Night had fallen on Crocus and Fairy Tail was in full party mode in the Honey Bone Inn. They were celebrating their performance in the games that day.

Natsumi downed her drink in moments after a dare from Lisanna. She belched out a large surge of flames and immediately covered her mouth with a hand before erupting in a fit of drunken giggles. "Sowwy~!"

"Hey Natsu!" Cana stuck her head into the kitchen where Natsu and Mira were cooking up a storm. "Quick question, I heard you made a dumb as hell bet… Why?"

Natsu leaned back so he could see past Mira, even though he was taller. "I was just feeling generous and since I know Lucy always seems to be low on money and complains about her rent, so I decided to pay for her rent so she doesn't have to worry for a while."

"That's awfully kind of you, Natsu." Mira glanced up from the food that she was working on to smile at the man. "I know how much she has struggled in the past, what with being on Team Natsumi and the amount of collateral damage they make."

"Trust me, I know what I used to be like… Granted, I am still destructive, I just try to keep it reigned in these days."

Natsumi pushed past Cana and stumbled over to Natsu, a bottle of alcohol in her hand. "Natshu~ I'm hungry~."

"How much have you had to drink…?" The man took the bottle from her and gave it a little shake, it was practically empty.

"I think about… I lost count."

Natsu couldn't help but let out a slightly irritated groan, he had enough experience with drunk women from his own universe to know that when the ladies of Fairy Tail get drunk, chaos ensues. "Just… make sure you aren't hungover tomorrow…"

He gave her back the bottle and escorted her from the kitchen before she became too much of a danger. "I'll bring out the food once it is done."

"Speaking of which, Natsu." Mira got the man's attention and a line of ready-to-serve plates. "Can you take these out."

"Well that was great timing." The salmon-haired man picked up two of the plates rose from the counter as the rest floated around him.

"The rest will be done by the time you get back."

Natsu walked out of the kitchen and whistled loudly to get everyone's attention. "Oi! Food is getting finished. Take a seat and be served."

The guild turned to the man in unison, their jaws dropping as a dozen or so plates full of food were orbiting around the pinkette. They rushed to their seats as the delectable smell of Mira's cooking floated around the room.

Natsu moved around the room, his fancy footwork making him seemingly glide around the tables as he placed the food down. "Hope you enjoy!"

"It looks so good~." Lucy's mouth was watering as she stared at the food sat before her, the smell itself was enough to make her toes curl as she squirmed in her seat.

The man headed back to the kitchen as the busty blonde put some of the food into her mouth, a moan escaping her lips as the flavours exploded in her mouth, overloading her senses and sending a delightful shiver down her spine.

"Sounds like Lucy is enjoying the food." Natsu smirked at the white-haired model as she put the finishing touches on the last batch of dishes. "I'm pretty sure she just orgasmed from a single bite."

"She's drunk, Natsu, what do you expect?" Mira giggled and stepped back from the bench. "She gets weird when drunk. Anyway, these are done so can you take them out, please?"

"Sure." The man collected up the plates, once again using Macro to levitate what he can't carry.

The model followed him out, having finished all the cooking. She took a seat at the bar, sitting near Makarov and Mavis. "Master, First Master, how are you two?"

"Wonderful, great work today, Mira." The old man replied, his face splitting into a wide, happy smile.

"We can't take all the credit, Master. It was Natsu's idea to send in our Dragon Slayers for the event."

"This Natsu." Mavis turned from Mira and looked across the room at the pinkette who was still handing out plates of food. "Why does he feel so much like Natsumi, except he feels somehow… darker…"

"He is another version of Natsumi, the reason he seems darker is that he is a demon, well in his words he is a hybrid human-etherious. And his brother is Zeref." Mira watched Natsu move about from table to table.

"Wait?" Mavis' attention snapped to the model. "Brother? Zeref is a girl though…"

"We know, Natsumi and Wendy have met her before at Tenrou." Makarov bobbed his head in agreement as he looked between the two pinkettes, he could see variations in their features that backed up Natsu's statement about them being genetically different. They looked too different to be effectively the same person but on the other hand, they had some key features that showed their similarities. Their hair and eyes being the same, as well as Natsumi's scars appearing in the exact same locations on Natsu's body.

A tankard flew across the room, having missed its intended target, and was on a collision course with Mira. Someone shouted out for her to duck but she was too slow to react.

She turned to the shout and found herself with the tankard frozen in mid-air mere inches from her face. She quickly glanced between the few people she knew that could stop it.

Erza could have used her telekinesis magic but was eating while chatting animatedly with Jellal.

Seilah has her head buried in a book she had bought the day they arrived in Crocus, so her attention was focused solely on the contents.

Mira's eyes came to rest on Natsu, his back was to her but his head was turned to the side with a single green eye looking directly at her.

The tankard floated to the bar top and came to a stop as Natsu turned back to Natsumi and Lucy, trying to talk to the drunken pair.

"He was listening..." Mavis muttered in surprise, her head tilting to the side in confusion. "But how did he stop it?"

"It's one of the things he can do, it's called Macro and is the same thing that Seilah, the woman with the dark purple hair over there, with the short kimono." Mira pointed to the female etherious. "That's what she can do. Basically it's complete control over everything. The stronger you are, the greater your domination over your target will be."

"And him." Mavis watched the pinkette, closely and carefully. "How strong is he?"

"In terms of that curse he uses, Macro. We don't know. We don't even know what the upper limits of his actual power is."

Natsu walked to the bar with three plates. He sat down with Mira, Makarov, and Mavis for dinner. "To answer your question about power, even I don't know. As far as I remember, Macro has never failed me, and the strongest spell I have cast was a unison raid where I glassed an entire city. I've never had cause to go all out by myself."

Makarov got stuck into his food, he glanced up at Natsu after a few mouthfuls. "What is your best guess?"

"Well, there has to be a reason Acnologia feared END's, my power. So there would be a good benchmark. Strong enough to strike fear into the Dragon of the Apocalypse."

"Is Acnologia still a problem in your universe?" Mavis strolled across the top of the bar, deftly moving around the plates, bottles and tankards until she stood in front of the scarred pinkette. She bent down to get a better look at the man.

"No, I killed him. It took all seven dragon slayers to do it, but he is dead."

The blonde spirit noticed strange black markings peeking out from under his sleeves, so she got down on her knees to get a better look at them. "May I see your arms?"

Natsu looked up from his plate of food, surprised at the First Master's request. "Why?"

"I noticed they have strange markings on them."

Natsu sighed wearily, his coat glowed as he requipped it away all while continuing to eat his food, albeit slower than before.

"How very unusual…" The spirit moved off of the bar and took an even closer look at his arms. "They aren't tattoos, are they?"

"No, they are Etherious markings. Seilah has them too, that is what those markings on her forehead and arms are."

The door to the Inn opened but the trio plus spirit ignored the new arrival. Mavis ran an ethereal hand over Natsu's arm, even in her spirit form, she could feel the raw power being hidden away from the others.

The ground shook faintly as heavy steps closed in on the quartet. "Hey Big Sis, Masters, Natsu."

"Yo, Elfman." Natsu spun around on the stool so he was facing the bulky man. "Any news on Wendy?"

"Yeah, Lis and I took some food to her, she seems to be getting better quickly."

Mira smiled at her younger brother. "Is Lisanna still with her?"

"Yeah, Big Sis. She is filling Wendy in on what happened today."

"I hope she still isn't upset with herself…" Mira sighed softly as she remembered sad the little girl was that she wasn't participating.

"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!"

The mages turned to the loud cheering. Just a little further down the bar from them was a man that Natsu recognised as Bacchus Groh.

The drunken martial artist was currently in a heated drinking contest with Fairy Tail's resident lush, Cana. They were going tankard for tankard, getting marinaded with booze.

"Who's that?" Elfman asked, his eyes narrowed in curiosity at the pair of drunkards.

"It's Bacchus Groh from Quatro Cerberus. Don't worry about him, he is just here to beat Cana at a drinking contest." Natsu quickly polished off the rest of his food and got to his feet. "I'm going to head up for a bath."

As Natsu walked up the stairs, Natsumi kicked her feet up on the table while she nursed a large bottle of whiskey. "Gurls~." Her head flopped back with a drunken grin. "What should we do *hic* for Gurls Night?"

Lucy purred as she curled up on her chair, her eyes like a dark chocolate liqueur. "I want to be somewhere warm."

"You know." Seilah took a sip of her rice wine as she looked up from her book. "We could all go for a bath, swap stories, talk about men and stuff? That's what girls do at Girls' Nights, right…?"

