Arkham Knight22: Yes it is an Natsu x Erza pairing but they are not together quite yet
DdraigTrueEmperor: I'm so glad you like it! Yeah they kind of diverted from the dragons and went full into the demons. With END, he is going to be a very strong and very important part of this story though his build up may be slow. With Natsu and his Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode, he ate Laxus lightning when he was younger so he was able to tap into it and activate it. I'm glad you liked the scene with Natsu and Erza, I need to start having more scenes with them so they can realize they like each other by a certain arc. You're definitely right about Mystogan, I have plans for him, hehehe.
midnightscar17: I'm sorry but I am not making this fanfiction a harem. I find the idea of a harem weird and I just can't write one
EtherealTulip: Hahaha I love your review
NinjaFang1331 and Guest: Thanks!
WolfGaming: This comment is a little late but get to sleep!
Angryhenry: You might find out this chapter ;)
Meazm: Don't worry he will be dishing out some serious hurt this chapter
Guest: You bet
FoxBoy: Thank you very much, I'm so glad you enjoy my story so much. Also what would the dragon mode you suggested be like?
nbuns1: Thank you for the great review! I'm so glad that you enjoy this story so much. I'm not sure if I will write anymore because this fanfiction will take a very long time to write. I did think of writing a RWBY fanfic just the other day but I'm not sure yet. We will have to see, so in the meantime enjoy this chapter!
Jerrend: Thank you and I will add your vote to the list
the real narnia: Thank you for the kind review, and don't worry I plan on finishing this story! With Mystogan I have an idea for him but we will have to see if you and the others like what I did. You're right about Deliora but I do need to include Lyon at some point, I honestly kind of forgot about him. Surprisingly for me, I have a rough plan for all of the arcs and for where Natsu and Zeref will be facing off. I may be able to do Natsu vs Gildarts, we'll just have to see ;). I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
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"Don't worry Erza, I will. I won't let you down, not again." Natsu said, standing up. He turned to one of the villagers standing off to the side.
"Please make sure she is healed properly." He asked and the demon quickly nodded. Before anything else could be said, a roar shook the very ground they stood upon.
"It seems Deliora has become fed up with waiting." Natsu mused before vanishing again in a burst of speed. Without the added weight, his trip back was much faster than before. He was still amazed at how fast he was able to move, the new form was even faster than his lightning fire dragon mode. Ignoring the part of him that wanted to go crazy with his new power, he focused on the upcoming fight. Thinking about Deliora reminded him of how the demon had been slowly crushing Erza only a couple of minutes ago. Almost unbiddingly, his new flames leaped to hands as the reminder mixed with the memory of Zeref killing the redhead. Snarling at the memory, the dragon slayer rocketed out of the jungle.
"Demonic Fire Dragon's Raging Fist!" Deliora didn't even have time to react as Natsu punched its cheek, sending black flames crawling up its face. As the fire burned through the demon's face, the strength of the blow threw it to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. The dragon slayer landed gently on the ground, slowly cracking his knuckles.
"Come on, is that all you've got big guy? I still have plenty of pain to dish out." He challenged, a small smirk on his face. With a roar, Deliora lunged out of the smoke, swatting Natsu with his backhand. The mage flew through several trees before he grabbed one with his claws, stopping his momentum. With a savage call, he jumped back into the fight.
"Demonic Fire Dragon's Roar!" He bellowed, unleashing a torrent of black fire at Deliora. The dark inferno completely enveloped the demon, hiding him from Natsu's sight. The dragon slayer kept up the blaze for several long moments until he finally ran out of breath. While he caught his breath, he watched the fire begin to dissipate. It seemed to take longer than his regular fire, spreading out and burning anything it could reach before it petered out. The largest group of flames slowly dissipated to reveal a torched Deliora. Unlike last time, when all that was singed was the demon's arms and legs, its entire front half was now covered in deep, black burns. When it moved, Natsu could hear it's armor-like skin crack and crumble as parts of it flaked off and fell to the ground. But even with it's front half completely torched, it still was a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Deliora began to throw a barrage of punches, each strike shaking the ground and churning up the earth. The dragon slayer dodged around every single one, vaulting over several fists and even backflipping over one. The demon could barely see the mage, moving so fast that he was almost a blur. Finally Deliora become fed up, slamming a massive foot into the ground. The impact caused an earthquake that shook the entire island while Natsu fell, the vibrations tripping him mid-step. The demon swooped upon the stunned dragon slayer, grabbing him in a large hand. When Natsu's world stopped shaking, he was staring at Deliora's fanged mouth. He glared up at the demon, hate in his eyes.
"What now? Are you going to crush me like you tried to do to Erza?" He growled. A second later Deliora gave him an answer, opening his mouth and pushing Natsu into it. With an audible snap, the demon shut its mouth closed before the dragon slayer could escape. It chewed for a few moments before growling in annoyance. Before it could do anything else it's mouth erupted in a fury of dark fire. As Deliora bellowed in pain, Natsu leaped out of it's mouth. He hit the ground, skidding a couple of feet. He stood up, dusted himself off, and glared at the demon.
"You tried to fucking eat me! First you hurt Mystogan, than you almost killed Erza! Now you try and eat me? Everything you do just makes me more and more enraged! Just you being here is pissing me off! You should be dead you stupid fucking demon! If it wasn't for Zeref you wouldn't be anything but a pile of rocks right now! Just die already you useless piece of garbage!" Natsu screamed at it. Deliora simply roared at him in answer. The black fire erupted in Natsu's hands, slowly covering his entire body. He raised his hands and poured his power into the flames, making them rise higher and higher. He poured everything into them, his anger, his pain, his sadness, his grief. All of it went into the fire, fueling it and making it stronger and wilder with each passing second. Finally, when the flames were Deliora's height, they stopped.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art." Natsu intoned, his voice cold and distorted. At his words, Deliora began to charge up a massive attack, one that was twice the size as the first one. The dragon slayer completely ignored it, focusing entirely on his own attack.
