Author's Note: Hello everyone. This chapter is going to have an extra long AN which I promised last chapter but forgot to do because I hastily uploaded the last chapter before I went to bed for the night. I know there are quite a few people that are displeased with the rather sudden change of pairing and main character death, some have even gone as far to say they hate the story now or call me names. In retrospect, yes, I should've changed the pacing of Natsu's relationship with Lucy. Do I think I shouldn't have killed Yukino? Not necessarily. Yukino's sudden death was meant to be a huge obstacle and roadblock Natsu would have to overcome, not some random impulse to switch the pairing.
And to the people that spite me for "switching to NaLu" or killing Yukino, please shut the fuck up. You're under no obligation to read my story, and if you're displeased with my writing and would like to tell me so, send me a RESPECTFUL (key word) message or review, and I will be more than happy to discuss my reasoning with you. Do I wish a lot of the things about the previous chapter were different? Of course. It's discouraging to see "I hate this story now" or "You're a fucking idiot" in the reviews because I made a hasty decision with the plot.
I also understand some people were confused with the whole "afterlife/dream/alternate world" vibe I had going on in Ch 9 and 10, so I'm going to explain it to the best of my ability. Natsu "dies" or rather goes into a comatose state after the severe beating he received from Yukino (some say it's uncharacteristic of her to beat her husband but it was in a fit of rage and an instinctual desire to claim her mate as her own, not to mention everyone has their moments of weakness) and goes into a Purgatory-like plain of existence where he meets his deceased father.
With that said, Natsu chooses the first door, returning to the past all the way back to the original GMG at the point of the afterparty. This is where the line between reality and whether it's all a dream gets fuzzy, because I never elaborated whether that whole exchange with his father was just the effect of a coma-induced dream or if it really happened up until the point where he "returned in time", which is where the dream began. If you don't believe in the afterlife, you can chalk the Purgatory scene up Natsu's imagination but I believe that it did happen and by some force, he wasn't allowed to return in time.
To clarify, the Purgatory scene was not a dream. The proposal to Lucy at the GMG was. Once again, don't mistake Yukino's death as an impulse plot twist to switch the pairings, I still very much liked NaYu but as an author it was getting difficult to write and I was trying hard to avoid writing some harem fic where Natsu ends up with his sister or something crazy. People that say they hate or cannot read the story any longer, I'm sorry it's either not to your liking or that you really despise NaLu. To the people that will continue to stick with the story, I guarantee the quality of the writing will only get better from here on out.
I can't really call it a NaYu fic anymore, but the quality and style of writing and fight scenes won't be changing (improving rather) and I think it would be sad if you all didn't see it through to the end. This is only my second fic, and it's a damn good one if I say so myself, at least for a new author. By the way, if you're still enjoying the story, please do leave me a nice review or tell me what you like about the story. You'd all be surprised how far a compliment can go for someone.
Also, I apologise in advance for the late updates and probably shorter chapters from here on out, I've been really sapped of creativity for this story, and sometimes it takes a little while for me to get going again. One chapter might take me a week or two to put out, and another might take two days. I get really bad writer's block, as I'm sure anybody that writes fics does, and I think it affects this story the most in particular. If you don't follow me as an author, I might suggest you do so, because I write a lot of other fics (rather, I have a lot of fics in the works), and I'm sure if you enjoyed this one, you'll enjoy the others. Have a great day/night!
-Cameron
Chapter 11: The Second Battle of the Four Dragon Slayers
Natsu leaned against the stone wall of the box seats in the arena, deep in thought with his eyes closed.
What's… What's wrong with me? My wife just passed away yesterday and I'm already chasing after Lucy?! Am I just some animal that is able to move on so easily from a tragedy such as this? he thought.
"Do not fret, Natsu. I can tell when you are worried about something." Mavis said, leaning against the wall next to him.
"It's just… have I moved on too fast? Shouldn't I still be grieving, shouldn't I be an emotional wreck?" Natsu asked her.
