This has to be my longest chapter yet. Thanks again for everyone taking an interest in this story! Right, so this chapter deals with the Strauss siblings joining the guild, and the birth of Happy.
I own none of the content.
(X778)
Hal and Iden walked out of a train, and found themselves in a small town. From an outsider standpoint, they saw that the town itself seemed normal. But they had taken a job request that had everyone spooked. The job request they got said that a demon was living nearby, and the Mayor wanted it gone. This type of mission was something that the parents didn't want their son to take yet. Sure most demon jobs could be low level to S-Class level, but they both decided to wait until Jackson was ready.
And that went for the other kids in the guild, which were Cana, Gray, Erza, and Natsu.
That didn't mean they didn't trust them or were capable of it. It meant they needed them to take things slowly, and work their way up. Master had agreed, and Gildarts, who did have completely trust in Cana, but wanted her to take things slow, even though she had Crash magic.
It had also been a year since Natsu had joined the guild. And he was very interesting addition to the guild. The kid was full of fire, which was very confident, and had a tendency to wanting to fight people, mainly Gray. But he did like everyone, and viewed him as a second family, and was loyal. They were both surprised to learn that they he was raised by a dragon, which some of the other members didn't believe, but from what Natsu had told them about his father, Igneel, it didn't sound like he was making things up.
Hal had taken a liking to Natsu, who reminded him of himself when he was a kid, and teenager. He did have tendency be sorta reckless, and a bit of a showoff, and he started to tone it down a bit when he met and started dating Iden. Although he did try to show off in the hopes of impressing her.
So he was amused when Iden and himself introduced themselves to Natsu, who after finding out Hal's magic, wanted to fight him.
Erza was close to giving him punishment for wanting to fight him. But Hal didn't see a problem with that, and they ended up sparring.
(Flashback)
Everyone who was at the guild stood at the sidelines. They all knew Hal, who was S-Class would win, but they also wanted to see the kind of magic Natsu had, due to them hearing him earlier. They didn't believe him when he said he was raised by a dragon, but they were open to the idea.
"Begin." Makarov said.
Hal nodded at Natsu and said," Alright kid, your move."
Natsu grinned and said," Alright, old man, here I come!"
He yelled as his hand enveloped into flames. Hal merely stood as Natsu charged at him.
Hal held his hand, and said," Water Magic: Water Geyser!"
A fast stream of water irrupted from his hand, and Natsu ended up getting soaked, and pushed back.
"Make sure to dodge, when you have the chance. Better yet, pretend that your about to fall for someone's attack, and then strike when they least expect it." Hal said. "Like so, Fire Magic: Fire Torrent!"
Hal shot out a torrent of fire. Except it wasn't a very a large one, so he wouldn't hurt Natsu. Natsu himself merely grinned as he stood in place.
"Hey, Natsu, move!" Jackson yelled.
As soon as the flames reached Natsu, he merely opened his mouth, and to the surprise to everyone, he ate it. Hal and everyone else were left stunned by what Natsu did.
"Wow, hey Macao, can you do that?" Cana said in awe, and looked at the man in question.
The Purple Flare Mage could only shake his head.
Natsu smirked, and said," I got a fire in my belly now! Here we go!"
He then proceeded to let out a torrent of flames out of his mouth. A very large, one in fact.
"Ring Enhancer: Rock Shield!"
A large barrier of earth protected Hal from the torrent of flame. Once he lowered it, he saw Natsu approaching him with a fire fist.
"Got you now, jerk!"
Hal laughed, and said," Air Magic: Tornado!"
He held out his hand, and small tornado came out. Natsu was caught in it, and he could be heard screaming as he was spun around. Once the small tornado disappeared, Natsu had swirls in his eyes, and was walking around, dizzy, until he fell down.
Everyone cheered, and Hal took a bow, and walked over to Natsu. Natsu shook his head, and scowled, but looked up at Hal. Hal then held out his hand, and Natsu took it, and he got up.
"Got to say kid, you have potential. I have a feeling you'll be a great wizard in the future. Possibly one of the strongest in Fairy Tail. All you have to do is work hard, train, and you'll do great." Hal wisely said.
Natsu looked thoughtful for a moment, grinned a toothily and nodded.
