Chapter Twenty-Seven

Their Bodies

Queen Eileen Belserion: Likes to consider herself the best match-maker in all of Fiora. When she met Jellal, she 'helped' him out by giving all the information on how to win in the Knight battles. She said she 'had a feeling he was the prettiest candidate for her daughters hand'. She also pinched his butt. Uses her 'feminine wiles' to get gold from Igneel. Likes to cuddle Erza when she's in a grumpy mood. Erza allows it because Eileen in a grumpy mood could level the Kingdom.

"Natsu… How could this happen?" I murmured, my arms wrapped around his waist, as I peeked over his shoulder, wincing at the expanse of darkness ahead.

"Don't stress, Lucy. Without knowing the tunnels plans and how they shift, it's not surprising that we got split up."

I nibbled on my lip, admittedly stressing, because we had remained as close as our horses could allow, and we still managed to lose Ultear, Erza and Jellal. One second they were up in front, the next, the lighting vanished, submerging us in darkness, and they were gone.

And when the lights didn't come back on, searching for them was out of the question.

Natsu had also told me it was a waste of time.

It didn't soothe the uneasy feeling in me, like something bad was going to happen. And if I knew my power - which I didn't but that's another issue entirely - when I got this feeling, it was a warning that things could go very wrong.

"Go through the plan with me again?"

Natsu had one hand on the reins and the other in the air, hovering to keep a flame going so he could avoid running into the rough rock walls. .

"We'll find the exit, then find somewhere to camp. I'll activate the orb Ultear gave me, and we'll wait for them to find us." This was the third time I had asked, and his tone was still patient, soft and kind. I nodded, tucking my head into his back, closing my eyes, to try to alleviate the ache and queasiness I was experiencing.

"Okay." I replied quietly.

"Why don't you scoot a little closer and try to take a nap?"

"On a moving horse?"

"Anything is possible. You've fallen asleep on me plenty of times and I'm a dragon." An unwilling smile curled at my lips and I opened my mouth, biting his clothed back lightly. The muscles twitched and tensed, and when he spoke, his voice was a touch breathy.

"Give me your hand, I need to bite you back."

I laughed, "No way. Part of the appeal of riding back here, is to avoid your grabby hands and sharp teeth."

"Lucy, this is a serious issue. I'd hate to have to drop the flame to wrestle you." He replied seriously and I laughed, shaking my head at his words, snuggling into his back. I pressed a soft kiss on the place where I bit him, and he made a funny noise.

"All you want to do is wrestle me." I replied, rubbing my nose against his warmth, the anxious, tight feeling still lurking at the corners of my stomach. Natsu's presence was helping me ignore it, though.

"It's a primal instinct, I can't control it."

"Uh huh."

"I'm serious. It's an illness. An ailment. Wrestling with you is all I think about."

I stifled my delighted giggle. "And when I bite you?"

"The urge increases," he confirmed, his tone full of mock sadness. "You are an enabler."

"I'm sorry, I didn't even realise." I grinned, before sliding one of my hands back from his waist, tracing the muscles in his back, up to his neck, eventually tracing his jaw up to his mouth.

His lips moved as he spoke, a shaky exhale passing his lips. "You are also a distraction. A horrible, beautiful distraction."

"I'll stop being a distraction if you want," I offered helpfully, before gasping softly when he drew one of my fingers into his mouth, biting down lightly. I felt the hard bluntness of his teeth before the sharp, point of his fang, rolling it in his mouth gently.

I breathed out a soft moan, resting my forehead on his back as his tongue swiped over the digit, heat filling me, making me tremble. My stomach tightened, my womb filling with liquid flames, my heart racing inside my chest.

A warm hand grasped my wrist, tugging my hand away with one last kiss, "We really have the worst timing."

I opened my eyes hazily, peeking over his shoulder, seeing a beam of natural light, begin to light the tunnel a fair distance away.

"I guess that's our exit." I laced my fingers with his, and he kissed my fingers, once, then twice, before releasing my hand to slide it back around his abdomen, "Looks like a clear path. Hold on, we'll be out of here soon."

He urged the horse to start a rolling canter and as we sped to the exit, the anxious, emptying feeling grew.

"You see this? It's our home for the next seven years. It's got natural light, a door and," Natsu paused and grabbed off the blanket that was wrapped and attached to the horse, throwing it on the floor of the cave he had found a few metres from the tunnels.

I stifled my laughter as he spread his arms out proudly, "A rug."

"I don't know how I got so lucky. I've always wanted a cave. With…" I looked around before flinching back. "Oh my god. Is that a bat?"

Natsu also looked up, squinting his eyes, his tone playful. "Why yes, I believe it is."

"I'll sleep outside." I turned swiftly, making my way out the small opening the cave had which, truthfully, wasn't really a door at all.

Natsu laughed, following me out. "It's going to rain tonight."

I looked up at the clear, afternoon sky and gave him a dubious look. "I am not sleeping with bats."

"Of course not," he soothed. "It's food. I'm going to catch it and -"

"What?" I squeaked horrified. "We just broke into it's home and now you are going to eat it?"

"It tastes like chicken!" He smiled charmingly at me, assuming that what I was taking offence to was what the bat would taste like.

I gaped at him for a few more seconds. "I am not eating a bat. And you aren't killing it."

"I'm not?"

"We can't just intrude on someone's home and then kill them, it's… cruel."

