Well, out of all my Fairy Tail stories this one seems to be my most popular in regards to favourites and follows, with A Third Chance leading them in reviews, so I decided I'd update this one now and ATC next.
One thing I should point out, is that while Natsu now has all of his memories as E.N.D. back, his powers are not fully restored yet. He can remember some of his powers, and can mix them with his Dragon Slayer magic, since I think there is a strong chance E.N.D. has some sort of fire powers.
Now, if you also read The Beginning of the E.N.D., you know what I'm going to do about the pairing, but for those who haven't read it, this is what I will be doing.
The system will be as follows: I will place all possible harem candidates, which I've chosen, into a poll, in addition to my main pairing. The system will work, on the basis of the votes, for the main pairing character. For this story: Erza, Lisanna, Cana, Ultear, Minerva and Sayla are all possible harem choices. The poll will have all of them in it PLUS Mirajane, the main pairing for the story.
Now, the way the pairing will be decided, will be based on how many votes the others get, in comparison to Mira.
For example, if Mira has the most votes, the story will remain a single pairing.
If only Lisanna has more votes than Mira, it will become a Natsu/Mira/Lisanna.
What this means, is that those who want the story to remain a single pairing; should just vote for Mira.
You will have the option to vote for up to six people, but if you want a single pairing, just vote for Mira.
Alternatively, if you want the full harem, cast all your votes for the others and none for Mira.
Now, here is where the final option comes in; if you want this story to become a Natsu/Mira/Erza, but don't want anyone else, vote for both Mira and Erza, as this increases not only Erza's numbers, increasing her odds of getting in, but also gives Mira more votes, to make sure none of the others can catch up to her, aside from Erza.
Doing this however, does have risks, as if a lot of people vote for Mira only, the equal vote between her and Erza, won't be enough, however, the alternatively also exists, that many people just vote for Erza and not Mira, in which case, the vote for Erza and Mira, increases the chances of it being just them.
In any case, there is a lot of gambling going on here, so I encourage you to vote only for those you truly want, and feel would suit the story best.
Since this particular story, is a Natsu/Mira story primarily, I imagine most of you want Mira, or else, why would you read it? However, as for the others, you need to weigh your chances, for this reason, I will keep the poll results hidden, so you are all forced to choose honestly.
My system for each poll, will be, to put it up along with an update for that story, then, when I update a different FT story, switch the poll out, with the poll for the newly updated story. What this means, is that when I update A Third Chance, there will be a poll for the harem for A Third Chance up, however, when I update Wheel of Fortune for example, I will switch the poll for A Third Chance, with the one for Wheel of Fortune. I will continue doing this until I reach chapter 5 for each respective story, as by that time, I believe everyone should have had ample time to choose who they want and vote.
Now with that said, the poll is up on my profile page already so feel free to vote now, of course, you can also wait to vote for a bit, to see how I flesh the characters out, since I will leave the poll going until chapter 5, so you do have the option of waiting a little as well.
With that said, enjoy the chapter.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
*expression*
Flashback
Techniques
Chapter 2 – Fear and Courage
With Mirajane and Lisanna still in shock at Natsu's actions and transformation, only Happy was able to converse with Natsu, as he carried Mira, with an unconscious Elfman over his shoulder.
'Ne, Natsu, how come you have claws now?' Asked Happy curiously, as he floated by Natsu.
'Hmm, well as it turns out, I happen to be pretty good at transforming my body.' Said Natsu calmly.
'Like Mira, Lisanna and Elfman?' Asked Happy curiously, with the two sisters merely listening on.
'Hmm sort of, except I don't need to get it from someone else. Look.' Said Natsu, before he made a long scaly red tail burst from his lower back, which was long enough that Natsu could loop it over his head and in front of him, to show Happy.
'Wow now you got a tail just like me, can you do wings?' Asked Happy curiously.
'Hmm, never tried before, I don't need them to fly or anything… maybe.' Said Natsu, before he made his tail disappear and his hands return to normal, as they had just entered the train station.
'But let's try that another time.' Said Natsu with a grin, before they went and bought tickets for the next train to Magnolia.
Lisanna had finally managed to snap out of her shock.
'Natsu, what did you mean when you said, you were whole once more?' Asked Lisanna timidly.
Natsu turned his gaze on Lisanna and she shyly looked to the ground, averting his gaze.
