A Dragon to Light the Way

Chapter 2

"Natsu did what to Lucy?" Makarov growled as he glared at Sabertooth's guild master, Sting Eucliff, through the communication Lacrima. He couldn't believe that one of his children would dare to harm another one of his children. Especially when Natsu had asked to court Lucy, because he thought that she would be a perfect mate for him. Why the hell would he suddenly attack the woman that he supposedly loved?

"I can understand that it is hard to accept that Natsu would attack the woman he wanted as a mate. But, that was what Loke told us what happened. I assure you that she will be protected here at Sabertooth, and I will try and get her to talk to you the moment she wakes up. I also want to ask you if you could contact me should Natsu suddenly realize where Lucy is. Something tells me the reason she didn't tell you in the first place is because he threatened her somehow." Sting stated, Makarov sighed and closed his eyes, trying to piece everything together.

Natsu had rushed into the guild earlier that morning, yelling about him and Lucy being attacked and her being kidnapped. Although, he looked like he had taken a beaten as well, and said that whoever it was had messed with his senses so he couldn't track her scent now. Makarov had automatically asked Laxus, Gajeel, and Wendy to go to there apartment, but Natsu had refused. Saying that they needed to check the surrounding areas to see what direction they had headed.

Yet, now he was hearing that Natsu had been beating Lucy and that she had ran away in an attempt to save herself. That the Flame Dragon Slayer had been beating for approximately two weeks out of the three months they have been dating, and he had now left her with two broken ribs and what had been a severe burn on her hip.

Looking back up, he studied the Light Dragon Slayer through the Lacrima, and saw the serious look on the man's face. There was no reason for Sting to lie to him, especially on something like this. Swallowing, he released a sigh and gave a small nod.

"I will keep you informed on Natsu's movement concerning Lucy. But, the moment she awakes I wish to speak to my child, and hear everything that she has to say. Please take good care of her Sting, because if you harm her at all you'll face not only me, but all of Fairy Tail as well." He growled, watching as Sting gave a faint smile and nodded.

"I understand, but you have nothing to fear. I know how precious she truly is, and just think that she doesn't deserve something like this to happen to her. I just want it resolved as quickly as possible." He stated, causing Makarov to blink and then give a faint smile. Giving a nod, he ended the communication and sat back with his eyes closed. Even if Natsu did all of this to Lucy, something told him that Sting would be there to help her pick up all the pieces. Opening his eyes, he reopened a link in the Lacrima and dialed up Gajeel, Laxus, and Wendy so he could tell them to call off the search.

"Master Makarov. There is no traces of Lucy in this area, I am sorry." Wendy stated, and Makarov shook his head and stopped the other two from talking even before they opened their mouths.

"The search is being called off. I've just uncovered something interesting and I'm only going to share it with you three, Erza, Gray, and Levy. So return to my office and bring the other three with you. I'll tell you the details when you arrive. Also, tell Natsu nothing of this, understood." He stated, ending the communication before they could question him what was going on and leaned back in his chair. Trying to think about why Natsu would suddenly become so violent toward on of his dearest friends, and was becoming frustrated when nothing came to mind.

It wasn't long until everyone he had asked for crowded into his office, and was waiting for him to start explaining everything that was going on.

"It seems there is more to this story than what Natsu told. I just got a call from Sting Eucliff from Sabertooth, and he has Lucy under his care at the moment." He stated, watching as everyone tensed and Levy stepped forward.

"What is Lucy doing at Sabertooth?" She asked, and he sighed as he glanced up at all of them, knowing that this was going to be hard for them to hear. Still, they had the right to know that something was going on within their own guild and it was his duty to ensure that they were aware.

"It seems that Natsu's story isn't true." He stated, watching as confusion fell over each of them save for Gajeel who frowned and narrowed his gaze.

"I thought there was something wrong with his story. In truth, there was something up with his and Bunny Girls entire relationship." He growled, causing Makarov to nod his head.

"You are right about that, Gajeel. Natsu has been abusing Lucy for a while now. In an attempt to escape, she called for Loke who did something to Natsu's senses so he couldn't track her. She escaped him, and Sting offered his protection for her." He stated, watching as Levy tensed and covered her mouth as she learned the truth about her friend.

"Now, you all have an important task. You are to keep an eye on all of Natsu's movements. If he gives any hint that he has detected her whereabouts, tell me immediately so I can warn Sting in advance." He stated, watching as everyone nodded. Exhaling on a sigh, he looked down and closed his eyes.

"Another thing, I have a feeling that Natsu is rather being controlled or something of that nature. He isn't the kind of person to do this to his family. So, if you see him do anything to give himself away, or whoever may be controlling him, confront him immediately." He stated, watching as a determined look entered each of their eyes as they gave another nod. With a nod of his own, he dismissed them and blinked in surprise when Levy and Gajeel stayed behind.

"Master Makarov? I was wondering if I could go visit Lucy?" Levy asked, causing him to frown and look over at Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer merely stood behind his mate, and Makarov knew that if he didn't give them the okay, they would merely go there themselves and would cause suspicion in Natsu.

