Quick A/N: We've arrived at the Fairy Tail section! There will be three more chapters until the start of 'canon' events. I just thought I should mention a few things. For starters, I still don't really know what I'm doing. This is all brand new to me, so I am kinda just writing down the ideas I've had in a story format, and it seems to be working. I appreciate any feedback or criticism that could be provided due to this. Next, I decided to give Natsu an additional quirk. I won't spoil what it is, but it comes about because of how long he's been in isolation with Happy as his only outlet for communication. Lastly, I feel as though I should better explain the spells Natsu used to, well, decimate Rösch (pronounced ROW-sh by the way). White Fire Dragon King's Raging Wings is a spell I've had in mind for ages. Essentially, he grows massive wings of white fire, and they drain enormous amounts of magic energy. This spell is one that didn't exist previously in the world, which is why it was mentioned that he created his own secret art. The flapping motion is sort of a dissipation effect, where they each strike once before disappearing, which was not explained at all. I pictured the spell, when it is mastered correctly, as something very similar to what Makarov used while storming Phantom Lord. Essentially, Natsu would exude white flames and magical power while enraged, walking forward decimating everything in his path. The second spell he did not create and will be used when needed, though it is also very taxing. White Fire Dragon's Flare Blitz is a MASSIVE speed buff. He also can use a normal version called Fire Dragon's Blitz. The normal one can be seen as a speed buff, but the white flame version is so fast it's essentially a teleport. The reason it isn't, well, that'll come up later. Anyway, that's all from me. Thanks for reading. I'll try to put a chapter out every day, more or less.

Forest outside Magnolia - X781

It was midday sometime in January, and Natsu and Happy were sitting down in the forest enjoying some lunch. Natsu had been writing in his journal, while Happy was munching on his fish, sighing happily.

"It's been so long since I've had a good fishie! You should buy me more fishies, Natsu! Big meanie!" Happy pouted after finishing the last of what was quite a comical amount of fish.

Natsu put his journal away, sighing at Happy's antics. "You know I'm still rogue, right? I don't want to show my face around so freely yet. Besides, the last time we had fish was yesterday!"

"That's a long time!" Happy replied, still not over his near 24-hour gap in fish consumption. "Besides, you said we were on our way to join Fairy Tail! It's been 3 months since you told that old man you'd think about his offer, and gave up ALL of our jewels, that YOU HID FROM ME!"

"(sigh) We are Happy, we are joining Fairy Tail. I'm just a little on edge you know? I still don't want to go out in public without my cloak, not for a while longer at least. Maybe once we've been at Fairy Tail for a few years…"

"A FEW YEARS?"

"Fine! A little while! Why do you care? They're my clothes!"

"You know exactly why I care, Natsu!" Happy snapped, giving him a glare.

Natsu relented. Happy was right, as usual. He never quite got over that. A CAT, that was not only younger than him, but that HE RAISED, was right far more often than he was. It didn't make any sense. Here he was being raised by the creature that he was supposed to be raising. 'Fate's a wily one, I'll give her that,' Natsu thought.
"I'm wearing it to the guild," Natsu said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"You better make a good effort to take it off, Natsu! You owe me a fish every day after the first! No, make that two fish!" Happy stated, drooling. "Maybe you should keep it on-"

"Not happening cat! You get the normal amount of fish that you get when you're with me, plus the fish that you will undoubtedly sneak behind my back by giving sad kitty eyes at them when I'm not looking."

"Hey! I don't- fine…" Happy just pouted. Natsu knew him far too well.

Natsu just chuckled and started to gather his stuff together. After fixing his various dragon jewelry and donning his cloak, he was ready to go.

"Alright, you fish-obsessed feline. Let's get you a family," Natsu said grabbing the cat and ruffling the top of his head.

"This is for you too you know! How can I be happy if you're miserable? I'd just be Nats-too!"

"You're not very good at puns, ya'know that cat?"

"HEY!"

The two of them laughed and headed forward. To Magnolia. To another chance at a family… To Fairy Tail…

20 Minutes Later - Outside Fairy Tail Guild Hall

"Well, this is it, lil' buddy. You ready?"

