Notes: I'm including the original end notes for these chapters below.


The day of the funeral had passed, and now It was a new day in Magnolia City. The rain had stopped, but the sun was still hidden by an overcast sky. The people of Magnolia went about their business; men and women at work, children playing. For many, it wasn't that different from a typical day. But for the magic guild known as Fairy Tail, It was not not at all typical.

It was the day after the guild had laid Erza to rest, and regretfully said goodbye to her. The guildhall was normally full of life and activity. But today, there was a somber air in the guild. Most of the members still showed up, and were looking for jobs and chatting with each other. But they were a lot less lively than usual. Some of the fairies were talking about the passing of Erza, and how this changed things. Others seemed to avoid talking about her, and were often left with awkward small talk.

Guild master Makarov was in the guildhall, but was not socializing with the other members. He was somewhere in the back, wanting privacy for the moment. Mirajane was out among everyone instead, taking care of what she could until Makarov returned. Her brother Elfman had just left for a job, apparently not wanting to stay around the guild too long in the current atmosphere. The Thunder Legion was there, minus Laxus. Laxus had been conspicuously absent from the funeral the day before, which did nothing to improve the already low opinion many members of Fairy Tail had of him. As one of the top members of the guild and an S class member it was expected that he would at least show up for a few minutes out of respect, but he never did. As for the Strongest Team, the only surviving member of that group who was currently present in the hall was Gray Fullbuster. He was sitting in a corner by himself, drinking. Not excessively, but still earlier in the day than usual.

Mirajane had noticed Gray sitting alone. She decided to walk over to him and see how he was doing. He initially didn't seem to notice her approach. "Hi Gray", she started. She waited to see if he was willing to talk. For a moment he said nothing, just looking at his drink. But then his gaze shifted up to hers. "Hey Mira", he responded.

Mirajane look down at him with a sympathetic expression. "How are you holding up?", she asked.

Gray shrugged his shoulders and said "About as well you, or anyone else, I guess. You knew her as well as I did, maybe even more." Mirajane shook her head. "Its true that I knew Erza for a long time. We were friends, and guildmates. But you were a team. You, Natsu, and Lucy were closer to her than anyone."

Gray thought about this for a moment. "Yeah, we were close. So close that the rest of us didn't know anything about this Tower of Heaven stuff before. Maybe if we had, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe we could have done something. If she had just told us – "

"Gray, don't."

"I'm not blaming her, Mira. I know she had her reasons. I just wish that we could have saved her."

"I'm sure you did all you could. All of you." Mirajane replied.

"Yeah…", Gray responded, unconvinced. "Anyway, speaking of Lucy and Natsu, where are they? I haven't seen them."

"I don't know, I thought maybe you had seen them earlier."

she said.

Gray's expression darkened. "If I do see Natsu I'm gonna lay him out for that stunt he pulled yesterday. I can't believe he did that!" Several people nearby turned their heads in response to Gray raising his voice.

"It was out of line, but he only did it because he was upset." Mirajane reasoned. "He was obviously torn up over what happened, you know that right?"

"Maybe. It was still a shitty thing to do." Gray said, taking another drink. He closed his eyes, and his expression said that he didn't want to continue this line of dialogue.

Mirajane lowered her eyes, feeling sad and helpless. "Yeah.", she said quietly.


Not too far away, Lucy Heartfilia was still in her apartment, only just waking up. As she opened her eyes, she looked at the time on her clock. "Crap, I overslept", she said to no one in particular. Normally Lucy wakes up early enough, but last night she had had trouble sleeping. She found that she had been reliving the funeral in her own head. She saw Natsu, except in her dream he wasn't screaming as he had done in reality. He was strangely silent. Not speaking to anyone. It almost seemed as if he didn't even hear what anyone around him was saying. Not that she had any idea what, if anything, that meant. Dreams are weird, she thought to herself. She reluctantly got out of bed, still feeling somewhat tired.

As she stretched and walked over to the bathroom she wondered if Natsu was going to show up in her apartment unannounced, as usual. Natsu… She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen him since… the funeral. She suddenly stopped. Natsu had just run off afterwards. She didn't know where he went. And then there was Erza. Erza is dead, she thought. For Lucy, this was still hard to believe. For the past few days it had been like this. She'd wake up, momentarily thinking everything was normal, only to quickly recall what had happened. Which would inevitably be followed by a feeling of sadness. It was going to take time to get used to the idea that she was never going to see Erza again. At least this time the strange dream helped to mentally prepare her a little better.

