PART ONE. Realization

October 9th, Fairy Tail

Day 9

At approximately ten o'clock in the morning, Erza Scarlet had walked right into Fairy Tail.

The morning had taken on a slight autumn chill, and Erza had felt it when she'd left her apartment to go out on her usual morning run. Because of this, after she'd showered off all the sweat she'd accumulated from the intensive cardio session, she'd elected to put on black jeans, grey knee-high leather boots, and a cream-colored blouse with a matching thick woolen cardigan, topped off with a maroon red wool scarf. Perhaps the cold would taper off before the upcoming Harvest Festival.

She'd spent most of the previous day pondering what to do with her time outside of her morning routine. With the lack of work this last week alone, she could hardly believe that there was so much time in the day to begin with, and since her conversation with Mira, the Knight was itching to find something to do.

There wasn't necessarily anything that Erza felt drawn to. Painting? Writing? Dancing? None of it appealed to her upfront. Erza knew that she was stumped.

Still, she was determined to get this part of her life figured out. If only so she could make it a little more interesting.

"Hey Erza!"

She'd been swiftly brought back to the present. Mira waved her over from behind the bar.

"Good morning, Mira," Erza approached and stopped at the bar, placing her hands on the warm wooden counter. She took a quick glance around the unusually sparse atmosphere in the guild hall. "Less busy than usual?"

"Kinda," The barmaid leaned closer, almost as if she were divulging some kind of dirty secret. "I think it might have something to do with the representative from the Magic Council who came in yesterday."

"They've reformed already?" Master Makarov hadn't been kidding.

"Yep! It's been left unsaid, but I think a lot of the members are laying low for a bit. Not much of a reason for it but it would be nice if we didn't end up in the papers again causing another scandal."

Erza nodded. "Ideally we'd all be contributing to generating some goodwill with the Council for a change."

"There'll be less paperwork for Master Makarov, for sure." Mira commented. "Oh! How's the search going, by the way?"

"Err… nothing's come up just yet," Erza said plainly. "I was thinking of trying out gardening, but it's autumn and winter won't be far behind."

Mira shrugged. "You'll find it, Erza. You just gotta keep looking. Hey we can always go check out the local music store later if you're up for it. Maybe we can even form a band?"

The Knight knew that Mira was only teasing with that last line. Still, "I don't see why not. By the way, are Gray and Lucy around?"

"I haven't seen those two come in yet…" Mira hummed. It was then however that her blue eyes had twinkled. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I think Natsu is somewhere upstairs on the second floor?"

"Really?" Erza widened her eyes in response. She hadn't seen Natsu in quite some time. It was strange to hear that he'd gotten in earlier than the others. It would be good to catch up with him.

"Mmhmm! He should still be up there if you want to go talk to him or something."

Or something.

Erza's relief upon hearing about Natsu gave way to another, more curious line of thought. She narrowed her eyes at the barmaid, but only slightly. What was that almost playful lilt in Mira's voice. I've heard that tone from her before… but when? And for what?

What was she up to?

"Thank you for letting me know, Mira." Erza gave her a smile anyway and made for the stairs.

"No problem Erza. And hey-" The barmaid subtly, almost devilishly, raised her white eyebrows in a question. "Will you two be needing anything? Coffee? Tea? The breakfast menu?"

Will you two be needing anything?

Erza couldn't help but feel like something was… off. Yet there clearly wasn't any instagative intentions like there were when they were children. Still. That mischievous glint in those deep blue eyes. Now that was unsettling. But only slightly.

No. She must be imagining things. Mira was just being… polite. That was all. It was her job to offer items on the menu to guild members and visitors alike.

"No, I think we'll be fine. Thank you though." With that, Erza turned her back and made her way to the stairs leading up to the second floor.

As it turned out, Erza Scarlet was correct in her initial calculations. Mira was up to something.

And if Erza had taken the time to simply glance back at the barmaid as she made her way to the stairs up to the second floor, she would've seen that Mirajane Strauss was grinning ear-to-ear.

