Whaz up ladies, gents and other! I'm still alive, I'm still gonna write and I'm still not good at intros. I don't own Fairy Tail or any other media I bring into my stories.

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The day was beautiful, perfect in every way possible. Wind dancing through the foliage surrounding Magnolia, the sun peaking through clouds that peppered the baby blue sky, and the world kept spinning. It was perfect. It was too perfect. It was a mockery of their loss. Fairy Tail had gathered in Magnolia's cemetery, each one dressed in black despite the beautiful day, with a stone coffin being carried by the guild members with the most physical strength. Inside the coffin was Natsu's body, silent and at peace, as if in a deep sleep no one could bring themselves to wake him from.

Placing the coffin down above the hole they'd prepared, Erza, Elfman, Gajeel and Happy came to stand at each side of the hole, patiently awaiting the ceremony to begin. They thankfully didn't have long to wait as Makarov slowly made his way to stand in front of the hole, a statue portraying a triumphant, roaring Natsu overshadowing him. "We've gathered here today," He began, a stray tear sneaking down his wrinkled cheek before finding a tissue catching it. "To bid our dear friend, Natsu, one last goodnight. Throughout his career as a mage, Natsu's striven to better himself and the lives of others, never meaning true harm to any one of us. His greatest, crowning achievement has been the raising and recruiting of our guild's mages, each of them baring a blessing he's bestowed upon them."

His hand gestured to the newer members of Fairy Tail and the young ones they kept in their company, Makarov continued. "Our guild was founded in the desire to answer a question: 'Do fairies have tails?'. Now, with all honesty, I can only assume they do not as we would've found every fairy and taken its tail to bring him back. But that is neither here, nor there, as Natsu embodied the drive to grow and discover as our first guild master, Mavis Vermilion, had always hoped. He kept pushing to become more than he was, always wanting to see more and learn what he was able. That the world has taken him from us...is a damned shame in every sense of it. We pay tribute to you, Natsu Dragneel, with this statue as your tombstone beside your wife's own, to let you rest beside her in spirit as you had wished to in life."

A heavy sigh left the old guild master as his short stature began reverting back to the titan of a man he was, a head taller than a single story house when on his feet and his wrinkles more prominent than ever. "There aren't enough words to say that would do everything Natsu did justice. He saved lives, he rehabilitated dark mages, he survived with his soul in pieces and he made it farther than any would have given him credit for. Natsu, as your guild master, I hereby promote you to S-Class like you would have wished to become. I'd intended to promote you after our next S-Class Trials, but now...it appears that we'll never see how strong you truly are. We'll never hear your cocky laugh, never grin when you prank someone, and never watch you rise to the top like you'd said you would...Today is a sad day for Fairy Tail as we pay Natsu Dragneel; adoptive father of Happy Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia, husband of Lisanna Dragneel and First Generation Dragon Slayer...one, final goodbye on the hardest mission we'll ever take part in: living without him..."

Still in Battle Mode, Happy failed to stop the tears from streaming down his face and onto the grass beneath his paws, Lucy at his side with her arms barely reaching around him in a comforting hug. I've lost two parents in three years. One to my uncle, and one to the government...At least I've my friends, my guild and my...sister. "Lucy," Happy began, the sounds of Lucy's sniffles never ceasing even as Makarov continued with his eulogy. "Lucy, don't cry. Save your tears for when you've something amazing and wonderful to cry about. Don't shed them on the ending of someone's legend, it will only make them sad in the afterlife."

"How can you say that, Happy?" Lucy shuddered, face never leaving his shoulder as she felt his large, angelic wing wrap around her frame. "He's your dad, the man who raised you, who taught you how to talk, who...who was there for you when you needed him most..." Her words made Happy's ears fold back in heartache, the weight on his chest like that of a behemoth's foot being pressed down in the attempt to flatten him. "How can you tell me not to cry when you w-" Looking up at his face with drops of liquid sorrow rolling off her face like waterfalls, she saw the grief stricken look on his large, tiger-like face as glistening tears fell to the ground from the end of his muzzle. He's crying too. He's all too aware of the gravity of this situation and just doesn't want me to cry, just wanting to see something other than water leaving someone's face...

Silently gulping down the lump in his throat, Happy said, "I know that you're sad, hurt and you want somebody to look to for blame just so the pain will go away, but that won't lead to anything but more grief. From here on out, we're not just teammates, we're siblings and we have to watch out for one another. You didn't have anybody to turn to after your mother passed, and I'll be here for you now that I'm by your side, but...please, for dad's sake and my own, turn off the waterworks..."

Eyes turned skyward, Lucy swallowed the choking in her voice, nodding. "Sure thing, little brother..." She said, wiping away the tears making their way down her face.

