A/N: Wow, I can't believe we've hit 10 chapters! Thank you for all of your continuous support! Really appreciate it! ^u^ Enjoy! (EDIT: This chapter is an edit. I've changed the Natsu Mira interaction to be slightly longer, and more enjoyable. Thanks, AkumaNisshoku for the friendly advice! )
Will it be okay?
Natsu – when will you realize that love does not exist in this world? Weakling - Come to your senses, and prove yourself. Do not disappoint me again
The sound of the Dragon King echoed in his mind. He couldn't get the harsh words out of his mind. You couldn't be any more wrong, he thought.
Do not listen to him. Remember what I taught you. Natsu – your purpose in this world, is to protect the ones around you. Live peacefully. Be good, okay?
The Fire Dragon's voice entered his senses.
That incompetent fool knows nothing of what he is talking about! You have sinned in the past! No matter what you do, you will never atone for them. Listen to the Black Dragon. Embrace your powerful side; let us rule this world together.
The last voice was one that he didn't recognize. Who are you?
I am you. You are me. We are one. Just know that listening to me is your best option. It will come a time when you will face a great enemy. He will be stronger than you can ever imagine. Listen: Without my power, you will never be able to defeat him, and severe losses and consequences will be suffered.
Flashbacks began to play in his head. He recalled the deaths of all the dragons he had killed in the past. In their eyes was a unified look of despair and horror. They all turned their attention towards him, and their eyes turned into looks of anger, hatred, and loathing. Several voices of the fallen spoke at once: This is entirely your fault. The images flashed to scenery that Natsu had never seen before. His surroundings were a dull plain with nothing but dragon skulls and their decomposing bodies. He was standing underneath what seemed to be the remains of a dragon's ribcage, acting as a prison cell for him. He was trapped. The only thing he could do was watch and observe as the world crumbled around him, as a result of what he had done.
That's right. This is a result of what YOU'VE done in the past! You're a threat to mankind, you've committed a crime against humanity, went on a genocidal path against dragons. Do you really think that anyone would ever forget that?
' ?
You can be with me, or act like a fool, it's your choice. But, in the end, I strongly advise you to take up on my offer, and together, we can construct a new universe.
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Natsu's eyes shot open. After observing his surroundings, he remembered where he was. So it was all a bad dream. But it also seemed so surreal? A chill crept up his spine as he recalled the last encounter in his dream. That voice – it seemed so familiar, yet so estranged. Who was that? He rubbed his eyes, and stood up, trying to forget what he had seen in his nightmare. Glancing down at his lap he spotted Lucy with her head rested on his right leg. She seemed to be at ease, her soft breaths indicated that she was having a rather peaceful dream. He smiled, before reaching his hand down and gently flicking her button-like nose. She's like an adorable younger sister. Don't worry. I'll protect you, no need to be afraid when I am around. Careful not to stir her awake, Natsu gently lay her head on the smooth surface of the grass. Happy was curled up next to her, probably engulfed in his own fantasies of fish, and other extravagant foods that cats and Exceeds enjoy. The cool air of the dawn breezed past his skin, cooling down his anxiety from the nightmare. He breathed in the fragrant scents of nature around him. Peaceful moments like this one don't come by easily for Fairy Tail Wizards. Igneel, if only you were here to experience the joy of peace and living with me again. I miss you. The wizard smiled sadly and wrapped his hands around a scaly scarf that surrounded his neck. With his Water Dragonslayer abilities, the pinkhead summoned a sphere of water and crashed it into the stream of water that flowed throughout the forest. Fish came jumping out, some of which landed on the ground. He collected the fish he had caught and returned to his friends sitting near the campsite. He blew a tiny flame onto the pile of bark, twigs, and logs sitting under the fish, and began cooking them.
Gently shaking the girl, and the Exceed, he softly urged, "Lucy, Happy, time to wake up. We've got to return to the guild." Happy was the first one to stir, as he began to lift his head into the air as if to sniff a special scent. "Fiiiish" he muttered sheepishly. "Fish!" he exclaimed a second time, with more energy, as he saw the organized array of his favorite food sitting near the campfire. "Did you do this Natsu?" His friend nodded. "AYE!" He flew over to the pile, picked a fish, and began to munch on it, savoring its tastiness.
