DISCLAIMER

Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, while the Neptunia series is owned by Idea Factory and Compile Heart.

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The second Natsu, Compa and Neptune entered into the city, they were met with numerous questioning looks by both the guards and civilians, though it was only natural given the state their clothes were currently in. Whispers quickly began to circulate amongst the people, most revolving around the male pinkette's haggard appearance, but the group simply ignored the gossip (despite the fact that Natsu really wanted to give those nosy people a piece of his mind) and continued towards their destination.

After a few minutes of walking through the streets, the group eventually found themselves standing before a large apartment complex that Compa was currently living in. It took up several city blocks and was four stories tall with numerous windows, sporting the same white and light blue color scheme as many of the other buildings within Planeptune. After entering through a gate that required a passcode to be entered on a small keypad, they made their way up several flights of stairs up to the third floor until they stood before the door belonging to Compa's room. The pink haired girl quickly pulled out her key and proceeded to unlock door, but just as she turned the knob to open it, the loli decided to take matters into her own hand.

"Ah, home sweet home!" Neptune shouted as she proceeded to kick open the door and barged in like she owned the place. She then ran over to the nearby couch and threw herself face first onto it, sighing in content as she hugged one of the cushions against her cheek.

Compa was rooted in place for a moment in shock, before snapping out of her stupor. "P-Please don't kick my door open like that, Nep-Nep!" She stuttered out with comically wide eyes as she walked through the doorway.

Natsu walked in with an amused look on his face, making sure to close the door behind him as he entered. He then walked over to the nearest wall and leaned against it while folding his arms over his chest. "Well, we're back. Now what?" He posed the question to the two girls.

The room grew silent as Compa and Neptune contemplated the boy's words.

"...Well, Histy did say to rest up and prepare for our journey." The pink haired girl began with a thoughtful expression. "Since you and Nep-Nep are still recovering, how about we take the rest of the week to rest?" She proposed. "While the two of you recover, I'll make some trips to the store to stock up on supplies. How does that sound?"

A frown was quick to form on the loli's face. "Awwww, but I wanna go rescue Histy already!" She said with a cute whine.

"B-But Histy said it'll be dangerous!" Compa quickly countered with her own, worried frown. "If we go off without any rest or planning, we could end up in big trouble, or worse!"

Despite the logic behind the nurse in training's words, Neptune was still unconvinced. "But-!"

"Oi, midget." Natsu interrupted, grabbing the loli's attention. "You should listen to what Compa says."

Neptune blinked in surprise at the boy's words. "You too, Pinky? Don't you wanna go out and look for those Key Fragments already?!" She retorted childishly.

"Believe me, I do." Natsu replied with a frown. "But we're both injured, and I don't know about you, but I'd rather take the time to heal up before we go up against those powerful monsters that History mentioned."

"Um, her name is Histoire…" Compa corrected, though Natsu seemed to ignore her words. "A-Anyways, can you please be a little more patient, Nep-Nep? I know that you want to rescue Histy as soon as possible, but we need to properly prepare."

"B-But…" The lilac haired girl tried to retort, but her mind could not come up with a decent rebuttal, and eventually her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Oh, fine. I can wait a few more days…maybe." She mumbled with a small pout.

A smile formed on Compa's face upon hearing those words. "Thank you, Nep-Nep." She said in a grateful tone. While she could understand why the smaller girl was so eager to set off so quickly, she knew that going on such a dangerous journey without proper preparation could lead to disaster.

Now that Neptune had settled down, Compa decided it was now time for her to talk her well-deserved bath. Turning on her heel, she began making her way to the bathroom, but paused suddenly when her eyes fell on Natsu. Noticing the boy's state, covered in sweat and dirt, she realized that he was in more need of a bath than she was. Not to mention that a lack of cleanliness could result in the boy's cuts being infected.

"Natsu." The pink haired girl began, grabbing the boy's attention. "You really need to bathe."

"Huh?" Natsu blinked before a frown settled on his face. "But I don't wanna. Besides, didn't you say you were going to take a bath?"

"No buts!" Compa pressed the issue as she walked up to the pink haired boy and began pushing him towards a door that was to the right of her bedroom. "Your cuts haven't healed yet and you're covered in sweat and dirt! If you don't get them clean, they could get infected! Not to mention that you're beginning to smell pretty bad, too!" She added with a look of disgust.

A groan was all that the boy gave response, though he didn't bother to resist seeing as Compa wasn't going to take no for an answer.

A snicker escaped Neptune's throat as she watched the larger male being pushed around by Compa. "Have fun soaping up, Pinky~!" She said in a sing song tone.

The slayer shot a heated glare at the loli, but otherwise said nothing as Compa continued steering him towards the bathroom. Once they reached the door, she quickly opened it and ushered him inside.

"There's soap and shampoo on the rack under the shower head. Once you're done, give me a shout and I'll bring a clean roll of bandages." Compa said with a smile, and before the boy could utter a word, she firmly shut the door in his face.

Natsu grumbled irritably, before he turned around to inspect the bathroom he was in. As with the rest of Compa's apartment, it had a pink color scheme with a purple tile floor and beige ceiling. There was a wash sink with a mirror above it that doubled as a medicine cabinet to his right, while a toilet sat opposite to his left. And right in the middle across from him was large stand in shower with a glass panel and door. Almost immediately, the smell of strongly scented soaps assaulted the pinkette's nose, causing him to recoil with displeasure.

