(And I have officially caught up in transferring this story over to Fanfiction! I am still working on the next chapter, so it'll come out a bit slower, but I hope y'all will enjoy it when it does!)

Before he left with the other Fires, Natsu took a moment to glide down towards the city.

"Natsu!" Lucy forced her way through the crowd, then hugged his neck once he landed. "What's going on? Who- Who are those-?"

"We're leaving.." he said. "That Dragon up there, the big red regal-looking one.. That's my father.. He's taking me.. to the Fire Kingdom… I-I'm going home, Lucy.."

Lucy sniffled, wiping her eyes. She wanted to cry, to beg him not to go, to insist that he was home, but that all felt selfish. If Natsu wanted to leave, to find the home he was taken from all those years ago, then she had no right to stop him. She tightened her grip on his neck, "You'll.. you'll come back.. right? To visit?"

"I don't know.." he admitted. "But I knew I couldn't leave without telling you.."

"Promise me.. even if you don't come back.. to never forget about me..?" she asked. Natsu nodded, "I won't. As long as you don't forget about me either," he nuzzled her.

"I'm gonna miss you.." she cried into his neck. He closed his eyes, "I know.. I'll miss you too.."

She hiccuped, then finally let him go, "I really wish you wouldn't go.. but.. this is your home we're talking about.. So go on.. Go see your home.. go meet your family.."

xXxOxXx

Lucy's words rang in Natsu's mind as he flew alongside Igneel. Atlas Flame had taken the other six and led them away to their respective homes–and, true to his word, sent the other, nasty Fire away with the promise that if he left peacefully, he'd get to keep living–leaving Igneel to take his son back to their own home.

The thought that he'd likely never get to see any of them again–that he'd never get to hear Lucy's voice ever again–was almost too much. It made him want to go back to Magnolia.

But every time he turned his head to face back to the city, Igneel would clear his throat and remind him, "Eyes forward, Natsu," which set Natsu back on track.

And even then, he couldn't keep his eyes forward. Not completely. He kept his gaze on the ground below them as they flew overhead. This was not lost on Igneel.

"Natsu. Look at me," he said. When Natsu did as he requested, he continued, "I understand this feels difficult, but I'm sure you'll feel better once you're finally home. Everybody has missed you. They'll be thrilled to see you alive and well."

Natsu nodded, "Yeah.. but I'm going to miss everybody back home- er.. Back in Magnolia," he admitted quietly.

"I understand.." Igneel said, "It's a type of feeling that never quite goes away, but we will help you come to terms with it, I promise."

"Okay.." Natsu nodded again.

With that, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence, but Natsu was still feeling lost. He wished he had kept his emotions in check when confronted with this new reality. His immediate reaction was to get angry at Irene. After all, she knew where he had come from, but never told him.

Now that he had time to clear his head, he couldn't stop the regret that made his stomach churn. Irene never gave him any reason to believe she was a thief, but he was quick to believe it anyway, solely because a Fire claiming to be his father told him so.

He was such a fool.

And the others knew it too. The terms he left off on with them weren't any better. They were angry that he had jumped to conclusions so quickly.

"You are always so impulsive, Natsu," he heard Jude's voice in his mind.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you act without thinking…" Jude had explained. Natsu remembered tilting his head and asking, "Is that.. bad..?"

"Depends on the circumstance. Sometimes, there is no time for rational thought and one must act impulsively. But other times, acting on impulse hurts those around us, regardless of what we had intended.."

Natsu shook his head and did his best to keep his eyes forward, which became a lot easier when he spotted a thick cloud of smoke on the horizon. "What is that? Did something happen?"

"No. That's just the outer wall to our home. It keeps any non-Fire-related elements out. They can't see through or breathe in the smoke," Igneel explained. "An unintentional barrier, but one we'll gladly benefit from either way."

"Doesn't sound very effective… what if they get through anyway?" Natsu asked.

"I don't know why they would want to. Most other elements cannot stand the heat of our Kingdom. We'd have to be at war for it to be a concern," Igneel stated.

