Chapter 24

'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.

Thank you everyone for your reviews on the pairing, I will address it in the next chapter, but know I will be considering every comment when I make my final decision. Now on to the individual replies.

Amanny: I don't think Ultear will necessarily get along with Gray, but she won't be openly hostile to him later down the line due to some things that will happen but I'm not going to spoil that now. As for Edolas, I will be doing that arc so yes, Natsu will go to Edolas. If you were asking about an Edo-Natsu (the anime version of Edo Natsu will be Edo-Haru) then all I have to say is wait and see hehe.

Kriim-Sauce786: This version fo Natsu isn't as charitable as the anime version when it comes to normal work and he would much rather spend time with Ultear so while he cares for the lives of innocents, he only interferes when the will be killed before they were meant to, at least that is the reason he isn't helping. Natsu doesn't know Black Magic and yes that is where Fairy Law originates from. I will be explaining what happened with Natsu and Fairy Law a bit later in my new arc so you'll have to wait for that one *laughs evilly* and with that comes more explanations of the Law spell and what I might be doing about it. I will definitely keep it in mind that Natsu might learn some spell akin to the Law spell though.

Kirito the black battousai: Natsu's evolution of power might see him achieving the full powers of the ruler of death but if that happens it is still a very long way off.

Vincent blames: Natsu will definitely meet Wendy, not sure if it will be in this arc but oh well. As for who he will be facing, that will depend on how the story evolves in this arc and based on suggestions from you readers, but I will try my utmost to make it awesome.

ZhenieQT: I will be doing the Oracion Seis arc after this one, already have an idea on some of the things that will happen there that I think you will find quite cool.

Lord Voldemort: Don't worry friend, there won't be a large harem, just one or two.

-With Haru and Happy-

Haru had just woken up in his apartment and stretched out the sleep of the previous night. Standing up and patting the waking Happy's head he made his way to the kitchen. Once he entered the kitchen he saw a lacrima on his table.

"Hey Happy, you know what this lacrima is?" Haru asked as his flying companion floated into the kitchen.

"No idea, sure you didn't put it there?" Happy asked as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Let's see what happens when we activate it," Haru said as he poured a little bit of his magic into the lacrima, activating it. A shimmering greyish-black light emanated from the lacrima before a hologram of a person appeared.

"Hey, that's 'Death Walker'," Happy said as the two recognised the powerful death mage.

"Haru Dragion, meet me at the valley known as Triade Valley just outside of Oshibana in three days, there your training will begin. Come alone for this training will take us to areas where most others won't be able to tread," the hologram of Natsu said before disappearing.

The two Fairy Tail mages looked at the empty spot where Natsu's hologram was a few seconds ago with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah, finally," Haru cheered once it registered with him exactly what the message implied.

"So I guess we will be leaving soon," Happy commented.

"Sorry Happy, but he said to come alone. He did say that others won't be able to go where we are going," Haru said as he placed a comforting hand on Happy's head.

"But that surely doesn't include me," Happy said with a hopeful tone.

"Sorry buddy, but I don't think he will see it that way, and I don't want to ruin this opportunity by taking chances," Haru said with a sad expression.

"But who will give me yummy fish if you aren't here?" Happy asked with a sigh, relenting to the fact that he won't be joining Haru on this trip.

"I'll go ask Mira when we go to the guild, I'm sure she will look after you," Haru said with a smile.

"Yay, Mira always gives me tasty fish when I ask," Happy cheered.

"Then let's go see her now," Haru said as he made his way out of his apartment and started the walk to the guildhall. Once they arrived the sun already sat a fair way in the sky, indicating that the day had already started a few hours ago.

Haru and Happy pushed the guild doors open once they arrived and were met with the happy faces of their guildmates. Erza Gray and Lucy were sitting at a table with Lucy holding a piece of paper in her hands. Seeing Haru enter the hall Erza stood up and made her way over to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Hey Haru, Lucy, Gray and I were looking into doing a mission and we wanted to know if you wanted to join us since we already kind of formed a team," Erza said as she walked up to him. Ever since the Deliora incident, the four of them had frequently gone on missions together, forming a powerful team known as Team Erza.

"Sorry Erza, I have to ask Mira to look after Happy before talking to Master," Haru said as he made his way over to the bar where Mira was cleaning a mug.

"And what do you have planned that you can't take Happy on?" Erza asked, knowing that the two are rarely apart.

