Whaz up ladies, gents and other! It might seem like I'm rushin' this series, an' in some ways y'all're right, but in many more I'm not. The canon series has arcs that can, an' usually do, take place in a single night. The Galuna Arc, Tower of Heaven Arc runs along that line as well but then 'gain it's unknown how long Erza was out of commission when she was kidnapped, the Macao Arc, an' the Everlue Arc are all great examples. Also, someone asked 'bout the frozen, feminine claws an' if they belong to Mizore from Rosario+Vampire. The answer's no to that question, but Mizore's gonna be in this story as another guild's-*A frozen clawed-hand covers my mouth*
Thoughts or emphasis
'Paraphrasin'
"Normal speech"
"Non-human speech"
XXXXXXXXXXX
(Cue: Fall Out Boy-Alone Together) Natsu was roaring, his voice carried so much hatred and hurt. Here he was, learning everything about anything and nothing, inside of a flash card! His mind was taking a beating unknown to even the gods themselves and his heart was feeling the hurt of millions of emotions that would extinguish zillions of lives if exposed to them. Not even the evilest of devils deserved this much pain, and that said something for many cultures Natsu had come to meet.
He could see where Lisanna was, what was going to happen, where he was going to die before becoming Azreal permanently, and he could even say the name of the stranger. Backwards. In three hundred, ninety-nine languages and counting! The memories he had weren't all his. The hearts he felt beating in his breast were not his, nor were they ever his. The power he held within himself was never to be had by any being, and that was the way it would stay for as long as there was magic in all the worlds. The magic he carried as his was to never be had, for he knew who and what he was. This knowledge, this power, this magic would never and I mean never be allowed into the hands of anyone who desired it.
"...The hearts beat as one..." He chanted once, silent yet loud. "...My mind tis nor theirs...Her life lives another...I see too much, and yet not enough is known...These lies are to be tried for their crimes..." His hearts were bursting from his chest, his mind was ripping itself apart, and his soul was weeping for it all to end. All he could really do was see what, where, why, how and who was going, did, wouldn't, couldn't, could, would, didn't and wasn't going to happen in the past, present and future. He saw each possible future, past and present.
He'd found one potential timeline where he'd dressed up as a very sad looking Erza and crashed the Magic Council's court, which made him feel happy for one billionth of a second. The only thing he couldn't do, with all his power that could trump universes, was escape the card...I'm so screwed it's magical! Only good thing that's happened so far is that I know where Lisanna is, that way once I'm out I can get to he-
An energy and anti-energy engulfed him, releasing him from the card all at once.
Physical realm of existence
(I'm not gonna go into the shit that'd happen in canon 'cause my story's basically given canon the bird)
"GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM! I'M BACK MOTHERFUCKING BITCHES, WHO WANTS TO DIE FIRST!" He caught sight of Jellal preparing an attack at Erza and Simon. Not today, tomorrow, or yesterday pal! Just as the attack left Jellal's hands, Natsu appeared in front of Simon with a Fire Dragon's Roar leaving his mouth. "NATSU!" Erza's call was given no heed, as the flames were overpower, bringing a smirk to Natsu's face.
Opening his mouth wide, he ate the attack with gusto, powering him to levels he'd not had the last time he was out of the card. The only drawback, however, was he lost everything he'd learned while in the card's dimension. Everything looked inverted for Natsu as everything he'd learned, all of his hopes of finding his mate, went up in uneatable flames. With pained tears in his eyes, he called out, "HEAVENLY FIRE DRAGON'S...ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR! rrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The beam he released made everyone's eyes widen. Wally's glasses slid down his nose as his body as his sight returned to normal so he could see properly in light, Sho's pupilless eyes shrank so that it looked like he had pupils in extreme shock while his hair lengthened, Happy's tears stopped at the sight and sound of his father as his wings grew, Millianna's cat ear-like hair twitched in recognition of the voice as his enormous amount of magic leaked out and granted her one wish, Gray's ice spikes grew to become armor, Lucy's clothes color and design from Azreal and Natsu temporarily fusing, Simon's jaw started to heal and Erza's tears stopped as she saw Natsu and Azreal become one for this one battle.
Jellal was hit full force, but thanks to 'Zeref's influence he wasn't killed. "HAHAHAHA! YOU CAN'T KILL ME, I'M THE TOOL OF ZEREF!" Natsu/Azreal walked forward, steam coming off his skin, "Thou speakth as though I intended to kill thee so quickly...I shall payth thou back for every, single, one of thy transgressions! I hath no desire to dirty these children's," He gestured to the surrounding battered mages, "hands with thy tainted blood, so I shan't allow them in this battle, only thyself and I shall fight. And I promise thee, I promise, thou shan't make it out of this place that smells of Etherion in one piece one way, or another...!"
