Natsu could hear the blood rushing in his ears, his hands gripping the scratchy fabric of the couch as tight as he could. He felt dizzy and nauseous, like at any moment he may keel over and faint again.
No… No, no… How could this happen? He brought his shaking hands up, hugging himself in a desperate attempt to feel even the tiniest bit of comfort. Gramps, Erza, Happy, Gray, Lucy… Everyone… Acnologia… He really…?
He heard the sound of quiet footsteps, and the clattering of glass. The stranger who he was trapped with stopped in front of him, and set something down with a gentle thump. "I had to put your tea in a bowl. I don't have any other cups, sorry if it looks weird…"
The dragonslayer shrugged his shoulders, and let his arms drop. "Appearance doesn't particularly matter to me."
"Oh r-right! Because you're… You're, um…" She trailed off, as if uttering the word 'blind' was some kind of taboo that she couldn't break.
Natsu's nose twitched as the sweet smell made his mouth water, but he didn't move to find his cup-bowl, he had more important things he needed to focus on. He kept his head facing downwards as he built up the courage to voice his questions.
"Tenrou… Tenrou Island was… D-destroyed…?"
The dragonslayer heard the woman give a sharp intake of air at his question. She was silent for several seconds, and then sighed deeply. "Yes… The Magic Council saw it happen. They searched for survivors, but they didn't find anyone. It was a tragedy, everyone knows about it…"
Natsu felt a burning in his throat, and a wet feeling in his eyes. He tried to do his breathing exercises from his training in the forest, but it didn't help. An image flashed through his mind of the horrible dragon that had blinded him, it sent an involuntary shudder up his spine. "What about…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "What about the dragon that destroyed the island? Acnologia?"
"Nobody knows. He disappeared after the island was destroyed…"
He suddenly felt overcome with anger, but the emotion wasn't focused on just one person. He was angry at the Magic Council for not searching harder, at Acnologia for killing his family, and himself most of all.
"I should have been there…" Natsu whispered, his voice breaking halfway through. "I should have died, not them…"
He heard the sound of glass clattering again. "What?!" She hissed, careful to keep her voice down. "What are you talking about?!"
Natsu shook his head. "The only reason I survived was because I was an idiot. I rushed at that damn dragon and he attacked me. I should have died, I deserved to after putting them all in danger…" He leaned forward, pressing his tearful eyes into his hands. "But now… Now I've lost them all!"
She gave a soft sigh. "How do you know things would have been different if you were there? It could have ended the same way."
"I know! I know that but…" He sniffed and furiously wiped his eyes, but the tears kept coming. "But I should have been there for them… They were my guildmates, my family… And I didn't even get to say goodbye…"
Natsu heard a nervous chirp, and a few moments later the familiar weight of Tree climbed onto his lap. The creature cuddled against him in an attempt to comfort his forlorn owner. It didn't stop his tears, but his pounding heart slowed the slightest bit.
The woman in the room was quiet for a long time as Natsu struggled to stop his crying. Once he had calmed a little, she seemed to grow the courage to speak. "If you had died, and one of your guildmates survived, would you want them to be beating themselves up over what happened?"
"N-no…"
She made an affirmative noise. "If that's the case, then don't you think they'd feel the same way? I- I don't know much about guilds, but I know that Fairy Tail mages are close. They wouldn't want you to blame yourself, right?"
Natsu sniffed and wiped his nose, an image of an angry looking Erza appearing in his mind. At the image, he sighed and shook his head. "If they saw me like this, they'd probably be pissed.." He let out a chuckle. "They wouldn't want me to be upset… They would want me to live for them…"
The woman seemed relieved that he agreed with her. "A-and the guild isn't completely gone. I think the other members are still running it…"
Natsu raised his eyebrows in hope. "Really? They are?" He smiled a little at the memory of the guild he left behind. "I wonder who the new guild master is…"
He pet Tree's soft fur a few more times and then leaned forward. He patted at the metal tea tray in front of him until he found the still warm cup-bowl. He carefully pulled it up to his mouth, taking a thankful sip. It wasn't the best-made tea, but after spending a year in the wilderness, it was the best thing he had ever tasted.
