Greetings!

It's been a while, I know, and I apologize. I've been kept very busy and when I get home at night, I just don't want to do anything. But here it is, a weekend, and I've decided to start on the next chapter of FtF. So…

Without further ado, allow me to introduce Fueling the Fire, chapter 7.

"—chan?" the voice was frantic, sounding as if it was through a thick film. It was distant, but urgent, and sounded like it was getting closer. "Lu-chan?! Lu-chan, wake up, please!"

Lu-chan? Who was it that called her that? Only one person used that name for her—she could remember that much. Someone who had been absent from the guild for a while, it seemed. Was she sick, or on a long job? As long as that one dark guild hadn't…wait. That one dark guild.

Demon Card.

Then…everything rushed back to her. The forest in the dark, the man and woman who had confronted her…even the little vial that had been placed under her nose. And the only person that ever called her Lu-chan…

"Levy?" Lucy's voice came out croakily, which surprised her. How long had she been out, for her voice to crack so? It felt like only a few short hours had passed since that woman, the one who called her doll in that condescending way, had held her vial of perfume under the celestial mage's nose. Could it have been, Maivs forbid, days since then? When was Natsu's trial?

Natsu's trial!

She'd nearly forgotten why she had come here, nearly forgotten that she'd let herself be captured, intentionally, so that she could try to save both Natsu and Levy in a single sweep.

"Oh, thank goodness, Lu-chan!" Levy's voice breathed a sigh of relief. "How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The blonde struggled with her heavy eyelids, lifting them after a few long moments. Hovering over her in the light filtering through bars of a high window was the blue-haired solid script mage that Demon Card had abducted. There was a fading bruise across the slightly younger woman's left cheekbone, a splotchy yellow-green that made Lucy bristle in anger. How dare they treat Levy like that! But those eyes, the bright, hopeful eyes that the blonde was used to seeing, were still the same. Even in the face of this, she hadn't lost heart.

"I'm fine," Lucy finally said, fighting to force herself up. Sitting was a trial in itself, as much as opening her eyes had been. The cell they were in spun for a few seconds before the blonde got her bearings, but then it righted itself and she could examine their surroundings more thoroughly. "More importantly…what about you?"

Levy blinked, sitting back on her heels and examining her friend just as Lucy did the same to her. At closer inspection, Lucy could see several smaller bruises up and down the blunette's thin arms, a scrape on her leg, and what looked suspiciously like rope burns on her wrists and ankles. Not for the first time since Demon Card started interfering with the happy lives of Fairy Tail did the blonde decide that they had to pay. And pay they would, she would be sure of it.

"I'm fine," Levy said timidly, covering one of the worst bruises on her arm with a hand. The celestial mage reached out and pulled the hand away, frowning. "I mean, I've been worse…" Levy amended, looking down at the stones beneath them.

Looking over her now, the blonde couldn't deny that Levy was right. She had been through worse—including the time her current beau had been borderline evil and an enemy to boot and beat the living shit out of her and her Shadow Gear teammates. And then there had been the incident with Acnologia…and various jobs that had turned out tougher than the bill let on. It still didn't make Lucy like Demon Card any better.

"We'll get out of here," Lucy said aloud, grinning slightly at her best female friend. "We've got Fairy Tail on our side, you know."

"But…what about Natsu?"

So…they'd told Levy that, too, had they? Her brow was furrowed in thought, her lips turned downward in a frown.

"What about him?" Lucy asked, slowly pushing herself to her feet to peek out of the high window. She saw only blades of grass in her view, right at the edge of the window, so they were underground for the most part. That would make staging an escape just a bit harder, then. Especially since Levy was shorter than Lucy—she'd need a boost out the window, if Gajeel couldn't break in the base to save her, and there was no guarantee that Lucy would be in the cell when that time came.

"They…they said he was to be put on trial for attempting to murder someone…a general. Is it…"

"It's true," Lucy stretched her arms above her head, feeling her shoulders protesting the action with every movement she made. "How long have I been here?"

