Chapter 2 - What The Hell…

It's been 4 months now since Fairy Tail found out about the disappearance of Natsu Dragneel. The guild was half empty and half dead, many had left for missions so they could get him out of their minds. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon, especially for the blonde. Lucy found herself alone on the street where heavy rain had taken over the city. She was soaking wet, the alley was dark and lonely. Merging with the rain were her tears, as she found support from the guild wall next to her. She had spent the day wondering what went wrong? Was it her fault? Maybe because she started dating Sting, did she push him out of the guild? What the hell is happening?

"Lucy?" a familiar voice called out to the her. Behind her stood the barmaid with an umbrella and a basket handle over her wrist. Lucy didn't reply and just stood there. The barmaid found her way underneath her left arm dragging her in as if dragging an injured person from the battlefields of war. They made their way inside the guild, Makarov towered over them drunk as usual since his departure. Wendy head down on the bar, Carla quietly next to her staring off into the distance next to Happy who just sat there with a dull look on his face. He had stopped eating much, didn't even touched fish now. He hated it more then anything, Laxus sitting next to the thunder legion in the dining area. Romeo silent by his father accompanied by Wakaba and his pipe.

They walked in and sat down at the bar when Lisanna came out of the kitchen with Happy's meal.

"Damn it Lucy!" Mira yelled as she sat her down on the stool. "What the hell is wrong with you! Can't you just let it go! Let him go! He made his decision when he left"

"But why…" she whispered

"Because he doesn't care about us! It's as simple as that! Just move on!" She replied in anger.

The rest just stared at the demon shouting at the damp queen of constellations. Lisanna had stopped in her tracks to analyze the situation, she was in the same mood but didn't show it as much as Lucy did. She continued towards Happy laying out his food. She remembered how he had thrown a tantrum and refused to eat fish again. So she prepared something else for him, it was fried rice with meat. She knew he liked her cooking a lot even more then Mira's so he wouldn't refuse but to her disappointment he hadn't even turned to face it or her. That's when Mira noticed the blue cat. She approached the blue cat from behind the bar, forcefully turning him around taking his full attention and yelling at him. "Eat your damn food Happy!"

Slowly Happy's eyes turned into balls of tears. He started again as he couldn't hold himself back from the memories he had shared with him. Pain crept along him as he let his tears out once again. Mira pulled the cat into a deep embrace whispering "It's okay, it's alright I'm sorry I shouldn't have yelled I'm sorry" he was comforted in her chest from the immense pain.

Freed turned his gaze back to Laxus as he began "Word's gotten out, Salamander has left Fairy Tail for good…" he read the title as he passed out the sorry cover of Sorcerer Weekly.

"It was going to happen on one of these days" Bixlow intervened.

"Just because Natsu left doesn't mean Fairy Tail's broken you know, we're still strong, and if anybody gets the wrong idea we'll put them in their place" Evergreen said.

"I just can't get my head around to why he would leave-" Freed was cut off as he heard the bells outside.

Everyone's eyes widened as they realized "Gildarts…" Laxus mumbled. Laxus spotted his grandfather as quick as he could questioning him with his look, how was he gonna tell Gildarts that Natsu has left the guild.

A few minutes passed by after the Gildarts shift. The town had gotten in it's position as Fairy Tail's ace appeared from the light that clouded his face. He walked into the guild finding it in a sorry state he looked up to the second floor where the Master was. Remembering the last time it was a salmon haired punk who had attacked him from the same spot as soon as he had entered.

"Gildarts, it's good that you're back there is much we need to talk about…" Makarov said.

"Save it, I already know!" Gildarts replied grabbing the attention of the room.

"How?" Makarov inquired.

"Ran into Natsu on my way back!" He replied and suddenly Happy's spirit was lifted maybe he convinced his friend to return, he thought as he flew over to him.

"Gildarts where is he?" Happy inquired.

"Yeah did you knock some sense into that idiot!" Laxus asked

Lucy had stopped crying because she was wondering too, and so did the rest of the guild.

"Hmm…."

Flashback ~

Birds chirped, squirrels ran around chasing each other as Gildarts walked through the forest. He suddenly heard some ruffling in the leaves and some trees shake. He turned around in an instant to find his favorite mage standing on a branch, legs crossed, arms folded and head resting on the trunk.

"Hey…" he said

"Natsu! What a surprise, you know for a second there I would've thought you would have taken this opportunity to attack me!" Gildarts replied.

"No, I'm not here to fight not today at least"

"Why are you here then, something happen at the guild?"

"Yeah… I left" he said jumping on the ground as Gildarts noticed his arm lacking a certain symbol.

"What? Why, did something happen? Did Master kick you out?" Gildarts agitated.

"No, I asked for it"

"Why?" he asked again

"It's a long story wanna set up camp for the night?"

Gildarts let out his breath that he had holded in, and like every parent he was certainly stressed out now. He didn't understand what was going on, nobody did for that matter. Who leaves their family that they love so much, when they have through so much? A few hours passed by as night rolled by as Natsu and Gildarts set up camp and smoked fish while Natsu explained the events that happened with the Mast- Ex-Master.

