Author's Note (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT; READ THIS BEFORE STARTING THE CHAPTER): This chapter is extremely controversial in some parts, but everything was included for a reason; Natsu even narrates the reason why these controversial parts were included. Although it's very descriptive at time, it's not overly graphic. That being said, I can understand if some might find it disturbing. Next chapter should clarify why I added the parts I did, and this chapter disturbed anyone in any way, please try to understand why I included it throughout the update.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I wanted to also wanted to let everyone know that college has been eating up more of my time than I anticipated. Because of how busy I've been, I plan on making chapter lengths shorter for the time being in order to update more frequently. Until spring and summer break begin approaching us, expect chapters to be around the 6K-8K word mark.
That being said, the update quality has not changed at all! You can continue to have the same expectations as you always have when reading my Fanfiction, and nothing will change until the final chapter is uploaded! Thank you so much for all your kind reviews, favorites, and followers. If you have any ideas or advice for the Fanfiction, feel free to drop a review or send me a private message! I read them all and try to respond to as many as possible!
With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this update!
During Those 7 Years
Chapter 25: Origins: Part Two
"Shh-tuck, Shh-tuck… Shh-tuck, Shh-tuck." The subtle sound of metallic grinding made as a train powered through the plains of Dragnof.
"Urf…" Natsu groaned to himself as he rolled his head against Kagura's shoulder. No matter how hard he tried to comfortably rest himself against Kagura's side, the queasiness throughout his stomach prevented him from passing the time.
Kagura sighed at Natsu's antics and even chuckled slightly. "You don't even have your Dragon Slayer Magic, and you still get motion sickness from using transportation. If you think it'll help, you can lie down on my lap until we pull into the train station."
"Please." Natsu mumbled while accepting Kagura's offer. Without hesitation, he tossed his head towards Kagura's lap.
Sayuki's face began to grow a slight red along with Macao's, as they would have never expected Kagura to make such an offer. "That's the type of thing me an Eiji do!" Sayuki thought across from where Natsu's head was lying in Kagura's lap.
Now that Natsu's motion sickness was improving slightly, Kagura began to peer outside the window next to her while she quirked her mouth in deep thought.
This didn't go unnoticed by Natsu. Before Macao and Sayuki could awkwardly break the silence and question Kagura's motives, Natsu became comfortable enough to talk to Kagura out of concern. "Wuh- what's wrong, Kagura? If my head is hurting your hands because of your cast, I can just sleep on the seat." He reluctantly offered out of slight sadness of having to return to his uncomfortable position.
Kagura chuckled over Natsu's soft groans and shook her head. "No... It's not that," She paused to fidget with her hands slightly before continuing, "I was just wondering about something," The Sword Mage hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Master Natsu? Did you think I was a good teacher when I was teaching you how to use your sword?" She brought herself to ask out loud.
Natsu tried to bolt upwards in disbelief at what Kagura asked, but still succumbed to his sickness. "Uh- Of course you're a good teacher! When you were teaching me how to use my sword, you were really encouraging, calm, and patient. Even when I couldn't form a blade with my Dragon Slayer Magic, you tried teaching me another approach that you thought would help. You explained everything perfectly, and if it weren't for my magic disappearing, we would have totally trained together once we got the chance."
A minuscule smile stretched across Kagura's face from the compliment she received. "Thank you, Master Natsu. It's just that I've been thinking of a way I could spend my Jewels from that Raven Tail mission." Now that Kagura planned on being roommates with Natsu in the future, she wanted to spend her money on something that interested her.
"Thuh- That's great! What did you have in mind?"
"Since you think I'm a good teacher, I was thinking about purchasing a building in Magnolia Town and making it into a part time training academy. I think it would be nice for kids and people who can't use magic to learn how to use swords for self-defense. Not to mention, I was thinking that I needed to improve on how well I taught since you have been so affected by losing your magic." Kagura finished by frowning slightly.
Natsu responded by giving Kagura a reassuring smile. "Are you sure you're alright? Losing my magic has nothing to do with how well you teach. You're a great teacher, and I'm sure you'll love owning an academy. I'm sorry that I made it seem like you weren't because of how distant I am; losing my magic has been pretty tough for me."
Macao nodded in agreement towards Kagura. "Master Natsu's right. I mean, Max owns a souvenir shop, so I don't see why you wouldn't be able to run a badass sword training academy."
