Hey guys, it's Kytrin. I'm sorry about the super late update here. Mslead had something in RL that came up to take all of her attention, and I didn't find out about it until just now. I don't have any particular announcements or anything off hand, so enjoy the chapter!

THIS FIC UPDATES EVERY THREE DAYS: Post, Break, Break, Post!


CHAPTER 21

Siren

The Sirens were beautiful yet dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.


Jackal wrinkled his nose as he landed on the island the golem and its human keeper had crashed into. As much as he detested admitting it, the little human insects had been quite clever in their efforts to stay under cover while at sea, and had proven elusive to Tartaros' tracking since they'd blown them out of the water.

No matter. He would find them and blow them apart before claiming the golem and returning it to Mard Geer. After all, it wasn't as if they could hide on the island forever.

He scowled as he headed in the direction of the demon village they'd discovered. As primitive as these low level scum were there had been no way to contact them from Tartaros, which meant he had to deal with them in person for information on the island.

He growled softly at the thought and hoped he didn't get fleas in the process.

He would have to blow all of the useless cast offs up if he did.

He might anyway just to enjoy the fireball.

-::-

Meanwhile, Lucy, now dressed in native clothing and a fairly convincing disguise, smiled as she helped the other demonesses put the finishing touches on breakfast.

To her surprise, she'd found she rather liked many of the demons here. They were rougher than she was used to, but no worse than anyone at Fairy Tail really. It was refreshing, and drove home the fact that even demons had perfectly decent people in their ranks.

She hoped these particular demons, if no others, survived the end of the war. It would suit her sense of justice entirely if the only demons to prosper afterwards were the ones the others had shunned.

She grinned as she grabbed a platter of raw meat to take to the smoke house. There she saw Natsu, bent down underneath the construct and listening carefully to instructions by another demon on how to keep the flame tended.

"Having fun down there?" Lucy asked, her eyes drawing over where he was stretched out underneath it on his back. He peeked his head out, eyes lighting up at the sight of her. She couldn't help but smile in return to the one stretched over his face.

He too was dressed and disguised similarly to many of the men around. Which wasn't really all that different from the way he normally dressed. The outfits he had picked out in Magnolia were oddly reminiscent of how the demons here dressed.

It seemed it fit their needs well. What with their transformations, loose fitting clothes were a necessity in some parts. It only made sense that those styles would be similar.

Of course, there were unique characteristics to the clothing that gave it a nicer look than the tired and almost militaristic clothing one could find in the Capital. But Lucy had to admit, when she looked at him, he could really pull it off.

"I'm having a blast! Are you going to replenish the old supply?" He asked as Lucy nodded. He coaxed the fires down a little as she unhooked the smoked meat already inside the little house and replaced it with the raw. They were switched out on her platter and she balanced it on her hip.

Lucy had to admit, Natsu looked at home on Galuna Island. He was among his own kind here, and it seemed he was getting along with them very well.

She was almost sad they would have to go.

As soon as Tartaros was cleared, they would be sent on their way and Galuna Island would be a dream. One, when all this was over, they could hopefully revisit.

She lifted a hand to her arm, but found Natsu's hand catching around her wrist.

His eyes were down on her arms, and he nodded to her, "The paint." He said as explanation, "You'll smudge it."

Oh yeah. Lucy had almost forgotten all about the intricate designs she had painted on her as part of her disguise. If she were to be a demon, that meant she had to look the part.

And it also meant not smudging what was already there.

"Thanks," Lucy smiled at him as he lowered his hand. She tried to ignore the way his fingertips dragged down across her palm. His thumb lightly pressed into her skin.

She cleared her throat, somehow finding herself caught in his inquisitive eyes, shifting her load on the platter, "Uh, breakfast will be done soon. You may want to come to a stopping point."

The demon next to Natsu flashed her a knowing smirk that she dutifully ignored, and nodded, "This'll be the last batch then." He replied, "The rest can wait until later easily enough."

He took the meat from Lucy and started hanging it up, but Lucy was no longer paying attention. Natsu hadn't relinquished her hand yet, and she was captivated by his expression.

It was lidded and had a quality she'd never seen before and couldn't quite identify. It was both soft and predatory at the same time, and it made her heart thump in her chest.

