"What are they doing so close to Magnolia?!"

"Everybody hide!"

"They can't get inside! Nobody panic!"

Irene pushed herself up, watching the others take off into the air around her. She quickly followed on land, trying to help ease the panic.

"Mom!" Erza cried, running from their house to her, "What's going on?!"

"I don't know.." she admitted. She glanced up, trying to find a scout to explain what was happening. While she didn't find any adult Dragons, she did spot Sting and Laxus.

"You two, down here!" she called, "What's going on?!"

"Fire Dragons!" Laxus exclaimed, hovering down to her. Sting followed suit, "One of the scouts reported three Fires flying this way! They've never come here before! One.. one of them was the Feral that attacked us weeks ago.. He came back, and brought others with him!"

"But why?!" Erza asked.

So the Feral must've come back for revenge, then. Nothing to fuss over.

"One of the other scouts said that one of them looked like a.. 'King Igneel'?" Laxus said, sounding shaken.

Irene froze. No. It couldn't be. Was he really coming back again to destroy another home of hers? Not again…

She quickly shook her head, trying to regain composure. They couldn't get into the city, if they were even trying to get in at all. Igneel wouldn't waste his time getting revenge on a bunch of kids for the sake of another Fire. But he was obviously here for a reason…

"Natsu," she gasped.

"Huh?" the three younger Dragons looked at her. She inhaled sharply, then asked, "Where's Natsu?!"

"W-we don't know," Sting admitted. "Lucy said he was with you.."

"He was, but he left not long ago.. We need to find him before those Feral Fires see him!"

Irene–not waiting for a response–ran on ahead. How could Igneel have found out? Had he just been searching this whole time? She couldn't say she blamed him, but if he spotted Natsu, he'd stop at nothing to get through the barrier.

She didn't know the Fire King all that well, but considering he had been willing to burn her home to the ground and kill her Dragons, she didn't want to take the risk that he'd try the same here.

xXxOxXx

Natsu flew aimlessly around the edges of the barrier after leaving Irene. He couldn't explain it, but something about her hesitant response didn't sit right with him. She was so blunt in her refusal to help escort him outside, and then so hesitant when he asked her to help otherwise.

He didn't want to assume things, but it felt as if she was hiding something from him.

His train of thought came to an abrupt end when he heard the uproar in the city. Immediately concerned, he took off back towards the city.

Natsu landed, trying to grab anybody's attention, "Hey! HEY! What's going on?!"

He growled, reaching out and grabbing the first Dragon he spotted, Amris. "What's going on, why is-? Umph!" he grunted as she lashed out, knocking him back with her tail, "Stay away from me! You brought them here, Feral!" she hissed, then took off into the air.

Natsu growled irritably, but even he had to admit that how she reacted was weird. She was hateful, sure, but that was something else. "What..?" he muttered quietly, then glanced up.

He watched Jellal fly by and flew up to him, grabbing his tail, "Hey!"

Jellal violently flinched, whirling around. "Natsu?! What are you doing out here?!"

"What's going on?!" Natsu demanded impatiently.

"Fire Dragons," Jellal said breathlessly. "A scout saw them coming this way! Who knows how close they are now!"

Natsu's eyes widened. Fire Dragons? Dragons like him? He looked away. Is this what caused that feeling for the past week? Fire Dragons getting closer?

"I know that look. Natsu please, don't do anything stupid," Jellal requested.

"This is important," Natsu stated curtly, before flying up towards the barrier, ignoring Jellal's, "Natsu, no!" and continued to push forward.

Natsu hesitated just under the barrier, hovering in place as he watched the three Dragons fly overhead. The one made entirely of flame let out a noise when their eyes met.

"Igneel, look! Down there!"

The large red one, who shared the same red scale color and pale underbelly as Natsu himself, whirled around in the air, the dove towards the barrier. Natsu instinctively backed away from it once Igneel landed on the barrier.

His eyes widened when he examined Natsu. "You.. You're one of us.."

