**I do not won Fairy Tail!**
A/N - Reviews
sidjr100 - I'm hoping to continue updating on a fairly regular basis, however with being in school, and finals coming up soon, it might get a little harder until the summer.
fanficlove2014 - It's only going to get worse before it gets better, however there is a little bit of sweetness I'd like to think in this chapter for a bit of refreshment
Rinjichi - I'm glad you're enjoying it, I hope you continue to do so!
Chapter 3: Death of an Unclaimed Mate
She knew no pain. She knew no sight or sound or touch. She was just hanging there in suspension as something happened to her. She had been here for almost six months now and she knew something was happening, but she didn't know what. She was numb to everything and for that she was glad. A part of her somehow knew that she had retreated into herself, to protect herself, as things were done to her that she knew she wouldn't be able to handle. She knew she was losing herself. She was losing sight of what made her Lucy. And she knew those she once called friends weren't coming. For this, she embraced what was happening to her. She embraced the freedom that she was being given.
The silence in the guild hall was deafening, more so for the dragon slayers sitting together at one table. It had been six months since one of their own had been taken from them and still they didn't know where she was. The only thing they knew for certain was that she was still alive. No one said much these days for fear of unleashing the wrath of the guilds fire dragon slayer, knowing that even the slightest thing could set him off at any moment. Thankfully said dragon slayer stayed away most of the time, going on endless jobs to find any information he could about the dark guild Phantoms Fist, and any news that might be around of Lucy.
Six months before, after hearing that she was dying from Loke as Natsu recovered from the battle that she was stolen away from, the entire guild had been informed of the situation and that Natsu had been and still was on the edge of a psychotic break. Worry for Loke was felt by everyone as he continued to go back and forth between Earthland and the spirit world trying to find any information he could about Lucy. The concern grew to include each of Lucy's spirits as what appeared to be a red aura seemed to be eating away at each of them slowly.
As each day passed and the symptoms became worse, Freed and Levy with many of the guild mates buried themselves in the library to find anything that might point them in the right direction while the stronger fighters took missions and set out to search for Lucy themselves. It was so hard to keep up the hope that she was still alive but when Loke came back every other day or so, they knew she was still around. With the red aura growing and eating away at Loke though, they knew they were running out of time.
They weren't entirely sure how, but they knew that that aura had something to do with Lucy.
Tonight team Natsu with the Thunder Legion, Wendy, Juvia, Levy, Gajeel, and Loke sat together at one table, picking absently at the food in front of them. None of them knew what to say to the other, least of all to Natsu who sat glaring at his food like it was the one keeping Lucy from him.
"Loke how much longer?" Natsu asked quietly. His sudden words caused everyone at the table to jump and turned towards him warily. Clearing his throat slightly, Loke attempted to sit up a bit from his slumped position, fighting the pain that shot through him more and more every day.
"I-I don't know Natsu. None of the celestial spirits have been able to find her, not even the king." Loke answered, anger at himself evident in his voice and wariness at how Natsu would react.
"Then what fucking good are you?!" Natsu roared, shoving himself back from the table even as fire erupted around him and the others scrambled back from him.
"Natsu! That's enough! He's doing all he can you know that!" Erza shouted, quickly placing herself in front of Loke.
"Then that's not good enough!"
"Natsu! You're not the only one worried for bunny-girl!" Gajeel growled, looking back over his shoulder. As soon as he had seen Natsu jump up he had shifted to put an arm around Levy's waist, twisting to take the brunt of the heat coming off of his fellow dragon slayer. As Natsu spun around to face him, Gajeel braced himself, getting ready to shove Levy out of the way.
"That's damn easy for you to say tin-head, when you have your mate right there in your grasp and you haven't grown the goddamn balls to claim her! You have your mate next to you, and you're being an idiot with nuts for brains because you're too fucking scared to tell her!" Natsu snarled, ignoring the warning growl and dodging the iron arm that lashed out at him. Continuing his move, Natsu spun to face Laxus who was watching him with a snarl on his own face. "And you! You haven't claimed your mate either! How stupid can you guys be?" Dodging another fist, this time laced with lightning, Natsu backed up just enough to be able to face the iron and lightning dragon slayers.
