Quick A/N: Yes, my story is one year behind canon. Why? Valid question. I felt like it.
Rösch - X784
"It's been a long time…" Natsu quietly said. "I...I'm sorry...I should have...I should have done this a long time ago…"
It was late June and pouring rain. Natsu was kneeling in front of a set of graves. There were three massive stones in the rear, one large stone in the middle, and three relatively small stones in the front. All marked those he'd had to witness die in front of his very eyes.
"It's my own fault...I lost all of you...Because I was weak…" he turned to the three smaller graves. "Or because I was scared…"
The rain continued to pour down on the cloaked man, his furry blue companion standing next to him, with his head bowed.
"I-I want to move on…" Natsu continued, desperately fighting back tears. "I-I know that-that it's what you would want...All of you...Igneel...you always said...to live on for those...who couldn't make it with you...to the future...But why does it hurt so much? You...never told me...that life would keep doing this to me...It hurts...every day it hurts more…"
"Natsu…"
"Why? Why do I have to lose everyone? EVERYONE?"
"NATSU!"
"WHY, HAPPY? WHY DO THEY ALWAYS DIE?"
He was in tears; he'd lost so many. Life continued to take from him. It was as if he was atoning for the sins of some previous life, it was like everything he loved was taken, it was as if he was lost on a straight path that led nowhere.
"Natsu! They don't always die!" Happy shouted. "I-I'm still here! And-and the guild! When we're ready, they'll...they'll be there for us…"
"I know...I-I just don't know...if I can do it anymore…" Natsu whispered. "I-I can't...if my existence makes others fall…"
"It DOESN'T and you KNOW that, Natsu!"
"But IF IT DOES!" Natsu shouted back. "If it does...I need to...I need to protect them…"
"Natsu…"
"I'm not...I'm not strong enough…"
"You are, Natsu," Happy told him. "No one could have-"
"IF I WAS STRONGER! I COULD HAVE SAVED THEM! ALL OF THEM!"
"No, you couldn't, Natsu! You're breaking yourself!"
"No, I can-I can move on...I can do it again…"
"You can, Natsu…"
"But-"
"If anyone can do it, it's you, Natsu."
"How? And WHY? What's the point?"
"Do it for you. Do it for Igneel and Draco. Do it for our friends that died at Rösch. Do it for the people you've killed. Do it for the people you've lost. Do it for the friends you still have."
"Why?"
"Because you can, Natsu. If you couldn't, you wouldn't still be here…"
"I need to...I need to get stronger…"
"And you will."
"Will you...will you help me?"
"Always, Natsu...Until the end of time…"
"Hey, Happy?"
"What is it, Natsu?"
"Promise me...you'll never leave...And you'll never throw away...the life you live...for my sake..."
Happy smiled, "I'll do my best, Natsu, as you'll do the same for me."
And so he stood, with tears falling from his eyes; pouring and streaming down his face, soaking it near as much as the downpour that drenched him through to the bone. He was broken again. He needed to rebuild himself.
'Igneel...Draco...Ashley...Cindy...Treya...Parker...and …' he thought to himself. 'For all of you…'
And then he roared into the sky, as only a dragon could roar, unleashing white fire that crackled and fought against the heavens. It burned the sky that housed those who fell in front of his very eyes and it held fast his soul that was trying to join them. And then...he stopped…
"Let's go, Happy…"
"Aye…" he whispered.
The two set out. Away from the life they had become accustomed to, and back to the darkness that Makarov had pulled them out of. But this time was different. Natsu knew he was entering the darkness, but he had a reason. He knew the only way he could find a source of light was in the darkness. If he surrounded himself in light, it would blind him to what he needed to find. So he entered the abyss, the black, the darkness. And he knew that Happy would always be there...to help pull him back out.