Once Erza had reached the top of the stairs and laid eyes on Natsu, she'd stopped in her tracks.

Natsu hadn't appeared to have noticed her. At least not immediately. Perhaps he'd heard, or sniffed her out like he had done so weeks ago, but right now he was fully engrossed in a rather thin book with a plain light brown leather cover. It looked aged and worn, but serviceable.

When was the last time she'd ever seen Natsu willingly read a book? It had been close to a decade, if Erza recalled correctly. Until now, she'd only ever seen him read off job flyers from the Request Board. Even still… what was Natsu doing with a dusty old tome? Erza took stock of the other items on the table infront of Natsu. A clear, crisp sheet of white paper lay directly before him, along with a pencil just off to his right. Finally there was a porcelain mug containing fresh coffee, black.

What was she supposed to make of this? She'd been half-expecting him to be chewing on an overcooked steak doused with too much black pepper and salt. Instead he was patiently combing through a book like he was at the library.

The Knight had quickly regained her wits. She'd continued her approach, and calmly slid into the seat directly across from Natsu.

"Hey Erza," He greeted, still with his onyx eyes fixed on the page before him.

"Good morning Natsu."

The Dragon Slayer nodded and carefully folded the top right corner of the page he was on. He then closed the book, but took up the pencil and scribbled a few sentences onto the sheet of paper. Finally, Natsu met her eyes. Erza couldn't help but watch his full expression. There was a firm, but polite smile on those thin lips. He was still… different.

"How you've been?"

At least there's that. She couldn't help but smile warmly at the familiar slang, the misuse of proper grammar. Now that was more like the Natsu she knew.

She still struggled to find something to say in reply, however. Despite being the unofficial leader of their team, Erza didn't consider herself even nearly on the same level of extroversion as Natsu or Lucy. The latter was far more at home in any social setting, while Natsu seemed to just not care most of the time.

Erza, for her part, was content to be on her own, and to spend her days in solitude. Yet she couldn't deny that she also occasionally yearned for a more social connection every now and then. It was a human need, after all.

Come on, Scarlet… back to the matter at hand.

Right.

Erza shrugged, and suddenly found the tabletop more interesting to look at. "Nothing much lately. I've been less focused on work actually."

"Really?"

The immediate one-word response was discouraging. Natsu's almost bored tone of voice also added to her doubt. And it told Erza that she'd need to be the one to continue carrying the conversation.

It all just felt… out of place. Where was the man who'd prioritize food over everything? The boy who'd brashly challenge her to a midday duel, claiming he'd gotten stronger all of the sudden? What of the silly, rambunctious Natsu who'd fearlessly barged into her show trial attempting to pose as her?

Or… or had he gone away? Had he changed? Grown up?

That seemed to be the case. The slight stubble on his jawline; the longer spiky salmon hair that was growing out into something akin to a lion's mane; the straight posture of the shoulders; the long brown shearling coat paired with his white trousers and black sandals, along with the trademark white scarf made of scales. All of it was different. "Of course. Mira and I had a bit of a girl's trip the other day. We went out to lunch and visited Cedar Spa over on Central Path."

"Hmmm…" Natsu almost frowned as he sat back in his seat. "Hope you're not going to show me your nails or something."

Erza felt the tension within herself (and between them) lessen significantly at his comment. Though it was certainly odd hearing such a thing from him. "What? Why would I show you my nails?"

"Lucy showed me hers yesterday. Said they looked a different color or… whatever."

Well… that was just Lucy being Lucy then. Social etiquette had demanded that Natsu pay her a compliment, yet he seemed to outright ignore it. Erza found herself smiling.

"Don't know why," Natsu continued with a shake of his head. "It's not like anyone else noticed."

"Well that's the point, Natsu. Lucy spent some time getting her nails done and wants someone to notice how they look."

He laughed. "Why? Does she need me to tell her she's pretty?"

