Back with Natsu X Ultear Fanfic continuation

Disappearing Scars

"speaking"

""thinking""

On with the story

Crocus

The sun rose over the capital of Fiore as it brings the promise of a new day.

At an apartment

From within a cozy apartment on the beautiful south side of town, a young blonde haired girl awakened from her slumber. She slowly sat up, stretching her tired arms overhead. "Morning." She said to no one.

Her name is Lucy Heartfillia, ex member of the once renowned number one guild of Fiore, Fairy Tail

Once done with that she stepped from the shower, dried herself off, brushed her teeth, and walked back into her room proper.

She reached into her closet and grabs a set of clothes and puts them on.

Lucy then grabbed her satchel and took a deep breath before exhaling. "All ready to go!"

She walked to her door and grabbed the doorknob and stepped out

"Alright! It's time to get out there and seize the day!" When she emerged on the city streets, she felt a brief gust of wind blow past her. "Oh." She hummed, holding on to her satchel. "The wind's pretty strong today. I hope that means something good will happen."

In the streets of Crocus

A cloaked figure was walking in the streets of the capital while in the midst of the crowds

The mysterious figure stopped in the streets and looks above

The figure's eyes set on to the Domus Flau where the sounds of cheering and battle was heard

"there" the figure spoke before continuing to walk towards the Grand Magic Arena

As the cloaked figure passes by the citizens of the capital, the sign of a familiar black bracelet on the figure's right arm was seen as it glowed a soft red color

With Lucy

The cheers erupting from Domus Flau stadium were deafening. Despite the record setting heat the city had been experiencing for the past number of days, the crowd was not at a loss for enthusiasm.

"We've reached the final stretch of Day 4 of the 8th Annual Grand Magic Games, folks! And today's battles have been as hot-hot-hot as the weather!"

Chapati Lola - the ever enthused commentator - shouted into his mic from the commentator's booth. He was just as anxious as the crowd for the display they were about to see.

"We have a treat of a final battle for you all today! This should prove to be just as exciting as the earlier battles! Introducing first, we have the man that has yet to give a less than stellar performance with his overwhelming powers! Team Dullahan Head's ace, Crixack!"

The crowds looks to the arena where two mages from two different guilds were about to go on an all out brawl

"His opponent is the wily Berick from Team Dwarf Geer!"

"This is quite the interesting matchup." Yajima commented from his seat next to Lola.

"Just who should we be on the lookout for in this contest, Mr. Yajima?"

"It's hard to say. Crixack is a formidable wizard, but Berick…"

"Cool! Cool! Cool!"

Jason exclaimed his catchphrase from the press section of the stands. His whole body was shaking with excitement – though this was nothing new for the intrepid reporter.

"I can feel it! I just know I'm going to write a ferociously cool article today! This is going to be awesome!" He grabbed his pen and pad, and began furiously writing down what he saw like a man possessed.

"Jason!"

The reporter turned around, watching as a young blonde girl ran up the stairs. Her face was red from exhaustion.

"Sorry I'm late, Boss! I forgot how crowded the streets are this time of year. That crowd was crazy."

"Lucy! Don't worry about it! You're looking cool as usual today!" He gave her a thumbs up.

"Thanks. You too." Lucy moved to the balcony. "Did the match start already?"

"Nope. You're just in time. But it might not last long. Crixack is going to wipe the floor with this guy. He's just way too powerful and awesome!"

Lucy pulled out her own pen and notepad from her bag. "Alright then! Let's get the scoop of the century!"

"Cool!" Jason shouted in agreement.

The gong sounded and the match between Crixack and Berrick began.

A year had passed since Tartaros - the head of the Baram Alliance, as well as demons created from the Book of Zeref - was defeated. In the wake of this climactic battle, the Fairy Tail guild was no more.

Makarov disbanded the guild on what seemed like a random whim to the wizards he had called his "children". Everyone was shocked by the news – Lucy being among them.

Lucy now works as a writer, Lucy hoped to land a job at Sorcerer Weekly - whose headquarters were located in the capital.

While Lucy was making a decent amount of money posing in spreads, it was not what she wanted. After a bit of manoeuvring, the clever celestial wizard was finally able to persuade Jason to move her from the pinup wall to the bullpen. There she worked hard, and was soon promoted from office gopher, to interning reporter.

The battle between Crixack and Berick ended in what seemed like an instant. As expected Crixack won with an impressive showing of power, overwhelming Berrick until he submitted. The crowd went wild.

