Chapter Forty-Two
Fire and Ice
"And then, Natsu and Gray fall into each other, totally devoid of magic. Gray stares up at the Dragon Slayer, holding tight to his muscle buldgey arms, he says 'Idiot, what are you trying to pull?' and then they k-" A rough cough broke the purple-haired woman out of her depraved reverie.
"Laki, have you been writing those… Niche stories about your guildmates again?" Master Makarov grunted, opening a single eye to glare at the waitress who had been leaning over the bar, telling Levy in great detail about what she thought was happening on their mission.
"No!" Laki defended with an impressively genuine innocence about her. It might have worked if not for the fact that she'd been blushing, the heat in her cheeks starting to fog the bottom of her glasses.
"But, why would Natsu and Gray be fighting each other?" Levy asked, scratching the side of her head. It was hard to track what the point of Laki's story was.
"I told you, whatever he experienced to scream like that, bound to have some excessive mental trauma." Laki huffed before the smile appeared on her lips again, "And so Natsu snaps, the Dragon inside takes over and Gray is the only one who can stop him!" She said in a hushed whisper, the excitement rising within her once again.
"Laki, I don't know much about Natsu, but with the exception of being excitable, he seems to have a pretty good handle on himself." Levy reasoned, sitting up straight, crossing her arms while she thought further, "Not to mention that there's, Lucy, Erza, and Mira, three women who have all somehow been able to manhandle him at some point or another." She added with a nonchalant shrug.
"Yes, but… They're all bound to end up rolling around with each other at some point, come on, you see the way they look at each other, it's no fun predicting the predictable, but Natsu and Gray? Delicious." The purple-haired mage almost started drooling at the thought.
"And Gajeel's there as well, he's been putting himself through some worrying training trying to catch up to Natsu, I just don't see how this is at all likely to happen," Levy said, frowning at the thought of what Gajeel had been doing.
"And then Gajeel is thrown in the mix, how do you suppose our Iron Dragon fares against the King?" Cana's voice reached them, followed by a hiccup and a burp as the brunette joined them at the bar, slinging an arm over Levy's shoulders.
"I don't really want to think about it." Levy paled slightly, knowing that Cana had likely meant something entirely different.
"What do you think would have happened if Natsu had fought against the head of Phantom Lord if Master Makarov hadn't gotten there in time?" The drunk woman hiccuped.
"Jose Porla was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, you don't get to that point without some extremely potent strength," Levy explained.
"He would have died in a truly horrific way," Makarov said, cutting into their conversation, effectively silencing them for a moment.
"Wizard Saints are not something to be taken lightly, especially not ones that pride themselves in dark magic," Levy said, looking glum. She'd have expected that if the two had clashed it would have been a slightly closer match-up than that.
"Master Porla would have died horribly." Makarov clarified, going back to shutting his eyes.
"Oh," Levy whispered, jarred by how quickly her perspective had been flipped. Just how large was the gap in strength between the Fire Dragon and the rest of the guild?
"I have a question, Master." Cana spoke up, shifting to the side of her bar stool, "Why isn't Natsu already S-Class? He's fought Erza, Mira, he threw Laxus through a building, and apparently, he even did something that made Mystogan of all people run away."
"To be recognized as an S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail is earned, not given. I have no doubts at all that one day he will stand among the others, and very likely head and shoulders above us all in power, but there's more to S-Class than simply strength." Makarov told them, standing from his cushion, still only at eye level with some despite being atop the bar.
"Understanding that he has a responsibility to do right by his family here is something that he's never had to face before, this is the challenge that all of you brats have grown up knowing." the master explained.
"You may be envious of the strength he wields, but that is power built upon a countless number of years wandering and surviving in this world alone and with no one to rely on. If I had a choice, I know which path I'd choose," he explained, looking between the listening faces.
"All that power, surely it's too much for a normal mind to handle, he'd have to crack at some point." Laki reasoned, eyes cast down as she thought about how a fight with Natsu would really go if his power was unrestrained.
In Loduhn, the answer to the pondering of that particular purple-haired Fairy Tail mage was clear.
The pavilion around the tower of the wizard had been littered with debris. Ice that had coated everything was now nothing more than sporadic puddles and shards that looked like they had no place.
Iron spikes had been blunted, cut down, and reduced to filings.
Gajeel and Gray had been beaten back so severely that blood coated the patches of ice that remained.
Mirajane was the only one of the three still barely standing.
They hadn't wanted to fight against Natsu on a regular day, but right now, dealing with this… Each passing moment cemented the differences between them.
"Haven't even broken a sweat, were you just toying with me when you said that you'd nullified all of your magic back then?" Mira grimaced, clutching a broken rib.
Natsu tilted his head towards her curiously but offered no words. She was almost thankful for that, despite the fact that it served to remind her that there was still an intelligent mind behind that emotionless gaze, that voice of his truly terrified her.
The vision of fiery death before them slowly crossed his arms, stomping a single foot against the ground.
A geyser of flames erupted from beneath Mirajane's feet, obliterating what little strength she had left as a guard against him.
