S.R: Guys…. Please pray that I don't loose my mind with all the ideas I keep coming up with. It is starting to scare me honestly. I'd say more but then I'll get sidetracked and I don't want to spend three hours talking about the stories I've come up with but am holding off on working on/posting them because I don't want to drive my beta reader insane. Not to mention it'd delay my two Fairy Tail stories, and considering the fact they're pretty popular I don't think that'd go over very well. Oh shit, I've already started rambling. My bad, my bad. I'll shut up now and let you get on to the story.

A few days had passed since the fighting with Phantom Lord. Natsu and Cana hadn't been apart for even a minute in that time. Of course if anyone asked why, it'd be Cana that would reply, and her answer would be "Because we haven't had a proper date thanks to all the bullshit that's been going on. I want some quality time with my man and to hell with everything else." Natsu, because he thought his girlfriend looked ridiculously sexy when she took charge would just nod his head and make an agreeing sound.

But they both had things to do, and neither one of them could stop time. So as they sat down for breakfast at the guild hall the figures of both Lucy and the guild master made their way towards the two.

"Morning Cana, Natsu."

Lucy greeted as Makarov just nodded at the duo. Since he already had a mouthful of eggs, and he didn't want to be smacked for being rude, Natsu merely tilted his head in greeting. Cana responded with a simple "Good morning."

"Umm… I don't really know how to say this. But, do you remember when you and Mira were trying to convince me that Phantom Lord's attack wasn't my fault?"

The blonde commented as she avoided making direct eye contact with the Cards mage. After everything she'd seen from the brunette Lucy was starting to feel a little self unconscious and nervous around her fellow mage.

"I don't recall saying it wasn't your fault, though it really wasn't. I said I couldn't convince you otherwise right then. Because you were panicking I figured you wouldn't listen to the truth until things were safe and there was no danger. Though I did say if you still were feeling down about it I'd go with you to confront your old man."

Makarov who hadn't been present at that exact moment, had a soft smile at Cana's words. She had grown into a remarkable and capable woman. Though the guild looked to Erza most of the time, Cana was still someone who could step up and take the lead when needed, and the short elderly man was proud of that fact.

Natsu wasn't really paying much attention, as he was more focused on eating, though he had an inkling on why the guild master had approached and was waiting his turn to speak.

"T-thats… Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I would like to go give my dad a piece of my mind, and I recalled you saying that. So, w-would you go with me to confront him Cana?"

"Sure. Just let me finish up my breakfast here and we can go."

Not wanting to go back on her word, and realizing that it was time for things to go back to normal Cana readily responded in agreement. Unlike her boyfriend, she was almost finished eating. Taking the last bite of her pancake, and downing the rest of her orange juice, the Cards mage stood up, stretched, and motioned for Lucy to lead the way.

The moment they were out of sight Makarov sat down beside Natsu with a serious look on his face.

"You haven't been by the guild since the fight, but with your senses I'm sure you've already noticed. A couple of Phantom Lords members that didn't get arrested are hanging about in town. One already approached me about joining, and the other I sought out myself."

Given what he learned about the Iron Dragon Slayer during their small confrontation, Natsu figured he was the one that Makarov went looking for.

"I take it Gajeel didn't give an answer?"

He questioned after sipping his orange juice.

"He said it depends on his talk with you. Gajeel actually asked me to tell you and I quote 'hurry your ass up and come talk to me already.' But I won't pry into your business with him."

The guild master stated. Snorting, Natsu couldn't help but shake his head.

"I'll go get your answer here after a bit. As for the one that approached you, well… Aria is a bit too cold blooded and will likely get in trouble with the magic council, and Sol… Sol is just an asshole from what I've heard. If it's either of them I'd say turn them away."

Giving his consent to the idea Makarov got up and started to head towards his office. After a few steps though he turned around.

"Since the others will be a bit wary, I'm putting you in charge of helping Gajeel get adjusted to Fairy Tail."

He wasn't sure why, but the guild master had a gut feeling that the Iron Dragon Slayer would be joining Fairy Tail.

