-Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-
a=Narration and descriptions
"a"=Dialogues
a=Inner voices or thoughts
a=Intense dialogues
`a`= Phrases with hidden or another meaning-irony-sarcasm.
*a*=Sounds
[a] =Time and places
(a)=Small side-notes
This story takes place some months after the expected finale of Rosario's manga (whenever that gets released) and a little before the end of Fairy Tail's Grand Magic Games Arc where Natsu destroyed the Eclipse Gate.
About why I chose this two as my main couple now… You can say that I'm a big fan of Shakespeare's Romeo x Juliet. I generally like the concept of two people who absolutely can't be together, falling in the end for each other. And as we all know, fire and ice are two completely opposite elements.
Also, I'm not sure if some you will find some oociness here (or not, but I'm mentioning it anyway just to be honest), but we are dealing with a whole new scenario neither Mashima, nor Akihisa have thought of, so a little oociness is expected. In any case, I'm a third person, so making everything look 100% exactly like the original is pretty much impossible. Hope you can overlook this a bit and enjoy my story in the process.
For the end, there's a trailer I have prepared especially for this story on You Tube, so if you want to check it out before starting reading to get a general idea of the story's plot, just search for= Natsu x Mizore Crossover AMV [Prophecy Of The Dragon Savior!].
That's all for now! Have a pleasant reading and enjoy!
1: Dragon Boy Meets Snow Girl!
{Youkai World}
[Land of the snow women – Snow priestess's temple – Throne chamber.]
It was a usual day in the snow women's land and like always their boss, the snow priestess, was sitting on her throne watching over them with the help of her magic, crystal ball. But that tranquil atmosphere wasn't destined to last for long.
*Fsrrss* (Sound of a spirit materializing
Just when everything was looking so peaceful, ectoplasm started oozing out of the magic seal she had on her left glove, prolonging the appearance of her spirit partner, Jack Frost.
''Greetings… snow priestess!'' The pierot-like spirit bid to her in a sneaky- sounding voice the moment he fully materialized.
''Greetings to you, Jack! Should I guess that you have a new prophecy for me since you decided to appear?''
''That is correct…! But this one… is different than the others I have given you before.''
''Which means…?''
''You will understand… when you see it yourself…'' The spirit answered her and next started projecting a series of images inside her brain, clouding her vision.
First, it was the image of a humongous ice crystal being shattered to pieces, unraveling a large evil smile. Following that, the image of a horde of ice monsters breaking havoc across their land. Then, the image of her tribe being chained down like slaves and crying in despair. And lastly, the image of a dark pink-haired young man surrounded by flames with a bright sun rising behind him. After that, the projection stopped and snow priestess's vision reverted to normal.
''This is a catastrophe!'' The snow priestess claimed upset, lowering her eyelids as a sign of worry.
''Yes… Indeed, it is…''
''If this prophecy comes true, our tribe will be lost forever. We must do something to prevent it.''
''The only one… who can prevent the chaos from descending upon your people… is that young man… He holds the light of hope in his hands… and the power necessary to save you all from doom.''
''But who is he? And how can we find him?''
''This… is unclear… For some reason… I can't see anything else related to him... But be sure snow priestess… He will come soon… His destiny dictates it…''
With those being his last words, Jack Frost became silent and started returning back into the snow priestess's glove's seal. As for the priestess, she remained in her chamber to wonder alone and troubled what the future had in store for her tribe and the identity of the savior Jack spoke of.
{Fairy Tail World}
[The same time – Fiore's Capital, Crocus – A little after Natsu destroyed the Eclipse Gate.]
After a vicious and long battle, the nightmare of the dragons' threat finally disappeared as every giant lizard had started fading with the Eclipse Gate's destruction, vanishing into thin air and indicating the humans' victory. A fact that managed to bring back everyone's smile and lighten their faces that were previously painted in anxiety and despair. At last, everything was back to normal… Or at least at first glance.
''LUCY, LUCY! WE WON! THE DRAGONS ARE DISAPPEARING!'' Happy trumpeted cheerfully to Lucy while flying to her place.
''Yes… *Sniff*… We did it…!'' Lucy whispered to herself with a few tears of joy springing in her eyes the moment she noticed him.
Next, Happy arrived close to her and landed a few steps away from her
''Natsu saved us all!'' He told her in the same cheerful tone, walking towards her.
''Uhm! I know.'' Lucy replied to him with a positive nod, wiping her tears with her left hand while smiling.
''He's a hero now! The king has to deem him a knight…! No, a duke!''
''Heh, heh! I'm not sure about that Happy, but anyway, the important thing is that we are all fine.''
''No, no, no! He has to! Natsu is amazing! If it wasn't for him, everyone would…'' Happy started saying to her then in a slightly stubborn tone, turning at the same time his face towards the Gate's rubble ''…Hm…?!'' and coming into a shocking realization that forced him to stop his speech midway, taking a puzzled expression.
''What is it, Happy?''
''Err… Lucy…''
''Yes!''
''Natsu crashed right onto the Gate, didn't he?''
''Um? Yes. He did. Why?''
''It's weird… I can't see him anywhere… Why isn't he coming out of the rubble?'' Happy asked in a worrying tone with his face now fully turned towards the Gate's remnants.
''Eh…?!'' Lucy questioned with a surprised look on her face upon hearing him and hurriedly turned her face towards the rubble too, sharing his worry.
''It's already been fifteen minutes since he destroyed the Gate. Why isn't he coming out? It's definitely weird!''
After hearing those words, Lucy placed her right fist over her chest, a few drops of sweat appearing on her face.
''Could it be that he can't get out? He got pretty hurt during that battle.''
''Yes…'' Lucy replied to him, lowering her eyelids, her worry rising. ''I don't want to think about it, but he may need our help. Natsu is tough, but that battle was too straining even for him… Better look for him to see for ourselves.'' She suggested, turning to her small friend. ''Right Happy?''
''Aye! I will go scan the rubble from above.'' Happy replied to her and not wasting a second, he released his wings and flew above the large boulders.
Following his lead, Lucy got ready to follow him to search from the ground, but unexpectedly didn't have the change due to a series of voices that sounded behind her, interrupting her movements.
''HEEYY, LUUCYY!'' Gray yelled from behind her
''LUCY-SAANN!'' Wendy followed second.
''ARE YOU OK LUCYYYY?'' Erza followed third.
Hearing them, Lucy twitched her eyelids in surprise and turned her face behind her, witnessing her three friends running to her place.
''Everyone…?'' She questioned upon seeing them and stopped her attempt to walk forward, turning her body to face them.
[5 minutes later.]
''Good to see that you are alright, Lucy.'' Gray told her with a relieved smile.
''Thank you, Gray!''
''Many people got awfully injured, so we were afraid that you would be too, Lucy-san. It's really wonderful to see that you are unhurt.'' Wendy stated to her next with a smile similar to Gray's.
''Sorry for worrying you all, Wendy.'' Lucy replied to her with a small smile of her own.
Then, her smile slipped off her face when she noticed something unusual and goggled.
''Um… Where's Carla, Wendy?''
''She's helping with the others' treatment. I will go too in a little.''
''You don't have to feel bad for worrying us, Lucy. Comrades ought to worry about each other. Otherwise, they aren't worthy of being called comrades.'' Erza claimed in a wise-sounding and straight tone, closing her eyes momentarily and crossing her arms over her chest.
Following that, she opened them again and looked around a bit curiously.
''…And speaking of comrades… Where's Natsu? Taking into account that you were the closest to the place he crashed, he should have been here with you by now.''
Hearing that, Lucy's expression returned to its previous worrying state and she lowered her face.
''I… don't know… With all the commotion, I didn't realize that he was late to make an appearance until a few minutes ago that Happy noticed it himself. ''
''And where's Happy now?'' Erza asked her in a serious tone.
''He flew to search the rubble in case Natsu is trapped inside and can't come out due to his injuries.'' Lucy answered her in a low tone, turning momentarily towards the rubble and after that back to Erza.
''Hmm… I see…'' Erza replied to her, touching her chin skeptically with her right hand.
''I think we must go search for Natsu-san too.'' Wendy suggested, starting worrying herself.
''Yes, I agree.'' Erza agreed with her, removing her hand of her chin and turning to Wendy. ''Let's not waste time…'' She was about to add more, but was cut short by a loud child-like voice.
''LUUUCCYYY…! EEEVERYONEEE!'' Happy's voice was heard suddenly screaming in panic from the rubble's direction.
A fact that made everyone turn their sights at his direction and see him flying towards them with teary eyes.
''Seems like Happy finished his search before we joined him.'' Gray commented while looking at him.
''But why is he crying?'' Wendy wondered slightly puzzled.
''Natsu…! Something must have happened to him.'' Lucy stated in an upset tone.
''I have a bad feeling.'' Erza frowned.
Then, everyone started running towards Happy to meet with him sooner than waiting patiently there for him to reach them himself. Natsu's unreasonable delay to show up combined with Happy's reaction was something that was enough to ignite their fears for the worst.
