The Love of Dragons- Nalu

Chapter eighteen - Loss

POV: Lucy

“Questions.” I replied, unflinching.

“Oh?” he raised one eyebrow and his gaze scanned the four of us. Gajeel seemed both excited and terrified; I supposed that he would know of the prowess and danger posed by dragons. Erza was ready with her weapons, but in a calm enough way that she did not seem threatening. Grey was very still, his posture stiff. Out of all of us I had never expected Grey to be the one to loose composure.

“Yes, questions about Acnologia and Natsu.” I stepped just a little bit closer to the sharp-toothed man.

“I won’t answer them all, but please, make yourselves comfortable.” He patted nearby logs and encouraged us all with a bored smile to sit. Grey seemed to break from a trance as he took a seat.

“Where-” I started to ask, but Grey interrupted me,

“You’re a dragon, you could be halfway across the continent by now. Why didn’t you leave if you seem so bored by us?” He forced the question, leaning in towards the taller man and fixing a suspicious glare on him.

Igneel blinked, and then he spread his mouth in a wide grin and laughed, clearly displaying sharp teeth. “Grey, was it?” he clarified as he looked at us all, “You can spend a whole day running in order to get to a place that is no better than Magnolia, but you don’t. Why do you think I would be any more inclined to do so?” He sent a smug grin to Gajeel, Erza and I, then I caught the briefest, most subtle change of expression. He captured Grey in a fleeting, pointed stare that read as a challenge.

“So then…” I began, and tried to act as though I hadn’t seen it, but Grey seemed shaken by the fierce golden eyes that had locked into his.

“Yes?” Again his pretense of pleasantry returned, but I could feel him watching Grey in the corners of his eyes.

“Uhm, do you have any idea where Natsu and Acnologia would be now?” I asked,

“No, that woman is clever and good at covering her tracks.” He said and from his voice I couldn’t discern weather he was frustrated or bored, but something had changed about his attitude. Sitting on his log, he shifted slightly; he removed one arm from his pocket and set it across his lap, letting his long scarlet coat rest over it. He ran the other hand through his hair.

“Do you really not have any idea?” I didn’t wait for his response, “Couldn’t you just fly around quickly and find them?”

“Don’t expect me to do your work, this is your fault after all.” I felt my mouth drop open and I stared at him. I could see each hair on his head being gently nudged by the soft breeze; I could see the fur lining his hood shifting as well. There was a frozen silence.

            “Her fault?” Grey echoed, my whole body was stiff; I couldn’t even speak.

            “What? Had you kids not realized?” Igneel rolled his eyes slightly and looked directly at Erza. “You noticed it, didn’t you?”

            “No, we didn’t know that she was a dragon yet.”

            “Acnologia is weaker in her human form, with enough effort Fairy Tail could have chased her out of Magnolia.” He paused, “Some people didn’t try hard enough. Not to mention that the only reason that Natsu couldn’t just refuse to follow her is because she threatened you.” I closed my mouth sharply, hearing my teeth collide, no. No no no, I’m not the reason that Natsu could be dying or trapped right now.

            “But…”

            “Lucy, it’s not your fault.” Grey said; he put a hand on my shoulder. I noticed now that Igneel wore the same cold expression for me as he did for Grey.

            “Lucy, I think Igneel’s got something to hide.” Gajeel stood up behind me and tapped Grey’s hand. Erza rose with him, soon followed by Grey, and slowly I hoisted myself up also.

            “Hiding something? Like what?” He responded,

            “I’m not sure…” Gajeel squinted at the man’s hidden arm,

            “Hmm… do you really want to be questioning me?” He asked menacingly.

            “I think we can.” Gajeel decided firmly, I noticed the color of his fingertips changing to iron.

            “Because collectively you’re a lousy dragon slayer, a mage who can change her clothes, a boy who creates snowflakes, and a girl who carries pets around as her defense?” He mocked us, Igneel was so sure and cocky, but maybe he had reason to be.

            “If you think we’re so weak then stand up and look us in the eyes.” Grey joined Gajeel in the taunting.

            “I have no desire to stand and fight Natsu’s friends.”

            “So you’d prefer to sit down?” Erza added to the mockery, I flashed her a glance, no one could possibly be stupid enough to engage a dragon.

            The red-haired man sighed, but the fire remained in his eyes. “Acnologia came here with the intention of taking Natsu and raising him to become the most powerful mage in the world, letting him unlock his full potential.” Igneel met each of our eyes as he spoke. “She isn’t just going to train him through his skills, she is literally going to put him through hell in order to make him powerful and it will destroy him.”

            My mouth fell open, how could anyone be so full of greed to destroy anyone else?

            “Imagine the strongest dragon with the strongest rider on her back, they would be a terror to the world, they would surpass the dark wizard Zeref.” He slowed his story and narrowed his eyes.

            “What?” Grey pursued the questions

            “I tried to stop her, I came all the way back to magnolia to try to save him and it was hopeless. I fought Acnologia and I paid for my ignorance in believing that I could defeat her.” The man stood slowly, but with an intensity and sense of power that made my stomach tingle.

            “What happened?” I murmured

            “We, dragons, maintain wounds in one form that we acquire in the other.” He pulled his hand out from under his jacket, it was disfigured, and all up his forearm was scarred, bruised and covered in scabs. There was a collective inhale as he opened his coat and revealed the damage to his shoulder as well.

            “She beat you.” Erza whispered, to imagine this powerful beast before us who Natsu had always looked up to, beaten, broken, and weak; it was like waking up from a hopeful dream only to fall into a nightmare.

            “It’s the only way to really beat a dragon, ground him.” He said as he tugged the coat back over his wounds with his good hand. The other remained by his side in full view, a reminder of the hopelessness of our quest.

Finally something came together in my mind, the burn wound on Acnologia’s chest wasn’t from Natsu or Erza, but from Igneel. Igneel could barely hold his own against her, but only he was even able to touch her