The battle against Orochi's Fin lasted all night. But when Bluenote went down they lost the will to fight and pulled their forces back! Those in Magaret Town were a little confused to see the monsters suddenly pull back. "The monsters are retreating?" Lyon had his guard up just in case, but it looked like they managed to win?
"Did they beat the monster tamer?" Lucy looked around just to make sure the town was safe. "I think we won!"
"The monsters probably ran when they realized they could never match up to my handsomeness." Zelos twirled his blade around before stylishly returning it to its sheathe. "I mean, can you blame them?"
"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you…" Lucy stated with a stale expression.
"WE DID IT! ON!" Toby shouted victoriously.
"You don't need to be so loud, man…" Yuka said in his usual tone, but this victory did warrant some smiling. They did manage to save Lamia and their town after all.
"That was getting tedious. Thank goodness that's over." Taya let out an exhale, feeling more inconvenienced by the situation more than anything else.
"Thank you for your assistance. You kept a lot of them at bay." Lyon gave Taya a nod of gratitude.
"Keep it." Taya waved her hand dismissively at Lyon's thanks. "As I said, I wasn't acting for your best interests. It just so happened to have coincided with my own."
"Which are…?" Lucy tried to fish, but Taya wasn't taking it. Instead Lucy received a glare which made her sweat. "Okay…got it. You really don't want to talk, that's far."
"I hope everything went okay…" Sherri looked off in the direction the monsters were fleeing. She was extremely worried for her younger cousin's wellbeing, but also upset that Chelia had the nerve to run off so recklessly. "That girl is in so much trouble when she comes back!"
Soon the monsters all ran from the town and spread out elsewhere. Natsu and the others finally strolled into town a few moments later, Natsu's expression showing that he was fairly grumpy. "Agh! Still no action, damn it!" Natsu exclaimed his frustrations and crossed his arms like a child.
"You took the enemy leader out in one hit, why are you so upset…?" Raven stared up at Natsu curiously.
"BECAUSE I WANTED TO FIGHT!" Natsu yelled. His yelling caught everyone's attention.
"You never change, Natsu…" Cynthia laughed a little.
"CHELIA!" As soon as Sherri laid eyes on her cousin she rushed over, patting her down with the most concerned look. "Are you okay? Why are you wearing Raven's jacket? What happened to your clothes? You didn't let off any of that scary steam did you!?"
All these questions made Chelia's head spin. She already knew Sherri was going to get in her butt. "Uh…I'm fine…! Natsu burnt off my clothes…and…nooooooooo…"
All she needed to know was that Chelia was okay. The elder Blendy did glare at Natsu upon hearing that he burned her clothes, but now it was time to scold her cousin. "What were you thinking running off like that!? That was super dangerous, especially in your condition! What if you got hurt, or worse!? How can I leave the guild and not worry about you doing stuff like this?!"
Chelia glanced away as Sheri began to scold her. She expected this the moment she ran off and her older cousin had full rights to yell at her. "I know…I'm sorry…" She tugged the jacket on her a little as Sherri gave her an earful. She wasn't going to escape from that anytime soon.
Lucy walked over to Natsu, Cynthia, and Wendy, glancing over just to see if they were injured. "Are you all okay?"
"Just fine!" Wendy responded with a bright smile. "Natsu-san managed to beat the enemy leader. It was that Bluenote man…"
"In one hit!" Happy added.
Lucy blinked several times. She shouldn't have been surprised. All Natsu did think about for his trip was just getting stronger. While she did see some of his training here and there, that didn't mean she was ready to accept his decision to leave. Instead she just smiled at the two girls, ignoring Natsu completely. "You two were brave. You've really grown up."
"We learned from the best." Cynthia said with a cheeky grin.
"They really are starting to become a little reckless. I think Cynthia's a bad influence." Carla teased.
"Just a little." Wendy added onto the tease.
"Heeeeey…" Cynthia puffed her cheeks out, but she was grinning all the same. She then glanced around the town, a sigh of relief escaping her. "I'm really glad that we were able to protect the town, though. With all those numbers, it didn't look good…is everyone okay?"
"Yes." Yuka said with a reassuring nod. "There are no casualties and no one is harmed."
