Authors note :
No idea if I'm going to split this chapter up again, because I have the story in mind but I have no idea yet how many words I'm going to need to tell it. Anyway enjoy reading.
July 2. X798, Basement Room of the Domus Flau, Crocus
Nashi awoke slowly. Her whole body felt like it was burning up. Her vision only returned from blurry to sharp after about a minute. She scanned the room quickly only to find that nobody was here yet. A look to the clock revealed that merely 10 minutes had passed since Makarov had left.
Nashi sat up on the bed again and looked down at herself. Suddenly she noticed a sliver of red on her right wrist. Nashi was wondering. Did she cut herself? She inspected it closer. It was like a little plate stuck to her skin. She tugged on it but it wouldn't come off. Nashi was getting irritated. She was getting outright scared when she noticed them appearing all over her arms. She tried to pull them off, but it was like they were glued to her skin... like they were a part of her. The more she pulled on her skin, the more it would change.
She rushed over to the mirror to look at herself. What she saw left her in horror. Most of her face looked like some kind of lizard. She was panicking.
"Me and apologize? Don't make me laugh Kaiko! That little animal deserved that!"
"She is obviously a monster that doesn't have the right to be here!"
"So then who even is your father? I bet you can't tell me that, isn't that right little monster?"
Nashi sank to her knees as she recalled the things that Yuugo said to her that day. Tears were forming in her eyes.
"I really am a monster, aren't I?", she sobbed, while tears were running down her face.
At the same time in Team Fairy Tails waiting room :
"Hey Flamebrain! What's up with you today?", Gajeel asked his comrade. "You seem restless."
Natsu shrugged, but he couldn't wait to be let out already. "None of your business, Metalhead!", he blurted out.
"What did you just call me you Pyromaniac?", Gajeel shouted.
"You wanna go, loose Screw?", Natsu shouted back.
Laxus rolled his eyes and Erza shot them both an angry look, silencing them instantly.
"Gajeel is right though, Natsu.", Gray added. "Something is different with you today."
"I agree.", Erza said calmly. "Did something happen?"
"I'll tell you later.", Natsu said looking them directly into the eyes.
"Guess it can't be helped, huh?", Erza stated. "I won't bug you anymore, but you'll have to tell me later."
"I just said I will!", Natsu exclaimed.
A couple of minutes later on the basement corridor.
Levy McGarden was bored out of her mind. The game day didn't start yet, because Master Makarov decided to substitute Natsu from the team last minute for whatever reason and everything was stuck on him filing the paperwork. Right now she went and looked for her swift-reading glasses. She was sure she read a book down here in one of Fairy Tails rooms yesterday, while they set up the games.
As she closed in on the section Fairy Tail's rooms were located in, she heard a faint sob coming from on of the rooms.
"I-is someone there?", she asked. No answer. The sobbing continued.
"Are you okay?", she called out. "I... I'm coming in!"
As Levy went up to the door and turned the doorknob she heard a shriek.
"DON'T LOOK AT ME!", it shouted from the room. Following it was a shock wave and an explosion that ripped the door from the frame and hurled Levy into the opposing wall.
As Levy got up the only thing she saw was the broken door that landed right next to her, as well as the flames and smoke coming from the room she just tried to enter.
Levy stared in shock. Those flames weren't normal. They were spreading into the stone corridor even though they had nothing to spread to. They were also way too hot.
"Solid Script : Water!", Levy shouted as the liquid word 'Water' appeared in front of her. Levy gasped as it almost instantly vaporized again.
"I can't extinguish it.", Levy thought to herself. "I have to get help and quick."
And with that thought Levy turned around and ran as fast as she could.
Nashi was scared. She didn't want everything to turn out like this. First she had heard someone at the door and in the next second everything around her was burning. It didn't feel too hot though, it was warm but it didn't burn her for some reason.
She sniffed and look at her arms. They were completely covered in red scales by now.
"What kind of nightmare is this!", Nashi cried out. "I want to wake up!"
But this was obviously not going to happen. Nashi drew her knees close to her face and hugged her legs. It should have been a happy day for her, but now it was all but that. Nashi began to sob again as she thought about meeting her father like this.
Team Fairy Tail's waiting room :
"Did you feel that?", Gajeel asked. "It felt like the earth just shook a little bit."
