Yay I'm on time this week! Illness still runs rampant through my house, what IS this monstrosity?! Anyway lol Here's the next chapter! Also just wanted to let everyone know that after this chapter there are only 3 left! Can you believe it? I'm kind of sad to see it end! However... there will be a Gajevy fic very soon after ;). Never fear, I will always write more!
Cover art by the wonderful WendyMarvellxd, check her out on Deviant art!
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the creation of Hiro Mashima, Lilith Mey has no claim to any of his characters and that makes her very sad. (hehe)
"You found it?" Lucy got up out of the booth and took the book from Levy's hands.
"It wasn't easy, the book was so old we had to guess some of the words until it made sense when translated. A few pages were also missing but we got a lot of good information." Levy watched Lucy leaf through the pages, knowing how much this meant to her friend.
"Tell me everything, I need to know so I can help Natsu when we find him." Lucy looked up from the book to the blue haired woman.
Levy gently tugged the book out of Lucy's hands and sat down, Lucy followed her lead, eager to hear how she could help Natsu. "We'll start with the why part. When we were talking about Natsu that night, you said Igneel had told him something very important, but he couldn't remember what that was; I think I figured it out. See, one of the authors of this book... was Igneel, which means that Natsu had a better chance than anyone else to ward off the beast from the start. If he had remembered, Natsu might be here right now. The book tells us that the more powerful the slayer, the more likely it is that the part of their dragon teacher that resides inside them will begin to take over." Levy grinned then, "Gajeel grumbled for about a day when we translated that, something about how there was no way Salamander was stronger than he was."
Lucy's face was pensive as she listened to Levy explain, but she couldn't help but laugh. "That sounds like him, next thing you know, he'll be challenging Natsu to a battle when we find him. So Natsu is really powerful huh?" She sounded proud.
Levy nodded, still smiling. She was glad to see her friend laugh, but needed to explain the rest of it. "So that's the why, and this is how to help him." She flipped to another section of the book and skimmed it before she spoke. "The way to make the transition from slayer, to slayer harboring a beast inside him is a bit simple, but also difficult. It requires two things, the first is an acceptance of what's happening, of having the beast share a body with him and not denying it's existence. The beast must be let out, even in small bursts, so a trust is found between it and the host slayer. The longer the beast is denied, the stronger it becomes and the weaker the slayer ends up, which is of course bad for Natsu; but the situation isn't hopeless. The second thing required is someone the beast trusts, someone the beast will listen to unconditionally, someone the slayer also trusts enough to control the beast while it's out." Levy smiled again. "Gajeel tells me that Natsu has that with you, so the real problem is the first part of this. If Natsu can accomplish this, the beast is a valuable asset. The two of them become... partners, helping each other when needed, a valuable addition to the guild. The beast makes Natsu stronger, faster, more resilient to injury with more stamina than a regular human could ever have. He'll be known as the big guns. However, if this harmony can't be reached... the beast will slowly consume everything about the slayer until there's nothing left. Kindness would be shown to no one but the one it trusts and the only option becomes killing both slayer and beast, and that is the last thing any of us wants to happen."
Levy was finished then, and she settled back in the booth while she waited for Lucy to respond. The silence stretched out for a long time as Lucy thought over everything, every possible scenario and outcome. When she finally spoke, it was to summarize everything Levy had said.
"So, if Natsu accepts the beast, gives it freedom, and trusts me to control it, he will be okay?" Lucy looked at her friend for confirmation.
Levy nodded, "Yes, that's right."
"Okay, that sounds doable." Lucy rose from her seat and smiled. "I'm going back to the mountains, to find Natsu. Want to come?"
Levy wasn't really sure she wanted to go anywhere but back home, but she knew her friend needed her. So she stood up too and grinned. "Of course I do."
The two of them left the following morning to go back to the village where Natsu had last been seen, but unfortunately, they dragged along an unwanted addition to their group.
"I still can't believe you and the shrimp were going to try and find Salamander on your own." Gajeel admonished for the hundredth time since he had come by the house last night, though Lucy never found out the real reason he had come. Gajeel had been too busy yelling about how stupid they were. "You have no idea what kind of condition you're going to find him in. For all you know, he's already let the beast take control. He could be as bad as that poison dragon, killing towns off."
