05. The First Memory

36 3 0
                                    

Natsu sent Nashi off to his room to pack, and Natsu began to pack for himself. It was going to be a long adventure, so there was a lot to pack. Natsu started by pulling out a few changes of clothes. He pulled out a few old vests, and his old one-sleeved jacket. A few pairs of pants made their way into his pack as well. As Natsu was going through the closet, he paused. There was a flash of white from way in the back. But not from Natsu's side. It was from Lucy's side of the closet. Carefully, Natsu pushed the hanging clothes out of the way.

Hanging in a plastic cover, was Lucy's dress. It took up lots of space still - despite it not being worn. The white ruffles almost fell out of its casing. The bodice was still loosened, as if Lucy was going to put it on any minute. Careful not to get it dirty, Natsu pulled it out of its case and laid it on the bed. The silk was still as shiny as it was the day she wore it. Not a single thread had moved from its place. Natsu felt the twang in his heart as he remembered how she looked on that day.

Natsu gently shook his head. As he did, he noticed something. He noticed Nashi. Nashi was standing at the door, not making a noise.

"What's up, Nashi?" Natsu asked.

"Dad, what's that?" He pointed to the dress.

Natsu smiled sadly, and motioned for Nashi to come in. He wavered a bit, but Nashi came into the room. Once he was closer, his hand reached out to touch the dress. It was soft. The lace was textured, and the ruffles were poofy.

"This," Natsu explained. "Was your mom's wedding dress."

Nashi's eyes went wide as he looked at the dress again. His hand gripped at the ruffles - suddenly not wanting to let go. "This was mom's?"

Natsu nodded. Suddenly, he turned around. There was a small chest of drawers beside the bed. Natsu reached for the bottom most drawer and pulled it out. Nashi watched as Natsu leafed through random articles of clothing. Some were simple, like socks and underwear. But Nashi noticed that some were small pairs of shorts and some skirts. Slowly, Natsu pulled out a photo frame.

"This was your mom and my's wedding day." Natsu felt his throat close up.

Quickly, Natsu passed the photo to his son. Nashi took it gingerly and traced every detail with his finger. His dad was there - looking so much younger and clean-shaven. He wore a black vest and tie. His smile was so wide - he couldn't keep it off his face. And then there was his mom. There was Lucy. She looked happy. Her eyes were bright, and although her smile was small, she looked so pretty. Her dress made her look like a princess. She even had a large bouquet.

Natsu sighed. "She didn't get to plan a lot of the wedding, but it was the best wedding I could have had. Simply because Lucy was there to marry me."

"Mom... was she happy?"

"She was. Lucy was always happy. Until I did something stupid."

Natsu tried a chuckle. Nashi didn't pay attention; he was so focused on the photo. Natsu watched as Nashi traced his finger over the photo again. Gently, Natsu went to take the photo from Nashi's hand. He felt a small tug as Nashi held it for a moment longer.

"I'll put this up in the living room." Natsu promised. "But we gotta continue packing."

Nashi nodded. "Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot... and dad?" Nashi turned back as he headed for the door. "How long is this adventure going to be?"

Natsu grinned. "No one knows how long an adventurer's going to be."

Nashi left, and Natsu turned back to the dress. He hung it up, placing in front of all of Lucy's old clothes. Natsu went and packed a few more of his clothes, all while looking at the dress. He missed looking at Lucy's beauty.

Once Natsu had all of his things packed, he carefully looked at the door. Nashi was nowhere in sight. But just in case, Natsu closed the door. Once the door was safely closed, Natsu headed towards the bed. Crawling on the floor, He reached under and pulled something out. The long, metal objects were still strange to him, but the material was more familiar. Once he got it out, he hid it away in his pack.

Natsu opened his door and headed for the living room. He briefly turned back to grab the photo frame. Nashi was already in the living room; staring at the photo on the wall. Natsu came up quietly and placed the new picture on a nearby table.

"Dad," Nashi asked. "Why did you love mom?"

"I love your mom because she is Lucy." Natsu turned away. "C'mon. It's gotten dark outside. We should get some rest before we leave in the morning."

Nashi watched his father walk away. The cloak hid his shoulders, and his hair hid his face. But Nashi could still see the weight on his father's shoulders. The weight that was there for ten years. Sighing, Nashi headed to his bedroom and closed the door. He didn't want his dad to see him curled up in his childhood quilt.

Natsu carefully took off his cloak and dropped it on the floor. His vest followed soon after. Pausing, he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. His hair had grown shaggy, and he had an itchy amount of stubble. His skin had paled slightly from lack of sunlight - but his natural tan was still there. The scars were even more noticeable. They stretched even more too. Natsu ran his hand over the stretched skin, suddenly reminded of Lucy's own stretch marks.

Natsu sat there for a while just looking at himself in the mirror. The mirror itself was tarnished, and hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Natsu guessed just over ten years. But Natsu did nothing to clean it.

Lucy. Lucy would always spend time in front of the mirror. And Natsu would watch. She'd start by brushing her hair. And when she was almost done, Natsu would play with her hair. It was always so smooth, but it would get knotted again when he touched it. Lucy would chide him, but Natsu would be glad. It would mean he could watch her brush her hair for longer. And when she finished, she would put her hair up in a bun. And Natsu could see how thin her shoulders were. Lucy was fragile. And he broke her.

Trail of a FairyWhere stories live. Discover now