Thank you guys for sharing your thoughts about this fic! You guys are so sweet!
I haven't seen much of this concept anywhere else, so I thought I could give it a shot. In this story, I think it's already obvious that Natsu isn't a brash person and is rather subdued, which is exactly what I'm going for.
I have so much in store for you guys, and honestly, I have tons of ideas about what to do with these characters. Without further ado, enjoy the second chapter!
Natsu had gone back to the celestial spirt realm after escorting Lucy back. In all honesty, he wished he could've left earlier, but his master wanted someone to accompany her back to the guild. The blonde was a tiring person to serve, and Natsu couldn't count the number of times he had regretted ever being released from the dungeons.
He walked down a path that was common to all spirits and found Aries and Scorpio playing cards with each other. Capricorn was talking to Leo about something, and the moment Natsu was in their eyesight, all four stopped what they were doing to bow to him.
"Aniki," began Capricorn, "it's good to see you back. How was Lucy-sama's training?"
The pink haired spirit rolled his eyes, causing his siblings to laugh at his irritation, and he glared at them playfully. "I don't know how you guys can handle her, she's talked to me so much that my ears hurt. Happy thinks she's really heavy too, he had to carry her around when she was too tired to move."
Happy chirped out a tired "Aye," and Aries giggled at the cat's demeanor. She walked up to Natsu and hugged him again, which he accepted warmly. His siblings were the only ones who could bring out his softness, and the fire dragon slayer was eternally grateful to them for making him a better person.
The wool clad girl kissed Natsu's cheek before shuffling back to Scorpio meekly, and Natsu was glad she was acting more like herself. Over the years, Aries confessed that due to Karen, she was always apologizing and asking for permission to do the smallest things, which irked him to no end. Their time was limited while he was in the dungeons, but Natsu had gently reminded her how that in the midst of the zodiac spirits, she could be more assertive...but progress was slow. Even after 200 years, Aries was still prone to using this defense mechanism to protect herself.
The mental trauma Aries had accumulated from Karen's behavior affected her deeply, but it wasn't just her that was hurt. Every one of his siblings was affected by seeing the celestial mage's atrocious actions, and they were all lost without Natsu being there to guide them.
The fire dragon slayer was brought out of his thoughts as Capricorn, Aries, and Scorpio left, leaving Leo behind.
"Leo," snorted Natsu, "I honestly can't believe how much of a womanizer you are. Lucy told me about how you flirted around to get her and dozens of other women, I guess those lessons about proper manners went right over your head."
The blonde haired spirit huffed haughtily. "As always aniki, you aren't very slick with ladies, especially when you got to spend so much time with one of the hottest girls out in Earthworld. I mean, come on! I would do anything to be next to Lucy and her big- err...well, her big heart for hours and hours."
Natsu rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. "You're a pervert, you know that? Anyways, on to more serious things. Did you get the information I asked for?"
"Well," informed Leo, "I don't know much, but I can tell something is happening here. I mean, who wouldn't be able to sense it? Even the plues are nervous, and honestly...so am I. The Celestial Spirit King is being very cryptic, as usual, but I can tell he knows something we don't. Whatever it is, I'm sure he'll warn us when the time comes to make sure we can defend this realm. What do you think?"
"Honestly...I don't know what to think. When I was with Lucy, I sensed a dark presence in Earthland, and I know exactly who it is...judging by your expression, so do you. If this continues on, Zeref and his cronies are going to cause a lot of problems. I'll need to talk to Mavis when I get the chance to do so, and she definitely knows best when it comes to him." Natsu spit out angrily, causing his younger brother to look at him sadly.
The only ones who knew the truth behind Natsu's existence in the spirit realm were the zodiac spirits, their king, Mavis, and of course...Zeref. Leo's blood boiled every time he thought about the dark mage and how much grief he caused to Natsu. The fire dragon slayer seethed at the very mention of his older brother, who he had entirely disowned due to his selfish actions.
It was because of Zeref that Natsu couldn't ever rest, as he made the youngest Dragneel suffer a fate worse than death: immortality.
The pink haired fireball could never forgive the dark mage for what he did, and Natsu swore that he would make sure his older brother paid for his crimes with his death. Even if he had to use Lucy, he would make sure the Earthworld didn't have to deal with such a potent evil force ever again.
Leo saw Natsu's gaze darken, and he quickly interjected before his brother tried to destroy something. "Well, aniki, other than that, Fairy Tail is participating in the Grand Magic Games, right? You'll probably be summoned soon since you're Lucy's favorite spirit...ow!"
The fire dragon slayer smacked the blonde's arm hard, causing him to pout. It was so funny that Natsu couldn't hold back his laughter, and he secretly thanked Leo for being perceptive about his mood swings.
A familiar tingling sensation overtook him, and he glared at his younger brother. "You definitely jinxed it, she flared a signal for me."
Leo was confused, but he was cut off when Natsu disappeared in a flash of yellow light. The hot-tempered man was already thinking of ways to beat the hell out of Leo later, but for now, their master's needs came first.
Lucy had been fighting Flare, and it was all going to shit.
