A/N: So... this chapter was planned and was going slowly and then things kind of got out of hand? I don't have a clue. And do pardon me over this chapter but, what can I say? I have a lot of dumb feels.
Beware the unbetaed chapter.
Feedback makes the Muse stick around...
Seven years later…
Life at the guild was fun.
Natsu had gone to Fairy Tail, as Igneel had advised him to. In there he had found a different reality than the one he'd lived so far.
There was a lot more movement and people and food. Not that he had ever starved when he was with Igneel – and he still thought that his father's food was the best he would ever taste – but they used to have slightly stricter rules in regards to food and being at the guild by himself, with plenty of food nearby just had him snacking a bit more than usual. Well, a lot more. Natsu sometimes paused to think that maybe Igneel would give him the stare but he would shrug and go for another helping. He was a growing boy, after all.
And it wasn't like he had cut off ties with his father, no. every now and then he would say goodbye to his friends and go spend a couple of days with him.
Oh, but, friends!
They were an extremely welcome addition. Natsu hadn't felt the need before, while it was just him and his father, but having met a whole lot of different people, with whole different experiences and personalities had been something he hadn't expected.
But then, the people from the guild welcomed him seamlessly, and he was also lucky because there were a lot of younger kids arriving. Before long Natsu had a tight group of friends and was starting to go on missions – though, the easy ones, close to the town – and being a brat. Not that he thought of himself as that, no, that was one of the nicknames the older guild members had given him.
Natsu didn't mind. It was said in an affectionate way and often being followed by a playful rub of his hair. Given that most of the older mages were quite a bit taller – Natsu had grown quite a bit since he entered the guild – it was easy of them to do. And being followed by a grumble coming from Natsu and a pout. That would always earn him a few laughs.
But Natsu really wouldn't change one thing. And the closer friends he had made were also pretty special. There was Erza, who was a red head and, basically, their big sister, and she was also the older of the group. Always looking out for them and sometimes being the one to punish them when they stepped too out of line. There was Lisanna, with whom Natsu had caught like a house on fire and together they had found Happy, a blue cat that was beyond adorable and could fly. For now he could only hover slightly above the floor for a few moments but, he was trying and soon would get stronger. There was Lucy, who was really fun to be around with but she sometimes found herself in long talks with Levi and Erza. Those three could have really strange vibes coming from them at times… Natsu had learned to stay away. There were a few others who were close to them but they tended to get together with other groups. It was an interesting bunch…
And, finally, there was also Gray. A pesky ice mage with whom Natsu often found himself in fights or, at least, challenges to see who was the best.
By general consensus, they were even.
Not that either accepted that verdict, they were rivals and happy with that rivalry; always doing all they could to outsmart the other, to look better or stronger.
Of course that the rivalry was a façade for they were big friends and the way they found to express said friendship. And if they were a little too competitive it was probably due to their opposite magic natures.
It was a day like any other at the guild. Natsu had arrived early in the morning with Happy lying on top of his head. The cat was telling him something about fish, in an overly excited voice, despite the early hour.
When they entered the guild, they noticed that the large hall was mostly empty, only three or four members – who were looking mostly asleep, sometimes right into their dishes – sitting scattered over some tables. He headed straight to grab some food. Breakfast was always a wonderful time for him, all that food and, well, all that food…
Natsu placed his overflowing tray on the team's usual table, they had agreed to meet at the guild early – though there were large differences as to the others found as early and to what he found early. There was plenty of time before the girls arrived and Gray would, of course, be the last one to arrive.
The slightly sleepy atmosphere didn't take long to be broken as Natsu and Happy ate. Time passed without their notice and before long the girls were placing their own trays on the table and greeting Natsu.
"Good morning, Natsu." Lucy said cheerfully.
"Ah, gu mo'in'," Natsu said with his mouth full. Lucy made a disgusted expression before patting him on the shoulder.
"No speaking with your mouth full." She cautioned before sitting and drinking her tea.
"I was not." Natsu objected after he gulped down his mouthful and washed it with some juice. "Hey Erza."
"Good morning, Natsu." Erza said as she bit back a yawn. "Did you guys have a good night?"
"I would guess that we did but you didn't." Lucy said between bites of her sandwich.
"Ahhh, it's been dealt with." Erza dismissed the question with a wave of her hand and started tearing the bread in front of her into little pieces.
