Chapter 38

You're You

During the dinner at the Sabertooth guildhall, Alu and her family were treated like the guests of honor. By now, Sting and the others had told everyone about the fight at Fairy Tail. How Ivan attacked the guild, how Alu showed up with all the Zodiac Spirits and Draco, and how she saved both Natsu and Yukino's souls. On top of that, they had heard Natsu shout to Rogue that Yukino had woken up, which elated all of them.

Everywhere Alu turned, Sabertooth wizards came up to her to ask her to tell of her fight with Ivan. She tried to eat her meal, but she could barely get a bite in edgeways with all these questions being thrown at her.

"So you're a Celestial Dragon Slayer? That's so cool!"

"Did you really summon all the Zodiac Spirits?"

"You've got a Dragon Spirit now? I didn't know that one existed! Can we see him?"

"How did you get Yukino's soul back?"

By the time the hundredth question rolled around, Alu was too exhausted to answer. It was only when Natsu yelled at everyone to shut up and leave her alone that they finally got the hint to back off.

It also helped when Rogue and Yukino both walked into the room. They became the ones who were getting swarmed with questions and expressions of gladness and joy. Everyone was just so happy to have their Sabertooth Celestial Wizard back.

Things only got even better when the Shadow Dragon Slayer and Celestial Wizard announced their engagement. The two of them instantly received congratulations, and some other wizards even cried with happiness.

Sting, who was grinning away like an idiot, gave Rogue a friendly punch on the shoulder, saying that it was about time Rogue manned up and proposed. This only made Rogue look back at Sting with an unenthused frown. Frosch, crying uncontrollably with joy, flew into Yukino's arms. The young woman tenderly hugged him and petted the back of his head. Minerva approached the white-haired wizard and put an arm around her shoulders, giving a small smirk of approval.

After the meal was over, Sting, Lector, Rogue, Frosch, Yukino, and Minerva all walked up to the front of the guild hall. Once they were all up there, Sting gave sharp whistle to get everyone's attention. Any and all conversations quickly grew silent and everyone turned to look at the Sabertooth Guild Master.

"Brothers and sisters of Sabertooth." Sting said in a firm, clear voice. "Today is definitely a day for celebration. Yukino's soul has returned, and we have Alu Dragneel of Fairy Tail to thank for that."

Sting then motioned with his hand to where Alu was sitting. Alu shrunk back a bit and a blush came over her cheeks. She looked over to her parents for advice. Both of them made silent encouragements for her to stand up so that everyone could see her. She did it slowly and with hesitation. The moment everyone could see her, all the Sabertooth wizards erupted with cheers, whoops, and whistles of elation. This made Alu just feel all the more uncomfortable, she wasn't really used to all this attention. Regardless of that, she managed to give a small, nervous smile and waved a little. She immediately sat back down as soon as she felt like she had received enough acclamation.

Sting then gave a firm clap with his hands, turning everyone's attention back to him.

"In light of the recent events," Sting said, "we have decided to invite Fairy Tail over to Sabertooth tomorrow night for a celebration! So let's get ready to party!"

Enthusiastic cheers rang through the Sabertooth guildhall. They were all just so happy about having a member of their guild family return that they were all up for a party. And if Fairy Tail was going to be joining in on the fun, then they were down with that as well.

However, as soon as Fairy Tail was mention, Alu tensed and gave a worried face. In that moment, something occurred to her. If the Fairy Tail guild was coming tomorrow, that meant Master Makarov was going to be coming as well. Considering how Alu broke several guild rules, and that she had endangered the guild by running away, the young Celestial Dragon Slayer began to fear the worst.

She knew perfectly well what the rules were for anyone who would endanger the guild.

Banishment from Fairy Tail.

While everyone else was excited for the party that was going to happen tomorrow, Alu had suddenly lost her appetite.

Later that night…

Since it had grown so late, Natsu, Lucy, and Alu had to stay the night at one of the Sabertooth wizards' houses. Luckily, Minerva was generous enough to offer them an invitation to stay at her place, which was big enough to house all of them.

While Natsu and Lucy shared a room, Minerva slept in her own room, while Alu insisted on sleeping on the sofa in the living room. Minerva gave them all a new change of clothing so that she could throw their dirty ones into the wash. Natsu and Alu cloths in particular needed a good wash.

Not only that, but while the wound on Alu's stomach had healed, leaving behind only a jagged scar, Natsu scarf had a huge blood stain on it. Luckily, Minerva had a stain-remover lacrima that she threw in with the wash along with the cloths.

At the moment, Alu was dressed in a black, loose-fitting t-shirt with grey pants, leaving only her feet bare.

