Hi guys Azza here. This will be my first Fairy Tail fic that I will be openly publishing for people to read so any and all feedback will be appreciated. I have a lot of great ideas as to how this fic is going to pan out but I guess I should get the important stuff out of the way. This fic will not be a harem fic however there will be a few pairings as the chapters' progress. The main pairing will be a Natsu x Erza pairing due to my overall liking of the pairing. The story will consist of Natsu leaving with Gildarts on his Century Quest and returning smarter and stronger than before. He will be immensely more powerful in this version and will be a lot smarter with his fights due to Gildart's influence. There won't be too much spoken about what happened during the years Natsu and Gildarts were together as it will be visited upon in later chapters.

Now with the summary out of the way I hope you all enjoy.

(Edited 19/08/18)

It has been a long time but I'm back to edit this story the long time fans have been demanding I go back and fix the earlier chapters and so here I am. It's been almost two years since this story was first published and it is quite amusing to see how green I was back then so to those who are returning for a reread I'm adding stuff in places, removing stuff in places and fixing up mistakes you all kept pointing out but old stubborn me refused to fix.

Hopefully the edits are up to my long time readers expectations.

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins!

/Fairy Tail Guild Hall/

All was quiet in the peaceful city of Magnolia, the sun barely breaking through the clouds that had been covering the skies of the city and the surrounding countryside for the past week.

To say that the mood of the city had been brought down by the weather alone would not be entirely correct.

A certain guild based in the city known as Fairy Tail under normal circumstances would have just carried on like usual however they had received news that very morning which shook the entire guild to the core.

A certain pink haired dragon slayer had not been seen in over a week and the entire guild was determined to find him, one scarlet haired mage in particular was extremely worried as she had been the last person to see him.

"All right I've had it with this crap where's that flame brain run off too," Gray said as he kicked open the guild hall doors and noticed Natsu still wasn't present. "It's been ages since I've given that idiot a piece of my mind."

"Gray your clothes," shouted Cana before Grey quickly swore and ran off back towards his house.

Master Makarov could only sigh as he watched his children mope around while Natsu was gone. In truth he knew where Natsu had gone and despite his anger upon finding out quickly resided to just letting things be as they were since there was no way he could bring him back.

"Master surely you have an idea where Natsu might be?" Erza approached the old man noticing that his mood wasn't as bad as the others hopeful that he may have some knowledge behind Natsu's recent disappearance.

Makarov could only sigh again in annoyance as he realised that he would have to tell them eventually. "What if I told you that he's gone on a path that could most likely result in his death?"

"So you do know something Master," Mirajane exclaimed while crossing her arms.

Makarov could only sigh in annoyance before downing his mug whole before standing up. "ALRIGHT LISTEN UP YOU BRATS I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU ALL!" The entire hall immediately fell silent once the old man's voice boomed through the hall.

The members of the guild all crowded around the bar eager to hear what Makarov knew about Natsu's disappearance.

"Now I understand that you all are curious as to the whereabouts of Natsu and why he left without a word to any of you," Makarov began before filling his mug again. "Now what I'm about to tell you will be extremely hard to believe but let me say you are not under any circumstances to act upon what I say."

The guild was completely silent to the point you could hear a pin drop.

"Natsu has taken off with Gildarts on his Century quest," Makarov said with a tone that didn't betray his own feelings on the matter.

The brief silence that was in the room was immediately overcome with everyone in the guild bursting out in various cries of anger and sadness but none more so than Erza.

"So you're telling us that you allowed Natsu, who isn't even an S class mage, go off on a 100 year quest," struggling to fight back tears for the safety of her dear friend.

"You more than anyone should know that I would never allow such a thing Erza," Makarov growled before taking another swig of his drink. "I don't know how the brat did it but he managed to convince Gildarts to take him along."

"So what are we supposed to do hope he just doesn't keel over out there I mean he's travelling with Gildarts for crying out loud that would be torture alone," Macao yelled from the bar.

