It's meeeeeee!
I know the story came to an end, but there's one little detail I wanted to add: I just HAD to add one more beloved dragon from the series to my story. Can you guess who? ;)
Please enjoy this bonus chapter! :D
Note: this chapter occurs during the seven-year gap from the last chapter.
It was quiet as dawn shown over the trees of the forest. The only sound that could be heard was the footsteps made by a single traveler in a red cloak. He journeyed alone and had come a long way, but he was determined to reach his destination as soon as possible: the village of Magnolia, or rather, what was left of it.
Most of the villagers were busy with the reconstruction of their home. However, many could not help but stop and stare as a cloaked newcomer sniffed the air repeatedly like some sort of bloodhound. Odd…
'Come on! He's got to be around here somewhere!'
Lucy's eye twitched in irritation. She had been so careful to control her actions for the sake of her family name, but this man… this man was swiftly driving her to the breaking point.
The poor girl had been minding her own business while heading to the magical headquarters to see if she could help in any way. To her dismay, a wizard stopped her in the middle of the streets, immediately attempting to flirt with her.
It was no surprise that the daughter of the Heartfila's would receive many requests from various suitors. However, regardless of the color of her hair, she was not as naive as people seemed to believe.
She knew better. They wanted her dowry. They wanted a trophy wife. They did not want her. Without her status and looks, they would never look her way.
The man before her had become a regular, showing up with flowers and expensive gifts as attempts to woo her. He was a rather arrogant man, having that sort of air that said, "I am better than all of you." In his mind, he thought he would be able to woo any lady he chose. Little did he know of Lucy's lack of regard for material possessions. Fancy clothes and jewelry meant nothing to her, and she had no desire to be with a pretty face that had an ugly personality.
Perhaps that was why she had grown so attached to her friend Levy. That girl always treated her like everyone else, never tried to gain anything through the Heartfilia's wealth, and she shared her longing for excitement and adventure. But Lucy was still the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and that fact was difficult for others to overlook.
Which brought her thoughts back to the problem at hand. The wizard was currently holding her hand affectionately, pressing his lips repeatedly against her knuckles. Personally, the action made Lucy want to vomit, but she expertly remained composed.
With a flick of her wrist, she elegantly freed herself from his grasp.
"You forget yourself. We do not have the kind of relationship that allows you to be so overly familiar."
The arrogant man simply flipped his hair. "That is most certainly true, yet relationships are so easily changed. In time, you will learn to love me."
Learn to love him? Lucy had always been diligent in her academic studies, but she was positive she would fail that course.
"I'll repeat myself. I. Am. Not. Interested."
Unfortunately, the wizard was not deferred. Instead, he moved to grab her arms, holding her in place as he peered into her eyes. Lucy did not miss the way he leaned forward, and knowing what he was plotting to do, the girl was prepared to go on the offensive!
'Screw being "ladylike!'
As luck would have it, Lucy did not need to raise a finger. Before she could even attempt to punch this guy's lights out, a red blur crashed into him! The stun from the blow was enough to make the wizard let go of the girl just in time, and the force was enough to knock him clear across the street!
Lucy curiously glanced at the ground before her. It appeared that the red blur was actually a man in a red cloak. From what she could see, he was wearing a small, open vest under the cloak, puffy white pants and sandals on his feet. His clothing was similar to that of a resident of the desert. The fall had caused his hood to come off, revealing a head of pink hair.
'Well, that's peculiar,' Lucy mused. However, she was not the type to judge someone based on appearance. She hated it when people did that to her, after all.
The man sat on the ground and grumbled as he rubbed his head, clearly unaware of the collision that had just occurred.
"What just happened?" he muttered.
"You ran into someone," came an answer.
The stranger looked up to see Lucy standing next to him. She giggled, "You must have been in a hurry if you managed to knock yourself down, too!"
The blonde woman smiled as she offered her hand. The stranger gaped in slight confusion at first, staring at her, then at the hand. With a wide grin, he accepted her help, and she pulled him to his feet.
