Hello again! Sorry it's taken me so long to put up another chapter for this story, but real life really takes it outta you sometimes, you know? Still, I apologize and hopefully this chapter makes up for my lateness. So, without further ado…

Disclaimer: In the first chapter.

Watchtower

"No way. I can't believe that." Wonder Woman responded to John's story, while sipping from her iced mocha. Ever since Flash had showed her just how wonderful they had tasted, she was instantly hooked. It hadn't been intentional, but the beverage was just one of the many delicacies in Man's world that she had slowly come to enjoy. But that wasn't what she was focusing on at the moment. Across the room, John Stewart was sipping his own beverage, coffee, which she wasn't too fond of. It was far too bitter for her taste. When she had awoken from her slumber, the Amazonian princess had readied herself in the female bathroom in the tower and had begun making her way towards the lounge room that housed her newfound obsession where she found the Green Lantern already awake and sipping his own beverage of choice. They exchanged the usual polite pleasantries, although their first encounter was still in the back of their minds as they said good morning to each other. The two had started off to a rocky start, but nevertheless the two respected each other regardless of where they each came from. Anyways, as the Wonder Woman got her iced mocha ready, she asked him what the details exactly were regarding the mission prior to her watchtower duty. She regretted it as she saw the pain in his face as it contorted at remembering whatever had happened yesterday. Quickly, Diana tried to take it back, but he stopped her and said it was okay. Soon enough, he begun to tell her the tale of what exactly happened and…well to say she was surprised was an understatement.

"You don't believe what? That robotic androids who were created by my bosses kidnapped me because they believed I destroyed a planet, that alien talking heads were my judges, that the Flash was my lawyer, or all of the above?" John chuckled, leaning back in his chair and grabbed ahold of his coffee to sip.

The Amazonian smiled as she responded, "All of the above for sure. But…to think that your own friends, brothers-in-arms, could believe that you killed all those innocent people. It just boggles my mind." She said, shaking her head. "I just…it's incredible. To think that aliens…the Manhunters, I mean, could do such a thing and think that they could get away with it." Diana shook her head at the thought. A smile than graced her lips. "I'm glad you're okay though, John."

John returned the smile. "Thanks. To tell you the truth, I almost gave into the pain. If it wasn't for the others, I-…" He stopped himself, lowering his head in regret. How could he be so foolish? Falling for such a ploy? Not only that…but his own grief had almost cost him two of his comrades lives in that damn trial. He made a mental note to thank everyone again for their efforts. Thinking about his new friends then unfortunately reminded him of his own old ones. He grimaced at remembering the pain he felt as he watched the Green Lanterns, his so called brothers, walk out of the courtroom before the verdict was even given. "Yeah…that was probably one of the toughest parts. But I'll get over it. Besides…" The man smiled. "After yesterday, I learned that I have other people I can count on now. Hell, even the little smartass too." That was perhaps the biggest shock to him.

"You mean, Salamander?" Diana asked, interested in particularly that part of the story.

John nodded. "Who else? Even he came to my aid when I most needed it. Hell, that's the part that boggles my mind. The guy doesn't seem like he cares for anyone's company, besides Captain Marvel."

Diana nodded to that. The Salamander had made it quite clear where he stood on the Justice League and it wasn't a particular positive one. However, perhaps she was wrong. He obviously held some decency if he came to the aid of John Stewart, a man who was almost convicted of crimes he did not commit. Maybe he had more layers than she initially thought. "So…what do you think about him now?" Wonder Woman asked, curious to see just what her other teammate thought about the young man.

Before answering, the Green Lantern took a sip of his coffee as he thought long and hard about the few instances he had dealt with the Salamander…and it didn't seem positive. He was reckless, held barely any regard for the rules, brash, had a mouth like a sailor (perhaps even worse), and above all, didn't care for anyone but himself…well, John supposed that wasn't entirely accurate. The Salamander seemed to hold at least some semblance of kindness for the other newbie, Captain Marvel. Other than that, the young man was cold, which was ironic considering his powers. Still…he helped him when he was in a tight spot. Threatened with imprisonment and death, the snarky punk still came to his aid. "Honestly…I'm torn both ways. I mean, I'm grateful for what the guy did for me. No question about that, but still. He just holds different values than me and he makes that perfectly clear with his stupid comments. He's…kind of like what Batman would be if he was more snarkier and less smart."

Diana nodded at that description of the man. He definitely seemed like the antisocial type, even with all his quips and replies he consistently gave. Beneath all that, she got the feeling that there was some kind of hatred and anger somewhere inside. The Salamander made it perfectly clear that he hated being on this team. Since day one, he had complained and joked about how stupid this idea was, which irritated her to no end, but the Amazonian suspected that there was something more to him. That this wasn't just the normal cynicism she had seen in Man's world. It was something more…it had to be. "Yes…I can definitely see that. Strange how it seems."

The thought was itching in the back of his head. Part of him knew he probably shouldn't be asking, but he'd be remiss if he missed the opportunity to ask. "Why so curious now? I got the impression you didn't much care for him. Are you…interested in him?" John asked quietly, rubbing his head at the awkward question he put forth. He knew it was stupid to ask, but Diana did seem more determined to coax the Salamander out of his shell than the rest.

Brought out of her thoughts, the Amazonian looked at the man and tilted her head in confusion. "Interested? Of course I'm interested. Why else would I be asking about him?"

The Green Lantern opened his mouth to respond, but ultimately decided to drop the subject. 'Forgot she came from another society…a manless society.' "Ah never mind." He waved his hand in an expressive way to signal he didn't want to know. Dropping his hand, he began to tap on the table, feeling the awkward quietness of the room now. "So umm…everything go fine last night?" John asked in an effort to fill the silence.

The Amazonian crossed her arms across her chest. "Nothing much really. Nothing at least the Justice League needed to get involved with." She sighed. "It was quite boring actually. Especially since the Salamander wasn't particularly fond of 'filling the silence' or so the term goes. We talked for a bit, but soon enough the silence returned." John coughed awkwardly at hearing that, causing Diana to give him a look of confusion once more. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"N-No, everything's fine! I just…I get what happened to you." The Green Lantern shook his head, remembering one of his watchtower duty sessions. "Ugh…just last week I was paired up with the other antisocial one, Batman. I tried talking to the guy a bunch of times about stuff; favorite sports team, movies, most interesting mission, wome-...err…" John stopped, remembering who was talking to. " …It was just one of the worst experiences of my life. And believe me, that's saying something." He said, shaking his head at the memory, while also hoping that the Amazonian wouldn't piece together what the other subject he tried talking to the Dark Knight about.

Wonder Woman nodded with a small smile, seemingly unfazed or ignorant to what John had almost said, which caused John to quietly sigh in relief. "That seems like something Batman would do. Although, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't completely similar to my own experience."

The green intergalactic detective raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh. How so?"

"Well, I tried to coax him to talk to me at first, but he refused to budge." She replied.

"Mmmm…I know that feeling." John muttered out, shaking his head again.

Lightly chuckling to herself, Diana continued, "But after a while, he finally talked to me and…I don't know. It was brief, but for a moment there…I saw someone else. Someone completely different from the bitter, crude exterior…and it was nice." She smiled, remembering their quick exchange before it ended just as quickly.

"Uh huh." John nodded. "And then what?"

The Amazonian's smile then began to drop. "Then…the silence came back. As soon as we began talking of our homes, he became quiet and angry again. No matter how much I tried to get him to talk to me, he wouldn't budge and I could tell my questions were beginning to irk him. So I stopped and that was that." She shook her head. She was so close! But still…felt so far.

Seeing the woman seem to berate herself internally, John said, "Hey, don't beat yourself up. Guys like him…they just don't really function like we do. One minute they're happy, and the next, right back to their normal angry attitude."

"But why? Why is he like this? How can someone like him, so young, feel a sense of bitterness so heavy that he resorts to being so foul-mouthed and snarky?" Diana asked, confused. She was baffled as to how someone could be like this. Perhaps it could be because of her upbringing, but it still confused and enraged her as to how the Salamander was acting.

Hearing her question, John shrugged. "That's the mystery. Why people like him act the way they do is always a mystery. It's up to people like therapists and friends to figure out that, and we're not either."

