Annie: Hey, everyone. This is a rewriting version of chapter two.

Just2protect: Natsu is starting to do magic has started back when he first meets Atlas.

Annie: Let the story begins.

P.S,

There'll be some blood here in the story.

April 12, X773

Igneel smiled slightly at the sight of Natsu stretched out on the grass, smiling broadly at the sun. It had been a few weeks since Natsu finally returned from the people who'd stolen him away. Not a day passed that Igneel thought of flying to the place where Natsu had been held and tormented by those creatures and turning every last spec of it into a pile of ashes. But he knew he couldn't leave his boy alone. Not just yet at least. True, Natsu had healed up well enough with daily tongue-baths from Igneel and the dragon had begun teaching his boy about magic, but he wasn't comfortable leaving Natsu alone just yet. The moment he'd realized someone had taken the boy from him, unwanted memories resurfaced and Igneel felt more terrified than he cared to admit. A scent suddenly appeared in the air. Despite the familiarity of it, Igneel stood instantly and sniffed, trying to figure out exactly who was coming.

"Natsu! Come here now!" Natsu instantly got up and ran to his father, hiding behind the massive tail as Igneel crouched, ready for a fight.

"And here I thought the boy liked me?" Igneel snapped his head around. Clinging to the mountainside was a dragon roughly the same size as Igneel but where Igneel had ruby-red scales protecting his skin, this dragon had pure Hellfire that cackled as he moved and sent tiny embers into the air.

"Uncle Atlas!" Natsu cheered as the dragon leapt from the mountain and opened his wings, allowing him to float gently to the ground.

"What are you doing here? I thought my next magic lesson wasn't until next week?"

"Your father thought it might be a good idea to have lessons more often." Atlas explained as the boy ran forward. Atlas was careful to not touch Natsu yet. As well as the boy had been doing with learning magic, there was still a ways to go before a true fire wouldn't harm him anymore and Atlas's Hellfire would likely burn the boy to a crisp with a single touch.

"Really?!" Natsu cheered, looking to Igneel with an excited grin. The red dragon nodded and Natsu began to jump around cheering.

"There's also the fact that I need to go on a hunt." the dragon explained. Natsu's jumping ceased and he tipped his head to the side.

"Winter is coming. You nor myself will want to go out much come the cold. We'll need to stock up on some meat before the chill comes. I'll be back before long." He assured as he touched his nose to Natsu, letting the boy hug him.

"I'll expect to see just how well you've learned from Uncle Atlas when I return, alright?" Natsu nodded, his grin returning.

"I'll keep him safe, old friend." Atlas promised as the red dragon straightened up.

"I know you will." Igneel stretched out his wings and took off with a leap into the skies. Natsu followed his father with his eyes until Igneel was nothing more than a spec on the horizon.

"Bye Dad! I'll train really, really hard, I promise!" Natsu called.

"Come home safe!" Atlas looked down at his surrogate-nephew and smiled. When Atlas had first appeared a few days after Natsu's return, he'd almost terrified the boy into thinking he was some kind of undead dragon or something. But once Atlas had explained he was an old friend of Igneel, the boy had leapt around for joy, calling him 'Uncle Atlas' almost instantly.

"Now then, shall we start with your warm-up?" Atlas asked. Natsu nodded and sat down, crossing his legs as best he could before sitting up straight and closing his eyes and letting his palms face the skies on his knees. Atlas had taught him that in order to use magic, he had to be connected with the magic inside himself. All humans had the potential to use magic, but only a few could find the mental power and discipline to actually use it. So in order to help Natsu connect with his own magic ability, Atlas had told the boy to start meditating and he'd been making excellent progress. Natsu took deep breaths, focusing on finding that tiny strand of magic that was always there, like a string he knew was hanging off his clothes but sometimes just couldn't find. He felt that tiny sensation that sent goosebumps up his spine and made his burn scars tingle; his magic. He mentally latched on and tugged it towards himself. Atlas sensed the shift in Natsu's energy from normal, human energy to that of a magical being, and he nodded approvingly.

