บท 7: 7
Chapter 7 – Dragon Slayer Training, Coming to Terms
"I'm ready Natsu! Let's start!" Lisanna stated with determination. Her Magic had settled from the Dragon Soul Ritual and she was a Fire Dragon Slayer now. Technically a Fire Dragon Slayer that was also an expert Take-Over Mage, but she digressed; it was time to learn how to use her new found Lost Magic. Who better to train her than her boyfriend? 'Ahh! Just thinking it makes me happy!' Lisanna giggled in her mind as she thought back to the day after Happy was born.
-Flashback-
"So you two want to make this official now?" Natsu asked to make sure he understood what Lisanna and Cana were saying.
"Yep! You've accepted our feelings and we've accepted yours, so we should make our relationship official!" Lisanna smiled while Cana giggled. Natsu grinned brightly at the two before nodding.
"Alright then, Lisanna, Cana, will you be my girlfriends?" Natsu asked as he held their hands in his own. Lisanna's smile could have lit up the night and Cana's was equally as blinding.
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes Natsu!" Lisanna cheered happily.
"Yes, you goof, of course I'll be your girlfriend." Cana giggled before they were both build into a warm hug by their new boyfriend. Both girls happily snuggled into Natsu's embrace while he squeezed them gently.
"Thank you; I can't even describe how happy you've made me right now." Natsu mumbled as he nuzzled his face into their soft locks and breathed in their unique scents. He was the happiest Dragon Slayer alive, without question, nothing could beat this feeling of acceptance and love.
"My old man wants to try and teach me his Magic, so I'm afraid you'll have to start your Dragon Slayer training without me." Cana informed the pair with a soft smile before turning to Natsu. "But once I get a handle on Crash Magic I'll be coming to you for some of that Dragon Slayer Magic of yours, mister."
"Whenever you're ready, Cana! It'll always be here for you!" Natsu promised as he held her hands and gave them a soft squeeze. Cana blushed prettily before enveloping Natsu into a hug. Lisanna couldn't help but smile while watching on, it was nice to know that she and Cana would share something else in common soon enough. Their little family would continue to get closer and happier in the future, she was sure of it!
-End Flashback-
"Alright Lisanna, let's get started!" Natsu grinned as he stood in front of her. "I'll show you the basic forms of the Fire Dragon Slayer spells, the stances you'll need to take as well as the movements necessary to cast them. Then we'll practice for a while before trying them out in a spar. Sound good?"
"Great! Let's get started!" Lisanna nodded as Natsu moved beside her and moved into the first stance.
"This is the most basic of the Fire Dragon Slayer spells, 'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist'; you cock back your fist and push your Magic into it. Flames will cover your fist and then you punch forward. With practice you'll be able to pack more Magic Power into the punch and the flames will get hotter." Natsu explained as Lisanna copied his stance.
"Ok, I think I've got it." Lisanna focused as she moved her Magic into her right fist. It took a few seconds for the white-haired girl to get the feeling right. This was rather different than transforming her body with Take-Over Magic. But after a minute she felt her Magic take hold and her fist was engulfed in flames.
"Not bad, Lisanna! You got it pretty quick!" Natsu praised his girlfriend as she looked over her flame covered fist.
"I did it? I did it!" Lisanna celebrated only to watch as the flames dispersed almost instantly once she stopped focusing. "Aww, I thought I had it?"
"You're just starting out, you have to keep your focus or the fire goes out." Natsu grinned. "Try it again. Just remember to focus."
"Right!" Lisanna smiled as she focused on her fist again. This time was a bit easier and she had the spell ready much more quickly. "Ok, should I try using it?" She asked while looking over at Natsu.
"Sure thing! That's why I drew a target on that boulder over there." Natsu grinned as he pointed to the large rock at the edge of the field. The two had agreed to practice on the opposite side of the field that their self-made hut was in. Little Happy was currently napping in said hut and the two had moved far enough away to, hopefully, not disturb the slumbering kitten.
"Here I go!" Lisanna called out as she took six quick steps forward and launched her first Dragon Slayer spell. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" With the spell in full swing Lisanna's fire coated fist hit the center of the large boulder. Flames erupted from the point of impact for a second before dying out. Lisanna pulled her hand back and looked it over. She'd felt some resistance from the rock but it hadn't hurt her hand to punch the rock. Looking at the results of her spell she saw a small scorch mark on the large stone.
