Never Let Go
Chapter Fourteen: Go Back

GRAY

"NATSU!" Gray roared, charging forwards. "ICE SPEARS!" Gray roared, knocking back every one in his way. He cut through deeper than the rest of the group, not letting the fact they were surrounded stop him.

Natsu let out another screaming roar.

"Dammit!" Gray roared, slamming his foot into the neck of a soldier that stepped too close. He wished he could see what was going on, but there were too many men in his way. The men were too fast and strong for their group to take them all on at once.

What was going on?

The ground jerked beneath his feet and Gray stumbled for balance. His head snapped up in the direction it came from and froze. Gray felt the hot pulse before he saw it. A sea of men went bulldozing into the air like a huge wave as they were shoved back with the force of a tsunami- all swallowed by the shock wave.

Gray dropped to the ground just as it hit against him like the force of a fort wall. The men flew over his back as he forced his ice to bury hatchets into the ground, only just able to keep his body where it was. They struggled to maintain form against the boiling humidity of the air and Gray forced his magic to keep them cool.

Against the force threatening to knock his head off his shoulders, Gray looked up. His heart stopped.

A ball of fire stood in the centre of the room. Natsu. Except this was different. His flames weren't like before, sure they were intense, but never to such a level that it made Gray's eyes burn just looking at them. They looked wild, almost crazy. Out of control.

Something wasn't right.

"Na-"Gray choked on the taste of smoke clogging his throat, the moisture evaporated instantaneously. His hand clutched his throat and sent a burst of cold air down it, managing to calm the reaction. His throat still felt so dry that every time he swallowed it was like sandpaper rubbing against each other, but at least he was breathing.

Gray bit his lips closed despite the questions and curses ready to roll of his tongue. Instead he summoned all the strength he had, and shoved his body forwards. He moved deeper into the heat's territory and with each millimetre it became harder and harder- as if he was trying to walk through stone.

The closer he got, the burn on his skin intensified until he could see all the moisture evaporating from his skin. His muscles began to ache, it became harder to breath, to move. Darkness swept in and out of his vision, but if he let go, the force he would fly back at would break his bones for sure.

He fought and fought with all his will but it didn't stop his strength draining from him. He felt his ice hatches bend and melt under his hands, his fingers sinking through. He couldn't hold on any longer. His finger slipped and his body braced itself. He was going to fall.

No. He wouldn't let it.

Gray drained all his magic and forced it until his hatchet was solid again and he regained his grip.

"You. Will. Not. Pass." A voice growled.

Gray snapped his head up to see three men stood in front of the fire's epicentre. They each braced against his rippling heat with a little trouble- not enough to get in their way. The ball enveloping Natsu dissolved, and the pressure disappeared. Gray's body hit the ground with a thump, the weight on his muscles gone in a snap.

Gray looked up at the slayer and froze. Dark, iron-red scales covered his skin with charred lines, almost as if they were burnt into his skin with a blow torch. Long red claws reached from his fingers into long sharp points. Gray had never seen him this way before. He had barely gone far into his magic before, a few scales and claws but this... it was raw and pure.

His shoulder twitched, and Gray felt a ripple of fear pin him to the ground. His eyes widened.

This was...Natsu?

RUN!

Gray's thoughts raced and he realised the fear he felt wasn't for him.

It was for the soldiers.

Natsu's head rose and Gray's eyes widened. His eyes were wild, uncontrolled and furious. His concious was gone, his mind lost. He was pure animal- pure dragon.

Natsu's lips peeled back into a snarl as his eyes locked onto the soldiers, revealing long sharp canines.

He launched.

Flames whipped out in a scythe a mile long, slicing straight through the walls of the house, in a big wild whip. Gray saw the flames coming towards him and forced his body to move. But it wouldn't. He couldn't. They came at him like a roaring beast and Gray couldn't move his body fast enough.

A weight hit his shoulder and he was hit with a blast of cold air. He choked as his back slammed against the ridges of the stairs. Flames cut across them like a wall throwing him down the rest of the steps. Gray groaned and curled into a ball at the ache of his back, but he couldn't cripple in his pain long enough as he was shoved forwards again as a piece of wall collapsed on top of him.