"That's it, my boy." he said gently as he turned to his own magical power. He continued to speak gentle, encouraging words to the boy as he focused. Atlas' form began to shrink and his Hellfire turned to somewhat tanned human skin. His head sprouted red hair that was short save for a ponytail near the bottom that reached the middle of his back. His eyes turned from pure flame to a golden-amber color. He looked to only be about twenty years old but stood at an imposing 6'7" with bulging muscles that had developed while in dragon form. Natsu continued to follow the tiny string of magic inside of himself, feeling the energy growing in strength. He had to remain calm and slowly draw the magic to him, lest he break the tiny, delicate connection he now held. He could feel it growing within him, turning his fingertips numb with excitement. The muscles in his stomach began to coil.

"Deep breaths in…and out…in…out." Atlas instructed. Natsu obeyed, calming his nerves as the coil in his stomach lessened but didn't vanish. Atlas smiled as a spark began to dance on Natsu's palm and the boy didn't even flinch. Another spark popped into existence in his other hand. One by one, mare sparks appeared in his hands, dancing over his fingertips and palm. Natsu's fingers began to twitch at the sensation of something tickling his hands, making the sparks jump more around his hand.

"Very good Natsu." Atlas said. Natsu's eyes opened and he looked down at the sparks alive in his hands before his face broke into a massive grin. "Got a good hold on it now?" Atlas asked. Natsu nodded and allowed his mentor to pull him to his feet so the boy could focus on keeping hold of the magical connection between his physical form and the tiny sparks in his hands.

"Now turned them into a fireball, like a showed you." Natsu closed his eyes and pressed his hands together, imagining the sparks coming together to create a true flame in his palm. As he opened his eyes, he saw the flickers of a flame in between his fingers and pulled his hands apart, showing a rather small fireball in his hand that barely gave off any heat at all. Still, Atlas nodded and smiled approvingly.

"Now, throw it at me."

"Alright…one sec," Natsu said as he closed his eyes again. Atlas backed up some to give Natsu some room to throw.
"Remember, don't try to make it bigger yet, otherwise you might lose control." Natsu nodded and opened his eyes, looking from the tiny fireball in his hands to his mentor a few times before taking a deep breath and pulling his arm back. The boy threw the fireball as hard as he could, willing the flame to stay alive until it hit its target. Atlas watched as the flame managed to hold until it neared him. He raised his hand and caught the fireball in his palm. It felt like a warmed stone in his experienced fingers and while the flame flickered, there was barely enough to fill his palm. He brought it to his mouth and swallowed it down quickly. It released a wave of goosebumps down his spine but he barely moved to show the discomfort. Natsu fell back onto his rump in exhaustion and Atlas came over and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's getting better. Just remember to focus on the heat, not the size next time, alright?" Natsu nodded, still panting as a thin layer of sweat made itself visible on his skin from the exertion.

"Go lay down. I'll get you something to help restore your energy." Natsu nodded and let Atlas help him into his bed before he promptly passed out. Atlas stayed in human form as he took a jar from the cave towards the river to get a drink for his young pupil. Even in the smaller form, he could smell something in the forest that should not have been there. His eyes never stopped scanning the forest even when he returned to the cave. He set the jug by Natsu's bed and ruffled the boy's messy hair before taking a seat near the entrance. Atlas' eyes scanned, but his mind wandered to a few weeks back, when he'd first met the human boy who'd managed to work his way into the heart of the King of the Fire Dragons. Natsu had still been badly injured from his ordeal and it was obvious that the situation had frightened Igneel, even if the dragon refused to say a word on the matter. Since then, Igneel had asked him to search for a place that reeked of the scents clinging to the scrap of fabric that had been on the boy when he came home. And while he hadn't been able to, Igneel had made use of the time when Atlas was teaching Natsu the first aspects of using magic. True, Igneel could've done it himself, but Atlas knew more of teaching a young male of the fire magic that pumped through the veins of the Fire Dragons and thus, Igneel had left it to his oldest friend to teach Natsu the first few steps. A feat that was proving more difficult than initially thought as one tiny detail had slipped Atlas' mind at the time; Despite Igneel calling Natsu his son, the fact remained the Natsu didn't possess a drop of true Fire Dragon blood fresh with sparks in him. True, he had some of Igneel's blood inside him from when the bear had attacked the dragon, but Igneel hadn't used fire, so his blood lacked the spark of flame that all Fire Dragons had. But during those lessons, Igneel had made use of the time and hunted for the creatures who'd dared to lay their hands upon and torture his beloved son. He'd sworn he'd make them feel the pain Natsu felt a thousand times over if they were so much as wary of his son's presence in the place. And that's exactly what he was doing right at that moment.

