Luckily for you guys, my cliffhangers bother me almost as much as they bother you, so I couldn't wait to get this next part written up and shared.
I just finished up my Soul Eater story, so if anyone is interested, that one is complete!
I mentioned in my note on that story's last entry that there is a FT AU story that has been bothering me something fierce at night when I'm trying to fall asleep, so there's a chance I may start working on it soon. It would mean for a while the updates for this story would slow down, but the rough outline I've got in my head for the other one is much smaller than this one is likely to be, so after it's done, my focus would go back to this one. For the time being, it's just an itch, I just have to figure out if I want to commit to scratching it now or wait.
As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!
As he ducked into the hallway, Natsu double checked that Levy hadn't followed him and that the two people on the couch were out before allowing his body to shrink back down into his human form. After running a hand through his hair to fix it, he quietly entered his room, unsurprised to find it filled with demons.
Lily, in his smaller form, had fallen asleep on one of Natsu's pillows, a softly snoring Wendy curled up next to him. Carla and Happy were also in their smaller forms, sitting quietly together at the foot of the bed. Their whispering cut off when he entered the room, a sad look on both of their faces.
"Happy was just telling me about some of the places you guys had planned on going while you were here," Carla said.
"I'm really sorry I messed up so bad," Happy said as tears welled up in his eyes.
Natsu sighed as he moved to sit next to them near the bed. "It's not me you need to apologize to, Happy. I have no control over you staying here, and I'm not the one you disobeyed. I'm disappointed, but it's Lucy that really deserves your apologies."
"I know, I'm going to talk to her in the morning. I won't fight her sending me back. I know it was my fault, I'm the one who messed up."
Carla sighed. "I don't know why you tried so hard to get under her skin. She seems like she's okay, for a human."
"Even Wendy likes her, and that was after seeing Angry Lucy in action." Natsu adjusted the scarf around his neck as he glanced at the sleeping demon.
"Wendy likes everyone," Carla pointed out. "That child is too trusting."
"That's true, but Scary Lucy is almost as intimidating as Erza, so the fact that any of you seem to like her after that first impression is just proof of how nice Lucy really is."
Natsu smiled as the Exceeds spoke to each other again, feeling for the bond he shared with the blond. He tried for a while but didn't sense her, which meant that she wasn't feeling anything strongly. He sometimes wished there was more to the bond; that he could feel her emotions all the time. She could get so excited about things, so passionate, that he wanted to be able to share in those feelings. It had been a very long time since he'd been so enthusiastic about something. Since before Igneel passed…
Suddenly, he felt a faint spark coming from Lucy. If he hadn't been trying so hard to feel her, he probably wouldn't have even noticed. A peaceful feeling filled him from the top of his head down to his toes, his breath coming out slow and even. Everything inside of him quieted for a moment, leaving him feeling more serene than he ever had. A moment later, the feeling stopped. It disappeared like a bubble being popped, leaving him a little disoriented but still happy. He smiled as he turned back to Happy and Carla, wondering what Lucy could have been doing to have those feelings.
Carla had watched Natsu as he zoned out, so she noticed when he seemed to come back to himself. "I apologize for the intrusion," she whispered as she gestured at Wendy. "The job she is currently on leaves no time for sleep, so she is in desperate need of a nap."
Natsu shrugged. "It's okay. I don't mind sha-"
Fear.
Debilitating, body numbing fear.
Natsu's breath left him in a rush as he shot to his feet. Happy's eyes widened as he moved to hover near Natsu's head. "What is it? Is it Lucy?"
Natsu barely remembered to not slam the door as he rushed from the room to the kitchen. Finding no one, he moved to her room, finding that empty as well. He returned to the kitchen, finally noticing the note left on the table.
Hey Natsu,
Levy's being a spoil sport, so I'm going to walk her home. I was going to let you know, but I don't want to impose on your time with your friends anymore than I already have. Levy's place isn't far, I'll be back soon.
Lucy
Natsu quietly cursed as he ran back to his room, closing the door swiftly behind him. "Happy, Carla, I need your help. Come with me up to the roof." The Exceeds nodded, following Natsu as he sprung out his open window. The three landed together on top of the roof, Natsu immediately moving towards the front to stand over the door. He took a deep breath, working to find her smell among the others permeating the city air. It was faint, but it was there.
He didn't move a muscle, didn't blink, didn't even breathe as he waited. The feeling he'd gotten from Lucy earlier, when he'd spoke to her in the hallway, had only been a fraction as strong as what he felt now. His fists clenched, the only part of him that moved as his eyes continued to focus on nothing in front of him. "Come on, Luce, I can feel your fear," he whispered, completely forgetting that anyone was around him. Even though she couldn't hear him, he willed her to anyway, desperately waiting. "Come on, Luce, summon me. I can help you, just summon me."