"You need to stop Natsu, right the fuck now!" Laxus snarled, clenching his fists as he fought to keep his eyes shifting to the silver haired demon that manned the bar of the guild. He could smell the surprise from everyone in the guild, and knew from the burning at the base of his neck that his own mate was intensely aware of him at this moment. But he didn't need her to know about that yet, he wasn't ready! "You don't know what the hell you're talking about Natsu!" There was no stopping Natsu when he was like this though, hurting for his own mate, and worrying that his fellow dragon slayers would end up facing the same thing he was right now.
"The hell I don't Laxus! You're supposed to be the strongest one of us slayers and yet you can't man up enough to tell Mira that she's yours?! What bullshit!"
Laxus froze at the anger and pain filled eyes of Natsu, even as he heard the quiet gasp come from behind him. Letting his eyes fall shut in resignation, he realized he didn't have the drive to fight Natsu anymore, not when he knew Natsu was right.
"And you Gajeel! Levy's your mate, you know that! You're the iron dragon slayer dammit, of us you can literally have balls of steel, or in your case iron, and yet you haven't told her! Well congratulations, they now know! Now maybe you idiots will do something about it before what happened to Lucy happens to them!"
Gulping, Gajeel stumbled as he felt the small familiar body of Levy slam into his back, her arms wrapping around his waist. Lifting a hand to cover the ones resting on his stomach, Gajeel found himself backing down from the rage on his friends face. Silence fell over the guild hall once more as the anger slowly drained from Natasu; lifting his hands, he scrubbed them over his face before gripping handfuls of hair in hopes that the pain from that would help clear his head faster. Bringing his focus back to Laxus and Gajeel with tired eyes, he simply shook his head at them.
"Y-you knew who their mates were?" Wendy asked timidly, stepping up to rest a hand on Laxus's arm, watching as a sadness swam into Natsu's eyes.
"Yea. I knew. Just as they knew that Lucy is mine. And yes Wendy, I know who's yours is, you just haven't reached the age to claim him yet. Do your own self a favor Wendy. As soon as you can, tell him. Don't leave Romeo in the dark for long alright? And you two? I know you wanted to tell them in your own time, but I don't want to see what Lucy and I are going through right now happen to you. So just man up and talk to them." With that said, Natsu turned and walked out of the guild hall, leaving a stunned audience behind.
Of the three dragon slayers left in the hall, Wendy wasn't sure if she was the lucky one or not with Romeo having been elsewhere when this happened. Macao on the other hand…..Wendy sighed before turning to find him looking at her with a shocked look on his face. Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the others before approaching her mates father.
**Laxus**
Watching Natsu leave, Laxus slumped slightly in defeat. He had heard Mira gasp at Natsu's statement, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to leave the hall himself without an explanation. Gulping, he straightened his shoulders, meeting Wendy's than Gajeels eyes for a moment before turning to face the stunned blue eyes of his mate. For some reason, seeing the same resignation he felt reflected in the other two dragon slayers eyes had made him feel better. Now he just had to confront his mate. He wanted to be pissed at Natsu for what he did, but he couldn't find it in himself to be mad. Not when it actually has helped him.
Unconsciously fisting his hands, he took another breath and approached the bar where his mate waited.
**Gajeel**
Gajeel trembled as he felt Levy's arms tighten around him. He honestly had no idea what to do right now, but this was not how he had been planning on telling her that she was his mate. Hell if he was being really honest, the damn salamander had been right. He hadn't thought he'd ever be able to actually tell Levy how he really felt.
'Shitfuckshitfuckshit' Gajeel mentally cursed. Swallowing hard against the lump of anxiety that took up residence in his throat, he was able to loosen Levy's arms just enough to turn around so they were facing each other.
"Um-" Gajeel stopped to clear his throat. He bloody well couldn't figure out what to say! The sudden stinging pain in his arm had him letting out a yelp as he cringed away from her. What the hell? She'd pinched him!