Even though Atlas couldn't hear or see his old friend, he knew that Igneel had found the place and was now reeking the justice that only the King of the Fire Dragons could bestow upon those who'd dared harm the boy who was the Prince of the Fire Dragons in all but blood, this precious child, little Natsu. Atlas snapped to attention when he heard something snap in the forest. It had to be at least a small ways away but Atlas could still hear it. He sniffed the air and the circular pupils in his eyes turned to hair-thin-slits as his skin burst into flames. He smelled humans, steel, leather, stone, dogs and blood. Atlas stepped out of the cave as he returned to his dragon form, inadvertently waking Natsu from his nap.

"Uncle Atlas?" he asked as he stepped out of the cave, rubbing one of his eyes.

"Get back inside Natsu, now," he said, turning his head to the boy and urging him back. Natsu fell over his own feet and let out a yell as his elbow hit the stone of the cave floor. Atlas heard humans begin to yell and snapped around to see at least a dozen or so of them standing in the shade of the trees, at least two or three dogs to each man that were straining at their leashes, eager to fight the massive dragon before them. Igneel released another stream of fire, feeling it warm his belly and throat as the golden flames engulfed the wretched place that had trapped and tormented his son. Foolhardy humans were running about, their clothes aflame, screaming for help that would not come. The building gave a groan of protest as Igneel's fire hit the base, spreading up the sides and all but swirling around the foundation, before it tipped precariously to one side and fell into the sand, sending up a cloud of the substance into the smoke-blackened skies. Yet, despite seemingly having destroyed the building, Igneel's frustration grew. There was a scent missing from this place; the scent that had been clinging to Natsu's wrist where he'd claimed the man "Brain" had held him the day he was taken.

Igneel watched as the remains of the ruined building collapsed in on themselves, leaving no place for anyone to have survived. The King of the Fire Dragons shook his head and turned away from the wreckage and a scent came to him on the winds. He looked and standing on a hill was a small child, probably around Natsu's age, with short black hair and dressed in the same robe Natsu had been forced into. Her eyes were wide and she began to scream at Igneel. The dragon had little concern for this child who reeked of ice, hate and rage. He simply spread his wings and took off into the skies. He wasn't satisfied, but he'd done all he could for now. His hunt for this Brain character could wait. For now, the place where his son had been tormented was destroyed and those involved had been punished. The fire was still alight inside him as his wings stretched over the treetops, those tall enough to actually touch the scaly appendages lost their green tops in a sudden explosion of wood splinters and greenery. The dragon's golden eyes scanned the forest floor for anything he could use as an excuse for his 'hunting' trip. Then, he smelled a very familiar coppery smell that turned the gold into molten amber in his eyes and his pupils slitted in rage once he realized where the smell was coming from. The dragon opened his maw and released a trumpet of a roar, his war cry, as he neared the cave he called home. The forest close to the entrance was still alight with Atlas' Hellfire and at least a dozen humans were running around, throwing spears, shooting arrows at the dragon made of fire. Burning corpses of dogs littered the ground near Atlas' talons and hiding within the cave, was Natsu. Igneel roared again as he landed on the mountainside and slid down until he stood next to Atlas, releasing a stream of fire for him to land on. Once his talons hit the scorched earth, Igneel released another trumpet into the air, to which, Atlas responded with one of his own.

"Get the demons!" One of the men yelled.

"They can't be allowed to eat that boy!" Igneel released a huff of smoke from his nostrils as Atlas huffed fire.

