Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima and not this poor teenager with too much ideas.
'Thinking'
"Talking"
"Techniques"
Prologue: Departure
"Karyuu no Hokou!"
A powerful burst of flames erupted from the young boy's mouth, incinerating the many trees that were in its path. It hit a rock a few seconds later, making it explode a brilliant orange. The boy cheered at his technique's success, turning to his teacher, smiling widely.
"Did you see that Dad!? I'm so awesome!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The ground and trees shook as an incredibly loud throaty, hearty laugh that sounded much like a roar echoed through the clearing. Birds calmly enjoying the fine sunny afternoon were startled from their perch and squawked loudly in protest. However, all their complaints, as well as their will to stay in the area, suddenly vanished when a huge, hulking, beastly figure rose from the clearing where it laid.
The creature was enormous and ferocious looking with its vivid crimson scales, wicked claws and razor-sharp teeth. There, standing in all its glory was a mythical creature that few could attest to have ever seen, a dragon. Unbelievably, it seemed that the laugh had emerged from its wide maw, judging by the grin present on its face.
"Indeed that was, my child! But is that all you can do!? Show me the power of a dragon slayer!" The dragon of flames, Igneel, challenged his small, human companion.
"OOOOOHHHH! You'll be amazed, so be sure not to blink!" The boy responded with a grin. He then launched himself forward towards a massive boulder to the edge of the clearing, igniting the bottom of his naked feet with powerful flames. Utilizing his intense speed, he flipped himself and delivered a devastating kick to the rocky surface.
"Karyuu no Kagitsume!"
His blazing kick demolished the boulder into little pieces that flew everywhere due to the explosion. The rose-haired boy looked at his handiwork with evident pride before turning back to the awaiting dragon.
"Not bad Natsu... for a puny human child." The dragon teased the child that looked to be no older than eight years old.
"What!?" Natsu exclaimed in outrage, raising his fist. "Come here and I'll show you what this puny kid is made of!"
Crying out like a warrior charging the battlefield, Natsu charged at his father with his fists shrouded in flames. To humour him, Igneel placed himself into an awaiting position and waited for Natsu to get there. Not that the kid had a chance as he was quickly swooped off his feet by a long scaly tail that sent him careening into the air.
"HAAAAAA HAHAHA!" His surprised cry soon turned into happy giggles as he landed on his father's head. He quickly ran up the dragon's snout and hugged the horn on top of it fiercely.
"Hehe bet you can't reach me here!"
"Ho? Is that a challenge?"
The two played and fought for the rest of the afternoon, giving off a happy aura of calmness and peace. As the first stars started to show themselves in big blue skies, Igneel breathed out a small flame that lit up a small fire camp. Natsu dragged the large boar that Igneel had caught them earlier that day and placed directly on top of the burning embers.
As his son tended to their meal, Igneel found himself relax and look at the young child's back.
'He's already come this far.'
In the Dragonslayer Magic that he had taught him, Igneel had no doubt that Natsu was a prodigy. He had blazed through the breathing and body conditioning exercising and had taken every technique like a sponge to water. It was simply amazing, Igneel was extremely impressed. The original plan had been to take care of Natsu until the promised day, where he would leave him to fend for himself and get stronger on his own. However, that day was still far away, more than three years from now. So, faced with this predicament, Igneel had trouble coming up with a decision.
Should he have Natsu stay with him for the next three years, or should he unleash him upon the world ahead of schedule, so that he could forge his own path and get stronger? Igneel had nothing left to teach his son, but it would be a lie to say that he didn't love the brat. Moreover, the world out there was a dangerous place. Hidden beneath the shallow safety of Fiore, a system kept running by the Era council and various mage guilds, darkness prowled, awaiting its chance to strike. Igneel was not stupid. If he left Natsu right now, there was no guarantee that he would come out unchanged and unscathed. He was only a small boy after all, still not strong enough to deal with the shadows that plagued the world.
