Chapter 10
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
ChaosOmega98: I'm really glad you like my story that much, unfortunately I can't update more than once a week with everything else iI have on my plate at the moment :).
ibrahemsuper4: I'm glad you like the story and I hope this chapter will interest you a lot.
Amanny: I hope the two big fights in the chapter will be to your liking.
Monxu Aki: This is indeed the chapter with the two main battles for the arc and I hope I didn't disappoint.
Ssj shadow: You are not annoying at all my friend, I love reading reviews and everyone's opinions. I hope that in the future of this story and others i will write the pairing doesn't seem too forced.
midnightscar17: For your first review I will not reveal anything at this moment, and for the second one here you go.
-Phantom Lord control room-
Gajeel skidded back from the blow Haru delivered.
"Seems like all you need to catch a Salamander is to use the right bait. Gi Hi," Gajeel laughed.
"I won't allow you to hurt my friends," Haru declared as a fiery aura surrounded him.
"Gi HI, it will be fun to pluck the wings of two fairies. Sorry girly you'll have to wait your turn since Salamander here wants the most attention," Gajeel taunted the Fairy Tail mages.
"Don't worry Lucy I won't be defeated by this Phantom freak," Haru grinned at Lucy. Lucy could only weakly smile back, the beating she received from Gajeel had here barely able to move but luckily she could move back so that her back was leaning against one of the walls.
"Iron Dragon Club" Gajeel shouted out and thrust his right arm in Haru's direction while it turned into an iron club. Haru grabbed the club as he dodged and used it to swing Gajeel into a wall. "Fire Dragon Wing Attack" Haru called out and sent two whips of fire at the location where Gajeel was embedded in. "Iron Dragon Long Shield" Gajeel called out. His fists transformed into rectangular shields that he slammed together, protecting him from the fire whips.
"Come on Salamander, you will have to do better than that," Gajeel taunted with a grin.
"Remember you are the one who asked for this," Haru said as he stood up straight and joined his hands together, clutching his right fist with his left hand. "Fire Dragon Flame Body" Haru said in an even tone. His entire body erupted in fire and two bat-like wings formed on his shoulder blades.
"Nice try Salamander but you aren't the only one that can cover yourself with your element," Gajeel said. "Iron Dragon Scales," Gajeel said as scales made of steel covered his entire body.
"Now we've got a fight on our hands," Gajeel grinned. Haru would have had a grin as well but due to the situation, the only thing he had was a serious expression with a hidden layer of rage.
"Iron Dragon Sword" Gajeel called out as his right hand transformed into a large, jagged steel blade. The jagged edges of the blade began to spin like the teeth of a chainsaw.
"Careful not to get cut by this sword, the results will be quite messy," Gajeel said with a crazy look in his eyes. He dashed forwards and attempted to cut Haru down the middle. Haru jumped backwards and flapped his flame wings, sending a wave of flames at Gajeel. Gajeel defended himself with his sword, enlarging it and holding it horizontally so that the flames only licked his boots.
"You got some nice power there Salamander, but it's not enough," Gajeel said as the wave of flames passed. "Iron Dragon Hard Fist" Gajeel called out as his sword reverted into a fist again and charged Haru with his fist at the ready.
"Are you sure about that?" Haru asked. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru called out as the flames around his fists intensified. The two Dragon Slayers' fists met and caused a shockwave. The two traded blows with Haru gaining some bruises due to the hardness of Gajeel's scales while the spots where Haru hit Gajeel cracks could be seen in the scales.
Gajeel delivered a brutal uppercut on Haru that sent him out the roof. Gajeel immediately followed Haru by jumping up as well. The two continued to trade blows before they began falling back to the earth. "Fire Dragon Talon" Haru called out and engulfed his foot with more intense flames. Haru brought his foot down on Gajeel and sent him plummeting to the floor of the control room.
Haru landed on the floor as Gajeel stood up from the crater he made where he fell. Both the Dragon Slayers were breathing heavily.
"That kid is keeping up with Gajeel?" one of the few Phantom Lord Mages asked in disbelief.
"They both seem to be running dry," Lucy said as she looked at the two painting mages. Her eyes widened when she the sound of metal being crushed. She glanced over to Gajeel and her eyes widened even further as she saw him eating iron scraps that were all over the floor.
