I decided to come back and redo this chapter as of 28/05/2024 and completed it as of 30/05/2024. The original version felt like a good idea at the time but looking back, it doesn't work very well and it seemed to put people off of the story. I hope you enjoy the following version 2 chapter; Coming Undone (R).

"Good morning, Archbishop." Erza greeted the priestess with a respectable bow of her head. Her eyes drifted over to the pinkette with his back to her as he talked with Saiko and she decided to hang back to not intrude on their business. But something felt off about him, something she couldn't put her finger on.

Natsu clenched his fists on the countertop, his tanned skin paling slightly. He spared a quick glance at the redhead and quickly got himself under control. Since she wouldn't know who he was, he said a simple but polite, "Good morning."

"Good morning." Erza replied courteously before busying herself with the shop's stock.

"Saiko," Natsu returned his attention to the blacksmith. "Could I see that materials list, I might be able to help perfect the alloy."

"Sure." Saiko slid the sheet of paper over to the man with a thankful smile. While the man read through the list, she retrieved the sword that she had shown the pinkette and placed it atop the counter. "Hey, Titania, I have your sword here. Gave her a nice polish and everything."

"Ah, is it fine for me to butt in?" Erza asked the man as she stepped up beside him and placed her hands on the countertop. She noticed his eyes quickly run up her body and linger on her face, they looked like frozen pools of blood and she felt another twinge of familiarity.

"Go ahead." Natsu replied with a quick wave of his hand. "I've seen the sword. I almost envy you; it has fantastic craftsmanship."

"It's why I come to Saiko, she's the best around."

"Yes, that's why I brought him here. I believed that Saiko would've be the best person create custom weapons for him." Lelyanna spoke up, stepping up to Natsu's left side and checking on him through the veil that obscured her eyes.

Erza picked up the sheathed sword and slowly drew it, her eyes running down the blade. She held it straight out, looking down the length of the sword and checking the straightness. "You're new in Magnolia, aren't you? You seem like a Jaeger but I don't know your face."

"Yeah, I just recently brought a place to live. Migrated here after roaming for a bit. Did some jobs here and there but most of the cash came from gold that I recovered from my dead homeland."

"We helped him with some connections, got him set up." Lelyanna informed the redhead. "He did a little work for us in return and we helped convert the gold into Jewels and make an account here in Fiore."

"How kind of you, Your Grace." Erza smiled warmly at the short woman. She looked down at the list that the pinkette was working on and asked, "If you don't mind me asking; what are you working on?"

"My knife is made out of an alloy not used here and I want to use this alloy for some swords, so I've got to put down the composition for Saiko to work with." Natsu straightened up and turned to look at Erza. "I'm sorry, I just realised that I never introduced myself. Call me Báleygr. It's a pleasure to meet Fairy Tail's Titania."

"The pleasure is mine, Báleygr." Now that she could get a good look at the man's face, she noticed that he looked a little off-colour, that something was wrong. "Are you okay? You seem a little pale."

"Ah, probably a mix of a few things. I might have eaten something bad and it's causing my stomach to flip. You also remind me of a late friend of mine, so it's kind of throwing me off too." Natsu replied a little awkwardly, placing a hand over his stomach and offering the woman a reluctant grin. "Don't worry about that though, it's a past that I'm trying to leave behind."

"Well, I hope the bug passes quickly, and I'm sorry for your loss."

"Once I finish up here and get some fresh air, I should start to feel better." Natsu made the last amendments to the alloy recipe and put his details down with a final flourish. "Speaking of; here you go, Saiko. That should be everything you need. I also put my contact details down on this too so if you need help or some more information then feel free to reach out, I'll swing around and see what I can do."

"No problem! I'll get started on that this afternoon. Have a good day." The black-haired woman replied eagerly as she slipped the documents into a folder for safe keeping before returning to her other customer.

"See you around, both of you." Natsu waved goodbye and left the store, Lelyanna on his heels. He let out a weary sigh and ran a hand through his long spikey hair, murmuring, "Fuck me… To think I'd see her so soon."

Lelyanna placed a gentle hand on the man's elbow and steered him down the street. Once she got him walking, she retracted her hand back under her capelet. He had felt colder than the last times she had touched him and she began to worry. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd run into Titania… that was really unfortunate."

"Yeah, just my fucking luck." Natsu shook his head. He wasn't feeling any better, if anything it was getting worse. He was getting flashes of the final moments of his friends, of the graves he dug, and the stench of ruined cities that were filled with rotting or burnt corpses. His vision began to swim before him and he placed a hand on the wall to stabilise himself. "God fucking damn it, I think I should head home…"

"Here, let me help." Lelyanna offered her shoulder, gently slipping under the man's outstretched arm and doing her best to support him even though she was considerably short. "You're so cold…"

"You might want to be careful… my fucking stomach feels like a fucking circus right now."

"Let's get you somewhere a little quieter." Lelyanna helped the man through the streets then cut down an alleyway. But when the man began to turn green, she braced him up against the brick wall. "You two were close, weren't you? Considering who you are and your counterpart's relationship with Titania."

"Titania, Erza Scarlet," Natsu murmured as he sank to his knees and hunched over, staring into a murky puddle and looking into his reflection's red eyes. "I grew up with her. She was a close friend, a childhood friend. She died in my arms, just like Wendy and Lucy." Natsu slowly closed his eyes in an effort to calm his mind. "Lucy was my wife… She didn't deserve to die like that… We were going to have a family once the war was over, well, we might've gotten started a bit early in our eagerness."

"I knew something was wrong when I noticed your eyes change to red. Lady Ceres said it could happen when you're under emotional duress…" Lelyanna lowered her hood and crouched down beside the man, placing a hand on his back. Her heart twinged at the man's words and she felt the corners of her eyes begin to water.