"It's a bat, Luce, it's not going to mind," Natsu reasoned and I shook my head repeatedly, dismissing the idea of something so barbaric straight off the bat. Then I pointed out to the forest, steeling my nerves.

"Go get me a deer."

He laughed. "So you'll eat a deer?"

"I'd rather eat a deer than a defenseless bat!" I crossed my arms, giving him a sour glare. He grinned, becoming increasingly amused with my logic.

"Isn't a deer also defenseless?"

"I hope not. I hope the deer you find for me kicks you. Hard," I muttered back childishly, turning away from him as he approached, clearly stifling his laughter. His arms wrapped around my waist, tugging me into his embrace and my body immediately relaxed into him, the dull, pleasant throbbing of touch strengthening our companionship.

"You're perfect," he mused, rubbing his cheek against mine before crouching, rubbing his jaw along my skin. The faint bristles made the slightest ticklish sensation, and I giggled, ducking away from him out of habit. He kept a steel-like grip on me, continuing to nuzzle me, causing more laughter to escape.

Once he had successfully left me breathless and riled up, he stepped back with an adoring grin, eyes dark in triumph. "Now I'll go get your deer, Princess."

I sniffled, holding my aching side while rubbing my jaw, trying to smooth away the sensation he had left behind.

"Shouldn't take too long. But keep an eye out, just in case," he told me, before jogging away, his figure disappearing rapidly into the thick forest that surrounded us. I took a deep breath in, and walked back into the cave, eyeing the bat wearily. It continued to snooze away though, hanging upside down from the rugged cave top, ignoring me.

The horse was loitering at the entrance, grazing at the grass. It didn't move when I started unpacking some of the necessities, trying to create a more homey atmosphere to sleep in. I lit a few oil lanterns, avoiding the space where the bat was sleeping, before piling the two blankets on top of each other, and rolling the jacket I had used to get through the North so it was a makeshift pillow.

I settled down on the bed I had created, fidgeting to get as comfortable as possible before pulling the second journal from the bag. I had finished the first. According the Jellal, the first was sparse in details and records, but the second was a lengthier read, even though it was quite thin, and was on the verge of falling apart.

I flipped open to the fourth page, where Jellal had dog-eared an entry for me to start with.

Diary Entry #139 Month 4 Year 37XX

Pathetic.

Four of them came, dressed in red, wielding ropes and knives. In the middle of the night, they swept in, taking me from my tent, kidnapping me.

It was all going splendidly for them, the bag around my head stopped me from knowing where they were taking me, or who was taking me.

But they made one critical error.

The minute they took that bag off my head, they were done. People always assume that the power of a Banshee is captured in her Scream, the deadly noise destroying, obliterating and ruining all that heard it.

But I know better, it is not the Scream you need to fear. It is the eyes.

Without Banshee eyes, the ability to see a soul's last moments, and assist them, would be lost. Without my eyes, how could I target those who hurt and hunt innocents? How could I kill those who fought for the darkness?

You blind a Banshee, you have no fear.

But they didn't know this. And by the time I had finished teaching them, their dust was all that remained.

I shuddered at the dark entry, her animosity, and coldness speaking volumes over the roughly textured paper. I pushed past the tone, focusing on what I assumed caught Jellal's attention.

She says it's in the eyes, and now that I think about it, there was some definite merit to the statement. It made me wonder if I had not seen Virgo die, would I still have awakened? And if it's really the eyes that are able to see the soul, why is it that everytime I use the first Scream, my sight finds the soul, and then it makes it's way back to me?

Is it that in the moment they begin to die, their death forces my sight and my power to search for the dying, and then it follows the soul back to me?

I kept the page dog-eared, and continued to read. Leora Heartfilia sided with the light kingdoms, namely the Thunder Wilderness, and the alliance that was connected to it. The Vapids, as it so happened, only joined in the war at the very end. It was their involvement that influenced the win on the light sight.

But the dark kingdoms it lists are either neutral zones, or wasted lands. Places like the Shifters Sahara, and the Western Tundra, which history marked as fallen enemies, but never actually went into detail. Since Anna Heartfilia and the rest of the royals had then decreed that all records and knowledge of the dark war were to be destroyed, it was a mystery what the war was really fighting against. Or why it was called 'dark versus light'.

Diary Entry #152 Month 7 Year 37XX

The books weren't lying. My emotions go from one end to the other. I find myself hoping, praying for moments of complete lack of humanity. It's quiet, soothing and I don't have to think or feel.

But afterwards, the guilt swallows me.

I fight for the light, there is nothing else I would rather stand for, but in these moments where my mood is as dark as the ash-filled sky, I understand why most Banshees stray to the path of darkness.

Feelings are exhausting.

And acting like I'm mentally stable is even more exhausting.

I just want to sleep.

I leaned back, rubbing my eyes, surprised to find tears loitering on my lashes, as the sadness and anxiety echoed off the page.

To know that Leora had the same problems that I had, with feelings that rebounded one way and then sank the next. The bipolar mess that I struggled with at the beginning, it left me with a sinking sense of desperation. But worse than that..

I felt relieved.

That she had lived through it for the better, and survived.

That she could still practice her beliefs and fight for the right side, without fraying at the edges, and falling to pieces under the emotional onslaught that being a Banshee inflicted.

I rubbed my cheeks, shaking my head to clear my thoughts before continuing on. I skimmed a few pages, scanning through her constant pain from the war and its casualties. In addition to protecting and serving on the front lines, she also had to pass the souls of those who had died on the battlefield. And there were so many. It sounded exhausting.