"Don't tell me that you were worrying over the thing from that other day?" Natsu finally asked, giving Happy a pat on the head.
"No. I wasn't. And, do any of you has any plan for the day?" Erza said in a slightly snappish tone.
"Dunno. Maybe we should wait for the slowpoke to get here." Natsu said as he stretched himself back in his chair and extended his arms back, in the meanwhile tilting his chair back too. That was when a hand knocked on his forehead, nearly disrupting the balance.
"Who are you calling slowpoke?" Gray asked in a gruff voice, hand still poised over the fire mage's forehead.
"To the last person to arrive, of course." Natsu grinned sharply, in defiance at the same time that he righted his chair.
"I don't know how you manage to wake up at these ungodly hours. It's so weird of you." Gray said as he sat on one chair and pillowed his head in his crossed arms. "I just feel like sleeping." He added, voice muffled by his arms.
"If you went to bed earlier that would probably not happen…" Natsu taunted.
"It's not my fault, you dumbass." Came the muffled grumble from Gray, who didn't so much as move his head to be better understood. Of course that Natsu heard him perfectly.
"Hey! Who are you calling a dumbass, ice brain?" Natsu quickly retorted.
"You, of course. Sheesh, did you eat all that? How can you want to eat at this forsaken hour?" Gray jumped, his body contradicting his previous tiredness as it was now tense in anticipation of a fight.
"Bring it on. I eat when I want, yeah?" Natsu also stood and prepared himself to react, were Gray to make the first move.
"Boys, you're not going to start fighting already, are you?" Erza said in a neutral voice, seeming to still be half-asleep as she was just stirring her empty teacup, half-lidded eyes looking at the teacup but she wasn't assimilating things. "The master was quite annoyed at the destruction you caused at the last… contest…" She paused the stirring, sighed and looked at them.
"Erza, your teacup is empty…" Lucy said, slightly embarrassed for her friend.
"Ha…" both youths said at the same time as they tensed for another reason. They quickly plastered a smile on their faces and were quick to assure Erza.
"No, we weren't going to fight." Natsu gave an unconvincing chuckle at the same time that he scratched his cheek.
"Nope. We don't fight. You misunderstood because you haven't had your coffee yet." Gray added, starting to turn to go get some food for himself. "Don't worry, I'll go get my food and will grab some coffee for you." He said over his shoulder as he hurried away.
"You guys are cutting it too close…" Lucy said in an airy voice.
"No we're not." Was the fire mage's instant retort. "Oh, if Gray brings some cerintz I'm going to steal from him."
"You want to provoke him that much?" A surprised Lucy whispered, an accusing expression in her features.
"Provoke? No. I just like cerintz." Was the innocent reply followed by a wink.
"Yeah, like that's going to end well…" The blonde mage scoffed.
"Pfff." Natsu stuck out his tongue.
"Anyway, since Gray has joined us now, we could think about we're going to do for the day." Erza said suddenly, her bleary eyes looking at the others.
"Sure thing," Lucy agreed, "but let's just wait for Gray to return."
"But he just got here," Erza turned slowly to where Gray had been sitting, blinking owlishly as he wasn't there. "Oh."
"Erza, you look like you haven't slept a wink. Maybe you should go take a nap." Lucy said solicitously.
"I'm awake…" Erza replied, words being the complete opposite of her state, as she was nodding.
"I don't know who is worst, you two or Erza. The stubbornness is too much." Lucy said with a longsuffering sigh.
"Why are you bunching me with the ice mage?" Natsu asked, knowing that Gray was just behind him and would easily hear him.
"What are you talking about, fried brain?"
"Lucy said that we were both very stubborn. She's wrong. I'm less stubborn."
"You wish!" Gray placed his tray down with a slight clunk, the vessels that contained drink trembling dangerously for a few moments. The ice mage took the coffee cup and placed it in front of Erza, who had most likely nodded off, head firmly resting against her left hand. "Erza, here's your coffee. But maybe you should go get some sleep instead?"
"Mmm? No, no." Erza startled awake, looking blearily at her friends. "We should decide what we're going to do today. That was the plan. So, a mission or…?" Her question as interrupted by a jaw-cracking yawn.
"Maybe we could take this day off? We finished that other mission and there aren't new ones on the mission board." Lucy ventured.
"Sounds good. Maybe I could go see my father…" Natsu said pensively.
