Hi Readers! Here's another chapter, and I hope that you will enjoy it.

Chapter 21

It was already Sunday when Gray and Natsu were picked up at exactly ten in the morning from their house. Watching in awe as they looked at the car and the house in front of them. They were greeted by a blond woman, in her early thirties. The woman in front walked closer to the doll in the man's arms. She placed both her hands on her face and observed.

"I can see the resemblance." She smiled and stood properly.

The two arrivals could notice two blond hair poking from the door, noticing them looking behind her. She turned around and called for her sons. Two seven-year-old looking children came out from their hiding place, grinning shyly as they were introduced by their mother.

"These are my childrens. This one is August, and the other is Larcade"

The young lads smiled and bowed towards their guests. "Nice to meet you Aunt Natsu" they chorus and grin at the doll. Though the one by the name Larcade walked closer to Gray and observed his so-called aunt in his arms.

"Mommy, is this really father's sister? Why is she a doll?"

"Isn't it cool, to have an aunt as a doll!" the other grinned while jumping towards the doll.

Mavis sighed at her sons and apologized to their visitors. Calling one of their helpers to take care of her sons for now. Larcade disagreed stating he wants to play with his aunt but followed his mother's instructions. While August just nodded his head and went towards the helper, to ask for food.

Gray and Natsu are currently dumbfounded when they hear the twins calling Natsu an Aunt. Averting his gaze to the doll, he asked if she had a brother.

"No, as far as I remember. I only had Igneel when I was a baby, though he did tell me that I had parents but I didn't hear anything about a brother."

Mavis smiled and agreed. "That's because your brother left home when he turned fifteen. Though he did keep in touch with your parents and heard that his mother was pregnant. But he didn't learn that you were alive until he heard it from Uncle Igneel."

Natsu looked at her stunned, "Igneel, do you know where Igneel is?"

Mavis nodded her head, "Though is it okay if we will continue this conversation in the living? I also invited someone as well, hoping that she could help you with the curse"

Natsu smiled and agreed, turning her attention back to Gray, who smiled back at her.

Once they sat down, Mavis drank from her cup and smiled at her childrens who were now busy playing puzzles on the kitchen table. Natsu, who was also looking at the kids, turned her attention to the mother and was about to ask her a question.

"Well, I bet you have tons of questions right now. But first I would like to introduce myself first."

They both nodded.

"My name is Mavis Dragneel. I married your brother, Zeref nine years ago." she smiled at the bewildered faces of her guest. Natsu stared at her with confusion and shock.

"Wait, I have a brother?"

Mavis nodded her head and pointed to a wide framed picture at the top of the fireplace. Natsu turned towards the picture and gaped at their wedding picture.

"That is my brother?"

She nodded again and stood up to pick up a picture of her husband's parents. She handed them and observed the doll's reaction.

"This guy looks a lot like Igneel"

The older woman chuckled at her expression, "Well I heard that it's because you Father and Igneel are twins"

Natsu averted her gaze to the blond woman looking lost from his explanation.

"So Igneel is really my Uncle?" she stated dumbly, making the other two spit their tea.

"Wha-, isn't that why you call Igneel 'Uncle'? Gray clarified, looking unamused at the doll.

Natsu responded to him with a grin, "Well, he said he didn't want to be called 'Dad', or an 'Old man'. So I called him 'Uncle'. But I didn't think that I am actually his niece"

"Are you an idiot?" Gray commented. Natsu glared and started to have a bicker with her friend, the blond woman was amazed by their closeness and started to chuckle from their name callings. She cleared her throat to gain their attention, which they both listened to and sat properly.

"Anyways. I think I know the reason why you are eager to come here" She drank from her tea, and placed it back down at the table. "That is why I asked a friend of mine, who is a relative to someone who might be able to help you". As soon after she said that, a helper came to their view and announced the arrival of her friend, telling him to lead her in, the old man nodded his head and went back to the visitor waiting at the front.

A black-haired woman arrived with freckles on her face, smiling towards her friend she gave her a hug and sat down. She averted her eyes to the two young visitors and was startled at the moving doll. After seeing the doll, the black-haired woman felt gloom realizing what was happening.

