Once the Sky Reaches the Flames
This story focuses on these ships, with NaWen being the main:
Natsu X Wendy (NaWen) vs Natsu X Lucy (NaLu)
Gray X Juvia (Gruvia)
Jellal X Erza (Jerza)
Hello everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction and first ever fictional story I have written. I enjoy reading fanfictions about a dense Natsu being paired with other characters, and there's this one fanfiction I love, but unfortunately it was discontinued. It's called "When the Sky Falls for the Flame" by SilverWrath, and I really wish I could have seen more of it. Because of this, I decided to create my own fanfiction of Natsu and Wendy. It is going to be based on SilverWrath's story, though I don't think I can do their story justice since I have no experience in writing fanfictions. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it!
There are some things I would like to say about this fanfiction. This story's geared towards people who are quite familiar with Fairy Tail and its characters, so I may not give a lot of exposition on these characters. I'd say this story is a slow-burn. The ships in question will gradually get closer to one another. Wendy's age will be slightly older to minimize the age gap with Natsu, though I leave the ages to your interpretation.
FYI: Chapters 2 until Chapter 9 are adapted from SilverWrath's fanfiction.
This chapter will take a different spin on the final episode of Fairy Tail, but it'll more or less follow the original dialogue; this is where this story will start. So, if you have not watched Fairy Tail till the end, there might be some spoilers. Anyway, let's begin!
Chapter 1: A Year Later...
The year is now X793. It has now been one whole year since the battle against the Alvarez Empire and Black-winged Acnologia. A lot has happened since then.
"It is my honor to introduce the winner of this year's Kemu Zaleon award for best new writer… Lucy Heartfilia for the 'Adventure of Iris'!"
Sounds and echoes of congratulations and claps roared throughout the building. The person in question, Lucy Heartfilia, sporting an elegant, dark red strapless dress, has just won a literary prize for writing a novel. She always aspired to be a novelist and today is that day!
"This is wonderful! I heard the main character is based on the author's experiences!", exclaimed a man congratulating Lucy.
"And she is such a lovely and poised woman! ", continued another man. They both shared a laugh.
Similar conversations could be heard throughout the party about Lucy's novel, particularly that it was based on the one and only Fairy Tail guild. The similarities between the novel's story and Fairy Tail were confirmed as soon as the people took notice of a pink-haired guild member, sitting on the table, practically scarfing food down his mouth. A blue cat was sitting on a pile of fish, consuming them. Another guild member was practically naked, just wearing his boxers. Then another guild member was even consuming the plates and glasses! They certainly got weird and curious glances from other people. Truly, Fairy Tail is a unique bunch.
An annoyed Lucy approached the pink-haired man and gave him an earful.
"Natsu, jeez! I let you guys come here because you said you would behave yourselves! Remember?!"
"Impossible!", exclaimed the man now known as Natsu.
"Aye!" Happy, the blue cat, jumped up. These two were a playful and excited bunch.
"Come on, you were supposed to dress up for this, Natsu." A man just in his boxers waved his hand at Natsu's attire, his signature outfit.
"You are one to talk, Gray…" Lucy gave a judgmental glance at Gray's clothes, which really just consisted of a boxer. Gray has this odd habit of stripping out of his clothes without being aware of it.
"You're not even dressed at all, you jerk!" Natsu butted heads with Gray.
"Huh?! Say that again!"
"Wanna throw dow-"
"Don't you dare ruin Lucy's night of happiness!" Erza kicked and sent both of them flying.
"Gray, my darling… I'll take my clothes off too." Juvia proceeded to strip her own clothes, attracting the attention of several male audiences.
"And of course, my big night becomes a big mess," sighed Lucy.
"Lucy," a mature and womanly voice called out to her, "Congratulations."
Lucy turned towards the voice to meet Anna, a distant relative of hers from 400 years ago who shared a similar appearance with Lucy, but was sporting a light-blue dress.