"Unfortunately everyone there's nothing we can do but pray that Gildarts can keep him safe along the way so that one day he might return to us," sighed Makarov as he finished the rest of the contents of his mug.

To say that the guild was not taking the news well would be an understatement. Many of the lesser members just assumed Natsu was done for, while those that Natsu knew on a more personal level began to pray for his safety.

/Fairy Hills A Few Hours Later/

Erza looked out on the ocean with a solemn look. She knew Natsu more than most others in the guild and couldn't help but shed tears over him. Truth be told Natsu was her first true friend in Fairy Tail who she truly felt safe around, granted she had the others at the guild and even the Master but something about Natsu always brought a smile to her face despite all she had been through.

She could only think back on her last encounter with Natsu before he'd gone off with Gildarts and couldn't help but smile slightly.

/Flashback/

"Again," Erza shouted as she put up her guard just as Natsu leapt off the ground to try and land a strike on her.

"Fire Dragons Iron Fist," Natsu shouted before Erza used the scabbard of her sword to strike in between Natsu's legs.

Natsu quickly extinguished the flames before falling flat on his face. "Gah Erza you cheated," he shouted before rolling onto his back and crossing his arms.

Erza could only smile at Natsu's antics before sitting next to him. "You know if you were aware of your surroundings you would realise small things like what I just did then you could react and deal with them accordingly."

Natsu could only sigh before he sat up to face Erza and smile. "Well there's always my next try right Erza? I'm not gonna let up until I beat you, Mira that bastard Laxus and Gildarts."

Erza could only let out a small laugh at the boys antics. "Natsu I'm sure if you try your hardest and pay attention to your mistakes you could easily be S class like us."

"You mean it Erza? Alright I'm all fired up," Natsu ignited his fists before he assumed a battle stance. "Come on Erza I can't reach S class by lying around lets go."

Erza could only smile at Natsu's determination before assuming her own battle stance as the two began to clash once more.

/Present/

"Natsu … come back to me safe alright."

Erza let out a small sigh before making her way to her room in Fairy Hills with thoughts of the pinkette on her mind.

/Unknown Forest Year/

"Under normal circumstances this forest would be home to the sounds of the countless wildlife that call the region home as well as the thundering waterfall which could be heard echoing throughout the forest. However today was not a normal day for this forest or its inhabitants as two mages decided to use it as their own personal training ground.

In a clearing a raging fire could be seen forming a circle. Its source was a figure standing to the right, fists ignited with flames staring down a cloaked figure at the other end.

The figure to the right was a boy, though to recognize him as young man wouldn't be hard to do considering his figure.

The boy was of a somewhat average height and had pink hair. His well toned body and refined muscles littered with cuts and bruises as he panted heavily. His clothes were for the most part completely tattered leaving part of his pants intact as well as a small portion of his shirt which was quickly discarded.

Neither figure moved an inch as they studied each other's movements, each daring the other to make the first move. The two began to slowly circle each other before the pinkette made the first move.

"Fire Dragons Roar," he shouted before a sizeable pillar of fire erupted from his mouth.

The second figure barely had time to react as he raised his cloak to shield himself from the sizeable blast.

Smoke littered the area as the pinkette waited for the dust to settle to see if the attack had connected before he quickly blocked a strike from behind him.

"That's right Natsu, situational awareness at all times just like I taught you. Just remember some opponents won't go down with brute force and so you always need to be on your feet, never letting your guard down for a moment."

The two quickly exchanged a few fierce blows before breaking off and standing in front of one another.

"Could've fooled me Gildarts I could've sworn I had you with that," grinned Natsu before the two began to power down.

Gildarts could only sigh before smacking Natsu on the head and let out a laugh. "You're not quite there yet Natsu, granted your easily stronger than most of the guild when we left."

