Summary: Set after the new filler arc of the anime. Natsu will never forgive or forget the pain Lucy has been put through.

Pairings: Natsu/Lucy and Virgo/Lucy friendship.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for giving me over TWENTY THREE HUNDRED reviews. I'm glad you're all still enjoying this!

Virgo had just finished punishing the bandits her Hime asked her to beat up. The over-sized, smelly, men were now in a pile in one of her holes she had dug quickly, with a satisfied nod, she dusted her hands off the dirt, and turned to ask Hime for some punishment.

The request immediately died at her lips as she took in the nasty gash on the top of Hime's head; the blood from the wound ran down the side of her face and had dripped onto her collar bone. Once again, Virgo couldn't help but notice, Hime's clothes were torn up, and there were noticeable cuts and bruises forming like patch work on her skin.

Virgo's eyes widened a fraction at the horrific sight.

"Hime," she cried out, "you're injured."

Hime blinked and then she slowly touched the gash on her head, and winced. "Oh," she murmured, "I hadn't noticed."

Virgo reached out for Hime, she had planned to clean the wound, and the other cuts, and then redress her Hime in something pretty, when suddenly Master Natsu's hand came out of nowhere and slapped her hand away.

Virgo blinked.

She was stunned, not just by the sudden movement, but the strange burning sensation on the top of her hand and her wrist.

She thinks he might have bruised her, or even sprained her wrist, it ached a great deal for some strange reason. She would usually relish punishment like this but right now she couldn't understand why she was being punished and why by Master Natsu all of a sudden.

Master Natsu had always seemed so nice and cheerful despite his ability to fight.

Now Master Natsu was snarling furiously, his arms wrapped possessively round Hime, and the expression on his face was akin to an angry dragon, fangs out, eyes glowing…..Virgo can fully believe that this man had been raised by a dragon.

"Stay away from her!" Master Natsu spat out. "Or I'll really break your arm next time."

"Natsu!" Hime shrieked horrified. "Don't you dare speak to my spirits like that or I'll kick you into the next century!"

Much to Hime's frustration, Master Natsu ignored her threat in favour of glowering at Virgo. Virgo stared right back unable to prevent the fact her skin crawled at the sight of this half dragon man obviously wishing he could incinerate her.

She tilted her head carefully to the side. "Master Natsu?" she prompted.

"What on earth makes you think I have forgiven you?" he demanded to know and Virgo almost winced at that. "What makes you think I can trust you and the others near her? That I would ever trust you again?"

"I will go through any punishment-"

"I don't want to be part of your weirdo sadistic thing!" Master Natsu blurted out, he almost lost his anger in favour of sheer horror and embarrassment, but his fury slotted back into place. "Punishing you wouldn't change the fact that you punished her."

Virgo really did flinch at that.

The memories flooded back to her. The ones that she tried to forget especially when she was sleeping, but they never do leave, not really, and now she was almost back to that time. To a time when she was evil as they came, she could hear her own cackle and sneering as Hime screamed repeatedly under the crack of her whip.

"Natsu!" Hime hissed. "I have told you repeatedly, I have forgiven them all. It wasn't their fault. They were possessed by that stupid gate, they didn't really want to hurt me." She took a deep breath and cupped Master Natsu's face, forcing him to look at her, "if I can forgive them, why can't you?"

"You shouldn't," he growled, "You shouldn't ever forgive something like that. They were people you trusted, the people you loved. If it was me…." He looked pained. "If it was me that hurt you, I expect you to stick a knife in me so I never do it again."

Hime looked horrified and Virgo shared her sentiments. Master Natsu certainly took all things, from his anger to his excitement, and now to his non-existent guilt, to the extremes. "Well I won't!" Hime said hotly. "Because everyone deserves a second chance! Look at Gajeel and Juvia, they had kidnapped me and beaten me to a pulp and now they're our closest friends outside of our team. Look at Lyon, he fought us with intentions to kill us if we got in the way and now he has reformed himself, and-"

"They weren't your friends before!" Master Natsu interrupted. "They hadn't sworn to protect you. They hadn't promised me that if I gave them to you they would take care of you."

Virgo focused on the floor with great shame. She had asked Master Natsu to take her to Hime so she could make a contract, he had initially refused – after all she had fought them both mere minutes ago – but when she had promised she would devote herself to the care of Hime, he agreed.

She had broken that promise.

"Hime," Virgo spoke loudly and quickly, "I shall leave now unless you require me to undergo any punishment for my crimes against you."

"No!" Hime squeaked. "Erm," she coughed slightly and struggled a little against Master Natsu's arms (he refused to let her go probably because he knew she would go to Virgo), "that's all right Virgo. You can go home now, you deserve a rest," she smiled softly a smile that Virgo most definitely did not deserve, "Thank you for your help."

Virgo nodded and quickly returned back to the spirit world before Master Natsu could point out any more painful truths.

As soon as she returned to her home, she slumped to the cold marble floor, and wept.

Because Master Natsu was right.

She should never be forgiven.