She immediately tried to calm it down. It had no business thumping because of Natsu's looks no matter what they were, and that was final. Natsu was already a slave to her she had no business being attracted to him! End of story.

Her mind stuttered to a halt at her own thoughts. Attracted? Was she seriously attracted to him? No way. There was just no way that could really be true! He was Natsu for goodness sake! He might make a good friend and partner, but there was no way she could possibly be interested in him like that!

Unfortunately, her own thoughts, and the heat flushing through her told her otherwise.

"Natsu." The demon with them prompted, though he didn't stop grinning toothily, "The fire?"

"Huh?" Natsu blinked and shifted, "Oh. Right."

He crawled back under the smokehouse and started working, leaving Lucy to scamper back to the other women in acute relief.

"Got distracted?" One of the women teased, "I don't blame you. He's a very fine example of a male demon."

Lucy felt like hiding in the platter of meats she brought back, her face as pink as Natsu's hair. She thought she was going to burn up in embarrassment.

"I don't- I mean that's not," Lucy stammered, her mind reeling in every direction.

It was only a matter of the worst, or best luck that saved her from having to answer to the amused smiles of the other women.

Bobo came running up to Lucy, Gajeel and Levy keeping short strides behind him, "Tartaros! They've been spotted by our sentries!"

"We have to keep you out of sight," He grunted, grasping a hold of Lucy's wrist, "Natsu!" He shouted to the smoke house, "Come here!"

When Natsu poked his head back out curiously, his expression darkened at the stance Bobo and the others had taken. Quickly he got to his feet and ran over to Lucy.

Bobo guided them to the open seating where they all gathered to take their meals, but positioned them towards the back. He put each pairing on opposite sides to draw attention away from them.

"Now sit and be very still and silent," He warned, "If they discover you are here, all is lost."

Lucy glanced at Natsu nervously, her earlier embarrassment forgotten under the spike of fear she was now feeling. She was shocked when he curled his hand around her waist and pulled her close, his nose brushing her neck.

"Calm down Lucy." He murmured soothingly, "I can smell your fear, and that Tartaros bastard will too." He pulled her into his lap, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and curled his other arm protectively around her, "I'm here." He breathed, "And I'm not gonna let them hurt you."

Lucy stared into his warm, determined, eyes and felt her fear melt away. She believed him. She believed he would protect her against all odds.

In the distance she heard the village chief, Moka, greet their 'unexpected' visitor with subservient reverence, but she didn't even so much look over. She was supposed to be a young demoness madly in love with the demon she was sitting on. There was little that would distract her from him. And to her surprise it was not as difficult to fake as she'd thought it would be.

Natsu's gaze still had hers, and he was gently rubbing his hand along her side in a very distracting way. Enough that her body reacted on its own and pressed into the warm touch.

"Kiss him!" The demoness next to them hissed urgently, "Quick!"

Lucy didn't think to ask why. She certainly didn't think to look up for herself and draw more attention. She just leaned forward as prompted and crashed her lips against Natsu's in a kiss that was considerably more heated and considerably less fake than it was meant to be.

For one blinding second, Lucy feared she might have gone too far. Natsu had stiffened under her like a wooden board. His hand stilling in shock against her side.

Lucy almost yanked herself back, her blood rising to her cheeks in a fog of embarrassment she couldn't quite squelch.

But just as her brain began to wail in horror over the whole embarrassing situation of it all, suddenly Natsu's body relaxed against hers.

His hand gripped her hip, and his arm moved up her back to curl around the back of her head. His hand cradled it, fingers sliding through her hair in a way that had a sharp flutter happen in her gut.

Natsu's mouth relaxed against hers and he returned her kiss. She could feel his hesitation as his lips found hers in a soft caress. But the clumsiness of it was more sensual than other kisses she had back in the capital.

She pressed her teeth into his lower lip, drawing a sharp intake of breath from Natsu that seemed to make his chest quake with the suddenness of it. His hand squeezed into her hip and dipped lower, palming under her thigh to cautiously bring her closer.

A thrill sprang in Lucy's heart, that even despite the plan he was tiptoeing outside the lines. No doubt exploring in his endless curiosity.

