Chapter 5: Young Dragons

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or High School DxD. The former is owned by Hiro Mashima and the latter is owned by Ichiei Ishibumi.

Natsu, Wendy, and Kagura are currently sitting at the circular kitchen table in Natsu's kitchen. Kagura had shown up unexpectedly to check on Natsu's condition. She also brought a sack of food along with her knowing the best way to get through to Natsu. The three were enjoying an entree of pork fried rice and steamed pork dumplings prepared by Kagura herself. She was actually an expert chef in the kitchen, but doesn't feel good about people knowing about it. She knew Natsu loved meat, so she made sure to put extra pork in the fried rice and dumplings. Natsu and Wendy were sitting next to each other while Kagura sat on the other side of the table. Kagura had tried to get closer, but Wendy threatened to kick her out if she moved from that spot. She already had Millianna take care of Levy, but she forgot about the more important obstacle in her plan.

"I should have known his sister would ruin my time with him. It's bad enough I have to deal with that blueberry-headed bookworm. Would it be so wrong to tie up and gag a child?" Kagura mused to herself. She was feeling a little uncomfortable from the fact that Wendy was staring at her the whole dinner.

"You conniving witch! You can't fool me. I know what you're up to. I'm the only girl in Natsu's life!" Wendy thought.

"My taste-buds are in heaven!" Natsu's mind was apparently someplace far away from the current situation. He was plunged back into reality when Kagura said something to him

"Huh? I'm sorry Kagura could you repeat that?" Natsu apologized for his day-dreaming.

"I said you look like you're enjoying your dinner." Kagura repeated. She was satisfied seeing that Natsu was savoring each bite instead of wolfing his food down like he normally does.

"You're joking right?! Your cooking is amazing. I don't think I've ever had food this good." Natsu complimented Kagura.

Kagura started blushing profusely. "It's no big deal. I like to cook, but I don't tell any of my guild mates about it." Kagura replied.

"That's an understatement!" Natsu shouted. "I can tell you really put a lot of effort into this meal. I think I'm in love!" Natsu said as he stared adoringly at the food before him. Kagura was blushing even harder now, while Wendy had a disapproving look on her face. She reached over and pinched Natsu hard under the table to snap him out of his trance. He slightly grimaced in pain trying not to let Kagura notice it.

"I'm very glad you're enjoying it so much. I could cook for you more if you want since I'm going to be in town for a while." Kagura said nervously.

"Natsu what is she talking about!" Wendy shouted at Natsu.

Natsu was taken aback by her sudden outburst. "Uuummm. Yeah, what are you talking about Kagura?" He said trying to ease the pressure off himself.

"I've been going on a lot of jobs lately so I thought I would take a little break here in Magnolia. Millianna and I are staying at a hotel not far from here." Kagura replied. She specifically chose Magnolia to get to know Natsu more on a personal level.

"Millianna came with you too?" Natsu questioned. "Where's she at?"

"Oh! She's tied up with something up at the moment. Probably chasing her own tail again." Kagura said as she was not expecting the question.

Natsu laughed at her response. "That's sounds just like her." He said as he bought the alibi. Kagura breathed an internal sigh of relief.

"You know you guys are welcome to stay here if y..." Nastu immediately stopped his question when he felt a death grip on his shoulder. He glanced over at Wendy and saw an angry look that said, "If you value your life, you will not finish that sentence!"

"What the hell am I saying?!" Natsu said to himself realizing the danger he was in.

"On second thought you are probably better off staying at a hotel. We only have two bedrooms here after all." Natsu said as he chuckled nervously and Wendy released her grip on him. Kagura was getting annoyed by Wendy's meddling, but she had a plan on how to deal with her.

After dinner was over, Kagura decided to head out since it was getting late. Wendy was getting ready for bed since she still had an early bedtime. She is now in her pajamas while snuggling into her bed. Natsu was sitting on the edge of the bed to talk with her for a little bit like he usually does.