Diana's brow furrowed at his words. She was angry at hearing that, but he was right. The Amazonian wasn't a therapist (she wasn't exactly sure what that was, but she made a mental note to check out exactly what they were…perhaps some form of warrior?) as well as a friend. "Perhaps…for now." She muttered; a firm look of resolve and determination etched across her face as she grabbed ahold of iced mocha and exited the lounge room.

John's eyes followed the determined woman as she exited the room and blew out sigh. "Judging from the look on her face…I do not envy that guy…" He shook his head, grabbing ahold of his coffee and brought it to his lips to drink.

The Batcave

Nothing…hardly anything! He'd been working on this for days, but still he'd barely gotten any information on the mysterious warrior. Batman growled as he rubbed his chin in thought. Who was he? Where did he come from? How did he control his powers? NOTHING! Slamming his hands onto his keyboard, the Dark Knight breathed out a heavy sigh. He was tired. For days he'd been preoccupied not just on the Salamander, but on all the members of the Justice League. Those same questions he'd labeled for the Salamander, some still plagued some of the other league members. Some of their secret identities eluded him, but he would find them in due time. Still, he hated being in the dark…at least when it came to information that could possibly doom the world. His eyes lowered to look at the files he had laid across his table, filled with as much information as to what he knew about each member. It was an invasion of their privacy, yes obviously, but he didn't care. Anyone one of them could be a danger if they went rogue. Hell, even he was a danger to the world. The Dark Knight knew things that could destroy not only this world, but potential other ones as well. Still, he couldn't give up. He had to find out just who, what, where these people came from, and so on. Cracking his neck, Batman continued typing onto his keyboard as he resumed his investigation. He was so preoccupied with the batcomputer that he didn't even notice someone entering the batcave.

…Ok, that was a lie. Of course he knew someone was entering the batcave, but it wasn't a cause for alarm. After all, he had memorized the gait of this particular person's walk since he was a child. This man, perhaps the only man he could truly trust, was his oldest and closest confidant, Alfred Pennyworth. A wise old man dressed in his regular butler attire that never changed stepped forward beside the caped crusader and breathed a heavy sigh. "Still at it, Master Bruce? Why I can't even remember the last time I saw you so intent on figuring out a mystery. It's been days since you've rested, Sir. You need it."

"I'm fine." Batman replied, still typing vigorously onto his keyboard.

"Yes, indeed. Why just this morning on the news I heard an old woman tell the news reporter that someone had stolen her purse the night prior. After the robber had gone a full 3 feet, the notorious Batman stopped him…why if you were indeed as 'fine' as you say, Master Bruce, then the poor lad wouldn't have made it one step. My you are really starting to slip, aren't you, Master Bruce?" The butler said, dry British wit evident in his tone. Batman didn't respond and was still staring intently at the batcomputer. Alfred looks up and sees a description of a person. "Salamander? Why I didn't know you had taken up in the interest in amphibians, Sir." Alfred uttered, looking down at the man beside him. His eyes then caught several files next to his foster son, catching the names such as, The Flash, Superman, with others buried beneath each other. The British butler deduced just what the man had been up to and sighed. "Is this truly the way to begin fresh new friendships?"

"I don't have friends." Batman replied immediately.

Alfred then sighed once again, disappointed in the man. Giving one last glance to his foster child in the hopes he would listen to his wise advice, the caped crusader continued typing, not even sparing him a glance. With a final heaving sigh, Alfred patted his master softly and left him to his investigation. "So, that's the reason I never received any calls for sleepovers."

Hearing the gait of his foster father walk away, Batman stopped typing and began once again rubbing his chin in thought. His eyes went back to the files on his desk and pushed past to reveal a smaller, thinner file than the rest. "Salamander" it said. The man was a mystery. He barely found any shred of an identity on him. No ID, no birth certificate, no Social Security number, not even a damn DUI. The only thing he truly knew about the man was his whereabouts. Fawcett city. Other than that, Batman was in the dark…and he hated being in this particular branch of darkness. His eyes then went back to the next it. "Captain Marvel." He at least had more on him, but it was only by a slim margin. The two of them were enigmas that had to be unraveled. They would be soon enough. Sighing, Batman threw the two files onto his desk and looked at the time. 9:37 A.M. 'Almost time for the meeting at Wayne Industries.' Bruce thought to himself as he rubbed his forehead. He would get to the bottom of not only these two, but the rest of the team's background. Still the thoughts lingered in his mind as he made his way back up to his manor about just what he was dealing with…mostly regarding a particular dressed smart-alecky teen.

'Who are you?...'

Unknown

Ashes to ashes…

Dust to dust…

How long had he…when did…did it matter? Small flecks of dust and ash flickered across the dead trees, falling onto the ground, darkening it further. Gray clouds covered the sky, covered even more by the ash that plagued this old, dead forest. Step by step, he walked. He'd been walking for so long…he wanted to sleep. To rest. Why coul-

'Natsu…'

'Natsu…come…'

'….closer, Natsu…'

…Oh right. The whispers…he looked upwards, seeing the ashy, wispy forms of people he once knew….he once loved. No…still loved. Time had passed, but the feelings were the same…right? T-They had to be…right?

'Who are you talking to?'

'You're….'

'…alone, right?'

A wave of fear shot through him. This whisper…it wasn't them. It was…he began running. He had to! He couldn't let it catch him. Never again. His feet crunched against the broken pieces of wood that had fallen from the dead trees…they were lucky. His eyes glared enviously at them. Why couldn-

'Natsu…'

He wanted to scream at them. To say, "Leave me be!" But it would have no use. He couldn't even whisper his own name here. All he could do was…

'Run…' It whispered in his ear.

His feet carried him faster. He wanted to fight, but he couldn't. It was no use…nothing he did was of any use anymore. His breaths became heavier and heavier. Only in this place did he feel weak…feel vulnerable. Not out there…he couldn't. In that world…in any world, weakness would get you killed.

'Then why did you tell her…talk to her…?'

He was lonely…tired. He wanted…she reminded him of…love.

'We…ak…st…ill.'

A weak, small smile began to stretch across his lips. He could feel the whispers fade away. He was almost…almo-…he stopped.

No…no…NOONOONONNONONONONNONONONONONONONNONONONONONo! This was cheating! It couldn't….NO! He had to go back the way he came…he.

'Natsu…'

'…come….'

'Natsu…listen…'

No…he couldn't. Couldn't face them.

'Nat…su…'

Couldn't face it…

He turned back to where he was running…to where he was always headed…no matter what. His steps became slower, in the hopes of prolonging the inevitable. But time…was cruel bitch. Sooner or later, it took everything you loved…and it had.

He stopped…and looked down. Whose was it? Did he know them?...haha what a stupid question. Of course. Still, he couldn't read the inscription…did it matter though? He kneeled down tiredly, bowing his head causing his forehead to touch the ground. Sorry…that's what he wanted to say, but no words could escape here. Because they were worthless. Nothing he could say would change anything. Only actions changed things…but those always gave way to consequences.

'It gave birth…to me…after all…'

He could feel it behind him…breathing heavily. Why was it tired? It never got tired. Perhaps he was mocking him. It loved to do that.

'Such a pretty…beautiful woman…'

Was that who it belonged to? He supposed it would know. It spent most of its time here, after all.

'Natsu…run.'

Still they tried to help him? Why…why…?

'Run…run away…but to where…I…you…the same…always be with you…'

It's claws…dug into his back…his sins…crawling

'Nowhere to run…to hide…to pretend.'

Pretend? To be what?

'…hero…'

Ahh…of course. No worries there…how can you pretend to be something…when you don't believe in it. It chuckled right then. It's heartless, disgusting laughter. He hated it…him. Stop laughing…stop it! He wanted to ki-

'Promise me, Natsu. Promise me.'

It began to growl angrily at hearing that voice…hers. Even it felt the same anger then…the sadness. It hated to be reminded of it. His eyes began to linger on the object in front of him…was it…hers? It had been so long now…he still loved her…still loved them. Still I…

'Then why…did you…speak to HER…'

Who…Diana? He…he didn't…

'Liar…'

'Natsu…'

'…Run.'

How…he couldn't…he WOULDN'T leave her with that…it.

He still lov-

'Then WHY-'

He was getting angry…he could feel it seep into his skin. He knew what it was doing. How dare he…how dare he question his love for…how dare he. His fingers dug into the ashy ground beneath him…morphing…changing shape.

