A/N: I profusely apologize for how long this has taken me to get out! Sorry, sorry, sorry! Time and inspiration have been lacking lately and so it's taken me a while to put this together. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Thank you all SO MUCH, who have been favoriting and following this story. It means the world to me, truly! More notes at the end, enjoy!
Natsu was only vaguely aware that Lucy and Loke had beaten their opponents. While his senses were sharp, he was focusing the majority of his attention on Estobar, the Ring Leader clearly the chosen leader for a reason. Once he sensed Loke's departure, he risked a glance at Lucy, who stood with her hands clasped at her chest and her eyes on him. There was something in her eyes he couldn't place, something bright and yet dark, hopeful and yet fearful. He'd looked so quickly he hadn't been able to see all the burns marring her normally flawless skin, but he'd gotten the sense that something was off. The tension running through her had to be there for a reason…
Estobar noticed the deviation in Natsu's gaze and sneered, seeing the opportunity before him. His previously impeccable clothes were filthy – covered in soot and dirt with more than a few places smoldering as remnants of fire clung to the fabric. Half of his hair was singed, curling up in tight curls at the ends from Natsu's flames. The only consolation was that Natsu wasn't much better off, his shirt having already crumbled to the ground, his own body smeared with soot, dirt, and blood. They'd both thrown each other around, given and taken hits, destroying what remained of the circus tents and their supports after Natsu's rage engulfed them in flames. With his counterparts trapped, there was little Estobar could do to salvage the situation, even if he managed to free the others. Even with the entire town watching, his sense of control was slipping, and that made him even more dangerous. There was nothing business-like about his actions anymore, it was all personal. He didn't stop to taunt or gloat as he sprung forth, legs churning, as he hurtled toward Lucy with a speed that defied logic.
Lucy and Natsu could barely sense the attack coming before Estobar was on top of her. At the last moment Lucy tried to brace herself, crossing her arms in front of her and crouching for the impact, but it did little good, his solid body colliding with hers and throwing her back several feet right after Virgo cried out, "Princess!" while Natsu yelled, "Lucy!"
Landing hard on her shoulder, Lucy grunted as she rolled before coming to a stop on her stomach. Grimacing, she looked up just in time for her eyes to widen in shock as Estobar continued to barrel down on her, his red eyes murderous in their intent as mist swirled around his body like an ethereal cloak. She scarcely had time to brace, involuntarily cringing at the sight before her, before she heard Natsu call, "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"
His body completely engulfed in flames, all Lucy saw was a blur of fire as Natsu rushed Estobar and head-butted him. Struck from the side, Estobar grunted in surprise as he was sent flying through the air and thrown back into the rubble of the circus tents. His senses still attuned to signs of movement from Estobar, Natsu quickly crouched down and placed a rough, warm hand on Lucy's head. Automatically, he scanned her for injury, a ripple of surprise crossing his features when he saw the extent of her previous injuries. "You all right, Luce?"
Still in shock, Lucy stared up at him with eyes as wide as saucers. When Natsu cocked his head slightly to the side and smiled, she couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips in response. "Yeah," she sighed, drinking in the relief that quickly washed over Natsu's face.
"Good," he murmured, affectionately ruffling her hair before rising to his full height once more. Estobar still had not emerged, but he wasn't going to give him the chance. He had managed to hide it from Lucy, but the sight of her burns filled him with fury, reigniting his previous ire. "That was a big mistake, Buddy," Natsu growled, turning on his heel to stalk after the wizard that was still buried in debris.
When Loke had been battling Linkin and Lucy took on Lady Sinara, what had been Natsu's heart-wrenching, soul-shattering anguish had morphed into unadulterated, unbridled rage. As he had come out of the illusion, the still haunting images slipping into the back of his mind as he focused on his fight, he'd been able to return to his normal self, taunting and laughing at his opponent even after taking hits that knocked him into the remnants of the smoldering circus tents. But that didn't mean his wrath was gone. It was merely pushed to the side until Estobar's actions brought it boiling back up to the surface with a vengeance. His attacks were always more powerful with the strength of his emotions, and this was no different; his eyes glowing a fiery red in the darkness cast by his hair as he glared maliciously at the man before him.
Groaning, Estobar emerged, throwing heavy pieces of wood off of him as he rose to his feet on wobbly legs. A very large bruise was already forming on the side of his head and blood ran from the point of impact near his temple. His eyes only rose when he heard Natsu's heavy approach.
"You tried to take something very precious away from me," Natsu growled, his voice low and threatening. He had no idea Lucy could hear him – he was too focused on the source of both his and Lucy's pain.