"The amount of time you spend mourning the loss of someone important varies between different people. Perhaps you only needed the one morning to release your angst and sadness, as opposed to Mirajane and Elfman, who mourned Lisanna's 'death' for years. It is natural to want to find solace in your friend Lucy, and I personally don't think you should be ashamed to move on. As long as you don't let your memories of your late wife leave you, that's all you can do. Do not be ashamed of true love, Natsu, no matter what the circumstance." she replied, nudging him with her elbow.
"Thanks, Mavis, it seems you always know exactly what to say." Natsu said with a smile.
"Don't flatter me. Let's win this thing, for Yukino, right?" she asked.
"Right." Natsu replied. "Wait, how could I forget?! Yesterday was the second day of the Games! What happened?" he asked.
"The second day was cancelled for the time being. Today will be the day they make up for yesterday with, assuming nobody else gets hurt." Mavis said.
A loud gong ringing throughout the stadium, the crowd fell silent as Mato-kun the pumpkin walked out into the centre of the arena as he always did to announce the beginning of the day.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the second-er, third day of the Grand Magic Games! Yesterday's matches were postponed due to an emergency, but we are pleased to inform that Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel has made a full recovery!" Mato-kun said, as the crowd roared with applause as Natsu smiled and waved.
"The theme for today's matches are… Master and member Tag Team Battles! The Master and a guild member of their choosing will do battle with another guild's Master and guild member! First up, none other than the two strongest guilds in all of Fiore, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth!" Mato-kun shouted, and the crowd roared in anticipation.
Natsu frowned and clenched his fist as he looked across the arena to see Sting smirking to himself. Natsu knew that Sting had set up this match intentionally, as a means of getting revenge for a number of things he unintentionally did to him in the past.
"Natsu, who will you choose?! It can be anyone from the guild!" Gray said.
"Relax, Gray, I already know who I'm going in the arena with." Natsu said nonchalantly.
"Who?" his guild asked in unison.
"Wendy, of course." Natsu stated, like it was the simplest answer in the world.
"M-Me?!" she asked in disbelief. "Maybe you didn't hear, Onii-chan, but you can choose ANYONE in the guild."
"Yeah, and I choose you. What's the matter?" Natsu said, tilting his head and looking at her funny.
"Wh-What reason would you choose me for? There's plenty of stronger members to choose from!" she shouted in protest.
"Well, I think we work well together, and fighting alongside those I care about the most makes me even stronger, so we have a better chance of winning. Remember the training we did, Wendy? This is exactly what you need to step out of your comfort zone. Be fierce! You're a Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy, it's time to soar!" Natsu shouted, pumping her up.
"You're… You're right! Let's do this!" she shouted with a passionate blaze in her eyes, clenching her tiny fists in anticipation. He followed her down the stairs and out into the arena as the crowd screamed and cheered at the arrival of Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer team. Across the arena stood Sting and Rogue, Sting looking at the pair with an angry sneer and Rogue looking a bit uncomfortable.
"You sure that was the right idea to bring her into the arena with you, Natsu-san? Anything can happen, you know." Sting said, licking his lips.
Extending an arm in front of Wendy, he replied,
"My imuoto can handle herself. She's stronger than you, after all." Natsu said angrily.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Natsu-san." Sting replied, taking the White Dragon Lacrima out of his pocket and tossing it up and down in his hand.
"You might meet with an unfortunate end after I'm done with you. Referee, get this match under way!" Sting shouted at Mato-kun, who nervously replied,
"Y-Yes, sir! The time limit is thirty minutes as usual, begin!" he said quickly as he scurried away to safety.
Taking the Lacrima and putting it against his chest, it began to fuse into his body as he grit his teeth in apparent pain. Once it was all the way inside, he fell to his knees, writhing in agony as his body and veins showed through his skin, glowing a blinding white. Wendy, whose first instinct was to help those in pain, began to step forward, but Natsu held her back, shooting her a look as if to say not to intervene.
"Sting!" Rogue shouted, putting a hand on his shoulder before Sting swatted it away.
"I'm... fine." he grunted, getting to his feet and stumbling a little. "I can feel Vicelogia's power... coursing through my veins."