In Magnolia Park

Natsu had taken his time as he made his way towards where he felt the traces of the Iron Dragon Slayer's magic. Because Gajeel would know where he was and come to him, Natsu just found a park bench to sit on. He had only been sitting for five minutes when the dark haired man approached.

"You know where the metal bastard that raised me is at."

The man commented, tone conveying that he completely believed that Natsu knew where the dragon had gone.

"I know where he is and why he's there. But it's a long story, and I have to start at the beginning for you to understand."

Natsu said, patting the bench next to him so his fellow dragon slayer would sit down.

"What do you know about Acnologia?"

He asked, starting the discussion.

"Other than the fact he's an extremely powerful black dragon? Jack shit."

"Back during the Dragon Civil War, he was a dragon slayer just like us. But he went insane and started slaughtering all the dragons he could find. Bathing in their blood sped the process up, but his magic warped his genetics making him a human turned dragon."

"What's that got to do with us?"

Chuckling, Natsu simply responded.

"Well… It was discovered that dragon slaying magic is still a form of dragon magic, and humans wielding the magic of dragons would slowly become dragons themselves. Since the dragons were worried that another situation like Acnologia would arise, they endeavored to find a way to prevent the transformation."

The Iron Dragon Slayer was starting to understand what was happening after he heard that explanation.

"That bastard didn't say a word about it to me. Hell he left without even saying goodbye."

"I don't know why your dragon didn't say anything to you about it."

"So the giant piece of scrape-metal had to go do something that is stopping me from becoming a dragon. At least now I know."

Natsu rolled his eyes, as he spoke up.

"I told you I know where he is remember? Using their magic they can create an 'antibody' so to speak, doing that they can prevent our magic from changing us into dragons. In order to do that however, they had someone seal them inside of us."

He wasn't sure why, but Gajeel knew he wasn't being lied to. That didn't stop him from twisting his head to stare at the Fire Dragon Slayer in shock. Natsu just nodded his head.

"I know how to prove it to. You just need to use a spell known as Soul Link. It'll let you communicate with anyone you have ever met, no matter where either of you are. I've been using it to talk with Igneel for a few years now."

Gajeel looked away, feeling embarrassed to admit how much he wanted to talk with his adoptive father Metalicanna. Despite that it was clear on his face so his expression didn't match his actions, which caused Natsu to laugh out loud.

"Come on, I'll teach you how to use Soul Link. Let's go find a quieter spot."

He offered, thinking it'd be better for them to move into the forest that surrounded Magnolia so there would be less people around. It would help because it meant less distractions, and because there would be no one else around to see, which would help Gajeel acknowledge his feelings.

Meanwhile

"How can you drink so much?"

Lucy asked as her eyes went wide. She and Cana had gone to the train station, so they could head towards Lucy's old home so she could make her feelings known to her father. But the moment they got on the train Cana headed towards it's drink station and proceeded to spend a couple thousand jewels on some alcohol.

A few dozen bottles had already been consumed and Cana wasn't even showing signs of being slightly buzzed let alone drunk like anyone else would have been.

"Apparently I take after my dad in having an abnormally strong liver. My first time drinking, I managed to out drink a few of the older guild members, and avoid getting sick or blacking out."

"You can't be fully human… No wonder you and Natsu make such a perfect couple."

Lucy mumbled under her breath, recalling the fact that Natsu could do several inhuman feats just because of his magic. Unfortunately for her Cana heard her.

"I'd take offense to that, but you said that Natsu and I are the perfect couple."

"You heard me?"

Cana just nodded her head.

"Thanks to Natsu's magic affecting both of us I do have stronger senses."

Tilting her head at that Lucy couldn't help but ask about Natsu's magic.

"Speaking of his magic… What exactly is his magic? I mean it's gotta be really amazing if he can swim in a freaking volcano."

"Well because of how large his magic container was as a baby, his birth mother had to give him away to protect him from some cult that worshiped the Black Mage, Zeref. He was found and raised by Igneel."

Since it sounded somewhat familiar from when Happy told her about Natsu's past Lucy just nodded her head.

"But Igneel isn't a regular person. In fact, he's not a human at all. Igneel is a dragon."

"No way!"

