"Erza. Fall back and get set up with that MG." Natsu ordered over the thunderous roar of gunfire. An armoured woman raced past him, her movements a blur. A few moments later, the roar of 8.6mm bullets shot across the motor pool in rapid bursts. "Lucy, Gray, Move."

"Moving." Gray replied calmly and pushed off from his cover a few vehicles down from the pinkette. He was joined by the slender armoured form of another woman who was carrying a DMR.

Once they passed him and their gunfire mixed in with the machine gun, Natsu glanced at the smallest member of his squad. "Wendy, on me." He saw the helmet turn to him and nod quickly, so he turned and sprinted back through their ranks, leap frogging past the machine gunner and taking up the next stage of the formation.

"Sir. We can take one of these Bulldogs. They should be fast enough for a getaway."

The voice coming through his helmet's radio drew his attention to the young woman near him who was pointing at one of the nearby armoured cars. "Crack the locks and get it started." He continued to lay down covering fire as the woman took out a small device from her belt and plugged it into the vehicle. Erza darted into cover where Wendy had been moments before and quickly loaded a new belt into her MG80 and created an opening for the last two members of their squad to join them. "Give Wendy the time she needs to crack open the car. Once it's open, I'll drive. Lucy takes position on my left; I need you navigating for me. Erza takes the control of the Fifty-Mil Gauss Cannon. Gray, you're on the radio; we need to know what is coming after us. And Wendy; I want you on standby in case we've got gremlins in the system."

""""Understood.""""

The soldiers remained steadfast through the hail of bullets pelting off the armoured combat vehicles that they were in cover behind even when some skidded along the armoured plated and cracked just over their heads. Natsu felt a light smack on his shoulder and he looked over to see Gray grinning at him through an unpolarised visor.

"Do you think they're pissed off or what?"

"Heh. I don't know, but I definitely think they'll be pissed after we steal one of their rides and barrel through their gates." He laughed and shook his head, grinning within his helmet. He flicked out the bipod on his DMR and laid down on the ground, aiming under the vehicles at the hostiles just a short distance away.

"Doors are open. I'm starting on getting the vehicle online."

"Darling, we should probably load up in the vehicle."

"You and Gray switch to the left side of it. Erza and I will stay here until we can get moving." As the two Shock Troopers moved around the back of the armoured vehicle, Natsu glanced up at the redhead who was sending burst after burst downrange with her machinegun rested on the bonnet of the vehicle providing them cover. "How good are you on ammo?"

"Three more sacks of two-fifty. I can keep their heads down pretty well as long as you make sure none are flanking us."

Natsu lined up the foot of a flanking soldier and shot clean through their ankle, causing them to fall face first to the ground where he delivered another round through their head. "There are a few trying to sneak around, but I can deal with most of them."

"Sir, the car is ready."

"Nice work, Wendy." Natsu cheered and quickly picked himself up off the ground. He flicked on his rifle's safety and took over the young woman's spot in the driver's seat. Each member took their designated positions with Wendy sitting in the back between Gray and Erza with her Tac-com still interfacing with the Bulldog. Natsu stomped on the accelerator and the armoured car whirred to life like a jet engine as the powerful electric motors caused the large wheels to spin in place for a moment before they found traction and wrenched the vehicle out of its parking space. He wrenched the wheel around and guided the armoured car down the lane, busting through the enemy ranks as bullets pinged off the armoured plating that stood in for windows and caused the display projected on the inside of the metal plate to shake and distort.

"Turn left here and you should have a straight shot for the gatehouse. They'd likely be raising the bollards so push through the fence, I doubt it can withstand something like this." Lucy instructed as she manipulated the holographic projection in front of her. Now they were out of the roaring gunfire, they could hear each other clearly and didn't have to resort to the communications equipment.

"That won't work, it would act like a net and stop us." Erza interjected quickly as she looked around her gunner console to the front of the car. "Our best bet is to take out the gatehouse itself and shoot down the middle or go over the bollards themselves."

Natsu pushed the eight-metric-tonne armoured car even faster, accelerating above 100km/h and racing through the military base. He brought up his left hand and pulled off his helmet, revealing a devilishly playful grin and his vibrant green eyes. "Better buckle up then, we're entering some rough waters!" He wrenched the wheel one way and then spun it back around to the other side, rolling the heavy vehicle back and forth until he tipped it up onto to wheels where he carefully balanced it while laughing maniacally.

"Dude you should hear their radio!" Gray roared with laughter as they blasted through the base's entrance balanced delicately on the two right wheels. "They are going absolutely ballistic!"

"Hey Darling, I think we left my stomach back in the base… do you mind doing a quick U-turn?" Lucy joked, trying to hold in her giggles as they came back down onto all four tyres and raced away from the military instillation.

"No can do, Luce. We've got a dinner date in Lasaea and we're running a bit late."

"Wendy. The gun isn't coming online, is there anything you can do?" Erza asked quickly as she fiddled with the remote turret's controls but out of everything that she tried; nothing could make the Gauss Cannon come to life. So, she threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm out of ideas."

the Gauss Cannon come to life. So, she threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm out of ideas."

"Err…" Wendy tapped away at her small device and lightly pinched her tongue between her fangs. "Ah, I see. It still has the lock-out enabled, let me crack it and activate the weapon systems." They broke out onto the battle-scarred highway and gunned it toward friendly territory. Wendy bounced about in her spot as she tried to crack the Bulldog's computers. "Locks are disengaged, powering up the cannon…"

"Guys, they dispatched a pair of Wasps from the nearby airbase."

"ETA?" Natsu spared a quick glance over his shoulder at the raven-haired soldier.

"About five minutes or less."

"Luce, how long until we hit the tunnel?"

"Hm. At the speed we're going… just over eight."

"Fuck. Ok." Natsu snarled and glanced around the projected displays around him, searching the skies for the hostile attack craft. "Looks like we'll be dodging missiles."

"I have control of the cannon." Erza perked up. "I'm charged and loaded. Once I get eyes on the Wasps, I can take them out. The missiles would be a bit harder to hit."

"Wendy, do we have any Active Protection Systems you can turn on? Scramblers or Hard-Kill systems?"

"No, Sir."

Natsu grunted and put his foot firmly to the floor but the heavy vehicle was capped at 120km/h even though the powerful electric motors and high-capacity high-output batteries could push them faster and still last more than long enough to reach safety. "This is going to be tight." The next few minutes were filled with a tense silence before a shiver ran through Natsu's mind. "Erza. Two contacts at five-o'clock low, coming in fast."

