notes: omg ok HELLO! so this is my first real official fanfic ever? i'm gonna blame kari for inspiring me to write nalu angst because what the heck her nalu angst is really good and you should probably read it :) but basically i also wanted to get back into writing fiction and literally i don't know nalu is my otp so i was like hell yeah let's do this and ya!

so basically this is not really an AU or anything but it's kind of like an alternate story? reaaallly tests the realtionship between natsu and lucy. also, i created a new character for this purpose and this plot and his name is tomica and you'll see what's up w/ him later on, of course! but yeah in case you're like "wtf there's no guy named tomica in fairy tail" you would be correct because i created him so lmao

i write way too much but ahHH i hope you enjoy this first chapter!

Natsu's eyes shot open to a dark sight sprawled out in front of him. Ice, fire, swords, holes - all marks of his teammate's spells which were completely ineffective. His opponent wouldn't budge, no matter what. Natsu's breath was shallow and stunted, after exhausting almost every spell he had in his arsenal. His magic power was definitely depleting, and he was at his wit's end with this mage. Nearby, he could hear Erza and Gray's simultaneous heaving breathing, their bodies covered in bruises and blood, not unlike his own. Incredible. I have never seen a power like this before, he thought. His eyes shifted quickly as he saw a flash of blonde move slowly in his peripheral vision, and his heart jumped. Lucy…

It was really supposed to be a simple job. They were just supposed to help someone out who was a little bit out of the town. None of the team was exactly sure what, but the job paid well, and Lucy really pushed for it. When she pleads with those puppy dog eyes of hers, no one can really deny her. But someone was standing in the way of completion. Tomica.

In actuality, Team Natsu figured, it had been a fluke - Tomica probably summoned them to fight him and eliminate the group for good. Natsu was a bit apprehensive about the job itself, but decided to do it anyway. He knew it would make Lucy happy, but for that reason, he breathed a sigh of relief for leaving Happy back at the guild. He had a premonition that pointed to signs that something would go wrong, and he didn't want to endanger Happy. Though he didn't think it would turn out like this.

Tomica was a notorious mage from an underground dark guild. The guild itself wasn't that well known - Natsu, admittedly, could barely remember its name - but Tomica's mere prowess seemed to be common knowledge. He was rarely seen, some thinking that his presence could be on par with Zeref, though one could never be sure. Tomica was probably jealous of the success Fairy Tail and Team Natsu was having, and it was known that he thrived off of the despair of others. But something was off in their fight, Natsu noted. Tomica's spells were dispelled towards all of the team, but he seemed more inclined to torture Lucy using a different form of magic he'd never seen before - most likely Lost Magic - and it was definitely something that Tomica wasn't using on Natsu or the others. Why is he ganging up on her? What purpose does she serve to him? What purpose does he have with any of us at all? He felt his emotions run high, and his fire, which was slowly dimming due to the consistent blows endured, suddenly felt a burst of energy.

"TOMICA!" His voice was hoarse, and he felt as though he might explode. "Come on! I'll take you right here and now! You'll have to go through me before you hurt anyone else! This isn't over!"

"My, my, Salamander," Tomica cooed, a smirk appearing on his twisted face. "You sure are cocky for someone whose ass just got kicked. Don't you think your friends over there need a lil bit of help? They took such a beating … I would think you would put your friends before me, huh? Oh well, guess I was wrong …" His voice trailed off, and he started to move closer towards the dispirited and broken team. Natsu could clearly see Tomica wasn't finished in the least. In fact, he barely had a scratch on him. Hit with Fire Dragon Slayer magic, three of Erza's Requips, multiple ice weapons crafted by Gray, and even a Unison Raid with Taurus and Scorpio … it didn't matter what hit him. It seemed there was nothing that would faze him. Just how strong is he?

Natsu's plan has always consisted of four things - attack, attack, attack, repeat - but he soon realized this plan wasn't going to do him any good. What was he supposed to do? At this rate, they would never win. They would never finish their job. They wouldn't even make it back to the guild. At this notion, a chill went through Natsu's spine. Out of all the bastards he's fought; out of all the people standing in his way, no one - no one - made him as angry as Tomica did now. But why? Was it just because defeat was so close he could reach out and touch it? Or because he was saving some sort of weird magic for Lucy.

