PART TWO. Apprenticeship

FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!

As soon as his knuckles made contact with the tall stone, had Natsu felt all of the raw nerves and muscle under his arm light up in a sharp, spasming pain. His closed fist thumped off the stone, and he fell forward onto the forest floor.

"Owwwwwwww!"

"Get up, boy!"

Natsu clutched at his arm and held it close against his chest. It really did feel like he broke something this time. Somehow, he found the strength to obey the commanding voice and stand up again.

The stone, that stupid dumb rock, still stood there. Imposing. Goading him. Natsu glared up at the thing, knowing damn well that it was mocking him just by existing.

He'd been punching the damn thing for the last six hours and he still hadn't managed to break it. At this point, he wondered if he could even break it at all.

Why was dad making him do this? Didn't he know that the stone was too big for him?

Natsu kicked the grass beneath his feet out of sheer frustration. He turned back, "Can't we do this tomorrow, dad? I'm tired! I haven't eaten anything all day!"

What a curious sight it was… a small human child looking up unafraid at the gargantuan thing made of red scales. Two gigantic red wings sprouted from the back of the creature, then came the four muscle-bound legs and arms, as well as the impressively long red tail. The whole mass of the dragon, might've been enough to make up a small mountain in size alone.

Igneel, The Fire Dragon King, had slowly crossed his arms and leaned forward only slightly. Two enormous golden eyes had stared down at the miniscule salmon-haired boy standing before him, clearly unimpressed.

The dragon hadn't even needed to say a word to get his point across.

Natsu pouted and looked away. He continued to take out his anger on the grass and kicked away some of the loose blades with his toes. "Then how many times am I supposed to do this, dad? We've been at this for hours!"

There was an almost metallic drumming sound that emitted from the neck of the great red dragon. "You stop when I tell you to stop, boy. Now! Hit the stone again!"

"But I can't do anymore today! I've given it all I've got and it still won't break!"

"Stop whining!" Igneel thundered, "You haven't nearly given it your all. If you had, then you would've shattered that stone into pieces by now."

"But-"

"Silence!" The dragon had let out a sharp sigh. "Raise your hand as high as you can."

Reluctantly, Natsu did so. He raised his hand way up above his head.

What was the point of this, though?

"Higher."

"But I've-"

"Higher, boy!"

Natsu didn't understand what his father was trying to make him do, but nonetheless, he complied with the demand. Somehow, he found it in him to raise his right hand just a few inches higher than before.

"Good. Now raise your hand further. Just a few inches more."

The boy frowned, but did as he was told. Already he'd begun to feel the strain on the muscles in his shoulder. In combination with the drumming leeching lightning bolts that were spreading through his right arm, it was pretty excruciating.

Yet still… Natsu just managed to raise his right hand even higher. With the breaking point of his middle finger acting almost as the spear that would rip through the sky if he were to go any further.

"Excellent. Put your hand down."

Natsu let out a sigh of relief as his muscles stopped screaming. He rubbed his arm again, so as to soothe it. "What was that about, dad?"

The Fire Dragon King had smirked now. "Did it escape you? That each time you thought you'd went as high as you could go, you still manage to reach higher and higher than before?"

Realization hit him like… well… like a rock. "Woah…"

"Woah, indeed."

"But…" Natsu scratched the back of his head as he continued to think it over. "What's that supposed to mean? How does that help me break the stone?"

"Don't you get it, boy? Every time you thought you'd reached your limit, you managed to surpass it. Each time you thought you were done, you kept going."

Natsu still didn't understand the cause-and-effect application, though. How did this help him break the stone?

Or…

Or did it mean that even though he felt he was done… he really could still keep going?

"So like… when I feel tired and stuff… I shouldn't trust my feelings?"

His father smiled. "That is a very simplified understanding of it, but not the whole." Igneel said, "There is always a time to rest, Natsu. And your feelings are important. Yet listening to and obeying them blindly will only end with you becoming a slave to those who can manipulate your emotions. What you perceive your limits to be, and what they really are, are two completely different things."

That was it? "So I don't have limits?"

"You do have limits, Natsu, just not the ones you might think. So do I. We're all meant to be bound by limitations, in one form or another," Igneel leaned in even closer than before, so as to drive the point home. "You do not have wings like mine, you cannot fly like a dragon can, and so you are bound to the earth. Likewise myself and other dragons will never be able to experience your endless capacity for adaptation and self-growth. When it comes to the things you can do, the only limitations you will have are the ones you impose on yourself. You humans will ALWAYS be able to surpass what you believe yourselves to be capable of. THAT belongs solely to you, son. THAT is your gift. Do you understand?"

