Prompt Three: Soon after Erza seems to solidify her relationship with Jellal, Natsu leaves on a solo SSS-Class Quest, for reasons unknown at the time. Twenty five years later, Natsu returns, but strangely only visits the Guild Master. Let's just say he receives less than a warm welcome back…
Characters: Natsu, Erza
Point-in-Time: Far in the Future
Genre: Mystery, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Tragedy
Heated explosions rocked the mountainside as a monster's roar shook the very earth itself. A pink-haired man was throwing everything he had at the creature, though one good look could tell you he was severely roughed up. His clothes were torn and ragged in places, and there was dried blood coating much of his body, some of it his and some of it not. This was the last monster he had to take down; littering the mountainside were numerous corpses of similar large beasts that had tried to kill him and that threatened a nearby village.
It took Natsu ages to get out here; one thing was for sure, he wasn't in Ishgar anymore. Why such a faraway place would bother sending word all the way to Ishgar – let alone somewhere specific like Fairy Tail – Natsu didn't know, but the point is that he accepted the Quest because people needed help. No one else was accepting the Quest. Whatever other ulterior motives Natsu might have had were pretty much irrelevant in the face of that. He trained diligently on the way here, and felt more than capable of taking an army of giant monsters down.
… Though frankly, now that the completion of the Quest was within reach, Natsu wondered for the first time if he bit off a little more than he could chew. There'd been tons of these things, and he'd unloaded his tireless Magical arsenal on them. And here he was struggling to slay the last beast! He actually felt tired, more tired than he had ever felt in his life.
Pumping everything he had into his next attack, Natsu resolved to complete the job and end the monster with it. The beast was on its last legs, and regardless of warnings that came with cornered prey, Natsu charged in fearlessly. Moments later there was a sickening crunch, and the death howl of the last beast as Natsu's fire attack began to consume its body. If one listened closely, there had been another, more subtle sound just before Natsu's blow struck true.
Panting heavily, and heavily injured in his chest and abdomen areas, Natsu was hunched over but otherwise standing while the beast had passed on.
"H-Heh… Knew I could do it. I guess… it's time to return home." Despite his grievous injuries, Natsu still mustered the strength to smile even when nobody else was present. Even when deep down it somewhat pained him. He had friends back home, but the girl he liked, well… She was happy with someone else.
If that wasn't reason enough to smile, even in a situation like this, Natsu didn't know what was.
Fairy Tail had changed much over the years, yet at its heart, it had remained the same over twenty five years. They were still a rowdy bunch who caused headaches for their Master, the Magic Council, and basically anyone of importance. New generations of Wizards had risen up through the ranks; some were the progeny of familiar faces, while others were completely new and unrelated to any of the members.
Natsu's abrupt departure on that SSS-Class Quest had left many of his friends miserable, but life moved on. He wasn't dead; not even the infamous Dark Wizard Zeref had been capable of bringing Natsu down – and the man had a link with the Dragon Slayer that would have made them die together! It was simply his absence that brought down their spirits somewhat. If anyone could wrap up a 'Century Quest' in record time, it would be him.
Yet it had been twenty five years. No word about how he was doing, or if he needed help… Life moved on, albeit somewhat begrudgingly for some of the Salamander's closest friends. Not one of them was willing to forget about him, regardless of how long he took. He'd just return like Gildarts did when he returned from an SSS-Class Quest.
The members of Team Natsu took his departure the hardest. Gray didn't have his rival to pummel around anymore. Lucy missed the bright optimism he gave to everyone. Happy was forced to move in with Lisanna, since he didn't feel right living out in Natsu's home all by himself. And Erza… Oooh, Erza was pissed. Not only as the Seventh Guild Master, but also as a member of Team Natsu and one of Natsu's closest friends. She didn't realize what kind of Quest he took until she looked at Mira's records several weeks after Natsu had left, and she vented on the white-haired mage for not telling her sooner, and even then, Mira didn't reveal anything that Natsu might have told her. Writing the village that sent the request bore no responses, at least not in the twenty five years that Natsu had been gone.
Erza was completely beside herself. Jellal comforted her as best as he could, but she was nigh well inconsolable. So five years ago, he had promised to look into it for her, travel to that faraway village if he had to. Erza had him put it off until last year, when she'd just about given up all hope. She had this sinking feeling that 'something' had happened – and really, she did not want to think of that possibility.
