Chapter 11
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
-With Natsu and Ultear in the apartment-
"Hey Natsu, would you like to go to the Akane resort with me, I have two tickets and I think it can be fun?" Ultear asked Natsu after his disturbing tale of his past in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"That might be a nice change of pace for once, and I would love to go with you," Natsu replied with a rare smile. The two turned in for the night, prepared to leave for the resort the following day.
The train ride to the resort went by without anything interesting happening. Natsu opted to take a quick nap, even though he didn't suffer the severe motion sickness that all Dragon Slayers with enough power suffered because of his God Slayer magic, but that didn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable for him.
Ultear looked at the sleeping form of Natsu throughout the ride, thinking about what it would be like to live her life with Natsu, her mother and adoptive daughter. A life without being part of a dark guild, a life she longed for, for as long as she could remember.
They arrived at their destination in no time. A massive amusement park greeted them, with rides and slides of all kinds, carnival games and shops, a beautiful beach and a casino. All this surrounding a majestic building that reached for the stars, the Akane resort hotel.
"Let's get all of our things to our room before we see what there is to do here," Natsu suggested. They went to the reception area of the large hotel. The reception area was covered in a bright red rug with potted plants along the walls giving it a fancy and expensive feeling. Natsu had his normal attire on with his hood up while Ultear wore a dark purple kimono that matched well with Natsu's attire.
"What can I do for you?" the receptionist asked them as they came up to the counter without looking up at them.
"We would like to book into our rooms," Ultear said, knowing that Natsu would prefer not to be the centre of attention in order to keep his identity as hidden as possible.
"Oh Councilwomen Milkovich, no problem I have your reservations right here," the receptionist said as she looked up and recognised one of the youngest Magic Council members.
"All right, your room is on the fourth floor where the suites are. And you have room number forty-six," the receptionist said after a short while searching for the keys and handing them over to Ultear.
Ultear and Natsu found their way to their room which had a large double bed and a single bed, a bathroom and a small kitchen. The colour scheme was a gold and light brown with a beige rug.
"I'll take the single bed and you can have the double. Let's put our things down and see what the resort has in store for us," Natsu said as he surveyed the room. Ultear felt a little bit of disappointment that she and Natsu would not be in one bed.
"How about we go to the beach first?" Ultear suggested. She could see Natsu flinch a bit at the mention of the beach but she was not sure why.
"Is there something wrong?" Ultear asked with concern in his voice.
"I just don't like public areas, and I will not go swimming so if you are all right with just being on the beach then I don't mind," Natsu said while looking at Ultear.
"Why don't you want to swim, no one ever told you?" Ultear asked with a teasing tone.
"That is not the issue, I don't want the world to see my scars. They can be quite repulsive to the common people," Natsu replied in a neutral tone, unaffected by Ultear's attempt at teasing him.
"I'm sorry I didn't consider that…" Ultear apologised, feeling really bad about not thinking about something like that.
"Don't worry yourself over that," Natsu said as he brought her into a comforting embrace. Ultear felt comfortable in his cool embrace and calmed down, returning the hug.
"So are we going to spend some time on the beach then?" Ultear asked.
"If you want to then I'm up for it," Natsu smiled back at her.
Ultear quickly changed into more appropriate attire for the beach, a dark purple bikini and a light purple skirt. The left the room and headed for the beach.
A large number of people were enjoying their time on the beautiful white beach, either tanning in the sun, playing in the sand or swimming in the azure blue ocean.
Natsu and Ultear looked for a quiet spot where they could sit down on the towels the hotel provided for the residents who wanted to go to the beach. They soon found an isolated palm tree that wasn't being used and decided to claim the spot as their own. They were far enough away from the masses so that they won't be disturbed.
Natsu decided to rest in the shade and meditate, attempting to enhance his magical abilities and develop new techniques. Ultear took to the waters to cool off for a bit. She sunk into the water with a satisfied sigh and enjoyed the peacefulness of the day. Her happy moment didn't last as long as she wanted to when a pink floaty sped past her, splashing her with the waves it created.
