Previously:       "I...I'm sorry Erza, I'm telling the truth. He woke up in a panic, I sent Levy out so I could calm him down, and then something hit me and I don't remember anything, until you come in here screeching like Elfman that time Natsu accidentally set his underwear on fire." Gray explained for the fifth time, hoping Erza would leave him alone. Happy hovered nervously behind the ice Mage, waiting for the conflict to be over so he and Gray could go and get some yummy fishes. The Exceed was well aware what really happened; he'd seen Natsu fly out of the window; but the promise of yummy fishes for dinner every day for a week kept him silent.

      "Hey Guys!" Lucy announced loudly, as she arrived back at the guild. She felt incredibly guilty for leaving her mate like that, But this was Natsu, so she wasn't all that worried about him. Even crippled, god she hated to think of Natsu like that, Natsu could take care of himself.

"Oh Lucy! How was it?" Mira asked softly, a creepy smile on her face. Lucy shuddered involuntarily. It was as if Mira could read minds, and it creeped her out.

"The job was a success, and to be honest, without Natsu And Erza destroying everything in sight, it was surprisingly high paying." Lucy chattered, trying to brush her job off as easy, just so she wouldn't have to explain. After all, most of the guild, not including the slayers and Makarov, were oblivious to Natsu's um... well.... his full name and initials. She didn't want to have to explain that the supposedly dead demon END had saved her ass out there. Nor did she want to say that she'd left said demon in a field when it was obviously crippled and in pain......

........................ ........................... ............................. ........................

(Back at the village)

"Boy? Can you hear me boy? HEY MISTRAL, GET OVER HERE!" A masculine voice sounded, but the words were distorted. Natsu blinked, disoriented. Where?.... oh right, he'd gone Etherious to protect Lucy. He struggled to get up, forgetting for a second that he couldn't. The masculine voice spoke again.

"Calm down boy. You seem to be hurt bad. You're name?" Natsu looked up at the man, taking in his appearance. He looked about thirty, with short dark hair and deep brown eyes. A thin scar ran from his ear to his collar bone in a snaking curve. The man must be one of the locals.

"..." Natsu opened his mouth to speak, realising he couldn't say his name in case they recognised it. Instead, the fire wizard shook his head, keeping quiet for once in his life. The man seemed to understand, and hollered for 'Mistral' again. Who was Mistral? Natsu made another attempt to move, this time using just his arms. A muscular arm shot out to stop him.

"Stop moving boy. You're clearly hurt. Badly. At least let my friend look at you." The man told Natsu softly, a kind look in his eye. Natsu nodded. Even he was bright enough to realise he had to keep silent. What if they'd seen him change into a human? What if they'd seen him as END? Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, (but in reality was only a few minutes) a tiny, wiry old lady appeared, bowing politely to the man, which contradicted her greeting statement.

"Shut up." She barked, before the man could say a word. "I'll look at him." She growled. A quick glance at the young man told her all she needed to know. The paralysis was likely an old injury, something almost certainly incurable with today's magic. She stomped up to Natsu and prodded him firmly in the back, earning a pained scream and a burnt hand from the young wizard. Ah, so this young man was a fire wizard then.

"Kody, go back and prepare the spare room. I'll carry him myself. No, you good for nothing brat, do as you're told. He's a healthy brat like you. Now shoo!" She scolded the man, smiling teasingly as she did. Then she turned to Natsu and smiled softly. A gentle hand ran over the Fire Wizard's back, expertly seeking out the spots where it hurt the most.

"You don't want to speak child? I'm Mistral, the village healer. I'm going to bring you to my home, and let you rest up. You speak when you're ready, ok?" She told him gently, lifting his much taller and bulkier frame with shocking ease. "Oh, and please try not to burn my hand again child, that hurt." She scolded gently. Natsu could only whine softly as she carried him back to a little thatched cottage at the edge of the village.

The man, Kody, had made a spare bed up, using what appeared to be animal skin rugs and straw. Natsu noticed the whole house smelt like a zoo, though he couldn't hear or smell any live animals nearby, except the sheep out in the fields of course.

