Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.
I do own Nova Scarlet, Kaki Dragneel and the idea for the fic though.
Dad's friend.
(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)
Hello again, in case you might have forgotten, my name is Nova Scarlet.
Now I'm eighteen years old, I live on my own at Fairy Hills and I'm an S-class mage like my mother. Pretty amazing, huh? I believe so as well, the accomplishments that I got during the last three years were enough to make me the main topic of every talk in the Kingdom; not that I care about it too much as before but is nice to see that one of my childhood goals was fulfill perfectly.
I want to say thanks to all those that help me and are still helping me in my way to become an excellent mage, like my mom, grandpa Gildartz, Lucy-nee, uncle Gray and my special friend; the one that guards my back in all my missions and came to my rescue every time that my friends and I were in trouble.
Though, I would like to find him first to tell him, I haven't seen him since the guild was attack a year ago by some dark guilds. We were losing and since mom, Gray, Lucy and the other veterans were out for their jobs we had to fend off the attackers by ourselves with just Master to help us; whom couldn't be in all places at once to protect us.
My team and I were going to support a group of younger members near the cathedral when we were ambushed and surrounded by a group of strong mages from the other guilds. We fought bravely and to the last one of us standing but the difference in power was too much, each of us falling to the wizards tricks until there was just me and them; and just when I was about to be terminated was when he appeared. Hitting effortlessly one of the mages that cause me the most trouble and taking care of the others with the same ease while I looked in admiration and shock at the display of power before me.
He wasn't just a mage and stalker but an elite and skilled fighter too.
Finishing off the one that was going to kill me with hard kick that sent him crashing against a building top floor, he turned around with a relief expression at seen me alive and disappointed with himself for not getting there earlier, he seemed truly worried for my well-being; even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. I smiled sheepishly at him while trying to stand up from my position against a wall but he stopped me from it before I could even see him moving, a hand on my shoulder and a serious look in his eyes. "You're wounded badly, don't move…"
"This is nothing…" I said with some pride in my voice, the hint that I was in pain didn't escape his ears… or eyes. He shook his head tiredly at my words before going to tend to my wounds.
"Don't be so proud, Nova, you could have died if I hadn't appeared on the right moment…"
"But you did… as always…" I said softly while smiling gratefully at him. His eyes stared at my face for a few seconds with an unreadable before returning to my wounds.
"You have matured, now you really look like your mother…" He said nostalgically, making me frown at the words. All these years and achievements and he still said that I looked like my mom in everything. It annoyed me somehow and made me want to hit him on the head but I knew from the scene of a few minutes ago that it would be dangerous to have him mad at me.
"I'm Nova," I said with some bitterness. "Not my mom, you know?"
"Oh, I know, but it's just that you remind me a lot to her when she was younger…" He said honestly before ending with my legs and turning to look at my arms and chest, his eyes widening with serious surprise. "Wow! You really look like her in 'every' way!"
"What do you mean?" I asked before looking at where his eyes were staring, a furious blush settling over my features before I slapped him hard on the cheek with one of my steel-gloved hands. Yes, I was using my mom's old armors, but not because she didn't wanted to buy new ones, hers were still intact and ready to use like new ones so I used them to not throw them away. The feeling of this armor's countless battles encouraging me to not lose even once… even if I just did. "Continue with my wounds please…"
"S-sorry…" He said shakily while rubbing his cheek through the mask that covered his face. "Hear me, Nova, when someone says that you look like your mother; it doesn't mean that she's better than you or anything of the sort, they're just complimenting you…"
"They should be saying that I'm strong instead of saying that…" He bitted back a laugh at my childish statement, making me blush and turned to look the other way.
"That way they'll just make you an arrogant and spoiled woman, they're trying to keep you innocent and honest; and for what I see, they've succeeded…" He said before standing up, the work with my wounds over. I check my body and found it to be mostly covered in bandages, every cut sealed and my legs and arms feeling like they hadn't been hit hardly and mercilessly. Standing up, I saw him heading way down the street to the forest; I ran to him before he went further away and hugged him from behind, my move surprising him if the exclamation of my name out loud meant anything. "Nova… what's wrong?"
"Don't go again… Stay with me, in Fairy Tail…" I said with a hint of cracking down in tears, making him turned around to hug me back before I could notice it.
"I'm sorry, Nova, but I can't." He said, sorrow in every word. "I left the guild for personal motives with everyone that cannot be reconciled from just leaving for a decade and coming back to save you and your friends…"
"B-but…!" I was going to try and convince him but the sound of his voice cracking down as mine stopped me.
