A second chance was what she wanted so a second chance was what she, unknowingly, received. Last Ages was interrupted by none other than Natsu, causing-what was supposed to be a minute back- several years! Now, the young Ultear decides to right her wrongs, but not without the help of Natsu. Is it weird to grow a crush on your former enemy? Ultear sure hopes not. Natsu x Ultear.

This story is inspired by both dude932's "Last Ages" and shinji01kari's "Pink and Black goes well Together"

I honestly think I'm going to be the guy that only writes Natsu x Erza, Kagura and now Ultear. I might as well stop there. Three chicks are enough, right? Idk, I'll put a poll up or sumthin.

The beginning was hard as hell to write and a lot of it came from the idea of dudes's "Last Ages". I didn't steal anything, but you might see some of the same elements in it.

•••

Natsu's mind was at a blank.

He was cut, bruised, beat down, physically exhausted, mentally irritated ...and he was loving it.

There were dragons! Countless dragons flying in the sky! All wanting to fight!

But...they were trying to hurt his family, and were being controlled, so his love quickly died down. He couldn't let that happen. Despite seeing dozens and dozens of dragons (that he wanted to fight for fun), he knew that they meant harm and would kill any one of them without remorse. He would have to be serious. He would have to break whatever seal that prick Future Rogue is controlling them with, even if that meant doing killing. It was in the name of his title. Dragon Slayer.

As much as he didn't want it to come down to that, Igneel would understand. After all, he taught him the awesome magic! And if it could stop someone or something from hurting his friends, he would utilize it in a heartbeat.

His family wasn't the only thing on the line. There were other guilds (even the ones that didn't have Dragon Slayers). He believed in Gajeel, Wendy, Laxus, Sting and Rogue. They were Slayers! They would live up to their name and make their dragons proud. Wendy might need help, but that's what Gajeel's there for. Brothers protect their sisters and since he wasn't there, metal head would have to step up. Anyway, there were innocent civilians that could get hurt. Moms, dads, kids...kids.

He wouldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let anybody get hurt.

Despite his so-called love for fighting dragons, he was scared. Out of his mind actually. He didn't know how powerful any of them were. If they were anything like Igneel...let's just say the people of Crocus would not survive, him possibly included.

A godly roar broke the Salamander out of his stupor as he noticed the commodity that was just previously on his mind.

It was that dragon Rogue was riding-controlling. She was big, in a thick sense, whereas Igneel and Acnologia were smaller in size. Acnologia towered over both while Igneel wingspan easily trumped both.

Stopping his comparison between the two dragons and his father, Natsu huffed, fire spewing out from his mouth and nose. He needed to stop Rogue, the jerk who dared to brainwash his kin and force them to do something they don't (or did they? They're all weird.) The only way to stop him was to get as close as possible...which involved a lot of climbing.

"ARGH! I'm coming for you future jerk!" He howled. He looked up, searching for the tallest building he could find. Upon finding it, he smirked and used his fire to propel himself off the ground and onto its side. He forced his fingers in the tough brick and proceeded his way up.

It was a long and tough journey, but he made it up in record time. Impressed with himself, Natsu looked over the edge and whistled. "That would hurt."

"Natsu?"

"AAAGGH!" Natsu screamed, nearly tipping himself over the ledge. With a flinch, he fell, but he quickly grabbed the said ledge. He pulled himself back up, only to see a frightening sight.

Ultear was there, standing on her knees. Her face as well as her arms smudged in dirt. Her left arm cradled her right arm and her expression was one of exhaustion, obvious that she was recently in a battle or was injured hours ago. Evidently, she was in pain, but the physical aspect was not the reason for her unfallen tears.

"Ultear?!" He yelled, instantly by her side, supporting her so she could stand. She tried, but she had little to no feeling in her legs, making it somewhat impossible to do so. "What the hell happened?!"

He felt his blood boil when he seen clear droplets run down her eyes.