Natsu hesitantly nodded, "Yeah.."

"Tell me, dragonet, what's your name?"

"Natsu.." he answered, still very hesitant and nervous. Igneel looked lost in thought for a moment, "Natsu, huh..? Well, at least your kidnappers got something right. That name is certainly fitting for a Fire like yourself."

"K-kidnappers?" Natsu shook his head. "No.. no no no! You got it all wrong! I wasn't kidnapped, they found my egg outside the city!"

"Is that what they told you?" the flaming Dragon asked. "Your egg had been stolen from the Royal Hatchery. The thief left a trap behind. When your mother ran in to try and find out what happened, the Hatchery exploded, crushing her as well as all of the other eggs inside."

"Wh-what? No.. Well.. I don't know how my egg got outside of Magnolia, but nobody here kidnapped me!" Natsu insisted.

"The Sages kidnapped you," Igneel snarled. "The trap had been placed with their magic!"

Natsu froze up at this information. The thought that kind Irene and noble Belserion stealing his egg from his home made his head spin, but at the same time, it almost made sense. Irene always dodged the subject when Natsu asked about his family. She hesitated when he asked her to help him. Did she hesitate because she genuinely didn't know, or because she had stolen him from his family and she didn't want him to know?

"But.. but why..?" he asked.

"I don't know, but ever since that day, I promised that I'd never stop looking for you, son."

That word hit Natsu like a bunch of rocks. "You.. you're my.."

Igneel nodded.

Natsu didn't know what to think, but when he saw the warmth in Igneel's eyes, he knew he wanted to get closer. He wanted to get to know this father he never knew before. However, when he tried to fly closer, something latched onto his tail, pulling him back down.

Igneel snarled in outrage, "IRENE!"

"What are you doing here, Igneel?! Was destroying my Kingdom not good enough for you?!" Irene demanded as she held Natsu in her arms.

"I'm here for my son!" Igneel slammed his fist on the barrier, and Irene felt her very core turn to ice when it flickered under the force he used.

"Leave!" she ordered.

"I am not leaving until you return what you stole from me!"

"What..?" she blinked, "What are you talking about?!"

"Don't try to lie to me! You stole my son!"

"And the other eggs as well," the wyvern-esque Feral exclaimed.

"Mom, what are they talking about?" Erza asked. Irene shook her head, "I don't know.."

"You don't know?!" Natsu growled. "Irene, did you steal our eggs?" he asked. "Please, don't lie to me! Not now!"

"No! Egg stealing is unforgivable, I would never do that!"

"Then how come our Hatchery was cursed by a Sage trap enchantment?!" Igneel demanded.

"Is this why you destroyed my home?! Is this why you killed my Dragons?! Had one of mine stolen your egg, you should've come to me! I would've dealt with the one responsible!"

"If you didn't steal those eggs, then why are the hatchlings here with you?" the flaming one demanded.

"Stay out of this Atlas! You are just as responsible for the deaths of my Dragons!" Irene snapped.

"Answer the question, Irene!" Igneel ordered.

Natsu turned, spotting the other six getting closer to watch the commotion.

"That Dragon.." Sting murmured.

"He looks almost like Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed.

"The six of you need to stay back!" Erza ordered, gliding down to them, "This is dangerous!"

"They can't get through the barrier… They can't get through.. They can't.. Right..?" Erik murmured shakily as he watched the Feral that slashed his eye out.

The flaming one–Atlas, as Natsu now knew–counted the dragonets. "Poison.. Iron.. Sky.. Lightning.. White.. and Shadow.." he murmured, "And with Natsu, that's our missing Fire! The Sages did frame the other Dragons!"

"Irene, what is he talking about?" Rogue asked.

"I genuinely don't know. One of the humans found the eggs outside of the city. We don't know how they got there!" Irene stated.

"Years ago, seven eggs were stolen from their homes," Atlas spoke. "This entire time, we blamed each other. Dragons killing Dragons over the theft of all seven eggs, and who knows how many more!" he snarled. "When in reality, it was all YOUR fault, Irene!"

