To Kill A Dragon

Safe

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima, Tiamat is loosely based on Tiamat from Forgotten Realms which Belongs to Wizards of the Coast, LLC. The traits of the chromatic dragons have been altered to match the dragon slayers in the Fairy Tail Universe.

Natsu woke up in more pain than he could ever remember having experienced before, and considering all the stupid shit he regularly did, that was saying something. It felt like every cell in his body was screaming in agony.

He opened his eyes and looked around, wondering what would be in store for him that day. It took him a moment to realize he was no longer bound and that he was laying on a bed. He looked at the room around him and felt it seemed familiar like he'd been here many times before. A sense of dread flooded him as he saw an elderly woman with red eyes and pink hair glaring down at him.

"Finally decided to get up?" She growled at him, although the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

Natsu gulped, instantly recognizing Porlyusica, the guild's healer. He searched the room, looking for help, and his eyes fell on Wendy, who was fast asleep in the bed next to his.

"Is she okay?" He asked the healer, his voice sounding scratchy to his ears. He was parched, and when Porlyusica offered him some water through a straw, he accepted gratefully.

"She's fine, worry about yourself, idiot." To his surprise, Porlyusica smiled down at the little girl, rearranging the locks of hair that had moved in her sleep away from her face. "She wore herself out trying to heal you. Welcome to the world of the living, I was getting ready to give up on you. You were out for several days."

Natsu nodded carefully. Over the years, he'd learned to say as little as possible around the healer, never knowing what would set her off on one of her rants.

'How did I get here?' He wondered. He was definitely in the guild's infirmary. He reached for his magic, but it felt very weak.

"My magic?" He asked with concern.

"It's still there, it'll just take a while to replenish."

Natsu was relieved, he couldn't imagine a life without magic. He had no idea how he'd gotten back to the guild, but he had a feeling Tiamat was not done with him and that worried him.

The healer, not one for small talk, got to work checking him over now that he was awake. The door of the infirmary opened, and the rest of the dragon slayers walked inside.

Natsu looked at them but quickly looked away, not ready to face anyone yet. He certainly was in no mood to be mocked by the other slayers for his weakness.

They all began talking at once.

"It's about freaking time, Salamander. Hell of a time for a nap."

"What's our plan? How are we going to take this bitch down."

"I'm impressed, you really are a tough bastard, for someone so pathetic."

"It's good to have you back. How are you feeling?"

Natsu looked at them in surprise. They weren't mocking him? They actually sounded kind of happy to see him, and they looked worried. That was...unexpected. He thought of the other dragon slayers as his family, but he hadn't expected them to act the same way towards him.

"It hurts like hell, but I think I'll be okay." He told them, the beginnings of a smile flashing across his face as he began to accept that he was back home.

"I heard she took your magic, she took mine too." Natsu stared at Sting in surprise, but before he had a chance to ask what had happened to him Sting blurted out, "So I just have to know who did you fuck? Was it Lucy? She's so hot! I got Minerva."