You Don't Need It

Natsu was true to his word and he got me help. There was a local healer in this town not to far away from where the ball was. Natsu had ran all the way there. Even though he was hurt he still had ran.

The Fire Mage had practically set fire to the Healer's door. But he didn't have to because a pretty woman came out, saw me, and ushered us in. She had Natsu lay me down on a bed and then she got to work on me.

She put this sticky, clear substance on my chest and then she began to hum. After about a few seconds of humming the stuff on my chest started to glow green. Natsu was sitting beside me with worry shining in his eyes.

Then I blinked.

~2 Hours Later~

Natsu had fallen asleep beside me when I was finally able to move. I lifted my hand up and put it in front of my face. I flexed my fingers and after a moment they moved.

"You should sit still for a while." The healer said to me as she put something away. Ignoring her advice I sat up and stretched. I looked over at Natsu's sleeping form and smiled. I reached over and stopped before my fingers could touch him. I didn't want to risk waking him. I had things to do.

I let out a breath and slowly got off the bed. I stood up with shaky legs and faced the healer. "I need to do something." The healer sighed and nodded her head. "I know, just don't overexert yourself." She sighed with irritation clear in her voice. "It was a pain working through that paralyzing spell." I nodded slightly to let her know I heard her before I returned my attention to the sleeping boy next to me. I glanced behind me, picked up my cloak, and put it on over my torn dress.

I put my hood up and walked toward the door. I opened it, paused, and tilted my head toward the healer. "Watch him, please." I muttered as I walked through the door. I didn't wait to hear what she said. My time was limited. I put my hood up and played with my necklace as the first years snowfall started to fall around me.
It would be a shame that the once white snow would be stained with red soon...

I found my target in about 30 minutes. He was hiding in a dark abandoned house. He had the diamond out of his bag and he was admiring it. The diamond glittered and the light bounced off my daggers.

The Bandit turned around when the light from my daggers bounced off and glowed in his eye. From behind his hood I could see him stiffen and he leaped to his feet. I jumped down from my perch on a broken window sill and landed on my feet with a soft thump.

My black cloak fluttered around me as did my dress. "I know who you are." I muttered as I twirled my daggers in my hands. "Your the dumbass who attacked me that night." I tsked, "That wasn't very nice, ya know." I said as I took a step toward him.

He took a staggering step back and raised his free hand that didn't hold the diamond. I was more then pleased to note that the wounds that my daggers had inflicted upon him still hurt him. They made him slower. Which made him more vulnerable. Perfect.
"Then you went and paralyzed me." I said with a humorless chuckle. I brought one of my daggers to eye level and sighed. "That really wasn't nice, darling."

I flung my dagger and it sank into his stomach. He gagged and took a staggering step back as he stared down at my dagger's hilt. With jerky movements he tried to pull it out.

"Stay."

I told my dagger calmly as I stalked forward. I flipped my other dagger in the air and caught it. "But what really made me mad was that you made my friend cry." My voice was dripping with venom. He looked up at me as he tried to send his Black Magic at me.

I deflected the blow with my dagger and continued to stalk forward. "That...that was a big mistake." I muttered as I threw my second dagger. It lodged into his chest. He sucked in a sharp, breathless gasp as he fell backward.

He landed hard onto his back and a big puddle of blood was already surrounding him. I crouched down and cocked my head at him. "Oh? And, darling?" I said softly as I wrenched the diamond out of his lifeless hand.

"I hate bandits."
****
After I had gone back to the ball to bring back the priceless Jewel, I returned to the healer's home. Natsu was still asleep and when I woke him up. He hugged me tight and said that he was so sorry.

I had hugged him just as tightly and reassured him that it wasn't his fault. We had left the healer's home after we had thanked her for everything. She nodded and waved goodbye to us. That night we got on the train and we left the town. I doubt either of us would be returning anytime soon.

The healer had been gratuitous enough to give my partner a remedy to temporarily stop his Motion Sickness. Natsu had smiled and thanked her with childish glee. I smiled at the memory. Neither Natsu nor I hadn't even bothered to change. I didn't mind it though. We had been silent for about 20 minutes into the train ride when the Salamander finally spoke. He asked me what we were going to do about that bandit and the diamond. I lied through my teeth.

"He's probably long gone by now. I wouldn't worry about it so much, Natsu." When he didn't answer right away, I looked over at him. He was facing away from me and shadows were obscuring his eyes from view. But by the way his jaw was clenched and the way his fists were balled up, I could tell he didn't like my answer.

"I want to find him..." He muttered darkly. My eyes flashed to him and I leaned over to grab his hand. He didn't look at me as I intertwined our fingers together. "I can hear it." I told him while looking down.

