Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
The Dragon Slayer Prophecy
Chapter 11: Supportive
Boom! Crash! Pow!
Yes, this was indeed another typical day at Fairy Tail.
Chairs flipped, dents and cracks in the floor, and many semi-conscious bodies scattered across it; it was clear that another guild brawl had taken place. Most of us female members could only roll our eyes and sigh, while Erza was the only one who was brave enough to confront the males and deliver them a sound beating. Oh well, might as well let her do all the dirty work, right?
The only difference was that Natsu wasn't present. The most notorious combatant was absent from the usual comings and goings. Reason being, he was out on another job request with Lucy and Happy. Ever since our return from our Edolas adventure, he had been busying himself over with jobs, while Lucy and Happy, being his official partners, only willingly tagged along.
I tried not to think too much about it. They were only friends right? The more I began to think of Lucy as my rival, the more I thought that I was beginning to think like Juvia. That was going a little too far.
Recently, I decided to take up barmaid training under Mirajane in order to take my mind off some things. It was an interesting change of pace, not having to worry about getting attacked at any moment, and not having to run for your life at the slightest premonition of danger. I was pretty content with this kind of work, greeting fellow Fairy Tail members with a smile as I served them drinks and attended to their requests.
"Wendy, another order of Star Mango Martinis please!"
"Coming Mira-san!"
Garnishing the drinks with a slice of mango each, I brought the tray over to where Mira directed me towards, before coming back behind the counter.
"Alright Wendy, that should be enough for today."
"But I only just started today!"
"It's alright, I'll be able to manage from here… Oh Wendy, don't give me that face, or I'll feel guilty!" Mira replied as I pouted. "You can still help out tomorrow, there's still plenty of opportunities later on."
"Or…" Mirajane gave me a rather sly smile, " is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Eh?"
"About you and Natsu, of course!" Mira said with that same ever so charming smile.
"I told you Mira-san, it's nothing like…" I stopped in mid-sentence and thought to myself. Maybe it was better off not to hold it in anymore. I mean, the journey to Edolas only reaffirmed and cemented my feelings toward the fire dragon slayer. What could go wrong if I told Mirajane? A lot of things, probably. Nevertheless, I decided to pull through.
"Ooh, our little Wendy's in love, isn't she?"
I nodded meekly in response. Mirajane smiled.
"But promise me this Mira-san…"
Mira only raised a finger to my lips as if she understood. Puzzled, I stared at the white-haired beauty as she told me this.
"I won't tell. I know when someone's truly in love, and I don't want to ruin it for you. Your secret is safe with me."
Well, that was certainly a surprise. Normally, Mirajane would be the first to spread rumours about love affairs between Fairy Tail members, but this time, well, I thought it was nice of her not to make this a big thing. At least, not until I was ready.
"Thank you, Mira-san."
Mirajane winked at me. "Now off with you and go enjoy the rest of your day!"
I took off my apron and headed off towards one of the tables to take a seat. Glancing across the hall, I noticed that Loki was kind of just standing there with a frown on his face. Oddly enough, I was still getting these ominous vibes coming from him. I decided not to pursue this matter. Whatever, his role was in this whole prophecy thing, I thought that it could wait. I didn't want to bother myself with the matter just yet.
"Wendy, are you in there?"
Carla came flying into the hall, but she wasn't alone. Accompanying her was a girl of slender build, her pink hair tied into pigtails with yellow ribbons.
"Chelia?"
"Wendy! Long time no see!" Chelia replied as I stood up and ran over to greet my friend.
Chelia Blendy was a mage from the Lamia Scale guild. She specialized in Sky God Slayer magic, and was pretty powerful to boot. We became close friends ever since our first encounter all those years ago at the Grand Magic Games.
"I happened to come across her on my way here and I thought that you might've wanted to see each other." Carla said as she landed beside me. "Besides, it has been a while since the three of us ever did anything fun together."
To that I could agree no less. For the past few years, Chelia had been busy training for Lamia Scale's S-Class exams. She would often be away for weeks, either to train or to tackle an S-Class mission along with Lyon Vastia, who over the course of these few years already attained his S-Class ranking. Chelia would find time to drop by and say hello every once in a while, but that was that.
"I know! I know!" Chelia bounced excitedly all of a sudden. " We should go to that beach near Hargeon people have been talking about lately! I've always wanted to feel what it was like to relax there!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" I asked as I grabbed both Chelia and Carla by the hand. "Let's get going then!"
…..
It was a calm, peaceful, and serene area. The warm sun shone down brightly upon the soft sand as the low tide gently brushed it before falling back toward the ocean. Children joyfully frolicked about, enjoying the natural beauty while their parents watched on, seemingly without a care in the world. It was the perfect getaway.
"Come on! Carla! Chelia!" I playfully dragged my two friends down towards the ocean right after we changed into our bathing suits, jumping into the cool, refreshing water with a graceful splash. We started off swimming a bit, letting the waves carry us around, essentially just floating in the water.
"Wendy…"
I was met head-on against a giant wave and tumbled over. Startled at first, I recovered only to see Chelia giggling, her finger pointing in my direction.
"Hey! Don't think you'll get off that easily!" With all my might, I sent another giant wave back at her, this time with her falling over into the water. Chelia emerged at the surface a few seconds later, a look of mock satisfaction of her face.
"My, my, someone's certainly improved over the past few years!"
"Well, you weren't the only one who trained all that time!"
And we continued to splash each other. I caught a glimpse of Carla watching us from above, shaking her head and muttering to herself, with a knowing look on her face. Chelia seemed to have caught on to my thoughts.
