The Fairy Children The S-Class Trials of '11
"I want three plates of pancakes, all of them with blueberry syrup. Fries with extra gravy. Pepperoni pizza with the crust a little more burnt than usual. Strawberry milkshake that my mom loves to order but in a bigger size. And, I also want five hamburgers, hold all of the tacky vegetables."
The moment that Igneel Dragneel entered the wizard guild, along with his mother and two sisters, he dashed straight to the bar, slammed his fist onto the counter, and ordered his breakfast all in one breath. By the time he finished, he was gasping for oxygen. But all the same, his mouth was watering in anticipation for the delicious meal he'd have very soon.
"Say please, Iggy," Lucy reprimanded her son. She took a seat on the bar stool beside him, shooting the barmaid an apologetic glance. "It's rude to just demand things like that. Especially when you've asked for a lot of things."
The ten-year-old boy huffed. "Fine. Can I please have three pancakes with blueberry syrup, and—"
Aimi, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Erik and Kinana, manned the bar whilst her aunts and mother were busy tending to the other wizards. She chuckled at the expense of her friend. "No need to repeat all that. I got it. I think."
But before she left for the kitchen, the tanned girl frowned. "By the way, can I ask why you're eating so much today? More so than usual, anyway."
Igneel sighed. He laid his pink-haired head on the wooden surface, a somber expression taking over his chestnut eyes. "Today's the day they're all supposed to come back."
Aimi furrowed her eyebrows. "Who's coming back?"
Little Layla Dragneel squirmed in her mother's lap. She clapped her hands together to a messy beat. "Nashi! Nashi! Nashi!" The three-year-old chanted, golden hair swishing and hickory eyes glistening.
Lucy smiled, hugging her youngest child closer. "That's right. All the others are coming back as well from the S-Class Trials. I can't wait to see who made it this year."
Luna Dragneel hopped on a chair beside her brother, having just come from a short conversation with a few acquaintances. She laid her head in the palm of her hands, smiling whimsically. "I wish I could have joined this year."
Igneel sat up straight as he snorted. "How are you supposed to be an S-Class wizard when you don't even use your magic? The way I see it, you're just scared."
"I'm not scared, Iggy. My teacher specifically instructed me to never use my magic unless the situation desperately calls for it," Luna explained, flicking his forehead with her fingers.
The younger sibling rolled his eyes. "Excuses."
Aimi nodded, fully registering the new information. She had been so busy with her barmaid training that she forgot such an important event. "Ah, I get it now." And then she frowned. "But why are you upset about that? I thought you would be happy about your sister coming home."
Groaning, Igneel replied, "I'm not upset. In fact, I'm excited. If Nashi comes home and she isn't a rank higher, that means I get to kick her outta the house."
"Igneel!" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief. "You shouldn't say stuff like that about your sister. She's your family, remember that. And family always looks out after each other. We don't kick each other out, especially if they haven't done anything wrong. You hear me, son?"
Roseate bangs fell over hickory eyes as Igneel crossed his arms and lowered his head with a pout. He grumbled. "Nashi always forces me to eat broccoli and apples. She always scolds me when I do something fun, saying I could get hurt or whatever. She's mean, ugly, and rude. Not to mention she didn't even choose me for the trials this year."
"Aha!" Lucy yelled. She laid a hand on her son's pink mess of a hair. "So that's what you're so upset about. Are you really mad that Nashi took your twin brother this year to the trials?"
Igneel decided to untangle his arms and look his mother straight in the eyes. "Well, yeah!" He answered, anger searing in his brown eyes. "Ash and I do everything together! We were womb neighbors and she took that away from us! He was supposed to be my partner for the trials when the time came. Girls suck."
Ignoring the fact that he insulted the female gender, Lucy comforted him with a rub on the back. "Oh, sweetie. You two can still be partners when it's your turn. Mavis knows how many times I was Levy's partner during the trials. Nashi just borrowed Ash for a while, alright? We're family, so you gotta learn how to share and care for each other."
