Well, here is the first update for the new year. Looking back on last year, I had planned to finish TTONU, but that didn't pan out with my surgery… in any case, I actually did manage to update nearly every week, so I'll take that as a small victory. Hopefully, I will be able to do the same this year, but I don't know what will happen this year.
As always, I appreciate all the support from my patrons, as well as all of you for every favourite, follow, review, or even hit. I actually look at my traffic stats after every update and it always makes me feel good to see a 2-5K view spike with a new update, depending on which archive the update was for.
I do have plans for new stories, but I will hold off for now. For the record, I have a Batman fanfic idea, Highschool DxD fanfic idea and two Fairy Tail fanfic ideas on a word doc. Since I have finished Arkham Asylum and am currently playing Arkham City, the most likely story that I will start out of the four will be my Batman story, but that won't be for a while (I think, I do tend to change my mind a lot).
In any case, enjoy the update and many more to come.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
*expression*
FlashbackTechniques
Chapter 6 – Two Pairs
Silence. Complete and utter silence that many monks had spent years trying to achieve. Decades of meditation and focus all honed to perfection, in order to block out the entire universe and achieve true silence. Yet, without even intending to, the guild hall of Fairy Tail had achieved this feat. What could have caused the rowdiest guild of them all to reach the highest levels of silence? A simple kiss. A kiss between the two newest S-Class mages: Natsu Dragneel and Cana Alberona. Alas, the silence would not last. The epitome of peace was achieved only for two seconds, before a cry was heard.
'So Cana is going to be Natsu's mistress!' Exclaimed Lisanna, clapping her hands in joy.
'No, I'm not the mistress, you are.' Said Cana, resting her arm, on the still stunned Natsu's shoulder.
'Oh, I just knew the mistress idea would backfire on me. You're trying to steal Natsu from me!' Exclaimed Lisanna.
'Okay, I'm going for a walk, you two can settle this all out between yourselves, let's go Happy, I'll get you a fish.' Said Natsu, after giving himself a little shake and lifting Cana's arm off his shoulder.
'Aye sir!' Exclaimed Happy, flapping over to Natsu and jumping on top of his head, just as Natsu hopped off the stage.
The Dragon Slayer walked out of the guild and as the doors shut behind him, the guild rebooted.
'Well, that is one way to end the S-Class trials. I didn't expect anything so dramatic to happen and I doubt anything could top that.' Said Makarov, not knowing that this time next year, he would need to eat his words.
The rest of the guild slowly dispersed after that, too surprised by the recent turn of events to party properly.
'Hey, let's party!' Cheered Macao, getting a resounding cheer, which then kicked off the party.
"As if Fairy Tail could be stopped from partying after all." Thought Makarov in amusement, before going to the bar.
Cana then decided to hop off the stage and made her way over to Lisanna and her siblings, being quickly joined by Erza and Gray.
'Congratulations Cana. I'm impressed that you managed to defeat Master's trial. It couldn't have been easy, considering you had to deal with Laxus.' Complimented Erza.
'Yeah, what was with that massive explosion of fire that nearly torched the forest, huh?' Questioned Mira.
'Oh, we needed to get something from Laxus and give it to Master. He wasn't playing around, so things got kind of serious.' Explained Cana.
'I'll bet. Flame Brain never did something like that before.' Muttered Gray.
'How did you do it though?' Asked Elfman.
'Natsu and I combined two attacks together.' Said Cana.
'Speaking of Natsu, were you serious up there?' Asked Lisanna.
'Yeah.' Said Cana, only for Lisanna to hug her, confusing the group.
'Uh, Lisanna, shouldn't you be annoyed that I'm interested in Natsu?' Asked Cana, awkwardly holding her hands to her sides.
'Nope. If you are really interested in Natsu then it is only a matter of time before Erza and Mira get involved as well and then we really will be one big happy family.' Said Lisanna, breaking the hug.
'Lisanna, are you even sure Natsu would be interested in something like that?' Asked Elfman.
'Just you wait, I'm sure Natsu will see things my way. I'm his first wife after all, so I have to know these things.' Said Lisanna, with a wink.
