I've got a real plot in mind now, so this part of the story isn't just about Natsu growing up. It will be relevant in later chapters, so for now, please review and thanks for reading!
Chapter 7: Such Sweet Sorrow
When morning broke, all they could see was ocean.
Natsu and Sunrose had been flying nonstop through the night, heading straight out towards wherever they thought the northern continent was.
On the way, Natsu explained why he'd brought Kagura.
Sunrose sighed when he finished, "This is why I dislike humans. If a drake kills a hatchling, it's quick and often painless. But human men are some of the cruelest creature in existence. They take their time and actually revel in causing suffering." She shook her head in disgust, "They're not civilized at all."
"Well, I guess she's staying with us." Natsu decided.
His mother glanced at him, "You'll have to give her back to another group of humans eventually. They're very delicate creatures. They need to be around their own kind, especially a child that small."
Natsu looked back at Kagura, who was sleeping peacefully on him. He nodded at his mother's words, "I know. We'll give her to her brother when we find the other shoreline."
/\/\/\/\/\
Twice they had to stop flying for a while by landing in the water and just swimming lazily for an hour or two. By the time the two dragons sighted a small island, their wings were heavy with exhaustion. Sunrose landed in the water to avoid straining her injured leg from landing and swam up to the island.
Natsu landed and collapsed onto the sand gratefully, "I think I'm going to sleep for a month…"
"Not yet, little one." Sunrose murmured as she clambered onto the beach from the water, "But we'll rest here for a while."
Kagura climbed off of Natsu's back and gave him a tired look, "I'm hungry…and thirsty…and sleepy..."
Natsu reluctantly got up and scoured the small island, becoming relieved when he found a coconut tree. He knocked a few of them down with ease, then cracked through their hard shell and gave Kagura access to the fruit and liquid inside.
The girl drank and ate gladly before she crawled over to Natsu and settled down by his chest. In no time, she had fallen asleep.
Sunrose watched the child with amusement, "She's a lot like you."
"I find that hard to believe." he muttered.
"I mean she's innocent." Sunrose purred, "You had that same innocent attitude when you were just a hatchling. And you fell asleep just as quickly."
Natsu sighed, "Well, I can still fall asleep like that, I'm so tired." As if to prove this, he lay his head down on the sand and closed his eyes, then fell asleep almost immediately.
Sunrose hummed, "Indeed, little one."
/\/\/\/\/\
The next morning, Natsu had a problem.
With his scales, he had no issues with sunlight, but Kagura's face and arms were bright red with sunburn. It seemed to be causing the girl great pain.
Luckily, Sunrose had a solution.
She recognized another plant on the island and crushed it to a paste, then directed Kagura to wipe it over her where she was burnt. The relief was immediate- Kagura smiled and laughed, even with the burns on her face.
And so Natsu gathered a few coconuts for Kagura, then they flew out again.
In no time, the little island was gone. All they could see was vast ocean.
Natsu growled with unease, "Where does this end?!"
Sunrose shook her head, "I don't know. I haven't been across the ocean before, but I never imagined…"
Natsu glanced at Kagura, who was munching on a coconut he'd opened for her, "Hey, if we get to the other shore, can you tell us where your brother is?"
"Yes!" Kagura chirped happily, offering him a big smile.
Sunrose nodded, "Then let's fly fast. We may be able to see the opposite shore by nightfall.
And so on they flew.
/\/\/\/\/\
By midday, the dragons were exhausted. Sunrose finally had enough of her throbbing leg and spoke at Natsu, "I have to rest! Let's swim for a while, okay?"
He said nothing, just swooped down to the water. Natsu was all too happy to agree with her- he had never felt so tired in his life.
Natsu crunched open another coconut for Kagura and passed it to her with a grunt, "That's the last one. You'll have to do without for the rest of the trip."
"That's okay." she said, then pointed out, "I can see the other side!"
Natsu's head whipped towards where she pointed and he realized she was right. He could see land in the distance, with trees and grass and-
"That's a human city." Sunrose muttered, her eyes narrowing, "We'll have to watch out for that."
"Right." he answered, then started to swim towards the shore.
