I won't lie, I'm so tired I can't remember if I had anything I needed to say to everyone. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR REVIEWING AGAIN. YOU GUYS ARE BEING SO AWESOME! Also we got fanart! It's by shadoouge and it's on both mine and kytrin's blog.
THIS FIC UPDATES ONCE EVERY THREE DAYS: Post, break, break, Post
CHAPTER 10
Boogeyman
This monster has no specific appearance, and conceptions about it can vary drastically from household to household within the same community; in many cases, he has no set appearance in the mind of an adult or child, but is simply a non-specific embodiment of terror.
Natsu whined fearfully as he ducked behind the bar in Fairy Tail, scooting around Mira's skirts as he tried to evade her.
He was the most feared demon on the planet. END, which was supposed to mean something - even if Natsu didn't know what that was - but damn it he was supposed to be the scary one!
He wasn't hiding from Lucy, no, his mistress would never be so sadistic as the she-devil he was currently hiding from.
Unfortunately, Lucy had turned a blind eye to his plight after Natsu had accidentally set his fourth pad of paper on was not fond of Fairy Tail, but she was a strategist and knew precisely how to use the resources available to her.
Maybe his mistress was cruel after all.
"Natsu. You can't hide from me," the steely voice of Erza clapped like thunder behind him.
Sweating bullets, Natsu creaked his head around and gave her a wide eyed, fearful look.
"E-Erza," he stammered, "What? I-I'm no hiding...!"
She cracked a measuring stick across the counter, narrowly missing Natsu's fingers in the process. He gulped at the steely glare in her eyes.
"Not," she corrected, pointing the stick at him as if it were one of her deadly swords, "You are not hiding."
"Not," Natsu parroted back, face pale and forcing himself back to his feet.
Lucy had ordered him to learn from Erza, but after three extensive day's reading and writing, he had developed a profound hatred of all pencils, pens, and loose leaf paper.
Verbal lessons with Lucy were better. Speaking to his mistress began to come more fluidly with all the practice he had. Sometimes when she would catch him growling and pointing at something, she would gently remind him to speak.
It was difficult, finding the words to say anything, but soon he was picking up on the sounds for words he already knew.
And he learned a few creative ones just being around Fairy Tail. Much to Lucy's disapproval, and his glee.
"You are so hiding!" Cana cackled, causing Lucy to tense up from where she was sitting. Lucy had not forgiven the card wizard for trying to kidnap them, and after the first shouting match that had required Gray and Juvia to intervene Lucy had stayed far away from the drunk woman.
Which was a pity in Natsu's mind. He thought she was fun.
"Let the runt go Erza." Gajeel drawled, prompting a low growl from Natsu, and smirked, "You terrifyin' him ain't gonna make his lessons go faster."
"Oh?" Erza purred, "Perhaps you should join him for a lesson or two then." She suggested, "Certainly your speech is nothing to brag about."
Gajeel spluttered in a combination of indignation and horror that had something bubbling up in Natsu. A feeling he wasn't familiar with, and was confused by, until a laugh escaped him.
It was by accident, and he slapped his hand over his mouth instinctively in surprise. What had that been?
Gajeel's eyes widened in matching surprise and he scowled, "You laughin' at me brat?"
Natsu started to shake his head, but the feeling bubbled up again and this time he couldn't stop the sounds from escaping.
"Awwwwww!" Mira cooed, "How cute! Your first laugh! Lucy are you looking?"
"Yeah I am." Lucy replied as she moved towards the counter, her gaze fixed on Natsu, and a smile curling at her lips, "I'm glad to see it too."
Her smile turned into a grin as she tugged gently at Natsu's bangs, "What do you think?" She asked, "Do you like laughing?"
Natsu gasped for breath and cocked his head slightly, a wide grin on his face, "Yeah! This is fun!"
