Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.

Soon after he received word about a welcome gathering for a brand new member to the guild, Gajeel received a call from Erza on his S-Class communication lacrima. He was told to come to Jellal and Erza's apartment before he headed to the guild hall. Gajeel arrived with more than an hour to spare before the party began.

"What's the big emergency Erza?! I was really having a nice nap-"

Gajeel stopped when he saw that he was not only meeting Erza and Jellal. Gray and Juvia were sitting together on a loveseat set against the back wall of the living room. Jellal and Erza sat together on the main couch that faced their lacrima-vision. All four seemed to have been waiting for him patiently. Gajeel began to feel a headache coming, knowing whatever they were about to discuss couldn't have been good.

"Good, everyone's here," Jellal looked around at the four mages, wondering how they would process what he was about to say. "I called a meeting of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages to discuss the recent discovery I have made. It just so happens to be this new guild member you will all soon meet."

Gray was the first to speak, his dark bangs masking much of his brow as he looked at Jellal slightly confused. "If this is an S-Class meeting, why aren't Lucy and Gildarts here?"

Jellal closed his eyes, contemplating the best way to explain himself. "Gildarts isn't available at the moment, and unfortunately, Lucy is much too involved in what we are about to discuss. She must remain completely in the dark about anything we say in this meeting."

All four of the S-Class mages gawked at Jellal, surprised that Lucy could not be included. "Why?" Erza wondered, looking at Jellal with her brows furrowed. "What could Lucy possibly have to do with Nathan? Is everything you said about him being your relative even true?!"

Jellal tilted his head down as he prepared himself for the other mage's reaction to his news. "Yes. He is not my relative. You have to understand, I am bringing only the four of you in on this secret so I have multiple eyes on the situation. I trust you four completely, and not even Laxus can know about this for right now. This circle must be kept completely tight, or the entire guild could be thrown into disarray."

Gray stood up from his seat with a look of trepidation. "What the hell is going on, Jellal? Who is this Nathan guy?!"

Jellal answered honestly, "I have absolutely no idea."

Jellal proceeded to explain everything that had happened that morning. Finding Nathan in the forest, the interrogation, discovering his magical abilities, and of course, the only person he remembered from his past besides Jellal, Lucy. Jellal decided against revealing Nathan's love for Lucy, simply stating that she was important to him and he had to return to the guild where she was. After he was finished, the Fairy Tail mages could only stare back at him in pure confusion.

"That doesn't make any sense," Gajeel said from the chair he plopped himself down in when he arrived. "Lucy was never part of any other guild, which means he must have been associated with Fairy Tail. If Erza didn't recognize him then I am sure none of us would either. How could he possibly know Lucy?"

Juvia stirred in her seat next to Gray. "Juvia just wants to make sure of something. His magic is definitely a type of fire magic?" Gray jolted at her question, knowing what she may be leading to.

"Yes," Jellal answered. "It is certainly some type of fire magic. It is not anything I have ever seen before. It seems to only physically appear as flames, it's attribute of siphoning magic seems much more akin to dark magic."

Juvia closed her eyes as she contemplated even saying what she was about to say. She knew though that it needed to be said. "Could he somehow be Natsu? Who else would be so centered around seeing Lucy again and returning to Fairy Tail?"

Gray merely looked at the floor, trying to keep down a flicker of hope he could see his friend again. Erza stood up, ready to squash that notion. "That man is not Natsu. Natsu wouldn't have acted like he didn't know me. I did not feel anything remotely close to Natsu's magic when I saw Nathan's in person. As much as I still hate to admit it, Natsu is gone."

Jellal simply nodded, "I agree, his personality and magic are far different from Natsu's. His body seemed to be fresh off an assembly line. Not a single blemish or scratch. I can't imagine how Natsu would be able to come back without the scars he had suffered. To be honest, the magic and physical traits seem to resemble something closer to Zeref's. My running theory is still that he somehow is a reincarnation of the Black Wizard, but one that certainly does not remember his twisted past. This why he must remain in Fairy Tail. In a positive environment that could establish a good life and put his magic to good use. This is also why I need you four to help me keep an eye on him. Hopefully over time, the four of us can discover more about him."

