Ch 4: A Legend Returns
March 12th X788 on the borders of Fiore and Bosco:
"I can't believe we're finally free!" shouted a young boy as he started to celebrate with a few other kids his age. All of them just in rags and looking like they hadn't eaten a full meal in months, but that didn't matter to any of them as they now ran around in the country that they planned to call their new home.
"You two actually did it." stated a woman with a few clearly visible scars that she obtained from her time fighting in the arenas. She couldn't help but smile as the people she grew to consider her family over the last few years started to celebrate their new found freedom by rolling in the grass or just jumping around and hugging each other.
"We said that we would get all of you out of that place which is what we did and you fighting with us helped insure that no one else would get hurt." stated Kagura as she stood to the right of the woman having filled out more in the last few years and was the definition of a gorgeous woman now.She was still wearing the same outfit as before but it now had a worn look to it thanks to the fading that happened over the past three years. She now had a fond smile on her face as she watched some of the people celebrate being free for the first time in their entire life. And seeing how happy they all were made all of the hard work that she and Natsu did to free them all worth it and then some.
"Some of the kids heard rumors about the two of you and started to hope that you'd come and save them. But I can honestly say I never imagined that The Viridian Death and Viper would actually come into the capital of Bosco and stage one of the biggest slave escapes in history." replied the lady as she shook her head at how crazy that night was over a month ago.
"Well Bellona, we both felt like we needed to make one last big run before we departed from Bosco for a while." stated Natsu as he came up to the two of them. His outfit was the same as before now having that worn look as well, but he did have one new addition which was a black eyepatch covering his right eye that now had a long scar going through it vertically.
"You're giving up on saving slaves in Bosco?" she asked with a shocked expression now on her face as she looked at the two of them.
"We never intended for this to be a full time thing for us, but that doesn't mean we won't still come back every now and again to make sure that the raiding doesn't start again. Besides we haven't just been saving slaves over the past three years, or even just staying in Bosco." he stated with a slight grin as a look of surprise came over the face of the ex-gladiator.
"What else have you two been up to?" she asked since the only thing that she heard about the two that saved her and over two hundred other slaves was that they liberated slaves wherever they went.
"We've taken down a few dark guilds and did other odd jobs in all of the countries surrounding Bosco. But we always made sure to destroy any savers that we met along the way." replied Kagura with a slight smile.
"It was a really good way to stop the slavers from sending out raiding parties into other countries. And honestly that is better than what the two of us could have ever hoped to accomplish in Bosco. You know that there is no way that the two of us could ever change a country to completely give up on using slaves if it's been happening there for centuries now." he stated with a slight frown.
"Yea but the two of you aren't alone anymore, you have that group that helped you out in the capital." she pointed out only to watch Natsu shake his head at her.
"That is a group of ex-slaves working in the shadows to help free others just like them from captivity. We just partnered with them to increase the odds of our mission being a success, also I don't think they would really be interested in taking orders from us." he explained with a small grin.
"But you're the Viridian Death, a mage hell bent on making Slavers get what they deserve for treating people like property." she stated with a hopeful expression on her face.
"I honestly don't know how that ever became my moniker, I mean my flames are green." he replied while forming a small ball of fire on his palm.
"Viridian for the last time is just a bluish green, which you have to admit your flames sometimes look like depending on what you're doing with them." stated Kagura with a smirk, finding it funny that he still couldn't admit that his hair was pink or that his flames were sometimes viridian.
"Okay Viper, but that still doesn't explain the death part." he responded while looking at her for an answer.
"Considering what I've seen you do since you saved us I think that it fits you quite well. I mean you almost burnt half of the capitol to the ground when you first showed up to free us, not to mention every group that came after us at least suffered a few fatal casualties before retreating." said Bellona as she recalled the images of him striking down anyone who stood in his way, or the images of him standing on the burning roof of a guard tower as the city was covered with his green flames that surprisingly didn't burn a single slave.
"Hey, they were all coming for my head so I can't help it if a few of them happened to die once I was through with them." he stated with a stern glare sent her way.
"She wasn't trying to make you sound like a bad person Viridian, she's just pointing out that your enemies are kind of justified in calling you that with your body count that is all on them for attacking us." explained Kagura as she squeezed his hand, knowing that he hated being called a murder or anything like that. And she knew that he would still try to not deal out fatal blows if he knew he could disable them without anyone else getting hurt because of it.
"Sorry, I just don't like being compared to murders that kill for no reason or just for the fun of it. And back to your comment that started this Bellona, we've never had that as our sole purpose of doing any of this. We just wanted to help others out however we could and in Bosco the ones needing the most help happened to be the slaves." he replied while giving Kagura's hand a gentle squeeze back, letting her know that he really appreciated it.
"Then who's going to help the slaves that are still being held captive?" she asked with a frown, not expecting for a conversation like this to take place at what should have been such a happy time for her.
"Like we said earlier we'll come back every once in a while to help out. Also there is that group of ex-slaves that seem to be doing a pretty good job at helping free other slaves." he stated with a grin.
"And I'm sure that they could use an experienced fighter in their ranks such as yourself Bellona." said Kagura with a grin of her own.
"It's probably one of the few things that I could do with my skills that would benefit others and have a positive effect on the country." she said now having a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I'm positive that there are plenty of other things that you're good at other than fighting. And even if fighting is the only thing you're good at I know for a matter of fact that you could find tons of ways to put it to good use other than freeing slaves with that group." said Natsu with his usual grin.
"Are you trying to convince me to not join that group?" asked Bellona with her left eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Not at all, I just want to make sure that you know that there are other options out there for you. So don't rush into one of them until you're sure that's what you actually want to do." he answered while looking off to the distance as a group of soldiers started coming towards them still not being noticed by anyone other than him.
"Thanks, so what do you think I should do?" she asked with a slight smile.
"Whatever makes you happy and if you don't know what that is then you should try and find out what does." he replied as he started to walk towards the front of the group. The whole time being thanked or hugged by the people that he and Kagura saved until he finally got to the front, which was also when the rest of the group finally saw the soldiers heading towards them.
"Oh dear god, we're going to be sent back there!" shouted out a scared man, causing the rest of the group to start panicking until Natsu shouted "QUIET!" which instantly got all of them to stop and stare at him. All waiting to see what he and Kagura would do about the new threat that was coming down on them, hoping that they would once again save them.
"No one is going to be sent back to Bosco, this is just your new escort for the rest of your journey into Fiore. The King of Fiore has openly opposed the slave trade for years now and is more than happy to welcome you into his country and has even went about finding jobs that should fit your current skills. All of this is of course optional, none of us what to force any of into something that you don't want, oh and he's also set up temporary housing for anyone that takes him up on his offer in Crocus." explained Natsu now with his hood back up so the soldiers couldn't see his face as they approached them.
"Are you serious?" asked one of the men from the crowd of ex-slaves.
