The Tale Of Natsu Dragneel Vol I Power Of The Dragon

by Azza1608

The desire to protect those closest to him. This was what drove Natsu to join Gildarts on his Century Quest to the war torn land of the Scarlione Empire. Almost a Decade on, Natsu's back, and there are countless foes looking harm both himself and his family. To test their mettle... against the Power Of The Dragon. (Edited up to Chapter 71, Rewrite still ongoing.)

16. The Phantom Aftermath

(New Chapter)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

The Phantom Aftermath

***POTD***

Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his body aching from his battle with Jose. He could smell a vaguely familiar scent, along with that of Makarov's own. Slowly, he tried sitting up, and somewhat regretted, it as a sharp stabbing pain struck the top of his head.

"Ouch …!"

"Finally awake Natsu?"

"Yeah, I'm up gramps," Natsu groaned as he slowly rose into a sitting position. "Shit-!"

"You, are an extremely lucky young man. You know that, right," Porlyusica added as the two older Mages sat down next to his bedside. "I can count on one hand how many Mages I've seen live from battle damage like that."

"Well, this isn't my first time," Natsu chuckled darkly to himself, as the two older Mages shared a look. "Pretty much a weekly occurrence back in Scarlione. Even Gildarts copped beatings like this pretty regularly."

"I've heard the stories from Gildarts directly," Makarov replied gently. "You don't need to speak about those memories, Natsu…"

"Don't get me wrong gramps, I fucking loathed that place by the end, and wanted nothing more than to be back home," Natsu began as he held out his bruised hands, eyeing them with a faraway look. "But something the Queen told me really stuck with me, and after getting into all these fights back home … I can't help but agree with them."

"What did she tell you?"

"Well, I was in basically the exact same position as I'm in right now, only instead I was in the Ichor Palace and being tended to by Illy herself."

"The Queen of Scarlione personally attended to you!?"

"Well, I did save her Daughter from being abducted, so naturally, that earned me quite a good standing. Enough standing, in fact, to be cared for by an overbearing, Motherly Queen. Anyway, as she was tending to me, she asked me why I just blindly threw myself at the enemy-?"

"Like how you were fighting Jose?"

"Yeah. She hadn't seen something like that in a long time, and wanted to know why someone as young as me was so willing to discard my own life and well-being to save someone else?"

"And how did you respond?"

"I told her that I couldn't stand by and watch as scum like the enemy walked all over Scarlione and its people. I wasn't about to let them take people away from me who I'd formed attachments to, not after Lisanna."

Both Porlyusica and Makarov nodded in understanding, remembering the youngest Take Over sibling, and her horrific demise.

"It's funny, actually, just how much she understood that sentiment," Natsu chuckled softly as he remembered the Queen's gentle touch that day. "If there was anyone who could have understood me in that moment, it was her."

"How so?"

"I can't exactly tell you the specifics, Gildarts likely mentioned that too at some point, but suffice to say that her Magic and position as Queen puts her in a rather unique position to understand the pain of losing bonds."

"Ah, I understand. Gildarts did mention that the two of you had a number of topics you couldn't speak of," Makarov nodded. "Continue."

"Yeah. So basically, after she said she understood me, she promptly tore me a new one for being so reckless. Then she started crying, then she started talking about killing some people, then cried again, then ordered me to not die or she'd use Necromancy to revive me and kill me again."

"That's … not what I'd expect from a Queen," Makarov laughed weakly with Natsu chuckling in amusement.

"Illyandra Scarlione is one of the strangest people I've ever known, and even though she ordered me not to, I'd die for her, I think. But anyway, we're getting off topic!"

"Yes, what did she say that you agreed with?"

"After she'd composed herself, she sat down, and we had a discussion. She told me that I was the kind of person who lived for battle, even if I didn't want to admit it. When I asked her why the hell I'd actually like fighting, she slapped me with dozens of examples where I'd deliberately thrown myself into a situation and started fights."

"Well, you technically don't do that now," Makarov replied with a slight frown. "More often than not, you're just doing your duty as a Fairy Tail Mage."

"But that's just it, isn't it? I've forcibly pushed myself into this life," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "When I ran off with Gildarts that day, I didn't even consider the repercussions of what gaining power like his would be. I didn't even think about the responsibility that came with it..."

"The responsibility to those weaker than yourself," Makarov hummed knowingly. "Yes, it is a cursed burden to bear."

"I've accepted it for what it is now, have for a long time," Natsu continued. "It's why I don't actually fight anyone at the Guild Hall anymore because I'm just way stronger than them, certain people excluded, of course."

"Laxus," Makarov sighed as the pink-haired Slayer nodded slowly.

"That aside, I've also come to accept that I'll be forced to fight for the rest of my life. I was raised by a Dragon and they aren't the kind to just keel over and die."

"Speaking of Dragons," Makarov cut in, deciding to end the topic there for the moment. "I figured you should know that Phantom Lord's Dragon Slayer was looking for you."

"Blacksteel? Why?"

"I don't know, but you should go find out," Makarov replied as he and Porlyusica got up out of their seats. "All he said was that it was a conversation only the two of you could have."

"I see. I'll go find him now then," Natsu sighed as he slowly got up out of the bed, summoning a set of clothes as he went. "Thank you for treating me, Porlyusica. My apologies for being a burden."

"Being formal like that doesn't suit you," Porlyusica sniffed as she turned to look out the window. "Besides, out of the lot of you S Class Mages, I know that you'll be good for a favor later on down the line if I need it."

"Heh. Rather blunt, but true," Natsu grinned as he made his way toward the door. "You're not as mean as the others say you are, you know?"

"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU BRAT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"Heh, no worries," Natsu waved as he left, making his way down the dirt path toward Magnolia.

As he walked, he noticed that a faint mist had started to seep in, and realized that he was being followed. Stopping in place, he looked around and noticed Mystogan standing atop a nearby boulder.

"That the real you, or one of the Mist Clones?"

