33Hello, everyone! I'm sure the title of this story probably sounds familiar to some of you, and there's a reason for that! While it's titled a reboot, this story isn't an official reboot of the original "The Dragon and The Mermaids" by Plasnix112. Instead, this is my own take on the story, following the baseline premise of all the girls being present in the Mermaid Heel guild. I would like it to be known that I've attempted to contact Plasnix112 about doing this story, and have sadly not got any response back from the original author. So, as I really want to give writing the story a chance - I will! With some caveats. Any OC character brought in by the original author, such as Mindy Cloudsfield or Treya Duella, will NOT be present in this story. This is because I don't feel comfortable encroaching upon Plasnix112's original content. With that being said, Natsu will not have been trained by Venigon, and will likely be a completely different type of dragon slayer, instead of an Azure Dragon Slayer. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know - as I'm not too concrete on the type, as of the first chapter! If nothing stands out, I'll probably keep him as a cannon fire dragon slayer, trained by Igneel. I'll also try to avoid doing the same arcs, such as the Megido Arc, or the Edolas Kingdom Arc - at least, not in the same regards as they've been done, by Plasnix112. Some things, such as city names, however, I will probably still use - such as Gracia. The first few chapters will likely be pretty similar, but just until I'm able to get my bearings set, as this is my first actual story I've written, so I'm very new to this.
At the same time, I want to try my hand at writing more about the relationship aspect, and downtime, between Natsu and the inevitable cast of ladies. Though I will try to write in ample action sequences, I've never quite done one before, so they'll probably start off a bit shorter, and kind of wonky, until I get more confidence. With that said, I strongly recommend you read the original "The Dragon and The Mermaids" by Plasnix112! It's one of my favorite fanfictions that I've read, to date. However, I am unaware if it's still being updated, as it hasn't been in quite a while.
Before I get on to the story, I have just a few more things to say! While I intend for Ultear to be a main figure in the Harem, for lack of better words, I'm not certain who else I'll include. So - if any of you have any ladies you'd like to see, specifically, please do let me know, either through reviews or PM! The only hard exception is Lucy, as I feel there's plenty of NaLu out there. However, just about anyone else is fair game, and I'm willing to consider!
Finally finally - I will change the title of this story, eventually! However, because I'm pants at naming schemes, I'd like to ask for some help in coming up with a better name :')
Thank you for reading through all of this! Now, onto the basic mentions:
"Dialogue"
"Thoughts"
Magic
All characters, unless implicitly stated or implied otherwise, are 18.
Sadly, I do not own Fairy Tail - all rights go to Hiro Mashima.
"Ugh.. sweet land, I've missed you.." Natsu collapsed, his arms and legs outstretched as if he were hugging the very concrete floor he was just standing on. To the numerous passerbys, including those who have to maneuver their way around the crumpled up man, Natsu would certainly be a peculiar sight to see. The most notable feature, besides for the man comically kissing the floor as his pale complexion slowly returns to normal, would be his spiky, medium-length pink hair. Next up, one would notice the white scaly scarf wrapped around the young man's neck, alongside his white baggy pants, and an open black waistcoat, adorned with silver accents along the trimming, with one arm sleeveless. Under the waistcoat would be a simple black muscle shirt, which emphasized his muscular frame.
Standing up from the floor, Natsu quickly patted down his clothing, before looking around the train station, with curiosity ever present in his eyes. "Wait..what was the address, again?" Suddenly, as a golden light flashed around his hand, Natsu would be holding up a piece of paper, reading it off aloud. "Let's see here…" After scanning over the paper quickly, Natsu's eyes widened, his left eye twitching in annoyance, as he threw his head back, with an overly dramatic sigh - only gaining more attention from the locals, as he started walking out of the train station. "DamnIt..! She couldn't even put an address down!? Ugh. Looks like I have to ask around." Natsu had grumbled, almost childishly, his combat boots stomping down on the concrete with each step he took. Looking around, he couldn't help but admire the town he found himself in. While Gracia wasn't the largest city, it was quite beautiful; the houses built of cobblestone and wood, with plenty being partially overgrown with moss, adding a very naturey feeling to the harbor town.
Natsu would walk over to the nearest individual, a man reading a newspaper on a nearby bench, as Natsu sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Uh, excuse me, sir. Could you point me towards the Mermaid Heel guild hall?"
The man put down his newspaper, revealing he was a bit older, by nature. "Mermaid Heel? You do know that's a woman's only guild right, lad?"