'Anyway, your little stunt got Natsu to leave, aren't you worried about that?' Asked Mira.
'Not really. It was a spur of the moment decision and Natsu probably needs time to figure things out himself.' Said Cana.
'You're going to be waiting a good decade then.' Muttered Gray, only for Erza to slam her fist into his skull, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
'Be nice, Gray, Natsu has shown his intelligence is nothing to be mocked. However, Cana, I will not allow any unseemly behaviour between you and Natsu in my presence.' Warned Erza.
'Jeez, if you are that into Natsu, just come right out and say it Erza.' Teased Cana, causing the knight's face to flush.
'That's right, the more the merrier. Plus, if you get involved, Mira will too and everything will be perfect.' Added Lisanna.
'Please, any man red likes is probably going to be some pathetic moody loser. Not even Natsu would want this can of sardines near him.' Mocked Mira, only for a fist to slam into her face.
'That's it you witch, I will make you respect me!' Shouted Erza, before charging her rival.
'Wow, serious denial there.' Commented Cana, as the two blurs of white and red clashed.
'Well, in any case, let's party!' Cheered Cana, before the four of them headed into the midst of the party.
-line break-'Natsu, what's wrong?' Asked Happy, pausing during his meal of fish.
'Hmm, what makes you think something is wrong?' Asked Natsu, turning to the side to face his furry son, as they sat by the lake, enjoying the silence.
'You've got your serious face on, like when we are training.' Said Happy, finishing off his fish.
'Didn't know I had a serious face… I'm just thinking bud.' Said Natsu.
'About what? Fish?' Asked Happy, before starting to drool.
'About what I'm going to do now that I'm S-Class.' Replied Natsu, after giving a small chuckle, in response to Happy's predictable reply.
After a few more minutes of looking up at the sky, Natsu got to his feet.
'Come on Happy, let's go home, I'm feeling pretty sleepy after *yawn* that fight with Laxus.' Said Natsu.
'Aye.' Mumbled Happy, starting to fall asleep right then and there.
Natsu laughed and scooped up the ball of blue fur, before walking home.
-line break-The guild hall was quiet the next day, with more than a few people nursing hangovers. For that reason, Natsu's exuberant cry as he kicked in the doors that morning, elicited a round of groans.
'Natsu, I thought becoming an S-Class mage would teach you more restraint.' Admonished Erza.
'Hey, I have plenty of restraint, I'm just selective of when I show it.' Defended Natsu.
'Come on Natsu, keep it down.' Muttered Macao.
'Nah, you shouldn't have drunk so much.' Said Natsu, as he walked over to the purple haired mage, slumped over a table.
'Please, we can't even compare to how much she drank.' Grumbled Wakaba, as Erza walked over to the three.
'Who are you talking about?' Asked Natsu curiously.
Before either of the two drunken old men could speak, a loud clang struck their ears, causing them to cringe and groan weakly.
'Yeah, don't drink so much if you can't handle it.' Said Cana, walking over to the four.
'Anyway, Cana, ready for an S-Class job?' Asked Natsu, causing quite a few people to sober up.
'You can't go on an S-Class job!' Protested Macao, before holding his head in pain.
'Why not? I'm S-Class. Wasn't that the whole point?' Retorted Natsu.
'Natsu, becoming an S-Class mage is an honour, it shows you embody the true spirit of Fairy Tail and are recognised as a well-rounded mage. It isn't solely to go on S-Class jobs.' Said Makarov.
Noticing Natsu about to protest this, Makarov continued speaking.
'However, you are right in saying you have earned the ability to go on S-Class jobs now. Despite this though, I would like that you not go alone.' Said Makarov.
'I'm not going alone, Cana's coming too.' Said Natsu, with Cana nodding in agreement.
'Yes, I understand that, but, I would like it if you had a more senior S-Class mage accompany you as well.' Said Makarov.
'Gildarts!' Exclaimed Natsu eagerly.
'No, Gildarts is off on a ten-year job. I would like you to go with Laxus on your job, which I have already selected for you.' Said Makarov.