The old lady placed the young man on the makeshift bed, gently checking him to make sure he wasn't in too much pain. She noted that despite the injury being old, it was still causing the young man problems, so, leaving kody to watch over the nervous young man, she went to consult her healing books. Mistral had seen the wizard girl yesterday whilst tending her flock, and also seen the smallish dragon thing assist her. Kody had been in the village, taking parcels to the nearest postal town, so hadn't seen the dragon, nor had he watched it change from monster to man.

Knowing the young man was probably not a takeover Mage, she picked up a rather dusty red tome, handed down mother to daughter for generations to get to her. On the cover was an archaic pattern and a set of ancient runes. The young man had looked like a dragon the day before, and turned into a young man after battle. Only one type of creature could do that, and Mistral knew it. Generations of guarding secrets guaranteed she wouldn't say a word, but in her wrinkled old heart, she knew the young fire wizard was a demon. A demon so badly injured, his body hadn't been able to quick-heal itself.

Mistral knew what the book contained, every woman in her family did. It was a book gifted to her ancestor from a young man who would later be gravely misunderstood and feared. It was a healing book from a set of four, the other three having been confiscated and destroyed by the Magic Council years ago. After all, a book on how to heal Zeref's Etherious Demons wasn't exactly the wisest thing to possess.

Back in the spare room with Kody and Natsu, both men were giving each other death glares. Kody offered the younger man a bowl of warm soup, but the pinkette wrinkled his nose and flung the fine China bowl at the wall, growling angrily. That was Kody's favourite bowl! Natsu remained silent, communicating only by making strange animal sounds. Kody was nonplussed. He couldn't figure out this boy at all. Why Mistral had decided to take care of him, he had no idea. Of all the oddballs the crazy old bird had taken in, this one had to be the weirdest.

"So, who are you exactly?" Kody finally asked, trying to be polite. The young man only grunted. Sad eyes flickered to Kody's face and then away again. It's not like Natsu wanted to be rude, it's just he was afraid to speak, in case he said something that gave away just who and what he was. How had these two not recognised him anyway? His face has been broadcast live on lacrima vision nation wide during the grand magic games. Kody tried again, this time asking a closed question.

"Can you speak? I mean, you haven't said a word, but you did scream earlier when the old bat...." Kody was cut of suddenly as an ancient voice screeched out.

"I'm not a bat, and you know it, ya coot." Kody chuckled. Mistral's hearing was scarily good. Kody noticed the pink haired man smiled at the old lady's screech.

"As I was saying, you seem to have at least the power to make sounds. But I haven't heard a word......" Kody trailed off and shivered. He could feel the glare, and he wasn't even in the same room as her. The young man chuckled, smiling slightly. He glanced around the room and suddenly his eyes widened in shock. He pointed to a picture hanging on the wall. It was old and faded, but it clearly depicted a red Dragon, and two children. One was nothing more than a pinkish blur where the paint had faded and the other, slightly taller, was clearly a black haired boy. Natsu looked at the picture in wonder. He'd seen that scene before. How? How did these people have this?

"You like Mistral's painting?" Kody asked the young man, who'd managed to struggle into a sitting position. The pink hair bobbed as the young man nodded keenly. Kody smiled. Mistral was always telling tall stories about that painting. He didn't believe any of it though.

"Story has it the dragon in the painting was the king of all fire dragons. They say he used to turn his enemies to ash, and once, when a group of humans upset him, he flattened the mountain they lived on." Kody noticed the young man smile, almost as if he were remembering something. Kody continued. "The picture supposedly shows two young children taming the wild dragon king. It's said that the bigger child begged the dragon to protect the smaller one. The dragon took the little child under his wing, teaching the tiny child strong magic, raising the boy as his own kit and in turn, the little boy saved the dragon King's life more than once." Kody paused, surprised that the man was so interested. When he didn't continue, the pinkette poked him and hummed curiously.

"It's said that four hundred years ago, when the child was only ten, something happened to the dragons, all of them vanishing without a trace, leaving the little child to fend for himself. The child was strong, and it's said his strength made the black wizard Zeref cry in fear. A huge war between Zeref and the young dragon-child happened, and after the war, the child and Zeref both vanished. People say that one day, the young dragon-prince will return to stop Zeref once and for all. But it's just an old bedtime story Mistral used to tell me when I was younger, so it's probably not true." Kody told the young man, frowning as the boy shook his head.

