I know it has been a long wait, but the good news is not only is this story getting updated, but all of my fairy tail stories will be, as I find it works better when I batch media together. Order wise MOTR was supposed to be first, but I threw it out to my discord and pat reon and ATC was requested first. If you would like to join the discord to have a nice place to chat about anything random, my stories, your own stories, the source media for any of my stories, as well as games and lore around any of those media, join the discord. Now, it will become apparent by the end of the chapter, but the next lady that will be gunning for Natsu romantically will be revealed. Enjoy!
Trolls and rude people will be booted and banned as this is supposed to be a fun place so let's keep it that way.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Previously:
Natsu retrieved Happy from his captivity in the tower, while simultaneously demoralising Wally and Millianna. Seeing a need for more resistance, Jellal invoked the powers of Trinity Raven to stop Natsu. Natsu would make his way up the tower stealthily, before running into Sho, Erza and Ikaruga. Natsu would face off against Ikaruga, before destroying the roof of their battlefield, causing Jellal to plummet down and join the fight. Natsu would then engage Jellal while Erza would struggle against Ikaruga. Finally gaining the strength to match Ikaruga, Erza would be caught off guard by an attack of Jellal's. Simon would again try to save Erza, only for Natsu to absorb the blow, after which Etherion struck. After this, Natsu would use the power of his curse to begin to absorb the power of Etherion.Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
*expression*
Flashback
'Dragon or E.N.D. talking'
"Dragon or E.N.D. thinking"
Techniques
Chapter 11 – A dragon destroys paradise
Erza, Jellal, Ikaruga and Simon all watched in muted shock. Moments ago, the tables seemed to have turned on the Fairy Tail mages, with Etherion descending on the tower. After that initial shock had passed, things had become even more bleak when Jellal revealed the tower was made of lacrima crystals and of his intention to sacrifice Erza to revive Zeref. Then, Natsu did something unheard of, he ate a piece of Etherion infused lacrima crystal. That was shocking enough, even with the surge of power that emanated from Natsu, but that was quickly overshadowed. Seconds ago, Natsu had placed his hand on the ground and said the words which had led to the current situation.
'Absorption!' Said Natsu, as energy which had just been channelled into the lacrima from above now left the lacrima and was drawn inside Natsu.
As the energy was sucked out of the lacrima, the powerless crystals started to fracture. It was moments after that when the tower started to shake. It seemed the shaking was enough to finally snap those around out of their stupor.
'What are you doing? You are destroying the tower!' Screamed Jellal in shock and anger.
'Such ferocity, he is inhuman.' Said Ikaruga awed, feeling the spike in his power which was still climbing.
'Is this… the power that defeated a Wizard Saint?' Questioned Simon.
'Natsu… how are you doing this?' Gasped Erza.
'Natsu, you need to cut the flow now, it is coming dangerously close to your limit.' Said Igneel.
"Just let me finish this cursed lump of rocks first." Thought Natsu, absorbing just over his limit and quickly pulsing some of the energy back into the tower, setting off a chain reaction.
'There. It is finished. This entire tower will be nothing but rubble in ten minutes.' Said Natsu, giving a slow, long, exhale.
'How? This is impossible!' Shouted Jellal.
'Nothing is impossible. You talk about Zeref like you understand him. Zeref did the impossible. Someone who thinks there are things out that are impossible has no business playing around with things like this.' Said Natsu, flexing his right fist, as flames and blue energy wafted around his hand.
'Truly a monster. A dragon who will rend the heavens asunder. Are you sure you want to continue this course of action, Jellal?' Asked Ikaruga.
'Scared, are you?' Asked Erza, having overheard the dark mage.
'I do not fear dying, but if my employer decides he does not want to continue on this path I will not rush to my death either. When one becomes an assassin, they must be ready to die.' Replied Ikaruga calmly.
'All these years, wasted! Ruined in mere moments.' Said Jellal, visibly seething.
'You can try and fight me now Jellal, or you can walk away. Unfortunately, I think you have burned all your bridges on this last gambit. You have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and if you even think of doing this again, I will be there to destroy the next tower you build. Give up on this pointless task.' Said Natsu.
Jellal seemed to absorb Natsu words for a moment before calming down.
'You know what, you are right, I do have nowhere else to go and it is all your fault. Since that is the case, I will do the only thing I can do now, which is to kill you for ruining my plan.' Said Jellal.
