~~~Author's Notes~~~
I've been struck with writer's block. So I decided to write my first one shot and second story ever on here. I've always enjoyed the more wholesome stories on here so I decided to give one a shot. I highly doubt I'll do more of these since fanficion isn't my biggest hobby out there. Regardless I do hope you enjoy this story I came up with and wrote in like a week.
Also this story takes place before Edolas. There will be mention of some filler only episodes but there will be no mention of the Daphne arc since I think it's bad lol.
Also disclaimer but if it wasn't obvious enough I do not own Fairy Tail and all the rights belong to their original owners.
It's been a little over one month since the mission to take down and subdue the dark guild Oración Seis, one of the Balam Alliance. Meaning it's been over one month since Wendy Marvell and her Exceed companion Carla joined Fairy Tail after their old guild Caitshelter dissolved suddenly after Nirvana was destroyed. Admittedly the blunette was still slightly depressed over the old man Roubaul and every other member of her home vanishing before her eyes, however she was welcomed with open arms in Fairy Tail by Erza Scarlet. She may have lost someone again, but she now has a new family.
The guild was quieter than usual this morning, not a brawl in sight. Wendy was sitting by the bar staring down at a small cup on the wooden counter while slightly brushing a straw with her fingers. She requested some tea earlier and the bartender Mirajane was more than happy to give her some on the house, despite the bewilderment of Carla wondering how she even earns money during this. The sky dragon slayer took a quick sip before laying her head down with her chin touching the edge of the counter. She continued to stare off into space as she tilted her head and laid her cheek on the wooden material. Her closest friend Carla was sitting right next to her with some tea as well and took quick notice with her companion's lazy demeanor.
"Is something on your mind child?" Carla inquired, snapping Wendy out of her thoughts. The blunette sat up and shook her head. Carla raised an eyebrow. "You know you can tell me if something is bothering you right? It's unhealthy to keep things bottled in." The white furred feline reminded.
"N-no! It's nothing bad!" Wendy waved her hands as sweat droplets bounced off her head. "I was just thinking about the last few weeks…" She sighed before laying her elbows on the table and placing her head on her palm. "Do you think I'm contributing much here?"
Carla tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Well…" Wendy began, going back to flicking her straw. "I haven't done many jobs ever since I joined. Even the ones I was a part of I didn't really do much compared to the others. Those herbs we got up in the mountains dried out quickly and I haven't been able to help in battle."
"What about the job you lead with that he-cat and…Freed was it?" Carla recalled. "Out of everyone who went, you ended up helping the most." The Exceed rolled her eyes, remembering how she and Wendy had to help everyone who collapsed in front of the theater entrance.
Wendy took another small sip and sighed again. "Yea but…a lot of things messed up during that job which caused Lucy, Erza and Natsu to worry about me. Even you Carla." The blunette proceeded to lean back and stare at the ceiling. "I haven't been keeping up with my magic training either. I'm worried I'll hold everyone back."
Carla was the next one to sigh. "I think you're setting yourself too highly child." She grabbed her cup of tea and gave a sip before placing it back on the counter. "We've only been here for a month and this place is much different from Cait Shelter. You shouldn't be comparing yourself to these hooligans."
The sky dragon slayer pouted and looked back at Carla, even after a month the Exceed was still struggling getting along with everyone here despite how easy it was for the blunette. Especially since Carla would try her best to avoid Natsu's companion Happy who would try offering her fish everyday. Wendy took a larger sip than before from her tea and exhaled after doing so. "Even so, I want to at least try being useful to Natsu and the others…"
And speaking of the devil, she overheard the man himself over by the request board. Natsu was holding one of the newest request papers with an excited look on his face, even some puffs of hot air left his mouth. "Hahaha~ No way! Happy, look at this! I found a jackpot!" Natsu chirped as the blue Exceed flew up and took a look at the paper his friend was holding.
"Woah! That's so much jewel!" Happy beamed. "Natsu! We should take it before anyone notices!" Right on cue after Happy schemed out loud, their blonde friend approached the two with her hands on her hips.
"I'm pretty sure we'll notice when you say stuff like that out loud…" Lucy muttered at the two. "What are you getting excited about this time?"
Natsu grinned and cackled before playfully shoving the request paper in the blonde's face. "Feast your eyes! We should totally take this job Lucy!"
Lucy swiped the paper and grumbled at the fire dragon slayer for shoving it in her face before scanning the information. She began reading it back. "Wanted: Reptile men running rampant by Clover Town mountains…delivery services halted due to attacks…450,000 Jewel?!" Lucy's eyes bulged out for a moment looking at the large reward.
"SSSHHHH!" Happy shushed as he whispered. "Not so loud!"
"Wanna tag along with us?" Natsu asked excitedly.
Lucy crossed her arms while still holding the paper. "Look, this reward may be appealing. But the paper says there's around 100 of these creatures. I know you're strong and all but shouldn't we bring Erza and Gray along?"