And it was a curiosity she was only too happy to encourage.

She gave up trying to deny she was attracted to him at that moment. The heat coiling in her belly left little doubt of that. And she knew in the same instant that it could never, ever, happen. Not for real. He was bound to her every whim, and she knew it would be morally wrong on many levels for her to even consider it.

But she wasn't above taking advantage of their situation to steal this one moment for herself. So she shifted at his lightest touch, pressing herself closer and gently coaxing him as she silently taught him how to kiss.

He picked it up surprisingly quickly, and it wasn't long before his tentative caresses started to get bolder, though he went nowhere near the parts of her that had begun to react most.

Peripherally she was aware of a burning, malevolent, gaze that swept over them for what felt like an eternity before moving on, and a sneering voice saying something to Moka before laughing harshly as it moved further away.

"Lord Jackal is being led to the temple." The demoness breathed next to them, pulling Lucy out of their kiss.

"He what?" She mumbled a bit dazedly, not at all happy the moment was over, prompting a lot of laughter from the nearby demons.

Natsu wasn't in much better shape. He swayed, his body feeling warm and tense as suddenly Lucy sitting on his lap seemed like a very bad idea.

He fought for his breath, a little dazed after that kiss. Suddenly the appeal of kissing made much more sense to him. Gajeel and Bobo had tried to explain it to him before, but without experiencing it he wasn't quite sure what the big deal was.

He licked his lips, the lingering taste of Lucy still clinging to them.

Definitely feeling slow, he barely noticed when Gajeel grabbed him and yanked him back up to his feet.

"It's time to go on our hunt loverboy," Gajeel growled in his ear, making it even harder for Natsu to focus.

His eyes were riveted on Lucy and her mouth. And strangely enough he felt a desire to taste them again. Want. He wanted to try it again.

Blinking rapidly, he managed to force himself back to the present and where a red cheeked Lucy was quickly having her bag pushed into her arms.

Right. It was time to escape.

Yeah.

"Thank you again." Lucy managed around her embarrassment as they were herded efficiently towards the boat that had been set up for them with enough supplies, barring another accident, disguised as trade goods to keep ten more of them comfortable.

"Be sure and tell us how it went once you come back." The demoness smiled and unexpectedly hugged Lucy, "I'll miss you!"

That was enough to jolt Lucy back into reality and that she was playing a part. A part that if she slipped up on even a little could mean death for these people. So she smiled and hugged the woman back, "Yeah. I'll miss you too!"

She was a little surprised to find that she meant it.

And at that moment she resolved they would stop by on their way back, hopefully with Tartaros on the other side of the continent by then, and see their new friends again before heading back to Harjeon.

It was the very least they could do after the demons had stuck their necks out for them instead of trying to turn them over to whichever demon had come looking for them.

More goodbyes were said as they boarded the boat, Natsu and Gajeel valiantly trying to fight the appearance of motion sickness, and headed off.

Lucy tried not to grimace as she picked up an oar and started paddling. They couldn't risk Chelia's magic right now, which meant they had to do this the hard way.

She already wasn't looking forward to the workout.

Levy also cringed and took up an oar, Chelia doing so as well. The men were just doing their best not to hurl over the sides of the boat.

And it was on that note they left Galuna island, their new boat carrying two sick men and three paddling women. All the while Tartaros looked for them on the wrong side of the island.

-::-

By the time they finally arrived at their destination, there wasn't a single person who thought they would even be able to stand much less climb out of the boat with any sort of dignity.

Natsu whimpered as he crawled out onto the beach, coughing and whining when they made it onto solid ground. Next to him, Gajeel oozed off the boat in a mess of sweat and vomit.

Lucy groaned in pain as she crawled out and laid down flat beside Natsu.

"I think my arms are going to fall off," She whimpered to him.

"I think my stomach is going to escape out my throat," He cried back.

"Sailing is officially the worst," Chelia groaned as she too flopped onto the shore, beaching their vessel with a wave of her hand and a helpful gust of wind.

"But we made it, didn't we?" Levy looked up at the sky. She squinted hard against the sun.

"Funny, I thought I would see dragons everywhere," She grumbled, as if expecting them to fall out of the sky.

