13

Chapter 13 – Mates and Hargeon

"Repeat that; please…" Natsu blinked at what Krov had just said.

"There's a rumor that a Salamander is in Hargeon, or around there anyway." Krov repeated with a shrug. "That's just what I heard from a guy at the Magic Shop. He has a brother that lives there."

"What the hell is a Salamander doing so far from the mountains?!" Natsu looked confused. The only reason a Salamander should be so far from the mountains was if someone was dumb enough to try and transport a live one! "Damn it!" He grumbled as he stood up from the table. "Happy, let's go buddy!"

"Aye!" Happy replied as he quickly finished off the fish he was eating and flew over. The two left the Guild Hall together and Natsu smiled at his feline buddy.

"Do your thing, Happy!" Natsu laughed and Happy smirked.

"Aye, sir!" Happy raised his paw and glowed with a bright golden light. The small cat, normally only about forty centimeters in height, started to grow. Happy got bigger and bigger until he stood at close to five meters tall. The golden glow faded away and in a white flash of magic, Happy's white wings appeared again. "All aboard for Hargeon!" Natsu climbed onto the massive blue cat's back and with a flap of his wings, Happy had them airborne. They flew into the sky and headed southwest towards the port town. During the flight, Natsu reflected on the last three years at Fairy Tail.

Cana and Erza had become S-Class Mages in the summer the year their house was built. The next spring had brought on the 'Season' for Mira, Erza, Cana, and Natsu. They'd dealt with it the first time by staying apart for a full week until the 'urges' had cooled off. Lisanna and Mira had taken a week-long job for Sorcerer Weekly as models. Lisanna had modeled stylish clothing and Mira, as a legal adult of seventeen, had done her first swimsuit pin-up model shoot. Cana had gone on a Divination Hunt to help track down a lost treasure. The brunette had almost no alcohol even while she was away. She claimed it was to 'keep up her resolve' and not track Natsu down to satisfy the 'urge'. Erza had gone on a Monster Slaying Quest in the northern badlands of Fiore. She'd returned with one of the large beast's fangs as a trophy just over a week later.

That summer Natsu and Mira had joined the S-Class Mages of Fairy Tail. The Promotion Exam had been difficult, to say the least. Laxus was an outright prick! The blonde had been getting worse ever since his reclusive father -Ivan- had been excommunicated from the Guild. The Lightning Mage had given Natsu one hell of a fight though! There was a bare spot of blackened land on Tenrou Island that showed the intensity of their fight. Mira had managed to force Gildarts to actually put in effort for their battle. That had gotten her a pass on the Promotion from the Crash Mage. The platinum-haired beauty had grumbled about not actually kicking Gildarts' ass. Fairy Tail currently had seven S-Class Mages in its ranks. Their rival Guild -Phantom Lord- had the next highest amount at five S-Class Mages. Getting two S-Class Mages recognized by the Magic Council, two years in a row, would have been more difficult if Makarov wasn't one of the Wizard Saints. Even the Council rarely questioned the Ten on judgement of another Mage's ability.

During this time the girls had continued to improve with their Dragon Slayer Magic. Natsu loved to spar and train with them at their home. Eventually the girls had reached the point that they'd developed the motion sickness of Dragon Slayers. Seeing his family so miserable when forced to use transportation, Happy had asked the short Makarov to teach him Titan Magic. Makarov had chuckled and actually accepted. It had taken the young, blue cat over six months to get the magic down. Natsu still chuckled at the Guild's shock when Happy's head had hit the ceiling the first time he'd 'gone giant'. Now Happy partnered up with Natsu, Mira, Lisanna, Cana, or Erza whenever they needed to travel. This had caused some issue when two or more of them needed to be in different places. Happy was most definitely developing his Magic Reserves, but the cat couldn't maintain both Titan Magic and Aera Magic for more than a single trip. He'd then have to rest and eat to recover before he could fly them home.

Cana had found a solution, thanks to Porlyusica, in a potion that helped negate the effects of motion sickness. Unfortunately, it was horribly bitter and foul tasting. Whoever didn't have Happy for travel, had to bite the bullet and down the potion to have any semblance of comfort for the trip. Natsu, on more than one occasion, had asked Happy to go with one of the girls to spare them the taste. The rewards he got for such actions made up for the horrid taste.

