A good few hours have passed since Raven Tail's visit, the sun now fully above the clouds.
Elfman grunted under his breath and continued to hammer away at the entrance, Gajeel next to him, both of them patched up in bandages and a bucket of ice by their feet, which they used to cool their bruises with.
They weren't the only ones covered in bandages. Everyone except for Wendy was clad in the cloths in one way or another, some of them stitched up as well.
Embarrassed of their defeat and unwilling to put even more strain on the girl, they have all decided to heal their wounds by themselves, the old fashioned way.
Gray grimaced one last time and cut the string by his shoulder, the cut given to him by Ellia still stinging and itching.
"Why do I always get my ass kicked by chicks?" he complained under his nose and reached out to Mirajane, who was sitting next to him.
She took a swing of her booze and passed it to the Maker, applying some ointments to her burns in the meantime. Their supplies of painkillers were limited, so both of them refused to take any, their old bottle of alcohol filling the blank in.
"I can't even make fun of you for this." she told him and hissed in annoyance after applying the paste onto her shoulder. "If chicks are your magnet, then fire is mine. I'm getting tired of having to scratch an itch every five seconds."
Gray arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't think you're supposed to, though."
"Shut up."
"Alright, don't come to me to cool you down though."
"You're giving yourself too much credit, Iceman."
Lucy smiled at their banter from the other corner of the room and pulled her paper towel away from her cut lip, blood still dripping from it. Moaning in frustration, she threw the dirty one away and ripped a new piece.
"We just can't catch a break, can we?" she sighed.
Erza, who was standing behind her, frowned and tightened the belt on her armor, lost in thoughts. All of the recent battles have left her basically defenseless, naked even. She knew she had to repair and possibly replace her armors, but she never expected to be caught off-guard like that. Being unable to change into a more powerful armor made her more aware of just how lacking she still was in terms of strength and commitment.
"This was no ordinary attack." she stated and turned to the blonde "They knew of our situation, where we were and they seemed to know quite a deal about us."
Lucy nodded. "It felt like they held a massive grudge against us." she said and then frowned, distressed "Which brings up my question..."
Erza's face dropped sadly. She looked away in shame. Taking the hint, Lucy dropped the subject and focused on herself again.
"No." said Mirajane and walked up to them, her eyes glued to Erza. "Stop running away from it. Tell her."
Erza looked at Mirajane, who nodded softly. The redhead bit her lip and took a deep breath.
"Very well." she said, before sitting down on a chair. "Truth to be told I...don't remember it too well, which makes it even worse. Three years ago, or rather ten, I was out on a...job. Dark Guild Extermination. It was a rather small, but formidable one, located directly in an abandoned village. Or so I thought."
Lucy noticed the sudden shift in her friend's tone, so she did what felt like an instinct to her: she grabbed her hand reassuringly, which Erza reacted to well. She took another breath and continued.
"It was a tough battle, one that made me feel really...fired up, to put it lightly. At the time I was so used to little to no resistance that an actual challenge made me angry, rather than excited and focused. Upon besting one of the last enemies, I saw someone trying to run away from the scene. It was dark, the only source of light being the moon that could have been one step away from being completely hidden by the clouds. I caught up to said person, raised my blade and swung down, surprised at the lack of attempts of defense. It wasn't even a second later when I saw whom I have cut. A little girl, no older than Wendy."
Lucy's eyes widened in horror, as did Wendy's, who had walked downstairs just when Erza began her story. They stared at the redhead, too shocked to make a sound.
Erza grit her teeth and continued.
"Apparently, the village was never abandoned. The guild took refuge there and used the village as their property, terrorizing the villagers and treating them like slaves. They ordered them to stay at their homes at all time, which gave the illusion of being abandoned. The girl sneaked out of her house at night and happened to be by the guild when I attacked. I have learned about it a few days after my attack. When I cut this girl, I didn't feel a single thing, no remorse or compassion, because at the time I was convinced I have cut a dark mage at that time, not a child. I've seen people not that older than her commit atrocities. I did not put the two together."
No one said anything. There was nothing to be said. They wanted to feel sorry for her, but reality was not that merciful. What she did was horrible and they knew it. She knew it.
Erza took a raspy, uneven breath and stood up from her chair, restless.
"Now she's with Raven Tail." she stated bluntly "I'm not going to sit here and cry myself to sleep. I have to fix this."
Mirajane arched an eyebrow. "How exactly are you planning to do that? I'm pretty sure she'd rather cut you into pieces than let you talk to her."
Erza shook her head. "I don't know, but I refuse to let things stay like this. We must confront them, all of them. They looked like they had issues with us, some of them personal. That tall man mentioned Laxus, the girl in a suit targeted Lucy the most...There is a pattern to follow here."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Ivan gathered people we've crossed before, just to get back on us." scoffed Mira "Sounds like something this rotten bastard would do."
"I must agree. This sounds like the most logical explanation for now."
"Still, even if we want to confront them, our hands are tied. We are the bad guys around here, after all." said Gray.
"That is why we must think of something that will not bring us any more trouble. I'll give it a thought."
Erza excused herself and left the room, heading upstairs.
She climbed the stairs and found one of the door open. Her legs slightly stiff, Erza crossed the hallway and entered the room.
She came just in time to see Natsu throw his new jacket over his now bandaged and patched up torso, his shoulder and forearm stitched by Cana earlier. He sighed tiredly and zipped it, turning to Erza in the meantime.
"Hey." he said to her with a small smirk.
Erza felt some weight falling off her shoulders upon seeing his smile, something she missed dearly. She cleared her throat to regain her composure and stepped into the room.
"Hello." she replied "How are you feeling?"
"Good." he said shortly and adjusted his sleeves "You?"
"I am well, too."
Awkward silence fell in the room, neither sure enough how to proceed. As things were right now, they both came clear with their feelings for one another. The only issue was that Erza had no idea Natsu heard her say it, which meant he would most likely be the one to break the ice again, something he didn't feel like doing in the slightest.
"What about the others?" he broke the silence after a while.
His question snapped the redhead out of her trance. "They are doing good, too. Nothing major."
Relief appeared on his face. "That's good, I was watching from inside, some of their attacks looked hard, especially from that chick with glasses."
Erza blinked, surprised. "Y-yeah, she was quite formidable. I was glad to hear your vicious approach was just an intimidation tactic."
