Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Naruto.

A/N: It's been a while since I've posted anything on here. I've actually written tons, but since I have all these different ideas I don't always get very far into stories. Some are as few as 7k words, while others have well over 30k. It's a bit of a mix. This is one of a few Naruto/Fairy Tail crossovers that I've been working on. I basically throw Naruto into everything because he's my favorite hero. He's such a lovable idiot. Admittedly I'm more or less borrowing his name and likeness for this story, his personality is changed in certain ways due to life experience. There are no elemental nations in this world.

Fairy Tail's Guardian

Chapter 1: Return of the Lost Son

It was at the guild master conference in Clover town that Makarov met up with a small contingent of rune knights. It was easy to tell that they were all a bit on edge, terrified might be a better word. It was no secret to the old master as to why the magical presence that had traveled with them was more oppressive than most.

"Fairy Tail's Guild Master Makarov Dreyar, I am the First Captain of the twelfth platoon of the Rune Knights. My orders are to release this man into your custody, his sentence fully carried out," the man's tone suggested he may have practiced that little speech.

The diminutive guild master stood there in his wizard saint cape and merely nodded, "Very well, it's good to have one of my wayward children come home."

Several of the knights moved around allowing the man to be seen, the chains on his throat, arms, and hands clear for all to see. Such a thing was as ridiculous as it was pointless, especially considering his 'crime' and abilities. To be fair, it wouldn't have been used had normal magic sealing devices and runes worked on him. The chains were there more likely than not to give the men a half a measure of comfort, that and a second to run before he freed himself. Still, chains were a foolish choice.

As two knight came forward to release the man's bonds, startlingly blue eyes opened for the first time. Peering into those startling orbs made both knights jump, eliciting a chuckle from the prisoner. A small wave of power flared out causing the junior knights to tremble. Makarov knew the gesture was nothing more than the boy flexing his muscles a bit, but the chains disappearing into thin air was a nice touch.

"I'm free," cackled the blue-eyed man, his tattered red cape whipping in the wind around him.

"We've got to get out of here."

"He's a demon!"

Before things could get too carried away, a giant hand came down in a chop to the prisoner's head. Everyone froze in shock, looking to see it was the tiny Makarov who had committed the act. Most must have forgotten his position as a wizard saint as they simply waited for him to die.

Instead, they watched as the young man dropped down, holding his head with both hands and whining, "Owwww, Master, did you have to hit me so hard? I was just having a little fun."

Makarov chuckled, "You always get too carried away. I bet you've had these boys pissing themselves the whole way here haven't you?"

Guilty laughter sounded from the blond then as he plopped back on his rear, rubbing the back of his head, "Caught me already Master. It's not my fault the rune knights aren't made of tougher stuff. Besides, if they're scared of me, what's going to happen when they face the real big bads out there?"

The soldiers were all speechless. None of them having a clue how to describe what was going on. It was then that the captain stepped up.

"Since we've completed our business we will be on your way. I hope you can keep him under control. I'd hate to have a repeat of this," his voice now held the expected authoritative tone.

Another cold wave of power, "Oh, I just bet you would."

No sooner had the man turned around and began to march off did the boy find his head chopped again. Between the head rubbing and chopping a small white turban that had been wrapped around the prisoner's head became undone revealing spiky golden locks. The blond could only whine at the pain and grip his head again.

"That really hurts, ya know," he fussed at the master.

The pouting look wasn't held for long as the two smiled fondly at one another. Playful snickers met mirthful chuckles as the two relaxed. Makarov began to muss the boy's hair who went to swat him away. It had been a full year now, they hadn't allowed the boy visitors given the effects of his magic. Considering how willfully he submitted to the punishment, it had been viewed as an incredibly cruel act that the magical council was still receiving rebuke for.

"We've missed you, son," the old man warmly greeted once more.

"Not as much as I've missed my family. Though we'll have to make a stop on the way home, I've gotta get my fix, ya know," the blond had to look away a bit bashfully by the end of his sentence.

Makarov had already expected that, but couldn't keep back his suggestive laughter. It wasn't really funny, they both knew that, but it was something they tried to make light of so it didn't overwhelm the boy. It wasn't like there was anything he could do about it. The lad had even done everything in his power over the years to keep it from being an issue with his guildmates. The only people to know about his little problem in the guild were the guild master, Gildarts, and Mira.

