Fair warning: this fic is rated M for a reason. Expect sexual themes later on.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
I'm the one who's going to kill you and take this lovely girl as my prisoner. Dragon slayer"
These words made Natsu boil in anger, how dare this asshole appear out of nowhere and threaten to take Lisanna away from him. Moving faster than the eye could follow he was in front of the guy.
"Karyū no Tekken!" (Fire Dragon's Iron Fist)
Not holding back, Natsu's fist connected with the guy's jaw sending him trough several structures. Satisfied with his work Natsu turned to his girlfriend. –"That took care of him."
"Natsu look!"
The pink hair slayer stopped and turned to where Lisanna pointed; the rubble began moving and from it the man emerged, mangled but ready for more.
"Not bad, just as I would have expected from a real dragon slayer. But I can't take the luxury to play with you anymore."- Readying his scythe he took a battle stance.
"Lisanna, get back to the Inn."- Natsu never took his eyes off the guy as he spoke, the flame on his arms got larger as he prepared to fight at full force.
"No! I won't leave you. I can fight as well!"
Natsu knew she was a great mage but he didn't want to risk her well being, he was about to argue with her but the scythe came dangerously close to him as the guy engaged him. Acting fast he leaped away from the deadly blades, at the same time luring his opponent away from Lisanna.
"Let's see your handle this: Karyū no Kagitsume! " (Fire Dragon's Claw)- Natsu's feet got ignited in a powerful flame as he kicked the scythe, hoping to break it, Natsu's smirk however turned to a frown; the metal scythe proved very resistant to his flames.
"Nice try."- The guy took a swing which Natsu barely avoided, but with the butt of the scythe he landed a blow to the slayer's gut. –"But you'll need something hotter to melt my weapon. Something like this!"
Flames erupted from his hands, burning everything around Natsu. The man smiled but then looked confused when the flames were devoured by the dragon slayer.
"You think those weak flames are hotter than mine? At least make them better tasting next time"- The man's jaw hit the floor as Natsu smirked –"Anyway, thanks for the meal. I'm all fired up! Karyū no Hōkō "( Fire Dragon's Roar) – Natsu breaths a large fireball towards his opponent, leveling the place where the guy was standing. As the flames died Natsu was astonished the guy survived by spinning his scythe in front of him as a shield. But not without receiving some burns.
"Dammit"- The cloaked guy watched his burned hands which were healing fast-"I underestimated you, salamander." – Removing his cloak, he exposed his pale, almost skeleton-like face to the couple. –"To think me, shinigami Jashin must fight for real it's absurd. But before we begin:"
In one swift move, Jashin extracted something from his cloak and tossed it to Lisanna before Natsu could react. By instinct the girl extended her arms over her face to protect herself.
"Lisanna!" – His enemy forgotten, Natsu ran towards his girlfriend while Jashin took the opening he got.
"You fool!"- With one vertical swing, the triple-bladed scythe carved a deep gash in Natsu's chest which sent the dragon slayer flying away.
Lisanna watched in horror as a long trail of blood marked the pavement towards Natsu's location. –" Natsu!" – summoning her magic to transform and heal him she found something prevented her from doing so; what Jashin had tossed her was a dark choker, the item secured around her neck was nullifying her magic. Deciding to run towards her boyfriend, Lisanna was grabbed from behind and put to sleep by Jashin.
"You can thank me later for saving you the sorrow of watching him bleed to death."- Putting her over his shoulder he left town, leaving the dragon slayer for dead.
"You heard the latest gossip"
"No. What"
"Apparently another dark guild suddenly emerged out of nowhere; they say this one is after some dark magic of sorts."
"Yeah so? Most dark guilds tend to do that. What's special about this one?"
"You see, they say this particular one is after young girls and check this out: only girls with white hair. Just a few days ago there was an attack at the council's prison, their target was that girl from Oracion Seis but they were able to stop them before they could take her."
"I see, sounds to me like that guild is full of perverts that dig white haired chicks. The whole dark magic stuff must be their cover."
Erza, who was leaving the bakery at that moment, couldn't help but overhear their conversation. As far as she knew, only Lisanna and Mirajane had white hair. Now that she thinks about it, it's rare to see a young girl with white hair in Magnolia. If the guys were telling the truth then she would first ask master about the attack to the prison, there was no point in worrying Mira before getting the facts right.