"Ahh!" He snapped back to reality as he heard a scream slip from Lucy's mouth, who was crouched nearby, and breathing abnormally heavy. Tomica was walking towards her, his arms now lowering towards his side, as he had just cast a spell. Natsu peered back to see Erza and Gray trying to help each other up, and help repair their wounds. They could see Lucy, writhing from the attack, in front of them, and each had a disgusting look on their face. Natsu's anger swelled even more, and he couldn't control himself.

"TOMICA! THAT IS ENOUGH!" he barked through gritted teeth, as loud as he possibly could. "YOU TOUCH HER ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL KILL YOU." Limping, Natsu inched towards Lucy and Tomica.

A cough, then a faint whisper of a voice escaped Lucy's lips. "N...Natsu…" Gray and Erza peered up when they finally heard her speak, nonetheless speak Natsu's name. Lucy gathered every ounce of strength inside her and tried to stand up. She wobbled, and Natsu wanted to run to her; to help her. But he could barely move. It was enough for him to shift his body weight to try and attack Tomica, and his heart was pounding out of his chest on top of it. Lucy's aura felt extremely dark; having just taken a hit from Tomica's spell most likely pushed her to the edge. He truly admired that about her - she was never one to simply give up. She always would put a fight to the end, just like he and the rest of the team would.

Tomica stopped moving when he saw Lucy rise. Natsu inferred that if the spell had worked correctly, she would be completely incapacitated and unable to move. But somehow, there she was, broken and torn, but alive and able to move, even if just a little bit. Finally, words escaped from her lips, somewhat breathlessly.

"T...Tomica… I don't know what you're doing, who you are, what you want, and anything like that. And I don't care. But… I don't know who gave you the right to hurt my friends like that… you … you're not going to get away with this …" Lucy's hands reached towards the keys on her belt, and Natsu noticed that they were shaking. She probably has no magic power left, he thought. Yet she still is standing up for us. I have to do something! With that, Natsu again moved closer. He barely had a voice, but he would do everything he could to protect her from Tomica.

Tomica's eyes slit and he started cackling. "Wha - what do you think you're doing, Princess?" he snapped. "You think you're gonna call one of your spirits out here? HA! Don't you know the spell I cast on you?"

A face Natsu had never seen before appeared before him. Lucy's eyes were welling with tears, but her mouth was contorted in such an angry expression he was almost completely taken aback. Heavy, labored breaths were etching her expression further. "I don't know what you want with me. And like I said, I don't care. But I won't let you touch them. Especially Natsu."

At the mention of his name, Natsu's heart jumped. I have to get closer… I have to help her! The only thing he could think of was Lucy. The only thing he could see was Lucy. Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. There was nothing else. But his legs were giving out, and he realized Tomica's spells cast on Natsu and the others were not just offensive attacks, but also had magic-depleting properties. This guy … he must have mastered multiple types of magic to be able to do this… Is this even possible? Natsu felt himself slowly sinking into the ground, his steps gaining less ground, and his mind going blank. He needed to get to Lucy, but there was no way he was able to move.

Tomica's expression went somewhat demonic. "Natsu? Natsu? Ahahahaha! What is the Salamander even good for, Princess? Ha! Please. I don't want to associate with anyone like that."

"Don't you know he's so much stronger than me?" Lucy's voice was brittle. "They're… they're all stronger than me… Why are you doing this?"

Tomica shrugged, moving closer towards Lucy and placing his finger on her chin. She instinctively jumped back and swatted his hand away, almost tripping over her feet due to how weak she'd become. Natsu's emotions ran high and he growled.

"I like to have fun, Princess. You're more interesting than them, I can sense it. You put up a fight. Everyone else is so boring. But you're different."

"I'm not different," she insisted, tears stinging her eyes. "There's no way. And I don't care."

"But I do."

Lucy was gripping her arm, and she sunk to the dirt. "Just… please don't hurt them anymore. Natsu… Natsu still needs to find Igneel, and go on jobs, and come home to Happy … we all need the guild… we won't bother you anymore, we'll pretend it never happened …" Her voice was stained with regret, remorse, and sadness. Natsu could see tears falling down her face, yet Tomica's gaze was leering at Lucy.