"Good to hear...Big sister, because even Juvia would agree with me." Happy said, forlorn eyes resting on his father's calm, peaceful face with more tears flooding his eyes as he choked on his own voice.

"What would I agree with?" Juvia asked, a black veil over her face to hide herself from the sorrow of the others and herself, approaching the new siblings with the wind sweeping through the side-slitted skirt around her waist as it darkened like the waters of an ocean being filled with foul pollutants. Happy's nose twitched, the smell of the ocean being familiar enough as well as that of algae and animal fur, the thought of what her clothes actually were crossing his mind for the briefest moment.

Looking into the clouds, eyes closed as if to make peace with the heavens above, he answered solemnly, "It's a terrible day for sunlight..." An expression of understanding crossed Juvia's face as he continued with a slight hiccup, clouds beginning to gather as he did so. "After all, Paatsu loved the rain as much as he did Lismama..." His childish nicknames for his parents sounded foreign in his own mouth, the depth of his voice's pitch making it feel as though he weren't his father's son, and drove home the fact that he was but a child-a little boy-who'd lost his only other parent.

Rain began coming down, the plops of sky tears hitting the ground being a much needed distraction from the loss everyone had recently experienced, Happy and Lucy's eyes still closed while their lips-once frowns-began to curl into sad, nostalgic smiles as images flashed before their eyes at the greatest memory they shared with the pyrovorous Natsu 'Salamander' Dragneel.

Flashback, Everlue Mansion

"LET GO, YOU CRETIN!" Lucy proclaimed, arms held behind her back by a plump, stout man with an odd sense of aesthetic. Dressed in formal garbs like that of a noble, he wore a nondescript black suit with a large, golden button over his abdomen and a beautiful, red rose with its thorny stem woven into his breast pocket. But it was not his dress that was odd, oh no, it was his visage. Large, flat nose with hairs forming a curled, handlebar mustache filled with nasal fluids and foreign contaminants woven into each thread. His eyes, those damned eyes! So wide and lifeless, so devoid of feeling even when enraged, were a foul shade of blue not worth describing.

His complexion was an unhealthy yellow, like his liver was breaking down, and his feces-blonde hair was combed into a bushel atop his round head in the shape of a wilted tulip bud. "'Cretin'?! ME?! You impudent little-" Not giving him the chance to finish, Lucy ran backwards-up the man's body-and flipping to land on her feet, allowing her to initiate the second portion of her escape. Channeling all of the magic into the balls of her feet and her leg muscles, she grabbed the man's skinny wrists with a grip matching in strength to Natsu's jaws and a devilish glint in her eye as she smirked.

Still smirking, Lucy readied her body for what was to come and said proudly, "Have a nice landing, Everlue!" What happened next was almost comical, the once pampered Lucy Heartfilia and her weak frame, managed to twist her entire body in contrast to her feet holding their place and ended up crushing Everlue's face against the brick masonry of the sewer they were in with a snap resounding against the walls. Yanking her arms out of his grasp, Lucy bounced in place, a proud fire burning in her eyes as she picked the golden book from off of her belt and waved it around in the still face-planted man's direction. "That's what happens when you screw with Fairy Tail, Duke Everlue, and don't you ever forget it!"

No response came from the fat man's limp form. "Lucy," Happy's voice echoed from down the passage, getting said girl to look and find the blue cat loping towards her on all fours. "You beat Everlue." He said astonishingly, surprise in his face as he padded over to the fat man and swatted at him experimentally before a strange emptiness permeated his eyes.

"Yeah," Lucy began, returning the book to her hip as she came to crouch next to the blue feline. "But...he's-well-this!" Hand gesturing to his prone form against the wall in slight confusion. Moving her head in a futile attempt to see his face without removing him from the wall, she naively asked, "Did I knock him out?" The answer she'd get would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"Lucy," Happy began, licking his chapped lips anxiously as he slowly, carefully pulled the man out of the wall. "He's...He's not breathing." The moment she heard that, Happy had pulled the fat man out of the wall to reveal the crown of his skull hand been crushed against his body, getting both Lucy and Happy to coil back in disgust. Silence fell between the pair, Happy's eyes falling to his front paws in horror at having touched the blood of a human being, and Lucy's face was one of utter shock.

Falling to rest her shaky knees, breathing shallow not to mention indiscernible from a breeze and stomach about ready to empty itself on the floor, Lucy's wide eyes gleaned everything that her actions had created. Her breathing quickened until, finally, the contents of her gut made their way up her esophagus and out onto the floor in front of her. Once her stomach was empty, she kept heaving, as if all the vomitus in the world would undo what she'd done. "H-How...W-What?! I-I-I-I...I didn't...I mean, I...I-I-I..." She stuttered between heaves, her beautiful shape falling on its side weakly, tears beginning to crawl out of her mahogany orbs.

