10. Blazing Finale
Natsu was functioning on a very primal level. Enveloped in flame, only two thoughts were discernible to him. As a cloud of black smoke flew towards Lucy's motionless body, he let out a ferocious growl. Fire streamed from his own body, burning away the threat. His number one priority; protect.
Natsu conjured flame after flame, casting them furiously at those who'd dared to harm Lucy. He heard wind gush around him, as innumerable flying objects shot at him from all directions. He could smell that asshole Redclaw somewhere close by, spiking his anger. He swung his arm out, wrapped in fire, and found purchase on the side of a face he remembered hitting only a few short hours ago. His second priority, destroy.
The false Mr Breichs was indistinguishable among the clouds of black smoke. Natsu could see nothing beyond the tangled wall of flame and cloud. He could smell him though, standing somewhere to his right. Natsu punched blindly through the flame, making contact with nothing but air. He had moved.
With an enraged roar, he kicked away the flames, and with them, the smoke. The green of the surrounding forest came into view. Natsu spun around, searching for the illusionist. His gaze locked on the suited man, and his fury burned even brighter. The man who hurt Lucy.
The bastard smirked at him, before stretching out his arm. Black clouds billowed out at a much faster rate than before. The smoke solidified into sharp, obsidian spikes that were launched repeatedly at the flaming mage. Natsu ducked under the hail of spears, burning away any he couldn't dodge. He charged at the grinning man, yet to take a single hit.
As he closed in on his target, the dark clouds change again, forming a solid wall of darkness just ahead of Natsu. A laugh sounded from the other side, as the wall grew outwards and encased the fire dragon slayer in a dome of shadow.
"You cannot beat me! My power lets me manipulate anything I wish!" the voice taunted, echoing around Natsu. The dragon slayer let out a low growl. "Your power isn't REAL!" he thundered, lashing out with a flaming kick. His foot effortlessly broke through the shadow barrier, and Natsu ran ahead.
He met the illusionist with a punch. It was deflected, caught in the oversized hand of the false Mr Breichs. His fingers curled inwards and tightened, slowly crushing Natsu's hand. With a sadistic smile still residing on his face, he twisted Natsu's arm and looked to the blond girl lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Natsu took a shallow breath as he too looked to Lucy's battered form.
"Doesn't that look real to you, Mr Dragneel? Her body clearly thinks so," he chuckled.
"Because you fooled it!" Natsu yelled, swinging with his free hand. This time, he made contact, landing a fiery punch on the sweet spot under his chin. Natsu lashed out again, landing a hard kick in his side. The illusionist released his other hand, and Natsu let fly, sinking his fists into the man's face. Hits rained down over his body, leaving glossy, pink burns from the heat.
The illusionist struck back with a fist reinforced by solid, black smoke. It connected with Natsu's head, knocking him back with his superior strength. The dragon slayer dug his feet into the earth, coming to a stop. With another battle cry, he raced back to meet the illusionist.
"Lightning-Flame Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled, striking back with a huge blow of his own. The lightning and flames combusted upon contact, searing the skin of the man's cheek. He howled in pain, lashing out defensively with a solid, belt of black smoke. It smacked into Natsu's gut like a log, knocking him down. He coughed from the ground, as wet blood leaked from the side of his mouth.
Undeterred, he climbed back to his feet and charged again, slamming a kick into the fake Mr Breichs's side. The larger man was thrown backwards against a tree, and Natsu shot at him once more. Flaming fists struck him from every angle, leaving him breathless and defenceless. Any counter strike was blocked before it even got close. Natsu was unbeatable, running high on emotion he couldn't control.
With a savage hit to the jaw, the illusionist was punched through the tree, splintering the old wood. He hit the ground with a heavy thump, breathing hard. He let out a low grunt, the only sign of exertion, and pulled himself upright again. Before he had a chance to attack, Natsu slammed into him again.
The false Mr Breichs tried to release more smoke, but it was burnt away within milliseconds of leaving his hands. He yelled out as a particularly heavy hit caught him in the temple, knocking him back to his knees. He looked up at his opponent, feeling small for the first time in his life
Now, Natsu towered over him, a figure of menace. With two hands of lightning-riddled flame, he looked down on the weakened man. His once-meticulous white hair was falling in his face, glued to his skin with sweat. The navy blue suit was ruffled and torn, and his tie had been burnt away to the knot at his neck. He looked like he'd already lost. Natsu regarded him with a furious scowl, and the flames grew. They burned hotter and hotter with his fury. "You hurt her, illusion or not," he hissed. "I can't forgive that."
