Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

This fic is rated M for a reason.

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

The first rays of light announced the dawn of a new day, slowly waking the habitants of a small house in the middle of the forest.

Stirring up, Ur fought the last vestiges of sleep and willed herself to rise so she could be at her daughter's side. Splashing some water into her face, Ur got ready to start the day and went directly to her daughter's room. Not wanting to disturb her sleep just yet, Ur tiptoed her way inside, only to find an empty bed.

"Ultear? Ultear!" Ur called out while she frantically searched all over the room for her missing daughter. In her state, there was no chance that she might have gone by herself. This left only one option:

"Someone took her!"

Fearing the worst, Ur left the house to go in search of her daughter when she noticed someone already outside; without her cloak and with her back to her, Ultear watched the sunrise, oblivious of the person behind her.

"Ultear?"

As Ultear turned around, Ur could see that her only daughter was looking so much better and, if her eyes were not deceiving her, she had recovered her eyesight.

With a smile on her face, Ultear greeted her: "Mom, I'm glad to see you again."

Tearing up, Ur embraced her daughter in a heartwarming hug while the latter returned the affection also with tears streaming down her face. The dark times above them were finally over, and now mother and daughter could finally be properly reunited.

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Ur smiled with tears running down her cheeks, act mimicked by Ultear.

"D-Don't cry mom...sob... I'm alright. Everything's ok now."

"I'm not crying…sob…you are." Ur said with a smile from side to side.

From her house, Porlyusica watched the touching reunion and couldn't help but feel glad for them, well, also because she could finally kick them out of her house, but mostly glad for them. Even when word hadn't reached Fairy Tail yet, Porlyusica knew who was to thank for that.

"Makarov, those brats of yours did it again."

Deciding to give them some privacy, the hermit retreated back to her home while mother and daughter continued their embrace.

Without breaking the embrace, Ur said to her daughter.

"Ultear."

"Yes mom?"

"Do you have to dress so provocatively?"

Chapter 37: Wedding Bells

Far from Magnolia, Team Natsu was also rising to the new day. While some had a pleasant sleep, others couldn't stop thinking about those dreams they had during the night.

Ever since waking up, Erza felt…different; physically, she was fine, but deep down she couldn't help but feel like something changed during the night. Not to mention that dream she had with Mystogan where she and the Edolas mage slowly got closer and closer…

Turning several shades of red, Erza shook her head to clear her mind and decided to wake the others. Once they were done with their mission, she would make sure to write down her dream for future analysis.

On another tent, Gray was having a similar feeling. The ice mage dreamed he had a rematch against Juvia, just like when they first met during the war with Phantom lord, but what really occupied his thoughts was the feeling of knowing that Ultear was back to normal.

"Gray, get up." Erza's voice reached his ears, prompting the ice mage to exit his tent. Fortunately, he made sure he was wearing his boxers before going outside, a thing Erza was glad since Wendy was already up. "Can you go wake Natsu?"

Erza pointed to Natsu's tent while she grabbed some rations for a light breakfast. Wanting to get over with it, Gray went straight to Natsu's tent and kicked it "Oi! Flame head, get up!"

"I think Lisanna and Angel are there as well" Wendy piped in, cautioning Gray to be more careful or else face the wrath of those two girls.

Grumbling, Gray poked his head inside the tent, and as expected, Natsu was sleeping peacefully with both girls tangled in his arms.

"Flame breath, wake up!" Seeing no response from the slayer, Gray tossed him a ball of snow to his face to get the job done, but to his surprise, Natsu didn't even flinch.

Not achieving his goal, Gray shook Natsu, but the pink head was still in dreamland "Seriously, how can he sleep this much?" Deciding to wake Lisanna first then, Gray started to get worried when the girl seemed unresponsive to his calls as well. "What the…? Hey! Get Up!"

"What's wrong?" By now, Erza and Lucy went to see what was all the commotion in Natsu's tent, only to find the ice mage viciously shaking Natsu "Gray, what's wrong?"

"I don't know" Gray shook Angel with no results "They are not getting up, something's wrong with them."

Erza checked on Natsu and noticed that the dragon slayer's symptoms looked eerily familiar. While she shook him, the scarlet haired mage tried to remember where she had seen this before when it hit her; they were the same symptoms Natsu showed after eating Etherion. It was probably the same with Lisanna and Angel due to the bond they shared.

Calling Wendy to heal them, the young wind dragon slayer was unsuccessful despite her best attempts, forcing Erza to order a retreat back to Magnolia. Something had definitely happen overnight.

"Oww, my head" slowly returning to the real world, Natsu found himself in one of the infirmary beds at the guild. Reaching through the bond, the slayer was pleased to sense Lisanna and Angel nearby, which he confirmed by turning right and seeing both girls sound asleep in separate beds.

Relieved, Natsu dropped his head back to the pillow and started reminiscing what Astria told him before vanishing.