'Like with the Sages…' Natsu thought. "Have the Fires been at war with anyone as of late?"

"No, and as long as any reasonable Dragon stays in charge, we won't have to for a long time."

What a weird way to word that. "Any reasonable Dragon? Are there unreasonable Dragons trying to take your place?"

Igneel hummed, but didn't say anything for a long moment. After a while of thinking, he let out a heavy sigh, "Dragon Royals are always faced with the threat of being usurped. Should someone challenge me in battle and win, they'll become the next leader. Many unreasonable Dragons who doubt my way of ruling will always take their shot. But I have not been bested yet."

"Oh.. I see.." Natsu nodded, then stared back ahead to the horizon. As they got closer to the smoke wall, he watched Igneel disappear inside it, before hesitantly following.

He quickly understood what Igneel meant by it being a barrier. Natsu tried to inhale and instead went into a coughing fit, and he could barely see. He aggressively flapped his wings, trying to push himself through the wall.

By the time he finally made it through, he was wheezing, coughing, and trying to wipe the tears from his watering eyes.

"Are you okay?" Igneel asked.

Natsu let out a wheezing breath, then said, "I'll be fine.. Ugh.."

"A Fire that can't handle smoke.. I apologize, I should've known," Igneel said. "I will help you build up your tolerance to it, but for now, you are out of it for the most part. Any other pillars of smoke can be easily avoided."

"Yeah.." Natsu rubbed his face. Once his vision finally cleared, he glanced around at the land curiously. Large mountains with intricate structures carved into them surrounded by scorched land. Had he been born here, he might've found it beautiful, but given his actual circumstances, he just found the scorched land to be bittersweet.

This was home, but at the same time, it felt so wrong.

"Follow me, Natsu. I'll bring you home," Igneel said, then started moving again.

Natsu shook his head–after all, it was probably just some funny feeling he had from being relocated into a new home and having his old life upended before his eyes–and continued after Igneel.

He watched the large Fire King fly into a building carved into a mountain, and quickly followed him in. It looked so much bigger inside than the outside entrance led him to believe. The only decorations were Dragon statues that could be carved out of the walls with torch flames inside their open mouths.

It was surprisingly darker and colder inside, but Natsu was certain that it was just him. "Where are we going?" he asked, watching as Igneel landed.

"Nowhere. We are already here," Igneel explained as Natsu landed next to him. "Welcome home, Natsu."

Natsu decided to take the next few moments in order to properly examine everything now that he didn't have to worry about keeping himself afloat. How incredibly massive everything was made his head spin, and it was then that he noticed how big the Dragons themselves were. Igneel towered over him, rivaling that of even Belserion's height.

It made him feel oddly self-conscious. Natsu himself wasn't even taller than Gajeel, or even Laxus–which was made worse in hindsight since Laxus was so much smaller than Natsu as a hatchling. He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Why am I so short compared to everybody here?" he asked out of nowhere.

"At your age, your height is common. Fires grow slowly but we never stop growing. Most other Elemental Races will stop at a certain point, if at all."

"None of the Dragons I saw back home were your height," Natsu pointed out. "Or the height of most other Dragons I saw here.."

"They're also different Elements or younger than I am," Igneel reminded him. "I am, quite miraculously, old for a Fire. My own parents didn't last nearly as long as I did."

"Is it normal for Fires to…" Natsu trailed off, unsure if he wanted to finish his question.

"Die young? Not necessarily. I'm not the oldest Dragon here by any means. By the Eternal Flame, I'm only four-hundred years myself."

Natsu choked, "W-wait what? Only four-hundred years? How can you say that so casually?"

Igneel chuckled lightly, then kept moving forward.

"I wonder how the others are doing.." Natsu murmured. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of them.

"The other six?" Igneel asked.

"Yeah.." Natsu nodded.

"Given the circumstances, them being found is for the best for their respective Kingdoms," Igneel explained. "Once it's brought to light that it was the Sages and the humans who stole their eggs, they'll cease their wars with other Dragon Kingdoms."

"The Sages and the humans didn't.." Natsu paused. "What do you mean by wars?"

