I still don't own Fairy Tail.

ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

The badly maintained road was not very comfortable to walk on, unsurprisingly. Natsu's feet hurt, and he was sure that Serena's were the same way. He took a bite of the stale bread in his hand. Why hadn't they bought food in Clover?

They had flown most of the way here, but it was... inadvisable to eat and fly, so they were grounded until their food was eaten. They would need to hunt that night, which at least meant he could fly a bit more.

Choking down the last piece of bread, he looked to his friend. God Serena also appeared to have finished his meal, and caught Natsu staring.

"Let's fly again."

In seconds, they were in the air once more, moving far faster than they had when they chased Erigor.

He loved flying. There was something incredible, such a sense of freedom and a fierce joy to it that he couldn't help but laugh. At least now they were covering ground quickly, and the monotony of the road could be broken up quite nicely thanks to the change in pace and perspective. The bit of forest they were looking down on now was dotted with some kind of flowering creeper growing amongst the tree tops.

He shook his head, a small smile on his face. He was really bored if he was noticing god damn flowers.

"HEY NATSU!" Serena had pulled ahead some distance and was now shouting back to him.

"WHAT?"

"I SEE A TOWN, ARE WE STOPPING?"

Natsu put on a burst of speed, quickly catching up to his fellow Saint, and began to descend towards the town that seemed to pop up out of nowhere.

Looking around, Natsu could see a few people walking through the streets. They eventually came to a stop in the centre of the town, but they immediately knew something was wrong. Something was... off with these people.

"Natsu...?"

Serena looked questioningly at his brother, unsure if he was the only one to notice.

"I know. Why don't they have a scent?"

"That would be because of me."

Both Saints turned their attention to the short old man standing before them. He appeared to be the chief of the village, wearing a large headress that was beautifully coloured. He looked forlornly back at the two larger men.

"Come with me."

Not waiting for a response, he turned around and walked off, moving towards a large building at the end of the road. Natsu turned back to Serena, who shrugged.

Following the old man, they were surprised when, upon entering the building after him, they smelt something familiar. Another Dragon Slayer was here? It was certainly interesting news.

"You two... you are Wizard Saints by your garments, yes?"

The pair nodded.

"Very well, perhaps you can help us out. You see, none of this village is actually real. It's an incredibly powerful illusion."

"Ah."

Natsu simply nodded again, while Serena had a moment of flashy, over the top excitement for... some... reason. God only knows why he does what he does.

"I created this illusion because of a young girl who was left here. I created it so that she would not be lonely growing up, and I created a false guild, Cait Shelter, to give her a guild to join and work for. Her name is Wendy Marvell, and she is a..."

"Dragon Slayer, yes." Serena interrupted the man's speech, impatience growing by the second. "We are both Dragon Slayers as well, we knew the moment we smelled her."

"That makes things simpler then." The man smiled at the pair. "I would like to make an official request of you. Please take Wendy with you, and help her to become strong, and find a new family. My magic is fading, and the world grows ever darker. I can't protect her for much longer."

Natsu sensed disaster approaching as Serena opened his mouth and quickly slammed his fist into the Saint's head.

"Ow... What was that for?"

Ignoring him, Natsu looked at the old man again. He was well prepared to take on Wendy as his apprentice, but to take her on this Century quest? That seemed borderline psychotic. However...

"We will accept your request...?"

"Roubaul."

"Roubaul. Wendy will come with us, and she will be trained to become one of the strongest women alive. That much I will promise you. Is there anything else you want us to do before we allow you to... rest in peace?"

Roubaul's eyes widened. He shook his head slowly. "There is one thing, but that is my burden to bear for now."

"Very well. When may we meet this Wendy?" Serena spoke up again, for once acting mature.

"Who's meeting me?" A timid voice came from behind the pair of adult Dragon Slayers. Since her smell was everywhere in this place, they hadn't noticed her approaching.

Serena's eyes almost leapt out of his skull, and he lunged at Wendy, engulfing her in a hug and squeezing.

"Oh my god, Natsu, she's so adorable! Look at her hair, it's exactly the perfect shade of blue and it's so soft! Wow, she's just too cute! Can we keep her, can we, please?!"

