And Onto the Story!

Natsu's PoV

"OK… On 3, One… Two… Three… Let the fight begin!" Makarov bellowed, Natsu instantly picked up a flare of magic, narrowing his eyes, only for them to shoot open when a magic circle instantly covered the entire floor,

"Twister!" Loke shouted as he touched the ring on his left hand, the winds instantly picking up, threatening to throw Natsu off his feet.

"Ice Make Freeze Daggers!" Gray cried out as he slammed his right hand into his left palm, a magic circle appearing to his left as a dozen daggers shot out, getting lost in the wind, confusing Natsu until one cut into his right shoulder, instantly covering his shoulder in ice, prompting Natsu to look down.

"Ice Make Knuckle!" Gray cried out as a magic circle appeared before Natsu, Multiple fists made of ice the size of a bowling ball shooting out of the ground towards Natsu, who watched with wide eyes as they slammed into him, pushing him out of the eye of the storm, slamming him into the wall of the twister, instantly getting hit by three more daggers, coating his hip, knee and other shoulder in ice.

Natsu flew towards Loke, who stood prepared to strike, holding a dirty copper ring on his right hand.

"Rock Fist!" Loke yelled as his arm was encased by rock, the ring glowing as he wound up and sent a punch at Natsu, Gray already running in their direction, magic gather in his hands.

Unfortunately for both boys Natsu twisted his body, instantly shattering the ice covering his body, twisting and flipping as he twirled to the right, grabbing Loke's outstretched hand and throwing him into Gray, cutting off the boys attack as they landed on the ground in a pile of limbs.

Natsu carefully landed on the ground, wiping the dust off his arms as he looked at the two boys, waiting for their next attack.

Half the guild was shocked he so easily broke out of their tag team attack, a very effective combo that would keep the enemy stunned as they beat them down. Unfortunately, it does not work on someone who so completely out classes you.

Gray quickly used his legs and pushed Loke off him, the boy kicking off and landing right side up behind Gray, who had an Ice bow in his hands.

"Ice Make Arrows!" "Wind Edge!" Gray and Loke cried out respectively, the arrows becoming bullets as they flew towards Natsu, who only held his hand up like a gun, shooting them all out of the air, matching force for force as he slowly built a wall of steam.

A hook of ice shot out of the steam heading towards Natsu who sidestepped, watching as it connected with a tree behind him. He turned around and saw Loke flying towards him, having had been launched by the chain, his fist covered in rock once more.

Natsu raised his hand, catching Loke's fist in his left hand, a gust of wind flying past him as he stood unhindered. Hearing something behind him, He quickly spun, moving Loke in front of him.

"Ice Make Impact!" Gray shouted as he jumped off an ice platform, a large hammer made of ice, at least two cubic metres large, aimed towards Natsu.

'Damn' Natsu thought as he quickly threw Loke to the side raising his right hand and catching the hammer, a small magic circle appearing in front of his face as he blew a small fireball into the shirtless boy's gut, sending the boy flying backwards onto the ground once more.

Natsu caught the hammer one handed, swinging around and meeting Loke's fist, cracking the rock covered his arm and making him wince in pain. As he fell to the ground, the hammer disappearing in a flash of steam.

Natsu turned towards Gray, seeing the boy seething on the ground, only worse when he saw Loke clutching his injured arm.

The entire guild was shocked at the boys teamwork, making them wonder if they were communicating with telepathy. But they were also amazed with how Natsu was easily countering every attempt and plan they had with brute strength and minimal magic.

"Well?" Natsu asked after a few seconds as he let Gray catch his breath, the boy simply growling before getting to his knees.

"Ice Make Geyser!" Gray cried out as he slammed his hands into the ground, a magic circle appearing under Natsu, and unknowingly reaching under Loke, forcing Natsu to roll his eyes.

He stomped his foot on the ground, shattering the earth beneath his feet, adding a little pulse of magic completely disrupting the attack and shattering the circle, surprising everyone present.

Makarov had also noticed the issue, instantly calling the fight a quits before Loke suffers from any more friendly fire.