"It seems you were right..." She said, calmly, even more salty liquid forming in her beautiful red eyes.

"What the hell am I right about?" Natsu questioned a bit too roughly, but she didn't notice. He was still peeved at seeing her tears, something that he would never get over.

She looked over his face, examining him. He was tired too from the looks of it. He had already confronted a couple dragons before meeting the Time Mage and was instantly shot down. His goal at the time was still to reach Future Rogue, and multitasking wasn't his best subject. She started to worry. If the strongest man she knew that held the power to defeat dragons was exhausted, to the point of labored breathing showed that they might not stand a chance this time. There were others...but Natsu proved himself to be the most formidable.

"N-never mind..." Her eyelids shut. "The end is near." She muttered through gritted teeth.

Natsu stared at her. His eyes emotionless as she stared back, eyes widening during the process. Eventually, Natsu chuckled, earning her attention.

"What are you talking about?! Everyone's still fighting, including you and me!" He turned and extended his palm to show her what exactly was going on. Explosions, magic, ice, metal, sky, lightning, poison(?), shadow and white magic at every end of the city. They were having a tough time, but they were holding their own, which was enough to tell Natsu that they stood a chance.

He grinned when he saw his uncle take down an enemy dragon with a single roar. Sparks flying thanks the Hell Flame dragon. Natsu almost squealed. 'So cool!'

"B-but look at you! You're exhausted! And if the man trained slay dragons is exhausted by two mere dragons, it's obvious what's to come!" She tried to argue but the Dragon Slayer shot her down.

"Pshh." Natsu scoffed. "I might be tired, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop! Im'a stop when I drop! Even after that, I'm gonna get back up and kick ass!"

Ultear looked at him with unreadable eyes. She didn't know whether to have faith in the pinkette or just throw in the towel.

She knows when she's been beaten.

She squeezed her eyes once again. She didn't know what to do!

"Besides," His words made her peep back at him. "Laxus is way stronger than me. If anything, he's blasting dragons left and right!" As a demonstration, he threw a left and right jab in the air.

The Time Mage giggled lightly before realization of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "You always are the light of every situation..." She smiled. Natsu stood there confused. What did she mean by that?

"Unfortunately, this situation is as dark as ever..." She uttered, regret for something she will do filling her voice.

"What are you saying?" Natsu grumbled out. "Didn't you hear me? I said were gonna make it out of this!"

Her next words caused the already irritated Dragon Slayer to become alarmed of her actions.

"You will."

It was soft and under her breath, but he heard.

"Why are you counting yourself out?"

She looked up toward the pinkette, seeing the alarmed look on his features kinda scared her too, not that she would admit it- she wouldn't need to anyway.

She feared what was to come as well and it showed. She was visibly shaking as more tears escaped her red orbs; her vision was becoming blurry, signaling her unconscious state could occur at any moment. She sighed as she placed both her hands on the ground, ignoring Natsu's "What are you doing?"

It was now or never.

"There's a spell," She started, gaining every piece of Natsu's attention. "A spell...that can stop the catastrophe that stands before us." Natsu watched her calmly as she looked behind him, where the normally gorgeous night sky was being accompanied by dragons of every shape and size, all wreaking havoc amongst the city of Crocus.

"It's called Last Ages...I-it will allow me the ability to make the planet go back one minute. It's just enough time for this not to happen!"

"What's the catch?"

She said nothing, only gathering magic in her palms. Nervously avoiding eye contact, she tensed as an overwhelming power surrounded her.

"Ultear!" Natsu cried, irritated and questioning what she was doing.

Raising her arms as if she was stretching, she quickly slammed them on the building. What Natsu saw next would only make him question if it was his imagination or if he was really seeing magic the color of rainbow as it took off into the night sky. He shielded his eyes from the brightness, but slightly parted his fingers so he could still look. The sight was spectacular, but that didn't matter-the only thing that he was focused on was the purple haired woman in front of him.

