Chapter 21: Natsu's Animosity

The Thunder Hall was quiet for once.

Porlysuca had reverted to a human and was working swiftly to put herbal formulas together. Wendy was in the clear, and though Makarov was still damaged, he was slowly recovering. However, Lisanna was an entirely different matter. The old healer had been working on the dragonelle's wounds for several hours. For the time being, it didn't look good. The gash in her side was deep, and not healing as well as Porlysuca would have liked.

Mirajane and Elfman had remained by their sister's side, but the others were told to leave them be. Erza organized a few groups to patrol the city borders and make sure the Phantom Dragons didn't come back. Others were sent to repair damages to buildings and make sure the citizens were okay.

Natsu, meanwhile, kept away from the humans.

He had stayed in his cave for hours until Erza finally got tired of him, "Lazing around" and sent Jet in with the order of convincing Natsu to get up and help out.

After just thirty seconds of entering his cave, Jet raced out, a blaze of fire and a furious roar behind him.

Erza stalked over with her eyes narrowing dangerously, "What was that?"

"I-I just walked in and told him what you said…" Jet started, "He told me to go away, but when I tried to convince him otherwise, well…" He gestured to the burn marks on the floor, "You get the idea."

"Damn that drake." Erza shook her head, "Fine. I'll go talk to him. Go help out the others in the city."

While Jet left, Erza slowly padded into Natsu's cave. The scent of smoke in the air made her nose twitch, but she did her best to ignore it and found the Flame Drake curled up on the ground, his back to her.

"Natsu, get up." Erza told him.

"That's a bad idea." he replied.

The Blade Dragonelle's tail twitched, "How so?"

Natsu lifted his head and looked at her with one eye open, "If you put me with any human right now, I can't promise I won't just kill them."

"Oh, not this again." Erza sighed, "Natsu, it was Jose alone. He did this, not the other humans. Why can't you see that?"

"What did they do for us during the battle?" Natsu demanded, "I saw dragons fighting Jose, not humans." He sneered at the word, "Other than getting scared, I doubt a single one of them was hurt in any way. They did nothing, so why should I help them now?"

"That's not fair." Erza protested, "Layla fought with you against Jose, and not just any human can fight against dragons. You know that."

Natsu snorted, "Layla just made the ghosts disappear. It's not like they were a real threat anyway. We could've easily killed them all without her help. The other humans didn't even fight the phantoms! If they want to fix their city, they can do it themselves. Especially since Lisanna, Wendy, and Makarov are hurt."

Erza frowned, "Natsu, just hiding in your cave isn't going to make them better, nor will it help us protect Magnolia from Jose's next attack."

"Then let me do something about it." Natsu got up and looked her dead in the eye, "Send me after Jose and let me kill the bastard before he can do anything else."

Erza shook her head, "You know I can't do that. Gajeel and Juvia have already been taken; I can't risk you being controlled as well. Think of how much more damage Jose could cause with you under his control. You could burn Magnolia and its inhabitants to the ground."

Natsu growled irritably and moved to lie down again, but Erza stopped him, "I want you to go check on Layla. I haven't heard anything about her condition since the battle ended."

The Flame Drake offered a glare, but growled and stalked past her.

Erza waited for him to go, then sighed. It's for your own good, you reckless fireball.

/

Natsu humanized (Albeit, reluctantly) and walked straight into the Heartfilia mansion without even casting a glance at the guards. He stomped through the halls to where Layla's scent was freshest at the largest bedroom in the building.

The Spirit Priestess was sitting up in her bed, first staring out the window, but she looked at Natsu as he walked in. Layla offered a smile, "Hello."

"Hey." Natsu grunted, "You doing okay?"

She nodded, "I'm recovering, but not as fast as I'd hoped. It'll be some time yet before I completely regain my strength."

Natsu shrugged and turned to leave, "Bad luck. Well, if you're fine, then I'll be on my way."

"Natsu, stop."

He paused halfway and glanced back, where Layla was giving him a searching look, "What's bothering you?"

"…" Natsu looked away to the window, "That should be obvious. Can't you read my thoughts?"

