It was early in the morning, and Natsu walked through the streets of Magnolia Town. Even in the early hours, the city was bustling. He looked around and saw vendors promoting their products to passersby, the adults talking amongst themselves, and the kids having fun running through the streets. He let out a satisfied sigh as he watched everyone he passed have a wide smile on their face. It's only been a few months, and everyone seems to have returned from the Alvarez Empire's full-scale invasion of Ishgar. He looked over at one of the vendors when somebody accidentally bumped into him.

"Oof, are you okay kid?" Natsu asked as he looked down at the boy who bumped into him and helped him up as his mother rushed towards his side.

"Yeah, sorry for bumping into you, sir." The boy answered as he felt a hand on his shoulders and looked up to see his mom.

"Tobias, what have I told you about running in crowded areas? You could have gotten hurt!" The mom scolded her son as she turned to Natsu and quickly bowed. "I'm so sorry for my son bumping into Mr. Dragneel!"

Natsu let out a light chuckle as he ruffled Tobias' hair, "It's alright, Miss. It takes more than a simple bump to knock me out. Also, please don't call me Mr. Dragneel. It makes me sound way older than I am. Just call me Natsu."

"Well, I'm sorry on behalf of Tobias for bumping into you. Come, Tobias, Matilda told me about this discount a vendor was having." The mom said as she dragged her son to one of the stalls.

'Poor kid, thank god I don't have to do any shopping anytime soon, ' Natsu thought to himself as he looked at the mother who was fighting with the other people at the stall for some rare meat that was on discount. Natsu watched the little brawl so intently that he didn't realize where he was going. In an ironic sense, he accidentally bumped into somebody and made them drop whatever they were holding. He looked down and instantly recognized the short-haired, platinum-blonde beauty he accidentally tripped and helped her up.

"Oh shoot, sorry for not paying attention, Lisanna! I didn't realize you were right in front of me." Natsu sheepishly laughed as he bent down and picked up all the groceries that he had made Lisanna drop. "Are you going to the guild right now?"

"It's okay, Natsu. It takes more than a simple fall to hurt me." Lisanna giggled as she grabbed a bag off Natsu's hand, "And yes, I am. Mirajane is currently sleeping in, so I decided to open the guild for her."

"That's very nice of you, Lisanna." Natsu grinned, causing Lisanna to get a slight blush on her cheeks as they walked towards the guild, jumping from topic to topic that ranged from any upcoming jobs that Natsu would take to the revelation that Levy was pregnant with Gajeel's kid. They saw a wall displaying the two Grand Magic Games trophies they won as they entered the guild hall. Their latest triumph occurred when the new ruler of Fiore, Hisui E. Fiore, announced a new tournament to try and raise morale after the conclusion of the Alvarez Empire invasion, which Fairy Tail won after competing against guilds such as Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, and Lamia Scale.

"What's up with the trophies? I thought Gramps kept them in his office because he didn't want anyone accidentally destroying them." Natsu asked as he walked up to the glass pane that protected the two trophies and placed a hand on it before he was suddenly shocked, "OI! WHAT THE FUCK!" Natsu shouted in frustration as he tried to punch the glass pane. He was then met with an even stronger shock that sent him flying to the other side of the guild.

Lisanna laughed as she placed the groceries on the counter and walked up to Natsu, who was on the floor with a frustrated expression, "I-I'm sorry, Natsu, but that was just too funny!" Lisanna laughed even harder, making Natsu even more frustrated as he jumped up and charged a Dragon Roar before Lisanna had to restrain him.

"Listen, Natsu. The reason Master Makarov placed those trophies there was because he wanted to motivate the guild, but secretly, I'm pretty sure he's doing this solely for the bragging rights whenever another guild comes to visit." Lisanna giggled as she dragged Natsu to the counter and sat him down. She was about to take the groceries to the kitchen. "Have you eaten today, Natsu? I can make you some breakfast if you want."

"That would be great, Lisanna. Your cooking is just as good as Mira's!" Natsu answered as he looked around and reminisced about his journeys with Fairy Tail. When he first joined the guild and told everyone that he was the son of a Dragon, the day when he rescued Lucy from that Bora guy and brought her to Fairy Tail and quickly formed a team alongside Gray and Erza, and when the entire guild, alongside the rest of Fiore, fought together to stop Acnolgia and the Alvarez Empire. He smiled at all those memories before seeing Makarov entering the guild.

"Natsu, I didn't expect you to be here this early." Makarov said as he walked up to Natsu and sat beside him.

"The same can be said of you, Gramps. I thought you would stay in the retirement home complaining about your back." Natsu laughed before getting slapped on the back of the head and laughed even louder. "I guess I deserved that."

"You damn brat, you're lucky Porlyusica told me to limit the amount of magic I use per day, or else I would have kicked your ass all the way to Crocus!" Makarov shouted before calming down as Lisanna came out of the kitchen with a large platter of food, "Good morning, Lisanna. Is Mirajane ill?"