"I should be asking you that! You're the one who waited! I've been ready for months, Natsu!"

Natsu chuckled and got ready to enter.

Inside the Fairy Tail Guild Hall

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING WEAK, YOU GINGER PRINCESS?"

"YOU, DEMON WHORE!"

"ARMORED BITCH!"
"WHITE HAIRED WIMP!"

"Uh, guys maybe you should-"

"STAY OUT OF IT, STRIPPER!" they both said at the same time, punching the half-naked boy in the face and across the guildhall.

The arguing this time, just like pretty much all the other times for the past god knows how many years by now, was between Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss. While both comrades of the Fairy Tail guild, they were bitter rivals. Mira had white hair that she kept in a ponytail, wore a dark purple shirt that exposed her midriff, and shorts. Erza had brilliant red hair in a braid and wore a long white skirt and armor. Mira had recently been promoted to S-Class, following Erza who had been promoted the year before. That meant Fairy Tail now had a total of five S-Class mages, Gildarts Clive, Kael, Laxus Dreyar, Erza Scarlet, and Mirajane Strauss. The two girls had always been fierce rivals, but with the gap in S-Class being eliminated, they both got even worse, constantly at each other's throats. Gildarts was almost never there and Laxus didn't give a crap about them, so the only one who was ever able to stop them was Kael, meaning whenever he was absent, like now, they often nearly or fully destroyed the guildhall.

The boy they had punched across the room after calling him a stripper, was Gray Fullbuster. He was another wizard from Fairy Tail, and definitely strong, however, he had a ways to go before reaching S-Class. His main issue was his unfortunate habit of accidentally stripping, which he picked up as a child from his magic training.

Fairy Tail was no stranger to fighting, their daily brawls were a defining staple of the guild, but with Mira and Erza, it was always more destructive. They were the strongest females in the guild, and both were wily and unpredictable. Regardless, they continued, oblivious to the world around them, some ignoring the two and others cowering behind various furniture.

The fighting between the two feisty female wizards had just started to enter its middle stage or the stage where the two would occasionally throw weak attacks to provoke the other while hurling overused insults at each other. Usually, they would stop after this point, but today it seemed to be getting more intense. Then, the guild doors opened, revealing a cloaked figure of what appeared to be a young man, no more than five-and-a-half feet tall. Upon his head was what appeared to be a sleeping blue animal.

Other than the battling Erza and Mira, most of the members had turned to look at the mysterious-looking figure that entered their guild. It was rather strange, most of them thought. He gave off a vibe of mystery and was maybe even dangerous, but on his head was a sleeping cat. Those two things just did not go together, so the curiosity was mounting as the figure started to look around.

Natsu had his eyes set on exploring the guildhall, his nose set to check for danger, and his ears focusing on the brawling females in the center of the hall. His ears were twitching rapidly, he was sniffing as much as possible, and his eyes were darting around the room trying to absorb everything like a sponge. Seeing no danger aside from the fight between what he recognized as Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss, two mages whom he could easily defeat, even both together if the need should arrive, though definitely not without difficulty, he decided to continue his exploration. He reached above his head, woke up Happy, whispered something to him, and set off to sniff around the guildhall. Happy dove into his cloak, dug around for a few moments, before pulling out a few jewels and flying over to the barmaid.

Now everyone was even more confused. Not only did this strange man have the most contradictory appearance ever, he just talked to a cat who flew away holding a pouch.

"I want some fishies! You got any fishies lady?" Happy asked the barmaid.

She almost fell over in shock, that a cat just flew over asking to buy fishies.

"Are you ok, lady? I just want some fishies." Happy was confused at her reaction at first, before remembering that most people seemed a little surprised when he asked them for things.

"Um, yeah. Yes? Of course, kitty, we have fishies. What kind of fish would you like?" she asked him.

"The raw kind!" Happy responded, placing the jewels on the counter, and flying in circles. "Fishies! Fishies! I'm gonna get fishies!" he chanted. It was a clever plan, he thought. Natsu asked him to go ask for some fishies and just act like himself. Natsu's overall demeanor wasn't a very friendly one, but Happy and Natsu both knew that no one could resist a giggling cat.

