Chapter 23:

*two weeks later*

The morning was pleasantly warm and even though it was not even 6 am the sun was up and shining as it did for the last two weeks since summer started. Forest surrounding Magnolia was just starting to wake up and it's only (mostly) human resident opened his eyes to look at the grey ceiling of his pristinely clean cottage. A sparrow sat on the windowsill and stubbornly pecked on the glass. Why? Natsu did not care and he had little compassion for little pests that tried to make his life miserable.

With a growl that couldn't in any way be interpreted as a whine, Natsu stood up and raped his knuckles against the glass in order to scare the sparrow away. The bird gave a shrill shriek and fleed, leaving a feather and white poop behind.

Natsu's scaled eye twitched and the dragon slayer contemplated if opening the window and blasting the bird to oblivion would be considered an overkill.

'Probably'

The dragon slayer was far from happy. His head throbbed enough for him to think he had...

With a hiss and a jerk, Natsu ran a hand through his pink locks, cursing even louder as his fingers got caught in rough scaled horns.

Not a nice way to start a day.

His eyes landed on his hammock and he briefly wondered if getting back in it and staying there would be a smart idea. Once again, probably, but he did not wish to deal with Mira and Wendy when they got too worried and start searching for him. Well, that was not all that likely but a man can dream.

Not like anyone else cares enough to do it. Speaking of that... Natsu frowned again as he pulled the hoodie over his torso and pulled the hood up. 'I can't believe I was so naive to trust them like that. They never cared about me and they never will. Just like Acnologia said; everything humans care about is money and power. If you have either of it they will throw themselves at your feet and swear loyalties as long as it suits them... I don't even understand why I'm so upset about it. I know I don't care... I...' A growl escaped his lips. "I don't!"

Natsu marched towards the door of his cottage, opened them and slammed them shut with enough strength to shake the walls. The interior of the cottage was quiet for whole two seconds before Natsu's head poked back in and his eyes traveled to the calendar on the wall.

"Crap"

The dragon slayer walked outside once again, this time closing the door much more gently.

"It's today" Natsu sighed soundlessly, straightening his back and setting his face. No need to show just how annoyed he was to the world. Not many people would understand his annoyance considering most of them actually liked the event taking place today in Magnolia.

A special day indeed. Fairy Tail always had a knack for big shows and flashy celebrations. Fantasia parade was the prime example of it all. People all over Fiore came to watch the show and if the rumors were true royal family was coming this year. Natsu, in all his stoic glory, has not set foot on one platform that rode through the city. The closest he has been was on a roof of the cathedral looking at the parade and that was only since Mira participated... Not that anyone knew of the reason.

The dragon slayer moved swiftly over the branches that protruded from the forest ground, easily jumping over roots and making barely any kind of noise as he settled into a 'light' jog many would probably call sprint. He exited on another clearing soon enough and with a deep breath started his morning training.

It was several minutes before ten when he was done and showered, standing in front of his cottage for the third time that forenoon and with his mind none less clear. 'I can only hope that master won't pester me with joining the parade this year again' The magic sparked around him and magic circle opened beneath as he spoke the incantation, quietly but clearly. "Chaotic void" The dragon prince stepped forward just as the hole opened and he was gone, hole closing with another black-and-blue spark.

The guild hall was already bustling with people. Mages of all ranks and ages jumped and ran around preparing the guild hall for what was, in the opinion of some members, an even more popular event than the parade itself. Miss Fairy Tail was a competition that definitely attracted quite the attention.

Team Erza was gathered around the bar, Mira happily serving each their requested drinks and not-so-subtly sending Erza a nasty look every now and then. Erza didn't look all that affronted but she didn't hesitate to glare at Mira right back.

Lucy, along with the rest of the group, of course, ignored the antics of the two women completely and spoke of her wishes to win Miss Fairy Tail because she wouldn't need to worry about paying her rent for at least three months. Wendy listened politely to the girl's rambling while, with as much subtility as possible, looked around for her brother. He should arrive soon enough.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Lucy" Happy started smartly, nodding to himself. "You're too fat to win"

Carla face-palmed, already knowing how this will end. Seriously, that cate never learned.

