The Salamander

by ScarletWebWarrior06

In a world, very much like our own their is a group of people who are born with special gifts. These people are able to do incredible feats, like turn into monsters, teleport, or even control lightning. Natsu Dragneel of Magnolia is one of these gifted people and he must learn how to control his gifts, and become a hero.

46. Identity Crisis

Chapter 46: Identity Crisis

"I'm home!" Lucy sang as she entered their shared apartment on Strawberry Street. Happy meowed happily and rushed to her feet and started rubbing himself against her legs. Lucy smiled and bent down to pet the blue cat behind the ears.

"Awww, hi Happy I missed you too!" Lucy beamed as the cat began to purr. It had been a few days since she had woken up in the infirmary and she was now almost fully recovered, aside from the soreness and aches in her body from being bedridden for so long. During that time apparently Sting, Rogue and the rest of Sabertooth showed up to apologize for everything that had happened and even asked Yukino to return to the guild which she accepted. Part of Lucy was saddened to see her new friend go back to the place that had caused her pain in the first place, but Sting seemed genuine when he talked about creating a new Sabertooth so it hurt a little less knowing that she would be safe. Lucy walked around the small apartment and plopped down onto the couch, Happy leaping up on her lap. Lucy smiled and resumed stroking the cat's soft fur, but her smile soon fell as she glanced at her boyfriend's shut bedroom door. Ever since their conversation after she woke up she hadn't heard so much as a peep from him, which worried her. Leaning her head back she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I hope everything is okay with him….he's been avoiding me for the past few days…." She muttered to herself. The last words he spoke to her bounced around in her brain.

"I think…..that I don't want to be Salamander anymore…"

She still had trouble processing the sentence. For one the words themselves, Natsu was never the person to stray away from his convictions. He was stubborn to a fault, and yet here he was second guessing himself and everything he has done. Looking back at his bedroom door she slowly got up and went over to it, much to the protest of her fuzzy friend who had just gotten comfy on her lap. When she was standing in front of his door she reached out and knocked on the door, only for it to creak open.

"Natsu?..." She called into the room, peeking inside, but found it empty, and cluttered. Against her better judgment she slowly walked inside wondering where Natsu could be, but that thought got pushed aside as she stepped on something on the floor that caught her attention. Glancing down she found his tattered Salamander costume that had been destroyed in his fight with Zero thrown haphazardly on the floor. This caused her to frown, he usually took such good care of the coat, and pants keeping them in the nice trunk, they used to belong to his father after all so seeing them just thrown on the floor shredded, and covered in blood made her a little sad.

"I wonder if I can fix it up for him…." Lucy muttered as she bent down to pick the fabric up, before once again remembering what he had said. At the very least, maybe she could patch it up so he could still have it as a remembrance to his father. She noticed that the hood on the jacket was completely gone, so she knew that it wouldn't be the exact same. But maybe that would be for the better if he was truly done with being a vigilante. She was about to exit his room with the articles of clothing before something else gained her attention, on his messy bed was a large pile of papers that were scattered all over it, with an eyebrow raised she walked over to his bed.

"What is all this junk?" She questioned as she picked up one of the random pieces of paper and found it was a page from Magnolia Times with a picture of the destroyed Kardia Cathedral. The caption written on the top of the page was:

THE TERRORIST OF MAGNOLIA STRIKES NATIONAL MONUMENT!

"Good grief Natsu…tell me you haven't been reading this junk…" Lucy frowned as she picked up another newspaper clipping with a photograph of Mard Geer on the cover.

MAYOR MARD GEER PROMISES TO PROTECT US FROM SALAMANDER!

There were more, all of them with similar headlines such as:

STAY SAFE FROM LOCAL ARSONIST!

SALAMANDER PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE!

ALL HAIL CRIME SORCIERE! THE PROTECTORS OF OUR CITY!

Lucy couldn't hide the disgusted look that was plastered on her face, why was Natsu reading, and collecting this junk? Why would he want to hold on to something that was painting him in such a bad light? It hurt her heart, Natsu was going down a self destructive path and she wasn't going to let him tear himself apart.

