Hey guys! Chapter 44 finally! For those who didn't see my note on tumblr, apologies for any confusion. I spent most of the weekend last weekend hauling furniture and was too tired to deal with the chapter on the last posting day. I don't anticipate that being a problem for the remaining chapters though. :)
As usual... THIS FIC UPDATES EVERY THREE DAYS: Post, Break, Break, Post!
CHAPTER 44
Kraken
The Krakens are aquatic monsters that originated from Norse mythology and have been said to dwell off the shores of Norway and Greenland. They are often depicted as gigantic octopuses (or sometimes squids) that attack sailing ships. It is said that the Kraken would surface at Ragnarök.
It took a while, but the evidence Fairy Tail had gathered as a result of their snooping had eventually built up enough controversy to have the council members impeached.
That turned out to be the easiest part of their job, as it left the guilds scrambling to try and maneuver themselves into prime positions to get on the board. To say their campaign was rocky was an understatement. Jellal had his work cut out for him to convince the people of Magnolia he was a genuine choice for council.
Lucy of course, as a well recognized Knight and a respected member of the upper class, was able to give Jellal a show of glowing support, but that only went so far. Jellal's own charisma was put to the test as he worked with the other guild candidates to charm the people. Fortunately, he had charm to spare no matter how much he disliked using it.
The spin for Natsu was, of course, slightly trickier. The great demon END had stood up on a campaign stage and taken the jeers and screams without blinking. Naturally there had been disbelievers of what he was, but Natsu had quickly proved he wasn't lying. There was nothing quite like seeing a genuine demon standing on stage.
Convincing them that he was truly on their side now was much more complicated. The memory sharing technique the dragons used was unique to dragons, and the potion they'd created for him to view his memories only worked for him. Not anyone else.
In the end it was Levy and Fried working with Sting that worked out a solution. Natsu had no idea how their weird script magic creation worked, and suspected he'd get a headache in the first ten seconds if he asked, but it worked.
The projections it showed of select portions of Natsu's memories had the crowds alternating between horror, rage, and tears. It was not something Natsu cared to repeat again. Ever. However, there was no denying that it had been effective. Both for convincing the people of his sincerity and laying a lot of positive groundwork for the dragon's return. There weren't many who could blame Igneel for his actions given the circumstances.
At least it meant he didn't have to give speeches. He was terrible at that outside the moment.
The result was, as Gajeel predicted, that Natsu became a symbol for fighting back. Of rebellion. Which Natsu found highly ironic considering what he was.
However, it was Lucy, with her gentle hand but firm stance, who was the heart of the resistance. She was always moving. Always working. She encouraged people, and gave them hope in a way that left him breathless with awe whenever he saw it. She wasn't just a light for him anymore. She was a light for everyone.
Privately, Natsu was convinced that it was because of Lucy's light that Jellal won.
Of course, winning was only the beginning. Once Jellal and the other new council men and women were confirmed into office they had proceeded to turn the place completely on its head.
Every single one of the old council's dirty secrets was discovered and dealt with. Sometimes publicly, sometimes not, but always with a ruthlessness that Lucy found mildly terrifying in Jellal no matter how much she approved.
And it didn't end there. Lucy had honestly started to lose track of the overhauls being made from the prison, to the enchanted frogs that ran the place, to the Knights themselves, and beyond.
The Knights had come under her own purview as the new council had unanimously declared that she was precisely what they were looking for in dedicated Rune Knights, and had put her in charge of combing through the ranks to weed out the bad ones. Which there were a depressingly high number of.
It was a gargantuan task, and Lucy couldn't remember the last time she'd had so many sleepless nights in her life. Even with competent help, like Eve, it wasn't unusual for her to be found dozing at her desk if Natsu wasn't around to take care of her.
Of course, even with that help, it eventually got to the point where Jellal ordered Natsu to take her home and not let her come back to work until she was properly rested.
It was an order her demon had only been too happy to obey as he'd hauled her over his shoulder and even now was cackling as he carried her through the streets to their house.
"Natsu do you have to cackle?" She complained as she bounced along, having long since given up trying to wriggle loose, and shot a couple of onlookers a pout when they laughed at her plight.
Natsu's reputation was slowly, but steadily, improving the more he pulled stuff like this. It was hard to be terrified of a demon that pulled pranks on his mistress and gushed over tasty looking food like a five year old.
