Location: Magnolia; Fairy Tail Guild

Inside the building, there was lots of chatter and laughter this early morning. A few mages enjoyed breakfast and drinking alcohol (courtesy of Cana, who was gulping down a barrel). A few other mages were either lazing around or were at the request board (courtesy of Nab) looking for a job.

Gray was bored, and he waited for Natsu to slam open the door, he was itching for a fight. Erza and Mira were at each other's throats that all mages wisely stayed away. Lisanna looked exaggerated at her sister's actions while Elfman was timidly uncertain as he watched his sister fight.

Suddenly the doors opened. Everyone looked up, expecting to see Natsu, his leg sticking out after kicking the door open, and yelling 'GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!' Instead, they were greeted by Happy, who dove in the bar and ordered a fish.

When the blue cat got his meal, he flew over to Lisanna and her brother before landing on her arms. Lisanna wrapped her slender arms around Happy, all while looking at the door, wondering where Natsu is.

"Hey, Happy, where's Natsu?" Asked Lisanna.

Happy threw the fishbone on the table before shrugging, "I don't know, I just woke up, and he was gone. He left me this note saying he's going to train and said I should stay with you."

Happy pulled out the small, not from his green backpack, and gave it to the white-haired teen. Lisanna took the note and read it, with Elfman peering over her shoulder.

'Happy,

I'm going out for a while to train. Not sure when I'll come back, but until I return, stay with Lisanna. ~Natsu

P.S. Tell everyone in the guild why I'm gone so that Gramps doesn't send Erza to hunt me down!'

Lisanna blinked before the note before another hand ripped it out of her hands, and she yelped. Erza read the piece of paper with Gray right behind her shoulder. Erza narrowed her eyes as she glanced up the door, almost as though she expected Natsu to come in.

The Fire Dragon Slayer never once came in to make an appearance.

Location: Heartfillia Estate; Dining Room

Once Lucy had put on one of the dresses the maids had given her, she went down to the dining room to eat breakfast. She was alone, but she was used to it. Her father spends his time in the office. Lucy sighed in dejection. It wasn't anything new; her father has been doing this for as long as she could remember. It wasn't that bad, as she had her mother with her then. But when her mom died unexpectedly, she was alone.

She doesn't have any friends, and her father rarely lets her out of the mansion. The staff in the manor were friendly and often kept an eye on her, but it didn't take away the loneliness.

She did have her Celestial keys, though. Her mother gave them to her, and whenever she had the time, she would secretly summon her spirits. She couldn't keep their gates open as long as she wanted, as her magic constantly was drained. But it did help fight off the loneliness, just a little bit.

Just as she finished her breakfast, a servant came in.

"Miss Lucy?" Lucy gave her attention to the servant, raising a curious eyebrow. "Your father wishes to speak to you."

Earlier…

Location: Heartfillia Estate; Jude's office

"Absolutely not!" Roared Natsu.

"But-"

"But nothing," Natsu said firmly as he glared harshly at Jude, and while the man didn't react on the outside, Jude felt an unpleasant chill run through his spine. "I'm here warning you what will happen if you continue to play this charade, and your only solution is to lock Lucy up in her room?!" Natsu looked both outraged and incredulous. "Absolutely not! If anything, you will continue to unintentionally encourage Lucy's desire to leave this mansion to explore the outside world."

Jude wanted to protest, but instead, he wisely remained quiet and pursed his lip. While he would never admit it, he knew that this young man was right. While he was skeptical about the whole time-traveling thing, the salmon-haired young man was right about Lucy's adventurous spirit.

He loved his daughter, he really did, but Lucy was Layla in more ways than just looks. It hurt. When his wife passed away, he couldn't look at his daughter. It was like Layla was looking through Lucy's eyes. He couldn't stand it, so he threw himself to work and pushed away his daughter so he even wouldn't look at her.

He hated himself for this, Jude had noticed Lucy's unhappiness. Jude realized that he had been acting very cruel to his only child. But he had been too prideful and ignorant to admit it. The Salmon-haired guy telling him about his estranged relationship with his daughter was a slap to the face. But it was all he needed for it to sink in finally.

He was a terrible father, and Jude had hurt his daughter in more ways than one.

Natsu saw Jude's expression, and his glare softened. "Jude…" The man didn't look at the younger man, and his head remained down. "I understand the pain of losing someone you love…" He would know, alright. He witnesses Igneel die in front of him. Including his guildmates, as he was the one who made their graves in his previous timeline,"...but to inflict pain on Lucy, it is unforgivable, and it would do nothing but destroy the both of you. There were other ways to grieve without any harm. Answer me this: what are you willing to sacrifice your life and time for your wealth and company or your family?"

