So like I've promised y'all, this one shot is my birthday gift to you. If you didn't know today is my birthday. I am officially 19! I have to tell y'all though, that when I started reading Fairy Tail my senior year of high school I didn't see myself writing stories a year and a half later. Y'all may be laughing but I'm dead serious. I never saw myself getting drawn into Manga and Anime, it just wasn't a possibility.

But now that I have gotten into it, I don't think I could leave it. The writing, the imagination, the magic, the characters themselves just keep you entranced.

The only thing you need to know about this story is that it's a side story to The Shifter's Journey meaning it has my OC involved. But it revolves around RoWen. If you don't know what ship that is, it's Romeo and Wendy.


A Date Not To Be Forgotten

x February 19 x

Kuma sat in the rafters, sharpening her claws on the beam underneath her while her ears swiveled, taking in the sounds of the guild, a cacophonous array of sounds that would leave any being with sensitive hearing deaf if they weren't immune to it.

She had been there for a few months now and could name every person just by their scent and the sounds they made. Everything from Mira humming a song as she wiped down the counters to the sound of Gray's clothes hitting the floor. But there was one sound she hated to hear from the guild that took her in, and that was crying.

Crying reminded her too much of her past, of what she lost, so when she looked over the edge of the beam to see her sister-figure, Wendy, crying softly at a table in the corner, she knew then that she had to cheer her up.

Sheathing her claws she stood up and jumped from beam to beam until she was standing right over the sky slayer's table where she jumped down, her paws making a dull thump as they hit the wooden floor.

She stood from her crouch and her fur disappeared, leaving her to stand in her human form in front of the table, a frown in place as she saw her sister wipe away tears and force a smile.

"Wendy, why are you crying?" The question was no more than a whisper but Wendy heard it clear enough and more tears fell as she tried, and failed, to hide them from the shifter.

"Because mine and Romeo's one-year anniversary is coming up in a few days and he's forgotten it."

Kuma settled into the seat next to Wendy and, though she wasn't much into hugging or physical contact, she still lent her support by leaning up against her as Wendy continued to try and dry her eyes. The shifter felt her anger flare up at the thought that the Rainbow Fire mage could be so careless so she offered the only advice she could think of.

"You know, I could hang him from the rafters until he remembers."

Wendy laughed and shook her head as she wiped her eyes again, the tears finally drying up. "No, that's okay, I guess if he doesn't remember then he doesn't remember."

Kuma tilted her head, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Wendy, if there are still a few days until the day, what makes you think he doesn't remember?"

The sky maiden looked at her hands, a small smile appearing. "Because, Romeo has never been able to hide a secret from me. For my birthday one year he tried to surprise me with a bouquet of wolfsbane, but I found out the same day he got them."

The shifter laughed softly and leaned on the table with her arms under her. "So, what makes you think that he hasn't figured out how to hide it from you now?"

At the question Wendy gave her a pointed look. "Kuma, Romeo could be Natsu's doppleganger with how much they act alike. From losing half the reward on a mission to trying to eat himself into a food coma."

At this the shifter stopped, her expression becoming considerate until she laughed again and nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Romeo is just like Natsu but that doesn't mean he couldn't have figured out a way to keep it a secret."

Wendy sighed and stood up. "You may be right, but for now I think I'm gonna go home, I have to run an errand for Master in the morning. Good night, Kuma."

Wendy walked out the front doors while Kuma stood and walked to the bar where a group of Exceeds were sitting and chatting. She sat on the stool in between the three, left open just for her, and waited until the doors closed before she turned to Carla.

"Alright, Carla, she's in tears and Romeo's still running around like a rabid wolf, what the hell happened to these plans he was telling us about?"

The white Exceed grabbed Happy by his arm and turned him around, a paw already reaching into his bag and pulling out a large rolled up piece of paper. She unrolled the paper, plucking a kiwi from Lily's grasp and a glass from the bar behind her to use as paperweights. Then she pointed at a timeline drawn along the bottom with different scribbles written on, over, or around the line.

"The florist fell out, putting us two days behind schedule, so now Gajeel's trying to track down another. But with the amount of time left, thing's aren't looking so great."

