Chapter 12: Severed bonds

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or High School DxD. The former is owned by Hiro Mashima and the latter is owned by Ichiei Ishibumi.

"Mmmmm! Smells like it's almost done!" Natsu said excitedly.

Natsu is currently in his kitchen cooking up some scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon for breakfast. The smell of the bacon kept getting stronger as it sizzled on the frying pan and the hash browns were looking golden brown. It had been three days since Akeno and Meredy joined Fairy Tail. Both of them have found residency at Fairy Hills where they each have their own room. Their rooms were currently kind of barren since they didn't take too much stuff with them. That will change once they start going on jobs. They have just been taking it easy the past three days after living for some time on the run. They have been doing their best trying to make connections with the other members of the guild.

Things haven't going too well on Natsu's side. After both Wendy and Levy got upset, they have started avoiding him. Levy hasn't been showing up at the guild anymore. Wendy's been giving Natsu the silent treatment and spending a lot more time with Mira. Natsu has been trying to reach out to her, but she keeps pushing him away. He is trying his best to be optimistic hoping this will all blow over soon.

Once the bacon was done cooking, he plated it with the eggs and toast for him and Wendy. He set them onto the kitchen table and waited for Wendy to come down.

"Wendy! Time for breakfast!" He called upstairs. Wendy came down a minute later already dressed for the day.

"There you are! Come and eat!" Natsu said excitedly.

"I don't need you to cook for me. I can eat at the guild. I'm going there by myself." Wendy replied in a neutral tone.

She might as well stabbed Natsu in the heart. No big brother ever wanted to hear something like that from his little sister. With the strong bond they formed over the years, how could she talk to him with no emotion. Natsu wanted to say something to her, but it would fall on deaf ears. He just watched her walk out the door and shut it behind her.

Natsu went back into the kitchen to eat his breakfast alone in silence. He doesn't regret taking Akeno and Meredy to Fairy Tail, but he thought Wendy would be more understanding. It's not just him being with a woman; it's also the fact that she's the person that nearly killed him and hurt her as well. Wendy despises the fact that he could love anyone that hurt her. This was worse than any angry outburst she could give him. It's like she just doesn't care about him. Even after he reassured that they would never grow apart, she still can't accept him being in a relationship. Natsu didn't really agree to being in a relationship with Akeno, but he's not denying it either. He's confused on what he should feel.

"Beast Arm: Iron Bull!"

Elfman transformed his arm into a large beast's arm composed of metal and launched it at Natsu. He just barely dodged it and pushed himself backwards. Natsu and Elfman are currently having a friendly match in the open field around the guild. Natsu thought it would help to try and get his mind off things.

"Fire Dragon's Piercing Blaze."

Natsu brought his hands together and fired off multiple flame swords at Elfman. He did his best to dodge, but a few of them managed to hit their mark.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist."

Natsu took the opportunity to charge towards Elfman with his blazing fist.

"Beast Arm: Reptile!"

Elfman's arm was now scaly with sharp claws. His fist collided with Natsu's and both were trying to push the other back. Elfman was surprised that he didn't feel too much pain from Natsu's flames. Then, he realized that the reptilian scales provided a strong armor for his fist. With that, he was able to break through Natsu and send him flying across the field.

"Come on Natsu. You have to try harder than that if you want to get past my defense. Don't be afraid to go all out." Elfman said

Natsu got back up and wiped some blood off his cheek."You got it buddy."

Gajeel, Gray, and Akeno were watching their match on the sidelines. Meredy usually stuck with Akeno, but her and Juvia became good friends and have been spending a lot of time together.

Elfman and Natsu were going back to back exchanging punches.

"What's up with Salamander? He usually has an easier time overpowering Elfman." Gajeel wondered.

"Cut him some slack. He was injured for quite some time. I'm sure he'll be back to his full potential soon." Gray said like it was nothing.

"True, but I think it's something beyond his injuries. He doesn't have the same fiery personality he always has during battle."

