Hello, and welcome to chapter 5 of Soul of Fire!

I would also like to thank wh1msy for his amazing work as a beta-reader. He really helped me a lot!

Wow, already over 25k words, how crazy is that? Last chapter I received quite a few questions and I plan on answering what I can, so let's begin.

Descendant of Flaming Dragons:

I appreciate the feedback, I really love hearing about the good and bad points in my work, so I can either improve or maintain a good job. And regarding pairings? There may be some, but like you said, it's too early to think of something like that, so I'll save it for later.

Guest:

How did Natsu got a Zanpakuto without an Asauchi? Well, that's a question that will be also answered later on, for those who are interested. But rest assured that there's a reason behind everything; I have had this story planned for a long time.

tensmash34:

Yeah, I'm quite aware of how OP Natsu is with his magic alone. So why give him a Zanpakuto? The only thing I can say is that things are going to be very rough for our favorite pink-haired Dragon Slayer. And let us not forget that Acnologia is still on the loose.

Also, don't forget to share your opinions, or ideas you may have. I'm open minded, so suggestions may reach the story if they are good enough. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.

So, enough said. Let us get into the chapter!

Chapter 5: Welcome to the Seireitei

"This power…is not magic." Panting heavily due to the strain that regurgitating caused him, Acnologia returned his gaze to the boy whose body was covered by a mantle of black flames. "This is something…completely different."

"Acno…logia." The words came out of Natsu as a weak whisper. A whisper that carried nothing but hatred.

Letting out an inhuman growl, Natsu slowly began to stand up, his words now becoming much clearer.

"Acnologia... Acnologia."

Watching the black fire that was surrounding him, the Dragon of the Apocalypse couldn't understand how the flames were able to burn him. He was supposed to be immune to all magic. More importantly, how was the Dragon Slayer able to escape after being consumed?

"This boy," he mumbled to himself. "There's something different about him."

Acnologia continued to observe with in curiosity, trying to find the reason behind the sudden change. His eyes widened when he finally understood.

"I see now." A sinister smile formed across his face. "No wonder those black flames of yours were able to hurt me. They're cursed, aren't they? You are one of the Black Wizard's creations."

Rather than answering, Natsu lifted his obscured gaze. "Acnologia… Acnologia!"

"I still don't understand how you were able to escape, but it doesn't matter." The Dragon King pushed his black coat back, if only so he could give his arm more freedom. "Your soul seems to have taken a physical form as well. But unlike myself, you don't have a living body to return to! You are doomed, Dragon Slayer!"

"Acnologia!" Natsu roared in anger.

"Now come! Let me see what you have! Show me what a Dragon Slayer and a demon from the Books of Zeref is capable of!"

Rukongai. Inuzuri district...

Blinking at the sight of a familiar wooden ceiling, it didn't take long before Rukia realized where she was. "I'm...back at the hideout?"

Feeling both surprised and confused by this, she could not help but rub her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness of the daylight. She tried to sit up, but her head was immediately assaulted by a strong headache.

"Ugh! Dammit," she cursed in exasperation while holding her head in pain.

"Rukia?"

She was startled by the sudden call of her name, but relaxed as soon as she saw who it was. "R-Renji?"

"Hey, glad to see you're finally awake. You had me worried there," he said as he stood beside her. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts. But other than that, I think I'm fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. Just try not to push yourself too hard, alright? You have been asleep for quite some time, so you better take it easy."

"I'll…keep that in mind. What happened to me, anyway?"

Renji took a moment to contemplate her question before sighing. "You tell me. We were lucky enough to find you within all that wreckage. Seriously, what happened over there? There's barely any forest left."

She gave Renji a puzzled look, confused as to what her friend meant. What happened to the forest? she wondered.

There were a great deal of questions flooding her mind and she could barely process them. Her headache wasn't helping either. However, all of her questions answered themselves when the memories of what happen slowly began to flow back into her head.

Her small purple eyes opened wide in realization. "Wait…w-where is Natsu?"

Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 4...

Captain Unohana Retsu was having quite an interesting day, so to say.

One would think that the life of a Captain would be the same, day after day. But after living for as long as she had, she knew that that was hardly ever the case. And this had a lot to do with their latest guest.