"Hellfire's Raging Inferno!" He screamed, throwing the entire mass of fire at Deliora. The demon blasted a gigantic beam of destruction at the flames but the blaze simply consumed it. The fire roared towards the demon, swiftly enshrouding it in a veil of darkness. Natsu stood there, angrily watching as his attack tore through the demon, burning everything that it could reach. The demon tried to bat at the flames, but nothing it did would work. The fire simply continued to slowly scorch the demon, making its death as long and as painful as possible.
Deliora roared in agony, a painful and haunting sound that peeled across the island. With a loud boom, the demon sank to it's knees, and finally, the flames began to recede. They slowly dissipated, reaching out and burning into Deliora's flesh one last time before disappearing into the air. All that they left behind was a burned and half-dead Deliora.
It's once terrifying visage was gone, replaced by a patchwork of burns and scars. It's body was completely black, with cracks running up and down it's chest. It's arms and legs were in a similar state, with deep gouges where the fire had burned to the bone. Natsu slowly picked his way through the rubble of the battle to stand in front of the demon, looking up at it's now damaged face.
"That one was for Mystogan and Erza." He said, pulling back a fist.
"And this one is for Gray, Lyon, and Ultear!" He shouted, punching Deliora. The blow sent a large web of cracks through the demon's chest, quickly spreading over it's entire body. With a groan, the once powerful demon finally died, collapsing into pieces of stone and rock.
Natsu stood there for a moment, looking at his defeated foe. Slowly, he sank to his knees, letting his new power recede back into him. He didn't notice, but the black streak in his hair faded away as his magic became dormant once more. As it disappeared Natsu realized he felt exhausted. He had poured all of his power and emotions into that attack and now he was ready to collapse at any moment. But he couldn't, not yet, he still had one more thing to do. Throwing his head back he screamed into the sky.
"How is that Zeref!? Did I pass your damn test!? Is this what you wanted!? Well, answer me!" He shouted but no one answered him.
"Answer me damn it!" He screamed.
"That's enough Natsu, it's over." A voice said behind him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. The dragon slayer turned around to see Mystogan standing behind him. The masked mage had a large red stain on his mask, pooling from the side of his head.
"Mystogan, you're alive." Natsu breathed, staring at his friend as if he was a ghost. The masked mage nodded, kneeling down next to his friend.
"When Deliora blasted me back, I must have hit my head on a rock because the next thing I knew I was waking up to your fight with Deliora." He explained. He had to find his balance as Natsu suddenly crashed into him, trying to hug the life out of him.
"I-I thought I lost you!" The dragon slayer cried, tears streaming down his face. Mystogan looked at him in surprise before smiling gently. He pulled Natsu closer, soothingly patting his back. The pinkette didn't care if he looked like a child, at that moment, all he wanted was someone's comfort.
"Why would you think that?" Mystogan wondered curiously. The explosion may have been right in front of him, but he wasn't an S-class mage for nothing. He knew that Natsu knew this so it didn't make sense for him to be this upset. The dragon slayer sniffled a few times before he began to explain.
"F-first Deliora threw you away with his attack, and then he knocked me away. I hit a wall and it gave me a concussion. When I was able to focus, Deliora had Erza in its grasp." He said, still crying.
"Is she okay?" Mystogan asked, alarmed. Natsu shrugged desperately.
"I don't know, Deliora had been trying to crush her but she was in her adamantine armor. There wasn't any blood but I don't know if there was any internal bleeding. When I managed to free her I took her to the villagers so they could treat her but I don't know anything after that." He said sadly, on the verge of crying again. The masked mage sighed and patted him reassuringly.
"Remember Erza and I are both S-class mages. We have been through countless life and death situations. She'll be back on her feet in no time at all." He reminded the dragon slayer. Natsu pulled away from him and looked at him with guilt clear in his eyes.
"But none of this should have happened! You shouldn't have gotten hurt, Erza shouldn't be on death's door, Deliora shouldn't have come back to life, none of this was supposed to happen!" He cried frustratedly.
"Then how did this happen?" Mystogan asked calmly. Natsu froze, a look of pain on his face. When he spoke, Mystogan had to strain to hear him.
"He was here. He did all of this. He brought Deliora back and had it attack me. He wanted me to pass his damn test, to see how much I'd grown. Zeref is behind this entire event and I didn't even see it coming!" Natsu ended with a shout, punching the ground. The masked mage laid a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him.
"Even if you have memories of the future, you can't predict everything that is going to happen. There will be changes that will surprise you and throw your entire plan into chaos. You must rise above them and finish your mission, because no one else can. You, and you alone, were able to beat Deliora. Because of this fight you've become stronger and now you can protect Fairy Tail even better than before. No one was permanently injured and you helped save the villagers as well as Lyon and his people. You're a hero Natsu, remember that." He said comfortingly, once more pulling the dragon slayer into an embrace. Natsu was quiet for a few moments before gently nodding in agreement.
"You're right as usual. Thank you for talking with me. Thank you for training me for two years. Thank you for putting up with me that entire time. Thank you for everything you've done, I would never have gotten this far on my own. I just… I just wish that you could stay here, with Fairy Tail, forever." He said quietly. Mystogan sighed, thinking about all they had gone through together.