He grinned at her. "Well, I gave quite a few promises about behaving, didn't I?"
Natsu turned around and walked up to the window, scouting the area, his full figure now in Erza's view.
His torso was now clad in a light-grey jacket with a high collar and a white strip running down the zipper from the collar to the base of the jacket, his white, scaly scarf wrapped around his neck. He had white pants that suit his figure well, the ends of his pantlegs tucked into his new black combat shoes, ones very similar to the one she saw him wear when they met.
Erza blinked at the sight, taken back. Partially because this was the first time she had ever seen him wear such light colors, but the most shocking part was the meaning behind all this. His new attitude, much lighter and more carefree than before, his change of style – Erza felt bold enough to assume she was about to deal with a version of Natsu she had never seen before.
"What?" he asked her, having caught her spaced out expression.
Erza cleared her throat and smiled at him. "Nothing. You look…good." she complimented him with a few slow nods.
He smiled and looked down. "Thanks, Lisanna brought them for me, said my old ones wouldn't even be useful as rags."
"Well, it'd be quite a challenge to clean something with a blood stained rag."
"Very funny."
Erza smiled and walked out of the room. "Come downstairs if you feel like it, the others are there. We could make something to eat."
Natsu's face beamed. "That'd be great, I'm starving."
Erza nodded and walked out of the room, Natsu following her in suit. Just when they were halfway through the stairs, they heard a commotion downstairs, multiple voices talking all at once. Curious, Erza slowly walked down and peeked from the door, her lips twisting into a smirk as she did.
In the living room stood Laxus and the Thunder Legion, tired and rough looking, however, it was not their appearance that filled Erza with this much joy. Behind them was a group of very familiar people, whom she was lucky enough to consider brothers in arms.
Lyon, Jura, Sherry, Toby and Yuka stood behind Laxus, all of them much older than the last time she'd seen them, but still just as recognizable. Erza motioned to Natsu to follow her and stepped into the room, willing to greet them.
"Took you long enough." said Mira to Laxus.
The Dragon Slayer groaned and massaged his tired eyes. "The Council kept us in for a while, wanted to have more than just one meeting, mostly about trivial shit."
"As it turned out, Laxus' business with the Council ended as soon as mine did, so I took the chance to invite him to accompany me back on my way home." said Jura with a smile "I wished to see you all again, and so did the others."
"Oh? You missed me?" Gray asked Lyon and walked up to his friend, his right hand extended.
Lyon scoffed, but took Gray's hand, giving it a firm shake. "As if. I was hoping you'd be dead when I came. You could say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."
"Why you-"
Sherry looked at Lyon and blinked. "Huh, funny you say that, because that worried frown you had stuck to your face for the last few days is suddenly gone. Curious..."
Lyon's face took a gentle shade of red, as he ripped his hand out of Gray's grip and looked away, much to Sherry and Lucy's amusement.
Erza crossed the room and walked up to the guests, her smile widening with each step.
"It is great to see you again." she said to Jura and extended her hand to the man.
Jura smiled as well and shook the redhead's hand eagerly. "I am pleased to see you are all well, too."
"I wouldn't say we are well, but we're alive. I think that's the most important." chuckled Erza and let go of his hand.
Jura's smile faded away and gave in to a worried frown. "Yes, we have been told already. I knew something like this could have happened, but not this soon. I'm sorry you had to go through it."
Natsu, who walked into the room caught Jura's attention. The man smiled and walked up to the Dragon Slayer, his hand extended. "I believe we haven't met yet. I am Jura Neekis, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you."
Natsu awkwardly took the man's hand and nodded. "I'm Natsu. Nice to...meet you?" he finished in a questioning tone, his eyes stuck to Erza, who gently nodded. "Nice to meet you." he repeated, this time more firmly.
Jura chuckled and released his hand. As he attempted to strike a conversation with Natsu, Lyon walked up to Gray and leaned over his ear.
"I have to say, I'm surprised he's still here. I thought he'd be back in jail in no time."
Gray scoffed. "When you say it it makes me hate myself for thinking like that not so long ago, too."
Lyon blinked in mild confusion.
Noticing it, Gray expanded his view. "I didn't like him too much, but he proved himself. Hell, he's one of the reasons some of us are standing here. Dude has been wild in the past, but I think he's past it. I hope..." he finished in a whisper that was unfortunately caught by Lyon.
The fellow Maker scoffed and looked at the Dragon Slayer. "Be careful. You've always been too trusting."
Gray frowned. "Like with you that one time?"
"Exactly."
Gray exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "I'll keep that in mind." he patted Lyon on the shoulder and walked away.
Laxus walked up to Erza and greeted her.
"What else happened besides that adorable little visit?" he asked her.
Erza shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I don't really know where to begin. I'm having trouble taking it all in myself."
"Yeah, can't blame you." he said and sat down in a chair. "I know bits and pieces from those meetings but I guess you still know more than me. Give me the short version, I've had my share of listening the past few days."
Erza smiled and sat down next to him, before filling him in.
She told him basically what was told her. Their disappearance, Raven Tail emerging from the shadows, the rumors, the search, the showing, the guild's fall, their current state, Natsu's health, Crime Sorciere. Talking about all this made Erza's heart sting, especially now that she knew just exactly who one of her enemies was.
Laxus listened to it all with a stone cold face, his muscles not budging even one bit. When the knight was done, he sighed loudly and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
"Well, looks like those geezers have some decency after all." he chuckled sarcastically. "I was given the censored version. I wasn't told they burn our mark as a daily hobby."
Erza said nothing, her hands clenching on her knees. "Things will never be the same, no matter what we do." she said.
"No, they won't." he admitted bluntly. "But that doesn't matter. We have to keep moving forward, no matter what. We're already neck deep in shit, let's not get our head under as well."
Although vulgar, Erza smiled at his metaphor, agreeing with her whole heart. "It won't be easy."
"It never is." he sighed. "That's why I want to wait for the old man to wake up before we do any big decisions. He calls the shots, after all."
Erza smiled. "I think you're growing to be a worthy successor, Laxus." she told him truthfully.
His eyes widened for a second. "Not in a million years." he groaned.
"She's right, you know." said Mirajane from behind them. "But..." she pointed her finger at Erza "Bold of you to assume he will ever step down from his position."
Laxus smirked and stood up, leaving the girls to themselves. He locked his eyes onto his new target, Natsu's eyes catching his in the middle of his way. Laxus walked up to the fellow Slayer and stared him down.
