It had been 5 months since Natsu had left Magnolia to say he had seen better days would be an understatement his skin was pale with a constant stream of sweat steadily flowing from what felt like every pore of his body it didn't help that he had stuck to travelling by train to cover more ground he absolutely hated it but he felt he didn't have a choice. He limped down a side street in a small city, he had never been to before which he assumed would only serve to increase his chances of discovering new information pertaining to his journey asking around he found out the name of the city was Okazaki and after a few hours decided to take a break from is search, he looked up to see a sign that spelled out the name of a local pub "The Grinspoon" opening the door he was draped in a long black cloak a hood obscuring his sickly visage from the other patrons he stumbled inside and took a seat at the bar.
"What can I get you friend" the bartender asked
"Fire whiskey" Natsu said
Handing Natsu the glass the bartender then took his leave Natsu took a seat at one of the tables in the corner of the room pointing towards the door he downed the drink and grunted. He hadn't been sleeping very well his body was stiff and sore it was painful enough to merely breathe let alone move this curse was getting the best of him and he had no how long he had left it was almost unbearable he had already wasted too much time searching he needed to decide whether it was even worth it to continue whatever this was maybe he should go back and tell Erza everything that he loved her that he needed her to love him back if even for the briefest of moments fell the warmth of her lily white skin beneath he touch and gaze upon her scarlet hair once more it was then that the pain of his ordeal reasserted his resolve there was no chance of his return at least util he had settled things maybe he'd get to see his friends one more time he smiled at this.
He watched as the door to the pub opened and a little girl walked inside her frail and slender form and with her skinny little arms she struggled to drag a rather large sack behind her she had long black hair and the most golden eyes he had ever seen, he frowned at her appearance her hair was tangled and matted and she was covered in dirt and smelled as if she had not bathed in a while, he wondered what was in the sack. She pulled the sack over to the counter and knocked on the door that lead to the back of the bar and the bartender came out and snatched the sack up and threw in the kitchen he looked around suspiciously before pulling out a wad of bills and handing them to the girl.
"Here you little brat now get the fuck out of here" The bartender spat.
"But sir" she began "this isn't enough if I go back with this i-"
"Do you think I care" he kicked her in the stomach sending her back into a table knocking down several chairs "I said GET OUT OF HEAR YOU STUPID BRAT"
Natsu had heard enough he approached the man.
"Hey fuckhead you like hitting little girls?" he croaked his voice was raspy and strained but the threat of violence was clear Natsu ignited a fist.
"Who the fuck are you, why do you care? This has nothing to do with you" the bartender sneered
"You hit this little girl I don't care why you did it, I don't care if she deserved it, touch her again and I'll make sure you never touch anything again" he growled his eyes hard and focused on the bartender
"Excuse me sir" the little girl said meekly "It's okay I'm fine see please don't hurt this man I'll be alright" she offered Natsu a smile.
Natsu grabbed the bartender by the collar a visceral growl escaping his throat and the flames increased in size before dissipating he exhaled turned his head and grinned at the little girl an unmistakable growl could be heard emanating from her stomach and she blushed as she cupped a hand over her mouth.
"Excuse me I have to go" she blurted out making her way to the door.
"Hey wait up" Natsu called after her motioning his body to follow after her making his way into the street he called after he but she never looked back he tried to pick up the pace but his body was so exhausted the sweat poured down his face but he finally caught up to her reaching out his hand he grasped her shoulder she turned back fear clear in her eyes.
"Hey it's alright" Natsu tried to reassure her.
"I have to get going my master will be very upset if I don't go back right away" she said meekly
"Don't worry about that right now I'll settle that with him later" he grinned "are you hungry?"
Her stomach rumbled again and he laughed heartily she looked up at him shyly and giggled.
"I'll take that as a yes c'mon" he motioned for her to follow him he then realised he didn't know the city at all so he turned back to her at grinned "I don't suppose you know where to get some good food do you?"
"Yep" she nodded and took his hand as she moved through an array of streets with Natsu in tow before long they both ended up in front of a small café "C'mon" she exclaimed as she ran inside and Natsu followed close behind.
