So I am still stuck in my leg cast, however I am starting physical therapy in about three weeks, which makes me extremely happy.

Warning: This chapter will get a tad gory, because we will see what Declan and Minora have planned for Natsu. So if you are squeamish, skip over it or just don't read the chapter.

Natsu hunched over, his legs curling into himself as he twisted into the fetal position, and a tormented whimper crept between his lips.

The pain had somehow grown impossibly worse, and the Dragon slayer had long abandoned all pretenses of not feeling any of it. Natsu hated himself for it too, despised the fact that he could no longer even manage a weak façade at well being, but now was only capable of pathetic mewling as each new wave of agony stole his breath and caused him to scrunch further into an even tighter ball in an attempt to ward off the hurt spearing through him. A sharp spike shot up his spine, causing the pinkette's back to arch and a hiss broke the silence of the basement, tears dripped down his face as another bolt slashed through his skull causing muscular hands to cradle his head. The torture continued to build to incomprehensible levels, and Natsu writhed on the floor, his movements accompanied by the sound of screaming that the Dragon Slayer eventually realized was his own.

The sound of the cellar door opening caused Natsu to squint up at the only exit from his own personal torment, only to see Declan and Minora creeping down the stairs "He appears to be right on the brink," Declan murmured smugly.

"How long do we have to wait until his transformation is complete?" Minora whispered softly, her eyes gleaming with excitement and bloodlust.

"Not long," Declan shook his head gently "in fact I would say it is the perfect time to transport him to the site so he doesn't destroy our hideout."

"Agreed,"

The two descended on the squirming form of the salmon haired youth, but not before Minora once again cast the Restrain spell on him. Natsu groaned miserably as he was carried up the stairs, and out of the house into a field not far behind the dwelling, only to be secured down to the ground by even yet more enchanted chains created for the sole purpose of confining him. A metal collar bit into his neck with chains attached on either side, while the cuffs surrounding his wrists were firmly pounded into the ground with stakes.

"Release," Minora declared with a sharp wave of her hand.

Declan quickly walked around Natsu, spilling sparkling white sand in a wide circle while whispering a mystic cant before connecting the two ends resulting in a loud boom of thunder and a shimmering blue force field rose in a graceful arc and forming a shimmering bubble. The Dragon Slayer lay on the grass, his chest heaving in labored gasps, and a rope of dread began to knot up in his stomach, twisting it in nauseating crimps and bunches.

"Wha-What," he rasped "what are y-you doing…to me?"

Declan merely smirked before turning to Minora "Think we should tell him?"

"I don't think it should prove to be a problem," the woman shrugged "in the next few hours he won't even remember he was ever human."

Natsu felt his eyes shoot wide and he whirled his head around to face Declan, the question unspoken on his lips, but raging in his eyes about what she meant and Declan could only chuckle.

"We snuck a special potion into your system a couple days ago, I'm sure you remember waking up that morning feeling sick," at Natsu's nod, the man continued his explanation "basically the plan is to bring out the Dragon magic residing within you, and change you into a dragon erasing all that makes you human and use you for our own devices to conquer all of Fiore."

"WHAT?!" The Dragon slayer felt his heart break even as anger surged through his veins "That's insane!"

"Maybe," the man shrugged "but once we have Fiore in our hands, the question concerning my mental stability won't matter much."

"Don't forget my part of the plan," Minora pouted "what I was promised."

"Of course my dear," Declan smiled gently "after Fiore is bowing at our feet, you get to have the dragon's heart in order to gain natural magic, the kind that doesn't require magical items."

Fear clenched that very organ within Natsu, and the boy shrunk away from his captors, the labored breaths speeding up as panic took over "Wh-Why?!" he wheezed.

"Because we desire power," Minora sneered "and if I can get power by sacrificing the life of a mage who uses magic that isn't even needed anymore, then so be it!"

Natsu opened his mouth to shoot back a retort but a bolt of lightning sliced through his body, causing it to tense up as his back arched and a scream shook the surrounding area. The Dragon slayer fell back into the grass, panting as the uncomfortable heat returned and he barely suppressed a groan as his eyes drifted closed. Declan turned to Minora, a smirk quirking one side of his mouth.

"You might want to leave because once this gets started, it's going to get bloody."

Minora's features turned a slight shade of green before she faced her partner and slapped a leather collar into his hand "This will ensure his obedience, just make sure you attach it before he gets too big and is capable of killing you."

"Of course,"

With that the female left the two mages in the field, wandering back to the hideout they had shared, and Natsu loosed a snarl at his abductor "How can you do this, don't you even have the smallest shred of decency?"

"Maybe not according to you," Declan shrugged "but I've waited too long and worked too hard not to get what I want, and whether you like it or not, our plan is well on its way to success."

Natsu writhed and bucked, new agony tearing him apart from the inside, and the Dragon slayer released another tortured scream.

Spikes stabbed at his skull, and the boy thrashed his head from side to side, his pained cries growing in volume. Declan merely sat on a nearby tree stump, one hand cupping his mouth as he yelled "Don't fight against it Dragon slayer, it's going to happen one way or another, might as well not make worse for yourself."

