I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.
First of all I want to thank everyone who reads this and that goes double for those of you that review!
Mira rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow looking down at the Dragon Slayer. She smiled down at him as his onyx eyes sucked her in. She forgot about where they were and why they had even left Magnolia in the first place, knowing that whether he returned her feelings or not, she would follow him. Wherever he was, she wanted to be. Just seeing that grin he gave her was enough to warm her, giving her a different perspective of what everyone else saw from him. He was always a passionate person, jumping headfirst into any situation to protect any of his friends. But no one saw this side of him, the fierce yet gentle way he touched her and the simple look of need that filled his eyes.
She followed his hand with her eyes as he slowly crossed the distance between them to brush a thin strand of hair that stuck to her face. Her cheek pushed against the palm of his hand, savoring the warmth he gave off from his very being, closing her eyes to savor the feeling. She groaned in disappointment when he pulled back from her and felt the bed move as he got off of it.
Raising her eyes to watch him, she couldn't help but let her gaze wander over him. He practically glistened in the bright light that was coming in from the window to reflect off his sweat. Mira pushed herself into a sitting position, memorizing the image in front of her. She wanted to remember the way his muscles moved as he bent to retrieve his fallen clothes, the rise of his chest with each breath. She gasped slightly when he turned his back to her to pull his shirt over his head. She reached out tentatively, stopping his shirt from covering the marks on his back so she could see the dark red scratches down his back, blood dripping down from where his skin had been cut.
He sucked in a sharp breath and looked over his shoulder to her, but his smile never faltered. "Do they hurt?" She asked worried. Natsu shrugged his shoulders and turned to her, taking her hand in his. "Not as much as you would expect. Besides… I kind of enjoy it." Mira laughed and slapped his shoulder, realizing she was still kneeling naked on the bed in front of him. She would have to keep that in mind for something to try out later, test how much pain he enjoyed.
She was brought out of her fantasy when Natsu threw her bag onto the bed next to her. "Hurry up, we need to get to the mayor's office, we are already late." Mira looked over at the wall clock to see that he was right, her eyes widening at the time. They were supposed to be at the office by two and it was nearing four. The take-over mage unzipped her bag and quickly pulled on black short shorts with leggings that went nearly up to the bottom of her shorts. She also dawned on a dark red tank top that barely contained her bountiful chest.
A pair of boots finished her outfit before she ran a brush through her hair to ensure there wouldn't be any tangles in it. Despite the fact that Natsu liked the way she looked when her hair was disheveled, he knew that they needed to keep the image of Fairy Tail high. He couldn't help but think that she was starting to revert to how she had been when they were kids, before Lisanna had 'died'. She was more adventurous than in the previous years and it made him smile to think that she was letting herself feel happy once again.
Grabbing her hand, he pulled her from the room, barely stopping long enough to grab the key to the room. He could feel the eyes of strangers on them as he practically pulled her through the town.
Mira followed without a word as Natsu pulled her along, trying to ignore the haunting looks they were getting from strangers around them. She could hear whispers ripple around them as they parted for the two and she stepped up her speed to match that of the Dragon Slayer's. She tried to ignore those around them until she realized they were at the mayor's office, Natsu walking right in without a knock. She pulled her hand from his and put a hand on his chest, giving him a 'let me do the talking' look as someone stood up from a desk just inside the room.
"Can I help you two?" The woman behind the desk asked sweetly. Mira caught the look the woman gave them, a quick glance to ascertain what the two were to one another before she eyed Natsu as if she were picking a piece of fruit from a stall and had just found the perfect prize.
"We are from Fairy Tail, we got the notice that your town has been in some trouble with a beast." Mira said, her voice dripping with her usual sweet venom. Anyone that knew the mage would know that she had something evil on her mind, but from the outside it looked like she was genuinely sweet. "We were told to stop by when we got into town, that someone would have more information for us about your problems."
The woman's smile never faltered as she transferred her gaze to the take-over mage. "I thought you two were supposed to be here around two… Well never mind that." The woman said with a wave of her hand. "Come with me, the mayor is waiting for you."
The two were lead down a long hall to a large set of double doors that opened to a rather plump man sitting behind a desk with a few mountains of papers piled around them that he was focused on. "Sir, these are the mages that we heard from before, from Fairy Tail."