Before Lucy could react to that statement, Levy did. She got up in his face, her finger prodding into his chest. "Why would you say something like that? can't you see she's already worried sick over the idea? You didn't have to actually voice it!"
Lucy smiled at her champion and laid a hand on her friends arm. "Relax Lev, he didn't mean it to be hurtful, he was just trying to prepare me for the worst."
Gajeel was standing there now with a scowl on his face, arms crossed over his chest. "You seem to have a low opinion of me shrimp, what the hell did I do to deserve it?"
"Oh, well lets see, should we start with the way you dragged me into the guild hall because you thought I was a spy, or how about the train?" Levy was mimicking his stance now.
Lucy was surprised to see a blush spread over Gajeel's cheeks. "I already apologized for that, holding a grudge is just petty."
Levy deflated a bit and sighed. "You did, I'm sorry, I'm just... worried." She looked uncomfortable now.
"We all are." Gajeel said.
Lucy was a bit dumbfounded by the whole exchange, it was like someone else had invaded the bodies of her two friends. Levy was usually so sweet tempered and quiet, bookish even, while Gajeel was usually gruff and unapologetic. Yet both of them were acting exactly the opposite of normal. She suddenly wondered what had happened on the last train ride together, and if just maybe... they liked each other. Lucy's matchmaking side came front and center and she hoped it would go better than last time. Five days by train...
Lucy's head was spinning as they headed back to Gajeel's private sleeper car. She left the two of them together briefly after dropping off her luggage and went to find the conductor. Arrangements made, she was back to their home for the next few days. As she took in the scene around her, Lucy realized that Levy was flushing and Gajeel was looking a little smug. She had no idea what had just happened, but it looked like maybe she wouldn't have to try so hard to match make after all.
Lucy chose to ignore whatever it was that happened as she turned to Levy and said, "Last time we took a train you probably saw what happens to Gajeel whenever he's on something that moves. He gets extreme motion sickness and can't move for the duration of the trip, that's why he gets the sleeper car. For this entire ride, as well as the three days by wagon, he's going to be completely useless and we have to take care of him. Two men will be along to help him use the facilities, but we have to feed him.
Gajeel straightened away from the window he was leaning against and came forward, ready to protest Lucy was sure, that someone also did that for him, but she cut him off as he started to speak.
"We'll take turns of course, it wouldn't be fair that one of us always has to do it. I'll even go first." Lucy smiled over at Gajeel, who was frowning at her, then at Levy, who also looked less than pleased. Had she read the signals wrong? Oh well, too late now, she'd already cancelled the lady who spoon fed Gajeel on trips.
Gajeel wasn't given time to protest as the whistle sounded and the train began to move. There was just enough time for him to flop onto the bed before he groaned and his face turned green.
Levy was holding back a grin when she said, "Boy, you weren't kidding about him being useless."
"Natsu has it too, it's apparently a dragon slayer thing, though who knows why. Last time we came up here I thought I was going to have to take care of them both. Thankfully Gajeel is a smart man and had it all taken care of." Lucy said, going over to where the impaired man lay and asking if he needed anything.
The iron dragon slayer shook his head and then basically ignored them while he tried to concentrate on not loosing the small breakfast he'd had.
The next five days passed much the same, Levy and Lucy would talk about their world, and Lucy would tell her about this one. They'd sometimes read in silence for hours, Lucy often reading and rereading the translated book; they always remembered to check on Gajeel however, as he just laid there. As much as she could, Lucy disappeared right around meal times so that Levy was forced to feed the incapacitated dragon slayer. Levy called her on it after three days, but Lucy denied it all. There were no major protests coming from the blue haired woman however, so Lucy knew she didn't mind too much.
The journey passed quickly and they arrived in the village by mid afternoon. They were greeted warmly by the innkeeper who immediately recognized them. The man was glad to see that Gajeel was healing nicely and equally delighted to meet Levy. He was, however, sad to hear that Natsu was still missing.
