1 A New Life

Natsu is walking in the middle of the forest that he house resides. He is staring up at the sky as the sun is close to setting. He doesn't seem like himself as he walks in complete silence nature around him the only sounds. The reason for Natsu's silence had been that he had just reunited the girl he had been raising for the past seventeen years with her family. "Ryukyu..." Natsu says as a smile slowly makes its way on his face. Looking back on the memories as Natsu continues his walk by to house.

"DADDY!" came the shouting voice of a three-year-old in her crib. In came a pink haired man at the immediate sound of her voice. This not being the first time this has happened he just walks over to her crib and picks her up. It was early morning and she had just woken up. This is the Dragneel family of Natsu and his Daughter Ryukyu. Holding her in his arms as she giggled you could see she oddly looked nothing like nothing. Not his pin...I mean salmon hair, his infamous smile, his eyes face nothing. Yet Natsu didn't seem to care about any of that as he rocked her flailing happy form in his arms. Ryukyu had pure silver hair, orange eyes, and a slightly pointed face. She was fairly small but had pretty long hair. Right now Natsu saw her as his own child he just knew one day she would have to learn the truth.

Ryukyu is now five years old and much to Natsu's disappointment she is starting to question things. Just this afternoon at lunch she asked a question Natsu was dreading. "Dad why have I never met my mom?" Ryu had a completely calm and innocent voice yet full of curiosity. Natsu seemed to freeze for a moment as the words clicked in his mind. Quickly thinking up an answer he says, "Uhhh When you were born there were some large complications to which your mother had to leave. She loves you very much but some extremely important things happened and she had to leave us sadly." Natsu hated that he had to lie to her, but this wasn't the time for her to know the truth. She seemed to trust him as she went back to eating her food

As Ryu grew older her questioning of what had happened to her mother never came up. She seemed somewhat sad she hadn't grown up with a mother, but she felt content with having Natsu as a parent. Living with Natsu was not an easy float by thing. He didn't have a great amount of money enough to live, but nothing fancy was in her life. Since it was just the two of them she had to help do chores around the house as Natsu would get bored on his own. She had a sense of independence when living with Natsu as she learned more life roles. For unknown reasons to her just because she was from a poor upbringing, she gets made fun. The group of people that made fun of her was the daughter of Lucy and Gray Fullbuster. She didn't have the newest things or even extremely nice things. She had what she needed in life though and that was what wanted. She had her own little group of friends and she was content with just that. Right now she is sitting right outside the principal office waiting for Natsu to finish talking with the principal. "Who's kid did she hit?" Natsu asked while rubbing his forehead. "Kylee Fullbuster two years older than her..." The principal didn't get to say anymore as Natsu had interrupted him, "This conversation is over than anything that goes on between Dragneel and Fullbuster should not continue. I'll have a talk with Gray myself." The principal wanted to protest but he if knew anything about Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster their arguments are never words.

When Kylee got home her Mom was waiting for her. Her mom had wanted to check her over to make sure there were no other injuries. At seeing her father not there, she asks, "Where is dad?" Lucy seemed to frown at this as she looked her daughter in the eyes, "He had to take care of something, but he will be home soon." Letting her head fall Kylee nods.

When leaving the school Ryu was told to go to the car as Natsu had run into Gray. Seeing her red dragon on the seat next to her she grabs hold of it and pulls it into a tight hug into her chest. "...I'm not okay with what is happening between them. Your daughter is not allowed to bully." Natsu says with his voice filled with passion.

"My daughter will do as she sees fit and if that is making fun of your daughter let it be that way. We fought as children now our children are following the same path." Gray didn't seem to show any care, but deep down he knew he was wrong. Natsu doesn't reply as he simply walks by Gray to his car to find Ryu asleep holding her stuffed dragon.

Ryu is now thirteen and has had it with not seeing her father with anyone. She sets him up with someone since he won't himself. Natsu had made a big mistake for when he went out for training he left his phone home with a matchmaker daughter. He doesn't have a lock on his phone as Ryu looks through the contacts and contact pictures. Ryu was surprised to see her dad knew some pretty famous people; Mirajane Strauss, Erza Scarlet, Loke, even Jellal Fernandes. Would seem from that there were no messages between any of them that Natsu didn't talk to them anymore. Then the phone buzzed and it was a message from Mirajane. She felt guilty, but she read the message it was just saying that she would be in Mongolia and wanted to see if Natsu wanted to meet up. Deciding trying to fake Natsu would be far too hard she doesn't try. She decides just to call her holding the phone to her ear she listens to the rings till she hears a voice on the other end say, "Hi, Natsu" Ryu giggles at the confusion, "Natsu is actually out training. I'm his daughter Ryukyu." The other side of the line stays silent till Ryu hears sobs before the line ends. She doesn't get time to question what happened as Natsu opens the door and sees Ryu with his phone.