"That's Enough! I'm calling this Natsu's win. Gray, please take more effort not to injure your own teammates," Makarov commented, making Gray widen his eyes as he noticed Loke would have been injured by his last attack, as he got to his feet watching Natsu kneel, and help Loke to his feet. He was conflicted. He was surprised to see someone else at Laxus' level, but at the same time he felt inadequate. He knew Erza and Mira were the top gunners for this years S-Class examination, but he didn't think he was so far behind.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Clearly you can hold back… Wanna tango?" Laxus asked, half of the guild falling to the ground in shock as he walked into the clearing, watching as Natsu looked towards Makarov, who sighed and nodded his head.

They watched as Gray and Loke walked off the field, sitting on the sidelines as one of the barmaids took a look at Loke's arm, nobody wanting to miss this fight.

"Well, I'm waiting," Laxus commented with a smirk as he stared at the younger boy, hoping to taunt him into making a mistake, everyone waiting with bated breath as they didn't dare to even blink.

Natsu simply lowered into a defensive stance, his eyes narrowed as he let Laxus make the first move.

The blonde laughed before disappearing in a flash of lightning, reappearing in front of Natsu his fist covered in lightning as he struck, surprised to see Natsu catch his fist, a devastating wave of lightning destroying the ground behind him.

Everyone's jaw dropped as they saw Laxus flex his muscle, attempting to overpower the boy, only to watch as his feet implanted them self in the ground.

"Tch" Laxus said as he disappeared, reappearing behind Natsu with his leg extended, only for the boy to drop down, sliding into a leg sweep, only for the lightning mage to disappear once more.

"Lightning Blast!" Laxus roared from an unknown location as a huge bean of lightning thundered towards Natsu, his eyes widening as he held his arms in front of him, a flaming shield produced just in the nick of time, tanking the hit sending a cloud of dust into the sky, affecting the rest of the guild who began coughing.

Gildarts quickly clapped his hands, the sheer force creating a wind strong enough to dissipate the dust, revealing a ball of fire and lightning, dancing in the wind.

The guild watched in awe as the two mages fought, every clashing creating spark and flame, appearing almost like sentient fireworks, as they flew across the battlefield for about five minutes before splitting, reverting back into their human forms as their fists clashed, fire and lightning exploding backwards as they struggled for dominance.

"Oh wow! Go Natsu GO!" Lisanna cheered as she watched someone go toe to toe with one of their S-Class mages, the frown on Gray's face deepening as he watched the fight, realizing the blonde had been right the entire time.

"Thunder Wheel!" Laxus cried as he slammed his right foot on the ground, a large bolt of lightning tearing through the ground towards Natsu, who copied the lightning mage.

"Flame Wheel!" Natsu responded copying Laxus' attack exactly surprising everyone as they watch the two attacks smash into each other, causing a small explosion before the attacks fizzled out.

"Stop Matching my attacks head on!" Laxus raged as lightning arced off his body, a small smile growing on Natsu's face as he looked at the man before him, finally beginning to feel the thrill of battle.

"I'm getting Fired Up!" Natsu yelled, laughing as he launched himself at Laxus, flames on his feet propelling him even faster as they clashed, his laughter being lost in the explosions as their magic clashed, destroying the earth around them as they punched, dodged, blocked and kicked, neither finding an opening as they struggled for dominance.

Everyone was shocked to see Natsu simply enjoying himself, their attacks continuing to speed up, becoming a flash of lights, even attracting nearby pedestrians, who were worried about the constant rumbling.

After about three minutes, and destroying the entire barren circle they called a fighting ring, they flew jumped back, each sporting brusies and cuts, but everyone was surprised to see that Laxus had taken more damage.

"What... the fuck... are you made of?" Laxus panted as he stared at the boy in front of him, who was barely even panting, only a head shorter, but pushing him to the point he would need to reveal his secret to have a chance. And he still had no grasp on the kids power.

"I have a feeling you and I are going to be really good friends," Natsu said with a smile as he dropped his guard, walking towards the blonde before raising his hand, a smile mirrored on Laxus' face as he was given an out.

"Woah! Natsu you were so cool! You're like, super strong!" Lisanna cheered as she ran forward, his shirt in her arms as she slid to a stop beside them, missing the wink Natsu sent Laxus before turning to the young girl.

Laxus just shook his head, a grin on his face that Makarov hadn't seen since he had to excommunicate Ivan from the guild.