"That was good, Lisanna! The spell worked out! We'll keep practicing a couple more times before we work on the next one." Natsu praised getting a happy blush from his girlfriend.
"Usually punching a rock like this would hurt, why doesn't it when I use the spell?" Lisanna questioned as she reignited her fist and got ready to punch again.
"Dragon Slayers are a bit more durable than normal. Plus it wouldn't be much of an 'Iron Fist' if it didn't use some of your Magic to strengthen and protect your hand, now would it?" Natsu explained with a chuckle as Lisanna's face lit up with recognition.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Lisanna called out again before punching the boulder again. The flames erupted like last time and a similarly sized scorch mark was left behind.
"Now try it with your left hand." Natsu instructed as Lisanna nodded and shifted her stance. This time she focused her Magic into her left fist and ignited it.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Lisanna called out for the third time before punching the boulder. The flames erupted once more while leaving a similarly sized scorch mark again. A few more repetitions of this and Natsu called Lisanna over to show her the next spell.
"Copy my stance and movements, this next spell is 'Fire Dragon's Wing Attack' it uses both arms and a large circular motion to send a wave of fire across a wide area." Natsu informed as Lisanna slowly copied his stance and then followed his motions.
"I'll need to practice the movement a few times. This seems like it'll be difficult to aim if I mess up the rotation of my arms." Lisanna mused as she went through the motions of the spell again.
"You're really smart, Lisanna, I didn't figure that out for almost two hours when I started learning it. Igneel just laughed at me when I missed where I was aiming." Natsu finished with a small pout at his father's teasing from back in his training days. Lisanna couldn't help but giggle at seeing Natsu's adorable, in her and Mira's opinion, pout.
Lisanna practiced the motions of the spell again and again. Making slight adjustments to better the rotation of her arms and keep them from swinging wide. Trying it from different directions and stances, she found that her flexibility came in handy for this particular spell. After a few more practice tries she felt ready to try the spell out for real.
"Ok, here I go!" Lisanna announced as she summoned fire to her hands and began the full rotation of her arms. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" She called out as she brought her arms down towards the boulder sending two waves of flame towards it. The waves of fire hit the boulder as well as the grass around it. Lisanna almost panicked when she saw that a fire started, only for Natsu to breathe in deeply and devour the flames.
"Mmm! Your fire tastes great Lisanna!" Natsu praised with a grin. Lisanna had a hint of pink on her cheeks and shifted her body back and forth slightly at the compliment. If Natsu liked her fire as much as she liked his then she wouldn't mind just lazing about every now and then feeding each other their fire.
"Thank you, Natsu." Lisanna smiled while Natsu grinned before urging her to try again. With a nod to her boyfriend Lisanna got back to work.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Lisanna evoked the spell again sending the waves of flame at the boulder. Once again she started a fire but with Natsu there to devour it there was no real issue. Adjusting her stance and bringing her arms in slightly closer to her body Lisanna tried again. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" The waves were much closer together this time and struck the boulder in a tighter grouping to her previous attempt but the grass at the very base of the large rock still ignited.
"You'll get there Lisanna, no need to worry." Natsu reassured as he devoured the small fire. "But let's move on to the next one."
"Right!" Lisanna cheered as she stood in front of Natsu.
"This is the third of the five basic spells." Natsu informed as he placed his hand on the boulder. With a boom and gout of flames the boulder under Natsu's palm exploded. When he removed his hand a large black scorch mark was left where his hand used to be. "Fire Dragon's Grip Strike. You grab an opponent and set off a blast of fire where ever your grip is on their body. It's a good move to both attack an opponent or to escape a grapple." He explained as Lisanna nodded along with his explanation. Natsu showed her how to pull the fire into the center of her palm and then release it as a blast. Lisanna had to make a few attempts to contain the flames in a set point before she was ready to try it for herself.
"Haa~ Alright, I think I've got it." Lisanna exhaled as she placed her hand on the boulder. When she had the fire built up in her palm she tightened her grip on the rock and unleashed it. "Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" The blast was loud and Lisanna was sent tumbling backwards. Natsu was quickly behind her and catching her in his arms. Lisanna shook her head slowly before looking up at her boyfriend. "Too much?"