Lucy hadn't known Erza as long as many of the others at the guild had. Lucy had only been a member of Fairy Tail for a few months. But in that time, she had traveled with Erza and fought beside her. They were part of a team. She felt that she was starting to develop a real friendship with Erza when the fateful day happened. And now she was gone.

After wallowing in these thoughts for a minute, Lucy took a deep breath and smacked her cheeks. "She'd want us to go on living our lives, not stand around feeling sad all the time". Which didn't mean she would stop being sad about it anytime soon, she just wouldn't let it stop her from being a member of Fairy Tail. She decided that it was what Erza would want.

Because she woke up late, she decided that there wasn't time for a bath, so just a quick shower. She tried to make it as fast as possible, and got dressed. She was almost ready to head out to the guild. She was still half expecting Natsu, probably with Happy, to show up at any moment. She looked around her apartment to make sure they weren't there somewhere. She was alone. "Well good. I guess…"

She wondered what Natsu was doing, and where. She had figured he just needed some time to calm down. His outburst had left everyone pretty shaken up, so it wasn't surprising she didn't seem him again later that day. But somehow, she had expected him to be closer to his usual self today.

Maybe he's already at the guild, she thought. She hoped that he and Gray weren't fighting. Worse than usual, that is.


Lucy arrived at the guild a short time later. As she was entering the front door, a few mages were heading out, apparently going out on a quest. It seemed like a bunch of people were heading out on quests today, since there weren't as many people here and several listings were gone from the job board. Lucy briefly wondered if this had anything to do with Erza.

Stepping inside, Lucy looked around. The guildhall was new, having recently been built after the destruction of the old one. It was noticeably bigger than before. Which, in Lucy's opinion made it feel grander, but also less cozy.

She didn't see Natsu here. She did see Gray sitting alone in a corner though. She wondered what kind of mood he was in right now. She started walking over towards him, not really sure what she was going to say. But before she made it over there, she heard a familiar voice from a nearby table. "Hey Lucy, good to see you. I was starting to think you decided to stay home today." It was Cana Alberona, the card magic mage. She was another member of Fairy Tail that Lucy had recently started developing a friendship with. Lucy was glad to see her.

"Cana, good to see you too.", Lucy replied earnestly. Lucy displayed a small, but genuine smile.

"Want to talk a minute?" Cana asked. She patted the table with her hand, welcoming Lucy to have a seat. Lucy had wanted to talk to Gray, both to see how he was doing and to ask about Natsu. But she decided it could wait a few minutes.

"Sure, let's talk." Lucy said, and sat down across from Cana.

"Soooo…", Cana began. "How's it going? I mean, how are you doing?"

"A little better. I feel like I'm ready to get back to work."

"Don't rush it. If you need more time then the guild will understand." Cana said.

"I'm not rushing." Lucy replied. "I just feel that the best thing to do is to get back out there, instead of sitting around my apartment being sad.", Lucy stated. Cana nodded. "I hear ya." Cana took a drink of ale. As usual she didn't seem drunk despite constantly drinking. "How about you Cana? Are you… holding up okay?" Lucy asked.

Cana considered for a moment. "Erza was a friend. We knew each other since we were kids. I wasn't as close to her as some people, but still… I'll miss her." Cana took another drink. "But this isn't the first time I've had to deal with a death in the guild. Unfortunately. So, I know how to deal with it. I guess not everyone can though." Lucy wondered if this last comment was directed at Natsu, but she thought better of asking. The two of them sat in silence for a few moments.

"Anyway…", Lucy said. "Have you spoken with… the rest of my team since yesterday?" Cana looked at Lucy over the brim of her cup. "Gray doesn't look like he wants to talk right now, and I haven't seen Natsu since… you know." Lucy just looked down at the table, disappointed in Cana's response. "Anyway Lucy, I'm sure he'll be back. Just give him time. Hopefully, he'll have calmed down in time for the Harvest Festival. Assuming they're still doing that. Its supposed to be real soon."

"Yeah, maybe something like that will be good for everyone right now.", Lucy agreed. A few more moments in silence. For the moment, there was nothing else to say. "Anyway Cana, it was good talking to you. We'll talk more later, okay?" Cana smiled. "Anytime Lucy." Lucy got up from the table and left Cana to her own devices. Lucy wondered if things would really be able to return to normal so easily, so soon after the tragedy.


Gray had been sitting at the table for a while. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for. Was he waiting for Natsu to show up? So he could yell at him, or punch him? Or maybe he wanted to see how the rest of the guild would handle things after the funeral. In the case of the latter, Gray got a mixed impression. In some ways things seemed normal. On the surface that is. The guild hall was still running more or less normally, and many people were still here, with the usual going on. But underneath that, there was this feeling that was hard to define. A tension, or maybe even something deeper…

Gray decided that he needed some fresh air. He got up from the table and started to turn, but before he could take two steps, he found Lucy standing in front of him. Gray was slightly startled by this since he hadn't noticed her before. Did she just get here, or had she been standing there without me noticing?, he thought. "Ummm", he said, unprepared.

