Chapter 79:

The feeling was odd. So warm it almost felt hot but in a good way, in a way that made him want to turn over and continue to sleep. But the light was too strong for that. Yellow and warm and the scent of green. It all felt alien, different, wrong. Like a dream bound to turn to a nightmare. No… that wasn't it. It wasn't the outside that felt wrong but the inside. Oddly tender and irritated. Like fresh skin after a bad burn.

'Where am I?'

It smelt familiar. The flat rock under his head was pleasantly cold, a stark contrast against the heat warming his cheek. He turned his head and twisted his spine, burring his face into the crack of his elbow to push back the light that fell into his eyes.

'Not just any light. Sun'

With that thought he opened his eyes, squinting and blinking rapidly to adjust to the light even as he tried to adjust his pupils. But he was relaxed – confused and disoriented, certainly – but relaxed in a way he couldn't remember being in a long time. His eyes trailed down the length of his arm, slowly comprehending what he was seeing.

There were no scales and claws, only scarred skin. But well-known scars, old and… welcome. The skin was a sickly grey, veins purple against it but it was warm. He moved his other hand, looking over the palm at the same skin, perfectly blemished and human.

'Am I dreaming?'

It felt real. His chest hurt and he gasped, breathing in and almost choking on it. He chuckled, sitting up even as he struggled to get enough air into his lungs that felt bruised and sore and he laughed. His legs were unbent, normal calves and shin and hips, toned muscles and nothing else, no tail, no wings.

Just human.

"I see you're finally awake," Acnologia's voice spoke behind him and he turned around, staring at him with black and red eyes shining in the half-light as his face turned into shadows. Pale, grayish face, sunken and skinny, grinning from ear to ear and pink, shoulder-length hair framing it. Acnologia smirked, amused and relieved beyond words only to frown as Natsu's own grin disappeared in the flash and the dragon prince jumped to his feet, eyes suddenly wide and panicked.

"Where is everyone? I – the last thing I remembered was being swallowed by -"

"The idiots are fine. Little brats have not stopped talking since we arrived," Acnologia huffed, crossing arms over his chest and suddenly Natsu realized the dragon king has been in the same room since he woke up. A smile spread over his lips and he looked around again, taking a deep breath and almost choking on it again. "It seems I forgot how to breathe," Natsu said feeling oddly giddy at the mare thought. Acnologia chuckled but didn't say anything and Natsu didn't mind, it was too fresh to joke about that to the dragon king. "We… we're on the Floating Island. How did we get here? And – Wait, others are here? The Council let them stay here?"

"Well not stay, per se, more like camp until you were well enough to go back to that guild of yours," if Acnologia wasn't happy about it he did not show it though he did grimace when he spoke of Fairy Tail as if he bit something bitter. "As for how we got here… It's only been a day or so since all that shit in the Hell's vestibule and as it turns out it was Ankhseram who managed to piss off the other gods and not us – well not entirely us. In any case, they decided to honor the deal that Ankhseram made and they sent us out – or more like thrown us out. According to Igneel, a hole opened in the ground right outside the doors to Lurioa and spat us out like vomit. If you want it into more detail ask him, he was quite amused by the whole picture once he realized none of us were dying"

"And… me?", Natsu gestured downwards, towards his body, dressed only in the black underpants. "I mean, I'm alive," he paused, letting the word settle before he repeated, voice full of wonder. "I'm alive"

"Amazing isn't it," Acnologia acknowledged, before explaining. "Igneel did bring your body and I am not sure how it worked nor what happened but you were not there with us in the black goo. Naturally, the brats panicked and I stayed perfectly calm," Natsu blinked, making a note to ask Igneel about the likely more objective side of the story, "Now you have to understand your body was in its dragon form, on a good way to turn rotten inside and out and as we tried to figure out where you went the body shifted and – well for the better word fell apart. It was pretty bizarre in all honesty and it stank horribly but by the end of it there you were, unconscious and mostly human-looking if one ignores to odd coloring"

Natsu nodded as if it cleared everything, but really it didn't. It left him with more questions and frankly, looking back at it all, it seemed disappointingly anticlimactic. Maybe that was for the best, maybe he was being pessimistic but it felt unfinished.

"Now then, let's get you outside, the sun will do you some good after five months in that hellhole"

"Well that answers one question"

"Yeah? Which one?"

"How long was I dead. It felt longer," and he was glad it wasn't. "And it was actually quite cold in the upper levels"

Acnologia seemed to grimace, and he was, remembering the brief moment of pushing through the Ninth Circle. "I can imagine"

There was more to it but Natsu didn't ask and Acnologia didn't look particularly ready to share as the dragon king's form wrapped and the king grew in size and shape, turning into his iconic image of black and blue. "I would advise you to not change quite yet. We don't know what exactly happened to your body after this whole resurrection thing. Himmel got a look at you and he was fairly certain you're alright but just to be on the safe side," he paused, a weird half-smile playing on his scaly lips, "At least learn to breathe again first"

Natsu chuckled, nodding in agreement, "Sounds fair enough"

It felt oddly bonding and Natsu couldn't help but smile at it. Acnologia pushed the great doors open, letting in more sunlight and the sight of the green trees and blue sky felt like a tranquilizer. He scolded his features into something more appropriate as he caught sight of dragons flying in the distance and then he heard them. The dragons talking and laughing and voices he knew well and it almost made him smile again as they strolled out.

