Chapter 36

X791

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

X791

Hargeon Harbor

A young boy with a guild emblem on his shoulder stared out into the sea. "You going to stare at it all?" Bisca asked from behind.

"Our job is done, we should head back to the guild." Alzack added. "You're dads gonna worry if we don't get back soon."

The boy just stared at the sea, ignoring the older members. "Your dad made it very clear that we're responisble for you. We gotta get you back home." Bisca said. "I know how you feel but we need to start moving."

"Bisca..." Her husband spoke up before shaking his head.

Romeo just stared out the sea, as if he was waiting for someone. "Natsu..."

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Outside the city of Magnolia stood a farm house with a flag on its front. "Why hasn't Romeo made it back to the guild yet!?" Macao asked, slamming his mug in the table. "I'm gonna be pissed if Alzack and Bisca ditched him to make out!"

"Take it easy." Wakaba said. "It's not like he's a little boy. Hes a young man now."

"How many times do I have to call me master!?" Macao shouted back.

"Master my but!" The smoker shouted. "I've never seen such an incompetent leader in my whole life!"

"So, is it just me... or have we lost a lost a lot of members?" Max asked, looking at the empty hall.

"I guess that's what happens when your guild is as bad as ours." Warren added. "The number of jobs we've gotten has gone down."

"We've still got a few jobs left." Nab said back.

"What's it matter to you? You haven't gone on a job in seven years." Warren reminded him.

Max could only frown as Vijeeter declared a new dance. "If he doesn't cut it out, I'm gonna strangle him."

"Kinana, I'm ready for seconds!" Droy declared, holding a half eat turkey leg.

"Are you sure Droy?" Laki asked. "I think all that food is starting to catch up with you."

"Are trying to call me fat?" Droy asked.

"No, that IS what shes calling you." Jet said. "Have you taken a look in the mirror lately? Reedus was your size and look at him now. Literally everyone else has changed for the better, but you on the other hand..."

"I have to eat a lot because it increases my magic power!" Droy shouted back.

"What do you think Levy would say if she saw you?" Jet asked.

"Levy's never coming back!" The fat man shouted.

The entire guild broke into silence before the doors opened. "How pathetic." A man with a club slung over his shoulder said, flanked by four others. "No matter the time I come here, its always so quiet. No wonder no body does buisness with you chumps."

"Teebo..." Wakaba growled out.

"I thought I told you never to set foot in here again." Macao said.

"Show a little respect for your superiors." Teebo said. "Twilight Ogre is the best guild in Magnolia now. You shpuld be kissing our boots. You used to be the strongest guild in Fiore, but those days are long gone. Look at this dump you call a guildhall. Have you seen the palace we've got in the center of town? Its obvious who can do more for this city."

"Just cause you have a bigger guildhall doesn't mean your better than us." Max said.

"Please, don't give me that spirit crap." Teebo chuckled. "You can't make a living on that."

"What are you doing here? Macao asked.

"We've come for this months payment." Teebo said, shocking the guild.

"You telling me ain't pay them yet, Macao!?" Wakaba asked.

"I told you to call me master!" Macao shouted. "We dont have rhe money because you keep taking all the decent jobs. We'll pay you back next month, so get off our backs!"

"Hey, you should be thanking us for taking your debt!" Teebo declared.

"We wouldn't have taken it if we knew you were planing on charging us." Jet mumbled.

"Please... just give us another month. We'll pay you in full then." Macao begged. Teebo onky glared at him before kicking him back. The Fairy Tail members readied to fight as Kinana helped Macao up. "Stand down, Fairy Tail!" He ordered, and the members could only watch as the Ogres destroyed their hall.

"You got one more month and thats it." Teebo said as the group left.

Their guildhall destroyed, the members began cleaning up when Reedus' sketch book fell open. Pictures of the lost members fell out and stired the emotions of everyone into tears. "Hard to believe its been seven years..." Wakaba whispered.

"When Tenrou was destroyed, we started searching for any sign of them." Jet mumbled out. "So many organizations donated their time and helped us. But we couldn't find a thing. The ethernano levels were so intense that nothing could survive."