'I see. I expected more from you, but you aren't the first Wizard Saint to not live up to the name and turn out to be a huge disappointment. If you want to fight to the end though, let the others go.' Said Natsu.
'On the contrary, I want them to see you die!' Shouted Jellal, before he glowed yellow.
'I guess we will continue our battle then, Titania.' Said Ikaruga.
'Can't you just leave?' Asked Erza.
'On my honour I cannot, I was paid to accomplish a task and even though the goal of the task no longer exists, my mission is to bring you to Jellal.' Said Ikaruga.
'But I am already here, isn't that enough?' Asked Erza, still trying to find a way out of a pointless battle.
'I am sorry, Erza Scarlet, but words won't save you here.' Said Ikaruga, turning her body sideways and entering a quick draw stance.
'Simon, you need to leave, it will all be over in ten minutes, and you won't be of any help here. I don't know what Natsu meant about people waiting for you outside of here, but there is no need for you to throw your life away here today.' Said Erza.
'I will find a boat and await your arrival.' Said Simon, with Erza giving a thankful nod.
'Shall we begin then?' Asked Ikaruga as Simon descended the tower.
'Unfortunately.' Said Erza, gripping her blade.
-line break-
'Jellal, do you really want to end things like this? All those years spent growing stronger, do you plan to throw that all away and for what?' Questioned Natsu, blocking Jellal's kick before throwing out a fist, catching Jellal in the shoulder and sending him back.
'When a man has nothing left to lose, reason has no claim on him.' Said Jellal before leaping into the air and placing both arms atop each other.
'If this tower is doomed, then I have no reason to hold back. Grand Chariot.' Said Jellal, as seven magic seals materialised and released a powerful blast of light energy at Natsu.
'Fire Dragon's Claw.' Said Natsu, flames exploded from beneath his feet and propelling him into the air.
With a quick shift of his momentum Natsu started to spin and kicked away the blasts of magic aimed at him, sending them crashing into distant parts of the tower, being careful to avoid sending any towards where Erza was. The flames on his feet suddenly increased in size and shot Natsu towards Jellal. Jellal used Meteor to avoid Natsu's charge, only to find the mage twisting and redirecting his feet to send him right after Jellal.
'You can't catch me, I travel at the speed of light!' Exclaimed Jellal.
'I don't need to catch you; I just need to outlast you until you make a mistake. Fire Dragon's Sword Horn.' Said Natsu, before his entire form was engulfed in fire and he shot at Jellal like a bullet.
As he had boasted, Jellal managed to avoid the attack, with Natsu continuing on, smashing through a chunk of the tower, causing the entire structure to shake. Jellal prepared to taunt Natsu, only to find that he had blasted out of the tower and was already within arm's reach of him again. Jellal barely evaded this charge, only to see Natsu staring at him upside down.
'Fire Dragon's Roar.' Said Natsu, launching a trumpet of flames after Jellal.
Jellal managed to duck under the flames and propelled himself towards Natsu, thinking he wouldn't be able to counterattack, only to find Natsu had engulfed his fist in fire again. Having just propelled himself at Natsu, Jellal didn't have the chance to escape this time.
'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!' Shouted Natsu, landing a firm punch right into Jellal's gut, causing the blue haired man to gasp.
Unfortunately for Jellal, Natsu then pushed his magic into his feet, causing twin jets of fire to explode and send him down, fist lodged in Jellal's gut. Jellal felt the air whip past his face as the fiery fist in his abdomen continued to force its way deeper into his body, causing spittle to fly out of his mouth, before his freefall finally stopped as his back hammered into the tower. There was a moment of stillness, before Jellal's back cracked through the stone. Jellal's eyes widened in shock as Natsu continued to propel them down, smashing through floor after floor of the lacrima tower. Each floor felt like a sledgehammer to Jellal's body and showed no signs of stopping. After making their way halfway through the tower, Natsu released the magic from his feet, causing his descent to slow, while also allowing his fist to dislodge from Jellal's form. The former councillor felt his body descend, before slamming harshly into the ground and becoming stuck within the stone.
'Do you see how pointless this is now, Jellal? You won't win this fight because you no longer have any meaning in this fight. I am fighting to survive and protect my friends now; you are fighting out of frustration. There is no reason behind your attacks, just force and I am the greater force today.' Said Natsu.
'I understand, but you have failed to understand something, Natsu Dragneel.' Said Jellal, causing Natsu to tilt his head.
'What?' Asked Natsu.