(Present)
Hal ended up helping train Natsu when he had the time. Natsu had also tried to challenge him to another fight a couple of times after that. Not when he was doing it to Erza or Gray, no matter how my times Erza punished him for trying to fight a guild member, especially one she admired, and the most respect for. The kid was persistent, he'll give him that. He also became friends with Jackson and the others at the guild. Even though him and Gray fought all the time, people could see they were actually friends as well.
But from the looks of it, they would never admit it.
The couple soon found themselves at the outskirts of the town, and found the house the demon was living in. Hal had noticed Iden was thinking about something, ever since the Mayor told them what was going on, and they had left the building. He knew she would say something once she thought about it more, and the face she made while thinking was kinda cute.
"Y'know, I have a strange feeling." Iden finally said.
Hal raised a brow and said," What is it?"
"The Mayor said that the demon could Shapeshift. And it's trying to pretend to be a girl. I had a feeling he wasn't truthful about everything."
Hal nodded and thought about it for a moment, and his eyes widened," You don't think?"
Iden shrugged and said," It's a theory. But I'm not sure if I'm correct or not."
Hal rubbed his chin and said," Well, there's still a possibility he was telling the truth. But stay behind me. I'm going to try something."
Iden nodded, even though they both knew she could take care of herself, but she still got a thrill when Hal took charge.
"Excuse me! Is anyone in there?" Hal called.
"GO AWAY!" A female voice yelled.
A girl then came out of the house, she was wearing a cloak, but the both of them could tell she was around Erza's age, and could see visible strands of white hair coming out of it. But they also noticed she looked pretty shaken, and scared.
"Why can't you people leave?" She said, and they could hear the fear in her voice.
"I'm sorry, but my wife and I are on a job. The Mayor said something about a demon." Hal calmly said.
"Our sister isn't a demon!" A younger voice said.
Two more people came out. A younger girl who wore a pink dress, and red shoes, and boy who looked older, wore a suit and nice shoes.
The couple could tell the three of them were siblings.
"Yeah, she isn't!" The boy said.
"Lisanna, Elfman, get back inside!" The girl ordered.
She accidentally held out her right hand. They were shocked to see that it looked like a demon's hand. Once the girl noticed it, she hid it back in her cloak.
"Hey, there's no need to be afraid. I see there's a misunderstanding. We promise no harm will come to you." Iden calmly said. "Now, let's all calm down, and you three can explain everything. Is that ok?"
The three siblings still looked hesitant, but nodded.
The group ended up standing near the house, and Hal and Iden let what they heard sink in. After the three siblings, who were named, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna, explained everything, they found out what really was going on.
Apparently a couple of months ago a demon attacked the town. And it when it tried to attack Mirajane and her siblings, she tried to defend them. Once she made contact with it, it disappeared, and Mirajane found herself with her arm looking like the one the demon had. This led everyone in town to believe she was one as well, and they treated her, and her siblings very badly, and called for them to leave.
Once they finished talking, the couple thought about what they heard, and soon realized what had actually happened.
"Right, the problem here is that you have a type of magic called 'Takeover'. Takeover allows the mage to assume attributes or full look of the thing they touch. In your case, it's demons. I'm sure your siblings have the same magic, but it's probably different." Hal said.
Mirajane still looked skeptical, and afraid, and said," So… I'm not a demon?"
Iden gave a small smile and said," No sweetie, it's just your magic. Our master back at our guild can help you learn to use it."
All three of them looked surprised by what they had just heard.
"Wait, you're taking us with you?" Lisanna asked.
"Yeah, the guild is full of people with magic, like you guys. Also, you'll get to meet kids your age, especially our son, Jackson. So, what do you say?" Hal asked.
Mirajane didn't looked convinced, but she looked toward her younger siblings. The both of them were grinning a little, and nodded to her. Knowing these people had her siblings approval helped, and after being with them for a couple of minutes, she felt like she could trust them. And they didn't have an ulterior motive.
"We accept." Mirajane said.
"Good, but first, we're going back to town first. I'm going to have a little talk with someone." Iden said with a scowl.
"But, what if everyone there tries to hurt us?" Elfman asked.
Hal's answer was to light his hand up on fire, and the three siblings looked in slight awe.
Hal smirked, and said, "I like to see them try."
"I… I mean we all thought she was a demon! It disappeared as soon as it was near her!" The Mayor said, but he looked very scared.
"It's called, Takeover Magic! I understand being scared, but to ostracize these poor kids! Especially with their parents being dead! There's a thing called being rational, and asking questions!" Iden yelled.