When Lucy awoke, they packed up their things, and headed towards the guild, taking a shortcut towards the forest. Of course Lucy didn't do her own walking- instead, she had summoned the clock spirit, Horologium, and taken refuge inside of his grandfather clock case.
Suddenly, Natsu detected a rustle in a nearby bush. "Watch out." He warned the two behind him. With astonishing speed, he launched himself towards the bush, and moments later, came out with a half-naked mage in his hands. His name was Gray Fullbuster.
"Gray?" Natsu scratched his head in confusion. "What are you doing here? Were you on a mission or something?"
The ice-maker mage nodded, before quickly adding, "Can you put me down now?"
Realizing he still had the ice-mage within his grasp, the Dragonslayer quickly let go of his collar, before apologetically replying "Yea, of course. Sorry about that."
"I better get back to the guild" Gray looked around worriedly before standing up and regaining his cold, calm persona. "And I suggest that you do, too. Erza's coming back soon."
The pinkhead looked at Gray for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "Erza? Ahahahah! That name used to scare me a bit, Gray, but not anymore. I can take on Erza any day now. She may still be the older sister in many cases, but I can afford to not be afraid like you, Ice Princess."
"Gildarts is coming with her." The ice mage added.
"Ooooh, GILDARTS! I'm so afraid" Natsu mocked, not realizing who Gildarts was, "What's GILDARTS going to do to me- Wait, GILDARTS? Did you say, GILDARTS?" the pinkhead began to realize who Gray was referring to. "Ok then! We better head back soon! We don't want Gildarts to worry now, do we? Ahahah, no, sir! Let's go, buddy! Better show Gildarts what good friends I've become with you and Laxus! Oh yeah, definitely!"
He picked up Happy in his arm and began to run off. "Oh yeah, let's go Happy! We don't want Gildarts to be waiting, do we?" Lightning Dragon Secret Art – Flash-Bolt Speed! He transformed into a bolt of lightning and zipped into the distance.
Lucy looked at Gray, and they both sighed as they began to follow the path towards the guild, expecting to arrive much later than the Dragonslayer.
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As they approached the hill that stood near the guild, they began to hear the sounds of a battle. Magic Chants were being shouted out, and they knew it involved their comrade when they heard his signature teleportation tactic. Chaotic Void! Speeding up to help the Dragonslayer, they quickly realized that something didn't seem right. Lucy held her hand in front of Gray. "Natsu is really strong, right?"
"Yea, so what's your point?"
"There are two things that might be happening right now. One, he could be genuinely having trouble. But then we wouldn't be able to help him much. The second case I can think of is that he's only toying with them, which I think is the more likely scenario"
After thinking it over, they decided the best course of action was to hide and further assess the situation. The Dragonslayer didn't seem to be using much magic power, and his expressions told them that he was using minimal effort. Sand Bomb! One of the attackers unleashed a swirling mass of sand towards Natsu. The matter enveloped itself around the pinkhead's body.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out in worry.
"There's no need to worry" Gray spoke out. "This little bit of sand won't be enough to stop our Salamander."
As if on cue, Natsu erupted from the ball of sand, splattering it in all directions. "That's it! Now you've made me angry by getting all of that sand in my mouth!" Smashing his fists together, Natsu gave a wicked grin. "You ready for your beatdown?" The goblin who had previously launched the sneak attack at the Dragonslayer now began to feel his legs shaking. How was he able to break out from my Sand Bomb? I've worked years to train that skill!
A chilling voice came from behind him. "You should probably be paying more attention to your surroundings during a fight like this!" Ice-Make FIST! The ground beneath them shook, as a large crystallized knuckle burst beneath the sand wizard's location, and knocked him into the air. Gray, who had somehow managed to lose his clothes already, leaped into the air and delivered a heavy kick to the goblin looking creature, knocking it into a tree. "That's one down, 4 to go!"