Lucy twitched, a vein on her forehead popped and before Happy could even think about running fist met his face and sent him flying into the wall behind the bar.

"Damn cat!" Lucy screeched at the blue feline that slid down the wall. Lucy huffed as she sat back in the chair she occupied moments earlier turning around as if remembering something.

"Where's Natsu? Isn't he usually here by now?"

Erza's face gained a frosty look but she wisely stayed quiet.

Mira glanced at the clock before shrugging. "You could set a clock if you knew how he went through his day. He will arrive exactly at ten, I'm sure"

"Unless he decides that today would be a bother too big to care about and grab a mission file from the second floor and disappear before we see him" Gray chuckled.

"But today is Fairy Tail parade" Lucy protested.

"Thus the reason I would rather be somewhere else" Natsu replied from few seats away from Lucy. The group stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. When did he get there?

Mira smiled, being the only one who actually noticed his arrival through the void. She walked towards him, a cup of coffee already in hand as she handed it to him and the dragon slayer happily took it. The bar descended into awkward silence. Natsu ignored them, taking small sips of his coffee while the group intentionally or unintentionally continued to stare at him.

"What's with the hood?" Gray finally decided to ask something. Sure, he wanted to know why the dragon slayer wore it but he found the silence more unnerving than anything and he would gladly ask or hear anything at the point when more than five minutes were spent starring.

Natsu gave a shrug with one shoulder. ''Ah...'' he said after a moment before falling silent and as Gray waited for the answer the ice mage could only twitch his eye when he realized he was not getting one.

Erza eyed the dragon slayer. She was still mad at him but mostly for a different reason. The dragon slayer outright ignored her this past two weeks and every attempt she made to talk to him was either ignored completely or the dragon slayer sent her away with a glare. She shuddered at the thought. 'If looks could kill...' Not to mention she was getting tired of all the dirty looks and glares she received, and not just from Mira and Wendy but to her eternal shock from Gray as well. Lucy didn't seem too happy either but the girl couldn't muster a courage to glare at anyone in the guild. Erza's eyes darted to Happy who was still lying against the wall Lucy sent him flying into. Mostly anyone in the guild.

Either way, she wanted to apologize. Everything is always better once you apologize and Natsu surely wouldn't hold grudges. He can't expect her to approve of what he did. A nagging feeling at the back of her mind told her she was being both petty and rather idiotic about the whole thing but Erza mercilessly stomped on it. She wouldn't take all the blame for her fall out with the pink-haired dragon slayer.

''Are you still mad at me?'' Erza finally asked ignoring the shocked looks from her guildmates around her. She had ignored most of their looks since early morning. Why stop now?

Natsu actually stayed silent as he looked at her, the red eye that glinted like a cat's in the shadow his hood almost made her flinch. He was probably thinking how to apologize, Erza rationalized his silence.

Natsu had different thoughts on the subject. He wondered if the girl was sane. 'Are you mad? She asks me if I'm mad?' His scoff was wrongly interpreted it would seem because a grin already started forming on Erza's face.

''Am I mad at you?'' Natsu asked her, hiding disbelief from his voice and adding his usual no-nonsense with a touch of drawl that always pissed her off. ''I must admit Titania-'' Erza's grin all but disappeared after hearing her infamous nickname. "-I was more than once questioned about my sanity but I think you should do some testing as well. Am I mad at you...'' Natsu muttered the last part, his head turning back to his coffee before he looked back at her, mismatched eyes narrowing dangerously. ''I am not mad Titania. I am furious''

Erza blinked in shock. Truly surprised by the answer.

Natsu downed his coffee and stood up. Fully intending to disappear for the rest of the day.

"You.. wouldn't consider forgiving us?"

Natsu stayed quiet, looking at Erza from the shadow of his hood. "Us?" he finally asked.

Erza looked confused, nodding her head in affirmation. "Well yes. Us"

"You refer to yourself in plural?" He asked instead, and Erza twitched. She hated it when anyone talked to her like she was a child and Natsu did it constantly. Before she could say something, however, Natsu continued.

"Your teammates did not call me a monster. They did not accuse me of being heartless. What do they need my forgiveness for? Titania, you are the only one that needs it around this bar and you're not going to get it. Ah, don't look so put out. You are not the only one who hates me and you are definitely not the only one who didn't get my forgiveness. I don't hand it over lightly"

"Wait... You're not mad at us?" Gray asked carefully, gesturing to the rest of the people around the table.