Rösch - X785
"I think I'm almost ready…" Natsu whispered. It'd been a year. The White Crown swept the nation like a hurricane. His strength now knew no bounds, and that title that he almost threw away sent shivers down the spines of mages both dark and light. The bounty on his head was so high, anyone who captured him would be set for the rest of their lives. However, therein lied the problem. He hadn't been touched in well over six months, his flames of anger and determination never giving the enemy a chance to strike. "I'm strong enough now...to protect everyone that I cared about...It still hurts...to think about all of you...But it hurts to not see their faces every day...Jane and Erza...Levi...Lisanna...I miss them all…"
"Do you think...do you think we can go back now, Natsu?" Happy asked, tentatively.
"I know you want to, buddy...I think I can try…"
"Aye, Natsu...I think I'm ready too…"
Once again they stood and faced the heavens, but this time it wasn't anguish they felt, but rather, determination. They finally felt like they could head back.
Fairy Tail Guild Hall - 3 Days Later
"Hey, Mira! Another round over here!"
"Coming right up!"
Mira was the barmaid now, and she worked hand-in-hand with her little sister, Lisanna. Mira hadn't done a mission since Natsu disappeared, and Lisanna spent most of her time with her sister.
The guild had taken time to recover, they lost two members together, and they took a hit to their firepower and, somewhat, their reputation. But like the family they were, they were there for each other, and they pulled through.
"I'm taking this mission, Mira. I'll be a few days. It shouldn't take too long, but another dark guild got taken down, and I wanted to-"
"I know, Erza. Good luck," Mira told her. The two had been hit the hardest by Natsu's absence, Mira finally admitting she might be a little bit in love with the sorrowful dragonslayer, and Erza was in the same boat. That was the biggest reason that they now tended to get along, they were there for each other when they needed it. Since Erza still went on missions, she traveled to places where dark guilds had been destroyed, desperately searching for any clues as to whether it was the White Crown or not.
"Thank you…" Erza said. "I hope he'll come back one of these days…"
Hargeon - That same day
"What do you mean this is all you have?" a young woman questioned.
"Sorry, young miss, this town is known for its fishing. Only around 10% can even use magic, so I built this shop for any traveling mages that might happen to be passing through here."
The young woman in question was named Lucy Heartfilia. She was eighteen years old, had shoulder-length blonde hair in a ponytail, and she wore a white and blue halter top with a blue miniskirt. The man she was talking to was a shorter older gentleman who owned a magic shop in the town of Hargeon. It was a port city and wasn't exactly known for its magic.
"But please! Look around and buy something if you can!"
"Alright, fine. I'm looking for powerful gate keys. Got anything like that?"
"Powerful gate keys, eh? Well, that's an unusual request. I'm not sure if we have anything like that-"
"OH! It's Canis Minor Nikora! The little dog!" she squealed.
"Well, yes, but it's not very strong you see…"
"Oh, that's fine. I've actually wanted this one for a while. I wonder how much it is?"
"That'll be 20,000 jewels."
"Hmm, sorry about that. I said I wonder how much it is?"
"I said 20,000 jewels."
Lucy hopped up on the desk, pushing her chest towards the man.
"How much is it really worth?" she said in her most seductive voice.
She was now outside, walking down the street complaining to herself.
"I can't believe that stingy old man only gave me a 5% discount! Is my sex appeal only worth that much? Come on!" Lucy continued to grumble and complain at the lack of money-saving abilities that her assets seemed to have gotten her.
"Is that the missing Salamander?"
"I heard he's been missing for a year!"
"Yeah! And he's downtown right now!"
"Salamander?" Lucy asked herself. "He's that fire mage that's super famous! They say he got his name by taking down two salamanders by himself! I've got to meet him!"
So, she quickly raced in the direction that the girls had gone. Shortly thereafter, she found herself pushing through a massive crowd of girls trying to get a glimpse at the once missing mage.
"Why aren't you pretty, little lady," the 'Salamander' said. "And what might your name be?"
"Uh-um m-my name? My-my name's Lucy!" 'Why is my heart beating so fast? Is it because he's a famous mage? Am I in love?' she thought to herself.