"Yeah… that's one of the reasons. It's tied to my demon side, happened a lot back then." Closing his eyes hadn't help at all. His stomach gave a sudden lurch and bile filled Natsu's mouth. He spat it out into the puddle then spat once more but the acrid taste didn't leave. He requipped his canteen and took a quick sip of water, swishing it around his mouth before spitting it out with a growl. Thankfully, his stomach felt calmer, so he sent the canteen away and snarled at his reflection. His hands curled into fists as his anger turned to rage and his blood began to boil.

"Fuck…" He slammed his fist into the path, shattering the bricks. He punctuated each curse with an inhumanly strong punch, rendering brick to power, "Fuck…, fuck…, fuck, fuck, Fuck, Fuck! FUCK! FUCKING HELL! You Useless Fuck!"

"Mister Báleygr…" Lelyanna stared at the man in shock at the sudden outburst. She looked down at the crater created by his fist and her eyes widened but she immediately noticed that blood was seeping through the thick layer of dust and dirt coating his fist. She quickly wiped it clean and was about to tend to his wound but found herself shocked once more as the wound was healing before her eyes. The priestess helped the man sit up and she took out a handkerchief to wipe the residual spit and bile from the man's lips. "Feeling a little better?"

"Ugh, my head is still fucked but my gut's better." Natsu rose to his feet unsteadily and looked down at the small woman, giving her a tiny smile. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks."

"I'm here to help you. Speaking of which, I might be able to do something about the nausea." Lelyanna placed her hands on the sides of Natsu's head and activated her magic, causing a turquoise aura to envelop her hands.

Natsu felt the unsteadiness fade away and he was able to focus on the world around him. The first thing he noticed was that Lelyanna's eyes glowed with the same aura that her hands did while her magic was active. "I didn't realise you were a mage."

"I wasn't always one. I was born without the ability to use magic, you see." Lelyanna offered the man a gentle smile as she lifted her hood back up and hid her eyes behind her veil. "When I became a priestess, I asked the Goddess for the power to help the sick and injured, prayed every morning and night in hopes that she'd hear me. One night, nearly half a year ago, she came into my dreams and asked me if I would devote my life to serving her, as her apostle. I said yes, I would gladly do it – without any hesitation – and so she gave me her divine blessing. Gave me the ability to soothe and heal with very potent magic. After that, I quickly rose up through the ranks in the sisterhood and became the archbishop governing Magnolia and her surrounds while also serving as the Goddess' apostle. I help the sick and wounded with my powers, and sometimes it takes me outside of my region, but it's very dangerous out there for someone like me."

"She must have seen something in you, something worth her time."

"Like she did with you, when she brought you here and put you in my care." Lelyanna's smile widened, revealing her white teeth, but it faltered as she noticed a shift in the man's demeanour. "Is something wrong?"

"We've got company; a dozen men. Gutter trash, by the stench of them." Natsu stepped past the priestess, placing a hand on her and moving her behind her back. Six men came from the front, two from the sides, and four from the rear. Each man was filthy, their rough white shirts were stained with sweat, dirt, and dried blood, some where even missing most of their buttons. Their pants where in no better condition, stained with piss, sweat, and dirt, and littered with patches sewn in to cover holes.

"Welly, welly, well. Lookie wat we got 'ere lads." The leader of the group of thugs grinned at his mates, missing more than a few teeth. He gestured to the man and woman with the hunting knife in his right hand. "Some drunk bastard and a priestess! Looks like we're about to strike gold!"

"I'm not in the mood for this shit." Natsu growled quietly as his hands twitched with the itched to draw his pistol but he controlled himself and raised his voice. "Fuck off back to whatever warren you crawled out of."

"Wow, that's some big talk. Look around, I'm sure you can count, unlike Jerry back there." The knife-wielding thug pointed to one of the men behind the pinkette with his chin. "And unlike us, I don't see no weapons on you."

"Did any of you stop to think even for a second that I might be carry something under my coat, you know, where it can't be see?"

"Boss?" One of the men behind Lelyanna spoke up, wanting to know what the plan was.

"Come on, the bastard's bluffin'. And even if he did have something, we still outnumber him twelve-to-one."

"Archbishop," Natsu turned his head slightly, keeping his eyes on the largest group of hostiles as he addressed the priestess. "I'm in a bit of a foul mood, as you know, so things are probably going to get messy."

"It can't be avoided, can it?" Lelyanna asked quietly. She moved closer to the man, seeking safety from the thugs. "Very well, just make it quick."

"Ha! Cocky ain't ya. I'll carve that snarl right off ya face!" One of the men rushed forward with a machete held high. As he swung the blade down, the pinkette's cold blood-red eyes took on an eery glow, his attention turning to the man.

In one quick, fluid movement, the machete was effortlessly brushed aside and a fist shot forward, slamming into the thug's chest. The alley was filled with a heavy, sickening crunch as the fist collided with the thug's sternum, shattering every single rib and forcing the man back.

"W-wha…?" The man stumbled back, gasping in pain and clutching at his chest as he began to cough up blood. He fell to his knees and looked up at the towering pinkette.

"Perforated lungs and cardiac arrest." Deeming the man no longer a threat, Natsu turned his attention to the rest of the thugs as he pushed Lelyanna through the gap the dying thug had left. "You're not going to stand a chance if you continue to come at me one at a time. Come at me all at once and maybe… no, not even then. Let's just get this over and done with. And if you try to lay a hand on the archbishop…"

"You Fuckin' Cunt!" The leader roared as he charged forward. Following his lead, the other thugs swarmed the pinkette, swinging their blades and clubs while bellowing a war cry, sending spit flying from their mouths.

Natsu stepped into the leader's swing, swatting the incoming knife to the side as he drove his knee into the man's gut. He closed his hand around the man's wrist and crushed it, causing the knife to fall from his grip and into pinkette's waiting hand. Natsu twisted the man's arm as he stepped past him, forcing him to bend over as he swung the hunting knife down on his neck, cutting clean through in a single strike.

Letting the body fall, Natsu moved to engage the next threat. Capitalising on their shock, he slashed through the man's throat – cutting through the trachea and the external jugular vein and carotid artery – and left him to bleed out. As the gurgling man fell to his knees, Natsu drove the knife into the heart of the fourth man but let go of it, leaving it in his chest as he stumbled back.

