"Dialogue"

"Thoughts"

Magic

Natsu's eyes would slowly flutter open, being blinded by the steady stream of sunlight through the forest rooftop, as he raised a hand to block out the sun.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head." Ultear whispered softly, and teasingly, as she looked down at the man in her lap.

Upon hearing her voice, Natsu would suddenly recall the events prior to him falling asleep - letting out a little groan, as he leaned upwards, and off of Ultear's lap. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep, Ultear." Natsu said softly, a hint of pink dusting his cheeks, as he said so.

"No no, it's quite alright. You were exhausted - I don't mind." Ultear said, a sincere expression on her face, before she turned her head slightly, cupping one of her cheeks in her hands, with a dreamy smile. "It was a treat for me as well, after all~" She finished, with a teasing purr.

At this point, Natsu quickly hopped onto his feet, getting up and off the floor, and taking a few steps away from Ultear. "Aaaaand you've made it weird." He deadpanned, as he looked down at the sitting figure.

"I've done no such thing." Ultear responded, while she herself stood up.

As Natsu was about to reply, he suddenly noticed another individual, sitting a bit further away and off to the side, of where they were. As he saw the long, dark purple hair, and white and gold trimmed blazer, Natsu would sport a small smile.

"Yo, Kagura. Nice to see you. How's your head feeling?" Natsu called out casually, raising a hand in a wave.

"My head is doing quite fine. Just needed a little time to heal, that's all." The swordswomen responded, standing up from the floor as well, as she began to make her way towards Natsu and Ultear.

"That's good news. My leg is just peachy, as well." Natsu responded, before turning his attention back towards Ultear, looking around the clearing that the three of them stood in, with confusion evident on his face. "Wait - didn't you say Erza was here, too?" Natsu asked.

Kagura and Ultear shared a quick look with one another, at Natsu's question. After a few moments, Kagura was the first to speak.

"Onee-sama went back to the guild, not long ago. She ate something that had upsetted her stomach, quite bad." Kagura lied, her eyes unconsciously darting around the area, and never staying on Natsu's for long.

Seeing this, Natsu would grow skeptical - but decided not to push the topic, for now. With a shrug, he simply nodded his head, as he looked up to the sky.

"Must be nearing One or so now. That's good. I have an important meeting in town." Natsu said, a smile gracing his lips. "Oh! That's right, I almost forgot - you said you had information for me, Ultear?" Natsu asked.

"That I do. But only if you can answer my questions, as well." Ultear responded, as she walked closer towards the dragonslayer, only being a few feet from him. "Who is it you're meeting that's more important than Kagura and myself?" Ultear teased, as she pressed her chest against Natsu's, causing both the swordswomen and the dragonslayer to blush profusely.

Taking a few steps back and away from Ultear, Natsu would raise his hands up in defense - a tired sigh escaping his lips. "Woah woah woah. Watch what you're doing. Last thing I need is Kagura running me through, with her blade." Natsu responded, as he looked back at Kagura with hopeful eyes.

Letting her blush run it's course, and slowly fade away, Kagura would just shake her head. "Don't worry. I won't slaughter you for my masters stupid antics." She said quietly.

"That would be a whole lot more reassuring if you weren't gripping your sword like you were about to strike." Natsu jested.

A look of confusion spread across Kagura's face, resulting in her looking down. Truth be told, she was gripping the handle of her blade as if she were a vice. "When did I…?" Kagura mused internally, before relaxing her grip. "Apologies, I wasn't even aware I was gripping my blade, like that." Kagura said.

Natsu just waved it off, as if it were no big deal. Though Natsu wasn't the only one to notice this, however. Ultear, as soon as she pressed her chest up against Natsu, saw Kagura's instinctual reaction - a small smirk quickly had formed across Ultear's face, as a response. "My my. Looks like Kagura was ready to cut me down, for what I did. How interesting." Ultear thought, with a giggle.

Ultear turned her attention back to Natsu, this time with a much more innocent smile. "You know, Natsu. You never answered my question." The dark-haired woman said.

Perking his ears up, he turned back to Ultear, as he heard what she had to say. With a sigh, he'd simply shake his head, before smiling. "If you're so curious, you could always come with me. I'm sure she wouldn't mind meeting new people." Natsu responded, a soft smile on his face, as he began to walk off into the direction of town.