"Training," Haru shortly responded as he arrived at the bar.

"Hey Mira, mind looking after Happy for me, I'm going to be away for some time, not sure how long," Haru asked the white-haired barmaid.

"Sure I'll watch the little guy. Where are going?" Mira asked as she grabbed a fish from behind the bar and offering it to Happy who immediately accepted it and began gnawing on it while sitting on the bar counter.

"I'm going to be training with someone, the place where we are going isn't safe for most people so I would rather have Happy being taken care of," Haru explained, giving Mira a better explanation than Erza since she will be looking after his buddy.

"Sounds like it can be dangerous so please be careful," Mira replied with a worried look.

"I will," Haru said before he turned and walked towards the Master's office. Erza having heard the conversation between the two looked at Mira.

"Who do you think he is training with?" Erza asked, seeing that she couldn't ask Haru since he was already at the Master's office door.

"I have no idea, but I feel like he is deliberately not saying too much," Mira trailed off as she saw more guild members entering and went to see if they wanted to order anything from the bar leaving Erza alone.

'I will have to question him once he is done with the Master,' Erza thought as she returned to Gray and Lucy. Once she returned to her seat she quickly informed the two that they will have to wait for Haru to finish the business he had with the Master to ask him if he wanted to join. She had taken his answer as a 'We can talk after this,' instead of a 'No thank you, I have other things to do right now.'

-Inside Makarov's office-

Makarov was burying himself in the paperwork for repairing Kardia Cathedral, trying to keep his mind off of him having to expel Laxus. The old man knew there wasn't any other decision but that didn't mean the actually doing it didn't feel like a knife to the heart.

'I'm sorry I failed you Laxus, after expelling Ivan I vowed never to allow something like that to happen again. Sadly it seems, unlike your father, you needed a guiding hand where I should have allowed him a bit more freedom. If only I had a stern talk with you when these rebellious thoughts first came to your mind…' Makarov thought, failing to keep his mind off of that event.

A knock on the door brought Makarov out of his thoughts.

"Enter," Makarov called out. Moments later the door opened revealing Haru.

"What can I do for you, my boy?" Makarov asked as he put his pen down and shifted all his attention to Haru.

"I just wanted to let you know I will be leaving for a while on a training trip," Haru informed the Master.

"That's fine, now who will you be taking with you?" Makarov asked.

"No one will be coming with me. I'm meeting up with someone," Haru informed the Master.

"And who is this person you're meeting up with if you don't mind me asking?" Makarov asked.

"It's N… 'Death Walker'," Haru answered.

Makarov's mind raced as soon as he heard the moniker of that man as he remembered what happened the last time he met him.

-Flashback Start-

"I want to analyse the crystal with my magic, that way I will be able to know more about this, and possibly solve the problem that keeps her soul locked in here," 'Death Walker' said as he opened his eyes and looked at Makarov.

"I can't allow you to do that, I'm sorry but that is something I simply can't allow," Makarov stated as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That wasn't a question Makarov, but there is no need to fear for I will only look, nothing will change regarding her status or that of the lacrima," 'Death Walker' said as he closed his eyes once again.

Starting to gather magic in his hand Makarov was preparing to prevent this man from doing anything to the Fairy Heart, the body of Mavis, with whatever force necessary. 'I will not allow anyone to mess with Fairy Heart. Precht tried for years to revive her and failed, in the process he turned this lacrima into a source of unlimited magic. I'm sorry 'Death Walker' but this is where I start using force since you don't want to listen to my words,' Makarov thought as he felt the magic in his palm rise.

Lifting his hand and pointing it at 'Death Walker' his eyes widened at what he saw.

Standing between himself and 'Death Walker', Makarov saw a person he never thought he would see outside of her current stat. Mavis, the first Master of Fairy Tail and one of the founding members stood before Makarov.

"Don't fear what this man is about to do for he has no malicious intent. I cannot say exactly what is about to happen but I can tell you that is will be beneficial to the magical world at large," Mavis said before disappearing as the crystal that is housing her body took on a darker purple hue.

'That was the first Master. So 'Death Walker' was telling the truth when he said she was still alive…' Makarov thought in disbelief. Makarov felt an uneasy feeling invade in his mind, wondering what this man was doing. Having faith in the First Master's words about his intentions not being malicious in nature, he still had a hard time coming to terms with what this man knew about Fairy Tail's greatest secret.