The mention of their guild brought the man's head up to take the two in before a large grin split the man's face from ear to ear and he stood, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk, in which the two took seats. "Please, if I can be of any help to you two just let me know."
Mira folded her arms below her chest and smiled. "Well, we were hoping you could give us a description of the beast, or at least where we could find him."
The man took his seat again and leaned his elbows on the desk to contemplate how to form his words. "It is a large winged beast that breaths fire." He started. "I can't say that I know much more about the appearance of the beast, or even what it is to be exact. It moves too fast that we can never get a good look at it. About an hour north it is said that the beast holed up on the side of the canyon so as to not be disturbed. But, after it's most recent attack on a nearby farm we couldn't sit back and hope it wouldn't attack again."
Natsu fidgeted in his seat, itching to ask questions, but Mira quickly glared in his direction, causing him to snap his mouth shut. No matter how close he got to her, he could tell that this was one of those moments that he shouldn't fight her, reminding him why she was called 'The Demon' around the guild.
"Anything else you can think of? When did he start attacking? When did he first appear? Do you know what he wants?" Mira asked, pulling any piece of information she could out of the plump man.
The mayor raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you keep calling it a he? We don't know what it is, but it started coming around about two months ago and we saw it when a few animals started going missing, leaving blackened scorch marks on the ground wherever it touched. And it's just a beast; it doesn't need a reason to terrorize my people. Now I would greatly appreciate it if you get on with your job, and get rid of this thing for us. I hear your guild is very well known, I expect it shouldn't be too hard for you if you live up to your rumors."
Mira nodded and stood up, motioning for Natsu to lead the way out. "Don't worry, we will take care of it, sir. We are staying at the Red Grove Inn if you can think of anything else. Leave a message with them and we will make sure we get it as soon as we can." A single nod from the mayor was all she needed before leaving the office, watching closely as the assistant looked Natsu over again, but thankfully the woman kept her mouth shut and just looked. She was okay with that, but Mira wouldn't have minded putting the lady in her place if she decided to act on those looks she was giving the Dragon Slayer. She couldn't help but notice how ignorant her lover was of the looks and smiled, intertwining her fingers with his just outside the door.
xXxXxXxXxXx
As soon as the two had reached the edge of town Natsu had let go of Mira's hand and had started running off in the direction of the canyon the mayor had told them about. She followed close behind him, sensing his excitement at the possibility of seeing his father again. Natsu practically vibrated with anticipation, fire coursing through his veins at the thought of finding the Dragon. He felt as if he waited any longer the Dragon would leave again before they could find him and he would be without clues once again. He heard the woman behind him call his name just as the forest floor ended, the canyon appearing just in front of them.
Digging his feet into the ground, the Dragon Slayer slid several feet before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff. Another couple of feet and he would have fallen. Tentatively looking over the side, he searched for where the beast could be hiding, at any sign of a cave or perch that could be used for cover. Mira spotted it before him and backed up a few steps before running to the edge of the cliff, launching her across the gap, her long white hair streaming behind her. He watched her trajectory, gauging where she would land before jumping down the side of the cliff, sliding his way down the opposite cliff towards the opening. Just before he fell past the opening, he grabbed a rock that was jutting out from the wall and used it to propel himself into the dark cave to land next to Mira.
Without a word, Natsu brought flames around his right hand and held it out to light their way so they could descend into the darkness. The two walked for what felt like an hour, getting deeper and deeper into the hole until they could no longer see the light from the edge of the cave that they had entered from. A low rumbling from deeper into the cave brought both of their attentions around, moving more quietly as they descended. It wasn't long before they could tell that the sound was in face coming from a large creature, but it was from snores rather than an actual threat.
Natsu motioned for the woman to get behind him, glaring at her when she moved to get in front of him and he let the fire disappear from his hand, bathing them in darkness once again. It only took the Dragon Slayer a moment to adjust and feel a hand grab the back of his vest. "I can't see, why did you do that?" Mira whispered harshly at him.
"Quiet!" He growled at her in a heated whisper. "I can see just fine, just hang on to me until I can get a look at what we are dealing with." She conceded with a sigh, digging her nails into his clothing so as to not lose him when he pulled her down further.