'Promise me, N-'

'SHUT UP!'

NO!

Full of anger and rage, his body began to turn until-

"Wake up! Salamander!" A voice cried out, causing him to wake up. His vision was blurry and he forgot just where he had fallen asleep, forcing him out of the seat he called a bed. Natsu let out a groan as his body collided with the floor, making the voice cry out in alarm. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay? I'm sorry, I di-" The voice stopped after seeing Natsu angrily put a hand up to stop their talking. Slowly, he pulled himself up as he got a better look as to who it…oh no. Diana. He could see everything on her face, the worriedness of hurting him…she looked so beau-

"What do you want?" He asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Taken slightly aback by his terse tone, Wonder Woman caught herself before she could reply back angrily. "I-I brought you an iced mocha. I noticed the last time we saw each other on here that you failed to get yourself one. So…here." She said, holding out the drink in the hopes the man would accept her olive branch, as well as her newfound addiction.

Natsu stared at the woman. Why was she being so nice to him? She hated him. It was obvious. Ever since Superman offered him a place and he rejected it, he could always sense the harsh looks the Amazonian sent his way. He didn't care though. "…I'm fine." The dragon slayer replied, sitting back down onto his seat.

Diana gave him an odd look. What was his problem? "I see. Well, I'll just leave it here then until you change your mind." She said, placing the beverage on the table next to them. Afterwards, she grabbed the nearest seat and placed it beside him once again. She heard him sigh, which slightly irked her, but she pushed through nonetheless. After all, she made a promise to Captain Marvel and an Amazonian's word was their bond. Especially one descended from royalty. Laying back in her seat, her eyes looked over to the man and saw him staring intently at the stars through the glass window in front of them. Looking at the stars and back to him, Diana asked, "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"…" Natsu didn't respond as he continued staring at the stars. He'd be lying if he said they weren't beautiful as close as they were. Beneath all his bitterness, the fire mage could still appreciate a nice view when he saw one…even though it hurt him to see this particular one. It wasn't fair…he didn't deserve chin tightened at his brain recalling particular memories he so dearly wished to be pushed back into the back of his mind once more. Otherwise, he knew his resolve would weaken once more and he'd open up once more, which he refused to do again. There was only one person he'd allow himself to fully open himself up to…and the Amazonian wasn't him.

Wonder Woman exhaled lightly through her nose at seeing another failed attempt to get the man to speak. Why was he making this so difficult? She had to know…she deserved to know! Sure they hadn't known each other long, but did she not deserve respect. Respected enough to at the very least warrant a conversation, if not to at least humor her. Was this man so rude and lazy that even that was too much for him?! She exhaled once again through her nose at remembering once again the promise she made. Like it or not, Wonder Woman had to work with the Salamander. They needed to trust one another. Otherwise, other vicious forces could use that lack of trust against the two…she knew no matter how much she didn't particularly like the man she could never betray a fellow member of the League. But him…who knew really? She barely knew anything about the guy. Still though, Diana wouldn't give up. An Amazonian never surrendered, after all. And regardless of how much irritation she would feel, Wonder Woman would break through this man's brash and rough exterior and reveal the true nature of what he was…what she saw the night before. A seemingly nice man…not that nice, but still that small sliver of decency she caught wind of during their brief exchange fascinated her, as well as angered her. Were all men so mysterious? Did all of them act nice, while hiding a darker nature? Or was it the opposite? Or perhaps…was it that this man was different than all the rest. Nevertheless though, Diana would get to the bottom of this mystery…

…with force if necessary.

Fawcett City

FINALLY!

After what felt like months, someone had finally arrived and Natsu had asked (not so nicely) to be dropped off somewhere in Fawcett. Obviously not near his house. He wasn't a fucking moron after all. Sure, he had given up the city that he lived in, but they would have found out eventually. If not them…then Batman would. Crawling in through the vent, he pushed aside the planks that housed his secret escape route and pulled himself upwards into his apartment. Batman, the renowned World's Greatest Detective. He knew the guy's reputation. He didn't live under a fucking rock, you know? Rumor had it that you gave the guy a paperclip and piece of scotch tape, then he could save the free world. A sardonic and harsh sigh escaped his lips as he took off his gear. Seriously? Where had all this hype come from? This was a guy that dresses up like a bat to solve crimes? The guy needed to be locked up in the nearest psychiatric ward. Obviously, this was the pot calling the kettle black, but Natsu at least knew his own psychological problems. "Whatever, fuck him…" He growled out, angry as to what he had decided to do next. The World's Greatest Detective…soon enough he would find out about his secret identity. The guy was a damn genius, far surpassing his own brain power for sure. Natsu wasn't the dullest knife in the shed, but he wasn't that sharp. But he wasn't worried about himself. He could take care of any problems himself if his identity was found out…but not Billy. The two were practically inseparable and if his own secret identity was found out, then surely the Dark Knight would put the pieces together and place Billy as the main culprit as Captain Marvel. The only thing he had to hold on to was the notion of a small boy yelling out one word and becoming a man on par with Superman's level of strength was pretty much preposterous…but that was small ledge to hold on to. Natsu's costume hid his identity pretty well, but…he looked upwards towards his particular shade of hair. Not many people had this shade of hair. At least not naturally of course. So…drastic measures had to be taken to hide it. But he hated hiding it. His hair, it was a part of him. It represented his attitude with the world. That he could give two shits about what anyone else thought about him and what he did…but he cared about Billy far more than his own personal beliefs. That kid…

…he meant the world to him.

So, drastic measures had to be taken. He hadn't done this in a while, but he still believed that he could do it. Slowly, he walked over to his bathroom. Perhaps, subconsciously, to prevent the inevitable decision he had reached. But nothing could stop him now. He had to do this. For Billy. Staring forward into his mirror, he saw himself…everything about him. The bags under his eyes, the tired grin, the ripped up scarf tied across his neck that was his most prized possession. He was different now. Far, far different than what he used to be. So…perhaps this drastic measure coincided with what he was doing. He was a different man…so a different look was perfect. Natsu took a couple deep breaths as he readied himself…he hated this. But still…he had to. Taking one last heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. It took a while, but he remembered the feeling of it…he hated it. Hiding what he truly was…it was the only way to survive now though. Finally, the magic dissipated and now all that was left was to see just how he looked…at what he had become. Slowly, he opened his eyes and he saw himself…he hated this. It was a small change yes, but still, it wasn't him. It wasn't who he entered the guild as, who his father cared for, who she fell in love with…he was a different man though now. So…

…this was his consequence.

It had been a while since they'd seen each other, so Natsu decided to take a trip over to Billy's house. Also, he wanted to gauge just how weird this new look was. True he was a child, but he held Billy's opinion over anyone else's so he had to know what he thought of it. Walking towards the house in his usual hoodie and trouser attire, after all why change what ain't broken…unless it was to keep someone you loved safe. Sighing, Natsu knocked on the door until he heard a young voice yell out, "I got it! I got it!" A smile, a genuine one, stretched out against the dragon slayer's face as he heard the young boy run down the stairs. Finally, the door was thrust open and he saw the young boy in a Star Wars shirt along with R2-D2 pajamas pants give him a smile until it dropped to give a more confused look as his eyes reached the teen's hair. "Wwwwwwhat the heck is up with your hair?" He asked pointing at the new shade of hair Natsu was sporting.

Charcoal black…that what he had down to his hair. Fitting he supposed, but still…this wasn't who he was. Was it stupid to be worked over about yes, but…this hair carried over memories that he wished dearly he could forget about…but he never would.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to take fashion advice from you?" Natsu snarked back, pointing out the boy's Star Wars attire.

Feeling offended, Billy annoyingly replied, "What? Star Wars is the coolest thing in the world! You even think so!"

Natsu nodded while rubbing his chin. "True, true. The fact remains though is that you still look nerdy." Billy just responded by sticking his tongue out and walked away, giving Natsu a chance to walk inside the house. "Is your Mom home?" He asked the boy, getting a no from him.

"She had to work. Normally she doesn't like leaving me by myself, but I told her you were stopping by." Billy said, sitting down on the couch in his living room and resumed the Star Wars film he was watching.

