A/N: Hiya! This is my second story, though my first isn't done so if you want, go read that one too. If not, don't. Easy, right? Anyway, I wanted to say a few things before this story starts that I feel may come up. Firstly, I don't really any characters in Fairy Tail for their personality, at least not that I can think of. This fanfic will probably begin to sound like I'm hating on Erza especially, as well as many other members in the future, but I really don't hate them at all. I wrote this because in my head I admire Natsu for staying with Fairy Tail, even though he really has no reason to. If I were him, I'd leave. In exchange for all his work, effort, and determination, all he really gets is the occasional friendly chat and a beating from Erza for simply being himself. There is probably way more going on behind the scenes, but I wanted to set this story up like that because that's what I notice a lot of. Next is the obvious NaLu issue. I acknowledge that in canon, NaLu makes the most sense given how the show/manga is presented, however, it's not my personal favorite, and since this is my story, I can do whatever I want. Besides, this site is built on NaLu, so I'll add something else, even though this fic isn't actually based around romance at all. Lastly, to those of you who read this, first of all, thank you, and second I want to know how deep I should take this story. This will definitely have one more chapter of roughly equal length, but if people really like this chapter and the next one, maybe I'll make it a longer story, rather than just a two-shot like I had planned. Normally, my style is 'I want any and all criticisms and suggestions, but it's my story so if I don't want it to happen it won't, regardless of popularity,' but in this case, I'm kind of indifferent so I want others to choose for me. Especially because, as I mentioned, I'm writing another story at the same time, and I've only been doing this for about a month, so I'm very very new. That absurdly long author's note being said, thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Everyone has limits. Those limits are in everything, whether you believe it or not, from the strength your magic can reach to how much alcohol you can drink before passing out. Fairy Tail has always strived to reach and surpass those limits, and, sometimes, they're successful. However, even when you pass a limit, there is always another one, and, eventually, you will simply not be able to go farther. Natsu Dragneel, fire dragon slayer of Fairy Tail, is about to experience this first hand.

Natsu has been in Fairy Tail since he was a kid, and it seemed like forever ago that he joined, especially now. He had been through so much in only the last few years. Well, the last few years for him, the last decade or so for almost everyone else. First there was the whole incident with Lullaby that set off a whole mess of complications, from saving Erza's life from the Tower of Heaven, stopping all three pillars of the Ballam Alliance, barely surviving an attack by ACNOLOGIA HIMSELF, and after ALL OF THAT going to war with the strongest country in existence. And that's just some of the nonsense he's had to deal with. Yep, Natsu Dragneel lived through all of that. Not only that, but he personally eliminated Acnologia, with the help of his fellow slayers of course, and he saw to it that his brother, an immortal and the strongest wizard to ever live, was killed. Quite an impressive track record, eh?

All that time he was in the thick of it, diving headfirst into anything so long as his family was safe. All that time he acted like a goofy idiot because it made people forget about their problems. That's not to say he was the sharpest knife in the drawer...he was still a bit dense...but he was still fairly smart, and he knew even more about people. He knew more about every single member of Fairy Tail than anyone else could ever dream of knowing, because he saw to it that every single one of them was smiling and happy as often as possible. But lately, he'd started asking himself why he was doing that. If you had asked him that same question any other time, he'd have an easy, straight-forward answer. 'Because they're my family, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family!' Sounds like something he'd say, right? But now? He wasn't so sure…

"Happy, do you think I'm being ungrateful or something?" he questioned to his long-time companion, and pseudo-son Happy, the ever-cheerful flying blue cat that he raised as his own child along with his best and closest friend Lisanna.

"I don't think so, Natsu," Happy replied, thoughtfully. Usually, Happy would just tease and laugh along with his best friend, never really being serious, but Natsu needed someone to talk to, and Happy was determined to not disappoint. "If I did everything you did and no one gave me fish, I'd be pretty upset too."

"I guess so, but isn't what I've done what anyone would have done?"