"I've heard what happened." he said shortly.
Natsu sighed under his nose. "I bet you have." he said quietly.
"I wish I was here to see that ass beating you handed out to them, would have thrown a bit from myself, too."
"I got lucky, that's all. The gap was really big, I had to give all I had just to drive them out."
"But you still did it." said Laxus. He clenched his fist and lightly punched Natsu in the chest. "Well done."
Natsu looked down at the fist and then back to Laxus' face, his own expressing mild shock. Still, he accepted the praise and replied with a firm nod, much to Laxus' pleasure.
Suddenly, the talks were deafened by loud thuds coming from the stairs. The door swung open, Lisanna smashing through with enough force to almost knock it out of its hinges. Her breathing was hard and her face wet.
"Master Makarov..." she wheezed out, sweat running down her chin. "Master Makarov has awaken!"
All of the eyes in the room went wide, Fairy Tail already getting out of their seats and spots to rush upstairs. Laxus smirked to himself and followed the others, amused.
"Always on time, eh, old man?"
Raven Tail's HQ, Magnolia
Five figures stood in front of a rather tall man with a goatee, his stern glare piercing each and every single one of them.
The only people not bending under the pressure were Emilia and Leord, the woman meeting his eyes head on, while the boy's eyes were glued to the side, boredom written all over his face.
Ivan stopped strolling back and forth and threw one more look at his protegees.
"That's quite a pathetic appearance you've come back in." he said, his voice echoing across the hall. "Was the job that hard?" he asked, sarcasm oozing off his voice.
No one said anything, too afraid to speak up. None of them was brave enough to lie to him, but neither could they tell the truth. The chance he knew already was quite high anyway.
Hearing no reply, Ivan raised his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry, was the question too hard for you as well?"
Albert bit his lip. "No, Master. Job itself was a breeze, the traveling was the worst part about it."
"I'm glad to hear it was a breeze." said the Master "If it wasn't I would be very concerned. Did...something happen on your way back?"
Emilia closed her eyes, finding it difficult to hide her irritation. "We encountered Fairy Tail on our way back and engaged them in battle." she stated bluntly, fed up with his condescending attitude.
Ivan looked at her. "I know." he said shortly "Shame it took you lot so long to admit to it."
He started to stroll back and forth again, before sitting down in his personal chair.
"Let me get this straight." he began and joined his hands on his lap "You went to see Fairy Tail, a guild that should not have any offensive capabilities or morale without my permission, which could possibly ruin everything we've worked for thus far, and not only did you fail to finish them off, you returned covered in injured like dogs with your tail between your legs. Did I miss anything?"
Svenar scoffed and finally looked at his Master. "Fairy Tail was not the issue, Master. Salamander was the one who did us in."
Ivan's eyebrows were raised once again. "Last time I heard, Salamander was under their custody, staying in their guildhall, the very one we are at this very moment, bearing their mark on his shoulder. If you were bested by him, then that means you were bested by Fairy Tail."
Svenar looked like he was chewing on something for a moment, before looking away, anger written all over his face.
Ivan exhaled and stood up, before walking up to Svenar, their faces apart by only a few centimeters.
"Weakened or not, this is the man, who managed to bring the most powerful Dark Guild Fiore has ever seen to its knees." he whispered "Even if he really was on the brink of death, there's still my father and my son, not to mention Titania and Demon Mirajane. Fairy Tail is not to be underestimated, even if weakened."
Svenar looked into his Master's eyes. "I left Mirajane's smoking body in a pile of rubble." he said with confidence "Emilia had Titania at her mercy. Neither of them posed a threat to us."
"And yet here you are, marked a loser."
For a second Svenar looked like was about to strike his Master. Refraining from doing so, he looked away again, no longer eager to talk.
Moving on, Ivan examined his guild members one by one, assessing their injuries. He stopped by Albert and looked the giant up.
"Your magic never fails to impress me, Albert." he said to the giant, his eyes tracing all over his figure "Not a single scratch on you. I wish I could put my hands on more of those Regeneration lacrimas."
Albert bowed gently but did not dare to speak up, well aware that he'd receive a scolding if he did. His pride was in pieces as it was. Ivan moved on and stopped by Emilia.
"Is what Svenar said true?" he asked her "You've confronted Titania?"
The woman nodded. "I did."
"Did you manage to find out what you were looking for?"
"Not quite. I did test her strength but we were interrupted before I could escalate."
"Any issues with your condition?"
"None that I encountered at the time. I was momentarily outclassed in full fairness, my resolve being the cause of it."
"I see. I'm certain a second chance will come soon enough."
Moving on, the man was now standing before Leord.
"You did well." he praised the teenager with a creepy smile and tousled his hair "You've managed to defuse the situation as best as you could. I'm glad you didn't let their foolishness drag you in.
Leord simply nodded, still not looking at his Master. Ivan chuckled and walked away from the group.
"Naturally, you all ought to be punished for what happened." he said loudly "However, I will close my eye this one time. What happened was a blessing within a disaster. There is still room for improvements, for all of you. Blame your lacking resolve today and do not dare to think of it tomorrow. Continue to move forward, until our goal is fulfilled."
"Your goal." said Emilia firmly. Ivan looked at her, slightly surprised. "I have absolutely no interest in your plans. I am here for my own sake and I will not let anyone get in my way. Even you."
A drop of sweat ran down Ivan's face but he chuckled again. "As expected of Emilia. As fierce as ever. This is exactly what I admire in you. That will of steel."
Emilia grit her teeth, repulsed by her Master. She did a great job at hiding it, for Ivan did not catch a thing.
"You all are my pride." he told them softly "I want the best for you all, for I wouldn't be here without you. Take this failure as a lesson and learn from it. I will expect more from you in the upcoming future. Especially you, Leord."
The teenager frowned, but bowed. "Thank you, Master." he said, his voice forced and robotic. Emilia threw a quick side glance at him.
Ivan walked up to the bar and lifted his glass. "Focus on resting today. Tomorrow will be a new beginning, for all of us. Fairy Tail's return benefits us quite well. Let us savor it as best as we can.
Makarov raised his shaking right hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, a loud, raspy sigh escaping through his nose. The elder was trying his best to stay composed after hearing everything that was thrown at him.