After the final points were calculated and the scoreboard was displayed for all to see, Chapati and Yajima bid everyone a fond farewell; urging them to return tomorrow for the final day of the Games.

Lucy and Jason filed out with the rest of the crowd. Both of them discussing what needed to be done for their article.

"Ok. So I'll write up the article and finish the layout done when I get home." said Lucy.

"Cool! Thanks, Lucy!" Jason agreed. As he walked towards the stairs, he folded his arms and curved his lips downward. "This year's Games are ok but…they just don't have the same 'oomph' that last year's did, ya know? Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale. None of them showed up this time."

Lucy grinned, thinking of the friends she made in those guilds. "Blue Pegasus and Quattro Cerberus didn't enter this year either."

Jason looked over his shoulder with a sly grin of his own. "Neither did Fairy Tail."

Lucy tried her best to muster an innocent smile, but it proved somewhat fruitless. "That's because they aren't around anymore."

Jason seemed surprised by this information. "But that mark on your hand…" he pointed.

Lucy looked down at her right hand. Sure enough her Fairy Tail guild mark was there. As plain and pink as the day she joined.

Jason took notice of his intern's melancholy expression and decided it was best not go any further. "I guess it really is over, huh? That's a shame. See ya tomorrow, Lucy." With one final wave and he blended into the crowd and walked down the stadium stairs.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

"I'm home."

Lucy entered her apartment, a small part of her hoping a voice would answer her greeting. When she was treated to the same silence she had lived with for the past six months, she could only smile contritely.

Lucy hung her bag on the back of her chair and sat down at her desk. "Time to get to work."

Lucy hadn't kept in touch with anyone from Fairy Tail over the year the guild disbanded. She reasoned that it was because she was too swamped with work, but that was a lie. After a while the blonde asserted that she didn't want to see the others living their new lives without Fairy Tail. That too was a lie.

Lucy put down her pen and proofread her papers one last time for any errors. When that was done she stretched her arms across her body. "Bath time."

After getting undressed and running the water, Lucy sat in her tub. Her knees hugged tightly against her chest.

"I really want to see them…" she mused.

The truth was that Lucy did not want to be a burden to everyone. She was frightened that if she saw her friends, she would drag them back instead of letting them move forward with their lives.

She sunk further into the warm bath water, blowing bubbles while thoughts of her good times in Fairy Tail continued to stew. She missed everyone. Suddenly she sprang up, water bursting out from her tub and falling onto the floor as she shouted to the heavens.

"I want to see you guys!"

"Keep it down in there!"

Lucy quickly covered her mouth in surprise. "S-sorry!" she apologized to her neighbour.

Lucy finished her bath and walked into her bedroom. She let the towel drying her hair fall from her head to her shoulders, wrapping it around her body when she approached the wall across from her bed.

On said wall was a massive patchwork of pictures and articles connected by red string; all overlaying a large map of Fiore. On each picture was a member of Fairy Tail, the strings connecting them to different cities and regions of the country.

A previously summoned Plue walked to Lucy with a stack of books in his continuously shaking hands, placing them on a stack next to his master.

"Thanks, Plue." Lucy smiled, petting his head. She looked back to the map and grabbed a pin from a container on her dresser. She stuck it in the border of Fiore. "Still nothing on Natsu and the others."

This map was the real reason Lucy became a reporter. Her true goal was to gather enough information to bring Fairy Tail – to bring her friends - back together once again.

Rumors. Sightings. News articles. Whatever Lucy could get her hands on to find the whereabouts of her friends was displayed on this wall. At times she felt like she would never find them. It was as if Fairy Tail truly was gone. Despite this possible reality Lucy persevered. Her desire to see everyone driving her along.

After a while she pressed her head against a picture that depicted everyone in the guild. Her teeth clenched in frustration, Lucy slowly fell to her knees and turned to sit on the cold wood of her floor. She buried her head in her arms as the moonlight filtered in through her window.

Plue looked to his master with worry, his ears picking up her quiet sobs.

"Here we are, folks! The last day of this year's Grand Magic Games! Today we decide who the best guild in all of Fiore is!"

The crowd was once again in a frenzy as Chapati continued.

"Introducing the first of our finalists! Led by the overwhelmingly powerful Crixack…it's Dullahan Head!"

Crixack's team strutted into the battle arena to loud cheers as they awaited their opponents.