I startled at the loud sound of thunder, turning the page absentmindedly. It was a messy entry, hard to completely read, but after a few moments deciphering what was the letter 'O' instead of an 'A', I managed to understand most of it.

Diary Entry #154 Month 7 Year 36XX

They attacked an orphanage. Helpless children, slaughtered in the quest for a combined kingdom, for a nation of slaves under one grand empire.

The news came to us two days after the attack, lost in the wind until a scout picked it up from a beheaded messenger.

It has hit hard on our souls and I can hear the cry of the ones who do not wish to fight any more, the ones that are beginning to doubt we can win.

But I will not be easily swayed.

I will be going to the southern hideout and I wi-

It stopped abruptly, the ink running off the side. I startled when I heard loud footsteps, cutting my finger on the rough edge of the page. I looked up from the sheet, smiling slightly as Natsu walked into the cave, a fallen deer slung over his back.

"Strong man has brought food."

"I see that."

He placed it on the ground and collected the knife from his sash before glancing at the book, "You reading?"

"Yeah. This entry stops halfway, like Leora was interrupted or something."

"Maybe it's not that important?" Natsu offered, not skinning the deer yet - he knew that it made me slightly queasy - as I frowned.

"I don't think that's it. She's talking about how the dark forces in the war attacked an orphanage. She was angry." I ran my fingers over the ink, before remembering I had suffered from a paper-cut. I held the finger up to my mouth, running my tongue over the cut as Natsu wandered over, frowning also.

Then a large invisible bubble popped, deafening my ears, a bright blast of light making my eyes close as Natsu's arm latched onto my waist and hauled me up, away from the journal.

"What was that?"

"Memory magic, if I had to guess…" Natsu replied hesitantly, obviously unsure, and I opened my eyes slowly, watching as the dust spread around the cave, glowing and twinkling in the lighting, disturbing our bat room-mate.

"Memory magic? Like the sort that Ultear does?"

"Not exactly. Ultear knows more about it than I do. What was on the page?"

"Just words. It's not the first entry that's been half-written or full of emotion. Are we in trouble?" I squeezed close to him, watching the dust slowly fall to the floor, and with it, shapes began to form. A gasp lodged in my throat, as we watched a memory come to life in misty forms.

A woman with short, ruggedly cut golden hair, dressed in white and blue armour stood in a tent of some sort. She was still for a few seconds, as if the memory was paused, and I noticed how the whole memory was translucent, a projection; not really there.

I hesitantly slid away from Natsu, walking over to the woman slowly, catching her big brown eyes, narrowed in anger at the other person that was standing across from her.

"Leora Heartfilia," I whispered softly, awed.

"She looks a lot like you," Natsu commented, before frowning at the man opposite her. "But who is that?"

I turned my sights reluctantly on her company.

The man had long, thick, beautiful blue hair that fell down his back in twisted, majestic waves. It was a shade lighter than Wendy's, and brighter blue markings glowed on his skin, very similar to my own, curving around his eyes, down his forehead and along his jaw.

His dark stare was pinned on Leora Heartfilia's face, and he did not look happy.

"I don't know…" I murmured as Natsu inspected him closely, eyebrows furrowed as if he saw something I didn't. I was about to ask when Leora's voice made me jump.

xx

"Can I help you?"

"I could feel your rage from outside," he growled back, and the noise struck me as very familiar.

I glanced at Natsu as he raised an eyebrow, confirming what I thought. "He's a dragon."

"And?" Leora spat, her fists clenched, her body shaking with rage. "I'm certainly not going to feel rainbows and butterflies while the battle rages on."

"Nobody expects you too, but whatever plan you have thought up, get rid of it."

"You don't get to tell me what to do, dragon," Leora snarled. "Get out of my way."

The man, no, dragon, stepped forward in threat, crouching into a defensive stance. "I'll tie you down myself, Banshee. You aren't leaving this tent. So be a good girl and sit down."

Leora took a deep breath in, seemingly calming herself, but then her hand raised. The very next second, the dragon dropped to the floor, clutching his head as she re-stated, her voice filled with venom, "You don't tell me what to do."

She kept her hand pointed at him for a few long seconds before he slumped forward. She raised her eyebrow before scoffing, "Tch. Figures. Dragons. Can't even handle a little bit of Screaming. Ridiculous, since your kind has caused more than your fair share of them."

She collected a bag from the nearby bed and went to walk out, passing his slouched body, but a clawed hand snapped up from the ground and grasped her wrist.

"That stung, bitch."

Leora twisted, but the dragon quickly rose to his feet, and covered her eyes with one large, tanned palm. Then he let go of her wrist, favouring to wind a muscled arm around her waist, throwing her writhing body over his shoulder.

"Let me go, bastard!"

Natsu and I watched as he threw her on the bed then climbed onto it, pinning her thrashing body down. The minute her eyes found him, seemingly dizzy for a few seconds, his body jolted in pain and I saw the muscles in his legs, back and arms tense against his clothes.

She stared at him hard, and I could see the way her eyes shifted into a starry sky full of rage. Her short, blonde hair began to slowly bleed back from the roots and golden curls tattooed her pale skin.

He panted above her, and I placed my hand on Natsu's arm, needing him to anchor me in the moment, because their ferocity was beginning to affect me. Her pure wrath and his unrelenting stubbornness were causing my body to tighten and rise to the threat fuelled by their emotion.

