Chapter Four: The Boy
A/N: Let's GO!
They reach the old woman's house faster than they had expected; she lives really close to where they had started from. But the walk lasts long enough for them to question why they are all following the duo. When they reach the door, Natsu goes ahead of the old woman, shocking the group. But then he pulls a key out of his right glove and inserts it in the door. They all just stare, jaw dropped as he unlocks this stranger's door and opens it for her.
"Why does he have a key?" Gray whispers and Erza just purses her lips before shaking her head. Obviously, the duo are close as Marie hardly reacts to the pinkette, opting to chuckle at him before heading inside.
Immediately, they can smell the chemicals of the house. It hits them like a brick wall, almost as if a magical barrier were at the door, and Happy places a paw on his mouth to prevent rude gagging. Lucy takes a moment for the foreign chemicals to burn her nose, It's not all from cleaning. After all, she has almost too much experience in cleaning, especially after Natsu's messes all those years ago (she still finds the oddest things in the most random of places.)
Natsu looks to the group for a moment before turning his gaze to Marie. She sees the clear confliction in his eyes and sends him an understanding smile.
"Right this way, I want to personally meet you all!" She guides them to the right and into the living room while Natsu disappears up the stairs. "Seems we lost some people." She gives them a pointed look but lets it slide. "Sit down, would you like anything to drink?"
"Water would be great. Thank you." Lucy asks and only then does Marie take notice of her slightly red-rimmed eyes. Of course she needs water, and Marie decides she'll put a little salt in the water to really help the girl out. "Sting, Rogue, want anything to eat?" They both decline and with a knowing smile she heads into the kitchen. When she comes back, she has enough glasses of water for them all, alongside something white and black for Sting and Rogue respectively. If they hadn't thought of her as the grandmother type before, this solidified it.
"So you met Natsu after Gratendo, I'm guessing." Marie eyes Lucy for a moment before sending the blonde a small smile.
"Yes, dear, we did."
"We?" Gray immediately echos and Marie chuckles lightly.
"Oh, that idiot didn't tell you? Of course not."
"He wouldn't tell us he was blind unless he had to." Happy chirps up, finally seeming more on the happy side. They all laugh lightly at him and Marie chuckles at the small cat.
"What!" A feminine screech comes from up the stairs and they all jump. "Well! Let's go!"
"Aki, you can't-" Natsu's words come out in an amused laugh.
"I can and I will!"
"Aki, what-" The voices quiet down and everyone turns to the few people not absolutely bewildered.
"Who's that?" Erza demands from Sting.
"Is that the 'we'?" Lucy adds and Marie nods.
"Yes. Aki, my granddaughter." She nods and Sting eyes her for a moment, aware of her shyness in continuing. She isn't a shy person, but when it comes to her granddaughter, it's a different story. A different fact of life she has to face. A fact she never believed she would ever have to prepare herself for.
"They met when Gratendo attacked." Sting admits and Marie sends him a reassuring glance, it does its job and he relaxes slightly. "He… she got hurt. Natsu and her are the only ones who got cursed by Gratendo."
"Cursed?" Gray jumps, quickly recalling Deliora once more.
"Natsu's cursed?" Mira questions, more familiar with demon's than anyone else in the room.
"Yes." Marie states. "For Aki, it's an… an illness." She chokes out and they don't need any clarification.
"And for Natsu?" Lucy asks as she comforts Happy against her chest. They're both worried for him, all worried for him, and the need to know is clear in their eyes. "He doesn't seem sick."
"No, it's different. For him, it's his hand."
"His hand?"
"UP!" Aki almost squeals from upstairs and they all still as a door is slammed - kicked? - open.
"Dear Mavis, fine!" Natsu fakes gruffness. Heavy steps come from upstairs and are slow coming down. "You're heavy!"
"And you're a liar." The voices get louder and they all hear the last step. In a swift turn, Natsu's around the corner of the staircase and spots the group.
