6

Chapter 6 – Ritual, Secret, Hatching

"So how do we start?" Lisanna questioned Natsu as the two sat in their self-made hut with the large egg. Natsu had asked that they wait until the morning before they started and now Lisanna was eager to learn this Lost Magic that her crush was willing to share with her.

"Well first off I feel like I should explain how the Dragon Soul Ritual takes effect." Natsu began. "I covered how it's performed yesterday but that's only the how and not the why."

"What's the difference between the two, in this sense?" Lisanna questioned her head tilting cutely. Natsu couldn't help but smile back at her.

"The 'how' of the Dragon Soul Ritual is that with enough Dragon Magic infused into any human mage they can take on the traits of a Dragon and become a Dragon Slayer, the 'why' of the Ritual is why this works the way it does. The simplest way Igneel ever explained it to me was that even though Dragons and Dragon Slayers emit a large amount of magic all the time, it is only capable of activating the Dragon Soul Ritual when they are focused on making a human mage into a Dragon Slayer. The intent behind the Ritual is to make the human mage in question part of the Dragon's family." Natsu explained getting a beaming smile from Lisanna.

"Like husband and wife?" Lisanna's smile and the joy she put in those words made Natsu blush.

"Sort of? Any family member works it doesn't have to be romantic or anything." Natsu scratched the back of his head. "But the Ritual is meant to be a bond between family members, so it's special and has a great deal of importance to Dragon's. Igneel told me that the first version had flaws and that some human's lost themselves to their Dragon Instincts. Most of them became mindless and destructive after getting strong enough. It was a bad time for both Humans and Dragons back then."

"First version? So is the one you use the second?" Lisanna asked since Natsu was strong and he never showed any signs of mindlessness. He was a bit destructive though.

"Yeah, after the first Rituals showed these flaws the Dragons and Human Mages worked on it again. They eventually found a way to slow the progression of Dragonification. It gives the human mage's body more time to build up anti-bodies against the Dragon Magic." Natsu answered as he leaned forward to hold both of Lisanna's hands in his own. Lisanna blushed slightly before smiling at Natsu as the two squeezed each other's hands. "This Ritual means a lot to Dragons and their Human Children, the Dragon Slayers. I care about you Lisanna and I want you to be a part of my family. But you need to understand that a Dragon Slayer isn't just a mage using Dragon Magic."

"They're not?" Lisanna questioned getting Natsu to shake his head.

"To learn Dragon Slayer Magic, a human mage has to first go through the Dragon Soul Ritual and become a Dragon Slayer. Igneel said that the mage becomes a 'dragon in human skin' and that they change on a fundamental level. The core of your being changes to become more like a Dragon and with it comes the potential for all the power that the Dragon's wield. You'll still be you and even be able to use your Take-Over Magic just like now. But your body will be stronger, more durable, and your Magic Power won't have the limits that a Human body normally does." Natsu informed her wanting to make sure Lisanna understood the entirety of what she was asking him to do.

"I still want to learn." Lisanna smiled at him in the way that made Natsu care about her so much. "I want to be closer to you, Natsu. I want to understand you and see life through your eyes. I want to be with you, in all the ways possible."

"Thank you, Lisanna." Natsu smiled back his eyes expressing a sea of happiness and joy.

"You're welcome." Lisanna chirped back as she leaned forward and rested her forehead gently against Natsu's. The two stared into each other's eyes for a time before separating.

"Normally when the Ritual is performed the mage takes on the Element of the Dragon, but the second version of the Ritual allows me to leave the Element 'blank' for lack of a better term. I'll leave your Element up to you, ok?" Natsu stated getting a nod from Lisanna. With a grin Natsu leaned back against the edge of the hut and held out his arms to Lisanna. With a smile Lisanna moved over and sat down between Natsu's legs. The white-haired girl sighed happily as she leaned back into Natsu's chest and felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"Oh!" Lisanna gasped as she felt Natsu's Magic reach out and envelop her. The warmth was expected but the depth of his Magic was amazing. She felt like she was in deep water, the pressure being similar. There was also the feeling of something old or ancient, primal maybe? What she was feeling from Natsu's Magic was amazing, like she'd been given a glimpse of the primordial origin of Magic itself. With a pleasant sigh she sank deeper into her crush's arms and let the Ritual begin. The two spent all day together, taking care of the egg and performing the Ritual. Natsu was actively using his Magic to perform the Ritual but it would still take two or maybe three weeks before Lisanna would be a Dragon Slayer. Lisanna was more than happy to spend all the time possible in her crush's embrace.