Natsu gazed back at the woman, looking at her face, she couldn't help but felt like she already met her before. She wanted to ask, but the woman had already spoken before her.

"So she used the restricted curse" she mumbled to herself. "I am Hikaru Sakurai's Aunt, Hinata" the woman smiled.

Mavis turned to her visitors and introduced them to her friends. After speaking Natsu's name, Hinata's face turned blue.

Gray and Natsu stared at the woman confused when she suddenly apologized to the two. The raven-haired lad frowned his brows and asked what she meant.

"Hikaru had used illegal magic on you Natsu" she explained, and sighed again sadly. "Our family has been part of studying black magic centuries ago and have been using it in our daily lives. Unfortunately, an ancestor of mine had learned how to turn people's bodies to what we desired. However, there are some consequences every time it is used"

"and that is?" Gray asked curiously.

"We lose our minds to insanity"

Gray frowned at her explanation but continued to listen.

"It was two decades ago when my Grandfather had abolished using dark magic completely. After my young sister at that time, unconsciously put a curse on our Grandmother due to anger. It did stop my sister from using her powers after being weighed with guilt for turning our Grandmother into a wooden doll. Luckily, Grandfather was able to turn her back to her original body, but it was as if she was dead. My grandmother had become an unmoving human, not eating, blinking, speaking. I sometimes doubt if she was breathing."

There was silence when she drank from the tea her friend offered her. She then turned her attention to the doll and observed her features. She smiled sadly, "and again we have caused you so much trouble"

Natsu frowned and tilted her heads to the side. Asking what she meant.

"My sister fell in love with your father"

"You know my father?"

The black-haired woman shook her head, "I don't actually. I only know him by his last name, which was 'Drageneel' and I only knew a few people who go by that name. Also, you are an exact photocopy of him as well. So I can that you are his daughter"

"Wait a minute." Gray suddenly spoke, brows furrowed as he glared at the raven-haired woman. "You just said that your sister turned your Grandmother into a doll. But once she was back to normal. She-" He bit on his lips, scared to admit what he just realized.

The woman looked at him sadly and nodded her head.

"I am afraid to say this, but Natsu received a curse that killed my Grandmother"

Gray fell into shock as he leaned back to the couch, staring at Natsu, who was looking dread from what she just heard. Mavis could feel her skin turn cold, as she feared for her husband's sister's fate.

"However, there is still a chance that she could live"

"What do you mean, Hinata?" Mavis asked intrigued, wanting to know possible action to avoid killing the young girl.

"When my Grandfather turned our Grandmother back into a human, he used his own blood to undo the spell" She smiled worriedly, "Since any member with a Sakurai blood running on their veins could undo the curse. However, that could lead you into the same situation as my grandmother"

Hinata averted his eyes to the young man, "But if we can have Hikaru undo her curse to you. You should be able to turn back normally. However, if Hikaru refuses and you are able to obtain her blood. I can use that to undo the curse, however, it is not a hundred percent possible for you to turn back to normal."

Natsu gulped down her saliva, as she tried to process her words. She frowned her brows in confusion and turned her attention to Gray. "Gray, so basically I have to catch this witch and beat her to a pulp so she can turn me back into a human, right?" Gray deadpan from her words, while Mavis just chuckled. She then turned back to the aunt and asked rudely, "So where is this witch?"

Hinata sweatdropped from the nickname given to her niece, but she can't blame her, since her family had caused them problems ever since her sister met him.

"Unfortunately, Hikaru hasn't returned back to my house for weeks already. But my husband and I are trying to find her. Don't worry though once we get leads about my niece, I'll be sure to contact you so we can undo the curse."

Natsu pressed her lips to the side and nodded. Taking a big bite from the cookie beside her, she started to feel comfortable. "Fine then. Be sure to call me if she gets back".

Gray just stared at the doll in disbelief. He let out a scoff as he was starting to get annoyed with her acting care-free. But since they currently have no clues about the missing girl, he begrudgingly agreed and handed her his phone number so the woman can give him a call whenever they find Hikaru.

"Mommy, are you done yet?"

There was a call from Larcade, looking unamused and annoyed. Mavis turned towards her son to find her twins covered in mud and barefooted. her blood had drained as she stared at the situation of their new clothes that she just bought yesterday.

