Natsu's Hurt

Laughter rang out around us and my heart clenched painfully in my chest at the blood chilling sound. Natsu and I went back to back as we faced off against our unseen threat. The Dragon Slayer and I were both silent as we watched and waited.

The shadows seemed to shift and move. Then they pulled away from the darkness that hid their forms from us. Men that I had never seen before came out of the thick shadows and quickly surrounded us on all sides. They were all wearing all black and they had masks that obscured their faces from view. I could sense their Magic, it was coming off of them all in powerful waves. These people were strong. I smirked, but not strong enough. We were trapped in on all sides as the snow continued to fall soundlessly around us. Our breaths mixed in with each other's in a cloud of white as my eyes darted around each and every one of my enemies. Just as I was about to bash in some heads movement from the front caught my attention.

In front of us, a man shifted, and broke away from the rest of the group of silent men. This man was much more powerful then the rest. His Magic Energy nearly knocked me over as he came a few steps closer. I had never felt so much power. I could tell Natsu had also felt it, cause his body stiffened against mine. We were both thinking the same scary thought. We couldn't defeat this guy. Not alone.

I had already decided that this man was the leader. It was the way that he held himself and how some of the men visibly stiffened or moved away from him. From how most of the enemies reacted to him, he must be ruthless. The leader of the powerful Mages, stepped forward in the snow, his black boots crunched through the snow like the sound of snapping bones. His dark black eyes with bloody red pupils landed on me. His intense, almost mocking, gaze made my skin crawl. When he opened up his mouth, his voice made me shiver, it was deep and hissy, and full of hidden secrets. "Ah, Freya! Long time no see." The man chucked lightly at my shocked expression.

He...he knew my name? I cocked my head at him as I studied him. He had black hair, that was so black that it had a blue tint to it. The man's dark, calculating, black eyes had swirls of red in them. He was much taller than me and I had already sensed that he had powerful Magic at his disposal.

However I didn't recognize him.

Nothing about this man seemed familiar to me and yet I felt like I knew him. A memory was tugging at my mind but before I could grasp it, the memory slipped away as fast as it had come.

"Don't remember me?" He asked me as a knowing smirk made its way onto his face. I didn't say a word. "Ah, it doesn't matter anyway." He said as he took a step forward while waving his hand in a nonchalant gesture.

Before he could take another breath my daggers appeared in my hands in a flash of blue. "If you wish to keep that smile of yours," I crossed my daggers in front of me in an X, "Then you will not take another step forward."

He stopped and chuckled as he raised his hands in front of him. "We can have it your way, Freya." He grinned, "You haven't changed a bit"

I didn't like how he spoke to me as if he knew me, when I didn't even know him.

"Don't say her name." Natsu growled as he looked over his shoulder at the man, pinning him with such a bone chilling glare that it made my breath catch. In that moment Natsu looked completely different from the boy that had been smiling only a short time ago. The man looked at Natsu for a moment, unfazed by his glare, and then back at me. "So, this is the boy that you have been seen with?"

Seen with? These people had been watching me? For long? It was just like that other dumbass guy that had taken me. I was starting to get seriously annoyed about how people kept watching me and trying to take me.

He clicked his tongue, "So, why don't we get down to the point, eh, Fey?"

I looked at him with a blank face then jerked my head slightly to the right, "Only he gets to call me, Fey." I muttered, indicating the snarling boy next to me.

"I suppose that's a yes." The powerful Mage said with a careless shrug. "First off, those people who took you, yay, they worked with us." I felt Natsu stiffen and his eyes flashed dangerously. So, I had been right, these people did work for this 'Dark Wizard Master' person. "Secondly, this time, we need you to come with us. Quietly please."

"Like hell she's going anywhere with you." Natsu's voice just dared the man to disagree. I saw the man's teeth clench in annoyance. "Come now. Don't be like that. The Master only wants to say hi." I blinked and sighed. "Well, then I suppose your Master is going to be pretty disappointed, eh?"

The man narrowed his dark eyes at me. I flicked my daggers and they shown in the little light that we had. "Cause I have no intention of going anywhere with you."
It was quiet. So very quite. I bet if I listened closely enough I could hear the snow shift as the wind began to pick up. I eyed the man and he eyed me right back. He crossed his arms and looked away with a glint in his eyes.

He smirked,

"Take her."

****

I threw my dagger at my enemy and he went down with ease. I spun, calling for one of my daggers as I did so. I slashed my dagger across the next guy that came at me. His red blood stained the white snow surrounding me. I was breathing hard and the cold air burned my lungs. My eyes darted around for my next enemy as I flicked the blood off of my dagger.

More blood fell onto the off white snow.

Nothing came at me.

I quickly looked around me but saw nobody else. All the enemy's were down. I heard a shout and I turned toward the sound. There. About 20 feet away was Natsu finishing off his last target. With his right fist on fire he brought it up and socked the guy in the jaw. Even from here I could hear the bone in his jaw snap loudly as it was shattered. The man went down.

Breathing hard, Natsu turned around, and smiled at me. My heart began to slow down and my shoulders slumped as I saw that he was unscathed, save for a few bumps and bruises much like myself. I breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled back. We had won. Natsu took a step forward then suddenly stopped. I tilted my head and I also took a step forward as his body gave a sharp jerk.

What was wrong with him?

"Natsu...?" He staggered and when he opened his mouth blood poured out. The world seemed to stop for me. Natsu grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. It was only then that I saw one of the men behind him...with a dagger buried hilt deep into his back.

I screamed.

A heart wrenching scream that seemed to never end.

Time seemed to slow as I watched with impossibly wide eyes...

Natsu lifted his head, his green eyes glimmering with shock, and those eyes locked on me. I couldn't look away even as Natsu hit the snow covered ground face first...he didn't move again. Then I was moving. I ran past one of the fallen men and grabbed one of my daggers sticking out of his shoulder.

All I saw was Natsu.

Lying on the snow covered ground, unmoving, with a puddle of blood steadily increasing underneath him. I flung my dagger and it connected right in the center of the son of a bitch's chest. With a gurgle he went down.

I barely noticed.

I only saw him.

I fell to my knees and grabbed his shoulders. Then as gently as I could I flipped him over. I gasped when I saw the tip of the dagger protruding from his chest. "Natsu! Can you hear me?" I choked out desperately. He was breathing so shallowly and every breath he took seemed to drain him further.

His eyes were wide and his whole body was shaking. I held him tighter to me and cried out for help. I was about to scream again when Natsu suddenly lifted up a shaking hand to me. I moved to grab it but before our hands touched he switched directions.

His shaking hand landed on my shoulder and with the last of his strength, Natsu pushed me away from him. My hair flew in front of my face and I slowly looked at Natsu.

He lifted himself up onto his elbows and his face was filled with rage. I hit the snowy ground as I heard an odd sound. I slowly lifted my head up...I was dying. My world. My life. My heart. Everything...died in me.

Natsu was gripping someone's shirt in his fist and he was staring at him with slowly dimming eyes. Then, Natsu took a shuddering breath, and fell back. His hair fluttered in front of his face...and then he hit the snowy ground.

I lay there, frozen, my body rigid, my heart not even beating, as I stared at the puddle of blood forming under his still form. My breath puffed out in front of my face as I slowly lifted my head up. There, standing above me, was the man with the soulless black and red eyes...he had a bloody katana sword in his hand.

I watched as the crimson red blood dripped off the blade and into the snow. Staining it red with Natsu's blood.

Drip...

Drip...

Drop...

My past had caught up with me.

"Natsu!"