~Natsu the Pink Dragon~
"Yo! I'm Natsu Dragneel."
The raspy words fluttered into her ringing ears. Her eyes were filled with the most brightly colored hair she'd ever seen. The color of freshly bloomed cherry blossoms. A bright grin stretched across his rapidly healing face. Pitch black eyes, that reminded her of an onyx stone, stared intently back at her.
Lucy couldn't believe her eyes...or sanity. This boy couldn't possible be sitting upright or even able to speak a word to her. He should be in pain! Hell, he should still be in his coma like slumber!
Then, how is he conscious?
How is he talking to me?
And how in Mavis' name are all of his wounds healing?!
Lucy's eyes were not playing tricks on her. They couldn't be! Her gaze was fixated on the once life threatening slashes, that were now no more then bits of pale skin. They were healing before her very eyes. The skin was stitching itself back together at a rapid pace. She'd never seen such a thing.
Magic.
Lucy thought it must be.
The boy suddenly shook his head like a dog, sending his hair flying in all directions, before he went still once more. Lucy was so surprised by the sudden sharp movement that she didn't notice it at first. When she did, she was shell-shocked. Because, there, protruding from his temples, were lightly tanned, straight horns.
Lucy blinked.
The newly horned boy smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sorry, had to get my horns out..."
Horns. Wings. Fast healing. Dragon.
Horns!
That. Was. It.
That was all she could handle.
Well, that was until she saw his fangs... Lucy Heartfilia did the only thing she could do at that moment.
She scrambled up and fled.
Her boots made booming noises as she streaked to her door. Right then, that seemed like her only safe option.
Her only option to live.
She heard a sigh from behind her but she paid it no mind. Her hand was already extended, fingers reaching for the crystal doorknob that would lead her to her freedom and-
Something hot shot inches away from her splayed fingers and smacked into the knob. There was a sizzling sound and then the crystal knob melted.
Locking Lucy inside.
Inside, with the Dragon.
Lucy's heart was in her throat.
She couldn't breath.
She couldn't think.
Hell, she couldn't even move.
Gray was right. Lucy almost whimpered. I'm going to die over a stupid decision. And having a kind heart! Naturally, it wasn't Lucy's fault that her heart was so kind. It was how she was raised.
"Don't look down on others that are not as lucky as you are, my Star." Her Mother used to murmur to her when she took her out into the Market Place. "But be kind and generous, as a good Princess should be to her people."
How Lucy wished her heart wasn't so pure at that moment. If not, then perhaps she would have lived longer.
Her whole body was trembling. Her knees were knocking together. Her heart was hurting by how hard it was beating. She couldn't make herself turn around. For if she did, then she would have to face Death itself. So, she just stared at the keys her Mother had engrained into the oak of her door.
Lucy needed something to calm herself. To make her feel safe. Something worth looking at for the last time. Why not the last gift from her Mother?
Where are 'they' to save me now, Mom?
It would not save her.
But, it could calm her.
Even after all the training from Captain Scarlet, I'm still frozen.
What had Lucy been thinking? Of course she wouldn't be able to fight back against anything that actually had the intention of harming her. It just wasn't in her nature. She was born and raised not to even think about fighting for herself.
She had Guards for that.
Lucy's eyes wandered to the doorknob that's crystals were still melting. The subtle drip...drip...drop...Of the hot liquid made her sensitive ears ring.
That's going to be me.
Erza had never taught her how to fend off fire. Or a Dragon like boy.
The fear was choking her. Making it's way under her skin, up her body, into her lungs, and crushing her throat.
Lucy, even if she had the privilege to, couldn't scream. To cry for help.
If she did, and her Guards or friends, came running to her aid, then they would also meet Death. And Lucy couldn't have that.
So, Lucy would be brave and-
"Oi! Why the hell are you ignoring me?" There was a snapping of fingers and Lucy's mind came shooting back to reality. "If you're so mad at me melting the knob," she could picture the eye-roll. "Then I'm sorry."
