Ch 4: Plans for the Future
At Natsu's and Happy's:
"Well that didn't go really how daddy wanted it to go now did it my little dragon." said Natsu as he closed the door of his house with his foot. While taking of the blanket that was covering Akari and seeing that she was happily sucking on his scarf.
"You really like daddy's scarf don't you Akari?" asked Natsu as he smiled at her and she smiled back at him with his scarf still in her mouth. This caused Natsu to start to laugh at how funny she looked while doing that with his scarf hanging out of her little mouth, and she started to giggle in response to him laughing.
"So what do you want to do now Akari, do you want daddy to read you another story about a dragon?" asked Natsu since those were the stories that he also liked to read because they had dragons in them of course. Akari smiled back to Natsu and he couldn't tell if she was just copying him or if she wanted him to read to her but it really didn't matter to Natsu since he knew that they would both be happy just being with each other.
So Natsu started to read the story titled The Lost Dragon, which was his favorite story to read to Akari. It was about a little baby dragon that accidentally got left behind when the rest of his family moved to a new mountain. At first the baby dragon didn't know what to do so it just cried but then it remembered what his dad told him about what it means to be a dragon. And how they can do anything that they set their mind to, so the little dragon decides that he's going to find his family no matter what it takes. So he sets off to look for his parents and along the way he makes tons of friends and has many adventures with them and learns little life lessons along the way. And the story ends with the little dragon reuniting with his family and living happily ever after, which Natsu liked since he knows personally that life is not always that nice.
Natsu had just gotten to the part where the little dragon was going to go out into the world and try to find his family when Happy all of a sudden burst into the house with an angry expression. And then quickly went into the kitchen and started to rummage through the fridge until he found the fish that he was looking for. It just so happened to be a big salmon that Happy wanted and took into the living room to eat while sitting on the coffee table in front of the other two.
"I didn't expect you to come back this quickly Happy, so what did they say?" asked Natsu as he closed the book. And Akari did what she always does when she sees Happy in all his blue glory, which is try and grab his tail no matter how far away it was from her.
"I don't know Natsu, I was just so mad at them for trying to take Akari away from you that I yelled at them and stormed out after you. I would have been home earlier but I went to go buy some fish to cheer myself up but forgot that I spent all of my jewels in my backpack earlier today." replied Happy with a frown about how the guild acted and not being able to buy fish. So in other words it was a really sad frown that Happy was rocking right now.
"Hey it's okay Happy everything will turn out just fine." replied Natsu with a big smile on his face as he watched his best friend and son get worked up over his problems. It made Natsu feel nice just knowing that Happy was always going to be on his side even when no one else was.
"What are you going to do if they kick us out Natsu?" asked Happy as he started to eat his salmon.
"First off Happy I don't think they are going to kick you out, and if they do kick me out then I will find a different guild to work at after Akari gets a little older." replied Natsu with a big grin.
"Yea but if they kick you out Natsu then I am quitting." said Happy after he swallowed the piece of fish he was chewing on.
"That is completely up to you little buddy and Akari seems like she really wants to say hi to you Happy." said Natsu with a big smile as Akari was still trying to grab Happy's tail.
"I am fine with her grabbing my tail Natsu as long as she doesn't suck on it again." replied Happy with a glare directed to Natsu.
"Sorry Happy, that's just what babies do when they are Akari's age." said Natsu with a big grin.
"Okay but if she does that means she can't have any of my fish for a week." declared Happy as he sat down on Natsu's shoulder letting Akari play with his tail.
"You don't have to worry about that Happy; Akari won't be eating any fish for a long time still. And who knows if she will even like fish at all." said Natsu with a big grin after chuckling at Happy and how he was always thinking about his precious fish.
"How in the world could someone not like fish? That's crazy Natsu, of course Akari's going to love fish because you and I both love fish. Which means that she will too, oh and what were you doing when I came back?" asked Happy as he finished his fish and looked at Natsu.
"Just reading Akari: The Lost Dragon." stated Natsu.
"Why don't you read keep reading it for us." suggested Happy with a big smile as her remembered Natsu doing this for him when he was younger. Which made him remember the stories that Natsu would make up for him that usually involved fish is some way shape or form.
"I guess we could do that and hope it puts Akari to sleep." replied Natsu as he opened the book to where he stopped reading earlier and continued on with the book. A little while later Natsu finished the story and set the book onto the coffee table with a soft smile on his face as he looked at Akari who fell asleep with his scarf still in her mouth as she snuggled into him more.
"That is almost a story about you Natsu." stated Happy with a small smile and in a soft voice.
"How so Happy?" asked Natsu who was thinking about how awesome it would be for him to actually be a dragon.
"Well you were unfortunately left by Igneel when you were young and then you set off to find him. And along the way you made a lot of friends and went on adventures with them and then you finally found Igneel." said Happy as he then lost his smile remembering that Natsu's reunion was not as nice as the one in the book.
"It's okay Happy it's something that happened and I have finally come to accept. But you are correct that my life and the life of the little dragon in the story were very similar." replied Natsu with a sad smile.