"The young man is right Kody." Mistral's voice made Kody jump and spin around. For an old, arthritic crazy bat, she walked so stealthily. The old woman smiled and continued. "Don't worry boy, I can't read thoughts, but I recognise your magic. You're a dragon slayer. And if I could hazard a guess, you probably know the real story behind that painting, don't you?" Natsu saw the startling gleam in the old woman's eyes, and felt he couldn't lie. He could at least tell the real story. Right?

"You.... you're right. That's... not.... not how it.... it went." Kody looked startled at the grating voice. It sounded more like growling than proper words. The young man continued. "Once, there were two brothers. They were... happy. They lived in a village with their parents. One day, a black dragon attacked. Acnologia. It destroyed the whole... village. Only the older brother survived." The young man voice halted for a moment. It seemed like speaking was hard for him.

"But... I was told it was the younger child who went with the fire dragon King." Kody commented, only to get silenced as Mistral nodded for the young wizard to continue.

"The older brother..... he was deva... devastated. He spent the next several years.... studying black... black magic. He wanted to save his baby brother. Eventually, the little boy grew into a young man, and finally, at eighteen, he discovered how to save.... his brother. All this time, the... the little brother... was kept... in a lacrima. A lacrima that preserved his body....." Kody gave a questioning look at the young man as he trailed off.

"Then what?" Mistral pressed gently, curious. This boy was speaking almost as if he had seen it. But that wasn't possible. Was it?

"Why? Why am I even telling you this?" The young man asked, shaking his head in bemusement before continuing. "The young man brought his brother back to life, but was unable to care for the little boy. learning how to bring his brother back had cursed him..... the older... br...brother couldn't touch... touch anyone. Ten feet was the... closest you could be...... any... any closer and you'd be dead. The young... man was scared. He had two... two choices. In his... time. Abandon the... the toddler, or ask.... ask a dragon to teach... teach him." The young man paused again, coughed harshly and smiled. Mistral smiled as she listened to the story she was so familiar with. Her grandmother had told her this story over eighty years ago, but no one had ever told it like this. Like the tale was real.

"The young man..... found a dragon. A Fire Dragon. And not just any Fire Dragon, but King Igneel himself, the strongest of all the fire... dragons." Kody's eyes suddenly widened. He'd heard that name once before, when he'd passed a house in magnolia a few years ago. He'd looked it up.

"Wait, do you mean the dragon that raised Fairy Tail's Salamander?" He cried out, making the boy wince at the volume. Mistral picked up a nearby book and whacked Kody around the head for being too loud.

"Just let him tell the story boy. Don't make me summon Tiny." The old woman threatened, making Kody shut up instantly. No need for Mistral to summon her cross-dimensional pet.

"The fire... fire dragon took the resurrected boy and... raised him as a...a son. Igneel... he taught the... the boy dragon slayer magic, how to survive, everything he needed to thrive in a harsh war filled world. Then... then... one day, the little boy and the dragon, they vanished. Never to be seen again.... but... if what Kody... Kody says is true, then, the boy really was.... sent through time." All Kody could do was stare in fascination at the pink haired young man. Never before had he heard the story told in that way, and such good delivery, almost as if this man had been there to see it all.

Mistral smiled and offered the young man something to eat, the boy suddenly silent again and nodding. He was hungry. What time was it anyway? The old lady moved with a strange grace despite the obvious limp in one leg. She clattered about the little kitchen happily, making what appeared to be enough food to feed an army. Mistral knew how hungry Dragon Slayers were, especially ones that were only half human. Obviously, she wouldn't even hint that she knew unless she was sure Kody couldn't hear them.

Once fed, Mistral insisted that she take a closer look at the young man's injury. The boy shook his head furiously, refusing, until Mistral chased Kody out of the house with a heavy book in one hand and a yard broom in the other, before whispering into the fire Wizard's ear.