"Even though it's ridiculous to have a doorknob made into a crystal." She heard the grumbled mutter.
Wait...did he just apologize? Lucy couldn't believe it. And he apologized over something as simple as melting a doorknob? What about apologizing for the heart attack? Just who was she dealing with here? He could be manipulating her in some way. Acting nice just to toy with his prey. To make her feel safe, when in his world, she never would be again.
Or she was looking to much into it.
Lucy licked her dry lips as she slowly turned on her heel to face the Dragon.
Hopefully, his words are sincere. There he sat, crossed legged, and head tilted at her. His eyes had lost some of the intensity they once held. They were still stilted like a cat's, though.
Lucy's eyes instantly shot to the horns that had suddenly appeared.
Now that she took the time to look at them, she took note of their appearance.
The horns themselves were a very light tan. They came up from both sides of his head and shot straight up. Where they stopped with a razor sharp point that curved slightly. His horns weren't very long. Only just about half of Lucy's arm length. Then, she noticed something else. Scales, crimson red scales were scattered around the base of his horns.
They glittered and flashed like the finest of jewels.
The Dragon Boy crossed his bandaged arms over his chest, sharp eyes scanning over her. "I know you can talk." He said. "I heard you talkin' to Ice Boy." He added, his nose scrunched up in distaste.
Lucy didn't really now if she was capable of speech at the moment-if ever again. And-wait-did he just call Gray, 'Ice Boy?' Lucy had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from smiling in amusement.
Gray would surely not find it as funny.
Lucy, thinking that if he truly wanted her dead, he would have already gone through with it, decided to try and speak to him. She had saved him after all, why would he kill his savior?
Lucy had begun to nod, but instead spoke. "Yes, I am able to talk." Her words were whispered. She was afraid that if she spoke any louder then that would somehow set him off.
He didn't have a threatening demeanor, she noted. He still sat on the floor, the pink blanket, that matched his hair, draped around his shoulders. His dark eyes never strayed from her. Instead, a grin broke across his face. Even with the fangs, it was a warm smile. "Ah, there it is!" He said, still smiling. "Worried 'bout ya there for a second."
Not threatening at all...
Looks and acts good be deceiving though. But, Lucy couldn't stop the small smile that came to her face.
She liked his smile. Fangs and all.
Then she thought of something.
"Why did you call him that?" He raised a pink eyebrow at her. "The other boy that was here with me," Lucy explained further. Remembrance trickled into his eyes, lighting them up. "Uh, cause he smells like ice."
That's because he works with ice, Lucy thought quietly. How good were his senses?
The boy suddenly gave a shudder. "And I have his scent all over me!" He groaned in dismay, flicking at his heavily gauzed chest. "So nasty!"
"Don't do that!" Lucy was quick to stop his fiddling. "You'll irritate the wounds and make them bleed." She explained to him, keeping close to her door. She didn't want to risk getting closer. But she also didn't want him to ruin her hard work!
He only blinked lazily at her before ripping into all the bloody bandages.
For the millionth time that day, Lucy felt her jaw drop.
What the hell was he doing?!
Lucy sucked in a breath before hurrying over and slapping at his hands. "What are you doing?" Lucy snapped as she frantically tried to repair what he had damaged.
Now he's going to suffer from infection! She thought as she frantically tried to repair the damage.
"You are going to bleed out if...you..."
Her words trailed off as her mind got caught up to what her eyes were taking in. Just as the smaller cuts had done, the slash marks on his chest, had also followed suit, and healed over. There was no trace left of the wounds that would surely become scars, except for pale slices of skin.
There wasn't even fresh blood, just old, and dry.
"...How...?" Lucy incredible muttered as her fingers brushed against the healed over skin. Only for her to snatch her fingers back when the boy flinched back and gave a hiss of pain. "Sorry, sorry." She quickly apologized. Which was crazy to do, when, just moments ago, she had been scared to death. And, her eyes hadn't missed how he had flinched back from her.
He wasn't...scared of her...was he?
When she looked up again though, a small grin had come to his face. He let out a deep breath, chasing away the sudden flash of pain.