In his arms is a woman. She's small and seems frail beneath the thick blanket wrapped around her. Her arms lay out of the blanket in her lap, skin almost translucent with blue veins so vibrant they seem to be drawn on. They are all shocked to see Natsu's scarf tied deftly around her head to hold brown hair out of her face.
"Hey guys. This is Aki." Natsu says casually and she energetically waves a hand at the small group.
"Oh! Is that Happy?" She reaches a hand out and Happy is quick to leap towards her, pulling his wings out so he hovers within her reach.
"Aye Sir!"
"She's not a 'sir'." Lucy scolds but Aki just laughs.
"Natsu's stories don't do you justice." She compliments the exceed and Happy puffs up in pride.
"I'm pretty great." She scratches behind his ear in a way she knows he likes and he can't help but purr beneath her touch. His wings flicker for a moment as he's so in bliss he loses focus.
"Happy!" Natsu lightly barks in time for Happy to not fall on his face.
"Oops, sorry!" He glides to the floor and looks up in embarrassment.
"Oh it's alright. I used your weakness against you." She winks at the cat before looking to the rest of the group. "And your team. What an honor to properly meet you, Titania."
"Call me Erza." She greets with a nod.
"And Lucy, I apologize in Natsu's stead. I have a feeling he hasn't gotten to that. He caused you too much trouble."
"You probably don't know the half of it." And the two girls laugh much to the pinkettes' plight.
"And of course, that means you're Gray." The ice mage just nods and she flicks her eyes to Natsu. "I'm sure his stories of you also don't do you justice."
"That knucklehead? 'Course not." And again the group laughs and Natsu even joins in.
"So, you're..." She eyes Mira who stands there patiently, understanding that the woman wants to get the names right on the first go. "Lis - no, your hair's long. Mirajane? Where are your siblings?" Mira laughs lightly and gives Natsu a knowing look.
"Did you tell her everything? Should I be worried?"
"What is there to be worried about?" Natsu asks innocently but Mira just looks to Aki.
"No worries, Mira. Can I call you Mira?"
"So long as I can call you Aki." And the group can feel a strong bond form with this addition to their family. Although she isn't a Fairy Tail mage, they have a feeling that she's still family.
"You got them all." Sting gives a nod of approval and she turns her eyes to him.
"Well, they're not all here, I got lucky." She then raises a brow at the bow but as her mouth opens Natsu interrupts her.
"Would you like a chair, Aki?"
"Are you getting tired, big ol' dragon?" She teases but he just shakes his head and heads for the empty chair.
"I'm not old…" He pouts before plopping in the chair and propping Aki to more of a sitting position. Of course, she helps him, not entirely helpless. The group sees how she seems to melt in Natsu's frame, a hand resting on his chest and her cheek lightly pressed against his shoulder. His arm is lazily yet protectively wrapped around her, enough to give her space but keep her from falling.
"So, Sting, Rogue, I hear you're still causing a lot of trouble." She eyes him and the glare is terrifying yet familiar to the group. Yeah, she fits perfectly in their family.
"Hop off them, Aki."
"No. You have enough to deal with as it is. You're just a big pushover, admit it."
"Eh?"
"Don't act dumb." She shakes her head at them. And although the small group feels slightly excluded by the interaction, they don't really mind. In fact, they like it. It tells them more about Natsu and they want to learn everything they can about the man Natsu has become. They have to catch up on seven years of change, after all.
"If it really becomes an issue, I'll deal with it. So lay off them."
"Ah, fine. For now. But next time I won't be so lenient." And the glint in her eye is enough to send shivers down their spines.
"Should we leave you two alone?" Gray says and crosses his arms, although there's no malice in his tone. For a moment, the majority of the group almost laughs but they get a feel for the room and pause. Natsu and Aki don't have their typical glint in their eyes. Aki's eyes which moments before had been a bright hazel seem to dull into murky brown. Sting's hands are clenched so tightly his knuckles are bleached white. Marie seems to be forcing herself with a tight smile, making eye contact with Sting and Rogue more than anyone else.
Gray isn't sure what he did, but he regrets each word that came from his mouth.
