A/N: This is my first fanfic, so please tell me what you think. English is not my first language so grammar and punctuation might be a little rough. This will only be a short story ranging from 5-10 chapters. Without further delay, ENJOY!
DISCLAIMER: HIRO MASHIMA OWNS FAIRY TAIL, NOT ME.
It had already been two weeks since Fairy Tail's battle with Tartaros, Natsu and Happy decided to leave the guild to train and get stronger. Their reason was pure and simple, in order to protect the ones they care about and to never again deal with the pain of losing someone. Such ideals can only be said about Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail, the mages in there are not merely co-workers but they see and treat each other as family. Yes, a one big, diverse, happy family.
Two weeks ago, the bonds of that family was tested against the apocalyptic ambitions of Tartaros, their inhumane foes desire to erase all magic and revive their master, a vile demon named E.N.D. Fairy Tail ultimately won in the end, their unwavering faith in each other's strength and the ability to pull through any kind of dire situation were strong enough to eliminate the darkness that Tartaros was spreading. But it was not without casualties of war, some of them lost someone they love and wanted to see more of. None more so than the dragon slayers Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy, they lost their foster parents that took care of them before their time in Fairy Tail. Through the pits of sorrow and grief, they were brought back by their friends reminding them that they're never alone. And that's what brought Natsu to Crocus, to start his year-long training.
-LINE BREAK-
AT CROCUS:
Natsu Dragneel who appears to be in his late teens is seen together with a blue flying cat, Happy. He is wearing a black waistcoat, knee-length white trousers and open-toed sandals. He is also carrying a backpack and along with it is a white, scaly scarf is wrapped around his neck. His blue partner isn't wearing anything except a green handkerchief tied around his neck.
"It's been a while since we last came here, right Natsu?" Happy started.
"Yeah, but I'm glad not much has changed." answered Natsu. "Happy, let's go find somewhere to eat."
"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed.
The duo was looking around through Crocus hoping to find a nice and quiet restaurant that serves tons of their favorite food, which was not surprisingly, meat and fish. As they kept browsing around the capital, they suddenly heard a troubled scream.
"Let's go, Happy!" Natsu said to his partner.
"Aye!"
Natsu and Happy immediately halted their search for a restaurant to go to the place where that scream came from. With his enhanced senses, he was quick to locate the street where it was. Even from far away, he could already sense there was trouble. They could see the area was surrounded by five to six people, there were also knights from the palace with readying stance preparing to unsheathe their swords. Natsu and Happy quietly approached the small crowd to find out about the situation.
"Hey, what's going on in there?" Natsu asked a random citizen.
"Those people are robbers, that's a jewelry store right there being robbed of every last piece of jewelry and every last jewel notes they have by those scoundrels." the man muttered quietly but with disgust laced in his voice. He stepped aside a bit to let Natsu have a look at what's happening.
In front of the three knights, he could see five men wearing cloaks. All of them masked with their faces with bandages. Four of those men were also wielding swords, threatening anyone who dares take a step closer. A man who seems to be the ringleader is taking a young woman hostage, he is keeping her in place by having a firm grasp at the back of her neck while pointing a gun on her head, he also had a lecherous look on his face which promised unspeakable things. The knights were trying to negotiate with the leader while also being wary of what action they might take. Aside from them, there was also a middle-aged man lying on the ground bloodied and bruised. He can only assume the man was beaten up to the edge of his life.
"How many are they?" asked Natsu with so much anger in his voice. He was already preparing to take them all out.
"There are ten others inside the store also armed. There are also a few customers held captive inside as well. That man on the ground is the shop owner and that woman's father. He tried to fight back but was beaten up badly." the man answered.
"Happy, carry me up." Natsu said to his partner in which the exceed quickly nodded.
The man was about to tell Natsu more info only to turn around that he wasn't there anymore, he envied Natsu because he was able to sneak out. He only hoped that he calls for help.
-LINE BREAK-
WITH NATSU AND HAPPY:
Natsu and Happy went to the back of the store and then Happy started carrying Natsu up, away from the eyes of the crowd and the robbers.
"Okay, this is high enough. Happy, you know what to do." Natsu grinned.
"Aye, careful Natsu." Happy said as he dropped Natsu 100 feet above the ground.
-LINE BREAK-
"Please, let me tend to my father. He needs medic-" the woman being held captive tried to say but was cut off when the robber shut her up with piece of cloth rolled into a ball.
"Shut up you wench or I'll kill you both!" the leader of the robbers threatened. "After we're done here, maybe I could play with you for a while then sell you to some whorehouse for more easy cash. They pay pretty well for a lass like you."
