~Three Days Later~

Between Magic Exhaustion, physical exhaustion, and wounds he had taken from Jellal's attack, it was a miracle that Naruto even woke up. But (and Erza thanked all the gods she had ever heard of – and maybe even a few she probably made up) he opened his eyes a few days later, head pounding and body throbbing.

"Ow-ow-ow." He hissed out as he tried to lift himself up to a sitting position. The pain kick started his brain, and the memories of the events a few days past came flooding back. "Erza!" He shouted, throwing his body forward, ignoring the feeling of his muscles aching in protest. He managed to look around, taking in his surroundings.

Naruto found himself lying in the middle of a small clearing, surrounded by trees, and couldn't help but feel calmed by the scenery. He was covered by a tattered white tarp, a bundle of burlap placed beneath his head as a pillow. And he was alone.

Where the heck am I? He wondered to himself. And where is onee-chan?

A rustling noise behind him put his senses on high alert; he could hear something crashing through the underbrush, heading straight for him. Oh, crap. He mentally cursed. My magic reserves are too low for any type of take over, and I don't have a weapon! What do I do? What do I-?

His panicked musings were brought to a close when Naruto saw a familiar flash of red hair as someone threw themselves from the foliage, tackling him to the ground.

"Naruto, you're awake!" He could feel tears falling to his face as sobs wracked Erza's body. "I was afraid that you- that you wouldn't-"

"Onee-chan…" He whispered softly.

"Yes?" She asked, puzzled by his soft voice. "What is it?"

"Can't – breathe – crushing me –" He wheezed out comically. Erza gasped in surprise, jumping off of him.

"I- I'm so sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean to…" Erza trailed of, seeing Naruto shaking on the ground. "Naruto? What's wrong?" And to her absolute shock, he started laughing.

"Geez, Erza, it's like you were worried about me or something. I'm too tough to have you worrying over me, ya know?" He said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, I don't like seeing you cry, onee-chan. You're way too tough to cry." His grin was replaced with a look of agony as Erza's fist connected with the side of his head.

"Oooww! Why would you-" He paused, and took an audible gulp as he looked up at Erza. Her face seemed to be covered in shadow, but her eyes glowed blood red, and her hair seemed to float around her head, mimicking his own nine-tails form. "Sca- scary, Erza. You look like my mom." He croaked in terror.

The effect slowly died out, and Erza patted his head gently. "Little brother." She said softly. "You are one of my precious people. If I can't bring myself to worry about you, I don't deserve to worry about myself. Don't ever forget that, and never sell yourself short. You saved my life, so the least I can do is care for yours." She smiled kindly, wiping a tear from her eye, before turning serious again. "And don't tell me what to do!" She said, giving him a playful swat on the shoulder.

"Ye- yes ma'am." He mumbled dejectedly. No way am I gonna make her angry again.

As the sun sank further and further behind the horizon, the two young mages broke what little camp they had and followed an unimpressive dirt road east, hoping to find some sort of town or village.

"A map, a map, my right arm for a map." Naruto chanted at random times a few hours later, confident that Erza had gotten them completely lost. "Oh look, a house! Why don't we go ask them for-"

"Naruto…" She replied menacingly. "I already told you, I don't need to ask for directions. I know exactly where I'm going!" She pulled him along the path, throwing a hard look at the cozy-looking cottage.

"That's what you said right before we marched right into the middle of that Gorian nesting ground." Naruto mumbled under his breath, nursing his sore arm after pile driving the alpha ape. "Even though I warned you about it as soon as we came within a mile of it!"

Erza huffed, having the grace to look at least a little embarrassed. "That doesn't count."

"And then there was the wyvern-"

"I thought the cave was empty!"

"- and those bandits-"

"Oh, that's not fair! I thought they were travelling players!"

"Players tend to not march around with weapons drawn, looking for people to rob."

Erza opened her mouth, shutting it after she realized that she might not have all the answers after all. Puffing out her cheeks in annoyance, she pondered the fact that, while she might be the elder of the two, Naruto seemed far more versed in woodcraft and the ways of the world than she was.

