When he heard Wendy say his dragon name, Natsu's smile got bigger. Meanwhile, Wendy eyes began to well up with tears. Tears of joy. Removing her hands from her mouth, she took a brief breath of air and instantly recognized the smell of her big brother. Even though she was a Dragon Slayer, the bluenette hadn't taken the habit of actively using her enhanced sense of smell. As soon as she identified his scent however, she jumped on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as tight as she could.
"You found me, like you promised." she said with tears streaming down her face.
"Of course I did." Natsu responded, wrapping his own arms around her waist and rubbing her back gently. 'I didn't really do it on purpose though.' he added in his head.
After a few minutes of hugging and crying, the two finally separated, albeit reluctantly in Wendy's case. After wiping away her tears, the young girl asked the question that everyone would be asking at this point. "But how? You were a giant black dragon and now you're a normal sized human with pink hair."
The pinkette chuckled at his sister's question and confused face but answered nonetheless. "Yes. You see, back then I was in my dragon form and this is my human form. All dragons can transform to some extent."
"Oh, I see." Wendy acknowledged and then went back to hugging her big brother, though much more calmly this time. As she was snuggling to his chest with closed eyes and a happy smile on her face, she continued. "I'm so glad you're back. I can't wait for you to meet my guildmates. I told them so much about you, they'll be so thrilled."
This comment made Natsu frown as he realized what he was going to have to say next. "Listen Wendy. You're not gonna like it, but you mustn't tell anyone about me being a dragon and only call me Natsu, not Blazeel."
Upon hearing this, the Sky Dragon Slayer pulled away from her brother's chest and looked up at him with wide eyes but with her arms still around his torso. "Why not?"
This made Natsu sigh before responding. "Let's just say there are some people whose attention I would rather not draw."
"But you're so strong, you could just beat them if they attacked you." the blue-haired girl countered in confusion.
The Fairy Tail member chuckled at the admiration his sister had for him. "Just before I can do something doesn't mean I should do it. Besides, it's not just me but everyone close to me, including you. You have become very strong Wendy. But I'd be the worst brother in the world if I put you in such danger."
"I see. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret." Wendy reassured him but then his last statement sunk in. It made her lower her head and look at him out of the corner of her eye shyly. "Do you mean it? About me having become stronger?"
Natsu smiled fondly at his sister's behavior before answering, his voice full of sincerity and love. "Of course I do. In fact, you probably are by far the strongest 12-year-old human I have ever seen." He then placed his hand on top of Wendy's head and rubbed it gently. This made look up at him in curiosity, enjoying the feeling of warmth and affection it was giving her. "You are one of the strongest and best people I know, Wendy. You couldn't have made me any prouder."
Upon hearing his praise, Wendy's eyes began to water even more then they had before and she once again squeezed him with all her might.
As he continued caressing her hair and back, Natsu added something else. "But you gotta stop putting yourself in harm's way to become more powerful. I'd rather you train normally and don't get hurt."
"I will, I promise." the Sky Dragon Slayer agreed.
After that they hugged for a few more minutes. And that is exactly the sight Carla was welcomed with when she joined them. At first, she was confused and displeased by it but after some explaining, and convincing, she was glad that Wendy finally got what she wanted most. She too was sworn to secrecy.
At Wendy's insistent request, Natsu agreed to go with them back to their guild to meet their guildmates. Now, the three of them were standing on a hill overlooking said guild. And it was rather atypical. Instead of consisting of a single large building, their guild was an entire village with houses made of wood and straw where every inhabitant was a member of the guild.
"Here we are! Welcome to Cait Shelter, big brother!" Wendy announced with pride. As Natsu was scanning the place with his eyes, he could feel something was wrong. He didn't know what exactly but he didn't like it. "Let's go! We'll have a massive party with everyone to celebrate your return!"
"Before we do any of that, we should go report to Master Roubaul about the mission. And you should change into new clothes." Carla argued, pointing at her partner's dirtied and damaged outfit with her paw.
