Chapter 35: Old Friend

The voice was impossible to dispute and Natsu knew that – he'd always been intune to what someone sounded like and this person, and the one next to them were undeniably who he believed them to be. He took a deep breath as the person stood and reached out a bit and put a hand in his hair before looking into his eyes and then grinning. He knew that smile anywhere, he knew their voices, their scents – Natsu knew exactly who this was.

"Is that really you? Natsu?" the voice trembled with clear disbelief and joy.

"Yea….it's me," he answered.

He was quickly tugged into a tight embrace – he couldn't forget the personality of these people if he tried, and this most certainly was who he believed. He was pulled back from the hug and the person held him at arms-length before looking at the others and trembling. He knew why of course – they'd seen someone else they recognized.

"Saya…."

Natsu watched the person fall to their knees almost if he hadn't caught them they would have. Everyone around them was confused but it was short lived when a figure flew over the other and pounced on Natsu – knocking him to the floor and smiling broadly. The person shook the hood of their cloak off revealing purplish-pink hair that was cut short into a pixie style with two small pieces resting against her shoulders – she had emerald green eyes and looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. She looked him over and then jerked him into a hug laughing as she did.

"Natsu! We found you and Saya! Finally!" the girl exclaimed.

"What is going on?" the girl looked at the other members and started to move closer to Natsu in slight fear.

"It's okay –she's a friend so is the other person," Natsu told them as he got himself standing and the girl stood next to him – only hitting at chest height on him.

"Are you sure? He's kind of….off…." Natsu looked at the other person as he stared at Saya.

"You're alive…both of you…..we thought….when we saw you….." Natsu glanced at him before smiling.

"Come on Haru don't think so lowly of us," he stated.

The person removed his hood to reveal a boy around the same age as Natsu with messy, shaggily cut silver hair and lavender eyes. He grinned as he allowed them to look him over – a silver earring placed into his left ear and a necklace with some kind of strange pendant that almost looked tribal – something his father Gale had also worn – and a ring on his middle finger. He smiled as he came over to the other and nudged him in the side.

"I….we thought that….when we saw the two of you in the meadow you weren't moving….and I…was afraid you had died…." Haru tried to explain, but he failed as Fuyu stepped forward as Saya came to them.

"When we left we assumed we were the only survivors…and then we started hearing stories about two people all across Fiore – in the last ten years we heard about someone who was called the Salamander and that he was a FairyTail Wizard. We asked about him and got his description and what kind of magic he used…." Fuyu began.

"So how did you find them?" their eyes locked on Erza who stood there watching intently.

"Imagine our surprise when we land in Croucus this year and are in the stands and are watching the FairyTail Team A being announced – we see Natsu and Saya's pictures and then we see them there. We decided to watch and see what would happen and when the Dragon's came…well we decided to help out," stated Haru.

"So the two of you were the other Dragon Slayers that Natsu mentioned?" the two nodded.

"Yes, we had to help and we were the ones who did that Unison Raid from nowhere – the one with the Cosmic Winter was us," stated Fuyu.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your touch – Dragon Slayers are supposedly rare now a days." Haru nodded.

"Seems our village was one of the last few even back then. But anyways…who would have thought that you guys would end up becoming FairyTail Wizards! At least two of us kept our promise to Mavis," he said.

"Now who said it had to be just the two of them?" Everyone turned to Master Markarov. He smiled as he stood next to Mirajane who looked the two over.

"Natsu and Saya are welcome here, and we know about what happened – I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but….we could give you a home too…" she stated. Haru and Fuyu looked shocked.

"Wait are you saying that…we…." Markarov nodded.

"If you want to you are more than welcome to join FairyTail as members. You will be reunited with Natsu and Saya, have new friends, new comrades, and most importantly a family. We can become the family you've lost – and it will lead to new adventures with your old comrades and new ones – we'll assign you to the team we normally send out with Natsu and you'll get to be with everyone you love," he said.

"We can….have a home? And a….family again?" they looked at Fuyu as she stood there while tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Of course, FairyTail is probably the most insane, spastic, out of control, constantly in trouble, but sticking together through anything kind of family you could want," said Saya.

"She's right….we're all insane, but we'd gladly accept the two of you." The two of them looked to one another and then to Mirajane who smiled.

"So where do you want your tattoos? And what color?" the two looked oddly pleased by the statement.