The barmaid, recovering from her shock, just started laughing and went over to find some fishies for the cat.

"So what's up cat? What's with you and the creepy dude?" The girl asking him was probably around Natsu's age but had brown hair and a deck of fancy looking cards in front of her. Her name was Cana Alberona, a hopeless alcoholic who could beat even the toughest of men in a drinking contest any day of the week. It was only early afternoon, and she seemed already a little tipsy.

"We're looking for the old guy! What's his name again? Mocha… Munchy… Hold on, I know it… MAKAROV! That's it!"

"Whatcha doin' lookin' for him, kitty cat? Looking to join Fairy Tail?" she asked, giggling like a schoolgirl.

"Yep!" he replied, hands on his hips with a confident grin.

That sobered her up quite quickly and left most of the members in a state of shock.

"Really? I was just jok-, uh, seriously?"

"Yeah! We met him a few months ago, but my stubborn hooded friend over there," he gestured sticking his tongue out at Natsu, who was currently sniffing some of the walls, earning many confused stares from the members, "decided he wanted to wait."

"Oh, uh, that makes a little more sense, I guess." she scratched her head and gestured to the stairs. "He's up there if you want to take a look."

"Thanks! My name's Happy by the way!" the barmaid finally came back with a tray filled with half a dozen fishies, to which Happy immediately teared up and started chowing down.

With Happy being the focus of the guild now, Natsu decided to head upstairs and see Makarov. Unfortunately, that meant getting past a duel of destiny with two fierce female fairy tail mages. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'Maybe I could try to talk some sense into them while I'm at it… Probably not, Igneel was better at that sort of thing…'

Thinking back to his time with Igneel, he walked directly between the battle, completely lost to the world around him.

"Hey! Watch out!" a few people called out to him, but it was too late. A cloud of dust shot out, as Mira had thrown a punch in her satan soul form, and Erza had swung one of her swords.

"Great! You killed the new guy already!"

"Man, we could've at least met him first!"

"Can I keep the cat?"

Happy turned to watch him and just burst out laughing.

"Hey, Happy, what are you laughing for? I thought that was your friend! He could-"

She stopped midway, eyes huge when she saw it. Natsu was simply standing in between them, his left hand holding Mira's fist, and his right held Erza's wrist. The entire guild was in shock, though none quite as much as Mira and Erza. They both called off their magic, still in shock, as the mysterious hooded man began to speak. He still hadn't looked at either one of them.

"You really shouldn't be fighting so much," he said, clear sadness audible to the whole guild who was listening intently. Except for Happy, he was laughing so hard he almost fell off the table. "I thought Fairy Tail was a family. Treasure what you have…" he said before walking off.

"YEAH RIGHT!" Happy shouted between fits of giggles. "YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!"

They all watched, listening to the sounds of Happy's giggles while the hooded man slowly walked upstairs and knocked on the door to the guild master's office.

"Come in!" came a voice, and then he was gone.

Everyone just looked at Erza and Mira. Erza was still staring at the guild master's door, and Mira was inspecting her fist.

"Did he just-?"

"Yeah, he did."

"WHO THE HECK IS THAT GUY? HE JUST BLOCKED BOTH ATTACKS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING?"

"He looked tired, almost like he was sleepwalking!"

The guild was in mayhem, half the people trying to confirm with everyone else that what they thought happened did in fact happen, and the other half-stunned into silence.

Happy was recovering from his giggle fit long after Natsu had left the return. "Show off! Just because you can block them both with your eyes closed, doesn't mean you actually had to!" Happy was still feasting on his yummy fishies when Cana decided to grill this cat for some information.

"Happy's your name, right? Who's your friend there?"

"(munch munch)... Hre doeshn't rike me giffing out hish name." Happy replied, finishing up his sixth and final fish in record time.

"Who doesn't?" Cana asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Nat-HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Happy shouted, crossing his arms in a pout.

Cana just laughed. "Damn! So close too! Nat-something hmmm…"

"Please don't tell him I said anything, I've never slipped up before! He'll tell you, probably, at some point. I'll even make him show you his scar, just don't say anything!" Happy begged.