-Three Weeks Later-

"There, your Magic shifted, did you feel it?" Natsu asked as he stopped infusing his Magic into Lisanna.

"Yes~." Lisanna almost moaned as she nuzzled into Natsu's chest. The feeling of her body fully integrating and accepting her new Magic and state of being was euphoric.

"You need to empty your Magic Power to set your Element. Did you decide on what you wanted?" Natsu questioned as he slowly unwrapped his arms from around Lisanna. He had been enjoying the last three weeks of being able to hold Lisanna as much as possible. Lisanna had happily told him that she enjoyed cuddling with him. Natsu still blushed at the look she'd given him when she said that almost two weeks ago.

"Fire, I want something a bit more offensive to balance out my agility from my Take-Over Magic." Lisanna responded as the two exited the hut.

"That I can provide!" Natsu grinned as he stretched. Once Lisanna emptied her Magic Power her new Dragon Slayer physiology would allow her to consume any Element that was made by Magic. Fire was something he could provide to her in large amounts. He wondered if Lisanna had just wanted to taste his Magic and chosen Fire to suit that purpose.

"Here I go!" Lisanna exclaimed with a wink at Natsu. She rapidly began going through her various Take-Over forms. While each transformation didn't take too much of her Magic alone, doing them back to back one after another would rapidly deplete her current reserves. After a dozen forms Lisanna sank to the ground and panted. "I'm done."

"Feeling hungry?" Natsu asked since her body should be craving Magic right now.

"Starving." Lisanna exhaled before showing off her new fangs as her stomach growled.

"Here." Natsu chuckled as his hands were surrounded by flames and he knelt down next to Lisanna. With a slight hesitation the white-haired girl moved closer to the flames and acting on a powerful new instinct opened her mouth and chomped down on the fire.

"Mmm!" Lisanna groaned in joy. The fire actually had a taste! It was amazing! Like the best cooked steak she'd ever had! It was filling and rich and carried a bit of flavor that she couldn't identify. Looking up at Natsu's smiling face as she devoured his flames made her realize what the flavor was. It was Natsu! In the most pure and simple terms possible, this was the taste of Natsu's life and being. She could eat this forever and never get tired of it. When she finished off the fire in his hands Natsu only smiled at her with such a warm look in his eyes that it made fire seem cold in comparison.

"More?" Natsu asked as he reignited his hands and Lisanna quickly devoured the flames. "Eat as much as you want, Lisanna." He chuckled as Lisanna smiled up at him before kissing his palm making him blush. He kept the fire going for almost half an hour before Lisanna leaned back and patted her stomach fully satiated.

"Haa~, that was great." Lisanna sighed happily.

"Glad you enjoyed it." Natsu grinned as he picked her up in a princess carry causing Lisanna to yelp before giggling as Natsu carried her inside the hut. The two spent the next several hours, until sunset, resting and taking care of the egg.

The next day Cana and Natsu were hanging out and just enjoying each other's company. The two had been having days like this since shortly after Natsu joined Fairy Tail. Cana had come to enjoy these times when she and Natsu could just be together and forget about everything else. Lisanna had gotten Erza, Mira and Cana together about three weeks ago and had a rather interesting conversation between the four of them. The topic of all four of them liking Natsu had caused many blushes and some denials. Lisanna wasn't having any of that though and the youngest Strauss had laid out her desires to the other three girls. Needless to say all three of the older girls had blushed fiercely when they'd heard Lisanna's proposal about all four of them having a large family together with Natsu. Cana adored Lisanna, it was hard not too with how sweet the girl was, but she had never pictured herself in such a relationship. Erza and Mira had almost immediately gotten into a brawl about why the other shouldn't be allowed to join and Lisanna had tried to stop it while Cana was left to contemplate how she felt about the situation. Talking it over with Natsu had made her a small, tiny, slight bit more accepting of the proposal but she'd decided to think on it some more. Just the other day she'd decided to talk to Natsu about giving Lisanna's idea a try. She couldn't deny that she had some rather strong feelings for her pink-haired friend. He was kind, sweet without even meaning to be, helpful and just a good person all around. The only thing that was stopping her was the secret she was hiding from him and everyone else in the Guild.

"Hey, Natsu, I have something to tell you." Cana started as she looked over at him from her place on the bench they were sharing in the park.

