A/N So sorry about the wait! But here it is, the next chapter! Please comment, let me know what you think!

Chapter 7

"START THE COUNTER OFFENSIVE!"

Natsu shouted from his crouched position, still shielding Lucy, keeping her pinned to the ground. Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up to a standing position. Lucy was in shock; she wasn't sure what to think.

What is going on? Who is attacking us?

The captain shook Lucy hard, trying to get her back to the reality of their situation.

"Lucy! Lucy! Wake up! Can you hear me?!"

Lucy snapped out of it and finally fixed her gaze onto Natsu's.

"Lucy! Finally! I need you to hide in my cabin and stay in there until I specifically come and get you! Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Lucy just stared back at Natsu in bewilderment.

"LUCY!"

"Yeah… Yeah I got you Natsu- I'll be in the cabin…" Lucy toppled backwards after being slowly released from Natsu's grasp. Natsu watched her for a second wondering if she'd be okay by herself.

"Mr. Fullbuster! Get below deck and patch up those holes!"

"Aye, Cap'n!" Gray's response came as he leapt from the steering wheel and raced down below deck.

"Mr. Redfox! Load up those cannons and get ready to fire on my signal!"

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Miss McGarden! Shield us as best you can without blocking the trajectory of the cannons!"

"Aye, Cap'n!" Levy's voice came as she walked up to the railing.

She started casting solid script magic to shield the ships from attacks when a cannon ball slammed into the magical shield, causing the boat to echo with an ear-splitting and resounding bang.

Lucy continued walking towards the Captain's cabin, but on the way, she crept over to what was left of the railing to look at the ship that was attacking. It was decorated with a blue and silver flag—with the royal family crest on it. Lucy could feel herself starting to panic.

How… how did they find me?

"LUCY!" She heard her name being shouted from across the ship.

Lucy turned towards the sound to see Natsu looking at her, his eyes brimming with ferocity.

"Get inside now! I don't have time to watch you, lead the assault and protect the ship!" He barked at her like he did his orders with his other crew.

Lucy eyes widened as she turned tail to Natsu's room, threw open the door- locking it behind her. Lucy stood there panting and leaning against the door, letting the events of the last couple seconds sink in.

What's going on? Did they follow us? Or are they just attacking out of the blue? They were pirates after all… and wizard guilds are illegal in Fiore now…

Lucy thought about when her father had made the guilds illegal. Well, that wasn't entirely true; they were illegal if you didn't pay outrageous taxes on your guild. Because of the law, many guilds went rogue and took to piracy. However, they were only considered pirates because they were operating under illegal circumstances. They were taking jobs under unofficial banners, which the royal family didn't really approve of. Most of them had set up shady ways of getting work. They had safe houses where people could drop off jobs which were then transferred to the official guild hall. Natsu had told Lucy that this is how their particular guild ran. They had safe houses all over the continent—not just Fiore. The man who ran the safe house in Magnolia was called… Macao? He said he was a good guy and if we ever got separated in Magnolia, to meet him at Macao's. The Guild was always under pressure of the Royal Army. They would look for any reason to sink a guild ship; just having an unofficial guild flag was reason enough to attack them. There were a lot of guilds that her father was hunting regularly… so it's possible that this was just a coincidence.

Either way, we're in big trouble…


"Gray, keep those holes plugged!" Natsu's voice rang out.

"Doing the best I can, Cap'n!"

Natsu jumped up into the ships shrouds to see a cannon ball on a trajectory path right into his skull.

Natsu gritted his teeth and swore under his breath.

"Damn it!"

He jumped with all his might and threw himself right into the cannonball's path. He reared his right arm and punched it as hard as he could muster. The cannonball cracked at the force of his punch and shattered. The reverberating force of the impact threw him onto the ship. His landing was less than graceful, as his back slammed into the floor of the deck.

Natsu stumbled back to his feet. The cannons were finally ready; he looked over to Gajeel, who gave him a nod. Natsu wiped the sweat off his lips and stood up straight.

"FIRE!" He bellowed.

As the last syllable left his lips, all of his cannons aboard the ship fired at the Royal Army. The cannons flew through the air and plummeted onto the opposing ship. As they collided, wood and steel alike bowed, cracked, and shattered. The sound echoed over the sea, as the side of the ship burst open. Natsu climbed into the shrouds and glared at the enemy ship, waiting for the dust to clear. When it finally did, Natsu could see that the ship was still floating.

Damn…!

Natsu's brow furrowed in anger as the scene of the ship's remaining exterior flashed across his eyes.

