With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 45

Gray caught Natsu's falling figure before it hit the concrete.

"I gotcha buddy." He said. "Come on I'll get you to the doc and she'll fix you up."

He brought Natsu to Erza who took a few tests and examined him. During the whole process, Natsu didn't wake which worried Gray.

"Is he going to be okay?" Gray asked her.

"He's exhausted but he'll be fine." She assured him. "Thank God you got to him when you did. Anymore time bonded with the symbiote and we would have lost him."

It was morning when Natsu finally regained consciousness.

"Oh my head." He groaned.

"Welcome back bro." Gray said with a relieved smile.

"Where am I?"

"You're in my office." Erza said. "I had to make sure that your brain was still going."

"Is it?"

"You can still talk and move right?"

"Good point."

He turned to his best friend and once again felt guilty, regretful, and horrified for what he almost did to him.

"Gray I'm so sorry for what happened. I didn't mean what I did or what I said I swear."

"Forget it man. I know you weren't all you during that... Rather scary moment of my life. I'm just happy you're back and I have some good news for you."

He turned on the television in the room and switched over to the news channel. Gajeel was on tv giving an important announcement.

"Because Laxus Dreyar, an ex reporter of my paper withheld important information and gave me doctored evidence in the case regarding the jewelry store robbery and shooting I must withdrawal my reward for the capture of Red Dragon." Gajeel said."I apologise to the city for printing false news. I'll do everything I can to ensure that never happens again."

"I finally got proof that those pictures were fake." Gray said.

"Thanks man." Natsu said. "And not just for clearing my name. For everything else too."

"That's what friends are for right?"

"Right. By the way how is Mrs. Redfox?"

"She's recovered and should be returning home tomorrow. But you have other things to worry about."

"Like what?"

"Like how you're going to apologise for terrorizing Gajeel, Laxus, Juvia, and Lucy."

"Oh yeah." He sighed as he remembered what he did. "What am I going to tell them? I'm sorry for attacking you, I was possessed by an alien parasite. Do you think they'll believe that?"

"No but I've come up with the perfect excuse."

"What?"

"You were taking steroids."

"Gray!"

"Why not? Your behavior while merged with the symbiote was pretty much the same as with someone who's on steroids. Paranoia, extreme irritability and aggression, impaired judgment, mania. It's perfect."

"But Lucy will think I'm a drug addict."

"No she won't because I will explain that you realized your mistake in taking them and that you're done with them. You'll never take them again."

"But she'll think I'm scum."

"She already thinks you're scum. You threatened her best friend and attacked said friend's relative. Believe me just saying you had an off day isn't going to convince her to forgive you any quicker."

"What do you think Erza?" He asked her.

"I'd go with the steroids excuse. Telling her the truth would either lead to you being exposed as Red Dragon or being shipped to the nearest psychiatric facility."

"Fine. But do you think I'll ever have a chance with her Gray?"

"Oh Lucy's pretty understanding." Gray said. "You let some time pass, give her some space, and I'd say....Not a chance."

He laughed.

"Gee thanks." Natsu said unamused. "Oh well. I'm just glad it's all over."

"Not exactly." Erza said looking concerned.

"What do you mean? Is some of that ooze still on me?"

"No it's all gone. There's not a trace of it anywhere on you."

"Phew!" He sighed.

"Which raises the question, what happened to it?"

"I don't know. I blacked out."

"From what I saw it disappeared after Natsu tore it off his body." Gray said.

"That could mean two things." Erza explained. "One it could have fizzled out of existence from the pressure of the sound waves meaning we'd never hear from it again or it sneaked off to find another host."

"I don't like the sound of that last one."

"Would it just latch on to any host?" Natsu asked.

"That's what I thought at first but then I learned something extremely fascinating. It targets hosts who carry a very strong amount of negative emotions. Natsu when this stuff first appeared were you feeling angry? Frustrated?"

"Yeah I was pissed about that frame up in the paper."

"That's why it bonded to you so well. It used your anger and frustration to manipulate you and judging by the fact that it hasn't followed you or made any attempt to bond with you again it must mean that you don't have those feelings anymore.

"So you're saying if that ooze is still out there it'll look for someone who was as angry and frustrated as I was?"

"Exactly."

"Then we better make sure that crap isn't around." Gray said. "God only knows what kind of host it'll choose next."

Alas the symbiote had already picked it's next host. After escaping the church through a vent it sensed a huge amount of negative emotions coming it's way. It was radiating off of Laxus who was stewing about his misfortune.

"The nerve of those losers!" He griped. "I never thought a nerd could be conniving, let a alone two man was I wrong. Natsu and Gray! They cost me my job! My education! My reputation! They think they can do this to me?! Just wait til I get my hands on those two!"

The symbiote latched on to Laxus as soon as he walked by and instantly started to cover his body. At first Laxus struggled and tried to remove it due to being confused about what was happening but then the symbiote started whispering to Laxus and promising to give him wanted he wanted most at the moment. Revenge on Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster.

It increased Laxus's strength and abilities just like it did with Natsu but it also gave it some of Natsu's powers. You see being bonded to Natsu allowed the symbiote to absorb some of his powers and not only communicate with his mind but also read his thoughts and learn all his secrets. All his secrets about him, Gray, they're alter egos, and the people they cared for the most. The symbiote knew it all and it was telling all of it to Laxus who planned to make good use out of these secrets.