Back with Natsu X Ultear Fanfic continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
After crossing the border out of the capital, the royal guard finally gave up their chase of Natsu and the others, allowing them to finally relax. Walking through the eastern countryside for a few hours, the intrepid group soon found themselves in the quaint village of Tuly.
"This place is very quiet," Meredy said as she looks around and sees nor hear any type of commotion in the quiet village
"the sun is setting," Ultear said as she sees from the horizon that the night was coming "let's find a place to stay for the night"
"I was thinking the same thing." Lucy agreed as she looks to her map in her hands "there's an inn a few blocks ahead"
"bed!" Aya cheered while North just yawns
Natsu was quiet in the whole conversation as the man was looking far ahead of the road
"What is it, Natsu?" Lucy asked the man before seeing him throwing a fireball far away
On the outskirts of Tuly, an old shop owner desperately chased his runaway carriage. Having been ambushed by a trio of bandits.
"Please give that back!" He chased after them as fast as he could. Soon his short legs gave out and he fell to his knees. He watched in vain as the bandits proceeded forward.
"You snooze you lose, old man!" One of the bandits mocked.
"Let's get out of here!" His comrade yelled to the driver.
"Please!" the carriage owner pleaded once more. "My entire life is in that carriage! You must give it back to me!"
"Too bad! It's our entire life now!"
"Really you brought this on yourself by being out here alone! You never know what kind of people you'll meet out here."
Natsu's fireball came flying in as it strikes the heads of the bandits, knocking them out of commission
"what just happened?" the old man said, not having any idea on what had happened in front of his eyes
"Nothin." Natsu answered Lucy's question and started walking towards the inn
Lucy looks at him in confusion before following him to the inn
Natsu and the others sat inside their room in the Kotoko inn on the village's edge.
"Huh?!" Meredy and Aya exclaimed to Lucy who was sitting by a table while hanging her feet on the table "What do you mean you don't know where the others are?"
"It's not that I don't know where they are…" Lucy began, her eyes running over marked points on the map. "It's just that some of them have been harder to track down than others."
"then what about the ones who were easier to track down?" Ultear said as Lucy looks to her map and saw two markers close to their location
"First we head southeast, to the town of Margaret." she pointed out the town on the map.
"Margaret?" Aya asked
"that's the town where Uncle Lyon is from, Meredy told her little sister
"ooohh!" Aya said as she remembered Lyon
"and you'll never guess who else is there." Lucy winked mischievously.
The next day
"We're here!" Lucy presented with a smile. "Welcome to Margaret Town!"
"It's huge." Aya said as she sees the big town
"let's go and find Lamia Scale" Natsu said as he leads the group
The group walks in the town before their attention was grabbed by the sound of music and people cheering.
"What's that?" Meredy said as she sees a big crowd up ahead
"I don't know, but let's check it out." Natsu said as he walks ahead to see what is all the commotion all about
Natsu and the others find themselves watching an event going on as a giant banner with the title "Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving Day" written on it
"What is all of this?" Meredy said
"Is there some kind of parade going on?" Aya asked.
"Yep." Lucy pointed to one of the flags waving on the side of the stage. It read "Lamia Scale Thanksgiving" just like the banners hanging from the street lights.
"It's basically like Fairy Tail's Fantasia parade." She explained. "Lamia Scale guild puts on a show for the townspeople once a year to thank them for their continued support."
"Looks like it's starting," Ultear said as the citizens of Margaret Town began cheering louder when Yuka Suzuki walked onto the stage.
Natsu carries up Aya up to his shoulder as to let the child see what was going on in the event
"We welcome you all to the annual Lamia Scale Thanksgiving day celebration! Thank you all for your continued support of the guild! This celebration is as much for you as it is for us!" The wave user announced massive approval from the people. "
Now without further ado; I present to you the ace of Lamia Scale…Lyon Vastia! Watch as he dances with the beauty of ice-make magic!"
Yuka stepped aside as the stage curtains opened, revealing Lyon. The ice mage stepped onto the stage to thunderous applause from the crowd - as well as swoons and screams from a majority of the women in attendance.
"it's Uncle Lyon!" Aya cheered to see her uncle on the stage
With the swift wave of his arm,Lyon created nearly a dozen doves made of pure, transparent ice. The crowd marveled at the sight, the pristine artificial creatures fluttering around their creator before ascending high into the sky.
Lyon shifted to a two-handed ice-make pose. A swirl of ice and cool air gathered on the ground before a group of children in the front of the crowd, glittering until they combined and formed a small warren of rabbits. The rabbits began to hop around once formed, delighting the children.
Lyon bowed before the crowd, signaling the end of his performance. The crowd cheered in gratitude for the display. Some even called for an encore.
"Next we have an impression courtesy of Toby Horhorta!" Yuka announced.
The eager dog man ran out to the stage as Lyon was making his way off.
"it's the doggy man!" Aya said as Toby cleared his throat before speaking. "This is an impression of myself when I cry." he said.