That… was not what Erza was expecting hear from Natsu. She didn't think that Natsu paid attention to those sorts of things. Still, she kept her composure. "No, but a woman does like to be complimented."

"And do you?"

Erza paused. "Excuse me?"

Natsu took up his mug and raised it to his mouth. "Do you like to be complimented?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

She crossed her arms. "Well of course. I'm not an unfeeling automaton, Natsu." She said, breaking away her gaze briefly. "Compliments are always nice. So long as they're genuine."

Natsu set down his mug on the table. He didn't say anything immediately, and seemed to be… reflecting on something. Was it what she said?

Those onyx orbs met her again. Natsu seemed to altogether ignore the silence that sat between them.

"You're not wearing your armor today."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not." She decided to take a gamble, and gave him a mirthful smile. "A very astute observation coming from you."

"Oho! Now you're calling me dumb? Not very nice of you, Erza."

"I'm simply marveling at your impressive powers of deduction, Natsu."

Natsu smirked, clearly unfazed by her probing. "Dunno Erza… if you keep this up, I think you might get another visit from the Tickle Monster."

The redhead felt herself laugh delightedly as she spontaneously recalled the brief joy she'd found in the Tower when Natsu had ignored the complete and total danger facing them just so he could tickle her mercilessly. Something about it simply… brought a smile to her face.

This brief back-and-forth with Natsu had been unexpectedly… what was the word? Refreshing. It had been so long since she'd felt able to… cut loose, so to speak. Everyone expected her to be the indomitable Erza Scarlet. The Knight who'd single-handedly taken a full blast from Phantom Lord's Jupiter Cannon; the S-Class Wizard who'd taken on not just one, but two different Wizard Saints. Even her close friends had seen her this way when they first set out for Eisenwald, not that she'd done much to change their minds. Not to mention that everyone else in the guild held her up on the same pedestal, save Mira and Master Makarov.

But that wasn't the case with Natsu anymore. With his newly earned, more mature confidence, he seemed to make her feel as if she wasn't that perfect idol anymore… Now she'd been brought back down to Earth. And she loved it.

She managed to stop herself from laughing again. Two could play at that game. "Well, if you-"

"You know…" Natsu interrupted her. "I've been off doing my own thing these last few weeks… But I'm really happy to see you again."

And that was when Erza's brain had shut down.

A sudden heat had begun to fill into her cheeks and face. She swore that she had once seen a line almost exactly like the one Natsu had just said, in one of her… romance novels.

It was one thing to read it off a page, but it was another to actually hear somebody else saying it to her… and meaning it.

"And…" Her brain rebooted sharply, and she managed to just squeeze out something to say. "What about the others?"

"Them too. Already told you that I saw them yesterday." Natsu said easily. He picked up his mug and downed the rest of his coffee in one gulp. "Between you and me, I think Lucy's a total nerd."

"She certainly has her moments," Erza agreed. The blonde was easily the most bookish out of everyone on their team. "But I think that's a very handy skill of hers. She's helped us fill in several knowledge gaps while out on jobs before. She's cleverer than she knows."

Despite his earlier comment, Natsu nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said, now glancing at the clock on the wall to Erza's right. "Oh shit."

"What is it?"

Natsu met her eyes again. "I gotta go," he stood up and moved his chair back under the table. He quickly pocketed the book along with the sheet of paper and the pencil.

Erza couldn't help herself. They had just started catching up after all. "Is it urgent?"

"Big time," Natsu said. He withdrew a few jewel notes from his pocket and placed them in front of her. "Left you a few thousand jewel, get whatever you want with it. I've got to bounce."

She watched as Natsu gave her one last flickering smile before making his way towards the stairs to the first floor. His shearling coat flapping behind him.

"Talk to you later, Natsu."

"You too, Erza." The man said, waving without even turning back to face her.

The autumn chill had begun to subside as morning passed into midday.