There was a noise nearby, and suddenly the sand erupted as metal rods burst all around them. Natsu yelped and scrambled for Lucy as they were suddenly caged in tight against one another.

"Yes human, we are," A rumbling voice growled from the trees, "But perhaps you are merely looking in the wrong direction?"

"Damnit pops!" Gajeel grumbled from where he was still sprawled in the sand, and levered himself into a sitting position, "The hell kind of 'hello' is that?!"

He pulled himself to his feet, giving the silent trees a glare and stomped over to the nearest pole where he sunk his fangs into the metal like it was a juicy steak, "You couldn't at least wait until I could enjoy the show properly?" He demanded grumpily.

There was another moment of silence before a booming laugh sounded and the trees rustled as a large metal dragon poked his head out of the branches and dropped down to Gajeel's level, "And I see you haven't changed one bit rust spot." The dragon smirked, and bumped his nose into Gajeel's chest, his toothy grin widening when Gajeel didn't move, "Maybe more than a rust spot now." Metallicana corrected, "But still with that vile look in your eyes."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with my eyes!" Gajeel snarled, flashing his fangs at his father, "You need your eyes checked!"

"Uhm... Gajeel?" Levy called nervously, distracting both dragons, "A little help?"

Metallicana looked down and discovered that he'd very nearly stepped on the tiny human sitting petrified between his claws. His expression softened a little and he pulled back a little before shifting down into his human form.

"Apologies little one." He rumbled and extended a hand to her, "I didn't mean to frighten you." He ignored his son's glare and smiled at her, "I'm Metallicana. Gajeel's father and the drake of this nest. What brings you here?"

When the dragon transformed into a shape more easily digested by a human mind, Levy still found herself gaping up at him.

Metallicana bore a striking resemblance to Gajeel for being his adoptive father, a wild mane of black hair and rows of studs decorating his arms and face. His flashing red eyes were peering intensely at Levy, and even when he reached out to shake her hand, she thought his grip could swallow up her whole arm.

He didn't have much in the way of clothing, only thick furs covering his back and looped around his waist. They were banded on his limbs with thick straps of hind and leather cut crudely to keep them in place, which was contrary to other fashions Levy had come up across.

"H-hello!" Levy squeaked at the rakish smirk stretching over Metalicana's face, "U-uh, Gajeel said you may be able to help us?"

"Did he?" Metalicana rumbled, dropping his hand to peer over at Natsu and Lucy. The former looked like he was getting ready to set his whole head on fire to get out of their cage.

"You don't visit or write, but the first thing you ask for when you come back to see me is a favor?" Metalicana growled at his son, humor glittering in scarlet depths, "Brat."

Gajeel rolled his eyes as he continued chewing on Metallicana's cage, "Ain't like you keep a lacrima in the nest old man." He retorted, "An' I can't exactly fly out here ya know."

He shrugged, "My human nest wants to try an' do the impossible." He explained, "Somethin' they've got a pretty good track record of, so I agreed to help 'em out. Details will take a while to explain though."

"How about the gist then brat?" Metallicana asked, the remaining bars on Natsu and Lucy's cage lowering as he crossed his arms.

Gajeel grunted and met his father's eyes, "They wanna try an' win over Igneel."

Metallicana stared at them incredulously for several moments, obviously trying to wrap his head around that idea, and his eyes narrowed, "Do you have a reason to think there's even a remote chance my brother will listen?"

Gajeel hesitated and then nodded, "Yeah. But that's part of those details I mentioned."

There was another long silence as Metallicana thought about that, during which the sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping alerted them they weren't nearly as alone as it looked. Though none of the other dragons showed themselves.

"Alright brat." Metallicana said at length, "I'll hear your details in private. If they're good enough I'll tell you how to get to Igneel's." He ran his eyes over the somewhat bedraggled group, "In the meantime, your human nestmates are welcome to stay and recover their strength." His lips twitched, "It looks like you've had a rather rough trip so far."

"You don't know the half of it." Lucy moaned, probably louder than she'd meant to, as she rubbed at her sore arms and aching back, "I may not move normally for a week!"

"Thank you," Levy also smiled at Metallicana, "We appreciate the offer. It's been a long journey to see you so far."