"NATSU!", Mira all but flew at him, not even pausing before she threw herself at him, ignoring Kindra's put-upon look at being interrupted mid-sentence. Natsu grunted but caught her and she proceeded to squeeze the newly returned life out of him.

"Don't suffocate him," Ultear admonished, pulling her off as the rest of the humans crowded around them. "Prince Natsu," Kindra greeted, bowing her head, and Natsu did the same in return, "Queen Kindra," he paused, "I trust waters listen"

Kindra gave him a sharp grin, "They dance as I call them. Chaos sings around you, young prince"

"Thank you," Natsu spoke, looking around at the dragons who watched from a distance and the kings and queens standing closer. Adelstienn's booming laughter broke his train of thoughts. "Damn. And here I thought I've seen everything. Prince Natsu, keep these brats close"

"That's the idea"

"Like you could get rid of us. We're not leaving even if you say so," Laxus informed him.

Natsu paused, eyes moving to Acnologia before he looked back to the dragons closest to them, "How much do you know of what happened?"

"We know the important details, my prince," Himmel spoke, white form shifting where he stood, a brief look of unease crossing his face. "I…," the sky king's eyes turned to behind Natsu and he relaxed slightly, "It's good to have you back"

Natsu's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the sincerity of the statement and his eyes moved to the dragon king behind him, understanding suddenly making him smile. "Thank you. It's good to be back"

It is daunting, to have your legs hang over the edge of the Island when you are so high up in the air. It almost feels like you could touch the clouds if you leaned forward. Some people would find it unnerving and would never even go close to the edge but to someone who had felt the wind in his face, to someone who can fly? Sitting on the edge is relaxing, freeing.

Natsu at least thought so as he sat there, legs dangling and his shoulders relaxed for the first time in what felt like ages. Other mages were in their temporary beds, hopefully sleeping the few hours they had left here before they made their way to the Magnolia.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

The blue-haired mage jumped where he stood, blinking in surprise as he looked at the dragon who hadn't so much as twitched. "I could ask you the same thing," Jellal muttered as he gathered his wits.

"I'm not tired," Natsu told him and in the near blackness of the night, Jellal barely saw as the prince shifted, moving to the side in clear invitation without voicing it out loud. Jellal gave a wary eye to the edge and while he never had trouble with height the thought of sitting so close to a long fall and painful death felt entirely justified considering the darkness around them. But he moved closer because he knew he wouldn't fall because he knew it would never happen for Natsu was there and he would catch him. And it did not hurt he could fly short distances.

So, he sat down, legs folded in front of him and he leaned back, resting on the palms of his hands and staring at the clear sky and a thin line of the Moon.

"Why did you do it?"

Jellal didn't look down, brown eyes moving from the moon to the North Star and he searched for the constellation he could remember. "Because we wanted to"

"It can't be that simple"

"Why not?"

Natsu fell silent and Jellal finally looked down and now, sitting this close he could see his face and it chilled him slightly, watching the perfectly blank face that he had seen back in Hell, and now, with time to think he had seen it back, way back in the Tower. But he was relaxed, it was obvious in the line of his shoulders and the way his head was tilted. Natsu must've felt him staring because he shifted, head turning towards him and his eyes lit up slightly in a way that made him seem, more alive. Jellal smirked, looking away and from the corner of his eye, he watched as his chest moved, breathing even and there.

The silence stretched and neither spoke for a long time but then Natsu looked up and spoke again, "I noticed Wendy's not with you"

Not a question. A statement. And honestly, Jellal was surprised it took him this long to say it. It did not mean he knew how to respond, however. "She… It's complicated"

Natsu straightened and now his full attention was on him, and Jellal had to fight back the urge to shift and fiddle. "Is she alright?"

"She was the last time we saw her. It's… we had a… spat right before we left. She knew something and she kept it to herself"

"It sounds like more than a spat"

"It was. Is. I'm not even sure if we're still in a fight. It was. Carla had a vision. During the tournament and… Look, I don't think it's my place to tell you about this"

"Oh, it is. What did she saw?", there was a surprising edge to his voice, coldness that made Jellal shiver and he bit his lower lip. "Just… Don't do anything rash… okay?"

"When have I ever?"

Jellal paused, not sure what to say to that before he just ignored it was even said. He took a deep breath and blurted it out, spilling the story in enough detail that when he later thought of it, it made him wince.

They fell silent and Natsu looked down at the land below them. The clouds were gone and it was easy to see the lights of a city in the distance and the barest of outlines of the tallest of buildings and Jellal wondered to what clarity could Natsu see it. It felt surreal, watching civilization so close to them now and it took a moment for Jellal to realize why. He will never be able to see it the same way as it used to be. Not after seeing Hell. Not after being face to face with a god. He was not even aware of what wight it had until now.

"I… see"

"That's… all you're going to say?"

"What else is there to say?"

End of chapter 79.

I actually thought to make the next chapter a sort of a filler and I realized that's exactly what this one was practically, so, in light of how rarely I update the next chapter will likely mark the beginning of the Tartaros arc. I'm not really happy with how this turned out but I have a lot on my mind and I rewrote this chapter some five times so I just decided to stick with this. I hope the new update will come sooner than this (considering I am not allowed to leave my house that seems plausible though my college might disagree). I hope you're all doing well, stay safe and try to stay positive.

That all being said I hope a new chapter from me made you at least smile because then it was worth getting so frustrated while writing it.

Please review and thanks for reading :)