Levy quickly looked up from playing with Lucy's hair. "You haven't had a Girls' Night before?"

"I mean, I've spent nights with Kyôka when I was in Tartaros. We kept each other warm, and her Sensitivity Curse made all of her touches and licks so very intense."

"Touches?" Natsumi sat upright, her eyes as wide as an owl's as Lucy rocketed up from the chair.

The blonde's eyes were as wide as her best friend's. "Licks?"

"Yeah, she was always so gentle with me." Seilah swooned as she started to develop a healthy blush. "But Natsu… Oh my, he has magic fingers that are oh so devilishly talented~. And he knows that Sensitivity Curse too."

"How come this is the first I have heard of it?" Natsumi glared daggers into the demon. "That's it! I'm going to go find him." The princess staggered to her feet and stormed off up the stairs.

"Natsumi~." Lucy whined as she got up off her chair, a hand outstretched to the vanishing pinkette. "Wait up~."

Seilah was about to take a drink from her bottle of rice wine when it was suddenly plucked out her hand. "Oi!"

The pouting demon turned to the sake thief, none other than Ikaruga who had a bit more colour to her cheeks than normal. "You need to learn to share good sake like this."

"Ask next time and I will share it!"

"Do you think we should check on them?" Levy giggled drunkenly as she got to her unsteady feet. "I bet those two are having sex in the bath."

"Probably." Seilah put the book away in the satchel that she had decided to start carrying to store her things. "Let's go watch!"

"You just want to get in his pants." Ikaruga mutter but got to her feet too. She wanted to see what the man was up to and if it was lacklustre, well… she could always go for a nice, hot bath.

"Would you believe that it's much easier to do when he has no pants on, to begin with~?" The demon grinned and hurried up the stairs, leaving the rest of the women to race after her.

As the girls reached the door to the bathhouse, they found a stiff-looking Lucy. She was very red in the face as she stood at the closed door, her ear pressed firmly on it as her brown eyes were as wide and bright as the full moon.

"Yes~ Natsu! Deeper! Please~!"

The girls could hear Natsumi's pleasured moans as clear as crystal, causing them to look at each other with looks varying from embarrassment to pure lust.

"A-a-are they…?" Erza stuttered as her face exploded in a rich, crimson. "Are they doing s-something… indecent?"

"Natsu~!"

"Only one way to find out~." Seilah cheered, lustfully. She took the initiative and grabbed the door and opened it.

All the girls leaned around the doorframe to get a good look at what was happening, it resulted in very mixed emotions…

What they found inside the bathhouse was Natsumi laying on her stomach on the edge of the in-floor bath with Natsu on his knees with her legs pressed together between them as he hovered over her back…

Giving her a massage…

A back massage…

"Oh Natsu~, when Seilah said you had magic fingers, I didn't know she meant this~." The Princess groaned in delight as she felt all the stress melt away.

Natsu's fingers danced across her delectable flesh with practised ease, his heated digits gently sending the woman into an unfathomable bliss.

The woman couldn't help but gasp and moan as Natsu went deeper, making her feel things she could never have felt from any other.

A healthy blush covered her body, a reddish-pink tone that was accompanied by goosebumps that littered her skin. "Oh Kami~ You're So Good~."

One of the girls that were crowded around the door cleared their throat in embarrassment, wanting to inform the two dragon slayers of their company.

"Oh, hey girls." Natsu glanced up from the pinkette's back and spotted the gaggle of girls at the door. "What's up?"

Levy drunkenly grumbled to herself as she crossed her arms. "I was expecting to see some ravenous sex…"

The blunette got a disappointed nod from Seilah as Ikaruga covered her face with her hand. She muttered, slightly annoyed and embarrassed with herself. "So was I…"

"I wanted to fuck him but Natsu gave me a mind-blowing massage instead." Natsumi groaned as she felt a knot vanish. "Not that I'm complaining, this is so worth it~."

Lucy, in her drunken stupor, threw away her clothes at the mention of a mind-blowing massage and hurried to the two naked pinkettes. "Me next~!

Seilah stretched as she walked into the room. "Well, if we're all getting naked, I'm going for a dip in the bath." She shed her kimono and placed the clothes and her bag on a shelf near the door.

The gears in Erza's mind slowly started turning again and finally got up to speed as she came to the conclusion that the pinkettes were 'bonding over skinship'. "I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought…"

"Did anyone bring up more alcohol?" Levy slurred as she closed the door behind the rest of the girls and started to fumble with her clothes.

"I have a fair bit in my pocket dimension." Natsu looked up from the Princess' back and looked around the room. "I don't mind sharing."

The blunette jumped with drunken joy, flying right out of her dress. "Yes!"

There was a flash of light as Erza bared all. She walked to the bath and lowered herself into the water with a groan of delight. "So, Natsu, since you were right about today, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

The man finished up with Natsumi and got off of her, he glanced at the busty blonde who was eagerly waiting her turn. "Lay down like Natsumi was." While Natsu waited for her to assume the position, he looked over to the redhead in the water. "Well, if all things go smoothly, the event will be Chariot. It goes without say, don't put Dragon Slayers in play for this one. Well… those affected by motion sickness."

The door opened again, causing the bath-goers to turn and look at the newcomers. It was Mira, Lisanna, Juvia, and Cana, with the last sporting a new bikini top than she had on earlier.

"My my~ What's going on here~?" Mira held a hand over her mouth as she looked around the room, hiding a teasing smile. "Did I miss something juicy?"

"Natsu is just handing out massages, don't start flooding the place." Ikaruga said idly as she placed her clothes in the shelf and slid into the bath beside Seilah, putting up her hair as she sat down in the water.

"Well, since you girls have joined us, I'll repeat what I just said." Natsu looked at the women from Team B as he started to massage Lucy's legs. "Tomorrow, the event will be Chariot, basically it a race along a moving train of platforms."

"So in other words, don't let Laxus do it. Gajeel doesn't matter as he has already participated in an event, just like I have." Natsumi added as she joined the girls in the water.

"Since Wendy is still out of action, we don't have to worry all that much about sending in a dragon slayer on our side of things." Natsu worked the blonde's body like a professional, easing out moans and groans from her lips. "I don't want to play my cards in this event so I recommend either Erza, Lucy, or Gray."

"I'll go." Erza lazily looked over her shoulder as her stress and fatigue melted away in the hot water. "I'll be able to get through it pretty easily."

"Whelp, no point standing by the door when we have a hot bath and free massages on offer." Cana pushed the girls into the room and closed the door behind her. "Who's got booze?"

"Didn't you just lose a drinking contest to Bacchus?" Lisanna sweatdropped as she started to remove her clothes.

'Oh My KAMI! So Many Hot Naked Women!' END rubbed his mental hands together at the sight of so many bountiful babes. 'JACKPOT!'

'Horndog.'

'Says the man with the raging boner.'

'I've got more important things to think about and focus on than sex.' The man worked his way up both of Lucy's legs until he was up to her lower back, he swung his leg over and sat on her thighs as he got to work. "I've got alcohol stored away, I'm just a little busy."

Cana plopped herself down next to him and held a hand out, her intentions very clear.

Natsu sighed and requipped a bottle of rum and handed it to the lush. "It's unopened so it will be in the best quality."

"Oh, so that's where all the rum went." Cana giggled and popped the top, she brought the bottle to her lips and threw her head back.

The salmon-haired man looked around at all the naked woman, taking in the sights as he worked on the blonde lying under him. "What's your plan for Chariot?"

"I think I'll go in for this one." Mira pondered, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "Are there any rules about flying?"

"As far as I am aware, the contestants can get to the finish using any means necessary. As long as you don't hit the ground or go too high, you should be fine." Natsu replied, looking off in the distance as he thought through her question. "So if I were you, I'd fly low along the platforms to avoid any disqualifications."

"I do have my flight armour that boosts my speed." Erza looked back at the man as she soaked in the water. "That would give me the best edge that I can think of."

"Don't use that right out of the gates, it could give the others some ideas." Natsu finished up Lucy's massage and got up off of her. "Same goes for you, Mira. Don't open up with your trump cards as that means it will end up harder in the long run."

"What do you mean, Juvia is confused?" The rain-woman watched the man walk to the showers, her eyes roaming his scarred physique.

He stood under the showerhead and turned the cold water on first, causing steam to burst off of his skin and waft around his body. "You'll be targeted. Going into the games like we have, by means of shock and awe, we'll have garnered the attention of powerful players in this game."

"Who do you mean?" Erza rose from the water and walked to the shower beside the pinkette. "Aside from Raven Tail."