Might as well get this over with. The slayer thought with a sigh as he shrugged off his waistcoat, before taking a moment to look at it. The thing was practically a torn rag with holes, and unfortunately it looked to be well beyond repair. While he could live without it, he wasn't quite sure if Compa or Neptune would appreciate him being shirtless all of the time. Acquiring a replacement was out of the question as well, seeing as he lacked the money to do so to begin with. Oh, well. I'll figure something out. Natsu thought with a mental shrug.

With that thought being put aside for time being, the mage continued removing the rest of his clothes.

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Compa sighed as she closed the bathroom door behind her, feeling a little relieved that she had managed to convince the boy to bathe with little difficulty. It would have weighed heavily on her mind if the boy's cuts had become infected, especially considering that she had not brought her medical supplies with her earlier. Of course, she no idea that she and her two companions would end up fighting monsters before falling into an underground cavern. Then there was the fact that they had encountered a Guard Vermin of all things lurking deep within. Her body trembled slightly; the memory of the grotesque creature still fresh in her mind.

According to what little information there was on the arachnid-like creatures, they were extremely rare and difficult to find as they never travelled to the surface, preferring to stay exclusively underground while guarding abandoned ruins, which led them to being named 'Guard Vermin.' From the few accounts she had read while surfing online forums, they were very powerful monsters, and would relentlessly pursue anyone who foolishly came close to their territory, even other monsters. Those that were lucky enough to have escaped the beasts told of its ferocious and hostile nature, warning everyone to simply avoid them at all cost if one was encountered.

And yet, not only had she and her companions come face to face with one, they had fought and eventually defeated it. But even more surprising still was what her two companions had done during that fierce battle against the arachnoid.

First there was Neptune, the girl who had fallen from the sky. Not only had the small girl transformed into an adult version of herself, but she also became a completely different person. Gone was the silly and childish personality, and in its place was a mature and serious persona that oozed confidence. On top of that, the woman's sword skills had vastly improved, her once wild and unrefined attacks becoming precise and fluid strikes, which had been powerful enough to cut through the Guard Vermin's tough carapace.

Then there was Natsu, the mysterious boy she had found beaten and bruised in an alleyway just a few nights ago. Though rather rash and impulsive, the pink haired boy proved himself to be a competent and skilled fighter, on top of being incredibly durable. He took on a Guard Vermin's energy blast and survived practically unscathed, and then proceeded to obliterate the creature like it was nothing. Of course, the creature had been severely weakened by that point, but nonetheless it had been an impressive feat to behold.

They were both so strong and amazing. Compa thought, the images of both the adult Neptune and Natsu standing tall and confident flashing in her mind. It was hard to believe that those two very same people were now currently residing in her apartment.

As her eyes drifted on Neptune's form lazing on her couch, a realization suddenly came to mind when she noticed the girl's bandages were fairly dirty.

"Hey Nep-Nep?"

The lilac haired girl looked over from her position on the couch. "Hm? What's up?" She questioned curiously.

"Well, since Natsu its busy getting himself cleaned up, I figured now would be a time to get your bandages changed." The pink haired girl explained, causing the smaller girl to tilt her head slightly in confusion.

"What's wrong with the ones I have on?"

Compa was quick to frown at that. "Well, you were running around earlier and getting sweaty. The moisture will seep into the bandages and soil them, which could lead to some nasty infections if they aren't replaced." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The loli's eyes widened in understanding at those words. "Ooooooooh, that makes a lot of sense." She said, before suddenly shifting into an upright sitting position. "Well then, go ahead and do your thing!"

Compa smiled happily at those words as she clapped her hands together. "Great! First, you'll need to take off all your clothes…"

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...And done! Natsu thought in relief as he turned the shower head off and stepped out of the shower. Seeing a pink towel hanging over on the wall to his right, he quickly reached out and grabbed it before using it to dry himself. Once that was taken care of, he grabbed his underwear and pants, and quickly put them on. The slayer then threw his scarf over his shoulder as he put on his sandals, before making his way over to the door. Reaching out with his hand, he grabbed the handle and quickly pushed it open.

"Hey, I'm fini-"

"It's t-t-too tight!"

The slayer paused at the abrupt yell, before his brow rose upon seeing the sight before him.

Neptune was lying back first on the couch, her clothing gone with only a layer bandages scantily covering her chest and lower region. Standing over her was Compa, who was pulling sharply on the end of one of the bandages with a look of concentration on her face.

"That's no good, Nep-Nep! If the bandages are too loose, you might trip over them!"

"B-But I can't breathe!"

The two girls seemed oblivious to his presence, until Natsu finally decided to speak up.

"Uh, is this a bad time?"

Compa froze and immediately snapped her head towards her fellow pinkette, a look of shock forming on her face. She then jumped in front of the loli, blocking the boy's view of the smaller girl. "O-Oh, you're finished, Natsu!" She began with a nervous smile. "Um, can you give me another minute while I finish up with Nep-Nep here? J-Just wait inside the bathroom and I'll call you when I'm done!"

The slayer blinked at the girl's frantic behavior. "Uh, sure." He then stepped back into the bathroom and began to close the door.

"W-Wait, Pinky!" Neptune frantically called out to the boy. "Don't leave me alone with her~!"

Sadly, the girl's words were unable to reach the male pinkette, as he had already closed the door shut. A look of defeat formed on Neptune's face, but before she could despair, she suddenly felt a sharp tug, causing her eyes to widen in horror.

"Alright, I'm gonna pull again!"

"N-N-No, please wait, I-GAH!"

On the other side of the door, Natsu waited patiently, occasionally flinching when he would hear Neptune cry out in pain. Her screams brought back memories of the time when Erza had decided to play the role of nurse in order to help 'heal' the injured after their fight with Grimoire heart on Tenroujima Island.

He actually felt a little bad for the petite girl. Just a little.