"Absolutely, unfortunately you're going to have to make your decision in the next half hour. After that time Viper and I will be heading off on our own and those that decided to take the King up on his offer will be transported back to the capital." he answered with a smile since he could see a wave of relief wash over most of their faces. A sight that he and Kagura would have never seen from a group of freed slaves that they helped rescue during their first and second year of being in that awful country. But after earning his new moniker he no longer had to deal with the mistrust that they had dealt with each and every time they rescued a new group back then.
"What about those who choose to not go with them?" asked someone else from the middle of the crowd.
"They'll be able to do whatever they want as long as it's in accordance with the laws of Fiore." replied Kagura as she came up to Natsu's right side with her hood up as well. Both of them then turned away from the group and started to walk towards the incoming soldiers.
"Is it safe to assume you two are the famous mages going by Viridian and Viper?" asked a Rune Knight with glasses as he and the rest of his division came to the front of the group.
"Yes we are, but I didn't think the Council would be making an appearance at this gathering I set up with the King." stated Natsu as he let some of his magic out in the form of small green flames that started dancing across his body.
"The Council is a part of the King's kingdom and it wouldn't be wise to just let this many people enter the country without checking them out for any ill intentions." replied the man with glasses until he came to a halt thanks to Natsu laughing like he just heard the funniest thing ever.
"So the Council sees a large group of refugees as a possible threat against the country and magical world. But known slavers coming into the country for who knows how long with actual mages in their raiding parties doesn't warrant any sort of response?" asked Natsu after he stopped his laughing at how stupid all of this was.
"If you had let me finish I would have continued to say that thanks to the work of you two the Council and the Kingdom of Fiore are strengthening its borders. And with that comes the inspection of large groups such as yours, but more specifically the Council is more interested in you two." stated the man as he pushed up his glasses and was now staring back at Natsu with no traces of being upset at his laughter.
"Of course that is what they would be concerned about, it's the same old thing with them every time. Isn't that right whatever your name is? I mean the real criminals and scum of the wizarding world are free to go about their business as they please, but the ones that are actually helping out have to deal with the Council and worry about property damage." he scoffed while giving the Rune Knight an angry glare.
"It's Lahar, and judging by your tone and how you said that it would appear that you've dealt with the Council while in Fiore during your past." stated Lahar as he became more intrigued by this unknown fire mage.
"You could definitely say that Lahar, and if my memory serves me correctly you happened to be there during one of the times that the Council waited until other people did the work for them. Only to then go and punish some of the people who actually helped save the day." he said now with a grin as he recalled the Nirvana incident that happened a few years ago.
"Very interesting Viridian, because as far as I know I don't ever recall coming into contact with a fire mage that could use green flames during my time working for the Council. But I bet we both can agree that we shouldn't let whatever happened in the past possibly cause us problems in the present since we've both changed since the last time we apparently met." replied Lahar with his expressionless face still not changing at all during the conversation. Even though he was racking his brain trying to figure out who Viridian could be, and given the very specific example that he was given it really shouldn't have been that hard for him to figure out.
"More than you could possibly know Lahar, so what does the Council want with us?" he asked while gesturing to Kagura who was just a foot behind him.
"The Council mainly wants to know your intentions; such as are the two of you just passing through or do you two plan on joining a guild and becoming a permanent resident? And if half the rumors about you two are true they would love to offer you a position that suits your skills and power in the Council before you join a guild." answered Lahar with a slight smile.
"And what positions would those be exactly?" asked Kagura, who over her time with Natsu knew that the Council always has its own agenda.
"As I've said before if you two are as even half as strong as the rumors say you are then the Council would most likely offer you a position right under the Wizard Saints. And I'm guessing that within the next year one or both of you will be promoted to a Wizard Saint." asked the Rune Knight, thinking that there was no way anyone could pass up an offer like that.
"We'll pass on that, not that it isn't a tempting offer or anything. And we both are very honored to be even considered for the chance to earn a title like that, but unfortunately we don't plan to be tied down to anywhere for very long. So to answer your first question we will most likely be wandering around doing odd jobs and just helping whoever we can." replied Natsu with his usual grin that made Lahar feel like the two of them might have actually met before. Because that toothy grin he was receiving right now was so familiar but he couldn't just place where he's seen it before.
"You both know that offers like this don't come around every day?" he asked, once again having a blank expression on his face.
"Then I guess it wasn't meant to be since we have other things that we need to do while we're in Fiore. So is there anything else that we need to do before we head off into the country?" asked Kagura as she twirled her sword Archenemy in boredom.
"Since you two haven't done anything wrong then the only other thing we need to do is get a reading on your power level and what magic you have." he stated while pulling out a recording lacrima and a different one that measured magic pressure.
"Not going to happen." stated Natsu in a harsh tone as his magic started to seep out of him.
"Sorry but those are the rules for new people immigrating into the country." he replied as a few of his men started to point their weapons at the two hooded mages. Even though Lahar looked completely calm on the outside, internally he was freaking out at how much power Natsu was giving off knowing full well that this was only a small portion of what the mage could do. In that little outburst it would easily rank him at the level of an A-Class mage for sure, meaning that the Council was correct that he would be a good candidate for becoming a Wizard Saint.
"Then it's a good thing that we're both residents of Fiore and have only been gone for the past three years. But if you're still insistent on getting that information I'd be more than happy to show you and the rest of your men a very up close and personal demonstration of what I can do." threatened Natsu as he ignited both of his fists in his green flames.
"Are you actually going to attack representatives of the Council?" asked Lahar as most of his men took a step back from the fire mage that looked like he was itching for a fight.
"Of course I'm not Lahar, but if you're going to try and force honest citizens of Fiore into doing something that they don't have to. Then all I'm actually doing is beating the shit out of some corrupt Rune Knights who will learn very quickly that just because they're with the Council doesn't mean they're above the law." he stated while letting out a little more of his magic that actually caused the Rune Knights surrounding him to start sweating profusely.
"We are anything but corrupt Viridian, and no one would believe such a ridiculous accusation as that." responded Lahar as he glared at the man whose grin only grew at finally seeing some sort of reaction from him.
"I don't know, how about all of the other soldiers that are watching us right now. Oh and also all of the new citizens that will actually be working for the king as soon as they get settled in Crocus." he pointed out with a shit eating grin as Lahar and his men looked at everyone watching them.
"He's right Lahar, and the King would be very displeased with the Council if they couldn't do the one thing that they promised to do. Viridian and Viper were not to be harassed since all they've done is stop the raids into our country by slavers during the past three years. And now that we know that they're citizens of Fiore the King will only be more upset with any confrontation happening here despite whoever actually started it." stated the Captain of the few regimens of normal soldiers standing there.
"We don't know that they're actually citizens that could easily just be a lie." stated Lahar as he now glared at the Captain.
"Doesn't really matter if we are or aren't since either way we won't be divulging any of our secrets to you Lahar. But if I show you a little more of what I can do will that satisfy you so we can all go our separate ways?" Natsu asked with a little smirk that only Kagura noticed.
"It would be better than nothing." said Lahar as he shifted his slightly angry glare back to the fire mage.
