Author's Notes: Thanks for deciding to read this story! I know the Fairy Tail section isn't that big, so I want to contribute something new to it. This takes place two years after the Oracion Seis arc, so anything after that is pretty much disregarded, though some things may be changed as new revelations pop up.

This story will be composed of several story arcs, like the manga series. I suppose you can call this one the Homecoming Arc, since I guess it's a small one.

Tales of the Fairies

Chapter One – Homecoming

Magnolia Town had changed in the last two years.

The town itself wasn't that much different – the same buildings stood, the same people went about their daily errands. Some even recognized him as he passed and waved to him in greeting, expressing happiness over his return. But most of the people seemed withdrawn and afraid, eager to return to the shelter of their own homes. However, upon seeing him, their expressions changed to more cheerful ones.

Natsu Dragonil put his hands behind his head and sighed cheerfully. "It's good to be home," he said with a wide grin. He missed Lucy and Happy, as well as Erza and Gray, he had to admit to himself. Hell, he even missed the old man!

"Hey there, Natsu! Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Welcome back, Natsu!"

"It's good to see Fairy Tail members walking around again!" said one woman. Upon hearing this, Natsu froze and turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked her urgently. The hapless woman stared at him wide-eyed.

"Fairy Tail doesn't come around these parts anymore. One day, they just up and left. You don't know where they all went?"

"No, I don't. Do you?" he questioned, nearly shaking the woman. She paused for a second.

"No, nobody knows. Most of us relied on you all to protect us from the war, but now we live in constant fear of being attacked." He stepped away from her, his face turning grim. He knew full well of the war, since it was already in full force by the time he left the guild. Most of his days away were spent in seclusion, quietly training his abilities to the fullest potential, but on the way home, he witnessed many of the war's effects on the people and the world.

He came back to return to his guild, to find out if the tide was turning or how much worse it had become. He had been separated from the rest of the world for far too long. For the first time, he began to fear the fates of his friends. Was Fairy Tail even around anymore? How many people were lost?

Natsu closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. No, his Nakama were stronger than that. They had to be alive.

"Thanks, lady," he said to the woman quickly, and he ran off. His destination was the previous location of the guild, which he knew by heart. Could they still be there, hidden under magical enchantments? Would he find a clue as to where they did end up going?

He skidded to a stop at the front of the building, and almost immediately his heart fell.

The guild building was long in a state of disrepair. It was clearly abandoned – the area outside was all broken and nothing more than splinters, the windows were boarded up, the previously bright colors were dull and peeling from the wood. The Fairy Tail insignia hung at the top of the building at a slant, almost ready to fall to the ground.

The Fairy Tail guild was now nothing more than a giant scar on the city of Magnolia. Natsu approached it in a daze as many of the townspeople behind him, halting for a moment in their shopping, looked on at him with pity or sympathy.

"Natsu!" shouted a voice from behind him. The fire mage turned to the voice to see a short, pretty girl with jet black hair and wide, dark eyes running toward him. She was wearing a familiar dress, but he couldn't pin where he saw it before. He stared at her glumly.

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now," he said. "Leave me alone."

"But…" she said quietly. "Fairy Tail isn't gone."

"Then why does our guild look like this?" he asked, anger seeping its way into his voice.

"They don't live there anymore, but the townspeople don't want to take it down. It's been a part of Magnolia for so long," said the girl. Natsu was silent for a moment, his fists clenched, his eyes fixed on his feet.

"So… Who are you, again?" he asked. The girl gasped, startling him.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said, giggling to herself. "Come with me!"

"You're such a weird girl!" he shouted as he followed after her. She led him to the outskirts of the east end of town, right at the entrance to the forest. She ran among the trees. "Where are you bringing me?" As soon as he asked this question, she stopped, turned around, and gave him a gentle smile. "Who are you…?"

Smoke started to cover her features as magic seemed to carry her face away. Natsu stared at her, one brow raised in confusion. Once the dust cleared, a familiar face was revealed to him.