'Well, to sum things up quickly; part of my memories were being repressed and held separate from my mind and Mira's attack helped awaken them.' Answered Natsu truthfully.
'You kissed me.' Said Mira at last, getting Natsu to look down at her.
'Your point being?' Asked Natsu, as he carried her and Elfman to the train.
Upon entering the train, Natsu set Mira down next to the window, and propped up Elfman on the seat opposite her, as he was still unconscious, before sitting next to him. Lisanna then sat across from Natsu, next to her sister, while Happy sat in between the two.
'Ne, Natsu, why'd you kiss Mira anyway… she's evil, remember?' Asked Happy, getting a half-hearted glare from Mira.
'I'm right here cat.' Said Mira with narrowed eyes.
'Haha oh Happy, she isn't evil, she is way too innocent and pretty to actually be evil. She talks a good game though.' Said Natsu jovially.
Mira suddenly looked at Natsu challengingly.
'Ho, I'd say I'm pretty evil when I want to be.' Said Mira, regaining some of her old fire, before Natsu snuffed it out in one sentence.
'Cute, but those lips of yours were way too innocent to be evil.' Smirked Natsu, getting Mira to look away, with a small tinge of pink on her cheeks.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, as both siblings were at a loss of what to say, Happy had had his fun and Elfman was still unconscious. Natsu too, had been silent and kept a sour expression while the train moved.
Eventually, the train had reached Magnolia and Natsu let out a huge breath.
'Man, I'm glad that's over.' Muttered Natsu, which Lisanna picked up on.
'Glad what's over?' Asked Lisanna.
'The ride, I was barely able to hold it together.' Confessed Natsu with a grimace.
'Eh, Natsu! This is the first time you rode a train without throwing up!' Shouted Happy in shock.
'Well with Elfman and Mira near the window, it wouldn't have been pretty if I did.' Said Natsu, before he scooped up Elfman and slung him over his shoulder again, before turning to Mira.
'So, can you walk now?' Asked Natsu questioningly.
Mira nodded and stiffly followed Lisanna off the train, with Natsu, currently carrying Elfman, along with Happy, following.
Natsu took a deep breath once he got off the train before exhaling loudly.
'Man, it feels good to be off that train!' Shouted Natsu cheerfully.
'Well, at least you haven't changed completely.' Muttered Mira, before beginning to walk.
Upon exiting the train station, the group began to head towards the guild. Nearly halfway there, Mira winced, as her ribs flared up in pain for a moment, which caused her to stumble slightly. Mira braced herself, but soon felt something pick her up again.
'W-what are you doing?' Asked a flustered Mirajane, once again being held by Natsu.
'If you aren't fully recovered don't pretend to be, if you get hurt more, I'll feel bad.' Said Natsu with a frown, which caused Mira to look away.
'I-idiot, I don't need your help.' Said Mira with a huff, only to see Lisanna holding back her laughter.
'What Lisanna?' Asked Mira curiously.
'Oh, nothing.' Said Lisanna, before Happy whispered something into her ear, making her laugh.
'What did you say, cat?' Asked Mira angrily.
'Oh, nothing.' Said Happy cheerfully, as he flew around the group lazily.
A short while later, the group had finally reached the guild.
'Well, time to announce our return.' Said Natsu cheerfully, before kicking the guild doors in.
'We're back!' Shouted Natsu excitedly, only to blink in surprise at the looks everyone was giving him.
'Hello, Natsu.' Said a voice, which sent shivers down the spine of everyone in the guild, barring the new arrivals.
Natsu looked for the voice and saw a scarlet haired woman glaring at him.
'Yo, Erza. How's it going?' Asked Natsu, as he readjusted Elfman on his shoulders, so he could give Erza a small wave.
'Oh my God, he's done for.' Whispered a random guild member.
'Today is the end of the Salamander.' Added another member.
'Natsu, do you mind telling me why you were on an S-Class job?' Asked Erza dangerously.
'Because the offer was there and I took it.' Replied Natsu simply, as he walked to the medical bay.
As Natsu walked passed Erza, she started to shake in anger.
'Natsu, when did I say you were allowed to go on an S-Class job?' Asked Erza in a voice, which promised death for all.
'I'm sorry, I don't remember needing your permission, mom.' Drawled Natsu sarcastically.
