Chapter 2 – Reunion
The crowds were cheering with grand enthusiasm on the final day of the Grand Magic Games, but she was disappointed. None of the prominent guilds that she had faced just a year before had shown up.
And most importantly neither did Fairy Tail.
But of course that was to be expected, given the disbanding of the guild a year ago. Once again, she couldn't believe that it had already been so long. It seemed just moments ago that she had stood in the middle of this very stadium, fighting for her guild.
Her heart clenched as she glanced solemnly at the back of her right hand before slapping her hands to her cheeks, a motion designed to remind her to stop moping around and pay attention.
The two final guilds had just entered into the stadium: Dullahan Head and Skull Millione.
She knew how this was going to end. It was obvious.
Skull Millione, in an attempt to up their profits, had hidden their true power until the final fight. It was a dirty move, but she didn't really care since it would only make her story that much more interesting to read. Even now she was scribbling in her notepad, detailing the intricacies of the fight.
And true to her predictions, Skull Millione had soon swept across their competition, securing the title of number one guild in Fiore. The crowd went wild from the upset, but all she could do was sit there with her head in one palm.
How boring.
She was about to turn and leave, when all of a sudden, everyone paused to glance down at the mysterious figure who just entered the arena.
An intruder?
The unwelcomed visitor was covered from head to toe in a giant black cloak.
Her entire body shook. Whoever it was, their magic power was suffocating.
Was that why her heart had started beating so fast?
Flames suddenly erupted throughout the stadium, cloaking the entire arena in a blazing heat. For the first time in a long time, she felt warm. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the arena. In one flaming strike, the intruder blew away Fiore's 'number one guild' and melted half of the stadium.
It was hot. She would have said that it was too hot, but like a butterfly drawn to a flame, she preferred this to the perpetual cold she had been feeling before.
She looked down at her now melted clothes before glaring back down into the stadium, intent on figuring out who had just ruined her second favourite outfit in her wardrobe with flames that felt so familiar to her.
Her heart stopped.
Unruly pink locks, a white scaled scarf and a grin so wide that it could not belong to anyone else.
"Natsu…"
The one she had lost.
This wasn't the reunion she had expected.
Boy was he excited. He knew that it wasn't quite the end of his one-year training yet, but he just couldn't help himself.
He just had to know.
Who was Fiore's number one guild?
He had been passing by when he caught wind of the Grand Magic Games being held in Crocus once again. Has it been a year already? It felt like it was just moments ago when he had stood in the stadium, fighting for his guild. He pushed through the crowd that was gathered outside of the stadium watching the match via a lacrima screen. He paused, then squinted just to make sure.
Who the hell was that?!
Not Fairy Tail? Not even Sabertooth?
Who were those people basking in glory upon the screen? He didn't know who they were, but deep down he knew that they didn't deserve the title.
No, the only number one guild in Fiore was Fairy Tail.
He was angry, though extremely annoyed was more like it. He wanted to know who this 'number one guild' was. So he did what only made sense.
He challenged them.
The celebrations were still at full blast when he walked into the stadium, though he wished to believe that they weren't cheering even as close to as loud as they did when Fairy Tail had won the year before. Of course he wouldn't remember how loud it was, since he was occupied at the time. He shook his head in order to rid himself of the thoughts that shouldn't be surfacing.
With his black hooded cloak covering his entire body, he stepped forward and challenged the guild standing in the middle of the stadium, looking quite too arrogant for his tastes. With a wide grin hidden underneath his cloak, he cracked his knuckles.
He had only wanted to give them a warning punch, but somehow he had blasted them away and the entire stadium had lit up in flames.
Not exactly the 'number one guild' he was expecting. Well, at least his training had paid off.
He grinned as the people all around him panicked, but he paused when he suddenly caught the light scent of strawberries floating in the air.
Like a flower in response to the sunlight, he turned in an attempt to locate the owner of the familiar scent.
His heart stopped.
Long silky blonde hair, a small blue ribbon and chocolate brown eyes so bright that they could not belong to anyone else.
"Lucy…"
The one he had found.
This wasn't the reunion he had expected.
A/N: Day 2 of Nalu Week 2016