"Thank you for saving me," she stated.
"Huh? I didn't save you."
"Actually, you did. That man has been rather pushy and would not leave me alone. If it weren't for you, he might have never backed off."
The stranger tilted his head. "Really?"
Lucy nodded with a smile, offering her hand in friendship.
"My name is Lucy. Thanks again for your assistance."
Curiously surprised by her actions, the man stared at her. Finally, he took her hand in his, wearing a flashy grin of his own.
"I'm called Natsu. Nice to meet ya, Lucy!"
"How dare you!"
The pair turned to see the wizard from before, back on his feet and looking utterly appalled at Natsu. He pointed at him accusingly.
"How dare you address Lady Heartfilia in such a casual manner! Never fear, my dear lady, I will defend your honor!"
Lucy could only roll her eyes at the pathetic attempt for attention. "I introduced myself by my first name alone. What else would he call me?"
Natsu blinked in confusion, then leaned closer to Lucy. "Hey, what's this guy's deal?"
The girl sighed, feeling very exhausted. "He's trying to win my hand in marriage. I've refused him several times, but he won't quit."
"Oh…"
The pink-haired man nodded in understanding. Then, apparently deciding to take matters into his own hands, he faced the other wizard.
"Hey, buddy, she already said no! So back off and leave her alone!"
"Silence!"
In his rage, the wizard pulled out what appeared to be the handle of a torch. Lucy recognized it as a medium for fire magic!
"What do you think you're doing?! Stop it!"
Her cry went unnoticed as a blast of fire was launched towards Natsu! Without hesitation, he immediately pushed Lucy out of the way! She fell to the ground just as the flames enveloped his body!
"NATSU!" the heiress cried in horror.
What happened next left her dazed. His shadowed figure stood among the flames, but he did not burn. Soon the flames began to swirl inward, disappearing at the center. To her astonishment, Lucy noted that the flames were entering Natsu's mouth!
In seconds, the flames vanished completely, revealing the pink-haired man rubbing his lips with his arm. "Hoo, thanks for the grub! Tasted nasty, but now I've got a fire in my belly!"
'He can EAT fire?!' Lucy mentally screamed.
The dumbfounded wizard was left trembling in fright as Natsu smirked triumphantly. All it took was one step forward to send the coward running for his life!
Lucy remained on the ground, completely bewildered. The man before her released a sigh before looking back at her. He was still smiling, yet the expression on his face was somewhat… sad.
The two were frozen, staring at each other in silence. After a moment, Natsu tilted his head.
"Wait a minute. Why aren't you running away?"
It was a fair question. In his experience, most humans would flee in fear whenever his powers were revealed. So why was this girl just sitting there? Was she so petrified that she couldn't move?
He decided it would be best to spare her and just walk away, but he was stopped when she shot up and grabbed him by the arm! She glanced around, first, and whispered in a small voice.
"Are you? Is it possible… are you a dragon?"
The man blinked in surprise. "Erm… Yeah. I am. How can you tell?"
He never got an answer. Instead, the girl pulled his arm, leading him into an ally, safely out of sight from any curious onlookers.
"Listen. Didn't you know we just faced a dragon attack?!" she hissed. "If someone else had figured you out, the entire town would be after you!"
Natsu scoffed in offense and freed himself from her grasp. "I could handle that, no problem!"
"And I bet you'd destroy the village while you're at it!"
She had him there. No doubt, there would be some damage if he had to defend himself. Knowing this human had beaten him, he raised his hands in surrender.
"Okay, fine. No fighting," he sighed in defeat. "But tell me this: how do you know about dragons?"
Lucy bit her lip, unsure whether or not she should share what she knew. The information was being kept secret for a reason!
'On the other hand… he's a dragon, too.'
"Alright, I'll tell you. But I want to know why you're here in Magnolia, first."
"I'm looking for another dragon," he readily replied.
"And the first place you look is in the middle of a village?"
Natsu moved his mouth to say something, but no retort came out. He had none.