"What a relief…" Wendy could let out a sigh before high fiving Cynthia. "We did it!"
"Yeah!" Cynthia grinned…before her nose picked up a familiar scent. "Uh…hold on. I'll be right back…" Without explaining anything, Cynthia started to move in the direction she scent was moving.
"Ah…Cynthia…?" Wendy tried to stop her but she was far too late.
"…Where's she going…?" Lucy tilted her head.
Cynthia's jog led her to Taya, who was about to leave the town. Luckily Cynthia encountered her just before she could. "Taya…?" She came to a halt. Her nose never led her astray.
Taya turned around, lifting a brow at first before a rare, soft smile appeared on her lips. "Oh. There you are. Here I was thinking I would never get the chance to say hello."
Cynthia didn't waste any time. She sprinted right into Taya's arms, wrapping her arms around the woman for an embrace. "…I was so worried. I didn't see you since Tartarus fell…I…I thought…"
"Your concern means a lot to me, Cynthia. But I wouldn't die that easily." Taya embraced Cynthia. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Okay…" The reunion did make tears well up in Cynthia's eyes, but she didn't cry. "I didn't expect to see you here…"
"I heard that you were in this town…and I wanted to say hello before I made my way to Mt. Fiore." Taya explained. "But…incident after incident prevented me from dropping by. I'm glad I decided to stay for a little while."
"Me too." Cynthia nodded, smiling bright.
"So…trying new hair styles, are we?" The elder woman questioned Cynthia's red hair.
"Oh well…this just kind of happened…" The dragon slayer responded with a small chuckle. Seems she didn't' exactly have an explanation for how half her hair changed.
"I see." The woman stood up, brushing own hair back. "Your performance earlier was surprising. I thought you couldn't dance?" That was clearly a friendly little jab. "But are you going to stay here? Lamia Scale never seemed like the guild for you."
Oh no, Taya saw that? Now it was embarrassing! Cynthia played with her hair and adverted her gaze when the real question was asked. "…I don't know. It depends on how Wendy feels, too…I don't want to leave her alone."
"You two are very much alike." Taya reassured while patting Cynthia on the head. "You know where your heart belongs. I'm sure you'll make a decision you won't regret." Those were her parting words as she finally left.
Lucy and Carla were watching the exchange between Cynthia and Taya. "Oh…so that's why she came here. She came for Cynthia…" Lucy muttered. "Those two were close…even during Tartarus…"
"I guess she has a lot of thinking to do too…" Carla muttered.
Magaret suffered some damage from the monster attack, but overall, everything was all right. A few hours after the attack and the cleanup went well. "Thanks for your help." Lyon extended his gratitude to Natsu, Lucy, and Zelos. "The monsters have retreated. I dread to think what could have happened to the guild and the town if you all weren't present."
"Ooon!" Toby cheered.
"You're welcome. I always knew my handsomeness was a dangerous weapon." Zelos remarked. All he got was a look from everyone else before they ignored him and kept talking. "Oof…I get the feeling that everyone's been ignoring my words of love lately…" They were.
"It was nothing." Loke said with a more casual tone than Zelos.
"I haven't even gone full berserk yet…" Natsu was still upset. So far he hadn't been able to really show the fruits of his labor and it was getting to him.
"No, that was more than enough Natsu." Happy said.
"You've helped us out in the past, so it was the least we could do to return the favor." Lucy placed her hands behind her back with a soft smile.
"Where did the girls go?" Lucy looked around, but was unable to find any trace of Cynthia, Chelia, or Wendy.
"Just a year or two and they'll be in my scope…" Loke's remark was definitely not unnoticed, but nobody decided to humor it…except Zelos.
"See, now that's just not fair. He can get away with saying something like that, but when I make a comment I get the evil eye?" Zelos narrowed his eyes. He wasn't taking it seriously, but it was something worth mentioning. "The double standards…"
"Anyway…." Sherri cleared her throat. "They have something they needed to talk about in private. We should wait until they're done and come back. I'm sure it's a very important discussion…"
Chelia, Cynthia, and Wendy gathered at a hill that oversaw the town. Chelia changed into a black dress, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, a heavy sigh escaping with her. "Well…that didn't go nearly as well as I thought it would."