"Then toss me that magic pressure reading device you have there." he said only to catch the small box being tossed at him. After giving it a good look over Natsu positioned it in his hand so that the display was facing Lahar and most of his men.
"All right Lahar here's what you can tell those old geezers when you return to them." he stated as he started to unleash his magic. Lahar and his men were astounded by the magic pressure coming off of Natsu as the numbers started to climb higher and higher. Easily passing the standard S-Class level for most guilds, but before it even started to slow down on its climb to whatever power Natsu was giving off. They all watched as it was reduced to nothing as his green flames took its place.
"No normal fire could have just done that to that device which was designed to withstand the magic pressure of all the Wizard Saints except for the top four." stated Lahar in disbelief as he looked at the hooded fire mage now with a fearful look in his eyes.
"My fire is anything but normal Lahar and during the last three years so far everything I've used it on has been reduced to nothing. As for what else Viper and I can do, that will remain a mystery to you and the Council for now at least since all you need to know is we're not here to cause problems. Oh and tell them that maybe later on that whole becoming a Wizard Saint thing might be something we're interested in." said Natsu as he turned away from Lahar and his men, heading back to the group of ex-slaves with a big smirk on his face. He wasn't the only one smirking right now, pretty much everyone but Lahar and his men had them on their faces as they looked at the terrified Rune Knights.
"One last thing Lahar, Viridian is very protective of his friends and anyone that he feels responsible for. And considering that all of the people behind us were rescued by him, it wouldn't be too farfetched if he hunted down anyone that didn't treat them in the highest regards and got to know them better." stated Kagura as she started to follow Natsu.
"Why are you saying this Viper?" asked Lahar with his look becoming even a little more terrified.
"Because you and your men still need to inspect them, and when we check in on them in a month he won't be happy to hear about anything bad happening to them. If it does happen then there is no place in the country that he won't be able to find the culprit at and give them the fitting punishment, well his definition of fitting punishment. And just so you all know you don't become known as the Viridian Death by being merciful." she replied without even glancing back at them.
Needless to say Lahar and his men were now all thinking that their inspection this time would set a new record in time with all of them being cleared to enter the country. But Lahar had a few other thoughts going around in his head right now that pertained to the identity of Viridian. He couldn't help but think of a pink haired mage from Fairy Tail that had no problems going against the Council, and that was especially the case when his friends were involved.
"No it can't be him; he died with the rest of them on Tenrou Island that fateful day. Not to mention that he didn't have green flames or was anywhere near the level that Viridian just demonstrated." mumbled Lahar to himself as he looked at the two mages now chatting away with a little group of the ex-slaves.
"What was that Commander?" asked his second in command.
"Nothing, I just couldn't help but notice the similarities between Viridian and a mage I knew who died three years ago." he replied while continuing to watch the two of them as they kept receiving hugs and other forms of goodbyes from the people that they rescued.
"Are you sure that he died all of those years ago?" asked the Rune Knight as he looked at Lahar with an intrigued expression on his face.
"I never actually saw him on the island before it was destroyed and considering that Fairy Tail never corrected the Council when we ruled that the Tenrou Group were dead, which included his name on the list as well seems like a good reason to think he's dead. But by far the biggest reason I know he's dead is the Council hasn't been complaining about the Salamander destroying things constantly." explained Lahar as a slight frown flashed across his face for just a brief second.
"You think Viridian is actually the Salamander of Fairy Tail?" he asked with a shocked look now on his face.
"I just told you why it couldn't be him, and besides Salamander didn't have green flames that could do what we just witnessed Viridian's do. But there are a whole lot of similarities between the two of them; maybe they were related to each other in some way? Doesn't really matter to us though as long as Viridian and Viper doesn't start causing the Council problems." replied Lahar as he shook his head.
"I guess you have a point there Commander, so what are your orders Sir?" he asked now waiting for a command as he stood in attention.
"Start doing the inspections to any of the people heading to the capital, but make sure to do it quickly and make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong and everyone is happy afterwards." stated Lahar as he went to go give his report and inform the Council about what just took place.
With Natsu and Kagura:
"So are you all sure you want to head back into Bosco?" asked Natsu with a concerned look that none of them could see thanks to his hood being up.
"What can I say Viridian, you two have inspired us to go and help out those that are going through what we went through." replied Bellona with a confident grin spread across her face. The same look could be seen on the seven other adults that were standing behind her, who had all come to the same decision as her during the past few minutes.
"We wish you all the best of luck, and hope to run into you in the near future." said Kagura as she gave Bellona a quick hug.
"We'll all probably have a few more scars by then, but I can guarantee that we'll still be fighting the good fight." she said after Kagura separated from her and gave her a little smirk.
"I bet you will, oh and this should help you with that. This communication lacrima can only contact the group of former slaves that helped us break all of you out back then." stated Natsu as he dropped some equipment and weapons in front of the group from his pocket dimension while tossing Bellona the communication Lacrima.
"Are sure it's okay to give us all of this?" she asked while looking at the communication lacrima in her hands in disbelief.
"Absolutely Bellona, they gave me a few of them just in case some of you guys decided to join up with them." he replied with his usual grin.
"I really don't know how we can ever repay the two of you." she stated with a small smile.
"Going back into Bosco to help others is more than enough." replied Kagura with a small smile of her own.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do." said Bellona as she grabbed the last of the equipment Natsu was giving them.
"Well I've never really liked goodbyes so I think we're just going to head out and we'll see you all later." said Natsu as he turned away from them and started to head deeper into Fiore with a very specific destination in mind.
Two weeks later at Fairy Tail:
"Did you hear about what the Viridian Death and Viper did on their last escapade?" asked Wakaba as he was reading a newspaper at the bar.
"No I haven't, but I can only assume it dealt with them destroying a lot of things and freeing some slaves." replied Macao with a slight grin.
"Right you are my friend, but this time it was the biggest one they've ever done. And that's not all, they actually did it in the capital of Bosco and apparently Viridian Death destroyed half of the city by himself. During all the confusion about one thousand slaves were rescued and eventually given their freedom back." explained Wakaba as he let out a long whistle at how many slaves were freed.
"I find it hard to believe that just two people could accomplish that." stated Laki from a table just a few feet away from them.
"I'm going to have to agree with her on that, they are probably just over exaggerating the number to make those two look like bigger heroes than they actually are." said Jet as he and Droy took a seat at the bar.
"From what I've heard it's actually the other way around whenever the news talks about those two. Apparently the Council doesn't want to promote two rogue mages who've decided to take matters into their own hands." responded Kinana as she continued to clean some dirty mugs.
"Why would they be doing that?" asked Droy with a confused face as he continued to stuff food into his mouth that he brought with him. He was clearly still not coping well with the loss of the Tenrou Group even after three years.
"Because it could inspire other mages to do the same thing, which overall makes their job that much harder." answered Macao, having learned a lot more about the Council after becoming the guild master.
"Well back to the discussion about how many slaves were actually saved, both of you are wrong since the King of Fiore accepted all of them into the country. And he even lined up jobs for them if they decided to make Fiore their new home, the only ones that didn't take him up on this offer headed back into Bosco to join up with the group that helped save them with those two." said Wakaba as he set the paper down since he had just then finished reading the article.