"Mirajane!" he cried out, smiling widely. She looked almost exactly the same, but now her hair fell in gentle waves to her lower back. "I can't believe it's you!"

She enveloped him in a motherly hug. "Natsu… It's so good to see you again."

"Where is everyone? What's been going on ever since I left?" he asked, firing more and more questions at her. "Is everyone safe? Is the guild still around?"

"Calm down, Natsu!" she said, holding up both her hands and laughing. "You haven't changed a bit." He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "We all had to go into hiding because of the war, but we never went far. The guild is right in this forest. Come on, we'll go back together. Everyone misses you."

"But – "

"I'll explain everything to you on the way there," she said, silencing him. "We've been through a lot ever since you left. The Balam Alliance is still in full force and growing even larger, since many of the legal guilds went to join them through fear, force, or blackmail. Without a Magic Council, the magical world doesn't have any leaders, so all of the legal guilds look at the Light Alliance for guidance. But our numbers are dwindling and we've lost so much." At this point, Mirajane's voice became lower and tears threatened to fall.

"I'm sorry," Natsu said grimly. "I wasn't here to protect everyone."

"It's not your fault," she said hurriedly. "It's war. That's what happens."

"Well… Now I'm back, and here to stay," he said. "We'll be able to move back into Magnolia Town!"

"We can't do that," she said. "We'd endanger the townspeople. It's better if no one knows where we are." At that point, she stopped, and Natsu looked ahead.

A gigantic, wooden building was there, hidden among the trees. The trees around it were huge, shielding the whole area from view. Many houses were off to the side, many built high among the canopy of leaves or part of the tree trunks. The whole clearing smelled of magic – protective enchantments and defenses to keep the guild safe. Atop the main building was another round house, built around the trunk of the thickest tree.

"The other, smaller houses are for all our members. They can't exactly rent apartments in town anymore," Mirajane explained. "That house on top of the guild is where the S-Class mages and missions are."

As Natsu looked around, gaping with a goofy smile on his face, Mirajane laughed. "Welcome home, Natsu."

"EVERYONE!" Natsu roared at the top of his lungs, causing Mirajane to flinch. "I'M HOME!" Birds fluttered out of the trees, disturbed by the noise. Heads poked out of tree houses.

"Natsu!" A flying streak of blue barreled right into the fire mage's chest, causing him to take a couple of steps back as he looked at the furry bundle in his arms.

"Happy!" he yelled, clutching the cat tightly and laughing. Mirajane smiled at them, being respectfully silent.

"Natsu? Is it really you?" asked another distant voice. The magical cat in his arms quit his happy sobbing to look at the source of the voice.

"Yes, he's back!" said Happy. Natsu grinned when he saw her.

"Lucy!" he exclaimed. She looked the same as ever to him as she approached, smiling warmly. She now wore her Stellar Spirit keys around her neck – and her collection looked much larger than when he last saw her.

"Come into the guild, you. Say hi to everyone!" said Lucy, spreading her arms.

"Lucy has become a Stellar Spirit mage in her own right," whispered Mirajane to Natsu. "I'd say she's strong enough to be S-Class, but she'd never admit it." Natsu's grin couldn't be wider as he approached her.

"I heard that, Mira-chan!" Lucy quipped. "I'm definitely not as strong as you are." Happy kept flying around Natsu's head, unable to contain his excitement. "Everyone has grown, you know," she said to Natsu as he neared. They came face-to-face, and she had to look up at him more than ever. "In not just magical ability, I guess!"

In the doorway to the guild stood Erza and Gray, looking the same as ever. Gray, as always, was shirtless.

"How's it going, Natsu?" Gray asked with a grin.

"Hey, fight me sometime!" Natsu answered back. Erza surprised the fire mage with a tight hug.

"Oh, I've missed you," said Erza as way of explanation. "I think I'm allowed to hug you after not seeing you for two years."

"Team Natsu is back together!" Happy said joyfully. "Natsu, go inside and say hi to everyone!"