"Is Acnologia really that powerful!?" Nab cried out.

"Yes it is!" Warren answered. "It destroyed an entire nation all by itself! Theres no way anyone could face that thing and survive!"

"Without them, the guild was doomed." Max mumbled. "We were left behind, and Magnolia let a new guild take over."

"Maybe its time to call it quits." Wakaba mumbled before glancing over to Macao. "Something wrong?"

"I don't think i can keep this up for much longer..." The master mumbled as tears started falling. "Ever since that day... I haven't seen Romeo smile once."

A rumbling filled the sky and the members raced outside to see a giant ship flying over them. "Is that the new Blue Pegasus ship?" Max asked. Someone then jumoed off the bow and faced planted into the ground. The Trimen then floated down and began flirting with both Laki and Kinana. "Did you just come here to pick up chicks!?"

"Snap out of it!" Ichiya said standing up. "We came on business."

"We've been flying around Fiore, scanning the Ethernano levels in the air." Hibiki explained. "And it seems our hard work has paid off."

"Are you ready for this? Tenrou island may still exist." Ichiya declared, shocking the guild.

The Next Day

Ocean

Bisca stared out from the deck with her binoculars, looking for anything. With a dissapointed sigh, she lowered the eyewear and turned to Alzack. "You sure we're in the right area?"

"It does seem odd that we haven't seen anything." Her husband replied.

"This is where the Blue Pegasus guys told us to go." Warren said. "They said there's something up with the Ethernano levels."

"So what is Ethernano anyway?" Max asked, studying the map.

"Heck if I know, I'm guess it's magic particles or something." The telepath replied before lowering his hand. "Im not picking up anything."

"Hon, I feel kinda bad about leaving Romeo behind." Bisca said.

"Me too." He replied. "Maybe we should have brought him along anyway."

"It's better this way cause there's no guarantee that anyones even alive." Max said, glaring at the dancing Jet and Droy.

"Would you please shut up!?" Warren shouted. "Its been seven years since we last heard from them. We gotta consoder the worst case scenario."

Max gasped in shock making the others focus around him. "Anyone else see that?" He asked. "Its a girl but... she's standing on the water?"

The blonde haired girl smiled and raised her hands high. Beams of light shot up from the ocean and sent the sea into a fury as a domed Tenrou Island rose out of the sea. The glowing dome faded and the girl turned before walking into the island. "She's headed to the shore!" Warren shouted.

"Follow her!" Max shouted.

The ship docked and the crew raced into the woods after the girl. "Any one know who that girl is?" Bisca asked.

"No clue." Alzack said. "All I know is that she helped us find Tenrou Island. Maybe shes taking us to the others."

"Jet, get after her!" Max shouted. The speedster nodded and took off after the girl. Deep in the woods he came to a grinding hault and the others caught up. They followed his eyes and stared down at the broken frame of Natsu.

"Natsu..." Alzack mumbled before the group started shaking him and begging him to wake up.

"Shut up!" The pinkette shouted before being tackled to the ground. "Get off me! And tell me why are you all here!? And why are you so fat, Droy?" A groan caught Bisca and Alzacks attention so they turned to see Happy pop out of the ground. "Okay, this hurting my head. Last thing I remember was getting hit by Acnologia's attack. What about everyone else?"

"There this way." All turned to see the same blonde woman standing over them.

"...Who are you?" Natsu and Happy asked.

"I suppose i should introduce myself." She chuckled. "My name is Mavis Vermillion. The first master of Fairy Tail." Her words shocked the group before she lead them to the others. "When the attack hit, I took everyones feeling of trust, love and friendship and turned them into pure magic power. With it i was able to cast one of the three grand fairy spells, Fairy Sphere. It is an impenetrable defensive spell that will protect whomever is inside it. However, the amount of magic energy used need seven years to dispel."

"I never would have imagined that the first master would save us." Makarov said with a smile.