Grey clouds rolled away into the West with a gentle breeze, leaving only the bright blue curtain of the sky above, and the warming sun.

Shade gave way to sunlight, and the shadows pouring over an abandoned quarry that was approximately five miles southwest of Magnolia Town, just off the railway leading to Hargeon. It wasn't exactly a difficult place to find, but it was seldom visited by others.

Laxus Dreyar sat on a large flat stone sitting curiously next to the wall of an old mining shack, leaning back against the old wall of wooden planks while he puffed away at a half finished cigar (his second one of the day).

He let out another puff of smoke and took a glance at the watch over his left wrist. The short hand of the clock was placed just before eleven.

Where is that kid?

His grandfather had told him to get here about an hour early, and so Laxus had, arriving just before ten. Apparently he was supposed to be expecting Natsu to arrive around eleven in the morning. But the one hour wait alone felt like an eternity, and Laxus wondered whether or not he should've brought a book. So all he was left to do was to smoke to his hearts' content and scan the perimeter of the quarry, particularly the encircling line of trees that were about seven hundred feet away up the long hill in front of him.

Well. It wasn't like he'd be here for much longer anyway. After this, he'd have the rest of the day to himself. And from there, he'd be home free.

Laxus hadn't yet had anything to eat. Unless he was traveling, he almost never ate anything until the late afternoon or the evening. Most of the morning or early afternoon he'd simply drink water, coffee, or if he was in a particular mood, alcohol. Cigars were always prevalent in his daily consumption as well.

Ah well… once he was done here, perhaps he'd go back home. He'd done his training in the morning, but he had no qualms about going back for another round. He had to keep himself busy here in Magnolia one way or another. Especially since he'd been grounded in town as of late.

But what else was there for him to do?

There was always the local private card club, an exclusive little joint called Rooks. It was located on Carburry Street just off Central Path towards the northern side of town, and it featured games such as Chess, Whist, Bridge, Poker, Pontoon, Cribbage, and Picket. Laxus didn't mind getting dressed up for the evening in that case. He enjoyed cards more than most things, and he had so much money that he was perfectly willing to lose it all playing poker against the regulars at the club. He didn't really know what else to do with his money anyway.

His stomach grumbled on its own. Food had now come to mind. A large grilled ribeye, doused in salt and pepper. Add some lamb cutlets and maybe even a marrow bone. Top it all off with some vodka. Go home, figure out what he'd do tomorrow, and go to bed early.

Besides, if his assumptions regarding Natsu would prove correct… it wouldn't hurt to also check out the newest S-Class Requests up on the second floor.

Laxus knew full well that Natsu wasn't going to stick it out. Plain and simple. Kid would perhaps get all pissed off for a few days, and then he'd slip up, make a few mistakes, and then taper off. That's pretty much how it was for most Wizards, or for most people as a matter of fact. They didn't have the guts to run the marathon. They'd only ever do sprints when it was necessary.

Sprints were easy though. Summoning up the willpower to put in a great burst of effort was a vice of the herd. Just enough to survive.

But marathons? Those were tough. Even lesser efforts, practiced consistently over the long-term, were the key to power. That was how his grandfather got to Wizard Saint. That was how Gildarts became the Ace of Fairy Tail. And that was how he, Laxus, had made it to S-Class.

Still, a favor was a favor. He'd do this one for his grandfather. It would probably take a few more days out of his week, but he didn't really see it going any further than that.

And-

Ah… Natsu was nearby.

Draconic Senses had come with the lacrima. And even though he'd been young when his father had implanted it in him, Laxus still remembered the handful of years he'd had without it. Human senses; touch; smell; sight; taste; hearing… all of them were amplified a hundredfold once he'd gotten the lacrima. It was so… distressing when he was a kid, hearing all of those voices of the townsfolk of the Magnolia all at once. All day, every day. He'd since learned to tune all of them out. But still, he couldn't imagine anyone else having to go through the same process without going mad.