"So what do you want to do now Natsu?" asked Happy who wanted to get away from the topic of Igneel dying for obvious reasons.
"I don't really know Happy, there's not really much I can do with Akari being so attached to me." answered Natsu as he scratched the left side of his head.
"What do you mean by attached Natsu, can't you just put her in that comfy crib you bought for her?" asked Happy.
"Right now Akari will start crying if I just set her down for a second; the only thing that actually allows me to ever set her down and not be right next to her is if she has my scarf. And how do you know that Akari's crib is comfy Happy?" asked Natsu with a big smirk on his face.
"I tested it out of course Natsu, had to make sure that you built it correctly and that it wouldn't hurt Akari." explained Happy as he looked away from Natsu.
"Sure Happy, you totally didn't just want to see if it was as comfy as Lucy's bed." said Natsu still smirking at Happy.
"I already told you why I tested it Natsu, that's what an older brother is supposed to do. He needs to look out for his little sister and make sure everything's safe for her, which is what I did. And you are not going to believe this but it is actually even more comfy than Lucy's or your new bed." replied Happy with a big smile.
"HAHA well you are free to use it as much as you want little buddy, until Akari no longer needs to sleep with me that is." said Natsu while chuckling at the thought of Happy sleeping in a crib.
"Yea, wait a minute are you saying that I won't get to use it soon?" asked Happy with a frown on his face.
"Well unless you are fine sleeping with Akari and she doesn't mind." stated Natsu and watched Happy think about this for a moment.
"I can live with that Natsu." replied Happy with a smile.
"What if Akari starts to suck on your tail while she sleeps?" asked Natsu with a grin.
"Worth it if it means that I get to still sleep in that comfy bed." replied Happy with a bigger smile.
"Happy it's not a bed it's a crib." stated Natsu.
"Which is just a smaller form of a bed that is the perfect size for me." declared Happy with a proud grin at beating Natsu in this argument.
"Whatever you say Happy." replied Natsu with a smile then smelt something that he was surprised to smell so he started to sniff to make sure that he wasn't mistaken by who he thought was coming.
"Who's coming Natsu?" asked Happy knowing that Natsu was obviously smelling someone coming to their place.
"Just some guest's that probably know what decision Gramps made." replied Natsu with a smile.
"So members from the guild that didn't want to take Akari away?" asked Happy still not liking how the guild reacted a while ago at the news.
"Yep Happy, and I can only assume that they came to see Akari and probably wanted to do that when we went to the guild." replied Natsu with a grin knowing that Happy wanted specific people.
"Natsu who is it, because I told them not to come here?" asked Happy with a frown.
"You'll just have to wait and see Happy, they'll be at the door in a few moments." said Natsu with the same grin that he had before.
"Well if I don't like who showed up then I am sending them away because this is my place too." declared Happy as he went to the door to see who was out there. Happy with a frown on his face flung open the door just as someone was about to knock on it.
"What do you want?" asked Happy before he saw who was visiting them.
"Hi Happy, we just wanted to see little Akari if that was okay." said Lisanna with a big smile.
"Lisanna, I didn't know that you were coming because Natsu was being a jerk and didn't tell me. If I knew that you were here I wouldn't have answered the door so rudely." said Happy as he hugged Lisanna.
"It's okay Happy, I know that you were just trying to help Natsu and Akari." replied Lisanna with a big smile and was truly proud to see that Happy was serious about something other than fish for once in his life.
"Hey Happy is it okay if we see Akari as well?" asked Wendy who was standing in between Cana and Mira with Carla floating above her.
"Yea you guys are welcome here since you didn't try to take Akari away." said Happy with a big smile on his face while he flew back into the house with the girls following him.
"Wow I don't think I have ever seen your place so clean before." commented Lisanna as she looked at the spotless place.
"I have actually never been here before and am quite surprised at how nice it is." said Cana as she looked around.
"Me either Cana, I half expected to find the place full of garbage." stated Mira with a big smile.
"There is no way that I would ever let Akari grow up in a place like that." said Natsu from the couch with a big grin on his face.
"I really didn't know that you could clean your place to make it look so good." said Wendy with a big smile.
"You would have been right Wendy if it wasn't for my little dragon here. Since getting her I have found out that I am willing and capable of doing things that I never would have been able to do before." said Natsu still smiling but looking at Akari sleeping in his arm.
"You made that perfectly clear with how you left the guild and I would like to apologize for how everyone else acted Natsu." said Cana who felt odd just standing there.
"Did Cana just apologize to me and for something that she didn't even do?" asked Natsu who was seriously surprised by this because as long as he's known Cana. She has never once apologized to him or anyone else for anything that she's done since she usually only does or says things that she means to do.
"Yes I did Natsu because what they said and did was completely uncalled for." stated Cana with a slightly angry expression.
"Thanks Cana, and you all can make yourselves at home." stated Natsu with a smile as they all found a spot to sit.
"We would also like to apologize as well Natsu." said Mira who was right next to him and looking at Akari with stars in her eyes.
"It's okay guys, none of you did anything wrong and were actually trying to help Akari and me." said Natsu with a big smile since he really appreciated them sticking up for him.