Natsu ducked as Elfman's reptilian arm went straight over his head.

"Fire Dragon's Talon."

Nastu landed a flaming kick at Elfman's legs knocking him off balance. He quickly rose up into the air with his dragon wings of fire.

"Fire Dragon's Roar."

Elfman knew he didn't have time to dodge the the powerful blast, but he thought of the next best thing. Light enveloped Elfman's whole body just as the roar hit him.

Smoke filled the area as the roar died down.

"Nice job hun! That was some hit!" Akeno cheered out to Natsu and blew him a kiss.

"Why does she have to call me that!" Natsu thought with his face getting red in embarrassment.

Elfman emerged from the smoke like the roar barely did any damage. This is because Elfman is using a new beast soul. His body was much more muscular, covered entirely in green scales with some jagged black spikes sticking out, and protruding a large tail . He had a large black plate covering the top of his head with a long silver mane attached to it.

"Whoa. That's a new one." Natsu was astounded by Elfman's new transformation, and this one took up his whole body. He normally only has one full body take over because of the amount of magic put into them and they're harder to control. That is why he usually just transforms his right arm.

"Got that right buddy. This is Beast Soul: Lizardman. I picked up this new takeover while you were out of commission. With all the time you've been gone, I just may catch up to you." Elfman smirked. His smirk was kind of creepy since he's a lizard now. "This lizard armor is my ultimate defense. The scales make me more heat resistant and are a pain to punch at. I got this just to fight you."

"Damn. Who knew he could think so strategically." Gray was impressed by Elfman's choice in combat.

"Yeah whatever. This may be a problem for Salamander, but my iron could easily break through those scales." Gajeel was not impressed.

"Come on Natsu. Hit me with your best shot!" Elfman taunted Natsu.

Natsu wasn't in the best mood to fight, but there was no way he would let himself go down so easy. "You got it. Here I come."

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack."

Natsu raised his arms as the flames were spiraling off and brought them down towards Elfman. Elfman got into a defensive position with his arms and just took the attack to emphasize his point. Elfman still grimaced from the slight burning sensation. These were no ordinary flames after all. Still, Elfman would do anything just to show how manly he is.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame."

Natsu formed a massive fireball over his head and launched at Elfman. Once again, He just stood there and took the pain. This attack was more powerful, but Elfman was still in great shape.

"What's the deal Natsu?" Elfman asked. "Your flames are way more powerful than that. This isn't like you."

Natsu was starting to get frustrated with his poor performance. "You don't know what you're talking about! I'm still the same!"

"Fire Dragon's Impact!"

Natsu's body was engulfed in flames and he grew a larger wingspan as he rocketed towards Elfman at max speed. Natsu landed a direct hit, but he couldn't get Elfman to budge, and tackling into those jagged spikes was not the best idea.

"Aahhhh!" Natsu uttered in pain as he started bleeding all over his arms and chest.

Elfman took the opportunity to wrap his thick arms around Natsu. Then he jumped up into the air and slammed him down on the ground. To finish it off, he picked him up by one arm and whipped his large tail at him. Natsu hit one of the trees with a thud and collapsed to the ground.

Natsu slowly got up and pounded his fists on the ground in frustration. Akeno looked at the man she admired with concerned eyes.

"Try again Natsu. You can't be done already." Elfman said still raring to go. Natsu took a look at the cuts on his body and at the cracked ground where Elfman had slammed him down.

"Sorry man. I'm just not feeling it today. You win." Natsu admitted defeat. All of the guys were wide-eyed. Natsu has never in his life surrendered during a fight. He was always up for fighting anyone. He would always keep fighting until he couldn't even when he had next to no chance of winning.

"What are saying Natsu! A man never surrenders! Suck it up and fight me like the man you-

"I said I'm done! Deal with it!" Natsu shouted furiously at his best friend. Elfman was taken aback by his angry response. Natsu had never blown up at Elfman like that. They have fought many times, but never out of anger.