He came to a stop against another wall and had to dodge himself as a piece of concrete on a wire swung through the air, missing his head by a hair. "Are you stupid?" A voice growled next to him.

He whipped his head to see Dante, dishevelled and heaving his chest up and down beside him.

"What?" Gray uttered in shock. Dante loomed up on him, his eyes furious.

"You must have rocks in your head."Dante hissed, dragging Gray to his feet and his body protested in a wave of aching.

"I don't!" Gray growled, ignoring his body and shoving Dante's arms off him. He was going to thank him for helping him but the idea dulled fast.

"You could have got yourself killed." He snarled. The man's composure was all but gone.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't lie. I know you sensed it."

Gray opened his mouth to argue but closed it. He was right. There was something wrong with Natsu, something...wild. Whatever it was, it wasn't Natsu.

"He's gone into full dragon-slayer mode."Dante explained. "He's too inexperienced to control it. It's too strong and he's losing to it."

Gray recalled the look in Natsu's eyes and it sent a shiver down his spine. "Why is this happening?" Gray growled, ready to bust his fist against anything he could find.

"Lucy's death."

"What?"

Something softened in Dante's eyes as if he was almost remorseful. That's right, he had a debt to pay to her in letting Natsu go...he must have wanted her to save her. Dante's emotions were too complex and Gray had no time to stop and ask questions about it now. 'Why' didn't matter at this point.

Gray turned his eyes onto Dante."How can we stop him?"

Dante looked down at the ice mage, almost surprised. His expression turned cold and Gray didn't like it. "There's nothing you can do." Dante said.

"There must be some way to stop him!" Gray insisted. There was always a way. He wouldn't let Natsu go mad. He would stop him. Like hell he was letting his rival go out in such a way.

A boom shook the house and the house cried out in pieces as the roof began to crumble, forcing the two mages to dodge out of the way. The house couldn't take anymore. If they were going to do anything, they had to do it fast.

"DANTE!"

The man whirled on him a second, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the wall. Gray growled and tried to break free of his grip but he couldn't.

"When I say there's nothing you can do, that means there's nothing you can do." Dante insisted. "You can't even get away from me. You go in there after him and he'll kill you."

"Natsu wouldn't-"

"He would."Dante's voice held no room for argument."He'll kill you in a second."

Gray couldn't reply. He felt a cold hand tense around his heart, his eyes heading back to that day one week ago. Natsu killed Lucy in his anger. And In his blind rage now, there was nothing Natsu wasn't capable of.

Dante released the ice mage, sensing the defeat in his eyes.

"What about you?" Gray caught his attention, his head bowed to the ground.

"I..."Dante said. "...will stop him."

His eyes flickered up to the general's head, studying his face."You?"Gray asked, though his voice didn't challenge the general's capabilities."But you said there was nothing that could be done."

Dante paused for a moment, debris falling all around him. He didn't turn to the ice mage, he didn't even look at him. His head remained forwards, eyes on the half broken stairs leading back up to whatever was left of the ballroom.

"I said there was nothing you could do."

"Whatever it is your going to do, I can do it!" Gray snapped. His eyes regaining that flicker of fight. He wanted to save Natsu. No matter what.

"Then,"Dante turned to him with such intensity it that Gray backed against the wall. His hand slammed against the concrete beside the ice mage's head. "Can you kill your best friend?"

"What?"Gray's voice dropped to a whisper his eyes going wide with shock. "You can't kill him!"

"I can." Dante said, turning and walking away. "And I will."

"I'm afraid..." A voice cut in before Gray could speak. "I can't allow that."

He felt his heart thud to the bottom of his chest as he gasped in recognition. His eyes widened in shock. It can't be...

…

ERZA

Levy stumbled out the building as another part of the house came crashing down. Gajeel grabbed her and helped her out of the range of the collapsing building.

"Where's Gray?"Erza shouted over the roar of people.

"He's still inside. General what's-his-face went to get him."Gajeel grumbled, helping Levy get the stones out of her hair.

Gajeel looked up at the building, hot flames cutting through the building in massive whips. Even at the edge of the entire estate it didn't stop the intense burst of heat from each movement. Walls and huge pieces of concrete went flying like meteors across the garden. There were soldiers fleeing in every direction fighting each other to get to safety.

