Well, I had quite the productive week. It was my Easter break this week, so I spent the entire week catching up on sleep, eating a lot of food and of course, writing a lot. In fact, in about 6 days I got out almost 20K words.

Have to say though, I wasn't expecting the anime to go on a break, so that was pretty disappointing. At least the manga is still coming out weekly…

Also, I added a few things to my pat reon and given the 20K words I wrote over the week, is already up there, now is a great time to become a part of it.

Hmm, that's actually all I had to say, so I hope you all enjoyed your Easter break and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

Flashback

'Dragon or E.N.D. talking'

"Dragon or E.N.D. thinking"

Techniques

Chapter 4 – Introductions

A few years had passed by now. Natsu had started to train Kagura in using a sword and Happy had even started learning how to use a tiny dagger, which he kept hidden for the most part, in a green bag he kept tied to his back. The dagger was very sharp, but Happy used it more for cutting and cleaning his fish, than for actual combat. As for Fairy Tail, Natsu had gone back every few months. For the most part, he simply waited for Erza to challenge him to a fight, before beating her and heading off on his way. That being said, the first time Natsu had come back, he had quite a few interesting encounters.

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Flashback

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Natsu had just defeated Erza for the second time. Since he was attuned to fire, Erza had decided on using a water-based armour, her Sea Empress Armour, she called it. Natsu simply stared at her when she donned it, in disbelief.

"That flimsy thing was most certainly not armour." Thought Natsu in surprise.

'Ah, give it time, you'll come to like it later on.' Said E.N.D. knowingly.

'Natsu, I don't suppose you would be willing to come and see something with me?' Asked Makarov calmly, walking over to Natsu and gaining his attention.

'M-master, we aren't finished here yet though.' Protested Erza weakly, causing Natsu to look back at her.

'Erza, know when you are beaten. There is nothing wrong with wanting to fight to your full extent, but trying to beat someone, who is obviously stronger than you, in a direct confrontation, is stupid.' Said Natsu tiredly.

'My friends make me strong.' Refuted Erza.

'Funny, I only have one friend, but I'm still stronger than you, guess that idea is disproven. You can fight for your friends if you want Erza, there's nothing wrong with that, but don't neglect your training because of some foolish notion, that having friends will make you strong. That's how people end up dead.' Finished Natsu, before turning to Makarov.

'Okay, where do you want to go?' Asked Natsu.

'My office will do.' Said Makarov, before leading Natsu into the guild.

Natsu looked around, at the surrounding Fairy Tail mages, in apathy. He could tell most of them were simple weaklings, no doubt lulled into a false sense of security, in being part of a renowned guild like Fairy Tail.

Natsu clicked his tongue in annoyance. There were about a dozen mages in the guild worth anything and most of them were kids. Natsu briefly locked eyes with a certain blond though. Out of everyone else here, aside from Erza, for obvious reasons, the blond had gained his attention. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was the grandson of Makarov, but rather, due to the feel Natsu got from his magic. Breaking eye contact with the mage, Natsu smirked to himself.

"Maybe Erza won't be the only reason I bother coming back to this place in the future." Thought Natsu.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Makarov led Natsu to his office, before closing the door behind him and seating himself behind the desk placed in the room. Natsu raised an eyebrow at this, before falling in line and sitting in the seat across from Makarov.

'So, what is it you want me to see?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Makarov looked to his right for a moment.

'Do you not see it now?' Asked Makarov expectantly.

'I see nothing unusual, but I feel something strange.' Said Natsu simply.

Makarov sighed at this, glancing to the right once again, before giving a nod and turning back to Natsu.

'Natsu, would you like to join Fairy Tail?' Asked Makarov, confusing Natsu.

'Um… why?' Asked Natsu, tilting his head to the right.

'In order to see what I want to show you, you need to be a member of Fairy Tail.' Explained Makarov.

'I see… if I join, do I have to do anything?' Asked Natsu.