"How do you know so much about all of this?" She asked after a long silence. Naruto sighed in relief, worried that she might have been angry for his arguing.

"About what, exactly?" Naruto was pretty sure he knew what her question was.

"How is it that you know so much about how to survive the wilderness? Before you woke up, I was exhausting myself by using my magic to hunt, and I had next to no idea of how to follow game trails, or how to judge what foliage was hazardous." She shuddered at the memory of her near miss with trying to use what Naruto called 'poison ivy' as a napkin.

"Well, everything I know, I learned from my parents. They were both retired guild mages, and they did their best to make sure that I knew everything that I might need to survive in the world. That covered all the bases from hunting without magic, to how to pitch a tent in the middle of a blizzard."

"Wow." Erza wondered out loud. "I don't even really remember my parents…" She whispered to herself, not expecting Naruto to hear.

"Cheer up, onee-chan!" He called to her, pulling her from her sad thoughts. "You may not remember them, but I'm sure they wouldn't want to see you sad like this. They'd want you to make friends, and be happy, and have tons of exciting adventures!"

"You think so?" Erza asked softly. She felt Naruto bump her shoulder with his, and she was reminded again of the strange way he seemed to exude an odd aura of joy to everyone around him. She turned to look at him, and couldn't help but return the massive grin on his face.

"You better believe it, big sis." And with that, the two marched on, bound for the town Erza had heard of in all of Grandpa Rob's stories, the place he said would definitely welcome them with open arms. As the topped a small rise in the road, they could see it, off in the distance. A gorgeous city, built around a massive cathedral, and back by a large body of sparkling water.

Magnolia, home of the wizard guild, Fairy Tail.

. . .

"Soooo." The short, elderly man breathed out slowly. "You two little shrimps want to join Fairy Tail, huh?" The boisterous guild/bar had quieted down noticeably since the arrival of the two young children, and they couldn't help but feel the eyes boring into them as they spoke with the man who had been identified as the guild master, Makarov Dreyar. "What would possess you to do something like that, at such a young age?"

Erza seemed at a loss for words. She hadn't ever really given any thought to why she wanted to join a wizard's guild; until recently, she hadn't even been able to use magic. But then, just like back at the Tower, Naruto swooped in to take off the pressure.

"We have a drive to make friends, and find a family. To create bonds that will last forever, and go on all sorts of crazy adventures with our friends." He had remembered what old man Rob had said about Fairy Tail, that it was a place to make friends. "I… I want to become strong enough to protect my friends, and the people close to me!"

The guild grew deathly silent, so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Erza thought that Naruto might have said something wrong, but then the old man's face drew back in wicked grin, and the hall shook with the force of its members bursting out into cheers.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" The old man shouted above the din, pulling them into a soft hug. "Welcome to our family." He gently guided them away from the cheering, partying guild, into his back office at the rear of the guild.

He gestured for them to take a seat in one of the many chairs in front of his desk as he closed the door behind him. He was silent as he walked past them, and seated himself in his own chair.

He steepled his fingers as he studied the two of them, finally taking a deep breath before he spoke. "I've only ever heard one man use those words to describe Fairy Tail, and he was a very close friend of mine, though I haven't seen him in years. Sooo,"

"How is Rob doing these days?" The question caught the two off guard, and Naruto discovered a newfound interest in his shoes, leaving Erza to speak.

After her lengthy account of everything that led them to the guild, Makarov felt his hackles rise. Those damnable dark guilds. The council barks at me for a few residential districts going up in smoke, but heaven forbid they step in when something like this happens. Mass kidnapping? How did we not see this? He gripped the bridge of his nose as he felt the beginnings of a migraine rear its ugly head.

"And you're telling me that even with the slavers ousted, the Tower is still being constructed, by one of your friends no less?

"Yes!" Naruto interjected, cutting off Erza's defense of Jellal, in favor of his own. There was something he had to say. "However, I do not believe Jellal is himself, or that he is really in control of his actions!"