Jellal had been gone for seven months now. It supposedly took three and a half months to journey to that faraway village, so Erza was holding out hope that he would be back soon. Hopefully with a certain Dragon Slayer in tow.
Outside of the Fairy Tail Guild, a man in a gray cloak paused to look up at the Fairy Tail emblem on the building before moving on inside. It felt like it had been an eternity, but he was finally back. As much fun as it might be to start a pub brawl like the good old days, Natsu was aware that he needed to check in with the Master first and foremost. Screw the pecking order thing, he would be checking in with Erza first because she would never forgive him if he just came back and acted like nothing had happened.
Because a lot of things did happen in twenty five years. Well… one major thing did, anyway, and it was depressing Natsu just thinking about it. He was really dreading this meeting, but he had to go through with it. He owed it to Erza. Before Jellal returned, Natsu had to speak with her. And he knew all too well she wasn't going to be in the mood for it.
Finally, Natsu moved toward the door and grasped the handle. He had to time this Spell right, or he would never be able to stealthily move up to the Master's Office. Well, 'stealthily' is a strong word for what it really did; in reality, the Spell caused others to see him as something completely ordinary, and thus okay to overlook. It was similar to the kind of Spell Mystogan used to use, except the Edolas counterpart of Jellal obviously put people to sleep instead of making them overlook him. There was less chance of people finding out about his identity that way; the one Natsu was using carried too much risk, but he had to use it in this instance because he didn't know how to perform Mystogan's Spell. He wasn't sure how much time he had left; every minute counted.
Natsu was amazed to find that it had worked. No one was looking over at him in great detail, and they all were just going about their day. Natsu wished he could be laid back like he used to be… but he no longer had that luxury. Ascending the stairs, Natsu made a beeline for Erza's Office. He was fortunate enough that he could sense only Erza in that room; had anyone else been in there, his return would have definitely gotten out. If that knowledge stuck with Erza for now, chances were good she'd be pissed enough to kick him outta the Guild without letting him say 'hi' to anyone else.
… Honestly, as strange as it sounds, Natsu would've been okay with that. After all that happened, he kinda deserved it.
Erza looked up when the door opened. That was not typical protocol; either it was something urgent, or Jellal had…
She stopped mid-thought and stared dumbfounded at the person standing before her. No Jellal right behind him, and to add insult to injury, he looked like he had only aged a few years... Either she was hallucinating, or someone was playing some kind of cruel joke on her.
"H-Hey, Erza…" The man grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, just like Natsu used to. "I'm back."
… It sounded like Natsu. Erza knew there were spells that could copy people's appearances as well as their voices, but this couldn't be one of those. She could see it in his eyes – past the sheepishness on his face, the sense of fear and dread… Transformation Magic could not copy the wealth of emotions that could pass through a person's eyes. It'd been many years, but Erza could still recall that Natsu was often like an open book; even if he experienced numerous emotions at the same time, you could pick out and describe each one. Or at least members of Team Natsu could, those who got to know the Fire Dragon Slayer best.
And right now, there was a great deal of remorse in those eyes. Remorse, regret, relief upon seeing her… Erza wasn't sure why he would feel that; he'd been the one to leave them. Erza herself was… mixed about seeing him again, now. There was great relief that he made it back alive, but she also felt indescribable anger that he went on a SSS-Class mission alone. That he left for twenty five years, and that they hadn't heard anything. He was just… gone.
"Don't keep it bottled up, Erza." Natsu said, having read the emotions flying across her face. She blinked in astonishment at him. "You're pissed, and I have nothing really to say in my defense. All I can say is… I'm sorry."
"You're… sorry?" Erza's voice wavered, and her body shook with unbridled rage. "You were gone for TWENTY FIVE YEARS! I deserve SOME kind of explanation, Natsu!"
"… You're right." Natsu stated quietly, eyes averting from hers as he looked down. "I've been away for longer than we've known each other, and I can't say it was for a good reason either. It was selfish on my part, and maybe a little bit stupid… But it hurt, Erza. I… The girl I liked, the woman I fell for… she stopped dancing around the person that she loved. After everything was settled with Zeref, there was time for that kinda stuff.
Erza's eyes were wide, and there was a knot settling in her stomach. She couldn't quite find words to respond to Natsu, so the pink-haired man went on.
