Author's Note: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ! Ok so this is how it is. This story was published a while back by me, under the same name. However, I took it down after major writer's block and making promises I couldn't keep. After a LONG time of not being able to write, I finally opened the file on my laptop and read over it. At this point, a new idea formed. So, instead of the old story line, Eternal Flames is going to be DIFFERENT after the first chapter. So for those who clicked on this expecting the long awaited return of the old story, I'm sorry but that's not happening. However, I urge you to try this story out. I honestly am surprised at myself. I'm excited to see how this story unfolds as I write it.

Well, read and I hope you like. I hope to gather a few new fans by restarting this. This time I won't give up on it. I have big plans and I actually know where the story is going now. So please read and review if you wish (it's always appreciated). I hope I don't disappoint anyone.

-Zafrand

Eternal Flames

Chapter 1:

Creature

It came without warning. They gave no explanation and showed no mercy. Of course Fairy Tail argued and fought, but the council's word was final. There was nothing they could do.

Erza was on the ground, swords crossed over her neck, barely allowing her to lift her face off the floor of the guild. She strained to see what was going on, feeling the sharp blades cut into her skin, but she ignored them. She was screaming something, but her ears were ringing with rage, making her deaf to even her own words.

Around her, her nakama raged noisily. The weaker and younger of the guild were held back by armed guards, fear for their guild and for themselves keeping them at bay. Some had been beaten and lay silently around the guild. The stronger ones were facing positions similar to the one she was in, having fought until they couldn't anymore.

Gajeel was wounded, blood running down his face from a small gash across his brow and more blood seeping from a deep wound on his side. He was conscious but his eyes were foggy from the pain. The soldiers standing over him held his head to the ground, their shoes and swords planted firmly along his back to keep him still.

Wendy was on her knees, tears running down her face as three blades pointed mercilessly at her throat, ready to strike at any second. Laxus had a device strapped to his chest with a glowing lacama centered over his heart. The stone had absorbed all his magic, making him defenseless and weak. All he could do was lay on the ground, watching the scene unfold in front of him.

Grey was unconscious, a gash over his chest that leaked crimson over the ground. Juvia was kneeling beside him, crying as she tried to stop the bleeding. She also had a device strapped to her, preventing her from using her magic.

Lucy was being held by two soldiers, her keys laying forgotten on the ground. Only Loke had come to her aid, to be forced to the ground as well, blades crossed over him just like Erza.

Master stood, his hands clinched tight, knowing if he attacked, the men would kill his beloved children without a second thought. The soldiers weren't here to take more than one prisoner this time, they would destroy anyone that stood in their way. They had already made that apparent with Grey and Gajeel who both needed to be treated soon. There was nothing he could do but watch as the men wrestled Natsu to the ground, fastening a thick chain around his neck and a device like the one attached to Laxus over his chest. Natsu fought the best he could, but the device was draining his magic fast, weakening him to the strength of a normal man.

"Why are you doing this?" Screamed Makarov one more time. Again the man leading the small army, refused to reply. He just simply turned his back to the guild and walked out of the large double doors. The men closest to him followed, dragging a chained Natsu after them, like some sort of animal. After a while, the men holding down the others, released them with threats that if they followed, they would be killed.

The last soldier to leave, turned, throwing an official scroll at Makarov's feet. The small man, knowing the lies the paper read, didn't even pay it any attention as he watched the soldier leave. There was no excuse for the brutality the council had shown that day. He didn't care what they had to say. He would never forgive them for this.

"Master…" Erza said softly, barely a whisper. He turned to look at her. She was holding her right arm that was covered in blood. Small lines of blood also trickled from cuts on her neck where the swords had dug into her. She was looking at him, her eyes questioning and…possibly…hoping that he would have an answer.

He didn't say anything but let his eyes wander over the guild. Others were staring at him too, hoping, like Erza, that he had some answer for them. His eyes swept over the watching eyes to the injured in their numbers. Wendy had rushed to Grey's side immediately and the wound on his chest was already looking better. He was still unconscious and Juvia sat nearby, tears flooding down her cheeks as she watched the dragon slayer.

