Chapter 34: Tears of a Dragon Slayer

Everyone had fallen out of the blackness as if it was just a trip over an object on the floor. They landed unceremoniously on the wooden ground and felt silence overtake them. Lucy had stood up first and looked to the area she had been prior to being pushed into a memory – Natsu and Saya were both sitting on the ground with their heads down in faint admission. She hated seeing that merely because it read that they expected to be hated. The others were getting their senses back and had finally looked at the two sitting on the stage in confusion before she sensed a few people shaking as they stared onward at the two Dragon Slayers – even Wendy, Gajeel, Laxus, Carla, Lily, and Happy were staring in unsureness at the two of them.

"The two of you….were his comrades?" asked Elfman.

"We grew up together…hell we never expected…." Natsu kept his head down.

"None of us expected you to be over four hundred years old either Natsu…what…" the boy managed to get himself standing and looked to Saya who nodded, once more enclosing herself in a way she had always secretly done in faint worry or fear. He hated seeing her do that – when she was fighting she was a different person, and he wished she had the chance to stay that way.

"Aeternam Purgatorium – Eternal Purgatory – is a rarely used black curse that is cast upon someone….once it's done they're unaging, undying, unending…forever….there's no way to remove it or change the ones cursed with it. You saw what…he did to us." Lisanna glanced at the boy.

"You were the age you are now back then….how?" she asked. He sighed.

"We had three spells put on us, four in my case – a binding spell that made us capable of finding one another, the cost spells which stripped us of our memories – set on a trigger than when we got separated, and ran into our Dragons we would completely forget almost everything but a bare minimum, and it also reversed our aging allowing us to grow once more – which answers your question Lisanna…but…the last one that was cast on all four of us is the Enteral Purgatory curse….and then the blood curse he put on me."

"Which the spell dictates that you have to be the one to kill him – if you don't then you will kill someone you love, or if someone around you or connected to you attempts to kill someone dear to them will die," said Erza.

"That's actually not entirely true…the person dear to them – is the commitment of suicide. You would kill yourself. It gives me no outs…I can have help! But I have to be the one to kill him."

"The half-blooded demon…your father was…." Started Jet.

"I didn't even know about that until then – Etherius, his name…meant son of Etherion – the Dragon who trained him. I never put together that it was more than just what I was told…how could I? It's already too late to bicker about that though."

The Guild grew silent as the members of FairyTail questioned everything they'd seen. How could they trust them? Could they? Natsu and Saya both had long since proven their worth, and it scared them to think that someone who once was comrades with Zeref had somehow wormed their way into FairyTail – but there were some things they also needed to consider. That Natsu and Saya had been friends with Mavis Vermillion, their first master. Both of them had shown themselves time and time again to be one hundred percent FairyTail Wizard. Hardly a trace of their days as Drake Crux members even remained.

"I want to know…Zeref and you seemed mighty close – what was that about?" asked Laxus.

"We were basically brothers…we grew up together….I hate to say it but…I thought of him as family for a long time…and I never dreamed he would….do those things."

"But he asked you to kill him! So is that why? Because you saw him as family?" asked Juvia.

"I suppose it was…." Both of them were almost shrinking in on themselves.

"So all we saw really…" Natsu looked at Gray and nodded.

"Yea…both of us…we just didn't expect to ever have to hide it…"

"How can we trust the two of you knowing you once were allies to Zeref? How can we be certain that you won't go back to being his comrade when you have a chance? What if you're just like him? What if you'll eventually kill us to?" asked Freed.

"If I could go back to that single moment….and know what he would have done…who he would have taken from us…I would have gladly given him what he asked of me….I would have killed him without a second thought…without question." Natsu's voice was cold, and harsh – something none of them liked.

He watched them with determined and cold eyes – Natsu's eyes had transcended mature ruby and he stood there prepared to face something he never thought he would – leaving FairyTail forever. He could never ask Lucy to do that, not after all she'd been through with the Guild. Erza and the others were the same – how could he ask something like that of them? Saya was fidgeting next to him and he glanced at her and realized in shock that the girl was crying. She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand and tried to rein in her emotions as she shook. But as the noise slowly grew – and the guild became more and more caught up in disruption he noticed that her shaking wasn't in sadness or fear, but for another reason entirely.

