Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail.
Naruto: Fairy Tail Chronicles
Chapter9: Homeward Bound
Earthland: Fiore Southern Beach
"Where...am I?" Erza whispered with a groan as her eyes slowly opened.
"Erza!" a series of voices were heard along with splashing water. "Thank god you're okay."
"Don't make us worry like that, damn it."
"W-what's going on?" Erza asked as she shook herself awake. She appeared to be on a beach under the night sky and in someone's arms. Her friends were running towards her, splashing water everywhere as they ran. She raised her hands and gazed at them for several long seconds as he vision returned to normal. "I'm...alive?" she looked up at the one who was holding her bridal style in his arms.
"We all are," Naruto replied as he looked down at her with a small smile. "It's over."
"...Jellal...he...did he..." Erza trailed off.
"I don't know if he survived or not," Naruto answered her unasked question as he dropped to his knees with her still in his arms. "You really cared about him...but sometimes...you just can't save everyone. The only option people like us have is to move forward and never give up, even at the end."
"...You're right," Erza smiled sadly. "Fairy Tail...I can't really imagine a world without my comrades."
"It's the same for all of us," Natsu was the one who responded to that. "You're a member of Fairy Tail—you're one of us and we weren't going to let anyone take you away."
"That's right," Lucy nodded in agreement.
"You all..." Erza closed her eyes with a smile. "Thank you," she told them. 'That's right...I don't have to die for my comrades' sake...I have to live for their sake. Because that's the only way to bring about a happy future,' she thought as tears flowed down from both of her eyes.
"Let's get out of here," Naruto grinned.
Earthland: Fiore Southern Beach Hotel
"Is this guy really going to be okay?" Gray asked as he looked at the bedridden Natsu wrapped in bandages.
"Yeah, seriously...he's been sleeping for three days now," Lucy added.
"Natsu! Lucy's wearing a maid outfit, and she's dancing for everyone," Happy shouted into the Dragon Slayer's ear.
"...I'd be pissed off if that managed to wake him up," Lucy huffed and turned away only for the pink-haired young man to start smiling. "No grinning in your sleep!"
"Oh, just let him rest a little longer," Erza spoke up from the desk on the other side of the room.
"Not that it could have been helped under the circumstances," Itachi mused. "I took a gamble when I allowed him to devour the black flames of Amaterasu...by all rights; he should have been incinerated by merely touching it," he grunt as he turned away. 'Thankfully all I had to do was buy time for Naruto-kun to recover otherwise I would have had to go on the offensive and risk leaving the others unprotected.'
"This guy is becoming more of a monster every day," Gray sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"Natsu's skills are extraordinary,' Itachi thought as he gazed down at the young man's sleeping face. 'His body was able to break down Amaterasu into mere particles and absorb the energy from it, thus triggering that transformation we saw. This boy's potential rivals Naruto-kun's; they both even act somewhat alike...I wonder...'
"I caused so much trouble to all of you in this incident," Erza spoke apologetically. "I really...don't know what I can say..."
"Don't worry about it," Naruto told her. "We won and we all made it out of there alive."
"...Whatever happened to that Element Four girl?" Erza asked, changing the subject.
"Juvia? Oh, she's headed back already," Gray answered. "She said she wanted to join Fairy Tail as soon as possible, so she ran off to find the old man."
"I see...I hear she helped us out a lot, so I would have liked to be there to back her up, but..." Erza mused.
"Shouldn't you be getting some sleep?" Naruto asked the redhead.
"I wasn't really hurt that much," Erza shook her head and waved off his concern. "It could have been a lot worse."
"That's an understatement," Gray muttered.
"So this is where you were," Naruto spoke up as he stepped out onto the balcony. Erza stood at the edge with her arms resting on the banister as she gazed out at the calm ocean that was reflecting the moonlight.
"Huh? Oh, it's you Naruto," Erza said over her shoulder as he approached.
"Are you alright?" Naruto asked her.
"...I'm just thinking about my old comrades...my old friends...I feel like I've betrayed them," Erza responded. "I don't know if Jellal was really possessed by Zeref's ghost or not but he was able to change my old friends into some of my worst enemies. I just left them after Itachi defeated them without a care in the world."
