Daughter of Dragneel.

Chapter 1: Of Fates and Twisted Personalities

Dragon Slayers have weaknesses. All people have, but a Dragon Slayer's are… well, unique. One of them can be their nose. They can track any smell in a wide radius, and I mean any smell. It's not always the most pleasant thing. A second weakness they have is their canines. Because of their sharpness, they can easily cut flesh, so biting their tongue hurts. A lot. But these are minor compared to the last, true weakness they have... I am not going to tell you just like that. Why don't you find out through a story? Just grab your pop corn and drink and make sure you stand a good distance from your monitor. Ready?

The story starts with a young man, whose life is going to change in just one day. This man goes by the name-

"Natsu! Come here this instance!" Natsu Dragneel is a Dragon Slayer, who is has the element of fire at his disposal. You can always find him in a brawl or two, beating and burning whatever's in his path. Noticed mainly for his pink hair and scaly scarf, Natsu is a man of a well-built stature, yet poorly crafted mind, that seems to work only when he fights. What that means?

He is the personalization of the word idiot.

Yet this word alone does not describe him as a whole. He is impulsive, a good friend, a strong fighter and the current victim of your entertainment.

"Natsu! Stop fighting with Gray already!" This angelic voice of dominion and kindness belongs to no other than Mavis Vermillion. Aka, the replacement of Erza when she goes on missions. As beautiful in the within as in the outside, this woman is the only border between global burning and peace. Her golden hair beautifying the world around her, this beauty seems to have a weird influence on Natsu. Often, without even realizing it, she has him do whatever she wants, to the point of making even Erza jealous of her ability.

"Mavis~! Why do you always hit only me? It's unfair to favor Gray…"

"It seems that Mavis has finally fallen to my well sculpted charms!" His cold magic not mirroring his warm heart, Gray Fullbuster is the best friend of the Salamander. Though his low body temperature will give you the chills, this Alchemist of Ice will do anything to warm his friends up! Every ice sculpture though has, no matter how perfect, some bad points. This one's is the inability to wear clothes for more than two minutes and the contrary hot-headedness he seems to share with Natsu. He's also quite boisterous.

"Get off your high horse, Gray. I just don't want to touch a naked man."

"WHAT?! NOT AGAIN!" Did we mention that his stripping habit is subconscious?

"Natsu, did you clean your house like I told you to?" Natsu did not move from his spot, giving immediately away his guilt. "Natsu, when are you going to be responsible for once?" It's that side of you that keeps me away from trying to start a relationship with you… Mavis Vermillion; heart of a fortress yes, but every fortress has a gate and hers was invaded long ago from a fire-breathing dragon. But this fortress had its own, strict rules, and the dragon had to obey them all. It did, except one. Responsibility. And that was the number one rule in her heart, so he wouldn't be claiming it his own if he didn't follow this one rule.

Natsu was an irresponsible man, who almost always ruined what he had in his hands. The sole times he didn't break something was when he carried his friends and comrades, but afterwards he would go into fits of immeasurable destruction. He didn't even take good care of his own body, assaulting it with countless of ways. Do not worry, he was a man of hygiene, but not of physical health. Last week, i.e., he attempted to eat thunderclouds! Though he succeeded, it ended up poisoning him and electrocuting anyone in a range of four kilometers. People were afraid to leave things in his care, fearing he would obliterate them.

"Anyway… I guess I will take a job and leave. I promise to tidy it when I come back, so please, don't burn it down while I am gone!" Oh, he knew her well. She would try it. He walked to the board of quests and searched for anything that would draw his destructive attention. Destroy a dark guild- No. Retrieve a stolen horse- No. Rape a- Go to hell pervert! Defeat a mage who threatens my town! Hmmm… Well the reward is good… And it's an S-Class mission too. Not to mention I get to save a town in the process. Okay then! Blow a mage to pieces then! He ripped the quest from the board and after getting Mirajane's approval over the mission, he walked to the path of his destiny.