"He's eating Iron," Lucy asked in disbelief.
"When a Dragon Slayer eats their own element they regain their magic power, this doesn't look good for Haru," Happy said, startling Lucy with his 'sudden' appearance. In truth, he came through the hole Haru made shortly after Haru's first attack on Gajeel.
Gajeel let out a roar of power as he felt the magic returning to him. "Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs" Gajeel shouted out as he extended his arm in Haru and Lucy's direction. Multiple steel spears shot out of Gajeel's extended hand and closed in on Haru and Lucy. Haru would have attempted to dodge but since Lucy was also in the line of fire he put his own body in front of her.
"Ice-Make: Shield" a voice called out and an icy shield formed between the steel spears and their intended target.
"Gray," Lucy said in relief. There in front of her stood the black-haired man. Gray was about to attack Gajeel when Haru stepped in between them.
"This is my fight Gray," Haru simply said.
"Fine, but you might want this," Gray replied with a smirk and revealed he had a torch from the hallways. He threw it at Haru who gratefully accepted the fiery treat.
"Now I have a fire in my belly," Haru grinned as the fiery aura around him intensifies.
"The sky isn't big enough for two dragons, let's see who will rule it," Gajeel smirked. "Iron Dragon…" Gajeel started to suck in a large amount of air. "Fire Dragon…" Haru copied Gajeel's actions. "…Roar" bot shouted. A raging vortex of fire clashed with a wrathful twister of shrapnel.
A large explosion occurred that pushed all the spectators to the fight to tumbling to the edges of the room. Gray managed to hold onto Lucy as well as a nearby handle, preventing them from slamming into a wall. The Phantom Lord mages weren't so lucky. They collided with the walls of the room and were knocked unconscious.
"Now this is a battle. Gi hi," Gajeel laughed as he stood in front of a hole in the wall. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn" Haru yelled. A raging fire engulfed him as he charged at Gajeel and head-butted him in the gut. Gajeel felt more cracks forming in his scales. He grabbed Haru and lifted him up before slamming him into the ground in front of the massive hole in the wall.
"Look at that, we're doing some redecorating on your guildhall, Gi Hi," Gajeel laughed as he saw a massive shade monster smashing the guildhall to rubble. Haru looked in shock and anger. The guildhall that was his home ever since Igneel left him was being destroyed.
A raging typhoon of flames exploded from Haru as he slowly stood up. A fiery apparition of a massive roaring dragon appeared behind Haru as he let out a roar of defiance.
"What the little Fairy scared, you want to cry? Then how about I give you something to really cry about," Gajeel taunted. "Iron Dragon Roar" Gajeel let loose another typhoon of shrapnel.
"The flamed of a fire dragon is wild, unpredictable and unstoppable. Prepare to face the full wrath of my guild and those you had hurt," Haru yelled in anger. The flame dragon brought its wings down to cover Haru from Gajeel's breath attack. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade" Haru called out his most devastating attack as he swiped his arms in a circular fashion. A destructive torrent of flames barrelled down on Gajeel.
Gajeel was sent into a wall, completely obliterating it and knocking him unconscious.
"Nice job flame-brain," Gray grinned at Haru.
"I knew you could do it," Lucy said with a tear in her eye.
Haru just grinned before toppling over, exhausted from the hardest battle of his life.
-With Natsu and Jose-
"Compared to you I am a god," Jose laughed as he allowed his magical aura to leak out of him in an attempt to intimidate his opponent.
"Then I have exactly what is needed to bring you down," Natsu replied as a purple and black aura started to leak out of him.
"Since you are so adamant on standing in my way I will just have to end you along with those miserable fairies," Jose said in anger. "Dark Pulse" Jose called out, moving his hand in an arc and sending out a purple wave of his shade magic.
"The poor fool thought he could stand up to me," Jose scoffed as he looked at the explosions that went off due to his attack.
"Death God's Death Arrow" was heard from within the dust cloud and Jose was had to jump to the side to avoid the purple arrows that came flying towards him.