Toby then suddenly cried while wailing like a dog as the dog man keeps up his "performance".
"He imitates himself?"
"Does that even count as an impression?"
Lyon quickly returned to the stage to drag Toby away.
"Excuse us." He nervously apologized to the crowd. His embarrassment at his guildmate was clearly etched on his face.
"Wait!" Toby angrily protested, tears still streaming down his face. "I'm not finished yet!"
Yuka moved to the front of the stage, trying to regroup as best he could. "M-moving right along. Next we have our Master Obaba! She will be performing a dance from the Far East."
The eldery master of Lamia Scale stepped onto the stage in a kimono. She gripped an open fan in each hand, holding them in the air before beginning her dance. She stepped left and right across the stage, moving her arms and sliding on the point of her toes while pointing the fans in all directions around her.
"gross" Natsu muttered out in disgust as he can't believe that this type of dance is supposed to be entertaining
"don't be like that" Ultear told her husband "try having some decency to some culture"
Obaba finished her routine by spinning around as fast as she could before coming to a complete stop and pointing her fans to the sun. When she looked out to the crowd they were in complete silence. Just like with Toby they had no idea how to react to what they just saw.
Obaba fell to her knees, her kimono starting to slip off of her right shoulder.
"Alright, I'll take it off!"
The crowd let out a collected shout of disapproval and terror, prompting Lyon to make his third appearance of the day.
"Please forgive us!" he begged, dragging his master away just as he did Toby.
"Let me go, ya halfwit!" she demanded. "I'll spin ya!"
"like I said gross, Natsu said as Obaba was stirring up a fight with Lyon
Yuka ran back to the stage as he coughs into his hands before speaking "Now! For the moment you've all been waiting for!"
Suddenly the crowd came to life again, their screams – mostly the men – almost deafening.
"I present to you the angels of our guild!"
The curtains drew open and the crowd cheered even louder.
"The Sky Sisters! Wendy Marvell and Cheria Blendy!"
The two girls fully emerged onto the stage in dresses – Cheria's being strapless – with wings on their backs. They waved to the crowd, bright smiles on their faces as they took in all of the applause and praise.
"why is Wendy here?!" Meredy asked Lucy in surprise
"You remember Cheria and Wendy became good friends during the Grand Magic Games, right?" Lucy reminded.
"Now they will sing for you their hit song, Slayer Love of an Angel!" Yuka shouted.
The band began to play and the girls started to sing and dance in near perfect sync.
SLAYER LOVE!
SLAYER LOVE!
FOREVER!
FOREVER!
MY LOVE FOR YOU…
SUNNY WEATHER TOO…
FOREVER!
FOREVER!
The crowd started to sing along.
"quite a catchy song" Ultear said with a smile
"Slayer love! Slayer love! Forever!" Aya sang along to the music
"You know she's not the only one who joined another guild, right?" Lucy prompted. "Everybody needs to find work some kind of way."
"if Wendy-neechan is here does that mean Charla too?" Aya asked
"it's possible" Natsu replied to his daughter
"I knew that you all would show up sooner or later." A voice called from behind the group. They turned around, seeing a young girl that looked around Wendy's age standing before them with a knowing grin on her lips.
"Hello Natsu, Lucy, Ultear, Meredy, Aya and North" She greeted
"who?" Lucy and the others (except Natsu) said in unison as they had no idea on who was the mysterious girl
"it's Charla!" Aya pointed out as this made Lucy and the others exclaimed in surprise
"EHHHH!?"
"correct" the now-named Charla said while waving her white hair "I'm surprised that Aya was the one who first recognizes me"
In an empty building not far from the events of the celebration, a group of men - all shrouded in shadow - began to make plans.
"Everyone in town is going crazy for those losers in Lamia Scale for Thanksgiving. It's ridiculous."
"Slayer love! Slayer love!"
"Shuddup, you idiot! You're giving me an earache!"
"Quiet all of you!" the leader of the group commanded. He looked out the window and to the stage. "On this night…the iron hammer justice will strike down Lamia Scale!" his snake like tongue slithered from out his mouth as he spoke. "And Blood Thanksgiving will commence!"
A few hours later
The Thanksgiving Festival was over, and things soon returned to normal in the town of Margaret.
While some members of the guild took down the decorations in the street, Cheria and Wendy finished changing out of their stage clothes inside the guild hall.
While Cheria seemed happy with their performance, her Sky Dragon "sister" was less than enthused about the affair. Her face red from embarrassment, Wendy squirmed in her chair; trying her best to block the entire event from her memory.
"I am never doing something that embarrassing ever again!" she cried out.
"Aw, don't say that." Cheria said, amused by Wendy's outburst. "You were so cute out there! Everyone loved you."
"Slayer love! Slayer love! Forever!" Toby sang.
"Forever." Yuka deadpanned.
"Please don't sing that!" Wendy squealed. She covered her face with her hands to hide her reddened cheeks.
"Wendy." Lyon called.