"See I told you that those two couldn't have done all of that on their own." stated Jet with a smirk.
"Did I forget to mention that the group is completely composed of ex-slaves that those two freed earlier." replied Wakaba with a smug smirk as Jet lost his.
"They also have it by a reliable source that the two of them are now going to be in Fiore for a little while." stated Kinana, since she was the one to actually give the newspaper to Wakaba when he first arrived at the guild.
"Why in the world would those two come here, we don't have any form of Slavery? And the little that we did they stopped by destroying any group of slavers coming across the border." asked Laki as she decided to join the group rather than remain all alone at her table.
"That's not the only thing those two have done ever since they appeared a few years ago, it's just the thing that they're best known for. According to the article they've also eliminated a few dark guilds that they stumbled upon, while also doing odd jobs to probably earn themselves some jewels." she replied with a small smile.
"Why haven't they joined a guild if they're so impressive?" asked Jet with as he looked between Kinana and Wakaba for an answer.
"That's something that the Council and the rest of the public are trying to find out." stated Warren as he entered the guild with a grin on his face.
"Welcome back Warren, how did the job go?" asked Macao with a smile since Warren was one of the few mages that never seemed to cause any property damage while out on a job.
"It was a success Master, apparently it was one of the clients servants trying to get back at him for being mistreated so poorly over the last year." he replied as Kinana handed him a mug of beer.
"Why is everyone so interested in these two mages anyways? I mean all they're doing is freeing some slaves and destroying some dark guilds along the way, that's something we would have been doing just three years ago." stated Jet with a slight frown, not wanting to think about how much Fairy Tail has declined since the loss of the Tenrou Group.
"We were the talk of the country back then, and since no one knows who these two are it just makes it even more interesting." answered Laki as she and the rest of the group had sad expression as they thought of their lost friends.
"Why are they keeping their identities secret, and who in their right mind would want to go by Viridian Death or Viper?" asked Jet not wanting to dwell on their dead friends.
"Probably to protect their loved ones is what I'd have to guess for the reason why they are keeping their identities secret." answered Warren after taking a long drink.
"As for how they got those monikers that would be due to their enemies calling them that after facing them. Viper got her name for how fast and precise her attacks are during combat, it's rumored that she never misses her target. But the thing that makes her even more scary is the fact that she never draws her blade, just think of how deadly she'd be if she actually drew it?" said Kinana with shocked look on her face as she imagined it.
"And Viridian Death got his name because of his green flames and his willingness to kill those that try and stop him. But more specifically he got that since the two of them would always kill the head slaver or whoever was in charge of the operation that they went against. And he also would do the same thing to the Masters of the dark guilds that they took out, the news thinks that the two of them are doing that as a warning to people who might be considering to join a dark guild or the slave business." answered Wakaba as he lit his pipe and took a long puff from it.
"And those two are now just wandering around Fiore?" asked Droy with a slightly scared look on his face.
"Yep, but you have nothing to fear since you aren't a slaver or a dark mage." replied Kinana with a bright smile.
"You still haven't answered my question about why the two of them are now in Fiore." stated Laki as she looked at Kinana with a look that said she wanted an answer.
"Honestly no one has any idea why they all of a sudden decided to come here." she answered still having the same smile as before.
"We probably won't know for who knows how long since they clearly like to have some privacy. Anyways we unfortunately are still a few thousand jewels off from paying Twilight Ogre back for this month." stated Macao with a slight frown. Now ashamed that under his control the guild had to rely on a different guild to remain afloat.
With Natsu and Kagura as they entered Magnolia:
"Man it's been too long since I've seen this place." stated Natsu now wearing his old outfit and deciding to not wear his eye patch either since he felt like it belonged to his other outfit.
"Three years is quite a long time, and I said that we should have come back for a visit a few months ago." replied Kagura as she too was now wearing her old outfit.
"Yes you did Kagura, but every time we were about to do it we would hear about a different group of slavers and we had to do something about them. I just hope they don't try to kill me for only just sending letters to them since I left." he said now having his signature grin spread across his face.
"You seem awfully happy for someone expecting to get beaten up in a few minutes." she stated with a little giggle at how happy he was right now.
"Come on Kagura, you know I can take a beating and I kind of deserve it for being away for so long. Man I can't wait to see everyone at Fairy Tail!" he cheered as he picked up his pace.
"Why would he be so excited to see the members of that rundown guild?" asked a random villager after hearing Natsu. Not knowing that he would be afraid for his life because of saying those simple words to his friend.
"What the hell did you just say about Fairy Tail?" growled Natsu as he lifted the man off the ground by his collar.
"I just said that Fairy Tail is a rundown guild." stuttered the man as he looked into Natsu's one good eye. That had a green fire in it looking like it wanted to be let out and destroy everything in its path.
"Fairy Tail is the number one guild of Fiore!" declared Natsu as he was about to hit this man to the other side of the city.
"Where have you been kid, Fairy Tail lost that title three years ago. They weren't even able to keep their guild hall and were then forced to move to the outskirts of the town and into a rundown mill." said the friend of the man in Natsu's hands.
"You have to be kidding me." replied Natsu as he dropped the terrified man to the ground.
"Sorry kid but we aren't, it's a shame really since there wasn't any other guild like them. They truly cared about each other and the city, unlike Twilight Ogre which happens to be the new guild of Magnolia right now." he responded with a slight frown.
"This can't be true, she would have never let this happen and neither would the rest of them." declared Natsu as he took off running for Fairy Tail's guild hall.
"Did he know them?" asked the man before Kagura could chase after him.
"He used to be a member of the guild a few years back and we've been out of the country until now." she replied with a frown now displayed on her face.
"Shit, then that means you two don't know about the incident." he stated while shaking his head.
"What incident?" she asked, deciding that it would probably be a better use of her time to figure out what exactly happened to Fairy Tail since Natsu left them.
"Shouldn't you be going after your friend?" asked the man that Natsu was about to beat the shit out of only a few moments ago.
"He'll be fine, and figuring out what happened while he was gone will probably be the best use of my time right now." she replied to him as she then turned to the other man. Signaling that he should probably start telling her what exactly happened over the past three years.
"Okay but this will take a little while." he stated before telling her what he knew about Fairy Tail and everything they've gone through over the past three years.
With Natsu:
"There's just no way that any of that could be true, Gramps and Erza would both die before letting something like that happen." he said to himself as he dashed through the streets. He finally came to a stop in front of the guild hall that now looked as if it hadn't been used for the last two years.
"No way, what in the world happened while I was away?" he asked out loud as his left eye slowly started to tear up.
"It's a shame what happened to them three years ago, they tried to keep it open but everyone lost faith in them after that." said an old lady as she shook her head.
"What happened three years ago?" asked Natsu as he turned to look at the old lady with a pleading look. Only to be surprised when she dropped her basket and covered her mouth in sheer shock at seeing his face.