Igneel squirmed as he tried to escape out of his mother's strong grip. "Yeah, yeah, family always comes first. I know that. But I think that should have Nashi chose me, we could have finished the whole thing in a second!"
Lucy stiffened. Images of the entire Tenrou Island burning down flashed in her mind. It would have been a bloodbath if they competed together! She chuckled nervously. "It's probably for the best, Iggy."
"Whatever."
Aimi smiled at the mother–and–son exchange. "Nashi always has your interests at heart. Taking care of the little brothers is the job of us older sisters. And if I do say so myself, I think I'm doing a pretty good job."
Igneel stuck his tongue out. "That's not what Viktor says."
"That little brat! I'm going to make him drink bleach!" Aimi headed towards the kitchen in long, angry strides. The sounds of the pots and kitchen utensils clanging against one another are enough to drown her raging shouts.
Igneel could only hope that Aimi wouldn't accidentally add any type of acid to his meal. He winced. Maybe he shouldn't have pissed her off when she was in charge of cooking the food.
Lucy chuckled. "That's Erik's kid, alright. No doubt about it."
"Say, mom," Luna began inquisitively, twirling a lock of salmon-shaded hair around her finger. "Shouldn't you be at the trials? You're S-Class too, right? I thought you'd oversee the exams like all the other S-Class wizards."
"Well, somebody has to stay home and watch over you little rascals." Lucy teased her children with a sly grin.
Luna nodded. "Right."
Igneel yawned, stretching his arms out dramatically behind him. "Do you have any stories about the trials, mom? Interesting ones?"
Lucy paused, she certainly didn't want to divulge the war with Grimoire Heart, it was just too dark a story for a bright, sunny day. But thankfully, a lot of things happened during the last twenty years. "If I remember correctly, I think the first wizard to become S-Class after the war was your Uncle Gajeel," She said.
Igneel instantly shot up from his seat. He leaned closer to his mom, wanting more information. "Really? And who was his partner?"
Mischief circled around Lucy's brown ringlets. "Why," She smirked devilishly, "Your Aunt Levy, of course."
"Really? They won together?" Igneel put a hand to his stomach. "Gross."
Lucy smacked him on the head. "Well, they weren't married then. And don't say stuff like that about others, it's rude."
"And the year after that, mama?" Luna inquired.
"The year after that was when Cana Alberona came back as an S-Class wizard," Lucy said with a serene smile plastered on her face. "You should have seen the guild back then. We went wild. Tables turned upside down, chairs broke and were tossed outside. The lights never went out. We kept singing songs all night long. We danced all night long."
Suddenly, Lucy snorted. "Oh, man. I remember now. That was also the year that your father partnered up with Gray."
Luna's eyes bugged out of her head. She leaped to her feet straight away. "You're kidding me, right? Dad and Uncle Gray? They wouldn't last an hour working together!"
"Hey!" Lucy interjected. "Give your father a little more credit than that."
"So?" Igneel raised an eyebrow. "How many hours did they last?"
Lucy sighed. "Three hours at most. They were unstoppable at first when it came to the battle part of the test. But when it arrived at the mental part, they had some issues figuring out their plan. Erza had to come and break them apart. Gildarts couldn't stop laughing when he saw the two of them completely beaten up with bruises and bumps on their heads."
A shiver slithered up Igneel's spine. "Aunt Erza is scary."
Luna tilted her head to the side. "You seem to remember it so clearly, mom. Were you there that time?"
Lucy nodded. "Yes, I was. But I was Levy's partner that time. We got eliminated in the first hour."
Igneel sulked. Nobody was stronger than his parents. "Why? What happened?"
"Who do you think your dad ran into first?" Lucy grimaced, recalling all of the burns that littered across her body. "Poor Levy, she had to be wrapped in a blanket for the rest of the week, she was just too cold after Gray's attacks."
"That bad, huh?" Luna winced. She couldn't imagine taking the brunt of her father's attacks. She would have been charred to the bone.
"Daddy gonna come home?" Layla pulled on her mother's hair, brown eyes shining with tears and mouth starting to tremble.