"Yes?" she muffled.
"You have visitors."
Wendy looked up from her hands in confusion. "I do?"
Natsu and the group entered in as Wendy's eyes widen in joy while tears form in them
"Natsu-san! Lucy-san! Ultear-san! Meredy-san!" she gasped.
"Wendy-neechan!" Aya screamed as she runs to the Sky Dragon Slayer and gives her a big hug to which Wendy returned
Natsu walked to Wendy and gently patted her head. "You've gotten taller." He complimented.
Wendy shook her head and wiped away her tears. She couldn't believe that they were here in front of her. "I really haven't changed all that much."
The group then settled down for a chat as Natsu tells Wendy the Fairy Tail Revival plan
"So…you're going to revive Fairy Tail?" Wendy asked. Her tone was more of confusion than outright happiness.
Currently Natsu, Ultear, Meredy, and Lucy sat at a table opposite Wendy and discussed their plans moving forward. Yuka prepared tea for their guests at Lyon's behest.
"That's the end goal." Meredy nodded to her
"The master's been missing all year." Lucy pointed out. "I'm sure that is one of the reasons why we disbanded in the first place. Maybe bringing back the guild will help us find him as well. "
"I heard the Council was also having trouble finding Master Makarov." Lyon spoke up.
"if I remember correctly, the Council was reformed by the Wizard saints, right?" Ultear said
"Yes." Yuka confirmed with a nod. "Around a year or so ago a few of the Wizard Saints banded together and reformed the council."
"Jura went and ditched us too!" Toby shouted angrily.
"Calm down." Yuka told the dogman
"Speaking of which…" Lyon began.
"Does that mean Gramps isn't at the Council?" Aya asked Curiously to the group.
"No." Natsu told his daughter "he must be going into hiding or something"
"hey guys, we got one more person whowants to meet you guys again" Charla came in before a pack of wolfs came running in as North barks to them and started licking the furs of each wolfs that comes in contact with him
"when I heard from Charla that you guys are here, I nearly thought that I was dreaming" a voice spoke as the group sees Ur coming in with a big grin
"Baachan!" Aya screams as she was happy to see her grandmother again
"look how much you've grown, Aya!" Ur said as she carries up her granddaughter and spins her around in her arms
"good to see you again, mother" Ultear greeted her mother with a smile as Ur nodded to her
"did you join Lamia Scale like Wendy and Charla?" Meredy asked her grandmother as she shakes her head
"nah, I'm here because Lyon invited me for the Thanksgiving Day" Ur told her before turning her attention to Natsu
The group chatted around with each other for a few minutes before ending
"now then" Ur said as she passes Aya to Ultear before she then delivers an uppercut to Natsu's and sends him flying to the ceiling
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH JEWELS I HAD TO PAY FOR THESE RASCALS FOOD FEE!? EACH OF THEM EATS SO MUCH THAT I'M NEARLY BROKE BECAUSE OF IT!"
Ur started ranting out on how much fortune she had lost just to maintain the house, the food cost, and just how hard was it for the woman to tidy the things around
"h-how long has she been here?" Lucy asked Lyon while feeling a bit scared that the one-legged woman was giving hell towards Natsu
"about a week or so" Lyon replied "these wolfs eat more than they are supposed too"
Ur grabs Natsu's waist and sends the man down in a german suplex
"i-I see that grandma been doing well" Meredy said with a sweatdrop as her stepfather was being strangled by her grandmother
After a few minutes of ranting and strangling, Ur had excreted out all her energy in Natsu's beating and was very tired now
"huff huff huff" Ur huffed at Natsu who seems to be fine even with the number of black bruises on his face
"satisfied?" Natsu asked his mother in law as Ur takes a deep breath before relaxing
"Good" Natsu then looks to Wendy who was healing his bruised cheek with her magic "Ready to go? You're coming with us, right?"
Wendy looked down at her feet. She was unable to meet Natsu's eye. After a few more moments of silence, a sad smile pulled at her mouth.
"I…I'm a member of Lamia Scale now." She said. "I'm sorry but…I can't go with you."
"eeh?!" Meredy and Aya exclaimed together
"But why?" Lucy asked.
Wendy kept her smile as she bowed to Natsu and the others
"I'm sorry." She apologized again.
"There is no need for you to hold back for our sake." Lyon reassured her. "We all knew this day would come."
"Yeah!" Toby sniffed. "You can do what you want! We don't mind!"
"Stop crying." Yuka said.
"why aren't you coming with us, Wendy-neechan?" Aya asked the Sky mage
"Wendy has made her decision," Charla told her as she leans against a wall before walking towards the group. "There is no reason for you to pressure her into changing it."
"I'm still baffled on how on earth land that you are a human," Lucy said as the fact that Charla was a human still bothers her
"This?" Charla flipped her long white hair. "This is just simple transformation magic. I learned it a little while ago." Her tail waved behind her. "While in this form I have a bit more magic power, and my premonition abilities are stronger as well."
