A/N: Feel free to skip this note if you'd like, it doesn't relate directly to the story, just a few thoughts I had. Anywho, this is my first major writing, fanfiction, and story so I'd appreciate any feedback. I also would have put this explanation in the previous chapter, but I didn't realize that you had to manually put in the author's notes, I thought there was a section designated for that. First and foremost, I plan to change every canon arc in the story, take some out and replace them with original ones, and have multiple OCs as well. This is basically a hodgepodge of ideas I've gotten from stories I've read and what is canon. Secondly, later down the line as you may be able to tell, there will be some romantic 'harem' type aspects. PG-13 and all, but I like the idea of dragon mating for life, but royal dragons having more than one, so I plan on having a small one. Should be just 3. Next, I'm fully aware that the earring thing is stupid, but I thought him having earrings like that were cool, and would look even better later, so I decided to bs my way through making them. Finally, I'd like to acknowledge every story that I've used any sort of ideas for, whether it's a character name, a look, an event, an arc idea, etc. All of them will be listed along with their authors, and they are all wonderful stories I suggest reading should you be inclined.

The Rise of a Dragon - Plasnix112: This story is about Natsu being raised by the Azure dragon. I got a lot of ideas for power levels, as well as the idea of a secondary magic reserve from this story.

Of Inner Demons - kemor: This is my personal favorite. The combat is so detailed and the plot is one of the best I've ever seen. If you have to pick one to read, it should be this one. I got the idea of Natsu being a powerful rogue mage destroying dark guilds from his story, as well as a few things down the line

Natsu Dragneel the Dual Dragon Slayer - JTZ229: This is a pretty good story, though I personally think it's too canon-compliant to be in my favorites. Definitely a good read and a good idea. This one was the idea of royal dragon mating practices, and part of the dual dragon slayer idea

Red and White Fire - Ephoxarian: This was a big one. I feel like this story is a perfect idea, but it lacks detail and an original plot. Even so, this story is the one that inspired me most to write my own. I got the idea of Natsu's weird hair, the white flames, as well as a dual dragon slayer from this story

Magma Dragon King - Kairomaru: This is still a pretty new one, but I'm getting good vibes from it. I got an idea of how I'm going to give Natsu his primary nickname from this story, as well as some ideas about dragonkin

The Dragon and the Mermaids - Plasnix112: This is basically an AU version of The Rise of a Dragon. I really like the characters in this one, as well as Natsu's abilities, so I figured I'd lump it in the list, even though I didn't directly take anything from this story, it goes hand-in-hand with The Rise of a Dragon

Natsu was somewhat of a prodigy. He understood from a young age about death, learning about the fate of his village and likely his birth parents was a lesson he had to grasp, so Igneel made sure he understood it. The concept of mortality is one of the most difficult to grasp for anyone, but now Natsu had both an indirect and a direct understanding of that concept. But he still couldn't figure out why it happened to him. What had he done to deserve so much loss so early on in life? His fathers were dead. They were murdered in front of his eyes by Acnologia and Archon. Sure, Archon got killed too, but it wasn't worth it. Even if Igneel lived, losing Draco… it wasn't worth it. If magic was so good and necessary, why has it only taken things away from him? And so his mind continued to race, while he walked aimlessly through the forest, the only thing keeping him going was the dying words of his father.

"My son… I do not…have...any...time left…. in this world…. My final request…. Live for me… Make… friends… cherish and… protect those… you love… When the time… comes… you will finish…. what I started…. Kill Acnologia…. And save... this…. w-..."

It had been several days since then. He barely ever stopped walking, almost never able to sleep, and hardly finding the will to eat. He hadn't eaten more than a few berries or slept more than an hour at a time since the day his fathers died. That is until he accidentally stumbled upon a small village that was known as Rösch. He honestly didn't even notice he was in a town until he heard people whispering about him.

"Who's that?"

"He looks absolutely feral! Look at his eye!"

"His hair too, I've never seen anything even remotely like that before."

"And what is he wearing? Are those claws?"

"His ears too, what on earth-land are those?"

