Lucy covered her face to protect it from the swirling dust as Natsu landed. He took a couple steps in her direction and then stopped.
Capricorn used his jet pack to fly towards her. "Lucy, grab a hold of me and I'll get you away from here!" he said with a sense of urgency.
"No, it's okay. It's only Natsu," she said, trying to assure him.
Capricorn didn't look convinced. She looked around and noticed that her other spirits seemed nervous as well…hell, she was nervous. There was no telling how much the Dragon King's curse had affected Natsu's personality.
There was a low rumble.
Lucy looked up and saw that Natsu's lip was curled an in menacing growl. He raised a clawed hand high in the air, ready to strike. She looked in the direction of his attack and cursed—he was about to crush Cobra's unconscious body.
His arm came down in a swift arc and crashed into the earth below, sending rocks and trees flying. At the last moment, Taurus jumped in front of her and swung his ax, deflecting a tree stump that had been heading straight for her.
As the dust settled, she looked towards the small crater that Natsu's hand had created.
Thankfully, the large depression was empty. Cancer had used his enhanced speed and moved Cobra before he could be crushed by the giant claw. Natsu was now staring at Cancer and the unconscious man with rage-filled eyes.
"Natsu!" she screamed. "Stop it!"
Natsu's eyes remained focused on his prey.
"Natsu!"
He opened his jaws and let out a deafening roar which sent some of her spirits scurrying for cover. Poor Cancer was practically trembling. Natsu sucked in a large breath, making his chest glow like burning embers.
She had to do something. If Natsu became a killer, he would be crossing a dangerous line. It wasn't just Cobra's life that was in danger, but Natsu's. She dashed out in front of Cobra and raised her arms.
At that same moment, Natsu released his Dragon's Roar.
As the heat engulfed her, Lucy closed her eyes and prayed her death would be quick.
But the heat quickly dissipated. Confused, Lucy opened her eyes.
"Lu-cy?"
Natsu was peering down at her. At the last minute he had turned his head and scorched half the countryside. The cabin that had once been Cobra's childhood home had been reduced to smoldering ashes.
She yelled up at him. "I'm not going to let you do this! I love you too much. You'll hate yourself if you kill him." She fell to her knees and began to shake.
Suddenly, the sky seemed to get brighter. She looked up. The imposing monster above her was gone.
Natsu had turned back into his human form. He knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry Lucy. God, how could I have been so stupid?"
She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "It's okay. I'm just glad you came back to me." She pulled him into a kiss. At first Natsu seemed hesitant but his resistance soon melted away to fervent caresses. It was as if he couldn't get enough of her now that she was in his arms.
She broke the kiss spotted something shining in the sun.
It was Brotan's necklace. She went and picked it up. "We should undo the curse now. It's too risky for you continue living like this."
Natsu frowned. "Perhaps, but it's dangerous for you too. Remember what happened last time?"
"No, I think I can do it. Cobra forced me to summon Brotan again but this time I found a way to channel the power. I think I can do this without harming myself."
He hesitated but seemed to come to a decision. "If you think you can do it, then I trust you."
She kissed him again, lingering just long enough to feel the first butterflies begin to dance in her stomach.
"Before I summon Brotan, I'll have to gather his energy inside me and then give him physical form. Cobra forced me turn him back into a ghost." She closed her eyes and searched herself. If she mixed the power from the necklace with the power that she had gotten from Aaron, she thought she could pull it off.
Holding the necklace, Lucy opened her chi lines and began to let the magic from the necklace pour back into her. It was an overwhelming feeling but she had faith that her body could handle it.
When the last of the magic transferred, she had an image of Brotan pacing inside her, like a caged tiger waiting to get out.
"Brotan, I summon you." She said the words so softly, it was almost a whisper.
White mist swirled and suddenly a large white dragon was standing next to them. The pull on her power had been intense, but she hadn't lost consciousness or had a stroke.
She had summoned Brotan and was still standing.
"I see I'm back in my physical form. You gave me quite a scare there," said Brotan. He was examining his wings, as if he wanted to be sure they were truly there.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
He nodded. "I should hope not. I rather like being able to stretch my wings once in a while in the Earth Realm." He glanced down at Natsu. "And I assume you want me to remove the Dragon King's curse from this young man in front of me?"
"Yes," said Lucy with a smile. "Please do."
Brotan bent his head and put his snout next to Natsu, who couldn't help but flinch. The dragon took a deep breath.
Wisps of smoke seemed to seep out of Natsu and get sucked up by Brotan. Natsu closed his eyes as Brotan removed the curse. With a final gasp of breath, Brotan finished and Natsu fell forward to his hands.
"It worked. The Dragon King's curse is gone."