Hal looked on in slight amusement as Iden tore into the poor guy. The Strauss siblings were standing near them, but from his angle, he could see the awe and respect Mirajane had on her face.
As soon as the small group had walked back into town, everyone there looked either fearful, or angry. A couple of idiots tried to start something, but like they had promised. Iden and Hal had protected them.
Iden had given them a scary look, while Hal had a spell at hand. They backed off, and also ran. Once they had gotten to the mayor's office, they pretty much scared the secretary, and when they barged into the Mayor's office. He didn't get a chance to say anything, due to the scary looks the couple gave him. And they both then started to yell at him.
"L-look, I can give the both of you the reward now and I'll apologize to the children." He tried to suggest.
Iden glared at him, and he cowered more, and then said," We are not taking the damn reward! And you and this stupid town have done enough! Good day."
As the group walked out of the building, Mirajane grinned a little at Iden and said," Thank you. Also that was pretty cool."
"It was! You showed that jerk whose boss." Lisanna agreed.
"Yeah and also, that was kinda scary, ma'am." Elfman nervously said.
Iden nodded and said," It was nothing. Also, you can call me, Iden."
"The same goes for me, but it's Hal. Like we said, we were going to help and protect you. C'mon you three. All we need to do is take the train back to Magnolia. And then Master Makarov can help with your magic."
"Can we also join the guild as well? And what's your master like?" Lisanna asked.
"Yeah, can we join?" Elfman asked.
Hal nodded and said," I don't see why not. Also, Makarov is kind person, who looks out for everyone in the guild. And he's also one the strongest wizards out there."
Iden watched Hal answer the youngest Strauss's questions. And she felt her heart flutter, she then looked at Mirajane, who sticking close to her.
"Don't worry, everything is going to be ok. I promise." Iden said to her.
Mirajane glanced at her, and nodded.
Master Makarov looked at the three new comers, and held back a chuckle. Knowing Iden and Hal, they had just found some new members of the Fairy Tail family. For him personally, he had no issue with. He was very proud of the both of them, and the Mages they had become.
As he sat on the bar, he looked at Mirajane's hand.
"Yes, what Iden and Hal told you is true. What we have here is an incomplete Takeover. You see, once you absorbed that demon, you are now able to take on characteristics of it. This is apparent with your hand. Or if you practice and train, then you can take it's full appearance, but with your own characteristics."
"So, what about my siblings, do they have the same type of magic I have?" Mirajane asked.
"Well, there are different variations of your magic. Like what I said before, or all you take is a certain ability. But the variations that are known are: Satan Soul, which you have, Beast, Animal, Machina, and God. And people who have the same genetics are able to have the same type of magic. So it's possible that your siblings could have their version of Satan Soul, or another variation of it." Makarov explained.
Lisanna looked over at Hal, and said," You weren't kidding that he was wise, and smart."
Hal grinned and said," Told ya the old man knew his stuff. Also, you forgot to mention how short and old he is." He whispered the last part, which made her, and Elfman giggle.
Makarov had heard him, but merely grinned and said," I may be short and old. But I can still kick your butt and then some easily."
Hal had no doubt about that. He remembered the first time he had fought him. It was back during his early days in Fairy Tail. Back when he wanted to prove himself. Nowadays, he chuckled on how dumb he was. Master Makarov barely did a thing and he pretty much wiped the floor with him.
After that, Makarov gave him some advice for the future.
Looking back it, summed up to 'Be the best that you can be, but don't showboat and rush into things. Take things slow, and work your way up.'
Master had also said the words 'cocky brat', but he had taken his more inspirational words to heart.
"So, does that mean your able to fix me?" Mirajane hopefully asked.
Makarov nodded and said," Iden and Hal wouldn't have brought you here if I couldn't. But I do have to ask. What do you and your siblings plan to do once this all over?"
Mirajane thought about it. She and her siblings had been on their own since their parents died. And with what happened to her and the demon, they couldn't go back to their old town. This all meant they had nowhere else to go. But she then remembered that Iden and Hal said the three of them had a place at the guild.
And when she had walked in, she did see some kids that were their age or were close. The one with the red hair tried to introduce herself, but she had ignored her. Including that kid with the glasses, who she had offered a little smile to.
Hal and Iden did say they would have kids close to the same age as them, including their son, who were part of the guild.