"You still haven't told me why you would need to leave Fairy Tail for good to achieve your goals"

"You know a lot's happened since you left for your big quest, my team broke… big reasons, Erza had to carry out special requests, Stripper found love, so did Lucy, Wendy was moving up in the world, but that's not why I left, Fairy Tail was still my family no matter what. But then one day I took a job, had to do it alone, everybody was busy… I came across these bandits trying to do something crazy with this monster that was hiding in a cave, they were trying to control it I think but they just made it mad. I'll never forget that night, I was still looking for the bandits when I found the monster. It was terrorizing this small village up in the mountains, you could still see the signs of torture, magic seals everything those idiots would think up to control it. It went horribly wrong… The bandits were dead, and so was every human that would be in sight. I was maybe 2 minutes late before that village had been decimated…." Natsu narrated while he teared up, "There was this little baby girl crying out loud over the dead bodies of her parents, I was devastated, and before I could reach her the demon killed that little girl, as painfully as he could with his nails" Gildarts just stared at the boy with his mouth opened. "I...I didn't stop after that, I killed that stupid demon and became one myself, I was so angry I was in bloodlust for this demon. After it died the rune knights came, they cleaned it up, I spent an extra six days burying those villagers. I was just in state of utter shock, I couldn't wait to get back to Fairy Tail, maybe I would find some peace there. On my way back I stumbled upon these injured bandits, the last 4 that had survived. They were boasting about life, and how dangerously they lived it, survived it. Good riddance they said... I went insane at that moment, you know what I did?" Natsu asked looking up at the orange haired mage.

"I KILLED THEM" he whispered as Gildarts dropped a tear from his left eye. "And I found that peace… A sort of relief that changed everything".

"So that's why you left… you became a murderer..." Gildarts said.

"No… I mean yes but that's not why I left, I left because when I got back everything was back to normal, the parties, the fights, the laughs, the happiness, and we just didn't care. Nobody knew about the incident, not even Gramps. I was surprised… we were a wizard guild dedicated to help the people of Fiore. Instead we sat in our big castle and drank, and laughed like nothing was wrong with the world. I couldn't take it… so I started drinking, smoking, anything that would numb the pain when one night in a dream, Igneel found me, and he said you can be strong when you have people to protect... And to me Fairy Tail isn't enough. I won't save Fairy Tail again because they can take care of themselves. But Fiore I will take care of her, as long as I breath I won't let another child in Fiore die… That's why I left!" Natsu made his point.

End Flashback~

The guild was in shock, no wonder he seemed in pain all the time. It was their ignorance that had caused this. Makarov had heard rumors about that village but when he heard Natsu had taken the job he thought that in the efforts to save the people of that village he ended up destroying it. The look of disbelief had struck them, what was worse that Natsu had even killed somebody.

"So you see, Natsu left so he can get stronger and protect Fiore, he doesn't want to be a part of Fairy Tail because we are so lost in ourselves that we have forgotten the pain this world of ours is suffering" Gildarts finished as he sat at the bar drinking his usual drink.

"So where is heading?" Laxus asked getting up.

"He was headed Northeast towards the wild forest" he replied.

Laxus started walking out as the thunder legion started to follow realizing his intentions.

"I wouldn't follow him if I were you…" Laxus stopped in his tracks turning back to Gildarts.

"He said he heard some rumors of a big part of the forest destroyed in an instant, something I was in the search for my quest".

"So?"

"I found some clues of a missing dark mage… I don't doubt that he is trying to find that wizard. And I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about"

"Zeref" Makarov whispered "What is that brat thinking? He's gonna die!"

"I don't doubt it… Master but there was something different with Natsu as if he was looking forward to death!" Gildarts replied to which everyone had gasped.

Romeo, Lucy, Laxus, Mira, Lisanna, The thunder Legion, Makarov, Macao, Wakaba had no clue what the hell was going to happen. It was a standstill, the only thing moving was Gildarts arm bringing the drink down from his mouth.

"He's probably long gone from there anyway, and I doubt he's even alive if he encountered him… I don't know what's going on in Natsu's mind but he did ask me one thing to do for him. He wanted this to be his last wish. He wanted me to stop anybody who would come to seek him, and make sure I delivered these words…GET READY FOR A WAR!"

Somewhere deep in the dead forest was Natsu kneeling down with a hand full of dirt in his hand. He brought it up to his nose to inspect it. "Death Magic, and the scent's leading that way…" he looked up towards a darker end of the forest. "Well nothing I can do today, other than train, I gotta be ready… when the sky falls…." he looked up to the sky as the dirt escaped his hand while he got up.

Well guys there you go… Chapter two. I am putting out a lot of mystery I know most of you will come to hate me for this but I promise I will reveal more next time. Oh and a little spoiler what you guys are thinking it's not gonna happen, unless you're thinking what I'm thinking. What is it that I'm thinking? Well just wait and watch or read should I say. Please don't forget to comment it's important to me…..

Shay