"What… are you… going to do?" the dragon growled, his body shaking with exertion as she ignored him. I watched as his body writhed and jolted, his weight still stubbornly pressing down on her. When she said nothing, he spoke again, his voice twisted with agony. "Go kill… all? They will… do… it again. More… More d-death."

"I don't care, they will pay."

"Don't let your emotions… do - this."

"Banshees are full of emotions, you bastard! I couldn't stop it if I tried! Every part of me wants to rip their spines out of their backs, to break every sad, sorry muscle that keeps them on their feet! To obliterate their souls and let them waste away on the ground, to be trod upon like the excrement they are!" she yelled, thrashing, clearly upset that he was still talking and not passed out. I had to wonder how he was withstanding so much power. Even as just a memory, the silent scream was making the hair along my arms prickle at the energy that was burned into the page.

"Talk. Tell me… the things. Tell me… what you are going to do," he rasped, body slouching forward, clearly struggling to withhold her pinning stare. I couldn't even imagine the agony he was going through.

Leora stared for a few long seconds, before slowly, the anger in her eyes began to fade, and her brown warm eyes, so similar to my own, started to return.

The dragon above her was sweating, panting and shaking, his body jolted with the remaining energy echoing around him, but he still managed to say, "You could have killed me. And you didn't. That's how I know you'll do the right thing. Don't… Don't forget who the enemies are."

"Get off me." Her voice shook as she turned her head away from him, closing her eyes as if the sight of him was too much to bear. The stranger slowly climbed off her, his body trembling in weakness as he spoke to her.

"I want nothing more than to avenge those kids, Lee. And I know that you feel things ten-times over, but without you, we have no hope. We need you on our side, not dead."

"Just get out," she whispered, curling up on her side as another figure, a masked woman appeared at the door, a shocked noise coming from her.

"Dragon King Acnologia, I didn't realise you were in our settlement. The chief will want to see you…"

"Acnologia?" Natsu stated in disbelief as my eyes widened at the new information.

"I want nothing more than to go rip them apart, Lee," he had said.

Lee.

"Is he in the main tent?" Acnologia asked, his tone hard and clipped, a royal tone; no nonsense, all business. Leora rolled, sitting up, wiping at her eyes. But I recognized a hurt woman, and it made my heart clench for her. Acnologia glanced at her from the corner of his eye and I knew immediately.

There was history there.

"He is. Princess Heartfilia, the Lord of the Vapids has arrived. He is asking for your company."

Leora rubbed at her cheeks, and it struck a chord with me, because it was the exact same motion I made when I was exhausted or upset. She stood up, leaving her bag discarded on the floor, going to follow the masked woman, before Acnologia reached out, grasping her arm as she passed.

"You meeting with demons now?"

"Someone needs to," Leora snapped back, ripping her arm out of his. "It is none of your business."

Acnologia laughed lowly, but it was mocking noise. "Everything you do is my business."

They stared at each other for a very long moment, and I held my breath, captured by the pure fire in their eyes, a large tornado of emotions rippling between them before Leora smiled.

It was an ugly, pained smile. "Not any more it isn't, King Acnologia. You've made it very clear how you feel." Then she left, leaving him standing there.

xx

The dust seemed to fall and evaporated into thin air them, along with the memory. I looked over to the journal.

"How did that work?" I asked, picking up the journal to examine the page for some sort of magic. There wasn't anything different about it that I could see, so I handed it to Natsu, hoping he'd see something I didn't.

"What's this?" He gestured to the smudged thumb print and I inspected it, lifting my thumb to show him the cut.

"I got a paper-cut, I must have bled on the page."

His eyebrows furrowed, "Do we need this page?"

"Huh?"

"I need to check something, but it'll destroy this page." He informed me, and I blinked dumbly for a few seconds before admitting slowly.

"Well, we got a memory that I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon so I guess not."

He nodded then carefully ripped the page out, handing me the journal which I placed back on the bed, watching as he lit the corner on fire. The flames started red and orange but once it got to the ink, they died, glowing dust slowly raising from the words. I watched, amazed, as the words disappeared and then the flame soared back to life, destroying the page completely.

"Royals sometimes mix their blood in the ink to create a seal of authentication. Scholars recently found old scrolls that had memories of extreme emotion tucked inside them, that were activated by a blood-line that was connected to theirs."

"Are you saying that because I'm Leora's descendant, we saw the memory because my blood is connected to hers?"

"It's just a guess, but like I said, there are many types of memory magic. The person we should check with is Ultear. She dabbles in almost all of them in some part."

I rubbed my brow. "Damn. If I wasn't missing Ultear before, I am now."

"Pushing past the how, let's go with the why and what. Say that her memory of that day was recorded because of the anger she was feeling, how did Leora know Acnologia?"

"He's like… an old Dragon King, right?"

Natsu shook his head. "He's a ghost story is what he is. He was one of the strongest kings the dragons ever had. But a few months after they won the dark wars, he disappeared. Never heard from again," Natsu informed me. "They searched for him for ten years before giving up. It was like he had fallen off the map."

"Well, it's obvious they had history. But, in the first journal, there was no mention about him at all. You'd think she would record her meeting with him, especially since they seemed… close."

"Unless there are pages missing, or, she kept most of her more intimate relationships in another journal entirely," Natsu offered as an idea. I weighed it in my mind before scrunching my nose.

