LADIES….AND…GENTLEMEN, the time has come! I present to you all the biggest FanFiction story of the Summer and my first non-lemon story of my career, "Grand Magic Games X798". This story, which comes five years after the end of the series, sees Fairy Tail and all of the strongest guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore competing for guild supremacy in the return of the Grand Magic Games.
There will be some classics making a comeback in this story, but there will also be some new games of my own creation thrown into the mix to give this year's games a sense of freshness, along with a few other surprises I have in store that I'll get more into detail about as the story progresses.
There will also be plenty of other twists and turns I have creatively plotted out that will unfold as the story goes on, so what the hell are we waiting for? Let's get this epic story started! Because ladies and gentlemen once again…say it with me…IT'S SHOWTIME!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters in this story.
Author's Note: Since Asuka Connell's age was never technically confirmed during the series, based on logic and simple math, she's 12 in this story based on the fact that both her parents were 18 before the initial timeskip in X784 and were married one year later. Add in that both Alzack and Bisca were 25 in X791, that means Asuka had to be around 5 years old at the time she was first introduced.
It was a normal day in Magnolia Town as the merchant town's streets were alive with activity. Many people were going in and out of the many shops and stalls and business in the city was at an all-time high since the city had been rebuilt in the aftermath of the end of the war with the Alvarez Empire.
Coming out of one particular store, Magnolia's Cake Shop, we find two mages making their way out of the place after having purchased some sweets. One mage was a young, petite teenage girl with long dark green hair she kept braided back and purple eyes dressed in western attire consisting of a pink short-sleeved t-shirt, white sleeveless vest, brown pants, orange gun holster with twin magic revolvers, and an orange cowboy hat and boots.
The other mage was a tall, muscular, but lithe young 20-year-old man with wild dark purple hair and black eyes. The young man wore a red and black long-sleeved open trench coat with gold edges and the sleeves rolled up, a black belt and tan pants, dark calf-length boots, and a light orange scarf with a wavy motif. The most notable thing about both mages was that they both had the stamp of Fiore's top guild, Fairy Tail.
"I've gotta thank you again, Romeo, for volunteering to come with me to the Cake Shop. I'm not sure if my Mom and Dad would have let me go out on my own if you hadn't agreed to come." The green-haired girl said as the two mages walked down the street together.
"Not a problem Asuka, I wanted to come to get a few sweets anyway, so it was no big deal." the man, a now 20-year-old Romeo Conbolt replied with a smile as he held up the box of sweets he held in his hands.
"You know, things have been pretty tame, the last few years since the end of the war against Alvarez," Asuka said.
"Yeah, and even more tame since Natsu and his team left. Wonder where they are now?" Romeo pondered.
"Well, wherever they are, we should be grateful they're not here with us. Otherwise, I'm not sure we would have had any sweets left to buy." Asuka chucked and even Romeo joined in on her laughter.
"That's true, knowing Erza she would have brought up the whole store. It's a small wonder she doesn't own the place by now as much as she shops there." Romeo joked and they both laughed at that before a strong gust of wind suddenly blew and Asuka's hat went flying off her head into the wind.
"Oh no, my hat," Asuka said as it flew away, only to be caught by a gauntleted hand. Asuka and Romeo looked to see who caught the hat and their eyes lit up with excitement.
"Well, don't you two look just like your parents. Bet you've grown just as strong as them too." Said a voluptuous redheaded woman that had just been the topic of their conversation.
"Erza!" Asuka and Romeo said as they both ran to hug the redheaded knight who returned the gesture, happy to see her fellow guildmates after five years.
Erza's appearance had changed a bit in the last five years. Her figure had grown to become as striking and about as voluptuous as her deceased mother Irene. However, her facial appearance hadn't changed much outside of her hair having grown down to her hips and now being kept tied up in a ponytail, apart from two bangs framing either side of her face, with one covering her right eye.
Her armor and her choice of clothing had changed drastically. She now wore a slightly sleeker, high-collared version of her Heart Kreuz breastplate with a triangular pauldron over her left shoulder.
She wore similarly armored gauntlets on her arms and armored boots on her legs and feet. She completed her new look with a black bustier-type combat bodysuit with a brown utility belt strapped to her waist. Attached to the suit were four tan leather wrap extensions that trailed down to her ankles and covered her sides and her front and back. She also carried a sword on her lower back.
"Erza, you're finally back!" Asuka said, happy to see the redheaded knight after five long years.
"But wait, if you're back…that means…" Romeo said as it began to come together in his head.
"Hey Romeo, man it's been awhile. You look more like your old man than ever." He heard an all-familiar voice say and Romeo and Asuka's faces lit up before looking past Erza to see someone they'd waited five long years to come home and see them again.
"NATSU!" Romeo and Asuka both shouted with joy as they quickly handed their treats to Erza and ran to hug Natsu and they were both so excited to see him they ended up tackling him and knocking him over, much to his grinning joy.
"Oh, sure. Figures he's the one who gets the big hug and all the love from you two kids." A certain dark-haired man said with a playful pout on his face.
"Well, I don't think it would be fair to call them kids anymore. Wow, you two have grown over the last five years." A blue-haired girl grinned along with her Exceed partner and Asuka and Romeo let go of Natsu and went and embraced the rest of the returning Team Natsu.
