Chapter Five

"Hello, Natsu."

Natsu stared at those great golden eyes as a wave of emotions washed over him. One felt like a burning knife, hot and searing through Natsu and he wanted to throw attack after attack at his father—a familiar feeling when he fought either Gray or an enemy who had threatened his nakama. But the emotion passed quickly and he suddenly felt as if a foot had decided to step on his heart to crush it. The back of his throat and eyes burnt and he swallowed.

"Igneel," he forced his mouth to move although the voice wasn't his. It was too weak, too shaky. He took a couple of steps closer to the dragon. "It's really you?"

A nod, and Natsu thought he could see the beginning of what was the dragon equivalent of a smile.

Natsu took a step forward and rested his hand on his father's snout. "You left me," his voice shook and his eyes suddenly felt very wet. There even was the beginning of that first emotion he had felt, but it wasn't as strong. "You abandoned me.... And you had promised you would never do that."

Igneel sighed, but it was so soft that Natsu barely heard it.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

...

Natsu's mind went blank and he found himself backing away from Igneel as he clenched his fist. The emotion made his whole body tremble and he felt the urge to combust into flames, but he squashed it down for a moment.

"Sorry? You left me to fend for myself for fourteen bloody years! You abandoned me a week after you said you wouldn't, after you said we would always be family! I didn't understand, I still don't understand WHY! Why did you abandon me, why did you leave me to fend for myself?" Curse the tears that were falling down his cheeks.

"WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME!? WHY AREN'T YOU SAYING ANYTHING, DAD? I TRUSTED YOU!" Natsu paused and all of a sudden, he found he just felt tired. "...I hated you."

And suddenly Natsu found he was much closer to the ground than usual as he stared into those gold eyes. His cheeks were wet and sticky with tears, something he had promised he would never do, after all, he had shed so many after Igneel had left and he was tired of crying. Around him, plants and a few trees were on fire, but his main attention was on Igneel, who looked sad as he stared down at him. Natsu remembered that expression, but he had never seen it so pronounced on Igneel's poker face.

"I can't say anything, because I have nothing to say. There is nothing I can say to excuse my actions and their consequences, because they are inexcusable." Igneel lowered his head so that they were eyelevel, "Even if I didn't want to abandon you, even if I had to leave, I should have told you at the very least. And for that, I am sorry."

Natsu sighed as the emotion drained out of him completely (anger, Lucy's voice whispered) and he felt so tired, as if he had ate a thousand towers of heaven's worth of Etherno. He raised his hand and placed it on Igneel's snout.

"Natsu!" Natsu's eyes shot open (when had they closed?) and he looked up. "Are you destroying something again? I swear, it's impossible to get a wink of sleep with you around half of the time!" He heard stomps and he wondered if a hole would appear and swallow him whole. "I mean really, you're making enough noise with your yelling to wake an entire army! And who are you—KYAH!!!!"

Natsu cringed and resisted the urge to cover his ears.

"IT'S A GIANT OVER-GROWN LIZARD!"

"Lizard?"

"DID IT ATTACK YOU!?"

"Did you just call me a lizard?"

"LUCY..."

"Wait a moment, Luce!" Natsu began but it was too late. The foot had already went on the warpath that Natsu was (unfortunately) familiar with.

"...KICK!"

Holding her foot as she jumped up and down, cursing so fluently that it would make even a sailor cringe, stood Lucy Heartfilia in all of her blazing glory.

~...~

"Congratulations. You've finally brainwashed me."

"I'm not the one who randomly kicks innocent bystanders."

"You're the reckless one!"

Natsu smiled up at her in amusement before he looked back down at her foot, which had already begun to swell, courtesy of Igneel's scales. Said dragon was watching them in a mixture of amusement and concern, although when it was just Natsu looking, he thought he saw the hint of thought and (dare he say it?) mischievousness in those orbs.

Natsu hated that look, it usually meant something embarrassing was about to happen.

"I know I'm reckless, but that doesn't mean you should be. You're the only sane member of our team! Erza's a demon and Gray's an ice princess."

Lucy smirked at him and Natsu realized that admitting that to her might not have been very good for her ego...

"Finally someone admit it, and it only makes it better since it's you who admitted it." Natsu found his gaze traveling down to her lips and he watched as they moved. He had never noticed how plump they were, or how pale... perhaps they were as soft as they looked? "And besides, you never told me that Igneel's scales hurt."

Natsu looked back into those eyes (how come he had never realized they almost looked like chocolate?) and rubbed the back of his neck. What had he been thinking? And about his partner of all people.

"Of course I didn't, because I had no idea. Now be quiet so I can check your foot."