Cana just kept laughing, "Sure thing cat! Weird that he doesn't like you giving out his name. Why is that?"

Happy hesitated, "I...uh...I can't tell you that. Maybe once we're here a bit longer he'll tell you. He's just, uh, a really private person! That's all!"

"Happy!" a voice called from upstairs.

"Coming, Natsu!" he yelled back, zooming into the room with Natsu.

'Wonder what that was about,' Cana thought, returning to her true love, an entire barrel of wine. 'And who bargains with scars?'

Earlier - Makarov's Office

Knock knock

"Come in!" Makarov called, not bothering glancing up from his paperwork.

"Good to see you again, Makarov," Natsu said.

"Hmmm, where is that voice from again?" Makarov put his paperwork down and looked up at the cloaked figure.

Natsu removed his cloak and gave a sad smile to the old man, reminding him of his existence.

"Ah! My child, you've finally come! I was worried you'd forgotten!" Makarov reached out and shook his hand in greetings.

"Of course not, I paid good money for this spot!" Natsu replied, chuckling a little at his own joke.

"I really must thank you again for that, my boy. That went a long way. You have no idea how much we have to spend on repairs for the guild alone, let alone jobs." Makarov looked about to cry just thinking about it.

"Of course, it was the least I could do, think nothing of it," Natsu replied, taking a seat.

"So, what have you been up to, Natsu?"

"I wandered around for a little longer. Happy and I spent a lot of time just talking or enjoying the company of silence. I trained a bit, replenishing the magic I lost after...uh...yeah… But it was nice. I've...I think I understand it a little better now."

"That's wonderful! Would you mind calling Happy in here now? I'd like to speak to both of you about something."

"Of course, I was about to anyway. One of your members sounds like she's really grilling him for info, though I probably should have avoided the conflict rather than interrupting it." he stood to call Happy. "Also, I would appreciate it if you kept everything I told you other than my name and magic to yourself. I can assure you that I have no other secrets.

"Of course, my boy."

"HAPPY!" Natsu called, opening the door slightly.

"Coming!" Happy replied, flying into the door and landing back on Natsu's head.

"So, I trust you two have made your decision?" Makarov said after the door had shut and Natsu had taken his seat.

"Of course. I wouldn't go into such a crowded place without reason. I'm a walking target should anyone manage to figure out who I am."

"Right, eheheh," Makarov sweated a little, remembering fully just who was joining his guild. The White Crown. The Flare Blitz of Rösch. A bounty hunter worth at least 10 million jewels.
"Now then! Since you both have decided to join Fairy Tail, I just have to remind you a few things you likely already know. We welcome those with good hearts with open arms. Your enemies are our enemies, and your friends are our friends," Makarov continued, while Natsu watched, smiling. "I warn many of my children of this, but you are one that I'll worry about the most. Do not hesitate to come to us for aid. You may think you are protecting us, but putting yourself in danger trying to achieve martyrdom is not how a family does things! Understand that, brat?"

"I think I'm going to like it here," Natsu responded with a smile. "Should you ever need someone in the underground…" he added.

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING, NATSU!" Happy shouted.

"This is exactly what I'm worried about," Makarov sighed, and Natsu just chuckled.

"Well now, let's go meet the guild shall we?"

"One last thing, Master Makarov," Natsu said, tentatively.

"What is it, my child?"

"I'd like to... retain my cloak for a few days...Happy, you, and Porlyusica are the only ones who've seen my face in 3 years, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to make it public yet…"

"Hmmm," he nodded. "I can agree to your terms, however, your explanations are your own for that, and I expect you to make an effort to fit in with the rest of my brats! Got that?"

"Thank you," Natsu added nodding his head slightly.

"Well, I'll go ahead and introduce you. In the meantime, figure out what kind of stamp you want and where you want it," Makarov said, exiting the room.

"Fairy Tail…" Natsu muttered, donning his cloak.

"Are you nervous Natsu? You're probably just afraid to show your face 'cause of how ugly you are," Happy said laughing.

Natsu just smiled, shook his head, and knocked Happy out of the air with his fist.

