Chapter 1 - I do not own Fairy Tail.
"Natsu, I'm not walking all that way, we're getting on the damn train already!" Lucy yelled in frustration. There was just no way she was going to spend the better part of a week walking all the way to the other side of the country to do a job, that didn't pay all that well, bust her ass, then walk all the way home again.
Natsu looked up at her from his grovelling position on the ground, face completely green at this point, trying his hardest not to be sick at the thought of being on a train, "But Luce! I don't wanna get on the stupid train, I feel horrible enough just thinking about it. Why don't I walk and you get the train?" He whined like a petulant child.
Lucy just stared him down, not amused with his suggestion, "Maybe if Happy had decided to tag along and could fly at the speed of light, that would be an acceptable idea, but as it is, it's just you and me and we're getting on the train." She eyed him dangerously, her voice stern and teeming with irritation.
Taking one last glance at her, Natsu decided it was no use arguing, he was never going to win. And so, as the train pulled up, he trudged into the carriage and laid himself down on Lucy's lap, desperately trying not to retch as the train pulled out of the station.
Lucy stared down at him in pity, fingers playing with his hair, she did feel guilty about making Natsu feel like this. She wished there was a way she could make him feel better, but it was pointless, not even Wendy's Troia spell worked that well any more. She sighed, it was going to be a number of hours before they made it to their destination. All she could do was try and comfort the poor boy as a way of making it up to him.
She found herself quite bored several hours in, so decided to pull out the request paper to have another look. The town they were headed had been set on fire and burnt down by some stupid teenagers, and they had specifically requested a fire wizard to come and help salvage any people that may still be stuck in the debris. It wasn't great pay but Natsu had picked it and obviously expected Lucy to go with him. The rest of the team had been asked but were all busy doing their own missions, even Happy had decided to stay back, something about a bet with Pantherlily on who could eat the most fish.
The train eventually came to a halt, five hours it had taken them to reach the little town. Lucy gasped as she looked out the train window, their was smoke trailing high into the sky with bits of debris still floating about. 'I thought they said the fire had been put out?' She pondered, before waking Natsu, who had managed to fall asleep for most of the train ride. They left the train and walked out of the station. Lucy just stood their staring at the sight before her, they hadn't even reached the town yet and she already felt nervous. You could barely see six feet in front of you, the air was thick with smoke. The smell was overwhelming, the smell of smog and burning, mixed with something she could only describe as similar to rotting meat, it was disgusting and made her feel sick.
Natsu had been watching her, he understood how serious this mission was when he picked it, but he hadn't planned for how Lucy would feel about it all, he wasn't sure what they would find in the ruins. He lifted his scarf off of his neck and placed it on her shoulders, she looked over at him, unsure of his gesture, "Cover your nose and mouth with it, it'll help lessen the smell." She grabbed it and wrapped it around her so that it covered the bottom half of her face and breathed a sigh of relief, "But what about you Natsu? You're sense of smell is much greater than mine?" Natsu tugged at her hand, lacing it with his own and started walking towards the hell that was surely waiting for them.
He glanced over his shoulder. "My sense of smell may be better, but smoke doesn't affect me like it does you. Plus, my nose will come in handy when trying to find people under the wreckage." She just stared and nodded at him as he turned back around and continued to walk.
They had reached the outskirts of the town, Lucy couldn't help but squeeze Natsu's hand tighter as she took in the sight before them. Natsu hadn't realised just how badly the town had suffered, he sniffed at the air, it was putrid. They needed to find the man that posted the job quickly before they rushed in to do anything. They looked around, but the land had been scorched, no buildings still stood, just piles of rubble. No one was around either, the towns residents had probably been evacuated. The sky was red and dark as the smoke covered the sunlight trying to seep through.
Lucy couldn't help the tears that had formed and were waiting to spill over. This was awful, she couldn't stop looking at what a mess the town was in. Suddenly, with another pull on her hand, "Come on Luce, staring at it isn't going to solve anything." They ventured further into the wreck, it was a death trap. Partially burnt planks of wood and sharp stones scattered over the floor, bolts and sheets of pointy metal hanging from the piles, that Lucy assumed, used to be buildings. She had to watch her step, luckily Natsu still had hold of her hand and was also being very cautious with where he was treading.
"I can't believe this is the devastation that fire can leave in it's wake." She whispered, barely audible in her shock.
But Natsu heard her, with a small frown on his face, he replied, "This is what happens when it gets out of control Luce."