Natsu stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into his back while he looked at the beast a short distance from them. "It's not him…" He whispered to her before taking her hand away from him and jumping a few feet from her, fire erupting over his body to flood the cave in light. The creature pulled back from the light and hissed. Mira got her first look at what had been terrorizing the town, a large snake with arms and wings. The more she looked at it did she think it looked like a man from the waist up and a snake from the waist down. The only problem with that was the snake head and the wings, and the fact that it was well over a hundred feet long.
The two threw themselves in opposite directions as the beast struck at them, launching forward with it's fangs bared. That first attack was all it took for the two mages to jump into action. Natsu ran straight at the beast, flames glowing brighter. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" The Dragon Slayer cried out, bringing his fist around to attack the beast's thick scales, but only watched as the fire licked over the scales harmlessly.
Mira threw herself at the beast from the opposite side. "Take Over: Satan Soul." She said calmly, transforming seconds before her fist connected with the snake's soft underbelly. It cried out, lashing out with it's tail sending the woman flying into the side of the cave while it rounded on the Dragon Slayer. Rearing back, the snake spat flames at the Dragon Slayer harmlessly. It recoiled in surprise to find the man unhurt but regained it's senses in the blink of an eye.
Natsu dodged under the snake's bite, flipping backwards to kick it in the jaw with a resounding crunch. His eyes looked behind the snake at the movement behind it and flinched, taking an attack from it's tail into his stomach. He felt himself hit something other than the wall and opened his eyes to see Mira over him, having stopped him from hitting the stone walls that surrounded them.
"Demon…"
"Mira! No!" Natsu cried out, trying to stop the woman from finishing the attack.
"…Blast!" Mira finished, casting her hands out towards the charging beast.
Natsu felt his body move before his mind could tell him to, grabbing her wrists and pushing them up, aiming the attack over the snake's head by mere inches. "Natsu?" She asked, bewildered.
Grabbing her by her upper arm he pulled her back, throwing them away from the creature. "It's not attacking us Mira, it's protecting something!" He explained.
The two of them pushed off one another, propelling the other out of the way of another attack. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu cried, launching a large streak of fire down the cavern behind the large snake. A second, much smaller, snake creature had curled around something at the end of the cave. Fire licked around it, but did nothing more than light the area around it.
The two mages jumped further away before coming together when the large snake moved between them and the smaller snake and whatever it was protecting. "It's an egg…" Mira said with realization. The two stood there, fire still licking around the walls between the two groups. "It isn't attacking the town, it is protecting it's mate and child." She growled, her eyes growing cold.
Natsu nodded and started to back up from the snakes, knowing full well that they were monsters that could cause a lot of havoc if they ever decided to actually attack. When the snakes didn't follow, Natsu and Mira turned and ran up the cave. "I'd like a few answers about where exactly they attacked." He finally said, breaking the silence that had previously only been filled with their labored breath and sounds of their feet hitting the stone floor. They crossed the distance in mere minutes, Mira grabbing Natsu's collar before launching the two of them into the air, her wings carrying them to the canyon's opening. She let her transformation fall the second they hit the ground, breathing heavily.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Natsu had forced himself to calm down before they got the office, knowing full well what people would do when they were afraid. Or at least he hoped they were just afraid of the beast rather than wanting to hurt the creatures. Opening the door, he was greeted with the same smile from the assistant. "Wow! That was fast; we didn't expect you back until tomorrow!" The woman said standing up quickly and rushing ahead of them when they tried to walk past her towards the mayor's office.
The mayor wasn't surprised to see them, merely looking up when they walked in. "Is it dead?" He asked bluntly.
"No, we need more information. You said the beast attacked farms, where exactly did it attack?" Natsu asked his voice deadly calm.
The mayor frowned at the two before him, ignoring their question. "What do you mean no? Your job was to kill the beast."
"It wasn't attacking anyone." Mira said speaking up. "We found it protecting it's mate and it's young."
The mayor stood up and slammed his fists on the desk. "You are telling me there are more than one and you didn't kill them!"
Natsu growled at the man's response. "It shouldn't attack as long as you leave it alone. If you haven't had any trouble from it up to this point, someone must have gone into it's territory. Now, what farms were attacked?"
"Some farms up north between the canyon and town, like I said earlier. Livestock has gone missing when the farmers try to get them to other pastures." The mayor said, flopping down into the seat irritated.
"Then tell them to take their livestock somewhere else, or at least wait a few months for the young to be born. If they haven't attacked until now, then leave them be. They will leave when they can." He said before turning his back on the man.