"Alright! Pay up!" Cana called out, a chorus of groans breaking everyone out of their shock of the young boy as they slowly made their way towards Cana.

"Thanks Lis, those two had some pretty good strategies," Natsu said humbly, watching Gray storm off as Laxus broke into laughter.

"Yeah right kid, don't be Noble. Those two have a long way to go to reach us," Laxus said with a smile as he turned around and walked away, surprising the few that were watching the interaction.

"Wow, Maybe you actually knocked some sense into him," Mira said in disbelief as she walked up, watching Natsu gently put his shirt back on.

"Eh, I dunno about that, we were just testing the waters anyway," Natsu replied with a shrug as he finished buttoning his shirt, running his hand through his hair and shaking the loose dirt out.

"Honestly, looked like you had him on the ropes," Mira commented as she looked over at Erza, the little skirmish confirming that he was at least as strong as Laxus.

"If you say so," Natsu said with a shrug as he stretched his shoulders, before making his way back towards the guild.

"Seriously, how did you do that?" Levy asked shocked as she stepped into line with the Pink haired boy as he made his way towards an empty table

"What do you mean? That was just basic fighting stuff," Natsu replied confused as he scratched the back of his head, making Lisanna blush while Mira shook her head in bemusement.

"Ya know, you can be an idiot sometimes," Mira said with a smirk as she sat down beside him, waving one of the guild workers over as everyone took their seats.

"I meant, how did you create new spells on the spot after seeing him use it once?" Levy asked, a book in front of her and pencil in hand.

"Oh, well, that… I know you're probably expecting some good answer, but honestly, I just thought about what I wanted to do, and tried to copy everything Laxus did," Natsu explained with a shrug, Levy's book dropping to the table in depression before sighing.

"That's pretty much what I expected, but that's still pretty cool." Levy replied as she put her book away… somewhere as Cana walked up, arms full of bags of jewels that she dispersed appropriately, ending with Natsu, confusing the boy.

"Laxus said he wanted you to have it." Cana commented with a shrug as she sat down opposite to Mira, the boy having a Strauss on both sides, with Levy and the Card mage across from him.

"Man that's awesome, I can use this money to buy food right?" Natsu asked, an excited gleam in his eye making the girls nod nervously as they waved one of the worked back over.

The girls watched In pure shock ten minutes later, the table covered in plates, some resting on an adjacent table as Natsu blew his earnings on food, completely gorging himself, his only saving grace was that he didn't make a mess.

"Was this how he ate at your place?" Cana whispered across the table to the eldest Strauss, watching dumbfounded as she shook her head, negative.

"Oh… wow…" Lisanna commented, almost amazed at how quickly he was clearing a plate, averaging twenty five seconds per… the stack of dirty dishes sitting about two feet tall before he finished, causally wiping his face with a napkin.

"Damn, Gramps was right! This food was amazing!" Natsu cheered making the workers smile as they started to clear the plates from the table.

"Oh, and mine wasn't?" Mira glared as she slammed her hands on the table, her magic flaring in an attempt to scare her, while Natsu just laughed.

"Mira, I promise you I have never tasted anything better than your cooking," Natsu replied as he got out of his seat and bowed down to her, his right hand on his heart as he pledged for forgiveness, a blush exploding on her face as everyone laughed.

"Y-you better remember that!" Mira stammered as she fell back into her seat, the front doors of the guild opening with Loke walking in, his hand in a sling and Gray and Elfman on either side.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, I have an announcement to make." Makarovs exclaimed as he stood up on the bar, mug in his hand sloshing around as he waited for everyone's attention.

"Due to the circumstances at hand, Gildarts, Laxus and I have decided to acquaint Natsu with society for a couple months before bringing him into S-Class. His recent displays show he is responsible and observant enough to make sure nobody gets severely injured." Makarov explained, everyone's jaws dropping to the floor… even though it made sense.

This was the first time a mage had ever been promoted to S-Class without the trials.

Gray simply growled before storming his way out of the guild, his magic cooling the air around him as he punched the door off the hinges, Making Makarovs sigh as he looked at the boy, knowing that doing anything else would prevent his growth.

"But master! He just joined! Wouldn't it be fair to promote someone else and let him wait until the examination?" Erza protested, had clenched around her sword as she looked at the young boy.

