Shattered (Fairy Tail)

29: Dragon Shuts Down

Natsu's P.O.V

I binked shaking off the effects of the poison. I hated how Snake was acting now. Sure he's poisoned me several times before, but none as often as this. It's just weird cause I've been bitten so often that now my body needs time to catch up. 

"Natsu!" I heard Lucy yell. I looked over seeing her pulling against chains. The long chains were around her wrists and into the cement wall. For a moment, I thought it was just the poison making me see things, then I noticed it was real. I pushed myself up off the floor feeling the at least thirty pound pound chain hanging off of a metal collar. 

"Snake's poisons get stronger everytime." I said while sitting up. Lucy looked away from me like she just couldn't stand to look at me. I cocked my head at Lucy. Why was she acting like this? What had happened? "What's the matter Lucy?" For a minute, she didn't speak then she looked back to me. 

"We heard about what happened to Kitten." My eyes widened and then I looked down. My eyes travelled down the hall at all of the other cages. They were all looking at me like they wanted to know how I would react. Mouse looked down and mumbled sorry. 

"Oh." I said simply. 

"Natsu. Why didn't you tell me?" Lucy asked. Sometimes I wonder how much I still don't know. How many adventures I had been on before Demon Hawk. I just can't understand how much I actually missed. Lot's of things that I just can't imagine what I did. 

"It doesn't matter. Whether or not you know, what I did still remains the same." I told her. Everyone stayed silent again. They just don't want to be yet another one that says, it's not your fault. Or say that I wouldn't have been able to stop. 

"I-It wasn't your f-fault Dragon." Mouse said only agreeing with what I thought of before. Kitten knows that I didn't mean to. She knows that I would never hurt Kitten, but the truth is still there. I'm the one who killed her. I can still taste her blood in my mouth. 

"Regardless, she would still be alive if it wasn't for me. . . . and now all of you guys are locked up." They looked at me as I sat up and hugged my knees. Now we are all stuck here, just when I was actually thinking I was done with this place. When I finally thought I was free to make my own choices. I suppose it wasn't true.

"Don't worry Natsu. We'll get out of here." Erza said pulling against the chains. I looked to all of them as they struggled against the chains. Only Mouse and I stayed still. She was staring right at me knowing the same as what I was thinking. 

"I used to think the same thing. You'll figure it out eventually." I told them turning around. I wasn't going to fight this time. What was the point of fighting? I know that eventully all slaves return to Demon Hawk. I placed my forehead on the wall and closed my eyes. I'm just going to rest for a while. 

Mouse's P.O.V

I watched as Dragon shut down. He just stopped. I don't blame him, but it's been a while since I've seen him like this. He didn't actually act like this until right after Kitten's death. After that, he just stopped eating, drinking, sleeping, and trying. It was like he was empty, but eventually he got better. It didn't happen overnight, and I doubt it will this time either. 

When I saw Dragon acting like this, I decided that hope was lost. When Dragon gives up, everyone gives up. That's why I decided to follow his lead. I turned around facing the wall. I don't want to see everyone. Seeing other people be tortured like we have just makes me feel bad. Which is why I'm just going to watch the cement wall. I'm just going to sit there and watch the wall that keeps me locked up in here. 

"Natsu would never act like this. He would find a way to get out." Lucy said trying to get Dragon to turn around and speak to her. My guess is she was just trying to get him mad, since that is the emotion that makes him want to get back at people, but Dragon didn't turn around. He didn't even open his eyes or lift his head, but he did answer her. 

"Sorry, but I'm not the Natsu you know. I'm Dragon now." he said. I looked down. He's lucky to have found who he was before Demon Hawk. I never figured it out. I didn't even go back to my original guild. Birdie and I just traveled around with Snake. I wanted to go back. I wanted to find my old life, but I was to scared to go by myself. Birdie wanted to stay with Snake and Snake wanted to go on a journey. So I was forced to follow them. 

"Why are you called Dragon Natsu. All of you guys are named after animals?" Mira asked. I looked down the hall to where she was, she was looking at me through the side cage barriers. 

"It's a code name thing. It's just a tradition that us slaves made. Instead of being called by our real names, we find an animal that either represents our magic or our personalities. It's like leaving behind your old life to live a new one." I explained to her. Erza looked over to Natsu and Wendy walked over to me. 

"The smell. It's still here." Wendy pointed out. "And it's getting closer to us." Dragon sat there still in the same position, but you can see that he was smelling the air. Again, without opening his eyes or lifting his head, he spoke. 

"I agree." he said simply. 

"What is it?" Erza asked. Wendy looked down the hall as we heard footsteps. I looked to see a man. He had straight black hair and dark black eyes. His eyes were downcasts and a frown was everlasting frown. He wore an old style black outfit with yellow trim and a white cloth wrapped around his midsection. 

"I believe it's me." he spoke. Everyone looked at him with a widened eyed glare. All of them just stood there with fear evident on their faces. It made me feel frightened that these crazy brave people was actually scared of someone. 

"Zeref." everyone but Dragon and I said in unison. 

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Word Count: 1111