"Searching." The redhead replied and the armoured car shook a little as the turret on top rotated to point towards the incoming threat. She gasped and grit her teeth as she saw multiple trails coming from the inbound helicopters. "Missiles Incoming!"

"Fucking hell. Wendy, check the computer for some kind of speed limiter. If you find it then fucking nuke it." Natsu growled calmly. He glanced over his right shoulder and locked his eyes onto the missiles. It was tough to see, but he swore he could see a beam of light coming from the helicopters. "I think these are beam-riders. I can't do anything to those except break their line of sight. Gray, I need you on standby with your magic; when I give the go ahead, I want you to create an ice tunnel spanning two-hundred metres."

"Gotcha." The man replied, slamming his hand over his fist and causing the temperature of the cabin to plummet by ten degrees Celsius but it was counteracted by the pinkette exerting his aura. Silence filled the cabin once more until the order was given.

"Now!"

Gray wordlessly released his spell and created a tunnel along the road just in time to intercept the missiles and cause them to detonate against the ice. They were clear of the initial strike but they weren't safe just yet as they still had the helicopters baring down on them. So, he readied himself to create another ice tunnel to block the next lot of missiles.

"I've got them lined up." Erza murmured and she pulled the trigger on her control stick but a warning flashed up on her screen. "Shit. The capacitors are throwing an error."

"I'll get to that in a sec…" Wendy began to panic and she frantically tapped at her screen. The car lurched and the motors whined louder as they sped up. "Ok, limiter is off! Let me try and get these capacitors working!"

"Erza, keep your eyes on those bastards. Luce, how much further until we hit the tunnel?"

"Two minutes. You should see it after the next bend."

"I found the issue! I need to do a full system cycle to get it all operational, we'll lose everything for two seconds while it reboots."

"Do it quickly, before we hit the corner." All the displays went dark and with no source of light, not even infrared, each member of the squad sat in blind silence. Natsu could feel the car slowing down and he closed his eyes, focusing on his instincts and hearing to track the incoming missile. "Gray." He murmured. "Fire off the spell again… Now."

"Right." The man replied and a pulse of magic emanated from him. Moments later, blasts could be heard shattering the ice outside the vehicle and the screens came back online to show the ice crumbling around them.

Natsu wrangled the heavy vehicle around the bend as they rapidly sped up once more. The tunnel was in sight and they were almost to safety, they just had to deal with the pursuing helicopters otherwise they could lie in waiting on the other end of the tunnel. "Erza, how's that gun looking?"

"One moment…" Erza quickly reacquired the hostile aircraft and pulled the trigger, causing the vehicle to pitch to the front left as the Gauss Cannon shot out a round. "That's one…" She slewed the turret to the second helicopter as it began to dive away and she pulled the trigger once more. "And that's two. The gun is good to go."

"Fucking beautiful work." There was a momentary patch of darkness as they shot through the entrance of the tunnel but as light filtered back in it wasn't a tunnel in front of the man but an ornate ceiling quickly joined by the ever-present ticking of Magnolia. Natsu groaned and rubbed his eyes, his head throbbing painfully. "Fuck me…"

A nearby ticking picked up in pace as something slowly walked to the side of his bed. "Master, another nightmare?"

"This one wasn't so bad, Henrietta. Just an old memory." The man murmured as he climbed out of bed and stretched out his sleepy body. "What's the time?"

"Almost three in the morning."

Natsu sighed as he walked over to his ensuite. He placed his hand on the doorframe and looked back at the android. "Could you bring up a coffee for me, done in the usual manner. I'm going for a quick shower."

"It'll be ready by the time you're finished." Henrietta bowed to the man and returned to her spot near the door.

By the time Natsu had freshened up and was dressed in his usual black dress pants, shadow-blue dress shirt, and ornately designed black waistcoat, Henrietta had placed a silver tray with a cup of hot coffee down on his desk. He slipped on his black leather belt and boots and sat down at the desk with his head resting against his left hand. "Thanks." He mulled over his thoughts as his hollow void-like eyes reflected back at him on the murky coffee. "I need to clear my head… I'll be heading out for a walk after this, Henrietta."

"I'll have a unit stationed by the door for when you return."

The pinkette rubbed his face and glanced over at his bedside table where his pistol and magazines sat. He was about to rise from his chair but Henrietta moved from her spot and crossed the room to bring the weapon to him. He murmured a quick thank you and began to disassemble the handgun for cleaning, even take the baffles out from the three-inch-long suppressor to clean the carbon from it. Going through the motions helped clear the fuzz from his mind and settle his nerves so while he was at it, he restacked the magazines that had been used in the last mission. Once everything was reassembled and ready to go, he slipped them into the holster and mag holders behind his back and he rose to his feet.

"Here, Master." The doll-like servant held up his coat without a single sign of effort or strain on her internal mechanics. Once the black-haired android helped him into the coat, she collected up the empty mug and silver platter and followed him out of the room.

Natsu adjusted his cuffs as he jogged down the stairs. Once he reached the front door, it was opened by the Henrietta unit who had been tasked with waiting for his return by the door. He thanked the android before stepping out into the cool night and stared up at the stary sky, something he couldn't have done from his house in almost the exact same spot back in his world due to the light pollution. He left the two tall brass guard automatons behind as he made his way down the path and out the gate where he slowed to a stroll as he took in the clean air.

Aside from the incessant ticking underpinning the city's natural creaks and groans, the rhythmic breathing of those asleep, and the various noises of those who work the night, it was fairly peaceful. But then again, everything is more peaceful than explosions, gunfire, and the ever-looming threat of death.

Natsu slowly walked beside one of the many canals that span Magnolia, finding the gently flowing water soothing to his ears. There was no real destination in his mind but the cold, calm air of the city was refreshingly clean and it felt like it was cleansing him.

Something grasped a hold of his attention and caused him to stop in his track as he turned to look up at a red-walled two-storey apartment house that had two women inside one of the apartments, one of who felt all too familiar and the second seemed to radiate a faint magical signature that was so close to his own that there was no doubt about who she was. As much as he wished to see the beautiful blonde within those walls, he turned away and continued down the street though he felt one of the women stir behind him.

As Natsu walked past a large building near the water's edge, came to a stop and looked up at the imposing yet inviting building that had the all too familiar emblem of Fairy Tail hung proudly above the door. Tearing himself away from what could be a second home, he moved closer to the edge of Lake Sciliora. The far side of the lake seemed to have been carved into a shipping channel that allowed for ships to be brought all the way up to dock at Magnolia itself. Very much like what had been done to his own world's Magnolia.