Their first fight and Natsu's explanation of him being a time traveler, their two year trip, and all of the adventures they had been through. And finally meeting Lucy and making their way back to Fairy Tail. If Mystogan was honest with himself, he was going to miss the blonde mage. He felt that she was a kindred spirit, forced from her home by her father and made to wander in search of a new home. He wished he could stay, to help Natsu grow and finish his mission. And maybe, just maybe, to get to know Lucy a little bit better.
'But I have a mission of my own, one that takes priority over my happiness.' He thought, shaking his head. Looking back down at Natsu, he realized that the dragon slayer had fallen asleep. Mystogan stared at him for a few seconds before laughing in amusement. Gently, he moved the dragon slayer onto his back and standing up, began walking towards the villagers camp.
'My mission is important, it's true. But for now, I have a family to get back to.' He thought with a smile, disappearing into the jungle.
-A few hours later-
Natsu woke with a start, sitting up in a flash. Next to him, the female demon that had been treating him jumped back in surprise. The dragon slayer looked around groggily, seeing some furniture, a pot of flowers and the walls of a hut. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before turning to the villager.
"Are we at the village?" He asked and she quickly nodded.
"Yes Natsu-san. We don't know how but the village was somehow restored to exactly how it had been before. Your masked friend brought you here while you were unconscious." She explained. Natsu nodded in understanding, a small smile on his face.
'At least this is still the same.' He thought. He stood up and, ignoring the girl's warnings about his injuries, stepped outside. Thankfully it was still night, so he didn't have to adjust to the sudden change in light and he was able to find the other mages fairly easily. He saw Lucy and Happy hanging around in the background, the exceed munching on a fish while the blonde looked nervous. Gray had his shirt off and was acting like his usual cool self. Mystogan was in the front of the group, talking to the village chief. The masked mage had still not washed the blood from his mask and the pinkette guessed he hadn't dressed it either. Also talking with the chief was… Erza! Natsu's heart jumped in his throat as he saw her.
She was on her feet but her entire body was covered in bandages, and sometimes when she would move the wrong way she would wince in pain. The dragon slayer picked up his pace, reaching the group just in time to hear the last of the conversation.
"I sincerely apologize for failing to stop the release of Deliora and allowing it to destroy part of your island." Mystogan said, bowing to the village chief. Erza bowed slightly as well, though her injuries stopped her from going as low as Mystogan had. The elder shook his head at the statement.
"No, if anything we owe you our thanks. Your group was able to defeat the demon and stop it from causing any further damage to our home. You have our thanks for that, but we still wish you to destroy the moon." The chief said pointing at the purple sphere. While Lucy squeaked in astonishment, Happy looked over and saw Natsu walking towards them.
"Natsu you're awake!" The exceed cried, flying over to his friend. The dragon slayer chuckled and pulled his friend into a strong hug.
"Yep and it looks like I made it just in time." He said, walking over to the others. Mystogan nodded at him while Lucy and Gray looked relieved to see him, though the later was trying to hide it. Erza was looking at him with a variety of conflicted emotions, relief and guilt among them. Before Natsu could ask her about it, Mystogan started talking to him.
"I assume you heard what we were just talking about?" He asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer. The dragon slayer nodded, turning to the chief.
"Don't worry about the moon, we'll have it destroyed in a matter of minutes!" He said cheerfully. Lucy looked at him in surprise and even Gray seemed skeptical at the idea. He flashed them a grin before turning to Erza.
"Can I borrow your Giant's Spear for a moment?" He asked. The redhead glared at him, as if knowing what he was thinking.
"Just because I'm injured doesn't mean that I can't throw a simple spear." She declared, requipping into a yellow armor with a large right arm. The knight then summoned a large spear, slamming it into the ground. Natsu sighed at the action, as if he knew this was going to happen.
"You just fought a demon Erza, you can't just get up and start chucking stuff at the moon. You need your rest." He argued but she shook her head.
"You fought Deliora as well, even more than I did. If you won't stay in bed and rest, than your argument is pointless." She pointed out. The dragon slayer began to say that he wasn't injured, but as he moved to point at her injuries he saw a roll of bandages running up his arm. He had an identical dressing on his other arm, as well as a staggering amount of bandages on his chest. Checking his head, Natsu even felt a swath of bandages going around his head.
"I may be hurt, but you were being crushed by it." He said, trying to salvage his point.
"And Mystogan says that it ate you. There's no point in arguing about this Natsu, if you can't follow your own advice than noone else will." Erza said, bringing an end to the argument. The dragon slayer shot a glare at the masked mage, who shrugged innocently, before sighing in defeat.
"Fine, let's get this over with so we can all get some rest." He said, igniting his fist. Unlike the last time though, these were his normal, white hot flames. Erza glanced at the fire before nodding in agreement and angling the spear upward.
"With us being too wounded to climb, we will have to do it here. That means you have to put a little more power into the punch." She directed, glancing at Natsu. He nodded in confirmation, moving to stand behind her. Everyone was smart enough to back up so they wouldn't be in range for whatever the two mages were about to do.
"They don't think that they can really destroy the moon, do they?" Lucy whispered to Mystogan. The masked mage shook his head, though only slightly so the villagers couldn't see him doing it.
"The moon isn't really what they're aiming for, it's what's in front of it that they want to destroy." He explained. The blonde started to ask another question but before she could, it started.
"Now Natsu!" She cried, moving to throw the spear. At the same time the dragon slayer slammed a fire powered fist into the flat, circular bottom. As Erza released the spear, it began to spew white fire. With the strength of the throw and the extra propulsion from the fire, the weapon rocketed towards the moon. It kept going higher and higher, it seemed like it would reach the heavens itself. And then the spear destroyed the moon.