The dragon slayer was quite surprised to hear that his friend lied to his parents. Sitting down on the couch next to his young friend, Natsu raised his eyebrow as he questioned the boy, "You lied to your mom? My, I really am becoming a bad influence on you, aren't I?" He chuckled to himself.

Billy shook his head, while still keeping eye contact with the television. "Who said I was lying? You're here, so that shows I'm right. So, I didn't lie."

"And just how, oh wise child, did you know I was coming? Didn't know fortune telling was part of your array of superpowers." The fire mage grinned, leaning his arm against the head of the couch.

Shaking his head, a sudden smile sprung up between Billy's mouth, as if they boy was reliving past memories inside of his mind. "You always come here. Ever since we met…you've always come, so why stop now?" Afterwards, the boy leaned forward as he stared intently with a wild grin at the intense space battle that was ensuing on the screen before him. As for the dragon slayer, the grin has slowly waned, but had not completely dissipated from the teen's face. It was true. It hadn't happened immediately, but shortly after their first encounter, the two of them had quickly become inseparable. To this day Natsu still didn't completely understand why. After all, the two were on completely different ends of the spectrum; one an optimist, while the other a cynic. Still, both optimist and cynic still became close, balancing each other out. Yin and Yang. Making carefully sure that each one never went too far one way, while keeping the other safe from harm. That was the this friendship worked…

Friends…?

Why, why did he continue this? Why Billy? Why continue this fantasy that was friendship?

Friendship is power…

What a load of horseshit…

Biting back his cynical feelings, Natsu sat back and faced the television, watching the "heroes" of the film combat the evil that plagued their galaxy. The dragon slayer did rather like this story. A story filled with wonderment, love, revenge…redemption.

Natsu chuckled humorlessly. A man who fell deep into the abyss because he feared he'd lose the one he loved…surrendered himself to the dark side to save his beloved. To keep his unborn children alive. But he failed. She died, even after his sacrifice, until he was finally redeemed by his son. A young optimistic boy who realized that there was still...hope. A chance to redeem his father from his evil ways. The cynic's eyes flickered towards his friend, lingering for just a few moments before shaking his head. Art did not imitate real life. This was just a work of fiction. A story like this…was like a fairy tale.

And those were also a load of horseshit…

"Pretty cool, huh?" Billy asked, sitting back as the amazing space battle subsided and the boy let out a breath of exhilaration.

A flicker of a smile stretched across Natsu's mouth before he responded, "Yeah…cool."

Fairy tales often were…

Not even a full week had passed since their last mission together. It had to be a fucking joke! How often were people gonna try to destroy the world?! Honestly, it was a fucking mystery that continued to evade the dragon slayer, but still he could not avoid this mission because of one simple reason…

"WHOOOOOO! Mission time with the Justice League crew! Time to save some crew members from underneath the ocean!" Captain Marvel screamed jovially inside the JL spaceship that was quickly diving deeper and deeper into the blue abyss, raising his hands above his head.

…A damn kid with a hero complex.

Natsu sighed tiredly and sickly as he felt the ship swerve roughly through the various canyons that lingered throughout the deep beneath the ocean. Another rough turn caused the dragon slayer to nearly hurl his breakfast onto the interior of the ship. One could ask just why in hell would a guy who had terrible motion sickness be in a ship delving deeper and deeper into the ocean abyss.

Well…this is how it happened.

Flashback

Before any of the hell started beneath the blue abyss, both Natsu and Billy were relaxing inside of the young boy's room. It wasn't a particularly large room, but there was still plenty of room for the young child. Strewn across his walls were pictures of various heroes, both super and normal. Littering his floors though were numerous action figures of superheroes, most being the iconic Superman. Billy was on his bed reading various comics that were strewn across his bedsheets, while Natsu was perusing his favorite website on the web. "You better not be looking at something naughty on my computer again. My Mom said she'd murder you if she caught wind of the history on my computer and she saw-"

Natsu slammed his fist on the desk. "One time! It was one time and that was because I was curious about something. Not my fault the most popular site on the internet is po-"

"LALALALALALA! I can't hear you!" Billy yelled, covering his ears to avoid hearing a potential bad word that could get him grounded.

The dragon slayer just rolled his eyes as he turned back to the computer screen and checked back to see if his fellow conspirator had responded yet…yes, you heard that right. Conspirator. Yes, Natsu was a conspiracy theorist. Don't be confused though, it wasn't like he actually believed most of the crazy things people blogged about on this website. He mostly got a kick out of seeing some of the various idiotic things people came up with by their supposed "gut feelings." However, there was one man on this site that caught his eye. Someone that actually stood above some of the moronic ideas that some of the other conspirators on the site wrote about. The strange thing was that the mysterious blogger wasn't particularly popular throughout the site. Probably because he didn't blog about big level shit like, "Who shot Kennedy?", or "Was the Moon Landing a Hoax?", etc. This guy happened to blog about stuff like…

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Really? Boy bands and Girl Scouts are connected?

NoFace?: Yes. Through the sugary snacks sold by the Girl Scouts, the brands that support those scouts also endorse various boy bands. So, through seeing those brands that also belong to boy bands whilst eating those delicious snacks, it tricks the consumer's brains into thinking that the boy band's that belong to those endorsers are also good. Therefore, when girl scout sales are up, then you also see tickets of boy bands also shoot up.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …That's a pretty weak correlation, dude. How the do you really know if there really is a relationship between the two variables?

NoFace?: A gut feeling.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: I swear, if you ever say something as cliché or stupid like that I'm gonna find you and kick your ass.

NoFace?: Couldn't even if you tried.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Probably right. Too lazy to do any of that…

NoFace?: Truly you are a disappointing pupil if you give up that easily when challenged.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: The fuck said I was your pupil?

NoFace?: I did. Didn't you see my earlier reply?

Natsu rubbed his forehead in exasperation. It was seriously hard to convey sarcasm and tone through messaging.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: It's sarcasm, genius.

NoFace?: Why thank you. My IQ is definitely higher than the average human's.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …

NoFace?: Are you still connected? Or did the government finally track you down? If so, please terminate connections immediately.

Natsu slammed his fist into his forehead annoyingly before he responded.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: I wasn't tracked down by any government. If anyone is being hunted down by the government, it's probably you.

NoFace?: Not this government.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …So you're saying that other governments are tracking you down?

NoFace?: That's classified.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Yeah, whatever.

NoFace?: So did you hear?

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: What? That our Earth is slowly dying through various climate changes and no one is doing shit?

NoFace?: Old news. I was talking about the downed submarine that was taken down by secret aquatic life that hides their existence through magical properties beneath the ocean.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …

NoFace?: Are you still connected? Or did the government finally track you down? If so, please terminate connections immediately.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: WOULD YOU QUIT TYPIN' THAT! Obviously I'm still online if I type "…" I'm just baffled by your idiotic theory. I mean, what? Is Ariel the Little Mermaid pissed off that she couldn't get that boy toy of hers?

NoFace?: Nonsense. Ariel died 3000 years ago. Disney merely buried the evidence so her descendants couldn't receive any of the rights or financial gain.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …why do I keep talking to you?

NoFace?: Because you're bored like of me of this world and want to unravel it's mysteries and the lies that have been told for centuries.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: …Eh, you're half right. So, tell me about the pissed off secret aquatic life then.

NoFace?: Apparently, there was a submarine filled with nuclear armaments, and whilst it was moving to its secret destination, and was suddenly attacked by the secret aquatic life, "Mer-people", as I choose to call them.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Mer-people?

NoFace?: Yes, after all there not only men, but also women and perhaps a combination of the two. It bodes well to be politically correct in this world.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Well, I can at least agree with you there, so-

Suddenly, as Natsu was typing, a familiar voice rang out inside of his mind. 'Hello again, Salamander. Do not be alarmed. I am not looking through your mind to see your identity. I am merely informing you that mission is being commenced and your assistance, as well as Captain Marvel's has been requested by two of the three members that will be partaking in the mission.' Oh, you had to be fucking kidding me…couldn't he at least have one full cocksucking week off?! Turning his head, he sighed at seeing the beaming smile Billy was giving him. And worse…

…it was a Friday. His mother and father were away…he was alone with him…oh no.

"OOOOOOOOOH YES! C'mon, Natsu, let's go save the world!" The jubilant boy screamed out, racing out of his room, leaving an angry dragon slayer behind.

