37 Onward! To Hell! Part V

Huh... what a weird feeling.' Natsu was experiencing a strange sensation. He didn't know why, but he was still alive. He didn't know how, but his senses were fading. And he didn't know if he could keep up with the numb pain that peppered his body. It was weird.

His muscles and joints felt old, aching, and creaking like a rusted machine; he was ready to crumble at the slightest touch if he didn't hold on- but what was there to hold? He was stuck in a dark, cold, hostile cavity.

He was alone…

"Snap out of it! Natsu!"

"AAAHHHHHH!" A calloused, dry scream resonated down the damp, dimly lit walls that made the imprisonment surrounding him. Natsu jolted upright in a cold sweat, quickly shifting his weight to accommodate for the extra mass provided by the "jewelry" attached to his appendages. He blinked countless times to adjust to the lighting, yet it seemed he would stay blind forever. Lifting his chained hands to his face, Natsu rubbed and cleaned the gutter that built up over his elongated slumber. After finally getting accustomed to the poor surroundings, Natsu looked around and hoped to find one thing- one thing, in particular, that would make all of this pain and anguish endurable, and eventually, be remunerative.

"Happy..." Natsu laid eyes upon the brightest smile and the most glistening fur he had ever seen Happy put on. It might be because he was severely lacking in some vital nutrients which is driving a lucid hallucination, but really, that didn't matter. Faster than the eye could see, Natsu snatched Happy off the ground and hugged him tighter than ever before. Natsu almost lost Happy… no, Happy almost lost him.

To put it simply, he almost died.

"I'm so sorry buddy. I-I was careless. I underestimated this place even after everything Zechs warned me about..."

"... if a living person dies there, they're trapped in Hell just like the others... and if that happens, there'll be no way to bring you back."

While still wearing a large smile, Happy spoke through the tears that rained down his face and onto Natsu's bare chest, "Ya know, I figured when you woke up, you'd want to see me smiling like you always do for everyone… I figured I would be tough enough to handle all this stress. Aye... I guess I was wrong." Happy croaked out a laugh while draining his eyes, chuckling at the irony that befell him and his partner.

Lifting him so Happy was leveled with his eyes, Natsu recognized Happy's conviction and showed him the best grin he could muster, "I need you to know this little buddy, even if it's the only thing you can remember. When Liz and I found you and raised you, you've always been supporting me- even when it doesn't look like it. I promise, we always have each other's backs. I've never been so proud of anyone like I am of you- you saved my life for goodness sake! Too many times to count, actually!"

Managing to wipe the tears cluttering his eyes, Happy gave out a hearty laugh after hearing what Natsu had to say, "Aye, I guess that is true, huh. You're too weak to beat anyone without me!"

"H-hey, hold on there! I never said that- those aren't my exact words! You can't twist everything I say, Happy!"

"I don't know Natsu. I heard some underlying meanings there." Covering his mouth in a mischievous manner, Happy and Natsu both laughed at their circumstances: damned in Hell to train while trapped in slavering. Not the best of situations, but they'll be damned- if they aren't already- if they won't at least try to make the best of it.

The past dozens of hours have been beyond arduous for Natsu. The stress, the fear, the lack of strength have all been draining from him, weakening his mental resolve, and his physical might. He almost lost sight of why he was doing this; the path least traveled on is often the most difficult. Natsu never knew exactly what that meant, but was pretty sure this was the right context, after all, Makarov is the one who said it all the time. 'That's right. I can't forget why I'm here: to get stronger- strong enough to make all my goals come true. Once I can get there for myself, I can finally meet my family halfway.'

"So Natsu, how are you feeling right now? Like, does everything feel in place?" Happy interrupted Natsu's thought process while temporarily leaving behind his whimsical face and trading it for a look of concern. Natsu stared back for a while trying to process Happy's question which naturally caused Happy to worry even more- there was no reason he should be taking this long to answer. But, within Natsu's head swirled a chain of afterthoughts connected to his partner's inquery.

Realizing he was taking an abhorrent amount of time to answer, Natsu finally decided to address his thoughts and fill in the gaps of information that pranced at the forefront of his mind, "Uh, yeah buddy, everything is… good? Fine? Wait, I'm not sounding smart right now- AH, how hard is it to speak!?" He scratched his head in frustration at the incoherent and ill expressed jumble of words he tossed toward his partner, "How should I say this… the thing is, physically, I feel perfectly fine relative to the things that happened before, but I feel a strangely alarming sense of unease at me being this… okay. Happy, how exactly did you fix me up? Did you learn healing magic with Grayfia without telling me!?"

"What? Come on Natsu, don't be stupid. You know my aptitude for healing isn't on par with my sweet Carla-chan's," Happy quickly dismissed that last theory to discard any misconception, but he was hesitant on telling Natsu the real events that took place in fear of getting reprimanded, "Aye, you see, you were practically on death's door the other day, I think 3 days ag-"

"3 days!? I was knocked out for three days? What kind of-"

"Hey, I was getting there! And yes, three days Natsu; it was only today that you were placed back down here. Anyway, the reason you passed out wasn't because of the pain but of exhaustion. Your body was constantly on high alert and it was overworked practically non-stop with rigorous movements and punishment without letting yourself properly heal… it was really scary to hear that." Happy took a pause to think about how he was going to explain the rest of the story, "So after your battle with the golems, I flew up to that Minit guy and asked for his help." Happy waited for a slammed fist, a growl, an angered scream, but all he got was silence- which, arguably, made it worse.

"So, what did he want?" Natsu asked plainly. Happy was shocked at his mindful response and could only reply, "Huh?"

"You know what I mean; we've dealt with his type before in Fairy Tail and there's no way he would generously bring me back to health. What did he want in exchange?" Natsu sighed in anticipation, his well-honed foresight causing much anguish to usual nerves of steel. He never liked bargaining with scum, whether in his world, this one or the next, dirty people made dirty moves and they never act out of selflessness- hell, this is Hell after all.

"Well, he admitted to only having you do battle with the regular entertainers, but if I were to call for his aid he would increase the 'difficulty' of the death matches fivefold. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that you'd be able to handle anything as long as you were at one hundred percent so I agreed." Sheepishly, Happy hung his head contemplating on whether he should have risked Natsu's life in such a way: if he refused, he would gamble on Natsu's personal recovery and future battles with the sustained injuries, and if he accepted he wouldn't have to worry about the present state of Natsu's well-being, but the future battles would be comparatively more difficult to overcome with his life- he chose the lesser of the two disasters.

"Don't worry buddy," Natsu gripped Happy's head lightly and messaged his furrowed brow, "You made the right choice. I can't say I'm at 100% but I'm pretty damn close, and there's no way I'm going to lose if I'm still kicking. I'll get stronger even faster than they can kill me."

