Destiny's Demise
Chapter 3: The Pain
About twenty minutes later the group was up and ready for their expedition to find their employer. Erza and Wendy tied their hair up to escape the humidity, while Gray's was too short to be affected by it, and Carla had applied some de-frizz lotion to her.
Happy and Natsu on the other hand, found out the effects of an after storm humidity wave the second they stepped out the inn door.
"Natsu...you look like someone stuck a pink fur ball to your head...twice." Gray joked. Natsu hated to admit it, but it was true. Having let his hair grow out longer caused it to puff up like a mane. And on top of that mane was a blue pompom making odd sounds like a cat speaking.
"Stupid Ice princess!" Natsu growled irritably.
"Say what, pink poodle?"Gray hissed back.
Erza, Wendy and Carla walked ahead holding a map out. "So according to the inn keeper, the place we're looking for is on the outskirts of the town." Carla recited.
"That means...we go right!" Erza deduced, turning a sharp 90 degree angle down an alleyway.
"Um...Erza-san." Wendy intervened. "You've got the map...um, upside down."
Erza stopped, looking down at her hands and the map and thought hard. "Left, we go!" Erza declared, rapidly turning out the alleyway with unstoppable determination.
"We really shouldn't have let Erza lead the way." Gray and Natsu grumbled simultaneously.
Two and a half hours later, they finally made it to the north-east outskirts of the town through quiet back alleys and side streets. Main roads and shopping streets were jam packed with so many people, it was almost impossible to get through. There were stalls, street performers, music and dancing.
Natsu couldn't help the notice the fire symbol on nearly everything. So much so, he was beginning to feel a growing curiosity towards the so-called heroes; the fire troupe.
Houses began to scatter out and disperse the further away they got from the town. The houses were still stained the burning colours of a sunset. All except for one.
When they reached their destination, they noticed the small concrete bungalow painted a gloomy shade of grey.
"It seems as though our client isn't as supportive of the fire troupe." Gray commented.
"I wonder why not?" Wendy thought aloud.
"Let's find out shall we?" Erza suggested, already heading down the damp dirt path towards the shady bungalow.
The group followed shortly after her.
They met a narrow wooden door that had a pin-size hole half-covered by a piece of metal near the top. A heavy gauntlet rasped against it.
"Who's there?" A dry-cracked voice screamed back almost instantly. Everyone leapt in fright at the sheer volume of the voice.
"W- We're from Fairy Tail. You sent us a request about a missing child?" Erza recovered. There was a short moment of suspended silence.
A faint click echoed behind the door. It was soon followed by a loud creak with the door swinging open. "I see... that's why none of my traps had gone off."The voice grumbled from low down. Twelve wizard eyes fell onto the short women at the door.
She was barely taller than Natsu's knee; which was about the same size as Happy. Long grey hair fell down her back and trailed endlessly into the room and out of sight. Pale beady eyes reviewed them each at a time. Skin from her face drooped heavily from her cheeks bones and wrinkled the corner of her eyes.
"Are you Madam Charlotte?" Gray asked cautiously.
"I am!" The woman bellowed.
"Is this old lady-" Natsu went to speak before something suddenly caught him at the back of his head, sending his face shovelling for dirt. Pain resonated waves of headaches through his thick skull.
When he looked up, he saw the old lady stood in front of him, one hand fiddling with a plastic device in her ear, the other holding a newspaper. The old lady hit him with a newspaper...but it hurt so much...How?!
"Close your mouth dear, or you'll catch flies." The woman spoke softly, tapping the chin of Natsu's jaw-dropped face gently. "Follow me." She ordered, disappearing behind the door.
"Scary..." The guys mumbled in shock.
"How is she in such good shape?" Gray grumbled in disbelief.
"How can she jump so high?" Happy questioned, thinking of how she reached the super-tall dragon slayers head. After all, he was the tallest among them, with Gray as a close second.
"How is she so strong?" Natsu whimpered, nursing his wounds.
Erza, Wendy and Carla, on the contrary, looked delighted and inspired with the woman as they followed thoughtlessly into the bungalow.