"It seems like I underestimated you boy," Jose said and lifted his hand, pointing it towards the dust cloud. "Dark Shot" Jose called out and from his fingers came multiple smaller shades that rushed into the dust cloud. "Death God's Decaying Advance" Natsu called out from within the dust cloud and dashed towards Jose while being covered in a purple and black energy layer.
Jose wasn't fast enough to dodge the surprising speed at which Natsu charged at him and was hit in the gut by Natsu's shoulder. The impact caused Jose to skid back a few paces.
"Dead Wave" Jose called out and extended his right arm sideways, generating several ghosts around it before thrusting his hand forward, sending a destructive beam of darkness magic at Natsu. "Death God's Bellow" Natsu called out to couture the darkness magic beam with a vortex of purple and black energy.
The two attacks collided and fought for dominance before Natsu's attack began to push Jose's back. Natsu's Bellow soon hit Jose, sending him rolling back into a wall.
"I never thought a brat like you would push me to the point where I would start taking things seriously," Jose said as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again his previously white sclera was now dark grey.
"Dead Wave" Jose called out once again but this time the power behind his attack was double that of the previous one. Natsu could sense the increase in power and opted to dodge rather than contest.
"Let's see how you deal with a fight up close and personal," Natsu said as he dashed toward Jose. "Death God's Devastating Fist" Natsu called out and swung his fist coated in black and purple energy towards Jose. "Shaded Grip" Jose called out as ghostly shades covered his hand, he then thrust his open palm towards Natsu's fist.
The collision caused a shockwave that cleared the area surrounding them from all rubble. "Death God's Death Spear" Natsu called out. He used the black spear to attack Jose, leaving a purple wave where the spear had been. Natsu thrust the spear forward and plunged it into Jose's left arm. Jose let out a roar of pain.
"Dark Pulse" Jose sent a wave of magic at Natsu. At the close range, Natsu only managed to pull the spear out of Jose's arms and started to twirl it to attempt and form a barrier but was to slow and the wave hit him in the chest.
"You impudent brat, I will eradicate you," Jose yelled in rage. "Army of the Shades" Jose called out and twenty shade soldiers formed in between Natsu and Jose.
-Outside with the battling Fairy Tail mages-
The mages of Fairy Tail were fighting a hard fight against the shades when Mira and Elfman came running to them carrying a badly hurt Erza.
"Elfman, help out with the shades," Mira called to her brother before running into the guildhall.
"I'm on it…" Elfman replied but as he turned around he was puzzled by the lack of any shades at all.
"Wait what happened?" Elfman asked as he looked around.
"They just disappeared, did someone beat Jose?" one of the members asked.
-With Natsu and Jose-
"These specific shades are strong enough to take on one of the Element Four, let's see how you fare against them," Jose said with a smirk.
"Death God's Secret Art: Death's Final Downfall," Natsu said in an even tone. A ball of purple and black energy formed above the shade soldiers. The size of the ball grew until it was large enough to completely cover the area above the shades… then is came falling down.
The explosion that in sued blew most of the room apart, exposing the battlefield to the elements.
-With Haru, Gray and Lucy-
"We better get out of here," Gray said as the giant that was Phantom Lord's guildhall shook from an explosion.
"You help Lucy while Happy and I drag Gajeel out of here. Even if he is our enemy, it just won't sit right if we left him here," Haru said, seeing as after Gajeel's defeat all the Phantom Lord mages fled, leaving their ace behind.
The group quickly found a way down the stairs towards an exit and soon found themselves with the rest of their guildmates.
-With Natsu and Jose-
"Just how pathetic was the Element Four?" Jose asked himself in shock when he saw Natsu take out the shades with one spell.
"Death God's Kick" Natsu called out, using the moment of disbelief from Jose as an opportunity to strike. He kicked Jose in the gut, making him double over. "Death God's Slash" Natsu called out, following his previous attack up with a condensed wave of purple and black energy that hit Jose ad left a cut on his right shoulder.
"I have had it," Jose shouted. "Shade Reaper's Cloak" Jose called out. He was covered in a dark purple cloak and gained a scythe of purple magic that brimmed with power. His face was covered by the hood of the cloak and all that could be seen from within was the small pale blue dots that were his eyes.
