Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.
Natsu woke up in more pain than he could ever remember having experienced before, and considering all the stupid shit he regularly did, that was saying something. It felt like every cell in his body was screaming in agony.
He opened his eyes and looked around, wondering what would be in store for him that day. It took him a moment to realize he was no longer bound and that he was laying on a bed. He looked at the room around him and felt it seemed familiar like he'd been here many times before. A sense of dread flooded him as he saw an elderly woman with red eyes and pink hair glaring down at him.
"Finally decided to get up?" She growled at him, although the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.
Natsu gulped, instantly recognizing Porlyusica, the guild's healer. He searched the room, looking for help, and his eyes fell on Wendy, who was fast asleep in the bed next to his.
"Is she okay?" He asked the healer, his voice sounding scratchy to his ears. He was parched, and when Porlyusica offered him some water through a straw, he accepted gratefully.
"She's fine, worry about yourself, idiot." To his surprise, Porlyusica smiled down at the little girl, rearranging the locks of hair that had moved in her sleep away from her face. "She wore herself out trying to heal you. Welcome to the world of the living, I was getting ready to give up on you. You were out for several days."
Natsu nodded carefully. Over the years, he'd learned to say as little as possible around the healer, never knowing what would set her off on one of her rants.
'How did I get here?' He wondered. He was definitely in the guild's infirmary. He reached for his magic, but it felt very weak.
"My magic?" He asked with concern.
"It's still there, it'll just take a while to replenish."
Natsu was relieved, he couldn't imagine a life without magic. He had no idea how he'd gotten back to the guild, but he had a feeling Tiamat was not done with him and that worried him.
The healer, not one for small talk, got to work checking him over now that he was awake. The door of the infirmary opened, and the rest of the dragon slayers walked inside.
Natsu looked at them but quickly looked away, not ready to face anyone yet. He certainly was in no mood to be mocked by the other slayers for his weakness.
They all began talking at once.
"It's about freaking time, Salamander. Hell of a time for a nap."
"What's our plan? How are we going to take this bitch down."
"I'm impressed, you really are a tough bastard, for someone so pathetic."
"It's good to have you back. How are you feeling?"
Natsu looked at them in surprise. They weren't mocking him? They actually sounded kind of happy to see him, and they looked worried. That was...unexpected. He thought of the other dragon slayers as his family, but he hadn't expected them to act the same way towards him.
"It hurts like hell, but I think I'll be okay." He told them, the beginnings of a smile flashing across his face as he began to accept that he was back home.
"I heard she took your magic, she took mine too." Natsu stared at Sting in surprise, but before he had a chance to ask what had happened to him Sting blurted out, "So I just have to know who did you fuck? Was it Lucy? She's so hot! I got Minerva."
Natsu's face flushed in embarrassment as he realized that they all knew what was needed for Tiamat to take his magic. If they knew, that meant others did as well.
Great, Cana probably already had a betting pool going downstairs, and he was a horrible liar. His secret would be out before the end of the day, and then Gray would find out it had been him. He couldn't have that happen.
Rogue slapped the back of Sting's head. "Idiot! Did you have to bring that up right away?"
Gajeel snickered knowing full well who would have been involved in that particular scenario. Natsu glared at him, daring him to say something.
"I don't wanna talk about it," Natsu said as he painfully repositioned himself on the bed, facing away from them and peering over at Wendy. The dragon slayers commotion had woken her up, and although she looked at him with concern, her smile felt like a ray of sunshine. His movement earned him another glare from Porlyusica.
Natsu couldn't help but think of the last words that fake Gray had said to him as he was beating him.
I could never love someone like you. You disgust me.
He tried to remind himself that it hadn't been real, but he couldn't stop the pain in his heart at the venom behind those words. Even though he knew it wasn't the real Gray saying them, it may as well have been.
Natsu had resigned himself a long time ago to the reality that Gray didn't harbor any romantic feelings towards him. Honestly, most of the time, that was fine with him. Natsu accepted it and appreciated the friendship they did have.
Being able to stand with Gray in battle as an equal and to protect him from harm was usually enough to quiet his draconic impulses. Knowing that Gray was ready to do the same for him, even if only platonically, made him feel loved. It wasn't what Natsu would prefer, but he'd learned long ago to take what he could get.
But now, after mating with the fake one, he had images and feelings that he couldn't easily forget or ignore and it hurt.
To make matters worse, someone other than his destined mate had laid a claim on him, and he didn't know if he would be able to get out of it.
He was heartbroken about that. He didn't want to be mated to a dragon goddess that hated his guts. Nor did he want to think about that five-headed avatar he'd be forced to mate with in the future or about any of the other things she might do to torture him. He felt an ache for Gray that was stronger than any he'd ever felt before, and with a start, he realized that had been her plan all along. Her cruelty shocked him.
