"You see that?"

"Yeah, it's huge!"

"How do we get it?"

"Well, we'll knock it down!"

"But what if we break it?"

"You're such a wimp, Natsu. We can cook that thing for breakfast!"

A young boy and girl stood in front of a tree, looking at a big blue and white egg. The egg had a flame design on it, its blue pattern decorating the surface of its shell. The girl was only 12 years old, with the boy seemingly around the same age as her. She pulled out a slingshot, one eye squinted as she took her aim. "Watch this, I'm gonna snipe it in one go…"

Just before she could shoot, Natsu jumped in front of her. "Siren, wait! Let's not hurt it… I'll just climb the tree instead…"

Siren released a puff of air, frustrated. "Why do you have to be so booooring…"

Natsu faced this tree, and prepared himself. Due to the intensive training that he's been through with Seph, he was able to easily hoist himself onto a low tree branch and scale his way up. The egg seemed to be half his size, but Natsu was still able to wrap his small arms around it and bring it back to the ground.

Siren seemed to be drooling when she laid eyes on the egg. "You want it scrambled or fried?"

Natsu gasped, defensively hiding the egg behind his body. "We're not gonna eat him! I think I wanna take care of it instead…"

"Ew… like a baby?"

"No! Like… like a pet!"

"What is Diesel gonna say about you taking care of a baby?" Siren seemed to be an inch taller than Natsu, with her short, rose-gold hair in two French braids. Both of their heads weren't shaved, with sound Natsu instead sporting his hairdo with a messy style. She wore a black shirt and overalls, cuffed up by her ankles, revealing her bare feet, whereas her smaller friend had a blue t-shirt and shorts, with worn-out sneakers on.

Natsu looked at the egg in admiration, with a small warm feeling budding in his heart. "I dunno what's he's gonna say, but I don't care. I'm going to take good care of this guy…"

13 years later, Natsu was running, tightly holding the same small figure he took custody of years ago. An unconscious cat was in his arms, burnt and battered in critical condition.

"Hey Happy… come on, buddy, wake up…"

No response.

Tears brimmed the dragon slayer's eyes, as a swarm of hateful comments convulsed his mind. How can I be so reckless? I should've never done this mission… I should've never brought Happy along… This is all my fault… I did this to him. He's gonna die, He is going to die… Natsu couldn't even focus on where he was heading, bumping and shoving people aside on the streets as he ran to the only place he could think of. Within the town of Magnolia was Diesel and Ruby's house, and he could only hope that they'll be able to help him. What would have taken half an hour to get there took him only a matter of minutes, thanks to his enhanced speed.

It was 9:30 at night, and a loud banging noise was heard at Ruby's door. She opened it, shocked to find Natsu there, leaning against the wall as he panted heavily.

"Natsu… what's going on?"

Natsu was looking down at Happy, not able to remove his eyes from him. "It's Happy… he's not responding to me…"

Ruby looked at the feline, taking in his injuries. Patches of hair were burnt away, with black and red splotches replacing them. Blood seeped out of his wounds, matting his fur with its deep crimson color. Natsu desperately tried to press down his wounds with his hands, but the blood continued to ooze out.

Ruby grabbed Natsu's arm and pulled him inside, setting him on the couch. She ran into the kitchen, digging in the drawers to pull out medical equipment. "Natsu, tell me everything that happened."

"I used my mystic flame on Laxus, but Happy got caught in it. I-I lost control…" Natsu was hyperventilating, his eyes darting around as he studied Happy, who was cradled on his lap.

Ruby approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Natsu, Natsu look at me." Natsu did as he was told, staring into the gentle brown eyes of someone he could call his mother. "Deeps breaths, okay? Everything's going to be just fine…" His breaths slowed down, and he began to nod to her words. Ruby took Happy from the fire mage, cleaning the cat's wounds with a damp towel. "Natsu… that magic you used was an extremely powerful technique you learned from an ancient book. If Happy got caught in that…"

Natsu snapped his head to Ruby, looking at her with dread. "I know; he's going to die." Natsu grabbed his hair, shaking his head. "I should have never accepted this mission… I don't kill people; that's not who I am…"

Ruby opened her mouth, searching for some more reassuring words. She wanted to tell him that he must kill, to make his guild proud, but she didn't have the heart to say it. Instead, she saw how killing brought only suffering and pain to Natsu.

Seph walked into the living room, an apron around his waist and a broom in his hands. He was helping Ruby clean the house, while Diesel and Siren were out. "Is that Happy? What happened to him?"

Ruby turned to the blonde man. "He's severely injured."

Ruby began wrapping a bandage around Happy, when Natsu shot up from his seat. "I would have gone to the hospital, but I'm a freaking dark mage. They would take me in. What should I do?"