Lucy's eyes flicked up to the two mages at the showers. "Speaking of Raven Tail. What was the deal with you when we were leaving?"

"Just playing some little mind games with Alexei. Making him second guess this little game of chess that he is playing. Anyway, Erza, the group I'm talking about is Sabertooth. They haven't played all their aces yet, Yukino is just a pawn to them. A fill in."

"Oh? Who is she filling in for?" Mira pressed up against the edge of the in-floor bath as she watched the man start running a bar of soap over his body, eyeing the way his muscles rippled and moved. "Also, what happened to those massages?"

"Minerva Orland. The daughter of the Guild Master of Sabertooth, and one hell of a sadistic, narcissistic bitch. She'll be arriving tomorrow but won't participate until the day after." He glanced back at the white-haired woman. "Ask me tomorrow night, if I am in the mood then I'll do some more massages."

"Sounds like a piece of work." Erza muttered to herself, she looked over at the pinkette next to her. "What did she do to get that kind of reputation?"

"By being very brutal, but I guess I can't talk. At least I don't play with my food, though. Well… unless I'm feeling particularly sadistic."

"Aren't you playing with your food right now?" Natsumi grinned at the man and threw some water at him. "Considering you don't plan using magic during the games."

"I suppose I am. Though I can change that whenever I want." Natsu stepped away from the shower and flared his magic to dry himself. "I'm going to get myself some shut-eye. Enjoy your girls' night."

A chorus of goodnights sang out around the room as the man walked to the door, requipping a pair of PJ pants as he looked over his shoulder. "I'll be in my room with Seilah and Ikaruga from tonight onwards, just so you know where to find me if you need me."

"You won't be staying in the team room?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"I'm a back-up team member, remember? Once Wendy is fit to participate then I'll be taking a back seat in things. Unless something happens."

"He's right, Lucy. Our room is meant for the main team members only. Should they want to sleep in the same room after the preliminaries." Erza glanced over her shoulder at the blonde as she lathered her long red hair. "Natsu was actually meant to sleep in a room with Ikaruga and Seilah as they are his companions."

"See you all in the morning, and don't be too hungover!" The pinkette left the room and headed down the hall with his hands behind his head as he whistled a tune.

'Why are you leaving all those hot babes! If they were willing to go about bathing with you there, then it could have turned into a massive orgy! Imagine it! Seriously, Just Imagine It!'


Grand Magic Games - Day Two

Natsu was woken by a heated argument, causing him to groan as he half sat up. "Who the fuck is shouting at this hour…"

"I don't know, Master, but it's probably best that we are up." Muttered Seilah as she clung to the man's waist, she nuzzles his stomach and looked up at him with half-opened eyes. "We should get ready for the day."

The sound of running water alerted Natsu to someone in the connected bathroom. He looked over to the bed next to his and saw that it was vacated. "Ikaruga must be having a shower."

"Master, why did you confront that Ivan guy yesterday, Lucy was telling me about it over the bath." She started to draw patterns on his stomach, her purple eyes practically glowing as she nibbled on his skin.

"I just wanted to fuck with him, that's it. It was spur of the moment as he was trying to have a go at me."

The demoness yawned delicately as she sat up, her hair fell to cover her breasts. "Master, would you like me to make some breakfast?"

"Please, Seileh." The man smiled and gave his demon girlfriend a quick kiss before slowly getting out of bed.

The door to the bathroom opened, revealing a pink-haired swordswoman wrapped in a towel. She was drying her hair as she walked into the room. "Oh, you two are awake. Who was shouting? I could hear them over the shower…"

"We don't know, but it woke us up." Natsu grumbled as he walked past Ikaruga and entered the bathroom.

"Sounds like you aren't a morning person, Natsu." Ikaruga dropped her towels with a small yawn. "Can't blame you. Sometimes they do suck."

"I'm not a morning person when I am woken up by fuckwits who shout early in the morning." The man went about the bathroom, doing his morning routine and freshening up for the day.

"I can't blame you, Natsu. Back when I was in Death's Head I was constantly being woken up by loud imbeciles, namely that damn punk rocker, Vidaldus, and his obnoxious refuse that he called music." Ikaruga looked down her nose at the imaginary projection of her former teammate that stood in front of her. "I could rarely find a peaceful and quiet time to meditate."

She sighed as she started to put her clothes on. "Life is better now though. I never expected to be taken on a trip across different universes, but at least it's quieter than that shithole of a guild."

"Sounds like you are happy I sought you out?" Natsu spoke from behind the woman, causing her to whip around gracefully as her kimono fanned out around her.

She blinked at the crimson eyes and markings on the man's arms and chest. "You're annoyed with something."

"Just the rude awakening. Though having Seilah nearby is comforting, she radiates total calmness most of the time, which I guess is how she got her moniker Goddess of the Chill Moon." The salmon-haired man let out a tired sigh as he walked over to the swordswoman. "I just hope today won't be one of those days."

Natsu picked up the woman's enchanted choker from her bedside table and fastened it around her neck. "Ah well, I'll just have to put up with whatever comes my way and try not to erase the problem permanently if it pisses me off too much."

"That would be the more direct route, and one I would take myself, but in times like these what we need is caution and wit to remain undercover."

"The last thing I want to do is to pull that Boltok out and start blowing heads apart. Not here and not right now, it would ruin the guild here."

"Not to mention it would blow your cover, that gun has no equivalent in this universe." Ikaruga sat back down on her bed and watched the man walk around to the bed he is sharing with the demoness. "Why are you helping these people?"

"Come again?"

The woman watched as he got dressed, her eyes sharp but curious. "Why are you helping these people, do you feel some kind of obligation to them even though they aren't really your guild?"

"Not to the guild, I know they can handle themselves. I'm doing it for Natsumi, she asked if I could help train her Fairy Tail, which I did, but then I got roped into actually participating instead of guiding."

"Well, you did agree to participate."

"I know…" Natsu swung his normal, black and red coat around him as he threaded his arms through the sleeves. "And while I don't join in the brawls back home all that much anymore, I still enjoy a good fight. So hopefully I'll find these games satisfying."

"Says the man who isn't cutting loose and not holding back. How about thinking of it this way, adjust the amount of power you put into your spells. Like when you were at that war-torn planet, you pumped all your remaining power into one last attack. Instead of doing that, put a fraction into your spells, so then you can increase the strength of your attacks with the strength of your opponents." Ikaruga rose from the bed and started doing stretches to keep herself limber. "I'd have thought someone like you would have already known how to do that."

"I do know how to do that." The man looked over his shoulder at the swordswoman, he sighed softly and shook his head. "I've been doing that for a long time."

"Then why are you cautious now?" The pinkette continued to push, trying to get to the bottom of the problem she had noticed for a while now. "Oh… I see now. You think you are too dangerous, that you are too powerful that you'll accidentally kill those who you care about."

Natsu closed his eyes, he was getting annoyed but he didn't know why. "Ikaruga."

"Natsu, you are a dangerously powerful man, but you also have complete control over it." Ikaruga sighed quietly and crossed her arms under her bust. "It might not sound like much, but after these last few months of being at your side, I can tell that you have perfect control over both sides of your power. Seeing you train Natsumi shows as much."

The pink-haired man remained silent as he drank in her words, he was looking out the window across the city as a look of deep contemplation crossed his visage.

"I've seen you make fire dance round you, then around others without hurting them. I've seen you blanket an entire area in fire that doesn't burn. You can do either physical or psychological damage with just the different ways you handle your power. If you really didn't want to hurt someone with your fire, then I know you wouldn't even singe a single hair. And to top it all off, considering you have said that your magic aura alone could melt Domus Flau, but ever since then you haven't melted anything you hadn't wanted to goes to show that you shouldn't worry so much about it."

Natsu slowly started to smile while he kept his back to the woman. "I see… Thanks, Ikaruga, who would have thought you'd bring me back on track again." He chuckled as he turned to the pinkette and crossed the distance between them in a few strides.

Natsu cupped the surprised woman's chin between his fingers and thumb and tilted it up as he expressed his thanks in the form of a long kiss.

It took a moment for Ikaruga to realise what was happening but after that moment passed, she started to return his kiss as she grabbed a hold of his coat and murmured onto his lips. "Mm usually I prefer my thanks in the form of chocolate liqueur, but if you keep giving me little surprises like this, I think I'll come around to these kinds of thanks coming from you."

Natsu started to move away from the woman, smiling happily, but was pulled into another kiss, this time deeper and lust-filled.