"I wasn't bitter or nothin'. How could I be bitter about it? It wasn't that hard to tell she was into that guy. I knew that. Hell, everyone knew it, 'cept for the lucky guy. Well, I guess he knew, too, but he was too wrapped up in his past mistakes to consider somethin' like dating her. But he had strong feelings for her, too, and eventually they just stopped doing the same song and dance. I dunno if he ever stopped dwelling on the past; guess I didn't stick around long enough to tell. All that mattered to me was that she was happy. She really loved him, and I could never get in the way of that. Didn't stop me from feeling that way about her, no matter how many days or weeks passed, but I stuck around long enough to make sure he didn't hurt her again. When it looked like they were set and not gonna break up anytime soon… I left. 'Cause it was too painful for me to be there all the time, to know deep down I could never make her smile like he could."
"N-Natsu…" Erza murmured, completely at a loss. Natsu just smiled wryly at her, not quite meeting her eyes.
"I never intended to go away forever. I just took that mission 'cause it was the toughest one available at the time; I needed to vent. Needed to get away… Needed to take my mind off it for a while. Didn't take anyone along 'cause I didn't want 'em to see what a wreck I was, 'cause I was really depressed. And I wouldn't have wanted to endanger anyone anyway." Natsu shook his head. "I ended up staying out there for a few years, just training. Kinda glad I did, 'cause those monsters were no pushovers. And there were a lot of those things. No wonder the villagers felt threatened."
"So you… you defended the village? You actually completed the mission?" Erza asked quietly. Natsu grinned proudly.
"Was there ever any doubt? 'Course I did! I slayed every last one of those monsters. Really tired me out, though, and I had to stay with the villagers a while to recover. I woulda wrote back or somethin', but… I had my reasons." Natsu finished lamely, unable to tell the whole truth.
"You were gone for twenty five years… What in the world kept you from coming back?" Erza felt some of her anger returning with Natsu becoming reticent again.
"I… It'll all make sense when Jellal gets back." Natsu murmured softly, averting his eyes again. "Just please, know that if I could have made it back sooner, I would've. Y-You know me, trouble always comes to find me. Heh."
Erza narrowed her eyes at the deflection, but grudgingly did not pry further into it for now. If Natsu had run into Jellal, then it wouldn't be long before she got some answers. Erza raised an eyebrow at the pink-haired mage curiously.
"Would you like to hear about how the Guild has grown in your absence?"
"That is one of the reasons I came back!" Natsu smiled cheerfully.
Erza hadn't seen that smile in twenty five years… She didn't realize how much she'd missed it until that moment. Deep down, she felt guilt, because even though Natsu was vague, she knew full well that he was talking about her earlier. She was the reason he left, and the worst part was that things hadn't been solid with Jellal. All those years Natsu had been gone, Jellal had been able to tell that his absence was eating away at Erza. They continued to date, but more and more Erza threw herself into her job as the Guild Master, in the hopes that something would come across her desk in regards to how or where Natsu was.
The job was SSS-Class, however. They were not called 'Century Quests' lightly; sometimes you had to take time to train hard to complete them, as Natsu had done. Returning after twenty five years was a pretty decent record for Natsu's first time with one of those. … But in the time he was gone, Erza had been on edge and worried sick about him. Jellal saw that. The whole Guild saw that. Jellal didn't want to break up with her, so they talked at length about it. The conclusion that Erza had come to…
She would need Natsu to come back before deciding anything. Now that he was back, she just didn't know what to do about her love life anymore… Erza loved Jellal, but she could not deny Natsu was special to her as well. Yet she had been the reason he left on that mission; Erza felt she didn't have a right to express any kind of feelings beyond friendship to him…
So for now she took what she could get – just enjoy being around him again.
"Well, I'm assuming that you didn't stop to speak with anyone downstairs, since I haven't heard a ruckus since you got back." Erza said this as more of a guess, but Natsu knew she was fishing for more information.
"Eh, yeah, I kinda snuck past everyone to get up here." Natsu easily revealed, only looking mildly embarrassed. "Call me insensitive, selfish, whatever, but I didn't wanna start anything and act like I wasn't gone for over two decades. I've hurt you enough already."
Erza went quiet at that explanation. In all likelihood, she would have been very upset if he had done that. But even so, she couldn't shake the feeling that Natsu was being a little too hard on himself. Just what had happened in all those years he was gone?