His tirade was put to an end when Natsu, taking pity on the little girl, pulled his brother's arms apart. Wendy dropped to the floor, gasping for air.

"You ruffians! How dare you hurt Wendy! What is your problem?"

Natsu looked to the door and saw a cat. A white cat. A white cat wearing clothes, standing on it's hind legs, and speaking.

Pointing at the creature, he said. "You're a cat."

Groaning, the white feline reached out a hand to help Wendy up.

"My name is Carla. This is Wendy, as I'm sure you are aware. If you are accepting the Master's request, then I'll be coming too. Someone has to protect Wendy from you barbarians."

Roubaul looked at Serena and Natsu in turn, giving them a sympathetic look, mouthing "Sorry" at them as he did so. Wendy frowned and turned to the old man.

"What do you mean? What request, Master?"

He sighed, this was going to hurt her. "I've made a request of these two mages to take care of you and train you, Wendy. You'll be leaving Cait Shelter, permanently, and learning more about the world. I was planning on asking another guild to help me with this sooner or later, but these wizards appeared here by a stroke of luck. They happen to be Wizard Saints, some of the most powerful mages in Fiore. I asked them to take you with them and they agreed."

Wendy looked at him for a moment before tears welled up in her eyes. She leapt onto the old man, knocking him over.

"But I don't want to leave you! After Grandine left, the only home I've ever known was here!"

The man put one arm around Wendy, smiling, and said "It's ok Wendy, these two are going to be like father's for you. They'll be your new family. And the best part is, they are Dragon Slayers too!"

Surprised and more than a little overwhelmed, Wendy turned to look at the two men.

"You're both Dragon Slayers?"

They nodded, before speaking in turn.

"I am God Serena, the Hybrid Dragon Slayer, First-ranked Wizard Saint."

"Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer, Second-ranked Wizard Saint."

Carla looked at them as if seeing them in a whole new light.

"You... You two are the two strongest mages in Fiore?! What in the heavens are you doing all the way out here?"

Natsu didn't respond right away, instead he shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the small girl who now wore a smile despite her tears.

"So what do you think, Wendy? You wanna come with us old farts?"

God Serena muttered "Speak for yourself" under his breath, which the other two Dragon Slayers heard. Natsu laughed.

Wendy giggled at the comment and put on her best smile, her tears long gone.

"Of course I'll come, it'll be awesome!"

Four days.

That's how long it took for the adult Dragon Slayers to get sick of Carla's attitude. Since she couldn't fly as fast as them, the two took it in turns to carry either her or Wendy. Wendy loved flying with Natsu in particular, as he would let her ride on his shoulders. Serena insisted, however, to hold the girl all the way. Even on the ground, he loved to cuddle the little girl, constantly reminding them just how cute she was.

Carla was a different story. She fussed about everything, constantly pestering the two Slayers for details about their mission or reprimanding them for lack of manners. When she flew with Serena, she would insist upon sitting on his shoulder, saying that she didn't want his 'barbaric hands' on her fur.

With Natsu, seeing as he was far gentler and more respectful with Wendy, she allowed him to hold her in his arms. It had nothing to do with the comforting warmth he emitted, no-siree!

As I said, four days was the breaking point. After reminding Natsu once again that it was rude to talk with your mouth full, Carla froze when her comment drew very much unwanted attention. Natsu turned to her with a deathly glare, his eyes glowing golden.

"I've had about enough of you cat. Last I checked, we've been doing all the travelling, hunting, cooking and cleaning for you for the last four days. Keep up the ungrateful shite, and we'll feed you to the bloody Dragon before we kill it."

He hadn't meant to let slip about the Dragon, but he figured it would help prove his point.

Carla was flabbergasted. They were going to kill a Dragon?! In her shock, she somehow managed to ignore the threat of being fed to said Dragon.

Wendy jumped on the revelation eagerly.

"Are we going to see a Dragon? Are we really Daddy?"

For some reason or another, Wendy had taken to calling Natsu Daddy, and Serena her big brother. Carla didn't approve, but she had learned (thirty seconds ago) not to annoy the Dragon Slayers, and since they were fine with it she didn't see the harm.

Natsu sighed.