"Damn, Erza is going to kill flame-brain." Thought Gray, as he stripped his shirt off in nervousness.
'Natsu.' Whispered Erza.
'Yes, Erza?' Asked Natsu, as he neared the doors to the medical bay.
'You idiot!' Shouted Erza, as she lunged at Natsu's back, only to find herself wrapped up in a long scaly tail.
'I'll deal with your childish tantrum later Erza, Mira and Elfman are injured in case you didn't notice.' Said Natsu, before he flicked Erza into a table, which snapped in two when she landed on it.
Master Makarov had been watching everything with a keen eye from the bar, a mug of beer in his hands.
"How peculiar." Thought Makarov, as he took a sip of his drink.
Erza lay in the middle of the table in shock. Sure, Natsu suddenly growing a tail was a surprise, but to so casually dismiss her, even calling her childish, was shocking to her.
A short while later, Natsu emerged from the medical bay, alone, his tail absent, and walked over to Makarov.
'Well gramps, mission accomplished.' Said Natsu cheerfully.
'Hmm, was there any trouble?' Asked Makarov curiously.
'Well, Elfman did kind of lose control when he used a full-body Take Over on The Beast, but I knocked some sense into him.' Said Natsu casually.
'I see, good job then.' Said Makarov plainly, before drinking more alcohol.
'Master, how can you say that?' Shouted Erza, having regained her senses.
'Hmm?' Queried Makarov.
'Natsu isn't an S-Class mage, he shouldn't have been on that job!' Said Erza strongly, as she marched up to the duo.
'Oh, that's interesting. Does that mean Lisanna and Elfman shouldn't have been either? Mira was there and she was an S-Class mage, so it was perfectly okay for her to bring assistance.' Said Natsu coolly, surprising many of the guild at his strange attitude.
'That's… that's different!' Shouted Erza.
'How so, Erza?' Asked Makarov.
'Natsu shouldn't have gone on that request, it was dangerous and people could have been hurt.' Pointed out Erza.
'Hmm that reminds me, Lisanna, time for that talk.' Said Natsu, as he walked past Erza once again.
'Natsu, who said you could leave?' Shouted Erza, her face starting to match her hair.
'Sorry mom, didn't realise I needed your permission.' Drawled Natsu again.
'Wow, Natsu is really giving it to Erza today.' Muttered Cana in surprise, with Gray, who was sitting next to her, nodding in agreement, all the while, stripping out of his pants.
Erza started to stomp over to Natsu, before a tail burst from his body again and ensnared Erza.
'Seriously Erza, what's with you today… is it that time of the month?' Asked Natsu, getting Makarov to drop his beer in shock, while the rest of the guild collectively gave a sharp inhale.
'What did you say?' Whispered Erza lowly, as her hair shadowed her eyes.
'Hmm, I don't remember if that caused hearing problems…' Said Natsu before trailing off.
'Natsu put me down right now!' Shouted Erza, as she struggled to escape Natsu's tail, only to find it was immensely strong.
'Nah I don't think so, you're too moody today… hmm, Lisanna, we'll have that talk tomorrow, can you look after Happy for a while? I'm going to get Erza some cake she is too grumpy today.' Requested Natsu.
'Ok, have fun.' Said Lisanna with a smile.
'Bye Natsu, bring me back a fish!' Shouted Happy, as Natsu and the still bound Erza, left the guild.
'What the hell happened on that mission?' Asked Macao in shock.
'Hmm, Natsu kissed Mira.' Sang Happy, as he flew through the air.
'What?' Shouted the entire guild, while Makarov nearly had a heart attack.
-line break-
'Hmm, now where was that cake shop?' Thought Natsu, as he looked around Magnolia, before simply deciding to sniff out a place that smelt like Erza, figuring that with how many sweets she eats, she would probably smell like them a little by now.
'Natsu put me down.' Said Erza quietly.
'Nope, not until I get some cake first. Just because your hair is red, you don't have to be angry all the time.' Replied Natsu, still carrying Erza in his tail, which drew a few odd looks from the townspeople.
'I'm not angry.' Muttered Erza.
'Don't sulk, I'm getting you cake here.' Replied Natsu, which successfully quieted Erza, for about ten seconds.
'I'm not angry… I was worried.' Whispered Erza, but Natsu easily heard it.
'Hmm, about what?' Asked Natsu curiously, as he finally saw the cake shop in the distance.