That was it, the battle was over, they'd stood no chance, and now the town, and much of the continent, was going to be reduced to ash.
"There's still one thing that can stop him," Gray huffed, pulling himself out of a perfectly moulded crater of blood-stained ice.
His magic flared, rising in visible waves all around him while he assumed a stance that Natsu and E.N.D. had both seen before.
That would be a problem, for a little while at least.
The Dragon Slayer shot forward before Gray could even speak the words, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him high off the ground.
The grip tightened, squeezing the life out of the ice-make mage, bit by bit.
"Natsu!" Lucy's voice pierced the air, calling out to him from the base of the tower where Erza had appeared, carrying the Celestial mage.
Natsu turned his head, looking directly at her.
"You promised us!" She shouted.
Despite struggling against the hand at his throat, Gray watched as two small tears rolled free from Natsu's eyes, indifferent to the flames and heat around them.
Another tense moment passed before all of the flames were extinguished and Gray fell down, boots touching the ground but his balance gone.
They both fell forward, totally devoid of magic, holding each other up by the arms. Gray looked up at the Fire Dragon whose senses had returned to him.
The fire that had flowed from his eyes ceased, returning them to his normal. The scales on his arms and chest, along with the crimson tint on his skin faded, changing back to the mild tan they knew to be truly him.
"Idiot, what are you trying to pull?" He huffed, punching him in the shoulder. There was barely any force behind it but it was enough to topple the depleted Dragon.
He fell with an ungraceful pirouette, his body slamming the ground next to where Mira sat, still clutching her ribs. She'd since returned from her Satan Soul.
"Lucy," Natsu's voice croaked. His throat was dry and painfully tight. The pain of battle and exhaustion was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
"Mira," he breathed, reaching out to her. She took his hand with zero hesitation.
"I'm so sorry," he cried. His vision was gone, he couldn't see a thing, but he could feel her hand, and he had her scent. She was right there.
"Stupid man!" She scolded him, pulling herself over and holding his head in her lap, "I don't know what happened to you, but it's over, you're you again and we're safe." She added, running a hand through his hair.
"I forgot what it felt like," he said, his throat hitching again. "To be that far gone,"
Erza had brought Lucy over, the three of them surrounding the downed Dragon Slayer.
"Tsk," Gray sighed, setting himself next to Gajeel's unconscious body, "I told you we wouldn't let that thing win, didn't I?" He added, half tempted to throw a snowball at Natsu.
The key in Natsu's chest pushed forward with each heartbeat, looking like it was painfully close to breaking out.
"Natsu, tell me the truth," Lucy began, looking down at the key. "What is that key?"
He slowly placed a hand over his chest, "I was betrayed by my closest friend, someone I truly loved. I was nearly killed, and the fight ended with that thing inside me taking complete control." His voice was growing weaker with each sentence.
"Igneel was always the only one strong enough to beat it, and he did one final time. Anna forged the key that was bonded to my heart, she told me that the key was fuelled by Igneel's power and that if anything ever happened to him then the seal would break and that darkness would take over, permanently." He explained, fresh tears flowing.
"Ever since then, for centuries I've been trying to find him, I knew that at one point I became so powerful that I would even be able to protect my father. I know he's still alive, out there somewhere because the key is still holding me together." He said.
"Anna made the key, she was the strongest Celestial mage I have ever met. Only someone as powerful as her can open my key, even so, if any Celestial mage tried, it could result in what you saw today, and who knows if I would be able to regain control." He closed his eyes.
They could see the shame on his face. He hated that part of himself, with such a pure vehemence. Lucy couldn't imagine having to live with that side of it, for as long as he had, constantly keeping it contained.
"What even happened up there?" Mira asked, casting a gaze on the tower, the image of the sky being set ablaze permanently burned into her memory.
"Stargazer… Took all of my magic, tortured me, and then hit me with an instant death scroll. I'm immortal, one death scroll wouldn't do the trick, but he had another. Lucy got there right as he activated it, and it hit her." Natsu's voice had faltered to no more than a soft whisper.
"I felt her die in my arms. It was like watching Anna die all over again, I couldn't separate the parallels and lost control of myself. Luckily I had almost no magic left, and you were able to stop me." He said.
"That was your true strength with almost no power left? You're a terror, Salamander." Gajeel sat up with a groan, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No," Natsu said softly, "That wasn't even close to my true power. The other guy is still caged, he was just puppeteering my body because I had almost nothing left." He whispered.
"My true power," he said, almost completely fading from consciousness.
"Would end the world."
A/N: To answer a question that's popped up repeatedly; I hadn't planned it to be a harem, but that word will be thrown around in a chapter a few from now. The three listed in the coupling, at least for now, are the only 'proper' romances.
I might chuck in a few short-lived flings here and there if I can make the story work, but I likely won't as it could have the potential to make the intended story feel cheaper. We'll see.
Additionally, no, I don't intend to have a Natsu and Gray romance, I just love writing the two of them as they currently are because it's hilarious and helps their dynamic for what I have planned.