Woah.

Natsu looked down. The sheer blistering pain he'd felt lance through his arm earlier seemed to subside, fade away almost.

Maybe he could keep going. Maybe if he hit that stupid rock a few more times… it might actually break!

He looked up at his father now. "I… I think so, dad." He said sheepishly, now scratching the back of his head. "Sorry for whining so much."

It was almost imperceptable how his father's tone had softened, "You are forgiven, Natsu," and then the moment was gone. The Fire Dragon King's voice had hardened again. "Now… If you wish to eat tonight, then that stone must be split in half before dusk."

Now THAT had gotten Natsu's attention. "What?!" he cried. It was already late in the afternoon. "But dad, that's not fair!"

"Hah! Cry me a river, boy! You can stomach a day without a meal. If you fail, so be it. Failure is only a minor setback. Nothing more. Nothing less. The best and only choice you should make when confronted with it, is to get back up and try again. Now…" Igneel then flashed an almost psychotic-looking grin as he pointed sharply at the stone again.

"Get. To. Work."

Late October 9th, Fairy Tail

Day 9

Everything was dark.

In the constricting grip of the black void, Natsu felt like he was floating.

Not in the same way that he could propel himself through the air using his magic, but how one might float along in a body of water facing upwards as they drifted along with the current. Allowing a stream to carry them away as they glanced up at the pale blue morning sky.

It might've been lovely, were it not for the slight stinging sensation that shortly began to course throughout his body.

As if a curse suddenly fell upon him, Natsu felt that same prickling feeling that had leeched its way throughout the nerves in his body instantaneously sear his arms and legs.

"Gah!" He gasped sharply, and it was then that light flooded back into his blurry line of vision. Yet-

Yet for some reason as he opened his eyes, he could only see through his right eye…

Why was that? How had he gotten here?

The darkness surrounded him, yet when he looked to his right, he could only feel the cool gaze of a piercing white light. Very quickly the blurriness had faded away, and so had the fog in his mind.

The surrounding room was empty. There were no lights save a small burning candle placed on a bedside table to his right, and the moon that showered through the window next to his bed. He was back in the guild hall. The infirmary. Cream-colored plastered walls and rows of tidy white single beds made that plain enough. And-

"Grrrrrrrgghhh!" Natsu ground his teeth together as he felt yet another jolting pain shock his entire body. For a good few moments he felt every muscle and limb contort and contract violently. A sharp, almost dagger-like throb had pounded over and over and over and over against his forehead. His ears were ringing to an almost unbearable degree, and Natsu could not stop himself from gurgling what little saliva there was in his dry mouth.

…And then, as his body had ceased spasming uncontrollably, Natsu felt himself sink deeper into the soft mattress below. Yellow spots flew in and out of his half-vision. A wave of exhaustion quickly fell over him then. Now he was tired. So very tired…

With the last of his energy, Natsu managed to lift his right arm. Somehow he felt the deadened nerves react to the signals sent from his brain. And with the light afforded to him by the moon, as he raised his arm he could see very plainly the rows upon rows of white linen coiled around it like a long pale snake.

As he moved his arm, he felt the muscles contract again. "Hrgh!" Yet he fought through the pain, bringing it up to where his left eye should have been. His fingernails had raked across fabric as opposed to flesh. Relief, however brief and small it was, had washed over him then.

How was it that everything felt so numb, yet tensed up? Almost like his muscles and limbs and organs were still vibrating and squeezing repeatedly as the seconds passed by. Breathing in wasn't so bad. But breathing out? Each exhale was an unhinged, animalistic wheeze, a sharp knife plunged into his lungs, a stabbing sensation causing him to shake uncontrollably again. And it was then, as he found himself having to mentally prepare each time he breathed out, that his memories had flooded back to him.

Somehow, the hit to his ego was worse than the physical torture he was enduring right now.

Some sparring partner… what a load of crap.

Laxus hadn't even been trying. To him, it was just another day out in the woods. All it had taken was a mere… snap of his fingers.

Natsu glared angrily up at the ceiling and balled his fists as his recollection of his first sparring session played out in his mind. Even though he was still numb, he could feel his fingernails digging into his palms.

Back to square one.