'At the bare minimum, respect my authority as Guild Master.' Said Makarov tiredly.

'Hmm… that's sounds… reasonable.' Said Natsu slowly, before narrowing his eyes.

'Why do you want me to join though? What is this thing you want me to see, that is so important?' Asked Natsu suspiciously.

'There is someone here, right now, who would like to speak to you.' Said Makarov.

'Oh… ohhhh, now I think I get it. Okay, I'm in.' Said Natsu, with a grin.

Makarov looked at Natsu strangely. Giving one last glance to his right, he pulled out a stamp from a desk drawer.

'I need to give you the mark of Fairy Tail, for you to become an official member of the guild. It needs to be somewhere on your body though. Where would you like it?' Asked Makarov, holding out a wooden stamp, with the symbol of a fairy on it.

'Hmm, my body you say…' Hummed Natsu, before grasping his sword.

'I'm sure this will work fine.' Said Natsu.

Makarov looked at Natsu, with a raised eyebrow.

'What colour?' Asked Makarov.

'Hmm, red works.' Said Natsu, after a moment of thought.

Makarov looked at Natsu searchingly, before giving a small amused huff. As he made to lower the stamp Natsu told him to wait, before unsheathing the sword, exposing the pitch-black blade to the diminutive man.

'A black blade.' Commented Makarov in surprise.

'What were you expecting? Bright pink?' Chuckled Natsu.

Makarov gave a small laugh, before pressing the stamp on the blade for a moment, before raising it, revealing a red Fairy Tail symbol.

'So I was right… hi Mavis, how's being frozen in time, as well as simultaneously being an illusion?' Chirped Natsu, finally seeing what Makarov had kept glancing at to his right.

It was a young girl with very long blonde hair, wearing frilly white and pink clothing. Mavis Vermilion, one of the founders of Fairy Tail and the First Master.

'Who are you exactly?' Asked Mavis calmly, her green eyes boring into Natsu's black.

'Exactly who I said I was. Natsu. Dragneel. The brother of Zeref Dragneel. Is there something about that you find suspicious?' Asked Natsu.

'Yes. Zeref never spoke of a brother and was adamant on anyone being near him, being at risk. Do you expect me to believe he could have had a brother survive for so long?' Asked Mavis.

'Hey, everything we say here, stays in this room, right?' Asked Natsu curiously, switching over between Mavis and Makarov who both nodded, albeit Makarov hesitated until Mavis nodded.

'Well, as it turns out, I've already died once.' Said Natsu, surprising Mavis and getting a confused look from Makarov.

'Unfortunately, he won't be able to bring you back the same way he brought me back. After all, bringing me back was what started that little curse of his. You know the one, I'm sure.' Said Natsu knowingly.

Mavis fixed Natsu with a calculating gaze, taking in everything he just said and weighing it all up in her mind.

'Why are you here?' Asked Mavis, with narrowed eyes.

'Because he told me to.' Answered Natsu simply.

'Why though? Why listen to him?' Asked Mavis.

Natsu's form shifted uncomfortably. Makarov watched his unease in curiosity, while Mavis was analysing every minute detail, from his slightly strained expression, right down to the imperceptive tightening of his left thumb.

'Is it so wrong to want to listen to my family? I had a family with him once. I lost that. I had a family with Igneel. I lost that too… is it really that bad that I want to try and regain what I once had?' Asked Natsu, with an empty voice.

Makarov seemed sympathetic, but Mavis still held a stern look.

'Is that the truth?' Asked Mavis.

'Well, for the most part. Although, I don't want a weak family. Weakness is no good.' Said Natsu, regaining his slightly impassive tone.

'And if Zeref was weak, would you still consider him family?' Asked Mavis.

'That doesn't make sense. Zeref is strong and he is my family. Igneel was also my family and he was also strong. I don't have a weak family.' Said Natsu, with narrowed eyes.

'You are quite confused for a child. Quite lost already in fact.' Said Mavis, with a hint of sadness.