"I don't think so, Natsu. You were so determined not to let anyone get hurt in the war against Alvarez that you willingly flew alone at the strongest wizard to ever live to fight him alone. No one would do that."

"But everyone told me that was a stupid thing to do…"

"Aye, it was!" Happy replied. "But it was also brave. You were willing to sacrifice your own life so none of us had to bear the burden of fighting a war or risk death ourselves. And you would have done it, if I hadn't saved your sorry behind! If you died, who would bring me fish!"

"I guess so…" Natsu sighed, rubbing his face furiously. "Alright! I'm finally gonna do it! Today, I'm going to ask Makarov to make me S-Class, and he's going to do it! And if he doesn't...well...we'll cross that bridge if we come to it!"

"Aye, sir!"

"Let's go little buddy! We'll have some breakfast with Mira and Lisanna and then talk to him!"

"Aye!"

Natsu was finally ready to ask for a promotion. He had been putting it off for weeks, what with everyone resting from the war, but he was ready now.

Ever since about a month after the war ended, he started to spend a lot more time just thinking to himself whenever he was at home. He tried to keep up the same act at the guild whenever possible, and almost everyone bought it, but he had been asked a few times if he was ok by both Mira and Lisanna. Mira had a keen eye for everything, and Lisanna was...well...Lisanna saw through anything and everything. That's how she's always been, and that's probably how she always will be.

Questions would always circle his mind. He started to doubt himself more, about why he did everything he did for his family. The reason he felt so guilty about it? It was because of how selfish he was for doubting that they were his family. But once he sat down and thought about it, why were they his family? Sure, Gramps gave him a place to stay and work, Lisanna was his best friend as a kid and helped him to become who he was today, Mira supported him through everything he did, and Happy, well, what didn't Happy do! So he was pretty sure those people were his family, but, what about the rest of them? Maybe a few more, he supposed. Wendy, of course, Gajeel, he would have to begrudgingly admit that one, and maybe even Laxus and Elfman, not to mention Romeo and little Asuka. They've all been there for him through something, but the rest of them, he wasn't so sure. It all started a while ago…

Flashback

"Mira! Another round over here!"

"Coming right up!"

Today, almost everyone in the guild was here. The war ended a month prior, and they were finally able to finish rebuilding. To celebrate, Sabertooth was visiting and they were going to have a massive party, even by Fairy Tail standards.

"Ha ha~! Are you ready, little buddy?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Sting, Rogue, and the rest of them are visiting!"

"Aye, sir! Frosch and Lector are coming too! We can have all the fish in Magnolia!" Happy replied, drooling.

"What was that other one's name again? Yuriko? Or was it Yakina?"

"I think it was Yako," Happy answered.

"That sounds right," Natsu nodded, agreeing with the cat.

"It's Yukino, Natsu!" Erza shouted.

"Hmmm, that doesn't sound right…" Natsu replied. "I'm pretty sure it was Yako."

"What kind of idiot can't even remember a name, flame-brain?" Gray challenged.

"What kind of idiot can't even remember clothes, ice-prick?" Natsu shot back.

"You wanna go, ash-breath?"

"I'd go any time, snow queen!"

"I can't wait to beat you into the ground again, lizard lung!"

"That would mean you've beaten me before, snowflake! Which as far as I can remember, hasn't happened even once!"

"Seems like names aren't the only thing you can't remember, charcoal!"

"This coming from-"

"ENOUGH!" Erza roared. "You WILL NOT ruin our reputation in front of guests!"

"Aye, ma'am!" they quickly replied. For the next half hour, their obedience continued, but as rivals, duels were inevitable.

"What'd you say, droopy eyes?"

"You heard me, squinty eyes!"

"Come on, let's-"

"I WARNED YOU ONCE, NATSU!" Erza roared, and proceeded to beat him senseless, in her own sick form of 'punishment.' After a few minutes, Natsu was out cold, and covered in bruises in cuts, while Gray was standing next to him in terror. "Will you be a problem too, or do I have to give you punishment as well?"
"I'll behave, ma'am!" he shot back.

