THE BET | NALU

Chapter 20

Thank you madalina112 for voting on my latest chapters.

Now on to the story...

I'm going home.."

"I'm going home.."

"I'm going home.."

It's been a week since she left. A week since Natsu felt whole again. A week since he left his room.

This is all his fault. He's the reason that her dream died.

That she had to leave school and go back to her dad.

"Damn it..I'm such an idiot." He yelled to himself, punching another hole in the wall. His room was a mess -well more than a mess than normal- his clothes were scattered about, his study desk flipped over, books were ripped and torn apart, his clothes were covered in mud somehow, plus the multiple holes in the walls. His phone was also shattered on the wall, with a little dent in the wall above it.

People have been texting Natsu non stop, some people wondering how he's been (Elfman,Mira, Lisanna..etc.) while others texted to congratulate him on winning the bet, that apparently Cobra had posted online. Some people even texted him 'thanks' for giving up those pictures Lucy.

Natsu never meant to hurt her. But he had.

He knew he had.

He knew he would if he did this.

He knew it deep down.

And now, he hurt.

He didn't know how Lucy could do to this to him. He didn't know what she did. But she did something. She makes him happy when he's around her. She makes him feel a kind of joy that he hasn't felt in a long while. Without her by his side now, it hurt him a lot. Could he really live without her now? He had her, and then lost her to his own stupid mistake.

Where's sitting around and moping going to get me?

Those words repeated themselves in Natsu's head. Lucy must be going through hell right now, and here Natsu is, just moping around. Grieving, even though she's the one who had to leave school because of his mistake. Grieving for the loss of his friend, because he's already given up.

Lucy's gone. He accepted that fact a while ago, and that's what bugged him the most. The fact that he would just accept it.

What happened to the brave and daring Natsu that used to accept and dare? Any bet?

He left when Lucy left.

Which is dumb isn't it? If anything he should've gotten stronger, so he could protect her.

So he could be her kni- her dragon. He wants to be her ferocious dragon, someone that can protect her. But he lost it. He became a hermit when he lost her.

Why am I so pathetic?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get himself to do anything. Because what could he do? He doesn't know where she lives, her father hasn't done anything legally wrong so he can't call the cops.

He's just a coward living in his dorm.

Smashing his fist into his wall again, Natsu got up from his bed. Pissed at himself now.

"I'm going to f***ing do something about it, because I'm not a coward and I will fight for what I love." He spoke to no one in particular, no one but himself really. He needed these words. He need them to keep on fighting.

He's not a coward.

He never was, and he never will be.

He's Natsu Dragneel.

000

"You! With the weird hair!" Natsu called out to a man with orange spikey hair in the mall. The man was wearing a suit and glasses, he looked very formal, while Natsu..well Natsu only got changed. He didn't take a shower, brush his teeth, or even try to look decent, so you can imagine the man's face when he saw Natsu.

"What do YOU want?" He asked, obviously ticked off, but Natsu had a strange feeling that it isn't because of how clean he looked.

"You're one of Lucy's friends right?" Natsu asked, recognizing the guy from when they went to the hypnotist show. The man glared at Natsu for a few seconds before darting his eyes someplace else in the mall.

"Technically, I'm a servant, but yes we are friends." The man corrected, his voice was stern and unpleasant, as if he was trying to decide whether or not he would beat Natsu up. Natsu was happy that he seemed to be leaning more to the 'no' side. Even though Natsu could probably beat this weirdo, he wouldn't fight him. Because Natsu knew that he deserved this.

"Do you know where she lives?"

"Yes, but why in the world would I tell you?" He snapped, glaring at Natsu once again, and it started to seem like he's now leaning on the side of beating him up "You're the one who ruined everything for her, what do you want with her now? To sleep with her again?"

"I didn't sleep with her the first time.." Natsu said quietly under his breath, knowing that it didn't make it any better, but he wanted someone to know the truth.

"Right." He rolled his eyes, obviously not believing Natsu.

"It's true!" Natsu argued then softened his voice a little, looking down at his feet "I still did something terrible to her..I won't excuse myself from that..but I didn't sleep with her. That's the truth."

The orange haired man looked at him for a second, his eyes were still stern and mad, which Natsu couldn't blame him for, but they seemed to believe him and that's all Natsu wanted.

"What DO you want?"

"I want to talk to Lucy's dad." Natsu admitted. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect from this guy, but it definitely was not laughter.

"R-Really?" He asked in between his laughs, clutching his stomach "That's priceless, tell me another joke."

"I'm serious." Natsu said, with a bit of confusion and anger. The man's laughing stopped completely and he looked at Natsu with stern eyes again. "You really want to hurt her that badly?" He asked, no anger in his voice, but that only made Natsu even more confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind." The man sighed and pushed his glasses up further his nose, "Just be careful, last time didn't go so well."

"Last time?"

"I wish you luck." He muttered and turned his back to Natsu, walking away faster than Natsu thought he could do. Considering he looked more like the princely type than the athletic type..

But Natsu just stood there dumbfounded.

What did he mean by 'last time'?

He's probably just nuts..nothing's going to stop me from helping Lucy now.