Honestly, the villagers weren't wrong. Natsu was only ten years old, but it looked like he had visited hell and come back. He was covered in dirt, scratches, and bruises. The left side of his face had a deep cut that looked like it would undoubtedly scar and it ran from his forehead straight down over his eye to his cheek. The final magical blast that killed Draco blew off his claw and sliced Natsu's face. Honestly, he was lucky to be alive, let alone with the eye. He still had a similar outfit on, white, knee-length pants, if you could call them that with how many tears they had, and an armless vest. On his neck, he wore a scarf made of shimmering white scales, and overtop of that he had made a necklace from the claw of Draco that had cut his face. From his ears, he had made a pair of earrings, from each one hung a scale from Archon. The dragons that had changed his life, for better or for worse, he decided, should stay with him at all times. And should he ever fulfill his father's wish and slay Acnologia, he vowed to take a trophy from him too, just as his father took his arm and eye.

He stopped and looked around for a moment, finally realizing that he was no longer wandering the forests alone. He decided to explore a little longer, even though he was barely able to stand. It was a very small village, he counted only around a few dozen homes, a shop, a central grassy area with a large tree in the middle, and a busy pub. It reminded him a little of the village he visited years ago right before returning from learning dragon slayer magic. 'I wonder what that girl is doing now… It was almost like... I had an older sister…' was his final thought, before collapsing from exhaustion.

When he finally woke up, it looked as if he was lying in a bed in a room somewhere. Sitting up, he noticed that he was covered from head to toe in bandages, but still had all his clothes and self-made jewelry. The bed he was in was comfortable, he couldn't really remember if he had ever slept in one before, but he knew what they were. It had only one pillow, a sheet, and a thin light blue quilt. The room was lit up by light lacrima, which revealed it to be some sort of bedroom, with one window, a door, and a closet. It was painted a pale yellow color, and there didn't seem to be any decorations in the room, aside from a bedside table containing an unlit candle, and a desk with a chair, though the desk itself was totally bare. After a few minutes of figuring out where he was and what he was doing there, the door opened and a young boy stuck his head in the room.

"Hey kid, you awake yet?" he asked him, peeking his head around the corner.

The child who asked him was likely younger than Natsu, he looked to be about 8 or 9, and had short blonde hair. Only his face was peeking through the door, so Natsu couldn't really tell anything else. Though he didn't exactly have many options aside from going along with whatever was happening, he decided to simply nod.

"HEY, MA! HE'S UP! LOOKS LIKE IT HE'S IN A BIT OF PAIN THOUGH!"

Moments later, an older lady that looked to be in her mid-50s came into the room. Her hair was graying, but you could tell it once had been black. Her age and the stress that came from her lifestyle was obvious to Natsu, but he thought that she must have once been beautiful. She wore a sleeveless black shirt and a skirt that went down past her knees. Her smile was warm and caring, and Natsu decided quickly that she was someone he could trust.

"Are you doing alright young man? You looked pretty beat up when we found you. Care to tell us your name?"

"My name… My name is Natsu. Natsu Drakeneel…"

"What an interesting name, Natsu, I have to say I quite like it. My name is Kathy, but everyone just calls me Ma. Now, why don't you lie down and rest and I'll go get you something to eat. You must be starved."

Natsu nodded and laid back down. He still wasn't sure exactly what happened. One moment he was thinking of his fathers and wandering through the forest, the next moment he was in a town being judged for what he looked like, and then he woke up here. It only took about 10 or 15 minutes before Kathy came back into the room with a tray that had what looked like soup and a glass of water.

"Here you go, Natsu. It's not much, but you should start out slow for now."

She set the tray down on the table next to the bed and handed him the soup when he sat up. After sniffing it for a moment, he began to eat it slowly. After finishing, he downed the glass of water and handed everything back to Kathy.

"Now then, young man, why don't you tell me what happened to you? Parker ran in saying he found a boy a little older than he was passed out outside and that he looked injured."

"Where am I?" Natsu responded. While he definitely thought he could trust this woman, seeing as she not only gave him food that was safe to eat, as his enhanced dragon nose told him, but also patched up a lot of his wounds, he wasn't entirely ready to talk about it yet.

"You're in our infirmary. Unfortunately, it's not very big, but at least we don't need to use it very often."

"Who's we?" Natsu asked, still very confused and really only figuring out what an infirmary was due to the circumstance he found himself in

"This side of town is basically one large orphanage. I and a handful of other ladies live here and take in children who are lost and without parents to take care of them. That's where you are young man, the orphanage in Rösch. Now, why don't you tell me about how you got so injured and where your parents are?"