"We know that Natsu, we just wanted to say how sorry we are that it turned out that way." said Wendy with a faint smile and couldn't take her eyes off of Akari who was sleeping peacefully on Natsu's arm.
"It's fine I swear Wendy, so can I get you anything to drink?" asked Natsu as he got up, which Mira didn't like since she could no longer look at Akari.
"Oh you don't have to do that for us Natsu." said Lisanna trying to not inconvenience Natsu.
"It's no trouble at all Lisanna, you would be amazed at how good I am with my left hand now." stated Natsu as he headed to his kitchen.
"What does that have to do with you getting us drinks?" asked Cana.
"Well since Akari here gets fussy if she's ever not being held by me, I had to get really good at doing everything with my left hand. Will some green tea be alright for everyone?" asked Natsu from inside of his kitchen.
"That'll be fine Natsu I want to see Akari and hold her." replied Mira with a frown since Akari wasn't there.
"HAHAHA just give me a sec and I'll be back out there Mira. And we'll see how she reacts to all of you when she wakes up which she should be doing any moment now." said Natsu from the kitchen.
"He is definitely taking this seriously, if the rest of the guild could see this Natsu than they never would have said those things about him." said Lisanna with a big smile.
"You got that right Lisanna, this is like a completely different Natsu. One that isn't taking everything as a joke and always getting into a fight it's pretty attractive if I do say so myself." said Cana with a small smile as she leaned onto the armrest of the couch while putting her feet up on the coffee table.
"Here you guys go and thanks for saying all of that." replied Natsu with a smirk.
"Damn you and your dragon slayer senses Natsu." replied Cana with a faint blush since she forgot that he could hear them.
"Most people forget about them, and please try and not say anything bad around Akari. I would really hate it if her first word was a curse." said Natsu with a small smile as he sat back down in the middle of the couch.
"Sorry Natsu, I didn't mean to say that." said Cana who was appalled that she said something bad in front of Akari.
"This must be a dream because that is the second time that I have ever heard you apologize. And don't worry about it Cana you didn't actually say anything bad I just wanted to remind everyone about that." said Natsu as he smirked at Cana causing her to look away from him so he wouldn't see how embarrassed she was right now.
"Um Natsu I think you forgot to heat up the tea." said Lisanna as she picked up the tea kettle.
"No I didn't Lisanna, I just wanted to get everyone their favorite temperature." replied Natsu as he lit his left hand on fire. So for the next few minutes Natsu with the help of Lisanna served everyone a cup of tea that was just to their liking.
"So I am just going to ask it since you guys haven't brought it up, am I still a member of Fairy Tail?" asked Natsu as he looked at all of them.
"Of course you are Natsu, Master realized after you left that he didn't handle the situation correctly and now plans to support you fully on this decision." answered Wendy with a big smile.
"They were all fools to not realize how much you care about Akari, I could see it as soon as you came into the guild. You are going to make a great father for her Natsu." said Carla with a smile.
"Wow Carla that means a lot to me since it's coming from you." said Natsu with a big grin since he always thought that Carla didn't care for him and always said that he was a bad influence on Wendy.
"I am just stating the facts Natsu." said Carla as she sipped on her tea.
"Smart and Beautiful, you're the whole package Carla. Would you like this fish that I saved just for you?" asked Happy who pulled the fish from who knows where.
"Quite Happy and how many times have I told you that I don't like fish." replied Carla with a glare.
"She said my name." replied Happy with a really big smile on his face.
"Natsu now don't take this the wrong way, but do you have everything that you need for Akari?" asked Lisanna.
"I won't Lisanna I know that you are just concerned about Akari, and thanks to a lady that I met when I first got Akari I got a good idea of everything that I would need to buy. She also gave me a really quick rundown of everything that she learned from having her own kids." answered Natsu as he smiled at Lisanna.
"Yea, Natsu even bought two beds." said Happy with a big smile.
"What, why would you get two beds?" asked Cana.
"I didn't get two beds, I got Akari a crib and I got myself a bed since Akari won't go to sleep unless I am holding her. And just because you like sleeping in the crib Happy doesn't make it a bed." said Natsu causing the girls to all giggle at the thought of Happy in a crib.
"Hey stop laughing, it's the comfiest place I have ever slept." declared Happy.
"Oh don't get mad Happy, I just wish I knew about this sooner and I would have gotten you one sooner." said Lisanna with a grin.
"Well why didn't you Lisanna, this whole time I have been sleeping in a stupid hammock and Lucy's no longer comfortable bed." said Happy while waving his paws around once again causing everyone there to chuckle at him.
"Would you have actually left Fairy Tail if Master told you to give up Akari?" asked Mira wanting to know if it was a bluff.
"Yes I would have Mira, it's not even a question what comes first for me from now on. Akari is now my main concern and everything I do from here on will be for her." answered Natsu with no hesitation.
"So what are you going to do about jewels now that you have Akari and won't be able to take any jobs for a while?" asked Wendy.
"Well luckily I have been saving up for a situation like this, well not actually for something like this but for some sort of emergency. So I actually have enough jewels to not need to do any jobs for more than a year." answered Natsu.