"Wendy, I know you get easily jealous whenever I'm around other girls, but trust me I don't feel that way about anyone right now." Natsu said as he tried to reason with her.

Wendy started to look down at the blanket with her hair shadowing her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry, but I can't help it. I'm scared that if you get into a relationship that you're going to forget about me." Wendy spoke quietly as tears started to fall from her eyes. Natsu looked at Wendy concernedly.

"You have been so busy ever since you attempted to become an S-class wizard. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm glad that you're so much stronger and I love spending time with Mira, but I feel like you're drifting away from me." Wendy whimpered and looked up with at Natsu with tears running down her face.

Natsu stepped out of the room to grab a soft cloth to dry Wendy tears.

After he softly rubbed the cloth around her face. He pulled her in for a strong embrace. "Please don't cry Wendy. I'm sorry that I have been neglecting you lately. I promise that I won't go on any jobs for the next week." Natsu apologized realizing his actions. "Just remember this. I will never forget about you. You mean the world to me. I fight hard to survive every battle because I want to live for your sake." Natsu gently let go of her and gave her a genuine smile.

"After all, we stuck by each other's side when we could have had nobody."

6 years ago, somewhere in a forest,

"What do you mean you're leaving me?!" A 12 year old Natsu yelled at Igneel, the dragon who has been his foster-parent his nearly entire life. Igneel was an immensely large dragon covered in dark, red scales with a beige underbelly and bat-like wings. He loomed over Natsu on his four giant legs looking down at him. Igneel had been dreading this moment. He had to leave his foster-child for reasons he couldn't explain. He had gotten very attached to Natsu and couldn't just leave him without explaining.

"I'm sorry Natsu, but it is inevitable. All of us dragons have to leave for somewhere far away for important reasons. You wouldn't understand. Besides, it's about time you entered human civilization. You're already 12 years old and you need to be exposed to it sooner or later." Igneel said.

"Why can't we live in human civilization together?!" Natsu begged.

"You know I can't show myself outside of this forest!" Igneel roared. "The humans would be terrified and chaos would ensue. I have taught you plenty of dragon slaying magic. Now you need to experience new things and form bonds with other people." Igneel explained.

Natsu still wasn't convinced and looked up at Igneel with a face full of sorrow.

"Don't worry. I won't be leaving you alone. Somebody will accompany you on your journey for a new home." Igneel reassured Natsu as he sensed that person coming this way.

"Huh?" Natsu said confused as he saw an angelic dragon heading straight for them. It had shiny, white scales with the sun reflecting off them radiantly. Its wings looked like those of an angel and it had noticeable clear blue eyes with visible pupils. It set down softly on the ground and used its long tail to pick up a tiny passenger off its back. Natsu was surprised to see it was a small girl much younger than him with short, dark blue hair. She wore a plain white, short-sleeved T-shirt with light blue shorts underneath and little brown shoes. As soon as she took a look at Igneel and Natsu she dashed back over to hide behind the white dragon in a shy manner.

"Wendy, you are being rude. Go over and say hello the young, pink-haired boy!" The dragon scolded the young girl known as Wendy. Due to her feminine voice and motherly-like scolding, Natsu could tell that she was a female dragon. Wendy slowly walked back over to Natsu and put out her shaking hand."

"Um...Hi...my name...is...Wendy." She said nervously being intimidated by the much older boy. Natsu was still confused, but he reached out to her in politeness.

"Uh. I'm Natsu. Nice to meet you." He said in a happy manner. "What's this about Igneel?" Natsu asked.

"She is the sky dragon slayer trained by the sky dragon, Grandeeney over there. I thought it would be a good idea to leave you two together and spend your lives with each other."

Nastu misinterpreted his response and was getting embarrassed. "Don't you think she's a little young for me?" Natsu was sent flying into the trees by a mighty swing of Igneel's tail.

"You idiot! She isn't your damn mate! I meant for you to take care of her and act as her guide!" Igneel roared.