"It can't be you died with the rest of them on that island." she said while taking a few steps away from him.
"I'm definitely not dead, and who else died on an island that you thought I would have been on?" he asked while picking up her basket and trying to hand it back to her. But he failed thanks to her continuing to back away from him looking like she was staring down a ghost at the moment.
"You look just like him, their fire mage that was so full of life and couldn't help but cause trouble." she stated now backed up against a building.
"That's me Natsu Dragneel, now could you please tell me what exactly happened while I was away?" he asked with a sad smile, dreading what he was going to be told.
"Salamander, is it really you?" she asked in a hesitant tone, now thinking that she might have finally gone senile.
"The one and only, but usually that's just what my enemies call me which you definitely aren't." he replied as he tried to muster up his usual grin but he failed terribly at it.
"So you didn't go with them on the S-Class exam three years ago?" she asked him with an eyebrow raised.
"No I kind of got kicked out right before that, so for the past three years I've been seeing the world. And I decided that it was about time to stop by and say hi to a few of my friends." he answered with a slight smile that he lost as soon as the woman had a look of pity come over her features.
"You poor thing, you honestly have no idea what happened after you left do you?" she asked with a worried look on her face. Because she had fond memories of him tearing through the town and destroying anything in his way with his friends all the while laughing as if he was having the time of his life. But she could only imagine what he might do after learning that most of his closest friends perished more than three years ago.
"Getting information about Magnolia and Fairy Tail specifically is really hard to do when you're always on the move and in a different country." he explained with a frown as he scratched the back of his head.
"I don't know how to tell you this dear, maybe you should hear it from the remaining members of your guild." she said with a frown.
"Okay that's the second time you've made it sound like something terrible happened to Fairy Tail while I was gone. Now please tell me what happened, because I honestly can't stand not knowing what happened anymore." he said in a pleading tone with his head down, preventing her from seeing his one good eye.
"I'm truly sorry that you have to learn it like this, but all of Fairy Tail's top mages were killed on that Island of theirs a little over three years ago. The public was never really given the full details on what exactly happened, but considering that the number one guild was taken out so suddenly it's not too surprising that they are keeping what happened that day a secret." she answered and could see how much it was hurting him to just hear this.
"Thanks for telling me that, but I don't believe something like that would cause the rest of the guild to be forced out of the town." said Natsu as he balled up his fists in anger and pain.
"We didn't want Fairy Tail to leave, but after that tragedy a lot of their members left for numerous reasons. And those that remained tried to make ends meet, but they couldn't thanks to the lack of job requests sent their way since there weren't any S-Class mages at the guild anymore. So the mayor was forced to give the title to Twilight Ogre, and unfortunately he also had to kick them out of the guild hall since they couldn't pay for it anymore." she replied, waiting to see how he would react to this.
"So that's what happened, do you mind telling me how you know all of this?" he asked in a somber tone still having his head down.
"I just live right there and I have always been a big fan of Fairy Tail. Despite how rowdy and rambunctious you all could be, or even all the destruction that seems to follow you guys around and more specifically you on that one. I still always knew that you guys were some of the nicest and caring people out there and would do anything to protect each other and the citizens of Magnolia." she responded with a slight smile.
"That we were, wait that's not right I actually meant to say that we are. And don't you worry Fairy Tail is going to be number one in no time, but first I think I should help you take this to your house." he said now giving her his usual grin.
"That sounds nice." she replied as she started to walk with him to her house that was less than a block away.
"Well here you go, and can you point me in the direction of the new guild hall so I don't have to waste any more time than I have to?" he asked while handing her basket back to her and still having his famous grin on his face.
"It's in that direction, and does this mean you'll be joining up with Fairy Tail again after whatever caused you to leave in the first place?" she asked while standing on her steps waiting for him to respond.
"Yeah about that, I don't really know one way or another. But what I do know is that Fairy Tail will be back in that guild hall by the end of the year and will once again be working its way back to the top one step at a time." he replied with confident smirk and a glint in his eye.
"That would make this old lady happier than you could possibly imagine, it just seems wrong for a place that used to be so full of life to no longer make a single noise. I would even be happier if I heard you with them once they return, but I'll trust you that you know what you're doing." she replied with a smile.
"Thanks, but I don't want to hear you complaining when they start partying too loud once they return Ms.?" asked Natsu with his smirk only getting bigger than it was before.
"I won't Salamander, as for who I am you can learn that once Fairy Tail is my neighbor again." she stated with a grin before entering her house and closing the door right behind her. This caused Natsu to let out a little chuckle at being turned down by an old lady who seemed to get more enjoyment than she should have when slamming the door in his face. So with a new look of determination in his eye he headed off in the direction that she pointed him in.
"So this is the new guild hall." he stated as he looked at the rundown mill with a Fairy Tail flag hanging on the front of it. He couldn't help but feel like this was all because of him going off by himself and not returning for three years when they needed him the most. So with that in mind he took a big breath and headed inside, only to be met with complete and utter silence as they all looked at him.
"You have to be fucking kidding me." stated Jet with an upset expression slowly making its way across his face. He wasn't the only one that didn't look very pleased to see their former guild member randomly showing up after being gone for more than three years.
"Natsu is that really you?" asked Laki with a slightly confused expression.
"What happened to your eye?' asked Kinana as she covered her mouth in shock as she and everyone else looked at the large scar going through his right eye.
"Hey everyone, and yes it's me and I lost it in a fight about a year ago." he replied with a sheepish grin. Only for a gasp to go throughout the Fairy Tail mages as they watched Natsu be thrown across the guild thanks to a punch from their local speedster.
"You think you can just come strolling back in here like you used to after everything that has happened?" asked Jet as he glared at Natsu as he slowly picked himself up off of the ground.
"Considering that until just ten minutes ago I thought everything was fine I really don't know what to be thinking right now." he replied with a frown only to be hit in the face again by Jet.
"Jet!" shouted Kinana and Laki as they glared at him.
"Jet that's enough." stated Macao with a frown.
"Like hell it is, if he hadn't gotten himself kicked out a month before the exams then the rest of them would still be here. I mean isn't that why he has his magic, to kill dragons like the one that killed all of them?" asked Jet as he continued to glare at Natsu.
"They were killed by a dragon?" asked Natsu now with a look of horror.
"Acnologia, the dragon of the Apocalypse, and he completely destroyed Tenrou Island and everyone on it." said Wakaba as he cleaned out his pipe with a sad look on his face.
"That's the same one that beat Gildarts." stated Natsu as he looked at Macao for confirmation.
"The same one, which is why most of us believe that it wouldn't have mattered if you were there." he replied while giving Jet a glare, resulting in the speedster to let out a little scoff and then head over to his own table away from Natsu.
"But that still doesn't mean we're okay with you deciding to show back up after three whole years of nothing." said Max as he and a few other looked at Natsu with a look of disappointment and slight anger.
"I'm so sorry guys, I was caught up with some things until now." he said with his head down.