Spreading his wings, Natsu/Azreal launched himself at Jellal, barely missing the 'tool of Zeref' whilst landing on an Ether-nano in the process. He smirked at the crystal underneath his left wing, "One who hath made Erza cry!" Jellal looked to Natsu now, pitying curiosity peaked at the young man's voice when he saw what Natsu/Azreal held. His eyes widened and narrowed in fear as the being before him smiled with still pained tears in his eyes, "I shall end this battle quickly, thou hath not kill my kin and shan't be tortured for it...Aaaawwww" Opening his mouth widely, Natsu/Azreal began to eat the Ether-nano with gusto.
"He-HE'S EATING THE ETHER-NANO!" He finished eat and swallowed loudly, making almost everyone grimace at the image of what the Etherion-infused Lacrima was enduring in the pits of Hell that was Natsu's stomach and at the idea of what it tasted like. Natsu/Azreal smirked whilst he was engulfed in the numerous elements that made up Etherion energy.
"AH YES, THAT HIT THE SPOT RIGHT THERE! GOD DRAGON'S BELLOWING...ROOOOOOAAAARRRRR! rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The blast Natsu released was directed towards the sky, destroying all of the top of the Tower of Heaven and sending most of those on it back a meter of seven. The blast was visible from both sides of the ocean on each continent's shore, letting everyone who saw it know that there was some serious shit going on.
"Even god's must die at some point, Fool, and today I end your life with a clear conscience...! HAH!" That bark of laughter sent Jellal flying off the edge, screaming in fear for his life. Even though there was water underneath him, he wouldn't survive. Natsu/Azreal roared to the sky, letting all of the magic and anguish out all at once, and that was much more powerful together than apart from Natsu's battle with Jellal. Slowly separating from one another, Natsu was left crying while he roared in pain.
"SO CLOSE! I SAW IT, I SAW AND KNEW EVERYTHING, BUT IT SLIPPED FROM MY GRASP AGAIN. DAMNATION TO ALL THE DAMNED AND SAVED, DAMNATION TO ALL INNOCENT AND CURSED! DAMNATION TO EVERYTHING! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His pain was felt across the oceans, making everyone everyone who felt it tear up while those right near him were trying to stop themselves from crying out blood as Natsu succamb to sleep.(Uncue music. I don't want shit 'bout how much this fight sucked or how much I rushed this, 'kay?! I don't have enough confidence or experience as a writer to make this arc better or different without completely ruinin' it, 'sides, this makes more sense with how my story runs...)
The others all felt the sadness and pain Natsu did, and they too were feeling exhausted. Slowly, they made their way back to the boat they had gotten onto the Tower's island on. In his exhaustion, Simon whispered, "...I...love you...Erza..." Said scarlet haired knightress heard him and said tiredly but clearly, "I love you too, you're like the older brother I never had..." Everyone who figured out Simon's feelings winced at that, knowing that must have hurt him worse than any blade or attack could. Unknown to everyone on the boat, however, a floating orb shattered and caught Jellal's unconscious-from-hitting-a-wall-too-hard-in-a-failed-recovery-attempt form before he could die from hitting the water too hard.
I still have uses for you, Jellal, just not the uses I used to have... Thought a pink-haired girl using a spell to use another mage's magic, You've a part to play in someone else's game, or so future-her said.
Fairy Tail guildhall, days later
The boat washed ashore, everyone barely holding onto life as it was from Natsu's aggressive magical output and the ever scorching sea-sun shining down on them. Running up to the boat were several mages that looked familiar yet so foreign to the drifting group, "The-shock...mill the now! I sai-now!" What they heard was garbled as they fell in and out of consciousness.
One face and scent stood out to the barely-alive-as-it-is Natsu. A young woman with long, purple hair and a gentle face was in the background, glaring at him while exuding this draconic scent. Or odor, he couldn't tell with how dehydrated he was among other things. Suddenly, he was scooped up in strong arms with the sounds of chains being barely heard. "Am i...finally dead...if so, where's...where's..."
Loke held Natsu in his arms fireman style, "You're not dead yet, and don't you dare think you're going to! You helped me out of certain death, now it's my turn." The pyrovoric mage smiled deliriously, "Nice to hear a...a...a familiar voice, or is it face...i don't even know anymore. All I know right now's...that I'm tired of fighting...i know she'd say to not give up but i don't think she's been drier than a desert before...before she was taken in by-"
"Don't try to talk, Natsu! You're too dehydrated and need immediate attention like the others or you're not gonna make it!" Juanda's voice was something that attracted Natsu's attention as he blearily caught sight of Juanda and Bora getting the others out of the boat. He smiled at the two of them, "You said my name...You two should really..."
"What did I just say?!" He continued as he looked to Bora expectantly, "Have you asked her out yet...you know you wanna, after all...after all...after all, life's short and the attraction's there..." Natsu passed out as he finished with them blushing up a storm. Out of the crowd stepped the young woman, her age was estimated to be about fourteen, she moved forward towards Natsu with her cream-colored hood pulled over her head.
"...-Dragon's Tilapian-Healing Paw..." She whispered, her hands generating an energy of some kind as paws while swiping through the bodies of the group. They all returned to peak condition, slowly at first before they were back in tip top shape. Looking to the young woman in amazement, Bora asked for the three of them, "Who are you...?"