"I'm going in personally!" He growled bitterly through clenched teeth.

Natsu jumped up onto the bowsprit and walked out as far as it would allow. He looked around at his surroundings; his crew was frantically reloading and firing the cannons, while Gray was patching up the holes of the ship with his ice magic. Levy was still protecting the crew with her solid script magic, casting barrier after barrier.

We're not going to last much longer… Our ship is less than half the size of theirs, and an even smaller crew. I have no choice… it's us or them…

Natsu faced the opposing ship and closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his magic power. Upon opening them, he inhaled deeply and exhaled a ferocious inferno of twisting and swirling flames.

The fire soared across the sea into the Royal Army's ship, causing it to erupt into flames. Natsu grimaced as the shouts and screams of the enemy cascaded into his ears. He stood there for a moment waiting for a good visual of the opposing ship, waiting to see if the Royal Army had survived. The smoke cleared slightly allowing him to see the skeletal remains of the ship slowly sinking into the ocean. Natsu closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

I hate this. War is ugly… I'm so sorry that I'm dragging you into this Lucy… Try to forgive me.

He slowly moved down the bowsprit and jumped from his perch. He lifted his head to face his crew. Some had mournful looks, others fear. Gajeel narrowed his eyes at Natsu as he crossed his arms. Natsu ignored him and continued to walk down the deck passing crew member after crew member, their gazes piercing him as he passed. Finally, he felt a hand gently placed on his shoulder. He looked up in surprise and turned to see Mirajane smiling gently at him.

"It's okay, Natsu… It was the only way you could save all of us. We understand…" She said, comfortingly.

Natsu stood and look at her, but he couldn't hold her gaze; he was too ashamed and looked away bitterly. He put his hand on hers and slowly removed her grasp from his shoulder.

"Thank you, Mirajane… I'll take that under consideration…"

She smiled and patted him on the back as he walked to his cabin and unlocked the door. He turned his head slightly to take one last look behind him and then walked through the threshold.


Lucy was sitting at the Captain's desk with her head in her hands, wondering what was going on outside; all she could hear were screams and the snapping and creaking of wood.

I should be out there helping! I know I can fight too; I have my spirits, and my skills with a sword!

Lucy clenched her teeth in frustration. She looked up from her desk and stared at the light coming from the cracks between the door and the frame. Suddenly, she heard the door unlock as it opened. Lucy stood from her chair, but the rapid flooding of light in the cabin made it difficult to see who it was—although she had a pretty good idea. The door closed, and with it, her vision returned to her. Her guess was confirmed when she saw Natsu leaning against the door, but as she looked more intently, she noticed he looked different. His face was twisted in pain and gave off a sense of foreboding. Natsu looked at Lucy and then moved to the washroom, ignoring her as he passed. He slammed the door behind him; the sound caused Lucy to jump.

What's up with him? I've never seen this side of him before, he seems… aggressive…

Lucy slowly tip-toed over to the door that Natsu had slammed shut behind him. She carefully closed the distance between her and the door and set her ear to the wood, listening for anything. She could only make out the sound of water being poured into a container.

Probably the wash basin.

It didn't take long for the door to swing open. Lucy stumbled backwards landing on her bottom, looking up at the Captain. Natsu was staring at her quizzically. He had his vest thrown over his shoulder and was wiping the sweat off his neck with a damp cloth. His hair was soaked and dripping down his back. He raised an eyebrow as he made his way past her.

"What are you doing by the door like that? Trying to spy, are we?"

Lucy let the comment slide considering the situation. She managed to climb back to her feet and watched him sit down on his cot. Natsu placed his towel around his neck and put his head in his hands. Lucy walked over and sat down next to him. She watched his figure as he was hunched over; Natsu looked like his was in pain. His face was distorted and Lucy noticed his hands were clenched and shaking.

What should I do? He's obviously distressed… but maybe he'd rather be alone…

Lucy looked away and decided that she should leave the cabin. She started to stand up when she felt a hand grip tightly onto her arm. She looked over to see Natsu looking at her, desperation written across his face.

"Please… just for a minute, stay here…?"

Lucy sat back down onto the creaky cot and awkwardly placed a hand onto his back.

Is this too weird? To familiar? I'm really not good at dealing with these kinds of situations.

She waited for him to do something as she continued to stroke his back. The water he had used to wipe the sweat off of him was dripping down his sculpted back and down his chest. His hair was soaking wet causing the streams of droplets to continue unceasingly. It took a minute for her to realize that she was staring. She immediately looked away, her face turning red.