After looking down at her state of dress and realizing that the white feline was right, the young girl blushed in embarrassment. "Y-Yes. You're right."
Then, the trio started making its way through the small town, towards the guild building. All the while, Natsu's feeling about the place only got stronger. Especially since no one in this village had a scent.
Eventually, they came upon Cait Shelter's guild hall. It was a large pavilion, which, living up to the guild's name, took the form of a cat's head. Its central section sported two large rhomboidal windows, which resembled feline eyes, each possessing two sticks placed in a cross shape crossing it; topping the cloth door standing in the central lower part of the pavilion were two curved corners, each bearing a pair of capsized triangular flags hanging from it, with their inner edges ending in a dark circle; something which made the whole entrance look like a cat's muzzle with an open mouth and bared teeth. The rounded top part of the structure, separated from the rest by a row of large feathers hanging vertically, came with a pair of massive, triangular protrusions, which served as the cat's ears, with the guild's name being placed below them, in the middle. Flanking this main section were two smaller ones, elongating from its sides, which possessed dark parts topping their roofs. Sitting behind the right wing from the main pavilion's door were three high poles, each bearing a banner secured to its central upper part by ropes: the banner in the middle was adorned by Cait Shelter's symbol, the one to its right by the emblem of Fiore, and the one to the left by the insignia of the Magic Council. Sitting before the pavilion, at both sides of the main structure, was a pair of large, ornamental objects similar to short columns, which in the upper part bore a dark symbol reminiscent of a wind rose; these very upper parts had their edges curving outwards, generating three protruding semicircles which made them look like paws, thus granting the feline structure its forelegs.
When they entered, they were met with a wooden floor and fabric walls sustained by a wooden frame, consisting of several large beams. The furniture was exotic, with carpets and clothes bearing ornamental patterns. Objects representing cats were also shown to be present, just like some vegetable elements, such as vines adorning the supporting beams.
At the back, on a wooden throne-like chair, sat a small, slim elderly man with a long white beard, complete with a mustache, which extended up on his face's sides, making for a large pair of sideburns and his two bushy eyebrows as well. On his forehead was a tattoo, composed of a dot surrounded by two arched stripes. He donned an attire with a large headgear composed of feathers, with more, lighter-colored feathers adorning the back of his waist. He had a light cloth tied circling his waist, paired with loose dark pants reaching below his knees and simple shoes, and his chest was bare, with a necklace seemingly made of massive teeth around his neck, hanging over it. He also sported a large bracelet on each arm's bicep, and some bandages wrapped around the forearms.
When he noticed the two females walking towards him, he smiled kindly at them. Natsu stayed back a little. "Welcome back Wendy and Carla. I trust you mission went well?"
The blue-haired girl's face split into a wide smile. "It did, Master. In fact, it went better than I could have ever imagined." she declared. Her answered confused her guild master who raised an eyebrow. Upon seeing this, Wendy stepped aside and pointed to Natsu who was behind her. "It allowed me to reunite with my older brother. I'm sure you remember me talking about him, right?"
Her clarification only got Roubaul even more confused and shocked as his eyes widened. "But didn't you always say that your brother was a dragon? All I see is a young man."
"Yes. It surprised me as well but apparently he can change his form as he pleases." the white cat clarified.
"I see." the old man said with a nod. He then looked back at Natsu again and noticed he had been looking at him with narrow eyes, his gaze full of mistrust and suspicion. He sighed and resumed talking to his two guild members. "Why don't you two go clean up and change and we'll celebrate after?"
"Sure, Master!" Wendy exclaimed and then ran out of the building, giving her brother a quick hug on her way out. Carla followed her, though not nearly at the same pace.
Once they were both gone, Roubaul greeted Natsu who was now right in front of him. "Welcome to Cait Shelter. It is good to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you."
"I guess I should thank you for taking care of my sister in my absence. And for that, I'm going to give you one chance to explain what's going on here." Natsu responded with a slight glare.