"I do!" Natsu responded cheerfully. Happy came to a rest right on top of her skirted bottom. "How else will they know to steer clear?"
"Maybe if you didn't run down the street like a thief!" Lucy protested around a yawn.
Natsu didn't respond as he kicked open the door to their home and tossed his fiance onto the bed. He crawled in right after her and smirked victoriously.
"You've worn yourself ragged Luce." Natsu leaned back on his heels, his shoulders straight and arms crossed. He looked the very picture of an imp.
"That means I can ignore any order if it doesn't pertain directly to you resting up," Natsu purred at her.
Lucy groaned a bit, but given how absolutely heavenly her bed felt she couldn't really argue with either him or Jellal. She had been running herself ragged lately, and had always known peripherally that she would pay for it eventually.
It didn't help that she felt a twinge of guilt over the fact she and Natsu hadn't had nearly as much time together as before.
"I've been a bad fiancé haven't I?" She asked apologetically and reached out for him, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to get this bad. I just wanted it to be over and done with as soon as possible."
Natsu curled her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, "I'd rather have you take as long as you need to and be in good shape." He told her honestly, enjoying the soft blush that still brought to her cheeks, "That means more to me."
Lucy smiled and pulled him into a soft kiss.
His thumb rolled over the ring decorating her hand. While his words were true, he wanted this to be over too. His bond with Lucy was as glued together as it always was. It twinged occasionally when she was hungry or in danger of going too long without taking care of herself.
He wanted her to himself, to go on that trip around the world just the two of them the way they talked about when he asked her to marry him. Unfortunately, with the way the war was heating up, that day was looking further and further away by the moment.
While they got the human side of things under control, the demons hadn't been dormant. They were advancing slowly but steadily towards Magnolia day by day. Refugees from the outlying villages and towns had become a constant problem. Nor did it end there for him.
Natsu's primary job aside from keeping his mistress safe, was defending the walls of the city. He refused to venture out too far and leave Lucy unguarded, but he was primarily what they were using to keep the city safe.
At least until they finished scrambling to repair the corrupt system within.
The dragons had also begun to suffer retalitory attacks since Sting's attack on Torafuzar. Attacks bad enough that Metallicana had returned to Old Fort to join Igneel in their defense of the nest.
But they were almost done.
He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he believed it with every fibre of his being. Something was going to come to a head soon and this would all end one way or the other.
Not that he told Lucy, or anyone else, that. The last thing he wanted was for them to worry when there was nothing they could do about it.
Instead, Natsu sank down into the covers with Lucy, holding her to his chest and taking in her scent.
Lucy smiled as she felt his tension bleed away and twined herself around him comfortingly. She knew as well as he did that the demons hadn't been idle, and their biggest battle, probably the one that would decide the war, would be upon them soon. Regardless if they were ready for it or not.
It was one of the reasons she'd pushed herself so hard. She'd wanted to ensure that they would be ready as much as possible so that after the battle was over and everything cleaned up... they could finally get married.
Though, at the moment, she was having trouble remembering just why she'd wanted to wait until after the battle.
It was something they both wanted. So why should they delay it anymore? It wasn't like it would hurt Jellal's campaign now.
"Natsu... do you want to get married today?"
Natsu blinked and looked at her in surprise, "What brought that on?"
Not that he minded. He was happy to marry her whenever she wanted. As far as he was concerned their bond couldn't possibly get any closer anyway. He was hers, and he always would be.
Lucy shrugged, "I dunno. I was just wondering why we were waiting until after the battle." She looked up at him, "I mean, I know we've got plans to see the world together, but that doesn't hinge on us getting married right?"
Natsu studied her intently, his bond pinging at him that something was out of place, and slowly realized that her motivation wasn't impatience. It was fear.
She was afraid of the battle marching closer day by day. Afraid they wouldn't survive it. And she wanted there to be no regrets when that day arrived.
Natsu whined a little at the sensation of his mistress' distress and budged in closer to her. His nose dipped into her throat, a rumble vibrating deep in his chest.
"We can get married this second if you want Lucy." He growled quietly, "But there won't be any rush. We're going to end this war. There is no other option."
He smiled at her, leaning forward to nibble at her lips, sparking a smile from her.
"But if you want to get married now, you're the one that gets to break the news to Erza why she doesn't get to eat cake or wear a pretty dress." He teased.
"How cruel! I thought you were supposed to protect me!" Lucy couldn't help but giggle as she cupped his cheeks and dropped feather light kisses against his forehead and nose.