"We came back to try and find him again. You haven't heard anything about him have you?" Lucy asked, hope in her voice.
The innkeeper shook his head, "No, I am sorry but I've heard nothing about your friend. Truth be told, we've all been a bit distracted because of something that happened a couple weeks ago. One morning we woke up to a... green fog blanketing the town. We didn't know what to make of it, still don't. It was so thick we couldn't seem to see more than a foot ahead of us. The strangest part was, a few people from both the town and the guests here at the inn, just dropped dead within a few minutes of being in the fog. Six deaths in total, strangest thing I've ever seen..." The innkeeper looked lost in thought now as Gajeel and Lucy shared a look.
The dragon was alive, and it had tracked them to the village. The biggest question however, was how almost everyone in this place survived, when three other towns had not. They had done nothing to ward themselves from the poison cloud, yet only six were dead.
"We need to contact the guild, there's something up here that causes an immunity to the poison dragon cloud. Porlyusica needs to know what that is and we need to find it for her." Gajeel said, the guilds stand by physician had been called in when it seemed that the injuries done to Elfman and Evergreen weren't going to be fixed with normal medicine. "I'm going to find a lacrima." He disappeared out the front door of the inn, leaving Levy and Lucy to rent their rooms and take the luggage upstairs.
He returned over an hour later with news. "Porlyusica is sending Wendy up to investigate, with her healing magic she has a better chance of figuring this out than anyone else. Until she gets here, we'll continue with our original plans to find Salamander."
They spent the rest of the night planning where and how they would search before eating and getting a good nights rest.
In the morning, Lucy and Levy hugged goodbye while Gajeel told Lucy to hurry up or she'd miss the coach. While Levy and Gajeel searched nearby, Lucy would go to other towns and villages close to this one and ask about Natsu. Given that none in this town had heard anything about him, it was likely that he was no longer so close by. If Lucy found anything, she was going to send word to Gajeel and Levy, so they could come with her.
As Gajeel put it, "You are in no way to approach Salamander if you find him, there is no telling his state of mind. You better listen to me bunny girl, I won't have your death on my conscience."
Lucy had rolled her eyes, but agreed. They all knew neither Natsu nor the beast would ever hurt her, but it was nice to know the gruff dragon slayer cared. She really hoped that Natsu was still doing well, that the beast hadn't taken over, hadn't hurt anyone. She thought about what she would do if that wasn't the case, but shook her head, knowing she'd still try to help him, that she'd still love him. Lucy would never stop trying to save the man who had become the most important thing to her in both this world and the one she was born into.
The week she spent in search of any information regarding Natsu was exhausting and seemingly pointless. That is until she got to a town that was surrounded by rivers, it was there that Lucy received her first clue.
"I don't know anyone named Natsu, but we did have a pink haired man named Nat selling us fish for a while. Come to think of it, if it's the same one you're talking about, his name might be Natsu, Nat is a short form of that after all. Anyway, he left in a rush one day, didn't even take his catch with him. No one in town has seen him since that day. I know he was staying in one of the caves in the forest though, if he's still around and is indeed the man you're looking for, that's the best place to start looking."
Lucy thanked the man named Hershel and hurried to write out a note for the wagon driver to take back to Levy and Gajeel. It would only take a day and a half for it to reach them, so she had about three, maybe four days to wait before she could go search for Natsu. Lucy only hoped she had the patience to wait that long, he might be so close by and she'd never know.
The wait seemed endless, and when they finally arrived at the inn, Lucy was nearly tearing her hair out.
"Finally! I was beginning to think you guys would never get here. I've got a map of the area and marked the most likely places for him to be, if we leave now we should be able to check out at least three before dark."
Gajeel held up a hand, "Slow down bunny girl, we just got here and it was an exhausting trip; Natsu can wait until morning. I know you're anxious to get going, but I'm in no condition to protect either of you right now." Even as he spoke, Lucy acknowledged he looked a little green.
Still, she huffed and was about to say she didn't need his protection when she looked over at Levy and realized that her friend, would. Natsu, let alone the beast, had never met the woman, and that could end up being dangerous. So with a deflating sigh, Lucy nodded. "Okay, we go in the morning."