"Hey there Natsu…"

He craned his neck in the direction the sweet, familiar voice. Each inch he turned his head felt as if his muscles were being ground beneath a stone mill like flour.

Recognition. A pale figure stood next to his bed. There was a bright orange light beyond them, by the angular open doorway at the far end of the room. White-blonde hair… and deep blue eyes…

Mira.

"You've had a real number done on you this time, Natsu."

Natsu almost hacked up the dry flem in his throat as he tried to speak. "How did I get here?"

"Oh… Laxus brought you in earlier. Carried you in through the back entrance of the guild actually."

Really now? How kind of him.

"He said that you tried to fight him again… is that right?"

Natsu mentally reminded himself of who he was talking to and looked away, narrowing his eyes again at the innocent ceiling above. "Yeah."

It was more or less the truth. Talking about the mentorship wouldn't do. That was supposed to be private. Moreover, it was believable, since practically everyone else in the guild had seen him try to take on Laxus or Gildarts at one point or another. Natsu swallowed down his pride, and knew it would be best to stick to the story Laxus had foisted upon him.

"Well," Mira continued, "He made me promise not to tell your team about it. Or anyone else for that matter."

Natsu hid his relief. Another pressing need was on his mind. "Water."

"Oh right!" The barmaid quickly circled around his bed and to his bedside table. She poured him a tall glass of water before placing the jug down on the table as well. Mira then took the glass and gingerly placed it against his lips.

It was as if he'd come back to life at that exact moment. The first glass had gone down the hatch, then the second, and the third. As soon as Mira made to pour out the fourth glass, Natsu decided otherwise. Ignoring the jolts and convulsing shocks that leeched throughout his arm, he reached over and snatched the half-full pitcher out Mira's hands. And in just a few large, almost inhuman gulps had he guzzled down nearly two liters of water in one sitting.

When he'd set the pitcher back on his bedside table, he felt his blood flow more vibrantly than before. The sharp electrocuting pains all over his body had dulled, and his sight had cleared. Feeling returned to his limbs.

"Better now?"

"Yeah," Natsu nodded. "A lot better."

She gave him yet another of her motherly smiles. "Well, I'll go ahead and get you some more before I lock up. You can stay here the night, too."

"Thanks Mira."

The barmaid had beamed. "Not a problem!" Mira said as she took the pitcher and walked around the edges of his bed again. She stopped just a few feet towards the entrance to the infirmary. "There's a few things to clean up in the kitchen so I'll be a few minutes, alright?

Natsu nodded again and watched her go. The door closed softly behind her, and then Natsu was all on his own again.

Well enough that he was.

Regardless… he had more important demons to conquer.

It was the next day, and Natsu Dragneel found himself sitting inside of a tree.

Literally.

Wrinkly cold fingers had brushed against the charred skin on his backside, rubbing down his right shoulder blade with a foul-smelling sticky greenish paste that seemed to sting his skin even more than being electrocuted. The whole time, Natsu had forced back a growl. He instead ground his teeth together so that-

Crack!

A firm white palm had lanced outwards and snapped him over the crown of his skull, almost as fast as an actual lightning bolt.

Natsu didn't even bother holding back his glare. He looked over his shoulder and set eyes on the frail, pink-haired lady standing behind him. A flowing crimson cloak hung from her narrow shoulders, and adorning her heart-shaped face was an everpresent scowl.

"What was that for?!"

The old woman didn't even bother meeting his eyes. "Stop moving so much, or you'll be leaving here earlier than anticipated."

The Dragon Slayer growled and looked forward, opting to make himself busy by doing yet another survey of his immediate surroundings.

It was a rather atypical practice to instead turn a tree into a house, as opposed to cutting down a tree in order to build a house with the wood from it. Yet, Natsu could not deny the strange setting he'd found himself in. The tree itself was only housing a single room. There was only a single bed, along with a few shelves with fresh clothes, a table, a rocking chair, and a kitchen set. Additionally, there was a tall cabinet containing various other… medical-based supplies. The place itself wasn't all that large, though it was certainly tall.

It was a whole load of weirdness. More weird than Lucy's obsession with books.

Gramps was sitting in front of him on the arm chair. Very gently, the seat swayed back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The old man was completely and totally relaxed. Natsu wouldn't have been surprised if the old man was sleeping.

Figures.

The skin on his exposed back had pulsed again with yet another round of scalding pain. Natsu winced, though not without a sneer. What was the bloody point of doing it all at a snail's pace? It was practically the same as tearing off a band-aid slowly.