"Not unless I have physical contact with you." she pointed out, "But…can I assume you're worried about Gajeel? I would also guess that Wendy and Lisanna are on your mind as well."

He shrugged again, "Gajeel's tough. He can take care of himself. Wendy's doing alright, but…"

"I heard that Lisanna's condition isn't as good." Layla murmured, "Is that what's bothering you?"

"It's none of your business." Natsu growled, "What frustrates me is that Erza won't let me go out and kill Jose."

Layla's eyes narrowed, "It's not that simple and you know it. You can't just kill Jose like you kill prey, Natsu. We need a strategy for that-"

"Screw strategy!" he snapped, "I've gotten along well enough without human strategies so far! All those plans have done so far is get dragons hurt! I'll deal with it my way."

She frowned at him, "Natsu…"

Natsu ignored her and walked out of the room.

/

Before he was able to leave the mansion, Natsu ran into Lucy at the mansion entrance. But instead of stopping to talk with her, he just strode for the door.

The blonde girl called after him, "Natsu! Hold on!"

"How do you know I'm not that kid, Dragion?" he growled.

"Because Dragion doesn't talk rude like that." Lucy pointed out with a frown, "What's wrong? I haven't seen anything of you since the fight ended…"

Natsu kept walking, "Just leave me alone."

Lucy stared after him for a bit, confusion running through her. What's wrong with him?

"Miss Lucy?"

One of the maids walked into the room and spotted her, "Your mother would like to speak with you."

/

"Lucy, have you spoken with Natsu since the battle ended?" Layla asked.

"I just talked to him when he left the house, but…" Lucy looked out the window where she could see a crimson dragon flying overhead, undoubtably Natsu, "He seems angry and distant. I thought things were starting to work out for us, but now it's just like when he first came here."

Layla nodded, "Natsu is losing what little faith he has in humanity. Jose's attack didn't just wound his comrades, it wounded his trust in us. We have to somehow restore that."

"How?" Lucy crossed her arms, "Mom, he's as bad as he was before, maybe worse. Even if you connect to his spirit again and find out what the problem is, I don't think he's going to listen to us as easily as before."

"This couldn't have happened at a worse time, either." Layla sighed, "Jose took Gajeel and Juvia with him. Both of them are strong, especially Gajeel, but if Jose were to somehow take Natsu as well…" She clasped her hands together, "In the state he is in, Makarov can't battle. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe are out somewhere in the territory and unaware of our situation. There just a few powerful dragons in Magnolia who can counter Jose's next attack, and I'm certain Natsu is at the epicenter of that core group."

Lucy tapped her foot nervously, "So, if Jose takes Natsu, we're done for?"

"It won't help our odds, that's for sure." Layla remarked, "As far as I can tell, Natsu's fighting style is almost identical to Igneel's. If he were taken by Jose and rampaged through the city…he'd burn everything to the ground."

Her eyes sparked with the light of a memory as she murmured, "Dragon fire is a devastating magic..."

"I agree, but why are you telling me this?" Lucy asked, "I doubt he's going to listen to me, so shouldn't you tell Erza or another dragon?"

Layla watched the red dragon flying in the sky outside her window, "I suspect that soon, probably either later today or tomorrow, Natsu's going to go after Jose."

Lucy's mouth fell open, "But that's crazy!"

"He'll do it anyway." her mother said gravely, "Natsu's animosity towards humanity is at a critical point. If something goes wrong again, he'll never trust another human as long as he lives. We cannot allow that to happen, for Igneel's sake. But I don't have the strength right now to do anything that could help him. It's going to have to be you. You'll have to stop Natsu."

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

Layla was silent for a time, apparently deep in thought before she clasped her hands and gave her daughter a serious look, "I think you'll have to form a Soul Link with him."

Lucy stared at her.

"WHAT?!"

"M-mom! I-I can't do that!" Lucy protested, "I can barely manage a temporary link, forget a permanent one! And against a dragon like Natsu?! He'd crush me!"

Layla got out of her bed, wavering slightly from her weakened body. Lucy went over and made her sit down again, but Layla clasped her daughter's hands.

"You are strong enough to perform the Link." she encouraged, "And it's something Natsu sorely needs. I know it."

