All Rights to Hiro Mashima
Dedicated to ThayetJade, who needs to stop reading my mind. Honestly. It's getting freaky. :3
WE ARE SITTING AT 515 REVIEWS! 35 MORE FOR A SPECIAL BONUS OMAKE SMUTTY ENDLU CHAPTER!
BEWARE! SNARKY FATHER AND DICKWAD DEMON! HERE COMES THE DRAGON!
Chapter 33: Emerald
Prized for over six thousand years, carat for carat emeralds are two to three times more valuable than diamonds; the original name comes from the Sanskrit "marakata" which means "the green of growing things," and somewhere along the way it was corrupted to emerald; Aristotle believed that owning this gem would increase importance in presence and speech, gives victory in trials; favoured jewel of Cleopatra, it was once believed by the Ancient Greek that it linked directly to memories, past, present, and future.
Lucy stood frozen in her place at the table while Natsu toppled over sideways to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head and mouth still in that smile that she loved so much. Although, that grin looked a bit haunting to her at the moment.
Happy had moved into her lap earlier to allow his best friend to wrap that white scarf around his neck, his warm weight in her lap was the only thing grounding her to the present. The room was silent and still for three more of her staccato breaths – uneven and halting in her chest – before a terrible scream rent the air. It was guttural and raw, something that spoke of pain and suffering.
The sound ripped everyone from their stupor. Bodies scrambled from their seats before they realised the strangeness of the situation.
Because, even though he had collapsed to the ground, Natsu wasn't the one who was screaming bloody murder.
Lucy whipped around to find the sound that made her ears ring, and found Crime Sorciere hovering uncertainly over Erik. When he looked up at her, she could see that he was crying blood and had his hands clasped over his overly sensitive ears. Her eyes widened when the now whimpering man choked out two words.
"…his soul…"
That, more than anything, woke up her inner soldier. She had grown up with situations much worse than this and even though it was her bonded laying on the floor – which she could feel her own heart twisting in anxiety over – she needed to be calm and collected or this could get very ugly very quickly.
"Crime Sorciere! Get Erik out of here!" She was happy to hear her voice hold the authority that she needed and that it didn't waver in the slightest. She took a deep breath. Her family needed her to be strong.
Jellal nodded and with the help of Erza and Mystogan, they half carried and half dragged Erik from the room. Good, that was taken care of and now she could hear herself think.
A flash of gold light interrupted her thought process for a moment when a livid looking Leo stepped out of his gate, ready for battle in his golden armour and blue flowing cloak. He cocked his head at her and took in the feeling of the room.
"Princess…what the hell is going on?" Obviously, he had felt her fluctuating emotions and came to her aid, which she was thankful, but she ignored him for now as there were more important things to deal with. She just shook her head at him and he pursed his lips unhappily but kept a watchful eye over her as she swept past him.
She looked at her little blue friend. "Happy. Bring me Wendy and ask Porlyusica to find Erik…max speed please." Her tone brokered no arguing even though Happy looked like he wanted to stay with her and Natsu. He left in a flash of angel wings and glistening determined eyes.
She felt a presence behind her and wasn't at all surprised to find Sting, Ryos, Gajeel who had his hand clamped down on Levy's shoulder, and Laxus who stood stoically beside Freed and his Grandfather, hovering around waiting for instructions.
Makarov eyed her for a moment before he barked for everyone else to clear the room.
Lucy knelt on the ground finally, and softly moved Natsu's pink-haired head into her lap, glad for the second time that day that she had forgone her usual armour and instead donned that flowy white dress. The tension in her shoulders eased the slightest amount as her Demon nuzzled closer to her familiar scent, his node bumping into her stomach.
Lucy considered two things very quickly. "Freed, Levy, I need your eyes to observe everything around here as well as look at the scarf. It was the catalyst to this problem."
"What can we do Lucy?" The question came from Ryos, it was quiet and Lucy was thankful that no one was getting overly stressed. Natsu was still breathing evenly and occasionally growling, but other than the fact that when his eyes fluttered she could see that they were solid black, he seemed like he was taking a nap.
"Sting…I need you to find Bickslow and bring him here, he is a Seith Mage and very distinctive. He had three blue Mohawks and red eyes that glow green, if he's in his armour, it has skulls and a knight's helmet. Be quick, his bedroom in on the lowest floor, east side."
The Slayer was off like a shot, instincts to help his Drake, who was for all intents and purposes out for the count, overriding his need to comfort the Queen of their nest, the others could do that if need be. He preened a little in his mind at the fact that he was slipping nicely into the role of her Right-Hand, but quickly switched his mind over to use his heightened senses to find this Bickslow as fast as possible.