Jude said nothing, but Natsu noticed that he had a thoughtful expression. The pink-haired teen could do nothing but shake his head and sigh. He'll allow Lucy's dad to let all this sink in. He needs to take care of other things anyway.

"Such as training." Natsu thought bitterly.

He walked towards the window behind Jude. He opened the glass panel and stuck his foot out, intending to leave.

"Wait."

Natsu pauses but doesn't move from his position. Jude, however, stood up and looked at the fire dragonslayer.

"I'll admit that your tales of time-traveling are farfetched," Jude inhaled. It took a blow to his pride while admitting this, "But I do care for Lucy's well being and happiness more than anything."

Natsu removed his foot from the window and looked back at the man. "It is a wise choice."' He looked up in the sky from the window. Jude remained silent as he watched Natsu. "When Lucy joined Fairy Tail, she made me feel things that I never knew I could. You already know that we would go on missions together. But what you don't know is that she often considered herself unworthy. Weak."

Natsu clenched his fists as he scowled in anger and disgust. Jude subconsciously took a step back from the angry time-traveler as his instincts yelled at him to run. He pushed them down as he listened to the man as his anger turned somber.

"I constantly told her that she was stupid for thinking like that. I'll admit that she wasn't the strongest in the guild, but her magic was amazing. Unique." Natsu's bags shadowed his eyes, and his fists tightened that it hurt. However, he didn't pay attention to the pain, "She was inexperienced and insecure. And her power could never match up to Erza, the Queen of Fairies. I try to often go with her on missions, but if anything, that was a mistake of mine."

"I protected her, yes… But I unintentionally prevented her from gaining more experience in fighting. Additionally, I prevented her from overcoming her weaknesses. Lucy lacked the necessary training and confidence. Because of my foolish mistake, Lucy wasn't ready for whatever came next and was killed by him..." Natsu said the word with such bitterness and hatred, but Jude couldn't blame him. He, too, was angry at the thought of his daughter getting killed by some madman.

Natsu slumped in defeat "... I want nothing more but to prevent this from happening again."

"What do you have in mind?" Jude finally spoke after a while.

Natsu looked at Jude with a serious expression. "I do not doubt that your daughter wants nothing more but freedom and eventually join Fairy Tail-"

"Are you suggesting that my daughter joins a bunch of hooligans?!"

Natsu glared at Jude, which made the man flinch and shut up. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting." When he saw the older man ready to protest, he raised his hand in front of him, effectively shutting him up. "I know nothing of how politicians or the upper-class work, but your daughter needs to join my guild. She isn't an ordinary high-class girl, and I'm not just talking about her magic."

"She is a natural-born mage. Meaning that she must practice her magic to become stronger. Additionally, she has an adventurous spirit, so being cooped up in this mansion won't have any effect on Lucy to clench down that spirit. Whatever she lacked in strength, she uses her intelligence to her advantage." Natsu's expression suddenly softened and spoke with fondness. "She also has made an effect on everyone. Including me… She was known as the Light of Fairies. Lucy was the comforting light over our darkest moments."

Jude wasn't sure what to say. The thought of Lucy joining a bunch of barbarians and mages sent him on edge. But there was no point in arguing. Natsu was right; his daughter was no ordinary girl. Lucy had picked up her magic from Layla's bloodline. It pained him to admit it, but Lucy was Layla in many ways, including her adventurous spirit.

"Very well…" Natsu perked up. "As much as I prefer that Lucy would remain here as my heiress and not go out to the unknown...I can not take away the little happiness my daughter has. However-!" Then for the first time since Natsu spoke to the man, his expression hardens, "Before I can allow Lucy to leave this mansion, you must follow to my terms."

Natsu narrowed his eyes but nodded for him to continue. However, he was not prepared for what happened next. One moment he was talking to Jude, and in the next, Natsu was surrounded by maids. The Dragon Slayer was so surprised over how he never noticed them that the maids easily dragged him out of Jude's office.

Now…

Location: Heartfilia Estate; Guest room

Natsu grumbled as he pulled on the collar of his suit. As soon as the maids dragged him here, they told him to wash up, groom himself, and put on this uncomfortable, expensive suit and shoes. He didn't bother putting on the tie, as he had no idea how. He could already picture Happy laughing at him for wearing this ridiculous monkey suit.

It was uncomfortably tight on him that his muscles were clinging on the material; it was slightly embarrassing. This was the best the maids could give him in short notice. But he shouldn't complain as he did wear a vest that exposed his upper body. The last time he wore a suit like this was back when the Princess threw a party after the whole eclipse gate.