Natsu walked down one of the piers and his mind drifted to a sensation that he had been feeling for a while now; he was being followed but at a distance. It seemed the woman was cautious but curious about him. He leaned on the railing at the end of the longest pier and listened to the rolling water and watched ships navigate to and from the nearby port. It was helping to clear his mind quite a bit but it reminded him of how alone he was. He closed his eyes and dropped his head forward, as off-putting as it might have been, peace and quiet was just that, and it was something he was thankful that he could finally enjoy even if it lacked those special people who used to be a big part of his life.

He needed to keep moving, keep his mind off those thoughts. He pushed off the metal railing and stumbled forward slightly, when he looked down, he found that he had accidentally bent it because he wasn't carefully managing his own ludicrously inhuman strength. With a small sigh, he wrenched the railing back into shape and left the pier before he damaged something else. He walked down the middle of the empty cobblestone roads, taking random turns every other intersection without even caring about double-backing in a half-hearted attempt to shake his tail. The dark sky had slowly become aflame with dawn's first light.

The birds started to wake up and chirp as he found himself inside a familiar park that even in his world contained a large ancient tree. It was right in the middle of the city and it was said that the tree was there far longer than the city itself. He sat down on a bench near the colossal tree and watched the sun slowly rise up above the buildings. As peaceful as the city was in the early hours of the morning, he still ached for the music he left behind. Maybe he'd have to try and find some way of bringing some of it to his new world when he went to grab the machinery needed to create all the ammo he uses and the different types gunpowder needed to propel them. It would help him relax and destress whenever he began to break down in the future. His hands twitched and he felt the need to busy them, so he brought out his guitar and closed his eyes as he began to play whatever his heart wanted.

As the city began to wake up, people started to filter through the park on their walk to work. Some lingered to listen to the music while others passed right by. But Natsu kept his eyes closed and allowed his hands to do all the work. He sensed his tail come closer and eventually the woman was standing on front of him, seemingly entranced by the music he was playing.

Natsu cracked open his eyes and slowly lifted them from the grey cobblestone path and up her black knee-high boots. One first glance they seemed dressy but when his eyes lingered a second longer, he realised they had rubber soles that prioritised function over form. His eyes moved higher, up her black thigh-high socks and to her pleated black skirt which was framed by a pair of sheathed short swords fastened at the waist and partly concealed by an open black linin trench coat. Her small hands were covered by black leather gloves and folded in front of her hips. She had a dark grey dress shirt that had the top few buttons undone which showed off her cleavage and sat under a black waistcoat, both of which were fighting against her impressive bust, and as much as he hated to compare the pair, she blew Lelyanna out of the water in terms of fullness and seemed closer to Lucy in size, which was further accented by how her clothes were perfectly tailored to her athletic figure.

This woman had tanned skin, a few shades lighter than his own and with a slightly different underlying tint; a faint olive instead of a faint amber. Her long hair blew out from behind her, it was a lighter, shinier salmon-pink and the striking colour was enhanced by the muted tones of her clothes. Natsu met the woman's verdant onyx eyes and noticed confusion and some tears leaking from the corners of her eyes as she listened to the music he was playing. This was undoubtably his counterpart in this world, Natsumi Dragneel. She looked slightly more different than he expected her to even with the different genetics, but she couldn't completely hide her aura like he could and it gave her away, just as it did when he passed by Lucy's apartment.

"Looks like you've finally decided to stop tailing me." Natsu sat back slowly and looked up at his counterpart.

"You noticed me?" Natsumi asked softly, quirking an eyebrow in surprise.

"You weren't exactly hiding yourself, or if you were trying then you weren't doing a good job of it."

"Harsh, but sneaking around has never been my strong suit." Natsumi chuckled softly. Her voice held a naturally sensual huskiness that matched the woman's intense sex appeal and her seductive, domineering aura. "I wasn't going to show myself but I couldn't help myself when I heard you play your guitar. It was moving…"

"Music has a way of conveying a person's deep emotions far better than most other mediums."

"True enough." Natsumi leaned down with her hands on her hips and sniffed the man, her lips pulling back into a playful grin to reveal her fangs. "Yeah… I thought so. This is the first time I've ran into a male version of me."

"That makes things a little easier." Natsu's fingers stopped plucking strings and he rested his guitar against the bench. "What made you follow me?"

"Usually, I'm a deep sleeper but I had an urge to wake up not long ago and I sensed you walking away from Lucy's apartment. Something was telling me that I should follow you and find out who you were." Natsumi turned and quickly sat down next to the man, leaning back with her arms behind her head. "While I couldn't sense your magic or anything, I could still sense your emotions. You're a wreck, so I wasn't hard to track you down. My name is Natsumi, what about you?"

"Natsu." Natsu sighed softly. "Yeah, I had a rough night so I needed to go for a walk and clear my head. Happened to find myself outside Lucy's apartment, probably because I subconsciously sought her out. I didn't want to stick around and look like some kind of creep though, so I went on my way."

"What happened to your Lucy?" Natsumi asked slowly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Dead. Same with everyone else. I'm the only survivor." Natsu glanced at the woman then lowered his gaze to his hands. "I… miss them."

"Ah shit." Natsumi murmured softly. "I guess there's quite a story to that but this isn't the place to tell it. Too many eyes and ears."

"I hear that Fairy Tail is a guild of Jaegers." Natsu remarked with a quick look at the swords hanging from a belt around the woman's hips. "I'm a little surprised you use swords."

"I use them in conjunction with my fire. And I mean, Fairy Tail isn't just a guild for Jaegers. We've got regular mages and get regular mage jobs too, plus some non-mage jobs like transportation since we have a small fleet of cars and trucks."

"It's a bit more expansive than I was expecting." Natsu admitted and he checked his watch.

"Are you a Jaeger too?"

"Yeah. I finished my first job not long ago. Had to kill some bandits and goblins over in Papaver."

"Ah, I know the one. I saw it on the board in the Guild Hall. I think Levy's group and Gajeel were going to take it."

"Wouldn't have gone well, they would've needed a healer for the captives."

"You're working with someone?"

"Archbishop Lelyanna. I basically got dropped onto her lap and we ended up agreeing to work together. She used her healing magic and some of my medical supplies to patch up the women."

"That adorable little priestess?" Natsumi's head snapped to face the man as she looked at him with wide eyes. "She helps with the hordes that attack Magnolia from time to time."

"Yeah, she told me she knows of you too. Well, who wouldn't know of you." Natsu grinned lightly, baring his own fangs. "Anyway, she's the healer I bring along with me in case people need medical attention, or I do if things go wrong. But I heal pretty quickly on my own."