"How am I supposed to know?! You weren't giving me any clear explanation." Natsu yelled back with tick marks on his head. Grandeeney just sighed at the scene.

"Look young man, I'm leaving Wendy with you because she is only 4 years old, much too young to be on her own. I know it's a big responsibility for someone of your age, but from what Igneel tells me you are a very caring and strong-willed person. You are the best candidate of all the dragon slayers." Grandeeney explained. "There's no way I'm leaving her with Metalicana's pupil." Grandeeney thought that last part.

"I'm sorry to leave you like this, but we have to leave now. We are running out of time." Igneel said firmly as he and Grandeeney spread their wings.

"Noooooooo!" Wendy screamed witch tears running down her face as she latched onto Grandeeney again. "Don't leave Grandeeney. I promise I'll be good!"

"You did nothing wrong child. This is just our fate as dragons. Natsu will help guide you with the rest of your training. I love you dear!" Grandeeney said one final time before flicking her off and soaring into the sky.

"Don't worry Natsu. I'm sure you will take good care of Wendy. Try to find a wizard guild. That will make a great home for the two of you. You are a very strong boy. Promise me you will keep getting stronger and protect the ones you love." Igneel said.

Natsu's face stopped looking sad and turned into a look of determination while staring Igneel right in the eyes. "I will honor your final wishes and make you proud. Thanks for everything...Goodbye...dad."

Igneel's menacing, scaly face actually smiled with happiness.

"Goodbye...son." With that Igneel flapped his wings hard and leaving a gust of wind behind him. Natsu and Wendy watched as their parents flew off into the horizon.

Natsu looked over at Wendy who was still sobbing. She looked up at Natsu and he smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm here for you. I guess I'm your big brother now. I'm sure we will have great times together once we find a place to call home." Natsu reassured her.

Wendy felt a little better knowing that she was not alone and knew that Grandeeney would leave her in good hands. She walked up and hugged Natsu's legs tight.

"Thank you Mashu." Wendy said trying to pronounce his name.

"It's Natsu" He replied.

"Mashu?"

"Fine. Call me Mashu." Natsu said getting annoyed. "She can't say Natsu, but she can say Grandeeney just fine!" Natsu thought

End Flashback,

Wendy smiled when she remembered how she met Natsu. She was foolish to think that he would forget her so easily.

"I'm sorry Natsu. You're right. Our bond can never be broken." Wendy said as she leaned over to kiss him on his forehead and embraced him tightly.

"I love you, Mashu." she spoke softly. A big grin appeared on Natsu's face. He was glad that he was able to cheer her up.

"Now, you're just teasing me."

Grimoire Heart Guild,

Akeno was kneeling down in the middle of Master Hades' office. The room was mostly open space except for a comfy black couch, a desk, and chair. She could have sat on the couch, but she thought it would be more appropriate to kneel on the ground in front of her "father". She still had a few bandages on from her fight with Natsu.

"What is your condition, my daughter?" Hades asked Akeno being slightly concerned.

"My injuries are still present, but they are recovering efficiently." Akeno replied with a blank face. She chose her words carefully whenever speaking with her father. She was a lot more comfortable speaking with other people.

"Excellent. Once you're in top condition again, I expect you to resume your mission. I was enraged at first, but I have decided to give you another chance. Hopefully, after seeing him fight you will fare better against him." Hades spoke with a calm demeanor. He had calmed down a lot after first hearing she had failed and had to have Ultear come fetch her.

"Much appreciated father, I will not fail a second time."

"Hopefully you won't. I would hate to do this, but I'm afraid you're not useful to me if you can't pull this off. If you return a failure yet again, I will have to exile you from the guild. Grimoire Heart has no use for weaklings." Akeno had a shocked expression on her face. She knew he was disappointed, but she didn't think he would threaten to banish her.

"But father..."