But Natsu was already taking care of it. Lucy watched his elegance and the gracefulness in his form as his fist collided with the rooster-looking monster. Purple Lightning! From his hands sparked a violent purple current, as he smashed his fists together. "Prepare to be shocked!" Lightning Dragon's Secret Art: Circle of Divine Punishment! A purple magic circle appeared underneath three of the enemies. "Ahh! We can't get out! What sorcery is this?!" Bolts of Purple began to strike down from the cloud hovering above them. Natsu contributed to the fury of the purple strikes with his own attacks. With the purple energy still in his hands, he lunged for the final enemy. Pounding his fists together, he smashed them atop the enemy's head. "That was the last of 'em. Heh heh" the Dragonslayer chuckled to himself, admiring his work. The enemies were tied together to a tree trunk.
"What guild are you from?" Gray demanded, stomping his foot against the tree trunk, threateningly.
"They're with Eisenwald" the blonde pointed at the guild mark imprinted on the bandits' arms.
One of them began to speak through his injuries. "L- lu – Lulla" Lucy leaned in towards him to try and better understand his words. "Lullaby i-is com-ing"
"Lullaby?" she inquisitively repeated after him. "What's tha-"
A black shadow zipped past the wizards, catching the team off guard. "What was that?" the Dragonslayer was amused. "Let me catch up to it!" Shadow Dragon Secret Art: Depth of the Shadows! Blending in with the ground, Natsu took on the form of a patch of blank on the floor. But he was too late. The mysterious figure had already transformed into the shape of a hand and grabbed the tied up enemies from underneath. Along with the trunk of the tree, they dissipated into thin air. The shadow fled, escaping their sights within seconds.
"Whoa, that was fast. But, I think if I'd been more prepared, I would have caught up to him easily!"
With their newfound suspicions that something terrible was coming, they temporarily rested their uneasiness to deliver the important news to the rest of Fairy Tail.
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The doors of the guild blasted open. "We're back!" the pinkhead cried out with enthusiasm. "Geez, do you always have to make such a grand entrance?" The one who questioned the Dragonslayer was none other than Cana Alberona; a woman with dressing habits similar to Gray's who was also quite fond of alcohol. "Eheh – Sorry about that!" Natsu smiled apologetically.
"It's just like you – always acting so childish! Sheesh – when will you grow up?"
Natsu's eyes flared with annoyance. "What'd you say, Ice Princess? Care to say it louder a second time?" he spoke in a patronizing tone as if mocking the Ice-Wizard for his presumed incompetence.
"Bring it ON! I'm not afraid of you!"
"Oh really? After your last beatdown? C'mere. I'll teach you a lesson."
Gray charged up his magic power. Ice-Make: War Hammer! Focusing his attack on his rival, the ice wizard swung his gigantic weapon with equaled- force. To his dismay, and not to the surprise of everyone else in the guild, Natsu effectively avoided the attack. The truth is, the guild had already witnessed Grey challenging their powerful Dragonslayer multiple times, to almost no success with each attempt. "It's kind of sad, but also kind of hopeful in some ways, seeing how hard he's trying" one of the observers commented.
"Alright, pal, playtime's over." Natsu grinned. Light Dragon's Re-quip: Gungnir of Light! A spear of light appeared in his right hand. "Heh heh" Light Dragon's Secret Art: Daybreak! He produced a replica of his weapon that glowed a much stronger white light. He pushed the spear through the guild hall with the power of his palm – landing it in front of Gray.
"I thought I was a goner-"Gray mumbled.
"Challenge me when you're stronger, bud. I'm sure you'll do better next time" Natsu offered his opponent a helping hand, to help him get up. "No hard feelings – I'd be happy to fight you again at any time."
"FIGHTING?" a voice echoed down the guild hall. "Did someone just say – fighting?" Most of the guild hall froze. Cana's barrel dropped to the floor. Wakaba's pipe was on the table. Nab was at least 15 feet away from the Request board. Vijeeter was nowhere to be seen. Gray's magic instantly vanished. The air stood still, as the room's tension seemed to arise. The causation of the elevated levels of fear was a red-haired girl heavily protected with armor.
"Is th- that Erza?" Lucy shakily nodded towards the knight's direction, while standing as close as she could to Mirajane, who had been calmly cleaning watching Natsu and Gray's fight, though truthfully, it was more of a one-sided knockout. With a small giggle, she replied, "yep! That's Erza! She's one of the strongest female wizards in Fairy Tail! Most of the guild members are afraid of her – I'd say only about 3 people are around her level or stronger in this room. One of those people is Natsu!" After seeing Mira's signature smile, Lucy was somewhat reassured. "She looks – pretty? Why is everyone so afraid?"
