ERA - Later That Day
Natsu was still being accompanied by his amphibious messenger, and they had recently arrived at their designated destination. The halls were quite busy, filled with frog-like creatures, wizards, rune knights, and other various beings that worked for the magic council. While approaching the courtroom, where Natsu would be 'tried' for his crimes, a rather familiar face was waiting for him. An unfortunate case for Natsu.
"Ah, if it isn't the infamous Dual Salamander," the man said, smirking slightly. "I dare say it's been too long, hasn't it? Natsu?" The man in question wore a white coat that was open around the neck. He had mid-length blue hair, with part of it draping over the middle of his forehead, and an intricate red design over his right eye.
"Siegrain…" Natsu growled slightly.
"What a shame, and here I thought we were going to have a touching reunion...It truly has been too long," the man revealed to be Siegrain said, approaching Natsu and leaning down to add in a whisper. "Don't worry, little dragon slayer, I'm only a thought projection...However, you may want to ensure you keep quiet on our little secret...It would be rather...unfortunate if your identidy were to be revealed…"
"Damn you, Siegrain," Natsu muttered.
Siegrain stood back up and nodded at the messenger, before smirking in a rather sinister-like manner at the furious dragon before him. "Well now, I suppose I shall see you inside. For now, I'll leave you as you are…" With that, he was gone, leaving a seething Salamander and a shocked messenger.
"You know some very powerful people," the amphibious messenger sputtered out.
"I believe 'person' is the wrong term for that creature," Natsu growled under his breath. Fortunately, he was quiet enough to not garner a response, and the two continued inside.
They entered into a fairly standard courtroom. There was a set stand where Natsu was led, there was a long table where five council members sat, and various other locations where other council workers that had been tasked with other jobs sat. The door was guarded by two rune knights, which quite honestly, Natsu had to restrain himself from laughing at. No one brought to the magic council would be subdued by only two rune knights.
Before the trial started, Natsu's messenger gave the centermost councilor a note, to which he read it and dismissed the frog.
"Natsu Drakeneel," Chancellor Org opened, in a loud, booming voice. Org had a long gray beard and mustache, a gray ponytail, and his right eye seemed permanently closed. He wore a white robe, was rather tall, and had a commanding in nature. "You stand before the magic council under multiple charges of property destruction on a grand scale. I also must formally request you remove that cloak; hiding yourself is an insult to the council."
"Very well, Chancellor," Natsu replied, as he slowly removed his cloak.
As per usual, there were a few gasps at his feral appearance. However, much to Natsu's surprise, the council members themselves didn't seem all that confused. It was mostly the other workers that were caught off guard.
"Now, regarding your charges, the council has found you guilty on all counts. You are to remain imprisoned here overnight and will pay damages in the amount of two million jewels. Mr. Drakeneel, would you like to add a statement in relation to your verdict, or will you accept our provided terms?"
"Actually, Chancellor Org," Natsu started, smiling slightly at Siegrain. Siegrain on the other hand nearly lost his composure. He had been resting on his hand smiling at the young dragon slayer, but now sat up quite quickly and almost glared at Natsu, almost daring him to say anything else. "I'd like to formally request that Fairy Tail is not punished for actions that I made alone. Am I correct to assume that no blame is to be given to my guild?"
"That is correct, Mr. Drakeneel," Chancellor Org replied, oblivious to Siegrain's mix of relief and seething anger at the dragon slayer, who was taunting him and loving every moment of it. "Our witness reports claim that the damage was done by a cloaked man recognized as the Dual Salamander of Fairy Tail. Due to the circumstances, your punishment has been severely lessened, however, crimes left unpunished give way to reckless ignorance of rules."
"Of course, Chancellor," Natsu replied, nodding.
"There is one other matter I would like to address with you, Mr. Drakeneel," the Chancellor spoke once again. "We at the council have been made aware of your rather extraordinary magical abilities from multiple sources. Some claim you are currently the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, and we received a report that your magical power far exceeds that of your master, Makarov. It is regarding these statements that I would like to ask if, should we ever have an opening, you would be interested in participating in a trial for the ranks of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Chancellor Org, he seems rather young to be considered for a position. Not to mention, Fairy Tail's reputation…" councilman Michello contested.