"Ah, Lucy. What a fine name indeed."
"Bora of Prominence," a low voice spoke, parting the crowd as he walked. "You shall be accompanying me willingly or unwillingly."
She suddenly felt the rapid beating of her heart stop and return to its normal rate, as she noticed a strange ring on the finger of the 'Salamander.'
"Bora? You must be mistaken, for you see, I am Salamander!"
"Yeah! Quit being so rude!"
"Salamander is a famous mage! Who's this creepy dude!"
"SILENCE!" the hooded man yelled, quieting the crowd. "You are Bora of Prominence. I shall not ask again. Will you accompany me willingly or unwillingly?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about! Now if you'll excuse me-HUUHHH…"
Before he could finish his excuse, the hooded man had quickly gotten up to him and punched him in the gut, knocking him unconscious. Before the crowd could react, he slipped the charm ring off his finger, and melted it, tossing the remains to the side. For some reason, they decided not to question what had just happened and decided to simply move on with their days, as the mysterious hooded man lifted the 'Salamander' on his shoulder and turned to walk away. Well, everyone except one person decided to move on.
'Why am I doing this, why am I doing this, why am I doing this,' she thought to herself before speaking. "Hey! Excuse me! Thanks for saving me!"
The hooded man turned slightly to her. "Of course, not a problem. I must admit it wasn't my intention to break his charm spell, however, capturing him did seem to have that effect. Quite amusing, isn't it? How we can unintentionally have that effect on people. One action that you make-" and the figure continued to ramble, much to Lucy's confusion.
"Uh, right, of course. So anyway, my name's Lucy. Do you want to join me for lunch as thanks for saving me?"
"Hmmm…" the figure pondered a moment. "I suppose I could, however, I should drop this guy off first…"
"Come on! Just take it! When was the last time you ate at a restaurant?" came a voice from inside the man's cloak.
"Uh, what was-" Lucy started to ask.
"(sigh) Yes, you're probably right. I'll bring you back a fish, you take him somewhere and keep an eye on him."
"Aye, sir!" said the voice. Then, a small blue cat came crawling out from under the cloak, grabbed the unconscious 'Bora of Prominence,' and flew off.
"Uh, what was-"
"So! I shall accept your offer! Lead the way, Miss Lucy!"
"Right…" 'I knew this was a bad idea,' she thought.
The two were eating lunch together, though the cloaked man remained cloaked during the meal, much to Lucy's confusion.
"So, uh, N? Did you say your name was?" to which 'N' nodded. "Anyway, thanks again for saving me. I've seen that magic before. It's charm magic, though I guess you knew that since you appeared to know who he was."
"Of course, think nothing of it. I was merely doing my job."
"Thanks to your distraction, I recognized it, and the weakness of charm magic is awareness. I'm actually a mage too! I'm looking to join a guild, but all the popular ones are super hard to get into. I'm not sure if you're in a guild, but I'm a big fan of a bunch of them! Blue Pegasus seems pretty cool, and the guys there are pretty cute. Phantom Lord is super strong, but they also seem a little down in the dumps. But my absolute favorite is a guild called Fairy Tail! I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's a super cool guild with tons of awesome members! They have Mirajane who's the most beautiful model ever! And then there's Titania Erza, said to be the strongest woman and Queen of the Fairies! They're so awesome!"
"I see," N nodded, thinking about what she said for a moment. "Well, I must be off. Good luck on your journey, and I wish you well on joining the guild you so desire to join!"
"Oh! Of course! Thanks again!" Lucy said, waving goodbye. 'Well, he certainly had an appetite...There goes my sex appeal money I guess...He was kinda strange, but I guess I'm glad I did it.' she thought to herself.
Later
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE GOT AWAY?"
"I'm sorry, Natsu! I didn't mean to! I was watching him, and he was all tied up as you asked me to, but I guess he woke up and got away before I could stop him!"