"Fear me for I am undefeated in while in this form. I am the Grim Reaper," Jose yelled with a crazy laugh. All mages who stood against him cowered in fear at this moment. From behind one of the broken walls a small old man with a white cape made an appearance. He was about to interfere but was stopped by Natsu's next words
"You think you are a Grim Reaper? You don't even know the first thing about what it takes to reap a soul. I have fought against them when I was training with my father, the Death Dragon God, Draco Mortem, and you are no Grim Reaper," Natsu said in anger. He removed his hood and jacked. As he did this there was a massive surge in his power. "Deaths Ascension"
Natsu's eyes turned a royal purple, his pink hair gained purple highlights and purple lines that were outlined in black began running all around his body.
"When someone falsely claims to be an underling of my father I am obligated to right the wrong," Natsu said in a dark tone.
"What power is this?" Jose asked in shock.
"The power that heightens my Death God Slayer Magic," Natsu replied in a voice that seemed to echo itself before calling out an attack. "Death God's Slash" the condensed wave travelled at twice its previous speed and hit Jose with twice the power, ripping the cloak's lower half away.
"You don't scare me," Jose yelled out and dashed forward with his scythe. Jose brought the scythe down on Natsu. Natsu sidestepped out of the path of the blade only for it to embed itself within his left shoulder. Natsu wasn't fazed by the blade piercing his flesh because when he was in his 'Deaths Ascension Mode' he felt no pain.
Death God's Secret Art: Death's Final Downfall" Natsu said as he grabbed on to Jose's hand that held the scythe, preventing him from running away. In an attempt to break free from Natsu's vice-like grip Jose called out "Dead Wave". The attack hit Natsu right in the chest but he didn't budge. The massive ball of black and purple plummeted down on them.
The old man that was spectating the battle, casted a golden barrier around himself while the mages on the beach looked in awe at the massive explosion.
The Phantom Lord giant crumbled under the pressure of the explosion. The mages on the beach had to run to higher ground to avoid the waves that came crashing onto the sand that, just a few moments ago, was a vicious battleground of mages and shades.
"Jose Parola, you have been judged by Death for the crimes of attempted mass murder and impersonating an underling of Draco Mortem, ruler of death and the afterlife and now your punishment will be delivered," Natsu's voice echoed all around Magnolia, sounding more like that of a god rather than a man.
Hearing this and seeing Jose lying on the small island of rubble that once was the Phantom Lord guildhall, Makarov decided to intervene. Even though Jose attacked his children and caused a guild war that was still no reason for him to die.
"' Death Walker', I cannot allow you to kill him," Makarov made his presence known as he walked up to Natsu.
"I am only here to deliver his punishment and I will not be swayed," Natsu said, still having a voice that echoed itself.
"If you attempt to kill him I will fight you with all my strength, and judging by your level of magic that would not end well for you," Makarov threatened.
"Fear not Makarov Dreyar, for his punishment is not death and thus he will not die on this day," Natsu replied. Makarov let out a sigh of relief before a gasp of horror escaped his mouth.
Right in front of him 'Death Walker' had plunged his fingers into Jose's stomach. "Death God's Forbidden Sacred Art: Decaying Erosion," Natsu said. Makarov looked in shock as Jose's veins turned purple and black against his skin while he withered in pain. Jose's mouth opened and closed but no sound came out. All his creams in pain were absolutely silent.
"You said you wouldn't kill him," Makarov shouted in rage after a moment of shocked silence.
"I am not, the spell I used only attacks the magic container of the target. It erodes the container away until only a small amount is left, leaving a mage with only a fraction of their original power," Natsu explained with a stoic face. Makarov was once again stunned into silence. 'To think there was someone who could reduce the power a mage can have,' Makarov thought.
After five minutes of Jose withering in pain, he finally fell unconscious. Shortly following him Natsu's purple highlights and markings vanished. He slowly made his way to his jacket and hood and put them on, but before he could put his hood up Makarov raised his voice.
"Why don't you join my guild, we are a family and look out for one another?" Makarov asked the pink-haired boy.
"I must decline Makarov. I do not have the time for being in a guild right now," Natsu replied.
"I understand, would you at least stay a while until you have recovered a bit? I can see you are on your last leg right now and I would like to thank you for the help you provided my children," Makarov asked.