"Hi Gray", said Lucy. "how are you doing?"

Gray recovered. "I'm fine Lucy". For the past few days whenever somebody spoke to him the first thing they always said was 'how are you doing?', or something similar. He understood why, but it was still getting a little tiring. Besides, he figured most people in the guild are probably doing about the same right now.

"Can we talk?", Lucy asked.

"Sure, what about?", Gray said as he leaned with one hand on the table.

"Well… Natsu for one.", Lucy said. Gray stiffened a little. He had expected that, but was still a little annoyed. Not at Lucy, just at Natsu in general.

"Okay, what about him?"

he asked.

Lucy folded her hands uncomfortably. "Gray, you've known him longer than most. You know him a lot better than I do. Did he react like this when… well, when Lisanna died?"

Gray wasn't expecting that question. "Well, no. I mean, he was upset. Angry even. But not like this. I don't know what he's thinking."

Lucy slowly nodded. "Yeah, me neither. But Gray, could you try not to fight with him when he comes back, at least for now? With things the way they are…", Lucy trailed off.

Gray's posture became less relaxed. "I'll try, but I'm not making any promises."

"…Okay." said Lucy. "But there was something else I wanted to ask about too."

"Alright. Go ahead." Gray said.

Lucy hesitated. "Gray… are we still a team? I mean, you, me, Natsu, and Happy. We're gonna stick together right? Even without…" Lucy paused. "Even with things the way they are now?"

Gray thought for a moment. "I don't know Lucy. Me and Natsu never got along. Erza was sort of like a buffer between us. Made sure we fought the enemy, instead of each other. Usually."

Lucy considered this. "Well, maybe I could fill that role. You never know!", Lucy said with surprising earnestness.

Gray looked at her dubiously. "No offense Lucy, but I don't see it. You gonna stand between us if things get heated?"

Lucy tilted her head a little, the earnestness fading. "Yeah okay, maybe you're right. But still, I'd like it if we could still be a team. It just wouldn't feel right otherwise."

"We'll see. Its too soon to say right now. I think we kind of need to work through stuff before we decide what we're doing moving forward. Does that make sense?"

Lucy nodded again. "I think so. We'll talk again soon though, right?"

"Sure. I'll see you later Lucy." he said.

"Bye Gray." said Lucy.

Gray walked past Lucy, deciding it was time to get some fresh air. He walked to the entrance, and was about to leave. Just before he did though, he heard a voice from the front of the guild hall. It was master Makarov.


Most of the people in the guildhall hadn't noticed Makarov entering the room, and getting onto the stage. He had been standing there for a minute, collecting his thoughts. Mirajane was standing off to the side watching, waiting for him to begin. "Fairy Tail!", Makarov said loudly. This got their attention. They all looked up at the stage to see what their master had to say.

"My children.", he said somewhat less loudly. "I'm glad to see so many of you here today. This is a difficult time, which is why its important for us to stand together, and support one another. We are a family, and families draw strength from one another, especially in times of heartache."

Makarov paused momentarily, and then continued. "Many of you are probably wondering how things will proceed in the immediate future. I'll tell you. Guild operations will continue as normal. I know that's how Erza would have wanted it. However, as I'm sure you're aware, the Harvest Festival is set to begin very soon. You might be wondering how the current circumstances will affect things. I've spent some time thinking on this, and have come to a decision; the Festival will still take place. However, out of respect for the late Erza Scarlet we will be modifying it somewhat. In fact, this year's event festival will be dedicated to her. As such, we will be toning down certain aspects of the event. It won't be as big, or showy. It was difficult for me to decide how to approach this. I know a few of you felt that it should be cancelled outright. But it will go on, even if a little differently this time. If any of you decide not to attend this year, I will understand. Just remember; whether you're there or not, Fairy Tail will always stand together in spirit."

Makarov stood for a moment, looking out at the faces of his guild. He then slowly walked off the stage, leaving the guild to absorb this. After a minute, people began talking again, and the hall returned to normalcy.


Gajeel Redfox was sitting outside of the guildhall, in the open-air seating area. He had been inside for a short time, mostly sticking to the back, after looking at the job board and seeing nothing in particular he was interested in. Then, Makarov came out and started making some big speech about family and togetherness. Gajeel wasn't interested, so he walked out. Just as he was leaving, Makarov started talking about some festival. Gajeel didn't care.

