Chapter 12: Fateful Journey
"So, you haven't told her yet then; have you?" Zeref repeated.
Natsu growled, phone crackling under his tight grip. "Stop calling me, I'll burn away all of your research if you keep this up."
This was the second time now he was calling while he was still on vacation, biding his time until he seems he's sure no one will listen in on them.
Tonight is no different.
Zeref chuckled lightly, paying no mind to his threats. "Come on, you can't lie to me Natsu, the signs are showing up again, right? Your eyes must be glowing now even as we speak, you need a new shot before this old one wears off..."
And in the blackness of the room as he looked up at his reflection, his dark eyes indeed flashed with a golden hue.
"No, I refuse; I don't need it. Igneel was right when he said you would make anyone your guinea pig for experimenting, no matter the costs..." Natsu hissed, shutting his eyes to pretend he never saw the change.
Zeref clicked his tongue and he knew then his teasing was over.
"That's all in the past now, I did what I had to do keep you alive; with us. Now, either you'll have to come back home sooner than the summertime like you first said or Lucy will eventually find out the serum's effects are wearing off if she hasn't already. You should never forget what you truly are Natsu without the serum; a beast."
"Is that what you thought of Mavis as well?" Natsu questioned bitterly.
The tension snaps and the harsh click of the phone call ending resounds in his ears.
He laughed soundlessly as he dropped his phone back into his pocket, twisting the knife on old memories, old wounds out of spite shouldn't have brought him so much enjoyment, however…
It still wouldn't be long before he heard from his brother again.
A steady breath and sigh escaped him; another headache was coming on.
He maneuvered back to his bedroom as quickly and silently as possible, today is the final night of their vacation and he will try to make the best of it. Because by tomorrow at this time, he'll be back at his apartment and Lucy will be at her dorm.
'Damnit, calm down!' Natsu berated himself.
Though his body restlessly ignores him, hands trembling as he tossed the blankets over him. He can feel the beginnings of a cold sweat glistening over his skin.
He moved his hands to wrap around Lucy's torso once more, easing himself into her familiar scent. Her warmth.
But he stiffens as soon as he turns a bit more in her direction and meets her gaze.
She's awake.
"You okay?" She murmurs out evenly.
Her fingers reach to brush against his arm, drawing back in surprise at their dampness.
'It's colder than usual tonight and he's sweaty?' Lucy immediately thought in alarm.
Natsu watched as she sat up quickly, clicking on the lamp light as an orange glow bathed the room. He wondered briefly how he must've looked to her then, her auburn eyes widening in concern.
"What's wrong? Do you feel sick or have a fever?" Lucy asked in rapid succession.
Natsu shrugged, wincing when Lucy pinched his cheek at his non-reply.
Her expression soon changed though as fingers on his cheek rose up to trace the rims of his eyes.
"You're eyes are changing colors again. Why?" She whispered lowly.
A lump wedged into his chest.
"You're seeing things; it's late." Natsu grunts, attempting to turn over but Lucy keeps him fixed in place.
"No…I've seen them change like this before, though I never said anything." She refutes his claim.
So she had already noticed? It felt as if the knot had grown twice as large now.
"Why does it keep happening?" Lucy went on. Her tone is starting to hold more curiosity now than worry, but her hold on him remains the same.
"…It's complicated." Natsu begins.
Lucy snorts, arching a brow. "Try me."
"Zeref…has also experimented on me."
"I used to get frequently sick when I was younger, he gave me medicine that I assume worked and I felt better soon afterwards. I gained strength and speed I never even realized I was capable of…though it came with side effects." Natsu explained.
"At first Igneel and I thought it was just an odd case of puberty, I would get hair and scale like patches on my skin that itched, I got more violent at the even the smallest things like any other teenager I figured. I didn't want to take the injections again like Zeref kept wanting to keep the drug effects in my system, but he said I would never be able to control myself on my own now that so much of it is already in me…"
Natsu looked up at her then and her breath caught.
"But I did when I met you."
He brushed a hand through his pink locks, scowling at the sweat that came with the action.
"Lucy, you keep me sane. The cravings for rage and fights aren't as strong when I'm with you and when we're lovemaking."
"But, the changes are still occurring; once the medicine fully wears off…" Lucy trailed off, biting her lip.
Natsu nodded, finishing for her. "Then maybe the transformation truly begins."
-X-
Lucy decides by 4:32 am that there just going to stay up the rest of the night.
Her stomach restlessly churns again as she quells the urge to vomit.
A quick move to the stove to fire up another cup of tea should hopefully stop that feeling this time.