"I'm heading to the infirmary to get bandaged up." No one said a word as Natsu walked past them towards the guild."

"I'm starting to think you're right Gajeel. Something is definitely wrong with him."

Akeno continued to look at Natsu with concern. He has been ignoring her a lot ever since she came to the guild. She knew he was feeling down and wanted to do something to cheer him up.

Mira was currently bandaging up Natsu's cuts from the fight. They were nothing major, but still needed some care. Natsu felt relaxed just listening to Mirajane's sweet humming.

"There! All done!" Mira cheered

"Thanks Mira." Natsu replied glumly. He got up to leave, but Mira pushed him back down to the bed.

"I've noticed that you've been down lately at the guild. And that your sister is spending a lot more time with me." She leaned in and embraced Natsu tightly.

"I don't want you to blame yourself. If you really have feelings for Akeno don't push them away because of this. Both you and Wendy are maturing and most of the time the process can be painful. I'm proud of my strong man of a brother, but I still miss my sweet little brother that was so attached to me. But that's all part of life. People eventually move on." Mira whispered into his ear.

Natsu couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He just let them all out. He felt bad that his tears were dripping onto Mira, but she didn't care. "I'm sorry Mira...I want to believe that things will work out...but I just wish they would work out sooner...it hurts so much."

"It's okay to feel weak Natsu. That just shows you really care for Wendy. Don't feel like your alone. I'm here to help. I will try and talk to her and see if I can convince her." Mira reassured Natsu.

"Thanks so much Mira. That means a lot." Natsu said as he embraced Mira back feeling a little better. They stayed like that for a minute before pulling away.

Mira planted a kiss on his forehead. "Your welcome." She then got up and headed out the room. Natsu just stayed there and laid down on the bed. He felt like he needed some rest to ease his mind.

Natsu's house

Natsu awoke from his slumber with the sun shining warmly on his body and let out a big yawn.

'Hopefully today will go better. I'm glad I talked to Mirajane. She should be able to get through to Wendy. She's always helping people with these kinds of problems.' Natsu thought as he laid in bed with his hands behind his head.

'Man. Why does my lower body feel so heavy? Why can't I move my legs? It's as if some weight is on top of...'

'No.'

That last word echoed in the void of Natsu's mind. He slowly moved his head down to look across his bed. There was a large bulge sticking out from under the covers that begin moving towards him. In a matter of seconds, Natsu was face to face with Akeno.

"Morning handsome." Akeno said affectionately.

Natsu carefully moved his arms down to his sides to avoid touching any other part of Akeno. He could feel her large knockers, flat stomach, luscious legs, and silky hair all of top of him. Her very long ponytail was untied letting it spread loose all around Natsu's body. He only had on a t-shirt and boxers so their bare skin touched at their legs. Natsu looked under the covers and turned white to see nothing covering Akeno on top.

'Please tell me she's wearing something!...ANYTHING!' Natsu panicked.

Akeno giggled at how nervous Natsu looked. "I can see you're not used to this sort of thing. Don't worry. You're gonna feel good in a few minutes. I thought you deserved a big reward after all you've done for me." Akeno said seductively as she sat up and straddled Natsu's waist. Natsu cringed as her raven hair tickled his legs.

'Forget what I said earlier! You really are evil!' Natsu screamed internally. Since Natsu had no experience with relationships, this was definitely overwhelming for him. She was just torturing him with seduction. He was paralyzed in a mixture of fear and arousal and couldn't speak. Akeno gazed at him with those big purple eyes not with admiration, more like lust, maybe even hunger. Natsu feared what she was about to do to him.

"Let's see what we have down here." Akeno said as she peeled Natsu's shirt off revealing his toned chest and abs. "Oh my. I'm liken what I'm seeing here." Akeno was very satisfied as she gently traced her fingers up and down Natsu taking her sweet time. The delicate touch of her fingers on his skin sent shivers all throughout Natsu's body. If that wasn't enough, Akeno brought her mouth to his abs and slowly traced her tongue up his body. She stopped at his chest and covered him in light kisses.

