In Pursuit of Perfection | Nalu | Collab with ofthefeels

| Chapter 8 |

My Wish, by Rascal Flatts

| Previously in Chapter 7 |

"Promise me something," he said, suddenly. She nodded. "Promise that you'll be the same, that you'll never forget what I've taught you in ballet. Power, technique, grace—never forget that."

"I promise," she said, firmly. Duty and honor settled in her chest. Everything was at stake now, with father unable to dance, but it would be alright. She was going make things better. She was going to uphold their family name. She was going to try even harder and be the best ballerina there ever was. After all, it was all up to her now.

| Chapter 8 |

Lucy went to rehearsals next day, pacing back and forth in front of the studio.

"Good morning, Lucy!" Igneel exclaimed, spotting Lucy. She stopped and could only muster a small smile. His smile morphed into a frown. "Where is your dance bag?"

"Yeah, about that...can we talk privately?" Lucy asked, rubbing her hands together. The director nodded, and led the way to his office.

"Sit," he said, pointing to the chair. It was like the first day again, when they had been ushered into his office. That wonderful day. The pounding of her heart, the glee in her chest, and the excitement in her veins still lingered there in the room and in her mind. Except this time, it was bad news instead of good news.

She squirmed in her chair, her eyes darting right and left, up and down—anywhere but Igneel. Wiping her hands on her pants, she took in a deep breath. "I want...I need a day off. A few days, if that's not a problem." Igneel raised a questioning eyebrow, and she went on. "Father has spine cancer," Lucy said, her eyes focused on the beige tiles lining the floor. Her lips quivered as the words spine cancer left her mouth. "I need to take a few days off to keep him company."

"I see. I'm terribly sorry for your father. Mr. Heartfilia is one of the greatest male dancers in ballet history, it would be a shame for him to leave this way." He paused. "However, we still do have to put on a show, so I will give you a day off. If you absolutely must, I may be able to extend it to two days. But when you have time, continue to practice your routine, alright?" Lucy nodded, blinking away the tears forming in her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Igneel. And please don't tell anyone about this," she said, softly. She walked out and Igneel patted her on the back in a comforting way, wishing her luck.

Around the corner, Natsu glanced at Lucy walking out of the front doors. "Hey, what happened to Lucy?"

"She has quite a situation on her hands. She's taking a week off," Igneel said, avoiding his gaze. "It's none of your concern, Natsu."

"Why not? I deserve to know what is going on with my 'partner', right?" Natsu said, running after him. The director just shook his head, and walked into his office. Before he could close the door, Natsu hopped inside the room. "Dad, tell me, I deserve to know! What happened?"

Sighing, Igneel replied, "I will tell you later. Now go back to the studio and practice with the music."

***

"Hey dad, I'm going home to study now. I have a huge calculus test tomorrow." Natsu said, popping his head in the doorway of Igneel's office. "By the way, you never told me what happened."