Author's Note: After a few months of taking a break, I decided to return to writing! I've received a lot of support for wanting to tie the story up, and I'd be really leaving you guy hanging if I didn't make an attempt to do so (:
If I ever finish this sequel, I don't plan on it being nearly as long as During Those 7 Years, so it hopefully won't take me as long to complete! I adopted a much more loose writing style with the sequel. Thoughts should flow a lot better, and I'm hoping to reduce the amount of block paragraphs. As always, the first few chapters might not be as long as some of the others, but this is to just get your feet wet and introduce everyone to what's to come! Let me know what you think, and if you have any recommendations for the story, drop a review and let me know!
After Those 7 Years
Chapter one: The End
The scent of iron tinted the air. The odor was so thick that it could seep into the mouths of anyone close enough to detect it. Streaks of red liquid were splattered across the ground in various patterns, and motionless bodies littered the surrounding area. It was a massacre.
A singular, masculine figure towered over the landscape. He paid no heed to the countless bodies beneath him. He held this head high and turned to be met with one of the bodies slowly raising a hand.
The hand below belonged to a well-built man. His facial structure was hardened, and his stature was lean, but fatal wounds adorned his body. A large gash tore through his lower abdomen and reached the opposite end of his chest, and large bruises began to discolor his skin. His limbs were disfigured to boot.
The figure towering over the wounded man scoffed in disgust. "How does it feel? How does it feel knowing the best outcome is living in a world without your friends?" A demonic voice called out.
"Everything I did; I did for THEM! NOTHING else matters," The wounded man paused to violently cough, forcing him to retract his hand away from his target.
"That must include their deaths," The demonic voice cackled at the opposing man's futile attempts to grab at his body, "And you still try to kill me. More than five years have passed since we last met, and you forgot the most important thing that damn Exorcist told you. You can try and suppress evil," The figure paused to step towards the wounded man, raising his dominant foot above his throat, "But the Darkness will always find a way to survive."
"And Fairy Tail will ALWAYS live on."
"Not this time, Salamander…" The figure revealed the wounded man's identity, "Not this time. There is only one thing standing between me and conquering this perfect world; Acnologia."
"Yuh- You'll never be able to defeat him: not without me."
"Who said anything about defeating him? I coexist with evil, and that means I coexist with Acnologia."
With a single thrust, the figure mercilessly crushed the helpless man's throat using the heel of his boot, silencing him for good. The figure turned his back to the massacre spanning his gaze and walked towards the darkened horizon without another word.
The motionless man, Natsu, managed to roll his eyes to his side: barely clinging on to the remainder of his life. His head was still facing toward the sky, but his eyes rested on a woman lying beside him.
He used the last few moments of his life to intertwine his fingers around the woman's hand. Her body was still, and she was no longer breathing. The wind brushed her purple hair to the side so the man could catch a final glimpse of her sharp facial features. Natsu sported one last meek smile before succumbing to his wounds. "I love yuh-"
She shot up from her bed in horror as she began to hyperventilate. Her petite body was cool to the touch. Streaks of sweat had trickled down her clammy skin and dampened the spreading she was sleeping on.
She turned her head to the side, and her eyes now rested upon a young girl she was all too familiar with. She sighed in relief as the girl's long, blue hair cascaded under the covers and towards the lower regions of the bed. Her hair was messy, for one reason or another. The girl's body would subtly rise and fall with each breath she took.
The small creature whispered a single phrase to herself before forcing herself out of her bed. "Natsu…"
Nighttime had fallen over Magnolia Town, and there was no doubt in her mind that most residents should have retired for the evening.
She flew past the welcome sign next to the pathway leading to the front door. Before she realized it, her paw was pounding against the wooden door serving as the entrance to the surprisingly minimalistic house. "Ka- THUD, Ka- THUD, Ka- THUD!"
The sound echoed throughout the surrounding forests. She waited for as long as her patience would allow before continuing with another round. "Ka- THUD, Ka- THUD, Ka- THUD!"
No response, or so she thought. Before she could react, the wooden door parted from the frame, revealing the woman she saw in her sleep.
There were only a few people in the world who were confident enough- stubborn enough to answer the front door in the middle of the evening without so much a care for his or her safety, and this was one of them. The woman rubbed her eyes and attempted to straighten her black nightgown before addressing the small creature floating in front of her. "Cuh- Carla?" The woman groggily spoke, "That's your name, right? You're Wendy's Exceed. We weren't able to formally introduce ourselves on Christina."
"Kagura," Carla sighed in relief before rapidly shaking her head, "To hell with that! I'm just glad you're alright," Carla paused to glance over the woman's shoulder, "Where's Master Natsu?!"
Kagura began to ruffle her long, purple hair, "He snuck back into the guild hall after it closed for the night. He needed to get some work done," She groggily rubbed her eyes, "He didn't wanna tell me why he's been avoiding you and the Tenrou Group for the past day, so something definitely must be up with him. If I were you, I would just give him some space and not press my luck trying to disturb him. He'll eventually open up to me. Whenever that happens, I'll let you know what he's thinking."