Natsu deflated momentarily, before springing back into action.
'Sounds good, what's the job?' Asked Natsu.
'Master, are you sure they are ready to go off on an S-Class job so soon?' Asked Erza.
'It is all well and good to be worried for your friends, Erza, but don't undersell their abilities.' Said Makarov sternly.
'I'm sorry please hit me.' Apologised Erza with a bow, only for a fist to slug her in her cheek and sending her flying.
'Your wish is my command.' Chortled Mira, taking the chance to land a cheap shot on her rival.
'Mirajane!' Roared Erza, before starting a new brawl with her rival.
'In any case, the job is to destroy the Dark Guild Gargoyle's Fang. You are expected to encounter a fair amount of resistance. They are one of the higher level guilds under the cowl of the Balam Alliance, serving directly under the first guild in command under Grimoire Heart.' Explained Makarov.
'So they are like two steps down from Grimoire Heart? I'm getting fired up!' Cheered Natsu.
'Come on love birds, let's get this over with.' Said Laxus, approaching the duo, with a knapsack slung over one shoulder.
'You got it. Wait, love birds?' Said Natsu, a puzzled look on his face.
'Let's go.' Said Cana, pushing Natsu out of the guild, causing Laxus to snort in amusement, before following.
'Wonder just how quiet the guild will be without Natsu around.' Muttered Makarov.
'How dare you say such slanderous things about cheesecake!' Roared Erza, before tackling Mira through part of the countertop, crushing the sturdy structure into kindling.
'I don't think we will even notice he is gone.' Chuckled Macao.
'At least Cana won't be able to drink us under the table for money for a while.' Grumbled Wakaba.
-line break-
'Remind me again why we are walking to this guild?' Asked Cana.
'It is better for there to be little warning of our arrival. When dealing with Dark Guilds, the element of surprise is crucial. The reason all my missions go so well, is because no one sees me coming and I can deal with things quickly and without causing unnecessary damage.' Answered Laxus, maintaining his gaze on the horizon.
Cana accepted this answer, but it didn't stop her from grumbling about it under her breath.
'So what's the plan anyway?' Asked Natsu, hands behind his head.
'First off, we will spend a day or two gathering intel on who is in the guild. After that, it is important we observe their day-to-day activities, in order to pick the best time to strike. Then, we destroy them, quickly and cleanly. Do not pull that move you used on me when we attack, it would cause way too much damage.' Said Laxus, turning his stern gaze onto Natsu.
'Relax, this is our first S-Class job. I can control myself. Besides, I can really let loose when I get to go on my first solo S-Class job.' Replied Natsu.
'Hmm, I didn't think you love birds would want to split up.' Said Laxus, with a smirk.
'You said that before, love birds, what is that?' Asked Natsu.
'Nothing.' Interjected Cana.
'Aw, what's wrong, why can't you tell me? Is it a secret? I can keep a secret, remember?' Whined Natsu, before sending a wink to Cana at the end.
'Yeah, now that you mention it, what are you trying to say Laxus? Why don't you explain yourself?' Added Cana, realising what was going on.
'W-what are you talking about? You did that and don't even know what it means?' Spluttered Laxus.
'What what means?' Asked Natsu.
'I did not sign up for this. Babysitting sure, but now this.' Grumbled Laxus.
'Don't worry Laxus, I'm sure one day you'll know what you want to know.' Said Cana.
Laxus grumbled to himself a bit more, causing Cana and Natsu to grin at each other. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, with the occasional bout of teasing from Cana and Natsu, much to Laxus' chagrin. Eventually, the group reached the town the dark guild was supposedly based in and set about searching for clues.
'I'll go to a local bar and listen for anything that might be important, you two should explore the town and do a bit of mapping of the area. I'll get us a room at that hotel and we can all met there after midnight. Most bars don't get too full until late and that's when the real information comes out.' Said Laxus, before heading towards the hotel to their right.
'So we've got a few hours to burn, any ideas?' Asked Natsu.
'I suppose we could get something to eat, my feet are killing me anyway and I really want to sit down.' Said Cana, swaying from side-to-side in irritation.