Eventually, Neptune's cries ceased, and after a moment he heard a knock on the door.

"You can come in now!"

Hearing Compa's voice, the slayer walked out of the bathroom to find the pink haired girl standing before the door with a beaming smile on her face. Shifting his eyes over to the couch, he saw that Neptune was on her side and fully clothed once more, her eyes blank and mouth agape as she groaned painfully.

"…P-Please...no more...b-bandages…"

Seeing the girl in such a state, Natsu paled slightly.

"Well don't just stand there, Natsu! Come over here and sit down!" Compa's voiced snapped the slayer from his thoughts as she suddenly grabbed his wrist and led him over to an unoccupied space on the couch. Once he was seated, the pink haired girl reached into her hip purse and pulled out a small spray bottle and began spraying something onto his cuts, causing them to sting a little. "Don't worry, this is just something to help disinfect your cuts." She explained, before she put the bottle down and grabbed a fresh roll of bandages from her coffee table. "Alright, I'm going to start applying the bandage, so try to stay still, okay?" She said as she unraveled the roll.

Natsu could only gulp as he nodded hesitantly, prompting the girl to begin her work.

But just as Compa was about to apply the bandage, her eyes settled on the red, bird-shaped tattoo that was on his shoulder and she found herself pausing. She recalled having seen it before when she had first found him unconscious before, but due to everything that had happened she had completely forgotten about it. Feeling her curiosity grow, the nurse-in-training decided now was a good time as any to ask about it. "...Hey, Natsu?"

Ears perking up at the girl's voice, Natsu looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Yeah?" He responded nervously.

"Why do you have this tattoo on your shoulder?"

At the girl's question, the slayer gave a puzzled expression before his eyes widened. "Oh, you mean my guild mark."

Compa's expression became confused. "Guild mark?" She repeated, causing Natsu to nod his head.

"Yep. You see, in my world I'm part of a mage guild." He began to explain, recalling what Makarov had taught him when he first joined Fairy Tail. "They're pretty much places where lots of mages gather together to do all sorts of requests that normal folk put up, like finding rare items or slaying monsters. Each guild has its own name and symbol, which all members have on some part of their body to represent what guild they belong to." The slayer finished.

"Oh, so you're like an adventurer then?" Neptune suddenly joined the conversation, no longer looking like someone who was close to departing from the world of the living.

Natsu was a little startled by the loli's abrupt interruption, though he quickly relaxed and nodded his head. "I guess you could say that." He responded. "We get a lot of requests from the citizens, nobles and sometimes even the government."

Hearing that explanation, Compa's expression became thoughtful. "Huh. That sounds an awful lot like Planeptune's guild." She mused aloud.

Natsu's eyes went wide at those words and he quickly whipped his head towards his fellow pinkette. "Wait, you guys have guilds in this world?" He questioned in surprise.

The pink haired girl nodded in confirmation. "We do. There are only four though; one in each landmass." She revealed. "They don't have names or give out guild marks to people, but they do operate in the same way as the guilds in your world. The only difference is that anyone can just go in and accept a request without being a part of the guild. I've even done a few requests myself, though I only ever gathered herbs and certain materials from the nearby forests."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Natsu gave a thoughtful look. Hearing that bit of information gave him a sense of relief strangely enough, knowing there was at least some familiarity in this otherwise unfamiliar world. Not to mention it was also a convenient way for him to earn money.

"So, what's the name of your guild, Pinky?" Neptune posed the question, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

A fond smile formed on the male pinkette's face as he answered. "...Fairy Tail."

The two girls blinked at the name. "Fairy tale? Like the stories parents tell their kids before tucking them into bed?" Compa asked innocently.

Natsu shook his head. "No, no. It's Fairy Tail. Like the tail on a cat." He clarified, quickly getting a look of understanding from the pink haired girl.

A befuddled look formed on the loli's face. "So, your guild is named after the tail on a fairy?" She questioned. "Wait, do fairies even have tails?" Neptune added as she turned to Compa, who merely shrugged in response.

The slayer let out a chuckle at those words. It reminded him of those spoken by Makarov when he first brought him to the guild all those years ago.

"Do fairies have tails? Do they even exist? Like them, this place is an eternal mystery...a never-ending adventure."

Back then, those words had stuck with him, and as time went on, he began to understand what they truly meant. Every day was like a new adventure, meeting new people and going on tough and exciting jobs with his fellow guild mates. All the while growing stronger in the hope of one day reuniting with Igneel.

For Natsu, life at the time was truly like that of a fairy tale.

But sadly, those happy days of excitement and adventure had come to an abrupt end. In an instant, everything that he held dear had been ripped away from him, leaving behind only anger, sadness and pain.

And now he was all alone; the sole surviving member of Fairy Tail stranded in an unknown world.

Again, Natsu felt his heart ache at that thought, though he quickly suppressed the feeling as he kept his expression calm. He didn't want another slip up to happen like it did earlier.

Thankfully, Compa came to the rescue, giving the slayer a much-needed distraction. "Well, do you want me to leave your guild mark uncovered?" She questioned, seeing as the skin in that area was relatively unscathed.

Natsu gave a quick look at his shoulder before simply nodding his head. "I'd like that." He replied with a slight smile.

The pink haired girl nodded in understanding as she resumed her work. She started off at his abdominals and began making her way up to his chest, but halfway through the process the bandages began to feel a little too tight for Natsu's liking.

"Err, Compa? These are a little…tight…" The slayer voiced his discomfort, causing the nurse in training to frown.

"Not you, too!" She began. "I have to make sure they're nice and tight, otherwise they'll come undone!"

"But-"

"No buts! Now stay still!"