'Spite is an excellent motivator. You have thwarted my ambitions, but that doesn't mean I won't get satisfaction in killing you. I should thank you since I wouldn't have gotten this idea without you, but if the light has failed me, then I will embrace the darkness and as you have shown, Etherion makes for quite the power boost.' Said Jellal, before he was form was shrouded in a purple mist.
'Wait! No, Jellal, stop this!' Shouted Natsu, concerned at what the mage was doing and how it would affect him.
'Even if my body is to give out, my mind and will shall endure! If I cannot attain paradise, then a paradise of sins will have to suffice!' Said Jellal.
'Damn it!' Cursed Natsu, seeing the dark sphere that started to grow above Jellal's downed form, receiving energy from Etherion through Jellal as a conduit.
'Natsu, either kill him, or get off this tower, because that attack will devastate the area fuelled with the remaining energy of the Etherion.' Warned Igneel.
"Why did you have to be so stupid Jellal, you better survive this?" Thought Natsu in anger, having hoped his show of dominance would have been enough for Jellal to back down.
Natsu spared Jellal one last disdainful look, before shooting himself up the tower again like a rocket.
"I didn't think he would go this far, but I guess I forgot how insane he was before he lost his memories. Maybe this is for the best, assuming he survives." Thought Natsu, before spotting the clashing Erza and Ikaruga.
Erza had just snuck into the Ikaruga's guard and slashed her abdomen, causing blood to gush out.
'Erza, we need to go now!' Shouted Natsu, startling the redhead.
'Natsu? Where is Jellal?' Asked Erza.
'He is going to use the rest of the Etherion in the tower and blow this place up in an explosion. We need to get as far away from here as possible.' Said Natsu.
'So… this is how it ends… with a bang.' Said Ikaruga from the ground.
'Giving up?' Asked Erza.
'As I said… an assassin needs… to accept death.' Said Ikaruga.
'Natsu, we can't just leave her, can we?' Asked Erza.
Natsu breathed out through his nose, his face unreadable.
"She is supposed to die, and she is an assassin." Thought Natsu.
'Whatever you decide, Natsu, just know that there will be consequences either way.' Advised Igneel.
'Are you going to keep coming after Erza if we let you live?' Asked Natsu.
'As long… as an employer requests it… yes.' Said Ikaruga.
'Erza, can you beat her again if she comes back for you?' Asked Natsu.
'I-I can.' Said Erza with a moment's hesitation.
'Then your lucky day starts in ten seconds.' Said Natsu.
'What do you mean?' Asked Erza.
'She won't like these next ten seconds.' Said Natsu, before placing a flaming palm across her abdomen and cauterising the wound Erza had inflicted moments ago, causing the swordswoman to pass out from the pain.
'Let's go, Erza.' Said Natsu, slinging Ikaruga's bloody form over his shoulders and holding his hand out for Erza.
Erza didn't hesitate and took Natsu's hand, before he brought her against his body and blasted flames from his feet, propelling them into the air, before shooting down to the coastline. In no time at all, the pair found Simon and quickly made their way toward him. Simon wanted to ask why they had brought one of the assassins with them, only for the tower to glow purple.
'Hold on! Fire Dragon's Roar!' Shouted Natsu once the group were situated on the small boat, before he launched a jet of flames out of his mouth, propelling the group away from the tower at speed.
With Natsu's help, they were kilometres away from the tower in moments, before the purple tower seemed to disintegrate into a black ball. The ball of energy seemed to wink at them, before opening and launching a concussive blast of dark energy outwards, agitating the water and launching large waves in all directions. Their boat was rocked by the waves, but luckily, was not upturned, having escaped the worst of the explosion. Unfortunately, the sonic boom from the explosion was too much for the group to endure and they were knocked out by the concussive force, forcing them all into unconsciousness.
-line break-
'Not quite the ending I was expecting.' Commented Ultear, looking through an orb which showed the unconscious group.
Ultear had been waiting for the conclusion to move the next stage of her plan ahead. Natsu had now neutralised Jellal and fixed the problem the Council had created. The rest of the councillors now had egg on their faces and only Ultear and Yajima had a clean slate as of now. Ultear placed her orb on the table and made her way out of her office, heading towards the council chambers. It seems she was the only one though, with the other council members currently running around like headless chooks trying to do damage control.
'Councillor Milkovich, I didn't expect to see you come by so soon.' Said Yajima, appearing a small distance behind Ultear.
'There is no reason in drawing things out any longer than they need to be. The council will need to be restructured to regain the confidence of the people.' Said Ultear.