The warmth of the tea seemed to fill him with even more determination. His free hand curled into a fist, and he held it in front of him. "I'm gonna go back to Fairy Tail! And when I get there, I'll live on for my guildmates, the living and the dead!"
Natsu chugged the rest of his tea, and then looked towards where he sensed the woman. "But first, I'm going to free your village from these dark guild assholes!"
The woman in front of him made a frantic noise. "What?! B-but how?! They've been here for a year, they're so strong… Even if you are able to fight them, there's no way they'll go down easy. How in the world could you beat them?"
There were many things that stayed the same about Natsu over the past year. He was still a loyal, stubborn, and courageous Fairy Tail member. But, a year of near isolation had given him time to reflect and grow up. He was more wise, more thoughtful… And more cunning.
"Don't worry…" Natsu told her with a sly smirk. "I have an idea."
The next two weeks passed by agonizingly slow for Natsu and the woman, whom he learned was named Nimzi. Locked inside under 'house arrest' by the dark guild, all they could do was bide their time until they had a chance to enact Natsu's plan.
If it hadn't been for his year long isolation, Natsu knew he would have gone insane. Even with his increased amount of patience, he was feeling rather out of his element. He was so used to being outside and in nature that being trapped in a house made him feel extremely claustrophobic.
Tree seemed to feel the same way, as he was either whining near exits or clinging pitifully to Natsu. The dragonslayer felt guilty for getting his companion trapped in the situation, and tried to convince Nimzi to let him sneak Tree out through a window, but she vehemently refused.
"What if they see?" She whispered frantically when he asked. "Even if they don't, they might recognize him and hurt him or- or we'll get in trouble!"
Natsu could see the logic in her words. As much as he hated confining Tree, it was too dangerous for the dark guild members to see him. They were already lucky that they hadn't seemed to recognize him as a Fairy Tail member.
When he brought it up with the woman, she got oddly quiet. He frowned at the strange reaction, his hand stilling where it had been petting Tree. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He carefully asked.
"W-well… It's just. I… I didn't know how to tell you, because it's… I mean you can't see and I thought…" She cut herself off as Natsu frowned. "Y-you said it was Acnologia who blinded you, right?"
"Yes…"
Nimzi shuffled her feet and made a nervous sound. "I… I don't think that is all he did. Your eyes… They're strange… They're black, and they have these blue streaks in them… And you have these dark blue marks on your body and face…"
Natsu frown grew deeper as his hand moved up, hovering over his blind eyes. He felt self conscious for the first time in over a year. Acnologia hadn't just blinded him, he had left permanent markings on his body? He let out a snarl.
"That bastard… He took everything from me…" He clenched his fist. "Blind or not, if he ever shows his face again, I'm gonna kill that damned dragon."
After he discovered the changes caused by Acnologia, he did his best to ignore them. Although they bothered him greatly, he knew he needed to focus on actually escaping instead of brooding. He took the time to meditate, doing his best to focus his ability and prepare his plan.
He learned that his magical sense did have its limits. Unlike nature, where almost everything had some sort of magic flowing through it, man made objects did not. He could tell they were there, but it was more like his sense flowed around them. It made it very irritating to try and discern its size or what it was.
Natsu longed dearly to escape, he missed his guild, he missed the forest he had grown so used to. But he couldn't leave, not when the Dark Guild still had their dirty claws buried in the terrified town.
At the end of the suffocating two weeks, their imprisonment was finally over. Nimzi had been reading a book aloud while Natsu fed Tree a fruit when there was a loud knocking on the door. His companion let out a frantic whimper and quickly dropped the book. She went to the door and opened it. "Yes, sir?"
Natsu could practically hear the smirk in the man's voice. "Nimzi! Guess what! We have decided to let you and your nephew out of house arrest! Isn't that generous of us?"
"V-very, sir…"
There were the sounds of heavy footsteps, as one of the dark guild members approached where Natsu was sitting. "But, you two and your pet rat have to do one thing for us first. We want you to show the whole town what happens to people who misbehave."