"Oh?" Makarov replied, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "How do you mean?"

Naruto brought both of his hands together on his face, forcing himself to focus his thoughts.

"I could feel the energy coming off of Jellal, and it wasn't his own. I could tell that Jellal would come into his magic soon, but the power he displayed was something else entirely. It was dark in every sense of the word, when Jellal's should have been light." He scratched the back of his head, a motion Erza recognized as his nervous tic. He was scared of what he was saying. "I honestly believe that something dark took over his mind."

"Possession?" Makarov whispered in surprise. "I'm a little shocked that you know about such things. I take it you had a teacher?"

Naruto nodded. "My father's sensei, a really close family friend, and my godfather. If he had been home when we were attacked, I doubt the slavers would have been able to take anyone." He stated matter-of-factly.

"I'll have to notify the council of this…" Makarov muttered, only for Erza to jump from her chair in terror.

"You can't! He said that if he so much as suspected that the council knew, he would kill everyone still on the island! Please, you- you just can't!" She could feel her body shaking, trembling in fear at the thought of her friends being killed by Jellal.

Makarov, taken aback by the outburst, found himself at a crossroads. Tell the council and risk the lives of every single enslaved man, woman, and child on the island? The council will probably wipe it out themselves, regardless of lives lost. Or keep the islands existence a secret, possibly allowing a minor threat to become a major enemy? The answer was a simple one.

"I- I understand. I will keep this between us. You have my word on that."

"Thank you so much!"

"Thanks, old man." Naruto added with a smile. He could already tell that the older man was someone he could trust and respect. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that."

The master smiled kindly. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. You two little brats just better not cause me any more trouble than you're worth." At that, Makarov seemed to take notice of Erza's appearance for the first time. "My dear, what happened to your eye?" At her downcast look, Makarov could take a pretty good guess. Torturing little kids? That's a new low. "Well, I guess we should get that taken care of. Come on." He stated off-handedly, guiding them out the door.

"Where are we going?" Erza asked as they were herded out of the guild and through the streets of Magnolia, towards the forest on the outskirts of the city.

"To meet an old friend of mine." He stated cryptically. "Can't expect you to become strong with only one eye, now can we?" He added with a smile.

Erza's face was dominated by a look of pure wonder at the thought of having her full sight back, and Naruto found himself speechless at the prospect of meeting someone skilled enough in healing magic to replace a full eye.

. . .

"Now get out, and stay out!" The old woman shouted, punctuating her statement by slamming her door closed.

"Charming as ever." Makarov chuckled. "Are you alright, Naruto?" If he had expected the young boy to be put off by Porlyuscia's attitude, he was pleasantly surprised to find a massive smile spread across his face.

"That was totally awesome!" He nearly shouted, almost bouncing along the path back to the city. "I never would have imagined that an alchemist would be able to do something a master mage couldn't. Your friend is amazing, old man!" He turned to face his friend. "What do think, Erza-nee?"

"I think…" She paused for a long moment, the silence dragging on as they neared the city streets back to Fairy Tail. "I think that now, I can be strong enough to protect my important people. Just like you, Naruto, and Grandpa Rob!" She stated happily, Naruto's grin mirrored by her own face.

Makarov couldn't help but smile as he watched. These two… There isn't a single doubt in my mind. Their friendship will bring tears of joy to those around them.

It wasn't until a few months later that Makarov realized that their bond would also bring tears of a different sort flowing throughout the guild.

. . .

~About three years later~

"Oi, oi, oi. Natsuuu~. Come out, come out. I promise, I'm not angry…"

A very shaky voice called out in response. "Nope, no Natsu down here! Nobody here but us barrels of fish!" The voice called out from the storage room.

"You idiot!" A second voice whispered harshly from the room. "Barrels of fish can't talk!"

"How do you know? Are you a barrel of fish, ya stripper?!"