"I am sorry Makarov but that is not something I have time for at the moment," Natsu replied.
Makarov let out a sigh of defeat and just waved goodbye.
-With Makarov near the Fairy Tail's guildhall-
Makarov walked up to his guild. They all had happy smiles on their faces. Makarov lifted his fist into the air with his index finger pointing upwards while his thumb pointed outward and soon the entire Fairy Tail guild mimicked the hand gesture.
"My children we are victorious. But I had very little to do with it. This victory is yours," Makarov announced the official end of the guild war. This was met with a chorus of cheers from the guild.
After the cheering died down Makarov stood in front of the heap of rubble that was previously known as the Fairy Tail guild hall.
"They really did a number on it didn't they, it's in ruins," Makarov sighed as he assessed the damage.
"Master I'm so sorry," the weak and sad voice of Lucy could be heard. Makarov turned around and saw a girl full of remorse.
"My child, you have been through a lot lately, but don't let it get you down," Makarov said.
"Yeah, let's see a smile, Lucy," a cheery female voice said. Lucy spun around and saw three people with bandages covering them. One was Levy, one had orange spiky hair and was named Jet and the last one had dark hair that was done up in what looked like a fishtail named Dray.
"Levy, you guys are all right," Lucy said in relief. They had been in a pretty bad shape when she last saw them due to a sneak attack from Gajeel just before the Makarov declared war on Phantom Lord.
"We beat Phantom, so there is no reason to be sad," Levy said with a bright smile.
"I am so sorry for causing all of this," Lucy said with a tear forming in her eyes.
"Yeah we heard about your secret but no one blames you for any of this," Levy said with a sympathetic smile.
"Lucy, though we may not be able to share our feelings of happiness and sadness entirely we do share them to some extent, that's what happens in a guild. One person's happiness becomes everyone's happiness, one person's anger becomes everyone's anger and one person's tears becomes everyone's tears. There is no reason for you to feel guilty, so don't cry. You should already know how much everyone here cares about you. Hold your head high my dear, for you are a proud member of the Fairy Tail family," Makarov said in a kind voice.
-One week later-
The Fairy Tail guild hall was busy being rebuilt with every member pitching in to help with the effort. The walls of the first floor were nearing completion when Mira walked in with a plate filled with drinks in her hands.
"Okay, time for a break everyone," Mira happily announced. The guild came together to enjoy a well-deserved rest. Or so they planned.
"Get back to work, we have a lot to do so no more lollygagging," Erza said in a stern tone. She was wearing a construction worker uniform with a Fairy Tail symbol on her hard hat. Makarov was wearing a similar outfit while using his Titan Magic to enlarge himself to the size of a two-story house to help with the construction.
-Meanwhile in an apartment-
Natsu was sitting in a comfortable chair in a dark apartment. There wasn't too much going on inside the apartment. It was a small place with a bedroom, bathroom and one large room that had the kitchen and living room where Natsu was sitting right now. There was a table with two chairs, a couch and a comfortable chair as well as a small coffee table.
Natsu didn't wait too long before the front door opened up a cloaked individual entered. The person flicked on the light and let out a surprised squeak. The person quickly removed their cloak and revealed that they were Ultear.
"Are you okay Natsu?" Ultear asked and ran up to him, immediately looking him up and down for any sign of injury.
"I'm fine Ultear," Natsu said as he stood up to show her he was really okay.
"No, I don't believe you, take off your shirt," Ultear ordered. She didn't give Natsu enough time to even respond before she began pulling his shirt off.
Once his shirt was off Ultear stood shocked at what she saw. Scars covered Natsu's body, some larger than others. But the one that got her attention was a massive scar that ran from his left shoulder down to his right hip. It looked like whatever caused the scar over his left eye followed through to the scar over his torso.
"W-W-What happened there?" Ultear asked with a shaky voice. Natsu could only sigh at that.
"I'll tell you, but later okay?" Natsu asked. Ultear nodded her head although reluctantly, she knew it would bother her but she respected Natsu's withes.
"Now back to the reason I called you. What were you thinking, going up against a Wizard Saint?" Ultear asked Natsu with a slight glare.