"Next up is a team that has managed to pull off one surprise victory after another during the games…Scarmiglione!"

The opposing team of wizards – led by a man with wild hair and a scar on his cheek – entered from the opposite end of the arena.

"The final game this year will be a little different. Instead of the Grand Magic Game that we had last year, this year's winner will be decided with a single elimination battle royale! That means that both teams will duke it out in the arena, and whichever team is left standing will be the winner and earn the title of the country's strongest guild!"

While the crowd cheered for their preferred team, Lucy was having trouble staying awake. Jason clearly did not have the same problem.

"Cool! Cool! Coo~l! This is going to be our best article yet! Don't you think, Lucy?!"

The blonde continued to nod off.

"Lucy?"

She shook to attention. "Hm? I'm sorry, Boss. Were you saying something?"

"Look!" Jason pointed. "The final fight is starting! You were about to miss out! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Lucy looked back to the arena. She wasn't sleepy anymore. Now she was simply disinterested. "It's just an act." She yawned.

"That seems a bit harsh." Jason frowned. "I mean I know Scarmiglione had a bit of a shaky start, but with their record they could still pull out a victory and-"

"That's what I'm saying." Lucy interrupted. "Crixack is strong, but Scarmiglione's members are stronger. If I had to guess I'd say each member of their team is at least twice as strong as he is. They've just been hiding it this whole time."

Jason was completely lost. "What do you mean? Why would they do that?"

"Probably playing the bookies that bet against them."

The gong sounded and Jason turned to the arena. In a near instant Scarmiglione stood tall over a defeated Dullahan Head without so much as breaking a sweat.

"Scarmiglione has won!" Lola announced to the overwhelming shock of the crowd. "What an impressive victory! Dullahan Head never stood a chance!"

"Coo~l!" Jason wailed.

"This is quite the surprise…" Yajima said half-heartedly. He had the same suspicions as Lucy.

"No one could have seen this coming!" Lola said. "The odds themselves were 100-to-1!"

One of Scarmiglione's members smirked. "That went well."

"Yeah." The leader said. "Now we're the strongest and the richest."

Lucy sighed wearily, while Jason continued to yell in excitement.

"Wow, Lucy! You totally called it! That's amazing! You're like a psychic or something!"

The blonde was having trouble taking the compliment in stride. "Scarmiglione is strong…but to have people like that as the number one guild is just…"

"Wait! What's this?!" Lola shouted in alarm.

A mysterious figure covered from head to toe in a black hooded cloak emerged from arena entrance that Dullahan Head came through.

"It looks like an intruder has entered the stadium!"

The leader of Scarmiglione watched the stranger in annoyance as they approached his team. "Who is that supposed to be? Another Dullahan reject?"

Lucy felt an ominous power radiating from the intruder. Her body began to tremble in fear. "This power is…" she quickly turned to Jason. "That guy down there is serious trouble! We have to get these people out of here! Quick!"

"You got some guts trying to pick a fight with us here in the capital." The leader of Scarmiglione said before noticing the cloaked figure raising his hands at him

"Hey…" one of his team spoke up, tapping another's shoulder. They seemed to recognize the stranger. "Isn't he part of that group that's been going around lately and...?"

"No way. It can't be."

"You're Fiore's number one guild?" the cloaked individual questioned.

"What's it to you? Just who the hell are you, you freak?" Scarmiglione's leader demanded.

"you're not worthy of being called the number one guild" the cloaked figure punched the ground, evoking a powerful shockwave that shook the ground before a blast of flames exploded out and sends the so called Number one guild, flying to the walls

"He just attacked Scarmiglione out of nowhere!" Lola yelled in shock. "Just what does this mysterious man want?!"

Lucy tried to steady herself amid the fierce winds kicked up by the stranger's attack. "We have to gather every wizard who can fight right now!" She reached for her keys. "Otherwise this guy will…!"

Another heatwave radiated through the arena, making all inside start to sweat profusely.

"What's going on?!"

"This heat is unbearable!"

"It's so hot!"

"This heat! It's melting our clothes!" Lola exclaimed. He looked around the arena. It was as if it was made of wax. "Even the stadium isn't immune to the heat!"

"What is this?!" Lucy shrieked, covering herself as quickly as she could. "What's with this heat?!" she looked down at the intruder. The steam around him starting to dissipate, Lucy watched intently as he removed his hood.

