Darkness...
It was once again Natsu found himself in darkness. He slowly opened his eye, as he looked at the familiar surroundings."...Did I just die again?" Natsu deadpanned.
"No moron, your dreaming." Natsu turned to the familiar voice of himself.
"You again? Why can't I dream of anyone but myself?" Natsu said as rolled his eye and sigh."So, what now? Gonna give me another gruesome ending as usual?"
"Well you piss me off, I can't believe your the idiot I have to share a consciousness with."
"Ok really, who the hell are you, and what do you want from me?" Natsu said in a bit more demanding tone.
"Sigh, you seriously don't have a clue?...Ok actually you might have a point, basically i'm your left eye." The two stared each other for a few moments before Natsu said.
"...Yep its official, I've totally lost it ." He started floating away.
"GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" The other self shouted angrily, as he had tick marks on his head."I'm serious, i'm your left eye."
"What does that even mean, I lost my eye when that bastard knifed it." He said as he recalled the memory.
"Ah, it got damaged but you never lost the whole thing." The other self said as he folded his arms.
"So? It doesn't work anymore. And speaking of which, you should know that better than I do...assuming your my eye. Wait, wouldn't that mean you'd be dead?" Natsu was confused.
"Would you just listen, i'm supposed to help you." The other self was losing his patience as he was getting more ticked off.
"Help me with what? If you mean coming up with disturbing ways of killing me in my head all the time, then no thanks"
"Look, I can only talk to you when your unconscious, Venigon made me-"
"Wait, you know Venigon?" Natsu payed close attention now, as he narrow his eye at him.
"Yes, back when you were being trained by Venigon he.." A bright light then started appearing."Damn it, looks like our times up." He then began floating away.
"Hey wait! What did you mean?!" Natsu tried to get a answer out of him before he disappeared.
"Tell you what, next time you come here, we'll have a little chat about your "role", till then, try not to get killed by those women.." The light then consumed them as Natsu tried to shield his eye from the light .
Mermaid Heel, Medic office..
Natsu was stirring in his sleep, his eye slowly opened, as he stared at the ceiling."My left eye huh?" Natsu thought as he put his hand over his eye patch.
"Ah, your awake now!" Natsu turned over to see a pink haired girl with green eyes, as she was sitting on a chair next to his bed. Natsu then sat up and looked at her for a moment and blinked."...Who are you?" He asked bluntly. The girl then happily answered."I'm Meredy! I'm Ultears assistant here at Mermaid Heel. She told me to keep an eye on you while you were recovering."
"Huh? Oh.." Natsu then looked down at his wound, as he felt it and winced a little."How long was I out?"
"Mmm, about a day. You lost a bit of blood, so we had to be careful with moving you. I was actually surprised, a normal person would be out for a whole week."
"You don't say." Natsu said as he swung his legs over the bed as he sat in front of her."Where are my clothes?" He asked. Meredy then made a noise of surprise, she then blushed as she realized his upper half was exposed. He was quite muscular for his age. "Hello?" He said waving in front of her.
"Huh? Oh right, i'll go get them." She said as she stood up and began rushing her way to the door."I'll be right back, I just got to go visit the laundry room very quick!" She then took off. As Natsu raised his eyebrow in confusion to the pink haired girls actions. I wonder if that's what i'd look like if I was a girl?" He had thought she had pink hair and green eyes not to different from him."Meh, who knows. I need to stretch." He then slowly got onto his feet, as he stretched his arms and legs. He then walked over to the open window, as he looked out.
"A whole day huh? Geez, I didn't think it was that bad...Huh, maybe deeper wounds take longer." He thought, he remembered using Heaven's Fire on the wound but it must have took longer to heal then his shallower injuries.
"Ah, your up Natsu-san!" Natsu then heard a voice out the window.
"Huh?" He then looked out it, and all of a sudden he looked down and saw Beth hanging on to the window." Beth, what are you doing hanging onto the window?" He said plainly as he made a annoyed look.
"Oh, I was just wondering how you were doing, ehehehe." She nervously chuckled.
"I see..So why couldn't you have used the door?"
"Uh..this is easier." She said as she sweated nervously, however her words betrayed her, as she felt her grip weakening.
"Geez, give me your hand before you fall and hurt yourse-" She then lost her grip as Natsu then dove out the window.
"AAAAaaahhh!" Beth screamed, Natsu grabbed her in midair, as they landed on the ground. He felt the shock of hitting the ground, as he cringed.
"Fuck it, that hurt." He cursed. He then put her down as he fell to his knees.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" She said as she kept bowing.
