/Last/ Chapter 21: Meet Me Once Again

The warm breeze of Fiore always blows in the end of winter, people got sleepy easily and doze from time to time.

Magnolia is no different. Just a certain guild keeping quite and act too oddly. The temperature didn't seem to bother them much.

The reason was simply difficult to describe.

Their behavior was also hard to predict, somehow it didn't felt like Fairy Tail at all. They rarely broke anything around the town, they hardly did anything out of the ordinary, the guild was so quite and obedient to the rule of mages. They're not acting their usual happy-go-lucky-self, free and independent. They didn't do as they wish as they follow every order from the council.

The win of humankind was made secret and the existence of Acnologia was hidden, the victory of the Star Goddess Lucy was never made public, the mess from the death-or-alive fight did lots of questions and suspects to the king's trust from the civilians, which caused the majesty to reveal some of the existence of the fight and told them, for their safety, the council spread a wide-range sleeping magic.

The topic died down after few weeks the GMG ended. But the inquiry and complaints from many sides cause trouble for the council, not that it concerns mage guilds including the infamous Fairy Tail.

But not only that, the guild masters from Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were called forth by the council, to explain the existence of Sabertooth mage and ex-Fairy Tail mage Lucy Heartfilia.

The interrogation from two sides didn't have casualties for the guilds, but it did a lot of damage to their pressures.

The attack was so sudden that made the council think their plotting something but decided to search for another source to look into.

Days by days passed.

Nothing changed and nothing improves. Their enthusiasm decrease as weeks passed.

In the middle of the tragedy, a certain dragon slayer was pushed to the edge, he was said to be the one who weigh the pain the most.

He wanted the blonde back as his best friend, even though its impossible after what he and his guild did to her eight years ago.

And now, he witnessed her sacrifice by his own eyes. His heart was scarred by the events happened. It was a terrifying scene if he recalled once again. Her death was not a vain, at least. But he, was unsatisfied at the very end.

Therefore, A long six months passed after the Grand Magic Games tournament ended, the construction of Crocus and it surrounding has yet finished.

1/4 of it was positively completed and the rest would be predicted finished 4 years ahead by the help of mages.

In Magnolia, stood high the old building of Fairy Tail. The few story-tall guild used to stood out a lot, with so many things and memories happened.

The newly famous salmon haired dragon slayer isn't present inside the building, only once in a while, 2 times per week, and sometimes, never at all. Coming only in need for jobs or money, that too, he did it neatly and quickly without Happy, even when the flying cat insist, he would just shrug it off or made a silly reason to go without him.

In this early year, the temperature dropped tens of degrees, yet the said Salamander sits atop of a tall tree in the middle of a Magnolia's famous park.

The park has no soul, only one breathing human that sits alone, staring what there is below him.

He stared intensely at nothing particular, he yawned lazily before being able to scratch the back of his head.

And he slowly drove into his daydreaming.

The moment he locked his eyes to her apartment, he always remembered something faint yet important.

And then he'd notice how important that pink cozy-looking apartment is. He would sometimes stare at it without any reason.

A blurry image of the blonde would sometime pops in his head without any warning.

And it was already 3 days since she left. He felt holed and empty. He knew he missed her, he felt terrible, dying.

But by the time he notice these uncanny feelings, she was already away from him.

He brought up his hand to hold his chest, "What is... this tightening feeling?" The mage mumbled inside his heart, opening his eyes which met the dim sun, jarring his eyes in the process. He remembered that his heart always hurts everytime this uncommon feeling came. It hurts.

Natsu Dragneel, being the big dense idiot, of course couldn't tell what the heck he's feeling.

Just everytime his mind wanders to a the blonde, his chest would tighten to a some height and sometimes, he would feel disappointment and unhappiness in his chest. The uncontrollable emotion would flow to every nook and cranny of his heart.

He scanned his toned chest before checking if his heart rate evens.

The boy looked above him, the tree branch rustles swiftly and the air continued throwing Natsu chilling goosebumps.

The cold temperature of winter Magnolia could be considered warm, since the snow rarely rain down.

Plus Natsu's warm body heat, no-one could probably beat the heavy drowsiness, it tends to make you close your eyes for a moment and push you back to your dreams.

Natsu sighed inwardly, glancing at the dark sky, already quite late, he noted.

He shook his head to chase away the sleepiness. The action cause him to notice a red leaf of maple and a yellow colored leaf fell down together to a frozen pond not far from his tree.

Natsu watched the process observantly, studying the leafs' movement like its dancing.

Suddenly, a thought of him and Lucy dancing around in a palace came through. He was the lead and Lucy followed his steps.

There were people around them dancing to the music, he enjoyed the thought and he loved every second in it.

Everything seemed so real.