Lucy pushed her hands through Natsu's silky hair, feeling more than useless just waiting for everyone else to get here. Wasn't there something she could do? She could gather as much information as possible and help Wendy when Happy brought her back. "Levy, Freed, what have you noticed?"
Freed looked up from where he was kneeling on the floor in front of Natsu's prone form fingering one of the scarf's tassels curiously. "There isn't much to find, unfortunately. I have a feeling that everything we are going to find will have something to do with what's in Natsu's mind." Freed trailed his hands down the length of white scarf that he could reach. "Although…this scarf is a true marvel. I have never felt silk this soft before…"
"It's not silk. It's made from Dragon scales." A small light voice interrupted them.
"What do you mean Wendy?" Lucy tried to wrap her mind around the fact that this piece of clothing was woven Dragon scales of all things. How was that even physically possible?
The little girl's hands came up above Natsu's head, glowing blue-green with her healing magic before answering. "It smells like Grandeeney, and those were the colour of her scales and feathers when she was a full Dragon, that much I remember."
Lucy put the pieces together in his mind. "So…you're mother gave some of her feathers so that this scarf could be made? And then…gave it to Natsu's dad…who gave it to him before they all disappeared."
Gajeel looked a bit uncomfortable before his voice rumbled up through his chest. "It's a custom for Dragons. Giving gifts of great importance to those they have affection for. It differs from house to house. Sky Dragon's give their valuable feathers that they can never grow back, Fire Dragons brave the Molten, their sacred volcano looking for a suitable stone, Iron Dragons…" He blushed a light pink and took a surreptitious glance towards the little blue-headed woman who was looking up at him with interest. "…they…uhm…create things from their own iron."
Levy fingered the small iron stud earrings that Gajeel had given her this morning after breakfast. He had pushed them into her hand without a single word, but they were beautifully crafted and expertly wrought. They made her feel special, and if what she was hearing was correct, the big lug beside her thought that she was special as well.
Interesting.
"Oh…I see." Lucy frowned at the fact that she had never received a volcanic stone from Natsu, but it was more than likely something that was done when one came of age for a Dragon and he had been turned into a Demon instead. Her hand whispered through his hair again. There were so many things that Natsu had the other Slayers had missed out on with their terrible teenage years. She was glad now, more than at any time before, that she had released these wonderful people from the shackles the Black Wizard had kept them in.
"I can't find anything wrong with him. It's small, but…he's running a slight fever, his body temperature is accelerating at an incredible rate, but it's not affecting anything in his body. Also," Wendy fingered the same scarf that they had been talking about, "The scarf has a magical aura."
"You mean Natsu's scarf is magic?" Lucy looked at the offending material but gathered that anything made by a Dragon would be inherently magical.
"I mean that it's got a magical spell woven into it. Protection, healing, safety…something like that. It feels like my own magic, but that's all I can tell you. It was probably something Grandeeney did to it before she gave it to Igneel."
They all lapsed into tense silence, just waiting for Sting to return with the Seith Mage. If Lucy's hunch was correct and her gut was telling her that it was, those words that Erik had told her before he had been removed from the room would give her the last piece of the puzzle of Natsu's brain and lost memories.
All she could do was sit and wait on the floor so that Bickslow could confirm it for her.
-ooo-
"Son…"
"…Igneel?"
"Natsu, son, be strong…it's almost over…"
"It hurts…"
"I know."
"…It's tearing me apart…I can't feel anything but flames…"
"Accept them, my son. Do it for your future, for me, for her…"
"Who?"
"The one who's waiting for you brat."
"…Lucy."
"Yes. For her. Idiot."
"…for her. For Lucy…strong…for her."
"This fire is a part of you Natsu. Accept the pain, accept the burns. They are who you are. You are a Fire Dragon Slayer, soon to be full Fire Dragon. But you are also a Demon now. You must reconcile both halves. You must have balance or you will boil from the inside out and leave that pretty little mate of yours behind to grieve for your stupid ass. Alone."
"Both?"
"Ugh, yes. Use that brain of yours. END is still here and will always be here. But the Dragon it has suppressed behind walls of your mind wants to burst forth. Will you accept its power? The memories?"
"…Yes. For her."
"You always had a one track mind…Accept the fire Natsu. It's yours. Both Hellfire and Dragon Flames."
"…Mine."
-ooo-
"So my boy…did she like it?"
"Yah, Luce loved the sword. Thanks for helping me with it."