"Ugh…" Natsu growled out, swerving his chair to look back at the computer screen.

SnarkyAssholeDragon777: Well, I can at least agree with you there. Listen, gotta head out. Stupid work is calling me. Good luck with your "Mer-people" theory. As for me, gonna be a long day.

After that, Natsu closed the site. It wasn't rude suddenly leaving the conversation like that. The guy, or girl, never responded to after he said goodbye. Probably thought it was cool to leave the conversation without saying goodbye. Nevertheless, that didn't matter right now. What did…was making this comment. "Billy…you're wearing your pajamas…" A smile grew wider as he heard the boy yell out in anger and embarrassment as his footsteps thundered back upwards towards his room.

After that, Natsu raced back, or slowly walked…shit, he wasn't in any hurry to see those people, and put on his outfit before Captain Marvel picked him up and they went to their designated spot in the city where J'onn told them they would be picked up. Surrounding them was a flurry of dense trees, outside the city limits. Perfect spot to be picked up incognito. Whilst they waited, Natsu shook his head in irritation. "This is bullshit…"

Hearing his friend swearing inappropriately, Billy turned with his mouth open in shock. "LANGUAGE!"

Exasperated, the dragon slayer threw up his hands in anger. "Oh come on, Bi-err-Cap! Not only are wasting our Friday on a stupid mission…no, that's it! We're wasting our Friday on a stupid mission! C'mon, they haven't even told us what it's about, but they just expect us to open up our schedules like it's no big deal just to placate them. It's bullshit!"

Captain Marvel merely shook his head in disappointment towards the cynical man. "It's not that at all. We're devoting our time to bettering the lives of individuals in need. How can you say that's a waste of time?"

"Like this: it's a waste of t-" Suddenly, Natsu was interrupted by the sound of a roaring engine. It was still a ways off, but his heightened senses had caught wind of it still. "…time." Sighing, he moved his head upwards to see the JL space jet slowly descend in the open area, the strong winds blowing hard which caused numerous leaves to be blown off of their respective branches.

Captain Marvel, feeling particular excited for his first official mission, hopped in joy as the jet touched the ground and the bay door was slowly beginning to open. "Oh boy! Oh boy! Who do you thing we're working with today? Oh I hope Superman is with us! I wanna show him my new moves!"

The Salamander raised his brow behind his mask, "What new moves? You training without me?"

Shaking his head, the boyish man replied, "Course not! I just haven't shown him all my moves yet. So, by that logic, that means most of my moves are new!" He said with a smile.

Natsu rolled his eyes at hearing that. "Brilliant deduction there, Sherlock."

"Thank you!" The captain of thunder replied with a cocky smile.

'Huh…guess 'NoFace?' isn't the only one incapable of understanding sarcasm.' Natsu thought as he and Captain Marvel slowly walked towards the ship and through the bay door. He sniffed the air, getting a clear vision of who was on board. The dragon slayer made careful sure to memorize all of their particular scents lest anybody morph their bodies to look like any of the Justice League. Never could be too careful. He smelled…Superman. Billy would be happy to see that…Green Lantern. Good guy…after last mission, he could tell that beyond the large stick up his ass he was pretty powerful. There was one more… it was-…oh no. Fuck…oh anybody…anybody but-

"Wonder Woman! Green Lantern! OH Superman! Yes! I was hoping you'd be here too!" Captain marvel beamed, shooting forward to shake everyone's hand, while also making careful sure to focus heavily on the blue boy scout. All the color drained from Natsu's face as he saw the smiling face of the Amazonian staring at his one and only friend. Don't look…maybe he could leave quickly. No…then he'd be leaving Billy behind. He could never do that. Then…maybe- "Salamander, come on! Sit down! We have to go!" His friend yelled at him, breaking him out of his thoughts. Shaking his head, he could see her eyeing him, studying him…as if he was some sort of puzzle she was trying to carefully piece together. Try all she might…he refused to give her any more clues. Blowing out a small flame, Natsu took his seat in the back of the cruiser and made careful sure to buckle up as- "Hey, what are you doing back there?" The boyish man asked, quickly zooming over to Natsu and picked him up to place him in a seat next to the members of the Justice League. "There, now you're next to your friends!" Captain Marvel said with a smile, as he sat back down onto his own seat. Wonder Woman gave a snort of derision as she heard the man's words as she began starting the plane. "You ok, Wonder Woman?" Captain Marvel asked with a look of confusion.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied with a smile to him, a warm genuine smile. "Thank you for asking." The Amazonian then turned back as the ship took flight and everyone was shoved slightly aback as the thrusters took effect.

"Hurgh…" Natsu groaned out, feeling his motion sickness take effect as well.

"Motion sickness, right?" John asked him, pointing to his stomach.

"No…I just-" Before he could give a snappy response back, the jets suddenly shot them even more forward, causing Natsu to nearly blow chunks over the floor.

"Wow, Diana! I know we're in a hurry, but you need to be delicate with the controls." Superman told the Amazonian with worried look on his face.

"Sorry, Superman. Still just a little new to this technology." Diana apologized, never losing eyesight with the sky in front of her.

"Ugh…try to be a little more caref-URGH!" The Salamander groaned out, covering his mouth as the ship suddenly dived downwards roughly into the ocean.

"Diana!" Superman shouted to her.

"Sorry." She immediately replied, gripping the controls tighter as the Amazon princess tried to keep the ship steady.

"You ok?" John asked him, giving him a raised eyebrow.

"…Mind your own business…" Natsu growled out, strapping himself in tight.

John just shook his head as he stared out the window. "Fine, forget I asked then."

As the ship delved deeper into the ocean, Captain Marvel tapped his friend on the shoulder from the seat behind him. "Everything ok?" He asked worryingly, his eyes full of confusion.

Seeking to dissolve that confusion to alleviate his friend's stress, Natsu breathed out a sigh and replied, "…Yeah, it's-Hurgh! F-Fine." Another sudden turn…. Slamming his head on the head rest behind him, Natsu tried to transport himself to another place, but was continuously driven out by the fuming Amazonian's rough driving.

Sigh…today really was going to be a long day.

End of Flashback

And that was that. That was how the sickly dragon slayer found himself to be in this mess. Every second he was on this ship, Natsu felt himself die more and more inside. Groaning to himself, a part of him wondered if the Amazon was partly doing this on purpose. To be honest, he could hardly blame her if she was. No matter how nice she was, Natsu continually spurred her kind advances. Unbeknownst to her though, he had a good reason, though she'd probably never understand. Niceties and optimistic beliefs would only end up hurting yourself in the end…and possibly worse, someone you loved.

…The worse possible consequence.

So, better to not have anyone you loved, right?

"Wow! Look, Salamander, the wildlife down here is astounding!" Billy shouted out, pointing out the strange-glowing jellyfish along with the oddly-formed crustaceans near the bottom of the reef.

…He really wished he could follow his own advice right now though…

Smiling back at the boyish man, Natsu grinned. "Think we should take one home?"

Captain Marvel shook his head. "Nah…something tells me feeding these particular breeds would be hard, as well as expensive."

Hearing their conversation, Superman chimed in, "Do you like aquatic life, Mr. Marvel?"

The boyish man jumped slightly at hearing his idol call upon his heroic secret identity. "Y-Yes, Superman! Not just fish though, d-dogs, cats, lions…any kind of animal really."

The Kryptonian smiled at hearing that. "Well, maybe one of these days I could give you a tour of my secret zoo in my fortress. There's animals that no one has seen for centuries out in the galaxy. Would you be in-"

"YES! Err…I mean, I would be honored, sir." Billy said, grinning happily.

"Nice save." John chuckled, getting Captain Marvel to blush embarrassingly. Seeing his friend so embarrassed, Natsu couldn't help but grin. Suddenly, the ship took a sharp turn to the left, causing most of the people inside to jerk leftwards harshly.

"We've got company!" The Kryptonian shouted, pointing to a large ship ahead of them, which began firing missiles towards their own ship.

"Not for long!" Diana growled, veering the ship sharply downwards, narrowly avoiding said missiles.

"What the heck is another ship doing down here?!" Captain Marvel yelled out.

"I don't know, but something tells me we shouldn't stick around to find out." John replied.

