Ch 11: A Deadly Duo
Two weeks later in Makarov's office:
"And then he walked off with her in his arms, without looking back even after I called out for him. I would have gone after him Master, but unfortunately I was too injured and everyone else showed up at that point as you know." said Erza as she looked up at Makarov and then turned to look at Mira who was the only other person in the room. She was surprised that during the entire story the barmaid never spoke up once like she thought she would, Erza could only assume she was letting her get it all out at in one go.
"That is very interesting to say the least Erza, and I can definitely see why you decided to keep your interactions with Natsu a secret from everyone else." stated Makarov with a thoughtful look firmly displayed across his face the whole time.
"I didn't want to add more to the rumors that are already going around about him." she replied with a frown as she looked down at her feet in shame. Believing that somehow this was all her fault for not preventing the dragon slayer from taking that S-Class job that set him down this terrible path he was now walking.
"Erza this isn't your fault, how many times do I have to tell you that and I know that he would tell you the same thing if he was here. And from what I just heard I know that the Natsu we all love and grew up is still in there even if he's trying his hardest to not let anyone else know it." stated Mira with a soft smile, glad to see that her words were able to at least get that frown off of the knight's face.
"I am thinking the same thing as well you two, and we'll be able to get a better understanding about Natsu's current state once I talk to Yajima about his involvement in all of this." said the elderly Master with a hopeful smile.
"Master I don't think he'll be able to tell you much about this, because from what I could glean from Natsu there is definitely more going on here than what he let on." she said now having a concerned look gracing her face, since Natsu had a knack of being in the center of chaos without even trying to.
"Let on Erza? From what you told us he barely told you anything we didn't already know about him." chuckled Mira, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.
"I know he didn't say much, but from how he acted and how he chose his words so deliberately. He was definitely not telling me the whole truth about what he's up to and since he's no longer part of the guild I can't really expect him to." she replied, once again frowning at the realization that he wasn't coming back to them anytime soon.
"Natsu is walking his own path now, and all we can do is hope that what he learned while with us will keep him on the right path." Makarov stated with a frown, clearly feeling responsible about all of this since he didn't have to kick him out of the guild like he did. But at the time he thought it would be a good learning experience that might cause him to finally grow up a little bit. What Makarov didn't count on was everything going so badly for the boy and effectively causing him to grow up in just a day since he was thrown into the deep end of the underworld with no support to back him up.
"I am not a fan of what he's been forced to do since we kicked him out, but he's already helped us twice from preventing something really bad from happening. Both times he had to deal with Wizard Saints might I add, which means that he's still growing as a wizard while he's out there." stated Mira with a slight smile, without the cheer that it usually has. But that was probably due to her trying to get the awful rumors about the dragon slayer out of her head, most of them depicting him as a savage monster that shouldn't be messed with under any circumstances.
"Actually now that you mention it how in the world did he get so strong so fast, because when he left us he couldn't even take me on? Now he's somehow able to take on two different Wizard Saints alone and come out victorious both times. Also I have never heard about a dragon slayer being able to do some sort of transformation like he did during his fight with Jellal." asked Erza as she turned to look at the two of them for some sort of answer.
"Considering that when he first came to us all those years ago and none of us believed him about being a dragon slayer it's not too shocking we don't know much about them. It is a lost magic and the only two mages that I know of who have it are Natsu and Gajeel, who by the way clams up at the mere mention of Natsu." she said with a slightly concerned look.
"The beating that Natsu gave him would have definitely killed anyone else other than him so it's to be expected that he wouldn't want to talk about the man that nearly killed him without even trying. A fact that Natsu definitely made clear, by then going to face Jose right afterwards and killing him like he did." stated Makarov as he hoped off his chair and stood facing out his window. The other two knew that he wasn't finished so they gave each other a nervous look and remained silent so he could continue when he wanted to.
"As for how Natsu got this strong the answer to that is that he never really showed us what he was actually capable of before this. Probably out of the fear of possibly hurting someone that he cares about, but now that he no longer has to be concerned about that he can actually go all out." he said with a slight smile, because if that was in fact true then every time Natsu said he was trying to not cause damage it was actually the truth.
"But what about that weird transformation thing he did?" asked Erza with a slightly irritated tone in her voice.
"Now that is actually something that really concerns me." he answered, which affectively got both of the women way more concerned than they were just a few seconds ago.
"After talking with Gajeel and from the little that I know about dragon slayers I can only assume that he's capable of using Dragon Force." he finished while pinching the bridge of his nose. Now thinking about how if this actually got out to the rest of the world Natsu would become one of the most sought after mages in the country. Unfortunately for him it wouldn't be just from people wanting the dragon slayer to join whatever group they were part of, there would definitely be quite a few who would try and harness this power and not care that it was an actual person that possessed it.
"Dragon Force? I've never heard of that before and I don't even know if Natsu does either." stated Mira with a worried expression that was being mirrored by the scarlet knight next to her.
"He probably doesn't, which makes all of this even more frightening than either of you could imagine. From what I got from Gajeel and the records that the Council has on Lost Magic, it is the pinnacle of dragon slayer magic. Supposedly while in that state they have the strength and power of an actual dragon, which is apparently how a human is actually capable of slaying a dragon." he explained while still looking out his window.
"Are there any down sides of him using it?" asked Erza, already imagining that he was slowly killing himself each and every time he used it.
"That I don't know Erza; most types of Lost Magic have very little information about them. Hence the term of Lost Magic, but what I do know is that what Natsu did is supposed to impossible. Well at least according to Gajeel that is, because from what his dragon told him about Dragon Force a slayer can only enter it after ingesting a large amount of magic." he answered while finally turning back to them and returning to his chair.
"But when I saw him use it he didn't eat any fire, which is what he would have had to do to absorb enough magic." she stated with a confused expression.
"And I believe you are correct about him not consuming anything like you said, so that means he has found some other way to access it. I have a theory on how he accomplished this and if it's true than it was a price that he never would have paid if given the option." responded Makarov as he looked at the two with guilt written all over his face.
"What could be too high of a price for having the power of an actual dragon?" asked Mira. Only for his guilty look to finally make sense as her brain put all of the pieces together as a look of horror came over her own.
"Oh dear Mavis." she stated while covering her mouth and then looking down at the floor. Knowing that Natsu would instantly give up his new found power, if it meant that it would bring him back, even if it was for just a day.