Hours passed, days and nights danced with one another, before finally reaching the city of Handpor. Or at least what was left of it…

Natsu walked in awe into the city, most buildings in rumbles and flames, smoke and debris flying in the air, trying to hide the atrocities that took place in the little town. Houses destroyed, streets vandalized, trees turned into ashes, it was hell's break out. He did what he could to save some of the houses –eating the flames-, but the damage was too much to be reverted. Was I too late? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to help whichever way possible, and fast.

Wherever he went, he could see the despair in people's eyes, dreams of a lifetime lost in wave of someone's hand. Natsu didn't know what that mage did to destroy this town, but he felt defeated nonetheless. There was nothing he could do. Search him and take revenge? How could he find him and for what? He wasn't able to recognize his smell and he couldn't hunt him down just like that, even if he was the irresponsible and dumb Natsu they all knew and loved. No, that wasn't right.

He froze in his steps, when he heard a woman scream in front of a building. He ran to her, being the person he was, to her aid.

"What's wrong, lady?"

"The orphanage! It's on fire and one baby is still inside!" Not waiting for anymore words, he ran in to search for the kid. He could eat the fire, yes, but the fire wouldn't teleport in his mouth. It would follow a path, a path that would burn whatever was in it, including the child. No, he couldn't risk its life.

He didn't hear anyone. That scared him. He started to look more carefully, more vigorously. Still nothing. And the fire seemed for the first time to betray him, as the smoke it produced covered all other scents, making tracking the baby impossible. And what the hell was wrong with the kid anyway? Shouldn't it cry its lungs out from its fear? The house is on fire! Scream!

When all seemed lost, Natsu heard something different from the usual rambling fire made. Breathing. Not that audible, but his ears could discern it. Moving some burning ramble, he found it. It was a little girl, that he could tell from its hair's length. It didn't move from the spot it was at. Natsu ran at its side and found out why. It had fainted from the fumes and heat. That's why it didn't cry like it normally should.

Time though ran out soon after he found the girl. The building couldn't anymore take its immense weight and finally collapsed on them. Natsu didn't know when or how, but he ended up covering the little creature with his own body.

The light of the next day came soon afterwards. The city that once stood tall was now one with mother earth. The city-folks had began already the renovation process. They soon found the Dragon Slayer, unconscious from the damage on his body, so it was natural that they send him to the nearest hospital. He woke up of course. By the world's most annoying wakeup call ever.

"MIIIIISTER! WAKE UUUUP!" Oh an elbow on the gut, how original. Remember the orphanage lady from yesterday? Here she is, trying her wrestling skills on a nearly unconscious Natsu, all just for the sake of a good waking up. "MIIIISTER!" Why was she even allowed to use a speaker in a hospital? No one knows the truth.

"I'm up! I'm up! Please, put that weapon of mass destruction away, it's killing me!" His eardrums were just too good. "Who are you anyway?" He observed the person in front of him. She was not that special, really. She could pass for a normal teenage girl in any other case, save for the dynamic personality. She wore a pale yellow button-up shirt, rammed inside of the same-colored dress. Her thin frame though made her sizeable cleavage many times bigger, making her too scandalous for a orphanage taker. But her glasses… How could they be so round?

"Oh, I am Sylvia! How silly of me!" She stuck out her tongue, trying to look innocent.

"OH YEAH! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KID!? IS SHE FINE?" A speaker was not needed in this case. Natsu's strong voice was enough to cover up for the difference in volume.

"Oh, she's fine! She just got a heat stroke. A little water and she were as good as new! Here, she wants to say hi!" Again, Natsu was too shocked to say anything at all. This woman had no sense of what's allowed. She took the kid from her hospital room, she came in his room, woke him up with dangerous methods and shove a kid in his face… Pretty much like all of his friends, so yeah, they could get along!