She eyed him quizzically, "Even your fire is destructive Natsu, but I've never seen it destroy like this."
With a half smile, understanding her concern, he slows to a stop as he gazes over at her, "That's because I'm in control, I'd never allow this to happen." She smiles back at him, he had brought her some comfort at least.
Out of nowhere, a man appears before them. Holding a cloth up over his nose and mouth, he removes it to greet the two mages, coughing and spluttering as he does. "You must be the wizards that have been sent here to help us?"
He looks back from Natsu to Lucy, before Lucy responds, "Yes, we're Fairy Tail wizards. You must be the one who posted the request, please tell us what happened here." She looks at him thoughtfully, noticing what an awful state he's in, his eyes were blood shot and skin pale and dirty, even his clothes were in tatters.
Holding his mouth to try and prevent another coughing fit, "Yes I am." He slowly collects himself, finally able to breathe better and continues, "It happened two days ago, everyone was going about their usual business when a group of youngsters from out of town started causing a ruckus. They were trying to steal from the market sellers, after refusing to give them what they wanted. They threatened us with arson, not believing them we told them to go on their way and that's when it happened. Everything was suddenly on fire, everyone was screaming and panicking, it was chaos! I finally managed to gather some people who helped me evacuate most of the town, but when we started checking for everyone, we noticed some were still missing. So that's why I posted the job to Fairy Tail. I'm so glad you're here." The man started to well up as he spoke, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes, a serious look back on his face, he continued, "We know who is missing and we have pictures of them all, however I do not know what sort of condition they're in, that's why we asked for a fire wizard, some parts of the town are still on fire." The man took a deep breath and looked at them hesitantly.
Natsu was the first to respond, "I'm sorry for what you've all been through but we should start searching for your missing people. I can put out the rest of the fire, you can leave the rest to us."
The man looked from Natsu to Lucy, before smiling, "Thank you! Here are the pictures of the missing people. There is a base that we've set up just outside the town for those that were injured in the fire, bring the survivors there and we can treat them." Lucy took the pictures from the man and nodded at him before Natsu lead them away to start searching for any one that might still be trapped.
Lucy briefly sifted through the pictures she had been given and looked around, "Where do we even start Natsu?" gazing up at him, Natsu was stood on a pile of rubble, already sniffing at the air, to see if he could pick up any human scent.
"How many people are we looking for?" He asks as he continues to sniff the air.
"He's given me pictures of eight people here. Can you smell anything yet?" Lucy asks, Having a good look, to memorise their faces.
Natsu steps down on to the ground, before taking Lucy's hand again, "I can smell a few of 'em I think. Stay close to me Luce, I don't want you getting lost in a place like this." As they start to walk, she smiles at the back of his head, as much as she hated to admit it, she did enjoy protective Natsu, maybe a little more than she should.
A few hours had passed and the sun was slowly setting, they had managed to find five of the eight people, all alive and now being treated. They came across a building, on the other side of the town that was still partly standing, they stared at the enormity of the use-to-be hospital.
Lucy eyes Natsu before speaking, "The rest of them are in there aren't they?"
He glances at her, nodding, "I can smell people in there, but I'm not sure they're all alive."
Natsu's words send a shiver down Lucy's spine, she knew they had to go in there and rescue them, but she wasn't sure how she was going to take seeing a charred, dead body. Luckily so far, everyone had been alright, minus a few burns here or there. Lucy grabs hold of Natsu's arm as they steadily make there way inside.
Leading the way, Natsu takes them through endless corridors, until he comes across a sign that's still legible. Upon reading it Lucy gasps, "Maternity ward." She read aloud, not liking the sound of that. "P-please tell me you can't smell anyone in there?" She stutters, trying to search his face.
Natsu just looks forward, he pulls her with him as they slowly walk onto the ward, "Sorry Lucy, but I've got to go where my nose takes me."
At first, they see nothing, no survivors, no bodies, but that doesn't make Lucy feel any less apprehensive about what might be lurking around the corner. They each look in different rooms around the ward, finding only what people had left behind.
As she walked a little further, she can hear a muffled noise. Unsure of where it was coming from, she called out for Natsu who came quickly to her side, he listens carefully and looks in the direction the noise was coming from, "This way Lucy." She follows closely behind, entering a room at the end of the corridor, the view that greets them shocks them to their core.
