XVII

Igneel was proud to be able to sit back and watch as Natsu took those words of Macao's and made them a reality. With a little concentration and a whole lot of control, the fire he breathed formed a hand, reaching up and easily pulling him back onto the tracks. Igneel couldn't help the smirk on his face as Erigor's eyes widened in surprise. Yes, his son was back and ready to fight.

It seemed Natsu's mind was somehow cleared by the memory of Macao's words and while rage and a desire to protect those he cared about still drove him, he was more in control this time. The battle was over within minutes and Igneel felt himself breathe a sigh of relief as Natsu relaxed, and spotted a magic four-wheeler in the distance carrying his comrades.

It seemed it was all over now, Lullaby in their custody and the leader of the dark guild completely out of commission. However, as Igneel had learned to expect when it came to jobs, it wasn't over 'till it's over. Erza, Lucy, and Gray had brought the man Natsu had originally met on the train with them, and taking the reunion of the four as his chance, he made his escape, heading towards Clover with Lullaby intact.

Just as before, a burning fury boiled inside of Natsu, and once again he took off without thinking, this time his comrades in tow, as they went after the man and Lullaby.

Igneel felt as Natsu forcibly pushed thoughts of losing Makarov out of his mind, trying his best not to focus on what could happen, because he was determined to stop it before it did. Igneel was actually quite surprised to feel Natsu doing such a grownup thing. Granted, he was actually old enough to be considered an adult, but with the way Natsu's brain worked, and through witnessing its ticks and what pushed his buttons for years and years on the inside, Igneel knew that his son's brain still worked similarly to that of a child's.

He wasn't sure whether it was in meeting Lucy, or finally going out on a job with other mages that he'd grown up with and admired, but a lot of things seemed to be rapidly changing inside of Natsu. He was still the same and yet Igneel could feel new sparks flying, new connections being made, and a sudden sense that something new was welling up inside of his son, not unlike the feeling he felt welling up inside of his own stomach.

He'd been able to pinpoint his own: he believed that this job and this joining of members was going to form a team. Igneel felt that it would be a big shift, not only for Natsu, and as the group reached Clover to find Makarov already talking with the dark guild member, now about to play Lullaby, the Master of course saying just the right things to disarm the boy into surrendering, and also causing Lullaby to take on its true form, Igneel realized that Natsu was having the exact same feeling.

The battle with the awakened Lullaby didn't happen as Igneel had suspected it would, and while it would always be ingrained in his, and his son's, memory, it was all a little blurry. Natsu fought all-out against an opponent he hadn't ever seen the likes of before. And this time, Gray and Erza, two mages whose power rivaled his own, were at his sides. There was something almost magical as they all took shots at the Zeref Demon, their magic shaking the earth to its very core and in the end, defeating Lullaby.

Because Igneel hadn't been the only one to sense the shift. Natsu now had a partner in Lucy, but he now also had a team. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. In days to come they would be called Fairy Tail's strongest team, but before it was ever in words, Igneel already knew it in his heart. This… This was Natsu's team.

I definitely thought it was incredibly memorable the first time they fought together. Almost like something immediately clicked, and I thought both Natsu and Igneel would pick up on that.

And the strongest team is born! And the end of the Lullaby arc is upon us. XD I hope you enjoyed! And than you yet again for the incredibly wonderful and insightful reviews! :D

~Foxtail-chan