As if on cue, the redhead began to speak. "I've heard some things, and it's that Fairy Tail is causing nothing but trouble these days! Master Makarov may not care, but I certainly do! Cana! I see you've stopped drinking for once – What's this? A half-full barrel? What do you think lying to me will do about your unhealthy addiction?" Her tone was one that established order, and superiority. It made you want to be on her good side. "Wakaba! I see you still haven't quit the pipe addiction. No wonder your wife is divorcing you. Pull yourself together!" A faint "Yes ma'am" escaped the victim's lips. "W-wow, she's really digging into everyone" Lucy observed the scene in front of her with fear for the guild and admiration for Erza. "Are Natsu and Gray here?"
"Oh yes! We're super great friends, right, Natsu?" Gray shakily responded while holding onto Natsu's arm.
"No, screw off Gray. Nobody wants to be friends with you. Well, not publicly, anyway. " he shoved the half-naked teen away. Too intimidated by Erza's presence, the ice wizard decided to simply stay put.
"Now now, Natsu, that's not very nice, is it? Need we settle this by taking it outside?"
"Heh heh" the Dragonslayer smirked, "My pleasure" With those words, the Dragonslayer launched the first attack. Fog of Confusion! He clapped his hands together, producing a thick cloud of black smoke, obscuring the vision of everyone unfortunate enough to be within a 10 feet radius of the knight. "How about a little fire to heat things up?" Fire Dragon's: Brilliant Flame!
From the mass of black and impossible vision, a loud, confident voice revealed the Scarlet Knight's form of magic. Re-quip! Flame Empress' Armour! She appeared in plates covering her forearms, chest, abdomen, and thighs, with flame-like patterns covering the pieces of armor. "Now I won't take any fire damage. Bring it on!"
"Ahaha – Erza, you are too foolish. Have you forgotten that I can use multiple elements?"
Shadow Dragon's Roar!
Re-quip: Purgatory Armour! She came back covered in a dark hood. Covered in black, she was ready to take on any attacks from the darkness.
"Very well – Erza, it seems that you have learned from last time. Preparing multiple armors to defend against different attacks of mine from different elements. Very smart move. But I have a trick up my sleeve too. As far as I know, I've only demonstrated this once. I don't think any of you remember. But I can use Multiple Elements – at once."
Yes, yes yes! It was that voice again. Show her your power! Show her you are not one to be messed with!
Show her your place ABOVE her! She is no match for you! Let her cripple in despair, as we climb up another rung of our ladder of success. Demonstrate that YOU are in charge here. Let me handle the attacks from now on!
Erza's eyes widened at the new piece of information. If he decides to launch an attack containing more than one element, I'm screwed! Trying to sound confident, she decided to try a bluff. "Oh, yea? I bet you didn't know this either. I have armors that defend against dual elements, as well! Can you blast me with three at once?"
The bluff seemed to have achieved its maximum effect. Natsu looked a bit surprised by her sudden retaliation in this battle of the wits. But there was something about his face that she was worried about. His eyes, they remained unchanged. Although the rest of his facial features had shifted, his eyes had the same calculating look to them. His unreadable poker-face eyes that were shown when he was analyzing an opponent. Then, his expression returned to its confident self. Crap. He knows how he's going to finish me off. It couldn't be. Did he see through my bluff? Or even worse, can he… really use three elements at once?
Frozen Shadow Dragon's Shocking ROAR! (Damn when he gets to combine like 5 elements, he'll have to be announcing a tongue twister each time, huh? :p) Unleashing a twist of black, yellow, and cyan towards the still shaken Erza, the Dragonslayer knew that he had the vantage point. "Alright Erza, you think you're so smart? Well, looks like you won't be able to defend against this!"
A fist came crashing towards his attack, meeting it head-on. No way, is she really strong or stupid enough to face my attack head on? Maybe I did go a bit overboard. There's no way she'll survive that unscathed. She might get gravely injured! But it's too late. I'm sorry Erza! What do I do? Then it happened.