"Aah!" The little girl he saved. It was small, no more than one year old. Around seven months old at most, yet her hair was as long as its little body. The color was a very pale blond, nearly brown, shining though in the golden rays of the sun. Her eyes held a pale gold color as well, nearly the same as her hair, but with a darker tone in them. Wearing a green gown that reached her angles, he could see that the kid was barefooted.

He stared the child in the eyes, no expression or whatsoever. The kid stared back, copying with amazing skill his façade. He stares. She stares back. He stares longer. She fights back with an even longer stare. Before he knew it, the girl was on making itself comfortable on his neck, raffling in wonder his pink hair. She had never seen this color on a person before. No matter how stupid Natsu was though, he could only wonder; What the hell just happened?

"She likes you! She has never done that to anyone before! Good! Good! It's then decided!" Sylvia clapped her hands with every word, sounding as if the conversation made sense, when it did not.

"What's decided?" Natsu could only fear for the worst. Sure she wasn't going to do what he thought.

"You are going to raise her!" But she did. Huh.

He processed her words. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. No matter how many times he did, the situation was still the same and it wasn't changing. You are going to raise her! "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND, WOMAN!?" He was quickly shushed by a nurse. With a lower tone he continued his rampage. "Are you out of your mind? You want me, a total stranger, just to take the kid and be all like Huh, why not? Let's raise this fellow! This is not a cat or a dog to just give away! This is a kid! A human! And you can't just decide things like that on your own!" Meanwhile, the little girl had taken a nap on top of its parent's head. Her long hair were getting in front of Natsu's face, tickling him a little.

"Oh, but I didn't decide that on my own! She too likes the idea!" Natsu would slap himself if it wasn't for the kid. "Look, I know it sounds hard and it is. I am just a stranger, like you said, who is coming one day in your life and brings it upside down, shoving kid in your care. But you should understand that Handpor is no longer in the state of maintaining an orphanage, let alone its own citizens. This little girl was the last child left, all the others were already adopted. I would raise her myself, but I have to rebuild my town with the others. And I cannot exactly take care of a kid. So please, do me this favor and take the kid!"

"How did I end up taking you with me?" He glared hard at the child that sat on his lap. She didn't to seem to notice, admiring the train coming first in her priorities. Her attention soon was drawn though from a defeated Natsu, who was knocked out the moment the train was set in motion.

It was funny, but it seemed that he could think much more clearly when he was in a near throw up state. I went to find a job to take my mind off and I ended up raising a kid. Yes. Life is full of twists and turns… Explaining her to the others will be hard. Unless… No, such thinking will bring trouble. Hiding her would be bad for both you and her. But even if you kept it a secret, there's Happy. He can't keep a secret to save his life. If provoked, he would spill the beans almost immediately. If provoked though is far enough… Hmmm… If they don't know I keep a secret, they won't know that Happy keeps one too… And if they don't know that Happy keeps a secret, they won't try to break it out of him, so it's safe! Yes! Then it's decided! I will keep -… Wait… You don't have a name. He looked up a bit, only to look at the small creature, now preoccupied with playing with a butterfly that had invaded their room. Now that I think about it, Sylvia too was not referring to her with a name. He thought for a while, searching for a name that would suit the girl best. "How about Aurora?" The girl made a scowl, obviously disliking the name. "Then Clara." This time she stuck out her tongue. She has a wide range of expressions for her age. "Florence then?" She shook her head in a no-no fashion. Aren't you a little picky? "Anna? How does Anna sound?" The kid stood still. For a moment, it looked like that she would say nothing. Soon though, she flashed a smile, showing a clear approval of her new name. "Anna Gram. That's what I'll call you then." She giggled at that. " Anna Gram Dragneel… Huh, it doesn't sound bad at all actually!" *Groooowwl* Her tiny tummy could rumble really, really loudly. Even then though, she didn't cry. Instead, she opened wide her mouth and showed it to Natsu, saying in a way "I am hungry."