"..." Happy said nothing. What was there for him to tell her: That 'everything was okay', that 'at least she was alive', that 'there is a reason for everything that happens'?! Even though he was young, Happy knew that the first kill was always-always-the hardest. Staring at the blonde Celestial Mage before him, all he could do was slowly pad over to the distraught girl and bring her into a one-side hug, allowing her to pick him up and hold him close to herself as she openly wept and sobbed. Shudders wracked her body, her only wish being to be anywhere except where she was at that moment, and yet, still, her eyes always found their way to gaze upon the mashed face of Duke Chandrein Everlue. (Pronunciation: Sh-Anne-Drain)

His eyes were gone, the liquid dripping from his sockets being an eerie white as it mixed with a disgustingly bright shade of blue, which was a small relief as his mouth was caught in what looked like a screaming expression with rubble filling his jaws-keeping his face as one of terror and fear. This didn't help Lucy one bit, getting her to look down at her hands and begin dry heaving again; every cracked tooth, every dribble of blood, every flow of mucus, and every tear of the fatty flesh that had defined the duke embedding itself into her memory for the rest of her life would be shaped by that face.

Shards of stone had pierced his head, a few of them having ended up through his eyebrows, while others had pierced his pallet, nose, teeth, temples and broken the sockets from which his jelly-fied eyes dripped out of. Lucy's whimpers, shudders and heaves increased in volume until they were shrieks, cries and bellows of disgust and loathing. Loathing for herself or her victim, is impossible to say the difference.

Natsu stood behind her, unsure of what to do. He'd written novellas, rhymes and sang wonders to his son whom he'd have killed a million dukes and kings to save...but this girl. She was a level of danger in and unto herself, for the damaged Salamander had no idea how to raise her as Layla had wished. I can sing, I can rhyme, I can fight but the only thing I can't do-the only thing I want to do-is be a father... He thought confusedly. Happy, sensing his father's inner turmoil, looked into Natsu's eyes pleadingly, removing any hesitation from the Slayer's mind. With a slow and steady heart, he lowered himself to his knees and brought both Lucy and Happy into a deep, passionate hug.

To say that Lucy was confused was an understatement. Natsu had been nothing but an ass to her the entire time she was just starting in Fairy Tail, the fact she stuck by his side during this period was to get used to the madness and pain that would follow, but now she didn't know how to feel. Originally, once she felt comfortable around the other guild members, she had planned to act as a mage without any need for teammates-to charge full steam ahead and forge her own path to who she aimed to be-and Natsu was supposed to be a stepping stone to that.

But now, instead of acting like an ass and making her hate him like she'd expected, he was hugging her comfortingly and casually. "There's nothing I can say to make what you've done any easier, Daughter of Layla," Natsu began, his words making the girl in his arms feel a knot of self-loathing twist itself tighter in her virgin gut. "All I can do is tell you that Happy and I are here for you. At any time you need us, you'd only need to call for us and we'll come. I know I haven't been the nicest of people to you since I met you, and that's putting it nicely, but I'm only this way because I've done what you just did so many times I'm almost numb to it. To the slaughter, to the loss of life."

Accentuating his statement, he exposed his palm to her viewing, holding her smaller, softer hand in his own larger, harder one. The difference was immediately clear: he had calloused hands, nails that were long and sharpened to a claw point, and there was a cold heat to it she could only describe as wounded. Her hand, smaller and undamaged by the world's worth, was like that of a porcelain doll: small, frail, well-kept and delicate yet beautiful. "I've done so many things to so many people just to survive, seeing your gentle naivete reminded me of what I was like before I'd grown, and the idea of seeing another person have to grow up too fast in a world they're not made for...All I wanted to do when you joined Fairy Tail was send you back to your home and tell your family to keep you safe, so that monsters like don't ruin you."

Saying this, Natsu looked into Lucy's eyes as she turned to gaze into the onyx orbs of an animal, before he lowered his brow to her own. "I'm sorry I've been snappy with you, and I don't expect you to accept, but just know that I'm only this way because I've forgotten how to be any way else and I don't want you to turn into the heartless monster I've become..." Finished speaking, Natsu merely waited for Lucy's tears to subside as she hugged herself to his chest, scared to lose a tangible anchor to something normal. As she wept into his pectorals, the Salamander gazed harshly at the body of Duke Chandrein Everlue, damning it for what it had caused.

"Lucy," Happy began quietly, curling up on her shoulders. "He's not worth crying over. He was rotten long before we came along, and he doesn't deserve your tears. It's okay to cry, but save your tears for later...when there's time for them to be shed for a better reason." The little cat's sagely advice echoed in her ear, her tears slowly ebbing away as Natsu hummed a soft, calming melody in the empty, echoing tunnels of the sewer system. Eventually giving his ward a soft, charming smile, Lucy gave her weak-ever so weak-return of the gesture.