A rough hand gripped Natsu's upper arm and yanked him to his feet. The dragonslayer barely had time to drop Tree before they were dragged away from where he had been sitting.
"You two are gonna get on your knees and apologize to us in front of the entire village! If you do a good job, maybe we'll even forgive ya too!" The gruff man declared with a cruel chuckle.
Natsu heard Nimzi cry out as she was grabbed in a similar fashion, and the two of them were dragged out of the house. The fresh air hit Natsu like a slap in the face, and he welcomed it happily despite their tense situation.
He pushed his senses outward, and felt several people all gathered in one area. The dark guild members dragged them to that area and threw them to the ground in the middle of what he assumed was the center of town.
The gruff man, who Natsu assumed was the leader, stomped up to stand in front of them. "Alright, now bow down and apologize. Make it nice and remorseful, so I actually feel compelled to forgive ya! You first, Nimzi!"
Natsu forced down the flames in his veins, it wasn't time yet. He listened to the rustle of movement as Nimzi bowed down. "I-I'm sorry, sir! I shouldn't have taken advantage of your graciousness. Please forgive me!"
The dark guild leader let out a satisfied noise, but didn't express if he accepted her apology or not. Instead, he turned his attention to Natsu, who had yet to bow. "Now you, blind boy. Make sure you bow the right way!"
The other guild members laughed, as if the joke was funny in any way. Natsu growled as he stayed sitting up, his head looking down at the ground as he let his rage emerge. "I'm sorry… That you disgusting bastards have nothing better to do in your life other than torture innocent people."
A flurry of panicked whispers emerged from the crowd, while the dark guild members let out outraged sounds. The gruff man in the front seemed to take a step forward, grabbing Natsu by the collar of his borrowed shirt. "What the fuck did you just say?!"
Natsu let a wide smirk appear on his face. "You heard me, asshole! You're not even a strong dark guild! Picking on people who can't fight back? Hah! You're just a bunch of cowards!"
The dragonslayer barely had time to tense up before the fist hit his cheek. He hit the ground again, wincing slightly. It had been a year since he'd been in a fight, the punch hurt more than he expected.
"Would a coward do that?!" The gruff man snapped.
With a bark of a laugh, Natsu climbed onto his feet. "Oh, yes, you're very brave, punching a blind guy!" He mocked the guild leader. "If you really want to show me you're a coward, fight me one on one!"
The Dark Guild leader's growling came to a sudden stop. "W-what?" He snorted with amusement. "Are you serious?!"
Natsu smirked and made a fighting stance, purposefully facing the wrong way. "Fight me! If I win, you'll leave the town alone!"
He heard the gruff man laugh, his guildmates quickly joining him. "Alright, kid, I agree to your terms. It's been a while since I've gotten to beat the shit out of someone." There was the sound of cracking knuckles as the other guildmates backed away, and Nimzi hurriedly moved into the crowd. "Get ready to lose, brat!"
His overconfidence was obvious, and it was just what Natsu had been hoping for. The guild leader let his magic rise to the surface of his palms in an attempt to intimidate Natsu, but all it did was help him pinpoint the man's location easier.
With a whoop, the guild leader charged forward to attack. Natsu waited until the last second, then spun around with a whirl of flames surrounding his hands, sending it flying towards his opponent.
He heard the man let out a high pitched yelp and stumble backwards as the burning fire hit him. He froze, and seemed to be unsure if he should attack or not.
Natsu couldn't help himself, he wanted to mess with the guild leader more, so he put on a fake, surprised face. "I hit him?" He innocently asked, and then perked up. "I hit him! I can't believe it!"
His innocent facade made the gruff man growl again, his magic spiking along with his anger. "You little bastard! That was a lucky shot!"
"C'mon boss! You can beat him!" One of the guild members called.
Another let out a loud sneer. "Don't let this brat win!"
The yells of his fellow dark guild members seemed to encourage the man further. With a yell, he charged forward again and sent a wave of magic haphazardly towards Natsu's unmoving form.
