Hello everyone! This is my new crossover of Fairy Tail and Naruto Shippuden! I've been wanting to write this for such a long time and, so...here we are! This story may or may not take precedence over my other stories, depending on the feedback I get for this. Please enjoy ^_^ ~Astridelta
Chapter One
Lost in a New Land
Early morning in Magnolia. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and civilians were strolling calmly throughout the streets, conversations bubbling amongst the sounds of animals and shopping. All was quiet, calm, tranquil...
"OI! FIRE BOY! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"
"SHOVE IT YOU FUCKING PEDOPHILE! PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!"
"I'LL PUT SOME CLOTHES ON WHEN YOU FUCKING GIVE ME THAT CHALICE!"
Heads turned and exasperated sighs filled the air as a pink and black blur streaked past, the pink one holding a glistening golden cup, a white-checkered scarf fluttering around his neck. A black and gold open vest revealed his chest, sculpted muscles rippling as he ran while black trousers with gold trimming on the hems fell to his ankles and were tied around his waist with a gold ribbon. His pale pink hair was blown past his forehead as a grin spread his lips, cackling laughter coming from his throat.
His name? Natsu Dragneel. The Salamander Dragon-Slayer of Fairy Tail, the strongest mage guild in the land. Also the greatest group of trouble-makers to ever grace the streets of Magnolia. Especially Natsu.
The boy furiously chasing behind the rosette seventeen year-old was Gray Fullbuster, an Ice-Make mage...who had a tendency to strip whenever he could. The boy ran in nothing but his dark blue boxers, his black hair stirring in the wind he generated as he ran. "Ice make floor!" "Damn you Fullbuster!" Arms flailing comically, Natsu started to slip on the ice that had formed under his feet, digging his heels futilely into the ground and was sent careening down the alley-way, a loud crash causing many of the innocent bystanders of the scene to wince in sympathy.
Gray came to a stop in his run, his clothes almost magically back on his body as the dust cleared in front of him. The raven was wearing a blue trench-coat with white trimming, the sleeves coming down to his elbows while a simple navy blue tee-shirt covered his chest. Black, sagging pants sheathed his legs while military-style boots covered his feet. He smirked as Natsu's form was revealed laying upside down against a wall, eyes spinning and his tongue lolling from his mouth.
"I'll take that," Gray proclaimed smugly and reached forward to pry the chalice from Natsu's hand. Some sort of jumbled curse came from Natsu's mouth while Gray strutted from the alleyway, prize in hand. Now, you may be wonder why exactly Gray wanted this chalice? The answer was simple.
If they didn't get it back to Erza before she returned from her mission...they were fucked.
Why Natsu had wanted the damn thing in the first place, Gray had no idea. The thing wasn't even worth much as far as he could tell, just a golden cup with a few rubies placed around the rim. There was some ornate carving around the hilt and some sort of crest at the bottom, a music note at the base of the circle, so maybe this was a family heirloom or something.
"Fucking Salamander," Gray muttered to himself as he approached the large cobblestone building he, and the rest of the Fairy Tail mages, called home. But just as he was about to step through the gates of the guild and into the courtyard...he saw her.
Erza Scarlett. Strongest female mage in Fairy Tail, able to ex-quip any armor and weapon at will, known for her terrible acting skills...and her temper. Her bright-red hair shone in the mid-morning sunshine while her typical armor glistened as she stood with her back to Gray, talking with who appeared to be Gazille, the Steel Dragon-Slayer who had recently joined Fairy Tail...after destroying it all, anyway.
Gulping nervously, Gray hid the chalice behind his back and began to skirt around the compound, hoping to use the many shops and carts set up in the courtyard to hide until he could get the chalice to Lucy or Mirajane or someone and-
"Gray-samaaaaaaaaa!"
"Fuck," Gray whispered.
Glancing over his shoulder with his eyebrow twitching in irritation, Gray saw none other than Juvia skipping towards him, her blue shoulder-length curls of hair bouncing unnaturally as she hopped. A black poncho went over her blue blouse, and her mid-thigh skirt shone with the blue sequins that were sewn onto it. Gray rolled his eyes as she approached. Where the hell did she even come from? The girl was like a damn blood-hound!
"Gray-sama," Juvia greeted again and her large black eyes stared up at the raven. Sighing, Grey glanced over at Erza and saw her staring at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Panicking, Gray looked over at Juvia. "Oh, uh Juvia! Hey...so I need you to do something for me!" The raven exclaimed and turning Juvia so that his back was facing Erza while he talked. "Anything for Gray-sama," Juvia said dreamily and smiled. Weird, Gray thought, but held the chalice forward to the girl regardless.