"No exceptions!" Hades shouted. "You knew what was expected of you when you joined the guild. You should be grateful of the opportunity you were given. If after all of that training, you still fail this mission, it's obvious that I was wrong about your potential." Akeno still maintained her blank expression, but her heart was shattering on the inside. Hades could be cruel to her at times, but she still thought of him as her father. After hearing those words she is starting to question what she means to him.

"Get out of my sight. Don't return to me until you are ready to set out." Akeno stood up slowly and bowed before Master Hades.

"Thank you father." She said politely and then walked out of the office.

"He may be cruel, but gave he still gave me a home and I owe my life to him." Akeno thought as Master Hades' words brought up some memories of her own.

6 years ago, outside of a town,

"Where are you Ramos?" A 12 year old Akeno thought.

Akeno was walking towards another town in search of her own foster-father. Unfortunately, her dragon, Ramos didn't make time to say goodbye to Akeno and just left before she woke up. Perhaps he thought it would be for the best to not talk about it. Akeno believed that Ramos loved her a lot and that he was coming back. After one week, she decided to go looking for him since she never got an explanation. She still felt just as bad as Natsu and Wendy did. She has been going from town to town hoping for any leads on Ramos. The town she is heading for now just came into view.

Akeno gasped in shock at the sight before her. It was like something out of an apocalypse. There were buildings in rumble, people lying dead in the streets and flames burning everywhere.

"Why are these flames black? Could it be from one of those?" Akeno wondered staring at the discolored flames. She was scared, but she still proceeded into the town. Maybe Ramos had come across this town and rampaged it. She was a brave girl, but she still cringed in disgust at the sight at the corpses of the townspeople. There were people from little kids to the elderly. Some were unidentifiable because their bodies were completely charred.

"What kind of monster would do something like this? There's no way Ramos would do something this inhumane." Akeno thought. He may be a ferocious dragon, but he was generous enough to take care of her life.

Suddenly the black flames flared and grew even larger. Akeno gasped as the flames started spreading around in a circle. She was now trapped by these flames of darkness. She looked over to her left and saw a darker figure within the flames with piercing red eyes. She was a little frightened by the figure, but she still stood her ground and prepared for what was about to happen.

After a few seconds, the figure slowly came out of the flames and revealed a teenage boy with a psychotic look on his face. He had spiky, long, blond hair and red pupils with several concentric circles. He wore a yellow and dark blue skirt-like armor that exposed the right side of his chest along with his right shoulder. Akeno was starting to feel on edge the way he was grinning maliciously and piercing her very soul with those red eyes. The silence was killing her so she decided to speak up.

"You gonna say something or just stare at me all day freak?" Akeno asked the boy strongly.

"Oh my. You got a lot of nerve for a little girl." The boy responded while maintaining his wild grin.

"I'm just so happy to see you because I thought we already killed everyone off. Good to know I get the last straggler." The boy said

Akeno's eyes widened at his response. "Your group killed all of these innocent people! And you're happy about it!" Akeno screamed at the boy for his crime and attitude. He just shrugged.

"Just doing a job for my guild...Although you're right I did have fun." The boy said nonchalantly.

Akeno looked at the man with hatred and disgust. She then remembered the black flames surrounding them.

"Do these discolored flames mean that you're a god slayer?" She questioned him. Akeno had heard of this kind of magic before.

The boy's grin vanished and looked at Akeno with a perplexed look. "How the hell do you know of this lost magic?"

"I will show you!" Akeno shouted. She took a deep breath and tilted her head back with a purple magic circle appearing in front of her mouth

"Lightning Dragon Roar!"

The boy just stood in place wide-eyed as he watched a large blast of purple lightning come spewing out of Akeno's mouth. The blast connected with him and a small plume of smoke came out from where he was standing.

"Lightning Dragon Slash!"

Akeno charged at the smoke with an energized claw, but a strong outstretched hand sprung out of the smoke and grabbed her claw by the wrist. Akeno's eyes widened as the smoke revealed that the boy was unharmed and his maniacal grin plastered on his face again.