Natsumi opened her mouth to speak but her stomach spoke for her, grumbling loudly and setting off the stomach of the man beside her. "I guess neither of us have had the chance to eat yet."

"Are you heading back to Lucy's or to the guild?"

"If I head to Lucy's, would you like me to pass on a kiss?" Natsumi asked suggestively before cackling playfully. "No, I was thinking of hitting up a café nearby and talking with you some more, Natsu."

"I could use a bite to eat." Natsu placed a hand over his stomach as he rose to his feet and sent his guitar away with Requip. "Lead the way."

"It's not far." Natsumi waved the man after her and she headed for the nearest exit.

"Do you ever get used to the incessant ticking?"

"For me, it doesn't take long every time I come back from a job but I'm used to it in general due to growing up here. You on the other hand, it'll probably take a little bit. It was like that for Wendy since she lived in a small village before she joined us."

"I'm surprised you're taking this pretty well."

"It's not something new, really. We had Mystogan who was an alternate version of Jellal from Edolas, plus our own versions in Edolas too. So, coming across an alternate version of me isn't overly shocking. Though, as I said, you're the first time I've met a male version of me." Natsumi looked over her shoulder at the salmon-haired man and she gave him a playful grin. "I never expected one to be as hot as you."

"You're pretty easy on the eyes too." Natsu chuckled quietly and shook his head with a small grin. "I was a little concerned about getting mistaken for you sometimes but it seems that there is enough of a difference that we can be told apart, even given who we are."

"I noticed that your scent is different than Natsumi Dragion's; my Edolas counterpart who apparently smelt very similar to me. Part of it could be because you're a guy but I think it's deeper than that."

"From what I was told before I came here. We're different at the genetic level but the markers line up enough to give us our characteristic traits; salmon hair, dark onyx eyes, and so on. I'm guessing Lucy did your hair?"

"Yeah." Natsumi ran her fingers through her long salmon-pink hair that was silky and devoid of the spikes Natsu's had even at its length. "Mine used to be like yours except to between my shoulder blades when I was a teenager but she talked me into taking better care of it. I use stuff provided by Cancer on it, just like she does, so my hair became just as silky as hers. My shower routine became longer because of it but I like it."

They put a quick hold on their conversation as they entered the semi-fancy café and placed their orders. Natsumi had ordered a stack of pancakes with mixed berries and a coffee while Natsu had an omelette and a coffee. Both pinkette removed their coats with Natsumi eyeing the weapons hidden behind the man's back before taking a seat opposite him.

"Do you mind if I have a closer look at that gun?"

"Alright." Natsu slipped his M12 out from behind his back and took the magazine out then cleared the round from the chamber and placed it in front of her with the muzzle pointed at the wall beside them. "Just don't go pointing it at people."

"Quite the nice gun you have. I've never seen one this sophisticated or use these materials, same with the cartridges too." Natsumi murmured as she flipped the pistol over in her hands then pulled back the slide like he had to release the chambered bullet. She kept it pointed at the wall as she pulled the trigger and dry-fired the weapon. She glanced at the ammo in front of the man then up to his face. When she placed the gun down, the man placed his combat knife down beside it and her eyes went to the markings on both weapons. "What does that eye mean?"

"It's my personal emblem, I've put it on all my weapons, even the ones that Lelyanna carries. It's for my professional name, since a certain one is taken; Báleygr or One with Flaming Eyes." Natsu replied and he placed his weapons away. "The emblem is being used for a line of weapons under the name Báleygr Arms by the blacksmith I'm working with. She advised me to register the business name for if I need it in the future."

"Well, if you want help with learning how to swing swords, I can train you. I learned all I know from Erza, after all, and I'd like to think I'm fairly competent with my swords."

"I've ordered four swords, two Messer, a Grosse Messer, and a Kriegs Messer. I'm fairly confident in my ability to use the short swords since I've used that knife that I showed you – and more than one – but I think I will take you up on that offer for the two longer swords."

Before they could continue their conversation, one of the women running the café placed their order down on the table with a smile. Natsumi thanked the woman and waited for her to return to the counter before pressing a small blue circle on the edge of the table which caused a ring of blue runes glowed to life around the edge of the alcove. "This is why I chose this place. Noise blocking runes, we can take freely now."

"Where should I start?"

"Where it ended."

Natsu sighed and adjusted himself on the seat. "Alright. I was a soldier, special forces. To be exact, I was – am – what had been called a Shock Trooper which are a group of Fiorian special forces who underwent chemical enhancements to make us tougher, faster, stronger. Ishgar had been at war for about a decade, we were losing and the Pergrande Kingdom had pushed all the way down to Crocus before we managed to turn the tide with the help of Alakitasia. We formed the Joint Nations Forces and pooled our military assets and we eventually pushed them all the way back to Phanagoria, their capital. And that's where everything went to hell." The man took a deep breath and sipped at his coffee before continuing, "Us Shock Troopers were dropped into the city from eighty kilometres up, inserting into the battlefield behind the enemy lines to take out strategic targets and making the path to the Government Palace. I was in charge of Hellhound Squad which consisted of Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, and Wendy Marvell."

"Hold on, I've got two questions." Natsumi held up her finger and leaned in. "You're telling me that you were married to Lucy? And Grace is a dude in your world?"

"Yeah. Gray was a guy, and I was married to Lucy." Natsu summoned his wedding rings, including Lucy's as he hadn't finished the little memorial yet. He placed the two rings down onto the woman's hand and looked at them sadly. "Those were our wedding rings, Natsumi."

"I'm sorry about my joke earlier… it was in poor taste." Natsumi read the inscriptions on the insides of the rings and slowly lowered her hands, gazing at her food as she carefully handed them back to him. "I think I know where this is heading…"

"After we had fought through the city and reached our objective, the Government Palace, we started to get a bad feeling. All five of us." Natsu paused for a moment as he turned the rings over in his hands before returning them to his Requip dimension. "If you ever get a bad feeling about something, act on it. If you don't then you'll live to regret it." He raised his eyes to the woman sat across from him and noticed that her eyes had gone wide and she looked a little pale. "Anyway, it turned out that our bad feeling was those fuckers launching weapons of mass destruction in the form of missiles with a variety of nuclear tips ranging from thermonuclear, to 'salted' cobalt, neutron warheads and so on. A cobalt warhead detonated above us and showered us with radiation, heat and a massive blast wave. Gray was instantly vaporised but I managed to protect Lucy, Erza, and Wendy from the heat and blast but I couldn't protect them from the radiation that slowly killed them over the span of half an hour to an hour. Lucy was the first to go, she took our unborn child with her as she hadn't long fallen pregnant, then Erza followed her, and finally Wendy." He glanced up from the table and saw that Natsumi had paled considerably and seemed to be struggling for words. "After I buried them, I went down into the bunker that the Pergrande leadership were hiding in and I… killed them, to put it lightly. After that, I wandered that wasteland for thirty days, the only one left alive in the world. And then I was visited by Ceres, the goddess, she took me in and relocated me to here. Dropped me into the lap of Archbishop Lelyanna, and those two have been helping me since… To give you a sense of time, my world ended just about two and a half months ago."