Shortly after Lisanna's sixteenth birthday last year, the two of them had consummated their relationship. Mira, Cana, and Erza had agreed that Lisanna should go first. It was her idea to start their family as it currently was. The platinum-haired teen had hugged all of her 'dragon sisters' tightly for their decision. The love-making and Marking that had followed that night had been wonderful.

-Flashback-

"Lisanna~" Natsu breathed hotly as the two held each other close.

"Natsu~" Lisanna mewled into his ear, their bodies pressed tightly together.

The two Dragon Slayers had stripped each other bare quickly. Now they were running their hands over familiar skin as they shared sweet kisses. Lisanna nibbled on Natsu's neck as his hands explored her body. She moaned when he cupped her ass and brought her closer. She could feel his hard length against her tummy and it was turning her on so much! She deepened their next kiss and tongues moved against each other. Natsu picked her up, her long legs wrapping around his waist, and carried her to the large bed.

"You're beautiful~" Natsu stated, looking into her warm blue eyes with love and affection. Lisanna pulled him into another deep kiss. The two thought of nothing but each other as they continued to explore and pleasure each other. Lisanna gasped when Natsu's cock glided over her soaked sex. The spark of pleasure the contact had brought was wonderful! Lisanna moved her own hips to make it happen again and both Dragon Slayers moaned at the feeling.

"Natsu~ Yes~" Lisanna panted as her boyfriend's lips descended down her neck, across her collarbone, and to her breasts. Her chest heaved when Natsu captured her left nipple in his mouth and began to lavish it with his tongue and lips. She pulled him closer to her tit as she wrapped her arms around his head. Natsu rolled his hips forward and brushed his erection against her drenched folds. Lisanna nearly came undone at the double stimulation. She tried to match her hips with Natsu's to increase the pleasure, but she shook almost every time his length dragged across her clit.

"Lisanna…" Natsu rumbled and the platinum-haired girl mewled at the sheer intensity of the emotions she heard in his voice, only matched by what she saw in his eyes. "I love you." Lisanna felt her heart thump in her chest at those words! The passion, the feeling, the sheer force she felt from Natsu's declaration of his love for her sent her over the edge as she kissed him. The pink-haired Magma Dragon Slayer held her close as she shook in her first orgasm of the night.

"I love you, Natsu. I love you so much!" Lisanna had returned his love with everything she had as soon as she recovered from her climax. Their fingers entwined as their lips met again. Natsu lined himself up with Lisanna and began to ease into her heat. The teen could only gasp and mewl as they became one with each other. She was panting as Natsu filled her, stretching her and sending bolts of pleasure into her brain. She was so full, but their eyes never left each other's. Natsu's golden eyes stayed perfectly focused on her beautiful blue. Lisanna felt their pelvises come together and exhaled hotly. Natsu was pressing up against her deepest spot!

"So beautiful~" Natsu kissed her lips and Lisanna moaned. She knew she looked a mess right now. She could feel the sweat on her skin, knew her bangs must be sticking to her forehead, and still Natsu found her beautiful. An experimental roll of her hips made both lovers tremble in pleasure. Natsu practically exhaled fire as he tried to keep himself under control. Lisanna wasn't any better, she was certain she'd exhaled smoke with her last gasp! Unbeknownst to either of them, the temperature in the bedroom had spiked considerably! Even with the windows open to let in the cool night air, the heat in the room was high. But that was probably to be expected from a Magma Dragon and a Fire Dragon.

"It's okay, Natsu~" Lisanna graced him with her beautiful smile again. "I'm ready, you can move now." Natsu kissed her lips again as he pulled back, Lisanna moaning at the friction, before he pushed back in until he was hilted to the base again.

"Fuck~" Natsu exhaled and Lisanna saw the orange flames emerge. She sucked them up and devoured them. The taste and the carnal act they were performing almost sent her over the edge. Natsu pulled back again, but this time Lisanna met his thrust with a roll of her own hips. The two moaned together and the pace began to pick up. The lovers quickly found their own rhythm with each other. No words were spoken as they made love. Their bodies communicated everything they wanted to each other. Their love, desire, anything and everything was experienced together on a deeper level than words could ever hope to convey.