"You pinched me! What the fuck did you do that for?!" Gajeel yelped, lifting a hand to rub his arm while looking down at her in surprise.
"I'm your mate?! When the HELL were you going to tell me!" Levy growled, fisting a hand to thump it against his chest.
Cringing, Gajeel rubbed a hand against the back of his head, staring at the blunette before him. "Honestly?"
"Yes honestly! Dammit Gajeel!"
"I don't know alright!" He snapped, folding his arms across his chest to protect it from light pounding of her fists. "I didn't know when I was going to tell you because I wasn't sure how you would take it. After everything that I did to you, I know I don't deserve you, and all I want is for you to be happy! Even if that means it's with someone else! If I claim you then it's just you for me and vice versa and if anyone got close to you or tried I'd likely rip their head off." Gajeel explained with a sullen look on his face as he tried to look anywhere but at her.
"Gajeel…." Levy sighed softly. "You fucking idiot." Before the surprise at her wording could fully sink into his head, she reached up and with determination, pulled his face down to kiss him deeply, letting all of her frustrations and longing be felt through their first kiss.
As her unique scent mixed with the smell of her arousal washed over him, Gajeel felt himself stiffen in shock before going limp in pure ecstasy, a low purr rumbling from his chest as he wrapped his arms around his mate, pressing her closer to him. Slipping his tongue past her lips to tease hers, he purred harder as her taste washed through him, feeling like his nerves were shooting off sparks. She knew now. Levy knew she was his mate and accepted that fact. Nipping at her lips for more of her taste, he shifted to press kisses along her jaw to her neck and ear, purring the whole time, watching through narrowed eyes and feeling the goosebumps that raced over her skin.
Pressing a wicked smile against her skin, hearing her breath catch only to release on a long low moan, he nipped the lobe of her ear before whispering seductively.
"You're mine Levy, only mine, forever."
**Laxus**
Watching Mira closely, Laxus didn't realize he had started adjusting his posture to make himself appear bigger; a dragon trying to appeal to and claim his mate. Back straightened further, shoulders back, chin lifted almost in a cocky sense, and a serious look in his eyes. As he approached the bar where she was waiting apprehensively, he was going through all of the different ways that he could tell her and couldn't figure out one.
Absently he heard the conversation between Gajeel and Levy and couldn't help but smirk at Levy calling Gajeel a 'fucking idiot'. He had to give it to the script mage. She was small and her strengths relied heavily on her knowledge, but damn she was fierce too. He just knew that she'd give Gajeel a run for his money any time he pissed her off. Turning his focus back on Mira as he got closer to her, he fought the shudder that tried to ripple through him. If she accepted him he knew that he would be in the same boat when it came to mates and their tempers. Hell, Mira's temper rivaled Erza's and the masters, enough to make everyone cautious about pissing her off.
Taking another deep breath, Laxus finally stood before Mirajane, close enough for her to have to tip her head back to keep her eyes on his as she looked at him in surprise. He still didn't entirely know what the hell he was going to say to her, but he knew he was going to have to do something. At the sound of his name on her lips though, his control slipped.
"Laxus, wh-oh!" Mira yipped as she found herself trapped between the solid body of the Laxus and the unrelenting wood of the bar behind her, being kissed thoroughly by the guilds thunder dragon slayer. One hand was buried in her hair while the other swept down her back to her hips to press her tighter against him. At the feeling of the stiffness digging into her lower stomach she gasped against the soft and pulsing mouth pressed against her own.
"You're mine Mira. Only mine." The growled comment against her lips had Mira's legs trembling and a shiver racing through her. If it wasn't for being pressed between a hard bar and a hard body, she was fairly certain she would've been a puddle at his feet. Letting out a low moan at the increased sensation behind the kiss she was being ravaged with, she slid her arms around him to clutch at his shoulders.
