"Natsu!" - Person Talking
"Natsu!" - Person Thinking
"Natsu!" - Large Being Talking
"Natsu!" - Large Being Thinking
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" - Magic
Hey guys, it's Dom here once again. Whoa, sorry about that late update, I've been busy with stuff an things. Anywho, this chapter is a bit rushed in all honesty. I wanted to get the Grand Magic Games Arc over with so I could jump into my own story arc before the Sun Village Arc. So yeah, fights are a bit rushed like a lot of the things in this chapter, but I've never been really good at them, just look at my other stories for proof. But yeah, Natsu being OP as heck, just how I like it. Haha, but yeah, sorry about the late update, if you're waiting on my other two stories, they'll be getting an update soon so don't start rioting alright? Not that I can stop you or anthin. Well, that's enough yapping outta me don't ya think? You came to read right? Then let's a go.
Smoldering Ember - Chapter 4
"I'm all fired up..." Natsu said in a tone challenging and slightly mirthful tone, his eyes shining with a dangerous glint as he stared at the stunned form of Future Rogue.
Silence permeated the area, disbelief and tears in the eyes of many as they stared at his form. For most, it was a scene of complete disbelief seeing as he was announced dead many years ago. However, the ones who were the most affected were those who were trapped on Tenroujima, having been told that he had perished even before they could even explain their actions or talk to him. Looking at him with tears streaming down their faces, everyone from Fairy Tail were sobbing or calling out to him in an attempt to get his attention, though it fell on deaf ears as Natsu ignored them.
"Such power, what are you! Not even the Twin Dragons were able to damage me!" Levia roared as he rose to glare at the pinkette, Natsu simply flashing him a savage grin before his fists ignited.
"I'm a Dragon Slayer." He said as he rocketed towards Levia once more, the dragon swiping at him with his claws only to hit air when Natsu changed the trajectory of his flight path.
Slipping past the dragon's attack, he pulled his arm back before slugging the dragon once more, sending it stumbling back as he turned around to face Zirconis, the dragon giving him a stunned and confused stare only to be blown away by a vicious torrent of fire that left Natsu's fist. As he landed on building, it was demolished by Scissor Runner's roar, forcing the pinkette into the air once again as Oscurare and Dondolare flanked him on both sides. Inhaling, they fired off their roars at him, Oscurare's taking the form of a large gray stream while Dondolare's was a large scale beam with pieces of jagged rock mixed in. The roars racing towards Natsu, they collided with the pinkette dead center, a bright explosion consuming him.
"Natsu!" Meredy screamed in horror, her eyes wide as she forced herself to move to his location, praying that he was alright as a few others joined her.
Dropping down, Oscurare and Dondolare kept their guard up as they awaited the large cloud of dust and rubble to settle, paying no mind to the group of mages that approached from the side. Then, a sudden surge of heat forced everyone to back up, the temperature cranking up in intensity as the dragons were engulfed in large pillars of flames, making the jaws of many drop as the magical pressure felt was far above that of even a Wizard Saint. Oscurare and Dondolare flying out of the pillar, several burns on their bodies ranging from negligible to mild, they landed a fair distance away , a bit surprised at their fresh wounds.
"He's no pushover. It appears that we truly have a Dragon Slayer to deal with." Dondolare said in a terse tone, his eyes narrowed in both caution and anger at the slowly dying pillar of flames.
"To think that one existed that rivaled those of the past." Oscurare said in a tone filled with slight respect, not expecting a mage of this time to actually damage him.
When the flames finally died down, Atlas Flame, Motherglare and Future Rogue dropped down to confront the Dragon Slayer before them. A cold sweat breaking out of the future man's body as he saw the lack of damage that Natsu had on his body, the only signs he had even been attacked being scrapes and slight burns that littered his body. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tensed when Natsu glanced up and locked eyes with him, the dragons surrounding the man also tensing as well.
"So, you're the mastermind behind this whole charade huh?" Natsu said in a cool tone, his eyes burning with a calm anger as Future Rogue readied himself.
"I-Impossible... Y-You should be dead." He said as Natsu simply flashed him a savage grin in return, turning his attention away from Future Rogue and focusing it on Atlas Flame.
"Atlas Flame, you are a friend of my father correct?" Natsu asked, the flaming dragon looking at him curiously as everyone else snapped their heads to face him.
"Your father? What are you babbling about human?" He said in an agitated tone, Natsu raising a brow at the answer before flaring his magic once more.
"You're a dear friend of my father Igneel aren't you?" Natsu implored as Atlas Flame's eyes widened in realization, taking in account the strength, intensity and beauty of the flames the pinkette utilized.
"You... Are the child of Igneel..." Atlas flame said with his voice barely as loud as whisper, Natsu smirking before hopping onto the head of the flaming dragon.
"Atlas Flame, please lend me your power and help me save the innocent from that man." Natsu asked as Future Rogue started to panic, beginning to exert even more of his Dragon Supremacy Magic over the flaming dragon, only to feel the link burn away as Atlas Flame turned to face Motherglare and himself.
"Impossible! How did you break my magic!" Future Rogue shouted as Natsu flashed him another savage grin with Atlas Flame delivering a heavy headbutt to Motherglare.
"I simply followed my heart. This child is no doubt the son of my dear friend, and I will lend him all the strength that I am able to muster." Atlas Flame said as Motherglare and himself took to the skies, leaving behind a bewildered bunch of mages and dragon.
"Hey! All of you who are able to fight, protect those who can't! I'll deal with the dragons!" Natsu ordered using Telepathy, snapping many out of their stupor as Natsu's magical pressure began to lessen and in turn the draconian monsters began to move once again.
"Meredy, Ul is near the clock tower, go protect her!" He ordered to the other pinkette, Meredy's eyes widening a bit before she nodded and rushed to the location of her precious friend.
Soon the battle escalated once more, the Dragon Slayer's placing their pride on the line as they tried to inflict the same amount of damage that Natsu had done to their respective draconic opponents. While the effort to battle picked up, the effort to protect outshone as many different guilds banded together in a much closer manner then they had before.
With the duo fighting against Levia and Scissor Runner, Rogue and Sting were floored by the amount of power that Natsu had just displayed. They were Dragon Slayers themselves, ones who prided themselves on their strength and yet they were unable to even cause little more then a slight irritation to the two dragons they were fighting. Natsu had displayed the power and skill that matched his type of magic, they were looking and fighting beside someone who could truly be called a Dragon Slayer.
"T-That's him Lector, t-that's Natsu-san!" Sting said in a tone of awe and slight fear, trying to raze Levia's hide using Holy Ray.
"H-He's even stronger then I-I remember Sting-kun!" Lector said in a fearful tone, his eyes wide as he watched the pinkette rain down flames on Motherglare.
"H-His strength... I-It seems limitless..." Rogue whispered in a tone of fear and awe as he used his Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash on Scissor Runner, the dragon blowing his shadow away with his wings.
"F-Fro thinks so t-too..." Frosch whispered as he held onto Rogue's leg, shaking as he saw the night sky once again light up in orange and red.
With Fairy Tail, they were fighting with more vigor and determination then they had ever felt before. Above them, riding on top of a dragon that physically and magically reflected him, was Natsu. For all of Fairy Tail, seeing him battle with skill and intensity unlike anything he had displayed in the past was striking for them. For those who learned of his passing six years ago, seeing him again was something akin to a miracle. For those who were on Tenroujima, it was like a dream. But for all of them, they were going to fight and redeem themselves at all costs.