"You gave us quite a scare."

Natsu looked to his right to find Makarov sitting next to his bed, smoking his pipe with one hand.

"Old man, what happened? Wait! Were's Ultear? Is she…"

"She's fine" The diminutive wizard replied, alleviating Natsu "Porlyusica calls it nothing short of a miracle. Don't know why, but something tells me you three are to thank for her recovery."

"Got that right!" Natsu grins in response, earning a small smile from Makarov.

"While you were out, Porlyusica checked you. She told us your magic core was dangerously low on magic, she also mentioned something about a foreign magic entering your system."

"That's Vergil's doing. He helped us in our fight."

"Vergil? Well, he didn't say anything about it." Makarov scratched his chin.

"WHAT!? Vergil already woke up?" Natsu exclaimed "Then why didn't he say anything about the fight!?"

"Woke up? Fight?" Makarov was lost "He hasn't said anything about that."

"Damn Vergil" Natsu thought before asking "How long was I out?"

"One day" Makarov's answer surprised Natsu. As they spoke, the occupants of the next bed were starting to stir up.

"Only one day?" From past experience, Natsu knew he usually lasts 3 days unconscious after eating a foreign magic like etherion. The fact that he only lasted one day unconscious put Natsu to think. "Am I getting stronger?"

"NATSU!" Twin blurs of platinum white tackled Natsu, unknowingly (or purposively) smothering him with their assets. It was safe to say that both girls were relieved to see he was alright after their blackout when they defeated Deimos.

Wiping the blood from his nose, Makarov interrupted their show of affection: "Now that the three of you are up, why don't you tell us everything."

"Before that" Natsu's stomach growled in protest "can we eat first?"

Lisanna laughed lightly at her fiancée's antics when her stomach repeated the same sound, followed by Angel's.

"Guess we're all a bit hungry" Lisanna said with a small blush of embarrassment.

After getting a bite to eat, the trio told Makarov, Gildarts and Jellal everything concerning Deimos and their contribution to his defeat. If they were dealing with someone else, Makarov would have ordered a full psychiatric evaluation, but they knew that their story was real.

"Just as we feared; Deimos changed the timeline" Jellal said after hearing their story. "Fortunately for us, you three stopped him."

"We'll, we are to thank you, for saving the world and all that" Gildarts added before ruffling their heads "Good job you three!"

"But why would Astria suddenly decide to restore everything just like that?" Makarov asked no one in particular "It doesn't make sense"

Natsu remained quiet as he remembered Astria's words:

"You must become stronger, so you can achieve what I have failed to do."

"Who knows?" Natsu flashed him his trademark grin, but deep down he also wondered it himself. Lisanna and Angel felt Natsu was holding something back, but they decided to ask him about it later.

"Putting all that aside, Crime Sorciere are forever in your debt for helping Ultear. Thank you." Jellal extended his hand to Natsu, but was disappointed when the slayer seemed on guard. The memories of the deranged Siegrain still fresh in his head.

After a moment, Natsu finally grasped the offered hand. "No problem! Even when she's not part of Fairy Tail, Ultear's a Nakama. Besides; wouldn't want droopy eyes to be moping around."

"What do you mean by that?" Gildarts got suspicious.

"I guess we will now start checking that thing with the grand games, right Jellal?" Angel swiftly changed the subject.

Getting the message, Jellal added: "That's right! Now that everything's back to normal, I think we can now focus on that other situation at the magic games."

"Nice save" Lisanna whispered to Angel seeing that Gildarts forgot about his question. "But first, we have a more important matter to attend to" Lisanna informed them as she looked at her fiancée.

"We have a wedding in our hands."

While the preparations for the wedding were going on, Gray faced his own dilemma:

The first thing the ice mage did when he returned (asides making sure Natsu, Lisanna and Angel were not in danger) was to go see Ultear, and while he was immensely relieved to see that she had recovered completely, Gray was still cautious on how to approach her. It's not that he was starting to have second thoughts about their relationship, what worried him was how to handle their relationship while, at the same time, being in his 'other' relationship with the guild master's daughter and longtime friend; Cana Alberona.

For one side, he and Cana went a long way back; they've been friends since first joining the guild, and over time that friendship evolved into something more. Sure, Gray was oblivious of her interest in him at first, but after some time he started seeing her in the same light. It was a rocky road at first, he admitted, but soon enough they were on the same page.

On the other hand, with Ultear it was different, in a good way; At first, she and Gray fought as enemies, but after learning of her past and sealing her darkness, Gray saw Ultear in a different light. After returning from Tenrou Island, the two of them encountered each other once more but this time not as enemies, but as a woman who only wished to be loved. Maybe their relationship progressed too fast, but both of them knew it was a serious one.

Thinking about all that made Gray want to put a smile on his face, but he quickly discarded the idea since right now he was face to face with the two girls that occupy his thoughts. And by the looks they were giving him, Gray knew one thing:

"This is how I die"

"Gray, we need to talk" Cana said seriously while Ultear nodded.

