Natsu would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a little bit nervous. The feeling had been crippling him ever since he entered Magnolia and had steadily gotten worse with each passing step.
Makarov noticed this and raised a brow at the boy. He knew that the boy would be on edge but the amount the boy showed made it seems as though he was going to be arrested by the council which troubled the tiny master slightly.
He briefly wondered if Natsu would run away because of his nerves but he never once looked back. It made the master hopeful.
"Are you okay, Natsu?" Makarov asked carefully as he noticed the boys' eyes were moving all over the place as if trying to find something.
"Huh?" He asked with a confused face.
"Are you okay?" Makarov asked again this time, inching closer to Natsu so no one else would hear. Despite being old, he still could hear the whispers coming from the civilians around their town whispering about the master and the boy, luckily, nothing bad, just curiousness.
"Oh," Natsu looked at the tiny man and gave a grin. "Just a little nervous is all," He said which wasn't a lie which Makarov could tell.
"Yes, I can see that," He mumbled. "Are you trying to find good hiding spots?"
Natsu sighed. "I guess I am, old habits die hard," He laughed. Makarov nodded at that. It was a sentiment he could understand, not the hiding part, but the 'Old Habits Die Hard,' there were many habits he had given up, albeit, it took a long time for it to happen.
"Yes, that is something that can be quite frustrating but useful if needed," Makarov muttered loud enough for Natsu to hear.
Natsu smirked. "Yes, it has come in handy a few times," He confessed. "It probably is the only reason I still keep it around,"
Makarov smiled at that. While some people would find it annoying or even a coward's ability, Makarov saw it as a form of gift that can be useful if needed. You never knew when you would need it either in battle or avoid confrontation with angry demonesses when you are late for work.
Makarov shuddered at the last thought. He was a wizard saint and even he was afraid of The Demon.
"I suggest that you still keep it, you might need it in the future," Makarov advised with a shudder, still thinking about one of his guild members.
Natsu rose a brow at his shuddering but didn't say anything. "I think I will," He muttered mostly to himself.
When they reached the guild, Natsu was stunned by how big it was. He knew that guilds could be big, but this? This was something else, it was towering over him and Makarov by several feet and even then, Natsu didn't have the correct number for how tall it was in length.
"Wow, it was bigger than I expected," Natsu murmured. "How can you afford this?" His curiosity was too big to beat down at this point.
Makarov looked to have aged another one hundred years. "We have a restaurant-pub inside of there where our guild members can order their food and drinks which cost jewels, that way, we can afford this."
"Huh, smart system," Natsu praised while checking the top where he saw the Fairy Tail symbol.
"Anyways, Natsu, are you ready to step inside? I won't force you to join if you truly do not want to. That is up to you, but I would be happy if you did and I'm sure the others would be happy to have a new friend." He said with a small smile.
While he did know and even understood that the boy wasn't interested in friends, he still hoped to at least have someone to talk to that was close to his age. While Makarov had no problem with talking to the boy, there were some things he believed the young should talk to the young about.
Natsu rolled his eyes at the old man. While he couldn't conclusively say he wouldn't make friends, he didn't want to make friends either. He had more important things to do than being held back by idiots.
"Let's just go," He muttered with a huff causing the old master to open the doors gently.
When the doors opened, however, Natsu almost grinned. almost. Inside, there was a giant brawl taking place people punching and kicking each other.
"Hm, I might like this place," He said with a grin directed at the tiny master who was twitching slightly at the sight.
While he didn't mind seeing his children brawl, breaking things such as tables, chairs, mugs, utensils, and plates cost him a lot of money. Since brawls broke out every day; the jewels were quickly slipping away from his hands making the poor old man cry anime tears.
Natsu chuckled as no one had noticed they had returned. He did notice a redhead who was butting her head against a white-haired teen with goth clothes. The redhead, on the other hand, was wearing a knight uniform.
"Is it always like this?" Natsu cackled at the master who could only nod, his tears not stopping.
Suddenly, the brawl stopped when the redhead saw the master and Natsu.
"MASTER IS HERE!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The entire brawl stopped and turned to the doorway where their tiny master had wiped away his tears and stood with his head held up high.
"Good evening, my children, I take it you behaved yourself?" He asked, no trace of malice in his voice.
The guild members sweated profusely at his statement, no one daring to answer his question.
The redhead was the one who answered their master. "Master, we brawled and had a few problems," She said with a glare directed towards the smirking goth.
"Oh?" Makarov was intrigued. "What kind of problems?"
