This is a story that primarily follows Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia past the conclusion of the Tartaros arc. Written for nalu4emily & dragonballwish - Dragon Rage can also be found over on AO3/Archive of Our Own!

Dedicated to: Aspartame Boy, Angel, FairyTail96, and Copperreign12.

Dragon Rage recently reached 1300+ views, over 30 favorites and nearly 50 follows. I'm astonished by that considering the story has only been up for a few weeks, ongoing, and even The DragonSlayer struggled in that regard for a while. In comparison, my most recent one shot The Iris Ending has gotten 395 and is fully complete. That tends to tell me you guys like this adventure so far and are eager for more.

So, thank you to everybody for your kind comments, favorites, and support. It means a lot and I really do appreciate it! I'll stop rambling now. Hope you enjoy the chapter!


Summary: Lucy adjusts to her new life as a professional writer while clashing against the same doubt and fear that has tormented her endlessly. After a year passes with little to no interactions she begins to wonder if she will ever see the guild, her friends, or Natsu ever again. However, a fateful encounter at the end of the x792 Grand Magic Games changes everything for the blonde and her future.

Chapter 5: Alone

Red floor, red walls, red ceiling. Everywhere she looked was nothing but blood red. Actually try more like, crimson. The entire place looked desolate... and dead. In fact just moments ago she nearly encountered that very experience. Fortunately for the blonde, she had been saved. Monstrous waves of water crashed down upon the explosive demon, forcing him backwards and away from the girl he prepared to play around with. Well, until he decided on ending her life for all the trouble she put him through.

"Where did this come from?" He questioned after seeing the slight ripples. He felt himself be swallowed up by the suddenly spawned river and finally took sight of the floating woman holding his captive. The waves continued pushing him away as he went about stomping through it in fury. "This damn water!"

"Lucy..." A voice spoke, the semi-conscious girl in her arms beginning to open her eyes more clearly. "All I can do is slow them down like the rest of us have done. We've tried everything, they're just too strong."

"Aquarius?" Lucy asked as she stirred and got ahold of her bearings.

"Although it may not seem like it, victory isn't impossible here." The Celestial Spirit revealed causing the key wielder's eyes to widen. Her memory was still a little hazy after taking that last physical blow.

"Huh?"

"He's getting closer..." Aquarius cursed under her breath as she increased the power of her waves to make the demon stumble and lose the ground he had recently gained. "I don't have much time, so listen well Lucy."

"Okay." She nodded after remembering their current predicament. "How do we win?"

I wouldn't necessarily call this a win...

"You summoned three gates at once, so I know you have the power to do this." The Water Bearer began.

"The power to do what Aquarius?"

"Stop interrupting me!" She yelled at the girl before turning serious. "You should be able to do this, yes... summon the Celestial Spirit King."

That statement rattled every bone in Lucy Heartfilia's body as she nearly fell out of her Spirit's arms in shock.

"What?! How am I supposed to summon the Celestial Spirit King! I don't even have his key!"

"Idiot girl..." Aquarius said with some amusement despite the situation. "The King has no key. Only special keys can have a chance at opening his gate."

"I'll do whatever it takes, what special key do we need?" Lucy asked before finally noticing the somber expression across her friend's face. She hesitated while wondering what the matter was.

"Summoning the King comes at a price, Lucy." The Spirit announced.

"What kind of price?"

"Breaking a gold key will open the Celestial Spirit King's gate, but only once."

"Wait, hang on! Did you just say, breaking a gold key?!" Lucy asked incredulously as her eyes grew into saucers.

"I'm sick of this water!" Jackal shouted and decided to try tackling it another way. His new way worked to perfection as he rapidly breezed through the flood and stormed closer to the two.

"Yes, you heard me correctly." Aquarius confirmed as she blasted him directly in the face, stalling his momentum and sending him underwater violently cursing. "It can't just be any golden key either. The gate won't open unless the level of trust between the owner and spirit is strong enough."

"What? Do you hear what you're saying Aquarius! I can't break any of my golden keys... you all mean the world to me! I won't do it-" The blonde's tirade was cut off by her own Spirit's.

"What choice do you have! Your friends all trapped, it's only you out here Lucy! Against them!" She proved her point as she noticed more of Tartaros' demons surrounding them. "Our bond should be strong enough, it should be able to bring the King here."

"No! I won't give up! I won't sacrifice a friend to save my other friends! That's not right and you know it, there has to be another way!"