Sighing, Gray started: "Ok, listen, before you say anything, let me just say…"

"Zip it!" Cana interrupted him "We know what you're going to say"

"No you don't! What I want to say is…"

"Gray, really, we know" This time Ultear was the one who interrupted him mid speech.

"Can I please say what I'm going to say?"

"NO!" Ultear and Cana said at the same time.

Giving up, Gray allowed them to speak first.

"Gray, we know you want to break up with us" Ultear spoke first and before he could say something, she raised her hand to stop him "Please, let me say what I have to say first."

"Will you let me speak already" Gray sighed but agreed.

"I kinda eavesdrop on you when you said that and so, after knowing what you were going to do, I went to Ultear and told her about your decision." Cana said.

"And after talking for a long time, we came to an agreement… of sorts" Ultear added.

"No way!" By how this conversation was going, it seemed like his relationship with these two beautiful women was going to turn into something like just like Natsu's. Gulping, Gray asked "A-And you both agreed on…?"

"We mutually agreed on letting you choose which one of us you're going to stay with."

"Wait, what?" The smile that threatened to sketch itself into Gray's face vanished "Could you repeat that?"

"Wipe those dirty thoughts from your head, honey." Cana flashed him a fake smile. "There's no way I'm sharing you with anyone, so don't even think of some sort of harem like Natsu's. Got that?"

"Gray, I'm not letting go of you that easy." Ultear said to him.

"WE are not letting you go" Cana corrected Ultear "You're worth the fight Gray…so it's up to you to decide which one of us you're going to end up with."

"I…I see" was Gray's only response.

Cana then approached Gray and passionately kissed him, as if making a point to Ultear. As the kiss dragged on, the Crime Sorciere mage wanted nothing more than to freeze Cana in a giant block of ice, but remembered the agreement of no violence between them while they compete for Gray's affection. Sucking up, Ultear was forced to watch the painful display before her.

After a long moment (that felt like an eternity for Ultear) Cana separated from Gray "I know you'll make the right choice."

Ultear glared daggers at Cana, who smugly left the two alone for the time being. The card mage knew full well of the hardships Ultear recently went through and decided to give her some alone time with her Gray, if only this once.

"Glad to see you enjoyed that." Ultear said drily

"Yeah…I mean! Sorry" Gray shook his head and gave Ultear his full attention "Ultear, listen, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Gray, I've already told you; I'm not going to let go of you." Reaching out to him, Ultear embraced him "No matter what, I'll stay by your side. Even if that means accepting…" Ultear struggled to form the words "…other women in your life."

"I'm not worth it." Gray replied "You should look for someone who is worthy of your…"

Ultear materialized her sword and poked his ribs "Finish that sentence, and it will be your last" Gulping, Gray furiously nodded, satisfying Ultear with his answer.

"Gray, I Love You, get that through that thick head of yours"

"Y-you…you love me?" Gray asked before giving her his answer "I think, no; I love you too, Ultear."

To reaffirm their statement, Ultear kissed him with such passion that put Cana's kiss to shame. When the need of air was too much, the lovers separated while Ultear snuggled into his embrace "I finally found what I was looking for, and no one will ever take that away from me."

"Are you ok with this?"

"Why not? They are old enough to make their own decisions" Ur answered Gildarts as they watched the interaction of their progeny with the ice mage.

"Guess you're right" Gildarts replied "I'm not one to talk after all the wrong choices I've made that affected Cana." The master of Fairy Tail reminisced about the time he lost Cornelia, Cana's mother, because he was so fixated in doing missions instead of staying at her side.

"We have all made mistakes" Ur added, remembering how she blindly believed in Brain's promises to cure Ultear and, in doing so, lost her only daughter to darkness. But after seeing her so happy with Gray, made Ur feel better "Then again, I have to thank my dumb student for sealing my daughter's darkness."

"Perhaps he was there for Cana when I wasn't" Gildarts added as an afterthought. Reaching a decision he said: "Fine! I'll leave it to Cana to make her own choice of who she wants to be with."

"Same here" Ur couldn't help but smile at the sight of her daughter and student together.

"Who says he'll pick her?" Gildarts asked "If he's going to pick one, it's going to be Cana."

"As if!" Ur faced Gildarts "Gray might be dumb, but I know he's going to make the right choice, and that is staying with Ultear."

"Wanna bet?" Gildarts challenged.

"You're on!"

Gray and Ultear sweat dropped after hearing the two of them arguing.

"Don't they know we can hear them?" Gray asked.

"Who cares, let's just get out of here." Ultear said after the embarrassment of hearing her mother betting on something like this.

For the next couple of days, all of Fairy Tail helped prepare everything for the wedding of one Natsu Dragneel and one Lisanna Strauss. It wasn't often when a ceremony such as this happened in the guild, so everyone gave it their best to make sure everything was perfect.

