Hello everybody, and welcome to this little chapter!

It sure has been a while, but I'm excited to present you with another chapter of Soul of Fire! This really is a story that I enjoy working on.

Before we get to answering questions, I want to say something that will hopefully clear up a lot of the concern I've been receiving lately. The main reason why Natsu is encountering Acnologia this early is because I want to give him a drive to fight.

If you are confused, then let me explain. Natsu has been learning more and more about the Shinigami and what he can do. But he has no motivation to train or push himself to his limits.

To seriously improve his abilities, he needs to know that there's a big threat and that he needs to be prepared for it. If he doesn't, then he will be growing at a much slower pace. I'm giving him the motivation to be more powerful. I'm not going to get into the details of what I'm planning, so that's all I will say for now.

dancerevolution:

I appreciate the concern, but I never said that Shinigami or any other Bleach character could damage dragons or could even come close to defeating Acnologia. I said that they have a better chance of fighting them than other characters do, due to the lack of immunity. I have many reasons for making Acnologia appear this early in the story. If you read my AN in the previous chapter, you would see that I do address the issue about dragons and their durability. Read that first, please. I also haven't taken any of Acnologia's powers away, but I did address that in the previous chapter, saying that he is not fully himself and lacks control over his actions and powers. He is like a wild animal right now. I haven't put any Bleach character against Acnologia yet; Soi Fon wasn't going to have a good time in the previous chapter until Natsu arrived. Also, who says Natsu is going to beat Acnologia right now? As hard as it is to believe, Natsu has more brains than Acnologia due to his current mental state, so that allows him to avoid getting himself killed; that and his new OP Zanpakuto ability.

TheJSmooth:

That sure is going to be a fun ride. That bastard of Aizen though, I can tell you that he isn't any good.

KorevainsoLightshire:

Yes, Ichigo will come to the story at some point in the future—his name is in the description, after all—but it will take some time before that happens. And I mean Mavis as a spirit that could not be seen or interacted with by anything or anyone. That would be rather sad to read.

GuestP:

Love you too, stranger!

Fallen:

Thanks for pointing that out, and for the tips.

TheLaughingStalk Lenny-kun:

I really appreciate the concern, it tells me that people actually care about the story and that makes me really happy. To answer your question: Natsu and Acnologia meeting right now will serve a bigger purpose for the main plot of this story that will be important in the future. I can see why you and other people would be worried, but rest assured that everything is going just as I planned.

Guest:

Natsu x Soi Fon? Hmm... *does a thinking pose*

JohnV1896:

Woah, a lot of people seem to be very interested in having Soi Fon as a romantic option. Well, like I said: it's too soon to think about romance, but I do take into consideration any suggestions I receive.

Talking about that, after some consideration I've realized that I'm kind of curious as to what choices of pairing you may have in mind for this story. If any of you have an idea, don't hesitate to share. ;)

Anyways, time for a rematch! Let's do a little test with Natsu's new powers. I wonder how that will turn out. But don't worry, this is far from the end.

Having said that, please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 12: Confrontation

"Thank you for having me, Genryūsai-sensei." Ukitake spoke with a thankful smile as he took hold of a small cup of tea. "I always find these tea reunions you organize to be quite relaxing. Especially after so much stress."

The white-haired Captain took a sip of the hot drink and released a satisfied sigh before putting the cup back on the small table in front of him. The Head Captain was sitting above the tatami floor at the other side of the table.

The old Shinigami did not reply, but instead gave a small nod of acknowledgement before pouring more tea into his cup. It had been no more than a few hours since the team led by Captain Shihōin departed, and things had stayed rather peaceful.

There had yet to be any news from the Hollow extermination group, so most of the Seireitei was calm. That was something pretty rare for the 13 Court Guard Squads to experience, but it was a welcome change of pace, considering that most of the Head Captain's free time had been taken away in order to give their newest addition the needed time for his lessons.

"By the way, sensei, how is Dragneel-san's training going so far?" inquired Ukitake with interest.

The old Shinigami paused as he registered his former student's question. Putting his cup of tea back on the table, the Head Captain stroked his long, white beard impassively. Ukitake found this quite odd.

"He is a fast learner," admitted Yamamoto. "The boy takes my teachings rather well. Though he understands things far better with his sight than with his ears, I can't deny that he shows great potential. If he keeps this up, he may one day become a very powerful Shinigami."