"It - that would've been good to know." Natsu said, as his left eye twitched, once again, at the lack of information he was given. "But it should be fine - I'm just meeting with someone, that's all."
"Right, well - it's just down by the harbor, right past the plaza. Large building, almost like a mansion - even a punk like you won't miss it" then, without any delay, the older man would go back to his newspaper, muttering something about today's youth.
"Right, thank you!" Natsu said, his eye twitching up a storm, once again. Walking away from the man, he'd proceed down the path, walking along the road casually with his hands locked behind his head. While the journey took a little longer than it should have, due to Natsu getting distracted looking around the cozy town. However, upon reaching the large guild hall, Natsu noticed the Mermaid Heel sign, indicating he was in the right place. "Holy.. these people must be friggin loaded - that old geezer wasn't wrong, this is a mansion!" Natsu thought, his eyes widening comically as he stared at the grand building before him. After a few moments time to recompose himself, his hand would raise up, his knuckles coming down into the large door, as he waited for an answer - suddenly feeling very underdressed, as he stood in front of the large building. The young mage couldn't help but feel anxious, after knocking on the door - out of all the things Natsu had learned during his travels, it was that women could be more dangerous than any beast - dragons included. After a few moments, a floating lacrima would appear, seemingly out of nowhere, as Natsu heard a feminine voice speaking from the crystal.
"What business do you have here?"
"Oh!" Reaching into his pocket, Natsu pulled the piece of paper back out, holding it towards the Lacrima, so it'd be able to read it. "I'm supposed to meet up with a lady by the name of Meredy, here. I have a check-up with her." Natsu explained, scratching the back of his head, with a small smile.
"Ah! Yes, yes, Meredy mentioned this - I'll be down in a moment!" the woman on the other side of the Lacrima said happily, before the Lacrima floated back down towards the floor, resting on a pedestal off to the side.
After a few more minutes of waiting, Natsu would begin to impatiently tap his foot, as he stood around impatiently. "What's taking so lo-" As if on cue, the large doors would swing open, revealing a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a revealing kimono, which showed off her voluptuous figure.
"Sorry about the wait! I've been so swamped with work, that it took me a minute to get down here. I'm Ultear, by the way - the guildmaster of Mermaid Heel." Ultear spoke, her voice a little ragged, and face flushed, presumably from her run down to the door.
"It's fine, heh. Waiting is normal, with my line of work." Natsu responded sheepishly, as he gave the woman a small smile. "So! Meredy is inside, I take it? Will she be coming out here, then?" Natsu asked, as he looked at the woman.
"Oh, no, no! You can come in, with me. I'll take you to Meredy's office." Ultear said with a smile, before turning around and walking back into the building.
Natsu would instinctively follow her, only taking a few steps inside the building, before realizing what he was doing. "Wait - is this fine? Isn't this place like - women only?"
"You'll be fine, if you stick with me! Don't mind any stares you get, by the way. It's not often that a man enters this building - in fact, it's quite rare. So, you should consider yourself pretty lucky!" Ultear giggled, covering her mouth with her hand slightly, as they walked. Natsu couldn't help but notice just how right Ultear was - everyone was staring at him. No matter where he was, Natsu couldn't help but feel the eyes of various girls drilling into him, as well as hearing them whisper about him.
"Who is he?"
"What's a guy doing here?"
"Why is he with master Ultear?"
"Gasp- do you think they're dating!?"
The last comment managed to catch Natsu off-guard, making his face flush a slight shade of pink, as he scratched at his cheek anxiously, not liking all the attention he was receiving, by just existing. Though after a minute or two of walking, he'd find himself standing outside of a single wooden door, with a plaque reading that it was the infirmary.
"Here we are! Meredy is just past this door." Ultear said, opening up the infirmary door, as she walked in, beckoning for Natsu to join her inside. As soon as Natsu did, his nose would be assaulted by the smell of a doctor's office - clean and sterile. The next thing he'd notice is a woman sitting at a desk, in the corner. The woman was wearing a white lab coat, over a simple white blouse, with a pair of black leggings. The most eye-catching sight, however, was her hair - which was a bright shade of bubblegum pink, similar to, albeit not the same, as Natsu's more salmon pink hair. Looking up from the desk, the woman would have a look of surprise, before a small smile spread across her face, as she recognized the two present in her room. Though that smile was quickly replaced with a worried expression.
"Oh, is it that day already!? I thought that was tomorrow - I'm sorry! I would've been more prepared-" Meredy exclaimed, standing up from her seat, and frantically making her way towards the duo. "I'm sorry, Natsu - I'm not quite ready for the report. I was doing some last minute reading of the test results, from last month, and still trying to make sense of everything.." the woman sighed, as blue lines comically went down her face, as she seemingly deflated.