"Good morning, Master, and no, Mirajane was just feeling lazy today, so I decided to open the guild today." Lisanna answered as she placed the food directly in Natsu's face and watched as he devoured the food that could have fed a family of six in less than ten minutes.

"Thanks for the food, Lisanna. That hit the spot!" Natsu sighed as he rubbed his stomach in contentment before looking back at Makarov. "Gramps, I want to speak to you in your office."

"Alright, boy. Lisanna, if anyone needs me, tell them I'm doing something important." Makarov said, and Lisanna nodded as Natsu and Makarov went up to the second floor and into his office.

"What do you want to speak about, Natsu?" Makarov asked as he relaxed in his chair, looking at Natsu, who was staring down at his scarred arms.

"Gramps, can I take a mission?" Natsu cryptically asked, confusing Makarov for a second before he answered Natsu, "You never asked for my permission when taking a mission, especially when it was for an S-Class mission, so why ask now?" Natsu could only laugh at Makarov's answer with another cryptic answer, "I'm not sure. I just feel like the mission that I want to take needs your permission before I go through with it."

Makarov was getting annoyed at Natsu for not giving him a clear answer and decided that the only way to get an answer that wasn't by brute force was to continue asking Natsu questions, "And how long will this mission last for?"

"It depends on how fast I can complete this mission." Natsu continued to answer, that wide grin ever present on his face that only made Makarov even more furious with the Dragon Slayer.

"DAMN IT, NATSU! Answer my question: what mission are you trying to take?" Makarov's face was red at this point, and Natsu chuckled a bit as he decided to give Makarov what he wanted to hear.

"I've decided that I want to leave the guild. Not permanently, though, because I know that one day, I'm coming back to the guild." Natsu answered, and Makarov swore his heart stopped for a few seconds. Natsu, the man who's been considered the heart of Fairy Tail by almost everyone in and out of the guild, wanted to leave. So many questions raced through his brain, but he knew that asking why was the best place to start.

"What made you come to that decision, Natsu?" Makarov calmly asked as he waited for Natsu's answer. According to most social metrics, Natsu would hardly be classified as an adult. He knew better than most that when Natsu was serious about something, he knew that he should give insight.

"Gramps, I've been at this guild for ten years now. I think that maybe I should leave my comfort zone and explore the world, find new opponents, and get stronger than ever before so that when I return, I can make sure that Fairy Tail never loses its spot as the number one guild." Natsu answered with a toothy grin as Makarov sighed and theorized how the guild would react to Natsu's sudden disappearance.

"I accept your mission, Natsu. But on one condition, I want you to stay until the end of the month and leave everyone with a smile on their face." Makarov answered, and Natsu nodded his head. They hugged each other as they left the office and saw that the guild quickly filled up. Natsu sighed as he looked around and saw everyone in their small groups. Lucy and Levy discussed a book they had just read while Gajeel wrapped his arm around the recently announced pregnant blunette. Cana drinks alongside Wakaba and Macao at the bar counter while smelling Mirajane and Lisanna cooking. Wendy watched over Happy and Carla as Happy tried to make another attempt to seduce Carla. Everyone was doing their own things, and Natsu watched with a smile, "Final chance, Natsu. Are you sure you want to do this?" Makarov asked as he looked up at the Dragon Slayer he had brought many years ago.

"Yeah, I'll miss seeing their faces, but I think that's why I want to take this mission. I don't want to see my family get hurt any more than you do, Gramps." Natsu answered as the doors to the guild opened and entered Gray Fullbuster, Natsu's guildmate, rival, but most importantly, friend, with Juvia Lockser by his side, holding onto his arm with a doting smile. They've been dating for almost a month now, and Natsu couldn't be happier that Gray finally let his walls fall and allowed Juvia to have a more significant role in his life. Gray was the first to notice Natsu up on the second floor and decided to call him out, "I've just got here, and you already got in trouble with Gramps?"

"Don't blame me. I don't understand why Gramps would make the glass shock you if you touched it." Natsu retorted as he pointed to the trophy case below him, "You're lucky that you're on a date with your girlfriend, or else I would have jumped down there and put you in a cast!"

Juvia's face turned a deep shade of red as Gray scoffed at Natsu's comment and went to the bar to get breakfast, "What's so funny?" Gray asked as he saw Mirajane chuckling at them.

"Oh, nothing. I just found it cute how you both reacted to Natsu's comment." Mirajane answered as Juvia tightened her grip around Gray's arm, and Gray just sighed at the teasing barmaid. As Mirajane took the couple's order, Lisanna focused more on what Natsu said.

'Why would Natsu lie? I mean, yeah, he did try to punch the glass, but Master wasn't even here when that happened, and Natsu isn't the type to snitch on himself unless he was caught…' Lisanna thought, looking up at Natsu before she was alerted by Mirajane.

