Aki.


"Open, Gate of the Dragon: Draco! Open, Gate of the Princess: Andromeda! Natsu and Lucy, Fairy Tail is waiting for you!"

In a flash of red light, Natsu appears beside me in his human form. He glances around to make sure everything is copecetic and grins widely at his friends. "S'up, guys?"

Lucy appears beside him, also in human form, and smiles happily, tackling Levy with a hug. "I missed you guys!"

After telling Feuer and Jed I'd be joiniing Fairy Tail, Feuer lashed out at me. The guards took them back to their cells and our visit was officially over. Erza, Juvia, Master Makarov, and I all went back to Magnolia and we arrived in the guild hall in the early evening. First I had a drink to calm my nerves, and then I pulled out the dragon and princess gate keys.

So now all hell is breaking loose. Cana's calling out for booze, Mirajane and Kinana are passing out food, and Lucy and Natsu are both at the center of a great big group hug initiated by Elfman. "Reunions are manly!"

"Aki!" Lucy calls me from across the hall. I look up at her to see her transform into her fairy form and jump up into the air to fly over to me. She hugs me around the neck and grins. "This is your party too! Come on!" She grabs my hand and pulls me over to the group, beside Natsu. He's watching me thoughtfully and I feel myself cringing, wondering what he could be thinking.

"Natsu," I say softly. I look at Lucy. "Lucy, I need to tell you. I know I've said this a million times before, and I'll probably say it a million times more… I'm so sorry."

"Why?" Natsu asks me, looking surprised. "Aki, you know how cool this is, right? Being a Celestial Spirit rocks."

"You would think it's cool," Wendy giggles.

"That's Natsu for you," Mirajane remarks, beaming. "Mr. Brightside."

"I can look for Igneel like this," Natsu continues. "And I'm stronger than I was before,and I have fewer limits than I had as a human. I'm actually a dragon now!"

"Not really," Gray counters. "You look more like a lizard or an actual Salamander."

Natsu grins and transforms into his dragon form, sprouting wings of flame from his back. "I just figured out how to use the wings. Still think I just look like a lizard?"

"Flame off, dumbass. The only way I see it is now you can destroy this guild hall easier than you could before!" Gray snaps at him.

"You're just jealous you don't have a cool badass form like I do," Natsu taunts his friend, transforming back to his human form.

"Anyway," Lucy interjects pointedly and looks at me. "Aki, we aren't mad or anything. We're both just glad you're safe now and you have the chance to live your own life."

"I wouldn't have let you use my house if I didn't like you," Natsu adds.

I chuckle, relieved. "That reminds me, Natsu. I need your help to fix things up. I want to clean up but I don't want to throw anything important away. It's still your house, so I want to leave things the way you had them before the others shoved all your stuff into your bedroom. If Happy forgives me, he can help too so I don't accidentally throw anything he likes away."

"Wait, they didn't throw anything away already did they?" Natsu asks me, eyeing Erza and Mirajane suspiciously.

"Rubble and trash are not important things," Erza tells him.

"We kept all of your request flyers and mementos, but anything noticeably toxic, I destroyed myself," Mirajane adds. "Do you have a problem with that, Natsu?" she challenges him.

"Guess not," Natsu responds quickly, though he doesn't seem thrilled that the others went through his stuff.

"Wait," Lucy says, looking at Levy. "Did you guys go through my apartment and stuff?"

"I've read all of your stories and even had some of them published. They were so good!" Levy says enthusiastically. "I hope you aren't mad. Are you?" She inquires warily.

Lucy sighs. "I guess not. You really thought my writing was good?"she asks.

"A ton of people love it," Levy assures her.

Just then, I see him. He's floating at the door and staring past me at Natsu, who isn't paying attention. He's staring at Lucy, chuckling at her embarrassment at the compliment she'd just received. I nudge Natsu to get his attention and look back at Happy almost anxiously. I have no clue how Happy is going to act toward me.

"Hey, buddy!" Natsu greets Happy cheerfully.

"Happy! How've you been?" Lucy asks with a grin.

"A lot better now that you're back, Lucy!" Happy declares and flies over to her to hug her. He looks back at his guild mates and twiddles his thumbs nervously. "Im sorry for how I acted after… you know. It was dumb of me to act like such a jerk and I don't wanna be like that anymore."