"S-Seconded." Natsu murmured, still recovering from the other sharp turns Diana was continuing to do to avoid the large ship's advances. Accelerating further, the Amazonian cruised the ship into a trench below in the hopes of losing the ship. The large ship then fired several more missiles, causing Diana to take evasive actions. She growled angrily to herself, this being her first firefight in a ship, while simultaneously being her first time fighting below the ocean. She couldn't lose…she was a warrior! Looking ahead, the Amazonian princess saw two curved arches…far too small for any large ship to fit through. Smirking, Diana accelerated the ship further towards the arches. The large ship, in an effort to apprehend the intruders, tried driving through the arches, but ended up failing as their own ship crashed through one of the arches and ended up getting stuck in the other one.

"Lost 'em! Heh, good job, Princess." The Green Lantern smiled, giving the Amazonian a nod.

Unbeknownst to the crew though, another large ship then popped up in front of them, blocking the way. "You were saying?" Superman asked with a raised eyebrow. The Amazonian sighed and sharply veered to the right, avoiding a second large ship. Shaking his head, the blue boy scout unbuckled his seat belt as he opened up a hatch above his seat.

"What are you doing?" Captain Marvel asked, seeing his hero grab an oxygen mask from the hatch.

"Doing what I do best. Those sailors don't stand a chance if we keep playing cat and mouse. Come on." He replied to the captain of thunder, throwing the rest of his team oxygen masks. Getting the message, Captain Marvel nodded as he and the other two heroes unbuckled their seat belts. Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern, and Superman then quickly opened up the hatch as they quickly exited the ship as the water began flooding in. Seeing his heroes on the move, Billy ran to join them before-

"AHEM!" A voice rang out. Billy then stopped immediately as a blush forced its way up his face. A quirky, embarrassed smile formed on his face as he looked back towards his seasick friend still buckled as water began filling up the ship. He then quickly ran back towards his friend as he began unbuckling Natsu's seatbelt, seeing a deadpan stare on his face.

"I didn't forget you!" The boyish man rang out inside the flooding ship, blushing cheeks still evident on his face.

"Mmmhmm…" Natsu murmured, the deadpan stare still on his face. His seatbelt unbuckled, Billy quickly grabbed him and placed their oxygen masks on as they both escaped the ship, just barely avoiding an incoming missile towards the ship. As the two escaped, they then saw the other three heroes fighting the large two ships that had ambushed their own. One of the ships cannons quickly locked onto the three heroes and began firing towards them. In an effort to protect her comrades, Diana used her bracelets to deflect the oncoming laser bullets, giving Superman a chance to punch through the laser cannon and dislodge it from the ship. Quickly afterwards, John then fired his ring, creating a laser which carved through the hull underneath of the ship and forcing it to slowly fill with water. Piggybacking on his efforts, both Superman and Wonder Woman swam to opposite sides of the ship and pushed with their superior strength, forcing the ship to slowly close in on it while bot completely crushing so as to allow any of the enemies aboard to escape. Finally, the two stopped, dropping the ship and allowing it to fall towards the ocean floor.

"Ummm…" Billy muttered.

"What?" The dragon slayer asked.

"Your powers…how're you gonna…" He continued his thought, still not completely finishing it.

What? What the heck was he trying to say? The fire mage…oh…fire. Fire…water…ahh. There was the dilemma. "…Crap." Natsu muttered out, an annoyed look on his face. Welp…looks like it was time for plan B. "Billy…shall we these wannabes how it's done?" He whispered to him, getting a beaming smile from the jubilant boy.

"You mean it? Oh boy! I'm so excited. LET'S DO THIS!" He shouted out, putting the dragon slayer onto his back. Captain Marvel then shot himself forward, charging like a speeding bullet towards the second ship. The ship then turned its cannons towards the two, but failed to land even one blow onto either of their bodies. Quickly, the captain of thunder, charging himself with as much electricity as he could allow, zoomed underneath the cannon, allowing Natsu to fire a single electric punch onto the cannon, causing it to not only break it, but also to discharge the entire ship's power as well. "Not done yet!" the hero in red shouted out, continuously zooming back and forth towards the hull of the ship, both him and his friend hammering punches upon punches filled with electrical power. The ship, slowly being hammered and drained of its power, also began to fall towards the ocean floor, but not before the big finale. "One more!" Billy shouted out, shooting upwards and stopping just above the falling ship. "Ready?" He asked his just as eager friend.

The dragon slayer smirked. "Course I am… Lightning Dragon's…" Both smiling, Captain Marvel made sure that his friend was holding on to his cape tightly as he shot them both forward, both charging up one final attack, and shot forward simultaneously, firing fists of thunder onto the ship. "…FIRING HAMMER!" The mage roared, forcing a large electrical discharge along with a humongous hole to form from the combined efforts of the two. Finally, the ship quickly fell just like the other and crashed downwards onto the ocean floor.

"Well, I'll be…" John murmured, shocked to see such destructive power from the two. "Something tell me that the guy in red could probably give you a run for your money, Superman." He said, a smirk forming as he gave the Kryptonian a look.

Superman rubbed his chin. "Maybe. It's a good thing he's on our side, right?"

John nodded in response.

Diana, however, kept her eyes glued to the two. They were amazing…the two of them. Both working in unison, watching each other's backs. Neither of the two seemed like they were trying too hard, but the power…both of theirs…simply amazing. And their smiles. They enjoyed it. Even now, they were beaming at the other, giving each other what she had realized to be called a "high-five." Friends. That's what they were. Even if he denied it, the Salamander, that bastard, though of his large, boisterous companion in red that way. So why…why was he so cruel to her advances? Why-suddenly, movement from below caught her eyes. Not just hers though.

"What the…" John asked in shock, seeing several men swim out from the falling ships, wearing strange gray armor. 'These aren't ordinary soldiers…' They couldn't be. Their tech was something that the man had never seen before on the surface…perhaps because…it didn't exist on the surface.

"Whoa! This is seriously freaky!" Captain Marvel murmured to his friends, having swam back after seeing the enemy soldiers begin to swim out of their destroyed ships.

Natsu continued staring down below. A strange thought suddenly sprung up as he watched the armored enemies swim out, fluidly he might add. No joke intended. Their movements were something he had never seen before. As if swimming beneath the ocean was something as akin to walking for him. How… 'Apparently, there was a submarine filled with nuclear armaments…' Submarine? His eyes slowly flickered downwards…there it was…just below them. But…wasn't their mission just to rescue some downed survivors from a…submarine. No…he couldn't have…that was impossible. But…his eyes flickered towards the swimming soldiers. '…and whilst it was moving to its secret destination, and was suddenly attacked by the secret aquatic life…' No…

"Halt!" A loud voice rang out in front of the five, forcing them all to turn their heads upwards to see even more enemies clad in gray armor riding strange machines beneath them and another large ship behind them. But that wasn't what their eyes were glued to. No, their eyes were glued to the man riding the even bigger car-like machine. A huge, muscled man with long blonde hair and beard, clad in green and gold armor with a large tri-pointed trident stopped in front of them with an angry look on his face. "You've violated the sovereign borders of Atlantis. Leave at once, or you will be destroyed." He growled, pointing his trident towards the five.

Oh…what? No, no way. He couldn't…he couldn't be righ- '"Mer-people", as I choose to call them.' No…

Superman, in an effort to placate the ruler of Atlantis, raised his arms in the air. "I'm sorry. We apologi-"

"WHOA! Atlantis is real! Salamander, did you hear?!" The boyish man grinned with glee, tapping the awestruck dragon slayer who was still recovering from a supposed conspiracy theorist being proven right. He then turned towards the king of Atlantis. "Wow, so are you like the king of all mermaids? Wait, is that what you're called? I mean, I understand why the girls would be called that, but-wait! Where are your tails? Does nobody have tails here? Wh-"

"SILENCE!" Aquaman shouted out, slamming his trident onto his speeder. "Enough of your talking. I will not repeat myself again. Remove yourself from my land, or I will remove you myself." He growled, his fingers tightening around the pole of his trident.

Natsu growled at the man's threat, but looked around to see that they were vastly outnumbered. If they did end up in a fight, there wasn't a doubt in his mind he'd get out of it fine…but Billy… 'Stay calm.' He took a deep breath to calm himself. First priority was keeping him safe…nothing else.