"I don't know…she says some pretty intimate things about herself in these journals."

"Intimate things about yourself, and about someone you care about are two very different things. If somebody managed to get these, they'd be much more interested in her relationship with a king, as opposed to her own thoughts and experiences. If the enemy got this, they could have created a lot of problems."

"It's a possibility. I'll keep a look out for his name or any mention of him. And I guess I'll have to bleed on every page just in case we miss an important memory."

Natsu didn't look pleased at this idea. "We'll need to figure out another way around that."

I chewed on the deliciously cooked deer, watching in amusement as Natsu swallowed a piece easily bigger than my hand.

"Do you think the bat wants some?" I wondered out-loud, looking up at our companion who hadn't woken from his slumber yet. Bats were nocturnal, but I didn't know if they really appreciated the torrential rain that Natsu had predicted would come.

It thundered on the cave's roof, echoing around us. I had checked up on the horse multiple times, making sure that Natsu's make-shift shelter was working.

Since the horse refused to hunker down and come into the cave with us, Natsu had made a shelter with some drift wood and thick leaves. The horse was happily dozing, seemingly unaffected by the onslaught of water.

Natsu snorted, "It's a fruit bat, so I doubt it."

I hummed, finishing my piece before standing up, dusting off my pants to go wash my hands and face in the rain. I stuck my hands out, and used the currents of water running off the edge of the cave as a tap, splashing my face a few times.

"Did you activate Ultear's orb?" I asked, checking as Natsu nodded, his mouth too full with food to properly answer me.

Once he swallowed, he responded, "Once we got here, I started warming it up. They are probably taking shelter tonight and will be around in the morning."

I nodded, smiling before wandering back over to him, sitting on the bed I had created with a yawn. He leant back with a satisfied burp and I rolled my eyes, laughing. "Charming."

He patted his stomach fondly, "Will you still love me when I'm fat?"

"No. I only love you now because of your impressive abdomen," I replied playfully before stilling, realising what I had said. A smirk began to slide onto his face and I felt my cheeks heat, tucking my knees up to my chest, resting my forehead on them.

"You set me up."

"Guilty," Natsu chuckled softly, before I heard him stand up. He came back five minutes later, and his warm, rough hands touched my arms, rubbing his fingers on my arms as I kept my face securely buried in my raised knees.

"Want to look at that impressive abdomen you love so much?"

I groaned. "Get away from me."

He laughed, delighted and I huffed, lifting my head with a petulant pout. "I don't know why you are so surprised. I do sort of love you, you know." My admission made his smug smile drop completely and I stubbornly kept my eyes on his, biting my lip, watching his reaction to my words.

He leant forward, leaning forward on all fours, and I dropped my knees slightly, my heart beginning to pick-up at the look of astounded… relief, in his lush, mesmerising eyes. He ducked forward and placed a soft kiss on my lips, a slight brush of warm skin that made me shiver. I released my knees, letting them slowly slid down, as my hands slid up his neck, tracing the end of the tattoo that sat there.

"I sort of love you as well."

"That's not what you said before," I pointed out softly, one hand sliding into his hair, keeping our mouths close, so that every time we spoke, our lips brushed.

His lips twitched slightly, "I thought you hadn't heard." He lightly bit my bottom lip, before whispering, "Of course I love yo-"

I cut him off with my lips, my heart reeling in joy, swiping my tongue out to taste his bottom lip. He crawled forward and I slowly laid down, allowing him the space to hover over me. My hand twisted in his hair when his sharp fangs lightly rolled my lip in his mouth, testing, pinching. My heart hammering inside my chest as phantom flames licked across my thighs, that deep, excitable part of me tightening.

Natsu shuddered, detaching our lips, looking down at me as I rubbed my fingertips against his neck, tracing the tattoo there. I squirmed slightly from beneath him, closing my eyes and arching my back so I could press up against him, feeling greedy and insatiable for his touch.

He lowered his body slightly, settling his weight against me and I opened my legs to accommodate him, feeling heat rise to my cheeks at the intimacy of our position. He ducked low and kissed me softly, sweetly. My stomach fluttered, a ball of excited nerves reacting to him. My power flared, and I felt my true-form flow over me, tattoos rising on my skin, my hair turning black.

"You okay?" he murmured, nosing along my cheek, inhaling my scent. I bit my lip, touched that he was checking, though we had been in multiple similar positions. A pleased, shy smile spread across my lips before I could stop it, and he pulled back, his own answering smile reacting to mine.

"It… feels different… I mean, we've done this before, but there was always the threat of being interrupted…" I admitted with a soft, anxious laugh, and he sighed sadly, nodding along to my words, as if remembering the events and feeling sorry for himself.

"Our bat friend could get annoyed and attack us. So there's always that to fall back on."

I giggled, slipping my palm up along his cheek, skimming my fingers along his sharp cheekbone. His eyes closed at the action and I chewed on my bottom lip, nervous, ready and willing for wherever this moment would take us.

But in a moment of clearness, I realised, that Natsu probably assumed I wasn't ready. That he was giving me ample time to back-out, because even though we were alone, it didn't mean I would be in the mood or would still want too.

I took a deep breath in, touched, before hooking one of my legs around his waist, using my weight as the force to send him sideways, and onto his back. I followed the momentum, ending up on his lap, looking down at him smugly.

