A/N: Ok, I promised I would post this chapter the next day, and here it is like three days later and still not posted. I SO SORRY!
I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter. So I hope you enjoy. ^_^
"Do you think he could break through..."
"...just to be sure."
"If he could break the...as well."
"...muster the energy to break both, not with..."
...
"What do you think the King..."
"He probably won't live long enough to..."
...
"I heard he took the Princess..."
"...won't let anyone..."
Natsu wasn't sure where he was, but it had to be hell. He was cold and weak, and his entire body felt like it was weighed down by metal. He couldn't open his eyes, but he knew that he was sitting up against something; a wall, maybe.
He tried opening his eyes, the action seeming to take all of his energy. He was only able to peak open one, but the small sliver of sight was more than enough for him. He was staring straight at a row of bars, which looked to be iron and planted heavily into the ground and ceiling. His legs were extended straight in front of him, his feet slanted to the side like deadweights. Rolling his head to the side, he saw that his arms were lying there uselessly, and his wrists were shackled in iron bracelets.
He attempted to lift one of them, to further inspect the shackle, but his arm wouldn't obey his command.
Natsu could keep his eye open, his head up, no longer. His chin collapsed back onto his chest, and he met the darkness once again.
"What the hell is this? You told me I was here to help another dragon-born, not some tiny, pink-haired piece of shit."
"Watch your tone, or there will be raw berries mixed into your next meal again."
"You're the devil, woman."
"Don't talk to her like that."
"Watch your mouth, your highness."
Natsu came to gently, awoken by this strange conversation. He couldn't identify the voices, but he knew there were two males and a female. His eyes still wouldn't open, but he could hear them coming closer.
He heard what sounded like metal breaking, the screeching, ripping sound reverberating through his body, and then the footsteps came upon him. Since his eyes wouldn't work, he took as deep of a breath as possible-
The scent that came through was the adrenaline rush he needed.
He sensed a male kneeling down next to him, and his body reacted on its own.
Natsu's left arm shot out, his hand wrapping around the neck of the male kneeling by him, the male who's scent he recognized.
His eyes shot open, a growl escaping his mouth as he stared at the black haired man who had led the soldiers to his cave, who had ripped Lucy from his arms and forced her to be taken away.
The black haired man grasped Natsu's hand, but instead of panicking, he glared back at him. Which only pissed Natsu off even more. He tightened his grip around the man's throat, determined to crush his windpipe and permanently wipe the smirk from the bastards face.
A deep laugh sounding next to him almost distracted him. "Maybe he's not as weak as he looks." Natsu's hand was suddenly removed from the bastard's neck, and Natsu lunged forward as far as he could. The man fell back out of his reach, massaging his neck and continuing to glare at him.
"Now, now. None of that. We're here to help you." Natsu looked away from his enemy and watched as a woman with long blue hair squatted down next to the man, taking out a bottle from the pocket in her dress and shaking the liquid in her hands. She began rubbing the man's neck gently, and Natsu watched as the liquid started to slightly glow a calming blue.
"Who the hell are you?" Natsu's voice felt like gravel in his throat, and he imagined it sounded the same. He looked over at the other male, who was standing off to the side, his arms crossed across his chest, smiling. He was tall, with long black hair and piercing red eyes. It looked as if he had bolts implanted into his skin: along his eyebrows, both sides of his nose, his chin. Even his arms had bolts running down them. But that wasn't what had Natsu on alert. His smell was different than anything Natsu had encountered before, seeming both completely strange and completely familiar at the same time.
The woman finished her work on the man's neck, and then helped him stand. "Juvia knew you were going to be in trouble, but she had hoped she would get here before Gray did what he did. You can blame that on Gajeel." She turned her head towards the tall, red-eyed man and gave him a look of disappointment, who reacted by shrugging his shoulders.
That didn't help Natsu in the slightest, and he started to get even angrier. "What exactly do you want?"
The man he attacked, Gray, apparently, stepped forward once again. "We're here to help you get out of here."
Natsu stood up and lunged forward again, the iron on his wrists holding him back as Gray once again had to jump out of reach. "You're the reason I'm in here, you son of a bitch!" A sharp lance of pain hit his side, and Natsu collapsed on his knees. He looked down and saw that his stomach was sloppily bandaged, a thick stripe of red blood soaking through. Right, he had been stabbed, hadn't he? By that man standing just a foot away from him. He looked up to glare at Gray, whose eyes slid down to the wound and then away.
"Here, let Juvia help you." He looked over and saw the female walking towards him, shaking more of that liquid into her hands. He didn't have the energy to resist her as she kneeled next to him and removed the bandage, then started to rub her hands over his wound. It started to glow a light blue once more, and he could feel it warming his skin.
"What are you, a witch?" The pain was starting to recede, and his eyes closed in relief.
"Yes." Natsu opened his eyes to see Juvia smiling at him, her deep blue eyes sparkling with kindness and amusement.
"Oh." He watched her work on his side, the pain disappearing slightly and his strength slowly returning. After several minutes, she removed her hand and he saw that the bleeding had stopped, but his wound was still open.
"Well, Juvia did what she could. The wound is closed on the inside, so there should be no more bleeding. However, it'll take a while for your pain to completely disappear and for the wound to close all the way. You'll need help walking until then to avoid reopening it." She capped the small bottle and tucked it back into her pocket as she talked, then started to rebandage his wound with fresh cloth.
Gajeel scoffed behind them. "Screw that, I ain't helping him go anywhere. Just give him some fire; he'll be able to walk out of here on his own."
