hEY, So I'm back with another chapter.

The story right now will be in the timeline right before S-class exams.The pairings are gonna be either Naza or Natsu x OC, and it's not gonna be any real relationship till later on. I am not doing a harem. Sorry if it disappoints some of you but I'm not that good of a writer and harems don't interest me, at least writing-wise.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Homecoming

"Gray...Erza..."

The temperature rose as they got closer to the group of mages. It was so high it was almost suffocating and had become very hard to breathe. Erza, Gray, and Juvia ran until they reached the mages, and worry and concern replaced the feeling of relief they had gotten from seeing their friends from afar.

An injured and bloody Gajeel laid motionless on the ground, his eyes barely open, looked at them and felt relief. Maybe now they had a chance of defeating that monster, but he was still doubtful of it.

A teary Wendy didn't look away from Gajeel, still very much focused on healing him. "I'm trying my best to heal him but I don't know if I'll be able to..." she started sobbing, scorning herself for not being able to do more, for just standing there when Gajeel and the others were fighting.

Erza looked around and felt reassured to see the others weren't in half as bad condition as Gajeel was in. Now what bothered her was whatever put him in that state. Gajeel was nearly as strong as an S-class mage and defeating him is no small task which got her now questioning the strength of their enemy that they would have to face.

After a few minutes, Natsu recovered from his state of shock and regain composure, now frowning at what he had gotten himself into. He knew they would demand some sort of explanation. Not to mention he had to face the wrath of two old friends and honestly that part sort of scared him. He had already decided he would let them get their anger out on him but this wasn't the right time. Plus, what explanation would he give them? He came here to save the dragon and these people tried to stop him, no matter who they were, they would've had to pay for that. He had to admit he went a little too far there but still, they tried to get between him and his goals, and it's not like he didn't give them the chance to back down. Natsu tried to convince himself of these justifications. He finally snapped himself out of his thoughts and decided to leave them for the time being and go to the dragon. Of course, he knew there was no escaping from those two but for now, he had more urgent matters to attend to. So, with a final glance at the mages, turned around and used his sword to break whatever stood in his way. He then disappeared behind the doors.

"How did this happen?" Erza demanded and she and the rest of her group walked closer to Gajeel and looked at everyone for an explanation of some sort.

Happy flew towards her, still a little frightened "This guy was terrifying. He beat Gajeel so easily. And then, he tried to kill him. He was super strong" his mind wandered off elsewhere as images of the fight, reappeared.

Lucy looked away while keeping her head down, feeling ashamed and still distressed over what just happened "He was really strong Erza. When we came down here, Gajeel attacked him and well, at first he was able to hold his own but then it just turned into a one-sided beating. I couldn't do anything but watch. The power he had, and his aura, they were both so terrifying. He was also a dragon slayer and a strong one at that. He uses fire magic and wields a sword. That's really all we got from meeting him."

"That bastard was holding back" They all looked at Gajeel who mumbled something between his breaths, gasping for air. He then started coughing up blood, which just showed how serious his wounds were.

"Stop talking Gajeel. I'm almost done healing the fatal wounds but you can't push yourself," she said, ignoring the fatigue and the magical exhaustion she was beginning to feel.

"Don't push yourself so much, child" Carla put a hand on her arm.

"I can't Carla. I have to save him. I won't let him die just because I'm weak" she gritted her teeth as a sense of self-loathing became clear in her words and expression.

Erza put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile "You're not weak Wendy. We all have faith in you." Wendy smiled back, now concentrating back on her healing.

Gray then thought back at what Gajeel just said "Wait, you said he was holding back and he was this strong? Damn this just complicates things."

Lucy nodded, feeling still down from the fight. However, this wasn't the time to give up. They had a task to complete and they weren't about to back down. They were all glad that Gajeel's wounds weren't irreparable but now they had to concentrate before reinforcements arrived and made their mission even more difficult than what it already was.

"He went through those doors. I'm guessing that's where the dragon is kept." Lucy pointed in the same direction where Natsu went. She glanced back at Wendy who had finally stopped healing him and looked about to pass out. Gajeel was already unconscious but his previously pale skin had regained some color and looked like he was resting from the strain put on his body.

