How are you doing, everyone? I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I didn't expect to get even 5 reviews, thank you so much! They really give me motivation! From this chapter onwards, I'll follow the general story from SilverWrath's fanfiction. That's pretty much why I started writing this fanfiction, simply because I enjoyed his a lot. Of course, I'll give my spin on it. Without further ado, let's jump to Chapter 2!
Chapter 2 : Arrival of a New Day!
The sun slowly rises over the horizon, its light shining on to the lands of Fiore and signaling the start of a new day. Birds could be heard chirping as they fly through the sky. The people of Fiore are slowly getting to work, rising into the new day. With a wonderful weather like this, taking on a job sounds like a great idea! Speaking of jobs, a certain individual in the dormitory of Fairy Hills might have already forgotten about it. Unfortunately for this individual, the sun's rays shone through her window's curtains, lighting her face and sending a sharp tingle to her eyes. Her response? She pulled her blanket up to her face. Safe from the sun. Back to sleep. Though, her sleep was not going to last that much longer as she felt a voice calling out to her as well as being poked by tiny paws.
"Wendy! Time to get up!" Carla attempted to pull the blanket off her. Her voiced indicated she was not happy with her sleeping in.
"Mhhmmm…." was all Wendy could voice under the blankets.
"Wendy Marvell! Wake up this instant!" She jumped on to the bed, ready to take more serious action.
"5 more minutes…"
"You will not be taking this attitude with me, child!" Carla sprouted her wings and ripped the blanket away from Wendy's cold body. Finally, Wendy shifted uncomfortably into a sitting position, her eyes still closed.
"Carla, give it back…" Wendy yawned, her hands seeking the blanket that was taken from her. She was clearly more interested in dreamland.
Carla flew to the window and spread open the curtains, allowing the full force of the sun's ray to illuminate the entire room, including Wendy's eyes.
"Hey! Carla!" Wendy instinctively covered her eyes with her hands. "You're so mean!" She pouted.
"Finally awake now, child?" Carla landed on the bed, sighing at Wendy.
"Yes, yes, I'm awake." She was going to have to rise, whether she liked it or not, for the nagging cat in front of her was having none of it.
"I heard you went home early last night. You should have gotten a good night's sleep, don't you think?" Carla crossed her arms.
"Last night? Oh yeah…" Memories from last night flooded to her mind. Indeed, she did go home early last night, with Natsu accompanying her. She only decided to go back early because she didn't want Natsu and Lucy alone together at her apartment. She doubted Natsu would ever make a move on such a defenseless and pretty girl, but just in case, she still went with him.
"Right? You shouldn't have any excuse to sleep in now. Come on, chop chop." Carla clapped her hands twice then jumped on to the floor and walked towards the door. "Get yourself ready, we need to head to the guild in about an hour to meet with the others." Carla pointed at the clock.
Wendy glanced at the clock. True enough, they didn't have all day to get to the guild. Wendy stretched her arms and fingers upwards, resulting in some satisfying cracks.
"Carla, why do we need to get to the guild so early, anyway?" Still sleepy, Wendy stood up from her bed and was directly met with a glare from Carla.
"Wendy, did you forget?" Carla shook her head.
"Ah…" Wendy scratched her cheek. She took a few moments to remember what was supposed to be happening today. The gears in her head slowly snapped in the right places.
"Wendy." Carla said with more authority in her voice.
"O-of course I remember! We were heading on a job together with the others, right?" Wendy forced an awkward laugh and panicked a bit, not wanting to get another lecture from the white cat. That's the last thing I need. Even Natsu told her not to forget, yet she still did.
Carla sighed. "As long as you remember. Come on, get yourself ready, change your clothes." Carla opened the door, ready to head out.
"Yes, Carla." Wendy walked to her wardrobe to get a change of clothes.
"By the way, " Carla stopped at the doorstep, "Did you leave the party alone?"
"Ah… no. Actually, I went together with Natsu and Lucy." Wendy remembered the events taking place the night before.
"Oh, I see," Carla nodded, confirming her thoughts, "… and why is that?" There was curiosity in her voice.
"Lucy happened to be drunk… so Natsu took her back to her apartment." Wendy was hoping Carla wouldn't press the matter.
"I see… then Natsu accompanied you back here?" Carla deduced, putting a hand on her chin.
"Y-yeah, he did." Without realizing, Wendy smiled at the thought.