"It's common sense!" Lucy growled. "Why on earth would a fearsome dragon be casually wandering around in the middle of Magnolia?!"
Oh, the irony of the words she spoke.
"Well…erm… I was investigating! I'm only following the word on the street, and rumor has it his den is nearby."
His information was fairly accurate, but Lucy wasn't fully convinced. For all she knew, dragon or not, he could be like Jose and be out to attack Gajeel. It would be best to play it safe.
She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Okay, so why are you looking for this dragon, anyway?"
"Hey!" Natsu snapped, "The deal was one question!"
"Well, I'm not sure I can trust you!" Lucy countered.
"I just saved your life from that stalker guy!"
"You said so yourself, you did not save me. If anything, you saved him from me!"
"Geez, are all human females this stubborn?!"
"Just tell me why you're after Gajeel, already!"
Lucy gasped when she realized what she had let slip. She had been so careful, too! 'Levy's going to kill me…'
Natsu was simply staring at her in surprise, completely forgetting about his anger and their dispute. "You… know Gajeel?"
Reluctantly, the heiress nodded as she bit her lip. "Yes. He's living as a human, now. I'm actually… well, I think we're friends?"
Her uncertainty made the pink dragon laugh out loud. "Yeah, that sounds like him! It's hard to tell if he's actually your friend, right?"
Lucy smiled at the carefree laughter. Perhaps she was staring, but there was something about his smile that made it quite contagious.
"So, I guess I can properly introduce myself," Natsu announced as struck a dramatic pose. "I am Natsu Dragneel, holder of the title 'Igneel the fire dragon.'"
Lucy giggled at his theatrics and offered a playful curtsey. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Deeming him as trustworthy, Lucy agreed to escort Natsu to the home of Gajeel Redfox. It was no surprise to him when she informed him of the location within the forest.
"That jerk always did prefer to be by himself."
The heiress tried to hide her smirk. This dragon had no clue that Gajeel had fallen hard for Levy McGarden, the apprentice to Magnolia's head mage, or that the two had already been married.
'I suppose I'll keep that surprise to myself,' she giggled.
"Hey, what's so funny?" Natsu inquired.
"Oh, I was just imagining Gajeel's face when he realizes that another dragon found him."
That contagious grin returned to Natsu's face once again, though this expression was much more mischievous. "Oh, yeah, I bet he'll be pissed! I can't wait!"
Without warning, he grabbed Lucy's hand and started running toward the forest.
"Hey!" the poor girl cried. "Slow down! You don't even know where you're going!"
Natsu paid no mind to her protests and practically dragged her to the forest. Yet once they were barely within the trees, the idiot transformed into a red dragon! Before she even had the chance to protest, Lucy was caught in his claws as he took off! An ear-piercing scream rang through the forest!
"AHHHHHH! PUT ME DOWN! I MEAN IT! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! NATSUUUUUU!"
Wasn't he supposed to carry her on his back? Geez!
Thankfully, the trip wasn't long. It took a moment, but Natsu did manage to catch Gajeel's scent. At least, that's what Lucy assumed when his head jerked and he abruptly dove to the ground, prompting her to scream again!
Lucy could have kissed the ground the moment her feet touched the earth, but there was no time. In seconds, Natsu was human again, charging towards the Redfox home. Gajeel was outside, apparently hauling some firewood to the house. What he did not expect was an energetic Natsu pouncing at him!
Lucy had been expecting an embrace or tackling him to the ground, not an all out attack! But low and behold, Natsu moved to kick Gajeel in the head! In the nick of time, the iron man dropped the wood and successfully blocked the blow, pushing Natsu back. He moved into a defensive stance, but blinked when he realized just who his attacker was.
"Huh? Salamander? What the hell are you doin' here?"
'Salamander?' Lucy questioned. Well, that nickname seemed to suit his pink hair. But salamanders are amphibians, while dragons are more related to reptiles…
'Ah, I guess he's referring to the legendary salamander. That being is known to live and breathe in fire. Now that makes sense…'
Lucy was so caught up in her musing, she nearly missed Natsu continuing a relentless attack against the iron man!