I saw him shift but the shadows still hid his eyes from me. "What?"

"I can hear the hate...and the hurt." I looked up, "Don't. Take that out of your voice. Let the hurt and hate go." I tightened my grip on his hand. "Those things don't need to be anywhere near you."

He lowered his head, his vibrant hair falling onto his forehead, "How am I supposed to get rid of it? He hurt you...he made me think that I lost you." My heart did backflips. "I'm still here. I was always there. You just couldn't see me." I told him in a soft voice as I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Just let go of the hate. You don't need it." Don't let it corrupt you...Like it already did me.

He looked down at our joined hands and nodded. "As long as your here...I don't need it."
****
"A paralyzing spell?!" Levy yelled in shock. She hugged me to her and I hugged her back. Natsu and I had made it back to the Guild in one piece. I had changed out of my dress and put on a black shirt and some pants with my combat boots on.

It had been snowing heavily when we had made our way back to the Guild. So I had put on my cloak once more. Natsu was just wearing his normal clothes since his natural body temperature burned away the cold. Happy had first greeted us and then Levy. She about had a heart attack when I told her what had happened to me.

"Levs, calm yourself! I'm fine." I laughed out as she let go of me. Levy and I were sitting at a table at the back of the Guild. Her small shoulders slumped and she looked away. "But...it's all my fault, Fey-chan..."

"Huh?" I said as I stared at her.

"I-I was the one who showed Happy the Job Request...and then he gave it to Natsu." Levy told me in a whisper. I sat there staring at her for a good few seconds. I leaned back in my chair with an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe you..." I said and her shoulders stiffened.

"I can't believe that you knew that there was going to be a ball!" I yelled at her in horror and banged my head on the table. "W-what?" Levy asked in disbelief. "You bookworm traitor." I whined. "I knew it was strange that he would have picked a Job Request that would require dancing!"

I banged my head on the table and released a moan. "You...don't hate me?" Her small, hesitant voice asked me. I looked up at her and smiled. "Course not, Levs, your my best friend! I could never hate you." I gave her a closed eyed smile.

Levy looked at me for a moment then she smiled so brightly that the whole Guild should have lit up. But then she smiled evilly and leaned in closer to me, "Soooo...how was the ball?" My thoughts immediately went to the way that we had danced. How close we had been. His hands on me and mine on him. I smirked and winked. "It wasn't so bad."
*******
Natsu had been pretty much silent the whole night since we got back. He didn't even take on Gray's fight challenge. He had just blinked at him and looked away. Which had caused our friends to do a double take, especially me.

I was worried about him. Natsu wouldn't even make eye contact with me. It was past 2 A.M when I decided to leave. Levy looked like she was about to pass out from how tired she looked. Jet and Droy noticed and they said they would walk her home. So, I smiled and hugged her goodbye. Promising her that Lucy, her, and I would drop by the bookstore tomorrow.

I went over to Natsu to tell him goodnight and reached out to touch his arm. He jumped at my touch and I removed my hand quickly. I cocked my head at him, "Natsu...are you alright?" He tilted his head at me for a moment, but he never turned to face me, and he shrugged, "I'm fine." He muttered, voice clipped, before he tilted his head away from me even more.

I studied his tensed up form for a another moment more before I nodded slightly. I swallowed thickly and looked away. "I'm going home, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Hmm." He buried his mouth and nose into his scarf.

He hadn't even looked at me.

"Okay." I said softly before I pivoted and walked out of the Fairy Tail Guild. My heart hurt and it felt like someone had reached in and squeezed it in a cold, hard grasp. Unwanted questions began to plague my mind relentlessly.

Why had he been so cold towards me?

Was it something I did?

Said?

Was he still thinking about that bandit?

I had only known him for a little more then a year but from the stories I had heard and from what I had seen. Natsu Dragneel was very protective over his family. He would stop at nothing to fight for them and to protect them at all costs. Which worried me. What if that bandit hadn't been alone? What if he belonged to some sort of Dark Guild?

What if...Natsu went back and tried to find him? I shook my head as I continued to crunch my way through the many layers of white snow on the ground. He would only find a dead body anyway. As would anyone who came across that abandoned building.

My breath puffed out in front of me as I looked up at the dark grey sky. I watched as a big snowflake floated down toward me lazily. I reached up and tentatively touched it with the tip of my finger. It instantly melted...kinda like my heart. I looked back down, pulled up my hood, and stalked away.

Author's Note: This is going to be the last care free chapter. The next chapter and the few chapters after that will be heated, action packed, and heart breaking. I apologize in advance for feelings I may crush and burn. I dedicate this chapter to chello_8893 for being an amazing GaLe writer. What's wrong with our favorite Fire Breather? Find out in the next chapter...