The rest of the guild had almost instantly begun partying as soon as Fuyu had accepted her guild mark in a strange green that matched her eyes on her thigh which would be visible with her insistence to always wear shorts. Haru's was on the opposite shoulder of Natsu's and was a silvery purple color. The two Dragon Slayers sat down with their old comrades as the Guild went insane and the table they were at seemed to be the only sane one. The group present had welcomed the two and amidst this they had taken into account that the FairyTail guild now had seven Dragon Slayers. At hearing that Markarov burst into tears.

He went on a rant that they were going to be the death of him – and that his property damage bills just got an additional twenty five or so papers added to the stack. Haru and Natsu both were laughing while Fuyu was thinking. She liked this guild, the place where Natsu and Saya called home and couldn't help but be excited to go on missions with them in the near future. Her eyes fell to Lucy and she stared at her – she was the spitting image of Lacie in every detail and she could also tell by the scent, that she was Natsu's mate. But she also noted that she had yet to be marked. Fuyu was given a large glass of some kind of fizzy drink which she sipped on while the others chatted and bantered. Apparently Gray and Haru were going to but heads – but he didn't even know what kind of magic Haru used.

"What kind of Dragon Slayers are these two?" asked Gray in a gruff tone.

"Fuyu is a Galaxy Dragon Slayer and Haru is a Black Ice Dragon Slayer." The other seemed to die on the spot – spirit coming from his mouth only to be shoved back in by Juvia.

"A Black Ice Dragon Slayer?" asked Lisanna.

"Yes, I was trained by Mesolonia, the Black Ice Dragon – its actually really interesting because he's black but gleams sterling silver in the light." The others at the table became oddly quiet until a certain Iron Dragon Slayer spoke up.

"So you're looking for your Dragon's too?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll be your master was Metalicana and that Wendy's is Gradine….Natsu's is Igneel, Saya's is Tempiria, and Fuyu's is Nyxitia, the Galaxy Dragon. So what about Laxus?" Natsu glanced at the blonde.

"He's a second generation Dragon Slayer – Lacrima implants. Unfortunately it really isn't as strong as the first generation – the third generations weren't either," he said.

"I figured, by consuming the blood of our Dragons we gained a lot of their abilities – something they'll never be able to do."

"What's that like? I'm sure our Dragon's did it but we never knew," said Wendy.

"Not surprising, Gradine and Metalicana are oddly soft hearted Dragons – Igneel and Tempiria were as well but they…were forceful sometimes because their elements are much more risky and wild." They seemed confused.

"How?" questioned Juvia.

"Simple, Galaxy is controlling matter, stardust and things like that, Black Ice is just metal particle infused Ice so their pretty simple and easier to control – because they don't seem to have wills of their own. Time can be mastered by none, so when learning Time Dragon Slayer Magic Saya had to train harder than us, as did Natsu. They both trained constantly….Fire is willful, defiant, and powerful so it makes sense that it would be harder to control." Haru let Fuyu explain and nodded when she finished.

"So…Haru and Fuyu's training was less intense but Natsu's and Saya's was intense?" questioned Wendy.

"Try grueling….we both trained for days and days on end without rest and we also worked continuously in focusing our magic in certain directions."

"Well, now that we have seven Dragon Slayers….." Gajeel was interrupted.

"AHHHHHH" screamed Markarov.

"We can begin training together and getting stronger," finished Wendy.

"Right!"

Lucy and the others watched the interactions between Natsu, Saya, Haru, and Fuyu – it seemed almost as if it never had happened – them being separated for so long almost seemed like just a dream and now they were laughing, talking, and being their apparently normal jovial selves. She couldn't help but smile as the day wound down and she thought back on what had transpired that day. To think that they would find Haru and Fuyu waiting for them in the Guild Hall of FairyTail was something that only happened in movies and books, but it had transpired before her very eyes and had given her a wonderful idea for her story – she was writing the story of how she came to join FairyTail, how she had been on so many adventures and harrowing events since becoming a member.

Her mind wandered as Natsu walked back with her to the apartment and once they were in she got a quick shower and changed into her night clothes before coming out to find Natsu flipping through the pages – scanning it slowly as she watched him. He was lying on his back on the bed and holding it up in front of his face while he read. She frowned and then began to smile as she watched him before feeling her ire come back. With a scream he shot up in the bed when she charged him – pages being set back on the nightstand before she was caught and tugged facing him in his lap.

