Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. Anything I write in this story is purely from my thoughts

Chapter 30

"So what did you guys call me here for? Make it quick, I have a job to do."

Gajeel Redfox, Fairy Tail's latest recruit, stepped up towards the massive tree in the center of South Gate Park. This place held painful memories for Fairy Tail Wizards, especially for the two wizards he was meeting at this park.

"Job? Don't make me laugh! I don't want to hear that from the guy who destroyed our guild!" Jet said with a dark look on his face.

"You lost all your shame, didn't you?" Droy asked. "You could have joined any other guild to earn your jewel, and yet here you are."

"Hmph," Gajeel smirked. "I didn't know you fairies held grudges. Look, can't we just let bygones be bygones?"

Jet and Droy looked up at the massive tree where they have been impaled and humiliated. From behind the same tree, the leader of their crew hid watching her teammates gang up on the former Phantom Lord Member.

"You're ruining our guild's reputation," Jet roared as he powered up magic energy onto his feet.

"You won't act so casual after we're done with you," Droy said as he dug seed from his pockets.

After that, Jet released his magic and appeared in front of Gajeel in a blur. He was too fast that Gajeel wasn't able to dodge the attack and got sent flying.

His momentum was suddenly halted when his foot was wrapped by a vine that slammed him into the ground and lifted him up again.

"Falcon Heavenward!"

"Knuckle Plant!"

Their attacks didn't give him time to recover. Over and over, they sent their attacks to the wizard. All the anger they held boiling inside of them was released at this very moment. That was until they noticed something. It made them stop their onslaught, leaving Gajeel skidding to a stop. He was battered and bruised, but he was still standing.

"Hey! What gives?! I know you're not that weak," Droy raised an eyebrow as he eyed the dragon slayer suspiciously.

"What are you up to?" Jet continued in the same tone.

"My, my, are we getting picked on by a newbie?" A condescending voice came from someone walking up to them.

The two members of Shadow Gear turned to see their Guild Master's grandson.

"Laxus?" They both said.

"So, I hear that old fart let the guy who wrecked our guild in our ranks for some lame reason. This is him?" Team Shadow Gear watched as Laxus's face contorted to that of rage. "THIS IS YOUR FAULT! EVERYONE IS LOOKING DOWN ON US BECAUSE OF YOU!"

With a crack of his finger, a crack of lightning came down from the sky and electrocuted him.

The scene was so brutal that even the original assailants felt pity for their new guildmate, Levy, especially.

Laxus swiped his hand, and once again another bolt of lightning came upon the Iron Dragon Slayer. He was left smoking after that, but the Dreyar was still determined to hurt him, not to avenge his guildmates who were hurt during the guild war, but it was more to avenge the sullied name of the guild. In retrospect, he didn't care about his guildmates in the slightest.

He walked forward slowly and slammed his foot on the former Phantom Lord Wizard's head. After the onslaught of attacks, he was left lying face first on the ground.

The S-Class Wizards cocked his fist back, once again coated in lightning. "I hope you are willing to pay for what your stupid guild did!"

The lightning-coated fist came dangerously close to hitting Gajeel who looked like he couldn't take any further beating. Fortunately for him, some kind of unmovable wall intercepted the attack and prevented it from hitting true. A massive amount of shockwave ensued from the attack that clearly wasn't meant to incapacitate, kicking up a dust cloud obscuring whoever blocked the attack.

"What the hell!" Laxus exclaimed at the abrupt stop of his attack. What surprised him, even more, was that his lightning dispelled all on his own. He suspected that whoever intercepted his attack was responsible for this.

Gajeel slowly rose to his feet. One moment he was struggling to get back to his feet, the next, he felt warmth wash over him. He was enveloped in a green glow that restored his energy and healed the cuts and bruises that formed from his beatdown.

"My, my, this isn't the normal roughhousing I've gotten used to in this guild," A voice came from the inside of the dust cloud. "Seems like you're looking to beat up poor old Gajeel here."

"I didn't ask for your help!" Gajeel barked to the newcomer, recognizing his particular scent.

"Calm down, Gajeel. It's only natural for family to come to your aid when you're in trouble," The dust died down revealing Naruto effortlessly staving off the once lightning-covered fist.