The rest of the day didn't go easy for either of them as Ryu questioned Natsu on how he knew such famous people to which he only replied friends from high school. When seeing Mira had texted him and how Ryu had called her Natsu seemed to freeze. When Natsu questioned her on it Ryu played as if she knew nothing. Ryu may not be physically related to Natsu, but her personality has most definitely been taken from his.

Today was the day Natsu never wanted to happen. Ryu is now seventeen and had put all the pieces together. Her hair, her eyes, her mother, everything all the loose ends unraveled. She was just now going to confirm it with Natsu. They are both out trainer when she confronts him on the topic. "I'm not your real daughter am I?" Ryu asks as Natsu destroys a boulder. Natsu sighs sitting on the ground patting the ground next to him, "It was bound for you to ask someday. Sit down I'll tell you the whole story." Ryu knew this would be hard for him as she had never heard him talk in a serious distraught voice before. Sitting next to him Natsu begins the story. "You are right I'm not your real father. Your mother is late Lisanna Strauss little sister of Mirajane Strauss. Your father is the leader of a group called The Thunder God Tribe, Laxus Dreyar." Ryu was shocked she had no idea what to say. Natsu simply continues on with his story, "They had a secret relationship for three years before they had you. They both love you very much, but they couldn't keep you. A week after your birth Lisanna came to my house with you in her arms. She asked me to look after you till you learned that I wasn't your father. They both had reputations to uphold and you being in the middle of that wouldn't be right so they left you with me. I'm known to be an idiot and extremely dense, but I'm also known to love and protect the people I call family. I played the role as your legal guardian, but now you have the right to meet both your parents." Standing up he holds his hand out to the girl he had looked after for the past seventeen years. She has long hair just like Mirajane had when she was growing up Ryu's is in a ponytail, though. She has Laxus's eyes yet Lisanna's face was average in body shape and height. Her personality was just like her mother's even with never really meeting her their love for nature and animals are unmatched. She has her father's determination yet also Natsu's obliviousness.

They walk in silence till they are standing in front of a cliff with a stone sticking out of the ground. This is the resting place of Lisanna from her early death. Ryukyu is seen kneeling in front of her gravestone as Natsu stands behind her. Everyone knew what had happened to Mirajane's little sister. She had been killed in a hit and run accident. She started crying in front of the gravestone as Natsu rubbed her shoulder. They stayed there for what seemed like hours before Natsu said, "There is one more thing I want to show you." Ryu merely nods as they walk away together in silence again. "Lisanna I hope both Ryu and Laxus are ready to meet, there is only so much I can teach her."

They were now standing in front of fairly big house in the middle of Magnolia. Taking a deep breathe Natsu rings the doorbell. Not long later the door is opened by none other than Laxus Dreyar. Laxus was confused as to why someone was ringing his doorbell and even more confused by it being Natsu. "Laxus I would like you to meet someone," Natsu says pushing Ryu in front of him "This Ryukyu Strauss your daughter." Laxus didn't know what to say for the first time in seventeen years standing right in front of him is his daughter again. He didn't react with words as he just pulled her into an extremely tight hug quietly crying onto her shoulder. Ryukyu had heard how Natsu introduced her and she was shocked and when being pulled into the tight hug by her father she started crying with him. Natsu stood back as he watched both Laxus and Ryu hug for the first time in seventeen years. He knew he was welcome to stay, but he didn't want to have to say goodbye. As the two stay in each others arms, Natsu took his leave. When the house was almost out of sight Natsu looks back with a slight frown as silent words leave his lips, "Goodbye" The words may have no sound but their meaning still stands.

As the final memory passes through Natsu's head he is just getting to his home door. When opening the door he finds the house silent. Walking around and seeing everything made him somewhat sad. As he sits down on the couch he hears a female voice behind him, "I guess she finally learned of her past?" Sitting down next to and the owner of the voice was Mirajane Strauss. Letting his head fall he just simply nods. He doesn't wish to speak as to open up the slightly closed wound. They sat in silence as the night fell. As sad as Natsu was for Ryu learning of her past he was happy she could be with her father again. "I just hope Laxus will be able to take care of her from his own past." Mirajane understood Natsu's worry, but she trusted Laxus to watch over his own daughter. She lays her head on his shoulder and they two stay in silence till they fall asleep that way. Natsu may no longer have Ryu to lighten up his day at home, but it is only a turning point for a new event.