Author's Notes
SulliMike23 (23/12/23): Fairy Tail will meet a wide range of Marvel heroes and villains.
looks-golden: No. When There's Trouble is a dead fic.
gpno14: Poor Cana. T.T
triscythe59: It was inevitable that FT would watch Disney. The Webhead is approaching soon.
PhantomRPG: I like your suggestions. All of them are pretty much planned to happen but I am open to your suggestion of Blade meeting Wendy.
Maximum Rhapsody: I understand your idea and maybe that could've worked. But one of the plans I have for this fic is too not just team up FT and Marvel characters but also mix up character rosters within the group. So some FT dynamics I thought were lacking or could be covered are going to be something I'll strive towards along with hero team ups. That idea will be covered after the preliminary arcs.
Also just confirming. No FT wizard is going to school. They'll have better things to do and school is just a poor setting for them. Jobs will be covered much later but I'm open to suggestions.
SulliMike23 (07/02/24): You'll see. ;-)
Blue: Nope. Spidey will be with his OTP as we'll cover in the story. Sorry about that.
EndriRigs: Natsu will be meeting those two and alot of fire powered characters. Getting a varied servings of different flames.
"Bless me father, for I have sinned. My last confession was three days ago."
A young red haired man dressed in a suit, sitting in a confessional booth, tiredly states. Though the young man wore a nice suit, his outer appearance was anything but clean and proper. He has fresh blisters on his knuckles, cuts scattered on his face and his hair unkempt.
His red tinted glasses hid his eyes but if you were to remove them, you would see his left eye black and bruised. Contrasting milky white irises, an indication of the young man's blindness. Making one wonder how he got so many bruises?
Well. Almost anyone.
"Is this any different from the last few times you've 'sinned'? Matthew?"
The other man across the booth, Father Lantom, spoke with a barely disguised sarcastic tone.
The young man, Matthew 'Matt' Murdock, chuckles at the priest's dry wit, "Is that judgment I hear Father?"
"Apologies Matthew," Lantom raises his hands in mock surrender. "It's beginning to become challenging to hear the same story every few days. You're like a soap opera but I can't change the channel."
"Sorry to hear my confessions have lost their audience."
"Then maybe we can switch to a new program. Perhaps we can talk more about your present life."
Matt takes a pause at the suggestion and looks away, "Not much to say."
Lantom stares at the blind man and lets out a disappointed huff, "Matthew, the point of confession is to unload your guilt and shame. You have no regrets from your night life, but the one you live in the day? Unburden yourself my son, tell me what troubles you?"
"You know what troubles me."
"Yes. Your quest for revenge," Lantom recalls with a bitter taste in his mouth, "The most worthless of causes."
Matt scowls, "It's not revenge Father, I am seeking justice for the dead!"
"Nonetheless this obsession is corroding your soul. You've always had a bit of a brutal streak but my heart can't take any more news reports of gangsters beaten to near death by your hands."
The blind lawyer simply states, "That's the Devil's work Father. He punishes those who have sinned."
"You're not the Devil Matthew. No matter how many times you tell yourself that."
Silence grew between them as both men knew they were going around in circles. They had this debate before Christmas and it has been consistent whenever Matt confesses.
Lantom breaks the silence, "So what do you expect to do when you find the sinner you've been looking for?"
Matt clenches his cane in anger, thinking about the monster who did him wrong.
"I'll take him down. Like all the rest."
"But he's not just like all the rest of them."
Matt couldn't deny Lantom's retort and silence grew once again before the latter broke it again.
"Now that we kicked that dead horse for the umpteenth time, maybe we can discuss your other burden and don't play smart with me."
Matt took a moment to calm himself down, unclenching his cane. He knew what Lantom wanted him to confess and for many weeks, he always managed to avoid it. However he knew, he couldn't put this off and maybe unloading this weight he's been carrying could help.
It brought great discomfort but he began to confess, "It has been two months, one week and four days since I last spoke to Foggy and Karen."
It has been one of the roughest periods of his life.
A lot of moving parts but his other life finally started to affect his personal life and wrecked every meaningful relationship he had.
Foggy. Karen. Claire. Ele-!
Matt steadies himself, biting down a wave of sadness mixed with fury. He calms himself and lets out a heavy breath. Lantom takes this as an opportunity to talk, "Have you or the others at least attempted contact?"
