Fight for Glory↠NaLu

Chapter 16: The past remains in the past

"So, why the hell are we at a swimming pool?" A random boxer asked, trying his best to smile, not exactly hiding back the cringe.

Gildarts laughed, ruffling the young mans' hair. "Since I know you boys get up early, I closed the gym today and put a sign on it to come here instead."

"Yeah, we got that, that's why we're here."

The gym owner spun around, eyeing the cocky bastard who muttered under his breath. "Gimme one hundred damn pushups."

The guy didn't bother putting up a fight; dropped to his arms and swore to himself to forget keeping his mouth shut.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders, wishing they'd fasten the pace.

"Look, we already know you're fired up, don't be in such a rush." A sloppy feminine voice perked from the side.

The boxer glanced to the dirty, small bleachers to see none other than the owner's daughter, voluptuous brown bed hair bouncing with curls over her bare shoulders, her sleeveless shirt managing to cover the one thing it has to do. Her burgundy eyes were sharper, but fogged from another usual hungover. "Says the one drunk at six in the fuckin' morning." Natsu shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Don't bash on my lil' girl, Natsu. That's an extra ten laps you'll be swimming," Gildarts clapped back, his eyebrows narrowing towards the pinkette.

Natsu showed a smug grin, "You say that 'cause you know I can handle it."

"Don't make me call up Erza to kick your ass."

"Cana, are you just saying that 'cause you can't? Probably too sore from Bacchus hitting it from beh-"

"Okay, everybody shut the fuck up right now and give me five laps as a warmup!" Gildarts yelled, cutting off the boxer's intended insult and coldly glared.

Natsu laughed as he was first to dive into the pool, purposefully splashing up water in his trainer's direction, already anticipating another scolding when he'd come back up to the surface.

"You owe me more training at the gym today!"

"I'll go later, don't worry ol' fart."

"Shut the fuck up, kid!"

__________ ∙∘✧❀✧∘∙__________

The next few days went by smoothly for the most part, except for two things according to Lucy.

First, the hickey on her neck was still visible, so she still had to use a full coverage concealer. And secondly, she was still under the waters for rent,or more to be in fact, again. She was still searching for a well-paying job by the hour, and she was becoming desperate. She'd only been here for about a month now, and already she was sinking.

Not like her father would send her any assistance to his runaway daughter, yet to be found. Maybe he wasn't looking for a trace, too disappointed and embarrassed to have a misbehaved, adventurous child who wanted to stand for her own ground, it'd ruin his reputation as a powerful man not containing his own daughter.

Lucy uncomfortably shifted in her stance, her fingers touching the side of her well-concealed spot on her neck. She hadn't heard a word from Loke since their last meeting, and she couldn't tell whether to be in peace or be worried if she was still under his radar.

"Hey, you seem kinda spaced-out, you okay?"

She smiled at the familiar voice snapping her from her worried thoughts. "Ua luhi wau, but nothing to worry about."

"How can I not worry if I don't know what you just said?"

A small smile flashed for a second on her lips as she replied, "It means I'm tired, that's all."