"Hi Anna! Thank you!" Lucy smiled at her.
"I can't wait to see what else you'll be able to achieve. I believe you'll have more success in due time. I'm sure of it," replied Anna in a gentle voice.
"Haha… you really think so?" Feeling slightly embarrassed, Lucy scratched her cheek, only to be interrupted by Natsu sniffing rather loudly.
"Sniff sniff… oh hey," Natsu approached Lucy and Anna, "I figured there was someone here who smelled like Lucy. It makes me feel nice and relaxed!"
"Hey… don't say I smell. That's not nice." Lucy covered her body with her arms shyly.
"I remember you liked her a lot when she was our teacher, hehe!" Gajeel joined in on the conversation, expecting a reaction from Natsu.
Natsu simply nodded and said "So? I still do," much to Gajeel's disappointment.
"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" Gajeel was the one feeling embarrassed instead.
Lucy could only observe their banter and cover her face. Her ears were dyed red from embarrassment. Natsu really said that without hesitation. She thought to herself. Deep inside, she felt secretly happy that Natsu does like Anna, which meant he must like her too, right? But then again, this is Natsu we're talking about. Lucy's train of thought was interrupted by a voice.
"Hey, there you are!" Levy waved her hand and called out to Gajeel.
"Oh, hey." Gajeel turned out and walked to Levy.
Those two have grown quite close over time. Lucy thought to herself. She felt jealous of their relationship; she would want someone like that. Of course, she was thinking of that person, but said person probably doesn't understand how relationships work.
Levy seemed like she wanted to whisper something to Gajeel. Gajeel brought his ear to her level and listened. Lucy caught a bit of what Levy whispered, and that set Gajeel's face embarrassed to the shade of tomato red.
A baby?! Does Levy have a baby, or are they planning to have a baby? Lucy's face also turned a shade of red upon hearing it.
Lucy started reminiscing about her adventures and the various people she met and bonded with. A lot sure has happened. She felt happy and content, knowing everyone else was doing well ever since that day a year ago. Her lips slowly curved into a smile. She took a glass and took a sip of wine, when suddenly a very drunk Cana walked to her.
"I've forgotten how much of a lightweight you are."
"Oh, Cana."
"This is a party, after all! Let loose, Lucy! This will do the trick!" Cana poured wine into Lucy's glass beyond the maximum capacity, spilling it everywhere.
"Hey there, be careful. Get her drunk and there will be no telling what she'll do." Gildarts, Cana's father, stepped in to watch over Cana.
"Oh Gray! What will it take you to notice me?" Juvia now stripped her own clothes and cried. Was she drunk already?
"Hey, stop!" Gray shouted back, feeling the heat rising in his cheeks. He decided to drag Juvia, slouched in a sitting position, across the floor, holding her arm.
"What the hell has gotten into you…"
"I'm sorry," sighed Juvia.
Gray stopped moving and turned to look at her, noticing the scar on her abdomen. He stayed silent for a few moments and let go of her hand.
"That scar… you still got it, huh?"
"It doesn't bother me at all." Juvia gently rubbed her scar with her right hand and smiled.
"I bet if you asked Wendy, she'd erase it for you."
"Well, you still have yours. Are you going to erase them?" Juvia turned towards Gray, facing his abdomen.
Gray did have two scars on both sides of his abdomen, the left one considerably larger. This was the result of a battle during the Alvarez invasion when Gray and Juvia were mind-controlled and forced to fight each other, but they both had the same idea and decided to kill themselves, not wanting to hurt the other.
"It's just not the same thing, you know? I mean, your body…" Gray's voice trailed off.
"What about my body?" Juvia looked at him with expectant eyes.
Gray blushed faintly, gazing into Juvia's eyes. He looked away, unable to face her directly due to what he was about to say.
"Well… you know… I… uh… might be into it… or… your body might be mine… or something." His face could not get any redder than this, couldn't it? Also, did he just admit to his feelings?
