Act 2
24
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
"See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking."
- Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
"This can't be good." She whispered, real fear on her face as she flashed back to the guys that had been chasing her when all this started, "Are those guys still after me?" She whimpered, "But...that doesn't make sense."
Natsu frowned, disliking the sudden look of fear on Lucy's face. It was one thing in his world. She was a powerful mage and growing in strength daily. She could protect herself. But now she was like she had been when he met her. Vulnerable and largely unable to fight.
"Well if they are, then they can tell us what they want with you after we're done beating them up!" He snarled, his fangs flashing as he cracked his knuckles.
Her hands slunk around his arm and pulled him back, surprising him with the forcefulness behind it He glanced at her, surprised to see how tight with tension she was.
Whoa. She was really freakin' out about this...
Lucy had never shown so much fear. Not even when she was confronted with a fire breathing dragon. Or any of the others that wanted to do her harm.
But a single, mortal man knocking on her door made her lose all color in her face?
An angry growl bubbled in the back of his throat. Maybe he had to see what was so scary about this guy.
"Natsu wait, please! You don't have your magic, we have to try to get out another way!" She pleaded, dragging him into another room.
Displeased at being pulled from the door and the possible fight, Lucy dragged him into her room and shoved open the window there. Looking around, she gestured at Natsu to give her a boost up.
"I don't need my magic to grind his face into ash," Natsu grumbled in distaste, but hooked his fingers together to lift her up and through the window.
As soon as her blond ponytail escaped through the window, Natsu heard the front door crash open.
Persistent bastards, weren't they?
Natsu lifted his shoulders up and tumbled gracelessly out the window after Lucy.
"There she is!" A voice shouted from the right, someone having caught sight of their escape attempt. Natsu cursed himself for thinking the man from the park had come alone.
Of course they wouldn't come by themselves if they were after Lucy. After all, Lucy wasn't alone, and they would know that.
"Run!" Lucy cried out, grabbing a hold of Natsu's wrist and dragging him behind her, "I can build a gate out of here!"
But Natsu knew she couldn't build one while she was panicking and running. He wrenched his hand free from her grip, "I ain't running Lucy." He growled at her.
Ignoring her look of surprise, he cracked his knuckles and smirked, fingers curling into a fist, "Just focus on getting that gate built. I'll go work off a little stress."
He caught sight of the first man advancing towards them, the glint of metal in his hand telling he was armed. A knife, enough to do a bit of damage to most people.
But again, Natsu wasn't most people.
Lucy stared at Natsu in mingled awe and shock, "Be careful." She told him, aware by his stance that she wasn't going to be able to talk him out of this, and with the bond suppressed she couldn't force him away either, "They might be armed with something worse than knives."
Not that she wanted to contemplate what else they could be armed with, but now was hardly the time to get into a discussion about tasers and the difference between handguns here and the kind Bisca and Alzack used.
She would just have to hope that it didn't come up. Or if it did Natsu was able to deal with it. With that slender hope in mind she took a breath to try and calm herself and began to concentrate.
Natsu's grin turned wicked as Lucy turned to building her gate, and dropped his pack beside her, "Sounds like fun." He purred darkly, his sharp fangs glistening in the moonlight.
The one in front, with the knife, scowled and took a swing at him. One Natsu easily dodged with a cackle as he slammed his fist hard into his stomach. Even without his fist bathed in fire his punch was like getting kicked by a horse. The knife wielder went down with a groan.
Lucy winced a little as he fought behind her, but took heart from the way he was apparently beating the snot out of them. A confidence that helped her focus on her job.
"Come on." She murmured as the soft golden outline grew, "Just a little more."
She easily visualized the guild hall door, and wished with all her might she was on the other side of it with all their friends laughing and having fun as they picked out jobs or got into fights.
Erza, Gray, Levy, Jellal, Gajeel, Master Makarov. All of them were so very dear to her, and she longed to be back with them.
To her surprised relief the magic surged through her strongly and for the first time she succeeded in creating a stable gate that led exactly where she wanted it to.
It opened before her, revealing golden light on the other side, and in the center was the guild hall. Their friends were there, staring at the sudden gate in surprise. She smiled and turned, "Natsu! It's ready!"
However, her shout had the unfortunate consequence of distracting him for one crucial moment and he took a hit that sent him stumbling away from the man he'd been wrestling with. A man who then pulled something out of his jacket that made Lucy's blood run with ice.