"No, stay back!" Lelyanna shouted, drawing Natsu's attention as she back away from one of the thugs who was desperately trying to grab her and use her against the pinkette. Her back hit the wall and she gasped and held up her arms in an effort to shield herself from the man. She started to close her eyes but the man before her was violently moved aside and a sickening crunch came from the wall near her head. She slowly turned her head and Natsu stood beside her with his arm outstretched, forcing the man's head into the wall. No, it wasn't in the wall, it had been crushed like a grape against the wall, leaving a bloody mess attached to the man's neck.

"I did warn you all not to go for her." Natsu let the body fall to the ground and he turned back to the seven remaining thugs, hand soaked with blood that dripped from his fingertips. "So, who's next?"

"Yeah, fuck this shit, I'm outta here." One of the thugs shouted as he dropped his knife and bolted away. The other men scrambled after him, leaving behind the dead and dying.

"Hm, and here I thought I'd have to kill them all." Natsu murmured and he quickly cleaned his hand on the clothes of the body at his feet. He turned to look at the priestess and noticed she was still in shock, so he reached out and slipped his hand under her hood to check her for any wounds to the head. His touch brought her out of her stupor and she immediately looked up at him. "Are you hurt?"

"I should be asking you that…" Lelyanna replied quietly, allowing the man to lower her hood and check the back if her head. "Is your hand okay?"

"Archbishop, you saw me slam my fist into the ground over and over and you think this would hurt me?" Natsu lifted his hand and held it out for the priestess to inspect, letting her see that he was fine. "Is there going to be any problems if we leave these bodies here?"

"They're 'gutter trash' as you put it, there will be an investigation but it'll likely be filed away as a mugging gone wrong – which isn't incorrect." Lelyanna replied softly.

"Alright. Well, no point in waiting around then." Natsu carefully picked up the small, delicate woman and began jumping from wall to wall, making his way up the brick buildings and onto their rooftops. "I'm going to go fast, so hold on."

"Okay." Lelyanna carefully put her arms around the man's neck and shifted in his arms into a move comfortable position. "I'm ready." The moment the words left her mouth, the world turned to a blur. Natsu had begun to sprint across the rooftops and leap over gaps between buildings, sometimes soaring clear over wide streets full of pedestrians. She focused on the man's face to centre herself and noticed that the red was fading from his irises, returning his eyes to their natural deep, dark onyx state but they still held the same cold hollowness and faint anger directed at himself. "You still feel cold…"

"Do I?" Natsu slowed down as he approached the last row of houses before his estate and took a moment to think. His anger had faded but he still felt shaken from his impromptu reunion with Erza and as he thought about it, a pit formed in his stomach. "Yeah, I think I might lie down for a bit once we get inside."

"A nice warm bath always helps soothe me when I'm feeling troubled. Maybe you could try it?"

"Worth a shot, I guess." Natsu carefully braced the small woman against his chest to protect her from the forces of his imminent jump. He took a few steps back and ran forward, dipping down on the last step before launching forward through the air. As they soared over the wrought-iron fence and hedges, he brought his legs forward and ignited jets from his feet to slow them down and stabilise their descent until he touched down on the wide stone doorstep between the two monstrously tall brass automaton guards. He placed the priestess down on her feet and walked through the door that had automatically swung open for him.

"Welcome home, Master." The android servant stationed by the door greeted the man with a bow as he walked past.

"I'm heading up to my room. Feel free to make yourself at home, Archbishop." Natsu glanced back at the priestess who had stopped beside the android.

"Thank you." Lelyanna bowed her head with a gracious smile. As the man scaled the stairs, she turned to the unit beside her and softly said, "Could you please run a hot bath for Mister Báleygr. He isn't feeling his best and his temperature is below its natural level."

"Of course, we'll get that set up right away."

Natsu slowly opened his eyes and let out a sleepy yawn. He was lying in his bathtub but the water had gone cold, he must have been in it for a while. He rubbed his face and ran a hand through his long, wet hair, slicking it back. The movement caused the two pairs of dog-tags hung from his neck to clink together and he looked down at them, an echo of his past drifting through his mind.

I love you, Natsu.

Lucy's last words…

Natsu sighed and slowly stood up, sending water cascading down his scarred body. He stepped out of the bath and walked to the sink. Anger began to bubble up from within as he looked into the mirror and he bared his fangs at the man in front of him, snarling at his reflection and doing everything he can to restrain himself from sending his fist through the glass. He needed something to distract him, and thankfully it came just in time in the form of the android servant approaching him with a rolled-up towel.

"Here you go, Master."

"Thank you." Natsu took the warm towel and quickly dried himself. He glanced at the black-haired servant and straightened up. "Do you have a name?"

"We do not require names, Master."

"Still, I'd prefer to call you something. Calling you 'Servant' doesn't sit right with me."

"If it makes it easier on you, then please call us whatever you like."

Natsu wrapped his towel around his waist and turned to face the clockwork android, leaning back against the sink as he ran through some names. He glanced down at his dog-tags and a name popped into the forefront of his mind. "Henrietta. I think I'll call you Henrietta."

"This unit or as a whole?"

"All. Since you're a hivemind, you're just one entity with various units under your control. So technically the answer would be you, and all of you."

"Understood, Master." The automaton now dubbed Henrietta pinched the hem of her maid's uniform and fanned it out as she curtsied. "Allow us to formally reintroduce ourselves, Master. We are your servant, Henrietta."

Turning back to the mirror, he reached out with his left hand and placed it upon the cold surface. His ring clicked lightly against the glass and drew his attention. A phantom weight pressed against his back as a pale arm reached out along his, resting against the back of his hand so their rings sat side-by-side.

Hehe, we match! It's so cute! Don't you think so, Darling?