"Seven years..." he whispered under his mustache "Acnologia...Ivan...Gildarts..." he finished, his voice choked from held back tears and guilt. He felt responsible for the man's death, since he was the one who let him stay behind and fight alongside him.
No one could say anything to him, none of them capable of comforting the old Master who was now quietly crying into his hand, tears flowing down his chin onto the sheets.
No matter how strong, be it mentally or physically, no one could have taken all of that in without cracking, even a little. Seeing their one remaining parental figure sit there in his bed, broken and unable to come up with words left them feeling like birds with clipped wings, unable to even look up into the sky.
Laxus clenched his fist and walked up to his grandfather. He kneeled by his bedside and put his right hand on his tiny shoulder, giving it a firm, but kind squeeze.
Makarov looked at his grandson, who pierced him with his glare to the very core.
"How long are you going to whine, old man?" he asked "It's not like you."
Makarov did not say a thing, his eyes drifting somewhere else, to the side. Laxus clicked his tongue and gripped his shoulder a bit stronger, shaking him a little.
"I've asked you, how long are you going to stay in this bed for?!" he screamed.
"Leave him be!" screamed Lisanna. "Don't you understand how he feels?! What is wrong with you?!"
"Stay back, Lisanna." Mira said to her sister sternly.
The younger sister looked at her, distraught. "Mira! You can't possibly-"
"I've asked you a question, old man." snarled Laxus. "Don't make me repeat myself for the third time."
Makarov closed his eyes slowly. "I...I..."
Laxus took a deep breath through his nose and loosened the grip on his grandfather a bit. "Ever since we woke up, we were lost. I tried to take the lead, Erza did, Mira did, but none of us could do anything. Sure, I dealt with the Council as a rep, but I am not the Master. You are."
Laxus put his other hand on Makarov's other shoulder, both now gently holding him in place.
"I'm not heartless enough to be angry at you for grieving." he said softly "But we need you, old man. You are our Master, you call the shots. Do you have any idea how relieved everyone was when you woke up? You're our only hope right now. So stop whining to yourself in this damn bed and step out, do something. Tell us what our next move is. That's your responsibility. Brats can only be that strong without their parent."
Lisanna blinked in mild confusion and looked at Mira, who simply made a smug face, fully expecting this to happen. Erza smiled to herself and so did everyone else.
Makarov looked around the room, going from face to face. They were all smiling at him, their hopeful faces waiting for some kind of a sign from him.
The elder sniffed and wiped his eyes off, exhaling loudly as he did so to calm himself down.
"Well said." he told his grandson "I do not have the luxury of time to feel sorry for myself. Looks like I still have lots to learn, even at my old age."
Makarov threw his blankets off and Requipped his coat. Only then did he notice something very major and grim.
"Oh." he said quietly at the sight of his missing leg "I knew something felt off..."
Everyone hung their heads low, again rendered mute. The elder put his hand on his stump, gently caressing it. The sight hurt him dearly, it was written all over his face. Still, he took a deep breath and threw his other leg over the bed, willing to get out of it.
"No need to cry about it, it's just a leg." he said nonchalantly "I'll just ask Porlyusica to make me a new one, or a wheelchair. No big deal."
Lisanna opened her mouth to tell him about the healer, but was stopped by Mira, who simply shook her head. Even she knew that there was a limit to bad news and his was long gone.
"I take it Lamia Scale is still downstairs?" asked Makarov.
"Yes, they wished to stay down out of respect." said Erza.
"Good. I'll need Jura's help, to fill me in and all that. I've got a long overdue trip to the Council waiting for me."
Erza frowned sadly. "There is no rush, Master. You should consider your health first-"
"Unless my leg grows back I don't see point in waiting." he shot her down softly, but bluntly. "We're short on time as it is. I shall move as soon as I can."
Erza nodded gently.
Makarov sighed and summoned two crutches, which he supported himself on. "Let's go meet our guests." he said and proceeded to leave the room, everyone cautious, ready to catch him if needed.
After a quite long walk, Makarov finally stepped into the kitchen, where everyone else was. Jura quickly stood up from his chair and walked up to the elder with a gentle smile, his hands already extended.
"Master Makarov, it is so good to see you again." he smiled and gently shook Makarov's hand.
"Likewise, my friend." smiled Makarov and allowed the fellow Saint to aid him to the couch. Makarov plopped onto it and put his crutches away. "I've been filed in with the important details, but I am afraid I will require your help later on."
"That's perfectly fine." Jura shook his head gently "I will do everything in my power to help."
"Much appreciated."
Lyon walked up to the couch and looked at Gray. "Is everyone filled in with everything by now?" he asked him.
Gray nodded. "Yeah, why?"
"Because I may have a proposition for you on how to deal with Raven Tail."
Jura looked at him sternly. "Lyon, I believe this is not the time for this right now."
"Why not?" he asked, genuinely curious "They needed their Master up and going and that's how it is."
Sherry sighed and put her hand on his shoulder. "You really need to learn how to read the mood..."
Lyon looked at her, annoyed. "What do you mean? I-"
"No, it is alright." said Makarov "The boy is right, no point in putting it away. Let us hear your proposition." he told Lyon.
Having calmed down, the Maker nodded and addressed Makarov. "During your absence a certain event came to be, a yearly one. It's called Grand Magic Games. Each year top eight guilds in Fiore battle each other for the title of Fiore's strongest."
Makarov frowned. "I recall the name. I think I've heard it on one of the last meetings I have attended. They really went through with it?"
"Yes. As you have probably heard, the Council has changed, a lot. Grand Magic Games were one of their first big tests and it paid off greatly." said Jura. "However, I must admit I'm having problems with how the games could help with Raven Tail." he added and looked at Lyon.
"As you all probably know, talking things through with them won't work." said Lyon. "They are on very hostile terms, even with other guilds. They hate your guts so obviously they will always resort to violence."
"So you're saying we should answer violence with violence?" asked Erza with a frown.
"If it's labeled as legal, yes." replied the Maker. "You will have plenty of time to resolve the issue, both inside and outside of the Arena and even more than that."
Makarov hummed to himself, unsure of the idea. Seeing what Lyon was going for, Jura cleared his throat and continued the topic.
"The games last six days in total, five of them filled with events." he explained "During that time all guilds are present on the Arena and battle each other under a very careful eye of the Council. Each participating guild chooses five team members, who will represent their guild. Raven Tail participated a few times by now and they have never broken a single rule, be it blatantly or in secret. Even your son is aware of how important it is to behave during this event. If we put this in simple terms then yes, this could be your chance to settle things through, at least a part of them."