"Heh… he did, didn't he? Is that really all? Is that really ALL?" Carla noticed her smile, which made her all the more curious. Wendy knew what she was implying.
"Y-yes, that is all." Wendy felt the heat rising in her cheeks, a faint red covering them. "Nothing else could have happened, o-of course!" She frantically waved her hand to dismiss the thought. Please stop talking about it.
Carla smirked at her reaction, clearly enjoying it. "Oh well, never mind. Forget about it." Carla sighed. "Hurry up now. Don't take too long. I've already had my bath."
"Yes, Carla…" Ignoring her nervousness, she took all the necessities she would need from her wardrobe.
"I suppose it was wise of you to accompany them." Carla rested her back on the door.
Wendy stopped and turned her head towards Carla. "Why do you say that?" She was puzzled by that statement.
"Who knows what that dragon slayer would have done to her defenseless body. Given their close relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if he took the chance."
"N-Natsu isn't that kind of person!" Wendy shouted, her body now facing Carla. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"Oh, what makes you say that?" Amused at Wendy's reaction, Carla smirked and raised an eyebrow.
Wendy sighed, ignoring her question. She didn't want to waste any more time now. "I'm going to head to the bath." She walked past the scheming cat out of the room.
"Oh well. I'll be waiting outside." Carla closed the door and left the room. I've had my fill of Wendy's reactions.
In the public bathhouse….
…
..
.
The bathhouse was surprisingly empty. There would usually be a couple of people at this time. Wendy didn't mind though. She needed to clear her mind from the white cat's teasing. She sat down on the stool and began applying shampoo to her hair. At the same time, she was fixated on a certain statement Carla made…
Who knows what that dragon slayer would have done to her defenseless body. Given their close relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if he took the chance.
In reality, Wendy didn't take any issue with the first part of the statement. Natsu would never do that kind of thing. The day he does it is probably when Happy stops liking fish. Impossible. Wendy fully trusted him. What she did take issue with is the second part of the statement. Once again, the reality of Natsu and Lucy's friendship is reinforcing this grand obstacle standing in the way of Wendy and him. It's true, anybody could see how close they were. Not to mention she has the body to die for! Wendy gazed downwards, observing her assets, and mentally compared them with Lucy.
She frowned and pouted at herself.
She wasn't tall, she wasn't that developed, she didn't possess a curvaceous body. Her image isn't one what she could call sexy or desirable to the average person. It's something her Edolas counterpart was gifted with. It's not that she did mind. Embracing her innocent and cute charm was great in its own right. But she wondered if Natsu preferred a body like Lucy has.
Would he… look at me more if I looked like that?
No, he probably doesn't care. Considering how long they've been together, Natsu has yet to show any clear signs of attraction towards Lucy's body. That does sound like Natsu… yeah. She convinced herself. She clapped her face, trying to encourage herself. Natsu doesn't really care about that kind of thing. She resumed her bath. Trying to distract herself from these feelings, she was looking forward to going on the job, especially with Natsu.
Outside….
…
..
.
Wendy exited the Fairy Hills dormitory, ready to go. She's donning her signature appearance: a simple emerald green dress with three wavy stripes of light blue, green and yellow respectively spanning across the dress, ending in small pointed edges at the bottom. On her arms are two golden bracelets fitting them. Her hair is tied into twin-tails using red animal ear-like attachments. She shortly met Carla waiting outside of the entrance.
"Hi, Carla!" Wendy waved her hand and walked towards the white cat.
"You're finally here, child. Come on now, let's go." Carla turned around and began walking, with Wendy keeping her pace besides the cat.
In ten minutes or less, Wendy and Carla were finally seeing the guild hall in view. Since they woke up early enough, they were in no real rush. They could take a nice stroll through the streets of the hustling and bustling Magnolia, housing the strongest guild none other than Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail. This is where it all started. The crazy adventures. The unique friends she had bonded with. The memories she had forged.
Fairy Tail represented something precious and special to Wendy. Ever since she joined Fairy Tail years ago, her life had changed so drastically. She felt so alone, having nothing to live for, having nothing to work for. What kept her holding on to the thread of life was Carla, her one and only companion, and Grandeeney, her foster mother. After Natsu saved her and Erza invited her to Fairy Tail, that was the moment she felt she was given a new chance at life. No matter what happened, no matter if she was afraid, no matter if she was sad, Fairy Tail would be there for her. This was her home, and it will always hold a special place in her heart. She was a member of Fairy Tail, and she would never have it any other way.