"I believe that's what I said" Natsu acknowledged, looking at his empty cup somewhat dejectedly. He shouldn't have drunk it all so quickly.

"What will it take for you to forgive and apologize?" Erza once again tried.

Natsu completely ignored the last part as he stood up and crossed the space between them in a second making Erza flinch.

"Stop flinching every time I look at you and I might think you don't see a monster but me"

Mira watched the conversation with mixed feelings, both angry at Erza and more than satisfied, knowing that Natsu would easily tear her a new one.

She didn't expect to see horns as he took off the hood earning a wide-eyed look from all occupants and another flinch from Erza. "Look at me and tell me you don't see a monster"

Mira didn't. She had never viewed Natsu as a monster. But looking at him now... The ugly snare that pulled back his lips and showed his teeth that now that she had a clear look were just as the rest of his face- a mix of normal human blunt teeth and sharp fangs, his red eye with pupil slitted to barely a line and black shining with anger. The skin on his face cracked and scaled, only in some places smooth. Yes, she could see why someone would think of him such disgusting thoughts. Still. Erza knew him. She should've known he would never hurt them. Even angry he would never hurt a fellow guild member. She shouldn't even look at him like she did two weeks ago. And she most definitely shouldn't have said all that.

Yes, Mira could very easily understand Natsu's anger. After all, she has been called a monster enough times when she was young to know how much those words stung.

Erza opened her mouth but Natsu shook his head. "Don't. Don't try. I know you will lie if you speak now. Spare yourself the embarrassment and keep your mouth shut"

Natsu turned away and walked back to his seat, reaching behind a counter before Mira could move and grabbed the whiskey bottle, pouring some into the glass he retrieved a moment later.

"Is master in his office?" Natsu asked after a moment of silence.

"I think he is. I haven't seen him leave so I believe he's still there" Wendy responded after a moment of thought.

Natsu nodded and stood up one more time, this time intending to leave the group but Gray stopped him. "Natsu.. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions..." Gray shared a glance with others around the bar before he continued "A few questions about dragonification"

Natsu reminded standing looking at them with a cocked eyebrow and for once Gray wished his face was still hidden by his hood. He was not afraid of him. Not any more than he used to be and he had every right to be considering the man was scary as hell but he never meant anything mean by it the way Erza was intent on believing. Still... With his hood off Gray could see his face after almost two weeks of barely any contact with him. The skin was peeling off and it was dry and cracked on edges around his nose, eyes, and mouth and scales covered his whole right half. It was not a pretty sight and he truly hoped it was not as painful as it looked though he was quite sure it was only his empty wishes.

With a sigh evident only by his parting lips Natsu bobbed his head. "Ask away" Gray stayed silent for a moment, surprised he actually said yes.

"I.. We were wondering.. if you become a dragon-"

"When" Natsu corrected a bit peeved.

"When you become a dragon" Gray quickly nodded. "Will you always be a dragon?"

Natsu stared at Gray questioning the teen's intellect.

"Try reforming that" Natsu supplied with a dry look. Gray looked confused for a moment before he flushed red. "Right. Will you have a.. human form?"

Natsu thought of it for a moment. "Not all dragons have it. Most don't, in fact, but it is said it's a lot easier to obtain if you were once a human. In short - Yes. Maybe not at first but it shouldn't take long"

Gray stayed quiet as did the rest, processing the information before Lucy spoke. "If that's the case why are you and Wendy so worried about it? I mean, it's obviously quite painful but isn't that it?"

Wendy drew a breath as she looked at Natsu who was staring at Lucy who soon started fidgeting.

"'Quite painful'?" Natsu echoed. "How would you describe the feeling of every organ in your body being disintegrated? I wouldn't use the term 'quite painful' when my eye melted and dripped into my hand"

Lucy swallowed and looked away, bile rising at the mere thought.

"The pain could drive me mad" Natsu continued much to Lucy's surprise as she believed he was done talking. "Crazy and unstable, a bloodthirsty thing-" Natsu paused and looked at Erza staring into her eyes. "-that would give you a reason to call me a monster"

Mira bit her lower lip, her eyes watering.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Natsu spoke after another short period spent in silence.