Before Natsu could even react, Compa suddenly gave a sharp tug, causing the bandages around his midsection to become painfully tight.

"Ow! C-Compa, what the hell?!" The boy cried in pain.

"They're just a wee bit tight!"

"B-But my ribs are crushing my lungs!"

"Bear with it!"

And so, the nurse in training continued applying the bandage none too gently, causing the boy excruciating amounts of pain. The torture continued for an agonizing five minutes, until finally Compa finished the deed.

"All done!" She said cheerfully as she began admiring her handiwork.

"U-Ugh…" Natsu groaned pitifully as he laid on the floor, his eyes blank and mouth agape as his body occasionally twitched.

"How are ya feeling, Pinky~?" Neptune said in a sickly-sweet voice as she loomed over the fallen form of the mage, feeling some satisfaction knowing that the he had endured the same torture she had minutes prior.

Natsu groaned weakly in response as he steadily pushed himself off the floor. "Shut...up…" He managed to get out as he slowly pulled himself onto the couch again.

"By the way, Natsu." Compa suddenly spoke up, grabbing the boy's attention. "Where's the rest of your clothes?" She questioned, noticing his lack of upper clothing aside from his scarf.

A frown quickly formed on Natsu's upon hearing those words. "My coat was pretty torn up, so I decided to toss it." He explained with an annoyed sigh while folding his arms over his chest. "I need to get some new clothes, but I'm broke at the moment..." The slayer grumbled. However, now that he knew there were guilds similar to Earthland's own in this world, he planned to pay Planeptune's own a visit as soon as possible so that he could start earning some money.

Hearing the boy's words, Compa's eyes went wide with realization. "Oh, that's right! I almost forgot you're from another world..." She stated, before a thoughtful expression formed on her face. The pink haired girl let out a hum as she mulled over something in her head. "...Ah, I know!" She suddenly shouted, grabbing the boy's attention.

"What is it?" Natsu questioned with a raised eyebrow.

The only response Compa gave the boy was a brilliant smile.

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Natsu frowned somewhat sourly as he steadily trailed behind a cheerful Compa, who was happily skipping a few paces ahead of him. The two were currently walking down one of Planeptune's many busy streets as numerous pedestrians stared oddly at the pink haired duo, which wasn't that surprising considering that one of the individuals was a half-naked young man covered in bandages. As for where the two pinkettes were walking together, well, the answer was simple really.

Compa was taking Natsu clothes shopping.

While the slayer was no stranger when it came to shopping for clothes, he rarely did so as he wasn't particularly fond of dealing with the employees, mostly due to the fact that they would always try to get him to buy more than what he needed. However, that wasn't the reason for his sour mood at the moment.

No, the real reason was the fact that Compa would be covering for all of the expenses.

Having someone else pay for something he wanted (or in this case, needed) was not something that sat well with the slayer. If there was ever something he needed or wanted, then he would simply go out and buy it with his own money. And if he lacked the money to do so, then he'd do a job to earn it.

Hey, he might be a knuckle head, but even he has principles.

But even when he brought this up with the pink haired girl, she still insisted on paying for his clothing, even going as far as saying that he wouldn't have to pay her back. While he appreciated the gesture, he didn't want to feel like he was taking advantage of her kindness. Still, Compa persisted, and the end Natsu reluctantly accepted the girl's offer with the promise of paying her back in full, to which she happily agreed to. It still didn't sit well with him, but he wasn't going to press the issue any further than it needed to be.

The only upside to this whole situation was the fact that Neptune was not with them, as she had decided to stay behind at the apartment to laze around, something that Natsu was incredibly thankful for. While he didn't have anything against the lilac haired girl, her teasing remarks and verbal jabs could get a bit annoying. She was like a gender-swapped, human version of Happy, only instead of talking about fish all the time, she instead babbled out random phrases and words that made no sense to the slayer.

EXP, leveling up, grinding…what does that stuff even mean? The pink haired boy wondered, recalling some of the things the loli had said before.

Before Natsu could continue that train of thought, Compa came to an abrupt stop.

"We're here!" The pink haired girl exclaimed as she twirled around with a smile on her face while gesturing to the building before them.

The slayer's eyes trailed up to the large sign hanging above the shop's entrance, which said 'Planeptune's Outfitters' in neon blue lettering. He raised a brow slightly at the odd name as he proceeded to peer through the window, seeing a variety of clothing and attires on display. The clothes ranged from normal t-shirts and jeans, to some more specialized outfits like martial arts gis and, surprisingly enough, armor. There was even a costume of what appeared to be a large and blue humanoid animal with spikes going down the back, a light brown face and belly, and white running shoes tipped with red.

A sign next to the display read 'Now you too can run at Mach speeds with this glorious costume depicting one of Planeptune's most beloved mascots!'

Natsu quickly rose both brows at the bizarre costume. What the hell is that thing? He couldn't help but wonder, having never seen such a strange looking creature before.

"Alrighty then, let's go inside!" Compa spoke up as she grabbed the pinkette by the wrist and pulled him towards the front doors.

"W-Whoa, hold on-!" Natsu protested at being dragged around, though it did little to dissuade the seemingly excited girl.

Upon entering the store, the pink haired duo was immediately greeted the sight of dozens upon dozens of clothing racks as far as the eye could see, each one lined with an innumerable amount of clothing. Among the aisles were numerous people, all of whom were inspecting various articles of clothing.

Natsu's eyes widened at the literal sea of clothing before them. "Holy crap, this place is huge!" He exclaimed in a comical expression.

Compa let out a giggle at the slayer's reaction. "Well, this only the first floor. There are still seven more above this one." She explained nonchalantly.

