Ch. 19- An Unwanted Promise


Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Story and OCs © Me


Out in the castle garden, the wind blew softly through the trees and flowers, scattering leaves and petals about. Natsu stood on one side of the garden with his back turned to Gray, who stared at his rival with his mouth agape and his eyes wide in disbelief. Natsu, on the other hand, just stood quietly as he glanced over his shoulder with a serious expression on his face.

"Natsu," Gray spoke. "Tell me you're joking."

Natsu didn't answer him… causing the Ice-Make Wizard to growl at him.

"C'mon, man!" he shouted. "Tell me you're joking, right now! This is seriously not funny!"

"…I'm not joking, Gray," Natsu replied as he turned to face him completely. "I want you… to kill me."

A pause… before Gray clenched his teeth and stomped toward Natsu, then reached out and grabbed him by his scarf, pulling him close to his face.

"HAVE YOU FRIED WHAT LITTLE BRAINS YOU'VE GOT LEFT IN THAT HEAD OF YOURS?!" he yelled. "WHY IN THE HELL WOULD I DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK ME SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT?!"

"Do you think I just decided to ask you this on a whim?!" Natsu questioned. "Dammit Gray, I need you to do this for me!"

"Why the hell should I?!" Gray asked.

"Because," Natsu began, "something happened to me during that fight with the demon."

Gray gasped silently while the Fire Dragon Slayer looked away… his eyes full of regret and sorrow as he stared at the sky.

"Lucy… I tried to hurt her," Natsu answered. "I don't remember what happened, but I do remember her looking scared."

"Well… you don't know that, though," Gray argued. "I mean, maybe she thought that you-"

"Lucy would never lie, Gray!" Natsu snapped. "If she says I almost hurt her, then I almost did!" He then sighed as he cast his eyes to the ground. "Gray… I don't know what the hell happened to me and I'm not sure it'll happen again… but if it does, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself."

"Well… find a way to do it!" Gray argued. "Come on, man, I know we fought every now and then, but all those threats I made about killing you? They were never serious! Why are you asking me to do this?!"

"Because you're the only one I trust who can do it!" Natsu shouted. "Dammit, Gray, don't you understand?! What if I hurt someone else if I go berserk like that, again?! What if I hurt Gramps?! Or Erza or Elektra?! Or Haru and Happy?!" He paused. "What if I hurt Lucy?" He clenched his jaw tightly. "Dammit, Gray, don't you understand?! I see a lot of things that can hurt our family! I don't want any one of them to be me!"

"But… Natsu-" Gray started.

"Gray… I know you," said Natsu. "I know that if you had to make the choice, you'd do whatever it took to protect Fairy Tail! I want you to promise me that if I ever lose control of myself like that, you'll be the one to put me down, you got it?!"

"But-" Gray started.

"PROMISE ME!" Natsu shouted, startling the Ice-Make Wizard. He glared at him, waiting for his answer… and Gray sighed as he shook his head.

"I have GOT to be outta my mind," he muttered. "Fine, Natsu, you win! I promise… if you ever go berserk again, I'll be the one to put you down." He then narrowed his eyes at him. "But you better hope that I never have to keep that promise, got it?! So you better find a way to keep this thing in check!"

"…I'll try," Natsu answered.

"Natsu! Gray!"

The two rivals looked up to see Erza approach them.

"What are you two doing out here?" she asked. "The festivities are about to begin. Get back to your rooms and get dressed."

"On it," Natsu replied as he walked past her, heading inside the castle to get changed. That's when Erza noticed Gray walking along behind him with his hands shoved down his pockets… and yet, he had his eyes cast to the ground.

"What's the matter?" Erza asked.

"It's… nothing," Gray replied as he walked away. "Don't worry about it."

Erza stared after Gray in perplexity before she shrugged and walked back into the castle, herself.

XXX

Later that day, there was the sound of drums pounding and trumpets blaring as everyone gathered inside the castle banquet hall, dressed up in fancy clothes. Not only were the Fairy Tail Wizards attending, but some of the townsfolk were there, enjoying the party as well.