As they got within a mile of the shore and the human city, an alarm suddenly cut through the air.
Sunrose hissed, "We've been spotted."
"I think we'd better fly." Natsu growled, "Hold on, Kagura!"
His mother nodded, then swooped up into the sky, Natsu in hot pursuit. Kagura squeaked and held on tightly.
As they go about fifty feet up, Natsu saw a huge ship leave the port. He stared down at it, "What are they going to do with that?"
Sunrose observed the ship, then froze.
There was a shout from a man on the ship, then a harpoon was launched up into the air with incredible speed.
"Natsu, look out!" Sunrose screeched and rammed into her son, shoving him away from the path of the harpoon. The missile burst through her wing and tore a huge gash through the membrane.
Natsu felt himself freeze in horror. He bellowed, "MOTHER!"
The harpoon was pulled straight back through the hole with nothing to grip, but the damage was already done. Sunrose cried out in pain and fell, her wing useless with such a large wound.
He dove after her and tried to pull her up with his claws, but he just wasn't strong enough to lift up a dragonelle her size. Natsu's wings beat furiously to rise up, but Sunrose was weighing him down.
Kagura clung onto him and cried in panic, "They're throwing things!"
Natsu stared down at the human ship and realized they were now throwing spears at the two falling dragons, yelling words of hate and death.
"Natsu, let me go." Sunrose gasped.
"No." he snarled, "You're going with me. I'm not leaving you here to them."
"There's nothing you can do." she insisted, "My wing is torn beyond repair. I can't fly like this."
"I won't!" he hissed.
Sunrose looked away, "Then you leave me no choice."
Her tail suddenly whipped up and cracked on his leg, making Natsu yelp and drop her.
Natsu dove after her again with a roar, "No!"
"Natsu!" Sunrose shouted, then sucked in a breath and bathed him in flame. He quickly devoured the fire, faster than ever so Kagura wasn't burnt. His mother smiled up at him as she fell, "Fly! Fly somewhere safe and heal!"
"Not without you!" he roared, using his new energy to dive down again, but Sunrose spat another fireball that kept him at bay. If he got too close, he wouldn't be able to protect Kagura from the infernos. Damn it, damn it, damn it!
Sunrose crashed into the water with a bellow, then righted herself and glared at the human ship approaching her. It was just 100 meters away and closing fast. Already, the men were throwing spears at her.
She tried to swim, but Sunrose's wounded leg made it difficult, and her body was already exhausted. The ship gained on her easily.
"Mother!" Natsu roared, but he couldn't fly any lower without getting in range of the human spears.
The ship got in reach and started hurling spears at Sunrose. Some of the spears bounced off of her scales, but most found their mark. One got in her the back. Another in her uninjured back leg. A third spiked the base of her tail. Sunrose screeched in pain, but couldn't swim any faster.
"NO!" Natsu screamed and dove for the ship, not caring if the humans started shouting up at him and threw spears. He slammed into the mast and made it crash onto the deck, watching with anger as the humans dodged it, then proceeded to continue throwing spears at him mother.
He wheeled around and growled, "Kagura, stay low and hold tight!"
This time, Natsu flew straight for the ship.
The men started throwing spears at him, jeering and yelling hatefully, but Natsu kept coming with lethal intent in his eyes.
Natsu crashed onto the deck with a furious roar, thrashing his claws and tail at anything that moved. Men screamed as they were slashed or hit and thrown overboard. One of them tried to jab Natsu's face with a spear, but he snapped the weapon in half, clamped his jaws onto the man, and threw him as far over the water as he could.
Suddenly, there was a horrible pain in his side.
He spun around with a snarl and found a man trying to drive a spear into his chest, but Natsu knocked him over, then stomped him so hard the wooden deck was broken. The man's scream was cut off instantly.
Kagura gasped, "Natsu, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine!" he hissed, then continued to thrash and strike out at the men. Natsu heard more shouts from behind and spun around, but his heart sank when he realized it wasn't from the men on the boat.
Three more ships were approaching. He couldn't fight all of them off. Not a drake his size.
"Natsu…"
He whipped his head back towards the water and stared over the side of the ship.