"...Urgh, what were you really doing out of my window?" He asked as he stood up and tried to regain his balance.
"I was just taking notes, I told you that I wanted to document you to remember you by."
"So how were you planning on doing that if you were out the window?"
"Um, I didn't notice Meredy-san in there with you, so I was gonna wait till she left." She confessed as she fidgeted with her fingers. Natsu then sighed as he walked up to her and petted her head."It's ok, just don't get yourself hurt trying to do that again." She then smiled as she closed her eyes.
"Hai, i'll be careful next time!" She then headed back inside as she then yelled back."I'll use a ladder next time!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I-Ugh, never mind." He gave up. Meredy had returned to Natsu's room as she made a sound of suprise."Natsu? Hey Natsu, where are you?"
Back inside...
"Oh geez, i'm so sorry. Beth can be a bit of a-"
"A ditz?" Natsu finished, as he was back on his bed.
"Yeah. She means well, but she can take things a little too far." Meredy sighed.
"Well, she seems a bit weird but she's kinda funny." Natsu chuckled."So, can I walk around a little?"
"Sure, just don't go jumping out of any 3 story buildings and you should be fine." She joked.
"I don't plan too." He said as he went along with her joke. He started getting up, as he grabbed his vest and put it on. His stomach then growled, as he chuckled."I guess i'm hungry." Meredy then smiled, as she then stood up.
"C'mon, i'll take you to the dining hall."
"Oh thank God, i'm starving!" Natsu wasn't in the dining hall for more then a minute, as he had plates of food around his table.
"Wow, you must have been hungry." Meredy sweat dropped. He looked like he was ready to inhale the table at the pace he was eating.
"Darn right! I haven't had a decent meal for two days already!" He said as he continued to eat."Oh yeah, I almost forgot," He said as he finished eating.
"What?" Meredy asked.
"Who won the fight?" Meredy and everyone around them made a noise of surprise as they looked at him."What, did I say something weird?" He asked confused.
"Well, to be honest we haven't even decided on a winner, so we just went with a tie."
"Tie?"
"Yeah, Mirajane said that you and her were both knocked unconscious. But you got hurt when you fell, so she just said to call it a tie till we decided on a winner." Meredy explained.
"Hmm." Natsu said as he recalled the fight.
"Natsu." He turned is head to see Erza and Kagura walking towards him.
"Yo!" He greeted them with a smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'll live, I was just hungry is all." He said with a chuckle.
"Well, it's good that you feel ok. After your fight with Mira you looked pretty banged up." After they found Natsu, they were worried that he might of gotten fatally wounded.
"Aah, no worries. I just overestimated my healing abilities." He said as he scratched his head and he smiled."Oh yeah, I almost forgot somethin' else." He said as he got up." I gotta go ask Ultear about the shield. I'll back in a minute." He said as he quickly walked out of the dining hall.
"That Natsu guy is kinda weird." Meredy said as she leaned her head on her hand.
"Yeah, he is different then other men." Erza said as she recalled her past interactions with him.
"He's kinda cute, I wonder if he has a girlfr-." Erza and Kagura were then feeling killer intent as they glared with glints in they're eyes.
"Uh, never mind." Meredy sweat dropped.
Natsu was in the hall way as he looked for Ultears room. He then saw a name plate with the name Milkovich on it. He then knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Ultear asked.
"It's Natsu, I gotta ask you something."
"Ah, it's open!" Natsu then proceeded through the door."Look, I came to ask about the-" His eye then shot wide open. Ultear was in a black bikini as she was posing in front of her mirror."Oh, good to see you up and about, how are you feeling?"
"W-wh-what are you doing?!" Natsu said flustered.
"I bought this swim suit the other day, so I decided to try it on. How do I look?"
"It-it looks nice." He said quietly . She then smirked, as she got closer to him, as she was pressing her chest on him.
"What was that~?" She asked seductively.
"It looks nice..s-so stop being so clingy." He sputtered out as she then got off him.
"Really? Ok I'll go with this one after all." She then started glowing, as her body was engulfed in light. After it was gone, she was wearing her usual blue kimono. Natsu then breathed a sigh of relief." But seriously how are you feeling?" She said as she leaned on her table.
"A little tired then usual, but other than that, I think i'm ok."
"That's good, I was really worried you might have gotten hurt really bad." She said as she frowned."I apologize, had I known about your previous injury I would have stopped the fight."