[A few seconds later.]
''UAAA… UAAA…'' Happy was crying loudly, currently enveloped inside Lucy's hug.
''Please, calm down Happy. What happened? Why are you crying? Where's Natsu?'' Lucy asked him in a gentle tone while cuddling him to calm him down.
''Yes… Please tell us what you found out Happy. Did you find Natsu-san inside the rubble?'' Wendy asked him in a similar gentle tone, coming close to him from his left.
''…Uuu… No…'' Happy answered her with a crying and saddened voice.
''What?'' Lucy questioned shocked.
''Hey, how can this be? We definitely saw him falling onto the Gate along with that dragon. How can he not be there?'' Gray asked Happy, being confused by his words.
''Can you explain to us better what you discovered during your search, Happy?'' Erza asked him in a half serious-half easing tone.
''Uuu… Ok…'' Happy replied to her, turning to her with teary eyes.
After that, doing what Erza asked of him, Happy started immediately explaining to them what took place when he went to look for Natsu.
[10 minutes later.]
According to his words, he flew over the whole area of the rubble, but he wasn't able to spot Natsu anywhere. That's why he decided to take a closer look, descending to the ground. But to his ultimate shock, he didn't discover any trace of Natsu's body, but rather some small, torn pieces of his clothes. A fact so disturbing for him, as also for the rest of Natsu's friends.
''This… can't be…'' Lucy whimpered in a low tone, placing her hands over her mouth.
''Natsu-san… disappeared?!'' Wendy questioned with an astonished expression, her eyelids trembling.
''This is nuts! How can he just disappear? This doesn't make any sense. He has to be somewhere around here.'' Gray insisted a little upset. Next, he turned to Erza. ''Right?''
''Hmm… I can't say for sure.'' Erza answered him with a slightly doubtful and skeptical expression.
''Huh?''
''It's true that for someone to disappear so suddenly is quite absurd, but taking into consideration the huge amount of magical energy which had been stored inside the Eclipse Gate, there's a small possibility something unfortunate occurred during his crash.''
''What does this mean? Do you have any ideas about could have happened to that Flamehead, Erza?''
''This moment, none... We need to investigate into this matter further before we start making assumptions… And better do it fast.'' Erza stated, widening her line of sight and looking at everyone.
''Got it!'' Gray replied to her, frowning with a serious expression.
''Ok, Erza-san!'' Wendy replied second.
''I… *Sniff*… will help… *Sniff*… too.'' Happy proclaimed in a crying tone, pulling his face away from Lucy's chest.
''Yeah… Me too!'' Lucy claimed in a determined tone, turning to Erza.
''Good! Let's go then. Every second counts.'' Erza said to all of them with a satisfied look on her face.
Next, Happy released again his wings and flew out of Lucy's arms, beginning heading towards the rubble together with everyone else this time to search for a hidden clue about Natsu's disappearance.
''Natsu… Where are you…? Ooh, please be alright...'' Lucy wished in her head with a worrying expression while running beside the others with her fists tightened.
[At the same time – Inside a golden void of magic energy.]
Unknown to his friends, Natsu was currently floating inside a magic wormhole with his body flowing across a torrent of golden magic energy that belonged to the Eclipse Gate. A state that under normal circumstances would cause anyone great stress and distraught... Except Natsu Dragneel of course! This wasn't something capable of bringing him to his knees. The general situation at least.
''…*Gglpp*… What the hell's happening? '' Natsu questioned in his head, trying to not throw up due to nausea.
Natsu wasn't generally the guy who would let his self be troubled easily by complex situations. But his motion sickness was certainly another case.
''…I remember crashing on that Gate with Atlas Fire-ojisan… *Gglpp*… and then that bizarre light engulfing me…'' He continued, giving it his best to hold everything inside. ''…And next I ended up here… *Gglpp*… Seriously, what… *Gglpp*… is happening?'' He questioned again with his `inner world` ready to be launched out of his mouth like a missile.
But for better or worse, he wouldn't have the chance to either think another thing or vomit… A second after he finished his last thought, a white hole appeared without warning in his way and before he was able to even realize it, he was swallowed by it.
{Youkai World}
The same time Natsu got inside that white hole, another similar hole made its appearance upon the sky over the snow continent. Following that, he popped out of it, falling down with his back while the hole closed up in a flash, disappearing from the sky.
''WAAA!'' He screamed in a comical way, knowing that he was without a doubt falling towards the ground.
Something that apparently didn't take long to occur... In the upcoming seconds and without something to stop him, Natsu ended up crashing with his back onto the white veil that was covering the whole land. But thankfully for him, the snow covering the earth's surface was thick enough to work efficiently as a cushion and save him from a very nasty injury to his back, leaving behind his body's mark on the place he landed.
''Ghhkk! Man! This isn't funny!'' Natsu complained, pulling himself out of the snow. ''First, I'm floating inside a weird-ass place and now I'm falling from the sky. I don't know who, but if I ever find the one who pulled that prank on me, I will kick him to next week.'' He claimed in a quite irritated tone.
Everything that happened to him during the previous minutes was truly too bizarre and had left him quite displeased and with many questions. But whatever the case, he couldn't stay with his fingers crossed, whining forever like a little kid. He had to move on. So, having now his body out of the snow, he started scanning the area around him to see where he was. But as expected, the whole scenery was completely unfamiliar to him.
''Hey! What's this place? Where's the town and everyone?'' He questioned confused by what his eyes were currently seeing.
And that moment, a quick thought flashed in his mind driving him into a realization.
''Hold on a second! That Gate was supposed to travel through time, right? If that's the case, does this means that… I TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME?!'' He questioned again dumbfounded after summing together all the information he had at the moment, goggling next, astonished and with his mouth wide open in a comical way.
*Ffuuss* (Sound of wind.)
''…And it's freakin' cold too!'' He added wrapping his arms around his body after a cold breeze sent chills through his spine. ''Uuddtt… Holy shit, this is serious! I have to find a way to get back home.'' He murmured trembling slightly due to the cold. ''But first I need to find somewhere to warm myself up. If I stay here, I will turn into an icicle.'' He concluded and then started walking towards a random direction in hopes of discovering a shelter or in any case, something that could protect him from the cold.
[4 hours later – Many meters away from the place Natsu landed.]
Having made his mind a couple hours ago into finding a temporally shelter to face the cold, Natsu began his pursuit of a warm place. But unfortunately for him, wherever he was focusing his attention, he was coming upon the same scenery again and again. Around him there were only tall trees and bushes covered in think snow. Other than those, nothing… Not even a simple cave where he could hide and light a fire to protect himself from the low temperature. And in addition, to make matters worse, after all that walking and the exhaustion due to the difficult battle back home, his body was gradually reaching its limits.
''AAHHH…! What's the deal with all these trees? I'm wandering all this time and there's nothing else here. Don't tell me that I'm going to end up as an ice sculpture.'' He complained in a tired and pretty annoyed tone. ''I'm sure Gray wouldn't stop laughing if he were to hear me saying that.'' He thought next with an unpleased expression.
''Haa… Anyway, since this is the past, I wonder if I can actually meet Igneel here. He's very smart, so he will probably know of a solution to send me back.'' He sighed, but before being able to speak another word, he was destined to be interrupted by a loud sound a little below his chest.
*Groowll* (Sound of a stomach growling intensively.)
''Dammit! I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten a thing for hours. Not to mention that all that fighting back at the capital drained almost all my powers…. Haa… How I miss Mira's pies right now. I would kill to grab a bite of one of those…'' He murmured in a wishful tone.
But no matter how much he was wishing for it, deep down he was well aware that this was only a fantasy at the moment. So, not wanting to make the situation worse for him, he decided to stop thinking about food in hopes his stomach would forget too… But of course that was impossible, so he had to endure, walking with his body trembling like Lucy's pet, Plue and his stomach growling like an angry beast.
[30 minutes later – At another location.]
Some additional minutes later, Natsu's body started finally giving into his terrible exhaustion as expected and in the end he collapsed with his front side on the snow. He was a powerful and very sturdy warrior, but no one can go against his natural needs forever. That's why, even after his intense efforts to survive, he ended up in a state where he was laid down unconscious, looking like a corpse ready to freeze and be swallowed by the snow.
*Hhrhts**Hhrhts* *Hhrhts* (Sound of footsteps on the snow.)
But to his good luck, hope wasn't completely lost yet. More specifically, when his fate was looking pretty much sealed, a womanly figure dressed in a white kimono noticed him and approached him to check what he was.
''Eh…? A man…? What is he doing in such a remote location? There shouldn't be others here.'' The womanly figure commented the moment she laid her eyes upon him.
Next, she bent over his body to see if he was alive by checking his pulse.
''Hmm… His pulse is certainly low, but he's still alive. He most likely fainted due to the cold. His temperature is quite low too. Better take care of him before he dies from hypothermia.'' She decided, frowning slightly with a serious expression.
Following that, she lifted him up and placing him over her right shoulder, she started carrying him to another place.