Another echo. Looking into the mirror, Natsu saw Lucy smiling beside him. He stared into the beautiful blonde's chocolate brown eyes for a few seconds before tearing his gaze away. He could almost hear her heartbeat and feel her warmth pressing against him but it faded as quickly as it came and it left him with only the sound of Henrietta's clockwork heart and her passive doll-like face as company. His fingers squeaked against the glass as his hand slid down the mirror and fell limply to his side.

"Fuck me… pull yourself together." Natsu murmured as he walked to the door but as his hand landed on the handle, he glanced back and he could've sworn that he saw the spectre of Lucy stood in front of the mirror, her luscious blonde hair tied up in a bun as she applied red lipstick. The mirage dissipated quickly and Natsu let out a forlorn sigh. As he opened the door and stepped out into his bedroom, the rustling of fabric caught his attention and he looked towards his bed where he saw Lelyanna look up with a curious and worried expression.

"Are you ok…?" The priestess asked softly, crawling to the edge of the bed and rising to her feet beside it. "You were in there for a while."

"I'm feeling alright. Better than I was, at least." Natsu walked past the woman and entered his wardrobe. He dressed quickly and took a moment to look at himself in the full-length mirror. The length of his hair was starting to annoy him and he decided to get it cut eventually but, in the meantime, he heated up his hands and ran them through the salmon-pink strands, pushing back the spikes into a more wind-swept style. He fastened his combat knife to his left thigh and his pistol to his lower back before returning to the bedroom and glancing over to Lelyanna. "Have you had lunch?"

"No, not yet. I was waiting for you to come out." Lelyanna approached the man and placed her hand on his forehead. She hesitated for a second as his temperature was high but then she remembered that it was naturally high. "You feel normal again. Do you think your stomach will be able to handle food?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will." Natsu replied as he turned to the black-haired android standing nearby. "Henrietta, could you make some food for the archbishop and I?"

"Right away, Master."

"Please, Lelyanna is fine." The archbishop smiled kindly, drawing the man's attention. She tilted her head slightly, causing her short silvery-blue hair to fan out to one side. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I don't like being addressed by my title by people I'm familiar with. And since my Goddess has asked that I look after you, I think it's only fair that you can call me by name."

"Then just call me Natsu. Unless we're in situations where you think it's better to call me Báleygr."

"Yeah, I figured that'd be a good way to introduce you to others, which is why I gave Saiko that name." Lelyanna's expression softened a little. She glanced at the android standing nearby and returned her gaze to the man, asking, "You called it Henrietta?"

"I figured I'd give it a name. Didn't feel like calling it 'Servant' all the time. It makes me feel a little better, even if it's just a robot."

"Well, since you seem to be feeling better, I want to take you to the Royal Magnolia Library to educate you on the monsters you'll be facing." A soft rumble came from the woman's stomach, causing her pale skin to gain a light-pink tint. "After lunch, that is."

"Yeah, I need to learn how to fight the monsters of this world without using my firearms, know their weaknesses and whatnot." Natsu ran his hands through his hair one more time as he sighed. He left his bedroom and started making his way to the dining room with Lelyanna walking just a little behind him. As he descended the stairs, he glanced back at the woman. "This may seem like a strange question; will you be willing to come out into the field with me? Having a medic on hand would be very handy."

"I don't have any experience fighting stuff though, and I don't know how to handle weapons… blade or gun."

"Lelyanna, tell me, how many people have you been able to help while at the cathedral?" Natsu asked as he turned to face the priestess, standing halfway down the stairs and two steps below the woman. "You told me that you wanted to help the sick and injured, but how often could you do that while in that building?"

"Not as much as I'd have liked… I do travel around and help people but sometimes I can't make it in time." Lelyanna admitted softly, bringing an arm across her body and hugging herself. "Sometimes the risk of a monster attack is so high, that I'm not even able to leave the city. And there are also dangerous places here in the city, I mean, you saw those thugs. And they aren't the only one, sometimes it's nobles too who see me or another priestess and want to 'add us to their collection'…"

"Then what do you think about working together? I kill the monsters and keep you safe, and you tend to any injured at the scene." Natsu looked to the side for a moment then drew his pistol and held it up for her to see. "I'll even teach you how to fight, how to protect yourself with your body, a knife, and even one of these. I have three more stored away, from my fallen friends, with each one exactly like this. I don't have any healing magic but I can teach you what I know of medicine and medical practices using the knowledge crystal embedded within me."

The more Natsu offered, the more Lelyanna's eyes lit up. She loved to learn new things, and the option to learn things from his world was too good to pass up. Plus, the things he could to teach her; she could use outside of jobs to help people as part of her normal duties. "Let me think it over while we have lunch. It's a big leap for me, following you into dangerous territories."

"You can have a week to think it over, or at least when I get my weapons from Saiko because then I want to go and see what the world outside this city is like." Natsu turned and started heading back down the stairs. He tilted his head up in thought then glanced over his shoulder. "If you can get me some blank tomes, then I'll be able to fill them with everything medical related from that knowledge crystal Ceres gave me."

"I'll get some sent here."

"Master. A package has arrived for you."

"Have it brought up to my office." Natsu murmured, not lifting his eyes nor stopping his hand as it scrolled across the page, writing in one of the blank tomes provided by Lelyanna. A stack of full tomes sat stacked up beside the desk, full of medical information.

"Yes, Master."

It had been four days since he had come face-to-face with the Erza Scarlet of this world and had a mental breakdown. He had thought he was stronger, that a month of wandering alone in that harsh radioactive wasteland had tempered his mind. But his resolve was tested when he saw the face of one of his closest friends again. Thankfully, he was able to hold it together for a little bit but it failed in the end and the fires of his rage quickly ignited into an inferno that threatened to consume him and lead to the slaughter of five people, though he considered his actions justified as they were a threat to Lelyanna and needed to be eliminated or driven off.

The priestess herself had been in and out of the manor, going between the cathedral for her duties and the living quarters there, and bringing empty books to the manor for him to fill. She also stayed in the library room where he kept the medical journals, frequently found with a book in her hands and pouring over the contents within.

