Just so everyone is aware this will contain spoilers for arcs that are not yet in the anime, if you have not read the manga do not read this story! Don't want to spoil anyone's fun. Anyway this is set just after the Avatar arc, as far as my plans go the Alavarez Empire arc will still happen as well although there will be a longer gap between the two arcs. Anyway please enjoy the story,

I also don't own Fairy Tail, no massively successful pieces of work for me!

A Broken Heart

Looking up from his spot at the bar, Natsu saw a sight that made his heart clench in his chest. Lucy was in the hands of another man. Sting was currently laughing boisterously while he pulled the Celestial wizard closer, refusing to let her stay away from him.

After the guild disbanded, the time away from her family had taken its toll on the blonde, her support scattered to the four corners of Fiore. She had been left alone, alone to sink into her loneliness. However she was saved by one man. Sting.

She had met him on the job while working for the Sorcerer Magazine. Herself and Jason were doing an issue based on the Sabretooth guild, after all the work had been done she sat with Yukino and had a drink to catch up with her fellow Celestial mage. It was then the master of the Sabres had joined them.

To her surprise she found that she quite enjoyed the company of the Dragon-Slayer immensely. It appeared that after the events of the Grand Magic Games, Sting had changed for the better. It turned out that Natsu influenced him enough to shed most of his ego and to strive to become a better person. This is intrigued Lucy to no end.

And so she began spending time with the Light Dragon-Slayer. Every visit brought the two closer together and they began to bask in each others presence, letting their feelings grow naturally. Eventually after a couple of months they began going on dates, discovering that their love for each other ran deep. They became a couple not long after.

Although Natsu wished the couple well, it was not in his nature to hate his friends, every time he saw them; it cut him deep in his heart. Although he originally left on his journey to train, he also took the time to realise his feelings and mourn. However the extra time he needed ended up being a curse rather than a blessing. He lost the one heart he was determined to win. All he could do was watch as the woman he loved lived her life with another man.

What really hit hard was that Natsu could not deny Sting was exactly what Lucy needed. He was similar to the Fire Dragon-Slayer but he was a bit more relaxed in his general approach to things. While Natsu was a hot-head, Sting would be a bit more reserved, keeping a tighter leash on his emotions. After the announcement of their coupling, the guild figured that Natsu's flames of emotion were too much for the Celestial Spirit Mage at times. These revelations did nothing to quell the turmoil inside of the Fire Dragon-Slayer.

They also seemed to affect his magic. His fires had dulled ever since the public declaration of Sting and Lucy. His missions with Team Natsu became strained as he slowly transformed into a liability. He had eventually stopped going, worrying all of his friends in the process. He hardly joined in the guild brawls anymore, his weakened state meaning he could risk some serious injuries if he fought.

Unfortunately, the fact that he has behaving in a manner that definitely was not like him caught the attention of the entire guild. They had all deduced what was wrong with the Dragon-Slayer however they could only attempt to cheer him up. There was not much anyone could do for him in that situation.

All of this, left Natsu in his current state, his head firmly planted on the bar, unmoving. He had to be honest with himself, the news had devastated him. He had never taken any wound in a fight that had hurt him as much as the news that the woman he loved did not love him back. Her heart was elsewhere and he was left alone.

Mira approached Natsu silently, worry tainting her beautiful face. Her concern for the Dragon-Slayer had increased daily in the past few weeks, his gloominess turned out to be infectious. People like Natsu were meant to burn brightly, giving light to everyone's lives, yet at the moment he was a darkened husk of his former personality and other people were missing his presence. Coughing to alert Natsu of her presence, the she-devil raised her sweet voice to address her old friend.

"Natsu are you okay? You haven't been yourself recently." Although she was stating the obvious, even the most unobservant members of the guild had noticed the change. All that was left was for Natsu to come clean and confide in them. However the entire guild knew how stubborn that the son of Igneel could be and would probably never admit it. The Fire Dragon-Slayer lifted his heat at the gentle voice and gave its owner a fanged smile. Unfortunately Mira could see through his attempt, knowing that his smile was not genuine.

"Oh hey Mira, I'm fine honestly! No need to worry about me!" His tone lacked his usual bravado. If she was not mistaken, Mira could have sworn she heard an insecure undertone to his reply. This only worried her more, Natsu maybe a lot of different things but insecure was not one of them. Before she could push the topic, Gray ran up behind the Dragon-Slayer and yelled out his usual challenge.