Lucy nodded with a gentle smile. "Yes, hon. Your father is gonna come home real soon."
"Okay!" Layla beamed before once more playing with her dolls.
A half hour later, Aimi came out of the kitchen. She balanced multiple plates on both hands, some were threatening to fall on her arms, already teetering to the edge. Her brown hair was gathered up in a limp bun, sweat slid down the sides of her face, and her apron was decorated with different stains and grime. Despite the pressure on her arms and tired statute, she had a hundred-megawatt smile on her face.
"Three plates of blueberry pancakes," Aimi exclaimed as she set down three plates of fluffy pancakes with berry sauce oozing on top in front of Igneel.
"Pepperoni pizza with the crust extra burnt." Aimi then presented a whole platter of the pizza with circular-shaped meat scattered all around and cheese stringing from one side to another.
"Here are the fries," She said, setting down a medium-sized plate full of thick fried potatoes and the extra gravy beside it.
Aimi slammed a glass down on the counter, a proud grin taking over her lips. The pink shade of the beverage shone delicately. "A large milkshake for ya."
Last but not least, Aimi put down five plates. All of them containing burgers with the juiciest and largest of hams, a little gravy sizzled here and there. "Five hamburgers with no vegetables. That's it. Have fun, kiddo."
Igneel's dark eyes raked over the plethora of heavenly goods, drool stained the corner of his mouth as his canines flickered in sight. If it was even possible, he would have scarfed the whole thing down his throat by now. He smirked at the other guild members whose eyes gleamed with envy.
He sent the brunette a thumbs up. "Thanks, Aimi! You're the best!"
Her eyes, a bright shade of lavender, softened at his proclamation. She turned to his mother, a living legend from the good ol' days. "Hi, Aunt Lucy. Can I get you anything?"
"I'll just have a standard breakfast, please," Lucy replied.
"Got it." Aimi nodded. She lowered her head to clearly face the mini blonde who was content in her mama's lap. "And you, Layla, would you like anything?"
"Cereal! Cereal! I want cereal!" Layla squeaked in glee, her chubby arms high up in the air.
"Yosh!" Aimi held up her hand for Layla to high five, which the little girl did without hesitation. She sent one last polite smile their way before disappearing into the kitchen once more.
Lucy watched her retreating form, nuzzling her nose into her small daughter's head. She exhaled contently. "Kinana and Mirajane would be so proud of her. She's exceeded all of our expectations, and she's not even finished with her training yet!"
Igneel, who was halfway done with his pancakes, glared at his mom. "Gee. Way to make a child feel loved. Great parenting, mom."
Luna chortled. She had been stealing a few fries from her brother while he wasn't looking. "Stop being so dramatic, Iggy."
"Make me, Miss-I-Can't-Use-My-Powers-Unless-The-Situation-Calls-For-It!"
"Unlike you, I have class and would prefer to not resort to caveman antics."
"I'll show you caveman antics right now, you pink-headed fairy!"
"That's not even a legit insult. Up your game, little bro."
"Children," Lucy sharply stared at them. She couldn't believe that they were going to fight right now. "You can murder each other when we're at the house."
"Mama, what's murder?" Layla asked.
Lucy's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't believe she let her guard down around her children. After twenty years, you'd think that she would tone down her violent tendencies. "Sweetie, that's a bad word," She replied in a rushed tone. "Don't say that, okay?"
"Alright." Layla pursed her lips in concentration as she pointed to her two older siblings who were now engaging in a verbal war. "But, mama, why do they keep fighting?"
"Because your father's blood runs in theirs," Was her brief reply.
Then her spine hardened upright. "Wait. Don't tell your dad I said that."
"Okay," Layla said softly.
And so for the rest of the morning, the four Dragneels settled in a comfortable—but extremely noisy due to the siblings' bickering—environment as they ate. Now that the plates were rid of food and their stomachs were filled to the brim, all that was left was to wait for the others to come home safely.
