Forever a family Chapter 4
Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
'What's going on?' Natsu thinks as he slowly regains consciousness. All around him, he could hear voices muttering quietly. Opening his eyes, the first thing he notices was a few people talking in the corner of what he recognized as Porlyusica's Treehouse. Judging from the hair, he recognized Porlyusica, Erza, and Gildarts. There was also a young man that looked familiar, but he couldn't place from where, with dark skin and black hair.
"What's up, guys?" He asks, and all four of them jump.
"Natsu! You're up!" Gildarts smiles, walking over to his bed.
Yeah-" Natsu starts before being hit on the head with a broom.
"This is why I hate humans! Don't try and give me a heart attack, you ungrateful brat!" Porylusica glares, hitting him continuously until the broom snaps, "So, you're up?"
"Yeah…" Natsu groans, rubbing his head. At that moment, the memory of everything that happened hit him like a ton of bricks, "Lisanna! Is she okay? What happened?" he shouts, getting hit on the head by Gildarts this time.
"You idiot. Do you think we'd be worrying about you if she wasn't?" he smirks, "You saved her, Natsu."
"Her fever's gone down, and it looks like she'll be awake in a couple of days." Erza says happily, "It looks like she'll make a full recovery."
"That's great." Natsu sighs, "That's really great. What about you, Erza?"
"My wounds were barely even worth mentioning." She shrugs, "Wendy had me fixed up in less than ten minutes."
"Right now, Mira's going to get some sleep." Gildarts adds, motioning to a bed on the other side of the room, 'Otherwise, I'm sure she'd have something to say to you. You have no idea how thankful she was when she heard what you did."
"It was nothing, really." He blushes, "Lisanna's family."
"Well, let's get on with your final check up." Porylusica glares, "that way, you can stop filling up my house!"
"Aye Sir!" he chants in a very Happy like way.
Five minutes later, he was cleared to leave, and was promptly cased from the house along with the others.
"She didn't need to run us off…" the dark skinned man mutters, "Well, Gildarts, Erza, Natsu, I'll be heading back."
"I can't thank you enough for everything, Ren." Gildarts nods, "I've already had your reward sent to the guild."
"Thanks." He nods, walking back towards the forest path.
"Natsu, We're going to the guild." Gildarts says as he drags Natsu with him, "The master wants to talk to you, and everyone's been worried."
"Alright, but I want to wait with Lisanna…" he grumbles as he's lead away.
"And you can." Erza says calmly, "You'll be able to come back in just a little while."
"Fine." He sighs as the three of them walk back towards Magnolia.
"My lord." The black haired woman bows aboard an airship far from the guild, "The demon that was sealed outside of Ozuma has been killed."
"Oh?" The eyepatched man on the throne says in mild surprise, "Impressive. Was it Lamia? I only know of Jura who would have the strength required for such a thing and still takes missions."
"It is my understanding that it was a Fairy Tail wizard by the name of Gildarts Clive." She replies.
"Ah… Yes. Makarov has quite the impressive subordinate. I have heard the name Gildarts before. Well, that could make our next operation far more difficult if he's there." He says thoughtfully, "Bring Bluenote and Azuma."
"Yes, Master Hades." She bows, walking form the room.
With the throne room all but empty, he continues to ponder this event. 'Zargoth was far from weak; said to have been on par with Deliora. Despite that, Gildarts was able to defeat him? How?'
"Archive." He says, and with a swipe of his hand brought up the terminal, "Fairy Tail roster; Gildarts Clive." Searching through the massive amounts of Data he had acquired over his years of searching along with all the rumors, stories and facts regarding every member of Fairy Tail.
"Gildarts Clive. Age forty-five. A Grade-A master of Crash Magic and Grade-C master of Disassembly, currently the most Famous member of Fairy Tail, their Ace. Joined at the age of twenty one, becoming an S-class mage two years later by overwhelming the competition without effort. His wife, Cornelia died twelve years ago of natural causes, leaving behind a daughter. Not confirmed to be Gildarts'. The oldest of three children, both of his sisters were killed eighteen years ago by culprits unknown, along with most of their families. Since joining, he has completed fifteen ten-year quests, along with countless S-class jobs and has undertaken the hundred year quest. Throughout these jobs, he has continued to search for the identity of his sisters' killers.