Laxus had removed his device and rushed to Gajeel's side to help Mira who was trying to administer first aid to the still bleeding wounds on the dragon slayer. Levy held Gajeel's head on her lap, gently stroking his black hair as tears slipped silently down her cheeks.

He took a couple of deep, shaking breaths, trying to calm the rage in his heart. It didn't stamper it, but his head cleared a bit, allowing his mind to right itself. His guild needed him right now…his children needed him.

"Erza, once the injured can be moved, take them to the infirmary. Jet," He said, calling over to the man who stood nearby Levy, his eyes glazed over as he watched her try to comfort Gajeel. He turned when he heard his name, looking at the master. "I need you to go get Porlyusica. We might need her." Jet stared at him for a moment then nodded slowly. With one last look at Levy, he stepped around Gajeel and ran out the door.

"But Master, Natsu…" Said Erza gently.

Makarov sighed heavily. "Let's care for the ones here right now, then we'll figure out what to do about Natsu." He smiled up at her. "I'm not about to abandon him, Erza, even if I have to break the law."

Erza stared at him for a moment before a smile broke her lips. She nodded once then ran to Wendy to see what she could do to help.

Makarov turned from the guild members and looked at the broken doors. "Just hang in there, Natsu. Your nakama are coming."

Natsu was thrown hard against the cold ground of the cell, scraping his face and shoulder against the stone. He quickly regained his composure and pulled himself to his feet, turning to his captors as they shut the doors of his cage.

"What did I do?" Natsu asked, flinging himself against the bars of his prison. His hands were bound behind his back, so all he could do was slam his already aching shoulder against the bars, but they held strong.

"You were born." Said the man simply, turning away from him. He stopped, looking over his shoulder at the dragon slayer. "If you want to hate someone, creature, hate your parents for ever giving life to you."

The man disappeared down the long hall and the only light in the dark underground prison faded away, leaving Natsu in complete darkness.

Natsu sighed, turning around and sitting against the back wall of the chamber. He had no problem with darkness. Dragonslayer's senses were all naturally stronger than a normal Mage. His eyes would adapt to the darkness and what he couldn't see, his other senses would tell him. Already he could smell the faint scent of past prisoners hanging in the dank chamber. On the wall beside him hung shackles that smelt strongly of old blood and rust. There was a rag sitting in the far corner of the chamber that matched the old smell floating around him. It must have belonged to whomever had been trapped there before him. However, the smells were old and faint. It had, at least, been months since the person had been there. Natsu didn't want to think about what had happened to them.

His ears strained for any sounds in the cells beside him, but nothing came. There were no other prisoners down there with him. He closed his eyes, leaving his other senses to keep lookout. Like this, he could focus on this thoughts.

During the trip from the guild to his prison, Natsu had demanded to know what crime he had committed. They refused to speak to him. They even sunk so low as to hit him across the face a couple times, leaving him with a split lip and a fist-sized bruise on his left cheek. When he got too rowdy, they began to threaten him with their weapons, holding the blades against his neck until he calmed down.

What bothered him, was the brutality of the men who had captured him. Not only the hits and threats, but they had chained him and towed him through the town like an animal. The chains that locked his arms together had been heavy, often causing him to trip on the long walk. If he lost footing, they would simply drag him until he somehow got back on his feet. If he didn't walk fast enough, they hit and pushed him to speed him up. The long trip had left him covered in multiple scrapes and bruises. Nothing serious, of course, but enough to show how little they cared about his wellbeing. These men weren't normal soldiers. They had different uniforms from any other soldier Natsu had been in contact with before. When gramps had demanded to know who they were, the leader had told him they were "Special Forces". He wouldn't say anything more than that.

More worrisome was the place they had brought him to. Once through Magnolia, the men had wrapped a thick cloth around his eyes and nose. They had made sure the cloth was dipped in something that made Natsu's nose completely useless and forced him to breathe out of his mouth the whole trip. They hadn't removed the cloth until they were deep underground. Even after the cloth was removed, he couldn't smell anything for a while and the skin where the cloth touched, was inflamed and itchy. They had led him down a long dark corridor, making enough rights and lefts to make him dizzy before coming to the correct chamber for him. Only then did they remove the heavy chains, leaving the cuffs around his wrists and the magic draining lacrama attached to his chest.

