Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

"Fairy Tail" – Speaking

'Fairy Tail' – Thinking

Fairy Tail – Flashback

Fairy Tail – Spells

A Spark To Set Aflame

The Next S-Class Mage

"It is not fair!" A young man was pretty much trashing his house while trying to stuff his packs and his pockets of things he needs, things he does, only focused on bringing the most he could when he leaves. Leaving for heavens knows where, not that heaven above will not shed some light.

This man throwing a gasket in his own home is Natsu Dragneel, mage of the magic guild Fairy Tail. Natsu is a lean, muscular young man of average height with a slightly tan skin tone, black eyes, spiky pink-colored hair, and has abnormal sharp canines. His red guild mark is located just below his right shoulder.

Natsu's outfit consists of a sleeveless, gold trimmed, black waistcoat, often left open and untucked, exposing his bare chest, a gold trimmed, black cloth around his waist that reaches his knees, held by a leather brown belt with an oval-shaped silver buckle, white knee-length trousers, a thick black wristband on his left wrist, black open-toed sandals and the scale-patterned scarf he received from his adoptive father, Igneel.

"What did Gray ever did that I didn't to get that promotion!?" Natsu was an especially angry that his supposed rival, Gray Fullbuster, was elected as the next S-class mage. And they had to say that Gray was better than he was. "How many times had he saved the day when I nearly died for them all!? They are acting like I was the only one that made Fairy Tail look bad!"

Natsu could have ranted more but he suddenly broke into tears, "I thought they were cool all my life and they decided to take things too far." Natsu's voice was just drowning in tears and also sounded cracked, like his heart was shattering. And it all started shortly after they final returned from being trapped in time by the effects of a secret magic known as Fearī Sufia, the one that sealed them for seven long years.

XXXXX

Flashback Begins!

Moments ago,

"You mean to say that there was a winner of the S-class exams before it was canceled!?" Natsu shouted at Makarov as the dwarf sized guild master sat on his place on the counter within the guild hall.

Makarov is an extremely short, elderly man. He has black eyes and is growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also has a thick white mustache. He has a black stamp of the Fairy Tail guild mark that covers his entire chest area. On his first appearance, he was shown dressing in a casual manner, with an attire consisting of a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. He is usually shown with a formal attire, with him wearing a white tunic with the Fairy Tail symbol on the left collar, and black pants, all in which was covered by a formal white coat with white fur around the edges and with the Ten Wizard Saints' symbol on the back.

"I am not in the mood to repeat myself Natsu. After that big ass celebration, we are really heavy in trouble with money and debt and it is all because that damm Marco had to pile it all on me!" Makarov shouted and yet Natsu just smirked,

"Well it happens when you are the longest master than any other Gramps. You just can't seem to find what to do without it!" Natsu pointed out and Makarov just grumbled out something like 'I wish that wasn't so true' and 'thanks for bringing that up'.

"So who is it?" Natsu was relay on hyper, hoping for the best to come. It didn't. And instead came something that was truly heart breaking.

"I chose Gray. He is as powerful as you, he knows how to hold back and he doesn't destroy everything in sight." Makarov said blunt to a fault and then everyone started to cheer which made things worst when,

"Ha! Now you really can't beat me now flame breath!" Gray marched over and shoved his new rank, literally and figuratively, into Natsu's face. "Now that I am no longer below Erza, you will have to be below all of us!"

Natsu said nothing only moved to a private spot, waiting. Waiting for someone to at least notice this and ask why, not matter what words they can say. But no one came, no one shouted to Natsu, nothing ever came to him. Not even a rejection or teasing ever came, least any asking for comfort. And what people who try to avoid rejection don't know is that getting nothing is always the worse of them all; like a comedian that can't get anyone to laugh or a leader that can get his people to cheer.

