To Kill A Dragon

Best Laid Plans

"That's enough Cana!", Master Makarov chastised her.

"No, she's right. I failed Lisanna.", Elfman walked off slowly looking at everything one last time. "I need to get some rest."

He made his way down the stairs.

xxx

"Wait, wait. You're telling me you're dating Gray?", Lisanna dissolved into giggles.

"What's so funny about that?", Natsu asked with irritation.

"I'm sorry, I just hadn't realized hell had frozen over. Oh wait, I guess it has!", she laughed even harder not noticing Natsu's expression.

Natsu muttered something unflattering under his breath.

"You realize, you're a horrible friend. I can't believe I cried when you died."

"I'm sorry. You're right, I just never expected that in a million years.", Lisanna held her laughter back when she realized Natsu was genuinely upset. "I guess there's a lot about you that I don't know now."

Natsu knew that was true and also mostly his fault. It had been very hard for him to get over Lisanna's death but eventually he had moved on. He'd made new friends and gotten comfortable in a new routine. If he was honest with himself this was probably the most time they had spent alone together since she had returned from Edolas. He felt a little bad about that.

"What about the necklace, why is it so important?"

Before he could answer they found themselves being strewn around their cell unexpectedly, everything around them shaking. They looked aorund trying to find a reason for this new turn of events but it soon stopped and they were left bruised and wondering what had happened to cause the strange quake.

"Natsu, look over there!" Natsu looked in the direction Lisanna was pointing and saw a large sword had shaken itself loose from its place on the wall and made its way towards the bars of their cell. They rushed over to try to get it inside their cell. They clumsily used it to remove their cuffs and with the return of their magic Natsu was able to melt the bars of their cell easily. They exited and made their way into the corridor.

"We need to find the others.", Natsu told her.

Lisanna nodded. "Animal Soul: Cat".

She threw her blanket at Natsu who took it gratefully and tied it around his waist .

"Let's go."

xxx

Igneel watched the young boy sleep with a smile. He enjoyed how Kai snuggled closer to him in his sleep, unconsciously seeking his warmth. It reminded him of Natsu. He could still remember him as a small child lost in the forest, how his sweet smile had immediately won him over. He wondered how different Natsu's life would have been if he had never met Igneel. He might have had a chance to be happy instead of becoming some tragic hero in a story that started over 400 years ago.