Annnnnnd we're back! Thank you everyone for sticking with this so far! I'm excited about this idea and I really hope the first chapter help set stuff up, the adventure, the mystery, and Natsu struggling with romance in a Natsu-like fashion. I intend to write a satisfying story from beginning to end and I do not aim to disappoint. Special shout out to the people who have reviewed thus far: " " and "Liani", thanks for the thoughts and I hope to hear more from you and everyone reading!

As the previous chapter, this one was edited by: KingofClubs8129.


Chapter II: Second Son Rising

No one had words. Natsu hadn't came downstairs yet, still sleeping no doubt, but even if he did he would probably join the others in their absolutely shocked silence. Juvia's eyes (or her strange grin) certainly couldn't get any wider, Gray's jaw dropped about as low as it could go and Erza was so pale Lucy thought she must have been having her blood drained. To be honest Lucy was so shocked she couldn't even call upon their attention, she just walked downstairs and waited for them to notice. After everything had completely sank in Juvia was the first one to speak.

"That was faster than I thought."

Gray whirled around on her and silenced her with a glare of anger, Erza moved around the counter to Lucy, putting her hand on her stomach, as if checking it was real and not some elaborate prank. "Lucy...how did this even happen?"

"I don't know," Lucy shuddered at the foreign feeling, "I can't even remember how I got home last night."

"What do you remember?" Erza asked, when Lucy began to stutter she spoke with more firmness, "Think Lucy."

"I...I remember the party...dancing...and leaving to go to the docks..."

"The docks?" Gray asked, finished with visually reprimanding Juvia. "Why did you go down there?"

"Uh...Damon wanted to show me the sunrise on his boat, but...I woke up in my room instead."

Erza and Gray exchanged glances before Erza asked the question they were both thinking, "Where is this Damon now?"

"I...I don't know..." the realization dawned on Lucy, "You think he's responsible for this?"

"As he is the last person to see you, yes," Juvia stated, "He is the obvious suspect. However, I feel we must get you to a doctor before we chase down Damon. We need to know what's going on with you..."

"Beyond that I'm pregnant?!" Lucy burst out for a moment before she calmed herself down, "Sorry, I am so sorry. It's just...last night I was fine and now I am pregnant? I just don't know what to do...everything-"

"Everything is awesome!" Natsu and Happy's singing voice were heard as they slid down the bannister, "Everything is cool when you're part of a team! Everything is awesome when we're living our dream!"

Everyone turned to Natsu, waiting for his reaction to this situation...except that he was so busy dancing and singing he didn't even notice. Happy mid-song finally landed his big eyes on Lucy and froze, jaw dropped, one claw pointing at her.

"N-N-Natsu..."

"-I feel more awesome than an awesome possum-"

"Natsu!"

"-Dip my body in chocolate frosting-"

"NATSU!"

Natsu stopped singing and spun around to Happy, quite distressed he broke his rhythm. "Happy what's the deal, why are you breaking up our groove?"

He followed Happy's claw and his eyes first landed on Lucy's face, whose eyes were downward so he followed those...to her pregnant belly. He blinked once...twice...three times counting before he pointed at her and said, "Did you swallow a whole ham or something?"

Lucy's eyes widened and anger and she began swinging her fists at any part of Natsu she could reach, "Natsu. You. Ass. Hole!"

"What-ow! Why are you hitting me?!"

"I didn't swallow a whole ham!" Lucy shouted, her voice cracking, "I'm pregnant Natsu!"

Natsu froze, while the Dragon-Slayer was usually clueless in how the human body worked, a year back he got his first full lecture on where babies came from...mostly because he one day exclaimed to the hall he could make a baby by hugging a girl long enough until she laid an egg. With the entire guild embarrassed they never really educated Natsu, they proceeded to...of course he fell asleep throughout most of it, but he did remember some things: this was one of them. Lucy had stopped hitting him and had completely broken down to tears, Erza moved over to comfort her and Natsu stared at her in shock as he saw her lose control of herself. Lucy...I made her cry, he thought, Lucy I am so sorry I...I...

And then something in his mind snapped. Seeing his closest friend so vulnerable and so upset ignited something within him, from under his shirt the Lacrima crystal began to glow a soft bright red. Natsu's eyes narrowed, not quite into slits...but it was a change. In the bright daylight no one could see the red aura that surrounded Natsu's body, when he spoke it suddenly carried a strong presence.

"Was it the boy you left with?"