"I'm so sick of the introverted person I've turned into…I have to do something…"

Everyone was talking except for a small number of people – they were watching the two of them amidst the arguing mob of wizards. Saya took a deep breath and gathered the courage she once had before all the horrors of their recently shown memory happened. She wanted her courage back, her will, her fire, her loyalty, her compassion, her determination – and she'd be damned if this group took that from her or Natsu. Hadn't they proven who they really were? Hadn't they proven that they were trust worthy at all? Or had it been for nothing? Had they just been useless? Or worse had this guild used them because they knew how strong they were? No! She couldn't think like that. Shaking her head Saya set hardened sharp silver eyes on them.

"WE'RE SORRY!" she belted out the apology before anything could stop her and everyone went still at her words.

"Saya…" Erza mumbled as the girl looked down.

"We're sorry! Neither one of us wanted this! We didn't ask to be cursed, or to have our family and friends ripped from us…Lacie died in front of us! Because of Zeref! HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY GO BACK TO BEING THE COMRADES OF THE SAME BASTARD WHO KILLED OUR PARENTS?!"

She looked up at them finally and they were stunned – she was in tears. This girl who had shown very little emotion, who had been very distant and only close to the small group that revolved around Natsu was wearing her heart on her sleeve for all to see – and she was the one apologizing for things none of them could have helped or stopped. They'd witnessed the utter hell the two had gone through and the fear that resided there – the two of them had lost people, their families, their friends, and their entire village. The girl who had stood up to protect them with her magic had given her life for them and here they were questioning if they could be trusted.

"From the moment I met them I knew they'd be FairyTail Wizards someday," called a voice as the figure of Mavis Vermillion appeared next to the two Dragon Slayers.

"First Master Mavis!" the group seemed surprised by this sudden appearance.

"I met them when they came to Magnolia to deal with a bad of monsters…I was just getting the guild hall finished and I thought nothing of it when I heard they were part of the Drake Crux Guild – I knew who they were, but then Natsu bumped into me in town and I began talking with him and the others…we grew close – almost like a little make-shift family...Natsu and Saya were the ones who inspired me to name the guild something I would love, not because it needed to have a strong name, but because it needed to represent the person who founded it," she said.

"Fuyu gave her the idea for the name…." Mavis nodded.

"Yes, Fuyu gave me the idea – but all of you inspired me to name this guild FairyTail. We're the ones who are always on the front lines prepared to go head to head for the sake of those we love…it was Saya's will, Haru's determination, Fuyu's compassion, Zeref's at one time unwavering loyalty, and Natsu's fiery spirit that made me realize what FairyTail needed to stand for," she told them this and they seemed stunned speechless.

"So tell us….do you want us to vanish? We've gotten pretty good at it over the last four hundred and seven years…"

Everyone became silent and still. They looked at the two of them in questioning – did they want them to leave? Natsu, who had truthfully been a member of this guild since the very beginning? Saya who had come in and became their newest family member? The two who had somehow inspired Mavis to know what her Guild would stand for and were a part of the group that inspired her to name it FairyTail? Did they really want to disregard all the memories new and old that they all shared? Did they want to forget their first encounters? The laughter, the tears? The blood they shed together? The battles within the guild, with Phantom Lord? With The Tower of Heaven? The Council? Nirvana? Edolas? Tenrou Island? The Infinity clock and most recently the Grand Magic Games and the Dragon War? That answer, as odd as it was to them was quite simple –

"No." the two looked at everyone.

"No…Natsu and Saya…both of you are FairyTail members from the beginning…why would you need to leave?" asked Erza.

"The two of you, and anyone else who was done wrong by Zeref that day are welcome here – your home."

The two looked at their guild mates as they were pushed down to where they stood by Mavis who smiled at them before they were gathered up into a large group hug – holding everyone together as they did so, crying, cheering, laughing and joining together as Wizards, as friends, and comrades, and most importantly – as FairyTail Wizards. Saya laughed and cheered with them, opening up as the night went on and they rejoiced with the two Dragon Slayers, knowing there were many things still going to come their way, but they could overcome it. That night as everyone was settling down is when more questions would come out and Natsu was prepared to answer them as Saya stretched out beside him in a seat and yawned while she tried to get adapted to being in the new Guild Hall.

It was nearing midnight that the guild became quiet and empty except for the Tenrou Team and Saya who was slowly dozing as they attempted to enjoy the silence for the time being. Gray and Juvia were sitting side by side, the Water Wizard leaning against Gray who smiled at her as the others looked at their Guild Hall – Saya was doing the same happy about them accepting them, and also excited to start a new chapter with FairyTail. She placed a hand on her side near her hip where her guild mark was and smiled lovingly – finally after so long they had a family again.