"Nova! Understand me as I understand you, please, I cannot go back…" I heard him say regretfully before releasing me and walking away, though I didn't stop hugging him; so he was walking forcefully while dragging me around. "Let go of me!"
"No! Stay!" I said stubbornly before seeing him stop and turned around in my arms, his eyes showing a mysterious and dangerous glint in them. I felt a dreadful felling at the pit of my stomach, something that told me he was going to do something that would surely make me release him. "W-why are you looking me that way? What are you going to do?"
"Last chance, Nova; release me." I shook my head furiously before seeing him raise his arms while moving his fingers. "You ask for it."
Oh god.
I'm not going to enter into detail so; I'll just say it like it was.
He tickled me. He tickled me hard and fast.
I've never felt so vulnerable in my short life.
I release him and sat on the floor while hugging myself, the feeling of his fingers touching my sides still present in my body; my jaw ached terribly and my eyes were teary, I was completely defeated… by his tickling. I heard him laugh amused at my reaction and turned around to leave; his last words surprising me a little.
"Truly, like mother like daughter…"
And that was it; I haven't seen him since then not even on the clearing that we share on weekends to talk about my life and my father's history. Strange, right? Maybe he went to look for a job or a way to comply to my proposal… though the last one seems less likely.
So here I was, sitting on the guild's bar with Mira-nee chattering away with one of the new girls about the boys; a conversation that didn't interest me in the slightest. None of the boys called my attention; they were all so childish that I always ignored them in an attempt to avoid the stupidity rubbing on me, and besides, I already had someone in which I was interested… even if that kind of love was one sided.
I sighed nostalgically, calling Mira's attention towards me and to make talk to me. "What's wrong Nova-chan?"
"Nothing." I said quickly, avoiding her inquisitive eyes.
"You know you can trust me, so tell me, please?" She said with a small pout, almost; almost, making me crack a smile at her action. I shook my head respectfully before standing up and going to the main door, planning on check if he was in the forest. My head swirled with thoughts about what I could say if I happened to find him in there, but my head hitting against something soft and warm made me looked up to see what was getting in my way. My eyes widened in surprise at what I saw, he was here! In Fairy Tail!
"You're back!" I said while hugging him tightly, much to his surprise and to the surprise of everyone.
"Y-yeah, I am." I heard him said nervously, even I could feel the deadly glare that the older members were sending him but I didn't mind. Not even when my mom came walking quickly to separate me from his side, her voice dangerously low and threatening when asking him why he was there and why was I hugging him. He looked at her sadly before ignoring her second question and answering her first; steeping to a side and showing everyone the reason of why he was there in the first place, a young boy was standing nervously behind him, looking down with an embarrass look on his face. He had blue eyes and dark hair, a small tribal tattoo encircling his neck; dress with a light blue t-shirt and light brown cargo pants with white sandals. "I just came to show Master this boy I found, he knows of my coming and he agreed to meet with me."
My mother looked outrage, like she wanted to kill him on the spot before even letting him step further into the guild but she complied when Master himself called out to her from the second floor to let him pass with the boy. She stepped aside and let him walk to the second floor, following with her eyes until he was out of her sight before turning her eyes to me. I flinched at her hard and enraged eyes. "Why were you hugging him?"
"It's none of your business." I said stoically, to what she slapped across the face, much to everyone's shock. I was shocked too, never in my life mother got mad at me so much as to slap me in the face. I bit my lip to avoid letting my eyes water and looked back at her still expecting eyes.
"So? Tell me." I heard her say harshly, not hearing the voices of some of her friends to stop and calm down before continuing. I heard them, but paid little attention to them, she wanted an answer and she would get one.
"If you are so eager to know, fine! He's an old friend of dad, and beside you and the others in here, he did tell me what he knew about him; that's why I hugged him!" I said, my face matching hers in anger before stomping out of the guild; shocking her and the others.
The nerve of her! Slapping me on my face just because I went and seek answers about my father's life? When did she think that slapping me was a good way to get an answer? Whatever, I didn't care anymore; I went to the only place where I knew that my anger would settle down.
I walked to the forest.
Getting out of the office with the kid on toe and with good news for him, I went to the main hall of the guild were everyone of my old friends were still glaring daggers at me; it hurt me to see them like this but there was nothing I could do to remediate it. What was done was done. I went to the bar counter and nodded at Mira, getting just a frown from her before she turned to look at the boy beside me. "What can I do for you?"