The young woman could only cry at her current predicament, her father was almost beaten to death and if she couldn't escape her current situation, she might lead a harsh and painful life. The knights were just as helpless as they could not call for backup with the threats and demands of the robbers. They were heavily undermanned and undergunned at the moment. They were also threatening the few civilians at the surrounding area, saying that one suspicious move will result in blood being spilled.
The leader could almost taste his success and victory. There was nobody stopping them now. With this less people to bear witness at the scene, their guaranteed to run off with the prize. And the security of the streets being this low, it was all thanks to the current visitor at the palace. They had to tighten the defense around the palace, leaving the streets of the capital less protected. The leader chose the perfect time to rob a jewelry store where security has been lowered. The leader's evil smirk grew and grew just thinking of the things he could do with his soon-to-be riches. He was soon brought out of his thoughts when he heard something crash against the roof, which caused him to turn around and check.
A few seconds later, there were
torrents of fire which exploded from the windows, which made the leader gasp in surprise and worry for his treasure. As the explosion occurred several men were also thrown out of the windows, they were all wearing bandages on their faces which were already torn. They were burned, bloodied, bruised and missing some teeth. All of them were unconscious but still alive. All of the people present could only look in shock at the sudden twist of events. Emerging from the dust, was a young man with pink hair wearing a black waistcoat, sporting a grin of satisfaction while dragging two unconscious bodies. The remaining customers inside the shop immediately got out and scrammed out of sight.
"All right! Which one of you fuckers is next!?" Natsu challenged the remaining robbers, igniting his right hand and readied his stance.
The robbers except their leader could not help but step back in fear and awe of the power that radiated from the lad. Their movements and expression showed faltering and hesitation whether to attack or to run like hell.
"What are you buffoons standing around, getting impressed about!? Tear him to pieces!" the leader shouted with a commanding tone.
The four men hardened their resolve and charge at Natsu preparing to slash or stab him with their swords, which seem to be normal and not magically enhanced.
"Bring it on, losers!" Natsu said as he easily dodged a sword slash from his right side while putting his right leg in front of the man's right foot which caused him to stumble and fall, face first. He also evaded a downward sword slash from the second bandit which he quickly disabled by twisting the man's wrist, forcing him to to let go of his sword and deliver a flaming uppercut at the man's jaw sending the man twenty feet above ground before crashing into the dirt with a broken jaw. And finally when the two remaining men were about to stab him, he quickly caught their swords with both his hands and effortlessly melted them.
"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" he quickly delivered two knock out blows to both men, sending them crashing into a wall.
"That was not even decent warm-up." Natsu boasted while cracking his fists. He suddenly felt something off with the air only to realize it when he dodged another downward slash. It came from the man who fell face first. He was about to sway his sword sideway to the left but, "FIRE DRAGON'S FLAMING ELBOW!" the blow connected to the man's chest, draining all the air from his lungs and he passed out.
The leader grew more and more afraid of the young man or monster before him. He then, tightened his grip on the woman, ready to pull the trigger. He couldn't believe how the situation has changed, a few seconds ago, he was holding their very fates in his hands but with the sudden appearance of the pink-haired monster, all of his control was gone almost in an instant.
"Step any closer, and her brains will be on ground!" the man warned Natsu. This caused the woman to visibly shake about what's to come.
Natsu just stared at the scum before him. The look he gave him promised burned clothing, broken bones and a whole lot of pain. The leader also gave him a look of murderous intent only for him to receive a smug smirk from Natsu. This caused him to lower his guard for a second so he can read the expression on Natsu's face. But then, a blue blur of speed descended and forcefully wacked the gun away from his hands, immediately freeing the girl from his grip carrying her away from the area.
"Finish him, Natsu!" Happy shouted to his partner as he flew up and carry the dumbfounded woman. "You sure are heavy, but not as heavy as Lucy though." the exceed continued.
"I'm on it, thanks little buddy!" Natsu said in appreciation and charged at his opponent. "FIRE DRAGON'S TALONS!"
The leader finally recovered from his shock and crossed his arms to block the flaming kick. The force of the kick was very strong, sending him a few meters backwards but he managed to regain his footing. It's clear to him that the man in front of him is way above his level. He could only think of one thing, escape.
"Damn it, REQUIP!" the man shouted and pulled out two guns from his pocket dimension.
"Oh, so you're a mage? This will be fun." the smirk on Natsu's face grew wider as fire erupted from his body and danced around him.
"Hey, isn't that Fairy Tail's Salamander?" one of the Cherry Blossom knights asked when he recognized Natsu's most prominent features, pink hair and destructive flames.
