~Rage of a Dragon~
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The smell of Lucy's fresh blood, which spiked his senses, was what brought Natsu's attention toward her.
Her and Jose.
Oh, did Natsu know all about him. He had heard the legends and tales swarming around this man that now held his friend in his bloody hands. His hands that had stolen too many lives already. His hands that should not be touching the Princesses pure skin.
If Lucy thought that Natsu had been angry before, it was nothing compared to the suffocating rage that filled the air, and coated the Dragon in waves.
"Hello, Dragon." Jose greeted, his tone light, and carefree. As if he knew he had already won. "Now, if you don't step aside and let me, the rest of my men, and the Princess, through..." Lucy's breath caught in her throat when Jose slid the blade down her cheek, spilling more of her blood.
It made Natsu's fire pulse.
"I'd just hate to mangle a face such as hers."
Natsu slowly rose up from his fighting stance, his eyes locked on the blade at her throat. His spine straightened and the muscles in his arms and shoulders visibly tightened. His back was facing them and Lucy could see his body viable shaking.
She thought it was fear.
But...no.
It was anger.
With slow movements he began to turn his head to look over his shoulder. Lucy's heart stopped when his eyes locked on the man holding her in front of him like a human shield. His pupils were so dialated that it didn't look like he even had any. His eyes were bottomless black pools. Lucy's heart stopped.
Natsu was silent. She could hear the wind as it lightly blew her hair back and the crackling of the fire. The moans and groans of the hurt men was the only thing filling the silence. Then Natsu cocked his head to the side as if he were confused.
His first movement in a long while. His eyes never strayed away from where he was watching the man intently. Jose tightened his grip on Lucy slightly.
She could barely contain her smirk.
He was beginning to fidget with unease.
Natsu's eyes strayed from the knife that was cutting into her, to her shaking eyes.
That's when Natsu grinned.
And Jose screamed in agony.
Lucy was free when his grip loosened and his hands shot to the back of his head. Lucy turned to look at him and saw crimson blood dripping from a gash on the side of his head.
The Princesses eyes flicked to a rock that was ready to be brought down again and then down the shaking arms holding the rock up.
Jay blue hair.
Gleaming hazel eyes.
And a determined face.
Levy McGarden stood there, a large rock in her small hands, ready to smash Jose's head in.
Levy...chan...
She...she was okay!
Before Lucy could express her joy of her friends wellbeing, a strange sound filled her ears. There was a soft sound of leather rasping against leather and then the much louder sound of flapping wings. A blast of wind nearly knocked Lucy off her feat as something zoomed by her at break neck speed.
Then Natsu was in Jose's face.
Jose gasped as he came face to fanged face with his worst nightmare.
Natsu Dragneel.
Scales erupted from his skin. Scarlet scales decorated his cheeks in a light dusting of them. More appeared around his eyes, scattering across his arms, eating up his sides, and finally crawling across his chest. Fire screamed and roared all around him. The red and orange flames slithered up his body and twirled around him.
Fire licked up his cheeks and disappeared into his wild hair and reappeared by curling around his horns. His black eyes narrowed and the deep color completely engulfed the green sheen that was usually there. His wings were spread wide and his tail was thrashing. His fingers were extended with his talons at the ready.
Then, Natsu roared.
Jose had completely forgotten one thing...
His opponent was a
Dragon.
Natsu's fist slammed into Jose's surprised face, sending him flying, and skidding across the ground.
Lucy hadn't even seen the hit coming. A low, rumbling growl came from Natsu as he took one step closer, the bottom of his feet leaving smoking trails in the ground. The leader of the Phantom Lord Bandits flinched where he was laying on the ground. His jaw was hanging quite crookedly and hung at an odd angle. Steam was flowing through his fingers where he held his jaw in pain.
Natsu was in the man's face again before anyone could take a breath.
His fist was cloaked in his fire as he let his fist fly. Jose was quick enough to roll out of the way just in time. Natsu's fist crashed into the dirt, sending dust, and rubble flying. When he removed his arm, Lucy's eyes took in the large hole he had left behind.