"Gray and Erza?! Heck no!" Natsu denied while rolling his eyes. "Those two are already out on another job. Besides, I don't need their help, they'll just get in my way!" He puffed his cheeks shortly after while Lucy gave a very unimpressed look. She knows he's only saying this because Erza isn't around.
"Um…Natsu, Lucy?" The two were suddenly approached by Wendy who was standing by them with her hands placed together politely by her waist. "I'm sorry for overhearing, but did you say you're looking for others to help you on a job?"
"Oh! Wendy!" Lucy exclaimed, the girl was the last person she thought would approach them about a job like this. "Well…yeah. But this one requires a lot of fighting, I'm not sure if this one you'll really like…" She scratched the back of her head.
Carla then flew towards the group and glared at Wendy. "I won't allow it, child. I know what you're doing and this won't help in the slightest. You're not ready for a job like this and you know it."
"Hi Carla!" Happy beamed before he began to grab his backpack.
"Don't even think about it tom cat!" Carla snapped, already aware the blue Exceed was going to offer another fish. Happy retracted before sulking to the side.
Wendy looked back at Carla with puppy eyes. "But Carla! I want to help out!" She looked back at Natsu and placed her hands together pleadingly. "I know fighting isn't my thing! But I want to be more reliable to you guys! I swear I won't get in your way!"
During the entire time since Wendy offered, Natsu held his chin in deep thought while listening in. Despite how quick-witted the pinkette was, even he gets worried over the safety of the younger dragon slayer, much like Lucy. He viewed her as a younger sister figure. But at the same time, Wendy was also a dragon slayer with incredible abilities, especially that Troia spell of hers. Natsu was well aware of her magic power since the two would talk so much about their dragon parents and what they taught them. Natsu also sparred on rare occasions with the sky slayer. He looked right in Wendy's pleading eyes and not paying attention to Carla's protests. He made up his mind.
Natsu patted Wendy's head and gave a toothy grin. "Sure! You can tag along with us Wendy!" He approved, which immediately after Wendy's eyes lit up.
"Thank you so much Natsu! I won't let you down!" Wendy pumped her fists.
Lucy leaned in and whispered in Natsu's ear. "A-are you sure…? You know she isn't used to fighting yet…"
Natsu smiled at his blonde friend and spoke out loud. "Don't worry Lucy, she's a dragon slayer just like me! Besides, she went on jobs with us before! I know she's strong, she helped us take down that Nirvana thing, remember?" He reminded her.
Carla huffed before crossing her arms and looking away. "If you really insist on doing this child then I'm coming with you. But don't think I approve of what you're doing." She complained. Wendy pouted at the Exceed in response.
"Alright!" Natsu raised his arms in the air and shot out fire. "I'm fired up! Let's get going before another guild beats us to it!" He announced before storming out the building with Happy following suit.
"N-Natsu! Wait up! We still have to let Mira know first!" Lucy exclaimed before groaning in annoyance. The blonde still wasn't so sure if Wendy was ready for something like this, but Natsu's confidence in her eased her fears slightly.
The trip to Clover Town was short and smooth, despite Natsu's motion sickness kicking in while they boarded the train. He begged Wendy to use her Troia spell on him but was quickly shut down by Carla and Lucy claiming it should be used for emergencies due to the spell losing its potency after several uses. Regardless, the group arrived safely. After meeting with the client and grabbing a quick bite they made their way to their location.
During their trip up the grassy mountains, Wendy felt her chest ache and throat dry up. She would always act nervous during missions but since she volunteered to be involved her nerves were acting up more than usual. She saw Natsu walking in the front with his arms behind his head and Lucy behind the pinkette tinkering with her celestial spirit keys, picking which one would be best fit for this mission. The two Exceeds flew between the group, keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks. The blunette tried to calm her nerves and not to look weak in front of her fellow guild members as she held her chest with both hands. Although being with someone strong like Natsu did ease her nerves slightly.
Only after 10 minutes of exploring, Natsu's and Wendy's dragon senses picked up multiple presences and the former raised their arm to signal the group to stop. They were surrounded by several bushes and trees as the three mages were on guard. The two Exceeds continued to keep watch and Happy noticed one bush near Natsu began to rattle. As soon as the blue cat pointed it out a large shadow jumped out of it in which Natsu immediately retaliated by punching them with a Fire Dragon Fist, knocking it out. The silhouette revealed to be an adult human sized lizard man with sharp claws. Despite its thick looking brown scales, they didn't enhance their body defenses as Natsu's attack left a burnt imprint on its chest.
"Ugh, so that's what they look like?" Lucy cringed, sticking her tongue out in disgust. She then overheard more bushes rustling as an army of reptile men surrounded the Fairy Tail wizards. The three faced their backs towards each other as they kept their guard up.
Wendy felt her heart pound more aggressively. This was it, her big chance to shine and prove to herself she can be more reliable to her friends. The looks of the reptile men as they stuck out their blue tongues and hissed sent shivers down her spine, she always found reptiles pretty freaky much like bugs. But she still stood her ground, ready to fight for her friends.