The sky above the island erupted into a thousand shards of purple glass, all of them slowly dissolving into the night sky. As they scattered, the purple moon slowly returned to it's normal white color. When it did, the villagers began to glow, appearing to return to their normal forms. However when the light faded, they were still in their full demon forms. The chief looked at everyone in confusion before focusing on the Fairy Tail mages.
"Why didn't we turn back?" He asked. Natsu grinned and motioned to Erza.
"She can explain it better than I can." He said. The redhead looked at him in confusion.
'He was able to explain about Lullaby easily enough, this shouldn't be a problem either.' She thought but she shrugged and started explaining everything to the villagers.
"When you tried to reach the temple, what would happen?" She asked the chief. The elder scratched his cheek while looking away in embarrassment.
"When ever any of us tried to reach the ruins, we would suddenly wake up outside the village." He answered and several of the other demons nodded in agreement.
"That is because of the moon drip ceremony was affecting you." Erza explained.
"You mean besides changing them?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Yes, though not in the way you think. The moon drip affects the demons through memory loss. They believed that they were humans cursed as demons when in fact it was the other way around." The redhead added.
"Wait so you're saying that…" Gray trailed off, too shocked to continue. Instead, Mystogan finished the statement.
"Indeed, they are actually demons." He said, a small smirk behind his mask. Lucy and Gray cried in alarm while Natsu laughed his ass off at their expressions. The villagers were still trying to wrap their heads around it.
"Then why did we look like humans during the day?" One of them asked.
"That is because you are able to cast an illusion over yourselves, making it seem like you were humans cursed as demons." Erza explained.
"Are all of you finally back to normal?" A voice suddenly called from above them. Everyone looked up to see a demon flying above them, a very familiar demon.
"Bobo!" The chief cried. On his back two wings sprouted out and he shot into the air, hugging his son. Soon all of the other villagers were launching into the air, laughing and cheering at Bobo's return. Down on the ground, the mages were watching them with wide smiles.
"You know, even though their demons, they kinda remind me of angles." Gray commented. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"What do you think Natsu?" Erza asked, but the dragon slayer didn't give a response. Looking over she realized that he wasn't even there!
"Where did Natsu go?" Mystogan asked, also noticing the pinkette's absence.
"I can't believe he pulled another disappearing act, and now of all times." Lucy groaned in exasperation.
"Maybe he went to get fish?" Happy suggested.
"He could have done whatever he needed to do later." Gray muttered. Before he could complain anymore, some of the demons landed in front of them.
"We're going to throw a party for your hard work and for Bobo's return. Do you want to join us?" One of them asked. The Fairy Tail mages looked at each other before Erza smiled.
"Yes, we would love to."
-Outside of the village-
"Why aren't you working you blasted thing?" Zalty demanded, smacking his lacrima against a tree. For some reason the orb refused to take his magic, almost as if it was a living person. When he had tried to activate it to contact Siegrain it had just sat there like a useless rock.
"Damnit!" He cried, throwing it over his shoulder. The masked man expected to hear it thud into the ground, yet all he was met with was silence. Confused he turned around to see what had happened. He suddenly froze as he met Natsu's calm gaze, his lacrima in the dragon slayer's hands.
"You know you shouldn't take your anger out on your belongings. They might end up breaking." He said with a small smile, tossing back the lacrima. Because of how shocked Zalty was, he barely caught it, fumbling with the orb for a moment before catching it.
"H-How did you find me Salamander?" He asked nervously. The dragon slayer hadn't been threatening when they had last met, but if he had bothered tracking down the green haired then he was here for something important. And if Natsu found out who Zalty really was then this could become much worse for the masked mage.
'I need to keep him from finding out who I really am." He thought worriedly. However that plan went out the window with the dragon slayer's next words.
"It was pretty easy following your scent. A piece of advice for if you ever decide to dress as a man, don't wear perfume. It really gives you away, Ultear." He said, still smiling his stupid grin. Zalty scowled at him, swiping the mask and green off his face. For a moment, he was a man with a pinched face, then his form shimmered and in his place stood Ultear.
She wore a short, white kimono with a yellow sash across her waist. She had a sleeve on her left arm reaching down to her wrist while her right had none. Around her neck was a black choker with a gold clasp. She looked very beautiful, but the image was ruined by her scowl.
"Well, now that you know who I am what are you going to do now?" She spat at him. Natsu looked at her confused.
'Why is she angry with me? The last time we had talked… oh.' He realized, thinking back to their last conversation. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"Look, I'm sorry for last time. You started asking the wrong questions, I threatened you and everything you care about, it just got out of hand." He apologized but she continued to glare at him.
"Why don't we start over with the introductions, wipe the slate clean?" He offered his hand but was met with silence.
"I'll even fix your lacrima." He offered desperately. The silent treatment was really starting to bother him. Ultear thought about it for a moment before daintily shaking his hand. The dragon slayer grinned cheerfully at her.
"Hi! I'm Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel and I'm also known as the Salamander. I'm a mage at Fairy Tail." He greeted.
"Hello my name is Ultear, now fix it." She said, shoving the orb at him. To her annoyance, Natsu chuckled at her.
"You're not even going to say your last name or who you're affiliated with? Alright it's your choice." He said, humorously. He ran a finger around her orb, the blue fire from before flickering around it. After a couple of rotations he handed it back to Ultear.
"There it's all fixed." He assured her. She snatched it up and, after looking at it for a moment, threw it up into the air. Once it left her hand, it began to float in midair, supported by her magic. She nodded in satisfaction before turning back to the dragon slayer.