"Ultear! What are you doing?!" He roared, growing weary of being ignored and ready to take charge.

"When this is all over and done with, I will most likely be no more." A small smile graced her pinkish lips. Natsu's eyes shot open faster than a gun. He screamed in terror, repeating "What the hell does that mean!", only to have the powerful force that was Ultear's magic block the sound. Said Mage twisted her head so she was facing him, so he could see her smile.

"It's only a small price to pay. I will gladly give my life to keep you alive."

The words hurt. His heart panged as a memory of Erza back in the tower showed up. How she willingly tried to, basically, commit suicide just to save him. Another memory being Gray, his prick of a best friend. He tried to sacrifice himself, just so he could save his comrades from Lyon. Natsu was immediately angered at the thoughts.

Why were people so willing to give their life?! So quick to give in?! They had people that loved and needed them for shits sake!

"I'm glad..." Her eyes became a beautiful waterfall, "I could do some good in my last moments. *Sniff* Please..." She tried to stop the waterworks, but to no avail. "Look after Meredy for me."

She received no answer, nor could she see him any longer, thanks to the paleness of her magic. She took the time to end the catastrophe. To stop the pain that's going on just meters away.

"Last Ages!"

And then she felt immense pain all over her body. Her skin burned, her insides were screaming to be let out, but she endured it. It was worth it. She's saving her frien-

"No!" A voice roared, startling her. Next thing Ultear knew, she was being squeezed by none other than Natsu, who held on to her waist tight. He could feel his body burn, a feeling he never thought he would feel before. He didn't care though. He wasn't here to protect himself.

"Natsu!" She screamed. "You idiot! What are you-"

"No! That's your job! We're getting out of this, so when that happens, you watch her your damn self!" Out of anger, he set himself on fire and increased it, trying to beat her spell with his magic. Life wasn't on his side today as his fire was instantly cancelled out, decreasing to where it only surrounded himself and Ultear.

Seeing a sudden bright light, both the pinkette and purplette roared in agony before Last Ages finally took effect.

'A second chance'

The birds chirped happily, playing tag in the air and dancing in sync. The cold air blew by swiftly, creating a wind mixed with the falling snow.

When Ultear woke up, she immediately felt weight on her waist and legs as well as freezing ice directly under her. Nothing seemed to register in her head as her mind was at a blank. The light grey sky kept her eyes distracted. When her mind began to wander back to her, she feared the worst.

'Am I dead?'

She shifted her head to crack her neck, only to see her hair bounce. She, apparently, had pigtails on-something she hadn't worn since she was a child. Her eyes shifted down to see herself in a purple dress that reached to her knees and, to what she guessed, her feet were bare, since her heels felt cold but everything else warm.

That was weird. She was lying on ice but she was warm?

She finally sat up to identify the mysterious pounds that lay on her lap. A mop of pink hair was what she saw so she laid back down, thinking blankly. She was still so confused to where she was. She felt like she was alive, if you could feel that. So did death give you the same feeling as if you were ali-

"Mmmhm." The pink hair groaned as she stretched her legs, disliking the change in positions.

"Sorry." She apologized, shifting her legs to their original spot.

The afterlife was not as bad as she thought. She expected it to be way quieter, but just enough noise to keep her sane. But overall, she would rate the place an eight out of-

Wait a second...pink hair?

She swiftly sat up, noticing the pink hair had a body. It wore a red sweater, going all the way to its waist. Yellow shorts reaching below his knees and brown shoes. With wide eyes, she lifted her knee- where the things neck was apparently- and saw a peacefully sleeping face. Her mouth quivered. The it wasn't actually an it. It was a he. It was Natsu!

Natsu smiled in his sleep, most likely dreaming of his lifelong goal of devouring the tasty and fiery looking sun. He groaned as his bed shifted. Hmm, that's weird. His bed felt like legs. And the thing rubbing against his stomach strangely felt like a pair of feet. That was okay, his gut was starting to feel really nice. Why would his bed turn into legs?