**Wendy**
Biting her lip nervously, Wendy cautiously approached her eventual father-in-law. She could hear and smell that Laxus and Gajeel were talking with their mates, and she was glad that they were following Natsu's advice. Her own mate, however, wasn't there, so she was going to have to deal with Macao instead. He was staring at her in a bit of shock still, so when she finally reached a point of being closer to him, she stopped to fidget before him.
"So….Romeo's your mate huh? Aren't you a bit young for that?" Macao stated bluntly, rubbing a hand across his jaw as he stared down at the blushing blue haired girl standing before him.
"Yes. To both questions. I haven't reached the age of maturity for dragon slayers yet…but I learned how a mate is found and Romeo is my mate. I haven't told him yet; I'm worried that I'll only scare him away. But I don't plan on hurting him Macao. Dragon slayers are very protective of their mates, and only love one person in their life." Wendy answered shyly, gaze locked on the ground between her feet.
Shifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck, Macao let his thoughts drift with Wendy's words. He already knew how Romeo felt the small sky dragon slayer; it was obvious as the feelings that the other dragons had for their mates. Always watching and aware of the other. He had to admit that if Romeo was going to end up with someone, Wendy was definitely one of the better options. And because he knew Wendy was a good girl he knew that she'd never intentionally harm his son. Letting out a sigh, Macao brought his attention back to the small healing mage to meet the eyes that were now staring so worriedly at him. Smiling gently, he lifted a hand to pat her on the head, letting his other hand slip into a pants pocket.
"No need to look so worried Wendy. I would be and am honored to have you as a daughter-in-law. Natsu was right though. As soon as you can, you need to tell Romeo and then you can work things out from there."
Slumping in relief, she smiled up at him before wrapping her arms around him in a grateful hug. When a familiar and calming scent drifted past her nose, Wendy could feel her cheeks heat as she let out a squeak before spinning around to find Romeo standing just inside the guild hall doors. Glancing around to see the still fairly silent members focusing on three dragon slayers, Romeo moved his gaze till it landed at the blue haired dragon slayer that he was crushing on hard but refused to admit it.
"Uh…what's going on here?" He asked her, knowing he'd get the truth from her at least. He noted in both delight in curiosity the way her face flushed a deep red and the quick gulp she took. He glanced around once more to find that even Laxus and Gajeel were darting looks between Wendy and him with knowing looks on their face.
"You might as well tell him Wendy since Natsu already confirmed and announced it to everyone else. Unless you want one of us or Natsu to tell him instead." Gajeel chuckled, wrapping his arms around his shrimp a little tighter. The glare she shot at him only caused him to laugh harder, clutching his prize closer.
"Idiot." Wendy muttered. Hurrying forward, she grabbed Romeo's hand to pull him further into the guild and into a back corner where the other dragon slayers and their mates joined them, followed by a quiet, pained, watchful Loke.
**Full View**
By some unspoken agreement, the dragon slayers and their mates gathered around a table in a back corner of the hall with Loke joining them. Gajeel sat down first, pulling Levy into his lap to soak up the fact that she had accepted him; Mira and Laxus sat next to him while Romeo, Wendy, and Loke sat across from them. The low buzz of overlapping conversation started up as the rest of the hall gave the group their privacy.
"What's going on guys? And when did you guys get together?" Romeo asked, looking across the table to the two men with ladies pressed against them. It didn't slip past him when Laxus draped his arm behind Mira and idly started playing with strands of her hair.
Smirking over Levy's shoulder, Gajeel turned to Wendy. "Why don't you explain shorty, since you have to explain your own to him." As a bright blush stained her cheeks, his smirk turned into a grin and he heard Laxus chuckle lightly next to him. Realizing that she wasn't going to get any help from the two couples, Wendy let out a defeated sigh before waving a hand at them.
"Romeo, do you remember anything about dragon slayers and their mates from the studying we did, and the research Levy shared?"
"Of course. Levy mentioned multiple times that she wanted to learn all she could to help them. When she found the part about mates, my ears didn't stop ringing for three hours with the amount of information that she started rambling on about." Romeo answered, glancing first at the now blushing Levy, then shifting his gaze to the knowing smirk of the dragon slayer behind her.
