Ch 1: A Necessary Evil

"Shit, why the hell aren't they staying down!" shouted Erza as she slashed at two more dark mages that were advancing on them and sent them flying back.

"I don't know and don't really care since it just means I don't need to hold back on them." stated Natsu with a grin as he smashed one of the dark mages in the face with a fiery fist and sent him soaring back into some of his fellow members.

"Usually I would argue with you about that, but given our circumstances I say let your dragon out." she replied while swatting away a few more dark mages that were trying to get past her.

"All right then Erza, I'm all fired up." he stated after tossing two more of them away and kicking a third one through one of the walls.

"Don't go all out Natsu, we don't want them dead." she shouted after seeing the huge grin that came over his face after she gave him the okay to kick it up another notch. His grin faltered for just a second before he took a wide stance and brought his hands to his mouth to unleash a move of his that she had seen him do countless number of times before.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" he bellowed as a huge amount of fire spewed from his mouth as he turned his head from one side of the room to the other. He effectively blasted all of their opponents away with a stream of fire in the process of him doing that motion two more times.

"That should do the trick." stated Erza with a proud grin at Natsu being able to clear a room like that.

"I'd hope so, it's hard keeping it going for that long while also making sure they don't die." he replied with a smug look.

"You've definitely become a strong mage Natsu, I think you actually might even be able to take me on now." she said with a smile as his eye lit up at hearing her say that about him.

"You hear that Stripper, Erza even thinks I can beat her." he said looking back at his friend that could barely stand because of the injuries that he sustained during their fight that finally ended.

"I heard Flame Brain, but it won't matter since I'm winning the trials next month." said Gray as he held up a knocked out Lucy on his left shoulder, which contributed to him having a hard time standing.

"Dream on Ice Cube, I'm definitely going to knock your scrawny ass out the first chance I get." declared Natsu as he made his way over to Gray. Ready to knock him out right there if he needed to, but came to a screeching halt thanks to an ironclad hand grabbing his arm.

"You weren't just about to try and start a fight with Gray right now, were you Natsu?" she asked while glaring at him as a red aura surrounded her.

"Nope, we're definitely weren't about to start fighting Erza. I was actually going to offer to carry Lucy for him so he can take it easy for a bit." he replied in a slightly nervous tone.

"Glad to hear, I prefer seeing you two helping the other out rather than that constant fighting you usually do." she stated while letting go of his arm.

"I don't need your help Ash Mouth." hissed Gray as Natsu came over to him and held out his arms for Lucy while grinning at him with a smug look. Letting Gray know that if he did in fact hand over Lucy to him it would be him admitting that Natsu was stronger, which he would never admit to in a million years.

"Suit yourself Gray." he replied with a smirk before heading over to Erza who was now inspecting one of the knocked out mages.

"Hmmm." she let out while resting her chin on one of her left hand and taking up a thoughtful pose.

"What is it Erza, did you figure out why they were so hard to take down?" he asked while coming up to her left side.

"Actually it's the exact opposite." she stated with a confused expression now on her face.

"How so?" asked Gray who had set Lucy gently down on one of the few remaining tables.

"From what I can tell most of these dark mages aren't unique or special in any way that I can tell, except for possibly being physically weaker than your average human." she replied with a furrowed brow, trying to come up with an explanation for this.

"What are you talking about Erza, those guys were taking and giving punches that even Elfman would call manly." stated Natsu with an upset expression.

"And that's exactly why I'm confused, here take a look at this." she said while pointing out one of the mage's legs.

"That looks broken to me." he stated in a bored tone.

"There's no way that guy's leg is broken he was one of the last guys to be taken down." shouted Gray as he came over to them to see for himself.

"That he was, so how was he still fighting us with an injury like that. And he's not the only one that has crippling injuries that should have taken them out of the fight." pointed out Erza as she showed them a few other dark mages with broken bones.

"Do you think it was some sort of potion or spell that didn't let them feel pain?" asked Natsu, causing the other two to look at him in disbelief.