"I would have to respectfully disagree with you, councilor," Yajima responded. "In terms of status, I do not think age or your associated guild should be part of the consideration. We judge the wizard saints in terms of magical abilities and character."
"I find your offer rather intriguing, Chancellor," Natsu said, eyeing Siegrain once again, who had placated a neutral face in place of the briefly shocked one he had previously had. "While I am not entirely sure if the statements regarding my abilities will reach your expectations, should this matter come up again...You may consider me interested…"
This got a harsh glare from Siegrain, however, none other than Natsu seemed to notice it.
"Very well, Mr. Drakeneel. Should this matter come up again, we may contact you for a trial. You are hereby dismissed to carry out your sentence."
"Thank you, Chancellor," Natsu said, cloaking his face once more, and following his guide outside the room, to where his room for the next day would be.
'Damn you, Salamander,' Siegrain raged in his mind. 'You are not the only pawn to be captured…'
"Chancellor, I must ask what news you received in order to suggest such a position to this rather peculiar youngster?" councilor Leiji requested.
"We know nothing about him! Outside of Fairy Tail, we in this room may be the only ones who've seen his face! Anyone that secretive has to be hiding something," Michello agreed.
"I am quite aware gentlemen," Org replied. "However I am quite interested in his abilities...And it couldn't hurt to have another dragon slayer among the saints. Especially one with a more tolerable attitude…"
Most of the councilors present grumbled their agreement with that particular statement, even Siegrain had to privately agree. Not that he cared in the slightest for the power of the council, however, the decision made some sense.
After the meeting adjourned, Siegrain returned to his office, only to be greeted by a young, rather beautiful, black-haired woman.
"So, Siegrain," she started, smirking. "The flaming white assassin in the ranks of the wizard saints, eh? I must say, that could result in a change of plans."
"On the contrary, Ultear," Siegrain smiled. "It was never my intention to use him. He is rather strong, and I do not believe anyone other than myself among our ranks could capture that menace. I simply wished to remind him to stay away. She will be, and always has been, our true target…"
Meanwhile, Natsu was currently locked away in a prison cell, thinking of the offer given to him. In reality, Natsu had made his interest clear simply to piss off Siegrain, however, now he was giving it serious thought. On the one hand, that could be dangerous. The more people that knew about him, the more likely people would find out who he was. The more people who found out who he was, the more danger Fairy Tail would be in. Natsu was rather confident in his ability to defend himself, so he knew that they'd go for the few people close to him as an indirect method of wreaking vengeance on The White Crown.
Another thing that came to the dragon slayer's mind, was his comparison to the current members. He knew all of them by name, however, he only really knew the power of a handful. So, he decided, what better to do than make a list…
Natsu's Journal
First Wizard Saint - God Serena
Said to be the strongest wizard in all of Ishgar, and one of the few wizards whose magic I am aware of. Uses dragon slayer magic, hover, it is the fake version. Has a total of eight dragon lacrima implanted inside him
Second Wizard Saint - Draculos Hyberion
Third Wizard Saint - Wolfheim
Fourth Wizard Saint - Worrod Sequen
Fifth Wizard Saint - Keira Maldova
Sixth Wizard Saint - Benna Maldova
I believe she and Keira are related, but I don't know in what way. I am only aware of their names, nothing more.
Seventh Wizard Saint - Makarov Dreyar
The current master of Fairy Tail, and extremely wise and powerful mage. Uses titan magic as well as magic of the light variety. Has knowledge of the three legendary fairy spells, though I do not know how many he has the ability to cast.
Eight Wizard Saint - Josè Porla
Ninth Wizard Saint - Siegrain
Menace to the world and disgrace to humankind. Relatively strong, however, he is truly no match for anyone above him.
Tenth Wizard Saint - Jura Neekins
Joined the ranks rather recently, however, he is said to be both powerful and wise. Jura is currently the ace of Lamia Scale. Perhaps one day shall surpass Makarov. I believe he uses earth magic, due to his moniker 'Iron Rock Jura'
Back To Reality
His list now finished, he puzzled over the names. Already he was filled with rage at Josè, though for what reason he couldn't tell. Something was calling for hatred at that man, however, he ignored it. Seeing Makarov was nice for Natsu, the man who saved him from himself, and one of the only ones who knew the darkest secret he held. God Serena was another name that he wasn't a fan of. Dragon lacrima were offensive to him, those wielding them believed that they actually reached the power of a true dragon slayer, and he'd met one that thought he was superior. What a joke! If only they understood the power of dragons they wouldn't think that...especially that of a dragon king.
