Chapter Seventeen

Lucy stood in Laxus' Magi-Hover, inside his bathing chamber. It was the size of the sleeping chamber and had a bench on the long side; for sitting or resting she'd been told. He'd also explained how to operate it. She pulled on the lapel of the Scalut but stopped. She dropped onto the bench, her head in her hands.

When the fire had erupted; she hadn't been scared. Not at first. But when Natsu's eyes had looked at her and they'd been pure black but…flameless; spark-less, that's when the fear had started to seep in. She rubbed her wrists, thinking of the hold he'd had on her. Unshakeable. The suit had created scales to keep him from bruising her.

"Ya okay?" Laxus asked through the intercom and Lucy closed her eyes, lifting her head up and standing up. She walked out and he looked at her. "You haven't bathed."

"That isn't important." She shook her head and plopped down on his bench and brought her knees to her chest. He sat in his chair and spun it around and looked at her with a hard to read look on his face. She lifted her chin a little and met his gaze.

"Get it off your scales Blondie."

"Before he…lost control…" She bit her lip and then shook her head. "I told him; if he couldn't treat me as an equal; then when we got to the Guild Station; I'd remove the Scalut and we'd part ways for good."

Laxus growled something that didn't translate but he ran a hand over his face and then put both hands in his hair and tugged on his own blond locks. "I believe the human term I'm looking for is….fuck."

"Sounds fitting." She said and looked at him. "But why is that fitting? I don't understand!"

"That punk should be the one explaining this." Laxus snarled and looked at her with the most tender expression she'd seen from him. He leaned forward and tapped her foot, the scales shifting and spiking up at the touch. He chuckled. "Scaluts are made from the scales of Dragi when we transition from hatchling to 'mature'. They're woven into fabric by the Elders and then made into the suits. And within the scales and the Scalut; is the strength of the Dragis who shed the scale. It's a connection to that Dragi."

"That's why I feel like he's around when he isn't." She said and he nodded.

"It's also so other Dragi recognize that…"

"Recognize what?" His ears larked and he ran his tongue over his fangs.

"That the wearer is the…mate; of the Dragi whose Scalut it is."

"Ma…Ma…" Lucy shuttered and took a breath. "Mate?"

Laxus stared at her. Her voice had gone high pitched and broken on the end of the word. He nodded slowly and her face slowly got pinker and pinker until it was flame red. He was about to speak when the Scalut shifted and the helmet was on. He leaned back, his brow raising in surprise. He'd never seen a Scalut make a helmet before; but the fact it had done so now was even more surprising as there was no attack happening. He waited and after a few minutes the helmet melted away.

"You okay?"

"No." She shook her head and he realized her breathing had sped up and she was worrying her bottom lip. "I could push the fang snapping out of my mind, because you said it was how he saw his parents do it. But giving me the Scalut…."

"Breathe." He ordered and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes she shook her head.

"I'm not ready to mar…mate anyone. But if I take this off and give it back….if he loses control of his element….I can't let you all put him down!"

"Breathe Lucy." He moved to the bench and cupped her shoulders but the suit spiked up. He grunted and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not doing that." She said and wiped at her face, her tears falling unabashedly.

"I know. This is part of the suit's protective properties against other males. Making it hard to touch you when he isn't around."

"Good grief." She ran her hands up and down her arms. "Is there more I need to know?"

"Yes."

"Shit."

"You need to relieve yourself?" Laxus asked and Lucy shook her head.

"We say that word when something happens that's as exasperating as walking into a pile of…."

"I see. I like that." He looked amused and she tried not to smile. "If a Scalut becomes attuned to a person and they end up rejecting that Dragis, the suit will never fit another."

"Couldn't it be torn apart and made into a new Scalut? We repurpose clothes all the time here."

"The scales remember." Laxus explained. She deflated and leaned back, her head hitting the wall with a dull thud. "Scaluts are a major decision."

"How major? He knew me, unconsciously, for a few hours then gave it to me when I tried to duct tape myself to go back outside."

"You tried to what now?" Lucy explained quickly how she had wrapped duct tape around her clothing to give her some protection from Draconic claws and other weapons. He nodded thoughtfully, impressed by her resourcefulness. He'd been shown duct tape by Lisanna when she was helping fix some boxes to store books in for transport.

"Why did he do this? And why would he lose control like that?"

"He isn't the brightest thinker." Laxus conceded slowly. "And he lost control at the thought of his growlkin returning the Scalut and leaving him; caused him to fall into what is known as a mental stasis. He is trapped inside his mind; his mind which was thrown into chaos. It's not often that a Dragis' growlkin threatens to leave them."

"What is a growlkin?"

"The one who makes life worth living for."

"He thinks…I'm…" She tilted her head, fresh tears on her face. "His soulmate?"

"If you mean the one who gives you reason to live; who would be the light in an otherwise dark and lonely universe; then yes."

"What did Wendy and Gray do to him?" Lucy asked and changed the subject.

"Gray cooled him down; which makes him more susceptible to Wendy's healing sleep spell. He will be under that spell until either his mind clears or his baser instincts kick in and he goes hostile."