"Determined were we?" Gajeel muttered into her wickedly.
"Shut it you." Levy huffed, refusing to react more than that. "Go on Wendy."
"Ok. Well, what do you remember?"
Scratching his head, Romeo stared at the table for a moment, bringing back the memories of that particular day. "Um, not as much as you think. Or at least I don't think so. When Levy gets that way, I try and escape because I never know when a word will literally appear to smack me on the head." He answered sheepishly, causing those at the table to chuckle once more.
Sighing, Wendy simply shook her head. "Tell us what you do remember then."
"Um….dragon slayers have only one real mate right? I mean yea they can see others before that, but once they find their mate, then that's it for them. Something about the dragons have to claim and mark their mate to create a link that will allow them to find each other whenever and wherever needed right? And it's a for eternity thing? Beyond death I suppose, maybe if they're reborn they always find each other in the next life and claim each other again?" Romeo said with some uncertainty, glancing at the young girl next to him.
Nodding, Levy and Wendy smiled in approval. Even the men smirked.
"That's the overall general idea of it. There's a little bit more to that though." Laxus continued before looking back at Wendy to continue.
Clearing her throat while trying to get some courage at the next bit of information out, Wendy turned just enough to be looking at Romeo directly. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, she put herself into lecture mode.
"Yes that's the general gist. Dragons have a mate, they find the mate, they claim and mark said mate, a bond is formed that can't be broken, even by death. It is possible for a dragon to find their mate before they reach maturity, and depending on the dragons choice, they can inform their mate or wait. Once a dragon has found their mate though, a dragon can no longer experience intimacy with anyone else." Shooting a quick smile at Mira and Levy before continuing her explanation. "And typically the mate of the dragon can be with others if they have not yet been informed even though it can cause a great deal of upset for the dragon, it's by their own doing by not informing said mate. Once their mate has been informed, but not claimed though, it's usually a good idea for that mate to avoid having relationships with others for the potential danger it can be for others. You see, dragons are very protective and fiercely protective of their mates." Wendy paused for a breath before continuing, not seeing the rapt attention she was being given by her own mate.
"While Laxus and Gajeel have verbally claimed their mates, they have not yet physically done so. Physical claiming is a sexual ritual that is followed by being marked. When a mate has been claimed and marked, a symbol representing their mate appears where they've been marked or bitten. Once that bond has been formed, mates of dragons live as long as the dragon does. If the dragon dies, then the mate dies. If the mate dies, the dragon can live on, however death would be considered preferred as the dragon is likely to go through a psychotic break."
"Ok that explains why these four are suddenly so close. They're mates. But what does this have to do with me? You wouldn't have dragged me over here without good reason." Romeo stated, shooting a happy smile at his friends before turning back to Wendy. He was surprised as he watched her entire face flush a bright red. It was even more telling when she found an invisible spot on the table that she had to work on removing right then. Hearing a clearing throat, Romeo glanced back across the table to his friends to find Levy catch his eye, before purposely sliding her eyes to Wendy and back again with a smirk.
Blinking in confusion, he looked back to Wendy to see that she appeared to be an even brighter red. Why the hell had Levy given him that-oh! Romeo froze in place, staring at the young girl next to him for a moment, feeling his own face heat up drastically. Shifting only his eyes back across the table, he again caught the knowing smirks on all four of the mages sitting across from him and Wendy. Meeting Gajeels' eyes this time, he saw the confirming nod he was given. Romeo wasn't stupid. He knew that the others tended to keep information regarding their lifestyles to themselves unless it was needed to explain something. And then they only explained it to those who really needed to know. Dragons could be a very private bunch.
Some of the things that the rest of the guild knew about, such as the fact that dragons have mates, had only been found out because Levy had shared what information she had found, and simply asked for the dragon slayers to confirm or deny. Having the guild know about this knowledge was actually a good thing as it allowed them to be aware of what would happen once their mates were claimed and what it meant for both the guild and outsiders. Clearing his throat, Romeo shifted his attention back to Wendy.