Inside there was only the bare necessity; a small kitchen with an old iron stove, a fire place, a small bathroom, two soldier beds and a couch. There was also a small rocking chair where the old lady rocked back and forth.
It would have seemed normal if it wasn't for all the hair. It was everywhere! Endlessly looping around objects, tracking on the floor, hanging from the ceiling. Natsu couldn't even tell where it ended. All he knew was that it started from the back of the small woman's head. Natsu felt the dire need to cut his hair at that moment.
The girls sat on the couch, divided by trailing hair, while the boys manoeuvred around the sashes of hanging grey threads to stand behind them.
"I am Madam Charlotte. I am the one who posted that request." The old woman stated, creaking back on her chair.
"You send this request mentioning a missing child. Could you please elaborate?" Erza requested politely.
"Yes." The woman answered warily. The creaking of her chair stopped. "Have you heard of the Earl to the west?"
"Yes, the inn keeper in town told us about him." Erza responded.
"So you know what he's like?" She asked and they each nodded in turn. "Then you won't find it hard to believe me when I tell you he's the one who kidnapped my son."
"The Earl did?" Gray cut in with Natsu close on his heels.
"I thought the fire troupe was protecting the town from the likes of him?" Natsu exclaimed.
"Ah, Tanaka told you of the fire troupe as well. Well, my son was kidnapped a few days before the fire troupe arrived. I pleaded and pleaded but they said that they couldn't go save him and that I should move on." Tears began to swell in Madam Charlotte's small eyes, cupped by the small bags under her lower lid. "But how is a mother supposed to forget about her own son so easily?" Wendy leapt forwards to comfort the woman.
"I had a feeling there wasn't something quite right about this fire troupe." Natsu growled. "How could someone say that?"
"Calm down, Natsu." Erza snapped, catching his attention.
"How am I supposed to calm down when those people expect others to leave behind the people they love?" Natsu roared. His breath was hot and heavy, the anger slowly drawing to a stop, and his words dawning on him. Everyone around him stared in surprise. Even Happy was left speechless. Natsu's mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. He closed it shut again before he simply turned and left out the door.
"Natsu..." Happy whimpered after him.
Smoke was brimming from his ears. Nails dug into his clenched fists. Sparks danced feverously over his skin as frustration was rising again like a sudden emotional flood gate had burst open.
"Dammit!" Natsu growled, slamming his fist into the nearest tree. It slammed into the bark, sending splintered wood scattering.
His fist stayed buried in the tree for a long while. Slowly, but surely, the flood gates closed and the heat boiling his frustration died. In the end, he was left with a sense of irritation and tiredness. The previous storm had tired him enough and the emotions just amplified that.
Carefully, Natsu drew back his fist, bark crumbling against the forest floor. Wait...A forest? Dark eyes leapt around manically. There were trees! Trees everywhere! As far as the eye could see! But when did he even come into the forest? He didn't even remember there even being forest. How far had he walked in his moment of blind frustration?
"Those who wander are like those who search." An all too familiar voice began. "They look and look at everything in hopes of finding something. But when they walk too far, or look too long, they seem to forget the something their searching for."
"You again." Natsu growled, turning to his right. In the branches of the half-broken tree was, as expected, Desmond. The grey rag cloak was off and folded over his lap, revealing his worse torn black shirt and trousers. His bare feet fiddled with a fragile branch and his hands were holding another broken branch like a wand, letting the leaves rustle as he flicked it around in the air. "Why do you always appear when I'm on my own? And why more riddles?" Natsu growled, with more irritation than actual threat. A thought spun on his face as he clasped his head in his palms. "I must be going crazy..."
"Crazy or Sane? Blind or Sight? Here or not?" Desmond sang. "Either way, a pair of an opposite attract like magnets."
"Are you saying we're both crazy or just me?" Natsu asked wearily, looking up from his palms with tired eyes. "You know what, don't answer that."
Desmond just gave him a knowing smile, as if he knew everything in the world. Natsu couldn't be sure he didn't. "So..." Natsu left his crazy diagnosis for later. "What's this something I'm supposedly searching for?"
