The Flaming Dragon Slayer
A/N: Natsu and Lucy decide to head on another mission. This mission takes them near Fiery Mountain, where villagers have stated weird noises from the mountain. Gray, Wendy, and Carla head with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy to the mountain to investigate the situation. Meanwhile, Marek and his team prepare for their next move. Marek decides to make bolder moves if he wants to reach his goals. Will Laxus, Erza, and Mirajane intercept Marek in time?
Hello everyone and here is the next chapter to 'The Flaming Dragon Slayer.' I want to thank everyone, who has reviewed, favorite, read, and followed my story. I will continue to write my stories as time passes and I appreciate the support.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Fairy Tail.
*SC* = Scene Change
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Chapter 10: The Monster at Fiery Mountain
Lucy walks towards the mission board looking for a job to lighten Natsu's mood. The board has been filling up a bit more since Fairy Tail's victory at the Magic Games, but it still has a decent amount of empty spots. After searching for a while, she sees a flyer with a mission worth around two hundred thousand jewels. As she reads the flyer, her eyes narrow at the small print at the bottom.
'Flying fire breathing monster,' thought Lucy. 'It can't be.'
Lucy looks at the date of the flyer and realizes it only arrived earlier in the morning.
'Nobody has gone to this board since yesterday,' thought Lucy as she turns towards Natsu.
At this moment, Lucy knows Natsu will be glad to know that such a mission exists. If the monster is Igneel, she knows she must tell Natsu. Lucy grabs the flyer and begins to head towards Natsu and Happy. Soon, Lucy stands in front of Natsu, who looks up to his friend.
"Here's our mission," said Lucy.
Natsu takes the paper and begins to read the flyer. His eyes widen by the time he finishes reading the flyer. He looks at Lucy and then back to the flyer.
"Let's go together," said Lucy with a smile.
"We might want to bring Gajeel and Wendy," said Natsu considering their dragons.
"Go where?" asked Gray as he walks up to the pink-haired dragon slayer.
Natsu gives Gray the flyer as the ice mage reads the flyer and realizes the situation.
"Too bad Gajeel is on a mission with Levy," said Gray.
"There are?" inquired Lucy with a smirk.
Gray sweat drops at Lucy's smirk, but he decides not to press the matter. Wendy and Carla walk over to the group with smiles on their faces. They notice the flyer in Gray's hand and ask him if he is going on a mission. Gray shows the flyer to Wendy, who begins to read it. Soon, Wendy's eyes narrow before returning her attention to Gray and then turn to Natsu.
"Natsu, I want to go," said Wendy. "I need to know."
Natsu nods his head in agreement, because he knows how the little girl feels. He too wants to find his dragon. There is no way he will decline Wendy her chance to find Grandeeney.
"Looks like our team is set," said Lucy. "Too bad Erza can't be with us."
"She has an important mission," said Gray. "All right, I'm ready."
Natsu points towards the ground as Gray follows his finger. He realizes his clothes are on the ground causing him to wonder how he lost his clothes. As the group begins to leave, Lucy notices Natsu's happier mood. She smiles at the Natsu. For some reason, his happiness brings happiness to her.
"Thanks Lucy," said Natsu.
Lucy stares at Natsu with a raised eyebrow.
"What for?" asked Lucy.
"For the mission," replied Natsu as he grabs Lucy's left hand and begins to pull her.
Lucy attempts to slow Natsu down, but he refuses. Lucy sighs as she gives into Natsu's pull. Gray, Happy, Wendy, and Carla follow the two mages as fast they can. Carla flies alongside Happy as she watches the interaction between Natsu and Lucy. She wonders if something is happening between those two. The female Exceed turns her attention to Happy, who continues to fly by her side.
"Happy," said Carla gaining the attention of the blue Exceed.
"Yeah Carla," replied Happy.
"Is there something between Natsu and Lucy?" asked Carla.
Suddenly, Happy's expression changes causing Carla to sweat drop. Happy begins to giggle causing Carla to wonder what is going through Happy's mind.
"They liiikkkeee each other," said Happy.
Carla turns her attention to Natsu and Lucy noticing them touching each other's shoulders after Natsu released Lucy's wrist. At this instant, Carla's eyes widen as a vision occurs to her.
Carla's Vision
"What…?" questioned an unknown man. "How can this be? You shouldn't be able to move!"
Natsu slowly moves towards Lucy with pain shooting through his body. Soon, he manages to reach Lucy and then falls onto his knees next to the blonde woman. He grips her right hand and lowers himself towards Lucy.
"L-Lucy," said Natsu.
"D-Don't give up," said Lucy with tears in her eyes.
Natsu and Lucy hold onto each other's hands. Lucy tightens her hold on Natsu's hand as blood drips down the sides of her mouth. She looks into the eyes of Natsu as a small smile appears on her face.