Charla changed back into her normal cat form and walked along the top of the wooden table to Wendy. "Are you sure this is what you want, child? There is no need to be ashamed if it's not."
Wendy simply answered with a nod as her answer surprise the group
"You're serious." Natsu said as he stands up from his seat. "If this is really what you want then we accept your decision."
"But, Natsu-"Lucy started.
Natsu smiled. "It was good to see you, Wendy. We wish you all the best."
He thanked Lyon and the others before heading out with Ultear, Meredy, Ur, North and his family following behind
Lucy rose from her seat and bowed before the Lamia Scale wizards as well. "Thank you for the tea. Goodbye, Wendy."
"Goodbye." Wendy smiled.
Lucy waved to Wendy one last time before running after the others.
Cheria watched Wendy wave to her friends for a moment before looking away with guilt.
Lyon sighed. He knew Wendy's smile was forced.
"Good grief."
At an inn
Natsu and the group were in an inn they had rented as the group planned to stay for the night before heading out tomorrow morning
"I can't believe Wendy doesn't want to go with us" Lucy said slouched on her bed and was looking at the ceiling
"it's her choice" Natsu said sitting on a chair near the window "if she wants to stay, so be it. We can't force her to come with us"
"how can you be so calm about this, Natsu?" Meredy asked her step father who was looking at the moon in the night sky
"I'm not" Natsu told her "because I know Wendy will come with us"
"do you plan to kidnap her?" Ur asked Natsu
"probably" Natsu said as this got Lucy and Meredy to sweatdrop
With Wendy
Wendy and Cheria rested inside their shared apartment while wearing their pajamas
"Hey, Wendy…" Cheria began. "About what happened today…"
"Hm?" Wendy was confused at first by what Cheria meant. A lot had happened today; but the guilty look on the Sky God slayer's face provided the answer she needed. "Don't worry." She reassured with a smile. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I see." Cheria's eyes went from Wendy to the ground. Her rueful grin still present.
"Sherry went to get married. So if I were to leave now, then you would be all alone."
"I wouldn't be alone." Cheria meekly protested.
Wendy was caught off-guard by the brusque statement, prompting her friend to continue her explanation.
"I have everyone else in Lamia Scale with me. The guild is filled with the people that I love and…" Cheria was now looking at Wendy with a sense of empathy. "If you're just sticking around with me out of pity…then that's not really a friendship…is it?"
Wendy's eyes flew open in shock. "Cheria…I-"
A loud boom could be heard from outside, startling both Wendy and Cheria.
"What…was that…?" Charla – awoken from her slumber by the noise – groggily asked.
Wendy hurriedly pressed her face against the glass of her window to get a closer look. She saw smoke rising from further in town. "I think it came from the guild!" she said.
"We have to go!" Cheria hopped out of bed and quickly changed clothes.
"Right!" Wendy and Charla acknowledged.
with Natsu and the others
"what was that!?" Meredy exclaimed as she heard the loud explosion
"outside" Natsu said as he looked out window and sees smoke rising high into the sky.
"What's going on?" Ultear said as she hears the sound of more and more explosions ringing out
"I think that's the direction of Lamia's Scale's guild hall." Lucy pointed.
"We gotta help, Wendy!" Meredy exclaimed as Natsu nodded
"Ur-san, you stay here with Aya" Natsu said as Ur nodded before the group heads out
Lyon looked on in shock as explosions continued to burst out from the guildhall. The townspeople nearby ran around in a panic, haphazardly being helped along to safety by members of Lamia Scale.
"Evacuate the people out of the city now!" Lyon ordered. "It's only a matter of time before their main force shows up!"
"This way!" Yuka directed the frightened masses.
"Move it! Keep going!" Toby shouted.
"Hey, Lyon!" Meredy called out to the ice mage as Natsu and the group arrived on the scene amidst the chaos. "What the hell is going on here?!"
"What are you all still doing in town?" Just as Lyon said this a monster broke free from the rubble, its sharp fangs trained on the ice-make wizard.
"Look out!" Lucy warned.
Without so much as looking at the monster, Lyon stuck out his arm, encasing the beast in a giant sculpture of ice.
"If you would like to know what is going on, there's your answer." Lyon pointed to the monster. "A herd of these creatures appeared from out of nowhere and started attacking the town."
"An entire herd?!" Meredy exclaimed
"It's Orochi's Fin!"
Cheria, Wendy, and Charla met up with the group.
"Orochi's Fin?" Lucy repeated.
"Yes." Cheria nodded. "They and Lamia Scale have been on bad terms for as long as I can remember. They're basically our rivals. But this is a new low…even for them."
"They've probably been waiting for a chance to attack ever since Mr. Jura left." Wendy surmised.
"They also knew our guard would be at its lowest during the Thanksgiving celebration." Charla said. "The dirty scoundrels."
"Damn them…" Lyon cursed.
"Lyon!" Yuka called. He and Toby had just returned from their evacuation duties. "This was only the advance force!" he reported. "Their main force is approaching from the west!"