"Doesn't he realize how much good stuff he does? Why is he only focused on the bad?" Lucy pondered as she crumpled up the newspapers and threw them in his trash bin, but there was still more stuff scattered on his mattress. She grabbed an envelope that he had torn open sloppily. Inside of it was a note from their landlord. Explaining that due to quote 'tough times' their rent was going to be increased by a pretty penny. Natsu had a notebook open next to the envelope. The page it was open to had various numbers,and quotations that were scratched out and rewritten in his untidy handwriting. Math had never been his strongest subject so it came to no shock that there was a calculator next to it. At the bottom of the page the words:

"Money I owe Luce - $3,562.79"

Were circled right above:

"Money I have - $73.13 (MUST FIND JOB)!"

Lucy felt a twinge of pain as she read everything over. Cautiously she looked at the final thing left on his bed, it looked to be his report card. It had been crumpled up so it was wrinkled and pretty hard to read, but from what she was able to make out Natsu's grades had definitely slipped this last semester, most likely due to all the class he missed out on, and assignments he wasn't able to make up. At this rate he wouldn't be able to graduate unless he was able to buckle down. Why was he hiding all of this from her? Did he not trust her with this stuff?

In truth it wasn't that Natsu didn't want to tell Lucy, he just didn't know what to think anymore. So he didn't know what to tell her. Should he tell her about all of the bad dreams he had been having ever since they got together? Should he tell her that Sabertooth made him realize that he just brought pain to those he cared about and seeing her hurt broke him in a way he couldn't explain. He had so many conflicting thoughts circling in his head so of course he was at the only place he could clear his head at….Igneel's grave.

"Dad….I need your help….I don't know what to do….I feel like I have a responsibility to protect people…but the more I am Salamander the less Natsu I become….my life is a mess….and to make things worse I just screw up when I try to do what I feel is right…." Nats muttered quietly to the grave, his hand caressing the seal that hid beneath his bandage wrapped arm, as if it would make his father show up suddenly.

"I'm starting to feel like my only purpose in life is to destroy things….to ruin everything I touch…and, I'm tired of it. My brain keeps telling me that if I stop being the Salamander all my problems will go away, but my heart tells me that I will feel guilty for turning my back on what is the right thing to do." Natsu finished his thoughts, and stood there silently as if waiting for a response, but one never came. So instead he just stood there staring at the gravestone pondering everything. He was broke and flunking out of school, but he also had saved the city and his friends multiple times over, but the city hated him for it. Did he really need to graduate High School though? He hadn't given any thought to what he wanted to be, he was so caught up living in the past, and present, that he completely neglected the future. Lucy, and the rest of his friends had their lives together, and set up. Lucy was going to go to college somewhere, and become a famous writer, Erza had always wanted to do something about all of the homeless children around the world, and Gray wanted to be a lawyer like his mother. But what about himself? What did he see in his future? As far as he could tell he had none. He had no real skills, no job experience, he wasn't a good student…all he could think of was being Salamander, but that wasn't really a job.

Would Lucy realize he was going nowhere in life and leave him? Would the others get tired of his reckless behavior and kick him out of Fairy Tail? Would Erza, and Gray and his two siblings leave him behind as if he was just some nobody? His hand shot up to the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. Igneel's scarf, a scarf he wore to remind himself why he was the Salamander…to make sure no child had to feel the pain he felt when his father was taken away from him.

"OI! NATSU!" A familiar voice called out to him shaking him out of his own head, turning to the source he found that once again it was his Godfather who had once again interrupted his thoughts. Gildarts was dressed in street clothes which was something he thought he would never see. The normally rugged man had cleaned himself up, and even shaved his stubble revealing how handsome he was behind the dirty, grimey exterior.

"I figured I would find you here, nobody has seen or heard from you in days…what's gotten into you?" Gildarts questioned warmly as he came to a stop in front of Natsu. Natsu turned his head away from him to look back down at the grave.