Making her way around the wooden hallways of the building, Retsu listened as one of her subordinates informed her of their current predicament. "So, you say he is awake?"

"Yes, Captain. But until now he has been very hostile and we can barely hold him down. We have members of the Kidō Corps trying to keep him restrained, but I'm afraid that they will not be able to hold him for much longer."

"I see." Reaching her destination, she stood in front of a sliding door. There was a lot of shouting coming from the other side. "I'll see what I can do."

Sliding the door open without a second thought, the Captain of the Fourth Squad was rewarded by the sight of none other than their guest.

A young pink-haired teenage boy.

He was restrained to his bed by multiple binding Kidō spells, all of which were continuously being destroyed by the boy before being immediately replaced by the many masked members of the Kidō Corps.

She didn't fail to see how bad the current state of the room was either. Some of the furniture was knocked out of its place, others left a burning mess. Many burn marks could be spotted throughout the room, but despite all that, her smile never seemed to leave her face.

Returning her attention to the matter at hand, the Captain could see that the Kidō experts were already at their limit.

"Let me go! Dammit!"

Turning her gaze back to the boy, Unohana observed as he continued to struggle against the multiple bindings that were holding him down. Stepping closer, the Captain spoke. "That will be enough; you're all dismissed. I'll take it from here."

"B-But Captain..." one of the Kidō Corps members tried to argue, but one look from her was enough to silence him. "V-Very well then..."

Everyone aside from the pinkette and the Captain left the room. Looking back at the young man in question, she spoke. "Good evening. My name is Unohana Retsu. I'm the Captain of Squad 4. May I ask for your name, young man?"

Her calm, kind voice was enough to make Natsu stop struggling and turn to face his newest visitor.

She was a young-looking woman with a very gentle face. She had long black hair that she wore as a large braid down the front of her body. If it wasn't for the fact that she was wearing the same uniform as the blond guy he fought, he would have thought that she was here to help him.

"My name? I'm Natsu," he answered bluntly. The bindings that keep his body in place were still there, but now that the masked guys were no longer there, he felt less threatened. "Uh…do you mind telling me where I am?"

Happy to see that he had calmed down and was showing some degree of cooperation, Unohana kindly answered. "Why of course: you are in the barracks of Squad 4, inside the Seireitei."

"Seire-what? What's that? And why am I here?"

"Don't mind yourself with that right now, young man. You have been asleep for three days, so it's understandable that you find yourself confused by a lot of things. But I guarantee you that all of your questions will be answered soon enough."

"Well, that's good to—wait, what? Three days! How could I sleep for that long?!"

The Captain didn't seem to appreciate the Dragon Slayer's loud shouting.

"While it is good to be energetic, please remain quiet inside the hospital. We don't want any inconveniences, now do we?"

Her words sounded more like an order than a request, as her kind smile did little to hide the scary aura that surrounded her. It was a smile that unnerved Natsu to no end.

"N-No ma'am!" The pinkette was almost shivering at the thought of what kind of inconveniences she could mean. This lady is so much like Mira!

The only difference between the two was that while Mira's smiles promised pain, Unohana's smile looked like it wanted to kill you as painfully as possible. There was no doubt in his mind that women could be truly terrifying when they wanted to be. He would never say that out loud, as even his braveness had its limits.

However, putting his fear for scary women aside, he had the strange feeling that he was forgetting something. Something very important. The Dragon Slayer continued to ponder that thought, going over and over it as he tried to remember just what it was.

It wasn't until a few moments later that something inside the Dragon Slayer's mind clicked. Hold on a second. Natsu's body become stiff as his eyes widened in realization.

"Rukia!"

His eyes traveled across the room, moving from bed to bed as he searched for any sign of the petite black-haired girl. Unohana was quick to notice the pinkette's strange behavior.

"Is something the matter? Are you perhaps looking for something?"

"Where is she?"

"Excuse me, who?"

"Rukia! What did you do to her?!" The Dragon Slayer's previous aggressiveness was returning. Yet, it did little to hide the concern his voice carried. "If one of you did anything to her, I swear I will..."

"Oh, you mean the child from Rukongai? From what I read from Captain Hirako's report, she was left unharmed. She must still be out there in the districts."

Having heard that, Natsu couldn't stop himself from releasing a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. "I'm...I'm glad."

