a house, a car, food, water, electricity- you get the idea”
Natsu made a sound of interest, looking at her with a burning curiosity. “Like a guild! What do your parents do?”
“Father…” Lucy chuckled bitterly. “Father used to work with momma at Eclipse, the world's most advanced space research building. My father owns it now and that's where he spends all of his time.”
The boy hesitated before speaking again. It seems that bringing up her mom is a sensitive topic. He’d have to keep that in mind for later. He opened his mouth to speak, pink locks blowing in the direction of the wind's ominous whispers.
“Well-”
“None of that really matters anyway.” The blond snapped, returning to the piercing glare that she wore earlier. Natsu clicked his teeth and swung his tail in annoyance. He sighed.
“What do you need me for?” she growled.
“Why’re you so pissy all of a sudden?” He barked. “It’s much nicer to be around you when you're not being a jerk.”
“That's the point you idiot!-”
“Well look what we have here” A dark voice chuckled from behind the two. They froze, goosebumps running down their arms as the wind took another sharp turn, forcefully bending the branches of various trees.
The blond one of the two began to panic, expertly running a series of excuses through her head while sneaking an attempt at opening her eyes. Natsu however went straight into a defensive pose, fist out in front of him as best he could with the cold breeze blocking his usual expert vision.
“W-were sorry if this is trespassing sir we were just-” the wind picked up, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence. Where on earth did all of this wind come from?
“Found you,” The man spoke again this time from… above them!? “E.N.D”
“Um…” Lucy backed away slowly, feeling her way behind a rocking tree. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes observing the view of what she assumed was a tornado. That’s what it had to be right? The whole place looked like it had just been hit by… a meteor. Grass had been pulled up off of the ground in several irregular spots while bushes littered the floor creating a scene similar to her room (minus the fire.) And who the heck was E.N.D?
“I-I think you’ve got the wrong person-”
“Lucy,” Natsu said, now standing protectively beside her. “Can you fight?”
“Can I-” The blond shook her head, glaring at the alien with malice. “Why the hell would I need to fight!?”
“Just answer me!”
“N-no” Lucy pursed her lips, holding her tongue in an attempt to silence her rebellious side. Not once since she’s met the boy had Natsu yelled at her in the way he just did. A surprising fact seeing as he threatened to destroy the world if she didn’t go with him. Using the great amount of common sense that the girl had been raised with, she shut her mouth, waiting for him to tell her what to do next.
“Stay close.” He finally spoke, grunting as the wind blew harder. Lucy nodded in understanding, excepting the way he gently pushed her behind him. Of course with the air being as angry as it was, the push was less than gentle.
“Why are you hiding, Natsu?” The man purred, his voice seemingly coming from every direction. She had thought she heard a growl erupt from within the pink-haired boy's throat but decided against registering the thought due to the fact that the wind had stopped.
Silence.
The air that had once revoked her vision and clouded her hearing had stopped.
There was no noise except for her and Natsu’s heavy breathing. The tree’s returned to their normal vertical forms, although some of them were stuck in a slightly tilted position. Natsu’s hair resembled a pile of dark pink cotton candy, a feat Lucy would have found funny if not for her rapidly beating heart. Besides, her own hair probably looked way worse. She had other things to worry about though.
In the blink of an eye, a being that Lucy refused to believe had similar attributes to Natsu stood before them… well, hovered before them.
The girl wasn’t sure if she should be more shocked about his inhuman ability to float or the fact that he had just chopped down a very thick tree with a long, sharp, dangerous looking scythe.
His hair spiked aloft his thin shoulders with a few strands falling out of order, forming the shape of a bang. A strange blue symbol adorned his shoulders, snaking its way past his biceps and towards his midsection, stopping just above his belly button.
His deep, black, lifeless eyes fit perfectly with the crazed grin that had settled itself on his face. And of course in his hands, he held the strangely decorated scythe- Oh sweet baby Jesus, what the hell has her life become!?
“Oh my, what a mean look you’ve got there.” The man chuckled as he took in Natsu’s fierce glare. He set the sharp end of his scythe on the ground, leaning on the bottom of it with his hands propping up his chin. He rolled his eyes when Natsu refused to answer, instead turning his gaze onto the girl cowering behind him.
He raised an interested eyebrow, reaching out to take a strand of her hair between his fingertips. “Who’s your friend?”
Natsu slapped his hand away, growling and pushing Lucy further behind him with his tail. The girl complied, burying her face into his back and fisting the fabric of his vest. What the hell was happening!?
“Ah, whatever.” The man sat up, holding his weapon over his shoulders. “Zeref needs you back. Somehow your chip was broken and…” He grinned, hungrily licking his lips.
“Since I had been placed on Earth, it’s my job to bring you back.” He raised his hand, slowly pointing a long finger somewhere behind the boy. “Can’t wait for this promotion!”
