Hey everyone and welcome back to Slayer's Flame!

Now, to start off the chapter with the same praise as before, thank you all so much for actually liking this story. To be honest, I was kind of worried that this idea wasn't going to be well received but it was and I have to thank you all for that. Now, this chapter should start off a small Arc that Natsu will have to go through until his return to Fairy Tail... But aside from that, I just want to bring something to your attention.

In this story, the 7 year time skip did not happen, yes? So... that means that some people who should be around 18 will actually be 15 because it is instead a 4 year time skip. This also means that some characters will not have the massive age gap on other characters like they did in the original show, like with Shelia being 15 while Wendy was 12 (however this is a special case that I will talking about in a few chapters) so just a thought to put forward.

Now, some reviewer things.

AnimeFan29: Well, thanks for the compliment and I'm sorry that I couldn't interest you but hey, different tastes right? My real problem with Lucy isn't that she is relate-able (to be honest I don't really care about relate-able characters in a magic universe with Dragons but that's just my opinion) or that her backstory isn't that tragic. Its that she is shoe-horned into EVERYTHING! I don't care what you say, she should not have been in the Edolas arc, nope, nope. That FUCKING Clock that couldn't even help her properly on Mt. Hakobe did not save her from a massive calamity that shot down from the sky, nope not a chance in Hell. (Yes I know it was time on Mt. Hakobe but it's still bullshit.) And as to do with the NaLu pairing, I like it. It's cool. I read quite a bit when I first got into FanFiction... But there's just too much of it... Like, seriously, practically a third of the Fairy Tail faniction archive is NaLu to some extent and you just sort of sit there and think, "Is this too much? Yes. Yes it is." So yea, those are why I kind of don't like Lucy as much as some other characters.

Fallen: Yea but hey, drama and stuff. Also, I have a solution to this but thanks for bringing it up. As for the Bloodman thing... no comment.

Once again, thanks to all of you that suggested people for the harem or just said nice things about the story, thank you all so much.

But now that the reviews bit is done, onto the chapter!

Enjoy!


The ice sank deep into his cuts as Natsu leaned back against the mountainside.

It felt so cool and refreshing against his skin, the sharp sting burrowing its way down until his nerves froze over. Digging his nails into the block of frozen liquid, the pinkette let his eyes roll back in pain as the frost crept underneath the cartilage and just rested beneath it. Along with the mixed sensations that he was receiving from the ice, his senses were on the fritz as well, spiking up and piping down at any given moment.

But Natsu knew that there was nothing left around him that could hurt him.

Spitting out a small lump of blood and flesh, he watched as the snow below him absorbed the crimson into itself, staining its form with the blood of a warrior like war paint. Below him, he could feel the floor soaking in his blood as well; the icy sponge gripped onto his scarlet and held it for dear life out of fear that the sweet blood would be taken from it so soon. Of course, Natsu couldn't take it back even if he wanted to.

Glancing an injured onyx eye down, he chuckled slightly before wincing as he examined his condition. Numerous cuts and scrapes littered his form, leaking his required crimson as it dripped down the rest of his body. He couldn't see it, but he could feel a rather deep cut just under right eye, grazing him diagonally slightly. It was deep… most of them were. On his chest? He could probably count about 4 individual marks that would be there for years down the line. Arms? About 2 large ones on each, centring around biceps and knuckles while smaller cuts gathered around them. His back? Ha… about 7, showering him in blood. And the rest he couldn't really see so.

What he did see, though, was the state of his clothing. For the past 9 months, he had just been wearing his normal outfit that he wore every day, going to the local village that sat about an hour and a half from his current location to sow it up whenever he ripped it during training. Now though… he would need a whole new outfit. The seams were coming undone from his chest, leaving the upper pecs exposed that were caked in blood, his sleeves had given up trying to stay attached long ago and his trousers had been shredded to the point of no return. Hell, he didn't even know when he lost his sandals!

A sigh ripped itself from his throat.

"Great… more money to spend."

