Man crazy how things can change from update to update, huh. My dad died, I figured out im bi, I got a cat, I came out as bi to my mom and like all of my friends, I've been in two musicals, I got super deep into dnd and started like seven campaigns with some super chaotic stories from those,,, ooh, I also have discord so if y'all wanna chat hmu (should I make a the five dragons server? Depends if y'all are interested)

anyway

Old A/N I moved the apps on my iPad around, and now I can't find anything. At least it looks nice. I also had a great time on my vacation!

(CHAPTER 3 comment responses)

Coldasgray, nice to know! I'll try and keep an eye out for that.

Guest 1, make up your mind! Is this a good story, or a bad story? XD

Guest 2, it is a little odd seeing a mature Natsu, isn't it.

Maes 56, here ya go! (I can't help but think of FMA from your username…)

HagikasaHoshiko, I'm back! And i have ideas! I'm just sorry this took me so long.

(CHAPTER 2 comment responses)

DragneelHarem, thank you, and don't worry about it. :)

HagikasaHoshiko, it's always nice to know someone's enjoying my story. :D

(REWRITE comment responses)

Guest, not abandoned, I'm just slow! Both chapters one and two have been updated, there's just a bit of a jump between them. Natsu introduces himself, Lucy goes through the niceties (nice to meet you, I'm Lucy, this is Happy,,) and they go their separate ways. I'm glad you think this is promising! :D

Natsu slides from the tip of one wing to the next, cackling all the while. Empra's wings are so long, it's the best slide ever! The golden scales under him shudder with static electricity, and by the end of the ride his hair is a pink puffball.

Empra balances him on a wingtip, before sliding him back down and onto her back, not letting him touch the ground lest the static buildup be dispelled.

"You want to try it now?" She asks, and Natsu nods around a laugh.

She smiles too, in her odd, draconic way, before pulling all the static buildup from all over her body to her front, building it in her chest before unleashing it in a lash of lighting. The attack scorches a line of nearby trees, burning slightly into a nearby cliff before dispelling.

It will take Natsu more than one try to get Lighting Dragons Roar, but he's more than willing to try.

"Hmm, that is odd," Makarov admits, scratching his chin. "You say you were just born with this sort of magic?"

"That's right."

"Your parents must have been remarkable mages, what did you say your last name was again?"

"Oh, no, they were never big into the magic scheme. Is this a problem?"

"Of course not, my boy! Just don't go thinking you can slack off in your training because you've got an elemental step up!"

"Right!"

Makarov grinned, before dropping off of his stool. "Now then, you go ahead and get that filled out so Mira can get you set up with your guild mark, my boy."

In the end, Natsu gets his guild mark in red, on his right shoulder.

"This is a magic stamp," Mirajane explains, brandishing it like some sort of weapon. "It'll stay on so long as the magic holds, and the magic is designed to hold forever, so don't you go worrying about it!"

Then she slams it on harder than one would expect from such a small barmaid, and just like that, Natsu is part of a guild.

It's a scarily new feeling.

He sits, quietly, at the bar for a while for a lack of anything else to do, and eventually Lucy returns to her seat next to him. He hadn't even noticed that she had left.

"Welcome to the guild!" She grins. "What do you say about joining me and Happy on a job?"

Natsu blinks, "I'd lo— what sort of job?"

"...I actually haven't picked one out yet. I wanted to see if you were interested first."

That, of course, does nothing to stop Happy, who joins them at that moment with a roll of paper clutched in little paws. "What about this one, Lushy?"

The blonde takes it from him, unfurling it as she does. It's a easy enough seeming job, catch a thief who has been robbing local establishments. The reward is 600,000 jewel, which is really good for such a simple job.

"What do you think?" Lucy asks, handing the paper to Natsu. He scans it over, and then hands it back.

"Looks easy enough, how do we get started?"

Lucy laughs, "I hoped you would say that! Mira!"

The barmaid returns with a flourish, and gives their poster a once over before stamping it. "You're headed towards Shirotsume Town! Your client is Mr. Everlue."

The carriage ride is unremarkable, aside from Natsu's motion sickness. Even then, he simple rolls up his scarf into a makeshift pillow, plonks his head down, and does his best to pass out.

