Announcement at the end. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 15
Deep in the recesses of Natsu Dragneel's mind, a beast fought for freedom from his cage.
He rammed the solid bars, screamed bloody murder, and paced to and fro in his rage.
Where is she?
She needs me!
Protect! Protect!
But try as he might, the bars were simply too strong to break, and his calls went unheard.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The guildhall was on fire.
The Fairy Tail guildmembers watched on from afar as their home literally went up in smoke.
No one spoke.
All that could be heard were the sounds of destruction coming from within the guildhall. Among the crowd stood Lisanna. She glanced over the sea of faces around her and her heart clenched. Expressions ranged from sorrowful to infuriated to simply dumbstruck. She met the woeful gaze of her sister and flinched before settling her eyes on the somewhat pathetic lump of blue fur she held in her arms.
"L-Luushheeee!"
"I-I-I'm sorryyyy!"
Happy's sobs tore at Lisanna's heart strings. She'd never seen him this upset, he was inconsolable, either unwilling or unable to listen to her attempts to quiet his cries. So, she simply curled him up into her arms and held him gently.
Happy didn't know what to do. What to say. What to think. All he knew was that Carla hated him, his best friend was on the brink of destroying their home, and Lucy was gone…
It just couldn't be true. This was Lucy! The loud, weird, thoughtful, kind-hearted girl he and Natsu brought to Fairy Tail.
She was the one Happy could go to for a good laugh.
The one he went to when Carla refused his advances and he needed someone to cry to.
She loved Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail loved her. How did he…how did he not notice?
His throat closed up around the remorse now threatening to overcome him and silently watched as loud crashes and the occasional explosion continued to come from the guild hall.
"L-Lushee…" he whimpered pathetically. Tears flooded his eyes and snot started to trickle from his nose as his life came crashing down around him.
Suddenly, a loud boom sounded from the guildhall and Happy watched as debris began to fall to the streets.
"P-please come back Lushee… W-We need you."
'Natsu needs you…' he thought to himself as he continued to watch the guildhall crumble.
Meanwhile, three of Fairy Tail's strongest fought within its damaged walls.
INSIDE THE GUILDHALL
Flames consumed everything, including the wooden floors, tables and chairs. It climbed the pillars and crept along the rafters with no signs of stopping. The intense heat blistered the painted walls and smoke plumed through the gaping hole in the ceiling.
Amidst the flames, Erza staggered to her feet, her lungs struggling for air as she tried to breathe through the suffocating heat. Her skin felt scalded beneath the heavy metal of her Heaven's Wheel Armor.
She looked around at the destruction that had befallen the guildhall and felt her anger grow close to bursting.
She braced herself as her eyes locked onto the enraged fire wizard before racing forward.
"Requip!"
Ignoring his warning growl, she pushed on, now adorning her Flame Empress Armor. The fire that continued to devour the building gleamed beautifully off her sword in an array of amber and scarlets.
She rushed her teammate, hoping a fast approach would catch him off guard.
He was open.
Her sword sliced through the air with deadly accuracy, cutting through the flames like paper.
But just before it grazed the skin of his chest, she looked up to meet his burning eyes, and felt her hand falter.
Her blunder was all it took for Natsu to reach up and wrap his hand around her throat, before he threw her into the far wall.
Again, the breath was knocked from her as rubble came tumbling down around her.
Natsu grabbed his head, a searing headache blinding him for a moment. He pinched an eye close in a vain attempt to subdue the pain. It felt like something was trying to claw out of his head!
There was a flash of light that momentarily blinded him, but he recognized the familiar eerie glow of Gray's Ice-Make magic.
The ice wizard stepped forward. It was clear from the bruises that littered his exposed chest, that Natsu was getting the best of him as well.
"You need to cool it Flamehead! Ice-Make: Lance!"
Ice streaked toward the dragon slayer, quick as bullets. Ignoring the pounding in his skull, Natsu managed to claw the ice away with his lit hands before they could reach his face. Without a word, he turned toward his life-long rival and he didn't hold back.
"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"
He hurled the massive fireball and Gray quickly leapt out of the way as the fire exploded onto the spot he'd been standing not a second prior.
