Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Natsu's anger and sadness overflowed into a shout that cursed Igneel for leaving him behind that day, all those years ago.

"How could you leave me behind without telling me!? You said you'd raise me until I could go home! You lied to me!" Natsu screamed.

"Natsu, calm down. I'm sure Igneel has his reasons. Every dragon does, and reserves his or her right to remain silent." Sorian said, holding his brother back while looking Igneel in the eye.

"So, you are the family that Natsu once spoke of so fondly." Igneel said in his deep and booming voice.

"Yes, Lord Igneel. I am Emperor Rizael d'Elorien. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Dragon King. I must thank you for raising my son for so long, on your own." Rizael said.

"Consider it a favor to the child who approached me without fear, despite my fearsome reputation." Igneel said.

"Lord Igneel, who are these people?" Leviathan said.

"The one who cursed me so is my foster son, who I was forced to leave on account of the duties I was tasked with at the previous Council of Dragons. It was discovered that an evil magic was brewing in the east, unseen by the humans, and I needed to find and exterminate it." Igneel said.

"So you were the dragon that came to help us all those years ago." Rizael said.

Rizael's sons stared at their father, puzzled at his statement.

"Many years ago, before Natsu returned to us, one of the eight shrines of the Fallen's seal began to wane. Dark magic began to leak into the surrounding area, causing a huge economic slump. We determined the source was the shrine of Iridia, the Fallen of Catastrophe. Her magic caused things to go wrong, and was the original form of magic that manipulates chance-related events." Rizael explained.

"The Council feared that the magic would spread through Fiore and the entire world. It was decided that we would intervene to help the humans reseal Iridia. I was forced to burn the land using holy flames that would reinvigorate the land. For a time, it seemed things were peaceful." Igneel said.

"Until recently, as I have felt the beginnings of darkness in the mountain ranges farther to the north of Magnolia." Grandeeney said.

"Grandeeney!" Wendy said, jumping onto the back of the dragon, embracing her while in tears.

"I thought I caught your scent, my sweet child. I'm sorry I had to leave you. I needed to help the Council." Grandeeney said.

"If yours are here... my iron-headed son should also be here." Metalicana said, staring up at the rooms overhead.

"So you noticed I was here, Metalicana!" Gajeel said, while dive-head-butting Metalicana's forehead, to which he responded in kind.

"You have not changed in the years I was gone, have you, Gajeel? As impulsive and stubborn as ever. I notice that your eyes are red, like mine. A preferable change over your previous, soulless gray eyes." the Iron Dragon said arrogantly.

The three Dragon Slayers' reunions were cut short, as the Council of Dragons commenced. The table-like platform they congregated around opened to reveal the shell of a dragon's body. Its eyes were empty, and seemed faded in color.

"So, Skiadrum and Weisslogia are dead. Which means that we are three members short. Lord Bahamut's spirit has yet to return his body." Metalicana said.

"How unobservant you are, Metalicana. It has been eons, but you underestimate my persistence." Bahamut's voice echoed through the sanctum.

Without warning, Bahamut's spirit removed itself from Natsu's body. The blue flames entered the dragon's shell, which then rose, its eyes reignited. Bahamut now appeared in his physical form, unlike his ethereal avatar that Natsu could summon from himself. The central, gold and black lacrima now glowed brightly. The four dragons bowed their heads to their creator.

"So that's what you searched for, all this time... It was your body." Natsu said.

"Yes... I remember the contract. You made a covenant with me: to harbor me within yourself, until I could return to my body. In exchange, you could use my power." Bahamut said, in a booming, layered voice.

"It is our honor to welcome you back to your original form. Forgive us, but we must continue this conference." Leviathan said.

Bahamut nodded in consent. He mounted himself upon his pedestal, and began to draw energy from the air, to allow his atrophied body to recuperate.

"As Grandeeney had mentioned earlier, we have felt yet another darkness stirring. Many wizards rally to its cause, and it seeks to consume the world." Leviathan said.

"How are we to stop it?" Rizael said.

"We must discover its source, and its motives." Igneel said.

Suddenly, Sorian fired a blast of light at one of the pillars near Leviathan.

"Show yourself, intruder. You are not welcome in this sacred place." Sorian said to the figure hiding behind the pillar.

A familiar woman revealed herself to the group. Her hair was long, glossy, and black. She had decorated her face with black lipstick and red eyeshadow, giving her a satanic appearance.

"Minerva Orland! From Sabertooth!" Wendy said.

"You... You tortured Lucy during the Grand Magic Games! I swear, I will kill you for what you did!" Natsu said.