"I assume you didn't track me down just to apologize. What do you really want?" She demanded. Natsu smirked at her choice of words.
"You're being pretty straightforward, I know someone who likes that in a person." He joked but she just shot him a flat look. He sighed, his smile dropping as he finally became serious.
"I was wondering if you were up for taking a job." He asked. Ultear blinked in surprise.
'Where did this come from?' She wondered.
"You know that I already have a job." She said but he just looked at her in confusion.
"But that's a long term job. I figured as a member of a dark guild you may be willing to accept another, smaller one." He explained. The dark haired mage stiffened in alarm. When they had first met, he had alluded towards knowing her true affiliation. But now here he was conforming, her fears.
'If he knows that I'm part of a dark guild, what else does he know? And how?' She wondered. Before her thoughts could start racing with ideas, she calmed herself and though about the dragon slayer's comment.
"I'm not sure what you mean Salamander. It wouldn't make any sense for a council member to be part of a dark guild." She argued.
"But what about-" Natsu began before shaking his head. "Nevermind, if you want to pretend you're not it isn't my concern." Before Ultear could argue the fact, the dragon slayer moved on.
"Could you at least listen to my job request?" He asked hopefully. The council member sighed in exasperation before nodding in defeat. Natsu quickly outlined the job, explaining what he wanted the time mage to do for him. When he finished she remained silent, pondering the request.
"Trying to do what you're suggesting, it's going to be almost impossible, even for me." Ultear admitted.
"You said it's almost impossible." He pointed out. "Does that means there's a chance that it could be done?"
"Yes, though it will probably take some time." She agreed reluctantly.
"Then will you do it? I'll pay you of course." Natsu said cheerfully. She thought about it for a few seconds before she slowly smiled.
"I'll attempt it, but I don't want to be paid in money." She decided.
"Then what do you want in exchange?" He asked, frowning.
"I will accept your job if and only if you tell me everything you know about Grimoire Heart and how you acquired your information." Ultear said. Natsu stared at her in surprise.
"I-I can't tell you that. And besides, why would you want to know about them if you're a council member?" He stammered. The time mage's smile grew as she walked up to the dragon slayer, putting a finger on his chest. She was starting to gain control of the conversation and she wasn't about to let up anytime soon.
"As a council member I need to find out everything I can about the dark guilds. Part of that is finding out the source of information so I can double check it to see if it's reliable. You wouldn't be obstructing the law, would you Salamander?" She asked innocently. Natsu scowled at her, brushing her hand away.
"You clever little…" He said before trailing off, his scowl firmly etched onto his face.
"You can either tell me or you can try and find another time mage who's willing to help you." Ultear said confidently. Both of them knew that the chance of him finding another Arc of Time user was one in a million, and she guessed he didn't have the time to try that chance. The dragon slayer was quiet, weighing his options, before finally reaching a decision.
"Fine, but you can only pick one of them. Either you find out what I know or how I came across the information." He said, a smirk replacing the scowl. The time mage glared at him, angry at the way the conversation had shifted.
"Why only one of them?" She demanded. He shrugged, as if her frustration didn't bother him.
"The information is simply too important to give them both to you. You can pick one or the other, it's your choice." He explained, smiling at her. She glared at him on more time but when he refused to give in she began thinking.
'He could be bluffing. He never outright said he knew anything about Grimoire Heart, simply saying that he knows I'm a part of it. But at the same time he could know everything about us, including what the final plan is. But the only way he would know that was if he had an inside source. So it would be worthwhile to ask how he gained the information, but he may know something that he didn't learn from the leak. There might not even be a leak!' She thought angrily. She calmed herself before focusing back on Natsu.
"So what's your decision?" He asked curiously. No matter what she chose, he wouldn't lie to her. He wouldn't lie to his friends, and no matter what she thought of him now, he was her friend.
"I want to know what you know about Grimoire Heart, and I mean everything." Ultear decided. Natsu nodded in acceptance before he started walking away.
"Hey where are you going? You promised to tell me what you know!" The time mage demanded. The dragon slayer turned and smirked at her.
"You know how it works, you don't receive payment until you finish the job." He said cheekily. As he began to walk away, the dark haired women couldn't help but throw one final jab at the pinkette.
"It seems you were wrong about Deliora being dead. Instead it almost killed you and your friends. Honestly Salamander, it was quite an interesting show." She said cheerfully. As she expected Natsu froze, his back facing towards her. For a few moments he simply stood there, as if seething in anger. As the seconds became minutes Ultear started to grow nervous. After the way they had ended their last meeting, she was ready to bolt at any moment.
'Maybe I went too far.' She wondered. Before she could say anything to the dragon slayer, he began to speak.
"You know your mother was powerful, powerful enough to almost completely kill Deliora. Nothing Lyon could have done would have stopped it from dying, spells or otherwise. When the Moon Drip broke the Iced Shell, the demon should have gave one last roar before crumbling to dust. Instead someone stopped it, someone with enough power to completely overwhelm you mother spirit. They revived Deliora, setting it loose on the island. I don't know if your mother's spirit was able to survive but I hope she did, so that way one day you and her can sit down and have a chat." He said quietly. Now it was Ultear's turn to freeze, processing everything he had said. Natsu waited for her reply, choosing to remain where he was.
"W-why are you telling me this?" She managed to say. The dragon slayer shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"Think of it as forward payment." He said before walking away, leaving the time mage to her thoughts. As he walked through the jungle, the moon shone over head, winking in and out as he passed under trees and other vegetation. Around him the leaves mingled with the shadows, creating a strange and tense atmosphere. Suddenly Natsu stopped, turning towards a large shadow that was sitting between two trees. For several minutes he stood there, watching the mass of darkness. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. Finally the dragon slayer's patience ran out.