Scales beginning to creep across Sting's body, and he seemed to grow a little in height, appearing taller than Natsu. Horns unlike Natsu's began to poke from his head, his hands and feet sporting claws and talons. A long and scaly white tail burst from his back, hitting the ground as he examined himself with a wide grin on his face.
"This is it! Primal Dragon Force! The power of the ancients!" Sting shouted, laughing hysterically and eyeing the two mages. "Rogue, hold back. I'll take them both on myself."
"But Sting, not even you can-" Rogue began, but Sting held out his hand to silence him.
"Do as I ask." he stated, and Rogue gulped and backed up, leaving Sting to stand against the pair.
"Wendy, let's go!" Natsu shouted.
"Yeah!" she replied, smacking her palm on the ground and erupting in white light, entering her own Primal Dragon Force which looked similar to Sting's but with the addition of feathers around her body and Natsu's curvy horns. Natsu did the same, his skin being replaced by his familiar shining red scales, as the crowd gasped and held their breath.
The arena was silent, until Sting's eyes darted to Wendy and he brought his palms back behind him, shouting,
White Dragon's Carnage!
launching a number of white rays which struck her unexpectedly, the beams of light stinging her skin as her scales smoked from the damage of his attack. She fell back to put distance between the two, as Sting seemingly teleported next to her and kicked her on the side of the head, sending her crashing down into the earth.
"WENDY!" Natsu shouted, as he grit his teeth and flew at Sting and traded blows with him at equal speed, launching a barrage of punches at the man as he blocked each hit. Sweeping Natsu's leg and sending him to the ground, Sting brought his fist down onto Natsu's chest, shouting,
White Dragon's Razing Claw!
knocking the wind out of him and chipping off a portion of the scales on his chest as he went crashing into the ground, sending shockwaves through the arena and leaving a large dust cloud in his wake.
Blowing away the dust with her magic, Wendy ran up behind Sting and jumped up and swung her foot around in a circle, catching him in the side and skipping his body around the arena like a pebble. Helping her partner to his feet, they both watched as Sting continued to skip and hit the arena wall, cracking the cement. Enraged at being taken off guard, Sting charged up a large amount of energy in his hands and was about to release it when Natsu came flying in at inhuman speed and headbutted him directly in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs and leaving him helpless on the ground.
Rogue, who had been quietly observing from the side of the arena up until now decided that he had to do something quick, otherwise Natsu would surely beat Sting into a pulp on the ground. Molding an arrow out of shadows, he initially aimed for Natsu, but figured it would be more effective if he targeted the girl that Natsu was trying so hard to protect: Wendy. Launching the shadow arrow from his palm, it whistled through the air and almost hit the young girl directly in the back had Natsu not snapped his head around and grabbed the projectile mid-air, crushing it in the palm of his hand. Now, Rogue could see, Natsu was furious. Completely ignoring Sting, who was coughing and struggling on the ground, he launched himself at Rogue, mercilessly battering him with a barrage of attacks, and Rogue knew that he had stirred the hornet's nest.
Now bloodied and broken, Rogue lay on the ground helplessly as Natsu repeatedly punched him in the face, and he could see the dirty black and red aura emanating from his body.
"You... would... dare... to... attack... her... while... her... back... was... TURNED?!" he snarled, with each word delivering another blow to the man's face.
"Let go of... my friend!" Sting roared, now standing on his own two feet as he let loose a White Dragon's Roar, knocking Natsu off of Rogue as he tumbled back and dragged his knuckles on the ground and got to his feet, baring his fangs and growling at them.
"Natsu loses control of his emotions too easily, especially when those he loves are involved. Rogue made a grave mistake when he intended to hurt Wendy over Natsu." Erza said, as the guild nodded in response.
"Will Sting and Rogue be... you know, okay? Natsu gets pretty vicious when he starts leaking that black and red stuff." Gray asked.
"I imagine as long as Wendy is okay, then they should be too." Levy chimed in.
Natsu stood, or rather crouched in front of Wendy, on all fours and growling menacingly at Sting as he ran over to check on Rogue.
"Rogue, are you alright?!" Sting asked nervously.