"Yes... that weakling of a Celestial Wizard. She's hardly worth keeping alive... Or is she your lover? As for Sabertooth, I left that foolish guild to be led by those sentimental Dragon Slayers, Sting and Rogue. I am now a Dark Wizard, a member of the Order of Shadows!" she said.

Before anyone could respond, Natsu attacked Minerva with Roar of the Fire Dragon. It missed, and Minerva retaliated with Shade Magic: Shadow Star, which fired four-pointed stars that exploded with dark energy on impact.

"I can tell you've grown a bit, but you're still no match for me." she said cruelly.

"What makes you say that?" Natsu said.

"For one, I've also grown stronger: I have new magic. Also, I don't plan to be here long, I was simply here on espionage. Thanks to my time here, I might be able to get the seals off of one of the shrines. This world will drown in the darkness, and the Fallen shall rise again!" she said, before vanishing into a corridor of shadow.

"Well, now we know part of our enemies' objective. They plan to release the Fallen to use their power to their own ends. It matters not what those ends are, we must stop them!" Bahamut said.

The other dragons agreed, and consented to leaving the inner sanctum sealed off. They could not have any more intruders there. Before the group left, Bahamut stopped Natsu.

"Natsu, as gratitude for keeping me inside of yourself, I shall forge yet another contract with you. I shall serve you as a loyal guardian, and I will come to your aid whenever you call. Until the end of time. Trust in me: you and your friends shall meet your dragons again." Bahamut said, before disintegrating into light particles, and vanishing.

A strange mark, that appeared to be a black fang encircled in blue, appeared on Natsu's right hand, but he somehow knew that it was connected to Bahamut. Natsu felt a mixture of sadness and satisfaction, having to part with Igneel once more, but also knowing that his foster father was alive and well.

When Rizael and Sorian finished sealing the inner sanctum, the Fairy Tail group and Natsu's uncles left the ruins, tentatively renamed the Dragon Temple of Magnolia. Natsu's uncles retired to their hotel rooms, after meeting up with their wives outside the bridal store in Magnolia. Lucy was nowhere to be seen, but Erza told them that Farienne, Juvia, Lucy, and Levy had gone to Lucy's apartment to discuss female matters. Happy and Carla decided to catch the next train toward the Exceed Settlement, Panther Lily having called them to discuss something. Gajeel headed back to his house and Wendy decided to linger.

"Despite the recent events, I believe it is necessary to have the wedding at any cost." Rizael said.

"But, Father, this is a matter of utmost importance. We need to inform the Elorien Army of the situation. It is crucial that we set up defense perimeters!" Sorian warned his father.

"I understand that. However, I am suspicious of Riamat Jadis. His suggestion to have a meeting between his daughter and one of you was almost too convenient for him. He has, or rather had, an ulterior motive. I've been feeling a dark presence here in Magnolia since we arrived." Sorian said.

"I'm familiar with almost every scent in this town now. There's one scent that is unfamiliar, and it's disconcerting." Wendy said.

"We need to tell the old man, Wendy. Tell him to have Fairy Tail keep a watch for suspicious people." Natsu said.

"In the meantime, I will send a letter to Uraliat, and tell the regent to put the army on guard and start monitoring Riamat's activities. I shall also send for the priest." Rizael said.

"Can we really have the marriage when the situation is like this?" Natsu said.

"My son, in a time like this, unity is the most important thing. Love is more powerful than any magic. That is a virtue that has been passed down from generation to generation in our dynasty. Never forget it." Rizael said.

A few days later, the restoration of the Dragon Temple was nearly complete, and would be finished in time for the wedding. Gifts, decorations, and other preparations were also on the verge of completion. Lucy and Natsu sat with Rizael and Sorian waiting for both Farienne and the priest.

The priest arrived on the express train from Uraliat, on the newly built railway between Uraliat and Crocus, and on to Magnolia, courtesy of Heartfilia Railways. He was an wizened old man, dressed in simple gray robes that bore the insignia of the Dragon Priesthood. With him were two nuns in equally unornamented full-body robes, that carried cases of holy items, clothes, and minimal material possessions.

"We appreciate your rushing here on such short notice, Father Girozo." Rizael said.

"Not at all, your Eminence. It is my honor to perform the ceremony of yet another of the d'Elorien line. How is the Lady Farienne?" he said.

"You can ask my mother herself, because here she comes now." Sorian said.

The two turned around to see Farienne coming through the door in a free-flowing white and silver gown. She bowed slightly before the priest.

