A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter starts to lay the foundation for the story. I hope you all enjoy reading it. I would love for you all to read and review. Constructive criticism. Once again, I just want to mention that I'm still new to this anime so please correct me if I get anything wrong. Also, I have no edited this thoroughly so there will be common spelling and grammar mistakes. I think that I am going to wait until the story is completely finished before I make major mechanical revisions. I own and claim nothing of Fairy Tail.
Natsu rushed through town to the bridge and the he found the path that lead to the guild. Well this is different than I thought it would be. Natsu thought that it would be a shack of some sort or a rundown building but he was wrong. He stood before a three story stone castle like structure. There were iron bars over the window and a large wooden door that was painted red. The entire property was shaded with trees so everything was covered in darkness even when the sun was at the high point in the day.
A shadow crept up from behind Natsu. A figure emerged from the shadow trying to catch Natsu off guard but it did not work. Natsu's dark eyes followed the figure to the red door of the guild where it made its' presence known.
"Ahh, Salamander, I have been expecting you but I didn't think it would be this soon. I must say, you look a little agitated. Does it bother you that I harmed your precious Lucy?"
Heat. Fire. Passion. Natsu began to see red and his vision blurred with rage. It was like he was in the same trace as he was at the antique shop but intensified.
"I see I have struck a nerve with you. I can see why you fancy her so much boy; she is quite a catch. It was almost a shame to mark up her soft, porcelain skin. After we defeat you I might go check on how she is doing. You will always have to live with the guilt that I, Garren Master of Crimson, hurt the person you hold most dear as well as crushed your pride."
"You don't have a clue do you, Garren?" Natsu spit his words at the so called master who wasn't even worth his breath. "Lucy is my best friend and partner but nothing more. You are right about the fact that you've struck a nerve but it would be the same for any member of my Guild." Natsu could feel fire trying to escape from every pore of his body; it was screaming to be released and cause mayhem. Normally, he had outstanding self-control but something was different in the core of his being now; it was almost as if someone had taken down a dam and a river was free to flow wherever it pleased.
"I won't make you battle with my guild. They are quite a pathetic lot when it comes down to it and I'm only using them for my bidding. I'll make you an offer, if you can engage in battle with me long enough, I might take pity on you and let you join us." Laughter emerged from the Garren as he walked out of the comfort of the shadows. He was not pleasant to the eye; his hair long was long and tied so it fell down his back, his skin was pale like it lacked contact with the suns bright rays, and his body was lean like it had missed its fair share of meals.
Natsu was tired of listening to Garren talk so he decided to put an end to his opponent's speech. He charged with fists blazing at his foe but the attack was dodged. Garren seeped into the shadows that covered the ground but Natsu was smarter than he looked. He knew exactly where Garren would try to attack from but he wouldn't let it happen. Natsu stood perfectly still with his eyes closed and honed in on Garrens scent; the "Master" was three paces to Natsu's left but he had cast a shadow on Natsu's right.
Natsu started to run to his right giving the allusion that he was falling into the trap; he knew the moment Garren moved was his only chance to strike so he kept running right until he smelt his opponent coming towards him. He waited until the very last second possible before he took a sharp turn and caught his opponent off guard. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist," yelled Natsu as he hit Garren with such a force that it sent him flying into one of the guild's stone walls. In reaction to the impact, members of the guild started running out of the building towards Natsu.
"So that was their plan all along." "Fire Dragon's Roar," he quickly gathered fire into his lungs and blasted a massive attack towards the advancing foes. They were all in a small distance of each other so the attacked affected all of the charging members. Only a single man was left standing and he prepared to strike at the dragon slayer. He was a stocky man with large muscles and a bald head; he looked like a sailor that had endued many voyages. "You're goin' down, boy," he yelled.
"Like hell I am," Natsu could feel the power within growing too large to control. He had never let his willpower or self-control slip this much but the thought that none of these scumbags would never be able to harm Lucy fueled his flame. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn," Natsu's body was engulfed in flame and he ran head first at the muscled man. Natsu hit the enemy head on before he could even strike back. The sailor was sent flying backwards to where his master was located. Natsu walked over to where Garren landed, "If I hadn't lost my temper we could have had a decent fight but that wasn't the case this time. Now, are there any more people inside that building?"
"Yes, why," Garren weakly answered the question.
"I was going to burn it to the ground but I refuse to have blood on my hands. Never think harming another member of Fairy Tail again or there will be hell to pay. This guild is to disband at once if you know what's best for you," Natsu addressed Garren through gritted teeth and his distaste for the man was evident.
Natsu turned around and started heading back down the trail.
"This isn't the last you will see me, dragon slayer," Garren yelled at his rivals retreating figure as he lay motionless on the ground.
"Fine, have it your way; I kick your ass again next time," Natsu yelled back as he kept walking towards town. He wanted to get to Lucy as quickly as possible but he knew he needed to defuse his emotions so he decided to take his time.
Meanwhile at the Inn…
"Lucy, I see you have finally awoken. How do you feel?" Cecyla sat on the edge of the bed where Lucy was resting.
"I feel horrible. Pain, there is so much pain. What happened?" Lucy looked like a hurt and frightened animal; her eyes were wide and full of tears.
"Tell me what the last thing you remember is and I'll fill you in from there." Cecyla's tone was compassionate and it sounded like she was talking to a lifelong friend.