"Ugh, it's my own fault for leaving a criminal with a cat…" Natsu mused. "Well, come on...let's go…"
Elsewhere
"Fairy Tail goes on another rampage, destroying a famous lighthouse defending a caravan from bandits! Haha! They're the best! Oh my gosh! Mirajane! She's so pretty!" Lucy was flipping through the magazine Sorcerer Weekly that published articles on well-known guilds and mages. "Oh, this is about that mage I saw earlier! Well, maybe it isn't, I don't know. That whole situation was kinda confusing. The Mysterious Dual Salamander, one of Fairy Tail's strongest S-class mages. It says here that no one outside of his guild has ever seen his face, he even stays covered when speaking to clients! After a mission gone astray one year ago, he disappeared and no one's seen him since. That's weird...I hope he's ok...Wonder what happened…" The blonde continued her train of thought, only to be interrupted by a familiar figure.
"Hello there, little lady," he said, startling her. The man had spiky blue hair, a perpetual smirk, a tattoo over his right eve, and wore a purple and yellow jacket.
"You're that jerk from earlier! I thought you got in trouble with that other guy for using charm magic?"
"Oh, that? Minor charge! They just told me to stop doing it and let me off. The famous Salamander can't be arrested too easily, you know…"
"That's disgusting," Lucy replied.
"Oh, come on, can you blame me? I was just trying to feel like a celebrity at my own party! Maybe I can make it up to you? I heard you were trying to join Fairy Tail?"
"That's right! You're in Fairy Tail! Wait, I thought you always hid your face? And it says you disappeared a year ago?"
"Oh, that? I never disappeared at all! They just ran that story when I went on vacation to increase publicity. And I used to wear a cloak! They must have rerun an old article, that's all!"
"Hmmm…." Lucy was not buying this story at all.
"Well, I guess I can't convince you if you don't believe me...Guess you don't want to join Fairy Tail after all…" he said, starting to leave.
"WAIT! YES! Can you really get me into Fairy Tail?" she asked, hugging his arm.
'Well, that was easy,' he thought. "Of course! Just head over to my boat in an hour, and we'll get you all set up. Au revoir!" and with that, he was gone.
"I can't believe it! I got pseudo-charmed! Ah, who cares. I get to join Fairy Tail!" Lucy ran off to get ready.
One Hour Later
"Man, this guy just disappeared!" Natsu groaned. They'd been tracking Bora for over an hour, but because of how many people there were in the city, it was near impossible to get a solid lead on him.
"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted.
"Oh, be quiet, cat! This was the last job before heading back!"
"Salamander's party is starting soon! Hurry!"
"I'm going! We're gonna be late!"
"Isn't it on that yacht down there? We'll never make it!"
"Hear that, lil' buddy?" Natsu asked, after watching a group of girls run past them. "Sounds like Bora thinks he's a salamander...Someone needs to be taught a lesson in proper etiquette…"
"Aye, sir! Just remember! It's on a boat!"
"I know that…"
Meanwhile, on the boat, Lucy had been invited to have a drink in private with the so-called 'Salamander.'
"Open wide, and savor the delectable flavor of wine as it washes over your tongue," the 'Salamander' said, floating several drops of a liquid towards the blonde's tongue.
'THAT'S SO CREEPY!' Lucy thought, slowly opening her mouth. 'Just relax. Play with this creep until you get into Fairy Tail, and then never- wait...THIS IS!'
Just before drinking the liquid, she swatted it away and glared at the man across from her.
"What are you doing? That's sleep magic."
"Well done, you are quite perceptive! Especially for a blonde…"
"Look, I don't know what your game is, but I'm not gonna sleep with you to get into Fairy Tail. I may be desperate, but I'm not that desperate…"
"Oh, you misunderstand!" he said, smiling. The curtains that had been separating them from the rest of the rooms were opened, revealing around 10 men all carrying unconscious women. "I don't plan to sleep with you or induct you into Fairy Tail at all. You're simply merchandise."
Lucy gasped as she looked around. There must have been 20 young women that were in the room with her, all unconscious and held by sneering burly men.