"I need you to take this to Erza's room, please."
Like flipping a switch, Juvia's mood turned from light and happy to dark and gloomy. Was it just Gray's imagination, or was the sky getting darker? "To...Erza-san's..." Juvia whispered. "Is Erza-san involved with Gray-sama...?" "No, no," Gray said quickly and waved his hands in front of him, shaking his hand. "It's just, Natsu took it and I need to get it back before Erza decides to kill us all!" Juvia's eyes were suspiciously wet as Gray stared at her.
"Does Gray-sama want Juvia to...deliver the present for Erza-san now?" Why does she always talk in third person, Gray groaned in his head. "It isn't a present, and yes. Now would be great," the raven sighed. The blue-haired witch seemed depressed as she nodded and turned with the chalice in hand, slowly making her way to the guild. "Ugh," Gray groaned out loud. "Juvia, wait..."
Juvia's reaction was almost comical. The girl spun on her heel and sprinted back to stand in front of him, eyes wide as she gripped the cup in her hands. "Yes Gray-sama?" She whispered. Gray rolled his eyes. "Nothing...nothing is going on between me and Erza, alright," he muttered, "She's like an older sister to me...k?" Juvia nodded and smiled. Gray looked away and waved her off, only glancing at her retreating back once he was sure she wasn't looking and smiled lightly.
In all honestly, while Juvia was rather clingy, annoying, and bothersome, she had her moments. Gray sighed and shook his head. If she didn't try so hard all the time to get noticed, maybe he would be able to stand her..."...Gray!" The raven's back stiffened and his eyes widened at the voice calling his name. Turning slowly, he saw Erza stalking towards him with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. He quickly brought a hand behind his head and smiled nervously, remembering the last time the ginger had been mad at him. He hadn't been able to sit properly for a week afterwards.
"Hey Erza!" He chirped out, voice oddly high-pitched when the girl stopped in front of him. "What's up?" Erza's scowl deepened. "I have to talk with you and Natsu about something," she growled in return. Gray gulped, then nodded. "Sure. I think the idiot's in town right now though..." Erza shook her head and poked her thumb over shoulder. "He just came crawling in, demanding you give him 'the cup'..." Erza arched an eyebrow at the statement while Gray restrained himself from slamming his palm against his forehead.
"If you, Natsu, and Lucy could meet me on the second floor soon, we'll talk." "Yeah, sure." Gray kept on forgetting the second floor was no longer off-limits to mages under S-class anymore...walking away, Erza glanced over at where Gazille and Laxus were having an arm-wrestling match, the Lightning Dragon-Slayer and the Steel Dragon-Slayer evenly matched in terms of strength. A crowd was forming, and was that...Master Makarov collecting bets?
Gray shook his head and looked around the crowded courtyard until he spotted Natsu conveniently with Lucy, the busty blonde wearing a green tank top that cut off just above her navel before a black skirt went down to the middle of her thighs, followed by simple high boots. Natsu's Exceed Happy, a small blue cat with snow white wings on his back, was chatting to Charle, a white Exceed who looked rather annoyed with her blue counterpart.
"Oi Natsu," Gray called out and walked over to the rosette boy, still feeling slightly annoyed over what had happened that morning. Natsu looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes as he saw Gray approaching. "Well if it isn't the pedophile," the Dragon-Slayer yawned and grinned as Gray punched him in the arm and looked at Lucy. "Erza wants to talk to us," the raven said and nodded towards the Fairy Tail guild. Natsu paled and stiffened.
"What?!" He exclaimed and stomped his foot on the ground, "But you're the one who brought her the damn cup in the first place! And Lucy had nothing-" "Quiet," Gray hissed and slapped his palm over the Salamander's mouth. "She said she had to talk to me, you, and Lucy- Stop licking my hand!" Natsu laughed as Gray pulled his saliva-covered palm away and began to wipe it on the rosette's vest. "Let's go," Gray muttered and turned, beckoning for Lucy and Natsu to follow, the duo exchanging confused glances before trailing behind.
"Hey Natsu," Happy called, "Where are you going?" Natsu looked over his shoulder at the Exceed. "Gotta go talk with Erza," he yelled back. "Just stay out here!" "Aye!" Happy agreed and turned back to Charle. "Do you want to go get some fish?" Charle sighed.