"There's like a hundred thousand of them!" Toby panicked.
"One-hundred thousand?!" Lucy gasped.
From atop a cliff overlooking Margaret Town, the members of Orochi's Fin watched with malicious gless as their army of monsters marched to the unsuspecting town.
"This is a pretty good view." One of them said.
"Yeah. This will wipe out the town for sure."
"Now that Jura's gone Lamia's nothing but a buncha wimps. There's no way they'll beat us."
The man with the forked tongue finished licking his lollipop before eating it in one bite. "First, we'll beat them down until they have no more magic left! Then we'll finish them off!"
He raised his arm along with the rest of his guildmates.
"We'll kill them all!" They cried out
Lamia Scale and Natsu's group watched Orochi's gathering of monsters swiftly encroach on Margaret Town.
"They could destroy the entire town!" Lyon shouted.
"Those slithering sneering snakes!" Obaba cursed. "I never thought they would go this far over a stupid grudge!"
The beasts entered the town limits.
"It looks to me that they have some sort of Beast Master in their guild." Ultear told Lyon.
"Then we must take him out if we want to stop the monsters." Lyon replied
"Yes, but the problem is that we can't get close enough to do that." Yuka reported. "Those beasts are blocking the way."
"don't worry" Natsu said before he let out a high pitch whistle as North and his pack came running in
"Wendy and Charla take the sky while we handle the monsters" Natsu told them as Wendy and Charla nodded
"Yes!" Wendy agreed.
"Will you all lend us a hand?" Lyon asked.
"yeah, I still got to pay you the favor for taking care of Ur-san while I and my family were away" Natsu told Lyon who smiled
"Yep." Lucy nodded, steeling herself.
"We'll help in any way we can." Ultear proclaimed
Lyon grinned in gratitude. "Thank you."
"Let's go" Natsu said before seeing North running ahead with Cheria on his back as both were running to catch up with Wendy and Charla
"Cheria?!" Wendy gasped. "What are you doing?"
"It's our guild! So, it's up to us to save it, right?!" Cheria shouted as North runs in the herd of monsters while dodging their attacks in highspeed
Wendy accepted her friend's words with a determined grin. "You're right!"
"Please North!" Cheria said as North barked in reply
Natsu watches from the town as Wendy and Cheria were heading towards the Orochi Fin guild
"she could've asked for a ride" Natsu said while shaking his head with a sigh
Wendy and Cheria race over the herd of monsters as their eyes widen in shock to the sheer number of them.
"There are so many." Wendy uttered.
"And they're headed straight for Margaret." Cheria stated. "We have to trust the others to hold them off for the time being."
"Don't forget Natsu-san and the others are at the town." Wendy reminded.
"Yes." Charla nodded. "They're more than capable of handling those beasts along with the guild. For now our task is to take down the Beast Master, as well as any other Orochi wizards we encounter."
"Cheria, I see them!" Wendy pointed to a plateau they were flying over, spotting what looked to be dots from their altitude.
"Alright! Let's go Wendy!" Cheria jumps off North while Cheria lets go of Wendy.
"Be careful!" Charla advised.
The Orochi members looked up and saw two shadows get bigger and bigger in the distance.
"What is that?!"
Wendy and Cheria stuck out their legs, their respective winds gathering around them. They struck the two men looking up at them, breaking their fall. They slid on their heels for a few meters, slowing their momentum. When they stopped, they gathered air in their cheeks.
"Tenryu no Hoko!"
"Tenjin no Dogo!"
Their breath attacks merged in a tornado of blue and black that burst through a good number of the enemy wizards with ease.
"What's with you guys?!" one of them shouted. "Can't you handle two little girls?!"
"Excuse you! I think you meant three!" Charla leapt towards the man. She turned her body upside down, doing a handstand as a light shined on her right foot.
"Huwaito Moon!"
Charla sends a spinning kick to the man's face, knocking a few teeth out and sending the man down to the ground beaten
North howls before running towards a group of Orochi's mage and started shredding, and biting them with his fangs and claws
"I'll take down the Beast Master!" Cheria rushed through the crowd, defeating anyone who dared get in her way.
"Wait, Cheria!" Wendy called while she fought off her own enemies. "You're too far ahead! We have to stick together!"
More Orochi wizards advanced on the pair, and Wendy slowly noticed a strangely familiar scent lingering in the air.
"This smell is…"
Back in Margaret, the rest of Lamia Scale - as well as Natsu's group - engaged the horde of monsters at the city's border head-on.
"We'll hold them off here." Lyon declared.
"Right!" the others shouted.
Natsu cracks his knuckles before cracking his neck
"it's night time and Aya is going to sleep" Natsu said as a giant ogre like creature swings its club at him
Natsu's eye glowed black and flames erupted on his fist
"So keep it down" Natsu punches the air and sends a flaming torrent of crimson flames at the herd of monsters and takes down half of the herd
Lucy was shocked with the rest of the Lamia Scale Mage as they can't believe that the Dragon Slayer had just took out half of the herd with just a single attack.