"I b-believe in you," said Lucy in a whisper.
"L-Lucy," said Natsu with tears running down his cheeks.
"Lucy," said Erza as she tries to stand up.
The moment Erza attempts to stand, pain shoots through her body forcing her to fall over. Gray watches the interaction between Natsu and Lucy as he slams his fists into the ground. This cannot be happening, not when they were so close to winning. The unknown man charges at Natsu and Lucy only for Gajeel and Laxus to block the man.
"You two are still alive," said the unknown man. "Out of my way."
"Like hell we will," retorted Gajeel.
"You will not leave here alive," stated Laxus.
The unknown man strikes Laxus in the stomach with a powerful punch causing Laxus to spit out blood. Gajeel attempts to aid Laxus only for a stream of water to slam into his back sending the metal dragon slayer to the ground.
Natsu tries to find his voice, but he is unable to say anything. Why would Lucy jump in the way? Why would she sacrifice herself for him?
"L-Lucy, I…," started Natsu, but he is unable to finish his sentence. "I-I, Lucy, I…."
Lucy raises her hand and places it on Natsu's mouth.
"I-I know," said Lucy with difficulty. "I-I do too."
Natsu lowers his head towards Lucy's face. His tears begin dropping onto Lucy's cheeks joining her own tears. Natsu's lips move closer to Lucy's lips while keeping eye contact with the blonde woman.
End Carla's Vision
Carla shakes her head trying to get the images out of her head. She looks at Natsu and Lucy, who continue to smile at each other. The female Exceed tries to figure out what the vision meant. When will this occur? Who was that man? In fact, she could not see what the man look liked. It was too blurring for her. Carla begins to shake a bit afraid of the possible future. Happy notices Carla's sudden change. He begins to worry about her wondering what happened.
"Carla is everything okay?" asked Happy.
"I-I, um, yeah Happy," said Carla. "Everything is fine."
Happy continues to stare at Carla wondering if he should believe her, but he decides to say nothing else. Carla turns her head away from Happy sighing in the process. She does not know what to make of the situation. However, for now, she will keep it to herself. She does not want to meddle into the future. Her actions could possibly cause the situation to occur. At the same time, it might happen if she does not say anything. Carla's heart begins to beat rapidly. What is she supposed to do?
*SC*
Marek walks through a dark forest. He looks around noticing the numerous shadow monsters resting in the area. He looks around the area as he heads towards the nearby river. He places his hand into the river causing it to boil in a few seconds.
"You know, we would like to drink cold water," said Len as he approaches Marek.
Marek remains silent as he takes his hand out of the water. He looks at the bracelet on his right wrist. He grabs the bracelet and plays around with it. Slowly, the silver-haired man stands straight up as he points his right hand towards the water. He clenches his hand a bit causing the water to move towards the sky against the law of gravity.
"This power," said Marek. "It is not enough. I need more."
"I'm sure we will get it," said Len as he steps back.
Blake, Alvena, and Liliana appear from the dark forest as they stare at Marek. They are able to sense the tremendous amount of magic from him.
"Someone seems to be in a bad mood," said Blake. "But that only makes it fun."
"Of course he is," said Alvena. "Seriously, we are running out of time. If we want to become stronger, we need to find it."
Marek turns to his four comrades. Soon, a lion monster appears from the dark forest. Its red eyes stare at Marek, but the silver-haired man does not falter under the deep gaze.
"Did you find the crystal?" asked Marek.
"No," replied the talking monster.
Marek grunts in annoyance. For two months, Marek and his group have been searching for this crystal. First, they started with simple searches. They used money and power to gain any possible information. However, as time went on, Marek knew his original method would not work. Attacking small villages were his next method. Thinking fear will be more useful. However, no village was able to provide him the necessary information. Now, it is time to strike the larger cities. There has to be someone who knows about the crystal.
"Perhaps, we should move onto Oshibana Town?" asked Alvena. "At the rate we are going, we might not find the crystal by the deadline."
"I know," replied Marek.
Marek returns his stare towards Alvena. For too long, he and his team have moved in the shadows hoping to accomplish their goals without struggle. However, he knows he must move at a faster pace. Eventually, the official guilds will consider him an enemy. It is now or never.
"Very well," said Marek. "It is time for us to make our move. Oshibana Town will be the first major attack."
"Will there be any enemy mages?" asked Liliana.
"Who knows, but it is best to be prepared," replied Len.
"We will destroy any town or mages in our way!" exclaimed Marek.
*SC*
Erza, Laxus, and Mirajane arrive at Oshibana Town. They notice the town is in a peaceful manner. So far, no major attacked have occurred. However, each of them knows this can change. Somewhere nearby, Marek and his team are approaching the city. It is only a matter of time. For now, they must rest for the upcoming battle if it will happen. So far, Marek has not attacked large cities, but his last known position puts him near Oshibana Town.
