The Mating Season🔥🌟[ A NaLu FanFiction ]

03: Chosen Mate

With a soft grunt, Natsu slowly opened his eyes. A stone ceiling greeted him along with the darkness. Two torches from the outside of the bars were the only ones serving as his small light.

“What the…” Bars? Wait, I'm in a prison?!

He slowly pulled himself up, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. He definitely was in an underground cell of the guild. What was he doing there? He had no idea. His memories before this happened were all blurry as well. What the fuck? What did he even do to end up here?

“Damn, Master!” he called, yelling to the top of his lungs. His voice sounded rough as his throat felt dry.

He stood up and was about to run towards the bars, thinking of just melting it, but the chain wrapped around his ankles that he hadn't realized until that moment stopped him from moving any further. It made him fall face flat on the ground.

“I-I'm chained?!” Long sealing magic chains were attached to his ankles and wrists. The ends of the chains were locked on the wall, which gave him the freedom to move but only at a certain distance.

Trembling in disbelief, Natsu pushed himself up and sat at the cold floor, gazing at nowhere.

Why am I here? Why am I chained up? What did I do? Perhaps I destroyed the city while I was asleep? But that's impossible?!

His scream of frustration echoed once again. Maybe this is all a dream?! He hit his cheek and it stung. “T-This is real!”

As he looked down at his body, that's when he noticed the bandages and bruises that painted his tanned skin. His clothes were also torn apart, revealing some parts of his torso. The long sleeve on his left arm was burnt until below the brown belt.

He gasped. Something really happened…

“But what the hell is it?! Why can't I remember anything?!”

Did Gray beat me up when I was sleeping?! That droopy-eyed bastard! I'll make him pay once I manage to escape here!

“So talking to yourself is your new hobby, huh,” a voice from outside the prison echoed. A man was leaning against the stone wall, and the light coming from the torches could only reach the lower half of his body.

Chills ran down Natsu's spine.

“What the—Where's your head?!”

“What the hell are you talking about, Flame-head?!”

“G-Gray...?” Natsu was stunned for a moment. As the person took a few steps forward, relief took over him after he confirmed that it was really Gray.

“I thought you're headless,” he murmured without much thought. “A-Anyway! What the hell did you do to me?! You beat me up while I was asleep? And you even chained me here! You're a coward! Release these chains at once and fight me!”

“The hell? How dare you throw me accusations! Did your rampage make you even dumber?”

Natsu froze. His heart began thumping painfully.

“R-Rampage? No way…”

“What? You don't remember? Well, you were going wild yesterday, asshole.”

He swallowed hard, his thoughts going haywire as he tried to recall everything that happened. However, it only made his head ache as his memories remained unclear. He didn't want to believe Gray, but how would his injuries be explained? Gray himself had a share of bruises, some parts of his body wrapped by a bandage.

“What did I do?” he whispered in a hoarse voice, his sharp gaze dropped on the floor. For some reason, he was feeling ashamed and he couldn't meet Gray straight in the eyes.