It was a hard choice…
But Natsu knew what he had to do.
Two days later, Natsu and Toulouse sat side by side as they finished mixing together the first batch of the cure. Katch acted as their assistant, helping them where he could and soaking in everything they did like a sponge.
Once they had finished putting the ingredients together, Toulouse took over the watch of the mixture and gave Natsu the chance to fix together a new leg. It wasn't the best, but he figured that he and Ayame could modify it once he got back to town, once he gave her the cure.
"It's ready," Toulouse soon declared as his voice shuddered with thinly veiled hope.
Natsu set down his wrench, stood up on his new leg, and walked over to the alchemy station. He knelt down, watching as the mixture dripped into the flask.
It was a thick liquid that swirled with several different colors, and sparkled in the light. He wrote down his analysis in his journal, grabbed some syringes, and looked at Toulouse. "It's done, it's time," He whispered.
Toulouse nodded and knocked on the door. It was quickly opened by a nervous looking guard. "We've completed the cure," The potions master told him. "Lead us to the royal family."
The guards quickly opened the door, and led the two Royal Court members along with Katch down the hallway, up the stairs, and to the royal family's quarantine room.
Since the last time Natsu had seen them, the king, queen, and princess had taken a violent turn for the worst. Their skin was so pale it was easy to see all their veins, they were emaciated, and the pus-filled boils were all over their weak bodies. The sheets were drenched with sweat, and their breathing was labored, as if every breath took an extreme amount of effort.
Natsu took a deep breath and braced himself. This is it, the moment of truth. He thought. Part of him was terrified, because it would be the first time his serum was tested on an actual person. But the bigger, more logical part of himself knew that it was his only option.
He walked up to the king's side, and handed the flask to Katch. Pulling out a syringe, he stuck it into the flask and filled it up almost all the way. He flicked the side a few times to remove any air bubbles, and then took one last deep breath.
With a gloved hand, he lifted up the king's limp arm and found the thickest vein he could see, stuck the needle inside, and injected the cure.
The entire room went silent, and waited with bated breath for any sign of the recuperation that they were all hoping for. In his mind, Natsu counted the seconds that passed by, and hoped.
After forty-five long, painful seconds, Natsu noticed something. The boils were starting to deflate and fade, his skin began to regain color, and his breathing began to even out. After a few minutes passed, the boils had vanished completely, and the king's tired eyes slowly blinked open.
"Urg… What…?" The king groaned, turning his head to the side. "N-Natsu? Toulouse? Is that you?"
Natsu's eyes widened, he quickly rushed forward and began checking the king's vitals. His breathing was back to normal, his heartbeat was regular, he was perfectly healthy. The cure worked.
The Alchemist felt a wide smile climb onto his face. "It worked…" He whispered, growing more overjoyed. Pumping his metal fist in the air, Natsu cheered. "It worked! It really worked!"
He quickly grabbed Katch's hand, and pulled him towards the queen and princess. "Come on! Let's keep going! We have people to cure!" He excitedly said.
Katch wore an even wider smile. "Yes! Yes let's do it!" He agreed, and hurried after the royal alchemist with the cure prepped and ready.
Toulouse let a small smile climb onto his face as well, and stood at the king's side. "How do you feel, your highness?" He asked.
"Much better," The king said, turning his curious eyes towards the alchemist. "But I feel like I'm missing out on some critical information."
The Potions Master chuckled. "I'll explain everything, sir, I promise," He replied,"All that matters right now is that we have a cure, all thanks to Natsu."
He turned to watch as the Alchemist helped the princess and queen sit up, and checked their vitals as they absorbed the cure as well. Ayame… Toulouse thought to himself. You're going to be so proud of him.
Once the cure had been proven to work, Natsu and Toulouse worked quickly. The first people they cured were those who were close to death, and anyone who they'd be able to use to help distribute the cure further.
After a few days of constant work, the cure was spreading fast. But for Natsu, that wasn't fast enough. In between creating new serums and curing people, he would just pace back and forth, worrying about his master.
Toulouse didn't need to talk to him to know what the problem was, the old man knew exactly what Natsu needed.
After a week of work, he interrupted Natsu's pacing and shoved an already packed bag into the Alchemist's arms.
"Go," He ordered,"I packed some of the cures we've made, and some of our ingredients. Take the cure to your village, and go see Ayame."
Natsu stared down at the bag in shock, his hands slowly grabbing at the straps. "Are… Are you sure?" He asked nervously.
Toulouse nodded firmly. "You've done well here, Natsu. Me and Katch, and the other alchemists who you've taught the formula can take it from here," He said,"Now hurry and go, you know how impatient Ayame can be."