"Quiet, cat. You almost gave my name to an alcoholic didn't you?"

"What? I didn't- I mean… I…" Happy stumbled and stuttered. Natsu chuckled and ruffled his fur, returning the cat to the top of his now cloaked head of pink and white hair.

"Nice going, cat. Good job," he said, exiting the room.
"HEY!" Happy shouted, continuing to pout. "ONE TIME, IN THREE YEARS!"

Moments earlier

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP BRATS!" Makarov roared, instantly shushing the already relatively quiet guildhall. Most of them were still reeling from the demonstration Natsu gave them earlier. "We've got a new member joining today! A friend of mine I met a few months ago who generously handed over a donation to serve in his place until joining."

"That was him!"

"He looked like some kid!"

"He bought a seat? That's a thing?"

"QUIET!" Makarov shouted again.

"HEY!" Happy shouted as Natsu exited the office. "ONE TIME IN THREE YEARS!"

The guild all looked at the cloaked man, who seemed to be in an argument with the blue cat from earlier. He stopped bickering and turned to the old man."

"Really, Makarov...I had intended that payment to be kept quiet…"

Ignoring him, he continued, "Well brats, here he is! Natsu Drakneel!"

Natsu approached the railing, rapidly absorbing information from everyone he saw. A large man with white hair likely uses physical magic, appears to be related to Mirajane. Mostly naked boy. Around my age, doesn't seem phased by temperatures. Two old men, one smoking one not. Young girl. Also appears similar to Mirajane Strauss. Blue haired young female. Appears to lack physical abilities and relies on intelligence. He rapidly absorbed information about the guild members like a sponge, and after about 30 seconds of silence from both sides, Natsu finally spoke.
"Uh...Hello." He said.

"HI NATSU!" the guild roared in response.

Natsu made his way down the steps and was met with the young white-haired girl from earlier.

"Hi, Natsu! I'm Lisanna, nice to meet you!" she said, holding out her hand.

"Lisanna Strauss, hello," he responded, shaking her hand and sniffing a bit.

"How did you-"

"You look a lot like Mirajane. The muscly one is related to you as well, is he not?"

"Very perceptive! I think you'll do great! Follow me!" she said grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the various tables.

"This is my brother Elfman, my sister Mirajane, and Gray Fullbuster."

"THAT CAT IS MANLY!"

"Tch...Lucky catch."

"What's with the cloak?"

"Why are you in your underwear?" Natsu replied, seemingly unphased by the group.

"AH DAMNIT!" he shouted, running off to look for his clothes.

"Sorry about that, Gray has a bit of a bad habit," Lisanna sweated a little as she explained.

"Not a problem, I seem to be in a bit of a reverse habit as of now," he joked, gesturing to his cloak.

"Listen, mister cloak man," Mira suddenly stood up and pointed her finger at him. "I don't know what your deal is, but you can't just-"

Natsu took her hand and shook it, proceeding to sniff Mirajane's arm, unconsciously trying to memorize the scent of a wizard as strong as her.

"EEEK!" she shouted, pulling her arm back, and blushing. "What are you doing?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, it's… been a long time since I've been around humans… I must have picked that habit back up… Sorry, I really didn't-"

"It-it's fine, not a-"

"EHHHHH?" The whole room was shocked at this exchange. Not only was the she-devil Mirajane Strauss blushing like a schoolgirl, but a hooded man was also apologizing after sniffing someone because he developed a habit after not being around 'humans' for a long time.

"Uh, right, well moving along." Lisanna seemed quite disturbed by that and practically dragged him to the next table. "This is Erza Scarlet and Levy McGarden."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. Though anyone could catch the attack of that wench, it takes some skill to catch one of my swords," she said, holding out her arm as well. "I do not wish to impede on habits, you may sniff my arm as well should you wish."

"Wow! Thanks!" Natsu didn't think twice about the offer, approaching and sniffing around.

"U-uh, that's enough… thanks…" Erza started to get a bit uncomfortable after a few seconds.

"Yeah, right. Sorry…" Natsu muttered, retreating to greet the short bluenette.

"Nice to meet you Natsu!"