"Rise, my daughter. May the heavens watch over you for eternity. I trust you are doing well?" Girozo said.

"I am well, Father Girozo. I too appreciate your coming here." Farienne said.

Girozo turned toward Lucy and Natsu, giving the two a good-natured smile.

"Greetings, Prince Natsu. I am Father Girozo, and I was the man who conducted your parents' and grandparents' ceremonies many years ago." he said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. This is my fiancée, Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu said.

Lucy bowed slightly, saying she was delighted to meet him.

"Please go with Miss Deira. She will be the diviner of this wedding. A diviner predicts the course of a marriage, auspicious days, and other important information." Girozo said.

Farienne, Rizael, and Sorian told Girozo about the state of the Dragon Temple. He asked them to take him there, so he and his other assistant could start preparing for the ceremony the next day. There was much to be done before then. Natsu and Lucy, in the meantime, worked with the diviner.

Deira asked them their birthdates, their backgrounds, their astrological signs, what magic they used, and all sorts of other things. Other people began to watch the divination occur, as she rapidly referenced and cross-referenced her books on divination and future events, creating list after list of possible outcomes. Juvia, Lisanna, Mirajane, and Erza were captivated by the spectacle.

"You really are something. And you can do this for a living? It must be nice to be able to predict the future." Lucy said.

"I do this because it is my destiny, created by Ahala, goddess of fate and destiny. She imbued me with this gift when I was born. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew what would happen before it did, but I never used it for my own benefit, because my mother told me it would be wrong to do so. The curse of this gift is knowing all the catastrophe that lies ahead, and not being able to stop it. We diviners are forbidden from revealing the future so liberally. It requires a powerful force to change the course of time." Deira said.

Lucy and all the others at the table fell silent, as Deira continued to work. She spread astrological charts of the skies on the table, and the meanings of certain magics in the world. When she was finally done, she used her Reversal Magic to return everything to her bag. It was not quite like using the Ark of Time, which literally reversed and accelerated time.

Three sheets of paper remained, which detailed Natsu and Lucy's marriage, supposedly.

"Firstly: your marriage will be permanent and happy. However, you will experience trials and tribulations unlike any others, ones you must face together for the sake of your family." Deira said.

The two nodded, gesturing for Deira to continue.

"Within the first year of marriage, you will have had your first child. It will be a dramatic and painful event, for it shall come unexpectedly." she said.

Lucy and Natsu gripped their hands together tightly. That news made them nervous.

"However, a calamitous event shall transpire, and it will be up to the Prince to stop it. Your marriage will be eventful, as you can tell. I can reveal no more." she said.

The tension built up until then suddenly faded, the couple letting out a simultaneous sigh. Deira handed Lucy a list of important dates to observe, which they promised to do.

Lucy and Natsu went to the Elorienne Embassy to check the progress of the Ambassador's Residence. The man who was overseeing the project and had taken Natsu's designs into account, and said that when the magic constructors arrived the following day, the house would be ready for moving in the day after the wedding. The two returned to Lucy's apartment, where Lucy informed the landlady that she would be moving into her husband-to-be's home soon, and that she would pay the rent, even though the month hadn't finished yet.

"Lucy... About what Deira said... What are we gonna do if these bad things really do happen?" Natsu said worriedly.

"We're going to get through this. We have to, for the sake of our family, like she said. No matter what comes our way, I know that you'll be there to help me along with everyone else." she said with a smile.

Lucy's smile made his heart melt, because not only did he love her, he worried about her. Every day, he thought about Lucy and her well-being. He dreaded the sickness that took Lucy's mother, and was afraid it might take her too. He would do anything to stop it, even if it cost him the world.

The two went to bed, and Natsu held her while she slept. He suddenly started to feel a strange impulse, and his heart began to beat faster, getting closer to her chest while they slept.

"Lucy... I desire you, and want you to be a part of my life forever. Let's make something that will last forever." Natsu whispered into her ear.

"I love you, Natsu." she said, before her lips covered his.

This blissful oblivion devolved into mindless pleasures and the two soon became one, in mind and body. Life sprouted from the depths of the abyss, and resonated within Lucy's body, putting into motion the loom of fate to weave the story of the next of the d'Elorien line.

Note: Two things. Firstly, I apologize for going back on my word about not using anymore FFX stuff. I couldn't really help it because I'm running out of names I can make up. Thus, I made it a crossover, in a very loose sense. Secondly, I know that the ending is thinly veiled as to what it really is. I wasn't willing to write it out explicitly because it would completely break the tone of the story to write it that way.