Not much to do, they got down to the next train station. He searched a little for anything that looked like a restaurant, a kiosk, anywhere with anything edible inside that is. He soon found a small Italian –wait, Italy?!- restaurant at the corner. He walked inside, Anna always in his arms, and sat by a table. A waiter soon came over their table, a wide smile on his face. "Well, what would you two like to order?"

"Do you have anything that doesn't require canines to eat?" The waiter looked weirdly at Natsu, before understanding.

"Let me guess. First day taking care of your daughter without your wife?"

"Let's just say that I am not exactly an expert in this, but I am a fast learner!" As diplomatic as ever, the waiter believed Natsu, without him having to revile Anna's origin. You would be scared to know that the most manipulative person in the world could with ease be Natsu Dragneel. Wasn't it for the happy go lucky personality of his, he would have the world under his feet. All with a few words. It was his unintentional tutorials that taught Loki the magic of catch lines, making him one of the world's most successful playboys. No one knew that of course, and even if they did hear something of that sort, they wouldn't believe it anyway.

The waiter then brought a plate of puree –mashed potatoes- and Natsu proceeded to feed the little kid. She gladly ate the food, showing no complaints about it. Natsu played a little along the way, pretending at times that the spoon was a horse.

Natsu found himself attached to the child, sooner than anyone would foresee. From an outsider's point of view, it looked like a young father feeding-playing with his little daughter. That natural was it for him to play his part of the play.

They soon left the shop, Anna sleeping in his arms, having satisfied its hunger. What a self-interested child… They got on the next train, this one going to Magnolia. It took Natsu infinite amounts of willpower to stay in a conscious enough state in order to watch over the sleeping child. That was though the second reason he did so…

Reaching Magnolia meant that word of Handpor's destruction came. That meant in its turn that he should be expecting a welcoming committee, in other words a worried out of her mind Mavis. Why Mavis alone, he didn't know. But he had that level of intuition and if she saw him with a child… He didn't want to imagine the outcome. So he had to stay conscious enough to find a way to evade the First. Unless he can grow wings and fly, there is no escape route for him. He'll have to face hell at its greatest glory. That would be a problem.

On the other hand though! Hmmm… "Yes! That's it!" Almost waking up Anna, Natsu yelled loudly in excitement of his idea. He was using too much his brain lately, something scary, no matter how you look at it.

So they reached the station of Magnolia. As he anticipated, Mavis was outside the train station, with a worried expression on her face. Natsu though didn't bother to look twice, fearing his resolve of his master plan would be blown away like dust. What the master plan was?

He would transform into a woman and walk out with the kid.

Dumb? It would be, if Natsu was alone. But with Anna in his –or maybe her- hands, he would easily convince for a young mother. It was a good plan –from the dumb perception of the Dragon Slayer at least.

With a poof of smoke, Natsu changed his form to a more… feminine version of himself. This one wore clothes same as the ones Sylvia wore, but the black and orange verse. His hair was longer and tied near the end of it, but it still had that spiky look here and there. His frame… well it was that of an attractive woman, what did you expect? Muscles?

Anna looked at Natsu in wonder, but clearly recognizing him. She still kept this air of familiarity with him, so she didn't flinch for a second. This somehow confused Natsu though. Was his disguise so bad, that a kid was able to see through it? He wished that the kid was just way too smart for its age, because… He didn't want to think the because. They would survive this no matter what!

He walked out, doing his best to show near to zero signs of motion sickness. He did a good job, but the constant trying to look normal made him sweat like a pig. When Mavis looked his way, his sweating doubled in a moment. CRAP! WE ARE DEAD! She walked towards him, making him curse the very moment he was born. When she finally stood in front of him, he expected instant death. Yet she did something… off?

"Excuse me, have you maybe seen a guy with pink hair and a scarf? Maybe unconscious in the whole trip here?" So that was it! He sighed a bit in relief, just enough for him to relive himself of the built-up stress.

He answered matter-of-factly. "Unconscious you say? I saw a young boy like that, but that was in the last station." Okay, he was way too talented in acting like a woman. In unhealthy levels.