He glanced at himself in the mirror. He wasn't good with fashion, nor did he understand it. But damn, did he look good despite the scar on his cheek. Although, in his personal opinion, the scar made him more attractive. He smoothed his salmon hair the best he could, but unfortunately, some of his hair wasn't having it and were peeking out.

Once he finished putting on the suit, he went outside, where an older maid was waiting for him. The older woman silently observes him before nodding in approval. She gestured to Natsu to follow her.

As Natsu followed the older maid through the halls to Jude's office, he took his time to look at the mansion. He frowned, deciding that he didn't like it here. Sure, the mansion was beautiful, but he felt an unpleasant feeling of loneliness. There was no warmth here that it sent shivers to his bones, despite that he couldn't physically feel the cold.

At least now, he understood why Lucy despised living here. The aura of this mansion was cold and lonely.

Once they reached the door to Jude's office, Natsu thanked the maid as she knocked on the door and said a few words. He heard a muffled voice telling him to enter. The maid opened the door and let him in before closing the door behind him. Natsu sharply inhaled when he saw the intriguing and surprised brown eyes of his long-deceased partner.

Location: Heartfilia Manor: Jude's Office

Time: A couple of minutes earlier

Lucy entered her father's office entrance. It had been a long time since she set foot in here. The last time she came here was when she was a little girl. She shivered as she pushed away from the painful memories. Now was not the time to remember; her father wanted to speak to her. For what reason, she wasn't sure, but she could only hope it was good.

Jude Heartfilia stood before her. His expression wasn't cold as it is typically, It was calm, if not a little soft. Lucy took it as a good sign and greeted her father.

"Father, why did you call for me?"

Jude's mouth and mustache twitched downward very slightly that Lucy almost missed it.

"Lucy, recently, it has come to my attention that I haven't been the best father." The man sighed tiredly.

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "Father…"

Jude raises a hand to keep her silent, "Let me speak child. I am nothing more than ashamed, and I do not doubt that if your mother were still alive, she would have my .head." He chuckled slightly. Lucy's mouth twitched upward slightly as Jude went around his desk and sat down.

"My point is that I made so many mistakes. I would've never realized how my actions impacted you had it not been by someone who pointed it out for me."

Lucy narrowed her eyes in curiousness. "Who was this person?" She asked

Jude replied, "a… friend." That man had an uncomfortable look as he was somewhat hesitant to call the Salmon-haired a friend. Honestly, he had no idea how he felt towards Natsu to call him a friend, but it currently wasn't essential to think about.

Lucy decided to drop it for now. It was more likely a member of the staff. Still, she had to figure out who was the person who was brave enough to confront her father.

"Getting back on track, my friend made me realize that I've been a terrible man after your mother's passing. But nothing more is disgraceful than learning that I had been cruel to my own daughter. I wanted to apologize for my vicious behavior."

Lucy noticed how her father's expression turned uncomfortable before it shifted into remorse and shame.

"Father..." Lucy was speechless. What could she tell her father anyway?

Jude waved at her, "No need to speak, child. I'm not asking for your forgiveness, and God knows how much I messed up. No, what I'm here for is to make up for my mistakes."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the voice of a maid rang out. "Mr. Heartfilia, Mr. Dragneel, is ready."

Luy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Lucy had her gaze at the door, very interested in who this 'Dragneel' was. Jude, however, nodded, "Sent him in."

The door opened, and a young man walked in. Lucy was intrigued by his figure. He had pink hair that was neatly done, and his impressive physique took her breath. He wasn't overly bulky; he had more of a lean build, which she found attractive. The muscles were clinging into the material of the tux, which threatens to tear apart. He looked a little over her age, and his eyes were hardened as though he witnessed many horrors. The ragged scar on his and tattoos on his face would generally drive a high-class girl away with disgust. But to Lucy, she couldn't help but feel more attracted to him.

Lucy was taken out of her musing when the young man walked over to her. He put up his hand and said, "Hello, my name's Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer. Just call me Natsu."

He genuinely smiled, Lucy noticed. There was no hint of snobbishness or arrogance in his eyes, rather there was kindness yet they were filled with power; it was quite refreshing. If her father planned to marry her off with him, she wouldn't mind. Natsu was more kind and modest compared to those arrogant suitors she had met. Not to mention, he is quite the catch in the eye.

He shook her hands with him, smiling kindly at him, "Lucy Heartfilia."

Both teens turned their attention to Jude.

"Natsu, here is a mage from Fairy Tail," Jude said, and Lucy's eyes widened.

Fairy Tail? It had always been her dream as a child to join Fairy Tail. But while she was excited that a Fairy Tail member was right beside her, she was suspicious of why her father summoned him. Lucy knew that her father wasn't fond of mages. Her mother was the only exception.