'They all just want to be with Gray, the stripper, the one who never saved the day like I have to do for them. I am the one who truly looked up to the likes of Erza and Gildarts, they destroy plenty and yet they are still S-class mages. Gray is more like how Laxus used to be.' Natsu thought to himself and scowling at that one. 'Mirajane is the only one I haven't even paid any attention to. She is the type of S-class that everyone wants and I could have been a lot like her. But it is too late.'

Natsu then left the guild hall, yet still unnoticed by everyone celebrating the promoting of a new S-class mage. But Natsu didn't care about that at all. He had plans, big plans. And since no one wanted to do anything with Natsu, they had no right to know. None of them do, they lost that when they unknowing competed something that is the same as betrayal and only Natsu knew that.

Flashback Ends!

XXXXX

And when nightfall came, Natsu was storming out of his house, fully clothed and armed for anything on his self-journey. But of course, he had to try and do it in secret or else his plans will be hanging high and dry. So Natsu had to be as silent as he could while trying to leave Magnolia.

"Flame Head!"

'Shit!' Natsu cursed as he was found out as soon as his seventh, 'silent' turn throughout the town from his house had sold him out. And the mage turned to see the least people he wanted to see for the time being; his fellow Fairy Tail mages, aside from the master, which include Lucy, Happy, Elfman, Mira, Wendy, Charla and Erza. And then there was Gray himself, in full view.

Lucy has brown eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that is usually tied by ribbons in a variety of colors in a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest of the hair loose. Happy is a small blue cat with a white belly that also wore a green backpack. Elfman is a large, muscular man with tan colored skin, whose height causes him to tower over most of his fellow guild members. Mirajane is a slim young woman of below average height that also has long, white hair which curls slightly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest. Wendy is a petite girl with fair skin that has long, dark blue hair that reaches down to her waist, with two bangs framing her face which reach down to her chest alongside her brown eyes. Carla is a small, white cat with pink ears and brown eyes, which are smaller than Happy's eyes. And Erza is a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes.

Over all, Gray's most prominent feature is his spiky black-colored hair. He has dark blue eyes, and his body is toned and muscular. After the mission on Galuna Island, he gets a scar on his forehead above his left eye that is partially covered by his hair. He also has a cross-shaped scar on his lower abdomen received from using a spell that involved his own blood on Tenrou Island. His member stamp is below his collarbone on his right pectoral muscle and is dark blue in color.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Gray said like he owned the right to talk down Natsu, as if he suddenly became Natsu's new master too. "Gramps said that missions are for later and you should be back home celebrating that we have gotten a new S-class mage in our ranks!"

"Princess…" Natsu said to get Gray steamed up, and it worked like always. "If you were someone else then I would have considered it but you have been acting like this is your moment to be above all your rivalries. The ones you caused to kill time and kill boredom. So you can forget about it all." Natsu tried to turn away but he felt a metallic glove causing him to halt once more.

"I understand that you are angry that Gray had become S-class before you can but you will have to get it over with! Are you a man or not!?" This was Erza's way of trying to lift someone's spirits when they were down. It was rough but sweet. But for Natsu, it was only the former.

"That isn't what is going on Erza at all." Natsu calmly retorted and argued with Erza, both things were usually impossible for him to do in the past. "I never saw what will make Gray a good role model and an idol if he strips on some fucking habit! It is like you think I am worse than that stripper!" Natsu had hit on the head; not that it scared him or even made him flinch as he suddenly found himself on the ground, lying around.

"Gray at least tries to do what is best for everyone Natsu! That is what we are looking in a new S-class mage! But when was the last time you ever done such a thing!" Erza argued with force like always but was wondering why Natsu wasn't cowering like he usually does in the face of her voice.

"When indeed?" Natsu said as he simply got back up. "You said that you were tired of fixing my mistakes but out of the times you told me that, when did you stand by while I even get the chance to do so?" Natsu added, gathering his spilled supplies, ignorant of the growing anger that was clear in everyone's faces as their heads were filled with guilt and temperament. "But I am getting off topic and I will rather die than to follow an example that Gray is making ever since he got to be S-class, to be a stripper is the key to getting a promotion."

