Chapter 17: Human

Natsu was awakened the next morning by Erza. The Blade Dragonelle walked in and cleared her throat, making his head jerk up in alarm.

She smiled with amusement, "Don't be so skittish, Natsu. I just thought you'd be hungry, is all. Are you coming?"

He took a second to remember that he was in the Thunder Hall, living as a part of Fairy Tail now.

Natsu stood and stretched like a cat, then followed her out with a grunt, "Yeah, I'm coming."

/

They walked out to the Hall, where most of the other dragons were waiting. Natsu noticed that even with so many dragons, the Thunder Hall was still very spacious. It really was a huge area.

"There you are." Wendy chirped as he followed Erza out, "I thought you might sleep in after yesterday."

Natsu shrugged, "I'm fine. So, where are we hunting?"

Gray snorted, "We're not hunting."

The Flame Drake became confused, "Then how are we eating?"

"Layla offered to let us eat with her family." Erza explained, "So we're going to her home."

Natsu stared at her, "We'll never fit in one of those tiny human homes."

"Well, Layla's house is far from tiny." Makarov walked up with a rumble, "And we're not going as dragons. We're going as humans."

"Gramps, are you sure you're not senile?" Gajeel muttered, "Go as a human? That's not even possible. If you're going to joke, at least make it a little funny."

Makarov snorted with laughter, "I'm not joking. Just watch; I'll become a human right before your very eyes."

Natsu and Gajeel glanced at each other, then looked at the old drake expectantly, although the expression in their eyes was a bored one.

But Makarov's body suddenly glowed, then he shrunk down…and down…and down.

They were suddenly faced with an incredibly tiny old man. Natsu and Gajeel's jaws dropped in perfect unison.

Makarov, who now wore a vacation shirt, shorts, and sandals, started dying with laughter, "The looks on your faces! Bwahaha! I never get tired of that!"

"Gramps, I can't even consider you a snack." Gajeel managed.

Erza gave him a sharp look, "If you try and eat our leader, I'll slice your gut open to get him out."

Natsu stared at her, "Can you do that too?"

Erza promptly transformed into a beautiful red-head with a confident smirk on her face. She wore armor with a blue skirt and boots.

Gajeel looked around at the other dragons around them, "Don't tell me ALL of you can do this?!"

To their disbelief, the dragons around them immediately turned into humans, giggling and laughing at their stunned expressions.

Natsu stared at Lisanna and Mirajane, who wore dresses of blue and red and looked more similar than ever, "This is…kind of weird…"

Gajeel glanced around, then grunted, "Oi, where's Wendy?"

"Down here."

The two drakes stared at a tiny girl with long, blue hair. She was wearing a green skirt and sandals, with a big smile on her face.

Natsu blinked, "Wendy?"

"How?!" Gajeel managed.

The little girl giggled, "Erza and Mira showed me this last night. Isn't it awesome?"

"And now, it's your turns." Makarov motioned with his hand, "Come on, just focus your magic and picture yourself turning into a human. Your appearance is already determined- you just have to will yourself to transform."

Natsu and Gajeel exchanged glances and shrugged. The two drakes then stood still and closed their eyes. For a few moments, nothing happened.

Then they glowed.

Natsu's body became blanketed in fire as he shrunk down, like a phoenix in rebirth.

Gajeel turned into liquified steel that seemed to fall in on itself as it got smaller, shaping into a human.

After a few moments, they stood before the other humanized dragons as people.

Natsu had shortish, spiky rose hair, dark eyes, and fairly tan skin.

Gajeel had a mane of spiky black hair with red eyes and darker skin.

Makarov was the only one applauding them though. The other dragons were gasping or snickering.

Natsu frowned as he looked around and saw some of the dragonelles turn away with embarrassed looks. Meanwhile, Gray fell to the floor dying with laughter. So he asked, "What?"

Makarov coughed, but there was a mischievous grin on his face, "I may have failed to mention that the first time you transform, you do not have any clothes on."

The two drakes looked themselves over and realized he was right; they were both standing totally naked in the middle of the hall. But to the shock and maybe slight horror of the humanized dragons watching, they weren't fazed at all.

Natsu stretched and grunted, "So what? I've never worn clothes all my life. What's the big deal?"

At that, Lisanna looked away with a crimson face, trying to hide that she was smiling and laughing like a complete idiot.

"I don't know how you wear those anyway." Gajeel muttered, "They look so uncomfortable. I'm sure the humans won't notice any difference if I walk around like this."

