Since the dawn of the world, there have been flames. It is the flames that shone light through the darkness of human's beginning. They are the very representation of destruction, yet they provide stability and creation. Many believe that it was the dragons who blessed the humans with fire. Though not the case, it was the dragons who mastered it. Humans were simply unable to tame the untamable beast that is fire to the degree that the dragons did. Their mastery over the flame was unparalleled.
It isn't their power that they use, rather, it is their lifestyle. The dragons live like fire; changing their nature to that which surrounds them. Using their rage to destroy that which stands in their way. Blazing forth a path for themselves and others to follow. The flames of life both destroy and heal, so to master the fire, they live life with the mindset of the flare.
This fact was proven before the eyes of the Fairies and the Phantoms. Fire built in Natsu's hand in the shape of a simple pentagram. Heatwaves blistered the air just from the small, palm-sized flame that he created. The fire seemed alive, mysterious, and almost dark in nature. It flickered ever so slightly, but never left its form, as it continued to burn a crimson red.
Fear struck through Josè's eyes. Yes, it was fear that he was experiencing. As he gazed upon the hand of the newly crowned King of the Fire Dragons, he could only feel fear. His magic died before casting, and his hand fell near his side, as his entire body began to tremble.
"Burn," Natsu simply said. The pentagram shot forward, never changing size or shape, and collided with the chest of the Phantom master. It shoved him back only slightly, and to the unknowing bystander, the attack looked nearly ineffective...that is...until the screams began.
He screeched in pain; a near unearthly sound as he dropped to the ground clawing at his own chest. There were no words, simply screams as the agonizing pain coursed through the body of the Phantom Lord.
"Natsu?" Mira asked nervously, approaching the fire mage who was still glaring upon the agony his enemy was facing.
"Yes, Jane?" he replied, never once taking eyes off his victim.
"Are you ok?" she questioned in a soft voice, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Natsu remained silent for a moment, while the two slayers, who were still kneeling in front of him, glanced at each other briefly before lowering their heads again. "I believe so, Jane…" he said back, extending his right arm and pulling her into a hug, as he slowly released his transformation. "I believe so."
"Good," Mira said back, smiling and returning the hug. "Natsu?"
"Yes, Jane?"
"Is he...you know…"
"I am his judge, the spell is the jury, and the outcome is either his saving grace or his executioner. Unfortunately for him, the jury did not rule in his favor," Natsu responded.
After a few more minutes of silence, aside from the agonizing screams of Josè, most of the Fairy Tail members were finally able to regain a sense of what was just happening. It's not every day that you get attacked by an enemy guild and have everyone in your family nearly die, only to be saved by someone that you thought was evil but was actually a close acquaintance of yours. Throw that onto the pile that Natsu transformed into a very draconic creature, which they had never seen, that he spoke a different language with two people he had supposedly never met before, and the fact that they seemed to be treating him like some sort of royalty...well...it was a confusing day, to say the least.
Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and the now ex-master of Phantom Lord grew still. A pulse of fire was released from his chest that rapidly expanded into a sphere and then shrank back down and disappeared. Rather than the body or the ashes of Josè, all that remained is a golden, chainless amulet, sporting the design of a pentagram in a crimson red.
Natsu released Mira, who reluctantly let go, and approached the amulet past the two still-kneeling slayers. Juvia and Aria were still in shock, unable to process what had just occurred before their very eyes. He retrieved it, stowed it away in a pocket, and returned to stand in front of the slayers. "Thank you both for your faith in me," he began, bowing slightly to them. "I believe my fellow Fairies wish for an explanation, but first…"
Gajeel flinched slightly, but took a deep breath and responded. "I shall accept any punishment you see fit, my king."
"So be it," Natsu replied, igniting his right fist in flames. He reached out, painlessly burned away the Phantom Lord guild mark, and then retracted his hand. "You shall join Fairy Tail. Our enemies will become your enemies, and your enemies will become our enemies. You will integrate into our family and become one of our mages. Your life as a mage will be spent here, among family, and you will repent for your sins by being a family to them in return."
