Chapter 5 is finally here! I didn't spend much time editing because I wanted to post asap since it's been awhile...Thanks again Xenohawk for your awesome reviews! Love you all-sarey
*I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters*
A/N- Natsu means "summer" or "born in summer"...you will see this later ;)
Ch 5- Live
The morning sun brought Twilight Village back to life and the sounds of the busy market streets filtered in through the window of room 307. The silver drapes fluttered in the cool breeze and cast dancing shadows around the small room.
Natsu woke with a startling gasp, "The Mayor!" He recalled the important detail that had slipped his mind last night and then noticed that something else was wrong.
Shaking his small friend awake, Natsu pelted him with questions, "Where is Lucy? Did you see her leave? Did she tell you where she was going!?"
Happy felt like his head might wobble off, "What? No. I don't know!" Natsu stopped shaking him and Happy tried to make sense of the situation, "What's going on?"
"Lucy's gone! The Mayor is involved! And it smells like someone else was in here last night!" Natsu paced the room in an attempt to burn off some of the adrenaline that was coursing through him.
"What do you mean, the Mayor is involved?" Happy asked cautiously, pressing his paws outward in an attempt to subdue his panicking partner.
Natsu squinted his eyes in concentration (thinking is not one of his strong suits) and tried to organize the images in his mind into a cohesive thought. He could see Mayor Yügure in his minds eye, he could smell the leather furniture in the office, but behind that was another faint sensation. It was a slight pressure pulsating from somewhere deeper in the office, a closet perhaps. No, it was coming from the desk drawer. Natsu remembered it distracting him like a bug buzzing in his ear. He must have forgotten about it after learning that the kidnapped girls all look like Lucy. Damn, I'm an idiot...
"Yesterday when we talked with the Mayor, I sensed some sort of spell or lacrima putting off magic energy. I got distracted before I realized what it was but I think that somehow Mayor Yügure is involved in the kidnappings," Natsu was ashamed, "I think they took Lucy while we were sleeping." He thought about his promise to protect her while she slept, She's going to kick my ass...
Happy looked at him with wide eyes, "What if the guards are in on it too?"
"Shit."
Happy was flying as fast as he could, concentrating hard on the small map that Natsu had swiped from a storefront not even an hour ago. His partner made sure that he had some fish for the lone journey and a small canteen of water. Happy smiled at the thought of his brave companion, I won't let you down Natsu...
The Salamander ran down the main street of Twilight village, pushing through the flood of people as he approached the central building below the clock tower. He pushed through the main door nearly twisting it off its hinges and approached the office labeled " Yügure Kyou: Town Mayor". He didn't bother knocking. Instead he blasted the door inward and splinters rained down on the small man shrinking behind his large desk.
Natsu flipped the desk backward and it came down with a loud crack. He proceeded to rip the drawers out one-by-one until he found what he was looking for. It was a small lacrima engraved with a cloaking spell. Natsu held it up and watched as his flames blackened the sides of the crystal. He felt the surge of fire travel down his arm while a crooked smile spread across his face. He felt the lacrima shatter in his fist. He turned toward the Mayor who shrank back even further under the Dragon Slayers fierce gaze. Natsu could sense his fear but above that he caught a scent, the same foul smell that still lingered in room 307.
"Where is Lucy?" He grabbed Yügure's collar and lifted the trembling man off the ground, "I ain't askin' twice."
"Wait, please don't hurt me," he whimpered, "I swear I don't know where he takes them!"
Natsu gave him a rough shake, "Who is he and why are you helping him?"
"I've never seen his face, he placed the lacrimas around town to conceal his identity and cover his tracks," The Mayor flinched when Natsu raised a fist toward his face, "He lets the guards have the girls from time to time as long as they leave him alone. He paid me to hire Fairy Tail, said that there was a girl he was looking for. He threatened my family, otherwise I would never have done any of this!"
"Have the girls? What the fuck does that mean!?" Natsu slammed his hostage against the wall.
"Ahh! Please don't kill me," Mayor Yügure flattened himself against the papered wall, "They, you know, use them as entertainment."
"That's sick," Natsu spat the words with disgust, "You let this go on? You damn coward!"