Unable to form a conclusion, conflicted, worried, Igneel opted to ask Natsu what he preferred and decide based on that. Intent on doing that, he shook himself from his thoughts only to notice the pink-haired brat stuffing the last chunks of meat inside of his already full mouth. A tick mark appeared on the dragon's head.
"HEY YOU BRAT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING EATING ALL THE FOOD!" Igneel roared, ruffling the forest rather violently.
"What? You weren't eating so I thought you weren't hungry." Natsu stared back with a bored look, finger stuck up his nose. The boy had a small grin on his face, showing that he fully meant to do it.
"YOU BRAT!"
And with that, the two resumed their previous antics, at least until Natsu yawned, tired from the day's activities. Igneel sighed and settled down at his usual sleeping spot, under a big solid oak tree that dominated the others by its sheer height. He stretched his limbs and folded his wings, curling his tail. As he placed his head down on the soft grass, Natsu came to join him, stumbling tiredly over his own feet until he collapsed by Igneel's snout. In synchronization, both father and son turned their eyes to the starry skies like did every night.
"Natsu."
Feeling drowsy from the soft breeze caressing his face like a sweet lullaby, Natsu was startled.
"Hmmmm?" He groaned out, too lazy to form proper words.
"Do you want to get out in the world, to meet new people? To meet strong mages?"
Igneel's question was vague, left too many important details out; details that wouldn't make a child misunderstand. In Natsu's tired mind, images of him and Igneel soaring over villages in search of an adventure and flashes of them teaming up against god-level enemies erupted one after the other, making him smile. The answer was obvious.
"Yeah..." He responded, letting himself let go of reality in favor of these warm dreams that welcomed him with open arms. Soon enough, small snores blew out of his nose, his chest rising and falling gently as he breathed peacefully.
As he watched his child sleep, Igneel's eyes held some sadness. He had his response; it didn't matter if it was one given to him with a cloudy mind. Natsu wanted to see the world, and Igneel wouldn't stop him. Dragons were curious creature by nature, so he understood. Natsu would learn more in the outside world, where infinite possibilities existed, than by staying with him in this small clearing deep into the forest, where no human set foot.
Igneel's mouth formed a bitter smile as he closed his eyes. He would have to leave tonight, before he could change his mind. But for now...
He would spend a few hours watching over his son.
As the first lights shined on the clearing he had learned to call home, Natsu's eyes fluttered open and he shivered at the strange coldness that overcame his body. He slowly stood up and gave a lengthy yawn as he stretched his limbs.
"MMmmmmm... Igneel?" He mumbled out, his mind still hazy from sleeping. He scratched his right butt cheek in confusion as he noticed the lack of a giant red creature lying beside him. That was strange, as Igneel always waited for Natsu to wake up before rising, a sign of the close bond between the two.
Natsu's eyes widened as a surge of panic flashed through his body, waking him up completely in a millisecond. He frantically looked around him, his pupils moving erratically from one direction to another, seeing, analysing, but finding nothing. He sped forward and climbed a tree, rising to the top to have a better view of the surroundings. Wind slapped his face as he stood above the leaves. He took in the endless see of green and wide blue sky, but not a single sign of red could be spotted within his frantic vision.
"Igneel! Are you there!?"
Natsu's yell startled the wildlife as a flock of colourful birds flew away, making him realize a definite possibility. He jumped back down to the ground and nodded, a light bulb flashing over his head.
"Ah! He must be out hunting!" He realized. The dragon he called his father had often told him that hunting was easier and he would catch more in a small amount of time at dawn because the animals were still sleeping or drowsy. He supposed it made sense, and more food was always welcome in his book.
His worries now gone, Natsu breathed out and slammed his fists together. He ignited his fists as he grinned wildly, a spark in his eye.
"YOSH! Let's train!"
There was no use dillydallying in one spot when he could be getting stronger and make a technique that would show Igneel who's boss. With that thought in mind, he proceeded to utterly decimate the surrounding forest, yelling out technique after technique and devastating the landscape. It was no wonder that this 'clearing' which he called home didn't actually exist until a year ago. Well... Let's just say that when a legendary dragon and his hyperactive dragonslayer child wanted to find a clearing, they found one, no questions asked.
