This chapter will, possibly, be the last time skip of the story, not too sure yet though. The ships come into play here! Bare with me because I have decided on the couple I want, just want to make it dramatic as possible!
GUESS THE COUPLE GUYS!
Chapter 16: Two Years of Hardcore Training
A pink haired male wiped his brow. Natsu, now 15 and almost five foot seven in height, just finished up his warrior training.
Too much had happened these two, long years. Gajeel and Gray had been non-stop training, and they were so entranced with it that they didn't come out of a coma-like state for months at a time. Because of this extensive training, Gajeel had reached the fourth rank in his darkness magic, and Natsu knew that, right now, he was close to breaking through. As a warrior, Gajeel had reached the fifth rank, making him bulkier and larger than before. He now stood at five foot eleven.
Gray had also made impressive breakthroughs, he was now a fifth-ranked Ninja, adding a bit of muscle onto his body. He'd also become a fourth-ranked water mage; this was because of Natsu.
Gray one day felt very annoyed with himself, he punched the side of a grey stone mountain, almost breaking his fist, and cursed too many times for Natsu to count. Natsu, who had made sufficient progress for the day took off his pendant and gave it to Gray. In that same day, Gray broke through as a water mage; towards the end of their two years, he broke through again, making him a fifth rank water mage.
Happy had also become larger and broke through to the sixth rank, making him stronger than Natsu for a small amount of time. He didn't understand why, but Happy had high rates of improvement and was now flying through the ranks effortlessly.
Natsu had improved significantly. His body grew out, and he became more handsome than before; his muscles also developed fairly, but he wasn't as muscled Gajeel. He had broken through to the sixth rank in all his magics, except for destruction magic. He also became a sixth-ranked warrior, and he felt like a hair widths away from becoming the seventh rank.
"I'm heading back," Natsu said, placing two pins in his hair that pinned back his long fringe, "Maybe Lucy will give me a haircut."
"Or you wish she'd give you something more, Flame Head," Gray snickered while Gajeel chortled, "Maybe a kiss or Lisanna might instead."
It had been a long running gag for Gray and Gajeel to tease Natsu about his love life. It started one day when they heard Lucy call their names a few months after they left to train, they immediately gathered their things to make a dash, but Natsu watched from the direction Lucy's voice had sounded, and then they heard Lisanna's.
They had to drag Natsu from the small woods that day and to the edge of their city large campus.
"Maybe he's hopin' for somethin' more," Gajeel smirked evilly, moving his pierced brow, "Get out of here, Salamander."
Natsu did exactly what Gajeel said. He hoped off of his perch on a broken ledge of the mountain and began to walk back casually, taking his sweet time to do so.
He began thinking about the Mountain of Magical Beasts; he hoped that now he'd be able to leave campus and go there. They had met one of the upperclassmen men when he had come in from his training in the mountain; he had told them that it was a perilous place.
"Although there may be boundaries, where there will be rank four beast are, which is on the outskirts, sometimes there is an anomaly. I found a class nine monster, which is three levels higher than me, I had to run out into the fields, where a group of rank nine warriors from the capital took it out!"
Natsu hadn't noticed in his pondering state, that he was nearing the campus, but when he did he looked at the sky. He worked out that it was early morning, which meant the light magic classes were just beginning. He grinned to himself, feeling like creating a scene with his child-like tendencies.
He reached the edge of campus, where he saw his balcony to his room. He effortlessly jumped up it, opening the sliding door and slinging his bag in. Without bothering to sort out all the things that spilt out of his bags, he jumped off the balcony again, now sprinting with Happy running by his side.
He ran through crowds of new students; he now knew they'd been gone longer a little over two years, and that these students must have their first day today. Without bothering to say 'excuse me' he jumped over them.
"Old man!" He shouted gleefully, making eye contact with Makarov, who was leading the new students, "It's been awhile!"
"A while," Makarov growled, then jumped and hit Natsu on the head, making him hit the ground, "It's been two years, Brat! And you have the nerve to call it a while!"
"Sorry," Natsu smiled sheepishly, "I wanted to get stronger after what happened with Bora. But I didn't know how to tell you that I was going to train with Gray and Gajeel in seclusion, so instead, I just left, you know. I left Lucy and Lisanna, separately, and then went with them. Please, forgive me, Gramps."
He closed one eye and placed his hands together in front of his face, Makarov said, "I guess I have no other choice, we'll talk later tonight brat."
Natsu smiled then began running again, his vest top open to show off his abs. He had long trousers on, which he found uncomfortable, and then jumped over another crowd of people. He was getting close to the light magic classes.
He finally got there, seeing only a handful of people there. They all listened intently to the instructor and he spotted his favourite blonde, he sat down on a few benches close by and watched her.
The instructor sent them to do their own thing, probably the thing that he had just been talking about. Only a few light mage students spotted Natsu, both of them girls, and began giggling and blushing. He saw Lucy's head flick towards them and she sneered at them telling them to 'shut up' or something along those lines.
Natsu laughed to himself a little, watching as he noticed how well she had grown out. He blushed, telling himself not to think of his best friend in that way.
He made a beeline straight for Lucy.
He noticed how, contrary to last year, she was now in the fourth rank classes, while most of Lucy's, Natsu's, Gray's and Gajeel's old classmates had only just reached the third rank.
But, he didn't want to think of that right now. He just bounded straight up to Lucy, who was in deep concentration, and then picked her up. He spun her around and around, while Lucy just squealed, slightly taken aback by this person, who she had no idea who he was, picking her up and spinning her.
