"Nashi, sweetie… listen to me." The blonde woman was lying in a pool of her own blood, the precious crimson liquid slowly seeping out of a long gash running along her side. A young girl with long, unruly pink hair sat by her, her slender fingers gripping the woman's arm. Red leaked from a cut on her forehead, seeping into her eyes. She angrily brushed it away.
"No! Mama, I'm not leaving you!" she sobbed, yelling at the woman who smiled gently at her crying daughter.
"Nashi, they're after you, not me. I need you to do something for me—"
"Lucy Heartfilia, how kind of you to join us, and your daughter as well!" The disembodied voice rang around the room. Nashi jumped up, fire coating her fist.
"Where are you, you bastard? Come out so I can kill you!" she roared, her anger overpowering her fear. Sparks of blue and gold danced within the flames.
"Nashi, no!" The woman tried to sit up, only to fall back in agony. "Nashi, you must run. Do you understand? Run to Fairy Tail!" The little girl shook her head stubbornly. Gathering the last bit of her strength, the woman began to chant.
Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...
All the stars, far and wide...
Show me thy appearance...
With such shine.
"Mama! Please stop!" Nashi's aggressive demeanor shattered as she pleaded with her mother. The woman ignored her.
Oh Tetrabiblos...
I am the ruler of the stars...
Aspect become complete...
Open thy malevolent gate.
Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...
Shine!
Urano Metria!
A golden light illuminated the room as the stars responded to the spell.
"RUN!" The woman's final scream jolted her daughter into action. The formless voice roared in protest, demanding that she stop. The young girl ran for her life. For her mother's life.
NATSU:
It's been eleven years since my wife disappeared. Vanished off the face of the planet, taking our unborn child with her. I knew she hadn't gone willingly, based on the many unfamiliar scents and the wrecked apartment, but it didn't make it any easier. Sure, life moved on, but I was stuck firmly in one spot. I refused to give up on her. Every time I took a job I made sure to look for any sign that she'd passed through. That she was alive. So far eleven freaking years had passed, and I couldn't find her.
Fairy Tail was having what Gramps called the New Age. Gray and Juvia had two little boys and Erza had a monster of a girl with Jellal. That little devil had her mother's looks, her father's magic, and a very familiar habit to bash people's heads into her armor-covered chest. Levy and Gajeel were waiting for their second kid and Mira was pregnant with Laxus' child. Lisanna had some weirdo boyfriend who hated cats and Cana had her booze. Life was great. For them.
In the first few months I was lost in my own grief. My comrades tried to care for me, but I shut them out of my life. When I finally came around they welcomed me back with open arms. I suppose I should've been grateful. Now I had passed the S-Class exam, taken several ten-year quests and one hundred-year quest that took me two years. The work helped me get through each day without her, and slowly I built up a fragile wall to hold myself together.
"Mira! I'm taking this one." I called to the white-haired demon barmaid. She marked my choice on her list.
"Good luck, Natsu!" she called, waving cheerfully. Glancing over, I saw Happy infatuated with Charla, who just recently agreed date him. Better leave them be. Swinging my pack onto my shoulders, I scooped up my packed food when the guild doors slammed open. All eyes immediately zeroed in on the newcomer, regardless of what the owners had been doing. The sunlight behind her hid her features and blended them into a black shadow. A waft of her scent drifted over to me and I froze. She smelled so much like Lucy.
She stepped into the guild and someone gasped. It might have been me.
"Oi, Natsu, doesn't she…?" Gray left the question hanging, but there was no more doubt in my head. Her pink hair was a wild and unruly mess, draping over her shoulders and matching the shade of my own without fault. Big chocolate eyes were set in a delicate face and creamy skin. A gash seeped blood onto her forehead and she clutched her stomach, her hands red. Her breath was coming out in wheezing gasps.
This was my kid. Mine and Lucy's.
"Please…" she forced out, doubling over and coughing up blood. Looking up, her eyes locked on my face with shocked recognition. Her next words, aimed at me, nearly split my heart. "Help…mama…please…" She crumbled to the floor and I flew towards her small form. I slid my hands under her back and legs, lifting her from the ground. Her stomach was shredded and a magic arrow stuck out from her side. I took her to the infirmary, a dead silent guild at my back and following my every move. Wendy rushed in behind me and had me place my daughter on a white bed. The blue-haired Sky Dragon Slayer pretty much ran the infirmary, her healing magic knowing no bounds or rivals. Within seconds the arrow was gone and Wendy was applying a steady stream of her healing spell to the girl's stomach. She finished in under ten minutes and wrapped all her wounds in bandages. I just sat there, staring at the child I never got to meet.
"She'll be fine, Natsu." Wendy placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I didn't shrug her off, but I didn't really respond either. With a patient sigh my long-time friend left, leaving me and my kid alone. I reached over and hesitantly placed my hand over hers, completely covering it. I still remembered the name Lucy had chosen the day before she vanished.
"Nashi." I whispered, expecting no answer. Her eye cracked open and stared into mine, the chocolates painfully familiar.
"Papa… I missed you."