Ultear was furious with whoever it was that just splashed her and turned to look in the direction where the floaty sped off in. In the distance, she saw the waves that the speeding floaty made and decided to get back at them. She used her magic to cause the water to explode upwards in the area where the floaty was. The unfortunate occupants were sent flying back towards the beach while Ultear smirked victoriously.
She quickly lost her smirk when she saw where they were heading and gained a look of horror.
-With Natsu under the palm tree-
Natsu was deep in his thoughts searching within his magic for new routes to explore in his abilities. His awareness of his surroundings was limited so that he could only sense malicious intent nearby. So he didn't sense the mass of bodies that came flying at him.
Everyone Ultear launched crashed into Natsu, creating a large cloud of sand. Coughing could be heard coming from this cloud of sand for a while before someone shouted: "Wind God Sword" which was quickly followed by a strong gust of wind, blowing the sand away, revealing Erza, Lucy, Haru, Gray, Happy and Natsu.
IT took the Fairy Tail mages a moment to dust themselves off before they looked around to ensure everyone was all right.
"Is everyone all right?" Erza asked. She was wearing a black bikini.
"What just happened?" Haru asked as he dusted sand out of his red hair. He was wearing a pair of swimming trunks with a fire pattern on them.
"Hey isn't that 'Death Walker'?" Lucy asked as she noticed the other person who was caught in the collision. She was wearing a white bikini.
The group of Fairy Tail mages turned towards where Lucy was pointing and saw a very familiar set of black cloths that they realised belonged to none other than the wandering mange 'Death Walker".
"What are you doing here?" Erza asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice. She couldn't think of any reason why this elusive mage was at one of the top resorts in Fiore.
"Well, I'm not enjoying a peaceful meditation session that's for sure," Natsu replied in an annoyed tone.
"Hey, it wasn't our fault that we were launched over here," Gray exclaimed. He was wearing a pair of blue swimming trunks.
"I wanted to ask you last time we met, you are a Dragon Slayer, right? So do you know where Igneel is?" Haru asked, hoping to find some answer as to where the Dragon was that he saw as a father. Natsu didn't react and only turned his hooded head towards Haru as if he was staring blankly at the younger Dragon Slayer.
"If you're not going to answer me then how about we fight and if I win you tell me," Haru said with determination, he was not about to let this chance sip through his fingers.
"Fine, but if I win you don't bother me about the subject again," Natsu said, deciding it would be easier to just oblige to the stubborn Slayer's request and deal with it now instead of avoiding him and risk future encounters when he might be in worse shape.
"Prepare to tell me everything you know because there is no way I'm losing to you," Haru shouted in excitement.
"Let's first find a more private space," Natsu said. He wasn't going to allow anyone to see him fight if he could avoid it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ultear running towards them.
"Na…" Ultear started to call out to Natsu before remembering that he didn't want to spread his name to just anyone so she stopped herself from revealing his name. Ultear made her way towards them and walked over to where Natsu stood.
"Ultear, what are you doing here?" Erza demanded. Her previous encounter with the councilwomen ended with a lot of frustration for her and it didn't help that the other person who was present was none other than 'Death Walker'.
"It's none of your business Erza," Ultear replied before focusing on Natsu again.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Ultear said to Natsu, feeling guilty because she disturbed his meditation when she launched the Fairy Tail mages into him.
"What's done is done, so don't dwindle on past events," Natsu told her, getting a sigh of relief from her that she was forgiven so easily. She had a feeling that he wasn't as forgiving with others as he was with her which caused a fuzzy feeling in her heart that she was special to the Dragon God Slayer.
"Wait are you two here together?" Lucy asked, seeing the interaction between the two.
"That is none of your business," Ultear said in an annoyed tone, these Fairy Tail mages were interrupting her vacation with Natsu.
"How about we just find a secluded spot so that I can get this fight over with and go back to what I wanted to do," Natsu said with a sigh. And with that, the mages started to move away from the crowded beach to a more secluded spot which they found some way into the forest. There was a nice large clearing surrounded by trees with some boulders scattered around.
"This seems like an adequate location for your clash," Erza observed after she saw the clearing.
"Then let's get started," Haru shouted in excitement and dashed to one side of the clearing getting a giggle from Lucy and a smirk from Gray due to his enthusiasm. Natsu calmly walked over to the opposite side of the clearing.