"I know the feeling," Naruto started. "Before I came here I was being hunted by a group of S-class criminals called the Akatsuki who wanted to harness the demonic power I have."
"I heard that your home was destroyed," Erza said a little subdued.
"...Itachi told you that?" Naruto asked before shaking his head. "Of course he did...he used to be one of them...a member of the Akatsuki...before he was brought here."
'So Naruto and Itachi really were enemies,' Erza thought in confirmation.
"I could have gone back and defended my home but the leader of the village. The Hokage ordered me to remain here out of the Akatsuki's reach," Naruto continued. "That didn't work out as well as we'd hoped...my old sensei infiltrated the Akatsuki's home village and was killed by their leader. With Ero-Sennin dead they knew Konoha couldn't protect me and as soon as the Akatsuki realized that they couldn't find me, they launched a direct attack on Konoha. The whole village was destroyed in one day...and I wasn't there to do a damn thing about it."
"...I'm sorry," Erza whispered. "It seems we all have our problems."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded sadly. "Itachi's little brother was my best friend and he betrayed us four years ago. I promised the girl I liked that I would bring him back to her but in the end I failed. I've always failed...no matter how far I go or how hard I try...it never seems to be enough."
"Have you given up?" Erza asked him.
"...I'll never give up," Naruto replied. "There is nothing more I can do about my home or the people that died for me...but...I'm not just going to let the Akatsuki take me. Konoha is my past...Fairy Tail is my future...unlike my old friend Sasuke, I'll keep moving forward and never look back at what could have been."
'Keep moving forward, huh?' Erza smiled at that. 'Sho...Simon...Wally...Milliana...Jellal...I'll keep moving forward...I forgive you all...and I'm sorry for everything.'
"Let's go back inside and get some sleep," Naruto suggested as he turned back towards the door.
"...Naruto, wait," Erza said quickly stopping him.
"What is it?" Naruto asked as he turned half-towards her.
"Thank you," Erza smiled and hugged, catching him by surprise.
'Huh?' Naruto thought unable to comprehend what she was doing. He'd seen others hug before but had never actually experienced it himself before. "Erm...you're welcome?" it came out as a question even as he slipped his arms around her and hugged her back.
Neither of them said a word as they broke apart and went their separate ways...
Earthland: Magnolia / Fairy Tail Guild
"What the fuck?" Naruto's voice echoed as they all stood in front of the newly completed Fairy Tail Guild. "Is anyone else seeing this?" the new Guild was far larger than the one that was destroyed during the war with Phantom Lord several months ago.
"This is..." Gray trailed off.
"That was a shock," Erza commented.
"They actually finished it?" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.
"Hn," Itachi grunted.
"It looks like a castle," Lucy mused at the sight.
"Hey," Mirajane greeted them with a wave from the entrance. "Welcome back to Fairy Tail."
"It's totally different from before," Natsu said.
"We did rebuild it from scratch," Mirajane responded. "We've got an open-air cafe now along with a souvenir shop that sells Fairy Tail t-shirts, wristbands, mugs and towels. We even have Lacrima crystals for sale...though they are pretty pricy," as she and the others continued towards the gift shop, Itachi hung back with Naruto.
"Naruto," Itachi spoke up catching his attention. "Who is she?"
"Mira-chan?" Naruto asked. "I'm surprised you haven't met her yet; she's usually the one in charge of the Guild whenever the old man has a council meeting. She's supposed to be insanely strong and I do know she is registered as an S-class mage though she never seems to take any missions."
"Her chakra is strange," Itachi mused. "You cannot tell me you haven't noticed."
"...So you're Sharingan picked up on it, huh?" Naruto asked though it didn't come out more of a statement than a question. "She and her brother are the same so I think it's their branch of magic."
"Perhaps," Itachi conceded.
"You guys are finally back, huh?" Cana spoke from the doorway. "Come on inside and check it out," she said as she gestured towards the main hall.
"It's not like it was before," Natsu grumbled as the group looked over the new main hall of the Guild.