To his surprise, his threat only got the old guild master to smile a bit. "I see you live up to the reputation Wendy has given you. Very well. A few years ago, right after the two of you separated, Wendy arrived here, saying that she was looking for a guild to join. This seemed really important to her and I didn't know enough about the outside world to help her. So I created this guild to help her. That is why everyone in it except your sister, her cat partner and myself is an illusion I created. That being said, I too am nothing but a ghost. The only reason I am still in this world is to ensure that my worst mistake gets fixed."
After a few seconds of reflection, the pink-haired guest spoke up. "I see. What do you plan on doing now?"
Roubaul sighed and looked down before answering. "The only thing there is to do. Now that she has you back, she has no need for an imaginary guild anymore. The truth has become overdue."
Later that day, everybody was gathered at the center of the village in a circle. Wendy and Carla had taken a bath and switched clothes. Even though she initially was very excited, the young bluenette soon noticed the gloomy look both her brother and guild master had and got very confused by it.
"W-What's going on?" she asked.
"Wendy, listen. I have something to tell you and it won't be pleasant but it is necessary." the old man said and paused a bit before continuing. "There is no easy way to put it so I'm just going to say it as it is. I have deceived you. First of all, you need to understand that I am not who you thought I was. I am actually about 400 years old. Back then, I tried to end the wars tearing the world apart by creating a device which I called Nirvana. But my dream soon turned into a nightmare and my people started killing each other because of the machine's effects, leaving me as the only survivor. Well, I don't suppose it is completely true since my body ceased to exist long ago. What you see before you is just a projection. Nevertheless, I stayed in this realm with the sole purpose of finding someone capable of destroying Nirvana when the time would come. And now, thanks to you, I have found that person in your sibling and I can finally rest in peace."
During his explanation, Wendy's eyes progressively got wider and she started shaking. "No. Why didn't you tell me?" One by one, all the members of Cait Shelter started disappearing and the young Sky Dragon Slayer's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you doing this? Please, don't go!"
"I'm so sorry for having lied to you Wendy but you needed a family so I made one for you. I used to live here alone but then you arrived one day saying you were looking for a guild to join. Your eyes held so much passion that I couldn't not give you what you craved for. Therefore, I filled the village with Thought Projections so that you wouldn't be alone."
At this point, Wendy was clutching her ears and closing her eyes tightly in an attempt not to hear what the old man was saying. "No one I cared for was real?! That's so cruel! Why would you do this to me?!"
"Don't be sad Wendy. You have no need for imaginary friends anymore. You got your real family back." Roubaul told her, pointing at Natsu who was standing behind her. He then started vanishing himself, laughing a bit. His gaze then landed back on the pink-haired mage. "I trust you to take care of them from now on. Knowing this allows me to go with peace of mind."
As he completely disappeared, so did Wendy's guild mark. Although, she didn't notice for she was way too busy crying her eyes out. She then fell to her knees and covered her eyes with her hands in a futile attempt to control the seemingly endless flow of tears. She calmed down a little when she felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind and a warm sensation on her back.
"Are you going to leave too, big brother?" she asked without turning her back.
Her question made Natsu rub her arm and kiss the top of her head in comfort. "No, I'm not. I left once before because I had to. But this time, I don't so I'm not going anywhere." After hearing that, the blue-haired girl turned around in the blink of an eye and wrapped her own arms around Natsu, burying her head in his chest. "I know it hurts, Wendy. But this time, you're not alone. You'll never be alone again." At this comment, the young girl lifted her head slightly, just enough to be able to look at her brother in the eyes. He then smiled a bit at her. "So what do you say? Wanna join Fairy Tail?"
A few hours later, the trio had arrived in Magnolia and at Natsu's guild. It had taken them this long because they had waited for the two females to recover from their emotions and pack all their stuff. Then they had to make the way back and left all of their belongings at Natsu's place. They were now standing in front of the guild hall's closed doors. Wendy looked rather nervous which Natsu didn't miss.