"Now the rules for this fight, no lethal attacks, whenever your opponent is knocked out or unable to continue the match will end. Do I make myself clear?" Erza asked after giving the rules to the fight, getting a slight nod from Natsu and an enthusiastic yell from Haru.
"Then let the fight begin," Erza called out. Haru exploded forward in a burst of speed while calling out "Fire Dragon Iron Fist".
Natsu calmly dodged to one side and grabbed Haru's outstretched arm, and flung him into one of the boulders, shattering it. Haru climbed out of the rubble, rubbing his head before looking at Natsu who was standing in the same spot as if nothing happened. Haru attempted a long-range attack, calling out "Fire Dragon Roar" sending a vortex of fire at his opponent.
Natsu lifted both his hands and pointed joined then together with his palms facing away from one another. As the vortex of fire neared him he coated his hand in a grey and purple coat of energy before plunging his hands into the vortex. He swiped his hand out to the side, breaking Haru's roar apart and nullifying it.
This gained shocked gasps from the gathered Fairy Tail mages, never before have they seen someone nullify one of Haru's roars with such ease. Haru himself was stunned by what just happened, but he wasn't about to give up. "Fire Dragon Roar" Haru called out, sending another vortex of fire at him.
Natsu sensed that there was something different about this attack, there was a moving source of magic within it. 'So that's what the guy is up to, resourceful,' Natsu thought as he prepared his defence. "Death Dragon's Devastating Fist" Natsu called out just as the vortex hits him. He allowed the roar to hit him and prepared for the follow-up.
'He will nullify my roar again which I put a lot less power into, and then I will hit him with a full power punch,' Haru thought in glee of his ingenious plan. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru called out in excitement only to be met with a fist covered in purple and grey energy. Haru was sent flying once again.
"You had a good idea there, the only problem was the difference in magical power you and your Dragon Roar attack had, I could sense that you were in the attack and only used it as cover, seeing as the power was so low," Natsu explained after seeing the defeated look on Haru's face.
Haru looked up in amazement at his opponent and felt a tingle of pride, seeing that this powerful Dragon Slayer complimented him.
"Now, let's finish this battle," Natsu said as he gathered energy in his right hand. "Death Dragon's Death Blast," Natsu said as he formed a ball of grey and purple energy in his hand and slammed it down on Haru, knocking him out instantly.
"Well with that done, I would like to go back to my meditation," Natsu said as he walked back in the direction of the palm tree where he and Ultear put their things. Ultear quickly followed him, happy that Natsu won the fight, meaning they can get some peace and quiet, without any more interruptions from the Fairies.
Ultear decided to tan in the sun while Natsu was meditating. She began to think about what to do when they are done at the beach, thinking whether Natsu would consider going to the casino to explore the nightly activities there.
"Hey Natsu, would you like to go to the casino later today?" Ultear asked after looking around the area to be sure that no one was there.
"Sure, that might be interesting," Natsu replied while keeping his eyes closed.
"I wonder what I will wear for the occasion," Ultear wondered out loud, she wanted to look good for Natsu, something she never thought she would want to do for a man.
The two of them were quietly minding their own business with Ultear having picked up a book to read when they were approached by the four Fairy Tail mages and the little blue cat. Ultear let out an annoyed groan as she saw them approaching their spot.
"' Death Walker'," Haru called out when they were a few paces away. Natsu turned his head slightly towards the group and stared at the fire mage. He saw Erza bringing her gauntlet down on the boy's head with enough force to knock his face into the sand.
"Be more polite when you want to ask someone something," Erza lectured the downed man with a stern look on her face.
"What is it you want, can't you just leave us alone?" Ultear asked in an annoyed voice while having her own scowl on her beautiful face.
"We don't want anything from you, we only want to talk to 'Death Walker'," Erza huffed. She, and the rest of Fairy Tail, had a deeply rooted dislike towards the Magic Council because of the fact the values of the two organisations don't always align. Ultear being one of the Council members meant that the animosity carried over to her as well.
