It took half an hour to get to their destination. Erza clutched the flyer Mira reluctantly gave her, rereading it again and again as she tried to piece the words together. Natsu… the dark wizard… terrorizing Solona Village… WANTED! DEAD OR ALIVE! She shook her head, disbelief evident on her face. She couldn't comprehend how messed up this was. Natsu was gone.

Lucy was staring at her feet the whole trip. They took a train there, but they planned on walking back on foot with Natsu. For Natsu's sake. That's what Gray told her, even making a remark that if Natsu resisted, then he'll knock him out. She could tell he was just playing around, trying to block out all the threats and warnings the guild gave them about this new Natsu. In reality, however, no one could shake off the fact that all that was being said could be true. Lucy began to doubt the idea of meeting up with Natsu. She didn't want to see this new version of him, even though it wouldn't technically be the "real him". Even if they did plan on taking him back, that would be impossible with this newfound strength that he was said to have. Lucy shook her head, pushing those thoughts into the back of her mind. She had to stay strong for Natsu, and they were going to take him home.

"Remember, by no means do I want you two to fear Natsu from all the awful things that they said about him, but also I do not want you to ignore those warnings either. We are here to talk to Natsu himself, to get our own perspective in this situation, but do not be rash and do anything to upset him. Mind you, this may not be the Natsu we know." Erza looked at Lucy, noticing her face knotted with distraught. "I know this is hard, but you'll have to stay strong." She reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll know," Lucy managed to say through deep breaths. Erza returned a smile as she squeezed her shoulder.

Gray smirked. "Just remember, we will get him back. Natsu is Natsu. He will always be our idiotic flame-brain, no matter what… time dimension we're in." He had trouble finding a name for this predicament they were in. For now, calling this alternate universe another 'time dimension' would work. "We'll bring him back, I promise."

Lucy covered her mouth, shooting her eyes between the two of them. "What about Happy? Where do you think he is?" Erza spoke up, her eyes still trained onto the road ahead of him. "Happy is strong too, you know. He is probably the one watching over Natsu. Those two are inseparable." Lucy studied her teammates' expressions, noticing the deep pangs of guilt in their eyes. She forgot that everyone took a big toll in his disappearance, and that they were all in this together.

"We're here." Gray interrupted, looking at the village's welcoming sign in front of him. Walking towards it, the details on the wooden sign became clear. The letters engraved in the wood were charred and distorted with burnt marks, warping the word "Solona" into "Salamander". Gray sighed as he looked closely at the sign. "We found him."

They entered the village, unnerved by the work Natsu had done. The sky was lit up in orange and gray as thick smoke escaped the flames that conquered their territory within the village. The whole place was ablaze as the trio watched, their eyes and mouths wide open like children watching a light show. Houses, trees, grass, shops; they were all in flames. The three lost their breath, both from the oxygen that the fire deprived them of, and from their inability to comprehend the situation.

Erza looked around, searching for any signs of life. "Lucy! Gray! Let's go and search the area for anyone who is in need of help! Keep a lookout for Natsu too!" The two nodded, before dashing off into the burning houses.

Lucy ran into a small building, noticing that she entered a coffee shop. A glass display of fresh sweets stood across the room of tables and chairs, with a counter on top of it and an old fashioned coffee maker. Nothing was burned within the shop, but it was still nonetheless clouded with ash floating in the air. Lucy covered her mouth from the thick smoke, trying in vain to find anyone. "Hello?! Is anyone here?!" She shouted. Talking became difficult. She yelled two more times, until a small yelp was heard.

"Mommy?"

Lucy rushed towards the voice, making her way behind the counter. There, she found a small girl, about 5 years old, crouching in the corner. Her small figure was huddled together into a tight ball, making her frame nearly impossible to see.

"Hey! Are you okay!" Lucy said, scurrying to the tiny figure.

The girl shrunk even smaller, tucking her head into her knees.

"Please d-don't hurt me, pink monster!"

Lucy froze in her tracks, registering what she just said. Pink monster? That can't be…

"Hey, it's ok! I'm not a pink monster, I'm Lucy! I'm not going to hurt you!"

The girl looked up, but she was not crying. She held a stern look her eyes. Her eye color matched her chestnut hair, but it was hard to tell with all the soot covering her body. "Take my hand, I'll help you find your parents!"

The girl lightened up, her back straightening with excitement. "Really?"

"Yeah. Now you'll have to trust me, okay?"

"Okay."

Lucy grabbed the girl's hand and helped her up. Her ankle was swollen, probably from a fall. "What happened to your foot?" She asked, carefully making her voice delicate and gentle. Who knows what this girl has been through.

"I was playing with my friends outside when we started to hear screaming. All my friends ran to their mommies, but I fell and hurt myself. Nobody was left in the village, except the pink monster. He had fire in his hands. When he saw me, he started walking towards me, so I was scared and hid. I came into Lennie's Coffee Shop to hide." The girl looked at me, the determined look still evident on her face. "Are you really going to help me find my mommy?"