"Wow, you guys have changed a lot since we last saw you," Romeo said.
"Look who's talking mister." Lucy quipped back, and everyone laughed at the truth behind the blonde's statement.
Natsu's main change in appearance was that his hair was once again longer and wilder as it had been the first time he'd returned after Fairy Tail had disbanded after the war with Tartarus. His attire was also drastically altered as well.
He now sported a black form-fitting, sleeveless top with a white dragon print with red belts strapped over the torso. He also wore white pants with a red belt, red fingerless gloves, and red sandals. The biggest surprise was that he also had a sword strapped to his lower back. One thing that wasn't a surprise was the signature scarf that seemed to be forever attached to Natsu's neck.
Lucy had also changed quite a bit in the past five years. Lucy, now more than ever looked incredibly similar to her ancestor Anna, including having a near similar figure. Her attire, on the other hand, was drastically different from her ancestor and had a new edge from her previous look.
Lucy now sported a blue Heart Kreuz t-shirt that had white frills at the top, exposed her midriff and was lowcut, exposing the top part of her ample cleavage. She wore a silver heart necklace around her neck and she wore a black, long-sleeved leather jacket with Fairy Tail's logo emblazoned on the back.
She wore black, fingerless gloves, a black leather belt, and a black leather skirt. She completed her look with a set of black leather boots, a white flower accessory in her hair and a blue ribbon that she used to keep her hair tied up in a long ponytail. Overall, Lucy's new look sent a clear message: Lucy Heartfilia was back, and she had a brand new attitude.
Gray had also seen his fair bit of change in the past few years. The most startling thing about him was that he now was almost a mirror image of his father Silver Fullbuster, his hair now permanently stylized in the same fashion it was when he had his Devil Slayer Magic activated, and he now had stubble covering the majority of his chin.
He now wore an elaborate blue and gold tasseled coat, a brown belt with a silver buckle, two-tone blue pants with what appeared to be a waterdrop shaped symbol etched into both legs. He also had dark blue sandals on his feet and his signature sword-cross chain around his neck.
Wendy was perhaps the biggest surprise of all. The girl who had once been a petite, young child had matured into a young woman. In a similar growth spurt that Meredy and Kinana had after Fairy Tail's seven-year disappearance, Wendy had gone from looking like a cute dragonslayer to a sexy sky goddess.
Wendy now stood at a height of five feet tall. Granted, she was still short compared to the rest of her team, but she was still plenty badass. She now sported a slenderer figure, and her bust had grown to a healthy size, but not too big. In terms of size, she was as stacked as Lisanna.
Her new outfit consisted of a jade green sleeveless high-collared vest with gold edges, a white sleeveless V-neck shirt and skirt, black thigh-high stockings, and green and gold knee-high boots that matched her vest. She also wore two flower pieces in her hair that kept her hair tied up in twin tails. Bottom line is, Wendy looked absolutely stunning and Romeo found himself blushing at the Sky Dragon Slayer's new appearance.
"Wow, these last five years have been amazing to her." Romeo thought to himself. Little did he realize that Wendy was thinking the same thing about him.
"I know it's been five years but wow, he's matured." Wendy thought to herself, a ghost of a blush dusting her cheeks.
"So, how have you two been? You sure look like you've been taking care of yourselves since we've been gone." Gray asked.
"I'll say, they've both grown so much. You'd think we were looking at mini versions of Bisca and Macao." Said a blue-haired, dark-eyed boy with cat-like ears on his head. He wore a brown long-sleeved jacket and a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. He also wore a green backpack and Asuka and Romeo looked at him in shock as they realized who he was.
"No way...is that..." Asuka said in amazement.
"Happy…is that…you?!" Romeo said in disbelief and the blue-haired Exceed just grinned at their shocked faces.
"Aye, it's me. Surprise." Happy said with a cheeky grin.
"Surprise is the right word. Happy what the heck?" Romeo said, still having a hard time processing seeing Happy in Human Form, and Carla got an amused grin on her face.
"Well, that's what happens when you spend five years under my tutelage, you're bound to learn a few things. And learn he has." Carla said with a proud smirk on her face as she put her arm around Happy's back, making the blue-haired Exceed blush out of modesty.
"Well, I…" Happy bashfully said while rubbing the back of his neck and Lucy smirked at Happy's flustered expression and decided to have a little fun at the Exceed's expense.
"Why so red Happy, cat got your tongue." Lucy teased and Happy blushed as red as a beet and everyone shared a laugh at the poor blue Exceed's expense. Even Carla couldn't help but chuckle at Happy's misfortune.
"Oh, revenge is a cruel mistress Happy." Carla thought to herself as Lucy reveled in the little bit of revenge she'd gotten on Happy for all the years of teasing she'd had to endure from him, and she had a feeling she was just getting started.
"Okay guys, while it's fun standing around here having a crack at Happy all day, why don't we all head on back to the guild." Natsu grinned.
"Good idea Natsu-nii, everyone's probably wondering where we've gotten off to anyway. So, let's head on back." Romeo said.
"But before we do, there's something I must take care of. Excuse me, everyone." Erza said as she handed Asuka and Romeo's treats back to them before she got a gleam in her eyes and stepped past them and, predictably enough walked right into Magnolia Cake Shop.