Gildarts had been told by the master during a drunken night out. The boy hadn't been happy his problem was blabbed, but he wasn't concerned about the guilds most powerful mage knowing. It was Mira who had been the problem. No one had told Mira, nor had the boy done anything to give himself away, it was something about the magic that she had that none of the others possessed. It let her sense him, made her more sensitive to his powers so to speak. Even with her magical abilities in a more dormant state, it could still be a problem if the boy didn't get his fix.

"Not a problem son, I'd already made arrangements for the trip home. One of the girls apparently remembers you from the last time you were there and has made a personal reservation for if you ever booked there again," Makarov informed the boy with a smirk.

The blond just groaned as he curled up a bit, "Please don't joke about these things Master. If she forms an addiction it could destroy her life."

"Oh come now my boy," chuckled the old man as he began to wander back inside, "You'll settle down one of these days and then these problems will go away."

The words, if only, trailed through the boy's mind as he caught up to Makarov and walked inside. The rest of the guild masters were already present and waiting. All eyes turned to the pair as they made there way in.

"Oh Maki, is this our problem child?"

The disturbing comment had come from an equally disturbing individual. The overweight, balding, man was dressed in quite little for his size. The tutu certainly didn't help. Both Fairy Tail master and wizard felt that it was a bit too cruel that this was the first outside face the boy got to see upon leaving prison.

"Even a decade in jail couldn't make that look pretty," whispered the released boy into his master's ear.

It took much of Makarov's willpower not to laugh as he apologized, "Forgive our tardiness. My youngster here was just saying goodbye to the rune knights in his own special way."

A man in a spiked collar with brown hair grunted next, "Yeah, his magic has a funny smell about it."

Fairy Tail's guild master patted his wizard on the side comfortingly, "How about you go ahead and introduce yourself, my boy?"

"Of course Master," the blond bowed slightly, a clawed golden gauntlet covering much of his arm, "I am Naruto Uzumaki-Vermillion, it's a pleasure to meet you all."

"He who guards the gates of Fairy Tail, quite the impressive title for one so young," the collar wearing guild master commented offhandedly.

A salacious laugh came then from the overweight guild master Bob, "I do love a bad boy."

Both Makarov and Naruto shivered then, with the old guild leader came to his wizard's rescue, "How about we get this meeting started."

No one was particularly happy about the meeting having droned on for four hours, maybe that's why they only had these things two or three times a year. Things were wrapping up when Makarov noticed young Naruto twitch suddenly. The boy's nose shot into the air and a dark look crossed his face, as he inhaled deeply. Only one other person knew what that meant.

Makarov and Naruto both stood slowly, moving in harmony with one another. The similarity ended there as the blond left the room in powerful strides of deadly purpose, an ominous aura was all that remained in his wake. All eyes followed him out before shifting to his master.

"Heh heh, not back for a full day and we're already taking the same bathroom breaks. I swear that boy and I are more alike than we know," muttered the elder Dreyar as if anyone would believe him while following his young wizard out.

The other guild masters chuckled a bit, it was humorous what some people said to avoid dragging others into a mess. Not hesitating, the remaining masters stood and followed the duo out. It seemed like this conference just got a lot more interesting.

Makarov happened upon a seen he hoped he wouldn't soon be seeing. He had intended to do everything in his power to keep Naruto away from dark wizards, especially when the boy's hunger was this high. The boy's own sense of right and wrong, mixed with his 'parents' influence, created a fierce need to see justice brought to the wicked.

As the Fairy Tail guild master entered the clearing in the wooded area, his attention was brought to Naruto pinning a dark-haired wizard to the ground with his free hand. The arm which bore his gauntlet was pulled back giving the appearance that he would soon eviscerate the boy. The elderly master Makarov knew that his wizard had more restraint than this, but it had been an entire year since they'd seen each other. He decided he would hang back for a moment and see how things played out.

Aware of his master's presence, Naruto leaned in ever closer to his prey, "Have you ever wondered what the inside of the magic council's supermax prison looks like? You know the one, it's what they use to hold the most dangerous of mages."

