Chapter 2: Their Departure

'Thinking' – thoughts

"Speaking" – speech

'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking

"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.

-Fairy Tail Guildhall-

"Master, aren't you going to stop Natsu?" Lucy asked with a worried expression. 'This isn't how things are supposed to go,' Lucy thought in a panic but expertly hid it.

"He is just emotional right now, I'm sure he will be back tomorrow," Makarov said with all the confidence he could muster.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Lucy said with a relieved sigh. Most of the members shared Lucy's relief. Natsu was the heart of the guild, always cheering everyone up and pulling through when they face insurmountable odds. Most of the members that is, there were a select few who could pick up on the fear in Makarov's voice. They knew the chances that Natsu wouldn't return were next to certain.

Lucy returned to the infirmary to fully recover while Erza and Gray stayed by her side, just to be sure no one tried to attack her again. The rest of the guild had already left with Makarov being the only remaining member besides the three in the infirmary.

'I truly do hope Natsu returns to us, maybe if Gildarts was here Lisanna wouldn't have attacks poor Lucy, and then Natsu wouldn't have left,' Makarov thought as he made his way out of the guildhall and on his way home.

"He won't be coming back," a voice Makarov knew all too well said from the shadows.

"What are you doing back here Laxus?" Makarov asked his grandson.

"I was in the area, and I felt a change in a specific magical signature, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I caught word of what happened earlier. To be honest, I hope it wasn't what I suspected but after passing him a little while ago while I was on my way back from talking to my old team and what Bickslow told me relating to what I felt, I know you messed up big time," Laxus said. The thing that shocked Makarov the most was the sadness he heard in his grandson's expression.

"What do you mean Laxus?" Makarov asked, hoping what he felt was just his imagination.

"Bickslow can see people's souls, and what he saw when Natsu brought his own flame to his guild mark, it scared him," Laxus said as he steeled his eyes. Makarov frowned again.

'We have to get him back and make sure he understands why we had to expel Lisanna, she was a danger to the guild,' Makarov thought. He was about to reply to Laxus when he felt an electric shock pass through the air and only managed to see the last trail of his grandson's lighting body disappearing in the night sky.

With a heavy sigh, Makarov continued walking down the road and soon found himself only a few blocks away from the Strauss sibling's home.

-Inside the Strauss siblings home-

There was a knock on the door that surprised the three siblings. After seeing the guild's reaction to Lisanna getting expelled and combining that with how she was treated this past week they hadn't expected anyone to visit them.

With the expulsion still fresh in their minds, and fearing that someone came here to exact revenge Mira decided to open the door, ready to activate her magic if anyone was to threaten her sister.

She slowly opened the door only to see a mop of pink hair accompanied by a ball of blue fur.

"Natsu and Happy?" Mira asked surprised. She was a little on edge as she felt a dark aura coming from the Dragon Slayer.

"Hey Mira, is Lisanna here?" Natsu asked, his voice carried a lot of anger.

"What do you want with her?" Mira asked defensively. She didn't see the scene that Natsu made and hearing the anger she feared that Natsu was here to retaliate.

"I want to make sure she is okay. I don't know what happened to the guild, but I don't care anymore. Lisanna didn't do anything and I won't ever lose her again," Natsu said with determination.

"She's in her room," Mira said with a warm smile as she stepped to the side, allowing Natsu to enter.

"Can you look after Happy for a moment please?" Natsu asked as he placed a bag on the floor and handed the sleeping Happy to Mira.

"Sure, but why do you have a bag?" Mira asked as she took the sleeping ball of fur.

"I can't stay in a guild that does this to a family member," Natsu said with venom in his voice before turning around and walking towards the stairs that led to Lisanna's room. Mira was able to see the burnt flesh on his shoulder where a red Fairy Tail guild mark once was.

'He burnt off his guild mark?' Mira questioned herself, she knew how proud Natsu was of his guild mark, so for him to do something like this…

Natsu gently knocked on Lisanna's door and after he heard a soft "enter" he opened the door to see the white-haired maiden sitting on her bed with a packed bag, tears still streaming down her face. She lifted her teary blue eyes to see the man she loved standing in her door with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Hey there, how are you feeling?" Natsu asked gently and with so much care in his voice that Lisanna felt another wave of tears forming in her eyes. She slowly stood up and Natsu could see the hurt increasing in her eyes. Natsu quickly embraced her in a warm hug as she let her tears fall onto his vest soaking it.

"There, there I'm here for you," Natsu said in a soft and caring voice as he stroked Lisanna's hair. His face darkened as he looked out of her window towards the Fairy Tail guildhall as rage started seeping into his expression.