"What exactly were you trying to prove?" Cynthia tilted her head.
"Yeah…what you did was really dangerous." Wendy frowned.
"I wanted to show you both that I'd be okay even if you did leave." Chelia explained. "I know my magic isn't back yet…and truthfully even using a simple spell hurts a lot. But I can push through it to protect those I love, you know? I'd do anything for Lamia, and I'm not alone. I still have Raven, Lyon and the others. But…Natsu screwed it up in the end."
"…Yeah, he does that sometimes." Wendy said with a soft laugh.
Chelia's gaze went down for a moment, pondering the same thought from their conversation earlier in the night. "You two have to go with him."
"Huh?" Both girls responded at the same time.
"You guys love him, don't you?" The pinkette turned to the both of them. The way she phrased it made it sound really awkward and they both ended up blushing fiercely and shook their heads.
"W-WAIT…! NO! It's not like that…!" Cynthia squealed.
"I-It's like…." Wendy tripped over her words. She was able find the right words. "He's like a big brother to us." The sky dragon was able to say. "I guess you could say we idolize him. He's always been there…he never gives up…and when he can't do it alone, that's what we're there for."
"Mhm…" Cynthia nodded in agreement. "I remember when I first woke up on that mountain after I escaped from Aiden's lab. The first thing I did was attack Natsu in a frightened frenzy. After I joined Fairy Tail, I ended up copying some of his moves without even realizing it. Before I knew it, I found myself looking up to him the most. I think he's part of the reason I ended up being the way I am now…"
"That's love too, you know." Chelia responded to their statements with a soft smile. "You two will regret it if you don't go with him. Natsu said so himself…that it wasn't the end for Fairy Tail." Blue eyes lifted up to the sky where the sun was beginning to rise in the distance. "And it's because he loved you both and Fairy Tail that he came all this way for you two."
Wendy and Cynthia looked at one another. Chelia's words did strike a chord in their heartstrings and they weren't able to say anything. "…."
"I saw it in your eyes when he and Lucy first arrived." Chelia continued. "When he said Fairy Tail was coming back, I saw your eyes change. There was a glimmer of hope. You may not have known it…but when you were at Fairy Tail, your eyes always had that same gleam. When you joined Lamia…I didn't see it. I know you two enjoyed your time here, but I saw that it just wasn't the same for you both."
Chelia knew them both way too well. Cynthia rubbed the back of her neck. "…I…"
"I know you two are still worried about me." The god slayer let out a soft laugh. "But I promise I'll be fine. Raven and I…we'll work things out somehow." She then sat between both dragon slayers, wrapping her arms around their shoulders to bring them closer. With both Cynthia and Wendy resting their heads against her own, Chelia used both hands to lace their fingers together to comfort them. "But I want the both of you to be honest with yourselves. It doesn't matter if we're in different guilds. You two will always be my sisters, no matter what."
Cynthia and Wendy wanted to cry, but they fought the tears back and rested against Chelia. "Yeah…."
[Flashback: six months ago]
Raven was busy with some refinements to his bow, ironically on the same hill that the girls were conversing on at the present point in time. Since he was avoiding Chelia, he found that he had a lot more time. "…Ah…" The black haired male sighed heavily while leaning against the tree. "Damn it…"
"And just what do you think you're doing up here?" Carla peered around the tree, still flaunting her human form.
"Whoa!" Raven jumped up, clearly startled by the Exceed's sudden appearance. "Why are…you here?"
"I've had a question for you that nobody has really wanted to ask. What's up with you?" The Exceed's tone was fairly blunt. "You and Chelia are almost as close as Wendy and Cynthia. I don't get why you've been distant to her lately after everything you've gone through."
"…" Raven was silent, staring off elsewhere as he tried to avoid the question, but it was clear that Carla wasn't letting him go without an answer. "As a wind mage, I have the ability to read the wind around me, so to speak. But as of late, I've been having nothing but winds of bad omens. The winds of death, so to speak."
"Death…?" Carla lifted a curious brow. Hearing that word used so…casually did make her a little concerned. "Are you sure you didn't eat something bad?"