"Hmph," The iron dragon slayer huffed, still not used to the warm treatment. Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail were indeed vastly different.

"Now, you," Naruto shot a glare at his fellow blonde. "Getting a little trigger happy, are we? I expected something like this from Natsu, but you? An S-class Wizard? I expected more from you and your title."

"Shut up!" Laxus shot back, yanking his hand back from the surprisingly iron grip. "Don't lecture me! You're as the same rank as these two fools here."

Jet and Droy winced at the insult.

The lightning user turned around to leave. "Mark my words. Once I'm guild master, all you weaklings are out of the guild. That includes you, blondie."

Naruto sighed. "If all you're going for is that you're the Old Man's Grandson, then you should know that blood isn't only what determines your family. I suggest you back off."

Not heeding the shinobi's words, Laxus just left. In a clap of thunder, he was gone.

Once the Dreyar left, Naruto shot another glare at the two fools who called Gajeel out here. Just the look made the two piss their pants and ran away.

He turned to the now recovered Gajeel. "I take it you're okay now?" Naruto asked.

"As I said, I could have handled myself," The dragon slayer reiterated.

"I know, I know," Naruto chuckled. "I'm just saying that you should lighten up a little. You're not in Phantom Lord anymore."

"Fine," Gajeel looked away., his features softening. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a job to do."

"Yeah sure. Good luck," Naruto nodded.

He watched the Iron Dragon Slayer walk away, clutching his bag at the side. He sighed. What has the Fairy Tail Guild coming to?

"You can come out now," Naruto called out.

Someone else was left hiding behind the tree. A few seconds later, she just walked out deciding that she had nothing to hide. It was just her guildmate after all.

"H-hello there, N-naruto-san," Levy greeted a little awkwardly. She had barely talked to one of the guild's latest recruits, and now that she was talking to him, it was in these circumstances.

"Hey, Levy-chan!" He greeted back. "Those were your two teammates, weren't they?"

Levy looked away in embarrassment, "S-sorry you had to see that. They were humiliated by Gajeel that day when he attacked that they had to take revenge."

"And you? Did you want any of this to happen?" He asked.

"No, no, no! I swear!" Levy waved her hands out in front of her to clear up the misconception. "Jet and Droy either, they just–"

"Relax," Naruto raised his right and showed it to her. "I won't reprimand you for these; I'm sure I don't have any authority to do that. Besides, you tried to stop them, didn't you?"

"I-I did," Levy said. "They insisted on continuing this."

Naruto nodded, "What worries me, though, is Laxus. He was out to kill Gajeel."

Levy turned to where Laxus had gone off to. He wasn't normally friendly to his guildmates whatsoever, but today was different. He seemed particularly hateful today. Naruto hoped he wasn't planning to do anything stupid.

"So, what happened while I'm gone?" The blonde changed the subject to lighten the mood.

"Well, Master was looking for you. Everyone is starting to prepare for the Fantasia Parade and the Harvest Festival. He insisted on everyone joining, especially the newcomers. Someone might call for you when they learn that you're back. And for the girls, in particular, they're preparing for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest," Levy recounted to the blonde.

"Miss Fairy Tail Contest?" Naruto asked.

"Yes! It's to showcase the beauties that are currently in the guild"

"Will you be joining, Levy-chan?"

"Of course! Though I'm not very confident I'll win."

"Why not?"

"Because Mira always wins. It's unfair if you ask me. She works for Sorcerer Weekly for crying out loud."

Naruto suddenly gained a mischievous expression, "Say, are registrations still ongoing?"

"As far as I know," Levy shrugged. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Naruto said as he stared off into space with the mischievous smile frozen in place.

"Uhm, Naruto?" the petite mage tilted her head in confusion at whatever mischief the blonde was thinking.

"Oh, sorry," He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look on his face. "I just had a crazy idea."

"Can I ask what it is?" she asked to continue the conversation.

"That will be a secret," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together. Levy could see the mischief in the guy's eyes. She could tell that this kid got in trouble frequently in his younger years.