Her entire world seemed to freeze as she heard that horrifying click, and realized it was aimed right for Natsu's heart.
"Natsu!" She cried, and lunged for him at the same time the gun fired.
It was only by pure luck that she was almost right next to him as she surely wouldn't have beat the bullet otherwise. As it was she shoved him out of the way just in time to scream in pain as the bullet impacted her instead.
Her magic snapped at once, the gate dragging them through, Lucy's grip on Natsu still tight as they pulled through. They were swallowed whole through blinding light and the shouting of voices followed them.
Natsu impacted hard on the ground, grunting when the breath rushed from his lungs at the feel of her body pressing into his diaphragm. The scent of clean air soothed his senses. A rushing return of heat and magic roared to life through his veins, unfettered by the limitations of Lucy's world. The return of his inner flame stunned him for a moment.
He took a deep breath and set a hand on Lucy's back, "Jeez Lucy, what's the rush? I was just getting into-"
He had been about to tell her he was about to start having some real fun with those guys soon, when he felt something warm and wet on his hand from where he touched her.
And then the air shifted, and the scent of blood, thick and heavy filled his nose.
At once it was like something lead had dropped onto his chest, an icy cold spilling through his veins.
No, that wasn't possible- it wasn't-
"Lucy?" Natsu asked, sitting up and gently turning her around. There was a heavy stream of blood coming from her left shoulder, as if something had lodged into it. Her head lolled on her neck like a ragdoll and her face was white. The pain had made her pass out after traveling through the gate, and the dragon felt sick with guilt. Natsu had seen the man draw the gun, but whatever it fired was not the material he was used to seeing come from it.
"Lucy!" His brain wasn't thinking fast enough. It was almost like his shock that she had been shot was warring with the fact she had apparently been shot trying to help him. Lucy made a choked noise, and Natsu nearly staggered with relief as he felt her breath, warm and alive against his palm.
Alive.
Mechanically, he caught sight of the man he had been wrestling with sit up on the floor next to him. He was groaning and shaking awareness back into his body. He had been dragged along too?
Something black and hateful swelled within Natsu like a tide and a fury unlike any he had felt in centuries possessed him.
He did this.
Natsu's hand grabbed him from under the collar, yanking him upright and dragging the man's knees against the hard ground. Natsu surged up in a riptide of emotion, his fury volcanic. The man scrambled for his gun, only to find it backhanded from his grasp by the furious dragon. It went skittering across the guild hall floor.
Fire erupted from Natsu, coating his body in a shell of his emotions. He breathed out a stream of flame from his nose, an angry inferno filling his lungs, boiling his blood, maddening him to all sense or reason.
This vile waste of life nearly killed Lucy.
Death would be too merciful for him. Natsu would make him suffer. He wanted to make him suffer. His eyes flashed crimson as he tapped into an uncontrolled spark of demonic fury. Natsu felt the pressure of his magic crack against his skin, fighting to get out and destroy. This power wasn't the dragon they were used to, even at his worst. No, this was the demon. Zeref's finest creation boiling under the surface, brought out by the sheer force of his emotions.
In the background he could hear the shocked gasp of their guildmates, but they were deafened under the roaring of blood in his ears.
This time Lucy wouldn't be able to stop him. No one would be able to stop him. And wasn't it just as infuriating to know Lucy couldn't stop him because this pig had shot her.
He raised a flaming fist, intending on punching a hole through this man's skull and enacting his own violent brand of justice on him. He could burn everything. Skin to ash, flesh to charred lumps, and bones to hollow and brittle sticks. Viciousness rose within him like a wave, Lucy's sweet smile bubbling along the surface fueling his demonic impulses.
In a flash, he had almost lost her because of this trash.
"Not all crimes are severe enough to warrant death Natsu."
His heart hammered, the memory of her face flashing before his eyes like some kind of mantra. The quiet whisper of her voice in his head sending a shock of reason through his skull. Lucy. Against his will, he felt himself calming. Natsu struggled to hold onto his rage, but the memory of that fight was like a cooling balm against his skin.
Her voice came back to him, the echo of his fight with the mugger and how he had mercilessly tried to deform him. This one was so much worse than the other. Did this one even deserve mercy?
"Prove them wrong."