Widely considered the best candidate for Fourth Master, he has repeatedly refused the position in favor of continuing his search. His name has been brought up on over twenty occasions as a candidate for one of the ten wizard saints. The only reason he has not been granted the title being that he was never anywhere to be found by the council's representative. Current abilities are unknown following serious injuries taken during the hundred year quest, including the loss of his left arm and leg." He reads from the screen, "Well, that will have to be changed. If he could defeat Zargoth, he's is still very much a force to be reckoned with."
There was a knock on his door, and he says, "Enter."
Ultear returned, along with a dark skinned mage with wild hair and a tall man with a long black ponytail. This man's very presence seemed to make the air itself heavy. Releasing a blast of magic to counter it, he turns to them, "Azuma, Bluenote. There have been a few changes to the operation."
"Very Well." Azuma bows.
"Azuma, A fairy Tail wizard named Gildarts Clive could potentially be a problem. While I have no doubt that we would prevail despite that, he is strong enough to bring down the entire Seven Sins on his own, and i would rather not have to waste my time with him and Makarov. Thus, if at all possible, we will postpone the operation to give him a chance to leave the island. If he does not leave by night fall on the first day, Bluenote, your mission will be to find him, and kill him. Only afterward will we begin. We cannot risk fighting him and Makarov at once. Even I would not be able to stand against them both."
"As you wish." Bluenote says calmly,.
"I will give the both of you a copy of all of my files regarding him. Azuma, use this to ensure you've found the right man. Bluenote, I will include for you all known fights, along with patterns, habits, and general estimation of abilities." Hades says as he taps at the Archive screen, "Archive: Download."
Two loading bars appear over their heads, and a moment later, they disappeared, "Use this time to prepare. He will not be easy." Hades warns, before turning to Ultear, "Issue the Order. Set a course or Tenrou Island."
Natsu walks into the guild hall, which had returned to its usual noisy self after Lisanna was saved. Erza whistles loudly, calling the entire guild's attention. All eyes were on the slayer until Elfman stood up and started clapping and cheering. Before long, Grey and Lucy joined, and the entire guild started giving him a standing ovation. Elfman runs over and starts crying into his shoulder, thanking him for saving Lisanna, and some of the guys start patting him on the back and congratulating him.
"Natsu." The master says after fighting his way through the crowd, "Welcome back."
"Thanks gramps!" he smiles.
"There is an awful lot that we need to talk about, but for now, I'll just say congratulations and Kinana will give you your share of the reward from the last quest. Erza, Gildarts, a moment, please?"
The red haired mage nods and follows him into the back room with Gildarts while the other members start pestering Natsu for all the details of his fight.
"Well, I just kinda got my ass kicked…" Natsu starts sheepishly, "But then I remember that Lisanna was counting on me, and I got up. I remember getting a sudden burst of power and then I just started beating it until it was dead."
Damn it, you pyro." Grey smirks, "You're the only one that could make killing a demon look lame."
"It's still more than you've ever done." Cana counters, "Also, your clothes?"
Grey looks down at his boxer clad self and starts frantically looking for his clothes.
"Still, I couldn't believe it when Mira and Erza said that you killed it." Macao smirks, "When the hell did you become such a badass?"
"Obviously when he decided to be a man!" Elfman roars, "I never doubted him for a second!"
"Except for that hour where you were going on about how Natsu was going to screw everything up and that the master should have sent you instead?" Wakaba laughs before being flattened by Elfman's beast arm.
"That never happened!" he shouts, blushing furiously, "You're just jealous that Natsu's more of a man than either of you!"
"Hey, I've got a wife you know!" Wakaba says as he gets to his feet and begins to use his smoke magic.
"Then stop hitting on my sister!" Elfman shouts, hitting him again, and starting yet another full on Fairy Tail style brawl.
Erza sat across from the Master's desk, with Gildarts at her right, and waits until he sat across from them. "I'm sure that you two can guess why I called you in here." He says calmly, pulling out a bottle of wine from his desk along with three glasses.
"It's got something to do with Natsu." Gildarts says as he accepts the glass.