Gajeel looked up at Natsu, and to say he was shocked was like saying that what just happened with Natsu was 'a bit odd.' Understatement of the decade. "Seriously?"
Natsu smiled at the slightly out-of-character response from the slayer. "Yes. And honestly, I prefer you call me Salamander than 'my king.' Doesn't seem fitting."
"Right. Thanks, Salamander," Gajeel nodded.
"Now hold on a second, flames for brains," Gray finally spoke up. "What the HELL just happened, and why the HELL should HE join Fairy Tail? He was the one who attacked the guild! And he nearly killed Team Shadowgear!"
"Unfortunately, Gray, this isn't your decision," Natsu responded calmly, brushing off his complaints. "I shall confer with Master Makarov when he returns from Porlyusica's tomorrow. Until then, Gajeel will stay the night with me, and I'll explain as much as I can."
"NATSHU!" Happy wailed, flying straight at the slayer and giving him a giant hug. "It's about time you got here!"
"Yes, yes, of course. You did a good job protecting everyone, I see," Natsu noted, nodding at the cat, who had settled to sitting on his shoulder.
"Aye, sir!"
"You'd better explain everything," Erza said firmly, though she was smiling. The redhead approached the slayer and hit him over the head with a clenched fist before she hugged him as well. "Don't be such an idiot next time."
"Of course not, Erza," Natsu replied. "Now then. I believe there is one more thing I need to do."
"Oh, yes there is!" came a smaller voice. "Who are you? What did you do to Wendy? I may be small, but so help me if you hurt her…"
"Carla!" Wendy squeaked out, grabbing the cat quickly. "Stop! I'm fine, he didn't do anything to me!"
"Ah, Carla, is it?" Natsu asked, turning to the duo who were now standing.
"I'm so sorry!" Wendy exclaimed, once again bowing. "She doesn't know! It'll never happen again!"
"Natsu, why is she so afraid of you?" Mira asked, confused.
"I don't think afraid is exactly right," Natsu commented, but he was cut off before he could finish.
"WOW!" Happy shouted loudly. "SHE'S SO PRETTY!"
"Eh?" everyone asked confused.
"I think I'm in love!" he sighed, swooning dramatically.
"Right...we'll deal with...that...later…" Natsu said awkwardly. "Anyway, Wendy, please stand. There really is no need to be so formal."
"Of course, my king," she answered respectfully.
"This hooligan is no king!" Carla protested.
"CARLA!"
"Now, now, calm down," Natsu shushed. "Why don't we all head inside to the...oh…"
Unfortunately for the slayer, he seemed to conveniently forget that during the fighting, the guildhall had been almost completely destroyed. It was already mostly in shambles thanks to a certain iron dragon slayer, but the excessive magical force as well as the fighting, shade troops, and various explosions, did the old building in.
"EVERYONE FREEZE!" came a loud voice from a distance. "This is the Magic Council's Enforcement Unit! All of you are under arrest for violating the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty. Anything you say can and will be used against you!"
"Under arrest?"
"We were just defending ourselves!"
"Getting arrested is UNMANLY!"
The Fairies quickly protested and prepared once more to defend themselves, however, they were interrupted by Natsu. "SILENCE!" he roared out, quickly shutting up both the mages and the council troops. "All of you shall stand here quietly momentarily and we'll be ok."
"Hold on a minute, toaster-breath…" Gray started.
"Gray…" Erza growled. "Problem with Natsu's plan?"
"No, ma'am!" he quickly replied. Seeing as Erza was on Natsu's side, and that he had already saved them once that day, they obeyed as well, simply standing there while Natsu approached the council's army.
"Ultear," he started. "You really should appear first when leading an army."
"That nose will never cease to impress me, Salamander," Ultear replied, stepping forward through the thick ranks of soldiers, who had quickly parted ways for her to walk up. "I presume you understand why we're here, right?"
"It's either to arrest Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail or to collect Josè's remains," Natsu replied, earning a few gasps.
