Chapter 100: Get Yourself Some Pussy
The street was empty. The parade had moved on, its lights and music fading into the distance. Fireworks still exploded overhead, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, but their sound was muffled, distant, like memories of a world that no longer existed. Laxus stood in the shadows at the edge of the light, his hands at his sides, his eyes fixed on the man who had stepped out of the darkness to block his path.
"I have always known you were a dragon slayer," Natsu said. His voice was quiet, almost conversational, the voice of a man who had been holding onto a secret for too long and was finally ready to let it go. "But I am about to tell you that it is not enough."
Laxus's eyes narrowed. His jaw tightened. The old arrogance flickered across his face, a reflex, a defense, a wall he had built years ago and did not know how to tear down.
"You know I am still stronger than you, right?" Laxus said. "Your little Dragon Force may be impressive, but you are still..."
"Shut up, dude."
Natsu's voice was sharp, cutting through Laxus's words like a blade. There was no anger in it, no heat. Just certainty. Just the calm authority of a man who had earned the right to speak.
"I know damn sure you are still way stronger than I am. I know you fought Mystogan. I know you were maintaining the Thunder Palace with your own magic while you were fighting me. I know you were holding back. I am not as stupid as everyone claims I am."
Laxus stared at him. The words hung in the air between them, heavy and strange. He had spent years believing that no one saw him, that no one understood the weight he carried, that no one knew the truth behind the lightning and the rage. But Natsu saw. Natsu had always seen.
"So what is your point?" Laxus asked.
Natsu took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Laxus's face, searching for something, finding it, holding it.
"Growing up with Igneel, he used to tell me something. He said that when I start meeting other dragon slayers, it will be the sign that the return of the dragons is approaching." Natsu paused. "First it was Gajeel. An iron dragon slayer. Now you. Yes, you may be a lacrima植入 person, but you are still a dragon slayer. That makes two. That makes a pattern."
Laxus's face went pale. "What are you saying? That actual dragons will soon be returning?"
Natsu nodded. "Exactly my point. Not even you. Not me. Not anyone. Nobody in all of Fiore can fight and defeat an actual dragon one on one. That includes Gildarts."
Laxus's breath caught. His hands clenched at his sides. He had seen Gildarts fight. He had seen the man level mountains with a single punch. If Natsu was right, if even Gildarts could not stand against a real dragon, then what chance did the rest of them have?
"Are you sure about this?" Laxus asked.
Natsu's expression did not change. "We may be called dragon slayers, but we are dragon slayers in name only. All of us are way too weak. Every single dragon slayer in all of Fiore."
Laxus was silent. The fireworks exploded overhead, painting his face in shades of gold and red. He looked like a man who had just learned that the world was bigger than he had imagined, and that he was smaller than he had believed.
"So here is the thing," Natsu continued. "You know that Lucy is my woman now. Same with Erza. At the moment, I am thinking of adding Mirajane to my harem. But that is not my point in coming to you right now."
Laxus blinked. His mouth opened, then closed. He had been prepared for many things. A lecture about family. A speech about forgiveness. A demand for answers about the Thunder Palace or the battle or the years of resentment that had festered between them. He had not been prepared for Natsu to casually mention his romantic life.
"What I want," Natsu said, "is for you to start training. Start improving. Learn a second dragon slayer attribute."
Laxus's eyes widened. "That is impossible. No one can wield two elements. The human body cannot handle that much power."
Natsu smiled. It was a small thing, barely a curve of his lips, but there was something in it that made Laxus's blood run cold.
"I can confirm for you that it is possible to use two at once. In fact, the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints has several dragon slayer attributes."
Laxus stared at him. The name hung in the air between them, unspoken but understood. He had heard rumors of a man who could wield every element, who had mastered magics that most people could not even dream of. He had never believed the rumors. He had never wanted to.
"You will be gone for a while now," Natsu said. "I need you to start training. Fairy Tail will need you in the future, stronger than ever before. You can use Dragon Force too. I have seen what it can do. I know what it costs. But you can do it. You just need to try."
He paused. His expression shifted, becoming something lighter, almost teasing.
"And while you are at it, find yourself a damn woman, dude."
Laxus's face went red. "What?"
Natsu's grin widened. "This guild is full of so many damn simps and limp dick dudes that have not tasted any pussy. It is embarrassing. You are a grown ass man who has not tasted any pussy. Get a damn woman, dude."
Laxus opened his mouth to respond, to protest, to defend himself. No words came out.
"Anyway, one more thing," Natsu said. His voice grew serious again. "Pay close attention to Oracion Seis. I have heard rumors that they have been planning something."
Laxus's eyes narrowed. "Oracion Seis? The dark guild?"
"The same. Keep your ears open. Keep your eyes open. When the time comes, we will need to be ready."
Natsu turned to leave. The fireworks continued to explode overhead, painting the street in light and shadow. Laxus stood frozen, watching him go, his mind reeling with everything he had just heard.
Dragons. Dragon Force. A second element. A man who could wield them all. And Natsu, the boy he had always dismissed as weak, as stupid, as beneath him, standing in the darkness and telling him the truth that no one else had ever dared to speak.
"Natsu," Laxus said.
Natsu stopped. He did not turn around.
"Thank you."
The words were quiet, barely a whisper, almost lost beneath the sound of the fireworks. Natsu heard them. His shoulders relaxed. His head tilted slightly, as if he was listening to something far away.
"We are family," he said. "That is all."
He started walking again. The darkness swallowed him, his scarf the last thing to disappear, a flash of white against the black.
"And make sure to get yourself some pussy," his voice floated back, warm and teasing. "Seriously, dude. It is embarrassing."
Laxus stood in the empty street, alone with his thoughts and the echoes of the parade. He looked up at the sky, at the fireworks bursting overhead, at the stars that were just beginning to appear. He thought about dragons. He thought about power. He thought about the woman he did not have and the future he had never allowed himself to imagine.
He smiled. It was a small thing, weak and tired, but it was real.
He walked into the darkness, toward the road that would take him away from Magnolia, toward the training that would make him stronger, toward the unknown that waited for him beyond the light of the festival.
Behind him, the parade continued. The guild celebrated. The world moved on.
And somewhere in the shadows, Natsu watched him go, his scarf bright against the night, his smile hidden in the dark.
"We are family," he said again, to no one, to everyone. "That is all."
He turned and walked back toward the city, toward the lights, toward the people who were waiting for him. The battle was over. The war was won. But the future was still coming, and he would be ready for it.
He always was.
Next Time: The Calm Before the Storm