"Don't you think you went a bit too far, Erza?" Mira asked, as she came over to attend to the unconscious dragon slayer along with her sister.

"Yeah, Natsu was just excited. You can't stop him from being himself, you know," Lisanna piped in, as the two sisters bandaged him.

"He should listen to the rules, or he'll be punished," Erza declared, sitting back down.

"I'm kind of with Erza on this one…" Lucy admitted. "We're not asking him that much, just stop shouting and fighting all the time."

"Wow~! Lucy finally admitting her love has flaws!" Mira teased, giggling.

"I don't know why I keep having to say that I don't have a crush on Natsu!" Lucy said, and sighed. "It's nothing personal, but I don't think I could really deal with...that...every day. I want someone I can spend my life with, and I just can't see us moving past teammates."

Both Strauss sisters looked at her surprised, and even people that were around the table happened to overhear. "Really? It sure seems like you do," Mira questioned, surprised that one of her prized ships had gotten away.

"I'm grateful for him bringing me to Fairy Tail and being on a team, but that's as far as it goes. We're friends and teammates, nothing more, nothing less."

"Well...ok then!" The two sisters proceeded to carry the half-conscious dragon slayer up the stairs, who just so happened to overhear the conversation. Fortunately for him, he didn't actually have any feelings for the blonde celestial wizard other than best friends and family, but still...Saying she had to 'deal with him' every day stung a bit.

Within an hour, Sabertooth arrived, including Sting, Rogue, Orga, Yukino, Minerva, Rufus, the two exceeds, and a few other less notable wizards. The celebration began immediately, and the various wizards dispersed into groups. Over at the bar were Sting, Rogue, Cana, Mira, and Lisanna.

"Hey, where's Natsu at? I was hoping he would be here so we could duke it out again! I'm not losing this time!" Sting announced.

"That is rather surprising that he isn't here," Rogue commented. "Normally he's the center of attention, and we'd be trying to avoid a brawl by now."

"Isn't he the best!" Sting exclaimed.

"Natsu sure is one of a kind!" Mira giggled. "He's in the infirmary. He might be down later, I'm not really sure. He's not really in any condition to move yet."
"What happened? Is he ok?" Sting asked, concerned about his idol.

"He's fine. Erza just beat him up really badly," Lisanna sighed. She'd never said this to anyone, not even Natsu or her sister, but she really couldn't believe that Natsu had stuck around at Fairy Tail after she had 'died'. That was one of her biggest fears, because she noticed that Natsu had no real reason to be in Fairy Tail other than finding his father, and now, he didn't even have that. Everyone was always mean to him, especially Erza, and he really didn't have any friends when they were kids except her. Mira was the only one who was ever even occasionally nice to the dragon slayer, so she fully expected him to leave once she had been taken to Edolas. Fortunately, he stuck around, so they were reunited, though, sadly, not as close as before, which was something she was determined to rectify, especially since she now knew for certain that she wouldn't be stealing him away from a blonde celestial spirit mage.

"Wait, Erza beat him so bad he's in the infirmary? Is she that much stronger than him?" Sting gaped, a mixture of terror at Erza's strength and disappointment that his idol wasn't really as strong as he'd thought.

"Oh, definitely not!" Lisanna told him. "If they were to fight for real, I don't think Natsu would have to try very hard to win."

"If Natsu's that much stronger, how did he get beaten so badly?" Rogue questioned.

"He's a big ol' softie~," Cana drunkenly slurred.

Mira sighed at her drunken antics. "It's not that. They didn't actually fight, and even if they did, I don't think Natsu could bring himself to really hurt anyone here. He was arguing with Gray and Erza beat him senseless."

"Why doesn't he just defend himself? It sounds like Erza is the perpetrator," Rogue noted. "While I will admit constant arguing could get on one's nerves, beating him senseless doesn't seem like the best way to go about solving the problem."