"See that? The grace, the poise? Aren't you proud?" I teased with a grin, and he wouldn't be Natsu if he didn't rise to my words, and body.

"Considering you could have just as easily missed and kicked me in the head, I am impressed and humbled by your graceful abilities."

I laughed from above him, placing my hand on his stomach to steady myself, rolling my eyes at the truthfulness in that statement. He grinned, his eyes fond and full of love, as he watched me closely. Once I had calmed down, he stated calmly, despite the hardness that was pressing against my thigh.

"We don't have to do anything now Luce. We'll get plenty of other chances. Don't rush into something you aren't ready for because of opportunity."

I smiled at him sweetly, before holding out my hand, "Give me your hand."

His eyebrows furrowed but he offered me his right hand. I sucked in a slow breath, working up the courage to do what I wanted. I lifted the hand to my lips and I lightly kissed the tips of his fingers, catching the index with my teeth, biting down like he had done earlier. His eyes darkened, watching me in that predatory mesmerising way as I withdrew his finger, lightly kissing it before sliding the digit to my neck.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I held it there, letting him feel the rapid beating, "You do this to me."

I continued the path of my tattoos, trailing his touch along them, skimming them over my shirt, pausing to let his fingers play with the strings that held my shirt together. We had ditched the demon garments, getting changed into our usual outfits, which for me was a cotton white shirt with looped ties that held it together along my bust and down my stomach.

We both watched his fingers move, loosening the strings and I sucked in a small breath, the fabric beginning to sag and give from it's already breathable state. Our eyes caught when he moved to the last few loops, and he purposely held my gaze with his dark one. Then his wrist twisted and the thin string snapped, making my shirt part, baring my upper-body to him.

Underneath, I wore the sheer, slightly supportive bralette that Erza had gifted me at the beginning of our trip. It's tight, but stretchable material offered as much support as I was going to get without a corset or a bustier.

He took a sharp breath in, gaze roaming, mouth parting as he took me in. Despite the shy, self-conscious blush on my cheeks and neck, I refused to let my self awareness slow our progress. I caught his wrist again and led it down, sliding over the valley of my breasts, down my stomach until I stopped just after my belly button.

I shuddered, sucking in deep breath before whispering, "When you touch me here, it gets really tight, and warm."

His index and middle finger stroked over that spot, making me close my eyes and moan softly.

"Here?"

"Yeah." I breathed, feeling my blood burn with every passing stroke of his fingers, amping up my lust and need for him. His body shifted, his grip on my stomach digging in slightly, making me gasp as I opened my eyes, not surprised to see that he had sat up.

"That's so fucking hot."

My heart raced inside my chest at the burning ardour in his stare as he breathed, "I really want to drive you insane now. Make that place inside of you fill with as much heat as I can give you. Make you dizzy with it."

"Do it," I whispered, "I want it. I want you."

Dark triumph flared in his eyes, and he surged forward, one of his hands combing through my hair, twisting his fingers through the strands. He held my head, crashing his lips against mine and I writhed in his arms, moving closer so my body pressed against his, one hand wrapped around his neck.

He ate at my mouth, lips bruising, tongue flicking and teeth biting and it was the hottest, most soul-consuming kiss yet. His need, urgency and greed mixing with my own sinfull, sweet dark urges. I rubbed up against him, moaning against his lips when he sunk his teeth into my bottom lip, making the blood swell there under my skin.

His other hand steadied our bodies as he pushed me down onto my back, my legs still wrapped around his waist. He de-tangled his hand from my hair and ran both of them down the sides of my body, pulling me towards his hardness and I shuddered, my eyes fluttering closed. They moved down to my thighs and he growled lowly, the noise making me gasp.

"You are stunning." His eyes lingered on every part of me, tattooed darkness and all. It healed that part inside me that was worried my true-form would dampen the mood.

He moved down slightly, helping me take off the remnants of my shirt, as well as loosening the bralette, which was held by a metal coil. I sucked in a breath as the support gave way and he pulled it away, running his hands up to lightly tease my sensitive skin.

His warm, tanned hands groped, fondled and squeezed my breasts, evoking shudders and small pleas of more from my mouth. I arched my back, begging silently, and his rough fingers lightly teased my hard nipples, pinching and rubbing, to oblige me. Pleasure rolled over me.

Warmth enveloped one of them and I gasped, one of my hands sinking into his hair, holding his mouth to the tight bud. He lapped and slaved his tongue against it, suckling me gently, and I felt the muscles in my stomach tense, tighten and coil at the ecstasy sweeping through my body in deep, torturous waves.

When he swapped targets, drawing my other nipple in deep, using the blunt of his teeth to roll it gently, I cried out, the sweet sting of pain making my power rise a little. Instead of backing off, he pressed down harder and I panted, rasping, "Careful."

It was all I could say to warn him of the delicate thread my power was on, reacting to him. But I wasn't sure what it meant. I had never been in this position and didn't know how my power would react.

He sucked my peak hard, making my nails sink into his scalp, before he let go, murmuring against my skin, "No."

His denial made hot, hot drips of heat sink into my skin, and my womb tightened, reacting to his touches, and his voice, my stomach tensing. His mouth moved down, and he nuzzled the spot I had pointed out, making my hips raise, chasing more pleasure.

"Greedy," he growled, his tone darkly excited, a baritone that rumbled through my bones.