"Aye, even though that doesn't make a lot of sense, it still somehow puts me at ease. Thanks for understanding, Natsu." Happy nuzzled his face into Natsu's large hand and let the man continue to pet his worries away.

"I'm glad you're still able to keep that attitude, Natsu."

"Oh, what the frick!" With a shiver cascading down his spine, Natsu involuntarily blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Huh, what is it Natsu!?" Happy jolted to an upright position staring intensely at the salmon-haired teen. After a couple of reassurances and reverting back to a calm and serene tone of voice, Natsu soothed Happy back down while he collected his thoughts and focused on meditation to talk with his father.

'Please, don't pop in my head like that Igneel. No one else can hear you- it makes me look crazy!' Natsu griped about his dad's intrusive nature but all he heard was a long exhale punctuated by a short grunt.

"I'm tired of your nonsense, boy. You should just accept this fact already: you have no privacy and I have no boundaries," Igneel's blunt response left Natsu mentally speechless and almost made him lose his concentration, "Good, now that you're quiet, I have important matters to discuss with you, my son; I must make sure you are ready, for it is one thing to start the training, and another to endure it, just like how entering Hell was the beginning of your journey and this Minit tyrant is only one of your tribulations."

Natsu quickly registered the gist of what his father was saying, understanding it was only going to get harder from here. He knew if he wanted to survive with both his soul and life intact along with Happy's, he would need to trust in his father's teachings, 'There's literally no way to stop now dad. What'd ya got for me?'

"I know you've been through a lot since I made you enter this forsaken realm, but I hope you did not forget the reason why you came and what our objectives are." Igneel questioned his son's mental fortitude in order to gauge how much he truly understood his mission. Favorably, Natsu answered back extensively. The Dragonslayer started off, simply, by stating his goal was to get stronger in order to get out of Hell, kill Acnologia, and return to Fairy Tail. He went on further to elaborate on the plans his father constructed to make those dreams a reality.

'First, I gotta tame my fire and get it back under control. I don't know when, but apparently, my magic's been growing faster than my skills to control it... or something like that. After that, I'm supposed to bond with my flames- whatever the hell that means- to increase my utility with them. And this all compounds into making my Second Stage Dragon Force even stronger. Ah! I don't even know how to accomplish half this stuff!' With pride brimming internally, Igneel secretly applauded Natsu's commitment and passion for keeping up with his regimen, which makes everything he's about to say incredibly easier to announce.

"Do not fret, Natsu. It would seem your training is coming along at a steady rate. You probably don't remember clearly after you took those hits to the head from the Golems, but you're one step closer to taming your fire." Natsu could hear the excitement in his father's voice, but he couldn't connect the dots. When did he get this far? How did he make this progress? He barely remembered what happened in the fight! The things that came to mind were the constant blunders and lack of attention he gave to his opponents. He was obviously stronger than the Lava Golems, yet he still took such a hard beating because of his arrogance. Now, Natsu was starting to question his decision to train while engaged in a deathmatch.

And that's when it hit him, the training. The only reason he managed to beat the Golems without his Dragon modes was because he manipulated the properties of his flames, or, in other words, 'Holy Atlas Flame, I hardened my fire!' Natsu mentally cheered, feeling encouraged and pleased that he gained one milestone toward his goal.

"I'm glad you didn't suffer a large concussion from that battle or else it would have been sad to see you forget your first advancement," Igneel chuckled as he was able to internally feel his child's contentedness, "You should be proud you were able to come this far in such a short time, as control over your fire is arguably the most important step forward. Without dominance over your magic, it can easily backfire on the user itself- in your case, the lack of heat resistance- and also cause fluctuations in power output and activation timing. Although, I must accept my faults in all of this; I should have intervened earlier and taken better care of your training after you prematurely unlocked the second stage of Dragon Force." The old Dragon reflected on his ignorance and lack of foresight, previously discerning the purpose of this appalling training was to make up for lost time.

'Don't sweat it Igneel, we're just fortunate enough not to experience the extreme end of the spectrum.' Natsu confessed while his imagination wandered to dark places. His mind was drawn out of his what-if scenarios and directed toward the heat bubbling somewhere in his body. Now, Natsu wasn't the most inclined when it came to meditation, but he practiced just enough to be able to casually talk to his father without being sucked into his "mindscape", and still, here he was pondering on why his body was suddenly heating up and not knowing where it was originating.

Could he have lost control of his magic again!?

If so, he would truly be in a tragic comedy.

While Natsu panicked over his seemingly impeding internal explosion, he heard his father call out to him in a tone as strict as ever, "Natsu, I'm pulling you in here." Igneel proclaimed. He didn't even allow Natsu the time to let a "Huh?" escape his mouth as the young man felt a heavy pull and jolt embrace his body, causing a quick feeling of weightlessness before his balance suddenly returned. Dazed and confused, Natsu felt a strange unearthly tingle as his eyes fluttered, trying his best to escape his apparently impaired meditation, however, it seemed no matter how many tries he gave it- along with a couple of hits to the face- he couldn't avoid the abnormal, yet familiar feeling washing over him. Natsu also noted the fact that the ever-growing heat he felt build within his body suddenly drifted outside as he now felt a pestering and prickly singe on his skin.

It was then his eyes fully opened and was meant with a blinding light and hard realization: Igneel brought him to his ethereal "mindscape" and he was faced with a mountain of fire which resonated with brilliance as bright as the sun. He automatically squinted at the bright light and reflex took over as he turned to face the other way.

"My son, open your eyes," The imposing red Dragon spoke again but with much more resonance in his voice. Igneel's deep undertone moved through Natsu's body and made him feel at ease. He grew up hearing this voice, yelling, whispering, laughing, sneering, and it filled him with confidence. Of course, he was still startled, but how could anyone get anywhere if they didn't act?

Natsu hovered his hand above his brow and squinted his eyes as much as he could to repel the bright radiance permeating through the flames. He saw his father, in full form, walk out in front of the towering fire and approach him while letting his shadow cast over his son to let him see better. Igneel's golden eyes reflected the light and shone like pearls while his scales glistened, showing the hardened and dry exterior armor that plated the majority of his body. The Dragon's long snout lifted as Natsu could now actively see his father's mouth move thanks to his imposing shadow, "This, is my power- this is the strength I have accumulated over the centuries I've been alive and fighting, and these same flames are the ones I've given to you and it's what bonds us as family."