"I am not saying that! And I am not a stripper!" Gray shouted but Natsu's smirk never even faltered. Just that his eyes were now looking to the ground and at Gray's feet. "Whaa…ARRGH!" Gray looked down too and saw that he was now stripped to his underwear for the umpteenth time!

"Now, now Gray don't panic." Natsu said mockery as Gray ignored him to look for his clothes. "You are flashing your nakedness to all the kids, all the teenage girls and all the worried mothers that are viewing us from their windows." Natsu then got everyone to see that indeed, every light in sight were not only from the streetlights but the windows as well. And the faces of civilians were clear on the other side of every window alit. "I will hate to be the one to see the mayor about this Gray; that is why I won't be here when he shows up."

Natsu then tried to leave when Erza let go of him to try and cover up Gray and looked for the missing clothes. But they do say that 'three times the charm'. And Natsu was halted for the third time indeed. "Stop you flame head! Stop you fuckering idiot, goddammit!"
Natsu could only shake his head to see that Gray was trying to fend off the over-attentive mages. "Now you are letting yourself go with that tone of voice for everyone to hear? Now I will really hate to be around to hear all this from the Mayor. Why don't you go and do what you want while I will do the same?"

"Because you have embarrassed me for the last time! Like you always did being my rival! Being my guild mate! Being my friend!" Gray tried to punch at Natsu in self-righteous anger but found himself on a sideways merry-go-around as Natsu then grabbed him by that same arm. And spun the near naked mage around being sending him to the ground hard!

"Well you will be glad to know that starting now and forever, I am not your rival!" Natsu shouted as he held Gray in arm lock and his foot on Gray's cheek. Everyone was shocked that Natsu was able to disable and beat an S-class mage like Gray who was no pushover! "I am not your friend either!" That got everything living and listening to flinch! "I am just your fellow mage, your fellow guild mate and a comrade at every blue moon. Don't think you can make me follow your word, look up to you for guidance, or take you as a serious mage." Everyone was trying to see what Natsu was getting at until the icebreaker finally came.

"Because I can't deny that you are an official S-class mage Gray but to me, forever, you are just a mage with a new title! NOTHING MORE!" Natsu roared and flames exploded at his ankles, a lot like how an engine starts. The force had sent Gray away, helplessly and burned to some degree. Elfman was the only one to grab the fallen mage,

"You have gone too far Natsu!" Erza screamed and when she took out one of her swords, she screamed again. This time in pain as her weapon suddenly melted and so did her armor. In fact, the sudden increase in heat had also burned off her entire clothing!

"Ah yes. And you all are no different than the ice princess is already proving to be an actual mage!" Natsu shouted at the current mages. "You never saw family as far more important than pride!" Natsu shouted at Elfman who suddenly got burns on his right arm. "You couldn't trust as friends!" Natsu turned to Erza and gave her some burns as well. "You never believed in yourself ever again!" It was Mirajane who got that one. "And you never went anywhere on your own!" And then it was poor Happy and Charla.

And then Natsu turned to Lucy and Wendy, the only ones left that Natsu had practically untouched. "Now what to do with you two."

"We did nothing!" Natsu had somehow lost his voice when he heard that and from Lucy herself. And then started to shake and blow hot air out of his nostrils again but this was the first time Lucy had actually noticed it that same day.

"Of course you did nothing. You did nothing when a friend was being laughed at. When he was down on his luck and needed help the most. And even when he was left like a worm on a hook to a forgotten fishing line, you…did…NOTHING!" Natsu shouted at the two women who were scared. "And if there was anything I learned from a guild laughing at my sadness, a boy starting a rivalry with me as the scapegoat, a girl using my like a practice dummy and friends who did nothing to help, is that doing nothing is the same as betrayal!"

"No!"