Either not sensing the true danger he was in, or not caring, Estobar scoffed at Natsu's passionate words, finally straightening up. "Weren't you paying attention? You did that yourself." His lip curling back into a snarl, Natsu crouched in preparation to attack, but remained silent. The man had a point. "Ironic, isn't it? That you were the one to kill her. Speaks a lot to the stability of your mind."
"Shut up!" The words flew from his mouth before he could even think and with horror, Natsu realized he was trembling. It wouldn't be the first time someone questioned his sanity, or mentioned the possibility of him hurting those he loved… When he saw the wry smile toying with Estobar's lips, he grabbed him, hauling him into the air by the front of his tattered red overcoat. "You did this, not me!"
His actions only made Estobar smile wider, despite the fact that the Fire Dragon Slayer was shaking him with his words. A moment later and Natsu's face went slack, his ears picking up the sound of what he'd dreaded. Linkin's reinforcements were back. He'd no sooner realized it before pain erupted from his chest as though he'd been struck with Makarov's full force in giant form.
The same white light that had emitted from Linkin's attack the night before was coming from Estobar's hands, the heels of his palms pressed together in a manner not-unlike Jellal's when casting Grand Chariot. A wicked sneer pulled at his lips as he released the energy in a concentrated blast, directly at Natsu's chest. The impact not only took Natsu's breath away, but threw him back, immediately losing the dark mage from his grip as Natsu was thrown into a nearby shop.
Lucy had been in the process of rising to her feet when Natsu's growled threat had reached her ears and she'd fallen back to her hip with a thump. Not sure how to process what he was saying, she'd simply stared at him, his image in profile as he held the man that had hurt them both in the air. Her heart was hammering so fiercely within her chest, she was surprised Natsu couldn't hear it, and her hands were trembling so much so that she wouldn't even be able to grip her whip if she tried. Then the next moment he was gone, crashing through the side of a building. "Natsu!" she shrieked, jumping to her feet out of pure reflex.
She was nearly there before the reinforcements blocked her path. Not only were the other workers from the circus there, but the animals Natsu had diverted with fire before had returned. How are they still doing this with Linkin restrained?! There was no time for her to pay them attention as she looked over the towering shoulders of the men before her. Natsu still hadn't emerged from the shop he'd flown into. Without thinking about it, she searched for Taurus's key. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
There was no wave of relief when the golden magic circle appeared beneath her, there was no time. When the ding-dong sounded, she was already reaching for her next key, pushing herself by calling forth her third spirit. "Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
"Miss Luuuuuucy!" Taurus exclaimed as he appeared before her, clasping his axe in both hands as hearts burst forth from his eyes. "How might I help your rockin' bod?!"
Even as Taurus hit on her, the ding-dong sounded again, and Sagittarius appeared, saluting with his right hand. "How might I be of service, My Lady?"
Although Lucy was feeling the drain on her magic, she looked at her two ready spirits with a smile before indicating the mass of men and animals before them. "Think you can help me with this?"
Sagittarius and Taurus turned to follow her gaze, Taurus snorting in disapproval as Sagittarius effortlessly pulled his bow from his back. "Of course!" they answered in unison.
Lucy was already charging forward, pulling her whip from her hip and sneering as it crackled with magic at her touch. "Thanks guys!"
Taurus and Lucy reached the wall of bodies at the same time, Lucy releasing her whip just before they reached the enemy while Sagittarius fired arrow after arrow from the rear. The first man she caught around the throat and immediately flung him to the ground before she pounced on the next one, knocking him face-first into the dirt with a Lucy Kick. From her position on guard, Virgo cheered them on, secretly begrudging the others for their part in the action and digging an elbow into Linkin when he started to squirm – she was using her own power to stay, and her resources were limited in order to minimize the drain on Lucy.
The lion, tiger, and bear charged Taurus, to which he grinned and chuckled, swinging his axe and eliminating all three of them in quick, successive strikes. After that, he moved on to the horses, many of which Sagittarius had already handled, before wrangling with the alligators. Although it looked like they were killing the animals, both spirits knew they were not acting on their own accord, and so they were simply immobilizing them, knocking them unconscious and taking them out of the equation rather than ending their lives. Taurus did this by using the flat of his axe rather than the blade, and Sagittarius used special arrows that were similar to tranquilizer darts. While her spirits battled the beasts, Lucy was left to handle the men, using her whip to knock them into each other and to the ground, kicking them when she could. All the while, she forced her way forward.
"Natsu!" she cried just when the shop seemed within reach.
Estobar appeared beside her then, gripping her arm with such strength she flinched. It didn't help that he purposefully grabbed her on top of the burns that were still raw. "Ow!" she hissed involuntarily.
As if on cue, an arrow embedded itself in Estobar's shoulder and the wizard immediately released her with a groan. Lucy wasted no time in ducking inside the shop to find Natsu. Thank you, Sagittarius!