"Coffee, Master?"

Natsu glanced back at the doll-like servant who dutifully stood just a little behind his right shoulder. "Yes, please. Thank you, Henrietta."

"I'll have it brought up with the package." Henrietta bowed her head before turning to look at the pile of tomes. "What would you like done with these tomes?"

"Leave them for now. However, once I'm done with this one, you can take it to the library and arrange them by subject matter. You'll be able to see where I began ordering them." Natsu leaned back in his leather high-backed chair and closed his eyes, sinking into the soft padded chair. Through trial and error, he had learnt how to enter a trance-like meditative state and he had been using that state for the last three days to fill out the tomes he had been given. There was so much knowledge to make physical copies of that he had barely enough time for much else. Each day he was running on only four hours of sleep, and putting aside the time for personal care, he spent most of the rest of the day writing and drawing accurate diagrams.

"Natsu." A woman groaned as her presence appeared out of thin air. "I found those things you told me to dig up. Had them cleaned too."

The man opened his eyes, on the other side of the desk stood the goddess, Ceres, who was carrying two full sized steel silhouette targets hugged to her chest. "Henrietta, take the silhouettes from Ceres and set them out down in the grounds. I want the first target to be twenty-five metres from the firing line and the second set at fifty. And make sure they are set at a slight downward angle to deflect debris down to the ground."

"Should they be mounted on wooden posts, Master?" The android asked as it stepped out from behind the man and took the steel plates from the goddess, effortlessly holding them by her side.

"Yes, I want them to simulate the average height of a male human. If you could also have the firing line in an undercover location, that would be good, but if you can't make that work then it's fine."

"There will be enough room by the gazebo, shall I set it up there?"

Natsu rose from the desk and walked to the window, pushing aside the sheer blind so he could see down to the octagonal gazebo. "Yes, that would be a great area for it."

"Yes, Master." Henrietta gave the pinkette a small bow and left the room just before two more identical units entered, one with a parcel and the other with a silver tray that had a cup of coffee, and some milk and sugar sat atop. The androids placed their respective deliveries on the desk, being mindful of the messy piles of tomes before the unit with the silver platter took the previous unit's spot and the second left the room.

Natsu sighed as he took a seat back in his chair. He grabbed the cup of black coffee and began to mix it to his taste. "Thanks for getting that for me, Ceres. If I'm going to keep my skills sharp, I'm going to need proper targets to shoot. Granted, it won't stop the SPSR but it should handle up to the DMR. But if I want to practice with those, I'd have to head outside the city."

Ceres carefully moved some unfilled tomes from the right side of the desk and sat against the edge, looking down at the man who was sipping his coffee. She sighed softly and said, "Lelyanna told me what happened."

"That doesn't really surprise me. I figured either she'd tell you or you'd be watching over me while I was out and about. I don't regret doing what I did." Natsu replied and moved the package to the top of a cabinet that sat against the wall behind him, placing it next to some pistol magazines and an M12 that he had removed the maker marks from and replaced them with a flaming eye mark with his professional name next to it; a change he had made to all of his weapons. "Can you check in on Lelyanna, see if she is on her way and if she isn't, then please ask her to make her way here."

The goddess closed her eyes for a moment as she connected her consciousness with her follower. "She says that she's ten minutes away. It's taking her some time as she and a few members of her sisterhood are bringing an armful of blank tomes each."

"Alright." Natsu glanced over his right shoulder to the automaton. "Henrietta, see that our guests are treated nicely, offer them some tea or coffee and a place to relax." The clockwork android bowed at the hip and Natsu groaned softly as he stretched his arms out and rolled his wrists, he picked up his fountain pen and turned his attention back to the tome. "I better get this tome finished."

"Do you want me to find some equipment and supplies for you to create more ammunition?"

"Fiore had nuclear power plants and factories, both automated. We'll have to take a trip back there at some point to investigate those and see if they are still functional, if any remain." The pinkette sat back once again and turned his attention to the inhumanly beautiful woman sat on the edge of his desk. "I don't want to use the gunpowder from this world, I have no doubt that it can't even come close to the power of my own world's smokeless powder. But it isn't needed just yet. I've got a decent stock of munitions stored away inside Requip."

"So, you want to see if you can bring those machines over here or have a steady supply of ammo sent over?" Ceres asked. She kicked her legs out as she leant back, stretching her body out languidly. "I suggest setting something up in your basement, cleansing entire shipments is more time-consuming than bringing over the machines you need and doing all the manufacturing here."

"There was a company, called Nightshade, who made the ammo for the Fiorian military and the civilian sector. They have a factory about thirty minutes south of Malba where they made a lot of small arms ammunition." Natsu informed the goddess as he reached under her outstretched legs and pulled open a draw, withdrawing a notepad from it. He quickly wrote down the company name, the factory location, and the ammo types he needed. "Scout it out for me and we'll go and see what we can dig up, provided it's still there."

"Just us? Lelyanna mentioned that you asked her to travel with you while you work as a Jaeger."

"She's only human." Natsu murmured softly as he tore the leaf of paper from the pad and handed it to the goddess. "Enough people have died to that world; I'd rather not have to add one more to that. Who better to send to hell itself than a demon with a goddess to watch over him."

"I'm sure she'd jump at the chance to check out the ruins of a world similar to her own."

"Unless you have some kind of magical fully sealed hazmat suit that completely blocks radiation and has absolutely no chance of failing? No, I'd rather not pointlessly waste a life when you and I could survive just fine in those ruins."

"Alright, alright. I get that you want to keep her safe and don't want to risk her getting irradiated by malfunctioning equipment…" Ceres pushed herself up off the desk and slipped the paper down her cleavage for safe keeping. "I'll take a little break but after that, I'll head to where you've instructed and see if anything is left standing or is at least in a recoverable state. I'm off."