And the wind picked up it’s speed again; this time aiming directly for Lucy. If he were a normal human being, Natsu would have missed it. He wouldn’t have seen the way the man's finger gestured behind him. He wouldn’t have smelled the slight shift in the air around them. He wouldn't have heard the subtle 'woosh' sound coming from his left.
But Natsu did.
He noticed all of these things and managed to get Lucy out of the way before the bastard in front of them was able to cause any severe damage. Key word: Severe. He may have pulled Lucy out of the way on time, but the damage was already done. Blood pooled down her pale arm, rushing away from the deep gash embedded in her shoulder. Natsu winced at the coppery smell. That would definitely leave a mark… At least until they found a healer close by.
“Bastard!” He growled. “Your opponent is me!” The man laughed, throwing his weapon over his shoulder and sending Natsu a maniacal grin.
“The names Erigor. And my opponent,” he repeated mockingly. “Is anyone who dares interfere!” He shot another sharp string of air at Lucy, this time aiming for her stomach. She hastily dodged, lucky enough for it to barely miss her by an inch.
Natsu sucked in a breath, turning to his opponent with threatening glare. “Fire Dragon's Roar!” He cried, letting loose a large breath of fire from his mouth. Lucy shrieked, jumping away in fear and falling flat on her butt. She stared at him in shock, gripping her heart as it continued to beat faster.
“F-Fire!” She cried, drawing the attention of both men. “Y-you just shot fire out of your mouth!”
Natsu’s jaw dropped in shock. “That’s what you're complaining about!?”
“What do you expect me to do!?” She snapped. “You just shot fire out of your mouth!”
“This dude has been attacking us with air since he showed up!”
“You can’t blame me! I’ve been seeing some pretty weird shit since you crashed through my wall and almost burned my house down!”
“Another reason why you shouldn't be so shocked that I can breathe fire!”
“Pay attention to the fight!” Erigor hissed, having taken that moment of distraction to target Lucy once again. Natsu snapped out of his momentary stupor and jumped in, somehow blocking the air with another ring of fire.
“As fun as this is,” The boy hopped around, making sure to stay close to Lucy but far enough to where he wouldn't get hit. “I think it’s time we end this.”
Erigor narrowed his eyes. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
He raised his arms above his head, moving them so that they form an ‘X’ and grinning down at the two. “Emera Baram!”
The air blew fast and cold. The sky around them turned gray as plenty of clouds jumbled together forming some weird circle shape.
Only in the distance was Natsu able to see the subtle peek of the sun. And just barely at that. Having never experienced something as simple as a thunderstorm, Lucy was in awe. That was until the wind speed picked up, barreling towards her and her alien companion at unimaginable speeds.
Her face felt like it was on fire. Like if she even attempted to unclench her tightly clenched jaw, it would be ripped right out of her face. She desperately struggled to cover her face, too scared to move any other part of her body in fear of some deadly injury. The girl let out a scream as little pieces of rocks and sticks flew around her, scratching as much of her exposed skin as it could. She could faintly hear Natsu scream out her name causing her to squint open one of her eyes.
Panic took over her mind as she saw just why Natsu sounded so afraid. There, hurling towards her at inhuman speeds was a tree. And no, not a small one that could rival a branch. This tree was huge in both width and height… and it was coming right at her…
And there was nothing she could do.
Nothing but watch and wait for her inevitable doom. Nothing but let small salty droplets of water pour from her eyes and mix around with the dirt and rock currently trying to kill her. She could do nothing but close her eyes as the tree blocked her vision of what could have been a beautiful sunrise. Not that she’d ever know. Because this was where she died.
How ironic. Facing two near death experiences two mornings in a row. She chuckled bitterly, the sound hidden beneath all of the raging wind before… it all stopped.
All of the noise, all of the pain and all of her worries. All of it just.. Stopped. And for a moment Lucy actually believed she was dead. That she may have been knocked out on impact and her soul instantly transported to wherever it went when she died. But that wasn’t the case. Because if it was… why the hell was it so cold?
As she peeked open one of her eyes, she finally understood just why everything had suddenly been frozen to the spot. And not just metaphorically. No… everything was literally frozen in ice. Including the man that had come so close to ending her life.
Lucy let out a sound somewhere between a relieved sigh and a sob. Without warning her shaking legs collapsed beneath her, dirt painfully rubbing against her cuts. She shuttered, inhaling and exhaling loudly as Natsu cautiously made his way towards her.
“Thank goodness...” She trembled, hearing him release a shaky breath. While she struggled to keep her breathing in check, Natsu kneeled in front of her, ripping the sleeve off of his left arm and tying it around the blond’s injured shoulder. She flinched and stiffened but allowed Natsu to continue.
As she finally calmed down Natsu helped her stand up, turning around with a wide grin on his face.