"Well, Hal and Iden said we can join the guild. If you can have us."
Makarov smiled with a nod, and said, "Of course, Fairy Tail is open to anyone. No matter the reason, and their past. Some of us have come here to start a new life, and you and your siblings are one of them. So you are welcome here. Besides, I can tell you bonded with our resident Den Parents."
Iden blushed a little and said," Well, you're also the main Den Parent, Master."
"That's true. I would suggest you get yourselves situated first, before we get started on helping three of you hone your magic. First thing is meet some of your new guild members. And I have the perfect group. Jackson, can you and the others please come over here." Master called.
Jackson, and the rest of the younger members, who were watching and trying to listen, nodded. They all got up from their seats, and walked over to them.
"This is our son Jackson. The others are: Cana, Gray, Natsu, and you've already met Erza." Iden said.
Jackson grinned at them, and said," Nice to meet ya."
The others gave their own greetings, besides Natsu, who was looking at Mirajane.
"So, was that demon you encountered look like a dragon?" He asked.
Mira raised a brow and said," No."
"Pinky here says he was raised by one." Jackson said.
The three siblings looked surprised, with Lisanna saying," Wow, that sounds cool! What was it like?"
"Igneel was pretty cool. Also, what did I say about calling me that, Jacks!"
"I'm just joking, lighten up, dude."
Gray grinned and said, "Yeah, flame brain."
"Shut up, ice head."
Cana sighed and said," Will you guys cut it out. Also, Gray, your clothes."
"Ah crap!"
As the small group talked. The three Den Parents watched on.
"Do you think we've pretty much made the guild more interesting. Whether it's good or bad?" Hal asked.
Iden giggled and said," I think it's both. But I honestly don't see a problem that."
"As do I." Makarov said.
It had been a couple of months since the Strauss siblings had joined the guild. Having Elfman and Lisanna was good, although with Mirajane, it was mixed. All three of them had learned their magic. Elfman and Lisanna didn't have Satan Soul, but had Beast and Animal, respectively. That allowed Mirajane to open up more, and she became a scary individual like Erza. And the both of them ended up butting heads, and fighting a lot, just like Natsu and Gray. Elfman and Lisanna would always try to stop them, although Elfman was too shy and reserved to have any success. Except for when Iden and Hal were involved.
Like Erza, Mirajane looked up to the both of them. And she would be on her best behavior when they were around. Like Natsu and Gray, the both of them would scold the girls, but they would still end up fighting.
Elfman and Lisanna also owed Iden and Hal as well. But they ended up hanging out with Jackson. He didn't had a problem with that, and they all got along. And he would also show them his keys, and spirits. Cana would also, and she remembered the little talk she and Jackson had about Erza, so she didn't feel left out.
Overall the guild was more livelier.
But things would be more interesting do to one faithful day.
Jackson was hanging out with Cana, and Gray at the guild. The three of them then heard and saw Natsu come in, and he was carrying something.
"Hey, you guys! Check out this awesome egg I just found."
The egg in question was an egg bigger than anyone has seen. It was light blue, and had dark blue markings.
Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, said," Where in blazes did you pick up that thing?"
"I found it in the East Forest."
"That's so cool! What do you think it is?" Jackson said as he looked at it.
"Who cares, as long as he's going to fry it up for us, then it's interesting." Gray said.
"Gray, your clothes!" Cana said, and Gray jumped in surprise.
"I ain't gonna fry this. Can't you see it's a dragon's egg? I'm gonna hatch it." Natsu said.
"You sure?" Cana skeptically asked.
"Look at the marks on the outside of it. They look just like dragon claws, right?"
Jackson looked at it and said," It could be. I don't know any animal who could lay one this size."
"But didn't you once say that a couple of your moms spirits can lay big eggs?" Cana asked.
Jackson thought it for a moment and said," Well, Isis did give birth to Horus when she was in her Falcon form, but that was a normal sized one. I'm not sure if Thundress can lay eggs that size."
"Who's Thundress?" Gray asked.
"Oh right, it's a new Silver key she got for a reward on a job. It's a female Thunderbird. They say that they can fly really fast."
"Well I don't think it's some dumb bird, Jacks. So anyway, gramps, why don't you hatch the dragon with a spell?" Natsu asked.