"I think it's because when they were younger, Erza was way stronger than he was," Lisanna said. "Now it's just ingrained into him that he has to take whatever Erza dishes out or it will be worse. From what I've heard from Mira though, is that Natsu has been stronger than Mira since around X784. Was that right, Mira?"

"I think so," Mira said thoughtfully. "Of course, we were in that time stasis thing for seven years after that, but I started to notice that Natsu was stronger than Erza right after Lucy got here. The two had a fight and I think Natsu was going to win if it weren't for the council. That seems so long ago now, though."

"He's been stronger than her for that long, and he just let's her beat on him?" Sting asked, shocked.

"Yeah…" Lisanna sighed.
"Does no one bother to stop her? Putting someone in the infirmary for a few hours if not a whole day is way too much for arguing with someone!"

"Erza's the guild disciplinarian. No one wants to go against her, because they'll get beaten up too. Besides, most of them don't want to listen to Natsu brawl, but that's just who he is. Besides, one day in the infirmary, while on the higher end of punishments, is by no means the worst she's given."

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what was the worst?" Rogue asked hesitantly.

"Once when we were a lot younger, Natsu asked why she ate so much cheesecake. She told him it was delicious, and he asked if she was worried about gaining weight. Granted, he shouldn't have asked that to a lady, but he really didn't know any better, and he was genuinely concerned. People never really seemed to understand that someone raised by a dragon wouldn't really be well adapted into normal society right away... Anyway, she beat him so badly, he wasn't able to leave the infirmary for a week, and he couldn't go on missions for a week after that," Mira explained sadly.

"He barely avoided something worse than that when I first got back from Edolas," Lisanna commented. Even Mira was a bit surprised since she didn't know this story. "Natsu, Happy, and I went fishing one afternoon and stayed the entire day. It was nice to spend time together since we hadn't seen each other in two years. We went back to the hut where we raised Happy, but Happy wanted to go visit Carla, so it left just the two of us. We didn't plan to stay there, but we both just kind of fell asleep after talking for a while. Nothing happened obviously, but we woke up to Erza shouting. She accused him of 'taking advantage of me' and 'forcing himself onto a distressed maiden' and then tried to beat him senseless. He had just woken up and had no idea what was going on, and if it weren't for me explaining everything, who knows what would have happened. He still got beaten pretty bad for sleeping next to me though. I had to carry him home after that."

Sting and Rogue were both shocked. From everything Natsu had told them, it seemed like Fairy Tail was a happy place where everyone got along for the most part, and they brawled all the time as a way of having fun, relieving stress, and improving their combat skills. That was the reason Sting got them a special area out back specifically for brawls and fights, though that didn't stop the occasional one from happening inside. Apparently, he left out the part where if he acted like himself, he would be severely punished for it.

"Wow…"

"Aw come on," Cana drunkenly slurred. "If it really bothered him, he'd probably do something about it. Now, hit me again, Mira!"

'I'm not so sure about that…' Mira thought to herself. She, like her sister, had very strong feelings for the slayer. If it wasn't for him she probably never would have gotten through her sister's supposed death. She would have left Fairy Tail with Elfman after that incident, and was planning to if the slayer hadn't forcefully gotten through to her and Elfman. Not only that, but everything he did for the guild was inspiring to her. He put himself into harm's way so they'd be safe, he acted like a complete idiot so they had something to take their mind off of their problems, and he knew so much about everyone that he could almost instantly cheer anyone up. The best gifts she'd ever gotten were all presents from Natsu, just because he knew her so well that he didn't even need to ask what she wanted, he just saw something that she would like and got it for her, with no ulterior motives other than to make her smile.

The party continued the rest of the evening, and after a few hours, the wounded slayer joined them, though he stayed fairly quiet because Erza spent the entire time glaring at him, almost daring him to do anything less than perfectly obedient.

Later that night, everyone was either passed out drunk on the floor or preparing to leave.