Flashback end

Even now, Lucy thought, stamped hand over her eyes as the rain poured down on the funeral they attended. I still see Everlue's face, staring at me lifelessly. Damning me to Hell for what I've done. But you made it easier, Natsu-Or, rather, Dad would be more appropriate-and I'll never forget your face. The way the rain rolls down your cheeks like tears flooding the coffin, the way you're so contented with everything, and the way you'd smiled to me that one day I began down this road as a mage.

Happy's mind was uncharacteristically devoid of thought, all that whorled in his mind were the gifts Natsu had asked him to bestow upon his guildmates. To Cana, he was to give the card holding his father's horns, their use unknown to any party except Cana's future. To Romeo, an ornate lighter, its chamber filled to the brim with powdered fire crystal to be struck alight by the hammer where it would remain until its user decided otherwise. Reedus was to receive be given a canvas Natsu had taken from the sail of a ship. Wakaba had told Natsu that the cigars and plants he smoked were able to be grown by plantation owners in more prestigious parts of the country, sadly Natsu hadn't known what the word prestigious meant and had decided to make cigars from some leaves he'd asked Happy to gather on Galuna Island.

Natsu had an unfinished, unedited, unpublished poetic novel leftover from their days before Lisanna's death, and he'd always told Happy that it wasn't right for him to finish it if he didn't have anyone to write for. Because of this, Happy had decided that the only one who deserved to read or finish it was Levy. Lucy's gift was the powers from the Dragon Lacrima in her breast paired with the Crimson Dragon's Key resting over her heart, so Happy wasn't obligated to give her anything but his kinship, and that's all either of them wanted from each other at that moment. The sound of a child's tears made Happy's ears twitch in confusion.

Turning his head towards the sound, he saw a girl no older than Romeo hugging said boy with tears straining to leave her purple eyes before Cana came over and brought the pair into a comforting hug. A barely audible gasp left Lucy, getting Happy to find she was staring at Fairy Tail's alcoholic and the children as well, her eyes focused more on the similarities between Cana and Romeo. Purple-brown hair, flawless skin, slim build... Gesturing her new brother's head closer to hers, Lucy whispered, "Is Cana Romeo's mother, or something?"

A heavy sigh left the big cat, eyes shut and ears folded back. "Let's talk about it after we get back home, Luce," He whispered back, the sound of guilt being predominant in his voice. "But until then, I'd advise we leave them to grieve how they will." Just as he said that, Macao approached the huddle three, crouching and offering his son a hug which the boy took without hesitation.

Macao's mouth moved, but neither Happy nor Lucy could make out what he said with their own thoughts and grief leading everything else to fade away. The only thing either could hear from the Flare Mage was his apology, "Please forgive me for keeping secrets from you!" Whether his apology was directed to his weeping son or the content-looking Natsu in the coffin, was anyone's guess.

Slowly returning his eyes to his father, Happy's mind faded as his eyes openly wept. The things they'd done together were treasures in and unto themselves, for the blue, angelic tiger.

Flashback

"RUN!" Natsu called dramatically, a patrol of templars chasing after him, fully armed and ordering him to stop. "I'M INNOCENT!" His proclamation fell on deaf ears, however, as another patrol appeared atop the roofs of buildings making up this town's streets. Gliding down, feather-like wings extended out like still sails on a ship after falling on its side, Happy came to land in his father's backpack.

"What happened?" Happy asked casually, unsurprised that the authorities were chasing his father again.

Eyes darting every which way, Natsu dashed down a random alleyway. "It's not my fault, this time!" He defended, the doubt his son felt being as apparent to Natsu as his own nose was on his face.

"That's not what I asked, Paatsu." The winged feline said simply, hooking the lip of the bag on itself to stop it from falling on him during conversation. "I asked what happened." A wall was shattered as he finished saying that, eyes wide as realization crossed his mind. "IF YOU'RE INNOCENT, WHY ARE YOU ACTIVELY DESTROYING THE TOWN?!"

"THEY'RE CHASING ME!" Came Natsu's defending argument, dashing through the hole he made into someone's restroom just as the inhabitant shrieked, cries of 'get out' and 'why me' escaping both parties when a bar of soap found its way into Natsu's mouth before being swallowed.

"THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE!" Happy declared, shielding his young eyes from the curtain-less shower going on in front of him, with Natsu belching up a mess of bubbles before making a break for it out the door at the sight of the templars.

"YES IT IS!" Natsu belched back, a stream of bubbles coming out of his mouth as he did.