"Yes Gray-sama!" Juvia said in an exited tone, moving in front of the imposing form of Oscurare, Gray moving beside her before taking her hand.
"Unison Raid! Shotgun!" The two shouted as they joined their magic, firing a large cluster of frozen debris at the dragon while their guildmates preparing for their own attacks behind him.
"Wendy! Follow my lead! Open the Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!" Lucy shouted as she summoned the spirit, Scorpio using his Sand Buster as Wendy took a lungful of air.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy roared as she fired a tornado-like roar, the magic mixing with Scorpio's into a larger more powerful tornado of wind and sand.
"Unison Raid!" The two mages shouted as their newly combined spell overtook and sped up an oncoming Erza by a considerable amount, the mage surging towards an amused Oscurare.
"Nakagami Starlight!" Erza roared as she reequipped her Nakagami Armor, her eyes burning with determination as she moved to slash the dark dragon.
With the increase in speed, Erza rocketed towards Oscurare before delivering a heavy slash with her halberd across the dragon's chest. Grunting as the halberd connected with his seemingly impenetrable scales, the attack on him faltered until the Unison Raid from Wendy and Lucy caused the dragon to stumble back from the Dragon Slaying Magic it contained.
With newfound strength, the success of the mages in protecting and standing their ground against the draconian monsters served to make Future Rogue sweat. In the air, Atlas Flame and Motherglare faced off in a devastating show of power, neither able to cause a significant deal of damage to the other. As Atlas Flame dug his fangs into Motherglare's adamantine body protected him from any major damage, Natsu moving onto the other dragon as Future Rogue began to panic
"This ends now! Fire Dragon's Blast Knuckle!" Natsu roared, his fist igniting as he drove it into the other man's jaw, a concussive explosion of flames consuming and searing Motherglare's hide as Future Rogue was blown off of the dragon.
Following the falling and smoking form of the time traveler, Natsu caught up to the man and glared into his eyes. Future Rogue's eyes barely open, they widened in fear when they caught sight of Natsu's dangerously glowing eyes. Cocking his arm back, he unleashed a brutal and unrelenting assault of blows to the semi-conscious man before grabbing his face with right hand.
"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" He roared as he unleashed a vast and explosive amount of intense flames, sending Future Rogue rocketing to the ground before colliding and causing a minor tremor to resound.
Landing next to the newly formed crater, Natsu glanced up and saw that Atlas Flame was still battling with Motherglare, causing the pinkette to narrow his eyes. The effect of Future Rogue's magic beginning to wear off, the dragons charged in on Natsu's form along with the draconic monsters spawned by Motherglare. Atlas Flame readying himself to rush to Natsu's aide, he paused before moving to a safer location when his magic spiked to levels near his own. As Motherglare, Zirconis, Scissor Runner, Levia, Oscurare and Dondolare closed in on him, Natsu took a deep breath as the area around him started smoldering and melting as the ambient temperature in the entire city began to quickly rise.
"Fire Dragon's Fierce Roar!" Natsu roared as he released a gigantic mass of flames that consumed the six dragons and lit up the night sky in a brilliant yellow and orange glow.
As several roars of agony resounded like loud cracks of thunder, the smoking and smoldering forms of the seared dragons fell from the sky like meteorites, causing several large tremors to radiate from the craters their bodies formed. Glancing at the still bodies of the dragons around him, he glanced down at the severely burnt and charred body of Future Rogue, the man hanging onto his consciousness by a mere thread.
"You're lucky that I don't end your pathetic existence right now. After everything you've done and caused, I should burn you from the inside out." Natsu whispered to the downed man in a tone full of anger and hate, the ground at his feet melting slightly.
Scoffing with small puff of fire leaving his mouth , he turned to face the Eclipse Gate, everyone in his line of sight stiffening and sweating as he stalked his way towards the gate. As he ignored the trembling forms of the guard, Arcadios and Hisui; Natsu continued on until he stopped in front of the closed gate, the temperature skyrocketed once more as he gazed upon.
"This thing is part of the reason for everything that happened..." He growled out in an angered tone, those around him scampering away for safety as his fists once again lit up.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He shouted as he drove his fist towards the door of the gate, an enormous plume of flames enveloped the immediate area.
Flames blanketing the area, many had to turn away to ease the slight pain the flames caused their faces. As they felt the temperature start to drop back to a bearable level, they turned back around as many felt their jaws once again drop as everything around the pinkette was nothing but molten, melted, smoking and smoldering. Turning around, he was greeting with many fearful and tense stares, mostly coming from those who had no knowledge about who or what he was.
"Guh... H-How... Are you alive...?" Future Rogue groaned out in an agony laid tone, managing to turn his head enough to face the back of the pinkette.
"Save your breath, you're in no position to be asking anything about me." Natsu said as he turned, glaring down hard at the downed man as he started to glow with the dragons.
"It appears that I must return, to my own time." Atlas Flame said his form started to fade, losing sense of its tangibility.
"The dragons, they're vanishing." Laxus said as a few of the dragon started to rise, craning their heads to face Natsu.
"To think I would actually be wounded, by a human no less." Motherglare said in an impressed tone as he stood, his body beginning to fade away before vanishing completely.
"So, they too have a true Dragon Slayer." Oscurare said in slight respect, a smirk on his face before fading away himself.
"So you weren't all talk human." Dondolare muttered out bitterly, growling at the fact that Natsu had actually damaged him before fading himself.
"How disgraceful. By some human." Scissor Runner grunted in a disgusted tone before he faded away.
"I will concede defeat this time human, the next time we meet you will not be so lucky." Levia said in a tone of mixed anger and respect, joining his brethren back in their own time.
"How? A lowly human has damaged me to this extent? Impossible!" Zirconis lamented as he glared at Natsu's form, anger and bitter respect gleaming in his eyes before he faded away.
"Hmph. I will never forget you Natsu Dragneel. Truly, you carry within you not only Igneel's fire but also his strength and will." Atlas Flame said in a proud and slightly solemn tone, giving Natsu one last grin before fading away.
As the last of the dragons returned back to their own time, Future Rogue managed to mutter a few more words to Natsu before fading himself. As they returned back to their own time, the hatchlings that Motherglare had spawned vanished as well. Soon, all was quiet until a unanimous cheer erupted from the gathered mages, celebrating the victory over their seemingly invincible opponents.
"W-We did it!"
"The small ones are gone too!"
"Hell yeah! It's over!"
Everyone involved with the fierce battle for their futures cheering and celebrating loudly, it was a warm and bright sight. Though, in the midst of the celebration there were seven who weren't feeling the joyous and festive atmosphere. Mavis looking down in a mix of sadness and belief, she scanned the area and saw that the six Dragon Slayers looked the same.
"We did it Gajeel!" Levy shouted in a happy and relieved tone, smiling brightly at the area the dragons used to lay.
"Tch... Yeah, but..." Gajeel trailed off, tightening his fists as he glanced at the back of the pink haired man standing before them.
"This leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Cobra said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists at the lack of success he had fighting the dragons.
"Not a single one of our Dragon Slayer managed to defeat any of the dragons." Mavis said in a bit of sadness and shame, her eyes looking at Gajeel, Laxus and Wendy's slightly slumped forms.
"How pathetic..." Sting muttered as he crouched down, obviously feeling what his other Dragon Slayers were feeling.
"Yeah, makes me question my worth as a Dragon Slayer. Especially compared to him." Rogue said as he stared at Natsu's form, his partner following his gaze and grimacing at the gap in power.