He didn't know how he had let Rukia slip from his mind. That was careless, even for him.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed by how well your injuries seem to have healed in such a short amount of time." Taking a closer look at the pinkette's condition, the Captain spoke. "The report also said that you were wounded before your confrontation with Captain Hirako. I'm surprised that you don't seem to have any permanent damage."

Natsu proudly chuckled at this. "What can I say? I'm just that awesome!"

"But that also has me concerned." She frowned slightly. "Healing as quickly as that can wear your body down, so be careful with how much you move from now on."

Having lectured the Dragon Slayer, Unohana dispelled the Kidō spell that was holding him with nothing but a flick of her hand, much to his own surprise. But he was grateful, nonetheless.

"You better get dressed now that you are awake. The Head Captain is waiting for you."

"Get dressed?" It only took a moment before Natsu realized what she meant. He wasn't wearing any clothes at all. "What the-why am I naked?!"

"You didn't notice?"

Rather than answering, Natsu quickly covered his exposed body with the nearest blanket he could grab. Why was he naked? Did Gray's stripper habit somehow become contagious?

"I apologize for that, but it was necessary to remove all of your clothing so I could perform an adequate medical check." Walking towards the nearest piece of furniture, Unohana retrieved a folded white robe from one of the drawers before offering him the piece of cloth. "Here, you can put this on."

Not wasting a second, Natsu took the robe from her. "By the way, where's my scarf?"

"Your scarf? I believe it was confiscated, along with all of your other belongings."

"What, really? Can't I get it back?"

Natsu didn't like staying long periods of time without his precious scarf if he could help it. Especially now that he knew that he was no longer in his own world.

"I apologize greatly, but I'm afraid I have no say in the matter. If you like, you can make a request to the Head Captain once you see him. I'm sure there shouldn't be much trouble, since it's only a scarf."

The pinkette could only blink at this. He didn't know what to make of his situation. At first he thought he was a prisoner, but ever since this woman came in, she had been treating him like nothing more than a guest. So, what was it? A prisoner or a guest?

It sure was a hell of a lot to take in. But, being the knucklehead that he was, the Dragon Slayer decided to treat this like any other situation and dive head-first into it.

It always seemed to work for him anyway.

Watching the pinkette as he stood up from the bed, no longer naked, Unohana spoke once more. "Now come, it's rude to make people wait."

Natsu couldn't agree more. He was looking forward to meeting this Head-something or whatever his name was, if only to give him a piece of his mind and get his scarf back.

Oh yeah, and my sword too.

A few minutes later. Seireitei...

Their trip to wherever they were going was certainly proving to be an interesting one, to say the least. Ever since they had left the building, Natsu had found himself overwhelmed by the impressive sight that was the outside world.

This place is like a huge city! he thought as he looked at the many buildings and long alleys. It was so huge that it was almost like a giant maze. However, even with all the cool stuff, there was something that had been bothering him ever since he stepped outside.

He was being watched.

Whoever they were, they were certainly good at hiding their presence, as even he was having trouble to pinpoint their exact location. Their scent was very well hidden, but it was still there, nonetheless.

But as annoying as it was, it didn't seem like they were doing anything other than watching. So long as they didn't try anything funny, they could do whatever the hell they wanted, as far as he was concerned. There were more important things that needed to be dealt with. Which was, of course, getting his scarf back.

"What is this place?" he questioned the Captain as they reached what appeared to be an incredibly large building.

"These are the barracks of the First Division; the meeting will be held in here," she explained with a delicate smile. "Now let's go, we shouldn't keep the other Captains waiting for much longer."

"Aye."

Leading the pink-haired mage through the large set of open doors, the two made it inside the complex. It was pretty much the same as the last one, only, with more of those people with the black robes roaming the numerous hallways. Many of them would cordially greet the Captain and bow to her as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of her rank. She would greet them back with equal politeness.

He was curious about that, but he didn't say anything, opting to continue following the woman silently. The pair soon ended up stopping in front of a set of huge doors.

"Uh? Is this the place?"

"Yes, it is. Now wait here while I..."

"Great! I thought this walk would last forever!" Walking right past the Captain, Natsu approached the doors before opening them with a swift kick. He was quick to announce his arrival. "Alright! Where is my scarf?!"