Now, Lucy was embarrassed. She hadn't meant to startle him, and then proceed to put herself in this situation. The boy in front of her grinned and ran a hand through her hair before leaning forward to nuzzle her neck. She had noticed that he'd gotten more comfortable with being in more intimate situations since the beginning, but she also felt as if she was in a bit of danger this time. Sharp teeth played with the tender skin of her throat and she winced when a fang dug deep enough to leave a small trail of blood running down her skin. He lapped it up and she shivered as he did so.

"You scare me when you do this," she said.

"I don't mean too…I'm running on instincts a lot of times….don't worry….it's okay." Lucy reached up and brushed her fingers through his already unkempt hair and then knotted her fingers in his hair and pulled him back so she could face him.

"After you used the Blood Dragon Slayer Magic I noticed your fangs got sharper and longer – their more prominent….is it because you drank my blood?" she asked.

"It could be…I have some moments where I want to do it again…you taste really good – like honey and fire." She laughed a bit.

"Why don't you then?" he flushed a bit and looked away from her before glancing up through his bangs – clearly embarrassed.

"Because I want to…mark you and I'm worried that instinct will override what I'm really wanting to do…" Lucy sighed as she looked at him before tilting his head back.

She removed the scarf and dropped it beside them on the bed before leaning in and biting down on his throat. He winced as she did and moved her position several times before finding the spot near his pulse point and bit down hard. She was surprised by the jolt he gave and the sudden almost animalistic purr as she did that and ran a hand through his hair. She hadn't realized that those things felt good to him seeing as he was always so cautious about things like this with her. She sighed as she pulled back and laved the mark she'd left to soothe the pain.

"It's not hard I'm sure….so just mark me….it'll be okay," she said.

It hadn't been easy but after a bit more convincing she was being held tightly by him and he was posed to bite into the crook of her neck and shoulder – all the while she wondered if it would really hurt as bad as he claimed. Sure his fangs were quite sharp and dangerous looking, but she didn't suspect that it would be anything like he was claiming it was supposed to be. She took in a deep breath and gave him a nod as he kept playing with her hair to keep her relaxed until she felt something sharp prick her skin. It hurt a small bit, but nothing she couldn't handle – and then he sunk his fangs deep into the skin.

She practically cracked the glass of the window when she screamed – she wondered how none of the other tenants hadn't heard them and had come rushing – honestly, she was quite thankful no one had otherwise this was going to take some severe explaining. Lucy felt a pull of blood and intense heat as she clutched onto Natsu tighter in hopes that she would be able to ease the pain. Warm arms gripped her around the waist and another pull of blood came before sharp fangs dislodged from the wound and a hot tongue licked the wound to staunch the blood before she felt sharp heat there.

In mere seconds she was lying on the bed with Natsu curled close to her – arms around her and cradling her to him as she laid there in a dazed state. She felt feverish, and suspected that was the case. She'd lost some blood and had been marked which had been quite painful, and she suspected her body was lethargic because of that. She glanced at the boy beside her and realized he was dozing off and with a smile she snuggled up to him and went into a deep sleep quickly. The both of them ignoring the chances of danger on the horizon and for the time being they let themselves feel some sort of peace and joy as the night went on. Lucy snuggled closer and sighed as the two FairyTail Wizards let their dreams take place of the events that the future held. And thought about the joy they'd experienced today.

{The Next Morning: At the Guild}

"ICE MAKE – LANCE!"

"BLACK ICE DRAGON ROAR!" The group of wizards watched Gray and Haru going head to head while Fuyu groaned in realization of how this was going to turn out.

She was wearing a skirt that was slightly frilly and white, a deep green cardigan and a t-shirt under it with knee high black leather boots. She had a hair clip that looked like a star in her hair to help pin some of her bangs back and also had a joker on. Lucy eyed her attire and shrugged figuring she'd seen attire like that on herself before. Next to her was Saya in a pair of leggings, boots, and a soft flowing material cotton shirt that showed her mid-drift and displayed her guild mark – she too had on a necklace that was a black rose cameo – her hair up in a ponytail while two pieces framed her face and her bangs did the same. Over the short shirt she wore a black pinstriped vest.

"Their insane…." Lucy glanced to Natsu who rolled his eyes as he glanced to Fuyu and Saya.

"Agreed," said the two girls.

"But this wouldn't be FairyTail if they didn't do something destructive and insane." They nodded as Haru jumped.

"BLACK ICE DRAGON WING ATTACK!" Gray was sent flying as Haru bit down on the Ice and swallowed before a bluish-black aura surrounded him.

"No way! We're both Ice Wizards!" Gray declared as Haru grinned – showing his fangs.

