NATSU:
I grabbed her small shoulders, shaking her fiercely. "Nashi! C'mon, wake up! We have to go save your mama!" I yelled at her, not caring about consequences. The voice had wanted her power, like it was a priceless possession. My daughter wasn't a tool with magic: she was her own person. I wouldn't let anyone take that away from her. I lost touch with the fighting around me, focused completely on my kid. She stood frozen, her breathing shallow and her eyes unfocused. Glistening tears slid down her cheeks, her face frozen. Her lips made out a string of words, my sensitive hearing barely picking them up.
"I'm sorry, mama, papa."
An outline of golden fire formed around her, casting strange shadows on the ground. With a blast of magic the outline expanded to fill a large circle, her being the center. It slammed against me like a brick wall, kicking me out. Blue and white sparks of light left her body, thirteen total. They formed a circle around her, their power pulsing through the shield of flames. Her pink hair floated up around her face and her eyes began to glow with a white light.
"Natsu! What's going on?" Gray ran up to me, followed by a trigger-happy Erza. She stuck her sword tip into the ground mere centimeters from my hand.
"Isn't it the infamous team of Fairy Tail? Welcome, my friends, and I am very pleased to show you the power of my pet!" It was that voice again. He had snarls leaving my throat before I even registered what he'd actually said. The circle of fire grew and the sparks began to whizz around in circles, leaving trails of light.
"Celestial Dragon: Heavenly Fire Dance." Nashi's voice seemed to be ripped from her mouth as she spoke the words of the spell. Erza requipped into her Adamantium Armor, jumping in front of us. Gray knelt by her side, creating an Ice Make Shield between Erza's shield and my kid's power. I joined them, adding a layer of flames. Wendy cast Armor to add to our defenses. Blue fire erupted from the ground within Nashi's sphere, dancing around her body. The sparks kept increasing their speed until their trails hid her from view. Suddenly they froze, forming a perfect circle around her, and her eyes flashed normal for less than a second before returning to a blinding white. Her legs bunched as she took a flying leap, clearing the treetops with ease. Above us her magic sphere exploded, a wave of blue and gold light cutting through the night. The amount of power was terrifying. She dropped down lightly, her landing soundless and clean. When she straightened, I could barely even tell it was her.
Her glowing white eyes were framed with golden scales that trailed down her cheeks and her neck. More scales dotted her forearms and her waist, visible through her ripped-up shirt. Her salmon hair had become white, falling past her waist in a wild mess. She bared her lips in a snarl, showing very sharp canines. Her small fingers were replaced by golden claws, reminding me of Mira's Satan Soul. The sparks followed her descent, lazily swirling around her. Unless I was wrong, she was in Dragon Force. She took a step forward but stopped with a violent shudder. A growl left her lips, cut off by a snarl. Another step and she shut her eyes with another shudder. I could smell her sweat as it poured down her face. She took heaving breaths, each small step finished with a snarl.
"She's fighting herself." Wendy whispered. "She isn't in control."
Suddenly she lunged for me, taking me by surprise and sending both of us rolling across the ground. She recovered first and began attacking me, her claws slicing through my clothes and skin with ease. I covered my body in flames and began blocking her attacks. They were very sloppy, I noticed, and slow. Her breath was coming out in short gasps and she didn't use any Dragon Slayer techniques.
"Knock…" She snarled, her voice sounding strangled. "Me… out…"
"No!" I shouted as I blocked another punch. Gray and Erza tried to jump in and help me, but she took hem out with a single blow. Popsicle skidded across the grass, ending up a limp pile at the base of a tree, while Erza smashed into the same tree and landed on Gray. Wendy ran to them, Charla watching our battle with narrowed eyes as she guarded the blue-haired slayer.
"P-please!" Her plea was cut short by a violent snarl. She paused in her attacks and grabbed her head, her talons puncturing the skin. Drops of blood painted her white hair as she shook her head back and forth, growling. I took the moment and dealt a swift Fire Dragon's Iron Fist to her stomach, hoping that I wouldn't screw up her injury. She coughed up blood and collapsed, the sparks re-entering her body as she slipped out of Dragon Force. I shut off my flames and scooped her up, carrying her limp form to Wendy.
"What happened?" Erza muttered, clutching her stomach as she tried to sit up. Gray groaned softly but stayed out. Wendy placed her hands on Nashi's stomach and a pale green glow surrounded them.
"Where's the bastard!?" I snarled, spinning around as I tried to find the sick crook. I couldn't pick up any scents, sounds – it was like they had never existed.