Lucy stared at Gray's back as the trio went inside of the guild. It was a large, open area much like a tavern, with wooden floors and tables scattered around while a bar was set up to the right of the entrance. Waitresses, who were actually mages of Fairy Tail, walked around and took orders from patrons to the "bar" and carrying trays of food and drink around the room. A stage was set up at the opposite side of the expanse, and on it sat Mirajane, the former Demon of Fairy Tail.
Her white hair was pulled up into a tight bun, and she wore a simple cream colored off the shoulder floor-length dress with white lace on the sleeves. She was singing a song Lucy had never heard before, but the melody of it was very calming and peaceful, reminding her of summertime and relaxation. "Lucy?" Natsu said somewhere to the blonde's left, and the mage glanced over to see him and Gray standing on one of the staircases that led to the second floor.
"Oh, right," Lucy said and smiled, jogging over to where they waiting and ascended the staircase. Once they were on the second floor, which was a balcony that surrounded the whole first floor with an open space in the middle to make room for chandeliers, Lucy saw Erza sitting at a table by the mission bulletin board, holding a plate of strawberry cheesecake in one hand and a fork in the other. The ginger glanced up as she saw them approaching and placed her plate calmly on the table.
"Sit," Erza offered simply, and Lucy saw three stools set around the table. Was it just her imagination, or did Natsu and Gray look nervous as they took seats on either side of her? Erza cleared her throat quietly once the three of them were seated. "I have to go on a mission soon," she began quietly. "And...I would like to ask the three of you to come with me." Natsu, who had been drinking from a glass of ale that had been on the table earlier, began to choke, while Gray inhaled sharply. "Seriously?!" Lucy exclaimed and beamed at her fellow mage.
Erza looked slightly embarrassed at their reactions. "It's not like you haven't come on missions with me before," she muttered. Lucy nodded. "But...I mean, we're glad you asked us..." Erza smiled. Then she looked down and picked something up off of the ground by her feet. Placing a golden chalice on the table, Lucy heard Gray mutter something about killing Natsu as Erza's eyes traveled over all three of them.
"This chalice," Erza began and traced the rim of the cup with her index finger, "Is to be delivered to our client in perfect condition. No scratches, dents, or nothing." "Is there any information on them?" Gray asked. Erza shook her head in denial. "I'm afraid not," she said. "We'll just find out when we get there, I guess," Lucy offered.
"What if he's a criminal?" Natsu asked. "Can we light him up?" Erza scowled. "If they are a criminal, or criminals, we will act as the situation sees fit," she said. "I was going to depart this afternoon, but since I want to bring you three along then you'll need some time to prepare. This is easily a three or four week journey." "I like how she just assumed we'll go with," Natsu leaned over and muttered in Lucy's ear. "What was that Natsu?" Erza asked with false sweetness, holding a sword up as Lucy's eyes widened and her mouth dropped.
"Uhhh...nothing!" Natsu chirped and stood, imitating a soldier's salute. "Happy and I will be ready by sundown!" Erza nodded, pleased with the response. "Yeah, I'll be good to go by the evening," Gray said. That just left Lucy. The blonde glanced at the three other mages staring at her and smiled nervously. "Um..I gotta talk to my landlady and work out rent...and who's going to take care of my apartment," Lucy said. "No worries!" Natsu said and gripped the blonde's arm, running towards the staircase and dragging her along.
"I'll just talk to her!"
"WHAAAAAAAAA-?!"
"I can't believe you threatened to burn the building down," Lucy muttered as she walked on the edge of the stone bridge in front of her home. "Lucy-san! Be careful!" A man called from a boat in the river to her left. "Nah, I wasn't actually gonna burn it," Natsu replied happily, walking on the road with his hands behind his head. Lucy looked over and glared at the Salamander. "...Okay, maybe a couple of rooms. But that's all!" Natsu corrected and laughed. "By the way, where's Pun?"
The small, white dog-like creature with the carrot nose who was normally with Lucy on her way to and from home was currently missing from the blonde's side. "Ah, I'm just gonna let him rest for the day," Lucy explained and gripped the golden and silver keys dangling from the belt on her hip lightly. "Plus I used the celestial beings a lot on that last mission, they all deserve a good break." Lucy heard Natsu murmur an agreement.