"That's where your wrong – you are an Ice Make Wizard….I am a Black Ice Dragon Slayer! There's a big difference in power between normal Wizards and Dragon Slayers."

As if to prove his point Haru used his magic to form black wings on his back that glinted silver in the sunlight. He grinned as he flew up into the air and looked down at Gray. If they wanted proof that Dragon Slayers were on another level then Haru most certainly did with his half-quarter transformation. It allowed a Dragon Slayer to use wings and on occasion they would gain access to scales and even a tail – but this was the most any of them had been able to do. Haru's favored the Dragon that he had learned his magic from as did all of theirs. Natsu was still surprised that any of them had managed that much.

"We are practically hybrids – you aren't dealing with humans Gray….we're half-Dragon because of our abilities…because of the blood inside us….your out classed here," Haru said.

"No freaking way can you really use those things!" Natsu sighed.

"Haru's right – that magic is harder for us to use, but not impossible to manipulate. What I'm seeing is he's mastered it," he said.

"Prove it!" the three Dragon Slayers looked almost disgruntled.

"Wrong answer," they muttered.

Haru swooped down like a bullet and knocked Gray clean off his feet before lifting him high into the air. The Ice Make Wizard panicked as Haru flew so high into the sky that he was a mere dot before bolting downward – they heard the scream all the way down until Haru landed directly on his feet – Gray a few feet away as the ground shattered under the force of the landing. Everyone stared in shock as Natsu grinned and Fuyu stood and threw her hands into the air with a cheer.

"WINNER! HARU GLORY!"

"Is that what Dragon Slayers are capable of?" asked Wendy.

"With practice – we're not one hundred percent human and when we can harness the strength of a Dragon we're powerful."

"I'm done…" Gray said as he looked at Haru and then at the other three former Drake Crux members who grinned.

"Figured, good fight though." Haru helped him up and smiled broadly.

"Yea, I didn't realize any of you could do that," he said. The silver haired Dragon Slayer grinned.

"Well, it wasn't easy – we had a lot of practice. But I think we're going to like it here."

"I think so too," said Fuyu as she jumped down to where they two were.

Natsu grinned at the three of them as Saya watched Haru. She was always wondering if she'd ever see them again – mainly because of them being gone when they'd woken up – and she'd also questioned why they had just left. Had they looked dead? She supposed that they had in the state they had been in. after she had returned to the village for supplies she had found herself walking by a mirror and ended up seeing how awful she looked and remembered how dead Natsu had appeared when he woke and tried to find the others. She hated thinking back to how horrible that night had been – all the pain and misery.

She had not even questioned herself when Natsu declared he would kill Zeref with his own hands. Did either of them have a right to take a life? No, but neither did the Black Wizard. Did either of them have a right to declare someone worthy of death? No, did they have some kind of higher authority to be the one who could pass that judgment? No. But did Natsu really deserve to carry the weight of that sin on him? No, none of them had deserved what had been done to them and it still had. She sighed before smiling as she looked at the guild members around her and the others and felt some of her tension ease.

"At the very least, we know that the FairyTail Guild is there for us even if we'll have to be hand in hand in an all-out war."

Natsu and herself had walked to the Guild Hall with Haru and Fuyu behind everyone else as they walked down Magnolia's streets. Fuyu was laughing and talking with them and they went back between stories of their time apart from one another as they went. And then he saw FairyTail's Guild Hall looming over them with most of the guild standing at the door. Natsu looked to the two new additions to their family and smiled.

"It's good to finally be back together isn't it?" he asked.

"Yea, I never thought we'd find either of you again…let alone together." He smiled as did Saya as they looked at the two of them.

"Well, I guess there's only one more thing to say," stated Saya.

"What's that?" Haru and Fuyu asked this in unison and Natsu smiled at them.

"Welcome to FairyTail – and welcome home."

{Chapter 35: Old Friend – END}

Author's Note: Whoop! Chapter finished. Tell me what you thought *details are welcome* and

Let me know what you think will happen as the story rounds up and we go to the next one which will be on the Phoenix Priestess Movie. Looking forward to your comments!

As Always: MY READERS ARE AWESOME!

NEXT TIME….

{There were many things that were still to come, still to cause them joy, heartache, and excitement. But they know, as a Guild they stand united as the strongest – as a family.}

"I never imagined in my life that I would see all I have, done all I have and experienced all I have – but you know what? Being a FairyTail Wizard is the one thing out of all I've been through that I will never regret."

Chapter 36: A Heart that beats for All

Arigatou Nakamas!