"The Dragon that stole the seven of you left behind traces of magic to frame other Elements. The Poisons and Irons have been at war ever since that fateful night, and the Lightnings have been threatening war with the Skies.. But now, they no longer have a reason to. It will take years for the animosity to fade, but no more lives will be lost."

"So will my friends be safe?"

"Hopefully, yes," Igneel assured him. "I wouldn't worry about it. What we need to worry about now is to get you settled. You still need to meet the rest of your family!" the larger Fire said as excitement filled his voice. "Your brothers and mother. Oh, your mother will be so happy to hear that you're alive!"

"My mother…?" Natsu hesitated.

"Yes. She ran into the Hatchery after hearing that your egg had been stolen. Unfortunately, this set off a trap which went off, destroying the Hatchery, killing the remaining eggs and nearly killing her.." Igneel looked down mournfully, "It'll be a great relief to her to see you."

"And this trap, it was..?"

"Made using Sage magic."

"Did anybody actually see this Dragon?" Natsu pressed. He needed answers. He needed to assure himself that it wasn't Irene's doing.

"Admittedly, no.." Igneel admitted. "But that magic is as unmistakable as it was powerful. If it wasn't Queen Irene who stole you, then it was of her stronger Dragons. Possibly Belserion himself."

"Is it possible that you'd believe that it wasn't-"

"It's nothing we need to worry about as of right now," Igneel interrupted. "We will discuss this again later. Right now, it is time for celebration, not crime. Once the Kingdom hears about your return, everybody will be happy. We'll have a party lasting days! Are you excited?"

"I'm not sure.. I've never really been the life of a party before," Natsu admitted. He remembered the Dragons back home treating him with disdain. After all, he didn't belong in their city, and they made him well aware of that. Only a handful of the adults treated him and the others with respect, and even less dragonets did the same.

He wasn't entirely sure how to handle being the reason for celebration instead of disdain.

"Well, you'll be the life of the Kingdom here," Igneel said.

"Yeah.." Natsu nodded.

"But first, let's go meet your family."

Somehow, that word didn't resonate with Natsu the way he hoped it would.

xXxOxXx

Natsu followed Igneel into a large room. The midst of the room was a large nest compiled of a lot of really soft looking materials. Inside the nest was a large Dragon with charcoal-black scales and a rosy-pink mane similar to Natsu's own. Next to the nest was another Dragon with similarly colored scales to the one in the nest, as well as a mane of his own, but his was pitch black instead of rosy-pink. Other than his coloring, he looked so surprisingly similar to Natsu that it made the younger Fire's head hurt.

Igneel cleared his throat, "Apologies for the sudden intrusion, but there is something I wanted you to know."

The Dragon in the nest let out a heavy sigh, before pushing herself up just enough to roll over, "What is it, Igneel….?" she asked, sounding exhausted. The smaller Fire next to her looked up, "Did the job go well-?" he paused abruptly, lowering his gaze to stare at Natsu once he noticed him.

With all eyes on him and Igneel not saying anything, Natsu slowly spoke up, "Uhh… hi..?"

"Is that him?" the nest-ridden Dragon sat up–Natsu could practically see her muscles straining with the effort of doing so–and lowered her head down towards him. "Tell me, dragonet, what is your name..?"

"Natsu.." he answered, trying not to avert his gaze. Her body looked weak, but her eyes were filled with a blaze.

"Natsu.." she leaned back, "What a beautiful name.."

"What's your name?" Natsu asked.

"I go by many names. Some call me Firesoul, while others call me 'Her Majesty,'" she smirked with a chuckle, "But you, Little Flame, may call me mother."

"M-mother.." Natsu choked.

"Wait, he's.. He.. You're the missing prince!" the other Fire ran up to Natsu excitedly. Natsu immediately stepped back once the larger Dragon ran up to him. Fortunately, the other noticed, "Oh, sorry, my bad.. My name is Zeref. I'm your brother!"

"I have a brother?" Natsu asked.

"Well, you have two, actually, but Ignia stopped visiting mother a while back.." Zeref sighed. "He's been so busy with things he won't tell us about.."