"Sting, I'm spent... you can still win, though." Rogue choked out in reply, his head hitting the dirt floor of the arena as he fell unconscious. Clutching his friend's hand in his, Sting released him and stood up, facing Natsu with an equally enraged expression.
"You hurt my friend... now, I'll hurt yours." Sting said with a voice shaking from anger, as he leapt at Wendy but was promptly whipped across the head from Natsu's tail, sending him flying as he hit the wall with a sickening crack.
Chaos Dragon's Malevolence!
he shouted, releasing a huge wave of dark red energy which collided with Sting, who was still pressed against the wall, exploding on impact and sending gales of wind and dust throughout the arena. Waiting for the dust to clear, Natsu squinted his eyes, only to see Wendy holding Sting under her arm, apparently saving him from whatever would've happened when that spell collided with him.
"Wendy, why?!" he growled.
"You promised you wouldn't use that magic ever again! Can't you see the fight is over?" she said.
"It's not over... until I say it's ov-" Sting began, but was knocked unconscious by Wendy as she promptly punched him in the stomach.
"But, they tried to hurt you..." Natsu said, his eye flickering back and forth from it's normal colour and the red dot.
"Do you see a scratch on me? I'm okay, Onii-chan, because you protected me. There's no need to be cruel to them, even if they weren't fighting fair themselves. Fairy Tail doesn't stoop to their level." she said, approaching him and taking his hand in both of hers.
"You're right, Wendy. I'm sorry." he said, his ears drooping as his eyes returned to their normal shade.
"It was a close match, but the clear winners are Natsu and Wendy of Fairy Tail!" Mato-kun shouted into the mic as the crowd roared in applause. Bowing to the crowd and waving to the stands, the two mages exited the arena and returned to their box seating, where they were congratulated their friends on their victory.
"You both did great!" Erza shouted.
"Well, Wendy did most of the work..." Natsu said modestly, before being whacked over the head by the girl in question.
"I certainly did not do all the work. Jeez, at your level, you probably didn't even need me to be there." she said with a sigh.
"Don't put yourself down, Wendy. We've done our part for the day, now we can relax and enjoy the rest of the day's matches." Erza said.
The entire guild sat back and relaxed just as Erza had said, thoroughly enjoying watching the other teams fight each other. Lamia Scale's Lyon and Chelia defeated Blue Pegasus' Ichiya and Nichiya, who then went on to be defeated by Kagura and Milliana. The scores for the second/third day were Fairy Tail in the lead with twenty-eight points, followed by Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel with ten points respectively. The day drew to a close as the sun set on the arena, and the second/third day of the Games concluded. Natsu was too tired to carry Wendy home on his shoulders, let alone walk home unsupported, so Erza and Wendy carried him as he snoozed soundly with his head rested on Erza's armoured shoulder.
"He sure tired himself out." Erza said with a giggle.
"Aye, I'm surprised he fell asleep before the day was even over." Wendy said exasperatedly.
"I wonder what Lucy and Alexia are up to, they never showed up at the Games today." Erza questioned.
"Shall we go find out?" Wendy asked, as Erza nodded.
Upon entering the inn and leaving the celebration/party, the two girls, still carrying Natsu, ascended the stairs and walked down the hallway, stopping in front of Lucy's door. Turning the knob and entering the room, both Erza and Wendy clasped their hands over their mouths, dropping Natsu in the process and waking him up from his peaceful sleep.
"Hey, what's the big ide-AHHHHHH!" Natsu shouted as his gaze fell upon Lucy, who still slept peacefully but now with the added change of her usual blonde hair dyed the same salmon/pink colour as Natsu's.
"Shhhh! Don't wake her up!" Alexia whispered angrily from across the room.
"B-But her hair!" Wendy stammered out.
"I know, isn't it pretty?! Now we're all like triplets!" Alexia said happily.
I wish I had pink hair too... Wendy thought to herself as she played with her blue locks.
"Is she... doing okay?" Natsu asked, eyeing his mate.
"Yep! She's been asleep all day, but her fangs are coming in, see?" Alexia said, pulling open her lips and pointing to her new sharp canine teeth. "I imagine she'll probably be waking up soon, you should prepare some fire for her to eat, Onii-chan."