"Correct. Mira made a request of me after what happened yesterday, and I want to here your thoughts on it." Makarov nods, "Mira felt, that in light of the events of the last few days, including defeat the demon, saving Lisanna, and rescuing Erza during the fight, that Natsu has shown sufficient progress to warrant immediate promotion to S-class."
"I'll second it." Erza smiles, "He's made great strides. Not only this last mission, but during the Tower of Heaven incident, the Battle against Orchion Seis, and even before that with Phantom Lord. With all that work, it would be a wonder if he failed the S-class exam. This last battle really drove home that fact though. That thing had me and Mira completely outclassed, and Natsu crushed it seemingly without even trying."
"I can't speak too much of Natsu's skills." Gildarts says thoughtfully, "I haven't seen him much in years, and it's been even longer since I've seen him fight at full strength. But one of the most important qualities for an S-class wizard is strength of character. After what he was willing to do to save Lisanna, I'd say he's got that in spades. The kids got my approval, no doubt."
Makarov nods, "Mira made much the same argument. I agree that he has certainly earned a place in the exam this year, no question about that, but I cannot decide whether he deserves an immediate promotion. Never in the history of this guild has one become an S-Class without passing, and it will take some consideration before I make that decision. I will announce my answer when I announce the participants in four days' time."
"understood." Erza nods, "Am I to assume that this is to be kept a secret?"
"Yes. While I'm sure that some among the guild are already expecting it, Natsu likely isn't one of them, unless I've seriously misjudged the boy. No reason to get his hopes up. I'm hoping to talk with him and Lisanna after she wakes. And Mira as well. Erza, I trust that you can make sure they know?"
"Of course." She nods.
"Excellent. Now, onto the next order of business. Who else do you feel deserves to enter the exam?"
"Grey and Lucy." Erza answers, "They were with Natsu during the three incidents I mentioned earlier, and each played a crucial part in them."
"Cana." Gildarts adds, "She's a veteran, and I truly believe that this could be her year if Natsu's out of the running."
"Cana, Lucy, and Grey." Maakrov nods, "All three have certainly earned their chance. Approved. Any others?"
"Juvia." Erza says after a moment, "She may have been an enemy during the Phantom incident, but since then she's proven herself among the most loyal wizards Fairy Tail has seen. During the Fantasia battles, she sacrificed herself rather than hurting Cana, even though under the circumstances she would have been more capable of doing so."
"Juvia… I'll consider her." He says calmly, writing the names down.
"Mest. With Mystogan gone, his apprentice might be ready to claim the title." Gildarts replies, "Also, Freed."
"Mest I'll have to consider as well, he didn't fare so well last time, but Freed has earned it. What are your thoughts on Levy?"
"She's got guts, but does she have the strength for it?" Gildarts wonders aloud, "her solid script is strong, but I can't help but think that she wouldn't be able to cope with the missions."
"What she lacks in power, though, she makes up for with tactics and knowledge." Erza counters, "I believe she's likely second only to Master Makarov in terms of knowledge within the guild."
"Thank you both." He smiles, "With your input, I'm sure that we'll have a successful exam this year. I hope I can trust you two to participate?"
"Trying to thin out the competition?" Gildarts grins as he hands back his empty glass.
"Well, no reason to make it too easy." He smirks back, waving them from the room.
Lisanna's head felt like it was on fire as she slowly opens her eyes. The first thing that she sees in the dimly lit room is the face of her childhood friend. His eyes were closed, sound asleep, just like he was all those years ago when they were keeping Happy's egg warm.
"Natsu!" She yells, grabbing him into a hug and making him jump.
"Lisanna?!" He grins, hugging her back, "Thank god you're alright!"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asks, confused.
"You almost died." Porlyusica says frankly, glaring at the pair of them as she walks into the room, "And I would appreciate it if you could keep it down in the middle of the night, inside of someone else's house!"
"I almost died?" she says blankly, "What? How? That job wasn't anything dangerous."
"Magical Blastback." She answers, stirring a few more potions, "It's an exceedingly rare condition that to my knowledge, has only been observed twice before your case. As you know, the people of Edolas do not have magic within their bodies. Those who come from Earthland the way that you did retain that magic for a time, though they are unable to use it. Over a period of several weeks, your magic was slowly drained away, and you were left in a very sick state."