"Looks like a full house, huh, Lucy?" Haru asked as she stood next to Lucy, wearing a fancy lime green dress with light yellow trimmings. Her hair was done up in a fancy ponytail, but she kept her usual dark red ribbon.

"Yeah, I haven't been to a party like this since I was living back at the Heartfilia Estate," Lucy said, wearing a beautiful magenta gown and a pearl necklace. She also had her hair tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing some pink ribbons in her hair as decorations.

"I've never been to such a fancy party," Wendy added, wearing a sky blue dress with white trimmings and her hair tied up in a bun.

"Just remember your manners, child," said Carla, wearing a pretty little pink dress of her own.

"I'm not afraid of Wendy forgetting her manners," said Erza, wearing a maroon gown with a plunging neckline, her hair tied up in a bun, and wearing a pair of golden earrings. "It's the others I'm worried about."

"Hey!" Cana shouted, wearing a navy blue dress as she sat on top of a table, drinking out of a huge barrel. "I could use some more booze over here, buddy!"

"Cana, you can't just get up there!" cried Alzack as he wore a fancy mahogany suit and orange tie, and he even had his hair combed. "And don't drink all the alcohol!"

"Yeah, I should have figured this would happen," said Macao, wearing a dark blue suit with a golden yellow bowtie.

"Oh, boy, I should have seen this coming," said Bisca, wearing a light pink gown and a salmon-colored choker around her neck.

"Oh, man, this stuff is good!" Natsu exclaimed, eating chunks of meat from the banquet table while wearing a deep black suit with a salmon dress shirt underneath, and wearing his scarf like it was a tie. Happy, dressed in a cute little green suit and red bowtie, ate a whole salmon from off the table. Blue Fang, meanwhile, was trying to eat a whole roasted pig, and meanwhile, the other partygoers were watching with shock, awe, and a bit of disgust at their table manners.

"For Mavis' sake, man, we're in a palace, not a trough!" Gray shouted… wearing nothing but his blue snowflake underwear.

"Uh… Gray, my love?" Juvia asked, wearing a turquoise gown with lavender trim and wearing a flower corsage. "You're not wearing any clothes."

"GAH!" Gray cried. "WHAT THE HELL?! WHEN'D THAT HAPPEN?!"

"Come on!" Elfman shouted while wearing a dark green suit with a yellow cravat as he held Jet and Droy in a headlock. "I'll show you how a real man parties!"

"Gajeel, what are you doing?!" Levy questioned while she wore a light orange gown with white puffy sleeves and wore a silver necklace around her neck. "You can't eat the silverware!"

"Why not?" Gajeel asked as he munched on some knives and forks, wearing a dark gray suit with a dark red tie and his spiky black hair combed back. "It's a buffet, ain't it?"

"You're supposed to eat the food, not the utensils!" Levy countered.

"It sure is lively here, isn't it?" asked Mirajane, wearing a mauve gown with a pleated frilly skirt and wearing a flower in her hair.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, really," said Elektra with an amused smile, wearing an indigo dress and a black choker around her neck, but she still had her red bandanna on her head.

"Urrgh…" Makarov groaned, wearing his white coat and medals, as usual when he attended these formal affairs. "Why do I bother?"

"Why can't we all just have a normal gathering?" Lucy asked.

"It wouldn't really be Fairy Tail if we acted like a bunch of stuffy snobs, huh?" Haru asked with a smile.

"Yeah, that's true," Lucy agreed with a smile as she watched Natsu stuffing himself to the gills… then she sighed as a small frown appeared on her face.

"Lucy?" Wendy asked in concern.

"You're moping, again," Erza pointed out.

"Oh, am I?" asked Lucy. "Sorry… I guess I have a lot on my mind."

Haru's eyes softened as she looked at the Celestial Spirit Wizard, knowing exactly what was bothering the poor girl. She knew it had something to do with her brother's mysterious transformation during the battle against Belial. While she wasn't there to witness what happened, she knew it must have been a very frightening experience for her.