"What…? Only a few hours, but Lu-chan…Natsu…" Levy was trying to stay on one topic and seemed slightly appalled that Lucy would switch so quickly. She'd learn in just a few moments that how long the blonde had been here was of vital importance.

"Oh, good. That means I've still got time…well, I guess it means we've still got time," with as big of a grin as she could muster, Lucy looked down at her obviously confused friend. "Natsu's trial is in four days. I have everyone trying to find whatever evidence they can to prove Natsu's innocence while I secretly came here to gather the kind of evidence we really need. I've got a few accomplices, but I had to pick them very carefully to make sure they'd go along with my plan, but they're trustworthy. We'll be just fine."

"What…came here—Lucy, did you get captured on purpose?!" The blue-haired mage stood up abruptly, wincing as she cracked the scab on her leg slightly. She ignored the single drop of blood that started to roll. "What were you thinking?"

Lucy turned back to the window, examining some of the grass right outside as she tried to find the words that would convince her best friend that she was doing the right thing, coming here. Finally, she said, "Well…the fire that was used on the general of the Rune Knights was blue, Levy."

Her eyebrows shot up and her facial expression changed instantly, just as Lucy had been counting on. Levy thought quickly for a moment and Lucy swore she could almost see the gears turning in the solid script mage's head. After about a minute Levy finally said, "Blue? That…that means it couldn't have been Natsu then, doesn't it?"

"I think Demon Card framed him," Lucy said softly, listening close to make sure that no one was walking down the hall. The only sound she heard was the breathing of herself and Levy. "They took you to get all of us to attack them and alerted the Rune Knights, considering that fighting between guilds is highly illegal. When the Rune Knights arrived to call an end to the fight, several of the Demon Card members fled, but all of Fairy Tail remained there. And then…the general went up in flames…and Natsu was right there."

"So they made it easy for the Rune Knights to accuse Natsu…" Levy mused softly, slowly leaning against the wall. "They lured him here and then attacked when he was the closest fire mage…because everyone knows the infamous Salamander of Fairy Tail."

"Simple yet effective," Lucy hated to say it, but it had been.

"What did you do?" the blue-haired woman asked, even quieter than she had last spoken. She knew better than anyone that Lucy had been growing closer and closer to the dragonslayer. She was the only one that Lucy had ever admitted her growing feelings to, even when she had been trying to ignore them.

And Lucy remembered the dragon-scale scarf, Natsu's prized possession, that rested safe with Happy back in Magnolia. She couldn't bring it into a dangerous situation like this, never knowing whether or not she would come out unscathed, let alone the scarf. It was precious to him, the last gift he'd received from Igneel, so Lucy couldn't risk anything happening to it. And then when she thought about the scarf, she had to think about kissing him, too. So spur of the moment…but she didn't regret an instant of it.

"I screamed his name like a desperate little child," the blonde finally told her best friend, "and resisted the Rune Knights so I could get to him. I kissed him, promised I'd get him out, and got shoved away. He kept begging me to take his scarf so much that one of the Rune Knights yanked it off of him and threw it at me before they dragged him away…and I couldn't do anything."

The sad look in the solid script mage's eyes made Lucy want to cry. She had resigned herself to the fact that she had fallen for him, finally, and having him torn away like that really did hurt. She'd been too preoccupied with everything to let it get to her, and she still had to fight the emotion away. There was so much left to do that she couldn't bog herself down by worrying about that…but damn it all, why did it have to hurt so much?

"We'll get him out, then," Levy said, an ounce of confidence in her tone. "After all, you promised him, and a celestial mage never breaks her promises. Right?"

That's right…it was something her mother had taught her when she gave Lucy her first golden key.

"Right," Lucy said determinedly, standing straighter. Her resolve hardened once more, and her goal returned clearer than before: she must build a solid case to defend Natsu, rescue Levy, and make Demon Card pay for thinking they could walk all over Fairy Tail like that.

