A young Natsu walked alongside Zeref and Acnologia, Zeref staring hard at a tome in his hands and Acnologia looking bored - more bored then usual. Natsu was beyond excited, running around the adult's legs and pouncing onto Acnologia's back and screaming in his ear and being pulled off by Zeref, who was still looking down at the tone.
"Are we there yet?" Natsu screamed into Acnologia's ear, causing him to wince.
"For the two thousand, nine hundred and ninety ninth time, no, just like I told you ten seconds ago," Acnologia snapped.
Natsu pouted as Zeref finally took his eyes off of the tome. He placed it into his robe and pulled Natsu off of Acnologia's back and set him on his shoulder so that he wouldn't annoy Acnologia anymore.
"Ah, Zeref, it feels like it was two weeks ago when you found me by the river with a massive hangover," Acnologia sighed, stretching his arms above his head and yawning.
"Acnologia, it was two weeks ago," Zeref sighed as Natsu sniggered.
"What are you sniggering about?" Acnologia asked the two week old demon boy, his eyes narrowed.
"Acknowledger, are we there yet?" Natsu sniggered. Acnologia's growled in frustration.
"No, we are not there yet!" Acnologia shouted.
"Acnologia, Natsu asked 'are we there yet' three thousand times," Zeref stared.
"Yeah, so?"
"You owe me three thousand jewel."
"I don't have three thousand jewel," Acnologia mumbled.
"Well, go and destroy a kingdom and steal all their jewel," Zeref says. "I'm giving you permission."
Ever since Acnologia started travelling with the Dragneel brothers Zeref had forbidden Acnologia from destroying kingdoms because he was setting a bad example on Natsu.
If you keep destroying kingdoms the way you do, Natsu will surely pick up on them and start destroying them with you, Zeref had said the second day of Natsu's resurrection (that week had been Acnologia's favourite time because the resurrection was still incomplete and Natsu had needed a lot of rest so he was practically sleeping that entire week). And Natsu's too young to be destroying kingdoms.
Acnologia had been sulking that entire week, his hands were itching to destroy a kingdom. He was a Chaos Dragon Slayer, he thirsted for destruction and chaos! He needed to destroy a Kingdom before he went insane! So if Zeref was giving him permission to destroy a Kingdom Acnologia was more than happy to oblige, remembering to offer to babysit Natsu as a thank you, and Zeref knew that Acnologia couldn't stand the brat.
"Zewef-Nii, we are we going?" Natsu asked, realising he had no idea where they were actually going.
"You'll see," Zeref answered.
Over in the distance they could hear the noises of explosions and the crescendo of screaming. Natsu, who could hear it better than Zeref because of his enhanced hearing, looked over his shoulder to see a cloud of smoke rising above the trees, stretching up and wide like a tree. A tree of destruction.
"Of course," Zeref muttered. "Acnologia was too impatient to destroy a Kingdom so he went to the closest one. Between him and Deliora I have no idea who's destroyed more kingdoms."
"Why don't Acknowledger and Deliowa become destwoying buddies?" Natsu suggested. Zeref looked horrified at the very thought.
"No, they would destroy the world," Zeref tells him. "And I want you to see the world as it is now, not in ruins."
Natsu opened his eyes to find himself laying on his back on the ground, staring up at the black starry sky.
"Just a dream," Natsu whispered, sitting up. The others were asleep on the ground around him, blankets thrown over them. Natsu noticed that Gray had stripped off every single one of his clothes, the blanket the only thing covering him. Juvia was pressed against his side, being a bit too clingy.
Lucy was lying on her front, her Celestial Spirit Plue sleeping beside her with Erza lying on her other side. Happy was sleeping in a tree above them, muttering about fish in his sleep.
As quietly as he could Natsu left the camp sight and headed to the hot spring he smelt nearby. Natsu was surprised that there was actually a hot spring on the island since he saw no volcano. Natsu loved the scent of hot springs, the sweet scent of fire and the bitter smell of water.
The hot spring water was sparkling in the moonlight, the steam rising up to create a cloud over the shimmering surface. It looked calm and inviting.
Natsu stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the water, the hot water kissing his skin as he waded through the water to be at chin height. Natsu closed his eyes and let himself fully relax.
"Natsu?"
Natsu whirled around to see Erza standing in front of the hot spring, still wearing her pajamas and a bad case of bed head.
"What are you doing up?" Natsu asked curiously.
"What are you doing up?" Erza shot back.
"Just a dream from the past," Natsu answered, shrugging his shoulders. "Hey, do you like hot springs?" Erza nodded. "Come in then!"
Natsu was so childish sometimes, Erza found it cute. She laughed and her pajamas disappeared in a flash of golden light and she stepped into the water, her movements making gentle splashing noises as she waded over to Natsu.
Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently, savouring in the taste of strawberries and Erza's natural taste. Erza's fingers caressed Natsu's back, sending delicious tingles down Natsu's spine all the way down to his nether regions.
Suddenly Natsu dunked Erza under water, causing a surprise squeak to escape her mouth as Natsu took her by surprise. Natsu laughed at the sound.
"Hahah, you sound like a little girl!" Natsu laughed. "You were like 'kyaaaa!' Hahaha, I've never heard anything better then Acknowledger's cries for mercy! Hahahahaha - AARGH!"
During his uncontrable laughing fit Erza had dunked Natsu herself. Natsu rose from the water, his hair falling into his eyes and dripping down his face.
"You sounded so funny just then too!" Erza laughed. Natsu was mesmerized by Erza's laugh. It was nothing he had ever heard before. It was a mixture of mockery with a musical hint to it, as soft as silk but as hard as a rock, gentle and hard. Natsu could listen to it for all eternity.