For the last 9 months, Natsu had been doing odd jobs and choirs at the local town to pay for food and stuff while he trained. He didn't live in the town, that would pretty much void the point of training, but he did visit there every week or so. This time… he was told to take care of something.

For all these months that he had spent in the mountains, it had taught Natsu about sustainability. Many times during those 9 months, Natsu had to go without food that would replenish his fire and give him that little boost that he required before hand. So, in retaliation to this lack of energy, he would start to convert his fire into over things as he tried to train and make it last. It was difficult and he had passed out many times, almost freezing solid in the snowy wastes but it was worth all the torturous pain in the end. Now? He could probably last at least a month on his regular supply of magic while dishing out the same sort of power that was required for those attacks that dealt the most damage.

And boy, was he able to back up his case.

Now, a smirk ripped across Natsu's face as he gazed all around the frozen landscape. Wyverns. Bodies, hundreds of them lay scattered around his fallen form just lay dead in the snow; the icy blanket intent of burying their existence from the rest of the world. Most them had broken bones, snapped necks, burnt skin, charred remains things like that but a few were just brutalised. Let's just say; a few months in the wild gave Natsu that survivors spirit, the intent of survival and he knows what it's like to fight for your life, TRULY, on your own in the real world. So… he knows what is necessary to survive.

However, at the feet of Natsu, snout firmly planted at his heels was the largest of the lot. It was about 3 times as large as the surrounding corpses and appeared to be the one commanding them. From what Natsu could tell, it was female. It was the Queen of the Nest. She had once had beautiful snow white scales that helped her blend into the landscape along with her children but now those scales were burnt black by fire, if there were any scales on the hide at all.

When he got into town today, the villagers had asked him to help deal with a problem. Lately, the Wyvern's had been swarming the landscape and causing a lot of difficulties with villagers… One little girl who Natsu had grown to quite like had her parents taken and killed while they were coming as well as many other citizen's families.

So now they were all gone. Eradicated. Burnt. Dead. Not a single one left standing. He had earned himself a few new cuts and such but at least they were gone. However, the pinkette soon felt his pride at his heroic acts slip away in place of the exhaustion, whose tendrils of tiredness gripped and clawed at his soul.

"Well... I'm just gonna… Just gonna…" Natsu started before he let the cold, frigid air take a hold of him as his eyes fell to sleep, becoming nothing but hollow, seemingly-lifeless shells below his eyelids while snow continued to batter against his fallen frame.


9 months…

He had been gone for 9 months.

It didn't really feel like 9 months but then you'd check the calendar and yep, sure enough Natsu had been gone for 9 months.

Sure, it wasn't like time had stood still and Fairy Tail shrank into a depressive state of unhappiness. Well, after the first month that is. It was still known as the loudest, most extreme Guild in all of Fiore… Plus, it had to pay less bills for damages.

However, every time someone walked into the Guild, every single person sitting at one of those tables, sitting at that bar, or fighting a good fight, every single person would look and hope and pray with every bone and fibre that they had in their body that a certain pink haired mop would walk through those doors. He never did.

Today was no exception.

Mira sighed as she wiped down the mugs and cups that had been laid aside with reckless abandon by the sink, taking in the cheerful atmosphere around her. The laughing, the clashes of glass from beer mugs, the cracking of bones… Just an average happy day at Fairy Tail. But it wasn't the true Fairy Tail experience that everyone had come to know and love because it was missing one of its key components; Mr. Natsu Dragneel.

Placing the mug down, Mira took in a deep breath as she thought about the whole situation.

After that day 9 months ago where the Master had told them about how Natsu had left the Guild to train, they all just sort of broke for a bit. Some, like Laxus and his Thunder Tribe, just walked away from all the fuss for a bit. They respected the teen, they liked him, but compared to everyone else they had very little actual connections to him. Others, like Gray and Gajeel just stopped fighting for a small while and instead retreated to the furthest corners of the Guild where they just… talked, reminisced about what they did with the guy before he went and 'ran off' in their words. And then there were those that had been entranced by the Dragon Slayer, be it for his charm or his loyalty, his determination or his lovable attitude, Hell it might even be for his body, but whatever it was for they all just felt crushed without his presence.