Erza had also come to the same conclusion as Mira by this time and had a similar reaction to the barmaid, but her response was a little milder compared to the barmaid. "So how are we supposed to proceed from here Master?" she asked, hoping that he had some sort of encouraging words for them.
"We will keep all of what we were just discussing between the three of us for now, which shouldn't be too hard of a problem. But as for what we should do about Natsu, unfortunately Erza I don't have an answer for that one since he's made it abundantly clear he doesn't want to have anything to do with me." he replied with a hurt look coming across his face. The two beauties where about to tell him that he was wrong and that Natsu would eventually come around, but he was apparently not done speaking.
"I know that both of you want to tell me that I'm wrong about that, but we all know that I'm unfortunately not. And what pains me even more than that, is that I'm no longer sure if he would even come back to the guild if I wasn't here anymore. That one small decision I made that day not only took away his best friend, but it might have also ruined his relationship with all of you as well." he continued while putting his head in his hands. Leaving Erza and Mira completely speechless, neither of them had ever seen him so uncertain and distraught during their entire time at the guild.
"Master you are not the one responsible for Happy's death, that falls on the hands of the ones who actually killed him and Jose's. All of whom have been dealt with by Natsu and won't harm another person ever again." declared Mira as she gave him a stern look that he didn't even notice since he was still staring at his desk.
"A small part of me wants to believe that Mira, but it was my job to protect him from ever having to be put into a position like that. And I knew something was off about none of the other guilds picking him up, but I did nothing and sat back while he and Happy struggled to make it all on their own." stated Makarov barely above a whisper but it was still loud enough for the two other occupants to hear him.
"But you were looking into it Master, you never could have guessed what Jose was up to." pointed out Erza, who hated seeing him like this.
"Now look at me, I've got the two of you worried about me more than you already were. So let's move onto a brighter topic like the upcoming Fantasia Parade and the beauty pageant we're having earlier that day." he said with a genuine smile, that unfortunately the other two could tell wasn't as bright as it once was.
About a week's walk away from Magnolia in the middle of a swamp:
Fiore is known to have a wide variety of landscapes, ranging from semi normal areas like the Worth Woodsea and Mt. Hakobe. But it also has a few locations scattered across it that define all logic and reason such as the swap two lone figures can be seen walking through right now. Now what sets this specific swamp apart from all the other swamps that are sprinkled across Fiore, besides it somehow being nameless? The first thing a normal person would take notice of is the dense fog that hangs over it and doesn't disperse despite whatever might be happening around it.
Now if a mage happened upon this swamp they would notice two different things other than the fog, with one that would cause most of them to steer clear of it completely. One of those things would be the high concentration of Ethernano floating in the air which is something that would usually cause people to flock towards it. But the other thing that a mage would notice is the slight stench of death that clings to the air and fills most explores with a sense of uneasiness and foreboding that eventually forces them to leave and never return.
Although that is what usually happens when someone stumbles upon this secluded little swamp that is hidden in the middle of Fiore. There are those who even after sensing the unpleasantness of the area continue on without a care in the world, just like the two mentioned before are currently doing. Both of whom would stick out as much as they currently are right now even if they were in the middle of a city. And that would mainly be due to both of them wearing white outfits and having pink hair that easily catches almost everyone's eyes as they pass them by.
"I kind of like this place." stated the male with a smirk as the two continued to walk through the swamp as if it was just a casual stroll through the park.
"And why in the world would you like a dreary place like this?" asked the woman as she glared down at the bottom of her kimono, that was completely ruined after just a minute in this place.
"Because I imagine that this would be the perfect place to go and not be disturbed by anyone for as long as you want to be alone." he replied while shrugging his shoulders and not even sparing her a second glance. Something that his companion took notice of and didn't seem too happy about, if her slight glare was anything to go by.
"There are plenty of places other than a swamp that can provide the same seclusion, while also not being completely disgusting like it is here. Just look at what it did to my beautiful kimono, not to mention the fact that we can't even see ten feet in front of us." she stated while still glaring at him.
"True, but I bet most of those places don't turn away people like this place does." he said while giving her a quick grin, which was more than enough to get her to stop glaring at him.
"It's probably why Death's Head Caucus made it the location of their headquarters." she replied with a small grin.
"No kidding, even if the Council knew that their guild was located in here I don't know if they could ever actually find it. Actually how do the members get to their guild hall with all of this fucking fog lingering about at all times of the day?" he asked while coming to a stop and getting her to do the same.
"We are given a little devise that can lead us through it, and they only last for about a day so there is no fear of an outsider getting their hands on one of them and stumbling in by accident." she explained, while wondering why he actually decided to stop randomly like he did.
"Interesting, I've got another question for you. How in the world does this place not have a name by now, I mean this fog alone is name worthy by itself?" he asked while gesturing at the dense fog that seemed to have actually gotten worse somehow.
"That's actually an interesting little mystery about this place that is still up for debate. From what I was told it did have a name at one point before it was covered with this damn fog and Ethernano, but as soon as they both showed up the name was forgotten and lost from history." she answered while covertly scanning over his shoulder and taking notice of a few odd branches in the surrounding trees.
"Okay, but then why hasn't it gotten a new name?" he asked with a smug grin spreading across his lips.
"People have tried, but for some reason none of the names seem to stick and everyone just seems to forget about them." she replied, but was thrown off guard when he slipped his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers. And if they weren't this close to each other she wouldn't have never been able to hear what he whispered to her, but even if she hadn't she would have been able to get the gist of it by crazed grin that was making its way over his face.
But as soon as it was there it disappeared just as fast, only for him to bring her into a passionate kiss. One that caused both of them to forget that they were currently in a swamp, him having a firm grasp on her ass as he actually picked her up. While she on the other hand had one hand in his pink locks while the other one was also keeping him right where she wanted him with it on the back of his neck. And they both only stopped so that they could get some air to breathe, she wanted to go straight back to it but one look into his eyes told her otherwise as he set her back down.
And just like that, the two of them went back to walking as if they hadn't just made out like two horny teens just seconds ago. "Do you know what the real problem with this fog is?" he asked with a sly grin as she looked at him with a knowing look.
Seeing that he wasn't going to proceed unless she asked him what, she let out a long sigh while also rolling her eyes. "No I don't, please tell me." she stated in a bored tone, since she didn't feel the need to ever do any of these theatrics whenever she was doing a job with her old team. But considering what he did for her she could let him have some fun every now and again, and if she was honest with herself it usually did make it more entertaining than it would have been without it.
