Vol1/Chapter10/First Steps

Summary
Igneel detects a new presence inside of Natsu and begins to communicate with it. It asks Igneel to show it what he looks like and Igneel thought projects and image of himself. The presence tells Igneel that it will have multiple forms and creates a thought projection of what it will look like. It is a small boy with pink hair and droopy blue eyes who looks very much like Natsu as a child. It tells Igneel that it will also be a dragon although it is not yet clear what form that will take.

Igneel gasps as he sees that the image looks very much like Natsu as a child. He realizes that the presences is a child created by Tiamat and Natsu.

The presence asks Igneel why he had reacted to its child form and Igneel thought projects an image of Natsu as a child chasing after a red dragon. When the presence remarks on how the image looks like him, Igneel informs it that that is his son Natsu. Igneel believes Natsu is the presence's father. It is instantly drawn to Natsu.

The presence asks many questions about its father and Igneel shows it images of Natsu fighting and riding dragons. It chooses to stay with Igneel and asks him to make it strong. Igneel decides he will train him to be a force for good.

Natsu wakes up screaming from a disturbing nightmare startling Gajeel from his slumber. Natsu has developed a fear of being left alone with one person. He asks people to show him their magic so that he can be sure it is really them.

Gajeel tries to get him to talk about what happened to him. Natsu replies that he is not yet ready and Gajeel informs him that he is never going to be ready and it's only going to get harder the longer he puts it off.

Makarov is still keeping Natsu isolated from the rest of the guild, except for the dragon slayers.

Gray and Erza burst into the infirmary thinking that Natsu is in danger. Gajeel leaves Natsu with them hoping to force Natsu into talking to his team.

Gray apologizes for letting Natsu get captured while Erza tries to make him comfortable. Natsu decides he is done letting his captivity control him and determines to tell his team what happened. He sends Erza to get Lucy so he can tell them all at once.

While they wait for the others to arrive Gray tells Natsu that he hates that the fire mage thought that he was the one who hurt him. To his confusion, Natsu replies that not everything Gray did was bad.

Porlyusica and Makarov are also present when Natsu narrates the events of his captivity. He leaves out some of the more intimate details having to do with Gray.

Makarov asks the members of Team Natsu to leave the infirmary so that he can ask Natsu some questions. Natsu tells Makarov all the details he had previously omitted including the fact that Gray is his true mate.

Makarov reminds Natsu that he was raped and that he will tell him as many times as he needs to hear it. He also reassures him that he does not care that his mate is a man, he only wants for Natsu to be happy.