With a look at one a other, Kagura and Ultear would quickly follow Natsu, through the forest. Though as they walked in an amiable silence, both women would have thoughts rapidly racing through their minds, about the topic.

"Her? Is she Natsu's… hmm." Kagura was thinking, as she trailed behind the pink-haired slayer.

"It just had to be a woman. My future lover is far too desirable for his own good; looks like I'll have to fight off many suitors." Ultear thought in her head, as she giggled silently to herself.

Hearing the giggle, Natsu looked back over his shoulder, as he continued to walking. "Hmm? Everything good?" He asked, casually.

"Oh yes. Just lost in thought, Natsu. Though tell me - who is this lady we're going to meet? You're not cheating on me, are you?" She asked, with a coy smile, and a few bats of her eyelashes.

Natsu just coughed into his hand, looking forward to try to hide the tiny blush that had appeared. "She makes me blush far too damn easily." Natsu thought, with a sigh. "She's an old friend of mine. We used to travel together, a few years back. She… got hurt, pretty bad. As of now, she can't really use her legs, so she's been mostly bedridden." Natsu explained, as they kept walking. "Oh. Also, we'd have to be dating in order for me to cheat on you, fiend." Natsu finished.

Kagura would just listen on in silence, a little giggle escaping her lips as Natsu casually referred to her master as a fiend. Though she couldn't help but feel bad for Natsu's friend. The thought of being bedridden, for such a long time, caused a frown to spread across her face.

Ultear, on the other hand, would simply huff in a pout, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You know, any guy would love to have the same attention that I give you." She said, in what sounded like fake exasperation.

"Good thing I'm not just any guy, no?" Natsu responded casually.

"I'll say, you're far too insane to be just anyone." Kagura said softly, from behind them.

"Damn right I am! Thanks for the compliment." Natsu replied back cheerily, as he led the two down back into Sacchia.

The Eagles Den, Sacchia.

Walking into the same tavern as before, Natsu would stand in the entrance way, watching the tavern buzz with life and excitement. Though not long after entering, people would take notice of the pink-haired dragon slayer, smiles forming on their lips as they raised their drinks, cheering Natsu's name.

"Natsu! Come, have a drink with me!" One customer said.

"Nah, come get wasted with me!" Another said.

Sounds of people requesting his presence to drink reverberated through the tavern, as Natsu rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. After making it known that he wasn't here to party, everyone would understand, and head back to their own drinking. Not wanting to waste any time, Natsu quickly walked up to the counter, and got into conversation with Vincent. Meanwhile, Ultear and Kagura stood by the doors still, in confusion and shock.

"I didn't know Natsu was so popular, around here." Kagura muttered, with a look of surprise on her face.

"Neither did I. How interesting." Ultear mused, with a smile.

The two were brought out of their tiny conversation, as Natsu beckoned them over to him and the barkeep, a smile on his face.

"It's not too much of a hassle if these two join me, is it, Vincent?" Natsu asked, turning towards the large man.

"I don't think Ophelia will mind. Though you'll have to tell me where you meet such attractive women, Natsu." Vincent replied, with a chuckle.

"Careful what you say, old man. Sarah will get you." Natsu teased, before turning to his companions. "Oh! That's right - this old man is named Vincent. He's the owner of this tavern. He's a bit of a sleaze, but not too bad." Natsu said, with a laugh. "And this is Kagura, and S-Class mage from Mermaid Heel. The one with black hair is Ultear - the guildmaster of Mermaid Heel."

"Yes, I had the fortune of meeting him earlier. He pointed me in your direction. Thank you, once more, for your help." Ultear responded, with a smile.

"And he pointed me in Ultear's direction." Kagura stated.

Vincent would nod along, waving his hand as he received the thanks. "It's nothing too special, no thanks required. Now then, Natsu. Go and get to Ophelia - she'll be mad if you keep her waiting any longer." Vincent said, with a laugh.

Nodding his head, Natsu would walk behind the counter of the bar, beckoning for Ultear and Kagura to follow him - which they did. Walking through the open door on the far end of the bar, the trio would find themselves in the back of the tavern, which looked a lot more akin to a household.

"My - it's awfully quiet, back here. Who would've thought an open doorway would block out so much sound?" Ultear said, jokingly.

"There's runes, to block out the sound. Though any sound with violent origins will still be heard." Natsu responded, as he led the two throughout the house-like backrooms.