"Wendy you should lie down. You overexerted herself" Juvia said and kneeled next to her while helping her onto a more comfortable sleeping position. She pushed her back "No! I wasn't able to do anything before but now, I'm gonna fight-"

"Don't be foolish. You don't have any magic left in you" Carla protested.

The dragon slayer looked down and clenched her fists "I know. But I want to help the dragon. Please let me come with you guys" she pleaded.

Carla was about to argue back when Erza began speaking "Fine but you will not fight. You're clearly exhausted but I think you will be a great help in what concerns the dragon. You're the only one of us have met one before besides Gajeel. So you can come" Wendy smiled as Juvia helped her up.

Erza then turned her gaze at the two exceeds "I want you two to guard over Gajeel and Lily. If anyone else comes, immediately warn us."

"Aye Sir" Happy raised a paw, and Carla despite wanting to stay with Wendy, nodded in confirmation.

Meanwhile, Natsu walked into an obscure and cryptic area and followed where the chains splattered on the ground led him. As he advanced, the inhuman scent became more and more apparent to him.

As he approached, a midnight blue color glowed from the end of the cell. Dark blue eyes stared directly at him, and all Natsu could see in those eyes were fear, pain, and hatred for the humankind. When he got closer, the chains on the ground started moving and then when in the depth of the darkness, he saw a small dragon, still big enough to tower over him, backed into a corner, staring at him in fear.

Anger boiled inside Natsu when he started thinking about all the pain that these people have afflicted on the dragon, what they had done to the poor beast to make him cower just by the mere sight of a human. It disgusted him that people like this were able to get their hands on a dragon and an innocent one at that.

He closed the distance between them and so he was able to get a clear view of the beast. The dragon was covered with slender black colored except for the wings, horns and the tip of his tail with were painted midnight colored blue, on his wings, little white dots appearing like stars in a night sky. The dragon was female and was still very young. Young enough to be still in the care of her mother, which he guessed was dead.

He got close enough to put a hand on his neck, which made her flinch slightly but remained still, obedient as the humans would say. He was expecting some kind of retaliation but nothing happened which made him furrow even more.

"I'm here to bring you home. I promise, I won't let anyone else hurt you" He then realized that the dragon had never been taught proper language so speaking to her was futile. He caressed her scales, trying to give her some kind of reassuring sensation so that he could gain her trust.

The dragon seemingly slightly calmed down, and brought her head down, getting it closer to Natsu as she took in his scent. He patted her muzzle and understood that the fact that he had dragon scent all over him must've reassured her. He then moved away from her brought out his sword as he started breaking the chains bounding the beast.

As he broke the final chain, the doors flew open and the mages ran inside. That immediately got the dragon alarmed, however, being no longer bound by chains, she showed sign of retaliation, hissed and growled at the group appearing in front of her. The chains had drained her of magic but her physical condition was enough to kill the mages present in the room. Well, except for Natsu. The dragon slayer saw how distressed the dragon suddenly became and tried to calm her down.

The Fairy Tail mages ran towards the dragon. The cells were dark and so, only blue lights could be seen and so they approached the distressed dragon, and next to her, the man who had fought them before stood, patting the beast.

Wendy looked up, amazement plastered all over her expression as she stared in awe the beautiful creature before her.

"Amazing!" Lucy said, keeping her eyes locked on the dragon.

None except Wendy had ever seen a dragon up close and had only heard of them in myths. Seeing the real thing was nothing like they expected it to be. Even though she was hostile, she didn't attack sight which gave them some assurance of not being eaten alive.

Erza was the first to avert her eyes from the beast to the figure standing next to it. There was little light so she couldn't get a clear view of the person. She decided to move closer. The others stood still on their spot while she distanced herself from them as she walked closer to both the dragon and the man.

Her eyes widened in pure shock when she saw pink locks covering and an all too familiar face. She couldn't believe what her eyes were showing her. She hadn't seen him on over seven years and had almost lost any and all hope of seeing him ever again and yet, there he was, standing in front of her, as an enemy.

An enemy. That's when she realized what he was at that moment. Confusion and a feeling of anger took over her. Questions filled her mind. He had massacred those soldiers in cold blood, and now, he had put one of her comrades on his deathbed.

"Long time," he said with a small smile, feeling of nostalgia and memories flooding his mind. He had really hoped to not meet like this. But it seemed that wasn't something he could not escape anymore.

