15: Number Two vs. Number One

"If we are going to fight, then why the hell do I still have these on?" Natsu raised his confined hands and shook the cuffs.

"Well I didn't say we are going to fight here in the guild, did I? I'm taking you somewhere we won't cause any damage." The Crash mage answered as he turned from the hall into the main room of the guild.

The murmurs of the guild ceased immediately once Natsu and Gildarts entered the room. Everyone watched as their Ace transported the Dragon Slayer over his shoulder. Natsu wanted to turn away from everyone, hiding the shame he had from being carried like this, but he forced himself to look out at the crowd, or rather trying to find a single person.

It didn't take long for him to spot her. It wasn't hard to find her. Not only did she visibly stick out to Natsu, but he scent spotted her as well. She was sitting with all the others, no doubt they all looked on with satisfaction seeing Natsu being toted around by the Ace. But not Cana. She sat silently with her head staring at the floor.

Cana didn't know what to think as she saw her father carrying a handcuffed Natsu down the guild's stairs. She didn't know whether to be scared of him or scared for him. In all her time at Fairy Tail, she had never seen Gildarts as mad as when he returned after hearing she was taken on an unsanctioned S-Class job. No one really blamed her for what happened. No, the blame lay solely on the shoulders of Natsu. Granted, he had been the one to take the job, and the one to convince her to go, but it wasn't like she put up a fight to stop him from going or refused to go with him.

Regardless, he had killed someone in front of her. Yes, he was protecting her but still. She had never seen anyone other than her mother die before, and that was very different. This life hadn't faded away, it was taken.

She wasn't naive enough to think he hadn't killed someone before, everyone had the thought at least once. And it wasn't like Natsu necessarily shied away from the fact he was capable of doing very, very terrible things. But she wanted to believe Natsu, her Natsu, wasn't someone that would just go around killing. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of her father's voice calling out.

"Freed! Levy! I need your help."

The rune mage and solid script got up from their seats and hesitantly made their way to Gildarts. Upon arriving at the base of the stairs, they waited for the man to speak.

"This one here is having another one of his little attitude problems and it's really pissing me off this time." He started, "I need you two to make us a barrier box so we can work out this little problem." Everyone shivered when they heard Gildarts' threat. "We are going to fight behind the guild. This needs to happen. Someone has to show him he can't just do whatever he wants. After all, strength only respects strength, right Natsu?" Gildarts asked the Dragon Slayer as the two mages he asked for help left to make the barrier.

"Why don't you put me down and take these damn handcuffs and we can see." Natsu threatened. Only to be ignored by Gildarts.

Soon Master Makarov joined the rest of the guild in the main room. Makarov and Gildarts shared a look, and Makarov nodded, signaling to Gildarts that their fight was given approval. Once he got confirmation, the Crash Mage exited the guild, Natsu still in tow.

Makarov hopped onto the guild counter and tapped his staff on the bar's surface grabbing everyone's attention. "Listen brats, I'm sure you're all aware that Natsu took an S-Class job without permission. Now he is going to face the consequence of his actions. He will fight Gildarts. If he wins, he will be allowed to stay a member of the guild." This caused the guild members to pay even closer attention. Murmurs once again filled the main room. Makarov raised his hand in the air to signal silence. "And if he loses…" the old man took a deep breath before saying his next sentence. "Natsu will be kicked out of Fairy Tail."

This news caused Cana to shoot out of her seat. 'There's no way. He can't do that!' Cana looked at the door Natsu and her father had just exited. Sure Natsu was strong, probably one of the strongest people she knew, but he would be fighting Gildarts. He was on a whole different level. If she was honest, she didn't think Natsu would be able to win.

"If any of you wish to watch this fight, you just need to come outside. They will be fighting inside a magical barrier that will prevent any of their magic from leaking outside and block any damage they might create." Makarov said while hopping off the bar counter and taking his leave outside to monitor the fight.

One by one, almost all the members present made their way outside. Cana lingered at her table. She had made up her mind, she was definitely scared for Natsu. She could not even imagine the thought of Natsu no longer being around. BUt she just couldn't see a way for him to win. Then she thought of Natsu's whole dragonification. He would almost certainly be pushed to use the full extent of his Dragon Slayer magic. Now she was scared in more ways than one.