"How long are you going to pretend that you're hidden?" He snapped. In the shadow, someone chuckled.
"Just until you acknowledged me." Zeref said as he stepped into the light. Natsu's first thought was to attack him, to beat his face in for for releasing Deliora. But no matter how much he wanted to, he knew he couldn't do it. He barely had any magic and what he did have he had used to fix Ultear's lacrima. All he could do was talk, and hope that Zeref left the others alone.
"What do you want?" The dragon slayer demanded.
"I simply wished to congratulate you on the defeat of Deliora, and of acquiring your new power." The dark mage said. Natsu snorted in disbelief.
"That can't be the only reason you're here." He argued.
"Why can't I just be here to say a job well done? After all, you winning benefits us both. I'm able to see your power and you were able to protect your family." Zeref replied peacefully. Natsu growled in anger, stepping closer to the dark mage.
"Stay away from my family!" He hissed. The black haired man tilted his head in consideration.
"Or what, you'll kill me?" He asked, a coy smile flickering across his lips. Natsu scowled in annoyance. Zeref had him backed into a corner and they both knew it.
"Just stay away from them. They're not a part of this and they never will be, so there's no reason involving them in our affairs." He defended. To his surprise, the death mage gave him a sympathetic look.
"You say that now, but they will find out, no matter how hard you try and keep it from them. It would be best for you, and everyone else, to tell them on your own terms. That way you can control what they know and prevent them from causing any damage to our plans. Also, if they find out from someone else, how do you think they will feel, knowing you kept this hidden from them?" Zeref explained gently. Natsu stared at him in shock, unable to even form a coherent thought. Here was Zeref, the man that had single handedly killed all of his family, giving him advice about his friends! The dragon slayer couldn't even begin to understand how their conversation had taken such a turn. Finally he managed to gather his thoughts.
"Why? Why are you telling me this?" He breathlessly asked. An unknown emotion flickered across Zeref's face before he returned to his usual smile.
"Because no matter what you think of me, I'm here to help you reach your goal. It may be to protect your friends, it may be something else, but if it leads to you killing me then I'll help you as much as possible." He answered calmly. A moment later, Natsu had grabbed him by the front of his tunic, bringing them face to face.
"I don't need your help." Natsu said angrily. "The last time you tried to help me, it almost killed Erza."
"Deliora was a test, not my attempt at help. The next time I test you, your friends will hopefully be strong enough to survive on their own." Zeref explained. The dragon slayer paled at the idea.
"There's going to be more tests?" He asked. The dark mage frowned, removing the other's hands off of his clothes.
"But of course. With all of the knowledge you have of the future, the 'challenges' you will face will be too easy for you. Take this mission for example, you would have gained absolutely nothing from it if you had continued on as you had before. But when I tested you, you were able to gain a new form, this Demonic Fire Dragon Mode. Really the name is quite ironic, or maybe it's fate?" Zeref trailed off, muttering to himself. Natsu ignored him, thinking instead about what he had said.
'As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point. When I planned on going on this quest, I only wanted Gray to confront his past, I never expected to gain anything from this. But with Deliora, I was able to gain this new form and completely crush it. Maybe having more would be… useful.' He decided.
"These tests might be… helpful, in helping me learn how to use my new power and to keep my skills sharp." The dragon slayer begrudgingly admitted.
"I'm glad we were able to reach an agreement." Zeref said happily but Natsu scowled at him.
"However, I only want you to give me a test when my family isn't around." He said firmly, leaving no room for argument. The dark mage frowned at the decision, as if it annoyed him.
"How am I supposed to do that when you are always around them?" He asked. Natsu began to walk away, throwing the answer over his shoulder.
"You're an immortal death mage who can send people back in time, I'm sure you can figure something out." He said. For a moment there was silence, then a peal of laughter rang through the forest. The dragon slayer scowled in anger as the sound assaulted his ears. It was just too damn cheerful!
'Just ignore it and get back to the village. The others will probably be partying right now, so it will be easy to sneak back into the compound.' He thought, pushing the noise out of his head and heading toward the village.
-At the same time-
Lucy was surprised. The villagers had pulled out all of the stops on this party, bringing out several tables as well as some food and drink. The party was quite festive, but the blonde felt that something was missing. Looking around, she realized that she hadn't seen Mystogan the entire time.
'I wonder where he is?" She thought worriedly. Spotting Gray in the crowd, without his shirt of course, she began to head towards him. Before she could reach him though, Erza stepped in her way. Lucy gulped nervously as the knight frowned at her.
"W-what's going on Erza?" The blonde asked.
"Have you seen Natsu anywhere?" The redhead asked, seemingly ignoring the question. Inwardly, the spirit mage sighed in relief as she realized the other woman wasn't angry with her.
"I haven't seen him since he disappeared earlier." She answered. Erza's frown deepened but she nodded in understanding.
"If you see him, can you please tell me? I need to speak with him." The redhead asked distractedly. Before Lucy could say anything, the knight had already walked off in search of the dragon slayer.
"Yeah, sure, I'll get right on that." The blonde muttered to herself. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she continued over to Gray. As she approached the ice mage he noticed her and stood up, dusting off his pants and excusing himself from the female demons.
"What's up Luce?" He asked when he reached her.
"Do you know where Mystogan is? I can't find him anywhere." She asked.
"The last time I remember seeing him was right before the party started. I think he was heading towards our hut." He answered with a shrug. The blonde looked at him in confusion.
"Why would he be in there?" She wondered. Gray shrugged again.
