A/N: Back to the music! Hopefully, you guys enjoy it! Next story to be updated should be A Journey of Two Flames. I've been a little stuck on how I want to approach the Tower of Heaven arc, so I've been delaying it more than I planned.
The rest of the day passed and neither Mira nor Natsu returned to the guild. Elfman several times attempted to go retrieve his older sister, but was disuated every time by either Lianna or the fact that he had no idea where she actually was.
The next morning came and by about 9:30 the majority of the guild members had returned. All except for Mira and Natsu, that is.
"Where is she? Disappearing with my sister is NOT manly!" Elfman grumbled.
"Calm down, Elf. I'm sure they're just spending some time together," Lisanna sighed, though she was rather upset too. Her favorite two people were both missing, not to mention the fact that Mira had probably already beaten her to Natsu.
"I bet they're spending a lot of time together," Cana winked. "You know how much energy Natsu has. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come in today at all."
Lisanna flushed red and Elfman just rambled about how 'defiling his sister' was not manly.
Fortunately, before Cana could get...in-depth...about what she thought the two were up two, the doors opened and Mira came walking through. "There you are, Mira!" Lisanna exclaimed.
"Morning, Lisanna!" she replied, smiling warmly. Before they could continue, however, Gajeel walked up to the two. They both turned to look at him as he narrowed his eyes, sniffing slightly, before bursting into chuckles and walking back over to Levy.
"Well...that was weird…" Lisanna thought aloud, while Mira just stood there with a bright smile. "So, where's Natsu?"
"Yeah, how was he, Mira?" Cana yelled. "Did you go for a ride on the dragon?"
"THAT'S NOT MANLY!" Elfman roared.
"I'd have to disagree there, big guy. Snagging Mira sounds pretty manly to me," Cana cheekily replied.
"Oh, would you calm down, Elf?" Mira sighed. "We didn't do anything like that, Cana."
"Well? Details!" Lisanna demanded. For whatever reason, this new conversation was now the topic of interest, as nearly the entire guild had quieted down to hear the story.
"He told her how much he loooves her~!" Happy teased.
"I guess he did, didn't he?" she exhaled with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"WHAT?" the guild yelled.
"Aww, now it's not fun anymore!" Happy whined, visibility deflating that Mira seemed unresponsive to his teasing.
"So? What happened!" Lisanna pushed again.
"Alright, alright! I followed him to his house and we talked for a while. I told him how I felt about him and he said he felt the same way," she said, smiling. "We cuddled for a while and then he sang me a song."
"And then Salamander claimed the model, gihi," Gajeel snickered.
"I knew it!" Cana shouted, while all the old men cried about the loss of their 'guild beauty.' "So, how was he? Did you go-"
"Cana! I already told you we didn't!" Mira protested, blushing slightly. "Gajeel meant something else. It was just a ceremony and then I spent the night there, but we just talked and then went to bed. He also mentioned, Gajeel, that you'd already claimed Levy."
"DAMMIT, SALAMANDER!"
"WHAT?" the guild yelled again.
"I knew it!"
"You owe me ten-thousand jewels!"
"OH, COME ON!"
"Levy! How come you never told me!" Lucy whined at the now bright red bookworm.
"I-I have no i-idea what y-you're talking about!" she stuttered back.
"Oh, give it up already. Everyone knew you two were gonna go out sooner or later," Cana scoffed. "So, what's this ceremony thing? And if you didn't get down and dirty, why do you keep saying 'claimed?'"
"Well, Natsu said that dragons and dragon slayers don't have girlfriends or wives or lovers or anything like that, they take mates, like what Gajeel and Wendy told us," Mira explained. "They have a private ceremony, which I guess is kind of like a wedding for dragons, and then they're mates!"
"So, essentially what you're saying is you're MARRIED?" Lucy yelled, mouth agape looking between both Levy and Mira. "BOTH of you?"
"In dragon terms, they are," Wendy shyly said, while Mira, Gajeel, and Levy all nodded.
"HELL YEAH, GO NATSU AND GAJEEL!"
"CONGRATULATIONS LEVY AND MIRA!"
"NOO! OUR MIRA'S GONE FOREVER!"
"MARRYING MY SISTER IS NOT A MAN!"
"Oh, relax, Elf," Mira told her brother, hitting him on the arm. "Natsu said he wanted to talk to you about it anyway so you'd be ok with everything."
"He really said that?" Lisanna asked, rather surprised.
"Yep! He mentioned after the ceremony that he probably should have asked Elfman if it was ok first. I said that we didn't need his permission and that I can make my own decisions, but he said he wanted to talk to him anyway."
"That...that…" Elfman trembled slightly looking at the ground, before shooting his gaze forward with tears in his eyes. "IS SO MANLY!"
"So, he wasn't mad about us looking at his music?" Lucy asked as the guild continued to cheer and/or weep for their guild members.
"Well," Mira said awkwardly. "I think 'mad' is the wrong word. He was and still is upset about it. That's why he's not here. He wanted to stay home to think about everything some more."