"Nothing….I'm just thinking is all…"

"Yeah, you've been doing a lot of that recently….it's worrying actually." Gildarts sighed. Causing Natsu to shoot him an offended look.

"Ya know kiddo….nobody blames you for what happened with Sabertooth right?" Gildarts asked quietly, causing Natsu to shrug.

"I still can't shake this feeling…." Natsu started causing his Godfather to watch him carefully.

"...That…everything has gone so wrong since I became Salamander….I dunno, I'm just….lost I guess? I'm confused and torn….I just don't know what to do." Natsu exclaimed exasperatedly.

"I know exactly what you mean, Natsu. Listen…you can't tell anyone I told you this, but Makarov…asked for me to take his place recently." Gildarts confessed, causing Natsu to raise his eyebrows in shock and look at him shocked.

"Like….as in becoming the master?! Congrats!" Natsu exclaimed and forced a grin on his face, but when Gildarts looked back at him he wasn't smiling. Instead of saying anything he glanced down at Igneel's grave.

"You know something….your dad was my best friend. And this is the first time I have visited him in a long time….and it's not because I haven't wanted to, it's because I feel like I owe it to him to continue our work…he believed in creating a safer world for everyone, and that's exactly why I am gone for months on end….I feel like I am carrying on his dream….it has been my sole purpose since he gave up the hero for hire work to raise you….the thought of coming back here, and actually staying has never crossed my mind." He admitted to Natsu who was listening intently.

"So…are you not going to accept?" Natsu asked after a moment of silence. Gildarts chuckled and shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea, I feel like my life has passed me by….and all I have left now is my work….I was away on a job when my wife died….I missed my daughter growing into the woman she is today, and not a day goes by where I don't regret it….but on the other hand I feel like this could be my chance to make up for lost time…." He took a shaky breath before turning and placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder.

"So take it from me….don't dwell on the mistakes of your past….it doesn't do you any good. And don't your life pass you by like I have. You have a good life Natsu, a good group of friends, an awesome girlfriend….I know you feel obligated to continue pushing forward as Salamander, but you can't be scared to step back and live your life….after all I know for certain that your dad would have wanted you to have the life we ran away from…you've already done so much good….and I am incredibly proud of you, and I am sure he would be too." Natsu choked up at Gildarts' words, but he didn't say anything he just continued staring forward.

"Jeez….don't get so sappy and serious on me….I thought you're supposed to be the fun Godfather…" Natsu joked, causing Gildarts to chuckle.

"Now you know my struggle…seeing you so serious these past few days has been concerning. If I didn't know better I would have guessed you were some kind of shapeshifter posing as Natsu, while the real one was locked away in some closet somewhere…" Gildarts quipped, leading to Natsu sticking his tongue out at him.

"Hey! That's rude! I'm not always as dumb and empty-headed as everyone seems to think I am!" Natsu snapped. This led to Gildarts cracking a large grin and bursting out in laughter.

"Oh sure, sure…you are always Mr. Serious Pants…you just put on a goofy, and hot-heated exterior as an act!"

"You got that right." Natsu laughed his first real laugh in a while. When the two stopped their laughter they both took one last look at Igneel's grave. Natsu had really let Gildarts' words reach him and was dwelling on them.

"Hey you want a burger? My treat?" Gildarts piped up, and Natsu just grinned.

"I have a large appetite…just as a heads up."

"Oh I don't doubt it….c'mon let's get out of here…." Gildarts smirked as he turned and began walking to the exit of the cemetery, but before he got too far ahead Natsu called out to him.

"Hey, Gildarts!" He practically shouted.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you….for everything…" Natsu's face flushed as he said this which led to Gildarts beaming at him.

"Don't mention it….I'm here for you whenever you need me." Gildarts threw his arm over Natsu's shoulders and together the two walked away from Igneel's grave, as they reached the large gates that served as the entrance they saw a well dressed man with black hair, carrying a bouquet of daisies walking toward them. The man made eye contact with Natsu and they immediately recognized each other.