Gray snickered, "Why don't you go and see how that works?"

"Gray!" Erza chastised, "Can you imagine the townspeople? They'd be horrified if two naked men just walked down the streets!"

"But imagine the looks on their faces!" Gray laughed, "Think about it! It would be priceless!"

Natsu was inspecting his human form with disdain, "How do you hunt like this? I don't have any claws! And what the heck's happened to my fangs? Only a few of them are even sharp now!"

Makarov nodded, "That's because you're a human right now."

"Not for long." Gajeel growled, "I want my wings and tail back!"

A voice at the entrance of the hall caught their attention. Lucy walked in and called the dragons, "Morning, everyone! Mom told me to come get you-!" She stopped dead and stared at the two naked men standing in the hall.

Natsu caught her staring and bared his still-sharp canines in dislike, "Oh, you again. Didn't I tell you to go away? I can still eat you like this, you know."

It was hard to tell who was more horrified. The humanized dragons, because they knew he was serious, or Lucy, who had clearly taken the naked man's threat the wrong way. If that was judged by how red a person's face could get.

Or how loudly they screamed.

"HHHIIIIEEEEEEEE!"

/\/\/\/\/\

"It's okay, Lucy! Natsu didn't mean it!"

That was Levy's attempt to reassure Lucy that Natsu wasn't a human hater AND a pervert as they waited for the others to arrive at the Heartfilia home. Makarov had told them to go ahead while they found Natsu and Gajeel something to wear.

Lucy shook her head, "It's not okay! I mean, yesterday, he was mean, but back there- Oh, that dragon makes me sick!"

Levy sighed, "Well, I guess he could've been nicer about it…"

"I find it hard to imagine him being nice." Lucy sniffed, "Is he really going to stay here?"

"Yep, so we might as well make the best of it!" Levy chirped.

Lucy stared at her in disbelief, "How can you find anything positive about this?"

"I've got an idea."

Mirajane walked over and whispered lowly, "This is going to be the first time Natsu and Gajeel have ever been at a party. We could…mess with them a little."

Lucy's eyes sparked with interest, "What are you thinking?"

"Let's try to get them to dance at the party tonight." Mira said, "Two guys who don't even know what dancing is? Can you imagine how funny that would look?"

Lucy's pout became a big smile, "Mira, I know I've said this a lot, but you have a devious evil mind."

"Thank you so much, Lucy!" Mira said cheerfully.

Lisanna was listening to them close by. Sorry guys. You can mess with Gajeel all you like, but I think Natsu's going to give you a little surprise.

She smiled at her idea and turned as she heard the front door open. Makarov walked in with Natsu and Gajeel behind him.

Natsu wore a sleeveless, black and gold-trimmed waistcoat that was left open to expose his bare chest, white knee-length trousers, a brown belt, and a pair of black sandals.

Gajeel had on a shabby, black tunic with studded edges and a studded belt around his waist, as well as a wing-like ornament jutting upward over his right shoulder. Loose, beige pants tucked inside studded black boots and a pair of studded brown gloves finished off his outfit.

Well, sort of. Gajeel now had rows of round studs covering most of his exposed body.

Lucy arched an eyebrow at them, "Not bad for a couple of stubborn drakes."

Gajeel shrugged uncomfortably, "For the record, this lasts no longer than a few hours. I want to fly and hunt again pronto."

"Charming." Levy said dryly.

"Hey guys, Mrs. Layla said we can go into the dining room now…" Dragion walked in and trailed off after a moment.

Natsu stared back. Because the two of them looked so similar, it was scary.

The others looked between the two guys and realized that to someone who didn't know the difference, Natsu and Dragion could be brothers. Both had spiky rose hair, dark eyes, and the same general body structure.

There were differences though. Natsu's eyes were more intense, while Dragion's gaze was slightly nervous. But either way, they looked almost identical.

The way they talked was different too. Natsu growled, "Who the heck is this?"

Dragion visibly flinched and stammered, "U-um, I'm Dragion…I do mechanical work in the city…"

"And turns the same color as his hair when Lucy's around." Levy giggled.

On cue, the poor teenager went bright red and stuttered, "I-I do not!"

Natsu rolled his eyes, "Whatever. So what are we doing here again?"

"You're all having breakfast." Layla walked in with Jude just behind her.

The blonde man nodded to Makarov, "It's been a while since we've had the whole of the Thunder eat with us, but I think we'll manage."