Natsu could only smile before he began to reminisce about his family back at Fairy Tail. He knew all too well that his absence was sure to annoy a good portion of the guild but he needed to become stronger for them.

"What on your mind Natsu?" asked Gildarts while pulling a flask from his pocket.

"Just thinking about Fairy Tail it's been years since I've seen em. I hope that they're doing alright without us." Natsu could only look up at the sky and sigh as memories began to flood back of his friends.

"Hey Natsu you remember the day you asked to come along with me?" Natsu returned his gaze to Gildarts before he began to reminisce on the day.

/Flashback Magnolia East Forest/

"I wanna come," Natsu said firmly standing his ground in front of the rather intimidating figure of Gildarts.

"No."

"Please Gildarts it'll be great-!"

"I SAID NO KID NOW GO BACK TO THE GUILD!"

Natsu crossed his arms and began to pout as Gildarts turned around and continued walking away.

"I'm coming with you no matter what Gildarts so you may as well just give up now," stated Natsu as he sprinted after the crash mage.

"Natsu do you have any idea how dangerous this mission is, its ten times harder than any regular S Class quest and you haven't even done one of those yet. You just aren't ready kid, hell you aren't even S Class yet do you have any idea how much trouble we'd be in even if I did take you along." Gildarts sighed before taking a seat on a rock.

"Look Gildarts I have to go with you it's the only way I can get strong enough." Natsu stared up at the crash mage with a fierce look of determination in his onyx coloured eyes.

"Strong enough for what kid S Class? Look everyone will grow and get stronger at their own pace just train your hardest and never give up. Going with me will only lead to you getting hurt or worse so please just go back to the guild Natsu."

Natsu gritted his teeth. He knew that it would be hard to convince Gildarts to let him come along without telling him his exact reasoning. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to speak about it so soon.

"Gildarts I need to come with you to get stronger; it's the only way I can make sure I don't ever lose another family member again," Natsu said with resolve clear in his voice.

"Is this about losing Igneel kid I thought we went over this. Natsu you're not weak Igneel didn't abandon you because you were weak, I'm sure he had his own reasons."

"This isn't just about him anymore Gildarts it's about everyone at Fairy Tail. I want to have the power to protect them from anything no matter what," Natsu said as he clenched his fists shaking as memories of Lisanna's body flashed through his mind.

"Kid …"

"This has nothing to do with being S Class or beating Erza or Laxus it's just about getting stronger to protect my friends." Natsu finished his small outburst before sniffling slightly as he had begun to cry.

"Natsu look I don't know if I should do this I mean you're still a kid." Gildarts looked down at the boy before he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I mean I've never had an apprentice before so I wouldn't even know where to start."

"But Gildarts you teach me stuff all the time like how to fish with a rod and how to build a shelter, isn't it basically the same thing but with fighting and exercising?"

"Hmm alright Natsu here is what we will do," Gildarts sighed as Natsu focused his full attention on the Crash Mage. "You can come along with me for now since it'll take me a few years to reach my target anyway.

Natsu was about to speak when Gildarts held up his hand to silence him clearly not finished with what he had to say.

"But if I don't think you're strong enough to come with me to the next country then you'll be heading straight back to the guild."

Natsu's face lit up as he heard Gildarts say he could come along. "Thanks Gildarts you're the best! I promise I'll do my best." Natsu could barely contain his excitement while Gildarts just let out a small laugh.

"You think it's exciting now but remember I'm gonna be training you kid. You'll be wishing you'd stayed back at the guild once I'm done with you."

"Yeah right I'm all fired up," yelled Natsu as he ignited his fists.

Gildarts could only contemplate the Masters fury for when they returned, but he decided to keep that to himself for now since he had more important things to worry about, namely a certain pink haired apprentice.

"Natsu let's get going we have a lot of ground to cover before nightfall." Gildarts let out a small sigh. "This ought to be interesting," he muttered to himself before he continued walking down the beaten track with a fiery and determined Natsu close behind.