Desmond twiddled his twig in the air with a thoughtful expression, before letting it fall onto the dragon slayer. "Leaves dance as they fall in the season of autumn. But now the rain comes in spring where the saplings grow." Desmond responded in the same manner as usual; a riddle, much to Natsu's disappointment.
"A tree again?" Natsu growled, swinging his arm out to his side and turning, gesturing to all the trees. "If you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by trees!" He called. But as it turned out, he wasn't talking to anyone; the tree branch was vacant with the twig balanced in the branch, pointing down at him.
"I've really got to stop turning my back on that guy." Natsu sighed, watching the green spring leaves fall onto the dragon slayers pink hair. "I really am crazy." He grumbled, plucking the leaves from his soft, spiky hair. "Hey, my hair went down!" His puffy mane had settled back into his normal shaggy spikes, much to his relief.
Suddenly, something tore through the leaf, snapping the green in half. Flames instantly coiled around his fists, but he was already surrounded. Fifteen? Sixteen? No, there were almost thirty figures in black, harboured within the forests.
"Come on out! I know you're there!" Natsu roared. One by one they slowly emerged from all around him in a fifty meter radius.
"Leave wizard. You are not permitted in the forest of the west." One spoke.
"Oh yeah? Who said that?" Natsu taunted, but his body was on high alert. Those people were dangerous.
"The Earl of the West, our Lord." It replied. So they worked under the tyrant lord. "Please leave."
"And if I say no?" Natsu knew he was poking the sleeping beast, but he had a feeling if he did choose to leave, it wouldn't be alive.
"We will have you escorted off the property." It formally answered.
"Okay, then." Natsu gave up, diminishing his flames and raising his hands in surrender. "I think I'll leave..."
The dragon slayer was slowly turning his back on them, seeing the tree ahead of him where a thin, red-tailed dart stuck into the tree. It must have been what broke the leaf. But there wasn't something familiar about it, something he didn't like. Just as he turned the wind rustled through the forest, scattering fallen leaves.
"NOT!" Natsu bellowed, flames coating his fists as it slammed into the advancing body of the man in black, sending him flying through the forest, knocking down trees with such powerful force.
A split second later, the other 29 launched forwards.
"Don't think I just sat around for three years!" Natsu yelled. "Dragon slayer art..." Natsu began to call, just as the figures collapsed against the ground. Dark eyes widened in surprise, staring at them dumbfounded.
Every single one of them was unconscious. "Wow, I mean I knew I can be intimidating but..." something caught the corner of his eye. Knees lowered him down towards one of the fallen henchmen. A barely visible glass needle stuck into their neck. "What is that?" The dragon slayer wandered reaching forwards.
"Touch that and you'll be poisoned like the rest of them." A young voice warned. Natsu pulled back his hand and turned around.
Soft lilac hair fell on either side of a small round face. A purple and black crop top and shorts clutched to her slim straight figure. Pale skin contrasted to her deep brown eyes. But what caught Natsu's eye the most was the tattoo on her hip; the symbol of the fire troupe that nearly every towns folk had, except it had the number '6' in the middle.
"Pretty neat huh," She grinned, fanning out a display of glass needles in one hand. Dark eyes jumped back to the figure on the ground, but the needle was gone.
"How did you?" Natsu uttered in astonishment.
"The others called me whippet like the race dog. I'm the fastest runner mage in the entire country." The girl bragged. "My real name is Mana though, Mana Cartel.
"Why are you telling me this?" Natsu felt his suspicions rise up. The girl had to be no older than 15 or 16; however, he couldn't help but wonder who she was and what she wanted. There was something not quite right about her.
"I thought it would be rude if I began groundlessly telling you to leave without telling you my name first." The girl replied. "And I don't want to end up like that guy you sent flying back there."
"If you wanted me to leave, you should have left it up to those guys." Natsu countered, nudging a body on the floor with his foot.
"No can do." She sighed, wagging a finger playfully. "The number one rule for all members is to never leave anyone where you can offer your help. Although you probably didn't need it." She added, thinking back to the man who took down the line of trees in the distance
"And what group do you belong to?" Natsu asked, half with actually mild curiosity.
"Huh? You don't recognise this?" the girl tapped her tattoo, and pointed to herself. "I'm a member of the fire troupe."