"Told ya," Asuka said with a smirk.
"Yep," Romeo said with an equal smirk to her as they high-fived each other.
~Back at Fairy Tail~
One full hour, and in Erza's case, a cleaned out cake shop later Romeo, Asuka, and Team Natsu were all back home at the best guild in all of Fiore, Fairy Tail.
"Ah, it's so good to be back home. Man, I've missed this place. Hope everyone's doing good and this place is still as crazy as ever." Natsu said as he stretched his arms with a smile.
"I'll give you an Amen on that." Lucy grinned as she walked alongside Natsu.
"Yes, it's great to be home again." Erza smiled.
"Can't argue with that." Gray chuckled.
"Yep, feels good to be home." Wendy smiled.
"Aye." Happy said, smiling ear-to-ear anticipating the fish he was going to eat as soon as he got inside.
"For once, I agree with Natsu. It's good to be home." Carla said as she walked alongside Happy before the group stopped and Natsu placed a hand on Romeo's shoulder's
"What is it Natsu?" Romeo asked and Natsu and his team grinned.
"You guys go in first, we want to surprise them. Tell them you have a surprise for everyone, and then call us and we'll come in." Natsu said and Romeo and Asuka grinned before walking into the guild by themselves as Team Natsu waited outside the guild.
"There you two are, we were beginning to wonder if something happened to you two," Bisca said as she walked over to her daughter before noticing the Cheshire cat grin on her face.
"Oh, we're fine mom, it's just that Romeo and I found some new friends on the way back to the guild," Asuka said, grinning the whole while.
"New friends you say, and may I ask who these new friends are," Alzack asked, wondering why his daughter was grinning so much.
"How about we do you one better, how about we show them to you," Romeo said loud enough for everyone to hear, and this caught the attention of not only Romeo's father but everyone else in the guild.
"Romeo, who have you and Asuka brought back to the guild," Macao said, not happy about his son bringing strangers back to the guild, and even Asuka's parents had a disapproving look.
"Calm down dad, I think you're gonna like these guys. In fact, I think you might even know these guys." Romeo said and now Macao and Asuka's parents were confused as was everyone.
"We might even know these guys." Macao, and Bisca, and Alzack thought to themselves wondering who they're children were talking about.
"Alright you two, enough games. Out with it right now, who have you two brought back with you to the guild." Bisca asked in a tone that made it clear she wasn't playing any more games and Romeo and Asuka just smiled.
"Are you ready for it…come on in guys," Asuka said before the doors of the guild opened and everyone looked up and were shocked to see Team Natsu walk through the doors of the guild.
"We're back!" Team Natsu said and everyone in the guild was ecstatic and people were going up to greet and hug the returning Team Natsu and welcome them home. After the initial excitement settled down a bit, Team Natsu was seated in the guild, catching up with their guildmates after such a long time away.
"That was one hell of a surprise I gotta admit. I was so ready to tear into Asuka and Romeo for bringing what I thought were some guys we'd never seen before back to this guild, and then they surprise us with you guys." Bisca laughed.
"Yeah, you got us good kids. Although I think it's safe to say Natsu and his team saved you on that one because you two were about to catch an earful." Macao said and Asuka and Romeo just grinned.
"C'mon dad, do you really think we would have brought just anyone back to this guild. Have a little faith in us." Romeo said.
"Yeah mom, as soon as we said: 'You guys might even know them,' that should have really been a dead giveaway as to who we were talking about," Asuka said and Bisca and Alzack both blushed out of embarrassment when they realized the fair point their child made.
"Good point Asuka." Alzack and Bisca both said.
"Surprises aside, it's so good to see you guys back again. But wow, you guys are almost unrecognizable." Levy said.
"I'll say, personally I don't know what's more shocking: Erza's new badass armor, Natsu with long hair, the fact that Gray is pretty much a clone of his old man, Lucy's edgy new look, the fact that our little Wendy isn't so little anymore or seeing Happy in Human Form." Mirajane grinned and Team Natsu grinned along with her.
"Well, personally, the fact that Gray-sama looks so much like Otou-sama now, is just icing on an already frosty cake," Juvia said with hearts in her eyes, and Gray just chuckled at the Water Mage's way with words.
"I'll take that as a compliment Juvia," Gray said with a smile at the Water Mage that almost made her prolapse with excitement and Gajeel just grinned at the scene, as did several others.
"Gi hi hi, so when are you gonna kiss her and get on with it Gray?" Gajeel ribbed and everyone in the guild snickered at the flustered looks on Gray and Juvia's faces, both mages embarrassed that Gajeel, of all people, was picking on them.
"That was so evil, and I love it. Well played sir." Cana said as she patted Gajeel on the back while taking a drink from her bottle of brandy.
"Gi hi hi, that was so funny daddy." Giggled a small blue-haired, red-eyed girl and what appeared to be her twin brother and Team Natsu took notice of the two children for the first time since returning to the guild.
"Hey Levy, these two look just like you," Lucy said and Levy grinned.
"They should. Lu-chan, guys, let me introduce you to mine and Gajeel's five-year-old twins, Kane and Kira Redfox." Levy said and Team Natsu smiled at the twins.
"Wait, if these little guys are both five years old, that means you and Gajeel…" Gray began to say before the Iron Dragon Slayer began grinning once again.