"Natsu and Lisanna should be back tomorrow from their mission. I just hope those rumors turn out to be false."
Lisanna slowly opened her eyes after regaining consciousness. A bit disoriented she looks around trying to remember where she was: she and Natsu together at the plaza, the weird man attacking them, Natsu getting hurt while blood stained the ground.
"Natsu…"- Unable to hold back the tears, Lisanna silently wept not knowing if Natsu was alive or not. Sorrow turned to hate as she sees the one responsible sleeping a few feet away. They were around a small fire in a clearing inside the forest, probably camping for the time being. Realizing her hands and feet were tied with rope she proceeded to free herself.
Using a sharp stone she released her hands and proceeded to untie her feet, she desperately wanted to aid Natsu but she needed to get rid of her captor first. Her eyes landed on the same scythe used to hurt her beloved, approaching quietly she took hold of the weapon and raised it above his head. Lisanna doubted for a moment, this would be the first time she would kill someone, but she knew it had to be done. Without magic she would not get far with him following.
Trough teary eyes she glared at him - "This is for Natsu you bastard!"
Before the blades could even approach him, Jashin grabbed the scythe with one hand and with the other he held her by the throat.
"Naughty girl. Trying to kill me on my sleep?" – Punching her on the stomach Lisanna lost consciousness once again –"Looks like I'll need to tie you up better next time."
"Jashin!"
The man's eyes widened as he turned to the source of that voice. In front of him stood Natsu Dragneel, looking a bit pale and with a makeshift bandage around his wound. –"You're still alive? I think it's the first time someone survived my attack."
"And the last guy you'll ever see before you die. Karyū no Tekken!"
Jashin easily dodged the punches Natsu threw his way, followed by his kicks which he blocked with his scythe. While Jashin smiled, Natsu's movements were getting slower by blood lost.
"Damn! I need to lure him away so I don't accidentally hurt Lisanna!"
"Slayer, if you want to change location you should just say so. After all, the girl won't be waking up anytime soon."
Natsu grunted when Jashin easily discovered his intentions, but in the end it suited him just fine. Running through the forest they reached a river where unanimously decided this was their chosen ground.
Not wasting a second, Natsu unleashed a Karyū no Hōkō while Jashin fired a purple beam of magic straight at the fireball. The combined explosion sent both mages flying away, but they quickly recovered their ground ready for more.
As a shark smells a bleeding prey, Jashin smirked when Natsu's bandages turned red. In the brief moment Natsu clutched his wound, Jashin tossed the scythe forcing the slayer to avoid it by jumping. Once in the air he was intercepted by a flurry of punches and kicks, finishing with a vicious blow that sent the dragon slayer crashing down hard. Panting a bit, Jashin went to retrieve his scythe while Natsu tried to regain his strength.
"This job is turning out to be more troublesome than expected. Before handing her over I think I'll enjoy your girlfriend for a while."
Before Jashin could even touch his scythe he was punched away with such force he lost several teeth. Not giving him rest, Natsu jumped Jashin and pummeled him to the ground with his Guren Karyū Ken (Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist). The attack left Jashin badly bruised and burned while the entire river was unrecognizable. Lifting him by the neck, Natsu watched the fear clear in Jashin's eyes.
"You will not touch Lisanna! YOU HEAR ME!" – slamming him to the ground, Natsu jumped and using both hands he prepared a full powered Karyū no Kōen (Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame) to finish him off.
"I can't die like this!"- Gathering what was left of magic, Jashin counterattacked with a similar attack. Both powerful magic's collided leveling what was left of the river, the last thing Natsu and Jashin saw was the resulting explosion engulfing them both.
After a while Natsu regained consciousness, looking around for his opponent he failed to find him. Not wasting time Natsu ate some fire created by the explosion to recover a bit of magic and set out towards Lisanna's location as fast as he could manage. His wound was still causing him trouble but right now only her safety mattered.
When he arrived he narrowed his eyes at what he saw; Jashin holding a bound and gagged Lisanna, the scythe mere inches from her neck.
"Fucking slayer!"- Jashin glared at Natsu with his remaining eye –"I should make you pay for what you did to me…but I'm in no condition to fight."- Lowering his scythe he pushed Lisanna in front of him –"Take her and go."