"I figured we should speak face to face this time," the robe clad Mage replied calmly, as he moved to sit on the boulder. "I must admit that when I first heard you'd been made S Class, I was somewhat skeptical. Truth be told, I actually returned to Fairy Tail the day we met hoping that you'd be there."

"That right? Well, did I pass?"

"You withstood my strongest Sleep Spell so yes, I'd say you certainly passed my test," Mystogan chuckled softly. "But even then, I wondered to myself, just how powerful you were? When I'd heard that the Master had been incapacitated by Jose, I rushed back to help as quickly as I could."

"How did you hear about that anyway? No one knows how to get a hold of you," Natsu asked curiously.

"Porlyusica," Mystogan replied as he pointed to a small brooch on his coat. "This is linked to Master Makarov directly, a work of her own design. When Master Makarov fell to Jose, I was alerted immediately, and sent a Mist Clone to the scene whilst my real form prepared for the fight ahead. Once I had a full idea of the situation, both from the location the Master went down, and from your own account, I was able to immediately launch strikes on their other Guilds."

"I see, so they have a personal line to you at any time," Natsu hummed in understanding. "Then again, makes sense that Porlyusica could whip something like that up, she's always been good at that."

"Indeed. Porlyusica is a truly talented Mage. But anyway, back to what I was saying earlier. I rushed back, only to see the sheer scale of destruction left behind by your diversion, and it was at that moment I knew you were S Class material."

"The ability to spread large scale destruction is just one requirement for S Class, you know?"

"Indeed I do, which is why I want to say this face to face."

Mystogan hopped off of the boulder and walked over toward Natsu, extending a hand out to him, his face unreadable thanks to all of the coverings over his face.

"You are a true S Class Mage Natsu Dragneel, and I'm glad to have worked with you on this. Like you said before, this isn't really how I'd envisioned our first cooperative job would go, but all things considered, I think it was a resounding success."

"Same here," Natsu grinned as the two firmly shook hands. "You might have that air of mystery about you Mystogan, but you're a good guy."

"Heh. Well, I do try, as we all do," Mystogan chuckled as he turned around to face Magnolia itself. "I waited for you to awaken before leaving. I've already spoken to Master Makarov. Figured it wouldn't be right if we just split after all that happened."

"Yeah. I'd have been pretty shitty with you if you had," Natsu agreed as they both looked out over the city.

"This place came close to being wiped off of the map," Mystogan muttered as he slowly looked up at the sky. "I wonder how long it will be before Magnolia's luck runs out?"

"Huh?"

"Don't mind me," Mystogan replied as he turned to look at Natsu. "I've got another job I need to do, but I'll be sure to speak with you again once I return."

"It's a date!"

"Funny guy," Mystogan chuckled as he turned as started walking down the path leading away from the city and into the vast forest. "Until we meet again, Natsu."

Natsu waved Mystogan off, his mind made up about the mysterious S Class Mage. Sure, he seemed rather cold and calculating, but he did care about the Guild just as much as he did. He knew Mystogan would be a good ally for the future.

"Alright, now to find Blacksteel," Natsu sighed as he wandered into town, idly wondering where to start.

***POTD***

"I feel like this isn't going to end well," Elise sighed as she watched Erza bark orders at the others, wearing a foreman's outfit, complete with a hardhat. "And who made her the leader anyway?"

"Beats me," Cana grinned as the two sat off to the side on a bench they'd built specifically for the purpose of sitting down instead of working. "Just admit it, you're a slacker too, right?"

"And where is the evidence for that?"

"You're sitting on it," Cana grinned as she lightly tapped the table, the two sharing a small fit of giggles.

"Ok, maybe I am a little bit. But really, why do we have to rebuild the Guild Hall? Can't we just hire ACTUAL builders? Does anyone here even know what a safety standard is!?"

"Haha! I hear ya on that one! Not a single one of us probably knows what safety even means, so letting us build a massive Guild Hall is a really dumb idea!"

"Especially when one of the workers is already half drunk," Elise smirked, as Cana barely stifled a hiccup.

"Oh yeah? Well, why don't you join me, since we're just a bunch of slackers, eh!?"

"I will, but I can't get drunk, so it's probably not fair if you wanted to challenge me to a drinking contest."

"HUH!? CAN'T GET DRUNK!?"

"I'm a Slayer, just doesn't really affect me," Elise replied as Cana someone slammed down a massive keg on the table. "Is this … for me?"

"Yep! If you can drink this entire thing and not even get tipsy, I'll … I don't know, we'll figure that out later!"

"Well, guess I'd better secure whatever it is I'll be getting for free," Elise smirked as she stood up and smashed a hole in the top of the keg. "Just watch this!"

As Erza finished barking orders at some of the Guild Members, her gaze swept over the construction site. Everything seemed to be running smoothly with the various teams broken up to focus on individual tasks.

Her brain seemed to come screeching to a complete halt as it landed on the far corner of the site, however, as a sizeable crowd had formed around a rather finely crafted bench, though she had no idea where it came from. Frowning, she marched over, and was shocked to see Elise downing a giant keg of Cana's finest.

"Yeah! Feel the burn," Cana whooped as many of the crowd roared in approval.

"Fuck… she's smashing that out like a pro!"

"I couldn't even drink a few mugs of that stuff; Elise is a natural!"

Externally, Erza's face was completely blank. Internally however, she was about to blow, as she saw one of the Mages who was supposed to be responsible like her being a reckless deviant.

"Look guys, she's about to finish it," one of the Mages shouted as Elise lifted the barrel so that it was almost directly above her.

"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!"

"What a fucking show," Cana grinned only to notice Erza storming over. "Ah crap …"

Elise finished off the keg and slammed it down on the ground next to her, shattering it in the process with a grin on her face. Turning to Cana, she didn't even bother wiping the excess off her face, not realizing who was behind her.

"See that Cana, not even tipsy at all!"

"Yeah, you seem kinda excited though?"

"I mean of course I am, that was actually pretty fun! Especially with everyone else cheering me on!"