"What do you plan to do after that runs out?" asked Cana.
"Well hopefully Akari will not be so clingy by then and can get someone to look after her with Happy so that I can quickly do a job and be right back with her before she even notices that I am gone." replied Natsu with a smile.
"Are you sure that you will be able to transition to a barely active mage, because trust me Natsu it's a lot harder than it looks?" asked Mira who had personally gone through that after she thought that Lisanna was dead.
"That won't be a problem at all Mira, because I can honestly tell you that this past week has been one of the happiest weeks of my life. While also being one the week that I have also gotten the least amount of sleep as well so I really don't see that changing for me anytime soon. Well the being happy part I would really enjoy it if Akari didn't wake up at the oddest hours at night." replied Natsu with a grin.
"Just look at you Natsu, I can honestly say that you would have been the last person that I thought would have a kid after Bisca and Alzack. And what I mean by that is that you just seemed like someone who would be more like Gildarts and never really settle down." said Cana with a smile on her face seeing that Natsu wasn't going to be like her father. Which she is completely fine with since Gildarts didn't even know about her until the previous S-Class exams.
"Honestly that was actually my plan for a long time, but then some things happened and I realized that wasn't the life that I wanted. And that became absolutely certain to me as soon as I got this little cutie." replied Natsu as he looked at Akari with a loving smile.
"I just wished that we would have bet on something like this, think of how many jewels I could have made off of it." said Cana with a devious grin.
"Oh yea that reminds me Cana, how well did you do off of the two bets about what I was doing this past week?" asked Natsu with a grin.
"I did great and would have done even better if someone didn't guess correctly. Wait a minute was that you Happy?" asked Cana as she finally realized who would have actually put that down.
"Yep now where's my fish Cana?" Happy asked back.
"I don't have any fish, but here's what you earned in jewels." said Cana with a frown as she threw a card at Happy that then turned into stacks of jewels that buried the little cat.
"Aye Sir." came the muffled cheer from Happy who was covered in jewels. Then they all heard a cute little yawn come from Akari as she woke up and started to look at the strangers around her.
"Hey there Akari you have some visitors that would really like to get to know you." said Natsu as he smiled down at her as she grabbed his scarf and started to suck on it like she usually does.
"Can I hold her now Nastu?" asked Mira who looked like she might explode if she doesn't get to hold her.
"Sure but like I said before she's really attached to me right now." said Natsu as he started to hand Akari over to Mira and could see that Akari was already not liking it at all.
"Hey it's okay Akari I am still going to be right here, daddy isn't going anywhere." said Natsu as he still was holding her. And Akari looked like she was on the verge of crying so Natsu did the only thing that he could think of that would help her stay calm.
"Here you go Akari, you can hold onto daddy's scarf while aunt Mira holds you." said Natsu as he took her back to his chest so that he could use his left hand to take off his scarf and give it to her.
"There you go Akari, now are you are going to be a brave little dragon for daddy and let aunt Mira hold you?" asked Natsu as he slowly passed her to Mira who happily accepted her. But just as Natsu was about to pull his right hand away it was loosely grabbed by Akari with her little hands, which completely stopped him from pulling back and just let her hold onto his pointer finger.
"You weren't joking at all about her being attached to you Natsu." said Lisanna after watching all of that unfold in front of her.
"I definitely wasn't joking about that Lisanna, but I am concerned. Is that normal for a baby to be that attached to someone because from what I have seen she's the only baby that can't stand being away from her parent for more than a few seconds." said Natsu with a concerned look on his face.
"You have nothing to worry about Natsu, she just really loves you and can't stand being separated from you. Yes Akari might be a little clingier than most babies, but considering what she's already gone through it kind of makes sense that she won't let go of you." said Mira as she made funny faces at Akari who would just smile at them while she sucked on Natsu's scarf and holding his finger.
"I guess that makes sense." replied Natsu as he smiled at his daughter.
"She might have also latched onto the aura that you give off Natsu, which is surprisingly a calm and warm aura." suggested Cana with a smile.
"What do you mean by a surprisingly calm and warm aura?" asked Natsu as he looked over his shoulder at Cana.
"I just meant that most people wouldn't think that your aura would cause other people to feel calm, or a better way of describing it would be that we feel safe and protected when around you Natsu. As if nothing can harm us as long as you're around and as for the warm that is probably due to you being a fire mage which also makes people feel safe." explained Cana with a slight blush.
"Thanks Cana, but what would most people assume my aura to be?" asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised at her.
"I would say that most would think that it would be hectic or wild since that is what you usually are when you are doing jobs or just hanging out at the guild." answered Cana as she tried to not make a fool of herself any more than she already has.
"I can see how people would think that." said Natsu as he looked back at Akari.
"Mira let someone else have a turn holding Akari." said Lisanna in a pouting voice.
"Just a little longer Lisanna, she's just so cute that I want to keep her all to myself." said Mira which got Natsu to let out a little growl.
"I was just joking Natsu, I would never dream of trying to take Akari from her overly protective daddy. That would be a death wish now wouldn't it be Akari?" said Mira the whole time smiling down at Akari.