"Cana?" Happy nudged at Cana, breaking her out of her trance. "What's going to happen to Natsu?" the blue cat asked the card mage.

"I don't know Happy…" Cana somberly stated. "But I don't see anything good coming from this." She grabbed the cat and, reluctantly, made her way outside to see the fate of Natsu.

Natsu and Gildarts stood on opposite sides of the arena. Natsu's cuff had yet to be released. This was the only reason the young Dragon Slayer had not immediately charged the older mage upon entering the magical barrier.

"You both understand the stakes here?" Makarov asked the two combatants who just stared intently at one another. Sighing, Makarov pressed a button on a remote control, releasing Natsu's handcuff.

Natsu wasted no time closing the distance between himself and Gildarts. With near blinding speeds, Natsu launched his fist directly at the man's face. Gildarts simply raised his hand, absorbing Natsu's blow with his palm. Gritting his teeth in anger, Natsu twisted his body and fired a kick at Gildarts head. With a smirk, Gildarts blocked the kick with his free forearm. Deciding to take an offensive lead, Gildarts wrapped his palm around Natsu's ankle, flinging him towards the wall.

Natsu soared through the air and crashed against the wall with a loud thud. Growling, Natsu rose to his feet and began preparing his magic. If he couldn't overpower the man with raw strength, he would suffocate him with his magical pressure. Natsu quickly rose to his feet, never taking his eyes off the man standing in front of him. Despite not moving his eyes, he could tell a crowd of Fairy Tail mages had gathered around the barrier. 'Good.' Natsu thought. 'They all need a reminder of just who I am.' Closing his eyes and calming his breathing, Natsu uttered one word. "Dragonforce."

Scales took the place of Natsu's skin, their normal silver coloring took on a darker tone. His eyes reopened into narrow slits that had gone completely white. His canines grew longer and the magical pressure he was putting off caused several members to shield themselves from the sheer energy he was giving off.

Gildarts took note of the increased power his opponent gained. Signing, seeing as he didn't want this to drag on, he began releasing his own magical power. If Natsu's output caused the others to guard themselves, then Gildarts power caused some of them to outright faint. The two juggernauts of Fairy Tail were preparing to end this with one strike each.

Even though a well made magical barrier was placed in front of them, the guild members still felt as if it would break at any moment. For most, this was the first time seeing both Natsu's dragonforce and seeing Gildarts even slightly power up. Erza turned to Cana, who was staring at the pair with a mix of worry and fear in her eyes. "Cana, everything will be alright. Master is here and he will not allow anything bad to happen to them. Besides, I'm sure they are just putting on a little show to teach Natsu a little humility." Cana just shook her head in response.

"No Erza." the Card Mage started. "It's not that simple. I've seen that look Natsu has in his eyes a few times before." They both looked at the transformed Dragon Slayer. "Well, the one he had before they changed. His eyes are full of rage and pain. And that means Natsu will do anything to win. He's going to hurt himself. He'll abandon all reason and focus on one thing and one thing alone. Absolutely and unquestionable victory." Cana turned from Erza to look at Natsu, whispering a spell of protection around Natsu.

"You really do care about him, don't you?" Erza asked. Cana could only nod in response. A single tear rolled down the brunette's cheek. Noticing this, Erza embraced her friend. She scanned the battlefield. They still hadn't moved. Erza doubted Natsu could come out victorious and if she was honest, until a few minutes ago, she didn't want him to. But now, seeing how much this was affecting Cana, she silently rooted for Natsu. Natsu was, by no means her friend. But Cana was. And she couldn't bear seeing her friend like this. It was common knowledge that Natsu and Cana had something between them. Cana had calmed down Natsu quite a bit, and Natsu brought out confidence in Cana. And if Natsu winning would fix how sad Cana was, then Erza would offer her silent support.

