**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. They belong to Mashima**

Alright, first things first.

I saw a couple comments questioning why Makarov didn't send Gray and/or Ultear to the mountains. So I want to be clear about something...

Makarov doesn't just send Natsu off to the mountains. Natsu made the decision to go train because he was determined to get stronger. Makarov knew that the mountains, if he could survive them, offered him the best opportunity to get stronger the fastest. He suggested them because he could see Natsu's determination. The mountains were no joke. Gray could've died there. Ultear could've died there. Natsu could've died there too.

Furthermore, Makarov acts as a counselor, not a coach. He doesn't call the plays. Rather, he lets his 'children' make their decisions, and if he knows something that he thinks might help them on the path they choose he will tell them.

Now I'm not going to spend a lot of time on what happens while Natsu is training. That would be kind of boring, honestly. There will be some detail, but not a lot. More will be revealed in future chapters in the form of flashbacks.

Anyway, on to the story.

~~~~~~Hargeon Port, x784~~~~~~

"What do you think you're doing using my moniker?!" A pink-haired teen who looked to be 18 accosted a slightly taller man, his fists coated in fire as the heat around him melted the clothes off everyone within a mile.

At the same moment a now-naked blonde felt her eyes go from big red hearts back to normal. "He was using charm magic!" She realized suddenly. But before she could act on her realization…

"SURPRISE BUTTSEX BITCHES!"

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~~~~~~J/K… In the mountains, with Natsu and Meredy, x780~~~~~~

Meredy sat cross-legged on the cold metal floor, her hands folded in front of her. The lessons the old man offered were as tricky as he foreshadowed they might be, but she felt she was finally getting the hang of it. To her, the open door no longer let in cold. Rather, it let in an altered state of temperature, that could be taken and incorporated. Changed by her magic just like any other state of temperature. Concentrating on the air flowing in, she altered the temperature state without changing its course, allowing the new, warmer air to pass through to the room beyond.

"Much better," Yarandol spoke from within that room. "You are finally beginning to master the elementary steps of my magic. In a couple more weeks, you should be ready to begin the real training.

"A couple more weeks?!" Meredy whined, her concentration breaking immediately. That was like, forever! She was tired of just sitting there changing the temperature of the air! She wanted to do some real magic. Powerful stuff like Yarandol promised she could do if she trained under him.

Yarandol smiled at her. "I know it seems a long time, young one, but it is necessary that you gain complete mastery over the basics. Otherwise your progress will be much slower in the future, and your magic much less powerful and effective."

Meredy sighed. She didn't know about all this mastering the basics stuff. She just wanted to be strong like Natsu-san! But right now Yarandol was the only teacher she had, and it wasn't like they were going anywhere else in the near future. Especially with Natsu continuing to focus hard on his training. She sighed and closed her eyes again, attuning her body once again to the temperature around her. She was neither cold nor warm. Indeed, the words meant little to her. They were trivialities, but trivialities that were important for other things.

She focused her mind again, this time changing the temperature of the wind till it reached a level of 'cold' that she had not seen before. As the cold wind blew past her, she nearly felt the cold. Nearly. But after a month of training she was, as the old man promised, immune to all levels of temperature, whether hot or cold.

Again she let go of the wind, allowing it to return to its normal temperature as it brushed past and around her. Then, with another faint smile, she located the place where the wind was hitting the walls. She began to focus on increasing the temperature in just that spot, as much as she could. Reaching out with her magic, she excited the particles around the wall. As the air temperature registered what would be unbearably hot for most people, she began to expect the wall to react, glowing or melting like a metal. But to her frustration nothing seemed to happen. Her determined expression dropping to a scowl, she continued to superheat the air at the point where it contacted the material. Finally she could heat it no further, and still there was not even the faintest orange glow.

She frowned, feeling her magic power slipping away quickly from maintaining the extreme temperature adjustment. Soon she had to let go, her body sagging in exhaustion from the strain she'd put on her magic. What was that wall made of anyway? Was it some kind of super metal, or was she just that weak?

"It seems that's enough for this session," Yarandol said as he turned his attention away from her. "Let's see how Natsu's doing."

Meredy turned her attention back to the pink-haired dragon slayer. He was currently sitting with his legs crossed, his entire body wreathed in brick-red flames tinged with black. This was the color of the god slayer magic he absorbed while defending Meredy when her village was destroyed. She couldn't help but be awed as she saw the fire swirling around him. It made him look fierce, intimidating even, but the magic felt warm and comforting to her. Maybe that was because she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"You are coming along well, Natsu." Yarandol said. "Now I have somebody who will continue your training for you."

What happened next caught Meredy's attention instantly. Yarandol drew a circle on the ground with his finger. Inside the circle he drew a six-pointed star, and in the area outside the star but within the circle he drew some runes that were foreign to her. When he was finished, he stepped back from the circle and commanded, "Hephaestus, come forth!"

For a moment nothing happened. Meredy held her breath, leaning in toward the circle to see what their current master might be summoning forth. Suddenly a column of fire, just contained by the edges of the circle, burst forth. Though she didn't feel heat, Meredy instinctively jerked back at the sudden eruption. The fire was not one color, but all colors. Crimson, orange, blue, black, even purple could be seen within the flames. Then, as abruptly as the fire came forth, it vanished.

Standing in the circle now was something that appeared to be a man, only with a broader chest and stout, almost dwarf-like features. Or at least they could have been dwarf like if he hadn't stood 10 feet in height. His bronzed skin, exposed down to his waist, glistened in the perpetual glow of flame that hung about him. His eyes burned like embers, and his entire torso rippled with muscle. He wore black leather pants, and in his right hand he held a giant stone hammer that looked as though it weighed a ton. Meredy stared at the newcomer in awe.

"What do you require of me, father?" Meredy gaped as the giant knelt before the old man in front of her.

"You are to train this young man as a god slayer," Yarandol replied. "More specifically, you are to train him as a true god slayer. You will not consider his training complete till he has mastered the 7 hidden flames."

Hephaestus cast his glowing eyes on Natsu. "But father, it is forbidden to teach the humans the hidden god slayer arts."

Yarandol scoffed. "Forbidden by whom? You know as well as I that my nephew has no right to forbid anything."

"He would say otherwise," Hephaestus replied. "But I will do as you command. You know I cannot teach him here."

"Of course," Yarandol replied. "Take him with you to the home of fire. When his training is complete, bring him back to southwestern border of our lands."

"Of course, father." With that the one known as Hephaestus grabbed Natsu by the wrist, and they both disappeared in front of Meredy's eyes.

"Who was that?" Meredy asked, wide-eyed, when they had gone. "And when will I see big brother Natsu again?!"

"That was my son Hephaestus. You humans know him as the god of fire and metallurgy. But that's not really important to you. What is important is that you have a lot of work to do if we're going to finish your training by the time Natsu is finished."

"So I won't see him again till he finishes his training?" Meredy asked, her lip sticking out a little.

"It's the only way. At least you'll have Happy to keep you company." The man motioned to the blue exceed, who was staring at the area where Natsu disappeared with a half-eaten fish in his mouth. "But then, you won't have time to worry about it much. Let's get back to work."

And so for the next several hours, Meredy returned to the boring routine of learning absolute control of temperature.

~~~~~~Far away, location unknown~~~~~~

"Rargh!" Erza rolled to the side as an enormous claw descended on her, cutting a hole several feet deep in the rock where she'd just stood.

"Come on, is that all you've got?!" She yelled in frustration. "How can I ever hope to keep up with Natsu's training if I keep fighting weak creatures like you!"

She dodged another swipe, scowling at the huge beast in front of her. Sure, the creature was strong. But what difference did strength make if it couldn't even hit her? She could take a hundred of these at a time! All it would take would be a little bit of fast footwork and a couple well-timed strikes. There had to be a better way than this to ramp up her magic power over the next few months and impress Natsu.

"I've had enough of you!" She yelled, dodging another swipe and taking a quick shot to the creature's neck. Her sword went straight through its neck and she sliced upward toward the head, splitting it open all the way as she went. She jumped clear of the area then, not wanting to get caught in the creature's death throes.

For the next few seconds the ground shook under her as the lifeless body thrashed about, the nerves gasping out their last futile efforts to stop the blow that they didn't realize already killed the beast. Then the thrashing stopped, and with a heavy thud it hit the ground.

Then Erza walked up to it and, with a few quick strokes of her sword, removed 3 of the spines that were required to verify the creature's demise. Then she headed back and claimed her 3 million jewel reward.

After the town party that ensued, Erza took out one of the novels that she'd just recently discovered and started reading. Her imagination replaced the lead male in the novel with the pink-haired dragon slayer she'd come to admire as she sank back onto her bed, requipping her skirt and underwear off.

"How could I resist a beautiful woman like you?" Natsu was saying, and Erza blushed faintly at this acknowledgement of her beauty. "You, my maiden of steel, yet a delicate flower before me."

She welcomed the advances that came with this speech, shivers going down her spine as a caressing hand moved ever closer to her thighs. "I know you like it," he breathed in her ear, and she didn't deny what she knew to be true also. Instead she spread her legs slightly, asking him to press closer to her core.

But he declined her that pleasure, perhaps knowing that her body wasn't fully prepared. Instead, his stray hand crept slowly up her shirt, brushing gently against the smooth white skin of her belly and pulling her garment up along the way. Annoyed by the obstruction, Erza quickly requipped it off, along with her bra, leaving herself naked on the bed.

"Natsu," she whimpered as the hand caressed and squeezed her breast. Then he rubbed her nipple gently before also squeezing that, though it was a bit rough. This only served to turn her on more, and she felt a light, breathy moan escape as she lay back further on the bed.

But still his hand didn't travel back down. Instead, it made its way to her other breast. Slowly, by degrees. It brushed gently across her smooth skin before taking the firm, springy breast and squeezing it roughly. She suppressed another moan as he gave her nipple similar treatment, her legs spread and ready for him.

Now his hand traveled ever so slowly down her torso, teasing at her aching core. She arched into his touch, wanting, no, needing him to go just a bit further. A strangled gasp escaped her lips as the hand encountered her puffy lips, and she desperately began to gyrate against the fingers that massaged her, carefully rubbing the spots that were most sensitive.

"Natsu," she moaned softly, closing her eyes as the fingers did their work. Oh that this moment could go on forever, but already she could feel a knot beginning to form inside of her. All too soon it would be over. Her body would release, and the moment would be gone forever.

She moaned again, her hips gyrating now as two fingers began dipping into her womanhood, massaging and pushing in and out quickly. She felt her breathing come more quickly as her moment approached, the knot in her stomach tightening and begging to be released.

The fingers moved frantically to grant her that release, and in a few moments their efforts were rewarded. With a loud moan Erza came, her juices spilling out onto her fingers and the bed of the hotel in which she was staying. With the release, the image of Natsu she carried in her mind broke as well, and the fantasy was over. She lay alone on her bed, naked, her fingers dripping with her love juices.

"One day Natsu," she breathed softly as her body recovered from the orgasm she just experienced. "One day you really will be here…"

With that promise she requipped into a nightgown before pulling out a Natsu plush. It would've been a shame for him to see that, after all. She kissed the plush gently on the forehead as she leaned pulled the covers over them, her heart rate slowing as she rested.

How she got the plush. Well, that was a story. She had persuaded the best toymaker in Fiore to make the most realistic soft replica of the dragon slayer that he could. And he'd done a fine job. The plush was even close to Natsu's real size and shape. It was so nice of him to make it for her for so little too!

Of course, from the way he told the tale it sounded as though she practically demanded it at sword point. That was a huge stretch! She didn't even have a sword out when she firmly requested the plush be made for the price. And it's not like she could've afforded to pay more anyway.

But all that didn't matter now. All that was important was that she had her Natsu plushy to snuggle up against. She nestled in, her head laying gently on the soft, half-bare chest.