Superman raised his arms once again in a plea of forgiveness. "I'm sorry, but we're just responding to a call for help." He said, pointing down towards the crashed submarine.

Following his finger, the king of Atlantis lowered his eyes to look down at the fallen submarine. He shook his head in contempt for the souls trapped inside. "It was their fault. They should have stood on the surface where they belonged…like you should have." A growl emanated from his mouth as he gave the five a harsh glare.

"Please." Wonder Woman uttered out, holding out in her hands. "The men on board. They'll drown. Surely you don't want the lives of those men, whom probably have families that are worried about them, weighing down on your conscious, do you?"

Aquaman raised an eyebrow towards the woman. Why should he care about the lives of surface dwellers? Surely they held no love for the lives of his own people…of his own family. Flashes of images envisioned inside of the king of Atlantis' head at the thought of his wife and his son. The king shook his head once again. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "Take the crew. The vessel stays." Truly, his family was making him soft, but the thought of losing either of his beloved family scared the king more than he'd like to admit. Even if he hated the surface dwellers, that was a fate he wouldn't wish on anyone.

Unfortunately, his kind act was undermined by the Green Lantern's dismissal. "No way. That's a nuclear sub." John growled, pushing Superman out of the way as he stared towards the glaring king of Atlantis. "If you think we're just going to stand there and leave it-" His words were stopped as the pointed edges of a trident stopped near the man's neck. John down at how close he was to being impaled and looked up towards the scowling king.

"Who said you had a choice?" Aquaman snarled, making carefully sure his words enunciated his message towards the surface dweller. A small smile formed as he saw the Green Lantern's eyes glow green. Fine, he wanted a fight? Then so-

"Wait!" Captain Marvel yelled out, rushing to the middle of the scowling men. Natsu's eyes widened as he saw his friend get in the middle of the men who looked just about ready to eviscerate one another and cursed his lacking reflexes. Truly, years of slacking in his training were beginning to catch up with him. That had to be rectified soon enough before…he shook his head. As he was about to swim towards his friend, Superman grabbed ahold as Natsu snarled towards his direction for stopping him from protecting his optimistic companion. Suddenly, he pointed upwards, forcing the fire mage to look up to see dozens of the armored squadron aiming their weapon towards the five…at Billy. Another low growl emanated from himself as he saw the guns pointed at his friend. If they fired…he knew his limits. His fire wouldn't be able to propel him fast enough to protect his friend.

'Damn it…'

"We have to trust him." Superman whispered towards the dragon slayer, just as angry at seeing one of his newest friends being unknowingly threatened. But they needed to wait before acting rashly. Otherwise, no one would come out of this battle a winner.

Captain Marvel raised his hands towards the king of Atlantis in a friendly manner. "Hiya! My name's Captain Marvel and these are my friends." He smiled, waving his hands towards the five of his friends.

"I don't care." Aquaman glared at the boyish man, getting a low snarl from the oddly dressed man behind Captain Marvel.

A small bead of sweat came falling down the boyish man's head. 'Hehe…guess he's not really friendly, is he?' He silently gulped down his small fear and continued. "I'm sorry, we got off on the wrong foot, but right now time is out enemy. Right now, down there in that sub there are people who need our help, and as heroes, it's our duty to save them. I know you likely don't care for our kind, but…surely the deaths of those souls are not what you wish, right?" Billy said to the king. "I'm sorry for our trespassing and for my friend's rude actions, but there is no need to fight. We came here to save those people and you want us gone. So, there's no need to fight! Please forgive us and allow us to assist those poor souls and I promise to leave just as quickly as we came." Captain Marvel lightly bowed towards the king of Atlantis, getting a raised eyebrow from him.

Thinking to himself, Aquaman stroked his beard several times before answering, "Fine, I will overlook this slight." Billy smiled at hearing that before he finished with one final line. "But just this once. If any of you return to my land, I promise you a swift and merciless defeat, do you understand?" He growled towards the man.

Billy gulped down as he shakily nodded. "Y-Yeah. I mean, yes, Your Highness. Thank you." Backing away from the king, he then turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up.

John, however, was still averse to this deal and opened his mouth to object. "But there's still-"

"I know, John." Superman interrupted. "I know, but right now those people need our help and that takes priority." He said, swimming down towards the downed sub. They had wasted enough time with the Atlantians. Right now, people needed to be saved, and regardless of the nuclear material being left behind, he would do what was right. John sighed with an angry huff before following along with Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, leaving behind a scowling dragon slayer staring at the king of Atlantis.

Aquaman returned that scowl with equally fueled aggression. "Something to say, boy? I recommend you keep whatever you're about to say and shove it down your throat…or my trident will do if for you." He gripped his iconic weapon with a harsh glare. The boy continued scowling for several more seconds before finally scoffing and swimming down with the other surface dwellers.

Quickly he caught up to the rest as he entered into the submarine. Scared faces…no that wasn't right. They were initially scared, but seeing him, as well as his friends enter inside, they suddenly turned into…hopeful looks. Hope…hehe for him? He was just a guy in a mask pretending. So why…oh little they actually knew. His eyes looked past the injured sailors and looked to see his friend helping another of the sailors into the Green Lantern's giant green bubble. Pushing past some of the crew members, making sure not to avoid as many of them as necessary as to keep from accidentally harming them any further, and grabbed the hem of his friend's white cape and pulled him into one of the rooms adjacent to them. "HEY!" Billy screamed at being torn from his job and pulled his cape away from his furious companion.

"Don't EVER do that again, ok?! Do you know how fuc-freaking stupid that was?! Those two were just about to tear each other's head off and you put yourself in the middle of them!? Are you NUTS?!" Natsu whispered angrily towards his frowning friend.

"And what was I supposed to do? Huh? Let them duke it out while these people were losing what little oxygen they had? I had to do something!" The captain of thunder whispered back, slamming his foot onto the submarine, causing it to shakily move from his kick. "Oh shoot!" He whispered, as the submarine shook until it finally stopped, causing him to sigh in relief.

"You see?! You don't think! You just act on your emotions in the heat of the moment and look what happens! You CAN'T do that! Do you know how many weapons were pointed at you when you were 'saving the day', huh!? Dozens! You're fast, but not fast enough to deflect and dodge the bullets of those guys along with any of those giant ships at the same time too!" Natsu angrily growled back.

"Yes I am! You don't know that! You saw how awesome we were doing against that ship. Our teamwork was just as amazing as it always was. Besides, Superman or Wonder Woman would have defended us too. They're our-" Billy defended, before he was cut off.

"I DON'T CARE!" The dragon slayer told the foolish optimist. "They can defend themselves. They're grown ass people that have made their choice, but my job isn't to protect them."

"Well, if that's not your job, then what is it to do?" Billy asked the dragon slayer with a hard look.

"It's to-…it's to…it's…" Natsu stumbled in his words. He had to know…no how could he? He was just a kid. Ignorant to the way the world truly worked. Billy thought all you needed was a cape and name and that made you a hero. That that mad you strong…but he was wrong. Oh so wrong. The dragon slayer looked back towards his friend and could see the small glimmer of hope. The hope that he would say the "right thing." It being that it was to save the world. Protect the innocent and blah blah blah…who cares? He didn't care about the faceless masses that housed the world either on the surface or below. Obviously if someone was about to get hit by a car or shot, then he'd step in. He wasn't evil, but still…there wasn't a light inside of him that told him that he needed to save the world. Just a flickering flame of what was…of what he used to be. "Bi-"

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Wonder Woman to be the one who had opened it. Natsu's eyes shot towards her. How long had she been there? There were so many footsteps clamoring inside the submarine that he couldn't really hear what was going on outside the room besides that. Not to mention he was far to engrossed inside another one of his "interventions" with his foolish, optimistic companion. A harsh look fell on his face. She'd heard…everything. He knew she did. "Everyone is inside the Green Lantern's bubble. We need to leave now." She said, moving her eyes towards Captain Marvel to him, giving him a harsh look of her own. Yes…she heard all right.

Captain Marvel nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes, of course. Forgive us for our slowness." He said to Diana as he walked towards the door. He then passed her up as the dragon slayer stared her down as he quickly followed behind.