"Oh? Are you in there too, Gray?" Naruto called out knowingly. He heard an audible gulp as the young Ice Make mage swallowed whatever he had planned to say next. "Perfect! Now I don't have to expend any more effort finding you, either." He smiled coldly, and judging from the sound of chattering teeth and the shivering barrels, Gray and Natsu could tell. "Come now, don't be shy. Step into light… and face your punishment like men."

"N-no way am I going down without a fight!" The nervous voice of Natsu responded, followed by a muffled curse as Gray tried to get him to back down, for both of their sakes. A flash of pink hair across the small room was the cue of his arrival, before he charged straight at Naruto. The blonde could see a window open as the form of Gray slipped out of the room and to the courtyard below.

Oh-ho, if he had known who was waiting out there, he might have taken his chances with me.

He shifted his gaze back to the charging pinkette as the boy readied his attack, his hands bursting into flames.

"Fire Dragon's," Natsu shouted, launching himself into the air, sailing towards Naruto. "Iron Fist!" His arm extended, aiming to take Naruto right in the face. Nothing prepared him for Naruto's sharp blow to the inside of his elbow as he ducked beneath Natsu's fist, the blow forcing his arm to snap back right into his own face, and leaving Natsu in a smoking heap at Naruto's feet.

"Whelp, guess we better go see how Gray's doing, eh?" The pink haired Dragon Slayer could only moan in response as Naruto dragged him out of the storage room, down the hall and outside of the warehouse. The sight that met their eyes was just pathetic.

Gray was pinned to the wall of the warehouse by numerous blades of varying size and shape, circus style. As Naruto watched, another blade slammed into the wall near Gray's head, causing the boy to release a slight 'eep' in terror before he too, passed out.

Called it. Naruto thought cheekily.

"That'll teach 'em, don't you think, Erza-nee?"

"Most certainly." The red-head replied with a smile, causing the swords to disappear as she pulled them back into her pocket dimension, allowing Gray to plummet to the ground in a state similar to Natsu's. Her face darkened as she remembered the horrific events that lead to the capture of the two miscreants.

"To think." Naruto stated in wonder. "That they would have the nerve to fight in the middle guild hall while everyone was sitting down to lunch." He paused as Erza slung the unconscious dark-haired boy over her shoulder.

"And then," Erza picked up for him. "Allow their fight to escalate to the point that it not only disrupted the guild, but they… they…" She shuddered at the memory, as Naruto clenched his fist in rage.

"They-"

"-killed-"

"-my-"

"-Cheese cake / Ramen!"

And everyone in the guild knew for fact; mess with the food of the Bloody Maelstrom Duo, and heads would roll. There was once a story floating around that the two had stopped off at a diner on the way back from a double mission and had been harassed by some rogue wizards throughout the meal. When one of them had the nerve to push Erza's face into her cake… Well, there's a reason nobody talks about the Triple Threat Triad Guild nowadays. Not that the Council could ever prove anything, of course.

And in the eyes of the two young mages, the unspoken rule was doubly true for guild members, and triply certain in the case a certain pair of Fire and Ice wizards.

"You know, I think all of that fighting they do all the time is doing them some good after all." Naruto stated as they walked, not even sparing a glance at the gawking townspeople as they parted before them.

"Oh?" Erza asked, intrigued. "How did you come to that conclusion? Did Natsu give you some trouble this time?" She continued with a knowing smirk.

"Hah, as if! He's a hundred years too young to go up against me! And unlike you, I kept true to our little bet. I never used my magic once." Erza sighed, as if she had just received terrible news. "What?"

"You and I both know that the only reason I agreed to that silly bet was so that you wouldn't accidentally wipe out the entire population of Magnolia in some backyard scrap! You're an S-Class wizard now, Naruto. You need to be more responsible, and more careful."

He scratched the back of his head with his free hand and let out a nervous chuckle. "Have a little faith, would ya? But anyway, they managed to get much farther away this time, and Natsu's flames burned way hotter this time around."

"I have to agree. Gray managed to stand his ground before I began to actually assault him. His forms have become more fluid, and he seems to be refining his techniques every day."