"Did you miss me, Luce," Natsu grinned down her ear, his high-pitch child voice now replaced by a deep handsome tone, "I missed you - if that counts for anything."
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled in surprise, wriggling out of his arms to then fling herself around his neck, "Idiot... Where were you this whole time. I was worried sick."
"I was just training," he scratched the back of his head, slightly shocked by Lucy's open display of affection, "I did not want a repeat of Bora. You lost all your spiritual energy and passed out, you had cuts and bruises everywhere. So did Lisanna, and Levy did too! I just wanted to get stronger to protect people important to me."
"We could have become stronger together. Instead, it feels like we have been apart for a lifetime," Lucy sighed, sinking into Natsu strong arms while the sunlight beat down on them intensely, "Lisanna cried every day for you. I guess now we get how much love she holds for you - enough to grieve while you were away. Honestly, anyone would have thought you were dead the way she acted."
Lucy slowly moved from his arms, bowing to her instructor as she began to drag Natsu away. Lucy was shorter than him, not by much, but enough that Natsu had to look down on her.
"Have you been to visit anyone else?" she questioned, still holding on Natsu strong arm beside her.
"You are the first I have come to visit," Natsu gave her a fanged grin, using his other hand to squeeze her hand that grabbed his arm, "I'll go see Lisanna and everyone later."
Then, they went into the woods. They talked for a few hours, until the sun reached its peak, then decided it was best to talk later tonight.
Noon came too quickly for Natsu to comprehend.
While students, new and old, gathered in the mess hall, Natsu took his time to stroll there. He glanced up at trees and took in how the campus had changed very little to when he left.
"Man, this place doesn't change much," he sighed, taking in a deep breath. "The students and teachers do, though. I cannot say I've missed it much. The people are constantly getting stronger and changing their personalities - and here I am - I'm still hell bent on getting revenge."
"It seems like a very mediocre thing compared to what the rest of the students want, does it not?" Dezeus replied, his voice filling Natsu head. "You seem very straight and narrow-minded, whereas, say Lucy or Lisanna, are after a certain goal, and once they achieved it they'll continue onto the next goal. You do not have a goal after revenge, do you?"
"I do," the pink head replied bluntly, pulling on the strap of the sword that pressed against his white, loose shirt. "I want a family; with them, I will return to a village Igneel spoke about. After that, I guess I will have to find out as I move along."
"I never imagined you as a family man," Dezeus chortled; Natsu could practically see him laughing. "Although you must get that from Gildarts - he was constantly trying to find you a partner. I believe I placed a bet on you and Lisanna when you were much younger."
"Enough," Natsu waved off Dezeus attempts of teasing, sighing as he did so. "How much stronger do I have to become to take the life of the man who took my father. How much longer do I have to wait?"
"From what you told me, by this I mean the description of the man you gave me when you saw Igneel be taken, almost thirty or so year." Natsu choked on the air, and before Natsu even spoke Dezeus had begun his next sentence, "In the past, when I wasn't trapped in this blasted sword, a boy went through something similar to you, except it was his mother who was killed. He begged for me to help him and became a master of the destruction magic at 48 years old. He barely won when taking his revenge."
"I can't wait another thirty years!-" Natsu began to yell at Dezeus mentally, but Dezeus hushed him with his harsh tone.
"And you can't expect to become even a deity rank with your attitude!" Cold. Natsu hadn't felt this kind of cold even when Igneel yelled at him - so harsh and chilling to the bone. "I simply want you to be strong enough to face off against the black wizard Zeref."
"Zeref..."
Natsu continued his stroll to the hall, where he then found all the students on campus had gathered.
"Natsu, you brat, just in time!" The small, white-haired man, Makarov, smiled greatly at him, "I was just about to test the skill of those who wish to leave to the mountain range."
Natsu nodded swiftly, then took off towards where Lucy sat, with more girls than she usually sat with. They all seemed to be giggling and blushing, along with Lucy who was much more flushed than the rest. Natsu was about to change his mind and walk past the bench, but he couldn't turn away at the very last moment.
"Luce, what rank are you?" He caught the attention of not only Lucy but the rest of the girls that were on her table. It became quiet and only a hushed whisper could be heard. "I plan on entering the mountain range; leaving you here alone again wouldn't be in my best interest because I can't protect you from here and I can't leave Happy with you."
"I'm rank four so I'm high enough to go in, what about you?" She asked, slightly intrigued to see how much progress he had made.
"Rank four in both your elements?" He asked. She nodded and he did also. "Great! I'm a rank six warrior and sixth ranked in all my elements, apart from destruction magic."
"LuLu, is this your future husband?" One of the girls asked while the rest nodded egarly to know.
"No, this is Natsu, my best friend. I've told you about him before. He's supposedly the most talented in our school to my knowledge, and he's pretty much the greatest friend and comrade one could ask for." Lucy spoke highly of him, making Natsu slightly bashful.
Natsu felt someone bump into him, but he didn't even move from his spot when they did. He looked to see Bora, and they were now standing at the same height. He glared sharply at Bora, whilst Bora did the same back.
Natsu grabbed the collar of Bora shirt, picking him up from the ground and lifting the older male up into the air, "If I hear you've done one thing to someone my friends care for, or someone I care for..." he dropped Bora back onto the ground, "I won't hesitate to kill you like I did last time."
"I haven't done anything," Bora sneered, slinking away, "Fucking idiot."
"Let's go tell Makarov were leaving for the mountain range in a few days," Lucy said swiftly, tearing Natsu away from the fleeing Bora, "Then we can train together again."