Natsu hesitated for a moment. Now that he knew he seemed to be in relatively little danger, the fatigue really set in. He wanted nothing more than to sleep a little longer, but he also knew that this lady was genuinely concerned for him, but he wasn't sure if he could talk about what happened yet.

"I'm...sorry… could I… sleep a little longer first…" He asked her, with a pleading look in his eye.

The lady sighed before touching him gently on the shoulder and helping him lie back down. "Of course child, but know that I can't do much for you if I don't know what's wrong. I'll check on you from time to time, but since I'm letting you sleep, you are not to leave this bed until I tell you to. Understood? You are very hurt and running around like a hooligan will only make you worse."

Natsu nodded and shut his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

He tossed and turned in his sleep, crying out for Igneel and Draco constantly. His dreams were plagued with memories of the black dragon that killed his parents.

"IGNEEL! YOU HAVE HELD THE TITLE OF KING FOR FAR TOO LONG! THE DRAGONS ARE ALL BUT EXTINCT FROM MY POWER! YOU ARE THE LAST ONE STANDING IN THE WAY OF MY ULTIMATE UNDISPUTED RULE! BOW TO YOUR KING AND DIE!"

They wouldn't leave him. The booming voice of that beast, that creature, unfit to be called a dragon let alone a king.

"I SHALL DESTROY YOU COMPLETELY! YOU CANNOT WITHSTAND THE MIGHT OF ACNOLOGIA!"

He wished for anything other than this. He wanted to dream of happy times with Igneel, learning how to speak and read and write. The times with Draco learning how to use magic. Anything but these hellish nightmares, watching his father figures die over and over.

"FOOLISH… (pant) DRAGON... I…. AM ACNOLOGIA…. THE KING….. OF… DRAGONS!"

"Igneel!" He shot awake shouting. He was sweating all over, nearly trembling in fear and sorrow, and panting, desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Why… I don't understand…" He whispered, trying desperately not to cry. "You are unable (sniff) to change the past… but you can live on for others (sniff) who were unable to make it to the future…"

A few minutes later, with Natsu still sweating and holding his head trying to free himself from these nightmares, the door opened and Kathy entered with another woman. She was much younger, only in her early 20s, but there was something very familiar about her. He slowly turned his head to look at her.

"N-Natsu? Is… is that you?" she asked, almost afraid of what the answer would be.

Kathy looked shocked, "You know this child, dearie?'

Natsu sniffed hesitantly, continuing to sniff while she slowly walked towards him, almost afraid to accept who it was.

"A-Ashley? Is th-that really...you?"

She finally got up to him and just looked at him and nodded. He immediately wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug, not caring about how much it hurt his wounded body. Just finally able to hold and smell something familiar, and he greedily inhaled the scent in the crook of her neck. After a few seconds, she returned the hug, gently stroking his back while holding him. After a few moments, they separated, Natsu with a weak smile on his face as he gazed upon the only other person he ever formed a connection with.

"I promised, didn't I? That I'd see you again."

She returned with a sad smile of her own and sat down turning back to Kathy, who was still understandably confused, but happy that he seemed to be comfortable around someone.

"Kathy, remember I told you that three years ago a few thugs tried to rob me and that a young boy came to my rescue? That was why I joined the orphanage, after all, to try to help others as he helped me that day."

Kathy nodded, with her eyes wide open.

"Well, this is him. Natsu. Natsu Drakeneel. Though I must admit the last time we saw each other, he wasn't quite as beat up as he is now." she finished with a sad smile. "Now, why don't you tell us what happened to you, Natsu. Why are you so hurt? What happened to Igneel and Draco?"

He hesitated for a moment looking at Kathy and then back at Ashley, before breaking down into tears. "They're… dead… it's all my fault… I wasn't… I wasn't strong enough… they're dead…"

Ashley was shocked and Kathy just seemed very sad, albeit a bit confused at what he meant.

"Do you think you're ready to tell us what happened? If you need more time, it's ok."

He shook his head and took a deep breath, finally ready to tell them what happened, and began to tell the story between the occasional tear or sniffle.