"Oi Flame-Brain! Fight me!" Ripping off his shirt and tossing it aside (coincidentally, into the arms of a fawning Juvia) Gray flexed his muscles letting a casual smirk take over his face. He conveniently ignored Mira's death glare as he prepared to face his childhood rival.

"Not today thanks Gray, think I'll head home instead. You coming Happy?" The blue Exceed perked up when his best friend called for him.

"Aye sir!" The feline flew over to his adoptive father and the pair left the guild, leaving behind a stunned Fairy Tail. With a look of confusion, Gray approached a gaping Mira and asked the question that everyone was thinking.

"What just happened?" Mira could only shrug her shoulders in a startled response as she could not find the words to express her confusion. Although he had not joined in any of the guild brawls recently, he never missed the chance to have a fist-fight with Gray. Not just that but he was polite to his rival, not even degrading him with one of his insults. That may have been a first in Fairy Tail history. As the two tried to figure out where their use of vocabulary went, Erza approached the two and joined in the conversation.

"Although I am pleased he didn't fight," She paused to give Gray his second death stare of the day, terrifying the poor Ice-mage even further into speechlessness. "I'm rather worried about Natsu. He hasn't been himself recently. Not to mention his absence from Team Natsu, missions aren't the same without him!"

Gray snorted at the last part of Erza's statement and received a gauntlet-clad fist in response. As Mira slid a plate of strawberry cake to the currently fuming red-head to calm her down, she finally broke her silence.

"I know Erza, it's such a shame to see him so down, maybe someone should go talk to him." All three turned their heads to look to his best friend, however Lucy was preoccupied with Sting, laughing merrily at a joke he just said, grasping his arm to her and generally ignoring the world around her.

"Well we can't ask Lucy for obvious reasons and he sure as hell won't listen to me. Looks like it'll have to be you Erza." Gray pointed out. However Mira pointed out a potential flaw with the Ice-Make mage's idea.

"If you go Erza, you'll have to stay calm and patiently try and make him talk to you. Without hurting him." This comment made Erza look down bashfully while playing with the remains of her cake, causing both Mira and Gray to sweatdrop. However despite the distractions, they still needed someone to go and talk to Natsu, and none of them could come up with any fresh ideas.

"Erm, if you don't mind…I can go and talk to Natsu-san." All three jumped at the intrusion into their conversation. They quickly turned to the owner of the timid voice to be met with the youngest member of Team Natsu, Wendy Marvell.

Mira gave the young Dragon-Slayer a sweet, comforting smile, causing Wendy to smile back, slipping into a more comfortable feeling making her feel at ease. She had been nervous about offering to help, but they seemed to be actually considering her idea. This in turn helped to give her more confidence.

"I think that's a wonderful idea Wendy! He maybe more likely to open up to a fellow Dragon-Slayer after all!" Mira said with her winning smile still adorning her face, glad that possibly, the plan to help Natsu may continue after all.

"The idea has merit certainly, you have after all, matured a lot Wendy" Erza agreed with her seldom seen soft smile. The compliment caused Wendy's face to turn scarlet in an instant. The praise from one of her idols never failed to embarrass her.

"Plus Flame-brain would never even think of hurting Wendy's feelings, so we don't have to worry about him getting annoyed at her." Gray concluded for the three. It was Erza who had the last say.

"We have our plan then. Do your best, Wendy!" The Sky Maiden gave all three a firm nod before running off to prepare. As they watched her go, all three smiled at her look of determination. It was Mira who voiced the thought they were all thinking.

"You really are growing up in front of our eyes Wendy."

The Sky Dragon-Slayer quickly sprinted up to Carla. She had been planning how to address Natsu in a way that was simple for him to understand and not freak out about discussing how he was feeling. Although she was not one hundred percent sure how to go about this, she knew one thing for certain. Her Exceed would not be there.

Not only would Happy start to misbehave at the mere sight of his not so secret crush, but Carla could potentially say something that would infuriate the Fire Dragon-Slayer and make the entire situation worse. Although she had gotten a lot better with the Fairy Tail guild, she still let her snobby attitude out at times. It was for these reasons Carla would be staying in Fairy Hills tonight.

"Carla, can you do me a favour please? Can you make your own way back home tonight please?" Keeping her tone polite was always a good way to get on the Exceed's good side. However the pure white cat sensed something was being kept from her. With a look of suspicion, Carla inquired,

"Why would I do that child? What are you up to?" Knowing her cat would never agree to letting her go without the truth, the young Dragon-Slayer come clean.