"...Mizore..." She whispered distrustingly as she stalked away, glaring at Natsu's head as he got up and as she left. (I'm gonna bring some pieces from other anime into this story, doesn't make it a crossover. Crossovers involve characters havin' a legitimate connection to their original anime/manga series. Be it memory, past experience, gettin' thrown into another anime, etc. Those're actual crossover qualities while what I'm doin' is integratin' certain characters into the history of the anime's universe)
Mizore, once she was out of the crowd, ran into the forest crying tears of hurt. She'd wussed out once she saw the face of the man she'd said she'd make pay for selling out Slayers. But when she got right down to it. I'm a coward, even Mom-mom would agree with me! Staring to the sky with tears in her eyes, she released a light roar from her throat. Her roar was heard in the wind carrying over her pain to the four dragons conversing miles away.
Fourth Generation Dragons, Sukane and Banethras
"What?!" Banethras looked towards the general direction of Magnolia in conclusion, "I could've sworn I heard..." He looked confusedly at the invisible wind when Sukane spoke up, "I know. I heard it too, Banethras. It's her..." The group started moving again, heading for the Third Generation Dragons' locations. Sukane and Banethras had chosen to look for Weisslogia while Lunamei and Tsunadeha went for Skiadrum.
They had all agreed to meet at the meeting point of their four territories to discuss the disappearance of Lunamei's daughter. "Banethras," Sukane said softly, curiously. "How were your children the last time you checked?" The Stone Dragon looked to his 'fishy' friend surprisingly, "They were fine the last time I checked. Teem was in charge as usual while Plume was doing as he said, why?" His question made Sukane look to the ground guiltily, "I feel neglectful of my daughter, for I've not kept tabs on her and now I hear tears. That makes me worry that I've not done my part in taking care of her..." Taking pity on his piscine partner, he rammed his head against her long neck.
"AH! Why would you do that?!" She got up and glared at him as he said, "You haven't neglected your beloved daughter in anyway, in fact you've done her a justice. If you had decided to intervene with anything that goes on with her life, she would never be able to do a thing for herself!"
Back in Magnolia
Natsu tried got off of Loke's shoulders with little success. "Thanks for that , Leo, I thought I was a goner there for a sec." Leo dropped Natsu on his ass ungracefully as he said, "I didn't, it was some Dragon Slayer that said her name was Mizore. Any idea who she might be?" He shook his head no as he helped Simon up, "...You're a brave man, Simon, confessing to her when you might not have survived...That takes guts, my friend..." Simon smiled at him, his metal jaw staying on even though his jaw had returned to its original position.
"I owe you, Natsu, for fixing my jaw, but I don't feel very gratified for what I did." Natsu chuckled warmly as he got the larger man to a bench so he could sit next to the man as Natsu got a still unconscious Erza off the ground. "Believe me, it's never easy taking rejection. The first time I asked out my mate, she broke my balls. Literally, she kicked me in the balls hard enough to break a normal human man's genitalia into fourths! So, don't take it too hardly, there's always next time. That, my dear friend, is what it's all about: not taking no for an answer unless you fall for someone else while learning humility. And trust me, that's one of the hardest parts! Hahahaha! It took me years to learn even an ounce of humility, so you've got that down."
Simon looked to the unconscious Erza with sad eyes, "But how can I tell her when she sees me as only..." Natsu chuckled again, "It's hard to change, but...!" He poked at Erza a few times, making her wake up but she was too stiff to move. "I can't move at the moment, Natsu, you're going to hav-HAHAHA!" The reason for her laughter was Natsu's fingers tickling her nonstop while she begged him to stop.
"You used to work me over pretty good when we were kids, now it's your turn, Haha!" His victorious warcry was accompanied by the sound of Erza's laughter, "STOP IT, STOP IT, HAHAHA-STOP IT!" "Not until you submit...!" The cheeky tone in his voice made Erza defy him like always, "NEVE-HAHAHA-NEVER!" Natsu smiled mischievously, "Then prepare for torment!"
This went on for about an hour until she finally conceded to his demand, and by that time everyone nearby was laughing their asses off at Erza's begging and defying of Natsu. Natsu sat down next to her, his face a blank as he stared into the cloudy sky. Why do I feel so...pitying? I've not seen any pained being or been at Death's Door, so why? Why...
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he grasped at his heart. Everything felt painful, the very blood in his veins hurt. The eyes of everyone around them widened as he was caught in the arms of Gray and laid carefully on the ground as his eyes flickered in and out of focus. "D-Damn it...why now...?!" Natsu's soul became visible as it tried to escape his body through his back, like an image of the Dragon Slayer that became slanted and discolored. He got up all of a sudden, his body still hurting like all Hell, when he punched the ground and roared. The surrounding area was then engulfed by his magicka, the roar carrying power behind it and pain, as he defied his death sentence.