"I remember…" she grumbles, "it was a month and a half after I first came to Edolas. I'd been feeling weak for a while, and then I just collapsed. Mira thought I had a bad case of the flu."
"A very common reaction. For someone of your power, that's a normal assessment." Porlyusica nods, "The effect would be roughly the same as the magic called Drain, though it would be spread out over a long period of time instead of moments. After all but a tiny portion of the magic had been expunged and your body had adapted to the lack of magic, you would have recovered just fine, and stayed that way for the remainder of your life."
"Then what's the problem?" she asks fearfully, looking to Natsu for comfort.
"That is only the case if you remained in Edolas, where you would not be exposed to the same level of magic as you would here. When you returned, your body, which had adjusted to a lack of magic, was bombarded by the inherent magic of this world. Unfortunately, after so long, your body wasn't able to cope with it, and started shutting down. It was all Makarov and I could do to keep you alive until help came."
"What happened?" She says, slightly calmer.
"Your friend here saved you." She replies with the slightest of smiles, "As I understand it, he took on a ten year quest and killed one of Zeref's demons in order to obtain the item you need, and when we feared it wouldn't work, he risked his life again to make sure that it did."
"Natsu?" she gasps, amazed that he would do such a thing.
"I'd do it again too." He says with a smile, "I already lost you once. I'm not going to let it happen again."
"By retrieving and charging the Dragon Lacrima, which I implanted in you, he gave you an internal source of magic that was already adjusted to Earthland. This severely lessened the strain on your body while it underwent the long process of readjusting itself." Porlyusica explains as she hands her a vial of a clear potion, "This will aid in the process, if only slightly."
"Thank you." She smiles, "so what now?"
"Well, you're free to leave in the morning, but I'll tell you this now. For the next ten days, do not use magic. Using a Dragon Lacrima to prevent a Blastback has been considered since Mystogan, but it's never been tested. I can't say whether or not it will be safe for you before then. To be safe, just don't."
"Alright." She nods.
"You said that Mystogan did this too?" Natsu asks.
"He was one of the two. Before he came to Earthland, he apparently studied our world extensively, and created a drug that slowed the progression of symptoms long enough to spare him. They also had a side effect of allowing an Earthland mage their magic in Edolas. He called them X-Balls. Unfortunately, he never told me the formula, so there was nothing I could do to make one in time to help you."
"Who was the other one?" Lisanna asks, and she glares back, "Right. Sorry. Forget I asked."
After a long moment, she answers, "It was me."
"You?" Natsu gasps.
"Yes me. It has been a very long time, but I once came from Edolas." She glares, "I wasn't as lucky as you two. There wasn't any known way to help me when I went through it. By some miracle, I survived, but magic is now forever beyond me." Turning to Natsu, she says, "Now that that is out of the way, why don't you go and get her brother and sister? You might be confident in your skills, but I do not want to see her sister angry."
The thought of an angry Mira scared Natsu more than anything, so after says a quick 'be right back' to Lisanna, he charges out the door.
"You'd best get some rest for now." Porlyusica says calmly, "The next few days are going to be rough, so you'll want to take it easy. And I can't stress this enough; no magic."
"I understand." Lisanna nods, laying back in her bed and thinking about everything she'd heard. Many times while she was in Edolas, especially at the beginning, she would replay that final scene with Elfman in her dreams, on this time Natsu would be there, rushing in to save her. Before, all that seemed like just a stupid fairy tale, but now, she couldn't help but feel happy that he was willing to protect her. 'after all, he is the dad.' She giggles to herself as she looks back on those days with a smile.
The next two days flew by in peace. Well, as peaceful as Fairy Tail can be anyway. There were a few brawls, but Elfman, Mira, or Natsu always made sure that she was out of the line of fire before that happened. The master had called her in to talk the day after she'd been released. He couldn't stop smiling throughout the conversation, which was mostly focused on Natsu, but also expressed his relief that she was recovering nicely, even saying that he was looking forward to next week (Whatever that means) even more knowing that she would be alright.
Next, he called in Natsu, who apparently was forced to retell his whole story to the master and to her as well, since neither of them heard it. It really made her happy to know that Natsu cared enough about her to fight a demon, though she blushed when he mentioned that he thought of her before the final battle.