"I saw you, END. Yesterday. Don't panic, I promise, on my life, or whatever's left of it anyway, I won't tell." She smiled, as the young man allowed her to check his back gently. After an extensive examination, she shook her head and flicked him on the nose.

"You are an idiot, END. Fighting like that. If you'd stayed in you other form, you'd have healed just enough to lose that pain you have. But I suppose protecting that Fairy Tail Girl took a lot out of you. Listen, I won't ask how, but you were there, weren't you? In that story. You saw it happen, didn't you?" The old eyes shone with curiosity. Natsu just couldn't bring himself to lie. Was she using magic?

"Yeah, I did, Mistral. I don't remember dying though. My earliest memory is Igneel teaching me a fire dragon roar, and tearing down an entire mountain...."

"I thought I recognised you child. You're Salamander of Fairy Tail. Don't worry, won't tell anyone what you really are. But I want you to stay another day, recover that magic energy, and when you're well enough, I want you to take this book with you. Give it to a healer you trust. It'll tell them how to help you're half demon body recover." Mistral spoke softly, a book appearing like magic in her hand.

That night, Natsu dreamed of his accident again.....

The golden flame had burned most of his skin, leaving bubbling welts all over his blistering skin. Porlyusica had decided to keep him sedated until he was stable. The last time Natsu had woken up, he'd set the whole room on fire in panic, and screamed for Guildarts to save him. A week passed, Natsu's skin healing at a startlingly quick rate, even for him. Once the blisters had gone and most of his skin had healed almost perfectly, Porlyusica Let Natsu off the sedation, allowing the boy to wake up naturally. Gray and Lucy sat either side of Natsu, holding a hand each, waiting for their mate to wake up.

      Natsu's eyes flickered open, fear clouding them for a moment. He jolted into a sitting position, cried out in agony, and fell back down. He asked weakly if Gildarts had made it, and was met with a pair of chocolate eyes and a pair of sapphire eyes, both with sad smiles. That had been hard, learning that he'd basically.... no, he didn't deserve to call fairy tail his friends if he couldn't even protect their strongest member.

The shock of the... accident hadn't quite worn off yet, but Natsu seemed ok, he was smiling, albeit rather sadly. He briefly panicked when he tried to get up, but couldn't, but the panic passed when Lucy left him and Gray alone to talk. After turning his bed to ash in rage at the dark wizard who put him in such a state, Natsu just accepted his new condition. A few hours passed before Lucy returned, laki following behind. The wood-make girl muttered something incomprehensible, before leaving the wooden item and the three wizards alone.

"I asked her to make a wheelchair, one that Natsu couldn't burn. When she asked why, I said he needs a few weeks to recover, and it'd be just like Natsu to try and walk on a broken leg. Don't worry Laki has no idea what's really wrong." Lucy's voice was soft, hardly audible above the racket of the guild brawl happening outside the infirmary. Natsu struggled to sit up, the ashes of the bed not helping as he slid about a bit on the floor. Gray chuckled, offering a hand to the stubborn Dragon Slayer.

"Damnit Gray, does it look like I need your help?" Natsu screeched, taking the offered hand anyway and allowing Gray and Lucy to put him into the wheelchair. Gray was almost afraid as Lucy pushed the chair back and forth in a soft rocking motion. Natsu was almost as famous in the guild for his motion sickness as Gray was for his tendency to strip. When Natsu didn't puke his guts instantly, it came as quite a shock. Natsu lifted his lowered head and smiled weakly.

"Why don't I feel sick?" He mumbled shyly, his hand flying to his mouth as he caught a scent he was all too familiar with. "And Gray? Can you go and speak to Rogue? He knows how to hide your type of scent...." Natsu muttered, not feeling sick at all, but lightheaded from the fading effects of porlyusica's sleep potion. Gray frowned, wondering what his mate could mean, freaking out inwardly when it dawned on him. Rogue, hiding scents, Natsu.... oh Mavis, he was so gonna ice the Pyro for this.

Later that day, just before the guild closed for the night, those few wizards still brawling fell silent as the infirmary door opened. Gray was stood in front, hands in a position that could easily make an ice shield if needed. Lucy was at the back, pushing a wooden wheelchair in front of her. Sat in the chair was a young man they barely recognised.