Seeing that Jude was hesitating to speak, he took over, "Your father summoned me and told me of your Celestial magic. I must say, I'm impressed."

Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "You know about Celestial Magic?"

Natsu shrugged, "I know little about it. But surely you heard of Karen of Blue Pegasus, right?"

"Speaking of Karen… I think I need to pay a visit to the mage's grave…"

How could Lucy not? She has heard of Blue Pegasus's Celestial Mage. It was said that she was the only Celestial mage to join a guild. Despite reading from Sorcerer Magazine how powerful Karen was before her death, there had been rumors that she wasn't kind towards her Spirits and often abused them. That had horrified the blond-haired teen as she could never picture herself being cruel to her Spirits.

Not finding her voice, Lucy nodded. Natsu smiled gently at her, "I proposed to your father about taking you to join Fairy Tail. He disagreed at first-"

"...-But eventually Mr. Dragneel convinced me otherwise." Jude finally found his voice to speak. "Mr. Dragneel-" Natsu grimace at the formality, "...-had told me that you are a natural-born mage at both body and soul. A mage must push themselves to get stronger." Jude shook his head but had a fond smile on his face. "I would have preferred if you stay here as my heiress Lucy, but you are so much like your mother. You have that same fire, determination, and stubbornness she had. It will be a shame if such an opportunity is gone to waste."

Lucy's jaw dropped.

"I reluctantly agreed to this plan, in the condition he trains you before you join Fairy Tail. At least until you turn sixteen."

Natsu took her hands, and Lucy couldn't help but to blush at the innocent gesture. His hand was bigger than her own and the texture of his skin was rougher compared to her small soft hands. These were evidence of an experienced mage and Lucy felt butterflies on her stomach. She looked up and was staring at the black onyx eyes with a shade of green. Lucy blushed slightly at the fire and determination that burned through Natsu's eyes.

"Unfortunately, I must take my leave for the time being. But I will return in about a month to pick you up. I suggest you use this time to patch things up with your father and prepare yourself for the long and harsh training trip. I promise you, Luce, that It will all be worth it in the end. "

They hardly knew each other, and he had given her a nickname on the spot. She liked it. And for the first time in years, she could feel as though the future was finally starting to brighten up.

Later...

Location: Outside Heartfilia Estate

Natsu had taken off the suit in a hasty manner the moment he was out of the Heartfilia property. He would have preferred to rip it into shreds or even burn it into ash. But he restrained himself from doing it because he refuses to have the maids harass him to wear something elegant whenever he visits.

He stripped to his underwear and stuffed the uncomfortable suit and shoes in his bag. Natsu put on his usual baggy pants and sandals with his signature scarf wrapped around his neck. But he replaced his vest with a one-sleeve coat that looked similar to the one he wore at the previous timeline.

No doubt, the guild would be questioning his sudden change of wardrobe, but he couldn't help it. It's been a while since he wore a vest that exposed his upper chest, so it felt rather strange. Besides, he needed to hide most of his markings and scars from the guild as they would be questioning his sudden change in his physical appearance.

But he still was not out of the woods yet. His right hand still contained his demonic markings, and his rugged scar would be challenging to explain. The injury was not fresh, so his guildmates would be questioning what happened, and he couldn't exactly say that he gained his battle scar filled body from fighting Zeref and Tartaros.

The best he could do is go out and train for a couple of weeks and say that he got his scars from fighting beasts and other monsters. And as for his markings, he would just say that he went to a regular tattoo shop. Though he better be prepared for Erza's wrath as she doesn't exactly approve of these kinds of things.

He couldn't help himself from finding humor over the fact that he was still afraid of Erza. He was magically and physically stronger than the S-rank mage, yet the Titania held that scary aura that would even make the most barbaric beasts fall to their knees.

But despite the danger ahead, he couldn't get rid of that smile on his face. After all, being dead for over a month, it was just like if he arose from the grave. The sudden reminder brought a damp to his mood. His partner whom he considered his best friend and love interest is dead. The Lucy Heartfilia he bonded with and fell in love with was still dead in the original timeline.

The Lucy Heartfilia, in this new timeline, doesn't know him. As far as he was concerned, Natsu was a stranger to the blond, and it felt as though his heart was impaled.

He reminded himself that she was the Lucy Heartfilia he knew. But this was just before either of them met. If he plays his cards right, then not only will Lucy be more reliable than she ever was in the previous form timeline, but he'll once again rebuild the bond they shared.

"...and if I'm lucky, she will fall in love with me again."