Every single time the S-Class Trials would commence, Lucy found her stomach would churn, insides would flare up as if it were burning. Thankfully, she had company to distract her from the headache she had, and to keep her from going insane. But the thought of a repeat of the incident with Grimoire Heart left Lucy's heart pounding. She couldn't bear the thought of Natsu, her family, and friends being whisked away to a war that involved sacrifices.
"Oh, please, be safe," She whispered, hoping that one of the stars would answer her prayer.
"We're home!"
Just as Lucy thought she'd burst from all the waiting, she finally heard the voice she'd been yearning to hear all morning. Her husband's voice. After all these years, their relationship stayed strong and healthy. Neither one of them could stay away from each other for too long, much to the children's dismay. Lucy felt an entire herd of rhinoceroses mess up her stomach in happiness.
The wooden doors of the guild hall slammed open, the sound of the bark hitting the walls echoed throughout the room. The first one to take a step inside was a man who had three, conspicuous austere scars and a head full of messy spikes of pink hair. His grin was enough to light up the whole room.
That man was Natsu Dragneel. And on that powerful wizard had a tight grip on his daughter's shirt, who had equally vibrant pink hair. Essentially, that girl was Nashi Dragneel, the eldest child of their family.
"Dad! Let me go!" Nashi yelled as she squirmed in her father's grip, who still refused to let her go. By now, her feet were dangling in the air. "C'mon! I gotta escape before your wife notices my presence!"
Natsu just laughed. "Let's go, squirt. She's already here, and she smells great."
"Gross!" Nashi screeched.
Frowning, Lucy watched their conversion and wondered what made her daughter hate her so much that she'd no longer want to see her. Was she that bad of a mother?
But before she could stand from her seat, Natsu blasted from his spot, daughter still in tow, and journeyed to his wife in lengthy, eager strides. His smile grew in brightness as he neared Lucy with every hasty step. "Luce!" He cried jovially. "I missed ya!"
"Natsu!" Lucy was quick to wrap her arms around her husband when they were of close proximity. She drowned in the scent of cinnamon and fading flames, hugging him to the point no space was in between them. "I missed you so much!"
Lighthearted laughter filled the atmosphere as Natsu pressed kisses all over Lucy's fair-skinned face. "I missed you."
Lucy hummed in reply, leaning more into the crook of his neck. "I think we've established that."
"I missed you," He repeated just as enthusiastically.
Lucy chuckled, ghosting her lips across his skin. "Yes, yes, I know. It's good to have you home."
"Just so you know," Nashi stuck her tongue out, fortunately, separated from her parent's hideous love fest. "This might be the ugliest thing I've ever seen."
Lucy, glad that her daughter was somewhat acknowledged her existence, beckoned for Nashi to join the cuddle session. She smiled when the girl was compliant with her request. "I missed you too, my girl. How were the exams?"
"Awful. I was completely stressed the whole time." Nashi groaned, an occasional sniffle escaping her. She tightened her arms around her mother's waist, only now letting the exhaustion take its toll on her.
Layla pulled on Natsu's pant leg a couple of times. She raised her arms and opened her fists, closing them again in a grabbing motion. "Daddy! Up!"
Natsu cackled as he bent down and gathered up his youngest daughter in his warm hold. "Layla! My sweet girl, how are ya? Did you miss me?"
The little girl responded by squeezing her father's cheeks, mushing them together until his face was flushed. "I did! I did! Mama said Iggy and Luna were going to murder each other!"
Raising one questioning eyebrow, Natsu turned to his wife. "Is this what you've been teaching my children while I'm away? I'm not sure if I wanna be impressed that this is Layla's longest sentence or scared what her next word is going to be."
Lucy put her hands on hips, walnut eyes teeming with mischief. It was almost as if she was daring her husband to go against her. "It just came out, okay. She'll forget it in a week."
"Murder! Murder! Murder! Murder!"
Lucy choked. "Honey, I thought I told you not to say that word. If you say that one more time, I won't let you have any more cereal."
Layla frowned and crossed her arms, turning away from her mother with a snooty harrumph. "Okay, fine."