"You're right on that one Mira, nobody is going to take daddy's little dragon away from him. Isn't that right Akari?" asked Natsu with a big grin on his face.
"Mira if you hold her any longer she's going to go to sleep again before the rest of us get to hold her." whined Lisanna.
"Fine Lisanna, but I get to hold her after everyone else does." stated Mira as she got up and passed Akari off to Lisanna who then sat back down on the couch where Mira used to be sitting.
"Wow she is so cute." squealed Lisanna as she looked at Akari.
"She's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen." said Natsu as he looked at her, not noticing the other girls all smiling at him because of his statement.
"I still can't believe that she has the same hair color as you Natsu." stated Lisanna with a big smile that looked like it wasn't going to be leaving her face anytime soon.
"Yea that one surprised me as well because I didn't notice any of her family having hair like hers, but then again it was kind of not the time to be concerned about something so trivial. Now it's just going to be easier for people to believe that she's my daughter." said Natsu with a proud grin.
"So why didn't her mother want her or anyone else to know about what happened?" asked Mira who was wondering this since Natsu said it at the guild.
"Well she didn't want Akari to have to know that her family was being targeted for some reason, as for not telling any of you guys about it. I am doing that to ensure that Akari doesn't find out and also to keep her safe from whoever might want to come after her if they knew she was alive." replied Natsu as he glared at a wall while showing off his fangs at the imaginary enemy.
"You would really do anything for her wouldn't you Natsu?" asked Cana with a warm smile that would look more at home on Mira's face.
"Yes I would Cana, like I said before Akari has become the thing I care about the most in the world. You could say that she has become my purpose for living." said Natsu with a caring smile directed down at Akari who was being entertained by Lisanna. They all just sat there for a few minutes watching Lisanna play with Akari, until surprisingly Wendy spoke up.
"Um Lisanna would it be okay if I held Akari?" asked Wendy timidly.
"Oh sorry Wendy, I just lost track of time while holding her." said Lisanna as she regretfully passed Akari over to Wendy.
"She's so light." said Wendy with a big smile as she held Akari who seemed pretty happy about Wendy holding her.
"Wow Wendy I think that she really likes you." stated Natsu with a big grin.
"Why would you say that Natsu?" asked Wendy who didn't even look up at him while talking since she was captivated by Akari.
"Well because she isn't cry after I took my hand away from her for starters. And just look at how happy she is right now Wendy." said Natsu still grinning at Wendy and Akari.
"Maybe she is just getting used to being held by other people." suggested Wendy.
"Or maybe she just likes her big sister." said Natsu with a little chuckle.
"What are you talking about Natsu I'm not her big sister, that would make you my dad." stuttered Wendy as she finally looked up at Natsu with an embarrassed expression on her face.
"Yea I know Wendy, but you are probably going to become her big sister figure when she grows up. Well you and Asuka will probably both fill that role, so I want you two to be great role models for her." said Natsu in joking matter.
"I will be the best big sister she could ever ask for." said Wendy as she looked back at Akari with a big smile.
"I know you will Wendy, just look at how much she already likes you." stated Natsu with a smirk.
"That's just because she's getting used to people." replied Wendy.
"I don't know about that Wendy, it might be because you and Natsu both are dragon slayers making your magic similar." suggested Mira with a smile hoping that she was actually wrong about this.
"I didn't even think about that, does that mean she'll like Laxus and Gajeel?" asked Natsu as he looked as if he might start panicking.
"Who knows Natsu, maybe." said Lisanna with a big smirk.
"Darn, I guess those two aren't the worse possible people for her to like." said Natsu as he let out a sigh of defeat.
"Natsu we don't even know if that is way Akari likes Wendy." pointed out Cana.
"Well then how would we figure that out then?" asked Natsu as he scratched his chin.
"Simple Natsu, once Wendy is done with Akari we'll see how she reacts with me." replied Cana.
"Wait you want to hold her?" asked Natsu who was stunned by this.
"Of course I do Natsu you jerk, I am a woman too you know and like most things that every other woman likes too." said Cana in a slightly hurt tone.
"Sorry Cana I didn't mean anything by that, you just haven't ever really shown a girly side to me ever. Well at least not that I can remember seeing." said Natsu with a faint smile.
"Well I do Natsu, and I just don't show it off like other women." stated Cana proudly.
"Hey where did Happy and Carla go?" asked Natsu as he just noticed that they were not here.
"Happy took her to show how comfy Akari's crib is." stated Wendy.
"And Carla actually went with him?" asked Natsu in disbelief.
"I think that she did that to just get Happy to stop bothering her." replied Lisanna with a small giggle at how persistent Happy can be.
"Natsu she has such beautiful purple eyes." said Wendy out of nowhere.
"Oh yea she does, it's actually the only thing that I am confident that she got from her mother. They were the same deep purple that makes you get lost in them and not look away." replied Natsu as he thought back to his talk with Akari's mother and couldn't help but frown.
"Hey it's okay Natsu you can't save everyone." said Cana who was able to see what was going through his mind. Natsu was very easy to read if he wasn't trying to pretend that everything was alright.
