EIGHT:
The Inquiry
________

--
DECEMBER 12TH;
Evening

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"I fell in love with a human girl, once."

He simpers, burying his hands in his pockets.

He looks up at the glass ceiling and groans.

"They killed her, once they knew what I was."

He continues, tears slipping from his eyes.

"Who's they?"

I ask, tilting my head..

"Those goddamn nobles."

He finishes, throwing and smashing a plate to the wall.

"They killed her, for loving me. Because I'm a monster."

He explains, sniveling.

I jerk back in my seat and gulp, standing up wobbily.

"N-N-"

I begin.

"JUST GO AWAY!!!"

He roars at me, his eyes glinting a fiery red.

---

Natsu hasn't spoken to me since the first of the month.

He doesn't even sleep in the same room as me anymore.

I know it shouldn't worry me this much, so why does it?

It makes my heart wrench when I see him sleeping on the couch in the living room.

If I'd known that such a question would've made him so upset, I never would've asked it.

But even though I'm sorry, I can't help but to wonder.

Who did he fall in love with?

----

I sigh heavily and bury my head in my frigid arms, studying the perplexing answer to this question.

I hear the living room door creak open and I glance up, not knowing...really, what I was expecting.

It was Natsu.

Not my Natsu,

Friendly, sweet, and playful Natsu.

But the cold, scary, and distant Natsu.

--

His eyes widen when he looks over at me, turning on his heel to leave.

I suck in a deep breath and grasp onto his forearm, my knuckles turning ivory.

"Gomenasai."

I squeeze my eyes shut, and fling my arms around him.

He raises his hands slowly, wrapping his arms around me.

"......"

He steadied his breathing, his arms lazily hanging from my waist.

"I-I..."

He started, sounding troubled.

"Gomenasai! I'm sorry for asking about your p-personal life. A-and..I completely understand..i-if..you, h-hate me now!"

I shouted, my eyes, watery with salty tears.

"I-...I don't hate you. I...can't hate you."

He places his hand on the back of my head, trying to comfort me.

"Gomenasai, Gomenasai.."

I reiterate, tears streaming down my reddened cheeks.

"If anyone's sorry, it should be me."

He responded, pressing me against his chest and resting his head on top of mine.

"N-No..."

I sniffled, feeling him wipe my tears away.

"Get some rest, I'll come back later."

He orders, patting my head lovingly.

Before he turned to leave the room, I swiftly grasped onto his wrist, stopping him.

"Please, stay. It gets cold when you leave."

I whisper, my cheeks flushing a light carnation.

"....Alright."

He replied, lifting me up and carrying me into his bedroom.

He plopped down on the bed, tucking me under the covers and getting under himself.

I leaned in closer to him, the same idiotic grin present on my face.

"Goodnight Luce."

Natsu hummed, lightly pecking my forehead.

My face heated up quicker and I squeezed my eyes shut, stifling a giggle.

"Goodnight, Natsu."

I whispered in a low tone, letting him sling his arm around my hip.

---

921 A.D.
---

"Natsu-nii!"

The young girl cries as she runs over to her best friend, flinging her arms around his knees.

"What's the matter?"

He asks, his grin faltering.

"F-Father said..t-that I can't come here anymore!"

She whimpers, her tears staining his trousers.

"Why's that?"

He frowns, resting his hand atop of her head.

"B-Because he said that you're a monster!"

She shake as her head in disbelief, making the male only simper.

"But I am."

He shrugs, pleading himself not to weep over something so simple.

"Not to me, you aren't!"

She cries, wiping her watery eyes.

"He's right, *******."

He posts her head softly, shooing her out of the forest.

"No, on with you. Before I start crying."

He smiles weakly, tears brimming in his eyelids.

"Natsu-nii?"

Her mouth opens in confusion, whilst he just drops to the ground.

"Please...just go."

He whispers, burying his head in his hands.

With one last look of trepidation, the depressed girl capers away, tears still slipping from her eyes.

"I never even got to say it."

He picks a box out of his pocket, chuckling bitterly.

"To say 'I love you'."

He wipes his eyes and stands up, and with one last beat of his wings, vanishing from the town of Magnolia.