And it was almost as if Porlyusica was deliberately trying to cause him as much pain as possible.

The gooey-greenish sludge had almost completely covered both his arms, as well as the scars and burns all over his chest and neck, and now half of his back. The other half was coming up next, as Porlyusica had moved carefully onto his left side.

"Hmmmm… ah…" Makarov had finally groused awake. "Still at it, eh?" He asked as he rubbed at his eyes, and glanced up at the clock hanging above the large ornately carved wooden door. "Was hoping you'd be able to wrap this up before lunch! Haven't had anything to eat all day, you know."

"You should take your leave then. I'd be happy to see the back of you."

If the old man had been bothered by the biting retort, he didn't show it. Gramps simply looked at Natsu and shrugged, almost as if to wordlessly say, 'Women, am I right?'

Natsu couldn't help himself. "Is she always this cranky? Or-"

Crrck!

The sharp pounding in his skull had begun all over again. Was this how people got brain damaged?

But, of course, Gramps hadn't appeared to have notice. He continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "Hah! She's been like this ever since we were kids! Can't say I remember a time where she wasn't grumpy and…"

The hand rubbing the healing balm along Natsu's back had stopped suddenly. Even though he couldn't see her, it was fairly obvious that the old woman standing close behind him was now glaring openly at Makarov.

Makarov had grinned. "Short-tempered, I mean. After all, it is often the most beautiful of women who are the most… err… tempestuous."

There was another pause. More tension filled the entire space in the mishaped cabin. Natsu wished, not for the first time since he entered the place, that he wasn't there.

And then-

"Hmph!" An… oddly satisfied-sounding huff came from behind him. Then, as if by magic, the hand had continued its course down Natsu's backside.

At the very least, this treatment had given him time.

It's just a setback, nothing more.

How should he go about this? What should he do the next time he faced down Laxus? Yeah, he was hurting all over as if he'd been hit by a train, but Natsu knew that if he could still walk and move around, then he was just fine.

Winning fights were always about getting into your opponents' head. Making them think. Getting them to slip up and make a mistake. Controlling the space between you and them. Natsu always prided himself on his ability to get up close and personal. It was how Igneel had taught him after all. His father loved to fight.

Yet against someone who was clearly faster than him, as Laxus was?

It was difficult enough dealing with the pain of his current setback. Natsu realized now in retrospect that this was a bad matchup. Laxus had every advantage on him and Natsu had nothing. Speed, durability, skill, raw power. Laxus probably had loads of it and more.

Hand-to-hand, at least initially, wouldn't do the trick.

Laxus had seen what he was going to do last time, right? Knew that Natsu was going to get up close. And then he'd turned into a lightning bolt and gotten out of the way. So-

Find out where he's going to land… before he lands?

Natsu frowned on his throne of reflection. How do you track where a lightning bolt will land?

Maybe… maybe it would be simpler if he forced Laxus to move.

Yeah… yeah! The pieces of a plan begun to snap together in his mind. The Lightning Mage clearly wasn't ready to throw down right away. Not at all like Gildarts, who for all intents and purposes, probably would've just stood there waiting to blow off an attack like the one Natsu had tried on Laxus.

If he made Laxus give ground naturally with one of his spells beforehand… and THEN closed the distance just before the blond bastard had landed…

That might actually work. At the very least, it would help him get a hit in.

Still… since Laxus was faster, it would be really hard to know where exactly he would go. Moreover, there was also a good chance that Laxus would just dodge his follow-up attack as well. A lot of variables outside of his control here.

Natsu bit his tongue. He'd just have to go with it. Uncertainty be damned.

It was at that moment that Porlyusica had pulled away from his back. She quickly wiped her hands with a towel on the table next to her, and retrieved something else from behind him. Not a moment later, Natsu had looked over his shoulder to see her unrolling a thick bundle of white linen.

She peeled off a long strip of cloth from the roll and glared down at him. "Hold up your arms."

Natsu did as he was told, even though he could feel the damaged nerves underneath his forearms and shoulders scream as he did so.

It took the old woman only a few minutes to deftly and expertly bandage him up. First his arms and shoulders, and then finally his upper torso and his neck.

Finally, Porlyusica had stepped away to the washbasin next to her bed, almost as if she were waiting to do so the whole time. "Rest for the next four days and the burns should heal quickly. Stay away from any overly-strenuous activity involving lifting or running or swimming. Especially do not look for work."