"You know, Natsu, adding the murder of a Wizard Saint to your record is probably not the wisest decision you've ever made," Ultear chastised with a hint of teasing and a barely noticeable smirk on her face.
"I suppose so, but I think Peklenc will enjoy his new toy," Natsu replied, flipping the medallion over to Ultear. "Now, I believe it would be wise for you to question me personally. The rest of Fairy Tail will willingly comply with questioning. The young girl with blue hair was not involved in the conflict, nor part of either guild, and Black Steel is with Fairy Tail."
"I see," Ultear nodded, inspecting the crimson amulet before returning it to the slayer. "Very well then. Men! Take the members of Fairy Tail in for questioning!"
"Yes, Councilwoman Ultear!" one responded and proceeded to bark out orders.
"Happy! Come with me! Erza! You're in charge!" Natsu shouted.
"Why are we all listening to-" Gray started, but quickly stopped after a rather aggressive look from the knight.
"You all heard him! You are to willingly comply with their questioning. Just tell them the truth. We simply defended ourselves and our family," Erza instructed. A few compliant grumbles were given back, but defying the council while physically, mentally, and magically exhausted was not something anyone particularly wanted to do.
"Oh, one last thing!" Natsu yelled out again, stopping his departure to turn back around. "Wendy! Could you please stay with Mirajane and Treya until I get back?"
"Yes, my king," Wendy replied respectfully.
"What is with this 'my king' nonsense, child! Did he brainwash you?" Carla chastised.
"So you're Wendy?" Mira interrupted. "I'm Mirajane and this is Treya."
"Nice to meet you!" Treya greeted, shaking the young girl's hand.
"Hello," Wendy replied. She seemed to be slightly nervous about all of the new people but was doing her best not to show it.
Later
Upon arriving in an area, the Magic Council's Enforcement Unit would split into two groups. The largest group went to the situation they were called to respond to, and the second unit stays behind and sets up a campsite. That campsite is where Natsu and Happy currently were.
Approximately twenty minutes had passed since Natsu followed Ultear and a few select soldiers from her unit when he was finally permitted into her tent.
"Natsuuu, how much longer~!" Happy whined.
"Patience, Happy," Natsu responded, as he sat on the ground in an unmoving, trance-like state.
"You said that an hour ago!"
"We've been waiting less than half, Happy," Natsu sighed.
"It feels longer," Happy protested.
Before Natsu could respond, however, one of the soldiers in Ultear's unit came over to them. "Councilwoman Milkovich will see you now. She requested that Mr. Drakeneel come alone."
"Whaaat?!" Happy wailed.
"Very well then," Natsu agreed. "Happy, go find Treya and Wendy."
"But, Natsu! I already waited forever! And now I don't even get to go in?"
"I suppose you could go with me," Natsu said. "However, I would have thought you'd want to get to know that Wendy girl's cat. Carla, was it?"
"Bye, Natsu! Have fun with Ultear!" With that, Happy was off, flying over to his newfound love interest.
How his cat figured out not only what love was but that he was in it by simply looking at the first female of his own species was beyond Natsu's comprehension, but the slayer simply shook his head and walked in the flaps of Ultear's tent, which were closed behind him and a magic seal flashed briefly, showing that the area was now sound-proof for secrecy.
"It really has been a while, Ultear," Natsu commented, sitting in the chair in front of her desk that had been left out presumably for him. "You didn't happen to miss me, did you?"
"It's been about a week, Natsu. Normally we go without seeing each other for several months at a time," Ultear rolled her eyes.
"Yes, but I like to maintain a pattern. I've greeted you the same way for years, why would I stop now?" Natsu answered with a glint in his eyes. "Now, I presume you have questions for me?"
"That would be why you're here, yes. Enough pleasantries, though," Ultear said, following with an extremely serious look. "Did you do it?"
"Before I answer that, let me ask you, Ultear. Have you made up your mind yet? Are you going to give up this foolish, lying, deceptive life you're living if I did save her? For your sake and for the sake of that young girl?"
"My mother...is she…?" Ultear asked, her breath held and a single tear in her eye.