She didn't even realize she'd been crying until Natsu thumbs the tears away. He's left her side temporarily to go take a shower to 'cool down' in the sense even though he felt far from hot when they had touched earlier.
'Is there any way to slow down this process? I know you don't want to try out placebos or any more drugs, though…' She remembers asking.
Natsu just shakes his head, pursing his lips before a tight frown forms.
"As far as I know, only Zeref knows the components to keep it completely under control."
Still, she wondered what it was exactly that she did that helped Natsu to relax as he said. Nothing comes to mind that she's done out of ordinary around him and her cheeks burn at the thought that maybe it has to do with when they're intimate.
Distractedly, Natsu returns from his shower before she can dwell on it for much longer, towel lounged around his neck and her gaze drifts downward…
"You're not even going to try to get some rest; not that it matters to me really if you want to keep ogling?" Natsu muses, toothy grin lighting his face as Lucy huffs he's a moron.
"What is it about me anyways? What am I doing that slows down the process?" Lucy grumbled, turning away from his amused smirk.
She didn't expect an answer from him really, though when she looks his way again he's gotten close.
So very, very annoyingly close.
Her breathing hitches as Natsu parts at a strand of her blonde hair, revealing her neck. A serious look crosses over him then, licking his lips in anticipation.
A shiver rushes over her.
"Natsu, don't." Lucy implores, shoving him back gently.
The hungry gaze in his expression breaks at her pushing, fingers pressing a spot on her neck that nearly makes her yelp.
"Ow, what the hell?!" Lucy curses, almost wanting to bite his hand at the sudden stinging pain.
Natsu pauses in alarm, wrinkling his nose as Lucy held and rolled her neck in exaggeration. "I barely touched you Luce."
Lucy continued to let out low hisses, heading to the bathroom to indeed check. He knew the love-bite he gave her there days ago still hadn't properly healed yet and she-
'Wait, what happened to the hickey?' She asked herself.
Because in her reflection gone is the bluish-purple hue she's been trying to cover up with heaps of foundation and turtlenecks for the past couple of days.
In its place is something much more unusual.
A scar.
"That…that was never there before." Lucy whispers, faintly touching the mark. It's hot and she flinches again at the ache that shoots through her.
Was this a weird type of bug bite or some infection?
She hides it through the strands of her hair again as Natsu approaches, ignoring the sinking feeling coiling in her chest.
"You okay?" Natsu questions at her paleness.
"Yeah, just felt dizzy for a moment." Lucy replied slowly, his gaze flickers back to her neck for a moment before shrugging with a nod.
But as he leaves her side again she indeed sees the scar is still there, throbbing.
-X-
In the morning light, Lucy's eyes normally shine a pretty shade of brown and orange blended together as the rims of her eyes crack open through the haze of sleep.
Natsu opens his mouth, only to close it as he finds himself unable to form words while watching her rest.
He has a major problem on his hands.
'That wasn't an ordinary mark on her neck, it's…it's my fault she's hurting right now. Could it be that I maybe…?' Natsu scowled.
He needed to call Igneel.
"Natsu, are you even paying attention?!" Igneel snaps, slamming his hand down on the table causing him to jump.
"Huh, oh yeah Dad I heard you." Natsu yawns, leaning back from him. A quick glance at the clock shows it almost 11:00 pm.
Great, all of the best graduation parties have already started.
Igneel groans, knowing his mind his wandering as his gaze flickers everywhere but at him.
"This is serious Natsu, now that you've graduated from high school, you'll be going off to college in the fall. There'll be much more women around to tempt you." He begins again.
A wild smirk crosses Natsu's face. "Oh, ya don't say?"
Contrary to what Igneel and Zeref think, the opposite sex isn't that much of a mystery to him.
But his joking ends at his hardened stare.
"You're going to come across all kinds of people there and lately I've gotten the feeling that you'll meet the one who will eventually hold your heart." Igneel continued.
Natsu shrugs. "And that's a bad thing?"
Igneel pauses, eyes shifting discreetly towards upstairs. Natsu followed where his gaze went and sat up properly in alarm.
Zeref's room.
"He's been unhappy ever since you announced you were leaving and not planning to go down same path as the rest of the family. I've been watching over you two since your parent's deaths years ago falling too deep into their life of crimes, and yet I still failed to properly change his mind." Igneel laments.
Natsu taps a finger against the table, studying him closely. "Does this have anything to do with that medicine he injected me with all those years ago to help me get better when I was ill? The one that he continues to keep tweaking and experimenting with?"