In the stillness of the night, Alu found it hard to fall asleep. It wasn't that the sofa was uncomfortable. In fact, it was very soft and comfy, almost like she was laying on a cloud. What kept Alu awake was her constant thoughts that were speeding through her brain in an endless loop. She just laid flat on her back and stared up at the ceiling with a melancholy look on her face.

Everything that had happened earlier that day, the fights with Ivan, regaining her soul and discovering her true identity, being reunited with Draco, and regaining the memories of her past life; it was a lot for Alu to take in. She still couldn't process it all.

Not to mention, she was still feeling guilty about what happened to her father. She winced at the memory of him putting himself between her and Ivan's attack. Natsu knew what the consequences would be for doing that, but he did it anyway to save Alu.

He was willing to give up his soul just to save her. Just something about the mere thought of that made Alu tighten her mouth.

Finally, Alu sat up and got up off the sofa. She walked around it and over to a sliding glass door just behind it. She undid the latch and slowly opened it. She stepped out onto the porch and into the night air. She then walked up to the railing and leaned out over it. She turned her eyes up to the sky and gazed at the stars.

"I used to do this when I couldn't sleep in my past life," she thought to herself. "Maybe it'll help now."

Alu's eyes scanned over the constellations in the night sky. She was able to identify a few like Cancer, Leo, Aquarius, and Aries. However, when her eyes drifted over to one large constellation in particular, she stopped and she smiled up at it.

It was Draco's constellation. While it had always been up there in the sky, it seemed to be shining brighter than before. It clearly meant that Draco was now back in the Celestial World where he belonged.

As Alu thought about that magnificent Dragon, a thought suddenly struck her. It made her blink and give a weird face.

"Now that I think about," she mumbled to herself, "I've got two fathers. Well, technically one's a foster father, but still, that's kind of weird. Then again, the fact I remember just about everything is weird. It's like I know myself, and yet I don't. It's like I've got two sets of memories in me now."

"Hey, you okay?" said a voice from behind.

Alu gasped in alarm and spun around to see who had spoken to her. The moment she saw who it was, she let a deep breath of air.

Natsu was standing in the doorway. He was dressed in a grew T-shirt, black pants, and was barefoot. His eyes were droopy, and his body kind of sagged from exhaustion. He had clearly just woken up.

"Oh, Dad," Alu said. "You scared me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to." Natsu apologized. "I just heard the glass door open and thought I should check it out. Is something wrong?"

Alu paused at that question and glanced away. That was enough to tell Natsu that something was on her mind. He walked over to the railing, coming up on Alu's left side, and leaned on it just like how she was doing it.

"You can talk to me, you know." Natsu said calmly. "And you might as well. I can tell when you're feeling sad."

"I know, Dad." Alu replied, staring straight ahead. "It's just…a lot happened today. I'm still having a hard time processing it."

"I can understand that." Natsu said. "I gotta say, it was shock for me and your mother when Loke and the others told us that you were a reincarnation."

Alu looked over at her father for a second before turning away.

"You're…not think going to think of me different now, are you?" she asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

Alu paused again and frowned. Part of the reason for that was because she was thinking of the right words to say, and the other reason was because of the subject that was on her mind.

Then again, this was her dad that she was talking to. She could be honest with him.

"I mean," Alu said slowly, her voice low and unsure, "Now that you know I'm a reincarnation, you'll still think of me as your daughter, right? You won't just see me as a product of some Spell, right?"

Natsu blinked at what Alu was saying. But he kept his mouth closed. He knew Alu had more to say, and it was best if he waited until she was done talking before he said anything.

"I'm sorry," Alu lowered her head sadly, "but the more I think about it, the more I feel like you and Mom were forced into everything. From meeting, to marrying, to even having me. All just so I could be reborn and complete the Spell. Heck, even my name was planned out in advanced. I guess…I just feel responsible for everything. And I can't help but feel like I somehow forced you and Mom into this, when…maybe you shouldn't have been. Everyone should be free to make their own futures. But I feel like I manipulated the situation for you two. I'm sorry."

Alu fell silent. She didn't know what else to say. She just waited for her dad to say something.

Much to her surprise, Natsu began chuckle.

Alu looked over at him with wide, surprised eyes. What was so funny?

"That's just silly, Alu." Natsu said with a grin. "I don't feel forced into anything. And I don't see it that way at all."

Natsu then reached out his right hand and placed it on Alu's head. He then ruffled her short hair a bit.

"And for your information," he said, "your mom and I got married because we were so used to arguing and making it up again that marriage was the best way to make it more convenient."

Alu smiled and strained to hold back a laughter.

"Get outta here!" she snickered.

"It's true." Natsu replied casually. "Just ask her yourself."

Natsu's eyes then softened a bit.

