"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Dragon/Spell"
Chapter 2. Walking into a War
(Outskirts of Magnolia)
"So you wanna fight?" Natsu asked in a rather excited voice, which did earn a long sigh from Naruto.
The half dragon had been traveling to the hometown of the Fairy Tail guild with his newfound companions. An experience that had allowed Naruto to better acquaint himself with each of the wizards. Quickly learning Natsu had a one track mind and was obsessed with fighting strong opponents and would not stop asking him for a fight. Yet it was better than Natsu constantly asking why Naruto smelled like a dragon. A subject he eventually dropped for the meantime.
"Can't you just let it go Natsu? We are almost back to the guild." Lucy tried to reason, which made Naruto look at his fellow blond. In his short time with the young Celestial Spirit wizard Naruto had learned she was quite level headed and a kind person. Who seemed to try and be the voice of reason on Natsu's shoulder.
"I wouldn't waste your breath Lucy. That idiot is too thick headed to listen." Gray chimed in, which made Naruto look at the ice wizard. Coming to learn Gray was a calm and laid back person who loved to butt heads with Natsu, while also having a strange habit to strip completely naked.
"What did you call me jerk!" Natsu roared as he glared at Gray.
Gray quickly puffed out his chest and pressed his torso into Natsu. "You heard me dumbass!"
"Boys." Erza began in a low and commanding voice, which quickly forced both teens to stop their potential fight from sheer fear of the scarlet haired knight. Something that made Naruto snicker and look at the girl who had invited him along this little journey in the first place.
He had learned she was strong and polite, but there was something more to her. Naruto himself couldn't place it into words, but it was almost like his dragonic instincts were telling him to stay close to Erza. Since there was this layer to Erza that was hidden and he wanted to scratch through to the bottom of it. So trusting his instincts he did just that.
"So Naruto." The tiny voice of Happy began, as the small cat flew on top of his head. "Are you excited to see the guild?"
Having all eyes on him, Naruto got a little nervous and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah for sure! I've heard a lot about guilds, but I've never really been inside one let alone going as far as trying to become a member. So I'm looking forward to this."
"Fairy Tail is awesome!" Natsu declared as he started to shadow box around the blond. "There are all these totally strong people you get to fight!"
"Umm I'm not really trying to fight anyone." Naruto replied with a laugh, as he never really cared for fighting like his new pink haired friend did.
"Don't let Natsu twist your expectations of the guild." Erza spoke up as she glared at the fire user. "The guild is more of a tight knit family where you can have a laugh and find some jobs to make money."
"Yeah what Erza said! I haven't been a member for long myself, but I love the guild!" Lucy chimed in, which made Naruto nod.
"Well I'm glad I have a fellow newbie with me to help fit in!" Naruto replied as the group quickly found themselves walking through the main entrance into Magnolia. An experience that caused Naruto's eyes to light up with wonder as he took in all the sights around him.
Erza herself smiled as she saw Naruto's amazement of the town she and many Fairy Tail wizards called home. "I take it you're impressed with the town?"
"Yeah it's huge! I've been in a few towns this last year, but I always love seeing new unfamiliar sights!" Naruto replied with a sense of wonder, showing the effect being locked away by his mother for so many years had on him. "I mean just look at the size of that building! Is that the guild!"
Erza giggled and shook her head. "No, that's Magnolia's cathedral, the guild is on the other end of the town."
Hitting his fist against the palm of his hand, Naruto nodded and made an "oh" sound.
"You know if you're impressed with the buildings you should see Magnolia during a festival." Gray spoke up, which made Naruto look over his shoulder.
"This town has festivals? I've always wanted to go see a festival!" Naruto admitted.
"Yeah, Magnolia has lots of festivals! We are even getting close to the yearly Fantasia Parade!"
Happy cheered from his spot on Naruto's head.
Looking up and trying to see the small cat on his head, Naruto lifted his brow in interest. "What's that?"
"It's something our guild puts on every year during the harvest festival." Gray explained.
"In fact this won't only be your first Fantasia Parade, but Lucy's as well." Erza added in with a wide smile. "I'll make sure to tell the Master to include you both front and center this year."
Lucy quickly held her hands up nervously. "Oh no you don't have to do that for me!"
Natsu laughed and slung his arm around the bashful blond. "Don't be silly Lucy, you're a Fairy Tail wizard now. You absolutely gotta do the parade, but if you want you can join in on me and Happy's float! We always go all out!"
Gray scoffed. "If going all out means your float exploding in fire like it did last year then sure."
"Hey! Our float was a crowd favorite last year!" Natsu yelled out, which caused Happy to sigh.
"Natsu for the last time those people were screaming in fear not cheering for us."
"Which is why the Master banned you from having a large float again in the parade." Erza added in, which made Naruto laugh.
"So in other words me and Lucy should steer clear of Natsu!" The Moon Dragon began as everyone else except for Natsu just nodded.
"That would be best, but if you're nervous about joining the parade I would be more than happy to help either of you." Erza revealed, which made both Naruto and Lucy smile.
"Thanks Erza." Lucy replied.
"Yeah I might just take you up on that offer!" Naruto added in, as his heightened hearing began to pick up on small whispers from all around.