"Miss Fairy Tail will start soon so you might as well stay here" Mira spoke suddenly seeing Natsu ready to leave once again. ''Master will come here in a minute or so anyway so you can talk to him then''

Natsu looked at Mira for a second before nodding in agreement, resting his chin in the palm of his hand and planting the elbow on the counter. ''True'' he muttered, fingering the whiskey bottle again and pouring another full glass.

''You trying to get drunk?'' Gajeel gave his wheezing chuckle as he took a seat next to the pinkhead.

Natsu's hand fell on the counter that until now held his chin as he gave the iron dragon slayer a sideways glance. ''You should know dragon slayers can't get drunk''

Gajeel shrugged. ''Sometimes I think it's a curse''

The Chaos dragon slayer turned his eyes away and stared at his glass, ignoring the other man's dramatics.

Mira walked around the counter and tapped Natsu's shoulder. ''We'll be going now. You'll watch me, won't you?''

Natsu gave a rare smile and nodded. ''Of course I will''

Mira grinned and followed after Lucy and Erza who already stood up and left.

Happy flew to the bar, finally recovered from Lucy's hit and landed in front of Natsu, a sly smile stretching his lips.

Wendy and Carla shared a look before Carla palmed her face. ''Idiot'' was the word the white cat uttered even bore Happy spoke.

''You liiiiiiike her''

Natsu stared at the cat for a moment, actually surprised the cat dared to tease him. Gajeel laughed at Natsu's frozen face and it was all that was needed for Natsu to snap out of it and his eyes narrowed at the cat who gave a yelp as Natsu's hand grabbed his tail and the cat was sent flying back into the wall behind the counter. ''It was worth it'' Happy gasped.

Wendy giggled as she moved next to Natsu. ''I have to agree with Happy, though. It's obvious you like her''

Natsu stared at his sister for a moment before rolling his eyes, doing his best to hide the light shade of pink that covered his cheeks.

Gajeel grinned beside him and the blush disappeared, glare taking its place. ''Say a word and you'll be flying after Happy'' Natsu threatened and Gajeel nodded quickly, every trace of amusement gone.

''I knew you liked her!'' Wendy declared rather loudly only to find the dragon prince's hand covering her mouth. "Not a word to her, Wendy"

Wendy blinked, startled into silence. "Why?" The younger dragon slayer inquired. She seriously couldn't understand it... And besides, she did kinda have a word with the girl about this.

"I don't want to hurt her and that's exactly what's going to happen if my dragonification goes wrong" Natsu stared at his glass, his eyes shrouded in misery few could comprehend for that one pitiful moment before he pushed his emotions aside, and his eyes became the same soulless orbs Wendy was sick of seeing.

But the girl stayed quiet as did Gajeel who was left feeling like an outsider in the middle a very personal conversation.

It was in that moment Max decided to show up, unaware all three dragon slayers were thrilled he broke the painfully awkward silence.

"HELLO EVERYONE!"

Well, their happiness was short-lived as three dragon slayers cringed at the volume that left their ears ringing and leveled the poor sand-colored man with a glare.

Max shuddered and gave a weak smile, his broad grin disappearing in a flash.

"Right... Sorry.." he cleared his throat before he continued. "Well, it's about to start! The favorite - at least to men, I'm sure - part of Fairy Tail Festival! Miss Fairy Tail. Ladies. And. Gentleman!"

The guild hall gave a collective cheer while Natsu stood up and disappeared from Wendy's sight, reappearing on one of the beams on the ceiling. Since he's here he might as well have a nice view.

"Prepare tissues men (and believe me it's not for crying) and give a large applause to Cana Alberona!"

Cana walked onto the stage like she owned it, dressed in her usual outfit, a deck of cards in her hands that she threw in the air. The cards swirled around her and as they fell Cana stood in a bikini posing in a way that made the revealing bikini almost useless.

It went on like that with other girls not afraid to show skin and Natsu couldn't help but snort. He couldn't really understand the need to walk in front of the whole guild half-naked. The girls were just as beautiful with their clothes on. Not that he cared much about them.. Come to think of it he didn't care at all. He was here for one reason and that was because he wanted to see Mira. He was quite sure she wouldn't do something as cheap as this.