"Looks like they came to us!" Natsu cackled, pounding his fists together and cracking a cocky grin. "Let's do this guys, I'm getting fired up!" The fire dragon slayer's fists erupted in bright yellow and red flames as he launched himself forward and spreaded his arms out. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Unleashing a wide range of flames around him, taking out several reptile men in an instant.
"Aye! Go get em' guys!" Happy cheered as he hovered around Natsu to make sure no one would sneak up his companion.
"Stay close to me Wendy!" Lucy requested before pulling out a golden key in the shape of an axe. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" Lucy swung her key as a yellow magic circle flashed before summoning a muscular cow man wearing speedos, wielding a large axe.
"Moo~! Leave it to me Lucy!" Taurus boomed in confidence before leaping in the air and twirling his axe. "Rampage!" He swung his large weapon down in the ground, creating an earthquake that traveled in a straight line, demolishing more reptile men in its path.
Wendy kept close to the blonde as she began taking deep breaths. Both to calm her nerves and absorb as much air as possible. Once she noticed a pair of monsters booking it for the sky dragon slayer, she unleashed a powerful tornado attack. "Roar of the Sky Dragon!" The following attack ripped through several other reptile men in its path before cutting through several trees in the process.
"Way to go Wendy!" Lucy praised the young mage while giving a thumbs up. The attack the blunette pulled as well as the blonde's praise gave the girl more confidence than before in this situation.
"Can I get some praise too? Moo~" Taurus asked with hearts in his eyes. Lucy in response rolled her eyes while a sweat drop left her temple.
"Don't get distracted you guys!" Carla chides, while pointing to the left of the two girls. "More of them are coming!" In which several more monsters came running in all fours towards them.
"Roar of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu unleashed a huge blast of flames directly at the monsters that were after Lucy and Wendy. The reptiles screeched loudly as they crashed into several trees, bodies completely burnt. Natsu's attack took out a huge chunk of forest in the process. The pinkette gave a peace sign to the two.
Over the course of 15 minutes, the three capable wizards completely took out every single reptile man with relative ease. The now desolated area of the forest had piles upon piles of defeated creatures. Natsu pounded his fist into his palm as he cracked his neck. "Ha! Those guys weren't so tough!" He boasted while observing the damages they caused in the forest.
"Hoorah!" Taurus celebrated while raising his axe above his head in victory. "Lucy's perfect body was protected once again!"
Lucy proceeded to swing her key again as the large cow vanished through a yellow glitter aura. She then stomped over and tugged on Natsu's cheek, in which the fire dragon slayer winced in response. "Once again you overdid things! Did you forget that this area was meant for travel?!" She chastised.
"Aye, he probably did." Happy nodded. Lucy snapped her head towards the blue cat and glared at him, in which he responded by snickering.
Wendy was standing a couple feet away from the group as she gripped her legs. She collapsed on her knees and began panting. The fighting took much longer than she thought and using so many roar attacks completely tuckered the young girl out. Despite this, the newest Fairy Tail member felt like she's gotten more capable and braver throughout this quick job.
"You look exhausted." Carla stated the obvious, flying in front of her. "I know you wanted to help during this, but remember not to use your powers too much. Okay child?"
"Y-yeah…" Wendy huffed, looking down on the ground while gripping her legs.
"Do you need me to carry you back?" Carla asked, about to wrap her tail around Wendy's waist. However the girl waved her hand at the tail in which the Exceed retracted immediately.
"N-no! Don't worry, I'm fine…" Wendy reassured her as she slowly pulled herself up, legs wobbling in the process. She covered her mouth with a fist and let out a couple light coughs.
The white cat raised an eyebrow for a moment before sighing, "Very well, however if you're struggling to keep up I won't hesitate to carry you the way back." She acknowledged before flying towards the rest of the group.
Wendy patted her legs and stretched her body as she took one step forward, and felt her heart stop as her senses picked up loud hissing right behind her.
"WENDY BEHIND YOU!" Natsu shouted as his eyes widened.
The girl quickly turned her head and saw one more reptile man, much bigger than the rest of them. It towered over her as it already began to stretch its arm back, preparing to strike the girl with its sharp claws. Time felt like it slowed down as Wendy's body couldn't move a muscle, she let her guard down for a moment and was completely parlyzed with fear.
"WENDY NO LOOK OUT!" Carla screamed right before the giant lizard swung its arm directly towards Wendy.
The sky dragon slayer closed her eyes, preparing for the impact. However she suddenly felt someone pull her towards their body as the impact of the monster's attack pushed her and whoever grabbed her aggressively to the ground. She heard a loud grunt of pain as they slid on the ground, followed up by shouting and an explosion.
