Master Makarov frowned at the boy and girl sitting in front of him. "A Dragon Slayer? I thought that they were extinct, and the dragons that taught them were as well." Natsu shook his head, pink locks covering his expression, "No not extinct. Just gone. Dragon Slayer magic is a Lost Magic now." Natsu's face was blank, but there was a look in his eyes, a tense, shielded look that Mirajane knew all too well. "Well then!" the Master exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face, "Let's announce the news! Can you imagine the requests our guild will get now? With a Dragon Slayer! And the jewels." An almost sinister look spread on his face at the thought of all that money. "NO..." shouted Natsu, then coughed embarrassedly, "Sorry Master, but… Well things have never gone well for me when people find out about my magic, and I've already had run-ins with the Council and its Research Division" a look of disgust flitted through his eyes. The Master's grin dropped for a moment and then grew even wider "But of course Natsu! At Fairy Tail we are family and Mirajane and I will protect your secret as long as you need." Natsu bowed in appreciation, "Thank you so much Master, I will not betray your trust. Time for another…" Natsu sniffed the air, where did he know that scent from? His face went as pale as a ghost. "Oh god not him" he muttered, "Anyone else please."
"Not who?" Confusion covered Mirajane's face. "YOOUUURR PAAARRRRFFUUUUUUUUMM! MAANNN" echoed around the guild, the following scream answered by what sounded like a furious and creeped out Erza yelling "YOU CREEPY MAN STAY AWAY!" Natsu was no longer pale but instead a nauseous green, his cheeks puffed out. "What's wrong Natsu?" Mirajane asked worriedly, running her hands through his hair in the hope that it would help, and definitely no ulterior motives whatsoever crossing her mind. A blush crept over her face anyway and her scowl at herself didn't last. Oblivious to the situation there came a croak from Natsu "So… many… smells… why that guy needs so many no one knows. The only thing worse is…" A gasp of pain escaped him, "transport…" with that he fainted. The voice of none other than Blue Pegasus' Ichiya drifted through the doorway, "I am sorry beloved Erza, however the perfume of fate separates our binding love. Man! I have been sent by Master Bob to exchange perfumes with Makarov. Farewell! Man!" Natsu collapsed to the floor, unsupported by a thoroughly weirded out Mira. Master Makarov turned to her, "You two better get out of here, it must be pretty serious guild business if Blue Pegasus sent their Ace as a messenger boy."
"Yes of course Master" replied Mirajane respectfully as she began dragging Natsu out of the door, "However I get the feeling he volunteered." With that the door closed behind her and Ichiya entered.
"Hey flame for brains wanna fight? Wait what happened to him?" Gray wandered over and immediately began laughing at Natsu's inert body, "Hey leave him alone, it's something to do with the Blue Pegasus' smell" however Mira's argument was completely ruined by the fact that she had a huge grin directed at the unconscious fire mage. A groan made its way up to them, "What's that Natsu?" He moaned again, but then managed to get out a choice few curses before muttering, "Fall" sending Gray smashing into the ground from ropes of fire, "Teach you to laugh at me when I'm asleep" came the mutter from Natsu. This time however the Ice Mage was able to push back up through the fire. A look of astonishment crossed Gray's face but instantly transformed into a confident smirk "Guess that trick isn't as strong as you made it out to be huh Flame Breath?"
"Screw you Ice Princess, I'm already running on empty from that spell, before and I'm still able to floor you." Gray narrowed his eyes at the challenge "Oh really Hothead? What spell is that?"
"It's called None-of-your-fuckin'-business you stripper" replied Natsu, still sprawled over Mirajane, but neither made moves to complain. Gray snorted in derision "Whatever you say, candle lighter." Natsu simply growled in response, making Gray laugh. "Later then. Enjoy cuddling your new girlfriend."
"HE/SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND" came the reply, but it was just directed at the middle finger of the retreating Gray. "As fun as this is." Commented Natsu, causing a huge blush to spread on Mirajane's cheeks, "I could really do with some fresh air, come see me later if you want." He stood up and re-adjusted his scarf before heading out.