Natsu was alarmed. He couldn't let anything happen today. He wanted to meet Nashi. He wanted to let her know who he really was.
"GAJEEL, NATSU, GRAY!"
They looked into the corridor to see Levy running towards them. She came to an immediate halt in front of their door.
"Shrimp, are you okay? How did you even get here? What about the guards?", Gajeel asked with a worried expression on his face.
"You gotta come with me quickly!", Levy said. "There was an explosion in the basement! The whole corridor is on fire!"
"What do you mean 'the corridor is on fire'?", Erza asked. "It's all made out of stone. That shouldn't be able to burn."
"It is though!", Levy exclaimed. "It was spreading all over and it vaporized the water I summoned instantly! You've got to stop this!"
Levy couldn't even finish her sentence as Natsu ran by her and bolted towards the basement stairs, the rest of the Team followed right after.
"Natsu, what is up with you!", Gray shouted. "Normally you would be much cooler about a fire!"
"Shut up, ice princess!", Natsu shouted back over his shoulder. "Just help me deal with this!"
They came to an halt as Natsu only stood about 10 meters away from a wall of fire. Everyone else stood a little bit behind him as it was too hot to go further.
"What the hell is this?", Gajeel asked. "This is not normal. Its way too hot."
"No shit, Gajeel!", Gray said. "Ice Make..."
But nothing happened. There was not enough humidity for Gray to conjure any ice.
Natsu took a few steps forward and started sucking at the flames, but they suddenly lashed out and burned Natsu's left shoulder.
"Ouch! Are you kidding me?", he screamed while flinching backwards.
"Natsu are you okay?", Gray shouted.
"Do I look like I'm okay?", he answered while holding his shoulder. "It burnt my shoulder for Mavis' sake!"
"It did what?", Gajeel said. "How is this even possible? You're supposed to be fireproof!"
"What happened here?", a voice from behind them asked.
Everyone turned around to see an all to familiar looking face. Behind them stood a man with blue hair and a red tattoo around his right eye.
"Jellal!", Erza said surprised. Her face blushing lightly. "What are you doing here?"
"A panic just broke out in the arena...", Jellal started. "A part of the sand suddenly melted into glass, so I went to investigate. Is this your doing Natsu?"
"Am I looking like it?", Natsu answered. "My own flames wouldn't burn me like that! Levy was the one who told us of this in the first place!"
Jellal turned to the blue haired script mage. "Do you know what exactly happened here?"
"Not really...", Levy started. "I was looking for something down here when I heard sobbing, kinda like a crying child. I was about to open a door and the next thing I know is that I got smashed into the wall with parts of the door almost hitting me."
As soon as Levy told them about the sobbing Natsu stood up. He walked backwards a bit and prepared to charge into the flames only to get tackled to the ground by Laxus and Gajeel.
"As if I would let you do that Natsu!", Laxus exclaimed.
"What the hell, Salamander!", Gajeel said. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Let me go!", Natsu shouted. He knew exactly what happened here and he would not leave his daughter alone in this state.
"I'm not letting you kill yourself for whatever reason", Laxus shouted back.
"Nashi is a little over 6 years old! She is your daughter!"
"She wants to meet her father, Natsu!"
"I'll send her over tomorrow, but you have to promise me to keep her save!"
Suddenly there was another huge shock wave that hurled Laxus and Gajeel onto the ground a few meters away.
The rest of the group gasped in surprise as Natsu stood up. He was covered in red scales from head to toes.
"Dragon Force!", Jellal exclaimed. "But how? He doesn't have the means to use it on his own! The last time he used it was against Zero and he had to consume all of my magic power to do so!"
He didn't have time to question Natsu directly, because the latter charged into the flames without hesitation.
"Natsu!", Erza shouted. "Come back! That is an order!"
"Sorry, but I have to disobey!", Natsu shouted back over his shoulder. "I'll be back. Someone go and give Porlyusica a heads up!"
Erza was dumbfounded. Natsu never acted like that.
"What the hell is with him today?", Gray asked.
"I really don't know", Erza answered short of words. "Can you go and warn Porlyusica for us, Gray? I think Natsu didn't say that without a reason."
Natsu bolted through the inferno that was his daughter's Dragon Slayer Magic and even though he was covered in fire dragon scales, the flames still lashed out at him, constantly trying to burn him.
