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Beastly Possession	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 26740 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Disclaimer: It's not over yet. I must usurp...I mean honor Hiro Mashima a little more.

Chapter 34

Atonement and Anomalous Aromas
The smells were familiar. A sweet smell. A soothing smell. Vanilla, strawberry, faded whiffs of perfume and facial cleansers, clean laundry, old wood, fresh fruits, femininity: these were the smells of Lucy's apartment. Natsu smiled as he woke up to this nostalgic blend of fragrances.
Lucy! He loved her. He loved her so much, his chest hurt just thinking about her. That weirdo with the lopsided ponytail had fought through the flames and won her way into his heart. She was his now. His mate! His girlfriend! His...lover. His pulse raced just thinking about the love they shared, her smile, her laugh, the heat of her body and feel of her skin.
He would fight anything to protect her.
Even himself.
He would sacrifice anything to keep her safe.
Even himself.
Somewhere in his sleep-addled mind, he knew he had just done both: battling himself, sacrificing himself. He had willingly given up his humanity, his sanity, all control, and became...something else. Something not him, but still him. He had been ready to give up absolutely everything to protect her. For a while, he thought he might lose her forever.
However, because of Lucy, he came back. Or something brought him back. Something did not want Lucy to be sad. Something knew her happiness relied on this silly, destructive, pink-haired teenager, and that something was not about to let Lucy cry.
So he sacrificed himself, only to be brought back...
To normal?
Maybe not normal. A different smell...some anomalous aroma whiffing around him and through him...
« Slayer... »
He moaned. That voice...
"Natsu!"
This time, his eyes opened. Lucy's cry brought him over the cusp of dreamy sleep. For a moment, he wanted to slip back. That voice...how was it there? Had that voice been just a dream, a memory, or was it something more?
"Luc-...-cy?" His throat felt raw and dry, like swallowing sand.
"Rest still, Natsu-san."
A different voice. A different smell. He forced himself to look over and saw the tiny Sky Dragon Slayer.
"Wendy! But..." His parched throat completely failed him. It stung painfully. His chest hurt. Absolutely everything hurt.
"Gajeel healed me," Wendy explained. "He did some sort of ceremony. Oh! And Laxus, too. Rogue did his. We're both better."
Natsu's face crunched up as he tried to process this. "Ceremony? The one for feral dragon slayers?"
Wendy nodded. "I thought it would be scary, but it was actually rather boring. I was just sitting there, Gajeel chanted some long incantation, and then I fell asleep. I partially woke up a few times, always with a headache, and Gajeel would ask me weird questions, like if I want to be human. What an odd question to ask," she mused, but Natsu smiled to himself as he realized he had asked Balaur the same thing. "Just today, I woke up completely and he said it was over. I don't feel all that different. Then again, I wasn't that far gone."
Natsu inhaled deeply, although his lungs struggled against that. He felt bandages around his chest restricting what he guessed were a few broken ribs. However, the smell he sought was not there. "Then, they crushed the seed in you."
Wendy's green healing magic stopped. "Yes, the dragon instincts in me were trying to take root. The power is still in there, but not the scary voice. Why? Is something wrong?"
Natsu looked away; for some reason, he felt sad. "I think I need more rest."
A soft hand stroked back his hair. He looked up and saw Lucy smiling down at him. That bad feeling of depression swept away at the gleam in her brown eyes. Whatever happened to Wendy and Laxus no longer mattered. What's done was done! How they got saved was up to them. All that he cared about was that they were safe now, and Lucy was here with him, smiling, looking absolutely gorgeous in the sunlight slanting through her bedroom window.
"Wait," he suddenly realized in a jolt. "That ceremony thing is supposed to take seven days. That means I've been sleeping for a whole week!"
Natsu wanted to jump up, but Lucy easily pressed him back down. The blinding pain all through his body convinced him not to move again, and he flopped back onto her pillows.
"You've been feverish with all your injuries," Lucy told him. "You've healed a little over the past week, but not enough. Wendy just now was released from the ceremony. She'll heal you, but you should probably sleep more."
Sleep. Yes, sleep sounded good. His eyelids were getting heavy and his head swam dizzily. "I...took your bed."
"I gave you my bed," Lucy corrected. "I wasn't about to sleep in that pig sty you call a home." She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Wendy politely looked away with a blush on her cheeks. "I also wasn't about to leave you alone when you were barely hanging on to life."