'Well,' Natsu thought. 'Now what am I supposed to do? This sounded like a better idea in theory…' His thought process had been to either judge those already a member in comparison to himself or perhaps to try and get a feel for if his name belonged somewhere on that list. While Natsu was by no means arrogant, he did believe that if God Serena, the fake dragon slayer, was their strongest mage, he definitely had a spot on the list. Not to mention, as powerful as Makarov was, Natsu wouldn't even have to use his full power to defeat him. Most of it, granted, and he'd probably be on the losing end without using his second seal, but still not all of it nonetheless. Unfortunately, he had no idea of how strong pretty much any of the others were, so this turned out to be a bust.
From there, his thoughts drifted elsewhere, namely to his two favorite Fairy Tail mages. He still felt terrible for leaving. Of course, the guilt he felt for the rest of the guild was by no means fake, but Natsu felt some sort of special connection to the two as if something was trying to punish his mind for disappointing them. It was bad enough for anyone else to hurt them. Should anyone fly into Erza or perhaps a stray chair hit Mira, there would be hell to pay. But now it was different. No one had accidentally ruined Erza's cake, no one had spilled something on Mira's dress that she had been super excited about showing off. This time it was him who hurt them, he left them without a word, lost in a whirlwind of emotions. Someday, he'd make it up to the two of them.
One thing Natsu did understand, however, were the feelings the two held for him. Romance was rather unimportant to the dragon slayer, so he never felt the need to seek it out. He had very few reasons that he walked the earth every day, the most important being the mission given to him by his father. That was one reason he never went out of his way to respond to the clear vibes from the two warring females. Another being they'd never approached him about it directly, so he was unclear if they even knew how they acted towards him. The last reason was only really obvious to Natsu, and perhaps Levi had she actually taken the time to think about it. Dragons didn't have human relationships, and dragon kings were even more different…
Dragons had a special kind of relationship, that being mating. Creating a dragon slayer involved a process called the Dragon Soul Ritual. A special ritual was performed, which would weaken the dragon, or in his case dragons, that placed it upon the human and gave them the abilities of a dragon. Enhancing their senses, growing fangs, and gaining their magic were among the most well-known and prominent, but another was the process of mating. Dragons would choose one partner and stay that way for eternity, even after death it was believed the two stayed together. If one had been evil and was to be sent to the depths of hell, the other, no matter how pure of heart, would join them there. Such was the life that dragons were to live. Dragon slayers obtained this as well and would choose one mate and remain by them for life. There was a fairly simple process, and contrary to the belief that most would hold if you were to say 'mating ritual', it actually didn't involve that much. It was rather similar to a wedding, in fact. The dragon slayer would mark his chosen mate in the form of a bite on their neck after a short ceremony, creating a mark that was rather similar to a tattoo on that location. The mark would differ based on the slayer's type, however, it was more than just a mark. In reality, it was a magic container. In emergency situations, the mate could use some of the magic given to them by their mate to protect themselves, not that they'd need to very often considering how protective dragons were. While the container could be refilled by the slayer, it was not recommended to be repeated in excess. Why? Natsu had no idea, it wasn't mentioned to him. Following the mark, the mate would bite in return, giving a matching mark to the slayer, however, this one was just that. A mark.
Dragon kings, however, were different. Apparently, dragon kings would always select two mates. Supposedly, this was to ensure that an ideal child would be born to be next in line for kingship. Royal dragon magic was uncommon to be passed down to children, with only around a 25% chance in males and 10% chance in females that the child would inherit the royal abilities. This caused a change, where an extra mate was taken to ensure kingship would be passed down by each type, be it fire, water, wind, or anything else. Perhaps this is why dragons submit to the authority of any dragon king regardless of their nature, for example, an ice dragon is expected to obey the command of the Earth Dragon King should such a scenario arise. Though they were loyal first and foremost to their respective element king, of course.