"Don't be a fool. Using magic for such a purpose would dishonor the miracle of life." Makarov scolded. "You see, life is born from love and love alone. No spell can transcend that power."
Jackson, Cana, and Gray understood, but Natsu was a different story.
"Uh… sorry, gramps. I don't think I'm following you."
Makarov sighed and said," You'll understand when you grow up."
"He's saying that if you want it to hatch, you have to work hard to make it happen on your own. Since you usually just burn and break things all day. It might be nice to try something more productive for once." Erza said.
Jackson grinned and said," Hey Erza, when did you get back?"
"Just now."
"I've been looking for you Erza!"
"And, here we go." Jackson muttered.
"Why don't we pick up where we left off? Come and get some?" Mirajane said.
"You're gonna fight again?" Lisanna said, even though she knew the answer.
"Mira. You know now that you mention it, we never did finish our match, did we?" Erza said.
After that, they started to fight and call each other names, and the three other members of the guild watched them.
"I don't know who's worse, those two, or Natsu and Gray." Jackson said.
"Yeah… hey!" Gray said.
"So, when did Iden and Hal say they would be back from their job?" Cana asked.
"Who cares. Just you wait. One of these days I'm gonna give them a beat down they're never gonna forget." Natsu said, as he looked the two girls figting.
The three of them gave Natsu a blank stare.
"The chance of you landing in the hospital after fighting them is more likely than that." Jackson dully said.
"Don't be so mean, Jacks. And Natsu, if you keep up that tough guy act, you'll never get the girls to like you. I mean just look at Jackson and Cana. She likes him because he's so nice." Lisanna said.
"That's true… wait, did you mean that in friendly sense, or romantic?" Cana asked, both worried and confused.
"I hope it's the former." Jackson mumbled, and he had a visible blush.
"Shut up, Lisanna. What do you know?" Natsu countered.
"Now, don't be mean. I was just about to ask if you needed a hand raising that egg?"
"You want to help, really?" Natsu excitedly asked.
Lisanna nodded and said, "Mm-hmm. I've never tried raising a dragon. I bet it will be real fun."
"I don't know if fun's the right word." Gray said.
"So how are we supposed to make it hatch?" Natsu asked.
Lisanna thought about it for a moment and said, "I think we just have to warm it up."
"What for real?" Natsu said surprised.
He grinned and said," Looks like I'm the right man for the job."
He then proceeded to use his fire magic to literally warm the egg up.
Jackson and Gray pushed him aside, with Gray catching the egg.
"That's not what she meant! You need to hatch it, not poach it, dude." Jackson said.
Natsu realized what he meant, and said, "Yeah, you're right."
"I know just what to do. Sit back and let my magic handle this." Lisanna said. "Take-Over: Animal Soul!" She said, and then transformed into a bird.
Jackson snapped his fingers and said," Oh right, I forgot you can transform into a bird."
He then remembered that Lisanna was the only one who could do full body Takeover. And both Mirajane and Elfman were still learning. He also managed to hear that Elfman was lamenting about not being able to do a full Takeover to Cana. He then walked over to Elfman and said
"Don't worry, Elfman, you'll be able to do a Full-Body Takeover soon. I mean, stuff like this takes time."
Elfman nodded thankfully, and said," Thanks Jacks, that helps."
"Besides, you could transform into some cool monsters. Maybe you'll be able to transform into something really scary, one that could give your enemies nightmares." He said, and chuckled evilly slightly.
Elfman's response was to shake in fear, while Cana giggled at her best friend's antics.
"I think you should tone it down, Jacks." Cana said with amusement.
Jackson chuckled sheepishly, and said," Yeah… my bad."
Later on, both Jackson and Cana found themselves hanging out at the tree in South Gate Park. Just like they did when they first met, they ended up hanging out at the tree since then. The current reason was that it was starting to get a little rowdy at the guild, and they wanted some quiet.
They had ran into Natsu and Lisanna, who from what Natsu manage to say before taking off, they were going to build a house for their egg.
"So, do you think Natsu's egg is actually a dragon's egg?" Jackson asked.
They were both lying down on the grass, and staring at the sky or the tree. Luckily, the shade was protecting them from the brightness of the sun.
Cana shrugged and said," Who knows. If it is, then where is he going to keep it? I heard and read that they grow really big."
"Yeah, heh, maybe he'll feed Gray, Erza and maybe Mirajane to it." Jackson said with a chuckle.