"Yo, Natsu!" Sting called, jogging up to the slayer along with Rogue.

"What's up, Sting! We didn't really get a chance to catch up, sorry about that! Hehe!" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"No problem, man! You know any good spots we can crash for the night? Neither of us really like hotels unless it's for long missions in one area."

"Yeah, sleeping under the stars is so much better! I've got the perfect spot, let's go! You up for it Happy, or are you staying with Wendy and Carla tonight?"

"Well…" Happy hesitated. He had to pick between two of his favorite three things; Natsu and Carla, the third, of course, being fish, but that wasn't one of his choices right now.

"Why don't you stay with them tonight, and we'll have a slayer night! Just us!"
"Are you sure you're ok with that, Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Of course! Why don't you bring Frosch and Lector with you, if that's ok with you two?"

"Sounds awesome!" Sting cheered.

"I don't mind," Rogue agreed.

"Well then, it's settled! Let's go!" With that, Natsu raced outside. The twin slayers glanced at each other and shrugged, before dashing out after him.

"You know Wendy isn't here, right Happy?" Mira asked, walking up to him.

"THEN WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO STAY?!" Happy cried.

"The three of you can stay with us, Happy!" Lisanna piped up. "Let those three have their fun, we can have an exceed night!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered.

"That could be fun," Lector agreed, walking over to the group. "Still...they could have at least told us before running off like that…"

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch agreed, cheerily.

The two sisters giggled, and led the party of exceeds to their home, leaving their passed out brother with the rest of the drunken Fairy Tail members.

Meanwhile, Natsu and the Sabertooth dragon slayers arrived at Natsu's spot. "How about this! I've only ever brought Happy and Lisanna here, no one else knows about it!"

"Wow…" Sting breathed.

"It's amazing…" Rogue agreed. The area truly was beautiful. It was a fairly large clearing, with tall trees with thick sturdy branches. In the middle was a lake that shimmered in the moonlight, the water as clear as crystal. The occasional bat would swoop by and they had a perfect view of the moon and the stars.
"Great, isn't it? I would have built my house here, but I didn't want anyone else to know about this place but me. It just seemed wrong to mess with it," Natsu explained.

"I'd have to agree," Rogue nodded.

"This is the coolest!" Sting shouted. The three found a good area to sleep, and proceeded to talk, laugh, and carry on for a while. After about an hour, Sting finally decided to breach the topic he'd wanted to bring up since they discovered Natsu was in the infirmary.

"Hey, Natsu, would you ever think about joining Sabertooth?" he asked.

"Eh? Why would I do that? I mean, you guys are awesome and everything, but I'm a part of Fairy Tail! I can't just leave my family!" he declared proudly.

"Look, I know it's not really any of our business, but we heard a few things from Mira and Lisanna, and thought you might want to talk about how you actually feel about everything."

"Whaddya mean?" he questioned.

"Look, Natsu," Rogue started. "You know what we mean. You are one of the strongest wizards in Fiore, and could probably make the position of a Wizard Saint if you really wanted to, and, no offense, but were a little more mature, at least outwardly. You caused the two strongest and most evil beings ever to roam earthland to be defeated. You played a major role in the defeat of every pillar of the Ballam alliance, not to mention everything else I'm sure you've done that we haven't heard about."
"What does that have to do with anything? I just did what anyone else would do to protect my family!"
"The thing we're trying to say, Natsu," Sting paused and sighed. "Are they really your family?"

"Of course they're my family! What are you getting at?!" Natsu shouted angrily.

"Relax, Natsu," Rogue said calmly. "We know that this is a sensitive issue but you helped us to make our guild a family. If it weren't for you, we'd still be a cruel, ruthless guild known for nothing but power."