He happily watched her run up to the counter as she gleefully spoke to a young woman with dark brown hair and playful luminous eyes she was slender and very beautiful he noted that she reminded him of Cana Alberona using his heightened abilities he zeroed into their conversation.
"Hi Maria how are you today?" the little girl said said shyly
"I'm very well thank you" the young woman known as Maria began she glared at Natsu hood still obscuring his face "Who's your friend?" she said cautiously
"Oh I don't know he protected me from an angry customer while I was out on a delivery" the little girl said
"Are you okay!?" Maria said checking the girl over for injuries once she felt everything was fine before she spoke again "why don't you go wash up and I'll get you something to eat"
The little girl ran off to the restroom cheerily while Maria made her way to the table where Natsu sat a suspicious look her face she slammed her hands on the table.
"What do you want with the girl?" Maria demanded "are you some kind of pervert? Hmmm what is your name!?"
"I'm sorry please forgive me I'm quite harmless my name is Natsu Dragneel" Natsu said proudly
"THE SALAMANDER!?" she screeched.
"hehe I guess you've heard of me then" Natsu chuckled.
"Well yes your exploits are quite extraor- DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT" Maria said
"What are you talking about? That little girl is hungry so if you could bring us 3 of everything that'd be great thank you" Natsu grinned
This comment caught Maria off guard.
"You said you've heard of me do you think of me as some kind of sinister, malignant monster?" Natsu spoke and she shook her head "now if you don't mind me asking what can you tell me about her? Are you her mother or maybe the beautiful older sister?" Natsu grinned.
"Fufufu" she blushed before for becoming solemn "Neither actually she came here one day filthy and starving, she comes here every so often to say hello and I try to help her in any way I can, if she has a name I don't know it, what exactly she delivers to those men is completely unknown to me and whoever she works for is also a complete mystery she won't say a word about it and honestly it pisses me off when I ask she either changes the subject or leaves" a few tears came down her face and she wiped them away "I'm sorry I'll get started on that food for you" she got up but Natsu grasped her arm.
"Maria do you think she is in any danger" Natsu asked with a serious tone "a man physically harmed her in front of my eyes today if harm comes to her in any way, shape or form I cannot stand by and do nothing"
Maria bit her lip at the mention of harm coming to the little girl her fists clenched and her hair shadowing her eyes "I worry about her a lot and she is the most charming and hopeful little girl I have ever met will you please help her" she asked a quiver in her voice
"I will" Natsu said and Maria gave him a slight smile and made her way to the kitchen at that moment the little girl was making her way back to the table and quietly sat down staring off into the distance one hand nervously crossing her chest and grasping her opposite arm
"Okay now" Natsu began "What's your name?"
The little girl remained silent she wouldn't make eye contact with Natsu who found it odd but said nothing instead choosing to change the subject.
"Well why don't I introduce myself" he said removing his hood he eyes went wide and she gulped "My name is Natsu Dragneel nice to meet you" he grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
"The Natsu Dragneel?" she said in awe "From Fairy Tail?"
"The one and only" he said proudly showing her his guild mark.
"Wow you're so amazing" she exclaimed "Is it true your father was a dragon?"
"Kinda" Natsu began "Well I have no memory of my birth parents you see and Igneel was the closest thing I ever had to parents and I care for him very deeply when I was young he disappeared and I've been trying to find him ever since" Natsu said sadly "but if he hadn't have left me I would never have found Fairy Tail and a new nakama to love and care for me" Natsu smiled at this.
Natsu noticed she wore a smile that hid much pain it reminded him a lot of Erza and like Erza he knew that he couldn't just ask and expect her to spill the beans instead he told her of his many adventures over his many years as a Fairy Tail mage and the many stories he had of his many friends and allies even those who weren't in Fairy Tail he watched with much enjoyment as the little girl laughed, cried, panicked and cheered through the retelling of his exploits it reminded him of the way he would sit at the foot of Igneel and listen to the dragons many stories it gave him a relief he couldn't quite describe.
"I would love to have been raised a dragon" the little girl commented.
"What about your parents?" Natsu enquired curiously.