"You seem quite familiar with this place." Kagura mused, as they followed Natsu, who was walking through the house with ease, like he knew the layout by hand.

"Well, I do live here whenever I'm staying in town." Natsu responded sheepishly, as they stood in front of a shut door.

"You live here?" Ultear asked, with surprise.

"Mhm. Closest thing I've got to a family is here." Natsu said, with a soft smile. "Anyways! This is Ophelia's room." He said softly, before knocking on the door.

"Come in!" A feminine voice called out, from behind the door.

Opening it up, Natsu walked into the room, accompanied by Ultear and Kagura. The room was medium sized, with a large bed off in one of the corners. What caught Ultear and Kagura's eyes, however, was the copious amounts of art supplies littered all over the room, with paintings either hung up or lying against a wall, on the floor.

"Hey, Ophelia. It's been a while - I brought some friends, too." Natsu said softly, as he walked towards the bed, taking a seat on the nearby chair.

Ophelia would smile brightly, as she saw Natsu walk into the room. Though the smile would turn to one of confusion, as she stared at Ultear and Kagura. "It's nice to meet you two." Ophelia said, her voice respectful, yet weak sounding.

Ultear would then notice the condition of the woman. She was rather beautiful, with long rosey-red hair cascading down her sides, but unlike Vincent, her skin was far more pale - sickly so, and her body, or at least what wasn't covered in blankets, looked thin as could be.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ophelia." Ultear responded, as she took a few more steps in the room.

"I apologize about us invading - we simply had business with Natsu, but he wanted to see you first." Kagura responded, with a small bow.

Ophelia would laugh a little at this, as she shook her head. "It's fine. I don't get out too much, so any new company is appreciated. I love my mother and dad - but they can be quite much, sometimes." She laughed, softly.

"Isn't that the truth." Natsu muttered, before turning his attention back to Ophelia. "Anyways! These are mages of Mermaid Heel! Well, the black haired one - Ultear is her name, by the way - she's the guildmaster. The other one is Kagura, who is one hell of a swordswomen." Natsu said, with a small smile, as he introduced the two.

"It's a pleasure to know I'm in such revered company." Ophelia said, with a small smile.

"Likewise. If Natsu speaks highly of you, then you must be quite amazing, yourself." Ultear said, with a small smile.

"Maybe in the past." Ophelia whispered, softly. "I could beat Natsu in a fight, any day of the week. Though not so much now, heh." Ophelia giggled, softly.

"Heyyy, you're being mean!" Natsu pouted jokingly, before smiling. "Not that she's lying." He said, suddenly.

Kagura's eyes would widen at this, a look of surprise on her face. "Was she really stronger than you? I find that hard to believe, with how impressive you are." Kagura stated.

"I do as well - quite impressive." Ultear mused.

"I wouldn't say I was stronger. He was just a wimp." Ophelia said, with a laugh.

"I was not a wimp!" Natsu groaned, as he shook his head. Though seeing Ophelia laugh and smile, brought a smile to Natsu's face, as well.

Ultear smiled, as she watched the two banter back and forth. "It seems you two get along, quite well. I can tell you must have a strong bond." She stated, with a smile.

"Oh yes. Natsu may be an annoying twerp - but he has a good heart." Ophelia said, teasingly.

Natsu would just roll his eyes, crossing his arms and grumbling. "You're literally only a year older than me." With a huff, he'd turn his head away; much like a younger brother annoyed by their sibling. "I suppose you could say she and I have a relationship very similar to Kagura and Erza." Natsu stated, after a moment.

Hearing this, Kagura would perk up a little bit, at being mentioned. "Myself and Onee-sama? As in - like siblings?" She questioned, with a quizzical look.

"Yeah. He's like my annoying little brother, and I'm the graceful older sister." Ophelia said, with an almost smug tone.

"Graceful my ass-! I'll kick your ass in a board game, then we'll see who's really graceful." Natsu scoffed.

"I- THAT WAS ONE TIME!" Ophelia suddenly exclaimed, before she balled up her fist and began to wail them down onto Natsu, playfully and harmlessly.

Watching the two interact, Ultear would smile. This is a side of Natsu she hasn't quite seen before - watching the pink-haired slayer acting like such a kid, instead of the serious, albeit somewhat goofy, dude he normally was, was quite entertaining, for the black-haired beauty.