Hearing phrases like 'I wonder if they know' or 'I heard it was Phantom Lord' and many more. Yet as the whispers grew louder and fingers began to be pointed at the group. Even those with regular hearing could tell something wasn't right.
"We should hurry to the guild." Erza suddenly spoke up as she started to jog at a modest pace.
"I'm right behind you." Gray called out as he and Natsu both took off after her.
"What's going on?" Lucy mumbled, while Naruto had a rather hardened look on his face.
"Nothing good." The half dragon replied before running after Erza, which caused Lucy to follow.
The group moving at a rather fast pace eventually made their way to where the guild hall was visible in the distance. Yet something wasn't right with the building and that only caused the group to run even faster. Eventually making their way before the historic building to find it impaled with large metallic pillars in all directions. A horrific sight for everyone including Naruto, who was smart enough to tell something wasn't right. In fact Naruto swore he could smell the faintest scent of another user of dragon slayer magic like Natsu.
"What happened to our guild!" Natsu yelled with pure rage.
"It was Phantom." A soft voice from behind the group began, which made everyone look back to find Fairy Tail's famous pinup girl Mirajane.
"Was anyone injured?" Erza quickly asked, which made Mirajane shake her head.
"No, the attack happened last night while nobody was around."
"Thank goodness." Lucy gasped with a sigh of relief.
"And where is the Master? Are we fighting back?" Natsu asked quickly, which made Mirajane frown.
"The Master is in the guild's basement with everyone else, but well you should just talk to him yourself." Mirajane explained as she suddenly took notice of Naruto. "Also who is your friend?"
"He's a new friend who wishes to join the guild." Erza explained.
Naruto gave Mirajane a small wave. "Uh hi, I'm Naruto Namikaze."
Nodding her head, Mirajane gave the blond the best smile she could muster. "Well welcome to the guild, I'm Mirajane."
"It's nice to meet you Mirajane, I'm sorry we are meeting in some rather sour circumstances." Naruto replied with sincerity.
"Well we should all head inside and see the Master." Erza cut in, which caused Natsu to get a pep in his step.
"And then we can go get payback with those Phantom jerks!" The fire user declared before running into the guild.
Meanwhile Naruto and everyone else just slowly followed Natsu into the damaged guild hall. Allowing Naruto to get a quick glimpse of the guild hall before making his way into the basement. Where he found a majority of the Fairy Tail wizards gathered together sulking and drinking their depression away.
Natsu was already off to the side yelling at a rather short and elderly man, which from the conversation Naruto could hear was enough for Naruto to learn a few things. One the short man was their master and secondly he had no intention of striking back at their attackers.
However, as Naruto eavesdropped on Natsu with his superior hearing. Erza suddenly placed a soft touch onto Naruto's arm, prompting him to look at the scarlet haired warrior.
"Come, let's introduce you to the Master." Erza began in a tone that made Naruto take notice that something wasn't right. Almost as if the girl beside him was trying to fake confidence despite having an entire mountain of worries suddenly dangling around her. Worries of her friends and family having targets on their backs that could quickly lead to a war.
So doing the only thing he could do, Naruto gave Erza the best smile he could make and nodded his head. "Yeah let's go say something before Natsu drives him crazy."
Feeling a sense of ease sweeping over her from the blond's grin and voice, Erza gave a tiny smile before leading Naruto to the Master. An action that caused the aged wizard to take notice of Naruto and Erza. Right before using his enlarged hand to crush Natsu into the floorboards of the basement. Effectively knocking the boy unconscious and ending his complaining about Phantom Lord.
"Ah Erza, it's good to see you!" Makarov began with a large red tint on his face as he held up the beer in his hand. Showing that the short man was in fact quite drunk. "Who's your friend? A boyfriend perhaps?"
A vein popping on Erza's head at the fact that her Master was drunk and not giving a good first impression. The scarlet haired wizard quickly held a hand to Naruto. "This is my new friend Naruto Namikaze. He wishes to join our guild."
Hearing this, Makarov lifted his brow and studied Naruto carefully. Showing that despite the man's drunken state he still had the capacity to analyze the blond with expert precision.
"Is that true?" The small wizard began as he directed his attention completely onto Naruto. "You want to join my guild?"
Folding his arms and taking a moment to think over his words, Naruto could tell this man was sizing him up. His tone was serious and his gaze was trying to find the slightest sign of danger. Yet Naruto wasn't intimidated in the slightest as this man didn't hold a candle to his Mother's level of intimidation. So giving Makarov a friendly smile, Naruto nodded.
"That's right, Erza convinced me that joining the guild could be a lot of fun." Naruto answered honestly.
"Hmm and what type of magic do you use?" Makarov asked, which caused Naruto to hold out his wooden sword.
"I use magical items." Naruto explained, an answer that caused Makarov to nod.
"Hmm is that so?" Makarov asked in a tone that didn't really buy into the answer he was given. Since he could feel Naruto had way too much magical power for a typical magical item user.
"I know it's not the most flashy or powerful magic, but Erza has even promised to help me get better with my swordsmanship." Naruto replied as he rested his sword onto his shoulder. "So I'm really excited to work with her as much as I can!"
Closing his eyes, Makarov had a rather large list of questions about the blond's true power and intentions. However, the aged wizard was always one to accept someone who needed a home or guidance. So with that in mind he wasn't going to turn his back onto Naruto and deny him from the guild, but he was going to watch the blond more closely than anyone else.