"Keep me updated." Natsu gave the pure-white woman a quick nod before she vanished in a flash of light. He refocused on the tome in front of him and fell back into his trance, his pen scrolling along the page and leaving lines of neat writing as he transcribed the knowledge from the crystal inside him. The ticking of the clock on the wall became muted, as did the mechanical heart of the android behind him. Page after page after page, he diligently filled out the tome with information and diagrams until he reached the end of the specific source material he was quoting. He signed it off and titled the remaining pages as Notes.

"Master. The guests have arrived."

"Finished just in time…" Natsu groaned as he stretched out his upper body. He rose from the seat and pushed it in. "Have these tomes taken to the library." He grabbed the M12 and magazines from the cabinet and requiped them away for now before grabbing the package and leaving the room.

The light clatter of ceramic on silver followed him out of the room as the Henrietta unit collected up the coffee set and followed him down the stairs. It turned and headed down a separate path as another unit came out from a nearby room, attaching itself as Natsu's direct assistant. While he was dressed in his usual noble outfit, he had decided to forgo wearing the coat around the house, leaving his holstered pistol and magazines visible on his lower back. He unfastened his gold cuff-links and neatly folded his sleeves up to the elbow, revealing his tattoo-like black ember demonic markings.

"Sorry for the wait." Natsu announced his arrive as he entered the drawing room where he was met with five priestesses, including Lelyanna herself. The archbishop was the only one with gold ornaments, denoting her rank in the sisterhood following Ceres, the rest had polished brass buckles and ornaments but aside from that they all wore the same style of attire, it seemed to be their style of religious habit. "I hope it wasn't long."

"Not at all." Lelyanna smiled kindly, her bluish-silver locks swaying slightly as she tilted her head to her sisters. "Everyone, this is Natsu. He goes by the name Báleygr. Natsu, these are Sisters Lyrica, Erika, Noel, and Michelle." She listed of each woman in a clockwise circle with a wave of her hand indicating who is who. She was sat at one end of the coffee table in a plush chair while her sisters sat in couches lining the sides of the low table. "They happened to be free today and saw that I had a lot of tomes to carry here, so they volunteered to help."

"Well, then." Natsu smiled and bowed his head humbly to the hooded women. It was hard to tell them apart by sight alone; their eyes were hidden by their veils but their hair could be seen, the first had a deep-purple curtain coming down the left side of their face, the second a pale blonde with hair so long it came down and out the back of the hooded capelet, the third's ashen bangs framed her face and curved slightly in around her chin, the last had vibrant orange hair that seemed to shimmer like dancing fire, her licks of flames tamed by the white fabric. "Thank you for your assistance. If you're wondering what I'm using them for, I'm recording the knowledge from my homeland so it doesn't become lost just like my home." He glanced the android that stood just a little behind him and nodded at stack of tomes, it seemed that each woman had been carrying five of the large hard-cover books. "Henrietta, please have them taken to my office. Just place them down on the floor to the left of the desk."

"Yes, Master." Henrietta chirped in its artificial songbird-like voice. Four units came in from an adjacent room and took an equal cut of the pile, ferrying them from the room with nothing but the sound of their gentle footsteps, and the clockwork heart which was only audible to Natsu, to draw attention to them.

"You look tired, Mr Báleygr, have you not been sleeping well?" Erika asked. Her hood turned slowly as she watched the man sit opposite the archbishop in the remaining chair.

"I've been focusing all my time into filling out these tomes. Once I'm done with the section of medical science, I'll take a break." Natsu dropped the kind smile and allowed his tiredness to extend from the shadow of his eyes to across his face as he slumped back into a more relaxed and comfortable position. "Admittedly, I'm probably am overworking myself. But it's something I must do."

"Master has only been allowing himself an average of four point five hours of sleep over the last four nights. Against our attempts to have him maintain a standard sleep cycle of eight hours, he has repeatably only permitted himself half of that and has frequently spent his time cooped up in his office. Sometimes he even sleeps in there."

"Thank you… Henrietta…" Natsu grumbled tiredly as he ran his right hand down his face, sending a half-hearted glare at the black-haired servant. "I'm sure they needed to know about my current sleeping habits…"

"You should really be allowing yourself more time to sleep." Lelyanna lightly reprimanded the man. She let out a soft huff which sent a ripple along her veil. "I've seen you working, you're like Henrietta in that state. Sitting stock still with your hand scrolling across page after page, your eyes practically devoid of life."

"You're exaggerating." Natsu shook his head at the archbishop then turned his gaze to the servant at his shoulder, watching as the lifeless eyes turned to him.

"Yes, Master? Hmm, your eyes do look rather empty, Master. Perhaps you have been replaced with an automaton?"

"Who snuck in and gave you a sense of humour?" Natsu asked, blinking slowly in mild shock at the automaton's attempt at dry humour. He held up a hand and turned his attention back to the women in front him. "No, don't tell me… I have a damn good idea just who came down here and fiddled with your control unit." Focusing on the gold adorned priestess, he said, "Lelyanna, if you want to read any of the completed journals, they're in my library. Just ask Henrietta to show you to them. There are some medical ones there waiting for you when you're ready to read them."

"In that case…" Lelyanna smiled at the women between them. "You all can head out without me when you're ready. I want to learn as much as I can from these tomes as it'll help us tend to the sick and injured."

""""Yes, Archbishop."""" The four priestesses responded in unison, bowing their heads slightly. When the blonde, Erika, started to rise from her seat, she was stopped by Natsu who raised his hand.

"Please, sit back down. You're free to stay as long as you like and you're all more than welcome to help yourself to cups of tea or coffee and stay out of the weather for a bit." Natsu waved the woman back to her spot on the couch with a kind smile before rising from his own, keeping the package held firmly in his left hand. "However, I do have some things to discuss with your archbishop. So, if you'd excuse us."

"Don't wait around for me." Lelyanna told the Sisters as she rose from her chair and walked around the back of the couch to stand beside the weary pinkette. "I'll likely end up borrowing a spare bedroom and reading well into the night."