"No. I had no real power." She replied. "It was your bonds that fueled the spell and this miracle. You've done a wonderful job leading the guild, third master."

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Romeo, I hope you're not to upset about staying behind?" Macao asked his son.

"Nah." Romeo said, never looking up from his book. "Even if they're lucky enough to find Tenrou Island, I doubt that anyone's still alive. They've been gone for seven years."

Macao could only sigh in disappointment as the guild doors opened. "This dump looks even more deserted than yesterday. Looks less like a guild and more like a playhouse."

"Teebo! I thought we agreed that we pay you next month?" The fourth master asked.

"Yeah, I mentioned it to our master." The club wielding man said. "He said no way in hell. He said there's gonna be problems if you don't cough up the money. You better pay up because our master always gets what he wants."

Romeo closed the book and stood up. "Screw your master. You're not getting any money from us today." The boy said walking over. "You may be able to boss dad and the others around because there scared of you-" He held out his hand and purple flames eveloped it. "But I'm not going to disgrace Fairy Tails good name!"

Teebo leaned forward and merely blows out the flames. "Hate to tell ya, but the names already been disgraced." He chuckled drawing his club. "You could train hard your whole life, and you'll never beat me!"

A strong kick sent him flying in into the guild. The other four and were dealt with by getting frozen solid, clubbed by an iron pillar, cracked on the head by a spiked stone ball, and slashed by a sword. The four fell over and the dust settled to show the missing members with smiles on their faces.

"Hey guys." Natsu chuckled.

"Sorry for the wait." Happy said.

The whole guild dropped their jaws in shock and demanded answers. "Well,..." Lucy mumbled before explaining what happened on the just stared at Natsu who smiled at him. "Good to see you Romeo."

The young boy just finaly unleashed all the tears he held back. "Welcome home." The guild erupted into a party, slamming seven years if joy into one night.

"So, you use fire magic too, Romeo?" Natsu asked.

"Looks like things are gonna heat up in the guild, huh?" Happy added.

"I can make cold flame, too." The boy bragged. "And i can make a purple sticky flame like my dad's and a funny smelling yellow flame."

"Didn't you get any better traits from your dad?" Gajeel asked.

"I've seen that magic somewhere..." Natsu mumbled.

"Yeah." Happy agreed.

"Don't tell dad, but I've been going to master Totomaru's Magic class." The boy whispered.

"That guy... I had no idea you'd been doing that." Gajeel said with a smile.

"Man that brings me back!" Natsu cheered. "I still haven't eaten every color of his fire yet. Maybe I should come with you next time."

"Sorry, but bringing up anything about Natsu is strictly taboo." Romeo replied.

"So, you're the forth master of Fairy Tail, huh?" Makarov asked Macao at the bar.

"What are saying?" The fourth master replied. "I was just filling in. You can have your title back."

"No need, this might be interesting. Why don't you stay as master for a while?" He teased, only for Macao to take him seriously.

"They probably won't say anything, but I'm sure they're all gonna be disappointed." Wakaba whispered.

"I know right?" Makarov chuckled out.

"M... Ma... Ma... Married!? You two!?" Erza asked Alzack and Bisca.

"Six years ago." Alzack replied.

"That's right, Erza." Bisca added. "And I was the one who proposed. And then he-"

"Let's stop this right now..." Her husband spoke up.

Erza practically choked out Max in anger and disappointment. "What's wrong with Erza?" Elfman asked.

"Can't blame her." Mirajane chuckled. "I wish i could have seen it too."

"Do you have any children?" Lisanna asked.

"One daughter, her name is Asuka." Alzack answered.

"Um... Reedus..." Wendy mumbled holding a painting of herself. "What is this?"

"Well, when I imagened you seven years older this was what i saw." Reedus replied.

"The breasts..." Wendy mumbled confusing the painter.

"This... is really disgusting." Carla said, holding up a painting of the four Exceeds.

"That's one way to put it." Slate said.

"That reminds me, have all the Exceeds been worrying about is for seven years?" Happy asked.