"Hey there," one of the blond waitresses dressed in a Fairy Tail min-dress greeted them with a smile. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."
"The waitresses have got new outfits..." Gray trailed off with a glazed look.
'Nice legs,' Naruto thought only to receive an elbow from the redhead at his side.
"Quit staring you idiot," Erza hissed in his ear.
"S-sorry," Naruto apologized as she turned away. 'Why does she care? Girls are just so confusing...Sakura-chan did the same thing.'
'I'll admit that the outfits are cute but that doesn't give you the right to stare,' Erza thought with an annoyed look. It had been three months since the blond had entered her life and even she had to admit that she'd started to think of him as more than a friend. And after the recent incident at the Tower of Heaven, he'd become her lifeline and support to continue living in this strange world.
"Was that the master's idea?" Lucy asked with a sigh.
"It's all different," Natsu pouted.
"And that's not all we've got that's new. Behind the bar we have a pool, downstairs there is an amusement centre, and perhaps the biggest difference is the second floor. Anybody's allowed up there now," Cana continued. "Although naturally, you still have to have an S-rank mage on your team to go on S-rank missions."
"We can go up to the second floor?" Lucy asked surprised.
"S-rank huh?" Naruto muttered though the redhead at his side heard him.
'Is that what he wants? To be an S-rank mage like me? He certainly has the power to be one,' Erza thought.
"So you're finally back, are you?" a familiar old voice spoke up from the side.
"Long time no see, old man," Naruto greeted with a wave.
"Welcome back, all of you," Makarov nodded back and motioned to the blue-haired woman at his side. "This is our newest member, Juvia...cute, ain't she?"
"So you really have joined up?" Gray grinned at the sight.
"Juvia, thank you for all of your help back at the tower," Erza said with a nod.
"So you know one another?" Makarov mused before shrugging.
"Juvia has all of you to thank," Juvia smiled happily while speaking in third person as normal. "Juvia will do her best."
"Good luck," Lucy smiled back.
"In that case," Makarov whispered to Erza. "You probably already know but...she used to be one of Phantom's..."
"Yes, yes, don't worry about that," Erza reassured. "She's our comrade now."
"I see," Makarov nodded and waved off their chat. "Well...make her feel at home...oh, and there's one more new member I'd like you to meet," he said and turned to one of the tables. "Hey! Come and introduce yourself!"
"Someone else?" Happy asked as they turned towards the table.
"What?" Lucy shouted in surprise as she recognized him.
"Y-you're kidding me?" Gray yelled.
"Gajeel Redfox," Natsu glared at the man. "What's this punk doing here?"
"Master? What kind of joke is this supposed to be?" Gray questioned.
"Wait! Juvia brought him here," Juvia pleaded.
"Am I missing something?" Itachi inquired.
"That guy used to be one of the top members of Phantom Lord, a Guild that Fairy Tail was at war with three months ago," Naruto explained. "From what I heard he is also a Dragon Slayer like Natsu only he uses iron instead of fire."
"I see," Itachi nodded in understanding.
"Juvia is one thing...but this guy was directly responsible for our Guild's destruction," Erza declared.
"Now, now...he was only acting on Jose's orders back then," Makarov reasoned. "It couldn't be helped...you know what they say—yesterday's enemies are today's friends."
"I know the feeling," Naruto grumbled as he sent a glare at the Uchiha to his side.
"Hn," Itachi grunted in agreement.
"Stop screwing around!" Natsu yelled. "I can't work with a guy like that!"
"Oh, don't worry," Gajeel shot back. "I have no intention of being all buddy-buddy with you. I need work; one Guild is as good as the next. Not that I ever thought I'd end up working at a nasty Guild like this..."
"What did you say?" Natsu snarled out.
"Gajeel-kun is always so lonely," Juvia cried. "Juvia couldn't bear to just leave him...I-I mean—Juvia doesn't like him or anything..."
"It is the duty of an old man like me to guide young men who have lost their way back onto the right path," Makarov spoke wisely. "He's not a bad guy at heart, you know; at least...I hope not."