Natsu listened carefully to his father's speech while side glancing at the mountain of flickering fire that lit the entire void of his mind and heated the confines of his body. While hearing Igneel speak, Natsu saw how calm the fire was as it acted as if it was asleep; all that power so under control, so overwhelming yet not the least bit hostile. Then, suddenly, it died out without a trace and left the large Dragon and small boy together.

"And now, I will bring out your flames, Natsu." Igneel was surprisingly met with backtalk from his son as Natsu accusingly pointed a finger up at his father.

"What do you mean!? How're you gonna do that!? I thought you said can't talk to magic, you liar! If you could have done this, why didn't you help me with training, huh!?" Natsu fumed with dumbfounded anger as he couldn't believe Igneel would do something so conceded. Why would he keep this a secret? This could have changed his training drastically!

"Oh, shush boy. I wasn't lying when I said I can't talk to your magic. The only thing I can do is observe it, that's how I've been monitoring your growth." Igneel replied back with irritancy clear in his voice. Maybe he should have explained things better to have avoided this confrontation but he thought it was obvious. Disregarding the blunder in miscommunication, the Dragon father sighed with black smoke escaping his nostrils, lifting his claw from the ground and leading it to his son with the paw face up. Natsu immediately knew what Igneel wanted him to do and hopped on his father's open claw while the red Dragon clutched his fist and turned, ending up facing where his fire previously erupted.

Igneel covered up his son with his other scaly claw, forming a ball-like shape with his fists while keeping a little space for Natsu to see. Although Natsu was curious why the enormous lizard was doing this, he knew his father had his reasons and cautiously accepted his predicament. Just then, he saw a small light appear from the darkness in his mind and watched as it suddenly roared to life in a furious awakening. The flame howled and stretched as if it was reaching for something close, and that was when Natsu realized the hot winds it was creating were directed toward himself. He looked on in shock and awe at how violently his magic reacted; the size of his fire was significantly dwarfed when compared to Igneel's and its light did not shine as bright, and despite having the same origins, the behavior of the flames couldn't be any more polar.

"Igneel… why does it look so… agitated?" Distraught, Natsu asked with slight panic cascading down the hair on his skin. Was this really the same magic he's been using all this time? Has it always been so turbulent? Those thoughts stayed in the forefront of his mind, meanwhile, he watched as his red and orange flames- the same magic his father used- start to pulsate, shrinking and expanding in size while he heard a whipping sound resonate from within the fire. It soon exposed itself as bright yellow lightning prancing and staggering the perimeter of the orange fire, following the small wisps and flares that escaped from the center of his magic. Then, during the time the flames started to slow their oscillating period, black fire with dim white highlights mixed with his standard red and orange. Slowly, as the black flames increased in proportion, so did the volume of the overall display of power.

The bewildering sight of this amalgamation left Natsu speechless. He no longer knew what to do about this mess- he was told he had tamed his magic, yet here it was, acting amok.

"Sadly, this too is my fault. I suppose I should explain how this situation got like this," Igneel voice overtook the sound of the raging fire and lightning while he went on to disclose his discoveries. He said it began on Tenrou island: Natsu had not only ingested foreign magic to replenish his dwindling stamina, but he'd also used it to increase his power alongside his usual fire. Igneel talked about how, after using it, Natsu was easily able to discipline this power because his control over his main magic easily subdued the disorder that accompanied the foreign entities. But after the turmoil of prematurely unlocking the second stage of Dragon Force, the loss of full control over his still developing magic had caused a struggle of power within himself despite not being completely apparent. That's why his son's control over his flames wavered, even when he hardened his fire against the Golems.

Igneel explained how he expected his son to bounce back wholly recovered as he has consecutively done on previous occasions, "But since magic is directly linked to one's emotional and mental state, your gradual build-up of stress and anxiety greatly impaired your growth, hence, why you didn't feel as strong against that White Heavenly Dragon. Even though toward the end, you managed to utilize Dragon Force, that wasn't even a fraction of your true power- and it became worse after you combined your Dragon Modes."

Natsu flinched and cringed when he heard Igneel describe that incident as he still clearly remembered how much pain racked his body after defying Azazel's warnings. Now, watching his magic flare, he understood how he got to this point. Happy's report about his over-exhaustion didn't just apply to his journey in Hell, but also to the events that took place before. He had to somehow find a way to exert max effort without ultimately hurting himself.

Igneel brought Natsu out of his self-imposed daze and began to open up his claws to properly expose Natsu to his own magic. He looked up to his father and nodded with determination clearly flowing from his body language. Igneel, although he never said it out loud, brought him here immediately after he tamed his flames in order to simultaneously complete the second aspect: bonding with his magic. He knew this was what he had to do in order to finish the second part of his training. Through sheer willpower, he was going to get his flames to bend under his will once again- and permanently this time. Of course, he had no idea how he was going to accomplish this feat, but if Igneel thinks he can do it, then obviously there is a way. Just like how he solved most of his problems, Natsu was going to have to wing it.

Igneel's now open claw lowered to the ground until Natsu unexpectedly jumped off before he fully touched the ground. Unsure of how to proceed, the salmon-haired Dragonslayer hurriedly rushed to the seemingly furious pillar of flames and lightning, unafraid and fully confident of his abilities; he had taken the first step many times and eventually fell short, but now he was going to be back in control- he was finally going to understand what it means to bond with magic. Before he knew it, he had already stepped into the tornado of magic and all that could be seen of him from the outside was a dark silhouette.

Immediately, once he reached the origin of the source of magic, he felt an abundance of power overwhelm his entire being, the magic hastily rushing in his body. In a flash, all of the fire and lightning disappeared within Natsu while the young man collapsed to the ground. He didn't move a muscle at that moment, feeling as though he would explode if he made any sudden movements. Natsu thought about how this was the same power that he had been developing for more than a decade and was astonished at how much power he cultivated. All of the struggle, pleasure, and thrill he felt while using his magic bombarded him like he was experiencing a quick run-through of his life, encountering a truth he had been blind to during his adolescence. His magic had improved and evolved alongside him, being guided by both his training and emotions, and that's when Natsu realized how much he neglected the other side of his training.

He had always been told by Erza that fighting is not always about who has the better magic, but who utilizes theirs the best. And even though he's incorporated tactics in his fighting style, he never knew what exactly she meant. He only got a clue when Igneel forced meditation into his training schedule, and the first time he went out and met Ghalgeth was when he saw the results. But now, it finally came to him. There were so many possibilities, so many techniques that could come forth more easily if he had studied- no, if only he had distinctly listened to his magic.