"Indeed! You seem like a writer. Anything interesting?" he asked, shaking her hand, reminding himself that sniffing was not a thing humans do.

"Oh! No! I can't write at all, I just love to read." she replied, still a bit nervous watching him sniff all of her friends.

"Interesting…" he said, turning back towards Lisanna. "Shall we continue?"

They continued around, Natsu managed to prevent himself from sniffing anyone else as he walked around. The old men were called Macao and Wakaba, there was a purple-haired girl named Laki, an alcoholic brunette named Cana, a blonde who seemed not in the mood for anything that he recognized as Laxus Dreyar, powerful lighting mage and grandson of Makarov, and several others. Overall, he seemed to be at worst indifferent to them, though he decided he liked the Strauss siblings, Erza, and Levi.

In the end, he followed Lisanna and sat back down at a table consisting of all three Strauss siblings and Erza. Happy decided that they weren't as interesting as cute-charming the barmaids into giving him fish, so he returned to the bar attempting to get free fishies.

'Now that is a sight,' he thought. He wondered what it would be like to still have his orphanage siblings with him, and how cool it would be if they learned magic. Instantly lost in a sea of thought, he didn't notice that everyone at the table was staring at him, and had been trying to get his attention for some time.

"Natsu?"
"Yes! Sorry, was that?"

"Geeze, lost in thought? I called your name three times!" Lisanna said, almost pouting that he was ignoring her.

"I apologize, it's… been a long time…"

"How come you said you haven't been around humans for a long time?" she asked, smiling at his cloaked face.

"Well, it's been, let's see… three years? I think? That was the last time I interacted with a human off of a battlefield."

"THREE YEARS?!" Everyone at the table seemed very confused now. Who was this guy? Who just lives alone for three years and then randomly joins one of the closest knit guilds in Fiore?
"Yes, I think that's about right. Four seems too long, and it's definitely more than two, therefore I presume it is three."

"I think we got that…" Lisanna deadpanned.

"I think she was more interested in why you haven't been around humans in three years, genius…" Mira added.

"Right! Well, that is a long story, but to simplify it, I lived in a small village several years ago," he told them, trying to move on quickly.

"Well, what happened?" Mira pressed.

"They...um…" he hesitated for a moment, but they looked genuinely curious. He decided as long as he didn't go into detail about anything, it was ok to tell them. "They were killed…"

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" Even Mira felt bad about asking. She may be a demon, but she wasn't heartless.

"Really, it's...fine...You didn't know and couldn't have known without asking," he explained, still a bit uncomfortable.

"Yes! Well, um…let's see…" Lisanna was quickly trying to change the subject. "Oh! Why do you wear that cloak? You're all mysterious… I bet Mira wants to know what you look like," she added giggling and raising her eyebrows at Mira.

"I DO NOT!" Mira shouted.

"Right…" Natsu responded. "Well, it's also been three years since anyone aside from Makarov has actually seen my face…"

"Oh, um…right…sorry about that…" Lisanna was sweating nervously, every subject seeming to be a big red flag.

"Please, don't worry about it. If I don't want to talk about it, I won't," Natsu responded, understanding that they were just curious and that it was mostly his fault for being so secretive. "Besides, I plan on taking it off eventually...It's just...been a long time…" he finished, quietly.

"Of course! Just remember, Fairy Tail is a family!" Lisanna finally smiled, having the tension being lowered a little did wonders.

"Blocking Mira's punch was MANLY! Are you really that strong?" Elfman questioned.

"Oh, I don't know...I've heard of Mirajane's strength across Fiore and even slightly outside of it, I'm not sure if I really rank up…"

"Well...I mean...if you're curious...would you want to spar?" Mira asked. 'Why am I so nervous around this guy? Is it because he was sniffing me? Or that he blocked Erza's sword AND my punch? I can't figure him out!' she thought.

"I'm not sure…" Natsu mused, not entirely wanting to have to put enough of a show to beat the she-devil.

"How about me, Mystery Man?"

Natsu turned to see Gray Fullbuster approaching him, a challenging look in his eye.

"Ah, hello! Gray was it? Nice to see you kept your clothes on this time! I'm sure you'll break that habit eventually!" Natsu reassured.