"Will do!" said the Fire Dragon Slayer. He walked inside the building to see the spacious bar and numerous tables that he always associated with the guild foyer. A massive tree trunk was right in the middle of everything, and an arch cut into it revealed a spiral staircase that led up to the higher levels.

"Yo, Natsu!" said Macau, drinking with Kana.

"Lluvia is happy to see Natsu again!" said the water mage, sitting at a table with Gazille, who grunted in greeting. Natsu flashed a grin at them and looked around for more familiar faces, but his expression fell.

"Where is everyone?" he asked. The joyous atmosphere immediately saddened. Other guild members stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.

"Natsu… We lost a lot," said Mirajane.

"Not everyone has been able to survive the war," Gray added. "We're all that's left of Fairy Tail."

"Natsu…" Lucy said weakly, when she saw him trembling with emotion.

"I'll kill them!" he suddenly yelled. "I'll beat the whole Balam Alliance for doing this to my nakama!" He punched the palm of his hand, fire covering his fists as he became angrier and angrier.

"Wait, stop!" shouted Lucy, hugging him tightly. "You won't be able to. They're too strong. Don't you die on me too, Natsu!" He became calm, but she wouldn't let go. "They're what we've been fighting for this whole time. We didn't let anyone die in vain."

"Where's the old man? He wouldn't have taken this sitting down…" Natsu grumbled.

"He didn't," said Erza, her voice somber. "He fought back."

Mirajane covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shuddering. Elfman came to her side, putting a supportive arm around his sister.

"It was such a titanic battle," said Reedus.

"He was fighting until the end," Visca said sadly. Arzak stood next to her, averting his eyes from Natsu.

"What do you mean…?" Natsu asked, fear edging its way into his voice.

"Master Makarov was defeated," said the deep voice of Nav. Everyone was silent as they watched for Natsu's reaction or struggled to hold back tears.

"Who did it?" he asked coldly, his face dark. A tear rolled down his face.

"I can't tell you," said Erza, her face blank. "You'll run stupidly into a battle you can't win." Natsu lunged forward and grabbed Erza by the shoulders, a crazed look in his eyes that only she could see.

"Who did it?" he demanded to know. She shook him away, refusing to meet his gaze again.

"Does it matter?" Gazille asked him roughly, standing up from his seat. He marched over to Natsu. "You wouldn't be able to do a thing about it, punk."

"I've gotten stronger," Natsu said to Gazille. "I can beat them."

"We've all gotten stronger, but we're taking this war strategically. Wait for your opportunity and then you might get a chance to fight," said the Metal Dragon Slayer.

"I've taken down whole Dark Guilds singlehandedly," Natsu argued. Tono and Levi both gasped.

"Wow… You really did get stronger!" said Levi.

"But they use magic of the kind we've never seen before," Miki Chickentiger argued. "Believe me, I'd go after 'em myself, too, but even I'd be outmatched!" The bird on her head, Pii-chan, chirped in agreement.

"Fine," said Natsu, turning away from them aggressively. "We'll just sit around and do nothing!"

"We're not doing nothing," Lucky argued, pushing her glasses up her nose. "We've been fighting back. That's why we lost so many people! Magic Guild fighting requires careful planning!"

"How many people do we have left?" Natsu finally asked.

"Well, our numbers weren't totally reduced," said Lucy carefully.

"Team Shadow Gear is still around," said Gazille. Levi flashed Natsu a thumbs-up.

"So is Raijinshuu," said Lluvia.

"Pii-chan and I are the only ones left of the Megadeath team," said Miki with an angry frown.

"You remember Max and Warren, right?" Lucky asked. "They're away on a mission right now."

"As is Mistgun," said Erza. "And as far as I know, Gildartz is still alive."

"So is Visitor, the dancer," added Reedus.

"See?" Lucy asked Natsu. "A lot of our nakama are still here." She smiled at him.

"Not Wakaba," said Macau somberly, staring into his drink. "My buddy didn't make it."

"So what have you been up to all this time, Natsu?" Gray asked him, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I searched for all the dragons," said the fire mage. "And I found Igneel." Gazille tensed.