"It does offer great cover, but it can just as easily be used against you. Especially when dealing with a dragon slayer who can pinpoint an attacker from one hundred yards away just from their scent alone." he said with a grin that showed off his fangs. The very next second two crimson balls of fire shot from his hands and went into the fog and becoming a faint red glow until they both hit their targets. And upon hitting their marks two explosions rung out in the fog, while also being accompanied by the screams of agony of the mages hiding in it.
"ATTACK THEM NOW!" shouted out a voice from the fog. And right after that four hooded figures appeared in the location that once contained the pink haired duo, that were now absent without leaving a trace. This of course caused the four of them to start looking around as a fearful panic started to set on their group as the cries of agony could still be heard in the distance.
"Where the hell did they go?" asked one of them just as a new terrified scream could be heard originating from their right. It quickly turned from one of fear to the sounds of someone possibly screaming out their last breath since it was gone after a few seconds.
"Shit, this is definitely not how it was supposed to go down." stated a male member of their group as a new scream of terror echoed throughout the swamp.
"There are only two of them for crying out loud and we have the advantage of home turf." replied a different member as the rest of his group turned to look at him. But what they were met with was something that none of them could have ever expected to see, and that was his head falling off his shoulders and the rest of his body following afterwards into the swamp.
And standing behind him was none other than Ikaruga, one of the top members of their guild or more accurately former member. The remaining three knew that they had absolutely no hope facing her right now, even with the advantage of it being three to one currently. "Hello, what no warm greetings for an old member of the guild?" she asked with a smirk as she eyed up the three in front of her.
"You know the guild's standing on members failing a job Ikaruga." said one of the two females in their little group. She tried to sound confident, but the small explosions and screams of her fellow guild members dying was getting to her and caused her voice to waver.
"Actually that is the exact reason why my friend and I decided to stop by and have a few words with all of you." replied Ikaruga still smirking as she slowly walked towards them. Only stopping so a charred body wouldn't hit her on her route to them, this seemed to terrify the three more for obvious reasons.
"I was actually trying to convince my partner that we didn't need to wipe all of you out and only needed to dispatch the guild master and a few of the higher ranked members. But then you idiots actually went so far as to attack us while we were having a lovely stroll." she said as her smirk was lost and she now looked at the three of them with disgust and anger.
"We were just following orders Ikaruga." replied the only male as he fought to keep his body from shaking at the mere sight of her glare.
"So am I, and Salamander really doesn't like it when someone attacks his mate." she said with her smirk once again coming over her face. As she watched the three realize how truly screwed they were right now and why the rest of their members were mercilessly being hunted down on their own turf.
Two of them after processing this took off in the other direction as fast as they could without even sparing a glance back at the two girls looking at each other. "How in the world did that happen?" asked the last member of Death's Head Caucus as she looked the sword mistress in the eyes.
"It's a long story, and aren't you going to try and flee like the rest of your team?" asked back Ikaruga, finding it slightly odd that the woman in front of her wasn't even making any attempts to defend herself either.
"Why run away and be cut down like a cowardly dog? No I would much rather stare down the person that is going to end it, knowing that at least I have a little honor remaining." she replied with a slight smile.
"We are like minded on that, and I thought it was all over for me just two weeks ago. But Salamander had other plans for me and saved my life, which is actually why I'm standing here right now and doing what I must to ensure that I can eventually pay him back." said Ikaruga with a faint smile gracing her face.
The other woman was about to speak, but another horrid scream came from inside the fog and stopped her momentarily. After regaining her composure she looked back at her soon to be executioner with a determined look in her eyes. "So what I'm hearing right now is the handy work of him?" she asked still having that same look in her eyes as before.
"Yes it is, and I know what you're thinking right now, which is that there is no way that a Fairy could be responsible for what you're hearing right now. I thought the same thing since those rumors about him killing Jose and those other dark mages seemed like they were nothing more than just that." stated Ikaruga as a huge explosion rang out from her left side and actually caused her hair to sway to the right from the air pressure.
"But they are all true and I would go so far as to say that they don't give him enough credit for how brutal and deadly he can actually be from what I've seen of him so far. I mean not many mages can say that they've taken out two Wizard Saints all by themselves like he has, oh you didn't hear about him taking out Siegrain a little while ago did you?" she continued with a bigger smirk than normal. Watching as the other woman's eyes almost came out of her head after hearing that little bit of information.
"You've got to be kidding me." stated the lady in a hushed tone, afraid that the man they were speaking about might show up any second now.
"Nope, and you idiots were about to attack him as if he was just a normal mage." she said while taking notice that the screams and explosions seemed to have abruptly come to an end.
"Master doesn't stand a chance against someone like that, especially with most of our higher ups being out on other jobs." replied the woman as she too finally took notice of how quiet it was now.
"So it's just Master at the guild hall?" asked Ikaruga as she watched for any signs of deceit.
"No there should be about ten other members who weren't sent out here to deal with you two. But from what just happened I'm confident that the two of you can easily handle it." she answered while looking down, wondering when Ikaruga was finally going to be done with her and slice her in half.
"Very interesting, you've been more helpful than I would've thought a member would be." stated Ikaruga as she looked the young lady up and down again. Making sure to memorize everything she could about her and how she carried herself, something that the lady appeared to take notice of.
"Why in the world are you looking at me like that?" she asked in a slightly nervous tone since she was being inspected as if she was a piece of meat.
"She's looking at you like that because I'm pretty sure she wants to keep you." came the voice of Natsu as he casually strolled up to them from the direction that the other two had run off a while ago. Needless to say the assassin was a little terrified by his sudden appearance and his current look, which was his normal outfit but with the addition of him having blood splattered all over him.
"K-keep m-m-me?" she stuttered out while slightly backing away from Natsu and towards Ikaruga.
"Natsu I don't plan to have her as a pet!" declared Ikaruga as she glared at him, but couldn't keep it up due to his smug grin that he currently had.
"But I would be lying if I didn't say that she intrigues me enough to let her live." she finished now having a devious smirk on her face as she checked the woman out again. Something that would have scared the lady more than she already was, if she wasn't currently looking at Natsu like a wild animal backed into a corner.
"Whatever Ikaruga, if you are fine with letting her go then by all means let her go. But before you do I have to give her a little helpful advice that she will be better for knowing." he said while continuing to walk towards them and finally stopping just a foot in front of last member of Death's Head Caucus that was sent at them.