"Kyaaa!"

Natsu found his head buried in ice when he emerged from his sleep. His hair covered in snow. He dug his head out, an annoyed expression on his face.

"What's the big ide-wait." A question mark formed above his head. "You smell familiar." He continued to sniff the air and even starting to invade her personal space. "Your eyes are really pretty too!" Her eyes shot wide as her cheeks flared. Why is he saying things like that?

"Holy crap! You smell like Ultear, but you can't be. Ultear's wayyyyy older than you!" His voice was light and childlike. It suited him perfectly, well, because he was a kid now. Not that he knew that...yet.

Ultear felt a tick mark form on her head. What the heck did he mean by way older?

His expression changed when he thought of what happened before he slept. "Speaking of Ultear...sacrificing herself...idiot better be alive! Or I'm going drag her out the grave and make her join her guild again!" She looked at him like he was a maniac as he smashed his hand on his palm, emitting a flame much smaller than what he tried to create.

"What the heck?!" He yelled, immediately clamping his hands over his mouth once hearing his voice. 'What's wrong with my voice?!'

"Natsu?" The voice in front of him questioned, gaining his attention. "Is that really you?"

"Uhhh...yeahh...girl that smells like Ultear." He answered hesitantly. The second tick mark appeared on her head.

"Stupid!" She smacked the back of his head, sending him back into the cold ice, which melted upon his touch. "It's me!"

That perked him up.

"Ultr?!" He tried to speak through a mouth full of ice, which he immediately spit out. He bounced up and down in excitement. He grabbed her hand and pulled her in tight, earning a surprised "Eeep!"

He lifted her off the ground and squeezed her as tight as he could. "We made it!" He cheered, eventually making his cheek touch hers, much to her embarrassment.

"C-can you let me down!" She exclaimed, to which the pinkette obliged, but didn't stop celebrating.

Well, he stopped when he heard his voice again.

"What the heck! I sound like a kid!" He roared, obviously not liking the idea of sounding like Happy...

Okay, that was an exaggeration...maybe.

Ultear was studying herself as well. Her voice was lighter than usual too; she seemed to have shrunk to add on. Her clothes were that of her childhood, as well as her hairstyle. She massaged her temples to prevent the oncoming head ache. She had to think.

She intended to use Last Ages to go back a minute, and that was what would happen if there wasn't an interruption. Hade's reminded her all those years ago that an added increase in Magical Power could drastically expand the set time for the spell.

What increase of Magic Power caused this? She didn't add any more of her power, even after a Natsu-

Wait. Increase in magic that wasn't caused by her. She wasn't alone in the beam. Natsu jumped in, and exploded his magic, trying to burn her spell.

She groaned.

Crap.

"We went back in time." She said simply. Natsu raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "When you jumped in the spell, you used a tremendous amount of your power. I intended for it to take you back a minute, but your intrusion changed that. And for some reason, it bought me with you."

"Well, that's even better!" He grinned brightly. "If I had to go back in time with any one, it would be you!"

The sincerity in his voice shook her. She hardly knew the boy in front of her, and he was saying that he wouldn't want to go back in time with anyone else?

Did he envision this possibility beforehand?

"Why?" She asked, attempting to keep the tears- that so desperately wanted to fall- at bay.

"Because you said you wanted to correct your sins, to fix all the problems you caused from the past! Now's your chance! You can correct your wrongs!" He chanted, a happy smile on his face.

She remembered. All the suffering she caused. The pain she caused Meredy, Jellal and Fairy Tail. She had her chance to right them. She had gotten her wish.

"And I'll be with you! We can do this together!"

Then her tears fell. She had a chance to correct her sins and have Natsu to help and accompany her. Instead of starting off as his enemy, she could begin as his friend and ally.