"NOT ONE THAT'LL HOLD UP IN COURT!" Retorted his son, one templar's order for the pair to halt reaching both mage's ears. Shaking his head, Happy clambered onto his father's right shoulder just as he started punching his way up a wall. With a paw pointing towards the horizon, Natsu and Lisanna's adopted son shouted, "FULL STEAM AHEAD!" Without another word or another argument on either parties' end, Natsu finished his accent of the building to stand on its roof where three templars awaited them.

"For destruction of public property, theft, resisting arrest and making a mockery of the Ten Zomes of Infinity, you-Natsu 'Salamander' Dragneel of Fairy Tail-are to be brought before the Archbishop and punished for your crimes!" One templar, a regular Natsu and Happy had an on-again-off-again friendship with, named Dan Straight, said authoritatively. "Come quietly in neither you nor your family will be harmed!"

Coming up at Dan's side was a winged, sky blue lion wearing a mitre emblazoned with the Zentopian Church's insignia at its front. His appearance was like that of a wild animal, walking on all four legs before he lowered and flung his head upward in a powerful, foundation-shaking roar of dominance. "Good to see you too, Samuel!" Happy said playfully, getting the now named Samuel to growl a greeting. "You appear to be doing well. Have you figured out how to speak English like that, yet?"

"Barely!" Snarled Samuel, silver eyes now round and powerful instead of their usual slitted and manipulatory form. Happy wore a cocky smirk on his face at that, looking to his father knowingly, the look getting Natsu to place his son on the floor beneath their feet with a hand scratching the Fairy Tail Exceed's left ear. Eyes widening in realization, Samuel roared out, "LOOK OUT!"

"Too slow!" Happy quipped, his father's mouth opening as a haze engulfed the small feline, his transformation occurring immediately. Bones hardened and grew alongside stretching and tearing muscle, slitted citrine eyes rounded out into orange topazes, wings becoming like those of a furred Roc chick instead of a falcon. Opening his mouthful of large and intimidating teeth, he roared out a challenge to his rival. "BRING IT ON!"

From there, it was a blur of sharpened edges belonging to blades, claws, fire and ice.

Flashback end

"Happy," Lucy said, breaking the tiger from his reminiscence with a slight start.

"What is it, Luce?" Happy asked cautiously after taking a few breaths, each one shaky as more memories began to come to the forefront of his mind.

"It's your turn to deliver your eulogy." As she answered, Happy took note that everyone in their guild was looking to him pityingly. Nodding to her words, Happy's eyes hid from view behind his lids with a few deep breaths calming his senses, as he padded to stand at the front of the group.

Passing each member, he could remember everything he and or his father had done alongside them, and deep down he felt a quivering in his heart at the one question he couldn't ask just yet. From the time he'd been transformed into a dragon for a portrait by Mirajane and the time Elfman had taught him how to fish without a rod and line, to the day he and Romeo had decided to pretend to be one another in day to day life. More moments fogged his eyes with each step towards the impromptu podium Droy and Laki had made from vines, saplings and the grass around them. Each step was weak, shaky, hesitant; nothing like what Natsu would've been at his own funeral or his family's.

Focus up, Happy, The cat thought to himself, reaching the podium. There's no delaying this any longer, and you owe your dad your best because he's done nothing but his damnedest to raise and be there for you... Another deep breath was taken as he stepped onto the boulder slab that Gajeel had made to act as the inevitable base for Fairy Tail's only sufficient gift to part Natsu with. Eyes fogged and round, the orange gems he called eyes rolled over everyone who'd attended, in the group or not.

His aunt, uncle, and sister stood close to the forefront of the coffin, Mirajane having knelt down to stroke Natsu's cold cheek with tears streaming down her face behind the black, mesh veil she'd only worn once before in Happy's memory. Makarov, the Thunder God Tribe, Laxus, and Chico of all people were right across from them, Laxus' hand being gripped around that of the only other Soul Mage in Fairy Tail. Erza and Gray, Natsu's best friends growing up in Fairy Tail, were just after Happy's immediate family. Both the Titania and the recently-dubbed Frozen Orion were silent, eyes averted from Natsu's contented face in shame they didn't deserve to burden themselves with.

Macao, Wakaba, Romeo, and Cana were across from Natsu's best friends with Alzack, Bisca and their no-longer-secret daughter, Caitlyn, were after them in the lineup at Natsu's sides. Shadow Gear were after Erza and Gray, Laki and Juvia standing in between them for their own reasons, but there was one thing that all of them shared: grief and guilt. Everyone else was behind them or at the foot of Natsu's soon-to-be final, eternal bed of solid earth and tender soil. There were the exceptions to those actually 'attending' the funeral such as Dan, Samuel, Najenda, Najenda's lackeys and some of the people they'd changed the lives of. The Elemental Four, Bobo, Ultear, Yajima, Bob, and the group from the Tower of Heaven had all chosen to stay back from the group, appearing to inspect and pay homage to the nearby graves.