"Erza, if we didn't request Natsu not to use magic, he probably would have beat Laxus…" Gildarts commented, knowing Gray was not in ear sight to hear the comment.

Erza's jaw dropped as she looked at the ace, before turning to the Master, seeing him nod his head in agreement, before turning towards the boy, struggling to keep the respect she held for him down, when he put her only life line, her guild at risk.

Mira looked at her rival in pity, understand the girl better than anyone else, and thus knowing the strife in the Knights heart. She still has trust issues from whatever happened before she came to the guild. And the one man she trusted wholly almost died because of Natsu.

'Erza… someday, someone will crack open the armor around your heart…' Mira thought as she looked around the guild, unsurprised to see some of the members agreeing with the Knight. It was a tricky situation, but they never tried to get to know him.

And that's why they will never understand the Master's decision.

"C'mon kiddo, I'm going to grab some missions for us, we leave tomorrow," Gildarts said with a sigh, a somber expression on his face as he downed his mug before making his way up the stairs.

Cana looked at the boy in shock, unable to fight the jealousy she felt, because he didn't ask for any of this. And she didn't have the confidence to tell the ace either.

Mira looked at the brunette with a raised brow, shocked to see the girls eyes welling up with tears before she bolted out of her seat, instantly catching Natsu's attention.

"Awww, How long will you be gone?" Lisanna asked, oblivious to the brunettes plight.

Mira locked eyes with Natsu, a silent question asked, answered with a nod when Mira nodded, watching as Natsu disappeared in a flash of fire, no doubt practicing his newly acquired fire body variant.

"It should only be a couple months, three at most," the master explained, watching Natsu out of the corner of his eyes, his lips quirking up as he took a drink.

Cana's PoV

'Why does he have everything I ever wanted! It's not fair!' Cana thought as she ran blindly, furiously rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to remove the tears.

'The worst part is that it's my fault. He's been here for the past few days and I haven't even been able to say a word to him!' Cana griped as she unknowingly entered a wooded area, scraping her arms and legs on the branches as she ran by, but paid no mind.

'Gah! Why did my mom have to fall in love with one of the most intimidating men I've ever met!' Cana bemoaned as she tripped over a root, begging to fall only to have gentle hands press on her shoulders, keeping her up right.

She opened her eyes, a small part of her praying that Gildarts had followed her out, only to see half of the guilds problems standing before her.

"Are you okay?" Natsu asked as he steadied her before removing his hands, and taking a step back.

Cana simply put her hands on her hips, raising her eye brow and cocking her hip, the setting sunlight flickering off the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Right… um bad question…" Natsu said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his nose flaring as he picked up a familiar scent.

"Wait a second…" Natsu commented as he stopped forwards, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled her scent, unintentionally freaking the girl out as this strange boy sniffed her.

"Hey, Back off buddy!" Cana snapped as she pushed Natsu back, crossing her arms over her torso in a nervous matter as she began to back off.

"No, wait… Do you have a family member in the guild?" Natsu asked as he leaned forward, thinking about everyone in the guild, trying to figure out where he caught the scent. It was so subtle, but it was tearing him apart that he wasn't able to place it.

Cana was equally shocked and freaked out that he was onto her biggest secret, and also that he figured it out while… smelling her.

"Yeah, It's really clear, it's clearly not the master… Hmm, It's not either of the two guys from the bar…. Is it Gildarts?" Natsu asked as he opened his eyes, coming to him through reasoning.

"H-how did you… what?!" Cana yelled as she walked backwards, eyes wide and pale as a ghost as the boy looked at her.

She tripped over another root, falling backwards only to run into a tree, making Natsu tilt his head in confusion as she slid down to her bottom, burying her head in her knees.

"Wait, was this a secret?" Natsu asked as he looked at the girl, taken a back when she lifted her head and glared at him.

"No, I'm just shocked you found out," Cana bit out sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, confusing the poor boy who had never heard of sarcasm before.

"Oh, ok. What is he like? Is he a good teacher?" Natsu asked as he walked forward, kneeling in front of the girl, just assuming she was tired. Cana quickly reached out with her hand, slapping Natsu across the face before pulling her hand back, rubbing it in pain as she glared at the boy, her legs sliding down into a crossed position.