"Well in that case, welcome to the guild Naruto." Makarov began as a small magical item that creates guild stamps shimmered to life in his hand. "So where would you like your guild mark and what color will it be?"
Thinking for a second, Naruto eventually opened his kimono to reveal his chest to the man. "Can you make the mark black, but give it a crescent yellow design like the moon in the center?"
Lifting his brow at the rather odd request, Makarov looked at his newest wizard. "I could, but for what reason?"
Rubbing his head nervously, Naruto thought quickly on his feet and decided to use a little bit of honesty with the older man to avoid any further questions. "Well me and my Mom always had a strong connection to the moon. So it's just a small way to connect back to my Mom."
Finding not a single hint of deceit in Naruto's words and actions. Makarov merely nodded and pressed the device against Naruto's right pectoral muscle. Leaving the exact guild mark he had requested for anyone to see.
"There ya go my boy, you're an official Fairy Tail wizard now!"
Erza smiled and watched Naruto look down at his new mark. "It looks good on you."
Quickly snapping his eyes to Erza, Naruto gave his new friend a toothy grin. "Thanks!"
"Well don't be shy Naruto, walk around and mingle with your new guildmates. I'm sure Erza can help you get to know everyone!"
Quickly taking a bow, Erza grabbed onto Naruto's arm with a smile. "Of course, I'll make sure everyone gets to know our newest member right away."
Feeling himself being pulled away from the master, Naruto was quickly led to a table where Lucy was talking with a few unfamiliar wizards. All of whom had their attention placed onto Naruto immediately.
"So this is the new guy Lucy was talking about huh?" A male around Natsu's age spoke up with a grin. "Names Jet by the way."
"I'm Droy." The other boy quickly introduced.
"And I'm Levy!" A small girl with blue hair added in before all three struck a quick pose.
"And together we are Team Shadow Gear!"
Laughing at the three teens, Naruto held his hand up with a friendly smile. "Uh hey! I'm Naruto Namikaze, it's a pleasure to meet you all."
Watching Naruto quickly make friends with the members of team Shadow Gear. Erza was filled with joy at how her newest friend was fitting into their guild.
(Later that night)
Seated on a small windowsill and looking out and up into the night sky, Naruto watched the moon and thought over everything that had happened. Reflecting over his new status as a Fairy Tail wizard and the fact that his new guild had been attacked by another major guild. Something that could lead to a massive conflict where Naruto might be forced to fight. Asking himself if he was forced into a corner would he use his true strength to protect his new guild? An action that could give his location away to his Mother, forcing Naruto into a situation where he may lose his freedom once more.
Yet if Naruto was being honest with himself he wouldn't give up his freedom for people he hardly knew. Nevertheless he for some reason found the answer to his question growing harder and harder to find. As he was slowly starting to develop a bond with his new friends. Erza especially as his instincts alone drew the blond to the redhead in a way he couldn't explain.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING IN MY APARTMENT?" The voice of Lucy suddenly shrieked, which snapped Naruto out of his daze and made him look at the blond who had entered the room.
"Yo Lucy!" Natsu spoke up as he waved at the blond from her table, which the boy was using to play cards with Happy and Gray.
"Took you long enough." Happy chimed in.
"Nice place you got Lucy." Gray added in, as he was suddenly stripped into his underwear.
"Why are you all here!?" Lucy yelled again, which caused Erza to step forward with a calm expression.
"It's possible that members of Phantom Lord are still within the town. So many members are sticking with their teams to stay safe." Erza explained in a matter of fact tone as she smiled. "So we all decided since we have worked as a team in the past to stay together."
Naruto tossed his hands up and laughed. "And I'm homeless so thanks for giving me a roof for the night!"
"I uh." Lucy quickly sighed in frustration and dropped her shoulders in defeat. Since she knew that accepting the situation was better than arguing about something that wouldn't change. So instead she just walked over to where Natsu was and took a seat. "Well I'd say make yourselves at home, but you already have."
His attention away from the outside window, Naruto crossed his arms and looked at his new guildmates. "So is this kinda thing normal? Why did Phantom Lord attack our guild in the first place?"
Erza took a seat on Lucy's bed and closed her eyes. "Who knows, our guilds have had a few small skirmishes in the past, but never a direct attack like this."
Natsu huffed. "If gramps wasn't so scared we could go wipe the floor with those bastards."
"Gramps isn't scared." Gray fired back in a calm voice, while reclining back. "He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints after all."
"The what?" Naruto and Lucy both spoke in unison.
"It's a title bestowed upon the ten greatest wizards in the continent by the Chairman of the Magical Council." Erza explained, which caused Lucy's eyes to go wide.
"Oh wow!"
"So the Master must be pretty strong to have that title." Naruto pointed out, which caused Erza to nod.
"But Phantom Lord's master Jose is also a Wizard Saint." Happy added in.
"Who cares!" Natsu yelled as he slammed his hand onto the table. "All Phantom has is numbers! Gramps is just too scared to do anything."
"That's not true." Gray began as he was starting to get annoyed. "The master is just aware of the consequences a conflict between two guilds that are run by Wizard Saints would have. He's trying to keep the peace, not start a war."