"Sorry to make you feel left out." Aki says with half of a smile. The entire moment lasted seconds, but for mages every second counts, and they are too perceptive to brush it off as them just thinking of a response. But, seeing the two now, Aki no longer seems to melt into the pinkette, her form stiffer. Natsu's hold is far less comfortable, also stiff as if it were a mechanical action he was doing because he needs to rather than wants to. The hard look in his eye doesn't really leave until they are halfway back to the guild.
The rest of the conversation flowed easily, but the mages were quick to find lines they had to tiptoe around. Gratendo was an obvious one, and when Mira tested the waters lightly just to make sure, she immediately felt bad. The anxiety that showed on Aki's face proved to them all that it had been too traumatic of a thing to so casually bring up.
Of course, Gray didn't need anyone telling him that. He still gets heated over Deliora.
"Wendy should look at your scarf." Mira states and the topic is random enough to confuse the group.
"Eh? Wendy? What -"
"HELP!" The sharp cry causes all the mages to go on alert. Natsu flicks his nose in the air to try and find a scent of malice, but all he gets is overwhelming fear. They quickly find the child and their hearts break at the fact that it's a child. Immediately they drop their guard.
The grief stricken kid blindly runs straight for the group, his goal clearly being to just keep going - probably until he reaches the guild. However, they can easily see the way he stumbles every now and then and struggles to recover. His tattered clothing and bruises tell the group all they need to know.
Natsu is quick to intercept the kid, gently plopping down in front of him with his arms open. The kid hardly notices but he flicks his head up perhaps a foot away from Natsu. When he sees the pinkette and his kind eyes, the kid's tears begin falling - again, they realize - and he collapses in the guild master's arms.
"Whoa there." Natsu's voice comes out, calm and soothingly. Natsu cradles the child in his arms and runs a hand through raven hair to get a better look as his young face. His dark complexion almost accents how exhausted and tired the child is, with deep bags under his eyes and cheeks slightly reddened by self-induced fever. He must have been running non-stop. The boy's eyes are unfocused, his mouth shaping words yet nothing comes out.
"Is he alright?" Mira asks softly as she goes to Natsu's height and checks the child for any injury. Other than for the small scrapes, there's nothing to cause great alarm.
"Hel… help..." He croaks and chokes on air.
"Let's take him to the guild." Natsu says and slowly stands. "Happy, go ahead of us. Can you prep a bed?"
"Aye sir!" And in a moment his wings are out and he's gone. Natsu moves his hand off the boy's head but in an instant the child, who up to that point had hardly been lucid, snaps his hand out and grabs Natsu's left hand.
"Dem… guil… help. Help. Help!" The kids gasps as if suddenly coming to. He jolts and his grip on Natsu's hand becomes stronger. "Demon. Demon! Dad! Where's my Dad!" The kid begins shouting and Natsu struggles to keep hold of the suddenly aware child. He's hyperventilating and Natsu looks to Sting while trying to hide a wince.
Silently but swiftly, Sting takes the child from Natsu and places the child on the ground. Natsu keeps an eye on the kid while cradling his left hand, an action the group hardly cares to notice.
"Breathe." Lucy softly commands as she places a soothing hand on the kids back. Gray is right there with her, both trying to calm the boy enough to get some answers.
As the kid calms down, Natsu watches for a moment before swiftly turning and going to the guild.
"Natsu?" Erza calls after but he hardly turns to look at her.
"I'm - I'll help Happy." Erza creases her brow at his stutter but doesn't mention it.
"Hey, honey, I'm Mira. Can you say that? Mira? Listen to the sound of my voice. Mira. Okay?"
"Hel… Mir… Mi. Mira." He stutters and Mira cups the child's face in her hands.
"Mira, yes, Mira."
"Mira. Mira. Mira. Mira, help."
"Let's take you somewhere safe. Then we can help you, okay?" Lucy adds.
"We'll protect you, don't worry." Gray states and Sting turns to Rogue.
"Maybe we should get Porlyusica." Rogue just silently nods before leaving the group. They're better at dealing with people than himself.