He lightly bit into the skin below my belly button, sinking his fangs into my skin until the sting grew too much. I opened my mouth to cry out but it was choked off with a low moan when he laved over the mark with his tongue. Then he did it again, and again, stopping right before I couldn't take it and stoking the lust inside me with his tongue.

It made me crazed, aching for more, for longer.

"N-Natsu," I gasped, as he continued to bite and suck at my stomach, touching the deepest parts of me through layers of skin with only his presence and actions. I was so consumed with lust that I didn't notice him loosening the tie on my pants until cold air brushed the top of my pelvis.

I opened my eyes, the light blinding me, raising myself on my elbows to look at him, catching the way he sunk his teeth into my skin. The image of that made it all so much more, as his fingers lightly delved beneath my waistband, stroking the tips along the seam of my panties.

My heart raced inside my chest, my eyes lidded, my body shaking in tight, uncontrollable rapture. I watched as his fingers traced my lips, as soft as a feather, teasing me, caught up in the feelings of pleasure that it inspired. I lifted my hips, seeking more and his eyes glanced up, letting me know he was aware of me watching him.

His eyes were completely red, his fangs long, the tips stained with my blood, shadow horns shifting on his head. It was the most obscene image I had of Natsu and I could feel it burning into my head.

He lifted his lips, running his other hand to the top of my pants and I lifted my hips again, aiding him while he pulled them down slowly, his sharp nails raking along my skin. Once they were tossed aside, he slipped his hands underneath my thighs and lifted my pelvis up, bringing my core closer to him.

"I want you now. Inside me." I whispered, my voice hoarse, begging as he shook his head slowly, eyes flickering over me and the marks he had made.

"It'll hurt."

"I don't care," I moaned, because it hurt now. I felt empty, cold and the only way to fix it was Natsu. He held my eyes as his hand stroked my lips through my panties, rubbing the tips into a spot that made me gasp, white ecstasy filling my sight.

He made a low inquisitive sound at this discovery, circling that tiny part of me, making my hips chase the pleasure and my body shudder in excitement. A second later, I felt him tuck his fingers inside and rip the panties away, the stretch of the fabric stinging against my sensitised skin.

Then he began exploring, running his fingers over and along, rubbing, stroking along that secret, innocent part of me. I was so wet and warm, and he played with that, using my natural lubrication to fondle a part of me that gave me a sharp, throbbing amount of bliss. Then his finger probed at the entry, dipping in slightly.

I bit my lip, looking up at him, as he slowly slid his digit into me. The pain was pinched, precise, and it boggled me for a second. It felt like a barrier was placed there, and each time Natsu pushed in, it grew tighter, the pain increasing. I bit my lip, the pain nothing like the sweet sting I had loved when Natsu was biting me, but willing to stick it out.

Natsu watched me process the intrusion, "I told you it would hurt."

He pumped one finger into me, steadily, slowly, stretching me and with each passing stroke, the pressure and stinging lessened. It got to a point where it began to feel nice, and I informed Natsu of this.

"Yeah?" he checked, looking at my sex, where his finger continued to circle and push into me. "You are so pink down here. And you smell fucking incredible." When he lowered his head, I tightened, squeezing his finger.

"Don't even think about it," I breathed. "Let me get used to this."

He obeyed with dark eyes and laboured breaths, before I whispered, "Try a second finger." He didn't argue but he did bring his thumb up to my sex, lightly pressing into that little button at the top of my lips, making my breath seize. It was a dizzying sensation, trying to focus on the pleasure while the pain of being opened was numbing it.

My hips jerked in pain when the second finger was in, but Natsu continued to manipulate and rub that bundle of nerves. It went like this for a few minutes, steadily stretching me, never going too fast until I moaned softly, the slide of ecstasy overtaking the pinch of pain.

Natsu reacted, quickening his pace and soon, I was teetering on an edge, small noises of pleasure leaving my lips. When I grew too close, I shook my head and reached out for him, "Inside me, now."

"Yeah," he breathed, "Okay."

He kept his fingers inside me, his fingers rubbing my walls, but with his one hand, and my two, we managed to undo his pants. He pulled his fingers out of me, pulling off his shirt whilst I reached into his pants, fumbling underneath the fabric to lightly touch the member that was hard, tucked away inside.

He shuddered, his eyes closing as I drew him out. He was warm, and slightly paler there. And large. Although, I had no idea if he was truly large or not. I had to assume he was. And you thought I would be nervous since his fingers hurt, and his 'little dragon' was substantially larger than his fingers, but I wasn't.

I was excited.

He lined up with me, hovering over me, pressing his lips to mine and I felt the blunt head press against my core. It made me shudder, and I bit his bottom lip, my toes crinkling. He slowly pressed in and I groaned in pain as he stretched, impaling himself into my tight passage. Tears stung my eyes, but I breathed through it, reminding myself that I had dealt with more pain than this, my heart racing, the lust inside of me cooling slightly.

"You're so beautiful," Natsu muttered quietly, nuzzling my neck as he finally hit the end of me. We fit, stupidly enough. It felt like he'd smashed too a large thing into a tiny hole - which he sort of had - but length ways, I was able to hold all of him. It was a prideful, fleeting feeling but I held onto it, touching my lips against his.

"I love you," I said softly, wrapping my arms around his neck, and he began to move, in and out, small, stuttering movements.

"I love you too."

Soon our bodies were moving in tandem and the feeling was exquisite. Natsu's thrusts are smooth, deep and perfect. Sweat dripped off of him and onto me, and I was alight with bliss, writhing underneath him, my hips raising, moving to meet him.