Levy was leaning against Gajeel while the three cats helped themselves to some tea with honey and milk in it and the others sipped at water or what they pleased, Lucy was leaning on Natsu's shoulder smiling in a half-awake state as they found themselves pleasantly happy with the warmth the Guild Hall brought in and the tranquility. However, they knew in a matter of seconds that would be short lived. And it was, but a rather unexpected source.

"Say I was wondering…that grave…did it really say…what I thought it did?" asked Evergreen.

"Hmm?" Natsu looked at her and she huffed.

"The grave marker you had that spirit erect for that girl…what was her name?" she inquired.

"Lacie, she was a Silver Celestial Wizard." She glanced to Levy.

"Uhuh, her last name is what I wanted to know about," she stated.

"That's right Lu! It had your family name on it!" Lucy suddenly was very much awake at the statement while she tried to think. Did it really? She thought on it and realization dawned on her.

"Natsu…what was her name?" the rose haired Slayer looked a bit forlorn.

"Your right Levy….her name was Lacie Heartfilia – her sister Laura was also a Celestial Wizard. She had come to the village to search for her married-in cousin Kanako who had died in childbirth…the child she had was a little boy – James Heartfilia," he stated.

"James is…my great, great grandfather's name…he lived a long time…so…are you telling me that Lacie was…my aunt?" Natsu nodded.

"More than likely – she was identical to you – in every way possible…personality included," he said.

"I saw that kiss! She loved you Natsu." Carla kicked Happy who hopped on the table while nursing his hurt leg.

"Everything changed so quickly I hardly got the chance to consider if I really felt the same for her…" Lucy nudged him in the side.

"Well you know what I think?" he rose an eyebrow at her.

"No, What?" she smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"I think it was fate that you ended up with me…Lacie must have put us together," she told him.

"Maybe…who knows…" she smiled and snuggled up to him before Erza looked at the clock.

"Alright everyone – it's high time we get some rest. We're getting a few days of rest and then we're back to the request boards!"

Erza's enthusiasm wasn't exactly greeted happily, but they none the less turned in for the night. Natsu and come to Lucy's apartment to stay while Happy went to spend time with Carla. The moment they'd entered the door Natsu had kicked off his boots and stretched before being turned by Lucy and flipped onto the bed. She laughed as they fell back and she stared as she laid atop him with a smile on her face. They'd come a long way – and seeing his memories of the time everything seemed to make sense finally. She leaned forward and kissed him, knotting her fingers into his hair before pulling back to look at him as he smiled and pulled her hair out of their pigtails. He ran his fingers through her hair and felt himself relax.

It was good to be back in Magnolia, with his family intact and everyone having survived the war. But the mentioning of Tartarus still had him on edge. He knew things were going to become bad when that took place. For now though he hoped that his sinking feeling was just minimal and would eventually go away. For now he was tired and had been thankful that Lucy seemed to be the same because soon they were both dressed for bed and peacefully sleeping – the blonde wizard curled against him as he wrapped an arm around her and felt himself fully relax as he realized nothing was here to take the world he had right now.

"Even if it's just for a few weeks…months…maybe a year….I'd rather take that then never have it at all…"

Morning had come, and they suspected sleep would remain with them, and both were pleased to find that they had slept until around nine-thirtyish and were both sitting up in bed stretching when someone broke down the door. Lucy screamed and grabbed her whip while Natsu curled a hand around her waist and watched as Juvia's face went blood red, Gray stared gaping, Gajeel doing the same with Levy staring and fanning her face before Saya pushed her way through the four of them – barely being able to get through and grabbed the door handle. Lucy thrashed in his grip and he almost decided to let her go but decided instead he was more in favor of not being up yet.

He pulled the fussy blonde into his lap and rested his head against hers, lips faintly nuzzling the crook of her neck and shoulder. They were less than relaxed by that and Saya growled before shoving the four in and slamming the door behind her with a frazzled look on her face. The two still sitting on the bed –fully dressed mind you – were now watching them intently. Lucy was very much irate still, but she was trying to not think on that and pay attention more to being held so close by Natsu. She smiled and leaned against him before huffing as she looked at a red Juvia, and blushing Levy, a still gawking Gray and Gajeel and a rather plucky looking Saya who was glaring intently at the four.

"I believe we should explain," stated Saya with a glare in their direction again. The four looked the other way.

"That'd be nice seeing as we both just woke up." She grumbled and looked at the others.

"These four heard some remark about Lucy bringing someone into her house late last night – some of the people in town were talking about it and apparently it got a little noisy in here last night too…" Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"I have a feeling those people like to spread rumors," she said.