Lucy was too busy trying to control her sobs, Juvia spoke up instead, "We do suspect the boy Damon, who apparently brought Lucy down to the docks-" Natsu suddenly moved past Juvia to the exit of the hotel, "Natsu?"

"Natsu wait!" Happy meant to follow him, but when he pushed the door open Natsu was gone. "Natsu? Natsu!"


The docks were now finally bustling with work again now that Kakarof was imprisoned by Fairy Tail; as a group of dock workers were heading out onto the wharf the boy Damon from the party last night was untying his boat to head out onto the sea...when someone grabbed him and pulled him off his boat and against the wall of the old fishing warehouse. Natsu held Damon by the scruff of his collar, his other fist held inches from his face and burning with fire. Damon eyes the fist with apprehension as Natsu glared.

"What did you do to Lucy?"

"I don't know who-"

Natsu slammed his fist into the wall next to him, creating a smoldering hole in before pulling it back again to hang threateningly in the air in front of Damon's face. "What. Did. You. Do. To. Lucy!"

"Geez okay man! I didn't do anything to her I was just ordered to bring her to the docks-AGH!" Natsu spun around and threw Damon on his boat, quickly leaping on top of him and holding his fist threateningly: ready to pound his face in.

"Who hired you?!"

"I don't know!" Damon yelled as Natsu's fist inched closer to his face, "I was just paid a huge load of Jewels to take some girl named Lucy to that building there!" He pointed over to the shipping and packing warehouse on the other side of the wharf, "Then once they were done I was to carry her back to her apartment and wait to see if their spell worked!"

Natsu growled at Damon before he grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and began to carry him as he leaped across the wharf to the warehouse in question. Shoving him to the ground Natsu approached the entrance to the warehouse, grabbing the huge warehouse doors and roughly throwing it open. It slid open with a bang and Natsu looked inside the warehouse, there was a bunch of carts and tables set up in the center of the room with a huge reclined chair in the center: positioned right underneath the hanging light. The cold mechanical silver of the chair clashed with the muddy rust of the warehouse, clearly a new installation. Natsu walked over to the chair, the red aura that surrounded his body visible in the darkness as he examined the scene before him. The tables held all sorts of flowers and roots that made his senses go on high alert, left over books with strange symbols beside them kinda of gave away what this table was used for. Despite these clues that was not the major thing to capture his attention, there was a round object left on the chair with a note that read: for Fairy Tail. Natsu grabbed the round device and looked it over, noticing a tiny little red button on the dash and of course without thinking he pressed the button. Lights projected from the device and showed the image of someone, the face was obscured by some mask with three eyes on it.

"-not just take the girl? Why leave her here?"

The man with the mask chuckled, "That wouldn't be as much fun...just do as I ask."

"What is this? Who are you?" Natsu demanded, the person didn't respond to him...in fact he ignored him.

"My apologies, I meant to open up this with a quick explanation: this is called a recording, a little trick of mine that allows me to leave messages not with notes and paper but with projections..."

In the background Natsu could see several hooded figures carry out Lucy, there was a mark on her midriff and it was glowing dark purple.

"Lucy!" Natsu growled, wanting to rush and attack the person...only quickly remembering he wasn't really here.

"...in any case, you have found the recording. Hopefully you brought it straight to Lucy Heartfilia so I will make this message brief and simple: Ms. Heartfilia will take a boat to Hollow Island where she will meet us , refuse and we will come for you ourselves. If you do not come alone we will kill your friends then and there, we know you don't want that so I am sure you will be cooperative. Better hurry Ms. Heartfilia...clock's ticking..."

The message turned off and Natsu gripped the device with his bare hands, "Those bastards...I will make them pay for this..."

Natsu's head snapped to Damon, who stood at the entrance to the warehouse – the moment he caught sight of Natsu's eyes he began to stagger back in fear. "You..."

"No wait, what are you doing?! I'm not with them I just did a job!" Damon attempted to run, but Natsu grabbed him with impressive speed, spun him around and held him up in the air.

"Was she awake?!"

"W-what?!"

"Was she awake?!" Natsu repeated, the aura around his body was starting to become noticeable in the daylight. "Was she awake when they did whatever the hell it is they did to her?! Was she in pain?!"

"I-I don't know! I was outside! I'm not involved in this!"

"Not involved?! You led her here...you did this to her, you hurt my friend!" He threw Damon into the warehouse, he crashed against the chair hard it enough it broke. Natsu walked into the warehouse, blocking the entrance, "Now you pay for what you did."