Not wanting to take chances, Natsu prepared to recover Lisanna only to watch in impotence as Jashin stabbed her in the back to later push her towards Natsu.
"Lisanna!"
As Natsu grabbed her, Jashin revealed he still had magic for one last attack. Unleashing it on the couple he began laughing as a maniac. –"You fool! Both of you can die for all I care! We can get other girls for our plan! Hahahaha!"
Jashin's laugh was abruptly cut when a Karyū no Hōkō burned his hand turning it to ashes. Shocked, he turned from the stub that was once his arm towards the origin of the attack: Natsu stood in front of Lisanna's body, the scales on his body showing he had attained the final stage of his magic: Dragon Force.
"W-wait!"
Not taking pity on him, Natsu unleashed a Guren Karyu Ken mangling Jashin beyond recognition.
"Guren Bakuenjin!" (Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade)
Jashin's body was torn apart by the torrent of flames, while his remains were turned to ashes. This was the first time Natsu had killed someone but he gave little thought to it as he rushed towards Lisanna.
Her binds removed, Lisanna gave him a weak smile. –"Nat...su…."
"Don't worry Lisanna, I'll get you help just hold on!"
Knowing she had little time left, she caressed his face one last time- "…I…love…you…"
"No. This can't be happening,not again!"
Those were the thoughts of the foster child of Igneel; Natsu Dragneel as he held the dying form of his childhood friend, correction, the woman he loves. He desperately tries to think of a way to save her. Unfortunately, his magic mostly consists of offensive techniques and there is no one close in the vicinity to heal her.
Then it hit him.
There is a way to save her, a lost magic Igneel taught him for a special occasion. Resigning himself he brushes the locks of white hair from the girl's eyes and prepares himself for what he's about to do.
"Forgive me…Lisanna…"
Natsu looked down to the girl's neck ready to do the deed that would save her, but at the same time not knowing what exactly did Igneel meant with the whole "binding them together" speech. Deciding he would find out later he proceeded to bite her in the neck, eliciting a small gasp from Lisanna as fire coursed through her veins. The wound on her back closed almost instantly and she recovered all the blood she had lost.
Natsu felt his magic being drained as it flowed through Lisanna, but that didn't stop him. An animalistic instinct kept him biting her neck before collapsing on top of her.
"Natsu!"
Recovered, Lisanna cradled the young dragon slayer on her lap, not really knowing what had transpired a few moments ago. A small seal briefly appeared where he bit her but vanished before they could see it.
"You're ok."- Natsu smiled while looking at his girlfriend who had tears in her eyes. Lisanna embraced him as she sobbed on his chest.
"I thought I lost you!"- Lisanna muttered as she kept her hold of him, tears' soaking what was left of his pink shirt.
"Same here"- Natsu grinned as he lifted her chin with his hand. Her dress tattered and caked with dirt and blood, what makeup she had was running because of her tears, but right now she looked more beautiful than ever. –"I gave it all in the fight, but I still have the strength to do this."
Closing their eyes, they slowly approached each other and shared their first kiss; the first of many for the young couple.
Only later would both realize, Natsu had not only saved her by infusing part of his magic with hers, they were now joined by a powerful bond that made them soulmates.
A.N.
When I first started this fic, I envisioned it would only last until this moment. Right now I could end it but there is still more that can be said. So, with the plot I just pulled out of my… somewhere, I will continue this story. Just to clear something: I changed the whole mates thing into soulmates which better describes them from now on, but that doesn't mean that when one is hurt the other feels it and all that. In future chapters the changes of the bond will be revealed.
Also, I threw a small hint of another character I plan to involve into the fic. It's kinda obvious who it is but right now let me tell you: this won't be a harem. Not that I dislike the idea, it's just that it deviates from the original plot.
Thanks again for all the reviews ( especially to pinkchocolate, I'm glad you like my story). Keep those reviews coming.
Natsu's attacks:
Karyu no Tekken = Fire Dragon's Iron Fist
Karyu no Kagitsume = Fire Dragon's Claw
Karyu no Hoko = Fire Dragon's Roar
Karyu no Koen = Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame
Guren Karyu Ken = Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist
Guren Bakuenjin Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade