Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

"Human Speaking"

'Human Thinking'

"Demon/Summon Speaking"

'Demon Thinking'

"Alright, I'm out here, away from civilization and mankind. What should I do first?"

Naruto currently stood in a forest clearing that was far from any civilization, or human activity in general. While not exactly a kid anymore, it still excited him to grow stronger. He was pumped, he was excited, and he was ready to rock and roll!

'Are you sure you want to know? Do you want to know so badly about the totally exciting thing you'll be doing?' Kyuubi asked, smirking to himself, preparing for Naruto's reaction.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me-"

'Alright, shut the hell up, please! And for the love of God, stop acting like a kid!' Kyuubi shouted, annoyed.

"Jeez, you're no fun," Naruto said, pouting. Turning serious, he asked Kyuubi,

"Time to start?"

'Yup, so you better get your ass into high gear.'

"So, what's first?"

'First...you meditate,' Kyuubi said, smirking.

However, instead of being put down, or even mildly sad at not starting jutsu straight away, Naruto merely nodded, surprising Kyuubi.

'I would've thought that you wouldn't like meditation?' Kyuubi asked, confused on why Naruto wasn't suffering.

"You do remember when I first started learning Sage Mode, I had to meditate for 6 hours at a time just to get a connection, right? This is nothing."

'Yeah...I kinda forgot...'

"Smart," Naruto mocked.

'Grr.'

(Timeskip- One Month Into The Training Trip)

"Oi! Watch where the hell you're throwing those things! That almost killed me," Naruto yelled at his clones, furious. How dare they be so mean?

The clones just sweatdropped at their creator. "Uh, Boss, you do know that you told us to throw these at you so you could practice cutting them with wind?"

Naruto scowled. "That doesn't mean you have to try to kill me. If I die, you die too."

"Oh, so now you're saying that we won't die anyway after you're done training?"

"Hm...Good point," Naruto said, nodding thoughtfully. The clone who was talking scowled, before grinning. It turned to address its brothers, who stood at attention.

The clone made a grave face. "We're going to die. We all know that. That's why, we're gonna go all out now!"

Naruto, who was listening in, paled suddenly.

"Oh shit. Don't tell me..."

"Tonight, we dine in hell!" The lead clone yelled, eyes brimming with determination.

"Aye!"

"But let's make sure he goes first!" He yelled, riling up his comrades, eyes ablaze with fury.

"Aye!"

The clones set to work, picking up humongous chunks of earth, roaring wildly at their creator. As one, they fire.

"Ha!"

"Bring it on!"

With his war cry, Naruto charged the incoming boulders, fierce winds picking up around him, his face set in stone hard determination.

(Timeskip- Four Months In)

Naruto panted as he dodged another strike from the group of monstrosities he was currently engaged in battle with. He was currently here for an S-class mission to clear away a tribe of shadow demons that had situated themselves near an important mine deposit, preventing the miners from doing their work.

These opponents were particularly tricky, having intelligence and using every bit of it. They attacked with well-practiced teamwork. Not to mention their magic was very annoying. They could melt into the shadows, as implied by their name. With a few on him at all times to distract him, the ones hiding in the shadows would constantly ambush him at random intervals. Mixed with their extreme resistance and hard skin, as Naruto had learned the hard way by punching one with his bare hand, they were truly fearsome opponents. But not unbeatable.

One flew at him, claws extended, in an attempt to rip his face off. Naruto stood still, and when the claw was a few centimeters from his face, his eyes snapped open, in the distinct form of Sage Mode.

His hand shot up with extreme speed, breaking the claw apart. The demon reared back, hissing in pain, a new claw slowly reforming. Not allowing it to come back, Naruto rushed towards it with speed equal to Jet's God Leg Magic. He punched it, blasting it backwards into a boulder. He was slightly surprised when it wobbled to its feet, by grinned happily when it collapsed a moment after.

He wasn't given time to enjoy however, as another burst from the shadows. Not even glancing behind him, Naruto threw a quick blade of wind at the demon, cutting it in half from the waist, killing it and causing it to dissolve into shadows.

"Heh. You bastards can't hide from me in Sage Mode! Suck it motherfuckers!"

Wind picked up around Naruto, who was rapidly forming hand seals. "Get ready!"

"Wind Style: Wind Blade Storm Dance!"

The wind howled around him, countless wind blades spinning around him in a protective cocoon. Naruto jumped up high into the air, and dropped down, his leg chambered in the start of an axe kick. He brought his leg down.

Now, before this continues, imagine this. Naruto without Sage Mode could not do much damage if he were to kick the ground in a similar manner, maybe a small crater, as his body was built more for speed. Naruto in Sage Mode, however, was a totally different case.

The ground shook earth was picked up, moving in a wave away from him in a perfect circle around him, disrupting the shadows, and uncovering the hiding demons. With a roar he charged them.

From there, he fought like, ironically, a demon. The winds around him took care of most of the weaker, younger older ones who survived his rampage were taken care by him with a Sage Mode enhanced punch.

About 15 minutes later, almost all the demons were done for, except for one, who looked much larger, and more intimidating than the ones who he had slain. Naruto let the jutsu around him die down, also dropping his Sage Mode.

"You have been very annoying, human," The large demon growled out, glaring with viciousness at Naruto, who glanced back impassively, not at all surprised by talking animals.

"Huh. I thought you didn't have developed vocal cords?"

"Not all of us. Only the eldest of us. Now, like I was saying, you are rather strong human. Perhaps we should have accepted your kind offer for us to surrender," It said thoughtfully, before continuing.

"No matter, however. You will die now."

"Heh, bring it. But, can I know your name?"

"I suppose you should remember the name of the one who shall kill you. I am Go'grosh, leader of the Set tribe of shadow demons."

"I see. My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Sage. I'm sorry for taking the lives of your comrades."

Go'grosh waved it off. "They will merely reform in the Underworld. However, you will have delayed the plans of the one who summoned us if you kill us. So, come, I will show you the power of a demon."

"Demon, huh? I doubt you know," Naruto let out a feral grin, his eyes bleeding red.

"I doubt you know what a real demon is."

"Oh, how interesting. Come, show me a demon, and I will crush it."

With wild cries, the two charged.

(Timeskip- Seven Months Into The Training Trip)

"How the hell do we stop this guy?!"

"I don't freaking know!"

"Dammit! Our attacks just keep getting batted away!"

These were the cries of various dark guild mages who were fighting, in their eyes, an unstoppable, berserk demon. Their attacks just kept getting batted aside like they were annoying flies, and the ones that hit bounced off. They had made about one lucky cut via a surprise sword, revealing that the 'demon' could be hurt by slash attacks, but since then, anyone who got close was easily cut down. It was also unfortunate that the scratch was minuscule, and was healed before their eyes a second later.

Naruto, who happened to be the demon they were fighting, grinned at them.

"I already told you guys, your weak attacks can't hurt me. Through my training, I've recently discovered that weak attacks will simply be stopped at my skin by the chakra that I naturally emit subconsciously. It acts as a shield, so as long as you hit me with that level of attack, I could stand hear all day, and you wouldn't even touch me. Of course, it still hurts if you aim for a vital spot, but it's not like I can't take a little pain."

"Come on you fools! Show this petty mage the power of one of the Dark Guilds that is part of the Balam Alliance!"

"Yes, Master!"

"Charge!"

As one, the fifty something mages charges their foe, screaming wildly, borderline animal-like, as they ran.

"Rah!"

(Timeskip- Ten Months Into The Training Trip)

Naruto currently had his eyes shut in concentration as he sat beneath an ice cold waterfall, meditating. He calmed his mind of the last night's events. Unfortunately, just leading his thoughts there caused him to growl.

"Those bastards...They killed her in cold blood."

"Naruto-nii-chan, come quick and save me!"

Naruto shut his eyes. "...Dammit...Dammit all!"

Her screams echoed through the building as the mage tortured her slowly in some sort of sick pleasure.

"This is what you get for biting me, you little bitch."

This was what Naruto arrived to as he entered the building. He immediately fell into rage, and appeared behind the insane mage, and lopped off his head. He glanced down to the little girl who he had befriended on his most recent mission to take care of a Dark Guild.

"...Mai...I'm sorry..."

Mai coughed. "It's alright Ni-chan. You tried your best."

She grinned weakly at him.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me mom, and our town. It's not your fault I died. Please don't blame yourself."

"How can I not?" Naruto said to her, his voice cracking.

"Please, promise me. Promise me you won't."

"I...I promise Mai-imouto."

"Thanks Ni-chan."

With that, the kind little girl who had become a good friend of his passed away, a tiny smile present on her face.

"...Dammit, Mai. Dammit!"

Naruto anguished cries echoed through the abandoned building.

'Don't blame yourself kid.'

"How can I not? Tell me, Kyuubi! If I had taken care of that mage faster, then I would've arrived in time to save her."

'It was a freaking S-class mage!' Kyuubi roared angrily, tired of the self-pity. 'We both witnessed his magic! While not the strongest, his tactics were to hide, and attack from a distance, and disappear again! He was meant to delay you, while the others looted the town! The girl, she got in the way, tried to stop them, and died for it! But she died protecting what she felt was precious, and thus she died a death worthy of respect! Not to mention, she wouldn't appreciate you bitching at yourself, especially after you promised her you wouldn't!'

Naruto drew in a shaky breath, eyes wide, before chuckling weakly. "Man, not even a full day, and I already forgot my promise. You're right, Kyuubi. Thanks, fox. I needed that."

'Che. If I let you mope around and bitch, then you wouldn't be able to train and grow strong. Now, get your ass back to meditating!"

"Yosh!"

(Timeskip- Eleven Months Into The Training Trip)

'Come on...Almost there,' Naruto thought as he continued to gather chakra.

'Almost...there. So...close...'

"There!" He shouted as he got the correct amount of chakra.

He glanced at the attack in his hands. It had taken months, even with clones, to recreate this specific attack, to find the right amount of chakra to use to replicate the utterly devastating affects it had.

He whispered the attacks name, and the world was consumed by blinding white light.

A few minutes after the dust cleared, Naruto stared open-mouthed at the attack.

"I didn't think it would be that powerful. I would say that it's stronger than the original...Maybe I put more chakra than I actually needed?"

'Probably.'

Naruto turned and left the area. Behind him, in a relatively straight path, was completely flat land, and a hill made of various things that definitely hadn't been there before.

(Timeskip- One Year Since The Start Of The Training Trip, Hargeon Town Rail Station)

"Ah, excuse me sir, but are you alright?" A worried steward asked. He was currently standing above an unconscious pink-haired boy of about 16 years of age. The steward had been making rounds, and had come across this boy, who he had found lying in his current position. He had no idea what had happened, and was scared for the, in his eyes, poor boy.

"Ah, it's okay. It happens all the time," Came a voice from beside the steward. He turned, and was shocked to find a talking cat. Mages, he concluded.

"If you say so. I would like to let you know that the train has arrived at the station, so please, wake him up." With that, the steward turned and left, muttering about odd mages under his breath.

"Natsu, get up!" Happy said after the steward had left.

"Urgh."

"Look, it's Igneel!"

At this Natsu raised his head slightly. He got on his knees, and crawled to the door. He threw his body out, and upon leaving the train, fully straightened his body and landed in a crouch, grinning.

"Let's go, Happy!"

(Another Part of Hargeon)

A fairly tall man could be seen walking down the streets of Hargeon, reading something from a piece of paper. He had sun-kissed blond hair, and a tanned face with beautiful cerulean blue eyes and three peculiar whisker-like marks on each cheek. He was currently dressed in black pants, and a rust orange long-sleeved t-shirt, topped by a red trench coat with black flames licking the bottom. A sword sheath hung from his left side, and various pouches did the same from his legs.

"Hm, let's see. The mission is to find and arrest Bora, and former Titan Nose mage, who is believed to currently be involved in slavery and operating in Boston. Shouldn't be too hard."

'This mission is boring. Get another one that has more action, Naruto, or else."

The man grinned. 'Or what?'

'You don't want the dreams to come back do you?'

'Oh...God...'

'Those dreams that you have, of Katsumi kneeling in front of you, your pants around you ankles and her-'

'Shut up! You gave me those dreams in the first place, you perverted-ass fox! If you wanted to give me dreams, why not give me nightmares, and hope I break and free you or some other diabolical plan?'

'Well obviously because I'm not stupid. Giving you of all people nightmares would probably make you cut me off, destroying any connection I have with the outside world, which would suck badly. Plus, the wet dreams make you so much more uncomfortable, which is so much more fun for me in seeing you squirm,' Kyuubi informed Naruto, most likely smirking in his mind.

'I hate you. I'm cutting you off tonight,' Naruto said.

Kyuubi laughed nervously. 'Come now, Naruto, no need to be so touchy. You know I was kidding, right?'

'You're dead to me.'

'You know it's a possibility that your dumbass Hokage of a hairless ape father most likely tied our souls together for eternity if you don't release me, or if I don't get out?'

Naruto frowned. 'Don't insult Dad, just 'cause you're jealous of him.'

'Why the hell would I be jealous of your daddy dearest?'

'Maybe because he's better at sealing than you are?'

'What the hell?! I don't even have opposable thumbs, how the hell am I supposed to learn how to seal? I wouldn't be able to hold the brush, dumbass. And you ask why the hell I call you brainless?'

Naruto ignored him, concentrating on walking, and his current job. 'So, from his banishment from Titan Nose due to using charm magic, I'm guessing that he probably is a pervert, and chances are, girls are the slaves that he traffics for the most part. So...'

Naruto's eyes twinkled.

'I'll give him a girl alright.'

"How much is this sir?" A beautiful blonde-haired girl asked the store owner. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt, with a brown belt holding it up, and a t-shirt with a blue and white stripe pattern running vertically along it.

"Twenty thousand Jewels," The owner said.

"I wonder how much it is," She asked him again, beginning to smile coyly.

"Twenty thousand Jewels," He repeated once more.

"I said, I wonder how much it really this." She leaned on the counter, pulling down her zipper, revealing cleavage and smiling seductively.

The owner paused, taking in her form.

"Nineteen thousand Jewels," He said.

"I can't believe it! My sex appeal was only worth a thousand Jewels!" The same blonde-haired woman raged. It was outrageous! Surely, her worth in sheer sexiness was more than a thousand Jewels. That owner clearly needed his eyes checked, she decided to console herself, clearly depressed.

"Is it true that he's here? The Salamander?"

"Yeah, look!"

The cries of the two brunette girls pulled her from her depression. She perked up at the name of the 'Salamander', the famous Fairy Tail mage who used Fire Magic that could not be bought at stores. Now, one thing you should know about our mysterious little blonde is that she absolutely loved Fairy Tail. She was obsessed with it. Simple as that. She also aspired to one day join the infamous guild, but did not know any way to go about doing that.

With those thoughts in mind, it was obvious when she rushed over to where the girls had headed. There was a crowd of girls surrounding something, which couldn't be made out clearly with all the people. She pushed her way to the front.

She stumbled to the front, and saw him. He was tall, with deep, navy blue hair. He was fairly muscular, with the chiseled jaw. Overall, he did not look to spectacular, but her heart began beating wildly, ready to jump out of her chest at a moment's notice. She began blushing, and feeling hot all over, yet she could not figure out why. It was as if she had just magically fallen in love with him. Had she been more clear-minded at the time, she would've suspected Charm Magic to be at work.

"Igneel!" A loud, boisterous voice called out, shaking her from her magic-induced love stupor.

She blinked. Barreling through the group of girls came a pink-haired boy, with a blue cat floating above him. His hair was unruly, spiking in all directions, and he had a young-looking face. He wore baggy, light grey pants, with an opened no-sleeved vest over-top.

He got up, stared at 'Salamander', and tilted his head in confusion.

"Eh? You're not Igneel."

'Salamander' laughed good-naturedly. "No, I am not who you speak of. But you may have heard of me! I am the 'Salamander' of Fairy Tail! Would you care for an autograph, little boy?"

"Nope," The boy said offhandedly, already turning to leave, his cat in tow, causing 'Salamander' to fall to the ground at his bluntness. The girls surrounding him growled, and immediately pounced.

"Now, now, ladies, please, leave the poor kid alone," 'Salamander' said, deciding to play the good guy. They agreed immediately.

"Yes, Salamander-Sama!"

They turned their attention back to 'Salamander', who waved them goodbye. Purple flames encircled him, and lifted him off the ground.

"Fire Magic: Red Carpet!"

He levitated a few feet off the ground, and turned his head to address them.

"I'm having a party on my yacht tonight. I would love it if you all were to come."

He gave them one last winning smile, causing the girls to swoon, and flew off.

The girl from earlier frantically rushed in the direction she'd seen the pink-haired boy go in. Seeing him up ahead, she increased her speed and ran towards him.

"Excuse me!"

He stopped, and turned to face her. "Eh? Who are you?"

She stopped in front of him, and bent to catch her breath. "Hi! My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I wanted to say thank you. You saved me from that 'Salamander' earlier by breaking his spell on me, so I wanted to find some way to repay you."

At that moment, Natsu's stomach chose to growl, giving her an idea.

"How about I treat you to lunch?" She asked him.

"Really?! You mean it?!" His eyes gained hearts, and he dropped to his knees, and grabbed her hand.

She sweatdropped. "Well, yeah, I said I would repay you, right?"

The girl, Lucy, was beginning to regret her decision as she watched the boy eat. The table was filled with empty, and used dishes from the food that he had breezed through. He was currently on his last one- she hoped, because her wallet was nearing emptiness- and was almost finished. The cat was just as worse, who was eating the fish at rapid paces, almost as fast as the boy.

With a satisfied sigh, he slammed his bowl onto the table, and called,

"More!"

Lucy began crying, reassuring herself that it had been for a good cause, and who knows what would've happened had he not come.

"So, what's your name?" She asked him after she calmed down.

He paused from his new bowl, and looked at her.

"I'm Natsu. This is Happy," He said, gesturing to the cat.

"Hi!" Happy said, freaking her out.

"Eh?! A talking cat?!" She screamed, eyes bugged out as she stared at Happy.

"Yeah," He said as if it was the most common thing the world. Honestly, how many blue, talking cats have you seen?

"Right. So, why are you and Happy here?" She asked, changing the subject. Anymore of this talk about blue cats would probably drive her insane. Probably.

"We're looking for Igneel," Natsu said vaguely, resuming his eating.

"Well, what does Igneel look like?"

This got Natsu going. "He's super huge! He has red coloured scales, and super sharp claws. His wingspan is around eighty feet across-"

She cut him off. "Hold up! What is Igneel?"

Happy gave her a look that said 'Are you stupid?'.

"He's a dragon, obviously!"

"...And you would think that a huge dragon would just be in a random city, and everyone would be acting normal why?" She deadpanned.

Natsu stopped eating. He looked up, opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"Yeah, I got nothing."

"Okay then. Anyway, you and Happy have fun. I'll be going now."

With that she walked off, leaving Natsu and happy to their thoughts.

"What a strange girl."

"Aye."

Lucy was lying on a bench, flipping through the latest copy of Weekly Sorcerer. She stopped at a picture of Mirajane, Fairy Tail's cover girl, and also, in the opinions of many, one of the cutest girls alive.

"Kya! She's so pretty!"

She turned the page once more, and read the article titled 'Fairy Tail Strikes Again, Destroying Acres of Land'. She sighed longingly.

"I wish I could join."

She began thinking of how awesome Fairy Tail was, and how it was the best guild ever. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a voice behind her.

"So you want to join Fairy Tail?"

She spun around, surprised, and saw 'Salamander' standing there, giving her a smirk.

"Eh? What do you want?" She said, her voice

"As you know, I am holding a party on my yacht. I would certainly love it if you came."

"No way I'm going to party of some creep like you!" Lucy yelled at him. She was pretty pissed at him. The freaking nerve! How dare he put her under charm magic!

'Salamander', or rather Bora as he was to his subordinates frowned. He had been attempting to put her under his magic since he came here, yet there was no results. She certainly would sell for a lot, if he could just capture her. With her blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and well developed body, he could make a fortune from this.

"Don't even bother! Now that I know about your Charms Magic, it won't have any effect on me!" Lucy said, crossing her arms and letting out a 'harrumph' of victory.

Bora frowned. He wasn't giving up that easily.

"Ahaha, sorry about that. I swear I wasn't going to do anything," He said, attempting to get her mind off of said topic.

Lucy sweatdropped.

'How stupid does he think I am?'

She turned on her heel, leaving. "Whatever! I'm leaving."

Bora watched her slowly walking away, desperately thinking of ways to stop her. His eyes lit up.

"Wait!" He called.

Lucy turned around, more on instinct than anything else.

"What?!" She yelled, still peeved.

"You wanted to join Fairy Tail, correct?"

She nodded.

"I can get you in."

Lucy froze, then looked at him. She couldn't believe it. It had to be a lie.

"Re...Really?"

"Of course," Bora told her with confident nod and smile.

"Yatta! I'm gonna join Fairy Tail! I'm gonna join Fairy Tail!"

She continued to jump around in joy, causing Bora to smirk. He should've just done that from the start.

"Anyway. Be at the party, then we'll go. And, oh, about that Charms Magic..." He trailed off, giving her a subtle hint.

She looked at him, faking confusion. "What Charms Magic?"

Bora smiled, and left, saying nothing else. He could practically feel the money already weighing down his pocket.

Lucy stopped celebrating suddenly after he disappeared. She looked confused, then remembered what happened. She stomped her foot on the ground, angry.

"Dammit! I fell for it again!"

She gained a happy expression, her previous mood disappearing.

"Whatever! I'm joining Fairy Tail! It's not like Salamander will turn out to be some fake and try to sell me off into the life of a slave."

Who cared if he seemed creepy? Fairy Tail was worth it.

She continued her celebrations, not noticing the pair of blue eyes looking at her before shifting their focus onto the retreating Salamander, who was now but a speck in the distance.

'So that's my target. Huh. I could swear I've seen him before. I wonder from where?'

Bora was extremely pleased with himself at the moment. All the girls attracted by his charm had been pretty, which the customers, both male, and female. like. And the star of the show, the blonde bombshell that had been easily enraptured by him using the Fairy Tail name. Oh, how life was good.

However, Bora wouldn't automatically assume he had won. One year ago, he had been taught that lesson very harshly. He would be careful. Of course, this was sure to be his victory, especially since the man that had defeated him, and taken from him his fortune was not here, nor anywhere near.

'When I find him, he will pay. I've trained for days, just for this one moment, to take down that retched man. Vengeance will be mine,' Bora thought to himself darkly.

'You are a fool, Wind Shadow, to think that I would not have glimpsed your face, enough to know exactly who you are from the descriptions.'

"A-ano."

A petite, slightly coy voice from behind Bora pulled him from his dark thoughts of vengeance and murder. He turned, finding something unexpected.

He turned around, and was stunned. Simply stunned. Standing in front of him was another blonde beauty, looking of about sixteen years. Her golden blonde hair was lustrous, and her cerulean blue eyes deep. Her finger was on her lip, attached to a petite and soft hand, unmarred from the scars and callouses that covered his own. She was dressed in a purple t-shirt, and a blue skirt the hiked up to mid-thigh.

He schooled his features. With some luck, she too would be captured into his web. Of course, the boys were getting rowdy, so he might just give her to them to do as they so pleased.

"Yes? How may I help you?"

"Ano, you are Salamander-sama, correct?"

Bora smiled. This was going easier than he thought. "Of course. How may I help you?"

The girl became more nervous. "I-I heard you were having a party. I was wondering if I could go too?"

Bora smiled kindly. "Of course. Who would deny a pretty girl like yourself? Come at seven, dear. I will be waiting."

The girls face brightened.

"Thank you!"

With that she turned around and ran off, muttering to herself about something, though Bora could hear mentions of make-up, and a new dress in there with his acute hearing.

'Woman', he thought amusedly.

"So, how'd it go?"

"See for yourself, boss."

It was the girl from before, yet her voice didn't quite match her, sounding as a gruff, masculine voice, rather than the petite, feminine tone it had had minutes before.

The girl went up in smoke, leaving Naruto pondering.

"Wow, I swear I've seen his face from somewhere. But where?"

Lucy sat rather comfortably on the plush sofa of the cabin she had been assigned to wait in. She had to admit, Salamander had class, what with the expensive furniture lying around. Of course, she had seen better during her days in the Heartfilia Household, but it was impressive nonetheless.

She wished that this party would just be over with already. She wanted to hurry up and join Fairy Tail! Plus, there was no one around to accompany her, so she was getting rather bored. And it was hot. While the dress she currently had adorned fit her perfectly, and wasn't too dark of s shade that it should accumulate heat, especially at night, Lucy felt oddly hot. It was as if the very floor she was above was burning.

"This is so boring!" She decided after a few more minutes.

As if her prayers were being answered, the knob clicked open, and in walked 'Salamander'.

"Good evening. You look stunning," He complimented her.

She smiled fakely, thanking him.

"Now, if I could get your name? It was rather rude of me not to catch it earlier," He asked her curiously.

"It's Lucy."

He smiled easily. "Lucy? Why, that's such a pretty name."

"Thank you," She said, keeping up her expression of fake happiness at being complimented.

He turned, grabbing an expensive looking bottle of wine and two glasses. He set them upon the table.

"Now, why don't we begin with a toast of wine?"

Lucy hesitated. He was getting a bit creepy now.

"Don't you have other girls to attend to?" She asked.

"It's alright. Right now, I feel like drinking with only you."

He snapped his fingers, and spheres of wine drifted up.

He smirked, extremely satisfied with himself. "Open your mouth. The pearls of wine will slowly come in."

Lucy was annoyed at his antics.

'Just a little more. Just let me hang on for a little more.'

She reluctantly opened her mouth wide, and a pearl of wine floated in, slowly as promised. Just before it was completely inserted, Lucy caught a sniff. It smelled like no wine she had ever scented.

Her eyes went wide, and she quickly jerked herself back and slapped it aside.

"What are you planning," She said standing up, her expression harsh.

He merely looked on, the expression on his face pissing her off.

"That was a sleeping drug, wasn't it?"

He smirked, amused. "Oh, so you caught on? How surprising."

She frowned.

"Don't misunderstand me. I want to join Fairy Tail, but I have no intention of becoming your girl."

'Salamander' let out a deranged smile.

"You're such a bad girl. If you had just slept peacefully, you wouldn't have had to get hurt."

Lucy was about to reply with some smartass comment, but was suddenly seized by someone behind her. Her arms were placed behind her back, and she looked to see two burly men holding them down.

'There's no way I can break free of them.'

The one on her left spoke, smiling perversely.

"Good one Salamander-sama."

"We haven't had a pretty one in such a long time."

Lucy was confused. What the hell was happening?

"What's going on?!" She yelled out, a hint of fear bleeding into her voice.

"Who are you?!"

Instead of answering, 'Salamander' grabbed her chin, and jerked her face to meet his own.

"Welcome to our slave ship. Please, I must ask you to stay silent until we reach Bosco."

Lucy was speechless. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.

"What about Fairy Tail?!" She yelled out, desperation prominent on her face as she struggled to break her bonds.

Bora chuckled. "I already told you. This is a slave ship. I brought you in as merchandise. I must admit, you are rather pretty. A lot of slavers usually need some, ah, relaxation after a harsh day of work. I'm sure that you'll fit the bill."