Regardless, Igneel had said that it was rather likely for Natsu to inherit this trait. Also, since he happened to be both a royal dragon slayer and a regular dragon slayer, there was a chance he would end up taking three. Truly, Igneel had no idea, but he made sure to make Natsu aware that this was rather uncommon for humans, and regardless of how many mates he was to take, if any at all, he would need to explain to them the reasons behind it. Perhaps this was the biggest reason Natsu chose to accept that they had feelings for him but personally did nothing about it. Humans didn't do things like that, he was well aware of that fact. Loke was the only human he had met who had more than one partner, and he seemed to be seen as some sort of scum for it. Besides that, Natsu had his doubts about who Loke really was. From the moment that lady-magnet joined, Natsu knew he didn't smell right. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly human…
'WHAT AM I THINKING ABOUT?' Natsu thought, finally halting his brain's rampage. He had been considering an offer of becoming a wizard saint, the most prestigious and sought out title of all the wizards in Ishgar, though it would be in the future and still an if, and then all of a sudden he was thinking about mating with his two best friends in the guild. 'This must be why I need Happy to keep me sane. Bahamut* help me now…'
Before he could attempt to refocus his mind, however, he heard the familiar sounds of someone approaching his cell. From the smell alone, he knew who it was without even looking.
"Ultear," Natsu said smiling. "It really has been a while. You didn't happen to miss me, did you?"
"I do wonder about that," Ultear smirked slightly.
"Now, Ulty, as much as I love seeing you, did you need something or did you just come to see me?"
"Right to business today? Come now, Natsu, you could humor me at least a little bit for old times' sake…"
"Oh and I would, however, I'm a bit locked up at the moment…"
"Well that should give you more free time, don't you think?"
"Come on, Ulty...I know you want something, just spit it out," Natsu sighed.
"Oh, you're no fun at all, Natsu! Fine...I actually have a job for you," Ultear pouted slightly.
"Oh? And what sort of job do you think would fit me? If you're asking what I think you're going to, my answer is no. The White Crown is dead, his last job was in Hargeon…"
"While that is interesting to hear, I actually need something else from you. And I think you'll agree quite hastily when I explain…"
"Well? What is it?"
Fairy Tail Guild Hall - After the attempted duel
"Real men keep their clothes on!"
"Keep talkin' like that, scarface and you'll get what's comin'!"
Once again, the Fairy Tail mages were involved in an all-out brawl, though for some reason, Erza didn't seem to be bothered by it. She was busy talking to Mira, Happy, and Lucy at the bar.
"Are you sure we should've let him go? We just got him back, I'd hate for him to leave again…" Mira asked disappointedly.
"I was a bit concerned about that at first as well, but I think that we should trust in him to return to us," Erza replied.
"Aye! Natsu's here to stay!" Happy chirped up.
"I still can't believe he managed to knock almost everyone out without even trying! Just what is he?" Lucy questioned, still in shock.
"Well, I wouldn't say he wasn't trying," Happy giggled.
"What does that mean, cat?" Lucy asked.
"Natsu has near-perfect control of his magic now. If he wants someone to get burned to a crisp from his fire, it happens. If he wants someone to feel like they're on the surface of the sun but not actually burn, it happens. And if he wants to demonstrate his power without anyone falling over, he can do that too!" Happy explained. "Though it definitely wasn't always that way, he only figured that out recently."
"I thought he said the reason he keeps it contained is so he doesn't hurt people?" Mira questioned, a bit confused.
"Well, that's partially true," Happy answered. "I don't need to explain that Natsu is a scatterbrain, so if he lost focus because he got lost in thinking of how important a single leaf is in comparison to the rest of the world, there is a chance he could accidentally destroy a mountain. But the real reason is so no one recognizes him," Happy added the last part, looking at Mira and then Erza to reinforce his point.
"I see…" Erza nodded in understanding.
"That's so like Natsu!" Mira giggled. "Only our Natsu would accidentally wipe out an entire town because he was thinking about why his cloak was black!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Why is Natsu so secretive about who he is? Sorcerer Weekly has done a few articles on him, so it isn't like he's totally unknown," Lucy asked.