"Let's go." Erza commands and Sting scoops the child in his arms. At first, he squirms for a moment but Mira steps right up beside Sting.
"Shh. Hun, it's okay. You're safe."
"Dem… demon." He gasps, emerald eyes kept wide with fear. "Help… my..." He starts to hyperventilate again but Mira keeps him calm. The group walks slowly, Erza at the head with Lucy and Gray keeping an eye on anyone that may approach. They reach the near empty guild hall and all the guild members are on high alert.
"What happened?" Laxus asks gruffly but they can see a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Is he here?" Wendy calls from the infirmary. Natsu then walks out of the infirmary and sees the group.
"Did he say something?" The group heads to the pinkette and Lucy shakes her head.
"Something about a demon." They watch Sting lay the kid on the bed. Immediately Wendy starts up her magic and Mira goes across from her and takes the kid's hand.
"A demon?" Natsu echoes immediately and leans towards the child. He sniffs the boy, an action familiar to the group. He stays for a moment longer before swiftly turning on his heel and leaving the infirmary. Sting is quick to follow then the rest of the group. "A demon. Goddammit. The council didn't say anything." He growls with a hand running through his hair.
The shake of his left hand is hardly noticeable but to a select few.
"Natsu-"
"I'm fine, Sting." He snaps but then sighs before sitting at the bar. "Sorry. I'm fine. If there's a demon out, we gotta… gotta stop it. Lucy, can you and Mira figure out where he's from?" Lucy eyes Sting for a moment before nodding.
"Of course."
"Shit." He sighs and places a hand on his forehead.
"I need. It should be… Zagnois." He then nods. "Laxus, go get the smell of that demon in your nose."
"What?" The dragon slayer sneers but Natsu just raises his brow at his fellow mage.
"You're gonna help me. Go smell it." Laxus glares for a moment before sighing and following Lucy to the infirmary. The guild doors then open as Rogue enters followed by Porlyusica.
"Humans, what do you want now?" She growls and Natsu is quick to stand and go towards her.
"A kid saw a demon. Can you see if he was cursed?" Porlyusica then sighs, grumbles about humans once more, but silently obeys. "Rogue, can you grab my com lacrima?"
"Of course." And Rogue disappears only to reappear in shadow a moment later. Then Erza sees the shake of his hand as he takes the lacrima.
"Natsu you should-" He ignores her as he places the lacrima on a table and puts his magic into it. It glows dimly for a moment before flashing brightly.
"Natsu? What -" A feminine voice groggily responds but Natsu has none of it.
"There's been another attack."
"Attack, what-"
"A demon, dammit, a demon attack. Can you find it?"
"Shit, a demon? We'll get right on it." And as the lacrima light fades Natsu collapses into a chair.
"Salamander, what the hell. Calm down."
"I'm calm." He states in a half growl. Rogue silently places a bottle in front of the pinkette and Natsu eyes it for a moment. Sting then places a glass of water beside the bottle. He takes a deep breath and shakily grabs the bottle. He places his left hand on the cap but fails to get a substantial grip on it. It's a pitiful sight and the majority of the group just sits in confusion as Sting silently takes the bottle and opens it for him. "Thanks." He says softly before pouring three pills into his hand.
Still shaking, he pops the pills in his mouth and washes them down with the water.
"Natsu, are you alright?"
"'M fine."
"And I'm Rogue." Sting snaps but wilts under Natsu's glare.
"His name's Rokem." Lucy calls as she leaves the infirmary, Laxus once more on her tail.
"That smells disgusting." He scowls but he isn't angry. After having seen the boy, he knows how serious it must be.
"His name's Rokem O'Conner, he's from Belgin."
"Belgin?" Natsu echos and taps his fingers on the table. "That's not too far. How'd Rokem get here? Did he hitchhike?"
"He said he's a mage." At that Natsu nods, aware of how magic protects its user. It must have aided the kid in coming to Magnolia.
"How is he?"
"He'll be fine."