So now, Gajeel was just sitting there, annoyed at having nothing to do. Maybe if I wander around town, I'd find someone dumb enough to pick a fight with me. That could be fun for a minute, he thought to himself. Just then, he heard footsteps. He turned, and noticed Gray walking past, off to somewhere else. Gajeel shrugged. None of his business. He stood up and stretched while looking at the sky. While it was cloudy, the sun was sometimes shining through in places. As the rays hit the ground, he noticed a shadow beside him. He turned his head. There was a blue haired female mage standing a few feet away from him. It was Juvia Lockser, the water mage.

Juvia was staring, but not at Gajeel. She was staring at Gray, who was receding into the distance. She looked sad and pensive at the same time. "You're really fixated on that guy, huh?", Gajeel said. Juvia appeared startled, as if she hadn't even noticed Gajeel.

"Um, well… ". Juvia composed herself and started again. "Not that its your concern, but I do care for him. He's a wonderful man."

Gajeel snorted. "You barely even know him."

"It doesn't matter." Juvia replied. "I've had a strong feeling about him since we first met. He's kind, and strong, and handsome."

"Uh huh. Whatever." Gajeel was already losing interest in the conversation. He was curious about one thing though. "Is it true you joined Fairy Tail just for him?"

"Yes. Well, that was the main reason…". Juvia trailed off. "So why did you join?"

Gajeel shrugged. "I had my reasons."

"That's not much of an answer.", Juvia said with a little impatience.

"Yeah? Bite me. There's your answer.", Gajeel retorted. Juvia appeared annoyed. "I'm starting to see why we were never friends in Phantom Lord."

Gajeel flashed a smile, which was meant to display his amusement. But Juvia thought it made him look sinister. In fact, she felt that Gajeel in general seemed to have an "evil" look about him, with the metal around his face, and the red eyes. And the deep raspy voice contributed too. Then again, people had also accused Juvia of being "creepy" in the past. "I didn't have any real friends in that place, and I was fine with that." Gajeel said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure you didn't either. Don't expect that to change here, for either of us."

Juvia stiffened. "You may not have friends, but I feel I've already made a few here."

"Yeah?", Gajeel replied. "Then why have you been standing around all by yourself the last few days? I noticed you hiding up there on the second floor."

Juvia looked away, uncomfortable. But then she lifted her gaze back to his."Erza Scarlet just died. I didn't know her that well, but it seems she was very important to this guild, and much cared for. I decided that for the moment I should give the other guild members their space. Even Gray…"

While Juvia had kept to herself these past few days, she had at least gone to the funeral. Even if she mostly stayed in the back, since she hadn't known Erza long, and felt it was a moment for the people who knew her best. Gajeel on the other hand had not attended the funeral at all. He hadn't known Erza. He had never even spoken to her. And he had only just joined the guild on top of that. No one in Fairy Tail blamed him for not attending, even if they did still blame him for other things he had done.

"You know, that's a good idea.", Gajeel said in response to Juvia's previous statement. "I could use some space too." At that, Gajeel walked off away from the guildhall, leaving Juvia standing there alone. Juvia stood there a moment. She noticed there was a slight wind picking up. With the cool temperature and clouds, it was fairly typical fall weather, even if it was also somewhat gloomy. Which to Juvia felt appropriate. She too began walking away from the hall, but making sure not to go in the same direction that Gajeel did.

What neither of them had noticed, was that half a block away someone had been watching them. This person had been standing at the end of an alley, and was partly obscured by shadows. He had been standing there for a little while, watching people go in and out of the guild, but never approaching himself. This person was none other than Natsu Dragneel.


End Notes: Constructive criticism is welcome. This fic is a canon divergence, but with some AU elements as well. I originally started writing this as a short story, but have since expanded it into a longer story.

In this story I'll be doing some things you wouldn't see in canon, and taking the characters in some unexpected directions. I want to avoid a lot of the wackier stuff you would see in the series. I'm going for a more serious and hopefully more mature tone. Which doesn't mean there can't be any humor. It would just be different. This story will also have less emphasis on power levels than the canon, and less instances of "plot armor". This is to raise the stakes and make things a little more grounded.

If anyone has any thoughts about these ideas then feel free to comment.

As a final note, I have made some notable changes to the first few chapters. I made some minor revisions to chapter 1, and also combined chapters 2 and 3 into one. This was done for the sake of pacing and the overall flow of the story. Some other minor changes were made to the writing in this chapter as well. Hopefully this marks an improvement in how these early chapters read.