The Huntress

■Chapter Twelve-The Truth■

Natsu burst through his back door, the cold air seeping into the room. He quickly shut the door with the back of his foot and ran into the kitchen, knowing it was around the time his parents would be drinking their afternoon tea. Just as he thought, there they were, having a casual conversation about their day, their tea cups resting on their little plates. They turned their attention to Natsu when stepped into the kitchen. 

"Oh, good afternoon son, how was your day?" his mother asked, giving him a kind smile. 

Natsu resisted the urge to tell them everything right then and there. That his day was not the best, that he got his first kiss with his crush and that she was giving him a chance at her heart. That she was finally opening up about herself and her past, just the slightest bit. That he met one of her past enemies and her touching him really upset Lucy. That someone exploded the courtyard trying to kill him and that the dude was back again to finish the deed. Everything. 

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "We need to get into the paladian room."

His parents' eyes widened and he glared at them. "Yeah, I know about that."he spat. 

"Never mind that son, follow us." his father said urgently, swiftly pushing his chair back and gliding over to the corner. His mother gave a him a look that said she wanted to talk about this but he just looked away, not having the heart to listen to her. Getting to safety was more important at the moment. 

They followed after his father, matching glum frowns on their faces. Igneel typed in the password and swung the door open, Grandine and Natsu running in right after him. Grandine shut the door and locked it. When she turned around she wore a look of worry and guilt. Igneel gave her a look, then shifted his eyes to Natsu then back to her. She nodded and sat down beside her husband, them both looking over at Natsu who sat a good distance away from them, thinking about Lucy.

"Son," Igneel sighed. "there's something that we've been meaning to tell you..."

Natsu turned to them and cut his eyes at them. "As if that wasn't obvious enough."

His mother frowned, her eyes down casting to the floor. She intertwined her fingers and twiddled her thumbs, not knowing how to come out and say it. Should she be blunt and just get it over with? Or, subtle and vague so she says it but he still doesn't know. No...that was unfair and such a cowardly thing to do. Not telling him period was cowardly. It was time she and Igneel mended their mistakes. 

"Natsu hun, Lucy and Romeo aren't human and.......neither are we, including you." she said slowly. 

Natsu stared at her, not fully processing her words. Did she just say that Luce, Romeo, and I aren't human? There's no way.....I don't remember there being anything inhuman about me..I've always been a normal kid..... Nothing sketchy or uh, unusual at all...it's not true....it's not real....this can't be....

"Luce..." he whispered, hurt that she never told him. He thought that they established trust in each other, he thought they were friends. Friends don't keep things from each other, and they don't lie about who they really are. Why didn't she just stop and think about what he'd do and more importantly how he'd feel when he found out? Would it hurt her to just entrust him with her identity? 

"Son, you come from a planet called Paladon. Igneel and I were the rulers and we were beloved by everyone. We did what we thought was best for our kingdom and just like politics, not everyone agreed with how we chose to handle things. When you were born, the whole planet rejoiced. We held a party and people from all over the kingdom came to give you presents. It was at the party that we met the Heartfilias-"

"Wait! Like the super hero that was like really insane and killed people with a bat and repeatedly stabbed her victims with her arrows? The one that like, lost her fiance to a dude that hated her rich family and somehow unlocked her alien powers and started fighting crime?" Natsu asked, recalling a movie he saw.