"Natsu…why did you make her a sword, though? Wouldn't she like jewellery or something pretty instead of a weapon?"
"Luce isn't like that…she doesn't care about all that stupid stuff. She likes to play in the dirt and swim and catch frogs and talk about the stars. And it's to keep Luce safe when I can't be there. It does have some of my magic in it after all. Duh."
-ooo-
He looked down at the woman below him, panting and heaving, cut on her forehead and eyes full of rage. Beautiful brown eyes. This was Nova, the woman whose heavenly light made his Hellfire disappear. She felt…she looked…so familiar. "Who are you? Why do I feel like I know you? I know we haven't ever met before…"
-ooo-
"Zeref? What are you doing here so late?"
"Natsu, I wanted to tell you something. Something very important."
He felt his face turn up into a grin. His brother came around so rarely, what with all the Kingly shit he had to do. "Sure. What is it?"
There was something wrong with Zeref's grin, his eyes…they were full of something twisted and malicious. "I love you so much, brother."
Blackness rolled like a wave of death out of his brother and engulfed him before he could say another word. The last thing he thought about was the girl with the golden hair.
-ooo-
"You'll come back, right?"
"Yah. Luce. As much as I can."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
-ooo-
"Oi, Luce. What do you think it is?"
"Dunno Natsu. Could be anything really."
"You think it's a Dragon?"
Lucy had only shrugged her shoulders and given Natsu a wide smile. "Maybe…You'll have to wait until it's hatched."
-ooo-
What he didn't anticipate was seeing Lucy curled up into a tiny ball on her king sized bed, sobbing all her misery out into her many pillows, clutching her key ring to her chest. She hadn't given him any indication that she heard him loudly enter her room from the outside. That in and of itself wasn't a good thing.
Happy fluttered around his head, his tiny white wings a blur as he darted around is distress. "Natsu…why is Lushy crying? She was happy last time I was here…"
He had no answers for his poor little buddy. "I don't know Happy. But we need to help her."
-ooo-
He stretched out his hand being mindful of his claws, they were sharp and her skin looked so smooth and silky. He didn't want to hurt her in any way. "Let's go on an adventure."
The small girl blinked up at him for a minute, just absorbing his odd request. She finally stood up without taking a step towards him. "What's your name?"
"Natsu. Yours?"
"Lucy." She took his hand, hers was so small but her grip was strong.
"Do you trust me?"
Without a moment's hesitation, she shot back an answer. "Yes."
-ooo-
"Bickslow…" The Seith Mage had joined the group of gathered mages minutes after Wendy finished her assessment of Natsu's health. "…what does his soul look like?"
As soon as Erik had said something about Natsu's soul, she knew that she needed someone who could see that ball of light inside of his chest and the only one with that ability was Bickslow. Even if he was a bit of a pervert, and delighted in stirring up trouble, all while participating in what one could only describe as an orgy, he was a reliable mage, expert in his field of magic, and close with her brother.
Bickslow took the initiative and let his magic trickle up into his eyes, his soul-seeing ability changing the colour of from deep wine red, to caustic glowing green. He peered passed the solid muscle, viscera, bone and tissue of the Demon.
He frowned and glanced up at Lucy squinting at that little ball of perpetually glowing yellow that sat by her heart.
"His soul is fine. Stable, intact…just a bit different from last time I checked."
Lucy looked puzzled, and a bit scared. "Different? What do you mean different?"
Bickslow almost laughed at her apprehensive expression. She always assumed the worst when news was given, but he couldn't blame her for that. She had lost so much, and right when she gained some of it back, this had happened. He shook his head quickly to ward off the onslaught of questions that he knew were on the tip of her tongue. "No. It's not a bad different. It still looks like fire, it has scales now, which is super weird I guess…still has those black flames, but there's a bit more light to it," Bickslow snickered a little before he caught Lucy's glare. "His soul looks like it's packed with glitter and sparkles now."
"Why?"
"Let me put it like this…your soul used to look like a ball of sparkly stardust, but now it looks like a small sun. Understand?"
Lucy did understand. Immediately. The only thing that had changed from the first time Bickslow had looked at Natsu's soul had been their joining, their bonding.
Lucy looked down with a soft smile on her face and pushed back one of Natsu's pink spikes off of his forehead. Her silly Demon had literally set her soul on fire while she lit up his with her light. Gods, it's like something out of Erza's books…sickeningly romantic.
"I've heard of sex changing you…but damn."