Lucy went silent and Natsu placed his hand on her lower thigh. His arm suddenly felt like it had been placed in an electrical socket, but he dutifully ignored the sensation as he went lower and lower, closer to her feet, trying to ignore how his stomach clenched and something unpleasant started to fly in it—like butterflies, or worse than butterflies. They were more like moths, swarming to a light source, determined to break his willpower and self...

"Are you okay, Natsu?"

Natsu tried not to shudder with the way she said his name, a little raspy, as if she was out of breath or had been running, and smiled at her. "Fine," he rubbed the back of his neck and made the mistake of looking at Igneel... who winked at Natsu.

That's it. Something is very wrong with me

"If you say so."

Natsu tried not to think about how sexy she looked, staring down at him in concern with her hands behind her to hold her up, and focused all of his might on feeling her leg for broken bones because he knew she would deny any pain for as long as she could.

She let out a soft gasp when Natsu's hands began to tug off a boot and he looked at her in concern. She bit her lip and smiled, but it looked more like a grimace to him.

"Did you break your ankle?"

Lucy shook her head, "No. Just a bad sprain."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, but he nodded. He believed her, besides, she never lied outright to anyone. Instead, he pulled off her shoe a little more carefully, resisting the urge to jerk every time she let out a hiss of pain.

And then it was finally off.

Natsu heard Lucy let out a sigh of relief and something small and warm fell on his shoulder. He didn't look at it, because he knew it was Happy and he only focused on Lucy's ankle.

It had already begun to swell, and black and blue marks had formed, but it was nowhere as bad as he had feared.

"How bad is it?" Happy sounded a little worried and Natsu looked at him. The cat was resting on his shoulder and Natsu was sure his tail was hanging down. He thought he could feel it.

"Not bad," Natsu smiled at him before he glanced at Lucy. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open a little, but her body was relaxed. "You 'kay, Luce?" he reached out to take her shoulder, but she shot up and instead his hand landed on her cheeks.

Her eyes opened and Natsu recognized that emotion, it was surprise. "Y-yeah," her cheeks dusted a light shade of pink, "I'm o-okay." Lucy smiled.

"Natsu," Natsu turned and he met Igneel's gaze. "I can heal her."

Natsu blanked, Igneel could heal? Like Wendy? ...Why had he never healed Natsu himself then?

Igneel must have read his expression, "I didn't realize I could heal until later on." Natsu heard the translation, after I abandoned you. Even the thought still left a bile taste in his mouth, but he didn't want to argue with Igneel over it again—or worse.

When his dad got angry, he was scary.

Natsu moved away from her feet and looked at Lucy.

"Let the overgrown lizard do whatever he likes, I trust you Natsu so I trust him."

Natsu felt a grin make its way on his face at her nickname for Igneel. He knew Igneel liked her when he let her call him that, and he knew she wasn't one to call people (or dragons) somewhat insulting nicknames without good reason. And there was an ounce of truth in it...

"I am not overgrown or a lizard." Igneel sat down and if Natsu hadn't known better, he would have thought his foster-father was, pouting.

"Now I can see where it comes from." Happy snickered into his ear and Natsu wondered what 'it' was. Igneel fixed an eye on Happy before he redirected his gaze at Lucy, who stared right back at him. Natsu had to admire that part of her, when she wanted to, she could have guts of steel, and being able to stand up to that stare and not cower... well, that only made Natsu's heart beat faster than normal while he felt a small (or large) blossom of awe for her bloom in his chest.

Of course, he had always been a little awed by her. She had nerves of steel.

"I rest my case." She rolled her eyes but let the matter drop. "Now, foot, please?" The please didn't sound very sincere to Natsu, but he didn't mention it. He had a feeling neither would appreciate it; he was beginning to realize that while one had the temper of a dragon, the other was a dragon...

I'm not going to make it until tomorrow...

"Is that an order?"

"If you want it to be."

Was that a smirk on Igneel's face?

"Your foster-father and Lu-shee are scary when they're together." Happy whispered into his ear again and Natsu snorted. Oh yes, they were scary, but Natsu had a feeling that they really liked each other despite the bickering and he could see Lucy had a bit of respect in her eyes even as she argued with Igneel.

I knew taking Luce with me was a good idea.

"As you wish then," Natsu nearly lit on fire again. Had Igneel, accepted that as an order and not a request? Natsu understood if the question had come from a Dragon Master, but Lucy wasn't one. She must have more of Igneel's respect than he realized.

"DAMN YOU, IGNEEL!"

Natsu jumped and Happy fell off his shoulder and he stared in awe at Lucy. He had never heard the blond mage curse before, so no one could blame him for being a little surprised. Lucy's face was red and her cheeks were puffed out as she glared at Igneel, little wisps of blond hair falling into her eyes.

"You could have told me it would hurt!" she sounded very ticked off.

"I didn't realize it would hurt!"

"Oh, so you healed me without testing your powers to see if they would work first!?"