"Last station? I knew he would run away!" She went on a yelling feat, screaming something about guys who are irresponsible and do impossibilities to not clean up their houses, being overall totally useless alone. She was about to stomp away –how she would do that no one knew. She was practically a feather in the wind-, before Natsu spoke to her again.

"You know, you might have missed him! When you are too focused on one objective, you lose the whole picture and eventually lose what you were looking for. In this case, you lost your boyfriend." Mavis flushed a thousand shades of red that moment.

"What, he is not?"
"N-No! H-he! I-I!" She was at loss of words, thinking that she was completely caught by a total stranger. I, an over 400 years old Master, caught in a conversation with a stranger?! It's that obvious? Wait, that means that everyone knows! A thousand assumptions per second she made. It's not as if she was a wedding's bridesmaid, but hey! At least they left us some cake, making Mavis Vermilion stop in her quake. (TN: She calmed down) "He is not my boyfriend."
"Oho! Then he must still be in the love interest status for you… Don't make that face, it's obvious that you like him. Everyone saw that worried face on the train." Once again defeated, Mavis nodded. "Well, worrying is not good for your health! Instead, why don't you go back to the guild and have a drink or two! You might see him there!" He started to walk away, but was quickly stopped by a furious –Oh, she's capable, I tell you) Mavis.

"How do you know I am from a guild?" Her glare scared away everyone in a four hundred meter radius, yet Anna seemed unaffected. She actually looked in admiration at her face.

"W-well!" Crap! I gave myself in! Think, think! "Your mark on your dress of course! And your worried face too! Sure, your friend has to be a mage to be away, something went wrong in his job, you got worried and waited for his return! It's not that hard to connect the dots, you know!" Mavis looked convinced by her answer, before letting her go. Natsu began to walk away again, this time successfully.

With a thunder clap, Natsu transported fast to his house. He was after all the Fire Thunder Dragon Slayer. He transformed back to his original self and started to search for his keys. He unlocked his door and finally walked in his apartment, it always being in the chaotic state it was left at. Happy didn't bother to tidy it up one bit, huh?

"Happy!" The blue feline came out in a zap, his face always caring the smile he was so known about.

"Aye, Natsu!" He flew inside the room, a fish hanging on his mouth. Before he knew though, Happy had to drop the fish. Not believing his eyes, he rubbed them with his little paws again and again, yet the result was always the same. Natsu. Was carrying a child. "NATSU! WHAT'S THAT? ERZA WILL KILL YOU FOR RAPING SOMEONE!" He was flying in circles, only imagining what the Titania could do to the two of them.

"Idiot! I did not rape anyone!" He then told him what happened in the mission, all details included, and how he was convinced to raise Anna.

"I see… Then Natsu is stupid." Natsu nodded. There was no use denying it anyway. "So why do you keep it a secret?"
"Huh?"

"I said why do you keep it a secret."
"I don't know… I have no idea actually." He too wondered why he would go to that extend, but he couldn't find an easy answer. "Anyway, Happy, we will keep it a secret. Both of us will. Understand?"
"Eh? Why me too!?"
"She's going to live here. That makes you my partner-in-crime."
"And how do you know that I won't speak?" Happy's voice was that of maliciousness and evil. You could hear the snake like kukuku, plotting his friend's downfall already.

"Oh you will…" It was Natsu's turn to look evil now. "If they find out, the first thing Erza and Mavis will do is attack you for not speaking earlier. Then she will kill me… Who do you think will be left with the duty to raise little Anna?" Happy gasped. "Yes, indeed. Imagine Charles. Someone of her class wouldn't bother with a buffoon like you, who couldn't keep his mouth shut for a second. Imagine your years of agony. Ending up alone in the world, while having to raise something that wasn't even yours to begin with… Say goodbye to fishing, goodbye to wall scratching, goodbye to freedom. You will forever be stuck with Anna!" Natsu then laughed an evil one, so evil that it scared Satan himself.