Natsu's eyes were too heavy, but he tried to force them to stay open. He wanted to keep looking at her. "I like your bed," he muttered. "Comfy. Smells good." He saw dark shadows under Lucy's eyes. He bet she had stayed right by his side all week. "You...get sleep...too," he mumbled. He hoped she heard him, because he instantly fell back into a dark warmth with strange dreams.

Natsu faced someone who almost looked like himself, except this twin had massive scarlet wings with pink webbing, a crimson tail with black spines, long black claws on its fingers and toes, blazing red eyes, and a blushing of scales over its skin.
They stood in emptiness, a grayness that seemed to stretch around for eternity. There seemed to be a glowing light somewhere behind Natsu, and he sensed a shadowy darkness behind this beast. The light and dark were retreating, leaving the two of them to face off in a place that was purely gray.
"Slayer saved Lucy?"
Natsu nodded to his other self. "She's safe. She was hurt, but I'll take care of her from now on."
"Never let Lucy cry. Never let Lucy be lonely."
Natsu smiled with confidence. "She's strong. If she cries, it won't be for something I did. If I see her in tears, I'll do everything I can to make her smile once again. And...she won't ever be lonely," he promised. "She has me and our friends, all of our nakama in Fairy Tail. We're her family, and we'll always be there for her. She never needs to feel like she's all alone."
The red eyes narrowed as the beast hissed, "Never hurt Lucy!"
Natsu held the creature's fiery gaze. "That goes for you, too. If you hurt her, I will crush you."
The feral lowered its head. "Beast lost. Not to Slayer, though. To Lucy. I lost...to Lucy."
"What do you mean? How the hell did you lose to her? You didn't fight her...or did you?" he asked with suspicion bordering on anger.
"No. Not fight with fists." The beast's face drew up in frustration. "Should not be this weak!" he hissed scathingly. "Beast was strong. Beast not care if kill things. Beast not care who to fuck. Then it all changed. She changed it. Suddenly, not wanna fuck anything else. Suddenly...care," it spat, as if caring was a loathsome thing. "Care for girlie with good smell. Not want other girlies. Want to protect. Want to...to make happy. To obey. Obey is not freedom. Obey is cage! So then...why?" it roared in frustration. "She made Beast weak."
"Wait, wait, you...you're saying you...fell in love?" Natsu asked in shock.
The beast stayed quiet for a while, looking pensive. "Should not have let Slayer return at all. Was free! Was feral! Was dragon! But Lucy wanted Slayer back. Can't fight against her wants. I...obeyed. I let Slayer share. I did not take over." Its head dropped, and it chuckled at the irony. "Beast is weak. Lucy is strong. Slayer is strong with Beast and Lucy. Lucy is safer with Slayer and Beast."
"And you?" Natsu asked.
"Beast exists...for Slayer...and for Lucy. I lost, so I must obey Lucy."
"Do you mean as punishment? It can't be that simple," Natsu said suspiciously.
"I am seed of a dragon. Dragons live by honor."
"You wanted to kill people!" Natsu yelled.
"Dragons have different morals. I have no morals, only wants, desires...and the honor of a dragon. That is instinct." The beast unfurled its wings and bowed humbly. "I lost. I lost to Lucy, so must obey. I...want...to obey. I will honor Lucy's desire to have only Slayer in control."
Natsu took two steps closer and poked the Beast hard in the chest. "I don't want you in my head," he said sternly. "You won't take over anymore, at least not without my permission."
"Can I live?"
Natsu stared at the bowed beast, and he felt a little pity for it. If the tables were turned—if it was him begging to survive while being trapped inside this body without any control—would he want to live, or would death be preferable to servitude?
"You can live," Natsu decided. "You'll probably see everything I do, right?"
"Yessss...see all, feel all, say nothing."
Again, Natsu felt just a little sympathy for this other side of himself. "If you promise to behave, maybe I'll let you out once in a while."
The beast straightened up and shook its head. "Too dangerous. People not like that. Lucy not like that. Make Lucy sad if Slayer is not in control. Lucy wants Slayer, not Beast. I lost to Lucy. I will honor Lucy's wants. I will help Slayer. I will not fight Slayer. If Lucy wants Slayer, Lucy will have Slayer. I will go, Slayer will stay. But..." Those scarlet eyes glowed menacingly. "If you hurt Lucy, all deals are off. I will take over. I will take Lucy. I will fuck her as my mate."
"Like hell!" Natsu sneered.