"Yeah! That would be really cool to see! I'll make sure to be your first customer." Sayuki winked towards where Kagura remained seated.
"I cannot thank you guys enough for all the kind words…" Kagura sincerely smiled in response before accepting Natsu's encouragement. "But I understand how you feel about losing your magic. Losing something that you hold dear to you is much more complicated than it seems." She ironically compared her conflicting thoughts between Natsu and Simon. Just before Kagura realized what she said, she spoke over Natsu's soft groans before he could lose consciousness. "Now that you are more comfortable, do you think you would be able to tell us about Rebuke before we get off the train? I think we would all like to know who she is." Kagura spoke for Macao and Sayuki while looking down towards her lap.
"I'll try… Wuh- What do you want to know about her?" Natsu stuttered in helplessness.
"Well, how about you start with what you learned at the Magic Council Headquarters?"
Natsu began to recollect his thoughts before responding to the rest of the mages in his coach. "The person I visited said that he was in no position to tell me who Rebuke is, which is why we have to visit her ourselves."
Sayuki pouted in slight disappointment and interrupted the duo. "Oh, c'mon... We waited the entire train ride for you to get comfortable enough to speak, and you're not gonna tell us anything about her?" She finished with a groan.
Natsu used all the strength he could muster to shake his head. "It's not that. I'm just saying I might not know as much as you'd hope for. What I do know is that Rebuke is insanely powerful. So powerful, that the Four Gods of Ishgar wouldn't be able to keep up with her in a battle." He spoke with complete seriousness.
"Nuh- No… You're joking with me." Kagura's eyes widened in surprise.
Macao began to cower in his seat slightly. "Damn. You know what? I think I'm having second thoughts about this quest we're heading on. Let's just help with he evacuation, and hope the village is enough to get your magic back." He finished by sweatdropping slightly.
Sayuki's eyes began to glisten. "Are you kidding, Macao?! We totally have to meet her now! You'd better watch out Master Natsu, I think I might have a new favorite mage." She finished by teasing Natsu.
Natsu shot a comedic glare towards Sayuki in response. "You're lucky I can't move," He paused to refer back to Kagura's question about Rebuke, "Other than Rebuke's crazy power, she's supposed to have a carefree personality, but she also takes extreme pride in her magic, so I was told we all have to treat her with respect. She lives in the Northern Mountain range looking over the rest of the capital, and her house is supposed to be off the main pathway."
Kagura couldn't help but chuckle at Natsu's description of Rebuke. "Now that you mention it, she sounds a bit like you. She might be carefree and maybe a bit reckless, but she's super sweet and cares a lot about her magic." She warmly smiled towards Natsu's head on her lap, all the while reflecting on the traits she adored about Natsu.
"You think so?" Natsu used all the power he could muster to ponder about what Kagura said.
"I know so," Kagura paused to subconsciously rub Natsu's hair in reassurance, "When Rebuke finds out how much you two have in common, then she's definitely going to tell you her story. That way, you will be able get your magic back."
Before she got the chance to realize her reflexive hand movements, the sound of the train's intercom interrupted her from the trance she was in. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now entering Terminal East. This is the last train station on Ishgar's railways. Please stay in your coaches until the train has come to a complete stop. If you still need to connect with a different location, please refer to one the carriages awaiting at Terminal East. Thank you for traveling with us, and we hope to see you again." The female train attendant's voice cut out.
Macao looked out the window towards the approaching train station in the middle of the meadows. "I guess we're approaching the final stop. Dragnof's capital shouldn't be too far from here, but the lady said we're gonna have to take carriage." Macao stood up with Sayuki while the duo began to gather their belongings from the compartments above.
"'Carriage?' Please, spare me.'" Natsu groaned in agony while passing out from Macao even mentioning the form of transportation.
Kagura could only pet Natsu's head in comfort while Sayuki and Macao burst into an array of laughter.
"Hey Mister! You have any reason for going to Dragnof? It's been unusually quiet there today." A man tried to converse with his passengers from the front of the carriage he was navigating.
"Uh- It's for a quest that I'm on with my team. And what do you mean by 'its been quiet?'" Natsu groaned from Kagura's lap.
"Dragnof's capital usually gets a lot of bustle throughout the day! I haven't had a single one of my regulars contact me for a ride, and I usually have dozens lined up just waiting for me to take them to the train station!"