Cana lightly pushed him and said," That's horrible. Maybe you should become its dinner."
"I doubt it, because I've read that the dragons always go for the girl. So you're out of luck. And I'm gonna have to save you."
"Please, with my dad's magic, I can beat some dumb dragon. And you'll save me? What are you, some knight in shining armor?"
He looked at her and sincerely said, "I'll be yours, you're my best friend, and I would do anything to protect you."
Cana smiled with appreciating, but something felt off, she didn't know joking about something like this would make her feel sorta weird. She didn't know how to describe it, but it made her stomach feel funny. It reminded her of when she had kissed his cheek a while back ago.
She knew they were never talked about it after she had gotten back from her training. It was either they forgot, or decided not to say anything
"You sure do know how to talk to a lady." Cana replied.
Jackson looked confused, got into a sitting position, and said," What lady, you don't mean yourself? Since when are you one?"
Cana's response was to try and slap him, but Jackson managed block her. She knew he was going to do that, and she ended up pushing him to the ground, with her on top of him.
She was so happy she got the extra strength from her workouts, and her old man's training.
"I got you now, you little-"
She then stopped, she didn't know why, but she seemed sorta, entranced or frozen or something, she couldn't explain it. She was looking at his face only.
She's pretty much seen his face daily, but it felt like she could stare at him for hours. And she started to notice with his glasses on, he looked kinda cute. The same thought process was going on through Jackson's head as well. He didn't know why either, he also began to notice her features. From her brown chocolate eyes, her hair that she normally had in high ponytail.
The both of them didn't know what possessed them to, but they started to lean in.
A loud thump was heard, and this caused them to stop, and get out of their trance. Jackson pretty much pushed Cana off of him, and he started to breath heavily. Cana was doing was the same, and she had a hand to heart, as she felt it beat fast.
'What the heck was that? I've never felt this way before.' Jackson thought.
'Ok, that was odd. What was the hell was going on?' Cana thought.
Jackson managed to get his breathing under control. He was about to ask Cana if she was alright, when he noticed something.
"What the heck?" He said.
Cana, who had also calmed down, turned around to see what he was looking at, and gasped.
It was an egg, it was the same size as the one Natsu had found. But this one was different. This primary color was black, but it also had white around it, almost like Natsu's egg.
"Whoa." Jackson said as he went over to inspect it.
"Wow, it's like the egg Natsu found. I wonder if it was stuck in the tree." Cana said.
Jackson looked up, and tried to find some kind of a sign of a nest, well, one big enough to house it, but saw nothing.
"Let's take it back to the guild."
Iden took a sip from her tea, while Hal took a gulp from his beer. They had gotten back from their job a few minutes ago, and were relaxing for a little bit.
The door then opened, and the sound of running was heard.
"Hey look, they're here! Mom, dad!" Jackson called.
Both parents jumped from their seats, and turned around, expecting the worse.
But were immediately surprised to see Jackson and Cana with a giant egg.
"Huh, you guys found another one?" Gray said..
Iden was the first to go to them, and kneeled down as she looked at it.
"My goodness, I've never seen an egg this size."
Hal scratched his head, and said," Huh, so that talk about an egg Natsu and Lisanna we heard was actually true."
Gray shrugged, being the one to tell them, and said," Yeah, I figured. I'm pretty sure I lost you both when I said it was possibility a dragon's egg. Can't believe I believed Flame Brain."
Before Iden could scold the boy, Jackson said," Can you get Isis or maybe Thundress keep it warm? I want to take care of it, and see it hatch. Cana can help. If you want to."
Cana nodded, and said," Sure, why not."
Iden and Hal shared a look, and then Iden said," I don't know, sweetie, it's a lot of work. I mean, your father and I will help, but the fact still remains. Are you sure you can handle this responsibility?"
Before he could respond, the egg suddenly jumped, and everyone was surprised when it landed in Jackson's hands.
Hal chuckled and said," I guess that answers your question."
Gray snorted and said," Looks like you two are parents. So, when's the wedding?"
Other guild members who heard Gray snickered. But then laughed fully when Jackson stomped on his foot, and Cana clonked him on the head. Iden sighed, and lightly scolded the duo.
"What did I do?" Gray groaned.
Hal picked up Gray, and said," Sometimes not talking is a good idea, son."