"He hasn't been home all night, and you aren't worried about how he's acting?!" Carla was infuriated.
Kagura was irritated by Carla's growing hostility. "I'm not worried because this is how Natsu clears his head now. He doesn't blow up buildings, he doesn't throw tantrums, and he doesn't make irrational decisions anymore."
"Completely avoiding the people who love him by working in the middle of the night isn't irrational to you?" Carla sarcastically scoffed.
Kagura rubbed her temples and groaned, "It isn't compared to how he would have acted seven years ago. You should take my advice and not try to disturb him."
Before Carla could form a response, Kagura slammed the door between them.
"Who does that woman think she is?" Carla muttered to herself while hovering over the cobblestone streets of Magnolia Town, "If the two of them are in a relationship together, I can tell where she gets her temper from," Carla was oblivious to the irony behind her statement, considering her most recent outburst.
Carla began to approach the double doors leading to the atrium of the Fairy Tail Guild hall. Her eyes scoured the castle-like appearance adopted by the renovations, "I still can't believe how much this place has changed over the past few years," She extended her paws to the handles and violently tugged at them, parting the doorway and allowing moonlight to usher inside.
She floated inside while the doorway closed behind her, "This place looks so much different when no one is around," She shivered, "I have to say, it's quite unsettling."
Carla stopped herself at the bar towards the opposite end of the entrance and turned her head to scour the interior; she was searching for Natsu's office.
Her eyes rested on a staircase leading to the second floor of the guild hall. She noticed a door located behind the railing looking over the ground floor. She might as well start there.
She floated above the railing and towards the door. Just as her paw was about to rap against the door's wooden finish, a masculine voice was projected from the other side, "Come in," The voice nearly caused her to tumble backward and over the railing.
Carla shook her head to snap herself out of her trance. She briskly collected her composure and disregarded the past day leading up to this moment.
She entered the room with her head turned towards the door, ensuring it closed behind her. After hearing it secure to the doorframe, she slowly turned to scour the man who projected his voice. Carla immediately recognized him from his pink hair; it was Natsu.
He was a short distance away, sitting across a massive desk. It had a beautiful and luxurious finish, and it was larger than the one Master Makarov initially had. However, what bothered her most was that he had not once lifted his head from the documents laid across the top.
Carla managed to release a deep sigh and confidently spoke, "Look, I don't know what's going on with you, but there's something urgent that just came up." Carla attempted to make eye contact with the man, but she was astounded to see that his gaze lifted from the documents: not to meet hers, but instead fixated on a teacup resting in his hands. Her mouth went slack as she watched him drop a teabag into the cup, along with an assortment of spices, before heating the mixture with his Fire Magic. He was more interested in a cup of tea than her presence.
Carla was enraged. "Did you not hear me, you fool?! I came here in the middle of the night because-"
The man calmly raised his lit hand, interrupting Carla before she could continue speaking. "Carla, your vision can wait." Strands of Carla's hair stood erect from the man's chilling startling calm monotone. She anticipated for him to carelessly leap over the desk, playfully pin her to the ground, or even verbally retaliate, but none of those arose.
"Nuh- Natsu," She revealed the identity of the man, "Huh- How did you know it was a vision?" She managed to respond.
Natsu sported a warm smile. It was the first smile he projected towards Carla since their reunion, and she could tell it was genuine. "You looked stressed out, and you've been sweating pretty badly. Making sure that you're comfortable is more important than your vision," The man stood up from his seat, rounded his desk, and approached Carla on the other side with the steaming cup of tea in his hands, "Which is why I made you this."
Carla peered into the small glass, and her nose twitched from the pleasant scent. "What is this?"
"Masala chai. It's black tea mixed with herbs, spices, and milk. I was using my fire to heat it."
Carla accepted the teacup and sipped its contents. The stress from her vision began to subside, but it only cleared a path for anger to burn. She hastily shook her head and scoffed, "This doesn't change anything!"
"Oh, it always helps me, and you seem like the type who would enjoy it," Natsu sighed in disappointment, "Even if you can't tell, your composure is a lot better. You're welcome to talk about your vision if you're feeling more comfortable."
"I'm not talking about that!" Carla groaned, "Do you think a cup of tea and some comforting words can make up for how you treated us today?!"
Natsu began to massage his temples. "Oh… That. Are you saying you had no vision? If that's not what you came here to talk about, then I think you should leave. There's a ton of work I need to get caught up on."
Carla then delivered a rhetorical question, "Do you know what Wendy did after we returned home for the night?" She waited for a response before proceeding, "She cried herself to sleep! She might have grown up since you met her before facing the Oracion Seis, but she's still a damn human! You were there for her when she lost Cait Shelter; how do you think she felt when you practically abandoned us at Kardia Cathedral without even looking our way?!"
Natsu stuttered, "Uh- I knew it… I knew there was a possibility Wendy would have come to that conclusion. I never wanted to hurt her because I was hoping she would have overlooked it."