"It's gonna be okay, Wendy. I'm here with you." he reassured her while caressing her head gently. When she heard that, the Sky Dragon Slayer looked up at her brother and saw the look in his eyes which eased her worries a bit. "Are you ready?"
After she gave him a silent nod, Natsu pushed the doors open and was welcomed with the usual sight of people fighting and objects, and people, flying around. Seeing this gave him the urge to facepalm. Way to welcome an already anxious 12-year-old girl who just lost her previous guild.
However, he was cut off from his thoughts when he felt a tug on his coat. He turned his head and saw it was his little sister clutching it and looking up at him with a frightened look. Seeing this got the pinkette in one of the worst rage he had ever had. His fists clenched at his sides and he gritted his teeth as his eyes flashed crimson for a split second.
"Will you morons CUT IT OUT?!" he yelled at the top of his lungs which was a very rare thing for him to do.
His outburst froze everyone in their place. They were stunned and frankly scared of what he had just done. Firstly, because he had never tried to stop them when they were having a brawl. Secondly, because he never lost his cool, let alone yelled at them like that.
The first person to recover was Makarov who looked in Natsu's direction and was about to ask him about it when he noticed the young blue-haired girl who was partially hiding behind him as well as another member of Happy's species. "Welcome back, Natsu. Who are these two?"
His question brought everyone's attention to the two newcomers, much to Wendy's dismay as she hid a little more behind her brother. They then all looked at the pinkette in expectation, eager to hear his answer.
After sighing, Natsu responded. "This is my little sister Wendy and her partner Carla."
After everyone gasped, they started whispering among themselves.
"Natsu has a little sister?"
"Is she a Dragon Slayer too?"
"How strong do you think she is?"
Although there was one individual who wasn't shocked at all by the bluenette's appearance for he already new about her existence but was much more interested in the white feline. 'That's the first time I've ever seen a cat like me.'
Getting tired of the whispers, the guild master raised his hand to quiet his members down which they did. He then turned back to Natsu and spoke up again. "Natsu, why have you never mention their existence? And why do you bring them here now?"
"I've never mentioned them because it's none of your business and none of you have ever asked anyway. As for why I brought them here, it's because there was…an issue with their previous guild and it was dissolved so I proposed them to join Fairy Tail." the pink-haired mage responded.
After scratching his chin a bit, Makarov nodded in approval. "I see. Well then, welcome to Fairy Tail, Wendy and Carla. How about you introduce yourselves and then we'll give you your guild marks and celebrate?"
His comment got everyone to cheer and then wait for the blue-haired girl to say something. She wasn't very motivated to do so however as she was still holding Natsu's coat firmly. Said man then looked back at her and patted her head gently. This got the Sky Dragon Slayer to look up at him and the look in his eyes reassured her a little. She then let go of his clothes and slowly walked from behind him to his side.
"H-Hello everyone. My name is Wendy and I'm Natsu's sister. I hope we can become good friends." she saluted and for a few seconds everybody just stared at her but that didn't last.
"She's so cute!" they all screamed which only resulted in said girl to yelp and run back to where she previously had been.
They then all noticed Natsu glaring at them, which sent a cold chill down their spines. After that, both of them got their guild marks. Wendy got it in blue on her right shoulder and Carla in pink on her back. When that was done, they about to have one of their usual party when Gray spoke up.
"You said you were Natsu's sister, right?" he asked the bluenette.
"Y-Yes." she stuttered in response.
"Then fight me." the ice mage challenged which stunned everyone in the guild.
For many of them however, that shock was quickly replaced by anger and outrage.
"What?!"
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"It's not manly to challenge a kid!"
However, no one was as enraged by his declaration as Natsu was. He didn't say anything but the strong magical pressure he emitted and the dark look he sent Gray spoke louder than any words.
"I accept your challenge." Wendy agreed.
