Natsu's POV
"A-Acnologia!" yelled the guild in unison their screams piercing my sensitive eardrums.
"You mean the dragon that none of us could do a thing against?" yelled Levy.
"That thing we couldn't even scratch when all of us combined our magic on Tenrou Island?"said Grey.
"Your telling me that Natsu and Lucy's brat is going to be able to kill it. I-I can't even begin to imagine that happening." said Kana.
I was getting ticked off at this point. I clenched my jaw and ground my teeth determined to keep back any snide comments that I wanted to blurt out. I had a tendency to speak with out thinking, and it usually got me in trouble, but I wasn't exactly known for my saintly patience. This was the second time someone had commented on how surprised they were that I would father such a powerful child. Why was it such a surprise? I mean I'm the son of the Fire Dragon King Igneel after all. I put all that aside for now, I was getting tired of the guilds relentless questioning. I understood their curiosity don't get me wrong, but I had been empty, and dying more and more each day that I spent apart from Lucy. I needed to see her, and the quicker the better. My Lucy was in a coma…and the baby...
"I don't care how powerful she is! All that matters is that she and Lucy survive this ordeal, that they come out of this healthy. Enough questions, and enough stalling Loke. I want to see Lucy, and I want to see her now!"
Loke began panicking, "I-I"
"Damn it! Loke don't push my patience, I'm afraid I've already used up my daily allowance. Take me to my mate!"
I couldn't contain my anger any longer. My instincts were screaming at me to go to Lucy, to hold her in my arms, and never let her go. I burst into flames, and try as I might I could no longer contain them. Loke had taken my mate away from me, my pregnant mate. She was in a coma from crying out loud! That wouldn't due. I wanted to see her chocolate brown eyes for my self, always filled with so much emotion, so much kindness, so much life. I wanted to smell her warm vanilla scent that both calmed me and drove me insane with desire. I wanted to see her smile back at me; that smile...it lit up a room, it made everyone smile back. It was my favorite thing about her.
The beast was out, and I wouldn't be calmed.
"Lucy! I want Lucy! I've waited long enough. Five months…five months of hell. You have no idea what I went through! No idea at all what it's like for a dragon to live with out his mate. Everything, she is my everything!" I yelled.
"Natsu, you need to calm down." instructed master.
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
"Extinguish your flames this instant Natsu! That's an order!" said master.
I couldn't obey. Lucy, Lucy, Luce…her name kept repeating itself like a broken record.
"Natsu if you come with me, who will get the cursed objects?"
"We will of course," stated Grey and Erza. "Aye!" said Happy. "I'll do anything to see Natsu smile again." said the blue exceed.
Just then a cloaked figure opened the doorway to the guild. "Alastair…" stated Loke.
"You know this man?'' asked Natsu.
There was something that was off putting about the man. I didn't trust him, not as far as I could through him.
"This is the man, who told Lucy she was pregnant with a dragon master."
"And how would you possibly know that?" asked Natsu.
"I have my ways, and it seems the cat is out of the bag. I thought your master gave you orders not to divuldge her state to the guild. I'm quite sure you shattered all her hard work faking her death. Such a shame you can't obey simple orders. Is this whats been keeping you? I thought I sent you to get a healer not to chitchat. While you were here catching everybody up, your master woke up and she's been screaming in pain since. Now quit your dilly-dallying and bring me the healer and the cursed objects if you want any chance of saving the girl."
"The objects have not yet been retrieved." stated Loke.
Alastair gave an impatient sigh, "Very well show me this healer then."
"Well there are two of them one of them is Porlyusica, the other is the sky dragon slayer Wendy."
"Bring them both, we will see who is more effective. Lets be off then." I got up to follow them as well.
"And where do you think your going pinky?" asked Alastair.
"I'm going with you. I'm going to see my mate, and I'll be damned if I let someone like you stand in my way."
"The boy will come," said Porlyusica.
"Dragons have the ability of absorbing magic from their mates, he will be the most useful treatment to alleviate the pain, and absorb the excess magic for the young mage."
"Very well. When you have retrieved the cursed objects give them to Loke and he will bring them to me."
"We want to see Lucy too." said Erza.
"I don't care. Enough people know about her as is, and it is dangerous enough. If word gets about the pregnancy both she and everyone associated with her will be in danger, so you would all do well to keep you mouths shut."
He grabbed Natsu, Porlyusica and Wendy and formed a circle before flashing out.
Lucy's POV
The pain was excruciating. It felt like I was being torn apart form the inside out and there was nothing I could do to alleviate it. It was progressively growing worse by the hour if I didn't know better I would think that I was dying. If this was what the pregnancy was like I didn't even want to know what labor would be like. My muscles began to spasm, as shivers once again racked my body. Ever since I found out I was pregnant I had a hard time regulating my temperature, but mostly I was just cold and no matter how hard I tried I could never get warm. No matter how many blankets, or fires were set something in me would not be warmed. I was cold to my core, and I was getting tired of being in this perpetual state.
Just then a billow of black smoke appeared in the room and another wave of pain passed through me, this one worst then the rest, "Alastair it took you long enough," I said through clenched teeth.