Igneel nods and his heart pounds a bit more.
"I'm worried about the side effects of it now, perhaps it's just there dormant in you or maybe it's already been passed out of your system. I've researched so many books and information online, however I just don't know if what it was he gave you can be passed on to someone else." He finishes.
Natsu gazed down at his hands, rough and callused from so many skirmishes over the years. He only felt a change in him when his emotions got the better of him, but now the idea of someone becoming sick due to getting too close to him…
He forced a bright grin despite this nagging worry stirring up in him.
How would he know if he had given the drug to someone? Would his lover start showing the same behavior or symptoms he once had?
"Hey, don't worry about me Pops! You should be more concerned about Zeref and what he plans to do now that he's opening that new clinic of his." Natsu regarded.
Igneel nodded, sensing the need to change the topic as well.
After all, neither has an answer that will settle their looming concerns.
"I'm not mad for the secrets you've kept Natsu." Lucy points out, voice so light and airy it seems far away.
Natsu blinked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.
Damn it, why hadn't he listened to him more back then?
"We should do more research into these signs and symptoms you have or used to have. Maybe even your Dad can persuade your brother to-"
"No!" Natsu interrupts.
"I mean, my brother is a last resort. We can ask Igneel sure, he probably has a better idea more than any book or anyone else can tell us for all the questions we have."
Lucy looks like she wants to push the topic, face a mix of upset and annoyance though she quiets as Natsu moves to squeeze her hand.
She's doesn't bring the subject up again for the rest of the way home, lulled to catch up on much needed sleep as the train takes them back to Magnolia. The sky grows darker the closer they get, brief downpours scattering across the fields. Natsu turns over in his sleep again from her lap, head a muddled mess of bad dreams she's sure.
'That's a nasty hickey Natsu gave you, you'll need twice as much cover up to hide that!" Levy teases.
Gajeel snickers in agreement from beside her, though his laugh seems more wary at Natsu's lack of rising to the bait.
"Got a bit too rough with her huh Salamander?"
Natsu sent him one look, before popping an anti-nausea pill in and boarding the train ahead of them.
"Shut it, we've all seen the bruises over Levy's body that couldn't have been done from 'tripping'."
And to her surprise, Gajeel doesn't counter him. Perhaps he knows he really doesn't want to be bothered right now.
It's not like they can keep running from his brother much longer.
-X-
'Interesting.'
Zeref smiles, reading over the same patient file of Ms. Mills. Only 3 days have passed and she's back in his office. Her pain is gone like he suspected. Instead now, her face has become a sickly white, marred with fresh red streaks from scratching herself.
He watched from the corner of his eye through the crack in his door as she licked her lips eagerly, rocking in her seat impatiently to be called next.
Addiction has truly latched on to her.
'It worked quicker than I expected.' He notes, examining his paperwork. He would have to change the strength and dosage on her prescription to make sure she kept chasing for that high…
A buzz from his personal phone draws him away from the computer and his smile breaks for a moment as he reads the caller ID.
It's Igneel.
He's straight to the point as he answers, voice heavy with restrained anger.
"I have a strong reason to believe Natsu has spread that drug in his system to Lucy." He growls.
Zeref paused, thoughts swimming back to the image of the pair he found online.
For a brief moment, he isn't sure how to take the news.
The medicine had been meant for only Natsu based on his body system, he hadn't considered for the possibility of him spreading it to someone else via sexual or physical contact…
It could be toxic.
"That will change how I planned the rest of my studies." He eventually murmurs.
Igneel hisses out a low curse, fed up. "Is that really your first thought when someone gets sick with your drugs?! This is your brother we're talking about and all you can think about is another test, another opportunity for research. What would Mavis think if she saw that you-"
"Mavis is dead." Zeref cut him off flatly.
Igneel sighs, gritting his teeth now. "I know Natsu won't say it, but he's been worried about the day he could unknowingly hurt the one he loves. Shouldn't you have been too?"
The line goes dead before he can respond.
'He didn't even let me answer.' Zeref considered, dropping the phone back into his pocket.
But his focus is gone now.
His head twinges as Mavis's smile forms from memory, the nights he spent trailing fingers through her endlessly long sandy hair, emerald eyes that sparkled when they spoke of each other's dreams…
She'd hurt him when she left.
Unable to handle the pressure, the experimental trials, and the effects of the pain he caused…
"You can't leave me Mavis, we're both in this now. If you leave, I'll-"He shook his head, the image of her blurring.
Empty threats fall away into the silence of the room.