"I would like to go buy some things, there was a new book…" Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Hey, where does your father live? It's not around here, is it?" Gray asked, in between bites.
"Ah, no. we live in the forest. I still go there but it's been a while…" the fire mage said in a distracted voice, starting to pile all the dishes from his meal into the tray.
"Well, it's been a while since we went to the forest without it being for missions. Why don't we go with you?" Gray suddenly said.
Natsu stilled, standing frozen as if Gray had made an ice statue of him.
"Wh-what? Go? With me?" He asked, expecting a clarification.
"I think so, silly. It would actually be nice. We haven't met your father yet." Lucy said. "But we could go after I buy those things, I never know when you free-loaders will go to my house and do as you please, including ravaging my pantry…"
"But… we, no wait, we did meet your father once. But why?" the fire mage was slightly stressed.
"We would like to know the person who survived seventeen years with you and wasn't driven insane. Yet." Gray said with a grin, in a nonchalant tone.
"That's not it." Lucy cut in. "But it would be nice to know that. And since you're from around the area, why not? It's not like we can go and see Gray's home, right?" she said with a tilt of her head, glancing at Gray.
"Nope. We're a bit far away from where I grew up…" Gray said with a slight ill-at-ease.
"See? I bet your father has a lot of embarrassing stories to tell us, don't you think?" Lucy let out a giggle.
"What! No! No stories. If you promise me that you won't ask for those stories I'll take you there." He pleaded.
"Aha! I knew I could make you take us there." Lucy said triumphantly. "So, I'll meet you here in two hours, okay?" She said as she stood and started heading out. "Oh, and take Erza to someplace more comfortable." She said over her shoulder.
"I can't believe her…" Natsu muttered, looking at Happy who had fallen asleep on the table as the conversation was going.
"You're too easy sometimes…" Gray said with a snort.
"Shut up. Like you're not all happy for meeting my father… but Igneel's awesome, you'll see." Natsu crossed his arms in front of himself and pouted.
"I can't deny that I'm curious. So, this whole thing is good." Gray shrugged. "Oh, but now we should take Erza to one of the bedrooms, don't you think?"
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go. I wonder if she'll want to go too." Natsu stood and grabbed Happy, placing him on the crook of his arm.
"I think that it might be better for her to sleep. She hasn't been resting for quite some time now."
"What do you mean?" These were news for the fire mage.
"I don't know. Something weird has been going on and… I really don't know." Gray sighed. "And now, how are we supposed to do this?"
"Heck if I know. Lucy really did us in, huh? And… she's thinking that my home is close… it'll take a while for us to get there, you know? There's a reason as to why I go there so rarely. And it's when I know that we have the time to spare."
"Well, what's done is done now. We're going and the time it might take doesn't matter. Hm, we should leave a note for the others." Gray scratched at his suddenly unclothed belly before looking down at himself and realizing that he was shirtless. "Shit!" he hissed, while starting to look for his shirt. Soon enough he found it, under the table.
"One point for the exhibitionist." Natsu snarked.
"Shut up!"
Natsu was in his bedroom, grabbing a few things that he wanted to take home when it hit him.
His friends were going to his home, see Igneel. Only Happy had ever seen him!
What was he going to do if they caught him in his dragon form?
It was known that dragons had disappeared centuries ago, also being one of the reasons of contention during the Purge.
There was a reason as to why Igneel – and him – lived so far from everything. Secrecy was important.
And, okay, it wasn't like he didn't trust his friends. That wasn't true. But this was a major secret. Related to things from the days of old.
What if things went badly? But no, it was impossible to meet Igneel and not like him.
And Igneel was smart and had his senses ultra-enhanced so if they made a bit of noise close to the house, he would change into his human form.
This thing was going to go well.
Natsu spent a moment thinking that and turned around to head out.
It would surely go well.
"Are we there yet?" Lucy asked for the nth time.
Natsu just rolled his eyes and abstained from replying. They were, actually pretty close to the cave, the river was just about to become the familiar water mirror, the waterfall making the noise they'd been hearing from a distance. Natsu told Happy to go ahead and warn Igneel – for he had been taught that it was always polite to warn, even if the person they were visiting wasn't a dragon – of their incoming arrival. In the meanwhile he hoped that Igneel would be at the cave but, to be on the safe side, he would take the long way home.
"We're almost there. Want to stop here for a little bit?" Natsu said, sitting on a rock by the edge of the lake. He plunged his hand in the water and splashed a little.