The beast snarled back, but it quickly turned aside, looking weary. "Know your wants, Slayer. Your wants are my wants, but my wants will always be for Lucy."
"And if Lucy decides she doesn't want me?"
The beast shrugged with a mocking smile. "Sucks to be Slayer! I will still honor Lucy. I lost. I lost to Lucy's wants." It grinned up at him arrogantly. "If Lucy ever wants Beast..."
"Over my dead body!"
"Our body, and not dead, and would love to have her over me, on top of me, riding me..."
Natsu's fist flamed up in rage, but the beast just laughed at his jealous reaction.
"Keep her happy, Slayer...or I will. Bye-bye."
Then the winged creature faded into the grayness until Natsu was standing all alone. However, the light was still behind him, and the shadow was still in front of him. Natsu knew that if he rushed ahead too quickly, the darkness would consume him, and if he stumbled backward, the light would burn him. He had found balance, and he needed to stay in this argent world of precarious equilibrium.

When Natsu woke again, there were more smells, a complex weave of aromas. He had never associated light and dark with a smell, but after the Grand Magic Games, he knew two new smells existed.
"He's sleeping," Lucy argued at the doorway of the bedroom.
Natsu forced himself awake. "No, I'm up."
Lucy turned to look at him in shock, but her hesitation allowed a small group to enter. Sting pushed his way inside, but Rogue was more gentle, catching Lucy when Sting's exuberance almost made her fall. Laxus also came in, glaring at the cuteness of Lucy's bedroom with distaste.
"So, this is where you've been hiding," he grumbled.
Last to enter was Gajeel. Lucy and Wendy stayed to the side as the four men encircled her bed and made their own examination of the Fire Dragon Slayer.
Slowly, Natsu pushed himself up into a sitting position, resting against the headboard. To his surprise and delight, the pain from earlier was gone. He had some lingering aches, he felt weakness in his muscles—probably from sleeping in bed for over a week, he realized—but nothing at all like earlier. Wendy had healed him well.
"So, you're up," Sting grinned. "You've been really out of it, from what we've heard."
Natsu still felt tired, and he supposed he looked like crap. "Yeah, I guess I'm almost back to normal."
Rogue had a suspicious gaze. "Normal? Are you sure about that?" He took in every detail of Natsu, as well as sniffing. He smelled the scent of the Fire Dragon Slayer, but Lucy's smells were absolutely everywhere, inundating the air with her fragrances. It was annoying that women tended to smell more...flowery!
Natsu chuckled at the worries that tweaked everyone's faces. "I'm fine, really."
Rogue did not look convinced. "But you...that dragon..."
"That won't be happening again," Natsu said quickly. "None of it will. Well, maybe the wings. I liked those wings. Maybe I can figure out how to bring back just those. But the beast, the madness...the dragon...those are all gone."
"That ceremony," Laxus said. "Did you do it on yourself? You've been out for over a week. So has that Earth Dragon Slayer kid we picked up. It's almost the same as what these guys," thumbing to Gajeel and the Sabertooth twins, "did to us."
Gajeel stared at Natsu distrustfully. "Doing that on yourself, that's not supposed to be possible."
Natsu hummed and thought about it. "I still don't really know what this whole ceremony thing is about, but I did something. He's gone, that's all I know. His power is still there, but he won't be in my head anymore."
Sting let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."
Just then, there was a timid knock at the door and a meek voice mumbled, "Um, pardon me. Is this Miss Heartfilia's house?" The boy asking had the distinct accent of a person from the country of Bosco. "I was told that Natsu Dragneel is here."
Lucy sighed, giving up. "My home is now a hospital and visiting hours are open." As she looked back to the doorway, she saw a teenager with long, wavy, black hair, dark mocha skin, and eyes like amber. "Balaur!"
The other dragon slayers tensed up when they saw him. Gone were the wings and tail, but the shape of the face was the same as the feral beast they had all fought at least once.
"It's safe," Natsu said to all of them. He smiled at Balaur. "Nice to see you wearing clothes for a change."
The boy blushed and looked down at the shirt and trousers he wore. "I got them from a girl I met in your guild, someone named Nicci Bonder."
"I don't know a mage named Nicci," Natsu mused.
Lucy perked up in surprise. "I talked to her yesterday. She's not a mage. Actually, she's a model. She's been coming to the guild all week to check on you, Balaur. Did you really rescue her from rapists?"