As the thoughts of the Dragon Slayers began to delve into darker and self deprecating territory, they were brought out of their slump when the cheers and cries of the masses thanked them for their combined efforts. As they were surrounded by their guildmates and other mages, they were assaulted with complements and praise, through it only served to damage their pride more. Meanwhile, back in the castle Future Lucy also began to glow before she returned to her own timeline. Once the cheers began to die down, they all turned their attention to the one who downed the seven dragons and the mastermind behind the whole attack. Gulping slightly when he turned around, they were a bit taken back by how bored he looked.
"N-Natsu... Is it really you?" Makarov whispered as he took a hesitant step forward, the pinkette raising an eyebrow at him before turning and making his way towards Jellal.
"You alright?" He asked, helping the bluenette up and getting an appreciative smile in return for his action.
"I'm fine Natsu, though I'm far more concerned about you." Jellal said before a blur of blue collided with Natsu's chest, Happy crying and sobbing happily as he embraced him.
"Natsu! I missed you!" Happy cried out as he snuggled against the man's chest, a familiar and comforting warmth filling him as Natsu froze upon the contact.
As soon as Happy made the first bold move to embrace Natsu, the rest of Fairy Tail stormed towards him in an attempt to apprehend him and question him about what he had been doing for the past few years. However, before they could reach him, a large wall of ice erected itself between them and the pinkette. After a few seconds, it began to crack before crumbling completely, Meredy, Ultear and Jellal standing next to Natsu with fire in their eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Meredy asked in a cool tone, her eyes focusing on the mages before her as she wrapped her arm around his causing an angry shake to move through a few of the Fairies.
"What're we doing? What're you three doing? We're taking back our guildmate and friend!" Lucy shouted as her guildmates took another step forward in agreement.
"Your guildmate? Natsu is our guildmate and a mage of Crime Sorcière." Ultear said in a confident tone, wrapping her arm around his and leaning into him, smirking when a few of the female mages of Fairy Tail openly growled at the action.
"Unhand him immediately! Natsu, please come to your senses!" Erza ordered hotly though her voice trembles slightly near the end, implementing her legendary intimidation as the mages around her shuddered slightly at her tone as it softened towards the pinkette.
Seeing the tension in the air, Natsu glanced around before sighing and shaking his head in exhaustion. Gently removing Ultear's arm from his, he removed Happy from his chest and set him on the ground. The Exceed's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates, Natsu gave the cat an apologetic and betrayed look before motioning for him to return to the Fairy Tail mages. A look of disbelief overtaking the faces of the Fairies, it quickly turned angry on a few when those who used to be close to the pink haired Dragon Slayer moved to capture him.
"Natsu!" A few of the Fairies shouted in anger as they started stalking towards him.
Erza leading the charge, the group of Fairies stormed towards Natsu, the young man raising an eyebrow at their action before shaking his head in disbelief. Turning towards his guildmates, Natsu whispered something to them as they hesitantly shook their heads in understanding. The three looking at him with concerned eyes, he gave them a reassuring smile before turning and walking towards the oncoming Fairies. Seeing him heading towards them, they froze in place before straightening out and meeting him with bright smiles on their faces.
"Natsu..." Erza whispered as tears brimmed in her eyes, moving quickly to wrap the pinkette in a warm hug as a few of those present let out a shout of disbelief at her out of character action.
"What do you think you're doing?! I thought you died!" She suddenly roared, cocking her arm back and hitting him on the back of the head in anger.
"Where do you get off leaving Fairy Tail for as long as you did?!" She continued, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him violently as the others looked on in a mix of fear and incredulity, a few dropping their jaws at the sight while others had their eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.
Her shaking becoming more and more violent as time passed, Erza abruptly stopped when she felt Natsu wrap his hands around her wrists. A bit of pink dusting her cheeks when she felt how warm his hands were, she found herself gazing into his eyes which were filled with a fond nostalgia. Stunned, Erza felt her hands get pulled away from his collar before she saw him rub the back of his neck and release a sigh.
"If you want to talk, can it wait for a few days? " Natsu asked in an exhausted tone, glancing at Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail as they nodded after recovering slightly.
(Time Skip - A Few Days Later)
(Scene Change - Crocus: Mercurius)
"Do I really... Need to wear these kinds of clothes?" An embarrassed and blushing Yukino asked the other female mages present in the dressing room she was with.
"Of course! They look great on you!" Lucy said as she moved to get into a dress of her own.
"You look beautiful Yukino!" Mirajane added in agreement with Lucy, clapping her hands together to emphasize her point.
"Mire-nee! Please help me out here!" Lisanna cried out as she struggled to tie the back of her corset as Wendy moved to assist her.
It has been several days since the battle with the dragons. The mages who assisted in the battle were invited to a celebration in the Royal Palace, Mercurius. Lucy, Mirajane, Lisanna and Yukino arrive and are greeted by their friends and notice that all the Mages from other guilds who entered the Grand Magic Games are present as well. During the festivities, Hisui recognizes Lucy as the daughter of her friend Jude Heartfilia's daughter and apologizes for the way she treated her, for which Lucy forgives her.
Meanwhile, Gray is confronted by Juvia but tells her point-blank that he will start saying "No" to that which he doesn't like, which proves to dampen Juvia's mood a bit more then usual. Elsewhere, Chelia and Wendy are seen by Mavis while eating. While numerous women hang off Laxus, he and the Thunder God Tribe can't help but think back to what Natsu had told them. On the floor, Erza approaches Kagura and asks if they could be friends but Kagura states Erza is more of an elder sister to her and is pulled in for a hug. Seeing Millianna's depressed face, Erza gives her Happy and subsequently Carla and Pantherlily when Happy alone is not enough.
Meanwhile, Sting and Lector greet Gajeel and ask for Natsu, to which Gajeel replies that he isn't there. Gajeel asks Rogue about his future counterpart, to which Rogue replies that he won't become him. As Sting's attitude angers Gajeel, other Sabertooth members note that Sting has lightened up as of late. As they drink, Sting notices Yukino and is surprised to see her. Sting tells her that he plans on rebuilding Sabertooth as a guild that values their comrades and asks Yukino to rejoin Sabertooth.
However, a drunk Kagura tells him Yukino will be joining Mermaid Heel, starting a fight between the two. Before long, Fairy Tail and the other guilds present declare their interest in Yukino and demand that she join their guild, inciting an inter-guild brawl which over joys Yukino to tears. The quarrel is then put to a halt once Arcadios tells the Mages that the King is coming to greet them. Hearing this, everyone keeps silent but cheers as the one to greet them is the king, Toma E. Fiore, who is not dressed as Mato. Smiling down at them, he addresses them and thanks them for their valiant and successful efforts in driving off the dragons that attacked his kingdom.
As the celebrations pick up, there is a noticeable fall in energy when it came to Fairy Tail. Makarov and Mavis contemplate what Natsu had told them about meeting them a few days later but still haven't received a notice about when or where that meeting was to take place. Sighing, the masters of Fairy Tail eventually dove back into the festivities as the battle for Yukino picked up to an all time high, much to the happiness and chagrin of the person who was being fought over. Though, for herself, Yukino couldn't help but blush and smile demurely when she finally found out just who it was that had helped and saved her, Natsu Dragneel.
"Natsu-sama..." Yukino whispered in a fond and longing tone, her eyes shining and her heart speeding at the thought of meeting him once again.
(Scene Change - Crocus City Ruins)
In the ruins of the city, the four members of Crime Sorcière were gathered together as they scanned the ruined buildings for any clues as to what had overtaken Future Rogue to cause such a drastic change in personality. A bit confused when they found no traces of Zeref's magic or the presence from before, they were about to stop and head back when they caught the sight of someone who they dreaded to see. Standing before them, looking at them with steel in his eyes was Doranbolt.