Since it was the standard response they'd get whenever someone talked about Natsu's adoptive father, Cana just rolled her eyes.

"In this era, yeah. But Natsu's mother was friends with a powerful mage who could send people through time. As a baby Natsu was sent back in time. The plan was to send him back in time before all the cults that worshiped Zeref started. So he was sent back to a time when dragons were still prevalent in Ishgar."

"I don't believe it. I mean first off if that was true, Natsu wouldn't be here right now."

Shaking her head Cana just barely repressed a snort.

"But then Acnologia became a threat to dragon kind, hunting them down and brutally slaughtering them. So the dragons made a pact with someone to protect their adoptive children. In order to do that, this person used Time magic to send them to the future."

Understanding now dawned on Lucy, though it made her brain hurt to think about how Natsu had gone through time not just once, but twice.

"Okay then… So you're saying Natsu's magic is special because it was taught to him by a dragon?"

Trying to get back to the main reason she wanted to know about the pink haired man Lucy inquired about his magic once again.

"Yeah. Dragon Slaying magic, is at it's core a type of Dragon magic. Because of that, it alters his body to allow him to safely perform his magic. His body is far more durable than a regular person, and with a certain spell he can make his skin become scales as hard as a dragons. His lungs are slightly larger than a normal persons and they are coated in magic to protect them from the heat his flames create when he breathes fire. Natsu's eyes are just as keen as a hawks, he can literally smell everything within a mile of his locations, even his hearing is stronger than a dogs."

Hearing exactly what Natsu's magic did to his body, the blonde had wide eyes.

"Because he is the Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu has complete and total immunity to fire. On top of the fact his magic prevents him from feeling cold."

"How is it even possible for a human to use such a powerful magic?"

At that Cana was unable to stop herself from snorting.

"Dragon Slayer magic is thought of as a 'Lost' magic for a reason."

Since the brunette had a point Lucy couldn't really say anything. But then she remembered that her friend had said Natsu' magic affects her as well.

"Wait, you said his magic does things to you as well?"

Nodding, Cana downed another bottle of alcohol before explaining.

"Since Dragon Slayer magic makes them half dragon essentially, it also causes them to be more dragon-like. Apparently thanks to their magic dragons can do some unique things, and slayers are able to do the same."

Pausing for a moment, Cana rolled the pant leg of her capris up so Lucy could partially see the amazingly detailed dragon tattoo that covered the upper half of her calf and lower portion of her thigh.

"They are able to use their magic to mark their lover. So long as one has a mates marking, we gain similar benefits as our partners. As Natsu's mate I am far more resistant to cold than I was before, I have slightly stronger senses, and he is unable to hurt me with his magic; meaning Fire Dragon Slaying magic is completely ineffective on me."

Even though it looked like her words went in one ear and out the other, Lucy really was listening to Cana as she studied the tattoo that she was being shown. It seemed very tribal like, despite the fact she could clearly see little lines signifying the beasts scales. The dragon's jaw was open showing rows of sharp and jagged teeth, with flames pouring out the sides of it's maw. And the wings were drawn back, as if it was puffing out it's chest.

"This is a really amazing tattoo."

She finally commented about the marking.

"Apparently when Natsu masters his magic to a high enough level, he'll be able to use his fire to become a dragon that looks exactly like this one."

Cana blurted out. She didn't mean to mention it, since Natsu was trying to keep it a secret that he could eventually have a dragon form. Especially since only a small handful of people knew what that would mean. But she couldn't help it. The idea of Natsu becoming a dragon, that looked exactly like her mates marking, well it was extremely satisfying to her.

Luck was on her side however as the moment her mouth opened the P.A. system on the train crackled to life and drowned her voice out with an announcement that they were pulling into the station. After it cut off, Lucy stood up and stretched, while asking if Cana would repeat what she had said when the P.A. system went off.

"Oh, uh, I just said it was made by Natsu's magic in less than a second. I was so shocked that I almost slapped him when I jumped as it appeared."

The brunette lied through her teeth as she followed Lucy's lead in standing up.

Back With Natsu

"Holy fuck. I didn't think it'd be this easy."