Wendy still kept her eyes closed tight, but her nose picked up a grim scent; blood. She slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the pained look of Lucy as the blonde was holding her tightly. However in the corner of the younger girl's right eye she saw the location of where the scent came from as a stream of blood was pouring down from Lucy's left arm. An open wound from the claw marks started from the celestial mage's shoulder to her elbow. As Wendy followed the trail of blood she saw Natsu standing in front of them with his back turned to them as he looked down at the large beast which had its entire body burnt completely followed by another section of the forest destroyed.
"Lucy!" Happy distressed, noticing the wound his friend got. Landing on the ground and panicking. Carla followed suit as she landed and ran towards Wendy who was still in Lucy's protective grip.
"Wendy! Lucy! Are you two okay?!" Carla panicked, seeing the frozen fearful look on the former's face and pained expression of the latter.
Lucy began to open her eyes too, still wincing in pain. She first checked on Wendy to see if she was hurt. The blonde softly smiled at the girl and asked. "H-hey…You okay Wendy…?"
Wendy felt her eyes water up as tears immediately flowed like a river on the young girl's face. "L-Luc-y…Why are you as-asking me that…? W-what about you?!" She blubbered. The blood on Lucy's arm traveled the floor around the two as it began soaking the dirt they laid on.
Natsu turned around and bent down towards Lucy's arm, his expression filled with panic. "Lucy! Try not to move okay!" He observed the wound his friend got, trying to figure out what to do.
Wendy shook her head before scrambling out of Lucy's arms. She quickly got on her knees and placed her palms above Lucy's wound. She emitted a bright blue aura as the large gash around the arm began to close slowly. Wendy's mind began to panic during the healing process. "It's all my fault! It's all my fault! I'm so sorry Lucy!" She thought as the streams of tears continued dropping from her chin. Wendy's healing magic managed to close the wound and stop the bleeding, in which the blunette's vision became blurry shortly after. The girl immediately collapsed and felt the world go black, fainting. The last thing she heard was her Exceed companion shouting her name.
The rest of the day felt like hours were passing by the minute. Lucy and Wendy were admitted to a hospital once they were carried back to Clover Town. Wendy overused her Dragon slayer powers, causing her to be unconscious for several hours. Lucy was also in no real danger, thanks to Wendy's healing abilities the blonde's arm was no longer bleeding and won't leave any scars. However it wasn't enough to completely heal her arm as some bones were damaged or broken, meaning Lucy was given a cast wrapped around her left arm after it was operated on. She was told she'll have to wear it for a little while. As soon as Lucy woke up, Happy immediately flew right into her and hugged her tightly.
Once the two girls were discharged from the hospital, Natsu informed them he already got the reward and the monsters were removed from the mountains. The group immediately took the train back home. Natsu once again slouched back in his seat about to throw up while Lucy tried to comfort him.
Wendy was looking down on her legs and spacing out during the entire ride home. Ever since she saw the cast around Lucy's arm she felt waves of guilt in herself. Wendy apologized over and over after she woke up from the hospital but was assured by the blonde that she did nothing wrong and was happy the young girl wasn't hurt. However the guilt and shame didn't go away as many thoughts ran through Wendy's head. She felt like a burden, if she didn't tag along on this trip then maybe Lucy wouldn't have been hurt she thought. Carla would've said something if she didn't fall asleep shortly after they left the hospital due to relief after finding out Wendy was okay.
Lucy took quick notice at her friend's behavior as Wendy looked like she was completely spaced out. It was obvious to her that she was still bothered over what happened. She'd thought of talking to her about it on the ride home, but she didn't want to pressure her at the same time.
Once the train reached back to Magnolia, everyone decided it was best to head home for the night since the guild was probably already closed. Wendy wanted to leave as soon as possible so she bowed apologetic towards the two and tried her best to give a fake smile. Once she turned and got ready to book it back to the inn, she was suddenly stopped as she felt someone grab her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Lucy as she knelt down and gave a soft smile.
"Hey. You didn't do anything wrong alright?" Lucy comforted as she spoke in a soft tone. "I'm okay, don't let what happened get to you." She stood up and gave one last wave to the younger girl. Natsu and Happy smiled at her as well while waving goodbye.
Wendy paused for a moment before nodding back at Lucy and giving a weak smile before running back to Fairy Hills. Once she made it back to her room she gently placed Carla on the bed and followed suit by laying down. She stared at the ceiling for a while since she wasn't completely tired yet but soon enough she drifted off to sleep, hoping to move on from what happened.
Wendy found herself in a familiar scene. She opened her eyes and sat up and noticed she was outside all of the sudden. She scanned her surroundings and quickly found out she was in the Clover Town mountains again. However the sky looked bleak and warpy. She was about to investigate further, but she heard a familiar hissing noise behind her. Once she turned around she saw the same large reptile man looking down at her, preparing to strike. Before Wendy could react, Lucy suddenly appeared in front of her and the monster immediately slashed right through her body like sandpaper. As soon as Lucy was struck she vanished into dust.