"It was a few days ago, I don't know how long exactly. We were about to go home after I had finished my lessons for the day, they both said my hearing and smell weren't accurate enough for a royal dragon… Stuck up lizards." he said with a small, sad smile. "Then… they came and… it was so fast…"

Kathy was still standing, completely confused, trying to get some understanding from Ashley who interrupted him momentarily to give him a hug. Natsu inhaled and began speaking again, while Kathy pulled over a chair and sat down.

"It was... Acnologia. He and his brother, Archon, came... to kill Igneel and Draco. Igneel tried but... Draco had to help. Draco and Archon died... to their judgment blast...I almost lost my eye from a talon that flew off Draco's hand. They both... died instantly from the blast. Then Igneel and Acnologia...they... charged each other and Igneel… he… he died after wounding Acnologia. Why? Igneel? Draco? Why?" he ended in a near whisper.

He immediately returned to tears shaking in Ashley's arms who was crying too. Even as confused as Kathy was, she was near tears herself.

"If I had been stronger… I could have… I could have helped them and he would… Igneel would still be alive. Maybe Draco too… That's why they raised me… to kill that menace, and I failed… I failed them both… I-"

"No. Natsu. You did not fail anyone."

"But I-"

"NO! Natsu, listen to me!" she grabbed him by his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Both Igneel and Draco loved you. If they didn't they wouldn't have protected you, or saved you from the village, or taught you language and magic. Why would they do so much if you were but a weapon to them? You were their child and you weren't ready yet. When and if the time comes you will be ready to deal with that dragon. And I'm sure that wherever those two ended up, they're watching you and are proud that you're still alive."

Natsu was reduced to tears and was shaking incessantly, it was just too much…

"I can't sleep..., I can't eat... All I can see are his jet-black wings... All I can hear is his roar… All I can feel is the blast from the judgment of two kings... It's too much. I don't know what to do."

"I know, Natsu. I know. No one should ever have to go through something like that, especially at your age. Why don't you lie back down for a while, and I'll come back in and talk to you some more in a bit, ok?"

He just nodded and released Ashley from his death hug, as he laid back down. Ashley got up, gave him a kiss on his forehead, and motioned Kathy to follow her out of the room. Natsu was asleep almost immediately after the door closed, finally able to sleep with a little bit of peace knowing he still had at least one more person left that he cared about.

The two women walked into another room and sat at a table, both still wiping their own tears from their eyes, although Ashley was seemingly more affected seeing as she knew what he was talking about.

"That child, did he say Acnologia? And dragon kings? I have to say, I didn't understand much about that story, but it sounds absolutely dreadful."

"It's a little less confusing if you know what he's talking about. I have to say, while I did believe him when he told me, I was a bit skeptical at first. He said that he was being raised by two dragons, the White Fire Dragon King named Igneel and a fire dragon named Draco. Apparently, when I met him, he was finishing his dragon slayer magic training with Draco and was heading back to see Igneel again for the first time in two years in order to learn how to use special dragon magic. I'm not as good at explaining it as he was, I do apologize."

"He was raised by dragons? Dear, that's just not possible! The last dragon sighting was hundreds of years ago, and the only one believed to still be alive is Acnologia, which is utter nonsense. That village they say he destroyed a while ago was just some evil mage looking to kill for money, not a dragon. That's why I was so surprised to hear that name, just saying it aloud is considered to be taboo."

"Well, I can't say I have met them, but I can say he uses some sort of powerful fire magic. And did you see his jewelry? The necklace had some sort of talon on it, and he was wearing what looked like scales on his ears. Even that scarf looked peculiar, it was shimmering white and almost felt alive."

"I don't know, dear. It sounds like his imagination. When he wakes up, we can ask him about it again to try and see if he can tell us anything else. Do you think he'd want to stay here for a while? Whether his story is true or not, he doesn't seem to have anywhere to go or anyone to take care of him."

"Well, he said that he can take care of himself in the wild when I met him several years ago, so I'm not sure. I think we should get him to stay here, just for a little while. I only knew him briefly, but it felt like… almost like I had another sibling… and I never got to pay him back for helping my sister and me…"

"Judging from his reaction to seeing you, I think he feels the same dearie. I guess we can wait and see. If he's good at taking care of himself, maybe he'll be able to help us care for the younger children as well. Food is something no one is great at getting, and I don't think the town even has a mage in it."