"You mean we could pummel those pricks in front of a crowd without getting in trouble?" asked Gajeel "Sign me in already."
"Me too." Mira raised her hand.
"Don't be foolish." said sternly Erza "This isn't something as trivial as simple violence."
"No, it's something more." said Lucy, her hand on her chin. "You said we could resolve more than just one issue, yes?" she asked Lyon.
"That's right." he nodded.
"What's on your mind, Lucy?" asked Gray.
"We could use those games for more than just fighting Raven." she said slowly "As things are now, people hate us. Our name was dragged through the mud by non other than Raven Tail itself. We could prove them all wrong and save our face."
Mira arched an eyebrow. "You mean we'd have to try and win their sympathy?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not exactly. We just have to prove them, through our actions, that we are nowhere near as big of a monster as we have been made out to be during our absence. We need to rebuild the trust people had in us. That itself will be a blow to Raven Tail!"
Gray smirked. "I see. Beat them both physically and mentally!"
"Not exactly what I had on my mind but yeah, it works."
Makarov stroked his beard, lost in thought. Jura smiled and addressed him again.
"Lady Lucy has a great point. Right now, even the other guilds have been advised to keep their distance from you, some of us under close watch at all times."
Erza's eyes widened in realisation. "Blue Pegasus! They told us not to speak when on board of their ship. Could it be that-"
"It was wired. Yeah." nodded Lyon. "They didn't have you specifically in mind, but all of the guilds that had a written past with yours were under close watch. You had charges to answer for and they desperately needed someone with your insignia to provide answers. I wonder what their faces must have looked like when you showed up by their door yourself." he said to Laxus with a smirk.
The Dragon Slayer shrugged. "Same as usual. Condescending and they looked like they were about to shit a brick simply because I was breathing."
"I am so glad I was not the only one who thought of this metaphor..." sighed Makarov in relief.
Natsu nudged Erza with his elbow. "What was that saying? An orange doesn't fall far from the tree?" he whispered.
"An apple." she corrected him with held back laughter.
"Oh, right."
"Either way..." said Laxus "I say we do it. If we leave things the way they are right now, we'll have to keep moving from one shithole to another, afraid to come out in fear of people lynching us. If taking a part in this thing will get us back on our feet, I say we do it. What do you say, old man?"
"I'm with Laxus." said Mira. "Not just because I want to pummel that shark teethed prick, I simply don't want people to treat us like garbage just because of some stretched out stuff from our past. I mean, look at us. No one in here has a clean record, we've all done some bad shit at one point in our lives."
Cana put her hand on top of Wendy's head and brought her close to her chest in a sisterly hug. "I think it's safe to put Lucy and Wendy out of that, but yeah, spot on." she said.
"I...I'm not so sure about that." Lucy laughter nervously.
"I'm with Laxus, too." said Gray.
"Me too." added Gajeel.
"I also think this is the right choice here." nodded Erza.
Makarov sighed tiredly. "Very well. We will take a part in the games. If there is no other way, then we shall take what we have."
Jura smiled widely. "I thought you would say that."
Lyon smiled and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm feeling nostalgic." he said, Sherry and Yuka nodding beside him.
"You're about to receive a nostalgic assbeating." grinned Gray.
"I see you still like to sleeptalk. Remember that one time you actually told Ur to go fu-"
"No, I don't."
As both guilds started to banter with one another, Makarov smiled under his mustache, Jura doing the same next to him. Makarov looked at him, slightly flustered.
"Sorry." he excused himself "It's been a while since I've heard them this loud."
Jura shook his head gently. "There is no need to apologize. I think they should get it out of their system as much as they want. They won't have too many chances in the upcoming future."
Makarov hummed under his mustache. "How bad is it?" he asked.
Picking up the hint almost immediately, Jura sighed. "Hard to tell. Your grandson did a splendid job, which, to my knowledge, may have raised your chances. Defending against all of the charges will be hard. Especially...the one."
Makarov snorted sarcastically. "The one thing that has always been considered the heart of our guild might just be the one thing that destroys us. Talk about irony."
Jura frowned. "I will not ask any questions, for it is not my place to ask any, however, the Sages will not be as understanding. I must ask you to be as genuine as possible, no matter how horrible the truth is."
"I know, I am well aware." said the elder. "There is not a single thing I have to hide now. The cat's out of the bag. Ivan exposed us in every way possible. All I can do now is choose my words wisely."
"What are you going to do now?"
"We can not stay here, or together as it is. I don't want to see my kids in chains because of a mistake they were never even aware of. We will split up."
"You will need to give them a very valid excuse.."
Makarov thought for a moment. "The Games, I will use them. Tell them to get prepared, individually or in small groups."
Jura nodded. "Excellent idea. The Games are in three months and from what I've gathered, they will need some training."
"We need to stay low, for now at least. I will do my part and they will do theirs. We've been gone for seven years, three more months won't make a difference. But not more than that. When we come back, we come back for good."
Jura smiled. "That's just what I wanted to hear, my old friend." he said and left Makarov to himself.
In the other corner of the room, Natsu walked up to Laxus, much to the blonde's surprise.
"Yo." said Natsu "Got a moment?"
Laxus blinked in mild surprise. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"
As the Slayers started to talk, Gajeel watched them from a distance. Being able to pick up a word here and there, he clicked his tongue and looked at his fist.
"I can't stay like this." he muttered to himself, much to Levy's confusion.
Erza watched them as well, as surprised as anyone. Laxus was, much to her shock, an active participant in the conversation, something that wasn't quite common. He was using some gestures that must have helped get his point across, as Natsu's face lit up as he did so.
Smiling under her nose, she shifted her attention back to Lucy, Sherry, and Mira, who were now talking about other guilds.
After an hour of constant talking and catching up, Makarov cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, the kitchen falling deaf within seconds.
"This will be very sudden, but I have an announcement to make." said the elder "In two days we are splitting up into groups. Your goal will be preparing for the Games. Train as hard as you can, brats. In the meantime, I will focus on dealing with the Council. We shall meet three months from the day we leave in Fiore's capital, Crocus."
Erza's eyes narrowed suspiciously, so did Laxus' and Mira's. They knew this decision had a hidden purpose behind it.