Shaking his head slightly with a clearing of his throat, Happy began to speak the words he'd pray his father could hear from across the Golden Gates. "There truly are no words to describe the impact that my father, Natsu, had on the lives of those around him. Even when he was at his worst, he'd put others before himself and thought to give second chances against his immediate feelings. We've a few members of our very guild to thank him for. Juanda, Gajeel, Bora, Wendy, Carla, Lucy, and perhaps many more we've not come to know.

"To say that he was full of surprises is the biggest understatement you'd ever make in your life, and his entire life is proof of that. To really, truly understand how I feel about my father; how we all feel about him, we must know him and what that life was like. Raised by the King of Fire Dragons, Igneel, he was the Fire Dragon Prince, not something you'd expect from such an excitable," Happy said with a nostalgic chuckle, shaking his head to clear his mind of his memories distracting him. "Headstrong man like him. Eventually, however, Igneel vanished without a trace and had left his son one gift-one memento-the dragon scale scarf you see around his neck even now. He went looking for his missing father, somehow making his way into Magnolia and, from there, into Fairy Tail. More specifically, into Fairy Tail's heart."

He paused, orange orbs gazing into the eyes of all who'd listen and watch, before continuing. "Fairy Tail, strongest and most famous guild in England-formerly known as Fiore, took him in and raised him further as if her were a child of its own making. He fought to become stronger, he worked to act better, and he hoped to find his missing father. Simple and noble goals, all of them, but life-hehehe-has a funny way of derailing all within it. As he did these things, taking jobs and training until his body gave out, he made rivals into friends and friends into family.

"One of these rivals is our very own Gray Fullbuster, Ice-Make student of Ur Milkovich and son of Ice Devil Slayer, Silver Fullbuster. They fought, they argued, they agreed, they built off of one another like the artists of the Sistine Chapel. But, rivalries change over the years...Where once they'd fight for no other reason than to prove one as superior, they now would fight for the pleasure of each other's company and would exchange punches like we exchange words. A punch to the face could be a friendly 'hello' and a kick to the stomach wouldn't hurt as bad as it should as it was a joke between the two about which was gutsier." Deep, shaky breaths left Gray at that moment, Erza's hand finding its way onto his shoulder as he slumped into her, his tears freezing into tiny gemstones of ice that struck the ground beside the rain.

"Another rival he'd had was Erza Scarlet, the Fairy Queen, Titania. He'd challenge her every chance he could while they grew up, the desperation in his voice cracking the heavy shell she'd worn after her harsh past, and she'd oblige him with a quick and merciful defeat. However, much like he and Gray's relationship, he and Erza's grew into something more. He wouldn't beg to fight her anymore, knowing she'd oblige regardless of whether either of them wanted to, and he'd happily accept the blows she dealt him with joy that his former crush would dance with him in the only way they knew how." Everyone at the assembly gasped, quietly or not depending on the person, except for Erza. She'd always known how he'd felt for her when they were young, and there were days she regretted turning him down the day he'd asked her out.

"Both loved one another like the most passionate lovers," Happy began again, quelling the gasps with a heavy beat of his wings. "But they'd both come to understand that neither of them would survive the other if they were to be an item, so they danced. Every clash of fire and steel was the music by which they'd dance, waltzing along the line between friends, enemies and lovers. Relishing every time they clashed, they remained the closest of friends. In Erza's own words, they were 'the kindest of friends, greatest of opponents but the worst of lovers', much unlike the girl who'd become far more than that to my father."

"One day, three white haired children came to Fairy Tail, having run away from the military life they'd no choice in having. The eldest of the three, Mirajane Strauss, had been accused of being a demon and her siblings had been accused of harboring as such. Their mother, Najenda Strauss, artificially conceived with the transplanted soul of the Blizzard Queen, Lunamei's daughter of the same first name...She couldn't stop the accusations or the death threats without causing Hell for the Royal Family, so she sent them somewhere they'd be safe, somewhere an old friend would be able to keep their dangerous tendencies in check." Happy paused, gauging the reactions of his aunt and uncle, seeing both Mira and Elf wipe away stray tears and nod for him to continue.

Picking up where he left off, he said, "To keep their dangerous tendencies in check. These tendencies were outbursts of the Blizzard Princess' farewell blessing to her dear children. My father, unaware of this plan or the fact that he'd killed Najenda's husband years prior, of course caused fights with all three of them. Mira was the first to strike terror into him and, unlike Erza, he wasn't drawn to this fear like he was with his 'fight buddy'...He was terrified of her, ashamed of himself in her mere presence, and would often hide behind others when she was nearby. Elfman-hehehe-was too much of a gentleman for his own good, and would often allow Natsu the first strike, dooming him to failure every time until one particularly rain day.