Zeref scowled, clenching his chest at the brief lapse of weakness. These foolish emotions…
'So, Lucy has gotten involved with Natsu. That just means I need to up my studying on her and her family. Surely there was something I missed during my first search through her background.' He decided.
He needed a good distraction anyways, anything to rid himself of this ugly misery like he was one of his fragile patients.
She was in the territory of Dragons now, whether she knew it or not.
'Her dad's name was Jude, right? I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before besides just among other oil and gas tycoons.' He mused, typing away.
It finally clicks once he reaches a particular article; that oh so long buried file is now coming to light in his memories.
This is the perfect pick me up in his opinion for his now sour mood.
"That's right; I remember him now."
-X-
Lucy thumbs the scar again for probably the hundredth time that night.
'Yes, it's still there.' She reminds herself yet again.
Juvia had commented the scar looked more like a mild discoloration in an attempt to make her feel better during class, but she still wasn't so sure.
Normal bruises don't hurt this much.
"Juvia knows you and Natsu like to play rough, perhaps you should start mentioning to him to tone it down a bit." Juvia suggested in a light whisper.
Lucy resisted the urge to loudly refute such claims. Juvia did have an overactive imagination after all from reading her past fiction prompts for class…
Speaking of prompts…
'Focus on writing. Focus on writing.' She told herself, glancing back up at the clock.
All they had to do was finish reading a short passage on common scientific, political, and lifestyle theories of famous 18th and 19th century authors and compare them to today's modern society and their own personal thoughts.
She was basically done at least, however Juvia was keeping her from finishing those last precious ending lines she needed.
"Gray told me that Natsu had been keeping embarrassing things from you. Juvia has a nagging suspicion of what it might be." Juvia went on dramatically.
Lucy looked her way briefly as their professor was busy talking with another student who needed help.
"And…?" She asked urgently.
A wry grin lit up her face.
"Sadism."
Lucy nearly broke her pencil in two; puffing up her cheeks at her light giggling.
Of course of all things, that was her assumption; this sinking feeling in the pit of her chest since Spring Break had ended wasn't go away. Maybe it was truly time to ask Natsu…
"Has Gray ever told you that you jump to the worst conclusions?" Lucy grumbled as they left class.
Juvia tapped her cheek thoughtfully before shaking her head.
"Gray doesn't think Juvia's ideas are strange! Usually…"
Natsu for his part though hadn't even paid the scar as much attention as she was doing, his first true look at the mark had him under the guess that he probably had just sunk into her skin too hard or she had burned her neck with her curling iron and she bites her tongue at telling him otherwise.
Or perhaps he didn't want her to worry about it too much.
Despite her body's objections.
It feels like she has the flu all over again, curling herself into a tighter ball in an attempt to make the pain disappear.
And all day into the night now, none of her usual pain relief methods has eased the ache.
From the corner of her eye, she sees her phone light up again in a blaring ringing that echoes throughout the room.
Oh, that's right; she was supposed to be at Fairy Tail's monthly guild meeting over an hour ago.
Natsu's three texts and one missed call dryly remind her of said fact.
But this time, the call isn't from him like she expects; the number shining across her screen is one she's never seen. Cautiously, she lets it ring until her phone automatically sends the call to voicemail. Only a few seconds pass by before her phone buzzes again to show they've left a message.
"…Is this the number of Lucy Heartfilia by any chance?" A smooth voice rings out as she plays it back.
A man's voice.
Lucy sat up a bit more urgently now, there's a sharp edge to this man's tone that makes her shaky as goosebumps emerge on her skin.
There's a pause before he resumes speaking. "My name is Zeref Dragneel. I've recently come upon information regarding your father Jude; would you like to hear it?"
'What?'
She listens again to make sure she heard him right, his voice is indeed clear as day. The room starts to spin at the rise of revulsion pressing against her gut, fisting her bedspread in a vice like grip to maintain some control.
'Get a hold of yourself Lucy!'
The rest of what he says has to be a lie.
This man he describes from his memos can't possibly be her father, a past filled with hauntingly grisly accusations and encounters he's somehow managed to keep from the public's eye for years.
Including her and her mother.
Tears well in her eyes that she immediately blinks away.
It's getting tiring crying over stupid father; her stupid deceitful father…
And now…she's just waiting for the inevitable to happen. Time ticks by slowly as Zeref's message replays hollowly in the back of her mind.
A knock comes to the window and before she can even completely turn, a flurry of pink invades her vision. Natsu smells of grass and sweat, in tune with nature as usual.