"Exactly," Sting agreed. "But anyway, back to what we were saying. You did all that, but you aren't even S-Class, even though, as much as I hate to admit it, you are stronger than every wizard in Sabertooth and could probably put up a good fight against both Rogue and I at the same time, if not win like you did last time. You get beaten up by Erza for simply being yourself, and the guild puts up with it because they find you annoying. Plus, they seem to think that if it bothered you, you'd do something to stop it, like you're some sort of attack dog only meant to serve. Is that how a family treats one of their own?"
"It's not that...I mean…" Natsu hesitated. He'd never given it that much thought before, but everything Sting said seemed right. Everything he did was for the good of the guild, but what did he get in return? "I don't know…"

"Look, don't make a decision now, man," Sting said, patting his idol on the shoulder. "Think about it. If you want to join us, we'll take you in with open arms. You'd be S-Class right away and probably our ace too."

"You can do that?" Natsu asked incredulously.

"Sting is the guild master, Natsu," Rogue deadpanned.

"Oh! Right!"

"But Sting's right. Take some time to think about it. You've done so much for everyone else. Personally, I think it's time you get something in return."

Flashback End

"So why are you doing this again, Natsu?" Happy asked. "Not that you don't deserve to be S-Class."

"Because! If I make S-Class, maybe people will give me a bit more respect! And Erza will acknowledge that I'm stronger than her and stop treating me like a punching bag! And maybe the guild will realize that I'm more than just a goofy idiot!"

"Aye, sir! You're the goofiest idiot I know!"

"HEY!" he yelled, chasing his cat. "GET BACK HERE!"

"Gotta catch me first, Natsu!" he laughed, flying to the guildhall.

Soon they arrived at the guildhall, entering with their usual gusto, before heading over to the bar.

"Good morning, Natsu!" Mira chirped.

"Hi Mira! Good to see you! Can we get our usual?" Natsu asked.

"Of course!" she replied, and headed off to prepare his breakfast. Soon after, she reemerged with two large breakfast platters and a plate of fish. "Here you are! Anything else?"
"Thanks, Mira!" he declared happily, licking his lips at sight of the amazing meal. "Actually, yeah. You and Lisanna want to join me?"

"I don't see why not. There are still only a few people here and Kinana can handle them. I'll go get her."

"Awesome, thanks Mira!"

She giggled, and walked over to retrieve her sister. They soon emerged and shared greetings before joining Natsu at an isolated table.

"So, what'd you want to talk to us about, Natsu?" Lisanna asked.

"Or did you just want to be seen eating breakfast with two pretty girls?" Mira teased.

"Mira~!" Natsu whined, blushing slightly. "I actually wanted to tell you two something. I'm gonna ask gramps if I can be S-Class today."

"EH?" they both asked at the same time.

"Yep, I think I've earned it. Besides, we've missed like four trials in a row. One from Tenrou, then from Tartaros, then the guild disbanded, and then Alvarez stuff."

"I guess you do have a point there," Lisanna replied thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her finger. "Do you think you're ready?"

"Of course I do!" Natsu declared.

Lisanna giggled. "I think so too. Maybe Mira can put in a good word for you?"
"Hmmm…" Mira pretended to think. "Gee, I don't know, Natsu. Are you sure you've done enough? I mean, it can't be that hard to defeat Acnologia, right?"

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, relax! I'm just teasing you!" Natsu sighed in relief, thinking she didn't really understand what kind of a monster Acnologia was, even outside of his dragon form. "I'll do you one better. I'll go with you. You've been stronger than I was when I made S-Class for years now, so I think you deserve it."

"You two are the best!" he exclaimed, reaching over the table and pulling them in for a hug. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

They giggled at his enthusiasm, though not without slight blushes on their face.

"Is that why you've been a bit off lately?" Lisanna asked.

"Well…" Natsu sighed, scratching his head.

"You should tell them, Natsu. They'll understand!" Happy encouraged while devouring more fish. "Actually, don't tell them. Then they'll bribe me to tell them with fish! Did I say that out loud?"

"You did, Happy. Nice to know you'll sell me out for some fish…" he grumbled, much to the Strauss' amusement. "Remember when Sabertooth came a few weeks ago?"