"Unfortunately that isn't going to help Natsu, we really could have used your help after learning what happened to them." replied Droy with a broken expression on his face as memories of his time with Levy flashed before his eyes.
"Look at what happened to the guild while you were doing who knows what." stated Warren as he gestured at their rundown guild hall.
"I know, but I was honestly doing something very important and I know that it just sounds like an excuse but it honestly isn't. And now that I know what has happened while I was gone I want to make it up to all of you." he replied now looking at them with a determined look in his eye.
"And how do you plan to do that?" asked Laki with a slight smile since it was good to finally see someone show the desire and passion that used to be in abundance at their guild.
"Well first off I plan…" he started.
"We don't need your help Natsu; you've already made it perfectly clear that you no longer see yourself as one of us. And honestly I don't want to have to watch you give everyone else here some false hope only for you to disappoint us again." said Jet once again right in front of him.
"Jet what is wrong with you?" asked Laki as she glared at her longtime friend.
"It's okay Laki, he's just trying to protect the guild and I can't blame him for it." said Natsu with a sad smile.
"Natsu we all don't think that." stated Kinana with a warm smile.
"I know, but I don't want to upset any of you guys so I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again if you don't want to." he replied as he slowly started to head towards the door.
"So does that mean those that want to see you again will?" she asked no longer having a smile on her face.
"Probably, but it won't be in Magnolia or here at the guild since as Jet said I'm no longer a member. But I do have one question before I head out again, and that is why does most of the town and most likely the rest of the country think I'm dead?" he asked now in the doorway.
"Master Makarov never informed the Council about you being kicked out of the guild and he also left your name on the list of mages competing to become S-Class that year. It was probably because he thought that you would be back within a few months and didn't want to do any more paperwork than he had to." answered Macao with a sad smile.
"And none of you decided to inform the Council of me actually still being alive?" he asked with a sad smile of his own.
"Why would we do that when for all we knew you were already dead since you never returned." replied Jet as he continued to glare daggers at the dragon slayer.
"Jet that's enough, and we didn't correct them about that Natsu because we were still trying to deal with the loss which some of us are still trying to do. And then after the first year we were no longer receiving any more letters from you." corrected Kinana with a slight smile.
"I kept sending them until just a month ago." he said with a disappointed look in his eye.
"They were probably still sent to the old guild hall or maybe to your old place since that was always the return address." suggested Wakaba, now feeling slightly bad for the man who had to deal with just finding out that his closest friends died three years ago. That alone would usually stop most people from being able to talk, but he also now had to now deal with some of his other friends now placing the blame of everything else that happened since then on him.
"Its fine and I guess I'll inform the Council about me not actually being dead whenever I have some free time. And you probably don't believe me when I say this, but I'm really glad to know that the rest of you are okay." he said with his usual grin before stepping out and letting the door close behind him.
"Now look what you did Jet, who knows the next time we're ever going to see him again." stated Laki as she and a few others glared at him.
"Hey, I wasn't the only one upset at him for not coming back until now." he replied in a defensive tone.
"Yes, but you were the only one to physically attack him and blame him for everything." pointed out Macao with a prominent frown spread across his face.
"I know for a fact that others wanted to." he stated.
"That is probably true Jet, but unlike you they could already see that Natsu is in enough pain as it is. He just learned that while he was away almost all of his family died to a dragon, and he also didn't need you telling him that his magic was specifically tailored to handle. Honestly Jet I am positive that they would all be upset with how you handled that situation, hell they would be mad at me for allowing it to go that far." explained Macao with a frown before he turned back to his mug and started to drink.
"Shit." Jet mumbled to himself as he sat down at a table by himself with a frown of his own wondering if he did go too far.
Back with Natsu:
"I promise that I'll make it up to all of you." he declared quietly to himself while staring at his feet. Not noticing a group of five guys walking towards him, that then resulted in him colliding with one of them on the edge of the group.
"Watch where you're going punk." shouted the leader of the group who had a large club resting on his shoulder.
"Sorry." mumbled Natsu as he continued on.
"Sorry isn't going to cut it bub, my friend needs to be repaid for you getting in his way." stated the leader as the rest of his men started to chuckle.
"What in the world are you talking about, I just bumped into him and nothing bad happened so why would I need to pay him anything?" he asked now turning around to look at the group. And from his first impression he could already tell that they were nothing but a bunch of street thugs who enjoyed pushing around people less fortunate than them.
"You must not be from around here, because if you did you wouldn't be acting so high and mighty while talking to us." said the leader now sporting a smug grin.
"Honestly all I see right now are five assholes who think they're big shit since they've never even faced a real challenge in their lives." he replied as a sinister grin spread across his lips, enjoying the looks of pure hatred he was receiving from the five men.
"Thinbault, show this outsider why we rule this town." said one of the other men in the group.
"Why you little piece of shit, you're acting just like those filthy Fairies did when we first arrived in this town. And now I'm going to teach you the same lesson that I taught them, nobody messes with Twilight Ogre!" Thinbault shouted while swinging his club down onto Natsu's head.
Thinbault and his men thought that it was going to be over with a swing like that, which is what usually happened for them and resulted with those witnessing it to run away in fear or with them doing whatever the group told them to do. But he and his men realized that this was not going to be one of those cases as Natsu stopped the club just an inch away from hitting his head with just his bare hands.
"So you're from Twilight Ogre, no wonder the people of Magnolia are waiting for Fairy Tail to return and drive you thugs away." stated Natsu with a grin as Thinbault tried to pull away his club, but was having no luck thanks to it being caught in Natsu's vice like grip.
"Get him boys!" shouted Thinbault while still trying to rip his weapon away from the dragon slayer. It took the rest of his gang a second to spring into action, and when they did they were shocked to see their boss go flying backwards a few yards.
"Aren't you going to get me?" Natsu asked with a confident smirk as they looked at him with a shocked expression. And that was all they needed to once again charge at him and finish him off like Thinbault ordered them to. The first strike was a large hammer slamming into the ground where he once stood, and before the man with the hammer could even react he felt the wind being knocked out of him as he was launched back a few feet.
The smaller man of the group didn't waste any time and tried to use this opportunity to land a kick to the back of Natsu's head. But he was caught off guard when Natsu bent over and dodged the kick without even looking at him, and he would have tried to figure out how he did that if he didn't all of a sudden feel immense pain shoot from his other knee.
"AAAAHHHH!" he screamed out as he fell to the ground now with a shattered knee cap thanks to a swift kick from Natsu. As he looked up he was shocked to see Natsu with one of his friends fists caught as if it was nothing as his last friends elbow was bent the wrong direction over Natsu's shoulder and still being held there as the guy screamed out in pain.
"All you had to do was accept my apology and none of you would be in this pain." said Natsu as he crushed the one man's hand while also smashing the back of his head into the man screaming out in pain from his broken arm he still had pinned behind him. After his head connected with the other's the screaming stopped as the man fell to the ground now unconscious.
"FUCKING DIE!" screamed Thinbault as he swung his club at Natsu. This time feeling the satisfying resistance of someone being hit by his weapon, but when he reopened his eyes he was shocked to see one of his own men was now smashed and thrown to the side from his last attack.