'What am I a fricken popsicle?!' Natsu was reaching his breaking point as Akeno felt something jab her by Natsu's waist.

"I can tell you're enjoying this. Your body says it wants to play." Akeno said lustfully as she moved off to the side so "it" would stop jabbing her.

Natsu was entranced by her beauty and was overflowing with pleasure-filled sensations. He just watched as Akeno inched toward his face with her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Though with her not on top of him anymore he was able to snap out of it in time to make a break for it.

Natsu ran out of bed and pressed his back to the wall putting maximum distance between them. "What are you trying to do to me!" Natsu shouted finally finding his voice.

"Oh so you can speak. Well that depends. What do you want me to do?" She licked her lips while resting her head on her right arm and placing her left hand on her hip.

Natsu was motionless as he stared at the erotic sight before him. The arousal was beginning to take over his brain as he internally debated with himself.

"Maybe I should just go along with this."

"No! You barely know her! This is too soon!"

"Maybe this could make our relationship stronger."

"Wait! Maybe this is one of those times where you're supposed to say no."

"But she's so alluring! She's just trying to cheer me up."

"Now is not the time for this! This is not the solution to your emotional state!"

"I hate fucking conflict!"

"You're right! Screw this man!"

Natsu tried to look away from Akeno to get his mind straight. He still didn't know what to say. So he said the first thing that caught his eye."

"Hey look a window." He said to her and proceeded to jump out said window shattering the glass and plummeting to the ground.

"DAMN IT! I THOUGHT THE FUCKING WINDOW WAS OPEN! AH! THERE'S A PIECE OF GLASS STUCK IN MY LEG! Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs. He sprouted his flame wings and made his way over to Fairy Tail wearing only his underwear. Look out below.

Akeno burst into laughter as she watched him fly away.

"He is unbelievable. I didn't know he was so hilarious." She said after recovering from her laughing fit. "I'm gonna have so much fun with him." She smiled in content as she laid her nude body on his bed.

Fairy Tail

"Natsu remind me why I'm picking glass out of you in your underwear." Lisanna asked for the second time as she tended to Natsu's leg wound in the infirmary while Mira worked on getting the bar ready for service. Those three are currently the only ones there since it was still early in the morning.

Natsu groaned. "Fine. I woke up this morning and thought using the door was way too boring. So to make my life even more exciting I decided to jump out the window...Annnddd here we are."

Lisanna looked at him in a way that sound. "Okay. now give me the real answer."

"Deal with it. That's all you're getting out me." Natsu deadpanned.

"Whatever. I'm just about done here."

"Stupid sexy window." Natsu mumbled.

"Hey Mira. Mind cooking me up some breakfast."

"Sure thing Natsu." She replied

"Oh and I could use a beer."

"It's seven in the morning Natsu."

"Trust me on this." Natsu insisted needing to cool down after this morning's excitement.

"Very well. It's not like you're the first person to drink this early." Mirajane replied thinking of a certain booze-guzzling card mage. She poured Natsu a beer and made her way to the kitchen. "Guy jumps out the window and suddenly he's an alcoholic." She mumbled.

Natsu began to drink his beer at the bar still wearing only his underwear.

"Natsu. Could you please go home and put some clothes on? Or is Gray's stripping habit rubbing off on you?

"I'm already here. Might as well stay. Besides it's not like anyone's waiting for me at home." Natsu said getting back into depression mode.

"Awww. I'm sorry Natsu. I know things are rough between you and Wendy, But you guys will eventually make up." Lisanna said sweetly while rubbing Natsu's shoulder.

"Not any time soon according to Mira. I already talked to her when I first walked in. She said she didn't make any progress with her last night."

"Yeah I know. I was there. Elfman's gonna bring her over in a little bit."