"Well, Ultear did say we'll have to train to fully put that Origin thing into use." pondered Gray.
"Two days sounds good." nodded Mira "We should be healed from the procedure and ready for some solid training."
"I guess we should make some groups, then." hummed Cana and looked around the room.
Conversations took over the room once again, groups being formed left and right. Gray walked up to Juvia and cleared his throat, looking away and slightly red on his face.
"If you want I, uh...I could take you with me, to train." he choked out.
Juvia's eyes widened in shock. Soon enough her expression gave in to a smile, as she nodded. "It would be my pleasure." she said cheerfully.
Surprised at her rather composed reaction, Gray breathed out in relief and nodded, smiling as well.
Watching them, Lucy pouted and turned to Erza. "Looks like Gray ditched us." she said, offended. "I guess it's just the three of us."
Erza smiled, troubled. "Actually, I've been thinking about going with Natsu...just the two of us."
Lucy blinked, taken back. "O-oh. I see. Sorry."
Erza quickly raised her hands. "No, it's not like that!" she added apologetically "There's just something I'd like to take care of, that's all."
Lucy smiled. "Relax, there's no need to trouble yourself. I get it." she said, smiling mischievously at the end, which made Erza blush. "I'll go with Cana and Wendy. That okay with you two?" she asked them.
Both girls nodded, which made the blonde happy. Glad that she had a group, she turned to Mirajane.
"What about you?"
"I'll take Elfman and Lisanna, make them grind their Take Over." said the Demon.
On the other side, Gajeel walked up to Levy and put his hand on her head. "You're coming with me." he declared, Lily nodding behind him.
Levy sweatdropped. "I guess I'm not given a choice...again."
"Nope."
Makarov watched his kids get together with a small smile. Laxus walked up to him and leaned down to his ear.
"I know what this is all about, old man." he said "I'm staying with you, whether you like it or not."
The elder scoffed and took a swing from his mug, mumbling something to himself under his mustache. Taking it as a yes, Laxus straightened himself back up and left.
Wendy walked up to Natsu, who was just done agreeing to come with Erza on their training trip.
"Natsu, could I ask you to come with me for a moment?" she asked him shyly "Outside?"
Natsu blinked, surprised. "Sure." he replied shortly and followed her to the door, both of them vanishing into the woods a moment later.
Lucy walked up to Erza and sat beside her. The knight smirked. "Did you encourage her to do it?" she asked her.
"Nope." said Lucy with a small bit of pride. "All of a sudden she declared she's going to talk to him by herself."
Pleasantly surprised, Erza nodded slowly, with Lucy already talking about a different topic.
For the first time since their return, they felt truly at peace. Makarov was back, they were given a chance at a new beginning and they caught up with old friends. Even if briefly, they were given a moment of genuine peace, something they needed dearly.
August 23rd, Fairy Tail's home.
The last two days went by fast, spent on planning, chatting and taking it easy before the next couple months.
As promised, Fairy Tail was now divided into groups and standing before their now former home, with majority of Lamia Scale leaving the day before, Jura being the only one, who stayed.
"I'm not going to bore you with speeches this time. You know the drill." Makarov said to his kids. "Stay safe, don't cause trouble and give your all. We will all meet again in Crocus in three months. It's time to take back what's ours and show those filthy-"
"Master." scolded him Lisanna.
Makarov cleared his throat, embarrassed of losing his cool. "Well...be safe." he choked out.
As the groups said their goodbyes, they went their separate ways.
The Strauss siblings decided to settle down in the mountain chain near Magnolia, where they could polish their physical abilities as much as they wanted to.
Gray and Juvia left North, both of them willing to strengthen their elements.
Cana, Lucy, and Wendy left with no clear goal in their mind, Carla accompanying them as well.
Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily did the same, although Gajeel was envious of Mira and her siblings, or rather their idea.
Erza and Natsu, on the other hand, were both aimed to a location set by Erza, with Natsu not even trying to argue about their destination.
Lucy hugged Erza as hard as she could. "Be safe. Write, if you can. We won't be moving too much." she said into her neck.
"Of course." replied the knight and let go of Lucy to say goodbye to Wendy.
Gray walked up to Natsu and extended his right fist to him. "See you later, flamebrain. Don't do anything stupid."
Natsu smirked and fistbumped his teammate. "You too, pervert."
Gray snorted and walked away to hug Erza.
Once last farewells were exchanged, Fairy Tail split apart completely, Makarov and Thunder Legion being the only ones remaining.
Natsu and Erza cut through the forest straight to Magnolia Station, much to Natsu's dismay. Their destination was Clover Town, a location unknown to the Dragon Slayer.
"If we want to prepare for the Games, I must visit this place." explained the redhead as they walked through the station. "All of my armors are either damaged or destroyed. My regular blacksmith operates there, or at least I hope he still is. We will go there and get my equipment up and ready."
Natsu nodded slowly. "Sounds like a plan." he said "Do you have a goal for after we get there?"
Erza's face dropped a little. "Yes, I do." she said quietly. "There is a place I'd like to visit with you. We'll do it once I drop my things off."
"Sure thing." he said, not picking up the shift in her mood.
A couple minutes later the pair was sitting in a train, Natsu already holding onto a railing with all his might. A few hours and many close calls later, they arrived safely at Clover Town, with what Erza remembered as an obscure station being freshly renovated, workers still lurking around after finishing their job.
The two got off the train and walked out of the station, a big map of the town standing before the exit.
Grateful for it, Erza walked up to the map and took a look, curious whether she still remembered her way around. Natsu, who was still a bit pale, joined her and looked around, also curious.
"Well, is it still here?" he asked her after a moment.
Frowning a bit, Erza bit her lip in mild frustration. His original location was taken by a flower shop, which was not good news in the slightest. Praying that he simply relocated, she looked at every single local and after a while she breathed out in relief.
"Yes, he is." she said with a smile. "He's on the other side of the town now, not too far from here. Let's go."
Half an hour later they found themselves inside the store, a kind looking man greeting them from behind the counter.
"Welcome! How may I...Well, I'll be damned!"
Having recognized Erza, the man walked over the counter to greet her, his hands already extended.
"It is so good to see you again!" he told her with a smile, his hands shaking hers.
"Likewise." replied the redhead. "I was worried you closed shop."
"No, I got a better deal in here." he waved his hands. "Well then, what brings my favorite client to my humble shop after so long?"