"We were talking at the display case and then around the corner from where we were standing I saw a man appear and then he tried to attack you with a knife." Lucy was definitely dazed and thinking made her head hurt even worse than it already was. She tried to sit up but she winced in pain even though she had barely moved an inch.
Virgo immediately appeared from her gate, "Hello princess, time for punishment? I'm sorry I wasn't back to check on you sooner."
"No punishment but could you check my stomach?" Lucy looked down at her belly expecting to see lots of blood but there wasn't much as expected. Virgo went to tending her princess while Cecyla filled in the cracks of Lucy's memory. Once Virgo returned to her gate the girls carried on with a nice conversation until Lucy felt like something was right. "Where is Natsu and Happy?"
"Happy went to the market for fish a few minutes before you woke up and Natsu went to avenge your injuries and destroy Crimson. He was quite furious and very determined when he left. I've watched you all since you arrived and I had never seen him so angered. It's quite obvious how deeply he cares for you."
Lucy stared at the teal haired woman that sat beside her, "Why didn't he wait until I could go with him? I'm sure he will manage to defeat them but he could have waited and of course he has feelings for me, as I do for him; we're best friends and like siblings."
"My dear, he didn't wait for you because he needed to make his claim of you known; he's a dragon slayer and they are protective of what is theirs. You can see it clearly in his eyes that he loves you more beyond normal comradeship."
"We're only friends, I assure you. Mirajane is always trying to push us together but people will have to accept the fact that we only have a close friendship." Lucy was starting to get aggravated at the topic of her relationship with Natsu; it seemed like no one would believe that they were just nakama.
"Deny it all you want but sooner or later you all will realize what is actually there." Cecyla stopped pressing the matter any further.
"I'm back guys," Happy announced as he flew in through the window that Cecyla had left open. "How are you feeling Lucy?"
"I'm slowly feeling better, thank you. Did you run into Natsu anywhere?" Lucy was starting to grow fearful that Natsu had bit off more than he could chew.
"No, I didn't see him but I'm sure he'll be back soon; we was fired up when he left." Happy flew over to the bed and curled up beside Lucy.
A few minutes later Natsu walked in the door; he was covered in bumps and bruises but it he didn't look like he had just defeated a guild.
"Hey Luce, how ya feelin'?" He walked over toward her and extended his arm as if to touch her but then he hesitated.
"I'm feeling a lot better than I was earlier; Virgo dropped in again." Lucy could tell something was weird with him but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
"Well I'm glad you're feeling better now. As soon as you are able to travel we can go home."
"What happened Natsu?" On most occasions he wouldn't shut up about his most recent victory for days but this time he remained quiet.
"There isn't anything to talk about. He paid for what he did. They won't be bothering anyone else any time soon." Natsu shuffled uncomfortably as he talked about the fight. He kept replaying what Garren said about Lucy; no one would ever talk about her that way again, he would make sure of it.
"Earth Land to Natsu, what are you thinking about? You look like something is bothering you." The wounded blond was starting to worry even more about her best friend.
"I'm fine."
"I'm glad that you were able to defeat them so easily; most of them don't even bother to use their magic but they are very determined when they do. The only major threats they have are Angelica and Garren."
"Who's Angelica? I didn't fight with any girls." Natsu was starting to worry that the job wasn't over just yet.
"If you defeated Gareen and she didn't do anything then don't worry about her; she's Garren's girlfriend. She uses plant magic but she hasn't had very much training so she is fairly weak."
"She must have stayed inside the Guild. I have a feeling that this won't be the last time we deal with them but I'm not worried until that time."
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until Lucy decided to break the ice.
"I think I'll be able to make it home tomorrow."
"Are you sure? We can wait for a few days just in case." Natsu knew that Lucy needed at least another day of rest but stubborn could be her middle name
"No, I'm sure; we will leave tomorrow."
"Can I sleep here tonight and go to Fairy Tail with you all tomorrow?" Cecyla looked down while she asked the question to try and hide the desperation in her eyes.
"Sure, you can stay with me tonight and keep me company." Lucy was almost excited to have some girl time even if it was with a girl she barely knew. Sure, she loved spending time with Natsu and Happy but she needed a break every once and a while.
"Thank you so much. Before I forget, here is the rewards for the job." Cecyla walked over to a small bag that she had sitting on the floor and took out three drawstring sacks and gave one sack to each of them.
Natsu and Happy went to their room for the night and Cecyla made herself at home in the large chair near Lucy's bed.
The next morning Lucy was indeed feeling better so they headed home. Everything was going fine until the train. Natsu was sitting as close as he could to the window which he had cracked in attempt to let in fresh air. He tried laying on his back and even curling up into a ball but nothing could calm his motion sickness. If Erza were there she would have knocked him out already. An hour had passed and three more with Natsu groaning and almost hurling all over the place was more than Lucy could handle.
"Natsu, come here." When he didn't respond, Lucy pulled him over to her and made him lay down.
"Lu-uce, what are you doing," Natsu said slowly while trying not to vomit.
"Just be quiet and lay down." After a few minutes, she slowly started to run her fingers through his rose colored hair. In no time, Natsu's groans of discomfort lessened and he drifted off to sleep.
Cecyla looked up from the copy of Sorcerers Weekly she had borrowed from Lucy and stared at the pair in front of her. She can deny it all she wants but she's falling in love with him. For the rest of the ride to Magnolia Natsu slept on Lucy's lap and no one said a word, even Happy kept his comments to himself.