[1 hour later – At a glade in the forest - Inside a small wooden cabin.]
''Mmghmm…'' Natsu moaned slightly, twitching his eyelids as a sign of waking up.
Next, he fully opened them implying that he had regained his senses and sat up.
''Woaahh! My head's spinning...!
*Groowll*
''…and my stomach is still empty.'' He whined in a dizzy tone, touching his head with his right hand.
After that, he came to a quick realization, goggling slightly.
''Hm?! Weird! The cold stopped!'' He commented feeling warmer. ''How come?'' He wondered curiously and to find the answer, he turned his face around to check where he was.
Then, he noticed that he was currently sitting on a bed inside a wooden room. In addition, there was also a blanket covering his legs, meaning that someone had covered him while he was out cold. Other than these, there was also a small desk a few centimeters to the left of the bed and a small window right above it with gray curtains.
''Huh? What's going on? Where am I…? No, screw that! How did I came here?'' He questioned confused.
For an unknown to him reason, he had been moved to another place without him realizing it, so naturally, he had to find out who did it and his motives behind it. So, wanting some answers, he got out of the bed hastily and walked towards the door, opening it by arriving in front of it. That moment, he came in front of another room, more spacious than the one he was, which had a medium sized table in the middle of it with four chairs placed around it, a small couch on its left, a fireplace beside a small kitchen on its right and a large door across it which was apparently the exit.
''Where the heck am I?'' Natsu wondered again, blinking this time confused.
''Inside a cabin in the forest of the snow women's land.'' A soft female voice answered him suddenly from his right, behind the wooden wall.
''EH?!'' Natsu jolted then slightly surprised and walked a few steps forward hastily, getting out of the room.
After that, he turned his face to the direction the voice came from and there he saw a cute girl with light-purple hair to her shoulder's height, eyes half purple and half azure with blue pupils and a yellow lollipop in her mouth, standing close to him. Her body was well-shaped and she was wearing a white kimono with a dark-pink sash around her waist that was keeping it closed. As for her leg; she was wearing two black sandals with long straps.
''Looks like you finally woke up. I was coming to check on you, but you opened the door before I have the chance to touch it and truthfully, you startled me.''
(Natsu didn't see Mizore right away when he opened the door because she back-stepped when he opened it himself due to the fact that he startled her.)
''Oh! Sorry… Err… Who are you?''
''I'm Mizore Shirayuki. Nice to meet you!'' Mizore answered him, giving him her right hand for a handshake next.
''Nice to meet you too! I'm Natsu! Natsu Dragneel!'' Natsu responded to her by giving her his own hand and completing their handshake.
Following that and having finished with the introductions, they separated them.
''Do you know by any chance how did I end up here?'' Natsu asked her next slightly puzzled.
''Yes! I brought you. I happened to find you when you were lying unconscious on the snow, so I carried you here to help you restore your temperature. You were in a serious condition and if you were to stay the same any longer, you could have lost your life.'' Mizore explained to him casually.
''Ah! I see… Thanks!'' Natsu thanked her with a smile which was both from feeling grateful as also a bit embarrassed for forcing, even without knowing, a girl carry him.
''You're welcome!'' Mizore reciprocated with a small smile of her own.
*Groowll*
''Whoop! My bad!'' Natsu apologized to her that moment, scrubbing uncomfortably the back of his neck from another type of embarrassment due a sudden sound his stomach made because of his hunger.
''No, it's fine!'' Mizore said to him in a reassuring tone since she noticed his uneasiness. ''The truth is that I wasn't so sure, but either way, I went back home for a bit to grab something in case you wanted to eat.'' She informed him and pointed the table with her right index finger. ''Come! It would be more comfortable to eat while you are sitting and in the meantime we can talk too.''
''Yeah, ok! And thanks again!''
''No problem!''
Continuing from there, both headed to the table with Natsu sitting on one of the chairs a little after.
As for Mizore; she placed on it a brown backpack that contained the food she had brought and following that, she opened it and pulled out some rice balls. Next, she grabbed some old dishes from a shelf above the kitchen and placed the rice balls inside, serving them a minute later to Natsu. For the end, she sat too on a chair, which was across him so she could face him when they would start talking.
[5 minutes later.]
As expected, Natsu wasn't able to restrain himself since he was so hungry and without further ado, began eating hastily like a starved beast.
*Munch* *Munch**Munch* (Sound of someone eating.)
''How are they? Sorry I didn't bring anything better, but rice balls was the only thing that was already prepared at my home.'' Mizore asked him, stating her apology in the process for his lunch's lack in variety.
''Mm…Nvo, nvo…Mmm… Vit'vs vcool…! Vthey vare…Mmm… vgreat…!'' Natsu reassured her while stuffing his mouth with rice balls.
A fact that made his way of speaking sort of difficult to understand and combined with his funny-sounding voice and funny sight while he was eating, drove Mizore to chuckle in amusement.
''Heh, heh!''
''Mmm…? Vwhat…?'' Natsu asked her curiously, still having his mouth stuffed with rice balls.
''N-Nothing…'' Mizore answered him, trying to suppress another chuckle.
''Veh…?! Vreally…?'' Natsu asked her again, blinking and allowing some grains of rice fall down his mouth.
Another thing that looked quite funny to Mizore's eyes.
''Yes… Heh… Really…'' Mizore answered him, giving it her all to not let her chuckles out to not offend him.
Honestly, Natsu's case looked so amusing to her that she felt that she really wanted in a way to laugh. Something she had some time to do. Since the time she returned back home after the final battle with Alucard, her emotions were generally dull. Tsukune had chosen Moka as his girlfriend and from what things were showing, they were planning to marry in a few years...Not that she wasn't expecting something like this; it was obvious that the one he truly loved was Moka. Despite that, she had convinced herself to stay loyal to her love even if it was bound to be one-sided forever. Her feelings for Tsukune were too strong to throw them away. But as time came to pass, she began realizing that this whole thing about holding them alive while observing Tsukune from afar was too painful for her. That's why she decided to return to her homeland for the meantime until Youkai Academy opened up again since it was currently closed due to the fact that Mikogami needed time to recover from the wounds he suffered during the battle. What she desired was solitude and peace of the mind. And the truth was that she managed to find them, but at the same time her inner world had started becoming gradually as cold as the ice crystals around her village… Until this point at least! For a bizarre reason, Natsu with his sloppy and childlike behavior was unexpectedly a sufficient excuse for her to remember faintly how it feels when someone is actually enjoying herself.
[20 minutes later.]
A couple of minutes later, Natsu finished at last with his lunch, meaning that it was time for his main talk with Mizore to start.
''Huaa… I'm stuffed!'' He claimed with a satisfied smile, patting his stomach with his right hand. ''These rice ball-things were delicious!''
''Glad you liked them. I don't know much about cooking, but rice balls is one of the few foods I'm able to make when I help my mother in the kitchen.''
''Huh? You made these?''
''Yes!''
''Wow! You are very good! I can't even boil an egg without messing the whole kitchen.'' Natsu praised her in an amazed tone.
''You are exaggerating.'' Mizore replied to him with a small smile and a very faint blush on her cheeks.
''No, no! I'm serious! Back at Magnolia, I have eaten a lot of tasty foods and I can tell that your rice balls are delicious!''
''Thank you…'' Mizore thanked him for his praising words.
Next, she took a curious expression on her face upon noticing something strange.
''Wait a minute! You said –Magnolia-?''
''Uhm! My hometown... Don't tell me you don't know of it? It's one of the biggest towns in Fiore.'' Natsu answered her with a positive nod, but then came to a quick realization and lowered slightly his face with a skeptical expression. ''Hmm… Hold on a second! If I'm in the past, doesn't this mean that Magnolia doesn't exist yet?'' He questioned in his head. ''Ok, now she will probably think that I'm crazy. I must say something clever to cover it. But what…? Hmm… Let's see... Let's see…'' He continued thinking, changing his expression to a troubled one and scrubbing his chin with his left hand.
A sight that left Mizore quite puzzled.
''Err… Natsu…'' She said to him, trying to draw his attention.
A goal she accomplished apparently. Hearing her voice between his thoughts, Natsu snapped out of his quest for smart ideas, goggling a bit startled simultaneously.
''Eh…? Oh… Yeah… What?'' He asked her flustered.
''Is something wrong?''
''Hm? Oh, no, nothing! I just remembered something.'' Natsu answered her with the quickest excuse his brain could produce.
Not a very good one of course since it left Mizore with a quite confused expression. But she couldn't press it further because it would be inappropriate.
''Alright… If you say so… Then… Getting back to subject; can I ask you something? ''
''Yeah! Totally! Anything!''
''Ok! So… What's this -Magnolia- and -Fiore- you mentioned? I have never heard these names.''
''What? Are you joking? Leaving aside Magnolia, Fiore is a country! How can you not have heard of it? Are you by any chance bad with geography? I have this problem too sometimes.''
''No! I have learned the names of all Youkai Realm's cities and countries, but I never read or heard these two you mentioned.''