"Holy shit…" Natsumi murmured as lowered her eyes to her plate, opening and closing her mouth a few times before finding herself unable to say anything more. She felt that it was best to just eat her food before it got cold. It also gave her time to process what she had learnt from her counterpart. It wasn't until they had both finished their breakfast, split the bill, and had walked some distance down the street did she manage to find her words. "I understand that you won't be able to see their faces just yet… but I'm sure they'll accept you. I'll even vouch for you if I need to."

"That's kind, but you're right. I need time to adjust and let go of my past. Lelyanna has told me the same thing. I did run into Erza when she collected that new sword of hers, had a bit of a mental breakdown due to it but thankfully I was able to hold myself together enough to finish up my business with the weaponsmith and get out of there." Natsu looked up at the sky wistfully. "I do wish I could see Lucy though, even though it would be painful for me."

"Wait, Saiko is the one making your weapons?" Natsumi quickly looked up at the man then glanced down at her swords before drawing both in a backhanded grip hand to show him. "She made my falchions. I asked for a pair of shorter ones because I like to get up close and personal, and she did it. They're fifty-six centimetres long." The woman slid the weapons back into their scabbards and tilted her head slightly. "Huh, I think she did mention seeing a new face when she picked it up."

"Those look pretty decent. But yeah, I'm heading over there now to check on progress. You're welcome to join me if you like."

"Well, I left a note for Lucy, telling her that I sensed something and wanted to check it out. But it's not like I have any obligations to be at the guild today, so I'll hang around." They walked in silence for a few minutes before an idea popped back into Natsumi's mind and looked up at the man walking beside her with a sly smile. "So~, we touched on it before but am I what you expected as a woman?"

Natsu glanced at her then ran his eyes down her body. "I expected you to be athletic. Your hair is a bit longer than I expected, considering it goes down to your arse, would've thought it'd get in the way."

"It does sometimes, but I like it this way." Natsumi ran her hand through her hair, causing it to fan out behind her. "Anything else, hmm?"

"You're cuter than I was expecting, less brazen too – minus the fact you tried to stalk me – but that might change when you're in a different environment. I think you're taller than Lucy, too. You come up to just below my eyes. Hm, and you have a nice voice, it has a strangely seductive smokiness to it, sounds hot." He noticed the slight hint of annoyance tugging at the corner of her right eye and he chuckled when she pushed her chest out a little bit more. "Fine, I'll say it. I wasn't expecting you to have that nice of a rack. You look really hot in general. Probably scored a jackpot on the genetic lottery."

"Oh, believe me, I look even better when I don't have all these clothes on." Natsumi smiled smugly but a light blush could faintly be seen dusting her tanned cheeks. "Hey… why don't I feel any power from you. I know you'd be stronger than me since you're older than me by… a few years? I'm twenty-three turning twenty-four."

"Twenty-seven. And you can't sense my power because it was common for mages to suppress their power in my world. On the battlefield, if you let out your magic willy-nilly then you'd quickly met the kiss of a sniper's bullet. I can still use magic but as long as I fully suppress my aura, you won't be able to sense it." He spotted a passing tram that said that it was heading to the same district as Pierce the Veil was located in, so he grabbed Natsumi's wrist and leapt into the back while it was still in motion. "Beats wearing out my boots."

"You are lucky trams are free in Fiore."

"What about those airships?" Natsu asked while leaning out the side of the carriage and gazing up at the sky as one passed over the top of them. "I've seen and heard them around but never really had the chance to check them out."

"They are used for long distance travel for those who don't want to take a train or are heading to places that don't have a trainline leading there. So, you can imagine they'd be a little pricey." She glanced up at the man as he released her wrist, he seemed to be fine even though they were in a vehicle. "I'm surprised you aren't keeling over from motion sickness."

"I dealt with that a long time ago, using Macro."

"That's how I stopped mine. It's funny watching the other dragon slayers flounder about on the floors of trains and stuff. Though, I did take pity on Wendy."

"And Gajeel?"

"Nope, he can flounder about." Natsumi giggled and sat atop the railing beside him, leaning back just like he was to stare up at the blue sky. "It's not raining for once, yay. Probably won't last long."

Natsu closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. It was peaceful here, and he felt a fair bit better since his counterpart seemed to have accepted him. He felt a fair bit of weight get lifted off his shoulders and it made him smile happily for the first time in a while. A gentle flick on his cheek snapped him out of his blissful stupor and he glanced over at the gleefully grinning woman. "Hey now, what was that for?"

"We're almost there." Natsumi giggled and pointed a little further up the street to the sign hanging out the front of Saiko's shop. She leapt from the tram, her hair and coat trailing behind her as she soared through the air and landed on the sidewalk effortlessly.

"And people call me a show-off." Natsu chuckled. He stepped down from the moving tram without the slightest of stumbles and casually strode across to the pedestrian path. He gave her a small smile and glanced down, letting out a short puff of air from his nose. "There's something I need you to do when addressing me, I go by my professional name as standard. You're free to call me by my personal name, but please keep it to a private setting or if we're in a group that I trust."

"I can understand that. We do share near identical names, after all." The woman offered him a kind smile and leaned down so she could look up into his abyssal eyes with her rich lively eyes. "Natsu, I know you must be very lonely. It's just you and the archbishop, right? And she can't always be there for you?"

"Ah…" Natsu raised his gaze, which Natsumi followed by straightening back up and she gave him a warm smile as she folded her hands behind her. "Yeah… I suppose you could say that I am. She's a busy woman, after all. I actually went for a walk today because I didn't sleep that well and needed some fresh air. Been up since about three in the morning. That job I mentioned wasn't the prettiest, and since it was the first one that she had done, I had decided to let her relax at her cathedral with her sisterhood and give her the time she needed to recuperate."

Natsumi leaned in with a toothy smile. "Well, let's hang out for a bit longer then? If you aren't comfortable seeing the others, then you can come to my place or I can come to yours if you would like company. I'd love to hear you play that guitar some more!"