"Much like today, it was pouring, and it brought two people together in such a way that no one in Fairy Tail could understand. Na-" Happy faltered at that, knowing that he was stepping into dangerous territory with this eulogy, and the thought speaking his father's name suddenly felt wrong in someway. "Dad had always loved the rain, how it washes away the pain from burns and leaves behind everything cleaned of damage, and that day he'd love it even more for it brought him the most beautiful girl in the world...That girl was Lisanna, an Animal Takeover Mage with the spirit and drive to compete head to head with Natsu for the future rank of Guild Master, and she gave him a run for his money every time they clashed." Everyone who knew how Lisanna and Natsu were chuckled softly, remembering better, happier days.

"They'd clashed so many times it became more regular than my dad and Erza's spats, causing a distance to form between the two of them, and then...and then..." Once again, he faltered, tears forming in his eyes at the days he'd desperately relive just to see both his mother and father alive and well and happy. He shuddered, fighting back tears, before continuing with an uneasy standing until frost and ice began covering everything near him as his breath became visible. "And then they found me! They found my egg, the air around me freezing so much that their breath was a mist, and my father-being who he is-mistook me for a dragon's egg. From there, they raised me as their own, everyday being a different experience than the last. The best experience, however, was the day dad showed off the magic he has with his voice. He sung a beautiful melody in place of simply asking her out normally, and she accepted. From there, it's a blur of familial bonds and..." Happy's eyes turned to both his aunt and uncle, damning them.

Another deep breath was taken, the ice spreading. "Mistakes...Mistakes had been made. My mother, so proud and kind, went with her siblings to fight a monster and...and she didn't come back. That's the day that began this cascade towards today. Mom, she...she kept my dad in check, kept him at bay enough to be reasonable, and without her he became the thing that had killed her..." This time, instead of just staring he glared at both his aunt and uncle with tears streaming down his cheeks. "A monster! It took three days for a small group of S-Class mages to keep him in control, and by that time the damage was done. His soul was cracked and his heart...shattered. Again, it's a blur, only this time a blur of social withdrawal and family ties straining. It all changed the day we met my sister Lucy...It all...It all became like the days my dad had told me it'd been like before he and mom married. But it seems that fate is not kind to the damaged..."

He bowed his head, losing track, until he shook his head and said, "There aren't words in any language to do my father justice, but there are things we will do that can..." He glanced at certain members among the guild and those around, knowing that they were following his train of thought. Wiping some more tears off his face, he continued. "My father had once told me that in the even of his unexpected passing, that he wouldn't want his children to cry over him; he wants us to live our lives like we'll never see another sunrise so that, when we do inevitably pass...When we inevitably pass, we can say with our heads held high, 'I laughed, I cried, I lost, I won, I danced, I fell: I lived as a member of the greatest damned guild in the world!'" Without warning, he roared something proud and strong, getting the others with the vocal range to follow it with an equally proud voice even if they weren't of the same guild. The humans attending cheered, the sorrow still there but shifted more into pride as they pointed to the sky like they'd always done.

"IXEN DARASTRIX..." Lucy began.

"USK DARASTRIX..." Gajeel started.

"SVANT DARASTRIX..." Wendy prepared.

"IMGODID DARASTRIX..." Kinana initiated.

"XARZITH DARASTRIX..." Najenda readied.

"LIGHTNING DRAGON..." Laxus commenced.

"DESERT GOD..." Juanda planned.

"ICE DEVIL..." Gray preceded.

And, finally, Happy finished: "BLIZZARD!"

As one, they called as one, "BELLOW/VEBREN/ROAR!" Their combined roar ascended to form the Fairy Tail emblem in the skies above them, their proclamation to Natsu and Lisanna that they would do them proud. What no one noticed, was that a certain red headed had vanished from the assembly of teary-eyed mages pointing to an aerial, elemental insignia.

Erza's POV

WHAT WAS THAT?! I mentally shrieked, falling against the side of a tree. WHAT DID I JUST SEE?! Back at the cemetery, I'd seen something, if just for a moment, and everything in me was telling me to run. To hide. To find somewhere safe and never leave! What I'd seen, was something that seemed out of place, but felt absolutely horrifying and made me want to run to somewhere no one would find me so I could curl up and cry until I died.

When Happy gave that final line about the greatest guild in the world, I felt nostalgia from some time I couldn't seem to remember and I saw somebody in Natsu's place inside that coffin. Instead of the salmon-headed pyrovore I'd loved from the day I'd met him, I saw a black-haired man in red and black robes with a long, white toga wrapped draped around his chest. My stomach had knotted and my heart had beat twenty times faster, and the sight of him laying that coffin made me want to run and hide.