The last conversation was with Mira, who seemed to have been expecting it. It wasn't a very long talk, either, and five minutes later, the master called the guild together.
"Alright, everyone, Gather around!" he smiles from the stage sometimes used for Gajeel's impulsive rock concerts, "It's time to announce the participants in the S-Class advancement exam!"
The crowd starts talking at once, as Erza, Gildarts, and Mira climb onto the stage and stand beside him.
"Oh yeah, I've been waiting for this!" Grey smirks, punching his palm.
"This is my year!" Natsu grins, looking up at the stage and waiting for the master to call out the names.
"Now then, I've been observing how each of you have progressed throughout the last year, and I've based my choice on those who, in my opinion and the opinion of the fellow S-class mages, best exemplify the qualities necessary for an S-class. This year, eight wizards will compete on the Guild's holy ground: Tenrou Island!"
Again, the crowd starts talking. It had been years since the exam was held on the island.
"These eight wizards are: Grey Fullbuster!-"
"Damn right!" Grey smirks.
"Cana Alberona!-"
Cana just sighs and looks at him dejectedly.
"Mest Gryder!-"
Mest looks up from the shoe he was eating to nod in acknowledgement.
"Freed Justin!-"
"I shall take Laxus' place among the elite." Freed firmly declares.
"Elfman!-"
"I'll show you how a real Man does it!" Elfman roars.
"Juvia Lockser!-"
"What? Me?" Juvia gasps, looking over at Grey with a blush.
"Levy McGarden!-"
"Wait what?!" she says in disbelief.
"And Lucy Heartfilia!"
Lucy just stood in utter shock, "Why me!?"
The whole guild starts muttering, not about who was named, but who wasn't. Makarov's smiles grew wider as he continued, "As many of you have no doubt noticed, I left out one of our most promising young mages. Natsu Dragneel, Please come up to the stage."
Natsu looks around, as if expecting someone to explain, but no one did, and he jumped up.
"After conferring with the other S-class mages, it was unanimously decided that you will be granted and immediate promotion to S-class in recognition of your stupendous achievements over the course of the last year, not the least being you heroism in rescuing two S-Class mages and completing a ten year quest all under your own power to rescue Lisanna." Makarov says as he places a hand on Natsu's shoulder. The entire guild explodes into cheers, and not even grey denies that he deserves the promotion. The only one arguing about it is, surprisingly, Natsu.
"I just did what anyone would have done." He mutters.
"True, but no one else could have done it." Erza counters, "If it wasn't for you, chances are that me, Mirajane, and Lisanna wouldn't be here right now. Just accept the position. Everyone in the guild knows that you've earned it."
"Fine." He mutters, moving to stand next to Gildarts.
Welcome to the elites, Natsu." Gildarts smiles, patting him on the back and sending him flying, "Whoops. Forgot about my magic."
With Natsu clearly unconscious in the back of the guild hall, Makarov shrugs and moves along, "One week from today, each particiaptant and their chosen partner should be in Hargeon, where we will take a ship bound for Tenrou Island. As always, an S-class mage cannot be chosen as our partner, so don't bother trying to bribe Gildarts."
"I wouldn't say it would be useless though…" Gildarts start before being hit on the head by Miraa.
"This year, all current S-Class mages will be taking part, so you'd be best prepared."
"We're doomed." Lucy whines.
"Not quite." Grey mutters, "Don't forget that includes Natsu as well. I might not like my chance against Erza or Gildarts, but Natsu and Mira I might actually stand a chance against."
"Grey, you can say that if you want, but you didn't see Natsu." Mira smiles so evilly, it might have been Satan soul, "He could have outfought Gildarts if he wanted to."
"No need to make fun of me." Gildarts says in mock sadness, "But don't worry about a thing. I promise that I'll try to hold back."
"Definitely screwed." Levy shudders.
So, next chapter is the start of the S-Class exams. Obviously, one way or another, Gildarts is going to play a pretty big part in this story.
EJ, go ahead. I don't really mind if you use my ideas as long as you credit them to me. And let me know if you decide to post it. I'd love to read.
Feel free to leave some feedback.