The dragon nodded, looking amused, "Think nothing of it. If Gajeel believes you have a chance to sway my brother to see reason, then there is no doubt an interesting story to hear. You'll be the first humans to have set foot on our island and nest here in over twenty years."

Lucy blinked at the interesting phrasing, but managed to collect herself for the moment. She was far too interested in getting some rest than chasing down the mysteries of an enigmatic dragon.

"Rogue," Metallicana called to the trees.

There was another rustle, and an even louder snapping of branches, like of something heavy shifting in the woods. But what emerged from the trees was a man around their age with his black hair tied in a pony tail.

He was quiet, but looked at Metallicana with silent questions.

"Please escort Gajeel's companions to the nest and get them comfortable, I'll speak with my son at the flying peak," Metallicana gestured for Gajeel to follow him.

Levy eyed her friend in worry, but Gajeel put a large hand on the top of her head and growled reassuringly, "I'll be back soon shrimp. Don't get stomped on until I get back."

Rogue caught Gajeel's eyes as he passed and smiled faintly, "It's good to see you again brother." He murmured before turning his attention to the three moaning humans and one... demon? That was surely an interesting tale.

He kept his curiosity to himself though. Now wasn't the time to ask questions. Instead he bowed lightly at the group, giving them a friendly look, "If you would come with me?" He asked, "I'll show you to the more human sized portions of our nest."

Gajeel grinned as Rogue's words faded on the breeze. Good. His brother would take care of them, and explain things to the others. Though it was very lucky this nest was so human friendly. The consequences otherwise would've been ugly.

"So what's your evidence?" Metallicana asked as they reached the summit of the flying peak. Gajeel picked out a rock and sat down.

"The pink haired runt is END." Gajeel stated flatly, "Goes by the name Natsu now though. It seems he ain't as dead to the world as we thought. More than that the blond's his new mistress. She ain't bad as humans go, an' her goal is to end the war."

Metallicana nodded slowly, "Lofty goals." He rumbled, "And possibly achievable ones with END on their side, but you know that's not going to make your uncle budge so much as a centimeter." He cocked his head, "So why did you agree to this fool's errand?"

Gajeel's lips thinned, "Because the runt ain't just a demon." He replied grimly, still faintly nauseated at the way his facts had come together, "You might've noticed but he smells dragon. And he's a fire eater."

He nodded at Metallicana's stunned expression, "Yeah. That's what I thought too at first. But it ain't just that. He's showin' dragon traits too. He eats his own body weight in fire damn near daily, he's motion sick on transportation, and he's startin' to hoard. Plus the evidence adds up."

"Draco's scales..." Metallicana breathed, "Igneel's firstborn hatchling was killed a little over four hundred years ago..."

"Yeah." Gajeel nodded, "And not long after END shows up. The strongest fire demon ever created."

"You think Natsu is-" Metallicana looked a little pale under his skin. It was almost as if his brain couldn't wrap itself fully around what Gajeel was saying.

Gajeel hunched his shoulders forward, his eyes distant with thought.

"I won't know for sure until we get to Igneel's nest pa, and I could be wrong," He finally looked up, "But I think Natsu is my cousin. I think he's Igneel's son."


Special thanks to all of our lovely reviewers! You guys are really the best, and we love you all dearly. Apologies for not listing the names out again, but I'm rushing a tad since it's nearly the 11th hour. Literally. Regardless, know that you rule, and enjoy your preview! :)


30 REVIEWS EQUALS A SNEAK PEEK!

Gajeel growled a little and settled down, the dragons shifting around him in clear support, "There's no such thing as dragonslayers." He told them, "Humans can't learn dragon magic. Dragonslaying is a term we created centuries back to explain what we were."

Levy stared at him uncomprehending of what he was saying. She shifted her weight and peered at him, "What exactly are you then?"

"Half dragon?" Natsu asked, cocking his head to Gajeel. He didn't seem particularly interested with the topic's thread as he bent around to see several dragons walking by with a tray of meat. He whined as he watched it go, but surprisingly didn't pounce for it, "That's why you smell so weird."

"You ain't exactly a flower yourself," Gajeel growled back at Natsu, a little annoyed with the demon for being so casual about it. Not that he would actually understand anything about dragons.