"Na-Natsu?" Lisanna asked with a bit of fear edging into her voice as she felt the Dragon Slayer's magic flaring up. She lifted her eyes and saw the rage on Natsu's face, which quickly disappeared when he looked down at her, being replaced with care and concern.

"I'm fine, but are you?" Natsu asked as he looked into Lisanna's eyes, refusing to let her go.

"This just isn't how I expected thing to be. I was hoping that I could be with you, but now…" Lisanna said in a soft voice that trailed away, not wanting to voice her fears.

"Lisanna, I can't stand losing you again. I would rather die than see you leaving me again after just getting you back," Natsu softly replied as he squeezed her gently.

"But how can you be with me? You heard Master Makarov, I am an enemy of Fairy Tail," Lisanna choked out as she let out another sob.

"The moment they threw you out was the moment I was done with them, if they see you as an enemy then I have a new foe," Natsu said, anger entering his voice. Lisanna's sobs quieted down as she heard this, a confused frown forming on her face.

"What do you mean Natsu?" Lisanna asked, knowing how much Natsu loved Fairy Tail.

"I mean if the guild sees my mate as an enemy then they will feel the wrath of a Dragon," Natsu said as his eyes changed from his normal onyx orbs to golden draconic eyes with red slits.

"M-Mate?" Lisanna asked as a blush took over her face.

"Yes Lisanna, you are my mate, I was actually going to ask you on another mission tomorrow to tell you but then all of this happened. Lisanna, I love you," Natsu said with a sheepish grin on his face as he smiled down to Lisanna.

New tears formed in Lisanna's eyes, but instead of tear of sorrow, these were tears of joy. Natsu loved her. Natsu really just told her he loved her. An angelic smile made it to her face as she stood up onto her toes and smashed her lips onto Natsu's. Lisanna melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck. Natsu quickly tightened his hold around Lisanna's waist and deepened the kiss.

Mira had heard the new wave of sobs coming from her sister's room and made her way up the stairs to see what was happening only to see Natsu and Lisanna sharing their first kiss. A serene smile made its way onto Mira's face as she saw that at least one thing went her sister's way today.

Another knock at the door caused Mira to turn away from the heart-warming scene and retreat down the stairs. She opened the door still having her serene smile on her face.

"Mira?" Makarov asked in confusion seeing the smile on Mira's face. He was expecting anger or sorrow, but certainly not joy. Mira's expression quickly changed to a cold glare once she heard Master Makarov's voice.

"What do you want?" Mira asked in an icy cold voice. Makarov was taken aback by the sudden change but wasn't surprised by her tone.

"Have you seen Natsu, he made a scene after you left and I am beginning to worry about the boy," Makarov asked, hoping that Mira would be willing to give him an answer.

"I have nothing to say to you," Mira simply said and closed the door. Before she could fully close it however Makarov grabbed hold of the door.

"Please Mira, I am really worried about him, I felt a change in his magic when he left," Makarov pleaded.

"What do you even care?" Natsu's voice sounded from the top of the stairs. Mira turned around to look at the Dragon Slayer and was surprised to see two draconic eyes peering down at them. Makarov flinched at the venom in Natsu's voice, never before had he heard the young mage speak with so much venom, not even to enemies such as Gajeel after he had beaten team Shadow Gear to a near-death state.

"Natsu, are you okay my boy?" Makarov asked with a fatherly tone, hoping that Natsu would reply with less venom. The silence that followed hurt more than any words that could have come from Natsu. The only response, being a death glare that didn't seem to fit on Natsu's face.

"Please consider coming to the guild tomorrow, everyone is worried," Makarov said with a sigh as he turned to walk away.

"As if I would ever return to a guild full of traitors," Natsu sneered as Master Makarov left. A single tear fell from the old man's eyes as he heard the hate in Natsu's voice.

Mira saw two slender arms wrapping around Natsu's middle and couldn't help but smile. Her sister would be able to pull through this. The rest of the night consisted of packing the things they would need for the journey until midnight where they stood in front of what was their home for the past six years.

"Where will we go now?" Elfman asked as the four stood outside the house.

"As far away from here as possible," Natsu replied, his distaste of Fairy Tail evident in his voice as he pulled Lisanna closer to him. And with that, they made their way to the train station, no real destination in mind.

-Fairy Tail Guildhall-

Makarov had arrived early at the guild, a sombre expression on his face. The anger and hate he heard in Natsu's voice still lingering in his mind. He raised his eyes to look at the infirmary door opening revealing Erza and Gray coming out.

"Good morning Master," Erza greeted the old man as she made her way over to the bar.

"Hello my child, everything went smoothly during the night I assume?" Makarov asked.

