Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, the Naruto Themes, or the Dungeon and Dragons Themes and characters input into story
WARNING: TO UNDERSTAND THIS STORY YOU SHOULD AT LEAST READ THE FIRST EIGHT CHAPTERS OF ROMEO RISING MY OTHER STORY FOR THIS IS AN ALTERNATE PATH TAKEN AT CHAPTER EIGHT. BUT IN CASE YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT; A SHORT RECAP HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR YOU.
Author's Notes: Did you know that a lot of Fairy Tail that involve Lucy leaving the Guild? If not her it's another one of the Tenrou Group. And yet there only one for Romeo and that by RainbowFire03 called Guild Crimson Phoenix when he leaves to form his own guild, it actually in my opinion a good story. But why only one, I believe Romeo a great character to write a story about him going off on his own journey and becoming stronger.
So here my story. Also I like to thank secretagent1 and Grim Shinigami for the reviews and Aquacharles and Lollipoplozzy for the follows. Just so you know this was the original story I wanted to do for Romeo Rising, but I fear it would have took too long to get to the Grand Magic Games if I did it like that. Also I'm still working on Chaos Wheel and Romeo Rising too. Enjoy, Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.
You should read my other story: Romeo Conbolt: Fiery Hurricane of Love.
Chapter 1
Leaving Home
RECAP
Romeo and the others received the news about Tenrou and the young child runs into the woods in a fit of grief and sadness. While there he was chase by a sinister figure into a cave where Acnologia was resting in preparation for him destroying Magnolia the following day as a warning to anyone who would dare defy him. The shadowy figure sealed Acnologia inside Romeo and upon them initial meeting with one another within Romeo's mind, Acnologia decided to train the boy in hopes of bettering his chances of not dying before the Dragon King discovers a way to break free from his imprisonment.
Over the next seven years, Romeo trains in secret at mastering his Dragon-slayer abilities given to him by Acnologia, who unlike what most people believe, is a actual full-blooded dragon. He only took on the human form during the Dragon Civil War, (which is public knowledge, but no dragons have appeared in the majority of Earthland in four hundred years due to it being in Acnologia's territory. Dragons still exist throughout the rest of the world though.)
The Tenrou group returns and Romeo and Wendy start to become close friends even though Romeo must keep his status as a dragon-slayer a secret from her as well as everyone else. Romeo tags along with Team Natsu to the Balsamico Palace for the mission to capture the criminal, Velveno. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse and Romeo loses himself to anger and ends up killing the Magic Drain mage, earning him the gratitude of Count Balsamico, but also earning the him the wrath of Aceto, who has sworn vengeance. Also when confronted by Erza for his extreme measures, Romeo snaps at her and reminds her that she is not the Guild Master and therefore has no say in how he complete his jobs.
Later on while at the guild hall waiting for Master Makarov to arrive to discuss what happened, Romeo starts an argument with the Tenrou group, blasting them on how thanks to their recklessness in the years before Tenrou, Fairy Tail went bankrupt trying to pay all the damages they cause. Without Master Makarov around to stave off the Magic Council, the once proud guild was reduced to shadow of it former self. A fight happens between Gajeel and Romeo which ends in Master Makarov stopping both of them with his Titan Magic. After hearing Erza's report of what happen on the dance mission, Master Makarov puts Romeo on suspension, banning him from taking any jobs until told otherwise. In anger Romeo snaps at Wendy who was trying to fix him up after the fight and runs off into the woods .
There he is attacked by three servants of Cinolth, one of Acnologia's many enemies. After dispatching of them, Romeo is informed that more will come for him now that they have the idea that Romeo may know where Acnologia has "disappear" to. In an effort to protect his family and friends, Romeo makes the decision to leave home.
RECAP END
An almost empty house greeted him upon his arrival. A house where just him and his dad lived. Romeo never knew his mother, she left while when he was almost three years old. His dad never talks about her either, and Uncle Wakaba never mention her. The guild never talked about her either, no one in town did. And the one time he brought up the subject with his dad on his sixth birthday, was also the maddest he ever seen him.
"Don't ever bring her up again Romeo! She gone, she left us, end of story!", he remembers him yelling. But enough about that, time wasn't on his side tonight.