Later, the Wren's and Cana were at the Wren's home. Jackson and his family lived on the outskirts of town, and owned a one story house, that also had a backyard. The backyard itself was mainly used as a training area for the family, but there was one area where they could relax, and it had a tree that provided enough shade.
This was the area where they decided to keep the egg.
"Well, I believe this is a good spot. Now then, let's get a friend to help. Open, Gate of the Thunderbird: Thundress!"
Besides the cloud, it seemed that thunder and lightning was also heard, even though there weren't thunder clouds in the area.
The spirit that came out, was nothing short than majestic. It looked like a Falcon, but it was as big as a small house.
It then let out a loud screech…
That ended up breaking the windows in the house.
Iden blushed, and then meekly said," Woops."
Jackson and Cana laughed, while Hal looked flabbergasted.
"There goes our reward money we got from our job. Thanks a lot." He lamented.
Thundress glared at him, and then electricity started to spark around her body. This caused Hal to get a nervous look.
Iden scratched her side and said," Now now, girl, he didn't mean it. But, next time, may you please take it down a notch?"
Thundress looked at her, and nodded.
"Wow, she's beautiful. And telling by how big she is, you can ride her?" Cana asked.
"Yep, although I haven't gotten the chance to yet. I got her key on our last job, and already made a contract, but haven't gotten the time to see what she can do." Iden explained. "But, I don't think she'll mind helping you warm up your egg. Won't you?"
Thundress looked at the egg, and cawed with a nod. This probably meant she didn't. She then walked over to it, and sat on the makeshift
"I think we'll let her do that for at least half an hour. After that, we'll take the egg into the house. And we'll help you two out." Iden said.
"Thanks mom… but maybe after we get our windows fixed." Jackson said.
"Oh, right."
The next month was spent watching, heating, and doing anything that would help the egg. Iden and Hal gave them advice on what to do. It was mainly what Hal did when Iden was pregnant with Jackson. This was making sure it was healthy, keeping it safe, and also talking to it.
The latter actually sounded kinda dumb, except for Cana, who did it a couple of times.
One thing they also did was hang out with Natsu and Lisanna with their egg. It was Lisanna's idea, and she thought it would make both of the eggs happy. Cana thought it was cute idea, while both boys were hesitant, but went along with it.
Another thing that seemed to happen was that Jackson and Cana got closer as well. They were already close, but they seemed different. And a couple of people thought they saw them holding hands.
Iden had once found them sleeping in Jackson's room. She had wanted to check on them, and the egg. The sight she saw pretty much made her heart melt. The egg was in its basket, but both kids were leaning against each other, and were sleeping peacefully. She ended up taking a Lacrima picture of them. She saved a picture for herself, and also for when Gildarts returned from his job.
Besides asking the Wren's to watch over Cana, he also wanted them to keep pictures and videos of her. Mainly to see how her magical progress went, and also keep up with what his daughter was doing while he was gone. The latter due to when he wasn't available or wasn't able to answer her Card Calls, which was fortunately rare. But he was caught up with the whole egg thing, he didn't know what to make of it, but he was ok with it. And wanted to know what had hatched out of it, if he wasn't able to be there.
One day, the four of them walked to the guild, with the egg in tow. They hadn't taken it to the guild yet, due to Iden and Hal thinking it wouldn't be a good idea, due to how everyone was most of the time.
But Jackson and Cana had made a good point about whatever was in the egg, would probably be hanging out at the guild with them. So with reluctance, the couple had allowed them to bring it to the guild.
But with a lot of supervision.
Once they opened the doors to the guild, they were met with a yelling match.
"Again, I didn't take your dumb egg!" Gray said.
Natsu looked mad, then saw the newcomers.
"Did you guys take it!"
Hal took the egg, and got out of the way, due to Natsu confronting the others.
"Take what?" Jackson asked.
"Our egg is missing! And I can guess that you broke yours, and then took our egg! You painted it too!"
"Natsu Dragneel, don't go around and accusing people of something without any proper evidence or if they had nothing to do with it." Iden scolded.
"But-"
"No buts. Apologize, and then we'll figure out what's going on."
Jackson looked concerned and said," I hope the egg is ok. I wonder where it is."
Lisanna, who was being comforted by Hal, after he had given the egg to Natsu, said," I hope so too."
"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll find it." Hal reassured.
"He lost it, it's as simple as that. He's too dumb to remember where he put it." Mirajane said.