'Indeed. Such an unfortunate situation.' Said Yajima sternly.
'If I may be so bold, I believe one of us must now lead this council as we are the only two who managed to vote against a truly foolish decision.' Started Ultear.
'I'm afraid I have no interest in running a council, I am far too old for such a task.' Said Yajima.
'I fear you are being too modest. There are also those who may say I am too young and perhaps they have a point. If you are willing to meet me halfway though, would you be open to the idea of sharing the role of council head, at least for a period of time?' Asked Ultear.
'I had expected you to only ask for my support, not my services.' Said Yajima with a raised eyebrow.
'I am not arrogant enough to believe I can run this entire institution by myself, at least not yet. I would be grateful for your assistance, if you would be willing to hold off on retirement for just a little longer.' Said Ultear, giving a small bow towards the end.
'I see. Wisdom beyond age, but I do understand appearances. If that is the case, I will remain on until you feel accustomed to taking over. Perhaps we should make things official however, as this is only conjecture at this point.' Said Yajima.
'Of course, I just wanted to confirm your support first. I will send an alert for those who have not left in shame yet.' Said Ultear, turning to the door and making her way to one of the amphibian-like workers of the Magic Council.
Yajima watched as the young woman walked away and spoke with the messenger who then went off to notify the other remaining council members. Yajima knew enough to be curious of the new mentality Ultear was showing, but not enough to make him suspicious. It was an uncharacteristic move to vote against Siegrain, but it was also uncharacteristic for the others to vote with him. Granted, there was the very successful fearmongering in the background, but the Magic Council was supposed to be beyond this and act in the interest of all mages and do so carefully.
Yajima hummed to himself as he made his way to his seat, noting that Ultear has also moved to seat herself, but had gone to take the seat of the Chairman. There was a good chance that the current Chairman would not be attending, especially given it would be his head on the chopping block for the decision to have used the Etherion.
'What is the meaning of this?' Asked Org as he entered the room.
'Everything will be explained once everyone who is still here arrives.' Said Ultear.
'Why are you in the spot of the Chairman?' Asked Org.
'I wonder about that.' Said Ultear playfully.
'Councillor Belno, so nice of you to join us.' Said Yajima.
'What is going on?' Asked Belno.
'Well, I will give it a few more minutes, but I suspect no one else will be joining us, so I will begin with a preface. The Magic Council is finished, at least in its current capacity. Unfortunately, given the voting in favour of Etherion and the repercussions of such a decision being made, especially with it being the wrong one, credibility is quite low amongst some of our fellow members, no doubt why some of us will not be attending this meeting. I also doubt that all of us gathered here will remain, but it seems there is a need for at least a little bit of damage control.' Started Ultear.
Ultear paused to let her words sink in before the messenger returned and closed the chamber doors indicating that no one else would be arriving.
'Twice now our judgement has been flawed and unfortunately both decisions have been to do with Wizard Saints, those who are supposed to uphold the values of the ideal mage. While I do not question the judgement of the council, as on paper, both individuals certainly seemed fit for the job, it seems there needs to be a little more thought put into these appointments.' Said Ultear.
'What are you proposing?' Asked Org.
'I shouldn't need to spell it out for you, but allow me to lead you to the point. There have been a number of recent incidents which have shone a negative light on the Council and particularly, of the Council's judgement. Fortunately, these matters have been quelled by a certain mage, one who is very popular among the common people. Therefore, it would be prudent to endorse this mage to raise our reputation.' Said Ultear.
'You can't be serious?' Stammered Org.
'I'm sorry, have you not yet heard the verbal report of what happened with the tower we just mistakenly powered up? If not, let me give you the summary, Natsu Dragneel destroyed it and prevented all causalities. The only black mark is Jellal was unable to be found in the wreckage following a last-ditch kamikaze attack and is presumed missing.' Said Ultear.
'So he has a penchant for destruction, we were all away of that previously.' Said Org.
'Jose Porla levelled a Jupiter Canon on civilians. Both the destruction of the Jupiter Canon and the defeat of Jose Porla were both completed by Natsu Dragneel again, who then showed great restraint in retrieving a kidnapped guild member from Phantom Lord.' Said Ultear.
'I hardly believe it can be considered a kidnapping when it was the job request.' Commented Belno.
'True, however making something a job request does not remove all moral considerations.' Said Yajima.
'Indeed. Unsavoury requests can always be refused by guilds. The request was taken so that Phantom Lord could extort money from the Heartfilia family.' Added Ultear.