The woman moaned into his mouth as her hands slipped under his coat and explored his bare chest. "You owe me a massage, and a damn good one too."

The salmon-haired man gently grabbed her wrists and took a half step back. "Remind me to do it after today's games. We have a tight schedule to keep."

Just as Natsu pulled back from the woman, the door opened and revealed their purple-haired demon companion. Seilah had a plate in her hands and two more floating around her, she looked between the two pinkettes with a curious gaze. "Did I miss something?"

"Ikaruga was just helping me with an issue I've been having."

"Master, if you were having performance issues then you could have always come to me, I would have gladly helped you get pumped." The demoness had a flat tone and a passive face, her eyes dropped down to the man's fly. She slowly licked her lips. "In an instant."

Natsu groaned and slapped a hand to his face as he reached over and flicked the demon's nose. "I've never had an issue getting it up, or anything related to that part of my body. I was talking about my hesitation to use my power after seeing what it did in Berephus, and how I lost control so easily."

"Natsu." Seilah dropped the title that she normally used as she placed the plates of food down on the room's table. "You had never been to a place so full of negative energy before. Not to mention you had never used your demonic powers that extensively before."

She walked over to the man and wrapped her arms around his chest as she pressed her ear to his beating heart. "I can't imagine what would have happened to me in there… I'm nowhere close to you in terms of mental fortitude."

Natsu placed a hand into her long, purple hair and started to soothingly run his hand through it. "I'm fine now, Seilah, and I don't plan on putting you through anything like that."

"Natsu, don't forget that we are on a tight schedule." Ikaruga reminded them as she grabbed a plate and dug into the food. "These games are very interesting and fun to watch. Though seeing Ivan's guild participating is enough cause for concern as it is."

"I'm doing what I can to mitigate the damage they can do with their cheating but while I'm on the team I can't do as much as I would like."

The two demons sat down at the table with the swordswoman and started to eat their breakfast, though something was still niggling at Seilah. "Master. When I was bored at Tartaros, I would tune into the broadcasts. I saw watched the tournament that your guild participated in upon your return."

"I think I know what you're about to ask." Natsu looked up from his food and looked at the demoness. "It's one of the many differences between our universe and this one. But, it just boils down to the different choices that have been made by various people over the years."

"It affects even the Games themselves?"

"Yes, and there is even a chance that the Events themselves will be different. As in different people or completely different events to what I had. So far we have been lucky so I hope it stays that way."

The trio quickly finished their food and gathered their gear before making their way down to the Bar and handing in the plates. The room was empty except for the Inn's staff.

One of the barmaids came over to the group in a hurry. "If you are looking for the rest of your guild, they have already headed out for the arena. They would probably be there by now."

"Thanks, ma'am." Natsu smiled and turned to a vacant section of the room. "We'll be taking the fast way there, you two."

Seilah turned to the barmaid and bowed. "Thank you for letting me use the kitchen to make breakfast."

The pink-haired reached behind his head and drew his black-bladed longsword. It started to glow red with magic as he levelled it at his side. "Hopefully I have the right booth."

"Master, I think I'll go shopping, if you don't mind. Since we are here in Crocus, I want to pick up some more clothes and maybe some more books."

Ikaruga looked at the demoness and back to Natsu. "You know, I need to pick up some polish for my sword, I ran out last night."

Natsu turned to his companions and glanced between them. He shrugged as he faced the empty space again. "Alright, I'll see you both later."

The man brought his sword down through the air, rending reality and slicing a violent rift of red energy that led to Domus Flau.


Natsu walked out of the rift as he put his sword back into its sheath on his back. He blinked as he realised the people in the booth weren't the ones he was expecting. "Ah fuck."

"Oh, Natsu." Kagura watched the man, completely calm and collected as her teammates, minus Risley Law, looked ready for a fight. "The event has just started. I hope you weren't planning on participating."

"No, thankfully. I slept in and I guess that shouting was someone telling me to hurry up." The pinkette scratched at his stubble covered chin thoughtfully. "I'm bound to hear something about it later."

"How the hell did you manage to do that?!" Millianna shouted, she was gesturing to red slash that was closing behind the man. "I've never even seen anything like that before."

"My sword as a special quality about it." Natsu looked around at the four Mermaids. "Hmm, I suppose it won't hurt telling you girls, I don't exactly plan on using it against anyone after all."

This got the swordswoman's full attention, causing her to turn her body away from the holographic screen that displayed the contestants for the event, standing in the arena as Mato explained the rules. "Should I find it interesting enough, I'll do you the same courtesy."

"Don't worry." The man held out his hand, palm facing the woman, as he shook his head. "I've walked this world as a nomad for the last seven years, and have learnt a great many things, this includes looking into the backgrounds and abilities of Fairy Tail's enemies and allies."

"Do you include Raven Tail in that list of enemies?" Kagura asked, her head turning to the location of the former dark guild's booth.

"Yes, I'm sure you have noticed how fixated they are with my guild. I'm not even meant to be participating, I'm filling in for Wendy."

"That little, blue-haired dragon slayer?" Araña asked as she faced the arena once more. "I heard she was ill."

"She was attacked by a familiar that belonged to Raven Tail just prior to the preliminaries. It drained her magic power to the point she started to suffer from magic deficiency." Natsu's face hardened as he walked to Kagura's side. "I took out that familiar. This was before I knew that those arseholes were participating in the games."

"Why didn't they report it?" Millianna glanced up at the tall man. Blinking eyes shone from under her hooded cloak. "It would have seemed like a missing member right?"

"It would have meant admitting that they attacked a child who was wandering the Castle Gardens, just looking at all the flowers." Natsu saw one of the screens cut to the Mermaid's booth for a reaction shot, but since it showed that he was there too he just smiled and waved innocently. "Well… I'm definitely going to hear about that when I get back to my booth."

"Stay and talk some more. I am interested in hearing more about this, feud." Kagura glanced at the man with her eyes, she was keeping her stoic personality on show to hide her bubbling curiosity.

"First, I'll answer your previous question. My sword is a unique sword that was crafted in times long past, it's very powerful just like your Archenemy."

"So what can your sword do?"

"In essence, it can cut through anything. How someone uses that power is up to their imagination."

Kagura looked at the long sword, noticing that its handguard rested at the base of his neck, how the sheath was dead straight, and that the blade itself must easily reach the back of his knee. It was a particularly long longsword. "Might I get a better look at it?"

"Maybe if we have a match together, but bear in mind that my strength doesn't just lie in my sword."

"Likewise, Natsu. I look forward to fighting with you."

"If'n y'all 'bout to duke it out, could you maybe wait until the battles or maybe take it outside?" Beth hollered as she waved at the door. "I wouldn't want Shianna to flip out at either o' y'all."

"Calm your horses, Beth." Natsu held a hand out in surrender. "I'm not about to attack people who I know won't harm me, be cautious of me yes, but not harm me."

"So, about Raven Tail…" Millianna leaned on the stone railing as she looked up at the man from under her hood. "What can you tell us?"

"Well, as I said just before, they had a familiar that could drain people's magic, it was called Obra. That odd-looking tall thing in their booth is a puppet that Obra was controlling, at least I assume it was controlling that, it could be Ivan controlling it."

Kagura's eyes darted across the arena to look at the booth containing the members of Raven Tail. "That thing with the big nose? It did seem odd to me."

"That's the one. It shouldn't be able to do anything now though, the familiar that was piloting it is dead."

"You don't mess around, do you?" Millianna's eyebrows raised up. "I thought you Fairies don't kill?"

"I guess you can say that I'm an exception to that rule. Like I've said, I spent the last seven years wading through the shit-stained underbelly of this nation and the surrounding ones, gathering information for the guild. Killing became something I had to do to survive, let alone get info out of people."

"Someone like you would probably stand out like a sore thumb." Araña pointed out as she looked at the man's hair. "People had to have known who you were."

"I'm very competent with transformation magic, so I can change how I look. Though what you are seeing now is what I actually look like."

"How can we be so sure?" Kagura glanced at the man. Her eyes narrowing at his claims.

"What do I have to hide from friendly guilds? While it is true that I'm playing things close to the chest in regards to what I can do, I have no reason to hide from your eyes."

"I cannot blame you for concealing your strength, for I myself am holding back. I will only draw my sword once I find the man who killed my brother."

"Jellal." The man looked between Millianna and Kagura. "I heard a few things in my travels, nothing concrete but he seems to be seeking redemption for all the shit he has done in his life."

"He can seek his redemption at the end of my blade for all I care."

"I can't say that you surprise me Kagura, considering I have heard stories of you in my travels. The swordswoman who doesn't draw her sword, though I know you have two really good reasons."