"If I had known Fairy Tail left their jobs unfinished, I wouldn't have sent you a job flier." The mayor said, causing Natsu to turn around, fire erupting around him. Mira beat him to it, grabbing the man by his front shirt, roughly lifting him up.
"You hired us to kill something that doesn't need to be killed. Next time, watch what you say or my friend here may not have me to stop him. He doesn't take things lightly, especially when you insult his decisions or his friends." Mira dropped the man and spun, shoving Natsu from the room. The assistant stopped them before they left the building.
"You said the beast had young? How long do the farmers need to wait before they can move their livestock?" Natsu sighed, trying to calm his mind from what the mayor had tried to say. "A few months, don't worry. They should move on when it's born. Call us back if something happens. And take down those offers; innocent beasts don't need to die just because someone fears them." He growled before pulling Mira from the office.
"Let's get something to eat." She commented once outside.
"I'm starving." He agreed, cheering at the idea.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Mira sat across the table from the fire mage while she looked over the menu. She looked up when the waiter came over to take their orders. "I'll have…" She said looking over the items again. "Ummmm… How about the grilled chicken with corn, and a lemonade, please." She asked handing over the menu.
Natsu handed the menu over as well. "Four steaks and one of the roasted chickens." The waiter froze before writing the order, surprised at how much the mage had ordered.
"Anything to drink for you?" The waiter asked.
"Bring me whatever she's having." Natsu answered, dropping his head to the table. He listened to the waiter walk away before raising his head to lace his fingers under his chin. "I hope they will be okay…"
Mira laughed and shook her head. "They should be fine, just think what you would do to protect your child."
Natsu flinched and sat up, furrowing his brows at her. "If I was in that snake's place, we wouldn't have left there alive."
"Exactly… Now why don't we-..." She was cut off when the waiter came back.
"A lemonade for you, sir." He said putting the drink in front of Natsu. "And one for your beautiful friend." He gave Mira a wink before turning away from the two and heading back.
Natsu growled at the back of the man's head, but didn't do anything else. Mira giggled at her… She cocked her head to the side, unable to finish the thought. She couldn't think of what she was to him, they had never finished that discussion. He had told her that he didn't consider them dating, saying that marriage wasn't what he was looking for. Okay that wasn't exactly right; he had said he didn't like putting titles to people. She knew he liked her, cared for her, and even wanted to be around her.
A small sigh left her lips when the waiter returned with their food, struggling to keep Natsu's large order on the tray. He placed the food one at a time in front of them. "Anything else I can get for you or your boyfriend?" He asked Mira.
"He isn't my boyfriend." She said bluntly, a little hurt that she didn't know how to categorize Natsu.
The waiter quickly smiled and nodded. "My apologies ma'am... I only assumed because of how close you look. Is he your brother?" He asked, ignoring Natsu pointedly.
Mira opened her mouth with a laugh, shaking her head. "He's just an idiot… Just a friend of mine." She finished, the last barely more than a whisper.
Natsu frowned and opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find words, instead shoveled food into his mouth as if it was what he had planned all along. "How long are you staying in town? If you are free, I wouldn't mind…"
His voice was cut off when a menacing growl left Natsu's throat, his fist bending the fork in his hand. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?" The waiter asked, looking between the two hesitantly.
"She's mine." Natsu said roughly, causing Mira to blush, stabbing her chicken with her fork. The waiter looked confused, but backed away before quickly walking away. It wasn't that Mira had exactly wanted the guy to ask her out, but it was good to see Natsu so flustered and possessive over her.
The rest of their meal went uninterrupted, the waiter clearly not wanting to come over to get between the two until Mira asked for their bill. Natsu snatched it from the man's hand and shoved some money into the guy's hand before grabbing Mira and pulling her against him and making their way back to the inn.
Once in their room, Natsu slammed the door shut and wrapped his arms roughly around Mira, holding her to his chest tightly, not speaking. She didn't know how long she stood there, letting him hold her, but she didn't stop him when he pulled her over to a love seat, setting her on his lap with her legs going over one of the arms so she sat sideways on his lap.. "Why did you react like that?" She asked finally. "You know I wouldn't have done anything, I've told you that all I want is you."