"Exceeds percive time diffrentlh than humans." Pantherlily answered. "7 years probablh hasn't seem like that big of a deal to them."

The guild doors burst open and five familiar, albeit aged, figures walked in. "Welcome back, everyone!" Sherry cheered as Toby made some kind of weird dog noise.

"Have you all been well?" Jura asked.

"They haven't grown in seven years." Yuka chuckled.

"Looks like it's turned back into a noisy guild again." Lyon smirked.

"Lamia Scale?" Lucy asked.

"When we were searching for Tenrou Island, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale really helped us out." Max explained.

"Looks like we're in their debt." Gray said.

"Don't worry about it." His pseudo-brother replied. "Blue Pegasus made it out there first, but we have much more power."

"In these past seven years, Lamia Scale has climbed up to the number two guild in Fiore." Sherry bragged. "Too bad for you, Lucy."

"So, does that mean Blue Pegasus is number one?" Lucy asked, getting an angry growl from Toby.

"Well, what's important is that everyones okay." Jura said.

Lyon glanced over and found himself staring at Juvia. Instantly, he raced over and stared into her eyes. "Could this be what they call love at first sight?"

"He didn't waste a second..." Lucy mumbled.

"Not this annoying crap again!" Gray protested.

"No, no, pandemonium!" Juvia screamed as a bizarre love map appeared behind her.

"Gimme a break..." Gray groaned in announce.

"Juvia, can me and Lisanna talk to you for a second?" Brianna asked before pulling the bluenette away.

"Did you know that I was Cana's dad all along?" Gildarts bragged, holding up his daughter.

The party went on all night and even into the morning as Lucy and Plue walked away from the guild hall. "I can't wait to just soak in my tub." She opened the door to her appartment and froze at the woman on top of the stairs. "Its the land lady..."

"I heard you were back, Miss Heartfilia." The woman said. "I hope you and your pocket book are in good health, because you owe me seven years back rent. 5,880,000 jewel. I'm not letting you back inside until I've been paid in full." She then locked the door as Lucy stumbled in depression.

"How am i supposed to pay that?" She asked. "Can't go to the guild for help. The girls in Fairy Hill had to pay back rent too. We missed out on so many things. Romeo's grown into a handsome young man, Jet and Droy have gotten older and wider, Alzakc and Bisca are raising the next generation. And everyone is still recovering from Gildarts and Canas bombshell.

"Make me think about my dad. Its been seven years since he heard anything from me. He must be worried sick." She stared at the ground before looking up at the sky. "Maybe its time I paid him a visit. But don't think I'm going to see to ask for money."

At the guild hall, Erza was called over by Bisca and Alzack. "Erza, I thought you'd like to know about Jellal."

"Hold on now." Alzack said.

On the roof, Gray and Lyon sat with their shirts off. "Do you know Ultear and a girl named Meredy?" Lyon asked.

"Yeah, why?" Gray asked.

Inside the guild hall, Makarov sat next to Jura. "By the way, the Wizard Saints meeting is soon. You should come, you need to be debriefed. There's a matter you need to know about."

The Next Day

Acalifa

"I'm never getting on another carriage again." Natsu groaned out as he walked behind Lucy.

"Why are you two even tagging along?" The blonde asked.

"Because all our food money went Awol when we were on Tenrou!" Natsu shouted.

The three soon reached the merchant guild 'Love & Lucky'. "Excuse me, may I ask if you know if Mister Jude Heartfilia is going to be in today?" She asked the woman working the desk.

"Oh, would you be his daughter by any chance?" The clerk asked.

"Yep." The blonde nodded, making her look away.

"Something wrong?" Natsu asked.

"Well... I'm very sorry to have to tell you this." The woman mumbled. "Jude passed away a little over a month ago. It was a shock to all of us."

Lucy lead the two away from the grave in total silence. "Lucy..." Happy started only for Natsu to shake his head.

Two girls walked past them, complaning about their fathers. "What's the matter with you!? Read the room!" Natsu shouted in anger. They just stared in confusion before walking away.