Macao interjected and yelled over the moving carriage, so Natsu could save his energy from forming a response. "Dragon's capital is preparing for an emergency evacuation, so that's probably why you haven't gotten any customers today! It kinda makes sense when you think about it!"
This time, the carriage driver yelled out loud towards Macao. "I get where you're coming from, but shouldn't people try to get away from the village during an evacuation? If anything, I thought I was going to have my hands completely full today." The man ended his response by slowly easing the carriage to a halt.
Even with Natsu's head resting on Kagura's lap, he was so affected by his motion sickness, that he failed to notice the carriage slowly approach a massive incline leading up to a formation of mountains.
Macao then cocked his eyebrow while peering out the window of the motionless carriage. "We actually don't know much about why Dragnof's capital is evacuating, but we'll tell you everything we learn on our way back."
The carriage man turned around and noticed the confused look plastered on Macao's face. "Thanks for offering to fill me in, but I've got a bit of bad news for you…" The man paused to gesture to the rocky pathway leading up the steep incline, "This is as far as the carriage will go. It's too dangerous to try and maneuver over these mountains: especially with your friends motion sickness. On foot, it should take you a couple of minutes to climb the mountain. But once you're at the top, you should see a beautiful view of the village surrounded by all the mountains. Right now, we're at the southern entrance, so the northern mountains should be all the way in front of you once you're at the top."
While Natsu lifted his head off Kagura's lap to drag himself out of the carriage, the rest of the mages smiled at the carriage driver's kindness. "Thanks for the ride sir." Sayuki expressed her gratitude by leading Macao and Kagura of the carriage, so she could pay the driver.
The carriage driver tipped his hat slightly and thanked the young Fire mage for the payment. "You all have a safe travel now, and make sure your friend over there makes it to the top for me." He extended his concerns towards Natsu's motion sickness before navigating the carriage around the group in order to direct it back towards the train station.
As the carriage slowly began to dissipate into the distant horizon, Natsu regained his bearings enough for him to kiss the ground in satisfaction, "I'll never ride another form of transportation again," He sighed in relief while standing up to join the rest of the group.
Sayuki sarcastically rolled her eyes at Natsu's hollow claim. "You say that."
All the while, Macao chuckled in slight amusement while Kagura shook her head at Sayuki's antics. Natsu could only blush in embarrassment while pretending to ignore Sayuki's comment by beginning to lead the group up the rocky pathway.
The trek up the mountain was slow and filled with light conversation. A couple minutes had already passed, and Natsu had grown more than impatient with wanting to rediscover the origins of his magic. But he had to maintain a slower pace for Kagura's sake; he knew he couldn't strain her body considering the cast she was in.
As Natsu led the group of mages up the last bit of rocky pathway merging with the top of the southern mountains, his nose reflexively twitched as it picked up the faint scent of smoke in the distance. "Hmm… You guys smell that? That smoke must mean there's a barbecue." He licked his lips while trying to peer his head over the remainder of the mountains.
"You lost your Dragon Slayer Magic, there's an emergency evacuation, and all you can think about is food?" Macao deadpanned at Natsu's prioritization.
Natsu turned his back to the peak overlooking the village that they were traveling towards. He brought himself to optimistically smile to his group while speaking out loud. "C'mon, Old Man. We're gonna need to fill up on something if we're gonna help these civilians evacuate. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet Rebuke in the village trying to help everyone out!" As Natsu began to backpedal towards the plateau overlooking the village beneath the mountain range, he failed to notice that the facial expressions of his group members slowly changed from hopeful, to a deathly terror looming over their bodies. Their confident strides turned into that of labored shuffles, as their eyes rested on the state of the village before them.
Natsu continued to remain oblivious to their actions. Instead, he extended his hands to his sides and spoke out loud with his confident persona. "This is it guys," He paused to turn around and overlook the village below the group, "After damn near dying from traveling all the way out here, it'll all be worth it in the end… Welcome to Drag-… Oh, no." Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief, confusion, and terror as he stumbled towards the ledge of the plateau.
The northern mountain range continued to tower above the rest of the surroundings in the background. However, towards the center of the bowl where the village was supposed to be built, various massive craters laid in place of where the man made structures should have stood. Wood and cobblestone that managed to withstand whatever caused the initial impact blasts were tossed into burning piles of rubble. The setting sun behind the northern mountains caused the remaining rays of light to shine on the ash cascading in the air: only causing more soot to gather on the scorched ground.