He was expecting her to fly back into the guild walls. Her armor would have taken a great hit, if not crumbled entirely. But, when he opened his eyes, he was met with something even more magnificent and astonishing than he had witnessed before. Rather than evaporating under the sheer magic power of his attack, the first broke it into pieces. His torrent of powerful energy broke off into chunks, and collapsed onto the floor, before dissipating into the air. This magic, it reminds me of … Looking up to confirm if his thoughts were true, he was met with the harshest of realities. Uh oh, it's Gildarts!
"Natsu, what do you think you're doing, unleashing such a ruthless attack against a fellow guild member?" the look of disappointment on his face was terrifying to look at. Oh no, what's he going to do? His vision began to blur, as the facial features of the Crash-wizard became hazy and less clear to him. Before Natsu could come up with an answer, he acted out of impulse. "You can't tell me what to do anymore, old man! I'm going to defeat you! Now!" Why did I just say that? That's stupid! He felt himself channeling his magic energy into an attack. It was a deadly one. No, no, Natsu, abort! Abort! What are you doing?!
Embrace this power! Kill him to prove yourself as the strongest member of Fairy Tail! Take his power, and become even stronger than before! Feed into this strength! Feeling himself mutter the words of the attack that killed his very own father, his emotions plunged into a perilous state of almost no return. Chaos Dragon's Secret Art: AXE OF BLACK EXECUTION –CURSE OF ETERNAL SUFFERING! It was a black magic curse. One that doomed its victim to a slow, painful death, and an afterlife of infinite and absolute hell. Gildarts, no! Not like this! The room was swirling around him as it slowly faded to black. To his relief, Natsu was out cold before he remembered finishing the spell.
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When he awoke again, the pinkhead was laying down in the infirmary. "What- wha- GILDARTS!" Climbing out of his bed, Natsu dashed into the guild hall, hoping that he hadn't done anything too harmful. To his relief, the Dragonslayer found the man he thought he had killed peacefully chugging down on a cup of beer by the bar, talking with Mirajane. As they both saw him approaching, Mirajane was the first to run by his side. "Natsu! Are you okay? Why did you walk out of the infirmary?
"Mira?" He looked at the girl that had been his greatest companion for as long as he could remember. "Come with me" Pulling on her arm, he guided her to one of the more secluded places of the guild. There was no way he was going to speak to Gildarts after what he had done. There was no way that he could.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked with concern written over her face.
"Just, come with me. I've got something to tell you."
He held on to her hand, and paused for a moment. I wonder if she can survive in the void. It's worth a try.
Chaotic Void!
They appeared in a long corridor. "What IS this place?" she worriedly inquired, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar area.
"This" he spoke stoically, "is the void. Well, to be more exact, it's my own personal void, with accumulated doorways to familiar spots. This is how my teleportation magic works." He explained the functionality of 'Chaotic Void' and proceeded to lead her to a door. On it was written "Coffee Room". Gallantly opening the door, he purred, "Milady." Laughing a bit to herself at his feigned seriousness, Mirajane decided to do some teasing. "Wow, such gentlemanliness. I'd marry a person like you! So sweet, so handsome, so considerate." His face notably reddened to match the color of his hair.
"Just go in already"
"Alright, alright"
Inside was, a rather – average looking room? "Wow Natsu, you have a pretty – normal looking home?"
"Haha – home? Nah, this is just a resting place for when I get tired while here."
He was playing it off in a joking, his actions seemed normal, but yet, there was something that seemed off about him. He was sweating. His eyes were telling a different story. Natsu was definitely nervous.
"Tell me – What's wrong?"
Natsu's jokester persona seemed to have instantly left him alone. He was sitting there, no uttering a sound. Looks like I've hit a sensitive string Mirajane thought to herself. He sat himself down closer to her, before wrapping his arms around her.
Should I tell her? I don't know if she can handle it. After all, it's been so long since I've told anyone. Should I tell her – the full thing? No. I'm only going to tell her what happened today.