"Fire..." Natsu said, his voice trailing off as he was hit with the sudden realisation that Lucy was now a Fire Dragon Slayer, just like him and Alexia. Just like Yukino when she changed into a Dragon Slayer, she's going to lose her ability to use Celestial Spirit Magic. Lucy loves her spirits... what have I done? Natsu thought.
"What will we do with her keys?" he asked sadly.
"Oh... I never thought of that." Erza said solemnly, "It's not like there's anyone we can give them to, and I doubt she would want to part ways with them."
"We'll let her decide what to do with them, that's only fair." Alexia said, as they all turned their heads to face Lucy, who began to stir in her sleep. She grumbled and her eyes began to flutter open as she stretched her arms like a cat and sleepily looked around the room to find her friends crowded around her bedside.
"Hey, everyone... what's going on?" Lucy asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Sleep well?" Natsu asked with a smile, and she nodded in reply.
"Like a rock. What are you all staring at?" she asked with a confused tone.
"Um... why don't you take a look for yourself, Lucy?" Alexia said, handing her a hand mirror as she looked into it and screamed as she hastily dropped it on the ground as it shattered.
"MY HAIR!" she shrieked, examining her luscious pink hair and twirling it around in her finger.
"I'm sorry if you don't like it, Lucy." Natsu said, his ears drooping as he looked at the ground.
"Like it? I love it! It's so pretty!" she squealed with excitement, as Natsu sighed a sigh of relief and beamed back at her. Crisis averted, he thought.
"See? I told you she would like it!" Alexia said, nudging him with her elbow.
"You said no such thing..." Natsu said exasperatedly, sweat-dropping at his sister's antics.
"I'm starving, what's for dinner?" Lucy asked, scanning the room for food.
"Here, try this, Lucy." Alexia said, igniting her arm in flames and offering it to her.
"What?! I can't eat that!" Lucy said in disbelief.
"Actually, you can, you're a Fire Dragon Slayer like Onii-chan and I, and that means you eat fire like us as well. Try it." she said, nudging her with her lit hand. Reluctantly, Lucy bent over and sucked up some of the flames from her palm, and seemed hesitant for a moment but went on to devour the rest like an animal.
"Taste good?" she asked with a snicker, and Lucy nodded furiously. "Why don't you try your boyfriend's fire instead?" she teased, nudging Natsu with her elbow.
She didn't even protest being called Natsu's girlfriend and eyed him hungrily, as if demanding him to feed her. His face gone red, he lit his hand ablaze like his sister as Lucy devoured his own flames, her cheeks stuffed full with fire as she gulped them all down.
"Delicious! Thanks for the meal, Natsu!" she said with her magical smile.
"Yeah, no problem." he said, returning her expression. "Are you feeling well enough to walk?"
"Yeah, I think so." she said, throwing the covers off of her body and getting to her feet, her long and cascading pink hair falling to her side as she stretched, catching his gaze.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, as Natsu shook his head.
"I just thought pink looks really good on you." he said with a grin.
"Stop, you're making me blush. But I thought it was salmon, hmm?" she said, causing him to do a double take and stammer out,
"I- It is salmon! Yeah, that's what I meant." he said, but everyone just laughed at his indecisiveness.
"How did we do in the Games today?" Lucy asked.
"Great! Wendy and I beat the brakes off of Sting and Rogue!" Natsu exclaimed, as Wendy shuffled her feet and claimed it really wasn't that big of a deal.
"I'm so proud of you two! Is there a party going on downstairs?" Lucy asked, as the four mages nodded. "Then let's go party! Carry me Natsu!" she exclaimed, plopping back down onto the bed and holding her arms out to signal him to carry her. Not missing a beat, Natsu scooped her onto his back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing and shouting as they ran out the room and down the stairs. Alexia, Wendy and Erza hastily followed behind the pair, not wanting to miss the reactions of their fellow guild members.