"Yes, we are going to see a Dragon. Its name is Acnologia, and its just about the most dangerous thing in existence. Dont worry, we wont take you any near THAT monster. If anything happened to you, Id never forgive myself. Our mission is to kill the old b... thing."

Holding back the curse at the last moment, he watched as Wendys expression shifted from awed to terrified and back.

"Do you really think you and big brother can kill Ac... Anolo... the Dragon?"

Natsu laughed and ruffled Wendys hair, which caused her to squeal happily.

"Yeah, dont you worry Wendy. Nothing is gonna get past us. Well kill it so that it can never hurt you or anyone else. I promise, Ill end Acnologia. I promise that Ill protect you."

The girl snuggled into the broad warm chest of her adoptive father. Serena cooed softly at the adorable pair. It might have only been mid-day, but she was so comfortable that Wendy was half tempted to snooze off in Natsu's arms.

Natsu was currently leaning back against a large willow, and he was contemplating the same thing as Wendy. Sleep did seem like a very appealing option in the warmth, with a full belly. He lazily cracked open an eye that he hadn't realised he'd closed, and gestured to Serena and Carla to join him. The other Dragon Slayer rose from his half squat and tiptoed over to the pair. He quickly shuffled into Natsu's side, leaning his head on the Fire Dragon Slayer's shoulder, and closed his eyes. He'd taken off his back ornament when they'd stopped to eat.

Carla watched on with a small, unbidden smile as the little family slept peacefully. It was the first time they'd all been asleep at once since the trip began, and honestly she was incredibly comforted by the sight. It affirmed for her that these two men would take care of her Wendy.

Setting aside her pride, she sat herself in Serena's lap and curled up, ready to join them in sleep.

"I miss him."

"Shut up."

"Shutting up does not make me miss him less."

"Neither does complaining."

Erza stood, frustrated. "Fine! I'll just go break something."

Gray watched her leave, his own annoyance evident. The Titania had been a bit crazy since Natsu's departure. While Gray didn't really care, he would admit that at least things were more interesting when the flame-brain was around. In his absence, Erza was going a bit stir-crazy. She seemed to be at a complete loss as to what she should do.

On some level, he understood her pain. The man she was interested in was on so much higher of a level than her that she couldn't stand by his side and help him. He was off on a Century quest, with the first Wizard Saint no less, while she was stuck back at the guild, restricted to S-class quests. Of course she felt helpless.

But what he didn't understand was why it was Natsu that she felt so attracted to. It might have been his personal opinion of the guy influencing his thoughts, but he couldn't see that Natsu had any qualities that would endear him to the opposite sex.

Makarov watched the girl leave and sighed. He also understood the torturous thoughts plaguing her. He knew, however, that it would only bring her more pain to be with him and see for herself just how outmatched she was. She was a proud woman, and with good reason. Easily the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, Erza had earned the title Titania. It was just one of life's little indiscretions that she was only fourth in line for the title of Fairy Tail's most powerful mage.

Gildarts, Laxus and Natsu... They were all far more powerful than her. Hell, Gildarts might be stronger than Makarov himself, and Natsu was stronger than him without a doubt. Makarov could no more stand up to the second Wizard Saint than Macao could stand up to him.

It never quite felt right, though. Watching someone so young attain such incredible power... he shuddered to think what the cost of such strength was. Natsu had not come by his power lightly. He just hoped that the boy's past wouldn't come back around to bite him.

"Maybe I should find them a job to do..." the Master muttered.

Gray might not admit it to himself, but he was always more sullen without his rival around. The new girl, Lucy could use some experience. And of course, Erza needed to have her mind taken off of Natsu.

"To hell with it, Erza can take them all on an S-class quest. Gray's practically S-class himself. It's his immaturity that's held him back, nothing more."

His decision made, he trotted downstairs to the bar. A drink was an adequate reward for his decision, he thought. He deserved a lot more rewards, dealing with these brats all the time.

He took the beer from Mira, thanking her absentmindedly, before heading back up the stairs to stare at the S-class request board. Immediately, he knew which one would benefit them the most. The Cursed Island, Galuna! A far simpler job than the others; one of which involved rounding up fire drakes that had flown over from Alvarez. Laxus would probably take that one.

