The Dragon's Mark

So Lucy Is My Mate

Fortunately, Natsu was not hard to drag to the master's office. All Erza had to say was that the master wanted to talk to him and Lucy. At the mention of Lucy's name, he flushed, but jogged upstairs to the master's office.

"Close the door behind you, son," Makarov ordered. He waved his hands and two chairs appeared in front of the desk. He gestured for the two to sit while he hopped up to sit on top of his desk, facing them.

He observed the two closely. So, they had finally admitted their feelings to one another. It was about damn time. Still - having his mages couple up - he wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not. In some ways, it distracted the teams from doing their jobs. However, the positive was that they worked better together and, let's face it, extended the Fairy Tail family and it's future.

Makarov cleared his throat. "Natsu, son, what do you know of the dragon's mark?"

Natsu looked confused for a moment, then nodded as if he had been searching his brain and finally found the right answer.

Igneel had mentioned it one time. Little Natsu had observed a family having a picnic down below, in a field, while riding on the great dragon's back. He had asked Igneel about the family dynamics - how had the children come to be, why there was both a mother and father. Igneel had gently explained to the young child that, when he was older, he would be attracted to a female and would mark her as his mate. When little Natsu got over his disgust of ever being attracted to a girl, he had asked Igneel about his mate. Igneel had explained that each dragon only ever found one mate. That, even when separated at death, they would continue to be loyal to that one, and only, mate. He had seemed sad talking about it, so Little Natsu, sensing this, had dropped the subject.

Looking up at Makarov after a long silence, in which the master had simply looked at the fire mage while Lucy had looked at the floor, her cheeks red, Natsu finally spoke. "I think so. It's when a dragon marks its mate, right?"

Makarov gave a gentle smile. "Right," he nodded. "Did Igneel explain what would happen once you - I mean, a dragon - marked its mate?"

Natsu frowned. "A dragon only has one mate. Even when one of them dies, they're still loyal to their mate. "

Makarov nodded again. "That's right. Was there anything else?"

Natsu thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so."

Lucy didn't think her cheeks could get any redder. She knew why she was here but if a hole opened up in the floor and Virgo poked her head out, she would gladly jump in with her!

Natsu looked over at Lucy and noticed her staring at the floor, her hair falling forward and covering her face. Instinctively, he reached out and held her hand in his. He could almost feel the small smile that came over her face.

Makarov cleared his throat. "Well, son, I think the part you might get confused with is, well, when a dragon - or really any animal - finds its mate, it can get aggressive towards any perceived threat to their mate. This includes jealousy towards anyone that shows attention to its mate."

Natsu nodded his head. "Ok," he agreed.

Lucy raised her head. "So that's what happened with Grey? Why then does Natsu not remember it?"

Makarov shrugged. "That, I'm not sure of. It could be that with his dragon instincts, it was an automatic response that his human mind could not perceive at the moment. However," he chuckled, "that's just speculation."

"So what do we do, master? How can we make sure this doesn't happen again?" Lucy asked him. She glanced over at Natsu to see if he understood what was going on. He had a thoughtful expression so she hoped he was taking it in.

"That I'm not sure of, to tell you the truth," Makarov admitted. "Natsu, you're going to have to try to practice more constraint and understanding when it comes to anyone approaching Lucy. In that respect, Lucy," Makarov continued, turning his attention to the celestial mage, "you will need to be careful on how you approach men - especially strange ones."

"Master," Lucy frowned. "Is this just a temporary thing or is this always? I mean, I can't have Natsu attacking every person I talk to! I also can't become a hermit and not go on jobs. I have rent, bills, ...."

"My child," Makarov interrupted. "That is why both of you are in here. I will need to read more on the matter, but I do believe that once the dragon feels more secure in his relationship with the mate - in other words,once the relationship matures - once the trust builds, then these incidents will lessen."

Mature? Natsu? Lucy inwardly groaned. She wasn't so sure she could do this. She glanced over at Natsu. She did love him. Sometime during their time together in Fairy Tail, her feelings of friendship had blossomed into love - she wasn't sure when, but she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. This was asking a little much though. How could she show Natsu that he could trust her? That because she spoke to Grey or Elfman or any other male, that it was okay? He had no need to be jealous or territorial.

"I see," Natsu finally spoke. "So Lucy is my mate."

Lucy felt like burying her head in her hands and groaning. THAT'S what he had taken from this whole conversation? Not the need to be trusting, cautious, careful, restrained?

"Lucy," Natsu addressed her, squeezing her hand, then dropping it. "I - " He paused, not sure if he wanted to say the words in front of Makarov.

Reading the situation, Makarov got up and excused himself from the room, closing the door behind him.