"Okay, so the flowers are behind, is there any good news?" Kuma waved a hand in a circular motion, prompting the Exceed on.

Carla turned her attention to the paper again and she smiled as she pointed to a picture cut from a magazine and taped on to the paper.

"The good news is that the jeweler came through and Lucy is hiding that at her and Natsu's apartment while Natsu is saying that the fireworks are coming together without any trouble."

Lily rubbed his chin with one paw and pointed at the paper with the other. "Carla, are you sure about putting Gray and Natsu on the same team with something as explosive as fireworks?"

Carla grimaced but just as she was about to reply Mira laid a hand on the paper and leaned in, her smile conspiratorial.

"You don't have to worry about that, I made sure they understood the importance of the fireworks happening without a problem."

The white Exceed relaxed and nodded. "Right, now that that's dealt with, how are we gonna keep Wendy from the guild hall for the entire day?"

Kuma grinned. "You leave that to me. Anything else we have to worry about? Because I still have to get my nap in before tonight."

Carla turned her gaze to the paper, her jaw working in thought until she pointed at another picture taped to the paper.

"The tux is the only thing we still have no word about, the last I heard every tailor Erza and Romeo went to got too scared and backed off."

The group frowned, lost in thought.

"Why don't I go with Romeo?" Their gazes snapped to the blue Exceed as he sat on the edge of the paper, tying a bow around a fish.

"He-cat, why do you wanna go with Romeo?" Carla asked exasperatedly as she eyed the bow Happy was tying with a small amount of intrigue. This fact did not go unnoticed by a certain shifter as she watched the exchange.

Happy smiled and held the fish up as he replied simply, "Because Erza is too scary and Romeo would be more comfortable with me."

Carla snorted very ladylike and pushed the proffered fish away as Mira, again, joined the conversation.

"I think Happy has a point, Erza can be a bit over the top, and for something like Romeo and Wendy's first anniversary he doesn't need to be more nervous than he already is."

Carla hesitantly nodded and Mira turned to Happy. "Now, Happy, Romeo and Erza are at the tailor near the flower shop in the square, fly over there max speed and let Erza know of the change."

Happy's wings appeared and as he was about to take off Mira grabbed his tail and waved a finger. "Make sure you tell her that I need her back here so that she won't voluntarily stay around."

The blue Exceed nodded. "Tell Erza that you need her back here,"

Then he saluted when she nodded in return and flew off with an animated 'Aye, sir!'

x February 23 x

Wendy was tired. When she walked into the guild that morning she didn't expect Mira to call her over and hand her a piece of paper, asking her to go pick up some things.

"Please, Wendy, I can't leave the bar and Lisanna won't be back from her mission until tonight."

Even though Wendy was upset that Romeo had forgotten their anniversary she still put on a smile and took the list. "Of course, Mira, I'll take care of it."

Mira breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, Wendy! The errands shouldn't take too long to get done."

Wendy smiled again and turned away from the bar while Mira walked to the other end. She looked at the list to find out where she was going first and noticed the paper was folded. She pulled at the fold and her eyes bugged when the paper unfolded to reveal a list of errands so long the bottom of the paper dragged on the floor.

She sighed and read the first errand.

Pick up salmon from the marketplace.

Rolling up the paper she put it in her back pocket and walked out of the guild. The sun was barely over the edge of the trees in the east so not a lot of people were out besides the shop keepers.

She hummed a tune under her breath as she walked, her mind on other things, so she missed the sound of nails hitting the pavement until a body slammed into her back, making her fall face first to the ground.

Something wet hit her cheek and she glanced back to see a large black and tan dog sitting, and drooling, on her.

She growled and the dog stepped off, allowing her to get up and take a closer look at it, then she grinned.

"Kuma, I thought you were still sleeping?"

The dog's fur disappeared, legs and arms stretched, and the snout faded back until the brunette shifter was sitting in front of her, a fanged grin flashing in the light of the rising sun.

"Yeah, I was up in the rafters sleeping when I heard Mira ask you, so I thought I'd tag along." Then she tilts her head, the grin fading. "That is, only if you'll let me."

Wendy smiled and stood up. "Of course you can come along."