Lucy was ready to go before either of her friends were even up the following morning. Natsu was close by, she just knew it, and she wanted to see him, to make sure he was alright. It had been nearly two months and she missed him like crazy.
After a quick breakfast, the three of them headed out into the woods. Given that Hershel told Lucy Natsu had been fishing to keep himself fed, she thought it best to check those caves first. Gajeel agreed with her and they set out for the small cluster surrounding the water. The first two caves held nothing, but the third showed definite signs of something living there. A bed of leaves and grass sat against one wall, along with a bowl full of water. Those seemed normal enough,nothing to be concerned about, but what else was in the cave definitely was. Bones littered the floor, ranging in size from as small as a rabbit, to as large as a deerling and Hodras. Thankfully, none of the bones were human.
Lucy looked over at Gajeel, who's face was held in grim lines. She could tell his thoughts had gone in the same direction as Lucy's; this was where Natsu had been staying, and it looked like the beast had taken over. The only comfort was once again, the lack of a human skeleton.
Natsu wasn't there at the moment, so the three of them took the time to look around, to assess just how far gone Natsu might be, but before they got very far, a growling started from the entrance and Gajeel's voice sounded quietly from the shadowed part of the cave.
"Lucy, move away from the opening, come back towards my voice. We have no idea what's coming."
She did as he instructed, but only because they growling could have been anything, maybe it was Natsu, or maybe it was a Gorabear. Had she known for sure that it was Natsu coming inside, she would have ignored Gajeel and stayed put. However the growling was starting to get louder as whatever was at the mouth of the cave began to enter. Lucy backed away quickly, but she was too close to it.
She was suddenly tackled, pushed flat on her back with both arms pinned to the ground above her head, the lower half of her body pressed down by something heavy. She closed her eyes and screamed out as she expected to feel pain, but none came. Lucy was alarmed to feel something near her throat, it felt like... a face? The growling had stopped, and she heard a breath being drawn in instead. The next thing she heard could only be called a purr.
Lucy's eyes snapped open and she stared into the eyes of the beast. Glowing red orbs taking her in as she broke out into a smile. The beast leaned its head against hers and kept up the purring sound. "I found you." She whispered.
The beast moved its head down to nuzzle Lucy as his hold on her wrists loosened, its fingers gently soothing away the pressure marks. It breathed in deeply once more and a sound of satisfaction left its lips.
A noise came from the back of the cave and the beast had Lucy behind him in a protective gesture so fast she felt dizzy. It was growling again but this time it was more of a snarl. Lucy moved forward and took the beasts hand, "It's okay, it's just my friends, your friends. They're here to help you, just like I am alright? Do not hurt them." Lucy said firmly, taking the advice of the translated book she had read countless times over the last two weeks. The beast would listen to the trusted one, and that was Lucy. It growled as Gajeel and Levy came out of the shadowed part of the cave, but he made no move towards them.
"Why don't you guys wait outside? We'll be out shortly." Lucy suggested, her eyes never leaving the face of the man she loved.
"No way Luce, Natsu would kill me if anything happened to you." Gajeel protested, but he was cut off by the snapping of the beasts jaw.
"Just go!" Lucy said harshly, "I'm safer here than either of you, we'll be out soon!"
Gajeel muttered the whole way out of the cave, while Levy said nothing, but she looked terrified. Once the two of them were gone, the beasts full attention centered back on Lucy. Its face changed to one of affection, and it stepped forward and pulled her into its arms, nuzzling her neck again. Lucy wrapped her arms around its neck and they held each other.
"I was so worried for the two of you. Natsu is alright too isn't he?" Lucy pulled back to ask.
The beast grumbled, but nodded, which caused Lucy to smile. "Good, and as much as I enjoy seeing you, I'm going to need to talk to him okay?"
The beast snarled a bit and shook its head. Lucy frowned at it and was pleased to see the beast looked slightly uncomfortable under her stare, but she sighed and relented for the moment. "Fine, you can stay for a little while longer, but then I want Natsu back alright?"