Sunrose had been speared in a dozen different places, bleeding out in the water with half-dead eyes. She looked up at him weakly, "Fly, my sweet…fly…"
Natsu felt tears in his eyes, "Mother…"
"They're getting closer!" Kagura gasped.
Natsu saw Sunrose sinking into the water and knew he could do nothing. Sadder than ever and bleeding, the young drake took off from the ship, leaving death and destruction in his wake.
No man on that ship remained alive. The vessel sank quickly afterwards.
He climbed, climbed high until he was out of range from spears and harpoons alike. Natsu stared down at the reddening water, filled with debris of the destroyed ship and the bodies of men. And Sunrose. He watched with an ever-breaking heart as the pink dragonelle sank quietly beneath the waves, disappearing from his sight.
Kagura cried on his back, "I can't see her…"
"Hush." Natsu muttered, then flew off towards the land with tears streaming from his eyes. His wound wasn't deep, but it was bleeding a lot, so he knew he had to choose somewhere close to land.
The sooner the better.
/\/\/\/\/\
They landed on a hill in the forest by the city.
Natsu helped Kagura off his back and collapsed, exhausted from travel, pain, and grief. His head drooped and lay on the ground, not caring if the earth was hard and uncomfortable.
Kagura hugged his snout and cried. He couldn't understand why the girl was so sad about his mother's death, but somehow, watching her cry made him focus more on her and less on the pain in his heart. Natsu wrapped his tail around her gently and shifted the girl so she was in the curve of his side. Kagura sniffed and curled up on his warm scales, falling asleep quickly.
Natsu stared at her, eyes half-open with exhaustion. He opened his mouth to say something, or ask something, but closed them immediately. There was no one to ask.
What do I do now?
/\/\/\/\/\
The answer came at nightfall.
Natsu was resting, cleaning the wound in his side while Kagura slept when he heard the sounds.
His head lifted, scanning the landscape below the hill until he saw the glow of torches. A mob of people was walking towards them.
Natsu woke up Kagura quietly, then got the girl onto his back. He waited for the mob to get closer so he could judge their intentions, but it seemed pretty obvious. They just wanted to finish what they'd started.
But an old man was at the head, a gray-bearded human with a cane. Behind him was a mixture of soldiers and regular looking humans. Most of them didn't look happy, but they followed the old man and didn't rush him at first sight.
Natsu awaited them with a menacing glare and bared fangs, daring any one of the humans to try and pull out a sword or a spear. He'd snap the weapons in half, then snap the attacker the same way.
The old man stopped a few meters away and raised a hand, "We come in peace, young drake."
"Your people didn't show me or my mother such hospitality when we came in." Natsu spat, "Do you think I'm a fool? It wouldn't shock me if this is just a diversion so you can ambush me from the back."
"I assure you, it's not." the old man said, "We are merely here to speak with you."
"Kagura, watch the back." Natsu growled, "If someone comes up behind me, I'll break them in half."
As the girl shifted on his back, the old man nodded, as if confirming something, "So, it's true. One of the sailors said there was a young girl on the drake's back. I'm surprised he was right."
Natsu lowered his head so he was eye level with the man, then let out a deep hiss, "One wrong move human, and the legends about man eating dragons will be proven right as well."
One of the soldiers stormed up, "How dare you threaten our mayor! He's been nothing if not generous-"
"Enough." the old man sighed, "We are at fault here. We attacked the dragons without thinking, and as a result, we lost a ship, thirty good men, and a dragonelle has fallen. This damage needs to be repaired."
The soldier stared at him, "But sir, they were coming to our city! They would've destroyed everything if we didn't-"
"Destroyed?" Natsu echoed with a furious snarl, "I'll have you know we were going to leave this girl with you and be on our way. My mother's leg was broken and my neck was damaged as well. We were exhausted and fighting for our lives before you even started attacking us!"
There were many gasps from the crowd, but the soldier sneered at him, "Right, and then you'd probably have eaten us all when we were off guard. Exhausted? You destroyed a whole ship and killed its entire crew!"
"Because you speared my mother!" Natsu roared.