Natsu was taken aback by the woman's earnest admission and once again, he couldn't help but smile warmly at her actions and how her eyes lit up when she expressed her eagerness. "Alright. I get the feeling that you'd hound me until I played for you again anyway." He chuckled softly and led the way into the store where he found Saiko with her phone's handset to her ear and her finger on the dial.

"Oh, Báleygr, I was about to call you."

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he walked over to the counter. He sensed Natsumi wander off to look at some swords while he dealt with the smith.

"Hell no, it's the opposite." Saiko laughed and half turned towards the door behind her, holding up a finger to the man. "Give me a second to bring up your stuff." She glanced over at the other pinkette in the store then gave the man a playful grin and a wink before disappearing past the door.

"HhhhhuuaaaAHH."

Natsu turned his head to the noise and everything went dark as something collided with his upper body and a pair of legs wrapped around his waist. "Did you really think leaping on me would make me fall over?"

"I was expecting you to stumble a little, but you're as solid as a rock." Natsumi shimmied her way around his body until she was clinging to his back and looking over the top if his head. "What the hell?"

"It's those enhancements I had mentioned. Denser muscles, tougher bones, and stronger ligaments, but while I do weigh more than someone with my build normally would, it's more about how I stand. Not to mention that you came at me from the side and not from the back or front, so your force just went down my right leg and into the ground." He glanced down as the legs around his midsection tightened and her hands slowly roamed his shoulders and arms, checking out his muscles but while he could sense a faint hint of lust, the woman seemed mainly curious about how his unnatural body worked.

"Huh. You actually do feel firmer than a man normally would…"

"Do you always feel up men you've just met?"

"Depends on the situation." Natsumi playfully replied as she climbed down off the man and took a step back. "Sorry if I'm being a bit forward, you just feel very familiar."

"Given our situation, that doesn't exactly surprise me. It'd probably be like staring at one of those enchanted mirrors in an amusement park." He turned to the woman and leaned back against the counter. "I don't mind the touch of a woman; I actually find it very comforting in the right context. Just let me get used to our situation a bit more, ok?"

"Right." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I kinda forgot you just recently lost your wife and everyone you were close to… I'll try to be a little more reserved until we get more familiar with each other." She gasped when he reached a hand out to her but she subconsciously leaned in when it moved above her eyelevel and slid into her hair, sending tingles through her body. She wasn't certain but he felt a little hotter than she did.

"I understand. I used to be like you before everything got fucked up."

"What's with you bad boys and collecting women?" Saiko jabbed at the two pinkettes as she walked into the room with a cloth bundle, just in time to see Natsu pet Natsumi's head. "I bet next time you'll rock-up with a Mermaid."

Natsu ignored the playful slight and removed the hand from the woman's hair as he turned to face the smith with a serious expression, his eyes on the bundle. "Let's see how you went." While Saiko placed the bundle on the counter, he closed his eyes and shifted his consciousness to Lelyanna but unfortunately, he had caught her at a bad time… she was in the middle of a shower.

"N-Natsu?" The woman lifted her gaze to the showerhead so she didn't expose her nubile body while her skin heated up and became tinted with a gentle pink. "What's wrong?"

'Ah, I expected this would happen eventually.' Natsu said, completely brushing the issue aside. 'I'm at Saiko's shop, picking up my weapons. Did you want to take a look through my eyes to watch her reveal them?'

"Oh! Sure." Lelyanna beamed happily and closed her eyes as she sat down on the tiled floor. "I was actually getting ready to come to your manor."

Natsu pulled his consciousness from the woman and opened his eyes as Saiko pulled the longest weapon out first. He felt Lelyanna's small presence slip into his mind and heard her gasp at the ornate scabbard. "This is a clamshell scabbard like the one for the sword you loaned me, right?" Speaking of the loaner sword, he brought it out from his magical storage and leaned it against the counter.

"Yep, same style. Just pull it out a few centimetres and she'll pop right open for you." Saiko pulled on the Kriegs Messer and took it out from the scabbard. "To match the swords, I made the scabbards out of polished ebony wood, and I also used the alloy you provided to for the metal reinforcements and the action too." She lifted the sword carefully and held it out to the man. "You've probably noticed the dark-blue wavey-swirl pattern in the blade. I decided to add thin layers of Dimeritium between the billet slabs then used a pattern welding technique to bind it together and create the blade's pattern. But don't you think that it's only there just to look good, it also has a function too. The cruciform hilt, Nagel, and end cap are made from the same alloy and the wood is polished Ebony like the scabbards."

Natsu took the black blade from the woman and looked closely at the thin dark-blue lines, he couldn't see any delamination. He decided to test the sword's flexibility by grabbing the tip and flexing it carefully. It was firm but had a slight amount of flexibility to the blade, and each time he flexed it, the sword always returned to the proper shape upon release. It looked like it would handle his strength nicely. "I think it's a tad longer than you were telling me about last time."

"I ended up making the Grosses Messer a hundred-and-ten centimetres up from a hundred so it matched the length of the weapon I loaned you. Because of that, I decided to increase the Kriegs Messer by the same amount, from one-fifty to one-sixty." Saiko leaned in and ran her finger along the pattern lovingly. "She's a pretty girl, but she was a bitch to sharpen. I had to bust out my diamond dust wheel. But I doubt she's going to let you down anytime soon; these girls are all hardy bitches."

'She's a gorgeous sword, Natsu.'

"I don't think we used Dimeritium where I'm from. What does it do?" Natsu asked as he carefully placed the sword down on the cloth. But as he pulled his hands away, he noticed the pair of markings near the base of the blade; his flaming eye with Báleygr Arms, and Saiko's veiled head with crossed swords with her initials. Both of which were carefully hand engraved, most likely with a diamond bit.

"It's an anti-magic metal. Shouldn't impede your magic should you try using it on the swords, but it'll allow you to slice through spells with ease, like a bad-arse." Natsumi answered for the smith, leaning around the man to get a closer look at the black and blue sword. "I debated on having it added to my falchions when Saiko made them."

'Who's that?'

'I bumped into my counterpart, Natsumi, and things went well.' Natsu cracked a small smile as he looked up at the weaponsmith. "Well, things are looking pretty good from the get-go."

"Let me introduce you to your next date, Loverboy." Saiko grinned back and slipped her hands under the cloth once more, removing the Grosses Messer and slipping it out from the scabbard with both being placed just up from the Kriegs Messer. "After you've had a nice chat with the mature sister, you can dance with her peppy younger sister. She is very much like her older sister though smaller yet no less beautiful. And then there are the twins…" The black-haired woman let out a little giggle at her story as she withdrew the twin Messer and placed them on the cloth. However, unlike the larger swords, the scabbards didn't open up. "They're identical and love to play mischievous games because of it. Who knows which one of them has your attention."