Suddenly, the power surge that ravaged him subsided, and the constrained muscles that he involuntarily used to stop his evident burst of energy finally relaxed as Natsu sprawled out, his limbs feeling incredibly heavy and lightweight simultaneously. Despite barely doing any aerobic activity, his chest still heaved in the air like a vacuum, lifting up and down with his mouth gaped open. His eyes fluttered in exhaustion as he quickly felt drowsiness embrace his weak ethereal body. However, before he passed out, Natsu asked, "I did it, right? Igneel?"

"You've done more than what I could ever ask for. All that's left is to put it into action." Igneel watched as his son sluggishly tried to sit up, but have his head repeatedly fall right back to its previous position until his fatigue won out and he laid at ease and with a refreshed smile place on his face. Soon after, loud snoring was heard rumbling in the surroundings and that's when Igneel knew it was time to leave Natsu alone… for now at least.

A couple of hours later, in the Gladiator barracks:

The dimly lit and damp corridor of half-dead warriors created an atmosphere that one would only experience through the vise of television dramas. The stench ate away at your nose and the incessant painful moaning became a chorus of eternal pain. You could taste the despair enter your mouth if you tried to breathe the thick, pungent air; and the hard dirt ground could only be softened by the use of your already damaged limbs. It's easy enough for anyone to lose themselves in this miserable place, but for Natsu and Happy, that wasn't an option. They had a mission to return home to their Devil family and escape Hell, and no matter how ironic it seemed to replace one evil with another, they were infinitely more comfortable with the Gremory's than any solace that could come from this place. Although, right now, some solace wouldn't be so bad.

While meditating, Natsu inadvertently passed out- in his own mind no less- after definitively completing the first two steps of his training, and with his partner, Happy, falling suit in the warm confines of Natsu's embrace. The duo was woken up, once again, by the strange wolf lady named… 'Uh, what was it again?'

Natsu sat up from his initial position and placed his partner on his head, watching the purple-haired female observe their movements cautiously. She had gone over, like last time, to fulfill her own curious and emotional needs, now feeling a sense of hope after witnessing the teen fight in the arena. She fiddled with her fingers and played with the rough dirt until she finally figured out how to approach the conversation. Lifting her head to speak, the girl was abruptly stopped when Happy spoke before her, "Ya know, you really need to wash that scent of yours- I hate wolves."

Not knowing how to answer, her eyes widened after hearing what Natsu had to say, "Well, it's not a bad smell, it's just really strong ya know? It actually woke me up! I guess I've gotten used to the smell of this dungeon, but you're just outta place."

Flabbergasted and confused, she did not know this was how the conversation would proceed, in fact, she hasn't even gotten a chance to talk, "Um, could I-"

"Hold on there Natsu, I have to disagree. Since you're a human, I'm sure you don't realize the stark rivalry between cats and dogs so you wouldn't understand the distaste I have for the presence of a wolf."

"I can totally relate- I had that ice princess Gray on my back twenty-four-seven, there's no way I wouldn't punch the bastard if he got too close. And the pervert too!"

After hearing about potentially getting punched, the hybrid could not take being ignored any longer, "Please, I need to speak with you people!" She yelled in desperation, hoping they would at the very least stop bickering. With her wish coming true, the dynamic duo turned to look stoically at the relatively small girl, and she took this as a chance to speak her mind, "I have something to ask the two of you."

"Aye, why do you keep coming here? We have nothing to say to the person who got us here in the first place." Happy's harsh, brutal, and truthful question caused the wolf hybrid to cringe in embarrassment. She knew what she did was wrong, but there was no way they were going to buy her story.

Seeing no need to rescind his partner's previous statement, Natsu spoke next, "Seriously though, what do you want from us? You've said your apologies and we said it was alright so what's the point?"

Feeling the pressure once more, the purple hybrid found it hard to speak. Everything they said was true, but still, she wanted something that only they could provide, "Freedom," she said calmly after finding her nerves, "A couple of days ago, I overheard my master Ougon speaking of the deal you made with Minit. If you beat all of his challenges, then you get to leave scot-free. I… want you to take me with you... if you would consider it?" Her bashful stature made no difference to the impact felt by the duo. They couldn't believe the person who instigated this mess was going to try and take advantage of them. Did she think they were fools? Did she mistake their forgiveness for mercy?

"No, I refuse. Now get out of our faces." Natsu coldly remarked, "As if I'd let a person sent to Hell pull me along with their plans again. Once I'm outta here, I'm not looking back."

The wolf girl sighed and bounced her head, seemingly in agreement, but she wasn't going to let up, "Listen, I know you're not from here. I don't know how or why but you are not the type of person who would commit a sin grave enough to be sentenced to Hell, but I am. But I've repented long ago, and I don't ask to be released from Hell, only to escape this place ruled by Minit." Natsu glanced at her face contorted with plight and watched her bow deeply as she clutched his ragged pants, "Please, I just want to lose these chains..." Now Natsu could smell saltwater, tears to be exact, and even though he couldn't see her face, he felt the truth in her words from the shaking he felt from her hand.

With a long pause and her face still hidden, Natsu felt his partner tap his head, instantly knowing what Happy wanted him to do- make a decision, "... So, you said you repented or something? When was that?" The Dragonslayer added no more emotion to the question than he needed to in order to get her attention. He knew that he could be catfished and baited, but he's learned to tell when a person is lying- he doesn't have to even look at their face because the tells can be seen everywhere else, so it's either she's an extremely good liar… or she's genuinely telling the truth. And even if it's the latter, should he take such a gamble?

"I… I don't know how much time has passed, but I do remember the number of times I've died before I got to this point. It was after my fifty-sixth death from being abused by Minit and his subordinates. I've been his property for whose-knows-how-long and he somehow always seems to find me in this level of Hell. The first realm is where all the souls who perished come back another cycle, and I can't go any deeper because I'm not strong enough to survive."

"Okay, huh, what's your name?" Natsu asked as he stroked his nonexistent beard. She answered with "Michelle" to which he gratefully sighed once he realized he didn't accidentally butcher another person's name, "Okay then Michelle, what did you do to even get here?"

Moving back and wiping her face with her dirtied sleeves, Michelle stuttered after being asked that question. She knew it would have potentially come and braced herself for it, but it still shook her resolve. Deciding to end this quickly, she spoke with quick bluntness, "I hunted other hybrids and trafficked their body parts as merchandise." Michelle watched as Natsu and Happy's face twisted in disgust and horror, heavy bags forming under their eyes to punctuate the wrinkles formed from the heavy judgment.

