Beads of sweat covered Lucy's forehead and she used the back of her hand to wipe away the sweat that slid down her face. She managed to reach the outskirts of Magnolia, her gut feeling making her suspect that that's where Zeref would most likely keep Natsu; to keep an eye out on Fairy Tail, especially Fairy Heart until the time was right.
A gust of wind made her clothes flutter and something soft gently rubbed against her leg. She looked down and her eyes widened in shock while her heart skipped a beat. There lay Natsu's scarf, entangled around her leg.
"No way..." She whispered in disbelief. That was the scarf Igneel gave to him. Natsu was never seen without it. Bending over, she grabbed the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Natsu's scent engulfed her and she closed her eyes, imagining him holding her, reassuring her that everything was okay. Sorrow and loneliness took over her heart and her eyebrows furrowed in disdain. She flashed open her eyes now filled with determination. No matter what, she would bring Natsu home.
Using Natsu's scarf as a source of power, she continued her search for him with a spring in her step.
"My scarf!" A voice exclaimed happily from behind her.
Lucy jumped and whirled around, clutching onto the scarf instinctively.
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled in surprise, blinking a few times to make sure the heat wasn't playing tricks on her.
"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu waved with his signature grin on his face, as he ran to hug her.
"Fire Dragon's Hug! He yelled as he clamped onto her and they fell with a thud from the sheer force of his hug. He toppled over her, laughing.
"Where have you been?" He asked, getting off of her and sitting down crossed legged, that cheeky grin made Lucy's heart flutter.
"N-Natsu...?" She stuttered, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked with furrowed brows, sliding his hand down his face. "Did I get it off?"
"Erm... no. That's..." She began but couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
Natsu frowned as he swept at his face again. "How about now?"
"No. That not it." Lucy huffed, a little frustrated. It was the same old Natsu, but she couldn't let her guard down just yet.
Natsu pushed himself off the ground, wiping the dirt off his pants. He held out a hand to her. "Let's go back to the guild." He invited, looking down at her with a contagious smile that reached his eyes.
Lucy couldn't help but reach out for his hand, and just as she was about to lay it in his, something flickered across Natsu's eyes. It was brief, but she knew what she saw, it was Natsu's fighting spirit that sparked through his eyes at her. Warning her.
Natsu's smile faltered, but it appeared again as quickly as it disappeared. "What's wrong, Lucy? Don't you want to go back to the guild? With me?" He said the last part softly, feigning hurt.
Lucy's face contorted in rage. How dare whatever took control of Natsu play with her emotions.
"Enough!" She hollered, balling up her fists and throwing them to her side, shaking with fury.
Natsu's smile completely fell this time, and his whole expression changed. His eyes were voided of any emotion except malice, the corners of his mouth twisted up into a sinister smile. "So you saw through it, huh?" The beast mused. "And I thought I was doing a great job at imitating him." He teased her with that devilish grin on his face.
Lucy stayed silent, gritting her teeth as the rage bubbled inside her. She stared at the supposed Natsu with narrowed, steely eyes.
"Yikes," He exclaimed. "I understand now."
"Understand what?" Lucy demanded, crossing her arms.
"His memories. He thinks that you can rival Erza when you're angry."
Lucy lost her composure for a second upon hearing that, but quickly regained it, her eyes darkening with barely contained anger.
The beast sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with."
Lucy immediately got into a fighting stance, her hand already reaching for her keys.
The beast immediately shot the keys out of her hand with a ball of fire. "Now, now, don't be too hasty. Let's play a little memory game." He taunted, looking at her with those empty eyes, making Lucy's skin crawl.
"If you can answer this correctly, I will let you live. However, if you get it wrong, I get to kill you." He said cheerfully.
"No way!" Lucy yelled, lunging for her keys. "Open! Gate of The Bull! Taurus!"
"Yes, Ms. Luuucy?" The Bull said, standing in front of Lucy protectively. "I won't let you hurt that body!" He threatened.
"Hey!" Lucy complained in the background.
"Okay, change of plans." The appearance of the celestial spirit seeming to unaffect him. "I'll let the bull answer." He smiled wickedly.
"Okay, Bull, what do I get when I put a little flame on my right hand," A brilliant, enormous flame fluttered to life in his right hand.
"Moooo, I do not understand what you are saying." Taurus bellowed, getting his ax ready for battle.
"And a little flame on my left hand?" He muttered, igniting another flame . They fluttered in his hands as a gentle breeze caressed them.