"Forget about it," Macao tells Happy. "We all acted poorly. Let's just put all that behind us."

"I don't mean to sound like a broken record," I pipe up. "But -."

"Say it again and I will kick you," Levy threatens me. I can't tell if she's being serious or not. I won't take any chances. "Macao just said to forget about it so that means you too!"

"Let's nobody kick anyone, now," Mirajane laughs and approaches me with a magic stamp. "Where do you want it, Aki?"

I think about that and point to my right forearm. "On my right arm. THe inside of my forearm."

She takes my right arm and turns it over so the inside of my arm is facing up. She presses the stamp into my skin and when the stamp comes up, a coral, pinky orange colored Fairy Tail insignia appears, fresh and bright. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."

"Hey, Mira! While you're at it," Natsu pauses and points to his right shoulder. There's no Fairy Tail mark there now. I can't believe that I forgot it used to be there, a red one.

Lucy holds up her right hand. "the King removed them when he made us spirits. Could you put them back?"

Mirajane looks at Natsu bare shoulder and Lucy's bare hand and nods. "I'd be honored."

"Hey," Happy interrupts. "Can you guys explain everything that happened again? Natsu told me some stuff but I still don't get it."

So they do. I mostly just stay quiet and listen to their retelling of my story. I'm surprised more than once at how they speak of me and how angry they get talking about my family and Oliver. Levy starts talking about the part where she and Gajeel found Natsu trapped in a barrier. My eyes shift floorward and I grimace.

"And I wasn't there to stop it," I murmur bitterly. "I almost got him killed a second time."

"You were busy doing your own dying," Natsu counters.

"Yeah you were pretty bad off when I found you," Laxus agrees with him.

"You're doing that thing where you blame yourself for everything," Cana scolds me.

"I wasn't kidding," Levy warns me, wagging her finger at me. "I'll kick you if you do that."

"So she did it because she was being brainwashed?" Happy concludes, watching me cautiously, as if he still can't trust me. "And you're telliing me those people are all in Era now? So they can't do it anymore?"

"That's right," Master Makarov confirms.

"And she's going to live in our house," Natsu tells Happy. "I offered the house because she won't have to pay rent or anything like she would if she took Lucy's old apartment or went to Fairy Hills."

Happy grimaces. "I want to come back to the guild full time but I can't be in the same house as her. Not yet."

"Hey, Gajeel! Let Happy stay with you!" Natsu orders the dark haired dragon slayer.

Gajeel glares at natsu. "Since when do you think you can boss me around, Salamander?!"

"Just do it!" Natsu retorts, butting heads with him.

"He can ask me himself!" Gajeel barks back.

"I wouldn't mind if he stayed with us," Pantherlily declares. "We do have plenty of space."

"I would really appreciate it. I'll help pay for food," Happy tells Gajeel.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine," Gajeel grumbles and goes over to the bar so Kinana can hand him a beer.

"Now that that's settled, can we get back to the party?" Natsu asks, sounding annoyed. "You people are such a drag lately."

"What an inconsiderate comment," Lisanna scolds him.

"You're such a dick," Gray retorts.

"Bite me!" Natsu snaps.

Thus ensues a guild brawl. Lucy pulls me away from the fray and we watch from the second floor with Wendy, Levy, and Carla.

"Get used to this," Levy tells me with a laugh. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Aki!"

"Maybe if I start training I can actually join in on these brawls. Looks like a healthy way to let off some steam," I observe.

"You need to train spiritually and physically," Lucy states. "I can help you spiritually."

Natsu, who I didn't think was listening, launches himself up onto the second floor next to us, abandoning the brawl. "Wanna see my training regimen? I used to train in the forest by my house."

"I saw that. It looks like youjust went around punches things at random," I tell him with a laugh.

"Sorta," he grins.

I look from him to Lucy and feel a smile spread across my lips. "You two are amazing," I tell them, feeling so happy I might explode. Things have worked out better than I ever thought they would. I have two amazing friends and partners, I've found amazing friends in Fairy Tail, and my life is my own for the first time." I bounce from foot to foot, barely containing my joy. "I'm so happy I could cry! I can't believe how things have changed for me!" I gush.