-End of Flashback-

"Haru, tell me why do you want to go on this training with him?" Makarov asked, wanting to know the reasoning behind what his child is doing as well as discovering what 'Death Walker's' motives might be for making the offer of training Haru.

"Well the situations we found ourselves in recently made me realise where I stack up in power compared to some of the threats out there. I was helpless in fighting Jellal once he reached his full power and if it wasn't for 'Death Walker' stepping in... I don't think we would be here now. With demons like Deliora and people with power levels like Laxus and Jellal threatening our guild, I want to become stronger so that I can keep my family safe. 'Death Walker' is a Dragon Slayer like myself and he knows a lot more from what I have seen about Dragon Slayer Magic. I asked him to train me before the Tower of Heaven thing but he said I needed to improve my current abilities. Before he faced Laxus he must have seen something in me had changed because he said he would train me. This morning he left a message that said to meet him in three days" Haru explained the situation to Makarov.

Makarov was silent for a few moments, processing what Haru just said. He could understand how the boy felt since he himself felt the same being helpless to help his children especially when he heard about Jellal, who was Siegrain, a Wizard Saint, that his children had to face.

"You said you are going alone?" Makarov asked.

"Yeah, 'Death Walker' said that where we will be training, most people won't be able to go there. Not sure what he meant by that but I doubt he said that without reason," Haru said.

"Haru, I know you won't like this but I strongly suggest you take some of our other mages with you. Before you complain, it never hurts to ask and think, if they manage to get stronger as well, then protecting the guild would be much easier since we will have more strong members," Makarov said, not wanting his child to go into who knows what sort of potentially hostile territory without the backup of his family.

"I can't talk on 'Death Walker's' behalf, but I but he will agree to this. If he says no, I won't pressure him and I will go with him alone. This is an opportunity I won't give up because I doubt something like this will ever come by again," Haru said with a sigh before hardening his gaze and gaining a serious expression at the latter part to further emphasise his point.

"I hope it won't turn out that way," Makarov said with a sigh as he motioned to Haru that he can leave.

"If I know when the training will end I will send word," Haru said as she exited the room.

'I hope that 'Death Walker' isn't trying to do something malicious. Honestly, I don't think that he is, it's just this business with the Fairy Heart and Mavis has me on edge and it would ease my mind if some other members were there as well to monitor Haru since he sometimes acts without thinking,' Makarov thought with a sigh before returning to the paperwork, adding this new development to the list of things he wanted his mind off of.

-With Team Erza-

The three were still seated at their table, the request they were thinking of taking not their top priority anymore, that spot now belonging to what Haru was talking to the Master about. He had dismissed Erza Scarlet, barely acknowledging her existence, so to say something was up would be an understatement.

Seeing Haru walking out of the Maser's office, Erza was immediately on her way towards him with a stern expression.

"Haru," Erza said in a threatening tone which sent shivers down the male's spine.

"Oh, hey there Erza," Haru squeaked out in fear, hoping the terrifying woman won't pummel him into the ground.

"If you tell me what is going on, I will overlook your rudeness, otherwise I will have to punish you," Erza said with a dark look on her face.

"O-Of course, why don't you go sit at the table with Gray and Lucy while I ask Mira to get you some Strawberry Cake?" Haru suggested hoping that offering the woman her favourite desert will calm her down.

"That is very nice of you Haru," Erza said with a pleasant smile at the prospect of engorging herself with the most glorious dish to grave mankind, at least that is her opinion on the matter.

Haru quickly ran to the bar while Erza returned to her table. Moments later Haru appeared at the table with a slice of Strawberry Cake for the red-haired knight. Back at the bar a giggling Mira and a laughing Happy could be seen.

"Now, tell us what's going on," Erza demanded as she took a bite of the cake as a smile graced her features.

"This morning I got a message from 'Death Walker'. He told me to meet him outside of Oshibana in three days," Haru started.

"What would he want with you flame-brain?" Gay asked. Haru was about to return the insult to the Ice mage but a glare from Erza quickly stopped him.

"He is going to train me," Haru replied, doing his utmost not to insult Gray and incurring Erza's wrath.

"And what did the Master say about this?" Erza asked.

"He said that I should take some mages with me to train alongside, but I don't think that is how things will play out," Haru answered.