"Hey, hey, it's all good! I'm not in too much of a rush, honestly." Natsu responded, holding his hands in front of his body, as he tried to smile reassuringly, towards the doctor. "I mean, I doubt Ultear wants me staying too long - but I'm sure it'll be fine if I just stay here."
"Nonsense! You're more than welcome, Natsu. You're a guest, after all! Meredy, how about I take Natsu downstairs, and show him around a little? You can just come get him, when ready." Ultear suggested, with a smile on her face, as she grabbed Natsu by the hand, dragging him out of the office, before Meredy had time to even respond - a perplexed look on both of the pinkettes' faces, as this happened.
We now find Natsu sitting at a table, in the middle of the guilds main lounging area, trying his best to just ignore all the looks he was receiving from the different women of the guild, each second making him more and more nervous. "Why did Ultear have to leave me alone?! This is so awkward - even for me. She better be back soon!" Natsu internally grumbled to himself, wondering just how he got left on his lonesome, in such a situation.
FLASHBACK
Natsu was currently being led around the guild hall, back down towards the doors where he first entered. While he wanted to try and speak, he found himself unable to - the constant attention from the members of Mermaid Heel being enough to keep him shut up, which is impressive to say, as Natsu doesn't quite care for opinions of others, not when it comes to him, at least; but even this much attention and whispering was driving him crazy. Suddenly, he found himself in what seemed to be the main lounging room for the guild, with Ultear ushering for him to sit down, at a table in the center of the large room. While he wasn't exactly happy to be the center of attention, literally, he did at least appreciate that they were sitting down, and less people were around - giving him the confidence to speak, again. "Uh- thanks for the hospitality, Ultear. But I was wondering -"
"Oh, I'm sorry Natsu, before you finish that train of thought - I'll be right back!" Ultear said, as she seemed to basically vanish, into thin air.
FLASHBACK END.
"Show me around, my ass." Natsu thought, as a sigh escaped his lips. Despite his current predicament, Natsu would find himself slowly being lost in his own thoughts. How did today end up like this? It was meant to be a simple check-up with Meredy, which turned into him being kept in this guild, partially without him having any say in the matter, surrounded by a bunch of girls who eyed him down like he was a foreign species - and he didn't know how much longer he could take it, all the stares and whispers, before he exploded.
"What is he doing here?"
"He does know it's an all women's guild, right?"
"Maybe not. He looks kinda stupid."
"He kinda looks like a player."
"Or girly. What guy dyes their hair pink?"
Natsu could only sit there, holding back any potential outbursts as his eye twitched, and a tick mark appeared on his forehead, his arms crossed against his chest, all the while. "Happy thoughts, Natsu - think happy thoughts. Don't think about blowing this building sky h-" suddenly, Natsu's inner monologue was cut short, as he was suddenly approached by one of the many onlookers.
"Um, excuse me sir…may I ask what you're doing here?" The lady, or perhaps more aptly put the young lady, who approached him seemed no older than 16 or 17, wearing a pale blue mini skirt, with a pink sleeveless blouse, with an orange ribbon tied around her folded collar. Most notably, however, was her rosey-red amaranth hair, which was tied up into a set of two short pigtails.
"Uh - I'm not sure, actually." Natsure responded, as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I was meant to have a meeting with Meredy - but she wasn't quite ready, yet. So Ultear told me, or I guess I should say she told Meredy - she just sorta started dragging me.. anyways! She said she would show me around, and then next thing I know she sits me down here, then dips." Natsu said, retelling the sequence of events that led to him sitting where he was. "Is…it really that weird for me to be here?" Natsu asked, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Well - yeah, it's really rare, honestly. I've only been a part of the guild for a few months now, and the amount of times I've seen a guy here…" the petite lady trailed off, her finger on her chin as she thought, for a moment. "..is exactly once! You!"
Natsu's eyes widened, slightly, as he was told this. He realized it was a women only guild, yeah, but he didn't realize it's THAT rare for a guy to be in here. Suddenly he started to feel even more out of place - realizing just how out of his depth, he really was. "You don't say, huh? Well - sorry if I'm intruding. I'll be out of the way, as soon as Ultear returns." Natsu said.
"It's okay! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, mister…I'm sorry, I don't think I've ever caught your name? I'm Chelia, a proud member of Mermaid Heel!" The woman now known as Chelia exclaimed.