If anything, Natsu's eyes grew even wider as his jaw slackened slightly.

With nothing more to say, Compa began leading Natsu around the store, showing him all the types of clothing that were available. As it turned out, the clothes that were on display outside were but a small sample of what the place truly offered. There were so many styles and brands that Natsu was certain that even shopaholics like Lucy and Erza would have been left speechless.

After looking around for a bit, the boy found some pants and shirts that were to his liking, and he even grabbed another pair of sandals. Compa also insisted that he get some new pairs of underwear, stating that wearing the same pair all the time was unsanitary. It was somewhat embarrassing for the slayer to hear that from the girl, but he complied, nonetheless.

Within a short time, the slayer had almost everything he wanted to get. Now all he needed was one last thing.

Coats, coats...aha! Natsu mentally exclaimed as he came across a section filled to the brim with coats of all designs. From sleeveless coats to long, twin tailed ones, they had nearly everything one could think off. There were even waistcoats similar to his old one, though the designs were a little different.

As the slayer continued perusing the aisle, one particular coat suddenly caught his attention. It was a black, high collared long coat that had white trimming and a brown belt. It looked strikingly similar to the one he wore after returning from being trapped inside of the first master's Fairy Sphere, the only differences being that the trimming on the previous coat was gold, as well as the fact that it had been missing the right sleeve.

His interest peaked, Natsu reached out and pulled the coat from the hanger. Let's see…material feels good. It's light, but not too thin. He thought as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. With his inspection done, the slayer decided to try on the coat. Upon slipping his arms into the sleeves, Natsu secured the belt around his waist and gave himself a quick once over. Hm, not bad. I think I'll take it. The only real downside was that the right sleeve covered his guild mark, but it was something he could easily modify once he got back to Compa's apartment.

"Oh, that looks really good on you, Natsu!" Compa commented with a look of approval.

The slayer grinned in response before proceeding to remove the coat. "Thanks. I think I'll take it."

With everything collected, the pink haired duo began making their way to the register at the front of the store to pay. Upon arriving at a register, a young woman with and brown hair and wearing a simple white blouse with black slacks smiled at them as they approached.

"Hello!" She greeted the two pinkettes in a cheerful tone, seemingly oblivious the boy's odd appearance. "Did you find what you were looking for today?"

Compa nodded her head as Natsu placed the clothing on the counter. "Yessy~!" She replied with a smile.

The cashier hummed as she began separating and scanning the clothing. As she did so, a semi-transparent, blue holographic screen suddenly appeared before both pinkettes, startling the slayer.

"Whoa!"

The boy's abrupt yell caused both Compa and the brunette to jump in place. "I-Is something the matter, sir?" The cashier questioned with concern.

Natsu blinked a few times before he quickly composed himself. "E-Err, sorry. I was just a little surprised by that." He pointed to the hologram in front of them.

The cashier's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, I see. First time visiting Planeptune, I take it?" She inquired as she went back to scanning the items.

"Something like that."

The brunette hummed as she resumed her work. After a moment, she finished scanning everything before she turned back to the pinkettes with a smile. "Alright, your grand total is five thousand credits." She said as the number appeared on the holographic screen.

So, money is called credits here, eh? Natsu thought curiously while Compa reached into her hip purse and pulled out a small, plastic card. The pink haired girl handed it to the cashier, who happily accepted it before proceeding to slide the card on a small device. Upon doing so, the holographic screen flashed as the words 'PROCESSING PAYMENT…' appeared. After a few seconds, it flashed again and the previous words were replaced by 'PAYMENT ACCEPTED.'

"Well, it looks like you're all set!" The brunette exclaimed with a smile as she handed the card back to Compa. "Would you like everything in a bag?"

"Yes, please~!"

The cashier placed everything in a large, plastic bag and handed placed it on the counter. "There you go. Thank you for shopping with us, and I hope you have a great day!"

The pink haired duo replied in kind as Natsu grabbed the bag full of his new belongings, before making their way out of the store.

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"...We're back!" Compa exclaimed as she and Natsu entered the apartment, the latter now clad in a black sleeveless undershirt that covered most of his bandaged upper body.

Neptune, who was lying on her back on the floor while reading a magazine upside down, was quick to greet the pinkettes. "Welcome back!" She said in a chipper tone. "So, did you find anything nice to wear, Pinky?"

Natsu nodded his head as he walked past the lilac haired and plopped down on the couch. "I found a few things that I liked." He replied simply.

"Oh?" Despite the boy's bland answer, Neptune got up from her spot on the floor and made her way over to where he was sitting. "Can I see?" She inquired as she tried to peak at the contents inside of the bag.

"No." The slayer retorted sharply as he moved the bag away. It did little to deter the loli however, as she continued her attempts at peeking into the bag.

"Come one, let me see what's inside!"

"I said no!"

"But I wanna see~!"

As Natsu and Neptune continued their exchange, Compa could only watch on while giving a small smile. Ah, I should probably go take a bath now that everything's settled. She thought to herself. Taking one last glance at the pink and lilac haired duo, the pink haired girl quietly made her way to the bathroom.

With Compa gone, the male pinkette and lilac haired girl continued going at it for a while, until finally the loli gave up. The moment of peace didn't last long for Natsu unfortunately, as Neptune became restless.

"I'm boooooooooored~!" She let out a long whine, something that caused the slayer's brow to twitch.

"Then go do something." He grumbled in annoyance as he began sorting through his new clothes. But just as he started, the slayer was interrupted when the lilac haired girl suddenly plopped herself across his lap, knocking away his bag. "What the hell?!" He shouted angrily.