"Yeah, I think that's him." his colleague answered. "Listen, this is going to be a mage fight. Knowing Fairy Tail's reputation and Salamander, there is bound to be property damages. Let's evacuate the remaining people here so we wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. Salamander's saved Fiore once before, I don't think he has any ill intentions toward the jewelry store. We'll observe the fight from a distance and wait for the Salamander to defeat his opponent so we can apprehend them."
"Okay, let's do that. I'll carry the beaten owner." his partner agreed.
The three of them proceeded to evacuate the remaining civilians to a safe area, while one of them gave medical attention to the beaten man. The remaining two observed the fight from a safe distance, Fairy Tail's reputation of being walking natural disasters is something to be reckoned with.
-LINE BREAK-
WITH HAPPY
Happy was able to transport the woman to a safe location. The woman was kneeling and still had tears in her couldn't help but feel bad for her. He had to do one of the many things he learned from Lisanna, offer comfort.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure Natsu will pummel that guy to a bloody pulp." Happy said comfortingly while stroking her hand.
The sobbing woman was taken aback by the soothing tone but rather tactless statement the blue cat just said to her. She still appreciated it nonetheless and wiped the last of her tears.
"I'm just worried about my father, he took quite a beating to protect me." she solemnly said.
"I'm sure the knights already did something about it." Happy positively stated. "If you want to, we could fly around and search for them. You're not as heavy as Lucy, so my stamina and magic power will last longer." Happy kindly offered.
"Thank you, Talking Cat-kun." she said hesitantly and smiled. She accepted his offer, even ignoring the slight insult about her weight.
-LINE BREAK-
WITH NATSU
"PARALYZING SHOTS!" the leader shot a barrage of lightning-infused bullets at Natsu, in which he consistently evaded.
The leader thought his plan was working and requipped another magical gun and pointed it in the air above his head. "MORNING FOG!"
Natsu's eyes grew wide for a second before a thick layer of fog covered the entire surrounding and made him cough. He could already sense that his opponent was no longer there and made his escape. 'For a gun user, he had good aim but not nearly as good as the Conell's. Even Asuka had much better aim than that loser.' Natsu thought to himself.
"So that was his plan all along, too bad it won't work." Natsu muttered to himself and started tracking down the man's scent.
The leader desperately escaped his opponents clutches using the fog, he wore a special clearing glasses that lets him see through the foggy area. He kept running alley after alley, not minding a few civilians' complain about the fog. Feeling a little better, he slowed down his pace thinking he got away from his pursuer. Then he suddenly felt a searing pain on his back which sent him rolling on to the ground head first. The shockwave of that attack was so strong that most of the fog at the certain area was blown away.
"I could smell your stench for miles you know." he heard a voice say only to reveal that it was the pink-haired freak pursuing him.
The civilians present, already knowing what's about to come immediately ran out of sight, not wanting to be part of the collateral damage.
"What kind of beast are you?" the leader asked while staggering to his feet.
"A dragon, of course." Natsu answered with nonchalance.
"REQUIP: COYOTE!" the leader pulled out a black, two-barreled shot gun and aimed it on Natsu and fired without warning.
Natsu stood his ground and took the attack which earned a look of triumph from his opponent. But the smug look on his face was completely gone when he saw two bullets caught on the former's mouth, clamped by his canine teeth.
Natsu spat out the bullets and dashed to his foe with blinding speed. Before the leader could fire another shot, two of Natsu's fingers were already poking through the barrel.
"FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP STRIKE!" Natsu shouted, which caused an intense burst of flames engulfing them both.
When the raging flames finally died down, two men can be seen. One was lying on the ground suffering burn injuries and unconscious while the other man was boasting his destructive power, spitting flames in the air celebrating his victory by a major beatdown. A number of merchant stands and stores were burned down because of that single devastating attack.
-LINE BREAK-
AT MERCURIUS:
Arcadios, a well-built man, with black hair, wearing the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight armor felt the tremors of Natsu's attack and immediately caught his attention. He then dispatched several knight soldiers to investigate the situation. Since he is the personal guard of the princess of Fiore, he could not accompany his men at the site. The power he felt was tremendous, but at the same time familiar so he did not have the sense of urgency to leave the princess and in the end, opted to stay with her.
"I think it's alright if you chose to accompany your men, Arcadios. Your duty isn't only to protect me but also to lead the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron." Princess Hisui E. Fiore said. She had jade green hair and eyes, fair skin and is wearing a short white dress, exposing her back. She also wore a tiara with seven gemstones.