"Laxus is right! What are you freaking made of?" Cana complained as she rubbed her hand in annoyance, making Natsu rub the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm the Fire Dragon Slayer… Dragon slayers have enhanced sight, hearing, touch, and durability. Our skin is practically dragon scales. I noticed that you smell like Gildarts, just like how Laxus smells like Gramps. I'm sorry if nobody is supposed to know. What happened, did he leave you?" Natsu asked honestly as he sat down in front of the girl who stared at him, before sighing, realizing that it wasn't his fault at all. She never thought she'd have to worry about something like this.

"Gildarts met my mom about sixteen years ago… He was a Fairy Tail mage back then, but a lot of their strongest mages left and Fairy Tail was at risk of closing down. Gildarts pushed himself, working as hard as he could, putting my mom off as he struggled to keep the guild afloat. After a couple years my mom couldn't handle it and they broke up. Gildarts continued to train, and became the Ace because of all his hard work. And then my mom had me," Cana explained, tears rolling down her face as she explained everything her mom went through, memories of her mom explaining this on her deathbed, telling this exact same story. Natsu sat attentively, upset that things like this happened to good people.

"And then my mom got sick about six years ago… and then she died. I came to Fairy Tail trying to find my dad… But he's the Ace ya know! What if he never wanted a child?" Cana explained, honestly grateful to finally have someone to talk to about this.

"But, what if he did?" Natsu asked, not entirely grasping the situation.

"It's too big of a risk! What if he says no? What if he hates me?" Cana panics as she buries her head in her knees again.

"But you'll never know unless you tell him. If he says yes, you get what you want… if he says no, what will change?" Natsu asked, his face scrunched up as he tried to think the situation through.

"It's not that easy! He's so nice, but I'm just terrified of losing what I have! Whenever he comes to the guild he's always there for us, making sure to tell us stories and stuff!" Cana explains a panicked look on her face making Natsu sigh, realizing that no matter how smart she was, the fear of rejection was too strong.

"What would make it easier for you to tell him? Want me to-" Natsu began, only to get tackled to the ground, her hand over his mouth cutting him off as he stared up at her wide eyed.

"NO! You can-" Cana yelled, only to realize the position this puts her in, staring the boy in the eyes as she practically sat on top of him. Of course she was also in a dress, meaning that with her knees on both sides of his waist, her skirt was pulled up to the top of her thighs, practically revealing her underwear.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked after a minute of eye contact, quickly taking into account her state of dress before turning his head to the side and clenching his eyes shut, remembering the talk that Mira gave him last night AND this morning, doing her best to correct all the damage Gildarts had done.

"Oh-uh sorry!" Cana stammered as she quickly attempted to crawl off the boy, slipping and falling face first into his chest, her body exploding into a blush as she jumped off him, her chest heaving as she stared at the boy.

"Look, I'm not going to push you into talkin to the guy, but you can't do this to yourself," Natsu said as he sat up, his eyes still clenched tight making Cana smile as she began to calm down.

"Oh, you're fine now," Cana said with a small smile as she waved her hand, "I was thinking of becoming S-Class before I told him,"

"If you think that will make it easier for you," Natsu said with a shrug as he opened his eyes, glad to see she was smiling.

"I figure at that point I'll be more confident," Cana said with a shrug, unable to ignore the feeling of relief now that she has someone she can talk to.

"Yeah… I think I understand why you were annoyed. I promise, I won't let anything like… that… Happen again," Natsu said with a sigh as he leaned back, looking into the sky knowing Igneel was out there... Somewhere.

"So what happened anyways?" Cana asked as she looked at the boy, knowing there had to be more to the story.

"Honestly? As crazy as it sounds… I think I died," Natsu commented, Cana's eyes shot wide open as he turned to her.

"That is definitely crazy… Why do you say that?" Cana asked as she tried to get her mind around his last statement.

"Gramps wants this to be a secret… But we ran into a group of bandits… One of them was stronger than I thought and I passed out, the next thing I know I'm attacking the old man and I finally hit him," Natsu explained, expecting Cana to scoff and ignore him about something so crazy.

"Well, I guess that kind of makes sense?" Cana explained as she scratched the side of her head.

"Yeah, well, apparently I'm possessed, so… yeah." Natsu said with a sigh, making Cana smile as she realized they made a deal. He would keep her secret, if she kept his.