Former Mayor Yügure watched as the menacing figure turned to blast a fiery hole clean through the side of the building, stalking his way through the glowing ring and disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
Lucy awoke to find her hands and feet bound by chained cuffs to the damp floor of what appeared to be a dungeon. She heard the tinkling of chains and looked around to find over a dozen other girls in the same predicament as her. The girl closest to Lucy spoke up, "You're new. Don't try anything clever, it's hopeless."
Lucy felt a spark of anger ignite inside her, "It's never hopeless," she raised her voice so that everyone could hear, "My partner will come for me and we will get you all out of here, I promise."
Lucy turned to the girl who had first spoken, "What's your name?"
The girl gave her a look of uncertainty. "Yumi."
"I'm Lucy."
Lucy noted Yumi's long blonde ponytail and dark brown eyes. She looked like a fighter, toned and ready to pounce. It bothered Lucy to see that she had been broken by her unfortunate circumstances.
"Do you know who did this to us?" Lucy asked.
"We don't know his name but he comes down in intervals each day, taking us one at a time to a room where he...experiments on us." Yumi shuddered at the memories.
Lucy grimaced, not sure if she wanted to know more, "What kind of experiments?"
Yumi looked like she was trying to decide the best way to explain, "Well, I'm not exactly sure but it involves some sort of spell. And we all come back a little more...empty each time."
"Empty?" Lucy knitted her brow. She felt somehow responsible for what was happening to these girls and the fortune-teller's words echoed in her head, an evil man...
"We will get out of this Yumi. My partner and I are wizards from Fairy Tail." Lucy realized that she hadn't checked to see if her keys had been taken during the kidnapping. She folded her legs in to give slack to the chain and was able to bring her hands to her pouch. The empty sound sank her heart and she reached inside, feeling only the soft leather walls.
"Damn! He's got my keys." She stretched her legs back out and leaned against the wall with a pout.
In all honesty, Lucy was terrified. For all she knew this was leading up to the future that Madam Mooney had foretold. She never saw her captor, only remembering brief flashes of moonlight through the trees as she was carried away. I must have been drugged...
Natsu bounded toward the forest in a heated fury, fire sparking from his skin. He could hear shouts from the village guardsmen in their hot pursuit. The knowledge of their perverse behavior weighed heavily on his heart. He steeled his nerves and tasted the breeze, seeking Lucy's dulcet scent. It was lost to him and he guessed that her abductor was concealing his movements with magic.
Limbs snapped in his wake and twigs patterned his face with tiny cuts. Natsu concentrated on finding magic energy in the area. His senses picked up on something southward and he turned in its direction. It was faint, possibly a magic barrier, but it was better than nothing.
Approaching from the northeast he felt the magic presence grow in intensity and searched for any sign of a cave or structure. Instead he noticed a distorted area where the air seemed to ripple, like heat rising from the ground. He stopped in front of the peculiar sight and pressed his hands into the waves. It was definitely a barrier and Natsu attacked it with his fists to no avail. He pressed his hands against it but this time he summoned the fire within and tried to burn his way through. The barrier held strong.
"Damn." He thought about what might be happening to Lucy. If that bastard so much as looks at her the wrong way...
Nastu felt a surge of anger and he relished in it. He could taste the fire on his tongue. The one born in summer, fire was his very essence. It was his soul.
The fire burst from his body, engulfing him in a shroud of flame. He crouched into an attack position, took aim, and blasted the barrier. It solidified and a spiderweb of cracks began spreading outward. Natsu gave the wall a roundhouse kick and it shattered like glass. The falling shards vanished as they hit the forest floor. He continued forward and cresting a hill, came upon a small dilapidated castle.
Not knowing the meaning of restraint, Natsu stormed the castle. He took out half of the entryway during his onslaught and rubble rained around him as he glanced around for any sign of life.
Lucy sat up at the blast that sounded above her but the heavy chains prevented her from standing. She cocked an ear toward the dripping ceiling and listened intently. "Natsu..." his name caught in her throat and the look in her dewy eyes was a reflection of the unbreakable faith in her companion. She wasted no more time.
"NAAAAATSUUU," she shrieked his name in desperation, worried that her captor would intervene at any moment.
"What's going on?!" Yumi asked.
"It's my partner." Lucy's eyes were glued to the iron gate across from her.
"How can you be sure?"
"Only he can make that much noise," Lucy smirked.