"I told you geezers, my daddy won't eat me!" Natsu screamed from inside the cave before Igneel shook his head. Even if Natsu denied the men's claims until the day he died, none of them would believe him. They believed the old spinsters' tales of dragons eating humans and thought Natsu was meant to be the next meal between Atlas and Igneel. Humans could be such a petty and disgusting bunch when they grew up ignorant of everything and never took the courage to reach for something new on their own. Some of the men began to charge at Igneel and Atlas, to which the Hellfire-dragon released a stream of fire around himself and his King, cutting off the approach. Spears and arrows flew through the roaring flames, only to bounce off the scales on Igneel's shoulders, neck and forelegs.

One of the humans threw a spear towards Atlas, but the weapon slipped through his body of fire, instead stabbing Igneel in a lesser-protected part of his underbelly. The dragons roared and turned towards the human in question.
Natsu watched the spear pierce his father's side, only to fall to the ground when Igneel moved, the shaft ablaze and the tip covered in blood. A movement caught his eye. Right on the edge of the mountain, the fire had gone out just enough for one human to sneak through, his dogs straining at their leashes and a new spear in his hand.
Natsu's eyes snapped between the man's wicked smirk, the bloodied spear and Igneel who was still distracted with the human who'd initially injured him.

"Stay away…" Natsu breathed as he stood up. The man was too far away to hear him and the roars of the dragons too loud for either of them to hear the boy.

"Stay away," Natsu said again, taking a step out of the cave. The dogs noticed the movement but continued to pull on their restraints, hoping to please their master by felling the King of the Fire Dragons. The man raised his spear. He was close enough to throw the spear right into Igneel's underbelly and into his vital organs.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY DADDY!" Natsu roared as he burst out of the cave at full speed and tackled the man. His small fists began beating at the man's face, neck, chest, anyplace he could reach. A sudden pain ripped through his leg and he screamed, seeing one of the man's massive black dogs biting into his calf. The man beneath him scrabbled for his spear, but the tip broke off in his grip and the momentum caused the blade of the weapon to bury itself into Natsu's right side, just under his ribs and into his liver. The other dog grabbed onto his arm as their master reached for another blade on his belt. Natsu's mind began to go blank to the pain, instead feeling a numbness and a tingling sensation spreading through him. He smashed his fist down on the muzzle of the dog on his arm again and again until he was released. His leg kicked the other dog away before he returned to beating the man under him. The man's hand came up, spear tip in hand, and the edge caught the side of Natsu's neck, leaving behind a jagged cut as the man tried to grab the boy's shoulder, only to end up pushing the tip further into the boy's neck. Natsu felt the dogs grab onto his legs again. His vision blurred in and out of focus with black spots dancing around, but he began to beat down on the man harder. The dogs yanked and Natsu felt everything spin for a moment before he saw the man over him, dagger in hand and a wild look in his beady black eyes.
This time, Natsu felt the blade as it dug through his skin and muscles. Breathing almost instantly became a chore as the man's blade was twisted into Natsu's chest. The boy coughed and sputtered, blood speckling his face as his brain became over-flooded with the pain in his legs, arms, side and neck and his chest now felt a sickly odd sensation of being both boiling hot and icy cold at the same time.

The man's hand yanked the blade from Natsu's chest. He could feel warm blood oozing over his shirt and skin and scars. Hot tears streaked down his face as the man lifted the bloody dagger once again. Natsu's eyes shut tightly as the man began to yell, ready to strike the final blow.

(There's going to be a Igneel Point Of View on his reaction)

Igneel's POV

Igneel had felt so many reactions that he couldn't understand it:

Seeing Natsu leave the cave cause him to be angry as Natsu was safe inside the cave than out here in the open when he can be taking away from him and he knows Natsu wouldn't like that and would fight them to get back to him. Seeing Natsu beating the man up, he got so much pride, proud and joy from seeing Natsu protecting him and harming someone that harmed his family even if they blood and flesh or not, but now Natsu is getting hurt by the dogs and human that he felt rage and fury at that site in front of him with what is happening to his son and now THAT human was going for the final blow to his son cause him to feel so much RAGE as well as hateness at the human for attaining to kill his son by a stab to the heart!