"Who knows?" Naruto said with a good-natured chuckle. "Maybe in a few years, they'll be going on an S-Class mission together. Maybe find a tribe of demons, and some weird cult from the east, eh? Haha ha."

Erza groaned audibly. "Don't joke about such things. Knowing Natsu, he'll probably get that flying cat of his to steal a request against master's orders, and then we'll have to go save them." She could already feel the migraine coming from simply imagining it.

"Oh, and you call me the worrisome one. Next you'll be spouting nonsense about the moon being cursed and a giant, flying rat. I doubt even Natsu is that stupid." They came to a halt at the entrance to the guild hall. "Well here we are. Home sweet home."

"Yes." Erza said with a smile. "Even with family as rambunctious as these two… home sweet home."

"I just hope Lisanna doesn't scold me too harshly for roughing Natsu up. I know how friendly she is to him, and I definitely can't afford any more strikes in her 'bad boyfriend booklet.'" He said with a shudder. Each strike in the 'triple b' spelled out doom for the blonde-haired boy at the hands of his usually kind girlfriend. But goodness, she could really take after her sister when it came to cruelty, and she had ideas that would have set Makarov's heart ablaze with pride when it came to punishment.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll forgive you. Eventually…" She said, chuckling darkly at her little brother's future dog house days as she led the way inside the guild hall.

Naruto couldn't help but hang his head. Why am I surrounded by such cruel women?

. . .

~Some years later~

"Master! Master Makarov!" A voice called out in urgency as the guild hall doors came crashing open. "There's an emergency!" Naruto's eyes eased open at the sound of raised voices drifting from the guild's main hall. He had accidentally fallen asleep while browsing through some research material for a mission he planned on conducting the following week, once Lisanna had returned from her mission with Mira and Elfman. Stupid 'triple b.' I wanted to go too. He pouted, still groggy from the sudden awakening.

"What is it?" He could hear Makarov ask calmly, never one to lose his cool too easily. Naruto rose from his chair slowly, easing his way to the doorway so he could more easily hear the conversation.

"Mira just arrived with Elfman." The voice he now identified as Wakaba announced gravely. "They're busted up pretty bad…"

Even from across the room, on the other side of the solid oak door, Naruto could feel Makarov tense up at the news. Realization hit him. Hard. Mira and Elfman? What about-?

"…and Lisanna?" Makarov asked quietly.

Naruto could almost see, clear as day, the look of anguish on the Smoke mage's face as he spoke four words that Naruto never heard as his vision and hearing tunneled.

. . .

Makarov hadn't batted an eyelash when Naruto stormed up to the second floor after Wakaba left, taking with him every single S-Ranked mission he could access, and he spoke only once Naruto turned to leave.

"It wasn't your fault, Naruto. I know it will take time for you to realize that, but that is the truth. And I have one order for you before you leave: Come home safely." Naruto stopped in the doorway and gazed back at Makarov. His eyes blazed red, and his pupils were slit like a cats. His voice was deeper than usual, nearly chilling Makarov's blood as he spoke.

"I could have protected her, old man. But I wasn't there for her. I don't deserve to be a part of this family. I- I- I need some time to myself. Tell everyone I'm sorry for taking all of the missions."

"Missions come and missions go. You, however, had better come back. Or so help me, I will come find you myself. If your sister doesn't beat me to it, that is."

Naruto smiled sadly, and Makarov could see the light glinting off of his enlarged canines. His blood is running so hot that he's having trouble keeping a lid on his power?

"I'll remember that. Thank you for everything, gramps." He turned and left, the heavy oaken doors closing with a soft thud behind him.

Makarov felt the world tremble a few hours later, shaking the rafters of the hall and setting the city on high alert for fear of a massive earthquake. Authorities from the council would never understand how an entire range of mountains could be leveled overnight, but Makarov knew. Makarov understood the hardships that could shake the heart, and he knew that it would be a long time before Naruto would return back to the guild.

Please be safe, my heartbroken little brat.