The Fire Within

Chapter 12

"Not so fast, Rogue..." The dark haired man sighed before turning around to face the last three people he wanted to see. He handed the container and herb to Lucy, then got up, standing to his full height. Orga, Minerva, and Sting all stood in a line, glaring at the two.

"What are you doing here?" Rogue snapped, sending the trio a glare of his own. Minerva simply scoffed.

"Why do you think?" She crossed her arms across her chest. "That bitch is the reason our guild hall was destroyed! If it weren't for her stupid boyfriend, we would still have it! We're just here to make her suffer for what she did." Just as Minerva finished talking, Orga stepped aside and shoved someone on to the ground in front of them.

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped, trying to ignore the building pain coursing throughout her body. The pink haired dragon slayer remained motionless. "What did you do to him?!" The blonde screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Sting chuckled. " Don't worry princess, we'll make sure he's awake to see you suffer."

"Sting!" Rogue shouted just as Lucy dropped the herb into the water. "You and I both know that the destruction of the guild is your-... our fault." Orga and Minerva turned to look at Sting, who was looking at the ground. Realization seemed to strike the two.

"That's right..." Minerva spoke up, turning her back to Rogue. "If you hadn't come up with the brilliant idea of kidnapping Lucy, then the guild would still be there."

Before anyone could say anything further, Lucy collapsed to the ground, a violent scream ripping out of her throat. Immediately, Rogue kneeled down beside her. He was just about to give her the water, when the container was knocked out of his hand. It's contents spilled on to the ground, soaking into the dirt. Sting stood above them, a crazed grin spreading across his face. The Shadow Dragon Slayer didn't hesitate to tackle him to the ground.

"For once in your life, Sting! Stop being an ass!" He screamed, rolling through the grass, attempting to gain he upper hand.

"Why do you even care about her?!"

"Because! She is an innocent girl! And more of a friend than you've ever been!" The two were pulled off each other, and Sting was thrown roughly onto the ground. Above him stood a very angry, and very on fire, Natsu.

"I don't give a damn about your reasoning anymore..." He huffed, picking up the blonde man by his collar. "All I know is that I want to kill you." Sting's eyes were glazed with terror as he tried to escape Natsu's fiery grip. But his attempts were useless. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Minerva and Orgo take off into the woods, only to be tossed back into the open field.

Out of the dense forest, a sword flew and pierced Minerva's dress, keeping her pinned to the ground. Orga, trying to abandon his teammate, stood up and ran in the opposite direction. But before he could get far, a large iron bar knocked him onto his butt. Erza and Gajeel emerged from the forest, standing over the two fallen Sabertooth members. Then, Makarov followed. Next to Lucy, a bright light flashed, revealing Loke. He kneeled down next to the girl, a drink in his hand.

"W-what?!" Sting choked, turning his gaze to the smirking Salamander in front of him.

"Lucy, drink this. It has the Internum Sanatore herb infused with the water. Hurry.." The girl sat up, with the help of her Celestial Spirit. Quickly, she gagged down the awful drink before collapsing back onto the ground. A sharp gasp left her mouth as she felt a cool sensation run through her body. Immediately, she relaxed into the soft grass and sighed happily.

"Thank you, Loke. I fell a lot better."

Before he could reply, Sting was thrown just over his head. He landed with a sickening crack on the ground just a few feet away from the two. Lucy was upright in a second, trying to stand. Once she was on her feet, she was quickly swept off of them. Her head snapped in the direction of her captor, only to be greeted with the brightest smile she'd ever seen.

"I am so glad to finally have you back..." Natsu whispered before smashing his lips onto her's.

Back at the Guild...

"Rogue Cheney... Because you took part in the capture of Lucy Heartfilia, you have been sentenced to five years in prison." Makarov announced, watching as the dark haired man looked down. "But..." He continued, grinning as Rogue's head shot up.

"Because you are also responsible for saving Lucy, we have lightened your punishment to simply letting me teach you a lesson. You'll be working for me for the next year and a half."

A relieved sigh escaped the man before he thanked the Fairy Tail Guild Master. Beside him, Natsu chuckled. "Personally, I'd rather go to prison for five years." He muttered, causing Rogue to smirk. Not only at the comment, but also at the giant fist that slammed onto the pink haired man's head.

A few days later...

I'm going to find you, and you won't be happy when I do.

Puh-lease. I am a great hider, thank you very much.

Lucy grinned at her expert hiding place. Recently, she had returned home with Natsu and the two were back to their normal routine... Lucy trying to avoid Natsu and his constant sex-craze.

"Found you."

"No! Natsu please! I don't want to- stop tickling me!" Lucy screamed, desperately trying to get Natsu to remove his hands. Said man only laughed louder as he dragged and tickled Lucy into their bedroom.

...

"I can't believe you."

"I know," Natsu sighed, placing his hands on the back of his head. "You would've thought that after a few months the lust would go away. But it really doesn't. Not that I mind, that is." A cocky smile grew on his lips as he snuggled into the sheets of their soft and cushy bed. Lucy sighed, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't think I can take much more." She said.

"Too bad."

"You're an ass."

"I know.. But I'm an attractive ass."

"That just sounded weird..."

"Yeah... A little."

I love you.

I love you, too.

I know, I know... Too short? I feel like I'm seriously losing all ability to write! I'm trying, though! And if you're wondering... This is the end of the story. Kind of a close on all of the dramatic events. I am thinking about posting a FINAL chapter, like a post-Sting imprisonment. But I don't know. A few days ago I received a Kik from one of the readers! And I can not even begin to explain how happy that made me! She was so nice and awesome to talk to! I absolutely love hearing from all of you! It's all your amazing reviews that give me the juice to keep writing (even though I don't reciprocate it well enough).

Now, I'm moving on to fixing (once again) the Fairy Tail Games, and FINALLY FINISHING IT! I wanted to get this story over with before I continued that one. So if you are interested, go check it out!

Again, I have loved all the support I have gotten from you all throughout this LOOOOONG journey of writing. And I can't thank you enough for how kind you all are. Each and every single one of you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Much love,

-AwakeningTheFallen