First of all, her redheaded opponent had resorted to dirty tactics and threatened the life of Asuka, the daughter of Bisca and Alzack. Luckily for her, Master Makarov had noticed where she was looking with his keen eyes, easily cutting off the hair that threatened the cute little girl.
In quick succession, Lucy had summoned Taurus, Cancer, and Scorpio, which drained up a lot of her magic. After that failed, she summoned Gemini, who helped her complete her Uranmetria attack...which for some reason, didn't work.
She was running on fumes, but she remembered what Natsu had told her as they trained. "When you feel your magic empty out, don't panic. Take a deep breath, then figure out what your situation is. If you have no reserves to summon anyone, use my staff since it feeds off of my own magic. If you don't even have the energy for that, press the button on the top of the staff. It'll let me know there's an emergency, and I'll be by your side in an instant."
Lucy felt faint, but she grabbed her hidden weapon and pressed the button. A blinding light filled the stadium, and she felt herself falling into a pair of muscled arms that held her tightly.
"You did well Lucy-sama," Natsu whispered, "just sit here and rest. Let me take care of this for you."
The blonde would've been a stuttering mess if she was lucid, but her entire body was hurting and she couldn't move very well. Natsu grabbed something from his pocket, and it resembled a dried up fruit of some kind. He wordlessly shoved it in her mouth, quickly informing Lucy that it was a celestial spirit food that replenished one's energy...but not their magic.
Natsu glared at the woman in front of him, noting how she was extremely creepy and still in shock at seeing his entrance. "Lucy, eat that and then try to meditate. You need to replenish some of your magic or else you're going to have a really bad case of Magic Deficiency disease, and trust me, you don't want that. Plus, I'm pretty sure you need to be awake if you're going to win."
The celestial mage nodded at him tiredly, and Natsu could hear the obnoxiously loud cheers from the Fairy Tail sector of the stadium. With his enhanced hearing, it gave him a splitting headache, which was only strengthened by the crowd's renewed vigor at seeing a new person enter the fight.
"Blondie," muttered the redhead eerily, "you gave me so much fun...and now I get to play with you some more. Come here!"
Fire lit up her hair and raced towards the pink haired spirit, who grinned. As soon as it approached him, he ate up the flames, cutting the hair off with precision before landing a devastating blow to her stomach. The girl screamed loudly, clearly afraid of Natsu considering how he not only ate fire but also moved faster than she could see.
"It seems like you use fire," he mused, "and that's going to be your downfall. I'll play with you, but don't expect me to be nice. Take this: Fire Dragon's Roar!"
An enormous amount of controlled flames left his mouth, hitting Flare and tossing her across the stadium. A stunned silence ensued as Natsu's attack created a searing path in the arena, and he stepped through the fire surrounding him while walking towards the redhead.
She screamed in fright, ushering her hair to go grab Natsu, who dodged all the attempts with skilled ease. "This is your best attempt at subduing me? You're going to have to do a lot better than that." he taunted, which caused the already creepy look on her face to magnify.
"Blondie...you really are the best!" screamed Flare, who at this point charged Natsu head on. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her midsection, spinning around in circles before tossing her like a shotput.
Lucy had been doing her best to breath in and out, but the smoke was making it really hard for her. She couldn't exactly tell what was happening, but knowing Natsu, he was probably throwing Flare around like a ragdoll. She would have felt bad for her opponent...but after what she did, Lucy didn't know if she could forgive her.
The redhead dropped onto the floor with a painful gasp, and as much as she tried getting up, her limbs were protesting. Lucy's prior attacks were pretty bad, and this new person was beating her up without even trying.
Natsu was irritated, and he decided to end it right there. An ominous aura surrounded him, one that sent shivers down the spines of all the mages present. Fangs grew from his mouth and scale covered his face, and his eyes grew slits in them as the pink haired spirit looked at her with ice cold eyes. "Yield right now before playtime becomes worse. Do you understand?"
Flare was quivering in fear, but she managed to whimper her surrender out loud before passing out. Natsu didn't bother giving her any more of his attention before he sauntered back to Lucy, who was definitely looking worse for wear.
She was sitting down and looking at him with dazed eyes, and he leaned down to carry her bridal style. Lucy's victory was announced, and Natsu took this as a sign to leave the area and get medics to look at his master.
In his arms, she looked like a child, and it was clear that Lucy had done her best to fight Flare. Natsu clicked his tongue softly, wondering why she didn't summon him earlier considering how easy the opponent was.
He shifted her in his arms, noting that Lucy was now fast asleep, but the fire dragon slayer was still wary of her condition. Natsu decided that he could kill two birds with one stone: he would stay back and make sure his master was faring better and talk to Mavis, who was undoubtedly here to watch her guild perform.
Erza and Grey rushed forward to make sure Lucy was alright, and the usually half naked ice mage grudgingly nodded his head at Natsu. "Thanks, I guess. You really helped Fairy Tail out...err, good job."
Natsu looked at Grey like he was an idiot. "She's my master, and it's my job to protect and serve her. I would do no less for any other person who has my key."