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that," said Ukitake with joy. The Captain of Squad 13 would be lying if he said he wasn't worried for the pink-haired youngster. After all, he knew first-hand how harsh the lessons of Genryūsai-sensei could get if taken callously.

"But he has a serious lack of discipline and gets easily distracted," added Yamamoto with a degree of annoyance to his voice. "It isn't uncommon for someone of his age, but it will bring a lot of trouble if he doesn't do something about it."

He remembered the many times the boy had lost concentration during his training for even the most trivial of things. Ukitake chuckled softly. That description sounded awfully familiar.

"I don't think you should worry too much, sensei. Especially since Kyōraku wasn't much different back during our academy days." If anything, Shunsui was worse than the Dragon Slayer. "But putting Dragneel-san's training aside, what are your thoughts on him personally?"

The white-haired Captain had not interacted much with the young wizard, so he had yet to formulate an opinion of his character. It was left without saying that Ukitake was very curious as to what his old sensei had to say about the boy.

From what he had seen during their short meeting and his test with Captain Shihōin, he seemed like a very nice kid. A very brash and aggressive one, but a kid, nonetheless.

"Mmh. There isn't much else I can say about him. He has a good heart; I can't find any malicious intent in him." Lifting his cup of tea once more, Yamamoto sipped his drink. "He does have a very short temper, and runs out of patience rather quickly, but I doubt he'll try to betray the Soul Society, so long as we keep our side of the deal."

"Oh, now that you mention it: how is Captain Urahara doing with his research? Any news on how to return Dragneel-san back to his world yet?"

Placing his cup back on the table, the Captain Commander shook his head. "I'm not entirely aware of the details, but from what I've heard, Captain Urahara seems to be making some progress."

"I see. That's good to hear," said the white-haired Captain as he took another sip from his tea, pausing to savor it. "And what about his Zanpakuto? Or his Kidō lessons, for that matter?"

"His skills in Kidō are very lacking. He doesn't appear to be able to control his own Reiatsu, so he continuously fails to perform even the most basic of spells. The majority of the time they end up blowing up in his face."

"Is that so?" Ukitake chuckled. "Then I guess we can scratch Kidō-Expert off of the list of possible assignments."

"True. His overall skills when it comes to Kidō pale in comparison to his efficiency with his 'magic,' as he likes to call it," explained the old Shinigami. "However, when it comes to his Zanpakuto, his progress has already surpassed my expectations. Never before have I seen a Shinigami bond with his Zanpakuto so quickly."

The white-haired Captain couldn't hide his surprise. Raising an eyebrow questioningly, he decided to ask, "How so? Has he already learned how to connect with his Zanpakuto?"

Yamamoto shook his head. "He already managed to learn his Zanpakuto's name and obtained his Shikai release soon after," he revealed, much to Ukitake's shock.

"Wh-What?!" stuttered the white-haired Captain. "But...how is he progressing so fast? This can't be some random coincidence, can it? This…this sounds so surreal..."

It was a very shocking thought, to say the least. Yamamoto could understand why it would come as such a surprise. After all, nobody had ever achieved something like this in such a short amount of time, let alone someone who had only been a Shinigami for a few weeks.

Yamamoto nodded in agreement. "I'm not completely sure how he's done it, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say that his Zanpakuto is actually being cooperative with him; something rare to see nowadays, but not unheard of."

Shinigami often have hostile relationships with their Zanpakuto, or simply didn't got along that well. This ends up making things much more complicated for the master to learn how to properly control their sword.

But it works both ways as well. A Shinigami that is able to cooperate with their Zanpakuto is almost guaranteed to progress much faster than normal.

"Cooperative?" asked Jūshirō. "But I never heard of someone managing to get this far in such a short amount of time. Could it perhaps have something to do with his magic?"

"That may be the case. There could also be other elements involved that we are yet not aware of. However, when it comes to the boy's actual skill in handling a sword, he lacks any real technique. His moves are dull and clumsy, which is the main reason why I wanted to speak with you." Yamamoto poured more tea into his cup, taking a moment to put the hot pot down before opening his eyelids. "I will be putting you in charge of training the boy in swordsmanship."

Ukitake blinked in surprise. "Uh, me?" He pointed at himself, fully taken aback by the suddenness of the Head Captain. The old Shinigami nodded.

"Central 46 has been pressuring me a lot lately due to his fast progress. They fear that if I continue with my teachings, the boy might end up becoming too powerful for them to control, so they forbade me from continuing his training and instead want someone else to take over his lessons," Yamamoto carefully explained, making sure to clear up all the details. "And out of everyone I know, you are the one I trust the most for this task."