Bickslow cackled and dodged a backhanded blow from his commanding officer who didn't take too kindly to hear those types of things about his baby sister. As far as the Thunder God was concerned, Lucy would be a pure, untainted virgin in his eyes forever, and didn't need those images of Lucy doing wicked things to anyone in his mind. Realistically, he knew that Lucy was her own woman, strong and beautiful and had bonded to Natsu, but the stupid part of his brain that didn't give a damn thought of her as that little skinny girl that put him in his place so long ago.
Lucy watched with an unamused grimace. Men were so stupid, she was just glad that she had never witnessed Natsu going at it with Gray like an idiot, she had heard enough stories about him and Dragon Slayer butting heads when they were younger to last her a lifetime.
While Laxus and Bickslow were bickering quietly – with Bickslow's babies not doing anything to help with the situation and as usual, just making it worse – everyone was quite surprised when Natsu's back bowed off of the floor at an unnatural angle, his bones creaking and pained grunts as moans come from deep within his chest.
With a rumbling growl and feral roar from the Slayer on the ground, Lucy was flung back into the wall closest to her, the rest of her family following suit as a wave of black energy rolled out of Natsu's writhing body covering him in the toxic sludge. A dome of inky darkness cut off their sight of the man inside and Lucy immediately knew that whatever that crap was, it was nothing good when Bickslow gasped and murmured that he couldn't see his soul anymore.
Her brain kicked into high gear before anyone else could even roll over and assess the situation, Lucy was up and sprinting towards Natsu, pushing magic out into her hand materialising her favourite sword.
She cursed herself in her mind. Why hadn't she donned her armour like every other day? Why hadn't she brought her bow and Natsu's sword with her?
Taking a wild swing using all the power she could muster from her torso and legs and arms, Lucy tried to slice the blackness away. She was expecting it to be like smoke, which would dissipate around her heavenly light that came from the stars. Just like all other darkness that bowed before her, she assumed that this would be the same, just like END's Hellfire, just like the Shadow Wyverns. Just like the Demon Jackal and Hell's core that crumbled to the ground.
But, her sword merely glanced off the roiling evil like it was a tangible, solid thing. She watched as Leo sprung forward with a growl and shot blast after blast of light with all the strength of Regulus behind him at the dome, to no effect. Leo was the strongest of the Celestial Spirits, and if he couldn't do anything, couldn't make a dent…then what hope did she have?
Dammit! Why didn't she have her bow?
Lucy gasped as she looked closely at the blackness. She had heard about something like this, from rumours and stories, and from Natsu's own tales when he was just END. It looked so similar to something the Black Wizard could unconsciously produce. Something that killed massive amounts of people without a trace.
Zeref's Death Wave.
Lucy whirled on her family as they tried to get closer. "Get back. That's concentrated death, there's nothing we can do."
Laxus grabbed her arm as if to pull her from the room, but she looked at him with such a hardened expression that he immediately let go with a pained whine. "…Lucy."
"Laxus, gather everyone together and get out."
"No. We aren't leaving you. We're not going to leave him."
"Now is not the time to argue Sparky! You need to get back!"
"Shut it Blondie. You know none of us are going anywhere. If you stay, then we stay."
Lucy shook her head; her brother's stubbornness was legendary as was her own. "Fine. But…just…get as far away as possible."
He growled and stalked away herding the Slayers and his Grandfather, Bickslow and Freed towards the back corner. Leo stood still by her side and refused to move even when she tried to forcefully close his gate to save him from whatever was coming.
Stupid lion.
She felt a soft, warm weight on her shoulder and unconsciously reached up and held a wide-eyed Happy in her arms. "Is Natsu going to be okay Lushi?"
She shook her head at him, too tired to lie to the little cat. He deserved the truth anyways. She could feel the terror and anxiety that she hadn't felt since she was small when she had lost Natsu that first time. Lucy couldn't do anything then, and she couldn't do anything now. She felt pathetically useless and she hated it. "I don't know Happy. Natsu is strong, but that magic is disgustingly malicious. Can you feel it?"
His little head nodded once. "Yeah, it stinks worse than when I leave fish bones in my backpack for a week."
Lucy would have laughed if the situation wasn't so confusing and dire and ohGods she could lose Natsu again right after she found him. "I know…I think it's all up to Natsu now. I think this has to be his fight, alone."
"I want to help." His head nuzzled into her chest for comfort.
She smoothed her hand over his head, disregarding the pinch of pain she felt in her bruised side and shoulder from when she had hit the wall. "Me too Happy."
-ooo-
"Who the hell are you?"
