Back to the Start(nalu)

4- Unwanted Visitors

All three of them walk into the room and stop to look at me. I ignore the other two and direct my attention at Loke.

"What are you doing here, Loke?"

He's not a face I've seen yet since I got back and he's not someone I ever see unless Lucy is around. Seeing him now makes something tug at my chest.

"I'm here to pay my respects. Also, I wanted to speak with you."

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion and I open my mouth to say something but Gray cuts me off.

"The funeral starts soon, Natsu. Why aren't you dressed?"

I divert my eyes away from him hard stare.

"I'm not going."

"What?"

I can hear the anger in Gray's voice at my answer and I don't say anything else. He takes a step forward.

"Natsu, we postponed her funeral for you! You didn't show up two days ago so I got everyone to agree to change the date because it seemed wrong for you not to be there!"

My eyes stay trained on the ground.

"Look at me!"

Gray grabs the front of my shirt and slams by back into the wall.

"I get that you're hurting, Natsu...we all are, but that is no reason to act so selfishly! Lucy wouldn't have missed your funeral no matter what! I'll drag you there if I have to!"

"That's enough, Gray."

Erza's voice comes out stern and Gray loosens his grip. He lets go of my shirt and brushes his fingers through his hair in frustration. He casts me one long side glance and then he turns away and walks out of the door to wait in the hallway.

Erza waits until he's left the room to focus her gaze at me.

"Gray's being too hard on you, Natsu...but he's right."

I divert my eyes away from her and she rests a hand on my shoulder.

"You need to go to her funeral, Natsu."

My hands clench at my sides.

"I'm not going."

She keeps her gaze on me but I can tell she's getting angry.

"Why?"

I keep my gaze away from hers, afraid to see her expression.

"Because I don't want to. I'm sorry."

Her grip tightens on my shoulder and her voice comes out through clenched teeth.

"Sorry?!"

She doesn't say anything for moments and I look up at her. Her hair covers her face so I can't see her expression.

"How could you not go to her funeral, Natsu? How?"

My mouth opens and closes., no words coming out.

"He was right...she wouldn't have missed your funeral...for anything."

Her voice starts to come out as if she's holding back tears and I tilt my head down and look to the ground.

"She cared about you so much, Natsu...so you're going. You owe her that as the person that she cared about most."

The room falls silent again and I keep my eyes shut to keep from seeing her face. She cries quietly and my nails dig into the skin of my palms at the feeling of her shaky hand on my shoulder.

She takes a minute to calm down and her trembling stops. Erza raises her head, her hair falling away from her face.

"The funeral starts in an hour, Natsu. Get ready."

She squeezes my shoulder and then walks out into the hallway, leaving Loke and I alone in the room.