As he sneaks into his own house he notice upon entering the living room that dinner has been prepare by his father who was sleeping at the other end of the small table. In front of him was a plate of food untouched. On the opposite side of the table was another plate, no doubt for him, also untouched.
"It seems your father wanted to have a word with you over dinner little vermin, cause it's rare for him to make dinner unless he wants to talk to you", Acnologia said.
Romeo said nothing as a cold chill blew thru the window. He was so busy thinking about everything that has happen that he didn't even feel the cold air while running thru Magnolia. He sees his dad shivers under the cold breeze. He goes to the hall closet to grab a blanket and drapes it over his dad before moving to pack his things.
"Hey Acno", Romeo asks.
"What is it?"
"Are you absolutely sure that your enemies will only come after me and not Magnolia or Fairy Tail?", Romeo asks.
"Let me ask you a question, little vermin. If a dragon lord was to destroy an entire town, don't you think that would attract a lot of attention from humans and other dragon lords?", Acnologia ask.
"I guess it would, but you destroy Tenrou Island and nothing happen to you", Romeo answer.
"First of all, Tenrou Island fell within my territory; I do as I please in my own territory. Second of all, I'm assuming since your pathetic country hasn't really made a stink over it in the past seven years that either Tenrou Island didn't fall under it authority, or maybe 21 people just wasn't enough dead bodies to make a fuss over, I don't know".
"Those are my friends you're talking about there", Romeo said getting angry at the fact that Acnologia just wrote his Guild members off as mere numbers.
"Oh I'm sorry, do you mean the same friends who have for the most part have completely ignore you since they've gotten back? Or do you mean the same friends who let the Requip Vermin try and stop you from getting your payment while they did nothing. They let her pull a sword out on you while once again doing nothing, and finally the fact that no one came to your defense when the Titan Vermin announce your "unfair" punishment, not even your Dad, your Natsu-nii, or your precious Wind-vermin".
Romeo had nothing to counter these facts, so he just kept his mouth shut.
"Now as I was saying before I was interrupt, I was entrapped in an annoying six year old body within a week of destroying Tenrou, so even if someone wanted to try and retaliate against me, they couldn't".
"So getting to my original question, are you sure that no harm will come to Magnolia or the guild if I were to leave?", Romeo ask.
"A smart dragon lord uses their operatives in secret. A stupid dragon lord who uses their operatives in the open tend to not survive long", Acnologia answers, "Where you go, the agents will follow, once they see that you're no longer here they'll move on, Beside it probably best that you leave this place anyway, it not like you got anyone here who going to miss you".
"Okay hold up. If all this is true, then how come Natsu, Gajeel or even Wendy never had agents come after them?", Romeo asks.
"Oh geez I don't know.", Acnologia said his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Maybe because Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandeeney weren't known to really take territory, maybe it because they remain neutral in most dragon's conflicts, or maybe, now this is just a theory of mine, they weren't rare dangerous dragons who became stronger every time they ate a soul thus making them pretty much a major threat to all the other dragon lords' power! I'm just saying".
"Gods fine, didn't have to scream", Romeo said.
Romeo continues to pack, choosing only the most essential items. While he was getting some food out of the kitchen to take with him, something reflected the moonlight off into his eyes. He looks over and notices a picture frame in the living room. Moving over to it while walking past his dad who was still asleep, Romeo picks it up and gives it a closer look.
It show a purple hair woman sitting down in a chair smiling while holding a few months old baby Romeo wrapped in a blanket while sleeping. Behind her was his father with a hand on her shoulder smiling while giving thumbs up sign. Off in the corner of the photo the following words were written:
To my wife, my sunshine, Enno and my son, my little fire-starter, Romeo who have both brought such happiness into my life.
Fire-starter, Romeo remembered when his dad uses to call him that when he was younger, nowadays not so much.
Romeo looks around and looks at the other pictures that decorated the living room.
There was a picture of a six year old Romeo blushing while handing a flower to Lindsay Mine, Wakaba's daughter. This was taken before Wendy and Carla showed up, and Romeo had a little crush on Lindsay. Of course they started drifting apart some time after Romeo joined Fairy Tail as a mage, and Romeo crush for her faded long before that.