Damon's eyes widened and he pleaded...he pleaded as Natsu slammed the doors shut and he continued to plead...until suddenly his pleas just stopped.


The doctor took a very long time with his examination, an unnerving amount of time, checking his charts and leaving to find a book. Erza, Happy, Gray and Juvia waited alongside Lucy for the doctor to return. Happy could see Lucy's fear and anxiety surround her as they waited, he leaped up onto her bed and rested his head against her in an act of comfort. Lucy gave a sniff and began to slowly pet Happy, more for her own need than for him. Finally the doors opened and the doctor limped in, book in his free hand and his face was far more grave than it was when he left and that left the team feeling very ill.

"Good news Ms. Heartfilia, I found what exactly has happened to you..."

"That's a relief," Gray sighed, Erza however remained steely faced.

"And what is it?"

"That's the bad news..." the doctor frowned, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "Most of you obviously have gathered this is not a normal pregnancy, and you are right to believe so, because this is the work of a very old spell."

"A spell?!" Lucy gasped, the doctor held his hand up to silence her.

"Please...there is a lot to explain, I could do it better if I had as little interruption as possible so if you could please hold questions until I am done...?"

Everyone nodded and the doctor took the book in his hand and opened it, clearing his throat before he began to explain. "A long time ago, a simple Wizard sought to cure his wife of an illness that plagued her. It took him many years but he constructed a spell that would transfer magic energy from one person to another, healing the receiver. He felt so confident by his results he tested it on himself, he cured his wife...but subsequently lost his own life. The wife passed down the legacy of spell for many years...and over those many years wizards have added onto their own theories and experiments to the spell and over time the spell became perverted. A wizard had discovered if they could have a channel, a focus, for the sender then they could double the magic energy of the receiver. Giving the energy of two entities with the price of one; but...the focus could only work on creatures who generate and give birth to life."

He looked up at Lucy, "Ms. Heartfilia I am so sorry, but your 'pregnancy' is the spell that creates a 'focus'."

"W-what?!" Lucy's hands flew to her stomach, "I don't- I don't understand!"

"Neither do I," Erza sharply cut in, "Doctor how does Lucy being pregnant work as a 'focus'?"

"This...this part is a bit fuzzy on why it works like this, but this is the theory..." the doctor stood up and grabbed three items from one of the shelves: a cup, a narrow beaker, and a funnel. He proceeded to fill the cup with water and placed all three items on the table next to Lucy. "Ms. Heartfilia, this cup is you: the water is your magical energy: the original version of the spell worked like this..."

He attempted to pour the full cup of water into the beaker, water spilled everywhere and it only managed to get maybe half of the water inside. He filled the cup again and emptied the beaker. "The spell could only obtain half of a wizard's energy...but when it was discovered of an addition to the spell, the one resulting in your pregnancy, the spell works like this..."

He took the funnel and placed it in the beaker, when he poured again the entire contents went in the beaker without a single drop spilled. "The baby is the funnel, for that baby inside you is gathering all your magical energy to transfer it. The last part of the spell involves using the child to funnel your energy into the receiver...killing you both."

Lucy felt sick, Happy suddenly didn't look like his name sake, Gray and Juvia each bore fear and worry on their faces...Erza was fighting to remain in control as much as possible. "Is there a cure? A counter spell?"

The doctor paused for a moment, "They used to think there was only one method...but it was recently discovered there is a second, but, you won't like either."

"Go on..."

"The first method is to get the caster to recall the spell, in order for this to work Ms. Heartfilia must be in close proximity or in the same room as the caster. If he recalls the spell the child will vanish and your life saved."

Erza already could see the danger in that plan, the caster who did this obviously would not be the cooperative sort – having Lucy there would put her life at risk. "What's option two?"

The doctor gave a strange smile, "Give birth to the child."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "Say what?"

"This book I have here..." the doctor gestured, "Is from my grandfather, he documented a case in which the child was actually born: since the spell only works if the child is connected to its mother, or to be more bluntly in her womb, the spell becomes null and void if the child is born."

"But...but...I don't want to be a mother!" Lucy realized what she said and added onto that, "At least not yet! Not like this!"

"I think the real question is what happens to the child after it's born." Erza asked, "What does your grandfather say about that?"

He frowned, "I don't know." He flipped the pages until it came to a spot where several pages were torn out, "He tore out the pages regarding the child's birth...he did say prior there will be no harm to the mother, but on the status of the child it's...it's unknown. I do not know why he removed the pages, but he must had a reason for doing so."