Crime Sorciere decided to stick around and help in what they could, mostly so they could prepare team Natsu for when the grand games came, but also so they could catch up with a long lost mother (in Ultear's case) or to rekindle with a friend from their childhood days (In Jellal's case). Meredy was just glad her adoptive mother was happy and on the plus side she could spend time with her friend, Juvia.

As for the bride to be; Lisanna started noticing how Natsu seemed distant sometimes.

He acted like usual, getting into fights with Gray, challenging Gildarts or Vergil, but even when he seemed cheerful as always, the petite girl couldn't shake the feeling that her dragon slayer was hiding something. One minute he was with her, and the next he seemed like a million years away.

"Anything?" Angel sat next to Lisanna at the bar. Like her, the celestial mage also noticed the distant look in Natsu's eyes from time to time.

Lisanna shook her head "Every time I ask about it, Natsu changes the subject. Angel, I'm worried about him."

"You're not the only one" Angel added "He won't tell me anything and Vergil doesn't seem to know much about it either. That or he simply doesn't care."

"But he was inside Natsu!" Lisanna's outburst shocked Macao, Vijeteer and Warren, who were nearby "Ok! I know how that sounded, but that's not what I meant!"

While the three mages left, Angel continued "Vergil said that he left Natsu's mind when Astria dispelled Deimos, and after that he just woke up back in his real body."

"Something happened between Natsu and that woman, but why won't he tell us." Lisanna sighed; the wedding was only 3 days from now and with each day that passed by, Natsu seemed farther and farther from her.

Angel gave her a sympathetic look "Well, I'll leave it all in your hands for now."

"Wait, What?" Lisanna was dumbstruck "Where are you going?"

"I have a job to take care of. " Angel said and then grabbed the backpack that she brought with her. "Relax; I'll be back on time for the wedding."

This didn't seem to ease Lisanna, but she relented. "Fine, but you better come back soon."

"Don't worry, I will."

Meanwhile, with the groom:

"Oi Mira! We're gonna take this job!" An excited Natsu waved a sheet before her future sister in law.

"Aye!"

With an ever present smile on her face, Mira grabbed the offered sheet "Alright Natsu, just let me register it and you're good to go!"

"Hey, can I tag along?" Lucy asked after overhearing them.

"Sorry Luce, it's only for two mages." Natsu said pointing to himself and Happy.

The celestial mage was taken back a bit "Oh, alright, maybe next one then."

"Sure!" Natsu replied with a grin. The Exceed seemed like he wanted to say something, but remained quiet about it. "Well, see ya later!"

"Yeah, later." Lucy watched the two of them leave with a thoughtful look. Ever since joining Fairy Tail, Natsu had always gone on jobs with her, the team or with Lisanna and Angel, which struck her as odd.

As if reading her mind, Mira said to her: "They've been going on jobs by themselves for the last few days."

"Why do you think is that?"

"I don't know" Mira confessed "Erza berated him yesterday, telling him he should focus on his wedding, but Natsu just brushed her off."

"Natsu did that?!" A shocked Lucy asked.

"Not even Elfman could persuade him of otherwise, but I don't worry." An optimistic Mira replied "Natsu told me that the wedding was still on, and he has never backed down on his word."

"I see." Putting that thought aside, Lucy then remembered the motive that made her ask him about the job "Look's like I'll have to cut back to pay rent this month, sigh…"

With Erza completely focused on the wedding as the self appointed planner, and Gray vanishing on and off to who knows where, Lucy's options for a partner were limited. Lucy thought about Wendy, before recalling that the wind dragon slayer left early that morning for an errand.

For a second time that day, Mirajane seemed to read Lucy's thoughts. "You know Lucy, if you need a partner I have the perfect person for the job!"

"Really?"

Nodding, Mira pointed to Gajeel, who was drinking alongside Pantherlily. "Gajeel wanted to go on a job with Levy, but she was busy with the invitations. Why don't you go together on a job?"

Overhearing her, Gajeel looked to see who Mira recommended, but cringed when he saw the blond stellar mage, act copied by Lucy.

"Screw that! And I never said anything about the bookworm!" The iron dragon slayer said before returning to his drink.

"I really don't need to pay rent anyway." Lucy replied before speeding out.

Suffice to say that last night's dream was still ever present in their head.

"Let's go Happy!"

"Natsu, why did you lie to Lucy?" Happy asked once they were outside "The job didn't say how many could come along."

"Well, it's like this" Natsu elaborated "I didn't want to share the reward with anyone, not even Luce, but just this time."

Not seeming to understand, Happy tilted his head "I don't get it."

"It's simple: we're going by ourselves so the reward is not split up and that way I can save enough money to take Lisanna on our honeymoon."

"I see!" Happy exclaimed "That's why we didn't invite Lisanna or Angel on the last jobs."