"No," Matt admits, "Foggy made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate my other life anymore. And I can't blame him."
"So you've made no effort to mend the broken fences?"
"Father. We would be going around in circles. It's a tired debate between us and I'm not…going to waste their time," Matt shamefully discloses. "As long as I wear the mask, I don't think I can let people get too close. For their sake."
Father Lantom is silent for a few moments, confusing Matt.
"You're full of crap."
The blind lawyer immediately wanted to respond but was cut off.
"I understand that friendships can end but to cut yourself off from others completely. That is quitter talk and I thought Murdock boys don't stay down."
That shook Matt who had to compose himself after hearing his family mantra, turned against him. He wanted to argue that it was a fruitless effort. Foggy and Karen made it clear that he screwed things up and he wasn't willing to give up his other life.
Yet, he wanted them back in his life and he desperately wanted their comfort after losing the one, who was the love of his life.
But he was grieving alone and he had no one to blame except himself.
"I'm not ready yet, father," Matt huffs out, rubbing his eyes before any tears could form.
Lantom pretends to not notice Matt's vulnerable state, "Maybe not but until you do, perhaps you'll find others who share your burdens? Perhaps the Avengers?"
Matt chuckles humorously, tears all dried up, "Yeah. I'm sure they'll give me a call if they ever need a diversity hire."
Lantom also chuckles, "Well the Lord works in mysterious ways Matthew. Friends could be very well around the corner, I just pray you'll be ready to meet them."
Confession ends soon after.
Matt walks out of the Clinton Church with his cane in hand, mapping out where he was. Not for his benefit but for those who saw him on the street, maintaining the illusion that he was just a helpless blind man.
At least during the day.
At night the Devil comes out.
January 7th 2014
It has been three weeks since Tenrou Island appeared in New York and Fairy Tail has been on Earth. During that time, the Avengers did their best to help their new magical friends acclimate to society.
First was music. Tony was insistent on sharing his favorite bands with the guild such as AC/DC. However Doctor Strange found the armored Avenger's musical tastes to be dull, causing a musical battle between the two. Where Fairy Tail had to decide which of the two facial haired men's chosen bands were the best.
Regardless, the guild sampled a grand selection of Earth's greatest musical artists. Such as Queen, Black Sabbath, Guns n Roses, Aerosmith, The Doors, Pink Floyd, etc. No winner was selected as everyone loved what they heard. Some more than others.
Laxus appreciated the new bands to listen to such as DragonForce, which was ironic on so many levels to himself and the rest of the Dragon Slayers.
Gajeel liked the modern age of music but he preferred the older bands and solo artists. His favorite being Johnny Cash, humming and singing his songs whenever he could. To the annoyance of Natsu which caused more than a few brawls.
Second was food. Not much to say, the Avengers and Sorcerers introduced them to a lot of New York dishes. From the burgers, the pizza and the hot dogs they got from the vendors around the corner. They ate it all up, especially Natsu.
Third was television and movies. To start them off, Wong introduced Fairy Tail to syndicated television where they watched shows such as 30 Rock, Community and most important of all; Friends. Which the guild loved especially, however it was Erza who completely absorbed herself in television.
It was unsettling to some to hear her laugh so hard but it distracted her enough to leave her comrades to do whatever they wanted. As long as they didn't disturb her TV time with Wong, as Natsu and Gray learned in a brutal fashion.
As for movies, Disney films were a popular choice but since it was the holiday season, Christmas movies were played.
They were a welcomed distraction to help the guild get through the holiday season. To the Earthlings' shock, Christmas also existed on Earthland. Suppose Santa Claus really can make long distance trips.
New Year's Eve was a quick affair, the Earthlings weren't sure about bringing Fairy Tail into the busy streets of New York on the verge of a new year. So they all spent the night on Tenrou Island and partied with the wizard guild.
Whether it was the alcohol or the spontaneous brawl that took place as the ball dropped. Not many of them remembered much from that night?
Some members (mostly Lucy) were vocal that they didn't want to sleep on the island's dirt, so the guild took to work constructing huts within the main camp area. Years of breaking their guild hall over and over had given the fairies some DIY experience.