"I don't know how much I can tell you, Lucy," Mira responded sadly, catching Happy's eye who was also frowning slightly. "He seems to be ok with telling people about what happened to his dragons, but the rest of his life is a mystery to most of the guild."
"Aye," Happy agreed. "It's probably better if you don't ask. As much as I don't like it, Natsu is right that it's better that you don't know."
'What could he possibly have gone through?' Lucy thought to herself, gulping.
"All that's important is who he is now," Erza declared. "Everyone has somewhat of a past they'd rather not share, Mira and I are of no exception."
"I suppose that's true," Lucy nodded, thinking of her own past.
The group continued their discussion for a few more minutes when someone burst through the doorway. The someone in question was a very excited man, who seemed to be of average height. He wore jeans and a pink T-shirt with sunglasses resting on his head rather than his eyes. He seemed of average build, no real muscle to speak of, with mid-length tan hair that had a single spike near the back.
"Fairy Tail! So COOOL!" the man shouted, excitedly looking around the room. "I haven't been here in so long! Fairy Tail is the coolest! So cool!"
"Who's that?" Lucy asked.
"Oh no…" Mira groaned slightly. "That's Jason from Sorcerer Weekly...Erza? Can you take care of the brawl and I'll go see what he wants…"
"Very well, Mira," Erza replied and stood to face the guild. "HOOLIGANS! CEASE YOUR FIGHTING OR FACE PUNISHMENT!"
The members quickly stopped their rampage and in the blink of an eye were casually sitting as if they had never been fighting at all.
'Wow…' Lucy thought, sweating slightly. "Wait, did she say Sorcerer Weekly?"
"Indeed," Erza answered, sitting back down.
Meanwhile, Mira had gone up to Jason.
"Jason! Nice to see you again! What are you doing here?"
"Mirajane! So cool! I can't wait for our next photoshoot, they're always so cool!" Jason exclaimed, still seemingly running on an endless source of energy.
"I'm sure they are...But why are you here? I'm not supposed to come in for another month or so," Mira questioned.
"I got the coolest news! Fairy Tail's Dual Salamander is back! He's the coolest of the cool! Is he really here? Can I see him? An article about the Salamander would be super cool!"
"Well, he was here, but he probably won't be back until tomorrow," Mira sighed slightly, knowing what happened the last time an interviewer tried to find out what he looked like. "I really wouldn't count on seeing him. People don't call him mysterious for no reason."
"I know, but it's super cool! And imagine how cool it would be for people to see him! If he isn't here, I'll just interview people about him! That would be cool!" With that, Jason ran off, asking various members about the Salamander.
'At least Natsu isn't here this time,' Mira thought, shuddering. It took Master holding him down, and both Erza and Mira pleading for him to stop before he let the reporter go. In fairness, the reporter shouldn't have tried to take his cloak off, but Natsu flipped his lid. Guess his threat worked, because Natsu's outburst was never published. 'Especially since Jason stopped by unannounced, who knows if Natsu would've noticed in time.'
"Mira! You know him?" Lucy asked excitedly when the barmaid returned.
"Yeah, I've gone to a few photoshoots while he was there, and he does most of the articles for Sorcerer Weekly," Mira explained.
"Do you think you could get me an interview? Please? It's always been my dream to be in Sorcerer Weekly!" Lucy begged.
"Well, it looks like he's more interested in Natsu at the moment," Mira giggled. "Don't say anything about his dragons, or go into too much depth of what he looks like, and I'll see about getting you an interview. Got it?"
"Thank you so much, Mira!" Lucy squealed.
Meanwhile, Jason had gone around asking every member for information about the Salamander, and nearly all of them had pointed to Erza, Mira, and Happy. Of course, he couldn't leave without getting some information down about the rest of the 'super cool' mages, so he got some information about Gray, Elfman, Loke, and Makarov during his rounds. Eventually, he went back up to the bar where the group in question was waiting.
"Hi, my name's Lucy-"
"So, I hear you three are prime sources for information about Salamander! Where is he right now? He's so cool!" Jason gushed, ignoring the blonde.
"He's not here currently," Erza said. "He should be back tomorrow or the next day at the latest."