"I think you're right Kathy…" she said with a smile and left to go settle down to bed herself for the evening.

"Such an interesting child…"

The next morning Natsu woke up confused again at where he was until the memories from the previous day flooded his mind. Wandered into a town that is apparently called Rösch? Check. Collapsed after exploring and being judged and talked about? Check. Waking up in some place called an infirmary in an orphanage? Check. And finally, meeting Ashley and an older lady named Kathy? Well, hopefully, that last one was true. It seemed almost too good like fate was dangling a toy on a string waiting for him to try to regain some lost joy just to take it away again. He woke up and got out of bed. He was still sore, completely unsure how he had walked as far as he did, and tried to do some basic stretches he learned from Draco. 'Sit down on the ground with my legs apart. Put my right hand over my left and stretch trying to reach my toes. Slowwwwly' he thought to himself. He was on his third stretching exercise when there was a knock at the door.

"Natsu? Are you awake? May I come in?" Ashley asked from the other side of the door

"Sure," said Natsu, finishing up his stretch and sitting on the bed.

Ashley sat down next to him and gave him a hug before asking, "How did you sleep? Were you able to get through the night?"

"Yeah, I don't think I woke up this time… It was still hard, but I feel a little better than yesterday."

"That's wonderful, Natsu. Would you like to come downstairs and try to eat something? We can introduce you to the others?"

"Sure, but could you help me walk?" Natsu asked, hesitantly.

"Of course, you think I was gonna make you crawl?" she asked with a giggle. "I have one more question before we head downstairs, Natsu. Would you like to stay at the orphanage for a while? You're still healing both mentally and physically, and I think once you get a bit better you can help us out. And it's nice... seeing you again…"

Natsu thought for a moment. He had never lived with other humans before, at least not that he could remember. He was always either camping alone as part of 'survival training' from Draco and Igneel or living with one or both of them. It was strange, but he felt compelled to stay. He supposed it had something to do with Ashley, finally finding the last person he cared about to stay with.

"Sure… I don't know why, but... I feel like I should stay. I just want to stay near the only family I have left. I've never lived with humans before, so I don't really know what to do but maybe... you could help me?"

Ashley started to tear up hearing that. "Of course, and I'm glad you think of me as family too. Now come on little brother, let's go eat and you can meet the others that live in this building too."

"Thanks… big… sister…"

The two headed down the stairs, with Natsu's arm draped around her shoulders, leaning on her. His only major injury was over his left eye, which was currently bandaged and covered, but he could tell it was still there so it probably still worked fine. Largely, he was just sore and weak. Other than the soup, he hadn't eaten in days, and he had barely been able to sleep more than an hour at a time before waking up with tremors and sweats from the nightmares that plagued his mind. They found him some different clothes and apparently changed him while he was unconscious. He now wore cargo shorts and a black T-Shirt, but luckily for him and them, they left his various jewelry and scarf in place, probably unsure of what they were.

The two entered the kitchen, and at the table were two girls and a boy. The boy he recognized from the previous day, and the two girls he was unfamiliar with. Parker was the name of the boy with the short blonde hair he remembered, and he wore a similar outfit to Natsu, cargo shorts but with a blue t-shirt instead of black. Natsu was slightly older and more muscular from his training, but Parker made up for it by being an inch or two taller than him despite being visibly younger. The two girls there appeared to be about the same age as Parker, making Natsu the oldest of the bunch. One girl he recalled being Ashley's sister, Cindy Ward. She looked the same as Ashley, albeit much younger than her. Ashley looked to be about 21 or 22, while Cindy was only 9 or 10. The last girl was the shortest of the bunch, and had light green shoulder-length hair with a ponytail and a bow. Her name, he found out, was Treya.

"Ok everyone, listen up! We have another that's going to be staying with us for a while. I happen to know him, a few years ago he saved me from a bunch of thugs that were trying to steal money, and helped me and Cindy out for a few days. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be here at all, so make sure you guys get along. Would you like to introduce yourself?" Ashley asked, standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Uh, hi. I'm Natsu Drakeneel, but you can just call me Natsu…" Natsu was hesitant, other than with Ashley, he really didn't know any other humans. They were strange to him, and he hadn't met many he actually liked.

"Hi, Natsu! I missed you! You should have come and visited me!" Cindy said, with a bit of a pout.