(Scene Change - Unknown Location Outside of Crocus)
"The councilors had their memories wiped?!" Jellal asked in a shocked tone, Ultear being equally shocked while Natsu and Meredy opted to remain indifferent.
"That's right, we altered the memories of everyone involved. Except for well, you know." Doranbolt explained as Jellal and Ultear nodded their heads in understanding, though they were a bit surprised.
"I'm impressed. So you had that kind of power." Ultear admitted as Jellal nodded his head in agreement, a bit stunned that he had that kind of power.
"Infiltrating and investigating with that magic is my job." He said as the two nodded their heads, knowing what he had done in the past.
"But why would they do that?" Jellal asked, Doranbolt shifting his gaze between the four mages before relenting.
Doranbolt states that the royal family was using Magic from the book of Zeref, which would negatively impact the country. That if word got out that the royal family had anything to do with black magic the people of the country would turn their backs on them. The people would lose faith in the royal family and in the worst case, the royal system would be destroyed. Finishing his explanation, he turned to leave but what stopped by Jellal when he asked about the whereabouts of Cobra.
Doranbolt stops in his attempt to leave and first answers Jellal's question about Cobra, stating that came back after the battle ended and allowed himself to be arrested. While this happened, Cobra stated that the gates of the netherworld were about to be opened. Jellal thinks about what Cobra said and thinks of the Dark Guild Tartarus, a third of the Balam Alliance. As Doranbolt leaves, the four sigh and relax as the threat of the Council coming after them was adverted thanks to him. As they start moving on ahead, Natsu stops before telling them about what he had told the mages of Fairy Tail.
"You three go on ahead, I'll catch up with you guys later. I've got some people who really want to talk with me." He said in an exasperated tone, Jellal smiling wryly at him while Ultear and Meredy gave him a small frown of disapproval.
Placating their concerns, Jellal and himself shared a firm and brotherly handshake while Ultear and Meredy gave him an intimate hug. But before he broke off his hug with Ultear, she surprised everyone present when she leaned forward and kissed Natsu squarely on this lips, the young man's eyes widening as Meredy let out a shout of disbelief and panic. Savoring the warm feelings of his lips, Ultear licked them a few times to get a finer taste before pulling away with a heated blush on her face, Natsu having a fine dusting of pink on his own cheeks.
"U-Ul, w-what was that all about?" He asked in a stunned tone, his mind kicking into overdrive at what had just happened as Ultear simply embraced him once more.
"I always cursed my own life you know. The anxiety, hatred and anger I felt, I couldn't suppress. However, that moment that you called out to me and saved me. I realized that there is an endless world spreading before me. Your flames illuminated me and the light that they gave off was like a shower washing away my sins. And when you said that you would give me a reason to live, I was happy to have been born for the first time. I was genuinely happy Natsu. Finally, after all these years, I finally managed to forgive myself and it's all because of you. Natsu, I love you." Ultear explained, the eyes of everyone widening as she beamed a smile brighter then Natsu's flames at the man she held before giving him a much deeper kiss then the last.
Quickly letting go of him, Ultear sprinted past the stunned forms of Meredy and Jellal as they gawked at what had just happened. After a few minutes, Natsu had managed to snap out of his stupor and wave weakly in the direction of the raven haired woman before waving at the stunned duo before him. Stiffly, he turned and headed towards a road that a certain set of carriages were travelling on. Stopping by an intersection, he sniffed the air to get a bearing on which path they took, passing the time by going over what Cobra had warned him about.
"Salamander, I hate relying on anyone especially you, but I got something I gotta tell you. Be on your toes, something nasty is coming and it sure as hell isn't gonna be pretty."
"Something nasty huh." Natsu whispered as he turned his head, gazing along the long stretch of road that laid before him as he moved on.
(Time Skip - A Few Hours Later)
(Scene Change - Fiore: Magnolia Town)
Upon their return to Magnolia Town, the Fairy Tail mages are greeted by the citizens, who gather in the streets for a celebration of their victory. The mages are astounded to see this, surprised that everyone was there. Juvia notices Gray's sad face and asks what is wrong, though he brushes off the issue. As they shout out to her, Lucy notices her landlady and the boat driver, the latter of whom tells her she needs to pay rent.
Erza is fawned over by many admirers of her feats, who argue over what her best performance was. Meanwhile, Cana opens his bag to show everyone the victory trophy Fairy Tail won. Suddenly, the mayor of the town calls the mages over to his location. The mages are shocked as they are presented with their guild building completely restored. When told that the entire town pitched in to help, a joyful Makarov professes his love for the town.
From the top of nearby buildings, the small black creature who traveled with Obra watches the goings-on before jumping down and scampering away into the forest, where he jumps upon the shoulder of Zeref. Mavis arrives shortly after and greets the dark mage. Zeref tells Mavis that though he cannot see or hear her, he knows she is there.
Talking about the atrocities he's seen in his life, Zeref states that what humans are doing is not truly living and that "humans" are already dead. He tells her that if the world rejects him, he will annihilate it and kill everyone. Mavis in turn tells Zeref that Fairy Tail will stop him and annihilate him instead as the two mages stare at one another. As Mavis gives him one last glance before she leaves, Zeref notes to himself that the battle between Natsu and himself is fast approaching.
Back at the guild, the celebrations and festivities are only increasing as more and more people are rushing into Magnolia to meet the guild that won the Grand Magic Games. As the entire town was partying like there was no tomorrow, a few members of Fairy Tail tensed when they felt an all too familiar presence enter the vicinity of the town, snapping their heads towards its location before exchanging glances with each other. Nodding, they moved to tell Makarov but stopped when they saw the somber smile on his face, turning their heads once more only to have their eyes widen when they saw a head of pink hair moving towards them.
"Natsu!" Happy shouted in joy, rushing to meet the oncoming man with a hug as the rest of the town looked on in slight shock in seeing the Dragon Slayer once again.
"I-Is that Natsu Dragneel?"
"You mean the one who died six years ago?"
"Shouldn't he still be in prison?"
"D-Don't panic, if he tries anything we have Fairy Tail here to protect us."
As fearful and concerned murmurs passed through the gathered crowd, a few of the Fairies narrowed their eyes at the fear present in the eyes of the townspeople. But before they could do anything, Natsu had reached them with Happy nuzzling happily against his cheek. Standing awkwardly in front of them, he slowly raised a hand in greeting before giving them a small ghost of a smile before they all panicked and rushed to smother in him greetings and apologies. After a few minutes of converging on the returned mage, they backed off when Makarov approached him and motioned for him to follow.
"Master, where are you taking Natsu?" Lucy asked in a bit of a scared tone, voicing the thoughts of the others as he was still considered a fugitive.
"Don't worry, I just want to talk with him for a bit. Just to catch up a little before you all can have him once more." He said with a smile, the others letting a breath of relief escape their throats.
Nodding, Natsu moved next to Makarov before the two headed inside of the guild and headed towards his newly furnished office. As the two men left, the celebration died down for a few seconds before it picked back up once more. Though, the Fairy Tail mages were a bit more subdued in their celebrating, their minds more focused on what they would say when the pink haired man returned. Steeling themselves, they went through what they would say in their minds before reciting it over like a mantra, preparing for the inevitable talk they wanted to have with Natsu.
(Scene Change - Fairy Tail Guildhall: Makarov's Office)
Sitting across from each other, Makarov stared at Natsu with a look filled with shame and guilt, the pinkette simply staring at Makarov with a bit of nostalgia in his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Natsu was the one who broke the tense silence.
