"This is the new Fairy Tail?" Ace asked, looking at the beaten up and rural looking guild. He liked their old one more, even though this one was kind of cute. "And now that I'm not cursed anymore, and Master said I can go back to living outside the guild, I bet we were kicked out of our apartment."

"We needed a three bedroom anyways," Sabo commented lightly. "Though this Fairy Tail building… it's kind of cute." Elfman told him real men didn't say things were cute. Sabo rolled his eyes. Ace took both of his friends' hands as they walked up to the place. He said there was a scuffle going on inside, and the moment they entered through the large double doors, the people harassing their remaining members were beaten easily.

It was sad they could beat them so easily, when the rest were unable to handle them. Maybe something else had happened. Ace was still leaking magic power, but it had become bearable. It didn't affect those around him or the environment, but had not left completely. Ace really hoped it would stick around this time. That the magic of the island and how it purged him of the curse had granted him lasting magic. The ability to change into a dragon. He'd even been able to turn his arms into dragon arms.

Though now they had Wendy to fix him up if it went wrong! He would definitely try. Want to be strong like the rest of the Tenrou group. How sad it would have been to be left behind if Master didn't take him along with them. All his friends presumed dead. Erza, gone. The Master, who accepted all of him from the start, dying would have been heartbreaking.

But that hadn't happened, and he couldn't be more glad.

"We're home!" Natsu announced to the small group of guild members that had stuck around. It hurt that so many had left. Though with all of them gone for seven years, he couldn't blame them. Especially since Bisca said they had grown to be a very weak guild. She and Alzack were together now, married. Ace was happy for them.

"You're so young!"

"You haven't changed at all!"

"What happened here!"

The seven year group were all crying at the return, maybe not believing it, but still crying nonetheless. The one who looked the most different was Romeo. Now he was older than Ace was. Older than Marco an Sabo, too. How weird! He was dressed like Natsu, and Ace chuckled at it. Marco got it, too, and commented that he sure was a Natsu fan. "Hehe, yeah."

Romeo cried, and welcomed them all home. Everyone had no choice but to believe this was real, and that the story of Mavis saving them had been true. There was a party, but Ace was distracted. He wanted to try it out. The magic was still there, and he didn't want it to disappear before he tried.

While everyone else was drinking and socializing, Ace asked for Wendy to come with him to the yard. "Oh, sure." Carla came too, seeming suspicious for some reason. When they got outside, Ace could still easily hear everyone partying, laughing and crying together. It was lively, and was definitely how Fairy Tail was always supposed to be.

"I want to try shifting, and want you here in case I need to be healed. Is that okay?"

"That's reckless! We know what happened to your arm last time you tried forcing it!" Carla protested. Wendy told her it was Ace's choice. And he deserved to try. Ace was kind of surprised with the response, as was the Exceed. She didn't protest further, and Ace took off his clothes but his underwear, which made Wendy blush.

Not that Ace was especially muscular. Despite being born 18 years ago, he was still only almost twelve. He took a deep breath and easily and painlessly changed into a dragon and back. He was glad to have his underwear on, and told Wendy she didn't need to cover her eyes. He wasn't naked. Her face was still red, but she looked relieved. Even though she'd seen Gray butt naked before.

He transformed his arms into scaled, clawed hands. Then he grew wings out of his back, eyes bright and wide. "I can do it! I did it, look!" he cheered. But he was unable to fly, and would need practice. He unleashed more magic, and flowers grew where the grass decayed. Destroyed but rebuilt in a prettier way.

"Congratulations, Ace-san!" Wendy said happily. Ace sucked the wings back in, and changed his arms into his normal ones, nothing wrong with him! No injury, no pain! He was overjoyed, and truly wished for these things to stay the same. Now that he had a taste of this power of his true self mixing with his body, he would be devastated if it disappeared.