His eyes were still unfocused and his body was deathly pale, but he wasn't going down without a fight. There was level after level of emotion as wind started to pick up around him, the waves became larger and more powerful, the sky started to rumble with thunder and fire sparked alight on Natsu's very skin. "I AIN'T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT, DEATH! SO YOU CAN KISS YOUR ASS OUTTA MY LIFE UNTIL I'M GOOD AND READY! rrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRR!" All of Magnolia heard him and a sense of inspiration passed over all who were in the port town. Natsu's soul wavered faster and sporadically before he was yanked back into his body, a grunt of pain and a sigh of relief escaped him as he whispered, "And I'm not going to be ready until I complete my self-made purpose: To return Slayers to this world and make those who've passed into your arms proud. Just be patient, I'll be there as late as I'm done!"
The environment returned to normal slowly, but everyone still had that remaining sense of encouragement and inspiration. One little boy felt especially happy, as his idol wasn't going to fall anytime soon and that he'd still have his older brother-figure to follow in the footsteps of. Natsu stood up, standing on shaky legs before he faltered and was caught by Gray, "You're definitely not dying until you finish teaching me what you can about Slayer Class Magic, Firebrains!"
"Awright," He chuckled. "Let's get started, assoonasItakeanap!" Natsu was then out like a light, fighting off soul severance single-handedly was no small feat by any stretch and he was clearly exhausted from having done so much in such 'little' time.
Natsu's memories: the day Lisanna was kidnapped and Natsu's first roar
Lisanna screamed in fright as the Forest Vulcan carried her off, the stench of sick arousal emanating off of the simian beast. In her small arms that couldn't reach around to complete the circumference of, was the egg that Natsu discovered. She hadn't let it go since she and Natsu caught scent of the beast carrying her away. "NATSU, HELP ME!"
The wind blew through her hair as the monkey-like ape swung from tree to tree, until the voice of her parental partner was heard loud and clear. "FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!" Natsu's fiery foot came down on the Vulcan's head, making a dent appear as it dropped down to the ground and acted as an unintentional cushion for the girl in its arms.
Landing down next to her, Natsu pried the Forest Vulcan's arms off of his 'hut-mate' as she was. "Go!" He said with a strained growl, "I can't keep his arm off of you forever, Lisa! GO!" Taking a hint, she ran under the beast's heavy arm as Natsu readied another attack. The Vulcan got up and punched the young pyrovore into a tree, Damn! It leaped at the strawberry-haired boy, feet landing on his chest. Natsu released a gasp of pain, making the hidden Lisanna shut her eyes and whisper to the one within their egg, "...Your Paatsu needs help, Baby, please lend him your strength while I lend him mine...!"
As if the child within the egg had heard her and had done what she had said, Natsu was up and called out, "Fire Dragon's...ROAR! rrrrrrrrr," Lisanna's eyes opened suddenly at the sound of a roar building itself in his throat. "rrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The roar he let out made the surrounding area light up with his fiery voice. The Vulcan had wide eyes as it was hit full force by the empowered attack, burning its fur to nothing but ashes. Natsu didn't stop however, turning his roar to the sky, the clouds started to turn stormy and thunderous. He stopped all of a sudden, a tired smile gracing his lips as he looked to his downed a opponent and roared to the sky in triumph.
That's when the rain started, getting the two of them to run for their makeshift hut. Once inside, Lisanna put the egg down gently and tackled Natsu in a loving embrace. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" She kept going on with that, excitement obvious in her voice as Natsu tried to pry her off of him with no luck. It was ten minutes before she stopped and wrapped her arms around their egg, smiling warmly at her savior.
"You're welcome," He said with a slight blush, "Lisanna." Soon after saying that, he too embraced the egg and fell asleep as well with Lisanna cuddling up to her hero. The hearts of all three, the two watching the egg and the unborn child within, beat as one. Loving one another as their energies mixed as a family.
Natsu's memories: Happy hears his father's poetry for the first time
Their boy had finally said his first word besides the occasional 'Aye' and they'd decided to take him on a job with them. Nothing dangerous, just a simple errand run with a possible hint of violence, just what the proverbial doctor ordered. Happy was nestled in Natsu's hair, walking in circles and in place as he softened up his 'nest' while attracting a crowd of onlookers who sighed at the flying feline's adorable behavior.
When he'd hatched his parents had known he was magic, after all, cat's don't hatch from eggs. But the discovery of his flight exceeded their expectation and that just stuck, as that word became more and more often around the guild. So they'd decided that referring to Happy as a flying cat was both stupid and time wasting, so they started calling him an Exceed because he always exceeded what they thought he could do.
At the moment Natsu was carrying an unconscious Lisanna on his back, trying to find a spot to hole up for the night. It was their second day on the job and they hadn't come across any enemies in the small, nameless town they'd taken the job in. All Natsu really knew to do for this job was to beat up some people and keep a guy's daughter safe, other than that he was just along for show.
