III
Igneel stopped counting the days after a while. Seeing Natsu search for him, under rocks, in oceans, nearly anywhere he could get his hands on was too much after a while; and as the days began to tick on and on, Igneel didn't enjoy the growing number, so he stopped counting. Natsu was becoming more determined, yet Igneel could sense his sadness growing as well.
It seemed since he'd "disappeared", nestling inside of his son's core, nothing good had happened. Sure, he was slowly suppressing the magic from consuming Natsu, which was a win, but everything else going on outside was nothing but losses.
And so the day when Natsu stumbled into the town of Magnolia, depressedly walking through the giant doors into a guild called Fairy Tail and Igneel felt a change in him, it was a much-needed ray of sunlight.
The instant Natsu stepped inside, the crowds of drinking mages shouting a loud and boisterous hello to the small boy, many coming up and talking to him, asking him questions and making his acquaintance, Igneel could feel the boy's heart lighten.
To the dragon it was just any guild, but he could feel in his son's mind and soul that he knew he'd found his home. It would take a little while to convince Igneel of this, but not long, because feeling the skip in Natsu's heart and the hitch in his breath in excitement was enough to make Igneel smile again, and hope that perhaps it wasn't all dreary days ahead.
The day Natsu entered Fairy Tail was a turning point, and while the days had seemed to drag on and on before, they went a little faster now. And his son's slowly mending heart was enough for reason for Igneel to begin counting the days again.
Did it ever say exactly how long it'd been between Igneel leaving and Natsu joining Fairy Tail? I forget. D:
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and those amazing reviews and whatnot are easily my favorite thing in the world. :D
~Foxtail-chan