"Anyway," Naruto waved goodbye. "I got to, uh, look for master and ask what I should do for the festival."

"Okay," Levy smiled.

Naruto turned to leave, but the girl called out one last time. "Uh, Naruto."

The blonde turned to look at her. "Hmmm?"

"Uhm…Thank you…" She said with a blush on her face.

Naruto returned it with his signature grin, which couldn't help but make Levy feel warm. "No problem. We're family after all."

NARUTO AND LUCY'S APARTMENT

Naruto opened the apartment door. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everything seemed normal until…

KYAAAAAAAAAH

A loud scream came from inside their house. Naruto determined it to be her roommate, Lucy, and it seemed to be coming from the bathroom.

"An enemy?" He thought of the worst as he rushed to his roommate's location.

Just as he reached the floor where the bathroom was, he saw Natsu flying out of the bathroom and slamming into a wall followed by Happy flying after his friend.

Naruto checked on the dragon slayer. There was a palm mark on his face, most likely from whoever his assailant was.

He went over to the bathroom, ready to take on whoever was attacking them.

"Lucy?!" Naruto yelled as he rushed to the bathroom doorway. "Are you okay?"

He rushed in there expecting an enemy, but what he encountered made his face blush as hard as a fresh ripe tomato.

It was Lucy in her birthday suit staring at Naruto in horror. The steam from her shower covered up the important bits, like Naruto's sexy jutsu.

"Pervert!" Lucy screamed as she threw a hairbrush nailing him smack dab in the middle of the forehead, knocking the shinobi out cold.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Naruto's eyes blurred into wakefulness. He sat up groggily, nursing the point of impact.

"I just had the wildest dream," Naruto finally said. "There was this intruder that knocked Natsu away, and Lucy was naked."

Lucy looked away in embarrassment. "None of that is true, except the intruder knocking Natsu away. Natsu was the intruder." She shot the dragon slayer a glare.

Natsu, the ever-dense wizard he is, did not understand what he did wrong there. He just frowned.

"Natsu was just looking for his scarf," Happy defended his friend.

"THAT DIDN'T GIVE YOU THE PERMISSION TO ENTER SOMEONE'S BATHROOM!" Lucy screamed, with a blush on her face. How can she not? Two boys and a cat had seen her naked that day.

It was then Naruto noticed that the normally loud-mouthed pink-haired wizard wasn't acting as usual.

"Are you okay, Natsu?" He asked.

He didn't get to answer because suddenly, he collapsed down on the ground.

Naruto rushed to his side and felt his head. He was burning up.

"What happened to him?" The blonde shinobi asked.

Happy scratched the back of his head. "He tried eating other magic again."

Naruto sighed. "And you didn't stop him?"

"Well, he said he was going to be okay," Happy tried to explain. "He said it might be his key to becoming strong."

"Wait, back up!" Lucy said. "You said this happened before?"

"Yes," Happy chuckled nervously. "He challenged Laxus to a fight once. Of course, he was defeated immediately."

"That was to be expected," Naruto rolled his eyes. Despite how much he hates that guys attitude, he could tell that Laxus is one of the top dogs of Fairy Tail.

"Just how strong is Laxus anyway?" Lucy asked.

"Before, I think it would be safe to say that Laxus was the second most powerful wizard in the guild," Happy explained.

Lucy gulped. "Who is number one?"

"You must have heard of him around the guild," Happy said. "Everyone calls him the old man. He's Gildarts Clive."

"You said this was before," Naruto asked, finally looking up from Natsu. "What changed?"

"You did," The blue cat pointed a paw to the shinobi.

"Me?" Naruto asked.

"Ever since you arrived and did all those amazing things, nobody knows who's the strongest now," Happy explained. "But one thing's for sure, you, Gildarts, and Laxus have got to be top 3."

Just then Natsu shot up to his feet, his ailment seemingly vanishing and the scarf wrapped around his neck. "I keep telling everyone how we're going to find out, but no one listens. There's only one way to find out, a battle royale with everyone in the guild participating!" He declared with gusto.