"If this is Master's decision, then I will support it...but I think we should at least have someone keep an eye on him for the time being," Erza said clearly. "It's not like we haven't done something like this before."
'Indeed,' Itachi thought as he remembered that despite the fact that he was now recognized as a friend and comrade by the others in Fairy Tail, he was originally an enemy of Naruto's and the two had almost killed each other during their little 'reunion' back when he confronted the young Uzumaki.
"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked Natsu.
"I dunno," Natsu shivered. "This new Guild...it doesn't feel right."
"Hurry up and take a seat! The main event is about to start," Cana told them as she pushed the group to one of the empty tables and the moment they were seated, the light went out and shrouded the room in darkness.
"Too dark," Natsu said and breathed a small stream of fire into the air above him to cast some light on them.
"Stop doing that," Cana ordered. "It's a show, it's meant to be dark."
"What's all this now?" Gray asked.
"There's a stage over there," Lucy said as the stage lit up with lights.
"Is that Mira-chan?" Naruto blinked as the curtains parted to reveal the white-haired beauty in a dress with her legs crossed sitting on a chair and a guitar in her arms.
"I gently touch the desk where you used to sit...alone once more today with the shadows...I look up to the sky and whisper a prayer...you're out there, somewhere, too, under this vast sky...I bear with the tears even as I tremble...even when the darkness threatens to swallow me...don't forget...there will always be...a place for you...to come home too...and people waiting for you," Mira sang and the crowd cheered.
All was well...
Natsu yelped in pain as Gajeel stood on his foot causing him to stand up and turn on the Iron Dragon Slayer. "What the hell was that for? You did that on purpose!"
"Shut up! Stop interrupting Mira-chan's song!" a random Guild member shouted as he and his friend hurled a pair of mug at the two Dragon Slayers.
"Here we go," Naruto grinned.
"Okay, who threw that?" Natsu yelled as he flipped over the table.
"Damn it Natsu! Stop screwing around!" Gray shouted as he stood up, accidently knocking over Erza's cake that she was just about to eat.
"My...strawberry cake..." Erza muttered as he eyes darkened.
"Oh no," Naruto shivered.
"Naruto-kun, I recommend that we retreat immediately," Itachi spoke up.
"Too late," Naruto winced as Erza jumped to her feet, knocking down Elfman with one kick and jumping into the fray. "It's just another day in Fairy Tail."
"I guess this is no time for ballad, huh?" Mirajane mused before in an instant she tore off the dress leaving her in a miniskirt and revealing top. "Let's rock this house, then!"
"This place hasn't changed a bit," Lucy commented as she took cover. "But then...I guess that's what makes it Fairy Tail."
"Why...why couldn't they just bottled it up for one day?" Makarov asked darkly. "Tomorrow is the day the reporter comes to collect data on the Guild."
"Reporter?" Lucy turned sharply.
"Cut it out, you lowlifes! Clean this place up!" Makarov shouted.
"Oi, Gramps!" Natsu yelled back. "Don't go all giant on us-".
Author's Notes:
This was mostly a filler chapter and acts as a buffer between the previous story arc and the next. As you can see there are several noticeable differences when compared to canon, especially where Team Jellal is concerned.
For the record Itachi didn't fight all out in the battle with Jellal but instead fought to conserve chakra and buy time for Naruto to reactivate his Sage Mode. Once that happened Itachi fell back to protecting the others as Naruto engaged Jellal in combat and won. Remember that Jellal was recognised as one of the Ten Wizard Saints and one of the strongest mages of the modern era.
I didn't mean for Itachi to appear weak or anything, just that he had decided to hold Jellal off instead of fighting all out right at the start. I mean come on, this is Itachi Uchiha we're talking about so don't you think he'd be thinking a few steps ahead. I mean come on, in canon he gave Sasuke the Amaterasu to use against Tobi right before he 'died' and he also gave Naruto Shisui's eye in case Sasuke decided to go against Konoha. I thought it was pretty obvious when I wrote it that Itachi was conserving his chakra in preparation for any fallback plan Jellal had in place.
Translation
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven
Kekkei Genkai = Bloodline Limit
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