"He doesn't seem like the type to like parties, I mean he didn't join in when Natsu returned to the guild. I'm sure he just wants to be alone right now." He suggested. Lucy sighed, nodding in agreement.
"Alright, thanks Gray." She said quietly. The ice mage flashed her a smile before walking off, no doubt to try the food. The blonde stayed still, thinking about Mystogan.
'Gray's probably right about him wanting to be alone but he's hurt, what if he needs my help? I should at least check on him and see if he needs my help.' She thought. Making her decision, she made her way over to their hut. She paused right outside the doorway, suddenly feeling nervous.
'What's wrong with you Lucy? You're a member of Fairy Tail, you've helped take down a dark guild and stop Deliora, and you can't even talk to one of your guild mates?' She berated herself. Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, she walked into the hut.
In the middle of the room sat Mystogan. He had a roll of bandages and he was trying to wrap them around his head. The only problem was that he still had his mask and cap on. The two of them froze, Lucy standing in the doorway and Mystogan holding the bandages to his head. Suddenly the roll slipped from the masked mage's hands, spilling onto the floor and covering him with bandages.
Seeing the stoic man wrapped in bandages, looking like a poorly done mummy, Lucy couldn't help herself, she giggled. After she finished laughing she walked over and began to help Mystogan with his bindings.
"Thank you Lucy." He said, smiling at her. She smiled back, shaking her head in amusement.
"What were you trying to do?" She asked, removing the last of the bandages. The masked mage scratched his cheek sheepishly.
"I was trying to dress my wound." He explained. Lucy looked at him in confusion.
"Why don't you just take off your mask? It would be a lot easier." She pointed out.
"The hut isn't exactly meant for privacy. Anyone can just walk in when I have my mask off and see my face, and I'd rather not have that happen." Mystogan answered. The blonde frowned at his response.
"Why do you want to hide your identity from everyone around you, including us?" She asked sadly. The masked mage sighed, standing up and walking over to her. He gently put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him.
"It's not that I want to hide, it's that I have no choice." He explained.
"But why are you forced to wear a mask every second of the day? Is it because of your father, is he somehow involved?" Lucy asked quietly. Mystogan stiffened slightly before shaking his head.
"My father isn't part of this, he doesn't even know where I am. No, I wear this for another reason. If I walked around without my mask, I could be mistaken for… someone else." He spoke slowly, as if trying to carefully pick his words.
"Who do you look like, and how could you even be mistaken for someone else?" She demanded, causing the S-class mage to sigh once more.
"Who I look like doesn't matter, and as to how I could be mistaken for someone else… let's just say that another man and I look a lot alike." He explained but the blonde still seemed upset.
"But just because you look similar doesn't mean that you should be forced to hide like a coward! You should be proud of who you are and not care about what anyone else thinks!" She said angrily. A moment later she gasped, slapping her hands across her mouth.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" She squeaked out. To her surprise Mystogan chuckled, grabbing her hands and pulling them from her face. He smiled at her, a full blown smile that she could see even with his mask. The sight caused her to blush in embarrassment, even as he began to talk.
"No, there's no need to apologize, you're right. I shouldn't have to hide who I am, but unfortunately, that is how my life is.' He shook his head when she tried to speak up. 'The other man has the right to do what he wants because he made his mark on the world before I did. And as for being proud for who I am, I'm already more proud than I could ever be. I'm a mage of Fairy Tail, the strongest guild in all of Fiore. I'm friends with some of the greatest people of Earthland, including you, and I wouldn't take my mask off for anything if it meant being apart from you or any of the others." He said warmly, gazing down at her in a mixture of happiness and pride. Lucy's blush intensified at his words. She tried to speak but nothing would come out of her mouth. Thankfully she was saved from trying to form a coherent thought.
"Am I interrupting something here?" Natsu asked, standing just inside the doorway. The blonde slowly looked down at how her and Mystogan's hands were still joined together. She didn't think it was possible, but her blush grew so much that she could feel it burning her face.
"Nowe'renotdoinganything!I'llseeyoulater!" She squeaked, letting go of Mystogan's hands and running past the dragon slayer. Once she was outside of the hut and away from the two mages, she finally managed to control her blushing.
'Geez Lucy, what were you doing back there? He says something like that and you just fall apart!' She berated herself. Sighing, she headed off to find Erza and tell her where Natsu was.
-Back inside the hut-
"So, did you two have a nice chat?" Natsu asked, grinning widely. Mystogan coughed, looking away with a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"It was… pleasant." He decided, nodding with his words. A moment later he groaned, clutching his head in pain. The dragon slayer was next to him in an instant, making the taller man sit down.
"Take off your mask so I can see the damage." He ordered. The masked mage shook his head but winced as another bolt of pain lanced through his head.
"We both know that anyone can walk in at any moment and see my face, that's not something I'm willing to risk." He argued. Natsu simply smirked at him, tapping the side of his head.
"Don't worry Mysty, I'll keep an ear out." He said confidently. Mystogan stared at him for several seconds, not even twitching at the nickname, before sighing in resignation.
"If you weren't a dragon slayer I would be worried right now." He said, reaching for his mask. Slowly, he peeled off the piece of fabric covering his face, revealing the signature tattoo that cut over his right eye. He hesitated for a moment longer before pulling off his cap with a swift tug. A large portion of his naturally blue hair shot up, but a smaller part of it remained matted to his scalp, stuck together with blood and dirt. The wound was a gash on the left side of his head, cutting across his temple. Natsu frowned at the wound before he walked over to a small table inside the hut.