"Yes. Well, that is...I killed the men trying to hurt her," Balaur amended. "I woke up before the beast killed her as well, so she escaped. She bought me a bunch of clothes as a way to say thanks. I...don't deserve a gift like this," he muttered despondently, tugging on what was a high-quality shirt. "I could have killed her just as easily, but...it's nice to know I saved someone."
Lucy got past her fears. She had been hurt badly and assaulted by this teen, but that was the beast that had possessed and controlled him. "You also tried to save me, you know," she said, forcing herself to smile. If she could forgive Natsu for something he had no control over doing, she should express the same forgiveness toward this boy whose only sin was losing control to the feral seed within him.
Balaur cautiously walked forward, and the other dragon slayers gave him a wide berth. He came up beside the bed where Natsu still sat.
"I just wanted to thank you," Balaur said softly. "You should have killed me. Instead, you saved me and brought me back. When I was healing, I had a...a dream, maybe a vision, I don't know. It was about that beast in me. We talked face to face, and we came to an understanding. He said he lost to you, so now he has to obey you, and since you granted me the chance to be human, he'll obey. You...saved me." Balaur's throat choke up with emotion. "What you did for me..."
"Hey," Natsu interrupted. He rose out of bed and gave the kid a hug. "I was just helping a fellow dragon slayer. Don't worry about it. Just don't screw up anymore."
Balaur gulped down a sob and nodded. He pulled away quickly with a deft wipe to his eye. "I...I just wanted to say thanks personally. It's..." He glanced to Lucy, and painful regrets flashed past his face. "It's a little awkward being here. I should go."
"Hey, wait!" Sting shouted as Balaur began to turn. "You're a dragon slayer. You should be in a guild."
"I've thought about that," Balaur nodded. "I would like to learn more about how to control my magic and do things to help people. I want to atone for my sins."
"Join Sabertooth," Sting insisted. "I'm the guild master. I want you in my guild."
Laxus huffed at the over-eager blond. "If he wants to get stronger, he should join the strongest guild in Fiore, and that's Fairy Tail."
"You guys have more than enough dragon slayers," Sting argued. "Sabertooth is the best place for him."
Laxus scoffed with a smirk. "If you think you would make a good mentor, try growing up a bit, ya damn brat."
Sting leaned into his face and growled, "What was that, Sparky?"
Balaur cleared his throat to stop the bickering. "Actually, I really think it'd be bad to stay in Magnolia. The guild knows what I did as a feral, and staying in this town...there are too many bad memories."
Rogue smiled amiably to the boy. "You have a home with us."
"Thanks, but I'm not sure I would fit in with Sabertooth, either. I might try one of the other guilds. However, right now I want to go back to my home village, pay respect to the graves of my foster parents, and try to find my sister, Smaralda." His eyes cast down in darkness. "I owe her a very big apology," he whispered in grief. "Then, one day, when I'm strong enough, I want to look for my dragon mother, Terracia. Maybe I can work in a guild and travel around, that way I can ask about her."
Natsu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I do that all the time, asking about Igneel everywhere I go."
Gajeel patted Balaur's shoulder so hard, the boy almost stumbled. "Do what you feel you must to atone for the pain you put others through. Living with a dark and hateful past is not easy. I know!" He thought about all the people he hurt once, destroying the original Fairy Tail guild, nearly killing Levy, Jet, and Droy, torturing Lucy for fun, and fighting the people he now considered to be friends. It had been a long journey of redemption for Gajeel, so he understood a little about how this poor kid was going to suffer along the way, and grow stronger through that pain.
"You fought really well," Natsu told Balaur. "One day, you'll be a really powerful dragon slayer. When you get some control over your magic, I wanna fight you again."
Everyone rolled their eyes. That was so typical of Natsu!
Balaur chuckled at his friendly challenge. "It's a deal! I'll get strong enough to beat you. After all," and for the first time since arriving, Balaur had a genuinely happy grin on his face, "Earth is strong against Fire. One of these days, I'm gonna whoop your ass, Salamander Natsu."
Sting guffawed at the boastful declaration. "Now you really do sound like a dragon slayer. Awesome! Hey, we'll fight too someday."
Natsu grinned at the White Dragon Slayer. "I also owe you another chance to fight me, fairly this time."
Sting beamed back at him. "Hell yes!"
Laxus stared down at the Earth Dragon Slayer. "I never did get to test your strength, kid. I'm curious how Lightning would match up against you."