The redhead held her head up high. "We got a message from the council that someone has been committing theft around Fiore in multiple different parts. The council believes it might be connected and asked different guilds to find the thief,"
Makarov couldn't help but snort quietly so he didn't draw attention. He glanced at Natsu who looked as though he was about to burst out laughing any second which he couldn't blame him for.
"What did the thief steal that caught the attention of the magic council, Erza?" Makarov already knew who the thief was and what was stolen, but he wanted confirmation. The magic council just couldn't have become this incompetent.
The redhead, Erza, looked troubled at the question. She looked to be in deep thought as she tried to formulate words.
"Well... they didn't say what the thief had stolen, just that there were many thefts throughout Fiore ..." She trailed off and looked slightly ashamed that she could not provide more information for their master.
"It's okay, Erza, thank you for the information you could provide," He gratefully thanked the redhead.
"Who's this?" One of the older members of the guild asked as they just now noticed Natsu. All eyes turned to Natsu as he stood close to the master.
"This is Natsu Dragneel, he is a new member that I found on my way back from the meeting," Makarov explained.
"Ha! A new member? He looks weak!" A boy with raven hair who was only in his boxers laughed at the Dragonslayer.
Makarov chuckled inwardly. He knew that Natsu could easily overpower Gray if he wanted to or even felt like it. He looked at the first Dragonslayer he's ever met and was surprised when he saw that Natsu grinned evilly which made him sweat.
He hoped his bill didn't go up too much this week ...
"Weak? I've never been called that before." Natsu shrugged not caring about the insult. "But a word of advice; I will take you more seriously when you have your clothes on,"
The boy looked down and shouted; "Not Again!"
The others around them laughed at how casually Natsu said it, even acknowledging that he might be weak. It made Erza respect him. The others looked at Natsu curiously as he stood with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"So Natsu, where would you like your guild mark?" Makarov asked, urging the boy to follow him to the bar counter where they had the stamps for new potential recruits. The guild members' eyes followed them like hawks and watched how Natsu walked up to the master.
"Red on my right shoulder," He answered while giving room for the master to place the mark on him. Makarov pressed the marker on him and waited a few seconds before he pulled back and saw the fresh guild mark on Natsu.
He was officially a member of Fairy Tail right now.
"Well, Natsu, welcome to Fairy Tail!" Makarov shouted, making the others cheer along with him. "Let's party!"
They cheered louder at that. But while the others were ordering drinks, Natsu found a corner for himself to 'hide' in. He did enjoy seeing them get drunk and party but he didn't want to be a part of it.
He just didn't understand the whole idea. He just joined their guild, what is significant about that other than that they have a new member? Natsu shrugged his shoulders at his thought. It wasn't that he was unhappy with them partying about his recruitment, he just wanted to work and get going.
Tonight, however, he would try to enjoy the rather large party and try to get drunk if no one noticed him sneaking behind the counter that is. Before he could make his move though, he was approached by a guild member.
"Um hi?" Natsu turned and saw that there was a young girl around his age he presumed with white hair. Must be the younger sister of the goth chic who was currently fighting the redhead, Erza.
"Hi, can I help you?" He asked with politeness.
"Oh, no I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Lisanna Strauss, I'm the youngest of the Strauss siblings." She pointed toward a boy with white hair who was wearing a fancy suit. "That's Elfman," Then she pointed towards the goth. "And that's Mirajane,"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Natsu Dragneel." He politely said with a small smile on his face.
She blushed slightly. "So, what magic do you use?" she asked curiously.
Natsu pondered whether he should tell her or not. He didn't want to say he was a Dragonslayer because that would draw attention. But, he could say that he is a fire mage. He technically wouldn't be lying...
"I'm a fire mage, but not like the normal fire mages, I'm a little more advanced," He said, feeling bad that he wasn't telling the whole truth.
Lisanna on the other hand looked fascinated. She kept asking about his fire if she could see it, how it worked, and what he used it for. Natsu answered the questions to the best of his ability by altering the truth here and there so it seemed more believable.
What he wasn't aware of though, was that there was someone who knew he was lying, but the person didn't confront him.
The party continued late into the night with almost everyone passed out on the floor. The young ones had fallen asleep as their bodies weren't used to being up so late. The only ones awake were Natsu and the master who was drinking his... Natsu lost count of how many mugs of beer the old man drank.
He slowly walked up to him with a grin on his face.
"You still up?" It sounded like a question, but Natsu knew better.
"Ya, I've learned to stay up several nights in a row in case someone tries to attack me." Natsu casually said as if they were speaking about the weather. "Force of habit more than anything."
If Makarov was shocked or simply surprised, he hid it well.