"She's absolutely fine. I give you my word as King of the Fire Dragons that she'll make a-"
"THANK YOU!" Ultear squealed, leaping over the thankfully largely empty desk and burying herself in the slayer's chest with a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Hey! Calm down!" Natsu teased. "What happened to the powerful, serious 'councilwoman Milkovich,' huh?"
"She's really alive?" Ultear whispered.
"Of course she is. She's not nearly as magically proficient as she once was and she is still missing that leg she lost to Deliora, but all of that should be fixed with time. She's in the process of getting a prosthetic now." Ultear didn't respond, she just hugged him tighter. "So, am I correct to guess that you finally listened to what your heart's been telling you all these years? That she'd never willingly abandon someone like you? Like I've been telling you since the day we first met?"
"Just shut up," she mumbled, before finally releasing him.
"Do you want to come to see her?" Natsu offered.
"Oh, I don't think I can," Ultear quickly declined. "I still have all the paperwork to do for the guild war, and I have my council duties, and I have to interview you, and-"
"And make up more excuses to avoid seeing your mother," Natsu added to her list.
"I'm not avoiding seeing her!"
"Ultear. You can't lie to me. I know exactly what's wrong, but it won't help anyone if I say it. You need to say why you don't want to see her yourself."
"I do want to see her!"
"Ultear…" Natsu said softly.
"What if she hates me!" she blurted out.
"Now, why would she think that?" Natsu responded, expecting such a fear, and walked over to give the councilwoman a hug.
"I spent my entire life hating her! I could have come back to her...but I...I believed she would abandon me! My own mother!" she cried. "And look at who I am! I'm a politician by day and a criminal and murderer after dark. All my mother did was protect lives and what have I done? I took them away! From people who deserved to live!"
"And, despite all that, you did something that is more impressive than anything she or I have ever done," Natsu pointed out.
"Oh, yeah? And what's more impressive than what you've done? Becoming a prodigy in your teenage years, already outclassing the entirety of the wizard saints, saving hundreds of lives-"
"Changing your heart from the dark and back to the light," Natsu interrupted. "You see, life, in essence, is a duality of all things. With every bit of one, there is an equal amount of the other. You cannot have life without death, you cannot have love without hate, and you cannot have light without dark. Life itself is a blend of these opposites. Most people live in various shades of gray. You have crossed lines. You were born in the light, as are many, but you fell through the gray and into the dark. When we met, you were nearing the absolute shadow, where returning to the light would have been unattainable. I saw in your eyes that you were lost and alone and confused, but could be saved. I did what I could to help you, but it wasn't me who brought you back to the light. You did that yourself."
"Have I told you that the way you talk is really confusing?" Ultear asked, still with tears in her eyes, as she looked at him.
"I think several have mentioned it, yes," Natsu answered with a grin.
"Do you really think she won't hate me?" Ultear asked worriedly.
"I'm positive she won't. Why don't you finish the work you need to do with this intraguild conflict and then come visit me. I'll take you to see her."
Ultear smiled and nodded. "Ok."
"Now then, you had things to ask me about?" Natsu began, sitting back in his chair.
"Yes, Mr. Drakeneel. Please, have a seat," Ultear instructed, gesturing to his chair before sitting back in her own. "Now, let's begin.
'Well, that would explain why she's so good at fooling everyone…' Natsu thought to himself, in shock at how quickly she could fully change her personality to fit whatever situation was needed.
Later
"So, care to tell us what just happened, Natsu?" Erza asked, angrily tapping her foot on the ground, glaring at him.
"Right…" Natsu responded, with an almost uncharacteristic uncertainty. "Where should I start…"
A full day had passed since the conflict against Phantom Lord ended and the entire guild was now assembled in an area set up just outside the guildhall's ruins, which was to be rebuilt starting that day. Makarov was mobile again, though still rather weak, so he was in attendance as well. This also led to the issues with Gajeel, many of the members strongly protesting his inclusion into Fairy Tail. Fortunately, however, Makarov was always one to help people get onto the right path and to always give second chances, so he was quick to support Natsu's decision and Gajeel formally joined the guild.