The beast scowled, but nodded and took her into its arms again. It tilted her head up to look at him and then leaned down to press its lips to her own. She did nothing to protest the kiss, allowing its mouth to explore her own, and even let its hands to wander her body, but she stopped it before things went any further.
"While I'm sure one day you and I will be together like you want, it won't be right now. The first time belongs to Natsu okay?" She kissed its chin and stroked over its chest.
The beast growled but he let her go, there was no way it would force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
"Could I have Natsu back now, please?" She asked calmly, but it was clear that it wasn't a request.
There was an audible sigh before it kissed her once more and stepped back. The red light in his eyes faded to topaz, then wings, scales, fangs and horns all receded as Natsu began to come to life before her. When he was finally standing in front of her, he looked dazed and shaken, like he wasn't exactly sure where he was.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked softly.
His head snapped up and he stepped forward slowly, then tears came to his eyes and he crushed her to him in a hug. "Lucy... Thank Mavis." He pulled back and kissed her almost reverently. "I thought there was no hope of me being the dominant one again, but you did it, you got him to let me out. How?"
"I'll explain everything once we get back to the inn alright? Right now Gajeel and Levy are waiting outside and if we don't come out soon, Gajeel might storm the place."
Natsu didn't seem overly concerned about Gajeel coming inside the cave, he instead focused on the other part of her sentence. "Levy? Your best friend from back home? What is she doing here?" He asked, confused.
Lucy sighed, Natsu didn't know the whole story yet, that he was a character in her books and that she was from another world. Would he take it as well as the others? Or would he freak out? She thought she knew how he would react, but there was always that chance it would go the other way. "Again, I'll explain everything back at the inn, let's just get out of here." She took his hand and pulled him towards the cave entrance.
Natsu smiled as she did it, then forced them to stop as he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it gently, Lucy felt her heart swell with peace and she leaned up to kiss him once before they left the cave. When they finally made it outside, Lucy was surprised to see Gajeel holding onto Levy. It was something she hadn't expected to see and neither seemed aware of their position. When Lucy and Natsu were spotted, Levy broke out of Gajeel's hold and came over to hug Lucy, the blonde was surprised to see tears in the blue haired girls eyes.
"Don't scare me like that okay?" She admonished.
Lucy hugged her friend tightly and smiled, "While I'm glad you were worried about me, you knew as well as I did that I wasn't in any danger. You're the one who translated the book after all."
"Yeah but I wasn't expecting him to look so... feral." She said quietly.
Natsu stepped forward and spoke to Levy, "I'm sorry if I scared you. To be honest, the beast scares me too."
Levy looked up at Natsu and then pulled away from Lucy to offer her hand to him. "I'm Levy McGarden, Lucy's best friend."
Natsu smiled and took her hand. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, Lucy's boyfriend."
The two of them shared a smile and then Gajeel finally spoke, "Nothing to say to me Salamander? You did try to kill me last time we were together." He was standing with his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face, body tense as if waiting for the beast to reappear.
Natsu gave a half smile and rubbed his hand along the back of his head. "Sorry for that, I tried to control the beast, but I'd already used my pull with him to get us the hell out of the poison cloud the dragon had let loose. How I'm even still alive right now, I don't have any idea."
"Yeah well, we don't either. Come on, we need to get back to the inn, and no offense, but you need a bath. That stench is enough to wilt flowers." His arms dropped to his sides as he turned and headed back for the town.
Natsu's half smile turned full blown now as he hurried to catch up with his guild mate. Lucy and Levy followed behind them a short ways and Lucy turned to her friend. "He really is a wonderful man, I'm sorry the first time you met him was when the beast was in control."
Levy shook her head, "I should have expected it, but I didn't. It won't surprise me again."
When they reached the inn, Lucy ordered a bath for Natsu and then waited for him inside their shared room. Gajeel and Levy had agreed that the two of them needed to deal with this alone, but they would be nearby in case they were needed. So when Natsu returned from the bathroom at the end of the hall, Lucy was ready with all the information Natsu deserved. As he sat on the bed, he pulled Lucy into his arms and hugged her close, kissing her forehead before he said.