"I never knew them" she said solemnly
'My apologies I had no idea" Natsu said "Do you mind if I ask who cares for you?"
"Um I don't have anyone at all it's just me" She said.
"What about today when we met" Natsu paused "Does that happen a lot?"
She didn't respond so he took it as a yes.
"What will your master do if you're late?" Natsu asked cautiously
Again she didn't respond but this time there was an obvious air of fear and worry in her eyes that he hated he just sat and observed her as she stared off into the distance there was definitely something going on.
"Well he's not actually my master" she paused avoiding Natsu's eyes again "he's my husband"
Natsu was shocked by this information, how could before he could ask any further questions they were interrupted by Maria who brought the food over the little girl was astonished by the amount of food her mouth salivated and her eyes looked on the verge of unconsciousness her stomach rumbled again and Maria and Natsu chuckled.
"Go on dig in have as much as you like" Natsu said
"Really? I can have as much as I like?" The little girl said shyly
"Go ahead" was his simple answer as she began to devour everything in sight causing a wide grin to sprout across his face the little girl returned the smile.
"Hey do you have any fire around here?" Natsu spoke
"I might be able to make that happen" Maria smirked
Maria made her way back to the kitchen that's when Natsu smelled something he hadn't smelt in a long while, salt more specifically the salt of tears he turned his head to see the girl weeping as she ate.
"Thank you so much Mr. Dragneel sir" she spoke in a shaky tone.
"It's quite alright. Please, call me Natsu" Natsu assured her.
"Natsu why are you being so kind to me? I don't deserve it" she asked tears streaming down her face.
"Don't cry, come now beautiful, polite, delightful little girl like you must deserve the world let alone a tiny little snack like this" Natsu grinned.
"How can I ever repay you for your kindness?" She asked wiping the tears away and replacing them with a smile.
"Simple ask me for help" Natsu grinned.
"What!?" she asked in surprise.
"I knew a little girl like you once she like you didn't know her parents she was a slave to a man with no love in his heart made to carry out his whims and wonderings failure to do so would only be met with cruelty and suffering every day she'd look through a tiny opening at the stars and wonder if she would ever leave that place" Natsu said sadly the pain of his existence became ever more apparent as he spoke of the little slave girls he knew of.
The little girl looked at Natsu with a questioningly look "what happened to her?"
"With the help of a man she would come to see as the father she never got to have she left that place behind she carries the burden of her experience to this very day she is very strong, courageous and incredibly beautiful but in the beginning she made it her mission to be strong like steel unbending to the will of people who would do harm to those she cared about and in order to become the shield she thought she needed to become she had forsaken the thing that her friends found most valuable of her, her heart, she gave away her dreams, her happiness, her tears. At one point she tried to give away her life why?" Natsu's face turned hard and emotionless "Because she was too proud to ask her friends to relieve her of her pain, she couldn't be happy because she was ashamed to let anyone save her from the darkness she kept herself in" he paused "so are you gonna ask me or not?" he grinned canines and all.
She rubbed her eyes furiously as tears streamed down her face no one had ever offered to free her of her pain, she had to endure a lot in her short life and she wanted it to end she had even considered death as an option and now this man whom she barely knew had given her a chance, an opportunity and she sure as shit was gonna take it.
"Please…Mr Dragneel…Natsu…Help me" she whimpered
Maria walked in with a pile of small logs covered in a bright and chaotic flame she looked a little worried it would set the place ablaze but Natsu's eyes never moved from the little girl he opened his mouth and inhaled the growing inferno much to Maria's surprise "Thank for the meal I'm all fired up" he exclaimed.
"Alright" Natsu stood paid for the meal and signalled for the three of them to move to the door "Lead the way"
"What are we doing here?" Maria asked
"What do you think we're doing here!?" Natsu said as if it were obvious.
"You know I didn't wanna say it before but you're not looking too good" Maria said concern clear in her tone.
"Err you noticed that huh?" Natsu averted his gaze from her eyes scratching his cheek sheepishly.