It seemed the doctor have told them everything they needed to know, he stood back up and headed out of the door saying he needed to check on other patients. The weight of the situation began to sink in with the team of Fairy Tail of their options and Lucy's fate, Lucy buried her head in her hands just trying to take it all in. How did this happen? Lucy thought, why can't I remember what happened to me? What will happen? What will I do? She lifted her head slightly as she felt Happy nuzzle against her again, which turned her thoughts to the Dragon-Slayer. Oh Natsu...where are you...? Gray gave a sigh and turned to the others. "So...what do we do? Do we find the guy who did this or do we let Lucy..."

"Lucy's made up her own mind on this matter," Erza cut in, "Regardless there are potential dangers too in letting the child be born, we don't know what will happen to it or what it will do. Despite the danger it poses...I believe our best bet is to find the caster of the spell and force him to recall it."

"He might be still in town then," Juvia suggested, "Perhaps we should go and find him-"

The doors to the hospital room opened again and there stood Natsu, eyes narrowed and an uncharacteristic look of seriousness on his face. Lucy felt her breath hitch when she saw Natsu, she became worried about him when he left so suddenly this morning. She feared his reaction to what they learned...yet she found herself yearning for his comfort, Natsu always somehow found a way to make things better and she could really use that right now. Yet as her eyes wandered to him...she saw something that made her freeze.

"I found Damon." Natsu announced, drawing gasps of everyone in the room. "And I found this."

He threw the recording device to Erza who caught it expertly, she intended to study the machine but Natsu beat her to it. "They called it a recording device; the bastards who did this to Lucy are on a place called Hollow Island, I say we go over there and make them fix this."

Gray looked impressed, "Well done Natsu."

Erza gave a grave nod, "Yes well done. It so happens Natsu we learned things about the spell that make this our only option, we need to-"

"Your hands..."

The shuddering voice came from Lucy, whose trembling finger pointed at Natsu, "Natsu...your hands..."

Erza's eyes flitted over her hands and the crimson on it made her heart go cold: Natsu's hands were covered bruises and in blood. Gray went as pale as the ice he uses while Juvia's hands flew to her mouth, Natsu lifted his hands for a moment to look at them...almost as if he was regarding them before lowering them.

"Natsu..." Erza's voice spoke, it was laced with fear and anger, "What did you do to Damon?"

"We need to go to Hollow Island-"

"-Natsu what did you do!"

"What I had to!" Natsu screamed, startling everyone in the room, "He was responsible for what he did and he paid the price!"

At that moment yells were heard from the hallway and nurses wheeled in the body of Damon, bloodied and bruised down the hall at rapid speed. It became very obvious on what Natsu had done. Erza shook...visibly shook with rage as she grabbed Natsu.

"How could you...Natsu tell me you didn't do that!" She yelled, "Tell me you didn't kill him!"

"He's not dead! I wouldn't kill him...never kill him...but he had to suffer!"

"He had to suffer?! Who gave you the right to decide that!" Gray yelled, also as angry as Erza. "That's not the way we do things Natsu! We don't do this!"

"Maybe we better change that!" Natsu yelled, shoving Erza away from him. "We leave these people alive and they always come back to hurt us! They hurt Lucy! They hurt one of us! I made sure they paid for what they did!"

"Natsu...stop..."

"And I would do it again! A hundred times over!" the red aura flared around Natsu and Erza's eyes widened, "I'll hurt anyone who hurts my family!"

"Natsu stop!"

Surprisingly, Natsu did stop, he turned to Lucy who was staring at him with the utmost hurt in her eyes. "How could you say those things...how could you do something like that! It's not you!"

Then something weird happened, the aura around Natsu had stopped glowing and his eyes became wide and less narrowed. It was such a change that everyone stopped out of pure surprise. Natsu suddenly looked horrified as he looked at his hands, rushing to the sink he began to washing them: scrubbing them again and again and again until all the blood was gone. He still felt dirty, he felt wrong so he kept washing them...until Erza turned off the water and moved Natsu's face to hers. Studying his eyes intently, she saw the shift when Lucy screamed at him...and sure enough, she saw the changed shape in his eyes.

"Natsu...you need to tell me exactly what you felt this morning, when you saw Lucy."

"Erza I...I...I didn't mean to hurt him." Natsu stammered, "I didn't mean to but I...I..."

"I believe you." Erza smiled sadly, "Please Natsu...tell me what you felt this morning."