He wanted to be able to be both parts of him. Looking at the sky, he felt a great deal of hope. There wasn't a single trace of the curse. Blind in one eye was no big deal as long as it wasn't because the information was going somewhere else. Seven years passed, and their lives were uprooted, but Ace was happy.

-x-

"I never met them," Ace said, sitting at the bar, looking at the other guilds that came to meet them. "And they don't know me."

"Why not?" Sabo wondered. Ace said it was during his time he was missing. A lot happened while he was gone. Wendy said now was the time, and dragged him over, his protesting. But she introduced him immediately to Lamia Scale. They were all much older than them. "This is Ace. He was gone when we all worked together last ye- seven years ago!" she said. Ace was awkward, and waved.

The man named Jura, a wizard saint with a bald head and long black beard, looked at him in appraisal. "What is your magic, Ace? You seem quite powerful." Ace blushed, and simply said magic seemed to just flow off of him now. He couldn't control it into any real magic. "Really? I've never heard of someone who lets off completely raw magic," he said in surprise and interest.

"Ace is also a dragon!" Natsu said, earning a punch to the head by Erza for spilling it.

The other guilds looked at him in disbelief, but Ace didn't lie. "I do have dragon powers." Sherry didn't believe him, but wasn't rude about it. Wendy encouraged Ace to show them, saying he should be proud of it. He smiled at her, thinking she was a good person. A truly good one. So Ace changed his arms, and grew wings, not thinking about the fact that they ripped his shirt apart.

"It's only recently that I can use it. It used to hurt me a lot," Ace said, admiring his scaled arms. He never transformed his feet because he didn't want to ruin his boots. Jura was smiling, seeming truly impressed, while the others were shocked. Though Lyon was too busy fawning over Juvia to see.

"I thought the only dragon alive was Acnologia!"

"Hey, Igneel is alive, too!"

"And Grandeeney!" Wendy added. "Ace is just the only one we know of… besides Ac-Acnologia." Some of them were frightened to say that name. Based on the fact that it nearly killed them multiple times, and caused their seven year disappearance. Jura asked if Ace had any big plans with his dragon powers.

Ace blushed, and said that he preferred easier jobs with his two friends. He was excited to go on jobs again. Even though the job board was nearly completely bare. "I'm not the right material to be a big name in the guild," he said honestly. Sherry said he was adorable with his simplicity. It kind of annoyed Ace, but he didn't say so.

When he went back to the counter, Macao told him that they had kept Ace's monthly money safe. He had millions of jewels in savings now. "Why didn't you use it to keep the guild?!" Ace demanded in anger. Wakaba said it wasn't their money, and it felt wrong to take it. The boy wished they'd used it up. He was presumed dead. But it seemed Boodle kept paying. He'd come up with more lacrima uses.

The man was a billionaire now. But Ace was a saint to all those who had no money to pay their rent. He gave them all enough money to pay it off. They were all grateful. Ace had plenty of money for paying for the rent of a new place that the three boys were looking for. Marco was masquerading as an adult to do so.

Life would go to a new normal, and that's all they could ask for.

-x-

"I'm sorry. I have to. You aren't safe here like you are." Ace stared up at a big, blurry figure. It looked like a big animal with wings. His vision wasn't very good, but he heard the kind voice. It was gruff, but kind. It nuzzled his tiny face, him knowing he was tiny, and suddenly, Ace was in a different shape. He was a human! "You'll learn how to live safely. Follow the feeling of magic and you'll be safe."

Ace was confused, but did as he was told, and cluelessly toddled through the city, confused but too young to really know anything changed. He was a baby, but now he could walk on two legs. It was different. The flash of light when he was alone in the rain had been confusing, and was still imprinted in his vision.

His daddy would come back for him. But he never did, and Ace's memories of him faded very quickly. Soon, all he knew was being a human, but not remembering anything before. His first real memory that he could recall even now was of a kind girl with red hair, and warm and bright building.