Erza nodded in agreement. "Besides, we stand on equal footing with Phantom Lord in terms of power. Their four S-class wizards, the Elemental Four and Iron Dragon Slayer, are more than a match for us."
"Wait, Phantom has a Dragon Slayer like Natsu?" Lucy gasped in shock, while Naruto merely absorbed the information.
Since another Dragon Slayer explained the smell Naruto picked up on back at the guild.
"Yes, but let's not talk anymore about these burdensome topics. Instead let's merely relax and forget about Phantom Lord for the night." Erza began as she quickly used her magic to change into her pajamas.
"That sounds good to me." Naruto replied as he stood up and began to stretch.
Erza looked at the blond and more importantly the sword in his hand. Then the scarlet haired knight smiled before walking to an open spot in the apartment. "Well if you're interested I can show you a few sword stances and strikes while we have some free time."
Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto joined Erza's side. "Sure, show me what ya know!"
Lucy turned pale. "Please don't destroy my apartment."
"Don't worry Lucy, we won't spar or anything. Just go over some basics." Erza reassured as she summoned a sword in hand and began to demonstrate a basic sword stance. "Now Naruto, follow along with me."
Mimicking the girl's movements, Naruto listened carefully to every tip and trick of expertise that Erza had to offer. Something that caused the scarlet haired knight to smile as she enjoyed this moment she was sharing with the blond, as she had never shared her swordsmanship with anyone else before.
"You're a natural." Erza complentened with a small smile as she watched her newest guildmate take to her teaching. "We just might have to ourselves a little spar."
"That could be fun, but I don't think our current location is the best training field."
A lighthearted laugh escaping her lips, Erza merely nodded. "Yes I believe you're correct, but what I'm showing you are the basics of a sword style. With training and practice you can build upon these stances and strikes to make a style all your own."
A wide toothy grin appeared on Naruto's face at what he was told. Since the young dragon was already getting a mountain's worth of ideas to make his own sword style. One that he just might be able to sneakily add some of his Moon Dragon magic into for even stronger results.
"Well in that case I owe you big time." Naruto admitted as he gave Erza an eye smile. "Not only have you given me a guild to join, but you're helping me get stronger. I promise I'll make it up to you one day!"
Erza merely nodded with a smile of her own. "I'll hold you to that."
(The following day)
Standing by Erza with an expression of disbelief, Naruto looked up at the beaten bodies of Team Shadow Gear. All of whom were pinned onto a large tree in the middle of town.
"Whoever did this will pay." Erza mumbled in a deathly serious voice, which did make Naruto glance at his new friend. Finding her anger oddly similar to that of his Mother's.
Yet Naruto didn't even have a moment to think of a response, as a powerful magical signature grabbed his attention. Making Naruto look to his side to find his new guild master glaring upwards with pure anger.
"I can stomach the destruction of my guild, but to harm my children." Makarov growled loudly as he snapped his staff and spiked his power even further. "IS CALLING FOR WAR!"
Watching silently as the Master along with a few other members of the guild went to help Levy, Jet and Droy. Naruto turned his attention to Erza, who seemed to have a razor sharp focus.
"So we are attacking Phantom Lord back?"
"Most likely." Erza replied as her eyes suddenly grew a small hint of concern. "But you aren't expected to join any attack."
Naruto lifted his brow at Erza's words. "I'm not afraid of a little fight. I'm stronger than you think."
"I know, but with Levy, Jet and Droy's condition. Someone has to stay behind to take care of them, which would most likely be Mirajane and Lucy. However, they would be in danger of another attack. So I worry about their safety. . . You don't have to stay, but it would be a burden off my shoulders to know they would be safe."
"I see." Naruto mumbled softly as he rubbed the back of his head. "In that case don't worry about them. I'll keep everyone back here safe."
Placing a soft hand on Naruto's arm, Erza nodded with the best smile she could muster. "Thank you."
Giving Erza a half smile that filled her with a warm feeling deep inside, Naruto merely laughed softly. "Don't mention it, just give them hell for me."
(Magnolia Magical Clinic)
With his back against the wall of the room that Levy, Jet and Droy were placed in for their injuries. Naruto watched with a rather neutral expression as Lucy tended to the wounds of the fellow guildmates. Wondering to himself if he made the right decision to stay behind with Lucy and watch over their comrades.
"Don't worry." Lucy spoke up, which grabbed Naruto's attention. "Everyone will be okay, our guild is strong. We just need to trust in our friends to kick Phantom's ass."
Sighing to himself and removing himself from the wall, Naruto stood beside Lucy and looked down at the blond. "I guess you're right, but I'm starting to regret staying behind."
"Don't be, no one expects you to put yourself on the line for people you just met. Besides, helping me with taking care of these three is more than enough help."
"All the same I hope Erza and everyone else is okay."
Lucy got a soft smile and looked away from Levy and up at Naruto. "You seem to have become rather fond of Erza. Don't tell me our newest member has a crush on the queen?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at his fellow blond, as whenever she was near Natsu he could hear her heartbeat grow faster. "Big talk from a person almost as new as me. Who happens to fancy a rather loud mouth Dragon Slayer."
Turning beet red and fumbling over her words, Lucy didn't know how to respond to Naruto. Something that made the dragon smirk with a toothy grin before giving her a pat on the shoulder.