However, as Natsu spat out a jet of brilliant flames, he was unsatisfied. This level, this heat, this power... it was too weak! He knew about the outside world where many unbelievably strong mages lived, their level was way higher. So these dull flames that he used right now were disappointing, with these, he wouldn't be able to fight anyone. Natsu wanted to feel it, the excitement of a grand battle with everything on the line, exchanging blows with an opponent that would make him go past his limits. He was fine with battling Igneel for now, but someday, surely...
"Fuuhhh!" Natsu panted as he jogged back and collapsed on the grass that could somehow endure living in the same place as a duo that literally breathed fire. He closed his eyes and brought his hands behind his neck, letting his body relax for a moment. He shivered a bit when the wind made his sweat cold, making him frown in discomfort. He guessed that it was time to take a bath before Igneel came back and found him all sticky and smelly.
Natsu walked to a stream a few minutes away from the clearing. He removed his shorts —the only article of clothing on his body since he had never seen the use of a shirt as he and Igneel were alone in this part of the world — and quickly dived into the shallow water. He felt revitalized as the cold caress of the water gripped at his skin. Putting his head under the water, he shook his pink hair to wash it and resurfaced. He noticed an odd yellow toad staring at him with its black beady eyes and stuck his tongue out at him.
After he had finished walking and dressing, he made his way back home.
"Hmmm? I wonder what Igneel brought today... Man, the boar last night sure was delicious." He salivated as a phantom taste was felt on his taste buds. He grinned creepily as drool came out of the corner of his mouth and falling down to his chin. He quickly wiped it out as more delusions of incredibly delicious meals filled his mind. So stuck in his fantasy, he didn't even notice himself walking into the clearing and ramming dead into a tree.
"Gah! You stupd tr- Wha..."
As he cursed at the plant, Natsu focused back on reality and glared at it. However, he immediately spotted a single word that made his heart stop. His mind froze, his body still as a corpse. There, under a white scarf with scale patterns flapping in the wind was a single word carved onto the bark, a word that made Natsu's good mood shatter to pieces.
'Farewell...'
As the word tried to penetrate the iron wall that his mind had defensively become, Natsu did not move. There was no mistaking what this word meant, no, there was only one meaning that this word could give. But he denied it. Even as he recalled the previous night, when Igneel had asked him a single question that he childishly misunderstood, he denied it. After all, it didn't make any sense. Just yesterday the both of them were laughing, training and playing with each other, so it didn't make any sense at all!
Natsu fell to his knees, shaking eyes wide in shock. He didn't understand. Why did it have to be this way? Did Igneel hate him? Was he fed up of dealing with a brat while gaining nothing in return? The clearing was deathly silent as tears swelled in his eyes and fell down his cheeks and onto the ground, shattering on impact.
A helpless look formed on his face as he stared at the ground. There was no way! There was no way that this was true! NO! No no no no no no no no no nonononononononononono!
This had to be a dream! However, as he desperately clung to that thought, Natsu knew that this was the truth. But, he didn't want to accept it. His mind rebooted and he stood up quickly, grabbing the scarf from its perch and started running. He didn't know which direction he was going, but that didn't even register in his mind.
"IGNEEEEEEEEEEEL!"
Natsu ran with all his might as his choked heart wrenching cry for his father echoed through the still forest. He didn't stop, he wouldn't allow himself to. He desperately clung to this fading hope, the sole light in the darkness that tried to blanket his mind. His eyes closed to try and hold back the tears, Natsu tripped on a rock and smash into a muddy river. He stood up slowly, his body caked with mud and the scarf stained so badly that you couldn't see any white anymore.
The boy tried to run again, but his now broken ankle collapsed under his weight. He grit his teeth painfully as he barely managed to flip himself onto the riverbank. And then, as he saw the sun starting to set, the harshness of reality hit him like thunder.
Igneel was really gone. His father had abandoned him.
"Guh!"
