Hi guys sorry for being late with another chapter. My internet was down so I couldn't post as much, but great news I'm going strong and I haven't given up this story yet. Here we are chapter 3 of Flames of Hope!


Chapter 3: The End is at the Beginning


"I won't be taking on any more jobs for now guys." Natsu began as he explained his current situation without divulging any details to the rest of Team Natsu.

After waking up in the living room of Fairy Hills, the other tenants saw Natsu lying on the couch and mercilessly beat him up. After Levy and Wendy came back into the room and saw the commotion, Levy cleared up the misunderstanding and the others apologized to Natsu. He turned his gaze away from the apologetic and sheepish crowd, and focused it on the red-haired woman that had stepped into the room. Natsu asked Erza to summon everyone to talk to them about something important and Erza sent him home.

"Erza, I would like for you to take care of everyone and be the leader for the team."

"When did you become leader flame eater? Wasn't Erza always calling the shots?" Gray couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Natsu leading people.

"Keep it up and I'll sew your clothes to your body you ice licker." Natsu was more than serious about the threat.

However before Gray could open his mouth, he felt a menacing aura come from Erza.

"Gray, one more word and I'll have to sew your mouth up as well." She said.

Gray silently shut his mouth without a second thought.

"I believe it would be best if you did. All of us are concerned about your health. These injuries aren't good for your body. You're also putting a lot of strain on the group, especially on Wendy. She can't be healing you consistently." Lucy added.

Natsu shifted his gaze towards Wendy who was falling asleep on the table. Her sleeping figure sat still on the barrel shaped seat as her eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, trying to stay awake as their meeting continued.

'I feel bad for Wendy. She looks really tired. I can't get her involved any more than she has already. She stayed up all night just to make sure I was okay.'

"As long as you guys are okay with what I have to say, there should be no objections." Natsu stated.

As Gray, Erza, and Lucy got up from the table, Natsu saw that Wendy was still sleeping. Her small body hadn't moved since the meeting had commenced and her quiet, motionless figure, gave a small sound.

'Is she snoring?' Natsu wondered as his keen sense of hearing picked up on the faint noise once again.

'Yeah, she's snoring alright.' Natsu concluded as he softly walked over to her and gently nudged her shoulders.

"Hey Wendy, come on wake up, we're done now." Natsu whispered to her.

"H-uh?" Wendy began to mutter in her half-dazed state.

As she lifted her head from her makeshift pillow, Natsu noticed a small pool right where she'd been sleeping moments ago.

"Wendy, you left a pool of drool on the table." Natsu remarked rather bluntly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry Natsu! It won't happen again!" Wendy felt embarrassed as she tried to clean up her drool.

Natsu laughed at her embarrassment. Wendy turned beet red at hearing his laughter.

"It's not funny Natsu! I was worried about you!" Wendy said as she cleaned up the last traces of her mess.

"I know I know." He chuckled. The Fire Dragon Slayer began to calm down. "Listen Wendy, I'm really sorry about all of my mess-ups recently. I never meant to drag you into this."

Natsu's honesty to his friends was something Wendy had always admired about him. When he made a mistake he always apologized, even though some of the mistakes were solely accidents.

"It's alright Natsu, I'm just glad you're okay for now." Wendy smiled up at him. Though she felt extremely tired and fatigued, deep down she was truly glad that Natsu came out of it okay.

"I want to make it up to you. I know that you like cake. Why don't we go out for some?" Natsu proposed the unusual question. "Plus it's lunchtime and I'm getting hungry anyway."

"I would like to go Natsu!" Wendy became happily excited at the thought of cake and other delicious sweets and ran to Magnolia's bakery.


After buying Wendy some cake and various sweets, Natsu and Happy escorted Carla and Wendy back to Fairy Hills. It was very late as the moon began its ascension into the sky. Wendy waved to Natsu as she walked to her dorm with a sleepy Carla in her hands. Natsu watched as the two faded into the building and walked away from the tall dormitory with Happy flying about his head.

"Natsu are you okay with not telling her about this dream of yours? After your light show in Levy's room it will be even harder to keep it from her as well as the rest of our friends." Happy said as he was eating his fish.