"Did he say anything about Metallicana?" the Metal Dragon Slayer asked. Natsu stared at Gazille.

"I'll tell you more about it later," he said evasively.

It was well into the evening when he finally finished catching up with everybody. The fire mage, tired from his long day of traveling and the numerous revelations, slumped into one of the chairs at one of the bar tables. Lucy took the seat across from him and Happy stood on the table.

"Don't fall asleep on me now," she said. "I still have stuff I want to talk to you about." He gave her a tired smile.

"Shoot," he said.

"Tell me about Igneel," Lucy said to him.

"Ooh! How'd that go?" asked Happy eagerly.

"He trained me," Natsu answered.

"Where was he all this time? And all the other dragons?" she asked.

"I don't know… It's hard to explain," he said, scrunching his nose. "You wouldn't understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, offended.

"Whoa, nothing!" he said hurriedly, waving arms of mercy at her. "I meant it's something that only another Dragon Slayer would understand!"

She crossed her arms in indignation. "Fine."

They were silent again, causing Natsu to fidget awkwardly.

"You know," she said, smiling endearingly again. "You haven't changed a bit." She leaned forward across the table. "Do you think I changed at all?"

"Well… You seem more mature and composed," he said, scratching his head nervously. She sat back.

"I guess that's a good answer," she said with a wink. "So do you." Happy looked between the two of them, smiling.

"It's so good to see you two together again!" the magical cat exclaimed. Natsu noticed for the first time that, for some reason, Happy's magical wings seemed to always be present. Didn't they drain his magical power?

Maybe Happy got even stronger, too.

"So what's up that spiral staircase in the tree trunk?" Natsu asked. The question had been bothering him all day.

"Oh, only our S-Class mages can go up there. The S-Class missions are only available to them again, but they can bring along a team composed of the rest of us," Lucy informed him. "The S-Class mages formed a council to lead the guild since Master Makarov never chose someone else to lead."

"So we're a leaderless guild right now?" Natsu asked, shocked. "And you still do missions?"

"Sort of," she said, shrugging. "And ever since he died, no one else has been able to become a true S-Class mage." She answered his second inquiry at the same time. "And yes, we do still do missions, but not the kind we used to. They usually involve the war or the rest of the Light Alliance most of the time."

"Who's part of the council now?" he asked, taking advantage of the situation and firing as many questions as he could at her. She answered them deftly, not getting overwhelmed in the least.

"The Fairy Council consists of Erza, Mistgun, Gildartz, Gazille, Lluvia-chan, and Mira-chan!" said Happy. "Mirajane became an active mage again. But Lucy and Gray should also be S-Class mages now, because they're strong enough!"

"Oh, stop it, Happy," said Lucy, blushing and waving a hand dismissively at him. "I'm not that strong."

"I'd beg to differ," said Gray, suddenly intruding on their conversation. "You scare me about as much as Erza does now."

"How much stronger did you get?" Natsu asked him, grinning. "I bet I can still beat you!"

"I doubt it!" Gray retorted. "I'd kick your ass!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as they butted heads already, but then she spoke above their arguing. "Don't start now, boys," she said dangerously, emitting a stifling magical aura. The fire and ice mages were arm-in-arm a second later, giving her fake smiles. Happy giggled.

"Wait…" said Natsu. "I've got another question." His expression was serious, so the other three quieted down to listen to him. "What about the Oracion Seis? Have they been defeated yet?"

Lucy lowered her head. "Only one," she said quietly. He thought about previous battles with the Dark Guild, two years ago when they formed the Light Alliance and learned that Wendy was the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Who?" Natsu asked.

"Angel," Lucy answered, shielding her eyes with her bangs.

"Who defeated her…?" Natsu asked, leaning forward apprehensively. Gray crossed his arms.

"I did." Natsu's eyes widened. Had she really become that strong…? "Erza and I managed to get her alone," Lucy continued. "We fought her together, but I dealt the final blow." Her hair cast a shadow over her eyes as she remembered the battle. "They're stronger than you could ever believe, Natsu. We almost didn't make it."