"WUH!?" Maria sweat dropped at the dragon slayers recklessness
The truth was Natsu had no idea how much his abilities had atrophied since he'd been avoiding physical confrontation since contracting the curse figuring that over doing it might severely aggravate his condition though it had been getting progressively worse his arm was slowly become more patches of skin than patches of scales as they had previously been the scales were black and rigid they kind of made him nostalgic sometimes when he would run his fingers over them unknowingly under different circumstances he would display them proudly for all to see but these only reminded him of failure and the pain he's been through ever since he kept them wrapped in bandages whenever he could. This was his chance to see if he still had what it takes to be worthy of the title of Salamander of Fairy Tail and be able to show his face to Igneel should their paths cross as Natsu hoped they eventually would.
"Is this where he'll be?" Natsu turned serious again as his gaze turned from a shabby little house to the little girl.
The little girl simply nodded.
"Alright" Natsu cracked his knuckles as he prepared himself "Maria take her back to the restaurant lock it up for the day don't talk to anyone until I get back do you hear" he asked
She nodded and put her hand on the little girls shoulders "come along little one" she urged.
"Please be careful" the little girl said softly.
Natsu knelt down so his eyes were level with the little girls.
"I'll be fine you go back to the restaurant with Maria and I'll be back before you know it" He grinned
"You promise?" The little girl asked timidly
"I tell you what why don't you look after this for me" he said unfurling his prized white scaly and handing it to the little girl "Now this is very important to me so please take good care of it, it was a gift from the dragon who raised me so you can imagine the lengths I'd go to in order to get it back, I pray thee take this favour as a symbol of my vow to thee fair lady" he said adding a flair of drama to the end just for her.
She hugged the scarf to herself as he made his promise taking Maria's hand "You're silly" she giggled and with that they turned and left.
"Alright time to get this over with" he grunted as he approached the house
The house was, well it was a shit hole the windows were smashed in there was tiling missing on the roof Natsu was disgusted by the scene his eyes were met with he was beyond appalled that a child had to live in these conditions people would make fun of him as a child for living in the forest under the stars but as far as he cared living rough was a shit load better than this he opened the door and a loud creak was heard as a putrid stench filled Natsu's nostrils it assumed stray animals had gotten in a coated the place in there leavings it only made him more enraged as he walked inside he heard a voice.
"Well what time do you call this you little-" the voice growled but trailed off as his eyes met the visage of Natsu standing in the doorway "Who are you where's the girl?"
A man in a very expensive well-tailored suit emerged from a hallway his clothes hung from a pale slender almost bony figure he had dark almost corpse like circles under his enormous round eyes, Whoever this guy was he obviously wasn't living in this house the suit he wore was a sickly green he also wore a gaudy yellow shirt under the blazer sure they were well made but who said they showed even the faintest sign of a man with any sort of style or taste atop his head was a thicket of greasy hair and the scent of his cologne only added to further disgust Natsu.
"Sir you will take care to mention that girl by her proper name when you address me lest I feel the need to escalate these proceedings so consider your next words carefully" Natsu urged him fists clenched.
"Her proper name?" The man burst into uproarious laughter "HAHAHAHAHA she doesn't have a proper name I've had that little bitch she was days old her fuck up parents owed me a debt so I took her. They nor her are worth the dirt on my heels"
Natsu was shocked by the words this man spoke but he was more horrified that the precious little girl he met today was forced not only to be a slave but an unwilling bride to this repulsive creature his anger surged through him like a sharpened blade through steel his expression become unreadable as the fire inside him raged.
"I've heard enough" Natsu growled
"Oh is that so" the skeletal wretch replied
Natsu took several steps toward him.
"I'm only gonna tell you this once you sick fuck from this day forward that girl will be under my care and as such her well-being falls under the flag of Fairy Tail" Natsu said through gritted teeth "Unless you gotta deathwish pal you won't ever come near her again" Natsu open his hand and it burst into flame.
"Fairy Tail hmmmm?" the man asked his thin lips cracked open into a eerie smile "You must know Erza Scarlett? how's that right eye doing?"
"You did that?" Natsu was about to go supernova at this point.
"Well it was many years ago now I was running with a pretty rough crowd but how could I forget that hair" he chuckled bringing the bony fingers and thumb of his right hand together he raised them to his lips and kissed them before tossing them in the air "Simply delectable" he remarked.