"This is the best way. I took her out today to apologize for worrying her. I can't let her get involved in what I am about to do."

Wendy had become an important figure in Natsu's life; maybe just as important as the rest of his team.

"I realize now that what Igneel wants me to do, is something that only I can do; I can't let anyone else get involved Happy." Natsu said.

"What's given you this idea Natsu?" Happy asked curiously.

"It's just the way he talked to me in that vision or premonition or whatever. He….. Sounded desperate, like he needed help with something that involves only me."

"Really Natsu?" Happy said in a surprised tone. "Cause if he wanted you to catch a really HUGE fish I could do it better than you can!"

"I'm hoping it does have to do with fish. All this thinking burns my head." Natsu says as she hold

"Don't think too hard Natsu. How about we get something to eat?"

"Yeah it sounds like a good plan Happy!"


After returning home for the day Natsu and Happy both decided to call it a day and went to sleep in their hammocks. Natsu, however, tossed and turned in his sleep displaying the same symptoms he shows during his night terrors. In his mind, it wasn't the same exact dream he'd had before. This time Igneel appeared to him again, showing the same blue sky that Natsu saw the first time his father had stood before him in a dream. This time, Igneel looked rather displeased at his son's lack of progress.

"My son, when the great Igneel gives you a task you must fulfill it, now!" Igneel's bellow vibrated throughout the sky of Natsu's mind.

"Sorry pops but I'm still not sure what you want me to do. I can't even find my way back to our nest." Natsu sighed dejectedly.

"My son you can do anything you set your heart to. Just follow your nose, it will lead you back home."

"But my nose isn't that strong dad! It can only follow a trail that's strong for two days, even you told me this!" Natsu continues to argue with Igneel.

"The trail and the scent will be made clear to you when the sun will be at its highest. Be at the entrance of your town for the trail to be revealed."

"Dad! Will I be able to do it?"

"You are the great Igneel's son! Nothing should stand in your way!" The voice of Igneel fades as the blue sky fades to crimson and then to black.

"Igneel!" Natsu yells out of the blue.

Light shines in through Natsu and Happy's bungalow home. Happy flies in from getting his usual fish from the kitchen.

"Natsu you had a bad dream again didn't you?" Happy looks on displeased as he eats his fish.

"We have to go Happy." Natsu said to his friend as he gains a serious look on his face.

"Go to where?" Happy asks his friend.

"We have to go Happy. We need to find the gift dad left for me." Natsu said as he rises up quickly to find his vest which was on the floor where he'd lazily tossed it the night before.

"What would that gift be? Do you even know where it's at Natsu?" Happy questions his friend. With all the commotion that has happened to his older brother/father figure, Happy is worried about his friend's sanity (not that there was much sanity left in Natsu anyway.)

"I don't know, but Igneel said that the path would open itself up when the sun was at its highest."

"NATSU! It's almost midday! That's when the sun is at its highest." Happy exclaims out loud.

"SHIT! I have to find that path!" Natsu ran out of the house as Happy flollowed closely behind him, trying to stop him to find answers. Natsu just keeps running as he says

"The beginning of the path is at the entrance of the Magnolia town!"

"Wait Natsu! Are you sure you aren't going insane!? Just because Igneel sent you a message doesn't mean that it's true!" Happy tries to reason with Natsu. It only serves to fuel Natsu's anger at his closest friend not believing in his story.

"You want to run that by me again!?" Natsu stops running on the path to Magnolia town's entrance. "It's because it's Igneel I believe it to be true!" Natsu's flames begin to grow as his anger towards Happy intensifies."How do we know you're not playing into enemy hands Natsu? You're just as aggressive to find this thing Igneel or whoever has you looking for. Are you sure you're not being used?"

Happy's logic was reasonable, but Natsu refused to return to the bungalow to calm down.

"I just… I just can't abandon this job Igneel gave to me; whether I'm being played or not. If it gives me a reason to see him again then I'll follow it! You should understand how much I miss him!" Natsu resumes his running not looking back at his friend.