She told herself Natsu had every reason to be confident. He was one of the most powerful men around. He had the ability to scorch the earth and rain fire down from the sky.
But as powerful as he was, he wasn't invulnerable even if he sometimes seemed that way.
"Humor me?" Lucy asked him, and Natsu huffed out against her throat.
"Whatever brings you happiness," Natsu grunted as he pushed himself up, "Come on. Let's get a witness."
-::-
Witnesses turned out to be the entire guild anyway, mostly because they were sneaky little eavesdroppers.
There had been quite a few exclamations of distress over the unexpected change in plans, but Lucy had hastily assured them that she still wanted the big wedding later. She just didn't want to wait until after the final battle anymore.
There had been looks of understanding at that, and the protests had dropped as the girls hustled Lucy off to change into something more wedding-like while Jellal and Gray took care of the guys. No one wanted to talk about it openly, but they all understood what had prompted Lucy's change of mind, and if it would ease her stress to be married to Natsu now then they would support it.
She was hardly the first one to succumb, and it wasn't likely she would be the last.
In the end it was a lovely little party anyway. The dresses were lovely, and the flower shop had miraculously been able to accommodate them. Jellal officiated the short ceremony and the restaurant they picked afterwards went out of their way to set up an impromptu reception hall.
And through it all Lucy's glowingly happy face made the mad scramble more than worth it.
"I love you." She breathed at Natsu as they danced slowly around the small dance floor, "Thank you."
Natsu grinned back at her, finding this moment more than perfect too. Even if Gajeel and Sting had to cram him in an awkward looking suit, it had been worth it.
Lucy's happiness was paramount, and Natsu was just as thrilled to finally call her his wife.
He had come to understand the customs more, and being able to finally make things official was great. He and Lucy were together in every sense of the word.
He hadn't thought they could be closer, but there was nothing better than getting married to his best friend.
"I love you too Luce." He smiled at her, bending down to capture her lips lingeringly.
Unfortunately, the world deemed they were not allowed to keep being in their merry world forever, and a loud alarm rang out.
Natsu whined in annoyance and grasped his wife sulkily, knowing the alert when he heard it for what it was.
Wall clean up.
"Ugh, can't someone else do it?" Natsu whimpered but sighed and stole another kiss. He knew full well there really wasn't another person who could
"I'll be right back." He promised.
Lucy sighed in exasperation, but gave him a small smile and a soft kiss, "You'd better." She purred into his ear promisingly, "Tonight's our wedding night."
The look on her face made it clear she had plans for him, and he couldn't help grinning wickedly at her, "I look forward to it."
He pulled himself away reluctantly, fervently wishing he could just stay behind, and went to go meet up with Gray. The popsicle had proved to be quite adept at dealing with demons of all levels with his ice demonslaying magic, and as a result they had been partnered together. Much to their mutual disgust and their girlfriend's eternal amusement.
"C'mon." Gray grunted, "Let's get this over with."
Natsu didn't reply as he ducked into the back and hastily changed into his fireproof clothes before falling into step with Gray. But he didn't really need to. They both had places they would rather be.
Instead he shot Lucy one more look over his shoulder, his heart thumping at how achingly beautiful she looked in her dress as she watched them go, and silently vowed to return as quickly as possible.
His wife would not be alone any longer than absolutely necessary tonight.
-::-
When they got to the wall, there were only a scattering of demons and monsters scraping at the edges. Natsu huffed in irritation, mad they had interrupted his wedding for something so trivial. Even the rookie Knights could handle this.
He let out a territorial snarl that at once had the monsters backing away, some with their tails between their legs and others whimpering.
"Ugh, this is just damn sad." Natsu growled as he walked up to one of the wild wolf demons and bent down to a knee. He buried his hand in the thick fur and stroked it down away from its ears.
"This was barely even worth the effort," Gray complained, crossing his arms as he contemplated even using his demonslaying ice.
"Poor bastards," Natsu grunted as he looked at some of the shuffling monsters, "They're hungry. There must not be much left in the nearby wildlands anymore."
"They're not exactly winning much sympathy from me." Gray snorted, "Their masters are Tartaros."
"For now," Natsu growled quietly, smacking the flank of the wolf demon he had been petting to get him to move.
"The demons deserve a chance to prove themselves just as much as I did," Natsu said quietly as he watched the hungry creatures slink off.