The heat filled the room and the two paid it no mind. They had no thoughts for anything but each other now. Their bodies moving in sync, chasing greater pleasure as passion and love flowed through them more powerfully than anything the world could produce. Neither of them could tell how long they'd been at it, the constant motions of their hips as they mated for the first time was all they knew. Lisanna locked her legs around his waist. She wanted this! Needed Natsu to fill her with his seed! Natsu was already approaching his peak when he felt Lisanna's tight sex flutter around his length. The two separated their lips to moan loudly, flames appearing in the air for but a moment. Their slit, dragon eyes met, and instantly they knew what to do.

Natsu's opened mouth gently latched onto the juncture between Lisanna's shoulder and neck. Lisanna's own lips kissed the same spot on Natsu before her mouth opened and she bit him. Natsu returned the bite and their Magic spiked! Flames and heat emerged from their coupling and filled the room for an instant. Magic was exchanged between the Mates, tying them together deeper than any bond that could be made by vows or legal paperwork. While the physical marks would fade, the Magical Mark was now a part of them. It would remain until the end of their days. This was finished off by the earth-shaking climax that slammed into both of them. Natsu's seed filled Lisanna completely as they kept their marking going. Even as their bodies shook and were rocked with mind-blanking pleasure, they never let go of each other.

"I…love…you, Lisanna…" Natsu panted out as their shared climax ended and he rolled to the side and collapsed. Lisanna trembled as his cock left her depths and she could feel his cum slowly pouring out of her.

"Love…you…too, Natsu~" Lisanna gasped as she was pulled into his arms and cuddled. She nuzzled into his neck, not caring about the blood-covered mark, and sighed contently. Now that the haze of love and pleasure was fading from their minds they could start to think again. Lisanna was glad that she and the others were on contraceptives right now. With how much of Natsu's seed was pouring from her slit, she'd have definitely gotten pregnant otherwise. As they held each other close, Natsu nuzzled her hair and breathed in her scent. A few minutes of cuddling and soft kisses being exchanged and Lisanna blinked.

"Sorry…" Natsu murmured as he kissed the top of her head.

"Natsu… Are you already hard again?" Lisanna asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Natsu nodded as he held her. "I have a lot of stamina, remember?" Lisanna trembled in phantom pleasure. She remembered, indeed. Her Mate's boundless energy apparently transferred over to this aspect too. With a naughty grin she rolled him onto his back before straddling his hips.

"Let me be on top this time~" Lisanna breathed out huskily. Natsu grinned at her as his hands found her hips.

"Go for it~" Natsu rumbled out and Lisanna let out a lewd moan as she took him inside of her again. They'd continue their love-making until the early hours of the morning when Lisanna had pretty much collapsed. Natsu was too much, Lisanna was nearly asleep in his arms when she'd felt grateful that her 'dragon sisters' were there to help bed their Mate.

When they'd woken up in each other's arms the next morning it had been wonderful. They'd kissed softly, and Natsu had carried Lisanna to the bath. They'd washed each other, freely playing and groping, and then enjoyed a soak in their private spring. Just as they'd gotten out, Lisanna had dragged him to the living room and pushed him onto the couch. With a naughty smile, Lisanna sank to her knees and began to stroke his cock. She giggled when it quickly hardened and reached its full size. She kissed the head and Natsu sighed pleasurably.

"What's this for?" Natsu asked with a smile down at her.

"For making last night amazing~" Lisanna breathed over his length and kissed it again.

"It was amazing for me too." Natsu gently ran his right hand through her soft locks. "Didn't expect this though."

"Not like this is the first time any of us has done this~" Lisanna reminded him with a sexy grin. Indeed, all of them had progressed to Third Base a while back. Natsu had become rather talented with his lips and tongue from all of the practice. With a wink, Lisanna descended on Natsu's cock and the Magma Dragon Slayer groaned as she sucked him off.

-End Flashback-

"Natsu!" Happy called, his large form increasing the volume of his voice. Natsu was pulled from his memories by the call and blinked as he looked around.