"Hello again….fellow griever…" The soft spoken man nodded to him as he passed Natsu who just nodded back and continued walking in stride with Gildarts.

"Did you know that guy?" Gildarts questioned. Natsu shrugged his shoulders and turned his head back as they walked away.

"Not really….we just crossed paths a while back…I don't even know his name." Natsu replied, but felt the black haired man's eyes watching him as he retreated into the distance. Gildarts didn't know why the interaction made him feel uneasy but he just tried to shrug it off and kept on walking away.. Zeref clutched the flowers he was holding a little bit tighter, he felt like there was a knot in his chest and his breathing hitched.

"So long….baby brother…" He whispered sadly to himself as he watched Natsu become nothing more than a speck in the distance. He reached his free hand up to his neck where a golden locket on a chain was wrapped around his neck and gripped it tightly. The image of a house on fire flashed in his brain.

"We will be reunited….soon, I promise….dear Natsu…"

By the time Natsu returned to his apartment, night had already fallen. He and Gildarts had spent the day just going to various shops, and having an overall great day that made Natsu forget his troubles. At least for a little while. He entered the apartment and found Lucy sitting on the couch typing on her laptop while Happy slept on her legs, she glanced up at him as he stumbled through the doorway clutching a bag that he held up.

"Gildarts bought me burgers, so I got ya one…I didn't know if you had eaten yet." Natsu explained and brought her the bag of food.

"Thank you Natsu…" Lucy muttered quietly as she set down her laptop and took the food that was thankfully still warm.

"No prob…" He replied awkwardly before letting out a sigh and plopping himself on the couch next to her. He threw his head back in a manner that made Lucy tilt her head.

"Is everything okay?" Natsu turned to look at her face that was filled with concern.

"Gildarts, and I had a pretty heavy conversation today…." He replied softly, Lucy listened carefully and shifted to the annoyance of Happy who had to move, and scooted next to him folded her legs underneath her to give him her full attention.

"About what?"

"A lot of stuff actually…." He admitted. Lucy just sat there listening. Natsu stared into her brown eyes. How could anyone be this beautiful and caring? He thought to himself. Why had it taken him so long to see it?

"Does it have to do with what you told me the other night?..." Lucy prodded and Natsu just sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, and I think I have made a decision…" He took a shaky breath as she watched him carefully.

"I'm not going to be the Salamander anymore…" He admitted to both himself and his girlfriend who turned pale and studied him carefully.

"Natsu….are you sure? You do a lot of good, help a lot of people….it's your choice obviously, but I know what being the Salamander means to you."

"I try to do good things, but it always blows up in my face….but I've thought really hard about this Luce…and yeah I'm sure. I don't want to cause anymore pain, I want to actually be able to help what matters most to me, and that's you and all of my friends at Fairy Tail….what happened with Sabertooth was the opposite of what I want. Besides…I've been so busy being Salamander…that I've almost forgotten who Natsu Dragneel is…" Natsu confessed and looked down at the floor, Lucy looked at him sympathetically, and reached out to grasp his hand. Giving it a squeeze he looked at her gentle expression.

"Then let me help you remember who you are…because I won't leave your side no matter what." She smiled warmly to which he responded with a smile of his own.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

"But there is one thing I want to get through to you….what happened to me…what happened to the guild, it wasn't because of you. Sabertooth hurt Yukino, that's what started it all. There isn't one person in the guild who wouldn't have done what you did…so I want you to know that it wasn't your fault I got hurt, it wasn't your fault anyone got hurt." Natsu nodded as he listened and with a frown he spoke.

"Thanks…I think I needed to hear that…." He admitted and she once again squeezed his calloused hand with her delicate one.

"So….what happens now?" Lucy questioned and his face contorted as he thought hard about her question.