"These girls seem to know how to have fun." Natsumi giggled playfully and smirked at the shop owner. Her lips split into a wide grin as she slowly raised her gaze to the man beside her, a joke right on her luscious lips.

"If you're about to crack a joke about getting with twins, I'll just shoot it back at you." Natsu glanced at the woman then down to the falchions on her hips. When she held up her hands in mock defeat, he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him who seemed fit to burst with laughter.

"Anyway, jokes aside. I did my best to craft a design that I thought would be best suitable for a man like you going by the feeling I got from you. This particular design comes from a place called Albion, in one of the northern countries, they call it 'Soldat', it's a classic." Saiko lightly pressed her finger on the side of the Kriegs Messer, near the tip. "As you can see, I've made what would normally be a false edge into a cutting edge to help in thrusting or back strokes. It also lightens the swords and makes them nimbler, though I think you'd be fine either way. As you can see, it's the same for all four swords." She looked up at the man and smiled. "So, have you got any names for these girls?"

"Since I go by Báleygr, how about this…" He picked up the twin fighting knives. "For the twins; Huginn and Muninn." He slid them into their scabbards then lifted the Grosses Messer. "This one is Geri." After he placed it into the scabbard, he lifted the final sword. "And the Kriegs Messer could be Freki."

A gentle giggle filled his mind and he could feel Lelyanna smiling inside. 'Really leaning into the Báleygr name aren't you. Those are Odin's ravens and wolves.'

"Oh, I do have one more thing; the harness. I'll be right back."

While the woman ran upstairs, Natsu took the twin Messer and attached them to his belt under the coat with their handles angled forward. He placed his hands on the end caps and looked down at himself before turning to his counterpart and casually slipping his hands into his pockets. "How do I look?"

"Like you fit in nicely." Natsumi smiled warmly as she ran her eyes over him. "Those swords are a one-of-a-kind set too. I bet Erza would be very envious of you if she saw them." Her gaze drifted up to his hair and she tilted her head, remembering how he said he was a soldier, so she tried to imagine him with shorter hair but in the end, she just smiled at him. "If you plan on getting your hair cut back to how it was, I think you should keep it this length. You look good."

"Says the woman who hasn't seen me beforehand." Natsu chuckled softly and rested both of his elbows against the counter. He sighed softly and let his head drop; in his mind he could feel a sympathetic twang come from Lelyanna. "I have a few photo albums at my place if you want to see them." He glanced across to the pinkette but his words were directed to both women.

"Sure!"

'I'll finish up with my shower and head to your house. No peaking now~.'

Saiko hurried back into the shop with a black leather harness in her hands. She placed it down on top of the two swords and quickly glanced at the man's hips when she noticed the twin fighting knives weren't on the counter. "I had this made up after your last visit. It's made from full-grain leather which I had embroidered with the same pattern as is on your clothing using a shiny black thread to give it that shadowy swirly look. I'm not charging you for this as it's a 'thank-you' gift for doing that work on my equipment to help me actually be able to work with your alloy."

"Thank you." Natsu gave the woman a small smile and attached the two swords to the mounts on the harness and slipped his arms through the loops so it rested against his back. With a few minor adjustments, he positioned them in a way that easy-to-reach but also comfortable. "I'm more than happy with your work."

"Hell, you aren't the only one." Saiko laughed and took his order form from a draw under the counter. She quickly filled out the completion section and turned the form to the man and held the fountain pen out for him. "Those girls are the best weapons that I've created so far. You better show them a good time."

"I'll see that I do." He chuckled as he read through the order form, making sure nothing was out of place. Once he was content, he signed it off and took out his chequebook to quickly write up the payment. "There we go."

"Thank y…" Saiko read the slip of paper and her brows furled as she checked the order form. "Hang on… you've overpaid me… by fifty-percent."

"Hehe, I think he just gave you a big tip." Natsumi giggled and gave the woman a playful wink. "You should be more careful, Báleygr. Otherwise, you might poke someone's eye out."

Ignoring the woman's lewd remark, Natsu smiled at the weaponsmith. "Consider it my own form of thanks for your work."

"Do you make a habit of giving every woman you come across a big tip?"

"Not all of them." Natsu sighed at their combined antics and the soft giggle that resonated in his head. 'Don't start.' He felt Lelyanna pull her consciousness from his body and he shook his head. "Anyway. Thanks again, Saiko. I'll make sure to put them to good use."

"Come back if you need anything else!"

"Will do."

The pinkettes waved back at the weaponsmith as they left the shop and made their way down the sidewalk. Natsu rolled his shoulders and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants while he walked side-by-side with Natsumi who glanced up at him and smiled.

"You know, you seem a little more comfortable now that you have your weapons." She noted softly.

Natsu looked down at the busty woman who had her fingers entwined behind her head and he gave her a little shrug. "I feel that I have what I need to fit in. I have weapons that I can trust and use instead of the firearms I brought with me."

"Hmm? You'll have to show me those when you can." Natsumi slowly glanced from one building to the next as they walked through block after block and started heading uphill. A faint mist started to descent from the heavens and it caused her to gaze up at the sky, there had been no sign of rain when they left the store. "It's about to come down heavy, you wouldn't happen to have an umbrella stored away?"

"With how much it seems to rain here, I'm surprised that you don't." Natsu replied as a glow formed in his hand and expanded into a full-size umbrella which he erected above them. "It feels like someone pissed off Juvia."

Natsumi sighed and stepped in closer, slipping in just behind his arm and wrapping her own arms around the limb on a whim. "I've never been able to wrap my head around Requip magic no matter how much Erza tries to drill it into me. I'm excellent at Transformation magic though, but that's thanks to Mira's efforts. Hm, I noticed it before but this confirms it… you're warmer than I am, deliciously so."

"Males are generally warmer than females, I guess it goes for a fire demon and dragon too." He glanced down at the woman's chest which was overtly threatening to consume his arm between her soft mounds but he decided to let it go, it wouldn't do well to push her away when she accepted him so readily. He turned his attention back to the footpath as the skies rapidly darkened and rain began to belt down all around them. "She must be really upset with someone…"

"Ah, I think you mean Kai, Kai Lockser. Juvia must be his counterpart in your world. So Grace is Gray and Kai is Juvia, and they're genderbent… I suppose it makes sense considering us two." The younger pinkette looked back over her shoulder and back down the hill towards the lake. "There's probably a brawl going on at the hall and someone spilt booze on him, probably Cana. Kai's magic has the unfortunate side effect of absorbing alcohol if he's in his water body. So, if they're having a fight back there and some booze got on him, the emotional dam would burst." When Natsu turned and moved toward an archway, she turned her attention back to where they were heading and the slowly lifted her gaze one story at a time until she took in the sight of his house. "Holy fuck…"

"The goddess who brought me here set this up for me. I would have been happy with a normal house but I don't really have the right to complain about her generosity." He shook his head lightly and led the way through the gate and along the path until the two tall brass guards came into view, flanking the entrance to the manor. He felt the arms around his right arm tighten instinctively even though the woman most likely would have been able to beat the guards fairly easily, they were just that imposing. The doors opened upon his approach and from within emerged Henrietta who bowed.