Though it was at Tony's insistence that he supply the lumbar and tools. Steve also insisted on helping them build the huts. His presence however did not stop the inevitable brawl that took place much to his perplexion. Despite this the huts were completed…until they were destroyed from a brawl the day after and had to be reassembled.
The wildlife had no inclination to leave the island so they were left alone and were observed mainly by Lisanna. The Take Over mage insisted on making sure no animal on the island was affected by the island's change of climate.
Wong took to looking after the plant life of Tenrou Island with members of Fairy Tail helping out. It was troublesome at first, the ecosystem grew within a hot climate with intense sunlight. Wong took some samples of the flora to grow within the Sanctum to preserve them under their original climate and for study.
Seeing that the flora and fauna need their original climate, Strange worked hard to find and eventually found a solution. A relic in the Sanctum's archives that could act as a source of heat and sunlight for the island. Placing the 'Sun's Ember' above the island, it helped simulate the original climate to a degree. Time will tell how the fauna and flora will be affected though no trouble has been noted.
It is now a week later and the holidays over with, the Earthlings felt that Fairy Tail could be let out into the streets of New York on a trial basis. The plan is for the Avengers to act as chaperones to small groups of the guild and introduce them to the Big Apple.
It was the evening before they were to go out with their assigned chaperones and Fairy Tail were doing last minute preparations, excited for tomorrow.
Except for one.
Natsu was tending the allotment for the freshly grown Earth based fruits and vegetables, the guild took to growing. The Fire Dragon Slayer mindlessly digs a new vegetable patch with a look of indifference on his face. Lacking a certain fire in his eyes.
"Hey Natsu!"
The salmon haired wizard turns to face Happy whose look of excitement contrasts Natsu's blank expression.
"Aren't you excited about tomorrow? I can't wait!"
Natsu goes back to work and mutters, "Yeah. That's great, Happy."
The Exceed frowns at the lack of energy in his partner's voice. Something he began to notice for the past few weeks.
"Hey Natsu-?" Happy begins but he's interrupted by someone else.
"So there you guys are?"
The two look to see Lucy walk towards them with some pep in her step.
"What are you guys doing here, we have a big day tomorrow?"
Natsu doesn't face her to answer, "I'm just finishing some gardening."
"You've been working here all day," Lucy states with a confused tone, "Don't you think it's time to rest, we are going to the city tomorrow for the first time?"
The fire wizard takes a few moments and admits, "I'm not going tomorrow."
That surprises both Lucy and Happy, the former questions, "Why not?"
"I don't see what's so special about going to a city? Earthland had those and I'm not in the mood to check out a bunch of buildings," Natsu complains.
Lucy is taken aback by the Salamander's flippant attitude and had to ask, "Natsu we're in another world. Aren't you the least bit curious about exploring it?"
"No thanks, Edolas was enough."
"Yeah but unlike Edolas no one is actively trying to hunt us down. The Avengers are nice enough to help us adjust to this new world."
Natsu grits his teeth and utters, "Well maybe they should be helping try to find our world."
Lucy widens her eyes and defensively states, "Natsu they are trying to help us find Earhtland. They're just in the dark as we are and they've been more than kind to accommodate us until we find a way to get back to Earthland."
"I don't think sight-seeing is going to help find a way back home! You guys might as well have given up!"
"Natsu, that is not fair! No one has given up, we just need to be patient!" Lucy yells.
"I said I'm not going!" Natsu turns around and shouts, startling Lucy and Happy but they compose themselves when they get a good look at their friend's face.
He looked weary with bags underneath his eyes. Looking like he hasn't had a good night's sleep in a while.
Lucy slowly asks, "Natsu. When was the last time you slept?"
The dragon slayer takes a moment and seemingly is about to answer but he looks away. He drops his gardening tools and walks past Lucy and Happy, stating, "I'm sorry, but I'm still not going."
He disappears before them and the two are left to wonder what was going on with their friend.
"That was tough to watch."
The two turn to see Gildarts, who was awkwardly standing behind them. Coming over after hearing the commotion.
"How much did you hear?" Happy timidly asks.
"Enough," the S Class Mage responds, "Looks like Natsu is still going through his adjustment period."
"I noticed that he's been struggling a little but I didn't think it bothered him this much?" Lucy absently admits, a little shaken from her argument with Natsu. She feels a hand clap on her shoulder and turns to see Gildarts.