"Did he get cursed?" At that Lucy silently nods and Natsu leans over, placing his head in his hands. "Damn..."
"Are you okay?" Erza asks as she takes a seat at the table, the others slowly following after.
"I'm fine. We need to-"
"Belgin's in the middle of nowhere. That demon isn't getting anywhere soon. Rokem said it fell asleep."
"That doesn't matter." He shakes his head at the blond and crosses his hands on the table. "It uses lightning, Laxus. It's not a smart demon, so the two of us should be fine."
"Natsu!" Erza growls and he snaps his head up to look at her.
"What?"
"You're shaking." He looks to his hands and cracks a crooked grin.
"Yeah." He then looks to the still standing Laxus. "Finish packing for the games. We leave-"
"Tomorrow. You aren't going today." Porlyusica then says and Sting heaves a big sigh of relief. He doesn't want to fight Natsu if he can help it. Because he would have lost, and it's a fight they can't afford to lose. But Porlyusica, on the other hand, never loses.
"Porlyusica, is he-"
"He'll be fine. You, on the other hand, need to rest. That demon isn't going anywhere."
"But-"
"No buts, you stupid human. He needs to take this medicine." She places the bottle on the table and her eyes land on the similar bottle already opened. "Do you need a refill."
"Maybe soon." She nods and closes her large bag.
"It impacts his dreams. This medicine should keep him from dreaming, but there's no guarantee with demons."
"What would we do without you." He says with a small smile and she just raises a brow at him.
"Probably be less reckless." Natsu can't help but laugh while Porlyusica just scoffs and takes her leave.
"Thank you."
"Humans." And she's gone.
"What's your curse?" Erza asks, straightforward as always. Natsu laughs and slowly screws the cap back on the open bottle, his left hand no longer shaking as badly.
"Who said I was cursed?"
"Marie." Gray jumps in and Natsu flicks his eyes to the male.
"Well it's not important." He licks his lips and looks at Sting. They have a silent conversation the others try to read.
"You've always been like this." Gray scowls and rolls his eyes. "Keeping your secrets and pretending everything's fine. Just spit it out already." After a moment, Natsu pouts and leans back in his chair.
"You're gonna blackmail me, aren't ya." The knowing look in Gray's eyes tells Natsu all he needs to know. "Fine, fine. It's just 're acting like it's such a big deal."
"Just pain? You got all snappy with us and couldn't even open a bottle."
"Still just pain." He waves a hand while Sting crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. "And apparently I'm not the only one being snappy." Sting pouts in response.
"He's fast asleep now." Mira calls as she enters the room. There's a general feeling of relief when they hear that, glad that the child will be alright.
"You guys can sleep at the guild. I paid your rent, but I don't know the state of your homes." He states sheepishly and reaches to grab the bottle from the table.
"Oh my Mavis you paid my rent? Thank you! Thank you so much!" Lucy cries out and reaches to hold Natsu's hand in her own, unsure of how to properly show her gratitude. She gives a small squeeze and sends him a genuine smile. "You really didn't have to. Thank you so much!" Natsu hardly responds, frozen stiff as he forces a smile across his face.
"It, ahem. It was the least I could do." He clears his throat and gives a heavy exhale. "I'm, I'm gonna prepare for tomorrow." His tongue darts out to lick his lips and he finds himself blinking more than necessary. The sudden tension in his body is caught by everyone and Lucy slowly lets go of his hand, unsure of what exactly had happened. "See ya tomorrow." And when Lucy's hand is far enough away from him, he vanishes in a swirl of fire and a crackle of lightning.
"Sorry?" Lucy whispers to the strands of smoke that float through the air.
"That's the curse." Rogue states and they all turn to the typically silent man.
"What?"
"It's his left hand." Sting then adds and they look at the two dragon slayers, clearly expecting an explanation. "Gratendo's fire burnt his left hand. And he's cursed to always feel that pain. That medicine helps a little, but it's an unhealable open wound. We haven't found a way to close it."
"Open? So he just feels the pain as if it were an open wound?" Mira asks, and again Sting wants to sigh but bites it back.