"Natsu" She voiced slightly shaken, trying to push back all her personal emotions. She held onto her serious expression and tried to muster the words to say to him. But Natsu beat her to it.

"As much as I would like a happy reunion, it's clearly not happening. We will talk later, but for now, I have to take care of this situation." He put a hand on the dragon and looked back at a frowning Erza.

"Are you going to slay the dragon?" She asked, doubts growing upon hearing he wanted to 'take care' of the beast.

He frowned, as if offended by the question "No Erza, I'm here to take her to a safe place, away from these monsters who did this to her" venom dripped from his voice, hatred growing once again inside him, forgetting all about the old friend that stood before him, and concentrating on his anger towards the people responsible for this.

She had so many questions to ask but was interrupted when the rest of the group walked towards them, on guard and ready to fight.

Now it was Gray's turn to face the shock and surprise of meeting an old friend in this horrid place. He stared, open-mouthed as he watched Natsu with widened eyes.

Although he was happy seeing him alive, all his feelings concentrated on one emotion. Anger. He was angry at him for so many reasons. Natsu had left them without saying a word. One night, he had up and left. He had every reason to be angry at him. And now, he had almost killed Gajeel and hurt his friends. That's something he couldn't accept no matter how he felt about an old friend. But what he couldn't wrap his head around was the reasoning behind Natsu's actions.

"Hi, Gray" He smiles at him as he watched the Ice-mage stare at him, probably having so many questions for him. But again, this wasn't the time.

He looked back at Natsu, who had a blank and indifferent look on his face.

"Natsu...How is it possible?" Gray mumbled

Natsu closed his eyes and sighed "I know you probably have so many questions for me but right now, I have to take care of this dragon and get her out of here. How about we talk later?"

This wasn't a suggestion and more like a statement than anything. He turned back to the dragon and asked her to let him climb on her. Despite being young, the dragon could still carry a few people. She kneeled down and bowed enough to let Natsu get on her, and when he stabled himself on her, the dragon slayer with one swift of his hand turned the walls to ash and created a whole and a path for the dragon to fly through and reach the outside. And so, the dragon did exactly that. She spread her wings and flew on the path created by him, leaving startled and beyond confuse mages behind.

"What just happened?" Lucy asked, trying to make sense of what had occurred.

"The dragon trusted him. Why?" Wendy looked down, thinking about the dragon. That was all she could think about.

"What Juvia found strange was that Gray and Erza knew him. Gray my love, how do you know that person?" she looked with a concerned expression after seeing how dazed he had become upon seeing the pink haired boy.

Gray looked over at Juvia before realizing what her question was. He looked down "He was once part of the guild" he stated quietly.

They all looked at Gray and Erza in bewilderment.

"You're kidding me?! That monster was in Fairy Tail!?" Lucy asked but suddenly regretted it when she saw how afflicted both of them were.

Gray clenched his fists tightly, angry and confused about this surprise meeting, "Dammit, I don't understand! Why did Natsu do all those things?! The things he did to those soldiers and even Gajeel...How can he kill so easily? The Natsu we knew-"

"Gray! That was seven years ago. I never thought he would change to this extent but he did. A lot can happen in this time and Gray about him not killing, don't you remember when he tried to kill Laxus for just having a lacrima inside him. We didn't know him for that long so when you think about it, we really don't know much about him. However, I must admit that the aura surrounding him had changed drastically. It was unrecognizable. It was always so welcoming and warm but now..." Erza explained, frowning at the end while entering deep thoughts. Even she was having a hard time accepting this change. But she was getting her answers. Natsu had some explaining to do and she was going to make sure that it happened.

"He tried to kill Laxus?!" Lucy asked, trying to hold her jaw from dropping. But then she thought back at his showcase of power he had earlier and somehow didn't find it that surprising. But what shocked her was that he was once friends and even belonged to Fairy Tail.

"Yeah...He's got some serious explaining to do" Gray grumbled.

"Wendy are you alright?" Juvia asked, seeing how the young dragon slayer was bothered by something.

She seemed to have snapped out of her thoughts "Yes I'm fine. I was just thinking about the dragon and how she trusted that man. At that moment, he seemed so nice and caring, it almost made me forget what he did before." she stopped when she suddenly realized something "I have to go check on Gajeel and Lily" she ran off into the direction she first came in. The others followed.