"I'm going to visit Natsu-san to try and figure out what's wrong with him." Her confidence had taken a slight hit as she embarrassedly admitted what she was up to. She could not keep the blush off her face. Sniffing as this new information, Carla's response came almost instantly.

"Why do you have to talk with that brute!? They cab easily send someone else." A stray thought crossed Wendy's mind telling her that talking with Natsu would be easier than getting Carla to agree to letting her go anywhere without her.

"Please Carla it's only me that can do it. Erza-san is too scary, Gray-san would just argue with him and Lucy-san, well…" They both looked over at Lucy to see her leaving with Sting in tow, both still lost in each others company. With great reluctance Carla turned back to Wendy frowning, closing her eyes as if what she was about to say was bringing her great pain.

"Fine child, I suppose those are good points, go and talk with him if you must." With her widest smile, Wendy thanked her partner causing the Exceed to at last smile for the first time in the conversation. With a wave at the rest of Team Natsu and Mira, The Sky Dragon-Slayer skipped out of the guild and made her way towards Natsu's home.

Despite the fact her senses were not as keen as Natsu's or even Gajeel's, Wendy's were still at a reasonable level. With the enhanced sense of smell, the young Dragon-Slayer had tracked down her teammate to his house and was currently stood on his doorstep, mustering her courage by watching the sun start to set. The dipping star was painting the sky paint, a shade that reminded Wendy of Natsu's own hair.

This gave the young slayer some comfort, as she turned again to face the door. With her courage now restored, she quickly knocked on the front door before taking a step back and awaiting a response. It only took a minute for the door to swing open and she came face-to-face with a currently hovering Happy.

"Wendy? What are you doing here?" The cute, confused expression on the Exceed's face would have usually caused her to chuckle, however she was far too focused on her current objective to notice.

"I just came to talk to Natsu-san, is he at home?" As usual, the youngest Dragon-Slayer was polite in her questioning however, Happy did not seem to be listening. Instead a look of fevered concern had crossed his face as he quickly began his own interrogation.

"Yeah he is, wait! Wendy's where's Carla?" Wendy inwardly laughed at the cats first thought.

"She's at home Happy-san, at Fairy Hills."

"And she's on her own?"

"Yes Happy-san."

"Max Speed!" The shout startled Wendy but what shocked her more, was the blue blur shooting off in the direction of Fairy Hills while screaming to the now darkened sky,

"Don't worry Carla, I'm coming! You won't be lonely ever again!"

Raising a hand to her mouth, Wendy let out a series of giggles before walking into Natsu's house, through the left open front door. Patiently pushing away the image of a horror-stricken Carla fending off the affections of a love-struck Happy, Wendy closed the door behind her and took a glance around the older Dragon-Slayers house.

To her surprise it seemed the pair had actually cleaned their humble abode. Normally she would have guessed that Lucy had cleaned for him, however current events promptly disregarded that theory. She was so immersed in her thoughts, even with her enhanced senses, Wendy failed to notice Natsu walk into the room.

"Oh! Yo Wendy! What're you doing here?" His voice caused Wendy to flail her arms around in surprise, the shock possibly taking off a few years of her life. As she took a moment to compose herself, Wendy quickly examined Natsu's face.

To anyone else the grin on his face would have been genuine, but not to Wendy. She saw that his grin was just a bit wider than normal, that it just came short of reaching his eyes. Eyes that usually sparkled with mischief and life, now held a hidden pain. One that would eat him inside out if he did not address the issue.

"Natsu-san! Don't scare me like that." Deciding it was too early to address directly what she came here to talk about, she decided a gentle chastise would be the ice-breaker. It seemed to do the trick as Natsu scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Heh, sorry about that. But you didn't answer the question."

"I…I just came to talk Natsu-san." Despite the fact she did not feel shy around the older Dragon-Slayer, she could not help but stutter as she began to think about the task at hand and just how difficult her little mission may prove to be.

"Don't be nervous Wendy. I always have time for you!" This time the accompanying smile was radiant and oozed affection. This however proved to not be as helpful as imagined. The sincerity behind Natsu's words caused the Sky Dragon-Slayer to start to stutter in embarrassment instead as her face turned a marvellous shade of red.

"Th…Thank y...you Natsu-san." It may have been a struggle to say, but she hoped that she get across just how much that meant to her. That having Fairy Tail as a family still warmed her heart to that very same day. Quickly returning her undivided attention to the fire Dragon-Slayer, she noticed that he had moved to his sofa and was beginning to get comfortable.