Moments later, Erza Scarlet was dead to the world.

~~~~~~Another unknown location~~~~~~

"Are you stupid or something, girl?" A dark haired man holding a rapier sneered at Mirajane. 5 other wizards gathered around him, some holding various weapons while others appeared to have a different kind of magic. "You can't hope to beat all of us."

Mira just smirked at them. She hadn't even let them see her Satan Soul yet. They hadn't yet proved themselves worthy. This was supposed to be a request worthy of S class ranking, but so far the whole band was full of weaklings.

"The real question," she said before launching her first attack at the leader, "is whether the 6 of you can hope to beat me."

She watched the attack – a simple kick, connect with a blocking arm. But then she amplified the force at the point of impact. The man staggered back a couple steps, surprised.

"You're gonna' have to do better than a little body enhancement," he smirked. "But maybe after we break you that body enhancement will come in handy."

Mira thought about ignoring the innuendo, but it was just impossible. She smirked slightly as she changed her stance to a ready position. "From the looks of it, you need all the 'enhancement' you can get."

A couple of the others laughed, but the leader's smirk quickly disappeared. "You'll pay for making fun of me bitch!" He said, coming at her quickly with his sword.

Although the thrust appeared to be only a normal speed, Mirajane felt it slip through her side as she dodged. She blinked, confused. Had he really moved so fast that the blade impacted before she could even see it?

Instinctively she dodged again, this time tucking into a roll to her left. The sword scraped her again as it descended, and she looked up to see the man, still moving so quickly it looked as though he were split into multiples.

"You got lucky that time girl, but don't think it'll happen again." He said.

"Well fuck," said Mirajane. She'd hoped to wait a little longer before using her Satan Soul, but it looked like this guy would require it. The take over was just in time. Barely had it completed before she caught the blade that would've sliced her neck in a millisecond in her clawed fingers.

"Congratulations," she said as the guy stepped back. "You're the first one in your band of thugs that made me get serious. Now don't be a disappointment."

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a couple members of the group moving toward her. "Evil Explosion," she cried out as she sent explosions at the two. She then wondered if she put more power than she needed into the attacks, as they were both instantly knocked out.

"What are you?" The confident smirk was gone from her opponent's face now as he faced her, his sword still at the ready. Mirajane turned her attention fully back toward her as her own grin widened, falling into a crouch as she prepared to attack.

"I'm the demon of Fairy Tail," she replied as she launched herself forward. The sword came up to block her, but in this form the speed didn't mean much. She swept it aside easily with one hand.

"You're weak," she said, disappointed, as her hand connected with his gut, knocking him back into the far wall hard. Apparently he'd spent all his time training his speed and agility, leaving an easy opening to any powerful opponent who could match him in sheer physical speed.

He started to rise, his sword at the ready again, but before he could she kicked him in the chest hard, slamming his body back against the wall. She saw his form deflate as he slumped to the floor.

"Weak…" She scoffed, her brow furrowing in disappointment, letting go of her Satan soul. "YOU'RE ALL FUCKING WEAK!"

"Well, you're quite the troublesome one, aren't you?"

Mira turned toward the new voice, her eyes finding its source immediately. She was looking at a man who was well above average height. 6'6", maybe even 6'7" if she had to guess. His hair was short and spiky, with slightly longer spikes sticking out toward the bottom and back.

He wore a sword on his hip as well, but he wasn't touching it yet. Instead, he seemed to be scanning her for weaknesses. Her lips tilted upward again. Maybe this one would be worth her time.

"It seems most of our little band has underestimated you," he said after a pause. "Be assured I will not make the same mistake. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Baliel, and I'll be the one to defeat you."

"We'll see about that," Mirajane said, her lips still drawn into a confident smirk. She quickly moved into Satan Soul and attacked.

She didn't see him draw his blade, but there it was to intercept her clawed hand. Her next attack was similarly blocked. Then she jumped back just in time to avoid a thrust that easily penetrated her defenses.

"You're better than you look," she admitted, keeping her distance for the moment. A head on attack wouldn't beat someone as fast as he was. She had to look for other openings.

"You don't know the half of it," Baliel responded, and suddenly he was right in front of her. She just managed to get an arm up in time to deflect the sword, but cried out in pain as the blade bit deep into her body, coming almost to the bone. She felt her body tumble backward, but used the momentum to quickly get to her feet.