Happy glided down to tufted patch of grass beside a bubbling stream. He was getting close to the guild but the long trip was taking its toll. He sat down, exhausted, and sifted through his bag for a snack. He found some dried fish which his stomach eagerly anticipated with a rumbling growl. I hope Natsu and Lucy are okay. He ate his fish but the cold, empty feeling in his belly was not appeased. The fact that Natsu, of all people, was sending for backup was alarming.
Natsu heard Lucy call his name from somewhere beneath him. He looked onward at the maze of doors and stairways, "Fuck this."
He burned a smoldering hole in the floor, "Heads up!" And jumped fearlessly into the dark, landing in a hallway with a sagging ceiling and several doorways probably leading to more dark and decaying rooms. But Natsu didn't give a rats ass where they led he simply blasted his way down to the next floor, this time landing in a room full of chain-bound girls.
He caught her scent and knew just how far to turn before he would be face to face with Lucy. But something wasn't right. Why hadn't she yelled at him like usual? He spun around, seeing the horror on all the young girls faces before landing his eyes on Lucy.
He saw the blood first and, as if in slow motion, his eyes trailed up past her grimacing face to the twisted smile of her attacker.
Lucy coughed and a sickening gurgle sounded in her throat, "N...Natsu." She smiled at him with a look of admiration but but the blood spilling over her lips distorted her expression.
Natsu heard his voice calling her name as he watched in horror while Tyreus twisted the blade in her back. Lucy cried out but her voice was drowned by the blood in her throat.
In the blink of an eye, Natsu slammed Tyreus down and the skin on his neck sizzled under Natsu's blazing grip.
"You're dead, you bastard!" He blinked away the hot tears forming in his eyes.
Tyreus only laughed and swatted him away like a fly sending Natsu skidding across the floor to land at Lucy's feet. He pushed his aching body off the floor and crawled toward her. He reached out but hesitated, afraid to cause her any more pain. Instead he brushed the tears from her cheeks, "Hang in there Lucy, you're going to be alright," she could hear the doubt in his voice, "We'll get out of here together."
"Lucy belongs to me now! And you will watch each other die before I devour your pathetic souls." He shot a look of distaste mixed with longing to Lucy, "You shouldn't have rejected me, bitch!"
The menacing laughter behind Natsu brought his blood to a boil and he swung around to face his deranged enemy. He crouched into an attack position and thrust his hands out sending a bolt of fire across the room. Tyreus dodged it with incredible speed, a strange shadow swirling about his body. Natsu could feel the immense pressure of the magic energy and speculated that Tyreus was using some sort of forbidden black magic.
"Souls..." Lucy gasped through the blood filtering into her lungs, "He's stealing...their souls."
Natsu understood that she was explaining the reason for Tyreus' great power. "How pathetic. You have to steal power from innocent people!" Natsu went in for an impromptu attack, launching himself toward Tyreus before summoning his fire dragon iron-fist. He missed again and before he knew it Tyreus was behind him. Natsu was slammed to the ground and Tyreus unleashed a powerful spell attack that sapped Natsu's magic energy in one blow.
"Stay down you dog!" Tyreus spat with a demented grin.
Lucy watched in horror, her body was going numb and she wanted to scream out but couldn't find the strength. She watched as Natsu was thrown around like a rag doll, his body breaking under each tremendous blow. A feeling of hopeless despair crept into her heart. She had believed in Natsu so completely...how could this have happened? I'm dying...she thought as her eyelids fought against the darkness that was pulling her under. Pictures of her life came and went in brief flashes. She saw her parents, the staff of Heartfilia Manor, and the first time that she had met her pink-haired partner.
Natsu...she remembered the battle going on outside of her failing body.
Natsu... He was the only person who had never given up on her. He had saved her life countless times and always believed in her strength even when she doubted herself. I won't let you die because of me!
Lucy forced her eyes to open and in her desperation she summoned all of her magic power. Natsu was lying beaten and bloody on the floor beside her. She reached over, placing her hand over his heart, "Kill that bastard for me, okay."
A pulse rippled through her body and a golden glow spilled from her hand. Natsu could feel her warmth enter his body and it spread slowly through him, healing his wounds.
"Lucy?" He met her chocolate gaze.
"I'm sorry. This is all happening because of me," her voice was getting weaker by the second and Natsu realized that she was giving him the last of her energy.
"Stop! You don't have to do this!"