"I'll warn you," Balaur smirked haughtily, "I'm pretty much impervious to lightning."
"Oooh, sounds like a challenge," Natsu laughed. "But Earth is weak to Air, right? Wendy will probably kick your butt."
"What? Me?" the little girl squeaked.
"Ah, Wendy." Balaur pulled away from the other dragon slayers and came up to her. "I owe you an apology as well." He bowed low and formally in front of her. "You shouldn't have had to face the awakening for a few more years. You suffered all that because of me. To hurt someone so young, I am deeply grieved."
She felt flustered at his sincerity, plus his Bosco accent was exotic and intriguing. "Don't worry about it. I didn't suffer too much. Now it's over with for me. I won't have to go through that again. Maybe I can grow up faster."
Balaur chuckled and patted her head. "Not too fast. Once you grow up, you'll have to fight off the boys more than fighting enemies. By how cute you look now, you'll be quite the lady when you're older."
Wendy felt her cheeks warm up and stared down at her toes.
Natsu chuckled and teased, "Wendy's blushing!"
"I am not!" she squeaked in a fluster.
Since Wendy was standing next to Lucy, Balaur looked over to her next. "Lucy..."
She gulped as he came up. It was still something like double-vision. She saw the poor, sick, tormented boy who had tried to rescue her, but she also saw the violent fiend who had assaulted her and nearly killed her. Her leg and arm still ached sometimes from the devastating injuries he gave her in their fight.
"I...I don't even know how I can possibly apologize for all I did to you." Balaur's face tensed up, and tears lined his eyelids. "I hurt so many. I killed countless people. I know that, but I was never conscious through it. I don't remember any of what the feral did. I guess that's a blessing. But with you...the feral let me watch what he did to you. I realize, I might have done the exact same thing to dozens of other people. I may have done worse. A lot worse," he ended in a faint whisper. "It's like all of my sins pile up onto what I did to you, because with you—and only with you—I actually saw what my beast did, how vicious and sadistic it was. It...it makes me want to vomit."
He gulped and lowered his head. The worries in Lucy's mind faded as she saw just how miserable this boy felt for crimes that he had no control over. She took his hands, callused and as rough as sandstone, and squeezed them with her gentle, soft fingers.
"You had no control to stop it," she said with a tone of forgiveness. "You even tried to help me to escape by giving me your magic power so I could call one of my Celestial Spirits. That shows you're actually a good guy deep down inside." Her eyes drifted past him and over to Natsu. He was watching her warily and curiously, wondering how she would forgive this person who had plagued her nightmares for so long. "Blaming people for something they absolutely can't control...it's not fair, and it's not right. You can only blame the person who wanted the pain, not the thing that was used to deliver the pain. It would be like blaming a sword and not the swordsman wielding it. The beast was wielding your body. You had no control. You were a tool it could use."
"It was still part of my instincts," Balaur muttered in misery.
Lucy had heard the same inflection of guilt from Natsu, and as she looked over at the Fire Dragon Slayer again, she saw the same inner pain. It was like she was speaking to both of them.
"We all have dark desires." Lucy looked back to Balaur, took his chin in her hand, and tipped his face up to see wetness streaking his cheeks. "What makes us human is the ability not to give in to those desires. You're human now. You don't ever have to go through that again. You make your own decisions based on your own morality."
His eyes hardened with determination. "You're right. I'm human. When Natsu healed me, he gave me a choice, and I decided I wanted to be human, not a dragon. As a human, I can control myself, and I can atone for what I did. I can't erase what the beast did to you—and to other people. It's a sin I'll have to endure all my life. However, because of that, I swear, I will help women in need. I will honor them and respect them. I will do everything in my power to protect the weak. I'll fight the people who have lost their humanity and fallen into the depths of their dark instincts. Maybe I can save a few of them, as well. That's all I can do for now, but maybe it'll be enough to balance out all the blood on my hands."
Balaur then turned to Natsu. "For what I did to Lucy, I deserved to have died by your hands."
Natsu shook his head. "I don't kill people."
"Then you're a stronger man than I am. Protect her, Natsu Dragneel. I sincerely hope you and Lucy can have a happy life together. Farewell."
Without another word, Balaur turned and left Lucy's home. A silence followed him, until someone gave a long sigh.
"Well, that's all over now," Sting said, stretching his arms above his head. "I miss my bed. Rogue, ready to go home?"
"We need to get Frosh and Lector. Happy said something about a catnip tea party."