"Yeah, no one came to try and do something," Gray reported as he made his way to a chair next to Makarov's.

"That's good to hear," Makarov said while looking down into the mug he was holding, his sombre expression still etched on his face.

"Are they still here Master?" Erza asked, noticing the look Makarov had and guessing that it was because of the Strauss siblings still being in town.

"No, they left around midnight," Makarov answered shortly. Erza waited for an explanation as to why he had a sombre expression but after a minute of not getting an explanation, she gave up and waited for the rest of the guild to arrive.

As the sun rose in the sky the members of the guild slowly trickled in. Most of the members asked either Gray or Erza how Lucy was doing and whether everything went smoothly during the night. The only members who refrained from these questions were Gajeel, who just went to his normal seat and narrowed his eyes as he observed the guild. This was however not too different from his usual behaviour, but he would growl at anyone who came to close bar Levy.

The next group of members who didn't question Erza or Gray were the Thunder Legion. They had troubled expressions and kept to themselves, only giving short greetings but never developing the conversations further than a 'Hello'.

When the guild doors opened to reveal a small blue-haired girl, Gajeel and the Thunder Legion's expressions softened in understanding while most of the other members were more confused by her puffy red eyes, evidence that she had been crying throughout the night. Luckily for Wendy Carla had been there for her to comfort her, finally getting her to sleep by reminding her about Makarov's words, from after the incident yesterday.

"Hey Wendy, don't look so sad. Lucy is fine, she'll be up and running again by tomorrow," Erza said to the small girl in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Yeah, and you don't have to be afraid that something like that would happen to you, she's gone now," Gray added. They didn't see the narrowed gazes they received from the Thunder Legion, nor heard the growl coming from Gajeel.

"Where is Natsu?" Wendy asked in a hoarse voice as her puffy eyes fell on Master Makarov's small form. She didn't see the Master flinch at hearing the Fire Dragon Slayer's name, nor the pained expression that flashed on his face.

"He hasn't arrived yet my child," Makarov answered in a steady voice, not revealing how he truly felt.

"B-But you said he would be back," Wendy said with a shaky voice. Makarov felt as if his heart was stabbed by a knife.

"I'm sure he will be here soon," Makarov offered with a gentle smile, not wanting the poor girl to cry any more than she already had.

"Cut the crap Master, tell her the truth," Gajeel growled out from his spot, gaining the attention of the guild.

"What do you mean Gajeel?" Makarov asked, feigning ignorance.

"If you don't have the guts to tell her I'll do it. I'm really sorry to say this Squirt, but Salamander isn't coming back," Gajeel said with a sympathetic tone.

"N-No," Wendy softly said as tears began to form in her eyes again.

"Why would you lie to her like that Gajeel?" Erza asked in a strict tone as she advanced on the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Come on Master, tell them the truth," Gajeel said, completely ignoring Erza.

"Hey, is Natsu here yet?" Lucy's voice sounded from the infirmary door. As soon as those words left her mouth Wendy broke down crying and a loud growl came from Gajeel. He might not be the most affectionate guy but when one of his own breaks down because someone can't read the room he won't stay silent.

"What's gotten into you Gajeel?" Erza shouted as she gained a serious expression and glared at the black-haired man, the glare she usually used when someone was about to experience pain.

"Don't go glaring at me like that Titania. It isn't my fault Blondie can't read a room, and we all know what I'm talking about. You all must have forgotten that Salamander burnt his own guild mark off," Gajeel replied, raising his voice at the end and standing up.

"Natsu is immune to fire, he can't get burnt, stop with this nonsense," Erza demanded only to get a dry chuckle from Gajeel.

"Never took you for an idiot Titania. You might not realise this just yet, but Salamander will always protect what is his and yesterday you guys forced him to make a choice," Gajeel said as he walked over to the sobbing Wendy.

"We never forced Flame Brain to make a choice," Gary huffed.

"Come on Squirt, why don't we go see if we can find him," Gajeel said to Wendy in an uncharacteristically soft tone. Wendy only gave a nod through her sobs as she clutched onto Carla, allowing Gajeel to lead her out of the hall.

"Master, what was Gajeel talking about when he said we forced a choice onto Natsu?" Levy asked in a careful tone, unsure whether she wanted an answer. This caused Master Makarov to let out a heavy sigh as he downed what remained of his drink.

"I guess there is no choice but to accept it. Natsu has left Fairy Tail just like Gajeel said. He removed his guild mark and already left Magnolia. The choice Gajeel referred to was whether to stay here or leave with the Strauss siblings," Makarov explained with a saddened expression. He didn't think he made a mistake kicking Lisanna out, but losing Natsu was a heavy blow to the guild as a whole, not just for his power, but for the atmosphere he brought wherever he went.