"That's so cool, Titania! Why does Salamander hide his face? It looks so cool!"
"He doesn't want people to know what he looks like," Mira told him.
"Cool! Mirajane's answers are always so cool! What does the Salamander look like? Does he look cool?"
"I don't think he would want us to tell you what he looks like," Happy told the reporter.
"Happy! So cool! I've always wanted to meet the Salamander's companion! Can you tell me anything else about the Salamander? That would be super cool! And I would totally owe you a favor, which would be even cooler!" Jason exclaimed, smiling and rapidly writing down the answers.
Lucy beckoned Mira over and whispered to her, "Can I tell him something? I promise I'll be super vague! I really want an interview!"
"Fine! But if Natsu gets mad, I'm not helping you!" Mira whispered back. Lucy seemed to consider this for a moment, but overall her desire for an interview won out.
"I can tell you something!" Lucy told him, smiling.
"Cool! What's your name and what can you tell me about the Dual Salamander?"
"My name's Lucy, and I just joined Fairy Tail earlier this week. I can tell you that Salamander has three scars and loves collecting trophies from his jobs!"
"That's so cool! That's gotta be the coolest thing ever! Thank you so much, Lucy!" Jason, while always energetic, looked like he was about to explode with energy.
"Do you think I could-"
"Thank you so much! You guys were all super cool! I'll see you for the photoshoot next month Mirajane! They're always so cool!" With his newfound information, Jason sprinted out the door.
'Maybe he heard what happened to the last reporter that came in for Salamander information…' Erza thought to herself.
"Aw, come on! I really wanted an interview!" Lucy whined, sulking.
"Don't worry, Lucy! I'm sure they'll give you one eventually!" Mira piped up.
"While I am exceedingly disappointed you bargained our friend's privacy for your personal gain," Erza said, glaring at the now terrified Lucy. "At least you told him something that wouldn't give him away. Besides, Natsu has way more than three scars anyway…" Erza added the last part quietly.
"What was that Erza?" Mira asked with a sickly sweet smile on her face.
"Nothing! Nothing at all! I have to go on a mission! Good day!" Erza shot out of her seat and hurried over to the mission board to find something quick to pass the time with, ignoring the giggling Mira and confused Lucy.
"What was that about?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, nothing!" Mira replied, smiling.
'Why is everyone in this guild insane?' Lucy thought to herself.
"I don't see what's so exciting about that ash-prick coming back anyway!" a voice from the upper level boomed. "Who cares about him? It's his fault we lost Kael!"
"That's not true and you know it Laxus!" Erza shouted.
"Oh, my mistake. I forgot that you can't fault your boyfriend for anything that he did," Laxus sneered.
"You're just jealous that he's stronger than you!" Mira told him. "That's why you didn't come to see the duel with the rest of us! Because you don't want proof that he could beat you with one hand behind his back!"
"That dragon punk couldn't beat my pinky finger!" Laxus roared. "No wonder his dragons died! They must've been pathetic to raise a wimp like Natsu!"
"You wanna prove it, Laxus?" Gray yelled, glaring at Laxus. "Get down here and fight me!"
"Why don't you come up here, pipsqueak! If you're still scared of that red-haired bimbo you don't stand a chance in hell against me!"
"You'll regret that, power outlet!" Gray taunted, starting to sprint up the stairs.
"ENOUGH!" Master roared, slapping Gray off the stairs. "Laxus! Stop antagonizing the other guild members! You know very well that Kael's death was not Natsu's fault! And Gray! You are not allowed on the second floor!"
Laxus just sneered at his grandfather and walked away, while Gray muttered to himself and returned to his table.
"Why can't Gray go to the second floor?" Lucy asked.
"Only S-Class mages are allowed up there," Mira explained. "That's where we put the S-Class missions."
"S...S-Class missions are really that dangerous?" Lucy stuttered nervously.