"You like hurting little girls huh?" Natsu said as he purged his magic releasing an insane amount of pressure "In another life I feel I'd have been free to kill you if even just the notion took my fancy but I cannot even bear to soil my hands in even a drop of whatever filth runs through your veins"
"Tell me your name" Natsu demanded "and know that whatever fear it conjured dies tonight"
"They call me Bedlam" the man known only as Bedlam was unable to finish his sentence before a hail flaming fists rained down upon him smashing him through the back of the house into the street directly to the rear.
"Is that all you got" Bedlam grinned he launched forward with an array of kicks.
Natsu brought his arms up manoeuvring himself swiftly to block the first foray of blows but he felt his body tense opening him up wide as a kick struck him straight across the face Natsu grunted but was back on his feet.
"Not now" Natsu cursed.
Natsu lit his fists with fire as he swiftly charged forward "SKY DRAGONS IRON FIST" he roared as he struck Bedlam hard with an uppercut sending him flying through the air bedlam simply flipped himself in the air and landed on his feet, the fight had only just begun but Natsu knew he was gonn a have to push himself to the absolute limit if he was gonna come out on top.
"gotta make this quick" he thought
Natsu suddenly felt pain in his heart and both sides of his lower back he doubled over instantly h screaming from the intensity he looked at his chest to see there was a magic circle on his chest he looked around franticly for Bedlam's whereabouts he turned his head to see Bedlam with a grim expression on his face and his hand extended in front of him with his index, middle and ring fingers out stretched Natsu recognized the magic circles at the end of each of those fingers as being identical to the one on his chest Bedlam simply laughed at the Dragon slayers agony.
"HAHAHAHAHA That pain you feel is me attacking you heart and kidneys" Bedlam stated "Watched what happens when I do this"
Bedlam pressed his fingers deeper into the circles eliciting agonizing groans from Natsu as he inflicted even more damage on the pink haired mage.
Natsu started to cough up blood as his vision became blurry he began to feel the symptoms of eventual unconsciousness as his eyes began to close he heard a familiar voice.
"Get up you good for nothing brat, only a human would die here, you are no ordinary human,YOU ARE MY SON NOW END THIS" a gravelly commanding voice rang through Natsu's mind
"Igneel?" Asked Natsu
"I am here my son, in your heart as I have always been" Igneel responded
"I need your help" Natsu stated "I think I really fucked up this time"
"Everything will be fine my son as long as you save that little girl" Igneel told Natsu
"The little girl?" Natsu thought
Suddenly Natsu's entire body was ablaze burning the magic circles from his body (WINK) he lunged at Bedlam taking his collar in his grasp and hoisting him upward.
"Enough of this" Natsu grimaced his eyes obscured by shadow "You've wasted enough of my time already"
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist" Natsu roared he threw his fist upward engulfed in flame upper cutting Bedlam with such force he nearly knocked his head clean off.
Natsu was exhausted 6 months ago he could have walked away from this with energy to burn but now he was absolutely knackered his chest was tight he felt like he couldn't breathe his his skin was burning not from the flames but from fever Natsu knew he'd overdone it for someone in his condition but he felt he had too he stumbled to his feet and tried to stand but his legs were asleep.
"Oh no" he thought as he fell backwards into unconsciousness the rumbling of what could only be described as the snores of a dragon could be heard all across town that night.
Out of the shadows a cloaked figure made his way over to the pink haired mage.
"damn kid you look rough" he grinned as he cradled the dragonslayer in his arms and hoisted him over his shoulder.
From an alleyway further up the street a young woman and a small girl approached the figure.
"Hey let him down I'm warning you" Maria stammered in an effort to sound authoritative.
"Take it easy lady im a friend" He grinned revealing his guild mark to them.
"okay come with me" and the three figures and unconscious dragon slayer retreated into the night.
"Igneel? Are you there?" Natsu asked in his unconscious state.