Hearing this caused Natsu's expression to vanish and everybody to look at her with surprise. Especially when they noticed the determined expression she had, so different than the way she had behaved until now. But Natsu and Carla knew that look. They had seen it before.
Natsu walked towards his sister and knelt down so that they were at the same height. "Are you sure about this, Wendy? You've just recently come out of a pretty intense fight." he asked with evident concern. He had healed her but her magic power may not have fully been restored yet.
In response, the young girl nodded firmly, her determination not wavering in the slightest. "I am. I want to show you what I can really do."
Realizing how hell-bent his sister was, the pink-haired mage sighed and stood up. He then patted her head and smiled at her. "Okay then. But be careful."
"I will." Wendy promised.
A little later, Gray and Wendy were facing each other on opposite ends of the training field. Further away, the rest of Fairy Tail was standing on the side to observe the fight. As usual, a betting pool had been set up. Unsurprisingly, almost everybody bet on Gray except Natsu who supported his little sister, mainly to motivate her further which it did.
"Begin!" Makarov started the match.
Without wasting a second, Gray attacked first. "Ice-Make: Lance!"
"Fast wind that run the heaven... Vernier!" Wendy called out and her body was surrounded by a dim light. The increase in movement speed it provided allowed the girl to dodge Gray's attack with ease. That turned of event shocked her opponent so much that he froze on the spot. But instead of using this to attack him, Wendy used more enchantments. "Power of the stout arms that tears heaven... Arms!"
Gray, having recovered from his shock, decided to change tactics. He brought his hand together and yelled. "Ice-Make: Hammer!" This created a large ice hammer in his hands. He then lifted it up and jumped at the blue-haired girl before bringing it down on her.
The Sky Dragon Slayer chose not to dodge the attack, even though she could have done so with ease. Instead, she gathered magic around her fist and punched the incoming weapon. "Sky Dragon's Twirling Fist."
The enchantment-enhanced attack was powerful enough to shatter the ice but left a sizable bruise on the girl's fist. The pain it caused distracted her enough to allow her opponent to kick her in the stomach. The attack sent the girl back a bit, but she remained on her feet.
When she looked up, she was annoyed to see a smug smirk on the ice mage's face. "Ready to give up yet?" he asked.
"For that? I've hurt myself more in training." she responded which visibly surprised the dark-haired teen. She decided to capitalize on it. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"
Gray was too caught off guard and the tornado that was headed his way was too fast for him to dodge. As a result, he opted to defend himself instead. "Ice-Make: Shield!" The spell created a large shield made of ice in front of him, whose shape was vaguely reminiscent of a flower.
When the breath attack reached the sculpture, the two struggled for a bit but eventually, much to most people's shock, Wendy spell destroyed Gray's and he was sent skidding back with a few small cuts and bruises.
Feeling angered and humiliated, Gray decided he would end the fight right there and then. "Ice-Make: Sword!" he called out and summoned a long icy sword. He then jumped towards the bluenette with his weapon drawn back.
However, Wendy appeared pretty unfazed at that, even when the sword approached her body. When she deemed it to be close enough, the Sky Dragon Slayer pulled her arm back and yelled. "Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang!" She then swiped the incoming weapon with her fingers leaving a wake of wind behind as she did so.
The counterattack was strong enough to break the sword into pieces. But Wendy didn't stop there. "Sky Dragon's Talon!" She called out and lifted her foot. She then swung down at her target. Said target managed to dodge the foot, but not the large winds that followed and sent him back.
It was then Gray realized that, just like for her brother, Wendy's Dragon Slayer Magic gave her increased durability which he couldn't compete with. Therefore, he deduced his last hope for victory was in a single strong attack. He gathered his remaining magic power in his hands and brought them down on the ground. "Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!" Ice started to cover the ground in front of him, advancing towards Wendy.
In response, the blue-haired girl sent her own attack while swinging her hand. "Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!" She subsequently generated a large and very powerful tornado around Gray which sent him flying high in the air.
At the same time, the ice reached Wendy and created a tower of ice spikes below her, causing various moderate injuries and sending her backwards.