He slid across the floor as the mere heat from the attack singed the fine hairs on his arm. And without taking his eyes off Natsu, he shouted for his teammate missing in action.
"Erza! You alright?"
When there was no answer, Gray began to worry.
Taking the chance, he quickly looked at the pile of wreckage he'd seen her crash into and let out the breath he'd been holding when the rubble began to shift. She emerged wielding her Purgatory Armor. Her ginormous stone sword in hand.
"I'm fine." she panted. "He simply caught me off guard."
Despite her words, bruises covered her body as well. The pain in her chest told her a couple of her ribs had been fractured, and her head throbbed from the impact of the fallen rubble. A quick glance towards Gray told her they wouldn't last much longer.
She took in the enraged boy in front of them and her eyes drooped wearily. The injuries they managed to inflict on him didn't seem to make a single difference. It was clear from the resolute look in his glowing eyes and the brilliant red scales that framed his face that he was far from finished.
She grew frustrated, her hands tightening around the handle of her sword. A couple decisive strikes from her Flame Empress set had never failed to overwhelm the dragon slayer before, but…she was hesitating.
Because, despite the fury in his eyes, or the destruction his flames wrought onto their beloved home, or even the injuries he'd inflicted on herself and Gray, she just couldn't bring herself to hurt him.
It was one thing to knock him out for a train ride or hit him for his idiotic shenanigans but this…this was something totally different.
She knew this side of Natsu.
She saw it when she first met him, an orphaned young boy recovering from the unexplained loss of his father. She saw it when Lisanna didn't come home and he stood over her grave with disbelief in his eyes. And she saw it in her vision at the Tower of Heaven as she floated, trapped within the giant lacrima, as a heartbroken Natsu grieved violently over her death, ruining her funeral, shouting, causing a scene, unwilling to accept the truth no matter how much it hurt the ones around him.
But she knew that when the rage finally passed, when the dust settled, Natsu would look around at all the damage he caused, and it might break him. And that terrified her.
So, she was hesitating. Her attacks were not as ferocious, her conviction compromised. Her mind continued to war with her heart, unsure how best to deal with the boy she looked to as a brother.
Knowing this fight could go on for quite some time before finally ending, and not sure of the outcome, she was left with only one choice.
"Natsu!" she shouted.
He turned toward her, and a piece of her heart chipped away at the distrust she saw there.
She stepped forward; arms open as if to embrace him.
"This isn't the way to handle this, so please, stop, and let's can talk things through."
She punctuated her words by letting the heavy sword drop where it shook the very floorboards.
His lip curled back in contempt as she implored him.
"Why should I?" he snapped, and venom all but dripped from his words.
"We're your friends Natsu. We just want to help!" Erza retorted.
Natsu froze.
Erza cursed silently, knowing her words had only made things worse. Gray stiffened as he felt the temperature somehow climb even higher.
"You wanna help…"
Natsu focused back on her incredulously.
"Now you want to help?!"
Memories of Lucy continued to torment him behind his eyes. Protect.
"If you wanted to help me you would've told me about Lucy!" he snarled.
"If you were really my friends, you woulda' told me the truth!"
"Master forbade it!" she responded sharply before clenching her jaw shut. She looked away, already knowing what he would say next.
"SO WHAT!" he roared.
She flinched.
"How many times do we break the rules when we know it's the right thing to do?!" He spat the words at her in contempt, her excuses paltry and meaningless to him.
While he was distracted, Gray tried to sneak closer, but Natsu switched his glare to the ice wizard and if looks could kill…
"Stay. Away from me." he growled softly.
He'd never admit it, but Gray felt a shiver race down his back. He hesitated, unsure just how far his teammate would go this time.
The guild doors swung open with a loud thud.
"Oi! Salamander!"
Natsu turned sharply toward the familiarly grating voice…
WHAM!
…straight into an iron club.
The hit sent Natsu careening into the back wall of the guild, his head rapping hard against a stone pillar, and pain exploded at the base of his skull before he fell to the ground. The pain was white hot, and only added to the agony from his splitting headache. His anger exploded, and he wasted no time as he stumbled to his feet.