"Then why did you do it?!" Tears were streaming down Carla's face. "Why didn't you say a word to any of us?!"
Natsu breathed in deeply and continued, "Today would have marked the seventh year the Tenrou Group would have gone missing. Fairy tail was ready to move on; I was ready to move on. When you came back into our lives, I didn't know what to believe anymore, and that doesn't even scratch the surface for everything you'll have to understand to come to terms with the world we live in. When I saw you at Kardia Cathedra, that was all I could think about."
"Then why don't you show us?" Carla cocked her head before continuing, "Show us the new world we live in."
"It's not as simple as you make it out to be," Natsu sighed, "But once I figure out where to start, I'll tell you everything that you want to know. Could we leave it at that?"
Carla seemed dissatisfied with the response, but she knew there would be no point in arguing otherwise. Even after seven years, she could sense that Natsu was as dense as he was back then. Kagura was right, there was little point in her coming here. "Fine," She grunted. "But I DID see something I think you should know about."
"I thought so," Natsu nodded while leaning back in his chair, "Let's hear it."
Carla began to fidget with her free paw while taking generous sips of her tea, "I guess we should first go over how my visions work."
"Sure," Natsu gestured with his hands.
"I've been able to see the future for as long as I can remember, but under two conditions. I see multiple outcomes, but they're vague."
"I'm following," Natsu nodded.
"And not all of them are correct," Carla sighed, "From what I can tell, we're capable of altering any one of the outcomes with the timelines that lead up to them. But since each outcome is vague, it's up to us to determine what they mean and how we can change them."
"Let's hear it."
"One vision I had involved a man in yellow armor. There was this black aura surrounding his body, and I think it was speaking for him. The voice was dark, sister, and borderline demonic with no compassion whatsoever. The man was standing above the rest of Fairy Tail, and he was just about to kill you. Uh- I think the voice mentioned something about coexisting with Acnologia: that beast we met on Tenrou Island."
"Go on."
"There was another vision. This time, the man in the yellow armor was on the ground, and Acnologia was about to kill him. It looked like the black aura was about to transfer to Acnologia. I couldn't tell if it was a continuation of the other vision or something completely different, so I thought we should consider the worst outcome."
"I agree," Natsu nodded, "Two visions; that doesn't seem hard too hard for us to work through."
Carla began to grow uncomfortable. "Thuh- There's one more; it was the first one I had tonight, and I'm certain it's not related to any of the others."
"Hm?" Natsu cocked his eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"The man in the yellow armor was sprawled against the ground. I couldn't tell if he was still alive, but that wasn't the disturbing part. The disturbing part was that the black aura surrounding him was gone. It was latched onto someone else. The person with the black aura was holding Archenemy, but it wasn't Kagura," Carla grimaced, "Kagura was beneath the person, and her blood covered the blade."
"Did you see who the person was?" Natsu awaited a response, but Carla hesitated. "Was it Acnologia?" He began to grit his teeth in disgust.
Carla grew silent for a few moments, and she shook her head. Her uncomfortable posture was enough for Natsu to deduce who she was referring to. "Me…" He whispered.
Carla reluctantly nodded.
"Well," Natsu released a sigh, "That's a lot to take in."
Carla attempted to distract Natsu because she was unable to determine how affected he was by her visions. "Do any of those visions mean something to you?" Carla continued.
"I could make a few guesses," Natsu sarcastically replied, "Did the man in yellow armor have a mask that looked something like this?" Natsu paused to retract the fractured piece of Ivan Dreyar's gold mask from his desk. It was the same piece handed to him from the Magic Council after they conducted the necessary forensic tests on it. He held the piece to his face, slightly obstructing half of it.
Carla immediately recoiled in fear as her eyes widened in horror. "You know things that I don't: things that the rest of the Tenrou group doesn't know, either."
Natsu nodded, "And I already told you that they're not as simple as you make it out to be. Once I figure out where to start, you won't be in the dark anymore. Your vision will make more sense."
Carla anxiously avoided eye contact with her Guild Master. "Uh- And that's all I'm going to get out from you tonight?"
Natsu nodded. "When you brought up Tenrou Island, I was considering kicking you out of the guild hall, so if I were you, I'd consider myself lucky."
"Fine. If you rather be left alone, I'll leave you to your big desk and empty office." She scoffed. Carla was ready to float out of the office. Just as she was about to close the door behind her, she heard Natsu's voice call out. "Carla?"
"What is it now?"
Natsu hesitated, but his compassionate persona emerged. "About Wendy… I realize that you haven't seen eye to eye with me on many matters, but everything I did these past seven years was for this guild hall. I sometimes get so caught up in trying to protect it that I forget to notice what's right in front of my eyes. Thank you for being there for Wendy throughout all the times I couldn't."
Carla sighed to herself in guilt. She floated back towards her Guild Master and tugged at his pink hair. "Wendy always looked up to you, and she will continue looking up to you. Never forget that, Natsu."
"That's MASTER Natsu to you."
"Don't push your luck."
The two of them shared a laugh.
Thank you for your time!
