The Lost Dragon Slayer

Chapter 4: Cracked Glass

Natsu came to with a thudding headache, eyes shut tightly against the throbbing pain. His temples pulsed with each beat of his heart, the blood flowing through his veins loud in his ears. He bit out a curse and moved his hand to inspect the damage – except that it didn't move. Something was restraining his arms, and after a minute's thought he noticed he couldn't feel them, as if they had gone numb a long time ago. Moving his chest forward, he heard the distinct sound of rattling chains. That meant his arms were suspended above his head, probably attached to the ceiling if he wasn't mistaken... This posed a problem.

Not quite ready to open his eyes, he tried to stand, only to realize his legs were also immobilized. He could feel the heavy weight of the chain cuffs on his ankles, and the rattling was beginning to make his head spin once more.

How long had he been out cold this time? He could hardly remember anything leading up to this - all of it a blur. He cracked open his eyes to better perceive just where in this hell he was and was met with complete blackness. A tremor of panic vibrated in his core. He was sightless, motionless, and restrained.

Trying to sort through this nightmare, memories of the last few days started to return. Was it only a few days, or was it weeks? How long had it been exactly...? Either way, Natsu knew he was in some deep shit. Everything around him was in an eerie darkness, the little light he was able to see was creeping in through the cracks around the door right in front of him.

It was a small tease set there by his captures. They seemed to have that sick sense of cruelty.

He tried to wrench his arms free and felt the heavy cuffs dig into his flesh. He grunted out in pain as the chains cut into his wrists and drew blood, the red liquid trickling down his forearms. His every instinct within his tired and beaten body screamed at him to fight through this, to escape these bonds, to run free once again. He needed to get out of here to find the others - they were probably worried sick.

His eyes snapped all the way open. He could... remember them? A wave of relief flooded through his body, calming down his rising panic. Erza, Gray, Wendy, Mest, Gramps, Laxus, Gajeel, Mirajane... they all started to flow into his mind one by one. A small smile graced his lips as he thought of the blonde mage and blue cat he wished to see the most. These fresh images - a light hope in this desolate darkness - this was exactly what he needed to keep fighting through this.

A noise caught his attention, and his eyes focused on the dark shadows that blocked the light coming in through the door. His heart started beating faster, his muscles straining against the chains in preparation for what was coming.

The door before him opened up, and his eyes squeezed shut at the bright light that flooded the room. He grit his teeth as another skull-splitting headache made itself known within his temples.

He tried to speak out, but his throat was raw - probably from screaming previously from the heavy torture he knew his body had gone through. His lips cracked as he croaked, a gasp leaving instead of the words he tried to form.

He slowly opened one of his eyes, and tried to focus on the three figures that walked into the room. He remembered them all clearly now. The blonde haired one and only female, DiMaria he recalled, had a smug look on her face as her eyes roamed over his body. The white haired with the goofy glasses was in the middle - Invel was it? And the last one made his body tense, the evil grin on Ajeel's lips made Natsu want to punch that look right off.

If only he wasn't suspended and restrained by these fucking chains - he would enact his revenge on the black haired bastard this very moment - no matter how tired his body was. He would get free, he would. He'd escape, but not before getting back at each and everyone of them.