"He needed to be taken down, the man was mad with power and nothing was too low for him. The amount of lives he destroyed along with the lives of Magnolia's residence that he threatened and nearly took was enough for me to take action," Natsu explained.
"The worst thing is I don't even know what happened seeing as no one could tell the Council what you actually did. All they know is that you defeated Jose," Ultear said.
"I'll give you a quick rundown, how about that?" Natsu proposed.
"Yes please, and don't worry about me retelling this to anyone, even Master Hades," Ultear said with a smile.
Natsu gave Ultear a quick rundown of what transpired which turned out to be a bad idea. Ultear insisted on taking care of him until he was fully healed.
"I'm fine Ultear. My magic allows me to heal at an increased rate," Natsu replied but it didn't reach Ultear. She started blabbering on and on about what he should do and how she will treat his injuries. Natsu got irritated by her constant blabbering so he did the only thing he could think of to make her stop.
Natsu grabbed hold of Ultear's face and pulled her in for a gentle kiss. Ultear's eyes widened for a second in surprise before she closed them and melted into the kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck and she deepened the kiss. Natsu embraced her in a cool hug and pulled her close.
After a minute they broke the kiss due to their need for air. Ultear stared deep into Natsu's onyx eyes before she got a deep blush.
"Uhm, Natsu, what was that for? Not that I'm complaining," Ultear asked with her blush still present on her face.
"You wouldn't listen to me when I asked you to stop blabbering, so I chose the only other option I could think of," Natsu explained.
"But why a kiss," Ultear asked as her blush deepened.
"That is actually another thing I want to talk to you about," Natsu said.
"Well, then how about I fix up some dinner and then we can eat while you explain?" Ultear suggested. Natsu smiled at the suggestion and node in agreement.
Once Ultear made food they sat in comfortable silence and ate, but Ultear found it increasingly more difficult not to look at Natsu's bare chest and all the scars that littered it. The meal didn't take too long to finish, much to Ultear's relief as they moved to the couch.
"Thank you for the meal, it was wonderful. Now I guess it's time I explain some things," Natsu said as he finished his meal. Ultear gained a light blush at the compliment and nodded for Natsu to continue.
"First the reason I kissed you. So you know I can use Death Dragon Slayer Magic, now when someone learns this lost magic, especially from a dragon, they gain a few characteristics of Dragons. One of these characteristics is that a Dragon Slayer will have a mate, much like Dragons do. Now a Dragon Slayer will only ever take one mate, they will love that mate for all eternity just like Dragons. The hard part about finding a mate is that the decision is not up to the Dragon or Dragon Slayer but it is decided by their instincts from the first moment they meet their mate," Natsu explained.
Ultear's blush grew as she began to figure out where this was going but she didn't interrupt Natsu just to be sure she didn't misinterpret anything. This didn't mean that the idea of being Natsu's mate wasn't enticing to her.
"There is a Dragon mating ritual that will connect the soul of the two mates to one another but that isn't important right now. Once a Dragon or Dragon Slayer claims their mate they will have a telepathic like to one another. When the mating ritual is complete there is no way to undo it for the Dragon or Dragon Slayer, if their mate dies before they do they will never take another one and either peacefully die shortly after their mate or go on a rampage and destroy everything in the nearby vicinity until they end up collapsing and die, depending on the circumstances of their mate's death," Natsu finished explaining Dragon mating.
"I guess this means that your instincts chose me as your mate?" Ultear shyly asked.
"Yes, Ultear, you are my mate. If you don't accept me that is fine, I will not force you to…" Natsu was cut off by Ultear's lips meeting his own.
"Silly, why would I not accept you?" Ultear smiled lovingly at Natsu.
"I love you Ultear, and I promise I will save you from the dark choices you have made in the past. Don't worry about anything from that time for I will share the weight of your burden," Natsu said with passion and love.
"I love you too Natsu," Ultear said with teary eyes before kissing Natsu once again. After they broke their kiss Ultear leaned her head on Natsu's shoulder. Her eyes drifted to the large scar that started from his left eye, jumped to his left shoulder and preceded to his right hip.
"Would you mind telling me what happened?" Ultear asked as she gently ran her slim fingers along the portion of the scar that was on his chest. Natsu put his arm around Ultear's shoulder and looked down at her as he began his explanation.