The Royal Alchemist let out a small laugh, and gave a firm nod. "You're right, I'll leave right away!" He declared, gently singling the pack onto his back and hurrying out of the lab. At the last second he spun around, facing the Potions Master again.
"Oh, Toulouse!" He called, and gave a wide, happy smile. "Thank you… For staying with me through all of this."
The old man bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Natsu… For giving me the chance to,``he replied.
Katch spun around in his stool, waving his hand. "Have a safe trip Natsu!" He called happily.
"Thank you, Katch!" The Alchemist said, waving back. "See you both again soon!"
Natsu then hurried out of the large castle, and hurried off to the stables nearby. He had a horse to grab, and a trail to blaze.
It was a week before he managed to make it to his village. As soon as he got past the gates, he hopped off his horse, and hurried towards the hospital. The ill were there, and so was his master.
He pushed the door open, and nearly hit someone who had been standing just inside. He gasped in surprise, and then realized who it was.
"Maleah!" He exclaimed,"What are you doing here? Are you sick?"
His friend gave him a confused look. "What am I doing here?" She repeated incredulously. "Natsu, where have you been?! The last doctor fell ill over a week ago, everyone was saying you ran away to Fiore!"
Natsu shook his head. "I didn't!" He promised,"I went on an expedition with Lord Toulouse, I found a cure, I have it with me right now! I can heal Ayame, and we can start to cure everyone!"
When he said his master's name, Maleah's face froze up, and then was overcome with sadness. "Oh… You wouldn't know, would you?" She whispered, and looked towards the ground.
Natsu felt his heart stop, a cold feeling running through his body. "She's dead… Isn't she?" He asked, voice void of any emotion.
"I'm so sorry, Natsu…" Maleah weakly forced out in response.
The dragonslayer didn't respond, he didn't have it in him to. His entire world suddenly felt empty, devoid of the very person he had been fighting to save.
He lowered his gaze to the ground as tears started to tumble down his cheeks. He clenched his fists, and fought to stop himself from falling apart right where he stood.
Maleah watched the struggle on his face with sadness in her own, unsure how she should proceed. "Natsu?" She worriedly asked as she reached out to him.
But, the Alchemist took a step back to avoid her touch, and then walked past her. "I have so much work to do…"
A few days passed by, and Natsu busied himself with completely curing the village and further distributing the cure. It wouldn't be long before the whole country was free of the illness that had plagued them for so long.
Soon, people began to sing their admiration for Natsu. No matter where he went, he was praised for finding and distributing the life-saving cure. They hailed him as a hero, and the newest Royal Alchemist. It was the citizens saying that which forced Natsu to finally face the truth.
It was at the end of another long day of taking care of patients and curing the last few ill people, and Natsu was finally free to go home. He started walking with the intention of going home, but found his feet leading him somewhere else… To the graveyard.
He walked up to one of the newest graves, and stopped. He knelt down, careful to not disturb the hundreds of flowers that decorated it, and traced the name with his human hand. "Ayame Dantes," He read aloud,"Royal Alchemist"
A weak smile climbed onto his face. "That's just like you, isn't it, Master?" He asked,"You always hated big splashes, sweet and simple."
Natsu lowered his head, his hand still continued to trace her name. "I should have been here…" He whispered,"I should have been faster. I should have gotten back sooner, I'm so, so sorry…"
He sniffled, his throat burning with the need to cry. "A-and I know what you would say, you would tell me that I was as fast as I could be, and that you were already too sick to save. I-I know that, I do…" He whispered,"But… If I couldn't have saved you, I wish I could have been here before you died, I wish I could have said… Goodbye."
The Royal Alchemist reached into his bag, and pulled out one of the multicolored flowers that had been used to make the cure. He placed it on the center of the grave, sat back, placed his head into his hands, and began to sob.
He sat there for a long time, and just let out all the pain sink into the cold soil beneath him. Eventually, a hand landed on his shoulder. He startled, and quickly looked up to see who it was.
It was a much less sick-looking Maleah. She looked at him, at the grave, and then back at him. With a sigh, she got down and sat next to him, pulling her knees to her chest. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Natsu…" She whispered.
Natsu sniffled as he wiped his eyes in vain, and looked at Makera's grave a few feet away.
"I know how you feel…" Maleah said,"It's hard… I have so many regrets, so many things I wish I could have said, but now I never can."
He looked at the girl, and then back at Ayame's grave. Out of everyone in the country, Maleah was likely the only one who understood what happened to him the most. He settled into a position much like hers, and asked,"What do we do now?"