"And how do you think things will play out?" Lucy asked.

"The best case I can realistically see playing out is 'Death Walker' just taking me and still training me, leaving whoever comes along behind, worst case he just walks away since I didn't follow his instructions and never make an offer like that again," Haru said.

"Why would he just walk away after offering to train you?" Era asked, confused at the idea that Natsu would just walk away from the offer if someone else shows up with Haru.

"He asked me to come alone, but Master said I should take others with me. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you came with me and trained alongside me but I doubt that would change 'Death Walker's' mind," Haru explained.

"This sounds kind of fishy. Why would he want you to come alone," Lucy said with a weary tone.

"I think it's just how he is, you know how secretive he can be," Haru replied. Erza nodded in agreement with Haru since she knew first-hand how secretive the man could be seeing the measures he took when he revealed his real name to her as a sign of trust.

"Back to Masters suggesting taking more mages with you to train, have you thought of anyone you would ask?" Erza questioned.

"If I had to choose…" Haru started.

"Which you have to," Gray interrupted getting an angered stare from Haru.

"… then I'd choose you guys, well maybe not Gray," Haru continued before narrowing his eyes at the Ice mage during his last statement.

"Then I guess we get ready and move to Oshibana as soon as possible. If Haru's assumptions are right concerning 'Death Walker' only taking him to train the rest of us can still train in the area. I know there are a few decent places to terrain around Oshibana," Erza said as she stood up having already finished the slice of cake Haru got her.

"We still have a day and a half before we have to board the train so that we are in Oshibana in three days, why don't we go on a job to get some money?" Haru suggested.

"That sounds like a plan, now I will go find a job while you three get ready to leave, I will meet you all at the train station in thirty minutes. Don't be late,' Erza said, letting a slightly threatening tone enter her voice at the end. With that, the members of Team Erza went to their respective homes in preparation for whatever mission Erza chose for them.

-With Natsu-

Natsu made his way into the hotel room he, Ultear and Ur were sharing in Magnolia. The Fantasia parade the day before had tired the two women out, leading to Natsu taking a stroll through the town in the early morning hours. He had used this time to deliver a lacrima with a message to Haru concerning the training e promised the young slayer.

Walking into the room Natsu saw that Ultear was starting to stir in the bed they shared while Ur was still fast asleep in her bed. Natsu could see Ultear feeling the spot where he had slept with a hand before she opened her eyes and started scanning the room for her man.

A smile graced her face as she laid her eyes on Natsu, who smiled in return. Sitting up, Ultear rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as Natsu took a seat next to her on the bed.

"Sleep well?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, how about you?" Ultear asked with a cute yawn.

"Yes, once Ur wakes up there is something I want to discuss with the two of you," Natsu said as he brought Ultear into an embrace, leaning back and allowing Ultear to rest against his chest.

"I'll have to report back to Master Hades some time as well. The leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory can't just vanish from the face of the earth," Ultear said with a giggle at the end.

"Do you know how your commitments are going to be now, seeing that you aren't part of the Magic Council anymore?" Natsu asked his mate.

"I think Master Hades would expect me to be around more, at least that will allow me to spend more time with Meredy," Ultear said with a happy smile at the end, not having spent a lot of time with the girl while she was busy with the Magic Council and all the other assignments Hades had sent her on.

"Mind telling me a bit about Meredy?" Natsu asked after seeing the happy expression on Ultear's face when she mentioned spending time with her adoptive daughter.

"She is a wonderful child. She can be quite cut off and unemotional when she is around the guild, but when she is alone with me she is a happy and cheerful person bubbling with child-like wonder and excitement. She is actually turning thirteen soon," Ultear said with a bright smile.

"Hopefully an adequate opportunity presents itself that will allow the two of you to shed your connections with that dark guild before her birthday," Natsu whispered.

"It would be a dream come true for me if she can enjoy her teenage year as a free person…" Ultear whispered, barely audible but Natsu heard. Natsu squeezed the woman in her arms comfortingly as he heard the hurt in her voice.

"I promise, I will do everything in my power to make that dream a reality," Natsu softly said as he placed a gently kiss on Ultear's cheek. Turning her head Ultear looked Natsu in the eyes with a stray tear in her eye.

"I'm a horrible person. I took a young child and brought her with me to a Dark guild after we destroyed her village," Ultear whispered out as tears started flowing due to her realising exactly what she did when she took Meredy in.

