Chapter 4: The Curse of a Dragon
She had been in her office reading letters from prominent guild masters inviting her and her guild for a visit when she heard the commotion upstairs. Knowing that something rarely happened in the guild she just brushed it off as Gray and Natsu fighting like they used to do when she was still a part of the guild. Any moment now Erza would go see what the ruckus was and stop the two idiots from fighting while they became Happy 2 for a while. With a slight laugh she got back to work. Not even two minutes later Kiko came rushing into her office out of breath like she'd just run a marathon and said something that made her blood run cold.
"Master Natsu collapsed and he isn't breathing."
Without a moment's hesitation Arina ran upstairs looking like a wild animal full of worry. The scene in front of her almost made her heart stop Natsu was laying on the ground well Demion was giving him CPR. By the look and how frantic Demion was it wasn't working very well he didn't even seem to mind his patient was a boy. Happy was looking on at the scene concern for his friend and father shining brightly in his eyes, Erza looked as if she thought it was her fault, and Gray just looked grim as he stared at his rival.
"What the hell happened here?" she demanded angrily as she looked from her guild mate to Gray.
"We were just about to enter the rooms Demion was showing us and Natsu collapsed without warning," Gray said and his tone was completely serious a rarity with the ice mage when talking about Natsu.
"The dragon's curse," a very familiar voice from behind her said, as he looped an arm around her casually offering his support.
"What do you mean?" Happy asked his voice full of tears and sadness.
"Every dragon and dragon slayer has a mate, but if they don't officially claim that mate in a certain amount of time it begins to affect them. It's worse if they've already preformed part of the claiming ritual and never got to finish it," Von explained as he surveyed the scene. "Have him drink this and he'll be fine for now."
"How he's out cold it's not like he can drink in his sleep?" Arina stated barely keeping her voice from cracking.
"Easy someone will have to feed it to him by drinking it first," Von said sounding completely emotionless shocking her at his cruelty.
Erza got up as if she was going to take the initiative of helping her team mate, but she knew that the scarlet woman would feel like she had cheated on Jellal if she did. With a sigh she snatched the bottle from Von escaping his hold, drank it, and then proceeded to force Natsu to drink it through a kiss. Even though it was to help him she couldn't deny how soft his lips still were, and as soon as she felt them moving beneath her she stopped. It took everything she had to not throw her arms around him to show him how worried she was when he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Lucy?" he whispered so quietly she was the only one who heard him before closing his eyes again a bright smile on his face as he started to snore.
She blushed as she looked down at the man who had nestled his head into her lap and then started to panic. He had called her Lucy was he just seeing a hallucination, or had her giving him the medicine through a kiss make him realize the truth. He couldn't really know the truth this is Natsu after all the densest guy in Fairy Tail. Arina blushed even more as she realized she had been about to run her fingers through his hair soothingly like she use to do to keep him calm when they had to ride on transportation.
"Can someone move him into his room so I can get up," she demanded more then asked switching back into her fierce Master persona.
"Sorry Master," Demion said as he and Gray picked Natsu up and carried him off.
"He'll be fine now Scarlet-san," Von said emotionlessly before glancing at Arina with a look in his eyes that said we'll talk later.
"Thank you," she said with a weak smile walking back to her room probably to contact Makarov as soon as she could to tell him about the dragons curse and probably to ask him to talk to Gajeel about dragon mates.
"Levy-san would you mind coming to Master's office so we can all talk?" Von said politely even though he still sounded like a robot in Arina's opinion.
"Of course," the white faced woman said her shock as clear as the morning mist.
The three walked down to her office and Arina wondered if by chance Von had heard what Natsu had said. Out of all the members of her guild she knew the least about her second in command and he was the only S rank mage in the guild. She was ranked higher than him and was more powerful, but if it wasn't for Von some of her strategies would have fell through. She knew to outsiders it would seem like they were a couple, but they were really cousins since Von was the great grandson of Mavis Vermillion although Arina was the only one in the guild who knew that. Not even Meredy knew since they were only half siblings, which is why he wasn't with her in town when her home was destroyed.