"You can call me Natsu. I'm not really big on formalities, honestly. Oh, and I'm an independent mage, not part of any guild." Natsu spoke, having relaxed a bit, as he started to converse with Chelia, with a small smile.
"So you're a mage? What type of magic do you use?" Chelia asked, as she seemingly wasn't so nervous anymore, either.
"My magic? I us-" Suddenly, Natsu's eyes widened in alarm, as he shot out of his chair, tilting his body to the side, as he barely avoided being jabbed in the stomach by a sheath blade. "Re-Quip!" Natsu exclaimed, a golden light obscuring his hand as he gripped on the handle of his own blade, bringing it down just in time to block the follow-up strike. "Fucking hell-!?" Natsu thought, breaking the sword lock by jumping backwards, skidding to a halt about a foot or two away from the assailant, whom he was finally able to get a good look of. In front of him stood a woman with dark purple hair, wearing a white blazer with gold trimming and accents, and a white skirt with a pair of black leggings, under.
"Hey, what's the big idea-" suddenly Natsu had to raise his own sheathed blade up, blocking a descending strike from a second figure, who had suddenly appeared. This time it was a scarlet haired woman, wearing an armored breastplate, complete with armored gauntlets and shoulder pads, before transitioning down into a blue skirt, which went just above her knees. "Fuck - and there's another one." Natsu grunted, holding the woman's broadsword at bay, before she could've sliced his eye out.
"Onee-sama, careful - he's stronger than he looks." The purple-haired woman spoke, as she held her blade at the side, ready to strike again.
"Don't fret, Kagura. I've got this intruder!" Erza had called back, without taking her eyes off of the pink haired man.
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME-!?" before he could continue addressing the scarlet haired woman, he felt an armored fist coming into contact with his face, knocking him out of the sword lock, and away from the two women. Despite the heavy blow, Natsue looked relatively unscathed. However, before anyone could do anything else, Chelia would find herself between the two contrasting parties, holding her hands out as if to mediate the situation.
"Woah woah! Let's calm down now - Erza, Kagura! He's not an intruder - he's here on business!" Chelia explained, frantically waving her hands in front of her, trying to dissuade the two swordswomen from attacking further.
Erza and Kagura quickly shared a sideways glance between each other, before Erza stepped forward, raising her voice. "Chelia, why are you defending this man? You know as well as any that they're not to be permitted in the premises!" Erza commanded, raising her sword once more, as if getting ready to strike.
"TIME OUT TIME OUT!" Natsu bellowed, as he re-quiped his sword away, holding his hands up. "I'm not an intruder! I'm here on business - I was with your guildmaster, but she just sorta left me at a table." As Natsu spoke, he reached into his poking, pulling out the piece of paper for what seemed like the hundredth time, this day - showing it to the redheaded woman, with Chelia still acting as a mediator.
"Hmm… this looks real.. Alright. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Please hit me!" Erza said, as she leaned forward, with a bow. Natsu was only left confused at this gesture, even more so when Kagura quickly mirrored her actions - but Chelia only laughed it off. "What the hell is even going on anymore?" Natsu wondered, before shaking his head, with a weary sigh.
"Well, so long as the misunderstanding is taken care of.." Natsu sighed, walking up to the two bowing women, before just sorta poking them on their foreheads. "There, we're even now, I guess." He said, taking a step backwards, still kinda weary of the two.
"My my, what's going on here? Look at you, making friends already, Natsu~!" Natsu quickly turned his head, only to see Ultear walking up towards the group, a playful smile on her face, as she teased him. Seeing the guildmaster approaching, a tick mark would form on Natsu's forward, as his left eye twitched.
"Making friends my ass- they tried to murder me! Where did you even go, you cruel witch!?" Natsu exclaimed, as he comically shook his balled up fist above his head, like some cartoon villain - which only resulted in an amused laugh from Chelia, and giggled from Ultear - as Erza and Kagura just stared on, confused. Though seeing their guild master, Kagura quickly recovered from her confusion, instead deciding to question Ultear about the situation.
"Master - what is this man doing here? I know he claims to have a meeting with Meredy, but couldn't this simply take place elsewhere? Men are strictly forbidden from being here, you know this!"
Ultear sighed, as that playful smile was replaced by a more serious expression. "Last I recalled, men were forbidden from joining the guild - not being in the building. So long as they have the right permission, of course." As Ultear said this, she kept walking forwards, till she was standing next to Natsu, giving him a quick once over, in the process. "Though he seems to be still in one piece, so I don't think there's anything to feel bad about."