"Enough!" the mayor cried, flashing a glare at his soldier, who cringed and backed up. The old man shook his head with a sigh, "Young drake, I'm very sorry for what we've done. Our men may have just been trying to protect our families, but that is no excuse for taking away someone so precious to you. If there's anything we can do to repent-"
"You can take this girl in and return her to her brother." Natsu said coldly, "I don't want excuses or apologies. We're well past that. Just keep her safe, treat her as you would any other child, and let me be on my way. And never,"
He moved so his eye was directly in front of the soldier who'd protested, "Never, attack a dragon that comes over that ocean without knowing their intentions."
The man gulped and nodded before Natsu pulled away with a sigh, "Although, I'll tell you this. If a huge black dragon comes over the ocean, evacuate your city. It's what drove us here in the first place. I doubt it will come this way, but there's no being too careful with that black beast…"
"We are thankful for this information." the mayor said, dipping his head, "It's more than we deserve, that's for certain. And we shall take in the girl as you told us. What was her name again?"
"Kagura." Natsu replied, making the little girl peek over his shoulder at the mob, to whom she waved happily.
A tall man with a metal jaw plate gasped and broke out of the crowd, "Kagura!?"
The girl squealed, "Simon!"
Natsu realized the man was her brother and wrapped his tail around the girl, then gently lifted her and set her to the ground. Kagura leaped at Simon, who buried her in his grasp.
Simon looked up at Natsu and bowed his head, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Kagura helped my mother and I when we were injured." Natsu murmured, "It's the least I owed her."
The young drake stood up to his full height, towering over the humans. Some of them muttered uneasily, but most seemed to realize by now that he wasn't going to hurt them. Natsu rumbled, "I'm going to fly further inland. Look for a place where I can heal safely."
"Then try the mountains to the north." the mayor said, "It's neutral land amongst the dragons and humans ruling territories in this continent. You won't be attacked there."
Natsu blinked in surprise, "I didn't think other dragons lived on this continent."
The mayor chuckled, "Oh, there are dragons, all right. Many, many dragons. I think you'll find a suitable Thunder without much trouble."
Now Natsu frowned, "A Thunder? What?"
"Yes, a clan of dragons. They're called Thunders because a mass of flying dragons makes a sound like a thunderstorm." the old man answered with a raised eyebrow, "Do you not have Thunders in your lands?"
"No. Dragons usually live alone where I come from." Natsu said, "The only dragons that live together are families."
I'm being far too kind to them. If I had my fire, I'd have razed their city to the ground. By rights, I should've done that anyways, he thought angrily. But he knew that Igneel and Sunrose wouldn't have wanted him to do that. Natsu's kindness was why he and his parents loved each other so much.
He shook the thoughts his head, then stretched, "I'll be on my way, then. Farewell."
"Natsu!" Kagura ran up to him and hugged the drake's leg. She looked up at him with a big smile, "Thank you! Come back and play sometime, okay?"
Natsu brought his muzzle down and licked the girl's face. She squeaked and rubbed her skin with an indignant pout, "Hey!"
"This is goodbye, little one." Natsu almost purred with laughter, "I won't see you again for quite a while, if ever."
That seemed to make her sad, but Natsu turned his head and grasped a loose scale on his back, then jerked it free. He looked back at Kagura and hissed through his teeth, "Hold out your hands."
Kagura did so, then Natsu dropped the bright red scale in her palms. She held it reverently, eyes wide with delight.
Natsu murmured softly, "There. Now you won't forget me, and I'll try to meet you again one day. Promise?"
"Promise!" Kagura chirped, hugging the big dragon scale to her chest.
He pulled away from her and spread his wings, hearing a chorus of murmurs from the humans, "Farewell, dragon."
Natsu looked at the soldiers, "You were lucky I can't breathe fire yet. Or else things would have been much worse. Remember that."
The men seemed to acknowledge their mistake and bowed their heads as Natsu took off into the darkening sky. Kagura cried out after him, "Goodbye Natsu!"
Natsu didn't look back, just kept flying north towards the mountains the old man had told him of.
He had survived. He was still alive.
All it had cost him was everything.
Everything.