"It is quite alright, Hime-sama. Although the magical signature we felt was powerful, I think the one responsible for this didn't have any evil intents, only mischief, we will deal with him soon." Arcadios replied.
-LINE BREAK-
WITH NATSU AND HAPPY:
Natsu and Happy reunited as the knights began cuffing all the robbers and brought them into custody. The beaten shop owner was also taken to the palace along with her daughter to recuperate. The young woman, whose name was Amelia was a stunning lady, not that Natsu would actually notice. She had long, black hair tied in a ponytail, big brown eyes and wore a simple pink dress with white frills. She profusely thanked Natsu and Happy for saving her and her father.
"I cannot thank you enough, Natsu-sama, Happy-kun. As compensation, you can come by to our store anytime and anything you want will be free of charge." Amelia offered.
"Do you sell fish?" Happy instantly asked when he the word 'free'
"Do you sell food?" Natsu added.
"Sorry Natsu-sama, Happy-kun but we own a jewelry store. We sell rings, bracelets, necklaces, gems, things you give to someone special." Amelia answered shyly.
"Oh, you mean a friend?" Natsu asked.
"Yes, that's alright. But when you give jewelry to someone, you see them as someone more than a friend." she answered.
"Best friends?"
She could almost slap her forehead at Natsu's cluelessness. She noticed that Happy was already uninterested in their conversation the moment she said that they don't sell fish and he already has a fish in his mouth not listening to them. But still she answered the best way she could, "Again, that is quite alright. But most people would give it to their girlfriends, lovers or wives."
"Ah, you mean a mate. Sorry but I haven't mated yet, although I am old enough to have one. Don't worry I'll come by your shop when I find mine." Natsu grinned at her.
She blushed a little at his words, she couldn't believe it. It's clear that with his profession, he's been through a lot but he still kept his mind simple and untainted.
A group of knights also approached Natsu saying that the king personally invited him to the palace as well. Thinking only about his aching tummy, he definitely agreed.
"Let's go, Happy. The palace means unlimited free food!" Natsu exclaimed and then dashed off, not even waiting for the knights or Amelia.
"Aye, free fish!"
The people left in the dust could only sweatdrop at the duo's antics, but quickly followed suit.
-LINE BREAK-
AT MERCURIUS:
Just a while ago, the king of the Pergrande Kingdom visited and had a talk with Fiore's king, Toma. The talk was about maintaining diplomatic relations. Since the Magic Council is no more and the threat of Etherion and FACE are gone, it is possible that the Alvarez Empire may declare a full-scale war against Ishgar. After all, they did launch an invasion ten years ago but was halted because of threat of firing Etherion and activating FACE. Friendly relations must be maintained among the countries of Ishgar if they to stand a chance against an enemy as fearsome as the Alvarez Empire.
The Pergrande Kingdom is a country located in the easternmost part of Ishgar. It is also the largest country of Ishgar, many times bigger that Fiore. But with that said and done, there is no denying that most of the strongest mages in the entire continent reside in Fiore, so it is imperative that even the Pergrande Kingdom must ally themselves with Fiore to even hope to stand a chance against Alvarez.
Other countries like Bosco and Minstrel refused to have talks with them since there are still rebellions and civil wars going on in there. While there are others like the countries of Iceberg and Disierto, they were mostly occupied with indigenous people and are living in society very far from civilization. And that makes those places very hard to invade and the harsh climate only adds to that fact. Even until now, Toma doesn't know what's the real reason behind the invasion, he was beginning to have suspicions. It only seemed like Alvarez was only interested in Fiore and the other countries were just an added bonus. If his suspicions are proven true, then he fears of what's about to befall his beloved country.
Ishgar was very much an opposite of Alvarez, while Ishgar is strong in its own right, its forces are separated and divided. Alvarez on the other hand acts as a monolith. Strength in unity against strength in diversity.
-LINE BREAK-
Natsu and the others finally arrived at the palace, then he and Happy directly went to the food table and started to dig in, not even waiting for their host to arrive. Amelia then went to check on her father's condition. The knights on guard did not even dare reprimand Natsu and Happy's behavior, only the Titania is able to accomplish such a feat.
"Of course, it had to be these hooligans." Arcadios said with a disgusted tone as he saw the idiotic duo eating not even bothering to use plates and proper utensils.
"They're as lively as I remember." Hisui smiled at the fond memories. She owed a lot to Natsu and his friends, from helping during the Eclipse incident and even pleading for her case to be given a light punishment.
"Yes, but it's those hooligans who stopped the dragon invasion and eliminated the last corner of the Balam Alliance, Tartaros. We have lot to be thankful for, they will always be honored guests here at Mercurius." Toma E. Fiore said. He was a man who looks like in his late 50's. He was very short barely 3 ft. tall and is wearing striped overalls along with the royal coat.