"LUCY!" Wendy shrieked, eyes widening. Reality began to warp as the scene swirled in front of her before popping back in as the area changed into the Fairy Tail guild. The blunette slowly stood up and desperately looked around if Lucy was around and hoped what happened earlier didn't happen.
Several members of the guild surrounded the girl as each one had a shadow casted over their eyes so she couldn't see them. However even she can tell the tone felt off as it felt like they were all looking down at her. Despite seeing so many familiar faces, Lucy was not present.
"E-everyone…" Wendy stuttered, twiddling her thumbs. "Where's Lucy?" Without even a beat, after she asked, she was approached by Natsu and he proceeded to shove her to the floor with his palm. She fell down and let out a wince of pain before looking up at Natsu, still unable to see his eyes. "N-Natsu…?!"
"What do you think?!" Natsu fumed, clenching both of his fists. "She's gone! And you did nothing about it!" He stomped his foot which caused Wendy to retract and shrivel in fear. Natsu was never this aggressive towards her.
"What…what do you mean?!" Wendy welled up. "I-I thought she came home with us…" Tears began forming in her eyes, was the train ride home a dream?
"She's gone Wendy!" Natsu raged, pointing down at her. "And it's your fault!"
"She was our friend, and you took her from us!" Happy growled.
Wendy tried covering her ears and closing her eyes. "W-what?! No! Guys p-p-please!" however she could still hear them clearly.
"I know now inviting you here was a terrible mistake." Erza scowled.
"And here I thought having another dragon slayer was a good thing." Gray scoffed. "Guess I was wrong..."
Wendy shook, tears drowning her eyesight. She shook her head over and over as the accusations and screaming continued. "I"m sorry! Please! I didn't mean it! Don't abandon me! I'm so sorry!" She wailed, choking up.
"We don't need you here!" Natsu snapped, turning his back to her. "Get out of here already."
"Child! Please, wake up!" A familiar soothing voice was heard.
"NOOOOOO!" Wendy shrieked, shooting her body up which spooked a certain feline off the bed. The girl paused as she breathed heavily, looking around her surroundings.
"Ugh…" Carla rubbed her head as she climbed back on the bed. "You were having a nightmare."
Wendy turned her head and looked at Carla, seeing her alongside being back in her room caused her to calm down slightly. "I-I'm sorry Carla…are you alright?" She checked, realizing she accidentally knocked her friend off the bed.
"Honestly child I should be asking *you* that." Carla retorted. "I can tell that dream you were having shook you up." The cat pointed at her. "You're still trembling even!"
Wendy took some deep breaths and looked down at her blanket. After a few moments her body stopped trembling, she looked back at Carla and gave a weak smile. "It's nothing…I was just having a drea-"
"Nuh uh! No!" Carla interrupted. "I won't allow you to bottle your emotions up like this!" She placed her paws on her hips. "You won't be going back to sleep until you talk to me about this, it's about what happened today isn't it?" Carla demanded.
Wendy lowered her brow before looking away once again. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs, effectively curling up into a ball. She responded to Carla by simply nodding.
Carla softly sighed before walking over and sitting right next to Wendy. She placed a paw on her arm. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but you know how much I worry about you." She rubbed her paw soothingly. "Speaking as someone who was against having you go on that mission, even I know what happened wasn't your fault in the slightest. You know that right child?"
Wendy lowered her head slightly. "Mhm…Lucy told me too…"
"Then what happened in your nightmare?" Carla wondered.
Wendy was silent for a few seconds. More tears began to creep up slightly. "Everyone was blaming me for what happened…" She buried her face with her legs. "And they kicked me out of the guild…"
Carla sighed, sort of expecting what the dream was about given the screaming Wendy was making in her sleep earlier. "I see. Don't you worry child, it was just a dream and no one blames you for what happened, you even acknowledged that even Lucy doesn't blame you. So why are you so worried?"
Wendy slowly raised her head and looked at Carla and the Exceed swore she felt her heart break as the blunette's eyes and face soaked with tears. "I…I don't w-want to b-be alone again…" Wendy blubbered.
Carla immediately hopped up and hugged Wendy's head. She had a feeling a part of all of Wendy's worries and stress lately had to do with the fact she hasn't fully recovered from the abrupt dissolvement of their previous home, Cait Shelter. She had already experienced loss two times before this with her foster mother suddenly vanishing one day and the boy who found Wendy shortly after, being forced to split up for an unknown reason.
"Is that why you've been wanting to contribute more to the guild? Because you worry they might leave you if you don't?" Carla inquired, in which Wendy responded with a gentle nod as she looked down.
"There there…" Carla comforted, patting Wendy's head. "I can assure you that won't happen. They may be silly most of the time but even I know they won't abandon us. Plus I will always be with you child."
Wendy quickly wrapped her arms around her feline companion and gently hugged her back. "Mhm!" She nodded, tears still slightly leaking.
"C'mon…let's try to go back to sleep okay?" Carla released her hug and looked up at Wendy. "I would suggest talking to Lucy and the others about these thoughts and worries you've been having alright?"