"Ermmmm, I dunno…..there's a lot….I need to find a job so that I can pay you back for all the rent you had to cover by yourself, and finally start helping out with everything. I need to get back on track at school so that I can graduate with the rest of you….I wanted to get my dad's old truck back from the police lockup so that I can fix it up and we could have reliable transportation…and most of all I want to figure out what to do with my life…." Lucy listened to his tangent carefully. And reached her hand up to play with his salmon colored hair, an action which always relaxed him.

"I'll tell you what Natsu….how about I eat this burger while we watch a movie, go get a good night's rest, and then tomorrow I help you apply for jobs since you haven't had one before…from there we worry about the rest. We take things slow, and one step at a time. I don't care about getting paid back, I love you and I would do it all over again….as for school me and Levy will help you with whatever you don't understand…and as for as I am concerned. We have the rest of our lives together, you can take your time to find what makes you happy. It's perfectly okay to take a gap year instead of going to college right away when you're not sure what you want to do. So we have nothing but time on our side." Lucy kissed him on the cheek when she finished which caused his cheeks to turn the color of his hair.

"I like the sound of that. So I guess the only thing to do tonight is….decide on what movie we are watching, and if we are making popcorn with it." Natsu joked, causing Lucy to let out an adorable giggle.

"Popcorn is a necessity when a movie is involved…" Lucy laughed as she stood up to go make some popcorn, as she walked into the kitchen she stopped and turned to face him with a devious smirk.

"As for the movie itself I don't really care as long as it's a scary movie." She entered the kitchen after that leaving a confused Natsu.

"But you hate horror movies Luce?" Lucy rolled her eyes and poked her head out of the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah, when I was a kid…but now I have a big strong boyfriend who will protect me from the creepy stuff."

"What does that mean?"

"Well usually when girls say they want to watch a horror movie it means that they want an excuse for their boyfriend to cuddle them to make them feel safe…"

"Ohhh…" Natsu finally understood what she was implying and smirked.

"Now you get it, I haven't spent much time with my boyfriend lately…and I missed him." Lucy pouted as she threw the bag of popcorn into the microwave and put the burger Natsu brought home in the fridge for lunch the next day. Natsu grinned as he turned off the living room lights and cued up a creepy looking movie and was sitting under a blanket on the couch as Lucy came in holding a bowl of popcorn. She handed it to him and got herself comfy under the blanket wasting no time in getting close to him and resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. This was something they needed, and by the looks of things there would be more movie nights….Even though they weren't really paying attention to the movie, and it ended up being a long night, as they could finally just be Natsu and Lucy again, the way they used to be before the Salamander happened. Only this time….there was a little more physical contact than when they were just friends. The next morning was a rough one though.

"Man you look like shit blondie." Cana chuckled from behind the bar as Lucy clocked in for her shift, it was still early so they were technically closed still meaning there weren't any normal people in the guild hall, just the normal batch of Fairy Tail members who either lived there, or just had nothing else to do. Lucy rolled her eyes and a yawn escaped her mouth.

"Yeah, I know…I stayed up a little late doing homework." Lucy replied while taking her hoodie off and throwing it on a coat rack behind the bar revealing her waitress outfit, that Makarov had instructed herself, Levy, Cana, and Mira that they had to wear from now on.

"Oh I'm sure…say when did Natsu change his name?" Cana quipped causing Lucy to raise her eyebrow trying to prevent her cheeks from heating up.

"What do you mean by that? Last I checked his name was still Natsu." Lucy retorted dryly, but Cana's devious smirk told her that she was in for a long shift.

"You know blondie…..you really should tell homework….to watch where he's biting." Lucy's eyes widened and she let out a squeak before rushing to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, and sure enough she looked terrible, her hair was unusually messy, she had bags on her eyes and just like Cana said there was a dark purple distinct biting mark on her neck.

"OH THAT LITTLE!" Lucy exclaimed and dug around in her purse and grabbed some concealer and tried to hide the evidence from her and Natsu's long night. As she went about this she was cursing Natsu and mumbling to herself.