"She also told me that too." said Natsu with a sad smile.
"And she was right Natsu, you're only one man so don't think about those that you couldn't save. Think about all those that you have saved and how because of you they get to keep living just like Akari." said Mira with a caring smile.
"Okay were you two actually there, because that was really similar to what she also said?" asked Natsu with a sad chuckle.
"No we weren't Natsu, and the reason that we said similar things is because we happen to be right on this Natsu." said Cana with a small smile.
"I still think that you two might have been there." said Natsu with a little grin as he leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.
"Do you want to hold her now Cana?" asked Wendy who still couldn't help but want to make others happy, otherwise she wouldn't have let go of Akari.
"Yes please." replied Cana as she held out her arms expectantly.
"Here you go, and I will see you later Akari." said Wendy as she handed Akari over to Cana.
"See Natsu she's just getting used to other people holding her." said Mira with a big smile on her face.
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly Mira, she is as stubborn as me if not more. She could like Cana for some reason, the only way to be certain is to see how she reacts to you and Lisanna holding her again." stated Natsu still with his eyes closed.
"Look at what you did to your daddy Akari, I don't think I have ever seen him this tired before." said Cana with a big grin.
"She takes a lot out of you, but daddy wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world." replied Natsu who sounded like he was slowly drifting off to sleep.
"You hear that Akari your daddy loves you more than anything else in the world, that makes you a really lucky girl." said Cana as she tickled Akari's little tummy getting her to giggle.
"Man I just want to eat her up since she's so cute." said Mira who was starting to get impatient waiting for her turn to hold her again.
"I know what you mean Mira, she is just too cute aren't you Akari." said Cana who was once again tickling her tummy and getting the same cute reaction.
"I think she really does like you Cana, because she didn't like it when I tried that." said Lisanna with a frown.
"Do like your aunt Cana that much Akari, if so I might have to buy you a drink when you get a little older." said Cana jokingly but then heard Natsu let out a small growl.
"You mean a lot older right Aunt Cana?" asked Natsu as he opened one eye to look at her.
"Of course I did Natsu, it's okay Akari what your daddy doesn't know won't hurt him." said Cana in whisper with a big grin knowing that Natsu could definitely hear her. Natsu then sprung to his feet and looked as if he was ready to fight and his magic started to flare up.
"Settle down Natsu I was just joking." said Cana concerned that she went too far.
"You're fine Cana, I just smelt an unwanted guest that I am going to get rid of. Cana, please take care of Akari while I am gone." said Natsu as he then walked out of his house not looking back or waiting for a response.
"Who was dumb enough to come here while Natsu is like this?" asked Lisanna who was really concerned for the person trying to come here since Natsu was obviously not happy.
"It's Erza." replied Wendy after smelling the air for a bit.
"You slayers and your heightened senses." said Cana as she shook her head while smiling down at Akari.
"What does she think she's doing?" asked Mira not being able to figure out what could be going through Erza's head.
"You don't think that she's trying to take Akari away do you?" asked Lisanna.
"I hope not otherwise one of those two is going to end up dead." replied Wendy with a frown.
"Don't worry everyone, Master said that the guild will not try and forcibly take Akari away from Natsu. And we all know that Erza would never go against Master's orders." stated Mira which made all of the other girls relax a bit.
Outside with Natsu:
"I thought that I told you guys what would happen if you came here Titania." said Natsu in a deep and threatening voice which caused Erza to flinch due to it and Natsu not even saying her name.
"You did but I just wanted to talk about this Natsu." replied Erza.
"There's nothing to talk about Titania." stated Natsu in the same voice as he glared at her.
"But there is Natsu, just think about Akari for a second here. She needs a dad and a mom, you're only able to fill one of those roles Natsu so please reconsider this?" asked Erza.
"Are you saying that Akari will not turn out correctly if I raise her by myself Titania?" asked Natsu as his voice got even deeper somehow.
"Well yes and no Natsu, it's just that she will have a better life if she has both parents." replied Erza.
"I just keep learning more and more about you today Titania. First that you only ever saw me as some sort of attack dog and now I am learning that you think pretty much everyone at Fairy Tail is screwed up." said Natsu with anger as fire actually spewed out of his mouth on a few words.
"Why do you keep calling me Titania, Natsu, and I never once saw you as an attack dog you are one of my closest friends Natsu. Also where in the world did you get the idea that I think everyone in Fairy Tail is screwed up?" asked Erza who was getting angry at this new Natsu.
"I am calling you Titania because I don't see the Erza that I grew up with who was also one of my closest friends, who I know wouldn't be doing this. But then again maybe I didn't know her as well as I thought I did and you can say that you don't see me as an attack dog Titania but the only thing that you said you trust me with is fighting, so how does that not make me an attack dog for you. And where I got the idea about you thinking all of Fairy Tail is screwed up is because you just said that a kid needs both parents to be normal Titania, and you might have forgotten this but pretty much seventy percent of the members didn't have their parents. Unfortunately for them they didn't get to have either of them and that even includes you Titania." explained Natsu still glaring at the woman that was still trying to get him to give up Akari.