Makarov grunted, "Well, Laxus isn't here, and neither is the Thunder God Tribe, but that doesn't really surprise me."

"The Thunder what?" Gajeel asked.

Erza glanced at him, "Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen. They're Laxus's personally trained bodyguard. Where he goes, they go."

Layla smiled, "I don't think Laxus has ever showed up for breakfast here, so it doesn't change much. He's not one for formalities."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "For the record, neither am I. Does this happen every day?"

Jude shook his head, "No, but we decided that since you and the other new dragons joined Fairy Tail, we'd take some time to get to know you. And Makarov has been discussing your punishment with me for raiding the countryside."

"That sounds more like it." Gajeel grinned, "I was wondering why you'd invite roughnecks like us here. Interrogation sounds like a better way to spice up my morning. Gee-hee."

/

To anyone who was familiar with human housing, the Heartfilia dining room was a fancy setup.

To Natsu and Gajeel, the dining hall looked like the weirdest thing they'd ever seen.

A long, dark table took up the center of the room, which was lit up with open windows on one wall to let sunlight in. Chairs lined the sides of the table, with one at each end. Food was already laid out on the table, which was about the only thing at least a little recognizable to the newcomers.

Jude motioned with his hand, "Take a seat, everyone."

After they had all settled into a chair, Jude glanced at Makarov, "Should we let them eat first, or tell them what their punishment will be?"

Before Makarov could say a word, Gajeel grunted, "Let us have it, old man. Bring the pain."

Erza sighed, "Gajeel?"

"What?" he asked.

"Shut up." she said curtly.

Gajeel arched a studded eyebrow at her, but held his tongue.

Jude cleared his throat, "Well, Makarov and I decided on a suitable punishment for you. Since you know nothing about humans other than how we taste, you're going to constantly remain in a human's presence."

"Meaning what?" Natsu asked.

"We've divided the task up." Makarov informed him, "Wendy's offenses were only minor, since she never actually raided a human settlement without you or Gajeel there, and I might add that you two were the ones who caused the most damage. Wendy will help out with watching young human children."

Gajeel shuddered, "I don't envy her for that. Human kids are noisy little brats."

"Gajeel will do mechanical repairs to the city. That means you answer to Dragion and his crew." Makarov continued.

"Wait a sec." he started with a disbelieving tone, "You can't mean the same stuttering punk that's the Salamander's look alike."

"That's exactly who I mean." Makarov said unabashedly, "And as for Natsu…Layla had a special request for him."

"Oh, great." Natsu muttered.

"As a result of the recent attempt to kidnap Lucy, we now know that the higher ups commanding the Dragon Slavers are after Spirit Mages. Layla is strong enough to defend herself, but Lucy wasn't able to escape the Dragon Slavers who caught her. Natsu, your job will be to guard Lucy during the daytime." Makarov finished.

Natsu blinked. Then he growled, "Excuse me?"

Lucy's jaw dropped, "Hold on, this guy has to be with me all the time?! That's not fair! He's-"

"-Now one of the dragons living in this city, and stronger than you give him credit for." Layla murmured, "I think it'll be a good experience for both of you. You can learn from each other."

Lucy hesitated, then muttered, "I'll only feel comfortable if I know for a fact he's not going to eat me. He should let me look through his spirit memories."

"Oh, hell no." Natsu snarled, "I'm already pissed about your mother pulling that little trick yesterday, but there's no way you're getting in my head too. Forget it."

Erza glared at him, "Check your tone, Natsu. You are a guest in this house. Behave and be respectful."

Lucy crossed her arms, "Mom, this isn't going to work. I want nothing to do with him, and he would much rather eat me than babysit me. Can't you put him with cooking, or something?"

"For once, I agree with her." Natsu grunted.

"No." Layla said firmly, "Natsu is going to be Lucy's bodyguard. That's my final word on the matter."

"Mom!" Lucy protested.

"Lucy, enough." Jude interrupted, "This is how things are going to work. Make the best of it. Try and make friends rather than enemies."

Natsu and Lucy took one glance at each other and saw nothing but hostility.

Erza sighed, "It could be worse. You could've been executed, Natsu."

"So I've been told." he snapped.

"How do we even know if he's a good fighter?" Lucy demanded, "I mean, Gray got him pretty bad. Doesn't that say something about him?"

Natsu flashed her a glare, "Are you suggesting that the icy prick is stronger than I am?"

"What did you call me?" Gray almost jumped to his feet.

"Well, there's one easy way to find out."