He was groaning, and growling, whispering praises that lingered on filthy admissions and it all amped the feeling higher. His hand snaked down to where we were connected, seeking that one spot and rubbing, causing pleasure to crash onto me. I moaned out his name and he cursed, my body tightening around his, my heart pounding in my ears, his scent surrounding me.

"Come on Lucy, give it to me," he groaned, voice terse. And I shuddered, my body writhing as I peaked higher, heading towards that summit. His hard body shook against mine, shoving into me with a particularly rough thrust and I fell. And fell.

I cried out, digging my nails into his back raking down the warm, slick muscles as my body arched up, drawn on a string, my eyes falling shut as pulse after pulse of liquid fire burned through me. I vaguely felt Natsu's thrusts shuddering for a few seconds before he groaned, shoving into me again, his entire body tensing.

I fell onto my back, exhausted and sore in all the right places, unable to fight the tingling numbness that rolled over me. I felt Natsu slump forward, his arms shaking with exertion to keep himself up, and I opened my eyes, bringing one hand to rake softly through his hair.

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I love you, I thought, my vision hazy with tears, and he shuddered.

I love you too.

SEX.

That is all.

Questions!

I demand to hear you speak in an Australian accent! LOL. No.

Does Zeref help Lucy wholeheartedly? Zeref doesn't do anything wholeheartedly sweetie.

Why do I feel like the tunnel is a trap? It would have been an annoying problem if Jackal hadn't informed them of the changes.

Is there a possibility of her going to war against her own father? Can't answer!

Also, would Natsu happen to be responsible for the breaking of the precious "antiques"? Maybe ;)

Can we have a Zervis moment? If it is possible in the time-line, then yes, probably.

How is it decided which animal they are connected too? Their family symbol? Or is it something else? It's something else, you'll learn why Lucy is the lion out of the Banshee's.

Since zeref is not going to be the overall enemy of this story, who is? Is it Jude or someone who has not been mentioned? Oh. You wanna just ask a question and sPOIL THE WHOLE PLOT. Kay. Rude. I have no idea what I'm doing here.

Lucy is learning all this stuff about being a banshee and how to control her power but will there be another war where she can test out her powers? I hope not.

Ooooo 6 animals that the banshee can adapt traits from? Or can they only take traits from 1 of the 6 for their whole life depending on what kingdom they are born in? Oooo, it's one animal to each Banshee. It's not an open spectrum of powers. If you think about it, Banshee power relies heavily on souls, so entertain the idea that the spirit animal they get has something to do with their soul ;)

Since the Lion is the animal of the Star Kingdom, what are the animals for the other kingdoms (what kingdom was the mouse from?) I can definitely say, the animals have nothing to do with royalty and not every Banshee has to be royal. Once again, souls and stuff.

Is there five other Banshee's running around? No. I assure you, it doesn't HAVE to be all six at all times. One is enough for the world. But in war times, there were six. That's why they were in high demand for the war.

Can there be multiple lion/Banshee's running around, or is one? Nope! Only 6 Banshee's with their one animal spirit.

Can natsu transform into a full dragon, not just a partial dragon transformation with wings and tail and whatnot? And if he can, will we ever get to see this? He can, and you may.

Is he capable of mixing his 2 separate sides as needed? It's possible but the sides of him are enemies so I doubt he has the control right now to pull that off.

Where did you come up with his unique hobby? I was just thinking about something that would soften Zeref's character and display a part of his humanity but whilst be immensely fun to write/make fun of.

Will we finally see the promised smut without any cockblocking? AYE.

What's next for team goth-Lucy? Back to the Moltens to rendezvous with the MIGHTY IGNEEL. And maybe you'll be meeting a certain sparky King.

Is Yukino in this? Is she a banshee? No, and no.

Ooo would Zeref have given Lucy his contract to team goth-Lucy if she broke down during their meeting? Was the probing and stuff a test? Everything Zeref does is a test, so it's safe to say, yes.

Will GajeelLevy appear in a chapter? Will there be flirting involved between the two or will we just have a Gajeel staring at Levy's ass the whole time? No flirting, but I won't say no to ass-staring.

Does Gajeel have a demon/dragon side inside him? Uh. No. He's as dragon as they come.

Will Mavis appear? Possibly!

Since Lucy is a Banshee does that mean she can sing like an angel/ a demon too? What myths are you reading?

If when END makes an appearance will he act civilized or just full on dragonish? He wouldn't be dragonish, he's a demon friend. And secondly, END has limited humanity. It's sort of a dull line to walk.

Will we get a chapter of Natsu's POV from him meeting Lucy up until now? If we do please include the 'make out session' with Lucy's leg like Erza's stated a couple of chapters back. You will be getting a chapter in Natsu's POV soon. And if there's space, I will include a paragraph or two of him reflecting on the make-out with Lucy's leg.

While jackal may not join the game, will knock coffee back to get him out of the vapids as a friend? What.

When will Levy and Lucy meet? They've already met…

Shout-out to "Juvia is my spirit animal" who flooded my review section with a comment for every chapter. In the space of an hour, my god, you rock.

But then, all my readers rock.

That's why you got smut ;)

It's 40 for an earlier update (you guys hit that record within A DAY AND A HALF my word)

See you all next time, I hope you enjoy!

Stay fresh,

xo freshprincess