His legs and arms screamed in protest, the injuries he sustained from his team were starting to catch up with him, but his rage drove him on and fueled the fire in his belly. Especially as he tracked the movement of the receding iron club, where it morphed into a studded fist. Amber burned into crimson as he finally met the arrogant gaze of his fellow slayer.
A devious smirk broke out across Gajeel's face as he took in Natsu's enraged expression.
"Gi hi. I've been waiting to pound your face in for months." he rumbled.
Across the guildhall, Erza stared down the iron dragon slayer, slightly put off that he'd managed to land a blow so easily. But her scowl went completely unnoticed as the hulking man refused to break his attention from the fire mage.
"Gajeel! Stay out of this, we're handling it." Erza ordered.
The slayer in question finally broke his glower to look between the two other mages before him. His gaze lingered on their numerous wounds. Then he looked around at the guildhall covered in flames.
"…this is you handling it?" he deadpanned.
Erza's eyes narrowed at him dangerously.
"Listen to her rust bucket. Nobody knows Natsu like we do." Gray warned.
Gajeel snorted.
"Well, seeing as he's kicking both your asses, I think I'll stay,"
"Besides,"
Gajeel took a couple steps toward the Natsu in anticipation.
"This little shit's got some explaining to do."
Natsu let out a low growl in response.
Erza stared at the two slayers before her, contemplating. Something on Gajeel's face told her that this fight meant more to him than he was letting on. From the unyielding look in his eye, he clearly had no intentions of backing down. And she also knew that she would continue to hesitate if she were to stay in this fight…
"...Gray, fall back." she ordered.
Gray looked toward his teammate; disbelief written clearly across his face.
"But Erza-"
"Don't argue. We'll let Gajeel deal with him for now,"
"We need to go make sure our guildmates are all safe and accounted for."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu flinch.
That small act gave her the tiniest bit of hope.
She sent one last meaningful look Gajeel's way.
"We leave this to you." she said, before turning to go.
Gajeel grunted in acknowledgement, his eyes back to carefully analyzing Natsu's every move.
As she ran out of the guild, she cast her thoughts toward her angst-ridden teammate in the slightest hope that they might reach him.
'I know how hard this is, Natsu. And I know how much you hate it when the ones you care for leave you…But you won't hurt the people you love. Not on purpose and certainly not out of spite. We're your family…'
Gray on the other hand, threw one last glare at the fire mage.
"Get your shit together man, for Lucy."
Natsu spared him half a glance before focusing on Gajeel once more.
Gray reluctantly turned to follow Erza through the front doors, leaving the two dragon slayers to face off in the burning guildhall.
A sinister grin curled Gajeel's lips as his skin turned to steel.
"Finally!" he exclaimed.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward Natsu for a head on approach. Natsu instantly forgot about his teammates, his entire focus on the approaching mage.
"I don't have time for you metalhead!"
Natsu rushed to meet him, intent on smashing his smug face in.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Almost effortlessly, Gajeel locked his arm around the flaming fist before grabbing Natsu's face with his other hand.
Ignoring the scalding heat from the skin to skin contact, Gajeel let loose a vicious snarl of his own before driving Natsu headfirst into the floor, the wood shattering under the blow.
"Get off your high fucking horse Salamander!" he growled. Changing his hand into a long club, he dragged Natsu across the floor, running him through tables and chairs. Eventually though, even Gajeel had to back off. Despite his scales of steel, the heat emanating from the fire mage was enough to scorch his hand.
He cursed as he shook his hand out, and watched, calculating, as Natsu staggered to his feet, his eyes dark, a scowl plastered across his face.
"And quit throwin' a goddamn tantrum." Gajeel added. He aimed another hard look at the damaged guildhall to emphasize his point before zeroing in on the boy in front of him.
"I always knew you were immature, but this is just pathetic." he sneered.
Natsu's only response was a growl that resonated deep in his throat.
An answering growl ripped past Gajeel's lips, rising to the challenge almost eagerly.
There was a moment of hesitation, the two sized each other up as the crackles and snaps of the blazing fires carried on in the background. Then, they exploded at each other.
Natsu landed the first blow. His fist flew into Gajeel's face and the hulking man let out a grunt under the impact, a bruise already blooming across the left side of his face. Natsu smirked, content his fist had finally met its mark. But Gajeel was quick to repay him with a heavy foot to the gut.