"But why would Natsu choose her, she really hurt Lucy bad, Juvia thought he always protected his family?" Juvia asked in confusion.

"I don't have an answer for you there," Makarov sighed. The guild was silent, each member trying to make sense of what had happened and attempting to come to terms with what transpired.

"D-Do, do you think he will come back?" Levy asked the question Makarov didn't want to be asked.

"I'm sorry my child, but I don't think that is likely," Makarov softy answered. Most of the Fairy Tail members had troubled expressions after hearing the soft reply while a few members had more specific reactions.

'What is my dad going to do when he returns?' Cana thought. She knew how close those two were and that they shared a father-son bond that she was secretly jealous of.

'This is almost the same feeling from when Laxus was excommunicated, yet it feels worse,' was a common thought shared by the Thunder Legion.

'This isn't how it should have played out,' Lucy angrily thought but did well to hide it behind a saddened expression.

-With the Strauss siblings and Natsu-

The sun started shining through the windows of the train cart illuminating the once dark room. Inside were five figures, on one side a large muscular man and a beautiful girl with long hair and in her lap was a ball of blue fur, on the other side another beautiful girl with short hair and a pink-haired man resting his head on her lap.

"What are we going to do from here on out?" Lisanna asked as she played with Natsu's hair who fell asleep on her lap as soon as the train started moving.

"I don't know Lisanna, but whatever it is we will have to get money if we are going to survive," Mira replied while looking out of the window, thinking about possible solutions.

"Even though being in a guild is manly, I just don't know if I would feel comfortable," Elfman said with a sigh that was quickly mimicked by his sisters.

"I don't think I want to join a guild right now," Lisanna said with a shaky voice, memories of yesterday still fresh in her mind. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she was stopped when a gentle yet warm hand reached up and cupped her cheek. Lisanna smiled down to the pink-haired man in her lap.

"I don't know about other jobs really since the only thing I know about is working in a guild. But I agree with Elfman that joining a guild doesn't sound like the most fun idea at the moment," Natsu said as he looked up at Lisanna with a soft smile.

"I know that Mira and I can easily get jobs at restaurants or bars, but for the two of you I can't really think about anything else but guild work," Lisanna agreed with a giggle while trying to imagine Natsu and Elfman serving tables or manning a bar.

"Then why don't we start our own guild?" Natsu asked with a smirk. The confusion on the Strauss siblings faced didn't last as grins started forming as Natsu's grin was contagious.

"You always come up with the silliest ideas Natsu," Mira giggled but agreed that forming a guild would be the easiest solution for all of them to find some sort of work.

"Being in a guild is manly, and when that guild is started by you and your family it's even more manly," Elman said with a massive manly grin.

"Starting a guild won't be easy," Lisanna warned the enthusiastic men but couldn't help having a smile form on her face as she saw the grinning expressions on the three people that meant the most to her in the world.

"Lisanna's right you guys. First, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be filled out and we need to get, not only the Council's approvement but also the approvement of the residence in whatever town we decide to settle, after that we need to get something akin to a guildhall and decide on who the master should be, guild rules and everything else that involves running a guild," Mira said in a serious tone as she listed everything she had learned about how a guild work throughout the years she worked as a barmaid and the time she had to fill in for Master Makarov while he was out.

"I think getting the Council to approve us will be the hardest," Natsu said in an embarrassed tone. The young Dragon Slayer was aware of the destruction he caused even though he never tried to destroy everything. It's hard to control fire because it's alive and can grow on its own.

"Don't worry Natsu, the past few jobs we went on you didn't destroy nearly as much as you usually did, and with a bit of training I'm sure you will be able to complete jobs with absolutely no collateral damage," Lisanna said to the pinkette with a smile.

"Controlling your power is manly," Elfman stated which got a laugh from the other three. Some things will never change.

"Anyone got any ideas as to what town we might be able to start a guild in?" Lisanna asked once everyone calmed down. Thoughtful expressions took over the other three mages faces as they all began running the possible towns without guilds through their minds.

"The only towns I can think of are a bit too close to Magnolia for my liking," Mira finally said. The prolonged period of time where she didn't take missions limited her knowledge to what was close to Magnolia. Elfman didn't come up with anything that might work so all eyes fell to Natsu.

"I remember one of the towns I visited while looking for Igneel didn't have a guild, and there weren't any guilds close by. They even asked me if I could take care of a few monsters that were bothering them, saying that no guild had accepted their request because they were so secluded," Natsu said with a thoughtful expression.