"T-That was impressive." Yuka stuttered out as he was glad that the man was on their side and not on the enemies
"He's the biggest monster of them all!" Toby screamed in shock
"Focus!" Lyon ordered. "Here come the rest of them!"
"I'm going ahead" Natsu said as he smacks away a hound like monster with the back of his hand "you guys handle the rest"
Natsu walks towards the direction of where Wendy and Cheria were at before going into a full running sprint as the man runs in the herd of monsters while taking out some that tried to attack him
"I can't let Natsu be the only one to take these creeps down." Lucy declared. She pulled out one of her gate keys.
"Open the Gate of the Lion! Loke!"
The celestial spirit/fairy tail wizard emerged from his gate, complete with his suit tie. "Your knight has arrived, beautiful."
"I'm not done yet!" Lucy shouted. She turned Loke's still glowing key on herself, pressing it against the middle of her clavicle and turning it as if she were opening a lock.
"Star Dress: Leo Form!"
Lucy's body was engulfed in a bright light made of stars. When it faded her outfit had completely changed.
"You're so hot, Lucy!" Loke shamelessly complimented.
Lamia Scale was collectively amazed by the transformation.
"is that Requip?" Obaba said in curiosity
"It's not quite like that." Lucy explained with a proud smile. "But while I'm like this I can use some of Loke's power."
"Seriously, you're super-hot!" Loke complimented again.
"Calm down, Casanova." She sighed. She readied herself and looked to the monsters. "With this power I can fight on my own too."
"You're going to fight in a dress?!" Toby shouted.
"Don't underestimate my darling Lucy." Loke said.
"let's go!" Lyon shouted as his guild started their counterattack
"I'll spin ya!" she shouted, twirling her finger around and rotating a wolf to the point of nausea.
"We can't let them have all the fun can we, beautiful?!" Loke shouted to his Master. He faced an ogre, hitting it hard with a Regulus fueled right jab.
"Regulus Impact!"
"You're right!" Lucy agreed. She readied herself as one of the wolves raced towards her. She crouched, her left foot starting to glow the longer she breathed in.
"Regulus Lucy Kick!"
She punted the wolf in the belly, sending it flying back into its pack.
"That was just a kick!" Toby argued.
"A kick with a little assistance from my Regulus magic." Loke corrected. A proud grin on his face.
Cheria and Wendy continued forcing their way through Orochi's forces. The fight seemed endless. For every dark wizard they took down, two more took their place. Starting to get frustrated with the numerous distractions, Cheria found relief when she saw a man standing away behind the surging forces.
Their eyes met and his cocky gaze was all that Cheria needed to confirm his identity.
"The Beast Master!" she yelled. "I found him!" She raced to confront him, but was surprised by a ball of energy flying towards her head.
"Cheria, look out!" Wendy tackled her friend to ground, the ball flying over both of their heads. "Are you ok?! You have to be more careful!"
"Wendy…"
"Can you stand?" Wendy stood up and reached down her hand.
Cheria grabbed it and was pulled to her feet. "Yes. Sorry. I was careless."
The Beast Master stood atop the hill, watching the girls fight his men.
"Is it time for me yet?" a man asked, walking up behind him.
"Not just yet." The Beast Master waved off. "These little girls are hardly a threat."
The man grunted in boredom and resigned himself to look at the battle along with the Beast Master. When he noticed Wendy, his eyebrow twitched. "Wait…" he muttered. "I know that girl." His fingers began to twitch and his power slowly rose, alarming the Beast Master. "I wonder if she can fly…"
"S-sir?! What are you-?!"
Suddenly the ground that Cheria and the others were standing on collapsed in a magnificent crash that reverberated throughout the battlefield.
"What's going on?!" Cheria yelled.
"We're falling!" Wendy shouted.
"The ground…it's cracking open!" Charla exclaimed.
When the rumbling stopped, Cheria's group found themselves flat against the broken rocks, barely able to move a finger.
"What just happened? Some kind of attack?" Cheria questioned.
"But they attacked some of their own men as well." Wendy pointed. "Why would they do that?"
Charla shook the stars out her eyes and struggled to crane her neck upward. "Who the devil-"when she saw the man standing above them on the plateau, she froze. His imposing frame, that hollow yet all too frightening gaze, the long clothed ponytail that was currently being held aloft by the wind; Charla could never forget those features.
"It's Bluenote Stinger!"
"W-what's happening?!" Cheria strained. "I can't move!"
"He's…he's trapped us with his magic!" Wendy said. She remembered the man well from their encounter on Tenrou Island. He was strong then, but now he seemed even more powerful.
"But why is he here?" Charla exclaimed
The former ace of Grimoire Heart looked down his nose at the struggling wizards. His face still stone. "There are none alive who can move under my gravity." He declared.
"S-sir! You're overdoing it!" The Beast Master shakily said.