"I wish." Raven scoffed at her reply. "You have powers of premonition, right? Surely you can sense it."
When Carla focused…Raven wasn't wrong. She could sense that something awful was going to happen to him in the future. But the problem was she didn't know where, when, or what…and neither did he. "And that's why you're avoiding Chelia?"
"If something deathly happened, I don't want her caught up in it." Raven stared at her bow. "She's already been through so much. The last thing I want her to do is worry about something she can't change. If I stay around her too long, she'll easily sense it and get worried. How am I supposed to tell her I feel like I might die soon?" When he said that...well, it just made his heart heavy.
"That's incredibly selfish." Carla huffed.
"I know." Raven turned his back to Carla. "But can you not tell anyone about this, please? Chelia's been having such a good time with Cynthia and Wendy, I don't want to spoil their mood."
"She'd like to spend more time with you, too…" Carla's remark hung in the air before she left Raven alone. Keeping that secret for half a year ate at her, but a part of her did understand Raven's concerns. Carla saw terrible futures in the past…but she didn't tell anyone about them, mostly because she didn't know if they were true or not. Her visions were proven wrong occasionally, but would this be any different?
[End flashback]
From behind the nearby tree, Carla and Raven were watching the moment between the sky sisters. Carla had a grin on her face as Chelia helped push the two towards the decision they were hesitating towards. Now it was someone else's turn. "…You have to tell her, you know." The Exceed spoke to Raven without even looking at him.
"Huh…?" Raven stared down at Carla. "But…"
"She's strong, Raven." Carla stared right at Chelia. "She's been through a lot over the years. But if there's one thing I've learned by watching her with Wendy and Cynthia, it's that she can take it. Keeping this secret isn't something I can do for much longer seeing them like this. So you need to tell her about it. What she can't take is…wait; I shouldn't be the one telling you this! Go out there and just trust her. That lingering omen of 'death' could change if you trust her."
"Wait…now…?" Raven blinked several times. The three girls looked so content… "They're in the middle of a moment…I can't. There's no way she wants to hear all that now…"
"Oh for crying out loud…why are human males so pathetic? I really don't know what she sees in you." Carla transformed into her human form and gave Raven the boot, forcing him to stumble forward. "Don't beat around the bush. Just do it. You'll both regret it if you don't."
"N-Not cool…!" The archer stumbled until landing right in front of the three girls. The situation was awkward as he stared up at the three females. "….Hey."
"….Hey." Chelia blinked.
"…We'll uh…let you two talk…" Wendy took Cynthia's hand and…just guided her behind the tree where Carla was. The three of them were going to watch this play out.
Raven regained himself and sat next to Chelia, staring off into the distance with the rising sun. "…So…what was that earlier? Why did you run off ahead like that?"
"Because I knew you had my back." Chelia didn't miss a beat with that response. She didn't look at Raven, but rather just stared ahead. "…So, you're talking to me now? I thought you didn't want to be near me." Oof. Females as of late had perfectly good ammo for firing off shots.
"…I…" Raven wasn't quite sure how to begin. "I'm sorry for avoiding you lately. I just…" Don't beat around to bush, you idiot. "I've had a very ominous feeling about myself over the last year. I…I know that something bad is going to happen to me in the future. I just don't know when…and if it does happen to me, I don't want you getting caught up in my bad omen and getting hurt or worse. I…l…like you too much for that to happen…" SMACK. "Ow!?"
Chelia smacked Raven upside the head, pouting at his words. "Is that really why you haven't been talking to me as much? Because you're worried?"
"Well…yes…" Raven rubbed the back of his head. That hurt…
"You're dumb." The pinkette turned a bit to face Raven. "I don't care if you think something bad will happen to you. It's me. You can come to me for anything. Losing someone you love is the worst thing in the world, and I don't want to lose you." Chelia's cheeks darkened as she spoke, but she didn't turn away. "So if you don't want to tell me what it is, that's fine. But you should know that you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll be there to protect you, I promise…"
"Chelia…I…" Raven wasn't quite sure what to say, but his cheeks were darkening. This was supposed to be the other way around…! Wait…when did they get so close to one another?