"I'm not surprised, when I found you in the house I never expected to be even a little bit caught off guard." He admitted. "That just shows that you have more experience than anyone in the guild and that says a lot."
Natsu grinned at the thought of having the most experience. Of course, in the ears of an adult, it sounds horrible; a child that has the survival experience of a grown adult. That is troubling. Not that he could blame them, his life has been anything but glamourous.
"I expected bandits or someone else at my door when I heard the knock," Natsu confessed. "I will admit; I'm not the cleanest person in the sense that I've done much 'good' so I was expecting some kind of revenge plot for something I did in the past."
Makarov's heart ached at what the young boy just told him. He knew the boy didn't have it easy, not in the least. But the thought that someone so young had to resort to something criminal troubled him greatly.
"When Erza said earlier that there was a thief that had stolen things from different villages, I take it was you?" Makarov asked, wondering if he'd get a response. Natsu only grinned which was enough of an answer for the tiny master.
"So, I guess I should be getting some shut-eye," He yawned out tiredly. "Unless you need me to watch your other brats?" He joked while the master simply grunted in response.
"I'll take it from here, you need your sleep." He responded quietly to himself, but Natsu heard him.
What the two of them were unaware of was that a brunette-haired girl had been wide awake and heard the conversation clear as day.
—
Natsu woke up when he felt something move from somewhere on his body. He groggily opened his eyes, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. He slowly looked around and became stiff when he didn't recognise where he was.
'Where am I?!' He screamed in his mind before he relaxed. 'Oh that's right, the old man found me and brought me here,'
He looked to where the movement came from and saw that it was someone's leg that was on his stomach that was moving. He removed the leg from him and stood up and looked around and saw that the other guild members were still fast asleep.
The only one who was awake was Makarov who was hunched over in a sitting position with his head tilted forward, his face failing to reveal any emotions.
Slowly, Natsu walked up to the old man and sat beside him and watched the other sleeping members and admired how loud they all could snore.
"I see you have not gotten a bit of sleep," He whispered to the master who moved his head slightly. "Something troubling you, master?"
Makarov had to admit, that the kid was more observant than he had given him credit for which he needed to acknowledge somehow.
"I have been hearing some troubling news," was his response, not revealing anything more. Natsu nodded and watched as the others snored away, completely oblivious to what was happening in their guild or what kind of conversation was taking place.
"From the council?" Natsu asked curiously.
"Yes and no," Makarov sighed tiredly. "Yes, the council wants a certain problem to be dealt with, no, the council hasn't contacted me,"
Natsu looked at him with a question mark visible on his forehead.
"How do you know about it then?" He pressed on with a certain edge in his tone he wasn't aware of.
"A fellow wizard saint told me," Was the simple reply.
The young Dragonslayer had to admit, that made sense. From one wizard saint to the next, passing on information probably wasn't uncommon for them.
"Dark magic?" Natsu cheekily asked with a grin on his face that made Makarov's mouth twitch slightly.
"Maybe," came the reply.
"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You are a wizard saint, so act like it!" Natsu encouraged, with a pat on the back which made Makarov smile at the motivation.
"Thank you, Natsu," He said.
Natsu smiled. "You're welcome,"
They watch as the others one by one started waking up and asking what happened. The drunkards of Fairy tail looked completely glazed over, their urge to run to the bathroom was overwhelming.
The men and women who'd been drinking rushed to the nearest utilities while the others walked there slowly, rubbing their eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out of their eyes.
As the others started greeting each other, Natsu smiled slightly at the other kids who helped each other wake up in their own ways from throwing a punch to gently nudging them.
"Is it common for you to pass out in the guild and fall asleep?" He asked with a laugh.
"More than you'd think." Makarov snorted.
The Fairy Tail kitchen staff made their way to the kitchen, preparing breakfast for everyone who was no doubt hungry and ready to eat. Natsu's nose picked up the scent of many dishes that he had smelt before. Normally, It would be intoxicating for humans and dragons even more so, to be drawn to such food, but for Natsu? He ate at his specific time and that was it, one meal, that's all he needed to strive for himself.
The others here though? They'd never be able to do it. They're too attached to food to know what it's like to feel true hunger, craving food the same way others crave their addictions. Being a little hungry that you can easily get from the fridge or a restaurant isn't hunger, hunger is when you haven't eaten for days on end with only water keeping you alive.
Of course, he wouldn't force such beliefs on these people. He was certain that they understood to some extent. Besides, he didn't even know them or their backstory. For all he knew, they could understand more about being hungry than him.
When he looked at the redhead, Erza, he could tell that she's been through a lot and that it took her everything to get herself to the position that she is in now. Something told him that she was a warrior at heart.