"I swear I will get back at you Dragneel, even if it is the last thing I ever do!" Lucy swore to herself as she began to try and fix her messy hair, she heard the bathroom door open and heard three distinct giggles coming from behind her. Fear shot through her body as she turned to face Mirajane, Cana, and Levy standing in the doorway watching her.

"So I was right Natsu really was this mysterious homework you were doing." Cana smirked. Causing Lucy's face to flush pink.

"Geez Lulu…what took you two so long, I was getting tired of waiting…" Levy giggled. Once again Lucy's face darkened.

"Please stop….it's not like that you have the wrong idea!" Lucy pleaded, but she wasn't sure she could even convince herself. There was no use.

"Awww our little Lucy is all grown up…." Mira joked with a sickeningly sweet tone that had a layer of malice under it. Lucy felt like dropping to the ground in a ball as the three girls were laughing. After they got the laughter out of their system Mira walked over to Lucy and pulled a brush out of her own bag.

"Here, let me help." She sweetly muttered and waltzed behind the too embarrassed to do anything Lucy. She began gently brushing the tangles out of the blonde girl's silky hair.

"Thanks…." Lucy muttered as she looked at herself in the mirror watching as Mira did her magic. Levy walked over and began to clean up the half-assed conceal job Lucy had done in her panicked state.

"So jokes aside Lucy….how far did you two go?" Cana walked over and leaned against the bathroom wall with her arms crossed. There was no teasing in her voice this time around, but even still Lucy didn't reply. She couldn't bring herself to overcome her embarrassment and awkwardness. Too bad her blush gave away the whole story. She swallowed a lump in her throat as Cana's eyes widened.

"O-oh my God….no way…..NO WAY!" Cana exclaimed loudly as a large grin plastered itself on the brunette's face. Levy and Mira both stopped what they were doing to look at the blonde who felt like hiding her face in her hands.

"Oh my goodness Lucy! How was it?!" Mira smirked which made Lucy's face darken. Thankfully Lucy was saved from the interrogation by a booming yell from the main part of the guild.

"CAN I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION!" The sound of Makarov's voice caused them to exit the bathroom to see everyone gathered in the guild was currently looking at their master who was standing up on the bar. Erza, Gray, and Juvia who were sitting at a table together were watching intently. Jet and Droy were likewise staring at him. Gajeel looked indifferent but still had his eyes focused on the master.

"What's wrong Master?" Erza questioned to which Makarov took a deep breath and cleared his throat. Mira, Cana, Levy, and Lucy all moved away from the bathroom to get closer so they could hear clearly.

"As I'm sure many of you know…I am no spring chicken…and I have been this guilds master for a long time now….I have had the privilege of meeting all of you children and watching as you grew into the individuals you are today….so I have decided to retire." The guild broke into chaos immediately.

"MASTER ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?!"

"YEAH YOU CAN'T JUST CALL IT QUITS!"

"WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO FAIRY TAIL!" In the chaos the Thunder Legion looked over to Laxus who was sitting next to them, visiting before he went back to his travels. The blonde boy looked shocked by his grandfather's words, but said nothing.

"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE US!"

"MASTER WE NEED YOU!"

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Erza's voice boomed over all of the other chaos, and right away the guild hall became almost silent. When they were quiet, Gray spoke up.

"So what is going to happen now?" He muttered to Makarov who took a second to look at each and every last member's face before speaking up again.

"Well, I am not leaving just because I won't be master anymore does not mean I will not still be a part of this guild. It would be impossible for me to leave for real…that being said Fairy Tail will need a new master. So with that in mind I have asked Gildarts to be my replacement, and he accepted." Cana who had been taking a sip of beer spit it out in shock.

"WHAT!" She yelled in surprise. Makarov just rolled his eyes at her response and continued on.

"So without further ado, I would like to introduce Fairy Tail's third guild master…Gildarts Clive!" He exclaimed as Gildarts walked out of his office with a grin on his face.

"YO!" He held up a peace sign as he strutted over to Makarov.