As she sat down Arina took the time to truly study Levy as Akio curled up on her lap acting more cat like then human. The blue haired mage who had once been her best friend looked more vulnerable then Lucy remembered her eyes seeming as if they'd seen too much sadness. Her hair was longer now down to her back, but the familiar headband was still on her head. There was a lack of a ring on her finger, but Levy was playing with a metal necklace designed roughly like a dragon and she guessed that it was from the iron dragon slayer.
"Levy-san who in your guild is Natsu-san's mate?" Von asked getting right to the point of what he had wanted to talk to her.
"She was a guild member until a couple years ago she left on a mission and no one has seen her since. No one even knew she was his mate until a year after she left when Happy explained to the guild why he was taking it worse than everyone else. Truthfully a lot of the guild members believe that she's dead," Levy answered truthfully which was strange, who else left the guild after she did?
"She can't be dead," Von said without a moment's hesitation.
"How can you be so sure?" Arina asked joining in on the conversation.
"If a male dragons mate, even a dragon slayers, dies the dragon would not be able to live on. Dragons mate for life and to them that means as soon as they feel the death of their loved one they will do something stupid that will end up in their death. The only time this isn't true is if they had a child who was with the dragon at the time of his mate's death. Unlike with their mate a dragon cannot recognize their offspring if they didn't know they had one," Von explained patiently.
"What happens if a mate purposely leaves his or her dragon if they are human?" Levy asked probably worried about Gajeel.
"To the human nothing really except they will keep feeling a pull back to their slayer. If they meet again after one leaves the desire to be with their mate at all times will consume the human. If the human is disguised it usually won't last long since the dragon can smell the original smell beneath the smell of perfume and will eventually recognize that the smell mixed in is fake," he said with a pointed glance in her direction as if he knew who she was.
Looking at both of them and knowing how smart Levy was she knew they would eventually find out the truth if she didn't cover it up. Luckily with her uncle knowing her before she had left Fairy Tail she knew it was time to put her plan into action. She had never understood beforehand what Chagot's message to her had meant four years ago when she warned her it was best not to tell anyone about her discovery, but she had a feeling Chagot knew that Lucy would find the secret of Fairy Tail and need to protect it. If she hadn't had that warning her whole story would have fallen apart and she wouldn't have been able to disappear either.
"Look Levy-san I'll be honest to you since you seem like a bright girl and I can see those gears whirling in your head I'm not Lucy Heartfilia. I know you guy came here to find her and I wish I could help and finally know where I belong," Levy leaned closer when she said that.
"What do you mean where you belong?" Levy asked looking at me curiously.
"You see Levy-san the real reason I haven't told the council who I am is I don't know. I woke up in the town Lamia Scale is stationed in a little over four years ago all I remembered was I'd been attacked and I ended up unlocking the dragon armour. The looks you see now is how I looked back then. Jura approached me I was still in my armour which reflects your soul and he asked who I was because he had thought he was the last Roscheal descendent. I told him the only thing I could remember was the name Arina and that I'd been attacked. He took me into his guild and told me who I had to be because of the armour I was wearing which only a Roscheal can posses, and he asked me to join Lamia Scale, but I refused.
"A year or so later I met the twins and we created Mystic Sirdis for souls lost like us who had nowhere else to turn to. The next to join us was Von his village had been attacked by a beast from the book of Zeref, but Von's magic isn't physical and only truly works on someone with intelligence which the beast didn't have. We helped him get revenge on his village which was empty by the time we got there whether they had all died by the beasts hands and been eaten, or if they had escaped we don't know. We met Kiko, Demion, and Tazz in similar manners, but their stories are for them to tell. I'm sorry I can't be of more help Levy-san."