"What's up, Happy?" Natsu asked his buddy.

"We're almost there," Happy informed him. "I thought you fell asleep on my back again since you've been so quiet."

"No, no," Natsu shook his head. "Just thinking about things."

"Well, think about how you're going to take down a Salamander without destroying a good chunk of Hargeon in the process." Happy snickered and Natsu huffed at the cat.

"One time, you accidentally destroy part of a village while fighting Dragonkin one time, and they never let you forget it." Natsu grumbled while Happy continued to snicker.

"It was more than once, Natsu!" Happy teased and Natsu snorted while crossing his arms.

-Hargeon-

"This is the only Magic Shop in town?" A beautiful, blonde seventeen-year-old questioned the proprietor of the shop. The old man nodded back to her.

"Indeed it is, young lady." The old shopkeeper answered. "The folks of Hargeon have always been more fishermen than mages. I'd say at best we have maybe four or five mages that actually live here. I mostly opened this store to sell to the travelling mages that pass through the port."

"Oh man," The blonde sighed. "That means it was a waste to come all this way."

"Don't be like that, young lady." The shopkeeper smiled at her. "I have all the latest Magics that've come out recently." He pulled up a rectangular device that was colored pink and had what looked like a small mirror near the top. "This ColorS Magic is very popular with the girls. With it you can change your clothes to whatever color you'd like, instantly!" He demonstrated by turning his robe from pale yellow to a dark purple.

"I already have one of those." The teen dismissed the man. "What I'm looking for are Gate Keys, strong ones if you have them."

"Gate Keys? That's pretty rare." The shopkeeper commented, while the blonde looked at a locked case that contained Magical Trinkets.

"Ah! You have a Nikora, the white doggy!" The blonde cheered as she looked at the Gate Key in the case.

"If you're looking for powerful, that certainly isn't it." The shopkeeper shook his head.

"That's fine; I've been looking for one!" She smiled at the silver key, with her hands clasped in front of her chin. "How much?"

"Twenty Grand Jewel." The shopkeeper informed her.

"I'm sorry, how much?" The girl asked with a smile.

"Twenty thousand Jewel." The shopkeeper restated and the brown-eyed girl changed tactics.

"How much do you really mean, you wonderful man?" She asked again as she crossed her arms under her buxom breasts and pushed them up. The sheer size of her boobs forced the zipper of her top to open slightly further from the motion.

-On the Street-

"Tsk, he only came down a thousand Jewels!" The blonde mage -Lucy Heartfilia- fumed as she walked down the street. "Is my sex appeal only worth a thousand Jewels?!" She almost kicked the sign she was passing out of frustration. She heard the sound of excited screaming and looked down the street further. A large group of young women were crowding around something. "What's going on?"

"I can't believe a famous Mage has come to our town!" A passing girl squealed as she rushed by with her friends.

"Salamander the Fire Mage!" Her friend cried out in excitement!

"Fire Mage?" Lucy blinked before clapping her hands together. "You mean someone that can do Fire Magic beyond anything you can find at a Magic Shop?" She glanced at the crowd of girls. "And he came to this town?" She started to walk in the direction of the crowd of girls. "He's certainly popular… Maybe he's really good-looking?" With a grin on her face she went to check it out.

-Natsu and Happy-

"Hmm, I don't smell anything." Natsu sniffed the air as he walked through Hargeon with Happy riding on his shoulder. "Nothing burning, no Salamander scent, no one is screaming at any rate."

"Maybe the rumor was wrong?" Happy theorized and Natsu huffed.

"Salamander!" A woman's voice called out and Natsu's head whipped around to the source of the noise. Oddly enough, it wasn't a cry of fear or shock, but the woman sounded excited?

"What the hell is going on?" Natsu wondered as he made his way towards the source of the noise.

-Lucy-

'Wh-wh-why is my heart racing like this?' Lucy wondered as she stared at the blue-haired Mage surrounded by women. 'Wait a minute; I don't understand what's come over me!' The blue-haired man glanced at her and Lucy felt her heart clench. 'Is it because he's a famous Mage? Is that why my heart is beating like this?' Lucy's heart was practically thundering in her chest.