"That could actually be the explanation for all of this." she stated in a shocked tone as she continued to look at him strangely.

"You know you two don't have to look and sound so surprised about me knowing what's going on." he stated with a slight pout.

"Actually we kind of have to Charcoal Breath since ninety percent of the things that you say are completely idiotic." replied Gray with a big grin as Natsu's face contorted to one of rage.

"Like you're any better Snow Princess." said Natsu about to charge at him until he smelt something off.

"Would you two cut it out." hissed Erza since she also noticed that it felt like something was off with all of this.

"I'm only stating the tru…" started Gray until Natsu tackled him to the floor and then got off of him the very next second and started to glare at the second level of the building.

"What the hell was that for idiot!" shouted Gray only to look and see that were he once stood was now a fairly large hole with odd smoke coming out of it.

"Quite the impressive reflexes the two of you have. And you're correct about it being a spell Salamander, but it also does so much more than just getting rid of their pain." came a voice from the shadows in the second level.

"I thought you two got all of them in that last attack." stated Gray as he got ready to fight even though it would have to be just hand to hand combat since he was tapped out of his magic.

"Apparently we missed one." replied Erza who was now next to Lucy in case she was targeted next.

"That would be two actually." corrected Natsu in a growl as he locked onto two shadowy figures that came towards the railing.

"Your senses are quite impressive Salamander, I think I'm going to enjoy having you in my guild." said the newest enemy to appear in an angelic voice that caught the mages of Fairy Tail off guard.

"It would appear that they didn't expect you to be a lady Master." said the first voice in an amused tone.

"Does it really matter what we expected since we're going to take you two down just like we did to the rest of your guild." declared Natsu as both of his fist were set ablaze.

"Such confidence, and look at that power he has." said the Master as she came into view, letting them all finally see her. The first thing that popped into the minds of all three Fairy Tail mages heads was Levy, for just a brief second since the master's figure was almost identical to hers. But that was the only thing that they shared in common, the woman before them had white hair that went to the middle of her back while up in a ponytail. She had red piercing eyes that looked like they could peer into your very soul, and draped around her shoulders was a dark grey cloak. Underneath that cloak she wore a skin tight leather suit that left noting to your imagination, and to finish off her look she had a pair of black leather gloves and boots that seemed to match.

"Indeed Master, he'll make a great addition to the guild." said the man as he revealed himself to them as well. His outfit consisted of a dark brown robe that kept everything underneath hidden except for his grey pants and brown boots that stuck out on bottom. His face was also a mystery to the mages of Fairy Tail because it was completely wrapped in white bandages only allowing him to see through small slits they left open for him.

"Like I would ever join a dark guild." scoffed Natsu as his fire grew in intensity at the mere thought of it.

"Who said you had a choice in this Salamander." said the Master as a sinister smile spread across her lips.

"Gray, take Lucy and get out of here." stated Erza as she kept her eyes on these two since they made her skin crawl.

"There's no way I'm going to just leave the two of you to deal with these two all by yourselves." shouted Gray defiantly as he still stood in his fighting stance.

"It seems like they still have a little fight left in them Master." stated the man.

"They're mages from Fairy Tail Boris so what did you expect. But this Salamander fellow is quite the rare specimen so leave him to me." replied his Master with a little giggle as she slowly started to make her way towards the railing.

"You'll never lay a finger on him while I'm here!" shouted Erza as she leapt towards the small guild Master. But she was shocked when a bandaged hand grabbed her shoulder and threw her straight back down to the first level as a burning sensation could now be felt on that same shoulder.

"Erza your armor!" shouted Gray in shock as he pointed to a hole in the shape of a hand that was burned clean through it and leaving a red hand print on her. She took a quick glance and then switched to her Flight Armor and glared back up at the man.

"My Master doesn't want to be disturbed while she inspects her new member." stated Boris now standing on the railing.

"Well I'm more than happy to take you down a couple of notches." said Natsu while cracking his knuckles and then charging at the dark guild Master.