Their team had got out without a scratch. Luckily for them, they had someone guiding their way.

Mira looked towards the collapsing building."Do you think he made it back in time to get them both?"

"Dunno." Gajeel grumbled.

"I didn't think we would see him again, not with..." Levy's voice faded, unable to finish the sentence. Erza didn't blame her, even she hadn't come to terms with it. This just made it even more difficult.

"No. I didn't either."Levy sighed softly.

"It's a good sign." Erza sighed and turned away. "We have no time to wait for them, we have to follow after Enrique." Enrique had gone from the balcony onto some kind of balloon float and took the crowd and parade across the city to the army's main building. One with an even bigger balcony pedestal for Crocus's new head general. "We have to get there before Natsu-"

A high pitch boom had all the wizards clapping their hands over their ears. A firework shot into the sky, zooming across the city at a speed that broke the sound barrier. "Dammit!"Gajeel growled. "He's gone."

Erza's eyes narrowed on him. Her stomach's uneasy feeling hadn't left her the second Natsu snapped.

The three that stood up to him were elites. The top class of the special forces. Combat wizards. They could have been Generals but were too independent. They were strong. They had been defeated.

Erza refused to believe Natsu had done anything more to them. Despite what Dante said, she refused to believe he would kill anyone. Lucy flashed to her mind but she shook her head. That was different. There was something Natsu hadn't told them about yet. Something important.

Still, Natsu had defeated three top class wizards in less than a minute.

Once again, Dante's words popped back into her head. 'He's gone blind with rage and his dragon slayer power has gone out of control.' . That's what he'd told them. He also said he would stop him. But how do you stop a dragon slayer out of control with that much power?... Erza feared even Gildarts couldn't stop him.

No time to think about now. "Come on." Erza commanded breaking into a run. "After him!"Gajeel, and Levy and Mira broke into a run behind her.

Dante and Gray would just have to catch up with them later.

...

NATSU

He was close.

He could smell him.

Eyes narrowed on the crowd surrounding a building in the centre of town. A long wide balcony hung off the side of his grey stone walls. A man in a black suit stood on top of it. Natsu's lips pulled into a snarl so wide his skin threatened to tear. A fraction of the weight in his chest threw back into his legs making his muscles jerk as fire exploded behind him. His direction headed straight for the man but he couldn't control it completely.

He was heading for the crowd. Screams and yelling erupted from the area before he came crashing down. He was going to crash right into the people.

He didn't care.

He hit the ground, concrete spitting up around him. He rolled with the force, but collided with nothing as he turned and drove from the ground up into the air again. His magic pulled itself back into his chest and he landed on top of the balcony. The stone railings cracked under his weight as he stared down at the men.

His lips lifted into a sneer, eyes wide and body shivering in anger. "How dare you-" He boomed but it was cut short as Natsu leapt forwards.

His fist cracked against the man's forearm as he lifted to block. But the force couldn't be stopped as his body was driven back to the wall.

Still, Enrique withstood most of the force and turned quickly on his feet as Natsu drove his other fist forwards. It hit the wall and stone blew apart half of the building. The pour that broke from him gave a flicker of release but it would just swell up again and force his body to move. It tried to crawl into his heart, but Natsu fought it down, and fought it down with each time it tried to get in. If he let go, he had a feeling he wouldn't be coming back.

It hurt his body, the pain of the mass in his chest. Only Enrique could make it go away. Only when he stopped moving would it stop. The pain would go away. All of it would go away. He could be free.

He would avenge Lucy.

He could hear the screams of the crowd but didn't care.

Enrique's body shifted as he saw the corner of the huge building dissolved into ash, the other corners crumbling. Enrique's eyes landed on the dragon slayer, sensing his threat. Natsu drove fist after fist at the man. Instead of dodging before, Enrique made it a mission to block every single on of his hits. Of course, he didn't want Natsu damaging his special buildings.

Natsu didn't care what he damaged, except if it was Enrique. But the man wasn't giving up that easily.

He grabbed Natsu's wrist and jerked his body forwards, his own fist landing against Natsu's face. Natsu was blown back with a force that brought blood up to his mouth as he crashed through the walls of the buildings. He heard his rib crack but everything had long since gone numb. His knuckles were broken and torn to the point he could see faint bits of bone beneath the open flesh. His legs and arm muscles were almost torn to shreds.