"There isn't Lucy!" Aquarius shouted as her short circuited temper started showing itself. "Do you really think I would suggest such a thing if we had any other option?" She heard an explosion and saw the shining figure of Jackal trying to propel himself through her waves using his eruptive power.

"I can't do it!" Lucy shook her head as tears cascaded down her face and into the water below, joining the flowing blue liquid and becoming one.

"This world needs Fairy Tail!" The Water Bearer declared as she rose her waves to counter Jackal's strategy. "This world needs you too, but right now there is no Fairy Tail. Everybody is counting on you, Lucy. As your oldest friend and mentor it's my job to protect you and make sure you're safe. So, I'm telling you... break my key and save your friends!"

"No..." The distraught girl brought her hands to her face as she sniffled into her palms, full of emotional turmoil.

"I can't hold them off much longer! Besides, it's not like I'll die if my key gets broken. We just... we'll never see each other again."

"I can't lose you Aquarius..." Lucy sobbed before looking up at her Spirit.

"If you don't lose me, you lose your life Lucy. You lose Fairy Tail. You lose Natsu, and the rest of your friends. Is that what you want?!" Aquarius spoke bewildered, trying her absolute best to lead the girl into the decision that was not wanted, but crucially needed.

"Of course not! I just can't imagine my life without you in it! I don't care if you've always hated me, I love you Aquarius!"

"My key will regenerate some day, maybe we will meet again." She said sadly as her water power lessened, allowing Jackal to close in. "Do it Lucy!"

"I've got you now!" He insanely smiled as he reached his hand out for the bruised blonde, prepared to blow her to pieces.

Sensing the inevitable doom she felt the Water Bearer's magic overpower her as Lucy held the sleek golden key in her hand and shoved it down into the water. Aquarius' mermaid shaped figure began to glow as she grit her teeth at the strange sensation.

My heart. It's burning up as if I'm on fire. Even though I hated that brat, even though I hated you and your constant whining... I just can't stop these feelings. The thought of never seeing you again Lucy... makes me ironically feel lonely.

"Open gate of the Celestial Spirit King!"

Everything turned into shooting golden stars as a loud boom echoed across the Cube, the waters dying down and separating Lucy from Jackal just in time. Aquarius looked on one last time, light tears leaking out of her eyes, as she disappeared back into the Spirit World knowing her former master's daughter was in safe hands.

Goodbye Lucy, I'll always cherish our time together. Thank you... for everything.


The sound of birds chirping and the warmth radiating from the sun's rays began to wake her from her dreams. She blinked a few times after feeling the wet remnants from where she had been crying. Ultimately, they weren't all dreams. Lucy yawned and stretched her arms before throwing the covers off as she slipped out of bed.

"Good morning world!" She said to no one in particular, lightly smiling. "It's a whole new day!"

An entire year had past since the disbandment of her former guild. It had been an entire year since she had spoke with her friends and an entire year since she last saw Natsu and Happy. Her smile quickly faded into a frown as she wondered how they were all doing. Everyone had fled Magnolia and went exploring outward into the world looking for a new adventure. Due to the pay cut, from Fairy Tail obviously being inactive, Lucy no longer could afford her landlady's rent and had to look elsewhere. After speaking with the Crown Princess of Fiore, her good friend and fellow Celestial wizard Hisui, she had decided to stay in Crocus and look for work there. The new apartment she stayed in was a bit more pricey then her original one in Magnolia, but she had landed a new job that paid well, so it was no trouble really.

"I miss my old place sometimes. All those peaceful mornings, just me alone with my thoughts." She walked out of her bedroom into her living room. "Well, until I came out and-" Her speech trailed off as suddenly her favorite pinkette and blue exceed were crashing on her couch and munching on food. She hurriedly rubbed her eyes and, to no surprise, the duo were gone.

My imagination has got to stop playing tricks on me...

Lucy's depressed thoughts were short lived after remembering what day it was. She gave her silver key companion, the Canis Minor nicked Plue, a few pets as she smiled at him.

"No point to feel down, right Plue? Time to go to work!" She stated raising her fist high into the air and was joined by the Celestial Spirit.


"Ladies and gentleman be prepared, because it's going to be a thrilling day four of the x792 Grand Magic Games!" A voice announced from behind the microphone. Fireworks continued going off as the crowd began to get excited. "Good to see you all here again! Chapati Lola here and with me always is former councilman and Fiore's favorite celebrity chef, Mr. Yajima!