''This doesn't make sense! You must have forgot… '' Natsu was about to tell her, but that second his brain worked better her words and he stopped midway, goggling astonished. ''Hey! Hold it! You said –Youkai Realm-?''
''I did. What of it?''
''What's this –Youkai Realm-?''
''Now you're the one who doesn't make sense, Natsu. How can you be here without being aware of Youkai Realm? Could it be that you hit your head before fainting?''
''No, I didn't. It's just that I too never heard of a place like this. Igneel taught me a lot of things about history, but he never told me about a place with this name.''
''Youkai Realm isn't a place. It's a dimension… Natsu… are you sure you are alright?'' Mizore asked him hesitantly with some signs of worry on her face.
''Yeah! But I don't have a clue what the hell's going on. I should be in the past, but how can Fiore not exist here? This is too messed up.'' Natsu answered her completely at loss and with a couple drops of cold sweat flowing down his face.
A reaction that made Mizore understand that there was a need for some explanations here.
''Ok! Seems like we have to clear up some things.'' She stated to him, drawing his attention. ''First of all, we are inside the Youkai Realm; the dimension all monsters and spirits are residing. Furthermore, this place is my homeland; the land of snow women…'' She began explaining to him in a serious tone.
[15 minutes later.]
In the following minutes, Mizore gave Natsu some general information about the world he currently was, its residents and the barrier that separated it from the Human Realm. In addition, taking advantage of the opportunity, she revealed to him her true nature.
A series of information that made Natsu's confusion hit its max and in addition filled him with anxiety about how will he return back home now that he learned he is in a totally different world. His friends would be awfully worried about him and especially Happy who most likely had started already crying non-stop considering his character.
''You've got… to be kidding me!'' Natsu muttered in shock and with his eyes wide open.
''So you really don't know where you are!'' Mizore commented in a slightly surprised tone.
''My home… Happy… Everyone from Fairy Tail… I must find a way to go back to them… They must be waiting for me…'' Natsu muttered again in distraught, looking at his currently trembling hands.
It was a fact that learning of the truth was a major blow to his inner psychology and that was something Mizore couldn't bring herself to endure keep watching. She was a kindhearted girl, so she could sympathize with him. Losing everything that was dear to you was one of the worst things to happen to anyone and she knew that pretty well. She too had lost her most valuable thing; her only love. Certainly not the same case as Natsu's, but sort of similar considering their inner pain.
''Well, I'm not sure, but there is someone who may know of a way for you to return back to your world.'' She said to him, wishing to lighten slightly his condition.
''Eh?'' Natsu questioned that moment, twitching his eyelids.
Following that, he jolted up from his chair and unconsciously grabbed Mizore's arms over her kimono (keep this in mind for the future) with both hands.
''Who's he? Where can I find him? Can he honestly help me? Are you absolutely sure about that? You're not mistaken, right?'' Natsu started bombarding her with questions in an intense tone.
But what he would receive wasn't the answer he wanted.
''Gkk… Natsu… You are grabbing me too tightly.'' Mizore claimed in a slightly pained tone, feeling his strong grasp squeezing her arms painfully.
''Huh?!'' Natsu questioned upon hearing her and then, turning his sight to his hands, he realized what he was doing, quickly releasing her the next second. ''I'm… Sorry… I didn't do it on purpose.'' He said to her in an apologetic tone, lowering a bit his face due to shame.
''No… Don't worry. I understand. It's logical. You want to go home.'' Mizore replied to him, scrubbing each arm with the opposite hand to ease the momentarily pain she was feeling.
Following that and when the pain fully disappeared, she stood up, approaching the now brooding Natsu with a gentle expression on her face.
''The person I'm talking about is my school's headmaster. He has many magic artifacts in his possession, so there's a chance he has something that can help you. The problem is that he is in the process of recovering from some serious wounds he suffered during a tough battle, so it's impossible to ask him for a favor at the moment.''
''I see… This means that I'm stack here for the meantime, right?''
''This seems the case.''
''Haa… Dammit! Just how unlucky am I?!'' Natsu wondered in an upset tone, letting his body fall backwards onto his chair.
''Well… Everyone pretty much has his or hers own unfortunate situations to deal with, I suppose.'' Mizore stated to him, lowering her eyelids with a noticeable sadness covering her face.
''Hm? What do you mean by that?'' Natsu asked her a bit puzzled by her sudden change in her expression.
Hearing him, Mizore turned around and sat again on her chair to be more comfortable while speaking. Next, she started explaining to him her own case where she had to endure the fact that she wasn't chosen by the only man she even loved, being forced to accept a life full of loneliness since she didn't want to marry another man.
[10 minutes later.]
''And that's all… I know that your own situation is certainly worse, but if it comforts you even a little; you are not alone in feeling that you were hit by great misfortune.'' Mizore said to him with a saddened voice while having a pained expression on her face.
Two things that revealed clearly her inner sorrow and made Natsu feels stupid for making her tell him something so unbearable for her just to ease his own sadness.
''You… You truly loved that guy, didn't you?''
''I did… No, better say that I still do, but anyway, there's nothing to be done. He loves another girl and that's all. There's no room for me to barge in.''
After that, for a strange reason, a small smile appeared on her face.
''Heh! It's funny now I think about it.'' She stated to Natsu with a biased chuckle.
''What?''
''The reason I was out before I discovered you lying on the snow, was because I had gone to visit a special place full of beautiful white flowers that are linked to my memories of that man. Or more specifically, the first time he rejected me; even if he wasn't so clear then. ''
''-The place he first rejected you-? Why should you go visit a place like that? Isn't it painful for you?''
''It is… But at the same time it helps me come to terms with the fact that Tsukune never loved me. By going there, I'm able to face reality, bury my feelings deeper and move on one step at a time...'' Mizore answered him lowering her face. ''…But as I said, it's funny in a way. I was able to find you because I went there and in the end, I ended up telling you the story of my unrequited love. It's quite an ironic coincidence, don't you think?'' She asked him, raising again her face.
''Err… I… suppose…'' Natsu muttered to her hesitantly as an answer, feeling more and more uneasy about the whole situation.
He was sad and a bit frustrated himself about what happened to him, but because of his lack of control over his emotions, he also caused his savior grief. Makarov and Erza would undoubtedly have given him a good beating if they happened to learn of this.
''Anyway… There's no need to bother ourselves with my own case any further. You have one great problem of your own, so it's not right to tire you with my circumstances.''
''No, no, it's fine. It's not bothersome. You wanted to help me cheer up in your own way, right? I'm not so stupid to not realize it. You are a very kind person, Mizore.'' Natsu replied to her and next raised his arms. ''And look! I feel much better already! Moping on the floor isn't at all like me. What happened… happened. Now it's time for me to look forward and search for a way to go back home.'' He said to her in an attempt to make her feel better herself by believing that she accomplished her goal.
An attempt Mizore was able to see through, but chose to let it pass since he looked that he was in a better state than a few minutes ago in any case and it was also quite clear that he was concerned about her latest reactions. And one thing she absolutely didn't wish was to trouble others with her own problems.
''That's good to hear. And thanks a lot Natsu!'' She said to him with a small smile, thanking him directly for his words and indirectly for his concern about her.
After that, both decided to change subject and discuss something less depressing. So, they started chatting about other, more pleasant subjects like their homes, their friends and many interesting or funny situations they happened to experience during their life.
[2 hours later – Evening.]
From that point a few hours passed with the two of them engrossed in their conversation, starting gradually lightening up the previous heavy atmosphere in the room. For Natsu of course this wasn't something new since he often had many talks of that sort with his friends from the guild, but for Mizore it was like a breath of fresh air after a long period of staying close to herself without a chance to relax psychologically. But as they say, every good thing comes to an end at some time.
''Hm? Oh! Seems like time passed without us noticing.'' Mizore commented taking a quick glimpse on a wristwatch she had under her kimono's long sleeves. ''It's already late. I have to head back home, otherwise my mother will get worried and make a fuss.''
''Got it! Parents are scary when you piss them off.'' Natsu replied to her, bringing to his mind some memories of him getting scolded by Igneel.
''They sure are!'' Mizore agreed with him and next got up from her chair, grabbing her backpack and turning towards the exit. ''So… I'm guessing this is goodbye for now. I will come back tomorrow morning to bring you something to eat for breakfast.''
''Ok! See you tomorrow! Bye!'' Natsu replied to her, bidding her goodbye with a cheerful smile.
He had accidentally traveled to an unknown world, but at least he was able to make a good friend there and also have a very enjoyable talk with her. And this was enough to make him feel satisfied for the meantime.
''Goodbye!'' Mizore bid him in accordance and walking toward the exit she opened the door and went out.
As for Natsu; he set off to search for something to occupy his time before he went to sleep.
[10 minutes later – Somewhere some meters away from the cabin.]
Leaving the cabin, Mizore was currently snowboarding towards her village using a board made of ice.