"Is that any way to greet a fellow dragon, you metal jerk?! You should be happy to see me!"
"Why would I be happy to see a flame-brain moron barge into my home?!"
"Who are you calling a moron, you moron?!"
"You, ya moron!"
"Hey, you did it again!"
Lucy slumped helplessly at the pitiful banter between the two. Just what was their relationship?
"Um… Lulu?"
The blonde turned to see Levy cautiously stepping out of the house. Her chocolate eyes gazed quizzically at the cloud of dust where the two had been standing.
"Do you mind explaining what's going on?"
Sighing, Lucy offered an apologetic smile. "The guy with the pink hair is Natsu Dragneel. I bumped into him in town today. He says he's Igneel the fire dragon. Apparently, he knows Gajeel."
"Igneel?"
Levy held her chin as she tried to recollect what she knew about that name. She had indeed come across it during her studies: Igneel was supposedly one of the most powerful dragons along with Metalicana.
"That must mean they have known each other for a while…"
"Eheheh!" the heiress laughed awkwardly. "Judging by the way those two fight, I guess you could say that."
The girls laughed together, catching the attention of the brawling men. Both blinked in surprise, frozen in their attacking stances.
Then, the fire dragon suddenly jerked as something caught his attention. He stared at Levy intently.
"Hey, wait a sec. What's up with your scent?"
In a flash, he was well within Levy's personal space, successfully annoying Gajeel and horrifying Lucy. The poor bluenette squirmed awkwardly as Natsu continued to take in her scent, sniffing over her.
"OI!" the iron dragon shouted, "Back off, Salamander!"
Something seemed to click in Natsu's mind, and with a jolt, he whirled around.
"No way! Gajeel, is this human your mate?!"
When the Salamander easily named their relationship so bluntly, Gajeel was unable to hold back his blush. But there it was, bright red on his face as he tried to look away. That was enough for Natsu to confirm his claim. He looked between the two over and over, hardly believing what he was seeing.
"Whoa!" he finally proclaimed, "Who would've thought that steel-hearted bastard would actually score?!"
"What did you say, lizard boy?!" Gajeel growled ferociously.
Natsu smirked. "I said, 'I can't believe you got a female to like you,' bolt-head!"
And thus the brawl rekindled, leaving the women to stand in awe at the sheer stupidity of their insults. Levy was too startled and embarrassed to do anything, while Lucy decided it would be best to leave them be.
"I have a feeling this is normal for them…"
The two men continued to fight in a fresh cloud of dust, and it seemed that there would be no end to it. Having just about enough of this nonsense, Levy came back to her senses. With a flick of her fingers, she quickly wrote the word "WATER" over the dragon's heads. Once the word materialized, a small waterfall fell upon them, halting their movements in pure shock! Even Lucy was surprised by her friend's actions! Since when had she gotten so assertive?!
"Alright, I think you've done enough fighting," Levy stated. "Why don't we get down to business and discuss why Natsu is here?"
The fire dragon blinked. "Oh, yeah. I came here for an important reason."
"Then why didn't ya say so before attackin' me?!" Gajeel snarled.
"But it's been so long since we've seen each other!"
"Not long enough, if ya ask me!"
With a dark expression on her face, Levy held up her fingers, threatening to write again. It was enough to scare the men into submission, and they sat upright and apologized.
"Man, Gajeel," Natsu whispered. "Where'd you find this chick?"
"Shut up," Gajeel hissed. "Besides, she found me."
Lucy suggested talking inside, which Levy agreed to. They moved to the main room of the house, sitting around a table with the tea that Levy quickly prepared, being the proper hostess.
There, Natsu explained his story. Rumors of Magnolia's attack had been travelling rather far, and they had reached his ears.
"But I knew there was no way Gajeel would attack a harmless village for no reason! He may be an iron-headed jerk, but he's not evil! I had to see for myself what really went down, so I made the trip to hear your side of the story."