He slowly leaned in towards her so that his mouth was right next to her right ear, allowing the terrified girl to feel the heat radiating off of him. "If you so much as look at Ikaruga with any ill intent… I will enjoy hunting you down and taking my time with finishing you off in the most painful way possible." he said in just a whisper.
"But that shouldn't be a problem since she obviously sees something in you." finished Natsu in his normal voice as he walked past her and brought Ikaruga into another passionate embrace that quickly turned into a kiss.
"Well aren't you getting a little frisky?" asked Ikaruga with a sultry look as they separated for air. Both of them being able to see how much the other wanted to rip the clothes off of each other right then and there so that they could start going at it like rabbits.
"You're one to talk." he stated with a smirk while motioning down to her hand that was fiddling with his belt and pants. Knowing full well that she was talking about his one hand that had found its way once again to her ass while the other one was holding her side just under her right breast.
"I can't let you have all the fun now can I?" she asked while actually getting the belt to unbuckle and proceeding to work on his pants with her usual smirk.
"As much as I want to keep this going, don't we have some more pressing matters to attend to? Like what you plan to do with our current spectator, or more importantly finishing off the rest of your old guild." he stated while giving her ass a firm squeeze and then brushing a few stray hairs of her behind her ear with his other. He enjoyed the slightly shocked look she made while trying to suppress a moan from escaping her lips from that simple action of his, showing how much she really wanted him at the moment.
"You're correct, every time we're just about to have some fun my old guild seems to come and ruin it." she said with a slight scowl that then turned back to a smirk.
"That alone is reason enough for us to destroy Death's Head Caucus, which we'll have pretty much done after today. Of course there will be a few random members showing up to try and kill us, but that will just make sure we stay on our toes." she finished while bringing him into kiss this time.
"Never hurts to remain on our toes, but you still haven't said what you plan to do with her." said Natsu while gesturing over his shoulder at the woman that had been watching them this whole time. Too scared to make a single noise or move from her current spot as the two made out with each other.
"I still haven't decided what to do with her yet, we did agree that it would probably be best to kill all of them." she replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked at the nervous woman they were talking about.
"I've already accepted that I was going to die today, and I will not become the pet of someone." said the woman in a confident tone that only wavered when Natsu turned to look at her. With a look that said if Ikaruga wanted her to become a pet for her then he was going to make it happen despite whatever she might believe.
"And that little fact alone is why you are still standing here right now. So I've decided to let you live, so why not try and find a new reason to exist like I've done after my life." said Ikaruga with a grin as she turned away from her and headed towards the direction that Natsu told her earlier contained the guild.
"Are you serious?" she asked with a shocked expression taking over her tense one that she had since finding out that Natsu was with Ikaruga.
"Yep, but if you come after me for revenge then we'll be sure to make you regret that we didn't kill you today." replied Ikaruga as she with Natsu by her side started to walk into the fog and disappeared from view. Leaving the poor girl all alone with her own thoughts in the middle of the swamp, with the main question being what they both could gain by leaving her alive when they had just so easily taken down everyone else only moments ago.
"I'm surprised that you let her live." stated Natsu with a little grin on his face once he knew that they were out of ear shot.
"And why do you find me sparing someone so surprising might I ask?" she said while giving him a stern look that he knew meant she wasn't going to let up until he answered her.
"Well you were a well-known assassin, and to become that I'd assume that you wouldn't be able to ever really do that." he explained with a casual shrug of his shoulders while making sure that they were heading in the right direction.
"True, but now that I'm no longer an assassin I don't have to be so heartless all of the time. Besides I didn't kill all of those other mages at the tower when I could have easily done it." she replied with a slight frown as she looked down at her feet as they trudged through the swampy water that went up to her knees.
"Hey I wasn't trying to make you feel bad or anything Ikaruga, I'm just glad to see that there is more to you than a deadly woman with an incredible body that is madly in love with me." he replied with a smirk as she playfully hit him now with a smile gracing her face.
"Also I'm glad that you didn't kill the rest of them since that would have definitely made things really difficult for us in the future. And from what I saw of your fight I don't know if you would have been able to kill Juvia if you even wanted to." he finished now having a huge grin spread across his lips as she started to hit him again, but this time a little harder than before.
"I'll have you know that if it was just the two of us I could have easily killed that crazy stalker of yours." she declared after hitting him a little while longer, only to then turn her head away from him with her nose held up in the air.
"For the last time Ikaruga she isn't a crazy stalker, I was just apparently the first person to actually treat her like another human being. And because of that she acts a little weird around me when compared to everyone else." he stated with a sigh. For some reason Juvia had become a frequent topic of conversation between the two of them since the incident at the tower of heaven, and if it was any other woman Natsu would have believed that she was getting jealous for no reason.
"Whatever you say Natsu, but a woman knows when a different woman likes her man more than just as a friend." she stated while looking back at him with a stern look that he just chuckled at.
"So you're admitting that I'm your man, when did that start?" he asked with a smug smile after he stopped chuckling.
"Since you saved me, but that's not the point I was trying to make you idiot." she shouted at him with an angry huff at the end as he once again went back to chuckling. And they continued on like this until he abruptly came to a stop as they stood out in front of a large building that was suspended above the water by at least three feet.
That wasn't the only thing that set this building apart from most buildings, no what did that the most was the incorporation of the trees that were heavily scattered throughout this swamp. From what you could see from the outside of the building it would appear that about eighty percent of the building was made with the local trees. But it was done with the aid of magic since the trees grew in unnatural ways that made the building still have living walls that only became stronger as time passed by.
"You definitely don't see a building like that every day." he stated with a long whistle as he admired the building that rivaled the size of Fairy Tail's guildhall before Gajeel destroyed it.
"It's been around as long as the guild has." she informed him with her usual smirk.
"It's a shame that it will most likely be destroyed here shortly, so how do we want to go about this?" he asked with a serious look directed at his partner since he knew that the master of an assassin's guild like Death's Head Caucus was sure to be a deadly opponent.
"Well I'm confident that they know we're coming for them by now, so I would say we go with a strategy that they wouldn't expect from us. And the easiest way to do that would be to split up and take out as many as we can since I'm confident that my old Master won't make a move until no one else is left." she suggested now also having a serious look on her face as well.
"Fine by me." he replied while cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders.
"Natsu please be careful, and if you happen to run into him before we meet back up again he's a shadow mage." she stated while looking at him with a little bit of concern. But she knew he could handle all of them by himself if he wanted to after what she witnessed from him already.