Ace jerked awake, sitting up and breathing quickly, covered in sweat. He felt tears dripping down his cheeks, and wiped them. That… that was definitely a memory! The earliest memory he ever had! His parent was the one to "curse" him! The Master said it was for his own safety, too.

Now he knew that was a fact. He sniffled, now knowing he had a loving father. But he was gone. Ace would probably never see him again. He could only be thankful that he sent him someplace like Fairy Tail. Though he wished he knew his name, or his face. All he knew was a blurry figure, a blurry dragon with no details.

He left his room of his new place, and went to get a glass of water, his hands still shaking. What brought that memory on? Was it because he was practicing shifting at any time? Because he finally was able to embrace his dragon side? Even though he was originally a dragon, his human body felt like his real one.

He wiped his eyes again and drank the water, letting out a deep sigh afterwards. He went back to bed, managing to fall asleep, but had no more memory dreams.

When he woke up and the three had breakfast, Ace told them about his dream. Both were shocked. "You remembered your dragon parent?" Sabo asked in awe. Ace nodded, but said he was unable to see what they looked like. "They didn't curse you, they turned you into a human for your safety in the human world."

"It sure felt like a curse for a long time. Though it felt more like I was cursed to be a dragon, and I was originally a human. I wish I knew what he looked like, or at least his name. I never knew anything before I was a human. But I feel like I was much younger than four as a dragon, since my sight was so poor."

"You'd probably be more likely to make it while you could walk and think. As an infant, you would have been completely and utterly helpless. If they could turn you into a human, I think it's safe to assume they would be able to alter your age," Marco hypothesized.

Ace said he didn't want anyone else to know. "Why?"

"I don't know. I just don't want them to know. I really don't know why, but please don't tell them." Both his best friends promised not to tell anybody. "I wonder now if I'll get more memories."

"Why do you sounds so scared?"

"...I'm afraid to remember my missing time. Where I was so badly injured and cursed. I don't want to remember, even if it gives me answers about why I was cursed in the first place. It's gone, and I want to move on. I don't want to remember," Ace said quietly. Marco and Sabo didn't really have anything else to say to it.

Marco finally settled with the fact the guild would help him deal with it if he did remember. Ace nodded, knowing it was true, even if he really didn't want it to come to that. They finished breakfast, and left to go on a job.

-x-

"Ah, it feels so good to go on a job again!" Ace cheered, getting off of the train. "I don't think I've gotten to go on a job with both of you yet!" Sabo and Marco looked surprised, and realized that was the truth. It was their first time all together. It was to go and investigate a forest that had started to die.

The three were smart, so surely they'd find out what it was. They walked along the path, Sabo's backpack full of food and water, Marco's first aid supplies, and Ace had the big shared sleeping bag and clothes. The three walked along the long path, this place being quite far from Magnolia.

They walked past two older teens, who turned to them, and walked over. Marco asked if they could help them. "Heh, are you Fairy Tail wizards, then?" the blonde asked. All three of them wore clothes that exposed their guild marks. Ace nodded simply. The blonde teen looked mocking at them. "What kind of guild has kids in it?" he asked rudely.

"Actually, most of the guild joined when we were kids. It's not so weird," Ace replied calmly. "Who are you?"

"We're from the number one guild in Fiore. You 'fairies' had fallen to the number one worst guild."

"Well, we'll get back up eventually. Excuse us, we're going on a job. Congrats for being in a strong guild," Ace replied civilly. This seemed to piss both of the blonde, while the black haired one stayed quiet, no expression on his face. Sabo gave them a nasty glare while Ace and Marco just looked ahead.

When they were out of sight, Marco and Sabo started laughing. "You're more mature than literally almost everyone else in the guild!" Marco laughed. Ace flushed, and said he didn't like being mean or arguing. "But those guys were total assholes."

"The black haired guy wasn't rude. It was only the blonde one. I bet the're from Sabertooth. The guild we were told about being number one. I don't like them," Ace said simply. "And they smelled like Wendy and Natsu. And Gajeel. So they were probably dragon slayers."