"You're a member of the fire troupe?" Natsu exclaimed.
"You can tell the actual members apart from the fans because of the number. Look, mine has a si-"The girl couldn't finish her sentence before a fist crashed into the tree besides her, dodging her face by an inch.
"HEY!" Mana snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"
A dark shadow cast over his face, his pink hair falling like a veil. His body was frozen with an inhuman stillness. Only his voice resonated through the quiet forest.
"You're the group that claim to be the saviours of that town? That claim to be heroes? That renames the town?" Natsu growled, his voice rising sharply. "Yet, you dare...you dare." Suddenly his neck snapped up and his hair fell back, his eyes burning into the girl with terrifying intensity.. "YOU DARE TELL SOMEONE TO LEAVE THEIR LOVED ONE TO DIE!"
Flames burst uncontrollably from his fist. They were so hot that the tree burst into flames instantly and crumbled to dust in seconds.
The girl stumbled backwards on to the pile of ash, scrambling back in shock to avoid his gaze.
"DEVIL: SINNER'S FIRE!" A voice yelled from afar. Natsu had no time to react as a ball of silver fire rushed into his chest, knocking his feet out from underneath him.
The dragon slayer was sent rocketing through tree after tree, shattering each one into a thousand shards. "Iron fist of the fire dragon!" Natsu yelled, slamming his fist down. The bullet crashed down into the earth and the dragon slayer came to painful crash against a large oak tree.
Despite his injuries, his anger fuelled him forwards back towards where the girl was. He wanted answers and a super huge ball of fire wasn't going to stop him.
He must have flown at least a mile before he managed to get back.
When he arrived, it was just as expected; they were gone. The red tailed dart in the tree was also gone. All that was left was the pile of ash, without even the men in black's bodies to suggest anyone else but Natsu was there.
As he worked his way back to the bungalow, his rage quelled and the pain set in. A dull throbbing sent aching pulses through every one of his muscles. Whatever the attack was that hit him, had early packed a punch.
On his way back, he checked to see if the fire ball was still there, but it wasn't, there was just a gaping crater and charred soil. Everything seemed to be disappearing on him recently. Speaking of disappearing, he had forgotten about Desmond. Wasn't they talking about a tree? Oh well, Natsu had yet to find any meaning in what nonsense Desmond sprouted. At least that day on the hill, he somewhat understood. After, he began appearing more and more with more riddles to share. Natsu was beginning to lose the little will he had to think.
By the time night fell on the little town hope, Natsu had finally managed to make it back. He ached all over and was harbouring a tired and irritable attitude. What made things worse was the constant reminder of his frustration towards the fire troupe throughout the town.
"Natsu!" Happy called from the sky. "Where were you? Everyone's waiting at the inn." White wings dissolved into the dust as the cat fell into walk besides him.
"Yo, Happy." Natsu grumbled.
"You look terrible. Did you fall down somewhere?" Happy asked curiously. White wings reappeared as the cat wanted a closer look at the bruised and swollen face of the dragon slayer.
"Something like that." Natsu grumbled, raking a hand through his hair as the pair walked back to the inn.
Back at the inn...
"You were attacked!" The group exclaimed.
"By who?" Erza interrogated the tired pink-haired boy. "Why? When? Where?"
"In some woods. Once I left the bungalow-" Natsu began. A heavy crush of a gauntlet crashed against skull. "OW!" Natsu yelped. "What was that for?"
"Storming off on your own during a mission." Erza bluntly replied. "Continue."
Natsu didn't have the energy to argue. He leaned back in the red couch as Wendy began to heal his bruises, leaving Erza's painful headache be for punishment purposes.
"I ended up in the west forest somehow and Desmond showed up with another weird riddle. After that, there were these people in black who ambushed me. I got one of 'em, but they all got shot in the neck with this invisible needle and went down. Before, I knew it, there was this girl calling herself 'Muppet' and claimed she was a troupe member, and then..." Natsu's voice drowned out, his fists coiling up at his sides.
"And then what?" Grey pressed, but his eyes showed what he was expecting to come.