"I'm still confused. You said he's upset but not angry? That seems rather...un-Natsu-like," Erza said.
"He was never angry to begin with...just a bit hurt that we'd betray his trust like that...It's something we'll have to earn back."
"I feel a little guilty," Lisanna admitted.
"I do too," Mira agreed. "But he kept saying I didn't need to apologize."
"Did he say he wouldn't take me fishing anymore?" Happy asked, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm sure he'll still take you fishing Happy. If he doesn't want to, I'll help you drag him along, ok?" she offered.
"Aye, sir!"
"Did you speak with him about some of the more...troubling songs we heard, my dear?" Makarov asked tentatively.
"Sort of. I didn't want to ask directly, but he said basically the same thing Happy told us, which is that music was his way of dealing with everything he'd been going through," Mira explained.
"Why didn't Natsu just come to talk to the rest of us? He's the one that always says we shouldn't have to deal with our problems on our own," Lucy asked.
"I really don't know how much of what he told me I'm really supposed to share with you guys," she admitted. "But I guess he was just a little scared of what we'd think of him if he showed a different side to him."
"That's stupid. Flame-brain is flame-brain," Gray scoffed.
"Good to see you two acting like brothers, Gray," Erza nodded in approval.
"Ash-breath is not my brother!" Gray denied, looking away, earning a chuckle around the group.
"Did you figure out who it was that was singing with him?" Levy asked. "Especially that one with his mother figure, I think it was called Innocence."
"It was the woman who taught him music. I guess he still goes to see her every once in a while. Speaking of which, I thought you said he had songs from before Lisanna went to Edolas, Happy? Natsu said he didn't start until about a month after that."
"The earliest date I saw was X782," Happy said.
"That was when I went to Edolas, Happy," Lisanna reminded him.
"Oh," he answered simply, offering no further explanation, causing a few members to comedically fall over.
"Anyway, is Natsu coming in later?" Lisanna asked her sister.
"He should be here around lunchtime. I asked him to come to eat with me and he said he would."
"Sounds like someone's got a hot date," Cana waggled her eyebrows.
"I might. Now, does anyone else want to listen to a few more songs?" Mira asked, holding up a few disks.
"Wait, I thought you said he was upset that we were listening to them?" Lisanna asked.
"He was, but I have my ways of convincing people to do things," she winked, causing a shiver of fear to go through many members' spines. In reality, she just gave him a really pathetic look and he caved almost immediately, not that she would tell them that. "Besides, he was upset that Happy shared it with everyone and that we all pressured Happy into doing that, not so much that we listened to the music. Now that we already know, he has nothing to be upset about!"
"Well then, let's get 'er rolling!" Cana shouted, earning a cheer of approval from the guild.
"We can go ahead and start with this one," Mira said, walking over to the lacrima player with one of the disks she had in her hands.
"How come those aren't in the boxes?" Levy asked.
"They're new ones. I guess he finished them recently and I may have taken them when he wasn't looking this morning," she shrugged. "This one's called Iris. It has a Z and an M on it."
"But the only person whose name starts with a Z we know of…" the bookworm started, with widened eyes.
"Zeref and Mavis," grinned Mira as she pressed play. (Song: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls)
The song started with a peaceful acoustic rift at a moderate tempo before moving into the words, which had a soft-spoken and beautiful tone to them.
And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't wanna go home right now
"A love song?" Erza questioned.
"It must be from one of their perspectives about the other!" Levy realized aloud, as the lyrics continued.
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
And sooner or later, it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
"You think it's from the first master's perspective?" Lucy asked the bookworm.
"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I don't think so," she answered. "I think it's from Zeref to Mavis."
And you can't fight the tears that ain't comin'
Or the moment of the truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
"How could it be from Zeref's perspective? It sounds like he thinks he's misunderstood, but Zeref was evil!" Macao pointed out.
"That's what I'm stuck on," Levy sighed, as a few of the more notable fairies looked away discreetly in various directions.
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
With the song fading out, the guild largely turned to Levy for a better explanation.
"I'm really not sure," she said. "I think it could be from Mavis' perspective. It would make sense because only guild members could see her so that would explain the line 'I don't want the world to see me,' she couldn't touch anyone or die so 'give up forever to touch you' would fit as well, but I have this feeling that it's not from her."
"Well that is a toughie, hehe," Lucy chuckled awkwardly.
"Indeed. Perhaps we should move on to the next song. Mira, why don't you play another one of the new ones, my dear?" Makarov requested.
"Sure thing, master!" she chirped back.
"Hold on a second-" Levy tried to protest but was cut off.
"This one has another Z," Mira said, putting the disk in. "But it also has an I. It's called In the Blood." (Song: In the Blood by John Mayer)
For the first time in a while, this song began with a message from Natsu. "I know you never told me who they were...but sometimes I wonder. Am I destined to be like them? Or am I destined to be like you...brother…"
"Brother?" the guild questioned, but the song started with a fairly slow-paced acoustic rift. This one was much more upbeat with a series of claps keeping the rhythm.