"There are several tiers of missions. There are normal missions, which anyone can go on, A-Class missions, which require a team of regular mages or an S-Class wizard to go on, and S-Class missions, which require an S-Class wizard. S-Class missions are divided into three tiers as well, S-Class quests, SS-Class quests, and SSS-Class quests which are sometimes called decade quests. These missions are extremely dangerous, one wrong move and you could end up dead," Mira continued. "We currently only have five S-Class members, which includes Erza, myself, Laxus, Natsu, and Gildarts. Kael used to be one too, but he passed away a year ago while on an SSS-Class mission with Natsu. Since S-Class missions are so dangerous, they're posted on the second floor, and only S-Class wizards can go up there."
"Who's Gildarts?" Lucy asked.
"Gildarts is our current ace, however, given that display, I would say Natsu is way stronger," Mira explained. "He's currently on a special mission that isn't even on a tier, and it's been nicknamed the Century Quest because no one has been able to complete it in over a hundred years. No one's even come back alive…"
"One-one hundred years?" Lucy squeaked.
"Don't get any ideas, Lucy," Erza said, handing a mission over to Mira for a stamp. "S-Class missions are extremely dangerous, and if you aren't ready you may not come back alive."
"I wasn't!" Lucy exclaimed.
'Tch...Laxus...Where does he get off thinking he's so good? And why is everyone so obsessed with Natsu?! Salamander this and Salamander that...I could do an S-Class mission...If I just had someone to go with me…' One of the members was deep in thought, formulating a plan to prove himself.
Aside from that, the day passed fairly uneventfully; Erza had left to go on a short job during the afternoon and arrived back at Fairy Hills that night, Lucy spent the day with Mira and Levi just talking, and the rest of the guild spent the day as normal, with an average of 1.3 brawls per hour. That night, Lucy had just arrived home when she heard a voice coming from her room.
"Wow, this is a nice place. No wonder Natsu got it for her," the voice said.
"INTRUDER!" Lucy screamed, preparing her key and kicking the figure that was in her bedroom in the back of the head. "Open! Gate of-"
"Relax! It's just me Lucy! Calm down!"
"Gray? WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE? AND WHERE ARE YOUR CLOTHES?" she shouted.
"Don't get the wrong idea or anything," Gray casually explained, rubbing his head, and standing up. "I was like this when I got in here."
"How does that help?" Lucy groaned.
"That's not important. Listen, how would you like to go on an S-Class mission?"
"What? Why on earth would I do that? Mira said-"
"It's on a fancy island," Gray said, trying to convince her.
"So? Mira and Erza told me-"
"And the reward includes a golden zodiac key, too. If you don't want it, I can just sell-"
"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed, instantly on board with his plan.
'That was just as easy as I thought it'd be,' Gray thought to himself, smirking and following Lucy out the door. 'I really lucked out with the reward.'
"But first…" Lucy sighed, shaking her head. "PUT SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!"
"Right…"
*Bahamut (pronounced Ba-ha-moot) - Dragon-like monster in Arabic lore, Dragon god in DnD, and some sort of dragon-esque creature in Final Fantasy. In this story, Bahamut is the 'dragon god'. Instead of saying 'Oh my god' 'Good lord' or 'Sweet Mavis' the dragons and dragon slayers say Bahamut
A/N: Hello there! Due to the note above, I decided to have this A/N at the end instead of at the beginning! Updates will slow down a bit, as it's getting harder and harder to write these stories since I am combining canon with my own original characters, ideas, and plots. Not to say they'll be super slow and infrequent, but there will be less consistently one chapter per day as I had been doing. More like, one every two or three. I really hope you guys will enjoy what I have in mind for the Galuna Island arc. It's a little strange, and I got the idea from a story I read recently, but I hope I can explain it well! I'll cite that in a few chapters, as well as some more stories that I've really enjoyed and will use ideas from in the future. As usual, I recommend checking out any of the ones that I cite. Next, I decided to FINALLY lay down a plot timeline. Essentially, I just made a bulleted list of content that the story has gone through and that it will go through. I currently have about three pages planned, and we've gotten through just barely over a page now! I don't know how that translates to chapters, and there will definitely be plenty more. Lastly, I'm interested in seeing if anyone would want to do a drawing of my version of Natsu, complete with his hairstyle, jewelry, and three primary scars. If you'd like to, I'd love to see it and maybe even use it as the cover art for this story! Thanks for reading and reviewing, I'm having a lot of fun writing this even if it only started out as a time killer. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!