"Yes… Lucy saved my life," said Erza, approaching them at the table. "Without her, Angel would have defeated me."

"I would have never been able to take her alone," Lucy said. "And you did most of the work."

"Don't be modest," said Erza with a gentle smile. "You are powerful, Lucy."

"Can we change the subject, please?" Lucy asked them. "I don't want to remember that battle."

"Sure. Um…" said Natsu, fishing around for a new topic and looking around the guild. "Oh! Who are those two new guys?" He spotted a young man with messy brown hair who was clad in armor that was a mixture of leather and metal, wielding two sheathed swords at his hip. He was sitting at a table with Elfman, Macau, and Kana, talking animatedly with them. Also at the table was a dark-haired girl with strange tattoos all over her face and arms, holding a straight golden staff with a deep red jewel imbedded at the top, garbed in sleeveless black robes embroidered with a sickly green.

"The boy is Baithin," said Erza. "He's a good guy. He practices sword magic."

"That girl's name is Ayri," Gray informed him. "She's the quiet type, but her poison magic is beyond compare. She's been a huge help to us."

"Yes. The fact that they managed to survive this long shows their skill," Erza added. "You wouldn't believe how strong and united this guild has become in your absence, Natsu."

"That's good." Natsu stretched back and grinned. "Well… Where's my place? I wanna go to bed now."

"Um… I don't think you have one," Lucy said, biting her finger. "But if you want…"

"I know! I'll stay at your place, Lucy!" he said enthusiastically. She banged her head against the table.

"Sure, whatever. I was gonna suggest Gray, but…"

"Okay, night guys!" he said with a wave, standing up.

"Oh, wait!" Lucy started, stopping him in his tracks. "I found the perfect mission for us to do tomorrow, for old times' sake. We can all see just how strong we've become."

"Sure," said Gray, uncrossing his arms. "What are the mission details?"

"Well… It didn't say much, except that we have to meet the client," said Lucy, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. "They had a specific person in mind for the mission, though."

Erza was interested. "We never get those kinds of missions. Who are they asking for?"

"Happy," Lucy told her. "And the client is Charle!"

The cat was gaping, and he fell over, love struck.

"We can all go with him. What do you say?"

"I can't," said Erza. "I haven't been able to go on any missions lately. I have to help with guild matters."

"Oh," Lucy said, frowning. "Gray, Natsu?"

"Sure," they both said at once, and then glared at each other again.

"Well… I'm off to bed now," Natsu said to them. "Coming, Happy?" He needed someone to show him to Lucy's house.

But the cat didn't hear him, too absorbed with Lucy and Gray. Natsu frowned, realizing that Happy had found a sort of replacement in his life, moving on after Natsu left the guild. How many missions had Lucy, Gray, and Happy gone on together? He watched from a distance as his friends laughed together, more comfortable with each other than anyone else. Did he belong with them anymore?

Natsu smiled optimistically. Of course he did. He'd just have to reintegrate himself into his circle of friends again.

But that didn't stop the jealousy that wormed its way into his heart.

Author's Notes: How was that for a first chapter? There will definitely be more to come. Next week, we'll get to Team Natsu's first mission after their reunion! What does Charle want with Happy?

For those of you who are wondering, this will be very actiony and will cover my own version of the plot of Fairy Tail. As far as pairings go, they'll be on the side, because I'm not even sure what Fairy Tail pairings I like yet. I'm impartial to most of them, so it really doesn't matter to me.

Oh, as far as the surviving Fairy Tail members go, anyone with a guild card as one of the title pages of the manga are still alive, with the exceptions of Makarov and Wakaba (that guy who uses smoke magic). Also, there are two new additions to the guild in Baithin and Ayri, but you don't have to worry about them taking over the story.

This version of Fairy Tail will be a bit darker than the original series, but I hope some of you don't mind. I'm trying to write with a lighter tone, which is a bit harder for me :)

Please review! Tell me what you think so far!