"What's up?" Natsu asked as he saw the look on Cana's face. She looked vulnerable and nervous, neither were looks he ever wanted to see on Cana's face.

"I wanted to tell you that I've decided to give Lisanna's idea a try." Cana began only to be interrupted by Natsu pulling her into a hug. "Natsu?!"

"Thank you, Cana! This means more to me than you can imagine!" Natsu cheered as he held Cana against his chest. Cana rolled her eyes fondly at his excitable nature, but it was something she liked about him.

"But before I do, I needed to tell you something else." Cana finished as Natsu let her out of his embrace but still kept one of her hands in his own. "If we're going to try this then there shouldn't be any secrets between us. So I need to tell you this before I lose my courage to do so."

"You can tell me anything, Cana, no matter what." Natsu replied the warmth in his gaze giving Cana more support than he'd ever realize.

"You remember Gildarts, right?" Cana asked deciding to get right to the heart of the matter.

"The old man that showed up for like a week last year? He was super strong! What about him?" Natsu replied excited about seeing Gildarts again whenever he wandered back to the Guild.

"He's my father." Cana stated dully a deep sadness in her tone. Natsu's hand immediately squeezed hers gently.

"What? You two didn't even talk when he was here though." Natsu responded confused.

"He doesn't know. I never told anyone. My mom and Gildarts were married, but she left him when he kept going on long quests and leaving her alone. I was born shortly afterwards. My mom got sick when I was still a baby, the healers couldn't do much for her and she ended up passing away." Cana began to tear up remembering some of her earliest memories with her mother being sick and having to watch as she slowly got worse. Natsu pulled her into his embrace again and Cana buried her face into his chest. After several moments she was able to resume with Natsu holding her and gently rubbing her back. "Before she died my mom told me that my father was a member of Fairy Tail. So after she passed I went to Fairy Tail to try and find him. But when I learned who he was and how important to the Guild he'd become; well, I just couldn't bring myself to say anything. I didn't feel like I was even worthy of being such a powerful mage's daughter."

"Cana you're amazing. Gildarts would be a fool to not want you as his daughter." Natsu comforted her getting the brunette to snuggle deeper into his embrace.

"I can't tell him, Natsu. I'm only some B-Rank Mage from the same Guild; he'd probably never believe me anyway." Cana muttered sadly as Natsu held her, feeling Natsu's body heat up suddenly caused Cana to look up at Natsu only to see a look of anger on his face. "Natsu?"

"He'll accept you, Cana, even if I have to beat it into his head!" Natsu practically growled as he tried to keep his anger in check and continue to comfort Cana.

"Natsu, he humored you when you challenged him to a fight last time he was here. You didn't forget that he smashed you into the ground with one hand, did you?" Cana asked not wanting Natsu to do something foolish and get himself hurt because of her.

"Doesn't matter, no one gets' away with hurting the ones I care about." Natsu rumbled out as he pulled Cana closer and nuzzled her hair. Cana couldn't help but smile at the proclamation from her pink-haired crush. Only Natsu would willingly throw himself at a monstrously stronger opponent because they'd made someone he cared about sad.

"Don't do anything crazy, Natsu, I want you around forever you know." Cana smiled up at him as Natsu blushed lightly getting giggles out of her. The two simply sat and enjoyed each other's embrace for several minutes before an alarm suddenly blared out over Magnolia. The town itself began to shift and move and Cana couldn't believe this was happening now.

"Gildarts!" Natsu practically roared as he almost vanished from the bench and Cana had to sprint to try and keep up with the pissed Dragon Slayer. She lost sight of him not a minute into her chase.

Natsu rushed through the restructured Magnolia heading for the lone path that led to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Gildarts was going to pay! How dare he neglect Cana! A small, still rational, part of Natsu's mind tried to remind him that Gildarts didn't even know Cana was his daughter but the angry side pushed it away. Spotting the orangette Crash mage walking down the path Natsu jumped down towards the man with a roar.

"Gildarts!" Natsu roared out as his fist was coated in lava and he swung as soon as Gildarts looked up to acknowledge him.

"That you Natsu? Whoa!" Gildarts exclaimed as he blocked the lava punch headed for his face. The ground under the Crash mage's feet cracked from the force of Natsu's blow. Gildarts himself didn't even flinch however. "What the heck was that for?"

