Chapter 37

Reunion

"Dad?" Alu said softly, her voice getting stronger.

"Alu?" Natsu's inhaled sharply.

Alu squirmed a little under the covers as she tried to wake up. Natsu immediately scrambled over to her left side and picked her up in his arms.

"Dad?" Alu moaned, feeling that she had been moved. "Is that you?"

"Yes!" Natsu exhaled deeply, placing his hand against his daughter's cheek. "Yes Alu, I'm right here! I've got you!"

Finally, with a great deal of effort, Alu slowly opened her eyes. They were no longer cyan and Dragon-like. They had reverted back to the dark green they had always been since birth.

Alu had to blink a few times to help clear her fuzzy vision. She felt her face pressed up against something warm, and she felt two strong arms wrapped around her in a loving and protective way. The moment her world came into focus; she saw that she was looking straight into her father's face. As if wanting to make sure she wasn't dreaming, Alu reached her left hand up and lightly touched her the scar on Natsu's right cheek with her fingers. When she was sure he was real, she placed the rest of her hand on the side of his face.

There was no denying it this time.

Her father was back. He was here.

Alu's heart melted with overwhelming relief and joy.

"Dad." Alu said as tears brimmed her eyes. "You're back."

"Yeah," Natsu nodded, "thanks to you. You were amazing."

Alu paused for a moment as she tried to fight back the urge to cry. But it was too great for her to contain. As if suddenly finding the strength to move again, Alu sat up and quickly flung her arms around her father as far as they could go and embraced him. Natsu also tightened his arms around her with fatherly love and protection.

His daughter was alive. She was alive and safe in his arms.

Alu was so consumed with emotion that she sobbed uncontrollably and tears spilled from her eyes. Trembling, she clutched at her father's jacket and dug her face into his chest, treasuring his warmth and soaking up his scent. She clung to him tighter with each sob, as if afraid that he would vanish at any second.

"I'm sorry, Dad!" she cried. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

"It's okay, Alu," Natsu said soothingly, rubbing her back. "Everything's fine now. Just calm down. It's okay."

Those words that Natsu spoke were meant for comfort, but they only made Alu cry even harder with guilt. She just couldn't understand why her father wasn't angry with her. He should be, after what she did to get him into this mess. And for some reason, she felt even worse that he didn't show any signs of fury towards her. She felt that she deserved his anger this time. But Natsu wasn't feeling any shred of it.

Why? Why wasn't he angry with her? Alu couldn't understand it.

"H-How can you forgive me so easily?!" Alu wailed. "I-I put you and Mom in danger! All of F-Fairy Tail! Everyone! I-I'd thought you'd b-be furious with me!"

Natsu placed a hand behind Alu's head and let her hair fall over his fingers.

"That wasn't your fault, Alu." he said sincerely. "And I was never angry with you. Neither was your mother. We were just worried that you had lost your way."

"I did lose my way." Alu admitted, finally being honest with herself. "I was s-so afraid of being weak I endangered all of you. I pretended to be tough because…I was really s-scared this whole time, but I was too afraid to show it. I was scared of b-being weak…that I lost s-sight of myself. A-All the times I lashed out at everyone…all the times I pretended not to care…when really…all I wanted to do was just break down and cry."

"Then cry." Natsu said caringly. "If you need to, I won't stop you. Just let it all out."

Although Natsu hated to see people cry, he also understood that there were times where they just had to get their emotions out. And this was one of those times. The best he could do the help right now was to let Alu know that he was here for her.

Alu nuzzled her face against her father's shoulder, her tears soaking his coat. But Natsu didn't care. He welcomed them. They were just another reminder that his daughter was alive.

"I made so many big mistakes." Alu moaned. "I was so selfish and I hurt those close to me. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I can't even say how sorry I am right now."

"I told you, Alu, that wasn't your fault." Natsu consoled. "You just got mixed up in Ivan's plans."