"Then you all would have to…"

"We would try to contain him; get him to the Guild Station where he might be saved by more extreme means. But if we couldn't; if they couldn't….then yes. He'd be put down."

"Can I see him?" She asked and he leaned back. "Maybe if I talk to him; he'll calm down and wake up and we'd be able to discuss this whole growlkin-thing without him going to into a mental stasis."

"Or it could send him over the edge and we'd lose him completely."

"Please?"

"Bathe first. Rest. He'll be able to connect to your emotions through the Scalut if you aren't calm."

"Ok…" She said turned to get off of the bench but stopped. "Does removing the Scalut to bathe….hurt a Dragis? I don't want to distress him more…"

"No." Laxus shook his head. "The suit knows your intentions aren't to take it off and discard it permanently. So it won't bother him."

"Okay…" She disappeared into his bathing chamber and he leaned back against the wall.

"Damn it Natsu…why'd you have to rush into giving her that Scalut? What were you thinking?"

Lucy shivered as the wind cut through her as she hurried from Laxus' Magi-Hover to Natsu's. Gray and Gajeel were standing outside of the door, their arms crossed as she made to enter.

"That probably…."

"I want to try and reach him."

"He's in a…" Gray started to object.

"I get it!" Lucy screamed and he jerked back. "I caused him to go into a mental stasis and Wendy had to lock him in a spell. But if I can't get through to him; and he breaks out of that spell and goes crazy….I can't….I don't want you all to have to put him down. So let me try."

"Go on." Gajeel said and pushed Gray out of the way. "He's in his room."

"Thank you." She tapped the panel and the door slid open and Gray's mouth fell open. Gajeel's eyebrow rose and then lowered when the panel shut them out.

"His Magi-Hover has recognized her."

"I saw that too."

"We need to…"

"Tell Laxus. Yeah, you read my mind." Gajeel agreed and they raced to their commander's Magi-Hover.

Lucy's breath caught as she looked at Natsu. He was pale, his scales looked dry and gray. She tripped over the blankets and laid down beside him. He was cool; probably down around a human's normal body temperature. She hadn't realized just how warm he always ran. She wrapped her arms around him. Her tears fell unbroken as she pressed herself against him.

She hadn't planned on laying beside him, wrapping herself around him. She had told herself in the bathing chamber that she was going to stay away and keep her distance. But the sight of him tore at her heart. All her thoughts and intentions had gone out the window.

"Natsu? Can you hear me?" She whispered, waiting for any sign. But nothing happened. Her heart clenched. "I'm so sorry."

She closed her eyes and threw her leg over his, her arm across his torso and she buried her face into the crook of his neck. As she laid there, her thoughts swirled. She had never believed in soulmates before. They made great book troupes but that was a fantasy world. She knew how impossible it seemed in the real world. What went through his mind that he decided she was his other half? She'd been unconscious most of the time when they'd first met. She remembered him sniffing her; and wondered if part of the decision was caused by pheromones.

She opened her eyes and squinted at the bright lights. She grabbed a blanket and pulled it around them. She took a deep breath. "Please lower the lights."

At her whisper, the lights dimmed and she tried to warm him up. She wasn't sure how long she spent like that, but she felt worried that he wasn't getting warmer and she couldn't wake him up. An idea flared but she wondered if it would be safe for the Magi-Hover.

"This would be easier if there was an A.I. on this Magi-Hover." She whispered into the silence.

"How can I assist you?" A digitalized voice asked and she jerked, tightening her hold on Natsu. "I apologize for startling you. How can I assist you?"

"Can…Can you handle a fire?"

"I do not understand your question." The disembodied voice stated.

"If I set a fire in here, in this room; would it damage you?"

"I am a program. My main coding is on the Guild Station."

"I meant the Magi-Hover. Would it damage the Magi-Hover." Lucy stated and there was a slight hum.

"No. It would not damage the Magi-Hover. It has been outfitted to handle the heat of a Fire Dragis' flames. Do you plan on getting the fire hotter than that?"

"I don't know how high it would go." She said and the hum resumed.

"I believe it would end in a favorable outcome at 89.6 percent."

"Is there somewhere I can store these blankets where…" The blankets were immediately sucked into the walls and she stopped talking. "That was a fast."

"I anticipated the rest of your statement. I would recommend you excuse yourself from the room if you plan to set it on fire with N-777 on board."

"N-777?" Lucy's brow furrowed.

"It is the current fire Dragis' identification number."

"I plan to stay with him."

"That is unwise. You are not a fire Dragis."

"I'll be fine." She said and the hum spiked but then quieted. "Can you help me start the fire?"

"Of course." Rails came out from around the base of the floor and she watched as fire erupted at a standard distance along the rails.

"How high would you like the temperature to go?" The A.I. asked and she thought about it. She closed her eyes.

"Until Natsu wakes up."

"I do not understand that measurement."

"Don't stop increasing the heat until N-777 wakes up." She said and the Scalut shimmered and raced up her throat and the helmet situated itself around her head. She kept herself wrapped around Natsu as she watched the fires burnt brighter and flames came down from the ceiling. She closed her eyes and nestled closer around Natsu.

"I'm so sorry Natsu. Please, let this rudimentary forgette reach you."