"..."

Natsu figured that would be a good time to interrupt before Lucy did something stupid again. And now I'm the rational one, the world has come to an end. He thought a little sarcastically.

"Lucy, Loke and the other spirit gave me this to give to you." Natsu dug into his pocket and pulled out a key, noticing the way Igneel's eyes widened in realization. Lucy stared at the key before she took it from his hand and looked at it carefully.

"Draco... and it's a diamond key... there's only three diamond keys, the Celestial King, Draco the Dragon's and... I can't remember the last one." Lucy paused and then her eyes widened and Natsu wondered if she was about to have a heart attack with the way her heart rate had suddenly picked up speed. She turned to him and her eyes were wide, and Natsu had a nasty feeling she was about to start brawling her eyes out. He didn't like it when that happened, it made his chest hurt. "I'M SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS STUFF, NATSU!" she lunged forward and grabbed Natsu's shoulders, and Natsu held his breath as he realized just how close they were. He could feel her breath on his face, and if he or she leaned in a little more...

"I'M A CELESTIAL SPIRIT MAGE AND I CAN'T REMEMBER SOMETHING, OHMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH, THIS IS TERRIBLE! I'M A HORRIBLE CELESTIAL SPIRIT MAGE! I DON'T DESERVE TO B—"

Natsu placed his finger on her lips, which was the only way to silence her. "Hey, just because you don't remember something doesn't mean you're a bad Celestial Spirit mage. You're not expected to remember everything, and besides, we can go to a library or bookstore or something and look it up..." ...And I can burn the place down.

Natsu didn't dare voice that last part of the sentence to her, he had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate it.

She brightened, "Yeah, that's right. When we get back to Magnolia, we can check the library there. They have an amazing section on Celestial..." Natsu started to tune her out, nodding occasionally when she looked at him as he focused on the way her lips moved rapidly, forming the words or the way her eyes sparkled or the way she made little gestures with her hands...

"You liiikkee each other."

...and now he was going to turn Happy into a hat, slowly and painfully. He was going to shave his head first, then his neck, then his back and stomach, and he would not give him fish for a whole week. That should be a suitable punishment.

Lucy pulled away and Natsu suddenly felt a little cold, which should be impossible because he was a fire dragon slayer for crying out loud. Lucy's cheeks were a little pink, whether it was from embarrassment or anger, Natsu didn't know. He only leaned into something solid and watched as she began to chase the cat around the clearing on her newly healed foot, screaming out threats and waving her fist in the air at him.

"I approve, you know."

Natsu blinked himself out of his thoughts and he looked up at Igneel in confusion. "Approve of what?"

Igneel laughed that rumbling laugh that was both terrifying and majestic. "Lucy, of course."

"..." Natsu suddenly had a nasty feeling toward where this was going and his mind flashed over to one of his last lessons...

No wonder he suddenly felt so cold. He scooted away from Igneel, just incase he needed to make his grand escape—not that it would probably get him anywhere, seeing as the last time he had tried it had ended up in an ultimate fail...

Igneel chuckled, "As your mate of course."

Just as he had feared, why did Igneel have to bring this up now? Natsu wondered if it was possible to shoot daggers with his eyes, he figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

"Igneel," his voice was at a low growl, much to Natsu's surprise. But he remembered Igneel's matchmaking attempts. "Lucy is my best friend, she's my teammate. Even if I did get a mate..." he paused and summoned all of his courage, "It wouldn't be her." Why did he feel like his heart had stopped beating and the world had come to an end? Why did it feel like a tidal wave had washed over him and destroyed everything in its path? "She's my best friend... I couldn't do a thing to destroy our relationship... I can't. I can't see a day when I'm not friends with her."

Igneel let out a sigh and he settled down and Natsu crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap. Igneel was going into teacher mode now, and whenever that happened, Natsu knew it was best to get comfortable and to listen to his advice.

"Natsu," his voice was deep and piercing, and Natsu had never heard it this serious before, not even when he was training him with fire ("don't set anything on fire!") as there had always been a hint of playfulness in his eyes. Not even with that discussion about... mates. There had been a mischievous edge in his gaze. Natsu was one-hundred percent aware that what they were discussing was serious, with the way Igneel's gaze seemed to pierce into his soul.

"That girl is made for you, clean and simple. It's almost so clear that it's like the red string of fate has connected and intertwined your destinies from the beginning of time. You are meant to be together, you are more than just mates—you are practically one soul in two different bodies."

Igneel took a couple of breaths while Natsu stretched his legs up and brought them up to his chest so he could wrap his arms around them like he had when he had been only a child. Igneel's gaze seemed faraway now, as if he was lost in memories.