"You used magic...to kidnap people? You're the worst mage alive!" she shouted, trying to pull out one of her celestial keys.
"Ah, ah, ah," the man said, using his magic to take them from her. "Well now, three golden keys, eh? These are worth a fortune! I think I'll hold on to these if you don't mind…"
"No...don't...my keys…" the blonde started to cry. 'This is it...I'm gonna be a slave...I can't believe I-'
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud explosion and a man running through the door shouting.
"BORA! Something's wrong! A huge wave just appeared out of nowhere and is pushing us to the shore! We're gonna crash!"
"You idiot! Don't use my real name!"
Moments later, the boat did indeed crash on the shore. Natsu and Happy had taken to the skies, and in order to avoid a motion sickness fiasco that would have ended up worse for everyone involved, he and Happy hatched a plan. Happy flew Natsu high into the air before dropping him. Natsu used his flames to jet propel him towards the water, unleashing a powerful strike that caused a massive wave to push the ship to shore. After Natsu surfaced, the two flew over and assisted the wave with Natsu once again using his feet as jet boosters to finish the job.
"What's going on!"
"Bora! What are we gonna do!"
"You had your chance, Bora of Prominence," a voice echoed from above them.
"Oh crap! It's that robed guy again…" Bora muttered to himself.
"You. Are coming. With ME!" the voice shouted before the ceiling exploded as a cloaked man came bursting through.
"Hey, I know you!" Lucy exclaimed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Happy, get her out of here...It may get a bit too hot to handle in a moment."
"Aye, sir!" a new voice responded, flying in through the ceiling and grabbling the now confused blonde.
"EEEK! WHAT IS GOING ON!" she screamed, trying to wriggle away.
"Stop struggling, Lucy! I'm gonna drop you!"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME? WHY IS A CAT CARRYING ME AWAY?"
"Because he asked me to! Do you want to melt? Or would you rather stay safe?"
"WHY WOULD I MELT?"
"You're really weird, Lucy."
"SHUT IT CAT!"
While Lucy was having a difficult time understanding why there was a strange blue cat flying her away, Natsu was engaging with the man pretending to be Salamander.
"Bora of Prominence, there is a 250,000 jewel reward on your capture. Whether you like it or not, you are coming with me."
"That's what you think! Prominence TYPHOON!" Bora shouted, unleashing a whirlwind of purple fires that engulfed Natsu.
"Hmmph! The bigger they talk-"
Slurrrrrrrp
"The harder they- WHAT THE HELL?"
The purple flames that Bora had just released were now being consumed by the strange hooded figure.
"That was disgusting. You DARE TAKE THE NAME SALAMANDER?" he roared.
"Bora...I know this guy...A hooded figure often seen with a blue cat! It's him! This guy is the missing Dual Salamander! I thought he dropped off the map!"
"Sounds like one of you knows their information. Fire Dragon's BLAST WAVE!" Natsu clapped his hands together and orange flames shot out from around him, setting the ship on fire and knocking out everyone except Bora, who managed to escape outside.
"Oh NO YOU DON'T!" Natsu shouted, chasing him outside.
"Hah! You fell for it! HELL PROMINENCE!" Bora called, releasing a thick purple beam of fire magic at the dragon slayer.
"WEAK!" Natsu shouted in response. "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAAAAR!"
Natsu's orange flames instantly overpowered Bora, charring his clothes and decimating the boardwalk behind him. It looked like hell had come to Hargeon; the boat was almost entire embers and piles of unconscious smoldering crewmen of Bora lay in its wake, the boardwalk and beach were ablaze, and the building behind Bora had a massive person-sized hole in the middle of it.
"And you call yourself a fire mage…" Natsu muttered walking over and grabbing the now unconscious Bora, loading him on his back.
"Good work, sir!" Happy called from the sky, setting Lucy down next to him.
"That...that was amazing! How did you-" Lucy started.