Lucy sweatdropped. She wasn't keen on comparing herself to her fellow guildmates, much less comparing strength through a fight. Besides, she heard about Mira before she threw in the towel after a certain incident, and she also saw hope monstrous Erza is on the battlefield. Nope, there's no way she was going to be joining a fight against those monsters.

"That's nice and all, but I think it's that time to turn in for the night," Lucy said, dragging the dragon slayer and the cat towards the front door.

The two of them tried to protest, but the temperature seemed to drop in the house. In the end, they decided to shut up. Even if these two Fairy Tail Wizards were dunderheads, they didn't want to anger her further.

"Oh yeah," Happy said, one last time before leaving. He dug something from the knapsack he always carried on his back and handed it to Lucy. "Before I forget, I forgot to give this to you."

Lucy was cautious now. The last time she was handed something like this, she almost got in trouble for going on an S-class Quest without approval from the master.

"Is this a job?" She asked.

Happy shook his head. "I know you're always in need of money, so I thought I should give this to you."

"This is–" Lucy gasped as she looked at the leaflet. "With this much money, I'll be able to pay at about seven months' rent!"

"What are we talking about?" Naruto walked to the doorway, curious as to why the door hadn't been closed yet.

Hearing Naruto's voice, she jumped and suddenly slammed the door close, knocking the cat away.

"Oh, nothing…" She lied, hiding the paper behind her. She was still shy about these kinds of stuff. "Say, Naruto…if I were to join a competition…will you support me?"

"Of course!" Naruto answered without second thoughts. "That's what partners are for!"

"Great!" Lucy smiled warmly, walking into her room and staring at the sheet of paper.

OUTSKIRTS OF SHIROTSUME TOWN
GHOUL SPIRIT GUILD HALL

CRASH!

"Get away!"

"You'll regret this, Fairy Tail!"

"Gyaaah!"

The guild hall was in shatters. Screams echoed through the halls of the buildings as they were attacked all around them. Others breathed their last breath as their whole body solidified into stone.

Just when everyone had been defeated, another man entered the building.

"That's enough, it's over," The newcomer called out to his teammates.

"Awww, just when the fun was getting started," The taller man complained.

"Relax, you'll have all the fun in the world when we get home," The newcomer said.

"Oh? It's that time already?" The only female of the three asked.

"Yes," The shorter man answered simply.

Each of them exited the building with smug smiles on their faces.

"Finally, after a long time… The thundergod tribe is coming home."

DAYS BEFORE THE HARVEST FESTIVAL

The master was looking over the data of his current roster of wizards, and with the date fast approaching, something caught his eye.

"This is–"

SLAM!

The door to his office slammed open. Looking to see the blonde in question,

"Is Naruto here?" Makarov asked.

Mira looked at him confused at why he would look for him so suddenly, "He left with Lucy on a job just now. Why do you ask?"

The short, old man showed the barmaid the paper he was holding. She gasped as she read what was written.

"That's today!" She said.

"Indeed it is," Makarov nodded. "Will they be gone long?"

Mira shook her head. "They just took a job close to town. They will be back within the day."

"That's perfect," the old man smiled. "It will give us time to prepare."

"Don't leave us in the dark," Gray said as he took a sip from his mug. "What's going on?"

"It's Naruto's birthday today!"

"WHAAAAAT?!"

LATER THAT DAY

"Geez, I never thought that job would get finished any faster," Naruto complained as he walked with his fingers laced behind his head.

"What is it with boys and fighting?" Lucy rolled her eyes at her partner's remark.

"Hey! I didn't say anything about fighting!" Naruto complained.

"I've worked with you a lot now, Naruto," Lucy returned the look Naruto was giving her. "I know the look on your face when I tell you to take the easy requests."

"I'm that obvious, huh?" Naruto deflated at being read so easily.

"Say, shouldn't a ninja like you have been taught stuff like that," Lucy asked out of the blue.

"I have been taught how," Naruto defended himself. "But I'm not on a mission, am I?"

He lied. He didn't want to tell her that he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed when he was younger.

Lucy sighed. "Let's just get to the guild, shall we? That job made me hungry!"

"I could get some of the ramen Mira cooks," Naruto said with a dreamy look on his face.

Lucy tried to hide the jealousy on her face. Fortunately, this boy was focused on daydreaming about noodles.