"I'm Parker. Nice to meet ya!"

"H-hello… I'm T-Treya…" Treya seemed quite frightened of the child that was standing in front of her, and she tried to hide behind Parker. It was quite understandable really, so Natsu didn't take offense. Humans tended to be scared or weirded out by him, and he definitely looked a bit frightening right now. He was adorned with the trappings of fallen dragons and had bandages on his arms and legs, as well as an eye patch over his left eye.

Natsu sat down across from the three of them and started to eat. They each had a piece of toast, an egg, and some sort of juice that he hadn't had before. It was different, he thought, seeing as he had never really had human food before. He really just ate whatever he could hunt down and kill, whatever his dragon fathers brought, or whatever berries he could find in the woods.

"Where'd you get all that stuff from? And why does your hair look like that?" Parker asked, stuffing his mouth with the toast.

"Why don't you give him time to settle in, Parker. You're being insensitive." Ashley scolded him, coming over with her own breakfast.

"No, it's ok big sister. I-I think I can talk about it. The scarf was a gift from Draco, I got it right after I met you actually…"

Flashback

"Where the hell is that fire face anyway? He should have been here hours ago!" Natsu grumbled. He was sitting in front of a fire, gnawing on some food he had brought from his time with Ashley as he awaited Draco's return. Fortunately, he arrived only about an hour later, landing in front of him.

"About time you got here, Matchstick! I've been here for hours!" Natsu shouted, running over to him. "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON-"

Thump

Draco just whacked him over the head with his tail laughing at his child's antics.

"Oh be quiet child, I'm here now aren't I? Besides, I have something for you."

"Really? Is it food? I just ate, but I'm still hungry don't worry!" Natsu was already excited, trying to get the dirt out of his hair from his intimacy with the ground after being knocked senseless by Draco's tail.

"There is more to life than food, fighting, and fiction, Natsu. It would do you well to remember. Anyways, no that's not it. I went to visit an old friend of mine and asked her to make something for you with Igneel's old scales. Here, take a look." Draco reached up behind his neck and pulled out a bag that contained a brilliant white scarf that seemed to almost glow with life.

"Really? It's made from his scales? That's so COOL! You two are the best!" He shouted, putting the scarf on and hugging the dragon on his leg.

"Of course I am! And it was my idea too, so make sure you rub it in that pudgy lizard's face, got that? Good! Let's get going, it's about a day's flight from here. You can sleep on the way if you'd like."

End Flashback

All the children but Cindy were stunned into silence, Parker had dropped his toast with his jaw on the floor halfway through the story.

"Draco sounds cool! I wish I could meet him!" Cindy squealed, already aware that Natsu's parentage was entirely that of two dragons.

"YOUR DAD WAS A DRAGON?!" Parker shouted in disbelief.

"Both of them were, but they were brothers. I considered both of them father figures." Natsu explained, nodding.

"I-I thought dr-dragons didn't exist," Treya nervously asked. "Are they, r-really real?"

"Of course, but I don't know about now though…" Natsu frowned and let his hair cover his eyes as he continued eating his breakfast.

The three kids looked at each other, unsure of exactly what he meant, but somehow they knew they probably shouldn't ask him about it. They finished their meal in silence, and Natsu headed back upstairs to lie down for a while. He got up every few hours to explore the village, still getting lots of comments about his strange hair, the primal jewelry he adorned himself with, and the bandages that remained. After a week, to everyone's shock, he was completely healed, but a long scar over his left eye remained.