Ice boy, on the other hand, didn't seem to contribute to anything.
He watched as everyone enjoyed their breakfast with happy smiles being passed around and people telling their friends what they would do that day such as jobs or meeting with friends outside of the guild.
Natsu's eyes gleamed when he thought about the jewels he could earn. That was technically the only reason he had agreed to join the guild in the first place, join the guild, and get rich. That was it, nothing more nothing less.
People could judge him all they wanted, but that was the reason he joined and he wouldn't change his mind so easily.
"Gramps, how does your quest system work?" He carefully asked while watching the others get into the first brawl of the day that Gray had somehow started.
Makarov raised a brow at Natsu before he smirked. "Leaving so soon?" He chuckled slightly. "Well, there is the normal class which is quests that any mage in the guild can do and complete. Then there are S-Class quests that only those who have the title of S-Class can do unless you are supervised by a mage of that status. Then there is SS-Class which is an advanced form of S-Class which is usually more dangerous and can be even more life-threatening than S-Class. Only experienced members of the title can do them of course. Then there are ten-year quests that have as the name suggests; not been solved in over a decade. Then there is a hundred-year quest that has not been solved for over a century."
Natsu was enthralled in the explanation. He had no problems with being on the 'normal' level as he knew he could work his way up. He couldn't wait until everyone knew his name. He could feel it in him, the fear the others would feel for him.
It was intoxicating. And he hadn't even started yet!
"I must warn you, Natsu ..." Makarov sternly began, catching the Dragonslayer off guard but he recovered quickly. "I can tell that you have clear darkness in you. I can sense and even taste the dark magic that is radiating off from you."
"While it doesn't matter to me what you did in the past, you will not harm our Nakama intentionally which could severely injure them, is that understood?" Makarov asked with his voice deep and so cold that Natsu shivered.
"Yes, master, I promise you; I will help bring this guild to the top," Natsu said with determination, making Makarov smile proudly at his newest member. "And I promise I won't try to melt the ice popsicle."
Makarov laughed at that. Fire and Ice don't mix well.
With that, Natsu left to go to the quest board where he saw that there were multiple jobs displayed on the board. He was surprised by how many jobs there were, they ranged from everyday tasks to dark guild extermination which looked to pay the most.
Natsu didn't feel like hanging around the town, he wanted to explore a little bit of Fiore and see places he hadn't been to before. He glanced closer at the dark guild extermination and saw that it was a few towns over so he could walk there easily.
The pay wasn't bad either at three-hundred-thousand jewels.
He grabbed the job and walked up to the guild master who approved the job after skimming the job. If it would have been under other circumstances, he would have been hesitant, but he could tell that Natsu could handle it compared to the others apart from Erza and Mira.
Natsu walked out of the guild, slightly unaware that eight pairs of eyes had been on him. One of those pairs walked up to the master.
"Master, where did that boy go?" Erza asked curiously, the other who'd watched him waited eagerly for their masters' reply.
"Well, he went on a quest, why?" He asked with gleaming eyes.
"I was simply curious. What kind of quest did he pick?" Erza's curiosity was getting to the better of her. The others who were eavesdropping inched closer.
"He picked a dark guild extermination quest," Makarov casually said making the others in the room stop what they were doing and stare at their guild master. Who had picked the quest?
"Uh, master? Who picked the quest?" A guild member asked.
"WHAT!" Erza Mira, Lisanna and the brunette-haired girl Cana shouted in shock and worry.
"Natsu did," He nonchalantly replied.
The entire guild was gobsmacked. Had their master gone senile? He was just a kid and he allowed such a quest so easily?!
"Master! What were you thinking, we need to get him back right now!" Erza shouted in rage.
"Why should we? Do you doubt that he can finish the quest? How do you know he cannot handle it?" The tiny guild master asked with a curious look in his eye that was shining with mirth. He was definitively enjoying this.
Erza faltered a little at the questions ranged at her. It was true; she didn't know the boy at all. For all she knew, he could have done something similar for most of his life or he could be powerful enough to beat an entire guild.
However, Mira was thinking the same as Erza when it came to the new kid.
"Master, how do you know that he is powerful enough to handle a dark guild?!" The goth angrily demanded. While she didn't care about anyone, the new kid was just that; new and she didn't want him to be badly hurt on his first quest only because a senile old fool approved of the quest.
"I know he'll succeed." he confidently stated.
"How can you be so confident?" One of the older members asked with a frown.
"Well, the quest wasn't on the second floor where the S-Class quests are located," Makarov paused to drink his beverage. "And I will ask you this; can't you feel his magic power?"