"I wonder why Erza decided to ask us for help with her mission all of a sudden," she said under her breath as they walked towards the Fairy Tail guild. "Maybe she knows I'm stronger than her, so I'll be perfect to protect her," Natsu said gleefully, briefly igniting fire in his fist and punching his opposite palm. "No, she'll probably use you as a distraction in a fight," Lucy sighed and giggled as Natsu began to complain.
"Lucy-san! Natsu-san!"
Lucy and Natsu both turned to see Juvia running tearing down the road towards them, a large blue bag on her back. The girl came to a stop in front the duo, panting. "Is...is Gray-sama with you?" Juvia wheezed out. Both Lucy and Natsu exchanged confused glances before returning to looking at the blue-haired mage. "Uhhh, no," Natsu said. "We're meeting up with him and Erza before we all go on our mission though," Lucy clarified. "Juvia will go with you then!" Juvia exclaimed and stood straight, smiling.
"Erm...Erza asked only for us and Gray," Lucy explained. Juvia shook her head. "Erza-san will ask for Juvia as well!" Juvia said determinedly and adjusted the straps of her bag, nodding to herself. "Okay then," Natsu complied and waved his hand over his shoulder while turning and continuing in their direction. "Um, Natsu," Lucy whispered and hopped off of the railing, leaning close to the rosette. "Gray might not be too happy with this..." "Exactly," Natsu replied and looked down at her, an evil grin on his face.
Lucy rolled her eyes and stayed close by Natsu's side for the remainder of their walk, Juvia close behind them and humming as they went.
Once they had made their way back to Fairy Tail, the trio saw Gray and Erza standing in the courtyard, each with small packs on their backs. "Gray-samaaa~" Juvia chanted and ran past Natsu and Lucy, each wincing slightly at her high pitched tone. They both saw Gray's eyebrow twitch slightly at her presence. "What are you...doing...here Juvia?" He ground out past clenched teeth. "Juvia heard about Gray-sama's mission! Juvia will come with Gray-sama!"
Gray glanced at Erza, who slowly shook her head. "Juvia, any more people and we'll just be slowed down," Erza explained. Juvia detached herself from Gray's arm and looked at the ginger. "There will be no more contenders for Gray-sama's love," Juvia hissed. She's insane when it comes to Gray, Lucy thought nervously as she watched the display. "Man, I'm so glad I'm not Gray right now," Natsu muttered by her side, the blonde looking over and seeing him standing with his arms crossed and eyes forward.p
"I'm glad I'm not Erza," Lucy murmured as she watched the ginger kick Juvia in the back, towards the gate, only to have the girl circle back and try to punch the ginger again. Finally, Gray's patience seemed to snap. "Juvia!" The raven shouted in annoyance, instantly stilling all commotion in the courtyard and freezing both Erza and Juvia in their tracks. Gray stalked over to the two girls and pried Juvia off of Erza, setting the smaller girl on her feet and putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Enough," Gray said sternly. "I'll be back soon. This won't be a long mission, so cool it! Okay?" "...Anything for Gray-sama," Juvia replied dreamily as she stared into Gray's eyes. She's like a freaking zombie, Lucy thought as Gray sent Juvia away and returned to Erza's side, rubbing at his temple. Glancing up, Erza noticed Natsu with Lucy and waved them over. "Ready?" She asked once the two had reached her and Gray.
All three of them nodded, and noticed the ginger place the chalice carefully inside of a leather sack. "Lucy," she said and held it out to the blonde, "Could it be possible for you to give this to one of your spirits for safe keeping?" Lucy thought it over for a moment. "...If Leo was available...maybe," she said regretfully. "He's taking the week off though..." Erza nodded. "Understandable. I suppose the spirits aren't meant to be banks anyways," she murmured.
"Well then, let's go."
Halfway down the road to Magnolia, and Natsu's stomach growled. "Uhhh...I'm so hungry," the rosette complained while Happy flew around by his shoulder. "Aye sir," the cat said absentmindedly while Lucy looked back at the Dragon-Slayer. "We left an hour ago Natsu," the blonde said teasingly, "You had time to eat before then," Erza added on. Natsu mumbled to himself while Gray walked by him, hands in his pockets and staring at the ground.
"What's up?" Lucy asked and slowed her pace so she walked alongside the Ice-Make mage. Gray continued to stare at the ground. "Nothing..." He murmured. Lucy nudged him with her shoulder playfully. "C'mon," she pleaded. "...Just thinking about this mission," Gray finally said. "It doesn't make sense. First, why would Erza take a mission from a person who doesn't even give their identity? She's more careful than this. It could be Zeref trying to trick us for all we know..."