Natsu felt the shift as soon as Gildarts matched, and much to his annoyance, surpassed his magical pressure. Knowing he would have to break his promise, Natsu dug further and called upon more of his draconic power. "CHAOS DRAGON'S SECRET ARTS: ASPECTS OF THE DRAGON!" Natsu yelled out as his features took on a more draconic appearance. His scales darkened even more and his hands slowly transformed into claws with long black talons extended from each finger. HIs shoes exploded off as his feet also took on this new form. Natsu continued to yell as a long, barbed, black tail shot out from his lower back. Everyone watched on in horror as the Dragon Slayer slowly became more beast than man.

Natsu's transformation finished and he looked at Gildarts with absolute disdain in his eyes. A deep, primal growl came from Natsu as he positioned his mouth for an attack. "CHAOS DRAGON'S ANNIHILATING ROAR!" A beam of pure black energy escaped from Natsu's mouth and headed straight towards Gildarts.

The older mage dug his feet into the ground and launched a spell of his own. "CRUSHING EVIL, SPREADING TRUTH: EMPYREAN!" Natsu's roar made contact with Gildarts's outstretched hand. The crowd looked on in awe as Natsu's beam transformed into hundreds of cubes, falling to the ground. For most, this was their first time seeing Gildarts use his magic. He then followed his nullifying spell with a powerful uppercut, sending the Dragon Slayer flying into the air. Before he could get out of reach, Gildarts grabbed Natsu's tail and swung the boy down hard.

Natsu braced for impact as his back made contact with the ground, sending debris flying. Natsu rose and readied another attack. "CHAOS DRAGON'S BRUTAL FIST!" Swirling chaotic energy surrounded Natsu's fist as he attempted to launch it into Gildarts's chest. But his strike proved useless as the man wrapped his palm around Natsu's fist and forced it upwards until a loud popping noise could be heard. Enraged, Natsu lifted his left leg in the air and allowed his magic to gather before slamming it down as hard as he could. "CHAOS DRAGON'S WICKED TALON!" Natsu's leg made contact with the arm of Gildarts. Gildarts smiled as he now had Natsu right where he wanted him. What he didn't take into account was Natsu's new tail, which he whipped around, slapping Gildarts in the face. The attack did very little damage, if at all, but it did allow a moment where Gildarts loosened his grip, giving Natsu a chance to escape.

The two mages once again stood at opposite sides of the arena. Natsu panted as he thought about what his next move would be. Gildarts simply stood up and called out to the boy. "I think it's pretty clear that this fight is over. You gave it your best shot, but you're just no match. Go ahead and give up and walk away with some of your dignity still intact."

"I'll never give up you bastard!" Natsu yelled/growled out.

Gildarts just signed in response. He was a fool to think it would be this simple. Natsu only responded to strength, and it was clear he still thought he had a chance. "Okay you win." Gildarts said. "No more holding back." For the first time in their battle, Gildarts took the offensive. He flew towards Natsu, littering his chest with a series of blows. Natsu tried to react and block the blows but Gildarts was just too fast. Gildarts swept Natsu's feet out from under him and delivered a powerful heel into his stomach. To which Natsu coughed up a mixture of spit and blood.

"Have you had enough now?" Gildarts questioned as he stood over Natsu. A feral scream escaped Natsu's lips as he started blindly lashing out towards the man. His striked were undisciplined and unfocused. Gildarts effortlessly dodged all of Natsu's blows. "You'll never hit me like that kid. You need to focus." Gildarts said as Natsu's fist flew past his face.

"Shut the hell up!" Natsu yelled as he thrashed about. "I'm a dragon!" Natsu exclaimed as he summoned all the lingering chaotic energy from the battlefield. "CHAOS DRAGON'S SECRET ARTS: CATACLYSMIC MELTDOWN!" A deafening explosion rang out and volatile chaotic energy covered the entire battlefield. The blast was followed by a thick cloud of smoke that blocked the view of all the onlookers.

As the smoke cleared, the guild watched as Gildarts held Natsu by his feet. "What the hell is wrong with you? You could have seriously hurt someone with that blast. Even with the barrier in place." Gildarts repremained the boy, but to no avail.

"I don't give a damn! That attack hurt you. You can be beat!" Natsu yelled out. Natsu continued to lash out, swinging his fist, feet, and tail wildly at Gildarts, who continued to hold Natsu in the air.