/Present/

Night had fallen on the camp as the two were sitting around the fire in total silence. Natsu had been totally quiet since the training session while Gildarts just enjoyed the momentary peace.

Gildarts had also thought back to the day Natsu had asked him to train him. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have questioned the answer given to him by Natsu however that was the part that bugged Gildarts from day one.

"That kid is pushing himself extremely hard all the time. Even as he is now I'd take him with me on the quest, he's already this strong in a matter of years yet he's still pushing."

Looking at Natsu he couldn't help but wonder what drove the pinkette to fight as hard as he did. The idea of fighting for his friends was one thing but the level of training Natsu was willing to subject himself to was borderline torture.

"What is really driving you Natsu, why do you go so far," Gildarts sighed and downed the last of his drink throwing the bottle at Natsu's head.

"OWW WHATS THE BIG IDEA CUBE PRICK," Natsu yelled before jumping off the ground igniting his fists.

"Nothing just bored," Gildarts said before letting out a sly grin.

"Looks like you want another beating old man," said Natsu with a smile plastered on his face.

"Hey watch who you call old man you little bastard I can still kick your ass with power to spare!"

The two butted heads and began to trade insults as Gildarts couldn't help but feel proud at the man Natsu was becoming.

"Alright Natsu that's enough we'd better get some rest we hit the border tomorrow," said Gildarts as he waited for the inevitable cheering from Natsu.

It took Natsu a solid minute to process what Gildarts had said. The two had been training almost nonstop on their travels sure but Natsu had just realised where the two were heading.

"So you're saying I pass right, I get to come with you to the Scarlione Empire?"

"Yep congratulations kid your once step further in your training but don't let that stop you from keeping up with your training though kid."

Natsu began to cheer leaving Gildarts to simply chuckle at his childlike antics, he knew Natsu wouldn't back down on the training he basically lived and breathed it.

"Alright Scarlione Empire here we come," cheered Natsu as he lay down to sleep.

Gildarts shook his head with a small smile knowing that Natsu would soon be eating his words once they crossed the border. After all the reports that he had read he knew the Scarlione Empire was something that would either force Natsu to grow up or break him entirely.

He pushed the thought of the Empire from his mind for now; thinking about Natsu's fate wasn't something he needed especially when he needed enough rest to travel a great distance. With a sigh he laid down and closed his eyes with a small smile on his face.

/Outskirts of Magnolia/

It was a relatively peaceful day in the city of Magnolia. The townspeople went along with their business as they did any other day, a certain guild could be heard partying like usual without a care in the world.

Two cloaked figures stood high on a hill overlooking the town. The first figure was taller, had orange hair slicked back and a slight beard. The second figure was slightly shorter, had pink hair that went back just past his shoulders and also had a slight beard.

The two figures couldn't help but smile as they looked over the town that they called home.

"Well you ready to greet your eager audience Natsu?"

"You bet Gildarts I'm all fired up now," Natsu said as he prepared to sprint towards the town.

"Hold up there just a minute Natsu," Gildarts sighed as a small smile crept onto his face. "You forget something that usually happens when people like us come back?"

"Oh yeah right the shift haha that'll show the popsicle just how much better than him I am," said Natsu as the grin he had plastered on his face turned into a smirk.

Gildarts could only grin at Natsu before his mind returned to the one thing that they should be afraid of, Makarov and … THAT.

Gildarts shuddered though Natsu didn't notice due to his excitement for the Gildarts shift, he took what amusement he could from that knowing whatever the Master had in store for them it wouldn't be pretty.

/Fairy Tail Guild Hall/

The atmosphere in the guild could only be described as normal by its mages. A brawl had broken out between several of the members after Elfman broke his chair and thought Gray did it.

"Breaking a man's chair when he's gonna sit in it aint manly," shouted Elfman as he pointed at Gray who seemed shocked at the accusation.

"What the hell's your problem man I didn't do anything," Gray snapped back before Elfman threw the first punch shouting how lying isn't manly.