Gajeel commented, surprised at how easy it was to activate the Soul Link spell that Natsu had taught him. Truthfully the Iron Dragon Slayer wanted to use it immediately to talk with his adoptive father. But he held back, thinking it would be better to do so when he had complete privacy.

"Yeah, it's real simple. It's not so well known because you channel magic into your head rather than out of your body like normal."

He knew that his fellow Dragon Slayer didn't care, but Natsu had to explain why it wasn't so popular of a spell, despite how easy it was.

"So what now, Salamander?"

"You're free to do whatever you want."

Snorting the black haired man spoke again.

"Bullshit. It might not have been a true fight, but you did win. That makes you the alpha. My instincts won't let me forget that. So again. What now, Salamander?"

"Well since you're acknowledging me as the alpha I guess that means we're making Magnolia into a den. Since it's just the two of us, you don't have to worry about pissing off another member of the den. So you can do whatever so long as you don't destroy anything."

With that said Natsu started to walk back towards the guild. He got three steps away before Gajeel started after him.

"I guess that means I'm taking the old man up on his offer."

Days Later

Because they figured out that he was the one responsible for wrecking the guild hall most of Fairy Tail cautiously avoided Gajeel after he joined, just like Makarov had predicted would happen. Natsu, Cana, and surprisingly, Erza and Levy were the only ones that actually talked with him and welcomed him.

Happy would have been included in the group that helped Gajeel get accustomed to Fairy Tail, but most of the time he was too busy munching on some fish.

Lucy was spending a lot of time with Cana and Levy after she finally spoke with her father about things. Cana, because the brunette was the one that supported her the most and was helping her grow a backbone and being more confident. And Levy, because the two had hit it off quite well, both sharing a love of reading.

So after winning some tickets to Akane Hotel and Resort, which was one of the most famous tourists vacation spots in all of Fiore, Lucy couldn't help but invite them. Gajeel was included because she had five tickets, and because Natsu didn't think the guild was ready to accept Gajeel without him around just yet.

"So are we doing two or three rooms?"

Levy asked as they checked into the resort. Natsu and Gajeel were already sniffing around and completely ignored her question. Though in their defense it was close to dinner time and they hadn't eaten yet, so they were going to be distracted by their stomachs anyway.

"Why would we do three rooms?"

Lucy asked, completely forgetting that they could divide the rooms up as Natsu and Cana in one, Gajeel in another, and then she'd share one with Levy.

"We're doing two. Natsu hasn't turned eighteen yet, and I don't want my dad killing him for breaking one of his rules just yet."

Cana answered, as she prepared to herd Natsu and Gajeel towards the two rooms so they could get ready for dinner. As she did there was a buzzing sound in the back of her head. So with a hand sign to Levy to handle things she stepped away to find an area where she could sit and have a telepathic conversation without interruption.

'Cana, I hate to bother you while your on vacation.'

She heard the voice of the guild master.

'What's going on master?'

'Well… Erza took on a job to deal with some pirates in the seas near where you guys are. Apparently there are several pirate crews she has to deal with. Each crew has a small territory on the ocean that they terrorize, so it's going to take her a bit more time than she originally planned.'

'Are you wanting us to help her deal with them?'

Cana wondered, a bit confused on exactly what the guild master wanted.

'No not unless she specifically asks for your help. I just wanted to ask if you'd help her find someplace to stay at. A 'base of operations' so to speak.'

'If that's all she needs, I'm willing to pay a bit extra for her to stay with us here at the resort.'

Makarov had a relieved smile on his face at that. He was glad the members of his guild were so close and willing to help each other with anything they needed.

'Thank you my child. I'll let Erza know, so you may go now. Enjoy having a few days to relax, you and Natsu have definitely earned it.'

S.R: Okay, so we're at the Tower of Heaven arc. I could have left this arc out, but I actually kind of like it, so I did have to do a bit of playing around to find a viable reason for it to happen. Oh, and because Lucy isn't really a main character for this story, I altered how she got the tickets. She's just more prevalent right now because the Phantom Lord arc revolved around her. When it comes time to actually go to the Tower of Heaven, she'll be staying back, and we won't see her again aside from small scenes at the guild. Anyway I'll see you all next time.