The quivering mass beneath him couldn't even lie as the fear swept over him, something about this guys power was making him want to kill himself. His body became desperate for anything just to get away from this feeling. Injured as he was, and pinned to the ground, he could only nod.

"Let me tell you all about it, I just came from there you know. Had a ten year sentence but I was released early on good behavior, but you don't wanna hear about that, do ya," the way those crystal blue eyes bore into him gave the terrified dark wizard a feeling that he was the food a predator was playing with, "I have this thing about killing dark wizards, it just makes me feel so alive. So many sins, so much punishment, but you are a special breed aren't you?"

The injured dark guild member tried to choke out his denial as best he could to save himself, "N-n-n-naghh."

Naruto cut his words off by squeezing the man's throat in his bare hand. He then dragged the limp body against a tree and up it, pushing so hard that the bark scraped off the tree. The muttered whimpers of pain and fear were almost too much for the collected guild masters who were hanging back to bear. Sure, they had an idea that this kid had come there to do them harm, possibly kill them, but that was the kind of behavior that separated legal and dark guilds. It was obvious that Makarov's boy trod a fine line. However, they trusted Makarov to intervene before things went too far.

"Now, now, no lies. We're building a special bond here, and all friendships start with honesty, right," the playful hunger in his words left tears streaking down his victim's eyes, the poor man could only nod, "Good boy. Now I'll tell you my secret. I have a soft spot for those dark guilds who use the tools of Zeref, or is it a hard spot? I can never really tell which. The thing is, those tools were meant to create death on a massive scale, to rip the life out of there unsuspecting victims, fueled by forces darker than you can imagine."

The young man only gulped, more people had just arrived. Naruto couldn't quite tell who, but they felt familiar.

"I know right, doesn't it just make your skin crawl. I'm different though, I get these...these urges. It's useless to fight them. I mean, who would want to spare the pigs who could take life so callously? Why should they get to live, right, RIGHT?"

Bringing the clawed gauntlet around, he used its backside to stoke the man's cheeks earning him a new whimper. The small cackle from Naruto became maddening. Problem was, even he knew that he was losing it.

At some point Naruto's hand had moved from the man's throat to his mouth, muffling out the pitiable noises, "None of that now. You're making it really hard for me to control myself. You don't want to be responsible for getting me all excited, do you? It's just, when I get this worked up, the only thing that I can do to calm myself is-"

Several of the masters were about to move forward before a massive arm came between them and the boys. They couldn't believe what they were seeing, what Makarov was allowing to happen. They knew their friend wouldn't allow him to kill the boy, but since when did Fairy Tail teach lessons like this. The cold voice of their old friend that spoke chilled them to the bone.

"If we disturb them, if we don't let him vent his frustration, Naruto will kill the boy and we won't be able to do a thing. Against that boy's magic, the wicked will never escape. He usually wouldn't go so far, but he's hungry and we have the magic council to blame for that. I pleaded his case but they refused to listen. I ask you all to trust me," the third master of Fairy Tail pleaded with his comrades in a tone far more serious than they were used to.

All eyes widened at what happened next, the sight of Naruto dragging the gauntlet's center claw down his face, his own face. Blood trickled for a moment before a sizzling sound was heard and the wound began to heal. The euphoric sigh he released earning him a muffled scream.

"Do you care if I taste your blood, I'm so hungry? I'll stop this time, I promise. It's not that bad right now but if I wait any longer, I doubt I'll be able to hold back, just a little, just a bite," whether it was the sight of the approaching claw or Naruto's words, they would never know but the young dark wizard lost consciousness.

The small group of Fairy Tail wizards who had arrived approached slowly, not sure what they just witnessed. Makarov and the others strolled into the clearing as well. None were sure why, but after Naruto suddenly dropped the dark wizard he began to shake.

All in attendance were filled with concern until they heard the air spurting from the boy's mouth. Moments later all aside from Fairy Tail's third master sweat-dropped as the blond dropped to the ground laughing hysterically. As the blond held his sides with laughter bursting from the seems everyone began to wonder what they just witnessed.