Everyone at the table started to giggle.

"ALRIGHT LET'S GO HOTSHOT! SEE WHAT YOU GOT!" Gray shouted, getting in position for an ice-make spell.

"Oh, interesting! An ice make wizard! Most of them are in the Northern continent. There used to be quite a few up there as I recall," Natsu mused, still not really paying attention to Gray.

"ICE MAKE: HAMMER!" Gray shouted, summoning a giant hammer made of ice above his head. The rest of them dove out of the way, but Natsu was still thinking.

"Ice-make mages are rare in these parts, are you from the North?" Natsu asked as the hammer fell down towards him. He simply raised his hand up, catching it and melting it without really giving it much attention. "You'll have to forgive me for asking, but I've never actually seen a maker wizard before. Can you really make anything? Or is there a limit based on power? For example, would it be possible to build something as detailed as a home I wonder?"

At this point, Gray was pissed. Not only did he effortly melt his ice, with his HAND no less, but he was also still ranting about something that had nothing to do with his fight. A few members were holding chuckles at the display, the rest were confused why Gray was attacking the newcomer who didn't seem to care.

"Ice-Make: Lance!" he shouted, firing multiple ice projectiles at Natsu.

"Interesting! So you can make projectiles as well as stationary objects! I must say, this is quite fascinating," Natsu continued rambling as he once again held up a hand, and the ice just melted.

"Damnit! Fight me! What are you doing!" Gray shouted.

"Oh, my apologies! I thought you were just demonstrating. Right, uh, sure let's go to the center to avoid collateral."

"Did that guy say he didn't realize he was being attacked?"

"How did he think those were just demonstrations?"

"Oh, simple! The power used was not lethal, so I had presumed it was only a demonstration," Natsu responded. 'I wonder why they're whispering? I can still hear them,' he thought to himself.

"EHHHHH?" Once again, the entire room was lost.

"Hold on," Gray said. "You thought because I wasn't trying to kill you, that this wasn't a fight?"

"Oh, right, sorry about that. This is a spar. I haven't sparred with anyone... let's see… Actually, this is my first spar against a human! Everything else has been me defending against lethal force," he continued, arriving at the center of the room facing Gray.

Gray hesitated a moment before asking, "You're not gonna… kill me if you win...right?"

Normally everyone would laugh at Gray being so nervous before a fight, but at this point, they seemed to understand. Apparently, he had never fought for fun or practice before, well at least not against a 'human' as he had said.

"Don't worry about it! I rarely if ever need to use lethal force. Though I will hold back, most people I end up fighting...well...it looks like it hurts, eheh," he scratched the back of his head. He was trying his best to explain the situation, but everything he said seemed to only make the hole he dug for himself deeper.

"Right…" Gray was definitely rethinking this spar, but decided to, as Elfman would say, man up and take it. "Ice-Make:-"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu shot across the room before Gray had a chance to finish casting, and punched him in the stomach, shooting him across the room, and he was unconscious by the time he hit the ground.

"Shoot! Sorry! Ah, dammit, I knew I shouldn't have used magic! Happy! Go make sure he's ok for me!"

"AYE SIR!" he shouted, flying over towards the collapsed maker mage.

"He is still alive sir! Seems in good health! Should be a minor burn and bruising, and he's unconscious, but that's all normal for a spar."

"Thank goodness, thanks Happy."

"Aye, sir!" he replied flying back over to the bar.

"So, anyway, I was also going to ask-"

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"

"WHAT SPELL WAS THAT?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE USED MAGIC?"

Natsu was immediately swarmed with questioning guild members, all trying to get information out of him at the same time.

"Slow down! Give him some space!" Erza shouted, immediately shutting the crowd up.

"Very impressive, Miss Scarlet! I must say, your reputation is very accurate."

"Right...Um...thank you… There really is no need to be so formal..." she stuttered in response. 'Dammit! What's with this guy!' she thought to herself.

"Can I ask a question?" this time it was from Levi, who seemed very interested in the new member's magic.

"Of course!" Natsu replied, happy to finally only receive one question at a time.