"You're not so bad," Cana said as she stood up, stretching her back as she held her hand out to the boy.

"Thanks! It's nice to see you smile, it's pretty." Natsu said with a smile, watching confused as she blushed, before sighing, but the smile remained.

"Well, we should probably get back to the guild, you need to gather your stuff for tomorrow morning," Cana explained as she began to lead the way back to the guild, looking back when Natsu laughed.

"What I'm wearing is what I got!" Natsu laughed as he lifted his arms, making Cana smirk as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, but you got people to say bye to now. It's not as large as it should be, but you have a family here," Cana said, not realizing what kind of an impact that had on Natsu as he smiled, his eyes tearing up as he looked at the bell utop the guildhall, shining in the afternoon sun.

"A family sounds nice. No, it sounds amazing!" Natsu exclaimed as he started to run back to the guild, making Cana laugh as she attempted to keep up with him, appearing as two kids just having fun.

Lisanna's PoV

"Are you excited to train with Gildarts-san? He's like, a legend! His crash magic is unbeatable!" Lisanna exclaimed as she dug into her dinner, Elfman to her right, Cana to her left, Natsu in front of her with Mira to his left.

"Lis, what have we told you, no magic is unbeatable," Mira explained as she rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her ramen.

"What's Crash Magic?" Natsu asked curiously as he looked at the young girl before him.

"Essentially, it's a magic that can disassemble anything, even other attacks. Gildarts has so much magic power he can generally negate any attack," Mira explained as she glared at her sister, who only smiled.

"That's so cool! I wanna fight him!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly, accidentally beginning to shove his face full of food, before feeling Cana kick him from under the table, an abashed blush appearing on his face.

"I don't know how long you would last, but if the Master is right, it'd be one hell of a show," Cana decided with a shrug, the other girls nodding in agreement while Elfman looked at the boy in utter shock. A boy, barely a year older than him, potentially fighting toe to toe with their Ace? The idea was preposterous. But he did put the master in the hospital, and quite easily kept up with Laxus.

Where did this kid even come from?

"I'm beginning to understand what Master meant when they have to integrate you into society," Mira said with a smirk as she watched Natsu struggle to hold himself back from gorging himself with all the food on the table.

"I don't know, I'm really doing my best!" Natsu explained honestly as he released the grip on his chopsticks, knowing they would break if he held them any tighter.

"I know, for coming out of a forest a week ago, I'm honestly impressed," Cana commented as she enjoyed her ramen, finishing her noodles before drinking more of the broth.

"Yeah! I mean, watching you eat in the guild was so cool! But it's nice to see you eat like a normal person too," Lisanna exclaimed, a sheepish smile on her face as Natsu blushed, unable to quell his unnatural hunger any more when he saw all that tasty food in front of him.

"Thanks for going easy on Gray… I know he can be annoying sometimes but it's because he feels he isn't strong enough," Elfman chimed up, everyone's eyes shooting towards them as they put down their utensils.

"I trust gramps judgement, if he thinks I can fight without fighting, then I believe him." Natsu said with a shrug and turning back to his food.

"What do you mean? After I beat Red to S-Class he actually has a chance," Mira said proudly, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a smile as she continued with her meal.

"I don't know exactly… Loke said that Gray's master died because he wasn't strong enough, and that Gray never wanted to rely on anyone ever again," Elfman explained with a shrug, making the older girls nod, understanding the feeling, even if they didn't appreciate the actions that resulted because of it.

"That's alright, I'm sure he has his own shit to figure out, it doesn't bug me." Natsu replied with a shrug, making everyone smile, grateful that he was at least understanding.

"That doesn't really explain Erza though… I haven't seen her that mad since Gray accidentally crushed her cheesecake," Lisanna commented, innocently enough.

"...Did ya know she has a fake eye?" Mira said after a minute of silence, everyone looking at the demon in shock, the girls fairly confused they seemed to know each other so well.

"I never would have guessed… Porlyusica?" Cana commented after a couple seconds of thought, smiling when she saw Mira nod.

"Everyone at Fairy Tail, appreciates each other because of what we went through before we came here," Mira began, everyone looking at the table as their own struggles flashed through their mind.

"Erza didn't have it easy, and the one person she thought would always be there could have died, she's scared and blaming it all on Natsu," Mira explained, making Lisanna smile.