Mirajane found Natsu sitting on the other side of the lake, facing Fairy Tail. "Sorry about not telling you Mira. I've done stuff I am not proud of and people have treated me so differently because of who and what I am." To his surprise Mirajane just nodded. "I know how it feels Natsu and to be honest I understand. I know you want to be treated normally, that's how I felt after… my sister's death." Natsu nodded, "What was she like?" Mira blinked a bit, not sure how to respond. "Well she was always cheerful, she could make everyone happy, she was everyone's little sister really, even Laxus was nice to her and you know him. Back then I was different, I guess you would call it punk-rock. But I'm not the Demon of Fairy Tail anymore." Natsu chuckled at that "I would have loved to have seen you like that Mira." She blushed and smiled, "Well Natsu, if you are calmer now the Master said he found a job that might be perfect for you."
"Cheers Mira, I owe you one, oh and by the way if you ever get bored of the barmaid gig I'd love to go on a job with you. It'd be fun to work with 'The Demon of Fairy Tail'" He grinned evilly and Mira realised too late what she had done, "Oh god you are never going to drop that are you?"
"Nope" he replied cheerfully "But I can think of some variations if you want."
"Thanks." She replied sarcastically, but it was slightly ruined by her blush at being invited to doing jobs with him. "I…I'll see you later then Natsu" she stuttered. His grin only widened at her discomfort, then he sat up and started to head towards the guild "See you in a bit Miss Demon" saluting her lazily. Mira was still blushing when all of a sudden she realised something "HOW AM I MEANT TO DO QUESTS WITH YOU IF I DON'T HAVE MAGIC?" She yelled to the retreating figure of Natsu, "SURE YOU DON'T" came the reply "YOU PRACTICALLY REEK OF POWER, THE BAR SMELLS LIKE A LACRIMA" and with that he was gone, leaving Mira to frown, 'What does he mean by that?' She shrugged, Fairy Tail looked like it had a lot to gain from Mr Dragneel.
Natsu knocked on the Master's door sharply, "Come in" the Master called out. "Mira said you wanted me?" he asked curiously. "Yes Natsu, learning about your power reminded me of some jobs I had been unable to post on the board because of their requirements and I am more than certain you fit the categories perfectly. It will be interesting to see what you are capable of and from the sound of it you will be glad to stretch your wings a bit." Natsu grew a huge, toothy grin. "Alright Master! You are the boss! What have you got for me?" Makarov chuckled at the infectious enthusiasm, "Take a look at this then, a Dragon cult in the far west mountains, 'would prefer those with natural resistance to fire and smoke, and enhanced tracking abilities… reward told upon completion.'" Natsu didn't even register the message about reward, "This thing sounds designed for me" he beamed, tapping the side of his nose, "I know Natsu, that's why I am sending you. Oh and may I suggest you tell Mirajane that you're going, it'll take at least a fortnight and even when you are only gone a couple of days she sulks the whole time." Natsu nodded, and then caught a mischievous twinkle in the Master's eye "Are you implying something Master?" the Master simply grinned wider. "Me? Imply something? Never!" his face the very picture of teasing, "I'm just glad she has finally found a guy for her" he said under his breath. Natsu scowled, "I can hear pretty much anything in a ten metre radius old man, just remember that." The Master didn't reply, only sent a huge shit-eating grin. "Anything else I should know about this quest Master?"
"Not really, but if you need any gear of any kind then look out for the Anvil and Needle. The guild buys its majority of clothing and weaponry from there." Natsu grinned again "Sounds good, at the very least I could do with some knives for close combat."