8pm, the large bell in the center of magnolia rings heavily. The sound loomed throughout Natsu's earlobes and caused him to jerk slightly in surprise.

The boy jumped down to the cold ground and pulled up the scarf hanging around his neck. He scanned his surroundings and occupies his mind with random things.

He looked above him, gazing at the starry night, it was dark due the cold season, but he could see a few stars and a full moon. It was a great sight, but watching alone was boring, he needed a company.

The thought of the blonde came back. He shook his head roughly, clearing the thought.

"What the heck am I thinking.." He sighed before rubbing his head.

Just when Natsu stepped and strode off, his steps were paused by the sight of a shooting star. It's tail was long. And it looked like it was coming to him.

'Coming to me?' He shot his head up, realizing everything.

"It's gonna fall here!" He heard a person shouts behind him, pointing at the incoming star. The meteor looked bigger every second.

The guess was accurate, the shooting star fell hundreds yards behind Natsu, he ducked it like the way he dodge an incoming opponent.

The salamander runs with the speed of a lightning, the fast pace leads him faster than anyone running to the opposite way.

A large carter was formed in the south of Magnolia. The mist of hot impact was sizzling from the source of the falling object.

Without a slightest doubt, Natsu jumped towards the large field, running closer to the foreign thing.

"What in the world..." He whispered, confused mixed with anxiety.

The ground shook once again, faltering Natsu from where he stood, he regain his composure short after.

Natsu could feel the object was burning, the temperature was literally above 200 Celsius. Natsu is a fire mage, he could calculate the heat roughly by numbers, it was a good thing he learnt math with Erza.

Steps were heard as a few present Fairy Tail mages gathered. Erza leading the pack. "Natsu! What is that thing?"

Erza's voiced caused goosebumps running around his skin. Natsu's eyes glanced at Erza nervously. 'Was Erza that scary?' Natsu thought to himself.

"A falling star slammed here!" He shouted back. "Thankfully it didn't smash anyone." He continues with a lower tone.

Fortunately, The fall of the meteor was so accurate that it fell on a dead open land available for sale.

Natsu warily turned his attention back to the foreign object, he was only a few meters away from the colossal meteoroid. The gigantic thing was engulfed in mist, probably smoke as well, it sizzles around the object and dissipates.

The ground shook lightly for the 3rd time, this time, the object moved, a long abstract shape seem to extract from the main body. Scratch it, it was a pair.

The said pair of figure, flies forward, it looked awfully similar to a paw with claws, extremely huge. It jammed down to the hard cored soil and perhaps digs down its claws to grasp it.

Above them, charcoal body rose up, it's body being covered by the mist an the head sticking out from its main body.

The vapor slowly reveals a large hard-looking flesh. Natsu was frozen in place at the sight of it. The first to see, the first to understand, the first to recognize.

The meteoroid was a dragon.

Natsu's mouth was gaping at the sight. He was jolted to his bones. He couldn't word it out, he was nervous and uneasy, he felt jumpy all of the sudden.

What if he lost someone important again.

The dragon's eyes glint, he could see a spark emitting from its eyes.

The dragons stood with four legs. A grunt escaped its mouth together with some smoke, showing off its white fangs.

The wings was folded like any dragon would do, Natsu knew the best.

Suddenly and unexpected, the dragon let out growling voice, "Humans, I have come in peace." The dragon dubbed a woman voice. Natsu's anxiety seem to died down slowly as the calming voice reached his ear.

"My name is Ceresteria." The dragon's eyes analyzed past the tiny figures, some gathered, some scattered, most of them are mages, probably because civilians was running away or was in panic, fleeing with their tail between their legs.

Seemingly unfazed, she continued with her introduction, "I am the leader of Dragons, Queen of Dragons." She sneers, getting questioning looks.

Ceresteria knew she would be landing around Fairy Tail, Lucy's ex-home, and that place would be her destination. For for reason, her mouth drew to a thin line, "I came for a reason." She continued, this time sitting properly. "It's the issue of Star Goddess."

The two-words made Natsu's heart jumped a few meters inside. He clenched his fist, wanting to hear.

"I believe you're Natsu Dragneel, son of Dragneel, correct?" The boy's conscious came back from his thoughts, nodding to answer.

Ceresteria nods back. "I wanted to tell you all, your kindness and everything was everything to Lucy."

Everything stopped as the dragon mentions her name, for Natsu that is.

He grit his teeth to kill the edgy feeling in his heart.

"I came here, with a hard time." She begins slowly. "Weeks and months I tried to pass the altitude of what Dragons can do. I was ordered by Lucy to give you words." She moved her intent gaze towards the other small figures. "And all of you."