As the Amazonian was about to leave as well, a hand blocked her way. "You know, it's really rude to listen in on people's conversations." Natsu growled, his hand gripping the metal door harshly.

Diana continued staring at him, not giving up an inch with his own glare. "Yes, well it's also rude to rebuke such commendable and altruistic actions like your friend just did for those sailors. Like a hero is supposed to do…you do know that right?" She said, a disappointed look on her face as she walked away from him.

Natsu stared at the floor as he fought to calm himself. They were both fools…optimists that thought they could change anything…he shook his head and walked out with a huff towards the Green Lantern's bubble. As he exited the submarine, his eyes caught Superman conversing with the king of Atlantis. His ears managed to catch snippets of their conversation. The dragon slayer scoffed as he pieced together that the blue boy scout was trying to convince the man to air his grievances towards the World Assembly. He didn't need to be a telepath to know that the king had no care about talking to the politicians that housed the World Assembly. The fire mage couldn't blame him…politics sucked. Natsu shook his head as he turned his head and saw Wonder Woman starting up the ship, damaged as it was, it was still in working condition. He sighed as he knew that she would put him through hell on the ride home. Slowly, he swam towards the ship and entered inside, even though it sucked seeing as how water began flowing inside as the ship opened, but that was a whole 'nother reason as to why he hated this mission. Taking his seat next to his pouting companion, he buckled himself tightly as he felt the cold, watery liquid stream down his face and his costume soaked the chair he sat in. Uncomfortable as it was, at least the mission was over. The dragon slayer's eyes flickered towards Captain Marvel. He was still pouting over their little argument, but soon enough it would be over. They'd done this routine over and over ever since they first started working together. They both switched off. Sometimes Natsu would lecture him, while others Billy would be the one lecturing him. Both parties would end up heated and angry, but by the end of it, they'd both apologize and life would go on. Natsu tried not to go too far though. Billy was just a kid, but that just made him even more furious. He was just a kid. Why couldn't he do normal stuff the kids did in this world? Play video games, go on that stupid social media, play pranks, etc. He sighed to himself. Then again, if Billy did do any of that, then he wouldn't be the friend he loved. He shook his head, dispelling the thought from his head. Laying back and closing his eyes, all he cared about now though was just falling asle-a sudden jerk suddenly woke him up, causing him to grab his stomach in pain.

"Sorry." Wonder Woman apologized, even though he could tell it was as fake as the Flash's "girlfriend" that lived in Canada. She was pissed at him…even more so now that she heard his rant towards Captain Marvel.

Ah well…soon this hellish ride would be over and he'd be back at Billy's house.

All he had to do was get through this…

Watchtower

Son…

Of…

A BITCH!

He was really, REALLY, beginning to hate these guys. So, seeing as how the mission was over, you'd think the "heroes' would then realize that, hey, they didn't need both him and Captain Marvel. So why not just drop them off? Mission over = people go home. Simple, right?

'WRONG! Motherfuckers! Come on! The mission is done, the people are saved, so let us go home!' Natsu grumbled to himself on the floor, leaning against one of the glass windows that faced the Earth. His eyes flickered to see Billy standing with John, Diana, and J'onn near him. His face was hiding it, but he was happy to be back on the watchtower. The kid loved it here. If he wasn't keeping up this charade about being this amazing, professional hero, then the kid would easily touch every single button this place had. A small smile perked up from that thought at Captain Marvel, with childish glee, eagerly pushing every button on the place, unknowingly probably causing who knows how much destruction either on the ship or the planet.

...Okay, in that context, probably not that funny. But you just had to imagine it the right way.

Anyways though, the dragon slayer was not only pissed at being stuck here, but also the ride here was just awful. Sharp turns, accidental jerks, and so much more kept the dragon slayer's hand over his mouth the entire ride back here. He could tell the Amazonian just loved spiting him, but he just tried keeping the rest of his anger to himself. He saw the way the woman fought…he was strong, but not stupid. If she wanted to crush him like a bug, she could easily. His eyes subtly moved to her, staying on her. She was a warrior that was for sure. The tones muscles, the strict posture, even her demeanor was that of a trained, professional warrior. But even with all that, there lied a kind soul inside of her. A kind soul…that he could never- He shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about that. Never gonna happen. She was an entirely different person than him…perhaps before…but not now.

Unbeknownst to him, as soon as his eyes left her, hers began studying him. Even if she couldn't see it literally, there was a mysterious aura to the man. As much as he irritated her to no end, the Salamander was, at the very least, slightly more mature than the cocky, brash men she saw around the cities she had visited. Most of the men she saw were more preoccupied with either flirting with the opposite gender, or acting brash and loud with their male friends, perhaps in an effort to appeal to the opposite gender. But him? He was a mystery. Why was he here? Obviously he didn't like being here. The young man made that perfectly clear every time he stepped foot in here. Either through snarky comments or frowning looks he made it clear just where he stood. But why? If he hated it, then why continue coming? Her eyes flickered from him to the grinning, large Captain Marvel that stood beside her as he talked to J'onn. Now him he got along with. Captain Marvel was always polite and nice, which was the complete opposite towards his cynical and rude companion. Diana's eyes moved between the two. Complete opposites yet still friends. How? It just made absolute no sense to her. How could someone so nice, so kind be associated with someone so rude and so…so…ugh, this just go harder and harder with every mission. She didn't want to dislike the man…she didn't dislike anyone, but he made it so hard to like him. Most seemed to get on fine with him, particularly the Flash and Captain Marvel, but for the rest he made virtually no effort to befriend nor support…except when John desperately needed it. The Green Lantern didn't expect anything from his comrades let alone him, but he still…she gripped her fists. Though she was frustrated, she had to stay strong. While this was tough to comprehend, this was what she was here to do. Her main goal: To unite both Man's world and Themyscara together and make sure that the two worlds functioned in unison. And through him…through the Salamander she would know that she was truly capable of reshaping the fractured bonds that both Man's world and Themyscira hold now. All she had to do…was change him…and she would do that.

AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDDD THAT'S A WRAP! FINALLY! Another chapter finished! Wow, I am a really slow writer, aren't I? Haha I am so sorry, but the reason was that I lost my Flashdrive that held all my stories and chapters at my college which left me severely bummed out. I mean, REALLY bummed out.

"Umm…why didn't you just also save them to your desktop to avoid that situation…"

Oh well that's simple to answer, random stranger. Why I didn't do that is because I'M A FREAKING MORON! …Or at least was one. Going to do that know that's for damn sure! Again, I want to apologize for the loooooooooooooooooooooooong wait, but it's here now! Next chapter will be the continuation of the episode, "The Enemy Below." Also, if Natsu seems harsher and more of an asshole, then I must tell you it's all for a reason. Trust me. I've crafted, and am still crafting, a particular backstory as to why Natsu is this way. I don't wanna be one of those writers that just snaps my fingers and forces a character to suddenly act totally different (i.e. some Naruto fics where he's all emo and stuff). I try to at least craft a viable scenario as to how and why a character would suddenly change their perspectives. So please trust me and I hope you are happy, or at least interested in the direction I'm taking the story.

Now that that's all settled, I want to talk about something else before I end the chapter…SUPERHERO MOVIES! The ones I've recently seen anyways; Logan and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. OH MY GOSH, FUCKING AMAZING MOVIES! Loved them so fucking much! Especially Logan. Oh my gosh, give Hugh Jackman a motherfucking Oscar because I cried manly tears, especially at the end…*sniff*… "Don't be what they made you."…if you saw the movie you'd know. And also, "T-There's water…" Fuck…this movie was amazing! Now, Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2, FUNNY AS FUCK! Loved the movie! I was also glad to see most of the characters further their emotional arcs as well in the movies, especially Nebula. Poor girl was in need of some more development. I had so much fun watching these two amazing superhero movies. It reminded me just how awesome these characters are. Now I just hope the Wonder Woman movie is gonna be good...hopefully. Although, I've heard good things about it so I remain optimistic. Gotta say though, Logan…AMAZING! Sorry, just really loved that movie. Thank you, Hugh Jackman, for an astounding and loyal performance towards a beloved Marvel character for 17 years. Hope to see you in other movies…and perhaps when you're older you can really play Old Man Logan…probably not, but wouldn't that be amazing?

OKAY! Now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, please leave a favorite, follow, and REVIEW!