Lucy frowned, "Can't you do it?"

Layla shook her head, "I already formed my Soul Link with Igneel. Even with his death, I cannot do it again. Moreover, I think it's best for you two to possess the Link. You're both part of the new generation."

Lucy rubbed her arms nervously, "It's a huge risk…Dragon souls are so much more powerful than a human's..."

"I know." her mother said seriously, "I don't suggest it lightly; Natsu is very much like his father, and that means he will not make it easy for you. It'll be very dangerous, but if you succeed, it could be enough to keep Natsu with us and help overpower Jose. However, the decision is yours."

The younger woman nodded, then turned and left Layla to rest.

Lucy walked through the halls of her home, deep in thought. A Soul Link…am I really ready for that?

/\/\/\/\/\

Natsu flew in the skies above Magnolia for hours, occasionally spitting a small fireball and watching it dissipate. He was too restless to think calmly, and his tail would lash from side to side with anger.

Eventually, he finished sulking and returned to the Thunder Hall, where Erza was talking to Gray about defensive measures.

Erza cast an expectant look at him, but Natsu ignored the other two dragons and just stalked by. The Blade Dragonelle shook her head in exasperation as he walked by and returned her attention to Gray.

He finally came to a stop just inside Porlysuca's cave, peering in to study the sleeping figure of Lisanna between her older siblings. She was back to her dragon form, but didn't look like she was feeling much better. Natsu's eyes narrowed at the bandages with drying red stains on her side.

Natsu snorted and turned to leave, seeing as Porlysuca was nowhere to be found and couldn't tell him if the injured dragonelle was actually recovering. Before he could leave though, a slight murmur stopped him.

"Natsu…wait." Lisanna opened her eyes blearily and stared at him.

The Flame Drake glanced at her over his shoulder, "Go back to sleep. You need rest."

"Stop."

A little strength returned to her voice as she tried to stand up. Natsu whipped around and padded over, gently pushing her back down.

"You'll just reopen your wound if you move." he snapped.

"Why are you so upset?" she asked. "Your scent has so much agitation in it…"

Natsu growled, "Leave it alone, alright?"

"No." Lisanna said stubbornly, "Tell me what's bothering you."

"…"

He was silent for a while before muttering, "Why do you trust the humans?"

"Because most of them have a good heart." she answered, "I know there are bad humans out there too, but aren't there bad dragons as well? Neither one of our kinds are completely pure. There's always a darkness on either side."

An image of Acnologia ran through Natsu's mind as she said that. He shook himself and gritted his teeth. "I'm not sure I can trust them. Not completely."

"Is this because of how your mother was killed? And how Gajeel, Wendy, and I were hurt?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu's wings ruffled uneasily, "…It doesn't improve my opinion of them."

Lisanna watched him with bright blue eyes. She lay her head down again and murmured, "Don't do anything crazy, Natsu. We need you..."

/

The Flame Drake waited for her to fall asleep before he turned and walked out of Porlysuca's cave, heading to his own cavern to rest until nightfall.

He trudged into his nest and tapped the stone button in the wall with his tail, making the mountain shift to reveal a huge glass window overlooking Magnolia. Natsu lay down and stared at the city, watching humans walk through the streets in the fading sunlight. His dark eyes narrowed to slits and sharp fangs bared slightly.

Humans…how can the life of something as powerful as a dragon be torn away by such small and insignificant creatures? Why do they kill so eagerly? I've only ever known one truly evil dragon…but it seems like there are countless humans that have evil inside of them. Dragon Slavers…Sorcerers…

Natsu's tail tip twitched and his wings ruffled restlessly. He set his head down and closed his eyes, but did not fall asleep.

Humans...

I have had enough of them all.

/\/\/\/\/\

Lucy sat up in her bed. Even though it was well past midnight, she couldn't fall asleep. Her mother's words were still on her mind.

Natsu WILL try to go after Jose. It's inevitable. And if something goes wrong…he'll lose all faith in humanity. He won't ever trust us again.

She looked through her window up at the mountainside to the Thunder Hall. Lucy knew that inside one of the caves within that huge mass of stone was Natsu. Who knew what was going through his head right then.