-One and a half years ago with Natsu-
Snow was falling on the peak of a remote mountain range. Natsu was trudging through the deep snow. He was following a lead about a dangerous beast that had caused the death of millions over its life.
After an hour of searching, he came upon a cave opening. It looked like the jaws of a massive beast. Natsu slowly moved down to the open cavern.
"What do we have here, a human?" a beastly voice echoed all around the area.
Natsu looked around him but the lack of light made it very hard to actually see anything.
"Wait, not human, interesting," the voice echoed again.
Natsu narrowed the location of the source of the voice to one of the darkest corners. When he concentrated on the specific area he saw that there was a darker area on the ground.
"Hmm, I wonder, what are you exactly?" the voice asked.
"Your executioner," Natsu replied as a grey and purple aura began to glow around him.
"I doubt that will be possible, but I will entertain you for now," the voice laughed.
Natsu saw a hulking black figure stir. Then two white beady eyes opened up and stared at him. Slowly, dark blue lines began to cover the figure.
"Death Dragon's Roar" Natsu yelled and released a swirling vortex of grey and purple at the figure. Something that had the lines covered the creature's eyes.
"You are a few hundred years too early if you think that level of power will take me down," the voice echoed again.
"Death Dragon's Secret Art: Decaying Grasp: Death Dragon's Desolation Roar" Natsu called out. The vortex of grey and purple that came out of Natsu's mouth was five times larger than the previous roar. The same thing that covered the creature's eyes the previous time once again obscured its view.
This time however the creature let out a roar in pain. Natsu could see that whatever the creature used to block his attack was busy decaying.
"I'm impressed, you managed to harm me, now let's see how you handle this," the voice echoed with a bit of pain mixed into the malice.
Natsu saw a bright blue, almost white, energy charging up in what he assumed was the beast's jaws due to the razor-sharp teeth he saw. Thinking quickly Natsu used his shadow magic to sink into the floor as the beam of energy ripped through the area he was just in.
"Hmm, if you leave now I might just let you live, you might prove entertaining in the future once you have gained more strength," the voice said.
"I will end your reign of terror today," Natsu said in defiance. "Death Dragon God's Forbidden Art: Death's Eternal…" Natsu was busy chanting his spell but before he could complete it a claw came out of the shadows and gashed him open. A large gash that ran from his left eye to his left shoulder and then all the way to his right hip opened up.
Natsu screamed in pain as he was flung out of the dark cave. He tumbled down the mountain, leaving blood splats all the way as he fell into unconsciousness.
-Several days later-
Natsu woke up only to find himself in a bed, when he looked around the room he saw a man with light brown hair and green eyes looking down at him with worry in his eyes.
"Don't try and stand up Natsu, you have been gravely injured. You are very fortunate that I was in the same area that you were in. When I found you in a pile of blood-soaked snow I feared for the worst. The snow seemed to have frozen your wound shut temporarily but I brought you back to my home so that I can treat you further," the man explained what happened.
"Thank you, Mike, I owe you my life," Natsu thanked the man.
"Like I said six months ago, I am forever in your debt. If you didn't arrive when you did, my family and I wouldn't be here," Mike replied. He gave Natsu a cup of water to drink and a bowl of soup.
"After you are done eating I want to know what happened," Mike said in a stern voice.
-Back with Natsu and Ultear in the present-
Natsu looked at the face of shock and horror that Ultear had.
"You could have died if it wasn't for Mike," Ultear said after a minute of silence.
"I know, I will forever be grateful to him," Natsu said.
Ultear tried to find the right words for the situation but came up with nothing, so she merely brought Natsu into a loving hug which he returned.
After half an hour of comfortable silence did Ultear finally found some words to say.
"What was the creature that you went to deal with?" Ultear asked.
Natsu let out a heavy sigh, it was clear that he still ridiculed himself for failing to execute that creature.
"Its name is…"
Have fun with that one because this is the end of chapter 10. You can all speculate of what creature this was but I will not reveal it until later on in the story. So up next will be the Tower of Heaven Arc. I am skipping the Loke arc because it doesn't have anything to do with Natsu but it still happens in this fic, just in the background. Leave a review with your thoughts and see you next time.