"It's… It's okay… You're back now." Erza tried to reassure him, but there was still a wealth of sadness and regret in those eyes. Shaking her head, Erza decided to move onto talking about the Guild. "Well, Gray and Juvia got married a few months after you left. They have three kids so far, though Juvia does want a fourth."
Natsu heartily laughed at that.
"So she finally wore Stripper down, huh? Sounds just like her to want loads o' kids. How's Ice Pick feel about it?"
"Overwhelmed." Erza said flatly, recalling the many talks they would have because Gray did not know how to 'handle' pregnant women. Like she was his go-to book for such things… A ghost of a smile did appear on her face at the memory of Juvia's enthusiasm, though. She was especially in Lucy's face about it when she married Gray – 'love rivals' and all that. "Elfman and Evergreen are married. Mira and Freed, as well."
"Lemme guess, Gajeel and Levy, too?" Natsu remarked dryly before snickering at Erza's apparent nod. "C'mon, Erza, there's gotta be more going on than people tying the knot!"
Erza twitched at that, having not married Jellal in all the years Natsu had been away; those events being some of the happiest occasions for her.
"Fine…" Erza grumbled, in a form of revenge deciding to keep quiet about Laxus and Lucy getting together, as strange as that may have sounded to Natsu… Frankly, Erza couldn't believe it happened, either, and she was there to see them progress to it! "Well, Asuka is grown up. She's a sharpshooter just like her parents."
They carried on like that for what seemed like hours; Erza didn't think she'd remember all that much except for the major stuff, but Natsu's constant questions helped jog her memory of various friends even outside of Fairy Tail. In return, Natsu shared a bit about the village he journeyed to, what the land was like, how the people treated him… Erza was happier than she'd been in a long time, just talking with Natsu.
And then the discussion turned onto Erza and how she had been holding up.
"Eh? I'd have thought you and Jellal woulda tied the knot years ago! Maybe even have a few mini-knights runnin' around!" Natsu exclaimed. And then he adopted a contrite expression, as he put the pieces together. "Ugh… Even when I just try 'n leave people to their happiness, I ruin it. Man, this sucks. If I'd stuck around, you'd have had a bunch o' kids with Jellal by now. I screwed up…"
"Natsu…" Erza murmured. She clenched her fists in frustration as her gaze hardened on him. "It's not your fault! I was never angry at you for leaving, I was worried. Maybe I shouldn't have been, but I realized how much you meant to me in the process. Feelings don't just appear like that, Natsu; I took you for granted, and I went for the man I thought I wanted. Or maybe I do want him, I don't know! I needed you here to figure this out."
Erza squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head. She was struggling to hold back the tears, but was very close to succumbing to them.
"Erza." She froze at how soft Natsu's voice was. When she looked back up at him, tears were falling down his face. "I'mcausing you pain. You don't even know the half of it yet. You don't need to spare my feelings on this – I'm the one who left, I'm adding conflict to your heart… I never wanted that to happen. I hoped by leaving for a while, you and Jellal would be a sure thing, and then I could just come back without coming between you two. Kinda hard to do that when the conflict's already there, and that was my mistake.
Closing his eyes, Natsu sighed tiredly.
"Erza. I want you to do something for me, okay?" He reopened his eyes and stared at her with determination. "I can't push you and Jellal together; I know that's not how the human heart works. But! I want you to find someone you're happy with, and I want you to stick with him. Don't second-guess your feelings, and just go for him. You'll be a lot happier than I was in the long run."
Erza was so mesmerized by Natsu's eyes that she almost missed Levy bursting into her office. She did miss Natsu throwing his hood up, and casting a spell, but he maintained eye contact through it all.
"Erza! You have to come quick! Jellal's back!"
Blinking, Erza looked to Levy and nodded, before standing up. The blue-haired woman ran back out, but Erza took a moment to stare at Natsu.
"Levy didn't notice you."
Natsu smiled grimly.
"It's all gonna make sense soon, Erza. For what it's worth, and I guess it isn't much… But I'm sorry."
Erza wanted nothing but to strangle him for being so cryptic, but Natsu hurried out the door before she could ask him just what he meant. Shaking her head, Erza ran after him, but he was gone when she exited her Office, and he was nowhere to be seen downstairs.
There was a big crowd surrounding Jellal and something he had brought back. Erza could see some of her closest friends gathered at the center, and they did not look happy or relieved. People parted for Erza, and she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she got closer… That wasn't just a box and Jellal had brought back with him. It was a casket.