Natsu groaned in agony as the train began moving, normally he avoided transport like the plague, but otherwise walking would add about four days to the mission and for some reason he didn't want to leave the guild any longer than necessary, he had made more than his fair share of friends there, some closer than others, a flash of white flitted through his thoughts and he enjoyed what he had there, teasing Gray, battling Erza, drinking Cana under the table and generally hanging around with Mira. The train rocked slightly and knocked him out of his own 'train of thought' with a painful bang. "Just nine more hours of agony and then I'm there" he croaked out before collapsing in his seat, he didn't need to worry about passing out as he had paid an assistant to carry him out once they stopped and without any reason to further his pain he dropped out of consciousness. Natsu's shoulders were being shaken a lot and eventually his eyelids shot open, "I'm really sorry sir but I got you off the train as requested but then you collapsed to the ground kissing it and fell asleep and I couldn't leave you there." Natsu grinned in appreciation, "Cheers man! Here, please take it. You're a decent guy." He handed over a handful of notes, "Sir, I couldn't possibly…"
"You can, you will, that's the last I will hear of it." Natsu pushed the notes into the assistant's hands. He stood up and his grin widened "And call me Natsu!" He yelled over his shoulder as he jogged away.
Natsu looked around the town of Mountain's Crest curiously, he had a couple of hours to kill and he was starving. "Look mum, that man has pink hair like my friend!" he heard a little girl whisper to his left, glancing behind him he sent a classic smile "Its salmon silly, and you should tell your friend as well!" The girl blushed bright "Sorry Mr Salmon Hair" she piped out, he grinned and looked over at the mum, "I'm sorry she is normally polite sir." She bowed deeply, "Don't even stress" he grinned and ruffled the little girls hair "And I insist you call me Natsu." The woman bowed again, "even so Mr Natsu I feel bad." She held out her hands in apology, "Nonsense, if you really feel bad you can just tell me a decent restaurant around here" he replied, the woman nodded quickly "Of course, just take a left and…"
After getting directions to an amazing curry house and spending what felt like a small fortune on dinner, Natsu found himself heading towards the house of the employer. 'Still nowhere near as good as the stuff Mira serves at the guild though' he thought with a small smile, 'wonder what they are doing.'
Back at the guild there was of course, a huge brawl commencing with Mirajane looking on wistfully, 'Hurry up and get back here you silly boy' echoed in her head, smiling at the conversation they had had before he left for his quest.
"Hello sir" said Natsu as he bowed to a man dressed smartly in a suit and tie, who smiled back graciously, "Please head on through to the lounge, I'll explain there." Natsu nodded in understanding and stepped through the doorway. "Please, sit" said the employer and after they both did so he began. "What you must understand is that that cult has harassed our village for months now and it's only gotten worse since they got hold of a dragon lacrima." Natsu scowled at the mention of those, the magical devices were barbaric in his view and had been confirmed to be so from his experiences with them, trapping a dragon soul in crystal. What monster thought of that! Shaking his head slightly he motioned to his employer to continue "As I said they have been using that lacrima to power weapons that can hurt even a high A-Class mage and now they have been experimenting with animals on it. None of them were able to bond with the lacrima so now they have resorted to crude, inhuman methods to get the perfect weapon. Natsu's scowled deepened. "Alright, I understand what's happening now. What information do you have on them?" It was now the man's turn to scowl, "They always get to the edge of the village before vanishing." Natsu nodded, he had figured that their location wasn't known, it had been hinted at with the requirement for tracking. "Do you have anything with their scent?"
"Scent?" confusion spreading over the employers face. "Part of my magic" Natsu simply replied, "Oh okay" the man nodded. He stood up and rushed out of the room and after a couple moments he was back in the room holding a cloak. "This snagged on a tree when they were leaving once. Does this work?" Natsu took it from the man's outstretched hand before memorising the scent. "This is perfect thank you, I will start immediately." The man bowed deeply, "Thank you so much sir."
"Not a problem, it is my job after all."