A guy below him passed out, blood running from his nose and a stupid grin on his face.

'Cheap maybe but quite effective' Natsu concluded dryly.

"We all know who she is! Whole Fiore knows her and it is our favorite, one and only, Mirajane Strauss!"

Natsu smiled down at the stage as purple smoke filled it and Mira walked out, dressed in her pink dress.

She stayed quiet as a grin stretched her lips and she used her magic in a white flash. Her clothing was replaced by the black corset and red skirt, high-heeled leather boots that went over her knees and just below the skirt adored her legs and a whip slammed into the wooden floor.

"Who wants to see a bad girl?"

Her question was answered by whistles while the white-haired beauty pursed her black lips, eyes searching for one particular mage in the crowd.

Wendy noticed Mira's searching look and with a grin pointed up. Mira cocked her eyebrow but looked at the ceiling nonetheless. Natsu stared at her cerulean eyes which widened at the sight of the pink-haired dragon slayer. She beamed at him and was rewarded with a genuine smile she saw so rarely she cherished the moments she saw it.

An idea popped into her head and with some concentration, two horns appeared on her head earning another round of whistles and an even larger smile from Natsu.

Former She-Devil didn't stay long after that as she disappeared into another cloud of purple smoke.

Max staggered onto the stage, a bloody tissue held over his nose. ''Now that was something else, folks, wouldn't you agree?!''

Waiting for the guild to quiet down Max continued. ''And now we have our last competitor, we all know this blonde. Let's welcome Lucy Heart-"

The said blonde jumped onto the stage clapping a hand over Max's mouth as discreetly as possible which wasn't discreet at all. ''Don't say my last name'' Lucy whispered to Max who nodded slightly dumbfounded. ''Sure''

Lucy sighed and straightened her cheerleader outfit before she summoned Plue the Celestial dog.

Natsu watched from above as Lucy started her performance only to be interrupted by a brown-haired woman in a green dress and a pair of glasses. 'Evergreen?' Natsu wondered. 'Raijinshū's in the guild almost as rarely as I am. I wonder why are they here now?'

Evergreen cocked an eyebrow at the crowd faking a hurt expression while completely ignoring Lucy's complaints of her ruined show. ''What? No applause for your new Miss Fairy Tail? Now that hurts!''

Natsu tensed. He did not like that grin.

''-and how dare you just walk in like that, anyway? Who the hell do you think you are?'' Lucy stopped, her chest puffed out as she glared at the woman, Plue standing behind her with his hands crossed and trying to look threatening but managed to look as threatening as a blind puppy.

Evergreen turned away from the crowd, her mouth slightly open. ''You... You don't know who I am?''

''A girl with a large ego, obviously'' Lucy snarked back. Here goes her chance for getting enough money for three months worth of rent.

Evergreen turned red while the guild members around them laughed much to the brown-haired girl ire.

''I'm Evergreen, you idiot!'' Evergreen screeched. ''I'm member of Raijinshū, the strongest Fairy Tail team''

Her anger was quickly replaced by a grin and Lucy blinked, alarmed by the sudden change.

''But don't worry little girl. You won't have to worry about me for long'' Evergreen gave the blonde teen a look over the rim of her glasses and Lucy took a startled step back before her skin greyed and she turned into stone.

''Lucy?!'' Wendy yelled in shock. Gasps and yells filled the guild as members processed what just happened.

Natsu cursed under his breath and perched on the beam he sat on like a cat, ready to jump down. He didn't get a chance to do that before lightning hit the stage, the wood denting and splinters flying, dust covering the stage from the view of the guild for a moment before it cleared showing Laxus with a smug grin and two reining members of Raijinshū.

''Laxus?!'' Makarov's voice boomed inside the walls as he stormed to the front row to get a clear look at his grandson. ''What is the meaning of this? You better have a damn good explanation!''

''What do you think I'm doing, old man?'' Laxus replied as his eyes surveyed the crowd. ''I'm doing some cleaning since you seem incapable to do it yourself. I'm getting rid of the weaklings in this guild so that when I'm done I can take the guild from you and let you... retire? Well, we'll see about that part later, won't we?''