"We had a deal that you would not bother me again with detail about that dragon of yours boy," Natsu growled. He knew that Igneel didn't want him to mention where he, so just avoiding a pointless conversation was the clear path to take for him. He didn't want to waste his time when he was coming closer to discovering a new way to use his magic.
"Hey, I'm only a few years younger than you are so who are you calling boy?" Haru shouted out with a voice filled with anger.
"If it's another fight you want I suggest you turn around now and leave before I lose my patience," Natsu growled, letting some of his deathly magical aura seep out from him. The Fairy Tail mages felt a cold sweat forming when they felt the unholy feeling of death.
"He didn't come to fight you 'Death Walker', he just came with a request," Erza said, not wanting a fight with the man who seemingly wielded death while they were this close to the other people on the beach.
There was a tense silence between the two groups. The Fairy Tail mages were waiting for 'Death Walker' to make some kind of a move or give some form of a response but he remained still in his meditating position without moving.
"If you're just going to stand around there don't you think it would be more pleasant for all of us if you just left," Ultear broke the silence with her annoyed tone.
"Like I said previously this doesn't concern you Councilwoman Ultear," Erza replied, trying her hardest to keep her boiling anger at the woman under control.
"Would it be possible to talk to you privately 'Death Walker'?" Haru asked, deciding that a private conversation without interruptions would be the best way to talk to the elusive mage.
"Follow me," Natsu said as he stood up and started walking to the woods. Haru was stunned by how easily he was able to convince 'Death Walker' to agree to the conversation. It was only when he was nudged from behind that he moved. He turned around to look into the eyes of Gray.
"Go on before he changes his mind," Gray said in a strangely supportive tone which was uncommon for the two rivals. Erza and Lucy got a soft smile at seeing Gray supporting Haru.
Haru quickly ran after the dark clothed man as he was busy disappearing into the woods. Haru managed not to lose sight of the man he wanted to speak to as they continued to walk for five minutes.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Natsu asked as he suddenly stopped and turned around. He kept his gaze on Haru as he saw the red-haired boy take a deep breath.
"You have shown that you wield considerable power and that you are quite powerful at that. I know that there is still a lot for me to learn about Dragon Slayer magic and… uhm," Haru began to lose his voice. It seemed like his pride was getting in the way of what he wanted to ask.
"You will have to swallow your pride as a Dragon otherwise I am walking away," Natsu said as he looked at the struggling Haru. Haru took a calming breath and steeled his nerves, leaving his pride behind him and looked at Natsu.
-Back with Ultear and the Fairy Tail mages-
The group looked at the two Dragon Slayers walk off to the woods. An awkward silence filled the air around the remaining mages.
"So, what are you doing here Councilwoman Ultear?" Lucy decided to try and spark a conversation to relieve the silence. She was the newest member of Fairy Tail so that meant that she didn't have the same attitude towards the Magic Council as the rest of the Fairy Tail mages as of yet.
Ultear wanted to ignore the girl, she wanted to continue reading and she wanted to have Natsu to herself. But unfortunately for her Natsu went to talk to that Dragon Slayer and it didn't seem like the girl will give up on her efforts to break the silence.
"I'm here to enjoy my vacation time and get a bit of fresh air," Ultear reluctantly answered with a sigh.
"I guess it must be tough being on the Magic Council. We are here to take a break from our constant battles," Lucy said with a bright smile.
"Trouble is drawn you mages of Fairy Tail like a moth to a flame," Ultear muttered to herself.
"It's not like we chose the trouble we get into," Gray defended Fairy Tail.
"Gray is right, the only time we actually search out a battle was with the Lullaby incident when we went after Eisenwald. We had no hand in Phantom Lord coming to attack us," Erza said in a defensive tone. She was not going to let someone badmouth her guild without her saying something about it but she would also not attack a member of the Magic Council as she would normally solve a situation such as this so she opted for a more diplomatic approach.
"While that might be true you seem to have forgotten about your exploits on Galuna Island," Ultear huffed.
"I wasn't aware the Council knew about that," Erza exclaimed in surprise. Ultear cursed herself under her breath but what was said and couldn't be taken back so she would just have to go along with her little slipup.