Erza nodded and closed her eyes. Suddenly, multiple portals opened, pieces of armors falling all over the store. Soon enough the entire floor was littered with armors, both broken and in pieces. Natsu sweatdropped at the sight.
The blacksmith, on the other hand, was not phased. He looked at the armors and nodded slowly.
"I see." he said slowly. "Looks like you've been quite busy lately."
"You could say that." said flustered Erza.
The man picked up a few pieces of her Flame Empress Armor and watched them closely.
"Yeah, I don't think I will be able to put this thing back together." he said solemnly. "I could merge it back together but it will thinner and I doubt the enchantments will carry on. I think it'd be best to make it from scratch again."
Erza's face dropped. "Is there really no other way?"
"I'm afraid there isn't." sighed the smith. "I can start working on the others, put them back together until they are good as new, but this one will take a long while. I'm going to need some powerful flames for this one."
Erza nodded slowly and sighed. "Very well. If there's nothing to be done..."
"Why don't you use mine?" asked Natsu.
The smith and Erza looked at him, confused. Natsu shifted his eyes between them back and forth, uncomfortable.
"You said you needed flames, I use flames. Would that work?" he repeated.
The blacksmith wondered for a second. "That depends...Are your flames stronger or equally strong as the ones I used for the original?"
"Yes, they definitely are." threw in Erza, her voice still surprised. "He's a Fire Dragon Slayer."
The smith's eyes widened. "Let's get to work." he said shortly and grabbed Natsu's hand, leading him into his forge, much to his shock. He had only a moment to turn around to Erza, who waved him goodbye with a smug smirk on her face.
"All right, lad." said the smith and put Natsu in a spot, before going through one of his chests. He pulled out a massive piece of metal and put it on the ground. "Punch it." he instructed.
Natsu blinked. "What?"
"Use your flames and punch it." repeated the man. "This metal will seal your magic and spread it accordingly."
Natsu looked around the shop. "Are you sure you want me-"
"Son, I know what I'm doing."
Natsu sighed in defeat and readied his pose, his right hand already lit up. He took a deep breath and stepped in, before smashing his fist directly into the metal, a current of wind escaping from the struck place, pots, swords and armors flying all over the room.
Much to his shock, the metal sucked all of his flames in, immediately changing color to scarlet red, yellow cracks pulsating all over its surface.
The blacksmith whistled, impressed. "Damn, boy, that was something. You almost broke the damn thing."
Natsu straightened his posture. "So, now what?"
"Now, this is where my job begins." he said and pulled out a pair of glasses from his chest pocket. "I will shape this metal into an armor for lady Scarlet. Tell her I will prioritize this beauty over the rest. Should be done in three to five days."
"Three to five days...sure." nodded Natsu, but the smith was no longer paying attention to him. Sighing, the Dragon Slayer left the forge and met Erza in the main room, where she was admiring one of the armors from the display.
Noticing him, she turned around. "All done?"
"Yeah, the guy said it should be ready in three to five days."
"Very well. Let us be on our way."
"Where are we going?" asked Natsu and put his backpack on his back.
Erza swallowed hard. "You'll find out soon enough." she said, much to his confusion. Despite that, he respected her wish and did not ask any further questions, as he was now following her out of town in silence.
They walked in silence for a little over an hour, now cutting through the outskirts of a forest.
As they walked, Erza was getting more tense with each passing minute, her breathing hard and irregular. It didn't take Natsu long to figure out she was scared of something, something he couldn't help her, most likely. He could see her turning and looking around, a glimpse of nostalgia written on her face, sometimes with a ghost of a smile. She definitely knew this area, reasons still unknown to the Dragon Slayer.
The knight smiled gently under her nose at the sight of the so familiar boulder, now completely covered with moss. After all these years she's still yet to find a more comfortable spot to have lunch at.
The closer they got, the weirder the feeling in Erza's gut was. She was afraid, that she felt no shame in admitting to, however, it was not fear of what happened that day. It was the fear of how she'd feel when she set her foot there again.
Erza walked up a small cliff and pushed the branches aside, freezing at the sight. Following her in suit, Natsu looked at her curiously and then shifted his eyes forward.
They were now standing above a small, ruined village, small, destroyed and burned houses now completely swallowed by vines, grass as high as their hips flowing gently with the wind.
Erza bit her lip and jumped down the cliff, Natsu right behind her. He landed and started to look around curiously, his nose already at work. It smelled old, dust and wildlife filling up his nostrils.
"What is this place?" he asked as he walked up to one of the houses and put his hand on its wall, his voice a little hoarse from being silent for a long while.
"Rosemary Village." choked out Erza. "I was born and raised here."
Natsu snapped his head at her, shocked. He then looked around, trying to figure the situation in. "So..."
Erza sighed and walked further into the village. "This is the place I was taken from into Tower of Heaven when I was little." she explained. "They came in and killed all the adults. They took all children in as slaves. I was one of them."
Natsu frowned. "Your family?"
Erza shook her head. "I don't remember them well, but they most likely died, either from the flames or swords. One thing I remember is that, as a child, I was very happy. We didn't have much money or luxuries, but everyone lived in joy and peace.
She walked up to an old well and caressed it with her hand. "This used to be a very beautiful place." she said with a nostalgic smile that was meant to mask the pain in her heart. It soon gave in to a sad frown. "Now it's nothing but a ghost."
Natsu walked up to her slowly and looked around again. "I disagree." he said.
The redhead blinked, lost. He locked his eyes with hers. "I don't think it's a ghost at all. Ghosts are usually forgotten, left to themselves, meant to haunt. Yet you're here, again."
Natsu grabbed Erza's hand and gave it a light squeeze, much to her embarrassment, her cheeks growing red in an instant. " You remembered, and you are not afraid of it, so no, it's not a ghost. Not until you make it to be." he continued, his voice slightly nervous due to the action he did a moment earlier. "I think it's still beautiful. It reminds me of Sunspear, the village I am from."
Erza stopped blushing. "Does it really?" she asked, genuinely curious. "
Natsu nodded. "Yeah.". He dragged her by the hand into the center of the village and started to point with his finger. "We also had chains like this one." he said and pointed at a row of houses. "The Chief used to say that it made the village look more organised and looked nicer. And in the center..." he added and dragged her further in. "We had a well at the center of the village, and..."