As Natsu stumbled at the chaotic sight before him, the quest's flyer he received from Org freed itself from his cloak. The flyer fluttered with wind in front of the group, and all Natsu was capable of doing was reaching out to grab the flyer in a trance like state. Natsu robotically scanned the flyer and compared his expectations of Dragnof to the sight before him. The entire village was completely decimated when compared to the image found on his quest's flyer. Dragnof was gone.
Natsu slowly shook his head in disbelief. He took a large whiff of air in an attempt to calm himself, but winced as the pungent smell of smoke and destruction entering his nostrils. All he was capable of doing was fall to his knees in horror at the sight before him. "This… This isn't what I meant by barbecue. Wuh- What the hell happened here?" His voice quivered while he overlooked the destroyed village. The more his nose began to register the scent of the scorch marks and smoke fuming from the collapsed circle of buildings, the more his senses began to detect a slightly metallic odor beginning to dawn upon his mind.
Natsu whiffed one last time in an attempt to recognize the metallic scent, but to no avail. Still confused as to what the smell was, he peered further into the remnants of the village to see if his sight could identify the source. After he refocused on the destroyed village, Natsu's eyes widened when he realized what was causing the disturbing aroma around him. Scattered across the village and buried beneath the majority of buildings were the corpses of Dragnof's citizens. Their bloodied masses caused the sharp scent of blood to reek throughout the air, which only caused Natsu to grow nauseous.
Natsu immediately diverted his gaze away from the horrific sight before him as his chest began to hyperventilate from the unsightly mess. He had never seen so much death in his life: none of his group members had.
Macao clutched his hair while Sayuki clasped her mouth with tears in her eyes. Kagura knelt to Natsu's level and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Master Natsu… We had no way of knowing this. Whatever was here, this has to be why the capital needed to evacuate. We have to get down there and check if there are any survivors."
"I- I can't… I can't go down there." Natsu furiously shook his head at the horrendous sight below him.
Sayuki began to choke back tears while agreeing with Kagura. "Mu- Master Natsu? Kuh- Kagura's right. If someone's hurt down there, we've gotta help them out."
Macao agreed with the duo while he began to regain his bearings. He began to peer further into the chaos below while remaking on an unbelievable feat. "I think you guys might be onto something! There's still something alive down there. It looks like a freaking Cherry Blossom tree!" Macao gestured to the center of the village. Miraculously, the circular formation of craters had surrounded a Cherry Blossom tree with its frail leaves dancing in the hollow wind. It was the only thing contrasting from the brutality surrounding the remnants of the village.
Natsu focused his vision towards the tree and lowly spoke in confusion. "Yuh- You're right. How the hell is that tree still standing?"
Before Natsu was given the opportunity to begin hyperventilating at the destruction of the village, Kagura began to lift Natsu to his feet with extreme caution. Not only was she trying to avoid causing pain to course throughout her cast bound arms, but she didn't want here Guild Master to divert his attention to the scattered corpses.
Instead of scanning the destroyed village below him, Natsu accepted Kagura's assistance by grasping her hand and rising to his feet. He buried his forehead into Kagura's shoulder while a dark shadow draped over his facial features. He couldn't bear to wittiness more of the death surrounding the destroyed village, even if Kagura tried to shield him from the grief continuing to ache inside of him.
Kagura looked down towards Natsu's sides and loosely grabbed his wrist with her hand poking out the end of her cast. The Sword mage spoke to Natsu with as much sincerity as she could muster while surveying Macao and Sayuki's darkened facial expressions. "We should do this one step at a time. We need to head to that Cherry Blossom tree, and see if we can find any survivors on the way there."
After feeling Kagura's warm grip around his wrist and realizing how much she was trying to protect his emotional pain, Natsu gave into her persuasion while agreeing with her. He separated form her body before reluctantly complying. "Uh- Okay. Finding survivors should be our main focus right now. We'll have to listen out for anyone who's still alive with my enhanced hearing… Whatever you do, just don't look up." Natsu referred to the scattered corpses below them.
Macao and Sayuki reluctantly nodded in understanding at their Guild Master's reasoning. The two Fire mages approached Natsu and Kagura's sides while linking all their hands together. The mages took collective breath in unison before Natsu lowered his gaze to the ground. With that, he carefully led his group members down the rocky pathway into the southern entrance of the capital.