"Juviiiiii~" Juvia squealed and clapped her hands together, now looking at Gray with heart eyes. She's certainly a girl in love.
Their relationship is certainly interesting. It's about time Gray faced her feelings head on. Lucy observed from a distance. Lucy has been keeping tabs on her fellow guild mates' relationships… except her own, of course.
"Hey, here's the best new writer in the kingdom. An amazing achievement," Erza congratulated Lucy, "I'll admit… writing was never my strong suit. One time I sent this thank-you letter to a guild hall for their assistance and they tracked me down, weapons in hand and all."
Lucy smiled wryly. She wasn't surprised. After all, this is Erza she's talking about. She could write even the politest of letters, and it'd be considered a declaration of war.
"Congratulations, Lucy. I'm proud to call you my guildmate and my friend." Erza smiled sweetly.
"That really means a lot to me." Lucy smiled back.
Come to think of it, her relationship… is a more complicated one. Unlike the others, Erza's path is the one who has intertwined and diverged over and over again… with Jellal. Although, Jellal was supposedly granted amnesty by Queen Hisui, so that's working out for him. Ever since then, Erza, who was not one to care about appearances, started taking care of her hair.
While Lucy was thinking about this, Erza tried to read her winning novel, but had some difficulties.
"This is complicated. I can't understand it all! Couldn't you have used easier words?" Erza was trying to make sense of the book, but her confused expression says it all.
Haha, I will never figure her out.
Meanwhile….
…
..
.
As the party is continuing on, there was one young, petite girl simply watching from the sidelines. Her hair was tied, using pink ribbons, into twin-tails reaching down to her waist with two bangs framing her face down to her chest. They were a color of dark blue. She was wearing a light green strapless dress with yellow frills, giving her an innocent and cutesy look. Her eyes were scanning the crowd for a certain pink-haired dragon slayer.
"Wendy."
"Ah, what is it, Carla?" Wendy snapped out of it and turned to her white cat.
"You seem to be lost in thought, child. What's wrong? This is a rare opportunity to have some fun and release stress."
"Ah… it's nothing, Carla." Wendy's eyes turned to look for the dragon slayer again.
"Some of these people are acting like complete hooligans! Inside the guild or not, nothing really changes." Carla crossed her paws.
"Ahah," Wendy chuckled, "that's Fairy Tail for you."
"What a rambunctious bunch."
Even though Carla was complaining as usual, Wendy could tell she was enjoying the party. Honestly, this is what makes Fairy Tail… well, Fairy Tail.
"Hey, Carla! Look at all these fishies!" Happy drooled. A lot. He was sitting on a throne of fish. God knows how he got them.
"Tomcat! Clean after yourself! This is no way to behave at a party!" Carla sprouted her wings and flew to Happy.
Wendy has seen this interaction way too many times. It always gives her a giggle. Anyhow, with the obstacle-er… she means Carla, now busy with Happy, she decided to start searching for him. I wonder where he is? Shortly, she spotted him with Lucy, Anna, and Gajeel. She started approaching them but stopped due to the topic of the conversation. Being a dragon slayer, she naturally had sharp senses, so she focused on her hearing.
"I figured there was someone here who smelled like Lucy. It makes me feel nice and relaxed!"
"Hey… don't say I smell. That's not nice."
"I remember you liked her a lot when she was our teacher, hehe!"
"So? I still do."
Wendy slightly frowned at the conversation. It really isn't surprising that Natsu and Lucy were close. They were practically joined at the hip whenever they went on missions. They knew each other way before even Wendy joined Fairy Tail years ago. She did not think much of it at first, but things changed ever since Natsu promised to protect Wendy and keep her old home, Caitshelter, safe from the battle against Oracion Seis. And kept his promise he did, Natsu is a man of his word. She remembered how she practically jumped and hugged him, and Natsu caressed her head.
She felt safe. She felt secure. She felt warmth.
