Okay, now that we're past all that, on to the next chapter! I have to say, this is my favorite. Natsu angry is really fun to write, because I know just how deadly he can be. :D That's it for the part of the story I have already written! I will continue to write it, I'll probably update tomorrow. Friday's update will be later on in the day, me and the whole FT fandom's probably going to explode from the next chapter. If anyone dies..I..I just can't DX

Since I haven't written out any more of the story, suggestions are always helpful! :D

Disclaimer: No.

Taken

Chapter 6

"Hey, snow fairy, how about you put some clothes on!" Natsu yelled at Gray, who looked down, surprised to find that he had stripped to almost nothing.

"Gah!" He yelled, running to find his discarded clothing.

"Idiot." Natsu mumbled, walking towards the bar, ignoring the regular morning ruckus around him. For some reason he didn't feel right this morning. He felt almost empty. His pain from the morning had not yet gone away completely, and every now and then he would get a sharp stab, making him clutch his chest with a grimace. "Ohayo, Mira-chan."

"Ohayo, Natsu." She smiled sweetly at him. "Are you going to take another job today?"

He nodded absently. "I still have to get the money from Damon for my last one, too. That is, if he has it. I don't even think he had enough money to find somewhere to sleep last night. Did Master ever get him a place?" Mira blinked at Natsu, thinking.

"Um. I think Master offered but Damon had already found someone to stay with. He must have made friends quickly last night." Mira commented, picking up a dirty glass.

"Hm." Natsu responded, resting his head on his hand.

A loud bang came from the front of the guild, one of his more noisy nakama giving a showy entrance, Natsu assumed. That, in itself, didn't surprise him. It wasn't the reason that he turned around, wide eyed. It was the smell. It smelt like Lucy..but it was tainted. It also smelled like..Damon. Eyes furrowing in confusion, he ran to the front of the building, heart clenching painfully.

What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

Damon was standing proudly, one hand resting on his hip, the other resting on Lucy's waist – that hand was attached to a chain that extended to one of Lucy's wrists. The chain was silver, and it gave off an icy chill. It was about five feet long, most of it dragging along the floor. Damon looked absolutely ecstatic and victorious, like he held a prize in his arms. Lucy, however, was a different story.

She was beat up, Natsu could tell from the start. Her face was swollen on one side, and it looked like a black eye was forming. Numerous bite wounds covered her arms and legs, and from the way she was clutching her stomach, he could tell she had some internal injuries as well. That wasn't what sent Natsu's blood boiling, though. It was her eyes.

Lucy's eyes always held a twinkle of mischief and delight. He could stare into her brown pools forever, because they were always a mirror into her soul, expressing only the happiest of emotions. When she smiled at him, eyes crinkling in the corner, his heart would melt. When she cried, those big, beautiful orbs would fill with tears, but spark back to life in determination. They were always so enchanting. Her eyes today were different. They were hazy, glazed over in pain and heartache. She was staring at the floor, yet not seeing it. They weren't even a plea for help anymore. They were the epitome of defeat. Natsu couldn't imagine anything that would make his Lucy give up like that. Something inside him snapped.

"You.." Natsu whispered, eyes hidden by his bangs. He mumbled something indistinguishable. Damon looked over at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry?"

"I said." Natsu started, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" He let out a mighty yell, throwing himself at Damon, flames engulfing his body. He pinned the ice dragon slayer to the wall, letting out a steady growl. "WHY IS LUCY HURT! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

Damon let out a deep chuckle, pulling slightly on his chain so that Lucy stumbled over to him.

"Lucy.." Natsu said softly looking sorrowfully at the stumbling mage, his flames going down but his anger holding Damon in place.

The celestial mage looked up at Natsu, her eyes brightening slightly. Natsu..She thought. His heart melted as a feeling of hope came into them, if only for a second, until realization set in and her defeated look came back. But..no..he'll never want me now. I'm..dirty..

"Natsu, Fire Dragon Slayer." Damon started, moving Lucy's hair back from her right shoulder. "I would like to introduce my mate."