"Hey Elise?"

"Yeah?"

Cana looked between Elise and the absolutely furious Erza who would no doubt tear them both a new one. This left Cana to contemplate what to do? There was no outrunning Erza, and talking her down never worked since she was far too stubborn…

'Ah screw it! Go big or go home,' the mostly drunk Mage smirked as she drained her entire mug, before sauntering over toward Elise. "You missed a spot …"

Everyone, Erza included, were floored, as Cana licked the alcohol off of Elise's face. One eye lazily looked toward Erza, who was now completely red in the face, her brain basically fried, as Cana's tongue slowly ran over the God Slayer's lips.

"Mmhm, yum," Cana purred, winking at Elise before spinning on the spot and making a break for it. "Later!"

Naturally, the moment Cana bolted everyone rebooted. Most of the Guild started roaring with both cheers and laughter, but Erza was stuck in place looking at the back of Elise's head. Eventually though, her brain rebooted, and she slowly walked around to see Elise was as red as a tomato.

"Elise?"

"…"

"You in there?"

"…Maybe I can get drunk," Elise whispered faintly to herself.

"Looks like Cana gets the last laugh for now I suppose," Erza sighed as she waved a hand in front of Elise's face. "You in there?"

"She's in shock, dear. I don't think she was expecting Cana to be so … forward," Eliza replied for her within Erza's mind, as she continued to snap her fingers in front of the War God Slayer's face. "Not to be rude to her, but Elise isn't very good at handling attention like that, though she'll be fine in a little bit. Thoroughly embarrassed, but fine."

Taking Eliza's words at face value, she forcibly sat Elise on the bench before rounding on the rest of the crowd who were cowed into silence.

"All right, get back to work! I want this section of the Guild Hall completed by this afternoon, got it!?"

"YES MAAM," the crowd roared as they scrambled back to their assigned tasks.

Erza sighed and shook her head. Cana always was good at derailing progress when she was bored, she shouldn't have expected anything less. She'd rip into Elise later about drinking on the job, but for now, she had more pressing concerns, like making sure they had a new home to live in.

***POTD***

Having arrived back in town, Natsu started to feel his wounds flaring up, which forced him to slow down to a snail's pace. He honestly hated walking at this speed when he had places to be, but knew pushing it now would only aggravate his injuries.

And piss off Porlyusica. No one wants that.

It was rather early in the day, so at least the streets were still mostly deserted, as the people slowly woke up to the rather beautiful morning. Honestly, Natsu couldn't help but envy them and their ability to shrug off the near death experience they all faced yesterday.

"All right, where is that damn metalhead," Natsu sighed as he slowly made his way into Magnolia Park.

Sniffing the air, Natsu quickly deduced that Gajeel was in the area and started following his trail. He didn't have to walk far to find him though, the Iron Dragon Slayer standing at the foot of the same tree that Levy, Jet and Droy had been forcibly bolted on not too long ago.

"Feeling a bit of guilt, Blacksteel?"

"Feelin a lot of shit right now, Salamander," Gajeel replied bluntly, though he didn't turn around. "Not really sure of much anymore, honestly…"

"I don't really know what you want me to say Blacksteel," Natsu replied neutrally, as Gajeel finally turned around to face him. "You trashed our Guild Hall, seriously hurt three of our members, and backed Jose's attack on the city."

"Yeah …"

"The Guild Hall can be rebuilt; Team Shadow Gear luckily made a pretty quick recovery, and you guys lost in the end."

"What's your point?"

"I offered Jose a chance to surrender before we fought, a chance to put aside all the hatred and go our separate ways despite all he'd done."

"Why?"

"Because it was the right thing to do, offering him a chance to change, I mean. He didn't accept it, and now he's dead, his life snuffed out over petty crap like wanting to be number one."

"Still can't believe you and the old man killed him. Though clearly you did most of the work," the Dragon Slayer grunted in response.

"You're not soft, Gajeel. You know exactly why Jose is dead now, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know. He'd have just gone fully toward the Dark Guilds and attacked you guys that way," Gajeel replied, eliciting a firm nod from Natsu who motioned for Gajeel to follow him.

"Correct. A man like Jose as a Dark Mage would've been a crisis for Fiore, a massive blow to the Magic Council's rep, and cost the lives of who knows how many. He'd stop at nothing for his revenge against us, so we took the bastard out first."

"Honestly, never expected that kind of stuff from you Fairies," Gajeel huffed in reply as Natsu sat down on a nearby bench.

"I heard you've been looking for me Gajeel," Natsu continued as he leant back on the bench and crossed his arms. "Here I am."

"So you are," Gajeel sighed as he ran a hand through his long shaggy hair. "Fuck, where to start?"

"How about the question we both know you're gonna ask first, then work your way down the list?"

"Heh, yeah. Alright then Salamander, I'm lookin for the Dragon that raised me, goes by Metalicana?"

"I can't help you Blacksteel, I can't even find my own Dragon," Natsu laughed bitterly in response. "Igneel, the Fire Dragon King."

"No shit, Metalicana was the Metal Dragon King."

"Interesting. But like I just said, I can't really help you find him, since I've got probably about as much of a clue as you do on it."

"Figures," Gajeel sniffed as he sat down on the bench next to Natsu. "Heard though that they disappeared on the same day, date and time so …"

"Ah, the Magic number seven," Natsu chuckled softly. "Yeah, that still stumps me, even today. I wonder if there are any other Slayers around with circumstances similar to ours?"

"Who knows," Gajeel shrugged in response as the pair fell silent, watching the sun slowly climb higher into the sky.

"Gajeel?"

"What?"

"Remember how I said I'm willing to offer second chances?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You're a Dragon Slayer, just like me. Not only that, the disappearance of your parent lines up perfectly with mine."

"So?"

"I'm gonna ask you something, and you can feel free to say no," Natsu began, as he leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. "Join Fairy Tail."

"Wait … are you serious," Gajeel asked in disbelief. "How the fuck can ya even offer me something like that after what I've done!?"