As she approached the guild entrance, she felt a sense of belonging. Yeah, this is where I belong. She felt her lips curve into a wide smile. She pushed open the door and-
"ICE-MAKE CANNON!" A cannonball made of ice was shot at Wendy's direction, rapidly closing the distance to her.
"Wendy, look out!" Carla shouted.
"Huh?" Wendy looked dumbfounded. She noticed the impending impact too late. A second later, she felt a shadow loomed over her. She instinctively shielded her face with her arms and fell down when-
"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu dashed in front of her and punched the ice cannonball with a burning fist, evaporating it into the air.
"Whew, that was close! You alright there, Wendy?" Natsu turned his head around, looking at Wendy on the floor.
"N-Natsu!" Wendy was surprised, in more ways than one.
"Oh, damn! Sorry Wendy! Didn't see you there!" Gray flailed his hands around, an apologetic look visible in his face.
"You hooligans are always fighting so early in the morning!" Carla huffed, her arms crossed.
"Here, Wendy, let me help you up." Natsu bowed down and extended a helping hand towards Wendy.
"Ah… thank you, Natsu." Wendy blushed a bit and nervously took his hand, standing up. She felt her cheeks getting warm.
"Watch where you're aiming, you dumb popsicle!" Natsu sharply turned back to Gray, cracking his knuckles.
"I said I was sorry, flame-brain!" Gray shouted, ready to cast another magic spell.
"Oh yeah?! I'm gonna roast ya!" Natsu's fists engulfed in flames and turned his attention to Wendy. "Say, Wendy, how about you and I take him on? Surely, he wouldn't last long against two dragon slayers." Natsu evilly smirked with a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Wendy felt warning signals all over her body. As much as she wanted to help Natsu, fighting against fellow guildmates isn't something she's very fond of. She shook her head and waved her hand.
"N-no, it's fine." She said timidly. "I-I'm just going to watch. I'll cheer you on and I'll even heal you afterwards if you get badly injured, is that alright?" She smiled weakly, scratching the back of her neck.
Natsu smiled at her warmly and gave her a thumbs up. "That gets me all fired up!" Now facing Gray, his fists burned brighter. He was about to charge into him when…
"Oh right, Wendy. I almost forgot to tell you this." He shut down his flames, relaxing his hands at his sides. He looked at Wendy. "Lucy seems to be taking a while, so Happy went out to get her. Once they come back, we'll take off with our job. Sounds good?" Natsu grinned.
"That… g-gets me all fired up!" Wendy mimicked Natsu, though she got flustered while doing so. Nevertheless, Natsu responded by flashing his signature grin. That grin alone made it worth it.
"Alright, let's bring on the heat, blockhead!" Natsu engulfed his fists once again, ready to rumble against Gray.
"I'll freeze you, you flamethrower!" Gray got into his casting stance, his left fist placed on his right palm.
"Ice-Make…"
"Fire Dragon…"
"KNOCK IT OFF, BOTH OF YOU!" a commanding voice roared throughout the guild hall, causing everyone to freeze and turn to the voice who belonged to none other than Erza Scarlet. Natsu and Gray hurriedly stood at attention, their expressions full of fear and sweat. Silence filled the guild halls. A few moments later, Erza cut through the silence.
"That's enough! Look at the mess you two have made! Both of you better start cleaning or else you'll answer to my blade! Is that clear?!" Erza commanded with her arms crossed, her voice piercing Natsu and Gray's ears in particular. Chills were sent down their spines.
"A-aye, sir!" Both of them answered, giving the best Happy impression they could muster. No one would be dumb enough to incur the wrath of Erza Scarlet. Her presence alone could instill fear in the hearts of her guildmates.
"Seriously, how do these hooligans have so much energy in the morning…" Carla rubbed her forehead, showing a pained expression.
"That's Fairy Tail for you." Wendy replied with a smile.
Wendy and Carla walked to the bar of the guild. As soon as a white-haired girl noticed they were approaching, she smiled and called out to them.
"Good morning, Wendy, Carla!" It was the voice of none other than Mirajane, the bartender of the guild. Like Erza, she was pretty powerful though she is more laidback and relaxed.