"I got mad." Natsu replied. "But this big grey fire ball sent me crashing a mile through the trees. When I managed to get back, they were gone." Skin throbbed as his hand squeezed even tighter with the memoires of his old frustrations creeping up. They died the instant the gauntlet knocked his face against the floor.
"Natsu?" Happy exclaimed, flying to the pile of bones groaning in pain against the bristly rug.
"That was for getting into a fight...alone," Erza scolded. "Don't do it again."
"Y- Yes mam'." Natsu groaned.
Gray stared across the room. Even though Erza said that, she was actually afraid of leaving Natsu alone. Who really knew where Natsu's pent up anger and frustration would take him? If he had gone wild after Lucy's death and fought anyone and everyone it would have been best. Instead, he just shut it all away, leaving the anger to fester inside of him like some kind of disease.
"Everyone needs to get some rest; we'll set out for the west castle tomorrow." Erza commanded and disappeared behind her door. Wendy and Carla followed soon after.
It was just Gray, Natsu and Happy.
"By the way, Natsu," Gray turned from their bedroom doorway. "Who's Desmond?"
Natsu flinched. He'd accidentally brought up the maybe delusional, maybe real, guy before the dragon slayer could determine whether he was a figment of his imagination or not. "Um, just some guy I saw in the forest." Natsu shrugged, climbing to his feet.
"Oh," Gray replied. His dark eyes gave him a long, knowing stare, before he finally turned and disappeared behind the door.
"Natsu," Happy spoke, and the dragon slayer turned towards him. "Are you crazy?"
"W- What? Why do you say that?" Natsu replied in panic. Could Natsu really be crazy and Happy noticed it too? If that was the case he must be crazy; he trusts Happy too much to doubt him.
"I mean, fighting a girl and losing?" Happy shrugged. Natsu stared at him with wide eyes and a hanging mouth in astonishment, before realising what they cat had suggested.
"Hey!" Natsu snapped with relief and irritation. "I didn't lose! And it wasn't the girl! It was someone else who beat me up!"
"Oh, so you did lose, just not to that girl. Okay, Natsu! I understand now." Happy grinned mischievously, skipping happily towards the door.
"Oi! I told you I didn't lose!" Natsu protested, following after him.
Birds tweeted harmonically, darting around the blue skies above the burning colours of the forest below; greens, browns, reds and yellows all hung from the darkening branches in small clusters as they began to prepare for the on coming winter. As the faintly chilling breeze dusted the fallen leaves across the soft green grass, it held a the weak crisp scent of the season, capturing the dragon slayer's sensitive nose.
"Natsu!" Lucy called from ahead. Long blonde hair captured in the wind sailed like a golden flag with a pale arm waving encouragingly at the pink-haired boy lumbering tiredly behind. "Come on or we'll miss it!"
"Did we really have to walk this far?" Natsu whined, heaving a large sigh as his head lifted up against his slumping shoulders. Dark black eyes looked at Lucy's excited brown eyes with a pout on his lips.
"Don't whine." Lucy chastised, wagging a pale finger at his face when he finally caught up to her. Another hand set on her hip, displaying her natural authoritative stance at the dragon slayer. "It'll be worth the walk." Brown irises turned back to look up at the path ahead of them with a pleasant smile at the bright sunlight shining down on them both. They fell back onto the exhausted and unmotivated dragon slayer dragging his feet along the grass, scuffing up handfuls of blades at a time, continuing to walk up the slope of the approaching tall hill. Finally, a soft sigh escaped her smiling sympathetic lips. "We can eat the picnic when we get there." She added, watching the dull black eyes appear full of life again. They dazed off into a little thought bubble of his own as his mouth slowly fell open.
"Food..." Natsu drooled with a pleasantly relaxed face. Lucy heard the sound of the bubble pop as the slayer straightened his spine, turning onto the girl as quick as a whip. Warm large hands rested heavily on her shoulders, making the girl jump as he brought his face suddenly close to hers. Pink eyebrows knitted together as dark black eyes began to fill with seriousness. "The faster we get there the quicker we get to eat, right?"