Bluenote ignored him and surveyed his enemies. His eyes trailed to Cheria. "First…"
The Sky Goddess suddenly found herself lifted from the ground. "What's happening?!"
"Cheria!" Wendy yelled.
"had you share of fun?"
The others looked at Cheria with both shock and relief. Natsu had arrived, completely unaffected by Bluenote's magic. He held Cheria aloft by her shirt collar.
"Natsu-san! you're here!" Wendy exclaimed. She nearly teared up in joy.
Orochi's Fin was shocked as well.
"Whoa."
"How can he stand under Bluenote's gravity?"
Bluenote took notice of Natsu's resistance as well.
"let me take care from here" Natsu said as he sets Cheria down back to the ground before stepping forward
Bluenote took a closer look at the dragon slayer and his eyes widened.
""I remember this boy!"" He recalled how Natsu defeated him back at Tenroujima
he clenched his fist and the area of his magic increased, crushing his comrades to the ground.
""This one is dangerous!""
He thrust his hand down to Natsu, cracking the ground beneath the dragon slayer in his rage. "I'll crush you!"
As soon as Natsu felt the gravity increased as it didn't effect the man at all
"you're trying to crush me?" Natsu said before he stomped his food hard on the ground and a blast of fire exploded from the ground, propelling himself and the Sky Sisters into the air on a pillar made of rocks. "Fairy Tail will never be crushed!"
"How did he do that?!" One of the Orochi members shouted. "He used fire to lift the ground?!"
"That's impossible!" the Beast Master argued.
"Did he just say Fairy Tail?!"
"I thought they disbanded!"
""Fairy Tail!"" Bluenote positions both his hands together before a massive black sphere appeared and was charging up in front of him "Black! Hole!"
Natsu took a deep breath before firing a powerful torrent of crimson flames at Bluenote
"this one can-" Bluenote was about to say something but was not able to since Natsu's attack cause a direct hit upon him
BOOM!
A powerful explosion was heard as Natsu huffs out some flames from his mouth
Bluenote had been roasted before the man falls forward to the ground
"he did it!" Wendy exclaimed
"J-Just one attack!?" Charla exclaimed in surprise as she knew Natsu was strong but he grew more stronger
"so" Natsu said before turning his attention to the remaining members of Orochi fin who seems to have pissed their pants to the raw power Natsu had just unleashed "anyone wants to fight me?"
Natsu looked over to the rest of Orochi's Fin, but none of the wizards were eager to resume fighting.
The Beast Master stood in front of his comrades, waving a white flag in surrender. "We give up." He said. "Please don't hurt us."
The remaining monsters calmly filed out of town. They suddenly stopped fighting - the wolves, in particular, becoming affectionate with some of the people before leaving. It was like someone flipped a switch.
"Did they do it?" Yuka asked.
"We won!" Toby shouted with joy.
"Was that light from earlier Natsu?" Lucy asked.
"It was." Ultear said to her "he's gotten very strong over the past year"
"Well I had no doubt about that." The blonde smiled.
"Thank you all for your help." Lyon said. "If you had not been here, I don't know what we would have done."
"There's no need to thank us." Ultear said. "We were just passing through. I'm sure you would have managed fine without us."
"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "We were glad to help."
"It's only natural." Loke added.
"how disappointing" Natsu came back to the town as the man sported a bored face "I was expecting more of a challenge"
"Where's Wendy and Cheria? Did they come back?" Lucy asked Natsu as she doesn't see the two Sky Slayers with Natsu
"I saw them when they reentered town." Yuka informed. "They said that they had to talk about some things and left again."
"Both of them are going to be such beauties in a few years." Loke mused with a lecherous look in his eye. "It will be worth the wait."
"Why are you still here?" Lucy sighed in exhaustion.
Atop a hill overlooking Margaret Town was where Wendy and Cheria decided to have their talk. They sat near the base of a tree on the hill, Wendy wondering just what is was that Cheria called her to talk about.
"So much for my plan…" the Sky Goddess moped.
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked. "What plan?"
Cheria smiled ruefully. "I wanted to show you that I could handle things on my own, but Natsu totally ruined that idea."
"Yeah. He does that sometimes." Wendy tittered.
The girls laughed for a moment before silence once again fell over them. Cheria looked at the shimmering waters of the lake before them, her sad smile growing as she clutched her knees closer to her body. She then let up, mustering up as much courage as she needed to speak.
"Wendy…I think you should go with Natsu and the others."
Wendy was shocked. "Huh?" was all she could utter.
Cheria finally turned her head to face Wendy, looking her straight in the eyes. "You love him, don't you?"
"Wh-what?!" Wendy yelped, her face was now completely red. She broke eye contact, her mind furiously searching for something to say. "N-no…I-I just…" All she could do was stammer in anxiety.
"It's not like that…at least not anymore. Now…now I look up to him. He's like a big brother to me."
"That's a form of love too, you know." Cheria stated. "though he is already married anyway"
Wendy was confused by what she meant.