"Maybe a little?" Natsu grinned back causing Lisanna to giggle as he helped her back to her feet. "Watch me again." He requested and slowly went through the formation of the spell. Lisanna watched carefully before she mimicked Natsu's example and tried again.
"Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" Lisanna called again as the boulder was blasted by the flames in her palm. She used less Magic this time and wasn't sent reeling from the blast. Looking over the results of her spell both she and Natsu were satisfied at the scorched area on the rock.
"We'll practice one more before we take a break, okay?" Natsu suggested.
"Sure, what's the next one?" Lisanna questioned as he gave Natsu her full attention.
"This one isn't too difficult; it's sort of like a kicking version of 'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist'. It's called 'Fire Dragon's Talon'." Natsu explained as he demonstrated the spell. His foot was surrounded by flames and he let loose a roundhouse kick into the boulder. Small pieces of rock broke off from the boulder from the force of the spell. "Like that!" He grinned at her.
"I think I can do this one!" Lisanna's bubbly personality came out with her excitement. With a bit of adjustment she was able to ignite her foot just like her fist. It took a little longer to get her foot to ignite than it did her hand but she was sure she'd get used to it with practice. "Should I hit the boulder?" She asked since if the spell failed she'd probably need a Healer.
"No, just in case the spell fails I'd rather you practice with it by kicking at the air. Healing Magic is expensive." Natsu replied as Lisanna chirped out an 'Ok.' in response.
The Healing Magic in use today had been salvaged from what records could be found from a Great War that had happened on Ishgar around three hundred years ago. It had actually become classified as a Lost Magic for over a century until a few books and scrolls on different Healing Magics had been found. Unfortunately, there were no complete records or tomes that explained any one Healing Magic in full. So Magical Researchers had worked for the better part of the last fifty years putting together working spells from what they did have. Now days a Healer that was proficient in Healing Magic could heal up cuts, scrapes, bruises, lacerations, and simple broken bones. But it was a costly service as modern Healing Magic was still being refined and the current spells were huge Magical Power drains. Thankfully Healing Potions, Draughts, and Tonics had never been lost as the recipes were written down and sold to any amateur Herbalist or Potioneer in scroll or book form since ancient times. Porlyusica, Fairy Tail's resident Healer, didn't practice Healing Magic. But her Potions, Tonics, and Draughts were of far better quality than anything you could buy in town. Unfortunately they didn't fix broken bones like Healing Magic could. Though they did promote and accelerate the healing process, a fracture that would normally take six or eight weeks to heal would be good as new in three or four weeks with a Potions regiment from Porlyusica.
"That's good, you have nice kicks Lisanna!" Natsu praised his girlfriend as he watched her kick the air with flame covered feet.
"Really? I just copied you, Natsu." Lisanna smiled as she threw another kick.
"Yeah, they're good kicks; you chamber them well and everything." Natsu assured as he watched her throw another one. "Those legs aren't just for show!"
"Do you…do you like my legs, Natsu?" Lisanna questioned with a blush as she slowly extended her right leg and stretched it. Watching Natsu's eyes rove up and down her extended leg made her want to squirm in pleasure. 'I'll wear more skirts and shorts if Natsu likes my legs.' Lisanna thought to herself with a blush.
"Yeah, they're nice, Lisanna. They're toned and strong but still cute and feminine." Natsu mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head trying to keep the red off his cheeks. He was using terms he didn't normally use but he had overheard them in Fairy Tail so he knew he was using them right at least.
"Thank you, Natsu." Lisanna giggled with her face red as she lowered her foot back to the ground and tried to keep herself from fidgeting in happiness.
"You're welcome, Lisanna." Natsu grinned back his blush fading.
"So what's the last of the five basic spells?" Lisanna questioned as she walked over to Natsu.
"One of my favorites, the breath attack!" Natsu fist pumped and Lisanna clapped happily. She'd been hoping that the Roar spell was a basic spell, it was the kind of offensive firepower she was looking for to balance out with her high agility that her Take-Over Magic favored.
"So how do you perform a Roar?" Lisanna questioned eagerly sparkles in her eyes.
"Hey now, I said we'd take a break for a bit first, remember? You're probably starting to run low on Magic." Natsu reminded her before quickly scooping her up in his arms, much to her surprise.
"Natsu?!" Lisanna squeaked out before realizing her boyfriend was carrying her across the field to their hut; the same hut where their 'son' was currently napping. She couldn't help but giggle as she wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and snuggled into his chest. The two arrived quickly and Natsu set Lisanna down next to the sleeping blue kitten.