"Because I told you, I can't lose you. And it isn't you I'm worried about, it's them…" He said, spitting out the last word. "And I never know when you will decide you're done with me… Especially when I had told you that I wouldn't marry you…" He hadn't wanted to bring it up, but it ate him inside that he hadn't told her exactly what he wanted from her yet other than the fact that he just wanted her around him.
"Speaking of that… If you won't marry me, what will you do in the future? What's to stop someone from bringing it up when I can't tell them what we are." She asked, pushing back from him slightly.
Natsu frowned. "I told him exactly what you are."
"Which was what? That I'm yours? Like some kind of possession?" She asked.
"Not like that." He said narrowing his eyes to her. "I don't own you, but… You are still mine." He said, not finding a better way to explain it.
She leaned down and pressed her head to his shoulder. "For now…. For now that's enough." Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she forced him to look down at her. "But I expect you to find a better way to say it in the future." She pulled him down into a small kiss, barely pressing her lips to his.
She grinned when his hand slid into her hair and tried to pull her lips tighter against his, but she clenched her fist in his hair and pulled him away forcibly. "Nuh-uh. I don't think so." Mira pushed her head into the crook of his neck, settling herself against him as he groaned in disappointment, only adding to her personal pleasure.
"But Mira!" He complained, running his hand up her spine, letting his fingers trace between the bumps of her vertebrae, causing her to shiver slightly at his touch. "You know you don't want to say no." His said in a quiet husky voice that sent chills through her.
"Maybe not, but until you can decide what you need me to be for you, then you are going to have to wait for me to initiate it. I'm still not happy with you right now. Despite my love for you, I will wait until you decide what you want me to be. But until then…" She said giggling, kissing his neck gently, hoping to spark something within him about his feelings for her.
Natsu sighed and wrapped his arms around her small frame, grumbling in response of having to wait.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Natsu had woken up first, finding Mira had moved away from him sometime in the night, instead standing next to the window, looking out over the dark town. He silently made his way over to her and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her freezing frame shudder at his touch. "At least let me keep you warm…" He said with a small smile. She let him hold her until the sun came up before kissing him gently, apologizing for what she had said. "I don't want to force you to make a decision… I just don't know what to expect right now." Natsu nodded silently and pulled away to get their bags together.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Mira sighed as she stood at the bar, absently running a hand over the scaled scarf she had wrapped around her waist. After the two had gotten back to his place, he had showered and changed before leaving her there, saying he would see her at her place later. He hadn't seemed like himself, barely meeting her gaze. On top of that he had forgotten his scarf, something that he had never done before. Well, except the day he had jumped out of her window thinking he had done something wrong. She was worried that he had freaked out over her request for an answer from him, that she was going to push him away. That had been over eight hours ago and he hadn't come back to the guild since then.
'Maybe I should go look for him.' She thought absently before pushing her way around the bar. "Mind watching the bar for a little while Cana?" She asked the near drunken mage. "I'll make sure to treat you to a few beers when I get back." She added to sweeten the deal. Cana merely waved her off, telling her to be on her way.
Mira had just started to push the door open when she saw him leaning against a tree and a smile spread across her face, his simple presence relieving the stress she felt. She pushed the door fully open to reveal someone standing close to him, talking quietly with him. She watched as his face light up, still not noticing Mira at the door. "Thank Mavis Lisanna!" He said wrapping his arms around her small frame. 'Lisanna?' Mira wondered, still frozen in place.
"I can't tell you how happy I am!" He said kissing her forehead. "Thank you Lisanna. I love you, you know that right?"
Everything stopped for Mira, her heart stopped and her mind stumbled, trying to piece together what she was seeing.
"I know you do Natsu, and I love you too. But…" Lisanna pushed away from the male, pointing a finger up at him sternly. "You better tell her before she finds out from someone else."
The last thing Mira remembered before she blacked out was that she was screaming, ripping the door off its hinges.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Mira awoke with a scream, shoving the covers off of her, drenched in sweat. She looked around the dark room and realized she wasn't in her room or even at Natsu's. Why was she there? Where was Natsu? Why did her hand hurt? Then it dawned on her, the whole thing that she had seen with Natsu and Lisanna and she curled into a ball, crying silently. She had been right; she had pushed him away with her ultimatum. She would regret it, but could she get over it? Natsu had meant everything to her. No that wasn't right; even with him going to her sister, he still meant everything to her.
