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"And then she was gone…"
The Guild stood around the table, Makarov sitting with his arms crossed as he finished his story. He watched as the guild mates turned towards each other, their faces displaying awe, shock, and surprise at exactly how Team Tenrou had survived.
I know how they feel. The old man thought to himself, and let out a huff of amusement. I was there, I witnessed it myself and I'm still having trouble believing I'm still alive! Which reminds me…
He opened his eyes and looked up to the crowd, right at the pink haired mage he thought Acnologia had killed. To his surprise, Natsu was staring at him with eyes that were practically overflowing with curiosity. The young man looked like he had a billion questions to ask and was barely holding back.
"Something on your mind, Natsu?" Makarov asked, which caused the other guild members to quickly stop their chatter and look at their long lost friend. Natsu didn't notice, because Makarov's query was all that was needed for him to open the floodgates.
"Were there any repercussions to your elongated stasis? You all look healthy and haven't lost any weight even though you haven't had any sustenance for seven years, so was it more like a time freeze? Are your wounds healed or are they exactly the same as before? Did the First Master say how she was able to change raw magic into such a powerful shield?" Natsu blurted out all at once, he didn't even seem to stop for a breath.
The Guild members around him all became visibly confused, and Makarov felt the same way. Natsu's way of speaking, the very intelligent and in-depth questions, it was very… Unlike him. What happened while we were away? Makarov wondered.
The old man motioned towards his bandages. "Well, as you can see, our injuries never healed, and I still feel the same as before. Nobody on Tenrou changed a bit," He replied, and then looked directly at Natsu. "Except for you, Natsu, you seem to have changed quite a lot."
Natsu's excitement faltered and a blush appeared on the young man's cheeks, his hand running through his messy hair. "Well, yeah… People tend to change after seven years…" He muttered sheepishly.
"But you're… Really different… Like how you-" Lucy cut herself off as she tried to figure out how to word it without offending her long lost friend, and eventually sighed in frustration while motioning to all of Natsu. "The way you talk, what you're wearing, all those questions, it's… It's weird!"
Romeo tugged at Natsu's red cloak. "And you never came back!" He pointed out. "You were off Tenrou the whole time, but we thought you were dead! Why didn't you come back?"
As Natsu stared down at the teen, his expression became nervous. After several seconds he turned to look back at the other guild members. "There were a lot of reasons…" He awkwardly said.
"We explained what happened to us, so it's your turn. Start talking, Natsu," Erza snapped in an attempt to intimidate the mage. But, her fierce stature faltered after only a few moments, and she softly whispered,"I just… I need to know."
The young man looked at her curiously for a long second before he gave a resigned sigh, and moved to sit on the chair next to Makarov. "Okay… Well, I don't really remember what happened on Tenrou after Acnologia showed up," He began,"I remember pushing you guys out of the way, getting hit by the blast, and then everything hurting really bad. I thought for sure I was going to die."
Several members of Team Tenrou shuddered as they remembered witnessing the very thing Natsu was talking about. Erza, Gray, and Lucy looked particularly haunted, because they were the ones Natsu saved.
"Sometime after, I woke up in a house. I was confused, obviously, and I tried to get up and…" He stopped, and his left arm moved to grab at his right, his face draining of color. "I… Well, it would be easier to just show you."
He brought his left hand up to his right glove, undid the straps, and slid the glove off to reveal dark gray metal. He then knelt down, using the mismatched hands to pull up his left pant leg, revealing the same smooth metal.
Gasps and mutters ran through the Guild, several of them turning pale, or looking like they weren't exactly sure what to say. At the edge of the group, Gildarts had paled considerably and said nothing, lost in memories of how Acnologia did almost the exact same thing to him.
Romeo was the brave one who stepped forward, taking Natsu's metal hand in his own, running his fingers across it as if he was trying to register that the metal hand was indeed real.
"Does it hurt?" Romeo softly asked.