Michelle came to terms with her past actions long before this confrontation; looking back, she made excuses for herself saying that she needed the money to support her and her siblings after they were abandoned by their parents, but that excuse ran out after she no longer needed financial security. At some point, she just started to enjoy the hunt- butchering her fellow hybrids gave a special spark in her life that nothing else could reach, but those dark actions caught up quickly, and here she was paying for them. She wished she could take it all back: after experiencing what it's like to be constantly on the run herself, Michelle regretted what she did while alive but never repented fully, because at some point she started to make more excuses to justify to herself why she didn't belong here. It was only after her fifty-sixth painful death at the hands of Ougon that she realized the lies she told herself was the reason why she was stuck in Hell.

If she hadn't justified hunting and taking the lives of innocent people, she could have spent the rest of her life with her brothers.

Michelle shook her head to get rid of her heavy thoughts to prepare herself for Natsu's answer. It was obvious once she saw his expression that his immediate answer would be no, but she had to hang on to whatever hope she had left.

Natsu composed himself and thought deeply about his options, although they weren't very cut and dry for him. Either he could take the logical approach or the emotional approach: Logically, taking on the girl's hope would mean putting his gambit with Minit in even more danger, risking the chance he and Happy had to leave in one piece, and emotionally, despite how much he tried to fight it, he truly wanted to help this wolf lady. The look in her eyes, the way she postured herself, the disheartened undertone in her speech, it all reminded him of Jellal's own reformation.

Natsu, ever since Jellal came out, despised the creep with an earnest passion, and to this day has yet to fully forgive him for what he did to his family, no matter what excuse he gave. But, in spite of Jellal's internal torment, he managed to hang on and found a way to somehow appease his sins, which Natsu found commendable and led to Jellal earning his respect. Now, this Michelle girl is coming to him in a similar position asking for a way out of her painful limbo. Deep down inside, though experience and reason were struggling, the ethos was slowly beginning to win out, and Natsu could feel himself waiting to burst out with a big "OKAY!", but these thoughts and feelings were his alone, and before he made any impactful decisions, Natsu controlled himself and concluded it was best to discuss it with Happy.

Warily swaying his eyes back and forth between the wall and the purple-haired girl, Natsu took in a deep breath and swallowed his nerves, "Michelle… I'll have to come back to you on that. Just give us time, would'ja?"

With a subtle glint flashing in her eyes, Michelle quickly contained her excitement and responded accordingly, "Yes, of course. I can wait- waiting is all I've been doing at this point." She couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream. For as long as she could remember, all Michelle's experiences have been nightmares that kept her awake, but now she might actually be having a pleasant dream. Even if it's all false hope, it filled her with joy that she might have a chance to leave! When she met Natsu and Happy, she had no idea what to think of them. At the drop of a button, they were mean, then nice, then aloof, goofy for the most part, and constantly sleepy. It was like she was met with a circus entertainer- she had no way to anticipate their responses. But one thing she knew for a fact was that they were different from the rest of the people here: through all the lies and abuse she endured, Natsu and Happy were the only souls that exhibited true freedom in contrast to their current predicament.

"Huh, why're you staring like that- it's creepy," She heard a high-pitched voice ring in her ears and the daze Michelle fell in was shattered by the remark. Realizing it was Happy who said it, Michelle took the wide eyes on their faces as a sign to scatter away. She fruitlessly wiped the dirt that stained her legs before standing up and walking away, but not before taking one last glance at the duo.

"What're we gonna do bud?" Natsu ran his fingers through his hair while picking up Happy from his resting place. Lifting him in front with a rattling of the chains, Natsu watched his partner glare with furrowed eyes.

"Aye, I know what you're thinking Natsu. Listen, we can't just pick up every sad puppy-eyed person with a poor backstory. It'll ruin us!" Happy reprimanded Natsu's thinking, already inferring his best friend's intentions. It wasn't hard to guess, really, when you've been with the guy all your life. Natsu was inherently a caring person with a heart and will meant to help others, but at this time, in this case, his nature was going to backfire.

"Yes, and I completely agree with you… But-"

"No buts!"

"Somehow, if-"

"No ifs!"

"Ah-"

"No complaining!"

Natsu was at a loss. He really wanted to abandon this feeling inside of him. For once, he began to admire Gray's cold personality. The only way for him to subsidize these detrimental thoughts would be to, minimally, have his life consultant, Happy, consider the possibility.

"Okay, I totally understand Happy and I know you're right. I just have one request. Please, at least consider it from her perspective. Erza was able to get through to Jellal and this girl was able to do the same by herself. I recognize what she did as a despicable act, and that's why she's here, but I don't plan on taking her with us, just to get her outta here." Natsu made sure to stress the final word, wanting to have Happy understand his position in the matter. He watched as the blue fur ball wiggled in his hand in thought until finally, a few mumbled words came out, "I'll think about it," Happy quietly announced, reluctant to fully commit, "But don't think I'll make this easy!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way; we're a team after all." Natsu dropped Happy on his lap and extended his arms for a nice, long stretch, trying his best to relieve the stiffness while confined to the thick cuffs made from the unusually strong and naturally occurring metal ore. Bringing his wrist down to eye level, Natsu stared at the dusted luster of the metal hanging around his hand and reminisced of the time he first found himself trapped in the contraption. He tried desperately to break free of the shackles but the toughness of the material proved too much for him to shatter. Then, he tried to melt them off and that didn't succeed either. Minit told them that both the rock and ore in Hell are highly resistant to heat, and the metal derived from them proved to have high stats in both heat retardation and toughness. Now, Natsu knew his physical strength hasn't grown, so there's no way for him to break the cuffs using brute force, but a thought crept into his mind, urging him to test the strength of his magic- after all, he did just complete another step in his training.

Before he got started, he tested out how his magic felt to him now. Him and Happy figured out that the cuffs are enchanted with a spell that negates the activation of magic, but not the flow of it. So, unlike the magic binds the Magic Council uses, he's able to produce heat, but not fire, and Happy's able to sprout his wings but not fly. Concentrating on feeling the flow of magic through his Magic Containers, Natsu found nothing special happening, no weird tingle, no extra power, as it just felt normal. It was odd as he thought his magic would… do "magicy" stuff? That's not exactly what he means but it made sense to him. At the very least, he was glad he no longer felt any discord when controlling his magic.

After finishing his internal evaluation, he told Happy of what his plans were. He started off by explaining his thought process and finished by saying, "I'm gonna try to melt these things off," in a very casual tone. Happy cringed when he heard the Dragonslayer say that, remembering the last time he exhausted himself when trying to melt through the rock walls, and now he's trying to do the same thing except with the material that's harder to melt.

"Aye, your genius never ceases to amaze me, Natsu." Happy spoke in the most sarcastic voice he could muster, wanting his partner to know he disagreed with this "experiment", but what could he possibly do to stop him? Did Natsu know something he didn't? Anyway, he said nothing else to the salmon haired man and waddled away in his miniature set of confinements, as far away as he could go. Natsu, too, moved as far as he could from the general culmination of people into a more desolate area of the damp corridor. If this was going to be anything like last time, a lot of people would get singed just by being close.