"Welcome home, Master."

"Hello, Henrietta. Has Lelyanna arrived?"

"Lady Lelyanna is up in your office, reading. Shall I inform her of your arrival?"

"No, I'll go up there myself. Oh, this is Natsumi Dragneel." Natsu gestured to the surprised woman on his arm. "See that she has the same permissions as Lelyanna does."

"You have android servants?" Natsumi murmured as her eyes flicked from the unit in front of her to an identical one coming down the stairs with a silver platter then to a third up on the third story landing that was polishing the wooden railing. "Woah."

As Natsu collapsed his umbrella and was carefully drying it, Henrietta approached the pink-haired woman and held out her hands. "Would you like for me to take your coat?"

"Oh, um…" She glanced at the back of her counterpart's head then back to the android, conceding with a nod as she rolled her shoulders and slipped the coat down her arms. As Henrietta helped her out of it and began to take the garment to a nearby cabinet, a flash of light caught Natsumi's eye and she couldn't help but be a little envious when she saw that Natsu was now coatless with his swords still affixed in position and the umbrella nowhere to be seen. "You'll have to teach me how to use Requip magic."

"Hmm?" Natsu looked back as he walked toward the centre of the entrance hall. "Heh, yeah sure. I can teach you. It's something I used to instruct back in my world." He lightly pushed off the ground mid-step but it had enough force to launch him into the air just high enough that his next step landed on the second story railing. "My other guest is up here, coming?"

Flame gracefully flowed from the woman's back, unfurling into large feathered wings of flame and Natsumi rose from the floor and flew up to the man with a sly little smile. "Oh, the things one can do when they aren't constrained by futuristic weapons~."

"I thought you were a dragon, not a phoenix."

"Doesn't mean I can't have fun with my powers~." Natsumi giggled and circled him playfully before touching down on the walkway. "I kinda like showing off. It's why I love wearing skirts and tight clothing."

Now that her coat was gone and he had a closer look, Natsu realised that her waistcoat had been tailored in a way that conformed to her body lines and the shape of her breasts which emphasised their exceptional size and her slim but athletic build similar to how a corset or bustier would. A playful snicker made him realise that he had been caught staring and he lifted his eyes to her face to see a teasing fanged grin. "I'm not apologising for noticing your feminine appeal."

"Well~, when you put it that way, I think I'll let you off the hook, this time~." Natsumi spun around while keeping her eyes on him. She interlinked her fingers behind her back and her fiery wings folded up neatly. Her naturally playfully smoky voice only magnified her charms. "Just don't stare too hard… I heard it could lead to blood noses and I wouldn't want you to fall faint now."

"I'm pretty sure that's just a trope." Natsu stepped down from the railing and passed by the woman, opening the door she was standing in front of and entering his office. "Hey Lelyanna."

The priestess rose from the couch she had be sitting on and offered the man a bright smile as she crossed the room. "Henrietta told me what happened, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm better now. Wasn't the worst dream I've had." Natsu looked into Lelyanna's pale-turquoise eyes and gave her a small smile before standing aside to reveal his counterpart. "Made a new friend while I was out."

Natsumi couldn't help but gasp softly as she had never seen the archbishop with her hood down until now. "Wow, you're really cute, your Grace."

"Please," Lelyanna gracefully approached the woman with her hands folded by her hips before gently reaching out and clasping the pinkette's gloved hands and bringing them up. "Lelyanna is fine. May I call you Natsumi?" At the taller woman's nod, she pushed up onto her toes and leaned in close to the woman's ear as she lowered her gentle dulcet voice to a whisper. "Thank you for accepting him. It means a lot to me that you're willing to help him." She smiled brightly at her before turning to Natsu and slowly running her eyes along his body. "They suit you nicely. May I?"

"Don't cut yourself." Natsu smiled as Lelyanna giggled at the familiar response. He slipped a Messer from his hip and handed it over. "Here."

"It really is beautiful." The priestess murmured while tentatively running her fingertips down the side of the blade. She carefully handed it back to him and folded her hands in front of her once more as she turned to Natsumi. "Since you know who he is, might I ask you to help us? While he is more than capable of dealing with goblins and orcs, I think having a professional Jaeger working with us will be very beneficial for multiple reasons."

"Hm, I have my own team at Fairy Tail… and I don't think it would be wise to bring him there just yet…" Natsumi murmured as her eyes flicked from Natsu to Lelyanna and back. "But we don't always go out as a team. I'll talk to them and let them and let them know I'll be helping a pair of freelancers get accustomed to the trade. Is there anything specific you'd like me to say?"

"I'll leave it to your discretion." Natsu replied. "You're free to tell them what is actually going on, that you're helping another version of you get settled in and used to their new life. The exact details of my situation too if you really want to, but if you do, then just let them know I'm not ready to see their faces. Erza was one thing but if I keep seeing ghost after ghost then I might really lose my mind."

"I doubt you'd have any reaction to Grace though, same with Kai." Natsumi gave the man a gentle smile and pat his arm. "I'll tell them, everything. But I'll make sure they don't bother you until you're ready."

"Thank you."

"Now." The woman clapped her gloved hands together and flashed a large fanged grin. "Where are those photo albums you were talking about?"

That's this chapter's rewrite complete, this one came to about 1k more words and was a fair bit more in-depth in the changes department as I wanted to change how Natsumi found Natsu and how Natsu reached Lake Sciliora in the first place. Plus, their conversations were changed to suit her sexually charged and sensual personality a bit better with Natsu being a bit more open than the original version. It also allowed me to add in a snippet about this world's Lucy and her apartment on Strawberry Street.

As mentioned, the weapons are named after Odin's familiars (for lack of a better word). Huginn and Muninn are ravens that give him information, while Geri and Freki are wolves that accompany him.

Natsumi won't be getting any weapons from Natsu as she has her own ingrained fighting style and adding guns would throw her off. She will be teaching Natsu how to use his swords though, since she herself was trained by Erza.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time.