"Exactly!" Natsu grinned "Anyway, we better get going partner."

"Aye sir!"

It wasn't a complete lie,Natsu told himself. The slayer was indeed saving as much money he could to pay for their honeymoon, but for the most part, the dragon slayer's head was still in turmoil over Astria's revelation.

"It was all a dream"

Inside his cell, Cobra mused over and over about the events that transpired a few nights ago. The former Oracion seis mage was so sure it was all real; him and Angel rebelling against Brain, going to Edolas with that obnoxious Fairy Tail mage, perhaps the most shocking was learning that Cuberos was actually a girl called Kinana, and finally fighting Deimos, which led to his sacrifice to save Angel.

The poison dragon slayer actually didn't mind sacrificing himself for the sake of his former partner, after all, Angel promised she would free him once everything returned to normal. But that was two days ago, convincing Cobra that it was all a dream.

"A dream…" Standing up, Cobra punched the crystal walls that imprisoned him but with no effect. The frustration of thinking he was going to be free, only to realize it was all inside his head, was too much to handle.

"Hey! Stop that!" Cobra ignored the guard and kept punching the crystal shaped cell with no success "I said STOP!"

A powerful electric discharge pushed Cobra back, earning a twisted grin from the guard "That will teach you!"

Just as Cobra was getting up, he was electrified again and again by the same guard while the others laughed. He was going to be tortured again when the general alarm went off.

"What's going on?" Another guard asked while the lights slowly went out around them. In an instant, a white blur knocked the guards out and punched a hole in Cobra's cell.

"Wha…?" Cobra only got a glimpse of the blur, but didn't waste time thinking about it and instead focused on making his escape.

It was chaos all around him; the blur not only freed him, but also released several other mages and the guards were having a hard time getting them under control. Taking advantage of the distraction, Cobra managed to escape from the prison just when the royal army was on its way.

Making haste, Cobra reached the nearest forest and quickly made himself scarce in case they were still after him. After running for a few hours, the poison dragon slayer took a rest, when his situation finally dawned upon him.

"I'm free…" Cobra could not believe it, after seven years locked in that cell he was finally free "I'm free!"

Feeling something stuck in his vest, Cobra found a single white feather and instantly knew who he had to thank for his freedom. Looking at the night sky, Cobra silently thanked her and continued with his trip.

"Good luck Cobra" From afar, Angel whispered as she watched him go into the night. Satisfied with her work, the celestial mage spread her wings and took of towards Magnolia.

Magic Council

An annoyed Ur and Gildartz walked into the Magic council's new base of operations alongside Makarov.

"It's just like the council to force us to come here when my dau…" One look form Makarov and Ur closed her mouth.

Ur knew of Ultear's 'past' and wisely decided not to mention anything that might give away the fact that she was in contact with her. However, she was still bothered by the fact that she was forced to come here instead of catching up with her daughter.

"Couldn't they bother me any other day?"

"I hear you" Gildartz added his two cents "Why did I have to come here? They summoned Ur-chan here, not me. These council meetings are boring as hell."

Ur ignored the suffix added to her name as Makarov spoke: "As the new master of Fairy Tail, you must make an official appearance before the council so we can inform them of the change, although I agree with you about the boring part."

Knowing Makarov was right, Gildartz resigned to his fate. "Great"

"Ur Milkovich, it is a very rare occasion when a mage declared dead suddenly comes back to life" Guran Doma, leader of the magical council said to the person before him. Ur herself remained impassive as she waited for him to continue. "As you might already learn from Makarov Dreyar, you were granted the honorary title of wizard saint after your victory over the demon Deliora."

"That would hardly be considered a victory" Ur said with a distant look in her eyes; Iced Shell was a forbidden magic for a reason, one final sacrifice if everything else fails. While Ur never regretted using it to save her beloved students, knowing she had lost a great deal of time to be with Ultear still bothered her.

Doma nodded understandingly "In any case, we must inform you that now that you are confirmed alive, we have decided to remove that title from you…"

"Now wait a second!" Makarov spoke up "You can't remove her title just like that! Ur's actions to ensure the demise of Deliora are nothing you can dismiss like that."

Gildarts agreed with him "That's right! Her sacrifice made it possible for future generations to live in peace."

Ur was caught off guard and couldn't help but be touched by their support. "Makarov-san, Gildarts…thank you."

"I wasn't done yet." Guran Doma interrupted, getting their attention. "As I was saying; we decided to remove the honorary title and make you a full wizard saint. Judging by your current level of magic, you will be ranked as the seventh wizard saint"

For a moment, Ur remained silent before saying: "Oh, well thanks."

Doma and several other council members looked a bit mad at her simple answer, but refrained to comment on the matter.

"If that's all, then can I go now?"

"Not yet. There are still several matters we must discuss. One of them is about your daughter, Ultear Milkovich"

Ur showed no reaction, but inside she was cautious on what to say. "Go on."