While he stood near the entryway (where the least amount of people were located), Natsu looked around and received a thumbs up from his partner, signaling he was good to go. Admittedly, he didn't really know what to look for when doing this, but he hoped to get these shackles glowing with heat because last time they barely warmed up.

Michelle watched from afar wondering what the two could possibly be doing now. Then, an explanation popped up as she realized they probably didn't know what they were doing either- that's what she could gather from her short time with the duo. She watched intensely as Natsu closed his eyes and his hands started to tint into a dull red while Happy took off his green bag and started to hide behind the smaller piece of fabric. That's when it hit her: Natsu was using his magic! But he should know by now that his magic can't be activated with those cuffs around him, 'So what is he doing?'

The Dragonslayer abruptly opened his eyes and stared amazed at his glowing hands, even though nothing was done yet. The cuffs barely increased temperature and never changed color whatsoever, in contrast to the simmering air around him. But, what amazed Natsu had nothing to do with the metal or his surroundings, and everything to do with how his magic felt to him at the moment; unlike before when he had no intent after examining the flow of his magic, now that he vigilantly tried to activate his fire, he became overwhelmed with how sensitive his heat-control had become and how far his range of temperature expanded. He didn't know exactly, but he was certain that if he tried his hardest, he could reach temperatures which could rival that of his previous Dragon Force's flames, which is more than enough to melt the cuffs holding him but also hot enough to melt everything else around him…

He couldn't be any more ecstatic. If this is what he could accomplish with his magic being inhibited, what could he do with no restraints?

Not long after starting his "experiment", Natsu stopped his attempt at melting the cuffs and thanked his Uncle, Atlas Flame, for his self-control. It could have been very easy for him to lose himself in excitement and try to test out the fullest extent of his capabilities, which probably would have resulted in injuring Happy- the absolute last thing he ever wanted on his conscience.

Speaking of Happy, he stood crouching behind his bag feeling slight disappointment and relief at what had occurred. Contrary to what he anticipated, Natsu didn't seem to try to melt the chains off at all. He could tell his partner put little effort into the endeavor which resulted in nothing besides a small nightlight and a warm wave of air exiting his arms. Comparing this attempt to the last one is like comparing a flick to the face and a sucker punch, both separated by scales of pain and grandeur. During the experiment, Happy carefully watched Natsu's face transform according to his mood, and for some reason, he didn't get mad and frustrated but became shocked and flustered like a kid wanting to play with a newly opened toy.

He had to get to the bottom of this.

Natsu continued to look down at his hands while he waited for the metal to cool to a level suited for touching, and all the while neglected to raise his head toward the incoming pebble. The small rock bounced off his head gaining a groan from the teen and leading his attention to the perpetrator: Happy.

"What was that for?" He whined as he rubbed his head with both his hands, using the still warm cuffs to soothe the pain, "And how do you throw so hard!?"

"Nope, I'm asking the questions, Natsu!" Happy hopped over and sat down cross-legged in front of Natsu while he took that as a sign to crouch as well.

"Rock throwing does not give you the right to ask questions, but I'll allow it." Natsu snarkily returned the favor by rubbing a knuckle deep in Happy's forehead leading Exceed to slap his hand away from the pain, "Okay, okay, I get it little buddy!" He chuckled a bit to lighten the mood after Happy sighed, "So, what's up?"

"You- that's what's up. You fall asleep for a while and wake up after talking to that girl thinking you can melt these things," The blue cat shook the shackles to highlight what he was referring to, "Did something go on between then and now? There's no way I could have missed something that important."

Pondering Happy's question, Natsu proceeded to construct the best explanation he could possibly give, but sadly fell flat to where he wanted, "Hmm, well this may sound weird, but after you woke me up and we fell asleep, Igneel called on me and sorta, kinda trained me in my head. I don't really get the details but I basically leveled up."

"Aye, and you think that suddenly makes you a walking furnace?" Happy asked rhetorically.

"Funny you should say that-" Natsu's remark was cut short once Happy realized the redundancy of the question and tried to cover it up with the following statement, "You know what, don't even answer."

Natsu, somehow feeling at fault for Happy's state of confusion, finally led the conversation like an adult and proactively described the events leading up to his potentially self-destructive task. It wasn't much to go on, as Natsu barely understood the sequence of events either, but Happy managed to pin the drastic details together to form a coherent storyline: After Natsu had gained consciousness, he talked with Igneel for a bit and ended up finishing part of his training. What he doesn't understand is why the first thing that popped into his mind to test his new prowess, would be to burn something down- then, the Exceed once again realized who he was dealing with and only sighed at his predicament. He knew Natsu was a mild pyromaniac, which is easily explained from his upbringing, but he had hoped his partner would have grown out of that childish phase already. Apparently, that would be like asking a fish to jump out of water.

For the next couple dozen minutes, the duo kept to themselves, occupying one another with the other's presence, and biding their time until something, anything could stop the mundane and arduous ambiance. The corridor was a place of limbo; a horrid neutral zone where souls waited upon their next punishment, with the significant pain coming from the slow passing of time and where clocks seemingly stood still. However, for Natsu and Happy, each passing second meant a second closer to their much-wanted freedom. But every goal comes with a sacrificial debt that needs to be paid, which equated to them losing their will and temporarily becoming jesters for a tyrannical leader. Luckily, the seconds trundled by fast enough for them to encounter the second chance to freedom.

They returned to their previous napping spot after they finished their conversation and spent their time waiting in the middle of the sulking hallway, twiddling their fingers and drawing shapes in the looser patches of dirt sitting under their noses. It was at this time the two boys felt a familiar presence approaching the corridor- and it wasn't Michelle. Natsu immediately recognized the scent as the person who dragged him along the last time his battle was announced and growled with distaste.

"Not this jerk again." He said under his breath, watching the armor-clad soldier walk down the damp enclosure. He heard him start to call their names angrily, almost as if he didn't want to be down here, and he wasn't alone in that feeling. A small amount of time passed as Natsu and Happy ignored him just to get on his nerves; that soldier had only found them easily last time because they decided to stick close to the entrance. After being treated so terribly by him, this was the only appropriate response. Given how his attitude reflected his personality, it was quickly deduced that the sour soldier would not travel further down than necessary due to his thoughts of superiority, but the duo decided to end the charade to finally confront what he wanted from them.