"Shh," Natsu said quickly, covering her mouth, and listening intently. "Dammit! We gotta run, it's the army! Happy, let's go!" Natsu picked up Lucy and started running.
"AHHH! N! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME!" Lucy screamed.
"Well first of all, unless you want to be arrested, I suggest running. Secondly, it was my understanding that you wanted to join Fairy Tail. Am I correct?"
"You can get me into Fairy Tail?" she asked.
"I can at least take you there!" he responded, setting her down and pulling her by the arm.
"All right!"
"Aye, sir!"
And the three headed off towards Magnolia. Natsu cut off from them after about an hour to deliver Bora someplace and told the two to continue without him, and he rejoined the two a few hours later. It took them two days until they arrived, Natsu still referring to himself as 'N' and never removing his cloak for any reason. While she was suspicious, especially seeing as she was lied to about Fairy Tail once already, she felt like for whatever reason that she could trust this strange cloaked man. She tried to ask him about it several times, but he always avoided the question, so she stuck to largely just talking to the furball. He was good company, she decided, even if he was annoying, and the two enjoyed their time together.
"Well, here we are," Natsu said, gesturing to the guildhall.
"It's huge! This is Fairy Tail?" she asked, amazed at the sight before her. "That's so cool! Thanks so- Happy? N? Where are you guys?" Lucy was looking around, but her two companions that had brought her were nowhere to be seen. "That's a shame...The cat was a bit annoying, but I really liked those two…"
With that, she approached the guild, determined to finally fulfill her dream and join Fairy Tail.
"Natsu," Happy whined. "I thought we were coming back today."
"We were Happy," Natsu replied, quieting him. "I just don't want to steal the spotlight is all…"
"That's a lame excuse and you know it Natsu…"
"Oh, hush…"
"Natsu…" Happy started in a disapproving tone.
"Fine...I'm still...Look I'm just nervous...ok? I left...for a year...after everything that happened...and I just...I can't do it yet...I'm not ready…"
"Natsu, we were over this… You are ready. The guild will be here and continue to support us."
"Look, I'll leave a mark for Makarov, ok? We'll talk to him first, and then afterward-"
"Promise me that, Natsu. We are going in after speaking with Makarov whether you want to or not, got it?"
"Fine…"
So the duo sneaked back over to the entrance, left two fairy tail symbols burned into either pole at the entrance, and disappeared towards the forest. To where he first met Makarov years ago…
Meanwhile, Lucy had walked up to the guild door. She took a deep breath and opened the door. On the right side, were a bunch of tables where most of the guild members seemed to be. They were sitting, talking, drinking, and carrying on. On the left side, was a bar, where a few people were sitting chatting away with a young white-haired waitress.
"Hello! And who might you be?"
Another young white-haired woman walked up, who Lucy recognized as Mirajane Strauss.
"Oh my gosh! It's Mirajane! In the flesh! I'm really here!" Lucy squealed, barely able to contain any excitement.
"Oh my! Someone seems excited!" Mira giggled. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Oh! I'm so sorry! Right! I wanted to know if I could join Fairy Tail? I'm not like super strong or anything, but it's always been my dream to join and I'd love it if you could give me a chance and I-"
Mira started giggling and Lucy stopped. "Of course! Come with me, and we'll get you sorted out."
"Really? Thank you so much!"
Lucy followed Mira to the bar, where she was introduced to Lisanna, Mira's younger sister. Lucy introduced herself to the two sisters and told them she was a celestial spirit mage. They both found this interesting and briefly chatted about her spirits before Lisanna went to inform the master that a new member was joining.
"So, where do you want your stamp?" Mira asked.
"My left hand, please!" Lucy replied, holding out her right hand. Mira stamped it down, and out came a pink Fairy Tail emblem. "Not that I mind, but how come it's pink? I mean, I was just curious, you probably don't know. And I love pink! But it's just that since I didn't ask or anything-"
Mira giggled again and replied. "Not to worry, I asked the same thing when I joined! Master says that the color has meaning, and it has something to do with someone who has greatly influenced your life in the past or someone who will greatly influence your life in the future! It could be a good person, a bad person, or maybe someone in between. No one really knows!"