"I will grant it. But, give it a few days just in case Lucy awakes and needs to talk with me. Also, it should give me enough time to create a story to tell to Natsu." He stated, watching as they gave a nod and started to leave. Giving a sigh he laid a hand on the communication Lacrima and prayed that Lucy awoke soon so he could have more information on the situation, that way he could help her more. This was something he had never expected to happen within his guild, but he couldn't just overlook it. He would deal with this situation, and get back both of his children. Well, that was if one them wished to return anyway. He smiled as he thought about Lucy, and knew that Sting was probably a better choice for her than Natsu. He could tell that even though Sting acted arrogant, he truly had a soft spot for those he cared for. He just hoped that Lucy was truly one of those people he cared for.

Sting sighed as he stared at the communication Lacrima, feeling hopeless since he had no idea as to what to do next. He had healed Lucy to the best of his abilities for the day, and since he didn't know the full situation with dealing with Natsu there was nothing he could really do. Biting his bottom lip, he interlocked his fingers and gave a long sigh. He knew that everyone would know about Lucy by now, and figured that if anyone had any question about the woman they would come directly to him.

"Damn. That means all that is left is a waiting game." He growled, hating that he had nothing to do until Lucy awoke. He had very little patience and hated that he had nothing to do to help right away.

"Sting? May I come in?" Yukino called, causing him to blink and straighten.

"You know that you don't even have to ask." He called, watching as Yukino stepped in and slowly approached the desk.

"Sting. What will happen with Lucy?" She asked, and he studied Rogue's mate for a moment. He recalled that she had always spoke highly of the Celestial Mage from Fairy Tail.

"We will be taking care of her until we hear otherwise. Yukino, she may be from Fairy Tail but she will be needing friends here. Please tell everyone that they have to be friendly towards her, no teasing at first. Also, she will be needing someone to talk to, hopefully she will open up to someone." He stated, watching as she smiled slightly and gave a nod.

"I will make sure everyone knows what is going on until you learn more." She stated, giving a small bow and then turned to leave, but both blinked when Rogue rushed in.

"Something is wrong with Lucy." He stated, and Sting was up and out of his office in a heart beat. He ran all the way to the medical room and froze when he heard Lucy giving out cries of pains even before he reached the door. Pushing it open, he winced as a shrill reached his sensitive ears, and stepped into the room. When he took in the situation, he realized that this was no physical enemy that he could handle, it was a psychological one that was within her nightmare. What the hell was he to do?

Shifting his weight slightly, he inhaled and then eased into a kneeling position beside the bed. Leaning forward, he took her hand in his and then rested his forehead against hers. Doing his best to ignore her small, pain filled whimpers and focused on what he could say to try and calm her down.

"Calm down Lucy. You are with me at Sabertooth, Natsu is nowhere near here. You are safe." He whispered, blinking when she tensed for a moment and squeezed his hand slightly. When she relaxed on a whimper, he gave a small smoothing growl and nudged his nose against her. Smiling when the pained look on her face faded into a peaceful look and he leaned back some. Only to realize that he was in a predicament when he tried to take back his hand that she was refusing to release.

"Looks like you'll be staying with her for the night." Rogue stated, causing him to glare up at the Shadow Dragon Slayer but knew deep down he was right. If he just yanked his hand away, it could very well destroy the peace he had just bestowed upon her, and he never wanted to see that pained look on her face.

"At least give me another sheet. There is no way I'm going to stay kneeling on the floor until she wakes up." He muttered, easing onto the bed and stilled when she tensed again and nearly freaked out when she rolled until her back was to his chest. Wrapping his hand around her waist and shifted until she was in a position where her weight wasn't on her wounded hip, but she was still pressed up against him.

"The hell?!" He hissed, shooting a glare over to Rogue when he started to chuckle softly. Knowing that he was going to get a lot of grief later, he merely laid his head down beside the blonde Celestial Mage as the extra sheet was handed to him.

"Have a good night sleep." Rogue stated, causing Sting to glare at him again.

"So help me Rogue, if the other guild members find out about this I'll hurt you so bad." He growled, turning away from him and then looked down at the woman beside him. She was breathing easily as she slept, and he was still slightly shocked that she was so trustworthy in her sleep. Although, he figured that he would get one hell of an ear full when she finally woke up, and possible a good smack against the head as well.

Looking down at her, he gave a small smile and curled into her. Nuzzling his nose into her hair and inhaled her soothing scent. Even if she did beat his ass later, the fact that he could hold her like this for now would be well worth it. Besides, maybe if she woke up to see that she had nothing to fear from him, he would have a better chance of convincing her that he was her true mate. Just like she was his perfect mate, and that he wouldn't harm her like Natsu had. Giving a faint sigh, he tightened his hold on her briefly before relaxing beside her and closing his eyes. There was nothing he could do at the moment, and he just had to take it one step at a time.