'And do you think endorsing Natsu Dragneel will salvage our image?' Asked Org.
'Oh heavens no. Our image is ruined. We need to create a completely new image. One of a council which actually supports its mages and citizens. After we can come to an agreement for how to run damage control following this most recent incident, I will be seeking endorsement from the king of Fiore to help with our restructuring, as I doubt very few people are going to want to lend us any funding after our most recent failing.' Said Ultear.
'We could increase the levy on the magical guilds.' Suggested Org.
'That would only serve to tarnish our reputation further.' Said Yajima.
'We do not have many other options.' Said Belno.
'Correct, we do not have many other options, which means we need a bright light in the murky mess that has become of this institution. I move that Natsu Dragneel be appointed a Wizard Saint.' Said Ultear.
'I second the motion.' Said Yajima.
'Agreed.' Said Belno, with Org following suit after a sigh.
'So it is unanimous then, Natsu Dragneel will be appointed a Wizard Saint. Before we close this meeting, I would like to confirm in what capacity the remaining members will be involved in the council.' Stated Ultear.
'You mean we have a choice in the matter?' Asked Org.
'Of course, you can retire right now and escape scrutiny, as I am sure the others have, or continue on in your current capacity. I believe Councillor Yajima plans to retire shortly once all the dust has settled. I would also encourage the two of you to do the same if you do not want to be subjected to quite harsh scrutiny, as it will be hard to restore our image with a constant reminder of our failings.' Said Ultear.
'I will stay on. You are right, harsh scrutiny will be ahead, but you should not erase all trace of past mistakes, or they will be repeated.' Said Org.
'I will take it under advisement and decide at a later date.' Said Belno.
'Very well, I believe our last order of business with be to nominate a candidate to succeed Chairman Seam. I nominate myself for such a role, with Councillor Yajima as my aide in the short term.' Said Ultear.
'I second the motion.' Said Yajima.
'Agreed.' Said Org and Belno.
'Very well then. The motion carries. Now then, I will head out to meet with our newest Wizard Saint and have sent a messenger to request an audience with the king. Is there any other business to be attended to currently?' Asked Ultear.
After a moment of silence Ultear clapped her hands together.
'Very well then. I believe now is the time to prepare yourselves for the next few days ahead, as they will be quite busy. If there are any issues in the meantime, I suggest we use communication lacrima to stay in contact for the next few days.' Said Ultear, holding up her own device.
'I will be taking my leave now.' Said Ultear, as she vacated her spot and left the room.
'So it has come to this has it?' Questioned Org.
'We only have ourselves to blame.' Said Belno.
'In that case, we had best put our best foot forward.' Said Yajima, before leaving as well.
'Do you really intend to stay after this?' Asked Belno.
'I do.' Said Org.
'I see. I will take my leave now then.' Said Belno, before leaving.
-line break-
As Natsu came to his senses, he noticed a sword between his eyes.
'Good, you are awake.' Said Ikaruga, withdrawing her sword.
'Any reason you waited until I was awake to take away the sword?' Asked Natsu, sitting up.
'I wanted to show that had I wanted to end your life, I could have. Now we are even for you saving mine. I do not like to owe anyone.' Said Ikaruga.
'For an assassin, you sure don't act like one.' Said Natsu.
'An assassin without a moral compass is an aimless murder. Not all assassins are cut from the same cloth, with a majestic tapestry of overlapping zones of what one may do, but what another would not.' Said Ikaruga.
Natsu noticed Erza and Simon were still unconscious, lying in the sand to his left.
'So what's next for you?' Asked Natsu.
'I will not be pursuing any vengeance towards you or your friends. It was simply a job.' Said Ikaruga.
'Then why are you still here? Wouldn't leaving before any of us woke up be best? We wouldn't know if you lived or died at sea.' Said Natsu.
'Correct, but I had to ensure you were aware that your favour was repaid. If I were to approach you again, the chance of you being hostile would be quite high.' Pointed out Ikaruga, to which Natsu nodded.
'Is that it then?' Asked Natsu.
'I also wanted to comment that you are a terrifying individual and that your friends and foes alike will come to fear you. You should do well to not show off your true power haphazardly.' Said Ikaruga.
'What makes you think I have showed off my true power?' Asked Natsu.
'I know you haven't, which is exactly why I needed for us to be even. Owing you would be dangerous to my health, now I can vanish in peace. Farewell, and I hope we never cross paths again.' Said Ikaruga, before walking off.