He felt his mouth move, and slowly, his words began to come out. "I don't feel like myself. I haven't been, since this morning. I heard voices in my head – and they-"
Mirajane's eyes began to close. Why am I so dizzy? I can't feel myself breathing…
The Dragonslayer looked at her with genuine concern. Right! How can I be so stupid? She can't stay in the void for as long as I can! "Mira!" he cried out. Quickly scooping her into her arms, Natsu dashed off into the corridor, and opened the door with the sign "home" attached to it.
When he emerged from the portal of his Chaotic Void, he laid her down on a couch. Getting a towel, he dipped it in cold water, and brought the towel to her face. Gently, he pressed the towel on her right cheek, before dabbing it on her lower chin, gradually making his way across her face. He then doused the towel again, before gently placing it on her forehead. You better be okay Mira. I don't know what I would do without you.
Her eyelids slowly opened. Taking in her new surroundings, she saw a nice clean home, and one that reeked a terrible odor. Smells just like Natsu. "Are you feeling a bit better?" a voice called to her. Tilting her head towards the source of the sound, Mirajane saw the man she was thinking about sitting at the edge of his chair, eagerly waiting for her response.
"Yes" she spoke softly. "I just felt a bit dizzy back there."
"IT's all my fault" he began to clench his fists, "I should've known that being in the void for long period of time would be detrimental to your health! It won't happen again, I promise."
As she tried to get up, he held up his hand. "No, stay. Lie down, you need rest. We can talk like this."
"As I was saying, I didn't really feel like myself earlier today." The Dragonslayer continued, "There we these voices in my head, telling me that I was a dangerous person to be around, that one day, I'd ultimately hurt the guild. I could see the imagery in my head. And today, in the guild, I feel like my actions may show my potential threat to everyone else."
Mirajane looked at the one sitting down beside her. "Of course not! You were just a bit too careless, is all. You never had the intention to harm anyone!"
"I hurt him! I tried to use a black magic spell on him! I wasn't consciously trying to do it, I swear! But I could feel myself doing the actions, chanting the words. It was as if another me was forcing me to do the actions while I was only able to watch. I'm scared, Mira. What if I turn back into a ruthless killer? What if I hurt everyone at the guild?"
"Trust me. Natsu, even after hearing about everything you've done, I don't think you can truly blame everything on yourself. You had a terrible first influence to guide you on a way to live, and you've been through a lot. It's going to be alright; you've found a permanent family now."
Pulling him closer, she couldn't help but feel the sadness he carried in his words. That's just like Natsu, always thinking about the guild and everyone he loves.
"What if I hurt – you, Mira? I'd never want anything bad to happen to you!"
Her heart skipped a beat as she heard those words. "I-"
"Don't say anything, please. I don't want to live in a world of hurt, whether it's caused by me or not. Just let me have this moment." They stayed still, locked in an embrace. Seconds past, minutes, their exchange seemed to last beyond the limits and boundaries of time itself. Something doesn't seem right. Should I ask him about my flashbacks of his past? Should I ask his relationship to the black dragon?
"You're not telling me everything, are you?" she was surprised by her own accusation.
"I'm, that's all I have to say, what more do you want-" He definitely looked surprised by the sudden inquiry. Something was up.
"Your life before Fairy Tail. I want to know all about that. For some reason, I have a feeling that what you have been telling me and the rest of the guild isn't the truth" she continued.
"Why would you think that?"
Thinking about the heaviness in her options, Mirajane ultimately decided to reveal to him her usage of her powers to slightly see into his past. "My demon, Sitri, she says that you've slain dragons before. Looking into her memory, I can clearly see that. The take down of the large Ice Dragon. What is th-"
"So this is what it's about" He got up, walking to the other side of the room, as if to think over his words, before seating himself back next to her.
"You won't understand."
"How can I understand if I don't know – if you don't tell me?"
"There are things better left undiscovered."
"I don't like the way you're talking – why hold it all to yourself? Let the guild help you!"
"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE, THERE ARE SOME TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO JUST FUCK OFF!" He jolted at the sound of his own voice. "I, I'm sorry – Listen, I didn't mean to-"
"It's ok." Mirajane got up, pushing his hand away. "I, went a bit too deep, didn't I? Maybe I should've given you some personal thinking space."