"I have taken the liberty of composing a speech." He said holding up a piece of paper, he cleared his throat before reading off it.

"First things first, being guild master is something I never envisioned myself doing, and I will do my best to be the best one yet….and I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity. That being said I do have some changes I wish to implement, starting first and foremost with Laxus. I believe that you have spent enough time away from your home, so I am pleased to announce that Laxus shall be reinstated as a full time member of the guild." When he finished this Makarov's face went pale. Laxus spat his drink out similarly to how Cana had seconds before.

"Now wait, Gildarts, that wasn't part of our agreement…" Makarov mumbled, but Gildarts held a hand up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but now I'm master so you can't stop me….second order of business…you four." He pointed over in Mira, Cana, Lucy, and Levy's direction.

"Will no longer be forced to wear those terrible uniforms, from now you can wear whatever you'd like!" He grinned, and once again Makarov's face turned even paler as the four girls smiled amongst themselves, thrilled to get rid of the uncomfy attire that they were forced to work in.

"Thirdly….I have a mission to go on that is very pressing…so there will need to be a master while I am gone, and that will most likely be a long, long time from now…..so as my final executive decision as the third guild master of Fairy Tail….I hereby announce the fourth guild master….please give a hand to Makarov Dreyar!" The guild went silent in confusion, and Makarov, who looked as white as a ghost, turned red in rage.

"WHAT! WHY YOU!"

"Also, he is unable to overturn anything I have done! So with that…Gildarts out!" He crumpled his piece of paper and threw it over his shoulder while Makarov was screaming at him the entire time.

"GET BACK HERE GILDARTS THIS ISN'T FUNNY! YOU SAID YOU WOULD TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…..see ya later old man!" Gildarts once again held up a peace sign and walked out of the guild leaving everyone shocked. Except for Makarov who was furious.

"GILDARTS! YOU UNGRATEFUL JERK! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!"

As Gildarts was walking away, Natsu was just arriving with a newspaper in hand looking at the help wanted pages. Gildarts noticed him and smirked.

"Hey Natsu, I'm heading out of town for a bit." He spoke to the pinkette when they were right in front of each other. Natsu folded the newspaper and looked at his Godfather shocked.

"Oh…already? You just got back…" He mumbled. Gildarts sighed at the sad tone in Natsu's voice.

"Yeah, well…I kinda left my previous mission to deal with Sabertooth, so I need to get back to it…"

"Ah, I get it….well do you know when you'll be back?"

"Unfortunately no…but when I do get back, I promise we will hangout. I had fun yesterday." Suddenly Natsu's sad face turned into a grin.

"Yeah, for sure! And Lucy is going to help me find a job, so next time dinner will be my treat!" Gildarts chuckled.

"I'll hold you to that! Good luck on finding a job Natsu." He smiled, and Natsu nodded awkwardly.

"Yeah, and good luck on your mission…" Natsu replied. Gildarts nodded his head, and then sighed.

"I guess I should probably head off, my train leaves in an hour…" He muttered almost as if he didn't want to leave.

"O-okay…well I guess I will see you when you get back!"

"Yeah…." Gildarts smiled before turning away from his Godson. He took one step forward before turning around again with his arms spread out wide. Natsu smiled immediately and stepped towards the man and the two embraced in a hug that they both hadn't had in a long time. Natsu felt like he was hugging Igneel again, while Gildarts was hugging his child, something he never got to do with Cana.

"I know I promised to train you….but how does a camping trip sound? Just you and me when this is all over?" Gildarts asked when the two pulled away from each other. Natsu grinned.

"I'd like that a lot…" Natsu admitted, and all too soon he was watching his newly found father figure walk away into the distance. Natsu wasn't sure what the future held, but between Lucy, and Gildarts he now was sure that things would be okay. He could focus on being Natsu, now that the Salamander was no more.

Chapter 47: The Troublesome Trio…REUNITE!

(HINT: Asuka is coming back!)

Q: Do you think Natsu will stick to his decision to not be the Salamander?