"That, and because I wanted to have her on my team for the rest of my life," he said. "And now, with you and Happy, we're the best team ever. But you know what, I see that as my choice and Lucy's. And having you was our choice, too. And even if we were chosen to be hosts for your soul, I'm proud of that. Because in a way, we also saved your life."

Alu blinked twice. She hadn't thought of it like that before, but Natsu was right. If he and Lucy hadn't met, or if the Reincarnation Spell wasn't cast at all, she would be dead right now.

They did save her life, even before she was their daughter.

"Besides," Natsu continued, "reincarnation or not, you're still you. You're Alu Layla Dragneel of Fairy Tail. That's the name we gave you. You're still our daughter, and no one can take that away from you, no matter what. And nothing will ever change the fact that I'm proud to be your father. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else."

Alu stared at her father for a minute, her eyes so wide that they started to water up. Finally, she gave a genuine smile. Her father was right, she was her.

She was Alu Layla Dragneel, daughter of Natsu and Lucy Dragneel, wizard of Fairy Tail, and the Celestial Dragon Slayer reborn. Nothing could ever change that.

At last, Alu moved from the spot and hugged her father. Natsu responded by smiling and wrapping his arms around his daughter. Alu felt safe and warm in those arms. She always had, ever since she was born. An unlike before, Alu found the strength in her own arms to return the hug.

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

"I love you, too, kiddo." Natsu replied in the same tone.

For a few minutes, the two stood on the porch, cherishing their father-and-daughter embrace.

At last, the two pulled away and Alu looked up at her dad.

Much to her surprise, his face had changed from a warm smile to a very pensive look.

"Now, I've got a question for ya." Natsu said.

"What is it?" Alu asked, blinking.

"How did you know Aries's wool was combustible?" Natsu replied, sounding genuinely curious.

Alu was so shocked by the sudden change of subject, and just how that it was presented, that she gave a small laugh.

"Oh, that," she grinned. "We found that one out the fun way. It was shortly after I discovered I had Dragon Slayer Magic."

Six Years Ago, in the East Forest…

"Open, Gate of the Golden Ram! Aries!"

In a puff of pink, wooly smoke, Aries appeared right in front of Alu.

"I'm sorry, Alu," she said timidly. "Did you summon me? Is there something you need me to do for you?"

"Hey, Aries." Alu smiled brightly. "I'm doing some Dragon Slayer training today. I would have Dad help me, but he's off on a mission right now. So could you help me with some target practice?"

At the mention of "target practice", Aries face involuntarily changed to worried and she backed away. In an instant, she remembered all the times she had been used as a target by her previous key-holders before she became Lucy's Spirit.

Alu immediately realized what she had implied and quickly raised her hands.

"Oh, no!" she said quickly, grinning awkwardly. "Sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I don't want to use you as the target! I just need you to make Wool Bomb targets for me!"

"Oh." Aries blinked, releasing the tension in her body. "I see. I guess I can do that. What do you want me to do?"

"Well," Alu replied, putting her hands on her hips, "I want to test the strength of my Breath Attack first. Could you make a large Wool Bomb me?"

"Okay, I'll do my best." Aries nodded.

With that, Aries summoned a large wool bomb that was about the size of an average boulder. Alu stepped forward and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Although she was still new to her Dragon Slayer Magic, she at least knew that she needed a good stance to get the basics down.

"Watch this." Alu winked at Aries.

Alu turned her attention back to the cloud of pink cotton in front of her. She then took a deep breath, making her lungs expand, and she clenched her fists.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" she shouted.

A stream of pale orange fire shot fire shot from Alu's mouth. In that split second, Alu and Aries both thought that the wool was just going to disappear the moment Alu's fire came in contact with it.

However, they were in for a shock.

The minute Alu's Dragon Fire touched that wool, the flames spread around it wickedly fast, and there was a tremendous explosion that expanded across the forest. And Alu and Aries got caught up in the middle of it.

The next thing those two knew, the force of the explosion flying out of the forest and up into the sky. They were both screaming as they sailed through the air. They must've flown at least half a mile before they found themselves falling down back toward the forest. Neither one stopped screaming as they fell through the trees. They hit the slope of small hill hard and tumbled head-over-heels until they ended up at the bottom into a patch of grass and dirt.

For a moment, the young wizard girl and Celestial Spirit just laid where they were, completely dazed. Aries was flat on her back, while Alu was faced down in the ground with her arms and legs spread out. Both of them had smoke stains all over them. Alu's hair was even more messed up than it was before, and Aries hair looked like it had been struck by lightening and then quickly blown back by the wind. For a few seconds, both them just heard ringing sounds in their ears.