"I didn't embarrass you did I?" Naruto asked with a light hearted laugh. "Don't worry I won't tell a soul."
"I uh, wait don't dodge my question like that! You do have a crush on Erza!" Lucy quickly accused as she pointed her finger directly at Naruto.
"I wouldn't call it a crush." Naruto replied coolly as he looked off to the side and shrugged his shoulders. "You probably wouldn't understand it, but her scent is calming to my senses. Her voice is soothing to hear and she has this aura about her that keeps me intrigued."
Lucy looked directly at her fellow blond with a deadpan expression. "So you have a crush."
His eyes twitching in annoyance, the half dragon glared at his new friend. "It's not that simple okay?"
Giggling and covering her smirk with her hand, Lucy had to admit Naruto was someone who could make a person smile through the bleakest of times. "Okay I'll drop the subject for now, but I'll be rooting for you and Erza."
"And with how both you and Natsu pester me about something I'll be rooting for you two." Naruto shot back, making Lucy turn red once more.
"Okay fine let's call a truce!" Lucy quickly gasped out, which made Naruto smirk.
"Alright truce." Naruto replied softly as he was enjoying himself with his little back and forth with Lucy. Wondering if this was what it was like to have a sibling to argue and bond with.
"Good." Lucy began as she stood to her feet and started to stretch. "I'm going to head out and pick up a few things that will help these three."
Naruto nodded and grabbed his wooden sword. "I'll come with you then."
Holding her hands up and smiling, Lucy shook her head. "You don't have to, I'll be fine."
Resting his weapon on his shoulder, Naruto simply started to walk towards the exit. "And leave you alone for another attack? Not a chance!"
Quickly joining Naruto's side, Lucy lifted her brow. "But who will keep Levy and the others safe?"
Tapping his ears with a rather wide grin, Naruto gave Lucy a confident look. "Let's just say I have the ability to hear and smell better than most. If anyone unfamiliar gets near them I'll know."
Being oblivious to the implications of Naruto's heightened senses, Lucy merely gave the blond a small bow. "Well in that case I appreciate you tagging along to keep me safe. Just know I'll watch your back as well!"
Walking out into the streets of Magnolia, Naruto nodded. "Sounds good to me Lucy, just lead the way!"
"Well there is a cheap stall this way that sells some local ingredients. I was thinking about preparing a nice meal to help Levy and everyone recover faster." Lucy explained as she started to walk with Naruto following close behind.
"That's rather thoughtful of you." Naruto praised with a beaming smile, which caused Lucy to wave the blond off.
"It's the least I can do, Levy has been a really great friend ever since I joined the guild. So I wanna do everything I can for her, Jet and Droy."
Feeling a drop of rain against his skin, Naruto immediately felt on edge. Since out of nowhere a downpour of rain began to cascade down onto him and Lucy.
"Where did this rain come from?" Lucy grumbled as she quickly used her hands to try and shield the top of her head from the downpour.
Naruto smelling unfamiliar magic in the air knew this wasn't a natural rain, but was instead the byproduct of someone's magic. So grabbing his sword and positioning his body to stand in front of Lucy, Naruto kept a calm and calculated demeanor.
"Lucy I want you to stay close to me okay."
Surprised by the blond's sudden request, Lucy stayed close by without any backlash. "What's going on?"
His nose detecting a scent identical to the magic in the air, Naruto snapped his eyes in the direction of a single woman with blue hair. Who was holding an umbrella and walking directly towards Naruto and Lucy.
"I'm about to find out." Naruto replied in a hushed whisper, as he pointed his wooden sword at the unfamiliar woman. "Who are you and why are you making this rain?"
"Juvia is a rain woman." The now named Juvia introduced herself, while Naruto began to catch a second scent close by. "And who are you?"
"Maybe I'll tell you when your friend comes out of hiding." Naruto growled back, which caught Lucy off guard. Making the girl wonder if they were being attacked like Levy and the others were.
"Oh how interesting." A fourth voice spoke up, as a rather strange looking man started to materialize out of the sidewalk by Juvia's side. "You're quite observant to have noticed me so quickly."
"Sol." Juvia began as she looked at the man. "Is this girl our target?"
The now named Sol got a rather sleazy glean in his eyes as he looked at Lucy and adjusted his monical. "Hmm blond, Celestial Gate keys and a member of Fairy Tail. I do believe this is Lucy Heartfilia."
Lucy's eyes going wide in horror at the mention of her full name didn't know how to respond. Naruto on the other hand could hear Lucy's heart beating faster and faster. Something that caused the blond to grip his sword tightly.
"Don't worry Lucy. You're safe as long as you're with me." Naruto declared in a confident tone, while his eyes suddenly got a dangerous glow to them. "And I'll only ask you two this once. Why are you targeting my friend?"
"And just who are you?" Sol asked as he noticed Naruto's guild mark under his kimono. "I've never heard of a Fairy Tail wizard matching your description."
"I'm a little new." Naruto began in a low and serious voice, as he watched both enemy wizards carefully. "But I'll only ask this once more. Why are you after Lucy?"
"It's simple." Juvia spoke up in a dry voice. "Master Jose gave the orders to capture Lucy Heartfilia so we are doing just that."