"I wouldn't worry too much. Natsu doesn't handle change well but he isn't one to sulk forever. Trust me a little more time in this place and it will grow on him."
The Celestial Wizard nods but still has a worried expression on her face, concerned for her hot headed friend. Hoping that he opens up soon.
Tenrou Island is burning to the ground.
Every Fairy Tail mage is dead.
He was the only one left.
Bloodied and bruised. Natsu stood alone, an insect compared to the draconic behemoth with wings of darkness. The next thing the Dragon Slayer knew was oblivion, being consumed by the titanic breath attack the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse unleashed.
It was nothing but darkness and flames until the fire changed into a familiar shape. A burning mass formed and revealed itself to be a red dragon.
"Ig-Igneel?"
Natsu whispers and watches helplessly as Igneel flies away. Leaving him alone.
"Igneel!"
The Dragon Slayer wakes up in a cold sweat, the hammock he's sleeping in swinging wildly by the abrupt movement. His ragged breath fills his hut before he calms down and takes a deep breath.
Natsu wipes the sweat off his face with his scarf, when he was done his eyes lingered on the last memento he had of his father. He recalls a distant memory of his father from his training days.
"Never forget you are a true dragon slayer and you should take pride in that accomplishment."
He clutches his scarf in frustration and his lips quiver before he steadies himself. After a moment or two, he comes to a decision and walks to Happy's hammock where he was none the wiser to Natsu's predicament.
"Happy," the dragon slayer shakes his friend slowly.
"Fish. Fishy. Fi-!" Happy mumbles his dream before he slowly starts to wake up. The Exceed wakes to see his partner who was looking a little weary, "Wh-What is it Natsu?"
"We're leaving."
That got Happy's full attention, "What?"
"Come on. If we're gonna be trapped here, we might as well go explore without any babysitters," Natsu hastily reasons.
"But we don't know our way around? What if the others find out?"
"Buddy we'll be in and out before anyone knows. Besides with my nose, we'll find our way back to the island. It'll be a classic Natsu & Happy adventure, what'd you say?"
Happy wants to protest more, not sure of traveling a foreign world without help but as he continues to look into Natsu's eyes he's uneasy about what he sees.
Natsu is on edge and something is bothering him.
Maybe a night out would be good for him?
The Exceed raises his paw and whispers with gusto, "Aye sir!"
"Alright!"
Natsu and Happy quietly exit their hut and the Exceed activates his Aera spell, wings sprouting from behind his back. He lifts his partners up and they both fly away from the island, jetting past the barrier that hid the landmass away from onlookers. With that, the two rocket towards the city, an adventure awaiting and no one the wiser as they were all asleep.
Except for one.
Gildarts sees the two disappear from his vision and he narrows his eyes. He won't go after them but hopes that trouble won't follow them either.
It has just turned midnight and the streets of Hell's Kitchen are filled with the busy nightlife of debauchery and thuggery. Between the Kitchen Irish and the Dogs of Hell, there were as many gangs and criminal organizations that took residency in this particular borough of New York.
We focus on a particular criminal group, the Tracksuit Mafia, named for their titular tracksuits worn by their members. It was business as usual for them except a meeting was taking place between the leader of this branch of Tracksuits and another man clad in leather gear.
The Tracksuit Commander is sitting comfortably in his office, the leather clad man opposite him, "So I've been hearing that you've been selling this product to all the other gangs in the city? But not to be moved but used, by us?"
"That's right," the leather clad man, Rick, confirms. "Don't think of this stuff as narcotics but a new form of war. Something to level the playing field."
The Tracksuit Commander cocks an eyebrow, "Leveling the playing field against who?"
"Superheroes," Rick curtly answers, "We may be below the Avengers' attention but we've been getting hit by costumed freaks more and more these days. Each one hitting more than the last."
"And your product, what'd you call it? Diox-3, is supposed to help us do what exactly?"
"D3 allows us mortal men a chance of real power. If you find yourself in a gunfight with a rival gang and you don't have enough bullets? One injection of D3 guarantees you can just walk through those bullets and then throw around those mooks like they were made of styrofoam!"