Carla floated right next to Happy. "What can we do to help?"
Natsu didn't respond as he focused on his breathing. He felt for the magic that always burned just beneath his skin, willing it into his hands. Concentrating on Lucy's smell, he cast a tracker spell, the magic quickly leaving his fingertips. He targeted the spell at the front of her building, waiting for it to find the trail that led from the building.
Happy spoke up, interrupting him with a whisper. "Carla and I are going to go out and look. Maybe we can find something." Natsu merely nodded as he focused on the spell again. It was always harder for him to use his magic on spells that weren't for fighting. Even the healing magic he'd used on Lucy had drained him more than he'd ever admit. The only reason he'd been able to do it at all was due to Wendy teaching him. The tracking spell he was trying to use was another useful spell she'd offered to teach him. He'd never had a problem tracking with his nose, though, so he hadn't practiced it as much as he should have.
Finally, he felt his magic start to move, flying down the street, turning sharply at the first corner to continue down the sidewalk. It made a few more turns before it stopped, seeming to vibrate slightly before it retreated the way it had come. It was most of the way back before it suddenly turned off down a different direction. Natsu's eyes flew open just as his spell found Lucy. In the same instance, Happy and Carla returned.
"Natsu, we found her," Happy cried, "but it's bad! She found one of those nightmare demons!"
Natsu growled, immediately changing his form back to the his demonic one as he lifted off to follow Happy. Just before he dropped into the alley, he told the Exceeds to stay out of the way. He dropped down into the darkness where his spell had ended, landing hard. Dirt and rubble flew in every direction as he drew himself up to his full height.
He could both feel and smell Lucy's fear as it permeated the air around him. It only took him a moment to find where she had collapsed. A demon, not quite as tall as he was, turned his way, having dropped the blonde as Natsu landed.
"Well if it isn't the Salamander," purred the voice. "To what do I owe this visit?"
As Natsu finally saw the demon's face, his scowl deepened. "Midnight, how the hell did you get into this world? Nightmare demons have been banned from making contracts for decades."
Midnight raised an eyebrow at him. "There's more than one way to enter this world, and I was hungry." He glanced down at Lucy where she was shivering, arms hiding her face as her hands covered her ears. "I'd forgotten how much more potent humans' dreams and memories are on this side of the barrier. This one in particular is quite tasty. Her nightmares will surely keep me fed for a long, long time."
Natsu took a step, but Midnight was surprisingly quick as he pulled the blond up by the hair. He pushed her against the wall again, a hand swirling with black, menacing energy wrapped around her neck as the other one landed on her exposed hip to hold her still. Her eyes were shut tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks as she struggled to breathe.
"Ah ah ah, Salamander. If you're here, I'm going to guess that this belongs to you." Midnight tugged up Lucy's shirt to reveal the mark on her side. "It's a shame, but I'd wager a guess that you and I won't be able to come to any sort of agreement that will make us both happy, so I'm afraid that I'll be sending you back now. You see," he said, dark shapes forming the darkness around him. "It's been a very long time since I had a good meal. I have no doubt that once I'm forced back home I will be in trouble, but with a few good meals, I'll be fed for a long time to come, and that will be worth whatever punishment you higher up," he spat with disgust, "demons can dish out for me."
Momentarily ignoring the threat to Lucy's life, Natsu scoffed. "You know that as a half-demon, I'm not even close to being considered part of the higher up races."
Midnight's frown deepened, his sneer dominating his face as he spat, "And yet, you are. The fact that a half-breed, could be considered a higher life form than any full blood demon is a disgrace to all demons. Before long, my kind will show those in charge that we can not be treated like the trash you are."
Natsu took a deep breath as he focused on Lucy. As his contract holder, it was his responsibility to keep her alive. Even if their rules stated that it wasn't a demon's responsibility to protect their master, it was damn hard to continue a contract with a dead person. Not to mention the fact that Lucy was a good person and didn't deserve to be used as food for a demon such as Midnight, no matter what dark memories she may possessed.
Suddenly, he remembered that he had an ace up his sleeve, and he felt the tension in his shoulders ease. He decided to give negotiating one more shot. He had heard stories about how hard it was on Midnight's race to feed after a particularly rowdy group had gotten too caught up in causing trouble in the humans' realm. The offending parties had been taken care of, and in an effort to make sure it didn't happen again, the entire race had been punished. Natsu didn't feel that had been necessary, even if the nightmare demons could be particularly cruel.