Maleah's own eyes began to fill with tears. "We do the only thing that we can do," She replied. "We continue living…"
They sat side by side in silence, and slowly leaned against one another, acting as the support that they both desperately needed. And, for the first time since he returned from his adventure, Natsu didn't feel alone.
Some time later, Natsu, Toulouse, and Katch all stood in an empty clearing while they stared at the map in Toulouse's hands. With the cure finished, they needed to make sure they had access to the flowers at all times, and together the trio decided to work on a garden.
"Okay, what's our plan for this?" The Potions Master asked, pulling a pencil from his bag, and circling the field. "We need to make it accessible, but make it good enough to support all the flowers."
Natsu hummed, and tapped the center of the map. "Maybe we should have it start in the center and become a spiral?" He suggested.
Toulouse shook his head. "No, no shortcuts, too hard to get to," He bluntly replied,"I don't want to have to walk the whole thing just to get a sample."
"What if we just try to set it up like it is on the island?" Katch nervously suggested.
Natsu and Toulouse turned to look at him with curious glances, which seemed to only make the teen more nervous. He squirmed under the gaze, and looked down at the bundle of flowers he was holding. "W-well, I just mean, if it works on the islands, it could work here too, right? W-we could maybe try it?" He stuttered out.
Toulouse narrowed his eyes in thought, and then after a few seconds gave a short nod. "Yes, that would probably work. Good idea, Katch,``he said.
The young man's eyes widened in surprise, and then a grin quickly spread onto his face. "Thank you, Master!" He said happily.
The old man nodded, and gave the teen a small, barely noticeable smile. It was only thanks to how much time they had spent together that Katch and Natsu were actually able to discern his emotions.
As quickly as it came, the smile was gone, and Toulouse turned to Natsu. "Are you ready to do this?" He asked,"Are you sure it'll work?"
"It should," Natsu replied as he walked further into the clearing. "I've been practicing for weeks."
Toulouse rolled his eyes. "I know, but it's still a brand new magic type, it doesn't hurt to be careful."
Katch looked between them, and then gasped in excitement. "You're gonna do the crystal magic thing?!" He questioned hopefully.
Natsu gave him a wide grin, and threw his metal hand up in a thumbs up. "I'm gonna do the crystal magic thing!" He repeated in agreement. "So, stand back!"
Toulouse quickly scurried to the line of trees nearby. When Katch only took a few steps, the old man grabbed him by the back of his backpack and dragged him to where he was standing as well.
Once they were both out of the way, Natsu spread his hands out, and purple magic began to swirl around them. "You've got this, Natsu..." He whispered, and turned to the center of the clearing.
He stretched his hand out, and sent the purple magic into the ground. He then squeezed his hand into a fist, and raised his hand. The ground shuddered and then broke as a large, purple crystal rose out of the ground, and settled.
The Royal Alchemist sighed in relief, dropping his hands as the dust settled. It worked… He thought in relief.
"Natsu! Y- Your hands!" Katch suddenly cried out in a panicked tone.
The dragonslayer quickly looked down and realised that the magic was still swirling around his hands, making several crystals sprout up underneath him. He let out a panicked squeak and stumbled away, waving his arms in the air to try to dispel the magic that still clung to them. After several seconds of flailing, it finally vanished.
"Practicing for weeks, eh?" Toulouse questioned, an amused smirk climbing onto his wrinkled face.
A blush quickly appeared on Natsu's face, so he crossed his arms and looked away. "S-shut up, it's a new magic, like I said!" He grumbled out.
Katch hurried forward, kneeling down by the newly created crystal and tapping it. "But isn't it a part of Runa?" He asked.
"Erm… Sort of," Natsu replied. "It is Runa's magic, but in a different way. It's a physical manifestation of something rather than healing something. It feels… Really weird. I'm still trying to figure out how to use it correctly. At least it didn't explode this time…"
The teenager quickly yanked his hand away and scooted away, his wide eyes watching the crystal suspiciously for any chance it would blow up.
The Alchemist barked out in laughter, and waved his hand. "I'm just messing with you, Katch!" He promised,"They stopped exploding last week."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Katch questioned, and arched his eyebrow at the young man.
Toulouse patted his apprentice's back. "Sometimes in our line of work you have to roll with the punches, this is one of those times," He explained,"Now, let's get planting."
The garden they created was small, but in time Natsu knew it would grow to be a beautiful meadow. In his mind, the little field of flowers represented their country's rebirth. The flowers, which glimmered in the sunlight, filled Natsu with determination.