That causes the Tracksuit Commander to stutter in disbelief, "S-So what? This stuff can make a mortal man be like that, big guy down in Harlem?!"
"Exactly, but instead of one man, D3 can be used by all of them," Rick proclaims.
"For a price."
Rick gives a smug smile, "Well nothing is cheap but my boss is a generous one. Half price for first time users."
"You drive a hard bargain but I'm not too sure. The Tracksuits don't deal in drugs, it doesn't matter if we're moving it or using it," the Tracksuit Commander bluntly states, which causes Rick to twitch slightly but he composes himself.
"I see you're apprehensive but times are changing and my boss wants our people to be protected against these superpowered freaks."
"Well I have to talk to my boss before I make any major decision," the Tracksuit Commander admits and gets up from his seat, "I'll be sure to give you a call when I do."
Rick doesn't look to be accepting but gets up as well, "Be sure to do that when you do Mr Lop-!"
As their meeting concludes, the lights in the office go out confusing the two men.
"Broken lightbulb?" Rick asks.
"I don't think that's it," the Tracksuit Commander says with an unsure tone. The gangster exits his office and sees that it wasn't just his office but it seemed the whole auto repair shop had been left in darkness. He shouts to his subordinates, "What's going on?!"
Both the Tracksuit Commander and Rick were expecting someone to answer but the only response they got was painful shriek. A Tracksuit crashes right next to them, knocked out with a bruise on his face. They begin to hear sounds of a struggle, the Tracksuits were fighting somebody and from the sounds of it, they were losing.
The Tracksuit Commander rushes into the fray with his gun in hand, "Whoever the hell you are?! You best get the hell out right now!"
Now that he's closer, the Tracksuit Commander sees his men on the ground struggling to get up and he takes aim with his gun at the darkness.
Before he knows it, his gun is knocked out of his hand by a red baton along with himself, crashing to the floor. A foot prevents him from getting up and despite the dark environment, he can make out the intruder and his eyes widen in fear.
It was Daredevil!
"Hello there. I need to talk to you about your boss?"
The Tracksuit Commander sweats when he hears those words. The true leader of the Tracksuit Mafia would not like this; one of his most hated rivals asking for him.
"I'm the only boss around here-! ARRGH!"
The vigilante stomps on the mobster's left kneecap, making sure not to break it but making sure he couldn't escape with it.
Daredevil doesn't seem the least bit concerned, "That only dislocated your knee. So if you don't want to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair, I suggest you tell me where your boss, The Big Man is hiding?"
The vigilante hears something odd and in his pursuit for answers, he neglects Rick who had the opportunity to prepare. With his enhanced hearing, he hears a syringe being prepared and with his enhanced sense of smell, it was a foreign substance he didn't recognise. Rick shakily injects himself with the foreign substance and Daredevil hears it flow within his bloodstream and his muscles immediately coiling.
Soon enough Daredevil hears rapid footsteps and dodges a punch from the leather clad gangster. With his foot off the Tracksuit Commander, the mobster struggles to pick himself back up with his dislocated knee.
"You couldn't have come at a better time, Daredevil!" Rick proclaims, "Now I can show him a demonstration."
Rick charges at Daredevil who easily dodges the gangster's punch and the second one. The vigilante makes a move to Rick's side and performs a gut punch, only to grunt in pain as it felt like hitting stone. Despite this, he dodges another one of Rick's wild attacks and distances himself from a smug Rick.
"Feeling sore? This is D3 gentleman. I'm an immovable shield on this stuff!"
Rick charges again with a cocky grin, his impervious skin making him confident that he can take down the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
How wrong he is.
Daredevil arms his dual batons and gets ready for Rick, flipping over him when he gets close enough and lands right behind him. Before the gangster could turn around, the vigilante strikes his left baton into the back of Rick's knee. Causing him to grunt in pain despite his hardened skin.
The Devil of Hell's Kitchen isn't done as he unleashes a swift barrage of blunt strikes with his batons, targeting Rick's weak points. Which is many, the gangster unable to quickly defend himself against such an onslaught.
Rick forces himself to go back on the offensive and tries to deliver a straight punch, however Daredevil grabs his punching arm, lifting him and tosses him at a large tire stand. The leather clad gangster crashes against it, the stand tipping over and trapping him underneath the heavy tires and metal stand.