"What do I get?" He stressed, giving him a few more seconds to respond, looking at him expectantly.
Lucy stared on in horror. So much dark energy radiated off of Natsu. Whatever was controlling him was truly a beast.
Taurus noticed the aura too for Lucy saw him tensing up, actually taking this fight seriously.
"You don't know? He asked in chagrin.
Taurus started a dead bolt for him.
"I'm sorry, Natsu." Lucy whispered in sorrow at having to attack her own friend.
"Well how about a demonstration?" He yelled, bringing back his arms as far as they could go, the flames growing larger with every inch he moved, she felt the blistering heat from where she was standing.
"You get the Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" He merged the two flames together, forming one big fireball.
"Watch out, Taurus!" Lucy cried out in distress as the fireball was hurled at her celestial spirit.
Taurus managed to block it with his ax but a second fireball was quickly ignited which hit Taurus full on, the impact making him skid backwards a good couple of feet. Taurus quickly got back on his feet.
"Bulls really are stubborn." The beast muttered in annoyance. "Okay then. Let's see how long you'll last!" He challenged, running towards the bull.
"Fire Dragon's claw!" He yelled, as he brought back his arm and struck Taurus.
Lucy lifted a hand to her mouth and cried out in anguish as her celestial spirit was struck again. She immediately reached for her celestial whip but Taurus's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Stay out of this, Lucy. He is much too dangerous." Taurus's face was laced with anger and seriousness.
"Bu-," She began to argue.
"No." The sheer force of command and finality that Taurus managed to put into that simple word made her shut up and drop her whip.
"I will handle this." Taurus proclaimed, staring down the beast with narrowed eyes.
Blow after blow were shared among the two, neither party seeming to win. "You're not so bad for a spirit," Huffed the beast, a little winded.
"I'd say the same for you, but I'd be lying." Taurus remarked menacingly, taking another swing with his ax.
The amount of magic it was taking Lucy to keep the gate opened was starting to take a toll on her. She wouldn't be able to keep the gate open for much longer.
"Hurry..." She pleaded, resting her hands on her knees.
Taurus glanced at her and saw her bent over, huffing from the strain. In that split second he looked away, the beast took the chance and blasted him with a fireball, sending Taurus flying.
"Taurus!" Lucy cried out, reaching out a hand towards him.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Lucy." Taurus grieved, his eyes downcast. The gate automatically closed and Lucy collapsed onto all fours, panting from the lack of energy.
"That was unexpected, but it turned out in my favor." The beast smiled maliciously. "You're too weak to stand."
"But you've also been weakened." Lucy retorted, smirking up at him.
The beast's face contorted with rage and he ran up to her, kicking her in the ribs.
She cried out in pain as she hit the ground, clutching her side. "Is that all you got?" She challenged, gritting her teeth against the heated throbbing on her side.
"You Fairy's never know when to give up." He said, annoyance laced throughout his words. "But I will see your wings burn, little Fairy." That demonic smile crept back onto his face, and those evil eyes bore into hers again, causing knots to form in her stomach as dread orchestrated them.
Lucy clutched the scarf that wrapped around her, giving her strength. "As long as I'm breathing, I will never give up. I will fight to bring back Natsu." She returned the beast's gaze, staring him down fearlessly. "And I know that he'll always be fighting to take back control of his body." She sucked in a huge breath of air and yelled, "Do you hear me, Natsu?! I believe in you! Snap out of it!"
"Stop this foolishness." The beast growled, its' patience running thin.
"Now, time to hear me roar." He declared, his chest rising as he took in a deep breath. He placed his hands one on top of the other, creating a tunnel in front of his mouth to direct the fire.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the blow that was sure to come.
"Fire Dragon's," He began, still sucking in air, "Roar!" He yelled as he unleashed the fire that was probably conjured from the depths of hell.
Lucy tensed up, awaiting the searing pain but it never came. A loud explosion took its' place and Lucy's eyes shot open, as the sound resounded in her ears painfully. She opened them in time to witness the spell blow up in the beast's face.
The aura of evil dissipated and Lucy let herself feel a little bit of hope.
She stumbled to her feet and ran to where Natsu was kneeling on all fours, desperately clutching the Earth. His breathing was ragged and strained.
"Stay away!" Natsu burst out desperately.
Lucy stopped in her tracks. "Natsu?" She whispered, startled by the outburst.
"Run!" He yelled with the same tone and force behind it as his first outburst. He tightened his grip on the earth, uprooting grass in the process.