The dragon slayer along with the injured exceed had both just woken up and now were waiting for an explanation of what happened.

"Where did that bastard go?" Gajeel asked as he put himself in a sitting position all the while holding onto his wound.

"He left with the dragon. Turns out he was a friend of Erza and Gray's. So he didn't attack us. Just took the dragon and left but I have a feeling we'll be seeing him soon enough" Lucy said and turned to face the two mages she just mentioned.

"Yes, we will. We have to talk to him about the things that happened" Erza said.

"Well, I'll be kicking his ass for leaving like that and hurting our friends. He won't know what hit him" Gray slightly grinned, excited to give the pink-haired dragon slayer a beating he won't forget.

Gajeel snorted at Gray's statement "Yeah right. Like you can even touch him. You don't stand a chance against him. So dream on about that ass kicking fantasy of yours"

The two of them started glaring at each other while butting heads, making the others sweatdrop at both their antics.

"Let's go. We don't have any time to waste" Erza ordered while the others obliged, and seeing how impatient she was she walked in front of all the others at a fast pace. Gajeel used Gray as support while Wendy carried Lily, and they all followed. The more they walked towards the exit and the more the temperature augmented. Once outside, they saw that the whole main building was on fire and had started to crumble. People escaped, screaming for help from the building.

"Is he trying to roast us alive?" Gray yelled annoyed and bothered by all the heat.

"We have to save these people," Lucy said, not bearing to watch people burn to death.

"Agreed" Erza gave a nod and so, Juvia and Gray started putting out the fire while Erza and Lucy tried to rescue the injured located in the old structure which was falling apart.

The sun was beginning to set, the color of the sky turned orange and the clouds were tinted in red. Natsu sat on the ground, leaning on a tree trunk while the dragon had fallen asleep next to him. As he watched her, he thought of how long it had been for her since she last slept well and how long it had been since she had breathed fresh air. He had let out his anger on that fortress before and he wasn't the only one. The dragon also started destroying and tearing apart the whole place. Now he had closed his eyes, waiting for the dragon to get some rest before bringing her to their destination.

He flickered his eyes open when he saw the group of mage advancing towards him. He let out a deep breath, slightly annoyed and nervous about explaining why he did what he did. How was he suppose to give an explanation for trying to kill them? He stood up and watched as they closed the distance between them. The dragon also woke up but didn't really retaliate. She watched them warily but since she didn't feel any hostility, she kept down.

"Natsu" Erza voiced, while slightly glaring at him, keeping her serious expression on.

"Hey," Natsu smiled as he made a small wave with his hand. He was caught off guard when suddenly Gray lunged towards him and punched him in the jaw, making Natsu stumble back at him but showed no sign of retaliation.

"Don't you dare 'hey' us Natsu! You've got some serious explaining to do so don't even try to act nice after what you did!" Gray barked at him, letting the cooped up anger out on him. The fact that he smiled and acted so casually pissed him off even more. Nobody hurts Fairy Tail and gets away with it.

Natsu massaged where he received the hook "Guess I deserved that one"

"Oh no! You deserve so much more than that. Now start talking" Gray snapped at him.

"Gray calm down." Erza then turned around to face Natsu, "I demand an explanation Natsu. Let's first start with why you attacked our friends."

Natsu gave them a nervous look while scratching the back of his head "In my defense, I had no idea they were your friends"

"That's not an excuse for going that far in just a fight. He could've died." she slightly raised her voice, slowly losing her composure.

"Okay so first off, I didn't know they were with you guys. And now that I think about it, where are your emblems? That might've helped you know. How the heck, am I suppose to know who they were? All I saw was a group of mages getting in my way and so, I took care of it." Natsu explained. Now that he was thinking back on what he said, he might not have used the best words to describe what happened. Erza and Gray's glare made that clear. The other mages kept a watchful eye on him, wary of him. Natsu didn't really blame them after what happened.

Natsu sighed "Look, I admit that I might have gotten a bit carried away in that fight but hey, I let him stay down, and he just got back up and attacked me, again."

"That still doesn't give you the right to kill someone!" Lucy decided to step in, disgusted by the way he thought of taking a life so easily.