"This is getting real old real quick kid." Gildarts raised his fist into the air and aimed it towards Natsu. "I'm sorry but this is over. CRUSHING EVIL, SPREADING THE TRUTH: ABSOLUTE HEAVEN!" All of the Crash Mage's magic was imbued in his fist and it sank into the stomach of Natsu sending him flying to the opposite side of the arena. As Natsu flew through the air, his draconic transformation dissipated, and he was left looking like he usually did. Struggling to get up, Natsu refused to accept defeat. He saw Gildarts slowly approaching as he struggled to get to his feet. With each movement, Natsu felt as if he was going to explode. But he couldn't look weak. Not now. Not in front of all those he deemed lesser than him. And especially not in front of Cana.

"Like I said, this fight is over. Your magic is out and you're running on fumes. You lost." Gildarts said as he stood in front of Natsu, virtually unscathed from the battle. Seeing as how Natsu looked like he was summoning the strength for another attack, Gildarts sighed and asked Natsu a simple question. "What exactly is it you're trying to prove? I mean do you even know what you want?"

What did he want? No one had ever asked him this before. But the answer was simple really. But in this moment, Natsu knew what he really wanted, what he truly wanted. All Natsu wanted was acceptance. And there had only ever been one person who had truly offered him that. Cana.

Natsu always wanted Cana. She had always been by his side, even when he thought her a thorn. Ever since they were young, Cana treated him differently. Unlike the others, she wasn't afraid of him, or if she was she hid it so well that not even Natsu could tell. Cana treated Natsu like an equal instead of a monster. And while Natsu didn't always return the compassion, he appreciated it nonetheless.

Cana wasn't afraid to put him in his place either, or call him out for doing something wrong. If anyone else had done that, they would be in the ground. But since it was Cana, he merely grumbled and obliged. She was his first friend. The first person to accept him. The first person who truly saw him as Natsu. Somewhere, in her deck of cards, Cana captured the heart of the dragon.

'But after everything I've done, do I even deserve this? Do I get to be happy?' he thought. Even if he did confess, what then? Would she even accept his feelings, let alone return them? Did someone like him even deserve to be with someone like her? The two were total opposites. Whereas Natsu was dark and gloomy, Cana was light and cheerful. Whereas Natsu was rude and rough, Cana was kind and gentle. Whereas Natsu was hot-headed and arrogant, Cana was calm and down to earth. Whereas Natus boasted loads of magical and physical strength, he was fragile of heart. While she could hold her own, Cana wasn't winning any strength competitions. But she did have an enormous amount of inner strength. Cana had many admirable qualities, and this is what mattered the most to Natsu. Cana had improved everyday he had known her. And while he may have improved on the outside, internally he knew he was the same as he had always been.

Natsu may have scoffed at the pretentious nickname whenever anyone called him Fairy Tail's Fallen Angel, but to him, Cana was the perfect definition of an angel.

Makarov slammed his staff against the ground, signaling this match was over. Gildarts focus shifted from Natsu to the Old Man. Seeing this as his chance to win, Natsu threw a weak fist towards the face of Gildarts. Gildarts turned and caught his attack with ease and threw the beaten boy to the ground. He towered over the fallen dragon and looked down at him in pity. Sighing, he raised his fist against Natsu.

"Gildarts that is enough!" Makarov yelled. "This fight is over!"

"He still doesn't get it, Master. He only responds to strength. And I don't know how else to get through to him at this point.

A banging interrupted them. It was Cana. She was banging on the runic wall. Natsu looked at her and saw that she was crying. Not being able to look at her, Natsu turned to stare at Gildarts, a new conviction within his eyes.

Gildarts also saw Cana crying. Deciding to end this quickly so he could go console his daughter. Gildarts sighed as he launched his fist towards Natsu. Everyone flinched as they prepared to watch their Ace's fist make contact with the Dragon Slayer's face. The fist was mere millimeters from Natsu's face when his words rang out. "I concede."

"You pass."

"Huh?"

"I said you passed, kid. Welcome to S-Class!"

Well here we have it, Natsu finally gets humbled. Honestly writing fight scenes is a pretty big challenge for me as I felt I'm definitely better about writing personal relationships between characters so I hope the fight wasn't too repetitive. This is something I want to get better on for sure! I hope you guys liked it! - Sinh