It didn't seem like there would be many complications on the job. A simple curse-breaking mission? He snorted. S-class requests were never simple. He just hoped that Erza could handle it... and them. Plus, the newbie Celestial Wizard could get a new Gate Key for the trouble!

He returned to his beer, grabbing the job as he did so, humming congratulatorily to himself.

It was the next morning before the admittedly lazy guild master actually did anything about his decision. He had 'celebrated' it quite enthusiastically yesterday, and had completely forgotten about actually implementing it. He was reminded by the sight of a sullen red-headed knight walking through the doors of the guild.

He quickly leapt down to the lower floor from his little perch atop the rail of the second floor, request in hand.

"Erza! Can you see me in my office in ten minutes please? You too, Gray, Lucy. Oh, and Cana, you can come too."

When Erza gave him a questioning look, he flashed the job request at her faster than she could see it properly, and headed back upstairs to his office.

Ten minutes couldn't pass quickly enough for the four selected wizards. At ten minutes, on the dot, the four were standing, waiting, outside Makarov's office. Erza knocked once, then swung the door open hard.

Makarov groaned as he imagined the damage to the wall from Erza's thoughtless actions, and stood up on top of his desk.

"Alright children... I have a special mission for you. Erza, I will be trusting you to lead these three on a special S-class mission. You will take passage to Galuna Island and remove the curse on the island! No buts. Take a few minutes to ask questions, if you need to."

Surprisingly, Erza barely even batted an eyelid at the revelation. Then Makarov smacked himself mentally. 'She's an S-class wizard, and I asked her to come with people who weren't S-class. Of course she would suspect that I would ask something of this kind.'

Gray and Cana both looked flabbergastered and seemed unable to speak, while Lucy looked suddenly quite terrified.

The Requip mage stepped forward and looked carefully at the old man. "Galuna Island... do you know what kind of curse it is?"

Makarov nodded. "The villagers who submitted the request have stated that this curse began when the moon over the island turned purple. Since then, they have become demons."

Gray froze.

"D-demons?"

Memories he had thought buried in his subconscious punched through into the forefront of his mind, the terrifying roar of Deliora once again filling his ears.

Makarov noticed the boys reaction, and the fact that no one else did. He nodded at Gray, a sullen expression on his face.

"Yes, Gray, demons. Although not the same as the one you remember. These villagers are people, they just look like demons." He looked sternly at the boy. "They have done nothing wrong, Gray. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded silently, his discomfort with the situation obvious.

Well... At least this situation might give Gray a chance to resolve some of his issues. The lingering trauma of the two Deliora attacks he had survived might be eased, however slightly, and he could begin to truly move on.

The aged Master waited a few moments and when no more questions were forthcoming, he sighed. "Good luck to you, my children. Erza... bring them home safe."

Erza stood at attention and nodded stiffly.

And thus, the expedition to Galuna Island was underway.

"Time for a little spar, Wendy. I'll help you, ok?"

Natsu extended his hand to Wendy, grinning. The girl looked up in awe and smiled back, grasping the proffered hand gently.

"Are you sure I won't just be in the way, Daddy?"

Natsu shook his head and glanced over at his friend. "What do you reckon, Serena? You versus me and Wendy?"

Serena threw his arms out and laughed. And laughed. And kept laughing...

Wendy watched in confusion, and Carla in disgusted amusement (a most peculiar mix of emotions) while Natsu simply smiled. Turning to Wendy, he laid down the plan.

"He's letting us have the first move. I'll focus on blocking or deflecting his attacks, you focus on dodging and attacking him, got it?"

Wendy nodded, determination writing itself over her face. She opened her mouth and gathered up some air into a dense clump of magic, before yelling "Sky Dragon's Roar!".

A torrent of swirling air flew into Serena, pushing him back... slightly. He looked at her, as if appraising her, his mind focussed now that something interesting was going to happen. He lifted a finger and flicked it forward, sending a rush of Sea King Dragon magic at the girl. It wasn't much, not for him, he hadn't even used an actual spell.

To the diminutive girl, the oncoming waters resembled a tsunami. She froze up for just a moment too long and was only saved from being slammed into the surrounding trees by Natsu throwing up a shield of fire that split the water around them.