''Today was quite a bizarre day…! But anyway, I don't regret saving Natsu. It would be a pity for him to die in such a place, away from his home.'' Mizore commented in her head. ''He is quite a good guy from what I can tell'' She added with a small smile. ''Heh! Not to mention pretty funny too!'' She continued with a little chuckle, remembering his face when he was eating. ''And he also praised my cooking.'' She finished with a faint blush on her cheeks.
That day was undoubtedly very different compared to the previous ones. She found herself saving an unknown man, befriending him later and finally ended up revealing to him her deepest emotional scar. It was really strange in a way because she generally liked to avoid discussing the topic, but for an unexplainable reason, Natsu's presence gave her a sense of relaxation. She didn't know him well, but either way, he wasn't giving the vibe of a person who holds hidden secrets or wears a `mask` to trick others. On the contrary! He looked more open and true than many people she had already met. Truthfully, she didn't know what her fate had in store for her, but for now she was happy for being able to relieve a little of her stress thanks to him… But soon she would discover that this day's surprises were far from over.
*Pbfff* (Sound of explosion.)
Without warning, a strong explosion was heard from a distant place on her left startling her and making her turn her face in its direction.
''What was that?'' Mizore questioned worriedly, stopping her course and focusing her eyes on the location she heard the sound.
There, she noticed a straight line of smoke rising slowly in the sky. But that wasn't all. The most important thing was the place where that smoke was coming from. As the second absurd coincidence of the day, the smoke was coming from the plain of Snow White flowers. The place she mentioned to Natsu earlier and held her memory of when she confessed to Tsukune for the first time. It wasn't a pleasant memory, but a precious one to her as a girl nonetheless.
''The Snow Whites' plain! Why is there smoke coming from there? This isn't right. I must go there to check what's going on. If anything happens to that place, the future generations won't be able to perform the Flower Offering anymore.'' She murmured to herself while staring at the smoke.
Next, she resumed her snowboarding, but this time she was heading towards the plain after a slight change to her course.
[Another 10 minutes later – At the Snow Whites' plain.]
*Pbfff*
Following the first explosion, a second one took place at the plain's location. The cause of it was a large fireball that was fired from a deep-orange lizard with flames coming out periodically of its mouth. A mythical lizard that went by the name –Salamander-.
''Whooohooo! This was amazing, Aniki!'' A man wearing a black suit and black shades commented excited, looking at a big, charred hole in the middle of a couple of white flowers.
''Ha! As always, Aniki is the best!'' Another man with similar getup added with a wide grin.
''Draig-aniki was too strong before, but now he's unbeatable!'' A third man in an attire same with the previous ones followed third with an enthusiastic smile on his face. Then, he turned to his back. ''Right, guys?'' He asked a bunch of men with the same outfits and glasses.
''YEAHH!'' All of them shouted together as one.
After that, the first guy began approaching Draig from his left.
''These new drugs that enhance your natural abilities are great, aren't they Aniki?'' The man asked him the moment he arrived beside him.
''They sure are!'' Draig answered, turning his head to him.
After that, he started glowing in an orange light and changing shape, transforming steadily to an orange-haired human wearing a black suit and black shades.
''With this new drug we will be undoubtedly able to rise at the top of the yakuza (mafia) world, Draig-aniki.'' The third man said to him, approaching him too.
''Yeah! And when that time comes, me and Dreik nii-san will rule the underworld.'' Draig claimed with a half satisfied-half evil grin.
But his moment of joy wasn't destined to last for long.
''HEY! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING THERE?'' A female voice was heard yelling from a small distance behind them.
Hearing it, Draig, as well as also his underlings, turned their sights to the direction it came from, witnessing Mizore standing a few meters away from them with a frustrated expression on her face.
''Who the hell is that girl?'' Draig asked his underlings in an annoyed tone without turning back to them.
''No idea, Aniki! But taking into consideration her light clothes despite this cold, I'm guessing she's probably one of those snow women.'' His second underling answered him in a slightly unsure tone.
''One of those meddling wenches, huh?'' Draig murmured frowning.
''THIS PLACE AND THESE FLOWERS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO MY PEOPLE. WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO DESTROY THEM?'' Mizore yelled at them again, tightening her fists in frustration.
''SORRY TO INFORM YOU, MISSY, BUT WE DON'T REALLY NEED PERMISSION OR ANYTHING… THIS PLACE IS PRETTY SPACIOUS, SO IT'S PERFECT FOR OUR LITTLE TESTS'' Draig shouted back at her in an indifferent and arrogant tone.
''What?!'' Mizore questioned to herself in a low tone, goggling in astonishment at his terrible behavior.
''WE CAME HERE TO PERFORM SOME TESTS UPON A NEW PRODUCT OF OUR GROUP AND THERE'S NO WAY TO STOP MIDWAY. SO IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE BEFORE WE MAKE YOU REGRET IT.'' Draig warned her changing his tone to a hostile one.
A tone that combined with his words made Mizore's anger rise.
''DREAM ON!'' Mizore replied to him in an extremely angry tone, transforming her hands into ice claws. ''I WON'T LET YOU DO AS YOU PLEASE.'' She stated to them and next rushed to their place.
''Ha! She wants to play tough! What a fool!'' Draig commented staring at her with an underestimating expression. ''Hey! Someone take care of her. I don't care who, just make her shut up.'' He ordered his underlings without turning back to them.
''As you wish, Aniki!'' One of the men who had gathered altogether replied to him almost immediately and next nodded to two others to accompany him.
For their next step, they changed to their monster forms (they are second-rated minions, so their forms are irrelevant) and started rushing too against her.
''Like I would get beaten by scums like you.'' Mizore claimed, watching them approaching her in slightly high speed.
So, wishing to not waste time on them, she used her ice power and fired something like a mini snowstorm on them, covering them completely in ice.
''Too easy!'' She murmured passing near the three ice statues she just created.
''Impotent morons!'' Draig commented after what happened to his men and following that, he turned finally back to the rest of them. ''Why are all of you standing back there like rocks? Go catch her!'' He ordered them in an irritated tone, frowning.
''YES, ANIKI!'' All of them replied to him with loud voices and next transformed to their real forms and stormed against Mizore as a team.
''Want to play unfair, huh? Well, I'm not scared by numbers.'' Mizore murmured to herself with a composed expression, noticing all of them coming to her place.
For that moment, it didn't take long for her and her opponents to make contact, engrossing their selves in the process into a heated battle.
*Hshstt* *Crkkst* *Hpfftt* *Dang* *Kssrst* (A variety of different sounds during a battle. Leave it to your imagination.)
A battle where Mizore presented an excellent performance of her fighting skills she had sharpened thanks to all the training she had undergone with her friends. To her opponents' astonishment, she was able to hold her ground without many difficulties despite being by herself, dodging their attacks with swift maneuvers on her snowboard and later striking them back with her own techniques like her ice daggers, her ice manipulations or her ice clones which she was mostly using to counter multiple hits.
[15 minutes later – With the boss of the black suits- men.]
''Ok, this has really started getting on my nerves!'' Draig claimed in a very annoyed tone, watching his men having a hard time against a single girl. ''Gil… Kane… Ronny… Put an end to this farce already!'' He demanded from the three men who were the first ones to approach him after the second explosion.
As it seemed, they were his three top-class underlings.
''Alright, Aniki!'' The three of them replied to him as one and next scattered around the area.
[At the same time – With Mizore.]
*Hshstt* *Crkkst* *Hpfftt* *Dang* *Kssrst*
''You guys are no match for me!'' Mizore stated avoiding an incoming attack by the claws of a monster that looked like a humanoid panther. ''I suggest you to give it up and get out of here.''
''Zip it, wench! Aniki said that he doesn't want us to leave, so we won't!'' The panther-like monster replied to her in an irritated tone and attempted a second strike with its claws.
''How troublesome!'' Mizore commented with a blunt expression, hearing it.
Following that, she jumped before it hits her, avoiding its claws as result and grabbing its head a little before she lands, freezing it whole. A very effective move that sent her opponent to the icy dreamlands.
''Seriously now,it's better for you to give up.'' She claimed in a low tone, looking at her beaten opponent.
Continuing from there, she made an attempt to move on towards the next one, but…
*Ccrrsskk*(Sound of underground movements.)
…the ground under her feet began shaking intensively, forcing her like this to stop at her tracks.
''What in the world is happening?'' She wondered, blinking in confusion.
But she wouldn't have the chance to say another word. Without warning and when she least expected it, two large, rocky hands emerged from inside of the ground grabbing both her legs and lifting her in the air.
''Ugkk… What…'' Mizore was about to question, groaning a bit from feeling pain due the intense grasp on her legs, but was cut short by a male voice before finishing her sentence.
''Heh, heh! I caught you!'' A deep, male voice was heard laughing from the place between the rocky hands.
The following second, the ground at that spot started splitting, revealing the face of a grinning stony monster with yellow eyes.
''Playtime's over!'' The rocky monster said to her with the same grin.