And all went red for Natsu.

Natsu had never felt such anger in his life. He roared it to the world, is rage taking form from the fire spewing from his mouth. Boiling, coursing, burning its way through his veins was anger unlike any other. As he stared at the angry, purple bruise on her neck, old words from his training with Igneel drifted up from his memory.

"Natsu." The fire dragon said, trying to get the attention of his young charge. He knew his time was coming, and he was ready to teach Natsu about the things he'll need to know when he gets older.

"Hai!" He turned around from the flames he had been playing with, smiling happily up to his foster father.

"I know you're a little young, Natsu, but I won't be here forever. I believe it's time to teach you about mating."

Natsu's head cocked to the side in confusion. "Mating?"

"Aa. When you get older, Natsu, you will find a girl who will belong only to you."

"Like..a pet?"

The dragon shook his large head. "No, Natsu. She will be much more than a pet, much more than a friend, even. She will be your love, your heart, your everything. You will know when that time comes."

Natsu nodded, not exactly understanding but still hanging onto Igneel's every word.

"When it does, there is a certain..mating ritual that you must go through. As you grow up with the humans you will learn their specific way of doing...things."

"Things?" Natsu questioned.

Igneel cleared his throat. "Well..um, that is, the way that two people who love each other..join together. Don't question that part, boy, you'll learn as you grow." He finished quickly.

"Hai." Natsu said, ready for him to go on.

"As you have inherited some of my dragon instincts, you understand that you only find one person of this nature in your entire life. Your one, true mate. We dragons mate for life, Natsu, and it's important that you remember that. During the ritual your instincts will come into place and you will place a bite mark on her neck, understand?"

The pink haired boy nodded.

"This mark will signify to all else that she is yours and yours alone. It will be a beautiful signification, in your case, a flame of some sort."

"Will it hurt her?" Natsu asked, feeling sorry for his future mate.

Igneel let out a deep laugh. "No, it will not hurt her at all. It will be a beautiful feeling. But that is only if she consents." He suddenly became very serious. "Natsu, if the one you have chosen for your mate does not chose you as well, it is imperative that you do NOT act on your instincts."

"Nani? How do I stop my instincts?"

"You must find a way, Natsu. If a Dragon Slayer mates with someone without their consent, the usual beautiful mark left on the other's skin will be a an ugly, purple bruise. This bruise will poison the mind, and the body, and will leave unforgiving scars in its wake."

The young dragon slayer shuddered. "Who would want to hurt their special mate like that? I would never do that to anyone, Igneel!"

He nodded, expecting as much. "I trust you, Natsu, it's just something we Dragons must pass along. The only way to break a forced mating is the death of the dragon slayer who incurred it. Remember, well, my boy. Someday someone will be very important to you, and you must treat her right, just as I teach you to."

Natsu smiled hugely up at the dragon in front of him. "Of course I will!"

Damon didn't see it coming, couldn't feel the killing aura coming off of the dragon slayer in front of him, but when a flaming fist came from nowhere visible and caught him square in the jaw, it sent him flying hard into the wall behind him. He didn't have time to recover before a swift kick was placed directly into his family jewels. "Augh!" He cried, clutching at his offended pair. That's the second time..

"W-what do you think you're doing!" He yelled, frustrated, at the looming shape above him. All he could see was the outline of a mess of pink hair, the front of Natsu's face was shadowed, all except for the bright red flames that seemed to take over his eyes. His fists were clenched so hard at his sides that they were drawing blood, and Damon could almost make out scales on his arms. The heat coming from him was scorching, making Damon – an ice dragon slayer – sweat. He growled.