All the mages followed Natsu and heeded his warning. They kept their gazes lowered and tunneled their vision towards the ground ahead of them. Navigating the barren streets wasn't an issue, as all the destruction was where the buildings should have stood. No one turned their heads to speak to each other. After all, they couldn't bring themselves to lift their to view the chaos around them, so they were solely relying on Natsu's enhanced hearing to recognize the voice of any survivors as they approached the Cherry Blossom tree at the center of the village.
Their tunneled vision towards their feet helped in the sense that none of them plunged into the massive craters merging with the pathways; they would instead make a complete beeline away from them, not wanting to know if the unfortunate corpse of a victim was lying within one.
As they began to approach the Cherry Blossom tree lying in front of them, a slight rustling could be head coming from between the roots. The soft noise caused Natsu ears to twitch while he forced himself to lift his head in hopefulness. "Someone could still be alive." He thought to himself in pure hopefulness. At this point, he could care less about the destruction around him as long as there was a chance to save someone from the wreckage.
As his eyes rested at the base of the beautiful tree's roots, Natsu's facial expressions of relief and happiness contorted into a teary form of dread. Beneath the safety of the Cherry Blossom tree rested an adolescent girl around the age of Romeo. The girl's head was nestled into the crook of her neck while her long, black hair cascaded down her lower back. Her hands were shivering in pain over a large gash through her skin which tore into the white t-shirt she was wearing; drips of blood weaved their way through her weakened fingers, drenched the torn area of her white shirt, and began to patter down towards her blue skirt.
The four mages widened their eyes in disbelief at the state of the girl and immediately bolted to where she had propped herself against the tree's trunk.
Sayuki slowly shook her head in horror as she noticed that the young girl's eyes were closed and void of movement. "Guh- Guys? I don't think she's moving anymore…"
Natsu increased his pace as fast as he could when he noticed Sayuki's voice fearing the worst. He used his momentum to slide across the pathway while positioning himself right beside the young girl. He smoothly pressed his fingers against the side of the girl's fragile neck in hopes of sensing her pulse. After a few seconds of nerve wracking patience, Natsu's eyes dilated in fear as he felt the girl's pulse rapidly beating in desperation of keeping her alive. "She's still alive, but her heart is beating like crazy for some reason." He paused to remove his fingers resting on the girl's neck.
Macao examined the girl's condition and commented on Natsu's growing fears. "She's going into shock then. We've gotta take care of that wound, or else her hearts just gonna give out." He winced while removing the girl's hands from her abdomen.
The mages were so occupied with examining the girl's condition that they failed to notice her eyes flutter open. The girl parted her lips to speak while stuttering in pain. "Puh- Please… Help me… It hurts so much right now… Does that mean I'm going to die?" The girl softly croaked in fear with an exotic accent tinting her voice.
Sayuki covered her mouth in terror once she realized the girl was still conscious. She reluctantly held out her hand towards the girl's face and stroked her black hair in comfort. "We're going to do everything we can to help you. I promise that you're going to be fine." Her eyes began to tear up in sympathy.
Natsu nodded in agreement while succumbing to the same emotions. "She's right. We're from a really strong guild in Fiore, and we're all here to help you."
"Yuh- You guys are from Fiore? I heard the guilds there are super strong… Please. Just make it stop hurting. I've never been hurt this much in my life." The girl began to whimper while her black eyes began to gloss over in tears. Since the four mages were from Fairy Tail, she now understood why they were the only ones in the village still alive, but all the girl could do at this point was beg for their help.
Macao, Sayuki, Kagura, and Macao immediately began to dart their heads between one another in hopes that one of them knew how to provide medical attention for the helpless girl's exposed wound.
The desperate stares from one another was enough for them to realize that none of them knew of a way to tend for a wound of this magnitude. Natsu was the first one to break the silence once the mages realized none of them knew how to perform proper medical attention. He turned his head to Macao and began shaking his shoulders violently. "What the hell do we do? You said it yourself, Old Man; she's bleeding out. She can't even cover her gash properly," He paused to gesture to the blood profusely weaving its way through her fingers, "Someone's gotta close it up for her."
They reluctantly diverted their attention back to the waiting girl and noticed that Natsu was right; the girl's fingers were coated in dried blood and her arms rested at her side. She was so weak, that she couldn't even lift her hands to her abdomen to stop the blood flow.