Natsu was like a big, older brother to her. Sure, he could be reckless at times, punching first, asking questions later… but he was kind. He respected and treasured everyone in the guild. He was extremely loyal to his friends and would even put his life on the line for them. When she started having these odd feelings about him, she chalked it up to familial love, but as she got older and spent more time with him, she couldn't deny her growing feelings no more. She loves those qualities of him. She has a crush on him. She likes him, yet she bottled her feelings for so long. Now, she wasn't going to run away from her feelings; she was going to accept them.
Witnessing that conversation did put a damper on her mood, though. What made it worse was Lucy's reaction. She was blushing and… smiling? She didn't seem to be put off by what Natsu said. Wendy clapped her face, trying to remove those negative thoughts. He just sees her as family. Yes! Satisfied with this explanation(?) of hers, she felt a few taps on her shoulder. She turned around to see… the man she was looking for, Natsu Dragneel.
"Hiya, Wendy!" He flashed his signature grin. That grin she has grown to love so much.
"H-h-hey, N-natsu!" She wasn't expecting for Natsu to come to her instead.
"You alright there, buddy? Your cheeks are rather red." Natsu put his hands on his hips.
"O-oh yeah, it's fine! I'm totally fine!" panicking, she tried to keep her composure.
"Is that so? Let me know if something's up." Natsu patted her head.
"Y-yes, of course, Natsu. Thank you." Her cheeks flushed, unable to meet his gaze.
Being petted by Natsu sent her waves of pleasure. She enjoyed the warmth of his palm. Though, maybe that's because he's a fire wizard?
"So, are you alone? I thought Carla would be with you." He looked around to see where Carla was.
"Ah, she's with Happy now, berating him about manners and stuff."
"Ahah, is that so? Carla really should relax once in a while." He put his hands behind his head, his signature pose when he's relaxed typically.
"You know how she is, Natsu. I'm pretty sure she's having fun in her own way." Wendy started twiddling her bangs.
"If you say so, Wendy." Natsu chuckled.
Wendy enjoyed this moment she's having with Natsu. But now, she doesn't know what to say. It used to be easy to strike a conversation and keep it going. Being aware of her feelings for the man in front of her, it became rather difficult. Wendy then got an idea, though it was hard to say it. What if he said no? Negative thoughts came rushing to her head. She then noticed Natsu turning away from her, about to walk away.
"I wonder where Happy-" he felt someone tugged at his sleeve. Of course, there was only one person that this could be.
"N-Natsu, if you don't mind… um…" Her heartbeat accelerated. Just ask him, why is it so hard? She cursed her own cowardice.
"What's up, Wendy?" Natsu turned to give her his full attention, with a concerned look in his eyes. She felt happy, albeit kind of guilty, when Natsu was concerned about her.
"W-would you… K-K-KEEP ME COMPANY!?" She shouted unintentionally, drawing the attention of others who were within hearing distance. Lucy gave them a curious glance.
"Haha, of course, Wendy. It'd be my pleasure." He flashed his signature grin. Again. Wendy couldn't contain her smile.
"Where would you like to go? Have you tried any of the food here?"
"U-uh… I haven't had the chance to." Wendy lied as she naturally breathed.
"Oh boy, you're missing out a lot! Come on, let's feast!" Natsu grabbed her delicate hands, pulling her towards the dining tables.
It took Wendy a few moments to realize what had just transpired…
We're holding hands! Wendy's heat raised in her face. She felt comfort holding his hand.
To Wendy's surprise, Natsu brought her to where the sweets and desserts were located. She was expecting he'd drag her to eat meaty and heavy dishes.
"I bet'cha like cake, don't ya? These look pretty good!" Natsu pointed to the various dishes.
"Oh yeah, they do!" Judging from the dressing and appeal of these desserts, they definitely look delicious. Much to Wendy's disappointment, Natsu let go of her hand to take some brownies.
"He can be surprisingly understanding at times…" Wendy muttered under her breath, referring to how she thought Natsu would take her to eat meaty dishes.