Shirotsume Town is also unremarkable, laid out like dozens of other towns, a quiet market, a quieter civilian area, and even a tiny, quiet guild hall. It's defining feature— if it can be called such, is the sprawling mansion laid out on a hill overlooking the rest of the town.

It only takes asking the first person they cross if they know Everlue to be pointed to the mansion.

The gates open automatically, meaning there's been someone watching for their arrival, and surely enough the door is opened by a maid before Lucy even gets the chance to knock. They're guided to a lavish room— it could almost be described as beautiful if not for the... interesting choice of decor for the far wall. Say what you will of Everlue, but it takes a certain degree of confidence to have your own face on display as a gigantic golden statue in your own home.

Lucy grimaces a bit at such an... over the top display of wealth, but Natsu just sinks down into a chair— phenomenally uncomfortable for how squashy they look. If nothing else, the job will pay well. Very well.

Everlue takes about twenty minutes to finally come meet them. In that time Lucy and Happy have started and ended multiple games of Boulder Parchment Shears, and Happy has managed to bug exactly one detail about Natsu's magic out of him: that doing too much is very tiring.

Lucy was about to pull out a light book she had brought to read on the trips over and back when the floor started rumbling. Then shaking. Then cracking, spiderwebbing through the expensive marble. The floor sags for a moment, and Lucy grabs for her keys only to have Everlue erupt out of the ground, cackling madly.

"So, the guild members have finally arrived! I'd think you'd be much more punctual with how much I'm willing to dole out on such a simple job!" A giant maid clambers out of the hole behind him, and starts fixing the floor.

"Er, sorry, we only just saw the job request. Our guild master has to look them over first."

"Hmph. Then he should have realized it's utmost importance!" Everlue grimaces, and then shakes his head condescendingly. "Well, nonetheless, you're here now. And now you can catch that thief! She stole one of my precious books! The nerve!"

"Ah, what does this thief look like? And the book?"

"Oh, I don't know what she looks like, can't you just find her? The book is called Daybreak, and it's about me."

"That doesn't... okay. Okay." Lucy took a deep breath, and pursed her lips. "When was the robbery?"

"Oh, it was... when was it?" He turned to the big maid, who had finished patching up the floor.

"Mm. A week ago." She grunted, before moving to stand a few steps being Everlue.

"Yes, I knew that! A week ago! So hurry up and catch her! Who knows what she could have done to my precious book..."

Lucy (unsuccessfully) tried to hide a grimace, and stood. "Alright, we'll do our best to... get your book back. Natsu?"

Natsu stood as well, fiddling with his scarf so that it covered the lower half of his face. "Right," he muttered, not making eye contact with either of them.

"Natsu, hmm? I knew a boy named Natsu, absolute nuisance. Caused his father no end of trouble," Everlue mused, and Natsu stiffened before grabbing Lucy's arm.

"Cmon, I think I smell something. We'll— We'll check back in, Mr. Everlue."

Lucy bristled at being manhandled, but didn't protest and let Natsu drag her outside, Happy floating beside the duo. It was only once they were well past the gates did Natsu stop, letting go of Lucy and tugging his scarf back down so that it sat loosely around his neck once more.

"What was that about?" Lucy questioned, a little peeved about being dragged away before she could finish questioning Everlue.

"Sorry, it was just... bad memories."

"... Alright. If something starts making you feel bad again, just let me know, alright? We're guild mates now. We support each other. Now— you said you were picking up on a weird scent?"

Natsu looked a bit like she had handed him the world on a platter, and it took him a moment to speak again, clearing his throat first. "Yes— uh, Dragonslayers have keener senses. Everlue's mansion smelled... like metal and dirt, but I could pick up... ah..." he paused, sorting through words before settling on "something... sharp and bright, out of place."

Lucy nodded, turning his words over before one in particular caught. "Dragon slayer?"

It almost could have been funny how quickly his face drained of colour.

"Ah— uhm— not to say— I didn't— I don't— that's not... I—"

"Hey! It's okay! You're like, the second dragon slayer I've met. You should meet Laxus sometime! He's Gramps's grandson."

"There's— you've met another dragonslayer?"