"SHUT UP!" Natsu cut off Lucy, "I have suffered too much to hold back on my friends, my family and my own guild. All because I could actually burn you all up to catch up with me." Natsu said in a more calm tone. "I am leaving to train. Not to become an S-class mage like the ice princess. I am going to train for the sake of the guild having to suffer seven years at the bottom because of us. And I mean all of us!" Natsu shouted while not actually facing Lucy or Wendy but at another person altogether; the new Master of the guild, Makarov Dreyer!

"And what do you mean by that brat." Makarov was actually as calm as Natsu, compared to everyone else present.

"I mean that you make it seem that I am the only one that causes the problems for Fairy Tail. And it all because I let myself go and destroy in order to complete missions." Natsu said. "And I do so because every S-class mage I ever knew had down the same and if they actually trained me, they will do me to follow their example on missions. How do you get punished for doing the exact thing that was supposed to appease you all?"

Makarov had to think hard about it and then, "I am sorry Natsu." Natsu said nothing. "I am sorry that I never figured out. But I promise that I will make up for it."

"Stop it gramps. That is pity and pity is just salt in my wounds. I am leaving and that is that." Natsu said and moved to make past Makarov. "And to make sure I am not interrupted…" Natsu said nothing else and made a fist to face Makarov, before the pint-sized Guild Master was engulfed in flames making him seem like he was the tip of a candle that was alit. All the while, there was also this bright light covering the entire section of Magnolia.

And when the daylight like glow had faded, there were only burnt or otherwise scared mages in sight. And they were taken in for treatment. But they never forgotten their guilt for Natsu leaving the guild all because they insulted him with Gray becoming the next S-class mage. Insulted him despite all the rule and bone breaking to save their lives and help with their pains; that is how ungrateful they only proved to be and now Natsu wants nothing to do with them either.

XXXXX

Three months later,

"I thought they were around here. Making such racket." A young man grumbled as he marched with a fit across the Fiore beach in search of some kind of group. It was late in the evening so the shadows of the settling sun and the looming darkness had made it night impossible to get a good look at this man. Only that he was rather tall, had spikey hair and his outfit was something of a smooth uniform or a bike's clothing with all the spikes showing. "If this is a waste of time then I will forget about the chains and bricks Virgo."

"NO!" And beside him was a woman, given the tone of the scream, who had a petite figure and her clothes were that of a slave maid. "Please now Master! I need those to be punished!"

"Well then where was this surge across dimensions supposed to be?" The man responded and the strange woman pointed towards a section of the beach. "That is what you have been saying since you woke me up that morning and dragged me the long way from my training grounds. This better be worth it."

But just as the young complained, there was a surge indeed. A surge of bright light that seemed to suddenly turn evening to morning for sure, but only for a short while. And then the light disappeared in the same way it appeared in the first place. And in its place were several people that wore strange clothing.

"Guys." The young man said as they all turned into his direction.

"Natsu!"
"Virgo!"

And despite being hidden by the shadows of the night and evening, the small group recognized the pair right away. Virgo takes the form of a maid with shackles around her wrists, short, pink hair, and blue eyes. She does wear a typical maid outfit, consisting of a black under coat and a white, frilled-trim apron.

But Natsu was like a different person altogether. He used to be a loose cannon, just waiting to burst and erupt with flames. Now Natsu seems to be a more calm and contained individual with a harden glance that showed no room for nonsense such as grudges and rivalries. Not after what Gray had started that had gotten way worse for Natsu.

And his appearance was finally revealed with the help of the moonlight. His usual outfit was no longer just bare clothes with bright clothes but more like dark red with silvery white strands on his pants and sweater that covered a full blue, sleeveless shirt. Somehow, now that Natsu's chest was covered, the women among the crowd felt a little disappointed rather than relieved. Then there the black gloves with metal tips on the fingers, the headband over Natsu's pink hair and the scarf, now a collection of silver and blue scales instead of pure white ones.