"Paatsu," Happy's young voice reached his father-figure's ears, making the pink-headed fire breather groan at the nickname, "Why are you so quiet? Normally you'd be challenging Lismama," As if aware of her boy's words, said platinum-haired girl nuzzled her head closer to Happy's and snuggled herself closer to Natsu's warm body. "To a battle or something, but you're so quiet, something the matter?"
Natsu chuckled at his boy, even though he was still young he could still call himself a father and that was at first a score over Gray before becoming a gift in and of itself. Happy yawned quietly, the odd feeling of exhaustion overcoming him again, "Nighty night...Paatsu..." The fire breather then felt the purring from his boy, making him release a reptilian purr himself, which made his passengers nuzzle more into him.
A soft smile graced his lips as he looked to the sky, the stars swirling around above him like a light show that never stopped while never being seen. "Stars watch over our souls and right our wrongs. Sons," He closed his eyes and could feel Happy through his spiky locks of pink. "learn as we do our best to set them on a path to do what they think is right. Families guide our hearts and souls along our trails of self-discovery, never ceasing to love us no matter what we do. For that is who we are and where we stand, as a race. As a kind..." Natsu looked to his parental partner, Lisanna, with an endearing smile on his face. "As a family..."
Unknown to Natsu, Lisanna was waking up and Happy hadn't fallen asleep. Their hearts surged with love for their carrier, now seeing who and what he really was: A poet, a wordsmith, a fighter, a father and-"When I get older, can I be your wife?" Lisanna's question made Natsu freeze up as he looked over his shoulder to see Lisanna's pleading eyes and loving smile as she tightened her grip around Natsu's shoulders.
"Please?!" He blushed at that and started stuttering like a fool, "I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-d-don-don-don-don't know whe-whe-whe-whe-where this is-s-s-s-s coming from, L-L-Lisanna!" She gave him a winning smile at his failed attempt to deny what he'd just done. "You're words were beautiful, Natsu, please be mine!" She nuzzled her head into the space between his shoulder blades, rubbing him in just the way she wanted to make him say what she wanted. Happy piped up a quick, "Aye!"
Natsu was blushing up an inferno, an achievement in and of itself, as he tried to think up an excuse to deny her offer. It was when he felt her head rubbing against the spot between his shoulder blades, a place he could never seem to reach no matter the circumstance, that he started to waver slightly. Happy then got down to his father's shoulders and began to knead the tight muscles that had been overworked.
The small claws of Happy didn't pierce Natsu's flesh, they didn't even make him uncomfortable. Quite the opposite actually, they made him feel looser than ever and the idea of agreeing started seeming less and less repelling. His fortitude waning, Happy and Lisanna doubled their efforts as Natsu started groaning in pleasure from their rubbing and kneading. It was about thirty minutes of this, an impressive feat for an eleven year-old, before he finally conceded.
"Fine," He said with a sigh of resignation and pleasure, "I'll be your husband-" Lisanna literally jumped off her new fiance's back and did a little dance with a smiling Happy flying around her like he'd done something amazing. Natsu groaned in appreciation of what they'd done to the knots in his shoulders and back, while thinking about what he'd just signed up for. I guess nobody gets hurt from this arrangement, besides, if she's as nice as she is right now...I think I could live with this decision!
Natsu's memories: the asking-outing
Natsu sat at the table five meters away from the door, his normal spot that had saved him from the Demon's wrath on many occasions. Today was the day he'd been preparing for, and yet he was scared to near death. What if it didn't work? What if he screwed up? These worries circled in his mind over and over again. He may have seemed calm, but that was just a charade he'd worked on months ago. Happy flew over and landed on his father's head, "Hello, Natsu," He said in a chipper tone, though Natsu kind of missed his son's old nickname for him.
"Whatcha thinking about, Natsu?" The innocent curiosity in his voice was a wake up call from Natsu's staring at a distance of Lisanna. He looked to his son with conflicted eyes, "Are you okay, Natsu? You look kinda scared, did Aunt Demira threaten to castface you again?!" The word he'd used was Natsu's own invention, as the Exceed had been told to ask the pyrovore about it and Natsu told him that 'castfacing' was a form of torture when what the cat had actually heard was castrate, but that wasn't for him to know right now.
"Hirhirhir, no Happy, your aunt didn't threaten me...Not yet anyway." His shrug of his shoulders and far away look let Happy know that something was up. Every time the flying feline found an angle to look his father in the eye Natsu would look in another direction. "What are you hiding, Natsu? It's no fun when secrets aren't shared!" The conversation was put on hold by the sudden appearance of Lisanna right behind her eventual fiance.
"And what are my two boys talking about, now?" Natsu jumped and growled in surprise. When he saw who it was who scared the Bejesus out of him enough for him to land at least five feet away, he relaxed enough to say, "Jesus Christ, Lisanna, don't do that! I nearly died of a heartattack, then where would you be, huh?!" He said this in a 'I just got scared shitless' way of speaking and made most of the guild laugh good-naturedly.