"With a sword like that, I'm surprised you aren't as well known."

"After this, I'll most likely have to be more careful with how I go about things." Natsu sighed and focused on the screens, it looked like things were about to kick off. "I'll tell you what I know about the people in Raven Tail's team."


Mira stood alongside Erza at the starting line. She looked around at the other mages with a radiant smile but hidden inside was a storm of emotion. "Hey Erza, did Natsu turn up before you came down to the arena floor?"

"No, but I could swear that I saw him over in the Mermaid Heel booth before we were teleported away."

"That cheeky devil! He is probably chatting up those Mermaids!" Mira stopped her foot as she pouted cutely, gaining the attention of the people around her.

"Calm down, Mira. Natsu isn't going to go around and chat up every woman he comes across, he isn't Loke after all." Erza smiled at her former rival, though in their current situation, former may no longer cut it.

"Hmm." The barmaid placed her hand to her cheek. "That may be so, but I still wonder what goes through his head. He is way too calm, way too often."

"Well, you should have stayed for the training. He was very open during that time." Erza chuckled softly as she noticed that Bacchus seemed to have taken an interest in them… a clearly perverse one if his drunken leering gaze was anything to go by. "Hello Bacchus, long time no see."

"Too long, time has been kind for you." The man's eyes scanned the red-haired knight. "As with you, Mirajane Strauss."

"Thank you, Bacchus." The model did her best not to scrunch her nose up at the man and managed to maintain a kind visage. 'You detestable bastard…'

"Alrighty Folks! Welcome To Day Two's Event, Chariot! We Are Moments Away From the Beginning, So Contestants Make Sure You're Ready!"

Both of the Fairies glanced at Sting, wondering what was going through their minds in Team Sabertooth to send in a dragon slayer in something named after a vehicle…

"What are you two pathetic Fairies looking at?" The man smugly growled as he crossed his arms.

"A soon to be sorry mistake." Mira replied sweetly, she had a kind smile and had not a single drop of malice in her bright eyes. "You are a dragon slayer after all, and this is a vehicle we are standing on."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't you know what a Chariot is?" Erza smirked smugly at the stunned man, she could practically see the green appearing already. "Both Mira and I are keenly aware of your weakness. We have grown up with dragon slayers after all."

"She's right, which is why we chose to participate instead of letting one of them go."

The carriages lurched as Chapati announced the beginning of Chariot. The two women watched on as Sting fell to his knees, Mira turned to the redhead next to her as the rest of the contestants took off. "Should we help him?"

"Normally I'd say yes in a heartbeat, but I guess we need to ask if it is worth it?" Erza looked down the line of carriages. "We could easily win this event if we popped our magic now."

"Hmm." The white-haired woman rested her chin in her palm as she supported her arm with her other from under her breasts. "Natsu did tell us that their guild is a strict one. Would us helping him actually end up hurting him in the long run?"

"We wouldn't want him to be kicked out of his guild just because he lost…"

"He'd lose anyway though, just look at him." Mira turned her head to look at the crumpled heap of a man. "It's not like he is going anywhere in this state."

"That is true. Hmm…" Both of the women fully turned to look at the downed dragon slayer, pondering if they should help or not. "If we helped him then at least he wouldn't come last if we gave it our all."

"So the question is, who is carrying him?"

Sting groaned meekly from the floor, he was in a sorry state and was getting fed up with these two Fairies debating about him. "Piss off already, I don't need your help."

The two women just looked at each other and shrugged. They activated their magic and became enveloped in a purple and a golden light.

The light faded quickly, revealing Mira's Satan Soul and Erza's Flight Armour. The white-haired demon turned to her friend as her tail swished behind her. "I'd have thought you'd pick something that could fly." Her face spread into a wide grin as her sadistic playful side rose to the surface. "We might end up tearing this poor bastard in two if I take off."

"I just hope you can keep up with me, wouldn't want you to slow me down." Erza walked to one side of the downed dragon slayer. "Now, let's get you on your feet."

"I Said Leave Me!"

"Listen, punk." Mira squatted down in front of the man, snarling at him as she berated him. "We aren't Sabertooth, we are Fairy Tail. We don't leave anyone behind, and we help those in need. So shut your mouth and grow a fucking pair. Better hold on, you're in for a bumpy ride."

The two women grabbed an arm each and effortlessly lifted the man up off the ground, slinging the arms over their shoulders.

"Set the pace, Mira."

The starting chariot was quickly rendered into splinters as both of the mages took off at a full, magic enhanced sprint. It exploded in a cloud of wooden shrapnel as a cloud of dust trailed after the women.

"Let me know if I'm going too fast for you, Queen Bitch!" Mira was grinning crazily as her magic created a purple trail behind her. "Wouldn't want you to trip and fall and make that face even uglier!"

"I can easily go faster, you harlot! Just watch me!" Erza pushed more magic into her armour, making her speed increase drastically as the red trail behind her extended.

The white-haired demon pushed herself harder, she was easily keeping up with her fellow S-Class mage. "Hey, I think I see that Yuka guy up ahead. Isn't he that Anti-magic bastard?"

"That's him, don't worry though, he can only cancel out one type of magic at a time."

"There is also that chubby chick from Mermaid Heel and your boyfriend."

"That disgusting man is not my boyfriend!"

Sting had decided to shut up, he was stuck between two crazy women who seem to be at each other's throats but he couldn't complain, they were helping him do the event for some reason.

Yuka shot his wave magic behind him to boost him forwards and hinder the mages behind him, though this didn't stop Ichiya who snorted his special mix and sped up, passing the man as Risley used her gravity magic to run along the side of the chariots.

Mira's wings shot out of her back just as Erza switched to her Heaven's Wheel Armour, both of them taking flight to get over the mage.

"What a pain in the ass." The white-haired demon muttered as they touched down in front of the mages.

The sound of wood splintering with explosive force boomed behind them, Bacchus had stomped on the chariot with a magic-infused kick, destroying the one he was on and sent the ones in front of him flying into the air, knocking the mages flying and giving him an opening to get out in first.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Shouted the demonic Mirajane as the trio flew through the air.

The two Fairies caught the wind in their wings again and flew after the mage from Quatro Cerberus.

"Why." Sting looked between the two mages. "Why do you push so hard, why did you join the tournament?"

"Seven Years." Mira glanced at the blonde man. "Seven years our guild had to look for us, all while fighting a losing battle against their livelihoods."

Erza gritted her teeth as they landed and charged on. "They were beaten and battered, bruised and belittled. But they stood strong, trying to hold things together as people took advantage of them. They fell out of favour, losing job contracts to other guilds as they fell into obscurity."

"In their honour, we fight. Their resolve drives us. Seven years of misfortune, we are here to set things right and give back to the people who lost so much because of us."

"And we'll fight to the bitter end, till the last drop of magic in our bodies dries up. Until we are nothing but dust and echoes."

The air suddenly became dense with raw magic power as the two women radiated purple and red energy.

Their auras alone shattered the chariot and caused the ground to quake violently.

With an explosive blast of power, Mira and Erza rocketed forward at a breakneck pace. Becoming a blur as the surged towards the finish, letting nothing stand in their path.

Bacchus turned around at the finish line, standing victorious in first place. Waiting to see who would be behind him.

To his shock, he was confronted by two bright objects, ripping up the carriages as they raced to the end of the event.

The two women shared a quick glance as the buildings raced passed them as a blur. Coming to the same conclusion, they let go of Sting.

"What?!" The man shouted in shock, quickly finding himself falling behind.

Their hands latched onto his wrists.

Like a ballista, the launched the man forward, both grinning like mad women as they sent the man flying like an arrow… Right at Bacchus.

"OOOHH SHHIITTT!"

With the burden gone, they could focus on seeing which of them was the fastest.

Their magic exploded from them once more as they pushed themselves faster, each holding a hand outstretched to get as much of an advantage as they could.

It was over in moments, they were moving so fast that neither knew who had crossed first.

"HOLY F… Wow Folks! I Think We'll Have To Play The Footage Back For That One!"

Mira and Erza took flight and flew up to one of the screens. They were eager to see who won out of the two of them.

"Alright Folks, Here's The Slomo Playback!"

The screen showed Sting flailing about as he was thrown head-first across the line, followed closely by both of the women.

They had their hands outstretched and were practically neck and neck.

The footage zoomed in on their arms, the scaled arm was just an inch in front of the gauntlet-clad arm as they passed the finish line.