'I'm actually older than you and you don't look much older than me. What are you, twelve?' Retorted Natsu bitingly.

'I'm thirteen actually and how old are you?' Huffed Mavis.

'Think of your actual age, now triple it. I'm older than that even. I'm only a little younger than my big brother after all. It was really funny, the stories he told me about you. Dark Mage Mavis.' Snickered Natsu.

Mavis pouted childishly, while Natsu simply snickered to himself.

"It's like two kids trying to one up each other." Thought Makarov in bemusement, a stupefied expression on his face.

'Well, I'm off for now I think.' Said Natsu, before unsheathing his blade.

Natsu looked at the blade for a minute, before flames engulfed the blade, burning away the Fairy Tail symbol.

'Not to be rude or anything, but just chatting with a ghost isn't a good enough reason for me to join this place. This may be the guild that Zeref helped create and I might join it in time, but it will be on my own terms.' Said Natsu calmly, putting his sword back on his hip as Mavis' form faded from his vision.

As Natsu exited Makarov's office and made his way back downstairs, he noticed the irritated glances he got from some in the guild. Natsu paid them no mind, surveying the entire guild with a cool glare, before locking onto Erza once again. As he made to approach her though, a girl stood in his way.

'Hey, who do you think you are, waltzing in here like you own the place?' Asked a white-haired girl, in gothic attire.

'I think I am one of the few people who actually has any right to be here. Let me ask you one thing though, who are you to speak to me?' Asked Natsu calmly.

'I'm the girl who will kick your ass. Red might be unable to beat you in a sword fight, but I bet I can take you on in a fist fight.' Said the girl, cracking her knuckles ominously.

The entire guild had slowly quietened down, as the confrontation got underway and was dead silent, by the time Mira had finished her declaration. Natsu tilted his head to the right slightly, observing the girl. She didn't look too impressive. Her frame was rather thin and her magical power, while high for her age, was hardly anything for him to worry about.

'Um, are you confused?' Asked Natsu.

'Confused about what?' Asked the girl.

'You claim you can beat me, but both your body and magical power, are weaker than mine… so I'll ask you again, are you confused? Is this some elaborate prank?' Asked Natsu again.

'Watch what you say twerp, or I'll knock your teeth out!' Growled the girl.

'Hmm, I'll pass.' Said Natsu, walking away from the girl, heading for the door.

'Oi, who said you could walk away from me?' Growled the irate mage.

Natsu paused, before turning to face her again.

'I'm sorry, I don't recall needing your permission for anything. Besides, if you are anything like… red did you say? Then you won't be able to beat me either.' Said Natsu, sparing a quick glance to the still exhausted swordswoman.

'I have a real family I fight for, not just this guild.' Said the girl calmly.

'Well good for you. I just don't care.' Said Natsu, before continuing to walk away.

Natsu had just reached the doors, when he felt a fist nearing the back of his head. Tilting his head to the right, Natsu let the fist fly over him, before gripping the offending wrist tightly and swinging the girl over his head, slamming her into the door and using her body to shatter it. The girl weakly coughed and spluttered from within the dust, having taken quite a bit of damage from the swing.

'Are you happy now? All you've done is make a fool of yourself and caused me to break a door.' Questioned Natsu.

'Screw… you.' Muttered the girl.

Natsu squatted down, still gripping the girl by her wrist.

'What's your name?' Asked Natsu.

'Mirajane Strauss.' Said the girl fiercely.

'I see… well, Mirajane Strauss, if you ever want help controlling your demons, I'd be happy to help, it isn't often I get to see many of my own kind… but for now, good night.' Said Natsu cheerily.

Mira's eyes widened at Natsu's words, before he sunk his fist in her gut, causing her eyes to strain at their sockets, before slowly closing, as she drifted off into unconsciousness. Natsu raised her into the air by her wrist, despite his small stature and slung her over his shoulder. Natsu looked around and quickly noticed two, worried looking, white-haired children. Natsu made his way towards them. They looked quite apprehensive as he approached them.