He now understood why she was telling him these things, but he had to hear from her himself, not just from the other slayers.
"Wendy? Why are you telling me all of this?" He asked gently, laying a hand over the hand that was nearly rubbing a hole into the table, stilling her movements. He gave a mental cheer at the slight gasp he heard as he ran a thumb across the back of her knuckles, reveling in the tingles that shot up his arm just from that affectionate contact.
"Because with everything that has happened concerning Natsu and Lucy, Natsu kind of, well-"
"He kicked us in the ass hard enough to knock our heads out of them, and announced who our mates were to the whole guild, mates included." Laxus broke in with a slight grin, tightening his arm around Mira's shoulder. "At that point we had to tell them or face the wrath of our mates later."
Chuckling at that visual, Romeo could understand what he meant. The ladies may be the sweetest ladies he knew, but they could also be the scariest and he wouldn't want to get on their bad side at all.
"That still doesn't tell me why I'm being told about this." Romeo said with an innocent face, though the drawl they could hear in his voice showed that he wasn't as dumb as he was letting on.
When a frustrated growl erupted from the young girl next to him, he had to fight the urge to run from what he knew to be her wrath. She was just as scary as the others when she wanted to be.
"Don't play coy Romeo, you're not an idiot like some people I know. You're my mate ok? We don't have to do anything about it yet, but for-" Wendy snapped, almost growling in frustration.
The hands cupping her face quickly followed by warm lips pressing against hers had her stopping as she felt her brain screech to a halt. Her first kiss! And-and-oh it felt wonderful! His taste swept through her, reminding her of warm campfires and lazy days in the sun, calm and soothing. Sighing in delight, Wendy leaned against him more, lifting her hands to lightly brace herself on his upper arms; nearly purring in satisfaction at the strength she found in the still developing muscles.
It wasn't until he pulled away that she noticed the whistles and cheers from the rest of the guild. Even as she flushed further (she swore she was going to be a permanent bright red at this point!), she couldn't take her eyes off of the grinning Romeo in front of her, or the way his eyes danced with joy as he looked at her. She shivered slightly as he traced his thumbs down her cheeks to trail lightly over her bottom lip.
"R-Romeo?" She asked softly. She could tell that he accepted what he was to her, but she needed at that moment to know what was going through his head.
"I'm glad. I had hoped that I might be yours when we first learned about dragons having mates, but I didn't want to rush you and I wasn't sure you felt the same way." He said softly. When he found his arms full of Wendy a moment later, he could only smile as he buried his face against her shoulder, enjoying the slight warmth of her pressed against him. Glancing up to those across the table, he found himself on the receiving end of proud grins, and heart filled eyes.
"She's officially verbally claimed you Romeo. So for everyones' safety, don't be looking to be with someone else, ever. You're no longer available for anyone else. Ever. We don't need to be cleaning up the bodies of those who try for you." Loke said with a pained laugh. He had been silent during this entire exchange, enjoying watching as new love bloomed between the three couples. Clapping a hand on Romeo's shoulder, he smirked as they all turned their attention to him.
"Now if only I could find someone to settle down with." He drawled, shoving aside the flash of soft wool, small curled horns, and pink hair across his minds eye.
"You Loke? A natural flirt and womanizer?" Gajeel scoffed only to be abled sharply in the ribs by Levy. She had seen the flash of longing in the lions eyes and in that moment she knew there was someone who had fully won his heart. She knew it wasn't Lucy, relationships between spirits and their masters were forbidden. So then who was it?
"I wouldn't look at anyone else. None of them compare to Wendy. Besides I don't want to think about what she would do to me, let alone anyone else. And that's not to mention what my dad would do." Romeo scoffed, though he paled slightly at the thought of his father. What was he going to tell him?! Before he could shoot a look across the guild hall for his dad, Wendy's words brought his attention back to her.
"Don't worry, your dad already knows. Natsu announced to everyone who our mates are earlier, and I went and spoke with him. Your dad is fine with it, and understands, though the full actually claiming is going to have to wait a while."