"So please, just give up."

Lucy was silent, digesting his words. She knew exactly what he meant. Was this her fate?

"No. No! No!"

Her voice grew louder with each progressive 'no' as she attempted to deny her fate.

The men laughed at her struggling.

"You thought this one well, Salamander-Sama. When girls are affected by your charm, they fawn to become our merchandise."

"But it seems that charm won't work on this little lady. So we'll just have to train her a little bit."

They let out perverted laughs. Lucy looked down, her eyes wide.

'N-no. This isn't happening. What is he? How can someone be so cruel?'

Tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes as she continued to curse his name silently. Suddenly, she felt a hand moving up her thigh, and up the slit of her dress. She clenched her eyes shut. However, the hand stopped at something, and she sighed in relief.

This changed a moment later when she felt a harsh tug at the object, and 'Salamander' looking inquisitive as he held up the object.

'My keys!'

He examined them. "The keys of the gates, huh? I see, so you're a stellar spirit mage."

The men around him gathered around, and looked at the keys.

"Eh? Stellar spirit? What's that?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Only contracted users can use them, meaning..."

He looked cruelly back at Lucy, who watched with growing horror.

"That they are no use to me."

He a flick of his wrist, he threw them out of the open window, and into open sea.

This time, the tears flowed freely. Tears of despair, and raw anger.

'So this is a mage of Fairy Tail?! Was all that great stuff I heard just fake?!'

'Salamander' walked forward and grabbed a cane. He twirled it around a bit, then pointed the butt end at her, which was smoking furiously.

"Now, just let me brand you as a slave. It'll be a bit hot, so please bear it."

She grit her teeth, glaring daggers at 'Salamander'.

"Abusing magic. Cheating people. Worst of all, performing slavery."

"You're the worst kind of mage!"

He merely chuckled, and walked towards her, when suddenly, the ceiling exploded in a shower of wooden splinters, and in fell Natsu, who landed on the flooring, his face set in grim determination, and Happy, who merely floated on his wings above the opening, though Lucy was too preoccupied staring at Natsu to notice.

"The brat from before?!"

"Natsu?!"

The ship lurched, and Natsu was suddenly on his knees barfing his heart out.

"I...I can't take it."

"That's so freaking lame!"

Lucy stared at Natsu. Part of her was glad that she was possibly being saved. The other part of her however was wondering how the pink-haired boy that was on his knees could possibly save her.

"What the fuck is going on? Why would a boy fall from the sky?!"

'Salamander' was screaming, attempting to comprehend this madness.

"But boss, look, he's already got motion sickness," One of his men pointed out.

Happy suddenly swooped in, and grabbed Lucy, pulling her out of the ship.

"Eh? Happy? You have wings?"

"Let's get out of here."

"Wait! What about Natsu?!"

Happy looked sheepish, though not too particularly worried about his partner.

"I can't carry too people."

They flew out, but 'Salamander' threw his hand up, fire coming forth in attempts to stop them.

"I won't let you get away!"

The purple flames exploded outward, blowing past through the ship, hurling debris at them. Luckily, Happy managed to avoid, though it was shaky and rough.

'Salamander' growled.

"Don't let them get away! It'll be a problem if that girl reports to the Magic Council!"

His lackeys immediately went outside on order, and fired at Happy and Lucy. Their aim was atrocious, and the bullets missed by a longshot.

Back in the air, Happy looked down at Lucy.

"Um, Lucy? Listen."

"What is it at a time like this?!"

"...My transformation effect has worn off..."

Lucy was about to ask what he meant when she suddenly felt herself falling towards the water at a ridiculous speed.

"Screw you!" She yelled just before hitting the water.

The men shooting at them looked confused, then shrugged, thinking they had gotten her, and left.

Naruto stretched widely as he got up, surveying the area around him. The thugs that Bora had sent to detain him were easily defeated by him, and were lying unconscious, scattered across the room.

It had been a joke getting into this place. Now he just needed to take care of Bora, hand him over to the Rune Knights, and back to Fairy Tail he went.

He wondered how everyone was doing. He knew for sure they had all gotten stronger, constantly hearing reports of the Salamander leaving destruction in his wake, or of the Flaming Beauty dealing with her opponents with elegance and grace. He couldn't wait to be back.

The training trip had been hard, that was for sure, and he had made tons of progress. He had heard rumors of a parallel world to Earthland, called Edolas, though he had yet to confirm such a thing. If such a thing was possible, then surely it was possible to get back to his own.

He had attempted summoning toads, but somehow, the connection would not form. It was as if he was punching a wall of five feet thick diamond every time he attempted it. So, he tried another approach by studying Seal Magic.

His project was to form a connection to the toads once more, and have them reverse summon him back. He would leave a marker of sorts in this place, and even get Shima to create another one of those freaky teleportation pools of water she used. He didn't quite want to leave all his friends from this dimension behind.

He looked out the window upon feeling a spike of energy. He blinked.

"Is it just me, or is there a huge ass wave coming towards the boat?"

"...Nope. It's not just me."

The wave hit the boat, sending it careening towards the shore, all of its passengers moving along with it.

"Fuck!"

Bora stood up shakily. His head was splitting. What the hell had hit them?

"The rocking. It stopped."

Bora looked up to see the Natsu glaring at him.

At that moment, Lucy burst into the room.

"Natsu! Are you okay?!"

She stopped upon seeing him. This was the most serious she had ever seen upon his face in the short time she had known him for. It was rather intimidating.

"Hmph. You shouldn't come aboard other people's ships without permission, brat. Throw him out."