He tried to push her hand away but she held strong, "I'm not afraid. Please let me do this for you. I wouldn't want to live in a world without you in it," the tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, "I'm so glad that I met you. I'm sorry that I can't stay much longer."
"Don't give up on me now!" Natsu pleaded with her.
Lucy smiled at his stubbornness, "Take care of everyone, tell them goodbye for me."
"Lucy..." The seriousness of her injuries finally sank in.
Her energy was spent and she let her hand fall limply to the floor. Suddenly a figure materialized appeared behind her, startling Natsu.
"Loki?"
"What happened?" Loki asked in shock as he took in Lucy's blood soaked figure.
"I did," snarled Tyreus, "But by all means have your last moments, it's really quite amusing."
"Shut your damn mouth!" Barked Natsu.
Lucy silenced him with her dying smile, "It's okay. I know you can beat him." She took a shallow breath and a single tear rolled down her pale face.
Loki bent down to pick her up, "I'm going to bring you to the celestial spirit world," He turned to Natsu who looked disinclined to let her go, "We may be able to save her but I have to hurry."
Natsu couldn't hold back his tears of shame and sadness, "I failed you Lucy, I'm so sorry."
"No," she replied softly, "You are the only person who has never let me down."
Loki carefully scooped her into his arms and a faint light glowed around them as they began to fade into the celestial realm.
"Wait!" Natsu reached out, "What am I supposed to do without you?"
"Live." Lucy held her hand out to him with great effort, "Natsu...I love you." And with that they vanished.
Natsu stared in shock at the empty space. Behind him Tyreus laughed maniacally, "She's as good as dead and now you have no body to bury!"
Natsu stood slowly and turned to face the madman. His pain turned into a fire that blazed out of his very soul and engulfed his body in white flames. He summoned the dragon within and looking around at the captured girls he warned, "Get out. NOW!" Their bonds cracked under the heat and together they ran desperately for their freedom.
"You cannot defeat me you miserable fool! I will kill you and then I will find those bitches and tear them apart!" Tyreus seemed awfully sure of himself.
"This is for Lucy," whispered the Salamander.
"What was that, whelp?"
Natsu closed his eyes and let his dragon consume him. Scales covered his once smooth skin and flames leapt off his body, licking the walls and ceiling. He let out a piercing wail that carried with it the pain in his heart and the gift of strength from his beloved friend. It rang through the crumbling structure, cracking the foundation and bringing the castle down around them.
Tyreus still failed to understand that his fate was sealed. He held his palm out to summon the power draining spell and he sent the bolt straight at Natsu. The shock was all over his face as the spell was burned up in the white hot flames and he started backing away as the Dragon Slayer stalked toward him.
Natsu backed him against the wall and letting out another earsplitting scream he unleashed a blaze that exploded outward and laid waste to Tyreus, the castle, and a good portion of the forest. All that was left was a blackened crater and Natsu stood panting in the center of it. Silence blanketed the forest and ash floated down like snow, carpeting the glowing circle. Natsu fell to his knees and wept.
"There he is!" Erza pointed to the barren ring in the forest, "Natsu!"
She ran to meet him, "What happened? Where is Lucy?"
He picked up Lucy's keys which somehow survived the and turned slowly to meet her gaze. She saw the tear trails running down his soot covered face and felt a stab of apprehension.
"Lucy...is gone." He walked past her toward the group of his guild mates who stood in awe and confusion at the edge of the blast zone. They parted at his fierce gaze and Happy reached out for his friend as he walked past, "Natsu..."
Happy turned and gave everyone a worried look before following his partner into the forest. They walked for miles in silence until Natsu finally stopped to sit on a fallen tree trunk. He felt numb. He thought about Lucy's final words, I love you...
Live.
"You idiot, how am I supposed to live without you around!?"
Happy was startled by Natsu's sudden outburst, "Are you okay, Natsu?"
Natsu buried his face in his hands, "I was too weak, Happy. I failed her."
Happy flew onto his partners shoulder and patted his head, "I'm sure Lucy didn't think so."
"Yeah, that's because she's so damn stubborn."
"Is she really gone, Natsu?" Happy's voice cracked.
Natsu didn't want to give anyone false hope so he kept the encounter with Loki a secret, "Yeah little buddy, she's gone."
Natsu hugged the crying exceed and together they grieved for their lost comrade while the sun sank behind the trees.
"What do we do now?" Happy asked when he finally ran out of tears.