"How about this whole 'bounty hunter' business," Treya growled slightly. "Is that what you've been up to all this time? I thought we taught you better than this, Natsu."
"Now, now, child," Makarov spoke out. "Perhaps we should let Natsu share at his own pace."
The Fairy Tail guild master had been given a rundown of what happened during the conflict, however, still lacked significant details, so he too was awaiting Natsu's explanation.
"I suppose I'll go back to the beginning. As you know, I grew up with two dragons, being taught two types of fire dragon slayer magic. For the first years of my life, I lived, trained, ate, and slept with them. They were my entire family. After ten years or so, both were murdered by Acnologia. After their deaths, I wandered the forests aimlessly until collapsing in a little village called Rösch. I spent the next two years or so there and it was during that time that I met both Treya and Happy. One day, we were attacked. The entire village was slaughtered by the cultists of a dark guild known as Nightwing...and...I couldn't save them...I was so afraid and confused about magic during that time that I had done no training, so the power I had paled in comparison to even the grunts. Everyone was killed...except Treya, though at the time I thought she died too. I've never felt luckier than to see you again…" he added, looking at Treya with a single tear in her eye. "Happy saved my life and it was then that I decided on my life's purpose. You see, with his dying breath Igneel asked me to one day kill Acnologia and to save the world of dragons before he killed the rest of them himself. At the time I didn't know why, but after witnessing all my loved ones dying before my eyes for a second time, something clicked...I spent over a year training harder than ever before I decided I needed real danger and real opponents to truly get stronger. So, I became a bounty hunter. I found jobs to capture high-class criminals, destroy dark guilds, or steal things that had been stolen from others, though I never took any of the many assassination requests. Happy made sure of that."
"Aye, sir," Happy said, though not with his usual cheer.
"After continuing for several years, I found a request to take in Barreth Porla dead or alive. As it turned out, he was the guild master of the group that burned Rösch...and...I lost it… I killed them all...only one escaped, but I heard he lost his mind...so even though I didn't kill him, I killed everything about him...I nearly died that day. I was so blinded by anger and hatred…they nearly killed me. It was only Happy that kept me alive long enough until Makarov and Porlyusica saved my life. A few months later, I joined the guild, but I was never able to give up my bounty hunter life. It was like an addiction...something I couldn't give into. It gave me time to be alone and time to be uncaring...it allowed me to reflect on who I was meant to become...but I always knew it was wrong…"
"You're damn right it was wrong!" Treya chastised, before pulling him into a giant hug. "But at least you're still here. That's what's important."
"So...the White Crown really is you?" Levy asked somewhat nervously.
"It is. I've had enough hiding, cowering, and pretending. If the world wants the bounty on my head, they can try to pry it off my shoulders, but I don't play to give it up too easily. I understand that the life I've lived is filled with blood, and if anyone sees me differently, know that I understand. Knowing that you live right next to someone who could fill a graveyard with the bodies of people they've killed is a terrifying prospect…"
"If you didn't phrase it like that, people might not be as afraid of you, ya know," Mira teased. "But how could we be? You just saved all of our lives and you've always been there with us."
"She's right, Natsu. You will always be a treasured member of our family," Erza agreed.
"Being a member of Fairy Tail is MANLY!" Elfman roared out.
"I do appreciate the sentiment, but I only did what anyone else in my position would have done."
"Speaking of which, my boy, what did you do to José?" Makarov asked.
"And why was the girl calling you 'my king,' and why did Gajeel listen to you of all people?" Gray angrily questioned.
"Right, I should explain that I suppose…" Natsu ruffled his hair briefly. "So, as you may know, Igneel was a fire dragon king. Essentially, he used a branch of fire dragon magic called royal white fire dragon magic, which is the stronger of the two royal fire dragon magics. Since I am Igneel's adopted son and learned magic from him, I inherited his flames. In addition, since Igneel passed away, the kingship would be passed down to me."