"But he used me to get to you." Alu replied guiltily. "And…and I almost gave up. When Ivan stole your soul, I…I just wanted to give up and hide. I almost threw it all away. I almost turned and ran like some coward."

Slowly, Natsu gently pushed his daughter only arms-length away so that they could look at each other. He still held onto her shoulders. Alu hung her head for a moment, ashamed to look her father in the eye.

"But you didn't," he said, his voice was low and full of warmth. "You got back up and faced him."

Alu forced herself to look up. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that Natsu was smiling a proud smile that was directed at her.

"And did it on your own," he said. "You stood up and faced your fear instead of lying down and surrendering. A lesser person like Ivan would've done that. But you stood your ground and fought back, just like I knew you would. And in doing that, you found your true self. You're more of yourself now then you were before. You've become an amazing wizard. And I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you. I'm so proud of my little girl."

Alu's heart skipped a beat and her eyes shimmered. Those were the exact words she wanted to hear from her father for such a long time. And this time, they didn't feel incomplete and hollow as they might have been if she was her old self. But now that she was her true self, those words rang in her head like bells of hope and stirred around in her chest. The void that had in her heart for so long had seemed to have disappeared, and she felt more alive than she had before.

Finally, Alu smiled and lowered her head. Trails of tears continued to fall from her eyes, but she didn't care. These were new tears of joy and happiness.

She leaned back into her father and embraced him again, closing her eyes and nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. Natsu hugged her again in return.

"I love you, Dad." Alu said softly.

"I love you, too, kiddo."

For a moment, father and daughter sat in the quietness of the infirmary in a cherishing embrace.

It was only interrupted when they heard a voice come from the doorway.

"Alu! You're awake!"

Natsu and Alu both looked up in time to see Lucy come running back in. Natsu let his daughter go just as he wife reached them and threw her arms around the pink-haired girl in a tight embrace. She then placed her hands on Alu's face and smothered her with motherly kisses. Alu couldn't help but laugh as the kisses tickled her. Lucy then embraced her daughter again, and Alu hugged her mother as tightly as she could, feeling her tears returning once again. She then nuzzled her face against her mother's shoulder and smiled, and Lucy stroked Alu's hair.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lucy breathed with relieved joy. "Thank goodness you're okay! I was so worried!"

"Oh, Mom!" Alu said through a teary voice. "I'm sorry worried you! I didn't mean to cause so much trouble!"

"I know, sweetheart." Lucy said gently. "It's okay. It's over now. I'm just glad you're both okay."

"Well," Natsu shrugged, "we wouldn't be if it wasn't for Alu."

Natsu then reached out and placed a hand on his wife's shoulder to get her attention. Lucy turned to look at him, which made Alu do the same thing. They saw that he was grinning his signature goofy grin.

"I think we did good with this one, Lu," he said proudly.

Lucy giggled and smiled at the statement, and Alu bashfully shrunk back with a small blush coming over her cheeks.

"Besides," Natsu continued, "I wouldn't say her quest was for nothing. In fact, she's got a present for ya, Lucy."

Natsu reached over to the nightstand and grabbed Alu's Celestial Keys. The then handed them to his daughter and winked at her. Alu understood the message and immediately took her Keys. She quickly looked through them until she found what she was looking for.

By the time Lucy looked back at Alu, she had already taken a key off of her key chain and was displaying in the palms of her hands.

Lucy gasped in surprise and cupped her hands over her mouth when she saw which Key it was.

It was Aquarius's Key. It wasn't broken anymore. It was made good as new.

"This is why I left, Mom." Alu explained humbly. "I wanted to repair Aquarius's Key for you. And I wanted it to be a surprise. I promise, I was gonna come home as soon as it was fixed."

Alu then offered the Key to Lucy.

"Here, it's yours again," she said.

Lucy paused for a moment or two, still trying to take this all in. She smiled at the sight of Aquarius's repaired key before slowly reached out with her right hand to retrieve it. However, just as she was about to take it, she recoiled her hand slightly in hesitation. After a second or two, she brought both of her hands up and gently made Alu curl her fingers around the Key before pushing it back towards her. Confused, Alu looked up at her mother for an answer.