"Ladies And Gentlemen. Taking Third Place By Her Fingertips! MIRAJANE STRAUSS From Fairy Tail Team B!"

The crowd roared with applause at the sight never seen before. The two Fairies stole the show from the rest of the participants with their breakneck race to the finish, all while carrying the fallen dragon slayer to the end and letting him take second place.

"Folks, You Just Witnessed A Sight I'd Never Thought I'd See In My Career As A Commentator For These Games! Fairy Tail Willingly Gave Up Second Place To Help The Crippled Dragon Slayer! Yajima, Do You Have Anything You Would Like To Say On The Matter?"

"I've known Fairy Tail for a long time, I used to be on the same team as Makarov Dreyar after all. It warms my old heart to see that the guild is still as friendly and generous as I remember."

"And What About You, Jason!"

"That Was SO COOL! Seeing Miss Mirajane and Miss Erza in action reminds me of all the shoots and interviews I did with their guild!"

The two flying Fairies flew up to the booth of Mermaid Heel, hoping to find the missing team member.

Erza reached the booth first as a camera tracked her. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I'm looking for my missing teammate, Natsu. Have any of you seen him?" She peered into the room but couldn't spot even a strand of his trademark salmon spikes.

Kagura looked up at the Queen of the Fairies then turned her head to look behind the stone railing. "He looks to be hiding from you."

"Damn it, Kagura." The man chuckled heartily as he stood up, revealing himself to the redhead and the cameras once more. "I was hoping you wouldn't sell me out like that."

The swordswoman couldn't resist the small smile that spread across her lips, no matter how hard she tried to remain stoic. He had a certain playful charm that she couldn't seem to ignore. "Not my fault, you did barge in here unannounced after all."

Natsu placed a hand on the small stone wall and vaulted his legs over so he sat upon it. He grinned at the swordswoman, happy that she was bantering with him. "Hey, that was just a miscalculation with my rift."

"Still your fault."

"Yeah, yeah." The pinkette turned his gaze to the two floating mages in front of him with a broad smile. "Congrats you two."

"Thanks, Natsu. Now, can you go back to our booth before you get us in trouble." Erza crossed her arms as she frowned at the man, though the traces of a smile were clear as day.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a knot. I'll head right back over now." The man got off the railing as the other Fairies flew down to the arena and dispelled their magic. He stuck his hands into his pockets as he walked to the door, with a quick glance back at the girls. "Remember what I have told you about Raven Tail, they aren't to be trusted, not one bit."

Natsu left the booth and headed down the hall. He was replaying his recollection of his games, brushing up of what happens over the course of the day.

The memory struck him like a bolt of lightning through the brain. "Fuck."

'What's wrong, kiddo?'

'I need to check on Wendy, she's under threat.' The pinkette sprinted down the hall, making his way to the infirmary that was allocated to the guild for the games.

He kept his senses sharp, trying to discern any hint of danger as he quickly reached the infirmary. Natsu slowed to a stop and took a deep breath to calm himself, nothing smelt off so he didn't want to alarm the females inside.

Natsu opened the door and took a look around, getting the attention of Porlyusica.

"Hmm… You must be that Natsu guy that the guild has been talking about." The old woman stalked over to the man and had a good look at him. "You do share a likeness, somewhat."

"Hey, Porlyusica. Yeah, I'm Natsu." He made sure the door was completely closed behind him. "I came to check on Wendy and Carla, I think something may happen soon."

"Like what?" Porlyusica's waspish tone couldn't cause the man to falter as he made his way to a seat.

"I can't be certain as things may be different, but I believe that Raven Tail will send some goons after us. Please keep an eye out for any trouble."

"So it is true." Her eyes narrowed on the man who was casually relaxing on a chair while informing her of potential danger. "You are from a future timeline."

"Future, yes, timeline, no. I'm from another universe entirely and I met Natsumi in another universe again. Since it's another universe, things can be different here, so I'm just covering all the bases."

"What is going to happen?"

"These goons are after Lucy, though they came here to "grab the little girl" in my universe. Ivan is shit at giving orders it seems." Natsu looked at his nails and grabbed a thin strip of metal from the desk to clean them. "So you three, and Lucy, are all targets right now. How's Wendy and Carla?"

"Better. They should be in fighting condition by tomorrow." The two pinkettes looked at the holographic screen that was displaying the match between Toby and Kurohebi. "Who do you think will win?"

"Kurohebi, Toby is worthless in a fight if you ask me, his only strength is the paralysis in his claws would only be useful in surprise attacks. Which isn't the case in these Games."

"Well, if you have finished your business here, leave me to my work."

"Ok. Just keep an eye out." Natsu put the metal back on the desk and left the room, he headed for his booth.

The man kept his eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary as he walked. He entered the booth as the match finished. "Sorry I'm late, I was checking up on Wendy."

"You're up next, facing Bacchus." Erza turned to look at the man. "You look concerned…"

"Natsumi, during my match I want you to go and check on Wendy. I have a feeling Raven Tail is going to pull some shit." Natsu walked to the end of the booth and looked out at the battle below. "I'll set up a telepathic link with my Archive magic before I head out. So if you come across something then let me know right away, even if I'm in the middle of fighting."

"Gotcha." Natsumi watched as the magic wrapped around his left arm and displayed a screen above it. "I still find it odd that yours is like that."

"I've done it on purpose, it's less noticeable than a big as fuck screen. Plus, all I need it for is data logging, remote activation and control of preplaced equipment, and overall information storage. Nothing flashy here." The man tapped away at the small screen and looked over his shoulder. 'You hear me?'

'I hear you, kiddo.'

'Wait, was that END?' Natsumi blinked as her eyes widened at the pinkette.

'Oh, sweet, I can talk to the hot dragon princess.'

'Oh For Fucks Sake…' Natsu's head dropped as he slapped his hand to his face. 'END, shut up for now, I need to focus on this battle and I need this line clear for Natsumi.'

'So you're telling me, that the one time I can actually talk to someone that isn't you, and that happens to be a really fucking hot chick, with a hot as fuck body… That I can't talk to her and tell her about the things I'd do to her if I were in control?'

Natsu groaned as the woman burst out laughing, getting strange looks from their teammates.

Natsumi held her stomach as she pointed at the pinkette. "I can hear END, oh kami! He is just as perverted as we thought!"

"Remind me to never create a telepathic link ever again…"

"Just wait until the other girls hear about this! They're going to have a field day!"

'See, at least she thinks I'm funny.'

'Fuck off already… go jerk off in a corner or something.'

'Fine, I'll get all your memories of fucking chicks up the big screen here and go to town on those memories.'

'I need a mute button for you.'

Natsumi was rolling around on the floor, belting her lungs out with laughter as she held her aching sides. "Oh Kami! I wish you all could hear this!"

"Is she going to be ok?" Gray asked as he looked at Natsu.

"As long as END shuts up, then yes. And he better shut up as I need to fucking focus on the here and now."

The mages watched as Toby lost the match and Kurohebi tore up the sock that hung around the man's neck.

"Well, that ends that battle. I'm heading down now." Natsu turned and headed for the door. "Natsumi, you should go and check on the infirmary in a second once the battle starts."


"There You Have It Folks! The Winner Of The First Match Is Kurohebi From Raven Tail! Next Up, We Have The Drunk Falcon Of Quatro Cerberus, BACCHUS GROH! He'll Be Facing Off Against The… Yajima, Jason, what should we call him?"

"Hmm." The old man stroked his chin, thoughtfully. "Well, by his own words he travelled around as basically a wandering swordsman, undercover for Fairy Tail…"

"I Know! I've Got A Really COOL Name For Him!" Jason energetically rocketed to his feet. "Since he's a super COOL undercover agent that wanders from place to place and is basically like a Guild-less swordsman. How about…" The hyperactive man swept a hand in front of him as the words magically appeared. "The Ronin!"

Yajima looked between the excitable reporter and the lead commentator, his jaw on the floor. He quickly picked it back up and slapped a hand to his face at the absurdity of the name. 'Kami help me…'

"Ladies And Gentlemen! Put Your Hands Together For… NATSU THE RONIN! Let The Fight, BEGIN!"

"Oh kami… I can't believe they called me that…" Natsu muttered as he walked out onto the field. "Of all the things they could have come up with… Natsu the Ronin…"

'Hey, what is wrong with it? I, for one, like the sound of it.' END cheered.

The two halves of Natsu heard a suspiciously feminine snort of laughter in their shared mind.

'See, I told you she found me funny.'

'Kami help me...' The man's black and red coat flapped in the crosswind as he walked to the centre of the arena where Bacchus sat waiting.

