Hello again! Sorry I haven't been updating lately. A mixture of school, videogames, and working on unpublished stories has kept me from updating lately. That, and I've been grounded up until a few days ago. Also, I'll be writing more chapters for The 'Tail' of Meliera Kane. They will be telling about the five months that Meliera spent at Fairy Tail before dying again. Note: I haven't written any yet, so don't expect it for a while ;)

Kari waited for the blade to come down. There was nothing else she could do. It started its descent. There was a roar of sheer rage and the knife only hit her cheek. A shallow cut. Wouldn't even leave a scar. She fell to her hands. Natsu! The joy in her heart contrasted with the panic.

"Don't," he said, his voice trembling with rage, "touch my sister." He remembers?

"Natsu!" she cried out. He glanced back at her and gave her a smile. Then he proceeded to beat the crap out of the guy for daring to touch Kari. After finishing, he ran to her and wrapped her in his arms.

"Oh, Kari," he whispered. "I thought I was going to lose you."

She held him tightly. "It takes a lot more than that to kill a Dragneel," she laughed. Natsu pulled back and looked at her. "You remember," she murmured, stroking his face tentatively.

"Yeah," he said.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"My leg?"

"Oh, right." He lifted the rock off her leg and picked her up. "Is it broken?" he asked.

Kari touched her ankle and grimaced. "No, but it's sprained pretty badly. Relax, I'll live. I've gotten worse wounds than this."

The others were delighted to find out that he had regained his memory and reconciled with Kari. Natsu couldn't stop grinning. As they watched her getting her ankle wrapped and listening with smiles as the twins caught up.

"Where are the others?" Natsu asked.

"What others?" Kari said, frowning.

"Uh, Mom, and Dad, and Mina, and Tonan?"

Kari hesitated for a moment. "Natsu, they're -"

"Gah! I'm such an idiot!"

"Got that right," Gray smirked.

"What did you say to me, Squinty Eyes?"

Kari gave them a scary look that shut them up. Natsu continued, "Of course! They're back at home!" He ran out the door.

"Crap," Kari muttered. "Give me a crutch. Now."

Natsu ran down the trail that he knew led to his house. Excitement bubbled up inside. He couldn't wait to get home and see his father and siblings again. It had been over twenty years since they had last seen each other, and all the things they were going to do… He couldn't wait! Dad had told him that he would take him fishing when he was seven; maybe they could do it now. He imagined his older siblings' reactions when they saw him. Mina would laugh that contagious laugh and give that crooked smile. Tonan would most likely put him in a headlock and give him a noogie, if he hadn't changed. Natsu hated noogies, but he wouldn't mind too much this time. And they would -

He stopped running as he reached the clearing where he had once lived. His eyes took in the blackened ruins that was once his home. All that remained was a few blackened timbers.

"What?" he whispered. What had happened? Where was his family? He heard an awkward stumbling behind him. Kari hopped into the clearing.

"Crap, Natsu, you've gotten fast," she panted.

"Kari, where are they?" he asked as she caught her breath. "What happened to the house?"

"It burned down," she said softly.

"Ok," he said, "where are Dad and the others?" She looked away. No.

"Natsu, they've… they've been gone for a while." It can't be. They can't be gone.

"What happened?" he asked past the lump in his throat.

"I don't know."

"You must know something!" he shouted.

"I don't know."

He squeezed his eyes shut to restrain the flood. "What happened to them then?"

Lucy went back down to the library's basement. She had noticed that there had been one video tape that Kari had avoided. She wondered why that was.

Putting the video in, she saw that it picked up where the last one had left off.

"Mom's taken Natsu away. The bad guys are here, and Dad is outside talking to them."

"I told you," he was saying, "both of my children are here, and neither are powerful."

"Wow, thanks, Dad," Mina said softly.

"Well, I don't believe you," another man was saying. "Do you know what I do to people who lie to me?"

"No," their father said warily.

"This."

There was the sound of something sharp going into something soft, then a thud. Mina dropped the camera. "Daddy, oh, Daddy," she whispered in horror.

"Find the brat," the man commanded. "Then torch the place."

The door was broken down, and feet thudded up the stairs. She could hear Tonan yelling, "What did you do to my father?!" Mina tried to bar the door, but it was too late. Men dragged her kicking and screaming out.

"The brat isn't here," a man reported.

"Then burn the house and find him."

"What about the kids?"

"I said burn the house." Lucy sat petrified in horror. She could hear Mina and Tonan screaming as the flames grew higher. Something fell and turned the camera off. The next entry showed Mina heavily bandaged.

"Dad's gone," she said, laboring to get every word out. "They killed him… stabbed him through the heart… and Tonan… he got me out of the house… and then he died." She choked back a sob. "He died right there after saving me. And now I'm dying." She sighed and leaned back. "They didn't tell me that. But I can feel it. I can see it in their eyes. Natsu, Mom… if you're watching this, I'm glad. I'm glad that you two survived. If not… well, there isn't much use in this existing, is there?" She chuckled. "I'm glad you're alive… I'm glad…" Her eyes closed for the last time.

Well, that sucks. Now, how the heck did Kari survive? Time travel, of course, as I'm sure most of you have figured out.