Natsu quickly dodged the attack and spun around, with a burst of speed he ran toward the man and sent a flaming fist forward. It crashed into the man's chest and sent him tumbling backwards, crashing into the many guild members that were standing nearby.
It seemed the guild leader finally had enough. "That's it! You two, get this little shit! Take him down!"
On his left and right, Natsu felt two magic signatures spike. He stood still as he began to approach and then whipped around to the left one. His leg flew out in a rough kick to knock the man down, just as the other member sent a blast of flames into his back.
The familiar heat of fire sent a chill down Natsu's spine, and he smiled in excitement. Oh, yes! He kicked the knocked over man one more time as the man on the right began to build up his attack.
"Take this, you bastard!" The man announced as the flames flew forward. "Fire Bullet!"
Natsu turned to fully face the oncoming heat and opened his mouth wide, the flames didn't have a chance as he swallowed them down. It wasn't the most delicious fire he'd ever had, but it felt amazing to taste it after so long without it.
When he finished eating the magic, he let out a happy sigh and let the steam float out of his mouth. "That wasn't that bad, thanks for the meal!"
"W-w-what?! What the hell?!" The fire magic user exclaimed, his magic retreating into his body as he backed away in fear.
The gruff leader spoke again. "What's going on here?! How did you… Who are you?!"
Natsu let his grin appear again. "Isn't it obvious?" He stood proudly, and raised his voice. "My name is Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail!"
Several guild members let out horrified noises at the name and stumbled backwards. But the guild leader let out a loud noise of disbelief. "You're lying! Natsu Dragneel is dead! It's- It's impossible!"
"You need more proof? FINE!" He slammed his fists together as the new energy from the flames flew through him. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"
Natsu shot his mouthful of flames at the guild leader, the blast of fire exploding as it hit the man's chest. Natsu felt debris and heat from the fire on his face as he stood stoically, his fists clenched at his sides.
The guild leader let out a groan from where he was on the ground. When Natsu took a few steps forward, he let out a terrified squeaking noise.
Natsu stopped a few feet from his magical signature and crossed his arms. "Believe me now?"
The man let out another squeak. "P-please don't hurt me! I-I'm sorry! Please! I'll- I'll do anything!"
Natsu narrowed his eyes and pointed in a random direction. "Stop whining and get out of here! You and your cronies! You'll leave this town alone! If I come back here and find you within fifty miles of this place, I'll kick your ass again!"
The guild leader quickly yelped and scurried away, his guildmates following after him before Natsu could send any more blasts of flames their way.
The town was silent for several moments, and then burst out in happy cheers. Someone ran into Natsu's arms, hugging him tightly. It took him a moment to hear their voice, and he realized it was Nimzi.
"You did it, Natsu! I knew you could do it!" She cheered. "Our town is free! Thank you, thank you!"
Natsu smiled and hugged her back. "Thank you, Nimzi! If it weren't for you, I don't think I would have been strong enough to fight back." He knew it had been a little thing, but her gentle encouragement after he had learned of Tenrou's demise had meant a lot to him.
The young woman pulled away from him and chuckled. "Well, it's good to know we both helped each other! Some more than others!"
Before Natsu could reply, someone else approached them. "Natsu Dragneel! Thank you, you saved my town!" His voice was haughty and official, likely some kind of leader. "How can I ever repay you?"
The dragonslayer waved his hand. "I don't need repayment, just try to make sure those assholes can't come back and take over again! You gotta stand up for yourselves too!"
"O-oh of course!" The mayor quickly agreed. "Do not worry, I will make sure they know there will be consequences if they try to intimidate us!"
Natsu had a feeling that his idea of consequences was threatening the dark guild with the wrath of The Salamander, but he decided not to bring that up. He had something more important he needed to ask about.
He rubbed a hand through his shaggy hair and gave an awkward laugh. "Actually now that I think of it, there is something I could use some help with!"
"Anything, Salamander! Anything!" The old man eagerly replied.
Natsu's hand moved to his right shoulder, where his guild mark still showed proudly, and thought about his living guild mates. After everything that just happened, he wanted more than ever to be reunited with them, as soon as he possibly could.
"How do I get back to Fairy Tail?"