Open, Gate of the Star Child, Lucy (A NaLu Fanfiction)

Chapter 16 - Blue Fire of the Stars

[Unedited]

<>Lucy<>

My vision doubled as the sticky netting around me wound tighter, cutting off circulation to my hands and feet. It compressed against my chest, depriving me of much needed oxygen. I could see red tinted at the edges of my sight.

'Lucy!' Natsu shouted.

Three straight explosions in a row rattles the ground beneath me, stirring up the headache that had just recently subsided. I groaned, then yelped as my body was jerked sideways by the webs.

A voice chuckled right above me, 'Gotcha, ya pesky little fly.'

Natsu growled, a noise I could clearly define across the mountain top, even with the storm rumbling above. It was a bellow that came from the depths of his chest, a sound that chilled my bones and warmed my skin at the same time; the sound of a very protective, very angry dragon.

'Gimme. Back. LUCY!' he roared. I gasped as much as I could with restraints pulling at my breath. A bonfire suddenly lit up my view like a single burning candle igniting the darkness, and all focus was on it. A ball of fire came catapulting my way and I yelped, the flaming projectile grazing the hairs of my arms and bursting all around me in a raging firestorm.

The girl holding my binds screeched and dropped her end of the webs, the end that tied me going slack. But I was preoccupied with the fact I was standing in the middle of a blaze, completely unscathed. My eyes drew wide. I could feel the tickle the flames left on my skin, but the heat was nothing more than a warm embrace.

Pushing myself up, the webs fell off me. I stared at Natsu as my blurry vision gradually combined into one clear image; Natsu, and he was mad.

Flames climbed up his arms and legs, licking the edges of his clothes and dancing along the tips of his hair. His pupils were dilated and burning with anger, a fire inside the onyx that told you you were dead meat. His fists were clenched by his sides, shaking. Painted along his cheeks were the scales of a dragon.

My breath hitched inside my chest, 'Natsu...'

Spider Girl coughed from underneath the smoke blanket. As she fixed her eyes on the dragon slayer, they widened in fear.

Behind me, Ava was laughing. The sound sickened me down to my stomach, filling my insides with bile that threatened to make an appearance. She sounded so unlike herself; so unAva.

I grit my teeth, 'Natsu!'

Blinking some amount of clarity back into his eyes, his head snapped towards me. His mouth hanging open the slightest bit. I pointed at Ava who raised an eyebrow, smirking unsettlingly.

'I can't fight against my wizard,' I called. 'Celestial rules. Leave Spider Girl to me.'

Natsu hesitated. For a moment, I was scared that he couldn't hear me; he was too far gone into the anger, just as Ava was. But then he bared his fangs in a goofy grin that melted my heart. He raised him hand in a thumbs up.'

Gotcha, Luce.'I felt my lips move into a smile against my will.

'Don't hurt her!' I shouted as Natsu took off, fists of fire blazing.

'I'll try,' he barked back.

Struggling to my feet, I held back a pained groan. Spider Girl was still staring after Natsu, her hands clenched by her sides in an effort to stop them shaking. As I moved into action, however, her attention turned to me.

'Leave me to you, huh?' she sneered. 'What are you gonna do, spirit?'

I bit my tongue and flicked a quick glance over my shoulder. Behind me, things were ugly.