Raising his arms high over his head, the crackling flames swelled and grew. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant flame!' He roared, bringing his hands together. With a thunderous boom, to two flames collided over the illusionists head. His screams were drowned out in the explosion. Natsu could hear it, though, hear his pain. The cries reached a crescendo, before cutting off completely.
The fiery orange glow grew, enveloping his vision. Natsu could see nothing beyond the inside of the explosion he had caused, while the acrid scent of burnt wood hung in the air.
When the furious blaze dissipated, a different kind of smoke rose from his charred body. There were no more sounds, taunting, no more fighting. The false Mr Breichs lay in the centre of a smoking crater, defeated.
Natsu fell to his knees, exhausted. Beside him, he could see Lucy lying broken beside him. Her soft, shallow breathing filled Natsu with a happiness unlike anything he'd ever felt. She was alive.
He pushed aside the strands of blond hair falling over her forehead, smiling at her sleeping face. His hand cupped the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Lucy let out a little sigh in response to the gesture, pressing her face into his hand. Natsu's smile grew.
"Aww, how cute," a voice called from somewhere behind them. Natsu's head whipped round. Redclaw was leaning against the trunk of a splintered tree, breathing heavily. His face was burnt, and his nose looked to be broken. Natsu struggled to recall hitting him that hard. Maybe he was just weak.
"What the hell do you want?" Natsu growled, looking up to the battered man before him.
"You fucked things up for my master. Now I don't get paid, asshole," Redclaw accused, glaring at the two mages.
"So what? You wanna fight me over it?" Natsu questioned, conjuring a small flame in his free hand. "'Cause I'll wipe the floor with you!"
Redclaw rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, muscle-head. I know I'd lose. Just look at what happened to the Great Houdini over there," he snorted, gesturing loosely to the body in the crater. Smoke was still rising from his motionless form in small, grey plumes. "No, I just want to leave you with this."
He flicked a bit of white card to Natsu, who read over it. He frowned. "What's with the number? Is that how much you were meant to be paid, or something?"
"No, idiot! That's a phone number," Redclaw snapped, scowling at the dragon slayer. He let out a sigh. "Look, I'm out of work, and I need to get back in. That's my number, something to call if you need a 'helping hand'. Do you understand, pinky?"
Natsu looked at him incredulously. "Why would we need a hitman? We're from a wizard's guild! That's pretty much a collection of hitmen!"
The movement magician turned red; whether from anger or embarrassment, Natsu couldn't tell. "I know that, otherwise you wouldn't be here! What kind of moron do you take me for? Look, just keep the card, alright? Or at least give it to someone who might use it. You're probably too thick to use a fucking telephone anyway," he muttered under his breath. "Anyway, it's there if you need it. Or if someone else does. I don't care."
Natsu shrugged. "Fine. I'll keep the number."
"Good. You won't regret it." Redclaw began to walk away, before stopping in his tracks. "By the way, you might want these as well." He chucked something over his shoulder that jangled through the air. Lucy's keys landed in front of Natsu, a ring filled with gold and silver. "You girlfriend's keys," he said. "Figured she might want them back. Besides, they're useless to me."
With that, he turned and stalked off, not sparing Natsu a second glance. Redclaw disappeared into the forest, and didn't emerge again. His smell vanished a few moments later. Natsu looked back at the card. "Why would I need this?" he murmured to himself, turning it over in his hand. With one final confused look, he tucked it into Lucy's bag. He didn't think she'd want it either, but the asshole had said to keep it.
"Natsu?" a soft, raspy voice called. Lucy was smiling up at him weakly, eyes half-closed, he returned the smile, and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. Pressing his lips lightly to her fair skin, he buried his head in the crook of her neck.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there earlier, Luce," he sighed, brushing his fingers over her shoulder as gently as he could. "That asshole got me good. Then again, the other asshole got you worse."