I'm glad he can't see my face right now… he'd never let me live it down.

Lucy shook her head to get her thoughts back in order, but Natsu's expression remained the same.

Maybe if I talk to him he'll answer…

"What happened? Are you okay? Is the crew okay? This isn't like you; you're usually so… in control, you know?"

Natsu inhaled deeply and leaned back against the wall. He looked over at Lucy, somberness excreting out of his entire body.

"I always get like this whenever I kill a lot of people." He said placing his palm against his forehead. "I know that's not exactly the attitude a Captain should have—especially these days. One can't afford an attitude like mine… but I can't help it. I don't like taking life."

As he finished he let his hand drop to his side, landing gently onto the cot. Lucy wasn't sure what to say. What could she say without sounding awful or insensitive? The fact stood that people are people and life is precious no matter who you are. However, Natsu had a responsibility to his crew and he had to protect them.

"I love fighting. The thrill of battle is something that I seek in earnest, but I despise and abhor slaughter. When we slaughter, we're no better than those who control this country."

Natsu looked at Lucy and met her gaze. Lucy felt strange. He looked defeated, even though he had just emerged victorious from battle. She sighed.

"Natsu… I'm sorry this is my fault. Somehow they found me and followed us out to sea. I've endangered you and your whole ship."

He just smiled at her sadly and patted her head, ruffling her hair.

"It's ok princess… we get into these situations now and then, but not just because of runaways. Mostly it's because of my charming personality." He grinned.

Lucy smiled back at him when Natsu's countenance changed; it was as if a light went off in his head, his sad smiled being replaced with concern. He sprang from the bed and knelt himself in front of Lucy, which shocked her. His hands grabbed her face and moved it from side to side, studying it. Then he moved his hands to her shoulders combing them over, his eyes focused and intense like she had never seen them before.

"What on Earthland are you doing!?" She inquired sternly.

"Are you hurt, Lucy? You were on deck when we were hit with the cannons. Shrapnel can easily lodge into a person from across the ship. So I'm looking you over to make sure you haven't been harmed."

"I'm just fine. I managed to get into the cabin before anything could happen to me. Speaking of which… I know I froze out there. I'd never been in battle before; it's very different from sword or magic practice at the palace. I was so sure that I'd be able to handle it and fight alongside you… but I was wrong." She said, her voice dripping with remorse.

Natsu took a moment from studying her leg (he had moved on since she had started talking) and looked up at her.

"Lucy, there is nothing wrong with not being able to stomach a battle. All that means is that you have been very fortunate to not have had to learn how to be comfortable beating people senseless or in many cases… dead."

Lucy looked up at his onyx eyes, their original power and liveliness returned to them. Natsu crossed his arms.

"But you obviously have raw talent for fighting, and given the right practice, you'll be able to fight alongside the rest of us. But if you're going to win, you need something driving you. Something you have to protect… or someone." He said to her, with a wink.

Lucy smiled at the Captain, glad that he had gotten over his slump.

"Thanks for staying here with me Luce…" He said wiping the water off his neck. "I really needed to talk it out. And you're right; I'm not like this really. At least not in front of people, I'd appreciate it if you'd keep this here moment between us?"

Lucy stood up and looked at Natsu.

"Sure. No problem, everyone's entitled to their secrets and having a few weak moments, doesn't make them weak people."

Natsu smiled and walked to his cabin door.

"I'll be going out to check on the crew and the ship. They need me right now, I need to assess the condition of the ship and then I'll be back later this evening to check on you. You're welcome to wander around until then, as long as you keep out of the way of repairs and work." Natsu opened the door, once again letting the blinding light through, and made a movement to leave but turned back around and looked at her.

"You know… I think I'll just leave the door open… just in case."

Lucy couldn't really make out his entire figure, seeing as the light was making it hard. But his face when he was looking at her was one of true friendship. He then turned around and put his hands in his back pockets and walked out onto the deck.

Lucy watched him through the open door. Something about him was different than when she met him.

Was it his personality? His attitude?

Lucy sat there wondering what it was, watching his movements carefully. He was strong and upright. He protected his crew without fear of death. He was so like Gray, but also so unlike him. His face was softer, seemed to hold a smile better than Gray's. Maybe it was just the sun that surrounded him but he looked like his silhouette was on fire, rising from his back and into the air.

Then again, maybe she just was seeing him in a new light. Walking away, with the door wide-open.