The celestial wizard's eyes slowly went wide with shock. She saw fists engulfed in roaring wildfires, and a small grin underneath a head of long, shaggy pink hair. Her heart nearly stopped beating when she called the stranger's name.

"Natsu?!"

Jason saw him as well, nearly having a heart attack out of sheer excitement. "Coo~l!"

Lola and Yajima were stunned by this revelation as well.

"Natsu!"

"I can't believe my eyes! It is him!"

"Pumpki~n!" Not even Mato was immune to the commotion.

Lucy blinked a million times, thinking she would wake up from this dream, but sure enough Natsu was real as she was. She still couldn't believe her eyes. "But what are you-"

"aunt Lucy!"

"Hey, Lucy! Long time no see!"

Lucy whipped around, her eyes falling on two familiar pink hair girls and a white wolf "Meredy?! Aya-chan!? North!?"

"In the flesh" Meredy said with a grin that her little sister mimicked while North let out a bark

Lucy didn't know what to say. Her mind had a billion questions and her mouth couldn't keep up. "What's going on?! Why is Natsu-"

"He just couldn't help himself." A voice spoke out as Lucy turns to see Ultear by the rails looking at her husband "sheesh, we were away to get some supplies and he runs off doing this"

Back in the arena, Natsu stood over the unconscious Scarmiglione members as he looks in disappointment

"That guy is a lunatic! Someone take him out!"

Natsu saw the incoming mages as he lifts his feet up before stomping the ground and a much powerful blaze of flames erupted from the ground, causing the incoming mages to fly in the air. The temperature inside the stadium increased further.

"is this all?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms over his chest

The crowd evacuated the stadium in a panic.

"Domus Flau is still melting!"

"He's a monster!"

"Run!"

"He overdid it" Ultear said while shaking her head on the damage her husband did

Natsu looks to where his family was at as his eye spotted Lucy near them

"been a long time hasn't it, Lucy?" Natsu greeted the celestial mage with a smile

Lucy couldn't help but return his smile. "Yeah…it has."

A few moments later

"And don't come back!" the guard ordered, angrily shaking his fist at the Dragon Slayer

Natsu to the Mercurius palace gates where he was met by a smiling Lucy with his family

"Looks like you were acquitted. I'm kind of surprised." Lucy said to him

"c'mon, let's take this conversation elsewhere" Ultear said as she holds her husband's hand

At a park

Natsu and the others sat on the grass in the park, looking up to Lucy in complete surprise

"Fairy Tail…disbanded?" Meredy questioned in shock.

"Why? Why? Why?" Aya repeated over and over.

Lucy nodded their fear as she looks to them "It happened the day after you all left."

"But how?!" Meredy implied to Lucy

"I still don't really know the details myself." Lucy replied

"what about the old man?" Natsu asked Lucy "where is he now?"

"No one knows. He just…disappeared." Lucy answered him

"What about the others?" Ultear asked Lucy "Erza, Gray, Juvia, anyone?"

Lucy shook her head. "I don't know where they went either. All of us just went our separate ways."

"I can't believe it…" Meredy said "did everyone just forget about the guild?"

"I wouldn't say they forgot…" Lucy trailed off.

"so the guild is gone, huh?" Natsu said before he stands up "there's nothing we can do about it now then"

"Natsu!" Meredy shouted to her step father "how can you just say it like that!?"

"Do you really have the right to say that, Meredy?" Lucy muttered.

Natsu and Meredy looked to Lucy as the blonde mage looks in sadness

"You guys weren't thinking about the guild either, were you? You guys left without telling anyone. That's not that much different from what we did."

Realizing the harshness of her words Lucy smiled in apology. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I know you guys had your reasons for leaving, right?"

Natsu nodded to her before looking to the sky

"let's head in, it's almost night time" Natsu said

"then how about going to my place? You can get a bath, warm food, and a warm bed too" Lucy said as this got Meredy and Aya to cheer

"we're finally getting a bath after six months in the wild!" Meredy cheered as she was crying in joy

"have you guys been living in the woods or something?" Lucy asked Natsu and Ultear with a sweat drop behind her head

"something like that" Natsu said as he carries up his family luggage

Night time

Lucy's apartment

"that was refreshing," Meredy said as she had finished taking a bath with Aya and Lucy as the blonde's bathtub was large enough to accommodate the two of them "been a while since we bathe together right, Aya?"