Mavis...
The enraged Dragon was on a warpath and nothing was going to stop him till his target was down.
Jose was able to escape Natsu's many attacks by quickly jumping or rolling away. The man was agile and quick.
But Natsu was faster.
Quick as a flash, his tail shot out, and with a crack of his tail, hit the bandit leader in the stomach.
Jose coughed blood, and slumped forward. His eyes were wide and his bloody teeth were clenched tightly.
Jose's body shook fearfully as Natsu took a threatening step forward. His lips were parted slightly, smoke billowing out, he was ready to release a fiery roar.
But he stopped in his tracks when Jose shot up shaky arms to weakly ward him off.
"Wait...please..." The Bandit Leader's voice shook as he looked up at Natsu with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry, for hurting the Princess...please don't kill me..." He whimpered. Lucy's breath caught and her eyes flashed to the Dragon to see his reaction.
Natsu had gone still and he was staring down at Jose with a closed off expression. His eyes were stilts and were alight with a flickering fire. His tail lashed and his wings shifted when he rolled his shoulders.
After what seemed like an eternity, Natsu's body relaxed, and his eyes became lighter. When he spoke, his voice had lost the dark edge, "Get out of this Kingdom. I don't want to hear, see, or smell you anywhere near this place." Natsu narrowed his eyes on the man. "And I want you to apologize to Princess Lucy and her friends."
Jose stared at him for a moment, as did Lucy, shock written across her face. He...Natsu wanted him to apologize...to her?
Her expression softened.
Her Dragon really was something.
Jose nodded quickly, bent his head, and said sincerely, "I humbly apologize to you, Princess Lucy of the Celestial Kingdom, and to her friends, who I have hurt. I am very sorry." Jose didn't look up to see if Lucy accepted his apology, he knew she wouldn't. But Natsu did. He looked to her and she looked to him, they locked eyes.
His once black eyes that had held nothing but rage, had lightened, now they were a dark green. Lucy could only hope that her own eyes held the power of how grateful she was.
Movement caught her eye.
She sucked in a breath.
Something sliver gleamed in the moonlight.
Her eyes widened.
She cried out.
Natsu spun around.
Jose sank his knife hilt deep in Natsu's chest.
Her heart stopped.
Natsu roared in pain and Jose's face lit up with filthy amusement. He yanked his knife out and Natsu stumbled back as blood erupted from the wound. The Dragon coughed and more blood fell from his lips. His face was twisted in surprise and shock.
Faintly, she could hear Levy screaming, but...Lucy couldn't find her voice.
Her heart hadn't resumed beating.
She couldn't breath as she watched Jose rush forward and slash another deep cut across Natsu's raised arm. The hurt Dragon snarled and raised his tail to smash it into his opponent's head. Just as he swung his tail, Jose ducked underneath, and came back up, only to sink his blade in Natsu's exposed stomach. Jose laughed widely as he drank in the Monster's agony twisted face.
With a sickening twist of his knife, the sound of tearing flesh met the air. Natsu gasped in pain, he couldn't even scream anymore, the pain was too much. In the back of his mind, Natsu took note on what Jose was doing.
The master of the Phantom Lord Bandits was smart.
Jose was stabbing him everywhere where his red scales didn't protect him.
Smart bastard, Natsu thought as he brought up his scaly arm to block the knife. The screeching of metal against metal sounded. Natsu's scales were hard and tough, better then the most beautifully crafted piece of armor out there.
Nothing could ever penetrate his scales.
But his tanned skin was a whole different matter. Natsu sucked in a breath as Jose cut into his side, forcing Natsu to jump back, to avoid another swing. He was breathing heavily. His chest rose and fell sharply and he hated to admit that he was growing tired. Blood from a shallow cut above his eye, slipped down his forehead, and into his blazing right eye.
Natsu was bleeding out and even though he healed faster then most, he knew if he didn't stop all this bleeding, then he was going to be in a world of trouble. The form he had taken on magically drained him, leaving him feeling ragged and heavy. Natsu needed to end this, quickly.