"I'm so bored, Pinky~!" Neptune repeated with a cute expression. "Let's do something fun!"

Natsu growled dangerously as he prepared to physically remove the diminutive girl from his lap, but before he could unleash his draconic fury, Compa suddenly poked her head in from the bathroom.

"Nep-Nep, if you're really that bored, then why don't you try playing some video games?" The pink haired girl offered as she gestured towards a large monitor hanging from the wall that sat across from where the two were sitting. Below that was a small, wooden table that had strange device that was unfamiliar to the dragon slayer, along with several plastic cases. "I even have Planeptune's latest console that was released a few months ago." She added before retreating into the bathroom.

Almost immediately, Neptune shot up from the boy's lap and practically teleported to where the small table was. "Ooooh, this is amazing~!" She exclaimed excitingly as stars shone in her eyes.

Natsu blinked owlishly at the small girl, unable to believe how fast she had moved. That type of speed would've given even Jellal a run for his money. This girl is just full of surprises. He mused, though he was thankful towards Compa for getting Neptune to quiet down. With that out of the way, the slayer prepared to go back to his previous task.

"Catch, Pinky!"

The mage looked up just in time to see something flying right towards his face. With quick reflexes honed over years of intense, physical training, he effortlessly caught the object with his right hand. He quickly shot a glare at the lilac haired girl, before he looked down at his hand to see what he had caught. What the heck is this? The slayer thought in confusion, staring at an oddly shaped piece of purple plastic that had several buttons and two sticks on it.

"Come on, Pinky! Let's play some games together!" The lilac haired girl exclaimed cheerfully.

An eyebrow rose on the slayer's head. "With this weird, plastic thing?" He responded, causing Neptune to blink in confusion.

"What, you've never seen a controller before?" She questioned curiously.

This time Natsu shook his head. "Nope, this is the first time I've seen this."

Neptune's look of confusion was quickly replaced with one of slight concern. "Hold on. Are you telling me that you've never played a video game before?" She inquired, to which Natsu nodded his head in response. "But you do have them back in your world, right? Right?"

The pink haired boy immediately shook his head. "Never seen or heard about these video games things back home." He replied simply while pressing one of the buttons with his finger. In truth, he wasn't all that sure whether such a thing even existed back in Earthland or not, though they did have lacrima that projected images and events in real time, as well as movies. Maybe they did have these 'video games' in certain parts of Fiore or beyond, and he simply never came across them.

Hearing that response, Neptune let out a horrified gasp before staggering back a few steps, as if she had heard something blasphemous. "Wha-How does your world even function?" She questioned incredulously.

The slayer rose an eyebrow at the question, before turning his attention back to her. "Are video games really that great?" He mumbled out.

"Of course, they are!" Neptune reverted to her previous state. "They're the single greatest invention ever made by mankind!" She spoke passionately, and with each word she moved closer to the boy until she was practically in his face. "You could spend hours, days or even weeks playing them non-stop!"

Natsu's expression remained blank despite the girl's close proximity. "Uh huh, you don't say…" He replied with disinterest as he placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

"Ah but worry not my newbie friend! As a pro gamer, I shall bestow upon to you my extensive gaming knowledge~!" Neptune declared loudly, placing her hands on her hips as she stood tall and proud, puffing her chest out.

"I thought you said you couldn't remember anything…" The slayer replied with an annoyed tone, though he was promptly ignored as the loli walked over to large television and turned it on. She then went over to the console to turn it on, as well before quickly running over to the couch and plopping down next to him. A frown formed on Natsu's face, but in the end he simply gave up, deciding to go along with Neptune's plan to see if these 'video games' really were that entertaining.

A minute in however, Natsu found himself being more frustrated than entertained.

"Wow, you really suck at this, Pinky." Neptune pointed out with a small grin.

A vein throbbed on the boy's head as he turned to shoot a comically angry look at the lilac haired girl. "S-Shut up!" Natsu retorted angrily, before turning back to screen.

The two were currently playing a game called 'Street Brawler,' which the loli described as a fighting game, something that immediately piqued the slayer's interest. There were two fighters on the screen, one controlled by him and the other by Neptune, that faced one another. With the limited instructions he had received form his 'teacher,' he learned that he could use the numerous sticks and buttons on his controller to, well, control and move his respective character. There was a stick that controlled movement, while some of the buttons would cause his character to either punch or kick, which in turn could be used to create different combo attacks.

The objective of the game? Essentially beat the crap out of your opponent's character, until the large yellow bar above them was depleted.

It all sounded rather simple enough to the slayer at first, but as soon as the match had started, Neptune had proceeded to knock his character around like a rag doll. It didn't help that he had begun to panic and press the buttons randomly in a desperate effort to save himself, which did nothing but make his character throw random attacks, most of which missed completely. When he finally managed to land an attack, Neptune's character merely blocked it before delivering a powerful, flaming uppercut, depleting the last sliver of his character's health bar.

K.O.! PLAYER 1 WINS!

The announcer in game spoke loudly through the speakers, as the screen displayed Neptune's character standing triumphantly over Natsu's own, who was laying on the ground in defeat. The boy could only stare at the television disbelief.

"What the hell was that last attack?!"

Neptune gave a sheepish grin. "Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you about the special attacks. Whoops~!" She replied with a slight chuckle.

The slayer went silent at those words, before slowly lowering his head.

Seeing the boy in such a state, the lilac haired girl became slightly nervous. "Uh, you okay there, Pinky?" She questioned, wondering that perhaps she had gone a tad bit too far with the beatdown she had given the male pinkette.

"…Again."

Neptune blinked as the boy's low mumble. "Huh?"