"That'll be a hard one to convince people of," Gray rolled up his sleeves, "But why don't you head on back? I can finish up here."
Natsu hesitated, but couldn't help but grin at the thought of being back with Lucy so quickly.
"Sure. Thanks Gray." He turned and jogged off, knowing the other could handle picking up a few strays.
Natsu circled back around the wall, when he spotted something weird laying down against a jutting out boulder.
He felt a chill as a figure came into focus. It was woman, laying prone and bloody on her side. Long locks of black hair fanned out around her head, matted and damp from an injury.
"Oh no," Natsu whispered and sprinted towards her, "Gray!"
He could smell the blood in the wind now, and thought there was something strange about it. But he skidded to a halt next to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulderm
"Hey, are you-"
Natsu felt something lock around his ankle, a biting metal that yanked him backwards and threw him a few feet away from the woman.
Bars sprang up from the dirt, a magical current tearing through his body in a second. Natsu roared in pain, his leg chained down to one of the electrified bars.
He dropped down to the floor of his prison, chest heaving as he glared out through the bars, at the woman laying still.
Just a corpse.
Bait.
Which meant...
"My, my..." A voice he both recognized and hated purred, "It's been quite a while END. It's amazing how well you've grown."
"Kyoka." Natsu snarled, baring his fangs hatefully at her, and tried to keep his heart from racing more than it already was.
This was bad. This was beyond bad.
He knew the demons wanted to wake their precious Zeref up, but they had no idea what they were waking up with him. And even though he knew he could dominate any demon that ever lived he could admit, if only to himself and Lucy, that at best Acnologia would be the toughest fight he'd ever had.
"Natsu!" Gray called as he ran up only to skid to a halt as he took in the scene.
"Back off Gray!" Natsu called tensely without taking his eyes of the demoness, "She'll kill you without a second thought."
"Well!" Kyoka exclaimed, staring at Natsu in surprise, "The failed weapon really does speak! I had thought that to be an exaggeration."
"Not failed." Natsu smirked, "Zeref was just too stupid to figure out how to do it right."
The look of fury that flashed across her face was entirely satisfying. And hopefully it would keep her attention on him instead of on Gray. If he was lucky the snow cone would get the hell away before she chose to attack and warn the others.
"How dare you?" Kyoka growled at Natsu, stepping up to her prey with sure strides. Her clawed hands twitched, "I should make you suffer pain a thousand times over until you go mad. Becoming a mindless vegetable again would be good for you, wouldn't it?" She purred at Natsu.
She tsked when Natsu tried to launch himself at the bars, his fire smothered by the lock around his ankle and his cage.
"Down dog." Kyoka kicked a rock at him. It hardly even tapped against Natsu's chest, but he felt almost like his heart had stopped by the pain roaring through his body.
He collapsed, unable to stop the scream that burst from him as her magic struck true.
"Natsu!" Gray shouted, a frost of cold air freezing the ground. Gray charged Kyoka, a sword carving into his hands.
But he too was brought to his knees as Kyoka's magic flared, and she met him in an attack.
Gray screamed as he was dropped senselessly to the ground with the same pain Natsu was only starting to recover from.
"Now." Kyoka purred, glaring over at Natsu, "That should keep him occupied. It's time for us to go home."
She wrapped her claws around the bars of his cage, "Your real home."
Okay! That was a lot that went on this chapter. I have found that chapters that involve compressing time are very difficult to balance not taking too much space without rushing it. Hopefully there was enough detail and such the balance was hit... but enough about that!
Special thanks and love to our many reviewers! We love you guys! Please enjoy your well earned sneak peek and I'll see you guys next posting day! *kisses*
30 REVIEWS EQUALS A SNEAK PEEK!
"Ah, look who is awake." Mard Geer purred as Natsu glared furiously at him, "And with so much more vigor than before. It's hard to believe you are the failed creation of our master."
Natsu couldn't speak, so he settled for baring his fangs at the other demon.
"Mmmmmmm... quite a temper you seem to have developed there Natsu." Mard Geer smirked as he stepped up to Natsu's tube and studied his tattoos with interest, "We shall have to work on adjusting that."
Natsu's tail lashed threateningly, but Mard Geer ignored it in favor of studying the markings intently, "Lamy I want pictures of all the markings."
"Yes sir!" Lamy crowed eagerly, and Natsu had to fight back the urge to shudder at the leer she sent him. Her looks were even creepier than his memories let on.