"You can shut your trap now, we're coming!" Natsu called out unexpectedly while the confused soldier wondered how he could have missed sich bright pink hair. Quickly discarding that thought, he switched over to the hardened demeanor everyone had the pleasure of knowing and walked menacingly toward the blue cat and the pink man.

Standing in his face with their noses almost touching, the guard then shoved Natsu away with a loud grunt. Happy wasn't impressed.

"You gotta lot of nerve hiding from me, boy."

"Yeah, and you gotta have some breath mints- it stinks worse than dragon breath." Natsu playfully pinched his nose shut and waved his hand in front of his face while simultaneously dodging a wide swing thrown by the embarrassed soldier. Natsu easily swayed back from the following uppercut as Happy watched gleefully at the man making a joke of himself, "You're never going to him, even when he's tied up." He pitched in.

The soldier reluctantly saw the truth in his words and cautiously backed off. He wasn't an idiot. He saw the fight these two had with the Lava Golems- three Lava Golems. He watched the pyrokinetic fiend play around with them until he got seriously beaten, and that was only when he wasn't paying attention! And to tie it all up, the battle ended with him smashing them to bits. Unfortunately, he couldn't argue with the boy's strength, and in the land ruled by Minit, power was proportional to influence. However, in the eyes of all the subjects, Natsu was still a slave, a gladiator to be used for their entertainment, 'So for now, that's how I'm gonna treat you.'

The soldier told the boy to carry his blue friend and walk with him to the arena. There was no pushing, no insults, no tugging, and no violent behavior of any kind. Pleasant was a word Natsu could use to describe the slow walk when compared to everything else he experienced, but then he remembered the context of his situation and sighed and the irony: he was getting too used to this world already.

He missed his world, he missed his friends, he missed his family, and from his count, he's only been in Hell for less than a week; he missed Mrs. Hyoudou's cooking, he missed Akeno's teasing, he missed Rias' confident nature, he missed Xenovia's loud antics, and he missed Zechs' welcoming attitude. There were a lot of things he could list but, unfortunately, that would have faltered his concentration. It was obvious where the soldier was taking them, and Natsu was not about to let himself get badly injured again. In no way did he want to be in debt with the person who enslaved him- that's ludicrous. He was going to win. He would win all his matches decisively and without falter. He would crush any challenge in his way as there was no room for error moving forward. Before, Natsu thought about how he would exert maximum effort without hurting himself and he still didn't come to a definitive answer; he wanted to train, he wanted to test his new might but his previous recklessness made him second guess that decision, however, he knew he could rest easy with Happy by his side. This time, without fail, he would call on his partner when he needed him and wouldn't put his selfish desires before the wellbeing of his himself or his friend. This way, he thought, he might be able to push himself without going over the edge.

Natsu looked down upon Happy's soft mushy head, the same spot he's rubbed for years never seemed to have changed much besides the size. He decided to give it one last rub before they made it to the arena and his calloused hand was welcomed with a deep purr. Happy looked up from his cradled position and saw the determination in Natsu's face. He didn't forget what Minit had told him: due to their previously dire situation, Natsu now had to endure a greater hardship under the debt he owed after Minit's people healed him, and Happy was sure to pass on that message. Natsu knew that somewhere along the way, Minit would twist his deal to give himself more leeway with the end result, and all Natsu could do was diligently resolve himself.

In short, the absolute scale of the size of deep shit he found himself in could practically overwhelm anyone in his position, but when Natsu thought of it as individual little pieces of shit, he found that he could handle it over time. All he needed now was perseverance.

The now-familiar passageway leading to the arena started to fade behind them, and paired with the gradual encroachment was the small vibrations in the air dancing across their skin as they approached inevitable Mortal combat. The unintelligible screaming only became more intimidating once the soldier finally led them to the large gate which leaked small rays of much-appreciated light. Stopping a few feet before the hinges, the soldier started his procedures just as he did before: he took out his keys and steadily undid the shackles from the captives one by one starting from the top down, the first one being the blue cat while he finished with the pick-haired boy. He attached the keys back to his hip and stared at the duo stoically. He watched the strange creature sprout large, white, feathery wings and suddenly begin levitating off the ground with a few small thrusts of the extra appendages. Then, he studied how the fire wizard stretched his body similarly to the way he prepared himself before. And still, exactly like before, the smile on his face only seemed to grow wider the longer he had to wait.

'What the hell is wrong with this kid? Doesn't he know he's at the Boss's mercy? He can't be that confident in himself...' The soldier took a small pause with his thought but was brought out of his trance the moment a rumbling tickled his toes. The ground shook weakly and the chanting grew louder until a formation of audible words were howled collectively, "OPEN THE GATES! OPEN THE GATES! OPEN THE GATES!" That was when he knew the present gladiators were being summoned, although, he couldn't blame them since they put on a great spectacle last time.

Answering the people's call, the soldier pulled on the heavy doors which let a small breeze come through and hit Natsu's face. Although, it should be mentioned that the breeze wasn't cool in the slightest, it was Hell after all. The rough soldier stepped aside from the exit and let the tag team walk past into the arena once again. Even though this would be their second time fighting in this colosseum, the sheer size of the audience managed to take them aback when, by some miracle, the screaming suddenly increased in volume. Was their presence here causing this uproar? Did these people have nothing better to do? The obvious answer to both of these questions was a resounding, "yes", but Natsu and Happy didn't bother to contemplate those redundant questions. Almost as if he was carrying a timer with him, Minit appeared at the perfect moment above everyone else on his small balcony, still accompanied by his four generals, two of them Natsu had the displeasure of meeting.

Natsu saw very clearly how Minit basked in the applause and watched as he controlled the hundreds of people gathered with just a simple movement of the wrist and forearms. The stadium's arousal was temporarily subsided while Minit took charge of the campaign.

"First off," He started, "I want to apologize. I promised you all that in two days' time I would have Natsu and his partner Happy fight here again in this arena, but I fell short on my duties as your ruler and missed the deadline..." The crowd fell silent after the surprising pause, but no one was more shocked than Natsu. From how Minit presented himself, he concluded the man was too arrogant and conceited to even understand the concept of apologizes, yet here he was doing just that. 'He has to be playing some game. I can't be wrong about him- there's no way he would do this if he didn't see some net gain in the end. Is he trying to play hero or something?'

"However, I am here today to deliver on my promises and to pay back fivefold! Before the delay, I planned on having our gladiators fight a group of Striges- those same winged beasts who managed to devour an entire battalion of soldiers! But, I have deemed our prisoners worthy enough to take on one of my most prized possessions, the notorious 'Keepers of Hell': The Cerberus!" In that instant, the crowd burst into deafening cheers of the likes which nearly blew Natsu's sensitive ears away. He clutched his earlobes to manage the painful ringing but he, fortunately, had the time to digest what Minit said. With how the crowd responded, he knew he was going to be put up against an opponent much more powerful than the Lava Golems, and the title "Keepers of Hell" definitely did little to boost his confidence.