"Urgh.. Ugh…" She helplessly attempted to bring herself to cover the gash across her center mass, but to no avail. Natsu noticed the girl's desperate struggles and fumbled next to her while using his own hands to press against her the gash. The girl wheezed from the sudden pressure while staring blankly into Natsu's teary gaze.
Natsu once again darted his head backwards towards his comrades while desperately hoping one of them would volunteer to help the girl. Macao reluctantly approached the duo while avoiding locking gazes with the small girl. He rested both his hands on Natsu's shoulders and spoke with as much seriousness as possible. "Muh- Master Natsu… None of us know how to stitch up a wound like that… You're the only one here that can help her."
"And how do you expect me to do that?! I'm not exactly Porlyusica!" Natsu's voice cracked in emotional pain.
Macao gritted his teeth before continuing. Without a word, he held up his right hand and snapped his fingers which caused a small purple flame to project from his palm.
At first, the mages cocked their heads to the side from witnessing Macao's magic. After a few seconds though, a frightening realization dawned upon them which caused Natsu to slowly shake his head. "No… I can't…" Natsu responded to Macao's gesture with a quiver in his voice. Kagura and Sayuki both had similar expressions of dread plastered across their face as they watched Macao flare up his magic.
The entire time, the injured girl innocently watched from where she was incapacitated. She was too young to understand what the mages were inferring.
Macao lowered his head and lowly clarified what Natsu had to do. "Master Natsu… You've gotta cauterize her wound." Macao paused to look towards Sayuki. She was shivering uncontrollably and was in no condition to administer any kind of aid. "There's no one else who's alive in this village who can help us, and Sayuki's in no condition to try and help. If you don't do this… We're not going to have enough time to take her to Rebuke." He referred to the bleeding girl.
Natsu clasped harder onto the small girl's wound while vigorously shaking his head back and forth. "Nuh- No… I can't do that to her! Not to mention, it's your magic in the first place. You should be the one to do it." Natsu sighed in slight relief, as he would hope his reasoning would be enough for Macao to use his magic to stop the girl's bleeding.
Macao shook his head while cowering slightly. "Master Natsu… She reminds me of Romeo. I can't bring myself to do it." Macao sobbed slightly while his flames began to dissipate back into his hand's palm. He was beginning to lose his composure similar to how Sayuki was.
Natsu grimaced at the pain of the young girl. He darted his head in between the purple flames beginning to disappear from Macao's hands and the profuse bleeding coming from the girl's wounds. Similar to how he saved Kagura from her cell in Raven Tail's guild, he knew he wouldn't like the outcome of having to cauterize her wound, but it would be worth it if it meant helping someone in need.
"Give me your magic then!" Natsu barked while removing a hand off of the small girl's wound. He then forcefully clasped Macao's hand in his own while the purple flames began to encase Natsu's body.
The small girl began to eye the two mages out of curiosity. "Muh- Mister? What are you going to do with that purple fire?" The girl weakly spoke while watching Natsu separate his hand from Macao only to transfer the purple flames to his hands.
A dark shadow began to cover Natsu's face while tears of anguish and sympathy began to patter on the dirt below. The girl's fragile accent only caused more conflicting emotions to clash with Natsu's pain associated with saving her life; Natsu couldn't bring himself to even speak to the young girl.
Sayuki and Kagura noticed Natsu's hurt persona, so the duo gathered on both sides of the young girl and spoke to her with as much compassion as possible. "You're hurt really badly. We know how to save you, but it's going to sting a little bit." Sayuki stopped speaking so she could tear open the girl's shirt: exposing her upper body and allowing Natsu access to the large wound. Sayuki then grabbed onto one of the girl's hands, while Kagura repositioned her cast so she could grab the other one, "No matter how much it hurts, just hold onto our hands as tight as possible and don't stop speaking."
"Uh- I'm scared." The girl whimpered while watching Natsu's shadowed face staring at the purple flames surrounding his hands. She could feel the heat from the flames looming over her body now.
Macao rested his hand on Natsu shoulder while whispering into his ear. "Stuh- Start whenever you think she's distracted. It'll hopefully relieve some of her tension and ease the pain." This was all the advise he could give to Natsu at this point.
With that, Kagura and Sayuki sweetly smiled at the girl while rubbing her respective hands. "Don't worry about what he's doing. All you need to look at is the pretty sun behind the mountains." Sayuki paused to optimistically gesture towards the sun's beautiful glare casting over the mountain range. Once she was sure that the young girl was mesmerized by the scenery, she continued speaking. "Can you start by telling us about who you are and what happened to your village?" Sayuki asked as a way to further take the girl's mind off the pain that would soon follow.