Kuma smiled back and pulled the paper out of Wendy's pocket. "Alright, so what's the first thing on the list?"

Wendy grabbed the paper out of Kuma's hands and rolled it back up. "Have to pick up salmon from the market."

The shifter was silent for a little too long for Wendy's liking so she looked back at her friend to see the shifter looking down the street, her expression calculating. That look was enough to put Wendy on edge, but then Kuma turned to her and she became down right wary as Kuma issued a challenge.

"Race you to the market!"

She was gone in the blink of an eye and all the sky slayer could do was try to keep her in sight as the shifter barreled toward the marketplace.

For the rest of the morning and into the afternoon Kuma and Wendy ran from place to place around Magnolia picking up the odds and ends written on the list until the clock on the Kardia Cathedral chimed 3:00 o'clock and they stopped at a cafe in the square to get a late lunch and to rest their feet.

Wendy and Kuma sat at a table outside the cafe, the heat from the afternoon sun beating down on the umbrella above them, while the bags with the supplies sat under the table.

Kuma pulled the paper out of one of the bags and unfolded it to look at the bottom and heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, it looks like we only have one more thing to get then we can get back to the guild."

Wendy nodded and they looked up when a waitress walked up to the table.

"Good afternoon, may I take your order?"

Kuma tilted her head, her eyes glowing with intrigue as she asked, "What do you got with meat?"

The waitress looked taken back and Wendy waved a hand at Kuma as she smoothed out the situation.

"My friend will have your super bacon burger with a water and I'll have a salad with some tea."

The waitress smiled as she took the orders down and walked away while Kuma turned to Wendy.

"Still no idea what Romeo's doing for your anniversary?"

Wendy's smile disappeared and she looked at her hands, her voice quiet. "No, nothing. He's forgotten, Kuma."

Kuma's expression flashed for just a split second, too fast for Wendy to see, then changed to annoyed and she huffed.

"Seven hells, if he's forgotten then when I see him I'm gonna hang him in the rafters."

Wendy giggled and used a sleeve to wipe a tear away as she shook her head. "No, it's fine, Kuma, I just hope he remembers when I give him his gift tonight."

Kuma's curiosity was peaked. "What did you get him?"

In response Wendy reached under the table and pulled a box from one of the bags, it was a simple dark blue, almost navy blue, box with a small flame emblem carved on the top. The corners were rounded and smooth while the seam between the top half and bottom half was barely visible, even to the shifter's sharp eye.

Wendy opened the box and resting on the navy blue velvet was a flame shaped stone with silver and gold wrapping around it and looping up to create a hook for an earring. The stone itself was what kept Kuma's attention as the very middle of the stone was a dark almost blood red, fading out to orange then yellow on the edges and tips.

"Wow, Wendy, I've never seen a stone like that. What is it?" Kuma asked excitedly as she grabbed the box and tilted it from side to side, enjoying the way the light played on the coloring.

"The stone is called agate, it's supposed to bring victory and strength to it's holder, so I thought that since Romeo was looking for some new earrings after Gajeel ate his last set, that maybe I could get him one."

Kuma grinned and handed the box back to Wendy as the waitress walked up with their orders. They ate in silence, enjoying the food and the cool breeze blowing through the town.

After they paid the bill and left the cafe Wendy pulled out the list, her eyebrows narrowing.

"How am I supposed to get all the way to Porylusica's to get this blend of herbs?"

Kuma frowned, tilting her head as she asked, "Who's Porlyusica?"

The sky maiden looked up to the clock on the church and waved away Kuma's question.

"She's the guild's healer, but I'll explain more about her later." Then she turned back to Kuma. "Would you mind taking these to the guild while I go run this last errand?"

Kuma shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Oh, thank you, Kuma, you're the best!" Wendy exclaimed, already turning and running down a side street.

The shifter shook her head in amusement and readjusted the bags over her shoulder after she bent down and picked up the few Wendy had been carrying.

A few minutes later and Kuma walked into the guild, straight to the counter where Carla and Mira stood. She set the bags on the counter and put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, Mira, Wendy's running to Porly-what's-her-face's house and we got everything else you need. How much longer until everything's set up?"