Not to mention that he didn't even need to sniff anything just to know what it smelt like. It was annoying at times. All he'd really do was breathe in the air, and suddenly a whole slew of fresh scents and smells and stenches would waft into his nose. Learning to shut that sense off was also a pain, but doable.

And just as he could scent out anything within a mile, so too had he scented out Natsu. The kid was making his way through the forest and down to the quarry.

If Natsu's sense of smell was anything like his own, which it probably was, then he also probably knew that Laxus was here too.

Even now Laxus could hear the soft crunching of grass underneath a pair of sandaled feet. He almost smiled when he heard the pace stop, albeit briefly, before it resumed again. Then came the sharp exhale, as Natsu realized who exactly was waiting for him.

Moments later, the head of long spiky salmon hair appeared up on the top of the long hill above and across from him, right at the edge of the treeline.

Natsu obviously wasn't in much of a hurry. There were several distinct differences in his attire from when he'd last seen the kid. The hair was longer, and he even appeared more brawny than he had before. That shearling leather coat was new, much different than his usual sleeveless jacket. Much less childish too. Still the same trousers and sandals. Some stubble on the kid's jaw, too. Hmmm, likely from a more frequent training regiment. And from living out in the woods for weeks at a time.

Admittedly, Laxus thought that Natsu looked more like a mountain-man than the bratty teen who'd he'd always regarded as an amateur. There were clear changes in Natsu's demeanor, and that, at the very least, meant something was going on in that empty head of his.

That said… looks could be deceiving.

Laxus still didn't move from his spot. The Lightning Wizard simply kept on puffing at his cigar. He hadn't been impressed, not that he was expecting Natsu to impress him in the first place. Today's 'training session' would end the same way that all of the kid's past challenges had gone. That was that.

Natsu had finally crossed the quarry and stopped just twenty meters short of the mining shack. Laxus could see the conflict in those onyx eyes.

"So… Gramps set me up with you?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Why you? That was clearly what Natsu meant.

"'Cause he asked nicely," Laxus said with an amused smirk. He was genuinely surprised that the kid actually took the time to speak with him, rather than just come out swinging. "Got me curious, so here I am."

"But you don't even like me."

Laxus shook his head minutely. "That would imply that I care about you at all."

Silence hung in the air between them. Natsu had frowned at that, and Laxus continued to be indifferent. The thought of food had come to mind again. Steak and eggs would be good tonight. Maybe even a tomahawk or two.

It was Natsu who broke the tension, "So… how's this gonna work then, Laxus? Aren't we supposed to spar?"

"Well… just show me what you've got. Then we'll go from there."

"What?"

Laxus almost chuckled. "You heard me," he said, dropping the cigar and mashing it out with his foot, then standing up to his full height. "I'll let you throw the first one for free."

The kid was positively stunned now, "But-"

"Shut up, Natsu. Let's wrap up the foreplay, I've got other things to do."

If Laxus had been any more callous, he might've relished seeing the burning disdain that now appeared in those onyx orbs. He didn't care as it stood, and simply kept himself stone-cold.

As if by clockwork, fiery orange and gold flames exploded to life around Natsu's hands.

Laxus let out a bored sigh and rolled his eyes. Here we go again. He'd already picked out exactly where he'd land after Natsu made his attack.

Sure enough, Natsu's feet had left the ground, flames also encasing his legs in a brilliant flashing blaze, scorching the ground black as he blitzed forth damn near as fast as a meteor sailing over the earth. Were Laxus any other wizard, he would've been hit. Ten times out of ten.

Three…

Fourteen meters away.

Two…

Three meters away.

One…

Laxus felt a supercharging sensation pass through him as he clicked his internal switch. The indescribable feeling that came with being hyped up on endless electrical power… was simply intoxicating at times. He allowed the current to flow through him and became one with it, disappearing completely into a golden flash. Just as quickly, he directed himself right over Natsu's head and just about ten feet away from where he'd been sitting prior.