The girl reluctantly nodded while slowly relieving the tension throughout her body. "Muh- My name is Akagi, and I born under this Cherry Blossom tree. When I found out that my village was being attacked, I came to this tree since I always come here when I'm feeling sad." She spoke in a trance like state, being captivated by the pulchritude of the setting sun behind the Northern Mountains.
"Akagi? That's a beautiful name," Sayuki began to tear up while she could feel the heat of the purple flames increase in intensity. She positioned herself in front of Akagi's face and stared directly into her eyes, so Akagi's view would be blocked from her wound. "Hey, you don't have to look at the mountains anymore. Can you tell me what color my eyes are? Look really closely though, because it might be hard to see since the sun is setting."
Natsu's hands were now looming over the small girl's wounds while tears freely poured down his cheeks. He noticed Sayuki do everything to distract Akagi, so he knew he needed to take action while he had the chance. With that, he closed his eyes as tight as possible in order to take the time to regain his composure.
For the next few moments, everything went silent. Sayuki had stopped speaking so Akagi could have the opportunity to scan her eyes: desperately trying to identify the color of her iris.
But once Natsu's moments of hesitation were out of the way, the deathly silence shrouding the village was shattered as Natsu pressed his blistering palms against Akagi's bleeding wounds causing the purple flames to rage freely.
Sayuki immediately bit her tongue as hard as her body would allow after seeing Akagi's reaction change in front of her. The tranquil and curious nature of Akagi's eyes turned to that of anguish, agony, and slight torture of not being able to move; at that moment, Akagi never got the chance to tell Sayuki the color of her eyes.
"HHHHIIIISSssssss!" The sound of the Akagi's wound being cauterized punctured the air. The smell of caramelizing blood immediately filled the noses of the mages. All the while, Macao could only bury his gaze into Natsu's shoulders. He was just as effected as Natsu was from the physical pain they were inflicting on Akagi, and none of them could bare to bear witness what the young girl had to endure.
"AAAAAAUUUUCCCCCHHhhhhhhh!" Akagi's shrieks filled the village while the intense heat welded her wound together. She was so weak from all the blood loss that she had no physical strength left to contort her body out of reflex. Her shrieks could only taper off as her body dipped in and out of consciousness without warning.
At this point, there was no turning back for any of them. Over the next few seconds, streaks of purple flames shot up into the air around the group and clashed with the pink horizon of the setting sun. The whooshing sound of the flames echoed throughout the late afternoon and merged with Akagi's screeches.
As pure adrenaline began to course throughout Akagi's body, she once again regained consciousness to only stare into Sayuki's eyes. Could this much pain truly be equivalent to saving her life? She couldn't even bring herself to ask this question to Sayuki. Although the pain of her wound was mitigated with the adrenaline beginning to course throughout her body, it was only enough to allow her to regain the reflex to scream. "MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS SO MUCH!" She howled at the top of her lungs.
Sayuki clasped the girl's hands and softly spoke to her while her tears streaked her face. "I know it hurts Akagi. Tell me who did this to you so we can help you find the bad guys! Then the pain will all be over!" She began to yell in emotional distress over Akagi's pleads.
"DUH- DRAGONS! THEY RAIDED MY VILLAGE AND HURT EVERYONE!" She shrieked in trauma or reliving the pain of her wound further enhanced by its cauterization.
After hearing how Dragnof's capital was destroyed, looks of terror and utter shock plastered across the mage's faces when they realized that Akagi was being serious.
Before any of them could respond out of sympathy for everything Akagi was enduring or even ponder about dragons invading Dragnof's capital, her head began to slump backwards for the last time from the overwhelming pain. Her body began to grow still, as she was reluctant to continue explaining the circumstances of dragons raiding her village; her thoughts were if she stopped speaking, maybe it would allow her to fall unconscious and end the nightmarish scene she was placed in.
However, with each passing moment, the seemingly unending pain from the cauterization began to taper off.