Rick struggles to get up and is too dazed from the repeated blows and a giant stand falling on him, to continue the fight.
"Help," Rick almost whispers, the weight of the shelf pressing down on him, "Someone help!"
Daredevil ignores Rick's wails and throws his baton with enough force to crack concrete at the gangster's head, knocking him out. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen lets out a breath and relaxes his shoulders.
"So that's D3? Thankfully it was only one of him," Daredevil thinks to himself, Rick may not have been much of a threat but in the hands of someone more capable. It might be more trouble for him.
"Now then," the red clad vigilante walks towards the crawling Tracksuit Commander. Who began to make his escape when Daredevil got the upperhand against Rick. Daredevil catches up to the Tracksuit Commander at a brisk pace and flips him on his back, "Where were we?"
"Please! No more, I can't go against him please! I have a daughter! I have a daughter!"
The Tracksuit Commander weeps and a couple months ago, Daredevil may have been sympathetic but that was then and this is now. Nothing was going to stop him from finding The Big Man and he'll hurt anyone affiliated to him.
Just as was done to him.
However before he can continue his interrogation he picks up the scent of flames and the distinct odor of fish?
SMASH!
Someone breaks through the building's outer wall and creates a misshapen hole for him to enter, rubble and burnt fragments on the ground in front of him.
"Hey!"
30 minutes before.
Natsu and Happy had landed in Hell's Kitchen by happenstance. Far enough from the Sanctum Sanctorum but close enough to fly back to the island.
Natsu was dressed in a red hoodie and plain sweatpants, courtesy of Tony Stark gifting his guild thrift store clothes but he still wore his scaly scarf but wrapped around his ears. Happy didn't wear an outfit but kept himself situated in Natsu's hood to avoid attention to himself. Both weren't affected by the cold weather due to the dragon slayer's insane body heat.
The two inspect their surroundings as Natsu walks down the street. Despite it being night, the streets were buzzing with life, mostly those who were waiting to go into the busy nightclubs. Natsu grits his teeth in frustration, due to his dragon sense he can still hear the loud music playing from within the nightclub he passes.
They then make it to an empty park and notice a lot of homeless people surrounding a dying fire in a trashcan. Walking past them, Natsu spits his fire into the open flame and reignites it back to life, surprising the group of homeless people. Not that they were complaining as the two wizards kept walking.
Next stop was a bar called Josie's to which they were kicked out because Natsu was underage…and had no money.
Now they were sitting on the roof of a random building, Natsu sulking and Happy munching on a fish he brought.
"This place blows!" Natsu complains.
"Well…it is nighttime…not really a good time to sightsee," Happy states as he finishes his fish.
Natsu continues to brood, "Even so, it stinks, it's noisy and I can't understand why everyone else is so excited to see it?"
Happy stares at his partner in concern, noticing just how moody Natsu is. The Exceed now recollecting that Natsu had become more withdrawn during the past few weeks. Something is bothering him and he needs to get to the bottom of it.
"Hey Natsu-?"
The Exceed stops talking as he sees Natsu stop his brooding and become alert. He turns his head and cups his ears, trying to block out the busy nightlife of the clubs to hear something. The dragon slayer scowls and gets up.
"Let's go Happy!"
Natsu jumps up and Happy puts his concerns on hold to take hold of his part and fly him to where he needs to go.
"So what did you hear, Natsu?" Happy questions, navigating himself through the streets.
Natsu answers, "Think I hear a fight going on. Wanna check it out."
Happy couldn't help but huff in amusement. No matter how moody he gets, Natsu can't resist a fight.
Soon enough, the two make their way outside of an auto shop and Happy floats right next to the outside windows. They book peek in and their eyes widen in shock, a man was gettin his ass kicked by another guy in a demon suit?
"Why is that guy dressed like a demon?" Happy asks rhetorically.
"I don't know but he's not bad," Natsu compliments watching the horn headed fighter make quick work of the leather clad man.
Happy watches the devil suited man throw his opponent against the tirestand and winces from the impact.
However just sitting by couldn't be possible for them as they see the devil suited man creep towards the defenseless elder man who was begging for mercy.
"Alright, Happy get back," Natsu warns his partner, gearing up for an attack.