It wasn't hard to find him. Natsu had been thrown through the first three walls and into several shelves, all of which had been knocked over. This had resulted in more shelves falling both on him and around him, with the support beam of the loft above being taken out by the last falling shelf. Without any support, the loft had collapsed as well. Just looking at the pile of rubble, Lucy knew where Natsu was. "Natsu?" she asked, tentatively pulling at some of the broken beams.
A groan was her answer as the pile before her started to shift. "Damn it," she heard him curse from within. "I hate that guy!"
Despite the situation, Natsu's vehement words brought a smile to Lucy's face. The smile quickly fell when she felt Sagittarius's injury and resultant apology through their connection. I'm sorry, Miss Lucy. He was already returning to the Celestial Spirit World.
More grumbling and cursing came from the debris in front of her, and before Lucy knew it, Natsu warned, "Watch out, Lucy!"
There was no way for her to know what he was going to do, so Lucy did what seemed the most logical and ran to the other side, furthest from the way Natsu had entered his current position. She knew his senses would tell him which way the enemy was, not to mention where she was. No sooner had she moved, then she heard Natsu yell, shouting his aggravation as he called out his attack. "Fire Dragon Roar!"
The pile of wood not only burst into flames, but was thrown the way Natsu had come, heading straight toward Estobar and the others, destroying what little remained of the shop's outer wall. Lucy felt the attack as a rush of heat that warmed her cheeks and blew her hair back, but was otherwise unharmed as Natsu was suddenly standing before her, his chest heaving. "Finally!"
Relief flooded her so fiercely, Lucy threw herself against Natsu's back before she could think twice about it. Her face was buried into his shoulders as her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He stiffened for only a moment before he relaxed, placing one hand on her arms that surrounded him. Tears threatened to overwhelm her, both from exhaustion and relief, and she had to swallow around the lump suddenly blocking her throat in order to keep them at bay.
Sensing her fatigue and barely concealed tears, Natsu squeezed her arm. "We need to finish this," he stated, his voice quiet and flat.
"I know," Lucy whined, her voice muffled against his back. She then sucked in a surprised breath when she felt Taurus fall, the drain on her magic suddenly lessened as he returned to the Celestial Spirit World with a positive thought.
We got them, Luuuucy! He's the only one left. She didn't need to ask who he was talking about.
They were silent in the shop, their surroundings eerily quiet as the town's people held their breath from the relative safety of the outskirts of town and they were left to wonder what Estobar was up to. Lucy could feel Natsu tense in her grasp as the seconds ticked by, his shoulders bunching as he cocked his head to the side, listening for Estobar's presence. It was then that Lucy realized he was gently rubbing his thumb against her wrist, soothing her even in the middle of their battle, whether he knew he was doing it or not. The realization sent her heart racing, something Natsu easily picked up on in their quiet surroundings. It was that quickening of her heart that gave him the idea that made him gasp, "I've got it!"
Bleary, Lucy finally pulled her head away from his back, slowly slipping her arms from around him so he could turn and look at her from over his shoulder. Ordinarily, the sensation of her fingers trailing along his sides would have tickled, but they were too focused on more important matters. "What is it?" Lucy asked, although it was clear from her tone that she completely trusted any idea he might have.
"We need to do a Unison Raid."
He expected her to question him, to say how difficult it was, that she wasn't sure they could do it. What he got was a thoughtful look and a simple, "Okay."
"Okay?" he clarified, incredulous as he turned to fully face her.
Smiling, Lucy brushed his wild hair back from his forehead, the scales of his Dragon Force still visible, before flicking him in the forehead. "Okay," she repeated. "I'm surprised we haven't done it before." While it was true Unison Raids were notoriously difficult to achieve, she knew Natsu was her most compatible partner; and even if she hadn't managed to achieve a Unison Raid with Juvia on the first try, she'd have no doubt that they could and would succeed.
Heat rose in Natsu's cheeks even as he smiled, suppressing the urge to crush Lucy against his chest. "All right!" he cheered instead. "Who's it gonna be?"
Lucy thought a moment, pressing her index finger to her chin as she went through her spirits' abilities and which magic would be most beneficial to Natsu. Loke would have been the most obvious choice if he wasn't already injured… "Scorpio," she answered after a moment's pause.
Natsu cocked an eyebrow as he continued to smile down at her. "Sandman, huh?"
Giggling, Lucy playfully swatted his chest. "Don't call him that!"
Growing serious once more, Natsu took Lucy's hand in his. "Let's do this, Luce."