He could see the clear look of surprise all over his former student's face, so he allowed a moment of silence to let his words sink in.

"Therefore, I will be assigning him into your squad. He will be your responsibility from now on, so you better make sure to keep him in check. Any incidents that may involve him, report them to me immediately."

"But why me?" questioned Jūshirō with uncertainty. "I'm sure there must be someone better suited for this sort of task than me."

"As one of my oldest students, I have known you for long enough to know that you are the best choice. You have all of the necessary qualities to be a great teacher, and I'm sure you'll be a positive influence for the boy. Kyōraku was also a potential choice, but he is far too irresponsible to be given a task like this."

Ukitake nervously chuckled. As much as it pained him to admit, the Head Captain was not wrong. Kyōraku was a great Captain, but sometimes his laziness and flamboyant attitude would get the better of him.

"I…I see then. If that's the case, then I'll make sure to train Dragneel-san to the best of my abilities."

Ukitake could see the importance of the task that he had been given, so he would make sure to not disappoint his old sensei. After all, this was a good opportunity to get to know the young Dragon Slayer better.

With that thought in mind, the white-haired Captain went to take another sip from his hot cup of tea, but stopped when he felt the sudden appearance of an unknown Reiatsu. The surprise that this brought was nearly enough to make him drop his cup, but he was able to recover his composure. Yamamoto, on the other hand, looked unbothered by what had happened, but judging by the way his eyelids opened, he was well aware of the large spiritual pressure that disrupted the atmosphere.

"Did you feel that, sensei?"

The Captain Commander nodded. His head turned to the nearest window and he rested his gaze on the horizon that lay beyond the Seireitei, the direction in which the large Reiatsu had appeared.

Any respectable Shinigami who knew how to control their senses would have realized by now that the mysterious Reiatsu was not coming from anywhere near them, but from far south.

For its effects to be able to reach them from so far away wast a shocking thought. That alone was enough to warrant concern, as he knew that a Reiatsu had to be similar or well beyond the levels of a Captain for this to be possible.

And yet, it felt very Hollow-like.

South Rukongai. Forest near District 48…

"What do you think you're doing?!" Rukia demanded, not making any effort to hide the growing frustration that her voice was clearly showing. "We can't leave Natsu alone with that monster!"

"Silence!" ordered Soi Fon, feeling awfully annoyed by the constant protesting and bickering from the two children she was carrying.

She was finding herself very tempted to let them drop from her arms and let gravity do its work. They were moving at a very high attitude, well above the leaves of some tall trees, so it would be a nasty fall if that were ever to happen.

However, she knew that Yoruichi-sama would not approve of such actions, so she refrained from doing so and instead focused on getting the them as far away as possible.

Why am I even doing this? she asked herself, even though she already knew the answer but refused to acknowledge it. There was no way in hell she was doing this because he asked. Right?

"I'm taking you two brats to safety, so you better stay quiet if you know what is good for you."

"B-But what about pinky over there? You are not planning to leave him there with that thing, are you?" asked Renji.

He wasn't particularly fond of the Dragon Slayer, but Natsu had stuck his neck out to protect them from becoming that monster's snack, so he figured he owed him something.

"I'll go get backup so we can put that Hollow down." She told them as an attempt of shutting them up. "If the idiot is smart enough to stay alive for long enough, then he should be fine."

"That doesn't sound reassuring at all!" yelled Rukia in disbelief.

"Deal with it. No matter what, the mission always comes first. If a comrade has to die for the rest of us to succeed, then so be it. That's how Squad 2 works."

"T-That…that…" Rukia could not find the proper words to describe how horrible that ideal was. Let a comrade die so others could succeed? That sounded terribly wrong at so many levels.

The dark-haired girl found herself feeling intensely frustrated that they were so close to Natsu, yet their reunion had to be cut short by the unexpected appearance of that thing.

And to make matters even worse, that monster knew Natsu, just like Natsu seemed to know that creature's name.

Acnologia.

The thought of having that monster anywhere near her was enough to send chills down her spine. She never wanted to go through that same experience ever again. But even as she and Renji were taken deeper into the forest, she couldn't help but wonder what was going to become of the Dragon Slayer.

She didn't know what to think, but she had hope that Natsu would be alright. After all, he did promise that he would tell her more stories about his many adventures with his guild. She doubted that Natsu was the kind of person who would break his own word, so she had faith that he would keep it.

But the question still remained: would they ever meet each other again?