"S'okay. Skins just a little tender is all." He told her as he rubbed at the spot. Lucy knew it was more then that.
He wouldn't look at her anymore.
What had she done wrong?
She looked at her fingers and remembered how he had flinched back. He doesn't liked to be touched. Her fingers curled into fists.
Okay, then.
There was a second of silence as Lucy thought of a way to get him to relax again. His muscles had tensed up, sharp awareness had entered into his eyes once again, he even had moved back a few inches.
He no longer trusted her.
If he ever did in the first place. She needed to get that little bit of trust back. Lucy knew that he was still dangerous. She didn't know what he was capable of yet. Or whether or not he had a killer's intent.
Lucy Heartfilia had to tread carefully.
Lucy wanted to desperately ask the question that had been picking at her mind since the moment she had seen him. She was afraid to ask though.
In fear that it would offend him in someway. "What?," his dark eyes met her's. Wonder and light danced in the dark depths. He must have seen the question in her own eyes.
What are you?
"What happened to you?" She asked instead. Lucy had an ominous feeling that she should not ask a question that was never supposed to be answered.
She said it softly, she knew by the way he glanced away from her, that it was a painful memory. Or, perhaps, he didn't even remember himself. It could be possible, Lucy thought. He could be suffering from amnesia...or his mind blocked out the memory.
She knew that she would probably block the memory as well.
"I was shot down." He said it too simply. Almost as if he didn't care.
To Lucy, however, it had a different affect on her. "What? What do you mean you were shot down? Who would do such a thing?!"
Lucy needed to know.
What if whoever-or whatever-did this to him was still in the area? What if they were a threat to her Kingdom? They already showed they were a threat to him. So why not her people?
The boy only looked at her before shrugging, grin still in play.
Fake. It's fake now. It was too forced.
"Don't know. I didn't see their faces."
He does not seem bothered at all!
But his body language told a different story. "How can you be so calm? Aren't you angry that they hurt you?" Lucy asked him in disbelief. Even she could feel her own angry begin to heat up. "How could someone be so heartless to another?" Lucy was about to launch into a rage filled lecture about the bastards, but the next words that met the air, were not her own. They made her own words turn to ash in her mouth.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
Lucy's mouth dried as did her vocabulary. She couldn't think of a word to say. What do you say to something like that? All she could do was stare at him. Her eyes scanned over his closed off expression. Until they collided with his dark eyes.
The emotions that swirled in them made her heart hurt. She didn't see anything happy in them.
Only distrust and confusion. It was as if he couldn't fathom her helping him.
No one should think as you do about kindness.
"Because I wanted too. You needed me too, even if you didn't know it, you needed my help." He was silent. She let him think her words over. Lucy wondered if he thought her words rang true or not. "Umm," she hummed after a lengthy silence.
I know you told me your name...
As she tried to place a name to his face, her eyes scanned over his features. He had just told her too.
She snapped her fingers as soon as the name flashed through her mind.
"Natsu," She liked it. It meant Summer, if she remembered correctly. "Are you sure you are alright?" Even though she didn't see any wounds, didn't mean they were not there to cause him pain. The Dragon, Natsu, seemed surprised by the sound of his own name on her lips.
"Yay, I will be, Luigi."
A bright red tick mark appeared on Lucy's forehead.
"How dare you! My name is Lucy!"
Said girl yelled in outraged.
"L-U-C-Y!"
Natsu only laughed, a warm, loud laugh. "You sure are loud, Lucy." With laughter still dancing in his eyes and mirth still clear in his tone. "You're such a weirdo, ya know?" Lucy didn't have time to fire back anything else. Because a third voice rose up.
An angry one.
"So, the creature's awake, eh?"
Gray...
*
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*
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So, the Dragon has gifted the Princess with his name.
Names can hold such raw power.
One must be careful to give out his name, one does not simple give it out to just anyone.
Now, what will happen next now that the Dragon is awake?
Let the Adventure Continue!
This Chapter is for
ante-meridiem