He continued to ramble about his village with a smile on his face, but Erza didn't listen, at least not fully. She was too busy watching his face with a smile glued to hers. He looked like a kid showing off his home to a friend and she welcomed that with open arms.
"...We didn't have a windmill, though." Natsu finished his monologue and took a deep breath to catch some air. Erza laughed at it and nodded slowly.
"Looks like I win." she hummed playfully.
He looked at her in a mild outrage. "No, you don't. You didn't have fields!"
"We did. They were a bit to the west from here, that's where we got our grains for the mill."
"Bullshit."
Erza chuckled and looked around again in nostalgia. Her feelings of dread were magically gone, now replaced with sentiment and a wish that some things hadn't happened.
After a while of silence, Natsu broke it. "One day, I'll take you to Sunspear." he told Erza. "Then you will see that I was right all along."
The knight raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder. "I will gladly follow you to prove just how wrong you are."
Natsu opened his mouth to argue again, but dropped it with a sigh. He scratched the back of his head and looked around. "Hey, so...Do you want to stay here for a while? While the guy makes your armors?"
Erza froze. "You want to stay here?" she asked him with disbelief.
He shrugged. "Sure. Not everything was burnt down and we'd have some privacy here, to train and all that. Plus, this place is important to you, right? By staying here, we could honor it and liven it up a bit."
She bit her lip, conflicted. On one hand, she'd love to spend a night here again, the one place besides Fairy Tail she could call home. On the other, no matter what they did, some things just wouldn't be the same, even if they tried.
Erza shook her head, frustrated with herself. This was just another step that had to be made to move forward, both as a person and an adult.
"Very well." she said, finally. "We will stay here for a few days."
Natsu grinned and grabbed his backpack. "All right, I'm gonna start unpacking, then." he declared and started to pull out their sleeping bags and water bottles. "Wanna train once I'm done with this?" he asked her in the middle of unrolling his bag.
Erza blinked. "I'd love to, but all my armors are in repairs, I don't think we'd get much progress like this."
Natsu grinned. "You still have your fists, right?"
"I really don't think it is a good idea to start with that, we're still not fully healed."
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Your losing streak would probably increase again if we did, my bad."
Erza's eyebrow twitched. "I'm not childish enough to consider sparring match wins something worthy of boasting about-"
"Sure, whatever you say, zero."
Erza threw her bag to the ground and unbuckled her belt, her sword dropping to the ground. "Put up your fists. Right now."
Grinning, Natsu put down his things and stood up, raising his fists. "Whenever you're ready." he said, as Erza dashed at him as fast as she could, their training session already started.
An hour later Erza found herself rolling on the ground. She stopped after a few meters underneath a tree and simply plopped onto her back, her limbs scattered around like a starfish. Her breathing was hard and hair messy. She Requipped out of her armor into her regular clothes and bit her lip in frustration.
"Still too sloppy..." she cursed herself under her breath.
Natsu walked up to her and sat down next to her figure, massaging his jaw.
"That last hit was really nice." he praised her. "Still, looks like seven has just turned into eight."'
"Go to hell."
Natsu snickered and looked into the now orange sky, the sun slowly settling in behind the hills.
"That thing the time chick did, it's really working." he said, serious. "I've never had this much trouble with you, as far as sparrings go."
Erza nodded slowly. "Yes, I can definitely feel progress, however, it is up to us to make the best out of the opportunity that was given to us. We must polish our bodies to draw out the most potential out of Second Origin."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I know."
Erza looked at him. "This reminds me – what were you talking with Laxus about the other day?"
"You'll see soon enough." he told her with a grin, much to her annoyance. Dropping the subject, the redhead sat up and looked at the sky.
After a few minutes of silence, Erza took a deep breath and turned over to face Natsu. "Natsu, we need to talk." she told him, her voice slightly shaky.
The Dragon Slayer blinked and looked at her. "Sure, what's up?"
Erza took a sharp breath again. "It's about what you said on the island. You know, before..."
Natsu paled. "Oh...oh, that." he choked out and cleared his throat.
"Yes. You see..." mumbled the knight, her face growing red.
She was stopped by Natsu's hand being held before her face. "Stop." he said.
Erza blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?" she asked.
"There's something I have to confess to you." he said, his face matching hers. "I, uh...That day, I...I wasn't asleep. In the house, that is."
Erza blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Only then did her mind register what he said, her face now matching her hair color.
"Y-you were awake?!" she squeaked in embarrassment.
Natsu nodded, also blushing. "I, uh… didn't know how to react or respond, just like now. I don't really know what to do, I've never been good at this human interactions thing..."
He took a deep breath of bravery and grabbed her hand, as gently as he could. He moved in a bit closer, her eyes shifting to meet his on their own.
"But I do know one thing." he said quietly. "You are the first person in years around whom I feel genuinely alive, someone I can truly trust. Sometimes I feel like my old self resurfaces when I'm with you and at first it freaked me out...but not anymore."
The knight smiled dearly and squeezed his hand back. "I feel the same." she said softly.
Natsu nodded a few times and cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. "Lucy gave me some tips on what to do in a situation like this and, uh...I'm out of tips right now."
Erza laughed. "Of course she did." she said. Her face then dropped in a matter of a second. "Wait, she knows?"
"Yeah, her and Gray heard you talking to me that day." said Natsu bluntly, not taking the weight of the situation in.
Erza blushed again and started to mumble something under her nose, something even he couldn't pick up.
Natsu snorted in amusement and grabbed her hand again to get her attention. "So, uh...Wanna give it one more chance?" he asked upon getting it. "You know, third time a charm?"
Erza laughed out loud. "You finally got a saying right." she said, amused, which grew even bigger when he repeated what she said in a mocking tone.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down and gave Erza's hand one more, final squeeze.
"I love you." he declared, his voice clear and audible.
Erza smiled widely and squeezed his hand back.
"I love you, too." she said with confidence.
As both mages leaned forward, they weren't exactly sure what they were doing, neither of them familiar with the procedure. They did know one thing – that it was something they were both sure of, no regrets lingering in their hearts.
The wind flowed gently through their hair and the leaves above their head, their gentle noise carrying over the plain like a melody, and as the sun has finally hid behind the hills, Erza and Natsu kissed gently underneath the tree, lost in the moment.
They weren't sure what the future held for them, or how their now crossed paths would unfold, however, they did know one thing.
That they were no longer alone in this world.
End of Chapter 35. To be continued in Chapter 36: Crocus.