"NASHI! WHERE ARE YOU?", Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs. He continued to run down the burning hallway until his ears picked up a faint sob.
He rushed to the origin of the sounds and stopped before a doorway.
"NASHI!", he yelled again.
"Don't come closer!", Nashi shouted back. "Don't look at me!"
Natsu leaned against the wall by the doorway.
"Everything will be okay. Im here to get you out.", Natsu said.
"Uncle Natsu... is that you?", Nashi cried. "Nothing is okay... I just wanted to meet my dad and now I look like a freak! I set everything on fire... I'M A MONSTER!"
Natsu sighed. "Nashi, you are not... and whether you want it or not, I'm coming in now. Take a good look at me and... please stop calling me uncle.", Natsu snickered at the last part.
And with that Natsu turned around the corner and entered the room.
Nashi gasped as she saw Natsu enter. He looked nothing like yesterday. His whole body was covered in scales, just like hers.
"Natsu... you..", she started. "What happened to you?"
"What do you mean?", Natsu said while smiling at her. "This?", he pointed at his arms.
Nashi nodded. "What is this?"
"Fireproof scales!", Natsu answered. He reached out to his daughter, but she flinched backwards.
"You're saying this like it's the most normal thing in the world!", she screamed at him.
"It is for me!", Natsu answered. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you sooner, Nashi!"
"What do you even mean?", Nashi said.
"You certainly didn't get your comprehension from Lucy!", Natsu laughed. "Pop quiz! Why would we both have these scales? Or these fangs?"
Natsu gave her a fanged grin. Nashi's eyes widened and filled up with tears. "Y-you are...!"
Natsu reached out and pulled Nashi into a tight hug. "Calm down. Everything is going to be alright. Im going to get you out of here so we can get rid of these scales for you!"
Natsu could already feel the flames around them weaken. Nashi was calming down a bit.
"But how?", Nashi said. "I don't have any idea how I got them in the first place."
"But I do!", Natsu exclaimed. "I also know how to get rid of them. Just hang on."
Natsu took his daughter into his arms and started running towards where he came from while the flames behind them started to dissipate.
"Out of my way!"
Erza and the others jumped to the side just in time to avoid colliding with Natsu, who was running towards to infirmary. He carried something, but also drew a thick smoke cloud behind him, as his body was still at a very high temperature.
"What is his deal?", Gajeel asked.
"I don't know", Jellal answered. "But look. He managed to stop the fire!"
Everyone's jaw dropped as the hallway that stood on fire seconds before was now devoid of any flames.
Natsu threw open the door to the infirmary and sat Nashi down onto the bed, which was getting charred a little bit from her temperature.
"What is this commotion?", Porlyusica asked.
Natsu was out of breath. He lost his Dragon Force all of a sudden.
"She needs a blood transfusion.", he managed to say.
"Hmm, by her looks I'm guessing Dragonification Antibodies aren't passed down like your magic huh?", Porlyusica said calmly. "Okay, I'll help you two."
"Drago... what?", Nashi asked.
"My magic turns parts of the human body into the body of a dragon.", Natsu explained. "The only way to stop it from completely transforming us into dragons are Antibodies. My father provided these for me and now I'll provide them for you."
Porlyusica pulled a transfusion kit from one of the cabinets and hooked it up to Natsu's right arm and Nashi's left arm.
As Nashi received Natsu's blood the scales over her body began to disappear. She was visibly relieved.
"That's enough.", Porlyusica said. "These will multiply on their own inside your body."
"So this will never happen again?", Nashi asked.
"Only if you want it to happen.", Natsu said with a grin. "That is, once I teach you how to do it."
Nashi's face lit up. "You're going to teach me magic?"
"Sure, if your mother agrees.", Natsu said. "Is it okay if I rest for a bit?"
Nashi looked at her father. Natsu was exhausted. He let himself fall backwards onto the bed and was sleeping almost instantly.
"Let him rest child. I'll get Makarov for you okay? That was enough for a day... for both of you.", Porlyusica said.
Nashi wanted to protest. She wanted to stay with her father, but Porlyusica already went out to get Makarov.
Finished before work! Please let me know if you liked this chapter (and yes, it's split up again). Story is not over though so stay tuned and I really hoped you liked it!