'Hi, sorry about that, but your sister was being a little pushy, so I had to stop her somehow. Make sure to look after her though, but she shouldn't be out for more than a few hours.' Said Natsu amicably, placing Mira down at their feet, before heading for the door again.

'Thank you.' Said the younger girl happily.

Natsu stopped for a moment, a puzzled expression on his face, before shaking his head and walking off.

"Thank you? For what?" Thought Natsu in confusion.

'Maybe for not demolishing that girl, when it would have been an easy task.' Said E.N.D. calmly.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Thought Natsu, causing E.N.D. to shrug his shoulders.

Natsu had just made his way outside Magnolia, only for the same blond he had locked eyes with earlier, to be standing there, arms crossed, almost as if he was waiting for him. Natsu stood there, staring back at the blond, who gazed back curiously.

'Is there something you want?' Asked Natsu curiously.

The blond uncrossed his arms and walked towards Natsu, stopping only a metre away from him.

'Are you a Dragon Slayer?' Asked the teenager.

'Are you?' Asked Natsu, with a cheeky grin.

The blond scoffed in amusement, before walking away from Natsu, back towards Magnolia. Natsu just grinned at his retreating back, before heading off again.

'Well that was a bit of a letdown.' Commented E.N.D. in disappointment.

"Why, I think we both got our point across?" Replied Natsu.

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Natsu slowly made his way back towards the same village Happy had been born in, only for someone garbed in a long black cloak, to be standing in his way, just as the village came into view over the horizon.

'What is this, talk to Natsu day or something?' Grumbled Natsu, seeing yet another person wanting to talk to him.

'You're still just as weird as you were the first time.' Muttered the girl, not expecting Natsu to hear.

'You're just as dumb, insulting me again, did you forget about what happened last time?' Asked Natsu in annoyance.

Ultear bit her tongue, to stop the retort that was begging to be released. Hades had been intrigued with the boy initially, but, after Ultear had retold the events of her first meeting with him, he had been even more intrigued. Unfortunately for Ultear, this had made him even more disappointed, when Ultear had failed to even get him to consider meeting with him.

'Well, do you mind getting to the point? I don't have all day and I have better things to do, than talk with my apparent stalker.' Said Natsu in boredom.

Ultear gnashed her teeth slightly, before calming down. Walking closer to Natsu, she removed her hood, revealing her dark hair and eyes to him.

'I am Ultear Milkovich, a member of Grimoire Heart, a guild. My master would like to speak with you.' Said Ultear calmly.

'Is that it? Why didn't you just say that last time?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

Ultear's right eye twitched in annoyance.

'Well, why not then.' Said Natsu, with a yawn, surprising Ultear.

'W-what? You're agreeing just like that?' Questioned Ultear in shock.

'Sure, why not? I'm not doing anything interesting right now. Come on, let's go.' Said Natsu.

'Hold on, I need to wait for the airship to come pick me up. I didn't expect you to agree this easily.' Confessed Ultear.

'I see… in that case, do you spend a lot of time on this airship?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'A reasonable amount of time, yeah.' Said Ultear in confusion.

'All right. Just do one more thing for me: don't scream.' Said Natsu, with a grin, unnerving Ultear, who quickly gathered her magic power, in preparation for an attack.

In the blink of an eye, Natsu vanished, worrying Ultear, due to the fact that as soon as he had vanished, he somehow appeared right behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

'Oh and you might throw up after this.' Said Natsu teasingly, before Ultear's world warped.

One minute, Ultear was staring at the setting sun, the next, she was slammed through a mass of wood, jarring her roughly. Ultear felt herself set down and prepared to attack Natsu, only for an amused huff to get her attention.

'After what happened last time, I wasn't expecting such a fast response.' Said Hades in amusement.