"Hey, what do you mean by that?!" Natsu gave her a confused look.
"Eh, you heard that?" Wendy forgot about his sharp senses, due to him being a dragon slayer. Comparing them, Natsu had much sharper and honed senses, levels above Wendy.
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to…" Wendy flailed her hands around.
"Haha, it's fine," Natsu shrugged it off, "I've had my fill, I think I just got enough space for desserts." He tossed some brownies into his mouth.
Wendy then got this bright idea to feed him! I'm a genius, we can get closer this way! She cut a piece of cake, ready to feed Natsu when-
"Hey Wendy! Say 'aaah'!" Natsu was already holding a cake near Wendy's mouth, his other hand under.
"W-wh-wha-…" Wendy's mind short-circuited. If Natsu focused his eyesight, he could probably notice steam fuming out of her ears. Her mouth was agape.
Natsu proceeded to feed the cake to Wendy's agape mouth, unaware of what was going in the poor girl's mind.
"Whadd'ya think? It tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"
"Ah...yes," was all she could say. She couldn't even taste the cake she was chewing. She couldn't taste the sweetness at all. Her mind was still processing what just happened.
"Glad to hear it! Here, have another one."
Another one?! I'm not ready! I need to mentally prepare myself! Wendy took a few steps backwards.
"Ah... Natsu, that's fine. I can feed… myself." Her head was facing down. She was trying to hide the embarrassment evident in her face.
"Ah, got'cha." He tossed the cake into his mouth.
Wendy was supposed to feed him, but he ended up feeding her. How could Natsu just do this casually? Does he do this with other girls too? Wendy hoped that wasn't the case. Still, she could get used to this.
"Heeeey…. Natsuuuuu.." the voice of a drunk girl was calling out to him.
Wendy and Natsu turned to the source of the voice.
"Woah, Luce, what happened to you?"
"Nothing has happeeened. I'm doing wonderfuuuul!"
Natsu turned to Wendy. They were both thinking the same thing.
Yep, she's definitely drunk. Cana must have put her up to this.
"Hey, Natsu… do that thing you usually do when we're alone." Lucy clung to his arm.
Waves of jealousy were stirred in Wendy. Calm down, Wendy. There is nothing wrong here. She tried to convince herself. Though, they were more close than what she would like.
"What do you mean when we're usually alone? What thing do I do?" Natsu was perplexed.
"Yes, Lucy, please tell us what he usually does when you're alone?" Wendy unintentionally glared at Natsu.
"You know… scratching my chin like a cat?" Lucy rubbed her head on Natsu's shoulder.
"When have I ever done such a thing?" Natsu tried to push Lucy away, but her grip was tight.
"Nyaa~" Lucy tightened her grip.
"Get a hold of yourself, Lucy!" Natsu did his best to push Lucy away. When did she get so strong?
"Hey, help me out here, Wen… dy?" Natsu turned to Wendy for assistance but was instead met with a scary expression and lifeless eyes.
"Why, you seem to be enjoying yourself, Natsu." Wendy smiled, but something's sinister about her smile.
"Come on now, Wendy, I am not enjoying this! She's really got a powerful grip for some reason!"
"Natsuuu, give me a piggyback and take me home…" Lucy jumped on to his back and hugged him, putting her arms around his chest.
Wendy did not appreciate how touch-feely Lucy was with Natsu. Of course, she kept it to herself.
"Oh, seriously, Lucy…" Natsu surrendered his fate.
"Guess I'll cut it short here. I'm going to bring her back before anything happens. Let Happy know I went back early." Natsu put Lucy in a more suitable position for him behind his back to carry, and lifted her thighs.
Natsu and Lucy alone? At her house? Wendy wouldn't let that fly.
"W-wait! Let me come with you!" Wendy followed Natsu behind.
"It's alright, I can take her back alone."
"W-well, two heads are better than one, right?" She just came with that on the spot.