Wendy simply nodded again before wiping out her tears and laying back down.
It was a new morning as the sun shined brightly with no clouds blocking its path. The light emitted from the sun managed to slip through the half closed blinds in Wendy's room. As soon as the two woke up they covered their eyes due to how bright the beams were. The first thing they did after completing their morning duties was check their mail to obtain their share of the reward from yesterday's job.
It was still early out, meaning the guild probably opened around an hour ago. However Wendy couldn't go back to sleep after being woken up by the sunlight so she decided to go to the guild alongside Carla. The blunette's eyes were slightly baggy but she was far from sleep deprived. The two didn't say a single word during the entire trip, Carla was about to say something but she didn't want to force her to talk if Wendy didn't want to.
When they arrived at the guild's entrance, Wendy felt her chest tighten. The dream she had was still on her mind and despite the comfort from Carla helping a bit, she was still scared of what the other guildmates thought after hearing what happened. She shook her head and clenched her fists, she had to be brave about this. She opened the large doors and the first thing she saw was Gray and Natsu talking to each other by one of the far left tables.
"Huh? Lucy isn't coming in today?!" Gray exclaimed, his shirt already missing and nowhere to be found. He was sitting with his back turned towards the table but still looking at Natsu with the corner of his eye.
"Yea..." Natsu sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I went to check up on her this morning, but she said she was going to take it easy for the day." He turned his head and Wendy saw a bruise mark on his right cheek, signifying he checked up on Lucy by breaking in her house once again and getting kicked in response by her.
"Aye. Ever since her arm broke, the doctor told her not to go on any high maintenance jobs until it's healed." Happy explained while sitting on the table and holding a fish with both paws.
"Ah, guess that makes sense." Gray remarked, leaning his back by the edge of the table. He then came to a realization and snapped his head at Natsu. "Wait Lucy broke her arm?!" He blurted.
"Oh, right." Natsu realized, talking with his mouth full as he was eating some chicken. "It was during the mission we went on yesterday. We got back at night so we weren't able to tell everyone yet." He then swallowed the food and exhaled.
Wendy began walking in as the doors closed behind her. She went straight to the bar counter while she overheard the conversation. It looks like not many people have shown up at the guild yet. Hearing that Lucy chose to stay at her house for the day ruined her chance to talk to her about her worries, but the young girl didn't want to bother the blonde if she needed rest. Natsu picked up Wendy's and Carla's scent and oversaw them as they sat by the counter.
"How did that happen?!" Gray turned his entire body towards Natsu and wondered. "It ain't bad is it?"
"Uh…no, it should heal in a couple weeks…" Natsu trailed off, not fully paying attention to his rival. He clearly noticed Wendy was looking a little off as she didn't even come over to say hello to the three of them.
Wendy was back in the same position as she was yesterday morning, sitting by the bar and staring off into space. She wasn't feeling thirsty yet so she only laid her arms on the table. She wasn't fully sure what to do next, perhaps she could talk to Natsu and maybe even Erza when she shows up. She didn't want to interrupt Natsu's conversation however, so she decided to wait.
"You idiot." Gray laid his arm on the back of the chair and glared at Natsu. "You shouldn't get so careless all the time." He huffed. Wendy flinched after hearing that, and Carla immediately took notice.
Natsu's focus went back to Gray as he stood up and slammed both hands on the table, which caused Happy to drop his fish. "What was that?! You're the one to talk mister 'can't go one day without stripping in public'!"
Happy picked up his fish, but dropped it again as Gray stood up and slammed one hand on the table. The ice wizard and fire wizard butted heads. "Huh?! Are you calling me careless, you fire spitter?!" Gray shot.
The two wizards aggressively rubbed their foreheads as their eyes shot lightning at each other. "I bet you wouldn't have done any better, you popsicle head!" Natsu shot back.
"Child! Where are you going?!" Carla exclaimed as Gray and Natsu overheard a stool being knocked over. They stopped butting heads and for a split moment saw Wendy run out of the guild, she did not want to hear this conversation. Carla glared at the two before booking it after the blunette.
"...Was it something I said?" Gray wondered.
Wendy began running back to Fairy Hills, eyes watering up. She grinded her teeth as she didn't fully pay attention to her surroundings. The guilt was still getting to her and she felt so ashamed. The only thing she wanted to do is crawl back in her bed and shut herself out.
However she unexpectedly ran into someone and fell on her bottom. Wendy rubbed her head and looked up, seeing a familiar face with luxurious red hair as they didn't even budge after being run into. "E-Erza?" Wendy exclaimed.
The mature S-Class wizard reached an arm out and Wendy grabbed it. Erza pulled the blunette up and smiled at her. "So you were here, as I thought." She remarked.
Wendy dusted herself off and wiped her eyes before bowing politely at Titania. "Sorry for bumping into you, Erza!" She then realized what Erza just said as she raised her head and looked at her brown eyes. "You were looking for me?"