"Rightfully so… I'm just glad the old man's still kicking," Natsu commented as he set his chopsticks down, meal finished as he remembered the smell of burning flesh, mushed with Ash and blood.

"It wasn't your fault, nobody blames you for it," Cana said as she put her left hand on his, seeing in smile in thanks when she gave it a squeeze, smirking slightly when she felt Mira's eyes digging into her.

"Hey… you think he could become a wizard saint?" Elfman asked suddenly as he looked at the pinkette, feeling nervous when everyone turned their eyes to him.

"What's a wizard saint? Sounds lame," Natsu lamented as he looked at everyone, confused at their wide eyes and increased heart rates.

"Wizard Saint are recognized as the ten strongest mages on the continent. Makarov is the Sixth," Cana explained, unsurprised to see Natsu's expression didn't change.

"Yeah right, that probably doesn't even include the bad guys!" Natsu protested, everyone breaking into laughter at the absurdity of the thought.

"Oh Natsu…" Cana chuckled as Mira began to explain the importance, a little annoyed that Lisanna was looking at the boy as if he was her idol.

'He's so cool! I never even thought of that. Natsu's awesome!' the youngest Strauss thought with a blush on her face as she looked at the boy, unable to ignore her speeding heart.

"You're right, the wizard saints do not hire bad guys…" Mira began with a sweat drop, "but their power is nothing to scoff at. Some mages, like Gildarts, are unable to become a saint due to their destructive tendencies or bad attitudes. But, Gramps once told me that every mage higher on the tree was exponentially stronger."

"Alright… that's kinda cool, Can I fight them all?" Natsu asked cheerfully, curious to see where he ranked on the list, and wanting a good fight.

"Are you really that strong?" Elfmansked as he looked at the boy in shock, genuinely unable to tell if it was arrogance or confidence fueling his actions.

"It's actually against the law for two wizard Saints to engage in combat unless the council has a unanimous vote," Cana explained, with Mira nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, wizard saints are said to be strong enough to cause a catastrophe." Mira concluded, feeling slightly unnerved at how excited the boy was.

"Awww… but how do they get ranked then?" Natsu asked curiously, surprising everyone at the table, as they had never really considered that side of the job.

"The council probably decides?" Cana commented as she looked at Cana.

"I think at least the Ishgar four would have to agree as well," Cana decided, as Mira nodded in agreement.

"The Ishgar four, are the four strongest mages on the continent," Lisanna chirped happily, knowing Natsu was going to ask that next.

"Wow… I never thought humans would be so organized…" Natsu commented as he tapped his finger on his chin, making the girls roll their eyes.

The gong struck once more, making Lisanna growl as she stared at the clock, attempting to incinerate it with her fury, making the table explode in laughter.

"Alright! Off to bed with ya!" Mira demanded playfully, watching as her younger siblingsvslumped their way up the stairs, while she began to clear off the table.

"I should get going before Claire gets worried," Cana said worriedly, not realizing how late it was as she hastily cleaned her plates, before bursting out the door.

"Your on the couch again," Mira said with a glare directed to the last person in the room, watching him snap his jaw shut with a blush on his face.

"Thanks,"

Gildarts PoV

"Alright brat, ready for the training of your life?" The Ace asked as he saw Natsu walk through the guild door, Strauss siblings in tow as they went towards the usual table.

"Heck yeah! I'm going to beat your ass!" Natsu exclaimed, making the guild roll their eyes with a scoff, annoyed at the arrogance of that child. Laxus was nothing compared to their Ace.

"Sure sure, c'mon, the Trains leaving soon," Gildarts said with a smile as he finished his beer before heading towards the door, with Natssu behind him.

"Waiiiit!" Lisanna cried out as she ran at the young pinkette, both men turning back curiously.

"Come back safe," She whispered in his ear as she jumped on him in a hug, a smile on his face as he patted her back.

"Sure Lis, you too," Natsu said as he looked at his new friends, seeing smiles on their faces as they waved him goodbye.

He was, however, shocked when Lisanna placed a quick kiss on his cheek, shocking everyone as Gildarts exploded in laughter at the boys blush.

"Alright lover boy, let's go," Gildarts said with a chuckle as he dragged the boy through the door.

Literally, through the door.