"You know Natsu and Gajeel would totally throw a fit if they were here instead of us," Sabo said casually. Ace and Marco nodded in agreement. The blonde one was quite rude, and Ace had no desire to see him again. He wasn't afraid of dragon slayers anymore. Not even ones that weren't on his side.

When they got to the forest, the person who gave the notice was an older man who lived in a hut. The forest was full of fruits that he ate, and they were all poisoned. So he lost a lot of food. It was simple job. Hopefully. The three put their things in the hut for him to watch over for them, and headed into the forest. They had face masks on in case there was any sort of poison inside.

They did see the dead trees. Almost the entire forest was. "Every tree is sick. Unless this was done with magic, it might be irreversible," Marco said, voice muffled through the mask. Ace and Sabo nodded. Since Ace wasn't going to breathe in too much, he couldn't use his sense of smell.

They headed to the center of the forest, and found there was something laying on the ground. It was rotted down, and the three immediately got away. They knew what it was. It was one of the weapons of Zeref! That was the evil that was destroying the forest. "What do we do? There's no way we can do anything with this," Sabo said. All three of them were far from it. "Doesn't it have to be sealed away… or something?" the child asked. Ace had no idea, and Marco didn't either. They weren't equipped to deal with this. They had to get outside help.

"We'll have to abandon this job, and tell the man to leave the area. The evil magic could spread further, right? It stinks," Marco mumbled. They all left the area in a hurry, and headed back to the hut. They were surprised to see it was damaged and smoking.

"Mister!" Ace called, and ran inside. It had been blown apart. "Where'd he go?!" Marco and Sabo searched the room, and found the mad hiding in his bath tub. "Mister, what happened?" He said he hadn't seen it before there was a bright blast of light, pure white and blinding. He changed the subject shockingly quick, and asked about the forest, his forest.

Marco answered. "Sir, we have to get stronger wizards to take care of it. There's something very, very dangerous inside, which is killing the forest. It would be best if you fled the area for now. We don't know how fast we can get help to get rid of it."

"The forest… it's dead?"

"It might be fixable with magic, but we don't know for sure. It's for your safety to leave. I can give you some money to stay somewhere else, or you can seek refuge in our guild while it's taken care of," Ace explained. The man grew angry, defiant and in denial. He yelled at them that they were useless children. "It's true that we're not strong enough to fix this, and we're sorry. But it's still best for you to leave."

"My house is destroyed anyways!" he shouted, but tears were down his face. "My home…" Ace felt so sorry for him. He expressed his deepest condolences. This made the man less angry at them, and he started to pack his things. It was true that his house, in this state, was unlivable. The roof was damaged and the walls were blown apart.

The four left, and headed back the way they came. When they left the area, they saw those two dragon slayers again, smirking at them. Ace narrowed his eyes, feeling he was the one to damage the house. "Fail at your job?" he asked.

"Why don't you go and try? I'm sure you'll enjoy being cursed, since you seem to be an evil person," Sabo said brightly. "Now, excuse us. The adults need to do their job," he sneered. The guy looked furious, and tried to attack them. What was wrong with him? Why was he so aggressive for no reason? It didn't make sense. Guilds were supposed to help people, and it wasn't said that Sabertooth was a dark guild.

Why would a guild with people like this be the number one? He shot a blast at them, but Ace took a chance, and stopped the lazer with his bare hands. The man looked absolutely shocked. "Grow up, jackass," Ace snapped. They walked away, Ace keeping track of them with his senses in case they attacked again. What assholes!

When they got back to the guild a few days later, the three lead the man to an empty room, where he cried over the loss of both his forest and the destruction of his home. They went to the Master. Well, Makarov. Macao was the guild Master right now, even though it didn't really fit. "How did the job go?" he asked. He sounded suspicious, since they let in a stranger.