"J-Jellal…?" Erza whispered as she took one look at him. "Wh-What…"
The azure-haired mage looked away from her face as his mouth formed a thin line.
"When I got to the village, the people seemed to be expecting me. Their country does not have Wizard Guilds of their own to call upon, which is why they relied on us. They… were afraid that we would seek retribution for what happened, and so they kept silent. Yet they knew one day we might send another of our own to investigate, and they prepared accordingly. They paid in full for the SSS-Class Quest, with interest in order to help anyone Natsu may have left behind.
Erza stumbled back as Jellal's explanation progressed. She wanted to protest at what Jellal was insinuating, but the evidence seemed to speak for itself because there was indeed a casket sitting there. She had spoken with Natsu mere minutes ago! He was alive!
"Twenty years ago, Natsu did battle with gigantic beasts that numbered easily over two hundred. He slew every last one, but suffered grievous battle injuries that turned out to be fatal. The village doctors could do nothing for him. In spite of all that, Natsu died with a smile on his face, promising that we would not seek retribution, that they were safe and could rest easily." Here, Jellal paused and looked at Erza consolingly. "I tried to refuse payment, but they insisted, saying it was a request that Natsu made on his deathbed. He wanted the reward to be split among the members of Team Natsu, thinking it could help whatever financial situations you would be in. A 'pitiful compensation for not making it back', as he so put it, but the best that he could manage. Similarly, he leaves his possessions to his team, to be split up as they see fit. Those were his final requests."
Erza stood there rigidly for several tense moments. She desperately, desperately wanted to believe that this wasn't true. That Natsu would just pop out of the casket as some sort of cruel joke, and that everything could go back to normal after that. But… now that she reflected on it, everything he said to her fell into place. His regret, his sadness… not wanting to meet with the others, Natsu didn't want to give everyone false hope. He came to her because there were things that he needed to say that he never did in life. If Natsu hadn't somehow become a ghost, if she'd just seen his corpse there in the casket, Erza didn't even want to think about that. She would have been angry at him for leaving on that mission and never coming back; she would've done any number of regrettable things in her grief.
Trust Natsu to pull a Mavis because he was so concerned about her. He might've had 'selfish' reasons for coming back, like wanting to know how the Guild was carrying on, but he had selfless reasons as well. He never outright said it, but the main purpose of his visit had to have been for 'one last talk' with her. A talk that most people don't get to experience with relatives or friends who have passed on, let alone in a natural way like they did. Natsu was… thoughtful. More than words could express. He said it himself that he brought her pain, that she 'didn't know the half of it', and he fully took responsibility for his actions. Erza couldn't be angry at him now, just… immensely sad.
Steeling herself, Erza moved to take the casket lid off. It was just something she had to do – see his body with her own eyes. Erza felt her heart constrict on itself when she did. Lying there, with a huge hole between his chest and abdomen, was Natsu Dragneel. Two decades had led his body to decay somewhat, but it was still clear that it was him.
"I can't push you and Jellal together; I know that's not how the human heart works. But! I want you to find someone you're happy with, and I want you to stick with him. Don't second-guess your feelings, and just go for him. You'll be a lot happier than I was in the long run."
He had doubts that he could make her smile like Jellal, and so he kept silent for her sake, but the truth is that she did love him. She loved Natsu. With all of her heart. And now it was too late to act on Natsu's advice.
Author's Note: … Well, that happened. I thought we were due for some angst/tragedy, and look what my mind conjured up. I feel bummed out just writing this. :P
I know about Natsu's E.N.D. bit, that he's not 'human' really, so just consider this an AU like anything else in this collection. The thing is, just like any other fan, I dunno how FT is gonna end; the way it's going with so few deaths, I'm kind of doubting Natsu will die at the end of it all. Whether that's because they find a way to beat Zeref without killing him, whether it's because they find some way to circumvent the bond between the two of them, maybe give Natsu some new life force or something, I dunno. Perhaps in this AU, Natsu's death through that bond was just delayed, and that's why he wound up dying on an 'ordinary' SSS-Class mission.
But who knows? Maybe he will die at the end of it all and we'll be thrown for a loop courtesy of Mashima. I for one doubt it because Nalu and Jerza have been owning the series for a while now… and we can't leave Lucy loveless. :P Ah, but this is why we have fanfiction. We are free to imagine what could have been, here. ^^
Hope I didn't botch it up too badly! We'll be getting back to the fluff next time.