And he did. Levy relayed how Gajeel had saved her in the forest, and how she kept coming back to see him. Most importantly, she told Natsu about Jose.
"I think he was just trying to prove his strength or something. Whatever his reasons, he attempted to control a dragon with dark magic…"
All were silent after that. Natsu gazed sympathetically at his old friend.
"Man, that must have been rough."
Gajeel grunted, trying to brush it off as nothing. "Whatever. That sicko failed, though. These girls made sure of that."
The iron dragon took over the story, recalling everything that Levy did to protect everyone. She had informed him that Lucy had also played a part in it, protecting children with her own body and researching for Levy in her desperate hour.
"Wow!" Natsu declared, beaming at Lucy. "That's really impressive! I knew you were strong the moment I met you, but this is amazing!"
Lucy had never thought of her role as that important, so naturally, his praise was unexpected. It brought a warm blush to her cheeks.
"I-it was nothing special."
The fire dragon shook his head. "No, I mean it. Not every human has the guts to stay and take on a dragon! Both of you stayed to help a friend, and I think that's really awesome! I'm glad everything worked out!"
He turned to face Levy, the smile still just as wide. "And I really never dreamed of meeting Metalicana's pregnant mate!"
Everyone in the room froze, minus the oblivious Natsu. Lucy trembled in shock. "W-wait. Did he just say… p-pregnant?!"
Levy fidgeted in her seat, nodding slowly. "I, uh, just found out myself, so… I haven't gotten a chance to tell you, Lulu…"
The bookworm had thought her friend would be mad. Instead, she received a tearful embrace as the girl shouted her congratulations. Gajeel, who had been sitting next to Levy, tensed in horror when his mate had been pounced on. What about the baby?!
From the other side of the scene, Natsu was holding his belly in laughther. "Haha! Sorry about that! I just thought it was obvious!"
Levy smiled as Lucy released her. "Apparently, it is to dragons. Gajeel figured it out before I did, too. Let me tell you, it was surprising when he started crying and hugging me for no apparent reason!"
"Oi, I wasn't crying!" Gajeel instinctively denied.
His knowing wife just laughed. "Sure, sure, you weren't crying. You were just so happy while I was completely clueless. I didn't even believe Gajeel at first, but after checking with Porlyusica, it's true."
The glowing girl beamed excitedly. "I guess I'm pregnant!"
The happy visit lasted for the rest of the day. Lucy kept talking to Levy about the coming child, while Natsu and Gajeel caught up a bit. It had been years since they last saw each other, after all.
"Now, look, Salamander," Gajeel suddenly began, "we don't know if there are other wizards like Jose. Best keep yer guard up for the time bein'."
Natsu only smirked at the warning. "Don't worry about me. I'll be protected by another dragon and two awesome humans!"
The other three blinked in surprise as Natsu grinned. "I plan on sticking around here! This place is great! Besides, I want to be a proper uncle for nut-brain's dragonets!"
Gajeel jumped up to protest, with Levy desperately attempting to hold him back.
"It's his choice, Gajeel!"
Lucy gaped, though she somehow didn't mind the idea of Natsu sticking around.
"I… I see. So, where do you plan on staying, then?"
The pink-haired man smiled at the blonde heiress.
"I think I'll stay with you, Lucy!"
The woman's jaw dropped in appalled shock. Completely disregarding her upbringing, she smacked him out of his seat!
"What makes you think that's a good idea?!"
Natsu grumbled as he rubbed his new injury. "Nothing, really. I just think you're a nice person."
"That doesn't mean you can stay at a single woman's home, Natsu! That's completely indecent!"
"Eh? Why's that?"
As Lucy harshly explained the proper etiquette of the situation, Levy watched with suspicion. She knew her best friend always tried to maintain the air of a proper lady. However, when she was around Natsu, she was acting more like herself without realizing it.
The bluenette grinned knowingly as her husband spared her a curious glance. Perhaps there was another reason for Natsu's decision to stay.
Levy couldn't wait to see what the future held for those two.