"Jose was a piece of shit, I know he no doubt baited you along," Natsu cut in, silencing the Iron Slayer. "Speaking with you now, you've got a rough edge, but you aren't a piece of scum like Jose was."

"And you think that'll be enough to just let the old man approve me?"

"Master Makarov will accept you, trust me. A lot of us are just gutter trash that washed up at the doors of Fairy Tail. Homeless brats with nothing and no one. Over time though, we forge ourselves anew, and fight for our Guild, because it's the only family we've got left. Do you get what I mean?"

"…"

"You can think on it all you want Gajeel," Natsu continued. "But remember that there's much I can teach you about how to further your own power, things you'll likely struggle hard to learn on your own? I'm assuming you noticed how I matched Jose, right?"

"Yeah," Gajeel muttered quietly as he remembered seeing the opening to the fight. "The Dragon Force …"

"I can teach you a lot Gajeel, but you've got to make the effort to change as well," Natsu continued as he slowly got up and stood before the stunned man. "And don't forget, we can also find our Dragon parents together as well? Two heads are better than one, and all that crap, right?"

Gajeel seemed stunned as Natsu offered him his hand, unable to believe the offer sitting before him. His whole life, he'd grown up and experienced nothing but deceit and hardship. Standing here before him now, however, was something he thought was a mere myth, a chance to actually make something of himself.

"Gihi! Alright then Salamander. If you really wanna keep me around so bad, then I suppose I can accept your offer," Gajeel smirked as the two clasped hands with Natsu pulling him to his feet.

"Good choice," Natsu grinned as the two separated. "But just one more thing Gajeel that I should probably tell you…"

"What's that?"

"I've actually met one other Dragon Slayer before?"

"Really? Did they-?"

"This one was nothing like us," Natsu replied as his eyes seemed to see something Gajeel could not. "This one would shit all over me, has actually done so on several occasions. A level of power completely apart from anything I've seen, save for one man."

"Really? Who are they and where the fuck have they been hiding?"

"I'd rather not go too in depth at the moment, but they were in Scarlione when I was there. And, according to the Slayer, they said the only one that could probably kill them was Achnologia."

"Holy shit …"

"My desire for you to hone your skills isn't just purely out of the goodness of my heart, but as a means of survival."

"You mean-?"

"Oh yeah, they'll come for Fiore one day, and you've seen how pathetic the Council's military is, right?"

"Oh yeah. A bunch of whiny little bitches who couldn't even hold their staves straight," Gajeel grunted in reply. "Guess training myself up to your level makes even more sense now."

"Yeah. I can't tell you much more about the Scarlione stuff since its classified," Natsu sighed as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "But I want you to know that even if there wasn't a potential threat, I'd still have asked you to join anyway."

"I hear ya," Gajeel replied, brushing off Natsu's hand. "Time to swallow my pride and ask that old man if I can join. If that rain girl could get in, then surely he'll let me join?"

"Rain girl?"

"One of the Element Four, Juvia."

"Oh, right. Yeah, if gramps let another from Phantom join, then I don't see why he'd deny you? Tell him I asked you to do it and he should let you in no problem."

"Right," Gajeel grunted as he started walking off toward town. "See ya round, Salamander."

"Later Blacksteel," Natsu said as he felt another familiar presence enter the park. "About time you showed up."

"Just got back this morning to see Phantom's mobile Guild Hall trashed in the port. Nice job Natsu."

"I do try," Natsu grinned as he and Gildarts clasped hands. "You speak to gramps yet?"

"Briefly. He said he had you kill Jose, and then you both used his position to get away with it?"

"It was either that, or the two of us go to jail, and Fairy Tail gets disbanded for an illegal Guild War," Natsu snorted in response. "What else could he really do?"

"Natsu-?"

"I'm guessing he told you I was about to cave his face in," Natsu replied evenly, noticing the concerned look on the older man's face.

"Yeah."

"It was a tough fight, no doubt about it. Jose might have been a scumbag, but he was certainly a powerhouse Mage. I had to use the Dragon Force and everything I had just to match him."

"Well, he was a Wizard Saint," Gildarts replied as the pair returned to the bench and sat down. "You know that this is gonna cause a lot of trouble, right?"

"Yep."

"The balance has been broken, and they'll need to find a replacement for Jose. Not saying that person is gonna be you, but you'll be on their watch-list now for sure."

"Me, a Wizard Saint? Now there's a good joke! Although, I see your point about that. I don't think I'm really a candidate anyway though, since gramps was the one who officially finished Jose off with Fairy Law, so credit goes to him."

"Look, regardless of what happens, I'm proud of the way you handled the situation. You showed everyone how much stronger you are, and given many an insight into where you could potentially go from here."

"Thanks Gildarts," Natsu smiled. "I'm definitely going to get a rather big increase from this fight, no doubt about it."

"Speaking of increases in power, I spoke with Makarov about you and that small group you've been using to get things done?"

"You mean Erza, Gray, and Elise?"

"Yeah," the older man nodded. "I've been talking it over with him, and I think it might be a good idea if you take them up to Kryden for a few weeks?"

"You serious," Natsu replied, genuinely surprised. "Do you really think he'd let me go off to train after what we did?"

"If you take Erza, Gray and Elise with you … I do, yeah."

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all," Natsu mused as he thought over Gildarts' suggestion. "Erza needs to properly train with the Armor I gave her; Elise has plenty of growing to do too with her God Slayer abilities … and Gray undoubtedly has more he could learn from Ur-?"

"Ur," Gildarts questioned, clearly familiar with the name, but unable to recall exactly who it was. "Sounds familiar…?"

"She's the one who taught Gray how to use his Ice Make Magic," Natsu replied, deciding to omit her disgust with Gildarts himself, since he wanted to see the Crash Mage shocked as Ur confronted him.

"Oh wow, really? Well, there you go," Gildarts chuckled. "You guys all have areas you can improve in, right?"

"Right."