"I will as long as you do the same, and seriously is there something I don't know about shadow magic?" he asked with his usual grin as she chuckled at his comment. Knowing that so far the only shadow mages that he's ever met so far have been dark mages, but she didn't know that it was one of them that killed Happy. If she had then she would have known that there was absolutely nothing for her to worry about if he ran into her old Master by himself. And without saying another word to each other they headed into the building, ready to end this chapter of her life for good.
Two brutal hours later for Death's Head Caucus:
"I have to say that I'm quite impressed with your abilities Salamander. And I'm not just talking about your fighting skills; I don't know how you were able to convince Ikaruga to turn on us but bravo my boy." said the guild Master while clapping his hands still seated behind his desk. He was acting as if his whole guild hadn't just been completely wiped out over the past few days and more specifically the last few hours.
"Thanks, but I'm not a fan of being called a boy, since I'm anything but that. Something that I'm confident I've just proven to most people by now with my current escapades." replied Natsu as he dropped the corpse of the last mage standing between him and the guild master.
"Oh, just like how you don't like being called a Fairy anymore." he stated with a grin. As a small explosion of crimson flames destroyed pretty much everything in the office the next second, leaving a clearly upset Natsu standing by himself as he glared at the spot that used to contain the guild master.
"No I don't really care to be called that anymore, so why don't you come back out so we can actually start having some fun." stated Natsu as his magic started to flare up and he went into Dragon Force.
"You are not an easy one to trick are you Salamander, well at least you don't seem to be anymore that is? So how about we skip the fight where I put you in your place and jump straight to me offering you and Ikaruga a place at my guild. I mean you have both proven to be more than capable enough, not only that but you've also gotten rid of most of the weaklings already so this time Death's Head Caucus will only be the best of the best." he offered with a huge grin spread across his face. Not knowing that an offer like that would if anything have the opposite effect on the dragon slayer than desired.
"You'd really do that?" asked Natsu with a grin that showed off his longer than normal fangs.
"Yes I would, I can already tell that we're going to become one of the most feared dark guilds in the country." he replied while somehow not detecting the killing intent that Natsu currently had for him right now.
"I don't really know about all that." stated Natsu as his grin only grew in size.
"What in the world are you talking about Salam…" he asked only for him to now be face to face with Natsu and being lifted up by the throat.
"What I meant by that is I might be one of the most feared mages in Fiore within the next few years. But you and Death's Head Caucus will definitely not be around to achieve anything like that as well." growled Natsu before swinging his fist at the man's face. But rather than him feeling the bones crunching under his fist like he expected he was met with absolutely nothing.
"That's a shame; I was really hoping to use you and that traitorous bitch of yours to get back to the top in just a few months. But since you've decided to throw your lives away I guess it will just take me a few more months." he replied while coming back out of a shadow with a smug grin on his face. But it was instantly removed when a flaming red fist connected with the side of his face and launched him into the other side of the room and almost through the wall.
Before he could even react to this he was already being assaulted by "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FISTS!" from the enraged dragon slayer. "FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP STRIKE!" shouted Natsu as he held the man's face with his right hand that once again became empty thanks to him going back into a shadow.
"SHADOW BLADES!" screamed out the slightly burned and very enraged guild master as he appeared in the corner of the room. Ten pure black daggers where formed out of shadows in front of his out stretched hands and then sent flying at the back of Natsu before he could even turn.
"I'm going to really enjoy slicing you apart piece by piece Salamander." he said while clutching the left side of his face that now had a severe burn. But he stopped talking when he realized that his last attack seemed to have absolutely no effect on the mage in front of him who was completely covered in crimson flames.
"I think I might have to do that to you since it does sound like a good time. Especially since you had the balls to call Ikaruga a bitch to my face and even threaten to try and kill her." said Natsu while fire literally spewed from his mouth and only increased the amount that was already coating him.
"SHADOW BLAST!" shouted out the master as he unloaded dark bullets composed of shadow from his fingertips. And he kept this up until he realized something that he couldn't believe or understand, somehow without even putting up any sort of defense, Natsu was dispelling his attacks before they could connect with him as he slowly proceeded towards his prey, which was unfortunately him.
"That's not going to work buddy and neither is any of your other attacks." declared Natsu as he continued to walk towards him with a slight snarl escaping from his lips.
"We'll fucking see about that Salamander! SHADOWS OF ENSNAREMENT! SHADOWS OF DESPAIR!" shouted out the master of Death's Head Caucus. His first spell sent shadow tendrils that would usually latch onto his opponent and restrain them from being able to move an inch. While his second spell formed two large cobras from his own shadow that went out from his feet and could easily strike at someone over twenty feet away from him with a simple hand gesture.
But once again he was at a loss for words when he realized that his first spell seemed to have no affect on Natsu what so ever. And the smug look he was currently receiving from the dragon slayer made him instantly loss the little calm that he had been trying to regain to finish this fight. "How are you doing that Salamander?" he shouted as he positioned his two snakes in between the two of them.
"It's actually pretty simple really, what gets rid of shadows." replied Natsu with a little chuckle as his flames intensified and the two snakes slithered back ever so slightly.
"That's bullshit; there is no way that your flames can overpower my shadows so easily!" he hollered while getting both of his snakes to lung at Natsu. Who dodged both of them with what appeared to be an ease that could only come from years of training to push his body to the limits. And now that he was past their heads he delivered a swift slash to the one on his right, cutting it in two and effectively making the shadow mage's spell half as deadly.
"What were you saying?" asked Natsu while now just five feet away from the guild master. Who now had a terrified expression on his face, regretting that he didn't take the rumors about Natsu seriously since he used to be from Fairy Tail and was only known before for being an idiot who caused a lot of damage. So he did the only smart thing to do in a situation like this and that was to run, which was something he excelled at thanks to him being able to go into shadows.
"GGGAAAHHHH!" he screamed out in pain as he was launched through one of the walls and fell onto the floor below. And as he looked back up all he could see was a crimson ball of fire before he was feeling the most excruciating pain that he ever had the displeasure of feeling. All thanks to a flaming foot being imbedded into his gut and burning him while also keeping him pinned there.
"Sorry but I'm not going to let you get away that easily. And I'm betting you're surprised that I knew about still being able to hit you while you're in your shadow form?" asked Natsu with a wicked grin spread across his face as he looked down at the man beneath him. Watching with disgust as he shouted out a few different spells, but each and every time they resulted in absolutely nothing thanks to his overpowering flames.
"How are you so strong?" he asked back while in obvious pain, while completely ignoring Natsu's question since it was obvious that he thought that.