"Actually, I was on my way to get you." Erza responded. "I came across Lucy on my way here, she said she was looking for you."
Wendy widened her eyes and was tooken aback. "Lucy? I thought she wanted to rest for the day."
Erza placed a hand on one of Wendy's shoulders and gave a comforting smile. "She already filled me in about yesterday." She explained. "I told her to wait by the inn's entrance since I assumed you'd already be at the guild."
Wendy lowered her head and sighed. "I-I see…Thanks for letting me know Erza."
Erza moved to the side and gestured her arm towards the inn's direction. "She wanted to talk to you in private. Don't worry, I won't let anyone bother you two." The red haired wizard then walked past Wendy and made her way towards the guild.
Wendy looked back at Erza for a moment before proceeding to walk the rest of the way to Fairy Hills. She wondered why Lucy wanted to talk to her in private.
The benefit of waiting by the Fairy Hills inn is since there was nothing else in sight on its location on top of a steep hill, you could see the whole town from the area. There were a couple benches placed near the entrance of the inn and Lucy was sitting on one of them.
She was currently waiting for Wendy since Erza promised her she'll bring her here. The view was open and great to look at, she could see the Fairy Tail guild from where she was sitting.
Lucy was resting her casted arm on the right arm of the bench, she was still able to slightly move the arm but not enough to be using it as of now. The blonde caught in the corner of her eye a long blue haired girl walking up the hill and gave out a breath of relief, it looks like she got the message. Wendy passed through the gate and she saw Lucy wave her right arm at her.
"Wendy! I'm glad you came!" Lucy chirped. Wendy didn't respond but she waved back, unintentionally looking away from her friend. Lucy patted on the other side of the bench, signifying to the blunette to sit next to her.
Wendy quickly complied as she walked over and took a seat with her head down. "...You wanted to see me?" Wendy asked, she still wondered why Lucy wanted to speak to her in private after hearing she wanted to rest.
"Mhm." Lucy nodded, looking at her with her gentle eyes. "I decided to take the day off at Fairy Tail to hang out with you. Although I didn't think you'd already be at the guild by the time I got here."
Wendy looked up at Lucy with a surprised expression. "You wanted to hang out with…me?" She was perplexed. "Don't you need rest though…?"
"You mean this?" Lucy slightly lifted her casted arm. "Something like this can't stop me from being with a friend in need." She looked back at Wendy and stared at her onyx eyes and slightly curved her lips into a smile. "I can tell something has been bothering you. And I know it's not only because of what happened yesterday."
The blunette was taken aback. She didn't realize Lucy read her so easily, her face was turning red a bit. "W-what do you mean Lucy?"
Lucy giggled at Wendy's reaction. "Well first of all, I remember seeing you acting a little off by the counter before I went up to Natsu yesterday." She began counting her fingers. "Then you kept insisting to me and Natsu that you wanted to be reliable in the mission. Finally you left as soon as we made it back last night, even forcing a smile while saying goodbye." She finished as she placed her palm on top of one of Wendy's hands and leaned in. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I just want to let you know that me and Fairy Tail are here for you if you ever need anything."
Wendy felt the warmth and comfort of Lucy's palm as it covered her smaller hand. There was something very motherly and even somewhat…familiar with the way Lucy acted, but Wendy couldn't figure out what. She removed her hand away from Lucy's and laid them on her own lap. She looked down once again and sighed softly. "It's just…It's just…I want to be reliable to you guys so I can fit in. I feel like I'm not doing enough…" She confessed.
Lucy placed her hand back on her lap and tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean you're not doing enough? It was because of your healing magic that my arm didn't get severely damaged."
"But I was the reason your arm got hurt in the first place!" Wendy clenched her skirt, looking away from the blonde. "What if I'm holding you all back? I'm not as strong or brave as everyone else…"
"Wendy…" Lucy lamented, lowering her brow and frowned. She could see that Wendy was holding some tears back.
"Everyone worries about me! Even Carla!" Wendy ranted. "I feel like just because of my weakness everyone leaves me eventually!" Tears began slowly sliding off her face. "It'll only be a matter of time before Fairy Tail leaves me too!"
Lucy immediately wrapped her right arm around the child and pulled her in her embrace. Wendy jumped a little after being suddenly grabbed by the blonde. "May I ask what triggered these thoughts?" Lucy asked in a soft tone.
Wendy paused, still trying to hold back tears as she hiccuped. She wiped her eyes but the tears kept on coming. "I…had a nightmare. Where you died, and Fairy Tail kicked me out…" Wendy admitted.
Lucy listened in as she continued to comfort the girl. Wendy turned her body around and returned the hug as she rested her head under the blonde's chin. The blunette couldn't stop the waterworks. "I'm s-scared Lucy…What if I get left a-alone again?" She choked up.