"And as members of the Elemental Four, we always carry out our Master's wishes." Sol added in, trying to use his title to intimidate both blond's. "Especially with how lucrative it would be to capture the heir of the Heartfilia family for the reward her Father is offering."
"Naruto, these are the guys Erza warned us about. They are bad news." Lucy gasped in a low voice as she was trembling with fear. "We need to escape."
"I'm not impressed." Naruto spoke up in a rather bored voice, which made Lucy's eyes go wide. "But if you're here to try and hurt my friend. Well then I'll stop you right here and now."
A large grin gracing his lips, Sol looked directly at Naruto. "I would love to see you try!"
In an instant Naruto appeared before Sol like a flash of light. Then using all his might, Naruto slammed his wooden sword down onto Sol. Causing a bone chilling cracking sound to ring throughout the area before Naruto slammed Sol straight into the ground below. Making the ground crack and break as Sol was pressed deep into the stone walkway.
"There." Naruto began in a hollow voice as he backed away and looked at the unconscious and twitching Sol. His normally vibrant blue eyes having a rather dangerous void expression behind them. "I tried."
"Amazing." Lucy gasped in awe.
Quickly snapping his sword up and pointing it directly at Juvia to where the tip was pointed at her neck. Naruto slowly looked at the water wizard with a deathly serious gaze. "Take this bastard back to your master and let him know this is what I'll do to every single member of your guild if you don't back down."
Dropping her umbrella in fear, as she hallucinated a massive dragon roaring behind Naruto's back. Juvia quickly grabbed Sol and retreated in pure terror. Naruto watching the woman run away merely turned and looked at Lucy with a calm expression as the rain began to disappear.
"You okay?" Naruto asked softly, while his voice still held a slight hint of rage behind it.
Nodding her head quickly, Lucy was almost at a loss for words. "Naruto, that was incredible! You beat an S-class wizard in the blink of an eye!"
"It's not that impressive. He was weak and underestimated my strength." Naruto replied as he folded his arms and lifted his brow. "Now want to explain why you would be targeted? They called you the heir to the Heartfilia family."
Slightly cringing at Naruto's question, Lucy knew there was no point in keeping her family a secret anymore. "I'm from a rather wealthy family in Fiore, but one year ago I ran away from my Father and set out to join a guild. He's a bastard that never wanted anything to do with me, but now he's paying for my capture. . . The guild, Levy, Jet and Droy. All of this is my fault."
Making a fist and lightly bonking Lucy on the crown of her forehead, Naruto gave his fellow run away a smile. "This isn't your fault Lucy, it's your old man and Phantom Lord's fault. Hell it's been a year since I ran away from my home and Mother. So trust me I understand where you're coming from."
Tears building up in the corner of her eyes, Lucy frowned. "But your Mom isn't causing all these problems for our guild."
"Trust me Lucy, if my Mother knew where I was she would cause havoc." Naruto replied before giving Lucy the best smile he could muster. "So I promise you that I'll personally make sure Phantom or anyone for that matter will force you back home. I'll keep you safe."
Tears running down her cheeks, Lucy quickly bowed her head. "Thank you."
Laughing at the younger blond, Naruto ruffled her hair before giving her a final pat on the head and walking off. "Come on, let's head back to the guild and Mira. We can tell her what we learned and figure a way out of this mess."
Looking up to Naruto and running along his side, Lucy merely nodded with a wide smile. She never had any siblings to look after her, but as she stayed by the older teen Lucy couldn't help but think if this was what it was like to have a protective older brother.
(Later at Fairy Tail)
Standing naked in a scorching hot shower, Naruto merely had his arms pressed against the wall as he was deep in thought. He had kept Lucy safe and escorted her to Mirajane to explain the situation to the former S-class wizard. However, not much longer after Naruto and Lucy explained what they learned from Sol and Juvia the rest of the guild had returned.
Yet they were not victorious, but instead beaten and battered with the Master being in the worst shape. Considering in the attack he had his magic completely drained leaving him in a critical state. An outcome that again made Naruto question himself, as if he would have gone with everyone he could have made a difference.
'I could end this little war right now if I wanted.' Naruto thought in frustration as he began to think of everyone who had been injured so far. 'Mom wouldn't find me if I used my magic right away, but eventually word would spread of my abilities and then she would definitely be onto me.'
Naruto tightened his fists. 'Maybe after all this time she would forgive me for leaving and give me more freedom?' Naruto mused in thought, but quickly frowned. 'No that's not like Mom at all.'
However, a realization suddenly struck in Naruto's mind. Realizing he was trying to convince himself to use his magic to help his friends. Realizing he was starting to care for these people more than his own freedom. Realizing he was almost ready to risk it all to help people he hardly knew.
'Am I really ready to give myself up to save everyone?'
As Naruto had his inner turmoil he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings one bit. So he didn't hear the footsteps approaching the shower's door until it slid open. Revealing Erza who was wearing nothing besides a towel around her body and sporting a blush as crimson as her hair.
"What are you doing here?" Erza yelped in shock, as she used both hands to hide her eyes. An unfortunate decision for the young wizard as the towel around her body quickly fell onto the ground. Unveiling her body in all its nude glory to Naruto.
"Couldn't you hear the water running? I'm taking a shower you pervert!" Naruto yelled back as his face was equally as red as Erza's. However, he wasn't trying to hide his eyesight from the beautiful girl before him.