"You might not know of this, but during your absence Ultear became a member of Grimoire Heart, a notorious guild of dark mages who wrecked havoc all over Fiore, including the infiltration and subsequent destruction of the former magic council headquarters."

"Yes, I've learned of all that since my return" Ur replied "And even when I don't condone her past actions, I know my daughter is not evil, she was simply misguided by the wrong people."

"Misguided?" A member stood up "She fully knew what she was doing when she destroyed our building!"

"I know that, but if you could give her a chance to redeem herself…" Ur tried to plea for Ultear, but her words were ignored.

"Nonsense! She must pay for her crimes!" Another member spoke up "Once we apprehended her, she will pay for everything she has ever done! I, myself, will make sure she spends the rest of her life behind bars!"

The temperature of the room suddenly dropped several degrees due to Ur: "She might be guilty of everything you charge her with, but she is still my daughter. If you don't give her a chance to redeem herself, then my daughter will be the least of your worries."

The member who spoke was frozen in fear and remained in silence.

"Ur Milkovich! Control yourself!" Guran Doma exclaimed. "I understand how you feel, but remember where you are!"

Ur was still angry at the poor choice of words from them, however she listened to reason and dispelled the cold aura in the room.

Satisfied, Guran added: "We cannot promise you anything, but, if you happen to meet your daughter and, and only if she willingly turns herself to the authorities, perhaps we can lower her sentence. What do you say?"

The ice mage wanted to argue some more, but for the moment there was little she could do. "Fine." "Not that I'll ever sell out my own daughter."

"Then, we are agreed" Guran Doma said "Now; there is still one more detail to address"

"Another one!?" Gildarts blurted, earning a warring look from Doma.

"Gildarts Clive, refrain from speaking during an audience unless spoken to. As a guild master now, you must uphold your position with dignity!"

"Yeah, whatever." The master of Fairy Tail blew him off, further infuriating Doma.

"And you ask why we don't make you a wizard saint." Doma thought before clearing his throat "As I was saying before being rudely interrupted: There is still one last matter to attend to. Ur Milkovich…."

"Jeez, this guy sure likes to say my name" Ur thought while Doma continued speaking. "I'm not into old geezers. On the other hand, if it's someone like Vergil…"

"….and, as such, you are required to join a guild during your service as Wizard Saint."

"Say again?" Ur was brought out of her train of thoughts after hearing him. "But I thought Wizard Saint could make a choice between joining a guild or remain independent?"

"A lot has changed in the last years" Org said to her before another member interrupted.

"It is your choice to pick any guild of your liking, but we have taken the liberty of suggesting that you join the No.1 guild in Fiore; Sabertooth. You will find no better guild anywhere else. Especially near Magnolia."

Makarov and Gildarts didn't voice their discomfort at how their guild was brushed aside like nothing, but inside they were shaking in anger, a thing Ur noticed.

As for Ur: "While I appreciate the suggestion, I think I know what guild I'd like to join."

"Oh, is that so? Then which one will that be? Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale?"

Grinning, she said to them "Actually…"

"Did you see their faces?" Gildarts was laughing after leaving the Council "I've never seen those old farts so mad before! Hahahaha!"

Makarov was also grinning after seeing their reaction: "For a moment I thought the vein in Doma's face would burst heheheheh!"

Ur was embarrassed by the attention they were getting, although she herself was also grinning. "I'd figured it was the best choice: Join Fairy Tail and, at the same time, be the liaison between us and our 'allied' guilds."

By allied, she meant Crime Sorciere. Now that the threat of Deimos was over, Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere could turn their attention to the mysterious dark presence appearing at the grand magic games, and who better to communicate between guilds (and also spend time with her daughter) than Ur herself.

"Not to mention it felt good to shove it in their face." Ur added with a grin.

"This calls for a celebration!" Gildarts announced "Not only is Deimos gone and we have a wedding on our hands, but now Ur-chan has joined our merry guild! What do you say?""

"That's… actually not a bad idea." Ur added "Just drop the 'chan' thing and you're on!"

"Forgive me, but I really don't understand your actions." A council member said to Guran Doma once the Fairy Tail mages had left. "Why are we allowing them this much freedom? Not to mention it is clearly obvious that Angel was the one responsible for last night's prison break."

"We should have taken the chance to question them about this." Another member added.

Guran Doma remained in meditation before saying: "Let them be for the time being, besides, if we arrest Angel, we would only be removing our spy from inside their guild."

"But Angel has left it clear that she won't follow our orders! And there's the fact that she has fallen in love with Fairy Tail's dragon slayer, she will never betray them now!"

"We're not asking her to betray them, but for her to be our eyes in the inside of that bothersome guild" Doma replied "If we hang over her the threat of separating her from the dragon slayer, Angel will have no choice but to do as told."

This seemed to satisfy the other members, except Org, but the sage knew he would not gain anything by discussing with these old fools.