Mira dove into the bags and when she was satisfied she looked back at Kuma. "Thank you, Kuma, it shouldn't be long now so why don't you and Carla run and catch up with her? I'll kick the boys into gear with wrapping up."

Kuma looked to the white Exceed with an eyebrow arched and Carla rolled her eyes.

"No, we're not racing. You don't know where Porlyusica's hut is and I can't keep up with you."

She pouted but it quickly turned to a scowl when Carla remained steadfast and shook her head.

"Fine, but we better get going. Wendy was pretty much running when we split."

Carla nodded and flew toward the door, the shifter close behind.

Meanwhile, in the east forest, Wendy was already approaching the old healer's hut, having run all the way from town. She stopped in front the hut and raised her hand to knock when the door swung open to reveal Porlyusica scowling at her.

"What is it you want, Wendy? You know I don't like to be bothered." Her words were gruff and her posture, stooped from years of leaning over her work, tense as she watched the sky slayer.

"Forgive me, Porlyusica, but Mira has had me running errands all day and she sent me up here to pick up a packet of herbs." She explained after she bowed out of respect for the elder and the healer's expression softened.

"Very well, come in and wait while I get the herbs."

Wendy smiled and followed the healer into the tree-shaped hut. Porlyusica disappeared into another room but it wasn't long before she returned, holding a small bundle of fabric in one hand.

"Here you are," she handed the bundle to Wendy and as the slayer took it Porlyusica explained, "Tell Mirajane three pinches will do the job, any less and it won't work, any more and it works too well."

"Thank you, Porlyusica, I'll make sure she gets the message." Wendy bowed again and walked out the door, unflinching when it slammed shut behind her.

Wendy walked down the path, her smile fading as her thoughts, again, returned to her boyfriend. She sniffled once but before the tears could fall a rustle in the bushes distracted her, her gaze widening at the sight of the black panther emerging from it.

"Kuma, what are you doing here?" Then she looked back to where Porlyusica's hut was still in sight. "How did you even find this place?"

"Really, child? You really think she could find this place by herself?"

At the sound of Carla's voice Wendy looked up to see the white Exceed hovering mere feet in front of her. Wendy giggled at Kuma's annoyed huff and held out her arms for her best friend.

Carla flew into her arms and hugged her in return. A few minutes later Wendy pulled back and frowned in confusion. "You still didn't answer my question. What are you two doing up here? I thought you had to help Mira with something?"

"I finished what I had to do and when Kuma walked in saying that you had run to Porlyusica's, we decided to find you."

Wendy nodded, accepting Carla's explanation without question and looked down to Kuma. "Well, since we got everything the list said, why don't we head back to the guild? I'm hungry, and I know you probably are too."

Kuma nodded and they walked back to town in silence. By now the sun was reaching the horizon and the stars were barely beginning to shine in the east.

When they walked into town Kuma grabbed the package from Wendy, surprising the sky slayer, and took off. Wendy tried to catch her but the shifter's form was too fast and Wendy was too tired, and after a few turns she finally lost sight of the panther.

She fell to her knees, watching the panther disappear as she caught her breath, then turned to look for Carla, only to find her gone as well.

"Ugh, why does this day hate me?"

The only thing her disgruntled question earned her were some disapproving looks from a few passing strangers as she got to her feet and walked to the guild.

As she walked a faint sparkle appeared in the air around her but she paid it no mind, too caught up in her misery to notice fairy lights dancing around the guild courtyard.

What did catch her attention, though, was the light golden brown retriever sitting in front of the guild doors. It's hair was cut and curled, giving it the look of a show dog while around it's neck a bright red bow stood out with a small white note hanging from it.

Wendy scowled. "Kuma, why did you take the package?"

Kuma didn't shift, growl, huff or roll her eyes as she normally would. Instead, she seemed to be grinning as she tilted her head, throwing more light on the note. Wendy got the idea and went to kneel down, only she discovered her clothes had changed without her knowledge.

Compared to the pair of shorts and t-shirt she was wearing earlier that day, she wore a floor-length periwinkle dress that sparkled in the fairy lights. She pulled up the dress and saw slippers on her feet that matched the color of the dress. Twirling around she took note of the spaghetti straps and the white gloves that seemed to be growing along her arms even as she watched. Then she noticed the sparkles floating around her. The sparkles gathered along her arms, creating the gloves, and she felt her hair fall when the hair tie disappeared.