"Are you kidding me, you actually attack with your eyes closed!" stated Natsu as he started to laugh and clutch his side.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" shouted Thinbault as he swung his club once again at Natsu. And just like the first time it was easily stopped by the dragon slayer who now was glaring at him with a look of pure rage behind his one eye that looked like it had a green fire lit inside of it.
"Thinbault is it? I'm going to show you something that I didn't plan on showing anyone for a while since it's a dead giveaway as to what I've been doing for the past three years. Actually it will show you and everyone else who I've been for the past three years." he said as his green fire quickly engulfed the club. And in the next few seconds Thinbault and his men watched in horror as it was reduced to nothing but the small handle still in Thinbault's hand.
"What the fuck did you just do!" shouted out Thinbault in a terrified voice. Only for his head to snap back because of a punch hitting him square in the nose, and the only reason that he didn't go flying back was due to the firm grip Natsu had on the front of his shirt.
"Isn't it obvious, I sent that shitty weapon of yours to the next world. Something that I really want to do to you since you're making other mages look like we're nothing but some common street thugs!" he replied while punching him over and over again until half of his teeth were missing and he could barely see through his swollen face.
"Who the hell are you?" asked the man with a shattered knee only to be kicked in the side and in the process easily breaking a few of his ribs.
"Isn't that pretty obvious, as far as I know I'm the only fire mage with green flames." he answered while picking up the hammer and then throwing it at its owner and bringing him down to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
"Oh dear god you're the Viridian Death?" squeaked out the man with a completely crushed hand.
"The one and only, now I think you two are going to tell me why you're heading to Fairy Tail." he stated while slowly walking towards the one that just talked to him. The poor mage was like a deer caught in the headlights as he stared back at Natsu as he slowly approached him.
"W-w-w-we w-w-weren't d-d-doing n-nothing." the man replied only to then start screaming out in pain as his left foot was being smashed by Natsu's foot.
"I didn't think I'd have to tell you that I hate being lied to, and if you couldn't tell I'm kind of having a really bad day right now and can be set off pretty easy." he said while glaring down at the man now whimpering in pain.
"We were supposed to collect our jewels from them and then rough them up a bit." coughed out the one holding his ribs as he tried to sit back up.
"Interesting, well guess what guys you now are all responsible for their debt to you. So from here on out you will wait until they have the jewels to pay you and that means they are only going to repay what they borrowed from you." he stated as he looked from one to the other.
"But our Master is probably going to want to receive some extra jewels from them." said the man now finally back into a sitting position, even though it caused him to wince out in pain.
"That is where you five come into play, anytime your Master wants extra jewels you guys are going to foot the extra amount. Oh and if he wants it early then you'll have to pay that too, and I think it should be pretty obvious that I don't want to hear about any of you guys or anyone else from your guild harassing anyone from Fairy Tail. Actually I don't want to hear one bad thing about any of you guys the next time I visit Magnolia, because if I do it won't end well for any of you." he said while dusting off the little bit of dirt that got onto him during their fight if you could call it that.
"That's absurd!" shouted the one with a broken hand and foot.
"Just as absurd as it is for your guild to pretend to want to help Fairy Tail when they were still grieving over the loss of their family to only due all of that so you can think you're better than them. Either way it doesn't really matter because if you don't do this then I will hunt all of you down and make you beg for me to kill you after I'm through with you." he replied while starting to walk away from them. Both of the mages were now looking at him as if he was the scariest thing they've ever witnessed which is probably the truth.
"Oh and I won't kill you if you're wondering because then that would mean I couldn't do the same thing to you all again after you've all completely recovered. Oh and one last thing, I was never here and I expect my secret to remain that otherwise, actually I don't know what I'd do but what I do know is that it wouldn't be pretty. It would probably result with you five at least losing one limb a piece, really depends upon how angry I am if it happens." he said before walking away from the completely defeated group with a proud smirk on his face.
"Natsu did you really have to say all of that?" asked Kagura as she appeared beside him with a slight smirk of her own.
"Probably not, but it's one of the perks of having a moniker known for being brutal in combat. It makes all of those threats seem extremely possible, which will cause them to never go against what I just told them to do." he replied as he lost his smirk and now had a sad expression.
"I'm so sorry." she said while grabbing his hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.
"Thanks Kagura, it just still seems like a terrible joke to me. I mean they were some of the strongest mages I've ever met and yet they were all just taken out by a goddamn dragon like it was nothing." he said with his tone getting harsh at the very end.
"A dragon killed them?" she asked with a surprised look.
"That's what the guild told me." he replied now having the biggest frown she'd ever seen him have during their time together.
"What happened when you visited them, it looks like they got at least two good hits in on you?" she asked while looking at the two bruises on his face that she knew he didn't receive from those other guys.
"Let's just say that a few of them were unhappy to see me return this late, and a few of them blame me for what happened to the others. So it's safe to say that they won't want to see me for a while which is something that I can't really blame them for." he told her still frowning.
"You know that you aren't responsible for any of that Natsu, and they are only placing the blame on you because it's easier that way for them." she stated while bringing him to a complete stop so he'd have to look at her in the eyes.
"I know, which is why they're going to receive my help even if they don't want it or know it." he said with a serious expression that he seemed to only use when making a decision that he wasn't going to rest until he completed whatever it was that he decided on doing.
"That's the Natsu I love to see." she said before giving him a quick kiss on the lips as a slight blush graced her face.
"Honestly I don't know how I got so lucky to have you as my partner." he replied now with his hands around her waist.
"You saved me from becoming a slave all those years ago and kept doing it from that day onwards." she stated while looking at his missing eye with a slight frown, that was interrupted by him initiating another kiss with her that was a little more heated than the one she did.
"And I'll keep doing that until the day I die Kagura, and for the last time it wasn't your fault. So please stop frowning whenever you look at me without my eyepatch, or is that your way of telling me you like me more when I'm wearing it?" he asked with a sly grin as she playfully hit him on the chest a few times.
"I like you no matter what you're wearing, but what I don't like is seeing you sad or upset. I think I should go and visit your old guild and tell them what you've been doing since they kicked you out just because you saved your friends." she replied now having the look he often saw her have before they entered a fight.
"Easy now, you just said it yourself Kagura. They're only taking their anger out on me since they can't really put it anywhere else, which I'm fine with if it helps them eventually get rid of it. So let's keep what we've been doing a secret like we originally planned to do before coming here." he said while still holding her in between his arms.
"Fine, but if they ever make you upset or start doubting yourself like this again not even you will be able to stop me from giving them a piece of my mind." she responded with a determined look spread across her face.
"That sounds about right, so before we head off I need to make one more stop." he said after letting out a little chuckle at her declaration to him.
"And where might that be, do I get to see that little place of yours?" she asked with a bright smile as they went back to walking hand in hand.
"I need to pay a visit to the cemetery and say a few words to my friends." he answered with a sad smile, as they then both walked in silence for the rest of the way there.
