Natsa Dragneel: Tale of the Dragon Fairy

Chapter 5: Search For the Lost Flame

3rd P.O.V.
Meanwhile, back at Fairy Tail . . .

"What the fuck just happened?!"

At this outburst, the mysterious dark-haired mage stepped forth. "I think I can help explain. My name is Zeref Dragneel . . I'm Natsa's brother."

Gasps filled the air at his bold statement. Could this really be the Black Mage, who had brought death to many? Though he appeared to be harmless, waves of magical energy seemed to pour out of every fiber of his being.

Gray narrowed his eyes as he stalked towards the man, undeterred even with the knowledge that this was the fearsome black wizard who could kill him within a moments notice. "Her brother, huh? Then tell me. . Where the FUCK have you been this whole time. Where were you when she needed you the most? Huh? Enlighten me." With each word, the ice mage drew closer and closer to the quiet man ahead of him until they were chest-to-chest. "Why have you come back now, after all these years. Why. . Goddamnit! . .why?!"

Gray grabbed the tunic of the mage, his knuckles stark white against the dark fabric. The ice-mage's words seemed to invoke a fire within, and suddenly Gray found himself sprawled across the floor, hand cradling his now red cheek, which would surely turn into a nasty bruise.

"You think I wanted to leave her?! I love her! But . . Those damn traitors stole her away, and sealed her memories. By the time I reached their home, Natsa was gone. Probably in the clutches of that sorry-excuse for a dragon," Zeref growled, eyes suddenly a blood-red as his lips curled into a snarl.

Makarov took this as his cue to step in. "Zeref. This is quite a shock. I suppose you should explain yourself, hmm? Do you know those mages?"

Zeref's optics transfixed their heavy glare onto the short guild master, still retaining their crimson hue. However, something behind the old Wizard Saint seemed to shock him back into his calm exterior. "M-Mavis?! H-how--?!"

"Mavis, where have you been?!" Makarov exclaimed, startled.

"My apologies.  It appears that I have missed something quite drastic. Hello again, Zeref. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" The small woman stepped forth, a small smile gracing her child-like face.

"Yes, it has . . I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you." Zeref' lips dropped into a sad frown, and tears began to drip down his face.

The ash-blonde's eyebrows furrowed at that, and she walked forward until she was in front of her old love. Gently, she placed a nimble hand upon his chiseled jaw, and giving him a small frown she proceeded to wipe away each of his tears. "Zeref, you can't protect everyone. Some things happen in life that are beyond our control, and no matter how much it hurts, you have to accept it. Honestly, the fact that you loved and cherished me for so long is all that matters. You must stop living in the past! That's not going to change anything, and right now we have more pressing matters at hand, like rescuing your sister, alright?" Mavis have him a fond smile, eyes narrowing slightly in affection, as she stood on her tippy-toes to give him a chaste kiss that expressed her undying devotion towards him, despite his own self-doubt and hatred towards himself.

Zeref's eyes widened slightly, but they quickly shut as he leaned into the kiss, placing a loving hand on her jaw to caress his love. Breaking apart, he gave her a small, rare smile before sighing. "I suppose I should explain myself. It started centuries ago, when Natsa and I were born in Kibo no mura, the Village of Hope, along the outskirts of what is now known as Fiore. Our parents were both powerful ex-mages who formed the village in order to escape the violence of humanity and lead peaceful lives in which they could raise their children. Sadly, the peace didn't last long. A group of mercenaries found the village and sought shelter. Naturally, my parents found no reason to deny them, and so we lived in harmony, or so we thought. As Natsa grew, so did her magic power and beauty, which caught the attention of the leader of the mercenaries. He wished to utilize her power for his own gain, and planned to use her for nothing more than breeding if she refused his demands. With time they grew cocky, and attempted to kidnap her, but thankfully my parents were able to stop them. However, my parents spared the children, thinking that they were innocent and didn't know any better. That cost them their lives. I managed to escape, but Natsa. . I couldn't get to her. Unlike her, I hadn't fully been able to fully utilize my magic power, and as such was no match for them. One of them managed to somehow curse me. I'm not sure what spell it was, but it cost them their life and allowed the others to escape. Ever since I've been traveling, searching for any leads on Natsa. Within a few years I was able to find her, but I had realized the extent of the curse. I couldn't go near anything without killing it. It took me years to finally be able to control it, which is why I'm here now. But it seems like I'm too late . ." Zeref's eyes began to water, but he stubbornly blinked them back, clinging to Mavis for comfort.

Erza, ever the straightword warrior, broke the silence. "So what information do you have on them? What are their magical capabilities and what exactly did they do to Natsa? And why do they want her now after so long?" Her tirade was broken off by Mavis' glare, silencing any other questions the scarlet beauty may have had. "I apologize for my intrusiveness. It seems my worry got the better of me, forgive me," she pleaded with a 90• bow.

"Ano. . There's no need for that," the raven tittered nervously. "I'm glad to know that my sister has been in good hands. Unfortunately I know very little, just basic information on them from when we were young and some rumors I've heard lately. . And none of it's good," he ended grimly, mouth set in a fine line as Mavis' grip on him tightened as she worriedly looked up at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! We have to rescue Natsa before those bastards do anything," Gray spat venomously, fists clenched so tightly that his nails, though blunt, broke the surface of his skin.

At Gray's outburst, the rest of Fairy Tail shouted in affirmation, just as determined to rescue the pinkette who had saved each of them at some point in their lives.

AN: Ohayo, minna-san!~ So, what do you think? I'm sorry that the last chapter took so long, but honestly this year has been a challenge. I am suffering from extreme depression and other problems, and I had to take a break for my own health. I didn't have the energy to even write, which is something that I take joy in. Honestly, I've lost interest in everything I once loved, but I'm slowly gaining interest again. I hope that you're all still willing to partake in my story. And apparently I have a concussion, so it was a little difficult for me to write this. I'd also like to thank each and every one of you for supporting this story, it means a lot. You're the reason I'm still writing today. You gave me the will to start writing once more, and I can't thank you enough for that. Also, I was wondering if any of you had an idea as for what the main antagonist should look like. As in, do any of you have a particular anime character that could play as him? He can pretty much look like anything, as long as only one eye is shown. Whether it is covered in a scar, eyepatch, or even hair, it doesn't matter. Oh, and the same for Natsa. Unfortunately there's not a lot of fem!natsu fan art. Thank you for all of your time and consideration!
Sincerely,
• a n i m e c r •