Natsu grinned. "And you say I'm the impulsive one."
A boy, looking awfully similar to a certain pinkette who had been moaning and groaning all morning, wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist. His head full of honeyed strands disappeared into the crook of her neck. He pushed his glasses away from his face before looking up to his mother with a knowing grin.
"Hi, ma," Ash Dragneel greeted cheerfully despite the number of wounds that littered all over his cheeks and forehead.
Lucy's hand came up to cradle the back of his head. She gazed upon him tenderly, incredibly happy to have her family back in one piece. "Hello, my son. Were the exams too hard? Did your father go too overboard on you two?"
Igneel scoffed, a dark shadow casting over his face. "I bet he had fun. Tons of fun without me. Were the exams good knowing that you left your twin brother without even saying goodbye?"
Ash sighed. He put his glasses over his umber eyes once more, mirroring his twin's downcast expression. "The exam was hard, Ig. And for heaven's sake, Master surprised us by saying we had to be at the port by early dawn. He announced it at the last minute."
Nashi nodded, albeit the usual flame in her pitch black eyes were missing. "That's right, Iggy. If you're going to blame anyone, blame the Master. I mean, who the hell projects their own illusions at our freaking bedrooms?!"
A grumpy cough came from behind the fourteen-year-old. The owner of such intimidating aura was a man around his early-forties, he wore a dark coat that was decorated with a few inconspicuous tatters after years and years of usage, and had a prominent lightning scar running across his eye. That was the current master of the Fairy Tail wizard guild.
"I'm afraid I didn't hear that clearly. Would you be kind to repeat that for me, Dragneel?" Laxus Dreyar said with a blank look on his face.
Nashi gulped. She sent a crooked grin his way. "I just said you were the coolest old man ever. I totally wasn't calling your projections lame and creepy. I value my life, you know."
Laxus chuckled. He ruffled the girl's mop of pink hair, making it even messier than before. "Good job on the trials, kid."
"Nice to see you alive, Master." Lucy sent him one of her trademark smiles. "So, who is it? Who's the lucky, strong, and incredibly wizard who gets the title this year?"
"Gihi."
The people inside the guild hall turned their attention to the newcomer standing in front of the poorly bruised door — it could only last so many dramatic entrances in a whole lifetime. Illuminated by the generous rays of the sun is Gajeel Redfox with his crimson eyes beaming with pride, his stance relaxed but immensely boastful, and his usually stoic face that was now decorated with an all-knowing grin.
Someone stood next to him. But judging by the similar intense eyes this boy had and the green bandana wrapped around his head to push back his unruly, vibrant blue hair, it was safe to assume that this teenager was the son of the Iron Dragon Slayer. And the wizard's name was Gale Redfox. And by the way the two men seemed to be so ecstatic and eager to party, it was safe to assume another thing as well.
Levy Redfox now came into view, holding a little noirette girl in her arms. Though she had an exhausted look on her face, she still had the energy to bounce around as she yelled, "Fairy Tail, meet your new S-Class wizard, my son, Gale!"
Those words were the exact push the wizard guild needed to throw another mind-blowing party. Within a timeframe of ten minutes, the entire guild hall was adorned with colorful balloons, neon streamers, and paintings, courtesy of Reedus, of the newest addition to the S-Class ranks were hung up high in the wall. The waitresses had an extra bounce in their steps as they served the celebratory booze.
However, despite the many smiles and congratulations thrown around the room. Lucy noticed that Nashi wasn't at all matching the vibe of the room. All these years of being a mother only solidified and enhanced her observation skills. Lucy immediately came to her daughter's aid, resting a hand on Nashi's back to hopefully offer some comfort.
"Hey, sweetie, you alright?" Lucy asked. She noticed that some of the bandages on Nashi's face were starting to spot with lots of red hues. "Do you need me to call Wendy and have her look at you one more time?"
"Yeah, Nashi, you've been kinda silent the whole trip back," Ash chirped in.