"Good morning, Mira." Wendy and Carla greeted her, taking a seat facing the counter.
"I hope you don't mind their usual antics." Mirajane giggled, gently rubbing mugs with a cloth. "Anything I can get for you two?"
Wendy shook her head and turned her attention towards the fire dragon slayer. "No, thanks."
Carla and Mirajane were striking up a conversation, completely absent from Wendy's ears. She was simply observing the fire dragon slayer cleaning up his mess with a broom. She felt her cheeks getting warm, and her lips slowly curving into a smile.
"Carla, have you seen Happy or Lucy on the way here? They're usually here earlier." Mirajane said as she picked up another mug to clean.
"I couldn't care less where that tomcat is. As for Lucy… no, I haven't seen her at all on the way here." Carla furrowed her eyebrows. It's no big secret that Happy crushes heavily on Carla. People are also suspecting that Carla might actually feel the same way, but she would never admit it in a million years.
"Hey, flame-brain, you missed a spot."
"What? That's your side to clean, not mine!"
The two rivals were once again arguing with each other. Mirajane and Carla both turned their attention to them. Wendy asked for a glass of cold water so she could calm down the heat in her cheeks.
"Even though Erza just told them to stop messing around, they're still going at it…" Mirajane smiled awkwardly, once again picking up another mug after giving Wendy her cold water.
"They will never learn to grow out of it, those barbarians." Carla looked at them with disgust.
"But you know… things have quite simmered down since a year ago. They both aren't fighting each other as often as they used to." Mirajane added.
Wendy forced a chuckle at her comment after taking a drink. A typical day in Fairy Tail always starts with a group brawl between the guildmates, where either Natsu or Gray were the center of it. Funny enough, both their respective elements are fire and ice which do not blend well together. Despite this, they both shared a bond that runs deeper than just family.
"My spot is over here, fire-hazard!" Gray angrily showed where his side to clean was.
"This is your side, snowman!" Natsu retorted, correcting him.
"Huhh?! Are you blind?!" Gray approached Natsu and butted heads with him.
"Am I blind? You're the one who's blind!" They dropped their brooms, clenched their fists together, and growled at each other, ready to throw down.
Before the situation could escalate, they felt a hand on the back of their heads which fiercely slammed them downwards and face first into the cold, hard ground with a loud 'thud!'
"How many times do I need to repeat myself before it passes through your thick skulls?" Erza stared their bodies down on the floor and stepped on both their heads with her boot. Menacingly.
"A-aye…" Natsu and Gray forced a response out of themselves.
Erza sighed and rubbed her forehead, her other hand on her hip. "Let's not waste too much time, you too. We were supposed to take on a job soon."
Getting worried, Wendy walked over to where Natsu was lying down. She crouched down so she could hear him better. "Natsu?" She asked with concern. Natsu could only return a weak moan.
"Hold on, Natsu. I'm going to heal you in just a second alright?" Wendy smiled warmly at him, though Natsu wouldn't notice since his face has become one with the floor. He has achieved enlightenment.
Wendy's heart ached quite a bit as he weakly returned a thumbs up before dropping his hands, probably passing out and losing consciousness.
Wendy stood up and turned her attention towards Erza, who had both Natsu and Gray under her foot. "Um…good morning, Erza." Wendy greeted her timidly. After what just transpired, she was a bit afraid.
"Oh, good morning to you, Wendy. Didn't see you there." Erza replied brightly. "How are you feeling? I heard you went back quite early last night. You must have been pretty exhausted." It sometimes scares Wendy how Erza could go from the scariest person anyone would ever know to the sweetest person in existence. It's as if she could flip a switch at will.
Wendy didn't really want to explain herself about last night, so she shrugged it off. "I'm okay, thank you for asking." Wendy answered. "I'm just wondering when we were planning to leave for the job."
"We were supposed to be heading right about now, but it seems Lucy isn't here yet. I suspect she might have woken up late." Erza put a hand on her chin, appearing in deep thought.
Wendy could take a few guesses why she was late. After all, she did accompany her to her apartment. She might have had too much to drink.
Erza noticed Wendy seemed to be thinking something. "Do you know something about it, Wendy?" She questioned her. She's sharp.
"Ah? N-no, I don't really know." Wendy waved her hands and looked away, not wanting to meet Erza's gaze.