"I was told by Master to ask you for my guild mark!" I heard him say enthusiastically to my old friend, she smiled at him and looked for the stamp under the bar, taking that as my signal, I kneeled down facing the boy; turning to look at me with question in his eyes at my action. "It's time for me to go, Kaki…"
"Eh? Why?" I heard him say with some fear in his voice. I lowered my mask and smiled reassuringly to him.
"I cannot be in here, sorry, but I'll be always for you when you need me, okay?" I winked at him; making him remember about the talk we had during our travel together about how to contact me. He smiled sadly while jumping to give me a strong hug, his body trembling because of my parting. "Take care of yourself and make our father proud…"
I stood up to look at him, nodding seriously and receiving a nod from him before walking out the guild while putting my mask back in place. Ignoring the glares and comments that were sent in my direction, which I expected to receive for what I did; but I didn't expect her to get in the middle of my way with a sword in hand. "What did you tell her?"
I frowned at her question; ignoring it and trying to walk past her to just have in front of me again; with the sword pointed at my throat. She repeated the question and my frown deepened, growling at her to move away before making me do something that I would regret later. "Move away."
"Not until I get my answer." God, I forgot how stubborn she could be at times. I grabbed the sword that she was starting to press it harder against my throat and I ignited my hand; shocking her with my move and how the weapon melted like ice under my touch.
"The truth." I said holding back my anger while walking away from the place, not bothering to ask her why I haven't seen her after I got out of the office or why her hand smelled like her, fully knowing the answer.
"Where are you going?" I heard her say. I just turned my head to look over my shoulder, my eyes giving away the nostalgia that I felt every time I remembered the place.
"To sit under a lonely tree."
A few minutes later…
I walked along with her through the whole way, an uncomfortable aura settling between us that was almost palpable and the feeling that she was pointing swords at my back. Wait. I looked back, empty, nothing, safe; I sighed reassure but meet with her questioning look at my action before frowning and continuing down the road with me doing the exact same.
'God, I know you hate me but cannot you make easy for me once a while?' I thought sarcastically while narrowing my eyes at the feeling that was behind my back again. This time I didn't bother to look back, I just look at her from the corner of my eyes with an I-know-what-you're-doing look; to which she smirked evilly, it seemed like god really hated me. Looking ahead though, I realize that we were close to the place, as I was there most the time and the scent of Nova was coming from there. "She's there."
"Good, I'll talk first." I turned to her with an incredulous look.
"Pardon me, but since when are you willing to talk?" She shot me another glare at my smart remark, good, I annoyed her; mission successful. We got closer to the place, the all-too-familiar clearing and tree entering our line of vision; I turned to the woman beside me and looked at her expression.
Stoic.
As always.
We stopped behind one of the trees, looking if she was indeed there and then we saw her; my heart almost broke to pieces, she was crying and mothering my name to the tree as if he could give her answers. I saw my partner at my side and she had the same heart-broken expression that was surely on my face… if she could see my face, that's it. "Forget about going alone, I'm coming too."
She looked at me for a moment before nodding, not wanting to waste her time over something so trivial; so we stepped into the clearing, alerting her with our steps on the grass. She looked up, letting us see her tearful face and blushed cheeks, her hair a mess, her eyes so red that could almost be passed out as it natural color. I bit my lip from barking at the woman beside me and got closer to the child with her on toe, kneeling at her side and caressing her mess up hair.
"Why are you crying alone, Nova?" I asked tenderly, earning an unreadable look from my partner before getting an answer from the girl.
"For everything! Father is gone, Mother doesn't tell me a thing about him and you don't want to be with me!" Okay. That was terribly unexpected and the woman's look; that was sitting at the other side of the girl, could tell me that she was as shocked as me. I panicked lightly before inhaling some air to calm myself down, I needed to explain this well or I would fuck up the relationship that I had with the girl seriously.
"Nova, I cannot return back the feelings that you have for me; at least, not in that way."
"Why not?" She asked while chocking back sobs and looking at my with a look so sad that almost made me lose my determination. I looked at her seriously; the most I could, and lowered my mask with a hand while taking my bandana with the other one, showing her my face and long spiky pink hair.
"Because I already love your mother, Nova." I said honestly, my eyes going to look at the shocked woman kneeling at the other side of the girl; whom looked back and forth between us before jumping to bear hug me with such strength that I swear that I felt my eyes popping out of its sockets. But the hug strength didn't last long and as I feared, the crying came back, my clothes dampening with her tears and crossing the fabric until it touched my bare chest.