Natsu shot a quick glare at her, making her slightly nervous but fought hard to not let him intimidate her. "Let's make something clear here. You people tried to get between me and this dragon, who had been suffering under those humans for a long time. I came here to save her, and what do you do? You try to stop me. I'm sorry for taking it that far but if you thought that you would come out of that unscathed, then you thought wrong. Not to mention that you guys started attacking me while all I wanted to do was get through that door" He said as he continued glaring.

Erza listened carefully to what he was saying and found some truth in his explanation. The mages she knew weren't exactly known for thinking ahead of their actions and they were rather rash in their way of acting. Although she didn't agree with Natsu's ways, her friends were the ones to confront him, so she couldn't really blame him for that, could she? She looked at him, no longer as angry as she was before and said "Natsu, I understand that they were in the wrong there with attacking you without reason but nonetheless, you did take the fight too far by trying to kill Gajeel. I don't understand how that is an 'Okay' thing to do in your book"

Natsu frowned "I don't take pleasure in killing. Well, not most of the times. And the record, it's not an okay thing even in my book." he then tilted his head to the side and looked at Gajeel "He's alive, isn't he? So why exactly are we having this conversation?" he raised an eyebrow while looking at Erza.

"Not thanks to you" Gajeel snapped at him. "Oh and don't forget, I'll be paying you back for that." he let out a small grin, which then Natsu returned.

"Glad you're not dead. Thanks, little girl for not letting him die. That would've been a pain considering you're from Fairy Tail" Natsu smiled at Wendy, who looked down at her feet and smiled back.

She nervously looked back up and finally mustered the will to ask what's been on her mind "I'm sorry for asking this but I was wondering where you're taking the dragon." she asked.

"Now that I think about it, I would like to know that as well" Lucy joined in on their conversation, eager to know more.

"I'm sorry but I can't reveal too much detail. All you need to know is that it's a safe haven for dragons and that she'll leave in peace" Natsu answered hesitantly. Even if the girl was a dragon slayer, telling her too much could become dangerous in so many ways.

"A safe haven?" Wendy wandered. She really wanted to know more about this place, and he did say dragons. "You said dragons. Do you know where other dragons are? Please if you know something then you have to tell me" she started pleading.

"I can't"

"But why? Please, I'm trying to find the dragon who raised me. If she's there then I can meet her again." Wendy insisted.

Natsu looked back at her and thought about how similar their situation was "What's your name?"

"Wendy"

"Okay, Wendy there is something you need to know. I understand how you feel cause at some point I was looking for my dad too. I know how you feel and I would like to help you but the thing is that I'll be breaking severe rules if I even speak of this place. You said you're looking for your dragon. How about when I go back, I'll see if I find her or not. What's her name?"

"Grandeeney. You would really do that?! Thank you so much" she grinned happily. She knew she couldn't get more information that she already had but at least he could help her find her mother.

"No problem kiddo" he shuffled her hair causing her to giggle. Carla sent a glare his way which caused him to back down and give the blue-headed dragon slayer some space and wondering what he's done wrong to the cat.

Gajeel who had been listening to their conversation was now intrigued. He averted his look to Natsu "Mind looking into a dragon called Metalicana? Iron dragon, covered in silver and iron"

"Yeah sure"

Erza let out a deep sigh and thought about it for a few seconds as he watched his old friend making conversation with her comrades. She knows very well how time can change someone and it's not like this conversation was leading to something, so she decided to drop the subject at least for now. She moved towards where Natsu, Wendy, Carla, and Lucy, and stopped when she stood in front of Natsu.

He looked at her, slightly confused and. When suddenly he was pulled into a tight hug, his body being crushed against her armor, he looked up at the girl smiling at him. This wasn't something he expected, certainly not after the conversation they just had. "Erza?..."

"I missed you Natsu" She held him close, as if she'd let go, he would once again disappear.

"I missed you too Erza. I missed everyone at Fairy Tail" he voiced in whispers, loud enough for her and Gray who had come closer to them to hear, After a minute, she let go. Natsu then looked over at Gray, approached him and gave him a brotherly hug. It caught the ice-mage by surprise mostly due to the fact of how he punched him on the sights.

Erza smiled at the two, remembering how they were like brothers at the time. Gray was more of a loner but when Natsu showed up, he started feeling like being part of a family again. Erza remembered how happier he was. Both him and Natsu. He had just been abandoned by the only family that he had but then feeling like having a brother to have your back made him overcome that. The two boys grinned at each other.