Finally, Alu slowly lifted her head, her brain still swimming with dizziness. She quickly shook it away and blinked a few times to get rid of the black dots dancing in front of her eyes. Aries carefully lifted herself up and gripped her head, feeling just as dizzy as Alu was. Once the feeling had subsided, Aries breathed heavily and began to inspect herself for any injury.

"That…" Alu suddenly said, "was…AWESOME!"

Alu immediately sprung to her feet with excitement. The sudden action made Aries lean back and look at Alu with a concern expression. She knew Alu well enough by now to know what happens when she gets excited by something.

And right now, she looked overly-excited. Not only did she have an ecstatic expression on her face, but she was also quickly walking up and down.

"Oh, that was so cool!" Alu said with over-the-top eagerness. "Oh, just imagine what would happen if we could use that in battle! Nobody would know what hit them! OOOOH, Aries, we gotta do it again!"

"Again?!" Aries whined.

"WHAT ARE YOU BRATS DOING HERE?!" an old woman's voice suddenly shrieked with angry annoyance.

Alu and Aries both turned sharply around. It was only now that they noticed where they landed.

Right outside of Porlyusica's house.

And right now, that said healer woman was running at them with a broom in her hands. Judging by the way she was holding it, she wasn't intending on using it to sweep the steps. Most like to knock the heads off of the intruders.

Even though Porlyusica saw who was outside of her house, she wasn't exactly in the mood for unexpected guests.

"Whoops, gotta run!" Alu laughed.

Before Porlyusica reached the two trespassers, Alu darted over, grabbed Aries to quickly help her up, and the two made a hasty, as well as clumsy, retreat through the forest. The elderly woman chased them for only a few more feet before coming to a stop.

"DON'T YOU TWO EVER DO THAT AGAIN, YOU HEAR ME!" Porlyusica screeched, waving her broom in the air.

"Sorry, Grandma Porlyusica!" Alu shouted back cheekily.

"AND DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT, YOU LITTLE WHIPPER-SNAPPER!"

Alu just laughed out out of childish ignorance as she and Aries continued to make their escape.

By the time Alu was done telling her story, Natsu was leaning on the railing with one arm wrapped around his stomach. He was laughing so hard that he got tears in his eyes.

"Oh, gosh!" he said through his laughter. "That's best thing I've heard in my life!"

"I know, right!" Alu replied, laughing just as hard as her dad.

"Geez, Alu! You're so reckless!"

"You're one to talk! But then again, I take after you, remember?!"

Eventually, Natsu and Alu both calmed down. They both stood up tall and wiped their eyes. Then, Alu opened her mouth and gave a huge yawn. It was only now that she realized just how tired she was.

"Well," Natsu shrugged, "we should get back to bed. Gotta be rested for the party tomorrow. All of Fairy Tail's gonna be there."

On that reminder, Alu's face fell. Natsu caught it and immediately became concerned.

"Alu?"

Alu lowered her shoulders and hung her head. There was no point in hiding her worry from her dad. He was going to find out anyway.

"I'll have to face Gramps tomorrow," she said miserably. "I don't think he's forgiven me for running off like I did."

"Hey, Gramps isn't like that." Natsu answered. "You know that as well as I do."

"But I put the guild in danger." Alu looked up at her dad. "I know what the punishment is for endangering the guild. What if…that happens to me?"

"It won't." Natsu said. "I told you, Alu, Ivan was the one who threatened the guild, not you."

"But he saw an opportunity because I ran away and he found me. If I hadn't done that, we probably would've stood a better chance."

Alu sighed heavily. She knew there was no use in dwelling on what might have happened if she did things differently. What happened happened, and she had to face it like the Fairy Tail Wizard she was.

"I'll just have to bite the bullet and own up." Alu said in a serious tone. "I made this mess, so I'm gonna clean it up, regardless of the consequences."

Natsu closed his eyes and smiled proudly. He then reached out his hand again and placed it on Alu's head. Alu watched as her father pressed his forehead to hers.

"You sure have grown up," he said with encouraging warmth. "That's my girl. Just remember, I'll be right behind you tomorrow, no matter what happens. No matter where you end up going, I'll always be looking your way."

Alu gave a soft smile and nodded. It was true. Her father had always been looking her way. He was always watching over her, protecting her, and supporting her in the life she had now. It didn't matter how many times she went astray, or when she took his fatherly love for granted, or when she was wrong, he was always on her side.

She finally realized it.

All this time, she thought she was in his shadow. When really, he was the one who was in her shadow. He let her stand in front of him, so that she could shine. He gave her his strength so that she could be stronger.

That was just who he was. And that's what made him her hero.

On that note, Natsu leaned back from Alu and the two turned to walk back into the house. The soft smile on Alu's face never faded for a second.

"I really am one lucky girl." Alu thought to herself.