Sting grimaced. "Oh, that doesn't sound good. We better go check on things."
Laxus asked, "What are you going to tell your guild? You two left to chase after the feral dragon slayer."
Sting turned to face him. "No one knows it was a feral, only us. When we left Sabertooth, we just told people it was a monster or beast. The fact that this was a dragon slayer gone bad is something the public should never know. Ever!" he said seriously. "We'll just report that the beast was vanquished. Two beasts, I guess." Sting slapped Natsu hard on the back with a massive grin. "Good to see you back to normal, Natsu. Later." Then he turned and left with Rogue.
"I'm outta here," Laxus grumbled, leaving as well without any other word of encouragement or congratulations.
"If you're feeling better, I still have other people to heal," Wendy said, curtsying briefly before leaving.
Lucy sighed wearily. "Finally, some peace in my home again." Then she realized Gajeel was still around.
His answer to her silent wondering was terse. "I need to talk to him."
"Oh, okay. Natsu, do you need anything?"
"My throat still hurts a bit. I could use something to drink."
"Got it!" She hurried into the kitchen.
Gajeel waited until the others were away, and then he leaned over Natsu with a furious glare in his narrow eyes. "What the hell did you do, Salamander?"
Natsu looked up at him in surprise. "Huh?"
"I didn't want to say anything around the others. They all think you're fine and normal. You're not normal!" he growled. "You don't smell feral, but you smell...different. It ain't a smell I know, and I don't like it."
Natsu smiled smugly. "Get used to it. This is me now. It's how I am."
Gajeel glared harshly. "Are you safe?"
Natsu gave a blithe shrug. "Pretty sure."
His casual attitude annoyed Gajeel. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means I'm pretty sure what I did worked, for Balaur and for me. It's not the same as you, but it works good enough."
"Good enough?" Gajeel bellowed. He grabbed Natsu by his scarf and hauled him up close. "You hurt Lucy, and that bastard kid almost killed her twice, and you're leaving this as being good enough?"
Natsu's eyes flashed red. "Back the hell off, metalhead."
Gajeel quickly let go and jolted away. He felt...intimidated. And it annoyed the hell out of him! What was it about Natsu that, for a split second, made Gajeel's whole body cower?
Instantly, Natsu's eyes were normal again. "See. I'm in control."
"He's still in there," Gajeel sneered in disbelief and outrage.
"The beast is still in you, too. It's in Sting and Rogue. It's in all of us. I merely let my beast live, while you guys crushed that seed of self-awareness."
"Who's to say you won't flip out?" Gajeel lashed out in anger.
"The beast doesn't want it, and neither do I. This only works because my beast and I got to know each other well, and we compromised. He remains alive and conscious of what is happening, and I use his strength whenever I need it."
"That's too dangerous, Salamander!" he shouted, lashing his hand out in fury.
Natsu did not back down and stared up at the Iron Dragon Slayer with serious eyes. "Life's always dangerous. All we can do is trust that we do the right thing and don't mess up too badly. I've got my friends to take care of me, and I'll take care of them. Plus, I have Lucy. I can't screw up, because she might get hurt, and that is one thing neither me nor the beast inside me wants."
"What if that beast in you gets bored or loses interest in Lucy?"
Natsu's eyebrow raised up. "Have you ever looked at her? Who the hell could get bored of a girl like that?"
"Pervert," Gajeel grumbled.
"Tell ya what. If I ever lose control and the beast inside rampages, you can kill me. I'm that confident that I have control."
Gajeel pointed his finger sharply into Natsu's chest. "I'm keeping my eyes on you, Salamander. One screw up..."
"Gonna watch me all the time?" Natsu smirked. "Who's the pervert?"
With a deep growl, Gajeel turned away and stomped out of the room. "I still don't like your smell."
Natsu shouted after him. "I never liked yours, either."
As Gajeel stormed out, Lucy came back with a tea tray. She watched Gajeel until he slammed her door shut, shaking the walls.
"Sheesh, what's up with him?"
"Don't worry," Natsu said dismissively. He sat back down on her bed. "Come here."
She entered the bedroom and set the tray down on her nightstand. "Tea with honey and lemon. It'll help your sore throat. I also figured you're a bit hungry so I added some biscuits and..."
Natsu yanked her down onto his lap. "I'm hungry, all right!"
Lucy saw the desire smoldering in his gaze and blushed brightly. "Natsu..."