"It's great to be here, thank you." Mr. Yajima

"There is going to be some heart pumping fights and great displays of talent from all sides. You won't want to miss a thing folks!" Chapati shouted into his mic excitedly as he could hear the crowd roar in anticipation.

While the opening introductions were taking place up in the booth, outside the Domus Flau stadium a specific former Fairy Tail mage was dashing for the entrance.

"Oh shoot, it's already getting started!" Lucy exclaimed worriedly as she ran up the cobble steps, but was stopped by two royal guards.

"Halt!" One of them ordered as they both stepped in front of her path. "I need to see a valid pass, miss."

"Huh?" She said, turning her head in confusion. A light bulb went off in her head as she realized what the man had meant. "Oh, sorry! It's right here in my bag, one moment!" Lucy replied quickly as she rummaged through her purse.

After a few seconds of exploring, she couldn't feel the little piece of paper she was looking for. Both guards looked at one another amused as Lucy continued to try and find her VIP pass, but ultimately failed.

"I promise you it's in here. At least, I think it is." She nodded to herself hoping they would just let her through. Unfortunately for Lucy, the guards were not so willing.

"I'm sorry miss, but we can't let you through without a proper ID." The first guard stated.

"Can't you make an exception? This is important!" Lucy pleaded pressing her hands together.

"No exceptions." The second guard shook his head as he looked uninterested in this whole ordeal.

"Pleaseee!" She rattled off hopefully.

"I just told you, no exceptions." He scoffed.

"Fine, I get it!" Lucy huffed in annoyance as suddenly another light bulb went off inside her mind. Chuckling, thinking of the times she had done in the past to get whatever she wanted, Lucy prepared to persuade them using her womanly charms.

Well... if words don't do the trick, maybe this will.

She raised her leg outwards in front of her and propped it up, revealing a large portion of her thigh. Placing her hand on top of it, she let her left arm slide behind her neck and struck a pose.

"I know you would be bending the rules a little bit... but I won't tattle on you. I promise." Smiling cutely, Lucy winked at the two men.

Instead of accepting her request and allowing her entry like she was aiming for, she was a little startled when the two guards glared at her.

"No exceptions!" They shouted in unison.

"Fine, have it your way jerks!" Lucy yelled before wondering what Natsu would do in this situation. Another idea appeared and she grinned.

I'll just have to use more brain then beauty.

"Hey guys, look over there I think I saw someone..." Lucy began as she pointed away from them and immediately the guard's attention snapped up to where she had pointing.

Good thinking, Lucy!

The Celestial Spirit summoner split between the two distracted men as she tried racing away from them in order to get into the stadium. Unsurprisingly, these men had been chosen to stand guard for a reason.

"Hey! Stop, get back here!" The first one hollered and at the same time his friend grabbed Lucy's shoulder and stopped her progress.

"Gotcha."

"Hands off of me, do you know who I am?!" Lucy complained as they held her in place. "Have you ever heard of freedom of the press, let go!" She whined as the first guard accidentally knocked her purse off while trying to restrain her. The purse hit the ground and its contents spilled out onto the cobble. Amusingly, one of the things that laid before them was a blue rectangle that had red lettering of five key letters.

PRESS. The very thing she was searching for.

"Well, what do you know." Lucy sighed as the guards released her arms and allowed her to pass by with no further issues.


Nobody had forgotten about the incredible day four matchup from the previous year, the dragon slayer duel between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth. It was unlike anything common folk such as them had ever seen, and the amazement they had for wizards just continued stacking up as they realized how actually powerful these young adults were. Despite this year's games being more passive, they still featured close fights and thrilling action.

"Now let's get into the first match of the semifinals!" Chapati publicized. "After dominating the earlier rounds, it's no surprise to anyone really to see Chrisack from Dullahan Head into the coliseum!

The crowd's eagerness intensified even more as the stadium began visibly shaking from all the thunderous stomping going on.

"Wow the crowd is really getting into this one, huh Mr. Yajima?" Chapati asked his co-commentator who laughed aloud in response.

"I would say so!"

"The real question is will he continue his winning streak today, or will Berrick from Dwarf Gear shut him down? Whatever happens here today it's sure to be an amazing battle!" Chapati concluded hyping the fans up even more.