"Natsu…" Is all she can stumble out. On a collapsed hospital bed was a young woman, gasping for breath. She catches sight of Natsu and Lucy who quickly rush over to her.
The woman had been badly burnt and she didn't look like she would last much longer. Lucy knelt down in front of her, as Natsu stayed standing, "We're mages from Fairy Tail, we've come here to rescue you, are you able to move at all?"
The woman looked Lucy in the eyes as tears start to pour down her face, "Please, take him, make sure he survives." She rasps, barely able to get the words out.
Lucy looks to Natsu to see what he was thinking, neither seemed to understand what the woman was talking about, "Take who? We're here to rescue everyone." Lucy states, looking into the woman's eyes. The woman, noticing their confusion, looked down to her arms where laid a blanket, she attempts to remove the blanket herself but doesn't have the strength, "Here let me help you." Lucy reaches out for the blanket and folds it down, not prepared for what was under it. "Natsu, she has a newborn baby!" Natsu quickly kneels down beside a stunned Lucy to get a better look, the woman trembles as she tries to move her arms to release the baby from her hold.
"Please, I beg you, take him, let him live." the woman cries.
Lucy hesitantly prizes the baby from it's mother's grasp, he was so cold and limp, but alive. She took Natsu's scarf from her shoulders and wrapped it around the baby to warm him, trying to clutch him close to her chest.
Taken aback by the whole situation, Natsu breaks his silence, "We need to get you out too, if you can't walk, I'll carry you to safety." Just as Natsu was about to lift the woman up, she stops him.
"No, please just take my son, look after him for me. I'm not sure what happened to his father, but it doesn't matter now." her breathing becomes more laboured as she stares at Natsu, "Promise me you'll ensure his safety." Lucy, preoccupied with the baby watches from behind as Natsu hesitantly holds the woman's hand.
Understanding washing over him, he nods at the woman, "I promise we'll look after your son."
The woman relaxes and allows herself one last look at her precious baby, "Thank you."
Lucy brings the baby closer so that she can glance at him, with love and sadness in her eyes, she kisses his head and says her final goodbye, before peacefully drifting away.
Natsu stands abruptly and turns to Lucy, her eyes glazed with tears, still holding the baby close, "We need to get out of here quickly."
Lucy tenses at Natsu's words, "But I thought you smelt the other's in here Natsu?"
He stares at her, "I did, but I wasn't sure if they were still alive and from what I can see behind you, they're not." Lucy suddenly tries to look behind her before Natsu stops her, grasping her face with his hands, "Believe me, you don't want to see that Lucy." His voice serious, she nods at him, as she starts to make her way out of the building, Natsu following close behind.
As they reach outside again, Natsu takes a look through the pictures one more time, "I think we found everyone." he says, putting them in his pocket. Lucy, noticing the unsettled look on his face, presses further. Natsu sighs, "Don't you think it's a bit strange that he gave us pictures of everyone but there was no mention of a baby?" Lucy, subconsciously holds the baby closer to her, which doesn't go unnoticed by Natsu.
"Maybe they were unaware of his birth? Although I'm sure they must have known the woman was having a baby, something doesn't sit right Natsu." Wracking her brain for a plausible answer.
Natsu agrees, something just didn't feel right about the whole thing. He had just promised the woman that he would take the child to safety, but he wasn't all that sure where that would be just yet.
"Let's go Luce, we need to get him treated quickly." They continue to make their way back out of town.
Arriving at the make-shift camp, they make there way through the hoards of people being treated, trying to find the guy they spoke to earlier. They spot him walking out of one of the tents and run over to him.
"You made it back! Any more survivors?" The man asks, looking hopeful.
Natsu speaks first, "Unfortunately, the rest of the people didn't make it, however, we did find this little guy." Gesturing towards the bundle in Lucy's arms.
The man's face suddenly turns into a frown, "And where did you find him?"
Not liking the sudden change in the man's voice, Lucy carefully, stands a bit more behind Natsu, just like a mother would to protect her child.
Natsu tenses at the situation, becoming very much aware of the strained atmosphere, "We found him with his mother, who unfortunately didn't make it. He can't be more than a few days old, does the child have a father or relative that can look after him?" shocking himself by how calm the words came out, not losing composure, he continued to stare intimidatingly into the man's eyes.
Backing off slightly, the man simply shrugs, "The child has no father and no relatives, sorry I can't help you."