Not far from there….

Natsu found himself ducking under a swing of Acnologia's tail. Dashing forward, he gripped his flaming sword tightly and prepared to deal a horizontal blow with his blade.

He knew that using his magic was out of the question when it came to fighting Acnologia, so he had no other choice but to use his Zanpakuto, even if he didn't know if it would have any effect on the monster. Knowing first-hand that the Dragon of the Apocalypse was physically far stronger than him, he didn't have many options.

Natsu had to admit though, he was very thankful that Acnologia in its current state was not as big as its dragon body had been back on Earthland. Not to mention its lack of wings. It would have been very troublesome to have it flying around the area while obliterating everything in its path.

He would have probably been dead by now were it not that the Hollowfied Acnologia was in a frenzy, moving like a wild animal while searching for its prey in desperation. The Dragon Slayer didn't know why Acnologia was acting this way, but honestly, he couldn't care less. He was just going to take advantage of the situation as much as he could.

Natsu tried to hit the hollow with a quick slash of his sword, but Acnologia's reaction was impeccable and it brought its large fist down towards him with the intent of crushing him. However, Natsu was able to see the attack just in time and used Shunpo to avoid it at the very last second.

The ground from which he had fled exploded, debris flying in every direction. It was more than clear that the Dragon King's strength was no joke.

Appearing above Acnologia, the pink-haired Shinigami aimed for the Hollowfied Dragon's unprotected back. He raised his burning Zanpakuto up into the air as Acnologia roared in defiance. "I got you now!"

Natsu soon regretted his actions, as he found himself at the receiving end of Acnologia's hand, smacking him to the side. "Argh-!" The blow was strong enough to send him flying through a series of trees, causing splinters of wood to scatter as the trees began to collapse.

The Dragon Slayer quickly took control of his momentum. Turning his body in the air, he managed to land the soles of his feet on the trunk of an upcoming tree before pushing himself back at the Hollow.

"Acnologia!" shouted the young Shinigami.

Causing an enormous quantity of fire to erupt from under his feet, he was able to propel himself towards his opponent at a much greater speed. The scenery behind him was shifted tremendously; the flames burned down everything, almost blinding the Hollowfied dragon in its glory.

The Dragon King growled in discontent. "I…will devour you!" Acnologia's roar shook the land.

Opening its jaw as wide as it could go, the Hollowfied Dragon Slayer shot another red colored Cero towards the approaching Shinigami, one that was several times bigger than the last one.

Seeing the incoming attack, Natsu was quick to intercept it by swinging his sword forward, burning his way through the Cero while absorbing all of the Reiatsu inside the attack, causing the flames inside his blade to shine even brighter than before without having to stop his momentum.

The ability of Zanpakuto was proving to be far more effective than what he had first given it credit for. Absorbing the Reiatsu of any attack and using it to make the blade more powerful? Yeah, that sounded pretty similar to how his Dragon Slayer magic worked.

It suited him. He was confident that with this new power, he would be able to fight Acnologia on a more even ground. Especially now that he no longer had to depend entirely on his magic.

If not, then at the very least he could keep him occupied long enough for Soi Fon to take Renji and Rukia far away from here. With that thought in mind, the pink-haired Shinigami remembered one of the many lessons that the old man had taught him during one of their training sessions.

Using some of his own Reiatsu, Natsu began to feed the flames of his blade. The power of his Reiatsu along with all of what he had absorbed from Acnologia's previous attacks were sure to be a lethal combination. Just as he was getting closer to the beast, Natsu heard a familiar voice inside his head.

"…Natsu."

The Dragon Slayer blinked in surprise, caught completely off-guard by the sudden call of his name.

Uh, Shōkyaku? Is that you, buddy?

"...no time for that, you must listen to me, Natsu. You are walking on a tightrope wire. The power you have thusly accumulated is so large that I doubt you will have another chance like this, so you must make this next attack count."

O-Oh okay. What do you have in mind?

"…aim for his mask. Hollows can't stand when it gets damaged. But don't just go for a scratch, take his whole head off!"

Whether Shōkyaku was right or not, he had neither the time or the patience to ask and simply nodded in understanding. "You got it!"

Seeing how the younger Dragon Slayer was able to overcome his Cero and was now getting closer to him, the Hollow roared in anger once again.

Concentrating his raw magic power into his one remaining black, reptilian hand, he proceeded to slam it down into the ground, creating a large shockwave that shattered the ground. Dark-purple light began to come out of the cracks before the ground exploded in a spectacle of deadly fireworks.