Ultear turned around, only to notice that she was in front of Hades, Natsu beside her. A few seconds after that, she noticed the airship had a rather sizeable hole in it and almost instinctively fixed it with her magic.

'Hmm, you look a lot older than he described, but I guess not everyone can have eternal youth or be frozen in time like Mavis.' Said Natsu thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in thought.

'Who exactly is he and how do you know of me?' Asked Hades carefully, stroking his long white beard as he did so.

'In reverse order, you're Precht Gaebolg, Second Master of Fairy Tail and the person who told me all of that was Zeref.' Replied Natsu chirpily.

Hades, or rather, Precht, was momentarily speechless.

'You got really old looking though.' Continued Natsu, scratching the side of his face, with his right index finger.

'So, you claim Zeref told you all of this?' Asked Hades curiously.

'I don't claim it, it is a simple fact. Who else knows how you lost your eye against Blue Skull mages?' Asked Natsu, tilting his head to the side.

Hades' left eye widened at this. The amount of people who knew of that, could be counted on one hand. Either the boy was saying the truth, or Warrod must have told him. Hades knew Warrod didn't get involved in magical matters anymore, so it seemed unlikely that he would have told the boy, causing Hades to actually entertain the notion, that Zeref, had in fact told the boy about it.

'You're not having a stroke or something, are you old man? You've been frozen for like a full minute now.' Asked Natsu, snapping Hades out of his musings.

'Ultear, leave us.' Ordered Hades firmly.

Ultear entertained the notion of protesting, wanting to know if the boy really had met Zeref, but the aura coming off Hades made her reconsider. Stiffly bowing her head, Ultear turned and left.

'So… any reason why you wanted to keep things a secret, huh Precht?' Asked Natsu, with a grin.

'Who are you?' Asked Hades.

'I'm Natsu Dragneel, what's it to you?' Answered Natsu cheekily.

'How do you know of Zeref, my eye, Mavis? Did Warrod tell you?' Asked Hades firmly.

'Hmm, tree guy? Nope, never met him. Besides, didn't I just tell you Zeref told me?' Answered Natsu, with a furrowed brow.

'Just why should I believe you?' Asked Hades, calmly, stroking his beard.

'Fine, don't. I'll be off now then.' Said Natsu, causing Hades to splutter at his blatant disrespect.

'Wait!' Shouted Hades, causing Natsu to stop and turn to face him.

'Yes?' Asked Natsu teasingly.

'Would you be interested in joining Grimoire Heart?' Asked Hades.

'Nope.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'I see… even if I tell you Grimoire Heart's goal is to awaken Zeref?' Asked Hades, with a raised eyebrow.

'If that's your goal, I'll tell you how to do it right now. One good flick to his ear and he wakes up with a jolt. Anything else you want to add? Maybe you guys are wondering what he eats for breakfast? For the record, nothing. I've never seen him eat anything, which is pretty sad, especially since I love eating.' Said Natsu happily.

Natsu paused for a minute, waiting for Hades to speak, before his wings burst from his back and he tore another hole through the airship, as he shot off back to his original destination. Hades simply stared at the place where Natsu had left, not knowing how to react. On the other side of the wall to Hades' office, Ultear stood there in silence, her mind churning with what Natsu had said. By the end of the day, the two had settled on their goals for the future. Hades was still set on finding Zeref, but Ultear had decided the real goal was Natsu and resolved to follow up on him in the future.

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End Flashback

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Natsu found it odd, how so many people were interested in him because of Zeref. Makarov, Ultear, Mavis and Hades in particular, which is why he didn't like interacting with them as much. Ultear had changed subtly and Natsu found himself at least a little bit interested in her, if she was to become his mate after all, but she still asked too many questions for his liking, while never giving anything away about her own past.