By the time Laxus had felt his feet touch the stone floor of the quarry again, had Natsu stopped himself just before he crashed into the mining shack. He'd already turned around to face Laxus, and was preparing to lunge again.

Kid's outclassed, he just doesn't see it yet, Laxus thought. Or maybe… maybe he just doesn't want to see it.

Either way, Laxus had kept to his word. He'd let Natsu swing first.

Laxus decided to be flashy this time around. He snapped his fingers even before Natsu had begun to jet towards him again. Summoning up his basic Lightning Magic was instinctual by this point. An unconscious habit that occurred whenever he wanted it to.

His 'student' was quickly shrouded in a bright haze of gold-white bolts.

Those fiery orange flames had instantly gone out, and all Laxus could hear were rounds of uncontrolled gasping and gurgling as Natsu screamed violently. "GAAAAHHHHHAAAAGGHH!"

Laxus kept watching as Natsu then fell to the ground and kept convulsing and twitching, even after the lightning dissipated completely. Sparks danced around the shaking body, almost like a ballet.

And then… Natsu finally stopped spasming and fell unconscious.

It wasn't even funny now. This was just sad. Genuinely sad.

Even though Laxus knew how this little session of theirs would turn out… even though he knew exactly what Natsu would do… he was still… disappointed.

In what, though?

Grandpa had high hopes for Natsu, didn't he? And Natsu somehow had the brains to pass the old man's test… The fact that his grandfather had chosen Natsu as his next pet project alone was a great endorsement. One that spoke volumes about the kid.

But Laxus knew…

He knew that the old man hadn't seen all the times Natsu was simply lazing about in the guild hall doing nothing with his life. He hadn't seen what Laxus had.

Wasted potential. Those were the two words he was looking for.

Those were the exact two words he'd have used to describe the smoking heap of 'Dragon Slayer' laying at his feet. How could this kid have been trained by a dragon, and still not be able to take a hit from such a low-tier elemental spell?

Well… time to go.

Effortlessly, Laxus had hauled Natsu up onto his left shoulder and carried him out towards the foot of the long hill leading up to the treeline.

We're supposed to do this again every day for the rest of the week? Laxus shook his head with an amused smirk. Natsu wouldn't show up again. Not a chance.

Looks like you backed the wrong horse, Grandpa.

PART ONE END

Author's Note:

Hope you're all staying hydrated. Excellent way to have endless energy :)

Lekka

Thank you :) I always try to make sure spoken dialogue actually sounds like something you'd say in-person. Making the characters feel and sound human = readers connecting with them.

You are correct, in that some of the dialogue has been inspired by actual conversations I've had. Particularly the exchanges between Makarov and Natsu. I have been on the receiving end of those before.

KINGShaheed

I think a big part of the main series lacks overall characterization, at least from what I remember of it. The first few arcs did it pretty well, honestly. That said I would've preferred plenty of episodes where we just got to see what the main characters got up to in their downtime. Get some more inner dialogue. See the little things they do.

Thank you again :)

InsaneMakaioshin

As a matter of fact, I agree with you. That said, I don't think Natsu would have the same respect for old books as you or I.

I haven't planned for any Earth, Air, Void Magics, etc. Nor with the Abyss Break. I was thinking more along the lines of what sorts of magic Natsu would want to learn based on his past experiences with other S-Class Wizards, most notably Laxus and Gildarts. As well with his past defeats at the hands of other wizards.

He'll have a rather tight-knit, but flexible skillset.

It'sJonny

I agree! Flaws are more interesting than strengths. And showing how a character overcomes those flaws, at least to me, is even better.

Thing is, Natsu has way more flaws than just his motion sickness. Not all of his flaws are physiological like his motion sickness. A lot of them are mental. He still has a lot of stuff to work through, and a lot of trials he'll need to overcome. He's going to be taking some Ls later down the line, be forced to understand his own limitations, and ultimately grow.

That's all for today, folks. See you again next time :)