Natsu stood in the forest taking deep breaths, trying to regain the scent, it was fairly old and had been masked, however poorly, so was taking more effort than usual. Thankfully the cultists apparently had enough confidence in their masking magic to not bother with doubling back or any other techniques that could mess with Natsu's progress. Suddenly he caught the scent again and restarted his steady pace, silent on dead leaves and moss. Two hours later and he was stood in front of the gaping maw of a cave. "Way to play on the clichés guys" Natsu muttered and headed in, not needing a source of light. Murmuring voices lead him through a labyrinth of tunnels and caves until he reached the entrance of a large room, lit by flickering firelight. Gently he began to inhale, tendrils of flame trailing through the ground until they reached his mouth. Slowly the room darkened until it was pitch black and Natsu grinned before stifling a burp. 'Not bad' he thought to himself, 'bit too much charcoal, but good.' An annoyed yell came from a man entering from the opposite side of the room. "Goddamnit who let the fire out?" as he stomped into the room, two subordinates followed him in sheepishly. "We don't know, we haven't been here for hours." They said in synchronisation. 'Shit.' Natsu thought, 'Only telepaths talk like that' and with that he threw up his barriers, compensating against their numbers with added magic power. 'Okay let's sort this out before they realise something is off.' Quietly he muttered "Silence, bind, fall". The three cultists were forced to the floor, bound and gagged by a low flame. Silently he drew himself up and efficiently knocked them all out with quick blows to the head before heading out the way they came in.
Clearing out the cave system had taken Natsu roughly an hour, however there was one room he had been putting off until now, simply because of the magic power emanating from the room. He listened intently next to the door, there were five people in there and they confirmed some of the things he had heard while dealing with their comrades. 'Suitable test subject in the village huh? Well they aren't getting that chance.' He sighed "Guess I don't need the subtle approach anymore" he grinned devilishly "And about time to."
"What do you reckon the priest is thinking" muttered the grunt guarding the door, "Ah well at least I'm not the one late to his meeting…" He frowned, what was that noise? A burning? The door in front of him exploded and standing in front of the guard was what looked to him a demon. Fire wrapped and flickered around his arms and a shock of pink hair covered the demon's eyes, leaving the only expression visible a huge devilish grin that shook the guard's very core. "Ignite" said the demon and the entire room erupted into flames, knocking out the guard and his three friends instantly. "Hmm so you are the one responsible for delaying my meeting?" boomed a voice from the centre of the room, "Are you the priest?" asked Natsu, a raging fury suppressed in his voice. "Yes, but more importantly, I am your death!" The priest sent out a torrent of flame towards Natsu, confident he had already won. The slurping sound from the attack threw him and all of a sudden he was staring in shock at the completely unharmed wizard "My turn!" sang Natsu with a grin. "Hell, I'm already bored with this mission, I wanna head back as quickly as possible. Let's get you out of the way. Fire Dragons Wing Attack" Flames coated Natsu's arms and he whirled around, slashing at the man stood in front of him, who barely blocked it with his staff. "I WILL NOT GO DOWN SO EASILY TO A BOY! PUNISHMENT OF THE OLD GODS: DESTRUCTION FROM THE PIT!" Shadow, flame and smoke poured at Natsu, knocking the wind out of him. Natsu scowled, "Cocky old man. I'm done here. Fire Dragon's Ignited Fists" and threw the devastating attack forward. But too late he noticed the evil smirk on the priest's face. "You lost when you threw that move. Brand of the Hidden Demon" Smoke enveloped Natsu's body and he screamed in pain, a skull with ram horns burned into the skin of his hip. The priest laughed maniacally, but was cut off with a grunt. The attack Natsu had thrown connected with the man's jaw throwing him through four walls and embedding him in the side of the mountain. "Stupid man" Natsu grunted in agony, and noticed a bright red lacrima on a pedestal. "Break" he muttered as he coughed up black blood. 'Shit.' He thought for the second time that night. Then darkness enveloped him.
Yo guys its lmao here, thanks for all the faves/follows and reviews it really helps. I enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you did as well. I can confirm the pairing will be NaMi, but I'll try to write it with a fair bit of humour and not make the lovey-dovey stuff sickly. Until next time. Bye!