"Natsu, Gray, Erza, is that you guys? Did you see that, big bad dark wizard passed out," the boy's cackle continued for a few moments before he could calm himself, "Man, it's good to see you guys, but really, you should probably head back to the guild now. Master and I have business to attend to so-"

Natsu and Gray were still trying to figure out what just happened. The new blonde-haired celestial wizard, Lucy, was feeling a bit overlooked, while Erza was simply shocked. The requip wizard, not being one to just take situations lying down, marched over to her long lost friend and jerked him to his feet by the blond's collar. His actions demanded an explanation and she was damn certain to get one.

"Naruto, what's going on here? We haven't seen you in a year and find you here doing...doing...what were you doing again," the rapidly changing tone from Titania surprised more than just the Fairy Tail wizards, her Heart Kreuz armor vanished along with the distance between them, "Naruto, when did your eyes get so blue?"

It was Fairy Tail's guardian who spoke up though, once more shocking everyone, "M-m-maaaster, help m-me, p-p-pleeease."

The hands Erza had used to drag Naruto up by his collar began to drift down to his chest as the look she gave the man in front of her became softer, more sensual, "You don't need Master's help Naruto. I'll help you. I can do whatev-"

A swift chop to the neck from a titan's had knocked the girl into unconsciousness. The gigantic appendage then proceeded to lift the girl and hand her to Natsu. Makarov came to stand before his young team, his magic flared to show he meant business.

"Take Erza home, ask no questions, I won't tell you again. I have very important matters to address here, but Erza will be fine when she gets back to the guild and Naruto will come back with me. Get going before things get worse," somehow though, Makarov knew his last words had dug his own grave.

Since Naruto was first on the scene, none had noticed that demonic looking flute that the blond had knocked at of his hands. The team from Fairy Tail themselves had forgotten about the instrument in the face of what was happening. Everyone could see it now though as the tiny instrument floated off the ground, the eye sockets in its skull mouthpiece glowing red, as it emanated a vile aura.

"Foolish humans, I've grown tired of this farce. I've collected enough energy from these puny wizards to return to my true form. With it, I shall grant you everlasting rest," the demonic flute chuckled as in turned into a massive demon.

A large army unit that had been gathered outside of town witnessed the massive beast and began their charge. It only took one massive beam from the monster to send them running. In all fairness, the magical blast did level an entire mountainside.

Unlike most though, Natsu just looked on the newest development in excitement, "Alright, I'm all fired up. Let's do this Gray."

"Don't order me around matchstick, I was going either way," the ice-wizards objection sounded as weak as it was as he followed his friend into battle.

The two were met once more with surprise as the guild master stood in there way.

"What's going on gramps, we gotta take this thing out," Natsu groaned.

"I gotta agree with flame-for-brains on this one gramps," Gray agreed while still getting his shot in.

"That won't be necessary, that demon is already dead, it just doesn't know it," calmly stated the guild master.

All eyes followed Makarov as they noticed Naruto slumped over, only Natsu could pick up on his light laughter. To the dragon slayer's ears, his old friend sounded mad, crazy, over the bend. He began to wonder what prison had done to his friend.

The next words out of Naruto's lips were barely a whisper, but everyone heard them clearly, "Chains of Perdition."

The mad demon was cackling in a manner not unlike the crimson cloaked blond wizard. It was perhaps due to the beasts rampant destructive play that it did not notice the multitude of spiked chains until they began to pierce its flesh.

"Rahhhh, what is this? Why can't I break free, what is this magic? No, no, this isn't magic at all," cried Zeref's demon.

"That's right, you figured me out. Now come, face your judgment and meet your own eternal rest," Naruto shouted as his chains began to flash and glow.

A magic circle appeared in the sky over the demon with it taking in a great deal of air, Natsu still couldn't stand doing nothing, "Come on Master, we've gotta do something."

Makarov only nodded his head, "Trust me, my boy, we are."

The rest of the old man's words would go unsaid as he thought to himself, 'By staying out of the way.'

As the demon's magic began to activate, a beautifully deadly melody began to fill the air. All those who could hear it could not resist. The feeling of death overtaking them wasn't enough to bring them to action. They were only snapped free from the death curse when the sound began to dissipate as the chains began to glow even brighter.