"RISE!" she shouted while lifting up he arm in a swift motion. All of the Fairy Tail members were shocked to see all of the previously defeated dark mages get back to their feet as if they hadn't all just been knocked out.

"What the fuck is going on?" asked Gray as he started to hit away a few of the mages that were now attacking them again.

"That would me my magic, Marionette Magic, isn't it just beautiful?" asked the Master as her guild members where now holding Natsu at bay along with the other two.

"Like hell it is, it's just plain creepy!" shouted Natsu as he knocked back four more dark mages only for four new ones to take their place.

"How is this even possibly?" asked Erza as she was getting pushed back by the dark mages being controlled by their Master along with the man in bandages that had already burnt holes into two more of her armors.

"Simple, my Master can control anyone with our guild mark on them." said Boris as he jumped back up to the second level and stood by his Master.

"But what about their injuries?" she asked with a little concern for the dark mages that were still attacking despite being severely wounded.

"So long as they're still alive I can keep using them. And as you've probably noticed already the closer they are to death, the less control I have over them." stated the Master with a wicked grin now prominently displayed on her lips.

"Natsu stop!" shouted Erza right before he was about to land a punch on one of the dark mages causing him to stop and then be sent flying back from a hit to his face.

"Why did you stop me?" he growled out while landing some devastating blows on some of the enemies within his reach.

"Weren't you paying attention, of course you weren't. Well here's the quick explanation, their Master is using them like disposable dolls until they die. So any of the slower ones you can't attack otherwise you might kill them." she said while finding it hard to follow her own words since they kept on getting back up.

"Shit." said Grey before he was thrown into a wall and knocked out.

"Get him and Lucy, I'll deal with the Master!" shouted Natsu as he blasted away a few of the dark mages while dodging the ones that were slower. Slowly he made his way closer and closer towards the guild Master that continued to have that smug smile on her face as she watched him draw closer to her.

"Be careful Natsu!" shouted Erza as she now had Gray and Lucy in a corner together with her standing in front of them protectively.

"You won't be able to reach me if you're not willing to take a life." stated the Master as Natsu was now halfway up the stairs.

"We'll see about that!" he shouted back as he jumped onto the side of the wall and used it to spring over the remaining enemies that blocked his way up the stairs. Landing right behind then as he took off at a run for the small guild Master that was literally willing to have her mages die for her without a care in the world.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" he shouted as he swung his fist at her head but stopped as one of the other mages just barely got in between the two of them in time. Natsu was then sent through the railing and plummeting to the second level curtesy of two different mages being controlled by her.

"Like I said earlier Salamander, it's impossible to reach me without getting your hands a little dirty." she replied while starting to chuckle as the remaining two Fairy Tail wizards were now getting overwhelmed. But they somehow still held them off for another two whole agonizing minutes.

"Erza I don't know how much longer I'm going to last with all of this dodging." he said from a little ways away from her while dealing with about two thirds of the dark mages.

"We'll think of something." came her tired response as they both continued to fight.

"Boris I only want Salamander so dispose of those three and don't be concerned about any collateral damage." stated the Master with a gleeful smile as a look of horror came over Natsu and Erza from hearing this.

"As you wish Master." replied Boris as he held out his hands and green liquid started to form up. Natsu knew right away that Erza wasn't going to be able to protect herself and everyone else from that attack, so no longer caring who was in his way he started to make his way towards them.

"ACID BLAST!" shouted Boris as he launched a steady stream of his acid at the group of three Fairy Tail mages. That now had Erza in her Adamantine Armor with the shield closed and waiting for the attack to hit them, but instead heard a sound that she had heard many times before. But in the situation that they were in didn't make sense at all, until it dawned on her that he was just dumb enough to try something like that again.

"Well that was unexpected." stated the Master in an amused tone as Natsu sucked up all of Boris' attack.

"Natsu you idiot!" Erza yelled at him as he gave her his usual grin.

"Sorry Erza, I'm not losing any of you today." he stated still grinning until he fell to the ground suddenly and started to make choking sounds while clawing at his throat.