"The old me would have said I got this way because of my friends and family. But now that I'm a little short on both of those I'd have to say it's because I was lucky enough to be found by a dragon. Well that and I've decided that I'll do absolutely whatever it takes to protect the few things that I still hold dear in this world." answered Natsu while increasing the pressure and also the amount of flames that were coating his foot.
"And you unfortunately, are someone that has to die to ensure that Ikaruga won't be bothered by her old life anymore." he explained while glaring down at the assassin beneath his boot. But he was caught off guard when he noticed that the man was smiling back up at him.
"Sorry Salamander, but she'll always have someone coming for her head. Granted you've successfully stopped Death's Head Caucus from trying to accomplish that, but what are you going to do about all the people that she's pissed off during her time here? Or a better question what are you going to do when the Council sends people or even other mages after her?" asked the man while he broke into crazed laughter that continued on most likely due to the intense pain that he was currently in.
"That's none of your business." growled out Natsu as he decided to finish him off right then. He then brought down both of his flaming hands and imbedded them into the man's shoulders, eliciting the loudest scream from the master so far. That was only then topped when Natsu in a swift movement ripped of both of his arms, causing the man beneath him to writhe in agony. "I will turn against the whole world if that's what I need to do to protect her." he spat out before slamming down his foot and crushing the guy's skull into the floorboards.
"Those are some very good questions he had that I wouldn't mind hearing your answers to." stated Ikaruga with a sly smirk as she leaned against the wall just a few feet away.
"As I've told you before Ikaruga you won't have to worry about the Council as long as you stick with me. And as for other people coming after you for revenge, I really doubt they will pose much of a threat to either of us. Also after word gets out that you're now with me I highly doubt anyone will be stupid enough to even try." he said while walking towards her with a smirk of his own.
"A girl could definitely get used to having a big bad dragon slayer protecting her like this." she replied while walking towards him as well. But as she did, she let her kimono slip off of her with each step so that once they were right in front of each other it was barely even on her anymore.
"Seems like you want to pick up where we left off." he stated with a little growl as he moved in for a kiss. "Just a little bit more." thought Ikaruga as their lips were just centimeters apart. Only for him to stop and her to now feel a painful burning sensation in her chest.
"What?" she asked while looking into his eyes that were now glaring back at her with absolute hatred. And as she looked down her eyes widened when she realized his hand was buried in her chest and most likely sticking out of her back.
"Did you honestly think you could pass yourself off as my mate?" asked Natsu as the arm going through her lit on fire and caused her to scream out as it burned her from the inside out.
"You're lucky that I don't really enjoy torturing people, because if I did then you would have just earned yourself a really long session for trying to pull something like that." he said as her lifeless body fell to the ground, no longer looking like Ikaruga at all and having a closer resemblance to Lucy's landlady.
"Now I need to go and see where the real Ikaruga is at right now." he thought as he took a big whiff of the air to get her scent. And just like that he let his nose lead him to where she was currently residing at which appeared to be in the third level of the guild hall. As he made his way through the floor he couldn't help but realize that this used to be the guilds living corridors that Ikaruga probably used quite often before. He now found himself in front of a door that he knew contained her on the other side, and judging from the smell it was in fact her old room. So with that in mind he turned away to let her gather whatever belongings she might want to keep before they leave this place for good.
"Natsu, is that you?" asked Ikaruga from inside the room.
"Yeah, but I think I'll just wait for you outside." he replied while he continued to slowly walk away.
"Wait, I want you to come in so I can show you something." she said in a slightly nervous tone that caused him to start worrying about someone else possibly getting the drop on her.
"Coming in." he announced as he opened the door ready to lay the smack down if needed. But what he saw next was something he was definitely going to remember for the rest of his life fondly. Sprawled out on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room was his pink haired mate in all her natural glory. Letting him take in her shapely ass and the rest of her back side that showed how fit she truly was, while also giving him a better view of a small part of his mating mark.
"So, do you like what you see my ferocious dragon?" she asked while twisting to her side so he could get a good view of her front since her back was the only visible part to him when he entered. This also allowed him to see the rest of her mating mark, which happened to be a large, yet also slender, pink dragon mainly on her side that spilled a little bit onto her back side that he got a good look at just before. Its head actually ended right on her stomach slightly with it underneath one of her breasts by just an inch. But what attracted Natsu eyes almost instantly was the dragon's tail going down the side of her hip, with it wrapping around and ending right in between her legs. Almost as if it purposely directed his eyes to the woman's most sacred place on her whole body, a place that was soon going to belong to him alone.
Rather than saying anything back to the woman that clearly wanted to finish the last step of their mating ritual, he decided to let out a deep growl as he started to strip out of his own clothes. This caused the sexy sword mistress to let out a little giggle at how eager the dragon slayer was for this as well, probably more so than her thanks to his dragon instincts.
"Well this should be fun." she stated with a sultry grin spreading across her lips as she looked at the now equally nude dragon slayer standing in front of her.
"You have no idea." He growled out as he climbed onto the bed and her as they locked eyes. Allowing both of them to see how much they each wanted this which was easily seen from the lust in their eyes, but Natsu was shocked to see that she actually had a little bit of love in them as well. So with a happy grin he brought her into a passionate kiss that he hoped would let her know his true feelings about her at the moment and that it was going to remain that way no matter what.
Had anyone other than those two remained alive in that swamp they would have gotten an earful of the two's very first and passionate love making. That somehow carried on for a few hours and resulted with more than a few of Death's Head Caucus' rooms being completely destroyed.
Five days later in Hargeon:
"Laxus, would you please reconsider getting him involved in this? You heard what Bixlow saw when we last met him and that was over a month ago." pleaded Evergreen as the two walked down one of the back alleys of the port town where it was commonly known that the less than reputable people hang out.
"For the last time Ever, he's going to be the last piece of the puzzle to push the old man past his limit and hand the guild over to me. Also I find it hard to believe that Natsu of all people scared the three of you like he did, that alone makes me want to see the little brat again." replied Laxus with a huge grin spread across his face as he shoved a man out of his way.
"Watch where you're going asshole." he shouted at Laxus as he started to get back up.
"What was that?" asked Laxus as he came to a grinding halt and the surrounding air started to have a slight tingle to it. Something that Evergreen had grown used to while being a part of his team, and she knew that it meant the idiot that talked back to Laxus was soon going to be in a lot of pain shortly.