"Have been married for six years now. And we both couldn't be happier." Gajeel said as he and Levy both displayed their wedding rings and Team Natsu smiled at their friends.
"Congratulations you two, we're really happy for you," Erza said, happy for her fellow guildmates.
"But enough about us, we want to hear about how you kids took to life on the road with each other." Master Makarov said.
"Yeah, I especially want to hear about how many times Erza had to kill Natsu and Gray for fighting each other." Laxus joked and everyone got a laugh out of that.
"That's precisely what I was thinking. So, how many times was it Erza? Fifty? One-hundred times give-or-take?" Evergreen smirked and Erza, Natsu, and Gray smirked back.
"Nope, none of the above. In fact, Natsu and Gray barely did any fighting at all." Erza said and everyone in Fairy Tail was shocked beyond words to hear that Natsu and Gray had gone five years without barely fighting each other.
"You mean to tell us Natsu and Gray actually went five years together and didn't fight each other! Has the sun gone black, has the sky fallen, has the sea turned to blood?" Lisanna said in mocking/serious shock.
"Very funny Lisanna. But no, Natsu and I have barely fought at all these last five years. Would you like for us to explain why?" Gray asked.
"Uh, you think. Would be nice you know." Cana said and both guys looked at each other before nodding.
"I'm sure Erza told you guys about what happened between us during the war, with us almost killing each other. Well, after the war was over that got us both thinking: 'Man our fighting could have cost us both our lives. And more importantly, it could have done more hurt to the people that care most about us.'" Natsu said.
"And that was the point where Natsu and I began to realize, we gotta stop this fighting between us. And when you spend five years on the road eating together, traveling together, and spending time together; eventually you come to the same realization that you're not just friends, you're not just nakama, your brothers."
"And that's the thing, no matter how many times I've argued with Natsu, no matter how many times we've wanted to just beat the hell out of each other, that's the one thing about us that has never changed. Natsu always has been, and always will be, my brother." Gray said before he and Natsu shook hands and embraced to the applause of the entire guild.
"Glad to see you two finally on the same page." Erza smiled at the two.
"It's good to finally be on the same page Erza." Natsu smiled back before noticing something out of the corner of his eye.
"Gramps, you alright?" Natsu said as they watched the elderly guild master shed tears of pure joy.
"C'mon Gramps, you're about to make us start crying." Gray chuckled before Makarov spoke.
"Sorry about that. It's just great to see you two finally put your differences aside and come together as like you said, not just nakama, but brothers. I'm sorry it took you two almost killing each other to get to this point, but I'm just glad we finally got here." Makarov said, eyes glassy with tears.
"Thanks, Gramps. Coming from you that means a lot," Gray said.
"Well Master, I think you'll be even happier to hear that Natsu and Gray aren't the only ones who finally sorted things out on this journey of ours. Isn't that right Natsu, Lucy?" Erza said and everyone in the guild's eyes raised at the sound of that.
"Natsu…Lucy…what exactly is Erza trying to say?" Mirajane pried, hoping like everyone else that Erza was implying what she thought they were.
"Lucy, do you wanna tell Em, or should I." Natsu said to the buxom blonde Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Tell us what Natsu?" Levy excitedly asked before Lucy sighed.
"Natsu and I finally sorted things out…we've been dating each other for the past four years now," Lucy confessed with a blush on her cheeks and the entire guild erupted into cheers at Lucy's announcement.
"Ha, I knew it! Did I call it, or did I call it?" Mirajane cheered as she high-fived her younger sister.
"About damn time you two! We were ready to lock you both in a room together if you hadn't confessed to each other by the time you got back." Cana smirked.
"Yeah, and I'd have won our betting pool if we had, thanks for that," Gajeel grumbled before handing over a fair bit of jewel to his wife Levy.
"That's what happens when you bet against your wife when I tell you not to," Levy smirked as she counted her money and Gajeel's kids grinned at their father's misfortune at the hands of their mother.
"Laxus, that goes for you too. Pay up, C'mon." Mirajane said with a Cheshire cat smirk on her face.
"Same for you Ever. Be a man, don't chicken out of it now." Elfman said with a smile from ear-to-ear.
"Bickslow, don't think I've forgotten about you. Come on, hand it over." Lisanna said with the same devilish smirk as her sister.
"Alright fine, you guys were right. Here you go." Laxus complained as he handed over some jewel to Mirajane.
"You win this time, but I'll get you back for this later." Evergreen bitterly said as she also forked over a bit of jewel to Elfman.
"Hah, you got me this time Lisanna," Bickslow laughed as he coughed up his share of jewel to Lisanna.
"I'm so glad I'm not a gambler," Freed said, smiling as his fellow Thunder God Tribe teammates were all forced to empty out their wallets, while he was unscathed due to his straightedge lifestyle.
"Hang on, you guys were betting on us!" Lucy and Natsu exclaimed
"Just a friendly little game of will they-won't they between friends is all, no harm was done," Juvia said, but whatever levity her answer had was completely destroyed when Macao and Wakaba handed over a large sum of jewel to Juvia and she took it and split it with Cana.
"Juvia, Cana!" Lucy indignantly said.