"You probably won't be able to go straight away, since the Guild Hall needs work and all that, but I'm sure Makarov will approve it for a time relatively soon?"

"Let me know what he thinks about it, since it seems you're so keen on letting us go on this training trip?"

"I think it'll be good, and not just for them," Gildarts replied as he poked Natsu lightly in the chest. "You'll benefit from it too."

"Yeah, get it," Natsu scoffed. "I'd better get back to the Guild Hall before you try and turn this into some mushy nonsense. Erza's been real clingy lately, so hopefully she hasn't torn the Guild Hall apart thinking I've up and vanished again?"

"Actually, Makarov put her to work as the foreman at the construction site, so she's probably up to her neck in lazy bastards," Gildarts grinned as Natsu suppressed a chuckle.

"Sounds about right, knowing our Guild. I'm shocked he doesn't just bite the bullet and hire actual construction workers?"

"You know Makarov, always trying to save money," Gildarts laughed as the pair got up and started making their way out of the park. "Come on, let's go check out how little progress they've made?"

Natsu grinned as the pair made their way out of Magnolia Park, and off toward the construction site.

***POTD***

"Owie! Erza, stop hitting me," Elise whined as Erza chased her around with a wooden sword, whacking her over and over.

"This ought to teach you not to be a lazy good for nothing like the others," Erza growled in response as she continued to chase Elise around the front of the site. "I just have to beat the laziness out of you early! Then you'll be just like me!"

"That isn't how stuff like that works at all!"

This was the scene that Natsu and Gildarts walked into, as the rest of the Guild just sat around not doing anything. Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, knowing full well that if it were a serious argument, that the entire area would probably have blown up by now.

"Oi Gray, what's going on here?"

"Oh, hey Natsu. Yeah, Erza's mad because Elise was slacking off with Cana earlier, and when she tried to scold them, Cana pulled a fast one on her and got away."

"Cana got one over on Erza?"

"Yeah," Gray replied, as a rare blush tinged his cheeks.

"What the fuck Gray, are you blushing right now!?"

"Listen man, you missed out. Shit was hot, not even gonna lie."

"What happened?"

"Well, Elise drank an entire keg of Cana's finest in one go, but had a lot of it on her face afterward. So, when Erza came charging over like she always does … Cana licked it off of her face … slowly."

"For real," Natsu muttered as he pictured the sight, though not at all like it had been described to him as there was a distinct lack of clothing involved. "Holy shit …"

"Natsu! SAVE ME," Elise cried as she dived behind him, with Erza charging toward them at full force.

"Don't worry Elise, I've got this," Natsu laughed as he stepped up toward Erza. "Hey Erza, I'm-!"

Natsu was silenced as Erza started hitting him with the wooden sword, each strike hurting much more than they really should.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Natsu! Where have you been all morning," Erza snapped as Natsu tried to run away but failed due to his injuries. "I was told by the Master that you left Porlyusica's several hours ago!?"

"Yeah, I did," Natsu gasped in reply as the whacking continued. "If you'd stop smacking me for five damn seconds, I'd explain myself!"

"Very well then, I shall return to hitting Elise-."

"NOOO!"

"Leave Elise alone Erza. From what I've been told, it was just Cana pulling her usual crap-."

"W-Wait a sec … You know about what Cana did," Elise gasped as a fierce blush broke out on her face. "SO EMBARRASSING!"

"Yeah, it is. I'll be sure to remind you of it until I forget about it," Natsu grinned in response before turning back to face Erza. "Anyway, I caught up with Mystogan before he left, then met with Blacksteel Gajeel and asked him to join the guild-."

"WHAT," was the collective consensus on that as everyone seemed completely floored at Natsu's actions.

"There is a good reason, let gramps deal with it," Natsu replied firmly with a tone that told them all he wasn't going to budge on that issue. "Anyway, after that Gildarts met up with me and we talked for a bit and came here. Just took a bit because I'm still sore."

"Oh …"

"And you made it worse by the way," Natsu continued as Erza avoided his gaze. "I think I might need some more help …"

"Really!? I didn't hit you that hard, did I!?"

"It was pretty hard Erza," Natsu sighed as he dramatically hobbled toward her. "Look at me, I could walk fine before!"

"Oh Natsu, I'm so sorry!"

Natsu silenced her as he suddenly reached out and pulled her into a hug, eliciting a fierce blush from the scarlet-haired Mage.

"Don't worry about it though, I don't mind."

"Oh my god that's so adorable," Mira squealed as she jumped up and down on the spot like she was about to explode.

"Eugh, gross," Gildarts teased as he turned around and went to walk off only for someone to start shouting at him.

"That's just like you to run off because of a little romance Gildarts, you disgusting perv!"

"What the hell," Gildarts gasped as he turned around and was face to face with Ur.

"You're not just a regular pervert anymore," Ur continued as she pushed into his personal space. "Now you're an old one!"

"Oi that was uncalled for!"

"Uncalled for!? You old bastard!? You really forgot about perving on me during the Summer Harvest Festival!? You really are the worst!"

Everyone was gathering around as Ur tore Gildarts a new one, the Crash Mage completely cowed and at the Ice Make Mage's mercy. As Gildarts looked for a possible escape route, he noticed both Natsu and Makarov were smirking at his misfortune and scowled.

"You two set this up didn't you!? You bastards are messed up!"

"Those two don't have anything to do with it; this is your own fault!"

Ur stomped away as Natsu and Makarov burst out laughing. Gildarts punched Natsu over the head knocking him face first into a table.

"OW! What was that for, you wanna fight!?"

"You couldn't even scratch me you brat!"

"Enough you two," Makarov sighed as the two stopped butting heads and turned away from each other.

"Fine," Natsu huffed. "I need to talk to you about something in private anyway gramps," Natsu sighed as the old man motioned for him to follow him down into the basement of the Guild Hall.

"What's the matter?"

"Now that you're back, I need to get your advice on something," Natsu asked, earning a raised eyebrow from the man. "Its in regards to a problem Ur has?"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Natsu replied with a curt nod. "Let me just go grab her now."