"It had better! You're both still far too young for that!" Macao stated, stepping up to the end of the table.
"Dad!"
"What? It's true. However, Romeo, I have nothing against this. Wendy's a wonderful girl, and I know you'll take good care of her, just as she'll take good care of you. And we'll figure out a way to keep others from getting too friendly as well." With that being said, Macao wandered off, whistling a happy tune with hands shoved into his pockets.
**Natsu**
'Dammit, I probably shouldn't have done that. Gajeel and Laxus are going to kill me for that stunt later.' Natsu thought to himself as he left the guild hall. He didn't go far though, he had just needed to get away from the smells and personal scents of the other slayers with their own mates nearby.
Plopping down on the steps that led the way to the doors of Fairy Tail, he braced his elbows on his knees, tilting his head back slightly to look up at the stars gleaming above him. It had been six months. Six long months since Lucy had been taken from him, and he was no closer to finding her then he was when he had first been let out of the infirmary a week and a half after she had been taken. As each day went by, he could feel his heart cracking more, his soul aching harder, and his mental state becoming less stable.
Seeing Romeo come up the stairs, he simply nodded to the boy before going back to his thoughts. Thankfully the boy took it for what it was and simply kept going, knowing his friend wanted to be alone.
The only reason Natsu hadn't completely lost it yet was because Loke was still around. Sure the damn cat disappeared for a few days at a time, causing Natsu to nearly go on a rampage each time, but every time he came back too. As long as Leo came back, then Lucy was still alive and there was still hope. There was still hope that she was alright and that they'd find her. And then he could claim her. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out the ring he had taken from his own hoard he had hidden away.
Even in the pale moonlight, the ring sparkled, reminding him a bit of his own fire. The large diamond surrounded by small rubies like a flower set into a specialized band of metal that would never break had a special place for him in his heart. Igneel had given this ring to him a long time ago, a little while after giving him the scarf, and had told Natsu to hold onto it, that he would know what to do with it one day. Not thinking much of it, Natsu had held onto it by hiding it away in his hoard. As soon as he had figured out that Lucy was his mate, he had realized what the ring was for and had retrieved it.
Now, six months later, he was still carrying it around in his pocket. He had planned on claiming Lucy after their last mission, but things had gone so terribly wrong. Gritting his teeth against the pain that threatened to tear him apart, he wrapped his hand around the ring and started doing what he had started as soon as he had retrieved the ring. Slowly, carefully, he fed some of his magic into the ring, strengthening it for when he found Lucy again.
Hearing an explosion of cheers erupt from the guild hall behind him, Natsu simply smirked. Looked like he had managed to at least do one thing right, even if it meant he was getting his ass handed to him later. Focusing on the voices beyond the door, he was able to confirm that yes, the other slayers had done what he had said to do and at least verbally claimed each of their mates.
He was happy for them, truly. He was jealous yes, that they had finally claimed their mates after so long of being idiots, but he was happy for them. He knew Lucy would be ecstatic for them, and could just imagine the bright smile she'd have for each of them. He didn't have the heart to go in and join in the celebration though, a celebration that was in dire need after six months of not having Lucy's bright smile filling the hall.
Hearing the door swing open, he didn't have to turn around as Loke's smell, reminding him so much of Lucy's since they smelled similar, in a way that made Natsu think of star gazing and dew dampened grass.
"What do you want Loke?" Natsu asked bluntly, continuing to look at the stars and feed his magic into the ring still held tightly in his hand. He didn't even bother to turn his head when he heard Loke settle onto the step next to him.
"I'll admit, after everything that has happened, I'm surprised by what you did. I would've thought you'd let them figure things out on their own." Loke answered quietly, mimicking Natsu's position with his elbows on his knees and hands linked together. The red aura that was causing him constant pain had taken over almost all of his torso over the last six months, and it continued to pulse in an almost sickening manner.