"That kind of tickled little dragon." The boy mocked her. "If you really are a dragon slayer, then you should know that god slayers are far more superior!" He then launched his other hand and wrapped it around Akeno's neck. She was gagging in pain as he lifted her up off the ground.

"Let me make sure you heard me loud and clear." The boy took in a deep breath and a black circle appeared in front of his own mouth.

"Flame God's Bellow!"

A massive black fireball exploded out of his mouth and struck Akeno mere inches away sending her flying in a torrent of darkness. The blast cratered her against one of the buildings with the path on the ground partially destroyed and covered in remnants of the flames.

"Now that's a breath attack!" He said arrogantly.

Akeno was astounded by how much his magic out ranked her own, but that didn't stop her. She got up quickly and prepared another attack.

"Lightning Dragon Whip!"

A long whip of purple lightning formed out of her right hand and she swung it at an angle. The boy simply caught the whip as it wrapped around his arm. Akeno looked at him with fear this time. She tried adding more electricity to the whip, but he just grinned and took it.

"What the hell is he?!" Akeno panicked. The boy yanked on the whip flinging Akeno towards him.

"Flame God's Blazing Fist"

Akeno's gut met his flame-covered fist forcing blood out of her mouth. Akeno dropped to her knees as the boy held her up by her long hair.

"You're even more pathetic than I thought."

"Flame God's Cloud"

He swiped his hand as a wave of flames spread throughout the area. It sent Akeno a few feet away leaving her motionless on the ground in misery.

"Now for the fun part!" He shouted getting more excited.

"Flame God's Supper!"

A pair of black jaws formed out of his arms and clamped around Akeno's injured body.

"AAAAHHHH!" Akeno could only scream in agony as the flames sizzled her skin. The pain was so excruciating that she began to blackout. "I'm sorry Ramos." Akeno thought on the verge of passing out from the trauma. Before she could, the flames suddenly vanished and she dropped to the ground again.

"What?" She thought as her torture stopped.

"What the hell old man I was having fun!" She heard the boy yelling at someone else.

"Silence Zancrow!" An older man bellowed. "She could be of use to us!"

Akeno heard footsteps coming towards her as she slightly opened her eyes to see the blurry figure of an old man with an eye patch on his right eye and long gray beard looking down at her

"Your magic interests me little girl. You seem to be weak now, but you could have great potential with the right discipline. Join my guild and I will lead you along the right path." The older man offered her.

"But, I'm looking for my dragon." Akeno spoke softly still remembering her objective.

"Trust me. The road you're on leads to nowhere. You would better off at my guild. You need someone to treat those wounds and a place to live. Just think of me as your father." He spoke seriously trying to convince her. He reached out his hand to help her out. Akeno stared at his outstretched hand and contemplated the offer. She really wanted to look for Ramos, but dragons are barely ever spotted by humans so it would unlikely to find him. Also, she was in really bad shape and really hungry. She really despised these for hurting all of those people, but sadly she didn't have much of a choice. "Maybe I could join his guild for now and look for Ramos later." Akeno thought as she met in the middle and swallowed her pride to play along for now.

Akeno slowly reached up and grabbed the older man's hand. "I will join...thank you...for saving me." She said panting in between breaths. She completely forgot to acknowledge that this man just saved her life.

End Flashback,

"I will complete this mission if it will make him proud." Akeno thought. She planned to stick by her father's words.

"I'm sorry...Natsu."

I know nothing much happened in this chapter, but I needed to explain their back stories. Hopefully, I will be able to get the next chapter up early since I'm on spring break now. WOOHOO!

Beta-ed by Atlas Storm

Review Responses:

To fangs of death: Glad you are still enjoying my story. I have watched DragonBall Z, but I just came up with that line on the spot. Lol!

To ValinNight: Thanks so much for taking the time to review my story! It means a lot. I have read some of your work and it's really good and well thought-out. I will add Kagura to the character list, but she will be a less prominent character later on.

See you guys next time!