"Don't worry about it. I'm the one who chose not to say anything. "
"But-"
"Look, if your feeling guilty about, don't dwell on it. As far as i'm concerned, i'm the one who hurt myself." He said, as he shrugged his shoulders."So, don't worry about me, I know my limits." He said as he smiled. Ultear was surprised. Despite looking like a teenager, this guy was more mature than he looked. She then smiled as she got up.
"Hm, thank you. Your quite a noble guy, you know that?"
"Heh, I prefer crazy over noble." He smirked. She then giggled, as she then went over to her closet. After a few moments, she took out the shield. Natsu's eye then widened."Uh, but I didn't-"
"It's ok, after all the stuff I have put you through, it's the least I could do." She said. Natsu then smiled."I guess she's not so bad." He grabbed the shield, but for some reason Ultear wouldn't let go. She then leaned forward as she grinned at him.
"Ah, but you have to promise to visit us from time to time. I have LOTS of wonderful things in mind for your next visit~." Natsu then felt a shiver up his spine.
"I take back what I said, your a witch! Sigh, fine I promise." She then pulled him closer.
"Promise?"
"I promise." She pulled him closer, now they were inches away from each other.
"Prrromisse~?" Natsu and her were little red, as Natsu tried to turn away.
"I...PROMISE ALRIGHT!?" She then giggled as she let go.
"Your so fun to be with Natsu. I hope to see you again soon." She said as she then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He then blushed as he put his hand on his cheek.
"Wh-" She put her finger on his lips as she hushed him. "That was for saving Erza, and for letting me play with you." She then smiled brightly. He then sighed, but then smiled."You sure are a strange woman...but," He then turn to her before heading out the door."I had a great time, thanks Ultear!" He said as he grinned, Ultear then blushed a little, as he turned and left. He went back to the dining hall as he had the shield in one hand.
"Are you going back now, Natsu-san?" Natsu then turned back and saw Beth looking down on the ground. He then stopped and walked towards her.
"Yep."
"But...you'll be visiting right?" She asked, as she held her note book behind her.
"Sure! You still haven't finished documenting me, have you?" He said with a toothy grin. Beth then was happy, as she grinned.
"Mm! I still have lots of things to find out about Natsu-san!" Natsu then petted her head as he then turned and walked down the hallway. Ultear then slowly closed the door, as she smiled.
"So your leaving now?" Kagura asked.
"Yeah, after I deliver the shield, I gotta catch the train. Not looking forward to it though." He thought the last part as he felt his stomach..
"Hey!" Natsu and Erza and Kagura turned to see Mira rushing towards them." I heard you were leaving." She said as she panted.
"That's right."
"But, you don't have to go now right?" Mira asked.
"I gotta deliver the shield, then I gotta catch the next train back to my work place." She then frowned as he then turned to Erza and Kagura. "Thanks for the help back on my request, you two really helped me back there!" They then blushed a little.
"Sure." Kagura said as she looked away.
"Mm, we were happy to help you."
"Well then...Later." He then made his way to the exit. But then stopped, and turned around."HEY MIRA!" She then looked up, as she saw him pointing his thumb down at her."You better be ready for our next match, cuz your going down!" She then made a sound of surprise. She then smiled, as she smirked.
"Heh, that's my line, I won't be holding back next time!" He then smiled, and walked out the door. Everyone was then silent as the echoes of the entrance closed. Erza, Kagura, and Mira then smiled, as they looked at the closed doors.
"He's not too bad. I hope we get to see him again." Yukino said, as her and Angel walked up to the three.
"Indeed, he's a bit reckless, but I found him most...amusing." Angel giggled.
"Hmm." Everyone turned to Mira as they heard.
"What is it?" Kagura asked.
"I was thinking about our fight...Kagura, you fought him right? Did he ever have any problems fighting you?"
"No, actually he took me down with ease actually." Kagura said remembering they're fight.
"Really? Somehow I get the feeling he wasn't doing his best..." She then made a noise of surprise as she remembered him saying, his wound opened up."Hey, was that guy ok before we began? I know he was strong, but I heard him say something about a wound or something." Erza and Kagura then looked at each other, Mira noticed this, as she narrowed her eyes at them." You two know something don't you?" They then explained about the request as Mira was surprised.
"And as soon as we got back he told us not to say anything." Erza finished. Mira then looked down, as her hair foreshadowed her eyes. She then smiled. "I guess it's my loss then." She then scoffed. "Natsu Dranigon..huh? I'll remember that name." She then was exiting the dining hall.
"Did she say loss?!" A guild member said in horror.
"Wait, doesn't that mean.."
"Uuuh..I'm going on my request early!"