"It used to," Natsu replied,"When I first got them put on, it hurt like hell. But I was prepared for that, my Master warned me that it would be painful."
Erza's eyes widened a fraction a bit, and she frowned. "Master? What do you mean by Master, Natsu?" She questioned.
"Did you join another guild?!" Happy exclaimed in shock, latching onto Natsu's normal arm with tears in his eyes. "Natsu, you traitor!"
Natsu groaned, and rubbed his metal hand against his face. "No! Don't jump to conclusions, that's wasn't it! Guilds aren't even a thing in Aughra!" He declared.
"Aughra?" Levy asked aloud, eyes sparkling in recognition. "I've heard of that country… But they're an isolated country, they don't open their borders for anyone! How did you get in?"
The young man looked down at his lap, a fond smile climbing onto his face. "My Master, Ayame Dantes, found me floating in the ocean, she's the one who saved me," He said, his eyes filling with what the Guild Master believed was love.
Makarov couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "If she's not a Guild Master, then why do you call her your Master?" He questioned.
Natsu looked confused for a moment, and then realization dawned on him. "Oh, right! Sorry, I'm used to people already knowing," He said, and hummed thoughtfully. "Fiore and Aughra culture is quite different…"
He then proudly motioned to the engraved golden pin on his cloak. "I call her my Master because I was her apprentice, she trained me in the art of Alchemy," He explained.
"Is that a type of magic?" Romeo questioned.
"No, not really. Alchemy is science and magic, but more focused on the science aspect. In Aughra, an Alchemist is a mix between an engineer and a chemist," Natsu said, and tapped his metal arm. "Like my arm, or a medicine to cure an illness."
Gray scoffed, and gave the mage a challenging glare. "Who would trust you with important stuff like that, flame-brain?" He sneered, and shifted on his feet as if he hoped for a fight.
To the surprise of the guild members, Natsu didn't even twitch in irritation. Instead, he let out an amused laugh. "Seven years ago, I wouldn't have either. But Ayame was a great teacher, she was strict, but she was never mean. She always made sure I understood before we moved onto our next topic." He sighed, a melancholy expression appearing on his face. "I owe her so much…"
Erza understood what the expression meant right away, she had worn it herself too many times in her short life. She moved to place her armored hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Ayame is dead, isn't she?" The mage guessed.
The Alchemist nodded, and features. "W-well… After a few years of training, there was a plague, it was killing thousands. I was able to make the cure… But my Master died before I could get it back to her…"
"Oh… I'm sorry, Natsu…" Lucy whispered, placing her hands on her heart.
The Alchemist inclined his head towards her. "Thank you, Luce," He replied, and then chuckled. "You guys would have loved her, she reminded me of Porlyusica, she never took anyone's shit!"
Several Guild members, especially Makarov, shuddered at the comparison of the fierce pink haired woman to the Master that Natsu was describing. But the alchemist himself was smiling in a nostalgic way.
Happy's grip tightened on Natsu "I wish I could have met her…"
Makarov made a noise of agreement. "As do I, we owe her a great deal. If it weren't for her, Natsu wouldn't be with us today, and Fairy Tail wouldn't be whole."
The alchemist looked overjoyed by their words, his metal hand fiddling with the pin on his cloak as pink rose up on his cheeks. "Perhaps I can take you to her grave some day! I visit it as often as I can, I'd love to introduce you to her."
The old guild master smiled and nodded. In his opinion, it would be an honor to pay his respects towards Ayame. In a time when he couldn't care for his children, she had kept one of them alive and safe.
Natsu took a few moments to calm down, rubbing his eyes to stop his tears. "A-anyway… After Ayame passed, I took over her duties as Royal Alchemist-"
"R-royal?!" Gray spluttered in shock.
This time, Natsu couldn't stop the cheeky grin as he motioned to the cloak and pin again. "Yup, I'm 'Lord Natsu' of the Royal Court! Crazy, huh?"