"Again!" Natsu said louder this time, startling the girl as he raised his head, his obsidian eyes now ablaze.

If there was one thing that Natsu hated more than transportation, it was losing. Whether it was a brawl or even something as trivial as seeing who could eat the most food, he always strove to win no matter what.

This was no different.

The loli was slightly taken aback by Natsu's sudden change in demeanor, but that soon changed as her mouth curved into a competitive grin. Now that's more like it! She thought before turning towards the screen as she selected the 'Rematch' option on the screen. "I hope you're ready to get your butt kicked again, Pinky!"

Natsu snorted as his gripped his controller tightly. "I won't lose this time!" He declared, the fire in his eyes burning even brighter.

·····Now Loading·····

"Man, I can't believe I lost all those rematches…" Natsu said with an annoyed grumble. He was once again outside on Compa's balcony, leaning over the railing as he set his eyes upon the bustling the city.

An hour and a half had passed since he had played against Neptune in that strange fighting game, and despite his best efforts, he hadn't even come close to beating her. In the end, Neptune smugly declared herself the supreme victor, while he was left with the bitter taste of defeat. Annoyed at his humiliating loss, the slayer had opted to go outside to get some fresh air, if just to simply to get away from the lilac haired girl for a while.

As Natsu continued to stare out at the city, he felt his mind begin to wander, no longer distracted by the video game or Neptune's attempts to annoy him. Like before, thoughts and questions began plague him, causing him to frown to as he tried to mentally shoo them away. He succeeded somewhat, but there were some thoughts that continued to linger.

Frowning in annoyance, the slayer let out sigh as he felt his head begin to ache. He was frustrated to say the least, wanting nothing more than to punch something to help alleviate it. Being idle wasn't something that Natsu was fond of, but given the current circumstances it couldn't really be helped. Whether he liked it or not, he had to take it easy for the next few days to allow his body to fully recover.

Another sigh escaped Natsu's mouth before his eyes drifted over the three, floating islands in the distance, and for a moment he began to wonder what each landmass was like. While Compa had given him a rough overview of the other three lands, she hadn't gone into too much detail. All he really knew was that they were each ruled by a goddess and that they were vastly different from one another. I wonder if these goddesses are strong? The slayer couldn't help but think curiously. He figured they would have to be, considering they ruled over and protected each land. If he ever got the chance, he was definitely going to have to challenge each one of them to a fight. Heh, I think I'm starting to look forward to this whole trip. The slayer thought, his mouth slowly curving into a small grin.

"...Nastu?"

Hearing his name being called out, Natsu turned to find Compa standing in the doorway behind him. She was clothed in plain white sundress and slippers instead of her usual attire. The smell of scented soap quickly filled his nostrils, letting him know that she had recently returned from taking a bath.

"Is everything okay?" The pink haired girl suddenly asked with a worried expression. "When I came out of the bathroom, you weren't in the living room, and when I asked Nep-Nep where you went, she said you had stormed out onto the balcony."

Natsu felt his brow twitch at those words as he was reminded of his earlier defeat. "I'm fine. Neptune just made me play that stupid video game thingy and she kept beating me. She wouldn't stop gloating after that, so I came out here to get away from her." He explained with a displeased expression whilst crossing his arms over his chest.

A look of understanding flashed across Compa's face. "Oh, I see!" She began. "Well, that's a relief. I was worried you and Nep-Nep had gotten into an argument or something."

A snort escaped the slayer's throat, though he said nothing else.

An awkward silence fell between the two pinkettes, neither one knowing what to say. While Natsu merely stood silently, Compa began fidgeting in place uncomfortably.

"Um...do you mind if join you?"

The pink haired male rose an eyebrow in response at the girl's question, curious as to why the girl needed to even ask that. In the end, he merely shrugged the thought away as a smile formed on his lips.

"I don't mind."

Hearing those words, Compa gave a grateful smile before she strode over to the boy's right side and placed her hands on the railing. "The city sure is beautiful, isn't?" She said softly, her pink eyes taking in the view before her as she smiled lightly.

Natsu merely hummed in agreement, not really having much to add to that statement. While he hardly cared much for aesthetics, he had to admit that this city was certainly quite the sight.

I'm really gonna miss this place. The girl thought to herself, her expression becoming somber. They would likely be gone for quite a while, as they'll have to search all over the other three landmasses for the remaining Key Fragments. Such a search would likely take them weeks, possibly months to complete, and that's assuming they could deal with all of the monsters that were currently rampaging throughout the world.

Silence once again fell between the two pink haired individuals, though this time it was far more comfortable than earlier.

"Natsu?" Compa's voice once again interrupted the quiet atmosphere, her question grabbing the boy's attention. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." The slayer replied simply, curious as to what the girl wanted to ask him. As she turned to him, he noticed that her eyes were staring at him with curiosity.

"Your world...what's it like?"

The dragon slayer was momentarily taken aback by the girl's question, though he was quick to gather his wits. "My world, huh?" He said aloud as he gazed over to the city once more. "Its way different than here, that's for sure." Natsu went on with a chuckle. "It's not too advance in terms of technology, but we make up for that by having magic in pretty much everything we use in everyday life. Even our vehicles run off the stuff."

Hearing that, Compa's eyes went wide. "Wow...your world is literally full of magic, just like Lowee!" She exclaimed with excitement.

Natsu turned to the girl with a look of surprise. "Wait, that Lowee place has magic?" He asked, now genuinely curious.

"Of course, it's the most magical place in all of Gameindustri!" The girl went on. "Nearly everyone there is a practitioner of magic in one way or the other, and they're always developing new spells. While there are some magic users in the other landmasses, they're few and far between when compared to the ones in Lowee."