When the gloves stopped forming she turned back to Kuma. "Kuma, what's going on?"

In answer all she did was tilt her head again, bringing Wendy's attention back to the piece of paper. Wendy knelt down, careful not to rip the dress and pulled the ribbon off of the shifter. Kuma shook her head and sighed in relief, causing Wendy to smile as she unrolled the piece of paper.

Wends,

The gift best given is the one unknown, so I asked for a little help to make tonight special.

I didn't forget.

The note wasn't signed, but Wendy knew who wrote it as only Romeo called her by that nickname. She rolled the paper up and climbed to her feet, her attention going to where Kuma still sat in front of the door.

"You knew, didn't you?"

Kuma nodded in reply to her question and her form started to change. The hair grew shorter, her back legs grew longer and her front legs grew shorter and turned into arms and hands. Where normally her hair would fall to her shoulders, it was now curled and tied into a braid down her back.

"He came into the guild a week ago while you were out on a mission with fire breather and Lucy, and asked for mine and Mira's help. Mira and Carla were the ones that did all the planning, my job was just to keep you occupied until it was time."

Wendy was boyfriend, who she thought had forgotten tonight, had been planning this all week. Not only that, but he had even managed to get Kuma included, a feat not easily managed unless said shifter wanted to be a part of something.

"Would you like to see what he's done?" Kuma's quiet question drew Wendy out of her thoughts and she nodded.

Kuma grinned in return and pushed the doors open, revealing a grand hall brightly lit by fairy lights. Tied to the second floor balcony blue and white streamers stretched across the building, some even winding around the rafters, as they dangled around the temporary chandelier.

One table sat in the middle of the floor, covered in a white tablecloth with a blue edge hovering just above the floor. On opposite sides of the table a chair sat pushed in, and on top of the table a single blue rose, in full bloom, sat next to a candle lit with a rainbow flame.

Then Wendy's gaze went to a figure in a dazzling blue tuxedo standing next to the table, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair was trimmed only a small amount but kept in it's usual spiky mess. He had changed much since they were little. He no longer tried to look like Natsu, though he was still just as destructive and tended to lose half of the reward for their missions more often than not. He was taller, maybe a few inches shorter than Gray now, and just as muscled as Natsu.

When his eyes met Wendy's he smiled tentatively. "Wow, Wends, you look beyond gorgeous."

Wendy giggled and walking closer, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a chaste kiss.

"Happy anniversary, Romeo."

He smiled and kissed her back before replying.

"Happy anniversary, Wendy."

Romeo led Wendy to the table and pulled out her chair, waiting long enough for her to sit before taking his own seat across from her. When Mira, followed by Happy and Carla, walked up to the table Wendy had to do a double take as Carla and Happy set out two glasses and a bottle of red wine.

When the Exceeds moved away Mira stepped forward and, with a flourish, set a plate in front of Romeo and another plate in front of Wendy. When the slayer took a breath her eyes went wide and her mouth started to water. Then she looked at her boyfriend.

"Romeo, is that…"

"Soba-noodle salad, just the way you like it," he finished and waited for her to take a bite before he started eating as well.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head at how delicious the food was, but her mind wasn't blown until Mira and the Exceeds brought out dessert—a funnel cake at least a foot tall and covered in powdered sugar.

Romeo pulled a piece of the sticky treat off of the pile and reached toward Wendy, allowing her to take the first bite. She hummed in delight and pulled a piece off for him so he could try it for himself.

They slowly made their way through the mountain, and about half way through Wendy licked her fingers clean and looked at Romeo.

"How exactly did you manage all of this without me knowing? And how did you get Kuma to play ball?"

Romeo chuckled and popped another piece of the fried cake into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before answering.

"To answer your first question, after the fiasco with your birthday I knew I needed professional help. So, while you went with Natsu and Lucy on that mission last week, I asked Mira if she could help me set it up. Carla had just gotten back from visiting the Exceed village and offered to help after overhearing our conversation . As for your second question," he shrugged, "I needed someone to keep you occupied while Mira had people running around getting things done and since you're the closest one to her I thought it might work out."