"It's been quite some time Makarov." Natsu said in a cordial tone, giving the elderly man a tiny smile which was returned a hundred fold.
"That it has my boy, that it has. How have things been? I feel that things haven't been... Easy for you." Makarov said with guilt and shame in his voice, Natsu merely tilting his head in confirmation at his words.
"Yeah. After I lost Fairy Tail's guild mark, I kinda shut myself away from the world. During the first few months I blamed you all, wondering why you turned your backs on me when I needed you most. But after about six months, I stopped caring altogether. But then Jellal came and liberated me, and after that started to head uphill. It was a year after I joined Crime Sorcière that I found out that I was framed, the explosion caused by someone from Grimoire Heart called Zancrow." Natsu said as he retold Makarov the events that he had gone through during the past six years, though at the mention of Grimoire Heart and Zancrow the elderly man's heart sank deeper then the depths of the sea.
"Natsu... I'm so sorry. So it really wasn't you." Makarov lamented as he bowed his head in shame, Natsu simply waving off his apology.
"It's fine, it's been six years and I've moved on. I've a new guild and a new family now after all." He said with a fond smile on his face, different from the small one he's been giving the guild.
"I see. So I take it you're not going to return to Fairy Tail." Makarov said with a sad tone, Natsu nodding his head slightly at the statement.
"Yeah, I'm not. I'm happy where I am now and those three need me, like I need them." He said with fondness, his tone causing Makarov to flash a slightly envious and solemn smile.
Spending the next few minutes talking with each other and catching up, Makarov was happy to know that Natsu didn't resent them as much as they had thought he would. Spending the past six years with people who were seeking redemption and to atone for their sins caused one to learn how to forgive those who truly were sorry for their past actions. When the time came for him to leave, Makarov asked the man to spend a few minutes with the rest of the guild, having promised them that they could speak with him. The pinkette nodding his head softly, Makarov smiled brightly and led him out of the office, the eager and nervous faces of the Fairies awaiting for the return of the Dragon Slayer.
"N-Natsu, h-how are you!" Levy bravely said first, breaking the silence that permeated the guild as the man in question blinked in surprise before moving towards her.
"Levy... You look as pretty as ever." He said in a nostalgic and fond tone, his eyes softening considerably as he traced her un-aged features while a fiery blush razed her face.
"N-Natsu! W-What are you doing!" She squeaked as embarrassment and confusion flooded her system, many letting out shouts of indignation at his action.
"Natsu! Let Levy go!" Jet and Droy both shouted in jealousy as they moved to pry his hand off of the bluenette's face, but they stopped when someone else beat them to it.
"Oi Salamander, don't go around touching people like you own em." Gajeel said with steel in his voice, his eyes narrowing at the man as Natsu raised an eyebrow.
"It's been a while Gajeel." Natsu said in a firm tone as he removed his hand from Levy's face, the bluenette pouting a bit from the lack of warmth she had missed.
"It has. Tch, it pisses me off that you actually managed to fight on equal ground against six dragons while we couldn't do shit." Gajeel said bitterly, his pride more damaged then ever at his lack of strength.
"I wouldn't say I fought on equal ground, I didn't cause much damage to them all things considered." He replied, Gajeel grunting out a reply before turning away from the man as the others laughed wryly.
"N-Natsu-san, h-hello!" Wendy said as she greeted the man in a timid manner, Natsu's eyes softening once again when he laid eyes on the young Dragon Slayer.
"Hey Wendy, it's been a long time hasn't it." He said with a fond tone, Wendy's cheeks coloring when she heard his tone.
"N-Not at all! After all, y-you s-saved me that night." Wendy said with admiration and affection in her tone as she looked at Natsu with shining eyes, Natsu smiling softly at her as he moved to ruffle her hair gently.
"I couldn't let anything happen to you, especially not on a night as important as that." He replied as she giggled, soaking in the loving gesture that she was receiving as the others shot the pair a confused look.
Noticing their stares, Wendy blushed even brighter then before as her eyes started to swirl in embarrassment. But before she could faint Natsu caressed her hair in a gentle manner, explaining the events of the night to the other mages. When they found out that Natsu had probably saved their team from being disqualified, they thanked him profusely. Laughing softly with his eyes closed, he didn't the longing and loving stare that a certain white haired mage was sending his way. Soon, she took a deep breath and marched towards him, drawing attention from everyone except for the man in question.
"Natsu!" Lisanna shouted as she tackled him with a hug, similarly to how she did when she first arrived back to Earthland.
"Lisanna..."Natsu replied softly after getting over the initial shock of being glomped, refraining from returning the hug she was giving him.
"Natsu? What's wrong?" Lisanna replied in a mock hurt tone, her eyes shining with false tears as her bottom lip quivered slightly.
"No, it's just... It's been so long. I thought you died again..." He whispered before returning her hug, her eyes widening when she remembered what he had told her the day she had returned.
(Flashback - Seven Years Ago: A Few Hours After Lisanna's Return)
(Scene Change - Natsu and Lisanna's Childhood Hut)
Sitting alone in front of the hut that belonged to Lisanna and himself, Natsu stared at the grave marker that he had made for the white haired girl who had just returned. Letting a relieved sigh quietly escape his mouth, he leaned back onto the palms of his hands as he picked up the scent of the very person he was thinking about. After a minute or two, the sound of the bushes nearby rustling told him that she had arrived. Stepping out of the brush with a surprised look on her face was Lisanna, the surprise being replaced with a loving expression.
"Natsu..." She whispered softly as she smiled, moving to greet him as he tensed up at her approach.
"Hey Lisanna..." He said in an equally soft tone, cursing himself for sounding so meek in front of her.
When she arrived in front of the hut, she fixed her skirt before sitting down next to him. Sitting together in silence, it wasn't as awkward as most would have imagined it would have been. Rather then the awkward silence that usually persisted when someone talks to another who they haven't seen for quite some time, it was an amiable silence that two fond spirits had with each other.
As the minutes ticked by, Natsu and Lisanna drifted their gazes towards the other and when they caught the other doing the same, they quickly adverted their gazes with pink and red invading their cheeks. Then, both started laughing and giggling when they realized what had happened, turning once again with smiles on their faces.
"It's been a long time since I've been here you know. Everything is still the same, well mostly everything." Lisanna said in a nostalgic tone, Natsu smiling softly at her as she stared at the grave maker that held her name.
"I... I made that after you, you know, left me... I mean, us! As in Fairy Tail; Happy, Elfman and Mira!" Natsu said before quickly amending the last part of his sentence, Lisanna looking at him with mirth and affection dancing in her eyes as she watched him panic.
After letting him try and fail at hiding the fact he was the one who he was talking about, Lisanna let him off the hook by making small talk. The pinkette asking about what she had been up to for the past few hours, Lisanna had told him that she was being smothered by Mirajane and Elfman, the two refusing to leave her alone for more then a few minutes at most. Finally deciding that she needed some alone time, she snuck off on her own to find the person who she wanted to see the most, especially during her time in Edolas.
"I missed you Natsu... I missed you so much..." She whispered as she leaned onto him, feeling him tense before he relaxed and wrapped an arm protectively around her waist before drawing her in closer to him.
"Me too... I... I felt so helpless and weak when they said you were dead, I felt that it was my fault that you left us. And I never did get over that you know. I always felt that something was missing inside of me." Natsu admitted as Lisanna's eyes widened before closing softly, the white haired girl snuggling deeper into his shoulder as he shuddered slightly as he recalled the nightmares he had.