"Larcade, August. What happened to you two?" she scolded her boys, who are acting as if they are already used to it. With a sigh, Mavis can't help, and just sighed in defeat. She stood up from the couch and excused herself, she then led her son to the bathroom to help clean themselves.

After Hinata had promised to help them out with undoing the curse, Natsu was still staring back at her. Hinata turned her eyes to her and wondered if she wanted to ask something.

"Have I met you before?" She asked curiously, earning Gray's attention. Hinata was perplexed by what she meant since she knows this is the first time that she met her. It was then later, that Natsu remembered.

0o0o0

"How about you little girl? Do you like girly clothes?" A black-haired woman asked the young Natsu. The pink-haired girl just stared at the woman innocently. Thinking that this woman knows her Uncle. Natsu nodded her head and smiled.

"Oh my, such a sweet smile. I hope my daughters would smile as you do" she commented

0o0o0

With a gasp, Natsu pointed her finger towards her. "You're that woman who talked with me when I was with my Uncle".

Hinata tilted her head to the side, confused. Gray raised his brows and asked what the doll meant.

"It was a very long time ago, so I can't remember clearly. Though you look older than back then. But I am sure that was you" Natsu claimed, smiling at the woman.

The raven-haired woman placed her palms on her cheeks. She then remembered about her sister telling her about meeting her crush with a baby on his arms. "Oh, you must mean my sister then?"

"Sister?"

"My sister and I look a lot like each other, though we aren't twins. Our age gap is just eleven months"

Gray was a bit shocked by her response, earning the older woman's attention. "Well, my parents love each other so much." she chuckled and drank her tea. "Though my sister already died years ago, when Hikaru was still six. That's the reason why Hikaru is in my care." She placed the cup back to the table and sighed. "-and now, I am starting to worry if she's following her mother's footsteps."

"What do you mean?"

Hinata wanted to tell them what happened but thought that it's not appropriate for the doll to know about her parents. she smiled sadly and sighed. "She decided to take her own life, after losing herself from using the illegal magic repeatedly".

Natsu and Gray fell into silence as they ate the cookie on their hands. Luckily it wasn't long until Mavis came back again with her freshly dressed sons running amok around the living. The blond-haired woman turned to her visitors if they wanted a new tea. But Hinata had refused and stated that she needed to leave.

Gray was about to inform them that they should leave as well, but Mavis turned her head to him, "I don't think Natsu wants to leave now, right?" she averted towards the doll, who was now standing on the table and nodded her head. Hinata smiled at the young students, and bid them well and once again promised to contact them immediately once she got a hold of her runaway niece. Mavis had courted her to her front door and waved her hand. The helper had then closed the door once their visitor had left in her car.

Mavis went back to the living, chuckling at her son talking with their aunt. Asking staff and poking at her cheeks and arms. she cleared her throat earning the little boys' attention. Both boys then turned and left them alone, after taking the plate of cookies on their hands. The helper soon came and placed the new set of cookies on their table instead.

The blond harried woman smiled, "I bet you want to ask where your Uncle is, right?"

Natsu nodded her head. "Also, since you said that I have a brother. I am also curious about meeting him."

Mavis widens her smile from her response, happy that his little sister is intrigued about her own brother. "Actually, they are abroad right now due to work. Though my husband told me that they might return a month from now, though I am not exactly sure when will it be due to their work"

"Oh. Then do you have the means on how to contact them?"

Mavis pressed her lips together before speaking. "No, I actually don't"

Gray frowned at her answer, unable to accept that she is not able to contact her husband.

"I don't have ways to contact them, but my husbands call me whenever he can"

"Oh!" Natsu smiled "I see. it's alright, as long as I know that they are alive. I can still meet them when they arrive back" The doll grinned towards the lady, who nodded her head in agreement.

It was another half a minute passed when Gray offered that they should go home. The doll nodded her head and waited for Gray to pick her up off the table. While Mavis had asked the helper to bring them back to their home.

Once Natsu was settled on his arms, she turned to her sister in law and nephews to take care. The little boys waved towards their tiny arms and asked to promise that they will play with them again soon. The doll just grinned and nodded her head, before jumping inside the car that will be bringing them home.

TBC

Laters,

-B27