'You can stop pretending to be asleep, Erza.' Said Natsu, causing the redhead to open her eyes.
'Sorry. I woke up halfway through and felt it was not my place to interject.' Said Erza, sitting up.
'Come on Erza, when have you ever felt it wasn't your right to get involved with me?' Joked Natsu.
'Recent events have taught me the need for occasional restraint.' Said Erza with a dry laugh.
'Maybe, but it also isn't who you are… thank you, Erza.' Said Natsu, confusing the knight.
'Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you.' Said Erza.
'Erza… I never knew your life was so bad before Fairy Tail. It explains a lot about you… but that's not why I am thanking you. Thank you for letting us help you. You and I… I forgot it seems, we are alike, we'd do anything to not pass our burdens on to our friends… our family at Fairy Tail. I'm sure… in another time and place, you might not have let me help and risked your life… risked your life when you didn't need to… so thank you, for letting us help you.' Said Natsu.
Erza smiled sadly at this and looked down at her feet.
'You're right. I know if this had happened a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have let any of you get involved and I would have died if necessary. That tower was a stain on my heart, something I could never let go… but now… I'm free and it is all thanks to you, Natsu.' Said Erza with a half-lidded smile.
'Just promise me, Erza, never think like that again. If you ever need help, with anything, I'll be there for you, so please, don't keep your heart locked up.' Said Natsu, placing his hand over Erza's.
'Natsu… I promise. I won't ever try and shoulder everything alone again. Please be there by my side to help me when I am not strong enough.' Said Erza.
'You don't even have to ask.' Said Natsu.
Erza leaned her head against Natsu's, the pair looking down at their overlapping hands.
'Thank you.' Said Erza, before the sound of distant shouting could be heard.
Turning to the side, the pair noticed the rest of those who had been in the tower running towards them. Erza stood and moved to meet them, while Simon started to stir.
'Looks like you were the last to wake up there.' Said Natsu.
'Natsu? What happened?' Asked Simon, attempting to sit up.
'Don't worry, everything is over. The tower and Jellal are both gone now.' Said Natsu.
Simon nodded at this, before looking pensive.
'Natsu, in the tower, you said something about someone waiting for me, what do you mean?' Asked Simon.
'What do I mean? What do you mean? Don't you have family out there?' Asked Natsu in confusion.
'Not anymore. I had a sister once, but she is gone now. When Zeref worshippers came, they destroyed our village and killed those of us who resisted. Since my sister wasn't captured and brought to the tower with us, she must be dead.' Said Simon.
'Did you ever find a body?' Asked Natsu.
'N-No.' Said Simon in confusion.
'Then how do you know she is dead? Did you even try to search for her?' Asked Natsu.
'I didn't, but the village was burned to the ground, she wouldn't have been able to survive.' Said Simon.
'You can't just give up like that! I never gave up searching for Igneel because until I find him, I won't believe he is dead. Have faith in yourself and your sister. If you survived for this long, why couldn't she?' Questioned Natsu.
Simon was stunned for a moment, before looking down in shame.
'I can't believe I gave up so quickly. You're right Natsu, I will find my sister and there is nothing to stop me anymore.' Said Simon, before hearing a commotion as their friends met Erza and hugged her.
'Natsu… can I ask you for a favour?' Asked Simon with a sad smile.
'What is it?' Asked Natsu.
'Please, look after Erza. If I know you will be looking after her, I will have no worries.' Said Simon.
'I can't do that for you as a favour, because I was already going to do it anyway, but if you want to consider that a favour, then do this for me in return. Don't dwell on the past, find your family and live a good life. I know you are different from those three, I could tell. You never believed Erza betrayed you, but that is why you need to make sure the rest of you live your lives. I'm sure if you do that, Erza will be happy too.' Said Natsu, seeing the group hug and talk animatedly.
'Very well, a favour for a favour. Thank you for all your help, Natsu. Once I find my sister, I will tell her all about the Salamander of Fairy Tail and how he helped set me on the right path.' Said Simon.
'Well if that's the case, make sure to use my real name, since people like to rip-off my title for five minutes of fame.' Said Natsu sourly.
'I think after today, it will be very hard for anyone to pretend to be the Salamander, but as you wish, Natsu Dragneel.' Said Simon, not knowing how true his words would soon be proved to be.
Sorry, it isn't Ikaruga, but she is in TBOTE, to quote Happy, It's Erza!