''Not in my opinion.'' Mizore replied to it frowning and tried to target it with her hands to throw some ice daggers at it, but…
*Ssplttss*
…just when she was ready to fire them, a few green ,slimy balls were fired at her body, splashing on it and covering a few parts of it, putting her attack on hold.
''Huh?!'' Mizore questioned goggling intensively upon feeling her hands being covered in slime. ''What now?''
''Ha! How do my slime balls look to you, snow girl?'' Another male voice was heard asking her from behind.
Then, wanting to see who it was this time, she turned her face around, witnessing a green, humanoid slime monster standing a few meters away from her with both its hands pointed at her.
''You crook!'' She cursed, grinding her teeth in anger and trying to freeze it with a snow storm.
But surprisingly, she couldn't use her ice powers.
''Hm?! Impossible! Why can't I control ice?'' Mizore questioned in shock.
''That's because my slime has some special properties which allow it to absorb the water particles in your body, as also from around you, so your powers are useless at the moment.'' The slime monster answered her in a delightful tone.
''What? You've got to be kiddi…'' Mizore was about to say, but once again, she was cut short.
''…And since you are powerless, it's time to put an end to your annoying blabbering.'' A third male voice was heard close to her right rear.
A voice that startled Mizore and made her attempt to turn her face towards its direction. But unfortunately for her, her attempt was destined to fail. More specifically, a few seconds before she turned her face completely to the voice's direction, something feeling like a needle stabbed her a little below her right limbs, next to her stomach and she automatically fainted.
[10 minutes later.]
*Hpff* (A slap's sound.)
''HEY, BITCH! WAKE UP ALREADY!'' One of the black suit-men yelled at the unconscious Mizore, slapping her hard on her left cheek.
A slap so hard that was enough to work as a means to make her come back to her senses… In a very painful way!
''Mmmtss… What happened to me?'' Mizore moaned in a low and slightly pained tone opening slowly her eyes and trying to move.
But without success for some reason. She didn't know what yet, but she was feeling something hard and cold wrapped around her body that was restraining her movements. So, to discover what is was, she put an effort to fully open her eyes. Then, she witnessed to her utter shock that she was chained on a tree with a few thick chains wrapped around her upper half.
''This… How did I end up like this?'' She questioned upset as she looked at the chains.
''How do you imagine?'' Draig asked her walking closer to her. ''We couldn't have you run around anymore, messing with our work, so we decided to tie you up to be less of hindrance.'' He explained to her with a satisfied smile. ''But I have to give it to you, girly! You have guts! It's been long since my boys faced such a bothersome opponent.'' He praised her and then turned his back. ''But even you, you aren't a match for my best three.'' He stated to her while looking at the two monsters that attacked her a little ago and were standing beside another one which looked like a humanoid scorpion. ''Good job as always… Gil…'' He claimed looking first at the rock monster. ''…Kane…'' He continued, focusing his sight on the slime monster. ''…Ronny…'' He finished, changing his focus to the scorpion-like monster.
''Thanks, Aniki!'' The rocky monster thanked him.
''It was nothing, Aniki!'' The slime one claimed in a boasting tone.
''We're always at you services, Draig-aniki!'' The scorpion-like one assured him with a devious smile.
Next, having heard what they had to say, Draig turned back to Mizore.
''You may be strong, but no one has ever been able to face the triple combination of Gil, Kane, and Ronny.'' He informed her with a proud smirk. After that, he closed his eyes. ''Now… Since we can't delay further our little business here, I'm afraid we have to get rid of you pronto.'' He said to her without qualms, opening his eyes. ''But be thankful! After some thought, I decided to give you the honor to die by my own hands. The hands of the man who's going to become the second strongest in the whole Youkai underworld.'' He stated to her with a devious grin.
After that, he started glowing in the same orange light like earlier and in the end, he transformed into his true monster form.
''Heh! It's quite ironic now that I think about it! You are a snow girl and you are going to die by being burned alive… Or better say vaporized! Hahaha!'' Draig sniggered in a mocking tone.
An act all his underlings mimicked, laughing too with their boss's ironic joke.
''Your time has come, snow girl.'' Draig said to her, opening widely his mouth and starting gathering flames in a big fireball.
''Tch…'' Mizore clicked her tongue with a frustrated expression, watching this scene in front of her.
From the look of things, she was pretty much doomed. For a start, there were still some remnants of that slime on her body, so she was unable to use her powers to free herself and in addition, considering that these three that beat her were there, even if she was able to do that, most likely they would catch her again. Not to mention that their boss was just a few meters away from her, ready to turn her into steam with his flames. Honestly, a very hopeless situation!
But the thing that she regretted more than the fact that she was about lose her life in the upcoming seconds, was that she would die without having a last chance to see or speak to Tsukune. She might had made her mind to forget him, but dying without saying her last goodbye to him was unbearable for her. But unfortunately, this was impossible. Her fate was already sealed. She would die there without anyone finding out. Neither her mother, nor her beloved one… A thought that brought a series of sorrowful tears to her eyes.
''Goodbye!'' Draig bid to her as his final words and after that fired towards her the fireball he was forming all this time inside his mouth. ''HAA!''
An action that made Mizore closes her eyes tightly as a sign of accepting her cruel fate.
*Fshuaa* (Sound of sucking air.)
But as it seemed, her luck hadn't ended yet. Just when the fireball was inches away from her flesh, a sound like someone sucking air started being heard and quite unexpectedly it changed course heading to its right.
(Friendly suggestion: Play Fairy Tail's OST - Dragonslayer if you want from here on. It will make things look more badass!)
''Hm? What the…?'' Draig questioned puzzled and turned his head to the direction his fireball was flying to.
There, he, as well as also his underlings who had mimicked him, saw a dark pink-haired young man in bizarre-looking clothes and a strange red tattoo on his left arm, standing a few meters away from them with his mouth wide open, sucking air and apparently, Draig's fireball too. Then, when the fireball reached his mouth, to everyone's shock, he ate it like it was some kind of food.
''Guaha! What a terrible taste! I feel like throwing up.'' The unknown man complained with an unpleasant expression after swallowing the fireball.
As for the ones who saw him doing it; they were currently looking at him with their eyes wide open.
To what it had to do with Mizore now… She was still waiting for her death with her eyes closed. Something that had delayed too long to take place and in accordance had left her pretty puzzled.
''Hm..?! It's strange… I should have been dead by now… What happened…?'' She wondered inside her head and to find some answers, she started opening slowly her eyes.
And by doing that, she fell upon a totally absurd sight. All the men together with their boss had averted their attention away from her and were currently staring shocked at something at their right. So, with her curiosity rising, she concluded that it would be wise to check for herself what was the thing that had caused them such a great shock and to do so, she too turned her face to the direction they were looking at. And that moment her eyes went wide like the other ones'. What everyone was staring at, was Natsu. The last man she expected to see at the moment.
''Who the heck is that guy?'' Gil questioned astonished.
''He ate Aniki's fireball!'' Kane pointed with a confused expression.
''This is absurd!'' Ronny commented with a few drops of sweat flowing down his face.
''Natsu…?! What is he doing here?'' Mizore questioned puzzled in her head. ''NATSU!'' She called to him screaming. ''WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? THESE PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS! RUN! IF THEY CATCH YOU, THEY WILL…'' She started shouting at him in an anxious tone, worrying about his safety, but wouldn't have the chance to complete her sentence.
''Hey, Mizore!'' Natsu called back at her in a slight loud tone, interrupting her. ''Could it be that the place with the flowers you were talking about is this one?'' He asked her with a serious expression.
''Eh…?! Yes!'' Mizore answered him blinking slightly.
''I see… That settles it!'' Natsu whispered in an angered tone after her answer.
Next, he covered his eyes with a fictional shadow and began walking towards the group of men.
''Look! He is coming this way.'' One of the men pointed watching Natsu approaching them.
''It seems that he's a friend of the snow girl.'' Another man commented second.
''He must have come to save her. Better take care of him too.'' A third one suggested frowning.
''Ok!'' The other two agreed with him and following that they rushed towards him in their monster forms.
Little they knew, the one they were going against wasn't such a simple opponent to be made light of. The moment they reached in front of Natsu and were about to attack him, he reacted with amazing speed, punching all of them swiftly in the gut and sending them flying straight to some trees where they crashed, losing their senses. After that, he resumed his walking with the fictional shadow still covering his eyes. A scene that left even more shocked their boss, their comrades and also Mizore who couldn't believe in her eyes. Natsu had just beat three monsters in a single second without shedding a drop of sweat. To what she knew, a feat of this level could be achieved only by a royal vampire like Inner Moka. Or more specifically, Real Moka as they had learned by now that the Outer one was an artificial personality.
''Three guys…! He took out three of our guys in a split second!'' Kane commented in utter shock.
''This man doesn't look like he will be so easy to deal with.'' Ronny commented sweat dropping anxious.
''Damn! Who's this weird-looking pest?'' Draig questioned in his head irritated.
That moment, with everyone else remaining unmoved due to their shock, Gil took the liberty to step forward and go fight Natsu alone.