Hisui was the first one to greet the duo, since they seem to be done eating and rubbing their tummies in satisfaction.
"Hello, Natsu Dragneel. It is nice seeing you again." greeted Hisui with a polite bow.
"Yeah, nice seeing you too." Natsu returned the greeting but could not remember what her name was. "Arcadios, right?"
Hisui sweatdropped at his statement and also a bit miffed that he couldn't remember her name but chose to wave it off and introduce herself formally, "I'm sorry Natsu, but that's my guard's name. My name is Hisui E. Fiore, nice to meet you."
"Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet you too." Natsu replied and shook her hand.
"You have terrible memory, Natsu." Happy teased.
"Shut up, Happy!" Natsu retorted.
Hisui was especially amused when Natsu and Happy soon started bickering about whose smarter until the king approached.
"Natsu my boy, welcome again to Mercurius. Make yourself at home and you may stay as long as you like." the king offered kindly.
"Woah! Thanks old man." Natsu said in appreciation and patted the king's head. "Now I don't have to rent a room in an inn. Don't worry I'll only stay for one night."
"No problem, son." the king smiled.
"Although, you did cause 500,000 jewels worth of property damage." Arcadios said, pitching in on the conversation, while holding up the bill.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll pay for it, Ricardo." Natsu said as he gestured for Happy to prepare their savings. "I can't be causing Gramps too much trouble in my path to strength."
Hisui giggled in amusement of Natsu's antics, while Arcadios just kept quiet and chose not to argue with the pink-haired idiot. He later then excused himself for a bit thinking that Natsu's stupity is contagious.
"Don't worry too much about it lad, the royal family will shoulder bill. You did save several number of citizens after all." Toma offered.
"Really, old man? Thanks a lot!" Natsu said in relief thinking that if he was able to destroy that much everyday, his savings wouldn't last a month.
"I cannot thank you and your guild enough for stopping Tartaros and FACE, it's the least we could do to show our gratitude. So, were you on your way to a mission, Natsu?" the king inquired.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Natsu answered. "I'm on a mission to get stronger, to be to protect the ones I care about. As of now, I'm way too weak to protect my friends. I was painfully reminded of that during Tartaros' attack, I will definitely get stronger."
The two listeners were able to see the passion and the perseverance in his eyes.
For the rest of the day, Natsu regaled his hosts with his stories from Fairy Tail.
When the king finally retired to his chambers, Hisui stayed with him a little more. He told her most of his stories while occasionally bashing Gray calling him a 'pervert' or a 'stripper'. She of course chose which story to believe and which ones were a bit exaggerated. They had talked for hours, Happy had already fallen asleep atop Natsu's head.
"Natsu, I heard about the appearance of Acnologia. How was Fairy Tail able to fend him off?" Hisui asked.
Natsu's whole demeanor darkened when he heard the Black Dragon's name. It caused Hisui to look at him with worry.
"Sorry Natsu, that was tactless of me. You don't have to tell me anything." Hisui apologized, worried that this might be the end of their conversation.
"Igneel." he answed, which caused her eyes to widen, she heard about his search for his foster father some time ago. "Igneel fought his hardest against that bastard. Our dragons, they were inside of us all along, waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill Acnologia. We have the dragons to thank for stopping FACE."
"Sorry for troubling you with that question, Natsu." Hisui apologized once more.
"It's okay Hisui, Igneel will always live on in me." Natsu reassured her. "I will definitely train hard enough and beat the living fuck of Acnologia.
"And I believe you will." she pleasantly said, not even put off by his choice of words.
"You know, you are much nicer than when we first met and you threw us into jail. After that, I thought you were some stuck up brat. Sorry about that." Natsu scratched his head in embarassment.
"Thank you, Natsu. I'm sorry our first meeting couldn't have been more pleasant." the princess said with a slight frown.
"Don't worry its all in the past, we can get along from now on, right?" Natsu grinned at her and offered his hand.
"Yes, let's be friends, Natsu." Hisui replied and shook his hand. She was glad she became friends with him. Even if they only began to knew each other a few hours ago, she feels she could talk and act around him freely. She didn't have to put a mask on, unlike she always did when other noble families visited the palace.
"Well, I should get some rest now, big day tomorrow." Natsu said tiredly
"Where will your first destination be?" Hisui asked.
"Tenroujima."
And with that, they let go of each other's hands. Natsu could still feel the smooth and gentle feeling of Hisui's touch while Hisui felt the wild but comforting feeling of Natsu's warmth.