Just a one-shot! If you read my other 2, it takes place afterward, but if you haven't no biggie! It's all out of context from my other 2 Fairy Tail stories. I hope you like it! Don't forget to review when you finish reading!
A Grand New Adventure
"And then they were all lovey dovey!" Happy snickered, covering his mouth with his paws.
Happy flew beside the little boy as they walked along the river in Magnolia. The boy, about ten years of age, walked along the top of the wall, arms behind his head. He had short spiky pink hair and brown eyes. His red t-shirt almost blended with the sunset as he headed for home. He had known Happy for as long as he could remember. And ever since he was old enough for school, he and Happy would go home together. It was a perfectly normal end to a normal day.
"Ew! That's so gross!" he shouted.
"Hey, Ryuu," Happy said. "I bet they're being all lovey dovey right now! Wanna go make fun of them?"
"Nu-uh!" Ryuu, the boy, started laughing. "They're not doing that kind of stuff! My parents aren't that gross!"
"Wanna bet? One time, I caught them doing—"
"NO!" Ryuu covered his ears, shouting loudly. "LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"Hey, Ryuu, be careful up there!" a passing fisherman called from his boat.
Ryuu hopped off the wall. He stared up at the house he had grown up in—a roomy apartment big enough for their little family of three. He stared up at it apprehensively. What if Happy was right? What if his parents were being lovey dovey and doing…the stuff? Happy snickered, staring at the boy with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Wanna find out?" Happy whispered mischievously.
"You bet!" He gave the blue cat a thumbs up.
Happy grabbed him by the shirt and flew him up to the second floor. Ryuu peered through the bedroom window. Everything was dark. Quietly he slid open the window and climbed into the room. Happy flew in after him, landing silently on the floor as his wings disappeared. They crept toward the door. So far he didn't see his parents anywhere. He opened the door a crack. The lights were on downstairs and he could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Suddenly a faint glow emanated from Ryuu's neck. He jumped as the silver key that hung from his necklace glowed. A little white dog-like creature with a pointy orange nose appeared beside him.
"Pu Puun~"
Ryuu slapped his hand over the creature's mouth.
"Sh! Plue, be quiet! Dad'll hear us!" he hissed.
"Didja hear something?" a male voice came from downstairs. It was dad.
"Hm?" a female voice replied, also downstairs. Mom. "I didn't hear anything. Probably just your imagination."
"I know I heard—"
"Geez! Just because your hearing is better than mine doesn't mean something's there!"
"I guess." Dad paused. "So, where were we?"
Ryuu and Happy heaved a sigh of relief. Holding his index finger to his lips, Ryuu shushed the little Celestial Spirit. Slowly he crept down the stairs. The voices in the kitchen were getting louder. He could hear the clang of pots and the hiss of something cooking but what he was focused on was what his parents were saying. His father chuckled.
"Wait, stop!" his mother said quickly, her voice rising in pitch as she spoke. "Ryuu will be home soon! We shouldn't…."
"Why not?" he father pouted. "Just a little won't hurt."
Ryuu inched closer. His heart was pounding, he could hear each heartbeat as he drew closer to the kitchen. Happy stood next to him, just as anxious. Ryuu gulped. He could hear his parents moving around in the kitchen. What were they doing? Where they doing…the stuff? His took a deep breath and slowly leaned around the corner, peeking into the kitchen.
"No! Natsu!" his mother shouted.
His mother stood at the stove, her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail. Her gate keys jingled against her hip as she moved. She wore a frilly apron as she stood there stirring a big bowl of stew. His father's arm was wrapped around her waist, leaning over her shoulder as his other hand reached into the pot. He wore his usual black shirt and loose fitting pants, and the scaly scarf he never took off.
"Don't eat that! Ryuu isn't home yet!" his mother scolded him.
"You're eating without me!" Ryuu shouted.
His mother jumped, turning toward the door. "You scared me! When did you get home?"
Natsu, his father, laughed. "See, Lucy? I told you I heard something!"
"That's not fair, Dad!" Ryuu shouted. "Don't eat without me!"
Happy stepped into the kitchen, sneering as he winked at Lucy. "It's because he li-i-i-i-i-kes you."
"Again with those jokes?!" Lucy shouted, annoyed. "Sheesh! It's been years since we got married, can't you let those jokes go?"
Natsu picked up the boy, setting him on his shoulders. "Ya come home from school with Happy again?"
Ryuu pouted. "Yeah. We snuck in to spy on you, 'cause he said you were bein' lovey dovey."
Natsu laughed. "You're gettin' stealthier! I don't think I heard you some in, but I heard something weird upstairs."
"That's 'cause Plue suddenly appeared."
"Alright, alright. Sit down, you two. Dinner is ready."
"Yosh!" Ryuu and Natsu shouted together.
"I'm all fired up for this!" Natsu said excitedly. "Smells good!"
"You made my favorite?" Ryuu asked, his eyes shining.
Lucy poured them all a bowl. Happy sat on Ryuu's lap as they all sat around the table. She smiled as she set the bowls down on the table.
"That's right," she said. "To celebrate your tenth birthday!"
Natsu downed his stew almost instantly, demanding a refill. Ryuu ate his dinner almost as quickly and as enthusiastically as his father. Every night his mother made extreme amounts of food just to satisfy both of their enormous appetites.