''Ha! Beating three weaklings isn't such a big deal. I will crush you like a bug.'' He claimed to Natsu while getting closer to him.
Then, when they finally came face to face, he didn't waste time and threw almost immediately his right fist towards him, striving to pulverize Natsu with a single blow to look good in the eyes of his boss.
*Hpp* (Sound of a hand grabbing something)
But things wouldn't go his way. Right before his fist make contact with his target, Natsu placed his left hand in its course, grabbing it and stopping it without much effort.
''Huh?!'' Gil questioned twitching his rocky eyelids.
''Weak.'' Natsu murmured while holding his fist.
Following that, he raised his face to look Gil in the eyes, unavailing his own eyes from the fictional shadow and revealing like this a deep scowl.
''You call that a fist?'' He asked Gil in a low tone and without further ado drew back his own right fist. ''This is how a real fist looks like!'' He claimed, engulfing his right fist in flames.
A sight that made Mizore goggle intensively in surprise.
''KARYU NO TEKKEN!'' He exclaimed shouting and smashing roughly his flaming fist right onto Gil's torso.
*Hpftt*
''UWAAA!'' Gil screamed in utter pain feeling Natsu's fist piercing his body.
Next, several cracks started making its appearance around his body's surface and in the end…
*Crssfkkk*
…it broke apart and was reduced to a great number of small stones. A fact that made most of the men there start trembling in fear since Gil was one of their strongest companions, his two equals in power take a furious expression and his boss scowl extremely frustrated.
''Ok… Who's next?'' Natsu asked, turning his sight to the rest. ''I'm gonna make you all pay for hurting my friend.'' He stated to them in an intimidating tone.
An action that reached the frustrations of the two other monsters to its max due to his arrogance, driving them to try attacking him together to increase their chances of avenging their fallen comrade.
''HOW DARE YOU KILL GIL?!'' Kane screamed at him furiously.
''YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!'' Ronny mimicked him in the same state.
Following that, the first started throwing a large number of slime balls towards Natsu in hopes of slowing down his movements while the second began squirting a purple liquid from his tail which was apparently paralyzing venom considering Mizore's state earlier. As for Natsu; he didn't looked even the slightest fazed watching their attacks heading his place, but instead remained unmoved, covering his whole body in a thick cloak of flames. Flames that managed to counter his opponents' attacks by burning the slime and vaporizing the venom before they make contact with him.
''WHAT?!'' The two monsters questioned simultaneously with their eyes going wide due to their astonishment.
''Was that really your best?'' Natsu asked them then in a low tone, concentrating at the same time a sufficient amount of flames on his hands. ''If you want to beat your enemy completely, you have to use at least something like this!'' He claimed frowning and without warning, jumped to their place. ''KARYU NO KOEN!'' He exclaimed shouting and bringing together his hands.
An action that combined and released all the flames on his hands, creating a huge explosion that engulfed the two monsters and burned their bodies to nothing, leaving behind only a large crater of burning land.
''This will teach you a lesson to not mess with my friends.'' Natsu claimed in an irritated tone, looking at the crater he had created.
As for the monsters' companions; they were currently staring at Natsu, shaking like fish out of the water.
''L…ies… This guy… just killed Gil-san, Kane-san and Rony-san in less than five minutes...'' One of the men muttered ready to faint from his fear.
''Not to mention… that he did it without allowing them to even scratch him…'' Another one added in the same state.
''He's too strong... He will kill us all if we stay here… I… I'm outta here!'' A third man claimed with a frightened expression and continuing from there, he made a reversal and began running away in panic.
A wise action his remaining comrades decided to mimic, following after him in the same state as him.
*Hrsfff* (Sound of something getting burned)
But they wouldn't have the leisure to go far. A few seconds after they started fleeing, a large fireball was fired at the man who started running first, reducing him to ashes. This resulted in all the others to stop at their tracks, turning astonished their faces towards the direction the fireball came from. There, as expected, they witnessed their boss targeting them with his mouth wide open and an angry scowl over his face.
''WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, IDIOTS?! WHO PERMITTED YOU TO RETREAT?'' He asked them in a furious tone.
''B-but Aniki… That guy is way out of our leagu…'' One of the men tried to reply to him, but…
*Hrsfff*
…he got the same treatment as the previous one, getting burned to ashes.
''THE ONE WHO GIVES THE ORDERS HERE, IS ME! SO, GET YOUR SORRY ASSES BACK RIGHT NOW AND ATTACK HIM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO END UP LIKE THESE TWO!'' He threatened them in a hostile tone.
He was a man who was supposed to become one of Youkai underworld's leaders. Admitting defeat by an unknown guy would be extremely humiliating to his reputation. And that was something he couldn't allow to happen no matter what.
''Shit! What should we do?'' One of the men asked the rest in distraught. ''That guy looks very powerful, but if we disobey Aniki, he will execute us without a second thought.''
''I say we attack that pink-haired troublemaker. He's the enemy and we are screwed either way!'' Another man answered him in a half-determined tone, trembling.
Hearing him, the others worked a bit his words in their mind and then came altogether in agreement by nodding positively their heads. Next, they all transformed to their real forms and stormed as a pack against Natsu.
''Tch! This doesn't sit right.'' Natsu murmured in a displeased tone, staring at the monsters heading straight at him. ''Fighting opponents who don't wish to fight is against what Gramps taught us… Better put them to sleep before things become more troublesome.'' He added and following that, he rushed against them with his fists engulfed in a medium to low amount of flames.
As for his next step; the moment he met with them, he drew back both his fists, tightening them in the process.
''METSURYU OGI: GUREN KARYU KEN!'' He exclaimed shouting intensively and right after that, he began bombarding all the monsters with a series of fierce and rapid flaming punches.
*Hpfft**Hpfft**Hpfft**Hpfft**Hpfft**Hpfft**Hpfft*
An action that achieved both countering them before they attack him as also knocking them out one by one without inflicting them so much damage, preventing them this way from sacrificing their lives for nothing since they were actually doing this mostly due to fear of their boss.
[5 minutes later.]
In the end, thanks to Natsu's last technique all of his opponents were now unconscious, piled up in a large hill made of monster bodies a few inches to his front, having only medium burns over their chests.
''Good! This will do for now. I tried to hold back as much as I could so they probably aren't dead.'' Natsu claimed, looking at the pile of the monsters' bodies. ''Normally, I would have kicked their butts totally, but killing people who don't wish to fight is for scum.''
Natsu was a wizard of Fairy Tail; a Light guild too pride of its members' honorable way of fighting and handling their problems. Acting cowardly and taking advantage of their foes' weaknesses or hesitance was out of the question for anyone of them and that applied double for Natsu who thought of the guild as his home. He had vowed to himself to never act against the guild's moral codes and he was determined to keep his vow no matter what.
*Hhhrrss* (Sound of fire moving through the air.)
But unfortunately, not everyone else was as determined as him in `playing` cleanly. Just a few seconds after he spoke his last word, a familiar sound was heard approaching from behind the pile while at the same time the temperature around that area had begun rising rapidly.
''Hm? What's this feeling? It feels like…'' He was about say, but before he has the chance to complete his sentence the pile of bodies was engulfed in flames.
Flames that burned it to a crisp in a flash, continuing advancing upon Natsu and resulting in him getting swallowed whole by them.
''NATSUUU!'' Mizore screamed with teary eyes, watching him disappearing inside the flames.
''BHAHAHAHA!'' A devious laugh was heard then from the direction the flames came from.
Hearing it, Mizore recognized the voice right away and turned her face towards its direction to witness Draig laughing hysterically while staring at the flames that swallowed his men's bodies and Natsu. But except that, she also noticed and something else... Something very outrageous… For an absurd reason, his body was almost twice as big than earlier, his muscles were looking like they were about to rip his flesh to gush out and his veins had popped out and were currently in plain view with only a thin layer of skin covering them with difficulty. In addition, his mouth was full of flames that were swirling inside his gullet. It was honestly a way too bizarre sight since he didn't look at all like this some minutes ago. But with a better look, someone with sharp eyesight could distinguish with a little effort a small, empty bottle standing below his belly. A bottle that apparently had something to do with the drugs they were talking about earlier. From the look of things, while Natsu was taking care of his underlings, he made use of that spare time to gulp all the drugs to boost his natural abilities.
''HAHAHAHA! This is incredible! I feel like a whole new person. My body is bursting with power! Even my fireballs evolved to a flamethrower. With a power as great as this one, I'm sure I can even rival S-Class monsters… No, wait! I could even beat Dreik nii-san and take his place as the gang's main boss. Heh, heh, heh! Me as the main boss… It really has a wonderful ring to my ears!'' Draig claimed to himself with a wide grin and a delightful expression.
But unfortunately for him, he wouldn't be able to preserve them for long.
''I wouldn't bet on that.'' A voice was heard saying from inside the flames.
A familiar voice both Draig and Mizore heard and made them goggle startled… A voice that belonged to no other than Natsu who had suddenly started walking out of the fire unscathed with only his clothes a little burnt.