"I said watch where you're going asshole or are you deaf as well as blind. Because if you weren't than you wouldn't have been dumb enough to mess with me like you did. Now unfortunately my boys and I are going to have to rough you and your girlfriend up a little bit." said the man with a cocky grin as he cracked his knuckles. Behind him four similarly dressed men appeared to be getting ready for a fight that they clearly believed they were going to win.
"I'm not his girlfriend you dolts!" shouted Evergreen as she glared at them and contemplated turning them to statues right then so they could continue on. But before she could Laxus started to laugh to himself, something that the man and his goons were definitely not expecting to hear from him since most people were terrified by them at this point and would try to bargain their way out of a confrontation.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" asked one of the goons as they all watched Laxus continue to laugh to himself like he had just been told the most entertaining thing he had ever heard in his entire life.
"I don't know so why don't we go ahead and beat the shit out of him already." stated another one but made no moves because Laxus was now no longer laughing like he was just a second earlier.
"My god, what is it about him that just causes chaos to follow him no matter where he goes? I mean I don't think I've ever had a group of trash like you do something like this to me for my entire life." said Laxus as he grinned at the group of men that were glaring daggers at him.
"But when I'm just trying to go and have a meeting with an ex-guild member of mine all of this happens, it really makes you think doesn't it Ever? Oh and you pieces of filth are free to go and run off to whatever trash heap you call a home." he finished with a little chuckle and then started to walk away from them with Ever following.
"You arrogant prick, let's fuck him up boys!" shouted the leader, only for the loud clap of thunder to ring throughout the town. Laxus once again continued to walk away, leaving the few on lookers to watch as the five other men fell to the ground a twitching mess with severe burns all over them. Every once and a while a spark would shoot off of them as they continued to twitch on the ground as people passed them by since they didn't want to be on the receiving end of the remaining lightning in them.
"Right there is just another reason we shouldn't involve Natsu." stated Ever with a scowl as she looked at the extremely amused expression on Laxus's face.
"Come on Ever that will only make it all the more entertaining. Especially when his old friends are forced to fight against him, which like I said before will be more than the old man can handle." he replied with a little chuckle.
"Yes we all know that this will be more than what Master Makarov can handle. But do you really think we can trust him at all, I mean just look at what happened with Phantom Lord?" she asked him back now having a concerned look.
"You do realize that he did exactly what Jose paid him to do. If that old windbag was smarter he would have paid him to stay on until the job was finished. But since he didn't Natsu left and only returned to get revenge on Jose for the part he played in his cat's death, which just so happened to save the rest of those weaklings." he replied with a smirk as everyone made sure to steer clear of him after what he just did moments ago.
"Fine, I can see that no matter what the three of us say you are determined to involve him. But I'm not going to take my eyes off of him, because like the three of us have been saying this whole time there is definitely something off with him now." she stated with a stern look directed at Laxus that he didn't even notice.
"Well this is where I was told he likes to visit when he's in town." he stated with a grin as he looked up at the sign that read: The Drunken Sailor.
"Looks like a dump to me." commented Evergreen with a look of disgust as they entered the tavern. And upon entering they were greeted with the stench of booze, smoke and a little bit of vomit, all common smells for run down taverns like the one they were currently in. Both of them were actually a little shocked to see how crowded it was at noon, most of the tables were packed with unsavory characters having a laugh with their friends as they drank to their hearts' content. While others seemed to be most likely discussing business that one could only find willing people to do in a place like this, and a few tables were actually playing poker. But as with most things in this tavern it wasn't just a normal game of poker, no the ones taking place here where high stakes and allowed almost any kind of bet you could think of if the rest of the table agreed to it that is.
"Well if it isn't Laxus Dreyar and the beautiful Evergreen." shouted out a familiar voice from the other side of the bar. The two new guests looked over at the booth and were shocked to see not just one pink haired person like they expected but two. One of them of course was Natsu, who was the one to call out their names, while the other was a woman that neither of them knew and was sitting on his lap with her arms around him.
"So I take it these are two of your ex-guild members?" asked the lady with a smirk as she grabbed Natsu's chin and forced him to look at her in the eyes. And rather than replying like Laxus and Evergreen expected him to Natsu brought her into a heated kiss that only stopped because of Laxus letting out a cough as he and Ever stood right in front of the booth.
"Yes they are, granted we never really got to know each other that well since they like most of the guild looked down on me. But they were still what I once considered my family, feel free to take a seat you two since I assume this visit is for business and isn't for pleasure." said Natsu with a sly grin as he looked at the two. Amused by the look of sheer shock on Evergreen's face thanks to what she just saw, which shocked Laxus probably even more, but he was able to keep that hidden better than her.
"You would be correct about that Natsu, or do you prefer to be called Salamander now days?" asked Laxus as he took a seat with Ever quietly taking the one right next to him, still trying to get over the sight of Natsu making out with Ikargua.
"Honestly I don't care one way or the other on those two." He replied while gesturing for the barmaid to get them a round of drinks.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" asked Ikaruga with a clearly fake pouting face that caused Natsu to roll his eyes at her. Knowing that she just enjoyed messing with people and making them think she had him wrapped around her finger, which she kind of did since he couldn't really hurt her. But after they officially sealed that they were mates she found out that the same thing could now be said about her with regards to him.
"Ikaruga I'd like you to meet Laxus Dreyar and Evergreen of Fairy Tail as you already know. And you two I'd like to introduce you to Ikaruga, my mate." he announced and initiated another kiss with her. That was once again interrupted, but this time by Evergreen who looked completely shocked and a little scared now.
"Ikaruga, as in the sword mistress of Death's Head Caucus the dark guild, only comprised of deadly assassins?" She asked while pointing at the woman on Natsu's lap with a shaking finger.
"Yep, but I'm going to need a new form of identification since my old guild no longer exists anymore." replied Ikaruga as she smiled at Natsu lovingly. Her knowing that there weren't many men out there that would willingly take on a whole dark guild just for a single woman.
"So it's true that they were eliminated a few days ago." said Laxus with a slight grin.
"Damn, news always spreads faster than I ever expect it to." he stated with an even bigger grin than the one Laxus currently had.
"That it does, and from what I know about Death's Head Caucus failure isn't acceptable. So how is it that you're still alive right now after apparently not completing your last job?" asked Laxus as he looked at Ikaruga and Natsu.
"Well aren't you a surprisingly well informed light mage, information like that is definitely not easy to come by just anywhere." she stated as she now decided to inspect the former guild member of her mate.