"How were you able to hear us whispering about you when you were across the room? I admit it was probably rude, but since you know I may as well admit it."

"Interesting question! Yes, I have extremely sharpened senses. That is also why I have to restrain myself from sniffing people when I meet them oftentimes, it's a way to remember people. Though I don't know why I was able to restrain myself from everyone except Miss Strauss and Miss Scarlet…Hmmm.." he continued rambling about not quite understanding the nature of his habit returning, and Mira and Erza both turned away from him blushing fiercely.

"Um, Natsu?"

"Yes! Apologies, Lisanna. Human conversations are very different to me, I normally only have Happy to talk to and he just listens to my ramblings. That could very well be because- and there I go again...Anyway! Continue!"

"Right, uh, why do you have super strong senses, and why do you keep referring to 'human' things? Does it have something to do with your magic?" Lisanna decided if she could ask enough questions, the rants would connect and he would have somewhere to go rather than talking in circles, as he had been doing since they met him.

"More good questions! Both of them can be answered almost identically, actually. Quite amusing, isn't it? Anyway, my magic type is dragon slayer magic. This naturally enhances my senses, and due to my, um, heritage, my senses are even stronger than those of an ordinary dragon slayer. 'Human' customs are far different from dragons, so it takes me time to get used to them. You see, outside of dragons and Happy, I've only lived with humans for a year. All my other knowledge about them is nothing more than reading and hearsay, which is likely where I seemed to have picked up my rambling issue. Happy! Why didn't you tell me I rambled before we came in here?" he shouted the last part, turning to Happy.

"Aye, sir! Because you wouldn't shut up long enough for me to say anything, sir!" Happy loudly responded, earning chuckles from most of the members.

"Well, I suppose that does make sense…" Natsu mused, disappointed at his lack of skill in the art of human communication.

"Hold on, you were raised by dragons?" Mira asked.

"Yes, I too am held up on that particular part of your response," Erza added.

"Oh, right! Of course! I was raised by dragons, yes. In the future, should I be so inclined, I will add more to that, but seeing as I just got here, I would appreciate it if we could end the questioning of my specific dragons there. Apologies."

"Not at all, it's ok if you don't want to talk about it. But I bet Mira would-"

"SHUT UP LISANNA!" Mira yelled back at her.

"Um, right.." this was all quite confusing for Natsu. Mira's heart rate would frequently jump whenever Lisanna would change the tone of her voice to that of a teasing nature. 'I wonder why that is,' he thought, once against zoning out in continuation of his never-ending thoughts.

"NATSU!" the whole guild suddenly yelled.

"AH! What! Did I zone out again?"

Most of the members were laughing at this point, some thought he was messing with them.

"Yeah, a little bit hehehe…" Lisanna uncomfortably chuckled.

"Happy! Why didn't you tell me I zoned out completely whenever I started thinking? More important information you could have told me about!" he shouted.

"Aye, shfir!" Happy's mouth was once again filled with fish. "(gulp) Because whenever I told you, you were zoned out so you didn't hear me, sir!"

"Ah, well that would explain that too, wouldn't it…"

A few members were on the floor laughing by now, only Mira, Lisanna, Erza, and Levi were able to reduce their laughter to chuckles and or giggles.

"Ugh… why does my head hurt so much…"

"Oh good! You woke up! I do apologize I didn't mean you hit so hard…" Natsu said.

"You knocked me out? I don't remember fighting…" Gray replied trudging over and sitting down.

"THAT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FIGHT!" Elfman shouted between roars of laughter.

"Yes, he may have punched you unconscious in one shot before you could cast," Erza told him.

"Hmmph… Lucky shot." Gray mused as he continued to nurse his wounds. 'At least he didn't kill me,' he thought to himself.

"Of course," Natsu added. "You didn't know the nature of my magic, and I knew the nature of yours. Besides, I had been previously distracted causing you to drop your guard, so if we were to have another match, I'm certain your chances would improve. Though I will say-"

"Here we go again," Lisanna said facepalming.

Makarov was watching the whole thing from the top floor, smiling away. 'Good work brats,' he thought. 'Starting to chip away at his shell.'