Happy ended up complying to his rule of not saying a thing about the kid. Instead, they cleaned up the house *cough* burning everything except what you didn't want to *cough*, before placing Anna on the couch. His hammock was no good for her. What if she slips and falls off?

"So, Happy, let's go to the guild just for a hi, okay?"

"Fine…" He was clearly plotting to spill the beans.

"Helloooo!" He broke the door in his way inside, leaving a very frustrated Makarov on the bar. He crumbled something about pesky brats and fourth doors of the month. Natsu walked towards the counter, ordering something to eat. Act naturally and everything will work like a watch… Soon Mavis will walk in and I will say something along the line "I must have missed you!" or something. She did come in the guild, her face having not changed much from when he first saw her. She walked towards him and finally spoke. "Hey, Natsu! What happened to your mission?" He expected that. He told her his story, save for the baby part. "I see..."

"Wait until you see the-" A fish blocked Happy's mouth in an instant, all courtesy of the Salamander. No one understood what was that for. Natsu decided to cover it up with a lie.

"Oh, he means about the broken ribs. A whole orphanage collapsed on me." Well, it was true that he broke many ribs there, but be sure that was not what Happy wanted to speak of. "I don't know how it looks like, Happy says it's all gross and stuff, but I know he is just playing with me." Believable. But it was the worst lie for the worrywart he had been complicated with.

"What?! Does it hurt? Are you okay?! Do you need hospital help? Take your shirt off we need to see the dama-" A fish now flew in her mouth. He was getting good at this!

"Easy there! One, no it doesn't! Two, I am great, thanks for asking! Three, where was I last night? And four…" He stopped his countdown only to chuckle.

"Four?"

"Well… I never knew you wanted me to take of my shirt so quickly. And there I thought you were the kind of person who waits until marriage. Guess there are things I never knew about you, even after 400 years!" You would expect a whole guild laughing their clothes off. Well, you were wrong. This was his death signature, signed with blood and fire. The expression Mavis made was that of a maddened Asura –Demon God-. The beating that followed was… creative, yet barbaric. No normal man would survive that. With each pummel, a part of hell was frozen.

"You are fine enough to joke around! Maybe you are fine enough to clean up your house?"

"Oh, he did that the moment he came back." Happy flew to his friend's way, hoping to collect the pieces of what was left of him. "It's all clean and shiny now, so much that you can see your reflection on the wall!"
"You mean on the floor, cat." Gray corrected him.

"No."

"Wait, he cleaned his room? His house? Oh god, maybe he does need a hospital!" Mavis went again in her panic mode. She felt guilty for beating him up too.

"He is fine, really."

"Fine? I never got him to clean it up, even when I brought 4 dragons in his doorstep!" The guild's jaws were of course acquainting themselves with the floor.

"He is fine. He just thinks that the house was too dirty for people to grow up in it."
"Happy, he is 420. How much more growing up, really?"

"Oh, I never spoke about him."
"Then who?" She quirked a brow, not exactly able to connect the dots.

"He spoke of himself. Happy is technically seven years old, so a clean house won't kill him! Well, at least not immediately! Because as we all know, the clean house slowly and painfully killed the talking cat!" Natsu recovered from his slumber. He will make sure that Happy receives the same kind of sleep, mark his words. "I guess it's time for me to go home. I am tired, my back aches and the train was as usual… Bye!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER THAT YOU DON'T HURT, LIAR?!" Before Mavis could pummel him on all surfaces, he had already clapped away. He's getting good at using the Thunder element…

"Master Mavis?"
"Yes, Nab?"
"How many hours do you spend with Erza exactly?"
"Quite a lot, why?"

"No reason… Just asking…" Erza-canditate 2 is on her way.

With a flash, there he was again, inside his house, away from the preying eyes of the First. He was sure that Mavis would catch Thunder with her bare hands to give him a beating now, so a few days of isolation in his house won't kill him. "Waaah!" On the other hand, how much isolation can you get when you have to take care of a talking cat and a baby?