As the slayer took in that information, he could his interest being piqued. He could only wonder how many strong and powerful mages he would encounter there. Oh man, now I'm definitely getting fired up! He thought as another grin began to form on his face.

He looks happy. Compa thought with small giggle, watching as the boy's eyes lit up. It was far cry from the expression she had seen on his face earlier in the morning. Remembering that pained look, her expression fell slightly. Is he really okay? The pink haired girl couldn't help but wonder. While she might have only known the boy for a short while, she had quickly learned that Natsu was a rather cheerful and carefree individual. Even when he had come face to face with the Guard Vermin earlier, he showed no fear or hesitation, in fact it appeared that he greatly enjoyed fighting.

Maybe I'm just overthinking things. The pink haired girl suddenly thought, slightly reprimanding herself. The boy had recently been taken from his own world after all, so it only made sense that he would be dealing with a lot both physically and emotionally. Yet despite this, Compa couldn't shake that image of Natsu's pained expression from her mind. Looking over towards the self-proclaimed mage, the girl bit her lip slightly as she considered asking the boy about it again.

Before she could even put that plan into action however, the door behind the two of them abruptly.

"Hey, Pinky~!" Neptune's voice called out as she poked her head in the doorway. "Are you still out here being a sore loser?"

Almost immediately, Natsu's happy expression fell, and in its place a scowl formed. "Go away, midget." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he refused to look in the lilac haired girl's direction, causing Compa to sweat drop.

"Aw, don't be like that~!" The petite girl responded as she finally stepped on to the balcony. "Sure, you were pretty sucky in those first few rounds, but you started getting better. You even learned how to block my attacks properly!" She exclaimed.

A growl escaped the boy's lips as he finally turned to face Neptune. "What the hell do you want?" He ground out with narrowed eyes.

Smiling widely at the pink haired boy, the petite girl held up a controller in her hand and offered it to him. "Let's play some more games together~!" She replied happily.

Natsu stared at the girl for a moment, before turning his head the other way. "Hell no." Was his only response.

The smile on Neptune's face immediately dropped as a look of shock overcame her. "Aw, come on, Pinky! Pretty please?" This time, the girl gave a large-eyed, puppy dog look in hopes of enticing the boy.

Opening one eye, Natsu peered over his shoulder at the petite girl, before turning away once again with an audible 'humph.'

Seeing as her plan was quickly falling apart, Neptune desperately tried to come up with something that could salvage her chance to have some fun. She almost gave up hope, before a devious idea came to mind. "Oh well then, I guess I'll go play by myself then…" She began, slowly turning to walk back into the living room. "…seeing as you're too scared to face me again."

As soon as those words left Neptune's mouth, the temperature in the air suddenly rose.

"…What did you say?" Natsu said in a low voice, a bright aura suddenly appearing around him, causing Neptune to smile and Compa to yelp in surprise.

Seeing as her plan was working, Neptune merely shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking inside. "I said I'm just gonna play by myself, since you're such a scaredy cat~!" She said in a singsong tone, finally disappearing into the living room.

That did it, Natsu immediately turned around, a comical expression of anger on his face as his eyes literally became ablaze with fire.

"OH, YOU ARE SO ON, MIDGET!" The boy roared as he ran after the petite girl, leaving a bewildered Compa alone on the balcony.

…W-what just happened? The pink haired girl wondered, unsure of what she had just witnessed. She remained rooted in place, before it dawned on her that she had just lost her chance to talk to Natsu. Oh, pooey. She thought dejectedly with a sigh.

Hehehe…

Compa's eyes went wide as quiet giggle made its way into her ears, causing her to quickly turn around. Her pink eyes scanned the balcony but found nothing.

W-what was that? The pink haired girl thought in mild alarm. The voice sounded like it belonged to a child's, yet there was no around. Am I hearing things? She pondered the thought for a moment. It had been a fairly hectic day after all, perhaps she was a bit more out of it than she realized.

After a moment of merely standing there, Compa decided to follow after her new roommates, unsure of what to make of the strange voice. Had she stayed a second longer, she would have likely noticed a pair of purple, disembodied wings fluttering above her balcony before flying away…

·····Save Complete·····

Long time no see, eh? The last chapter I posted was a little over two years ago. Man, time sure does fly. As for why I haven't updated in those two years, well, long story short: depression. Really killed my motivation to do just about anything. Thankfully, I pulled through, but my motivation hadn't been the same, which sucked. But slowly, I've been regaining some of that spark back, and I'm here today to let ya'll know I'm still sticking to this story. It'll be slow, but I'm hoping to reach the end of fic. I've even got ideas for possible side stories/sequels, and even a decent story concept for a separate crossover between Fairy Tail and Victory/Rebirth 3. I've also got a few ideas for a crossover between FT and Azur Lane, though nothing concrete yet and it'll likely be more of a crack/humor fic (Natsu as the Commander? Sounds pretty ridiculous, but it would be fun to write nonetheless.). The ideas came after reading Dragon's Justice by Hek'UnnSkipper, in which Natsu ends up in the One Piece world, is taken in by Garp and becomes a marine (even becomes a captain with his own crew). Its an interesting read, so check it out if you get the chance.

As for this chapter in particular, I've not much else to say at this moment. I wanted to make it longer, but I figured this would be a good place to stop. The next chapter will really get the ball rolling, as the gang will begin their journey and meet Iffy (and hilarity ensues).

I'm toying with some new ideas for this story, but again, nothing set in stone. I've also gone back and touched up a few of the previous chapters, with some minor tweaks and dialogue changes, so if you'd like, give em a reread.

Thanks again for sticking with me, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Till next time.