"You aren't a horrible person Ultear, you saved that little girl who had nothing. And don't try and say that if you didn't attack the village that she would still have her home because we both know that your guild would have attacked that place, with or without you. If it wasn't for your action taking her in she would have surely perished. You gave her a home and helped her grow. Sure the place where she is isn't the best but that is a lot better than being left alone in a desolate city with only the dead around you," Natsu softly said as a faraway look flashed in his eyes for a second.

"Why do you always do this?" Ultear asked with teary eyes and a smile, feeling better because of what Natsu said.

"Because you are precious to me and I hate to see you sad and beating yourself up over things that happened. The past is events done, no changing them. The present is already too late to change. The only thing we still hold control over is the future, we hold the power to direct the future to a present we want, and it is out choices that hold that power. Your choice to seek a way to get Meredy out of that dark guild is you utilising that power to better her future so that one day she can have a happy present, free from the darkness that currently surrounds her. My choice to help you is me utilising that power to ensure that you can have that happy present with her. So stop dwelling in your past mistakes and actively seek a future to work towards," Natsu said, hoping his words can vanquish the sorrow in her heart.

Grabbing a hold of Natsu Ultear hugged the man she loved as tears poured from her eyes, dampening Natsu's shoulder. Natsu returned the embrace as he comforted his mate. A dark look crossed his face as he stared into the distance over her shoulder. Those how caused his mate harm will feel the full power of death incarnate.

-In a dark throne room-

A figure stood surrounded in darkness while another sat on a throne.

"You have your next assignment," the figure on the throne said.

"I will ensure it is completed, and what about the lot I'm working with?" the standing figure asked.

"They are inconsequential. Whether they succeed or fail, it matters not," the figure on the throne answered.

"Then I will get going," The standing figure said before exiting the room.

-With Natsu and Ultear-

Ultear had cried herself to sleep in Natsu's embrace, the stress of her emotions being too much for her. She had continued describing Meredy to Natsu before her overflow of emotion became too much and all that followed was incoherent sobs all the while Natsu held her tight in support and offering soft words of comfort.

Natsu looked over to the bed Ur had slept in and was met with the sad eyes of the short-haired woman.

"Her life has been so hard…" Ur trailed off, having heard some of the conversation her daughter had with Natsu.

"She is a strong woman, having been able to cope with all that. I'm glad that she is willing to open up to me about these things," Natsu said with a soft smile towards the sleeping Ultear.

"I don't really know my daughter that well yet, but from what I've seen I know she holds you close to her heart and she places the utmost trust in you," Ur said with a smile.

"I just hope an opportunity presents itself soon so that I can get her and Meredy out of that guild," Natsu said with a dark look flashing in his eyes before he looked down to Ultear with concern and love once again. 'I don't want to be that guild once he comes for them,' Ur thought when she saw the dark look in his eyes.

For another hour Ur and Natsu talked about random topics, just passing the time while waiting for Ultear to wake up.

"Taraka Village has a great view over the mountains," Natsu said as Ultear started to stir. A smile graced his features as he looked down at his mate.

"Feeling better?" Natsu softly asked as Ultear's eyes opened.

"A bit," Ultear replied.

"Morning Ultear," Ur greeted her daughter with a smile.

"Morning, I hope I didn't bother you with my little breakdown," Ultear greeted her mother before softly adding the last part with an embarrassed tone.

"Don't worry you didn't bother me at all, but if you want to talk to someone and Natsu isn't here, I will always lend an ear," Ur offered with the concern only a mother can show for their children.

"Thanks, Mom, I will," Ultear smiled.

"Now that the two of you are awake, I'm going to be giving Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer some training three days from now. The kid never had the chance to complete his training and his convictions tells me he will use his powers to better the world," Natsu announced.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Ultear asked.

"No, the place we will be training isn't a place many can reach and Dragon Slayer Magic is almost a requirement to get there," Natsu said.

"Why did you say almost a requirement?" Ur asked, finding his wording odd.

"Having Dragon Slayer Magic changes the physical properties of a mage like a physically stronger body, quicker healing factor and various changes to their anatomy to accommodate for their magic and element. To reach the place we will be going to puts a massive amount of strain on your body and most mages would falter, but that is where the 'almost' comes in. If a mage is physically strong enough they can potentially reach this place providing they know what to look for and where to go," Natsu explained.