"So...you're a KING?" Treya shouted. "And you didn't even tell me?"
"Well, I wasn't at the time," Natsu corrected.
"Wait, how does that work? I thought you said that the kingship was passed down to you after Igneel was killed?" Levy inquired.
"That is true, but it's only half true. You see, dragons are creatures that live based on power, respect, and honor. A king is only a king if he commands the respect of those below him, therefore, we have different ways of taking the throne. You can be formally inducted by a ceremony, you can give a power demonstration, you could kill a mighty enemy dragon in a time of war, stuff like that. Essentially, I gave a power demonstration with a spell that I learned from Igneel called Fire Dragon King's Ascension. The entire purpose of this spell is to demonstrate the full extent of a dragon's power. Using this is essentially a challenge. Every dragon around the one casting the spell is now bound to respond. They either submit and accept his show of power as mighty enough to be their king, or they challenge it, in which case the two fight until one is killed."
"So, essentially, you threatened to kill Wendy if she didn't accept your foolishness?" Carla criticized. "You should be ashamed of yourself! I should-"
"CARLA!" Wendy wailed. "STOP!"
"It's quite alright, Wendy," Natsu answered, stopping her from apologizing for her companion. "It really does sound like that, however, we are the offspring of dragons and are bound by their culture. To answer your question, Ice Prick, Gajeel listened to me because if he didn't, he would have died."
A thick silence passed over the members of the guild, letting the thought of witnessing two dragon slayers fight to the death in front of them.
"Natsu, my child, what happened to José?" Makarov asked again, with a little more force.
"Yes, of course. Here," Natsu said, tossing over the still chainless medallion. "That's what's left of him anyway."
"You turned him into a medallion?" Gray asked confusedly.
"I'm afraid I'm no less confused than Gray is," Makarov added, eying the jewelry suspiciously.
"No, José is dead," Natsu corrected, earning a gasp from a few more sensitive members. "Though in law, that was his punishment. I used a punishing art from the royal dragon house, Peklenc's Eternal Damnation. The spell is bound by the laws of dragonkind and will punish the target as it sees fit, however, if the target is found to be falsely charged, it turns around and attacks the caster."
"So, if you were wrong about José, you would have died?" Mira gasped, covering her mouth slightly.
"Well, yes, but I can't exactly be wrong about him starting a war, now can I?"
"YOU IDIOT!" Erza shouted, hitting him over the head with a closed fist. "Don't ever use that spell again!"
"Ow! Alright!" Natsu defended, holding his bruised skull. "I'll try not to!"
"But, Natsu, that still doesn't explain what that medallion is," Levy pointed out.
"Essentially, that's the key to his freedom. As we speak, Peklenc is enjoying his time with José. That medallion is the agreement that I sent him there and that Peklenc is free to enjoy his toy."
"Uh...where is there and who is Peklenc?" Levy asked nervously.
"I thought you said he was dead, flames for brains," Gray pointed out.
"He is dead. Peklenc is a fire demon. Essentially, the punishment for what José did was death and a personal punishment from a demon. If he is to be released, that medallion must be used, although it is rather complicated. Should I choose to release him, he'll be free from Peklenc, though he'll remain dead of course."
"Natsu! You can't decide people's fates like that!" Treya scolded.
"According to dragon law, I can. Besides, if he didn't deserve it, the spell wouldn't have worked," Natsu defended.
"But he wasn't a dragon!"
"I fail to see your point."
"Natsu," Makarov interrupted. "You must understand that the council won't take the death of a member of the Ten Wizard Saints lightly and they're likely to get word that you are the White Crown. They have more than enough ammunition to permanently lock you away."
"I understand that," Natsu nodded. "That's why I hid for so long."
"Wait, but what if they come to try to arrest Natsu?" Mira asked worriedly.
"I'm rather certain that they won't, Mira," Natsu reassured.
"How can you be so sure?" she demanded. "What if they take you by force? What happens if we can't protect you?"
"I'm sure his girlfriend from the council will protect him," Happy teased. "She loves~ you!"