"Yeah! I think he's got a lightning Lacrima? He's an S Class mage, so we don't really spend much time together..."

Natsu twists his nose, opens his mouth with a question on the tip of his tongue when they're interrupted by the shattering of glass. There's a wild laugh and a figure leaps out of one of the windows of Everlues mansion, just clearing the thick arms that grab for their cloak. They hit the ground in a roll, not pausing as arms erupt from the earth to grab at their ankles. Their form is obscured by a heavy cloak, a deep green in colour, with a big hood as to cover their entire head and face. Something round and valuable looking gleams in their arms as they leap over the gates, and they laugh wildly again.

Their laugh catches in their throat as a wild lash of water rises to meet them, and they flail awkwardly mid-air before their own magic sparks and boosts them a little higher in the air, just past the wild lash of water. Little blue paws catch the back of their cloak and lift, and they find themselves lifted much further in the air than they wanted to go.

"Hey!" They— she shouts, kicking as if she can somehow reach Happy above her. After a moment of helpless squirming she shifts her burden to one hand and grabs up at Happy with the other, managing to grab a hold of one of his ears before tugging. With a yelp, Happy lets her drop, and she shrieks as she falls. There's another flash of light from below, this one more golden in colour, and the thief lands in the arms of Taurus.

It's near impossible to make out any sort of facial features in the dark of the good, but the face she pulls is readable anyways, and in an impressive show of dexterity she pulls one leg up to slam into the side of Taurus's head, and then uses the momentum from lowering it again to flip herself out of his arms.

It would have been a solid escape, were she not up against Mages from Fairy Tail. The lash of water from the gate returns with a vengeance, catching around her middle and soaking into the fabrics before freezing over, later upon layer of ice trapping her where she stands.

Taurus disappears in another golden puff, and the thief summarizes her situation with a hearty swear as the object she had been carrying— a crystal orb— drops from suddenly numb fingers.

Lucy steps in as soon as it's clear that the thief isn't going to be escaping anytime soon, pausing to scoop up the orb, which had started to roll.

"Are you the thief who stole the book Daybreak?" Lucy asks, eyes narrow.

"No," snaps the thief.

"Yes," Natsu returns just as quickly, reaching up to tug her unfrozen hood down.

Her hair, brown, is shorn closely around his head, slightly shaggier at the top. Her eyes, also brown, are a little panicked and a little spiteful and an angry red tattoo— or guild mark— sits under one, half curled up around her eye, like a stylized growth of wheat. She frowns and shifts a bit, wincing at the cold.

"Okay— you caught me. I already gave away the book though! I was hired! Just like how you were hired to catch me!"

"And you were hired to steal this?" Lucy asks, raising the crystal ball.

"Well, no, but— well, we aren't all perfect, okay? It just... it looked pretty."

"Who wanted the book?" Natsu asked, this time.

"I dunno, some guy called... Kaby... Kaby Melon, or something. I shouldn't have told you that." As if to prevent any more information leaks, she clamped her mouth shut, going as far as to avoid eye contact.

"Well well well! What do we have here, then? A thief!" Comes a horribly familiar voice from behind the trio, and Natsu hurriedly tugs his scarf back up. Everlue comes sauntering down the path, brutish maid following behind him loyally as ever. He makes a pointed gesture, and the maid steps forwards, holding out a meaty hand for Lucy to drop the orb into.

"Now then!" He tiptoes forwards, leaning up against the cocoon of ice the Thief is caught in, and grabs her chin roughly between forefinger and thumb. "Hm." He pulls a disgusted face, but sighs. "You'll do. You two are dismissed! We'll mail your Master the payment."

"Payment? We haven't even gotten your book back yet."

"Well, this more than makes up for the book," Everlue grins, gesturing at the caught thief.

Several things happen at once— the brutish maid snaps her head around to stare at her master with a look of disgust, the thief pales with panic, Lucy draws herself up angrily, and Natsu steps between Everlue and the immobile criminal.

Unfazed, Everlue flaps his hands at Natsu. "Don't go stepping between me and my prize! You're no better than that child— impudent! Go on, move it!"

"Don't you dare!" Lucy snaps, at the exact moment the ice holding the thief breaks. There's a pause where absolutely nothing happens at all, and then the thief is fleeing, running like the hounds of hell are at her heels.