There was another picture of Romeo and the remaining guild members at Alzack and Bisca's wedding, probably one of the few happy moments the Guild had after Tenrou.
And finally there was a picture that made Romeo's eyes go wide and jaw drop, not because of the content of the picture, which was Romeo dancing with Wendy at the Guild Hall Dance before the Balsamico Palace mission, but because he was wondering when someone had time to take a picture of that. And he was also wondering when did they have did have time to develop it. Mira and her devious ways.
Romeo had to stop looking at all the picture due to fact that they were bringing up too many memories, the good and the bad, and it was making him feel even worse about leaving.
He looks down at the picture in his hand and realize its the only picture left that has his mom in it. Over the years dad just kept getting rid of them, until only this one and a smaller version of it he kept with him remain. Romeo takes the photo out of it frame and puts it in his bag. He takes one final look at his father sleeping at the table, and decides he just can't leave like this. He walks over to a drawer, puts out some pen and paper and writes his farewell letter:
Dad,
If your reading this, then it mean I'm already gone.
Let me first start out by saying that you are not to blame for me leaving.
I feel that as long as I stay with Fairy Tail, everyone will continue to look down on me as the guild's baby boy and not see me as the full-fledge mage that I really am.
I'm going on my own journey for my own reasons, one of them being so that I'll become stronger.
You may not have always been Father of the Year, but I still love you and always will, and hopefully one day I'll get the chance to explain everything to you, all the secrets I been hiding, and all the lies I been telling you. I have started my journey down a difficult road, and I can only pray that it will bring me back to you and Fairy Tail once again someday, but until that day
Goodbye Dad,
Love Your Son, Your Little Fire-starter, Romeo.
P.S.
If you could do me one last favor and tell Wendy I'm really sorry about yelling at her, I would very much appreciate it.
Romeo puts the letter next to his dad's head, gives him one last soft hug, and walks out the door, leaving the house once again with a single occupant who was still sleeping at the table. If Romeo had stay just a moment longer he would have heard his dad say while talking in his sleep in a grave voice:
"Enno, What are you doing to our son?".
On the streets of Magnolia
As Romeo walk down the streets of Magnolia, he failed to notice two figures standing on top of the Cathedral looking down at him as he walk away.
"Are we just going to let him go like this old man?", the taller of the duo said.
"Romeo is walking down his own path, a path that he chosen", Master Makarov said, "To interfere with it would go against the very nature of freedom that Fairy Tail stands for, Gildarts".
"But he's so young", Gildarts protest.
"Oh? And how young was Natsu when he left on his quests to find Igneel?", Makarov ask.
"True, but he could potentially become another Dark Mage like your son Ivan, with vengeance against Fairy Tail", Gildarts said.
"That is a possibility, one I hope doesn't come to pass, for if it does, no matter who wins everyone will lose", Makarov said as he continues to watch his second-youngest brat begin his difficult journey with a sad look in his eye.
"Good luck Romeo, you'll need it in this world".
Near the Edge of Magnolia
Romeo walking in the woods near Fairy Hill (I'm assuming Fairy Hill is on the outskirts of town, I haven't seen the OVA yet, forgive me if this is wrong), as he gets to the top of the hill he takes one last look at the place where he grew up at, cause who knows how long it will be before he'll get to see it again, if he'll ever get to see it again.
Meanwhile in a certain Sky-Slayer room, a blue-haired girl is looking out the window looking at Magnolia, more specially a certain house where a certain purple-hair mage lived. Due to the wind blowing toward the city, she is unable to pick up the scent of the very person she thinking about, even though he only a good a hundred feet away. She sighs while looking out, which unfortunately caught the attention of a certain white Exceed.
"Honestly are you mopping around again?!", Carla ask, "Stop thinking about that useless troublemaker fire mage, he a bad influence".
"But, he one of the only few who acknowledge both my combat skills and my medical skills", Wendy whined while turning around to look at Carla.
"If he acknowledges them so much, then why did he snap at you while you were trying to use them to heal him after his pointless fight?", Carla asks with her arms crossed. Wendy hesitates to answer for a moment before finally talking.