Igneel let out a growl, "That Dragon never could focus on the important things in life. Makes me wonder where I went wrong as his father.."

"You can do the best you can and your child will still turn out however they want to. You shouldn't blame yourself for who he's become, father," Zeref said. "Ignia has been leaving the Kingdom for months at a time as of late. He's always gone for longer and longer. I wish he'd tell me what he was doing.."

"Do you guys... not trust this… Ignia?" Natsu asked hesitantly. Zeref shook his head, "I want to say no. I really want to say no.." he admitted, very slowly and very hesitantly. "I wish I knew what he was up to. What he was doing."

"He's constantly running off, doing things for months at a time, and he won't tell anybody?" Natsu asked.

"No matter," Firesoul said. "I'll send a messenger for him, but if he ends up missing your return because of his vacations, then so be it. He can only blame himself," she scoffed.

"Indeed. Meanwhile, Zeref, can you show Natsu around the Kingdom?" Igneel asked. "Hopefully by the time you two get back, his room will be ready."

"Of course!" Zeref said, sounding excited as his wings fluttered slightly. Firesoul took a moment to nuzzle Natsu's head, "Be sure to visit me. I want… No, I need to know more about you, my son."

"I'll try- No, I will," Natsu nodded. Firesoul smiled–as well as she could, at least–then went back to laying down. Natsu could swear she seemed so much more lively than when he first showed up.

"Follow me," Zeref gestured with his tail for Natsu to follow, before walking out. Natsu sprinted after him, then tried to match Zeref's pace. "Isn't this exciting? I can't imagine how you must feel! You'll get to meet everybody- Or is that too much too soon? Would it be best to show you around the palace today and the Kingdom tomorrow? Or do you want everything done right off the bat?"

"Palace today, Kingdom tomorrow?" Natsu offered. Zeref nodded, "Yeah, that's probably best. It was a long flight, so you need to rest before getting into all of the exciting stuff."

After a while of walking–which felt longer than it probably was–Zeref stopped in the same hall Natsu was first taken into and spread his wings, gesturing to it, "I'm sure you've already seen this. This is our main entrance hallway."

Zeref's voice trailed off as the two went around the palace. Natsu felt guilty that he was practically ignoring his brother–a brother who was absolutely excited to see him alive and well, no less–but his thoughts were running a mile a minute and everything was difficult to come to terms with.

Something gently nudged him, startling him out of his daydreaming. "Huh?"

"Are you.. okay?" Zeref asked, looking concerned. "You look kind of out of it…" he said, sitting with his tail tucked over his talons.

"Sorry. Just lost in thought… All of this is just so much. I have a family, a home.. The past week has been wild for me," he admitted, looking at the ground while shuffling his wings slightly.

"I see," Zeref nodded as understanding glimmered in his ruby-red eyes. "We can go see if your room is ready. If not, you can stay in mine for a while to settle down. I can only imagine how this must feel. By the Eternal Flame, I don't think I'd be handling this as well as you are."

"The Eternal Flame?" Natsu asked, lifting his head while Zeref stood, leading him back into the main hall. "Yep. It's the most important thing our Kingdom has. That flame sits at the top of the mountain our home is carved into. It protects us, gives us warmth, and there are even rumors of it granting us abilities."

"Wow, what kind of abilities?" Natsu blinked.

"Well.. depends on who you ask. Some say it grants immortality, while others say it makes you stronger, faster, just overall better. Flare insists up and down that it granted her some special magic."

"What kind of magic?" Natsu asked, speeding up slightly to match Zeref's pace.

"I'm not entirely sure. Something to do with her fur. No matter! You can ask her yourself when you meet her. For now, let's just get you settled in!" Zeref fluttered his wings, then jogged ahead. Natsu chuckled quietly, not having expected such an energetic Dragon for a sibling.

Then again, he honestly didn't know what to expect. He didn't even think about having siblings, much less what they were like.

And in all honesty, he still doesn't know what to expect. All he can hope is that it's for better instead of worse.