"What the hell?" She vaguely heard someone say. She was slowly walking towards the Fire Mage and didn't pay it any mind.

'Could I be falling in… ?' Lucy's inner questioning was abruptly stopped as a young man suddenly cut her off. Just as she was about to shove him out of the way she heard his voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu questioned and the blue-haired Mage started in shock.

"If I said Salamander, would that ring any bells with you?" The man asked while holding his chin.

"Salamander? From what Guild?" Natsu fired back, his face calm but his eyes focused intently on the man. Unnoticed to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, many of the young women surrounding them were blinking in sudden confusion.

"Haven't you ever heard of Salamander of Fairy Tail?" The blue-haired Mage questioned; his hand still on his chin.

"Sounds familiar," Natsu agreed as he stared the man down. "So you're from Fairy Tail, huh? Let me get a good look at your face." The man stared at Natsu unsuspectingly, and then reeled back in shock when Natsu grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What are you doing?" The Fire Mage demanded.

"My name's Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail Guild, epithet 'Salamander', and I've NEVER SEEN YOUR FACE BEFORE!" Natsu shrugged off his coat, revealing his red Guild Mark on his shoulder. All of the women quickly stumbled backwards, realizing they'd been deceived. "Happy, who is this guy?"

"Hmm," Happy looked at the panicking blue-haired wizard. "Oh! I know him! That's Bora the Prominence; he was excommunicated from the Titan Nose Guild a few years ago for use of illegal Magics. He's rumored to be involved in all sorts of nasty things now days, a full-on Dark Mage!" The blue cat informed everyone in earshot. All of the women shrieked in fear and ran off.

"Damn it!" Bora cried out at having his identity revealed. "Prominence Flare!" His hand was surrounded by pink-purple flames and he swung at Natsu. Happy flew off Natsu's shoulders to avoid the flames. Lucy looked on in shock as a blast of fire engulfed the pink-haired Mage that had broken the hold the Dark Mage had over her.

"Oh no!" Lucy yelped, only to feel a weight on her shoulder. Looking over she noticed the talking, blue cat.

"No need to worry." Happy grinned as he looked at Natsu and Bora. "Fire doesn't work on Natsu."

"Huh?" Lucy gaped as she noticed the pink-purple flames swirl around and be swallowed by Natsu!

"Ugh, are you really a Fire Mage? That was awful." Natsu complained, his grip on Bora never loosening. "Not to mention the color was just for show. Real flames that're pink-purple like that are way hotter than those!"

"What the hell are you?!" Bora cried out in shock.

"Shut up." Natsu demanded as he punched Bora and drove the man into the ground with his fist. The Dark Mage lay on the paved street, unconscious and with a massive bruise already forming on his face. "What an ass." Natsu breathed out with a sigh. "Hey, Happy can you call the City Guard over here? They'll need to get the Rune Knights to lock this guy up."

"Aye, sir!" Happy's wings materialized and the cat flew high into the air to find the City Guard. For the first time Natsu and Lucy looked at each other. Lucy smiled at the pink-haired Mage.

"Anna?" Natsu looked shocked and Lucy blinked.

"What?" Lucy questioned as Natsu took a step towards her.

"No, you're too young to be Anna." Natsu shook his head slightly. He sniffed the air to get a read on the girl's scent. Lucy, noticing the sniffing, took a half-step backwards. "Sort of similar…" He commented.

"Uh, well… I, uh, just wanted to say thank you." Lucy held up her hands with a smile on her face. "You broke that guy's Charm Magic and helped me and all of those other girls out."

"Oh," Natsu blinked and looked down at the unconscious Bora. "You're welcome, but I didn't know he was using any type of Magic like that."

"Charm Magic was outlawed over a decade ago." Lucy informed Natsu with a shake of her head. "The ban is absolute so you can't buy it from any legal vendor. He had to have gone to some really shady places to get his hands on that."

"That's a Dark Mage for you." Natsu shrugged as he stood over the downed Bora.

"Natsu!" Happy called out as he flew down the street with a group of soldiers behind him.