Salamander's eyes lit up in agony, he was distressed when she left forever. The fact that he's interested could clearly be seen inside his eyes.

"Well, as you can see, as the Star Goddess, her job was to make peace and happiness to humankind, to bring forgiveness to the sinners and to bring end to the evil."

The large field went dead silent, no one mumbled or murmured, no one dared, they needed to listen.

"Even though she was supposed to bring joy, but why is everything upside down?" Her voice cracked after she hissed. "It's so wrong..."

Their emotions were blinding them, clouding their heart, until no one could see the positive side of her sacrifice. Everyone was now wide awake. What the dragon said was the thing that was supposed to click in their minds. The speech given to them was what they need, what they need to listen.

"Why are you crying for her? Why must you feel sad? Even after she brought peace..." Despite her hoarse voice, she continues, "it's like you people aren't happy for getting peace."

Now everything made sense for Natsu. After everything was divided to points, he could understand.

He understood why she did something they didn't want. She loved them, without her, they get no peace. Their kind would be doomed.

She threw herself on the suffering side, she carried all the burden by sacrificing. It's like she was asked to die for someone she didn't want.

Natsu's hand clasped his chin tightly, the tight heart of his kept on hardening like stone. The overflowing memories he has spent with her was playing all over again.

Her courage, her scolding, her ramblings, her annoying scream, her yelp, her complaints.

All the memories he own about her came back hugging his heart. Sinking him more in his tears. He has succumb to his emotions, but he didn't mind at all. Not at all.

"Why didn't I realize this sooner?" He inquired to himself in an extremely low voice, almost whispering. He never felt as stupid as ever, he couldn't comprehend why he didn't realize it sooner. His head pounded, a new feeling bloomed.

Those day, those moments he spent with him, everything was a treasure for him.

His pondering reached him to a conclusion.

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"I think I've been in love with her... All this time..." His lips parted to gasp for air. He was more than astonished. He couldn't grasp his own heart's need, and now the tears just won't stop pouring.

A certain feline floats towards the kneeling mage and patted his back. Happy didn't dare to say a word, he understand that he has no place to talk now, because he didn't understand anything himself.

"Natsu, lets go home."

He wiped his teary eyes. Slowly getting up with one feet leaning forward. He made his resolve.

He would step ahead and move on, for her on the other side. Not looking back, he promised. To Lucy. To everyone.

"Happy, I'm sorry for what I did all this time." He gulped mentally. Slowly facing backwards, eyes down to the debris'. Before he continued, the feline shook his head, answering his partner with a 'me too'.

Natsu smiled weakly and stood up firmly with hands burning with fire.

"I won't get lazy anymore." His hands smashed to each other. "I will bring up Fairy Tail!" He roared, "I will repay my mistakes!" He spun his body, facing the rest of his guild and his master. "For Fairy Tail! and for Lucy." He muttered the last part, air-punching with his right hand.

"For Lucy..." He sincerely crosses his heart and smiled, for the first time in a long time.

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xxx

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The bright sun glared down to a large coffee shop, and a certain blonde girl typed down on her laptop with tired eyes concentrating to the screen.

She tugged her red glasses and stretched her arms. Yawning in the process.

The girl rested her head on the table before forming her lips to a straight line with her deep brown eyes looming around the familiar coffee shop.

Coincidentally, her eyes met a pair of dark colored ones.

She unintentionally stared for a moment and blushed lightly after realizing she had been staring all this time.

She shot up her head abruptly, the feeling popped inside of her made her heart tinge. He seems... Awfully familiar.

The ponytailed blonde jumped slightly after realizing someone stood beside her. She turned her head nervously before getting her forehead bumped to a tanned one with a *don* sound.

She held her head painfully before slowly opening her eyes.

The boy that looked 17 stared again, this time, way more closer, which cause her to question herself. 'Do I have something on my face?' She wanted to voice out.

But the girl's thought was cut by a light heartwarming voice, "Have we ever met before?"

"No?" The girl asked, the familiar feeling came back pouring down on her.

"Ah, I thought you look awfully familiar." The boy scratched his red hair. A wide grin plastered on his face. "So rude of me, I'm Natsu."

The girl was surprised at the introduction, she fidgeted before stuttering, "I'm Lucy."

"So, Lucy, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, same here, Natsu."

Strangely, the foreign name seem so easily pronounced by her tongue. she shrugged the thought off, nevertheless.

But the truth is,

Even in another world, they're inseparable.

xxx

-END-

A/N: this shot finally ended ^^ 21 chapters, quite long! Reincarnation AU at the end, satisfying much:) (to meXD)

I'm going to write a sticy next, my second OTP I guess.

Thank you for reading throughout this series, I'm forever grateful to you who supported me!

'May we meet again in a another life.' -Unknown