Walking back upstairs, he looked around and found her off to the side, watching as some of the Guild were lazily building a wall. Motioning for her to follow him, she raised an eyebrow, but nodded, following him back downstairs.

"What's this about?"

"Remember that thing we discussed the other day," Natsu asked, the Ice Make Mage's eyes widening in recognition. "Yeah."

"Right," Ur sighed. "Makarov, I just want to say that if you think I should leave the Guild because of this, I totally get it-."

"Now hold on a moment Ur," Makarov replied, clearly surprised at what she just said. "Let's start at the beginning here?"

"Well, you remember how Natsu said I got brought back by that Time Magic right before he had to fight Deliora?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well … I'm not sure what exactly happened," Ur mumbled as she dropped to her knees and motioned for the elderly man to approach. "Look here…"

Parting her hair, Makarov was surprised to see two tiny horns had sprouted from the upper left, and upper right sides of Ur's skull. It didn't take a genius to realize the implications of what this meant.

"I see now why you're concerned…"

"She also has a spot where her tailbone should be that clearly will support a tail at some point too," Natsu chimed in. "I figured we should bring this to your attention, mainly because … well, Demon and all that, right?"

"Right," Makarov nodded. "Let me start by saying you've both done the right thing by telling me this as soon as possible, and I won't be kicking Ur out of the Guild."

"Really," Ur asked, clearly surprised. "You'd keep me around?"

"You probably don't really know it, but Mirajane is actually a Demon as well," Makarov replied, shocking Ur who was unaware of that fact. "This does however, bear investigating. Because of this, I'm going to send you to the same place I sent Mira when she was younger, back when she didn't understand her own abilities."

"Where's that," Ur asked curiously.

"I have a friend who I made a long time ago, back when I was an S Class Mage. She was an expert in studying Demons from the Books Of Zeref, but not in the way that Dark Mages do," Makarov replied quickly. "She lives in relative isolation in a small community that's about a day from here. She's been very good to our Guild over the years, and recently, she submitted a job request for us…"

"This could be a good opportunity then," Natsu chimed in, picking up on what Makarov was suggesting. "We help your friend with this job, and she helps Ur?"

"That's right," Makarov hummed as he walked over to a nearby desk, pulling out a bunch of job listings, fishing out an S Class Job. "Ah, here it is!"

Returning and slamming the job down onto the table, Natsu and Ur looked at it, finding the job description rather intriguing.

"Do you mind if I steal Natsu for a day or two?"

"Not at all. In fact, this might actually work out quite well," Makarov replied as he looked toward Natsu. "Did Gildarts mention the suggestion about a potential training trip for Elise, Erza and Gray?"

"He did," Natsu nodded before looking toward Ur. "I planned on asking if you had anything you'd like to see Gray learn while we're gone on that trip, but gramps beat me to the punch."

"I definitely have more things I want to teach him, so I can definitely write down a training plan for him while we're on our way to … wherever we're going?"

"Excellent," Makarov grinned. "When you both return, I'll send you and your team off to train, Natsu! For now, though, you're headed to the Fell Woods. At its heart is a small settlement called Menoa Town, and that's where your contact will be."

"I don't think I'd get away with leaving today, so we'll head out tomorrow, if that's alright," Natsu laughed as he looked toward Ur. "Erza would probably have my hide if I ran off again without telling her."

"Fair enough. Gives us a chance to plan a better route there," Ur agreed as she looked back to Makarov. "Thank you, Makarov, for not kicking me out."

"Its quite alright. I know that you aren't a danger to anyone here, you raised Gray as if he were one of your own," Makarov replied as he extended his arm outward and patted her shoulder. "Not only that, you stood up for Fairy Tail during this most recent crisis when you weren't even fully recovered from your harrowing ordeal on Galuna."

"Speaking of Gray, though," Natsu cut in, drawing both their attention toward him. "We need to keep what's happening to Ur a secret from him. If he finds out Ur has become, or is potentially becoming, a Demon, he might do something he'd regret."

"I agree," Makarov nodded. "The only other Mages aside from us that will know of this will be Mirajane, and Gildarts. Both for Ur's safety and well-being, as well as Gray's."

"Thank you, Master Makarov," Ur replied as she partially bowed before him. "You're probably the only Wizard Saint I've seen that actually seems to give a shit. Thank you…"

"You're welcome, Ur," Makarov smiled as the Ice Make Mage turned on her heel and left swiftly. "I do feel for that poor girl…"

"She's suffered far too much," Natsu agreed as he slowly took a seat. "Anyway, run me through your plans for this training trip thing? We can talk about this job more later?"

Makarov agreed, as the pair began discussing ideas for the potential training trip. All ideas were considered and discussed as they talked late into the afternoon.

***POTD***

Arriving home as the sun began to set, Natsu walked inside and saw Ur sitting in the living room, going over some maps. Hearing Erza and Elise discussing something upstairs, he decided to talk to the Ice Make Mage first.

"Hey?"

"Hmm? Oh, hey Natsu," Ur replied as she leaned back in her chair. "I'm just going over the map of Fiore."

"You were only gone for like, what, a decade? Surely not much has changed since then?"

"You'd be surprised," the Ice Make Mage grinned as she pointed toward a rail line marked on the map. "This never existed back when I was running around, neither did half of these small towns."

"Huh? Interesting," Natsu mused.

"Anyway, that aside," Ur continued as she pushed the map aside. "What's up?"

"Gramps said he's gonna meet us at the station tomorrow around nine," Natsu replied easily. "Apparently, he's got to get something from this friend of his so we can go to Menoa Town?"

"Why?"

"He didn't say, though I suspect he'll explain that to us tomorrow."

"Fair enough," Ur shrugged. "Listen, can we talk about what happened back in that mobile Guild Hall, with that whole Jose thing?"

"Which part?"

"You know which part I'm talking about," Ur muttered as she motioned for him to sit. "The part right before we started fighting Jose and you cut him off-?"