"Cut it out..." Lucy mumbled. "Sorry for putting you through all this."

"You gonna be okay, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, just shocked about my dad is all." She replied. "I'll be just fine... I know a few years have passed, but it feels like I saw him a couple of months ago. It's hard to accept that I'll never see or speak to him again. Thinking back, I never really got along with him. And the thing with Phantom didn't help. But then after everything that happened, I felt like things had changed."

"Its just like him to work himself sick. What bothers me most is that I'm sad and I miss him, I can't seem to cry. I guess that means in the end, he ment nothing to me."

"No, I don't think so." Natsu replied. "I don't think whether you cry or not means you cared any less about him."

"You're right..." The blonde replied. "I already feel better."

Magnolia

Twilight Ogre Guildhall

"I'm done playing games, old man." Banaboster, the guild master told Makarov. "There ain't no way I'm gonna back down until you and your guild have paid back the debt you owe me."

"I would like nothing more than to pay you." Makarov said. "But I'm sure you're aware of the financial rut we're in."

"Your records have a lot holes in them." Mirajane chuckled from behind the couch her guild master. "Makes you think we're paying more than we owe."

"I thought guildmasters were supposed to be honorable." Nicholas added.

"Care to explain?" Erza asked.

"You accusing me of fraud or something!?" Banaboster shouted.

"Not at all." Makarov replied. "We can assure you that we plan on paying back every cent we owe... some day."

"You're starting to try my patiance, piss ant!" The larger man shouted.

"That came out wrong." Makarov chuckled. "What I meant was we should start renegotiating our intrest rates."

"I don't negotiate with dead beats who don't pay up and rough up my boys!" Banaboster shouted back. "You think you're so tough, but I'll make you pay! Me and my boys got a reputation to uphold!"

"Understood." Makarov replied. "We only came here ro discuss money. But I can always tell you what i think."

"I've had it with your games, geezer!" The ogre master shouted.

"Get paid back for whats owed." Makarov said. "That's your creed... Much like an eye for an eye."

"Indeed." Erza said, glowing in a red aura. "And when you think of it like that you owe us for seven years of property damage."

"Don't forget the years of abuse and torment they placed on our friends." Nicholas added, glowing brown.

"So it seems that you owe us." Mirajane chuckled, glowing purple. "It only seems far to pay you back."

"The suffering my children endured under you, all while I couldn't protect them." Makarov growled growing in size. "Do you hear me? If its war you want, then its war you'll get."

Outside, Macao and Wakaba could only watch as the building began shaking. "Well, I didn't expect them to really go in on the diplomatic route." Wakaba said.

"I'm surpised they lasted this long." The fourth master confessed.

"Still, hearing them go to work in there makes past seven years seem like a bad dream." The smoker chuckled.

Macao nodded before glancing over to see Natsu and Happy walking over. "Natsu, Happy, what are you doing here? Look, we already got one dragon slayer in there, we dont need a second!" They walked past the brawl, leaving the two older men stunned.

In the park Lucy sat against a tree before noticing her landlady walking over. She grabbed the blondes leg and dragged her away before throwing her into a room. "My apartment?" Lucy asked in confusion. "But it looks the same as seven years ago."

"I've been cleaning it every week." The landlady explained. "And other than a few of your outfits, everything held up pretty well. I even salvaged some of them. I left your mail on the table." The blonde turned to see seven presents on the table. "Without fail, they would show up every year on the same day."

"The one on your bed arrived this morning." Lucy opened the letter and tears fell from it with every word.

The landlady walked outside and was gawked at by Natsu and Happy. "I'm her land lady, and it be best if you left her alone for a while. A letter came in this morning with seven years worth of rent. Honestly, the things some parents will do for their children."

"Crap! That means were still broke!" Natsu shouted. "Yo, Lucy! Me and Happy are going on a job!"

Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes and raced outside. "Wait up! I'll go with you!"

Well, this story is going on a break while i push through the Infinity Clock arc. By the time I get back, I'll have new outfits for both Nicholas and Brianna. See ya then.