The others paused for a moment. Despite some being low-level mages, they could no doubt feel the aura that Natsu had.
No one said anything for a long moment. Erza looked like she wanted to chase after the boy but held herself back because she did trust the masters' judgement. Mirajane on the other hand didn't seem to think the same as the master or Erza.
"Master, magic power or not, he is still a kid!" Mira exclaimed, surprising the other members. She had never shown any kind of affection for anyone, especially, not a concern for someone's well-being.
Makarov raised a brow at her worry. It wasn't as if he didn't understand their concern as he was also slightly worried for Natsu as well as the bill that might come his way. Nonetheless, he still trusted the boy. If his magic power was anything to go by; then he was more than capable of handling an extermination mission.
While the others were arguing over Natsu's ability to handle such a quest, the youngest of the Strauss siblings only smiled at the thought of Natsu completing the mission.
She understood what their master meant by 'feeling the magic power.' Natsu may not know it, but his magic sort of leaks through him like an open wound. If she had tried hard enough; she'd maybe even be able to taste it.
Unlike the others, she believed in Natsu's ability to complete a quest.
Unknown to her, she was being approached by one of her guild members who was the same age as her.
"Um ... Lisanna?" Asked a quiet voice making the young girl look up and see a brunette-haired girl who looked troubled over something.
"Yes?" She inquired.
"Do you think the new kid, Natsu, was it? Do you think he can do it?" She asked the young girl. She had seen the previous night how the two had talked so the only ones who would know Natsu's capabilities would be either the master or Lisanna. Because she heard what their master had to say about it, she decided to go to Lisanna who would maybe have her own opinion.
Lisanna laughed slightly at the question but not in a mean way.
"Of course, he can do it Cana, I believe in him," She smiled at the brunette who seemed to have calmed down her worries slightly.
"It's just, I don't think anyone except maybe the master has seen him do magic," Cana further implied which made Lisanna shrug her shoulders.
"He told me last night that he had an advanced form of fire magic but he didn't explain what he meant by advanced," Lisanna clarified with a small smile.
Makarov overheard the conversation and grinned at the thought that Natsu didn't openly lie. He was a fire Dragonslayer so his element is indeed fire and compared to other fire mages, he is advanced.
"Wow, a fire mage. Is he like Macao?" Cana asked curious to know more about him.
"I don't think so; as I said, he stated that he was more advanced which in reality can mean just about anything," Lisanna theorised which made Cana think about the different possibilities the boy could have meant.
—
Natsu was walking down a dirt path that led to the town where the dark guild had their stronghold. On the flier, it stood that the guild had been making some problems for the town. The problems itself wasn't explained but Natsu had a rough guess that it was economical.
Natsu had run into his fair share of dark guilds in the past, he had always come out victorious with the members of whatever guild either running away or were unconscious from the amount of pain they suffer from the beatings he would give.
To him, dark guilds were mostly a joke, they are so weak that it isn't even funny. In his eyes, dark guilds are supposed to be as powerful as legal guilds if they wanted to be considered a threat to society.
But then again, Natsu wanted the easy jewels so he wasn't going to complain.
As he made his way towards the town, he couldn't help but think back on the last few years. When Igneel left him, there had been a deep hole in his heart that he tried to fill with many different things but it never worked.
Natsu had been devastated by the fact that Igneel just left which led to him walking down a dark path but not enough to set him over the edge.
Igneel disappeared on the seventh day of the seventh month of the year seven-hundred-seven. Natsu knew that there is something fishy and he would one day get to the bottom of it but today? Today was payday which meant he'd become rich.
He continued his trek until he came across the town over the horizon which made him grin at the thought of smashing some heads against the wall.
The thought was exhilarating, it made the adrenaline pump in quantities making him feel excited to defeat the guild and take the payment that no doubt would be worth it.
Reaching the town, he noticed that the entire area looked quite dark with the houses looking ancient and the people there not even glancing at him as he walked through the town, most of them kept their hoods up as they walked by doing everyday tasks.
He spied down what looked to be the guild which was located in a more open area compared to the town where the houses were squished together with narrow walkways.
Everything looked to be grey in this town, nothing good or bad, just neutrality which was highly unusual for Natsu to see. He welcomed it.
He looked around to try and see if he could find the mayor's office so he could get some more intel on the guild that might be useful.
Looking around, he couldn't see any building that could potentially be the office and shrugged, if he had to; he could take out the guild first and then see if the mayor would find it afterwards. It was a long shot, but he had nothing better to do.
With that in mind, he made his way toward the dark guild with an evil grin.