"Thank you, Alu." Lucy said lovingly. "I really do appreciate this. But you went through all the pain and hard work to repair this key, not me. Any Celestial Wizard who does that is more than worthy to have this key. So, I pass it onto you. This is your key now."

Alu stared at her mother with surprise. There was no doubt about what she was seeing. That was pride shimmering in Lucy's eyes. And it was pride that was directed at her. Alu's smile grew even bigger. She clutched Aquarius's Key close to her heart for a moment before reaching out to hug her mother again.

Lucy responded by hugging Alu back with warm, loving arms. Natsu then moved to wrap his arms around his wife and daughter like they were a shield. Alu felt his embrace and adjusted her arm so what she could hug both her parents. She felt safe, warm, and loved. Something she hadn't felt in ages.

At last, for the first time in a long time, the three felt like a family again.

After that tender moment, Natsu, Lucy and Alu all pulled away from each other. It was only now that Alu realized that she wasn't inside Mount Zonia anymore. She was so focused on her parents that she didn't realize she was resting in a soft bed in an infirmary. She blinked and looked around, trying to figure out just where they were.

Natsu seemed to sense her confusion and immediately answered.

"We're in the Sabertooth Guild's hospital," he explained. "It was the closest place for Draco to warp us to."

"Sabertooth?" Alu whispered.

That name then reminded her something. With a jolt and a gasp, she remembered that she still had Yukino's soul inside her. As soon as she thought about said wizard, she looked over to her right and saw Yukino resting just three beds down from her.

She needed her soul back.

Alu immediately sprang into action and threw the covers off of her, surprising both Natsu and Lucy. She swung her legs over the side and tried to stand up. However, she became disoriented and swayed. She stumbled forward and caught herself on the bed next to her.

"Alu!" Lucy exclaimed, leaping up to assist her daughter.

"I-I'm okay." Alu said quickly. "I just got a little dizzy. Must've stood up too fast."

"Don't push yourself." Natsu replied. "You're not fully recovered yet."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Alu said, slowly standing up. "I need to return Yukino's soul."

Without another word, Alu strapped her Celestial Keys back around her waist and carefully made her way over to Yukino's bed, with Natsu and Lucy following close behind her. When Alu reached Yukino, she stood on the right side of the bed and looked down. Just like Natsu was when his soul was stolen, Yukino was ash pale and cold. At this point, she looked like she really was dead.

Of course, Alu was going to change that.

Alu removed the sheets just enough to expose Yukino's chest. The Celestial Wizard still in her usual white dress. Alu then brought both her hands up to her chest and gently pulled out a glowing blue orb.

"Time to go home, Yukino," she whispered kindly to it.

Alu lowered both her hands and carefully pushed Yukino's soul back into her body. The moment she did, Yukino's skin immediately changed from ash pale to healthy white. Her chest began to rise and fall with strong breaths. As soon as Alu removed her hands, Yukino winced and slowly began to open her golden brown eyes.

Lucy smiled brightly when she saw her fellow Celestial Wizard wake up and turn to look at the three of them.

"I'm back." Yukino whispered in a weak voice. She then looked up at Alu. "Thank you, Alu. Thank you."

Alu smiled modestly.

"I'm just glad I could do something right," she said.

Lucy came over and took one of Yukino's hands in her own.

"Oh, Yukino," she whispered, "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Glad to see you, too, Lucy." Yukino replied, gently clasping onto Lucy's hand. "And I'm so glad to be back."

Natsu just gave one hearty laugh before rushing to the open door of the infirmary. He grabbed the frame of the door and leaned out into the hallway. From there, he shouted at the top of his voice with great enthusiasm.

"HEY, ROGUE! GET YOU'RE BUTT IN HERE! YUKINO'S AWAKE! SHE'S AWAKE!"