"I..." Natsu recalled what he felt early this morning, "I felt such rage...when I saw Lucy crying I...I felt SO angry, in that anger I felt...strong, I felt different, like I knew what I had to do..."

Erza moved away from him for a moment, her eyes scanning him up and down before a thought entered her head...could it be that simple? It was too much of a coincidence, yet sure enough when her eyes landed on that spot her suspicions confirmed.

"Natsu...your chest." Erza reached down and pulled up the shirt he had on, Lucy grew red in the face for a moment: was she going to strip him or something?! But she didn't she held the shirt high enough for everyone to see his Lacrima wound...the crystal was pulsing a red color, Natsu's eyes widened as everyone stared intently at the crystal: as if it would explode or something.

"The Lacrima did more to you than we thought..." Erza deduced, lowering his shirt. "Natsu...I know you, you would never do this...we need to schedule a surgery right away."

"Erza." Gray cut in, "Don't you remember? The town's surgeon is gone...he won't be back, if he even comes back, till who knows when. If we wait for him or even travel to another town then Lucy..." he looked back at her, unable to finish his sentence. Juvia for once didn't seem to fly into a jealous rage at Gray's concern for Lucy, perhaps the effect of Fairy Tail itself has taught her more.

"My darling Gray means to say is that it would be too late for Lucy if we focused on Natsu...in light of the situation...we need to focus on saving Lucy first, before we help Natsu."

Erza hated to admit it but Juvia was right, Natsu had time...Lucy didn't, if they waited either the caster would find them or she would give birth. Erza cursed herself for being in a situation where she had to choose one friend over another rather than help them both, Natsu didn't seem to mind though.

"I'll be fine...Lucy need us," he forced a grin, "Lets get to Hollow Island and-"

"'I'll be fine'?" Lucy repeated, "Natsu...how can you...you're not fine and we know you're not fine, we need to get that crystal out of you!"

"Lucy," Erza attempted to reason with her, "if we help him we can't-"

"I don't care about me!" Lucy shouted, "We have to help Natsu!"

"Lucy," Happy began, "You don't have the time Lucy, we need to help you first."

"We can make the time!"

"Lucy stop," Gray spoke, his voice slightly raised, "I don't like this anymore than you do, but Happy and Erza are right: Natsu has time, you do not, if we don't hurry either the bastards who did this to you find you first or you give birth to the child and who knows what will happen." Gray softened, "I know it sucks, believe me I do, but it's the best option we have. We're just going to have to live with this choice..."

"I can't!" Lucy spluttered, tears coming down her eyes, "I can't handle the guilt!"

Natsu's eyes widened as Lucy sobbed, his own guilt doubled: bad enough whatever happened to him injured a man so greatly he needed to be hospitalized, but guilt now that he was the one who made Lucy cry. He hated it, he hated to see her cry. He hated seeing any of his family cry, but this hurt even double. Was it because of his hand in these things? Or was it because he just couldn't stand to see her of all people cry? In either case all the tears Lucy had been holding in were coming out now, it no longer became just about Natsu but about her situation and the bleakness of it. When she got her sobs under control she could speak again.

"I can't live with knowing something is wrong with you Natsu! What-what if it's too late! What if what happened to you earlier happens again! What if-"

Suddenly Lucy felt strong arms around her, her eyes registered that Natsu had her now in the softest warmest hug she hadn't felt in a long time. He held her close, not too tight, but enough for her to feel safe. "Lucy...you're not the only one who can't live with this. I can't live with the guilt of seeing you hurt or in pain. You're my family Lucy, all of you are...and I won't let anything happen to either of you."

He pulled away from her for a moment to give Lucy the smile she needed to see, "You are Fairy Tail and we will always protect one of our own Lucy, never ever forget that."

"Natsu..." Lucy's eyes welled with tears again, but a different kind of tears, a happier kind. She threw her arms around him for another needed hug, having to maneuver a bit because of her pregnancy, tears pouring out again. Happy joined in this time, his tiny arms stretched as far as he could for the two of them. Gray walked over and put a reassuring hand on Natsu's shoulder while Juvia gave Lucy a brief hug as well, even stoic Erza wiped away some small tears of needed sentimentality of this moment. Even when something is wrong with Natsu was always right about one thing: they are family and whatever happens they will face it. On this exact moment the six of them made this promise: they will stop this unseen group's plot and they will save Natsu and Lucy. Because they were Fairy Tail...and they were all that they had.