"No! You can't, this isn't possible! I'll kill you all," growled the demon out in great frustration.

Zerefs creation's efforts came far too late as the chains began to tighten. Screams and roars erupted from the demon as the chains literally ripped it to pieces. The demon had been destroyed and all those present were ecstatic. If only some of the pieces hadn't landed on the guild hall, destroying a vast majority of it.

The twitching from Naruto went unnoticed by all except Makarov. The Fairy Tail mages were either celebrating or running from the army whose courage seemed to return with the death of the demon and now pursued the wizards. With some regret, it seemed like Makarov would have to bring in someone else on this secret, and his only choices were Natsu and Gray.

"Gray," the Master commanded with authority, "Take the others back to the guild hall. Natsu will be helping Naruto and myself."

The group separated without another word, both with the same eventual destinations. The only difference was that one of them had to make a stop first.

It was several hours later that the Makarov's group had made it to the train station and were headed to their next destination. Natsu had left their private room at one point to go and use the bathroom. The old man made a note to make sure he didn't leave the boy on the train.

Though, it was the boy who laid in the seat across from him that truly worried him. Naruto was a kind young man with a heart of gold. So many times since this boy had wound up on Fairy Tail's doorstep had the young man gone out of his way to help others. He had even managed to do all sorts of good for his guildmates without ever truly getting to close to most of them.

It was plain to see the boy's heavy ragged cloak draped around him, his baggy black pants and combat boots were all the remained visible. Still, Makarov had seen the short sleeve belted black shirt the boy wore, his one arm covered by his gauntlet while the other was wrapped in bandages. The only part of his face visible were the boy's startling blue eyes and golden hair. His obsession with hiding his appearance was only outdone by Mystogan; this had created some odd rumors ranging from the two being related in some way, to having been seriously disfigured.

Fairy Tail's third master simply sat back and relaxed. He could do nothing to ease the boy's fitful sleep, nor would worrying about it aide either of them. Makarov knew he'd done all he could petitioning the council for the boy's release, or to at least some kind of visitation. The isolation had brought his hunger to insatiable levels, it was obvious that his sanity hinged on his ability to feed soon, the battle certainly hadn't helped.

One thing, and only one thing, had prevented a worse scenario from coming about and the master was thankful for that much as he muttered to himself whilst falling asleep, "At least Mirajane wasn't here."

Unfortunately, even in the depths of his nightmares, something primal in Naruto responded to the name as he called it out as if in a trance, "Mirajane~."

_

Back in the guild hall was another peaceful day for Fairy Tail, well, as peaceful as a day in Fairy Tail could get. Team Shadow gear was fighting over Levy while Cana was deep in another drink or seven. Elfman set at the bar chatting with his sister, just another day.

That is until Mirajane stumbled and grabbed her head.

"Mira, what is it," Elfman cried out in alarm.

Being the guilds unofficial mascot, everyone got quiet and looked towards the bar. The image they saw was a slightly disturbing one. The usually calm, cool and collected Mirajane was tossing back and forth a bit, sweat forming along her brow. It was obvious that something was wrong but when someone tried to lead her to a chair, they ended up being thrown through a wall with a strength that the S-class mage hadn't shown in years.

It was Cana who made the connection when Mira's erratic breathing became deeper and the girl's eyes flew open, "She looks so...hungry. I haven't seen her like this since..."

"It can't be, he's been locked up for a year now. He's not even here," Elfman shouted but in a manner that was almost pleading for someone to say it wasn't true.

It was then that Fairy Tail's poster girl finally called out for the cause of her affliction, "Na-ru-to~."

If that hadn't shocked Elfman enough, the powers that had been locked away for years now resurfaced in that moment as Mirajane took on her devil-soul once more. The big guy didn't even have a chance to try and stop her before she destroyed the bar that impeded her path and flew out the doors. All of this happened so quickly that most had no clue as to what had even happened and could only stare at the destruction left in Mira's wake.

A/N: So that's the first chapter. I really don't know if or when the next chapter will post, I just really wanted some feedback to see what people thought. Did some of the mystery I left intrigue you or just leave you confused? Would this be something you are interested in reading? Please let me know in the comments.