You may not be here with me for this, Ayame… He thought, as he packed in the dirt around the last flower. But I promise, I'll do my best to make you proud.
The Kingdom of Agurah
X791
Natsu walked down the hall of the castle, looking over his notes as he headed towards the meeting room. Even though it had been only a month since the last Royal Court meeting, he already had so much more to talk about.
Updates on the vaccine, hot water system, the railroad, which to start with? He wondered to himself. The steam engines are still volatile, maybe if Maleah and I test out different types of metal and see which one is the most durable-
"Master Natsu!" An excited voice suddenly squealed, and two small bodies crashed against his side.
The Alchemist stumbled a bit before he managed to get his footing, and found himself looking at the two young princesses. Princess Jen, now nearly seven years old, and her sister Princess Brea, who had recently turned three.
"Well, well, good morning you two!" He cheerfully said, and ruffled their hair. "Have you guys been practicing like I told you?"
Jen nodded eagerly. "Every day! I've been practicing super hard!" She promised, and leaned forward hopefully. "When's our next lesson?"
"It will be the day after tomorrow, so just keep practicing until then. I'll correct your form during it,``he replied. "And, if you're doing well, maybe I'll teach you your very first spell!"
The Princess looked like she was about to explode with excitement. "Really?!" She squealed, and bounced on her heels. "Okay! I promise I'm gonna practice extra extra extra hard!"
The two princesses were soon called away by their lady in waiting, which gave Natsu the chance to hurry back to the meeting room before he could get tackled again.
The room had a large, circular table with several chairs. On the back of every chair was the symbol of that Royal Court member. Natsu found his usual chair and quickly sat down, sorting through his notes for a little longer.
Soon the rest of the Court members and their apprentices piled in, and the King and Queen soon after. Once everyone was in, the meeting began. Everyone went around and talked about their projects, Natsu and Toulouse spoke together about the plague vaccine, and then Natsu spoke about his own projects.
The meeting came and went normally, but when Natsu was packing up to leave, the King came to his chair, the Queen standing at his side. "Natsu, I… I need to talk to you,``he said.
Natsu tilted his head curiously, and quickly stood up. "What's the matter, your highness?" He nervously asked, not very enthused by the sight of the ruler looking extremely unsure of himself.
"Walk with me and Kira, we have something to tell you." The King said, and walked out of the meeting room and down the hallway.
Natsu put his notes in his bag, and followed after them. After they had walked away, and were far from the other Royal Court members, the Queen gave Natsu a nervous look. "Lord Natsu, you were a member of the Fairy Tail guild, correct?" She asked.
"Seven years ago, yes," Natsu replied, a slightly saddened look appearing on his face. "But I was on Tenrou when it got destroyed, and then I ended up here thanks to my Master."
The King and Queen nodded to his story, and then exchanged a pained look with one another. It seemed like neither of them were quite sure how to say what they wanted to. It made the Alchemist's stomach churn with dread.
He pressed his bag against his chest, nervously tapping his gloved hands against it. "Did… Did something happen to the Fairy Tail Guild?" He asked nervously.
"Y-yes…" The King began, and at Natsu's panicked face quickly added,"But it's not something bad! It's just… Really hard to just come out and say."
The Queen placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, gave him a comforting nod, and then turned to the Alchemist. "Natsu, it's about Tenrou," She declared,"We received the news today, the island wasn't destroyed. It was protected by some kind of magic, and it's finally risen out of the water. Team Tenrou.. They're alive."
Natsu's eyes widened in shock, his heart slamming against his chest, and his skin turning pale. He dropped his bag to the ground, but still stared off in shock.
They're alive, they're alive, they're alive. The words repeated in his mind, he couldn't believe it. All these years blaming himself, feeling too guilty to even think about visiting his Guild, and now they were back, they were alive.
"I… I have to go, I have to go see them,``he said, and turned to the royal couple. "Please, your highness, Fairy Tail was like a family to me. If they're alive, I… I need to see them, I have to!"
The King quickly waved a hand. "You don't have to explain, I would feel the same way," He said,"I give you permission to go to Fiore, but be safe. You mean a lot to this country, and to my family."
Natsu felt his heart skip several beats in relief, and quickly grabbed his bag off the floor. "Thank you, your highness! Thank you so much!" He exclaimed, and then ran out of the castle as fast as he could.
He hurried to his home in the capital, packing anything he thought he would need for the trip, and then ran out of his house, heading towards the closest dock as fast as he possibly could. He couldn't pace himself, not with the knowledge he now had. His friends were alive, he hadn't failed them. Now, he had a mission.
Natsu Dragneel was going back to Fairy Tail.