Most of it wasn't a lie when she had found out she was a Roscheal from Jura she had temporary memory loss. She was only lying about not being herself which no one here could truly prove since Jura himself can back up her entire story including the part of her not remembering anything and that with her armour she looked like the Arina she was now. Levy's eyes were brimmed with tears as she realized she'd been hoping that the woman in front of her was Lu-chan. She fiddled with the necklace made by Gajeel as she accepted the fact that she was told the truth no one would include someone else that it was obvious the other party knew in a lie that could easily be checked.
"I'm sorry Arina I didn't even realize I'd been hoping you'd be Lu-chan until you said it yourself," Levy basically mumbled trying to hide her tears.
"It's fine I think until I told my story Von believed me to be Lucy Heartfilia as well," she replied wishing she didn't have to hurt the girl she'd once shared all her secrets with. 'It's all Gilio's fault,' she huffed in her mind.
Upstairs Natsu jumped awake frantically looking for Lucy. She'd been there when he fell asleep in her bed like always so where was she now. It was then that he realized he was in a strange room and remembered that Lucy had disappeared a little over three years ago. He had thought that he had smelled her briefly after he had woken up from his fainting smell which is why he had fallen asleep so easily. He knew it was impossible though after all this time Lucy wouldn't just suddenly turn up especially if she was hiding from the guild.
"Oy Flame brain's awake," Gray called loudly annoying Natsu.
"Don't call me that Ice breath," he hissed angrily missing Lucy if she saw Gray and him arguing she could get as scary as Erza.
"Oh Natsu-kun how are you feeling?" the impish girl from earlier asked Natsu vaguely remembered her name was Tazz.
"It wasn't you," he mumbled pouting.
"What wasn't?" she asked shocking Natsu since she shouldn't have heard him from over there.
"Who smelled like her, I thought I smelled her before I passed out although the scent was slightly different she smelled like flames to," Natsu found himself saying instead of thinking.
"Tazz, Demion stop using you're magic to spy on him Master only likes doing that to the bad guys," a girl with forest green hair and eyes said winking at him.
"You're no fun Kiko. The Salamander is the most famous dragon slayer out there, but no one even had a clue he was seeing anyone let alone had a mate," Demion said pouting at her as she laughed.
"How do you know I have a mate?" he asked panicking no one not even Happy knew that she was truly his mate in his mind any way.
"Because of Von he said it was the dragon's curse affecting you Natsu their master had to give you the medicine," Erza said walking into the room blushing as she said the last little bit.
"How could you give me medicine when I'm sleeping?" he asked sounding totally oblivious.
"Through a kiss," the imp said smirking.
Natsu's eyes went round their master had kissed him in order to give him medicine. She seemed like the only one she really worried about was her daughter although she seemed to care for her guild as well they didn't feel as much as a family as Fairy Tail, although most of his guild grew up together. Wait if she did that wasn't that technically cheating on his mate?! His internal panic seemed to register as Erza looked at him in pity and he knew that she would have felt the same if she had to have been the one to do it.
"I would have to help you Natsu, but she seemed to glance at me her eyes went wide in realization for what I don't know, and then she grabbed the flask from Von before anyone knew what was going on she was feeding you the medicine," Erza said blushing again.
"Erza she probably thought that if you did it you'd see it as cheating on Jellal," Gray said which made sense to the rest of them.
"Master always does seem to know someone's feelings we've always wondered if that is her first magic," Kiko said slapping a hand over her mouth. "Demion don't make me speak my thoughts!" she said stomping her foot like a child.
"Wait wondered you don't know what her first magic is?" Natsu asked shocked it was rare for a mage to have to magic's let alone hide one of them especially if the secondary one wasn't some kind of eye magic.
"We all know she has another magic, but she's never shown it to us. The Master is secretive that way," Kiko said with a sigh making Natsu wonder if she wished her Master confided in her more.
"Before you guys think she's Lucy don't bother it's impossible. Lucy disappeared three years ago, and Master Roscheal lost her memories four years ago and found out she was a Roscheal from Jura," Levy said walking into the room having left after she had been told Master Roscheal's story.