"That doesn't explain why you're not letting the group in on this "mission" of yours." Happy keeps up with Natsu as he continues to run to the entrance. Natsu stops again and turns around to the blue exceed.

"I don't want to see them worry about me again. I hate dragging them down like this." Natsu couldn't look Happy in the eyes as he said those words. "I worried you too didn't I?"

"Of course you did, but I'm not going to stop following you .. Your friends are your strength Natsu. Why would you push them away?" Happy looked at his friend with concern thinking he was going to push him away. "Would you push me away too?"

Natsu walks to Happy and holds the blue exceed in his hands.

"I'm not about to push you away Happy." Natsu says to his friend. "My friends are my strength, and whatever Igneel tells me to do I do it for all of Fairy Tail."

"I hope so Natsu." Happy still had his doubts but will remain faithful in Natsu's quest for his gift. Natsu arrived at the gates of Magnolia close to noon. At the entrance, what Igneel said to him came true as a strong smell entered his nostrils. The smell pulled Natsu into its direction and he asked Happy to follow the trail while flying.

"We just follow this scent and it will lead us to where my old home used to be." Natsu began to focus more on the pull while travelling through the winds. It wasn't much, but time kept traces of the scent as the day turned to night. His eyes closed, blindly following a scent long forgotten to him. The hours passed as he followed the trail. The moon begins to set and hints of a crimson sunrise draw upon him. As he drew more focus to the fading scent; the more it began to fade further into memory.

"Damn that scent! I lost the trace! If only my dragon sense was stronger." Natsu began to look to his surroundings.

"Natsu I'm tired, and I want a fish." With all the flying Happy did, he just wanted to rest for the day and pick up the trail again tomorrow. Natsu ignored his friend's complaints as he tried to zero in on the scent he desired. Instead he smelled something else; something familiar to him. He closed his eyes and focused on the scent again. He delved back into his memories trying to search for a way to remember what it smelled like. The scent he picked up was one that smelled like Igneel himself. It wasn't Igneel yet it was his sense of magic that he could feel within the air.

"You see this Natsu? This is a special gift to you." Igneel once said to him. He began to remember the way it smelled the way it looked: an amber colored stone with an eternal flame encased within. "It is powerful and only reserved for those who are attuned to fire dragon slayer magic. There are many stones like this for other dragon slayers, but it is difficult to find."

"I don't get it, why isn't it showing me anything dad? Am I too weak?" Natsu began to do all sorts of things to get the stone to work.

"Not really Natsu. When the time comes it will activate and aid you one day."

"Dad was right, I can feel its power; a power that only a person who knows Dragon Slayer magic like the back of their hand. It's close by from where we're at." Natsu began to run as fast as he could, and it was faster than any creature known to Natsu.

"Natsu wait! I'm tired!" Happy began to yell at his friend as he tried to catch up to him.

"I'm so close we're almost there Happy!" Natsu managed to yell back. In his mind all he could think about was the stone from his youth; the powers it held and the secret that lied within its shell. Natsu kept running to his prize to take it, just how a thief would steal something valuable. It wasn't long before he finally got to his destination: an old nest in-between two trees.

"I'm home Happy. Or what's left of home."

Natsu didn't waste any time reminiscing and began to search for his heirloom. Natsu remembered the hiding place of the stone, but as he looked through the nest he couldn't find any trace of it.

'Where could it be?' Natsu began to sniff out its location. 'Dad couldn't have taken it with him. Unless, he hid it in a place I couldn't reach.'

Natsu got a fix on the stone's location, and began to dig in the back of the nest. He furiously dug into the dark brown earth for his stone. That's when he saw it; a small old wooden chest decorated with jewels that looked like fire. Natsu opened the small chest containing the amber stone and saw something different about it; the flame that was still when he first laid eyes upon it, moved with vigor and ferocity within the stone.

"Aye is this the stone Natsu?" Happy asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah Happy, this is the stone." Natsu smiled. "Now that the time is right, what do I do with it?"


A/N That's it for Chapter 3! if it sounds choppy and doesn't make any sense I apologize in advance, but other than that don't forget to read and review and until the next chapter keep on reading guys!