"You know, with a sword like that, one would say that you're overcompensating for something." Bacchus said from the floor as he nursed his gourd. "Don't you think?"

"Man, if I had a hundred jewels for every time I have heard someone say that to me, I'd be a very rich man."

"Sounds like they might be telling the truth."

Natsu smirked. "I mean if you're so keen on checking if I'm actually compensating for something… I won't judge, though I normally only let women do the checking."

"Oh? And what do they say?"

"Oh! Natsu~, Fuck me harder~!" His smirk split into a shit-eating grin as he tried not to laugh. "You know, things like that."

"Hahaha! I like you, how about we make a bet?" Bacchus rose to his unsteady feet. "If I win, I get a full night with both Erza and Mira, Fairy Tail's poster girls, at the same time."

The crowd gasped at the obscene conversation the two mages were having.

"Sure, but I don't think you're ready for those two. They're some really hardcore women, are you sure you have got what it takes to tame them?" Natsu gestured to both of the booths belonging to Fairy Tail. "Seriously, man, it takes a tough-as-nails man to even get on their radar. If they consider you below them, well… I guess you better prepare to be their bitch."

"Well, you look like a tough-as-nails man, what with all of those gnarly scars of yours. So if I beat you, then I think I warrant a shot at them."

"Alright, man." The pinkette just shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands. "Don't come complaining to me when you can't sit down for a week."

"Right, so my side of the bet is done. What are you bringing to the table?" Bacchus took a swig from his gourd as he eyed the man.

"Well, since you're wanting to go after two girls, it's only fair that I get two bites at the cherry too." Natsu looked around the arena as he thought up a decent bet. "I guess the first part can be a bit more family-friendly so if I win, your guild has to go by Quatro Puppy for the rest of the games, because it's fucking funny. And the second part is, you have to wear a long, flowing dress, also for the rest of the games. And it must have "Erza Scarlet's Bitch" written on the front and "Mirajane Strauss' Bitch" written on the back. And it must be big writing too, has to be nice and noticeable."

The crowd didn't know what to make of these two mages. Whether to laugh at their absurd bet or be concerned with them.

"Alright, let's do this, but I won't be holding back you know."

"Drink up, pal. And let me know if that isn't enough alcohol for you." Natsu gestured to the gourd in his hand. "I don't want an easy fight."

"Are You Insane, Natsu?" Makarov shouted from the stands. "Bacchus is much stronger when drunk!"

The pinkette just brushed off the shouting Guild Master. His offer was waved off by the man as he downed the contents of the gourd.

"Gaah, that's some good alcohol." Bacchus stumbled as he threw his gourd aside. "I hope you're ready, because here I come."

The drunken man launched at the man, landing a succession of strikes to the pinkette and finishing with an uppercut that sent Natsu flying.

He came crashing down, hard, upon the arena floor. Skidding tens of meters along the ground and disabling the runes that held his sword and inch off his back, separating the man from his weapon.

A few moments passed, Natsu hadn't risen.

"Is That It Folks? Was Natsu Of Fairy Tail Team A Taken Out In Sec…"

A slow clap cut the announcer off.

It was Natsu, he slowly rose to his feet, groaning as he got up. "Gotta hand it to you, you definitely hit hard. It felt like a train crashed into me."

His joints cracked and popped as he did a few stretches. "Where were you this morning when I needed a good alarm? I reckon one of those to the stomach would have gotten me woken up and raring to go."

"I was getting hammered at one of the local bars."

"Go figure." Natsu smirked as he walked to his sword. "Looks like I should be getting serious and cut the crap."

"Ladies And Gentlemen, Are We About To See This Swordsman's Skills?"

"Fuck No!" The pinkette grinned as he drove the tip of the sheathed sword into the ground and slipped off his coat.

The crowd gasped and swooned at the man's scarred body as he hung the coat up on the grip of the sword, leaving him shirtless as he cracked his knuckles.

Natsu rolled his shoulders as he walked back to Bacchus with a grin plastered on his face. "Now that I'm pumped up, let's do this."

He launched forward with explosive speed as he delivered a heavy punch to the drunken man's gut.

Bacchus staggered back and tried to retaliate with a quick strike but his arm was pushed aside.

Natsu used the opening he had just created to land another heavy blow, hooking a punch under the arm and into the side of the ribs.

"Ouch, I Felt That One From Up Here, Folks!"

The pinkette pressed his advantage, slamming his knee into the man's gut.

Twice.

The shocked drunkard doubled over, reeling from the rapid onslaught of attacks.

Natsu pivoted on his foot as he swung his leg around and landed a kick to Bacchus' jaw.

The force of the kick sent the black-haired martial artist spiralling halfway across the arena.

"I think you need some more alcohol, pal." Natsu requipped a bottle of rum and started tossing it up into the air and catching it. "What some?"

Bacchus looked up at the mocking mage as he rubbed his sore jaw. "You pack one hell of a punch. Are you channelling magic into your attacks?"

"Maybe. Don't expect many answers about what I can do, I've been playing my cards close to the chest for a long time. You live longer that way when you wander the less amicable places in Fiore."

"Hmm." The man nodded as he rose to his feet. "Understandable."

Natsu lobbed the bottle over to Bacchus and watched as the man popped the cork and downed the contents, loudly.

'Natsumi, have you gone to check on the infirmary yet?'

'I'm on my way now, I left when you sent Bacchus flying.'

'Alright, keep me informed.'

Bacchus pulled the bottle away and smacked his lips. "Damn, that's some good rum. Where did you get it from?"

The pinkette grinned as he stuck his hands into his pockets. "Pilfered it from a dark guild's stockpile. They had some good taste in alcohol."

"I have to agree." Bacchus threw the empty bottle back to him and waited for him to send it back to his pocket dimension.

The drunken man staggered a little as he started moving forward.

He suddenly launched forward with explosive speed, closing the distance and assaulting Natsu with a barrage of palm strikes.

Natsu was put on the defensive, forced to block or divert the rapid strikes.

"This Is Getting Intense, Folks!"

Bacchus pushed away one of Natsu's retaliatory punches, making an opening as the drunkard's palm flew towards his jaw.

The black-haired man was thrown off balance when Natsu leant back and switched his fighting style.

Natsu sent a hailstorm of kicks, battering the man with a rapid succession of strikes.

Legs, torso, arms, head. Nothing was safe from his dexterous attacks.

The pinkette finished with a kick to Bacchus' chin, snapping his head back and knocking him back up into the air.

'Natsu! The infirmary is empty! Something smells odd too, there are four scents that I don't know.'

'Track them and report back once you find something.'

Bacchus slowly got to his feet once again, his eyes lulled about in a daze as he wobbled on the spot.

"You're looking a little out of it. You sure you want to continue?"

"I can do this all day." Bacchus mumbled as he started walking towards Natsu.

The man just shook his head, clicking his tongue as he watched the dazed drunkard try and make his way over. "You get one hit, one free hit."

Natsu grinned widely as he held his arms outstretched to his side, dropping his defence completely.

The black-haired drunkard eyed him cautiously, trying to gauge the validity of his words.

"Come on, hit me as hard as you can."

Bacchus started to pool his magic into his hand, getting ready for his final attack.

He sprang forward as he drove his palm into the pinkette's gut and sending the man flying in an explosion of power.

Natsu was launched back like a cannonball, not touching the ground as he rocketed toward the arena wall.

He crashed into the wall, hard. Becoming embedded in the wall deeply with his arms outstretched to his side.

His head slumped forward, hanging limp as he was seemingly unresponsive.

"You Idiot!" Makarov shouted, waving an enlarged fist at the pinkette. "You Stupid, Stupid Man! Why Did You Do That?!"

"Folks! Is This Finally It? Is The Slugfest Over?"

Slow laughter quietly broke out from the arena wall, growing louder and drawing attention to the man.

His seemingly limp head was bearing a wide grin, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.

The wall groaned and creaked, trying to resist as the man wrenched his right arm free.

"You really did a number on me with that attack."

He wrenched his left arm free as the wall started to crumble around him.

"If I had to guess, I've got internal bleeding, cracked ribs, possible organ damage, and big fucking bruises both on my back and my chest."

The man pushed himself out of the wall, landing on his unsteady feet and falling to his knees.

"But, you'll have to do worse than that to put me down."

Natsu rose to his feet, slow and unsteady, as his head rose to look at Bacchus.

"And I know that I said I won't use my magic, but… I think you have earned it."