"But you had that this morning!" The Celestial Spirit Wizard reminded him.

"I can have more, can I?" Naruto began. "Ramen is the food of the–"

"Yes, yes, food of the gods and all that," Lucy dragged her fellow blonde preventing him from preaching to him about the goodness of ramen.

Naruto wisely shut his mouth as they walked to the guild. Even he wanted to get back now. Talking about the ramen made him want to eat some ramen.

But when they got there…

"Huh, it's too early for the guild to close, right?" Naruto said, looking at the sky to determine the time of day.

"You're right," Lucy said as she examined the door.

She gave the massive oak doors a light shove. The doors creaked open revealing darkness inside the guildhall.

"Hello?" Lucy called out inside.

"Another attack?" Was Naruto's first thought as he peered into the seemingly empty hall.

"No, I can still sense our guildmates inside," Naruto immediately retracted his earlier statement.

He stepped inside.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lucy called out to him. "Don't you find this creepy at all?"

Naruto shrugged. "I just wanna check this out."

Lucy reluctantly followed. If a ghost were to jump out, she would run out of here and hide in her bed.

She followed Naruto to what the two of them thought was the bar counter. After spending most of their days in the building, they can both navigate it with their eyes closed.

Just then, the lights suddenly turned on, and everyone jumped out all at once.

She would have run out when she heard them shout.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Lucy stood there shocked. She knew it wasn't her birthday. They had celebrated it about two months before. That meant only one thing.

She turned to her partner.

He was stunned. His mouth was opened, and all he could do was stare at them with astonishment.

"Come on," Natsu called out from the crowd. "Say something!"

Naruto recovered from his shock and turned around. He was overcome with emotion. Ever since he was a child, he could only count on the fingers of one hand how many times he had celebrated his birthday with somebody else. It was on the rare occasions that the Sandaime Hokage was able to escape from his paperwork. Ever since the old man died, he never celebrated his birthday anymore. He just went out on errands – er missions – whenever the day came by. Sure he gets the greeting and the free ramen from the kind ramen owner and his daughter, but this… he was sure a celebration with his clones didn't count.

A tear fell from his eye.

"What's wrong?" The master came forward.

Upon hearing the short old man's voice, he wiped the tears and turned back to look at his guildmates he considered family.

"Oh, nothing," Naruto beamed. "It's just… I don't remember the last time I had a party like this one."

The old man leaped to the counter so he was at eye level with the boy. "As I told you before, everyone in this guild is family, so expect parties like this often."

Naruto nodded.

"Thank you, everyone," Naruto smiled warmly.

"What are we all waiting for?" Natsu yelled. "Let's partyyyyy!"

"Bring on the booooooze!" Cana followed up.

The lights dimmed again leaving a spotlight on the stage that was built when they rebuilt their guildhall.

Mira sat on a stool on the stage wearing a formal dress her guitar sitting on her lap.

"I dedicate this song to our birthday boy," Mira spoke to the mic that floated in front of her.

She began the song. It was soothing. She sang about Naruto's accomplishments ever since he joined the guild. She sang of the strong foes that Naruto had faced to protect his home. She sang of family, comfort, and loss.

When the song was finished, everyone clapped. They called for an anchor, which Mira happily obliged. She played a more upbeat song that set the mood for a party.

As everyone danced around the guildhall to the songs that Mira had played, Naruto sat on one of the tables enjoying a bowl of ramen that one of the waitresses delivered to him. They said that it was from Mira.

"So, how are you liking your party so far?" Makarov asked climbing up to the chair in front of him.

"It's a thousand times better than celebrating it with your clones," Naruto said.

"Just remember, Naruto, you are not alone anymore," the master reminded him.

Master turned to join the party.

Before he left, Naruto called out. "Hey, Master…"

"Yes, my boy?"

"Thank you…"

"You're very welcome."

After that, the party continued on into the night. The Fairy Tail Wizards reluctantly turned in into the night, but the promise of more partying when the Harvest Festival rolled around made them agree to do so completely.

But little did they know, someone in the shadows was plotting to change the Fairy Tail Guild from this day on.