Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

The Dragon Slayer Prophecy

Chapter 10: One Step Further

I was sure of it. It was Grandeeney's voice calling out to me. I could feel her presence, but at the same time, she wasn't really there at all.

I was glad to have heard her voice after so long. For 13 years, I have longed to see my foster mother again, the great Sky Dragon Grandeeney. Even after meeting up with fellow dragon slayers Natsu and Gajeel, none of us were better off in our search for the dragons. They just vanished, never heard from again, and yet, I could sense that Grandeeney was nearby…

She must've been really proud of me, or at least from what I could hear. I had done the unthinkable and managed to defeat the Jade Dragon Zirconis. I had embraced what it really meant to bear the title of dragon slayer, and I had set myself on toward a destructive path.

However, how did I get the power to do so? I wasn't even aware of how I had beaten Zirconis so easily, so how was I able to do it in the end? There were just so many unanswered questions that my mind had jumbled itself into an array of complex thoughts and emotions that I couldn't…

"Rise and shine Little Me."

I opened my eyes just in time to see the smiling face of the older version of myself, the Wendy of Edolas. She was busy stirring what seemed to be a cup of tea while sitting by my bedside, just as I was realizing that I was hospitalized. I didn't take too long after my realization to start wincing in pain from my subtle movements.

"Here, drink this." Edo-Wendy held out the cup towards me and carefully poured the tea down my mouth. Instantly, I felt this surge of relief as the medicine began to work its way down my body, relieving the pain I was going through just seconds ago. Sighing heavily, I sat up a little and gazed at my counterpart questioningly.

"Well, all I can say is congrats, I guess." Edo-Wendy shrugged. "You actually managed to kill that dragon, which basically lifted the curse that was set on us. Just thinking about how he was able to control us like that, I don't even…"

"It's okay, don't blame yourself for it, it's none of your fault or anyone else's that such a thing happened to your world." I put up my brave face and clasped my hands over top of Edo-Wendy's. "I'm just glad everything's over now, and that your people can go back to living the lives you were meant to live."

"Yeah, I guess so. Kinda strange after 6 years of living a normal life that we were soon to be exposed to magic again." She took out one of her tonfas, twirling it around a bit so that sparkled a little, before setting it aside. "Ah well, guess this wasn't meant to last."

I could tell that there was this sense of sadness coming from Edo-Wendy that had nothing to do with the absence of magic. I was pretty sure that something else was bothering her, and somehow, I knew what the problem was. Even before we all went out to battle, I could sense some negative vibes once we found out about Lucy Ashley and Natsu Dragion being a thing.

"You liked Natsu-san, didn't you?"

"Whaa…. That isn't…" Edo-Wendy jerked a little, looking all flustered in a matter of seconds, before calming down and resuming her usual expression. "Yeah, you got me. It's all true."

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

Edo-Wendy sighed. She shook her head before saying. "There's no point to it now, it's something I'll never be able to reach. I mean, they're married now, so just thinking about it won't do me any good will it?" Even by saying these words, however painful they may have sounded, Edo-Wendy forced a smile onto her face. "Plus, I don't want to ruin any of my friendships due to my selfishness, it just isn't right."

I smiled back. "I see. I understand now."

"But that doesn't mean you don't have a chance now, do you?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" It was my turn to be all flustered as Edo-Wendy teasingly moved up closer to me. Somehow, I didn't like what was going to happen next.

"Oh come now, don't say that you don't like him in that way. I've seen the way you look at him…"

"But it's not like that, I mean, I don't…"

"Well, look at it this way then," Edo-Wendy stood up and put her hands on her hips. She stepped aside, revealing the person who occupied the bed beside me, who was none other than Natsu himself, fast asleep and snoring away. She looked at him for a while, and then looked back at me.

"I've told you a bit about my love life, and even though it didn't turn out to be that happy fairy tale ending, I believe you can take a book out of it and try to live up to what you desire. You're not going to be able to hide this forever, and I'm pretty sure he'll find out sooner or later, proven that he isn't as dense as what people claim him to be."

I looked at Edo-Wendy, looked at Natsu and back again. She was dead serious. I often had Carla tell me off for not confirming my feelings towards Natsu, but with Edo-Wendy giving me her support as well, I felt that I was one step closer to realizing what I had to do.

"But I don't think I'm ready yet, not until I've confirmed a few things."

"Is that so?"

Sure, as much as I wanted to admit to Natsu that I've always admired him, my gut just told me it wasn't time yet. I wasn't sure what major catastrophic event was required to get me to do so, but in the end, only time will tell how far I was willing to put up with this.

"Very well then, Little Me. I'll leave you to it then" Edo-Wendy turned to leave. Before she left, she gave me one last piece of advice.

"Wait too long and you'll regret it…"

And with a wink, she was gone.

…..

It took Natsu and I several days to fully recover. Once that was over, there was to be a celebration, congratulating both of us for liberating the realm of Edolas by getting rid of Zirconis. The Edolas Fairy Tail guild hall was refurbished to hold several hundreds of guests, as people from all around wanted to meet and thank us for the good we've brought to their lives.