"WHAT?! Natsu Hasn't Been Using Magic At All?!" Chapati hair fell off his head as he quickly leaned forward on his chair.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Jason was bouncing rapidly with excitement as he watched the pinkette start to trudge over to the drunken martial artist.

His bloody grin never faded on as he slowly stalked over to Bacchus.

The black-haired man was visibly shaken, there was no way this man should still be able to move, not after the hit he just took.

Like a cork being pulled from a shaken champagne bottle, a portion of Natsu's magical aura was released.

The overwhelming pressure forced Bacchus to his hands and knees as the man walked ever closer.

"Now, here is the problem, I'm not going to hit you with this power, but I'm not about to lose this match. Quite the conundrum, isn't it?

Bacchus looked up at the man from his hands and knees, his vision scrambling as he started seeing things that couldn't be possible.

Standing above him was some kind of demonic entity, cloaked in roaring flames, with two bright crimson eyes that bored into his very soul.

His voice came out warped, distorted… seemingly having a dual-tone. "So, Bacchus. What will it be?"

The drunkard's vision faded to black as he passed out, falling flat on the ground.

Natsu blinked and shut off his aura. He turned and started to walk away when he felt the urge to cough.

Covering his mouth with his hand, he coughed and fell to his knees. Natsu pulled his hand away, it was coated in blood. "Yep… Internal bleeding."

Medics ran onto the field as Chapati called the man, they put Bacchus on a stretcher as Natsu staggered to his feet.

The pinkette pushed past the medical mages as he walked to his coat and sword, placing them on his person. 'Natsumi, report.'

'I'm on the rooftop, they have guns, Natsu.' She sounded rushed, like she was a little panicked.

'I'm on my way, I need Wendy to take a look at me.' He staggered into the halls and used his sword to cut through space.

Natsu walked through the tear in space and emerged behind the kidnappers. "You fuckers have three seconds to release our guild members or I'll cut you down where you stand."

The four men whipped around, their faces hidden by their metal masks.

"You're bluffing, everyone knows that Fairy Tail…" The kidnapper holding Wendy was cut off by the tip of Natsu's sword against their throat.

"Just try me."

The kidnapper who wasn't holding anyone raised their guns at Natsu, noticing how injured the pinkette is. He shouldn't be that much trouble, right?

Their hands fell from their wrists in a flash of black, and before they could make any noise, their head rolled off their shoulders.

"Who sent you?" Natsu's fist shattered one of the metal masks as he wrapped his hand around one of their throats.

The kidnappers all dropped their hostages, two put their hands up in surrender while the third tried to remove the pinkette's constricting grip.

"It was Raven Tail!"

"I knew it!" Natsumi shouted angrily. "They had to be up to something when their plans were failing."

SNAP

"They're lying, Natsumi." Natsu spoke evenly as he let the body drop to the floor. He wiped his hand on the clothes of one of the two remaining kidnappers. "I can hear it in their voice. So I'll ask again, who sent you?"

"I-it was A-arcadios!"

Natsumi looked at Natsu, confused as she tried to make sense of it. "Who is this Arcadios bastard and why does he want Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica?"

"They don't want them, they want Lucy, probably more so now that she has shown her strength." The salmon-haired man looked at his counterpart, he coughed up some more blood which leaked out of the corners of his mouth. "Check on the girls for me, I'll clean up this mess."

There was another flash of black as Natsu took the heads off of the remaining kidnappers then slashed through space. He used Macro to levitate the body parts and blood and made them go through the rift he had made.

"Where is that leading to?"

"The ocean, the sharks can have them for lunch." Natsu knelt down beside Wendy and checked her over.

The young dragon slayer's eyes fluttered open as she looked up at the injured man, she gasped as she took in the state he was in. "Let me help!"

"Please." He nodded as Natsumi put his arm over her shoulders. "If you need help then I'll call my Wendy to lend a hand."

Natsu helped the girl up and escorted the group back to the infirmary where he was met with the rest of Team A and Makarov, they must have been waiting for them.

"What the hell happened here?" The old man asked as he looked at the group.

"They were kidnapped, gramps." Natsumi helped Natsu into a medical bed. "At first they said Raven Tail sent them."

Wendy got to work on healing the injured pinkette but was turning pale from exhaustion too quickly for Natsu's liking.

"Wendy, don't push yourself, you're still recovering."

Makarov turned to the dragon princess, one of his eyebrows raised in curiosity. "What do you mean by "At first"?"

"She means..." Natsu grunted as he propped himself up against the headboard. "That they gave me another name, Arcadios."

"Arcadios?" Erza echoed, she was confused at the name drop. She looked around at the rest of the people in the room. "The name doesn't ring a bell."

"He is known as The White Knight, he is the chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights Squadron." Natsu started to tap at his P-IVD, sending a quick message to Wendy to help him recover. "Basically, he is the last line of defence for the Royal Family."

"But what would he want with us three?" Wendy paused her healing for a moment to wipe her pale brow. "Maybe they'd need someone healed?"

Gray glanced Natsu then to Lucy, he remembered something Natsu had said back in the booth. "Wait, didn't you tell us that Raven Tail might be up to something?"

"Yes, I did. Honestly, I never found out who was behind those kidnappings, I just took it for granted when they told me it was Raven Tail." Natsu coughed and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. "I only know better now because the Princess is being coerced into using the Eclipse Gate."

Makarov's head tilted up as his eyes narrowed. Someone was using the royal family. "But by who?"

"Someone from your future, there is nothing we can do about it until it happens because the one doing it is an elusive motherfucker."

A portal opened next to the bed, causing Natsu to look at it with a smile. "Ah, some backup. Don't worry about me, guys, I'll be back in shape by tonight. Ready for tomorrow."

"Natsu..." Makarov eyed the man carefully. "What happened to those kidnappers?"

"Huh?" The pinkette turned to the old man, momentarily surprised by his question. "Oh, them. They're dead, I cut open a rift and dumped them into the sea, so they'd most likely be shark food right now."

A gasp caught his attention once more but before he could turn to the portal, a blue-haired woman crashed into him. "What Happened?!"

"Gahh. Ease up there, little one." Natsu carefully moved the adult Wendy off of his chest. "If I had to guess; either cracked or broken ribs, internal bleeding, and severe bruising… stuff like that."

"Well, you did goad Bacchus into punching you." Said a calm and even voice from behind the eighteen-year-old dragon slayer, the owner moved to the bedside.

It was his Erza, from his own universe, looking stunning in her Ataraxia Armour. "We were watching the Games through that backdoor that Levy installed for Dragneel and the others."

"That makes sense, I never realised just how much of a punch the dude packs, gotta give my respect to Elfman next time I see him. Fuck it hurts."

"You seemed fine during the match." Lucy mumbled, worriedly as she watched the older Wendy take over the healing of the man.

The older blunette glanced up at the blonde. "Adrenaline would have caused that, basically he was so pumped up that he was shutting out the pain." She looked down at Natsu, a no-nonsense look on her usually kind face. "You need to rest, go to sleep and let me do my job. Erza is here to guard the infirmary."

The older redhead nodded. "Yes, you all are free to head back to the games. We'll take good care of things here."

"Alright, let's go you brats." Makarov led Team A out of the infirmary. "Stay safe you lot."

"Likewise, old man." Natsu replied as the door closed. He grinned at Wendy. "How bad is it Doc?"

"It's "Shut up and let me deal with it" bad, the focused blast of magic has damaged many of your internal organs. In other words, I need to delicately weave my magic around your internal organs to heal them evenly." The woman turned to her younger self. "I'm sorry, Wendy, but I'll need to do this one alone. Please go back to your bed."

The older Wendy propped the man up on some pillows and swung her leg over his hips, she sat down on his lap to give herself the best position to evenly work her magic on his organs. "I'm starting now."

Natsu decided that it was probably best to keep quiet while the woman was working, he trusted her completely but that didn't mean he should distract her even if it's accidental.


Well, that turned out to be a longer one, yet again. Still, I hope you like it. Day two will either continue with Mira and Jenny's fight or it will start with Natsu's perspective as he spends time with Erza and Wendy from his universe as he recovers from his injuries, which will probably skip to after the day's battles.

It depends on what I feel like at the time of writing to what path I'll be taking. For example, I wasn't actually planning on Natsu suffering lots of internal damage from Bacchus' attack but it happened to write itself into existence, my actual plan was to have Mira's match be witnessed by Natsu and he gets caught up in all the funny shenanigans that happens during that match but due to him being injured and undergoing healing at adult Wendy's hands, he'll be stuck in the infirmary for a bit.

Curse my dynamic writing style! Ah well, again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing you all in the next one. Bye for now!