Aya nodded before her cheek was licked by North as the wolf was having his fur dried by Natsu who got his hair cut back to his normal style by Cancer who was summoned by Lucy a few moments ago and had returned back to the Celestial world

"I'm still not sure on having North in the apartment, Natsu" Ultear said to her husband as the man had a little chat with the owner of the building and its inhabitants

"don't worry, the landowner said that it's fine," Natsu said to his wife while Lucy just sweatdropped to him

"more like you threatened him" Lucy muttered as she felt bad for her traumatized landowner

The group then chatted around while playing some games to spend the time

Soon the need of rest came to take them as they bid each other goodnight, everyone went to sleep for the evening.

Natsu was sitting near the window of the apartment as the man looks at the moon in the night sky

"Fairy Tail…gone?" he muttered out as he watches to his family who was sleeping together while the man is still awake

Aya turned in her sleep as the child was sleeping with her sister on the couch while her mother was resting on the bed where he was supposed to be with

Natsu smiles to his family before heading to where Lucy was sleeping at

He entered her room and saw the Celestial Mage was resting on her bed

Natsu watches her sleep before he turns his attention to the giant billboard filled with newspaper and information alike

Rumours, sightings. Reports, everything there is to every single former member of Fairy Tail's location and everything there is about what they were doing

"Fairy Tail…isn't gone" Natsu said before he exited the room and grabs his cloak

The next morning

A group of royal guardsmen stood outside of Lucy's apartment early the next morning, their weapons drawn and ready for battle.

"This is the place." The leader of the punitive force stated to his men.

"Do we barge in and arrest them, Captain?"

"Not until I give the order."

Lucy frightfully looked out of her window. "Ummm…why is there an entire squadron of armed guards outside of my house this early in the morning?!"

"come on Lucy" Natsu called out to the blonde as he hoisted up his family's belongings

"did you do this?!" Lucy interrogated.

"yeah" Natsu replied while North barks

"don't worry" Meredy told to Lucy with a smile "we just went and decorated the royal castle"

"wait what!?" Lucy said before she was grabbed by Natsu and both jumps out of the apartment window with the others following

"Natsu?! What are you doing?! Wa~it!"

Natsu leaped through the wood and glass with a crash, Lucy screaming for her life as he landed on the ground. Aya, Meredy and Ultear riding on North's back as the wold jumps down next before the group started running away

"There they are!" One of the guards shouted.

"Catch those criminals!" The captain ordered.

"Why are we running?!" Lucy yelled at Natsu. "Put me down!"

Natsu obliged and let Lucy run on her own.

"What's going on?! What did you guys do?!"

Natsu had a small grin appearing on his face as he looks to her. "just making a notice of Fairy Tail's rebirth."

There was panic in the courtyard of Mercurius Palace.

On the tallest tower the words FAIRY TAIL were burned.

The guards were in a rightful frenzy.

"Hurry and put out that fire!"

"This has to be the work of Natsu Dragist!"

"Where are they?!"

"In the southern part of town. They're currently being chased down by the third squad!"

"After them!"

The King looked to his palace in shock, trying his best to keep his composure. It was he who let Natsu off easy after the stadium incident yesterday.

"Your majesty…?" the guard who saw Natsu off that day shakily called.

"I…I won't be pressing charges." The King quivered.

Jason who stood outside the palace gates with his pen and pad, was estatic by this development. "Cool! Fairy Tail is back in business! This is the scoop of a lifetime!" He gave a thumbs up. "Good luck, Lucy! Stay cool!"

"You guys did what?!" Lucy screamed.

"Don't worry, Lucy." Meredy told Lucy "the fire will go out in an hour or so

"That's not the problem here, guys!" the blonde argued. "How do you even know that we can bring back-"

"We got faith, don't' we?" Natsu interrupted. He and his wife smiled at Lucy. "You do too right?"

Lucy was at a loss for words.

"We're gonna start Fairy Tail back up!"

"We'll bring everybody back together, Aunt Lucy!" Aya exclaimed. "Just wait and see!"

Tears began to form in the blonde's eyes.

"Will you join us?" Ultear asked Lucy with a smile

Lucy wiped away her tears and smiled as wide as she could. "Yeah!"

As she followed her friends out of town, Lucy could feel a familiar sensation well up inside her body. It was the same feeling that appeared within her when she first met Natsu and Happy that fateful day in Hargeon. A sense of adventure. A sense of wonder. The desire to go out and see all the world had to offer.

Fairy Tail wasn't gone after all.

That's a wrap!

Bye bye