Lucy suppressed a shiver at the thought of the dangerous dark mage before shaking her head. "Erza knows what she's doing," she murmured and glanced at the girl in question, who's arm was shining in the light of the setting sun. Gray nodded. "I suppose," he acknowledged, but his brow remained furrowed with worry. "She's more careful than this though." Lucy shrugged.
A few more hours passed without anyone saying much, and once the moon was floating high in the sky, Erza stopped. "We'll make camp here," she announced. Two loud cheers of relief resounded from Natsu and Happy, while Lucy secretly hid a grin and Gray snorted to himself. "It'd be better if we were at an inn," Natsu complained as they all collected firewood. "Be grateful we stopped at all Natsu," Erza warned. "The next town is easily a day's walk from here."
"I'm fine with camping," Natsu replied quickly and picked up a stick. "Camping's great, you know?!" Lucy sighed. "And besides, can't I just light a fire? It'd be a lot easier..." "You need sticks to make a campfire Natsu," Gray muttered as he bent down and examined a twig. "Unless you want to light the whole forest on fire..." Lucy glanced over at the raven and noticed he wasn't wearing anything other than boxers. "...Pedophile," Natsu whispered.
"Alright, that's enough," Erza called and stepped in front of the trio, her arms full with sticks and twigs. Making their way back to their campsite, Natsu threw his sticks down into a pile and sat down by his pack. Then he glanced over at the tan sack that Erza had put the chalice in. Glancing up at the others, he saw them all gathered in a circle and discussing what they would do the next day. Reassured that they weren't paying attention, the rosette reached out quickly and snatched the bag off of the ground and put it in his lap.
"Natsu," Happy whispered from the rosette's right, "What are you doing?" "Checking this thing out," Natsu replied quietly and drew the string that tied the bag back, opening it and seeing the glistening golden cup inside. Reaching into it, he slowly pulled it out so that only the cup part was out of the bag, the hilt and the base still inside the woven sack. Staring at it, he noticed carvings on the inside of the cup.
"..What the," Natsu whispered. "SunpÅ toraberu no Jutsu...?"
As soon as the words left Natsu's mouth, a white light surrounded the cup.
Glancing over her shoulder, Erza saw Natsu sitting on the ground with the chalice in his hands, enveloped in a white light as he stared hypnotically at the cup. "Natsu!" She exclaimed and ran forward, noticing that Natsu was slowly becoming transparent. The light flashed, and expanded outward, causing herself, Gray, and Lucy to shield their eyes as they too saw only blinding whiteness...
Warm sunlight was beating down on Lucy's back.
Groaning, the blonde sat up and rubbed at the base of her neck, her joints stiff and cracking as she moved. Looking around, she saw herself on a worn dirt road, each side lined with trees and underbrush. Looking to her right, she saw Gray, Erza, and Happy laying on their stomachs, sprawled on the ground. A quick glance to the left showed Natsu slowly sitting up with the chalice and its bag in his hands.
"Natsu," Lucy said, and the rosette glanced up to see the blonde staring at him. His whole head felt like he had just been slugged with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist Technique..."Wha...wha' happened," he slurred and rubbed at his blurry eyes. "I don't know," Lucy whispered worriedly, looking to her right. Glancing around her, he saw Gray, Erza, and Happy each unconscious on the ground. "I just remember this bright light...and then I woke up here," Lucy explained and sat up fully.
"Maybe..." Natsu began, "Maybe we-" "Oi!"
Natsu was cut off as a voice shouted from behind the two. Standing quickly, Natsu formed a fireball in his palm while Lucy drew her specialized whip from her side and held it defensively in front of her while an orange and black blur raced towards them. Natsu's eyes widened considerably as the thing stopped in front of him, revealing a boy no older than he, with three whisker scars each on his cheeks and bright blonde hair with sky blue eyes.
"...Oi," The boy said again, stepping back from Natsu and examining the rosette. He wore a black and orange jumpsuit, a black "T" separating the orange while orange pants covered his legs. Black, boot-like sandals covered his feet.
"Where...where are we?" Lucy asked quietly as the three by her side slowly stirred. "You're just outside of Konoha," the boy said, as if it were obvious. "Dunno what that is," Natsu muttered. The boy turned his startling blue eyes back to Natsu. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto," he said. "I'm from Konoha Village. And who the hell are you guys?"