"That makes sense. Well, Ultear, you mentioned that you would like to freshen up on your Ice-Make magic and I need to get back into the groove of being a mag after my 10-year nap, so why don't we take this time to go training as well?" Ur said before turning to her daughter with a grin and making the offer.

"I'll have to talk to Master Hades first, I don't want to raise any sort of suspicion that I'm not devoted to his guild since he might take it out on Meredy…" Ultear trailed off.

"IF you can't come don't worry about it your first priority here should be the girl's safety," Ur reassured her daughter.

"Ultear, when will you be going back to your guild?" Natsu asked.

"They expect me back later today, so I think after breakfast I will make my way over to them," Ultear answered with a grin as she suggested breakfast.

"Fine, I happen to pass a nice looking bakery on my walk this morning," Natsu sighed before shifting Ultear off of him and getting up. Ultear pouted at her comfortable cushion moving away.

"Hey you did say you wanted breakfast," Ur giggled when she saw her daughter's pout.

With a huff, Ultear got up and started to get her things together that she needed to prepare for the day. Ur shook her head before following her daughter's lead and went to prepare for the day.

An hour later the three walked into the bakery, having cleared their things from the hotel and returned the keys.

"I'll go find us a table while the two of you go order us some breakfast," Natsu said as they walked into the bakery.

"Anything specific you want?" Ultear asked.

"No, you choose," Natsu answered as he went to find a table while Ur followed Ultear.

"Thank you for the continued support miss Scarlet, I hope to see you soon," Ultear heard a man say, stopping in her tracks. 'I will not be walking into those Fairies today, I have no time for their questions that they are bound to have,' Ultear thought as she quickly scanned the store. Spotting a bead of red hair near the exit Ultear let out a sigh of relief.

"How may I help you two lovely ladies?" a male voice asked. Ultear turned to see a short stocky man in a white uniform looking at them with a pleasant smile and a full moustache.

"We are here to get some breakfast, do you have any recommendations on what's good?" Ur asked.

"A wonderful meal breakfast, I would recommend either one of assortments of muffins, we pride ourselves in having a flavour to suit every customer's taste, or if you are looking for something more savoury, out meaty pies are top-notch," the baker said with a hearty laugh.

"I'll simply have to take you up on the muffins, what would you recommend for me, I want a taste that would bring me back to the snowy north where I lived some time ago?" Ur asked.

"Hmm, yes the cold surroundings and the fresh feel of cold air on your face. Let me think… Ah yes, I would recommend our Banana Muffin covered with a nice coating of melted butter along with our mint and orange jam," the baker recommended.

"That sound absolutely wonderful," Ur said with a happy look in her eye.

"And what about you miss?" the baker asked Ultear.

"I'd like a blueberry muffin with apricot jam please, and I think our male companion would like one of your meaty pies," Ultear replied.

"Wonderful, please wait a minute while I get your orders," the baker said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Ur and Ultear waited in comfortable silence, with Ultear thinking about what she would say to Hades while Ur was reminiscing of her time training Gray and Lyon as she began to think how wonderful it would be to finally get to show her daughter the beauty of Ice-Make Magic.

The baker soon returned with three boxes with their orders inside and waved them off, wishing them a pleasant dining experience.

"Ur, I'm going to go by Mike's place if you want to join me before I head out in three days, they said you are welcome to stay with them whenever you need," Natsu said after the two women sat down and handed him his food.

"I would appreciate it. Ultear do you think you will be able to get everything in order with your guild in two days, then we can meet up somewhere for the training?" Ur accepted Natsu's proposal before asking her daughter the question.

"If everything goes over smoothly, then yes. But I think the best would be if I just meet you at Mike's home since I can't say for sure how long it will take me to get things in order and convince Hades to give me extra time off of missions," Ultear said.

"All right," Ur smiled as she took a bite of her muffin. Her eyes widened as the flavours rushed her mouth and she felt the freshness from the jam reminding her of the fresh and cool morning air she was once surrounded by.

"That man didn't lie," Ur commented in amazement.

"I heard people saying this place has something for every pallet," Natsu said as he enjoyed his pie while Ultear nearly drowned her muffin in the apricot jam she asked for.

The three enjoyed their breakfast after which they made their way to the train station. Once they arrived Natsu and Ultear went to buy their tickets while Ur waited for them at a bench.