He and Lisanna had an interesting love-hate relationship. They were the closest of friends and the strongest of rivals at the same time. Their fights always caused issues so the guild had actually banned them from fighting in the guildhall or face suspension. They could both go for hours in combat, driving most of Magnolia batshit with how much damage they could cause. The Magic Council had even sent a lesser Seat there personally to make them stop the destruction they caused or face disbandment.
Right now thought, Natsu saw the young woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. "HAHAHAHA! You got me good, this time!" His hearty laughter wasn't a mood killer for everyone, in fact it was the complete and utter opposite, it just caught Lisanna by surprise that he was laughing at being scared to near death.
"Alright, Natsu-Shishishishi-what's your game?" He stopped and looked up thoughtfully, "Uhm...Life? Hirhirhirhirhir!" The snickering continued until he calmed down enough to start phase one of his plan. (Cue-Daughtry-Battleships) His breathing slowed as he inhaled deeply and quietly while starting out with a low volume.
I'm sinking inside
And the mast and lines are breaking down tonight
I've swallowed my pride
His voice rose enough for everyone to at least hear him. A smile gracing his lips as his eyes staid closed while everyone stopped and listened to him. Happy started making sound effects that coincided with the tune and watched his mother as she listened to his father.
But we're drowning in the ocean and it's tearing my heart open, baby
We're high then we're low
First it's yes than it's no
And we're changing like the tides
He finally rose his voice from low to a relatively loud pitch. Everyone thinking, How'd he keep this under wraps for so long?!
But I want you I need you and I guarantee you we'll make it out alive
'Cause I don't wanna fight this war!
Even when the waves get rough
I don't wanna see the day we say we've had enough
And I don't wanna fight this war!
Bullets coming off our lips
But we stick to our guns and we love like battleships
The middle and index finger of both hands together and started acting like guns.
Like battleships
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And the cannon goes-
Bombs fly through the air.
Everybody felt the love he experienced every time his eyes befell Lisanna. They saw what they'd said when they were kids that one night. Each fight they knew they'd fought was shown.
And I know we're both playing not so fair
Show, show me you care
Got my white flag up and it's waving
'Cause you know this love's worth saving, baby
We're high then we're low first it's yes then it's no
And we're changing like the tides
He stood up now, looking Lisanna in her beautiful blue, teary eyes as he kept singing.
But I want you, I need you and I guarantee you we'll make it out alive
'Cause I don't wanna fight this war
Even when the waves get rough
I don't wanna see the day we say we've had enough
And I don't wanna fight this war
Bullets flying off our lips
Bisca and Alzack took that moment to shoot their guns into the ceiling without doing any damage for emphasis as Natsu continued with the whole guild teary eyed.
But we stick to our guns and we love like battleships
Like battleships
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And the cannon goes-
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And We LOVE!
YEAH WE LOVE!
The gunshots didn't end, filling in for Natsu as he kept going with those two lines until he got ready to finish the song.
I'm sinking inside
Can we finally put our weapons down tonight?
'Cause I don't wanna fight this war!
Even when the waves get rough
I don't wanna see the day we say we've had enough
And I don't wanna fight this war!
Bullets flying off our lips
But we stick to our guns and love like battleships
LIKE BATTLESHIPS!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
AND THE CANNON GOES-
His loud voice carried such passion that it made all the other ladies want him, until they realized who he wanted and they started to silently edge Lisanna to say yes.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
AND WE LOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE!
Yeah we love
AND WE LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEE!
Yeah we love
Love like battleships...
(Uncue music) Finished singing, he reopened his eyes to see Lisanna covering her mouth in shock at what her best friend and partner parent of Happy had just done for her. He on the other hand was kind of worried, "Yeah...I know my voice sucks and all, but was it that bad?" She then slapped him across the face once and punched him in the stomach, getting everyone minus Mirajane to wince in sympathy for the lovestruck Natsu Dragneel.
"I'll take that as a ye-?!" His lips were then claimed by one joyous Lisanna Strauss, "You're not getting me without some pain, you fire-breathing bastard!" Her excitement made Natsu chuckled deeply before smashing his lips against hers again, which made the rest of the guild erupt in cheers before everyone decided drinking themselves into early graves was a good idea. Unknown to everyone at the time, Cana had recorded everything with one of her cards. "Hehehe, even if I don't get Natsu I can still get his voice...!"
Natsu's house, a day after the events at the port
(Cue: Maroon 5-Payphone/The Wanted-Glad You Came Timeflies Remix/Kesha-Die Young. No shit 'bout the songs I choose, 'kay?! It'll make sense when ya see what Gray's gotta endure) Natsu awoke with a yawn, finally sleeping peacefully as his dreams weren't torturing him anymore or for the time being. He looked around his room with a small bit of surprise, he'd never heard Lisanna say he walked in his sleep so this was news to him. That's when he picked up the scent of one sleeping Gray Fullbuster, who'd somehow managed to get Natsu in his sleeping jeans.
He, Natsu thought contemplatively. looks so peaceful and happy...Yep, time to make him hate me! Taking in a deep breath he thought better of his previous plan since he needed to live in his house. So he went with a 'safer' route. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" His burning foot hit Gray on top of the head, waking him up in a rather rude way.