"Good morning guys. Whoa...Natsu. Glad to see you finally joined the club buddy. Welcome!" Gray said he entered the guild and noticed Natsu only in his underwear. He was also just wearing underwear as he plopped down in a seat next to him.

"Don't get used to it. This is a one time thing." Natsu replied and took another sip of his beer.

"Are you sure because clothes can be so uncomfortable?"

"I thought you did it unintentionally." Lisanna pointed out.

"It used to be just a weird habit, but I found that it's a lot more comfortable. Especially when it's hot out like today."

Elfman soon walked in and joined the guys. "This is an interesting occurrence." He commented on the scene before him.

"Yeah yeah. Just sit down big guy." Natsu said in an annoyed tone.

"Listen man. I just want to apologize for yesterday. I had no idea you were having problems with your sister. I feel like an asshole for taunting you so much. What kind of man can't see that his best friend is pain." Elfman felt ashamed of his actions.

"It's alright bud. I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that. This whole situation is just really depressing and frustrating. Truce?" Natsu extended his hand to Elfman.

"Truce." Elfman smiled warmly at his best friend as they shook hands in agreement.

"Elfman why did you take your clothes off too?" Lisanna said seeing her brother in just his underwear.

"What? They're doing it. I didn't want to feel left out." Elfman said like it was obvious.

Lisanna pinched the bridge of her nose. "You guys are perverts."

"Hey! The human body is a beautiful thing. Maybe you would feel better if you joined us." Gray offered.

"Watch it bro. Don't go disrespecting the Man Code of Honor. Sisters are off limits." Elfman threatened while cracking his knuckles.

"Take it easy. It was just a joke."

Now it was Erza's turn to walk in.

"Uh oh guys. We better go put on our clothes before the "Red Menace" catches us like this." Natsu told his buddies.

"Good idea. Make a break for it men!" Elfman commanded. The three of them ran to the back of the building to avoid their pummeling.

The gang was now back at the guild sitting at their usual table along with Gajeel.

"So Salamander how are things going with the shrine maiden." Gajeel asked.

"alright I guess. She can be a bit...overbearing at times." Natsu replied carefully so as not to spit out what happened this morning.

"Oh come on man! You don't know how are lucky you are! She looks like an angel!" Gray shouted full of jealousy.

"Tch. Yeah. More like a fallen angel...or a devil...or both."

"Why both?" The three men asked Natsu.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know myself. Just feels right." He said unsure of his reason. "By the way Elfman. Where's Wendy at? I thought you were bringing her with you?"

"Oh right I forgot to mention that. She decided to go do some training in the woods by herself. I hope you don't mind that I let her go."

"I guess it's alright. Part of me wants to go find her to make sure she's okay, but maybe I should give her some more space. I can't always be by her side and it's best she learns to handle stuff on her own. I think she's strong enough to handle herself."

"She didn't go too far right?" Natsu asked still a little worried.

"Yeah she's only a few minutes away from the guild. She should be alright." Elfman reassured Natsu.

Natsu felt at ease and was finally starting to enjoy his day. That lasted for about a few seconds until two arms wrapped around his chest and two round objects were pressed against his back.

"How's it going cutie?" Akeno breathed into Natsu's ear.

"You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days." Natsu replied thinking back to all the times girls have greeted him out of nowhere.

"I'm sorry, but I've been feeling so lonely ever since you left me all alone this morn-"

Natsu clamped his hand tight on Akeno's mouth before she could make things worse for him.

"I heard that! Fess up man! We need details!" Gray demanded. Apparently the cat was already out out of the bag.

Natsu brainstormed another one of his quick escapes with a distraction. "Hey Juvia! Gray has something he wants to tell you!" Natsu shouted across the room.

A small tidal wave came zooming towards the guys and splashed into Gray knocking him to the ground. The water formed into Juvia's body with her straddling him and holding his arms down.

"What is it my love?!" Juvia said excitedly with huge hearts in her eyes.

"We're going now." Natsu said firmly to Akeno as he dragged her away from his friends.