A banging on the door caused her to flinch. "Look miss, if you want to stay any longer, you need to pay for another night." The voice was harsh, but she couldn't be angry at him. He had a point, she had paid for her time and it was up.
Wiping her tears away, she walked to the door and opened it, pulling out her purse. "How long have I been here?" She asked handing over the nights rent.
The man looked down at her confused, "Miss, you have been here for a week… Are you okay?" He asked, worried slightly at the state she was in.
Mira nodded and shut the door silently, leaning against it for a moment before locking it and going back to the bed. She curled up and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep to get away from the pain of her heart.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Natsu groaned and rolled his shoulder, wincing in pain. He hadn't let Wendy put his shoulder back the way it should be since Mira had ran out after throwing the guild's heavy wooden door at him. It had dislocated his shoulder, but he had managed to push Lisanna out of the way in time. Until he found her, he wouldn't let anyone help him. It was his fault she had done it in the first place, his fault she had ran off.
He hadn't slept for the entire week, searching everywhere he could think of to look for her. She hadn't gone to his place, not that he blamed her for that, nor had she gone home. To make matters worse, everyone in the guild had seen what had happened and Lisanna had blamed herself for her sister's reaction. Elfman had tried to strangle the Dragon Slayer until Lisanna had explained her own side of the story. Even then he had cracked the Dragon Slayer over the head with a barstool.
Natsu was currently making his way around town for the tenth time that day, asking everyone he saw if they had seen her, or even heard where she might have gone. People were starting to get angry at him, threatening to call Erza if he so much as showed his face around there again. He called them on their bluff every couple of hours, questioning them again and again. He felt like he should give up, but the simple fact that she was alone broke that thought and spurred him onward.
"Don't you think if she wanted to see you, you would have found her by now?" The innkeeper said glaring at the man that had just walked in.
"So you haven't seen Mira?" Natsu asked quietly. "Any chance at all? She can change her appearance at will, but…" He didn't know what he was saying, he knew she could use her magic to make herself look like anyone she knew, but still she was herself. No matter who she turned into, he was sure people should know it was her.
"I told you, Mirajane is not here. What did you do to the poor girl anyways that it makes you act like this?" The innkeeper asked, starting to get angry, knowing full well Mira was down the hall from where they were standing.
"She…" Natsu tried to say, but found tears rolling down his cheeks once again. "Just tell her if you see her to come find me, that I can explain everything…"
"Whatever you say, I'll let her know if I see her." Natsu nodded at the comment and pushed his way out the door, his hand quickly going to his shoulder again.
The innkeeper watched the distraught young man walk out. He usually didn't pry into people's lives, but he couldn't help it after this. Obviously something terrible had happened, but if there was a way to make things better, he should at least try. He waited a few minutes to be sure the boy was gone and then made his way back down the hall, knocking gently. "Miss?"
Mira looked up at the door and shuffled over to it, cracking it partially. "Did I not give you enough?" She asked, not remembering how much money she had even given the older gentleman.
The older gentleman shook his head. "That isn't it, everything is fine. But… A young man has been coming here for the past week looking for you. I still haven't told him you are here, but if he keeps coming by, I won't be able to hold back. I know he hurt you, but…. You should see the way he looks when he comes in."
Mira shook her head and moved to shut the door, but he stopped her. "He left me for my sister…" She whispered. "He doesn't want anything to do with me except to make his guilt go away."
The older gentleman shook his head in disbelief. "Did you hear him say those words exactly?" She only responded with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry he hurt you, but the way things are going, you are doing just as much pain to him." He let her shut the door with that and sighed before going to back to the counter. He stood there thinking for a few minutes before heading out of the shop.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Lisanna ran from the guild, all but knocking the innkeeper out of her way as she raced towards town. Everything about her screamed to find Natsu and just tell him where her sister was, but she felt she needed to explain things herself. It was the least she could do for the Dragon Slayer for all he had done for her.
Standing in front of the door, she knocked gently and heard a shuffling on the other side of the door. "I'll leave tonight; you can have your room back tomorrow, sir." She heard her sister say through the door, her voice shaking and breaking slightly.
"Mira…" Lisanna said to the door. "Mira it's Lisanna… Can I come in?"
She heard a cry from the other side of the door and furniture move, quickly followed by a something shatter and something crash to the ground. Without waiting for an answer, Lisanna threw her shoulder into the door and knocked it open, breaking the lock. She was met with a destroyed room; the bed had been thrown across the room, knocking over the dresser in the process. The window had been shattered and despite where she looked, Lisanna couldn't find her sister in the room.