"The Council knows about everything that happens Miss Scarlet, so be careful with your future actions, even though I might not be one of the Council members begging for your guild's disbandment any negative actions might sway others," Ultear warned her. She was mostly attempting to frighten them enough to get them to leave her alone.
"Are you threatening our guild?" Erza asked in a dark tone. Ultear let out another annoyed groan, of course, things won't be that easy as to frighten these stubborn mages of Fairy Tail.
"No, I'm just giving you a warning. I kind of enjoy the aftermath of the chaos you cause during the Council meetings, it livens the otherwise boring place up," Ultear said.
Erza wanted to say something back but a large amount of magical pressure exploded from the woods.
"What happened?" Lucy asked in shock.
"Isn't that where Haru and 'Death Walker' went?" Happy asked, beginning to fear for his partner as they felt the terrifying feeling of death alongside the magical pressure.
"We must go help him," Gray shouted out.
"Follow me," Erza gave a rallying call as she sped off in the direction of Haru and 'Death Walker'. With a sigh Ultear decided to follow them, she wasn't concerned for Natsu since she knew he would be able to handle the Fairy Tail mages but she was curious as to why he let his magical aura flow so wildly.
-A few minutes earlier with Natsu and Haru-
"I want you to take me under your wing and teach me to improve my Dragon Slayer abilities," Haru said with determination. He was admitting that 'Death Walker' was more powerful than he was and for a Dragon, and thereby their Slayers as well, it was a huge blow to their pride to admit something like that. Yet Haru was determined to become stronger so he was willing to take that blow, especially since it was only the two of them.
"Why do you want to become stronger?" Natsu asked.
"I want to be able to protect my family, I don't want anyone to leave me again," Haru said with sadness in his voice.
"You have suffered loss before and you want to prevent it from happening in the future again," Natsu summed it up.
"Yes, I don't know where my father is and my first friend passed away," Haru said in a sad tone, confirming what Natsu said.
"Then I have only one more test for you to complete. In order to see whether you are worth my time, I need to see your strength. This will also act as a test to see where you lie and if I decide to help you then I will know where to begin," Natsu said.
"But we already fought once, didn't you gauge my power then?" Haru asked in confusion.
"That wasn't what I would call a fight to gauge one's strength, besides we won't be fighting," Natsu said.
"Then how will you be able to tell how strong I am?" Haru asked.
"Release your power, let it flow. That is how I will determine if you have enough power and potential for me to aid you," Natsu said. A grey and purple aura began emitting from him and it quickly spread through the trees.
Haru realised that if he wanted to show his strength and potential he should do the same as 'Death walker'. A brilliant orange aura began expanding outwards from his body. The orange and combination of grey and purple met and much to Haru's horror his aura was immediately overpowered.
Haru, effusing to back down from this challenge began pouring everything he had into his aura. He knew that this wasn't a show of power to intimidate your opponent, this to show the extremes of his magical power. That is why he didn't attempt to keep any magic in his body, letting the brilliant orange light explode from his body. The Grey and purple wave stopped for a moment and Haru began to get excited.
'I'm holding it off,' Haru thought in glee. 'He can hold off the level of my basic spells, now to advance to the next level,' Natsu though. The grey and purple wave once again began overpowering the orange. Haru lost his gleeful emotion as he saw the wave of deathly aura approaching him once more.
'The only chance I have is to try and condense my magic around me,' Haru realised since he was losing ground in their struggle. SO he did just that, condensed his magic in an area just large enough so that he would be able to touch the edges if he stretched his arms out. This worked out for him as the wave of deathly aura once again was being held back by brilliant orange.
"That all you got?" Haru taunted, he was getting ahead of himself with his success. This was an error as he would soon realise.
"Since you are so confidant you can handle my power how about I give you a view of my true power," Natsu said as a black colour joined the grey and purple that made up his aura. The power Haru felt coming off of 'Death Walker' was unbelievable. He only felt this kind of power from Gramps and Gildarts.
The combination of black, grey and purple aura quickly completely overtook everything Haru could produce. He was plunged into the dark world that could only be described as the power of the 'Death Walker'.