"I thought you were never coming back-" I opened my eyes to see he wasn't alone.
My eyes locked on the pink haired boy in front of me. Tears stung my eyes. I barely registered the others leaving the room to give us some privacy. I had resigned myself to never seeing him again, but there he was.
"N-Natsu" I whispered, but I knew he heard me because he ran towards me and took me into his warm, strong arms and for the first time in a long time I felt content.
I was safe in his arms, I knew this, and the shivers subsided and my body relaxed as his body heat enveloped me. He was so warm! I snuggled closer to his chest savoring the feeling until unbidden images flooded my mind. Lisanna… him and Lisanna kissing, him holding her in his arms, and I pushed him away. The pain that flowed through me now was different then before. It was a pain that pierced my heart, a pain that told me I could never have him because he belonged to someone else now, and no matter how much I longed for it to be different, it never would be. I had to let him go.
His hair fell over his eyes casting a shadow over them obscuring them from view. How I missed those eyes! Those olive green eyes that always smiled back at me, that held so much love for his nakama, and his eyes that filled with determination and seriousness when one of us was in danger or when he was in a battle.
"Lucy…why would you pull away from me. I missed you so much. Please, please just let me hold you. Let me hold my mate, my love, my life in my arms. I need to feel whole again. It's been so long since I felt whole…please Lucy."
"B-But Lisanna?" I asked him confused, "I saw you kiss! After everything we did how could you." I yelled dejected.
"I knew when I saw that, that you loved her. I couldn't blame you. You two had a past after all."
I couldn't contain the sob the shook through my body at that moment. I hid my face in my hands I didn't want him to see me like this. If he was happy with her then that's all that mattered, and the part of me that loved him I would bury away no matter how much it hurt me to do so; his happiness meant that much to me.
"Lucy. Lucy look at me," he said as he dragged my hand away from my face.
"I love you. Only you, and I will always love only you."
"Lisanna?"
"Lisanna she kissed me after she told me she loved me, but even then I think she realized that we didn't have a future together, not really because even then I was in love with you; I love her like a sister and nothing more. Those years apart, they changed us both. You are the only one for me, after all dragons mate for life." he stated with a toothy grin.
"I'm your mate?"
"The one and only."
"And you love me?"
"More than life it self."
"Prove it."
I didn't expect him to do what he did next. Natsu got down on one knee and pulled out a golden ring with a bright pink diamond, the same color as his hair. It was surrounded by small peridot stones the same color as his eyes(they are the august birthstone) it was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life.
"Will you make me the happiest man on Earthland and do me the honor of becoming my wife, my mate? Will you complete me and fill the void in my life? Will you stay by my side, and never ever leave it again?" his voice cracked as he uttered the last words.
As I stared into his eyes I saw just how much pain was there. I had hurt him so much, so much, by my selfish actions and I would not rest until every ounce of sadness that now clouded his eyes was replaced by happiness.
"Yes Natsu! I would like that very much."
I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me and with out further hesitation pulled his mouth to meet mine. His kiss set me on fire and made me weak in the knees. He parted my lips and deepened the kiss.
Natsu's POV
I couldn't get enough of her sweet taste. Oh how I had missed it! She was so soft pressed up against my chest and couldn't help running my fingers through her silk like hair. I didn't hold back I kissed her with everything I had showing her with actions what I couldn't put into words. I showed her how much I loved her, how much I had missed her, how much I had needed her. To soon for my liking we parted breathless. My hands began rubbing circles on her rounded stomach when suddenly I felt a kick against my palm. It was the first time I had felt anything like that in my life. I couldn't help the tears that once again filled my eyes, but this time they were tears of happiness. My child, the life me and my mate had created. I couldn't believe it. For the first time in a long time I felt like myself. I knew we still weren't out of danger, but I savored this moment with my mate and child.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
She felt cold to the touch and I was worried.
"I'm better now that your hear, but I'm kind of cold."
I took off my scarf and rapped it around her neck then I rapped my arms around her and pulled her close to my chest resting my head on her now chocolate brown hair.
"Your hair is different." I stated
"Yeah I dyed it brown." I rolled my eyes, "No really I couldn't tell."
"Ha, ha no need to be mean."
"I'm not being mean I'm being sarcastic, there is a difference. Are you going to dye it back?"
"Why do you like it better blonde."
"Well you know what they say about blondes…"
"Natsu!" she yelled as she blushed.
The color in her cheeks made her glow. She looked so beautiful so very beautiful. I could stare into the chocolate orbs for eternity and still it would not be enough.
"You wouldn't be you if you weren't blonde Luce."
"Then lets remedy that shall we."
"Open Gate of the Crab! Cancer!"
"How can I help? Ebi?"
"Dye my hair blonde again please it appears my mate prefers it that way."
"Ok, ebi." With in minutes her hair was returned to the golden locks that I loved so much.
"Never leave me again Lucy. Never put me through that again…promise me. Promise me, never again."
"I promise Natsu."
I took her into my arms and pulled the cover over both of us. She snuggled closer to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her securing her to me and closed my eyes falling into peaceful oblivious sleep for the first time in so long.