Lucy had to admit; this kid got guts. After everything that's happened, she didn't even manage to break a tear. Why can't I be like that? I need to be strong, like this girl. She returned a determined look, which reassured the girl. "Of course! I promise, we will find her no matter what!" The girl beamed in happiness. She liked Lucy.

Lucy picked her up, allowing the girl to sit on her hip. "Now let's get out of here first."

They exited the shop.

That's when they saw him.

A figure was walking across the street a few blocks away. The flames behind him were fresh and alive, lightening up the frame around him as it darkened his features. He was casually walking to an untouched building in the village, as if he was respectively burning each house at a time, savoring each one. Lucy was hesitant about who she was looking at. This figure could have been anyone… but, all possible choices on who this person was narrowed down to only one option the moment she saw the color of his hair.

Pink.

Lucy's mind went blank, forgetting all of the warnings and stories she's been told in the past few hours. The only thing that ran through her mind was the fact that it has been a few hours since the last time she's seen him. And that was enough to drive her insane. She had forgotten how deeply in love she was, and just how badly she wanted to see him. She had forgotten all the pain she felt and the fear she had for Natsu not reciprocating the love she had for him. And she forgot all the memories and moments they had together that made her realize she loved him. All of that was forgotten, until the moment she saw his hair. Every memory rushed back to her, like a flood breaking dams with it's powerful force. That symbolic color meant everything to her, and the moment she saw it, she felt the need to see him again. She placed the girl down next to her, and then began to jog. Run. Sprint towards the figure. The girl looked at her in surprise. "Don't go over there! Hey, Miss Lucy! That's him! Don't go to him!" She wailed, frantically trying to grab Lucy's attention and to bring her back to safety. She began to chase after her, first by wobbling, and then by hopping, all in vain to get to Lucy. Once again, the girl tripped, falling back to the ground as a failed attempt to reach her new friend. "Miss Lucy!"

Lucy heard her pleas, but she couldn't listen. Not when Natsu was in front of her. She continued to run towards him, desperate on seeing his face again.

Erza and Gray caught up, Gray running to the fallen girl while Erza looking to see where Lucy was going. That's when she saw it, the slender figure in front of her.

"Shoot." Erza sprinted towards Lucy, knowing all too well that that figure wasn't going to be too happy to see Lucy there. She knew that even when she explained this situation to Lucy on their way to the village, it wasn't going to stop her from running to him. Natsu is not himself right now, but Lucy is too awe-struck to see it.

Lucy finally approached Natsu, slowing down to a stop. Natsu stopped his pace as well, finally acknowledging the person who was chasing him down.

"Natsu…" She panted. "I can't believe it's you…"

He slowly turned around, and it wasn't until then when Lucy realized that something was different. Very different.

His appearance changed.

His hair was shaved into an undercut, with his normal spiky hair flipped to one side. He had ear piercings decorating one ear, and a cut on his eyebrow. His scarf was wrapped around his lower face, covering his nose and mouth like a bandit. His body held a more lean and muscular form, and he wore a muscle fit black t-shirt that was tucked under black jeans, the color gold embroidering his outfit in a ancient Chinese dragon design. And oddly enough, he seemed to be older, like a young man in his mid 20's. It seemed that he had grown an inch or two, now leveling with the height of Gray.

In conclusion: Natsu wasn't only different, but he had become more physically attractive.

It was hard for Lucy and Erza to remove their eyes from him, bewildered by his sudden appearance.

The moment they locked eyes, Lucy immediately realized the biggest thing that set him apart. It was his eyes. Instead of the lively and cheerful onyx eyes that the Natsu she knew had, this version of him had threatening and reckless eyes staring down at her in an intimidatingly laid-back way.

But, even through those menacing eyes, there was a hint of recognition. "You two seem... familiar. Do I know you?" His voice sounded muffled under Igneel's scarf wrapped around his mouth. He has Igneel's scarf. Lucy managed a soft smile. It seemed that they still had pieces of their old Natsu after all.

Lucy suddenly spoke, her voice heavy in desperation. "Yes! You do know us! I'm Lucy, and this is Erza! Do you remember!?"

Natsu, taken aback from this girl's abruptness, pulled down his scarf from his face and settled into a smirk. "Oh yeah, I do remember." He turned to Erza, absorbing her features. "You're the infamous Titania, the queen of the fairies," he then turned to Lucy, gesturing to her keys. "And you must be that blonde celestial wizard." Instantly, Natsu's smile curled malevolently, his eyes dilating. "You're both from Fairy Tail, if I'm not mistaken."

It was as if all the oxygen in the atmosphere disappeared at that moment. Lucy stood there, the dawn of realization finally kicking in. Why hasn't she accepted this before? This isn't Natsu. Not the Natsu I knew.