"Besides, this could be fun!"

She had a slight height advantage over him, but that didn't stop her from pulling him into a tight squeeze like he gave her earlier. He was rammed into the crook of her neck roughly and now his nose hurt. She squeezed tighter, and it was then that he realized his oxygen was dissipating little by little.

"C-c-can't b-breathe!" He coughed out.

"Thank you!" She let him go for a quick second before squeezing him again, much to his displeasure. He felt tiny droplets fall on his sweater, and thought about asking if she was okay, but decided against it. Why would he do that when he could clearly feel her pretty smile press against his head? Despite the amazing feeling on the inside when thought of her smile, he still needed to breath.

•••

"Do you know what year it is?" He asked her after a while of walking. They decided to make headway several moments after their hug, which the purplette was deeply embarrassed of. They were just wandering, unknowing of where they're going, but they were okay with that. As long as they were near one another, that's what mattered.

"I was hoping you would know." She admitted, taking a look around her surroundings. They were still neighboring ice, much to their annoyance. But she did find out she could still use her Ice Make magic. Her Arc of Time on the other hand was no longer in her disposal.

He thought. Taking a look around, sniffing the air once or twice and finally looking down at his clothes and sniffing again. She raised a brow at his behavior.

"I can't add any more freakin power to my flames, the air tells me its spring time, and my clothes still smell like Igneel!"

"Your dragon?" She asked, nervousness creeping up on her. He first dragon encounter didn't go well, as you can tell.

"I would say its X775!" He concluded.

Ultear looked down, sadness and regret in her eyes. "I see."

Natsu looked over his shoulder to look at his new partner in crime. She was sad, that was a given. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but his gut told him not to. It wasn't the right time to ask, as it felt personal. She would come to him, that's how Mira was when Lisanna died anyway.

"It's okay-" He tried to wrap his arm around her shoulder but his arm could only go so far and it only went to the neck. He grumbled, irritated of the height difference.

The girl next to him giggled, causing him to crack half a smile. It was good that her mood was better, but the height really really pissed him off. He shrugged it off for the moment.

"Okay." He began, gaining her heed. "This is what's going to happen. Either we find that giant scaly prick or the bastard finds us. Either way, were gonna see him." She nodded her head in understanding.

"How long?" She asked out of curiosity.

"Any moment know...so I'm gonna hide." He replied, dead serious. He dug snow out the ground, creating a hole big enough for him to fit. Ultear sweat dropped at the boy that's usually fearless- actually being scared.

"I don't see why you need to hide. Isn't he your father? You should be astounded to see him."

Natsu shook his head. "I am, believe me. But he's gonna think that I wandered off and he's gonna kill me. Like the last time, I seen this giant monkey walk right past our den. The jerk saw me and didn't do squat but when he saw Igneel he decided that he needed a diaper and beat it. And I was like 'why the heck is the monkey scared of him and not me? Is it because he's red?!' So I chased him so I could teach him a lesson. I was gone for a day looking for the thing. When Igneel found out I left, he destroyed the freakin forest! When he found he flicked me to the forest on the other side of the freakin planet! Then he held me to a giant rock and-"

"That's enough!" Ultear screamed, no longer wanting to hear the story. "That did nothing but put a terrible image of you being tortured in mind."

Natsu nodded. "Sounds about right."

"I think we should find better shelter for now, so when he does find us-"

She stopped when she noticed Natsu, slowly retreating to the safety under the pile of snow.

Ultear groaned.

This was the idiot she was stuck with.

...

At least he was warm.

•••

Annd Prologue / Chapter 1 done! Been contemplating on doing this for a week now, and this time the idea never left. With my mind, it's pretty hard to keep one idea when you have a million others going through your head. Like I have a bunch of Natsu and Gray brotp ideas running wild. But it's cool, if you see one of those out; you've been warned ahead of time.

Anyway, please review. It would mean the world to me!