Rukongai. Inuzuri district...

"Are you insane, Rukia?! Do you even realize what you are saying?!"

Packing some of her things into a small bag, Rukia retorted, "I know it sounds crazy, but I can't just stand here and do nothing."

"We barely know the guy! And even if he is alive, what chance do you have of getting anywhere near him? These are Shinigami we are talking about!"

Turning to face the redhead with a glare, she replied. "I know that, alright! But I still have to try! If only to make sure he is alright!"

The other kids in the room could only watch the exchange of words between the two in silence. Nobody wanted to get involved in the argument that was slowly starting to heat up.

"Is it so hard to just forget about the guy?" He frowned in annoyance. "Why do you even care about him in the first place?"

"Because I don't want to lose another friend!"

Renji was taken aback by her emotional response, finding himself both surprised and shocked. "What…?"

"I don't want to lose another friend. Not again." Rukia's gaze lowered. "We've already lost too many. I don't want to lose another one. Not if I can help it."

During the whole time that they had spent in the Soul Society, both Renji and Rukia had made numerous friends. But not many of them have managed to survive the harsh life that is living in the Rukongai.

They have lost many, many friends along the way.

Rukia, rather than waiting for a reply, grabbed her bag and began to make her way towards the cabin's door. But her actions were stopped when the redhead roughly grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her to turn around and face him.

"Rukia, please just consider for a moment what you are doing. Even if you leave right now, you will have to travel across all the other districts before you can reach the place where the Shinigami are. And what are you even planning to do once you get there? Knock on their doorstep and wait for them to let you in?"

Rukia frowned. She wanted to retort to her friend's words but found herself unable to do so. She didn't know how to answer him, as she knew that he was right. She didn't want to accept it, but there was no way to deny it, and she knew it.

Rukia was only a child. A small, powerless child that could do nothing to help a friend in distress. She had said it before, hadn't she? Going against the Shinigami was no different than asking for a death sentence. What was she even thinking; standing against them would never work.

That was the hard truth. There was nothing Rukia could do to help Natsu.

Her hand clenched into a tiny fist while her body shook in frustration. A feeling of hopelessness crawled its way inside her. A feeling that she hated. It did nothing but make her feel completely useless, as it reminded her that she couldn't do anything to...

"That's why I'll come with you," spoke Renji in a low voice. Rukia's eyes widened. And so did everyone else's.

"W-What…what did you just say?" She wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. Did he just…

"I said, I'm going with you," he repeated his words, this time with a little more confidence.

Rukia could not believe what she just heard.

"After all, it's going to be a dangerous trip from here to there. I can't let you go all by yourself, now can I?"

Renji knew that this was probably the dumbest idea ever, as it would likely end up getting them both killed. But would he really dare to leave Rukia to go by herself on such a dangerous journey? His pride as a man wouldn't allow it.

"...Renji." Rukia mumbled, not sure of what to say. But then her shock faded away, replaced by a grateful and warm smile. "Thank you."

"Tch. Thank me when we get the idiot back. And if we do find him, I swear I'm going to punch his teeth out for all the trouble he's putting us through."

Rukia couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. A laugh that slowly grew louder, up to a point that tears began to leak from the corner of her eyes.

"Heh. Sure you will, Renji."

Seireitei. Barracks of Squad 1. Assembly Hall...

Everyone's attention inside the assembly hall turned to the pink-haired young man that had just burst through the front doors. A frown was present on his face as he glared at every single one of them.

"So?" He spoke with resentment. "Are you guys going to give me my scarf back, or what?"

Smiling in amusement at the pinkette's brash attitude, a man with a straw hat and pink kimono chuckled. "So this is the boy I've been hearing about."

Standing beside the man, a dark-skinned fat guy scoffed in response. "Him? Doesn't look like much to me."

Holding his chin in a thoughtful manner, a man with large blond hair added, "Well, I don't know about that, but he sure does lack gracefulness."

"His hair looks dope, though." That last bit came from a man with an afro. His opinion of course earned him a few looks from his peers. "What?"

A dark-skinned woman with short black hair couldn't help but snicker. "You never disappoint when it comes to fashion, do you, Love?" A wide smirk adorned her face as she spoke.