The others were dumbstruck by that last part. Gray rarely displayed any kind of affection and seeing him like that was very unusual. Lucy smiled at them. She was glad for both of her friends for having found an old friend.

"So I've gotta question. What's up with the flying cats? I've seen a lot of things but this, never even imagined it." he looked over at the exceeds.

"How rude. We are Exceeds, not cats." Carla growled at him, earning a surprise and confused look from Natsu.

"Carla he didn't know. You don't need to be so rude." Wendy said, earning a 'hmph' from the white exceed.

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend" Natsu gave her an apologetic look, which seemed to have absolutely no effect since it just made her turn back and walk away from him.

Happy suddenly flew towards him "We're not cats but we love fish"

"That's just you" Lily retorted.

"Okay little guy, I'll get you some fish sometime" Natsu grinned at him. Happy after hearing the word fish jumped around excited just thinking about fish.

Wendy walked up to the dragon, who growled at her as soon as she saw her approaching. She gave her a genuine smile, hoping she could interact with the young dragon.

"So Natsu, where have you been all this time? And please don't tell me you were looking for Igneel cause I didn't believe that crap for a second" Gray said as he waited for an answer from Natsu with arms crossed.

"Yeah kinda figured. Well let's see, I trained most of that time and I've been here and there" Natsu said while thinking about what to tell them.

"Oi, that's not-...what the hell!"

Out of nowhere, a seal suddenly appeared on the ground and out of it a man came through, eyes glowing in green while all his body was covered with tree branches and flowers blooming on some of them. To none of the mages standing there he appeared human and all except Natsu got immediately ready to fight, well minus Gajeel and Lily who were still hurt.

The figure stood still, as if not noticing anyone standing there until he turned to face the dragon. Afterward, he averted his eyes to Natsu, who was standing bearing an impassive expression, just watching him.

"Why are you here?" Natsu asked in a monotone voice.

"You were taking too long. Why are you wasting your time with humans?" He asked, looking with disgust at everybody surrounding Natsu.

"Be nice. It just took a bit longer than I thought to find the dragon and I think I should remind you that I walked so of course, it would take some time." Natsu said.

Gray having had heard enough and now annoyed as well as confused came forwards "Natsu are you seriously leaving again?! And who the hell is he anyway?"

Natsu looked at his old friend, ignoring his questions and then looked down as if thinking. He suddenly turned back to face the woodman "I want you to take back the dragon."

"Why?"

"Look I have some reminiscing to do and I kinda have to visit some old acquaintances and it's probably gonna take a while. Tell her I'll be gone for a while" Natsu said in a voice indicating that the matter wasn't up for discussion. He scowled in response but saw no point in arguing with him, so he advanced towards the dragon. She looked at him for a few seconds and looked at Natsu, who nodded his head, motioning to her to trust this man. So she let him climb her and the two suddenly took off without another word, with the man leading the way.

The Fairy Tail mages were left shell-shocked, trying to wrap their head around what just happened.

"Can someone explain to me what that was?" Lucy asked, not really directing the question to anyone in particular.

"Juvia would also like to know"

Natsu scratched the back of his neck while giving a half laugh "No one special. Just someone I know who will assure to take care of the dragon and assure to arrive there safely."

"You're still not gonna tell us where that is?" Gajeel questioned him.

"Nope," Natsu said with a smirk. The smirk then transformed into a toothy grin "Now come on, I wanna go see everyone from Fairy Tail. Man, this is gonna be awesome" He became all excited just thinking of going back to the guild. He had missed that place a lot, more than he could've imagined.

"Everyone will be very happy to see you Natsu again," Erza said, and so they all started walking away from the fortress and the whole area.

Unknown to the mages, at a very far distance, two figure had been watching them ever since they came out of the fortress with the dragon.

"Just our luck. I really hoped the dragon would be older. That young was gonna be no use to me" A feminine voice came from one of the cloaked figures said, sounding very disappointed.

"Is that why you didn't go for it? I thought for sure you were scared of him" the other spoke, in a more calm manner. From "What the hell makes you think I'm afraid?! I could kill that guy in my sleep" she protested angrily, irritated that he'd even say that.

"You shouldn't underestimate your enemies. That has a become a tendency of yours" he continued in a monotone voice, making her even more annoyed.