   A large lumpy scar tore across his right eye, the skin still raw and sore looking. The young man's right arm was bandaged from wrist up to the guild mark on his shoulder and his usually sparkling eyes were dull and tired. Creeping from under the bandage on his arm were the signs of severe burns.

       Cana was oddly sober, ignoring them and staring dolefully into a mug of tea. Macao and Romeo stared at Natsu, wondering if this was the same man that had rushed back into a magical fire to rescue their friend. Mira and Lisanna glanced sadly at Natsu, before cracking cheery smiles and greeting the trio normally. A few other mages spoke to Natsu, but he refused to say a word. Those that noticed simply thought Natsu's throat was too sore for him to speak.

      Lucy let go of the wheelchair, shocking those who knew of Natsu's motion sickness (there were a few new mages who hadn't yet realised the 'Sakura Pyro boy' was the Salamander). Natsu slowly wheeled himself over to Cana, who grunted at him and asked Mira for another mug of tea. The fire wizard, sat in his wheelchair, was much lower down than Cana, who happened to be perched on the highest bar stool in the whole guild. He cleared his throat, getting the card's Mage's attention.

     "Cana..." Natsu's voice was rough and cracked, but the oddly sober Mage could understand him just fine. "I'm... sorry. I should have... should have got him... him out first. Before getting... help." The usual loud and obnoxious voice had gone, replaced with a soft, weak and apologetic tone that didn't really fit Natsu at all. Cana glared at Lucy, who'd gotten too close to her, then softened her gaze as she glanced down at Natsu.

     "I know you're sorry. Don't be. Dad knew how dangerous that job was. Hell, he probably knew the fire could burn you: that's why he made you leave. I'm glad at least one of you made it back. I won't hold it against you. That's not how we fairy tail wizards deal with things. We accept and forgive, right?" She said in a cheerful yet sad voice, smiling sadly at the Dragon Slayer, before downing her tea in one, then getting up, bidding everyone goodnight, and heading back to fairy hills.

     Natsu didn't say anything, but as Cana got up from her seat, he caught a faint whiff of a scent that made him frown. It wasn't strong, in fact, the scent was so weak, Natsu though he must be imagining things, so he didn't say a word. He didn't want to embarrass Cana and himself if his nose was playing tricks on him...

..... Natsu woke up with a jolt. It was dawn, but he could already hear Mistral and Kody moving around in another room. It took him a second to remember why exactly he was lying in a stranger's house. Once Natsu was fully awake, he called out to Kody, who apparently ignored him, as Mistral came in his stead. She took one look at the dragon slayer, and clicked her fingers. A wheelchair suddenly appeared, almost in the same way Erza's swords materialised. Was this some weird form of requip (A/N: auto correct believes requip is actually spelled tequila.) or was this old woman able to teleport objects?

     "Here, Let me help you get up child. You seem to recover quite fast, don't you lad?" Mistral smiles, picking up the much taller and heavier Dragon Slayer up with ease and hefting him into the wheelchair. She smile warmly at him, turning towards the door. She turned back to him suddenly, as if she'd almost forgotten something.

      "Oh, the bathroom's down the hall, I'm guessing from the age of your injury that you can manage, but if not, I'll send Kody in to you, and then there's breakfast on the stove. Bacon and eggs, oh, and a mug of tea, my own personal blend that tastes like burning pine trees." She told him, before hurrying out of the room and through the hall, heading outside through a door in the kitchen. For a moment, Natsu wondered if the old lady could even hear him from outside, after all, she was fairly old, and he guessed her hearing wasn't all that good, but when he heard her voice screeching at him from somewhere outside, he knew her hearing was fine.

     "Get a Move on Child, the Food will get Cold! Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I'm deaf! That chair shrieks like a dying mouse, and I don't hear that old thing shrieking!" Natsu chuckled. He pushed the chair forward and realised she was right, the chair really did shriek like a dying mouse. But how could a normal human hear something so high pitched? Oh well, she was being nice, so he didn't really mind.