Haru felt lost and defeated. In his eyes he was a failure, he couldn't overcome this trail and now he lost his chance to learn from another Dragon Slayer that was more powerful than he was. He wouldn't have a way to learn any more actual Dragon Slayer spells, all he had was what Igneel taught him, but it seemed like it wasn't enough.
Then the light returned to his world. A pink-haired man stood in front of him. Haru saw a scar running through his left eye. Dark green eyes met onyx ones.
"You are close to being at a level I can help you from, but there is still more you have to do before then. The techniques you currently know can still be improved slightly. Once you are done, come find me again," Natsu said with a serious face.
"So this is what you look like 'Death Walker'?" Haru asked since he couldn't find any other words to say.
"Indeed, but can I trust you?" Natsu asked with a serious tone.
"Yes, I never betray my friends, and I consider you as one since you will soon be training me 'Death Walker'," Haru grinned as he answered.
"Natsu, my name is Natsu. Please don't spread it though otherwise, I will come for you," Natsu said as his voice turned dark. He reached out his hand and offered it to Haru, however, once Haru took his hand Natsu called out "Death God's Seal of Silence" as their hands were covered in purple and black energy. It quickly dissipated.
"What was that?" Haru asked he didn't suspect that it was something harmful but he was just curious.
"That was a spell that will tell me if you revealed my name to anyone, I don't want it to get out so don't take this too personally," Natsu said.
The two Dragons Slayer's sensitive ears heard a battle cry coming from the direction of the beach which was shortly followed by a blur of red and silver bursting out of the woods.
Erza rushed forward with her sword drawn. She brought her sword down on where Natsu stood.
"What have you done to Haru?" Erza yelled in rage. She didn't see the red-haired boy standing next to Natsu before she attacked him. In her mind he was somewhere, injured and it was 'Death Walker's' fault.
Natsu let out an annoyed growl at 'Titania's' rash actions before she had all the facts. That and Haru was literally standing next to him. 'I don't have time for this,' Natsu thought.
"Death Dragon's Secret Art: Decaying Grasp: Death Dragon's Oblivion Blade" Natsu yelled out. A grey sword formed in his hand that had a purple aura of power surrounding it. Natsu used his sword to block Erza's strike. Erza's sword shattered when it came into contact with the blade of death that Natsu wielded. Natsu grabbed Erza's arm and flung her into a tree.
"Stay down 'Titania' and take some time to look around the area," Natsu said with a voice filled with anger.
"Erza, I'm fine. The power he released was just a test, seriously I'm completely fine," Haru quickly said to thee enraged knight.
Grey, Lucy and Happy arrived at the scene to see Erza slumped with her back against a tree and a furious pink-haired man staring her down.
"Hey who are you and what have you done to Erza?" Grey asked as he slipped into his maker stance.
"It's fine Gray, that man is 'Death Walker' and he only defended himself," Erza answered Gray as she stood up. She walked over to Natsu and bowed down when she was standing in front of him.
"I'm sorry for my rash judgement, please hit me," Erza apologized.
"Forget it, I'm out of here," Natsu said and walked off, back in the direction of the beach.
"Wait, so you will help me right?" Haru shouted after him. This caused Natsu to stop and turn to look at him.
"I told you what you need to do after that come find me," Natsu said as he raised his hood once again before disappearing into the woods.
Natsu was busy walking back to where he left Ultear when he saw her casually walking towards him.
"So, what happened back there?" Ultear asked, pointing in the direction Natsu was coming from.
"That Haru kid wanted me to train him so I put him through a test. Then that crazy 'Titania' decided I killed the boy and tried to attack me and now I'm here," Natsu quickly summed up the events that just transpired.
"She does jump to conclusions doesn't she?" Ultear asked rhetorically.
"So what are we going to do now? I want some peace and quiet away from those Fairies," Natsu said while rubbing his temples.
"How about we wander around the forest and take in the nature?" Ultear suggested.
"That would work, but let's go in that direction, I really don't want to see any of them right now or I might be tempted to permanently scar them," Natsu suggested, pointing in a direction away from the beach and the Fairy Tail mages.
Ultear let out a giggle and grabbed his arm before beginning to drag him in the direction he pointed in.