"Like hell there isn't. I knew I should've stayed in Meredy's office" Natsu thought to himself, before groaning outwardly, already growing a migraine at the course of the last few minutes. "Not to be rude, Ultear, but why did you think it was a good idea to leave me alone in your guild? I'm sure you were aware something like this was a possibility, based on how you didn't seem surprised." Natsu crossed his arms, before continuing. "If it wasn't for Chelia here, I'd probably be mincemeat, just about now."
"I don't know if I'd go that far - you seemed to be holding your own, just fine - I simply tried to intervene before anyone was hurt." Chelia spoke, a bashful smile on her face, as she awkwardly waved her hands around, as if she were trying to clear up some form of misunderstanding.
"Still didn't stop…Erza, I think her name was, from getting in one helluva left hook, on me." Natsu groaned, as he rubbed his nose between his fingers.
"That was a nasty one, wasn't it? I wasn't expecting you to take the hit like such a champ, honestly!" Ultear chirped, as she giggled a little.
"Yeah, well, I've been hit plenty of times in the face - wait a minute… How do you know about that? Were you present to see that? WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?" Natsu exhaled, as a tick mark appeared on his forehead once again, his eyes never leaving Ultear's face.
"Oops. Did I say that out loud?" Ultear asked, a playful smile on her face as she quickly moved around and away from Natsu, this time standing between Erza and Kagura. "Just pretend like you didn't hear that, pretty please, Natsu?" Ultear asked, clasping her hands together while batting her eyelashes, like a child. Natsu didn't even know what to say - only exhaling audibly, as he shook his head.
"You really are a witch." Natsu sighed, as he looked around the room, noticing there was still a large crowd of people gathered around them. "Uhhh- anyways. Ultear, you sort of blew over my question, earlier. How come you left me alone down here?"
"Oh! I just had to put some paperwork away, before I forget about it!" Ultear responded, before playfully pouting. "Also, don't you know it's rude to call someone you just met, a witch?"
"Well, I'd care more about whether or not I was rude, if you didn't leave me to fend for myself against your own guild members." Natsu responded sarcastically, rolling his eyes in the process. "Speaking of which - not to be rude, but… can't I wait for Meredy to be ready somewhere more private, or something? The constant attention here is kinda off-putting, you know?" Natsu asked, running his hand through his spiky pink hair, as he did so.
"Oh, that's right! It'll still be a few hours until Meredy is ready - so why don't you go look around town before then? I'm sure Chelia would love to show you around, until then! Oh, and after your little checkup with Meredy, you can catch dinner here, at the guild! You know, as my way to apologize for Kagura and Erza's behavior." as those words left Ultear's lips, Natsu's ears would suddenly be bombarded by an onslaught of gasps and other noises of surprise, clearly no one having expected Ultear to invite the man over for dinner."
"Um, are you sure-? I'd hate to impose on Chelia like that - or your guild, even. I don't mind just waiting on my own-" as soon as those words left Natsu's lips, he found himself being pushed out of the guild, alongside Chelia, by a very adamant Ultear.
"NOPE, don't you worry! Chelia, be sure to be a good tour guide now!"
"Master, I don't think this is the greatest idea- I mean Natsu and I barely know each other, I don't know if i should be-" before Chelia could even finish her sentence, she'd find herself staring back at the closed door of Mermaid Heel, with Natsu staring dumbfounded, besides her. After a few moments, she'd turn to the pink haired man, an embarrassed smile on her face, as she did so. "I'm so sorry about Ultear's behavior - she's not usually like this, I promise." Chelia apologized, while seemingly deflating with each word.
"No, no, it's quite okay - I should be apologizing. I didn't think I'd get you dragged out as a tour guide -" Natsu paused, exhaling as he looked out towards the city, before turning towards Chelia again. "Well - I guess after you, my trusty tour guide." Natsu teased, with an exasperated smile on his face - not because of Chelia, but because of the entire situation at hand.
Well, here's the first chapter! Like I said, I know it was pretty similar to the original story, and it'll probably be like that for the first few chapters, until I can get the awkwardness cleared out of the way. With that being said, I did have fun writing this - and hope it was an enjoyable enough introduction! If anyone has any tips, ideas, or suggestions they'd like to discuss, feel free to PM me about them, or leave them via reviews. Once again, I will be wanting to change the name of the story, and would love some help with deciding on a name - as well as a potential idea for Natsu's dragon slaying magic. Anyways, that's everything for now - Until l next time!