"Eh, I suppose… fine, you can come."
Victory! Wendy pumped her fist lightly.
On the way to Lucy's home….
…
..
.
The night was tranquil. Stars were shining and sparkling in the sky. A calm wind was blowing.
Natsu, with Lucy passed out on his back, and Wendy was walking side-by-side.
Wendy felt peaceful walking with Natsu. The atmosphere felt calm and serene. All that could be heard was the sounds of their footsteps. She wondered if she needed to say anything, but this silence was enjoyable in its own right.
Natsu broke the silence.
"Sorry you had to come here with me, Wendy. You'd probably have more fun at the party."
"It's fine, Natsu. I came here because I wanted to."
"I see." Natsu smiled.
"Was Lucy always like this?"
"When she gets drunk? Yeah, she gets all clingy and stuff, especially towards me and Happy. It's kinda scary, to be honest."
"You? A dragon slayer, scared of a drunk Lucy?" Wendy giggled.
"Hey, now." Natsu chuckled.
Silence.
Wendy enjoyed these little moments. Just being able to talk and be with him sets her heart at ease. Unfortunately, they were in front of Lucy's apartment. She wished this could have lasted a bit longer.
"Well, here we are." Natsu looked up towards the window, while Wendy walked towards the door.
"I'll open the do-… Natsu?!" Wendy was a bit taken aback. Natsu jumped up and climbed towards the window where he would usually go in to Lucy's bedroom.
"Don't worry! The window's open!"
"That's not the problem!" Then again, this is Natsu.
Wendy waited outside. Using her heightened senses, she guessed Natsu was tucking her into bed and absolutely nothing else. I'm just making sure, that's all. A moment later, Natsu jumped out and landed beside Wendy.
"Well, now that's done. Guess it's getting pretty late. We should head back."
"Yeah… it is getting late. Carla's probably wondering where I am too."
"Come on, I'll accompany you to your place." Natsu ushered Wendy to lead the way.
"Ah, it's fine, Natsu. I can manage on my own." Wendy shook her hand.
"But two heads are better than one, aren't they?" Natsu grinned.
Wendy could only return a smile. She did want to go together with Natsu but felt a bit guilty for taking too much of his time. And so, they headed to Fairy Hills with Natsu keeping her pace beside Wendy. The journey back was in comfortable silence, with some chatter here and there, mostly about the party. And now, they were already there.
"Get some rest, Wendy. Don't forget we have a job in the morning with the others."
"Eh? We have a job tomorrow?" Now that she started thinking about it, they did plan to go on a job sometimes soon.
"Sorry, it kind of slipped my mind." Wendy scratched her head.
"Haha, no big deal. The party tonight really kept us busy." Natsu put his hands behind his back, turning the other way.
"Well then, go in. Don't stay up too late. We gotta rise early tomorrow."
"Thank you for accompanying me, Natsu. I had a really fun time." Wendy rubbed her fingers together.
"I'm happy to hear that, Wendy!" Natsu flashed his signature smile. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Before Wendy could respond, Natsu was already running back and waving his hand. Wendy waved back until his figure disappeared from her view.
Before this day, Wendy never got to spend this much time with Natsu. It's mostly due to the fact that Wendy felt it was wrong to have these feelings. They were supposed to be strictly family, nothing less and nothing more. Natsu was awfully close with Lucy too. She felt like she didn't have a chance with her in the picture. She was reluctant to cross that boundary. But today made her realize… maybe… just maybe, she could get closer to Natsu. After she accepted her own feelings, she felt invigorated. She felt free. She felt nothing was going to stop her. Today turned out to be better than I expected. I got to spend lots of time together with Natsu. Though, he still treated her like a younger sister, she was content with this for now. Wendy went back to her room. It seems Carla hasn't returned yet. Oh well, I'll talk with her in the morning. She changed into her pajamas and plopped to her bed, her sleepiness dragging her in to dreamland.
She can't wait for tomorrow.