'You, you idiot!' Shouted Erza, getting a few people to stare at her.
'Gee thanks mother.' Replied Natsu.
'I'm not your mother!' Hissed Erza.
'Then stop acting like one.' Snapped Natsu.
'W-what?' Asked Erza in surprise.
'Do you want to know why I went on the job with Mira and the others?' Asked Natsu, as they neared the cake shop.
Erza didn't verbally reply, but gave a small nod, not that Natsu could see it.
'It was because you keep smothering me, trying to protect me and never letting me go on any dangerous jobs with you.' Said Natsu.
'That's not true, you weren't ready. No, that's not right, you still aren't ready.' Retorted Erza.
'I am, I just did one, didn't I?' Questioned Natsu rhetorically, as he set Erza down next to him and caused his tail to disappear again.
'In fact, if it wasn't for me, Lisanna might have died today.' Said Natsu simply, getting Erza to freeze in shock, while Natsu entered the shop.
After a minute, Natsu popped his head back outside.
'Oi, get in here and eat your cake or I will.' Said Natsu, succeeding in snapping Erza out of her stupor and follow him into the shop.
It was a small bakery, with only three, two-seater tables. The bakery primarily delivered, so there wasn't much need for seating.
Natsu sat down at the circular table, where a large slice of strawberry cheesecake was placed.
Erza quickly started to eat her favourite treat, while Natsu merely crossed his hands behind his head and looked up at the roof. After Erza finished Natsu looked at her.
'Are you calm now?' Asked Natsu.
Erza nodded, but gave Natsu a searching glance.
'You are acting quite different, what happened on that mission?' Demanded Erza.
Natsu stood up and left the store, leaving a spluttering Erza behind. Erza made to follow after Natsu, before looking back at her plate for a moment.
'Don't worry, he already paid.' Said the owner, a short caramel skinned man, with a bulbous nose and cheeks, along with curly, bushy hair.
'Um, thank you.' Said Erza, with a small bow, before leaving the store and chasing after Natsu, who was walking back to the guild, now a good distance away from her.
Erza quickly walked up to him and was about to yell at the Dragon Slayer, before he cut her off.
'It is fine to ask people for things, but don't demand them.' Said Natsu firmly, as he turned to face her.
'I'm sorry, please hit me.' Said Erza, only for Natsu to flick her on the forehead.
'Stop that, unless you are a masochist, stop asking people to hit you… it makes us uncomfortable.' Said Natsu.
'Very well then. Now can you tell me what happened on the mission?' Asked Erza, before Natsu gave her a pressing look.
'Please.' Added Erza after a moment.
'Oh, well since you asked so nicely.' Said Natsu, giving a toothy grin.
'Well, Mira, Elfman and I went to face The Beast, which was terrorising a few towns, while Happy and Lisanna went to evacuate everyone.' Said Natsu cheerfully.
'When we fought, The Beast got taken down really quickly between me and Mira and then Elfman tried to take it over.' Said Natsu.
'You fought The Beast! That's dangerous!' Said Erza, only for Natsu to adopt the expression he had been using recently and glare at Erza.
'I know, mother, but I'm a big boy now.' Said Natsu dryly, getting Erza to huff.
'Anyway, Elfman failed in his Take Over attempt, so he started rampaging.' Said Natsu, cheerful once again.
'Then, after that, Mira and I tried to knock Elfman out, but Mira got injured pretty badly. I barely caught her in time.' Said Natsu seriously, getting Erza to look at him strangely.
'With Mira out of action, I fought Elfman alone for a while, until Lisanna came back and tried to snap Elfman back to his senses. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and Elfman nearly sent Lisanna flying, if I hadn't intervened in time.' Said Natsu, getting Erza's eyes to widen.
'In any case, Elfman's hit hurt me pretty bad and actually caused my bone to break through my skin, but luckily, it stopped him.' Said Natsu, getting Erza to hitch her breath slightly.
'With no other option, I asked Mira to imbue one of her attacks with fire so I could regain my strength. Luckily, it worked, although not as I expected it to… but then, after that, I knocked out Elfman and we came home.' Finished Natsu with a grin.
Erza looked at Natsu in shock.
'I… I didn't think you were that strong.' Muttered Erza, as they finally reached the guild doors.