As quickly as he had arrived, a month went by. He loved everyone in his house and thought of them as one big family of siblings. Treya was the nervous little sister who took almost the entire month to warm up to him, Cindy was the happy outgoing sister who had to be reigned in at times, and Parker was the troublemaking younger brother. Natsu was a protective big brother to all of them, and Ashley, of course, was their caring big sister. The first week was spent familiarizing himself with human customs, healing, and exploring the village of Rösch. There were a few things that confused him a lot and took time to explain. For example, every time he met someone he would walk over to them and start sniffing all over them. It took a long time for Ashley to explain that that was weird for people to do, and he probably should stop doing it. He also didn't understand humans' desire for privacy and personal space at times. Natsu was a naturally tactile person, and anyone he trusted he had a tendency to cling onto, whether hugging them, grabbing their hand, or once again, sniffing all over the place to find out information. It took quite a bit of explaining before he realized that humans did not have very good senses of smell and that he happened to have one strong enough to distinguish people, where they'd been, track them, and other things. The other kids in his house constantly tested his sense of hearing or smell, probably because they didn't fully believe him, by blindfolding him and having him distinguish people by smell alone, or by going far away and asking him what they had talked about. He wasn't entirely happy that they didn't believe him, but he understood. The second week he spent reconnecting with Cindy and getting to know Parker. The third week he and Treya finally got comfortable around each other. She got used to his rather unusual way of dress and his constant sniffing, and Natsu stopped avoiding her because he was uncomfortable making other people uncomfortable. At the end of the month, he knew all the kids' stories. Parker's parents abandoned him when he was very young, and he had moved around orphanages from the age of 3. This one, he said, he had been in the longest, for about 4 years now. It seemed rather sad, but Parker insisted he loved it. If his parents left him, that was ok, he had people that cared about him now. Cindy and Ashley had moved to Rösch about a year after he left, so they had been living here for 2 years. Their parents passed away soon after Cindy was born, and Ashley had been taking care of the two of them for almost 7 years. Treya had always been shy, but it was after her mother was killed that it really sunk in. Their village had been host to a dark guild, which terrorized the town. Eventually, the council was sent in to restore the place, but her mother was killed during the fighting. The council had brought her to Rösch the year before Natsu had arrived. Apparently, she never knew her father or why he wasn't in her life. Not that he'd ever admitted it, but Treya was his favorite after Ashley, though he loved them all dearly.

They were in the shared bedroom about to go to bed for the night when Parker decided to finally ask about Natsu.

"Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh… well… we were told we probably shouldn't ask, so you don't have to answer if you want, but well, what happened to you? Why were you so injured when you got here, and why do you have so much dragon jewelry on?"

"PARKER!" both girls yelled, scolding him for invading his privacy like that.

Natsu hesitated for a moment before stopping them.

"No, no, it's… it's fine. I mean, I'd be curious too, and you guys told me what happened to you, right? It's only fair…" He took a deep breath and told them the story. He told them how he had been found in a village destroyed by Acnologia and brought back to a cave belonging to the White Fire Dragon King Igneel and his brother Draco. He told them about how he learned language, reading, writing, culture, and philosophy. He was brought away by Draco and taught magic and met Ashley by beating up some thugs, which everyone cheered for. Then he told them how he ate a salamander when he got back, and how he began to learn to use the king's white flames. Then finally, of the fateful day with the battle between his only family, and the black dragons, Acnologia and Archon.

"After they died, I didn't know what to do. I felt like I lost everything about me. I still had so much more to learn and do with them. After a few hours, I decided it was time to leave, but I needed something to remember them by and to always have with me. I had the scarf for Igneel, but nothing of Draco. I sniffed around and found the claw that scarred my eye, and made a necklace from some string I had in my bag. The earrings were harder. I had to find intact scales from Archon. I used Igneel's flames to burn a hole through the center, but it took a long time of concentrated flames. It was harder than trying to make a small hole in my ear. I eventually just superheated Draco's claw and forced it through, but at that point, everything else was in so much pain I couldn't feel it. After that, I felt like I had enough. I didn't where to go but Igneel's last words echoed to me as I walked…"

Treya was in tears and immediately ran up and hugged him, Cindy and Parker were miserable too, not really understanding how terrible it was to have both parents murdered in front of you, with nowhere and nothing to turn to.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I had no idea-"

"No, it's fine Parker. Really. It's about time I got over it. I was able to tell the story this time right? That must mean I'm getting better I think…" he said, still patting Treya's back as she nuzzled into her big brother's chest. "Let's go to bed. If you want to see, tomorrow I'll show you guys my magic. I still don't know what I want to do with it, but... I think I'm ready to use it again."

And that's what they did, Treya snuggled up with Natsu, still not ready to leave him as they slept. The next day Natsu showed them some basic fire magic, no major spells, but simply the ability he had to manipulate it, how hot it got, and talked about some of the things he had been taught. Parker thought the orange flames were the best, but the girls adored the royal white flames. So they continued like that over the days and weeks that followed, getting to know each other and becoming comfortable. Natsu finally felt like he had a family again.