Lucy knew he was strong. She recognized that he wasn't as bad as she had first thought, and even admired him for it. But no amount of admiration would save the budding friendship she had with the young Fire Drake if he turned his back completely on humanity. Natsu would never be able to acknowledge her if that happened. Not as a real friend would.

"I guess…I don't have a choice…" she whispered to herself.

She tossed the blankets off of her and got up to get dressed.

/

Lucy quietly tiptoed through the house. Hopefully, everyone would be asleep and she could sneak out to the Thunder Hall without incident.

She scribbled down a note to leave by the door, then slipped outside and ran down the street towards the Fairy Tail Thunder Hall. The sky was pitch-black, but the faint glow of lights from inside the dragon's home guided her.

She made it to the base of the mountain path that led up to the Hall. Lucy knew there was no way she could wake up the other dragons to simply fly her up. She couldn't afford to alert Natsu to her presence. If he found out what she was about to do…

Lucy shuddered at the thought. He'd bite me in half, for sure. I can't screw this up…I must succeed…

The Hall was very high up the mountain. It would take a while to get to the top, but Lucy ran up the path as fast as she could, regardless. She couldn't be too late. She couldn't afford it.

/\/\/\/\/\

Natsu awoke to the briefest flash of light signaling the dawn of a new day. He lifted his head, noticing that it was still mostly black outside. The sun had just peeked over the horizon.

I'll leave now. While the others are still asleep.

His decision made, Natsu silently got on his feet and stalked out of his cave to the main hall. He sniffed the air, making sure no one else was awake. Once he was certain the coast was clear, the Fire Drake headed for the exit, intent on finding Jose.

He'd just started to stretch his wings when a voice made him freeze.

"Natsu, stop!"

Lucy was blocking his way out. She was panting and sweating, but her eyes were fierce.

She caught her breath and glared at him, "I won't let you leave. You can't beat Jose and the other dragons on your own. They'll kill you."

"You underestimate my power." Natsu hissed, "Get out of my way!"

"I refuse." Lucy said bravely, staring down the Fire Drake without flinching.

He lowered his head to bare sharp white fangs at her. A lethal hiss escaped his throat, "Move, or I'll roast you."

"You don't think humans are that strong at all, do you?" Lucy asked, still unmoving, "Do you think we're really all so weak? You know what my mom can do, why can't you just have a little more faith in humanity?"

"Oh, not this again." Natsu growled, "You know damn well why I won't trust your kind."

"Actually, I don't." Lucy admitted, "I know that Wendy and Gajeel have been hurt by them, but I know almost nothing about your past. I want to know why you hate us so much."

His next hiss went right through her, making Lucy shudder involuntarily, "My life is none of your business! Now move!"

"I'll prove you wrong, Natsu."

He blinked, "Excuse me?"

Lucy glared at him, "I'll make it my business. I want to be your friend. That makes your problems my problems. Please just let me help you!"

Natsu was half-tempted to incinerate her. He snarled, "You don't know-"

"Then TELL me!" she interrupted, "Is that so hard?"

He glared at her menacingly. Lucy did not flinch.

She's got some serious nerve talking about all this stuff…

But even he had to admit…the blonde girl deserved points for having the guts to stare him down.

"…Alright. You want to know me?" Natsu growled.

Lucy didn't break eye contact, "I want to be your friend. That's what I want."

His eyes narrowed, "Okay, then here's the deal. If you can survive riding on me until midday, I'll tell you about me."

And while you're exhausted, I'll go find Jose and kill that wretch.

"Nice try." Lucy muttered, "I know your game. You'll make me tired, then go fly off, won't you?"

Natsu blinked in surprise. She'd caught him red-handed.

"I'll ride on you." she began, "But not for a time limit. I'll fight you with my Soul. If you beat me, I'll let you go."

He stared at the girl, "And if you win?"

"Why don't you wait and find out?" she challenged.

Natsu bared his fangs, but this time in a fierce grin. He enjoyed surprises, but there was no way he was going to let her win.

He crouched on all fours and held out an arm for her to climb.

"Get on. I'll beat you without a problem."

Lucy swallowed, "Don't count on it."