Lucy immediately readied herself, ready to summon another stellar spirit.

"We have to save him!"

"Don't worry," Happy said to her.

"I kind of forgot to tell you, but Natsu's a mage too."

Natsu continued to glare at Bora, before saying.

"Are you a mage of Fairy Tail?"

Bora smirked. "Yeah, I am. What of it?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "Let me get a good look at your face."

He continued to stare at Bora, who stood there cockily, ready to pummel the brat.

Natsu suddenly burst into action, and punched two of his cronies and sent them flying with practiced ease.

"I am Natsu of Fairy Tail, and I have never seen you there before!" He declared, shocking everyone who heard.

"Eh?! Natsu if a mage of Fairy Tail?!" Lucy exclaimed out. The unimpressive boy from before was a mage, and one of Fairy Tail! She couldn't believe it!

He threw off his jacket, revealing his Fairy Tail mark on his right arm, proudly displayed for all to see, further confirming his statement.

"Oh shit, that mark! He's the real deal Bora-San!"

"Don't call me by that name!" He screamed back. They weren't supposed to know that name!

"Hmph. Bora of Prominence. He was banished from the guild 'Titan Nose' a few years back for using magic for thefts and other crimes. Frankly, he's rather disgusting," A voice came from behind Lucy and Happy, who immediately turned to see who it was.

"Oh, it's Naruto." Happy said, not really paying attention, before his eyes bugged out a moment later.

"It's Naruto!"

"What's up?" He said, smiling brightly.

"...You know Mirajane and Natsu are angry at you?"

"How come?"

Happy took a moment to think. "Well, Natsu because he wanted to come along, and you never told him, and Mirajane because I think she was on her period when she was told, and she just started spazzing."

Naruto sweatdropped. "Way to explain it Happy."

Lucy was wide eyed. She had just found out that Natsu was from Fairy Tail, and standing before her, from their short talk, was another member, one who was familiar with Mirajane herself! This couldn't get any better, could it?

"Well anyway, I was here on a mission to get Bora, and then I was gonna come back."

"So, are you going to help Natsu?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nah. The kid's strong. He's got this. I've been reading all the reports."

"You know everyone in Fairy Tail knows your nickname, right?" Happy asked.

"Really? How'd they find out?" Naruto exclaimed. It couldn't have been that easy.

"You also know that there's not many mages with your description, right? Dumb blond."

Naruto's eye twitched.

"Now, now, Happy. I know we're having a moment here, but that doesn't mean I won't smash your head in."

Lucy butted in, now curious as to whom exactly this mysterious mage (to her) was.

"Um, Naruto-San, what exactly is your nickname."

"Naruto's nickname is-"

Happy's voice was drowned out by Bora yelling.

"Whatever! It doesn't matter if you can't forgive me! You're still a noisy brat!"

He sent a gigantic ball of flame in Natsu's direction, who stood calmly, allowing to consume him without too much worry.

"Oh no!" Lucy yelled, running forward, but was stopped by Happy's voice.

"Don't worry. Natsu's not done yet."

Lucy settled down, and looked back at the flames, and was shocked to hear a voice speaking.

"Awful."

The flames were slowly sucked inwards, revealing Natsu's unscathed figure. He was eating the fire.

"Is that it? Are you sure you're a fire mage? Because I've never tasted such awful fire before."

"...Eh?!" Both Lucy and Bora cried out at the same time, astonished.

The flames cleared fully, revealing Natsu smirking.

"Thank you for the food, despite how shitty it was."

Bora was shocked. Just what the hell was this brat?

"He-he just ate the fire!"

"I've never seen such magic before!"

"Hah! Fire won't work on Natsu," Happy's voice intoned.

Natsu leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees.

"I'm all fired up!"

He sucked in a breath, fire igniting randomly around him.

A man beside Bora squinted his eyes, before they went wide in fearful recognition.

"Bora-San! I've seen him before! Rosy hair, and a scale patterned scarf! There's no doubt about it! He's the real Salamander!"

Natsu blew out a ball of fire, engulfing Bora and his mean easily.

"Salamander," Lucy whispered, amazed. So this was the actual thing. He was nothing like the fake at all.

Natsu barreled into the groups of men, flames erupting from his arms at random intervals, which shot at his targets with deadly speed and precision.

"Natsu's so much stronger now," Naruto remarked.

"Punching with fire, eating it...Is that even magic?"

Happy nodded. "A dragon's lungs spew flames, the scales melt flames, and its nails are coated in fire. Fire Dragon Slayer Magic- an ancient spell that converts the body to a dragon's constitution. Also, it can only be taught by a dragon. Natsu was taught by his father, Igneel, the fire dragon."

"I-I see."

Naruto patted her shoulder sympathetically.

"Don't worry. I still don't understand how on Earth that's possible. But I guess that's magic for you."

Lucy shook her head hesitantly. "Yeah, I guess. It's just that, why would a dragon teach someone how to kill them?"

Naruto and Happy shrugged. "Who knows?"

"If we knew, we would tell you... Stupid."

Lucy grit her teeth. Happy was really getting on her nerves. She would drown that damned cat once she got the chance. She looked around, deciding to move away from the negative thoughts. Dragon Slayer Magic was really amazing, but...

"...Why the hell is it so destructive?! You're destroying the whole damn port!"

"Aye."

"Don't 'aye' me!" She screamed at Happy, who jumped at her voice.

"Are you on your peri-"

Naruto grabbed Happy, and buried his face into the ground quickly.

"You don't want to complete that sentence. It's dangerous, my friend."