"Oh, so yours is white for Lisanna, and hers is white for you! That makes sense!" Lucy replied.
"That could be," Mira replied sadly. "Anyway! Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy!"
"So, this is the new girl, eh?" A short old man had hopped up on the stool next to Lucy and was gazing intently at her.
"Hands to yourself, Master…" Mira warned.
"I know, I know!" Makarov responded. "Welcome to the family, my child."
"Uh, right. Thanks, uh-"
"I'm the guild master, my name is Makarov."
"Oh! Excuse me, master. Thank you so much!"
"Of course my child," Makarov replied. He turned around facing the rest of the guild members, and shouted, "LISTEN UP YOU BRATS! FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE A NEW MEMBER JOINING! EVERYONE MEET LUCY!"
"HI, LUCY!" the guild roared back. Makarov took this opportunity to attempt to jump to the second floor, wherein he smacked his head and fell down, before jumping back up again, this time landing properly.
"THE COUNCIL'S REALLY HAD ENOUGH THIS TIME, BRATS! ELFMAN! YOU SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED THE CARGO FROM THE CARAVAN, BUT YOU SCARED THE FAMILY THAT WAS TRAVELING WITH IT!"
"The guy said education was what made a real man…" Elfman muttered.
"CANA! YOU CHARGED THE COUNCIL WITH BARRELS OF WINE AGAIN! LOKE! YOU FLIRTED WITH THE COUNCILLOR'S GRANDDAUGHTER! AGAIN!" Makarov continued to list the various things that his children had done that had upset the council. "However! If all we do is worry about following rules, then our magic will never progress. Don't let those blowhards on the council scare you, follow the path you believe in! Because that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild NUMBER ONE!"
His speech was met with an outcry of cheers from the various mages, who went back to their various activities of drinking, arguing, and joking around.
"Well, why don't I introduce you around?" Lisanna asked.
"That would be great!"
Lisanna and Lucy walked around the guildhall, acquainting Lucy with the various guild members and their quirks, such as Loke's insistence on flirting with every female in the premises, Cana's love of full barrels of wine, and Elfman's belief that being a man was important above all else.
"So, what do you think of the guild?" Lisanna asked as she and Lucy sat down at a table.
"It's not quite like I imagined," she started, earning a chuckle from Lisanna. "But I think I'm gonna love it here!"
"I think you'll fit in just perfectly, Lucy!" Mira said, delivering drinks to the two girls. "How did you get here anyway? Members rarely show up alone for some reason…"
"Well, I wasn't alone when I got here, but he just disappeared for some reason," Lucy complained.
"Who just disappeared?" Lisanna asked.
"That's the thing, I have no idea!" Lucy replied.
"Now what could you possibly mean by that, Lucy?" Mira asked, now very intrigued at what this potentially delirious blonde was talking about.
"Well, I don't know!" Lucy started, telling the story of how she invited a weird man to have lunch after he saved her from a charm spell, then how that same man saved her again from being captured and enslaved. "And then he took me here! But as soon as we arrived, he disappeared! Hey, is everyone ok?"
After finishing her story, the entire guild hall went quiet.
"Did you say…N?" Lisanna started, mouth open in shock.
"A cloaked man...who used fire magic?" Mira asked with tears in her eyes.
"Yes? What's wrong? Did I do something-"
"Tell me! Did he have a funny way of speaking? Seeming to go in circles without ever getting anywhere? Did he travel around with a blue cat that can talk and fly and acts like a goofball especially about fish?" Mira demanded.
"Yeah, do you know-"
Just as she was finishing her sentence, a mostly naked young man with dark blue hair burst into the guildhall.
"GUYS! OUTSIDE! THE ENTRANCE! THERE'S TWO FAIRY TAIL SYMBOLS BURNED INTO THE POLES!" he shouted.