The man frowned behind his glasses. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sighing, a man with the 69 tattoo on his stomach responded. "It means that you have horrible taste. Beat it Love, nobody in their right mind would ever want a hair style like yours."

"Why you...!"

"Silence!" a gruff, strong voice ordered with authority, which was soon followed by the sound of hard wood slamming loudly against the floor, causing all noise inside the hall to cease.

Standing at the other end of the room was what Natsu could only describe as a very old-looking man, probably even older than gramps. He was wearing the same black uniform as everyone else, but with a white robe over his shoulders and a wooden staff grasped firmly on his hands. But there was something else that caught Natsu's attention.

"Those eyebrows are huge!"

Somewhere in the Human World...

"Are you sure that thing works? We haven't seen any Hollow activity for days now, and it's already dark."

"I have no idea. The guys from Squad 12 told us there was unusual Hollow activity somewhere around here, but it just keeps appearing and disappearing." Looking at the prototype Hollow detector in his hand, the Shinigami in question growled in frustration. "This thing must be broken."

The Shinigami could only curse at the newly formed Research and Development Institute, who were the ones behind the seemingly defective Hollow detector device in his hand.

Looking at the device once more, the man let out a tired sigh. "Man, I knew this would be a waste of time. Just look at this thing! Right now it's telling me that there's a Hollow standing right next to us! Can you believe this?" He turned to look at his friend, only to find him standing there with half of his torso gone.

His eyes widened in horror. "Wha..."

He never got to finish whatever he was about to say. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the grass over a growing pool of his own blood, the lower half of his body completely missing.

The last thing the Shinigami saw before darkness overtook his vision was the sight of a large black reptilian figure standing between the tree line.

It was a Hollow. The hole in its chest was a clear giveaway.

The Hollow let out an inhuman growl as it continued to feast on the missing legs with its sharp, bloody teeth. Its white mask shone brightly as the moonlight reflected on it, revealing its lifeless eyes and the dark purple lines that covered its dark body.

CHAPTER END

Aaaaand done! There, chapter finish!

Sorry for the delay, but at least I was able to finish before the month was done. Yay!

This chapter sure was a hard one, like you guys wouldn't believe, but I'm proud of it nonetheless. So, what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Or just don't care? Let me know.

Looks like Natsu's presence has finally made its first change in canon, starting by Rukia and Renji's journey to search for Natsu. Who knows what that will lead to.

Before anybody calls BS on how Rukia wanted to go and rescue Natsu, hear me out first! I really don't see how it's different to how she wanted to go rescue Orihime after being captured by Aizen, cause let's be honest, Rukia and Orihime's interaction before the Soul Society Arc was almost none besides a few gatherings as students, and that's it! They didn't have any mayor interaction until the first Arrancar attack.

With that said, I'm more than confident that the relationship between Natsu and Rukia has developed really well so far. And with Rukia's personality, I find it believable that she would make a decision like wanting to go look for Natsu alongside Renji, like the good friend that he is.

Also, in case you are wondering why Unohana released Natsu, not only was it because she was confident that she could handle Natsu's aggressive attitude, but it was also to make him feel more comfortable around them and make it easier to earn his trust. Why? Wait for the next chapter.

And the Captains' meeting! Wow! That was hard, but I think I was able to make their few interactions believable and in-character. Tell me if I'm wrong and I will try to improve in that area. We will explore that more deeply on next chapter; trust me, there will be a lot.

And in case you guys hadn't realized, that thing at the end was Acnologia. And man, what a monster. Not only is he a Dragon, but now a Hollow? Damn, what do you guys think about that?

Also, I know I'm taking this story kind of slow, but I think that for everything that I am planning to do and what's going to happen, I'm choosing the right way in going at my own pace and not rushing things just so I can get to the good stuff. I feel that's a mistake that many people make, as, rather than establishing a great setting, they go straight into what could potentially be a much greater story than what they end up doing.

I want to avoid doing that, but I also don't want to make things too boringly slow, so tell me your opinion on that too.

Anyway, I think that's enough for today. Make sure to tell me what you guys think and what areas you believe I need improvement. Also, any ideas are more than welcome, so please don't be afraid to share them.

With that said, I wish you all a good day.

See yah.