"No, no, no, the little pet, no. You mustn't fight yourself like that, otherwise you won't be of any use!" As if on call, his voice rang out and slapped against my ears. I gritted my teeth as I tried to ignore the ringing in my head. "Oh well, at least the separation still works. Until next time, my pet!"
"Where are you!?" I yelled, my fists lighting up in my rage without my noticing.
"Natsu, he's gone." Wendy's quiet voice cut through the anger and I nearly collapsed, the toll from Nashi's attacks coming in an avalanche.
"You okay, flamebrain?" Gray was up, hand clutching his side where Nashi's hit had landed. I nodded and looked at my kid, lying peacefully. Her hair was back to normal and the scales were gone.
"Erza, call the guild. Get Levy on the line and ask about the separation the bastard mentioned." I snapped. Without taking offense, Erza nodded and pulled out a communication lacrima. Within moments Levy had been updated and she'd pulled out a collection of books, scanning through them frantically.
"Got it!" People crowded behind her as she read the passage. "Magic Separation. It's when a person's magic is the result of two different magic types merging and the original mold of the two magics is removed by force. It results in serious instability and can lead to self-destruction. Oh Mavis, did something happen?"
"Yeah. Nashi lost control just now and the bastard that had Lucy said the separation still works." I scooped her small form up as Wendy finished her spell and she unconsciously snuggled into my chest.
"You guys need to find the original mold, otherwise Nashi could lose herself to her magic. It'll probably be under heavy restraints since it is naturally drawn to its source, which would be Nashi. I don't know how to return it to her body, or what will happen once it does. I'll keep looking!" Levy clenched her fist in a determined gesture as the lacrima flickered out.
"At least we know what's wrong." Gray muttered.
"She's incredibly strong, fighting her own power like that." Erza's voice carried respect, despite the fact that she'd just been slammed into a tree.
"This can't be her first time." I growled and they looked at me in worry. "She's obviously lost control before since she could fight it for so long."
That's what bugged me the most. The first time anyone loses control they don't have a chance of resisting. To be this good at holding her magic in, she'd have to have done it many times. Wendy crouched next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Natsu, I have to heal you too." She said softly. I glanced down, taking in the numerous gashes spread over my body, and nodded. She quickly set to work, asking Charla to help her put pressure on the larger ones while Happy darted around, handing them bandages. They had just finished when Nashi stirred, slowly sitting up and her eyes widening in horror as she took in the bandages before bursting into tears.
"I-I'm s-s-so sor-ry!" She wailed. I pulled her into a tight hug and she swung her arms around my neck. "I c-can't c-contr-rol it, a-and s-she alw-ways g-g-gets h-hurt b-but then s-she says it-t's ok-kay, and-d he a-always s-sets it off, a-and I d-don't k-know h-how t-to st-stop it!"
My grip tightened as I met my friends' murderous gazes over Nashi's head. Without a words we rose and made our way back to our campsite, me carrying a sobbing Nashi. It took us a good ten minutes, considering how we kept getting lost, but by the time Erza's luggage cart came into view Nashi had fallen asleep. Wendy spread out a sleeping mat and I gently set down the sleeping girl, letting her curl up in a comfortable position before I covered her with a blanket. I restarted the fire and we divided up the food, eating in silence.
"I can't believe he would go as far as making her hurt her own mother." Erza muttered, breaking the tense silence. Gray nodded in agreement and Happy pulled out another fish.
"What's our plan then?" I stuffed the remains of my dinner into my mouth and waited them out.
"Once we get into the base we should split up. Natsu, Wendy, and Nashi should go after Lucy while Erza and I try to find the mold." Gray munched on a piece of bread and managed to outline a decent plan all while taking off his shirt.
"I agree. We'll have to hope Levy finds out what to do the mold before we're confronted with that situation." Erza had a fresh slice of cake in her hands.
"Aye." Happy muttered sadly.
"I'll go with Erza and Gray." Charla sniffed. "I might have a vision once we come in contact with the mold that could give us a clue." She turned to Happy. "You, he-cat, had best make sure that Wendy comes back to me in one piece."
"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted.
"We should get some sleep so we can move out early tomorrow." Wendy murmured and spread out two more mats. We joined her and I placed my mat next to Nashi's before quickly stretching out under my blanket. I missed Luce's bed, even though it had long since lost her scent.
Halfway through the night I was woken up by something pressed firmly against my front and I glanced down to see Nashi curled up against me, kind of like Luce used to do when I snuck into her bed during the night. She'd rolled off her mat completely and I just place my arm across her shoulders and drifted off, inhaling the faint scent of Lucy that Nashi carried with her.