She'd been asking him that more and more often lately, though he didn't get why. It seemed like she wanted to know his thoughts and feelings on things more and more. Which was weird, but he'd accepted that his mistress was just plain weird anyway.
If she wanted to know things like that... he'd tell her.
His cheeks felt flushed and warm, and he couldn't describe the lightness he felt in his chest after... laughing.
He wanted to ask what it was, or what it even meant, but it felt nice.
His smile broadened, his hands curling around his sides and his eyes watered a little, "It hurts a little, is that bad?"
Lucy smiled and set a hand on his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. It made Natsu feel even lighter than before.
"No that's perfectly natural Natsu!" Lucy smiled even wider at him, "that just means you laugh with everything you have. It's wonderful."
Natsu's cheeks warmed happy at the way she described it as his snorts finally died down to something normal. He smiled lazily, catching his breath and straightening up fully.
Lucy tugged a bit at the collar of his shirt, smoothing it down against his neck.
He had a collar that stood up, disguising some of the tattoos that reached under his hairline. Lucy told him that plenty of humans had tattoos all over their bodies, but the markings on him might stand out as unusual. One of his arms was bandaged to hide more of the markings, and the other one had a sleeve down to the wrist.
He wasn't particularly fond of things covering his arms, they tended to burn away with his flames if he wasn't careful. But if this would help Lucy draw less attention to them, he would wear a parka.
Still, when he turned to look at Lucy, he noticed her smile had dimmed around the edges. For the moment Erza seemed to have mercy on him and had wandered off to terrorize Gajeel.
Natsu whined at her and cocked his head, curious as to what was troubling her.
Lucy shook her head a little, "It's nothing to worry about right now." She promised him, "Why don't we get some dinner?" She looked over at Mira, "If that's alright?"
"Of course Lucy! Is there anything in particular you want?"
Lucy shook her head, "No thanks Mira." She replied, her smile a bit more forced, and Natsu's brow furrowed at her tension.
He didn't know why, but for some reason Lucy never relaxed her guard around the guild, and though she was polite there was always an edge to her words. Like she was gearing up for a major battle every time she spoke to anyone but him. It bothered him quite a bit, and he resolved to see if he could find out what it was that made her react that way.
Maybe he could ask her when they ate? She preferred to eat in their rooms instead of eating with the guild.
He wanted to help whatever it was that had her so tense. Fairy Tail was a lot of fun. Way more fun than the Knights had been that was for sure. And he wanted her to have fun too.
"Here you go!" Mira exclaimed, setting their food in front of them, and handing Natsu a box of matches.
"What are these?" He asked in confusion, turning the box over curiously.
"Those are matches Natsu!" Mira explained brightly, and deftly pulled one out to strike and set his drink on fire, "Since you told me that you ate the fire too quickly I thought maybe you could re-light your things yourself."
Natsu's eyes widened in delight at the idea, and he promptly sucked the fire off the drink to try it himself. He carefully struck the match and dropped it into the liquid, laughing in delight when it burst back into flame.
"Thanks Mira!" He exclaimed happily, "This is great!"
Lucy gave him a wane smile and picked up her plate and drink, "C'mon Natsu. Let's go eat."
Natsu looked curiously at her, but hopped off the stool and followed her without complaint. He gave Mirajane a sunny smile before he loped off after Lucy to their room.
No sooner had he closed the door behind him, did Lucy turn around to him, her expression fierce.
"Okay Natsu, we're going to have to move soon if we want to get out of here," Lucy said with an air of urgency he didn't understand.
He cocked his head at her, frowning in confusion, "What? Why, we just got here? Did you want to go eat outside with the others?"
Lucy stared at him over his innocently oblivious question, and she seemed to sigh to herself, as if gaining patience.
"Not the room Natsu. We are getting out of Fairy Tail while we still can!" She hissed urgently
Still Natsu was mystified. He didn't understand why
"I don't understand Lucy." Natsu told her as he shifted to set his food down, "Why do you want to leave? Haven't they helped us?"