"Wake up, Ice Princess, we're getting shit done early so I can get back to sleep as soon as you get started!" Those words were accompanied by a smirk of superiority. Happy murmured in his sleep about fish and dancing, making the two Slayers look to the Exceed confusingly before brushing it off as nothing while Natsu dragged Gray by the scruff of the neck out the door with a cruel smile on his face.
Letting go of the stripping student of Ur's scruff, he stood there with his arms crossed and pointed towards the waves seriously. "Ice Devil's Rage into the ocean twenty times, and each time you stop add ten more to that! NOW!" Gray saluted in fright as he prepared his attack, "Ice Devil's...RAGE! aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The beam of ice, snow and freezing air went into the waves, freezing the water for a moment before shattering and returning to normal.
"Again!" The raven haired mage nodded and did it again, the markings acting as binding and ropes burning into his skin. "Again!" Natsu's stern voice was an inspiration in and of itself, making Gray do it again even with the markings crawling up and down his body. His beam made more markings crawl onto his skin, making him hurt worse than before, "AAAAHAHHHHH! NO, NOT AGAIN!" The markings seemed to tighten his skin in on itself and hinder his movements.
"AGAIN! I KNOW IT HURTS, BUT YOU'VE GOTTA MAKE IT COUNT! Each wound is a lesson, every loss is a teacher's stinging words, and THE INDIVIDUAL INJURY MEANS YOU LEARNED SOMETHING! NOW AGAIN OR ARE YOU WANTING TO PROVE UR WRONG WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PROVING LYON AND SILVER RIGHT IN THAT YOU'RE WEAK?!" His eyes filled with rage, he shouted out as a warcry, "ICE DEVIL'S...RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The beam became huge, engulfing an entire wave through the center and reaching all the way to thirteen yards in total. The markings came again, this time drawing blood with how tight they were within his skin.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Gray's screams of pain weren't unheard in town, but the only ones who knew who was screaming were Erza, Juvia, Levy, Jet, Droy, Lucy, Gajeel, Juanda, Bora and Millianna who'd decided to stick around for a few months to reacquaint herself with Erza. They ran down to the beach/forest house Natsu, Lisanna and Happy shared. At the beach's shore lay a pained Gray as he dug his fingers into the sand with the pain driving him insane.
"AGAIN!" Natsu's shout didn't wake up Happy, but it did get Gray off the ground, albeit slowly, but off the sand either way. He got up, his eyes filled with untouched rage that hadn't seen the light of day since he lost his family to Deliora. "ICE DEVIL'S...RAGE! aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The beams he exhaled weren't as big as the last one, but that was because he hadn't eaten any ice.
"Stop!" Gray sighed in relief before Natsu punched him in the back of the head, making Juvia get up to attack him until Juanda and Gajeel stopped her with tight grips on her shoulders and shaking of their heads no. Gray looked to his teacher with anger and said, "Ice-Make: Spear!" The spear of ice went right for Natsu, before he punched it and shattered the brittle piece of ice. He then exhaled a roar of fire before he inhaled it and the ice it captured.
Now feeling cold back in his body, he roared onto the sand where crystals of ice started to grow. When he stopped, there was a large pillar of ice before him that would last for a few days. "Eat, you're nowhere near strong enough to handle me with your Devil Slayer spells as you are." To emphasize his point, Natsu punched a chunk out of the pillar at Gray, who opened his mouth out of unknown instincts and ate it in one bite.
"Eat more, we can't take any chances as Slayers. We never know when we're going to get a taste of our element or if we're going to live long enough to see what we consume. So eat more! That's an order and don't stop until I say so. If you get full, keep eating, you'll hatefully thank me later..." Gray saluted stiffly and painfully as he began to eat the pillar, chunk by agonizing chunk.
By his fiftieth chunk he felt the need to throw up, making Natsu hold up a hand and say, "Stop. Get back to the shore! Again." The Devil Slayer in training nodded painfully and called out, "Ice Devil's...RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEE! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His beam was as strong as the strongest one he'd released when Natsu had antagonized him. "Again."
They went at, over and over again. At times it seemed like Gray would collapse from exhaustion, bloodloss, pain and or all of them or like he'd die from the aforementioned reasons. The group of spectators' eyes were glued to what they were seeing for those seemingly infinite moments of screaming and torment.
"Stop and use it against me." Gray didn't question his teacher, turning his entire body stiffly as he took aim. Rearing his head back as much as possible at the moment, he lunged his head forward and released the beam of cold elements at Natsu who only stood there and raised a single hand. The beam hit his palm before he clenched his fist closed, stopping the beam from continuing on with its course. Gray's eyes widened in shock as did everyone else's.
"I'm in an elemental fusion mode, remember? I'm stronger than I am naturally, so you and I can keep going. Again!" He did as told and breathed another beam, being held in Natsu's palm again. "Again!" They continued for hours, going through from the morning into the late night. Each beam carried emotions that left Gray feeling cleansed and healthier than ever. He wouldn't have noticed had Natsu not stopped him as the stars came out, "The markings, do they hurt?"
