With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 10

After the match was over, Natsu went to collected his reward. But the greedy annoucer had other plans in mind.

"You're pretty good kid." He told Natsu.

"Thanks. Now um when do I get my money."

"Very soon just sign an exclusive management contract with me and it's all yours."

"Whoa I'm not signing anything."

"No signature, no cash."

"But that's not fair."

"Not my problem. Now beat it."

Natsu gnashed his teeth together as he watched the announcer return to his office. He couldn't believe that slime, cheating him out of the money he had rightfully earned. He would love to do to that guy what he did to Skull Crusher in the ring.

Suddenly just as he had pressed the button on the elevator, he heard the sound of glass breaking followed by the announcer shouting.

"Hey that's my money! Somebody stop that guy!"

A thief ran out of the announcer's office carrying a bag of cash in one hand and a gun in another hand.

"Hey you!" The announcer called to Natsu. "Stop that guy!"

But Natsu only moved out of the way and he let the thief pass into the elevator.

"You could have stopped that guy!" The announcer told Natsu angrily. "Now he's going to get away with my money!"

"Not my problem." Natsu repeated his words to him in a smug voice.

After that Natsu changed out of his costume and went down to the library where his father was supposed to pick him up. But he didn't see his dad's car, instead he saw several police cars and a crowd gathered around something. Natsu went through the crowd to see what all the commotion was about and to his horror he saw that what was in the center of the crowd was his father lying on the ground with a bleeding wound.

"Dad!" He cried out in terror.

He ran through the crowd and went to his father's side.

"What happened?!" He asked the police.

"He was shot by a car jacker." One of the cops answered. "An ambulance is on it's way."

Natsu looked down at Igneel, the man opened his eyes and gazed weakly at the person he loved more than anything in the world including his own life.

"Natsu." He said in a soft voice as his hand grabbed Natsu's.

"I'm here Dad." Natsu said. "I'm right here."

"Can...Can you... Promise me something son?" He asked with his voice getting softer.

"Dad don't talk now."

"Promise me... Promise me that you'll always try to do what's right."

"Dad you're talking like this is goodbye." He said trying so hard to cry. "You'll be alright. The ambulance will get here and you'll be okay."

"Promise me Natsu... Please promise me."

"I...I promise Dad."

"That's my...Boy." Then he said in a voice so soft and quiet that only Natsu could hear him. "I love you."

"I love you too Dad."

He stopped breathing after that and his hand went limp.

"Dad?" Natsu called gently but the man didn't respond. "Dad! Dad! No! Dad!"

But no matter how hard he begged and pleaded, it wouldn't do him any good. Igneel Dragneel was dead. Natsu burst into tears. He couldn't believe it, his father was dead. He wished and prayed from the bottom of his heart that this was all just some horrible nightmare and that in a few minutes he would wake up in his bedroom then go downstairs to see his father in the kitchen, working on something like he always did. But it wasn't a nightmare. It was real.

"We got the shooter!" He heard a cop say from behind. "He's headed south."

Natsu's grief quickly turned to anger. He immediately changed back into his costume and followed after the police cars while jumping from the rooftops of the buildings. The police cars led him to an old warehouse where the shooter had feld to. Using his powers, he carefully and quietly slipped inside.

"Who's there?" The thief asked when he heard creaks from Natsu's talons as he crawled around on the ceiling.

Natsu lowered himself down, grabbed the shooter, and lifted him up by his throat.

"Don't hurt me! Just give me a chance!" The shooter begged pitifully.

"What about my father? Did you give him a chance? Did you? Answer me!" Natsu demanded, his eyes burning with yellow rage.

But when he got a better look at him in the light his anger became terror. The shooter was the thief he let get away.

"You." He whispered in disbelief. "No! It can't be you! It can't be!"

But it was which meant that he had just allowed this man to kill his father. The only family that he had ever known.

"I should drop you!" He snarled. "Take from you what you took from Igneel Dragneel!"

That's what he wanted to do. That's what his anger was urging him to do but he knew that his father wouldn't approve of such actions. So he threw the thief down to the police and he ran off before they could question him.

When Natsu got home that night he found Gray and Ur waiting for him. They didn't didn't speak but he could tell by their eyes that they had heard what had happened and why they were here. Natsu didn't know what to say in fact he wasn't sure if he could speak anymore. All he could feel like doing right now was cry so that's what he did. He cried. All through the night he cried and cried and cried while Gray and Ur took turns holding him in silence.

Though neither Gray or Ur were as close to Igneel as Natsu was, they were greatly saddened by his death. Because Igneel had always been a good friend to them. He always helped out when Ur had money problems and he looked out for Gray's well being. So in return for Igneel's friendship and kindness they would look after Natsu and make sure that he would always have someone who was there for him.