How much of my mother has my mother left in me?
How much of my love will be insane to some degree?
And what about this feeling that I'm never good enough?
Will it wash out in the water or is it always in the blood?
"This one must be about his real family," Levy spoke up.
"He never did remember them, did he?" Lisanna asked sadly, as Mira shook her head.
How much of my father am I destined to become?
Will I dim the lights inside me just to satisfy someone?
Will I let this woman kill me or do away with jealous love?
Will it wash out in the water or is it always in the blood?
I can feel love the I want, I can feel the love I need
But it's never gonna come the way I am
Could I change it if I wanted, can I rise above the flood?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
How much like my brothers do my brothers wanna be?
Does a broken home become another broken family?
Or will we be there for each other like nobody ever could?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
"Could he be talking about Gray or Laxus?" Macao suggested.
"I don't think so," Levy shook her head. "This is really interesting…"
I can feel love the I want, I can feel the love I need
But it's never gonna come the way I am
Could I change it if I wanted, could I rise above the flood?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
"Kid's got a real talent for guitar," Wakaba commented at the guitar solo that rode through the gap in lyrics, while many other mages nodded in agreement.
I can feel the love I want, I can feel the love I need
But it's never gonna come the way I am
Could I change it if I wanted, could I rise above the flood?
Will it wash out in the water, or is it always in the blood?
"Well, it has to be about Natsu's blood relatives," Levy determined. "And the I stands for Igneel, because Igneel was sort of like Natsu's foster father, so it would make sense that he inherits a lot of traits from the person who raised him, whether they were blood-related or not. The thing I'm stuck on is the Z. If Z stands for Zeref, that would mean the two are related by blood."
"Is that even possible?" Macao asked.
"Maybe it is. Didn't all the dragon slayers come through a time gate into the future?" Wakaba pointed out.
"Oh, dear, looks like another song is about to start," Makarov said, pressing play on the lacrima player.
"Guess we'll have to discuss this one later. Darn," Mira agreed.
"Indeed. This next song is called Horns," Erza informed the guild.
"Wait, but you did this with the last one too-" Levy tried to protest.
"Oh, look! This one has an 'M'!" Mira pointed out, ignoring the bookworm.
"Oh, I bet I know what this one's about," Cana said, with a lecherous glint in her eyes. (Song: Horns by Bryce Fox)
The song started with an extremely catchy guitar riff along with a drum kit that had everyone nodding their heads along instantly.
Hey!
In her heart, there's a hole
There's a black mark on her soul
In her hands is my heart
And she won't let go 'til it's scarred
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mira asked, puffing her cheeks up.
"Means you're a rough lover!" Cana exclaimed laughing to herself in all her perverted glory.
Ha! Try to breathe but I can't
'Cause the air she feeds me is damned
Got a touch like a thorn
'Cause the girl, she's hiding horns
She's got blood cold as ice
And a heart made of stone
But she keeps me alive
She's the beast in my bones
She gets everything she wants
When she gets me alone
Like it's nothin'
She got two little horns
And they get me a little bit
"Well, we already knew he could never say no to you, sis," Lisanna giggled.
"He makes it sound like I'm some sort of demon!" she huffed, earning a sweatdrop from the guild members.
"Maybe's he's into that," Cana shrugged.
She's the fire in the sin
And I burn breathin' her in
Now it's love suicide
And I sell my soul for the high
Truth be told, I don't mind
'Cause her Hell's my paradise
She can crush every hope
Got her heels stompin' down my throat
She's got blood cold as ice
And a heart made of stone
But she keeps me alive
She's the beast in my bones
She gets everything she wants
When she gets me alone
Like it's nothin'
She got two little horns
And they get me a little bit
"I hate to break it to you, but you are a demon," Lisanna informed her sister. "I think that's the point of the song."
"You could at least pretend to enjoy it," came another voice from behind Mira that made her jump.
"Natsu!" she squealed, jumping into his arms immediately as the song continued before anyone really registered he was there.
She got horns like a devil
Pointed at me and there's nowhere to run
From the fire she breathes
She got horns like a devil
Pointed at me and there's nowhere to run
From the fire she breathes
She got horns like a devil
Pointed at me and there's nowhere to run
From the fire she breathes
Horns like a devil
Pointed at me
She got two little horns
And they get me a little bit
She got two little horns
And they get me a little bit
"How'd he get his voice to do that?" Levy asked, still not registering that he was in the room engaged in a fierce face battle with Mirajane.
"You could just ask him you know," Lisanna said, face-palming while gesturing to the fire mage next to her.
"NATSU?" the guild yelled.
"You don't have to shout, you know…" he sighed, wincing slightly at their volume, as Mira turned around, slightly biting her bottom lip. "I'm just here for Mira and Elfman, so you don't have to stare at me like that."
"What about me?" Lisanna asked, giving him her best pathetic look that would instantly bend him to do whatever she asked of him.
Recognizing the look, he caved instantly, knowing resistance was futile. "And Lisanna...apparently…"