Natsu grunted as he limped forward, supporting himself with the trunk of a tree. He panted in exhaustion and pointlessly swiped at his forehead to remove the sweat that had accumulated there, only to dirty it even further with his less than hygienic hands.
It had been two days since Igneel had left him alone in this forest far away from civilization. The first day he had spent entirely on the same riverbank, unable to accept the fact that he was now by himself and that he wouldn't see his father again. He had stayed there, unmoving, until his body itched from staying still and his stomach roared in hunger. It was then that he had decided that thinking about it and hoping for everything that happened to be a dream wouldn't get him anywhere. So he had painfully stood up, and eyes barren of emotions, he had started walking into a random direction.
It was a painful journey thanks to his broken ankle, as he couldn't put any weight on it lest he collapsed. Moreover, he was far too slow to catch any animal, so he had yet to find anything to pacify his hunger. The only option would be to find a bush of berries or edible mushrooms or plants, but he had no such luck so far.
As Natsu's energy trickled away like an open tap, his thoughts were filled with images of the past few years. His younger years had been spent doing the basic breathing and body conditioning exercises to prepare to learn Fire Dragonslayer magic. It had been pretty boring in his opinion, but he had taken it like a sponge to water and it was quickly done with. Then came the flames. The first time he had managed to ignite his body in fire, it had been extremely painful and he was sure that he was burned all over, but thanks to the exercises and conditioning he had went through, he quickly got used to them. After that, he had a smooth ride to this very day, learning the techniques that Igneel taught him at a terrifying pace. Natsu did not know what a prodigy was and couldn't care less when his father identified him as such, he was only happy to become stronger so that one day he could challenge the world's strongest.
Honestly, at the moment, in this sickeningly large forest away from anything human, these times seemed like a faraway dream, a place he couldn't reach anymore.
"Oink!"
Natsu was shaken out of his thoughts when a loud grunt approached his position. The sound of leaves and twigs being crushed could be heard as something smashed its way towards him. Natsu scowled and prepared himself for the beast that was coming. In a rush, a humongous monstrous looking boar came out of the bushes to his right ramming straight into the weak and hungry Natsu. The boy cried out in pain as he was launched into the air and slammed into a tree. He slid down and fell on his back. He glared at the beast.
"Y-you bastard! You must be here to take revenge for your kin now that Igneel is gone. But too bad for you, I'm still here, and I'm SUPER hungry." Natsu growled as he took a good look at the boar with a rare serious gaze. He slowly got to his feet, eyes shadowed by his fringe of pink locks. A primal sense of fear and danger was sensed in the boar's primitive mind, but it stupidly shaked it off. It rushed at Natsu once again.
"Fine by me, stupid animal."
Natsu's fist ignited.
He couldn't go on anymore. He had been lucky on the second day, but now, a little more than a week later, he hadn't eaten anything since. Rationing had completely escaped his mind at the time and now he deeply regretted it.
The heavy rainclouds in the sky gave a mighty roar before rain started falling, drenching Natsu. His face formed a pained expression as he once again hit his purple swollen ankle against a rock. He collapsed right then and there. This was the end, he couldn't walk any further. As determined as he may be to continue on and persevere to find Igneel, his body did not lie.
As he lied there in the rain, he couldn't help but feel like he had failed. As soon as he got out of his sheltered way of living, he couldn't live more than two weeks. Pathetic, truly pathetic. He felt anger bubble out, not anger at Igneel, but at himself. He knew that Igneel left for a good reason, at least he hoped so. No, this anger was directed at his own weakness.
"D-damn it..." He managed to croak out as his vision started to fade.
However, just as he was losing consciousness, an impossible miracle occurred.
"What? Is someone here?"A voice, a human voice came from beside him. Using his last energy, Natsu sent out a flare of fire from his mouth, desperately hoping for the person to notice.
Thankfully, he heard quick footsteps rushing to his direction and felt a presence come close to him. A man approached him and quickly spoke in a worried tone.
"Hey! Are you alright!? Damn, don't worry kid. I will get you to safety!"
Natsu couldn't form any kind of response as his eyes closed and he was sent to dreamland once again.