"If it helps you tend to more people." Natsu smiled and led Henrietta and Lelyanna out of the room. As he reached the stairs, his warm but tired smile slid off his face as he let out a weary sigh; he could finally get down to business. Keeping his voice low, he looked back over his shoulder at the archbishop, noticing that she had pulled back her hood. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes. I've been dwelling on it each night." Lelyanna replied quietly, giving the man a quick smile as she followed him up the stairs. "I even asked the Goddess about it."

"Do you have an answer for me or would you like to think about it for a few more days?"

"You did make a good point; It will be easier for me to help people further afield when working with you since you can keep me safe. Not only that, but the stuff I can learn from you will help me save even more people or give me new ways of helping them." Lelyanna nodded slowly, her smile growing by the second. "So my answer is; yes, I'll happily work alongside you. Though I'm not going to be much help in a fight."

"You won't be like that for long, Lelyanna. I'm providing you training and equipment that'll help you defend yourself. Speaking of, here." Natsu reached back and handed the brown package to the small woman. "Just don't open it yet, wait until we're in the library."

"Alright."

Natsu turned his attention to the android walking with them. "Henrietta, how's that little project coming along?"

"We're almost done, Master. Just erecting the fifty-metre post as we speak."

"Alright, let me know once it's done." Natsu opened the door to his library but let Henrietta and Lelyanna enter first before shutting it behind him. As he passed between the priestess and android, he glanced at the black-haired maid. "Henrietta, can you bring the book on first aid and paramedical procedures over to us."

"Yes, Master." Henrietta replied, veering off down one of the rows of bookshelves just as another unit stepped out with a book in its arms. "Here you go, Master."

"Thank you." Natsu took the book from the android and held it out to the priestess. "I recommend starting with this one. It details how to provide first aid from a professional standpoint as a first responder, something that would be useful for when we come across injured people on the job or out in the city. Some of it may not translate very well to this world, so if you need some clarification on anything in here then feel free to come and ask me. I'll do my best to explain it and help you understand."

"Thanks. Even if things are more advanced than what we have here, I'll see if I can adapt any of it." Lelyanna smiled and took the book to a plush chair beside an enclosed fireplace, placing it down on the small circular table. She turned back to Natsu and slowly turned the package over in her hands. "So, what's this?"

"A means of carrying what I'm providing you." As Lelyanna unwrapped the package, Natsu placed down the M12 pistol and magazines that he had prepared for her onto the circular table. The woman held up a white leather underarm holster with gold studs and fasteners. "It's a special order, I provided the Leather-worker with wooden mock-ups so they could work to exact measurements. And I had it designed in such a way that it would work with your priestess clothing."

The woman ran her pale-turquoise eyes across the holster, then to the weapon on the table and up to the tired pinkette. "How do I put it on?"

"You'll have to remove that capelet for now, it'll be easier to show you that way."

"So, it'll be hidden from view under this?" Lelyanna asked curiously as she placed the holster onto the table then began to fiddle with the golden clasp between her clavicles. She quickly unfastened the capelet and draped it over the back of the chair. At Natsu's nod, she gave him a small smile and picked up the holster once again.

"Since you're right-handed, I had the holster designed to fit under your left arm while your magazines will be housed in pouches under your right."

"How did you know I was right-handed? You haven't seen me write; I don't think…"

"You do most your gestures with your right hand, and it's the hand you use when you are holding a drink." Natsu helped the woman put the holster on and adjusted it carefully to fit her slender frame. "Does it feel like it obstructs your movement or presses on your left breast?"

"No, I don't feel anything bad. It's just unusual, something I haven't felt before." Lelyanna shook her head gently as she adjusted the way the leather straps rested over her shoulders. She hugged her arms to her body to press the holster firmly into her body and found that the soft leather had padding placed between the layers to make it even more comfortable. "Could you hand me the pistol, I want to see how that affects it."

Natsu grabbed the pistol and deftly removed the magazine as well as the chambered round. Once the weapon was safe, he flipped it in his hand so he held it by the suppressor and he handed it over to the priestess. However, he didn't let go of the weapon when she had wrapped her hand around the grip. "Three things before I let you have this; Treat every gun as if it is loaded and ready to fire; Do not point it at anything you aren't planning on destroying; And keep your finger outside of the trigger housing until you are ready to fire, then and only then will you put your finger on the trigger. Understood?"

"Yes, I understand." Lelyanna nodded quickly and adjusted her grip, placing her index finger in line with the barrel. "Always treat the gun as if it's loaded and ready to fire, don't point it at anything I won't be shooting, and only put the finger into the trigger housing when I'm ready to shoot; right?"

"Correct." A small smile tugged at Natsu's lips as he released the weapon and crossed his arms. "Now, since the gun is pointed to my left, I want you to either raise the muzzle up or point it down and move it to your left while making sure you don't sweep it across me because if you get an accidental discharge, you could put a hole in me at best and at worst, put me in the grave."

Lelyanna smoothly raised the muzzle to the roof then moved it across her body and slid it into the holster. She looked down at it and fiddled with a leather loop near the top of the holster. "This hoop here, do I flick that down over the back of the gun?"

"Yeah. It's there so it won't fall out. It has some wiggle room built in so it can be moved up and down even if you have the firing hammer locked back and the gun's safety activated. It's my preferred way of carrying as I can flick off the safety as I draw and be ready to fire the moment I've pointed it at my target."

Lelyanna secured the pistol and checked how it pressed against her body by hugging herself once more. "I was wondering whether or not it would push too much on my breasts and dig into them, but it seems to be fine. Thankfully, they aren't overly big… I imagine they could get in the way if they were any larger than my C's…"

"Huh, they look like D's to me." Natsu remarked offhandedly. "Well, usually they would either get a holster that sat lower or adjusted the one they had so their tits didn't interfere with it."

"I'm actually right on the edge. It's really annoying." The woman admitted with only a hint of bashfulness which dusted her light cheeks with a faint pink blush. "They can swell into the D range or sit just below it. It seems to depend on the weather or how I'm feeling. They're actually swollen and sensitive right now, which is likely why you thought that… Thankfully, the holster isn't digging into them."