"Hey buddy! Great job!" Natsu praised the cat as Happy landed on his shoulder. The soldiers stopped and the one in charge, judging by his higher quality armor, looked over Bora's face while holding up a wanted poster of the man for comparison.

"Well I'll be; it is him." The man said as he turned to look at Natsu. "Thank you, Mage Dragneel; we weren't even aware this Dark Mage had come into town."

"Don't worry about it." Natsu waved off. "But according to this woman," Natsu pointed to Lucy. "He was using Charm Magic to enthrall young women. It almost caught her too."

"Oh that's just what we need in our peaceful port town," The lead soldier growled. "A Dark Mage using illegal Magics! Shackle him up! When we get back to the garrison throw him in a solid stone cell! Then do a sweep of the docks. Any ship that's odd, suspicious, or even gives you a bad feeling; call it in and we're detaining it!"

"Yes sir!" The soldier salute before one of them stepped forward with shackles. The soldiers shackled Bora and carried the unconscious Dark Mage off.

"Well, that's that." Happy spoke with a smile. "Lunch?" He turned to Natsu hopefully.

"Sure thing, buddy." Natsu grinned.

"Wait; let me buy you guys' lunch as thanks for helping me out!" Lucy offered with a bright smile.

"Um, alright, if you want to." Natsu shrugged and Lucy nodded as she led them to a restaurant she'd enjoyed when she first came to Hargeon the other day. In just a few short minutes, the group of three were eating and chatting in the seafood restaurant together.

"So you're a Mage, Lucy?" Happy blinked at the blonde before stuffing a fish into his mouth.

"Well, I haven't joined a Guild yet," Lucy rubbed the back of her head. "But I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage."

"I'm not familiar with that Magic." Natsu tilted his head.

"It's not the most common Type of Magic to be sure." Lucy grinned as she set a ring of keys on the table. Natsu noticed three colors of keys; gold, silver, and copper. Three of Lucy's keys were gold, three were silver, and the last two were copper. "I've practiced this magic for years now; so I like to think I've become proficient!"

"So it's Holder Type Magic." Natsu looked at the keys. "The keys are the medium, right?"

"Yep!" Lucy grinned fondly at her keys. "The copper ones are the most common; they're the Item Constellation Spirits and you can buy them in most any well-stocked Magic Shop. The silver are rarer, but some shops have them for sale, you just have to find them. The gold keys are each one of a kind; they're the Keys to the Zodiac Gates. Those are the most powerful of the Celestial Spirits."

"Huh, interesting." Natsu commented, after swallowing his mouthful of food. "So, three types of keys make up Celestial Spirit Magic?"

"Oh no, that's only a part of Celestial Spirit Magic." Lucy shook her head, she was having fun just talking about her Magic with Natsu. "There are also very rare Black Keys; that open the Gates of calamitous Celestial Spirits. They're incredibly strong, but making a Contract with them is insanely difficult. Most Celestial Spirit Mages won't even try because of how difficult it is to come to any sort of agreement with those Spirits."

"Sounds dangerous." Happy commented as he scarfed down another fish.

"Celestial Spirits can't kill the Mage that summons them or the one they form a Contract with." Lucy informed the duo. "But the Black Key Spirits will severely injure anyone that summons them and doesn't form a Contract. That's why most Celestial Spirt Mages won't even attempt it."

"Wow, not exactly friendly are they?" Natsu chuckled as he drank deeply from his glass of tea. Lucy shook her head with a giggle. "Is there more?"

"Oh yeah," Lucy smiled brightly at Natsu. It was so nice to have someone show interest in her Magic! Especially a guy; considering most guys she talked to tended to stare at her chest for the majority of a conversation. "In the East there is another Branch of Celestial Spirit Magic! They even have their own Zodiac! But to use that branch of Celestial Spirit Magic you have to be able to speak the Eastern Languages fluently. The Spirits won't respond in our language. I can read a bit of the Eastern Language, but speaking it is still not my strong suit. It would be amazing to see them though!"

"Huh, we've barely ever been out of Fiore." Happy mentioned and Natsu nodded in agreement.

"Oh, that's right," Lucy blinked, realizing she'd forgotten something important! "You said you were the real 'Salamander' of Fairy Tail, Natsu!"