"Well, it's good to see you two lovebirds have finally managed to sort out your feelings for one another," Makarov said, only for Natsu and Lucy's jaws to drop as he handed over a fair amount of jewel to Erza, Gray, Wendy, and even Happy and Carla.
"You guys too!" Lucy said in equal parts hurt and disbelief.
"Sorry Lucy, but we really are happy to see you guys together now." Wendy giggled as she counted her winnings.
"Was everyone in the guild in on this!" Lucy cried out in exasperation.
Everyone in the guild tried to look away from each other, with some even attempting to whistle innocently. However, considering how pretty much everyone in the guild had partaken in the gambling, it only made things worse.
"Why…I oughta…" Lucy began to angrily say at having been set up by her guildmates.
"Luce, just let it go alright," Natsu said, shaking his head and grinning at his guildmate's elaborate plan and Lucy rounded on him.
"Let it go? Natsu our guildmates just set us up, and you expect me to…" Lucy said but she didn't get the chance to finish her statement, because that's when Natsu pulled her into a kiss to the shock of everyone in the guild. Natsu kissed Lucy for a full thirty seconds before separating.
"Lucy, let…it…go," Natsu said with his trademark smile and Lucy just stood shock still, processing what had just happened.
"Well now, normally it's the princess who ends up taming the dragon. But in this case, I'd say the roles have been reversed." Mirajane teased with a devilish grin on her face and the entire guild howled in laughter at Mirajane's sense of humor while Lucy was doing her best to imitate a tomato.
"Okay, that was just downright savage. And that's why I love you so much." Laxus laughed as he put his arm around the lovely Demon.
"Just try not to move too fast you two, we've already got enough kids here in the guild as it is." Levy teased and at that, everyone in the guild just lost it with several members of the guild on the floor in stitches, while Lucy was almost the same shade of red as Erza's hair by this point and even Natsu was blushing at what Levy had just said.
"Levy, not you too! Whose side are you on!" Lucy cried out in frustration while her boyfriend hugged her to keep her calm.
"Sorry Lucy, but I just couldn't resist." Levy grinned, and the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage pouted at being sold out by her best friend.
"Gi hi hi, that's my girl," Gajeel said as he wrapped his arms around Levy, who fell into her husband's embrace and Natsu grinned before deciding his girlfriend had had enough torment for one day.
"Okay guys, that's enough teasing for one day. I don't know about anyone else, but after everything that's been said here, I think a celebration in order." Natsu said.
"Now that's something I agree with Natsu my boy. Mira, Kinana, break out the drinks and let's party." Makarov said as the guild erupted unto thunderous cheers before a massive celebration began for the return of Team Natsu.
"This Afternoon" by Nickelback begins playing
Wendy sat down and enjoyed her drink but was careful not to overdo it since she didn't want to end up having Carla take her home. Soon Romeo came over to sit down next to her and the two young mages blushed at being so close to one another.
"S-so Wendy-chan, how did you enjoy life on the road?" Romeo asked her.
"Um...It was fine Romeo-kun, but it just doesn't compare with being back home." Wendy said.
"Yeah, I'll give you that…you know, I missed being around you and Carla while you guys were gone." Romeo confessed while blushing and Wendy blushed along with him and gave him a shy smile.
"I missed you too Romeo-kun," Wendy said, and Romeo smiled at her as Carla watched the entire scene unfold with a smile on her face.
"Hey Juvia, I just noticed that new outfit you had on," Gray said as he and Juvia found one another once again.
"Oh, you noticed," Juvia said with a blush. Her new outfit was similar to her old outfit, but with minor changes. She now sported a sleeveless dark blue blouse with cream-colored edges and an opening in the top that displayed a generous amount of the Water Mage's cleavage. She sported her signature Russian Cossack hat with a pink butterfly clip. She now wore a white long skirt and completed her look with white wrist-length gloves and white knee-high boots.
"I like it, it's a good look for you," Gray said with a smile, making Juvia blush even harder.
"Th-thank you Gray-sama," Juvia said, smiling at Gray's compliment before she was embraced by the Ice Devil Slayer, who had somehow lost his coat.
"I missed you, you know that," Gray said and Juvia was blushing up a storm at this point.
"I-I'm happy to hear that Gray-sama," Juvia said as she fell into Gray's embrace. Meanwhile, Erza watched the touching scene with a smile.
"They're so perfect together aren't they," Mirajane said as she watched the scene with Erza.
"They certainly are. Speaking of perfect together, how are things with you and Laxus? And what about the rest of your siblings for that matter?" Erza asked and the lovely Demon just giggled.
"Oh, Laxus and I are more than good. Gotta say, I didn't know how things would work out at first, but he's more of a caring gentleman than I gave him credit for. As for Elfman and Evergreen, their relationship has been as fun to watch as ever, no pun intended."
"I'll say this much, it's clear who's the dominant one in their relationship. Evergreen has got a hold of my poor little brother and she knows how to keep him in line." Mirajane giggled and Erza grinned with her.
"By the way, did you know Lisanna and Bickslow are dating now," Mirajane said and Erza's eyes raised at this little surprise.
"No, but go on," Erza said, interested in hearing about how the youngest of the Strauss siblings was dating the oddest member of the Thunder God Tribe.
"Yeah, I was pretty surprised when I found out, as was everyone in the guild. Elfman almost went berserk on poor Bickslow and Evergreen had to calm the guy down." Mirajane explained.