(Natsu's clothes are specially designed to withstand fire. That's why he isn't left naked after he uses full-body fire techniques.)
''Im… Impossible! How can you still be alive after being hit by my superior flames? This doesn't make sense!'' Draig asked him in confusion.
''Natsu…'' Mizore whispered on the other hand, shedding now tears of joy from seeing that he is alive.
''-Superior flames-, you said? Ha! Don't make me laugh! These flames were the weakest flames I have ever experienced.'' Natsu stated to Draig in a low tone.
After that, he scowled having a furious expression on his face.
''But despite being so weak… They were enough to mess my friend's precious place and kill your own men. The men who were respecting you as their boss and you repaid by exterminating them without a second thought… And for these two reasons, I will make sure to obliterate you!'' He growled at him with a few veins twitching on his forehead.
Attempting to destroy Mizore's important place and hurting her in the process were two things which had already made him angry enough, but adding to them and the murder of his men by his own hands was something that had reached Natsu's furiousness to its max. His motto was –respect and help your friends-, so witnessing that creature remove without any qualms the lives of his own comrades was an extremely unforgivable act… An act he wasn't going to leave unpunished.
''This is the end.'' Natsu claimed to him with a hostile expression and next jumped hastily from his current spot, starting right after this rushing towards Draig with his fists tightened and engulfed in strong flames.
''You vermin! I'm going to…'' Draig tried to say to him, but to his bad luck, he wouldn't have the chance.
Due to his excellent speed, Natsu had arrived close to him before Draig has even the time to notice him and was now standing right below his mouth.
''KARYU NO TEKKEN!'' Natsu exclaimed shouting, smashing with force his right fist to Draig's lower jaw…
*Hpfft*
…and deforming it as a result.
''GWAAA!'' Draig screamed feeling intense pain from his attack.
But this was only the beginning of his punishment.
''KARYU NO SAIGA!'' Natsu exclaimed again, swiping at his neck in a claw-like fashion with his left hand…
*Hhrcsst*
…and ripping like this Draig's flesh like it was paper.
''UAAAA!'' Draig screamed a second time, feeling even more pain.
''I haven't finished yet!'' Natsu stated then to him and engulfed his right foot in flames. ''KARYU NO KAGIZUME!'' He exclaimed a third time and kicked Draig right on his face with a spinning, flaming kick…
*Hftkk*
…that left a huge bruise, as also a burnt mark on its surface.
But before his opponent has the chance to scream something this time, Natsu engulfed quickly his whole body in flames and jumped at him from below.
''KARYU NO KENKAKU!'' He exclaimed a fourth time, head-butting roughly Draig to his torso.
*Hdkkk*
A powerful move that created a deep pit on Draig's chest, implying that Natsu had broken his ribs and next sent him flying backwards onto some trees.
*Ktrtsshh* (Sound of trees being broken.)
''You committed many sins. '' Natsu said to him, starting at the same time walking towards the location Draig crashed onto. ''But now it's time to pay for them.'' He added in a straight tone, punching his right fist into his left palm.
''You… bastard… I… will… never… lose... to… someone… like… you…'' Draig muttered back to him with difficulty due to all his injuries and following that began concentrating a huge amount of flames in his mouth. ''…I… will… eradicate… you…'' He added the same way and without further ado, released a large wave of flames towards Natsu.
''WATCH OUT, NATSU!'' Mizore screamed worriedly to Natsu, watching Draig's most powerful attack approaching him at high speed.
An action which was apparently needless on her part since Natsu wasn't looking the least bit fazed by the flame wave which was about to hit him in the upcoming seconds.
''The same again, huh…? But this time it won't reach me.'' Natsu claimed and drew back his head. ''Try this instead!'' He added and started sucking air. ''KARYU NO HOKOOO!'' He roared intensively, releasing his own large wave of flames.
Next, the two waves crashed onto each other with Natsu's taking almost immediately the initiate, pushing Draig's back with ease. A fact that made Draig open his eyes widely in fear, witnessing Natsu's wave coming straight at his place while he was unable to move to avoid it.
''NOOWOOOOH!'' He screamed in extreme pain for the last time while Natsu's flames were swallowing him, burning automatically his flesh to a crisp.
[5 minutes later.]
From that point, a few minutes passed with Natsu standing currently still at his spot, staring at a deep, long path of burning land he created with his last technique and was steadily filling itself with water due to the snow that had melt at both its sides.
Then, coming into a conclusion that his job there was finally done, he turned around and started approaching Mizore who was looking at him with her eyes ready to pop out due to immeasurable astonishment. She had met many different and strong fighters in the past, but Natsu was without a doubt a special case. His powers seemed like they could easily match Real Moka's… No…! They may be even more superior to hers!
''Sorry I got late, Mizore. It took me longer than I expected.'' He said to her the moment he arrived in front of her. ''Now let's get rid of these things.'' He added looking at her chains.
Following that, he grabbed them and without any difficulties, he started breaking them one after another until Mizore was completely free. A fact that added to her astonishment concerning his powers' level.
''There! Now it's better, isn't it?'' Natsu asked her throwing the last chain away and turning to Mizore with a satisfied smile.
As for her; she was standing unmoved, looking at him with an expression that was revealing clearly her utter confusion.
''…N-Natsu…'' Mizore muttered to him after a few seconds instead of answering his question.
''Hm? What?'' Natsu asked her blinking a bit curious.
''You… You are… a fire user…?'' She asked him hesitantly.
''Eh? Oh, yeah! Heh, heh! I forgot to mention this when we were talking earlier.'' Natsu answered her slightly embarrassed, scrubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Next, he pointed himself with his right thumb.
''I'm Fairy Tail's strongest fire wizard. Natsu Dragneel; the fire Dragon Slayer.'' He stated to her with a wide smile full of pride for himself.
''-Dragon… Slayer…-'' Mizore repeated, muttering again while having her eyes and her mouth wide open.
''Yup! That's also the reason I was able to track you. You forgot the towel in which you had buddle up the rice balls, so I thought to use my nose to find you and return it before you go too far. We Dragon Slayers have pretty keen noses, you know!'' Natsu said to her widening his smile.
After that, he placed his left hand in the left pocket of his jacket and pulled out a white kitchen towel which he handed to her the next second. A towel she took unconsciously, but without changing in the least her astonished expression.
That was seriously the weirdest day of her life. She saved an unknown man from the snow, ended up sharing with him her inner sorrows, fought a whole gang of yakuza, came pretty close to dying and in the end, got rescued herself by the same man she previously helped. And on top of all these, she learned that he was a fire user…A ridiculously powerful fire user… Yeah… Truthfully, that was one of the weirdest days of her life. A day she would never forget and was the beginning of a series of events that were bound to change her whole life… And not only hers!
[3 hours later – At a location quite far from the land of snow women - In a secret, underground hideout.]
''Hmm… So my arrogant little brother was killed by an unknown man who uses fire, right?'' A male, shadowy figure asked rubbing his chin with his right hand while sitting on a small couch.
''Precisely, Dreik-sama!'' Another male figure which was kneeled in front of the first one answered him.
A figure that was apparently a flying monster since he had long wings on his back and a beak instead of a normal mouth.
''It's quite a tragic fact, but I hope it won't sadden you so much that you will lose focus of our main goal.''
''Heh! Don't be stupid, Ren! Like I would ever let myself be affected by this disgrace's death. I was well aware of the fact that he desired my position as head of the gang. Learning that he died is more of a relief than something to be saddened about.''
''I'm glad to hear that, Dreik-sama.''
''Yeah… And you know… You mentioned that all of this took place in the land of the snow women, right?''
''Yes!''
''Hmm… I was wondering for a long time which place we should choose as our territory's first expansion, but as it seems, the answer came to us by itself. I have heard pretty interesting things about that place and its beautiful residents, so I suppose it wouldn't be a bad to establish a new base there.''
''Excellent idea, Dreik-sama…! Now, if you excuse me, I have to go inform the others to make the necessary preparations for a raid.''
''Perfect! This you should.''
Next, the winged figured flied away, leaving back the other figure alone.
''A capable fire user, huh?'' He questioned placing a cigar in his mouth. ''This sounds like it's going to be fun.'' He claimed, lighting the cigar with a crimson flame he produced with his right index finger.
A/N: And that's the end for now!
Hope you liked it.
Also, about the fact that Mizore is a bit more talkative here than usual, it's because she's the main heroine, so I can't have her say only 6-7 quotes in every chapter. The recent chapters of Rosario II have also shown that she can speak efficiently if she has to, despite being generally a quite character.
Next time Natsu is going to meet the snow women and Mizore's mother… And of course we will have more action! ;)
[Boy, this is going to be interesting for Tsurara to see a man close to her daughter other than that wimp Tsukune. Not to mention that this man uses the opposite element from all of her tribe.]
For the end, a great thanks to my beta reader Puck's Favourite Girl for her precious help in completing this chapter!
See you next time!
Be well and love Japan! Ja'ne!