Before he knew it Natsu had his arms wrapped around Erza's waist, his forehead pressed against hers. Erza wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and kissed him gently but sensually. Their wet bodies rubbed against each other's, their skin shining in the moonlight.
"Natsu, I have to tell you something," Erza whispered, hating to break this wonderful mood but she knew she had to.
"Shh." Natsu kissed her forehead and ran his hand through her wet hair as he whispered, "I already know."
Erza pulled away from Natsu and looked up at him in surprise. Natsu's face was serene, his olive eyes shining with their own light. His tanned skin was caught by the moonlight, beautiful and captivating. If Erza had the chance she would have gotten Reedus to paint the sight in front of her, but somehow she thought even Reedus wouldn't be able to catch everything perfectly. Something about Natsu just made it impossible to catch his beauty.
"What, how?" Erza asked, remembering Natsu's comment from before.
"Don't worry about that," Natsu smiles gently, a rare one for Natsu. "Just know that if it comes to it, I'll let you kill me."
"But Natsu -" Erza started to say, but Natsu shut her up with a kiss.
"You two better not be naked," a new voice says.
Natsu and Erza break apart and turn to see Acnologia standing by the hot spring, a look of disgust on his face and Ailas sitting on his shoulder. There were leaves and bits of sticks in his hair and a massive scratch drew down his left eye.
"What the hell happened to you?" Natsu asked.
"I fell down a cliff trying to find you," Acnologia snarls, baring his fanged teeth at Natsu. "Zeref will kill me brutally like a Dragon if any harm came to you! That guy is way too over protective!"
"Well, I still get better things then you," Natsu teased, sticking his tongue out at the other Dragon Slayer. "I'm a Prince and a demon! People fear me!"
"They fear me too!" Acnogia protested.
"Only because you have a scary ass face!"
"What did you say!"
Acnologia jumped into the hot spring and crashed his forehead against Natsu's, growling at Natsu like he was an animal too close to his mate. Natsu also started growling at him too, but it was more for the sake of growling than anything. Erza sighed and exited the hot spring, her naked body exposed to both of the boys, but they were too preocupied with arguing over who was more scary to notice her.
"Sometimes I wonder if they have any hormones," Erza sighed, her armour appearing in a flash of golden light. She turned to the two boys and called, "well, if you two are done arguing over something pointless maybe you should come out of the water and actually do something."
Acnologia and Natsu mumbled something and got out of the water. Acnologia looked at Natsu and pretended to retch.
"Oh god, you are naked," Acnologia groaned in annoyance. Natsu flashed his grin as he pulled his pants on.
"You're just jealous that I have a better body then you," Natsu teased.
Acnologia growled. He was about to attack Natsu when he realised something. Spinning to stare at Erza with mouth gaped open, he pointed at her and said, "you're Princess Erza Scarlet."
"Oh wow, you're not blind," Natsu commented. Acnologia spun around and growled at Natsu like a wild animal.
"Why the hell were you in a hot spring, naked, with the Princess of Fairy Tail?" Acnologia asked, a vein throbbing in his temple.
"You must be seeing things," Natsu sneered. "You're losing your eyesight in your old age."
"Why you—"
As Acnologia was about to attack Natsu—again—Erza smacked their heads together like she did to Gray and Natsu, causing both Dragon Slayers to fall to the ground with groans of pain, a large bump on each of their foreheads.
"Will you two stop fighting!" Erza snapped. "You're as bad as Lucy and Levy Mcgarden back at home!"
Levy Mcgarden...is that the girl from Fairy Tail Gajeel secretly writes songs about? Natsu begun to snigger, thinking about the weight Natsu had over Gajeel if he ever did something.
"Man, she's scary," Acnologia grumbled. "Hey Salamander, are you secretly seeing the Princess of Fairy Tail? I'm going to tell Zeref!"
"If you tell Zeref-Nii about Erza and I, I'll tell him about that woman you were infatuated with two hundred years ago!" Natsu threatened.
Acnologia's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't."
"Oh yes I will~!" Natsu sing-songed. "We were in Misty Village—"
"—it was Mystic Village—"
"—and Zeref-Nii was angry at you because you...did something—"
"—I gouged your eye out because you were annoying me, and it was the bloody bestest thing I've done—"
"—oh yes now I remember, and it hurt too. Yeah, Zeref-Nii was angry with you so he banned you from alcohol for ten years and you, being you, snuck to the nearest bar where you had a one night stand with the barmaid. And if I tell Zeref-Nii that you had a one night stand with the barmaid he'll know you disobeyed him and went to get a drink. And you know as well as me Zeref-Nii won't go gentle on you because you lied to him for two hundred years!"
"Fine, fine," Acnologia sighed.
Gray, Lucy and Juvia appeared then, stopping in shock when they saw Acnologia. Since they've never seen Acnologia in human form—they didn't even know he had a human form—they didn't know who he was.
"Who the hell are you?" Lucy demanded.
"This is Ac...ny!" Natsu told her.
A vein throbbed in Acnologia's temple. "DID YOU JUST CALL ME ACNE FLAME-ASS!" he roared.
"Well, that is your name," Natsu chuckled. Acnologia growled but sniffed the air, an unfamiliar scent catching his attention. He knew Natsu smelt it too because he looked up at the tree where a slender woman was sitting, watching them. She had long purplish hair and purple eyes. And she was holding a green stone in her hand that she was throwing up in the air and catching it like a tennis ball.
"She has the Tenrou Jade!" Acnologia pointed out the obvious.