"COOL COOL!" The statement was rapidly spoken as the blond couldn't wait for the match to begin. "Man, I am stoked for these semifinals! So COOL!" Jason added while keeping his pencil and notepad on hand. Lucy was nearly out of breath when she arrived after running up several flights of stairs. Reaching the man she leaned over, panting, as she expressed her apologies.

"Hey boss, sorry I'm late!" Lucy made her presence known as she raised back up and was at his side. Jason looked at her and frowned. "You see I kinda got held up..."

"Lucy..." He muttered her name as she winced knowing what was coming. Suddenly, Jason's expression did a one-eighty. "You're looking so COOL!" He praised. She couldn't help but giggle.

Her outfit consisted of a more modern styled shirt, resembling the look of a tank top, and featured bright blue and white stripes. She had on a darker blue skirt that was held up by a white belt and finished off with knee-high brown boots.

"That was the idea! Has the match started yet?" Lucy asked as she set her purse down on the ledge in front of them.

"No not yet, but it might be over if Chrisack keeps his cool!"

Jason prepared himself for the battle so he could write an article feature on it. The bell rung signifying the beginning of the match. Before anyone could even comprehend it, Chrisack had Berrick eating dirt ending the match immediately. Jason laughed and celebrated as Lucy watched on fondly, writing down her own miniature notes of the battle.

Maybe Master was right in disbanding the guild. It allowed us all to move on and follow our own paths.

Speaking of articles, Lucy had found her own place in the writing world.

Hisui and Lucy had discussed about where she should go after her time in Magnolia came to a close. In fact it had been the green-haired princess' own idea to reach out to her after she heard of Fairy Tail's disbandment. After figuring out where she would stay, Hisui brought up a job that would help her be able to afford her new place, while most importantly, remaining independent. The princess knew how important Fairy Tail was to Lucy, and that she didn't want to join a new guild right away, which is why she had brought up the money idea in the first place.

The job was one that Mira had formerly worked. A modeling gig for Sorcerer Magazine. It paid well, which she was grateful for, but at the same time... it wasn't what the blonde wanted to do for the rest of her time. Lucy was a natural writer, not a modeler. Through her days as a model she mostly worked with Jason. At first, she was nervous about the whole thing and automatically assumed this would be a brief experience.

To Lucy's own surprise though, her photo shoots were a huge success. Jason continued to get bolder and bolder with his plans and her scenarios. The entire time she had worked under him, it was private hires and not an actual job. Finally, one day after an octopus got handsy with her on set, Lucy found the courage to reach out and throw her dream out there to the blond. It just so happened to be that following the shoot Jason offered her an exclusive deal to be a model for the Sorce, as he often called it. Lucy thought about it, but she wanted to write and so she seized her chance.

"Well, actually... it's always been my biggest dream to be a writer. A professional one." She revealed to him while she looked down at the ground remembering something important to her. Back home, a novel she had been working on for a year had gone untouched for a while.

"Wait, you mean like stories and stuff?" Jason asked. His casual response filled her with hope as she glanced back up.

"Yeah, I do!"

"How COOL!" He shouted into the sky looking at her with astonishment. "You should totally give it a try some time, I bet anyone would hire you!"

"Well..." Lucy stood there nervously as she tried to force out what she was trying to say. "Would you maybe hire me to write for you?" He looked at her with some confliction before eyeing her carefully.

"Hang on Lucy. You mean us? You want to write for the Sorce?" Jason questioned. Knowing she needed to make a good first impression, she spoke confidently.

"Yes! I have read Sorcerer Weekly every single week for as long as I can remember, Jason. The photography and articles have always been inspiring to me. Writing for such a great magazine, one that I know I can trust and perform well in, would be a dream come true. I promise you won't be disappointed in me. I swear on that, as a Fairy Tail wizard." She could see him take her words to heart, but he still observed her hesitantly. "Pretty, please?"

"I don't know..." Jason finally opened up after a few moments of silence.

"I'll give you everything I've got!" Lucy shouted. Seeing her determination, he finally gave in.

"Well... okay! I guess I could see if my higher-ups will hire you on."

"Really?!" She clapped her hands happily. Jason raised a finger in warning.

"However, if we do hire you it'd have to be as an editor in training."

"Sounds great to me! The Celestial wizard nodded excitedly, unconsciously resembling a certain dragon slayer's style. "Thank you for this opportunity! I promise I won't let you down!"

"I gotta warn you first, Lucy." He continued on. "Our models are treated like royalty by the company while trainees like yourself will be a different story. You understand?" Jason leaned in wanting to test her confidence himself. "You'll be at the very bottom, it's brutal down there!"