"I don't want to talk about that-."

"He was going to say Alvarez, wasn't he?"

Natsu didn't respond, though Ur knew he was unsettled. He tapped his fingers against the arm of the chair, breathing through his nose at a slightly enhanced rate, and his eyes dilated ever so slightly.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"…"

"Natsu-?"

"Fine," the Dragon Slayer hissed, his body shaking erratically as he swiftly rose to his feet. "Come outside and talk."

Ur nodded slowly, rising with her usual aloof grace, as they walked through the house and went into the backyard of the manor. There wasn't much out there yet, aside from a few basic chairs, which Natsu righted before sitting in one.

"You don't want Elise or Erza knowing?"

"No. Well, at least … I don't want them to know about it right now," Natsu replied as he tapped his heel on the ground, clearly jittery. "As you can probably tell, I don't like talking about this kind of stuff…"

"I won't pry too much, I promise," Ur replied gently. "And if you don't want to answer me, you don't have to?"

That seemed to help Natsu, if only slightly, as his twitching slowed down a little bit. He was still clearly not happy about speaking on the topic.

"Ask then…"

"The enemy of Scarlione, is it the Alvarez Empire?"

"Not many other countries that have Alv in their name, are there," Natsu replied bluntly. "How do you know about them?"

"I heard about them from my … my Father," Ur replied slowly. "I've never been there myself, but he told me that my Mother was born not on Ishgar … but rather, Alakitasia."

Natsu seemed surprised by this revelation, his jittering slowly decreasing to a slight tapping of his finger against his knee. Leaning forward, he was now fully invested in what Ur was explaining to him.

"Go on?"

"My Mother was an Ice Make User as well, from the frozen north of Alakitasia, back before Alvarez conquered it and added it to their ever-expanding Empire."

"Your Mother was from the Grue Territories," Natsu replied, surprising Ur with his knowledge. "One of the Alvarez Commanders oversees that region; in case you were wondering how I know?"

"Right, of course," Ur nodded stiffly. "Well, anyway, I know a bit about Alvarez from what my Father told me. Apparently, they invade other kingdoms and add them to the Empire. They pick the strongest Mage from the conquered kingdom who is willing to swear fealty to their Emperor, and they are made the Overseer of it."

"I'm aware," Natsu nodded again. "I assume your Mother escaped the Grue Territories and ended up in Fiore at some point?"

"Yes… So, when I heard Jose mention that you'd killed one of their Commanders I-?"

"Wanted to know," Natsu answered for her. "I understand now."

Natsu sighed as he leaned back in his chair, running both hands up his face and through his hair whilst groaning. Once he'd let his arms flop to his sides, he looked over at Ur for a moment before continuing to speak.

"What I will say, is that what Jose said was true."

"Truly," Ur gasped, barely able to contain her sense of disbelief as she looked over at the man. "Can you tell me about it?"

"I can tell you some things, since knowledge like that can bring trouble," Natsu replied cautiously, with Ur nodding firmly in a mixture of understanding and curiosity. "So basically, Alvarez have twenty-four Commanders, divided into two divisions. I slew one of them, a Demon of Etherious known as Skkard The Quiescence."

"I've heard you've mentioned this Demon before," Ur replied, clearly confused.

"She wouldn't have been stronger than the likes of Deliora, but she didn't have to be," Natsu replied slowly. "Skkard didn't need to be strong, not when she could use her Curse Of Silence to just walk right into an enemy base and kill everyone without raising an alarm. She was an Assassin, but she picked the wrong target with me."

"So, you've actually beaten an Alvarez Commander…"

"Don't think that means much," he continued. "Some of them are so far beyond either of us that its actually maddening. Though, some weren't actually too bad to deal with, really…"

Ur raised an eyebrow at that, but decided not to pursue it for now, and moved on with her questioning.

"Jose called you a Knight Commander when he first started talking about what he'd learned…"

"Heh. So, you want to know about that?"

"I've heard you have diplomatic immunity, is that why?"

"Oh yeah, that's exactly why. I suppose if you were to compare it to a Fiore equivalent, I would be of a similar standing to one of the Mages that serve the Fiore Royal Family, like their Guard Captain, for example?"

"What…!?"

"I know the Queen of Scarlione on a personal level, and served in her military. It isn't really that surprising that, given my level of strength, I have the rank to back that up?"

"It's just…"

"Strange," Natsu answered for her, eliciting a slow nod. "I know."

"Well, now that you answered the whole Knight thing…"

"I'm not going to talk about the last part Jose mouthed off about," Natsu replied swiftly. "It isn't that I can't talk about that, it's more that …"

"You don't want to," Ur nodded in understanding. "From what Jose said, I don't blame you."

"Thanks," Natsu smiled slightly as he slowly rose to his feet. "Enough about my garbage past anyway, let's get ready for bed!"

"You seriously that excited to sleep," Ur giggled, as Natsu turned on his heel and strolled back toward the manor.

"I'm still a bit banged up, remember?"

"Oh yeah, you were full of holes, weren't you? I forgot about that?"

Natsu chuckled as they walked back inside, finding Elise and Erza in the kitchen.

"Hey you two," Natsu smiled. "You still mad at Elise or what?"

"Not anymore," Erza replied with an amused smirk. "I think she learned her lesson from Cana."

"Ugh! You two aren't gonna shut up about that, are you!?"

"Not at all," Natsu grinned. "By the way, just so you two know, gramps is sending Ur and I on a job for a day or two."

"Really," Erza asked, clearly both surprised, and slightly put out. "I'm guessing neither of us can come?"

"Apparently this is a request by a close ally of the Guild," Natsu replied as he looked toward Erza. "You might know her, if Mira ever spoke to you about the person who helped her control her abilities?"

"Wait, you're going to meet HER!?"

"Yep," Natsu nodded, seeing Erza's entire demeanor change in an instant.

"Fair enough then."