"Could you guys excuse me for just a second?" Lucy asked as she walked away towards the balcony. "I'm just gonna get some air."

The girls watched as she walked out before she glanced over at Natsu, who was shoving slices of ham into his mouth, one after the other, and showing no signs of slowing down. Haru furrowed her brow in determination before she walked over to her older brother, tapping him on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Huh?" Natsu muttered as he noticed his sister. "What's up, sis?"

"I think someone might need a little company," Haru said as she pointed at Lucy, who was standing outside on the balcony, looking up at the sky. Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat before he looked at his sister, who lightly gestured her head Lucy's way, causing him to sigh before he went out to join her. Happy blinked as he watched his best friend leave, a half-eaten fish in his paws.

"What's he gonna do?" Happy asked as he looked up at Haru.

"What he has to, Happy," the Beast Wizard answered… but then, as she glanced over at the table, she gasped as she ran over. "Blue Fang, no! Don't eat that! Drop it! DROP it!"

As the party went on, Lucy continued to stare up at the clouds above with a thoughtful expression on her face. The sky was already turning a mixture of blue and orange as the afternoon began to drift to dusk. That's when Natsu came and stood beside her, leaning against the rail, all casual.

"What's goin' on, with ya, Luce?" he asked.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy greeted as she cast her eyes on the town below, but the Fire Dragon Slayer furrowed his brow at her.

"Lucy, look… I don't know what's going on with you," Natsu began, "but if you're feeling upset about something, you can talk to me."

Lucy glanced at her best friend, who smiled at her softly… and when she saw that smile, it was like all doubt and insecurities she had suddenly melted away. It was always that smile of his that reassured her that it would be okay… that she was allowed to confide in him. That was the Natsu that she always knew… the Natsu that was standing before her, now.

"I was… really scared," Lucy said, causing Natsu's eyes to widen. "I didn't know what was gonna happen to you."

"Well… I'm here, now, right?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah," Lucy replied as she looked up at him, "and I'm glad that you are." She leaned against him, which caused him to tense slightly. "Natsu… I hope you never change."

Natsu swallowed, his cheeks turning pink as she felt Lucy lean into his shoulder… but then, slowly, he reached over and placed his hand on her own.

"You know… there was a moment during that fight with Belial that I blacked out," he said. "I don't know what happened or for how long… but I do remember one thing."

"What?" Lucy asked, almost worriedly.

"I do remember hearing your voice," Natsu answered, "and suddenly, I was back to my senses." He smiled as he looked at her. "I'm glad you were there with me, Luce."

A pause… before Lucy smiled back at him, delicately locking her fingers with his.

"I'm glad I was there, too," she said as she stared into his eyes, causing him to smile back at her. In just that moment, the party going on back inside was forgotten… and the two of them just stood there, staring at each other. Slowly, Natsu leaned toward Lucy, whose eyes closed only halfway. She didn't even seem to notice her lips were puckering just a bit.

'What's happening…?' she thought as she closed her eyes completely… but then…

"Loyal subjects, please gather around!"

"AAH!" Natsu and Lucy yelped at the sudden announcement before they looked into the ballroom… where they saw Lars and Alyssandra together, the latter dressed in a beautiful periwinkle dress with Fuschia embroidery. She was still wearing her mother's pendant around her neck, as well as other ornate jewelry around her wrists and in her hair.

She looked like a true princess, right then and there.

"Announcing his most royal majesty, King Lars Elise, and her royal highness, Princess Alyssandra Elise II!" exclaimed the Captain of the Guard.

The whole room broke into cheers and applause as the young king and his sister entered the ballroom.

"My subjects," Lars began, "please, lend me your ears. I am here to announce the heroes of our kingdom… so if they would all kindly step forward, I would like to give my thanks to them, properly."

Natsu grinned before he looked at Lucy. "C'mon, Luce. Time to get our kudos!"

"…Yeah," Lucy replied as she allowed him to lead her to the ballroom.

'Well… so much for that, I guess,' she thought.


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