"I'm not a pervert! This is the girls shower!" Erza fired back as she used her hands and arms to cover her exposed body.
"How was I supposed to know! I've hardly been here a day!" Naruto shouted back, which caused Erza to recoil back and her eyes to twitch.
"Okay you may have a point." The scarlet haired woman admitted, as she lowered herself to grab her towel. Then by concealing herself she tried to avoid looking at Naruto. "And are you not going to cover yourself?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "My childhood home had a rather large hot spring so I was used to people seeing me naked."
"So you're a pervert like Gray."
"Okay for one you're the pervert! Why are you even still here? And second, taking baths in my own home while my mother's followers were around to serve us was completely different than being a nudist like Gray!"
Absorbing new information about Naruto, Erza turned her back to the blond. "I'm just merely waiting till I can have my turn. However, you had people serving you? Were you rich like Lucy?"
Taking a deep sigh and realizing Erza wasn't going anywhere. Naruto turned the water off and went to grab a towel to dry himself off. "My family wasn't exactly wealthy, just powerful."
"What do you mean?"
"It's exactly what it sounds like. My Mother is an incredibly powerful person and that power causes people to flock to her." Naruto explained in a rather simple tone.
"And just how powerful is your mother exactly?" Erza asked as she looked at Naruto from over her shoulder. Finding herself incredibly curious about the blond's past.
"I don't know how to place it into words for you to understand, but if our guild and Phantom Lord joined forces to fight my mother you would all die." Naruto explained in a deathly serious tone that made Erza jerk her body around to look at the blond.
"You're exaggerating right?"
"Not in the slightest." Naruto replied as he started to dress back into his kimono.
"But how?" Erza asked as she found what the blond was telling her impossible to believe.
Quickly realizing he was saying too much about his mother, Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. "Don't worry about her. She's not really important right now, we should keep our attention on our current situation with Phantom Lord. I'm certain we haven't seen the last of them and with the Master injured, who is calling the shots?"
Erza frowned at this question. "We have several active S-class wizards, but I'm the only current S-class present to help." Erza explained as she tightened her fists in frustration. "But I'm not fit to guide anyone, I wasn't there to help the Master and I don't know what to do without him. However, everyone is counting on me to take charge and lead the guild."
Naruto was surprised as he could hear the cracks in the powerful and confident girl's voice. Even the way she was carrying herself was so defeated and lost, which didn't set right with the young dragon.
"Well I might be new." Naruto began as he reached out and rested his hand on Erza's shoulder. "But I'll do anything I can to help support you."
Her nerves slowly dying down, Erza let the smallest smile escape her lips. "Thank you."
"So tell me what I can do to help?"
"Well I-. . ."
A sudden trembling shaking the guild hall, Erza stopped mid sentence and looked at Naruto with concern.
"What was that?" Naruto mumbled before another tremble shook the building and the sound of what sounded like massive footsteps could be heard.
More trembling shaking the area, Erza quickly used her magic to change into her regular clothing. "I'm not sure, but we need to investigate."
Nodding his head and completely dressed, Naruto and Erza quickly ran out onto the front of the guild hall. Finding the rest of their guild all gathered as well, while a large looming castle on legs slowly stomped its way through the water in the distance. A sight that caught Naruto completely off guard, as he had never seen or heard of any type of walking fortress before. Erza on the other hand merely gritted her teeth nervously.
"I was afraid of this." The scarlet haired knight began in a low voice, which made Naruto glance down at her. "Phantom has brought their full force to us."
Taking in this information, Naruto watched as the walking fortress came to a sudden stop a medium distance away from the guild. Leaving Naruto and the rest of the Fairy Tail guild on edge.
"I will give you this one warning." A voice projected through the fortress.
"Jose." Erza growled in a low voice.
"Hand over Lucy Heartfilia or die!"
Hearing this threat, Naruto looked over to Lucy. Finding his new friend was shaking with her head down. Obviously horrified that she was the root cause of this guild war. Thinking he was about to say something to stand up for his new friend. Knowing he made a promise to keep her safe and he was going to see it through. Yet before Naruto could say or do anything a sudden voice yelled out.
"Not a chance in hell!" Natsu roared in anger, as he shook his flaming fist at the fortress.
"Lucy is one of us!" Macao yelled out.
"We'd never give her over to you!" Cana added in loudly.
Elfman flexed his muscles and growled. "A real man never turns on his friends!"
Hearing similar declarations to keep Lucy within the guild and not give her up, Naruto was completely surprised. He knew Lucy was almost as new as he was. Regardless, every single member of the guild was dead set on protecting her despite the threat Phantom Lord brought to their doorstep. It was surreal to see a group of individuals like this and left Naruto amazed at their response. More importantly it left Naruto wanting to protect and preserve this outstanding group of people and their ideals.
"We would rather DIE than give away one of our own!" Erza screamed loudly, which sent chills down Naruto's back.
"Fine, have it your way! You can all die together like the Fairy trash you are!"
Watching a massive cannon barrel extend from the center of the fortress, Naruto could sense a massive build up of magical energy.
'He's really trying to kill us.' Naruto thought as he watched magic starting to gather at the barrel's edge. 'Should I use my roar to counter the blast?'
"Fire the Jupiter Cannon!"