"Whoa, hold up? One minute, you look like you're gonna fire up at Natsu ditching us again, and now you're cool with it," Elise asked, clearly confused at Erza's response. "What am I missing here?"

"The place they're going, you have to be invited to get there," Erza replied cryptically. "I can't tell you anything else since you weren't invited, and aren't S Class."

"You have to be S Class just to even know about this place? Seriously?"

"Oh yeah, but there's a reason for it," Natsu replied knowingly. "Gramps told me about it today, it makes sense."

"Fine," Elise huffed. "I'll just have to become S Class so I get in on the damn secret!"

"That's the spirit," Natsu grinned, before yawning. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I'm liable to die or something if I don't…"

"I think we all should get an early night," Erza agreed. "I'm still a bit sore from when I got hit by that Jupiter Cannon."

"I'm not sore at all, because that Totomaru guy sucked," Elise grinned, earning a round of snickers in response.

The group dispersed after some light banter, with Natsu and Erza making their way up to the master bedroom. Natsu stripped down, with Erza Requipping into her pajamas, as the Requip Mage noticed all the battle damage he'd taken.

"You really did cop a beating," Erza muttered quietly as she closed the door. "How many holes do you have in you right now?"

"Nine," Natsu replied as Erza inspected his form. "They should be mostly filled in tomorrow if Porlyusica's concoction does its job."

"Still," the scarlet-haired Mage sighed as she ran a gentle finger over his bruised chest. "Sorry for hitting you earlier today with the wooden sword…"

"Ah, don't worry about it," Natsu smiled softly. "I was just messing around about it hurting, remember?"

"Doesn't make it right when you fought a damn Wizard Saint for us, does it?"

"As if you wouldn't have been on the front line with me if you could've," Natsu replied as he slowly hopped into bed.

"I couldn't have beaten Jose," Erza muttered in reply. "Not even with my strongest Armors…"

"I'm not supposed to say anything about this yet," Natsu whispered as Erza slid into bed next to him. "But after I get back from this thing with Ur, we're going on a small training trip."

"Wait…seriously?"

"You, Elise, Gray, and I," Natsu nodded. "Gildarts actually suggested it to gramps after what happened."

"Well, it would make sense for us to all grow stronger…"

"The main focus will be you three," Natsu continued. "I plan on helping you better learn how to use the Armor Of The Brilliant Flame, as well as use that Lacrima I gave you safely."

Erza summoned the Lacrima to her hand, examining it curiously, before her eyes slowly moved to Natsu, who watched her curiously.

"Do you think that after we train, we can go back to doing missions together all the time?"

"Well, I won't make a promise about it," Natsu chuckled gently in response. "You know how unpredictable things have been lately?"

"Yeah… I know. I just-I just feel like …"

"Like what?"

Erza clearly seemed to be struggling to voice what she clearly wanted to say, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find the right words.

"I-I just feel like I'm … not pulling my weight …"

"What do you mean by that," Natsu asked gently, propping himself up on his elbow, as he pushed back his fatigue for a moment. "You've done plenty from what I've seen and heard?"

"I dunno," Erza sighed as she avoided his gaze. "Lately, it just feels like I could be doing a whole lot more to help you, yet I'm fumbling at every turn…"

"Give me an example," Natsu asked softly. "How do you think you aren't helping me?"

"The whole Eisenwald Incident. Sure, I fought Azuma, but I didn't defeat him. And then, you not only faced a Grand Wizard, but then a Demon right after. I didn't even help you with it-."

"You really are underestimating just how important facing Azuma was, aren't you? Because you distracted him, I was able to focus on Bluenote. That's definitely important…"

"And Lullaby itself?"

"Pretty sure I asked gramps to make all of you pull back, remember?"

"But-!"

"But nothing. You did as gramps ordered you to. What happened to me was a miscalculation on my part, nothing more."

"Well…what about during the whole thing with Mira being kidnapped? I told the two of you to go and spend some time together to discuss things, and Mira ended up being kidnapped by the Second Circle-?"

"Come on Erza, you weren't even there for that," Natsu replied as he placed a gently hand on hers. "How could you have known that was going to happen?"

"I still suggested it-."

"Erza, what's really going on? This isn't like you?"

"I-I …"

Erza blushed slightly as she looked down at her hand that was still being held by Natsu's own. With a deep sigh, she finally relented.

"Ever since you got back, I've wanted to spend time with you, get to know you like I did back when we were younger, you know? I-I want us to go back to being …"

"Close," Natsu whispered, eliciting a light blush from the Requip Mage.

"Y-Yeah…"

"So, let me make sure I'm understanding you here? You think we're not as close as we once were, right," Natsu asked, earning a slight nod from Erza. "Why specifically? Is it because I won't talk about certain things, because I end up going off and doing things with others like Ur or Mira? Or, is it because I haven't spent any real time with you one on one?"

"Way to put me on the spot," Erza mumbled, her long, scarlet hair half covering her face as she shifted her position slightly. "I want to spend more time with you…"

The way Erza spoke just now, had Natsu feeling something different within him. Her tone, combined with how she seemed shy and vulnerable before him, despite ordinarily being a badass, stirred something within that he didn't quite know how to put into words.

He did know one thing, however, and that was how adorable she looked in that moment.

"Tell you what," Natsu replied, gently moving the strands of hair from Erza's vision, eliciting a fierce blush from her. "After this whole training trip thing, we'll go do something together? No one else, just the two of us…"

"Really?"

"Yeah," Natsu nodded as he laid his head down on his pillow, his right hand curling up as he extended his pinkie finger toward her right hand he'd been holding. "I promise."

Erza giggled tiredly as she gently locked their pinkie fingers together, before yawning cutely.

"You promised me, Natsu Dragneel…"

"I know," Natsu mumbled as his eyelids began to droop. "I'm keeping … it …"

"I … know … you … will," Erza whispered as the pair slowly fell into a restful slumber, their pinkie fingers still gently locked together, cementing Natsu's promise to her.

He would sooner die than break another promise to her, that much he vowed long ago.