"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. I promise. I won't let you go anywhere. Because I…because I love you. So you're not allowed to leave." Chelia stated with a firm nod.
Cynthia and Wendy were both about to shout, but Carla covered their mouths in the nick of time. "Sssh…." Carla whispered.
"…You stole my thunder…" Raven said as Chelia's head rested against his chest. "But I…I love you too. And I trust you…so…if something bad does happen, I'll be counting on you."
"Good…" Chelia muttered a content smile on her face. Somehow she knew things would end up like this eventually for them. Raven took too long so she had to do it herself…but that wasn't so bad in the end.
The sun shone brightly on Lamia Scale. Cynthia and Wendy finally made their decision – they were going to join Natsu and Lucy (and Zelos) on the quest to revive Fairy Tail. The two girls were bowing their heads to those at Lamia Scale for the hospitality they received over the year. "Thank you for taking good care of us…" Wendy said.
"I should show my gratitude too, I suppose…" Carla sighed.
"Mhm…it meant a lot…" Cynthia followed suit. The two of them were really trying hard not to cry, but Wendy was having a harder time. "Come on Wendy…you said you weren't going to cry anymore, remember."
"I-I know…" Wendy sniffled. "But I feel so bad…making such a selfish decision…I don't even know what to say."
"Well, we did let you into our guild fully aware that you came with a condition." Lyon said with a soft smile.
"Wait…REALLY!?" This was news to Natsu!
Zelos had a light hearted chuckle at this news. "Well, how about that…seems like our two growing cuties just needed a little push in the right direction."
"Yeah," Carla began, running a hand through her hair. "We'd be in their care until Fairy Tail returned."
"Whether it be a year or two…or however many…" Cynthia rubbed her arm, giving a sheepish smile now that that information was revealed.
"Carla-saaan! Don't leave!" A few males at Lamia clearly had fallen for Carla in her human appearance, the poor things.
"But…" Wendy sniffled once more, rubbing her eyes to keep the tears from falling.
"Come now…straighten yourself up…" Carla said while patting Wendy on the back.
Lucy felt a soft smile form on her lips. "So Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla…they never forgot about Fairy Tail after all…" Suddenly, those regrets she had from last night slowly started to fade away. Before she believed that they didn't want to come back and that everyone felt the same…but were things different…? Only time could tell.
Chelia approached Wendy and held onto one hand, laughing a little bit. "Geez, Wendy. You're such a crybaby! You too, Cynthia! I see you trying not to cry!"
"I-I'm not crying…!" Cynthia's hands began to wipe her eyes. She was totally about to cry.
"But…but…!" Wendy protested.
"I'll be the other half of the Sky Sisters!" Toby yelled while tears streamed down his face like a flowing river.
"Stop it." Yuka was not fond of the idea.
"My turn!" Ooba posed…she already had her hair in twin tails and wore a dress that was frighteningly similar to Chelia's.
"You stop it too, old lady." Yuka really needed these two to not.
After wiping some of the incoming tears from her eyes, Cynthia shot a teasing smile at Chelia and Raven. "We wish you two the best of luck too~"
"Ah…ahaha….thanks…" Raven said while rubbing the back of his head.
"Speaking of…" Sherri pinched Raven's ear and began to tug him off. "If you're going to be officially dating my precious younger cousin, then you and I have a lot more to discuss than usual, Mr.! I have a number of ground rules!"
"Owowowowo! Sherri! Let me go…!" But it was no use. Raven was already pulled out of sight and the members of Lamia just laughed at the gates to his misfortune opening up.
"I'm sorry…!" Chelia said to Raven as he was pulled off by her older cousin. It came with the territory...as she was learning just now. At the same time, Natsu and company finally began to depart from Magaret Town.
"Good luck on getting Fairy Tail back!" Yuka waved.
"Yeah!" Natsu said while raising his arm.
"Say hi to Gray for me." Lyon said.
"Ah…we actually don't even know where he is…" Lucy responded.
"Good luck!"
"Be safe!"
"Ooooon!"
Chelia waved her two sisters off, keeping a bright smile on her face. "Be well, Wendy! Cynthia!"