"Yeah, I understand!" Lucy determinedly nodded, the light never fading from her brown orbs. "I realize it won't be easy, but I'm going to make you all proud!"

She found out very quickly that Jason hadn't been kidding about her new status once Sorcerer Weekly did indeed hire her as a trainee. Originally starting out as a modeler helper, Lucy quickly worked her way through the ranks under Jason and became his assistant. The author inside of her consistently emerged as she wrote out notes and questions of her own for interviews. Her boss smirked and laughed to himself as he would tell her that those wouldn't be published for millions, thousands, and hundreds of years. At last, Lucy won out as Jason accepted her work and began showing her the advanced editing process.

Not long after that, her first ever article for the Sorce had been officially published to the public. Jason rewarded her with a day off for all her hard work and commitment. Exhausted, Lucy made her way home and instantly stared at her novel which had been frozen in time.

Fairy Tail was my inspiration for this... without them I just can't think of where to take this story.

Giving up on her novel for the day, Lucy decided to focus her attention on the map she had slowly expanded upon the past few months. Little by little, she was plotting points and information about where the entire guild was. What they were accomplishing, and anything that could help her if she ever tried or needed to contact them.

Lucy continuously told herself she was only doing this for her future with Sorcerer Weekly if they ever sent her out to find one of friends for an interview, but she knew she couldn't lie to herself. The reality was she prayed every night the guild would one day reunite. So, that's why she regularly updated and stretched the map across her wall in her bedroom. The blonde thought back to a conversation she had back on day three of the Games while Jason and her had been walking through the stadium halls.


"Alright I can handle the editing and layouts no problem bossman." Lucy assured.

"You're a life saver." He smiled.

As they continued to walk, a man in a dark gray coat who sported a white scarf and brown spiky hair walked by. On instinct, Lucy spun around as her imagination and desires forcefully took ahold of her. His appearance transformed into a light crimson one-sleeve jacket, a scaly checkered scarf, and wild unkempt pink hair. Then, he was back to normal. She looked down at the cobble disappointedly as Jason noticed her odd quietness and frown.

"It's kind of a bummer, isn't it?" He asked. "This year's Grand Magic Games aren't nearly as cool as they use to be. I mean all the guilds that battled it out last year were like totally legendary, ya know?"

"Yeah... last year definitely had some truly great ones."

"Indeed there were." He kept his head pointed up before smirking at her knowingly. "Especially Fairy Tail." Lucy tilted her head as she sighed.

"Well, we're not really a guild anymore so..."

He looked down and scanned her figure, identifying the pink emblem still present on top of her hand. "You still have the guild mark on your hand." Jason pointed out.

Her eyes went wide as she zoned out remembering the good times.

"Well you're right though. You guys did kind of break up... and you were so cool." He spoke dispirited as he waved and walked away.


After taking a long warm bath, Lucy dressed herself in pajamas and did some final touches to her map. She had eye witness reports, news articles, gossip, anything she could find. In the blink of an eye following their victory over Tartaros, her family just disappeared. Thus began her one year long search to find them all. Her chocolate colored eyes fell upon two familiar faces who she admired the most. It was a single picture of just the three of them that she had taken during their exploration of Crocus before they encountered the twin dragons of Sabertooth that night.

Natsu and Happy.

The foundations of Team Natsu that she had been trying to pinpoint the longest, somehow and repeatedly, always avoided her desperate attempts to locate them. She started to wonder if maybe they were intentionally staying hidden, but swiftly disregarded that thought. Lucy couldn't stop the tears that summoned themselves or her own movements as she slid her back down against the wall. The distressed blonde simply sat there and cried after an entire year's anguish had finally caught up to her.

The darkness in the boy she had fallen for frightened her. It put her on edge, as she wondered daily if the dragon slayer conquered it. His absence from her had been so long though, Lucy feared it may of already consumed him.

Natsu is strong... he would never be defeated by something like that. I can't give up on him!

She wiped her eyes tear away remembering some of the final words she had spoken to him. Before he had left, she promised she would do her best to find everyone so when he returned they could rebuild the guild, together. It was faint, but the smile on his face was genuine. That was the last sight of the pinkette she had.

I just want to find you guys, so we can be a family again. I want to find you Natsu... so I can one day tell you how I feel. She sat on her floor in despair. It's never going to happen, is it?