"How dare you hurt Cana?!" Natsu roared back as he launched his lava coated foot at the man's torso.

"What?" Gildarts responded confused while also stopping Natsu's kick with one hand.

"I'll teach you not to hurt the ones I care about!" Natsu growled before inhaling deeply.

"Natsu don't you do that!" Gildarts warned knowing how much power Natsu had ever since he'd first met the kid. If he unleashed the spell he was preparing in the middle of Magnolia there'd be hell to pay for the Guild.

"Magma Dragon's Roar!" Natsu blasted out a huge torrent of molten rock at Gildarts only for the Crash mage to put on a serious face for a moment and unleash his own magic.

"Disassemble." Gildarts stated as he held up his hand to the massive incoming wall of lava. The Roar dissipated into tiny cubes no bigger than a pebble though the heat in the area was still rising. Gildarts had only met Cana at the Guild a few times and barely spoke to her. Why was Natsu so adamant about attacking him for hurting the teen girl?

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Black Sky –." Natsu had begun to chant causing Gildarts' eyes to widen. Had Natsu gone feral?! The sheer amount of Magic he was building up was already raising the temperature in the area so much that the ground was starting to smoke. Gildarts would have to knock the teen unconscious before the dragon boy destroyed a good chunk of the town!

"Natsu!" Cana yelled out as loud as she could, instantly Natsu's magic dropped as he aborted his spell and turned to look at Cana. The teen girl was huffing and panting as she walked towards the Dragon Slayer ignoring the heat that was slowly dissipating.

"Cana? What're you doing here?" Natsu asked only for Cana to swat him upside the head. "Ow! What was that for?!" He questioned as Cana glared at him.

"I told you he doesn't know anything about it! Yet you go charging off trying to fight him the second he gets here! Why wouldn't I be upset?!" Cana demanded as she looked at Natsu with her arms crossed. Seeing Cana upset with him cooled Natsu's head faster than one of Gray's spells ever could.

"Sorry Cana, I just lost it a bit." Natsu apologized getting Cana to sigh as she gestured to the area.

"I'd say it was more than a bit. You were getting ready to destroy a good chuck of the town with that spell! You dummy." Cana reprimanded the pinkette getting Natsu to hang his head and agree with the girl he cared for.

"I'm sorry." Natsu spoke quietly getting a small grin from Cana as she forgave him. "I just couldn't stand what you'd gone through and I lashed out. I was in the wrong. Sorry about that, Gildarts. You're still a bastard though." He grumbled out as Cana huffed and reprimanded him for insulting Gildarts.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Gildarts asked more confused than ever. "Cana, did I hurt you in some way?"

"It's not your fault; I've just been a coward for a long time." Cana tried to brush the situation off. The look on Natsu's face told a different story to the Crash mage.

"I'm willing to hear you out if you're willing to talk." Gildarts offered getting Cana to start for a moment as she realized the opportunity appearing before her. With an encouraging look from Natsu the brunette turned to look directly into her unknowing father's eyes.

"Do you know if you have any children?" Cana asked since she didn't know if Gildarts was aware of whether he did or didn't have any children.

"What?" Gildarts asked as his face paled and his eyes went wide. "Are you…Cana…are you saying…"

"Guess that answers that question." Cana sighed seeing her father's reaction.

"Wait! Which one is your mother?! Sara? Naomi? Clara? Mina? Mary? Liza? No wait, the hair color is all wrong! Emma? Lila? Jenny? Sidney? Kate? The Yugo Sisters?" Gildarts rattled off as he panicked.

"Sisters?! Just how many women have you been with?!" Cana cried out in shock while Natsu's eyes widened as Gildarts listed off names.

"No wait its Sylvia! It's that face! She made it a lot!" Gildarts shouted seeing the angry look on Cana's face.

"Seriously?! I finally tell you only to find out my old man is a deadbeat who can't keep it in his pants! Whatever! Now you know! See ya!" Canna yelled as she turned to walk away. Natsu was still in shock from the list of names Gildarts had rattled off.

"Whoa! Hold up!" Gildarts exclaimed from his hunched over position on the ground.

"I don't have anything else to say to you! Don't worry I won't be moving in! I would hate to ruin your game! Just carry on like I'm not around and…" Cana was cut off in her tirade as Gildarts suddenly wrapped her in a hug.

"You're Cornelia's daughter, no doubt about it." Gildarts stated as he held his newfound daughter.