"Wow, he slept through that big blast earlier and everything." Natsu stated in amazement; they had been a bit louder than they intended. "You hungry?" He asked his girlfriend getting a nod back. "Well let's see what the barmaids packed for lunch."
"Um…if it's not too much trouble, could I have some fire first?" Lisanna requested with puppy dog eyes. Natsu had absolutely no resistance to that look and immediately caved to her request.
"Sure Lisanna, here." Natsu replied instantly as he held up his hands and ignited a large fire in his palms.
"Thanks for the food!" Lisanna quietly cheered so she wouldn't wake Happy. Without hesitation she quickly set about devouring Natsu's flames. It was still just as amazing as the first time she'd tasted it. 'I could eat this everyday~.' She mused happily her mind daydreaming of the future as she ate. After a few minutes Lisanna pulled back having eaten all of the fire and motioned towards the basket containing their actual lunch. As the two ate the sleeping kitten woke up and flew towards his 'mother'. Lisanna quickly settled Happy in her lap and helped the small kitten drink from a saucer of milk. The barmaids having known Happy was going to be with them had made sure to pack a bottle of milk for the couple. It wasn't long before their lunch was over and Happy had fallen back asleep. Lisanna smiled gently as she covered the kitten with a tiny blanket before heading back out into the field with Natsu.
"You ready to learn how to 'Roar' like a Dragon?" Natsu questioned with a grin that showed off his fangs.
"Show me, show me, show me!" Lisanna bounced up and down in her excitement.
"First you pool your Magic Power into your stomach and lungs. You don't convert it until you exhale it out during the Roar itself." Natsu explained as he demonstrated taking in a large breath and holding it. Lisanna mimicked him and they practiced deep breathing and holding her breath for a few minutes before moving on. "Once you've pooled your Magic Power and taken your deepest breath, then you exhale with a roar and convert the Magic Power into fire as you launch it. That completes the spell and is how you utilize a breath attack." He explained as Lisanna followed along. "I'll demonstrate one for you and then you'll try, ok?" Lisanna nodded in understanding as Natsu turned to the side and aimed at the boulder from earlier. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He exclaimed after taking a large breath. From Natsu's mouth a torrent of flames rocketed forward and slammed into the boulder. The grasses under the spell ignited near instantly and Natsu held the Roar for about fifteen seconds before ending the spell.
"I want to try!" Lisanna cheered after seeing the spell up close she was sure she could perform it. "Just let me eat that first." She grinned before jogging over to the still burning grasses and consuming all of the fire.
"Alright, just like I showed you." Natsu instructed as Lisanna prepared for her first attempt. Lisanna gave a nod before inhaling deeply and holding it for a moment.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Lisanna roared out as her own torrent of fire raced across the field. Unlike Natsu's however, Lisanna's Roar had missed the boulder and lit up the field of grasses behind it. "I missed?!" She cried out in dismay as Natsu rushed forward to consume the spreading fire.
"Might have to put a hold on the sparring for a bit!" Natsu called back as he inhaled the flames as quickly as he could. Through all of this Happy slept on inside the hut, completely oblivious to his 'parents' and their practice troubles.
-Meanwhile – Fairy Tail Library-
"Ok, why did you call us in here?" Mira demanded of Cana while Erza simply sat next to her brunette friend before looking towards her expectantly.
"Because you two need to talk to each other." Cana replied getting both Erza's and Mira's eyes to widen before they turned to glare at one another.
"I have nothing to say to the tin can." Mira huffed as she turned away.
"The harlot finally speaks reasonably." Erza sniped at the She-Devil getting a growl from Mira.
"Stop!" Cana demanded intentionally raising her Magic Power to press down on the other two girl's senses. This was one of the first tricks Gildarts had shown her in preparation for her Crash Magic lessons. 'It usually shuts people up for a second.' Gildarts had told her with a smile while she stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Internally though she was beyond happy to be able to finally interact with her dad and learn from him. "None of that bullshit!" She growled out as she stared the other two down. "You two need to talk to each other! A real conversation! No insults, no barbs, no comments about each other's looks, hair, or clothes! You can't keep going on like this!"
"Why not? She just hates me because I'm stronger than her!" Mira growled back while pointing at Erza.