It didn't matter.

Only Enrique.

Natsu felt the weight in his chest swell again and hit bit it down, and let it shoot power to his feet. He shot forwards, crashing into Enrique's figure. His skin burned against Enrique's from the heat of his body. Enrique growled, grabbing the boy by the shoulders, swinging and tossing him over the edge of the balcony.

He came to a stop in the side of another building, debris falling into the crowd below. He didn't hear it hit the ground but charged forwards none the less. Enrique crashed blow after blow into the dragon slayer but Natsu didn't bother to dodge, taking all the damage for the small opportunity it gave him to drive his fists into Enrique's face.

"Natsu!" Voice's called from somewhere below him. They sounded familiar but disappeared into the background as rain began to roll down from the sky.

The pain in his chest twisted and he drove his hand forwards even faster and quicker. Enrique didn't stop either, his face bloodied but driven to crush the dragon slayer with everything he had. And he used everything.

Natsu leapt forwards towards his face, Enrique's water-coated fist flying up to his stomach. He felt the pound of the blow like a dull prod as his hand cracked against Enrique's jaw.

Enrique's next move was faster than Natsu's, grabbing him by the head and tossing his body turning through the air into the side of the wall. Natsu's body dropped to the floor of the balcony and he shoved his body to stand. He went to move forwards but his knees met the concrete.

What?

A cold ache swallowed the entire bottom half of his stomach as he tried to push to his feet again but couldn't. He looked down and saw the watered coat over the marble...washed with red. His eyes looked up to Enrique, a knife pressed into the wrap of his knuckles.

Oh.

The weight in his stomach tried to invade the cold ache and burn the wound closed like before. But the cold fought back, battling with the power inside of him.

"I should thank you."Enrique grinned through his bloodied mouth. He spat the red liquid onto the marble on the floorr, his voice loud against the growing rumble of thunder."You gave me a chance to prove to the people what happens to those who oppose me. Even murderers like you."

Natsu's body jerked at his words. Fire burned over his skin, his arms and fist and legs. Natsu felt that painful swell in his chest tighten and Natsu choked on his lungs. Each breath was like hot coals cracking against his aching ribs. But that didn't matter to him. The coldness in his stomach was soon forgotten as Natsu staggered to his feet. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID!"Natsu roared.

His arms lurched forwards, driving around Enrique's neck. The knife flew from his hand, slipping on the water and skidding to the edge of the balcony. The force of Enrique's body coming down broke through the stone railings. He grunted as he was slammed onto the edge, Natsu's hands pressing his neck onto the crumbling stone, as his head balanced over the ledge.

"YOU MADE HER LET GO!" The hot white scar over his hand throbbed with more heat than anything else on his body.

"Let go?" Enrique chuckled through Natsu's fingers. "You killed her!"

"NO!" Natsu's hands tightened and Enrique let out a grunt of air, his voice silenced. A flash crossed Enrique's eyes as his thoughts raced, blue coming into his cheeks.

A burst of ice stabbed through his nerves. Enrique brought his fist back and crashed it into the wound in Natsu's stomach again.

Blood filled Natsu's throat and he gagged, his grip slipping for a fraction of a second.

It was all Enrique needed. He lifted his fist and drove it into the dragon slayer's throat making him choke, a mouthful of blood spluttering from his lips. Enrique drove over the dragon slayer's body, pressing his neck over the edge in turn.

Natsu's hands fought around the man's thick, tattooed sleeves, reaching further to grasp for his neck. He moved his legs to kick him, but his legs were too heavy, he couldn't lift them. He couldn't move. He was helpless.

She had been helpless.

Suddenly Enrique's face distorted into Lucy's. His hands were around her throat as she scratched and held her weight on the edge of his arms, her nails digging into his skin.

No. He didn't want to think about it. He couldn't go back there. He couldn't.

No.

No!

NO!

He couldn't fight it. The lack of oxygen swallowed his mind and dragged him to the depths of his subconscious, taking to the place he never wanted to ever go again.

Back to the day Lucy died.

To the day he killed her.

Chapter Fifteen: Looking For...

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-A-ccentric