"It hurts, you know; when you lose your mate or if you let her go without a fight. The what-ifs haunt you every day—what if I had done something different? What if I had just told her? What if I could have saved her? You feel cold, as if all hope has been drained out of you. You become a shell of your former self, a robot. You either take your life or you go through mundane actions without the zeal you used to, and that's a minor way to put it. I... just don't want you to go through that pain."

The silence after that was tense an awkward, so thick that Natsu felt that if he pulled out a knife and dragged it though the air he would be able to cut through it. He let his arms fall. It sounded, almost like Igneel had lost his own mate... whether she had died or not, Natsu wasn't sure, but he had never heard such raw pain in his father's voice, and it honestly scared him. To think that one person, whether it be Lucy or not, could have such power over him...

Natsu's feet had moved without him realizing it and he was standing in front of Igneel, whose eyes were closed. He bit his lip, then he placed his hand on the Great Dragon's snout. Igneel's eyes snapped open to stare at him in an emotion Natsu could only describe as confusion, but Natsu didn't pay much attention to it. Instead he placed his hand on the left side of Igneel's chest. He remembered one time when Igneel had told him a dragon's heart was on his left side instead of his right, and he was glad he hadn't tuned that little bit of information out.

"A good friend of mine once told me that so long your heart is beating then you should live for your comrades, your friends, even your loved ones who had passed away. Because if you don't live in happiness with the ones you love, then their sacrifices will be in vain." Natsu let a smile slip on his face, "She didn't say to forget them, because they will always be a part of your history and they all made you who you are today, but to remember them. You shouldn't live in the past, Igneel, because the past is the past and you can't turn back the clock. All you can do is learn and to live for tomorrow."

There was silence, then, "When did you get so wise, my son?"

Natsu laughed shakily and wrapped his arms around Igneel's neck as far as they were able to go. "I listen, even if most people don't think I do."

Something hot hit Natsu's back, but he didn't mind, he only tightened his hold on his father. "I'm scared..." his mouth moved before his brain caught up with it and his voice was tiny. "I don't want Lucy to hate me."

I don't want to not be friends with Lucy.

"You just got to trust in your friendship, Natsu." Igneel's voice was barely louder than a whisper lost in the wind, but Natsu was surprised by how gentle it was. Gentle was not a word he associated with the Fire Dragon. "It is the strongest I've ever seen."

Natsu let out a sigh and rested his head against Igneel's test as the head curled around his body. "Really?" he sounded like a child again, looking in awe at the fire Igneel had conjured for the first time in front of him. The fire that he would one day wield.

"I promise."

~...~

It was quiet later that night, just before the sunrise. Any sane person would have been asleep (unless, of course, you were a morning bird), but there are a few insane people out there in the world...

"Why did you leave, anyways?" Natsu looked up at his father, whose eyes were closed but he knew Igneel wasn't asleep. Igneel snorted and he opened one of his eyelids so he could fix that gold gaze on him. Natsu tilted his head and dug it into the dragon's side so he could meet those steady eyes.

"E.N.D." the answer was short, sweet and simple. Happy mumbled something under his breath, so quietly that Natsu couldn't hear him. "Have you met Zeref yet, Natsu?"

Natsu frowned, "What do you mean by yet? And yes, I have."

Igneel sighed, but Natsu wasn't sure if it was out of relief or not. "Have I told you who your parents were?"

"..." Natsu suddenly had a bad feeling in his stomach, as if everything was about to be turned upside down or a battle was about to go downhill. Igneel had never brought the subject up, and that was fine with Natsu; to him, Igneel was his father.

"Does it really matter? I've always thought you're my father."

Igneel blinked then a smile went on his face, "Does this mean you're my grandfather?"

The smile disappeared and he glared at Happy while Natsu laughed. "I am not old enough to be your grandfather, Sir Kitty."

Happy grinned (can cats grin?) and Igneel huffed but he rested his head on his claws again and Natsu settled down. He could sense Igneel was serious again, and that Lucy was awake.

"I'm not sure who your mother is exactly... but I know who your father is—your blood father."

Natsu leaned forward, he couldn't deny that he was curious. "Who is he?"

Why did Igneel look at him like he had just signed his will? "Zeref."

Why were his ears ringing? Why did it suddenly feel like the world had done a 180 on him? "Please tell me you're joking."

Igneel sighed, "I don't joke about things like this."

A meteor could have hit the world and wiped out humanity in that moment, and Natsu would not have realized it, or even cared about it. Everything he had known had been destroyed. The man they were fighting, the man that he was destined to kill, the man who wanted him to kill him... was his father?

"I need a moment."

And so, for the first time in his life, Natsu turned on his heel, ignoring Lucy's call, and fled.

~...~

Somewhere in the near distance, a pair of red eyes opened. A chilling smirk curled onto the man's lips and he looked up at the mountain, where the dragon woke.

"It's time."