"It's really...it's really him…" Mira whispered, crying slightly.
"There's only one man crazy enough to do something like that!" Elfman roared.
"NATSU!" the guild shouted back, and everyone shot out of the guild like they had been fired out of the cannon he had so long ago brought back as a trophy.
The only ones left were Makarov, Lisanna, Mira, and Lucy.
'So, he's finally returned,' Makarov thought to himself. 'Well, I'd bet my right shoe I know where that brat went off to,' and he proceeded to leave the guild through the back entrance, going unnoticed by the three girls at the table.
"Eh? Who's Natsu? I'm confused. Why is Mira crying?" Lucy was completely lost. After telling her story the entire guild went ghostly quiet, then some guy who didn't seem to wear clothing properly burst in yelling about burn marks outside, and now everyone ran outside except for the two barmaids one of whom was in tears.
"You did nothing wrong, Lucy," Lisanna reassured her, hugging her sister. "It's just...the man who brought you to Fairy Tail...he's a member…"
"EHHH? Then why didn't he say anything? And why did he leave?"
"Lucy…(sniff) you-you know a lot about our mem-members, right?" Mira sniffled.
Lucy nodded, still confused.
"Have you heard of one called Salamander?" Lisanna finished.
Lucy's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"
"Yeah…" Mira answered. "Natsu...the man that brought you here...He's Salamander...he disappeared a year ago...af-after a mission... that went wrong…" Mira broke down, seemingly unable to finish what she was saying.
"It's ok, Mira, it's gonna be fine…" Lisanna said, hugging her sister. She turned to Lucy, "No one's seen him for a year. He really meant a lot...to Mira...so after he left... she kind of...lost herself for a bit…"
"I'm sorry, I had no-"
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Lucy," Lisanna cut off. "If anything we should be thanking you. If I know Natsu, that's his sign that he'll come back soon…"
"I hope so...So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened? Why did one of your strongest mages just disappear?"
"Well, only Natsu and Happy really know what happened, but he told the short version to Makarov. One year ago, Natsu, Happy, and our ace of the time, a man named Kael, went on an SS-class mission. Those missions are a step above S-Class. There was a monster rampaging and killing hundreds up North, and if it wasn't taken down soon, the council was planning to assemble a force made of the ten wizard saints. They managed to kill it, but on that mission…" Lisanna looked down and whispered, "Kael didn't make it back alive...Natsu brought his body to Makarov, told him what happened, and left...and he hasn't been seen since…"
The Forest Outside Magnolia
"So, my child, you've finally come back," Makarov said, approaching Natsu and Happy.
"Good to see you again Makarov, I take it- OW!" Makarov had knocked Natsu over the head with an oversized fist mid-sentence. "What the hell was that for?"
"For trying to suffer alone," Makarov answered. "Fairy Tail is a family. We are here for each other. We get through things as a family together. You suffered alone for a year, yes, but think of how the guild felt. How your family felt to lose two members at once."
"I-I never thought of it that way…" Natsu whispered.
"It is understandable to make poor decisions in the wake of despair, my boy, but you need to be surrounded by those who can help you through those times. I think it's time you come home...However, I have a job for you first…"
"Anything...I'm-I'm sorry, master…"
"You can apologize to the guild, I'm not the one who needs it. Anyway, earlier today, Macao's brat Romeo came in whining about his father not being home yet. I can't send anyone after him, but I am worried. His mission was on Mt. Hakobe, but he is a strong mage so he does not need any assistance. Do you understand, Natsu?"
"Loud and clear, master," Natsu finished. "Loud and clear."
"Well, my child, you seem to understand well. I expect you home within the week."
"Of course...Thank you…"
With that, Makarov headed off, giving a wave as he began walking back towards the guild.
"Hey, Happy?"
"Yeah, Natsu?"
"That Lucy girl is gonna need a place to live, right?"
"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted, knowing exactly what Natsu had in mind.
Natsu chuckled, donned his cloak, and headed for town.