Lucy didn't say a single word, allowing Wendy to let out her emotional baggage as the young girl began to cry softly in Lucy's arms. It's been only a month ever since the Oración Seis incident so it was expected that Wendy hasn't recovered from the loss of her previous guild. After a couple minutes, Wendy removed herself from the hug and scooted back. "I'm sorry Lucy…I'm making what happened to you about me…" She sniffled before looking down.
Lucy cupped her hand under Wendy's chin and gently lifted it up so their eyes met. "Not at all. I'm glad you were able to let that out." Lucy softly smiled. She wrapped her arm around Wendy again but didn't pull her in this time. The celestial mage looked back at the guild far away in town and the first thing she saw was the Fairy Tail flag. She came to a realization at that point. "Hey, do you mind if I tell you a story?"
Wendy wiped the remaining tears soaked on her face. She then looked back at Lucy. "A s-story?" She wondered.
"Do you remember the incident where Fairy Tail went to war against Phantom Lord?" Lucy recalled.
Wendy raised an eyebrow, wondering why she is bringing such a thing up. "Y-yea. Wasn't Phantom Gajeel's and Juvia's old guild before it got disbanded?"
Lucy nodded, still looking at the Fairy Tail guild. "They joined shortly after their old guild was defeated by Fairy Tail." She then looked at Wendy. "But do you know why the two guilds went to war in the first place?"
Wendy shook her head. The only thing she remembered regarding the incident was that the two guilds were bitter rivals.
"It was because of me." Lucy answered, which caused Wendy to widen her eyes and gasp in shock. "My father hired Phantom to forcefully take me back to my old home, since I ran away." Lucy continued. "A lot of my friends were hurt after what happened. Levy, Jet, Droy, Erza and even our master. I blamed myself for what happened. I felt so weak and ashamed of myself." Lucy confessed, with her eyes watering up slightly. "But Fairy Tail fought for me and protected me. They said they'll never give up on me and will always be by my side until the end. They didn't blame me for what happened, and said the guild was my home." Lucy smiled brightly at Wendy before a single tear fell from one of her eyes.
"I know you've been through a lot. But I promise you Wendy, Fairy Tail will *never* abandon you." Lucy reassured the girl, pulling her in a hug again. "Don't try to rush yourself into being stronger. I know you'll continue to grow and we'll all be there alongside you. Even if we're not present, we'll always be behind you. Fairy Tail will never forgive themselves if we'd leave you." She comforted, rubbing Wendy's back soothingly. "We all protect each other, no matter what."
Wendy took everything in and felt all the stress and fears disappear at once during this moment. The young girl didn't realize how much she and Lucy shared in common. She began to understand why the blonde told her that story. Wendy buried her face in Lucy's embrace and smiled. "...Thank you…"
The two comforted each other for a moment, but it was interrupted when they overheard some rustling a couple feet away from them.
"It looks like you two are done here." A familiar voice was heard as the two girls looked over some bushes and saw Erza walk out alongside Natsu, Gray, Happy and Carla. Both girls let go of each other and stood up from the bench.
"H-huh?!" Lucy sputtered. "Were you guys spying on us?!" She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Our apologies." Erza placed both hands on the shoulders of Natsu and Gray which caused the two to jump and sweat. "But I believe these two have something to say."
Natsu and Gray immediately stood straight and bowed apologetically, Lucy and Wendy spotted a bump on the back of their heads. "We're sorry for making you upset earlier!" The two boys apologized in front of Wendy.
"H-h-huh?!" Wendy stepped back, sweat droplets raining from her head. "O-oh! It's okay! Please, don't worry about it!" She waved her hands in front of the two with a reddened face. Both Gray and Natsu lifted their heads up.
Natsu rubbed the back of his head. "I got so heated at Gray that I forgot to check up on ya. I wasn't sure what to say after what happened yesterday."
Gray crossed his arms. "And the things I said were pretty insensitive. I didn't know the full story."
Wendy sighed softly as a small puff was let out. "Thank you, Natsu, Gray. But it's okay. Please don't worry about it." Wendy softly smiled.
"Well, it seems like you're feeling better now child." Carla relieved, flying towards the blunette as she gently held her furry companion. The group smiled back at the youngest Fairy Tail member.
"Mhm!" Wendy smiled brightly as the sun shined down at the Fairy Tail wizards. The pain and loss she went through will take a long time to fully heal, but now she has a new family. A family that will always be with her, understand her and help bear the healing alongside her. Wendy knew now that she would no longer be alone, and she'll continue to grow stronger for them and herself.
She was home.
~~~Author's Notes~~~
I always found it a missed opportunity how Fairy Tail never really explored Wendy's past after the arc she was introduced in. While she's not my favorite character, she was one I did enjoy. The stuff in the final arc hardly filled any gaps personally.
If you made it to the end of this story then thanks for reading! Not sure when I'll get back to my previous story but I hoped you enjoyed this somewhat lengthy one shot. I know it may not be the most original but hey I wanted to write something after many weeks of writer's block, I certainly enjoyed writing this. Have a great day everyone.