"Such a shame, he would have been one of my best soldiers." stated the Master as she resumed her attack on Erza no longer caring about Natsu writhing on the floor.

"Idiot should have known better to do something as stupid as that." said Boris while shaking his head as he watched Erza finally fall to the floor. As more of the dark mages started to savagely beat her, not giving her the chance to get back up and fight back.

"Natsu…" she said while her eyes started to close, but not before a green flame shot into the ceiling from where the dragon slayer was. All of the dark mages instantly stopped attacking her because their Master was mesmerized by the green flames that were shooting out of Natsu as he let out an ear splitting roar.

"Beautiful." was all she could say or even think as she watched the fire slowly go down to now only surrounding the dragon slayer that had his head looking at the floor.

"He should be dead." stated Boris in shock as he looked at him.

"Now I really want him." replied his Master as she turned all of her dark mages to focus on him. All of them ready to attack him at her simple command.

"You said that I would have to get my hands dirty to beat you." said Natsu still with his head down.

"Yes I did Salamander, but as we've already seen you're not capable of doing that." she stated with a smirk. That was instantly lost as Natsu shot a stream of green fire at a large group of the dark mages that were then disintegrated a second from the waist up.

"Well I'll be more than happy to do that if it's the only way to save my friends." he replied while glaring up at her with his eyes that now had vertical slits that glowed green and had a reptilian feel to them.

The next second he was charging her completely annihilating any dark mage that got in between him and his prey. She was thrown off by this and had all of her mages try and swarm him, which looked like it was going to work after they pinned his arms and had him on the floor. Until Natsu let out another ear splitting roar and destroyed every dark mage that was in a five foot radius of him thanks to the green flames shooting off of him, now allowing him to jump up to her.

"What are you going to do now that you're out of people to control?" he asked while slowly walking towards the guild Master that was backing away from him in fear.

"She still has me!" shouted Boris as he tried to grab his face but was stopped just an inch away from it. And he watched in horror as the acid that was coating that hand started to drip into Natsu's mouth, not being able to do anything because of the iron grip he was being held with. And had to wait the ten seconds it took for his acid to drip into the dragon slayer's wide open mouth.

"And all you've done for her is refuel me." he stated while snapping Boris' wrist and then blowing fire right into the man's face as he screamed out in pain for a few seconds. Until what remained of his body fell to the floor with a sickening thud, as Natsu set his eyes on the person responsible for all of this death in his opinion.

"Stay back!" she screamed while starting to throw anything she could get her hands on at him.

"Didn't you say that I didn't have a choice about me becoming one of your members?" he asked while effortlessly dodging everything she threw at him.

"Please don't kill me?" she begged now that she was backed into a corner.

"Sorry but who said you had a choice." he said with an angry expression.

In the nearest town to the dark guild, people could have sworn they heard a shrill scream echo throughout the mountains for a few seconds and then fade to absolute silence. Most of them just passed it of as them just hearing things like their mountain range is known to do some times. But those that didn't write it off as just hearing things knew they were correct when a man carrying three wounded people staggered into town just a few hours later.

The next day:

She was surprised when she opened her eyes at all and was greeted with the rising sun shining through the window in their hotel room that they rented the previous night. Since she distinctly remembered closing her eyes knowing that she wasn't going to be opening them ever again as a green flame shot into the air.

"Natsu!" shouted Erza as she shot upright in her bed, frantically scanning for her friend.

"It's alright Erza, I'm right here." he said from a chair that was pulled up next to her bed.

"Gray?" she asked with a scared look in her eyes.

"He's fine and so is Lucy, they're both still asleep since they've never been able to recover as fast as either of us." he replied with a little grin that seemed off to her somehow.

"That's good to hear." she said only to start having a little freak out and tried to explain herself better. "Not about them not healing as fast as us but about them being alright." she continued to only stop because of him chuckling softly at her.

"I know Erza, but I'm kind of glad I got to see you get flustered like since it only ever happens every once in a while." he said still with what Erza would call his sad grin.