"How did that happen?!" Gajeel asked, his voice betraying his shock.
"Hmm… Well Apprentices are chosen by the Royal Court member and trained. After I helped build my arm and leg, Ayame kept teaching me and then decided to take me as her apprentice!" He explained, a proud smile on his face.
"I've been working as the Royal Alchemist ever since. But when I heard about Team Tenrou returning, I knew I had to come back. And the news was true, you guys really are back!" His eyes started to fill with tears again. "I… I missed you all so much!"
Romeo, who had just managed to quell his tears, instantly burst into sobs. "Natsu-nii!" He cried, throwing himself into Natsu's arms and holding on tight. "I missed you too! SO, so much!"
One by one, the Fairy Tail members joined the hug. Even members like Gajeel and Gray were pulled into it. The giant hug lasted a long time, but nobody paid any mind or grew embarrassed. The fact that they were all alive, and together again, was much more important.
The guilt of never coming back home that Natsu held on his shoulders seemed to melt away. He felt the warmth of his guildmates in his heart, and for the first time in seven years he felt completely free.
When the hug eventually ended, the tone in the room changed. Jet let out a yell and jumped onto a table, holding up a mug of beer. "Our Guild members have returned! You know what that means, right?!" He threw his other fist in the air. "IT'S PARTY TIME!"
Instantly loud yells erupted from most of the guild members, who pushed each other out of the way to get to the bar first. Mirajane and Kinana hurriedly worked to satisfy the guild, the purple haired girl looking extremely grateful for the help.
Natsu watched the commotion with a small smile. It was such a familiar sight that it was like the guild had never been separated, and they had lived through the seven years together instead of apart.
Happy snapped him out of his thoughts with a form poke to his side. "Natsu, I'm gonna go get fish, do you want some too?" He looked up at his long lost friend with wide, hopeful eyes and a slight pout.
The alchemist sighed, he knew he couldn't refuse, not after seven years without his closest friend. So, he smiled and nodded. "Of course, Happy! I would never say no to fish!" He declared.
The cat let out a happy cheer. "Yes! I'll get fish right now! A ton of fish!" He promised, sprouting his wings and flying over the crowd of guild members to the front of the bar (much to the outrage of everyone else.)
"Well, he hasn't changed a bit…" Natsu muttered to himself.
A deep voice next to him chuckled. Natsu turned his head, finding that Gildarts had joined him leaning against the wall. "Of course he hasn't, none of us have." The man's inquisitive eyes looked at Natsu. "But you, you've changed quite a bit."
"Seven years does that to a person, Gildarts. It's called aging." Natsu snarked back.
Gildarts looked momentarily caught off guard, and then let out a loud booming laugh while he slapped Natsu on the shoulder. "In all my years, I never thought I'd have to deal with a Natsu that understood the concept of sarcasm!"
They shared the laughter, which was quickly drowned out by the rowdy guild around them. Gildarts then looked around furtively, and then quietly whispered,"I'm sorry you had to feel the same pain I did…"
"Huh?" Natsu followed the older man's gaze, noticing that he was staring at the alchemist's prosthetic limb. Oh shit, I forgot to cover them up again… He quickly slid his glove back on, and used his foot to push down his pant leg. "Sorry… I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
Gildarts waved his own metal hand in response. "It's okay, you didn't do anything of the sort." He sighed, his expression becoming pained once again. "It's just… Natsu, we both lost parts of ourselves to the same dragon. I didn't want it to happen to anyone else, least of all you."
"Don't blame yourself, Gildarts," Natsu firmly ordered,"It isn't your fault he did this to me."