"I guess we should go back to the guild." Natsu stood up and they turned away from the sun to begin their journey home.
The pair walked on through the night only stopping briefly for water at a shallow stream. They continued on and on in silence, losing track of time until finally cresting the hill where the Fairy Tail Guild Hall came into view.
Natsu felt the weight of sadness grip his heart as they trudged past Lucy's apartment. Her scent wafted from the open window and he looked up imagining her leaning out, waving with a big smile on her face. "You go on Happy, I'll catch up with you later." Natsu turned toward the apartment building door.
"Natsu?" Happy looked up at him questioningly.
"I just need some time alone." He pushed the door open and stepped inside. He climbed the familiar staircase and reached her door. He stood with his hand on the knob, unsure if he could withstand the memories that lay beyond.
Taking a deep breath he turned the knob and pushed. He walked in without realizing it and turned his head to see that he had already closed the door. Dazed, Natsu looked around and memories of Lucy were projected around him. He followed her as she danced past the kitchen door, spoon in hand. He saw her yell at him with that hilarious angry face. He watched her sleeping peacefully, curled in a little ball under her fluffy pink blanket.
Natsu cautiously sat on the bed as if afraid that it might not be real. He laid down on his side and prayed for sleep. It came swiftly to his exhausted body and soon he was having fitful dreams of fire and death. Just when he thought the nightmares would waking him he heard a soft voice calling his name. He followed it to a wide open field under a blanket of stars. He saw a figure beckoning him beneath a glowing tree where rainbow petals danced in the breeze. He could see her golden hair flying around her face as he approached. She was dressed in long silk dress and the creamy fabric rippled around her.
"Lucy? What are you doing here?"
He stepped into the light of the tree and she leapt into his arms, "I've been waiting for you."
He held her tightly, wanting the dream to last forever, "What do you mean?"
She leaned back to look at his youthful face, "We can only see each other because we're both sleeping. Dreams are a bridge between the worlds."
His eyes widened, "Are you saying that you're still alive? This isn't just in my head?"
"That's what I'm sayin'." Lucy smiled at his elated expression.
"Prove it." He narrowed his eyes.
Lucy hauled back and punched him in the arm. "Ow! Okay, I believe you."
Natsu furrowed his brow as a thought struck him, "Can you ever come back?"
"I don't know," she frowned, "Maybe once I fully recover."
He pulled her into another tight hug, "Lucy...you are such a stubborn idiot."
"I'm sorry." She buried her face against his neck.
"Yeah well don't go pulling any crap like that again. You scared the hell out of me." He pressed his cheek against her soft hair and they stood together for what seemed like hours.
Lucy stepped away and broke the silence, "Time is different here, one day for me will be close to a month for you."
"Sounds like I got the crap end of the deal. I guess I'll just have to spend my time sleeping."
"That's another thing..." Lucy hesitated, "It takes a lot of magic energy to open the dream bridge. I will look for you here when I can but it may be a while, I'm very weak."
"Then you should use your energy to get better." Natsu let out a sigh.
They stared at each other knowingly for a long moment.
"I have to go soon," Lucy looked down at her bare feet and she heard Natsu take a step toward her.
"Tell Loki that he better get you back in one piece or I'll kick his ass," he smirked.
Lucy sprang into his arms again, "I wish I could stay here with you but we both have to wake up sometime. I'm sorry Natsu."
He whispered through the strands of silky hair covering her ear, "No, I'm the one who should say sorry. You nearly..." he choked on the word, "I almost lost you for good. All because I was weak and stupid."
"Shh," she pressed her fingers against his lips, "It doesn't matter, I'm here."
"How can I be sure? I'm scared that I'm making all this up just to..."
Before he could finish, Lucy stood up on her toes and kissed him. Overcoming the shock he closed his eyes and tangled his fingers into her long hair, kissing her feverishly. Lucy smiled inside, she could tell that this was all new to him. She broke away, "I really have to go now," she began to fade like an apparition, "I will find you again when I'm strong enough."
"Lucy, don't go!" He reached out but his hands went right through her and she disappeared. He looked up at the tree and realized that it was just like the one he had uprooted and sailed by her window. Natsu sat down and leaned against the trunk. He closed his eyes and drifted off wondering if he could bear the pain of waking to reality. Lucy's voice echoed in his head as he drifted in and out of strange dreams...
Live.