The two fighting drakes turned their angry looks to their leader, who shrugged, "Take it outside, brats. Get in the air and show us what you can do."

Jude raised an eyebrow, "Is that wise?"

Layla sighed, "Well, I suppose it would be good if we all knew the extent of Natsu's abilities."

"Extent?" Natsu echoed, "I won't even have to put in 50% to put droopy eyes down."

"Challenge accepted, squinty eyes. This time, I'll freeze you to the bone." Gray shot back.

"Outside it is, then." Makarov said with a grin, "Breakfast and a show. Delightful."

/

The two rivals faced off against each other in the hills behind the mansion.

Gray shifted back into a dragon and glared down at the still-humanized version of Natsu, who didn't flinch at the change, but frowned at himself, "How the heck do I go back to normal?"

"Same thing as before." Makarov instructed as he chewed on a bagel, "Imagine yourself turning into a dragon and your body will do the rest."

Natsu did as he said and was quickly turned back into a dragon, which growled in satisfaction, "Oh, yes, that's much better."

"Ready to get crushed, you damn flame?" Gray challenged.

"When you are." Natsu hissed.

Gray jumped into the air, intending to get above his opponent so he had the advantage of height.

What he didn't expect was to get a tail slammed into the top of his head. Natsu had also leaped up, but had thrown a forward flip into it. Now he flapped his wings quickly and took the height advantage.

The Ice Drake grunted as he was crushed back to earth, but he leaped back into the air after Natsu with a curse, "Not bad, squinty eyes!"

Natsu didn't bother replying. He had something to prove, and he was gonna prove it no matter what. His only response was to dive down and crash into Gray with a snarl. The two drakes locked in midair combat, with snapping teeth and slashing claws tearing at their rival.

The Flame Drake separated from his enemy and flew upwards quickly, then flipped backwards and dove at Gray again. Their heads slammed into each other with violent force, making them stagger in midair.

Natsu reeled away with a snarl, then flew up again to gain altitude. Enough playing around!

Gray lunged up after him, growling a challenge. He spat a blast of icy cold energy at the Flame Drake, catching him square in the back, but it only made Natsu whip around with a hiss of anger.

Now he sucked in a deep breath and let loose a river of flame which blazed through the air with a mighty roar.

Gray darted sideways in an attempt to avoid it, but the breath caught him in the back leg and made the Ice Drake lose balance in midair.

Natsu saw his chance and took it. He lunged down with blistering speed, catching his opponent completely off guard. Gray had time to glance up before Natsu was on him, one hand grabbing his horn, another gripping one of his wings, and then the Flame Drake's sharp fangs clamped down onto his neck.

Gray screeched in pain and struggled to get loose, but Natsu dropped his whole body weight on the Ice Drake and crushed him out of the sky and into the earth with a tremendous slamming sound. Natsu kept his enemy pinned down with sheer mass, but increased the pressure he had on where his claws and fangs gripped the Ice Drake. No matter how hard Gray tried to get free, Natsu restrained him.

"That's enough." Makarov interrupted, "Let him go, Natsu."

Natsu crunched harder for a brief moment, then released Gray with a roar. The Ice Drake rolled back onto his feet with a gasp and staggered to keep his balance.

The watching humans and dragons were surprised to say the least, except for Makarov, Layla, and Natsu's old team. Layla glanced at her daughter, who looked dumbstruck, and smiled, "Natsu's human skills are underdeveloped, certainly, but that's been a blessing in disguise. Since he's spent all his life as a dragon, his body is stronger than the average dragon living in a Thunder. He's wild born and raised. You couldn't ask for a better fighter."

"Lady, that's debatable." Gajeel muttered.

Natsu spread his wings out and stretched, "How you guys spend time as humans at all is beyond me. How do you live without your wings, claws, and tail?"

"Well, the advantage is you don't have to eat as much." Erza pointed out.

"You're also easier to kill." Natsu shot back.

Jude cleared his throat, "If we're done with this fighting business, I think we should go finish breakfast."

While he led them back to the mansion, Natsu took a moment to assess what the others thought about his victory. Most of the Thunder looked surprised and excited. The drakes, however, looked guarded and wary, like they'd just had a major reality check.

Natsu liked that. Now he had at least some respect from them.

Lucy looked like she wanted to find something in how he fought to get out of the whole bodyguard business, but it seemed that she wasn't having any luck with that. Natsu caught her eye and held her gaze for a moment, then snorted and looked away.

I might be strong enough to impress you. I might have to protect you. But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy babysitting you, human.