"Remember what Natsu said during the fight? 'Fairy Tail will never be crushed'. I believe that. And because I love you, Wendy, I know that you believe it too. Your love for Fairy Tail made you into the person you are today. If you don't leave with them, I know you'll regret it later. And I don't want that to happen."
Wendy bit her lip. "I…"
"Stay true to your heart, Wendy." Cheria pulled her friend close to her as the sun slowly rose behind them. "You and I will still be friends even if we aren't in the same guild, right?"
"Cheria…"
The two girls leaned against one another; their fingers of their hands interlocked.
"We'll always be friends." Cheria smiled.
"Yeah." Wendy nodded, fighting back tears. "I know we will."
Charla watched the pair from behind the tree with a smile. She knew this was hard on Wendy, she had made lots of irreplacable memories during their short time in the guild, but she was proud of her all the same. Well done, Wendy.
the next day
Wendy bowed before Lamia Scale. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me! I can never repay you!"
"All we want is for you to take care of yourself." Lyon smiled. "That is repayment enough."
"I suppose I owe you all a debt of gratitude as well." Charla bowed.
"I don't know what to say…" Wendy sniffed, tears in her eyes. "You've all been so good to me…and I'm just being selfish and…"
"There is no need for an apology? Lyon assured her "this was the condition of our agreement after all."
"What agreement?" Meredy asked
"That was my doing." Charla revealed with a flip of her hair – she was once again in her human form. "I made sure that Lamia Scale knew that we were only staying until Fairy Tail returned."
"But still…" Wendy sniffed again.
"That is enough crying, child." Charla chided. "Now is the time to be strong."
Lucy smiled. ""Wendy and Charla were thinking of Fairy Tail after all this time too. They didn't forget.""
"You're such a crybaby, Wendy." Cheria teased even though She was doing a good job of holding in her own tears.
"I know…but I can't help it…" Wendy wiped her eyes.
"Don't worry, Wendy!" Toby cried. "I'll pick up where you left off in the Sky Sisters!"
"Absolutely not!" Yuka shot down.
"Then that means it's my time to shine!" Obaba declared, posing in Cheria's stage outfit. The sight was not fit for living eyes.
"That goes double for you!" Yuka denied again.
"let's hit the road people" Ur said as she was sitting on North's back "we got a lot more of the old gang to find before we can rebuild the guild"
Natsu and the group nodded before waving Lamia Scale goodbye
"Good luck getting Fairy Tail back together!"
"Thanks!" Lucy smiled.
"If you see Gray make sure to give him a good hit on the head for me!" Lyon smirked.
Natsu nodded as he waved them goodbye
"I lost track of him a while back." Lucy spoke up. "I hope he's alright."
"Look after yourself, Wendy!" Cheria waved.
"I will!" she said, tears still in her eyes. "You too, Cheria!"
As the group shrank in the distance, Cheria's smile started to wane.
Lyon placed his hand on her head. "You can cry now if you wish."
Cheria shook her head in refusal and looked up at him with a wide smile – though Lyon could still see the tears building in the corners her eyes. "I'm not gonna cry." She said "Because I want Fairy Tail to come back too!"
Lyon accepted her words with a grin. "Yeah. Me too."
Tear continued flowing out of Wendy's eyes like waterfalls.
"Are you quite finished, Wendy?" Charla asked irritably – now in her regular form. "You've been sobbing and carrying on since we departed Margaret."
"I…know…" she sniffed. "It's just…after Fairy Tail disbanded…Lamia Scale took us in…and…they were so kind to us…and now I'm finally reunited with everyone and…." Wendy wailed.
Natsu smiled before he patted the Sky Dragon Slayer's head
"Don't worry" Natsu said to her with a soft smile "This is only the beginning. We're gonna get the whole guild back together again"
Wendy nodded as she wiped away their tears.
"Yeah." The sky dragon smiled.
"You're right, Papa!" Aya ran to her father, who picked her up and placed her on his shoulders.
"Where are we going next, Lucy?" Ultear inquired.
"That's a good question." Lucy grabbed the map from her bag and unrolled it. "According to the map, if we go east from here there is a place called 'Amefurashi' village."
"Amefurashi?" Aya repeated.
"It means 'Village of the Rain Bringer'." Meredy explained to the little girl.
"Rain…?" Natsu pondered.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "All the rumors say that it rains there 24/7 with no signs of letting up."
"That must be hard to live through," Ultear said
"I can guess the one who is living there" Natsu said with a little smirk on his face
Charla nodded. "I agree. She fits the bill to a t."
"You don't think…?" Wendy trailed off.
Lucy smiled and nodded. "I don't know who else it could be."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Natsu asked with a smile as he leads on ahead "let's go"
In a raining village, a lone figure stood in the midst of the rain without caring the clothes the figure wear was soaking wet
Juvia watches the rain as she keeps waiting for someone, someone to come back to her
That's a wrap!
Bye bye