Natsu braced for it but was surprised at the searing pain that raced through his abdomen at the blow. He looked down to see blood run down his bare torso, then his eyes latched onto the iron spikes currently protruding from the bottom of Gajeel's steel toed boots.
"I guess once a thug always a thug. That was low, even for you!" he spat out.
"Oh? Did you think I'd go easy on your dumb ass? Iron Dragon: Demon Logs!"
Holding his stomach, Natsu bobbed and weaved, barely managing to dodge the launched projectiles.
"You guys got a lotta nerve, keeping this from me. She was gone for FOUR MONTHS GAJEEL! AND NONE OF YOU EVEN BOTHERED TO TELL ME!"
At the fire slayer's proclamation, Gajeel stopped mid-attack and Natsu skidded to a halt, panting hard.
Gajeel looked at the boy in front of him in astonishment. Then he burst into laughter.
"HA!"
Natsu watched on warily as the man in front of him continued to laugh hysterically. On and on it went, and Natsu subconsciously feared for Gajeel's mental health...
But beneath the laughs, a deep-seated anger was taking root in the iron dragon slayer. It hardened his eyes and added a dark edge to his booming cackles.
Another glance at the arrogant expression on Natsu's face had the laughter dying in his throat.
'He's got the nerve to stand there…and feel angry?'
'He feels betrayed?'
His bloodred eyes bored into Natsu's skull.
"I think you mean," he murmured quietly.
"she's been gone for four months and you didn't notice." Gajeel corrected, eyes glittering.
He watched as Natsu's head tilted to the side in confusion.
Gajeel waited, eager to see the moment of clarity on his face. He wasn't disappointed.
Natsu froze. Muscles tensed, breathing halted. His eyes, however, grew to the size of saucers. It was as if a light went off in his mind, the words resonating deep inside himself.
Gajeel simply watched on in dark amusement. He noticed the flames surrounding him began to simmer down.
"What did you just say?" Natsu whispered.
Feeling almost giddy, Gajeel stepped forward.
"Oh no, you heard me,"
"You were so caught up in your own little world, that you didn't even notice Bunny Girl left!"
Natsu shook his head vigorously in denial.
"Guess she really was just filling in for what's her name then, huh?" Gajeel continued to taunt.
'Does he mean Lisanna?' Natsu thought.
"Shut up! That's not true!" Natsu yelled, eyes closed firmly, as if to block out the man's cruel words.
"I-I gotta find her-"
Gajeel took another step forward and Natsu's eyes snapped open.
"Get away from me!" he yelled.
"She's gone Natsu, and there's nothin' you can do about it now."
Gajeel stepped closer.
And just like that, the boy's anger reignited. His eyes opened, irises burning like hot coals.
"I said, SHUT UP!" he snarled.
His flames were back, and Gajeel watched as those hazel eyes turned reptilian.
Natsu rushed him, body covered in fire.
"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"
He shot straight into Gajeel's gut and the iron dragon slayer bowled over at the impact before being thrown into the guild doors. They fell underneath him, but Gajeel was quick to jump to his feet in time to see Natsu stalk out of the burning guildhall.
'Well shit. This is the opposite of calming him down,' he thought to himself sardonically.
But he couldn't seem to help himself. Day after day, month after month, he watched Natsu go on about his life, happily unaware of the pain he'd caused, the life he'd ruined, and he had the audacity to blame the guild? The sheer need to simply break the runt swept through him. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and his instincts goaded him on.
But…
He knew, deep, deep, down that Lucy wouldn't want this. He up at the guildhall covered in flames.
She wouldn't want her family fighting over her leaving. Especially not Natsu. So, where did that leave him?
He took a second to try to collect himself. He fought to push the red haze back and tamper down the bloodlust.
He was on a mission, he reminded himself.
'Calm down the flaming idiot. Get to the bottom of this.'
'Still,' his subconscious whispered.
'There's nothing stopping me from having a little fun while I do that..'
"You know what I don't get Salamander?"
Not expecting a response, Gajeel continued without pause.
"You don't seem to care that you were the reason she left in the first place." he scorned.
As expected, that got Natsu's attention, and as the words registered through that thick skull, he finally came to a gradual stop.