"Sure, a break sounds good." Gray leaned against the bark of a tree and inspected the area while Lucy let out a happy noise and laid down on the grass.
"Finally, rest!" She said joyously. "You didn't tell us that you lived… ahh, I'm so tired that I don't even know what to say. You home better be close-by. I'm tired, damnit."
"It's just a little more. And I bet that Happy will be returning soon to tell us that Igneel's getting a feast ready." Natsu grinned at the prospect of said feast. It was, actually, time to eat.
"Food does sound good." Lucy hummed.
"It does." Gray agreed.
After the small break, the trio resumed their walk. As they were climbing the hill towards the cavern Happy appeared and said that everything was getting ready.
That made Natsu breathe a little easier.
It didn't take long for them to reach the mouth of the cavern, Natsu's home.
The tall, svelte figure that greeted them had Natsu sprinting to it, launching himself at it and making the duo fall to the ground.
Natsu and Igneel were laughing joyously.
"Natsu, it's good to see you, son." Igneel hugged the fire mage as he looked at the other two mages. "Welcome to our humble home, as you guessed, I'm this firecracker's father." He said with a smile as he finally let go of Natsu to stand and greet the newcomers.
"It's a pleasure. I'm Lucy," the blonde said as she gave a small bow.
"And I'm Gray." The ice mage was oddly serious as he bowed too. "We're with Natsu at the guild."
"You'll have to tell me stories, this one here never wants to speak of it when he comes. He's too busy shovelling food inside his mouth. Tell me, is the food bad there?"
"What?" Lucy exclaimed, staring at Natsu. "No, the food's good and Natsu does eat there."
"Quite a lot, if we might say…" Gray added solicitously.
"Shut it, Gray."
"Hey, are those the manners I taught you?" Igneel chastised the fire mage who pouted and turned around to head inside their dwelling. Delicious smells wafted from there. "Ahh, I'm sorry about this. But, please, do come in now. I have food and you must be tired…" he motioned for the two mages to get inside.
Dinner was fun.
The food was delicious and the conversation flowed easily – with only one embarrassing moment when Igneel decided to start telling the other two mages about cute things a young Natsu liked to do – and it didn't take long before everybody was full and content.
Gray and Lucy seemed to be quite tired so Igneel showed them to the bedrooms – Lucy would take his room while Gray would have to share with Natsu and Happy – and then finished cleaning the kitchen.
"Come," he told Natsu when the kitchen was spotless. They headed towards the bureau. Igneel sat behind his desk and Natsu sat on the other side. "What did you want to tell me? I know that you've been itching to say something…"
Natsu sighed. His father knew him too well.
"It's been too long and I haven't found anything about my parents." He said in an uncharacteristic tense voice.
"These things take time, and it's not like you could do things yet. It was too soon and the connections weren't totally formed yet, I imagine." Igneel mused, placing one hand over the other and leaning forward. "But there's something else there…" as he saw the furrowed brow and confusion on Natsu's face, the dragon relented. "… or maybe not. Look, Natsu. There's a time for everything. Maybe it hasn't been yet and it's just going to start soon." He extended a hand and instantly Natsu closed his hand around it. "I think that you're in the right way to finding them. Just, keep going, son."
"You're right, as always." Natsu smiled, although the smile was still quite subdued. "Well, maybe I should go to bed too. I will do all I can to find them." He tightened his hand around Igneel's before starting to stand. He was stopped when the hand didn't uncurl from around his, as he'd expected. "What is it?"
"I have something for you…" Igneel said as he opened a drawer and rummaged through it. He took out a package, brown paper wrapping something. "I'd been meaning to give this to you. Hope you like it." He smiled softly.
"What's this?" Natsu mused aloud as he opened it. The fabric fell on top of the table. "Fabric?" Natsu looked at Igneel before picking it up. "Hey, it's a scarf!" He said, confused.
"Yes, a scarf just like the one you have. But this one has a difference." Igneel pointed at the reverse side. Beside the familiar fabric there was a strange rectangle in another kind of fabric, being fluffy and tough with a small embroidery on one of the corners. "That was the outer fabric you were bundled in when I found you. I thought that you might like that other reminder, besides the ones you're already carrying."
Natsu threw himself at Igneel, over the desk and all, and was caught in a familiar, warm hug.
"Thank you."