"Hey." He greets her; much too casually in her opinion.
One arm weighs down on the bed to pin her place, keeping him from falling onto her and she stills as a sharp grin unfurls on his face.
"You missed the guild meeting, what's your excuse? I had so much I wanted to tell you too; I got that A on my history exam that you weren't sure I would even get from all your tutoring!" He demands, voice a mix of seriousness and pouting.
Lucy smiled sheepishly in spite of her mood, scooting back until she feels her head hit the frame of the bed. "Umm, I wasn't feeling well? Studying?"
Natsu arched a brow, leaning infuriatingly in until their lips barely brush. "Oh, really now? You passed up an opportunity to not point out that I finally got an A in a 'not a blow off class' as you like to call it?"
"Yes!" She states in reply.
And instead of taking her word of it, he plops down to lie beside her. Ebony eyes shift around the room as he sniffs the air around him. Part of her wants to ask what on earth he's doing, until he abruptly speaks up again.
"So then, what were you thinking about before I came in here? Had to be something important." He mused.
Her cheeks starts to heat a tell-tale pink. What exactly is he assuming or implying?
'Maybe he thinks you're lying and that you were out with some guy.' Her thoughts wander.
The very idea makes her roll her eyes and unfortunately, Natsu notices.
"I have ways to make you talk you know." He mentions slyly.
She craned herself away from him, despite the pain it caused in doing said action. Jealousy and confusion spark in his eyes and teasing him is a small temporary distraction off her current discomfort.
"Oh, really now?" Lucy answers mockingly.
A flash of his wicked grin nearly makes her backtrack.
"Was it Loke? Has he been messing with you again?" He questions.
"Try again." Lucy scrunches her face. Loke hasn't done anything since she broadcasted his discretions to the university under the semi-anonymity of the school newspaper, but hearing this new information now…
Maybe she shouldn't completely believe he hadn't come to play some part in all of this.
Natsu hummed, rolling off a list of practically all the men she knew in Magnolia, even men she had maybe talked to only once or twice.
"You're terrible at this you know, not even going for the obvious." Lucy chided him softly, poking his arm.
Natsu affectionately returned the gesture, but then his hands palm the edges of her face and he breathes in slowly once more.
"Luce, you smell like you've been crying recently."
Amber eyes soften then. "That's because I was."
Anticipation flares up in his expression, gaze sharpening to give her his full attention. Lucy again felt her stomach twist, nervous knots ready to burst.
"I-I have a question before I go on, did you…did you ever recognize my father's face or name before you got introduced to him weeks ago?" Lucy questioned.
Natsu gained a frown, shaking his head after thinking it over. "No, not that I can think of, but then again there were so many faces of people we came across over the years back at home; why?"
A jittery sigh escapes her, hesitation takes her voice as it crackles. Part of her wishes she hadn't even brought this topic up at all…
"Your brother found my number somehow." She whispers eventually.
"What?!" Natsu growls, pushing up off the bed.
There's a gleam of crimson far more menacing than anything she's ever seen prior growing to life in his eyes as he cracks his knuckles in testing and Lucy hurriedly grabs onto him before he starts to move.
"You can't run off without thinking!" She asserts.
And she forces him to look at her when he merely sneers in response. His whole demeanor is rapidly changing in such a short span of time, the scar on her neck pulses as his rage begins to take over…
"Natsu, please." Lucy tries again, clenching at his shirt. No matter how bitter the revelation it is, the last thing either need is more trouble, more violence…
More heartache.
But the anger in his eyes is still festering when she passes her phone to him for him to listen to the message as well, biting her lip at his wayward behavior.
Natsu stares blankly down at her phone, swiping to delete the voicemail and call as if it never existed.
'Did you know Lucy, your dad used to be of our clients?' Zeref's voice eerily echoes on.
"Natsu?" Lucy starts.
Instead of answering her, he grabs her by the hand to guide them out into the night. A cool fog hovers over the most of the area, moonlight casting a glow over the grasslands they head towards.
Lucy shivered, feeling Natsu clasp her hand in warmth before tugging them on.
For once, she can't read what's going through his mind.
-x-
I went back at least maybe three or four times throughout this chapter to do some editing on ideas I had and gained throughout writing it, particularly more on the Natsu and Lucy interactions with each other and other people. Your feedback would be lovely as always if you have any suggestions too!
Thanks/Shout-outs to maxridelover, sahara1.8, quite-a-riot, zerophelia, and guest for your responses last chapter and all my readers for taking time out to check out the story! About to reach 200 follows soon; you guys are amazing! :)
