100 yr Quest, the incident.

Chapter 2

A/N I have plans for this story.......but I really don't know how to get there. So I'm doing my best. This chapter will be fun to write IDK about reading though. 

Natsu's POV

They walked down the path leading to the cave of Ignia son of Igneel, he had a bad feeling, but that wouldn't change any decisions long made. Natsu felt kind of like he was being treated differently, not quite the center of attention but not quite ignored either, more like everyone was continually thinking about whatever happened during their first encounter with Ignia, but was avoiding speaking their thoughts to spare him from an uncomfortable conversation. 

Natsu frowned, no one was speaking and it was only making him more nervous. Should he start a conversation? Why was this all of a sudden awkward? Conversations usually flowed naturally but for some reason, a normal subject wouldn't come up so he just bit his tongue.

Lucy kept on stealing nervous glances at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention, she looked at him again longer this time and opened her mouth to speak but then just bit her lip and looked to be pondering something. Didn't she know that she was just stressing him out even more? The pressure from the whole group had been weighing down on him for a while but he just recently realized that everyone was silently praying for him to cease becoming a monster again.

Lucy tapped his shoulder and cupped her hand around the side of her mouth signing she wanted to whisper in his ear and he leaned over in response. "Tell me you won't eat the fire under any circumstances." Natsu nodded, "I'll try," A mild scowl followed his statement, Lucy was unsatisfied with his answer, "You will not only try but you will do," She slightly raised her whisper to an intense mumble. "I'm not going to make a promise with the smallest chance that I may not be able to stay true to. But, I will give you my word that I will try." Lucy begrudgingly accepted and ceased to argue, as he hoped she would.

They neared the ever-looming mountains too fast, Natsu didn't quite know whether he was dreading or anticipating the fight. Did he want to get this over with? Or just go back to the guild knowing he could've completed the 100-year quest but didn't? Both options had their pros and cons, but Natsu wasn't a quitter so the other option wasn't much of a choice.

Lucy's POV

The battle with Ignia had begun and had been going for about 10 minutes already, so far Natsu had kept his word. They were paying dearly because they clearly didn't stand a chance, even with their dragon-slaying seals. Ignia was basically playing with them up there, she hated to admit it but they were in need of that power that Natsu had immediate access to.

There was no possible outcome where she would ask him to use it though, never again. Lucy then realized that during the last battle with him, Natsu had refused to eat the fire. It was them who had forced it upon him.

Lucy had dozed off in the middle of the battlefield, how stupid could she be?! She gave herself a little facepalm and summoned her Leo Star Dress. Before she could do anything she noticed a blair of fire headed straight for her, she tried to move out of the way but soon realized the perimeter of the blast was too large for any regular get-away. She still tried though, her efforts to get away were futile in the end, the blast just kept on getting closer. The second before she would inevitably meet her doom it all disappeared.

She opened her eyes and there was Natsu standing right in front of her. "I'm so sorry... it was the only way." Lucy's eyes widened, "You didn't!" He gave her a guilty look. The scales had already started to form on his arms, they made their way up to his face and finally, the black consumed his hands and lower arms. The strange jet-black entity seemingly radiated off his arms like smoke, and once more the magic aura that clouded him went off the charts, she could see he was already struggling to keep his sanity.

Ignia looked down at him, "Ahhh, using the resource right in front of you now? I'm proud!" He hollered. Natsu just scowled. He then launched himself into the air joining the fight.

Lucy couldn't describe the fight if she wanted to, situations kept coming up where Natsu would have to eat the fire. This soon ended with him consuming almost every attack, to the point where he was more powerful than Ignia himself. Ignia fell, and she decided that it was time to really see the damage and came closer, she noticed the black that was once on Natsu's lower arm had now spread all the way up to his shoulders and was making it's way up to his neck. Lucy tried to run to him, but something held her back. She peered behind her shoulder, it was Erza. She shook her head, "Lucy, I don't think it's going to be as easy as last time."

Lucy scowled, "We have to at least try!" Natsu jerked his head in our direction. There was no doubt that he had lost it, his stance was slightly animalistic, and he was lacking pupils. Lucy desperately ripped out of Erza's hold and ran to him, "Lucy, no!" Erza attempted, already knowing Lucy wasn't to be stopped.

Once she arrived within the 8 ft distance she was at a loss of what to do next. Natsu stared her down and she shrunk into it. To her surprise, his face twisted in pain and his hand shot up to his neck that had been discreetly taken over by the ever-spreading black. Natsu disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, she gasped it was as if he teleported. "We don't know what he's capable of when he's like this, don't be surprised if he can do more." Erza inferred.

Lucy couldn't believe all of the times when he consumed the power and they had just let it slide. "We completed the 100-year quest but it seems like a loss," Gray mumbled patting traumatized Wendy's head. "So do we look for him?" Lucy implied wide-eyed. "Last time, Lucy, you stopped him, but maybe it'll wear off. So we could go back to the guild, tell them what happened and come back with Gajeel to sniff him out. " Erza complied.

Lucy liked the plan but, "And what if it gets worse while we're gone, it looked like it was spreading! And if he can teleport, wouldn't his scent just end right there!?" Lucy said pointing to where he used to be to support her point. Erza looked down, excepting the statement. Lucy would've been excited she won an argument with Erza but in reality, she wished that she was wrong.

A/N Ikikik, the last two authors' notes were... um, let's just say they were both very hard to look at. This is my redemption chapter, I edited and added a new section as you may have noticed if you read it.