"Let me guess, she froze him by turning him to stone, didn't she?" Erza deduced.
"Of course. Finally, after talking to him and calming him down Elfman gave Bickslow the old 'break my little sister's heart and die' talk. Not that he needed to do that, I would have done it for him anyway. But it was still nice." Mirajane grinned and Erza grinned along with her.
"But anyway, their relationship has worked out better than any of us could have thought. They're really a better match that I ever would have guessed when I think about it: two upbeat, lighthearted and carefree people. One likes animals, the other likes dolls, it's really a better match than I though of to be honest." Mirajane said and Erza nodded in agreement.
"Speaking of great matches, that new dress is a great match for you. I must say I approve." Erza said.
"Oh, thanks. I figured I'd switch to something that was a little simpler." Mirajane said as she looked herself over. Her new outfit consisted of a simple white off-the-shoulders dress with a black sash tied around the waist. She completed her new look with a set of brown knee-high boots and a green bow in her hair.
"In fact, all of us, my siblings and I and the members of the Thunder God Tribe have undergone something of an upgrade in appearance since you guys have left," Mirajane said as she looked at the others in question.
Elfman's new look started with a minor change in his appearance in an intricate set of razor-like tattoos on his arms and chest. He now wore a brown, sleeveless shirt over his bare torso. He wore white pants that were tattered at the bottom with an orange belt and he completed his look with brown geta sandals.
Lisanna looked much as the same as she did before the timeskip with the only difference being a slightly fuller figure, but that was most definitely not the case for her attire. She now sported a simple long-sleeved, green shirt and a wavy red skirt with white boots.
Evergreen also hadn't seen much change in terms of appearance, apart from her hair being longer and wavier than before. However, that was definitely not the case for her choice of attire. She now sported a white dress with maroon rose patterns emblazoned into the dress and gold edges along the dress. She wore white arm sleeves and completed her new look with maroon stockings and a pair of clear glass heels.
Freed's appearance has seen a few minor changes in the last few years. First of all, his forest green hair was now longer and was kept in a long ponytail with two bangs framing either side of his face and bangs covering his right eye. Then there was his attire, which while still maintaining the essence of his nobleman look, had a few notable changes.
He now sported a red, black, and gold accented, high-collared tailcoat with black fur lining the collar and white cuffs on the sleeves. He wore white pants, and dark gloves and boots, and he now carried a black and gold version of his signature sword.
Bickslow's main change was in terms of his attire, much as was the case with Lisanna and Evergreen. Bickslow's new attire, like Freed's maintained the essence of his old attire, but with subtle changes.
He now sported a brown hooded cape that was held together by what appeared to be a blue jeweled piece over his now bare torso. He now sported bandages over his eyes and arms in place of the armor he once used to sport. He sported a thick brown belt around his waist and a white mantle over dark trousers and boots.
Laxus might have been the biggest change of them all. While his physical appearance hadn't changed much, that definitely wasn't the case for his choice of attire. Laxus now sported a golden shirt with black shoulders and an electric blue cross on both shoulders.
He wore a chain around his neck with a lightning bolt symbol on the end of it; black pants with a brown belt; golden shoes; and a golden tiger printed, long-sleeved, white fur-lined coat. But what caught Erza's eye the most about Laxus's new attire was the new gauntlets he wore on his hands.
"Mira, are those Magic Gauntlets Laxus is wearing?" Erza asked and Mira nodded.
"Yep, it's something he recently started wearing to regulate his new level of magic power, which has reached insane levels since you guys have been gone," Mirajane said and Erza looked at Laxus with intrigue.
"I have to remember to get a spar with him at some point to test those out." Erza thought to herself. Meanwhile, Natsu was catching up with Levy and Gajeel, as well as the rest of Team Shadow Gear.
"Born to Raise Hell" by Motörhead begins playing
"So Gajeel, when did you cut your hair?" Natsu asked as he pointed out the Iron Dragonslayer's new short hairstyle.
"Heh, I cut it after the birth of our twins. Think of it as a way to symbolize the new beginning with myself and Levy, and of me as a father." Gajeel said and Natsu smiled at Gajeel's new calmer demeanor.
"You've changed you know, and I mean that in a good way," Natsu said.
"So have you, especially when it comes to you and Gray. You've definitely matured." Gajeel honestly said and Natsu toothily smiled.
"Doesn't mean I can't still have fun." Natsu grinned.
"We're with ya on that," Droy said as he and Jet joined in on the conversation.
"Holy shit Droy, you're shredded! What have you been doing in the last five years we've been gone." Natsu asked as he took notice of Droy's new muscular physique.
"A lot of hard work, Gajeel challenged me and I didn't let him down. After he saved me during the war, the least I could do was push myself to work harder." Droy said
"Yeah, I gotta give him credit. He's pushed himself to a level that even I didn't think he was capable of. And I've known him for God knows how many years." Jet said.
"Don't sell yourself short Jet, you've been pushing yourself pretty hard these last five years as well. You've made some improvements of your own too." Droy said.
"Guess you're right, thanks for that." Jet chuckled.
"Hey, well everyone back together it looks like," Levy said as he joined the group along with her children Kane and Kira.
"Hey Levy, is that a new outfit or is that just me?" Natsu asked.