While the last of the searing pain began to lift off of Akagi's wound, her thoughts began to dip in and out of consciousness for the last time; she barely had the strength to speak at this point. The traumatic experience of her village being destroyed coupled with Natsu fusing the remainder of her skin together would have been enough shock to kill her right there, but Akagi brought herself to speak to Sayuki one last time if it meant Sayuki would keep her promise in ending the hellish agony. "Uh- I swear… It's not my fault the village is destroyed. I was hurt because I didn't know how to use magic to defend myself, so I just ran as far as I could from all the dragons," Akagi's accented speech began to soften as her body grew motionless, "I didn't get to see what the dragons looked like. All I could do was listen to them roar over my village. The only thing they said when they killed everyone was, 'we can not allow history to repeat itself…'" With that, Akagi's body ceased to move. The unending pain caused by the cauterization had ultimately taken its toll on her.
Sayuki tightened her grip around Akagi's wrist and felt the small girl's pulse begin to slow down while increase in intensity. The heat of the scorching flames from behind her began to dissipate into nothingness, signaling the cauterization had come to an end. "Thuh- This poor girl. I mean, Akagi… She's still alive, but her body needs some actual medical attention… Now!" Sayuki nearly demanded with a hiccup while the last of her tears fell.
As Natsu began to lift his head while the last of Macao's purple flames dissipated, he was met with the disturbing sight of Akagi's cauterized wound before him. The skin was messily fused together while caramelized blood was dried up around the area. As Natsu overheard Akagi describe her village being slaughtered by dragons, his feelings of grief and emotional pain turned into that of complete and utter rage once he fully comprehended the severity of Akagi's pain. Natsu gritted his teeth together while an intimidating glare flashed across his facial features. "We're supposed to be their goddamn friends. And… These dragons take advantage over this village because no one can use Dragon Slayer Magic to stop them?! I'll slaughter the bastards who did this to you!" Natsu harshly declared.
Macao began to hiccup once he noticed that Akagi had passed out from the trauma. He noticed Natsu begin to lose his composure and used his unbiased judgment to help his Guild Master out. "Natsu? Look around you and let's sort this out. You lost your Dragon Slayer Magic a day ago, we're here on the east side of Ishgar which is known for having ties with dragons, we came here to talk to some chick who can help you get your Dragon Slayer Magic back, and we found out dragons raided this village all of a sudden because they apparently 'cannot allow history to repeat itself.' There's no way in hell this is all some coincidence. If Rebuke really has ties with Dragon Slayer Magic, we need to see her now and see if she knows what the hell is going on here! Most importantly though," Macao bolted upright while taking off his cloak, "Akagi needs help, and Rebuke might be the only person left who can save her. Take us to her." Macao confidently declared while he bundled the girl in the cloak before carefully carrying her bridal style.
Sayuki began to shiver and fear the worst slightly. "Master Natsu? Please don't get mad at me for what I'm about to say. But Rebuke, what if she's… You know…" Sayuki stopped to look around at the corpses around the village, indicating that Rebuke was among the deceased.
Natsu shook his head while inferring what Sayuki spoke to him. "I'm not going to buy it. Rebuke is supposed to be stronger than the four most powerful Wizard Saints without even using her magic. Not to mention, she lives a completely self sufficient lifestyle away from the village; she couldn't have been killed with everyone else."
Sayuki interjected again. "Buh- But that's the point. If Rebuke's really as powerful as you said she was, wouldn't she have helped the village? Maybe she really is…"
Macao frowned while holding Akagi's body close to his. "I hate to say it, but Sayuki's right. Why wouldn't Rebuke help this village out if she lives close-" Macao never got the chance to question if Rebuke was alive, because Natsu interrupted him.
"That's what we're gonna find out. I'm not saying that I know she's alive, I'm saying that she has to be alive. She's our only hope… And Akagi's." Natsu looked with uncertainty towards the small girl being carried by Macao. With dragons invading Dragnof's capital for some obscure reason, and Rebuke being nowhere in sight to help them, Natsu was more unsure than ever if his stubborn nature was just delaying the inevitable: for his missing magic returning, and understand the situation his Nakama were placed in.
Thank you for your time!
Author's Note: This chapter was very controversial, I know. But it has purpose. Natsu is slowly beginning to grow up and experience the harsh world for himself, and this arc is going to help him with this realization. Dragons are obviously not the most friendly of creatures, as we all know about Acnologia and the dragons who raided this village. In order for Natsu to get his magic back, as I stated last chapter, he needs to go on a small quest to understand the origins to his dragon slayer magic and why this is the case. Dragon's capital being destroyed by dragons is not a coincidence, and Akagi's injuries show Natsu that not all dragons are like Igneel.