Of course, Fairy Tail was back to their normal antics in almost no time at all but the scars of Natsu's disappearance still lingered. Thinking back to that last group of people left Mira sighing as she put the mug she was cleaning down. She was one of those people. She was captivated by the pinkette's determination and strife, his almost endless supply of power and adrenaline that pushed him to complete any activity placed before him, his dense nature and loving attitude. It was all just… perfect for the kind of life they lived.

To be honest, she didn't know if she 'loved' him; Mira knew that she liked him, more than a school-girl crush anyway, but love was such a strong word. The platinum haired beauty dropped her cerulean orbs to the bar as she thought about how long she had been in… well, something with the Dragon Slayer. If Mira could recall, it was all the way back when he first joined. Back then, it was a simple school-girl crush that came from his cute, childish attitude and looks and that only increased as he got closer to her sister which drove her to pick and bully him as a way to deal with her feelings; pretty low but hey, she didn't know what to do at that age.

And then Lisanna 'died.'

Natsu had been there when she did, had been standing at her grave for even longer then Mira did, had been feeling the same crushing, the same debilitating force that had been forced upon them and he had helped her through it. He had stayed with her after the Guild Hall as she drank the pain away and he stayed with her, sometimes just to comfort her when she got sad due to the drink, or if she got angry at her own worthlessness due to the same alcohol, or perhaps even just talk to her about his own feelings while he gulped the painful liquid down. Natsu was always there for her… That was when it was no longer a school-girl crush.

Picking her eyes up, Mirajane surveyed the Guild until her eyes landed on the form of her sister. The short haired teen was picking up discarded plates and mugs from each of the tables with a big smile plastered on her pale face as she talked to different people. However, the older sister knew that that smile was fake, an illusion planted there to draw away any attention from her broken soul.

Unlike her, Lisanna loved Natsu. She had known for so damn long, maybe even before leaving Earthland for Edolas, Mira couldn't exactly be sure but she definitely could tell. How her sister's eyes shone that little bit brighter when she looked at him, how she smiled just that little bit brighter when he talked to her, how she moved that little bit closer to him when they were sitting down. Lisanna also had Happy as well as Natsu, the blue fur ball saw the silver haired girl as his mother and the pink haired idiot his father… One big happy family. But then she was taken away; she was robbed of her opportunity to see the boy as more than a close friend. It hurt so much to know that and when she came back, it hurt even more to see that the two had drifted apart while Lisanna still held that love and adoration in her eyes for him. It all was just not fair…

Aside from the two sisters, there were many others. With a giggle, Mira cast her eyes over the other figures in the Guild that may pose some interest to Natsu.

Glancing over to the near centre of the room, her eyes fell onto the forms of the girls of the old Team Natsu, still named after the man even after his departure while Gajeel took over the Dragon Slayers spot. They were sitting there along with some of the other Guild Girls and it made Mira wonder; how many of them liked Natsu like she did? Or maybe even like Lisanna did?

Erza was pretty clear cut; she was in relatively the same position as Mira. The red headed knight was another one of those people who stood by the barmaid during her Hellish times of Lisanna going to Edolas and one of those times, the girl had been so drunk that she had begun spouting out about how much she liked Natsu and how she couldn't understand why she felt this way with him. Ever since, the two had held a mutual agreement about the pink haired Dragon Slayer. However, after the Tower of Heaven… Mira could see a visible change in Erza when it came to Natsu. Much like Lisanna before her but to a lesser extent. Erza didn't 'love' Natsu… but she felt something towards him.

Wendy was a strange one… She had told them all that she saw Natsu as an older brother but she was acting like the girls did around Natsu when they were all her age… Well, how Lisanna acted around the boy when they were younger. Her cheeks were always dusted in pink when Natsu was around, her eyes would grow a little wider and she would be constantly checking herself against her 'competition' when he was there. It was cute, in its own little way.