The two of them landed on the ground simultaneously, too weak to get up.
While most people were left agape by what had happened, Natsu silently stood up from his seat and started walking to Wendy.
"N-Natsu, what are you doing? The fight isn't over." Cana asked him.
"Yes it is, and it's a draw." he answered without bothering to turn around.
"A draw? But-" Macao wanted to argue.
"No. He's right. Neither of them can fight anymore which means it's a tie." Makarov interrupted, officially ending the spar.
As Natsu reached his sister, he started healing her and she gazed at him with an apprehensive look.
"S-So what do you think? D-Did I do good?" she asked him with a bit of fear in her voice.
"Good? You did great, Wendy. Gray is no pushover and you are several years younger than him. I couldn't be prouder of you." he responded with a grin which made the young girl smile too.
Although, if Wendy was satisfied with her performance, her former opponent could not have felt more bitter and humiliated.
Later that day, when the night had just fallen, the dragon siblings and their feline partners were back at their house and were all in bed. It was pretty early but, even though she had been fully healed, Wendy had gone through tough fights and Natsu insisted that she go to bed early. Since there was nothing better for them to do, Happy and Carla followed suit, supposedly.
However, even though she was very tired and had been in bed for some time, the Sky Dragon Slayer still couldn't get to sleep. She didn't exactly know why. She wasn't thirsty or hungry, cold or hot, or disturbed by any noise, but she had the unbearable feeling that something horrible would happen if she closed her eyes.
After some time of trying to ignore that feeling in vain, Wendy gave up and slowly and quietly got out of her bed, then of her room. She then made her way to the other bedroom of the house with muffled steps. When she got there, she stood at the door for several minutes without doing anything. She couldn't determine whether or not knocking was a good idea. She was interrupted in this reflection when she heard a familiar voice coming from behind it.
"You can come in, Wendy." it said.
Heeding its instruction, the bluenette slowly pushed the door open and saw her brother sitting in his bed, reading a book. He, however, closed that book and turned his head to look at her when she stepped into the room.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I can't sleep." she responded.
"Why not?" Natsu questioned.
"I…I'm scared." Wendy admitted.
Her answer made him raise an eyebrow. "Scared of what? Nothing is going to happen to you in here."
"Not that. I'm scared that…if I fall asleep, when I wake up, you won't be there." the young girl clarified.
This made Natsu sigh, especially when he saw the hopeful look she had in her eyes and he understood what she wanted. Without a word, he lifted the sheets and blanket off the bed and Wendy immediately got into the bed with him. He then put his book down on the nearby nightstand, turned off the light and laid down fully. As soon as he did, Wendy wrapped her small arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
"Thank you, big brother." she murmured before falling asleep. Although she didn't see it, her comment made him smile.
Lucy was now making her way back to her house from the guild, deep in thoughts. 'Wow. I still can't believe Natsu has a little sister. I clearly didn't see that one coming. Although, he seems like a good older brother and Wendy seems to love him very much. I never thought he had it in him.'
And with that, the blonde opened the door of her apartment. "AAAhhh!" She yelled in surprise when she saw Gray and Happy sitting on her bed. "What are you guys going here?!"
"Lucy, listen." Gray responded which got the girl to forget her anger in favor of curiosity. "I have made a decision. Not only have I never been able to beat Natsu but now his little sister, a kid, ties with me in single combat? That's too much. So I have decided my only chance to prove I'm as strong as him is to complete an S-class mission."
"Ta-da!" Happy proclaimed, holding up an S-class job request.
"How did you get that?!" the Celestial Spirit mage rhetorically asked.
"Well, I climbed the steps and took it." the blue feline answered.
"Whatever, I'm not going on that mission to die." Lucy refused.
"Did I forget to mention the reward is 7,000,000 jewels and one of those Gate Keys you like." Gray stated.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?! Let's go!" the blonde changed her mind in a second.
And thus, the three team members departed for a tropical cursed island.