Noticing that Wendy was silently watching, unmoving, Natsu gestured for her to join him in getting comfortable. Not needing anymore prompting, the young Dragon-Slayer quickly seated herself next to Natsu, turning to face him while wondering how it was best to bring up the 'Lucy Conundrum'.

However the son of Igneel interrupted her thoughts with an unexpected question.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" He may not always remember his manners, but he never forgot how to be a great host. Erza had visited once and when there was no offer of refreshment from Natsu, she had begun 'teaching' the unfortunate Dragon-Slayer for the rest of the day on how to treat his guests. Needless to say he picked it up rather quickly, although Erza had never been invited back again.

I'm fine Natsu-san, I ate at the guild." Natsu nodded at Wendy's explanation, relieved that he did not have to stand up and fetch food from his kitchen. Before his mind could wonder too far into the realms of everything food, the Fire Dragon-Slayer reminded himself that his guest had come for a reason.

"Well, what do you want to talk about Wendy?" The Sky Dragon-Slayer seemed to actively cringe at this question. Although Natsu's tone had been gentle with the slightest hint of intrigue, Wendy still felt like she was at the start of a gruelling interrogation. Simply put, she was not ready for this.

Deciding that the best course of action was to just be honest with Natsu, The Sky Maiden jumped straight into the deep end.

"Natsu san, are you okay? Is Lucy-san being with Sting-san upsetting you?" Closing her eyes Wendy did not want to see her fellow slayers reaction in case she found anger there. Out of everyone she knew, Natsu was one of the few she would not be able to cope with them hating her. He meant way too much to her and she never wanted his malice aimed at her.

Mustering up her courage, the youngest Dragon-Slayer opened her eyes and to her horror she found something a lot worse than anger. She found a tensed up Natsu with only one emotion on his face. Pain. The type that would eat a person's soul if left unchecked in its ravenous quest to destroy everything it touched. The type that would tear, stab and rip into your heart without mercy or remorse making every moment agony, before stripping you of emotion and leaving you an unfeeling husk. It was the type of pain that taunted you night and day, never relenting until its sinister voice was all you could hear, constantly whispering, making you scream in a crazed delirium just for a moment of respite.

Wendy did not know when the tears started to flow. She did not feel them cascading down her face as she felt just a sliver of the pain that Natsu felt. What she did feel was her caring side raring its head and forcing her to comfort her friend. As a strangled sob escaped her, the young Dragon-Slayer flung herself at one of her role models, wrapping her small arms around him.

"Oh Natsu-san!"

The fire Dragon-Slayer did not hesitate, he wrapped his arms around Wendy and pulled her into a tight embrace. It hit him suddenly that despite the fact it was he who was hurting, he was comforting the young Sky Madien. Natsu could not contain the chuckle that escaped his lips when it finally became clear to him. This alerted the sobbing girl in his arms, and she looked up in surprise to see what was happening.

"Natsu-san?" Her adorable, confused face only making the fire mage to chuckle more.

"Don't worry Wendy, it's just funny that I'm comforting you right now." Although the young teenager was embarrassed, she was happy to at least hear Natsu's laugh again; especially when he had the warm smile that accompanied it. Wiggling out of their comforting hug, the Sky Maiden spoke again.

"S…Sorry Natsu-san, but you never actually answered my question." The dark look from before quickly made a reappearance, causing Wendy to flinch at the sight. It was a challenge for the young Dragon-Slayer to see someone close to her go through such pain. She was not used to it. However one positive could be taken, Natsu's influence had a positive impact on Wendy. She was more protective of those she loved.

"It… It hurts a lot Wendy. I'm not good with words or feelings but I feel like my heart has been ripped out. Not even Igneel leaving was as painful as knowing that Lucy doesn't love the way I love her. I know I'm not smart but I thought I worked out her feelings. Turns out I was wrong. It feels like there's something wrong with me, something that makes me feel so alone."

Everyone who knew Natsu on a personal level, knew about his hear of abandonment and loneliness. Although he was surrounded by supportive friends, it did not stop the familiar dark tendrils of doubt seeping into his mind. Despite the fact he was not too clear about love, he knew all about fear. Not only was Natsu heartbroken, he was deathly afraid.

Even though he could not place exactly what to be afraid of, his sub-conscience feared having to face the world alone. His heartbreak was almost gleefully bringing back his childhood fears.

"Natsu-san?" The Fire Dragon-Slayer looked down to find that Wendy had once again wrapped her arms around his chest in an effort to comfort him with a hug, and once again Natsu happily accepted the kind gesture with no complaint. He may not say it out loud, but it was really giving him comfort to have someone here looking out for him.