'Let's go then.' Said Natsu, kneeling down in front of Cana.
'What are you doing?' Asked Cana.
'What? If your feet hurt, I'll just carry you. If Happy can carry me, I'm sure I can carry you, now come on.' Said Natsu over his shoulder.
'Fine, only because I'm actually still tired from yesterday.' Said Cana, before climbing onto Natsu's back.
'Well, we did it anyway and that's what matters. Now all we need is Gildarts to show up, so we've probably got a few years for you to build up your nerve.' Said Natsu, before trying to find a good restaurant.
'Hey Natsu… about yesterday…' Started Cana, before trailing off.
'Come on, if you can't even talk about what you did yesterday, how are you going to tell him about the you know what?' Chided Natsu jokingly.
'Well, I mean, weren't you surprised?' Asked Cana.
'Nah, I knew it would happen eventually. It was inevitable.' Answered Natsu, walking towards a restaurant that had caught his eye, or rather, his nose had caught the smell coming out of it.
'How come?' Asked Cana, as Natsu let her off his back and they entered the restaurant, before being ushered to a booth near a window.
'Well, I mean with all that time we spent together, there really wasn't much of a chance of it not happening.' Protested Natsu.
'I didn't know you felt that way.' Admitted Cana in surprise.
'Of course! I knew from the moment we started training together that we would beat the S-Class trials easy.' Said Natsu, getting Cana to drop her head slightly.
'Oh right, the trials, of course.' Said Cana, before taking a sip of her water.
'I mean, you kissing me just really made it clear that you like me as well.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to spit her water in his face and start coughing.
'W-what did you say?' Spluttered Cana.
'Hmm, there's alcohol mixed into this water. Either this is not water, or you were drinking yesterday. Since your scent has been smelling like this for the past few months, I'd say you started drinking. You know it isn't good for you, right? I mean, I can make some really strong flames with that stuff, but that isn't really safe.' Said Natsu quickly, an ever-growing smirk on his face, as Cana tried to choke out a few rebuttals.
'Ah, food's here, let's dig in.' Said Natsu, using his magic to turn the water coating him into steam, before grabbing a chunk of meat and tearing into it.
While Natsu demolished his meal, Cana took the time to reboot. Deciding to start eating a bit as well, Cana thought about what to say after they finished.
Cana finished well before Natsu and proceeded to simply watch him until he finished.
'You can talk now if you want. Nothing you say will surprise me, so get it all off your chest.' Said Natsu, pausing as he swallowed a meatball, before tearing into his food with renewed vigour.
'Well, I didn't expect for you to already know that I liked you, so I guess I didn't give you enough credit there.' Started Cana.
'No one does and I do that on purpose if you didn't figure it out. Go on.' Said Natsu, pausing his eating briefly, before quickly resuming.
'Yeah, I also didn't know if you liked me back and there is the stuff with Lisanna as well. I actually didn't plan to do anything, but I guess I was just overly excited yesterday. You don't really need to do anything about it, I'm just putting it out there I guess.' Finished Cana.
Natsu didn't say anything and continued eating. Cana gave a small exhale of relief at this, glad she had managed to get her thoughts off her chest and was now simply watching Natsu in amusement. After eating half his weight in food, Natsu stopped eating, pulled out a small sack of jewels and dropped it on the table.
'Come on, let's go for a walk.' Said Natsu, hopping out of the booth and waiting for Cana to follow.
Natsu led Cana towards the edge of the town, far away from the main hustle and bustle of the place.
'Here's the thing, Cana. You remember how I told you I had a secret?' Asked Natsu, getting a nod from Cana.
'Well the thing is, this secret is so big, that I wouldn't feel right about being more than friends with someone who doesn't know what it is. I mean I really like you too. I really like everyone at the guild, but there is a line that I won't cross. I know that sounds really weird coming from me, but I won't change my mind on this. This secret literally defines who I am. That's why, I don't mind us being friends and having fun like we have been for these past few months, but unless you know who the real Natsu Dragneel is, we aren't going to move past being friends, sorry.' Said Natsu, with a serious look on his face.