"Okay, lets hear these explanations." He said with a smile, the happy go lucky dragon slayer Lucy had fallen in love with was back and it made her so very happy.
She started with the tale of how she'd come to be in Natsu's bed, about how he was really a book character she'd written and how both Levy and Cana were from her world. She didn't stop and wait for his reaction to what she had revealed so far, but instead went on to explain how they had all pitched in to find out all they could about the beast inside him and how to safely control it. By the time she was finished giving him all the information he needed, she was tense in his arms. He said nothing for the longest time, and when he did speak, it was nowhere near what she was expecting to hear.
"I love you, Lucy." He said after tilting her chin up so he could look at her.
She was stunned silent for a moment before she said in bewilderment, "I just told you that you're a made up character, that I've been lying to you from the beginning and that in order to not let the beast take control, you have to let him out, and trust that he'll listen to me and whatever I say, and all you can say is I love you?" She was in a slight panic now, hearing him say those words was beyond what she had hoped for, but still to hear them now, shook her. Didn't anything she had to say matter to him?"
"I don't care if I was some made up character in a book you wrote Luce, I'm real now, you're real now, and if Cana hadn't brought you into this world, I never would have known how to control my beast, would have most likely ended up dead at the hands of a friend, and worst of all; I would have missed out on loving you."
Lucy couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I never would have written the beast overtaking you in the first place, it just sort of happened because I came here and stopped being in control of it all."
Natsu shrugged and pulled her a little tighter. "That doesn't change anything. I love you Lucy, more than I ever thought possible."
Lucy closed her eyes and let out a shuddering breath, her arms coming around his middle as she smiled softly. "I love you too, Natsu."
Aww yay they found him! They even told each other I love you! How will taming the beast go, and how will the final battle end? Find out soon!
Thank you to all who reviewed!
Crimsonlink310: I had hoped people would like seeing not only the story from Natsu's perspective but also the flashbacks to both already done parts and some original as well. It's tons of fun for me to go back and do his perspective. I hope you liked my simplistic, yet complicated explanation on how to tame the wild beast. I didn't want to go too complicated with it all. We'll find out Marek's fate next week.
OhtaSuzuke: Stahp, you're making me blush! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) More Natsu/beast and Lucy coming up soon!
Dark Mystique: Lucy will always find Natsu, they're soul mates!
Aviend: So you got the explanation in this chapter, sorry it burst your theory bubble, but I hope you liked it anyway! Also... I never said he killed him ;)
Guest: Don't cry! It's ok! No one is mad!
HolyChihuahua: The cliffhangers make sure you come back week after week, hehehe I'm evil. Anyway I hope you liked the chapter as we finally find out the reason for his change, the gang didn't get there in time to save Marek, but did he die or did he live? Hmmm...
MaidenAlice: I made sure that it was a bad person and not someone kind like Hershel.
UserM24: Well we found out what it's going to take, what did you think? Again, I never said he killed Marek, so what's his fate? Yay reviews! They make me so so happy! I will always answer whoever takes the time to give me feedback on each chapter. I'd be nothing without the people reading this story. I mean I'd still write it for me, but it's so much nicer knowing others enjoy it as well. Gajeel and Levy's story will probably happen about a month after I finish this one, I need the the time to completely lock down exactly what I'm going to write about and where it will go. I've got it mostly, but there's still some details I have to work out. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I look forward to your review!
Bitch Ate My Cupcake: You are very welcome! I'm glad you liked the Natsu pov! I also hope you liked this chapter where we finally reunite the love birds.
Not Paranoid Enough: Great name first off, secondly I'm very glad you like the story and I hope you continue to love it :)
Guest: No humans were harmed... or were they?
Angel: I love having her as a spitfire too, while I love how they're paired by Mashimia, for me I think Gajeel needs her to have a bit more spunk, so that's how I'm writing her. Of course she'll still have her same bookish ways and compassionate nature. Can't change that! I'm glad you liked the Natsu pov and hope you enjoyed this chapter too!