"Oh, no it's not just you. Gajeel and I have new outfits that we picked out for each other. I gotta say I think he did a great job of choosing mine." Levy said as she looked herself over.
Levy sported a seafoam green colored sleeveless vest over a yellow bustier top that extended into a skirt. She wore gray arm sleeves and gray shorts along with brown calf-length boots. She completed her new outfit with a red bandana tied around her head.
As for Gajeel, his outfit consisted of a red form-fitting V-necked t-shirt, a tattered black trench coat with metal studs on the collar, shoulders, and cuffs of the sleeves; tan pants with metal studs on the waist, and black boots with metal studs on them as well. He also wore fingerless gloves with metal studs as well and he no longer wore his bandana on his forehead.
"You've both got a great sense of style I'll say that. Speaking of which, where did Lucy run off to?" Natsu wondered as he looked around for the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Um, Natsu…I think I just found her. And if you don't stop her soon, you're going to have a very drunk blonde girlfriend on your hands." Jet said as he pointed out Lucy to Natsu and he looked in horror to see Lucy sitting over at the bar with Cana, the Card Mage having her arm wrapped around Lucy encouraging her to put away as many drinks as possible.
"Lucy, dammit Cana!" Natsu said as he hurried over to stop Cana from intoxicating Lucy while Gajeel and Levy just snickered at Natsu's misfortune.
"Cana what the heck do you think you're doing!" Natsu said to the already tanked Card Mage.
"What Natsu, just trying to help a friend forget her emotional trauma is all." Cana innocently said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu asked before Lucy spoke in a dazed voice from all the alcohol she'd consumed.
"Must scrub…from memory…Natsu…and me…with children." Lucy groaned and Natsu stared at her in disbelief.
"How much has she had to drink?" Natsu asked Kinana.
"If I had to guess, I'd say she's guzzled down at least six bottles since the party started," Kinana said.
"SIX! That's it, gimmie that." Natsu said as he snatched the bottle that Lucy was reaching for out of her hands and threw it away, it making a crashing sound somewhere.
"I'm taking you home right now. You've had enough fun for one night." Natsu said as he lifted Lucy into his arms bridal style and began carrying her out of the guild.
"Get her home safe Natsu, don't do anything you're gonna regret," Cana said as Natsu blushed heavily at Cana's joke and even Kinana giggled at Cana's amusing jab at Natsu and Lucy's new relationship.
"Gajeel, why does Lucy always end up getting herself into situations like this." Levy chuckled.
"Gi hi hi, because her luck is about as bad as Erza's cake addiction, that's why." Gajeel joked.
"I heard that Gajeel, no one mocks my cake addiction and thinks they can get away with it." Erza angrily said as she approached Gajeel, clearly inebriated.
"Uh, Levy…sweetheart, a little help here would be nice." Gajeel nervously said as he stared down the angry visage of the intoxicated redhead.
"Sorry Gajeel, you brought it on yourself. And I'm not about to risk my health trying to stop a drunk, rampaging Erza." Levy said and Gajeel sweated as Erza requipped her Purgatory mace.
"Prepare yourself Gajeel," Erza said before she began brawling with the Iron Dragon Slayer and that kicked off a guild brawl involving the entire guild that lasted until the party ended and everybody went home for the night.
Back at Lucy's Apartment.
Natsu laid the blonde mage down onto her bed and proceeded to burn all of the alcohol out of her system using his magic. He smiled at the blonde woman he'd fallen for since the end of the war and knew how lucky he was to have her by his side.
"Mn, Natsu…where are we." Lucy groggily said as she opened her eyes and sat up.
"Back at your place, I brought you back here after you decided to go and drink six bottles of alcohol just to get me and you having kids out of your mind." Natsu grinned.
"What, oh God, please tell me I didn't do anything embarrassing to make myself look like a fool." Lucy groaned.
"No, don't worry I stopped you before you could drink anything else and brought you home before I burned the alcohol out of you," Natsu said and Lucy smiled at her boyfriend looking out for her once again.
"Thanks, Natsu, I appreciate that." Lucy graciously said before looking at Natsu curiously.
"What is it, Luce?" Natsu asked his girlfriend.
"Come here for a second Natsu, there's something I forgot to do that I need to take care of?" Lucy said and Natsu was confused, but he complied with Lucy's request.
"Close your eyes," Lucy said and Natsu did as told before Lucy framed his face and pressed her lips to his in an exact mirror image of what she attempted to do before they left to go on their trip five years ago.
Natsu stood in shock for a few moments, before he ultimately wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist and returned the kiss. The pair kissed for a long time before ultimately the need for air became too great, and they broke the kiss.
"There, now we're even," Lucy said with a smile at her boyfriend that he returned.
"Guess we are, C'mon, let's get some sleep," Natsu said and Lucy agreed with him, it had been a long day. After the both of them stripped down (something Lucy was no longer embarrassed about doing in front of Natsu now that they were in a relationship), Natsu was now left in his boxers and Lucy in her bra and panties and both lovers climbed into Lucy's bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Not long after they fell asleep, Happy came flying into the apartment. Happy was ready to mess with Natsu and Lucy, but when he saw the two cuddled up with each other asleep, he though better of it. He simply decided to fly over to the pair and curl himself up on top of the two and he was also asleep within a matter of minutes.