Lucy sighed at his genuine confusion and shook her head, "They've helped us so far yes." She agreed, "But Natsu guilds can't be trusted. No matter how nice Fairy Tail seems to be on the surface they will turn on us. Believe me. I know."
Natsu frowned a little, her words and Fairy Tail's actions not meshing, "How do you know?" He asked softly and cocked his head slightly, "Is it because of that Phantom thing the popsicle mentioned?"
Lucy froze completely at his words, and Natsu winced. Okay, whatever that was it was bad. He didn't need their connection to tell that he'd just hit the most tender spot he could. He felt panic rising in his chest when she dropped her eyes and sat down heavily. He'd really upset her!
He opened his mouth to start apologizing when a soft sigh escaped her lips.
"I suppose you would need to know if you're really going to understand." She murmured, and curled around herself in a way that made him want to rush over and nuzzle her with soft whines that it was alright and she didn't need to tell him anything. Really!
However, before he could move she began to speak.
"I was fifteen when it happened." She murmured, "I grew up wealthy. And because of that I was a target." She looked up at him, "Wealthy children are often targeted by kidnappers so they can be ransomed back to their families, and when I was fifteen they came for me."
She shivered, "They used their magic to bypass our security in the middle of the night. I didn't even know they were there until they grabbed me from my bed and dragged me out of the room."
"I didn't know who they were, or what they wanted." She whispered, ducking her head again as a tear rolled down her cheek, "They knocked me out and when I woke up again I was tied up at their master's feet. He told me how he was so glad I could join them, and that I was going to make his guild extremely wealthy as he bled my father dry."
"I could tell then... he was like all the other slimy businessmen my dad had dealt with. He had no intention of letting me go. Ever." Lucy took a deep breath, trying not to let her emotions overwhelm her, "They locked me in a nice room, and treated me like a princess for a while, but I knew it wouldn't stay that way, so I tried to escape."
"Over and over I tried to escape, but I never made it out. I was beaten and thrown back into my room every time until the last. Then they threw me in this tower cell." She shook her head, "I'm not sure how long I was up there, but it felt like days without food or water. The only good thing was I was able to find my keys before they threw me in there and hide them."
"When Jose came to taunt me about how I had brought my poor treatment on myself I was able to trick him and run for the door. That was when I found out it was a tower, and I had the choice of falling or being his prisoner."
Fierce eyes met his, "I would rather die than be that kind of prisoner!" She hissed, "So I jumped. If it wasn't for Horologium I probably would've died. But he saved me at the last second and helped me escape. I broke my leg in the process and my spirit was badly hurt trying to save me."
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, her expression dark and distant as she thought back to a place that brought her so much pain, "That is what guilds really are."
Natsu made a distressed sound in the back of his throat. Slowly he edged towards his upset mistress, pressing his nose into her shoulder.
He pulled away and let out a fierce sounding growl, one that rumbled dangerously through his chest in a way that made Lucy pull away in surprise.
Natsu's eyes flared a deep red in his anger, his lips pulled back over sharp fangs in what could only be described as a feral snarl.
She hadn't seen such a look on his face since before he woke up. But again she was reminded with startling clarity that Natsu was not just a demon, but he was END.
And as such he had a certain amount of violent impulses she had just provoked.
"So long as I'm with you, no one will hurt you like that again," Natsu growled, his eyes dimming only a little.
Lucy shook her head, reaching out to grasp his cheeks in her palms. She could feel the tension coiling in his muscles slowly drawing away thanks to where her hands were until the redness in his vision finally faded away.
"Now you see why we have to go as soon as possible?" Lucy pleaded with him, "Fairy Tail is extremely strong. We can't take the whole guild on when they change their tune. We have to leave while we have the chance."
Natsu frowned, his gaze flicking down as he nodded. Reluctance was in the set of his shoulders, and it was clear he still didn't really believe Fairy Tail would turn on them.