The two girls turned back, waving in return. "We will! You too, Chelia!" Wendy replied.
"But we won't have to worry about her so much anymore…! She's growing up so fast…!" Now Cynthia was sniffling again. It felt like ages ago since she first met Chelia! But this wasn't goodbye…it was only see you later!
Chelia kept a smile on her face until Natsu and company were finally gone. Lyon placed a hand on her head while lowering his gaze to her. "You can cry if you want to now."
Chelia's lower lip quivered a little bit. In truth…having to part with Wendy and Cynthia like this did hurt a little bit. Saline built up in the corners of her eyes, but she winked and displayed a bright smile to Lyon. The tears weren't going to fall today. "I won't cry!" The god slayer proclaimed. "Because I want Fairy Tail to come back too!" Now that was the reply that got Lyon to smile as well. A world without Fairy Tail just wasn't the same…so to have a revival after one long year. Who wouldn't want them to come back?
The group had been walking for quite a while. Wendy was the most upset about having to part ways with Chelia, but she refused to let anymore tears fall! It was actually harder than it sounded…but she was trying her best! "…."
"How long are you going to cry, Wendy…?" Carla turned while narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not…crying…!" Wendy immediately replied. "It's just…when Fairy Tail disbanded, everyone at Lamia treated us so nice…but then Natsu and Lucy came back and….!" Try as she might, the tears still fell.
"Tears of joy and sadness at the same time?!" Lucy had a wide eyed expression. She then glanced to Cynthia, who was still silent, only because she was trying to hide the tears falling from her eyes. It was clear the dragon slayer was trying to be strong for both Wendy and Chelia. "Cynthia too…? I wonder…"
"Now now cuties…" Zelos' tone grew serious for a second, which got everyone's attention. "Those tears don't suit you. You told your friend you weren't going to cry anymore, yes? I think it's better if you brighten the mood with those wonderful smiles of yours. It can really go a long way." Wow…despite his attitude, Zelos could be encouraging when he wanted to be!
Natsu turned his head to the two dragon slayers, smirking as he repeated the words he was intent on following through with. "This is only the beginning! We're going to get everyone back! We WILL be a guild again!"
"YEAH!" Wendy and Cynthia responded in unison. Though their eyes were wet with tears, their smiles were bright. This was the right decision for them after all.
"…." Lucy was still silent. It was strange how Natsu always knew what to say to cheer people up…but she still couldn't let go of the fact that he left. Nothing he could say would change that, she was certain. But it was his words that led to this journey in the first place. But she still wouldn't let it go…not after what happened. But there was no need to ruin the moment with her thoughts now. She'd cross that bridge when they got there.
"So…where are we going next?" Happy glanced around.
"Well…" Lucy had a map handy. "There's this village east of here called Rainfall Town. Apparently it always rains there…"
"Could it be…" Happy trailed off.
"I hope so!" Cynthia interjected with a wide grin. "But…that place is pretty far right. It'll take at least a few days…" Sky blue eyes wandered to Natsu, a grin creeping onto her lips.
"Oh no…she's got that look again…" Carla crossed her arms and sighed. "It's been a year since we've seen it..."
"Natsu! When we find a place to rest, I wanna fight you!" Cynthia said, punching the air rapidly. "I've got a lot of new tricks I didn't get to show off! I'm itching to test them!"
That was just what Natsu wanted to hear! His eyes gleamed at a chance for a decent spar at last! "Ah! Finally! Someone I can fight! Let's do it right now!"
"NO!" Lucy waved her hands. "You'll destroy the area, are you insane!? In case you haven't noticed, we still need a path to follow. There won't be one if you two fight!"
"It'll be fine." Natsu said, dismissively while grinning towards Cynthia. "You ready?!"
"Oh yeah!" Cynthia responded with her own grin.
"Wait, Cynthia, this isn't a good idea…!" Wendy was trying to hold her partner back, but it wasn't working!
"Hahaha! Looks like our little group is just as lively as ever!" Zelos chuckled, staying in the back so he wouldn't get caught in the cross fire.
"Good grief you two…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're not letting you do this here!" Some things just didn't change….
.
.
Next Time: On The Road Again.