"Has anyone seen Romeo?" Macao asked as he took another sip from his beer.
Mira squealed happily at the question before returning to her work behind the bar. After the guild disbanded the Strauss siblings all came here to this house. At first it was just a place to stay. Magnolia was decimated after Tartaros; the only houses to survive the destitution were Gajeel's and Natsu's due to them being so far outside of town. What few belongings they were able to salvage from the wreckage that was their home they brought with them. It wasn't long until a few other members joined them. They never stayed for long but, the house became a sort of half-way house for former Fairy Tail members, the siblings decided to dedicate their time to making the house what master had planned it to be a guildhall away from home.
The living room, dining room and sitting room had all been transformed in to a large seating area with long tables and benches filling the room, but along one wall sat a decent sized bar that was big enough for Mira, Lisanna, and Kinana to work behind comfortably. The kitchen had been expanded allowing for enough food for the entire guild to eat at once. The upstairs had been magically enhanced allowing every guild member to have their own rooms, though now there are several rooms empty. Mira thought gleefully as she hummed a happy tune.
"I haven't seen him since Natsu and Gajeel disappeared," Wakaba said and he relit his pipe.
"Don't worry, Wendy will keep him safe!" Mira said happily wiping down the bar as Macao paled.
"What do you mean?" the fourth guild master asked panicked.
"Didn't you know? Romeo is Wendy's mate," the she demon asked smiling brightly as she polished a mug.
"Mate!... but but… he is only Fourteen, he's not old enough for that!" Macao cried as he began pacing not noticing that he was garnering the attention of the whole guild.
"um Macao," Lisanna spoke softly as she noticed the harsh glare that was being sent his way by a white fur covered face.
"I have to go save him from… from that harlot!" Macao finally shouted as he began to run towards the stairs tripping over everything in his path.
"What did you just say about my Wendy?!" Carla's harsh voice filled the hall as she floated just behind the fourth master. Her small arms crossed over her chest as she growled.
"My poor son is being corrupted by a horney dragon slayer!" Macao wailed just as he reached the stairs.
"That's it!" Carla sneered and in true Fairy Tail fashion she began the third brawl of the day.
Soon Macao joined Jet and Dory who were both tied up handing from the ceiling passed out, thanks to Pantherlilly earlier in the day. Carla was wiping her paws clean as she gazed up satisfied at the passed out man as he gently swayed, muttering about his poor little boy. As master walked in he paused momentarily at the sight of three of his brats dangling from the rafters, shaking his head gently he walked up to the bar as Mira placed a mug down in front of him. Knowing Makarov the way she did she knew it would take three beers to get him to open up, so she turned her attention to the white exceed as she sat back down at the bar.
"I would have thought it'd be you we would have to tie up," Mira joked lightly as she placed Carla's usual tea set up down.
"As much as I would like to keep Wendy my sweet little innocent girl forever, she has already started maturing. Romeo is her choice, and I will respect that," the exceed said as she fixed her cup of tea the way she preferred, a spoon full of honey and a dash of cream.
"Well that very mature of you," Mira said happily as she placed another full mug down in front of master as he was chugging the first one down.
"And as long as he doesn't break her heart I won't have to break his neck," Carla spoke harshly as she snapped a piece of biscotti in half, with a deranged look in her normally calm eyes.
The doors to the house opened as both Erza and Jellal walked in the building. Several members waved hello as the couple made their way to the bar.
"Well I know where Kinana is," Erza said almost happily as she sat down at the bar Jellal choosing to stand behind her as he removed the mask of cloth that covered his face.
"Where is she?" Mira asked as she placed a slice of cake down in front of the red headed mage and a cup of coffee in front of her companion.
"Apparently late last night Macbeth saw Erik and Kinana disappear in a cloud of purple smoke. Many of his team tried scrying for them but came up with nothing," the Blue haired man spoke as he picked up the cup and began drinking.
"So that means that she is safe on the Iles," the she demon sighed in relief as Erza nodded her head in agreement as she took a large bit of her cake.
The room filled with mindless chatter now that their missing member had been found, well nearly found. Soon master stood up after finishing his second beer and made his way up to the bedrooms.
"Master where are you going?" Lisanna asked as she picked up the empty mugs at Cana's table as the card mage took a cat nap on the table surrounded by claim slips.
"I have somethings to discuss with the slayers. No one is to come upstairs!" Makarov ordered as he turned to walk down the hall.
Natsu lay on the bed holding Lucy close to him; she tucked the thin sheet around her naked body as she sat up. Upon reaching their private room the dragon slayer had burned the clothes off the celestial mage complaining that they reeked of Kulk. But rather than ravishing her, which usually happened whenever the blonde's clothes became kindling, Natsu simply pulled her close, burring his head into her chest.
The stunned girl lay still momently until the heart breaking sob filled the air. Wrapping her arms around her mate Lucy pulled the pink haired man close as she let him break. He continued to cry for nearly an hour as the blonde ran her fingers through his soft pink hair, Lucy had waited to move until he stopped.