Natsu was currently busy swallowing the flame attacks that Bora was giving him for free. Contrary to what he had said earlier, they were rather good. Only they tasted like grapes. And Grey loved grapes. Thus, he hated them.

"You damn brat! I'll kill you!"

"Flame Magic: Prominence Whip!"

Sharp tendrils of fire sped towards Natsu, who didn't even bother blocking them- they were simply too weak to even scratch him. Instead he simply made his way to Bora, who was freaking out at this brat blocking, eating, or just plain taking every attack he sent.

Natsu's flame coated fist was cocked back by the time he appeared in front of Bora, who struggled to throw up a hasty defense. He was too slow however as Natsu's fist was quickly planted into his stomach, stopping any movements Bora was making.

Oddly, Bora didn't feel too much pain. It was as if the attack was only meant to stop his struggling, and that was that. But then why was his fist still there? And why was he smiling so viciously?

Suddenly, fire erupted from Natsu's elbow, and his entire arm suddenly propelled forward. Bora was sent flying, quite literally flying, back, spittle coming out of his mouth.

"Argh!"

He hesitantly got up. He would not lose. Not until he got his revenge! Not until he found him again!

Bora suddenly stopped, staring at something behind Natsu. He squinted just to be sure. His head was spinning after all. He might by hallucinating. But it was him. The bastard who humiliated him. The one who took his most prized possession (in his mind).

"You fucking bastard! You dare show yourself! No matter! Because you're gonna die!"

Natsu stopped walking towards the fake. He was confused. Who the hell was he talking to?

Naruto glanced around him, then looked at himself. Was he the one who was being called bastard? He guessed it couldn't be Lucy, because then Bora would've said bitch. And he was pretty sure this was the first time Happy and Bora had seen each other in person. He pointed at himself.

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" Bora yelled at him. Did he not realize that he was the reason for his rage? Did he not remember?

"Um. Well, sorry for whatever I did?"

Natsu glanced back at whoever Bora was talking to, seeing Naruto.

"Oh, it's just Naruto."

"Wait. It's freaking Naruto! You bastard! How dare you not bring me along to get stronger! I'll kick your ass!"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"Hey Natsu. What's up? He said, totally ignoring Bora.

"Don't ignore me!"

"Oh yeah, you. One second Natsu. We'll talk after I talk to him and kick his ass."

"Hmph. You can talk to him. But no kicking his ass. That's me."

"Fine."

Bora was seething more and more as the seconds passed. How dare they write him off like that? Was he not threatening enough?

"Hey! Don't talk like I'm not here!"

"Geez, calm yourself. So, where do I know you from?"

Bora's jaw dropped. He really didn't remember?!

"Don't you remember? One year ago! When you took the Sandai Kitetsu from me?!"

Naruto squinted at him, looking at him carefully and attempting to remember where he had seen him from. A memory of him knocking out and extremely fat blue-haired man with a similar complexion flashed threw his mind, and his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Ah! You're that guy who was trying to steal the sword! Weren't you, like, really...large?"

"You're right! I was! But my hatred for you and need for revenge made me train like a mad dog! All to kill you for the humiliation! You will die!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Listen dude. All this revenge stuff will get you nowhere. And all because you lost a sword that wasn't yours in the first place. What kind of shallow thing is that?"

"I don't care!" Bora's face was crazed now, as if he had lost all common reason.

"You are going to die!"

"I see." Naruto shook his head sadly.

"It's because of people like you that there is not peace in the world. But I'm gonna change that."

"By doing what? Ridding the world of our disgrace? Ha! So you are merely a slave to the false belief of the Council's justice!"

Naruto shook his head. "You're right. I will rid the world of evil. But not in the way you are thinking. True peace can only be obtained when everyone wants it, good or bad! I know it's naive, and that not everyone can be changed, but I can do my damn best and try!"

"Hmph. Do what you want. It changes nothing. I'll defeat Salamander, and then you. I'll take the girl, and the cat would be amusing too, I suppose."

Naruto shook his head in sadness.

"Whatever. Natsu, he's all yours."

Natsu grinned.

"Gladly."

He blew out a blast of fire that easily took out Bora, knocking him unconscious. Just before he hit the ground, Naruto appeared underneath him, and quickly tied him with rope to a surviving lamp post.

"That should hold him."

A steady thumping filled the air as something raced to them. With their acute hearing, all fours of the conscious mages present heard a voice call out.

"Hey! What's going on?!"

Naruto was about to check who it was when Natsu suddenly panicked.

"Oh shit! Naruto, Happy, it's the Rune Knights!"

"Shit! Run!"

They quickly ran away, with Happy tailing behind them, leaving Lucy behind.

Natsu appeared back beside her suddenly, and grabbed her hand, pulling her along as he resumed his running.

"Wait! What are you doing?"

"You wanted to join Fairy Tail, right?! Well then, come on!"

Lucy's eyes went wide. It was happening! It really was happening!

She was going to join Fairy Tail!

Oh my freaking god. That was the longest chapter in this story. Like, really. the amount of words was OVER 9000! sorry, had to add that in. Really though, it took long to write, and I now understand the horror authors face when writing super long chaps. Anyway, I hope you all liked it. I kinda got lazy near the end, as the writing quality deteriorates. I hope you liked the training trip, which had the most detail in it. It was also the most fun to write.

Well, anyway, canons getting into high gear. To answer the question now, Naruto WILL NOT be stealing Natsu's parts. I will be making original missions for him that involve more about Grimoire Hearts and the Balam Alliance, as the demon summoning suggests. He will be there for more of the main parts, such as the Phantom Lord Arc.

Review cause you love me.

HokagenoNaruto, out