"But what about Lucy?!" Erza asked. "What if this man is a danger to her? We can't just wait and see if he does something to hurt her."

Jellal sighed, knowing this would have to be handled very carefully. "I trust that he is not a threat to her, whatever is drawing him towards Lucy is something pure. We can watch them interact tonight at the party and make our judgement then. I believe he genuinely cares about her."

Gray spoke up next, "Could he be a celestial spirit? Is that why he is drawn to Lucy?"

"I suppose that is possible. It could explain the strange aspect of his magic. It's still too early to tell. No matter what we say, we will just be speculating at this point. All we can do is watch him and see what he does. If all four of you keep tabs on him, Lucy will never be in danger."

Gajeel stood up from his seat. "Let me go to the party first then and get a good look at him. I am sure Laxus would have noticed by now, but my dragon senses should be able to recognize his scent if I've met him before. Levy is waiting for me there anyways. If all of us go and greet him at once he may get suspicious. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

The five mages looked at each other, mostly with contemplative expressions. Jellal decided the meeting had served its purpose. "No, I think we are all on the same page. Erza already informed Laxus she wouldn't be attending. So, Gray and Juvia, you two should meet Gajeel a short while after the party begins and see what he has to report. I will decide the right time to inform Laxus of the situation, after we have more information. Is everyone in accordance with this plan?" The other four mages all agreed and proceeded to get on with the rest of their night.

Gray and Juvia headed towards the guild almost an hour after the party began. When they arrived, they found Gajeel waiting outside the perimeter of the guild hall fence. Gray was sure he smelled them coming and wanted to meet them where they wouldn't be overheard.

Gray approached Gajeel, ready to hear what the Iron Dragon Slayer had discovered. "So, what did you think when you met him?" Gajeel tilted his head towards Gray and simply sighed. "His scent is very strange. There was a hint of Salamander in there, but not enough to warrant me thinking it's him. The way he acted, the way he spoke to me, to Happy, and to Lucy, it just seemed nothing like Natsu. His face did resemble him somewhat, but I am starting to think Jellal could be right. He could be some reincarnation of Zeref. What little I could sense of his magic just didn't feel like anything I have experienced. I really don't know what else to say about him at this point."

"How did the whole interaction with Lucy go?" Juvia asked. Hearing Gajeel say Nathan spoke to Lucy peaked her interest.

Gajeel grew a smirk on his face and began snickering in front of them. "I think Lucy quite enjoyed meeting him. You should have seen it, Levy caught her staring at him when Laxus introduced him to the guild. Bunny girl was practically drooling. I didn't think that was even possible, that girl hasn't had any interest in a guy whatsoever. Well, Nathan came over to us to introduce himself, and he even managed to get Lucy to go fishing with him and the cat tomorrow morning. I sure hope that guy isn't planning on doing anything bad to Lucy, because I think she's into him."

"Dude, you really think Lucy is into this guy after one meeting?" Gray snapped back. "There's no way, she's just as curious about him as we are."

Juvia got an idea hearing about the proposed fishing trip. "Juvia could spy on them while they are fishing. I can have my body turn into water and blend in with the river. I'm assuming they will be in Happy's usual spot right?"

Both men turned to look at Juvia and then back at each other. "That's a great idea!" Gray hugged Juvia, who turned into putty at his touch. "You can listen to everything he says to her and watch how he acts around her. Juvia you're a genius!"

Juvia wiggled in the arms of her beloved, relishing the high she was feeling receiving his praise. Gray let go, much to Juvia's dismay, but kept one arm around her shoulder as he turned back to Gajeel.

"You know what time they are heading out?"

Gajeel grinned, glad he had played his role of reconnaissance well. "Lucy told him she'd meet him here at the guild hall at 9:00. So we will just have Juvia follow them and then hide in the water when they're finished setting up."

"Alright then. Juvia and I will head inside to the party to make sure Laxus knows we didn't completely ditch. We can all meet again after Juvia spies on them tomorrow. Are you sticking around with Levy for a while?"