"Natsu…" Lucy's calm voice filled the otherwise silent room. "Natsu what's wrong?" the blonde asked as she raked a hand through Natsu's hair.
"I couldn't keep my promise," the dragon slayer grunted as he leaned in to the soft caresses of his mate. Letting the clam that she was providing him wash through his still agitated body.
"What promise?" Lucy asked quietly as she moved so that she was lying on top of his chest her chin resting on top of her hands.
"One I made to Igneel," Natsu said plainly as he moved a hand to cup her face as he lost himself in her large brown eyes. "I promised him that I would never give in, and let the rage drive me," the dragon slayer said softly hoping for his mate to drop the questions.
"But Natsu I have seen you fight in rage before," Lucy stated as she thought about the numerous times that Natsu won against impossible odds due to his rage.
"No Luce," Natsu said as he shook his head, "this is different…Look I don't remember anything before Igneel. The earliest memory I have is training with him, I don't even remember how I meet him," the dragon slayer began trying to explain.
"What?" the celestial mage asked as she moved so that her head was even with his.
"Igneel told me that he had to block my memories, all he said was that when I was older I would understand and that it was necessary, and that maybe one day I would remember" the pink haired man said quietly, it wasn't something he liked to talk about. After all who wants to admit that they have no memories before the age of eight?
"But why would he…" Lucy asked as she tried to imagine what would cause a parent to do something like that to their child.
"Luce, it took me a while but I realized that whatever is buried in my past should stay there, but it left something behind that not even Igneel could contain, it left behind this burning uncontrollable rage," Natsu said as he growled out, shaking his head to clear out the thoughts he continued. "I promised him that I would never let it consume me but the moment I found out you were taken…" the dragon slayer began explaining but soon found himself burring his face in his hand from the shame.
"Natsu, Natsu look at me," Lucy plead as she tried forcing her husband to look at her. This wasn't the Natsu she had fallen in love with, the celestial mage knew that Natsu like the other dragon slayers probably had a dark past, but she decided to wait for him to bring it up. "You did nothing wrong," the blonde reassured.
"I killed," Natsu sobbed, in all the battles that Natsu had found she knew the only time he had taken a life was during the fiasco that was the eclipse gate, and then he had only done it because future Rogue had killed the future version of her herself.
A life for a life, Natsu's remorseless words filled her head, but in this case Lucy wasn't dead, there wasn't even a scratch on her. But Natsu had taken the lives of the guards anyhow.
"Yes…I know… but Natsu their deaths are the fault of the council, they approved this challenge," the blonde said fiercely trying to make her husband feel better anyway she could.
"But I enjoyed it," the pink haired mage whispered almost gleefully sending a frighten chill down Lucy's spine.
"Natsu?" The blonde spoke softly afraid that she had heard him right.
As Natsu looked up at her gone was the green color his eyes normally were, but neither were they the golden slits that she had come to associate whenever his dragon side would take over. No, Natsu's eyes were black as night hollow, cold, and terrifying.
"I took pleasure in it, I reveled in their terrified screams… their pathetic lives were mine to end!" Natsu shouted happily as the memories came back to him, he wanted more. More pain, more misery, he wanted to tear the woman in front of him apart but the knowledge that it would end his own life stopped him.
"Natsu!" Lucy's panicked and terrified scream broke the spell he seemed to be under as the dragon slayer leapt as far away from his mate as he could get.
"Luce, what's wrong with me," Natsu sobbed as he curled himself into a ball happy that his little blue companion wasn't here to see him like this.
"I don't know, but I swear we will figure this out together," Lucy said protectively as she crossed the room desperate to just be in his arms again.
"You're the only thing that kept it at bay, it couldn't hurt you," the dragon slayer sobbed as he clutched on to his mate.
Neither of them aware that Makarov was listening on the other side of the door. Letting out a heavy sigh the guild master leaned against the door. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with those two already, the elder man thought as he collected himself. Taking several deep breaths he firmly knocked on the door. A deep growl filled the air as Makarov could hear the sound of Lucy trying to calm her mate.
"Now's not a good time," the celestial mage called through the door as the sound of Natsu snarling sent a slight chill down the old man's spine.
"Lucy my dear I need to see all of the slayers and mates, there are some things that need discussing… don't worry no one is in trouble in fact it is mostly good news," Makarov said trying to sound cheerful he didn't want Lucy or Natsu to know that he had overheard their conversation.
Which reminds me I should make sure to swear the rest of the dragon slayers to silence if they had hear anything as well. The master thought as he heard two muffled voices talking.
"Can you give us and hour?" Lucy asked through the door, knowing there was no way Natsu was ready to leave yet.
"Yes but we will need to talk then," Makarov ordered firmly deciding to wait to check on the other slayers till later.
"Aye," Lucy acknowledged as the sound of the blonde humming filled the hall.