Wendy narrowed her eyes, already picking up on the information he left out. "What did you bribe her with?"

Romeo grimaced and instead asked, "Did you know that she's a very good haggler when it comes to the amount of jerky she's owed?"

The question was so out of the blue and so well matched with the shifter's personality that Wendy could do nothing but laugh and nod. Finally, when the slayer couldn't seem to get enough air in her lungs, her laughing slowed to just a couple of giggles then stopped completely.

She shook her head in amusement. "I should've warned you, she's crazy when it comes to her jerky, but still I love everything you've done, it's absolutely amazing."

He nodded in agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence as they finished the rest of the funnel cake. When Mira took the tray away she set two wrapped boxes down in it's place.

One box was about three inches wide on all four sides and about a foot long, while the other was Wendy's gift to Romeo. Wendy's box was wrapped with a flame pattern wrapping paper while Romeo's gift to Wendy was wrapped with a sky blue paper decorated with white fluffy clouds.

Wendy picked up her gift first and handed it to him, curious as to what his reaction would be to the earring. She watched with bated breath as he slowly pulled the paper away and opened the box. Then his face lit up with joy and he looked up at her, his grin appearing.

"Thank you, Wends, I love it."

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It was the least I could do after what Gajeel did, but I chose that stone because of what it means."

He arched an eyebrow and she repeated what she had said to Kuma earlier that day. When she finished he handed her her gift and waited while she unwrapped it just as slowly and deliberately as he had done. She opened the box and, for a moment, forgot how to breath.

Because nestled in the velvet lined box was a gleaming silver bracelet shaped almost exactly like a dragon. This type of bracelet was made to wrap up the forearm, with the dragon's head resting on the back of the hand. The wings wrapped around the belly of the forearm, not quite touching but close to it, while the tail stopped just below the crook of the elbow. The eye of the dragon was made of blue topaz and seemed to almost be alive as the light hit it.

"What do you think?"

She looked up from admiring the dragon to see Romeo watching her intently and smiled.

"It looks almost exactly like Grandine, how did you do it?"

He smiled in return and walked over to her, grabbing the bracelet from the velvet so he could put it on her.

"I had Levy and Lucy question Gajeel and Natsu on how their dragons looked, then took that information and what you had told me about her to Reedus. He drew up a picture of it and we had Gajeel find the best quality silver this side of Crocus to make it. The only thing we couldn't get was the stone so we had to go to a jeweler to find the best…"

He stopped when Wendy hugged him a little too tight and he tapped her on her shoulder so she could ease up enough for him breathe.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, I love it."

Finally, she let him go enough for him to stand up and he grinned when he took in the sight of the jewelry wrapped around her left wrist.

"There's just one more surprise for tonight,"

At his declaration she looked at him in confusion and he pulled her out of her seat and out the back door of the guild hall.

Romeo pulled her into the backyard and toward a large blanket spread on the ground. He sat down first and she followed his lead, leaning into him when he wrapped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her closer.

Then he pointed out across the water and she saw an ice floe sitting out there. Just as her eyes started to pick out the signs of people on the ice a large bright red flare rose into the sky, drawing her attention.

The flare soon reached the top of it's arc and just as it was about to fall it exploded into a burst of blues and whites. Another one followed soon after, then another, and another until the sky was full of different colored sparks dancing with the wind as they faded.

A set of multiple flares went off at once, and when they reached the peak of their arcs, exploded and spelled out Happy Anniversary, Wendy! in bright gold.

Wendy sighed and looked up at her boyfriend. "Thank you, Romeo, this was definitely not a date to be forgotten. I love you."

Romeo smiled softly in return. "You're right, this was most certainly a date not to be forgotten, Wends. I love you."


So Happy Birthday to me, but that's not as important as what did you think? For those of you who follow Shifter, did you think Kuma was capable of something like that?

For my first RoWen did I do okay?

While this may only be a one shot I hope y'all will fave and follow to know when I drop more stories or chapters. So until next time for those who follow my other stories and for the new people who are just now finding my stories, I hope to see you next time.

Grizzly out for the night.