"Hey, i'll come with you!" The other guild mates were making a break for the door, but it was frozen as they couldn't escape as they slowly turned back to see Ultear smiling wickedly with her hair flailing around menacingly.
"And just where do you all think your going~?"
"KYAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Train Station..
"Why do I feel something bad happened just a second ago?" Natsu said as he looked out the window."Probably nothing." The train was on the tracks as it was traveling back to Selion. Natsu was feeling a little sick, but he did his best to ignore it, as he stared out his window. The sun was setting, as he then felt tired as he went to sleep.
...
...
...
...
...
"Excuse me sir?"
"Huh?" Natsu then woke up, it was a little dark, as he looked around, everyone was getting off the train.
"We have arrived at the station."
"R-right." Natsu said as he got up and made his way to the door. After he breathed in the fresh air, he felt refreshed.
"Ahhhh, much better." He said out loud. He then began walking into town as he looked around. A lot of people were closing shop, as Natsu passed them. "I wonder if I should go to the guild. Lyner should still be up...naw, i'll just head to my camp."
"Natsu?" Natsu heard a voice calling him as he turned and saw Mindy carrying bags.
"Mindy? What are you doing out here so late?"
"I was getting stuff for breakfast tomorrow, then I saw you." She said as she happily came up to him.
"This late? What's Lyner doing, it's his kitchen, he should be the one getting the food." Natsu said as he took some of the bags from her.
"My dad was working hard today. So I decided to have everything ready for him by tomorrow."
"You know, sometimes I can't tell who's the parent in your family." Natsu sighed. Mindy then giggled.
"So, how did the requests go?" She asked.
"Well, long story short, I almost got killed, I had to fight someone strong, then I spent a couple of extra nights..you know, the usual." He said as he yawned.
"You know I worry about you going out there by yourself. Why didn't ask one of your partn-"
"I can handle it, and they aren't my partners and they're on another mission far west of Fiore." He said, as he looked at the sky.
"Still, it would be nice if you had someone to watch your back." Natsu then chuckled.
"Why? Are you interested?" He said sarcastically.
"That's mean! I've been practicing my lightning magic i'll have you know!" She said as she huffed.
"Yeah, if I get attacked by a chipmunk i'll let you kn-HEYTATATATA!." He said as he felt his body being zapped.
"Shut it! You think your so smug, Mr. Lost Dragon Slayer? I can take you easy!" Natsu then fell to the ground.
"Oh ok, if that's how you wanna play~." Mindy then took a step back, as Natsu had a evil glint in his."SECRET TECHNIQUE: DIVINE RETRIBUTION!" He then began tickling her sides as she began laughing.
"Wai-Hahaha-I-gi-I-gi-hahhahaha!" She then lost her balance, as she then fell backwards. Natsu tried to catch her, but he lost his balance as well.
"OOF! Ow, sorry."
"It's fine. Huh?" The two were then wide eyed, as they looked at each other. She was on top of him as they both were inches away from each other's face. Time seemed to stop as Nastu looked into her green eye, and she looked back into his onyx colored one.
"M-Mindy?"
"Huh? Oh." She then sat up as she got off of him. Their was a awkward silence, as the two sat there back to back.
"Um, sorry." Natsu said as he was a little red."She smelled kind of...nice."
"Um, we should go."
"R-right." Natsu and her then stood up and dusted themselves off. As they walked down the street, they kept making quick glances at each other.
"So, how was the guild while I was gone?" Natsu said trying to start a conversation.
"Oh, it was really busy. I had to help my dad out again. I keep telling him to hire more staff other then me and my mom, but he says he doesn't trust anyone else to get the job done right."
"You don't say." Natsu said as he chuckled a little.
"What was the job like?" She asked.
"Well, I ran into the Mermaid Heel guild building. Someone nearly fried me with lightning magic before I even was in the building for more then a minute."
"Lightning magic?"
"Yes, unlike yours, it was actual lightning magic." He said mockingly.
"What was that?!" Mindy said with a tick mark on her head
I'm kidding!" Natsu said as he laughed."After I straightened that out...Hm?" Natsu then began sniffing the air.
"What is it?"Mindy asked confused.
"I smell...something burning." He said sniffed more intently.
"Maybe someone is having a camp fire or something."
"No, this smells like..." His eye was then wide open as he looked towards the base of the mountain.
"It can't be.."
Yeah a little short, but I'll be writing another chapter soon, so keep an eye out for it!
Also, Meredy's screen time was a little short, but she will interact more with Natsu in the future.
I also wanted to give my OC a little interaction.
See Ya in the next chap'!