"Huh, Natsu, doesn't the name 'Keepers of Hell' sound eerily similar to 'Guards of Hell'? Like, you know, one of the things Zechs told us to avoid?" Happy nervously asked.

And that's when it clicked.

He recalled the time in the train when Zechs informed him of three major things he should try his best to avoid: Time distortion, The ruler of Hell, and the Guards of Hell, and the last one was now his next opponent. His life really was a tragic comedy at this point. He was told by Zechs that Xenovia and the others defeated a couple back when Kokabiel attacked but the Cerberus' were significantly weakened due to them not being in their natural environment. Now, he wondered, just how strong they actually were. Would he still end up being bandaged by Minit's goons?

"Man, fuck that guy." Natsu growled angrily. Now he knew what the deal with Happy was for. If Minit made Natsu lose this one battle then Natsu automatically has to concede to do whatever Minit wanted, and because he promised to the fair, there was no way he would put Natsu up against one of the strongest creatures in Hell unless he heard opportunity knocking. Natsu really messed up, "How did he even manage to get one of these things?" He vainly asked, finally fixing the ringing in his ears. Natsu had already anticipated the answer but he had to vent his frustrations somehow.

Looking up at the lounge where Minit sat, Natsu saw the man call over one of the generals he never meant and watched him whisper something in the man's ear. The man was tall and thin but the large garment made it hard to tell what his body type was. His straight dull yellow hair matched plainly with his gray baggy clothes and his expression was as bare as the clothes he wore. The slanky man lifted his head once Minit was done talking to him and Natsu couldn't hear a word they said as it was drowned by the excitement in the colosseum. Happy stood guard on the surroundings while Natsu carefully studied the boring-looking general. He didn't know what Minit told him but whatever it was, Natsu knew he wouldn't like it. Once the general stepped back to his corner, he lifted his right arm and opened his palm, generating a pale gray Magic Circle until he suddenly snapped and the formation collapsed into dust. Natsu tilted his head in confusion at the lame display of magic but his thoughts were interrupted once he felt his hair stand up and his instincts spike.

Just then, he felt Happy tug on his back and he was suddenly in the air looking down at a large gray Magic Circle projecting a pitch-black hole right behind where he was standing. He immediately recognized it as the same portal that opened and let the Lava Golems through the last time he fought here, then the dots started connecting. 'That's the same feeling of magic that came from the skinny guy with Minit! Is he the one who can use Spatial Magic!?' Natsu collected his thoughts and calmed himself down. He never liked that type of magic; it was annoying to deal with, always being sneaking and out of place and getting away right before the finishing blow. His fighting style was not suited for that type of opponent, so if he ever had to fight that guy he'd probably be in trouble.

Those hypothetical worries were discarded the moment the hole in space expanded to a greater area, being at least double in radius than the one that came before it, a precursor punctuating the imposing volume of the oncoming beast. Natsu and Happy watched the portal carefully, noticing a deep growl resonating off the walls of the arena. Happy slowly brought them back down to the ground but stayed on Natsu's shirt just in case a quick getaway was necessary. The first sign of their next opponent came from the large paw that stomped out of the portal, immediately followed by three boulder sized heads attached to the same torso. The rest of the body came soon after showing the two thick tails trailing behind before the portal suddenly closed, leaving Natsu alone with the seemingly high strung animal.

The most noticeable aspect of the so-called "Keeper of Hell" was the fact that it resembled a large breed of canine in both body structure and behavior. The beast had the usual four legs that came standard of any regular dog, but the similarities stopped there. As stated before, it sported two tails as large as tree trucks wagging above the hind legs and three vicious heads attached to the prong-like neck. Its shiny black fur was literally highlighted by small flares of crimson orange flames generated at the neck, ankles, and tail end of the animal, matching its same colored eyes. Scattered across the large body and faces were long streaks and patches of exposed scars and calluses, some of which looked suspiciously fresh on the monstrous canine. However, one of its most obvious attributes came from its scarily sharp grinding teeth and dangerously long nails.

Once the Cerberus settled in the arena, Natsu and Happy noticed another weird characteristic: all three of its heads acted independently of one another. From their perspective, the left head appeared the most aggressive out of the bunch, as drool escaped its snarling jaws and its eyes were disturbingly wide. On the right end, the duo had the toughness time identifying its personality because of the aloofness it had with the others, turning its head away at times and never even bearing its teeth. Finally, in the intermediate section, it was easy to recognize who the dominant personality was. The middle head stared menacingly, directly into their gazes with a concentration only comparable to a predator toward its prey. The other two heads followed suit and directed their attention to Natsu and Happy while the pair readied themselves for the upcoming battle.

They were unsure of what abilities the beast had at its disposal, so charging headfirst would be disadvantageous. At the same time, not doing anything would hinder any leverage they could potentially gain. Natsu decided to stay on the defensive for once, counting on Happy to counter or dodge oncoming attacks -he would be the fists as Happy acts as the legs- at least for now. Using his magic could end up being dangerous for his partner, now knowing exactly how much magic it would take to accidentally burn away Grayfia's Fire Resistance Magic after finishing up part of his training. The crowd's manic nature stood in stark contrast to the unflappable yet steadily increasing tension between Natsu, Happy, and the Guards of Hell.

However, their attention only wavered for a second when Minit's unexpected call disoriented them, "Now, LET US BEGIN!"

Natsu's eye twitched when he noticed the black dog's weight shift forward as its legs bent closer to the ground, responding similarly by lowering his stance and lighting his fists ablaze. His eyes tracked the beast's movements while it rushed toward at full speed, panting loudly and extending its strides to the fullest, easily closing in the distance between them in an instant. He saw the Cerberus lunge at him once Natsu was within distance while Happy effortlessly flew them away from the initial strike. A large dust cloud formed from the unfettered force generated from the paw strike that hit the ground, temporarily blocking their view of the HellHound. They watched the best they could for any sign of movement within the formation of opaque particles, but the only thing they noticed was an ear-piercing howl followed by a shock wave that blew the dust away.

Natsu and Happy's eyes widened in shock when they were meant with empty space; they saw nothing in the crater where the dust cloud formed and yet they could still feel the presence of the Cerberus. 'Is this one of its abilities!?'

Unfortunately, within those split seconds, their confusion was only meant with the immediate appearance of the feral dog in front of their position, its right head's mouth gaping wide and quickly encompassing their entire body while its paws closed in from the sides.