Erza still tried to fight him and Natsu continued to beat her, usually throwing in a line or two about how only fighting for one friends was moronic and nearly suicidal. Laxus, the blond, who was also the grandson of Makarov, never approached him after that, but Natsu would continually feel Laxus' gaze on his back, when he did wander into Fairy Tail. Mira was a unique prospect. For some reason, she had gotten very shy around him and skittish whenever he would look at her, causing her to either leave, or try and start a guild brawl. Natsu didn't mind terribly. Her anxieties were her own problem and Natsu didn't have to do anything about them.

Overall though, he enjoyed spending time with Kagura the most. Kagura didn't ask for anything of him and was just happy being with him, which also made Natsu happy as well. Happy himself was also turning into quite the joker, frequently teasing Kagura and embarrassing her, much to Natsu's amusement. It didn't help that Natsu had realised Kagura liked him a lot and continued to be largely oblivious to her subtle hints, just to mess with her a bit, which also gave Happy more fuel for his teasing.

The trio were currently training now, Happy on the sidelines filleting some fish, which he quickly ate, one after the other, while watching Natsu and Kagura spar. Natsu easily blocked another swing by Kagura, before pushing her back slightly and giving her time to regroup. Unlike with Erza, Natsu didn't end his fights with Kagura quickly, trying to help her learn through practise, one of his favourite methods. It was also due to the fact, that Natsu wasn't really a teacher and all of his knowledge of sword fighting, came from E.N.D. himself, so he couldn't really teach Kagura anyway.

Kagura proved to be a natural though, easily picking up various nuances in Natsu's style and adopting them into her own, which she was developing. Speaking of developing, Natsu had begun to notice developments of his own, having reached the age of fifteen. Over the past few years, Natsu had become very aware of certain things. In particular, what E.N.D. had pointed out about Erza's armours and their lack of coverage. Before, he had been confused at the armours, which didn't really protect much, now though, he found himself minding less and less, even trying to draw out their spars a few seconds longer. Natsu had also noticed Kagura's growth as well. Kagura had taken to wearing something which Natsu found almost bizarre, given how tight it looked on her… but Natsu never did complain. She wore an elaborate blazer, with gold lining and a large collar, which was open to reveal a collared shirt and red tie underneath. The cuffs of the jacket were tucked into a pair of white, wrist-high gloves. On her legs, Kagura wore a pair of black tights, which were tucked into a pair of knee-high boots and sat under a short white frilled skirt. Kagura also wore the white ribbon Natsu had gotten her, tied at the middle in a bow, pointing straight up. Natsu found it to be overly dressy, but the way it strained on her quickly growing chest, was enough to stall any protests he had.

Blocking one last downward strike from Kagura, Natsu raised his hand, signifying the end of the spar. Interestingly enough, Kagura also used a sheathed sword, like Natsu. Her sword was called Archenemy and took the form of a traditional Japanese longsword. It was completely black, save for a few spots of white at the edge of the scabbard, the tsuba and a few decorative diamonds along the handle. The tsuba was reminiscent to the shape of a four-leafed clover. The blade itself was also mildly rounded and a black decorative rope was tied around the equally black scabbard. The fact that it was a sheathed blade, was what helped Kagura developed her style based on Natsu's own. Kagura had yet to find a reason to unsheathe her sword and hopefully never would, but perhaps that was too optimistic of the world they lived in.

Kagura sat down next to Happy, who was contently munching away at his fish. She grabbed the bottle of water she had placed there and took a deep drink, while Natsu simply watched on. During all of their spars, Natsu always released a bit of his magic, causing Kagura to feel uncomfortable heats. Natsu reasoned she needed to be prepared for all conditions and would need to adapt. Suffice to say, Kagura had quickly adapted after the first few training sessions, after she felt as though she was drowning in her own sweat.

Natsu was proud of Kagura, her growth was immense. While Erza may have had potential, Kagura had skill. She wasn't held back by silly ideas of friendship conquering all and with Natsu being her direct instructor, she had gotten stronger, fast. Even Happy was fairly skilled with his knife, being able to disable a bandit in a minute, by targeting soft spots of the body, like the back of a knee.