Luna, whose smile from reuniting with her father turned into a simple frown, showed her support by fixing the ponytail of her older sister. She hoped that it would ease her stress a bit. "Nashi's probably just exhausted. Maybe a nice hot bath would help."
Nashi replied with but a simple groan. She hid her face in between in her hands. Soft, melancholic murmurs came from the eldest Dragneel child.
Natsu, blessed with supernatural hearing, easily picked up on her words. His face twisted into a darkened grimace. He sat on the bar stool beside her and sighed deeply. "Why would you think that Nashi?"
Igneel coughed into his fist. "Dad, not all of us are Dragon Slayers."
"Nashi thinks she disappointed us by not coming home as S-Class."
Luna gasped, furrowing her eyebrows in bewilderment. "Why would you ever think that?"
Frowning, Layla tugged on the tattered fabric of her sister's worn out jeans. She slowly shook her head. "Not true, Nashi. You should smile. Being sad is bad."
"Indeed."
Mirajane Dreyar appeared before them. After twenty years, she retained her ethereal beauty, with a few minor wrinkles here and there. She greeted them with a glorious smile, her deep blue eyes sparkling like the sun above them. She acknowledged the saddened girl with a nod.
"You should have seen the way she fought yesterday," Mirajane said to Lucy. "From what I've heard from Erza, you've been pushing the limits of your magic this year. And it's paid off, darling. Erza said that you were phenomenal during your fight. No two attacks were the same, and she said that you were full of surprises. You should be extremely proud of yourself."
Lucy gaped at her daughter. "You fought Erza? And still have your sanity intact?" She rushed to Nashi and enveloped her in the biggest hug ever. "Sweetie, that's amazing. So why are you so upset?"
Igneel scratched his chin in thought. "Is it the guilt for leaving me sinking in now? Because I think—"
Ash smacked his twin brother on the head. He fixed his glasses before crossing his arms. "Now is not the time for that, Ig."
Nashi managed a wrangled laugh before sniffling sadly. She raised her face, mustering up a strong facade. "So you guys aren't mad that I wasn't S-Class for the first time around?"
"Oh, please," Natsu waved her off. "It took me at least three tries before I finally got the title."
Lucy nodded. "Nashi, we love you with or without the title of S-Class."
Nashi smiled. "Thanks, mom. You guys are the best."
end
a note from the stars of fairy glitter
Nashi Dragneel:"Hello, people from beyond the screen!"
Ash Dragneel: "I think that's what they call the fourth wall."
Nashi: "Anyways, we have a lot to tell you so please stick around for tons of fun information!"
Luna Dragneel: "Firstly, we and the author would like to thank you for choosing to read our story. We hope that you'll love our upcoming adventures. This is just a preview of one of them, but it's not always going to be in the guild hall."
Igneel Dragneel: "Yeah! And I bet you'll even recognize a few of our parents' friends like—"
Ash: "Don't spoil it, Iggy!"
Igneel: "Okay, okay. Geez!"
Nashi: "Secondly, we are aware that something called the '100-Year Quest' exists in your world, but that does not exist in our dimension. And if you haven't caught up yet with our mom and dad's war against Alvarez, then you might get a few spoilers from here on out."
Igneel: "Definitely. Like when—"
Ash: "Igneel!"
Luna: "Lastly, feel free to comment who your favorite is so far. And leave a heart to show us kids your support! I can't wait for all of you to meet my friends!"
Igneel: "My favorite is Aimi because she cooks the best food in the whole wide world!"
Ash: "Should you even be having milkshakes when it's so cold outside?"
Igneel: "It is? I haven't really noticed."
Luna: "Oh, yeah. It's because you're a fire wizard that you don't notice that it's snowing outside."
Nashi: "Ha, idiot! The S-Class Trials are held every December!"
Igneel: "Who're you calling an idiot, idiot?"
Luna: "Oh, dear. They're fighting, just when Nashi came back."
Layla Dragneel: "Murder! Murder!"
Ash: "Layla, don't say that!"
Luna: "Anyways, til' we meet again next time! Bye!"
