With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 18

Natsu and Gray hailed a taxi which took them downtown where a local diner was located. The two boys had been getting burgers and other meals from that diner for years because it sold the best burgers in the world. Or at least that's what they thought. They were just about to enter the diner when they heard gunshots coming from the bank just across the street.

"Couldn't they have waited until we ate?" Natsu complained.

"Crime doesn't wait bro." Gray said. "Come on, duty calls."

"I wish we could get paid to do this."

"You and me both."

They ducked into a nearby alleyway where they changed into their costumes. Inside the bank, the employees and civilians were on the floor, terrified of the group of thugs pointing guns at them. 

"Nobody move!" One of them shouted. "If anybody moves or calls the police we'll kill you all!"

He then pointed his gun at one of the bank tellers and threw an empty duffle bag at him.

"You! Open the safe and put the money in the bag! Now!"

"Whatever you want just don't shoot." The bank teller said while trembling. 

He went to the safe and filled the duffle bag up with as much money as it could hold. He then handed it back to the leader of the thugs. The crooks were just about to make their escape the duffle bag was yanked out of his hand by Red Dragon. 

"I don't think this belongs to you." He said. 

"Who are you? A cop?" The thief asked Natsu.

"Really? You seriously think I'm a cop? A cop in a red suit? Wow you've got the mind of a true scholar don't you?"

"Ice this dead beat!"

His posse started shooting at him but Natsu cleverly dodged the bullets. Gray jumped down and knocked out two of them with a kick. Also like Natsu, Gray was able to dodge and avoid the bullets being shot at him. The two managed to knock away their guns and restrain them with some special wire the two of them had developed. Recently they had been using it to tie up crooks and climb and swimg from buildings. 

"There we go." Natsu said tightening the restraint on them. "All four of them secured."

"Wait wasn't there five of them?" Gray asked.

 They heard another gun shot and turned to see the leader trying  to make a break for it. He ran out of the bank, jacked a nearby car, and took off driving  down the street like a maniac. Natsu and Gray immediately chased after him.  He drove through the city recklessly, not once stopping for traffic signals or lights which resulted in several cars crashing but Natsu and Gray managed to prevent civilians from being harmed in the crashes. 

At one high way up a head Lucy was crossing the street and thief didn't stop when the Walk sign went on. Lucy saw the car coming too late and just before it could hit her Natsu swung down from a pole, grabbed her, and jumped out of the way of the moving vehicle.

"Are you alright?" He asked her once they were safely on the sidewalk.

For a moment she had become completely speechless. She was in too much shock from what had just happened that she couldn't bring herself to speak. In that one instant she could've been killed. It would've been all over and she would have been a goner. But she had been spared from that horrible fate becuase this masked man had saved her life. A masked man who so many people had told her was a menace.

"You saved me." She said looking at him in amazement. 

"Yeah I did but are you okay? You didn't break anything did you?"

"No. I'm fine thank you." She said. "You really saved my life. So you really are a hero huh?"

"You doubted me?"

"I wouldn't say doubted. Actually I wasn't really sure what to think of you before now. Everybody's told me so many different things about you. I wasn't sure what was true."

"I'm not surprised, hearing everybody's opinion on something or someone can be very confusing. But you'll be happy to know that I'm not a criminal or a monster like the press says I am and neither is my partner. We're the good guys."

"That's for sure, you risked your life to save me. Are you crazy? Not that I'm not grateful for that mind you but didn't you understand the risk? Don't you know that you could've been hit by that car? That you could've been killed?"

"Of course I knew but I wasn't thinking about my life at all Lucy. I was thinking about yours. I couldn't just let  that car hit you. You would have been hurt or worse."

"That's so brave and selfless of you I-...Wait a minute, you know my name?" She said suspiciously.

"I...I...I." Natsu quickly thought of an excuse that would cover up his mistake but wouldn't reveal who he was to her. "Well...Yeah you're the daughter of Captain Jude Heartfilia. The chief of police, I've heard him mention you a couple times when he's tried to arrest me."

"Oh...Sorry about him. But don't take it personally. My dad just doesn't like other people doing his job." 

"I'm not trying to steal his job or anything. I'm only trying to help make the city a better place."

"Well in that case I now have a reason to defend you whenever someone calls you a criminal. If I ever hear anyone say that about you I'll tell them that you're just the opposite."

"Thanks. That means a lot to me."

"Excuse me." Gray interuppted. "I hate to cut this little conversation short but need I remind you partner that we still have a lunatic on wheels to catch."

"Oh sorry. I gotta go."

"Wait!" Lucy called.

"See you around Miss Heartfilia!"

Red Dragon and Blue Tiger took off again leaving Lucy feeling amazed by the gallant masked man who had come to her rescue. It wasn't at all what her father and the press had told her he was. He was brave, self sacrificing, and so heroic. He was unlike any man that she had ever met before and she couldn't help but feel somewhat smitten with him.