Natsu's fist shook, trembling between indecision, blinding fury and returning coherency. He felt like he was standing on the edge of a blade. Knuckles cracking, he ached to be done with the man, uncaring of his frantic sobs or terrified pleading. Natsu had heard begging before, he was deaf to those cries.
But not when it came to Lucy.
If he killed this man, she would be disappointed.
Wouldn't she?
A roar of frustration burst from Natsu as he settled on his decision. His flames burst from his throat and Natsu slammed his forehead against the man's skull.
He went limp in Natsu's grasp, dropping as heavily as a stone.
Knocked out cold, Natsu threw him in a disgusted heap, murder on his mind but fear for Lucy making his desire for vengeance subside for the moment. That truly had been the deciding factor to spare the man's life or not. His fear for her. Lucy was hurt, and that was his priority. No matter his feeling on the subject, he would wait for her.
He scooped her into his arms, taking one look at her pale face and feeling his stomach twist sickeningly.
But if anything happened to Lucy...
Natsu shot a glare to the unconscious man in a heap behind him.
Fortunately, Natsu didn't have to carry her far as their surprised guildmates had been watching the whole thing and had sprung into action the moment it was safe to approach.
"Take her to the infirmary Natsu!" Erza ordered briskly, "Mira, Juvia, get the first aid kits and bandages! Gajeel, go find Porlyusica and get her here as fast as you can!"
Gajeel nodded and shifted into his partial form before taking off as fast as he could fly while the others scrambled to either obey Erza or get out of the way while Levy quickly led Natsu into a part of the guild he hadn't had to visit before.
Erza, meanwhile, focused on the man Natsu had knocked out, "Jellal." She growled, her expression dark as a sword appeared in her hand, "I think we will require some answers out of this one."
"Agreed." The blue haired wizard purred, his own expression darkening with restrained fury. For a moment it was possible to see a glimpse of the man he'd once been as Erza grabbed their new prisoner by the hair and dragged him further inside.
It was an expression worn by most of the guild. Even without having been able to see the event itself clearly it was obvious enough to them that the stranger had played an important part in this mess, and he would answer to them for even attempting to harm one of their own.
Natsu wasn't paying attention to any of that. The interrogation could go on for as long as they needed it to.
Of all the times for Lucy to finally make them appear right where they needed to. She wasn't even awake to make a smug remark over it.
His foot tapped anxiously as he waited outside for news about Lucy. Fingers tightening in an anxious squeeze around his arms, Natsu swallowed around the confused ball of emotions he felt rising in his throat.
No one had ever done anything like that for him before. The idiot! Even if Natsu had been shot, the moment he fell through that gate, his healing would have kicked in.
But a part of him knew she had very likely saved his life. Again. With where it had been pointed... He was unsure if in this body he could withstand an injury like that.
She was still an idiot though, and Natsu would be certain to tell her that when she woke up.
"That was really reckless," Natsu mumbled into his knees.
Gajeel returned with Porlyusica while Natsu was waiting, and the old woman pushed her way inside with brisk efficiency. But the iron dragon didn't leave as soon as his job was done. Instead he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms, scowling darkly as he stared at the door separating them from what was happening inside.
He and blondie weren't exactly what anyone would call friends, but he'd come to respect her in the short time he'd known her. She might not be a dragoness, but she sure had the heart of one. Sorta like his shrimp. And since Lucy meant so much to Levy and the guild it pissed him off that she'd been hurt.
She was one of theirs dammit, and he wanted to beat the bastard who had hurt her to a pulp. However, Erza and Jellal were taking care of that. Quite effectively if the jerk's frightened chattering was anything to go by.
"Any word?" Levy asked softly from his elbow, making him jump a little. He hadn't even heard her approaching he was so wrapped up in his thoughts.
He sighed a little and shook his head, "Not yet." He rumbled, glancing over at where Natsu was pacing anxiously. Did the salamander even know he was doing that? Probably not. Gajeel had never seen him act like this before. Not even before when he first attempted to breach Natsu's territory fifty years ago to find Levy. The dragon then was very different from the one he saw now.
He glanced back at Levy and frowned a little, "What's that?" He rumbled, pointing to the bag that was nearly as large as she was.
Levy smiled a little, "I found it where the gate was. I figured it was probably Lucy's."
Natsu looked up at that, a pained expression crossing his face as he remembered the contents of that bag and how excited Lucy had been about them, "It's-" He started to say, but cut off when Mirajane came out and all attention riveted to her.