"You're not stronger than me! You're not prettier or more talented and Natsu doesn't like you more! None of the drivel you constantly spew forth is true!" Erza roared back glaring fiercely at the white-haired girl.
"Well he certainly doesn't like you more than me, you rusty tin can!" Mira snarled as she got in Erza's face.
"Enough!" Cana thundered her Magic Power almost exploding out of her body causing the two arguing girls to go silent. If one looked closely they would even see small tremors travelling up Erza's and Mira's spines as their eyes widened in unconscious fear. "This is what I'm talking about! You two have never had a real conversation with each other. You instantly decided you didn't like each other almost as soon as Mira came out of her shell and got comfortable at Fairy Tail. I know you both care for Natsu just like Lisanna and I, but he won't accept either of you if you keep acting like this!" The brunette grumbled as Mira and Erza both slowly sat down across from each other.
"He won't?" Erza breathed out quietly as she looked down at the table.
"I didn't think about that." Mira solemnly stated as she stared at the table too.
"Finally." Cana sighed as she sat back down. "Natsu won't show interest in dating either of you if you're both at each other's throat all the time. He cares about you both you know."
"He does?!" Mira perked up as she locked eyes with Cana.
"Truly?!" Erza asked as she met the brunette's eyes.
"Duh, why else would he have given you one of these?" Cana asked as she held up her Fang Necklace. Both girls immediately placed their hands on their own necklace that they wore near constantly. "But you two need to stop this hatred for each other. Natsu has problems speaking up against what you two do because he cares about you. Your rivalry with each other is fine, a lot of mages in Fairy Tail have a rival member, but you two have gone way past that and actually started to hate one another. Just talk to each other…please…for Lisanna, for me and for Natsu, ok?" The brunette sighed as Mira and Erza turned to look at each other. Both girls took a deep breath before exhaling, the tension in their bodies visibly relaxing as they looked back at each other.
"I'm sorry." They said at the same time, only to blink at each other owlishly for a moment.
"I don't hate you Mirajane. I never did, it was just your attitude and the way you dressed that rattled me. I've done things a certain way since I came to Fairy Tail and you didn't do any of them the way I did. I guess I just had problems dealing with that." Erza admitted to what had started her dislike of the eldest Strauss sibling.
"I wasn't any better. I knew my style and abrasiveness bothered you and instead of toning it down or trying to talk it out with you, well, I just turned it up to eleven. Your strictness just kind of rubbed me the wrong way and the only way I thought to respond was with more of the opposite. But I don't hate you either Erza, I just thought you hated me." Mira admitted to her own mistakes in dealing with the redhead.
"See? You two don't hate each other. In fact I think you two actually respect each other's strength. Why not try and make a new start together? You don't have to give up your rivalry, just keep it friendly, a playful barb here and there or teasing each other isn't bad. You two wouldn't be who you are if you didn't disagree and clash a little from time to time." Cana mediated as the two teen girls turned to each other with questioning gazes.
"She's right; I do respect your strength, Mira. Shall we try this again?" Erza asked as she broke into a small smile.
"I can respect your strength too, Erza, you're one of the few that can actually keep up with me in the Guild after all." Mira smiled back softly as she stuck her hand out. "My name's Mirajane Strauss, it's nice to meet you."
"I'm Erza Scarlet, the pleasure is all mine." Erza responded as she took Mira's hand and shook it.
"Kinda wish I had a Vision Lacrima to take a picture." Cana smiled as she watched her friends finally get along.
"Don't you dare." Mira glared at the brunette.
"This is personal." Erza agreed as she and Mira both stared Cana down.
"Relax, it was a joke." Cana replied as she held up her hands.
"More importantly, you and Lisanna made your relationship with Natsu official. You're sure he feels the same way about us?" Mira questioned as she looked deep into Cana's eyes.
"Yes, you just have to show him you've stopped hating each other. Tell him you're interested in trying out Lisanna's idea and he'll welcome the both of you with open arms. We'll have to let each other know when we want some one-on-one time with Natsu, but you know he'll run himself ragged to make this work. So let's take the pressure off him and work this out between us, ok?" Cana explained getting nods from the two other girls.
"Do you think more girls will want to be with him in the future?" Erza suddenly asked as her eyes went wide. Mira's and Cana's eyes also widened at the thought before Mira summed up their thoughts in a single word.
"Fuck."
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