"I'll be waiting for you here." said Kagura as she stopped at the entrance and only received a slight nod from him as acknowledgement.
He walked to a place that he unfortunately visited a few more times than he would have ever liked to during the time that they thought Lisanna was dead. But this time it was way worse than any of those times, because now instead of just one headstone with a name of a dear friend there were now twenty one of them.
"I can't believe that all of you are gone." he said while slowly walking in front of each one and reading off the name and remembering some of the good times he had with them.
"You three were some of the most loyal people I've ever seen, even if that caused you all to be our enemies for just a day. But man was that fight with Laxus intense, and you don't know how happy and relieved I was when nothing happened when Fairy Law was activated. That crazy bastard almost had me believing that he actually stopped caring about the rest of us." he said with a little chuckle as he looked at the headstones of the three members of the Thunder Legion.
"I can't believe that I'm once again looking at your grave Lisanna but this time with both of your siblings right next to you. Didn't you tell me after last time you weren't ever going to leave me like this again, but I guess you could have never seen something like this happening. Well at least your final moments were with Mira and Elfman, man I'm going to miss you three a lot since you were the only ones that let me see what a real family is like together." he said while wiping away a few tears that started to fall as he looked at the three headstones of the takeover siblings.
"Hey Gildarts, you really seem to have some shitty luck to run into that bastard again. I can't believe that someone as strong as you could be taken down like this, but don't worry I'll make sure to even surpass you in strength so I can make that bastard pay." growled out Natsu as he looked at the tombstone of Gildarts Clive.
"And don't worry Gramps; I'm not setting out on a revenge quest or anything. I'm just going to make sure that if I ever see Acnologia that he can never do something like this again. Also I'm so sorry for not returning sooner but I never knew that something like this happened otherwise I would have stopped whatever I was doing and come straight back here. But I'm guessing that if you could talk to me right now you'd be sayings something like what I was doing in Bosco was helping more people than what I could've done here. You were always okay with me destroying more than what most would consider acceptable if it meant that lives were saved." he said with sad chuckle as he looked at the headstone that had the name of his former master on it.
"Cana, did you ever get to tell him about being his daughter? I honestly never understood why you didn't tell him the first time you saw him after he returned from a job. But then again I have no idea what happened before I came to Fairy Tail all those years ago so I decided that it would be better if I didn't stick my nose into it. I know that he would have accepted you right away; I mean he somehow put up with me always trying to attack him. Anyways I just hope you were able to at least tell him before it all came to an end." he said with a frown before leaving her headstone.
"It seems like the guild knew that you two were going to be a couple just like I did even if the two of you didn't know it yet. Honestly Levy I am one of the dumbest people out there and could see how much you two cared about each other. At first that was the main reason that I started to get into fights with the metal head at the guild since I didn't think he was actually good enough for you. But what can I say Gajeel you grew on me and became a brother that I knew would always have my back no matter what the circumstances were. I know that you protected her with everything that you had and I'm just sorry that I wasn't there to help." said Natsu as he gently touched Levy's headstone while putting his palm on the headstone of Gajeel's. And once he removed his hand from his headstone there was now a small dragon burned into it.
"What in the world were you doing there Laxus, I thought you'd be still wondering the country like I was. But considering that you weren't at the guild when I returned and the new master I should have seen this coming. I'm so sorry that the guild is now exactly what you were afraid of it becoming, but don't worry man I'll help them so they're once again the number one guild in Fiore." he said while doing the same thing that he did to Gajeel's headstone to his.
"Anyone else with your abilities would have just gone into the water to save themselves. But you loved all of them way too much for an idea like that to ever cross your mind. Granted your extreme love for Gray kind of freaked me out, but now I kind of understand you and actually admire how forward you were with it. Honestly I've always sucked when it comes to those things and just tried to ignore them which never turned out to be good idea." he said with a slight smile as he looked at the tombstone of Juvia Lockser.
"What can I honestly say about you two expect for you two where their best friends a dragon slayer could have and stuck with them to the very end." stated Natsu as he looked at the tombstones of Pantherlily and Carla, which finally brought him to his team that even included a tombstone for himself.
"I'm so sorry guys, even after doing all of those terrible things I still couldn't save any of you. I still find it hard to believe that you were all okay with sticking around with someone how only caused us to get less of the reward. But I'm happy that you all did since those were some of the best times of my life and I would do anything to just spend one day with all of you. Gray I know you'd hit me hard for saying something like this but I've always loved you like a brother that I never got to have. Happy you were the best partner I could have ever asked for and you stuck with me since the day I found you. Lucy I'm so glad that we ran into each other that day because I can't imagine Fairy Tail without you getting upset at me and complaining about paying your rent on time. By the way Loke I need to have a few words with you about lying to my face like you did back then you asshole. Wendy I was so excited to finally meet a female dragon slayer and all I can say is that you blew all of my expectations out of the water. You were the nicest person I've ever met, but lying underneath that was a fierce dragon waiting to protect her friends if the need should ever arise." he said while stopping in front of each of theirs and putting the same dragon emblem on Wendy's like he did to the other two dragon slayers. The whole time he had tears running down his cheeks as he remembered all of the fun times he spent with them.
"Erza I don't even know what to say right now except for I regret never telling you how much you mean to me. But I always had a feeling that you knew whatever I was thinking about when I was troubled, which would mean that you definitely knew how I felt about you since it really troubled me for a while. And don't worry I'll start doing what I had you promise to do for me before I left until someone better than me can take over. Oh and I met someone who was like you in more ways than anyone could possibly believe, but this time I told her rather than keeping it to myself like I did with you not that I was trying to find a replacement or anything. I just seem to have a very specific type is all." he said now on his knees in front of her grave with his head down.
"I know that all of you wouldn't want to see me like this, so from this point on I'll make sure to make you all proud. But before that I have to get rid of something that doesn't belong here." he said after wiping away his last tears and then heading over to his own headstone. And with a quick wave of his hand it was covered in his flames and then was slowly reduced to nothing as he turned and headed out of the cemetery.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" asked Kagura as she came up to his side and started to walk at his pace.
"I've said what I needed to, and now I need to make them proud of me." he replied while looking off to the distance.
"And how do you plan to do that?" she asked with a concerned look since she expected him to remain there for at least another hour.
"By doing a lot of hard work and having a quick chat with the Council." he stated with a serious expression as the headed towards the exit of Magnolia.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and I really hope that you enjoyed this one. So the next chapter is going to be the return of The Tenrou Group which means a lot of thing will most likely be covered in flashbacks or a member of the guild that didn't go missing telling the others a story. Fair warning though Natsu and Kagura will probably have very little time in the next chapter since the Tenrou Group will be the main focus. So a quick heads up on something that I'm going to do which will hopefully allow me to update these stories quicker, something that a few of you have been asking for, if you'd like to find out what I'm planning on doing check out my profile since I don't want to waste any more of your time than I already have with this sentence. Well as always feel free to send me a review or PM and I'll try to respond back as soon as I can.
Until the next Chapter
Digem Out!