"Yeah..." Lucy uttered, hearing her voice come out small and quiet through the burning pink pallor of her cheeks. A rustling wind whispered through the tree tops as Lucy felt the familiar dread in her stomach when she looked at the dragon slayer's widening bright eyes with a concerning gleam. "Natsu, what are you-"
Before the mage got a chance to finish what she was saying, her stomach rose into her chest as she was tossed into the air. A frightened scream caught in her mouth by her heart flying into her throat, caught in the momentary freeze of mid air. When she landed in the big pair of warm, strong arms, the scream finally found its way out. "KYAA! NATSU!" She cried, but his feet were already racing up the big green hill at an inhuman rate.
When they finally reached the top, Natsu gently set the girl down one leg at a time. Disorientation hit her first as her weak legs stumbled across the grass like a drunkard. A white hand landed heavily against the tall wide oak that sat on the hill looking out over Magnolia's familiar city buildings as the sapphire blue ocean that laid even further into the distance.
A frightening silence fell over the celestial mage as the dragon slayer's innocently curious eyes tried to see past the veil of blonde shadowing her eyes.
"Um...Luce?" Natsu spoke, reaching out a hand. It got within an inch of her arm before it ended up jerking back, along with the rest of his body. Steam sizzled from the end of the spirit wizard's shoe, as her brown eyes glared down at the dragon slayer. The famous 'Lucy kick' had sent the slayer flying backwards by a good couple of feet in surprise where he still laid crippled on the grass. Fortunately for him, it hadn't contained enough force to send him flying back down the hill. However, it did leave his face with a stinging pink mark across his cheek in the shape of footprint.
The anger swept from her with a satisfied smile, her brown eyes capturing something in the distance. Flaxen stands of hair swept through the crisp air, spinning on her heels. The feet never stopped moving as they swept swiftly across the grass as she raced to the other side of the hill.
Deep chocolate irises looked out over into the October sky hanging above the evening city and the gentle oceans. Cool blues were fading into the golden yellows and burning reds cast across the canvassed sky like an artist's brush, smothered by the burning glow of the setting sun. It was as if the sky had been lit by dazzling flames, curling around the orb of light setting on the horizon, melting into the deep blue waves of the ocean.
"Look Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, unable to take her eyes away from the scene in front of her for a second. "Quick come look!" She cried, suddenly turning her face towards him.
His strong arms held his aching body up when he felt his breath fall silent. Dark onyx jewels stared forwards like frozen glass, captured by the scene right before his eyes. His heart in his chest stilled as a warm heat flushed through his entire body, dropping his jaw down so low it almost touched the grass.
Beautiful golden hair danced over the burning orange skies. Big brown eyes like the sweet colour of honey as the light swept over her flawless pale skin. A big smile on her calm, inspired face looked down on him with so much joy it was overwhelming. The autumnal sun's florescent light burned a ring of light around the mage's glowing body. Dark eyes stared at the girl like the prettiest jewel in the world, alight with the colour of nature.
Her smile grew wider as a pale white hand swept through the air, extending down to the boy.
At first he looked at it with a confused stare, but as he turned back to her beautiful face, he instantly knew what he meant. Pink hair rustled in the growing breeze as his hand reached forwards, rising from his knees.
Just as his fingers closed in near hers, he felt the ice cold patter of rain drops on his skin. Onyx irises fell down on his lightly tanned skin, seeing the small tears of water run down the surface of his skin. Grey clouds clotted heavily above the sky, smothering the warm autumn glow. White light rippled through the darkness like flashing knives with the thunder splitting the air with its terrifying roars. Light rain instantly swarmed into a heavy shower as it crashed to the ground in waves.
Wet mud crashed against the slayer's face as his body was thrust down into the deep, thick puddles. "LUCY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Black, dull eyes fell onto the figure, swallowed by the deep veil of rain around her dirt stained face. Soft brown orbs, wide with sadness and fear, could barely hang on any longer. The white outstretched hand desperately reaching for him was growing weaker. Blonde hair plastered by the rain and dyed brown by the mud, clung to her paling skin. "LET ME GO!" The dragon slayer roared, desperately begging his body to move. But all of it was futile.