"You have to believe me when I say that I had no idea!" Irene insisted.

"If you are as innocent as you claim, then return the Dragons stolen," Igneel ordered.

"I-I.." Irene hesitated.

"Irene, is this why you never answered me?" Natsu asked, escaping her grip and hovering next to her. "Every single time I asked where I came from, you said you didn't know.. but you DID, didn't you? You knew where I came from!"

"Natsu, you have to understand-"

"Understand what?!" Natsu demanded angrily. "You lied to me! Did you lie to the others too?!"

"No! I just.. I couldn't tell you the truth.."

"Why not?!" he roared. "I had a family! And you lied to me!"

"Go on, Sage Queen. Tell him why you kept him from us," Atlas stated.

"I was afraid, okay?!" she snapped. "I was a coward! Every time I looked at you, I saw your father! I looked at you, and I remembered your brother's face as he slaughtered my Dragons! I couldn't tell you.. Because I was afraid of what would come next.. I'm sorry, Natsu.."

Natsu gasped quietly. "Afraid of what..? Afraid of me going back to the home you stole me from?"

"No! I wanted you to find your home someday.. But.."

"But what?"

Irene didn't answer, instead, she looked away regretfully. Natsu choked, then growled. "I can't believe this.."

Igneel narrowed his eyes, "Regardless of the truth.. regardless of who's guilty and who isn't.. you still housed stolen Dragons, knowing they were stolen."

"We knew they were stolen, yes.. but nobody here stole them.. And we couldn't risk trying to send them home. The one chosen to do so.. could've been killed.." Irene admitted.

"We will be taking them back now," Atlas stated, but flinched at a loud, "No!" being shouted at him. Erik rushed upward, flying around Erza when she tried to hold him back, "We have friends here! We have family here!"

"Your families are your respective Kingdoms, dragonet."

"What if we don't want to leave?!" Laxus demanded.

"Yeah!" Gajeel growled, "If you want us to go with you, then you best learn how to bust through that barrier, 'cause we ain't going quietly!"

"And I especially refuse to go with HIM!" Erik pointed at the wyvern-esque Feral, who snarled. "He destroyed my friends' home! He tried to kill them! And he did THIS to me when I tried to protect them!" he pointed to his scarred eye.

"I have already made it clear to Incineration that his actions were unacceptable," Igneel assured the young Poison.

"And you won't be going with him. When this is all said and done, he'll be sent on his way," Atlas said. "You'd be coming with me. I know where the Poison Kingdom is."

"But what if we don't want to leave?" Wendy asked meekly. "Can't you tell us that? Why do we have to leave when we have friends here? We can't just leave them behind."

"You may have friends here, but you have family in your real homes," Atlas stated. "Families who have not stopped looking for you. It's best to give them this closure."

"I'm going with them," Natsu stated.

"What?" Sting and Rogue synchronized.

"Natsu, you can't!" Erza insisted.

"I can and I will!" Natsu growled. "I refuse to stay in the home where I was stolen to!"

"Irene isn't a thief!" Erik roared at him.

"My mom would never steal Dragon eggs!" Erza hissed.

"She raised us as if we were her own! All of them did! Are you really that ungrateful?!" Laxus demanded.

"Just go."

All of them looked at Irene. "Natsu is right. All of you were stolen here, and we all wanted nothing more than to return you home. Now that this chance has been given to us.. I can't just let it go.. Please, just go with them.. Go home.. Go back to the homes you all should've hatched in.." she begged. "We should've sent you back sooner.. We should've sent you back the moment we found out.."

"You can't just send us away! This.. this is our home!" Gajeel insisted.

"Don't argue with me! This isn't your home!" Irene hissed. "You never should've been here… I finally have the chance to do right by you dragonets, and that's what I'm doing. Go home.. meet the families that have missed you since you disappeared.."

The seven of them were very quiet for a long moment.