'I see, this must be some secret.' Said Cana, after a few seconds.
'It really is and I'm not exaggerating that.' Agreed Natsu, with a nod.
'That's fine then.' Said Cana, turning around and heading back to town.
Natsu exhaled slightly at this and let his shoulders slump slightly.
'That just means I need to find out what this secret of yours is, now let's go do some recon.' Said Cana, never looking over her shoulder.
Natsu gave a small laugh at this, before following after the brunette.
'I'm not going to tell you and there are only two other people in the world who know what it is. You aren't going to find out this secret.' Said Natsu, once he had caught up with Cana.
'We'll see, I like a challenge. Besides, I'm sure once I get Lisanna involved, things will be a lot easier. She's really good at figuring things out after all.' Retorted Cana.
'You can have the whole guild try and figure it out, but you'll never get it out of me. Seriously, the chances of you figuring this thing out are like a million to one.' Pressed Natsu.
'Well, that's too bad I suppose, since a person like you is one in a billion, so you won't be able to escape. You're going to have two wives and two mistresses if Lisanna gets her way, so you better prepare yourself.' Teased Cana.
'We'll see.' Said Natsu in amusement.
'All right, now that that is out of the way, let's search for this guild.' Said Cana, pulling out a few cards and sitting down on the grass.
Natsu remained standing as a lookout, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be wandering around the edge of town like them. After a minute of divining, Cana collected her cards and got to her feet.
'Follow me.' Said Cana, with Natsu simply nodding in reply.
The Card Mage led the Dragon Slayer further away from the town, before they exited it completely. Cana then pulled out three cards from her deck and gave a small nod, before heading left. The two kept this up for a few minutes, with Cana occasionally stopping to check her cards, before finally, they reached a clearing.
'Ok, if I'm right, the guild should be somewhere around here. I can't get an exact lock on the location, as something is interfering with my magic and bouncing it around.' Said Cana.
'Leave it to me.' Said Natsu, before giving two quick sniffs and heading to the right of the clearing.
The sound of people speaking caught Natsu's attention, causing him to slow his pace and strain his ears.
'Are you heading back to the guild?' Asked a man from the sounds of things.
'Yeah, I better make sure I'm all packed for the move tomorrow. Why on earth do we need to relocate our entire guild anyway?' Grumbled a woman.
'Well, it seems some info got out and there is a chance some Light Mages might come after us.' Said the man.
'Let them try. I've been itching to put some Light Mages in their place.' Hissed the woman, before stomping off.
'Man, what's with all the chicks in Dark Guilds having huge tempers.' Grumbled the man, before walking off as well.
'Quick, let's follow the girl, it sounds like she is going straight for their guild.' Whispered Natsu, getting a nod from Cana.
Natsu followed the scent of the disgruntled mage, with Cana tagging behind him closely. After a few minutes, the group reached their destination. Jutting out of the ground and piercing the sky, was a tower shaped like a fang. It was more wide than it was tall though, appearing more like a stretched out shark tooth.
'Why do Dark Guilds have to be so cliché?' Sighed Cana.
'Does it really matter? Anyway, let's get back to Laxus. We're going to need to act fast. I've got the scent of this place memorised so we won't have trouble finding it later, plus it helps that I can just follow our own scent here. Come on.' Said Natsu, to which Cana nodded, before the two headed back to town.
-line break-
'So they're moving. In that case, we'll need to strike tomorrow. Go to sleep you two because we're going to hit them at dawn.' Said Laxus, after hearing about Natsu and Cana's discovery.
The two nodded and did as they were told, preparing for their first battle on their first S-Class job.
-line break-The sun rose slowly the next day, bathing the landscape with a warm orange glow. The light of the sun shone down on the guild of Gargoyle Fang. Most of its members were still asleep, with only a few awake here and there, gathering their things for the move.
'Fire Dragon's Roar.' Exclaimed Natsu, leaping at the guild and launching a wave of fire at the unprepared Dark Mages.