"I don't have to be scared of myself anymore," he said, nuzzling her neck and inhaling the fragrance of her skin. "Finally, I can be as wild as I want without worrying about that annoying guy taking over."
He kissed her on the lips. For the first time, there was no voice in the back of his head urging him on, no secondary thoughts about forgetting an annoying thing like kissing and getting to the good part. He could savor such a simple thing, like the feel of her soft mouth against his and the taste of her strawberry lip gloss as he lightly sucked her bottom lip.
"No one's left in here, right?" he asked in a husky voice, letting himself become intoxicated as her smell intensified. Lucy shook her head, not trusting her voice. "So, we're all alone?" He took both of her cheeks in his hands and turned her face down to him. "Good."
He kissed her firmer, and his tongue sought out her taste. Lucy moaned as Natsu's hot hands skimmed over her stomach and glided up her blouse to her breasts. His mouth was so hot, and hit fingers felt like they might burn away her clothing. Natsu smiled up at her, adoring the way her cheeks turned pink and her eyes squinted up, as if she could hide away from the way he made her feel.
Lucy suddenly grabbed around his shoulders and buried her face in his scarf, hiding the tears that he could still smell. Natsu froze, worried why she was crying. Was it too much? He hadn't done anything bad, had he?
"Lucy?" he asked fretfully.
"I was so worried that I'd lost you!" she cried, clutching him firmly.
"I'm here," he assured her, tenderly stroking back her golden hair. "It's all over. I'm safe, and you're safe, and we can be together." He clutched her against him, like grabbing hold of a treasure after a long and arduous battle. "No fears, no cages, just us."
He thought about the beast's words. "If Lucy wants Slayer, Lucy will have Slayer. I will go, Slayer will stay."
"I'll always be me," Natsu swore fervently. "I'll always be your dragon slayer."
He kissed her blond hair and buried his nose into the fragrance of the back of her neck. Finally, they were free to be together!
"Hey," he cried out happily. "Now we can start dating for real, right? We can go on dates and walk around town holding hands and I can take you out to dinners. I'm gonna be the best boyfriend ever. Promise!"
Her laughter dispersed the tears, and Natsu grinned to see her smiling. Like he had promised the beast, if Lucy ever cried, he would make her smile again.
"I just wanna make you happy," he told her, putting aside his silliness and trying to sound serious. "Whatever you want, just let me know. I'll probably screw up along the way, so you'll need to help me out with this whole dating thing."
Still sitting on his lap, she looked down into his narrow green eyes and stroked her fingers through his wild hair. "For now, kiss me."
He leaned his face up to hers, feeling the way her breathing quickened and the slight shudder in her muscles as she waited in anticipation. "I love you, Lucy," he whispered passionately, gazing at her waiting lips.
She just about melted at hearing him say those words. "I love you too, Natsu. I love you so much."
His lips just barely brushed against her, kissing her with all the gentleness he could muster, and savoring that he could be tender with her without any worries or fear. There was only himself and Lucy, and if there was anything more inside him, Natsu did not sense it in there.
"It's just you and me, Lucy," he sighed in happiness. "Only us." He gripped her cheeks in his hands, wanting to always feel the cool softness of her skin. "Be mine forever."
Her eyes widened in shock. For-...-ever?
"Uh...well..." He stuttered as he realized what he just said. Natsu rubbed the back of his head and looked aside, gazing up to the corner of her ceiling, hoping Lucy did not see just how much he was blushing. "Be mine...for now?" He hoped that was better. This romance business was so awkward.
Lucy sputtered out a joyful laugh and nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm all yours. Your...mate, right?" she asked uncertainly.
He shook his head and gave her another warm kiss. "My girlfriend. How about I get a shower and take you out on a date? I'm absolutely starving, and tea and biscuits won't be enough."
She beamed happily and nodded. Dating with Natsu was going to be an adventure all of its own.

End of Chapter 34

A/N: The lady who got Balaur clothes, Nicci Bonder, is from way back in Chapter 11. I had many readers who wanted me to hook up Balaur and Nicci at the end, but he's still in love with his foster sister, Smaralda. Plus Nicci is too old for him, haha! But I gave a cursory nod to everyone who wanted her to at least thank Balaur.
Since this is the last time we'll get to see Beast, I decided to voice out his farewell. Pardon the low volume. Doing the beast's voice really wears out my throat.
http://chirb.it/Cwm14O
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Beastly Possession