"Yeah, though I don't remember exactly when people started calling me that." Natsu shrugged. "But getting an 'epithet' means you're well-known and special request work can come your way, so it's not a bad thing."

"I have a few questions about Fairy Tail, if you feel like answering them, please?" Lucy clapped her hands together in the 'begging' position.

"Yeah, sure," Natsu grinned at her. "Ask away."

"Thank you!" Lucy beamed at him. "So, how exactly does Fairy Tail go about its acceptance of new members?"

"They come to the Guild, the Master takes their measure, if he thinks you're suitable then you join." Natsu answered simply. Happy nodded in agreement as he patted his full belly.

"That's it?" Lucy blinked in shock. "There's no interview process, no applications, no tests?" It couldn't really be that easy to join the most popular Mage Guild in the country; could it?

"Nope! Just ask Master Makarov and if he says 'Yes.' Then you're in!" Happy raised his paw into the air.

"That means I worried for nothing…" Lucy hung her head. "I thought there'd be a rigorous application process with interviews and a test of Magic and stuff!"

"Nah, we don't much care about all that stuff." Natsu waved off.

"Aye!" Happy laughed as he drank a whole saucer of milk in one shot.

"Well, that's good to know at least." Lucy chuckled lightly; she was still in a bit of shock.

"So, you want to join Fairy Tail?" Natsu asked the blonde with a knowing smile.

"I'd like to very much, please!" Lucy looked at Natsu with sparkles in her eyes.

"I'm sure you'll get in just fine." Natsu chuckled at the excited girl.

"What're we waiting for?" Lucy stood up from the table as she placed enough money down to cover their bill. "Let's head to the train station!"

"No trains." Natsu shut her down immediately.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked in confusion.

"Just follow me for a bit." Natsu grinned as he stood up and Happy leapt onto his shoulder.

"Okay…" Lucy shrugged and followed after the pink-haired Mage.

The duo walked down the street towards the edge of Hargeon. On the way, Natsu spied a shop and popped in to buy something. Blinking, but not questioning it, Lucy continued to follow him. Natsu popped into another store and bought something else. This time Lucy cocked an eyebrow; that was a 'Liquor and Spirits' shop Natsu had just bought from. By the time they'd gotten to the edge of town, Lucy couldn't hold in her curiosity anymore.

"Natsu?" Lucy got his attention. "Why did you stop to buy things on our way here? Why are we walking to the edge of town? Don't tell me you want us to walk all the way to Fairy Tail?!"

"You're funny, Lucy!" Natsu laughed and Happy snickered as well. Lucy was now officially confused.

"Then why?" Lucy asked the Dragon Slayer.

"The stuff I bought is souvenirs! Gifts, you see!" Natsu held up the two small boxes containing his purchases. "As for why we're out here, that's so Happy can use his Magic."

"Happy can use Magic?" Lucy stared at the short, blue, talking cat.

"Happy is a member of Fairy Tail; of course he can use Magic." Natsu looked at her like she'd said something odd. Lucy restrained her urge to yell about how she couldn't have possibly known that!

"One second," Happy grinned as he flew a distance from the two of them. When Happy landed he began to glow with a golden light. Lucy looked on, her eyes almost bulging out of her head in shock, as Happy began to grow huge! "All aboard for Magnolia!" Happy chuckled as he stopped at five meters in height. Lucy just stood their stunned.

"Lucy?" Natsu called out, shaking the blonde from her stupor. "You coming or not?"

"I'm coming, don't leave without me!" Lucy exclaimed as she ran up to the large cat and Natsu offered her his hand. Grasping Natsu's hand, Lucy was pulled onto Happy's back. The cat's wings materialized, equally huge to match his new body size. With a flap of his wings they were in the air. A second flap and they'd cleared the height of even the tallest building in Hargeon. Lucy looked on amazed with the wind in her hair as they flew through the air. "This is incredible!"

"Happy is pretty cool, right?!" Natsu laughed as he enjoyed the breeze.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed, his loud voice from being so large easily heard over the wind. Lucy would have to agree with that assessment!

Now she was on her way! She'd finally join the Magic Guild she'd always dreamed about! She was going to be a Fairy Tail Mage