End of Igneel's POV

Natsu waited for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes were squeezed so tightly shut that he couldn't see even the tiniest hint of light. The man's yell was ringing in his ears as he wheezed in a breath. It felt almost as if Igneel was stepping on his chest and telling him to breathe normally. He knew where the blade was going to strike; his heart. So he waited for the sting of the blade on his skin again, then to be followed with nothing…But…It never came. The man's yell turned into a howl of agony and a weight was lifted from Natsu's hips as the sound of bones being crushed accompanied the man's tormented voice. There was a whoosh of air and a resounding THUMP that Natsu could feel in his fingertips.

"You dare to harm my son?!" Igneel roared as Natsu's eyes fluttered open. The dragon dropped the man onto the forest floor and roared in his face.

"Natsu, look away." Natsu simply closed his eyes but after a second, peeked with one, just in time to see Igneel's powerful jaws snap at the man, taking the upper half of his body in the dragon's maw. The man flailed somewhat, his dagger shattering against the scales protecting the underside of Igneel's jaw. Igneel flicked his head this way and that until he heard a rather satisfying snap of the man's spine. The dragon inhaled through his nose and felt the sparks of flame come to life in his belly. He breathed a stream of fire over the body as he roared. He snapped his head back and released the flaming corpse into the air, before turning to his bleeding boy. Atlas watched as the body crashed into one of the ledges much higher on the mountain and remained still, almost like a warning to any other humans who would attempt such a disgusting action as attack the son of the Fire Dragon King.

"Natsu," Igneel purred gently as he licked at his son's legs. The dog bites tasted bad, meaning they were probably infected with whatever those mangy mongrels had in their jaws. But Igneel was most concerned with the massive puddle of blood now swelling around Natsu's tiny body and just how much of the substance was on his chest, only visible due to the sun's reflecting off it.

"Daddy…" Natsu managed, reaching out and patting the tip of his father's nose with a shaky hand. Atlas reverted to his human form and ran to the boy's side, pulling his head into his lap and feeling at the pulse point just under his jaw. Igneel's eyes flashed with worry and Atlas' grim look did nothing to assist the nerves of the father. Igneel looked from his boy to his own arm a few times before pushing Atlas away with his nose. Atlas understood instantly and moved aside. Igneel raised his arm over the boy and bit down hard into his own skin until he could taste the spicy, coppery taste of blood in his mouth and feel the liquid dripping off his lips. Atlas watched in anxious hope as Igneel's blood began to cover Natsu entirely, painting him a flame-red, almost like his father's scales.

"You're really doing it, aren't you old friend?" Atlas thought to himself.

"You're going to use Blood Fusion to save him?" Once Natsu was completely covered in Igneel's blood, the dragon released his arm and after 40 minutes of Igneel's blood being soaked into Natsu's body, Igneel began to lick at his boy, much like he had done when Natsu first came home weary, exhausted and burnt. Natsu began screaming and holding onto his father as tightly as he could. His fingernails began to grow a little and the places where his scars were as well as his newer wounds, became harder and more solid, like scales. Natsu's teeth grew out a little, resembling the fangs a dragon would needed to rip their prey apart. His pink hair began to grow out and turn red at the tips of the ends and front of his hair, reaching his shoulders and nearly matching his father's scales. When the process was done, Natsu fell back against the grass, too exhausted to do much more than pant for air. Igneel picked his boy up by the front of his clothes and brought him back into the cave, followed quickly by Atlas, who simply watched as Igneel put the boy in his bed and licked at the blood remaining on his clothes before removing them to clean the now healed wounds before he let Atlas put fresh cloths onto Natsu's body before Igneel had tack his son in.

'I hope you plan to explain to him exactly what you've done, Igneel.' Atlas thought.

'After all, that boy isn't human anymore. Half human, half dragon…Completely, the Prince of the Fire Dragons.'

Annie: That's the rewriting chapter of chapter two. I added a couple of things here and there to make it a little bit better.

Just2protect: I can't wait to start chapter three.

Natsu: Oi, what's the big idea of me getting hurt here?!

Both me and Just2protect: OUR CHOOSE, FLAME BREATH! ROAR OF THE HELL/HEAVEN DRAGON!

Natsu: *X.X*

Both again: Ja Ne! ^-^