"Of course!"

"Well, Sting, Rogue, and I had a 'slayer's night' and they talked to me about a few things I never really thought of. At first I thought I was just being selfish, but after thinking about it, I think they might be right…"

Both sisters glanced at each other nervously. They both had a good idea of what was on his mind, though surprised it took him this long to act on it.

"It's just that...I feel like I've done a lot for the guild because they're my family. But Sting mentioned that they did things to me that family doesn't really do to each other...and I guess I sort of agreed with him...on some things…" he finished quietly.

"Natsu," Mira said sadly. "There's nothing wrong with that. Being family goes both ways. That doesn't mean you should expect them to do things for you, which would be a little selfish, but wanting to be acknowledged and appreciated is perfectly reasonable."

"Mira's right, Natsu," Lisanna agreed. "The only reason the guild is still here is because you brought everyone back together because you knew it would make us feel better. And no one even thanked you for it! Family is supposed to be a lot like 'I'll scratch your back and you scratch mine,' you know?"

"But my back doesn't itch?" Natsu questioned.

"That's not what I mean, Natsu!" Lisanna scolded. "It means that family does things for each other. You do things for us so we should do things for you. I think asking for S-Class is a perfectly reasonable request as something the guild can do for you."

"Oh! That makes more sense!" Natsu nodded. "Thanks, Lis! You're the best!"

"What about me?" Mira pouted.

"Uh...you're the best too! You're both the best!" he exclaimed, satisfied with his solution.

Mira giggled at him. "So are you gonna make a big show of it, or ask in private?"

"I was just going to ask him when he got in. Is there a procedure or something?"

"Nope!" she chirped back. "Just let me know and I'll come with!"

"Thanks, Mira!"

"So you aren't gonna join Sabertooth?" Happy asked.

"Happy, that was a secret!" Natsu scolded.

"You were going to join Sabertooth?!" the two asked bewildered.

"Well...I thought about it…" he admitted. "When they talked to me, they offered a spot at Sabertooth if I wanted one. I said no of course, since I'm in Fairy Tail, but they did make a great point. It's not like I want to be worshipped or anything, but a lot of them look up to me there, so I would be able to help a lot more people. I can't really help anyone but Romeo and Asuka here, since they all think I'm a reckless idiot. If I went to Sabertooth, I'd be S-Class, their ace, and I'd be able to help Sting, Rogue, and a bunch of their other mages improve, and they can help me in turn!"

The two glanced at each other again with a sad look. 'Why do they keep doing that? Do they have telepathy magic or something?' Natsu thought to himself.

"Are you going to take their offer if you don't get S-Class?" Mira asked sadly.

"I don't know, I'd think about it," he admitted.

"I think you should pick whichever is best for you," Lisanna told him. "We'll miss you more than anything if you left, but you would still be able to visit us if you went, and we would visit you."

"Thanks, Lis, Mira. We'll see what happens I guess."

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered. He's never been one for reading social cues, but this time it worked, since they all looked at him and laughed, starting up a more jovial conversation.

About an hour and a half later, most of the guild had arrived, and Mira had had to excuse herself earlier on to start working. Lisanna, Happy, and Natsu stayed and chatted until Makarov came in.

"Hey, gramps!" Natsu called over.

"Ah, Natsu my boy! How are you today?" he asked, rolling over to his table. (A/N: Makarov is in a wheelchair, remember? Just so you don't picture-actually, that would be pretty funny...)

"I'm great, gramps! Can I talk to you in your office?"

"Of course, my boy. Come with me," Makarov replied, though a bit surprised. 'I wonder what this is about...he's never asked to talk with me before.'

"Sure, I'll meet you there. Mira wants to come too, so I'll get her first."

"Sounds good, my boy." With that, he rolled away.

"Good luck, Natsu! I think he'll understand," Lisanna reassured.

"Thanks Lis!" he said, and gave her a hug. "You two are the best!"