"Yea, it's – "
"Complicated?" her voice emitted a tone of defeat and uncaring. "Yea, I get it. I'll give you your space. Take me back to the guild."
She's definitely angry. Now you've done it Natsu. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you just then. Please, don't leave me alon-"
"I said, Take me Back to the Guild." Her voice was cold and distant.
With no choice other than to comply he brought her to the guild's second floor, which was mostly empty. After all, it only the few S-class mages of Fairy Tail were allowed there.
"Let's leave each other alone for a bit."
She stomped down from the second floor, back to the bar.
He followed her quickly afterwards. Their loud movements alerted the entire guild. "Hey, something up with you guys?" Gray asked, with a sly smirk, as usual. "No, go away." Natsu coolly responded. Seeing the Gildarts having switched places from the bar to one of the drinking tables, Natsu decided to approach him.
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"Hey, Gildarts?" the pinkhead pulled up a stool next to the Crash Magician.
"Hehe, hey Natsu! You really almost did a number on me there!" the older bloke replied in a joking manner.
"I'm serious. I'm really sorry about hurting you back then – I really didn't want to. I – it was almost as if there was some hidden force dominating my actions. I was acting against my own will – and. This just sounds like a really dumb made up story to you, doesn't it? I know – I don't deserve your forgiveness"
The man stroked his beard as if thinking hard over what the young Dragonslayer had said to him. "Well, to be honest, I'll have you know that you were nowhere close to hitting me – I saw that attack long before it was close to reaching me. Thankfully I was fast, too. If I had a larger body, it would've almost been a direct hit! If that's of any comfort, son, you've gotta train a LOT harder before you can land a heavy blow on me! Heheh"
Natsu seemed to feel a bit better about this, as it seemed like Gildarts was rather chilled over the whole issue. They began to talk about Natsu's childhood, and how Gildarts was almost like a second father to him in the guild, aside from Makarov. He'd taught him how to strategically plan battle tactics and did lots of typical father-son bonding activities together. They did lots of sports.
"I remember that one time, where you said you wished you had a real son like me, Gildarts. Do you not have any children?"
"Well, erm – " the Crash Wizard was having a hard time with this one, "Not that I really know of. I was, how do you put this, pretty active back in the day, if you know what I mean?" he finished the sentence off with a charming wink.
"Alright Gildarts, I gotcha. Hey, why did you come back to the guild anyway?"
"What, am I not welcome here?" he poked fun at the pinkhead.
"Nah, it's just you're usually on these super long missions or something."
"Oh, right. That's a rather serious matter. I'll have to call you, Erza, Mirajane, and Gray for this. Since Laxus isn't here, and I myself have other matters to attend to, I have a mission for the for of you."
"Mirajane? We decided that we'd spend some time apart after some – complications. I'm sure Erza, Gray and I alone can handle it."
Gildarts looked at the Dragonslayer before beginning to chuckle. "Alright, young couples having their ups and downs. Totally understandable. Yea, you three can go."
What Gildarts said was true? Mira and I, we'll get over this eventually, right?
It's all going to be over soon – Worry not. She will bow down before you when you acquire all the power in the world. Make her part of your empire. She'll be begging to have you back.
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In the Eisenwald Guild….
A man with cyan hair, a bare upper body, and a large scythe hauled across his shoulder was floating in the air, addressing his few comrades sitting at a meeting table beneath him.
"Alright – We have accessed Lullaby's location. Originally a simple black magic device used to cast the most simple death spells, it was when the flute landed in the hands of the Great Zeref that it beheld great power. He was able to transform such a simple tool into a weapon of mass destruction, one of the demons in the Book of Zeref. It is said that when this flute's song is played, it will kill everyone that hears its deadly tune, lulling them into an infinite sleep. The Guild Masters meeting is in Clover in 4 days. Do we know what we need to do?"
"Yes sir!" they chanted in unison.
"Kageyama! Do you remember where the seal is located?"
"Yes, Erigor"
"Okay, then you know what to do"
"I will not disappoint you, oh great Erigor; I'll be on my way."
The one by the name of Kageyama transformed into a shadow, and slipped out through the room's cracks in the wall, escaping into the rest of the world, to obtain one of the deadliest weapons that may bring harm to millions of people.