"Are you sure she was telling the truth," Erza demanded.
"Yes she wouldn't have mentioned Jura knowing we'd check her story out later on if it wasn't true. I guess she fears finding out her past which is why she hasn't told the council the true reason why she can't tell them who she really is," Levy said looking like she was physically deflating in front of them. "Besides don't you think if she was really Lucy that Natsu would have smelled it right away she might be able to change her looks, but even using perfume you can't fool a dragon slayers nose, right Natsu?"
"Normally I could agree to that Levy, but there is a time when someone's scent has changed. After they have mated to a dragon slayer, or after they have had a child their scent will change slightly, but it could be a big enough change that the slayer wouldn't truly recognize someone if they have completely changed their appearance," he told her as he realized with Akio being born even if Arina was Lucy, or someone they had met on a previous mission Natsu wouldn't be able to confirm for sure.
"Wait that means you know..." Levy trailed off blushing.
"Yes Wendy and I both know that you and Gajeel are mates," Natsu said then realized he shouldn't have because she had wanted to keep it a secret.
"What!" Gray and Erza exclaimed together looking at Levy.
"Natsu," she said glaring daggers at him.
"Sorry Levy I forgot they were here for a minute," Natsu said putting on his best pity me look I'm too dense to realize what I just did.
"Whatever Natsu. Erza, Gray can you keep this a secret for a while Gajeel and I don't want Mira to go crazy and start planning our wedding. We want to wait until we find out where Lucy is, with her being your mate Natsu we know she is still alive," Levy said knowing they'd understand since she and Lucy had promised to be each other's maid of honour or matron if the other was already married.
"How would my being her mate mean she is alive?" Natsu asked looking at Levy hopefully.
"When Von was talking to Master Roscheal and I he mentioned that a dragon will usually kill themselves after they feel their mate die. Even if you weren't there when she dies Natsu you'd know and unless if you two had a child that you are aware of you'd kill yourself immediately to be with your mate," Levy told them looking sad as she realized if she and Gajeel didn't have a child and she died the man she loved would soon follow her.
"Being mated is a special thing Levy-san, Natsu-kun, never take it for granted. Most people in their lives will never meet their soul mate," Von said walking into the room his mask slipping just for a moment to show unimaginable pain. "A dragon without a mate, or who has never met their mate is the saddest thing in existence. If Acnologia had, had a mate he might have never became such a blood thirsty mindless beast."
"I've been meaning to ask Von why do you smell like a dragon?" Natsu asked looking up at the other man hopefully.
"I don't know what you're talking about Natsu-kun. I've never met a dragon in my life and I do remember my entire life," he said pointedly to make sure they knew he didn't have amnesia as well at least that's how it seemed to Natsu.
"Oh, ok," Natsu replied frowning sadly as he realized he still had no leads to Igneel since he disappeared.
"I should just give you all a warning the girl you are searching for is most likely in hiding from the dark guilds. Many of them have her on their hitless and have been trying to recruit my master to open some gate that this girl knows where is. According to them only a Roscheal can open the gate, but no one knows where it is except for that girl from what my sources say. Your search for her will put her into even more danger," he said staring at each of them in turn before leaving the room not minding that he'd put the mages into turmoil over the new information.
He wouldn't let anyone harm his cousin and she'd be forced to open this gate if that girl was found. His Master was known for doing anything to save the life of an innocent she'd rather die herself then watch someone else die. It was the reason why he'd been keeping track of Gilio's movements the second he had any hint that Gilio the girl he'd make sure to kill her first. He had lost too many people in his life and he owed her so much, if he had to become a killer for the one who pulled him out of his darkness he would. He knew she knew his true identity which is why it puzzled him that she had made so many cover stories for him as if she was protecting him from something. The moment they found her he would kill Lucy Heartfilia and save Arina from opening the gate that would end up destroying her and making her fall into the darkness.