Lucy was another one of them anomalies; she was unexpected. She appeared the like the Fire Mage but even after all the time that they had spent together, she never acted on it. Miss Heartfilla always banged on about how she had horrible dates or how guys were only after her body but then always glanced over to a brawling Natsu as she was telling the stories that Mira loved hearing so much. Like herself and Erza, the blonde felt… something towards Natsu.

Then there was Cana, who has drunkenly tried to seduce the Dragon Slayer multiple times (It hasn't worked yet) and seems to at least see an interest in him, or Levy who has helped Natsu with his literacy and spelling since they were young, who has seen him struggle the most and has seen him at least partially overcome it, or even Kinana who has only been here a few months but her view on the Dragon Slayer is very positive and Mira had seen her staring more than once.

And that was just people in the Guild.

When the teen returned, it was going to be interesting… When he finally came back.

With a solemn look on her pretty face, Mirajane returned to her work, absently gazing to the door as the hours ticked by.


The snow crunched and the land distorted as the man walked forward, with his cult slowly following in his footsteps.

Only the sounds of his heavy boots littered the skies as he wandered on, white obscuring his body from sight. The trees shook and swayed, seemingly away from the man and his followers in fear and loathing and the snow that fell onto him fell quiet and fearful as it touched his accursed skin.

Eventually, he reached a hill. The snowy pile of frozen liquid stood out from all and looked over a small town, its lights bright against the dark sky and the brown oaks of the houses standing out nicely against the snow that threatened to smoother them. Under the cloak of ice, the man smiled before he dispersed the surrounding snow with a plume of azure fire that erupted around his body.

As the fires fanned, the man could easily be made out. He had short white hair that tried to hid its dishevelled and messy nature under a black hooded cloak but it still poked its way out. Said dark cloak morphed and shaped around his body as it flowed down to his waist, finishing just below his hamstrings with jutted and sharp cuts in the fabric. The right side of the cloak was frayed and broken, allowing the world to see his burnt and scarred hide that fled down until it reached his legs and the start of his neck. The man's face held a content smirk and dark eyes with green iris'.

"Master, what do you intend us to do?" One of his followers, garbed in dark black robes with a dark azure eye painted onto the hoods front, with a skeletal structure being painted onto the rest of the body of the cloak in a similar colour.

The man did not speak, but instead he simply raised his hand. Suddenly, black runes and hives popped out from his skin and travelled up his unburnt arm until they reached his eyes which shone with cruelty and malice. As soon as the runes sank in, they imbued a dark blue aura before the man spoke.

"Devil Slayer's Secret Art, Cursing Heavens: Fire Devil's Execution and Cursing Heavens: Fire Devils Wing Burst"

From all around the town, azure fire flew out of the earth in spurts, completely covering the houses in flames as the group shook and a massive pillar of blue fire corrupted the town. It ate its way through every square inch of the place, rising up high into the sky until it blackened it with the image of the Devil; Lucifer shone like an angel before his wings broke and shot forth spears of azure down onto the world below. Screams broke through as the man's grin turned feral and he turned to his followers.

"Make sure that there are no more survivors. This needs to be a very clear message from one Slayer to another." He got a dozen nods before they all filed down to the screeching town. Looking out onto the mountain range, the man smiled once more as he held his pocket, a large sum of money being placed there.

"Let's see how strong you've become… Natsu Dragneel. Ha HA HA HA HA!"

And with that cruel laugh that shook the sky in agony, his fiery form shot to the sky, ready to see over any of the carnage that was about to take place.


OOOOOH! Who is this!? Well... Uh... It's... Uh... It's the Devil Slayer. Oh my gosh, such surprise, I didn't see that coming at all. Anyway, thanks for reading and know that I have set up a schedule that should help me figure my stories out. A chapter for this story should be coming every Sunday if I'm good at keeping to schedules that is. Now, once again thanks for reading and see ya later!

-Jack