"Put me down, Natsu! And you already said that!" she squeaked.

"Sorry about that!" he chuckled, setting her back down. "I just got excited."

"Don't worry about it, just go get my sister."

"Right!"

"Aye, sir!" After Natsu ran off to find Mira, Happy turned back over to Lisanna. "He liiiiikes you!"

"Happy!"

Five minutes later, Makarov, Natsu, and Mira were all gathered together in the master's office. "So, my boy, what is this about? I don't think you've ever asked to see me before."

"I wanted to ask you to make me an S-Class wizard!" he declared confidently.

"Hmmm…" Makarov said, stroking his chin. 'So that's what this is about.'

"I think you should hear him out, Master," Mira added. "I think he deserves it."

"Very well, my child. Why should I make you an S-Class wizard?"

"I think I'm strong enough that I deserve it now! I'm strong enough to protect people that I see as my family, and I'm equal to or stronger than all our S-Class wizards, and I'm stronger than almost everyone in most of the other guilds. Even Sting admits that I could probably handle any two of his members at once, and Sabertooth is the second strongest guild in Fiore."

"I see. But you do know that being S-Class takes a lot more than just strength, right?"

"Of course I know that! It takes brains, leadership, and what was that other thing? Paternity?"
"I think you mean maturity, Natsu…" Mira deadpanned.

"Right! I know I'm not the smartest person in the guild, but I'm not an idiot. And I have my own team that's named after me, so I think I make a good leader!"
"I have to agree with everything so far, Natsu, however, I am worried about the last one. You know you can be a bit immature rather frequently, my boy," Makarov explained.

"In all fairness, master, he's no less mature than the rest of them," Mira countered. "Laxus tried to take over the guild by force, Erza beats up anyone who doesn't do exactly as she says, and I wasn't exactly the poster child when I was made S-Class," she finished with a giggle.

"I suppose that's true," he scratched his beard thoughtfully. "My last point is this. Natsu, you often have trouble controlling your magic and that can lead to a bad reputation for you and the guild. How-"

"Before you finish that master," Natsu interrupted, to both of their surprise. "I thought about that. But...Gildarts...need I say more?"

Makarov raised a finger and opened his mouth before processing what he said, and stopping. "And I presume you agree with all this, Mira?"

"Of course I do! He can be a little reckless and annoying sometimes-"

"I'm right here!"

Mira giggled in response. "But he's also the heart and soul of Fairy Tail. He's proven his strength, his ability to lead, and his willingness to do anything for people he sees as friends and family. Besides, his flaws are no worse than the rest of our S-Class wizards. His strength alone is on par with Gildarts; I don't know if I stand a chance against him myself anymore. Not to mention he's a cutie!"
"Mira~!" Natsu whined, blushing. "This is serious!"

Both of them chuckled at this before Makarov sighed. "Honestly I agree with Mira, but many of the points you made apply to Gray as well."

"Then why not give us both the rank? Gray might be an idiot, but he's a strong fighter."

"Really?" Makarov asked in shock. He knew their rivalry was a friendly one, but neither ever went out of their way to compliment the other.

"Of course! Ice princess is nowhere near my level, but he's strong, and he's done almost as much as I have to protect Fairy Tail."

Makarov laughed at this. "Well, my boy. Seeing as we've gone eleven years without any S-Class additions, I suppose I could do that, however, I don't feel it would be fair for me to make that decision alone. I'm sure others want to be S-Class as well, and normally we solve that with the trials."

"I know that, which is why I wasn't sure about asking, but I feel I'm ready for this, gramps," Natsu said with determination.

"I can see that, which is why I'll offer a compromise. I'll go out and we can ask the guild. If there is a clear majority for promoting both you and Gray, then I'll do it. If not, then you'll have to wait until the next trials."

"I don't-" Mira started.

"That sounds great, Gramps! Let's do it!" Natsu cheered.

'This isn't good…' Mira thought, nervously.