But what got their attention was that there were these pure silver markings on his skin given that they start at the back of his hands, the soles of his feet with their sandals and from around his neck. It seemed that there was something living in those markings as anyone could catch them moving throughout the streams running around Natsu's body.

"What happened to you Natsu!?"

"Something wonderful Lucy. Which I wish I could say about you and how you all disappeared for a while." Natsu answered and everyone ignored his word for his companion.

"But why is Virgo with you!?" Lucy shouted and Natsu grumbled as a response as first.

"Perhaps because I found this on my bedside when I first woke up this morning." Natsu said, taking out some kind of key from his pockets. The key is depicted to be an ordinary golden key with the crest of the Virgo the Maiden, a symbol reminiscent to the letters M and J combined together, stamped on its bow. Similar to the other keys of their kind, the center of the bow is white, stamped with the crest of the Maiden, colored in purple. Surrounding the heart-shaped center on either side are simple curves, spiraling on the top and bottom. The blade's end is shaped like a heart.

"The Gate of the Maiden Key!" Lucy spoke in disbelief and noticed that she had suddenly lost that key on her key chain. "But I thought it was with me before we started partying!"

"Partying?" Natsu heard that last one and was confused. But when he got another question for them. "And for your information, I saw Lucy do Celestial Spirit Magic enough to try use this key. After all, there was a note telling me to do so as soon as I found this key." The Fairy Tail mages, who were the ones to appear in that ball of light, had took it for the best answer. "Too bad that Virgo here had to take me here from the Shiro Nino Mountains (1) where I was training for…"

"But that is on the other side of Fiore!" Erza shouted, interrupting Natsu.

"Yeah and when I tried to go back, Virgo will always cave in the ground I was walking on. That is what I decided to get this over with and get back to those last five days of training." Natsu said and this got everyone confused.

"Why five days when we all have three more months to train?" Wendy asked and Natsu froze. And then he grabbed Virgo by her collar and slabbed her into a nearby cliff face.

"Is this why you called me after all this time!? And you never warned them!?" Natsu shouted at Virgo who still had her steel-clad expression. "Now we are in real trouble and I wish that Gildarts and Mirajane will help us. We don't even have Laxus to count either!" Natsu then released Virgo and started to stomp all around.

"Uh…" Lucy uttered. "What is going on? What hasn't Virgo warned us about?" Lucy asked and Natsu just sighed.

"The truth is that I knew this from Loke who seemed to know this somehow, before he revealed himself to be a spirit." Natsu started with his arms crossed and his expression of a harden general during distressful briefing. "He said that time moved faster in Earthland compared to the Celestial Spirit World."

"So? We only been there for a day partying." Gray said and Natsu nearly snapped his neck to face them all.

"One entire day? Twenty Four hours of partying?" Natsu asked softly. "Please tell me that is a joke!" Then Natsu had erupted in front of everyone.

"Are you jealous that you missed out on a great party?" Gray had proved once again that old habits die hard but Natsu was not in the mood, at all.

"What I am getting at is that a good ratio of how different time moves between our world and the world of the Celestial Spirit world is this." Natsu braced for the icebreaker for the news. "One day in the world of the spirits equals three entire months in Earthland. And now there are only five more days left until the Grand Magical Games start."

Not even a grasshopper's whistling can be heard ever since those words were brought in with enough force to match a battering ram. And it was evident when Erza and Gray just fainted in the opposite direction of Natsu. 'WHAT THE HELL!?' No matter how much they wanted to say that, no a single pee escaped their lips as now the Fairy Tail mages lost all strength to even stand up.

End of Chapter 1.

*Here is a new story that suddenly came to me just yesterday so I had to publish it with this chapter! Tell what you think!*

I don't know what the place where Natsu was supposedly training and living with Igneel but I thought of that for this chapter only. It is something I made up so don't try to look it up.

Translations:

Fearī Sufia – Fairy Tail