Instinctively, we both leaped into the air and grabbed Carla, before plummeting down towards the ocean. Escaping from our grasp, Carla gasped for air as she frowned.
"You two…"
And the three of us continued to play to our hearts content. It was just one of those rare moments in life where neither of us were bothered by the world's problems, enjoying life as it ought to be. It was not too last, so I wanted to make the best out of it.
After several hours, the three of us finally decided to take a break, laying down with our backs against the sand, basking in the warm sun. Several onlookers passed by and we lay there, clearly ogling at us.
"See that, it's the Sky Sisters!"
"Oh my gosh, I so wanted to see them in person!"
"They've really grown to be quite lovely, don't you think?"
Carla was the first to react. "Nothing to see here folks, the Sky Sisters will not be giving out any performances today. Now shoo, off with you!"
"Geez, what a bossy little cat…" Someone mumbled as the onlookers turned away and left.
"Carla, you didn't have to be so mean."
"Personally, I wouldn't have minded the attention." Chelia replied.
"Well, Wendy," Carla expressed herself in a matter-of-fact tone, "Considering you already have someone in your mind, I certainly can't let those dirty males get their hands on you, can I?"
Carla!
"Ooh, you love someone, don't you Wendy?"
Oh great, the beans were spilled. After all, I wanted it to be a secret between me and Carla only. However, I guess that secrets were never meant to be kept forever, as I had already confirmed with Mirajane earlier during the day.
I nodded. Chelia's face brightened with glee, but then, her face fell almost as quickly.
"What's wrong, Chelia?"
I have never seen my friend so distraught before. It was as though she were about to cry. I had always known Chelia Blendy as a bright, optimistic girl who knew what was in front of her, never afraid to take on her problems head on. Seeing this side of her made me feel uneasy.
"I just… I don't know… This might be weird-sounding and all…"
"There there Chelia, Wendy and I are your friends." Carla said. "You can consult with us on any topic, we won't find it weird or anything."
"That's right," I added. "I promise you that I won't laugh at whatever you'll tell us. You can bet my life savings on that." Smiling, I put my arm around Chelia, just as how she did with me ever since. I was going to be the older sister now, and it made me feel reassuring and confident, given that it was Chelia who often comforted me whenever I was feeling sad.
"Ok, alright…" Chelia wiped back a tear as she prepared to give us her story.
"It was 2 years ago. I had finally become of age then, and it was such a big thing for me. I felt that world was supposed to revolve around me, as it was my special day. Sorry if I'm coming off as selfish…"
"No, no, no, carry on, we won't judge you." I encouraged her. Chelia smiled and nodded.
"Lamia Scale was prepared to host such a huge party for me. There was no way anyone was going to keep it a secret from me, as nobody could keep quiet about it. Heck, Toby Horhorta was the worst when it came to secrets."
"Anyways," Chelia continued as the three of us laughed at the idea of Toby letting the secret slip. "Even my cousin Sherry had decided to come back to celebrate, and it couldn't have been better than that. However, there was only one person who couldn't make it to the festivities, one person who I got to know and get close to over the course of my life."
"I mean, he chose to go take an S-Class mission over my birthday! What was that all about! I had never felt so angry, I just couldn't handle it. And you know I told him before I left?"
I didn't need to guess where this was going, since I was facing a similar problem myself.
"That I was in love with him. I was in love with Lyon Vastia."
There was a long moment of silence. Neither of us said anything.
"Ever since then, I was never able to look at him the same way ever again. He never replied to my confession, and I never decided to bring it up again. I mean, we still saw each other and worked together on jobs, but that was about it."
"Go on, laugh. I was blinded by my insight on what love is anyways…"
"No."
"Hm?"
"No I won't laugh!" I shouted a little more forcibly than I had hoped. Grabbing her shoulders, I stared down at Chelia with this newfound ferocity that I was beginning to get accustomed to. "There's nothing wrong with that! You shouldn't give up on what your heart tells you. You may think that it's weird, you may think people will look down on you, but don't give up! Just… Don't give up…"
It was almost the same situation I had with Natsu. It was weird, with him being a full 6 years older than me, and I knew I couldn't act on it back then. But those feelings never really faded, and it was only until recently that I had acknowledged them.
"Wendy…"
"Face your fear. The topic's bound to be brought up again. And next time," I hesitated a little before blurting out, "do it with a smile."
Carla nodded in agreement. Chelia looked at me in amazement. I swear, that must have the most intimidating speech I had ever given; I felt almost as old as Makarov…
"Thanks, I guess I needed that." Chelia replied before reverting to her usual cheery self. "Then I can say without a doubt that the person you love is Natsu, am I right?"
I wasn't going to deny it, as I have told myself over and over again.
"That's right, I'm in love with Natsu Dragneel, and I'm not afraid to admit it, not anymore."
"Then I'll support you," said Chelia.
"And I'll support you as well," I replied.
"And we'll all support each other," Carla added.
It was at this moment in time when I realized yet again how important friends were. They were there to give both moral and emotional support, and no matter what problems there were, I could always turn to them. And because of my friends, my own confidence level had raised a great deal. All that was left was to confirm of Natsu would return those feelings.
"I had a great time today Wendy…"
"So did I, Chelia…"
A/N: And another chapter complete! Sorry about the wait everyone!
Anyways, in case it hasn't been discovered yet, I've established a NaWen forum and community. You can view the details in my profile.
Also, even though I seem to have already established Lolu and Gruvia as side ships in this story, I've recently taken a liking to Graylu, so I'll also have a poll set up debating the matter: keep it the way it is? Or establish Graylu as a thing?
As usual, keep those reviews coming in, and thank you!