"No. It's literally an open wound. Like Aki's illness, it can't be healed."
"But then, what, it always bleeds? How can he do anything with his hand?"
"He can't." Rogue states. "He forces himself to. He says he's used to it, but no one really believes him."
"So I just." Lucy stops and looks to her own hands. "Where'd he go?"
"His office. Probably."
"I should-" She sharply stands and Erza follows right after.
"There's no point." Sting says with a sigh and takes Natsu's old seat. He sits heavily, clearly tired from more than just the events of the day. "We just do what we can when he let's us."
"You gave up on him?" Gray asks and Sting jolts at the accusation.
"Hell no!" He growls defensively. "No. Never. The only thing we can really do now is find a permanent solution." He states. "You know how stubborn he was. Trust me, it's worse now."
"Of course it is, that bastard." Gajeel says from the bar. He takes a swig of his drink before placing the empty glass back down. "Well, I'm goin ta bed. Keep it down down here." And with that he lumbers up the stairs to the infirmary. When he reaches the room, he spots Rokem covered in bandages and smelling like a mix between dark magic and Juvia in an odd way. "What world did we come in to?"
In the guild hall, Rogue, Mira, and Lucy get to cleaning up the small mess they had made. The others work on fixing up the room itself, which isn't all too messy except for the odd misplaced chair.
"So tomorrow I just gotta watch out for his hand?" Laxus says as he hands Mira an empty bottle.
"Basically." Rogue responds as he takes said bottle. "And be careful with cursed attacks."
"And how the fuck am I supposed to know what a cursed attack is?"
"It feels different." The shadow dragon slayer says and pauses for a moment, looking at the glass bottle rather than Laxus. "You can't help but feel dread. Like the attack will rip out your soul." Rogue then places the bottle under the counter. "Don't worry, Master will warn you."
Slowly, the group heads to the infirmary and say their farewells to Mira, Sting and Rogue who opt to head to their own homes.
Later in the night, a scream comes from nowhere.
"Stop! Help. Dad! Please, don't - don't!" The words come out between choked sobs and tortured gasps, but before anyone else in the room can reach the bed, a puff of fire is their only warning before Natsu is sitting on the bed. "Dad - Dad."
"Rokem. It's not real. Just breathe." He helps the boy to sit up and whispers comforting words - he hopes they're comforting at least.
"Help them, help-"
"Hey, I'm Natsu. And I'll help, I promise."
"Natsu?" He whispers, voice hoarse and eyes blurred with tears. "Natsu? As in, I made it?"
"You made it." The child launches into Natsu's lap suddenly, crying in earnest as he wraps his arms around the larger man.
"Oh - the demon, that demon, Master Natsu Dragneel, please -"
"Just Natsu is fine. Please, breathe. Just breathe. Everything'll be alright."
"But he's still here. How is he still here if I'm at Fairy Tail?" He cries out, sad tears coming once more into his eyes. Natsu takes hardly a moment to recall what Porlyusica had said.
"He won't come here. I won't let him." But Natsu knows that won't stop the dreams. He knows full well that nothing stops a curse. It's like a demon's gift for surviving the encounter. A cruel thing, really. "You know me. That's why you came here. Do you trust me?"
"But-" Natsu holds the kid tightly and draws circles on the child's back.
"Here. I'll sleep with you tonight. I'll keep it away." And the exhaustion is quick to catch up to the kid. It seems the physical exhaustion reverts him to a child unable to stay awake after a good cry. He falls asleep before his head hits the pillow. Natsu lays the kid down gently and places a hand on his head. He creases his brow in thought for a moment. "Sleep, sleep..." And when the kid starts to tremble as a nightmare takes shape, Natsu is quick to calm him and draw the nightmare away.
The rest of the group falls asleep some time later, deciding it would be better to let the duo sleep than interrupt with any questions or attempts at being helpful.
A/N: I like this better. Perhaps too wordy but not as wordy as before, that's for sure. Wrote this while watching The Twilight Zone. Don't know why.