Under most circumstances Fairy Tail's strongest female mage Erza would have broken up the fight and given the two a good scolding. However today she couldn't keep her thoughts off a certain Dragon Slayer she hadn't seen in a long time.

Mirajane Strauss who had become the barmaid of the guild knew full well what was on Erza's mind as she too had also missed the man dearly.

"Hey Erza look I found some strawberry cake and oh look it's on the house," said Mirajane sweetly as she placed the plate in front of Erza.

Erza looked at the cake a small twinkle in her eyes before returning to her depressed state. "No thanks Mira not today I just don't think I can stomach it," sighed Erza before placing her head on the table.

"Hey Erza I know you miss Natsu, we all do but he'll be back eventually you know. All we can do now is be patient and hope that Gildarts and Natsu are on their way," said Mira with a small smile.

"But Mira it'll be nine years soon since we've last seen them what if something happened to them?"

"Erza you realise that Natsu is with Gildarts right I'm sure he's ok," Mira said with as much confidence as she could muster. "And besides most likely they are on their way back right now, knowing how Gildarts likes to operate even with Natsu at his side there isn't a job he can't finish."

"Thanks Mira for trying to cheer me up but I don't thi-." Erza was quickly cut off when the ground began to shake and a voice could be heard.

"Citizens of Magnolia, please vacate the streets." "We are preparing to undergo a Gildarts shift."

Erza was in utter shock. She could only turn back to look at Mira and see a smile plastered on her face.

"Go bring him home Erza," was all that left the barmaids mouth before Erza shot out of her seat and rushed to the door.

"Hold it right there Erza," an all too familiar voice boomed through the guild hall.

"Master they've returned I've got to see Natsu," shouted Erza irritated that the old man wouldn't let her go see them.

"Be patient my dear they've had quite a long journey let them finish it the proper way," said Makarov before taking a seat at the bar.

"But Master if I cou-," Erza was quickly cut off by the old man with a wave of his hand.

"Trust me Erza I want to see them too but you'll just have to wait."

Erza let out a grunt of annoyance before taking a seat and waiting for the duo to arrive along with the countless other curious mages who were wondering if the pinkette had even survived at all.

A few minutes later a pair of footsteps could be heard near the guild followed by two voices throwing insults at each other. Erza was fidgeting on the spot wanting to tear the door down and see that foolish Dragon Slayer but a glare from Makarov had her rooted to the spot

The whole guild was on the edge of their seats waiting to see the boy who disappeared years ago and the ace of Fairy Tail both beloved mages in their own right to the guild. The thoughts running through the minds of the various members who knew the pair on a more personal level were quite emotional though these thoughts were more towards the Dragon Slayer who seemed to have a knack of worming his way into the heart of just about anyone.

Just as the tension was about to hit its peak the guild doors suddenly swung open and two cloaked figures strolled on in before standing at the entrance. The sun blinded the guild from seeing the pair until one of the closed the large doors.

Complete silence and shock filled the guild as all eyes rested on the pinkette who was a far cry from his childish appearance. To anyone who knew Natsu this one was nothing like him in both appearance and mannerisms. By all accounts this Natsu was a different person entirely.

"Yo," was all Natsu could say before he was tackled to the ground by a scarlet haired mage.

Well there is the first Chapter. I know there wasn't much combat in this one but that's just how it has to be I promise combat is coming though so yeah. Also I know that people will probably ask what about the Scarlione Empire, what happened etc. Well I'll say this it will be explored in later chapters I swear. Next chapter should be up soon-ish so hope you all enjoyed.

(Edited 19/08/19)

So I've added about 600 words and fixed up as many grammar and punctuation mistakes I could find. I also added onto the thoughts of some characters and fixed up the transition things I do so that they look more like the ones from the later chapters.

Anyway hope the edit meets the standards of my long time readers and I'll talk to you all later!