"This is going to be a long mission," said Mirajane. "I hope everything goes fine in Magnolia Town."
"Gramps will defend the place," said Laxus. "For now, we must concentrate on finding Marek."
*SC*
Two days later, Team Natsu finally arrives at a small village near Fiery Mountain. Natsu grins as he and Happy run or fly towards the village.
"Natsu, Happy wait up!" shouted Lucy, who begins to run after her teammates.
Gray, Wendy, and Carla follow the group at a slow pace. They rather not tired themselves. As the group reaches the village, they notice numerous villagers preparing to leave the village. In fact, half of the village is already empty.
"Who are you?" asked a villager next to Lucy.
The entire group turns their attention to the villager, who walks up to them.
"We are mages from Fairy Tail," responded Lucy.
"Ah, another group of mages," said the villager.
"Another?" questioned the group of mages.
He villager begins to explain to the group about five other groups of mages from small guilds arriving to deal with the situation only for many of them not to return. Lucy begins to worry a bit. She had hoped this mission would be about finding Igneel. She knows Igneel is not evil because he raised Natsu.
"We will help," said Natsu.
"Are you sure?" asked the villager.
"Of course, we are Fairy Tail and we will not let anyone else suffer from some type of monster," said Gray.
Lucy sighs knowing they are about to enter a dangerous situation. Oh well, what can she say? She is the person to bring them to this mission in the first place.
"Let's go!" shouted Natsu and Gray while raising their arms towards the sky.
"Your clothes Gray!" shouted Lucy as Wendy turns around.
"Damn it!" exclaimed Gray.
"By the way," interrupted the villager. "The monster we have seen appears at night. Also, it is quite large with wings and a long neck. It also breathes fire."
Team Natsu stare at each other before everyone turns their attention back to the villager. Natsu continues to ponder on the description. Could it be Igneel? No, it cannot be. There is no way Igneel will harm anybody.
"We should rest for the remainder of the day before we begin our journey tomorrow," said Lucy.
Soon, everyone agrees, even Natsu. Lucy glances at Natsu, who remains quiet. Something in Lucy tells her to comfort Natsu. She knows he would want to spend the same room with her, so she will comfort him there. Suddenly, Lucy turns bright red at her own thoughts. It will be only as a friend. Lucy repeats this phrase in her mind.
As the team stops at the inn, they realize it is quite empty. They easily rent two rooms. The first room is for Natsu, Gray, and Happy. The second room is for Lucy, Wendy, and Carla. Later that night, Wendy and Carla enter the bathroom to bathe while Lucy remains on her bed. She begins to stretch as she turns her head to the nearby window. She notices the dark village and wonders if the next day will be fine. She hopes it is Igneel, but for some reason, she has a feeling that the day will not be easy.
A knock on the door interrupts Lucy's thoughts. She stands up and heads towards the door. As she opens the door, Natsu stands on the other side. A look of shock appears on Lucy's face as Natsu grins at her.
"I would have thought you use the window," said Lucy.
"Oh," said Natsu as he looks at the window. "I'll go use it."
As Natsu turns around, Lucy grabs his wrist stopping him.
"You're already here," said Lucy.
Lucy leads Natsu to her bed. Both of them sit down, as she wonders what is going through his head.
"It's not him," said Natsu. "I don't smell Igneel anywhere."
Lucy's expression softens as Natsu continues to stare at the ground.
"I miss him," said Natsu. "I want to find him. I want to see him, but I can't find him."
Lucy places her hand on Natsu's right shoulder. She knows how much Igneel means to him. If only she could help, but is unable to do so. However, she can try to comfort him.
"We will search for him together," said Lucy.
Lucy waits for a response, but she only hears snoring. She realizes Natsu has fallen asleep while sitting. She slowly pushes Natsu down onto her bed. As she is about to leave, Natsu grabs onto her waist and then pulls her onto the bed. Lucy tries to struggle out of Natsu's grip, but she soon gives up. Sleep begins to overcome her and she decides to go with it.
Wendy exits the bathroom with Carla and notices Natsu and Lucy on the bed. She smiles at them as Carla frowns. The sky dragon slayer notices the frown on Carla's face causing Wendy to wonder what is wrong.
"What's wrong Carla?" asked Wendy.
Carla looks at Wendy before returning her gaze on Natsu and Lucy. She sighs trying to regain her composure.
"Nothing, I'm fine," said Carla.
Wendy decides to let the situation go and heads to her own bed with Carla. As the young dragon slayer and her Exceed go to sleep, Natsu tightens his grip on Lucy while the blonde woman sighs in bliss.
Carla remains awake for a bit longer than Wendy does as she watches the other two occupants in the room.
'I hope this works out,' thought Carla.
*SC*
A/N: Well, this is a bit of a slow chapter, but I think I did well. Anyhow, thanks for reading and please review.