Natsu grunted in response. "It was what Lucy would've wanted. Before things happened the way they did, she had claimed to want to knock Gajeel and Laxus's heads together with how long they were taking. Even she could tell who their mates were, and that was BEFORE Levy had found the information about a dragon's mate. When she comes back, this'll give her something to look forward to."
"Natsu…" Loke paused, uncertain how to continue. Like him, Loke knew that as long as he could move between the two realms then Lucy was still alive. But the question was, for how much longer? He refused to give up hope, but the longer this pain went on, this pain that he knew was Lucy, he didn't know how much longer she actually had. He hated that while he was feeling her pain, he couldn't track it to her.
"Don't Loke, just don't. We'll find her, one way or another. You're still here, which means she is. So we have to find her. We have to bring her back." Natsu snarled, his hand tightening around the ring till the jewels pressed hard into his skin.
At the sudden gasp of pain, Natsu twisted to find Loke hunched over, face tight with pain as he gripped his chest.
"Loke?!"
"Sh-she's-" Loke gasped, feeling pain radiate arch through him, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming in agony.
"No! She-" Natsu snarled, his gaze darting down to find that the red aura was now spreading rapidly over Loke's skin. He didn't know what this meant, but he knew it wasn't good. Then he caught a familiar smell on the air. Spinning around further he saw her standing there between them and doors to the guild hall. He knew without looking that Loke had managed to turn his head enough to look over his own shoulder as well.
"Come Leo, we have things to take care of. Forced gate close, Leo." With that, Loke disappeared in a flash of sickly red.
A sudden pounding and shouting could be heard against the doors behind her, but she didn't flinch. From what he could hear and smell, Natsu knew that the other slayers had caught her smell as well.
Looking at her, he felt his heart lurch, and while he wanted to leap forward to pull her into his arms and bury his face into her hair, he knew something was wrong. This was Lucy, but not HIS Lucy. Her clothes had changed, becoming leather pants, ankle boots, what appeared to be a steel boned corset, and leather wrist cuffs, all in a silvery gray, similar to that of the stars above. Her hair was much longer now, but pulled back into a tight French braid, and her whip and keys decorated her hips as was the norm for her. Her clothes weren't the only things to change though. Her eyes, they-
"Salamander! What the hell is going on?! We can smell Lucy but we can't get past the doors!" Gajeel snarled through the doors, his now iron club arms pounding against the door.
Rather than answer, Natsu kept his eyes on her, moving his gaze over her entire form, fighting to keep the dragon within under control as it roared for him to take her, claim her, make her his. Lifting his gaze once more to her face, he fought the nausea rolling around in him as he met her hate filled gaze that was directed at him. He had seen many emotions directed at him from her in the past. Anger, sorrow, joy, laughter, annoyance, appreciation, so many different emotions that made him only want to bring those out more with his oddball antics.
Hatred though. Pure unchecked hatred had never been one of the things directed at him.
"Lucy…" Natsu whispered, taking a step forward. He couldn't help it. He was drawn to her just as he always would be, in this world or the next. A snarl escaped him though when her whip lashed out at him, hitting the ground in front of his feet to keep him from getting closer. He hadn't even seen her move! Gritting his teeth, he stepped closer, ready for the lash from her whip, this time catching it as it wrapped around his forearm and using it to get closer to her.
"Lucy! What the hell happened to you?" He asked, not letting go of her whip for even a moment. He knew he was going to have to be quick because he had a feeling that she wasn't going to be here much longer.
"You happened to me. You didn't save me. None of you did." She answered flatly.
"We couldn't find you!" Natsu snarled getting another couple of steps closer. "But obviously you're ok cause you're here! You're still our Lucy, MY Lucy and you're here!"
"No Natsu, I'm not. I'm not yours. I never was. Never will be. Because you couldn't protect me. And because of you I've died." With that, she disappeared, even as Natsu staggered back, feeling a great physical pain with each word she said. Still gripping the whip that she had dropped in order to flash away, Natsu fell to his knees, gasping as he felt what was left of his heart and mind fracture.
Never mind the fact that she was still technically alive, he knew that this was the pain that came with the death of an unclaimed mate.