Erza looked at the spirit with narrowed eyes, as if trying to glean some information off of him. She thanked him and grabbed Grey before retreating, and Natsu sighed in relief. He walked through a tunnel that led to the Fairy Tail sector, and he saw Master Makarov standing by a door, ushering him inside.
"Lucy has grown quite a but under you Natsu," remarked the old man as he opened the door, "I'm glad she has you by her side." The fire dragon slayer didn't reply, opting to place the girl onto a bed. A pink haired woman began tending to the blonde, and Natsu gave Makarov a questioning look.
The master smiled at him. "This is Porlyusica, one of the best healer's in Fiore. She'll take good care of Lucy and make sure she's up and running in no time."
The pink haired spirit glanced at his master, who was definitely looking a little better, and Makarov motioned for him to exit the room. They silently walked back to the Fairy Tail sector, where Natsu was met with loud cheers from the guild members.
He wasn't a social person by nature, and it wasn't changing any time soon, even if Lucy was his master. Natsu waved off there praise before he spotted the person - or, spirit - he had been looking for.
Mavis Vermillion caught his eye, and her cheerful disposition faltered slightly from the look in the youngest Dragneel's eyes. She knew what her lover, Zeref, had done to bring his beloved younger brother back to life, but the consequences were too steep. The first master of Fairy Tail wasn't entirely sure what had caused Natsu to become a spirit, and frankly, she didn't want to know. After all...ignorance is bliss.
The fire dragon slayer made his way over to Mavis, which surprised Makarov as he didn't know the two were acquainted. Natsu shooed Happy away before standing next to her cautiously, glancing around to make sure there were no unwanted listeners before giving her a pointed look. "I assume you know what's happening in Earthland. You can feel his presence, can't you?"
"Yes," Mavis said softly, "I do. His powers are growing, but Zeref is biding his time. We both know that he's been trying to find you ever since-"
Natsu snarled at her angrily. "Don't bring that up. I had decades to think about what he did, trying to make sense of his actions. I never asked for this, and if he was the one who had died, I would never have tried bringing him back to life. Nobody has the right to toy with people's lives. Zeref was supposed to let our family rest in peace, but he decided it wasn't enough for him."
"I understand Natsu, but listen to me. Zeref was grieving the loss of his family and he didn't want to let you go. You were very dear to him, I know that deep down, you care for your older brother. He suffers every day knowing what he's done, and he wants you to stop him so he can find peace. You may do a good job of hiding it, but your anger has always made you vulnerable. Don't let it consume you." Mavis looked at Natsu pleadingly, watching as several emotions flickered in the celestial spirit's eyes.
He frowned, giving Mavis a look full of sadness and regret. "You're right. No matter what happens, I know he will always be my older brother, but I still can't accept what he's done. Zeref has created many problems, so much so that humanity became tainted due to his actions. He seeks to massacre everyone for doing things he spearheaded, and that's despicable. I can't let him slaughter people and treat them like pawns in a game, and even if it costs me my life, I'll kill him."
"Natsu," she whispered, a horrified expression finding it's way onto her petite face, "you don't mean it, right? If he dies, you will too, and you have too many people who care about you to let you go. Would you really leave your siblings, Happy, and even Lucy just to kill Zeref?"
The pink haired spirit turned his head away. "If it means putting an end to the horrors he brought to the world, then yes. You forget that the whole point of Zeref's creations were to kill him, especially mine. Lucy is my master, my death won't do anything to her, and though I love Happy and my siblings dearly, this is bigger than me. I have been given a responsibility, one that I intend on fulfilling. You can't stop me Mavis, and neither can he. Once I find Zeref and kill him, it should destroy E.N.D. in the process. After that, humans will have the chance to rebuild and reform their ways without two monsters in their presence."
Mavis stared at him in disbelief, unable to wrap her head around the fact that Natsu cared so little about his life that he was willing to end it all if it took his older brother to the grave. Before she could retort, Master Makarov made his way to them. He wasn't senile, and he had noticed the heated conversation that the first Fairy Tail master and the celestial spirit were engaging in.
"Shodai, Natsu, I wasn't aware you two knew each other!" Makarov said brightly. "How did you two meet?"
Natsu huffed at the old man before rolling his eyes, carefully maintaining a nonchalant attitude. "We're both spirits, obviously I know about her. I met Mavis during my old master's exploits, we've been...acquainted ever since. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Lucy before leaving. It was nice to catch up with you Mavis, hopefully we'll meet again under better circumstances."
"Bye Natsu!" bid Mavis cheerfully, and she knew that the fire dragon slayer had lied for a reason. If he didn't want Makarov to know, she had to respect his wishes. It was simply not her place to out Natsu's secrets to everyone.
As he walked away, Natsu was cursing the old geezer for interrupting him and Mavis. There was so much he wanted to know, but there was no time to get answers right now.
Maybe another day, he thought resignedly. Happy flew back to him, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately before chatting away about how beautiful Charle was. Natsu laughed at his friend, but secretly, he was glad that the blue cat had found another Exceed just like him.
However, the pink haired spirit couldn't help the feeling in his gut. Natsu was getting bad vibes, and he knew something was going to happen that would turn the Grand Magic Games upside down.
He could only hope he was wrong.
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