Everlue shrieks, stamps a foot, and gestures at his maid. "Go on! Go catch her! Bring her back!"

The maid wrinkles her nose at him like she's caught wind of something foul. "You violated our contract," she accuses, before vanishing in a puff of gold.

Everlue shrieks again, this time more out of disgust than anger, and rips a Celestial Summoning Key out of his pocket, and throws it to the ground, stomping on it before turning and marching back inside, gates slamming behind him.

Happy lands delicately next to the key, and scoops it out of the dirt. "Wow."

Lucy nods, a little blankly, before turning her attention to Natsu, who looks to be taking deep, calming breaths. "That was really brave of you to step between them like that, Natsu."

He laughs, a little shakily, one hand reaching up to fist in the scarf. "I couldn't let— what he was insinuating..."

Lucy nods again, this time with disgust colouring her features. "I'll let Mira know— if she doesn't rip Everlue a new one then she'll let Erza know, who absolutely will."

Natsu doesn't say anything more, and Lucy let's him be silent, instead kneeling by Happy. "Which key is that?"

"It's a golden one!" Happy purrs, holding it high between little paws.

"No way! Virgo!" Lucy plucks the key from her friend and partner, turning it over between thin fingers. "Oh, I am so keeping this."

"Seems like fair payment to me," Natsu agrees, loosening his grip on his scarf, though he doesn't lower it, and Lucy doesn't push him to.

After another moment to gather themselves, which Lucy takes to clip her new key onto her keychain, they set off down the hill back into town, intending to catch the next ride out of town and back to Magnolia.

It's as they're about to flag down a taxi does the thief make herself known, waving from a semi-shady alleyway. Her cloak is still fairly soaked, and now covered in dust, but she huddles under it anyway. "Um— I just wanted to say thanks. For not letting—" she shivers again, and hugs herself tighter. "I just wanted to ask— could I— could I catch a ride with you back to— ah, you're Fairy Tail, right? So... Magnolia? It's just— he knows my face now, and..."

"Oh, of course! Natsu gets a little motionsick, so you can sit on my side of the carriage," Lucy exclaims, already planning a 'you-should-totally-join-our-guild speech.'

The ride back to Magnolia, is, by and by, largely awkward and silent. The thief— her name is Root, she says, doesn't actually have any magic, just a pair of boots she stole years and years ago that let her get a bit of a boost in the air. Not that she isn't "super grateful and everything!" but what sort of conversation do you make in a situation like that?

Not much, it turns out.

Even the driver picks up on the awkward tension, and he drives away almost before Lucy can give him his pay. Root thanks both of them again, promising not to do any robbery in this town, and she excuses herself down the nearest alleyway. In the end, it's just Lucy, Natsu, and Happy standing in an empty street.

"I'm so sorry your first job ended up... like that. They're usually not like that, I promise!"

"No, no, it's okay! Well, it's not okay, but we managed to help someone, and that's enough for me. We'll just have to do better on the next one!"

'And avoid rich creeps,' Lucy adds, mentally, before smiling and nodding.

Together, the two of them make their way towards the guild hall, which stands unusually quiet. Heedless, Lucy slams the doors open, shout of "We're back!" On the tip of her tongue.

Turns out, so is Erza.

Old A/N Ah, man. I've managed to catch a cold. Sorry this chapter took so, long, and that it's a little shorter. Lots of things kept getting in the way, or I didn't know how to add onto what I had written, which led to me rewriting a lot of things. But hey, I did it. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. ~ShadeShadow

i figured that i wasn't gonna do the daybreak arc cause that brought too many questions to mind, such as How is this legal? What sort of justice system do the guilds operate under? What draws the line between a dark guild and a light one? Why are guild members able to target and fight a noble with no repercussions? How are serious damages handwaved? Who repairs this? Slaves? Slaves. Slaves? How deep does this corruption go? and so on and so forth and I was like nah I'm not dealing with that.

So I googled 'Fairy Tail towns' and clicked a random one and by pure chance I got the one Everlue lived in and I mean who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth

Hope y'all like Root she might swing around again in the future, who's to say. ~ShadeShadow