"Wendy! Hit him before he attacks again!"

The shout galvanised the girl into action, letting out a second roar. This roar was larger, the adrenaline pumping through her far too much for her to control her magic. She immediately felt exhausted as she watched the roar, which was nearly trebled in size compared to her first, speed towards her sparring opponent.

God Serena grinned madly. "Yes! YES!!" He stood and took the roar attack head on, feeling his magic rush to heal the tiny scratches that were appearing on his face and arms. His clothing was being whipped around so much that it started to tear at the seams.

Wendy couldn't believe that she was doing this, couldn't believe how much power she actually had! She cut off the roar, and collapsed to her knees, magically drained.

Natsu held out a hand to Serena, and the first Saint stopped as the Second walked Wendy out of the way gently. Their spar was just beginning.

Returning to the battlefield, Natsu took up a ready stance. Sensing eyes on him, he turned and grinned at Wendy, who was watching excitedly. She smiled back at him, and he faced his opponent once more.

Not waiting for Natsu to ready himself again, Serena screamed out "Sea King Dragon's Howling Wings!" and jumped forwards to attack Natsu. His companion sprinted forward, sliding directly under the whips of water.

Leaping high as soon as he touched the ground, Serena summoned up a second Dragon Slayer magic and combined it with the first to create a water spout that rocketed towards Natsu, who was still running. Natsu grinned before suddenly skidding to a stop and diving backwards, landing on his hands just inside the spout.

He was quickly taken up by the winds but they weren't enough to damage him as the scales of his Dragon Force covered him.

"Curse: Demonic Dragon's Gaze!"

Letting some of his curse powers seep into his Dragon Force, he caused the temperature in front of him to raise so high that it dissipated the water spout instantly.

Serena growled and activated his Hellfire Dragon Force. He couldn't keep up with the heat without it. He might not be as proficient in Fire magic as Natsu, but this way he could at least avoid the area of effect Natsu's magic created.

Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla were looking on in horror as the ground turned molten and trees seemed to vanish into mid-air. Wendy sprang to her feet, despite her exhaustion, running further from the battle. She really didn't want to get hit by any of those attacks!

Natsu smirked and launched forward. His intent was to make this a physical battle now. With his current state, he didn't need to use more than 40% of his maximum power and he could keep Serena off balance. The only way his brother could turn the tables would be to use the Hybrid Drive, or even the Hybrid Dragon Force, but he wouldn't do that. It was too much for a simple spar. And besides, if he did, he would lose most of the heat resistance granted by the Hellfire Dragon Force.

No, a fistfight was what this needed to stay as. He spun quickly right before he made contact with Serena and slammed his ankle into the man's jaw, sending him sprawling. The First Wizard Saint wasn't down for long though, as he quickly jumped to his feet and then up and over a clawed fist that threatened to hit his temple. Serena grabbed Natsu's Dragon wings at the shoulders as he sailed over, somersaulting and throwing Natsu to the ground.

Natsu left out a roar of rage as he slammed hard into the liquid fire that covered their battlefield. His wings were fairly sensitive for something covered in scales... he did not appreciate them being grabbed.

"Damn you SERENA!!"

He got up so quickly Wendy couldn't see him move, and launched another punch directly at Serena's face. This time, his magic power skyrocketed and a huge exhaust of fire trailed behind his elbow, pushing him forward faster.

Serena's eyes widened. He barely had time to raise his hand from his side to his chest before the fist impacted his face, sending him flying backwards.

As short as it was, the fight was over the moment Natsu's fist connected. A blow like that had consequences, even though they were only sparring. They always ended their spars after a decisive blow was landed.

Besides... Wendy was probably terrified.

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

I couldn't help but bring Wendy into it. She's just so adorable and I feel like she's the bravest of the Dragon Slayers, so I wanted her to become strong too. Or at least, stronger. She is strong.

Also, in case anyone out there wants to take it the wrong way, Wendy calls Natsu Daddy because she sees him as a genuine father figure. I tried to make that clear with the dialogue with the Master of Cait Shelter but I feel it's worth doubling down on it here.

Peace and Love!