"Shut up!" she spat out and started walking away from him. He watched for a few seconds before trailing behind her, until the two disappeared into the forest.

The mages stopped when the town of Magnolia finally came into view. The journey back had taken more time than when they set out for the mission since now three dragon slayers backed up the idea of walking instead of taking transportation, much to the other's dismay. They had walked most of the trip, which gave Erza and Gray to reminisce with their old friend and for the others to also get to know him better, well aside from his violent side they met during their time as foes which they tried to not think about.

"Wow, this place really hasn't changed huh?" Natsu said, watching from above the hill the town where the guild resided. He was so enthusiastic and slightly nervous about seeing everyone again.

"I've been meaning to ask, why didn't you come back to visit over the years? I mean I'm sure Fairy Tail would've been happy to see you again" Lucy asked.

Natsu's mood immediately dropped causing everyone to look at him in surprise of the sudden change. He frowned and looked away, his expression turning into one beholding pain, sorrow and even a hint of guilt.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" this startled Lucy, thinking that what she said suddenly bothered him.

"You didn't say anything wrong, Lucy. I just remembered some stuff." he gave a sad smile. It didn't take long for him to regain back his usual grin "Let's go"

Gray and Erza exchanged a look, wondering why that subject suddenly plagued him. They also had wondered why he didn't visit all those times but having that conversation would probably have made him feel worse and it was something to be discussed at the guild with everyone else also present to hear him.

The group walked through town, with Natsu enjoying the view. It was around evening and the town was still very much active, despite the moon slowly appearing in the orange-like sky.

The moment the guild came into sight, Natsu was left amazed at the new building and how much it had changed since his time at the guild.

"Surprised?" Gray asked, amused at seeing the reaction from the dragon slayer.

"You bet. But I guess I should've expected it with time" he said as he continued admiring the structure.

"Oh no, time didn't do this. A certain dragon slayer brought this change" Gray said, hinting at Gajeel who just looked pissed, not wanting to remember how he'd join Fairy Tail.

"Gajeel you renovated the place?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow, not really expecting it from the guy. He barely knew him but having spent some time on the road had revealed some things about him. Well about everyone.

Gray burst out in laughter, while Lucy gave off small laughs. "Oh man, him? renovating? Yeah right. He destroyed the old one" he continued laughing but stopped when he got a glare from Erza. She decided to give a short summary of the events that happened between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. This time it was Natsu's turn to start laughing, and although it lasted shorter than Gray's, he still found it hilarious that the old guild got trashed by Gajeel and then the same person joined them.

"Quit laughing! I was under orders. Tch, you can pain Salamander" Gajeel snapped at him, causing Natsu to smirk and gain a smug look hearing the last part.

"What's with the nickname? Now that I think about it, you've been calling me that for a while" he asked curiously, being intrigued by this name.

"Giii Hiii...You eat and breath fire, so does a salamander and they're like tiny wingless dragons. Plus, I'll call you whatever I want," Gajeel snickered while Natsu was confused.

"Yeah, you do that" Natsu didn't really care what people called him most of the times and so he just went along with it.

Erza started walking ahead of others "We should probably report back, although I think he has been made aware by now about how the mission went. It's still early so f anyone wants to go and rest then feel free to."

All of them headed for the Guildhall, Natsu still looked around his surrounding until he reached the front door. And that was when he started getting uneasy. How was he supposed to face an entire guild, which he left without a proper goodbye? He knew he should've come back or at least visited but he never did. Erza and Gray took it pretty well considering how cowardly he had acted but that doesn't mean the rest will. He wouldn't blame them if Fairy Tail wanted nothing to do with him. Still, he had to confront them and hopefully, the rest will go smoothly. He got so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the others pushing the doors open and entering the building. He trailed behind them. The guild was at its peak of rowdiness. Just Natsu's luck.

It was really as rowdy as he remembered it to be. Even rowdier than that. A sad smile appeared on Natsu's face as he felt a sensation of nostalgia, the scents of people he knew before filling his nostrils, the voices...Sure the place had changed but it was the people who made Fairy Tail, well, Fairy Tail. He wasn't exactly one to be very sentimental but he couldn't help it. He had always retained a certain attachment to this place and its people. However, he remembered why he didn't come back here, even just to visit.