He could feel it even if he couldn't explain how.
Natsu had the feeling he had a personal experience with the darkness in people. Sensing none of that evil in Fairy Tail, he just couldn't believe they would do to them what Lucy said.
But he would obey Lucy, and if Fairy Tail tried to stop them... well he would fight if Lucy asked him too.
Lucy's relief was palpable as he dipped his head in agreement, and she smiled, "Thanks Natsu." She breathed, "Let's hurry and go then. They won't be expecting us back for at least another hour. That'll give us time to get away without arousing suspicion."
She smiled and pat his arm consolingly when he cast the food a mournful look, "Don't worry. I have a place we'll be safe. It's got plenty of food and a fireplace there."
She knew Natsu didn't believe her entirely about Fairy Tail, and she couldn't really blame him. He hadn't seen it first hand, and so far Fairy Tail had not given him a reason to doubt them. Still, she was grateful he was willing to go along with her anyway. Maybe part of that was the bond they shared, but over the last few days he's proved he could, and would, at least ask for reasons behind orders before blindly doing what she asked.
That meant he was at least thinking about it, and though he hadn't resisted the bond outright he'd shown that he was willing to technically obey and passively thwart her at every turn if he didn't agree with her.
Natsu sighed gustily, but got up when she did and joined her in slipping out the door. The guild hall itself was underground, but the guild frequently used other parts of the building their bar was situated in, along with several of the surrounding buildings, but if her calculations were correct then at this time most of the members would be at the bar eating or getting drunk.
Which would mean the other exits would be all or mostly unguarded.
She headed for the nearest one, walking calmly despite her intentions, and was relieved to find no guards near it. Fairy Tail was far less militant than Phantom Lord had been, and she would take shameless advantage of that fact.
Natsu hesitated as she slipped out, still thinking she was making a terrible mistake.
It didn't seem right, and a part of him rebelled against leaving the people who had helped rescue them.
If they had ulterior motives, than by now wouldn't they have been sniffed out? Natsu didn't want to go back to the stuffy council building Lucy seemed so fond of.
He could still feel the creeping helplessness when he had to obey the nurses as they took him further and further away from Lucy. And then they strapped him down and began their torture...
Lucy was convinced she could sort everything out with the council, but he didn't think so. There was a cruelty in their eyes when they looked at him.
And Natsu wasn't deaf to their comments by any means. They spoke about him like he was a thing. A mere object without any sense...
"Natsu!" Lucy's voice hissed at him, just beyond the door, "Let's go! Hurry!"
His eyes flicked back to Fairy Tail as he made a decision Lucy was sure to hate him for later.
His fingers burned into the frame of the wooden door, a small stream of smoke rising up where he touched.
With that, he ran after Lucy.
Erza had made him read short stories to get better with his words, ironically called fairytales. And there was one about two children that left a trail back to find their home again. He liked the idea of finding a home.
Natsu hoped he and Lucy could.
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"Lucy if you just-" Natsu growled, a hint of frustration edging into his voice. But Lucy's grip on him was solid. She began to tug him again down the road as she planned a detour.
"I can't believe you did that," Lucy gave him a hurt look, "You had no right to make a decision like that. It could get us killed!"
Natsu's eye twitched and he let loose an angry growl, yanking his arm free of Lucy's grip, "And like you are?"
Lucy looked more surprised over how he snapped at her, the rebellious glint in his eyes boiling like one of his flames, "You're just afraid of getting hurt again so you are running away from good people!"
"They aren't good people Natsu! You've only been around for a couple of days! You wouldn't know how guilds work! You can't trust them," Lucy snapped back at him, losing her patience with this argument.
"I don't have to know how guilds work to know good people when I see them Lucy!" Natsu growled, his patience also fraying, "I'm not the child you seem to think I am! I'm a demon. I always have been, and I never needed to be awake to know good from evil!"