'If you are always trying to protect us, you'll never see how much we've grown.' Said Natsu, getting Erza's eyes to widen.
Natsu then opened the door, and blinked at the scene of destruction he had just come upon. Tables smashed to pieces, chairs and people strewn all over the place and in the middle of it all, was Mira, with her injured right arm bound up and a choking Happy in her left.
'Say it again, I dare you!' Hissed Mira, as the blue, slowly turning purple, cat, was being suffocated by her grip.
'H-he l-like-s y-you.' Muttered Happy, with a strained grin on his face, before passing out.
'Geez, what did Happy do now?' Asked Natsu, as he palmed his face.
'You!' Thundered Mira, glaring bloody murder at Natsu.
'Me?' Parroted Natsu in confusion.
Mira stomped over to Natsu, until she was within arm's reach, before she suddenly felt herself picked up by something long and hard.
'Ok, your turn for a talk. Erza, please make sure Happy doesn't die.' Said Natsu, before turning and leaving with Mira, wrapped up in his tail.
'*hmph* I thought that was my special thing.' Muttered Erza sourly, at the sight of Natsu carrying her rival out of the guild with his tail.
'Ok everyone, fix this guild up right now!' Ordered Erza.
'Yes Erza!' Chorused the whole guild in fear.
-line break-
'Natsu, put me down damn it!' Shouted Mira, as Natsu carried her through the forest.
'Nope.' Replied Natsu happily.
'I'm warning you.' Threatened Mira.
'You're injured, so don't try anything. I don't want you getting more injured.' Said Natsu.
'S-shut up.' Stuttered Mira, before looking away from Natsu.
Eventually, Natsu arrived at the same place he was, when Mira first asked him if he wanted to join them on that fateful job, and sat her down against the tree he had previously sat at.
'Now, is there any reason you were trying to kill Happy?' Asked Natsu, as his tail disappeared again and he crossed his arms.
'He was saying things he shouldn't have.' Said Mira simply, not meeting Natsu's gaze.
'Such as…' Prompted Natsu.
'That you kissed me, you jackass!' Shouted Mira.
'Hmm, why shouldn't he have said that? It happened, didn't it?' Asked Natsu, getting Mira to splutter.
'T-that's not the kind of thing you tell everyone!' Shouted Mira hotly.
'Was it bad? Did you not like it?' Asked Natsu curiously.
Mira looked away again with a huff.
'If it makes you feel better, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing.' Said Natsu, getting Mira to look at him again.
'W-what?' Mira asked in surprise.
'Yeah, it isn't like I just suddenly wanted to kiss you.' Elaborated Natsu.
'Why did you then?' Asked Mira quietly.
'Well, to be honest, I always did like you.' Confessed Natsu, getting Mira to gape.
'Since when?' Shouted Mira in shock.
'Hmm… maybe since I was twelve, or thirteen.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.
'W-why? I was always so mean to you.' Asked Mira, somewhat ashamed.
'Really? I thought you were just having fun. It's like with Igneel, we insulted each other all the time, but we still loved each other, it was just our weird way of showing it.' Said Natsu with a grin.
'But you never said anything mean to me.' Pointed out Mira.
'Hmm, I guess that's true… I just couldn't think of anything bad to say about you.' Said Natsu with a toothy smirk, which caused Mira to blush.
'I mean, I saw how kind you were with Lisanna and Elfman all the time, your cooking is great, even though I've only had it a few times. You never tried to force me to study like Erza, you're really strong too, plus you're really cool, after all, you let me go on my first S-Class job, which I won't ever forget.' Said Natsu happily.
Mira was speechless, not knowing what to say to all of that.
'Yeah… to be honest though, I probably would have never said anything because I was a little scared of how you'd react, plus, I never had the courage to do anything. However, thanks to the mission, I remembered some stuff I'd forgotten, so I was finally able to confess a little bit of how I felt about Fairy Tail's Demon.' Said Natsu with a laugh.
'So, what are you saying?' Asked Mira with a small blush.
'He likes you.' Teased Happy, as he flew between the two of them.
'Tonight I'm eating cat!' Shouted Mira, as she chased after Happy.
'He kissed you.' Taunted Happy, getting Mira to growl and start hurling insults at Happy
'Hmm, I guess that's what he said.' Muttered Natsu, as he watched an injured demon, try to catch a flying cat.