The stroll was wonderful for Ultear, with the beautiful scenery she felt at ease. Natsu was happy strolling around in the forest because it reminded him a bit of the forest of the afterlife, just with a lot more green life.
"I just love nature, and with my magic, I can make a seed grow into beautiful flowers and trees if I want to," Ultear said as they walked underneath a canopy of trees.
"That is a wonderful ability to have, to bring life into the world. My magic is more focused on the end of a being's life cycle. We complete the most rudimentary cycle of life in that regard," Natsu replied with a smile, he took off his hood as they entered the cover of the forest.
Ultear beamed brightly at the wonderful words Natsu said and gained a blush as she looked at his smiling face. She was overjoyed that she was one of the few people who would be able to see his radiant smile.
"I really like this charming side you have," Ultear said with her blush still on her face.
"Like I have said multiple times, there is a lot about me you don't know," Natsu smirked back at her.
When they came back to the beach after their walk the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon.
"Seems like we should head back to our hotel room and prepare for our nightly adventure," Natsu said as he put his hood back up to cover his face.
The two made their way to their room where Ultear claimed the first usage of the bathroom and quickly grabbed one of her bags and dashed into the bathroom. After thirty minutes the bathroom door opened revealing Ultear in a beautiful, long black dress that hugged her beautiful figure nicely. Her hair was flowing behind her with a white band on her head. Natsu was staring at the beautiful woman in front of him.
"Like what you see handsome?" Ultear asked as she saw him looking at her. Natsu's reply was a smirk as he walked into the bathroom to get himself ready for the night.
Ten minutes later Natsu was finished. He wore a pair of black dress pants with a white dress shirt and a pair of black shoes. His scarf was around his neck and he wore a dark grey fedora on his head. He completed the look with a dark grey blazer. This time it was Ultear's turn to be caught staring.
"Seems like I'm not the only one who liked what they saw," Natsu said with a smirk.
"So it seems," Ultear giggled. She walked over to Natsu and grabbed his arm before starting to drag him out of the room. When they arrived at the casino they saw all the attraction that was available for them to enjoy.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Natsu asked Ultear since he wasn't as knowledgeable about casinos compared to her with his seclusion lifestyle he only entered a casino when he had a target that resided there and the only thing he used to do there were playing cards since that was where the target usually was.
"How about we go to the cocktail bar and get some refreshments first, I'm kind of thirsty from the walk," Ultear said.
"Lead the way," Natsu smiled in return, but due to the shadows that seemed to swallow his facial features Ultear could only hear the smile in his voice instead of seeing it.
They made their way over to the fancy bar. A barman came up to them and took their orders, Ultear asked for a fruit cocktail while Natsu asked for a cup of sake.
"To an evening without disruptions," Ultear said while raising her glass. Natsu mimicked her gesture and toasted with hers. They both drank their drinks and ordered another.
While they were waiting for their second round of drinks to come they heard a cry coming from one of the games. There stood a red-haired man with a blue cat, crying over an unfair game.
They then saw a raven-haired man walking over to the bar, closely followed by a woman with blue hair.
"Let's get out of here before they see us," Natsu whispered to Ultear, getting a nod of agreement from her.
They quickly and quietly snuck away from the bar, avoiding the people who were nearing them. As they rounded the corner they heard an explosion going off.
"Must be the fireworks starting," one of the staff said.
"I feel like my hot streak is just beginning," Erza's voice came from the poker table.
"Why can't we just get away from these damn Fairies?" Natsu asked.
Suddenly the entire building was filled with darkness. Natsu immediately pulled Ultear closer to him as he let a layer of his death magic cover them, protecting them in case someone tried to attack. Then they heard a gunshot echoing throughout the casino.
Chapter 11 done. Sorry for the late update, I had quite a few due dates this past week. So yes this is the start of the Tower of Heaven Arc. I had a bit of a moment between Natsu and Haru to create a bond there, tell me what you think about it. I will be building on that in later chapters. So some events will change starting off from where this chapter ended off. So leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far and if you would like longer fight scenes compared to the Phantom Lord Arc or if they were satisfactory. I will try and expand on the final fight of the arc you will have to wait for that one. See you next time.