"You're making it sound like you're never going to have the chance to see it again." she stated now really concerned about him.

"You should know better than anyone else right now Erza how it could all be over before you know it." he stated still having that same sad grin.

"Yes I know, but it didn't happen just yet Natsu. And what happened after I got knocked out since I really thought that was the end for us?" she asked instantly noticing his face becoming even sadder as he then turned away from her and looked out the window.

"What's the last thing you remember Erza?" he asked in a calm voice that lacked the energy his normal one usually had.

"I remember you consuming that acid attack for me, which I never want to see you doing something as stupid as that ever again!" she replied while glaring at the back of his head, only for him to let out a little chuckle at her comment.

"I promise you'll never see me do something as stupid as that again." he stated after he stopped chuckling.

"It better be, and then you fell to the ground and I honestly thought you were dying. And I couldn't hold them off any longer without your help so they took me down and as I was passing out I think I saw green flames. Was that you Natsu?" she asked with a little bit of excitement in her voice, thinking that if it was him then he'd be excited to show it to her.

"Yes it was, so that's all you can remember?" he replied while still looking out the window.

"Yeah so what can you do with those flames Natsu?" she asked, knowing by the strange way he was acting that she honestly didn't want to know how they all got out of there alive. And she came to the realization that she would be fine with never knowing if that was an option so long as it meant everything went back to normal.

"They allow me to even burn metal in an instant, and don't you want to know how we got out of there?" he asked in a sad tone.

"We all got out alive Natsu that's all I need to know." she replied while getting up and standing next to him in front of the window.

"If only that were true Erza." he said as they then stood there in silence for a few minutes. "I kept telling myself it was either do what had to be done or watch all of you die, which is something I never could've done Erza. I would rather die than have to lose someone as close to me as you three are." he said while wiping away a few tears before they could even fall.

"Natsu, you really don't have to tell me what happened. No matter what you did you're still the same person that I grew up with and has always gone the extra distance. You've always done what no one else could do in order to protect me and all of Fairy Tail as well." she said while looking over at his sad expression as he continued to watch the sunrise.

"Thanks Erza, but even if I don't tell you there's no way you won't find out. The Council is already investigating the guild hall and seizing anything of value and then they'll be sending a report back to Gramps about what happened. I've already told them what went on in there, so it's only a matter of time until the rumors start spreading." he replied once again having that sad grin of his.

"If you want to tell then go ahead." she stated while grabbing one of his hands and putting her other one on top of it and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"They're all dead, I killed every single last one of them Erza." he replied in a defeated tone that sounded so wrong coming from him.

"You didn't have a choice Natsu, and you only did it to save us." she pointed out hoping he would realize this.

"That's unfortunately not true; I had a choice when it was only me and her. And all I could think about right then was it being all of her fault, so I killed her so she could never force someone else to do what I did." he stated as he turned to her with a questioning look.

"That doesn't make you like them at all, you didn't enjoy doing it did you?" she asked him back while looking directly into his onyx eyes that for a second had a tint of green to them.

"No." he replied as he looked back into her big brown ones.

"Then you're the same Natsu that I've known since I was a kid." she stated with a slight smile that caused him to slowly grin back at her.

"Thanks, but I don't think everyone else will think the same as you on this." he replied with a frown and was shocked when she suddenly started to hug him.

"If that's the case then I'll help the rest of them understand." she said with smile, glad that she could help him out like he's always done for her and everyone else in Fairy Tail.

"Will you promise me one thing Erza?" he asked after a few moments of them hugging.

"That depends on what it is Natsu." she replied while looking at him with a grin.

"Will you promise to look after Fairy Tail no matter what happens?" he asked with a stone cold stare.

"Of course I will Natsu, and that includes you." she said while resting her head against his chest with a content smile making its way across her lips. While all Natsu could think of was that it included him for now, but getting her to agree to that promise made him feel better. Knowing that she wouldn't try and come with him and that someone would have everyone else's back once he had to leave.