"Insolent boy. Don't you know the feel of me? How can you not know my name? I've been with you for many cycles."
"…Demon."
"Tch…smarter than you look. I'm the essence of the Demon what was ripped from the Underworld and stuffed into your carcass."
"What do you want from me?"
"Revenge, you fool. I want the death of the man who did this to me."
"No."
"You defy me? The one who kept you living? The one that gave your pathetic existence substance again? How can you not want to kill the one who killed you?"
"…Zeref…he's my brother."
"That makes no difference."
"YOU'RE WRONG! IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE! I know he was grieving for his lost love. For Mavis."
"He needs to die."
"…I know. But it won't be by my hands."
"I am the Lord of Hell and I command you to kill that worm that you call the Black Wizard."
"AND I AM THE FIRE DRAGONSLAYER; I AM IGNEEL'S SON AND DRAKE OF MY NEST! You hold NO authority over me! You've had me under your thumb for too long. "
"Why you-"
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
-ooo-
A scream of pain cut through the air and before anyone could move, the cloud of death roiled and writhed like a living, breathing thing pushing out and covering the ground, inching closer and closer to those who stood waiting.
Suddenly, with a horrible sucking sound, the blackness retreated as fast as it had come sliding and sticking to the floor, tendrils like grabbing hands latching onto the wood before they were ripped away and pulled into the one thing that had changed for Natsu over the last twenty minutes.
His gleaming white scarf, his prized possession he received from his father was hoovering up all the evil and storing it. Although…it didn't look so white anymore, it was almost…sickly. The once pristine fabric was ripped and torn and stained a shade of black that rivalled the night sky that had lost its stars.
Lucy choked back a small sob. Natsu loved that scarf, but Lucy would give it up one hundred times over if it meant that Natsu could be alive. Because, as she watched his breathing hitch and catch in his chest as if he had been sprinting, she knew he was at least living. She had no idea about his mental state, but the relieved look on Bickslow's face – when she had taken a quick glance at him to confirm what she thought – put her mind at ease.
At least his soul was safe.
But that wasn't the only thing to change. Instead of the Demon that she had grown to love, with his black wings and gleaming talons and horns, spiralling tattoos and blood red eyes, there lay her bonded covered in crimson scales he had inherited from his father.
Massive wings were folded to his back, no longer the colour of night, but a deep wine that shimmered in the light. Scales dotted his forearms and cheeks, clawed hands curled and clenched around the still air. A muscular tail, strong and thick flicked out and curled around one of his legs as if it contained a mind of its own.
And there, on his head, instead of ash white locks, sat his Sakura hair that everyone knew. Curved horns sprouted above his hairline, something that he didn't use to have and Lucy wondered about them for a moment but gave up the thoughts for ones more pressing.
The Dragon that slumbered within Natsu hadn't been lost when he was killed, just layered under the will of the Demon. However, it looked as if the beast had broken through, and Lucy couldn't think of anything more fitting than what she saw before her.
The Fire Dragon Slayer Natsu, in his favoured form, finally after all these long years.
Natsu gave one last shuddering breath before his back hit the ground once more, rumbling growls passing through his chest reverberated through the room and shifted through her feet from the floor. Lucy stood on shaky legs, Happy still in her grasp and took one step forward, then another, until she was as close as she dared be to Natsu.
Heat was still rolling off of him in waves, reminding her of his warmth that he had when he was younger. It was different from the Hellfire that she had felt over this past month but no less comforting. It was different, sharper, brighter than before.
Dragon Fire.
Lucy smiled as Natsu's eyes opened slowly, showing off keen feral eyes that she had missed. She sank to her knees beside him, her trembling legs unable to hold her up any longer. Reaching forward she lightly grazed the patch of scales underneath his left eye, something she had seen countless times before.
He was so warm, just like she remembered.
"…Natsu."
And then he looked at her.
Really looked at her.
She could tell as soon as those eyes of his hit her face, the recognition flowing through him like a river. Lucy had missed that look so desperately that a weight in her heart that she didn't even know she had, lifted. She knew she would have been completely fine if Natsu hadn't retrieved his lost memories of days long passed, but this…this was so much better.
He knew her.
He remembered. Every adventure, every look, every word they had spoken.
Everything.
"Lucy…it's…you…you're really here. Gods, you're so beautiful." And then he smiled that Natsu smile that stole her breath from her lungs and made her laugh in complete and utter happiness.
Her Dragon, he was back.
*(PSSSST LEOMAE! MAKE AN ACCOUNT! I WANNA PM WITH YOU! DAMN!)*