"Yes Natsu?" Igneel responded
"You're really here" Natsu said
"In a way yes I am" Igneel chuckled
"I've been looking for you everywhere you know" Natsu said sadly
"I know" Igneel said equally as sad "I also know that red haired woman broke you heart and in turn unleashed a fate upon you worse than death but let ma ask you something" Igneel paused "why leave? Why not make her fall in love with you?"
"Because she isn't an animal" Natsu stated angrily "She isn't bound by the same laws and traditions that we are she's only human and because she's only human she has the privilege of taking and leaving lovers as she chooses when I saw her with that bastard in the park that day it became abundantly clear that if by some miracle I convinced her to accept my love there would come a time when my love would no longer satisfy her even though her love would always satisfy me she would break my heart eventually. I just can't trust her to be faithful if when she's the only person I'll ever love"
"I never told you about my mate did I Natsu" Igneel said thoughtfully.
"No you never seemed interested in the subject of love when I was younger" Natsu stated.
"Her name was Emarosa (WINK) she was murdered by another dragon in a plot to overthrow my supremacy for the title of Dragon King I was heartbroken" Igneel said sadly
"But aren't you the Fire Dragon King?" Natsu asked
"Well yes but this title would have made me King of all Dragons anyway the allure of the kingship blinded me to the hazards that come with such a noble position he waited till she was alone and then he took her from me" Igneel's voice was tense "The grief was too much for my heart to bear that I was overcome by the very curse that ails you this very moment my son"
"How have you survived this long?" Natsu asked "Because I really don't wanna die" he chuckled sheepishly.
"well the secret to that I found is to find a surrogate" Igneel said
"How do I find it is there a treasure map, some books, an order form? What?" Natsu asked
"No you idiot you need to find something/or SOMEONE to be your heart when your heart is broken" Igneel said hoping he would catch on.
"so do you know a guy or?" Natsu asked.
"Natsu Dragneel after all the knowledge I gave you, you can still be as dumb as a doornail sometimes."
"THEN HELP ME UNDERSTAND YOU SCALY BASTARD!" Natsu exclaimed
"THE GIRL YOU DUMBASS THE GIRL" Igneel retorted
"really?" Natsu asked confused
"Well she's a filthy, hapless good for nothing sod just like you were but she stirred something in you the moment you saw her didn't she. Calm. I bet you haven't slept like this in months" Igneel chuckled
"I'm asleep? Wait hold on are you saying I'm your heart?" Natsu asked
"Uh I see its not just ashes in that head of yours, the gogs are finally turning." Igneel chuckled
"How did you find me Igneel" Natsu asked more curious than ever.
"Your mother came to me in her darkest hour and asked me to take you I had every intention of walking away and then I saw your face and it all just. Fit." Igneel said fondly.
"Did you know my mother's name?" Natsu asked anxiously.
"Mavis something" Igneel paused "You know I'm very old and this was a very long time ago"
"Mavis…sounds oddly familiar" Natsu mumbled.
"Well it's about time for you to wake up" Igneel told Natsu
"Wait I have just one more question" Natsu's tone turned serious "What is the name of the dragon who killed your mate?"
Igneel exploded in to a deep and truthful laughter "HAHAHAHAHA you are very much my son Natsu" he paused before he added "Acnologia"
It was then that Natsu woke up he noticed the it was morning as the sunlight baptized his freshly opened eyeballs in an unholy fire he was unprepared for he felt a weight on his chest and he looked down and saw the little girl squeaky clean smelling of roses sleeping on his chest he smiled down at her combing a bundle of her raven locks behind one of her ears as he considered how to escape the bed he was currently laying in at that moment he noticed a gaping hole in the wall infront of him he groaned Maria overheard this and came to check in.
"She refused to sleep anywhere else you know" as she smiled down at the little girl and stroked her hair lovingly "I don't think we can quite comprehend the elation she must have felt last night"
Natsu grinned "it was nothing really so where is he?"
"The older gentleman? Who is he?" she shrugged
"Don't let him hear you throwing around that older gentleman stuff" Natsu warned jokingly "That wall is what happens when he's careful" he said sheepishly causing Maria to sweat drop.
They saw a head poke through the hole in the wall "Hey kid you up?" it asked.
"Yeah Gildarts why don't you take a seat." Natsu told him.