"How do you think Gray and Lucy will handle this news?" he asked with concerned look.

"They'll understand as well, both of them will realize that it was for them which they probably won't like but it's better than being dead." she stated while listening to his heart beat that calmed down a bit after hearing her reply.

"I really hope so." he stated as he looked out the window and couldn't help but admire how beautiful it looked as it slowly made its way over the mountains.

Two days later at Fairy Tail:

Erza was correct about the other two members of their team accepting what happened and they eventually even tried to help cheer up the melancholy Natsu. But unfortunately they didn't have much luck with that, Gray couldn't even get him to start a fight with him. Every insult he threw at him was only returned with that sad grin of his as if he was trying to savor every last moment they shared on the trip back to the guild.

They were all hoping that once Natsu entered the guild he would revert back to his normal goofball self. But unfortunately that didn't even have a small chance of happening because as soon as they entered the guild it instantly became deathly quiet. With absolutely every eye looking at Natsu wanting to know if it was really true, while also dreading the answer that they were going to receive which is why no one asked him.

"Natsu." came the voice of Master Makarov who was sitting on the bar with a stern expression on his face.

"Yes Gramps." he replied while walking over to him. Noticing along the way that Wendy was hugging Happy as she watched every one of his moves with a very sad look on her face.

"I assume you know what I'm about to ask you." he stated with a frown.

"Yes I do and unfortunately everything in the Council's report is true." said Natsu with a stern look on his face as he looked back at his Master, which unfortunately was only going to stay that way for a few more minutes at least.

"Do you have anything else you want to add to that?" he asked looking at him, hoping for him to give him some reason to not have to do this to him of all people.

"That if I was given the choice right now to go back and have I do over; I would do it again without a second thought. Because given the choice between watching my friends die and having to kill to prevent that isn't a choice for me at all. Each and every time I would always pick saving my friends because that is what matters the most to me Gramps." answered Natsu once again having that sad grin he had been using for the last two days.

"I'm glad that you're that confident with the decision you made Natsu." he said with a sad smile that matched Natsu's grin.

"One of the few times in my life that I'm not second guessing myself at all." stated Natsu as he looked into Makarov's eyes letting him know that it was okay to do what he had.

"Hopefully you'll be able to keep doing that more often in your life." he said wanting to prolong this as long as possible so he wouldn't have to do it.

"That'd be nice Gramps, and you should get going with this. We both know it has to be done and I knew that it was all going to end this way." said Natsu causing a few members to question what was going on. While some of the others were already trying to fight back the tears that were coming.

"You right, so against my own wishes I hereby expel you from Fairy Tail, Natsu Dragneel. You can no longer wear our emblem or ever do anything that comes along with that emblem." stated Makarov in a sad voice. Only for half of the guild to erupt at hearing this, none protesting louder than his team that were now explaining what happened and how this was too severe of a punishment. And it would have continued on for who knows how long if the person in question didn't speak up.

"That's enough everyone; can't you see that he doesn't want to do this anymore than the rest of you? But unfortunately he has to because of the rules that are set in place to help make Fairy Tail into the place that we all know and love. And that's one of the reasons that I actually did all of that because I want Fairy Tail to remain the same." he said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Then we should change that rule to allow certain circumstances such as this instance." stated Erza with a determined look.

"If we did that then we'd have to deal with figuring out if it was the only option, which we both know wouldn't work like any of us would want Erza. It's easier and smarter to have it this way to get rid of the possibility of someone trying to use that as an excuse. Also this way hopefully less people will have to know what it feels like to end someone else's life." he replied with that sad grin.

"But why should you have to leave when everyone clearly wants you to stay?" asked Lucy as she looked at the man that had always been there for her when she needed him the most.

"Because I wouldn't feel right calling myself a mage of Fairy Tail after what I did." he answered with his head down.

"Come on Flame Brain, that's just you being too hard on yourself." stated Gray with a grin.