Two days later, after he and his blue exceed were gone, her plans backfired on her. During their girls night hangout, she asked Levy if she could stay with her for the time being. Levy eagerly wanted to accept, but ultimately had to shoot her idea down. Lucy had been sworn to secrecy to not say anything until it was official, but the bluenette informed her that she and Gajeel were going to work for the Magic Council.

That news had shocked her for sure, but Lucy made sure to support her friend's decision. She was the only one who saw them off at the train station as the two best friends finally parted ways. Occasionally they would meet up, but it had become more rare in the past months as the Council forced her and the iron dragon slayer to travel across the country almost daily now.

It's over, Lucy! Fairy Tail is done.

Those words felt like a dagger through her heart, but it had been a year. Master Makarov vanished without a trace and went missing the day after the guild's disbandment. Only two of her friends, Levy and Erza, had reached out to her from time to time when they could. Everyone else was gone, and so a large percent of her hopes and happiness went with them. The loss of Aquarius didn't help her emotional state any better, but she knew she had to be strong. If not for herself, then for the Water Bearer who selflessly sacrificed her ability to be here in order to help the blonde continue to live.

Plue's shaking form peeked out from behind a few stacked books as he looked at his owner worriedly. She reached out to him and embraced him lovingly.

"Thank you for staying with me..." Lucy whispered as her tears began anew.


The stadium was completely sold out as the fireworks ceased. Various chants and statements were spoken out from the crowd as the excitement reached an all time high. Many had seen the final day of the Grand Magic Games last year, whether in person or on lacrima televisions. It had been the epic final duel in the city between all the guilds in the tournament. A battle that saw the guild who started at rock bottom rise to the top and triumph the reigning champions at the time, stunning everybody. At least, stunning those who were to young to recall how strong Fairy Tail had been before many of their members disappeared seven years prior.

"Here it is folks, the day of reckoning! Who will take home the coveted title of Fiore's number one and mightiest guild?!" Chapati announced as flags were waving throughout the colossal sized grandstands. It was pretty astonishing that Domus Flau had every seat filled, but this was the Grand Magic Games after all.

"Let's find out! I've got my predictions, Mr. Yajima I'm sure you have yours?" He asked the older and wise man.

"I can't quite say. Anything could happen."

"Very well. Surely our old friend Mato can provide the people with some insight?" Chapati questioned as Mato waved his hands excitedly. The pumpkin mascot's true identity was only known to a select few, he had a friendly atmosphere and many fans, but he was also the most powerful man in the kingdom. The ruler of Fiore.

"I'll try, pumpkin!"

"Well, anyone who's been watching this year's Games should of seen this one coming. Chrisack and Dullahan Head have powered their way to the finals! However, they've got a challenge to face... the underdogs of Scarmiglione! They have pulled off one miraculous comeback after another and now find themself close to grasping glory!"

"Both guilds have done a wonderful job so far." Mr. Yajima expressed.

"Definitely, pumpkin!" Mato added.

"This year the final day is a little different. Since this is a single elimination tournament, both of these guilds have remained undefeated... until today!" The crowd chanted which team they were pulling for to win it all. "That changes in just a few moments once the combatants get on the battlefield!" Chapati explained.

Outside the booth, Jason and Lucy stood expectantly. Well, Jason at least.

"Wow, so COOL! This has feature story written all over it!" He shouted pumping his fists in the air. "Maybe a special issue?" He pointed down looking over at the female joining him. He noticed she looked distant. Almost like she was uninterested in this final matchup. "You there?"

Lucy finally acknowledged him as she slightly tilted her head off her hands. "Say what? Sorry I wasn't listening I kind of zoned out."

"It's cool, but it's showtime!" He smiled.

"Yeah, it's going to be a super cool blow out." She narrowed her eyes glancing down at the arena. The very one she had fought on just a year ago.

Time sure does fly.

Jason was astounded by her response. "Have you been zoning out this whole time?" He asked. "Scarmiglione are like the kings of comebacks, literally coming from behind in all of their victories." He placed a hand on his chin. "So much drama... can they do it again? I think they might!"

"Yup. Exactly what I mean Jason." Lucy explained. "Chrisack is definitely tough, that's for sure, but according to everything I've seen from him and his guild... Scarmiglione's members have got to be tougher by a mile."

"What!" Jason exclaimed. "You're crazy Lucy."

"Am I?" She asked offhandedly. "I'm telling you, I think every single one of them has twice the magic power that Chrisack does. They just have been hiding it this entire time."