Seph rubbed his chin, his face deep in thought. "You know… there's a mage in fairy ta-" Ruby shot a warning glance Seph, and he quickly corrected himself. "…at that guild… you were just at… who is specialized with healing powers. She was the one who healed all the mages you defeated in that war we had with them a few years ago."

Natsu's eyes sparkled, and he looked at Seph with interest. "Where can I find her?"

"Were you able to kill their guild master Laxus?"

Natsu shook his head.

"Well, there you go. Check their infirmary; she could be trying to heal him as we speak."

: : :

The moment Lucy was alarmed about the attack on Laxus, she immediately made her way to the guild. It was 10 o'clock at night, so she knew that Erza and Gray were already sleeping at that time. It was, in fact, Wendy who called her, sending her a message that Mira found Laxus severely injured in his office. Lucy was quick to leave her apartment, grabbing her notepad and pen just in case if she catches any important details.

Lucy entered the guildhall, surprised to find it empty. Normally, there would be a party happening at that time of night, or at least a fight. But nobody was there. The chatter and laughter and smell of beer were absent, and that was unsettling to her. Now that she thought of it, when she was at the guild earlier that day, everyone lacked their usual cheer and energy. Was it because Laxus was now their guild master, so the rules ended up being more strict? Or is it since Natsu was never apart of the family, his high spirits never had a chance to spread to everyone else?

As Lucy took in her surroundings, Mira came out of the infirmary. She ran to her, tears stained on her cheeks as she grabbed Lucy's hands. "I'm so glad you're here! Wendy's in the infirmary now, healing Laxus as we speak. I've never seen him so badly injured, not when that time Natsu put that scar on his face…Why did that monster have to come back?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Natsu did this?"

Mira nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm going to go buy more medical equipment. Can you help Wendy?"

Lucy began making her way to the infirmary. "I'm on it!"

The room seemed as dull as always; its white beds on stone floors and stone walls. Laxus was lying on one of these beds, and Wendy had her arms outstretched above him, working her magic as she stood next to his bed. Sweat collected at her brow, and Lucy could tell how this was draining a lot out of her. In fact, Wendy barely noticed when Lucy walked in; her mind was so concentrated on healing her guild master.

"Lucy!" Wendy exclaimed, giving the celestial mage a small smile, without stopping her procedures.

"Wendy! How is he?" Lucy asked, approaching the side of this bed. Laxus's eyes were closed shut, and his jaw was clenched as he groaned in pain. Burns and lacerations adorned his skin, covering his bare abdomen, arms, and legs. He didn't have any bandages on, but he's wounds were dressed with cream and ointment.

"We were able to clean and treat his wounds, but the guild is out of bandages. Mira just ran out to get some."

Lucy covered her mouth, soaking in all the injuries Laxus endured. The one that stood out the most, however, was the bird-shaped carving on his chest. The wound wasn't deep enough to tear through vital organs, but the lacerations still nonetheless exposed some bone. "That symbol… Is that the dark sparrows' guild mark?" Lucy asked, her voice quiet.

Laxus opened his eyes to see the blonde mage staring back at him. "Yeah… that punk got me pretty hard this time…"

Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure not to disturb the injured dragon slayer. "Do you know why Natsu would suddenly do this? I mean, attack you out of nowhere?"

Laxus shook his head. "No clue. I just know that he was set out to kill me. I was pretty sure I was going to die too, but I guess I just got real lucky."

Wendy dropped her hands, huffing out air in a weak satisfaction. "There you go, I hope that would keep you stable until morning. She sat down on an empty seat behind her, wiping sweat off her brow.

"Thanks, Wendy. I was feeling like crap, but I'm a lot better now." Laxus responded, pushing his way up to a seated position.

Wendy smiled, waving her hand to dismiss Laxus's gratification. "No worries! Anything for Fairy Tail's guild master!"

Lucy looked at Wendy, noticing her tired features. "How are you feeling, Wendy?"

Wendy rubbed the back of her neck as she gave a sheepish grin. "A little drained, but I'll be fine. Master Laxus's health is a priority, so I'm glad I was able to help!"

Lucy smiled at Wendy's selfless actions, always wanting to put others before herself. She turned back to Laxus, pulling out her pen and notebook. "Do you mind explaining exactly what happened? How did you make it out alive?"

Laxus rolled his eyes, seeming a bit annoyed. "You and that damn notebook…"

"I need to collect as much information I can on Natsu!" Lucy's pressed her lips together. How was she going to get Laxus to talk?

She took a deep breath, resting her notebook on her lap. "I'm doing this for Fairy Tail, you know. Any information that we can get is valuable, and I just want to do all that I can, so that things could go back to normal… where Fairy Tail can live peacefully, in a world without fear of the dark sparrows." Lucy held determination in her eyes, a determination to make things right again. Fairy Tail will go back to normal, and she will find a way to get Natsu back.