"Nova…" I said sadly to her while hugging her with one arm and caressing her hair again with the other, calming the girl with my gentle touch before moving to see her face; a weak smile on her face red for crying. The view felt like a hundred daggers to my heart and the question appeared on my head, how many times did she cry like this for not having her dad around? How many times did she… "Augh!"
I was punched in the face! In the face, dammit! Rubbing the hurt spot I looked up to see her staring down at me with an angry look; her leg rising slowly before she started to stomp my body on the ground. "Why didn't you tell me earlier! ?"
"Ouf! Nova! Augh! Under-god!-stand! Stop! Please!" I begged to her while trying to cover my most sensitive spot between my legs.
"Understand what! ?" She screamed while stopping the kicks, letting me take a look of her now tearful eyes again. "That you left to fight against the Council, leaving my mom alone with me! ?"
"Y-yes, Nova, I did it because there was something important to take care of!" I said defensively, my hands not moving from the places that they were protecting just in case she did hit them.
"So I wasn't important to you then! ?" She screamed to me, tears falling from her eyes again. I snapped. Letting out my magic power out, I pressure her until she was on the ground and I was standing, my eyes dangerously glaring at her shocked face.
"Never; never, say something like that again!" I screamed before stopping and getting my magic pressure back into control, my face softening and letting a carefree smile take over my features. "You were, are, and will be the most important thing for me; even more than your mother."
"Natsu…" I heard the mentioned woman said dangerously to me while stepping close to us and standing next to the girl that was still looking at me, but now with a happy smile. I smiled sheepishly at the two while scratching the back of my head, I kneeled in front of the girl and put my hand over her hair, messing it up a little more; much to her annoyance.
"I cannot return to Fairy Tail, my dear, but I'll always be close to you and your mother… and Kaki…" Both women raised a questioning eyebrow at the name I mentioned, until the woman remembered that it was the name of the new member. But since Nova didn't know of him; his name, she couldn't help asking me who he was. I smiled fondly before replying. "He's the new Fire Dragon-Slayer…"
"He's what! ?" Both asked screaming in unison much to my strengthened ears luck.
"He's a boy that Igneel took under his tutelage ten years ago," I said while sitting in front of the girl, her mother sitting too when she understood that I was going to explain how I met him. I scratched the beard that my face now had before continuing, building expectation to annoy the two short-tempered women. "Last year, I found Igneel during a travel I took to the place in which I used to live with him and he introduced the kid to me, saying that he was going to leave again and didn't want to do the same that he did with me to him… So I brought him to Fairy Tail to take a close watch over him…"
"You mean to say that you found grandpa and he asked you to take your brother under your care?" I heard Erza asked me doubtfully, not fully believing in the story. I nodded seriously before looking back at my daughter, her look pensive and a hand on her chin; I raise an eyebrow at her until she suddenly came out with whatever she was thinking.
"So he is my uncle?" I looked at her in shock.
"I didn't notice that!" I screamed surprised, causing both women to laugh at my reaction.
"You're still an idiot Natsu…" I heard the older knight said after she managed to contain her laugh, while Nova turned from a laugh to a small chuckle; I looked away embarrassed of my outburst before sitting back on the grass and letting a small smile take over for making the two laugh.
"Yeah… An idiot only for my queen and my princess…" I said lovingly to them, earning a blush from my daughter and a softened look from Erza. I was going to say something else but Nova cut me short with another question, being that I was trying to make out with the two for my mistakes; I prompted her to ask away whatever thing she wanted.
Big mistake.
"Can you tell me the Tower of Heaven story again? But from your perspective?" Erza looked at her in shock for hearing the 'again' word and later turned to look at me in question; Nova was looking at me with expecting eyes and I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. I blushed slightly before nodding confidently and starting with the story.
I was sure that things from then on were going to be tough; that not always things were going to be alright and that my little girl wasn't going to be in good terms with me all the time, but now that the truth was out…
I wasn't going to bother with thinking about the future.
I was going to enjoy the present with the two that had my heart to the fullest.
Be it through rain, snow or war.
My heart would always be ready to sacrifice everything.
Everything I had to keep their faces smiling.
The End
Okay, this is truly the end.
Some people understood wrong and thought that this was going to be a full fledge story, which it isn't, it was a one-shot that happened to transform into a two-shot through strange reasons. Hehehe.
So enjoy this chapter my fellows, because I'm not fan of writing sequels. ^^
Saludos.