Footsteps sounded in the hall outside for the first time since Lucy had been awake and she did her best to adopt a confused yet brave face.

She would not falter.

The emptiness in his stomach felt like it would never go away.

Natsu rolled over on his hard cot, facing the wall rather than the door, and tried to ignore the gnawing hunger. He also did his best to ignore the aches and pains that covered his body and the bruises and scrapes that the guards had dealt him. As he lay there with nothing else to do but think about or ignore his pain, he reflected that Lucy should be happy with him. After all, he didn't even try to fight back.

Yes, the fire dragonslayer was hotheaded, but he knew when it would get him in deeper shit and frankly he didn't need to dig a hole any deeper now. The guards of his cell were continually leaving his trays of food outside his reach on the ground outside of his bars and had been for at least three days now. The lack of food was taking a heavy toll. If Natsu didn't want to get dizzy or pass out, he had to stay sitting or abed for most of the day. He couldn't even take to pacing the room as he had done in the first few days unless he was willing to stop frequently and rest.

Anything more than this and he would be done for. Even the occasional, unwarranted beatings by his guards could almost be his undoing now.

A few of his ribs felt fractured, he decided when he shifted uncomfortably on the cot and the shooting pain made him gasp. He bit back the next pained exhalation as he shifted to his back, staring listlessly at the ceiling.

Lucy.

She was all he could think about and not get tired of. His feelings for her, which grew clearer with every passing day, and the feelings she held for him, which grew even more muddled with each day he was separated from her. How her eyes lit up when she smiled or laughed, and how they wetly shined when she had tears brimming in them, or the lost look when she was upset or sad…he missed them. Her occasional whining, the way she fussed about her hair or clothes, her confidence in her appearance. The way she scolded him for destroying things and the way he teased her for being vain.

He just wanted to see her.

Really, that was it.

"Oi, Salamander!" one of the guards—the hook-nosed older guy, it sounded like—called through the bars. Natsu hadn't even heard their approach, but when he turned his head, he found that there were three of them, all grinning like they knew something he didn't. That wasn't unlikely.

"What?" he said. Natsu was not amused. He didn't particularly care for whatever they wanted to taunt him with now, but he'd hear all about it regardless of whether he wanted to or not.

"Oh, don't take that tone with me," it was the older man, the petulant turn of his countenance twisted in a grotesque smirk. Natsu didn't like that. "Don't you want to hear the latest news about those little fairies you spend all your time with, Salamander?"

They always used his name like that. They tried to use his infamous name to taunt him or provoke him. He didn't understand why—he was Natsu. Just Natsu. It didn't matter what else he was called, because he'd always be Natsu, one of the members of Fairy Tail and the son of the dragon Igneel. And then he called the members of the guild fairies in a way that sounded condescending…if Natsu didn't have to watch himself, that was probably the part that would make him fight.

"Is Mira on the cover of the Sorcerer Weekly magazine again?" he asked, closing his eyes and draping an arm across them. He'd seen the magazine in a younger guard's hand.

The guard holding the magazine laughed now. "Oh, if only! It would have made the magazine more interesting. But we thought you'd like the news about your little girlfriend better."

At that, Natsu's eyes snapped open, still hidden behind his arm. By that…were they talking about…?

"What did it say again?" the third guard leaned against the bars of his cell, an impish grin across his cheeks. He did look like an imp. He had pinched features and a pointed black goatee. Natsu didn't know if he was descended from elves or something, but his ears tapered slightly as well. "'Fairy Tail, after lobbying complaints of kidnapping against Demon Card over the weekend and having its very own Salamander taken in for the attempted murder of a general of the Rune Knights, has once more raised its voice in protest of Demon Card after the uncertain disappearance of another mage', isn't that how it started?"

"Exactly," the older man chuckled. "Well, we won't bore you if you don't want to hear it then, Salamander, but we'll give you the magazine if you want to look later."