Natsu looked up at him, completely confused. "I thought you said you were here to help me."
Gray answered, still standing out of his reach, a frown on his face. "We are."
Natsu whipped his head over and glared at Gray. "Then why is he talking about setting me on fire?"
The red-eyed man scoffed again. "Good Gods, you really are an idiot." Natsu looked over and watched the man reach for the tie around his throat, and the cloak he was wearing dropped to his feet. "You smell something off about me, right?"
Before he could nod his response, Gajeel bent forward slightly, then two huge dark wings sprouted from his back, and a thick tail fell down past his feet. They were black as coal, the small spikes and the membranes a shiny silver. They fluttered menacingly behind the man before settling against his back, taking up a huge amount of space behind him.
Natsu couldn't move. He couldn't comprehend the fact that there was another just like him, standing in front of him, traveling with a witch and a prince to free him. He could only stare with his mouth wide open as the dragon man stepped forward and captured his shackled wrists, then bit down on the bracelets.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Natsu pulled his wrist back, and Gajeel walked to his other side and repeated the action. The chains fell against the floor, his wrists free of the shackles.
Gajeel swallowed the bits of iron he had in his mouth, then looked Natsu straight in the eyes. "Did you think you were the only person in the world to be cursed by a dragon? Get over yourself. In fact, pull yourself together. You've obviously been ignoring the strongest part of you, which also happens to be the part that's kept you alive this long." He crossed his arms back over his chest, then suddenly his wings starting folding into his back, disappearing from site. It looked like it took no effort at all. "You ever get exhausted from holding your wings back for any amount of time? That's because you're denying your element. It's what makes you stronger, keeps your senses sharp, but more importantly helps you fit in." He scoffed at Natsu one more time, rolling his eyes. "No wonder you're a tiny piece of shit."
Natsu let the insult roll past him, simply because he was trying to process everything Gajeel had just told him. He obviously had embraced his dragon side, and knew so much more than Natsu had ever dreamed. One thing kept echoing in his brain, however. "What do you mean, my element?"
Gajeel looked over at Juvia, who nodded and started to take out a couple more bottles from her pockets. Natsu looked over at her, noticing that Gray was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and arms across his chest. He had been silent almost this entire time, which was good, because Natsu still had an overwhelming urge to crush his skull.
Suddenly, Juvia clapped her hands together, and a blinding light flashed around them. When Natsu opened his eyes once more, he looked down and saw something he had never seen on another person before.
She was holding fire in her hands, the blue flames licking her palm calmly. "Your element is fire. If you consume it, it will make you stronger." Juvia walked closer to him and held out her hand. When Natsu hesitated, she smiled. "You saw how Gajeel bit through your shackles, right? His element is iron. Therefore, when he consumes iron, his body strengthens, and he is able call upon and dismiss his wings and tail at will. You'll be able to do the same; you just need to trust us."
Natsu looked back down at the fire glowing in her hands. If they had wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have freed him from his shackles, or healed the wound on his side. If what they were saying was true, he would have the strength to carry himself out of here, to find Lucy. He would be able to contain his wings and tail, would be able to walk in the public with her at his side. He would be able to love her, without worrying about burning her.
Taking a deep breath, Natsu reached out and captured the fire from Juvia's hands, noting how hot the flames were even to him. He looked up at Juvia, wondering how she hadn't been burned by them.
She laughed, "Juvia's magic doesn't harm her. Now hurry, we don't have much more time."
Natsu glanced at Gray, who was watching him from the corner of his eyes, then at Gajeel, who was sliding his cloak back over his shoulders. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and swallowed the fire.
The result was instantaneous. He felt the fire as it traveled down his throat, then seemed to spread it's warmth through his body. He collapsed against the cell wall, feeling like his skin was going to burst open. He could feel his muscles strengthening, the power gathering inside of him. His wings extended fully behind him, feeling so much more a part of him than they ever had. He looked down at his side and watched the skin seam together, the wound closing perfectly and leaving a light scar behind. His vision was sharper than it ever been, and looked up at the three people staring at him.
Gajeel nodded his head at him. "Now call back your wings."
Natsu closed his eyes, and began concentrating on making his wings and tail disappear. The act usually took a great amount of energy and concentration, however, with only one thought his wings began folding into his back, his tail curling into itself and disappearing. He didn't even feel the actions.
"See? Now quit acting like a newborn and let's get out of here." Gajeel turned to walk out of the cell, and Gray and Juvia followed him.
"I'm not leaving without Lucy."
They all stopped, but Gray was the one who turned around. "We don't have enough time, Natsu."
Natsu rushed forward, pinning Gray against the wall and once again wrapping his hands around his throat. Oh, yeah. He could get used to the power he had now. "I am not leaving without her."
Gray glared at him, his hands pulling at Natsu's. "We don't know where she is."
"What do you mean, you don't know where she is?" The comment distracted Natsu enough that Gray was able to pull his hands from his neck, then push him away.
"Her father had her taken into seclusion as soon as she reached the palace. I have someone looking for her, but we haven't heard a word back, which means he hasn't located her yet. The sun will be setting any moment, which means the King will likely make his move soon. We have to get out of here. Now."
Natsu looked over at Juvia and Gajeel, who seemed to agree with Gray about leaving. Fine, he would do this alone. Like he had his entire life before meeting Lucy.
He looked each of them in the eye, his hands in fists at his sides. "Get out of here then. I told you I'm not leaving without her. I'll find her myself."
He heard Gajeel laugh. "See? I told you so."