The explosion was so great that Natsu was almost caught up inside it. However, it was thanks to his current speed that he was able to pass through just in time.

"Hyaaaahhh—!" Putting all of his strength into the attack, Natsu brought down his katana swiftly, connecting with Acnologia's white Hollow mask.

The fire surrounding the sword turned even more dense, as the sudden release of all of the accumulated power resulted in a storm of fire and Reiatsu. Once everything was done and the smoke of the attack had begun to clear up, Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief when he realized that there was no sight of even a single dent on the Hollow's mask.

Acnologia was left unharmed.

"W-What the…?" stuttered Natsu in shock before Acnologia suddenly bit his whole left arm, catching it tightly inside his large jaw. He screamed in pain.

"Da-dammit! Ugh-! Let me go, you overgrown lizard!" He desperately fought to get himself free, but the Hollow's sharp teeth were sinking deeper into his skin, wanting to tear it from his body.

Acnologia wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon.

Holding his Zanpakuto with his free hand, Natsu tried to stab Acnologia multiple times, even expelling a large blast of fire inside the Hollow's mouth, but nothing seemed to work.

Things only got worse when the Dragon of the Apocalypse started shaking him around as if he were a toy, inflicting even more pain upon the young wizard. Natsu wasn't sure if he was going to get out alive.

Clenching his teeth, the Dragon Slayer realized that his options had drastically reduced. He gave his trapped arm one quick glance, and an idea came into his mind.

"…Natsu, don't. I know what you are thinking, and it is not a good idea."

I-I don't like it either…but is the only way I can…get myself free! the Dragon Slayer thought as he raised his Zanpakuto above his trapped arm.

His hand was shaking. Not only because of Acnologia's constant movements, but because of how conflicted he felt. He did not want to do this, but if he were to survive, then he had no other choice.

Shōkyaku tried to convince him otherwise, but he didn't have time to think up an alternative. Everything soon reduced into one simple statement.

If I don't do this, then I will most definitely die.

That thought alone was enough to put all of his previous doubts out of the way and focus on one thing only: to eliminate Acnologia at all cost.

"…Natsu, don't..."

"Hyaaaaaahhh—!"

*SWISH*

He wasn't sure of what happen after that. He could barely remember the painful sensation that traveled across his entire body before crimson red overtook his entire vision.

That, along with the sound of a crying Shōkyaku.

CHAPTER END

Well, that was an ending I didn't see coming. I just hope it wasn't too dark. And I'm sure you are all wondering, did Natsu really just cut his own arm off?

You will have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

Also, in case anybody complains about Natsu going for such a drastic measure, especially when he was against the same idea back when Erza had to cut her own arm back on the Oracion Seis arc, just remember that back then there was still time to think of a better solution before making any rash decisions.

In here? His entire left arm was inside Acnologia's jaw. Probably the worst place you could ever be in the FT universe, so there weren't a lot of options. His Zanpakuto did nothing. His magic did nothing. His own strength just wasn't enough. Natsu was really out of options .

In any case, I hope this chapter did a great job in clarifying that I don't plan to make Acnologia a pushover and showed just how durable he really is in a fight, even when it comes to Reiatsu-based attacks. This fight was really fun to write.

In any case, it seems like Natsu will not only be assigned to Squad 13, but will be learning Kendo under Ukitake's teachings. Central 46 sure are dicks. What could go wrong with that?

Also, we won't be seeing Rukia or Renji for quite some time. Another thing I wanted to show in this chapter was just how much Natsu has learned during his time in the Seireitei with Yamamoto as a teacher.

I can tell you that his magic along with his Shinigami powers have drastically increased since the beginning of the story. But sadly, it was not enough to beat Acnologia.

This reminds me. I want to take advantage of this story to give some depth into Acnologia's character, so expect Acnologia-focused chapters coming soon!

Whatever the case, if you guys have any ideas you want to share for the story, then please don't be shy and tell me! Constructive criticism is welcome, so don't be afraid to speak your mind, so long as that information can be used to improve the overall story.

IMPORTANT! I'm taking into consideration what kind of paring you guys prefer for this story, since a lot of people sure seem to be asking about it. So, while I do not plan to put any romance in the story right now, I do want to hear what you guys think. Let me know what your opinion of this chapter is, and I wish you all a wonderful day!

PS: The Bleach movie was awesome! I can't believe how good it was! It did a great job adapting the manga/anime into a live-action film!