"It's ok now Natsu, I'm back. And I'm not leaving, not until you say "I do," at least." She joked, the pinkette blushing brightly before laughing.
Spending the remainder of the afternoon together, they relived fond memories they had with each other as they shared laughter and smiles. After a few hours of reminiscing, Lisanna wiped her eyes to rid them of the tears that were falling from them. In the middle of her action, Natsu wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down with him, Lisanna's face becoming tomato red at the implications and hidden thoughts that his action entailed.
"N-Natsu! W-Wait! W-What if someone sees us!" She squeaked in an embarrassed and slightly excited manner, though her expression shifted to one of concern when she felt him hold her tighter.
"Natsu?" She said, calling out his name in concern when he didn't respond to her question.
"Never again. Promise you won't leave me ever again." He asked, no pleaded, with the white haired girl, Lisanna's eyes softening considerably when she heard how desperate and afraid he was.
"I promise. I won't ever leave you again Natsu." She whispered as she held his head to her chest, feeling him tremble slightly before he steeled himself.
The two stayed in that intimate embrace for a few minutes, each enjoying and finding comfort in the way that they were holding the other. Natsu, feeling security and love in the way Lisanna held him while Lisanna felt need and affection in the way that the pink haired man was embracing her. Reluctantly, they separated and were red faced when their eyes met. Then, Lisanna got up and bounded towards the hut as Natsu looked on in confusion. Once she was inside, she turned and flashed him a loving smile as a look of recognition dawned on his face along with a smile.
"Welcome back, Dear!" Lisanna chirped, the image of a young girl overlapping with her as Natsu grinned.
"I'm back, Honey!" Natsu called out, the image of a young boy overlapping with him as Lisanna smiled sweetly, the two laughing with each other as the past and present seemed to overlap with each other.
(Flashback - End)
"Natsu..." Lisanna whispered in a soft and gentle tone, nuzzling him affectionately against his cheek as the impact of his statement hit her.
For her, it had been only a few days since they had that conversation. But for the man that she was holding, it had been seven long years since she made that promise to him. She couldn't even begin to image how he must have felt not knowing if she was truly alive or had really died. Throwing those depressing thoughts out of her mind, she focused her attention on making sure that he never left her sight again. Unfortunately for her, she was pried off by a red faced Erza and Lucy who had enough of watching her smother him.
"Hey, what's the big idea you two!" Lisanna shouted, obviously upset that she had separated from the one she loved.
"W-What's the big idea? Lisanna, you can't smother Natsu like that!" Lucy said as she had a firm hold on her arm, a bit of jealousy leaking into her voice.
"Agreed, we can't scare Natsu off like usual now that he's returned." Erza said as she nodded her head, many sweat dropping and laughing wryly at her ironic statement.
Watching the scene playing out before him with nostalgia and a bit of mirth in his eyes, he laughed softly as the three young ladies in front of him blushed upon realizing that they were creating a bit of a scene. Quickly fixing their appearances, Lucy and Erza walked up to him and gave him a friendly smile before hugging him with a bit of moisture in their eyes, Lucy more so then Erza. A bit surprised, he returned the hug before they broke after a few seconds. Smiling at him, the two couldn't help but blush when they saw how much more handsome he had become over the past seven years. But their moment was ruined when Gray, Gajeel, Elfman and Laxus walked up to him.
"Oi Natsu, why don't we see how much stronger you've really become?" Gray challenged as many quickly grew interested at the prospect of the challenge.
"You want to fight me?" He asked in a surprised tone, making Gray blink a bit in surprise at the lack of heat in the statement.
"Uh, yeah. I want to see if you're still the same flame brain from before." He said in a condescending tone, expecting Natsu to heat up at the insult.
"Sure, if you want to." He answered as he shrugged his shoulders, many laughing as Gray blanched at the casual dismissal of his insulting nickname.
"Oh, this'll be interesting." Laxus said with a smirk on his face, cracking his knuckles as he sized Natsu up.
"Gihi, let's settle things once and for all Salamander!" Gajeel said with conviction as he pumped himself up at the prospect of fighting the man who managed to wound the dragons when he couldn't.
"Natsu! Let's see how much of a man you are now!" Elfman shouted as many laughed wryly at his statement.
With the prospect of watching a battle between their most powerful friends, in a usual Fairy Tail manner, a betting pool started up with Cana heading it. Soon Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Lisanna, Mirajane, Juvia and the Thunder God Tribe joined the battle against Natsu. Seeing that such a large number of people wanted to battle with him, Natsu had suggested that they either team up or come at him all at once, prompting many to drop their jaws at his statement. But after a while, many conceded with his suggestion and paired up. Erza and Laxus were going to battle one on one with him while the teams consisted of: Lucy, Gray and Juvia, Wendy and Gajeel, the Strauss Siblings and the Thunder God Tribe. Finally, things were underway as Gray's team met him on the training field outside of the guildhall.
(Scene Change - Fairy Tail Guildhall: Outdoor Training Field)
Now that they were all outside on the training field, a field protected by heavy duty rune magic to prevent collateral damage, Natsu stared down at Gray, Lucy and Juvia as they began to sweat slightly at his now blank expression. Makarov acting as the referee, he glanced at both parties before nodding and bringing his arm up.
"The first match between Natsu and Gray, Lucy and Juvia will now being. Start the match!" He said as he brought his arm down, Gray rushing forward as Lucy and Juvia trailed behind him.
"Let's go Natsu!" Gray shouted as he brought his hands together, an icy mist beginning to roll off his hands.
"Ice Make: Saucer!" He shouted, creating and firing a spinning bladed disk of ice at the still man before him.
Though, his confidence melted like the disk of ice when it got within five feet of Natsu. The jaws of may dropping at the lack of reaction or surprise from Natsu, they watched as he raised an eyebrow in a manner of saying "is that all?" at Gray, who grew red with anger at the casual dismissal of his magic. Brining his hands together once more, his magic rose to a higher level before he slammed his hands on the ground.
"Ice Make: Geyser!" He shouted as a tower of ice spikes encased Natsu, many looking on with wide eyes at the size of the structure.
Not waiting for a second, Juvia and Lucy both readied their magic as the tower quickly began to melt into a pool of water at the pinkette's feet. Juvia moving alongside Gray, they exchanged glances with each other before holding hands as their magic started to meld together. With Lucy, she brought out the key of her most powerful spirit as Natsu freed himself from his icy prison.
"Water Nebula!" Juvia shouted as she fired a high speed, circular shaped column of water at Natsu.
"Ice Make: Arrows!" Gray shouted as he created a large number of icy arrows that sped towards Natsu.
"Unison Raid! Shotgun!" The two shouted, the icy arrows and Gray's magic freezing Juvia's water as it solidified into a large burst of icy spears.
Once again, as they spears got within five feet of Natsu they melted into a harmless pool of water at his feet. Cursing under their breaths, they looked a bit surprised before smirking when they saw the familiar glow that signified the summoning of a celestial spirit.
"Open the Gate of the Lion! Loke!" Lucy shouted as the leader of the zodiac spirits manifested in front of her, surprise written all over his face as he stared at Natsu.
"Natsu? Is that you?" Loke asked with wide eyes, disbelief in his eyes as Natsu smiled and waved at him.
"It's been quite some time Loke." Natsu said as the spirit nodded and smiled back, settling into a fighting stance as Lucy moved beside him.
"Let's go Loke! No holding back!" Lucy ordered, Loke nodding as he powered up his Regulus before moving to engage Natsu in hand to hand.