Erza found it hard to swallow, her throat dry. Her fingers interlocked around the handle of her sword, noticing that was something she did when she felt endangered. She cleared her throat, glancing eye contact with Lucy. "Natsu, I understand that our guilds are… rivals…" She hated speaking to Natsu as an enemy, but that was the only way to get to Natsu without raising suspicion. "But… we just want to talk."

Natsu stepped forward, his hands tightening into fists. "It's an honor, really, having the strongest Fairy Tail members want to talk to me." His smile grew, showing his sharp, white teeth in a bloodlust manner. His fists ignited into flames. "Please, it would be my pleasure to burn you both into a crisp."

Lucy gulped, knowing all too well that she was no match for Natsu, especially with him in this time dimension. She didn't want to fight him, and she couldn't move either. She seemed to be trapped in a trance of her emotions…

"WAIT!"

Lucy and Erza whipped their heads towards the direction of the squeal. The little girl was running towards them, limping heavily in the process.

"Hey! I told you to stay with me!" Gray shouted, chasing her down. It seemed like Gray was on his way taking the girl to where the other villagers sought protection, until the little girl saw the flames of the monster.

"Miss Lucy! Stay away! You'll get hurt!" She yelled. She tripped over herself, clutching onto the brim of Lucy's skirt for balance.

Erza shot her eyes towards Gray, anger boiling within her. "Gray! What is she doing here? You were supposed to take her to safety!"

"I know, but she just took off!" He shouted, before switching his attention to the dragon slayer in front of him.

"Natsu… you've… changed…"

Erza nearly face palmed herself from Gray's blunt comment to him.

However, Natsu seemed to ignore him, his gaze fixed onto Lucy.

Lucy grabbed the girl and protectively hid the child behind her legs. She stared at Natsu with courage, a boldness that dared him to get closer. But deep instead, Lucy felt them coming. The tears, that is. But she refused to show her weak side. Not when Natsu needed me.

She took a step forward. "Natsu. We're not here to fight. We just… uh…" What were they there for? To see if Natsu still remembered them? Obviously, that wasn't true. So what do they do now? We didn't plan this out through… Lucy thought. It's not like talking to him now would turn things back to normal. If anything, it'll make things worse. The three of them were simply too blinded by doubt to accept the truth. They were warned about this new Natsu. They just didn't want to think about the possibilities of what their friends told them was true. Yet now, here they were.

Natsu scoffed, clearly interested in the newcomers. His expression deepened, showing a more fascinated look within his impudent smile and audacious eyes. "What? Cat caught your tongue? You can't put up a tough act if you can't even talk." He tilted his head to the side, trying to catch a glance of the girl hiding behind Lucy. "Hmm, and I guess not everyone in the village was burned."

Lucy gasped in disgust at the words her best friend was saying. Remember, this isn't Natsu. She was about to remark about Natsu's statement when a figure on a nearby roof appeared.

"Natsu! Of course I'd find you burning a village. Did Diesel tick you off again?"

The three Fairy Tail mages shot their heads to the figure. Diesel?! What does he have to do with this?

Natsu's flames diminished, and he shoved his thumbs into his front pockets. "Nah, I'm just having a little fun over here."

The mysterious person jumped down the roof and onto the ground, before making her way by Natsu's side.

"Fancy to see you down here, Siren."

"Come on, don't act like you weren't expecting me."

Lucy gazed at the newcomer, and it wasn't until then when she realized just how beautiful Siren was. She had caramel, rich skin with light chestnut eyes. Her head was shaved on one side, as her curly, rose-gold hair went over her shoulder. Her ear had spiky piercings embroidering it, and she wore a black sweater crop top and black skinny ripped jeans, matching Natsu's outfit in terms of color. Lucy noted how she seemed to be the same age as Natsu, as well as the fact of how closely she stood next to him. Lucy unintentionally held her breath as she watched the girl hook her arm with Natsu, leaning onto him as she stared into his eyes.

"You know, I came to get you. Go back to the guild, master wants you."

Natsu rolls his eyes. "Another mission already? Alright, whatever."

Siren shifted her gaze from Natsu to the rest of the members, causing them to jump from the sudden attention laid onto them. "And who are they?"

"Just some of my old buddies." Natsu looked back at his audience in front of him, a kind smile adorn on his face. This sudden expression frightened Lucy, due to the fact that he held a crazed look moments earlier. He tipped an imaginary hat, gesturing a farewell. "It was nice seeing you again, Titania, and you too, Lucy. Until we meet again." His gaze stayed with Lucy a bit longer, before he turned around.

Siren looked at Lucy in disgust, observant to the small connection she held with Natsu. She decided to let it slide, turning around to walk with Natsu.

"Oh, and I nearly forgot!" Natsu tossed back a set of keys, the sound of metal clanging against metal heard before it crashed onto the ground. "Those are a nice set of keys you have there, Blondie, but they won't be any use to me."

Dumbstruck, Lucy searched her key pouch to find it empty, before shifting her gaze to the set of gold and silver keys on the ground. "Wait, how did he..?"

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