"I don't have time for this!" Damon screamed, sitting up. He yanked on his chain once again so that Lucy fell into his lap with a thud. He tipped her chin back so that her face was turned towards him, but her eyes were still unfocused, staring hazily at nothing. Did I break her? He thought, annoyance tugging at his words. "Oi, get it together, we're leavi-"

Damon let out an angry growl as Lucy was silently swept away from him into Natsu's arms. He stood up and glared at the dragon slayer who's eyes were still hidden behind his bangs. He held the girl close to him, almost afraid as if she would break. He cocked an ear as he heard Natsu whispering silently "I'm sorry, I'm sorry , I'm so sorry." Repeatedly, stroking the girls hair. Lucy gave no reaction, flinching every time his hand left her hair to come back down again. "Lucy." Natsu sobbed, a lone tear making its way down his cheek.

"Nat…su.." It was a soft cry, but it made him clutch her even harder to him, mindful of her wounds. Unfortunately for Natsu, her arm was still connected with Damon's, and he pulled yet again on it. With Natsu's iron hard grip, and Damon's vicious pulling, Lucy looked almost as if she were in tug of war between the two dragon slayers.

"You're hurting her!" Natsu yelled, enraged. By then, a crowd had gathered around, confusedly staring at the pair in front of them, girl in between.

"If I want to hurt my mate, I can, that's why she's MINE!" Damon emphasized the last word with a particularly harsh tug, making Lucy groan in pain.

"What? Did he say mate?" Cana asked curiously, looking over her mug of alcohol.

Levy put her hands to her mouth in disbelief "No, Lu-chan wouldn't do that without telling anyone."

"They just met, right?" someone else chimed in.

"Lucy doesn't look too well."

"Flame brain looks pissed."

"What's the new guy doing to Lucy?"

"Even I could tell the idiot had a claim on her already."

"Taking someone's mate is NOT a man!"

Mumbles and comments swirled together until they were a chorus of disbelief and confusion hovering over the guild. Everyone was concerned for Lucy and curious as to why Damon claimed her as his mate. One man in the background narrowed his eyes, understanding the absolute fury that overcame the fire mage. Gajeel understood what happened during a mating ritual. For Lucy to be his..he must have..Gajeel shuddered. Imagine if that were Levy..white hot rage filled him, just thinking about it. Go get him, Natsu.

Natsu still held onto Lucy tightly, and Damon still pulled at the chain bound to her wrist. Anger was flowing through Natsu, he had never felt this way before. It was as if everything had become clear to him, this precious, precious nakama in his arms had been his one, true mate all along. What a time to notice it, when she was forcibly bound to someone else.

"Natsu." He looked up at the single word, spoken from the crowd. Erza stood, determined, an almost knowing look in her eyes. She held out a sword to him. His eyes darkened, and he nodded, catching it with one hand when she threw it, still holding onto Lucy with the other.

"Damon." So much menace was placed into the one word, it made the ice dragon slayer falter for a moment. "I am going to give you three seconds to remove this chain from Lucy's wrist."

Damon's eyes widened, fractionally, until a smile overtook his face. "You really think you can hurt me? Don't be ridiculous. Just give me my mate, and I'll head out on my way."

"One."

"Oh, come on, you can't scare me with your childish little tactics." He started chuckling.

"Two."

"There's nothing you can do about it! This chain is so that I will know where she is at all times! I'm not going to remove it on a whim, just so you can weep pathetically over what could have been with my mate."

Natsu's eyes flashed dangerously as he looked directly into Damon's eyes on his last word. "Three."

And Lucy fell back into his arms, released from the grip of her chain.

"AAAUGGHHHH!" An agonized scream resounded throughout the otherwise silent guild hall. Members of Fairy Tail were all staring open mouthed at the gory scene in front of them. Damon clutched his arm – or rather, the remains of it. From his forearm down lay splattered on the floor next to him, blood seeping through the floorboards. He fell to his knees in pain, grimacing. His deep steady breaths filled the room, until someone finally spoke.

"Natsu, explain." Erza commented, moving to take her sword back from the dragon slayer. It had surprised her how fast he moved – almost as fast as her. She didn't even see him leave his spot; he had uttered his last number, and then Damon's arm was lying on the ground.