Igneel had never really talked to him about mates before he disappeared, but maybe these guys knew something that could be helpful. Otherwise, his only hope was to somehow defeat her, and he had no idea how to go about beating a god. He'd had enough trouble going up against a God Slayer on Tenrou.
"What do you know about mates?" Natsu asked them, trying to keep himself from revealing the desperation he was feeling, "Tiamat had some...uhm... Igneel issues. She claimed me as her mate to get back at him."
The room quieted down as all the dragon slayers looked at him in horror.
"What do you mean she claimed you as her mate? What the hell happened?" Gajeel asked, his eyes burning with an intensity that surprised Natsu.
"Do you remember Zirconis telling us about the Dragon War?"
Gajeel nodded.
"Well apparently, Tiamat was in love with Igneel, but he was on the side of humans coexisting with dragons, while she most definitely wasn't. When she tried to get him to be her mate, he rejected her and then went on to teach humans dragon slaying magic and recruited others to do the same."
The dragon slayers remained quiet for once, listening intently to Natsu's words.
"As more dragons died, her love turned to hate, and she blamed him for all their deaths, but she was banished before she could punish him. When she realized I was connected to him..."
Natsu refused to meet any of their eyes, even though he could feel the weight of their gazes on him. "Let's just say she's really good at holding grudges."
"She tricked me into taking some potion she said was created by humans to help keep dragons from dying out. It was supposed to induce my first heat and then she claimed me as her mate in revenge. I couldn't fight her off." Natsu turned his attention to his arms, moving them slowly and ignoring the pangs of pain that shot up them, grateful to no longer be immobilized.
"Hold on, Zirconis said it was Acnologia that killed all the dragons," Gajeel reminded him, "Is that what she's trying to do, kill Acnologia?"
"She didn't talk about her plans at all," Natsu declared with frustration, "All she was interested in was finding out who I was into so she could take my magic."
"Did she bite you?" Sting asked urgently.
"No. Tiamat didn't do it herself, she shapeshifted into someone else, but they didn't bite me either. She also said something about me being a submissive type. What does that mean?"
"I've never heard of it. If Tiamat didn't bite you, I don't think you're really mates. Besides you're also supposed to bite her back. At least that's what Weisslogia told me."
"She was probably just messing with you, she tortured you for days. She probably knew she could scare you into believing anything she wanted. She was after your magic after all," Rogue pointed out.
"I was never scared. Hungry, confused and in pain but not scared," Natsu said with a bravado he didn't really feel.
Laxus snorted, "You keep telling yourself that, Natsu. I was there when you saw Fullbuster. You were definitely scared of him. He looked like a kicked puppy when you were begging us to keep him from hurting you."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I don't remember that."
"It was when you first woke up, at Lamia. He was sitting by your bed, holding your hand like the princess he is, and then you woke up and freaked out on him."
Gray was holding his hand? It made Natsu feel warm inside to know he cared that much.
Stop it! He was just worried about you because you're friends.
This was going to be a problem. Gray knew that someone looking like him had hurt him. That wasn't good. Natsu had never wanted Gray to find out he'd had any part in his torture.
Knowing that idiot, he was going to go on a guilt spree. He was probably already trying to figure out how to use Iced Shell on Tiamat. There was no way around it, he was going to have to talk to him. Which was precisely what he'd been trying to avoid.
Dammit!
Natsu could see Gajeel watching him, trying to analyze his reaction for future teasing. He ignored him, wondering what else might have happened at Lamia Scale that he didn't remember.
"Hey! In my defense, the last thing I remember is him beating the crap out of me before I passed out," He protested, even as he tried to keep his mind from returning to that moment, and those words that had cut through him deeper than Erza's knives.
"Ice Block finally beat you?" Gajeel teased.
"He didn't beat me, I was chained and tied up in magic sealing cuffs, and it wasn't even really him. It does not count!" Natsu huffed.
He was working himself up to challenging one of them to a fight, which was ridiculous since he couldn't even stand, when he looked around and saw the other dragon slayers snickering at him. They were only baiting him to try to get him back to his usual self. He calmed himself down and gave them all a dirty look.
"If you keep riling him up I'm going to kick all of you out of this room. He needs rest, not a brawl," Porlyusica growled at them.
She'd been listening to them talk, and she was a little concerned as to why the dragon goddess had induced Natsu's heat. It didn't seem necessary for what she was trying to do. What had the idiot said? She tried to remember his exact words, and then she blanched.
Could that woman really be that cruel? She looked over at Natsu's beaten body and got her answer. She was going to have to test him to find out for sure.
"How did I get here?" Natsu finally asked, trying to stifle a yawn.