Naruto, hesitating on what action to take was suddenly caught off guard by Erza. Who ran forward and used her Requip magic to transform into a different armor set.
"That's Adamantine Armor!" Happy declared in surprise, which earned a few gasps of surprise from the veteran members.
"Don't tell me she plans to stop that!" Gray yelled out in worry.
"Erza don't!"
"You could die!"
"Stop this is insane!"
"Everyone stay back!" Erza roared as she ignored everyone's protest and used the large shields on her wrists to form a shield in front of herself. Causing a massive green magical circle to form.
Naruto's eyes went wide as the Jupiter Cannon fired a massive blast of magical power. Resulting in the blast impacting the defensive magical circle Erza was using. However, even more surprising was how the shield was holding strong against the attack with only letting a few cracks slip by. Then as the Jupiter's blast died down Erza's magic circle and armor shattered, which sent the girl flying backwards.
Yet before she could hit the ground, Naruto dashed forward and caught Erza in his arms. "You were amazing." Naruto complimented as he was inspired by Erza's selfless act to protect her friends.
Smiling weakly and looking up at the blond, Erza blushed. "I'm sure you would have done the same. . . Thanks for catching me."
Noticing Erza was completely exhausted from fending off the attack, Naruto merely held the girl close and looked at the fortress. "You're giving me too much credit, but now I see why you're called the Queen of Fairies."
"So you delayed your demise!" Jose roared loudly, which made everyone freeze. "It's useless! In exactly 15 minutes I'll fire another shot and finish this once and for all!"
"Damnit!"
"This is not good."
"We survived one attack thanks to Erza, but we can't stop another."
"We have to do something!"
Hearing the cries of worry from his new guild, Naruto slowly walked Erza over to Mirajane. Then by handing the girl over, Naruto suddenly turned his body towards the Phantom Lord fortress. A glow in his eyes as his mind was dead set on his next course of action.
"Naruto what are you doing?" Erza called out.
"You and everyone in this guild are something special." Naruto began in a low voice, while he grabbed his sword tightly. "I hardly know any of you, but your ideals are something worth risking everything for."
"What are you going on about?" Gray yelled loudly, while a veil of magical power started to radiate from Naruto's body. Catching seasoned wizards like Mirajane and Erza off guard by the blond's power.
'I have no practice using my Moon Dragon magic like this.' Naruto thought to himself as he faced off against the fortress with a steeled resolve. 'But it will let me fight with some of my true strength without letting everyone know my true power.'
Gripping his sword and remembering the small lesson Erza had given him over swordsmanship, Naruto knew this wasn't going to be perfect. However, this was the first step towards his new fighting style that he was going to dedicate to protecting his friends.
"Moon Breathing First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!" Naruto roared as he slashed swiftly in a horizontal crescent motion. Creating a singular magical wave of his dragon magic that shot forward at blinding speeds. Carving a crescent moon shape horizontally through the building that completely separated the fortress into two separate halves. Resulting in the building toppling down on top of itself.
'Damn.' Naruto thought as he looked down at his hands. 'It was weaker than I thought, but it's a start I guess.'
"Incredible." Lucy gasped in awe, as she had never seen a wizard so powerful before.
"That's so cool!" Natsu yelled with stars in his eyes. "You gotta fight me right now!"
"Just who is this kid?" Cana mumbled loudly.
"Who knew he was so strong!" Happy yelled.
Erza, being supported by Mirajane, was now looking at Naruto with admiration. "And you say I'm amazing." The knight began with a small smile as her interest with Naruto was growing more and more.
Resting his sword onto his shoulder, Naruto looked back to his new guild with a smile. "The fight isn't over yet, so do what you gotta do. I'm going for Jose myself."
"Hell yeah!" Natsu roared in a cheerful voice as he jumped by Naruto's side. "In that case leave that bastard Gajeel to me!"
Walking forward with a cool demeanor, Gray smirked with newfound confidence. "Don't go running into danger without me."
Naruto nodded as he was okay with letting them deal with the weaker wizards so he could go straight for their Master. "Well let's go!"
"Naruto!" Erza called out, which made the blond look at the scarlet haired beauty. Seeing she had a wide grin and thumbs up. "Kick his ass good for me and I'll treat you to some strawberry cake."
Laughing and nodding his head, Naruto gave Erza a small wink. "You got yourself a deal."
(Chapter end)
And another update down! Thanks for the positive feedback so far and I hope you enjoyed this update! Now for some questions I've gotten!
Does Naruto have a dragon form? Naruto has three forms, his human form that he normally uses. His hybrid form that's like a Zoan user from One Piece and finally his full on dragon form.
Can Naruto use Moon Breathing? It won't work like moon breathing from Demon Slayer, but has very similar functions. Mainly it's a way to combine Naruto's sword style and magic while giving it a name.
Will he have other Magic's to cover up his dragon magic? Right now no, as the main idea is for Naruto to slowly use more and more of his magic until he gets found. Gotta have a believable way for his mother to find him and get involved.
Isn't Naruto placing people in danger because of his Mom? He doesn't see his mom as a Villain who would hurt his friends to get at him. Just a ruthless and scary woman/dragon.
Is Naruto getting attached too quickly? I tried to show Naruto bonding with the guild while seeing what they stand for. Making him want to protect and be a part of that kind of family.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.