Time seemed to slow and sound seemed to fall silent as the strength finally swept from the girl. Her long white arm, extending out to him, used its final strength, dropping into the wet mud splattering up her skin. The despairing expression on her white face faded into nothing. Chocolate brown irises that pleaded to him, lost their hoping glow as her pale eyes finally fell shut. The last few tears rolled down her cold cheeks and her body went still.
"No...it can't be..." Natsu uttered, dark eyes staring wide at the still figure in the distance. Something sharp reached into his chest and lunged for his heart, tearing it from his ribs. Hot heavy breathes felt like stones being shoved down his throat. Water welled up at the edges of his frozen glass eyes as burning tears rolled down over his numb cheeks. All his mind, body and soul burst at the crash of the thunder as he fell into the closing darkness of agony and rage. "NO! LUCY!"
The dragon slayer launched forwards, darkness instantly swallowing his vision. Panic coursed through his veins as his heart crashed against his rib cage like a wild horse. Deep heavy breathes panted through his dry, raw throat as cold sweat ran down over his numb shaking body.
As his eyes slowly adjusted and his racing heart calmed, Natsu began to recognise his surroundings; he was in his bed, in the inn. A shaky, tired sigh slowly chattered from his lips, his face dropping into his palms. Fingertips pressed against the ice cold skin of his face, feeling the wet damp contours of his cheeks. When he pulled them away, he saw the small rain droplets running down his palm. More rolled down his chin, pitter pattering against the sheets beneath his sharp elbows. An alienated stare glowered down at them in confusion when his mind wondered if there was a leak. He looked up, and looked across the room to the window above where the ice mage was asleep in the twin bed across from him, and saw no leak. It was at that moment, that he reached up again and felt the damp skin under his raw, tired eyes. He had been crying.
Night still darkened the city sky as ferocious winds restlessly rattled the pain-curling windows. Fog dusted the cold streets as condensate water droplets latched to the glass and distorted the view on the other side through the water prisms.
Onyx eyes leapt to the other side of the room and back to the bottom of his bed where he slipped his legs out from under the warm cotton sheets. Both Gray and Happy were sleeping soundly when his feet touched the cold wooden floor, picking up his heavy body from the bed. Fortunately, he managed to make it to the door without disturbing the pair, quick-stepping over the floorboards that creaked and slipping out the plain white door.
On the other side pf the door, darkness still shrouded the lobby as the pink-haired boy cautiously studied his surroundings with his sharp dragon slayer eyes. The vague shape of the lantern across the room caught his eyes and he made his way towards it, carefully trying to avoid the table and chairs. A small flame leapt up from his finger and jumped to life in the lantern. The dragon slayer set it on the table, analysing his pink red toe that inevitably managed to stub itself on every leg it could find. With an extra fiddle with the key, the flame grew even bigger and managed to give the room a dim lighting.
Wheezing puffs of air leapt from the cushions when the dragon slayer dropped his body onto the soft couch with heavy sigh, tucking his hands behind his head. Jet black eyes stared dully up at the plain ceiling, listening to the turbulent winds rattling the loose windows and the soft whispers of his sleeping friends.
It had been a while since Natsu had been in a happy dream with Lucy, although, it ended up the way they always did. Still, it reminded him of the times from long, long ago when he still understood what true happiness was. Every time he thought back to that far away feeling, it always made him realise how lonely he felt without her. At those times, he wished he could see her smile more than anything. "Natsu," Her voice resounded in his ears like a chiming bell that echoed into the darkness locked up deep inside. All of it made his heart ache and his eyes sting, reminding him just how fragile the cold soul inside of him was. It was still surprising to find he was crying; after that day that she went missing, Natsu hadn't been able to cry since. Even at her funeral, his body just couldn't bring himself to shed one tear.
However, he knew the reason he had cried at that dream; it wasn't for the sorrow he buried, but for the happiness he missed.
Natsu tossed and turned but found his mind on and endless loop, digging its way into the hidden part of his heart where his old, shut-off emotions were locked away. As the night drew on, it seemed like rest was fleeting even further away from him.
Next Monday; Chapter 4:
Team Natsu finds them put in an unlikely predicament when the rest of the team finally come face to face with the Fire Troupe...
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-A-ccentric