There was a moment of tense silence before she smiled at them, and in an instant relief flooded the air.
"She'll be fine." She reported happily, "Juvia and Porlyusica were able to get the thing in her shoulder out and clean the wound. It'll take a little time, but Lucy should heal up just fine."
Natsu felt the ground tip under his feet as a relief so profound it could drown him, poured through the entire guild.
Twisting around, he glanced over at where the guild were all breathing out sighs of relief. He could relate. Lucy hadn't deserved that. Natsu never wanted to see something like that again.
Swallowing tightly, he edged closer to the room she was in and sat down, not moving as the guild all moved around to see her.
He would wait his turn.
After all he had a lot of things to think about.
One of the most important of those thoughts, was how Lucy had suddenly become more than just an interesting human he was stuck with.
At some point he began to care for her. Enough for him to feel genuine terror over seeing her like this.
He glanced back at the dufflebag, having laid forgotten nearby while the guild members talked amongst themselves about who got to see Lucy first.
Strange feelings dug at his heart, and Natsu's hand clenched around his the fabric of his shirt. His fingers tangled in his scarf, twisting it close. Igneel's scales were warm against his skin, but for once he could feel no comfort from them.
HAHAHAHA Man you guys all thought Lucy was gonna get kidnapped. FOOOOOOLED YA. Just viciously shot. hoohoohoohoo... Also there was a surprising amount of you that were very confused over Natsu's lack of reaction over Lucy's underwear.
He hasn't worn pants in like, hundreds of years. Natsu doesn't really care about some lacy scraps of fabric.
ATTENTION NEW READERS! Parallels updates once every two days!
SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! Sawakaze-Steph16 - OgaxHilda - Amelia Loves Anime - Wonderwomanbatmanfan - Guest (ohoho yes. How did you know?) - Snavej (I hope this fic continues to cheer you up!) - sarara18 (I TOTALLY KNOW YOU. YA LIL' BUTT. DON'T THINK YOU CAN HIDE. *blows kisses*) - ThatBrunnette (Natsu doesn't really have a feral 'dragon' side :O ) - rrrrRANDOMmm (DEVEEEEELOPMENT!) - SakuraPetal91 - bluebirdeyes - Mo0nyMoon (Oh yeah he's definitely stupid giddy when he can be. They're a good match) - shvartzit (HAHAHAHA WHOOPS. Guess your psychic powers were wrong this time) - the-clumsy-one (He really is a cutie. And of course we'll stick with Nalu, what else would it be? :O ) - Dark-Angel-of-Wicked-Chaos17 (I'm glad we could make you ripped from laughter) - kirby42280 - SC (We update once every two days) - wishyouweremedontya (I WILL NOT TELL YOU. Also, I answered your underwear question up ahead. Hahaha, he just doesn't care about clothes. Like he gives no shits about them. None. And I'm not even sure girls wore garments like that back when he was kickin' it in his human form.) - monarchyfly (your wish is our command.) - Twishadowhunter (The upcoming lemon is in the fuuuuuture. You guys will know it when it is coming.) - Animallover (Natsu isn't used to people freely giving him things without forced coercion. He was a happy lizard! Both Natsu and Lucy are thinking of Fairy Tail as their home :D ) - Poxxy (Oh yeah, that's the goal. To show his true personalty come out in reverse the longer the chapters go) - equastar - CrimsonLightKey (You are welcome. Hahaha Too bad the sunshine didn't last AMIRITE?) - ThatOneExoticPotato (Lets hope so *crosses fingers*) - panicatthediscofreak7 (lil' bit of everything :D ) - HazelDragonNora (share with the class) - Etrinity (NO CLIFFIES THIS TIME I PROMISE) - Celtika82 - Reaper3698 (Wow that was a legit good song. I would agree, the lyrics are so... sad but a little hopeful? I'm so glad you liked itt hough!) - The-Rosette-Wolf (HAHAHA. Hope we crushed some of that fluff from your heart...hahahahahahahaha) - guest account (Wow, man this is a marathon not a sprint! I'm glad you like our fic!) - Little Red (ohohoho, no. But excellent guess) - Guest (AND THEN WE CRUSHED IT! HA!) - Dragodden (haha that's funny. Very Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Thank you so very, very much for stopping by!)