"Wait Natsu-!" Happy tries to stop his partner from doing something hasty but he is too late as his partner punches a hole in the wall. Garnering the attention of those in the auto shop, all of those conscious, are confused at the arrival of the salmon haired wizard and his blue cat.
Natsu scowls at the devil suited man and shouts, "Hey!"
From his keen sense of smell and sharp hearing, The Man without Fear can tell this is a young man who is angry and itching for a fight with his right arm lit on fire? Daredevil takes another whiff and frowns in confusion, did the guy bring his cat with him?
"Can I help you kid?"
Natsu indignantly points his finger at the vigilante, "I don't know who you are pal! But don't you think beating on an old man is a bit much?"
Daredevil frowns, from an outside perspective what he was doing could have looked like that. However this isn't what it looks like and he isn't going to let anyone stop him from getting the information he desires. Even whoever this guy is?
"You don't know what you're talking about," Daredevil dismisses, "Go home kid."
Natsu's eyes widen as he flinches from those words. He suddenly remembers a certain nightmare he had and his guild's current predicament.
The horn headed crime fighter raises an eyebrow when he hears the dragon slayer's heart pump faster. Hearing his fist clench and his breath straining in agitation. He sniffs the air and he cocks an eyebrow when he smells steam pouring out of the interloper's skin.
Daredevil just made Natsu mad.
"Natsu," Happy voices in concern, seeing his best friend heaving in anger.
"Alright buddy. I haven't had a good fight in weeks, so I'll make you my opponent!" Natsu exclaims, his fist shaking in frustration.
"LET'S DANCE!"
Natsu leaps to punch at Daredevil who dodges quickly, taken aback by the dragon slayer's speed. However he is unprepared when the dragon slayer spins around and kicks him in the abdomen, careening him across the room.
The dragon slayer is on the vigilante and punches across the face, he goes for another but Daredevil swiftly ducks and springs up to deliver his own red clad crime fighter scores three straight punches to the face but Natsu blocks a fourth attempt. Before Daredevil can break the grip, Natsu delivers a haymaker straight into the vigilante's chest. Being thrown across the auto shop twice that night, he takes a moment to catch his breath, the punch being a lot harder than he had anticipated.
Using his hearing, he knows Natsu jumps up and is about to deliver a powerful stomp on his chest to knock him out. The vigilante quickly avoids the attack before impact and uses Natsu's confusion to sweep his legs and flips to perform an ax kick when he falls. The kick connects with the dragon slayer's back but it just proved to annoy him and Daredevil flips off the ground and gains distance.
Daredevil arms himself with his batons and rengages Natsu who has gotten up. Both give a war cry that fills the building and they engage once more in close combat.
The devil inspired vigilante tries to avoid his opponent's more powerful strikes, only attacking when he sees an opening. However his adversary certainly knew how to defend himself, Daredevil could barely get a hit in. Almost as if he knew where he was going to go.
The dragon slayer does his best to attack his horn headed opponent but fails due to the vigilante's acrobatics. Dodging and avoiding any punch and kick he can throw. Almost as if he knew how he was going to attack.
Both think of the same conclusion in alarm.
"Does this guy know what I'm about to do before I do it?"
Daredevil hasn't met anyone who could do that since his mentor and Natsu remembers fighting the Poison Dragon Slayer of the Oracion Seis. This is going to be problematic for the both of them.
It's ironic as both are unaware that they both possessed super senses. One from radioactive chemicals and one gifted to him from a dragon.
"Alight horn head, you're good! Looks like I need to get serious," Natsu declares, stretching his arms.
Daredevil spits before responding, "Funny. I was going to say the same thing."
Natsu gives a huff and a small grin forms on his face. Fighting Daredevil was refreshing after being on Tenrou Island for weeks. Only fighting his guildmates during their…disagreements and Captain America when he offered to spar one day. But now he's fighting someone new and he couldn't help but get excited.
The Man without Fear launches towards Natsu and confuses him with a feint. As fast as he could, whacks his baton across the dragon slayer's head, hoping for a swift knockout.
He smelt the smoke before he felt part of his baton had burned off. Grunting in shock, he didn't need super senses to feel the potent heat that Natsu is exuding. The Salamander of Fairy Tail laughs at Daredevil's momentarily shocked expression and he lands a solid punch. Barreling across the room and slamming against a broken down car, Daredevil reels from the hard impact.