Natsu sighed heavily. He wasn't sure what the man had met by hating his parents for giving life to him. The man had also called him a "creature". Now Dragon Slayers weren't exactly normal, but to call them creatures was taking it a bit far. He was still a human. His parents were human…or at least he assumed they were. It was ridiculous to think otherwise. What else would they have been?

Natsu shook his head against the thoughts. He had never known his biological parents. He should have had memories of them, but whenever he had tried to remember them, the memories refused to surface. He had asked Igneel about them once before, but the dragon refused to tell him anything. He told him it was for his own good and to put it out of his mind. Only now did he think about those words.

Were they criminals? Why would Igneel refuse to tell him anything? And why couldn't he remember even their faces? He wasn't that young when he was taken in by Igneel. He remembered wandering alone in the woods before his adoptive father had found him. Anything before that, however, was blank, non-existent.

He sat in his own thoughts for a while before it came to him. As the words of the man swirled around with Igneel's words, he remembered something. A memory from just before Igneel had disappeared. Something he had forgotten for whatever reason. Perhaps Igneel's disappearance had caused him to bury it. However, there in the darkness, it came.

They had been training like they normally did. This time, though, something went wrong….

Natsu felt the fire surround his hands as he pulled together his attack. Igneel stood waiting, his tail ready to strike out at him and his neck arched, ready to attack. It wasn't often that Natsu trained with Igneel like this. The dragon was hard to overcome, but this time he had a plan. Something new.

With a grin, he ran forward. The attack started normal with his hands, he struck out at the dragon, who easily dodged and blocked the attacks. The fire did nothing against the thick red armor on the top side of his body. To do any damage, Natsu would have to attack either the thinner underbelly area or the back of his head armor right before his neck armor started, a small space protected by long deadly spikes that came out of the head armor. However, for someone skilled enough, it was the perfect spot. However, Natsu wasn't aiming to kill the dragon so the thinner underbelly would do to take down his teacher.

Igneel pulled his head around and Natsu could hear the gathering of air in his belly. The dragon paused for only a moment, allowing his body to do the chemical changes to the air, before he heard the valve at the back of his throat open. Natsu dodged the stream of flame that shot out of his maw with ease. Even though fire wouldn't hurt him, Dragonfire burned much hotter and would do damage. In the time after the attack, Igneel took a small moment to recover. That was when Natsu moved. He pulled his fire around his body, coating himself in an armor of flames.

As he headed for the right spot on the dragon's body, something happened. All at once, Natsu felt his fire strengthen. Instinctively he tried to calm it back down, but he couldn't. He landed, screaming as the fire spun out of control around him. Then everything went black.

Natsu regained consciousness sometime after, but he still felt really tired. His body refused to move and his eyes wouldn't open. He was about to allow himself to go back to sleep when he heard voices talking.

"What happened?" Said Igneel's voice somewhere to his right.

"The seal broke. He is getting too strong. I've changed the spell to block more of his power. He'll still be able to use his Dragon Slayer magic, but it should hold back his other power." Said the voice of someone he didn't know, not far from Igneel.

"Seals won't work forever. He will have to know one day." Said Igneel.

The other person, a woman, sighed. "For now, they will work. Let him live, Igneel. He deserves that much. For now, let him live."

Natsu wanted to open his eyes and question the woman, but fatigue hung heavy over him. He tried to fight it, but the effort made it worse. Before he could hear more of the conversation, he slipped back into the darkness.

The next day, Igneel had disappeared.

Natsu let the memory wash over him. Some sort of power. A seal. He had never seen anything on himself like a seal. Whatever it was, it was invisible to him. What was this power? Was it the reason he had been captured? And who was the woman?

Natsu growled in frustration. He wanted to punch something. The memory had only confused him more.

When the frustration and anger finally became too much, he stood up and with all the might he could muster, he slammed into the bars, over and over. He would do this for hours, screaming for someone to answer his questions. Trying, without any luck, to get someone down there to talk to him. The guards would find him the next day, crumpled against the bars, unconscious, his shoulder dislocated and heavily bruised from his assault on the bars.