'Kagura, I'm really happy with your progress.' Said Natsu, with a smile, which Kagura returned.

'Thank you. It is thanks to your help after all.' Replied Kagura humbly.

'Kagura… you sell yourself too short. You are a great swordswoman, the best I know in fact, I'm sure you'll be able to beat anyone you face in a sword fight and that is not me exaggerating.' Said Natsu, surprising Kagura at how much Natsu was complimenting her.

'…You're going away again, aren't you?' Asked Kagura sadly.

Natsu blinked in surprise at this, before turning to face Kagura, whose face was staring at the ground.

'Uh, er yeah. How'd you know?' Asked Natsu sheepishly.

'Whenever you're about to head off, you always give me extra praise.' Said Kagura unhappily.

Natsu blinked, before realising that Kagura spoke the truth. Every time he was going to head off to visit Fairy Tail, he'd compliment Kagura more after his spars with her. Then he'd leave for a few months.

'Sorry, I didn't realise I was being so obvious.' Admitted Natsu, with a small grin, which quickly faltered, when Kagura didn't match his enthusiasm.

'What's wrong?' Asked Natsu, getting Kagura to look at him.

'Why do you have to keep leaving me behind?' Asked an upset Kagura.

Natsu was lost for words and didn't know how to respond.

'Every time you leave, I always wonder if that will be the last time I see you. You just leave and I have to hope that you'll come back to me. Don't you know how anxious I get? You're still my only friend. If it wasn't for Happy, I'd be alone every time you leave.' Said Kagura despondently.

'I… uh, I never really thought about it like that…' Said Natsu bashfully.

Kagura sighed and looked down again.

'Sorry.' Said Natsu, causing Kagura to look back up at him.

'Do you have to leave me behind again?' Asked Kagura dejectedly.

'You know, she does make a good point. Her being your friend and future mate aside, she is a very skilled swordswoman and does have a rather versatile magic at her disposal. It would be good to have company as well, as talking to me, when I am basically you, doesn't really give you much in the way of conversation. Besides, it'd be good for her to see the outside world and apply her skills to practice.' Said E.N.D. giving his opinion.

Natsu thought about it for a minute, before making his decision.

'Okay then, make sure to rest up tonight, as we will be heading out early tomorrow morning.' Said Natsu happily, getting Kagura to smile.

'We?' Kagura asked hopefully.

'Yep, we, you're coming with me from now on. After all, I need to look out for my best friend.' Said Natsu, purposely drawing an eye twitch from Kagura.

'He likes you.' Teased Happy, getting a small blush from Kagura.

'Of course I do Happy, she's my best friend.' Said Natsu in faux obliviousness, inwardly laughing his ass off, at Kagura's slightly annoyed expression.

Happy snickered as well, having figured out Natsu's game a few months back and had taken to teasing Kagura extra because of it. The poor girl didn't realise her feelings were exceedingly obvious, but then again, Natsu did do a good oblivious idiot act.

'I really don't know why you keep this charade going. It is clear she likes you, you like her, and you know she will be your mate, why fight it?' Sighed E.N.D., who like Kagura, had grown bored of Natsu's act.

"Don't worry, I'll stop acting during this trip." Said Natsu, causing E.N.D. to perk up.

'You mean you're finally going to do something?' Asked E.N.D. in eagerness.

"Not as much as you want." Replied Natsu, causing E.N.D. to sigh in disappointment.

"Man, you are way too horny for your own good." Snickered Natsu.

"Oh haha, bravo. Making a pun about my horns and my massive sex drive. I'm going to enjoy when we finish merging a few years from now and you get stuck with both of them." Grumbled E.N.D. in irritation.

"Well, until then I suppose." Thought Natsu, before refocusing on Kagura.

'So, where are we going?' Asked Kagura curiously.

'Hmm, oh, nowhere too special, just someplace called Alvarez.' Said Natsu, giving a fanged grin.