When Natsu finally regained consciousness he found himself chained up with Gildarts and Gray looking down at him.

"What the hell?" He said struggling to get loose. "What's going on here?"

"Just as I suspected." Gildarts said. "You have an extreme case of PTSD. You're reaction to that whipping incident with my belt proves it."

"Huh? What?"

"You don't remember? Not surprised."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know who you are Natsu Dragneel." Gildarts said. "Being Archibald's apprentice, it was only natural that he told me about you and everything he knew about you. Like how you fought in a war against Muslim Turks and later was subjected to torture at the hands of the vengeful enemy. War in itself can really screw up a man but war and torture? You're one sick person."

"What's the point of all this?"

"The point is a monster like Regine will know how to use PTSD against you. She has a way of getting inside of your mind and using your deepest emotions to cripple you. You claim you can handle her but with the level of PTSD you have, you won't last five seconds before she mentally torments you to death." He turned to Gray. "And you, I don't know your history that well but I know you fought in the same war as him so do you have any mental or emotional issues? Be honest."

"I..." Gray hesitated. "I don't have any involving the war. I didn't fight that much, I was mainly helping the injured."

"But you do have mental and emotional issues?"

"Yes but I have something that keeps my emotions in check."

"That thing keeps your powers in check not your emotions." Natsu corrected. "If you get too emotional that trigger breaks and you go berserk."

"What trigger? What are you two talking about?" Gildarts asked.

"It's a called a Devil's watch." Natsu explained. "It was invented about five years ago, it's designed to keep a devil from using too much power and to mask it's true appearance. Although it does nothing to cover the scent."

"Wait a minute this guy is a devil?" Gildarts said looking at Gray. "I thought he was just another vampire."

"Nope he's a devil. He's apart of the first truly evil incarnate species to appear on earth."

"Albeit I'm not a devil by choice, I'm not dead, also I've never been to Hell and I was raised Protestant." Gray said.

"How...I mean...What...Okay I'm so lost here. How are any of these attributes possible for a devil?" Gildarts asked in confusion.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later. Now back to the subject at hand. If emotion is a hindrance in our goal what do you suppose we should do?"

"Well first I'd like to see what kind of strengths and abilities you two have."

"You're a vampire hunter." Natsu said. "Shouldn't you know what kind of powers a vampire has?"

"I know the basics but some vampires have powers that are more advanced than others. For example one of Regine's powers is the ability to know a person's greatest psychological weaknesses and she has a certain affiliation with serpents. Now what can you do?"

"Can you unchain me first?"

"That depends, are you going to bite me when I do that?"

"I'd like to but I won't."

Gildarts undid the chains, Natsu stood up and took a moment to stretch.

"Alright so my powers include superhuman strength and speed, advanced sense of hearing and smell, immortality, blood bonding, blood reading, telepathy, hypnosis although I refuse to use that ability, extreme durability, true face, and shapeshifting into either bats or a mist."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Gray asked him.

"No I'm not. That's all I can do."

"No there's one more thing you can do that you left out."

I don't know what you mean?"

"Bats and a mist aren't the only things you can shapeshift into."

Gray grinned mischievously and at once Natsu realized where he was going with this.

"No. That's all I can change my body into."

"Not it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not. You can also turn into a-"

"Shut up Gray!"

"He said he wanted to know all of your powers and abilities."

"Not that one!"

"What one? What else can he turn into?" Gildarts asked.

"Nothing!" Natsu said. "Absolutely nothing else."

"He's lying." Gray said. "He can turn himself into a bat, a mist and-"

"Gray don't you dare!"

"A woman."

"I'll kill you!"

Natsu lunged for Gray but he cleverly dodged the attack by leaping out of the way and sticking to the ceiling.

"I'm sorry what?" Gildarts asked, not entirely sure that he heard correctly.

"Natsu can turn himself into a woman. He's done it before."

"It was a one time thing! It's not like I do it all the time!"

"Interesting." Gildarts asked. "Show me this ability won't you?"

"I'd rather not." Natsu said.

"But I've never heard of a vampire being able to change their gender. I want to see if it's really possible. For experimental reasons of course."

"You can't be serious."

"You heard the man Natsu." Gray snickered. "Go on. Change for him."

Natsu's eyes flared red again as he secretly vowed to make Gray pay for revealing this information later.

"Fine but don't tell any of the girls about this." He said. "Oh this is so humiliating."

Natsu stood up completely straight then his body began to shift and morph until it was in the form of a woman. A young woman with long salmon hair, a very flattering figure, and a surprisingly pretty face. Gildarts was stunned and slack jawed at the sight. Gray fought the urge to burst out laughing.

"There now you've seen it." Natsu said in a voice that now sounded very female. "Can I change back now?"

"Just a minute." Gildarts circled him a few times while taking a good long examination of Natsu's more feminine features. "Wow...Who would have thought that a blood sucking undead man could make such an attractive woman."

"I warn you dirty old man, if you grope me you die." Natsu seethed with burning red eyes.

"Are those real?" Gildarts asked pointing toward Natsu's breasts.

"Not really." Natsu said.

"Can I see them all natural?"

Natsu lopped Gildarts right upside his head in that moment. He may have taken on the appearance of a woman but he still had the strength of an army of men.

"You freak!" He spat.

"Well you're not really a woman so I don't see the harm." Gildarts said rubbing the part of his head where he had been struck.

"I see harm alright." Natsu then quickly reverted back to his true gender. "Harm to my dignity."

"Whatever." Gildarts continued. "So that's all you can do? All the powers you have?"

"Pretty much."

"Alright then. Now what can you do devil boy?" He asked Gray.

"My abilities include astral perception, flight, soul reading, clairsentience, high immunity, exorcism, smiting, incredible speed and strength, occasional terrakinesis, a body which heals and recovers very quickly, and I can shapeshift between my real form and that of a hell hound."

"Can you turn into a beautiful woman too?" Gildarts asked eagerly.

"No but succubi can."

"Damn. Oh well. So you two seem very powerful and formidable but that necessarily mean you'll win against someone like Regine. You two will have to practice keeping your emotions under control and come to terms with your more internal issues."

"Thanks for the diagnosis but we don't have the time to see a therapist." Natsu said.

"It would be very unwise for both of you to confront creatures like that woman without dealing with physiological problems first. She can break your mind."

"We'll take our chances."

"Fine but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Hey we should probably get out of here now." Gray said. "I think the women are getting suspicious."

"Right." Natsu said.