"Midnight, it's been a long time since you landed in the lowest level of our world. A lot had changed, and for your sake, I'd let my master go if you value your life. Is any meal really worth your life?"
"As far as nightmares go, I would say this one is definitely last meal worthy, but do you honestly think you can get to me before I kill this pretty little master of yours?"
Natsu sighed. "I tried to warn you." He crossed his arms as he sent out a summons with his magic. "Erza eats troublemakers like you for breakfast."
Before Midnight could respond, he was suddenly yanked back and thrown into the building behind him. In an instant, Natsu was in his place, catching Lucy before she could hit the ground. Behind him, he could feel the heat coming off an enraged, growling Erza. He carefully picked up Lucy before getting out of the way.
Erza held out her free hand, a large sword that matched the black armor she wore appearing in an instant. "Punishment awaits you, scoundrel. If you do not fight back, I may spare your life."
Midnight smiled at her words. "You'll have to catch me first." Suddenly, his form faded, and then he sank into the building behind him.
"I'll take care of this," Erza growled quietly as her armor flashed again to one with wings and she took off into the sky.
Natsu let out a breath as he shook off the residual fear that always accompanied an appearance from Titania. Lucy was still shaking in his grasp. As his focus adjusted, her fear washed over him again, knocking the breath out of him. He moved to sit on a box, helping her remain upright even as she continued to fold in on herself. Midnight's influence had obviously not worn off yet, so Natsu rubbed his hand in large circles on her back as he whispered to her.
"Luce, it's okay, I've got you. You're okay now, he's gone. I'm here, there's nothing to worry about now. You're okay. I'm here." He ran his other hand up and down her arm, feeling the chill that radiated from her, even through the leather of her coat. He considered carrying her home, but decided against moving her until he could get her to come out of whatever dream or vision held her so tightly in its grip. In a move that he would not analyze until much later, he pulled off his most beloved possession and wrapped the scarf around her neck, leaving much of the material to hang over her torso. In an effort to distract her, he started to talk to her.
"Did you know that I've only ever taken that scarf off once since Igneel gave it to me? Not that I can't go without wearing it, I can for a few hours, but I just don't ever want to. It's made from his scales, have I ever told you that? Those are genuine dragon scales. He passed away a few years ago. It's been hard without him, but wearing that scarf makes me feel like he's always there. All I have to do is touch it, and it's like he never even left."
Lucy's shivering stopped as she listened to Natsu talk, surprised by the topic he'd chosen. As though they had a mind of their own, her hands moved under the cloak Natsu wore to the heat underneath. She focused all her energy on stuffing down the memories the other demon had resurrected. Natsu's voice and the heat coming from him and the scarf around her neck slowly pushed away the darkness trying to pull her back down.
She refused to open her eyes as he held her against him, instead burying her head into his chest. The movement made Natsu pause, but he continued to talk to her, telling her that Happy and Carla had helped him find her, that Erza was nearby taking care of the problem… reassuring her that she was safe.
Lucy risked opening an eye. When she saw the alley around her, she closed her eye again quickly. "Can… can you carry me home? I don't want to be here anymore."
"Absolutely," he said, standing up. He adjusted her weight slightly before starting to walk. Above him, his companions silently floated. He nodded towards Lucy's building, letting them know they could return.
Lucy turned her head, pressing her ear against Natsu's chest so she could listen to his heartbeat as he walked. The steady beat under her ear helped immensely, and by the time she heard Natsu say they were back, she just about had her emotions back under control.
She pulled back to thank Natsu, but the words died in her throat. He had stopped in front of the stairs leading to her building, the light on the street behind him casting a shadow across his face and body. Fear immediately rose back up before Lucy could shake it.
Natsu cursed quietly, immediately forcing himself to change back to his human form as he apologized. "I'm sorry, Lucy, I should have changed back sooner."
Lucy struggled to find her voice as his horns and scales disappeared. "N-no, no, i-it's o-okay. I sh-"
Just before Natsu finished transforming, the door in front of them slammed open, revealing a disheveled, frantic looking Loke. "What the hell is going on?"
Tehe. I feel evil.
So I've read a lot of different stories with magic and played a lot of D&D (nerd alert) and other games with magic. There's always a theme to the type of magic a person can use, except for wizards, generally, and I find that extremely boring. I prefer to write about magic users that can use their magic to do whatever they want, they just have to learn how to manipulate it correctly. So if it seems weird that Nastu is using his doing all sorts of things, that's on purpose. If anyone ever has questions about how something in my world works, you only have to ask, and I can shoot out a response, whether in PM or even in the A/N of the next story. I'll always do my best to make sure things get explained.
Until next time!