"Lip service…nothing more….we were both exhausted – crashed as soon as we got here." Gray glanced at the two of them.

"What would Erza do if she saw you two like that?" he asked.

"This coming from the stripper – talking about the woman who reads fifty shades of gray." Gray sputtered at this and Natsu gave a small laugh.

"If she heard you say that…" he shrugged.

"I've survived worse. Besides, it's not like we've done anything," he stated. Lucy nodded.

"That just seems strange though – Laxus told me that you were in heat." Natsu narrowed his eyes at Gajeel who went oddly pale.

"Remind me to scalp him when I see him later." Lucy patted his arm.

"I won't stop you," she said.

"Wait! He just mentioned it! Is that true?" asked Levy.

"Do you even know what we're talking about?" the others stared.

"Well…we thought….mating…..babies…" Juvia supplemented.

"Figured you'd know nothing," Natsu grumbled.

"Can you blame us?" the other frowned.

Natsu narrowed his eyes, growling slightly as his eyes transcended a mature ruby. The others bristled like cats and almost threw themselves up and out the door. Saya rolled her eyes and felt the urge to pick on them – she'd save that for later.

"Okay…blame us!" said Juvia in fear.

"The First time isn't for reproduction – it's for finding a mate, getting used to them being with you, learning about each other….and marking them! The second or third time – yea sure mating, babies…whatever you want to think of I guess – Igneel wasn't very graphic in details the second time….first time…" the other hid his face in Lucy's shoulder.

"That bad huh?" asked Gajeel.

"You could say that…he…has a very vivid imagination." The others laughed at this and Saya huffed loudly.

"What's up?" she looked at them.

"I just wanted to thank you for not turning on us – and for…welcoming me….even though I don't associate with anyone of you that much," she stated.

"Always the rough and tumble lady aren't we Saya?" the girl stood as Natsu teased her.

"I'LL SHOW YOU ROUGH AND TUMBLE NATSU DRAGNEEL! LET'S GO! YOUR MINE!" she lunged at him and he caught her by the wrist and slung her down the girl fussing as she sat there with an arm behind her back and her form being lifted by her vest and shirt.

"You really need to work on your approach," he said.

"Damn you!"

Everyone laughed looking forward to the normalcy for the time being – there were things going on that were going to make them go through hell again, but they all were looking forward to the futures they had together – as FairyTail and as a group of close knit friends and family. Lucy smiled as they all walked to the Guild after getting dressed and chatted as they went. Saya had opened up after yesterday's events and she was thankful for it. The girl was all smiles and spirit – just like Natsu Lucy noted. As they made it to the Guild and entered the build it was silent.

Their instincts going on high alert the group looked onward as Markarov sat at a table with two cloaked figures – all of them were anxious in the guild and they could tell it. He nodded his head as one of them spoke and Happy flew over to greet them with Carla and Lily about what was going on. Apparently very early this morning, two strangers had barreled into the Guild Hall and Master Markarov had been quick to come and sort out the situation. Now he was speaking with them and had asked everyone else to let them be for now.

Natsu and Saya led the others and took a seat near the table and chose not to eavesdrop while Markarov talked to them. It was when he was done that Mirajane had come to them and asked their names. The voice of the male had made Natsu perk up and freeze as he caught the familiar scent of oranges and winter mint, and then the scent of strawberries and vanilla. He had instantly stood – startling everyone as he marched to the table and stood there hoping he wasn't wrong when he felt his heart hammering in his chest and his voice momentarily pause in his throat. Could it be? Had they finally found them?

"Your scent hasn't changed – neither one of yours…." He spoke steadily, almost in fear that he would blink and they would vanish if he did.

"What did you…no….way…"The two stared at one another momentarily and then the other figure looked up and gasped. The three stared again and then the one in the cloak watching Natsu gulped.

"Is that you….Natsu?"

{Chapter 34: Tears of a Dragon Slayer- END}

Author's Note: We're reaching the end mark here people, but don't worry I got three or four more up my sleeve somewhere. Tell me what you think of all this going on. The next chapters are going to be more comical, and more emotional on good levels. So enjoy!

As Always: MY READERS ARE AWESOME!

NEXT TIME…

{Seeing faces you knew long ago how do you react? In shock? In anger for their lack of being there? In understanding for their long journey? In tears because you cannot contain yourself? Or with a smile and a simple statement}

"Its good to finally be back together isn't it? So, welcome to FairyTail – and welcome home."

Chapter 35: Old Friend

Arigatou Nakamas!