Ryuu's eyes brightened. "Does that mean I can finally join your guild?!"
Natsu grinned. He patted his son on the head. "Sure! I joined when I was ten!"
"Well…I guess it would be alright. But I'm still not sure if you're ready," Lucy said.
"Mom, you promised! I'm all fired up to become a mage! I've already learned a lot!"
"Yeah, what's the harm?" Natsu said. "We'll both be there. It's not like he'll take any S-Class quests right off the bat or anything."
Ryuu's eyes lit up at the mention of S-Class quests. "I wanna hurry up and go on an S-Class quest like you and mom! I wanna beat up monsters!"
"Yeah! Sounds like fun! We'll beat the shit out of those monsters and—" Natsu stopped, feeling the heated glare coming from his wife. He sat back in his chair slowly. "I mean…we'll see. You're not ready for that kind of stuff. It's up to your mother."
She folded her arms and glared at Natsu. "The answer is no."
"Aw, c'mon, mom!"
"No! That's my answer—N.O. You're too young for that and you haven't passed the S-Class certification yet."
Ryuu slouched in his chair and pouted. "You're no fun…."
"But hey, you'll get your guild crest tomorrow!" Natsu said enthusiastically, trying to cheer him up. "You know where you want it?"
"Yeah!" Ryuu sat up straighter. "I want it on my arm, just like you!"
"We'll go first thing in the morning," Lucy said. "So eat your dinner, do your homework, and go to bed early."
Ryuu rolled his eyes. He caught his father's mischievous look from across the table. He mouthed the words yeah, right. Ryuu grinned.
"I saw that," Lucy said annoyed.
"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Ryuu cried excitedly.
V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V* V*
Ryuu sat on his father's shoulders, staring up at the enormous building that loomed above him. It was like a huge castle, a large bell at its peak. An enormous orange banner hung across the front of the castle-like guild hall, the Fairy Tail emblem displayed proudly. The gate in front of the guild was equally impressive. Even though he had been to the guild thousands of times, this time would be different. This time he was entering as a new member. A mage of Fairy Tail. His eyes were wide with awe. He squirmed in his father's grasp.
"Put me down! I'm not a kid anymore!"
Natsu chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He lifted the boy from his shoulders and set him down.
Ryuu puffed out his chest with pride as he strode through the front gates. Lucy giggled. The boy walked over the threshold of the guild, never flinching as someone shouted insults to another member or threw things across the room. It was always lively and chaotic. And it was the first time he would officially be a part of it. He strode up to the bar at the back of the guild hall and, with much difficulty, climbed up onto one of the stools. A woman with long white hair and kind blue eyes stood behind the bar. When she spotted him, she smiled.
"Ara! Good morning, Ryuu-chan!" Mira said cheerfully.
"Don't call me chan anymore! Starting today, I'm a mage of Fairy Tail!" he said proudly.
"How nice! You're joining the guild today?"
"That's right," Lucy said with a sigh. "My little boy is growing up."
"Good morning, Lucy, Natsu."
"Yo, Mira!" Natsu slid onto the stool beside his son.
"I'm all fired up!" Ryuu shouted. "When do I get my mark?"
"Right now." Mira pulled out the rubber stamp. "You'll be wanting red, won't you? Where do you want it?"
"Right here!" He pointed to his right arm, in the same spot Natsu had his.
"Same as your father?"
"You bet!"
"Here we go!"
Mira stamped him. After a few seconds, a red mark appeared on his right shoulder. Ryuu's eyes lit up. He turned and showed his parents the new mark, glowing with pride.
"Look! I'm finally a guild member!"
Natsu patted his son on the head. "You're officially a Fairy Tail mage! So what'cha gonna do first?"
"Let's go on a mission!"
"Ready to go right off the bat, isn't he?" Mira said with a smile.
Lucy sighed. "He's so much like his father that it worries me."
Mira giggled. "Oh, I'm sure everything will be alright."
Ryuu hopped off the stool and raced toward the poster board. He stared up at the jobs excitedly. He had always watched mages take fliers from the board with envy and go off on exciting missions. But this time, he would be the one taking the jobs. He snatched one of the papers from the board and raced toward his parents.
"Let's do this one!" He held it up for them to see.
Lucy took it from him. "Beast hunting?! This is for incredibly strong mages who are close to S-Class level! This is too dangerous!"
"That sounds interesting," Natsu said with a grin. "I'm getting all fired up!"
"Oh no! No, you don't. Don't you dare—"
"Race you to the station!" Natsu shouted.
"You're on!" Ryuu shouted back. "I'll beat you this time, Dad!"
The two of them ran off toward the entrance. They shoved aside other guildmates as they raced each other. Lucy stood there, flyer still in her hand. She shook her head, laughing to herself.
"What am I going to do with those two?"
"You'd better catch up, Lucy, or they'll leave you behind," Mira said.
Lucy laughed. "Geez! Wait up you two! Don't leave me behind!"
Natsu turned and held his hand out to her. "Get over here already! Let's continue on our adventure!"
She grinned as she raced after them. Taking Natsu's hand, she ran alongside him. It was the start of a grand new adventure. An adventure she knew she would cherish forever.
Thanks for reading!