Seeing his opening, Natsu ignites his fist in fire and rockets towards his downed opponent, intending to finish this fight. He pulls his flaming fist back and is about to land the finishing blow but he recalls a stray memory.
"You guys may run into trouble while you stay here and it could be against anyone," Captain America advised the entire Fairy Tail guild. "Just remember that not everyone is built the same as you guys and you need to be careful not accidently maim them."
Remembering Cap's words and seeing how hurt Daredevil is from what he considers a basic punch. Natsu realizes that using his Magic could be fatal and he didn't want anyone's blood on his hands.
However his attack is charged up and the best he could manage is to aim close to Daredevil's head, punching through the hood of the broken car that the vigilante landed against.
It only took a few seconds for the flames of Natsu's fist to spread towards the engine, Daredevil able to recognise the scent of gasoline leaking and jumps to action before the inevitable could happen.
"GET OUT THE WAY!"
Daredevil tackles Natsu before the fire ignites the gasoline and spontaneously combusts the vehicle in flames. Soon enough the engine explodes, spreading the flames that eventually covers the entire auto shop in a burning blaze.
Leaving all those within the building to seemingly burn within the inferno.
Except for one.
While Natsu and Daredevil were duking it out, Rick had managed to wake up in a daze. Seeing that the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was preoccupied with some punk with pink hair. Without being seen, he got loose from the tirestand he was trapped underneath and slinked away with no one the wiser.
Along with a consolation prize.
The Tracksuit Commander lies knocked out in the backseat of Rick's car, his kidnapper on the phone with someone.
Rick exposits to his cohort, "This is Rick. Deal went south; a costumed freak screwed everything up!"
"But don't worry, tell the boss he'll get his profit and more. Cause I just snagged the frontman for the Tracksuits," Rick smugly states, the person he's talking to asking for confirmation.
"That's right. We can ransom Mr William Lopez to the Big Man of Crime!"
Woo this chapter took a looooong time to plan. I knew what I wanted but I did not know how to get the characters there. I admit that this was a slog to write because of all the setup I had to do with the Tenrou group assimilating Earth's culture. If anyone has any ideas for what certain characters would be into, that will be appreciated. I already showed some ideas like Laxus and Gajeel getting into Earth's music and Erza loving sitcoms, which will help build connections to other characters.
I introduced a timeline for this fic as in FT; Tenrou Island disappeared on December 16th. After reading up on that I decided to have Earth have the same date so I can easily set up a timeline of my own. I skipped Christmas and New Years because I just made the discovery and did a chapter centered on those events that are planned to come later. So I'll be setting up a timeframe to make the journey the FT characters go on more streamlined. Which in the end helps me out a lot when planning arcs.
The Sun's Ember idea was something I cooked up to explain away the animals still living on Tenrou. I was struggling to figure out a way for the island's ecosystem to survive a new climate because I'm pedantic like that and it's far off the possibility that the Sorcerer Supreme had something that could help.
Daredevil was teased in the last chapter as set up and to keep you guys wondering who'll he'll team up with. I chose Natsu and Happy because I wanted them to be the first to team up with another hero. I wanted a street level hero at the start before we jumped into anything too crazy.
Daredevil was chosen because he and Natsu have some similarities, both lost father figures, both love to, both have super senses, they both carry a memento of their fathers, Natsu's scarf and DD's costume. Both also have ties to the themes of resurrection, but we'll get there. He was also chosen because the Daredevil TV show is PEAK FICTION and I'll hate myself for not getting into it sooner.
Originally there was more I wanted to do this arc, but I felt some of it was forced and best reserved for later. Part of the trouble I had was trying to find an organic way for DD and Natsu to meet. It was always going to lead into a fight between them but the circumstances leading up to it was a bother to plan for.
So in case you haven't noticed, this is a two parter. The second part being the conclusion and the reveal of the arc villain which I'm excited about and easy to deduce for those eagle eye readers.
There's a lot to talk about but I'll save it for the next chapter which is where the real fun begins.
Ramadan Mubarak!
Also I'll be remiss if I didn't mention that this chapter is dedicated to Akira Toriyama. His work influenced so many creators and Fairy Tail is no different. He will be missed. RIP.