No sooner did Natsu move away from the door that heavy footsteps began running towards the infirmary at a fast pace. In just a few seconds, the Shadow Dragon Slayer appeared in the doorway. It was obvious to see that the moment he heard Yukino was awake, he wasted no time getting to where she was. Yukino turned her head to see Rogue standing in the door way. His visible eye was wide and he panted heavily.

The second the two made eye-contact, Rogue bolt across the infirmary and Yukino reached out her arms for him. Before the white-haired woman even had time to sit up, Rogue slammed into her and embraced her tightly. Yukino gasped from the shock of it before wrapping her arms around Rogue, and holding onto him for dear life.

"Yukino!" Rogue said shakily. "You're alright! You're alright! I…I'm so sorry! I should've been there!"

"No, it's alright." Yukino whispered with reassurance. "It's not your fault. And it's over now. Everything's fine."

Rogue lifted himself up for a moment so that he and Yukino could look at each other. They smiled as they stared into each other's eyes, seeing the joy of being reunited reflected in each of them. There was no need for apology, silent or spoken. Yukino's eyes glimmered with forgiveness, even though she knew that Rogue didn't even need it. She just wanted to assure him that she didn't blame him for what happened. Rogue saw it and felt a warm glow in his chest.

Either way, Yukino was back. That was all that mattered.

Rogue then brought his hands to Yukino's face. Gently, he moved it and kissed her on the lips. The two of them closed their eyes and cherished the warmth it brought them as it flooded through them. It revived Yukino from her long soulless state even more, and she wrapped her arms tighter around the man she loved.

Natsu, who had been watching the whole thing along with Lucy and Alu, walked over to his wife and wrapped one arm around her waist. Lucy responded to the action by moving in closer and to hug him with one arm. The two then looked at each other before sharing a quick kiss.

Alu smiled warmly at the scene before her. Seeing her parents back together, as well as Rogue and Yukino reunited, made her realize that she managed to do something right in the end. She had started out on her quest with selfish intentions, even if she didn't admit it then. But in the end, she abandoned those intentions. In doing so, she found her true strength and courage. To care for others and to fight for them, that was what she had forgotten for a long time.

But now the result of her efforts was right in front of her, and it was heart-warming.

After Natsu and Lucy pulled away from each other, Lucy gently took him by the hand.

"C'mon," she said. "Minerva and some other members of the guild are making a feast for everyone, and we're invited."

"Sounds good to me." Natsu grinned.

"Yeah, me too." Alu nodded.

The three Dragneels all turned to exit the infirmary. They knew that they didn't have to wait for Rogue and Yukino. After their time apart, those two needed some time together. However, as Alu turned to look back, she saw Rogue lift himself up, help Yukino sit up, and then reach for something in his left pocket and pull something out. It looked like a little velvet box. Alu stopped behind the side of the doorway and peeked around to see what was happening.

Without speaking a single word, Rogue got down on one knee and opened the box. Inside it was a shining silver ring. A smile slowly grew across Alu's face as Rogue took Yukino's left hand and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Yukino's eyes filled with heartfelt tears and smiled happily. She then nodded in a silent response. Rogue smiled in return and sat on the side of her bed. There, the Dragon Slayer pulled the Celestial Wizard into his arms, and she snuggled up against his chest.

"Oh, how sweet!" Alu said in her mind.

"Hey, Alu!" Natsu called. "You comin'?!"

Alu jolted a little at the sudden call and turned to see both Natsu and Lucy looking back at her. She immediately set out in a light jog towards them. As soon as she reached them, they began to walk down the hall towards the main part of the Sabertooth Guild.

It was then that Natsu and Lucy felt something warm grab their hands. They both looked down to see Alu walking between them, holding each of their hands in hers.

"Mom, Dad," she said softly. "Thank you, for everything. I am glad that you're my parents in this life."

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other. They weren't expecting that. But they both smiled as the sentiment touched them both.

"And we're glad to have you as our daughter." Natsu said with sincerity.

Alu looked up at her father and smiled brightly. Those weren't a lot of words, but they spoke volumes.

They were now a family again.