But she wasn't fast enough. No sooner was she up than she had to dive again, the sword barely missing her head as it passed over her at impossible speed. "Evil explosion!" This time before getting up, she launched an attack at him, forcing him to block with his blade. But he emerged unscathed even as she regained her feet. She leapt back, but still the sword came into contact with her side.

"What is it with you guys and swords?" She muttered. Then she took a deep breath. "Satan Soul: Sitri."

Immediately new power poured into her body, and she moved just in time to avoid being cut in two at the waist. He came forward again, but this time she could see his movements, and stayed ahead of them. She dodged to the side of his strike, something he obviously wasn't expecting, and took advantage of the off-balance moment that followed to kick out into his knee. She grinned in satisfaction as she heard a crack, and he stumbled hard.

She pressed the advantage, coming in for a hard punch to his head, but to her surprise he pivoted on his bad knee and brought his sword up to block. She switched her attack at the last moment, sliding under the sword and settling for a firm strike to the chest that sent him flying backward.

Yet she couldn't help noticing that when he got up, both his legs seemed fine. That was impossible, wasn't it? It had to be! She'd heard the crack when she connected with his knee! She felt the bone break under her strike! There's no way he could even walk on that, let alone jump to his feet and dash forward!

"I commend you girl," he said, his voice a deep growl. "Nobody has forced me to shed my human form for many years. You should be honored that I choose this form to destroy you."

With that he discarded the sword, and his body began changing. No longer did he look like a human. His legs became longer and taller, ripping out of most of his pants except the loincloth that still covered his genitals. His skin hardened like blackened leather, and indeed became mostly black from the bottom of his feet to the top of his now hairless head. The black was streaked with dark red, with almost tattoo-like marks across his chest and arms. His eyes burned a bright orange, and horns sprouted in all directions from his head. He had no nose to speak of – only two holes on the flat surface of his face, adding to the grotesque appearance. His fingers extended, the nails at the end lengthening and sharpening into claws. Scales grew on his upper body, covering him in what looked like a kind of armor.

"Behold Baliel, 2nd demon lord of the abyss!" He shouted triumphantly, his voice deep and loud enough to make her cover her ears from the pain.

"Demon eh?" She said, unfazed as he prepared to attack. "Well in that case…" She waited till he was almost upon her before whispering, "take over."

The effect was instant. Her magic did its work, and the demon in front of her was absorbed into her body. She felt her clothing start to tear as her body assumed the new form. Then she felt her will kick in as her new acquisition struggled for control. But she wouldn't let him hold on. She'd captured demon 'lords' before. This one was just a bit more powerful. She could handle him.

She grunted, straining against the efforts. Ok, maybe she should've worn him down a bit more first. This might be more of a struggle than she anticipated. But still, there was no way she was losing to a freaking demon. No way in hell!

Taking a deep breath, she focused on regaining control of her body. She resisted the urge to start a rampage. To destroy everything in her path. It seemed to take forever, but finally the resistance ended. Her body returned to her normal form, and she slumped to her knees.

It was only then that she realized something strange. The man she had first encountered was lying on the ground in front of her, completely still. When she leaned down to check his pulse, his wrists were cold, and she couldn't hear any breath coming from his mouth. She put her hands to her own mouth as the realization struck her. This man was a take over mage! A take over mage who had been unable to control the demon soul he acquired!

Sadness washed over her as she wondered what his life had been prior to this. Whatever good he may have accomplished before encountering this demon, his memory would now be forever tainted by what the creature did in his name. Perhaps he had gone out to defeat the demon in response to a request just like hers, and the demon had been too much for him. It seized the opportunity and took a human host.

The next few moments found Mirajane digging a grave in the enclosure nearby. It was the least she could do for the memory of what this man had been before. She would turn the rest over to the council, but the unnamed take over mage would rest here in peace.

Then she would get some practice with her new soul. The amount of magic power it would take was sure to help her grow faster than ever.

Sorry about the fake beginning, but I saw a reviewer's comment about the cliche Natsu leaves and comes back at the start of canon plot and couldn't help it. So anyway, drop a review if you liked it. Till next time...