"Lisanna, what were you thinking about? Were you thinking about a certain Dragon Slayer asking for your hand in marriage~" Mirajane teased, making her younger sister blush and stammer for an answer.

"A-a-actually, I was th-thinking about… how cute Gray and Juvia's kids would be…" Lisanna lied, and before Mirajane could prod her sister even more, Juvia gleefully grabbed Lisanna's hands.

"Juvia never knew you were interested in Juvia's children, Lisanna! Juvia and Gray-Sama will have exactly eight loving children, six boys and two girls. The eldest will be a boy, and his name is Greige! He will look exactly like his father and be an Ice Mage. The second will be a girl, and her name is going to be Sylvia. Juvia knows she's going to be a Daddy's girl and is going to have the perfect mix of Juvia and Gray-Sama's magic…" Juvia would rattle off everything about her hypothetical children to Lisanna, who was thankful for the save since Mirajane had dropped it and went to the kitchen. She was also nervous as she could feel Juvia's grip tighten, swearing that she could hear her bones crack. She looked back to see where Natsu was and saw him walking up to Wendy.


"You must be a mermaid because we mer-maid for each other." Happy said as he bestowed Carla with a freshly wrapped tuna. After the war, Happy has made it his sole mission to ma-ke Carla fall in love with him, so he asks the most knowledgeable when it comes to dating, Mirajane and Lisanna, who gave the Exceed a crash course when it comes to romance and how to flirt with any girl's heart.

"That joke was terrible, and you should be ashamed of yourself." Carla said as Happy dropped his fish in distraught and was quickly consoled by Wendy, who rubbed the top of his head. "Well, I thought that joke was good, Happy. You shouldn't beat yourself over it." Wendy reaffirmed the blue Exceed, who was now crying comically large tears as he picked up the fish and took a bite out of it.

"Y-you're right, and tuna isn't Carla's favorite fish; it's salmon. Don't worry, Carla, I'm going to fish some of the best salmon you've ever tasted!" Happy shouted, wiping the tears out of his eyes as he sprouted his wings and took off before colliding into Natsu's chest.

"Watch where you're going, buddy." Natsu grinned as he pulled Happy out of his chest until he recovered, "So, how was your trip to Lamia Scale with Wendy and Carla?"

"Ay, it was good. I even got to taste so many fish that I've never seen before." Happy drooled as Natsu sighed at Happy's answer before looking over at Wendy, "You never told me why you went over to Lamia Scale."

"Oh, it was to see if Sherria was doing any good with her magic. The last time we met, she was only able to create small gusts, but now she can finally use some of the spells she used when we fought in the Grand Magic Games." Wendy answered.

"That's good to hear. Sherria sure was strong when you faced her at the Grand Magic Games. You're a good friend for going out of your way and helping her out, Wendy." Natsu grinned, making Wendy blush in a mixture of embarrassment and adoration, as he sat right next to Wendy and continued to speak. They only stopped when they noticed Lucy walking up to them. "What's up, Luce? Do you need to go on a mission to get some money?"

"Good joke, Natsu. I'll let you know that my latest book has quickly become a bestseller, and I can afford my rent for the next six months." Lucy boasted as she sat across from the two Dragon Slayers, "I just wanted to know why Happy flew out of the guild."

"The fool was trying to impress me by giving me some fish and telling me an awful joke. Whoever told him those attempts to seduce me should feel awful about themself." Carla answered as Lisanna and Mirajane felt a dagger go straight through their heart.

"Don't be so mean, Carla. While Happy isn't the best when it comes to romance, he always makes an effort." Lucy defended the blue Exceed as Wendy also decided to chime in, "Yeah, Happy's always nice to you even when you aren't kind to him. You should at least make it up to him by taking him on at least one date. What do you think, Natsu?" The three girls would turn to Natsu, waiting for his opinion.

"Hmm, I mean, you shouldn't really force Carla to do something she clearly doesn't want to do. But I think they're both right, Carla. Just give Happy one chance and see how it turns out." Natsu replied as Carla sighed in annoyance at the three of them trying to push her toward something she had no intention of doing. She mulled over her options for a couple of seconds and looked at them, "Fine… when Happy comes back, I'll ask him out for a date."

The two girls cheered while Natsu grinned, causing Carla to blush slightly. "But remember, it's just one date and nothing else!" Carla reminded them, but Lucy and Wendy brushed it aside as they told Carla everything she should prefer for her date with Happy, even though Carla was certain that neither of them had ever been on a date before. Natsu, while happy(pun not intended) that Carla decided to go on a date with his best friend, would rather be anywhere else than listening to Lucy and Wendy talking about the best way to prepare for a date with Happy and walked away and exited the guild so he could walk around the city when he noticed a certain gunslinger and his little daughter in front of a vendor and decided to meet up with them.