I spent most of the first hour nervously shaking each and every hand that reached out to me, while Natsu mostly tried to do the same, not without intimidating most of them. Never have I once been treated so reverently, as though I was some sort of goddess. Not counting all those times citizens of Magnolia ogled at me each year I grew older. Those times really gave me chills up my spine…

Mystogan, or King Jellal as I should address him now, issued a formal apology along with the rest of his royal guard, for deceiving us in the first place. I really didn't mind that, as if it weren't for his sudden appearance that day, we wouldn't have known what troubles lay apart from our realm.

What I really wanted though was some time to catch up with King Jellal, my Jellal, the one who took care of me briefly when Grandeeney suddenly disappeared. After accepting his apology, I approached him cautiously, wondering what I should say to him. He only smiled.

"Wendy, you've grown so much, I don't even know where to begin…"

"Thank you."

King Jellal was slightly taken aback at first. "What for?"

"For that time in my life when you came to my aid. If you hadn't shown up like you did, I didn't think I would've survived in the world."

"Wendy…"

And I put my arms around him. A few words of appreciation I was never able to utter out, only to do so now. Everyone was cheering and clapping as King Jellal stood there, dumbfounded. However, he quickly came to and patted my shoulder lovingly, like the older brother I never once knew.

And Natsu could be seen in the corner of the room, smiling at me reassuringly and giving me the thumbs up.

"Now, enough with the riff raff, let's PARTY!" Lucy Ashley set off several fireworks, and the night of chaotic festivities began.

Loud music was blaring, colourful lights flashing off in every corner, and people were generally having a good time. There was a dance floor laid out in the centre of the hall, and immediately Natsu took to centre stage, showing off what he interpreted as dance. It was hysterical, him trying to imitate Lucy's celestial spirit Plue, as everyone was in uproar, laughing aloud at his antics. I only shook my head knowingly; there was just never a dull moment with Natsu around.

Then I felt a pair of hands push me towards centre stage. I stumbled forward unknowingly into Natsu's arms, embarrassed, looking up into his face, who looked just as confused.

I looked behind me and saw Edo-Wendy, who winked before shuffling away into the crowd. I turned to the side and saw Edo-Cana acknowledging Edo-Wendy's signal, who then started playing a record, and soon the hall was filled with gentle-sounding orchestral music.

"Hey, what gives? I was getting to the good part…"

But I stopped Natsu in mid-sentence. I wasn't going to be that shy little girl that I was 6 years ago. Forcing his hand on my waist and mine on his shoulder, I lead Natsu into a simple triple-time waltz, stepping and swaying to the steady beat. As strange as it felt, I kept him going, despite all the awkwardness that only intensified every step I took. I dared not look into his eyes nor at everyone else; I kept them glued to the floor, keen on not making eye contact with anyone. Gosh, so much for not being shy anymore…

"Wendy? You feeling okay?"

Of course Natsu wouldn't know about it, how could he? He was never the one to understand a girl's feelings. All those times he tried to pick a fight with Erza, all those times he spent with Lisanna, all those times he unintentionally harassed Lucy…

And slowly but surely, I felt my control over the dance being overtaken by his.

I felt Natsu guiding me along this time, swaying this side and that, stepping to the beat as we waltzed across the dance floor. I was no longer in control of myself, as I felt my feet move in time with Natsu's own, staying in pace with the music.

One, two, three, one two three…..

Everyone was clapping in rhythm while they watched us dance. The pace quickened as we continued, and Natsu became more vigorous as he dragged me along the dance floor. I felt my own pace slow down a little, surely out of tiredness, but the song wasn't over yet. I couldn't just give up and collapse just then, could I?

I regained myself and took the upper hand again, this time dragging Natsu off his feet as I led him through a frenzy of tricky steps and complicated turns. Faster and faster did the music play while our dance became more and more complex, spinning through a maelstrom of lights and colour…

And stop. The music came to an end, and Natsu and I held our pose, breathing heavily in exhaustion. The applause came not long after, clapping and cheering combined with catcalls and whoops. Only then did I look Natsu straight in the eyes; to see him grinning at me, as though he was a little child who had done something good and expected to be rewarded.

"Hey, next time you wanna dance, just let me know, alright? You were acting kinda weird before that, you know?"

"Yeah, well, I….." Words could not express how elated I felt after dancing with the boy of my dreams. The moment I had there was just too surreal, I didn't know if I was dreaming or not. Time and time again I had wished to spend some time alone with Natsu, just the two of us, and now, it was as though it were a dream come true.

"I just needed a little persuading, that's all." And by instinct, I pulled him closer to me and gave him a hug. That was all I could do.

There were many "oohs" and "aahs" coming from the crowd, but I didn't care anymore. Showing my affection towards Natsu in public was just one step forward in affirming it. Only if I were able to do it back in Earthland though…

"You know what Wendy?" Natsu said as he ruffled my hair. "I'm thinking I kinda like this weird side of you."

A/N: And yet another update, and hopefully more reviews coming in? I do love reading them!