"You do know me Natsu and I am still the same Erza that has always cared about you. Which is why I am doing this right now, I don't want you making a decision that could ruin the rest of your life." said Erza but as cut off by Natsu growling at her.
"I am going to pretend that you didn't just say to me that raising Akari would ruin my life Titania, because I would really prefer that we didn't fight anywhere near her." said Natsu as he showed off his fangs while speaking with his teeth clenched together in anger.
"Okay Natsu, as for seeing you as some sort of attack dog that is also just wrong. I have always trusted you with taking care of Fairy Tail in battle and also in making everyone feel at home." stated Erza with a little bit of stuttering at the beginning because of the killing intent that Natsu just gave off scared her since she has never felt that coming from him.
"It still sounds like a dog to me that attacks when told to and cheer's up its master when he's feeling down. But whatever we will just move past it since you told me something else that you apparently trust me with." said Natsu still glaring at her.
"And I don't think that about Fairy Tail Natsu, you are just misinterpreting my words Natsu. I didn't mean that kids can't grow up fine without their parents because as you pointed out we turned out all fine without them and Akari could too. I am just saying that she will be happier with an actual family that has a mom and dad." explained Erza.
"So now you are saying that we were all depressed little kids when we were younger." replied Natsu.
"Actually you're right Natsu, we were which I don't want to happen for Akari." said Erza thinking that she was finally getting through to Natsu.
"You're forgetting one thing Titania, we didn't have any parents while Akari is going to have me always there for her when she needs me." said Natsu with a smirk.
"You don't know that you will always be there for her Natsu." said Erza.
"Yes I do Erza, just like I have always been there for Fairy Tail when it needed me. But now I am going to be putting all of that focus and determination towards Akari, which should be enough since it seemed to be enough to save everyone else." declared Natsu.
"Are you saying that you are done with Fairy Tail?" asked Erza in shock at what she was hearing.
"No I am not Titania even though you guys tried to take Akari from me, what I am saying is that my priorities have just changed. They went from protecting Fairy Tail being first to doing that for Akari and with Fairy Tail now being the second priority, so I will still help Fairy Tail but only after I know that Akari will be safe." explained Natsu.
"Oh okay, but what if you get hurt or killed on one of your jobs Natsu? Who is going to take care of Akari then Natsu?" asked Erza.
"First off that could happen to anyone at any time Titania. I will admit that it is more likely with what we do, which is why I will be taking easier jobs until Akari gets a little older. And when she does I will have been training the whole time with the sole purpose of making sure that I will always be there to protect her and be there for any other reason that she needs me for." said Natsu as he then heard a soft whimper come from his house and almost took off to see what's wrong. But he didn't since he needed to wrap this up before he went to see what's going on, besides he knows that those women in there would never hurt her.
"Natsu why can't you see that I am only trying to help both of you here?" asked Erza.
"I know that Titania which is why I haven't attacked you yet. What I am wondering is why can't you see that this is going to happen no matter what you say and that we both need each other right now." replied Natsu with his glare lessening just a little.
"What do you mean that you need her Natsu, and could you please stop calling my Titania?" asked Erza who was now concerned about what he meant by that statement.
"I am done talking here, now please leave before something happens that we will both regret Erza." said Natsu as he turned away from her and went back into his house. Erza just stood there for a few minutes trying to process everything that they just said to one another. Especially that comment about them needing each other, not being able to figure it out while she stood outside of his house Erza turned and headed back to her place. But she left with a small smile because of Natsu calling her by her name which gave her a little hope that they will be able to still be friends after all of this is figured out.
"What happened I thought I heard Akari start to cry?" asked Natsu as he burst through the door and saw Cana still holding Akari with a big smile.
"Well to get right down to it, apparently Akari isn't that comfortable with other people like we first thought." said Lisanna with a slight frown.
"Why what happened?" asked Natsu.
"While you were gone Mira wanted to hold her again and apparently Akari wasn't a fan." said Lisanna with a nervous chuckle.
"She hates me Natsu, why does she hate me while she loves Cana and Wendy?" asked Mira in between her quite sobs.
"Hey it's okay Mira, Akari doesn't hate you she's just too young to understand how great you are." said Natsu as he gave her a hug to try and calm her down.
"Okay but then why is she okay with Wendy and Cana?" asked Mira after calming down because of Natsu's calm words.
"Well you were saying that maybe she was okay with Wendy because of us having similar types of magic." suggested Natsu with a smile.
"Yea you're right but that doesn't explain why she likes Cana." pointed out Mira.
"Maybe because I am more motherly than you Mira." said Cana with a big grin as everyone else's mouths dropped to the floor at that comment.
"Cana how could you!" exclaimed Lisanna as Mira burst into tears while Lisanna tried to comfort her.
"Sorry but an opportunity like that was never going to come around again." replied Cana still grinning knowing that Mira was being over dramatic about this.
"I do wonder why she's fine with you Cana?" asked Natsu as he sat right next to her and looked at Akari who looked like she was really happy. And only got happier at seeing Natsu and tried to reach out and grab him.