Kagura would watch on with her own levels of fascination, finding the sight completely and utterly baffling, to herself. She hasn't seen Natsu act like such a kid before, and while she most certainly found it adorable, not that she'd ever admit that to anyone - she also found it kind of strange. Not in a bad way, but in a way that made her question who he really was; was he putting on a show, and if so, for who?

While watching the two bicker, Ultear would suddenly have an idea, pop into her brain. "Oh! I wonder if she has any embarrassing stories of Natsu, from when they were younger?" Ultear thought, with her trademark mischievous glint, in her eyes. "Ophelia. I was wondering - what was Natsu like, when he was younger?" She asked, innocently.

"Huh?" Natsu said first, confused. "I could've told you that, Ultear. I was a little shit." He scoffed, as he and his sister-like figure stopped fighting.

"And that's why I needed to ask Ophelia. I knew I'd never get an honest answer from you." Ultear chided, with a finger wag.

"No, he was a little shit." Ophelia said, straight faced.

Hearing this, both Ultear and Kagura would stare at her in surprise, for their own reasons. Though Kagura was the first to vocalize her response, to Ophelia's blunt statement.

"Wh- what do you mean by that, exactly?" Kagura asked, confusion evident on her face.

"He was a little shit." Ophelia said, with a blank face, once again. However, she would decide to elaborate, this time. "He was arrogant, stupid, obsessive, and would constantly get into fights with anyone around him, including his traveling companions." Ophelia concluded, with a side-eye to Natsu.

"You didn't have to be that mean, you know." Natsu grumbled, with a sigh. "Now I know how Ultear feels.." he muttered gently, too quiet for anyone to hear.

"Would you let me finish!? Still as rude as ever." Ophelia sighed. "HOWEVER - he did his best. He overcame his stupid pride, and started getting more well-behaved. For the last year or so of our journeys, he was a perfect gentleman. Though he'd still pick fights a tad bit quicker than we'd like." She finished, with a laugh.

Ultear would smile and nod along, deciding to file this information away for later. "And how come you stopped traveling together? Did your sickness prevent that?" Ultear asked, with genuine curiosity.

The atmosphere in the room would suddenly darken, dramatically so. Natsu's face would be looking to the floor, with his eyes being overshadowed by his hair. Meanwhile, Ophelia sported a sad frown, her skin somehow even more of a sickly white, than before. She'd quickly turn her head to Natsu, as she placed one of her dainty hands, on his shoulder.

"Did you never tell them, Natsu..?" She asked, her voice a soft whisper.

"I've only known them for like a week." He responded, his voice a quiet sight.

Ultear would immediately feel bad, as she could sense and see the sudden change in atmosphere and demeanor. "I'm - sorry. I can see it's a bad memory - we can move past it." Ultear stated hurriedly, with an apologetic frown.

Kagura would also be taken aback by the demeanor swap, suddenly being pulled back to when her and Natsu were first on their way to help Mira. "It's just like back then…" she thought to herself, her hand clenched at her side, as she did.

With a sigh, Natsu would raise his head up, a sad smile on his face, as he did. "No, no, it's okay. You see - I met Ophelia and her family when I was around 11 years old - it was right after my dragon who trained me had vanished. I grew close with her family, and the community, which includes two other people - their names were Arthur, and Caspian. When we all were 12 and 13, we started going out as a small group of mages - doing simple jobs, to make some money." Natsu spoke, as he looked towards Ophelia, who only gave him a soft nod, before he continued. "After a few years of traveling together, we had gotten pretty close. We took a mission to exterminate giant spiders, in the Nyvalla Woods. We've done it plenty of times before, so we didn't think it'd be anything crazy." Natsu said, before stopping himself.

After a few moments pause, Natsu would open his mouth up and speak once more. "We had an encounter with a dark mage, in the woods. She - sent by Arachnee. She was basically a spider in human form." He shuddered. "We fought her, and got a few good hits in - but we were just a bunch of fish, fighting a shark. She had this spell… she could take control of someone, turn them into her puppets, essentially. The only caveat is that the person had to be willing, or nearly dead. She managed to get Caspian and Arthur with it. They were struggling against her control, but - we knew we couldn't stay. So we fled. While we were running, my dumbass ended up tripping on a branch, or something. In my momentary daze, Arachnee shot a spell off, at me - some form of dark magic. That's when Ophelia stepped in. She pushed me out of the way, and took the spell for me. I barely got grazed, yet needed treatment for three years to get myself back to normal." Natsu said.