The S-Class mage didn't look convinced. "It may as well be. You took that blast to save us, you sacrificed yourself while I stood there like an idiot. If I had helped, maybe you would have still been on Tenrou… Maybe you wouldn't have lost your limbs…"
Natsu let out an annoyed growl, elbowing the man in the side with his own prosthetic. "That's enough of that, Gildarts. No more blaming yourself." He pointed towards himself. "I did the same thing after I first woke up. I thought it was my fault you all died, because I wasn't strong enough or fast enough…"
"Natsu…"
The alchemist held up his hand, asking for silence. "But my Master helped me realize the truth. It wasn't my fault, it wasn't any of our faults. Acnologia was too strong, but that's in the past. We have to keep moving forward, we can't let the past control us."
As Gildarts listened to him, he noticed the man's eyes becoming overwhelmed with pride. "You're right…" He slung an arm around Natsu, a weak grin on his face. "You've really grown up, kid. I wish I could have been here to see it."
Natsu returned the smile, the warmth in Gildarts' expression pushing away the sadness in his heart. He let his hand go up, grabbing onto the man's arm and holding tight, fearful that if he let go that he and the rest of Team Tenrou would vanish, and the happy reunion would turn out to be a dream.
"I can't wait to show you all what I've learned," He said, unable to hide his budding excitement. "Especially you, Gildarts!"
The man chuckled. "Is this your way of asking to fight me?"
The mage quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm talking about my alchemy!" He tapped the man's metal limb. "I can give your prosthetics modifications of my own design and help you repair any damage they may have sustained from Tenrou, and how to keep them as updated as possible!"
Gildarts couldn't hide his surprise this time. He pulled his arm off Natsu's shoulders, looking at the obviously damaged metal. "You really wouldn't mind doing that?" He asked hopefully.
"Of course not!" The alchemist quickly replied. "I've built or repaired my or others' prosthetics more times than I can count in Aughra. It would be no trouble! Plus, we're both Acnologia survivors. Gotta stick together!"
Gildarts laughed again. "That's one way to put it! Add a few more people and we could probably make a support group!"
After a few seconds their laughter died down and they went silent. Then, the crush mage casually continued,"So… You really don't wanna fight? Because I wouldn't mind, I bet you've gotten even more powerful since our fight on Tenrou!"
"I thought about asking you to fight, I really did. But I want you to be in top shape before we do. And…" Natsu turned to look at the crowd in the guild, where he could see Gray, Gajeel, and many other drunk guild members demanding other people fight them. "I think that you're gonna have to wait in line."
Gildarts hummed and shrugged. "I'm a patient person, I don't mind waiting as long as I get to fight you." He looked at the bar, where the crowd was finally thinning out. "I'm gonna go find my daughter and have some beer."
He placed his hand on Natsu's metal shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Welcome home, Natsu."
The man walked away, but his final words left Natsu with a painful reminder of the thing he lacked. His shoulder, where a guild mark should be, was blank. Acnologia had destroyed his arm, and the guild mark that had been on it.
I should tell them… I should get a new guild mark, right? Like Gildarts said, Fairy Tail is my home. But even in his mind, there were doubts.
He rubbed his arm, tapping his finger against it nervously. I can't just abandon Aughra, the King and Queen, my Royal post, my work, Ayame's work… I'm expected back eventually. I'll have to go back soon…
Natsu didn't know what to do. It felt like two halves of himself were fighting against each other. He had a duty to the Kingdom of Aughra, but Fairy Tail had been his home for most of his life… What do I do?!
"Natsu! I got the fish!"
The squeaky voice jerked Natsu out of his thoughts just in time for Happy to crash into his chest. He quickly caught the blue cat, who popped up again like nothing had happened, and pointed to a nearby table.
"I got the fish! Come on Natsu, let's go sit with the others!" He said, pointing at a nearby table where Lucy, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Carla were all waiting. There was an empty seat, just for him.
His heart was overwhelmed with happiness once more, and Natsu couldn't stop the wide smile from appearing on his face again. "Alright, let's go!" He said, following his feline companion to the table that held Team Natsu.
The conflict in Natsu's mind was set aside for the moment. He could worry about the future later. For now he wanted to spend time with the guild members he had so dearly missed, and make up for the seven years of lost time.