Shapes were darting around behind my eyes, the sight of a mere beetle got a triangle and an octagon to overlay one another on it with two words leaving my lips. "Target: Locked!" I said, punching it and obliterating the tree it had been on. "What's happening to me?! Somebody help me...please!" Just as I said that, the sound of gas-fueled flames got me to turn around and find-"Cephalon Model: Darius. Name: Black Knight Lancelot..." I uttered, the words feeling foreign on my lips as a panel flipped to reveal a place for me to lay down as he took me somewhere safe. HOW DO I KNOW THESE THINGS?! Came a shriek from inside my mind, sounding so familiar it was like-I'M SCREAMING AND I CAN'T STOP! I mentally cried, tears leaving my eyes as I jumped into the form-fitting panel. I could feel the magnetism paired with pure suction keep me in place as I lay there, looking down at the ground before the panel I was on once more flipped, turning me to face inside of the spacecraft and let my vision fade to black.

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That's a wrap ladies, gents and other! Now, the Erza shipping's something that came to me after watching/listening to the musical Hamilton (Loved it!) and it's something I've found with former items that parted on good terms: there's a love there still, but it's not directed at the original focus. I still love my ex to peaces, but I know they don't feel the same way about me, and that's fine. Some people break up and still love each other but know that they just don't work. An example would be Mako and Korra: they love each other, but they're incompatible. What does this have to do with Hamilton?

Angelica and Alexander, in a romance of sorts, can't be together because of their previous choices. Alexander Hamilton chose Eliza to be his wife thanks to Angelica who'd sized him up too quickly. Angelica'd stated that she still loves him, and even though she has to eventually marry someone else of wealth, she'll always keep his letters close to her heart and keep his eyes in her mind. This is the same with Natsu and Erza. Their pasts are holding them back and although they love each other to bits, they can't turn back the clock and have one cake and eat it too without making someone else hurt. Natsu loves Lisanna, unquestionably, and he loves Erza unquestioningly, but he knows he can only have one of the two. He chose Lisanna.

In almost every fanfic, we see Natsu's attracted to the women who are mages and could, hypothetically, kick his ass to next Tuesday. That's why Natsu*Erza makes sense here: he's attracted to her strength, but their personalities and natures would end up literally killing them before they admit defeat to the fact that they don't work. Natsu's brash, violent and primal. Erza's firm, commanding and can't deal with his antics after so long. She'd kill him and then kill herself outta guilt. Inversely, he'd grow enraged with her after she chose to take it easy for a while and would end up doing the same thing: killing her and taking his own life in one form or another.

How does Happy know this? Well, it's kinda obvious. He knows his father's time in Fairy Tail like he knows his own mind and would recognize that there's something going on whenever Natsu challenges Erza. They'd strike one another and they'd feel invigorated to continue, the desire to keep dancing is only halted by exhaustion. If you've read Discorded Whooves, you'd possibly draw a parallel between this and the Doctors relationship with Twilight and Octavia. Twilight's his love interest and fuck buddy, but Octavia's got a chemistry with him on the dancefloor, something Twilight doesn't.

Same thing. Natsu and Lisanna fought near-constantly growing up together, and he enjoyed the thrill of it, but he loved her for not only her but also the sex and the chemistry they shared outta the battlefield. Erza's his 'battlefield bride', as it were, and can grant him a fight his wife can't: an unfair one where his romantic inclinations can't bite him in the ass.

"Well, if that's the case, why doesn't he just fight everyone who's S-Class?!" Because that's not how romance works. If you've ever seen those romances where they're based on combat encounters, you'd know what I mean. On the battlefield, it's horrific and devoid of anything good, but Natsu's found something that's both: A potential mate who's stronger than him, but is also drop-dead gorgeous!

Natsu and Erza aren't gonna be shipped in this outside of backstory or their clashes, but this is something I've wanted to try out and I'd like some feedback. Now, Erza's role in the grander scheme of things is gonna be fun for ya'll to know. Two reviews are coming to mind right now. Svane Vulfbad, you're worried this will be a harem story and trust me, I've had that fear as well. I'd originally thought about that and re-realized something: I can figure out how to set up a poll and ask ya'll who you want to stay outta certain romances. Now, Natsu's immortality will play a role in how his romance works, leading to particular issues. Unless you count potential polls concerning romance and the eventual loss of his wife, this won't really count as a harem story.

Midnightscar17, you're annoyed that I don't translate what the Darastrix Sventlin are saying in Draconic. Although I understand that, this isn't your average fanfic: this story's connected to my other ones and that means that world-building is in order. Not only that, but Draconic's a dead language and thus, won't be understood by anyone except a select few in the story and almost nobody will understand it IRL! Think of the lack of translation as a nod to the connection between this story and reality as well as a way for ya'll to learn something new and sorta neat.

Not much else to say so (As Always: Thanks for being here, R&R, please review, no flaming my ass, constructive criticism and SEE YA-G'NIGHT!)