The dragon slayer said nothing as he silently moved toward Erza; although Lucy's chain was no longer connected to Damon, it still made a scratching noise as it was dragged across the floor. She stumbled along with Natsu, clutching her hand into his clothing, still with the eyes that tore at his heart. "Watch Lucy." He stated, looking Erza in the eyes.

Titania nodded solemnly, reaching out to take a hold of the young girl. She trusted Natsu and his judgment. Whatever had occurred between these three must be serious. Lucy let out a scream as Erza's arm grasped her upper arm, attempting to pull her forward. Natsu's eyes widened fractionally at the reaction; Erza looked almost hurt.

"Natsu Natsu Natsu." Lucy sobbed, throwing her head into the young man's chest, still gripping onto his front. "Please." She pleaded "Please!"

His heart broke, and he felt another tear slip down his face as unwanted thoughts invaded his mind. She was..He..to her..UGH. I can't even think it. I know what goes on during the mating ritual. His hands clenched in fury, though he softly grabbed Lucy's own hands and placed them in Erza's wincing when she let out a scream at the contact. He looked disdainfully down at the creature still cradling his stub to his chest, crying.

Pathetic. Natsu thought, lip curling up in disgust for the man. Taking a deep breath, he turned towards his nakama. "Everyone." He said, drawing all eyes that weren't already on him. "This man has hurt our nakama in the worst possible way." Curious eyes stared back at him as his hands drew up into fists and his words became harder to say. "He.." Natsu paused. I don't want to say it. He thought. Then it'll be true..He closed his eyes in defeat. But right now she needs her friends more than ever. They can help her through this more than I'll ever be able to. He took a deep breath. "He fucking raped her." His voice broke on the word, pain rolling over his heart in waves. Gasps resounded.

"N-no! Lu-chan!" Levy cried, running forward to hug the blonde, who was still struggling in Erza's grasp. She gasped at the contact from the small blue girl, but didn't pull away. It seemed to almost calm her down.

Levy started a chain reaction, as everyone slowly came to stand in front of Lucy, touching her somehow, giving comfort. Lucy's tears were a steady stream down her face as she took in all the faces of her nakama. They were there for her. They wouldn't let her fall. She sobbed loudly, followed by the cries of some of the other members.

"Oh Lucy!" Mirajane said, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Bunny girl." Gajeel lay a simple hand on her shoulder.

"How dare he.." Cana threw herself into the spreading group hug.

"What kind of MAN are you!" An angry roar ripped through the crowd, sparking a fire from Natsu.

He turned towards the lone figure on the floor, grasping the material of his collar and pulling him up so that he was eye to eye with the lowly creature.

"I am a member of Fairy Tail." He started, voice low and menacing. "Which means, we do not kill those we fight. We believe in second chances, everyone has their own back story, and forgiveness is always an option." His fist tightened around the material of Damon's collar. The ice dragon slayer's eyes shined with anger.

"I don't need your forgiveness." He spat. "What I did was the right thing. She is MINE!" He screamed in Natsu's face.

Natsu let out a deep chuckle. "I wasn't planning on forgiving you." His fist lit up with the flames of a dragon slayer, and crushed Damon to the wall once again. "What you have done is unforgivable, even to a member of Fairy Tail. You have hurt our nakama. You don't deserve to be a part of our guild."

"Hm." Damn grunted, getting to his feet unsteadily with his single hand. Bracing himself against the wall, he stared down at the floor. He gave a feral grin. "She screamed your name, you know." Natsu's eyes widened, caught off guard at his words. "All night, she cried for you to save her and you never came." He started laughing maniacally. "You don't deserve her!" He continued. "I was the one who took her first, it was YOUR mistake for not doing it earlier!" Eyes gleamed as he stared at the wide eyed fire mage in front of him, and he said the last words that would ever come out of his mouth. "I just had to teach the little bitch who she belonged to."

"She belongs." Natsu started, body engulfed by flames. "to ME!" And he struck his hand right through Damon's chest, piercing his heart.