Natsu felt like he'd been sucker punched in the chest. The breath left his lungs in a whoosh for what felt like the hundredth time today.
'Lucy left…because of me?'
'But…no.' He shook his head again, as if to shake the horrifying thought loose.
He refused to believe that. Sure, they fought, and he'd be the first to admit he screwed up big time for leaving things between them the way they were…but there was no way he was the reason she left…right? Surely, she left because…because…
He swallowed hard around the lump forming in his throat.
He couldn't think of a single reason why Lucy would leave Fairy Tail.
'You were the reason she left in the first place'
No, those words cut him too deep, hit a little too close to home for his liking, and he couldn't accept them. He'd never do something to hurt her and he'd never want her to leave. Fairy Tail was supposed to be her home!
The sight of her crying, because of him. It was all he could see.
'Stop thinking about that!' he snapped at himself.
"Th-that's bullshit! She'd come to me if something was wrong!" he shouted.
But even Gajeel could her the uncertainty underlying his voice.
"Because you're always there for her right?" Gajeel shot back.
"Then tell me, where is she now?" he shouted, fed up with his denial.
Natsu stared at him, eyes guarded, jaw set.
Gajeel's glare cut into him, then cut him to the quick. He still just wasn't getting it.
"…She could be dead for all we know. And it'd be your fault." he growled.
Natsu staggered back.
He stared at Gajeel in disbelief.
Shock turned to denial. Denial morphed into fury.
'How could he say something like that?'
'How could he think she's…'
His head pounded.
Protect. Protect. Protect.
Gajeel took another step forward and…
"Fire Dragon ROAR!"
An inferno of deadly fire shot toward Gajeel, set on burning him to ashes.
WITH THE FAIRY TAIL GUILD
Erza and Gray watched as a loud boom rose from the entrance to the guild. The smoke cleared and everyone watched on in shock as Gajeel climbed to his feet, a furious fire mage hot on his heels.
Gray snorted.
"Great call Erza, letting him handle this."
"Be quiet." she snapped.
"We weren't doing any better, and I have faith in Gajeel. He won't hold back against Natsu, not like us."
"I didn't-"
Erza cut him with a hard look and he turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze.
"Fine. I wasn't fighting as hard as I shoulda been, but…it's hard…when he gets like this. Usually we can just knock some sense into him, and he bounces back but, it's never been this bad…" he murmured quietly.
Erza sighed, dropping her steely glare.
"I know."
She looked back down at the two slayers, face grave.
Just then, they watched in dismay as Natsu unleashed his roar, only for it to collide with the swirling mass of iron that made up Gajeel's counter roar. The impact could be felt even from where everyone gathered.
Happy shivered. He glanced up from the warm embrace of Lisanna's arms and whimpered at what he saw.
Metal and fire met in an epic explosion, neither backing down as the two slayers fought to overcome the other.
Happy watched on helplessly as the intense firestorm of Natsu's roar slowly dwindled before his eyes.
His breath caught in his throat, a quiver racing down his small body as little by little, the brilliant orange flames were overcome by the raging whirlwind of sharpened metal.
Until the flames were completely snuffed out.
BACK IN FRONT OF THE GUILD
'you were the reason she left in the first place…you didn't notice…she's gone Natsu….'
Gajeel's words seemed pummel his mind even as he fought to withhold the slayer's roar. The injuries he'd sustained throbbed, along with his splitting headache. He could feel his magic reaching its limit as he struggled to push on.
The intensity of Gajeel's attack surprised him, and he couldn't help but compare this fight to the first time he'd faced off against him.
They were in Phantom Lord's secret weapon, The Giant. Natsu was at his breaking point, much like he was in that moment, but he knew, he couldn't fall. He had to protect the girl behind him. He could feel her fear, could smell the salty tang of her tears and the copper undertone of her blood from the injuries she sustained from the brute in front of him.
His only thought had been 'Save Lucy…'
And just like that, his fighting spirit shattered.
Lucy wasn't here for him to save anymore. Lucy wasn't here for him to protect anymore. And it was his fault.
All of this ran through his mind in mere seconds.
His magic failed him then.
Gajeel's roar tore through the last of his fire. The torrent of iron swept him up with the force of a runaway train.