"I know what you must be thinking Natsu-san, I felt the same after Fairy Tail split. It was like loosing Grandeeney all over again. I had lost my family again." Natsu flinched as he remembered the left unsaid guild Caitshelter and how that must still hurt the bluenette in his arms. He ideally wondered why it was Dragon-Slayers that got most of the difficult challenges in life, however Wendy's voice soon brought him out of his thoughts.

"Luckily I had Lamia Scale to take me in and I had Chelia, but I still felt like Fairy Tail had abandoned me." Natsu flinched again at that. So many had lost their dragons and he did not stop in his grieving of Igneel to check on his fellow slayers. Guiltily he turned to say something to Wendy only to see her glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Stop it right now Natsu-san! You didn't abandon me, so stop feeling guilty! You were grieving too and needed the time; you even gave a time for when you'd be back anyway." Although her stern tone originally surprised Natsu, he could not help but smile at her determination for him to not place blame on himself for her fears. When the bluenette was sure he had stopped on his self-detrimental train of thought, she carried on.

"Although I loved my time at Lamia Scale, it still wasn't Fairy Tail and I always had a small spot in me that hurt. Then one day something amazing happened. My big brother came back to find me."

This caused one reaction for the both of them. They exploded crimson in embarrassment. They were both pleased with Wendy's words. The Sky Maiden was happy she was finally able to tell Natsu that she saw him as a blood relative, while the Fire Dragon-Slayer loved the fact that someone loved him so much as to consider him an actual family member. It definitely helped that he had always viewed Wendy as the perfect little sister. Before the atmosphere could get awkward, the Sky Maiden continued.

"It wasn't just the fact you came for me, I was one of the first you came to find. It meant so much to me that you came. I know I've never said, but to me, it showed that no matter how long you were away for, you'd always try and find me again afterwards. I know that I didn't want to leave Chelia and Lamia after all they did for me. I had to take the risk, even if I was afraid that we'd all split again. Don't you see Natsu-san? You helped give me the strength to get over my own pains and fears."

Natsu was stunned; he never knew his actions had such consequences. He could not deny the happiness he felt from the thought however. He felt warm; something he had not felt since the news of Lucy and Sting's coupling had been announced. Once again however, it appeared that the Sky Dragon-Slayer was going to speak.

"Please let us help you Natsu-san. The whole guild is worried, Erza-san, Mira-san and even Gray-san want you to get better. We love you Natsu, you're our family! We'll do anything for you. You only need to ask!"

Even though Wendy's speech had not mended his shattered heart, he felt some emotions he was beginning to think he would never have again. Hope, happiness and contentment. Pulling the Sky Dragon-Slayer closer so that her head was resting on his chest, Natsu gave her a grateful squeeze as he felt magic react to the love and acceptance he was being shown.

Wendy was more than content to be held closely by her big brother figure, however her happiness turned into joy when she felt the first-stirrings of his magic returning, she had not felt it at all recently and she could only bask in the safe, protected feeling it always gave her.

However with Natsu's magic returned, so did the ever-present warmth that came with it. As his magic began raising the temperature, Wendy began to gradually feel increasingly tired. It had been a brief, but emotional discussion for both parties and she felt drained because of it. The weight of her eye lids soon became and unbearable burden and she fought to keep her eyes open. However it became quickly apparent, this was a fight she was not going to win.

"I'm sorry Natsu-san but I can't keep my eyes open." Her eyes were closing even as she was speaking this sentence; sleep was slowly creeping forward to steal her away. However Natsu was not faring any better. He was truthfully tired when he arrived home, now after such an emotional heart-to-heart, he was pretty much dead on his feet.

"Don't worry Wendy, go to sleep. After all, what sought of big brother would I be if I didn't look after my little sister!"

The smile on Wendy's face was positively angelic. Natsu was sure she could have actually been the real deal with the amount of effort she had put forth for him today. With the last of his energy he laid them both down on his to increase the comfort as they slept. As he closed his eyes, a small figure snuggled into his side and a sleepy voice sounded out one final time.

"Goodnight Natsu-nii. You'll never be alone if I'm here."

"Goodnight Wendy."

His heart may have still been broken, but his fire was back. Natsu said one last thing before slipping into the most comforting sleep he had in a long time.

"I'm fired up!"

God writing 'san' all the time got tiring quickly, might need to relax Wendy's character a bit :'), Hope it was all done right and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!