Forever by his side (nalu)

Meeting

Natsu POV

I'm walking around in the woods with no precise destination in mind, alone with only a small bag that contains all of my belongings. It has been that way since Acnologia, my foster father, left me behind a few weeks ago. It doesn't really bother me. I'm not looking for him or anything. I know why he left. He probably got bored of just lying around and teaching me dragon-slaying magic. He most likely went to do whatever he does on his own. I just woke up one morning, and he wasn't there anymore. Despite his sudden disappearance, I'm not worried for him. Nobody can kill the dragon of the Apocalypse. I don't really feel abandoned either. I knew this day was coming. I had started to see the signs a few days before Acnologia left.

Even if I'm still quite young, I can survive on my own. Acnologia made sure of it. I could almost fight on par with him, so no human or beast would be a threat to me. I also know how to hunt and what could and could not be eaten in the wild. Advantages of growing up in the forest. That plus the ability to walk almost without a sound. When you have superior hearing, you learn to be silent on your feet fast because the noise of your own steps could become irritating.

So here I am, wandering around aimlessly, deep inside a dark forest where no one ever came, looking for a place to set up camp for the night. I find it quite calming so far away from other people. Probably because I don't want nothing to do with humans. They are too loud, too weak, too fragile, and they have turned on me one time too many. I could never trust people. Every one I met tried to kill me. I went to a small village after Acnologia left me alone, did my best to be friendly, but a soon as they learned who my father was, they started attacking me and did everything they could to drive me away. The village even contracted a guild to hunt me down. There is no need to say I killed them all—both the villagers and the mages who were after my life. After that, I didn't bother to try another village. I won't give humans another chance to hurt me. They are, as Acnologia said, beneath our acknowledgement. Sometimes fun to mess with, but not really worth paying attention to. The only thing I can say I do like about them was the food. Damn, do they make awesome food.

Lost in thoughts, daydreaming about everything I wanted to eat, I only see I'm no longer alone when I almost trip on something. Looking down, I see a young human girl lying on the forest ground. And when I say young, I mean YOUNG. I'm terrible at estimating human's age, but she must be around ten or eleven at most. She's petite and has shoulder-length blond hair hiding her face and wears a plain dress, sewn back together so many times, I don't think I could be considered clothing anymore. Both are incredibly dirty. Since her skin is also muddy, I canot really say exactly what colour it is, but it's pale. I can see the sole of her feet. They are a bloody mess from deep scratches, dirt mixing with the blood. That's going to get infected, I think. I shrugged. Not like it concerns me. I'm about to leave, be on my way when a thought occurres to me. Why is a little girl so far inside the forest and one where no one comes, too? THAT was weird. I look at the girl for a long time. Mind you, I still don't care for her, but I am curious. I crouch down, my hand reaching for her hair to see her face when she stirs. Oh! She's waking up. I wait, staring at her.

Her hand close to her head moves first, clenching the earth. That's when I realize she's clinging to a leather pouch. What could it be? It must be super important for her not to have let it go even while unconscious. She makes a cute little noise and starts to raise her head. Wait. Cute? Did I really think that? I shake my head. Let's pretend it never happened. She looks around before staring right at me. Her face is just as dirty as the rest of her, and half of it is hidden by her hair, but she's quite cute and has a beautiful brown eye that I could see. I frown. There's something weird with her. Her gaze. It's just... empty. Like she doesn't see anything around her. "Hey, are you okay?" I ask her. She only stares at me. Looking at her, I think for the first time that someone might be worse off than me. My dislike of humans seems petty compared to the world of suffering and loneliness I can see in the depth of her eye. "What's your name?" I try again.

"Lucy." This time, she answers me. She has a lovely voice. I like it. Before I can ask her another question, she does. "Are you going to kill me?"

I back off, surprised. Do I look that menacing? Or did everyone who came in contact with her tried to kill her? "Why would I kill you?"

She looks away, bringing a hand to her hidden eye. "No reason."

I know she's lying. I don't like it. I don't like liars. I think my anger showed on my face because when she looks at me again, she cowers.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me," she pleads, cowering and hiding her head under her arms.

I did not expect such a strong reaction. For some reason, I do not enjoy her fear. It feels like I am bullying her, and I hate bullies. I school my expression. "Just... don't lie to me. I hate liars."

She nods her head. I stand up abruptly, and she jumps. "Come. There's a stream nearby. We better clean you up, or you will die from an infection." I decide I would keep her for now. After all, she seems interesting. I will learn more about her then leave her behind when I get bored. She just stares at my extended hand. It's as if nobody has ever been kind to her, and she does not know how to react. That thought makes me feel all weird inside. Even I had been cared for by someone. With Acnologia, it never was a loving relationship, never was the typical father-son relationship, but he fed me, clothed me, made sure I was always warm, made sure I knew how to fight and how to survive. He cared for me as much as someone like him could. I have a feeling nobody ever did that for her.

***

Lucy's POV

I'm staring at the strange pink-haired boy in front of me. Even his soul was weird. All black sharp edges and a bright blue flaming core that looked cold but was as hot as any fire, if not hotter. Why would he care if I die from an infection? We just met each other. What will it change for him if I die? Anyway, I'm more likely to die from hunger long before the infection kills me. A thought occurred to me. Was that kindness? Is that what kindness feels like? It's warm. But I do not know that feeling. I don't trust it. It depends too much on this boy's whims. I realize I'm still staring at his hand. It would be dumb to refuse his help. I might not have anything to live for, but I won't give those bastards the satisfaction of my death.

I grab his hand with my left one, still holding on to my keys in the other. He helps me stand up easily, but I immediately crumble back on my knees because of the pain radiating from my feet. I look down and see how scratched up they are. As soon as I realize I'm hurt, I start to really feel the pain. Before I collapsed, the adrenaline must have kept me going. I look back up at the strange boy. "I don't think I can walk." I'm sure he is going to get mad. Or just leave me there. Everybody gets mad or goes away with a look of disgust when I'm useless like this. That's why I'm shocked when he just crouch down, his back to me. Wha-What am I supposed to do? As if hearing my thoughts, the boy says, "You climbing on or not?"

Am I... supposed to climb on his back? Is this what they call a piggyback ride? More importantly. Will he be okay lifting my weight? Won't I be too heavy? Slowly, unsure if I'm doing what he wants, I put my arms around his neck and shift my weight onto his back. He stands up and catches my legs, circling them around his waist. "Am I too heavy?" I ask shyly. It was the first time someone picked me up like that. I think I... like it? And the boy, he is really warm. A warmth like I've never felt before.

"You weigh nothing," he answers, walking in what was for me a random direction. After a few silent minutes, I start hearing running water. There really was a stream nearby.

"You must know your way around here well," I compliment him.

"Not really," he shrugs. "It's my first time in this part of the forest."

"Then how did you know there was a river this way?" I inquire confusedly.

"I could hear it."

His answer amazes me. " You have exceptional hearing."

"I know," was all I got as an answer.

Weird boy, I thought again.

***

Thank you for reading. It's my first fanfiction ever. Also, it's my first time writing in first person pov. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Do say something if I write something wrong; English is not my first language. Seriously, say so. For me, nothing is worse than a story full of grammar and syntax errors. It gets me out of a story. It sucks. I hope you enjoyed it and that you will continue to do so. On my side, I will do my best to publish regularly.