Natsu quickly ran into the bushes after that, as he waited for the rest of the guild to stir. The sudden attack on their guild had caught quite a few unprepared, so it was with little surprise that half a dozen mages were felled easily by a jolt of lightning, courtesy of Laxus. As the number of mages in the clearing quickly started to rise, Natsu shot into action, pulling out his rifle and launching multiple fiery bullets into multiple unseeing heads, knocking them out.
'Scatter!' Shouted one mage, creating an explosion of smoke, which hid them all from view, before they split off into four different directions, a dozen mages heading off in each direction.
'Cana, Natsu, get the groups heading towards the town and the river, I'll get the other two!' Ordered Laxus.
'Cana, you get the town!' Shouted Natsu, before leaping out of the bushes and chasing his group down, just as Laxus disappeared in a bolt of lightning.
-line break-
The group of twelve mages were in a frenzy, trying to get to the bridge as quickly as possible. If they managed to get across, they could then cut the bridge off and stop their pursuers from following them. That was the plan at least, only for a dozen bullets to come flying through the air. Every bullet struck true, except for two. One mage ducked instinctively, while the other had managed to shield their head with their arms.
'And then there were two.' Said Natsu, coming into view with his two guns in hand.
'A kid? We got ambushed by a brat!' Shouted the man, who had blocked the fiery bullet in outrage.
'Not just any kid, but that's not important. Now, here is what I want to know, have either of you killed anyone before?' Asked Natsu.
'What of it? Are you scared, huh punk?' Taunted the man who had blocked the bullet, before a ball of fire crashed right between his eyes, knocking him out on contact.
'Okay, since you've been quiet and managed to dodge my attack, I've decided. Oh, but before I get ahead of myself, have you killed anyone before?' Asked Natsu.
'No.' Said the man nervously.
'Good.' Said Natsu calmly.
Natsu then picked up the man he had just shot, before throwing him over the edge of the cliff they were on. As the man plummeted downwards, Natsu shot a bullet at his back, which exploded on contact, before he plummeted into the icy depths below.
'What the hell, you killed him?' Cried the man in shock.
'That's right. I'll do the same to you if you don't accept my very generous offer, but you seem like a smart enough guy to do the right thing.' Said Natsu.
'What do you want?' Asked the man, taking a step backwards, from the merciless child in front of him.
'An informant. I want any and all information you can get on Tartaros, Grimoire Heart and Oración Seis. Every month you will come back here and give me whatever you manage to find out. Do that and you can do whatever you want after today. Of course, if you betray me, you'll end up like your friend down there. Also, if you think you can hide from me, let me clue you in on a little secret, I'm a Dragon Slayer and I have your scent, meaning, I can find you absolutely anywhere in Ishgar. I mean, you can try and flee to Bosco or some other place, but I'll also be monitoring you and every few weeks I'm just going to randomly appear in the area I will know you are, just as a reminder. You can try and run and maybe you will get lucky and actually manage to escape, but are you willing to risk it? You already saw what I did to someone who had never wronged me, what do you think I will do to someone who betrays me? So, do we have a deal?' Asked Natsu.
'Fine.' Said the man.
'Good. Now cross the bridge and make sure to destroy it behind you, otherwise people might get suspicious about how you managed to get away from me. See you back here in a month. Oh and don't be late.' Said Natsu, before the Dark Mage fled, destroying the bridge behind him with a blast of acid that melted away part of the wooden bridge, before the ropes holding it in place snapped and it fell to the side of the cliff Natsu was on.
Once Natsu was sure his newly crowned informant was gone, he quickly shot off towards the water and tracked down the man he had thrown into it.
"Good, still alive." Thought Natsu, before using a jet of fire to propel himself back up to the cliff, before dropping him down with the other ten mages and using his magic to vaporise all the water on his body, removing any trace of his little dip.
'Natsu, what took you so long?' Asked Laxus, appearing behind Natsu.
'One of them got away.' Groaned Natsu.
'It's okay. You did well for your first mission and we'll get them all, sooner or later. Come on, let's head back.' Said Laxus.
"Yeah, it's all a matter of time." Thought Natsu.