Natsu nodded, and stood up. He stretched and was satisfied upon feeling the compression of the tightly wound linen all over his arms and chest. "Any other recommendations?"

"Yes! Get out of my home!" The old woman sneered back at him. She then directed her glare at Makarov. "And you!"

"Me? What did I do this time?"

"You interrupted my knitting! The next time you consider bringing yet another of your brats here, it would be in the best interest of your personal health to notify me in advance!"

"If I let you know sooner, I'm sure you would've found some strategic reason to not be here," Gramps had held up his hands in an almost placating fashion, probably to prevent the bomb from going off. Thankfully, the old man had already made his way over to Natsu, and gently prodded him towards the door. "Regardless, I believe you did a wonderful job patching up Natsu here. I should think that he'll heal much faster now. I know I did when I was his age."

Porlyusica growled, but she didn't even bother denying the old man's compliment, nor his prior comment. "Not if he comes back in here day after day covered in lightning burns."

Natsu, however, was already part-way out the door, with Makarov close behind him. Gramps had waved back to Porlyusica, "Whatever you say, dearest."

Only an angry huff could be heard before the door clicked shut behind them. BAM!

The thunderclap of door snapping against frame had immediately ceased. And soon he was met with a slightly cool autumn breeze, and the chirping of birds in nearby trees. Not to mention the various scuttling and shuffling of the squirrels, deer, and other critters that called the forest their home. Natsu heard everything.

The sight overlooking the mass of the southern orchard beyond Magnolia Town was mesmerizing, and it was exactly what he'd seen as soon as he left the overgrown tree the crankly lady had made her nest. Natsu walked up to the edge of the steep hill and looked out over the tops of trees and meadows, out at the fertile land full of green and orange and red and brown. In a way, it had provided a smaller good moment in an otherwise shitty day.

Gramps had walked up beside him and let out a sharp yawn. "Ah… she seemed to be in a particularly good mood today."

Natsu glanced sharply at the old man. "That was her good mood?"

"Well… yes. In her own spirited sort of way."

"She smacked me over the head. Twice."

"Bah! You turned out fine. Almost as good as new."

"You enjoy watching us all suffer, don't you?"

"Natsu… Nothing brings me greater pleasure."

Yeah. Figures. Natsu reminded himself to cause as much destruction and mayhem as possible when out on his next job. That way the property damage bill sent back to the guild would reach an all time high.

Makarov coughed loudly then, as if to change the subject. He turned towards the path leading down into the meadows and back towards Magnolia. Natsu caught up with him and walked beside him.

"So. How was your first sparring session with Laxus?" The old man asked in earnest.

"Peachy. We're practically best friends."

"Really now? I bet you two have one of those 'secret handshakes' don't you? I hear it's popular with the cool kids these days."

The blow to his ego dished out by Laxus somehow stung even more as Makarov had handily deflected his scathing remark. "How do you think it went? He knocked me out cold just by wiggling his fingers."

"Well, I heard it was more like a snap-"

Natsu glared at the old man.

Makarov threw up his hands in mock surrender and smiled. "No matter. Regardless, I think you're making good progress so far."

Making good progress… yeah right.

Natsu sincerely began to doubt whether or not all of the old man's faculties were in order. After a turnout like yesterday, Natsu knew that he was severely outmatched. Plain and simple.

Laxus was too fast. Only a single spell had been needed to make sure Natsu was extra deep-fried. And to rub salt in the wound, Laxus hadn't even been trying. The distinct lack of care had only added to that. And the chances that he'd actually gone ahead and told Gramps that Natsu had done well?

The kiddy-glove treatment was too much for him now. It burned more than anything. He wanted to break free from it, to totally let loose and destroy this forest with his bare hands, to bring everything down in flames!

And yet… and yet…

Would that even fix the problem? The hot lead that now sat in his stomach, the desire put that blond bastard out on his ass?

No.

Complaining about it or taking out his anger on the forest, on the animals, on the people… simply wouldn't do it.

Natsu refused to feel sorry for himself. Ever. So this… this was something he'd just have to take.

"Just a setback." The Son of Igneel managed to force calm into his voice as he said it. "That's all it is. Nothing I can't overcome."

Makarov had glanced up at him again. When Natsu met the old man's eyes, he saw… respect within those small black marbles. And then there was a nod, paired with an amused chuckle.

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Natsu."