"Sorry Gray, but it isn't and that's something I knew after I killed the first one and only became more certain of after each time I did it again." he said while looking up at him with a sad smile as everyone watched him remove his Fairy Tail Emblem that he used to wear so proudly. All of them realizing at that moment he no longer saw himself as one of them and wasn't likely to change that opinion anytime soon.

"NATSUUUUU!" cried out Happy as he rammed into his chest.

"Yes Happy?" asked Natsu with a grin that was the closet to his normal one so far.

"I'm coming with you." declared the Exceed as he cried into his father figure's chest.

"Sorry buddy but you can't." he said still with that grin that was just shy of his usual one.

"Why not?" asked Happy as he looked up him with teary eyes.

"Because I have something really important that only you can do." he replied.

"What is it Natsu?" asked Happy again not knowing if he could do what was going to be asked of him.

"I need you to help keep an eye out on Wendy for me since I'm not going to be around for who knows how long. And this is something that I would only be okay with trusting to you." he explained in just a whisper while having a serious expression on his face the whole time. Happy remained silent for a few more moments only to then go back to hugging him while crying again.

"Can I count on you doing this for me buddy?" he asked while he tried to calm him down.

"Aye Sir!" said Happy with a big smile before he flew back to Wendy who instantly brought him into a hug as they both started to cry again. Seeing that and all of the other members looking at him with teary eyes was more than he could handle right now. So Natsu turned around and started to head for the door without saying another word but only got halfway there before someone stopped him.

"Natsu, wait." said Erza as she caught up with him.

"Before you say anymore Erza I want you to remember the promise that you made to me just two days ago." he stated with his back still to most of the guild, and more importantly her. Hearing this caused Erza to let out a little gasp knowing that he only made her promise that because he knew this was going to happen to him. And him being the caring idiot that he is wanted to make sure that everyone else in the guild would still at least have her looking after them.

"Do you remember Erza?" he asked again, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes I do Natsu." she replied in just a whisper, now regretting that she agreed to something like that without seeing something like this coming.

"Good, then I can leave knowing that they're in good hands." he replied just loud enough for her to hear him and then started to walk away again.

"Wait Natau!" said Makarov just before he reached the door.

"What is it Gramps, the world is literally waiting for me." he said with a little chuckle.

"Whenever a mage leaves Fairy Tail there are three rules that they must follow." stated Makarov with a stern look directed at the backside of Natsu's head.

"Gramps we know that's only used for members that aren't expelled and have chosen to leave." he stated as a grin started to slowly form.

"The first rule is this: You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live." said Makarov loudly as he now smiled at Natsu.

"Gramps this is really not necessary." he said only for another person to speak up.

"The second rule is Flame Brain: You must never use former contacts met through your membership in the guild for personal gain." said Grey as he now had a small grin on his face. Natsu was about to speak up again but hearing her speak caused him to remain silent.

"The third and final rule is this Natsu: Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all of your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends for as long as you live." said Erza as she no longer cared if anyone saw her crying and let them flow freely, as she and every other member raised their hands in the air while doing the hand sigh even though he still had his back to them.

"You guys are really the best kind of family a guy like me could ever ask for. Even if I can't see you... no matter how far away you may be... I will always be watching you." he stated while raising his right arm into the air and doing the sigh right back to them before exiting through the doors with one of his usual grins that no one else got to see. Leaving behind his closest friends and family knowing that they would be able to handle themselves without him for a little while, well that's what he thought at least.

End of Chapter

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. So yes I know that half of my stories are Natsu leaving the guild, but I thought it would be a little different if I had it were pretty much no one wanted him to leave but he felt that he needed to. So over all there shouldn't be very many hurt feelings between them whenever he returns, oh and I know I mentioned it in the story but this happened right before the S-Class exams. And once again don't worry I'm not focusing on the time when the Tenrou group is gone like I am in Master Dragneel. So the last thing I want to do for this note of mine is give a shout out to Neah Walker 17 for helping me come up with parts of this story. So as always feel free to drop me a review or pm and I'll hit you back up.

Until the next Chapter

Digem out!