"I see." Erza didn't seem too convinced, but she dropped the matter. "Well, Wendy, I was just thinking of picking a job." Erza motioned to the request board. "Would you care to join me?" Erza walked over the two bodies under her to the request board. Wendy nodded and followed behind, glancing at Natsu's body. Just hang in there, Natsu. I'll heal you soon.
They were now standing in front of the board. There were a lot of jobs available spread across it. Wendy wasn't sure which one would be a good one to take.
"Is there anything that interests you, Wendy?" Erza asked while scanning the jobs.
Wendy shook her head, her eyes darting around the board. "Uhh…There are so many, I'm not really sure what to pick. Do you have an idea in mind, Erza?" Wendy asked to which Erza nodded, focusing her eyes on to the center of the board.
"Hmmm, I think this will do wonderfully." Erza pointed to the job she had set her eyes on. Wendy tried to read it but Erza had already snatched it from the board. The only words she could read were 'WHISPERER OF THE WATERFALLS'
Erza went to the bar and motioned to Mira over the counter. "Hey, Mira. We're taking this job." Erza put the job request on the counter.
"Coming!" Mira walked to Erza. She took the job request and read it. Her eyes slightly widened at the contents. "Oh, this job… are you sure? This seems pretty dangerous."
"Dangerous, you say? Why, do you doubt our abilities?" Erza glared at Mira and slammed her hands on the counter.
"Why, of course not!" Mira simply smiled sweetly, emitting a dangerous aura.
"H-hey, you guys…" Wendy was shaken. She wanted to interrupt them but the aura coming from these two just spelt danger.
Luckily, their staring contest was interrupted when Gray called out to them, struggling his way to the two S-class mages. He glanced over the job request.
"So, this is the job we're taking? I read it earlier. Sounds like it could be fun. We get to go all out. We shouldn't have too much trouble." Gray rubbed his head, still aching from when Erza slammed it down.
"I agree, Gray." Erza glanced at the guild clock. "I believe we wasted enough time already. Let's head to the train station and meet Lucy and Happy on the way." Erza commanded, motioning others to follow her. "I've already packed my stuff outside so let us depart immediately."
"Yes, ma'am." Gray replied.
"Come on, Wendy. Let's go." Carla said to Wendy.
"I'm coming!" Wendy followed behind shortly.
And so, the wizards exited the guild and got moving to the train station, hopefully being able to meet Lucy and Happy on the way.
The Fairy Tail wizards walked down the path leading up to Lucy's apartment, hoping to catch up with her.
It has been awhile since Team Natsu went on a job together. What better time than a beautiful day like this with clear weather to go an adventure! Wendy couldn't help but feel excited to go together with her friends. Although, there was something that bothered Wendy but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It's as if she was forgetting something. Something important. She decided to ask her fellow teammates.
"Uhm… hey guys," Wendy asked, "Do any of you feel like we're forgetting something?" Wendy glanced at Gray.
"My clothes are still intact, so I'm definitely not forgetting these, at least." Gray gazed downwards, making sure he didn't strip out of habit. Wendy turned to Carla.
Carla simply shook her head, folding her hands up. Now, to Erza.
"Hmm, nothing really comes to mind." She said thoughtfully. "Lucy and Happy aren't here yet, so maybe that's why you're feeling like this?" Wendy reluctantly nodded.
"You might be right." She replied. She wasn't entirely convinced with that answer. Something just feels off. She decided to ask Natsu, couldn't hurt to try. "Hey Natsu?" She asked. Strangely, there was no response. She stopped walking and turned around, looking for him. "Natsu?" She asked again, waiting for a response. Again, there was none.
It was at this exact moment that the collective braincell of all four wizards made them came to realization, leaving them frozen and shocked in place.
Silence. Erza was the first to break it.
"We didn't…" Erza groaned and facepalmed.
"Oh, dear…" Carla sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"You can't be serious right now!" Gray ruffled his hair in shock.
At this point, Wendy was already panicking, distressed, and nearly in tears.
"OH GOD, I FORGOT TO HEAL NATSU!" She shouted as her realization hit her like a truck, leaving her in horror. "I LEFT HIM ON THE FLOOR!" She shouted even louder in desperation, turned around in place and began running back towards the guild as fast as her legs could take her. I told him I would heal him! A few meters away, she tripped over her own feet before getting back up again and she charged at full speed, only to trip again.
Wait for me, Natsu!