"How do we know, you don't have it." Erza accused.
"Oh please, you probably ate it, porky."
Before the two of them could fight, Iden pulled the two girls apart.
"I told you two not to fight." She crossly said.
Both girls glared at each other, and then said," Yes, Iden."
Gray chuckled, and said," Man, you two sure are-"
He then yelped in fright when Iden gave him a glare, and then he stopped.
Iden sighed and said," You kids are going to be the death of me. Master, how do you put up with this most of the time?"
"It's best to let it take its course. I only get involved when it's necessary. And it's fun to see you handle it." Makarov said from the bar.
Iden slumped a little and said," Gee, thanks."
"I think I know what happened to the egg." Cana said.
"Really, you do?" Lisanna hopefully asked.
"Yeah, Elfman told me the other day about how jealous he was about our eggs."
Lisanna became worried again, and said," Oh no! Did he eat the egg?"
"Actually I didn't."
Everyone turned around to see Elfman with the egg in his hands.
"Elfman, can you explain why you took?" Hal asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't do it because I was jealous. I wanted to keep the egg warm because Natsu tosses and turns in his sleep a lot. So I kept it warm with my body eat. Sorry for worrying you guys." Elfman apologized.
Hal nodded and said, "Well, it was for a good cause. Good job kid. A real man knows when to do the right thing."
"I would also like to mention how interesting it is to see you handle the children as well, Hal." Makarov said.
"Not helping Master."
"Thanks a lot. You sure are a real man." Natsu thanked him.
Mira looked at Erza and said," And you blamed it all on me. Typical."
"Well, that's because things are usually your fault." She countered.
Before anything else could happen, a large cracking sound was heard. Everyone gasped as they saw both eggs started to crack.
Jackson placed his next to Natsu's and watched the eggs hatching.
"Oh wow, they're starting to hatch!" He excitedly said.
Everyone in the guild looked on in wonder and excitement as the eggs continued to shake and crack.
Until…
Everyone was extremely shocked and surprised when two bright lights shot out, and two cats with wings came out of the eggs.
"Whoa, their freaking cats?" Macao and Wakaba both said.
Yes, two cats, the one on the right was a boy, who was blue, and had a white belly. While the other one was a female. She was actually all black, except for the of her ears, the inside of her paws and parts of her nose that went don't to her chest and stomach, which was white.
Both of them lost their wings, and then floated down into Natsu and Jackson's hands, respectively.
"They're so cute!" Lisanna said, and everyone voiced the same thing.
Jackson was surprised and a little bit confused. He knew cats didn't come out of eggs, but he grinned at the ball of fur in his hands.
"She's so adorable! What are you going to name?" Cana asked.
"Well, do you have any suggestions? You helped too." Jackson said.
Cana thought about it for a moment, and said," What about Raven?"
Jackson smiled and said," Raven it is!"
"We're calling ours, Happy! Him and Raven made everyone happy after they were fighting earlier." Lisanna said.
"That'll work."
Hal scratched his head, and said to Iden," This doesn't make sense. Cats don't come out of eggs. What do you think honey? Uh, Iden? Are you ok?"
He was confused when he saw his wife wiping a tear, and sniffed, and also had a small smile.
"I'm just happy… we're grandparents now."
Hal sweat dropped and said," You do know that's a cat right? Not an actual person. I think your looking at this too closely. Wait… we're too young to have a grandchild!" He said the last part worriedly, and a little freaked out.
"Mom, dad! Meet Raven." Jackson proudly said as he held her up.
Both parents looked at the cat, and Jackson handed it to Iden.
"My, she sure is adorable. Hello."
"Hi." Raven said.
The three of them were shocked when they heard her speak.
Hal was silent for a moment, and then said, "A flying, talking cat. Huh, this is interesting."
"Well, interesting fits the guild perfectly." Iden said.
Hal couldn't help but agree with her on that.
So, who's surprised that twist? I thought it was a fun idea, and decided to role with it. Raven is now part of the Fairy Tail family. I hoped you all also liked those moments with Jackson and Cana. And I hoped you like the character moments of Iden and Hal, I've wanted to flesh out their characters more, and I think I did a good job. Also, I have a question, should I give Jackson a sibling? Or not?
Next chapter will deal with Cana going for her S-Class exams, and other things.
A Thunderbird is a mythical creature from Native American history and culture. It is a creature of power and strength.