He needed to stop brooding over Lucy. He had more important things to take care of than his love life or his previous life. It was already a risk talking to Jude about His and Lucy's relationship. Though Makarov only said not to tell anyone about the war and genocide. He never said anything about changing the lives of his friends. That alone was one of many risks for changing the timeline and who knows what changes would happen. But there is nothing he could do now, what's done is done. Besides, despite being told by gramps not to tell anyone, he couldn't do this alone. He needed to find a way to contact Mystogan as soon as possible.

Once he was sure that he was alone, he thrust his hand in front of him. Natsu resisted the urge to flinch when he heard his voice sound more demonic.

"OPEN! GATE OF HELL!"

There was a flash of infernos flames, and suddenly, a gate slowly lowered itself in front of Natsu. The gate was made of fire-resistance steel of sorts. The metal was chiseled of demons, and suffering souls, while fire engulfed the gate. Slowly, the gates opened and all Natsu saw was the fire of hell.

Natsu realized a sharp breath at sight. In his opinion, no other element will ever be more beautiful and delicious than fire. As Igneel once told him, fire can have different meanings. It can be a symbol of strength and hope when appropriately used. But if the flames of fire get out of control, then there is nothing but destruction and despair. But even after devastation, there will always be resurrection, rebirth, as new life grows underneath the ashes.

It was breathtaking, but now was not the time for him to gaze at the gates like a rare jewel. Without another thought, he entered, and the door closed behind him and disappeared. The only evidence of the gate being here were burn marks all over the ground.

Location: Heartfilia manor

Lucy was in her room, watching from the window as Natsu's form disappeared from view. She was slightly disappointed that she had to wait before she could join Fairy Tail. But Natsu was right about using this month to patch up her strained relationship with her father.

She placed her hands on her chest. Lucy won't lie; she felt strange around Natsu. It was a good kind of strange. She felt safe, as though the Fire Dragonslayer will always protect her. Not to mention the dreaded feeling of attraction she had towards the good looking teen.

She won't deny it; she gained a tiny crush on Natsu. The way he spoke with her, the voice was both deep and husky, it almost caused her to swoon. His impressive physique made her feel giddy and had resisted the urge to rub her hands on the stiff muscles and rigged scar. And his eyes... god his eyes, they were intense and glistened at her as though she was someone very important. It brought her a bit of an ego boost honestly.

But Lucy knew that she was merely attracted to him physically; it is those damn hormones fault. Lucy only scowls in embarrassment. She hates that she had to go through puberty.

But she had nothing to worry about. A crush is just that: a crush, which means that they won't last long, and she'll eventually get over him hopefully before he returns to get her. Otherwise, she'll die from embarrassment. She'll worry about a silly crush another time, though. She has to hit the library to finish her studies. And later in the afternoon, her father wants her to join him for lunch so they can have a long-awaited chat.

Location: Unknown; Karen's Grave.

There was a beautiful waterfall surrounding the rocky cliff. Rocks were everywhere, and there was a single jutting spike of the earth that poked out about halfway down the cliff face. At the very tip of the cliff rested a grave. At the center of the tomb were bold words, "Karen Lilica."

Some footsteps echoed. They stopped when they reached the grave. Natsu's blank expression turns to one of disgust as his nose could pick up a repulsing smell coming out of this tombstone. Apparently, there was another side effect of being part of a demon. He didn't know whether to find it useful or annoying, but he'll worry about it later. Right now, he had bigger things to fry.

"Though your soul is being mauled and burned in the deepest corners of hell, your decomposed body is giving off a repulsing stench. I can smell the stench of your greed, selfishness, cruelty, and sadistic nature." His eyes darkened, "It is insulting for a cruel woman like yourself to reside in a beautiful place like this…But I supposed it can't be helped, you were a part of Blue Pegasus."

Natsu shivered as he thought about Master Bob and his advances. He needed to stop, the last thing he wanted was to get nightmares.

He took off his backpack and dug into it. He pulled out the book of E.N.D. and scanned through the pages.

"My demonic blood is capable of killing an enemy on my command...I wonder if it's possible to do that…"

Before he could find the information he was looking for, he suddenly felt someone's presence behind him. On instincts, he summoned his sword and turned back. He pointed his sword at them menacingly, but his composure slackened. Natsu was surprised to see someone he hasn't seen in over a month.

"Loke?"

Indeed it was the Celestial Spirit. However, something was wrong here. He wasn't in human form wearing the green coat, with a light red shirt underneath, black pants, and whitish sneakers. Instead, he was in his celestial form, wearing that tacky suit with a red tie.

Loke had a grim look as though he remembered a bad memory. "It's been a long time Natsu."