From afar, Mira started waving at the group and approaching them while having her typical gentle smile "Glad you came back safely. The council already informed us about the mission and-" her smile dropped and her expression was quickly changed to that of astonishment as her eyes met Natsu's.

"Hey Mirajane" he smiled at her, which she didn't really respond to,

"Wait a minute is that who I think it is?"

"That pink hair can only belong to him"

"I thought we'd never see him again"

"That's really Natsu. Damn seven years and he finally shows up"

Murmurs soon turned into loud chatter, all focused on one thing. Most eyes were now focused on the pink-headed dragon slayer, who was beginning to feel real unconfrontable under all that gaze. He still had his doubts about making the right call coming here but he knew he was far beyond that at this point.

"Mira, you've certainly changed a lot. Never expected this" Natsu said with a slight chuckle.

"Well, you know how time can be."

"Yeah, I know that better than anyone" they talked for a little before being interrupted by one of the Strauss siblings.

"Natsu!" Lisanna jumped on him, pulling him into a hug, and as a result, both of them knocked to the floor.

"Lisanna! Good to see you again" Natsu grinned, still Lisanna lying on top of him, feeling slightly awkward about the scene they were making.

"You jerk, why did it take so long to come back here" she gave him fake punches to the chest, but still overjoyed of seeing him again.

"I'm really sorry," he said in a genuine tone, his eyes holding all his emotions that were filled with guilt.

"You better be" Cana walked towards them, first holding a serious and slightly angry expression which quickly turned into a wide grin.

"Cana!" he gave a slight wave of the hand, still being pinned to the floor by a cheery Lisanna, who started getting

The group was still in front of the doors, watching Natsu and the others reconnect. Other members started showing up and all of them went straight to Natsu.

"They all seem so happy" Lucy murmured, smiling at her guildmates being overjoyed of meeting a long lost member. She still wondered why he never came by, now seeing how he's loved by everyone deepening her questions."Yeah, you're right. I'm so happy for them" Wendy said."Everyone seems to know him really well or at least they were good friends before," Juvia said. She then averted her eyes from them to Gray, and she noticed how down he was. She wondered why since he just got his friend back. She noticed the same look on Erza. Before she could say anything, Makarov showed up.

Natsu got up and cleared the dust from his cloth and got confronted with the master of Fairy Tail, who grinned widely at the boy. "Natsu my boy, you've grown up quite well"

"And you haven't changed old man," he said with a grin, making the master chuckle.

Makarov watched him, trying to hold back the tears. He had been so worried for a while and had sometimes thoughts of never being able to see him again. If he was being honest, he had slight regrets about letting him go that day and had always hoped that he had done the right choice in trusting him. Seeing him now, despite a change in his aura, he seemed like his normal self. Or the one he remembered from the younger Natsu.

"It's good to have you back Natsu" he stated.

"It's good to be back," he said with a toothy grin.

Makarov jumped on one of the tables and made a slight coughing sound to get everyone's attention "Now then Fairy Tail listen up, let's welcome back an old member of our family. Let's party till we drop!" Cheers roared through the Guildhall.

"Fairy Tail never changes" Natsu murmured and went to join in the party.

The guild partied the rest of the evening, old friends reminisced and talked about old memories and their lives and so they chatted till late at night. It was becoming late at night and most members were passed out or had left. Few were still at the guild, but the atmosphere had grown much quieter and tranquil.

The assigned team for the mission went at some point to talk to the master and give in their report along with other details involving their journey and their meeting with Natsu. Some of the things he heard were disconcerting to Makarov but still, he was happy that they came back home safe and sound, and brought Natsu with them. He was glad that no one found out that the mages were from Fairy Tail because that would only jeopardize the safety of the whole of Fiore. Even if Pergrebde lost their dragon, they couldn't just start a war with a country or all countries. What worried him was that if they would ever get their hands on another dragon, this would mean war and they would have enough power this time.

Natsu was currently sitting next to Levy, Cana, Lisanna, and Elfman. They were busy talking when Makarov started making his way to their table.

"Natsu my boy, could you please come to my office. We have somethings to talk about" he immediately turned around, not waiting for Natsu's response. They both walked to his office, which Makarov installed a noise cancelation spell to avoid any eavesdroppers. He needed to confront Natsu about somethings and some of them were private. They both disappeared behind the office's doors.