"It happens," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "I wouldn't have become a mage if I wasn't prepared to take a beating."
"I know," he grinned. "It's a bit of a brutal job."
"But it's worth it for the friends you make and the things you learn," Lucy finished for him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Well, I'd make one change," Natsu said quietly, gaze settling on the huge gash on her leg. "I'm so sorry Lucy. That one was my fault. I was too late to stop it."
She shook her head. "Like hell it was. Do you remember what you said to me last night? It's not what you do or don't do that causes people to get hurt. It's their own actions. Your words were right then, and they're right now as well." She gave his hand a squeeze. "We won, anyway. You beat them, the spirits are free, and it's over."
Natsu leaned down again, delicately pressing his lips to hers. "You're so smart, Lucy," he breathed. "You're the smartest person I know."
"I'm not the smart one. Like I said, they're your words. I just spoke them," she smiled. She went quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "Shit, the book! What do we do with the spell book?"
"What book?" Natsu asked, confused. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"The book with the resurrection spell! Someone could just come along, translate it, and try to cast it again! All those spirits will be caught and trapped again if that happens."
Natsu thought to himself for a moment. Then, a wicked grin spread over his lips. "Lucy, do you remember when I said that all problems could be solved with fire?"
Happy had found refuge in a nearby tree. Apparently, when Natsu had gotten up, he'd anticipated the resulting explosions and gone to 'ride out the storm'. Lucy suspected it had more to do with his fear of Redclaw and the second Mr Harrigan, but said nothing.
The ashes of the spell book were sprinkled over the unconscious body of the illusionist. Lucy had come up with the idea, enjoying the irony of the situation. Natsu had suggested throwing him into the ocean, which he insisted was 'twice as ironic'. Lucy was about ninety per cent sure he had no concept of irony. She would have smacked him, but her shoulder was too sore.
Natsu had been very careful with her, not daring to move her until he absolutely had to. Even then, he had insisted on carrying her back to the cabin, and then to the train station. Lucy was particularly annoyed about it as the cut on his head had reopened, and he was in no condition to be doing any more than she was. She didn't complain, though. She was too happy in his arms.
The train ride was particularly rough for Natsu this time round. He was too sick to sleep, and too tired to distract himself. In the end, Lucy had to reverse their roles and baby him for two hours as they sped home.
Accompanied by a man incapable of speech and a cat who was still in shock over Natsu resting his head in her lap, Lucy had plenty of time to think about what would happen when they arrived back home. She hadn't given Erza a second though during the mission, nor had she thought about any kind of punishment she might receive from Master Makarov. She was struggling to see the benefits of taking the mission in the first place. Not only were they not getting paid, but they would be punished severely upon their return to Fairy Tail. Lucy could already envision Erza's wrath. When he mind drifted to the steel-covered fists and blades of the armoured mage, Lucy felt herself start to shake involuntarily.
So, she thought about the positives instead. Like Natsu, for one. She, Lucy Heartfilia, was now the proud owner of her very own boyfriend. Thinking about it made her head spin and her heart quicken. Natsu was something else entirely. He was a constant presence ever since she joined the guild. He would invade her room, drag her off on missions, and take her everywhere with him. It was almost as if she was some kind of accessory, an addition Natsu couldn't leave home without.
She couldn't be happier with that. She loved his company. His antics, his enthusiasm, his friendship and now his affection. Lucy smiled to herself, looking down at the boy in her lap. She couldn't say what was to come of this, but she was certain about one thing.
If he was by her side, she didn't give a damn.
Hey, you know that horrible writer who updated two days late? You know how she was late the week before as well?
Yeah, I know, I'm a hopeless case.
I'm happy with what I wrote though. Does that make things any better? This wraps up the first little arc. There's only one little bit left, which will be uploaded tomorrow as a sorry present for being a bloody hopeless case.
Yup, it's the two things you've been waiting for; Erza's wrath and the bonus lemon. Yes, you read that correctly. LEMON! I've stopped holding out on you sick, little smut junkies. Get ready, it's coming.
Hopefully you enjoyed that little fight sequence. I was going to make it a little longer, but I wanted Natsu to dominate, and it's difficult to write a one-sided fight for too long.
Hope you enjoyed! Review and leave your thoughts, it only takes a minute.