Amongst other things Doma wanted to know about Fairy tail, a name came on top; the origins of their mysterious new member, Vergil.

Before anyone knew it, the big day was upon them. Everyone from the guild was preparing the final details, while the girls got ready.

Dressed in her wedding gown, Lisanna watched herself in the mirror with a sad expression on her face.

"Lisanna, you look beautiful" Mirajane said while she helped her get ready "Natsu won't know what hit him."

"Thanks Mira nee" Lisanna gave her a sad smile.

"Is something wrong?" Mira, like most in the guild, had sensed the distancing between Lisanna and Natsu, but waited for her sister to confirm it.

Sighing, Lisanna sat in her bed and told her the whole story." Mira nee, it's like this…"

By the end of the story, Mira was left with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"And that's about it. Ever since then, Natsu seems distant and when I ask him what happened he always changes the subject" Lisanna finished with a sad expression. "I don't know what to do."

Lisanna then got a fearful expression "What if Natsu doesn't show up?"

"What are you talking about? Of course he'll come." Mira replied "He's Natsu! Since I've known him, he's never let anyone down."

Giving her a hug, Mira reassured her sister "Lisanna, Natsu loves you, everyone knows that. Sure, he might be a bit dense most of the time, but still, I know he wouldn't miss his own wedding for anything in the world."

"Then why won't he tell me what's bothering him?"

"Give him time; I know he'll eventually open up to you." Mira said with one of her optimistic smiles, managing to reassure Lisanna.

"You're right, thanks sis; I don't know what I would ever do without you"

"Anytime" Giving her a hug, Mira added "And if he doesn't show up, me and Elfman will hunt him down and beat the ever living crap out of him."

"I… don't think that's necessary" Lisanna sweatdropped. "Thanks anyway thought."

Mirajane's smile then faltered a bit "To think my baby sister is getting married…It seems like just yesterday we got you back to our life."

"You're not losing me" Lisanna grabbed hold of her sister's hand in comfort "I'll always stay with my loving family; you, Elf-niichan and all my friends here in Fairy Tail. And nothing will change that."

"Lisanna" Tears threatened to drop from the eldest Strauss sister. "you've grown so much."

"It's all thanks to you" Lisanna said before saying "Now, go get yourself ready so you can leave Vergil speechless."

"W-Where did that come from!?" Mira blushed "Me and Vergil are nothing like that."

"Mira nee, you're a terrible liar."

In the middle of the forest, at a familiar pond, the dragon slayer remembers the last moments of his sister:

"Only you can kill him…brother."

Natsu was left speechless after Astria's revelation. Putting two and two together, Natsu realized the implications of her words:

"Brother?! Does…Does that mean…? Are you… my sister?!"

The blond mage smiled at his conclusion but said nothing else. Meanwhile, dozens of questions crossed Natsu's head:

"If you're my sister, then is Igneel your dad? Do you know where he is? Why do you want to kill him?!"

"Do I look like a dragon to you!?" An incredulous Astria replied. Suddenly she started falling due to her time coming to an end when a pair of warm arms grabbed hold of her. "N-Natsu!?"

"Stay with me sis, I'll get Angel to heal you."

Giving him a smile, Astria caressed his face and was pleased to see that this time Natsu didn't flinch at her touch. "I nearly destroyed everything you hold dear to you, and yet, you care about my wellbeing? You are one of a kind, Natsu."

"That's what brothers are for" Natsu replied with a pained grin seeing she was vanishing "You can't leave just yet! After so many years, I finally got to meet my sister!"

"Just because I called you brother, doesn't mean we share the same blood, you and I. There are different meanings for me to call you that." Astria said as it became difficult to speak "However; it feels…nice, to hear you call me that. If only…if only I had met you sooner…we could have killed him… together."

While he listened to her, Natsu's hands started going through her as she started vanishing more and more.

"Astria!"

"Remember…it is up…to you…now….bro-ther…" Astria smiled one last time before she disappeared from this world, and the world around Natsu returned to its original state.

Today, Natsu sat alone reminiscing the last moments of her sister while he tossed pebbles at the pond. Astria herself made it clear they were not truly brother and sister, but at the same time they were. Also, who was this 'father' she wanted to kill so bad that she sacrificed her life to face (only to be defeated and killed by him), and who she entrusted him to kill?

In the back of his head, the dragon slayer had a feeling he knew who was this 'father' Astria referred to; a man he encountered seven years ago on Tenrou Island:

"You've…grown. I've wanted to see you…Natsu"

"Zeref" Was he his son? When they met, Zeref seemed like he knew him from way back, but that was not possible, was it? If he was truly his son, then what did that make him? All these questions made Natsu's head hurt just by thinking about it.

He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he didn't notice Gray's arrival until he made his presence known.

"Flame head"

"Ice diva"

Sitting next to him, Gray stared at the pond "Natsu, If I am not mistaken, isn't your wedding today?"