"Stay safe Ultear," Natsu said to his mate before giving her a hug which she quickly returned.

"I will," Ultear replied, giving Natsu a quick kiss that he returned immediately before the two released one another from the embrace and went to their designated trains.

"Come on Ur, our train leaves in a few minutes so we can go get our eats," Natsu said to the woman as he made his way to the train.

-Grimoire Heart Airship-

"Ah Ultear, welcome back," a tall elderly man with long, slicked back, silvery-white hair and a white moustache greeted Ultear as she entered the Command deck of the airship that was the Grimoire Heart Guildhall.

"Master Hades, thank you for meeting me so soon after I returned," Ultear said with a small bow.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something," Hades said. He stood up from his chair and started to walk over to the woman. He was clad in a dark shirt with armoured shoulder pads and shiny gauntlets, a pair of simple light coloured pants with a flame pattern at the bottom, held up by a golden belt finishing his wardrobe was a large dark cape with the Grimoire Heart symbol on the back and an eyepatch over his right eye.

"Yes, it concerns the Fairy Tail guild," Ultear said while keeping a calm expression.

"And what news do you have of them?" Hades asked, showing interest in the renowned light Guild.

"They have gone through a civil war of sorts. Laxus Dreyar and his team attempted to usurp the guild by force but they were ultimately stopped by the mages and one outsider," Ultear informed him.

"This is interesting, do you know what the fallout is, and who is this outsider you mentioned?" Hades asked as interest sparked in his eye.

"From what I heard, Laxus was excommunicated, meaning the guild has lost one of their most powerful S-Class mages. As for the outsider, I have already mentioned him to you, 'Death Walker'," Ultear said. A smirk had appeared on Hades' face when he heard of the loss in strength Fairy Tail had suffered, but it quickly faded when 'Death Walker' was mentioned.

"What is the relationship between Fairy Tail and that man?" Hades demanded. If for some reason he joined forces with them, all his plans would require extra security and that would set them back quite a bit on their path to obtaining the Grand Magic World.

"I have no intel on that, but from what I observed there isn't necessarily a relationship between them. 'Death Walker' only joined the battle when Laxus had threatened the citizens of Magnolia, how long he had been there prior to that I cannot say," Ultear said.

"We can't rule out the option that he is allied with them, but it seems more likely that he was acting on his own accord and was simply at the right place and at the right time concerning helping Fairy Tail," Hades concluded, feeling himself calm down since the chances of an alliance between them was low, meaning that his plans can continue without alterations or extra security.

"We can't completely dismiss the possibility of 'Death Walker' becoming a nuisance since he had a hand in a few of our failed attempts at causing disruptions for the light guilds. I want to request time to go and train myself," Ultear requested.

"Why would you think that you require more power and where would you go if you went to train?" Hades asked with a frown.

"As for the reason, 'Death Walker' is an exceptionally powerful mage and if he were to be placed in terms of strength it would be an insult if he wasn't placed at a Wizard Saint's level. This is why I want to train myself. As for where it is a place that would aid in furthering the magic I have left unused up until now," Ultear answered with a calm yet serious expression.

"I will take your word for his power scaling. But for you to use the magic you said yourself you hated, what brought on this change of heart?" Hades asked with a calculating gaze.

"While my Arc of Time magic is exceptional, it has come to my attention that it lacks in certain areas like defence. Using another magic that will be able to cover these flaws would make me a lot more powerful in terms of dealing with opponents that might have a way around my time manipulation magic," Ultear explained.

"Sound reasoning and you are in a fortunate position regarding that with you already knowing how to use another magic, meaning you don't have to start from scratch. I will allow you to go and train. I would suggest you stay away from the Worth Woodsea since that is where the Oracion Seis will be undertaking their next big mission," Hades replied after a moment of thought and telling Ultear about the Oracion Seis.

"Thank you, Master," Ultear said before Hades waved his hand, dismissing her.

'I will have to keep my eye on that one'

There you go my readers, another chapter. Who could it be that had that closing thought and who were they referring to? Well, here we have the start of an original arc that I will be writing focused on expanding some relationships between characters and explaining a few things that pertain to Natsu and Mavis. Stay tuned to see how things will play out and to find out how Team Erza meeting Natsu will go at Oshibana. I think I will be making a decision in the next chapter regarding Natsu and his mate/mates. Leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you in the next one.