"He was just in a bad mood after everything that happen to him up to that point", Wendy said, "From the Palace to Ezra's attitude, to Gajeel demeaning him, and finally the Master banning him from missions".
"And it a good thing too", Carla said, "Someone with such a quick temper like his doesn't need to be going out on missions".
"But not even Romeo deserves that to happen to him. Sure he started the fight with Gajeel-" Wendy started to say.
"Lost the fight to Gajeel", Carla corrected her. Wendy looks at her with a confused look on her face.
"Actually Gajeel only got two hits in while Romeo got three in himself", Wendy said.
"Only because he sucker slap the first one", Carla said.
"Okay, taking that away it was a draw then".
"I have no doubt that Gajeel was holding back on him".
"Yet that still doesn't cover the fact that Romeo was able to get some hits in on him and evade most of his attacks", Wendy said while defending her friend. Carla was at a loss for words after that statement.
"Never mind that", she says while shaking her head, "The fact remains that he still started it, and he still took his anger out on you when things went bad for him, honestly I don't know what you see in him".
Wendy started to blush for a moment after that before speaking again.
"Romeo inspires me, the fact that he had the guts to stand up to not only Gajeel, but Ezra as well is nothing short of courageous", Wendy said.
"Yeah courageously stupid", Carla said. Ignoring that remark, Wendy continued to speak.
"I wish I could be as brave as him sometimes, able to look my enemies in the eyes, and not show a hint of fear", Wendy said.
"You have", Carla said, "You have fought strong opponents before in the past and came out on top".
"Sometimes I believe it just because I have a strong, rare type of magic, while Romeo took on the likes of Velveno and Gajeel with just common fire magic", Wendy said. The room was filled with silence for a moment as the words sunk in to Carla.
"You think its just because you have Dragon-Slayer magic and a healing ability that your an asset to Team Natsu, don't you?", Carla asks.
"Sometimes I feel the only reason they bring me along is because I'm like a mobile healer or something", Wendy said in a sad tone, "Romeo is one of the only few people who see me as a person and a fighter".
Carla remains silence.
"I should apologize to him", Wendy started to say, "With the way I been acting since Balsamico and the way I ran off after he yelled at me, even more so with the fact that Elfman told me that Romeo did try to apologize to me as I ran off". Carla switches back to guardian mode at this moment.
"You don't own him nothing", she says. Once again Wendy completely ignores her.
"Yes, I apologize first thing in the morning, and nothing will stop me", as her face takes on a determine look, and she pumps her fist. Carla sees there no getting thru to her at this point, and face palm.
"Fine, but I want to be there when you do", she says.
That catches Wendy's attention.
"Noooo!" she yells, "Please Carla I have to do this myself!".
"What?! Why?!"
"I just do, so please let me do this alone! I'm begging you!" Wendy yells, "Please! Please! Please!", she begged.
"Alright, alright fine, I won't intrude on you two", Carla said as she finally cave in. Wendy scoops up Carla in her arms at this point, and hugs her fiercely.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!", she says.
"Alright let me go, Gods!", as Carla break free of her arms prison, and Wendy goes back to looking out the window, her thoughts now focus on what she going to tell Romeo in the morning.
While off to the side of Fairy Hill hidden within the woods, Romeo been going thru all the memories he had while living at Magnolia. Finally unable to hold back anymore, the tears start to pour from his eyes falling to the ground, as he says two words before disappearing into the night.
"Goodbye everyone", and just like that he faded into the shadows of the forest.
Wendy with her enhance Dragon-Slayer senses, hears something off to the side of the house. She walks to the other window that points out that way and looks outside. She sees no one, but her Dragon-Slayer sight picks up droplets falling off some of the tall plants within the woods. With a confuses look on her face she looks up at the sky, which was a little cloudy that night.
"Was it raining?" she asks herself before deciding it was nothing and turn in for the night.
Unfortunately for her and some of the other Fairy Tail members, it would indeed be raining tomorrow. In fact it would be pouring.
Author's Note: I think it pretty safe to say Wendy not going to have a great day tomorrow morning. I still deciding whether or not I should put that part in the story, or leave it out for later. Anyway, the story had to begin on a sad note, I'm sorry if some of you don't like the fact that this is how the first chapter starts. Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.