"Yeah" Grabbing another pebble, Natsu tossed it, not caring where it landed.

Gray waited for a moment for Natsu to say more, but when it was clear the slayer wasn't going to speak he asked: "Any reason why you're not getting ready for it?"

"Any reason why you're not wearing a shirt?" Natsu snapped back.

"Because I'm not letting Lisanna down if I don't wear one" Gray replied. "Unlike you"

Natsu wanted to argue back, but knew Gray was right and opted to stay quiet. After a few moments, Gray couldn't take his silence anymore and grabbed Natsu by the collar of his vest.

"Say something, dammit! Don't you know she's going to be heartbroken if you don't show up!?

No matter how hard the ice mage shook Natsu he failed to get a word out of the slayer. Frustrated by the lack of answer, Gray dropped Natsu on the ground "Fine, stay here then!"

"Why do you care?" It was so low Gray almost didn't hear the question. Sighing, Gray faced Natsu.

"Because Lisanna is my friend…and so are you."

Natsu was surprised to hear those words coming out of Gray's mouth; even when they were always fighting, Natsu knew he and Gray didn't hate each other, what they had was more like a friendly rivalry, but to hear the ice mage openly admitting he considered him a friend was unexpected.

Offering him a hand, Gray helped Natsu get up: "Master told me everything about Deimos" before Natsu could speak, Gray added: "Relax, he also told me not to say anything about it to anyone else."

"The old man's been worried for you ever since he noticed the distancing between you and Lisanna, he thought I might be able to shake you out of it." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Gray added "Natsu, I don't know what happened in that timeline, but I know one thing: The Natsu I know would never let anyone make him doubt like this."

Gray was right, Natsu reasoned. Even if Astria's words were true or not, he was letting down Lisanna, the woman he loves, his childhood friend, for something he himself wondered if it was true or not.

"You're right." Dusting himself up, Natsu grinned "Wedding here I come!"

"You know, I heard Erza once say that you were acting more mature" Gray smiled lightly "She was right after all."

"Hey!" For a second time that day, Natsu was shocked when Gray extended his hand to him.

"Never thanked you for saving Ultear, thank you Natsu." Gray said sincerely to the slayer.

Grinning, Natsu shook the offered hand "No, thank you for making me see reason."

As the two friends shook hands, Gray violently pulled Natsu within earshot "If you tell someone I admitted all that, I'll kick your ass, smoke breath!"

"Like I wanna be associated with an ice freak!" Natsu replied back, before both he and Gray smirked.

Patting his back, Gray said: "Come on; let's get you to your wedding or else I would be a terrible best man if I failed to bring you there."

"Wonder who named you best man" Natsu grinned.

"Some dumbass I know" Gray smirked.

And so, both friends went to get ready for the ceremony that was about to start. Astria's revelation was still present in Natsu's head, but he would face it when the time came.

For now the dragon slayer decided to focus on the present, or more accurate, on his future with Lisanna.

Author's Notes:

For those waiting for the wedding, sorry to disappoint, but that will take place in the next chapter. I was originally going to include it here, but when I reached 20 + pages I decided to split this chapter in two parts.

Anyway, once the wedding is done, the story will go back to follow the manga to the start of the grand magic games.

Moving on, people have suggested that I include Kagura into the harem, if enough people ask me, I might consider it. For now, the confirmed ones are Lisanna, Angel and Yukino. Flare will join in a distant future and, the fifth girl I mentioned is Minerva. She is an interesting character, and would definitely be fun to write scenes between her and Natsu.

As you've noticed as of late, I no longer reply to reviews at the end of the chapters; but I do take into consideration your suggestions. And, as always, it is a pleasure to read your reviews. That's what motivates me to keep writing this story.

For now, I'll leave you this last scene:

"So…you're ok with this?"

"Of course, although at first it took me by surprise" Ur confessed to her beloved student and daughter. "By the way, sorry for that punch I gave you back then."

"Punch?" Ultear asked, but Gray just shook his head.

"You don't have to ask for forgiveness, I had it coming."

After hearing the decision Ultear and Cana reached regarding Gray, Ur was ok with it. She would support her daughter in any way she can (and secretly make sure Ultear was the winner, of course).

"To think the two of you would fall in love sigh" Ur embraced the two of them as she spoke "makes me wonder what could have been if things hadn't turned out the way they did."

"Kaa san, it's all in the past" Ultear said "What's important is that we are here now, together again."

Ur agreed with her daughter before a grin etched on her face "You know, this is kinda weird; seeing the two of you together like this."

"What do you mean?" Gray would soon regret asking after what she said next:

"For starters, I've always considered you and Lyon as my children, and now that you and Ul-chan are dating, that sorta makes it incest"

"OK, we didn't really need to hear that!" an embarrassed Ultear and Gray said at the same time.

(Gildarts scene is coming next chapter)

Demonwithasoul