"Any good mage makes sure to know what's happening around the country and even farther, and that also includes what the dark guilds are up to. So would you care to explain how you're still alive and apparently mates with Natsu?" he asked again in a more commanding tone. Only to finally realize what the rest of his team meant about Natsu now being different, because the next second he had the urge to flee which in itself is something that he rarely feels. But along with it was an unbearable heat and an overwhelming amount of magic coming from a now growling pink haired dragon slayer.
"I'll only say this once, no one and I mean absolutely no one commands my mate to do anything she doesn't want to." he growled out, clearly picking up on Laxus's slightly commanding voice and having none of it.
"And any dragon slayer worth anything knows about out mating habits and what comes along with them." he finished while looking directly into the other dragon slayer's eyes. It took every ounce of restraint that Laxus had to not reach over and lay into the smug brat, but he was only able to refrain from doing it since he still wanted to use Natsu against the rest of Fairy Tail.
The two sat there quietly glaring at each other for the next few minutes and it was only broken as the barmaid brought them back their drinks that Natsu thanked her for. "Well to answer your question Laxus, I'm still alive thanks to Natsu here and you should be smart enough to figure out how he did that." said Ikaruga with a smirk as she gave Natsu a quick kiss on the cheek. Both of them watching as Laxus quickly figured out what she meant and then had a slightly impressed grin go over his face as they all then turned to look at Evergreen.
"You've got to be joking; just the two of you took out the rest of your guild?" shouted out Ever as she looked at the two with sheer shock.
"Honestly I didn't really do much more than point my handsome dragon here in the right direction and sit back as he dealt with them." she replied with a smug grin as Evergreen looked at Natsu as if he was possibly one of the scariest things she had ever seen before.
"As fun as it is to watch Evergreen freak out like this, didn't the two of you come here to offer me a job?" asked Natsu as he looked at Laxus with a blank look.
"That we did, it's the same one that the Thunder Legion talked with you about earlier." he replied with a wicked grin coming over his face as he imagined the site of his grandpa in a few days.
"I figured as much, so the same rules apply as I said before except that Juvia is now included into the group of people you can't touch." stated Natsu as he continued to watch Laxus.
"Like hell, she can actually fight unlike the other two." argued Evergreen as she glared at him, glad that he was apparently more concerned with watching Laxus right now. Otherwise she was confident that she wouldn't have been able to glare at him at all like she currently was.
"Those are my terms, and if you don't like them then I might just go and see if Fairy Tail would be interested in hiring me to deal with the little coup that their Master's grandson is trying to pull." he replied while not breaking eye contact with Laxus, who he was surprised to see not even flinch a little bit at his little threat.
"You wouldn't dare." she hissed at him, only to find a blade firmly pressed against her throat. Curtesy of Ikaruga who seemed to find all of this very amusing, and probably wanted it to blow up so she could let loose and also let her mate have a little fun.
"If you truly don't think that he would do that then you really don't know him at all. Because the one thing he cares about almost as much as jewels is getting to have a good fight, which he probably won't get from the rest of his old guild. But judging from how the two of them have been eyeing each other this whole time I think he might get a little bit of amusement from throwing down with your boyfriend there." stated Ikaruga with an amused smirk smugly spread across her lips.
"He's not my boyfriend." she hissed back, wishing that she could reach her glasses and turn the both of them to stone. But she wasn't dumb enough to believe that she could beat a master swordswoman in speed, especially with a blade already at her throat.
"Sorry to hear that, you are truly missing out if he's even half as capable as Natsu is." replied Ikaruga with a little wink. This made poor Evergreen loss it and become a complete and utter wreck as her face became beat red at what Ikaruga was hinting at.
"I'm fine with that Natsu, so how much is it going to cost for the two of you to help us out? And I am saying two since I believe I'm correct in assuming that she will probably not want to leave your side anytime soon." he asked with a small smile.
"You'd be correct about that, and before I give you an amount what exactly to you want us to do?" Natsu asked back with a small smile of his own as the tension almost completely faded way between the group. Well for all except for Evergreen who was still held at sword point right now, which was then remedied by Natsu a few seconds later.
"It's really quite simple, all you two will need to do is walk around Magnolia and defeat any member of Fairy Tail that you happen to run into. Other than that there really isn't much for you two to do for the day." he stated with a smug grin, already imagining what Fairy Tail will be like once he's the Master.
"If that's really all we have to do, then how does two million jewels sound to you Laxus?" asked Natsu as he leaned against the back of the booth and brought Ikaruga with him.
"That's actually cheaper than what I expected." he replied while taking out two wads of jewels, that were a million apiece and tossing them onto the table.
"I could raise it if you wanted me too, but from what you just told me this job should be pretty easy to do. Well unless Gildarts happens to show up randomly, and if he did that would just mean I get to finally have a real fight with him." said Natsu as he grabbed both of the wads and gave them a quick once over to make sure they were legit.
"Two is definitely more than enough and I'm confident that he won't be back anytime soon. Well I guess that is about it since I have a few more things to prepare before this all finally goes down." Laxus said as he and Evergreen got out of the booth.
"So when do we need to be in Magnolia for all of this?" he asked before the two could turn to leave.
"In two days by noon should be perfect, oh and you might want to sit back for a little bit and enjoy the show that I have planned." replied Laxus with a little chuckle as they left the tavern that had become a little deserted after Natsu let out his magic earlier.
"Are you sure you really want to do this Natsu?" asked Ikaruga as she looked at him, trying to hide how concerned she was for him right now.
"I would rather not, but if I do I can make sure that the asshole doesn't hurt any of the members that I still care about there." he replied with a determined look on his face as he stared at the door Laxus exited through.
"If you say so." she said before letting out a little yelp of surprise. Not expecting him to pick her up bridal style and start heading towards the door with a mischievous smirk being displayed for all to see.
"I do, so why don't we head there now and get ready for a little bit of fun." he declared before they too left the tavern that had somewhat became Natsu's base of operation while he was in this part of the country.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it and would love to hear your thoughts on it. So as you can all see the next chapter will be the fighting festival, that you can also see will definitely play out differently than canon for some obvious reasons. Now I guess this would also be the time to suggest a few fights that you would like to possibly see in the next chapter and I'll see what I can do. As always feel free to drop me a review or pm and I'll try to get back to you as quick as I can.
Oh and if you would like me to update faster or possibly start a new story I have information about my page that I set up on my profile page.
Until the next Chapter
Digem Out!