''Are you mad?'' Droy shouted. ''No one will ever follow you anywhere!''

''Yea! And get Lucy back to normal!'' Jet agreed.

Laxus's grin grew wider "Just Lucy? And what with these other lovely ladies?"

Freed moved behind the Lightning mage and pulled the curtains that hid the backstage. The guild fell silent in shock at the sight that greeted him. Every girl that participated in the competition was turned to stone.

Natsu's mind stopped working for a moment as his eyes landed on the lifeless stone that was once blue and so full of life. Mirajane stared at him but she couldn't see him. Her skin a gray shade of the stone just like the rest.

A spark of magic danced over his shoulder.

Makarov's face went from red to purple, looking at his grandson in fury. ''How dare you?!''

The small man grew larger as he used his titan magic quickly towering over the blond man who only smiled back, hand resting on Lucy's shoulder.

''Now, now, you wouldn't want me to slip and brake them, right?''

''What do you want, Laxus?!'' Makarov screamed reverting back to his true size, pointing a furious finger at the man.

''Hmm, how about a little game?''

''A game?! This isn't a game, Laxus!''

''Well to you it isn't. I'm having a blast''

Laxus moved away from Lucy's frozen form and walked toward Makarov who took a step back, not intimidated by the child in front of him but afraid for Lucy's and other girls' safety since Raijinshū stayed close to the statues, a wordless warning in their tense bodies.

''Let's call it a... Battle of Fairy Tail''

Everyone was preoccupied with Laxus and Raijinshū to truly take notice of rising magical pressure that was slowly filling the room. They did not notice it until weaker members started gasping for breath and the wood beneath their feet groaned.

Laxus blinked in shock and a sense of foreboding settled in his stomach. A piece of... something fell down on Makarov's shoulder and he picked it up with his hand, trying to determine what it was while Laxus stared horror, already recognizing the red liquid that dripped down from the thin strap as blood.

Makarov's eyes widened and he quickly released the strap like it burned him.

'Skin?!'

Grandfather and grandson looked up almost at the same time and Laxus swallowed, eyes widening.

Natsu stared down at him from the beam like a gargoyle representing a demon. Black magic swirled around him taking shape of wings every other second, blood slowly trailing down his black eye as a strip of skin that used to be there now revealed muscle and slowly forming scales. The dragon prince bared his teeth at Lightning mage who stood frozen like the statues on the stage.

''One warning'' Natsu hissed, nails digging into the wood. ''One warning is all you have before I crush you''

Laxus did his best not to look intimidated.

''Give. Mirajane. Back. NOW!'' he bellowed loudly, something he did not do often.

Laxus took a step back, almost falling over his own feet but he forced a smug look on his face. If he showed everyone he wasn't afraid of Soulless Fairy and Demon Kira this guild will respect him. They will have to respect him!

''I don't think I will'' he replied.

''Then I will hunt you down''

Laxus panicked and took the form of lightning, moving toward his team as Natsu jumped and shoot down at him like a bullet.

It was barely a miss, maybe not even an inch, as Laxus escaped dragon slayer's fist and the lightning along with Raijinshū disappeared.

The dust rose as Natsu landed with a furious roar but the dust was quickly swept away by another spike in Natsu's uneven magic before he pushed the Chaos energy down.

The pink-haired dragon slayer looked up, another part of the skin on his face falling down as he gazed at the stone statue that was Mira.

Makarov swallowed, sitting on the floor barely two feet away from the dragon slayer, being blown off his feet when Natsu landed. The old master licked his dry lips as he stared at the prince who clutched his fists, digging his nails into the scales that covered his fists and it was only because of those scales there was no blood.

''Mira'' Natsu whispered, despair in his voice Makarov never heard before.

End of chapter 23.

Rewritten

Next Chapter: Battle of Fairy Tail

I hope you all enjoy the rewritten chapter even though I'm aware there are more mistakes I have overlooked. Feel free to point them out so I'll fix them when I get the time. I was thinking about skipping Oracion Seis arc when I was originally writing this and that is exactly what happened as a vote in later chapters will confirm.

Anyway, please review and thanks for reading :)