The entire time he was talking, Ultear and Kagura would be giving shocked expressions, as they saw the pain flash across Natsu's face. Kagura, however, was able to think back towards her first talk with Natsu, about Caspian - realizing it was much worse than she was originally led to believe. Though a sudden realization would strike her, after a moment.

"Is that why you had the checkup with Meredy, Natsu?" She asked, softly - to which Ultear's eyes widened in realization, and Natsu nodded.

"Yep. Barely grazed, and I was still suffering it's effects for three years. Ophelia… she was in a coma, up until a few months ago. Yet even now, she's bedridden and unable to use her legs." Natsu said softly, guilt and anguish flashing across his face, as he clenched his fist together.

"Shh.. it's okay Natsu, it's okay." Ophelia tried to reassure the dragon slayer, with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder.

Natsu would calm down after a few moments, with a gentle nod of his head. "Yeah…. Well, that's why we don't travel together anymore. Caspian and Arthur had died, and Ophelia was in a coma for almost three years." He said softly, as he would just stare into the palm of his hands, as if he was lost deep in thought.

"I'm.. I'm so sorry, Natsu - I didn't mean to bring back such bad memories.." Ultear said softly, as she held her arms against her body, with a guilt expression on her face.

"It's quite alright, miss Ultear. Natsu struggles with the story, is all.." Ophelia reassures, as she gently runs her hand along the dragonslayers back, as she stays in her bed.

After a few moments of the awkward silence, Natsu would raise his hands up, wiping at a few stray tears forming in his eyes, as he tried to calm down. "What she said, Ultear." He followed Ophelia up with, lamely.

With a gentle nod, Ultear would look towards Kagura, seeing as her swordswomen was lost deep in thought, after the story was revealed to them. "Well - Kagura and I should get going, I suppose. The train ride back to Gracia will be long, and we should probably let you two catch up in peace. Natsu, I'll write and let you know of my conversation with the council - should I just send the mail here?" Ultear asked, with a small smile - as she and Kagura both got ready to leave.

"It's alright, Ultear. I'll head back, with you. I've got a lead in my hunt, that points me to Gracia anyways. If you could just give me a few moments, with Ophelia? So I can explain everything, and say goodbye." Natsu said, softly.

Ultear nodded in understanding, as she and Kagura walked out of the bedroom, with short goodbyes, which Ophelia happily returned. Though as Natsu was left alone with the woman, he let out a weary sigh, as he stared at her.

"Sorry, sis. I didn't think it would get sad." Natsu said, gently.

"Natsu, you don't have to apologize. I just hope you're okay.." she said softly, while squeezing his shoulder reassuringly, once again. "While I'm sad to see you leave so soon - I understand. It must be something quite important for you to be taking the train." Ophelia ended, with a small smirk at her teasing.

Natsu just nodded his head along, with an apologetic smile, that was replaced with a little groan as he was teased. "Tch. Teasing your distraught friend? So heartless." He said, with a blossoming smile. "Though to answer your question - there's some guy who's splicing DNA, and then letting the abominations he creates run wild. I'm chasing him down, and have a lead in Gracia." Natsu explained, with a slightly more serious expression.

"Splicing DNA? Whoever he is, he must be smart - in order to do so. Please, be careful, Natsu." Ophelia said softly, as she slid closer towards the edge of her bed, giving Natsu a hug, which was somewhat awkward simply due to the positioning of their bodies. "Come back safe, okay?" Ophelia said, a smile on her face.

Returning the hug, Natsu smiled back - standing up, and making his way towards the bedroom door. "Of course. I'll be back, and with tales of my heroic adventures." Natsu said, with a laugh, as he walked out the bedroom door, as well.

Watching her friend leave, Ophelia would smile, before looking upwards towards the ceiling, her smile being replaced by a small frown. "Please take care of yourself, Natsu." Ophelia thought, with a worried sigh escaping her lips.

Thank you everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story, even if it was a pretty simple and boring one, all things considered. I'm not a huge fan of how Natsu revealed things in this chapter, and I couldn't get it to work no matter how I tried - so I kept it mostly in low detail, and decided I'd try to do more in depth reveals of the rest over the course of the story. I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you all for your continued support!