"At least there's a wash bin." He said, bringing over a basin filled with water. Inside was a rag, used for washing your face, or in this case, for cleaning a wound. The dragon slayer pulled out the washcloth, making sure to squeeze out the water, before gently dabbing at Mystogan's wound.
"So what did you and Lucy talk about?" Natsu asked, partly out of curiosity but also to distract his friend. Mystogan glanced at him in surprise but shrugged a moment later.
"We talked about my mask and why I wear it." He answered simply. The pinkette made a noise of recognition, cleaning out his friend's hair of the dirt and blood. There was no reason to talk about it, they both understood why he wore it and how he felt about it. There was a few seconds of silence as Natsu finished his work. He put the washcloth into the now muddy looking water and put the basin back on the table. He walked back over to Mystogan and grabbed the bandages. As Natsu began to wrap the other man's head, he noticed how quiet the masked mage was being.
"What's bothering you?" The dragon slayer asked. The masked mage winced at being caught but shook his head.
"It's nothing important." He assured his friend. Natsu raised an eyebrow in disbelief but Mystogan shook his head again. "Don't worry, if it becomes something important then I'll tell you. I promise." He assured his friend. The dragon slayer thought about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance.
"Just remember that if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." He assured Mystogan. The masked mage nodded in acceptance before deciding to change the subject.
"Where did you disappear to earlier?" He asked. To his surprise, Natsu chuckled nervously. Mystogan was sure that the pinkette would have scratched the back of his head if his hands weren't full.
"Well you see, I had to leave the village so I could talk to Ultear." The dragon slayer explained. The masked mage's head whipped around to look at his friend in shock. It turned out to be a mistake as he messed up the bandages. Natsu simply sighed as he started over again.
"What was the councilwoman doing here? When did she even show up on the island?" Mystogan demanded.
"She's been here before we even accepted the job request. She was pretending to be a mage called Zalty who was teaching Lyon how to break the Iced Shell. When I fought her, I sealed away her communication lacrima so she couldn't contact Siegrain." The dragon slayer explained. The S-class mage shot him a sharp look, alarm written across his face.
"You mean that S-" He began to say but Natsu cut him off with a sigh.
"Yes that Siegrain, the evil looking council member that's Jellal's 'twin' brother and your Earthland counterpart." The pinkette answered tiredly. His friend glanced at him in concern but didn't comment on it.
"What did you and Ultear talk about?" He asked, deciding to move on.
"I asked her if she was interested in accepting a job request." Natsu said, wincing slightly as he recalled the conversation. "She… accepted but she said she wanted something else instead of money." Mystogan waited for the dragon slayer to continue but when he didn't the masked mage cleared his throat.
"What did she want for payment?" He prompted. Natsu held the bandages with one hand before using the other to sheepishly scratch the back of his head.
"She wanted to know everything I had on Grimoire Heart and how I found out all of the information." He said hesitantly. The S-class mage stared at him in shock before quietly sighing, dragging a hand across his face.
"Natsu, please tell me you didn't accept her insane terms." He said hopefully. However his hopes were dashed when he saw the pinkette chuckle nervously. Mystogan sighed even more deeply this time, but before he could chew out the dragon slayer he began talking.
"I know, I know, it was a really bad idea. But I needed her to accept the job, she's the only one who can even attempt it. And I made sure that the only thing she would find out is what I know, not how I know it. That way our friend will remain safe." He assured the masked mage.
"And what happens when you tell the councilwoman something that will immediately give away who told you everything you know? I know you Natsu, you're not one to go back on your word. You'll tell her everything you know about Grimoire Heart, even if it gets both you and our friend in trouble." Mystogan demanded angrily. There was a moment of silence before he suddenly sighed in resignation. "You know what you're doing and I won't stop you, I just hope that it's worth it." The dragon slayer perked up at his words, giving his friend his usual wide grin.
"Don't worry it is, just listen to my idea!" He said cheerfully. Once he had outlined his plan, the masked mage actually looked impressed.
"That… could actually work. It would all depend on if Ultear is willing to go through with her end of the bargain." He said, thinking about the possibilities. Natsu nodded rapidly, his grin still present.
"Don't worry, Ultear isn't one to go back on a deal either. Besides, leaving something half finished isn't her style and she'll want to do the job right, if only to rub it in my face." He said confidently. Mystogan once again sighed as he contemplated about his friend's trust in others. As he thought, the dragon slayer tightened the bandages one more time before cutting them apart. He had wrapped a couple of lines around the masked mage's head, creating a white halo with blue, spiky, hair on the inside.
"There! That should hold until we get back to Magnolia. Hopefully there's no infection." He said, putting the remaining bandages back on the table. Mystogan nodded in agreement, standing up and stretching his stiff muscles.
"I'll have Grandine take a look at it after we reach the guild." He decided. Natsu paused what he was doing before suddenly laughing in amusement. The masked mage raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"What's so funny?" He asked. The dragon slayer's laughter died out to a quiet chuckle before he finally got it under control.
"I always wondered if you two knew each other." He said mirthfully.
"Yes, she and I have known each other almost as long as I've been a Fairy Tail mage." The masked mage explained, chuckling.
"Does she you yell at you whenever you stay around too long?" Natsu asked, grinning in amusement.
"While she's waving a broom around like it's a sword." Mystogan deadpanned. A moment later the two burst into laughter. They laughed for a few moments before the dragon slayer suddenly stiffened.
"Erza." He whispered. The two of them were frozen still for a single, excruciating moment before they leaped into action. Mystogan leaped for his mask and cap while the pinkette scrambled for the entrance of the hut. He slipped outside and slammed the door close, spinning around to come face to face with the armored knight.