A rustling of pages preceded the papery crinkle as the magazine hit the stone floor of his cell nearby and slid a few inches. The three guards strode off down the hall again, guffawing stupidly and talking in low voices. It was just a rush in Natsu's ears as it struck him again and again—the uncertain disappearance of another mage. And they had mentioned his 'girlfriend'…they were all Rune Knights, they had probably seen he and Lucy at the Demon Card headquarters after their general had gone up in flames…

Natsu pushed himself up, ignoring the dizziness that swept over him with his sudden action. The magazine was actually within reach and he leaned to grab it, shaking it once so that the pages all righted themselves from their bent jumble. The front cover was a collage of the various Fairy Tail images they'd taken over the years…and the biggest was one of Levy and Lucy raising glasses together, grinning. Plue was at Lucy's feet and at the edge of the photo, Pantherlily was on the counter, talking to someone off-camera…whose arm looked suspiciously like Gajeel's. But that didn't matter—what mattered was that Lucy was in the main picture as well as Levy, the one Natsu knew had been kidnapped.

It didn't bode well and his chest stung as he forced himself to read the words on the cover.

Magenapped!

The ever-infamous Fairy Tail has complained of the new guild Demon Card twice in the last week, claiming that two of their members have been kidnapped! The story on page 7!

And the second one about Fairy Tail…

And the Salamander Strikes Again!

…or does he? The destructive nature of Fairy Tail's Salamander showed stronger than ever after the Rune Knights interfered in the battle with Demon Card after the first mage's disappearance…when he allegedly tried to kill the general! Read more after 'Magenapped!' on page 7!

What was this…? The reporters of Sorcerer Weekly sure had ways to get information on a thing that should have been classified…but that wasn't what concerned him right now. He rifled to page seven as quickly as his shaking hands would allow, dread filling him. When the article met his eyes, so did the picture of Levy and Lucy from the front cover. He forced his eyes downward.

Just this morning, before we could send out this week's issue, we learned of Fairy Tail's second missing mage. The first was their adorable little blue-haired solid script mage Levy McGarden, who disappeared in the middle of one of Fairy Tail's infamously famous brawls. Fairy Tail allegedly found a card that is a trademark of the Demon Card guild with a scrawled message on it that prompted them to attack. As we all know, attacks on other guilds are strictly forbidden by the magic council. Someone had alerted the Rune Knights to this fight early on, and they interfered, where it is said the Salamander attacked the general out of spite. He is to go on trial on Friday for attempted murder (more in the next article).

The news we received this morning is that another mage from Fairy Tail went missing overnight. While everyone was working to build a case for the Salamander, whom they all believe to be innocent of the crime he's being accused of, the blonde Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail's celestial mage, went out alone. It is reported that there were signs of a brief struggle in a small wood outside of Magnolia as well as Lucy's trademark whip at the scene.

Master Makarov of Fairy Tail refuses to comment, but it's obvious that someone is targeting Fairy Tail mages. It bodes ill for lesser guilds when unknown persons are willing to tangle with what is arguably the greatest guild of our time.

Whether these disappearances are accident or orchestrated, let's all hope for the safe return of both Levy McGarden and Lucy Heartfilia.

It was hard to force himself to read the entire article without pause as his fragile hopes shattered. So…so it had been her then.

Those bastards had Lucy now. He was so furious he could hardly move. The blood was pumping faster than it had in a while and he desperately wanted to fight his way out of here, fight his way to Lucy. He had always been there to protect her…but now who did she have?

"Lu…cy…" he murmured, his vision fuzzy.

The magazine fell from nerveless fingers and the dragonslayer slumped weakly down on the hard cot, unconscious.

Okay…so I'm not sure how well this turned out. I hope that it's okay, though. It's been a while so I thought I should update.

Anyway…if any of you are writers yourselves, looking to improve but scared to ask for help, I have a forum called Writing Dos and Don'ts that you're welcome to drop by. You can even ask questions there. There's a link on my profile. Hope to see you there!

AND thank you so much for reading and reviewing guys. Hope this update was okay!