The pink haired man dodging and weaving between Loke's blows, the spirit was beginning to sweat more and more the longer he remained in close proximity to the pinkette. As he cocked his arm back, a sudden surge of intense heat forced him to back up as Natsu smirked at him. Wincing as he felt his entire body was stinging as if the very air itself had burned him, he widened his eyes when Natsu appeared in front of him and buried his fist into his stomach, spittle flying from his mouth as he was sent soaring backwards.
"Loke!" Lucy shouted as the spirit returned to his world, stunned that the spirit was defeated in one blow.
The three quickly fell to their knees when Natsu exerted his magical pressure, their knees shaking and buckling before they collapsed into a scared heap. Even Gray couldn't hide the fear in his eyes when he saw Natsu's eyes start to glow crimson when they were overshadowed by his bangs. Then, he bopped Gray on the head which knocked him out. Turning, he held out both of his hands and flicked the two girls on the forehead, causing them to cry out in pain as they held spot they were injured, tearing welling up in their eyes from the sharp pain that accompanied the rather painful flick.
Sighing in relief when he lifted his pressure, Makarov called the match as they were deemed unable to continue. After their defeat, the morale of the other contenders were shaken a bit, a terrified Wendy and slightly nervous Gajeel walking onto the field as Natsu's eyes shone with a light they didn't find too pleasing.
"Alright, next match! Natsu vs. Wendy and Gajeel, begin!" Makarov shouted as he brought his hand down, Wendy immediately charging her magic as Gajeel charged forward.
"Oi! Sky Dragon, back me up!" He called over his shoulder as Wendy nodded, wanting to impress the man they were facing.
"Arms X Armor X Vernier!" Wendy called out as she enchanted Gajeel, the man surging towards Natsu with twice the speed as before.
"Eat this Salamander! Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel shouted as he transformed his arm into a club, smashing it into Natsu's face without mercy.
A large smirk on his face, it quickly fell when he cried out in pain and jumped back, holding his now burnt hand as he stared at an unimpressed Natsu. The pinkette raising his brow again in the same manner as before, Gajeel's brow twitched as Wendy looked on in a mix of awe and shock. Swallowing the lump in their throats, they turned towards each other and nodded in agreement as they both took a deep breath.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The two roared, their roar's combining into a larger more powerful one as it collided with Natsu, debris and dust obscuring his person. As the dust began to settle, there was nothing inside of the crater that Natsu had been standing in a few seconds earlier. Tensing, they turned around only for Gajeel to be sent eating the ground when Natsu bopped him on the top of the head. Wendy's knees shaking terribly, she stared up at Natsu with large, teary eyes as he moved to bop her on the head as well.
When he caught sight of her strangely egg-like watery eyes, his resolve crumbled faster then the Fairies' chances of winning as he moved to poke her gently on the forehead, causing her to blush at his gentle "attack". Sighing, Makarov shook his head as he started to weep, having placed a large sum of Jewels on his children to "win", which was making Natsu use his magic. Calling the match, the next two matches went the same was as the ones before it. Natsu dominating the teams with the exception of a few key mages.
With the Strauss Siblings, he simply bopped Elfman on the head as he was spouting things about men fighting one on one, though he was the one who was with a team. To defeat Lisanna, he simply appeared face to face with her before he whispered something unintelligible close to her ear and gave her a rather sensual wink, causing her maiden circuits to overload as she fainted with an atomic blush and an extremely embarrassed but slightly excited smile on her face.
With Mirajane however, it became a rather destructive battle as she instantly took to her Satan Soul: Sitri and rushed down Natsu with a unrelenting barrage of attacks. When it looked like Mira was gaining the upper hand, Natsu caught one of her punches with one hand, stunning both her and bewildering the crowd. Then, he buried his fist into her abdomen as she lurched forward with spittle flying from her mouth. After that she quickly fell from her transformation as Natsu caught her, whispering something into her ear as her face lit up in a surge of crimson before she looked away in embarrassment. Many wanting to know what he had said to two of the residential beauties, they ushered them off the field as the Thunder God Tribe moved to face him.
Starting the match, Natsu dodged the assault of beams from Bickslow's Baryon Formation while avoiding the crippling runes that Freed laid out and Evergreen's Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun. After a few minutes of playing cat and mouse, Natsu turned the tables and took out Freed by smacking him on the back of his head with an open palm, causing him to eat the ground. Doing the same with Bickslow, he bopped him on the top of the head and floored him. Turning, he was about to do the same with Evergreen but sweat dropped slightly when she was holding onto a slightly protective Elfman.
Realizing their predicament, Evergreen turned red before slugging Elfman and shouting about how close he was to her, though the anger she was mocking was clearly a rouse for the embarrassment she felt. His tear now a waterfall, Makarov prayed for the last of his mages to pull through and force the pink haired man to use his magic. Erza took a calming breath as she stepped onto the field, staring Natsu down as she requiped into her Flame Empress Armor and points her sword towards him.
"Don't hold back against me Natsu, like how I never held back against you!" Erza ordered with fire in her eyes, many gulping as a strange look passed through the pink haired man's eyes.
"You sure you want that?" He asked in a concerned tone, causing her to falter a bit when she heard how worried he was for her.
"Y-Yes, of course! You should know better then anyone else that I will be able to handle it!" She said confidently, Natsu scanning her for any lies as she began to feel a inkling of something in the pit of her stomach.
As she started to reconsider her request, the temperature on the field skyrocketed as flames started to dance around Natsu. Gulping, Erza steeled herself and raised her sword only to stare in shock at the molten piece of metal resting in her hands. Nearly half of the flame-resistant sword was now resting on the ground in a pool of molten metal. Discarding the sword, Erza winced as she felt something start to burn her leg. Looking down, her eyes widened when she caught sight of more molten metal, this time the source being her very armor.
"W-What!? M-My armor, i-it's melting!" She cried out in a mix of shock and awe, quickly requipping into her Sea Empress Armor.
"I am not going down without a fight Natsu!" Erza roared as she fired wave after wave of powerful whirlpools at the motionless man before her.
Like with Gray and Juvia, her water magic proved ineffective against him. Unlike those two however, her water spells evaporated as soon as they touched the air, causing everyone to look on in utter bewilderment at the temperature that must have been consuming the field. Soon, Erza's swing became more and more erratic as the heat started to affect her greatly. As she began to sway, Natsu appeared beside her and caught her, the temperature dropping considerably as she was deemed unable to continue.
When Makarov called the match, Erza couldn't help but let a sigh of utter frustration and contempt leave her throat, idly snuggling against Natsu as she began to think of ways to counter his seemingly omnipotent control over their match. It wasn't until she heard a few people loudly clear their throats that she realized what she was doing, turning as red as her hair when she felt herself rubbing her cheeks against his chest. Letting out an out of character squeak, she sprang away from him before composing herself once more, shooting a dangerous glare at anyone who was about to speak or comment about her action. But before she could punish anyone, a rather happy Makarov announced that the final match was to begin, Laxus rolling his shoulders as he stared at Natsu.
"This is pretty weird you know." He said, a smirk on his face as Natsu returned it.
"Yeah, it used to be the other way around back in the day." Natsu replied as Laxus let a small smile make its way to his face.
Standing before each other, Laxus tensed as his grandfather raised his arm then he vanished in a flash of lightning when Makarov started the match, intent on damaging the pinkette unlike anyone before him. Appearing next to Natsu, he charged his fist with electricity before slugging Natsu across the face, a flash of lighting blinding a few as Natsu took a step back. Not giving him any chance at a counter attack, Laxus pressed on with his attack, taking a deep breath.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" He roared, firing a large beam of lightning at point blank range, a large explosion resounding.