Well, folks, that's it for Chapter 1. Now everyone knows where the hell I've been this month, I've been working on this special Fairy Tail Double Feature for everyone with my Naruto/Cosmos story and the first chapter of this epic summer project.
I decided to use this chapter to focus on Team Natsu's return to Fairy Tail from their 100-Year Quest. In the next chapter, we'll be getting more into Fairy Tail's preparations for the upcoming Grand Magic Games and the arrival in Crocus of the participating teams. I can guarantee you a few surprises there, I promise you that.
Now as for this chapter, you may have noticed that most of the characters are a bit more mature in this chapter. If this bothers you, keep in mind that my story is set five years after the main story has ended. That means they're a lot older and a lot wiser, as evidenced by Gajeel being a much calmer person now that he's a father of two young children. That kind of thing can change a person, and if you say it can't then you're a liar, because I've seen it happen (not to me personally, but I've seen it happen).
Also, keep in mind that Gray and Natsu have been on the road with each other for five years. That's plenty of time to bond and grow closer as guildmates, and when you spend that kind of time with someone for that long, it's only natural you're gonna grow closer to them as a result. Again, I say that, because I speak from experience being on the road as a college journalism student.
BTW, anyone wondering why only half of Fairy Tail bet for Natsu and Lucy to end up together in the betting pool, it's pretty simple: The ones who bet against them being together bet that way mostly because they believed that Natsu was too fucking dense to ever notice that Lucy was in love with him. And notice who all were the ones who lost their money: Gajeel, all of the Thunder God Tribe, Macao and Wakaba, Makarov, you don't honestly think they would have bet against Natsu not to notice Lucy's blatantly obvious feelings for him. If you say they wouldn't have, please leave your address in the comments so I can mail you a nice big package of bullshit.
As far as everybody's updated new looks go, they all come from pictures I found online on places like Pinterest and Google. You can head on over to my DeviantArt page right now to see the pictures right now to get an idea of what everyone's new look looks like. My name over there is the same as it is here, so I'm not that hard to find.
BTW, because I forgot to mention Cana's new attire, I'll do it now. Her attire is similar to her old attire pre-timeskip, but she has a dark blue lace top with black lace frills at the top. Her pants are now black instead of brown and she wears a red belt and she has silver bracelets around her biceps and both her wrists. Her outfit is completed with a pair of black high-heeled sandals. As I said before, you can check out my DeviantArt page to see the pictures I used for the concepts for each character's new looks.
BTW, anyone wondering about Droy's new physique, I figured that since he only got that way out of depression over Fairy Tail's disappearance on Tenrou Island, now that his friends are back, there's really no point in him staying like that anymore (which made me wonder why the writers kept him like that in the first place).
If anyone wants to get an idea of what he looks like now, type "Big Show Shredded" into your search engine and look at the picture Big Show uploaded to social media last year as he prepared for what we all assumed was his match with Shaq. Droy in my stories has exactly the same type of physique as that.
Now as far as the song choices in this chapter, I wanted to go with two songs that I felt captured the spirit of Fairy Tail in the best way. So, I went with Nickelback's anthem to "getting by and having the best times", and Motörhead's hellraising anthem as my choices.
Now, get ready everyone because this is the BIGGEST announcement of all involving this story. For the first time ever in one of my stories, this story will be 100% fan interactive! That's right ladies and gentlemen, I've said it before and I'll say it again: "I always listen to my fans!" And now, I'm putting my money where my mouth is by putting the power in your hands.
Through your votes by way of reviews, fan polls on my profile page, and PM's that you can send directly to me, you the fans can vote for who you want to emerge as the victors for the matches I have set up on each day of the Games as well as the special events at the start of each day.
As previously mentioned, there will be a few classic games that will be making a comeback. However, there will also be some new games of my own creation thrown in as well to give this year's game a fresh feel to it.
Also, if anyone has any creative input suggestions they would like to pitch for any of the matches or would like to suggest anything in terms of how any of the matches end, feel free to do so. I want to hear from you so don't be afraid to pitch your ideas. Who knows, you may just see your ideas in my stories.
So, with that in mind here's the lineup for Day 1 of the Games:
Special Event: Hidden (Participants: Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, Ren, Toby, Risley, Rocker, Erik)
Opening Match: Lucy Heartfilia (Team Fairy Tail A) vs Sherry Blendy (Team Blue Pegasus)
Mid-Card Match #1: Bacchus Groh (Team Quatro Cerberus) vs Minerva Orland (Team Sabertooth)
Mid-Card Match #2: Cana Alberona (Team Fairy Tail B) vs Meredy (Team Lamia Scale)
Main Event: Jellal Fernandez (Team Crime Sociere) vs Kagura Mikazuchi (Team Mermaid Heel)
BTW, notice how I have Meredy aligned with Lamia Scale in the matchups. If that doesn't serve as a huge spoiler for chapters 2 and 3, I don't know what else will. In fact, this whole matchup chart with all the guilds I have on it should serve as a big spoiler for a future part of this story I have coming up.
Well, that's all for now folks. Until next chapter, tell me what you thought in the comments and don't forget to vote on those matchups and favorite, follow, and review. I'm DarkChild316, and I'll see you soon!
Oh, It's True, It's Damn True!