The group looked up from the fire they'd made, trying to stay close to the two of them while staying out of the way. Gray looked to his arms and chest to see the markings were there but weren't there at the same time. They had left writing in his blood on his arms and chest while the markings had receded back to wherever they came from. "I'm no expert on Devil Slayer Magic, Gray, but I can guess that those marks are important. Read them and you'll probably get stronger..."
Doing as told, the writing in his blood started to glow bright blue as his eyes did the same. He started murmuring quietly, making the group and Happy strain their hearing to try and catch a hint of what he was saying. His body was suddenly engulfed in a beam of bright blue light that carried with it a frost, making the wind blow while the clouds above started to turn snowstormy. Natsu stood in front of and thirteen meters away from the beam with crossed arms as the pillar of light expanded and reached three yards in front of him.
The light show stopped all of a sudden, leaving everyone else covered in freezing sand. Gajeel shook himself, his long hair making him look like a dog in the process while Juanda inhaled it through her new skintight veil.(Kakashi's mask is her new veil, kids) Natsu looked to his temporary student, "I think we can take things up to the next level, don't you think, Black Steel, Gajeel Redfox. Goddess of the Sands, Juanda Din."
Said Slayers stepped out from behind the rock and took their places at Natsu's sides, standing there with serious faces when Gray used a new spell. "Ice Devil's..." Ice started to spin in front of him like a bladed wheel, the markings crawling his skin again but not doing any damage to his body. The markings were now just for show, when they started glowing again, making him grunt in pain.
"WHEEL OF PAIN! aaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The spinning blade-like wheel started rolling for the three of them, making Gajeel transform his arm into his Iron Dragon's Sword, sparks now flying. "You;ll have to do better than that, Boy!" Natsu closed his eyes, silently searching for the determination he'd been known for when he opened his eyes and was engulfed in freezing flames.
A dark silhouette appeared at his back as his cloak appeared around his body. This silhouette looked to the rock and smiled, her eyes hidden but her perfect teeth. Happy's eyes widened at her, the silhouette lighting herself alight in blue energy as it merged with Natsu's. She smiled warmly at everyone before she disappeared and left Natsu in blue fire. "...If happy ever did exist, I would still be holding you like this..." He looked to his fellow Slayers with pained eyes as he flew at Gray before the entire world faded to black in the eyes of the unseen and unknown.
(Uncue music)Worlds away, a young man with goggles revved up an engine with a toothy smirk gracing his lips...
XXXXXXXXXXXX
That's a fuckin' wrap ladies, gents and other! I needed to shed a bit more light on Natsu and Lisanna's relationship, 'cause most've my flashbacks have been sendin' y'all mixed signals: First one was aggressive, then the next one's lovey(I wanted to make a joke at Levy's name but since I've got a dangerous lunati-*I'm clawed in the face again* GIANT MOTHERFUCKIN' BITCH), then aggressive again. I wanted to clear the air of any confusion. When they were still kids, they hated each other's guts an' were at each other's throats constantly. But as they grew older an' raised Happy as an egg, they started to hate each other less an' less until they were the best of friends. Natsu, bein' the dumbass he is, had no idea what to do when he Lisanna asked him to be her husband. He was also scared to near death of rejection from Lisanna at the last flashback, an' the reaction he got was more than he bargained for.
Gray was just startin' to learn Slayer Magic an' since the other two are much older than he is, they couldn't teach him 'cause their minds had been closed off from most ideas like all adults become. Natsu's the only Slayer he knew who could even give him a chance at learnin' his inherent magic. The trainin' Natsu's instillin' in Gray's harsh but it works 'cause those markings aren't just an order of restraint on the Devil Slayer. They serve as an enhancer for Devil Slayer spells in the manga, but how do they learn their spells in the first place? It never explains who or what taught Silver, so I came up with a way.
The markings are the rest of the Devil Slayer spells restraining the Slayer from becoming too strong, an' any Devil Slayer in his/her right mind wouldn't subject themselves to that agonizin' torture of continuin' like Natsu made him. The markings receded from under his skin, but left indentations in his now tender flesh, lettin' the bleedin' seep into it and create written words that could be read and get him to the next stage of his trainin'. Those markings are a failsafe of the first Devil Slayers. They knew they wouldn't be around forever, an' they needed the later generations of Devil Slayers, if there were any, to learn what they'd created as spells. It makes sense really: The first Devil Slayers were created during the Slayers Purge era, so they were all too aware of the approaching genecide they would suffer an' they weren't gonna let some pitifully fearful idiots kill off their magic when it was just startin'.
I know I'm ramblin', but I just love lore in any shape or form. I like learnin' about the worlds in which characters live in an' can't help but make my own parts of it 'cause somethings aren't always explained. So as always!: R&R, no flamin' my ass, constructive criticism, and SEE YA-GOOD NIGHT!