Gajeel crossed his arms and grunted. "Yeah I ain't leaving until shrimp leaves. Lucy went home already since she wanted to wake up early for tomorrow. Nathan is staying in the downstairs dorms so he should be around if you'd like to meet him yourselves."

Gray looked towards the guild hall, wondering how this strange man really was in person. "Yeah, maybe I'll take a look for myself. You go find Levy, I'm sure she's looking for you."

The trio parted ways as they entered into the guild hall. The party was still in full swing but Gray and Juvia had missed dinner. There were still plenty of meats, pasta, and vegetables on the side of the common area, but they were most definitely cold. The couple wasn't hungry right then anyways, both looking around to see this newcomer that had made such an impact in one day. Gray told Juvia to go get a drink for herself and look on the other side of the building for Nathan. Pouting, Juvia kissed his cheek and walked in the opposite direction. Gray then headed over to Mira at the bar.

"Hey Mira, sorry I'm late. Juvia and I had to take care of some things before we could get back here. I'd like to meet this new guy everyone's talking about. Do you know where he his?"

Mira turned towards Gray and smiled. "I just saw him step outside towards the front of the guild. He had been swarmed by people tonight so I'm sure he stepped outside for some fresh air."

Gray looked back at her confused. He was just outside with Juvia and Gajeel. He didn't notice anyone else with them. They must have walked by each other and no one noticed.

"Alright, I'll see if I can go introduce myself then. Sorry we missed the food while it was hot, it looks delicious."

Mira peered down at the bar glass she was cleaning while her smile faltered ever so slightly. "It was nice to be able to cook for everyone again. I was beginning to think we wouldn't have another occasion for me to do so. Not since Master Makarov's passing."

That was another subject that was always a sore spot for Gray. First Natsu, then Gramps. It had not been an easy three years, even if him and Juvia were finally in a comfortable loving relationship now. Gray said thank you again to Mira and headed back towards the main entrance.

The night was somber as Gray walked back outside. The lightpoles lining the path to the guild entrance left a soft glow that fit nicely with the many lights used to show off Natsu's memorial. The pedestal was surrounded by three foot tall bollards that each had a lacrima on top. It was in their light that Gray saw a man with dark hair reading the plaque. Gray approached the man and waited for himself to be noticed. The man turned and blinked for second after having what Gray thought was a flicker of shock shoot through his eyes.

Gray reached out his hand, "You must be Nathan. I'm Gray Fullbuster. One of the S-Class mages of the guild. Im excited to see what you will bring to our guild, and look forward to working with you in the future."

Nathan smiled at Gray, accepting his hand. "It's nice to meet you Gray. I am so happy to receive such a warm welcome from everybody. I can't wait to say tomorrow that I am 'Nathan from Fairy Tail.'"

Gray chuckled at the response, "You may be a member now, but remember there's a lot more to the guild than just the name. I saw you looking at this memorial on my way out here. Did you ever meet Natsu?"

Nathan's eyes darkened for only a second, glancing at the bronze dragon beside him. It was a strange feeling seeing his own memorial. "No, I've never met him. But, judging by this statue for him, he must have been amazing."

Gray turned to get a full view of the dragon. "He was, truly. I wouldn't be half the wizard I am today if it wasn't for him. I'd give anything to be able to see him again, even if it was getting punched in the face by him just one more time."

Nathan held back his frown and kept his expression blank. Even if he wanted to show Gray he was talking to Natsu again, he would have no idea how. "I'm sorry for your loss. For everyone's loss. I hope I can make as much of an impact on everyone as he did, I want to be the best possible man I can be. I hope you and I can be friends too. I can tell, you're a great person to rely on."

Gray turned towards Nathan with a grin, truly hoping whoever this man was he had no ill intentions. He started to doubt that this man would be some new Black Wizard or rogue spirit bent on destroying his guild. He can see why Lucy seemed so open to him, he wore his heart on his sleeve. Time would only tell if the paths in front of them all would lead to good places. Gray could also see a sense of passion that eminated from Nathan that reminded him very much of Natsu. In the back of his mind, he hoped maybe he could see his former rival again in one form or another.