"Vastia found you in a magic sealing stone inside of a burning building in Margaret Town, and he took you to Lamia Scale. Doranbolt teleported you here since you were in no shape to be transported normally. They also found a bunch of books and stuff on dragons and rituals in the building, we think it was the headquarters for that cult. They're in full research mode downstairs," Laxus informed him.
"We are your loyal dragon slayer guard, at your service," Sting grinned before attempting to bow formally. "Your team has been dying to see you, but Makarov won't let them near you 'cause he thinks they'll traumatize you. Especially after what happened when you saw Gray."
"Are they okay?" Natsu asked worriedly. He didn't like them feeling bad on his account. None of this was their fault.
"Makarov gives them daily reports on your condition. I don't know how much longer Erza's going to tolerate being sent away though, especially now that you're awake," Gajeel reported.
An image of Erza gleefully covering herself in his blood rose unbidden to his mind, and he felt sick to his stomach. Maybe Makarov was on to something. He didn't think he was ready to see Erza yet. His eyes started feeling heavier, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.
Wendy looked at him nervously. "Do you want to talk about it, Natsu-san? We already know they used Erza, Lucy, and Gray to torture you."
"H-h-how?"
"Your injuries. It was pretty obvious."
"Oh, right."
Porlyusica finally noticed Natsu's tiredness and sent them away. "Someone go update Makarov. I only want to see one of you in here, besides Wendy, while he sleeps. Are we clear?"
Natsu was already fast asleep by the time she'd finished talking. She drew some of his blood for the test she would need to perform to confirm her suspicions. She really hoped she was wrong, this boy had already been through enough.
The dragon slayers looked at each other, and Gajeel sat down in a chair while the other dragon slayers left the infirmary grudgingly.
xxx
Makarov was sitting at a table in one of the guild's libraries surrounded by ancient texts. Other members of Fairy Tail were busy with the books as well. Levy, Freed, and Lucy were each immersed in a tome, occasionally stopping to take notes.
Laxus had brought the books back with him from Lamia Scale the day Natsu had been returned to Fairy Tail, and they had been working on them ever since. So far, they'd found a lot of exciting things about dragons but not much to help their current predicament.
Laxus entered the library and headed towards his grandfather. "Natsu woke up briefly."
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the Lightning Dragon Slayer with relief. It had been several days since Natsu had woken up at Lamia Scale and they'd been worried when it hadn't happened again.
"How is he? Can we see him?" Lucy asked loudly. She hadn't been allowed to see her friend since she'd returned from the Magic Library, and the little information she'd gotten from Happy broke her heart. How could someone do that?
"He's exhausted, which is not surprising, but he talked for a little while. Gajeel is with him now," Laxus hedged. He was trying to decide how much he wanted to tell them about what Natsu had said.
Gray, Erza, and Lyon entered the library quickly, having heard Lucy in the quiet guild hall.
"Did he say anything about what Tiamat told Lyon?" Makarov asked immediately. As much as he'd thought about it, he was no closer to coming up with an answer that made any sense. That had been making him very nervous. What could the boy have that belonged to the goddess? She'd already taken his magic.
"Maybe? I'm not sure. He said that Tiamat had claimed him as her mate to punish Igneel," Laxus explained, " Maybe she was just referring to Natsu himself."
Makarov looked unconvinced. "Tell him I will be back for him and for what is mine. That's what she said. It sounds to me like there's something else."
"Claimed him as her mate?" Gray asked suddenly, "What does that mean? How did she even know about Igneel?"
Laxus looked at Gray and said, "Honestly, you're better off asking a First Gen, I'm not entirely sure about any of that stuff. He said Tiamat had tried to make Igneel her mate, but he refused her. Then they were on opposite sides of the Dragon War, and she blamed him for the dragons dying."
He thought about Natsu's words for a minute and added, "I think she tortured him so badly because she couldn't get to Igneel anymore. He did say something interesting, though. Apparently, she was banished from Earthland during the Dragon War."
Makarov considered this new information. "We'll need to research how it was done. At least now we know it's possible. I suppose that's more than we knew before."
Porlyusica entered the library looking angrier than anyone had ever seen her before. She headed straight for Makarov and waved a vial violently in his face. "This, this is what she's after!"
She immediately launched into an angry rant that quickly devolved into curse words, which no one had ever heard her use before. She looked and sounded terrifying.
They all looked at her in confusion and some apprehension. The dragon goddess was after a vial of greenish goo? All of them wanted to ask what it was, but only Lyon didn't know enough to stay quiet until she was ready. Lamia Scale's healer was a very different type of lady.
"She's after a vial of greenish goo?" Lyon asked Porlyusica stupidly, stopping her mid-rant.
Porlyusica glared at him, wishing she had brought her broom with her. "Are you stupid? He's pregnant! She's after the baby."