"Say, what? Why would they do such a thing?!"

"Probably so they can raise their odds." Lucy assumed. "Make a lot of cash from bets."

"Na, no way." Jason denied.

"Scarmiglione is gonna win Jason. There is no doubt about it." She stated as he looked at her curiously.

"I guess we'll wait and see."

Not even five minutes later after the final round began Scarmiglione had all of Dullahan head down in the dirt, effectively ending the tournament right then and there. Confetti began flying as Chapati tried to comprehend what he and the rest of his boothmates had just seen.

"COOL!" Jason jumped up after seeing such a dominating and one-sided performance. All those cheering for Scarmiglione were going crazy while those who betted on them to win the Games were cackling greedily.

"What an upset! I'm speechless!" Chapati spoke into his microphone as Mr. Yajima crossed his arms next to him. The celebrity chef had foreseen the same thing as Lucy. Mato propped himself up grinning in his pumpkin mask as he laughed.

"Who would of thought? Not I." Mr. Yajima absently said while slightly rolling his eyes.

"Overcoming an incredible one-hundred to one odds, Scarmiglione takes home the gold and is this year's Grand Magic Games champions!

One of the guild wizards chuckled to himself as he turned and faced their leader. "Worked like a charm."

The man he was staring at responded with his own laugh. "I can smell the money."

"That's right folks, the only guild worthy of the title Fiore's mightiest guild are the underdogs, now top dog, Scarmiglione!" Chapati declared.

Jason laughed while Lucy just sighed. "Wow Lucy, you nailed it! They are the best in the land!" He praised.

"I definitely never said that." She stated. "They may have won the Games this year, but still... to know a guild like that is now hailed as Fiore's best-" Her speech was interrupted as something caught her eye. The elated crowd began simmering down as smoke billowed out of the arena's center entrance.

"Who's that?" A young boy asked aloud trying to spot whoever was coming out of the tunnel.

"No idea." His friend responded.

The announcers became aware of the silence as Chapati looked down at the unidentifiable figure. "Hold on a minute, somebody is entering the arena! Who is it?" Mr. Yajima glared while Mato sat confused.

The black-cloaked figure pursued in their mission to reach Scarmiglione. The smoke continued to follow them as they got closer to champions.

"Ladies and gentleman, a mysterious individual has walked onto the battlefield!" Chapati mentioned.

The leader of Scarmiglione kept his arms crossed as he and his guild observed the intruder carefully. "Who in the hell are you?" He asked.

"What's going on!" Lucy shouted down as she watched on worriedly. Jason flinched next to her at the sight.

Eerie footsteps continued to silently travel across the sand as they were just a few yards away from the new number one guild in Fiore. Lucy sensed the strange aura radiating from the cloaked figure.

"Somethings weird. So much magic power!" She blurted as her body began to slightly shake. She flew her hand out towards Jason. "Everyone needs to get out of here!" Before he could question her words, they both were forced to shield themselves against a ferocious increase of wind that created a mini sandstorm.

"You've got guts friend." The leader said out loud to what they assumed would be adversary. "But you are foolish and short on brains!"

"Wait! Is this the man in black people have been referring to?" One of their members stated in fear.

"No, there is no way that's him!" Another added.

Finally the mysterious cloaked figure's voice revealed itself. "So you clowns think you're the greatest guild in Fiore, do you?"

"Obviously! We just won these silly little games after all punk!" The female wizard standing next to Scarmiglione's leader giggled.

"Alright man, who are you?" He asked after vaguely seeing a scarf and a malicious grin.

"Who me?" He smirked as he brought his right arm out, which was wrapped around in bandages, and summoned a bright orange flame. "I'm a challenger!" They expressed throwing the ball of fire towards the guild members. The unexpected blast impacted the winners right where they stood as they took the scorching flames head on.

"He unleashed a brutal attack!" Chapati commentated.

"We need to find some wizards who can fight him off, fast!" Lucy shouted as the figure covered himself fully in fire and sent his flames skidding into the sand.

Suddenly, his fiery whips exploded into the sky as the entire area above Domus Flau lit up in red shades. The arena began burning and the crowd screamed in terror as the heat reached extreme temperatures. Anything it could reach began disintegrating like the Coliseum's current state.

"The whole stadium is melting like butter!" Chapati shouted as his own clothes began breaking apart and he was sweating intensely alongside Mr. Yajima and Mato.