"We found the source of the rotted forest. Its a weapon of Zeref. We couldn't do anything about it, so we took him to safety," Marco explained. Makarov looked baffled, and said he would call the magic council for this. It was a big deal and a huge danger if someone wong got it. They had to hope the idiots of Sabertooth either didn't go to it, or died touching it.

After they informed Makarov about it, they headed to the table, and ranted over Sabertooth and their two dragon slayers. And how cool and collected the three had been. "You stopped a dragon slayer attack with your bare hands?!" Lucy asked in shock.

"Yeah, but it was really reckless. I shouldn't have done that," he said, ashamed with knowing how stupid it was to do such a thing. He had no idea he wouldn't be affected by it, and could have been seriously hurt.

"Nahaha! Nows they know even the kids of Fairy Tail are strong!" Natsu laughed. Happy nodded in agreement. "But seriously, a weapon of Zeref? Like that Lullaby?"

Erza nodded. "It was the right choice for you three to come back and get help when you couldn't deal with it," she praised, making the three best friends smile in pride and flattery. Makarov came out and said he explained everything to the magic council and that they'd be handling it safely. Ace sighed in relief that they'd done the right thing. "We just have to hope those two Sabertooth members don't mess with it."

"The blonde seemed prideful enough to think he could handle it," Sabo said in irritation. Ace stood up and gathered some food before taking it to the refugee. He gave him the plate of food and water.

"The magic council will take care of the weapon, and then we can see if your home is habitable again. It can always be rebuilt. And if you can't live in that place, you can build a house somewhere safer," Ace said kindly. The man took the food and mug of juice, and nodded sadly. He looked up, and sincerely thanked Ace for his kindness. "I'm just sad we couldn't fix it then and there," Ace confessed. "We took up the job but couldn't handle it. It's a disgrace to a guild wizard."

"I had no idea it was something that dangerous. If I did, I would have seeked help elsewhere. Fairy Tail is the weakest guild." Ace winced at that. "But I'm rooting for you guys now. Screw those Sabertooth brats." Ace smiled and thanked him. He promised to try and make his stay comfortable. "My name is Woopslap, not mister." Ace nodded, and said it was nice to meet him. "You're pretty strong, aren't you? You took that blast without a problem!"

Ace flushed. "Well, my hands did sting a little afterwards. I think I was just lucky this time. It would have been smarter to dodge. I'm just glad they didn't hurt any of us." Woopslap agreed. Ace sat with him for awhile before he was comfortable coming out into the main room of the guild to get a drink. Ace hoped he got to return to his home some day.

-x-

"There! Your new house!" Ace cheered, looking at the bigger hut on the outskirts of the nearest town to his forest. There was no reversing the damage to the area, even after the weapon of Zeref was removed and taken care of by the magic council. The three got no reward, but were just glad the job ended up completed safely. It looked like the Sabertooth dragon slayers hadn't touched it, which was good.

Woopslap had been sad that he lost his home and forest, but had a fairly bright outlook, and liked his new home. Ace paid for it all, since it was their fault they angered Sabertooth, and they also were unable to cleanse the forest. Nobody was, but the three felt responsible for not being able to take care of it.

Erza and Mira kept trying to tell them it wasn't their fault, since they had no idea the cheap and simple job would be something like that. It was true, but they still couldn't help but feel bad. At least they were able to help Woopslap in the end. After his house was finished, they had a big meal inside, the four of them and the volunteers who'd helped build the place, and then left.

"I'm rooting for you becoming number one again, Fairy Tail kids!" Ace grinned, and waved back. The three were in a good mood, and headed back home.

When they got back, they were refreshed from the job, regardless of not being paid in the end. The man had offered, but with him needing to buy all new furniture, they didn't want to take his money. Boodle heard of their return and was sending even more money and lacrimas now since they missed out on seven years of rent.

It seemed he had no concept about how money worked for the regular folks. Well, money was money. It was great to have free money in hard times.