"Good, that means it will be fine on the days where your tits aren't swollen." Natsu quickly but carefully withdrew her pistol with practiced ease and opened the slide. He grabbed the ejected round and placed it back into the chamber then loaded the mag back into the gun. "These magazines are fourteen-round capacity mags. So, plus the one in the chamber, you have fifteen in the gun right now."

Lelyanna carefully took the now-loaded pistol from the man and slotted it back into the holster. She reached down to grab the three remaining magazines from the table and looked down at the fitted pouches next to her right breast. "Is there a special way these go in?"

"You'll want the tips of the bullets pointed up, this makes reloading quicker as you just need to drop the mag and slot the next one in without having to worry about rotating it." Natsu held up his hand with his fingers and thumb extended. "As a general rule, the bullets should point the same direction as your fingers when you grab them. This means when you pull the mag out, you can just pop it right in." He drew his own pistol and dropped the magazine into his waiting hand to demonstrate it, holding it for her to see with his thumb pointed up in line with the magazine and his fingers pointing the same direction as the bullets. He quickly slotted it back into the gun and brought his hands together into a stable firing position. "Quick and easy."

Once Lelyanna had placed the mags in their pouches, she checked her range of movement by rotating her arms in circles, then moving them back and forth, and finally hugged herself once more to check the pressure on her chest. "Yeah, it fits just fine, I think. It's not rubbing, and it doesn't really feel uncomfortable, it's different but I can get used to it by wearing it under the capelet."

"I decided to swap the full-power rounds in all my mags for subsonic ammo, both of us are carrying them. Basically, when coupled with a suppressor it will make the sound signature much less noticeable, and vastly quieter than any other firearm in this world." Natsu placed his weapon back behind his back and grabbed her capelet from the chair. He swung it around her and fastened it around her thin pale neck. "Perfect, you can't even tell that you're armed and who would even suspect such an innocent little woman like you to be armed too. Once those members of your sisterhood leave, I'll take you outside for some practice. Until then, just get comfortable with your new gear."

"Well, in that case…" Lelyanna put her hands on Natsu's chest and lightly guided him backwards before pushing him down onto a couch. "You need to get some sleep. We're working together now, so we need be mindful of each other's well-being and you are in dire need of sleep."

"Alright, alright." Natsu grumbled in mock annoyance as he shifted on the couch and laid down. He put a cushion under his head and closed his eyes. A chair squeaked nearby as Lelyanna sat down and pick up the book. "If you have questions, wake me."

"Nope. I'm making you rest, and if you don't actually fall asleep soon, then I'll put you to sleep myself." Lelyanna sighed and levelled her pale-turquoise eyes upon the former Shock Trooper. "I think I have an idea of the reason you're trying to avoid sleeping as much as you can without it being too detrimental to your health… You've been seeing them in your dreams, haven't you, your friends and family?"

Natsu was silent for a few moments before grunting, "Yeah." He let out a soft sigh and rolled onto his side. "While I was wandering that wasteland alone for the month before Ceres came to me, I spent my days and nights reminiscing and thinking about how things could've been if we had stopped those fuckers. As the days went by, this happened less and less and I just… existed… in that world. Seeing Erza brought all those thoughts rushing back and they've been haunting my dreams. Every night since seeing her, I've been reliving the final moments; watching Gray be vaporised by the blast, feeling the last of Lucy's strength fade from her body, Erza trying to comfort Wendy and telling her to be strong, and Wendy crying… each and every one took a bit of me with them. That's why I haven't been sleeping well, why I've been forcing myself to work."

"I won't pretend to know how that feels, to lose absolutely everything." Lelyanna murmured in her soft and soothing voice. "Having my entire life, my entire world ripped from me over the course of an hour or so, because of some group of madmen decided to… how is it said again?"

"The term you're after is 'nuke', nuking a planet for instance."

"Thank you. Because they decided to nuke everything since they didn't get their way. How utterly selfish…" The priestess finished, the corners of her lips dropping from the sorrow she felt for him. "You know, fate is going to draw you all together again, it's just a matter of time."

"I know." Natsu slowly opened his eyes and looked at the young woman. "I know I'll have to face them when the time comes… But the uncertainty of it all is killing me slowly. Will I be able to control my emotions, could I even tell them who I am and where I came from, will they even believe that or even accept it?"

"I don't have much to do with the guild, but I know enough to tell you this; I'm sure they'll welcome you with open arms. They would be shocked and uncertain at first, that's a given, but they won't turn you away."

"I wish I had your optimism, but I could just as well be an imposter in their eyes. And anyway, this isn't something that could happen right away, I cannot and will not shoehorn myself into their lives. Like you saw with Erza; to them, I am a stranger, just another resident of Magnolia. All I can do is keep on living and see what happens when we inevitably cross paths once more."

"Well, it might cause you pain but you could just hide the truth from them in the beginning. And then once you've gained their trust and confidence then you could tell them or leave hints and let them find it out for themselves. A little bit of intrigue and mystery never hurt anyone. Or you could just as easily keep saying half-truths like you have been doing until you finally reach the whole truth."

"We'll see what happens when I run into them again, and which one I meet next. That'll dictate how I proceed." Natsu sighed and closed his eyes once more, feeling the fog begin to settle in his mind and become thicker. He murmured incoherently as sleep finally took a hold of him and the constant rhythmic ticking faded away. I wasn't long before it was replaced by the heavy drone of a large frigate cruising through the upper atmosphere.

"Sir, it's time to get up."

That's all for this chapter. It ended up being about 2/3k words longer but I am definitely much happier with this version of the chapter compared to the original version and I hope you have enjoyed it too, feel free to let me know what you think of it in a review (it's completely optional) and don't forget to follow and/or favourite to stay up to date with chapter releases (not that the site notifications are working at the time of writing… again…). I'll see you all in the next chapter, I hope you enjoy that one too.