Lucy looked down in worry as the heat began dissolving her own clothes until her top had nearly burnt off completely. She embarrassedly crossed her arms over her now exposed breasts as she became flushed.

"This heat is freaking insane!" Her eyes followed the mysterious man's form as she heard him laugh under his hood.

Hang on, his heat... and fire. Why does this feel so familiar?

Before Lucy could ponder anymore about it, the cloaked figure threw his hood back and made flames appear in both of his hands. He had a cheery grin across his face as his long pink spiky hair extended almost down into his eyes. It was pretty incredible he could still see honestly. That unmistakable scarf was wrapped proudly around his neck as she felt her own figure shake uncontrollably. The heart of Fairy Tail had returned at long last.

"Natsu?!" She called out in surprise as Jason nearly lost it next to her.

"COOL!"

"Unbelievable, it's Natsu Dragneel!" Chapati shouted into the barely useable mic.

She heard light foot steps running up behind her and didn't even have to turn around when she could hear and sense the faint flapping of wings.

"Hey, it's been a while!" Happy stated as he flew up behind the stunned blonde. "How ya doing?" He asked.

"Happy!" Lucy exclaimed seeing the blue exceed she had been hoping to see again some day. "You guys are back?"

"Yeah well... Natsu insisted on challenging whoever won this year's Games to see how he stood up against them. Safe to say I think he won. So, here we are I guess!"

Scarmiglione was completely passed out on the arena floor as they were struggling to just stay awake after being hit by his flames and surrounded by all the heat.

"They don't look to be putting up much of a fight."

Rowdy guild members charged the challenger as he sent various flame spells at anyone who opposed him. Their excitement and eagerness quickly faded away as they found themselves struggling massively against him.

"I'm all fired up now!" He shouted as he took his remaining foes out in one massive attack and watched them get up and run away. "Hey, where are ya guys going!" He asked, but was ignored as they all hightailed it out of there.

"He's crazy, but to his credit he sure knows how to make an entrance." Happy shrugged as the smoke died out from around his partner.

Finally looking up into the stands for his feline friend, instead his onyx irises found brown. He slightly gaped seeing her disheveled appearance, but knew that face from anywhere. It had branded itself into his memory. She stared at him hesitantly as they continued to get lost in one another's eyes. After what seemed like forever, the pinkette finally acknowledged her.

"Hey Luce! Good to see you. It's been a while!" He flashed his signature grin. Unbeknownst to him, the blonde he was speaking to was experiencing all types of different emotions right then and there.

At that very moment, seeing that brightened nature and smile... I heard a voice inside my head.

"Pretty good, I'm glad you're back Natsu." Lucy responded while tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.

"You told me you would never leave... I offered you to come with me and instead you turn me away and tell me to fix myself? What more did you lose in the war? How can you understand my pain when you didn't lose anybody like Igneel!"

Lucy visualized his rage filled eyes and could see through to his broken heart. She would be the one to mend it.

I lost you, Natsu. This time... I won't let it happen again.


A/N: It's now 2023 and Dragon Rage has a fifth chapter! I really hope you all liked this one, I had a blast writing it. I wanted to keep it close to canon while also making it work with where I'm taking DR.

For anyone curious, I did intentionally have Lucy's flashback to the sacrifice of Aquarius at the start, because it's supposed to mimic how Remembrance opened up with Igneel and Acnologia. I also hope you enjoyed this one being Lucy centric. Now Natsu is back, yay!

You might think otherwise, but the more I've written with these characters, the more my confidence grows with this story. I've really enjoyed it and I think it mainly has to do with the fact that the end of the Tartaros arc is really when FT characters feel "real" in the sense of they have to deal with personal issues and life. They don't feel "invincible" like they did prior and it allows me to write each of Natsu and Lucy's internal struggles realistically.

I did use the anime to help get through the GMG stuff, but hopefully you noticed the tweaks and additions I made to help it all flow better. Anyway, these next couple of chapters coming up are going to be exciting. If you've watched FT all the way through you know what's next. Now merge that with what I've done to Natsu so far... and well, let's just say some things are going to boil just a little bit, haha.

Finally, college is starting back up soon so updates are most likely going to slow down sometime in the middle of January. I'm going to try my best to get the next chapter out within the next few days, but I can't make any promises. Just wanted to tell you all that ahead of time so you don't think I abandoned the story or anything like that!

Up Next: Chapter 6 - Restore