Akeno gasped. "Oh Natsu how bold of you." She said playfully with a blush.

"Damn it. He's always holding out on us." Gajeel commented in an annoyed tone.

"You think we should help Gray?" Elfman said.

Gajeel glanced over his shoulder to see what was happening. Gray kept scooting away from Juvia on the floor while she crawled towards him like a predator ready to pounce on its prey with her psychotic happy grin.

"Nah. He's fine. Let's just enjoy the show." Gajeel said as he and Elfman turned to watch the drama.

Natsu ended up dragging Akeno all the way into town where they stopped at a Cafe for lunch. They are currently sitting at an outside table with a metal fence surrounding the area and flower pots hanging above them.

"You know Natsu if you wanted to take me on our first date you could have said so. I would have gone back to my room to pick out a nicer outfit." Akeno was currently in a casual attire of a tight black t-shirt and jeans.

Natsu looked up from the menu to answer her. "I wouldn't really call this date. It's more like I got hungry and you just happened to be next to me." Natsu deadpanned.

Akeno frowned at Natsu and realized she should clear something up. "Look Natsu. I know it seems like I'm playing around you, but I actually really like you. I'm just like that occasionally.

Natsu looked at her questionably. "Define Occasionally."

"Frequently."

"That's better."

"Anyway. I don't want you to think that I'm just playing at your heart strings. I've already hurt you physically, I would never hurt you emotionally. I know we still don't know each other too well, I think what I feel for you is love.

Natsu gasped. He wasn't expecting such a heartfelt response from her.

"Awwwww! That's so sweet! You should be her young man." An older looking woman with blond hair said. Judging by her work attire she was probably their waitress.

"Why are you here?" Natsu said in annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry. I'm just been standing here waiting until you guys were ready to order. Your conversation really piqued my interest."

"Well could you please leave!" Natsu exclaimed with tick marks on his head.

"Oh...right. Carry on then." The waitress made herself scarce.

Akeno placed her hand on Natsu's and intertwined their fingers. Natsu turned to look at her deep purple eyes and sweet smile. He was much more comfortable with this side of Akeno. That was probably what she was going for.

"As I was saying. I'm not blindly following you just because you saved me. I know from your actions that you really are a genuine, caring, and passionate person. I love all of those things about you. I would also love to know you even more. What do you say?" Akeno said sincerely.

Natsu was deep in thought trying to think of a good response. It took him about a minute until he finally found the right words.

"Thanks for all of that Akeno. I'm sorry for ignoring you lately. I'm all knew to this relationship business. I just don't feel comfortable committing to you yet. I don't feel right about being your boyfriend until I'm on good terms with my sister and Levy. I don't blame you for this, part of this may be my fault. Other people just have a harder time handling this change. I promise that once I fix these severed bonds I will give our relationship a chance." Natsu said never turning his eyes away from Akeno.

Akeno had hoped for a definite answer, but she knew Natsu was right. She was still happy knowing she had a chance. She was going to do everything she could to make this work.

"I appreciate that Natsu, but you don't have to do this alone. I think I could convince your sister to accept our relationship."

Natsu was intrigued. "Really? You think you can get her to listen."

"Just trust me. I think I have experienced something similar to what she is feeling. Maybe she will listen to a voice that knows suffering."

Natsu and Mira are the two people closest to Wendy so he was running out of options. He was willing to try anything at this point. He remembered that Mira said the same thing about him not being alone. He should put his faith in other people and let them help ease his burden.

"Okay. If you think you can convince her, then I trust you to go talk to her."

Akeno felt flattered that Natsu was so willing to trust her after only being in the guild for three days. Once they really get to spend time with each other she knew their relationship will grow into something great.

"I won't let you down Natsu." Akeno said feeling embarrassed by her blush in public.

"Good. Now can we order because I'm starving." Natsu said swiftly as he felt like there was a hole in his stomach.

Akeno did her usual cute giggle."Why not. I guess we have been sitting here for half an hour."

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