Natsu sent a savage snarl at the man, but it was quickly cut off in a yelp.

He could feel his insides boiling with unrestrained magical energy, and his bones were melting into hot wax shifting to form something completely different. Natsu clenched his teeth, choking on his own air, his chest and spine burning like they were dipped in magma. Rolling onto his side, the youth growled deep in his throat as his back muscles began to ache and it felt like a knife sliced into his head.

Something was growing there, Natsu wasn't sure what it was, but he could feel two points on his skull beginning to grow hot, searing the skin and punching him hard with vertigo. Digging his forehead into the cool dirt, the Fire mage grit his teeth, struggling to swallow the sobbing wail that wanted to wrench itself from his jaws. Hot trails of burning liquid that Natsu vaguely identified as blood trickled down his face, and the boy howled when twin shards of bone split his skin and formed horns framing his skull. Natsu picked himself up till he was on his knees and lifted his head, only to slam it back down into the grass, trying in a twisted effort to drive away the misery, but unfortunately it had only begun.

Hunched over in a trembling ball, Natsu whimpered softly when he felt the muscles in his back begin to roil and shift, and his shoulders tensed as he braced himself for what was coming. Bones that had not existed before grew, extending from his shoulder blades, causing a grotesque bulge under his skin making Natsu convulse, his back straightening as he stretched up pulling at his chains testing their limits as choked sobs were caught behind a clenched jaw and teeth that were bared at the sky. Falling to the ground and rolling onto his stomach as far as he was able despite being hampered by his bonds, the youth felt the anomalies continue to grow until two leathery wings stained crimson ripped themselves from his back spraying blood and bits of muscle all across the field. Natsu dug his nails, which were quickly shifting into claws, into the ground as he shrieked into the grass.

Slowly his consciousness began to slip, and the sounds of his screaming along with all other sound faded away almost as if he had dove underwater, and darkness ate away at the edges of his vision. Natsu was barely able to comprehend his spine lengthening and the rip his pants gave when a tail grew and began to lash furiously at the air behind him, and his eyes grew dull as he slipped into a semi catatonic state. Shock overtook his limbs, and suddenly he felt as though he was doused in ice water as he quivered, his body shaking with not only the trembling settling into his frame but also the force of the uncontrollable weeping that sent tears scorching down his cheeks.

And as he watched Declan loom overhead with the leather collar in hand, Natsu could only close his eyes, sharp teeth biting his bottom lip, and send a prayer to the heavens "Please," he gasped his face twisted from the raw emotion tearing its way from his heart "someone…anyone…FIND ME!"

Levy pursed her lips in careful thought, one hand idly swatting Gajeel away as he hovered over her shoulder. Honestly, she was flattered that a muscle head like the Iron mage was so fascinated with her brand of magic, but having someone buzz around you while you were trying to concentrate was the thing she found least motivating. Right now she was using her Gale Force reading glasses, eyewear that allowed its user to read like the wind and devour entire books in scant minutes, to scrounge her personal library for any information concerning a certain locator spell.

Giving a frustrated growl, the small blue haired girl faced the object of her irritation and pointed in the direction of the doors "Gajeel, I need you to go find Lucy and tell her to go to Magnolia's public library researching any and all spells allocated to tracking magical signatures and pinpointing their locations!"

"Right!"

Levy watched the muscular man leave with a fond smile, and shook her head gently. To anyone else Gajeel was rude, brusque, and more than usually obnoxious. His metal studded features accompanied by his hulking frame only added to the intimidating persona, granting him the reputation of the 'scary guy' of the guild. But to her, he was tender and sweet, gentle to the point of almost annoyance. If she so much as stubbed her toe he was there threatening death to the offending table leg. Levy fought back a giggle at the image, but quickly composed herself as she grabbed another book and flipped through it, the magical glasses allowing her to read the lengthy tome with perfect clarity in under five seconds. She needed to find Natsu, that was their priority right now, and she couldn't allow any distractions, no matter how cute and misunderstood they might be, get in the way of that goal.

Giving an endearing pout, the girl ran down the hall of books, her keen eyes watching the labeled signs declaring the section and category of each bookcase, before skidding to a stop. Brain whirling with the knowledge one can only gain by having intimate knowledge of every shelf, Levy remembered one particular book that she had forgotten about but had read years before.

Grabbing a ladder, she built up momentum and jumped onto the first step, riding it to her desired destination, and sliding to a stop right at the perfect spot. Reaching up, the bluenette braced her arms on the rungs of the ladder, leaning her head on the smooth wood as she flipped through the book, heart thundering in her chest as brown eyes widened in delighted surprise. Sliding down the ladder and landing on the floor with a loud clomp, the girl ran out the door of her library, waving the book in her right hand, a cry of triumph echoing down the halls of the guild.

"I found it, I know how to find Natsu!"

So how was that my pretties? Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and let me know what you think!

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