It was too much for Natsu to handle. She didn't do anything wrong. Absolutely nothing. Tomica was just targeting her, making her believe the absolute shit he spewed, and through it all, Lucy wasn't budging. She would never leave them behind. She would never abandon Natsu. She would never abandon her friends.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Natsu's voice was cracking, but there was nothing more he could do.

Tomica helped Lucy up, surprisingly gently. Natsu, already sunk in the ground, his magic power completely depleted, felt helpless and anger welling further inside, as did Erza and Gray not too far away.

"Princess, please…" Tomica scoffed. "Trust me, I've heard it all before." Out of nowhere, he threw her back to the ground. Natsu slammed his fist into the earth as he saw the sight unfold before him. NO, NO, NO, NO! But he could barely move.

Lucy let out a pained scream as her body hit. Tomica laughed and paced around her. "Something is sticking out to me though," he pondered. "Something you keep on … saying." He shot her a very steady glare. Lucy just peered up at him and didn't say anything.

"As you've probably figured out, I've mastered a few different types of magic, Princess. And your little 'team' here has probably never heard of them. But that's the point. There's no way you losers have a right to be more famous than I am. You and your stupid guild. There's a method to my madness, you see. I've learned these on my own. To take down those who've wronged me; those who stand in my way. To make people feel the same pain I've felt from being isolated all those years. So, Princess, I'm thinking I got a bit of a … special treatment for you, eh? You up for it?"

Tomica leaned down to Lucy's level and smiled. She turned away and Natsu knew there were tears streaming down her face. Why do I have to be so useless now? Natsu tried to crawl towards her, as slow as he could, so Tomica wouldn't take too much notice, but he still could do nothing. His anger was seething at this notion.

"I can't believe you care this much about others. I mean, wow! It's absolutely amazing, don't you think?" Tomica's voice boomed. "You're doing everything I wish I could, Princess!" His voice became gritty and angrier as he shouted. He then leaned in close, and whispered so only Lucy and Natsu, who was still crawling, could hear.

"So, uh … how about I punish you for, oh, I don't know, forever?"

Lucy didn't say a word.

"Mm… well, what could I do … you know what sounded off to me? I heard Salamander's name a little too much. And for someone like you, Princess, I think I know exactly how to handle this situation!" Tomica gestured as if he had a moment of clarity. Natsu had no idea what he was planning but he knew it wasn't going to be good, especially if he was involved.

"I mastered a Lost Magic, Princess. I used it on all the people who I didn't like. I made them restart their lives. I took away what was precious to them. Well, I think I like the sound of that right now." He grinned devilishly, and shifted his gaze towards the collapsed Natsu.

"Salamander… Natsu … he's too important to you, I think. Way too much." Tomica whispered quietly to Lucy, who was completely still.

"So I think I'm going to change that. Hope you don't mind, Princess."

At that, Lucy started to scream, as did Natsu. Gray and Erza couldn't hear what was going on before then, so it was just a sudden burst of anguish. Tomica started to chuckle.

"NO! YOU … YOU CAN'T! DON'T YOU DARE …" A light went off in Natsu's mind and he had an idea of what was going to happen next. But he didn't want to believe it.

"Wha - what are you going to do?" Lucy demanded, her whole body shaking.

Tomica ignored every comment thrown at him and stepped back. His eyes closed for a moment, and he brought his hands into a certain position in preparation for a spell. Natsu began to frantically move towards her, trying to protect her, but it was too late. Without any hesitation, Tomica began to utter his spell, in a calculated and perfect fashion.

"Memory Curse: Mind Break. You will forget Natsu entirely. He doesn't exist to you anymore. He was never here. Say goodbye!"

And with that, a blast of light released from Tomica's hands to Lucy and she was knocked out, before she could even protest. The only thing Natsu could remember was his endless screaming. He could've died. He would've rather died than Lucy's memory being forcibly taken away from her. There was nothing worse than this. There was absolutely nothing Natsu could think of that was worse. Absolutely nothing.

Tomica, satisfied with the scene laid out before him and his apparent win, turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the beaten and broken Team Natsu to writhe in their pain of defeat behind and unbeknownst to Natsu, taking Lucy's memories of Natsu with him.

after notes: wow ok i hope you enjoyed this i hope i made everyone as in character as possible! feel free to review or anything like that :) next chapter will be up really soon!