Before the dust settled, Laxus sprang backwards in a flash of lightning as he readied himself for whatever Natsu was going to do. But a brief flash of heat caught his attention, causing him to turn and widen his eyes when he saw Natsu standing next to him. Cursing under his breath, he brought his arms together as Natsu gave him a lazy backhand, the blonde's eyes widening as pain ripped through his limbs. As he was sent flying back, he righted himself in the air only to eat the ground when Natsu bopped him on the head. Seeing that no one was going to get anywhere with the pinkette, Makarov called the match.
As Wendy tended to Laxus, who was grumbling about a rematch and about pink haired Dragon Slayers getting lucky, Natsu was in the center of the guild as everyone tried to get him to explain how he got the power that he had. All attempts however, were met with dead ends as he simply said he didn't know. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the pinkette stood and bid everyone farewell, making the eyes of almost everyone in the guild widen with confusion and panic.
"G-Go?! You're leaving!?" Gray shouted, not understanding what his rival was getting at.
"Oi, you're joking right Salamander? You just got here and now you're going?" Gajeel asked as he stared incredulously at Natsu.
"Yeah, it's about time I get back to Jellal and the others. They're probably worried sick about me." Natsu said with a small laugh, giving everyone a small smile before he turned around.
"Y-You're not serious are you Natsu? Y-You belong here, with Fairy Tail!" Lisanna said as she grabbed his wrist, omitting the "with me" her mind had wanted to say instead of Fairy Tail.
"Lisanna's right, you aren't going anywhere." Erza ordered with steel in her voice, grabbing onto his wrist in an ironclad grip.
"Everyone, I'm not a member of Fairy Tail anymore." Natsu said in a quiet tone, the truth of his statement making nearly everyone freeze when they realized it.
"W-Wait... Y-You're not coming back? To Fairy Tail?" Levy asked in a shaky tone, her eyes wide and tears beginning to well up when she saw him nod his head,
"I'm a member of Crime Sorcière now, and they need me." He said as Erza and Lisanna tightened their grips on him, obviously bothered by his statement.
"But we need you here at Fairy Tail!" Erza shouted as she looked at him with moist eyes, leaving out that she needed him here.
"Natsu, please! Please don't go!" Lucy and Happy shouted as they grabbed his shirt, tears in their eyes as he shook his head in the negative.
"I need to go everyone." He said in a firmer tone then before, many gritting their teeth at his statement.
"But Natsu, you can't go back! Everyone there is... They're..." Happy said as he trailed off, the temperature dropping slightly as Natsu's mouth thinned to a small line.
"They're what? Criminals? Former Dark Mages? Wanted people? People who've made mistakes? I'm no different." He said in a quiet tone, many wincing at his harsh words.
"B-But Natsu-san... I-I'll miss you..." Wendy said in a sad tone, her eyes watery as Natsu's gaze softened slightly.
"Don't worry, I'm confident that we'll meet each other again." He said as he ruffled her hair gently, Wendy nodding her head softly as she took in his warmth.
Soon, Natsu bid his farewells once more as he exited the guild. Many calling out for him to stay, their words fell on deaf ears as he didn't acknowledge their words. As a few of the Fairies shed tears at his departure, they returned to their activities at a more sedated pace. Lisanna wiped her tears away before turning to face Wendy, Erza and Lucy, the three sniffling as they gazed in the direction that he had left in. A bit of concern and possessiveness filling her, she walked over and said something that caused the entire guild to fall silent.
"Hey you three..." She started, getting the attention of the three as they turned to face her, wiping away their tears.
"W-What is it Lisanna?" Lucy asked with a strained smile, trying to draw attention away from her slightly pink eyes.
"I-Is something wrong?" Wendy asked as Lisanna nodded, getting the three to stiffen up at her serious look.
"Well what is it Lisanna? Did something happen?" Erza asked in a concerned tone, everyone in the guild now listening in on the conversation.
"Natsu is mine. He's always been mine, so please remember that." Lisanna said as she strode past them, leaving them and everyone else in the guild gawking and gaping at her bold statement.
"W-What?!" Erza and Lucy shouted as they turned to face her, both red in the face from a mix of anger an embarrassment.
"Awawawa!" Wendy cried as she was crimson faced from Lisanna's claim over Natsu, unable to tell if it was romantic or platonic.
As a dispute broke out over the meaning behind Lisanna's statement, the entire guild eventually got caught up in it as the rowdiness from before picked up once again. A few of the female mages arguing over the meaning behind Lisanna's words, stating that he wasn't a married man while Lisanna begged to differ stating that he already had a child with her. At that, Elfman panicked and went on a rampage, causing many to be caught up in his path as another brawl broke out. Soon, a strange mix of shouting and laughter could be hear across Magnolia Town as Fairy Tail was once again back in action.
(Scene Change - Unknown Location)
Arriving at the edge of a forest, Natsu turned and saw the curvaceous form of a familiar redhead. Her eyes widening, she brought her hands up to her mouth as she stifled the sob that wanted to escape her throat. Narrowing his eyes at her, he saw her flinch in a mix of fear and shame before he softened his gaze. Releasing a sigh, he opened his arms with a small smile as she quickly sprinted into his embrace, sobbing against his chest as he simply held her tightly.
"C-Cherry Hair!" She sobbed happily, as she tightened her hold on him, as if he was a lifeline.
"Hey Flare..." Natsu whispered soothingly as her sobs increased in volume when he heard how gentle his voice was.
After a few minutes of embracing, Natsu let go of a reluctant Flare as he sat her down to explain why she was here. Retelling the story of how Raven Tail was disbanded, she was about to head to Magnolia Town when she felt a familiar magical source. Following it, it had turned out to be Natsu's. Explaining to him sadly that she no longer had a place to return to, Natsu gave her a soft smile and told her that she could come back with him, to Crime Sorcière, and the look she gave him was the most comical thing he had seen in quite some time.
"D-Do you mean that...?" She asked in a hopeful tone, looking up at him with moist eyes and red cheeks as he nodded softly.
"I do. If you want somewhere to call home and a group of people to call your family, you can come to Crime Sorcière with me. Jellal, Meredy and Ultear won't care about what you've done so long as you're willing to make things right." He explained as her eyes shone with hope and happiness.
"R-Really? I-I am sorry about what I did to Blondie, but Master Ivan said if I didn't that I would be hurt even more." She whispered as Natsu suppressed the magma-like rage that burned through his veins.
"That's good Flare. And hey, it's good to see you again." He said in a fond tone as her eyes widened before softening, a small but beautiful smile lighting up her face.
"I missed you Cherry Hair..." She whispered in a loving and longing tone as she leaned up and captured his lips in a soft but passionate kiss, Natsu's eyes bugging out as she nibbled his lips.
"F-Flare!" He shouted in shock, only to quiet himself when he saw that she had fallen asleep with a look of radiant happiness and safety on her blushing face along with the same small and beautiful smile from before.
"Sleep tight Flare." He said with a smile on his face, picking the young lady up bridal style as she snuggled into his shoulder while muttering something Natsu failed to pick up.
"You saved me again Cherry Hair... You always save me..."
And boom, it's another done chapter. What'd you folks think? Again, it's rushed, sorry bout that. But yeah, Ultear laying claim on her man. Lisanna doing the same and it's causing a war over at Fairy Tail. And what's with Flare? Who knows, do you have a guess? Haha, well you'll find out sooner or later I assume. You all know the drill, till next time, you all stay awesome.