In this time dimension, the two dragon slayers did not know of a world where the dark sparrows were not a threat to them, so they were in awe with Lucy's optimism.

Even though Laxus and Wendy did not understand the true meaning of Lucy's words, they still took them as words of encouragement. Wendy looked at the blonde mage with admiration. "Wow, Lucy, I've never seen you speak with such determination! I always thought of you as a timid girl…"

That surprised Lucy. I'm timid in this alternative present? Well, I guess you could say that I started to feel braver when Natsu was around, so it could make sense…

Laxus signed. "Alright, I'll tell you what happened. But I'm only saying this once."

Lucy perked up, not expecting Laxus to give in so easily. "I'm listening."

Laxus scooted backwards, adjusting his position, but right when he was going to speak, he froze, his face contorting into the epitome of fear. He was staring at the window, which was now suddenly open.

Wendy held her breath, the color from her face draining. "Do you guys… feel that?"

Lucy, unnerved by the sudden change of their attitudes, looked at both Laxus and Wendy with her eyebrows furrowed. However, it wasn't until then when she felt it too. An ominous, dark presence, came from the back of the room. Lucy whipped her head to its direction, finding a young man leaning against the wall. He was next to the open window, his arms crossed and a scowl written over his face.

Natsu.

The celestial mage jumped up from her seat, petrified by the man who stood before her. She realized that the presence he held was nothing like the nonchalant and laid-back kind-of-guy she met earlier that day. Instead, she felt an overwhelming wave of wrath and vexation, radiate from him like a thick fog.

Everyone was frozen, unable to move, as he slowly made his way across the room.

Towards Wendy.

His eyes were intently staring her down, giving her a glare that sent chills down their spine. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes were wide, as she trembled in fear as he approached her.

Laxus was alert, holding his hand out protectively in front of her. "Natsu… What are you doing here? Are you not satisfied with your victory? Was killing your own cat not enough for you?"

Natsu didn't even look at Laxus, when the bed the lightning mage was once on suddenly erupted in flames— scorching, bright red flames that consumed the man.

Lucy's face became as white as a sheet of paper. She covered her mouth with trembling hands, watching the bed that Laxus was on turn into an inferno.

Laxus screamed in pain, kicking and thrashing his way out of the flaming bed until he crashed onto the floor. He curled up into a ball, clutching his body in agony.

Wendy shrieked at the sight of this, jumping behind her chair as a desperate attempt to create a wall between her and the dark mage.

Natsu stopped in front of the small girl, tilting his head sideways. "You do healing magic, correct?"

His voice seemed empty, hollow from any emotion. It was unnerving.

Wendy sniffed and whimpered, her voice quivering as she sobbed quietly.

Natsu grew impatient, grabbing the girl by her dress collar and pulling her forward. "ANSWER ME!"

Lucy launched forward, wrapping her arms around Wendy, who broke down crying. "Natsu! Wh-what is wrong with you? Leave her alone!"

Natsu shifted his gaze towards Lucy, and within his eyes, she saw something that she would never forget. It was fear.

"Please… just tell me." He slowly released his grip on Wendy, and sunk to his knees. Wendy's fear turned into uncertainty, as she began to feel disturbed by Natsu's mental deterioration.

"Can you heal him? He's dying." Natsu's head was hung low, tears brimming his eyes.

Lucy was taken aback. The drastic change in Natsu's temper was something to be concerned about. Lucy let go of Wendy and kneeled down in front of him, her hands on his shoulders. "Who? Who is dying?"

Natsu shook his head, defeated. "It's Happy. It's my freaking cat." Agony flashed over Lucy's eyes, as memories of the blue cat she knew and loved flooded into her mind. She looked up to Wendy fearfully. "We have to help him."

Terror overtook Wendy's face. She grabbed Lucy's arm. "That's insane! Lucy, we can't trust him… Did you see what he just did to Master? Come on, we have to get out of here…" Wendy's voice was shaking, as she spoke.

As she held on to Lucy, she turned towards Laxus. "Master, are you okay!?" Laxus was on the floor, his eyes shut as he writhed in pain. Even with his tough dragon skin, Natsu had inflicted deep burnt marks all over him.

The fire must have been excruciatingly hot.

Laxus looked up to the girls and his eyes widened. "WATCH OUT!"

It was too late.

Natsu had appeared behind them, and hit the back of their heads. "I'm so sorry, girls." He sniffled. "But I've wasted enough time."

Laxus was pushing himself off the floor, his muscles violently shaking.

"Don't do this! Natsu, you're going to regret this…" Natsu turned his back to Laxus. He climbed out the window, one girl on his back and the other in his arms.

"Like I'd give a shit." He said, before taking off.

: : :

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