"Mira-nee!" Lisanna screamed driving through the window after her sister. She caught sight of something dart around the corner and saw a panting Natsu slide into view. "Natsu! Mira just…!"
Natsu looked up and saw that she was right; Mira was flying through the air in her Satan Soul form. Before he could think of what he was doing, Natsu had jumped to the roof of the inn, running and jumping from building to building as he followed the woman. He couldn't believe how slow Mira was right then, he knew that he should never have been able to keep up with her if she chose it.
Nearing the peak of a building, Natsu launched himself off it with as much strength as he could, forcing flames from his feet to add further propulsion to his leap. "Mira!" He cried out once his feet left the rooftop.
He could see the pain and surprise in her eyes when she turned to see him flying up at her, but it was too late for her to avert her course so her two choices were to either let Natsu grab her or to attack him and knock him away. She chose the latter, bringing her hand up in front of him and knocked his hands away from her. Her decision it would seem was not enough to deter the Dragon Slayer. He grabbed the scarf that she had forgotten she still wore around her waist and pulled her against him, crushing his arms around her and her wings. They plummeted to the ground, him wrapping himself around her until his back crashed into the ground, shattering the stone where they hit.
"Let me go, Natsu!" She screamed, ripping herself away from his grip and slamming her fist down on his chest as hard as she could. He cried out in pain, but grabbed her with his one good arm again, rolling himself over forcibly on top of her. He felt his vision blur and he grit his teeth to push the black away.
"Stop Mira!" He cried. "Listen to me!"
"Get off of me, Dragon Slayer… There is nothing left to say, I heard it all!" She shoved him back again before trying to sit up. "You made your decision!"
Mira gasped when she felt a firm hand connect with her jaw, snapping her head to the side with the sheer force of the slap. "You are damn right I did, now stop running from it!" He said, tears welling up in his eyes again. The woman sat stunned, Natsu had never hit her before. It was bad enough he hadn't chosen her, but he had to hit her too?
"What do you want from me then?" She spat out at him after she regained enough of her composure. "You already have my sister, what else do you need!"
Natsu's expression softened and he pulled her into a hug, refusing to let her go. "I told you I wouldn't leave you. Still after all that… You doubt me. Tell me, Mira, what did you hear exactly?" His words were quiet, but she felt like crying at thinking about that night.
"You told my sister… You told Lisanna that you loved her, and she said she loved you." Mira managed to whisper, feeling tears well up in her eyes. After a week of crying, it still hurt.
"You keep saying 'your' sister. That just proves that you didn't hear everything Mira. You always were quick to judge someone for what they say rather than what they were to do." He said quietly.
"I know what I saw!" She screamed again, trying to push her way out of his grasp.
"Do you love me Mira?" He asked, causing her to flinch.
"I've said I do already…. But yeah, even with this I still do."
Natsu pushed her head back and leaned down to take her lips for a moment. "Then you should thank your sister, not be mad at her. She talked sense into me; she pushed me further than I could have pushed myself, made me make a decision."
Mira looked at him confused, frowned through her tears. "What do you mean?"
"I love you, Mira. No matter how I look at my life, you are in it. Whether you find another person in your life or not, I will be in your life. But… I won't go down without a fight. Because I love you Mira, and only you."
"Then why did you tell my sister you love her?" Mira asked.
"Again with it being your sister. It's true I once thought I loved your sister like I do you, but I don't. We were kids and I didn't know what love was."
Mira avoided his eyes for a moment and stared at the ground.
"You asked me what we are. I can't date you." He whispered, forcing her eyes to his. "It isn't enough, I need all of you. I don't want a friend; I don't want a lover, or even a girlfriend. I want you, and while I can't say that I want to put a title to it, there is one for it. I want a wife. I want you as my wife Mira. Maybe someday you will see what I mean when a wife isn't the right word. It could never tell you how much I need you. Words never will."
Mira collapsed against him, her tears running anew. "If it isn't enough, then what is?"
Natsu held her close rubbing her back in small circles, gently pulling her closer with an arm around her waist. "You are." He whispered.
As always, R & R please!
How did you like the ending to this chapter? And no, still not the ending here before anyone asks.