He had put a few feet between him and that bastard Jose, so he could catch his breath, and assess the situation. His dark eyes flashed to Lucy for a moment, and his eyes widened.
She was shaking.
And indeed she was. Lucy's hands were covering her mouth to hide her quivering lips. Her brown eyes were dark and filled with tears, that were already trailing down her cheeks. Sobs were caught in her throat, choking her, and making her body shake violently. Lucy's shaking eyes were locked upon Natsu.
Worry shining so painfully brightly in her eyes, that it struck a cord in Natsu.
All that worry...for him...?
"Ah, I understand now." Jose's voice fluttered into Natsu's ears making his eyes flash back to him.
Too...
Late...
Something zoomed by Natsu's face, so close, that it left a small cut on his cheek. His sharp eyes followed the object, but he didn't need to.
Natsu knew where it was headed.
Straight for Lucy.
Jose was going to take out the thing closets to his heart.
Natsu didn't think.
Natsu didn't pause.
In a single heartbeat, Natsu was in front of the paralyzed Princess...and the knife.
There was a bloodcurdling crunch.
Natsu's body rocked forward.
Time slowed to a terrifying crawl.
Lucy felt her arms rise slowly, her fingers skimming up Natsu's back, until they reached the middle of his back, near his shoulder. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. Then they brushed against something leathery.
Lucy's blood ran cold.
The knife had Natsu's wing pinned.
"Lucy..." Her body stiffened when his wet words met her ears. "...you-you need to run..." Natsu coughed and something warm fell onto her cheek.
His arms that had been holding her to him, started to loosen. "I'll stop...him...Lucy..." Natsu's eyes fluttered and he slumped forward.
"I'll...protect..."
Natsu lost consciousness.
Lucy caught his limp body in her arms and gently lowered him to the ground. She laid him down on his back with shaky hands. Her eyes roamed over his many wounds and slashes. Blood bubbled and oozed out of each one.
There were dozens of them.
Tears continued to fall and her sobs finally broke free, meeting the night air that held no pity for her.
Lucy was scared.
So scared, that she didn't even hear Jose's laughter, and Levy running up to her, and kneeling down beside Natsu and herself.
Lucy was frightened.
So frightened, that her body was frozen, and as heavy as one of Captain Scarlet's swords...
Captain Scarlet...
The Captain of the Guard, if she could see Lucy now, she would be so disappointed in her. Captain Scarlet would think of how much time she had wasted on her. Then she would think just as her father and everyone else thought, "A Princess should not fight. Instead, a Princess should sit there, smile, and not say a word."
But, Lucy didn't want to be that kind of Princess.
Lucy's eyes shot open.
She wanted to be a Princess that spoke her mind, that wasn't afraid to stand up to others, and she wanted to surprise them all. To shock them to their cores.
That's the kind of Princess and Queen she wanted to be.
That's the kind of Ruler her Mother had been.
Maybe the night didn't hold any sympathy for her.
But maybe the stars above did.
Lucy stood up on trembling legs.
Her eyes were shadowed by her dirty hair, but, if one could see her eyes.
They would describe them as having a hidden fire in them, that had suddenly flared to life. Her hands clenched into fists and her muscles tensed.
It was time to put Erza Scarlet's teachings to the test.
Lucy Heartfilia's flaming brown eyes fell to Natsu's still form.
"You're such a weirdo, Luce."
This weirdo is about to save you, Dragon.
Lucy turned, squared her shoulders, hid away her terror, and faced the smirking man that had hurt her, Levy, her Guards, and her Dragon.
Lucy faced the man that would become her very first real battle.
No one could save her...but herself.
The Princesses Dragon has fallen.
Leaving her alone with the enemy intent on making her heart stop.
As the Princess faces her very first enemy, the first of many to come, her heart, filled with determination and fear, is dead set on winning.
Let the Adventure Continue!
This chapter is for
MysteryMage