"Yay! Fairy Tail!" Lucy shouted as they stood at the top of the stairs. The guild all turned their heads to meet the source of the new voice, and their reactions were what Lucy had expected. Gray began choking on his drink, and Juvia screamed as she desperately tried to clear his throat. Many girls "ooh"ed and "aah"ed, and many guys fawned over her new hair until they met Natsu's piercing gaze, and they hastily looked down at the ground.
"Oh, I know what this is! The whole guild is dying their hair pink!" Mirajane shouted across the room.
"No, it IS NOT!" Natsu shouted in reply, "Unless it's completely natural, I forbid anyone in the guild from dying their hair pink."
No matter how much Mirajane pouted, she gave up eventually, as Natsu was very against having his entire guild copy his hair colour.
"It does look really pretty though, Lu-chan!" Levy said, "You probably inherited that from Natsu, right?" Lucy nodded, and Levy slapped both her cheeks in horror,
"Does that mean I'll have hair like Gajeel's?!" she shrieked, as Gajeel rolled his eyes.
"I think you're in the clear, Shrimp." he said, as Levy sighed in relief.
"What are we all waiting for? Let's party!" Lucy shouted from Natsu's back, as the guild roared in unison and the festivities began. Natsu had to more or less babysit his girlfriend as she danced on tabletops with Cana and burped balls of flame that often caught people's hair on fire. She even completely destroyed Gray in arm wrestling, splintering the wooden table with the force of her iron grip.
"Lucy is really letting her hair down, eh Natsu?" Erza said, approaching him from behind as Natsu turned to face her.
"Tell me about it. I'm not sure whether her new found ability to hold her alcohol is a good or bad thing." Natsu said with a chuckle as Lucy gave Mavis a piggyback ride around the inn.
"Natsu... have you been doing alright? You've been through a lot these past few days." Erza asked, putting an armoured hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah... I think I'll be fine. It's just a lot to take in, you know? My life has completely changed over the course of a few days." he said quietly.
"Here, come walk with me." Erza said, taking his hand with surprising force as she requipped into a light blue sundress and led him out of the inn and out into the now-calm and empty streets. Lucy looked a little surprised, but didn't say anything and continued to party with the rest of the guild.
Releasing his hand and letting him walk side by side with her, they slowly traversed the winding paths of the city of Crocus in a comfortable silence.
"You know, Natsu, if there's anything on your mind, you can always tell me. I've known you as long as anyone, and I can tell when there's something bothering you." Erza said, squeezing his hand in her own.
"It just... doesn't feel right. Even though I love Lucy, I... I wish I had Yukino back. I wish none of this would have ever happened." he said, a few tears streaming down his face as they walked.
"I know it hurts, Natsu. I wish things could have been different too..." she said, her own voice trailing off as she recalled the day at the beach they had a year ago that felt like such a distant memory.
"I mean, seeing Lucy so happy makes me feel amazing, but at the same time, at what cost did her happiness come from? My wife... my child... gone." he said solemnly.
Erza couldn't put her finger on it, but the way he said that last word carried such an immense weight to it.
"Natsu, you said that Yukino disappeared, but she didn't explicitly... you know, die?" Erza asked, and he thought for a moment and shook his head.
"She kind of just exploded into a cloud of dust." he replied.
"I don't want to get your hopes up, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but have you ever considered she might still be... alive?" Erza said, and his ears immediately perked up and his eyes shot up to meet Erza's.
"But... it just wouldn't make sense. Even if she was still alive somehow, I've mated with Lucy already. There's no going back from that, no matter what the circumstance. Besides, as much as I want Yukino to return, I have a duty to Lucy now. I couldn't go back on our bond, even for what I had with Yukino." he said, his eyes looking ahead.
"Yeah, you're right... Natsu?" she asked, and he turned his head to face her.
"Be good to Lucy. She's been through much hardship in her life, and I can only imagine that she's living her dream right now, being with you and all." she said, her grip tightening on his hand.
"Yeah, I... I will." he said, ending their conversation and letting the two walk in comfortable silence once again, their hands still intertwined.
I can't imagine what you've been through, Natsu. I still haven't gotten over my feelings for you, but for now... this is enough.