THE BET | NALU

Chapter 13

"Oh, now you're going to get hurt."The man said smugly and whipped his other hand backwards, a sound was made when the back of his hand made contact with the girl's cheek. She stumble backwards a bit, losing balance.

"Oi! You bastard!" The boy yelled, his eyes filled with anger, as he approached the man. The man didn't even look his way, which made the boy even madder. "I'm talking to you!" he yelled again, pointing his finger at the man, but he ended up facing the ground instead.

"What the.."

"You little brats are a real pain in my ass you know that?" One of the girls said, the one with a scar on her cheek. "Now..I wonder if you're as strong as you are cocky." She smirked and raised her foot slightly. The boy coughed up a little blood from the impact of her foot into his stomach. A slight scream was heard from the girl.

"Shut up you bitch!" the man yelled, grabbing the girl's wrist, and snapping it. She let out a scream of pain this time.

"Leave her alone!" the boy yelled, attempting to run over to the girl, but was stopped. A hand made contact with his back while he was running, and he ended up face first onto the pavement.

"Apparently you're not." The girl laughed and kicked him again, but stopped when she saw a small figure walking into the alley.

"Now now, what do we have here?"

000

"I don't understand this!" Natsu complained as he stared at the paper in front of him. It was all just a bunch of placed his hands in his head while his elbows supported his weight on his red desk. Before his red desk used to be cluttered with stuff, but now that stuff is on the floor scattered about because he finally decided that he should study. He didn't realize how much studying would hurt his head though.

"Yes, you've said that a dozen times, that's why I'm here to help you." Lucy exclaimed peering over his shoulder. She kicked some random clothes out of the way to get closer so she could see his work better.

"Who the hell knows what H20 is? Why do I need this?" Natsu complained again, and he could hear Lucy sigh.

"Come on Natsu, you should know this. You learn this in what, grade 7?"

"I didn't go to middle school!"

"Then how the hell are you in college?"

"I have no idea!"

Lucy sighed again and leaned her head on the desk out of defeat, just like Natsu. "What do you wanna be when you graduate?" she asked out of the blue, kneeling on the ground, and turned her face so she could see him.

"A mythologist, someone that studies mythology." Natsu answered, expecting Lucy to make a face or some weird comment. Natsu was used to it. Most people thought that was just a dumb job for lazy people, people who just can't accept reality. Sure Natsu put on a brave face when someone would say something like, but he knew deep down that it hurt him just a little bit. So far only one person has been supportive, and that would be his foster father, or the person that he's been living with for the past years. But he never let it bring him down. Because this is something that he is passionate about. Which is why he's finally decided that he should study the subjects he's not the best in. Which happen to be science.

He couldn't even figure out why he needed science for what he wants to be, but he just accepted it.

"Why's that?" she asked, her face calm and not judgmental at all, it surprised Natsu a little bit, a good surprise though.

"Because the stories of mythological creatures like dragons, the Minotaur, etc., have always peaked my interest. And we humans can't be the only dominate species on the earth, we have to have predators." Natsu explained in the most simple way he could. Not for Lucy's sake, for his sake really. He always had trouble describing things in words. But he supposed he surprised himself this way, he's never actually told people why. They never asked why. That wasn't the only reason

"That's cool." Lucy exclaimed and gave him a small smile, which made him smile back. "What about you?" he asked "What do you wanna be?"

"An author." she said without missing a beat, her eyes glittered at the word, but soon fell back to sadness "But I know I can't be one.."

"Why not?" Natsu asked as he rose an eyebrow.

"Because my father doesn't believe women should actually have jobs, I'm lucky he let me come to college, even if it is a waste of money." Lucy sighed, she didn't look away completely, but it was obvious that she wanted to.

"Why do you wanna be an author?" He asked, knowing to change the subject now. He knew how hard it was too talk about subjects like that, especially when comforting words would only mean that it's true.

"Because then I create my own reality where the world has their difficulties," Lucy started and smiled to herself "But everything works out in the end, unlike our society today."

Natsu nodded, staying quiet. Not because he didn't know what to say, but because the silence sounded like a better option. No..it felt like the better option.

"How about we work on your science a bit more."

"Fine, if I have too."

000

"So she was hanging out with Natsu again huh?" A certain blonde haired man questioned to the figure in front of him "And some more people?"

"Yes Master." The voice said, and the figure nodded. The blonde haired man placed his finger on his chin and started tapping, like the people in some movies do.

"Yet she refuses to tell me about her friends? Even when I ask her?" He said suspiciously "It's strange that she believes that she can hide this from me, what do you think?" He asked looking over at the figure. Of course the blonde haired man knew about Erza, Gray, Levy, etc. but if he ever brought up the topic of friends with Lucy, she would change the subject, or say that she had none. It was quite...peculiar.

"I think she just hopes that she could hide them from you." The figure stated, not moving. Heck if he never talked, the man might not even be able to see him. It always kind of scared him how the man could just blend into the shadows as if he belonged with them.

"But why would she hope that, am I really that bad?" The man said sarcastically then chuckled to himself. He knows he's bad, he won't deny it if someone asks. It just makes the world seem more interesting if you're the bad guy.

Besides, just because the villains always lose in comics, doesn't mean they lose in real life. If anything, they always win. Because reality is a cruel mistress.

"Do you love Ms. Heartfilia?" The figure asked, ignoring the man's other question. The man chuckled even harder.

"Of course not!"

"Then why do you insist on all of this?" He questioned and shifted a little bit, the darkness shifting with him.

"Because I love power, and if I marry that stupid girl, then I get all the power in the world." The man replied with an evil glint in his eyes "Of course I can always have some fun with her can't I~?" The man watched as the figure stepped into the light "And no one will stop me...right Rogue?"

"Yes Master Sting."