"Please, let go." Cana requested as her father hugged her.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Gildarts asked as he kept the hug going.

"Like I said, I was being a coward. I thought I wasn't good enough." Cana replied as she let her father hold her.

"Your mother Cornelia was the only woman I've ever loved. Marrying her was the happiest moment of my life, but she left me because all I did was work and it killed me. When I heard she'd passed, it was like a shot to the heart. To think a part of her is still here with me. I'm so sorry, I didn't know but I should've realized much sooner." Gildarts apologized as he felt his daughter move in his arms.

"Don't worry; I'm the one who didn't tell you." Cana explained as she moved Gildarts' arms away and stepped back. "But it's nice to finally get the weight off my chest. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"I had a daughter, all this time, and right in front of me." Gildarts mumbled dejectedly.

"There's no need for tears, Gildarts, I don't expect anything from you. You don't have to treat me differently." Cana stated as she looked at her father. "But if you don't mind, can I say this just once?" Gildarts looked up at his daughter's face and listened with unshed tears in his eyes. "I'm glad I met you, Dad. I really am."

"My little girl!" Gildarts cried as he brought Cana into another hug. "I'm sorry; I'll never make you sad again. I'll always be here for you." The father promised with tears running down his cheeks.

"You don't have to." Cana replied but Gildarts just held her tighter as tears began to fall from both of them.

"All I ask is that you give me a chance to be a loving father." Gildarts begged as the two continued to hug each other. Natsu smiled fondly off to the side, seeing Cana and Gildarts come together as father and daughter reminded him of his life with Igneel. He wondered how his scaly father was doing now days but he wouldn't go looking for him until he was stronger than his old man.

"Come on, Natsu, we've got to tell the Guild and celebrate!" Gildarts called as he picked Cana up and started carrying her towards Fairy Tail.

"Put me down! I can walk on my own, Dad!" Cana struggled her face an embarrassed red. No way could she let the Guild see her carried in like a little kid, she'd never live down the embarrassment!

"I'm coming!" Natsu smiled as he watched Cana eventually struggle her way out of Gildarts' arms. The trio made it to Fairy Tail and as soon as Gildarts walked through the door he loudly proclaimed that Cana was his daughter much to the shock of the rest of the Guild. Except Master Makarov who'd known for quite a while, you didn't live to be his age without being able to pick up on subtle cues. The party that followed was one of embarrassment for Cana as Gildarts kept her by his side and doted on her. Seeing even Natsu getting a chuckle out of her embarrassment she smirked before walking over to him.

"Thanks for helping me tell Gildarts, Natsu." Cana smiled.

"Sorry I kinda flew off the handle." Natsu grinned only to go red when Cana leaned forward and kissed his cheek in the middle of the Guild Hall with everyone watching.

"Natsu!" Gildarts yelled as he rushed over from the bar to threaten the boy his daughter had given a kiss. He may have taken a liking to the boy but this and that were two different things!

"Cana!" Both Erza and Mira exclaimed as they rushed towards the other girl who was grinning at them unrepentantly. While Natsu was being interrogated by Gildarts and Cana, Mira and Erza were devolving into a three way argument about Natsu the doors to the Guild were thrown open and Lisanna rushed in carrying the large egg.

"Natsu! It's hatching!" Lisanna called out. Suddenly Gildarts was talking to empty air and Natsu was beside Lisanna watching the egg move and the shell start to crack.

"What's that?" Macao questioned looking at the large egg.

"No idea." Wakaba replied staring at the hatching egg.

"Natsu! We aren't done yet!" Gildarts called only for the egg to burst apart and reveal a tiny blue kitten with wings.

"Aye!" The little blue kitten exclaimed before it lazily floated down and landed on Natsu head.

"It's so cute!" The entire Guild exclaimed looking at the tiny creature. Even Cana, Erza and Mira's argument was forgotten as the three girls moved in to get a closer look at the small creature and coo at its adorableness.

"Aww, it made everyone happy instantly." Lisanna cooed as she watched the Guild turn from rowdy and argumentative to happy and curious in seconds. "Just like a blue bird of happiness."

"Happiness, huh?" Natsu thought as he pulled the small blue kitten off his head. "Sounds like a good name to me! How about you, Happy?"

"Aye!" Happy mewled back, getting even more cooing and squeeing over how cute the cat was.

"This will make a great painting!" Reedus chuckled as he quickly set up his easel and started sketching out the figures of everyone