The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver down Lucy's spine, even as she reached for Scorpio's key. Natsu felt it and risked a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Lucy's lips were pressed together as she looked at Scorpio's key for a moment, her dark eyes shining, before whipping it out in front of her. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"
The red magic circle that appeared beneath Lucy's feet cast the shop in an eerie glow that made goose bumps break out across Lucy's arms the moment before the ding-dong sounded and Scorpio appeared, throwing his usual sign with his index and pinkie fingers extended and his middle and ring fingers curled down. "Hey! How's it going, Lucy?" He grinned wolfishly, even as he politely bowed. "How may I help you?"
Lucy swallowed before requesting his assistance. "We're going to perform a Unison Raid with Natsu."
For a moment, Scorpio's face went slack as he looked from his master, to Natsu, and back again. A second later and he was grinning once more, pumping a fist in the air. "Our sand and your fire?" he asked quizzically, still beaming. "All right! It's about time!"
Unable to stop himself, Natsu pumped his own fist in the air. "That's what I said!"
Rolling her eyes, Lucy squeezed Natsu's hand. "Okay, okay! I get it already! You guys ready for this?"
Natsu's eyes flashed in the dim light of the shop, that same orange flickering in their depths that spoke of his excitement and his resolve. Little did she know that Natsu saw the same determination in her molten chocolate eyes, glistening in the encroaching darkness. "You bet!"
"Sure thing!" Scorpio answered, moving to stand next to Natsu as the three of them strode out of the shop. They needed a clear line-of-sight for this attack.
Estobar had been watching the shop, waiting for the wizards that had disappeared inside to reappear. He'd been the one to take out Sagittarius and Taurus with the same attack that had momentarily incapacitated Natsu. When he saw three of them exit the shop, he scoffed. "It doesn't matter how many spirits you summon, Miss Ashley. Mere wizards from Fairy Tail will never be able to defeat me."
Natsu growled at Estobar's words, his lip curling up in a snarl even as Scorpio dropped down, bracing his hands on the ground and readying his scorpion-like tail over his head. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art!" Natsu began, just as Scorpio shouted, "Sand Buster!"
Lucy immediately felt the drain on her power as she squeezed Natsu's hand, but then he pulled away, finishing his cry as sand erupted from Scorpio's tail, quickly joined by Natsu's fire and lightning. "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Lightning Blade!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth, his shout ringing richly in Lucy's ears, then Natsu released his own power, engulfing one hand in flame and the other in lightning. The effect of Scorpio's sand tornado was only enhanced when Natsu swung his arms around, creating an added vortex of fire and lightning at the center that was quickly propelled toward their enemy. Estobar saw the attack coming, even as it moved at the speed of lightning, and attempted to intercept it with his own attack, but could not. His body was quickly blasted with sand before being engulfed in Natsu's flames and shocked with his lightning. The sand tornado tore him from his feet and into the air as he screamed, flames and shocks scorching and searing his body with such ferocity his mind went blank. Fine particles of sand tore at his skin, amplifying the pain from the lightning that sparked through the flames even as he continued to be taken higher and higher into the tornado.
As soon as the attack was released, Natsu staggered. His body never handled Lightning Fire Dragon Mode well, even if it was improved after unlocking his second origin. The scales of his Dragon Force quickly receded as he clumsily maintained his balance as fatigue hit him like a wall. Beside him, Lucy fared little better. She stumbled, collapsing against Natsu with a soft groan that knocked both of them to the ground, Natsu collecting Lucy in his arms as they fell.
"It seems my work here is complete," Scorpio mentioned with a soft bow.
"Thank you, Scorpio," Lucy weakly managed to say, her eyelids heavy even as Scorpio slowly disappeared into fine particles of sand that floated away on the breeze as he returned to the Celestial Spirit World. The only reason Virgo remained was because she stubbornly used her own power.
"I think it's finally over," Natsu murmured, his voice surprisingly close to Lucy's ear; so close she startled with an, "Eep!"
She slapped his chest on reflex, embarrassment flushing through her as her heart raced, and not just because he'd startled her. The fact he could hear her heart pounding only made her more flustered. "Don't scare me like that!" The moment she realized he'd actually flinched from her strike, she gasped, "I'm sorry!"
Chuckling, Natsu threw his arm over Lucy's shoulder, resting his head against hers. "I'm tired," he sighed.
A gentle smile crossed Lucy's lips as she gently brushed his hair back. "Me too," she breathed. "Me too."
A/N: Let me apologize again, this time for the length of this chapter, especially after such a long wait. I seriously cut almost half of it out for the next chapter, so hopefully you won't be waiting as long next time. I feel like I say this a lot, but I'm not 100% sure about how this chapter started (or ended), but I didn't want to keep holding onto it. And, I have to admit that I used Fandom on Wikia a lot this time around! Yeah, I didn't properly cite my source, but at least it's mentioned here! Thank you again for reading this story that has turned into quite the journey! Reviews and comments are always welcome!
As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters, just this story. They all belong to Hiro Mashima.