When it finally ended, he slowly tried to drag himself to his feet, but before he could get his bearings, Gajeel was on him and he wasn't sure what hurt more, his fists or his words.
Gajeel couldn't seem to stop. His bloodlust was back. His anger almost palpable and before he knew it his fist was connecting with Natsu's gut.
"She left cuz' she felt like nobody wanted her around!" he started.
Hit after hit landed, and Natsu stumbled back under the melee.
"You all made her feel weak!"
Another hit.
"She was sad. She was lonely. She was depressed! And you didn't. Fucking. Notice!" he snarled.
Natsu was sure a couple of his ribs cracked under the blows, but he couldn't find the strength to defend himself.
At the dull look in the fire dragon slayer's eyes, Gajeel felt his anger come to a head.
He brought his steel enhanced hands together before smashing them down over Natsu's head and watched in satisfaction as he was sent headfirst into the ground.
A massive crater cracked the earth underneath him from the blow.
There was a moment of silence and all that could be heard was the haggard breathing of the Iron Dragon Slayer towering over the beaten boy on the floor.
"So, where the fuck were you Natsu?! Why weren't you there for her when she needed you the most?!" he snarled.
With those words, the red scales adorning Natsu's face finally began to dwindle away.
He laid there on the broken ground in despair.
It was like that question knocked loose the ball of rage that had been burning in his gut, and without it, there was nothing left but his pain, his guilt, and his grief.
A million thoughts seemed to pass through his mind. A million questions.
Lucy's smile when she gave up her spot. Cheerful as ever, but her eyes… 'Weren't they brighter than that?'
Her distance as she seemed to drift farther and farther from the team.
That horrible night. Her tears. Her pain. 'Why didn't I go to her when I knew she was hurting?'
All the nights he stayed up, thinking about the day she'd finally forgive him.
All the nights he now realized Lucy wasn't even home.
He'd failed her. As her best friend and as her partner.
He squeezed his eyes shut, desperate to shut it all out. His headache was back, pounding away at the inside of his head mercilessly.
It felt like a dragon's roar reverberating through his skull.
Meanwhile, Gajeel stood over him, waiting for something, hell, anything. He was tense, bracing for the moment the boy would explode towards him again. But it never came.
The boy beneath him stayed crumbled on the ground. And when a whimper broke through the pinkette's lips, Gajeel's shoulders slumped, the anger all but leaving him in a giant whoosh.
"Luce…" the sound was so quiet, Gajeel almost missed it, but the torment in his voice was unmistakable.
Gajeel heaved out a massive sigh. It was over.
He looked around at all the destruction this idiot had caused and winced. Makarov was gonna be livid when he saw the damages. The guildhall had been damn near brand new after all.
Annoyed, pissed, and disappointed, he knelt down next to the fallen slayer and looked him dead in the eye.
"We need to talk."
AN: Yeaaah it's been a good minute since I last posted. I sincerely apologize for that, but this chapter was way harder for me to write than I anticipated. I had no idea how difficult it is to write an intense fight scene. This was my first and hopefully they'll get better as the story progresses. Please, please, please, feedback on what I could improve on! It really helps!
Also, I appreciate all of the support and heartfelt words I received on the last chapter. They really motivated me to push through on this chapter. You guys are just awesome.
I fought with myself on posting an announcement warning you all that this chapter was taking longer to write than I liked, but ultimately decided against it. I don't know if this is just me, but I hate it when I see a new chapter post pop up in my email and I get there and it's only an announcement. If you guys feel differently, let me know and the next time I feel a long hiatus coming I'll post one.
Thoughts on this chapter? As always, I am eager to hear your opinions and receive your feedback whether it's positive or negative, so long as it's said in a respectful way.
The plan right now is to have some Lucy perspective next chapter along with another confrontation many of you have been dying to see.
A few of you are wondering how long Lucy has been in the Domus Caelestis and I'll be honest, I have not been keeping track. I'm going to just say maybe a little under a month?
I love when you guys ask questions and I will do my best to answer them if I feel like they don't ruin future parts of the story. Again, I apologize for the long wait and I will do my best to keep the long hiatuses to a minimum, but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Stay safe everyone!