Lucy frowned in determination and closed the distance between them, dropping onto her knees besides him and clutching onto him. "I'm not leaving you!" She said defiantly.
"Please..." He begged, a tear strolling down his face. "I don't know how much longer I can hold him off." He whispered, his voice cracking.
"I believe in you, Natsu." Lucy replied stubbornly, squeezing onto him tightly.
"I don't want to hurt you again!" He yelled in anguish, releasing the earth. He grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and pushed her back.
A lump formed in Lucy's throat. His eyes were dark with fury. "Would you listen to me for just once!" He bellowed, grinding his teeth. His grip on her was becoming painful.
"Natsu..." She whispered with wide eyes, wincing in pain.
He immediately loosened his grip. His body was starting to tremble from the strain.
"You can do it, Natsu." Lucy encouraged, grabbing him and resting his head against her chest and laying hers on top of his, stroking his hair soothingly.
"Lucy..." Natsu strained, his body trembling even more. "I'm sorry." He uttered.
Lucy's grip on Natsu was ripped away as a blast of fire sent her skidding away from him. She tumbled across the ground like a tumble weed, scraping the majority of her body.
The evil aura immediately returned.
"That insulate idiot!" The beast raged, flames crawling up his arms. "I will make your death a thousand times more painful now!" He threatened. The fury radiating off of him made Lucy cringe away.
The beast took a deep breath, the air around his mouth wavering from the heat that he was creating. As his chest rose, the heat around him became unbearable. He put his hands one on top of the other above his mouth in a tunnel formatiom and yelled, "Fire Dragon King's Roar!"
Lucy's face drained of all color. That spell was one of Natsu's most powerful ones. It boiled water in milliseconds, scorched the very earth that it grazed, dissintegrated a thousand troops; and all of it was directed at her.
Lucy's eyes widened in fear and her breathing hitched. She stood frozen in place, her heart relentlessly thumping in her chest. It was the brightest flame she'd ever seen.
The world around her was slowed down; the birds no longer flew elegantly above, the breeze that seemed to stir the grass felt like nothing but a puff of breath on her skin. And all she could see was that fire encroaching on her, the light reflecting off of her horrified eyes. Thoughts raced through her mind. So this is how it ends, she thought bitterly.
She grimaced and pulled herself together because she had one thing to say before she was obliterated by the flame. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "I love you Natsu! And I forgive you!"
And just like that, time started normally again. The blistering heat of the nearing fire made her cry out in pain. And before she knew it, it engulfed her.
The spell barreled through the field, incinerating anything that was unfortunate enough to cross paths with it.
The beast laughed manically. "Now look at what you did." He taunted Natsu as he gave back Natsu's body for a few minutes.
Natsu stood frozen in shock as he looked at the barren earth before him. Then he was tumbling over his own feet as he sprinted for the spot Lucy was just at. "Lucy!" He yelled desperately. He hoped that somehow she was still alive. She had to be.
A lump formed in his throat as he skid to where she was laying but all that he spotted was his scarf fluttering in the breeze. He picked it up with trembling hands as his world started to crumble apart.
"No..." He muttered to himself, crumpling the scarf in his clenched fists, hot tears rapidly falling down his cheeks. "This- no." He couldn't form a coherent sentence as he refused to accept that she was gone.
"LUCY!" He roared, thrusting his head back while fire engulfed his body, forming the shape of a dragon. Scales started to appear on him as his dragon slayer magic started to build up in response to his rage. His roar echoed for miles and could rival that of a real dragon.
His flames burned with grief for what he did to his comrades, for what he did to Lucy. He clutched the scarf to his chest, the smell of her on his scarf wafting towards him. Even more rage bubbled inside of him as the smell brought back memories of them together. Each passing memory relentlessly tortured him. His flames grew larger and hotter with each memory and his roar became deafening.
His eyes widened when he remembered Lucy's last words. I love you. And I forgive you. It resounded in his head, driving him insane.
"Damn you!" He cried out, hitting the ground with his fists. "You took away something precious from me!" He raged, pupils contracting to mere slits.
"And I will make you pay tenfold!" He promised, knowing that the beast could hear him. "I will find that book and destroy you!"
Ayooo! :3
Hope I managed to convey the scene I had in mind properly. Especially the emotion... that was quite hard to do but after revising it multiple, multiple times I think I managed to get it as right as I could. Anyway, thoughts on this chapter would be awesome. Oooo, and speculations on what will happen next? Can that be a thing?
Ahaha, anyway, I hoped you enjoyed! :)