"His what?" Mira and Erza both stopped what they were doing to glare at the fire mage.
"She's not my girlfriend, Happy," Natsu sighed, somehow missing the two immensely threatening auras coming from the two strongest female Fairies. "She's just a friend of mine I met a few years ago and she happened to join the council."
"Then why did she invite you into her tent alone?"
"Natsu…" Erza threatened. "You better not have done anything indecent."
Natsu turned towards Makarov for assistance, but the old man simply turned back to his drink and pretended nothing was going on. "Woah, Erza, relax. It was Ultear. Remember? The one who sent us on the mission to save her mother?"
"So she wanted to talk to you alone…" Erza started, slightly embarrassed.
"So she could ask about her mother, yes," Natsu nodded.
"Sorry…" Erza mumbled.
"So that's that huh?" came a different voice as it entered the area. "We find out that this guy is a wanted criminal and a murderer, and everyone just accepts that?"
"Laxus…" Erza growled, glaring at the lightning mage. "What do you want?"
"Just coming back to see you got your pathetic asses whooped by those Phantoms. And you claim to be the strongest guild out there? Pathetic!"
"That's enough, Laxus!" Makarov demanded.
"How about you, Master? You knew all about his past, didn't you? And you still invited someone like him? With how many people he's killed?"
"Stop it!" Mira yelled.
"Mira," Natsu hushed. "It's alright."
"Real brave for once, Salamander. Finally ready to face me without your backup bitches?" Laxus threatened.
"You may say what you want about me, but leave Mira and Erza out of it…" Natsu growled back. "Don't forget, you're bound by our laws too...fake slayer…"
"What, are you gonna demand I kneel to you too and serve your every beck and call? I'm not some weakling like those two!"
"Who are you calling weak, punk?" came Gajeel's gruff voice, glaring at the lightning mage, while Wendy just cowered away from the confrontation.
"You, iron breath! Why the hell is he even here? What happened to the rules? He hurt the guild, didn't he? Shouldn't he be banished from here and thrown in prison right next to our own lizard worshipper?"
"Is that all, Laxus? We all know you're not strong enough to fight me or Makarov, so you simply threaten those weaker than you to get your way," Natsu said simply. "We have a guild to rebuild."
"What'd you say? I think I heard you tell me I'm weaker than you?" Laxus challenged, lightning rolling off his arms in waves.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Makarov roared. "Laxus! Fighting Natsu now will only make the situation worse."
"Tch…" Laxus scoffed, glaring at his grandfather. "And I suppose you're leaving the blonde bimbo and the bar bitch here too, even though they nearly got the guild killed."
Lucy looked at the ground with tears in her eyes and Mira just clenched her fist.
"I suggest you leave, Laxus…" Natsu growled, the temperature of the area slowly rising.
"You'll all see soon enough...this guild is weak!" Laxus threatened and disappeared in a flash of lightning.
"Who was that…" Lucy whispered.
"Laxus…" Mira sighed.
"Why would somebody like him be in Fairy Tail?" she asked, still thinking about what Laxus had said. To a degree, she thought, he was right. It was partially her fault that Fairy Tail was nearly destroyed, and she wasn't strong enough to really do anything to help.
"He's the master's grandson and an extremely powerful wizard. I'm not sure if Erza and I together would be enough to take him down…" Mira replied.
"He's also a coward," Natsu added, approaching the two. "So there's nothing to worry about."
"You're right, Natsu," Mira answered, giving him a bright smile.
"Now, what do you say we get to work on our new guildhall?" Natsu announced, earning a cheer from the various members.
A/N: Right, so, it's been a while. I haven't forgotten about any of my stories, I've just been doing other things. You fade in and out of interest in things, and I just lost the desire to write most of the time. I'll still churn out chapters here and there, but not at the frequency that I had been.
Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this chapter. I tried to tie up any loose ends about the previous chapter, and, if you're wondering, no I didn't forget about Aria and Juvia. That'll come up next chapter. Until then!
~ Ad Vitam, Ad Mortem ~