"That might be the best place, and if it's as secluded as you say, maybe we won't have to worry about anyone trying to stir up trouble for Lisanna again, at least until we have found our place there," Mira said, liking the idea of being away from people. She didn't want to say it out loud but the situation at the guild reminded her too much of the time before the three siblings arrived at Fairy Tail.

"I promise we will build a home where no one will be kicked out or turned away without a just cause," Natsu said with a determined look as he saw Mira's expression drop a bit. Mira offered him a thankful smile which he returned in full.

"We can worry about the details later, I suggest we first go to this town Natsu mentioned and then we can see where we will go from there," Mira suggested, getting agreements from everyone present.

"To get there we will have to get off the train at Clover Station and then it's a day or two's travel on foot. The town is hidden in a mountain valley but it's really beautiful there," Natsu said.

-Later that day at Fairy Tail-

Wendy and Gajeel had returned with no luck finding Natsu, not that Gajeel expected any positive results but it was the best way to calm the distraught girl down a bit. Wendy could now be found sitting by the bar, a glass of orange juice in her hands and a sad expression on her face.

No one made an attempt to cheer her up because of the growls they got from the Iron Dragon Slayer. Gajeel knew that nothing they would say could cheer the poor girl up since the only one who was capable of doing that was who knows where.

Levy was silently reading a book and the Thunder Legion were talking under themselves, discussing whether they should go on a request now or wait for tomorrow. They would occasionally cast a glance at the bar with worried expressions on their faces. The guild members were mainly doing what they usually did after a day of activity, namely drinking and telling stories or conversing with fellow members, with the only difference being a lack of spontaneous brawls and a less cheerful atmosphere.

The lights in the guildhall dimmed down and a spotlight lit up the stage. Master Makarov walked out onto the stage, gaining the attention of everyone in the guild.

"My children, that time of year is upon us once again. I know some major events have transpired this last couple of months, from a guild war to taking down one of the Balam Alliance main guilds. But there is always one event that happens each year at the same time without fail. In a month I will be announcing who will be participating in the upcoming S-Class promotion trial," Makarov announced. Cheers roared from the gathered mages as the conversations in the guild focused on either members planning on what jobs they would take, or conversing about which members had the best chances of participating.

The latter of the two topics had a bit of a heavier air to it as two of the most promising young mages weren't part of the guild anymore and every now and then one of their names would slip. Mostly it was met with a brief pause in the conversation before the mage corrected themselves, but if the conversation took place too close to the bar a soft sob could be heard coming from the young Sky Maiden.

"Hey Wendy, would you like to come on a mission with us tomorrow?" Wendy heard a gentle male voice asking her. She turned her head to the side only to see a green-haired man looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"You want me to go with you?" Wendy asked surprised. She would never have thought that Freed would invite her on a mission with his team, especially when something as important as the S-Class promotion trial participants is being picked.

"I think it might do you good to get out of here," Freed gently said with a sympathetic look. He knew what it felt like to see your role model leave the guild, but he could imagine that it was worse for the little girl.

"Are you sure, I wouldn't want to hold you guys back," Wendy said in a sad tone, her confidence took a hit when she didn't stand with Natsu and stayed silent.

"It's an easy mission, and like I said, it might do you good to get out of here for the moment," Freed gently said.

"Thank you, when will we leave?" Wendy asked as a small smile graced her face.

"We can leave right away," Evergreen said as the light-brown-haired woman walked up with Bickslow by her side.

"I think I would like that," Wendy said. Carla had watched the interaction in silence but a smile graced her face as she saw Wendy cheering up a bit. She was thankful for the older members for trying to help the girl. She had heard the growls coming from Gajeel whenever someone tried to approach Wendy and she couldn't help but agree with the older Dragon Slayer's decision. Most of the members would have tried to convince her that Natsu leaving and following Lisanna was a mistake which would have only worsen the child's emotional state.

"I'll be coming as well, child, I can't allow these hooligans to corrupt you," Carla said in her usual proper manner, but giving an appreciative smile towards the Thunder Legion. Wendy giggled at the overprotective nature of her feline friend but appreciated it none the less.

Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Wendy and Carla left on a basic quest that would take them to a remote town. The Thunder Legion was hoping that in taking her so far away they could help her come to terms with Natsu not being there and hopefully picking up on some rumours that might just direct them towards where the destructive Dragon Slayer might be.

So I know Happy didn't get much screen time in this chapter but there wasn't really anything that would fit his personality and character. So Natsu and the three Strauss siblings will be starting their own guild. How all of this will come into play in the events of Fairy Tail is still to be seen but for that, you will have to continue reading. Till the next chapter.