"Seems like someone wants to go back to daddy." said Cana with a big smile as she handed Akari back over to Natsu.
"How's my little dragon doing?" asked Natsu and only got baby babble from Akari and her smiling back at him.
"Yes you were Akari, and daddy's so proud of you letting everyone hold you." said Natsu with a big grin.
"You understood her?" asked a skeptical Wendy.
"Nope but sometimes I just like to pretend that I know what she's saying, and Mira would you like to hold her now that I am back?" asked Natsu which instantly got Mira to stop crying and quickly take Akari away from Natsu while being right next to him and Akari holding his finger again.
And for the rest of the day the girls stayed at Natsu's place each taking turns holding Akari as they talked about this and that, just the normal things that people usually talk about to keep a conversation going. The girls were all surprised at how good Natsu was about feeding and cleaning Akari when she needed it, and just over all how good he was with her. They all remained there until it started to get dark out, which prompted Natsu to finally get up from the couch.
"Well it was really fun guys but Akari and I are going to go to sleep and she might even stay asleep for most of the night. You guys are welcome to stay here as long as you like just make sure you close the door when you leave, goodnight everyone." said Natsu with a tired grin and headed to his bedroom.
"Goodnight Natsu and Akari." they all said in their own unique ways as they left.
"Natsu really slipped into the father role like a glove didn't he." said Cana with a grin.
"I knew that he would ever since we were little." said Lisanna.
"Yea when you two played house together as husband and wife." teased Mira causing Lisanna to have a slight blush.
"All dragon slayers make good parents if they choose to have kids." stated Wendy with a smile.
"Wait, are you saying that Gajeel would be just like Natsu if he had a kid?" asked Cana with her eyes wide open in shock.
"No not like that, but he would definitely love his kids just as much as Natsu and be willing to do anything for them like Natsu. Gajeel wouldn't be nearly as willing to show his caring side to other people like Natsu is and would hide it like he does right now. No Natsu is still one of a kind on how much he cares for other people and what he's willing to do for them." replied Wendy with a smile.
"Well we should probably go and leave the two of them alone since they both had a really long day." said Cana as she got up to leave.
"At least Natsu didn't get into a fight with Erza." stated Mira as she followed.
"That is very fortunate for everyone, and Natsu seemed fine when he returned." said Wendy with a smile.
"Hey Wendy where's Carla?" asked Lisanna as they were just about to open the door.
"I don't know she never came back after Happy wanted to show her the crib." replied Wendy with a hand under her chin.
"You don't think that the two of them have been sleeping together in that crib do you?" asked Cana with a grin.
"Only one way to find out." said Mira with a big smile as she got a camera from somewhere.
"You have the flash off at least right?" asked Lisanna in a whisper as they creeped to Natsu's room as quietly as possible.
"Yes now be quiet everyone." said Mira as she opened the door as slowly as possible and crept into the room. The sight that they saw made all of them want to go aww, but they didn't because they were afraid that they might wake them up.
On Natsu's bed was the dragon slayer passed out with a loving smile on his face as he held Akari in his arms. And she too looked like she was as happy as could be nestled into his chest while being held protectively by his strong arms that were holding her lightly and ready to guard her as a moment's notice. Mira quickly took a few pictures while noticing Natsu's ears twitching and him taking in a big sniff of the air, obviously making sure that the noises that he heard weren't the noises of an intruder.
The group continued on to their original goal which was the crib that had almost any equally touching scene as what was on Natsu's bed. This one was of Happy and Carla curled up together both with smiles on their faces as they slept in the crib without a care in the world. Once again Mira took a few pictures and the group left the room not wanting to press their luck anymore and left Natsu's house and started to talk about what they had just seen all throughout the day and how they were all excited to see what the future brought with it.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and hope that all of you enjoyed it. I once again want to thank all of you for the support that you guys are giving this story and I am going to try and not disappoint you with it. Also a quick shout out to everyone that reviewed this story and have already gotten it just shy of 100 and is probably going to pass that shortly, so once again thank you. I also feel the need to say Sorry that unfortunately Mira has been taken out of the running for possible mates for a few reasons. I am saying this because for the first few hours of me posting the last chapter and having her as a candidate she easily took the lead and I realized that I didn't really want to write this story that way since I already have Natsu paired up with Mira in a different one of my stories. Also she was just too good of a match for this and it would be too predictable in my opinion which I have always tried to not do with my stories. So once Sorry about that everyone and I will have her as the loving aunt which she will be awesome at.
I also want to clarify that I am not trying to bash any characters of Fairy Tail like someone thought I was, I was just trying to have an interesting story that would be somewhat believable. Which I thought I did with how some of Fairy Tail reacted to Natsu adopting a kid, because let's be honest how Natsu has been portrayed up till now is not someone that you would be fine with all of a sudden having a baby which is why a lot of Fairy Tail acted the way they did. Granted some of them went about it in the completely wrong way but they were all just concerned about Akari. This is something that I felt I needed to explain because of a review I got and wanted to clear up, so enough of my little rant explaining why I did what I did in this story. So as always feel free to leave me a review.
Until the next Chapter
Digem Out!