As the man is about to turn around, Lucy speaks up, stepping out slightly from behind Natsu, "Why are you being so dismissive? He's a newborn baby! He needs to be treated. Surely there is someone here that can take him, or are you not telling us something?"
With an exasperated huff, the man turns swiftly to Lucy and scowls at her, "That baby shouldn't still be alive! I happen to be the retched things father, if it weren't for him, my wife would still be alive, he's the reason she got trapped in that hospital. I was hoping that you would have been able to save her but instead you bring me that." he spits the last few words.
Disgusted by what he had just heard, Natsu grabs hold of the man's shirt and holds him up, trying his hardest not punch his squirming face, "What the hell are you talking about? He's an innocent child, I watched his mother die! I promised her I would protect her son. She died from the burns she'd suffered, not anything else. Take some responsibility!" Practically seething, Natsu waits for the pathetic man in his hold to respond. Not expecting him to suddenly start sobbing. Dumbfounded, Natsu releases him, as he falls to the floor.
"I'm sorry but I can't help you. I loved my wife, she was my everything. But that child, reminds me of everything I've now lost. I can't bare to look at him, please take him away." The man's sobs increase as he continues, "I'll give you your money and anything else you need, but I don't want him, I can't be his father." Lucy can't believe what she's hearing, what were they going to do with a new born?
Natsu looks away from the snivelling man on the floor and back up to Lucy, then at the baby cosied up on Lucy's chest, concern written on his features, "We made a promise to his mother to protect him, we can't leave him here." Lucy strokes the baby's head tenderly as she nods at Natsu, who turns back to address the still teary man, "Give us what we need and we'll be on our way." The man stumbles to his feet and without saying another word, sprints off to a nearby tent. Returning moments later with a bag.
"H-here, take this. It has milk, clothes, medicine, diapers and bottles and the money for completing your job, plus extra should you need it." The man quivers. Natsu takes it from him and turns away, too angry with the guy to be in his presence any longer. Lucy took in a large breath before walking away with Natsu.
As they reach the station, they sit down and wait for the next train. Both of them speechless at the crazy situation they found themselves in, they'd never dealt with any thing like this before. Out of nowhere, the baby in Lucy's arms, who had been sleeping until now, woke with a start, crying out.
Panicked, Lucy looks to Natsu who seems just as clueless as she does. She brings the baby down onto her lap and tries to comfort him, but to no avail. His wails increase with each passing moment, "Is there anything in that bag that might help Natsu?"
He pulls out some clothes, a diaper and a bottle with some milk, "Maybe he's uncomfortable and hungry. Pass him here, he needs to be cleaned up and fed, I can't imagine he's been taken care of properly since he was born."
Agreeing, Lucy passes the baby to Natsu, who carefully lays him on his scarf on the ground. Not wanting the baby to get cold, he warms his hands carefully as he cleans, and dresses the little one, in clothes that seemed a little too big for him, wrapping him back in his scarf, holding him in his heated arms, the baby instantly relaxes. Smiling to herself, Lucy gives Natsu the bottle of milk and watches as he warms it with his hand and feeds it to the baby.
"Since when do you know how to take care of a baby?" Lucy asks, slightly teasing him.
He looks at her with an amused look on his face, "I don't. I have no idea, I just figured it can't be too different to when Happy first hatched, although I was also a kid then." Smiling at the memory.
Looking back down at the feeding baby, Lucy takes in how protective and caring Natsu's being towards an infant he's known for barely a few hours, he just seemed so natural at this.
Shifting uncomfortably, Lucy decides to bring up the elephant in the room, "Natsu, what are we going to do? I know we promised the woman back there that we would take him to safety, but where is that exactly? For once, I don't have a solution to offer, a direct way to make this all better, not just for us but for him as well. He needs a loving family to care for him, what happens if we can't find that?"
Smiling, Natsu places the empty bottle back in the bag and shifts the baby to lay against his partially exposed chest to keep him warm, looking to his side, "Calm down Luce, I get that this is huge and I don't have the answers yet either. All I know is that we promised and I intend to keep that promise, regardless of what it takes. I just need to know whether we're in this together?"
Lucy felt her heart clench at his hopeful face, looking back at the little one, she smiles, putting her hand over the one that Natsu had splayed against the baby's back, "Of course Natsu. It's always more fun when we're together."
Hi, I had this idea and wanted to know if I should continue this or not? Originally it was going to be a cute/fluffy fic with maybe a bit of angst and smut in it, but I don't want to carry it on if no one is interested in this kind of story. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it.