A/N: Hello everyone. Been a bit of a rough couple of weeks, but I'm glad to be bring an end to arc one of this story. I've received pretty mixed reviews on how I've chosen to make the story progress thus far, but that's okay- gives me more of a challenge to try and exceed your guys' expectations. I WILL DO IT!

I am looking forward seeing which fusion you guys want to see during the Tartaros arc (right now the fusion between Natsu and Gajeel is currently trailing in second behind a double-trouble sibling fusion comprised of the Strauss sisters) and just as a consideration to those who have difficulty deciding, I've allowed for two votes per person in this poll. Oh, and in case I forgot to mention it before, the winner of the poll with be illustrated by yours truly and put on display as the cover art for this story (for a month).

Now, let's get into it! Sorry if this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but there is plenty that happens, and the ending in particular should get a new hype train going (I hope). ...Roll film!

OP Song: Sora ni Utaeba (original or cover by Amanda Lee)

P.S. Jump Force- ranks in the top three for the birthday gifts I received this week! Definitely a game worth waiting waiting for!

Magic Battle Nexus Arc: Epilogue

The Gift of Home

"Y'know, it's been a long time since I didn't have to fly somewhere, or use instant transmission," Gorun said as he stretched his still somewhat-aching arms above his head before settling back into a rather comfortable couch set in the carriage that he, Yukino, Kinana, and Romeo were riding in. "I forgot how nice it is to let someone else do the travelling for me."

He and Kinana were on one side of the compartment, with Yukino and Romeo sitting opposite of them. Just ahead of their carriage, another much like it was carrying Team Natsu home to Magnolia. Both were gifts from the king to see them all safely home. Gorun suspected that Hisui might have had a hand in the gifts as a way of apology, but he didn't comment on the fact.

"But with instant transmission, you don't have to travel at all," Romeo said. "We could all be back in Magnolia by now, why bother with the carriage ride back?"

"Cos then you'd miss all that, kid," Gorun said as he pointed out the window with his thumb. Outside lay a beautiful countryside, backed by a glorious mountain range and a crystal blue sky. Here and there a few white clouds scuttled along, but other than that, the sun was warm and bright, lighting up the scenery masterfully.

"Something to keep in mind," the Saiyan added when he saw that Romeo seemed unimpressed. "That landscape wouldn't have been there if we hadn't been able to act as we did." He saw the sobering words strike home with the boy, so in a gentler tone, he said, "Appreciate everything that you see here, Romeo, because it might not always be there."

"On the other hand," Kinana said with a soft smile as she intertwined her fingers with Gorun's, "If we continue to work hard, and stay vigilant, this beautiful landscape will be here long after us."

"I like the thought of that," Yukino said as she stared out the window absently. "Our efforts preserving such beauty as this…"

The two carriages made a stop at around lunch time, giving the travelers a chance to stretch their legs and chat for an hour before they would have to get back on the road again. Natsu immediately flopped onto a rock, groaning with a mixture of agony and relief while Happy and Romeo sat next to him and tried to get his mind off his weak stomach. Lucy, Carla, and Wendy sat down and began to make flower bracelets and crowns out of the plants growing in the field around them. Meanwhile, Erza sat up against the rock that Natsu had claimed and began scribbling in a large notebook. While this was going on, Gray walked over to rest under the shade of a tree, somewhat away from Natsu's grumblings. Yukino and Kinana moved to join the other girls in making flower decorations while Gorun contented himself with studying the landscape once again.

I wonder how Lucy and Levy are doing in the Time Patrol, he thought somberly, the thought striking him from out of nowhere. Probably well enough. Both of them are talented, not to mention that their abilities will make them unique assets in the field… They may not be able to fire a Kamehameha that can wipe out a solar system, but they'd excel at the stealth and infiltration ops that come up from time to time…

"Earthland to Gorun!"

"Bwuh?" he muttered, suddenly realizing that Lucy had been calling his name for a few moments now. "Er, sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "I was lost in thought. What'd you need?"

"Just wondering what your plans are for when we get back to Magnolia," the blond girl replied, fixing her gaze back on her plant project. "Heard you and these three were gonna make a new team?"

"Yeah, the Golden Tail," Gorun answered with a proud grin.

"You mean, like your…?" Wendy started, then hesitated. She'd only heard that he had a monkey-like tail, and since he always kept it hidden, only a few of the guild members had seen it.

"Hadn't really thought about it like that," the Saiyan boy shrugged.

"Speaking of your tail, I've been meaning to ask…" Erza said as she looked up from her notebook. "Since it is no longer a secret, why keep it hidden? You have nothing to fear from anyone at the guild."

"It's not you guys I'm worried about," Gorun replied. "Though I do appreciate the gesture, Erza. The issue is the larger masses and the full moon."

"Wizards are known to have oddities due to their magic power set," Carla countered. "But what does the full moon have to do with it?"

"The moon emits a certain kind of radiation that turns his people into giant apes that are even harder to control than the Saiyan Soul forms," Kinana answered for him. "They can only absorb enough of it to transform during a full moon, but if he does it on accident, he would lose all sense of reason."

"I guess we do have enough monsters running around, blowing things up," Lucy said with a pointed look at Natsu.

"Is now a bad time to remind you all that I blew up a mountain range?" Gorun volunteered, taking the heat off of Natsu before he became riled up. "Big difference between him causing collateral damage and me losing my mind."

"Yeah, whatever man!" Natsu cackled, suddenly sitting up with a wicked grin. "I'll just get stronger and stronger until I'm so powerful I'll be able to blow up a whole country! Then the top spot in the guild is mine!"

"Top spot?" Gorun chuckled. "I'm not-"

"The final form that you used against the dragons the night of the attack," Erza interrupted him. "It most certainly surpasses Gildarts' power. The much-coveted title of Fairy Tail's strongest is yours, Gorun."

"No, it isn't," he said with an emphatic shake of his head. "I'm not the strongest, not yet. I could barely hold that form for a minute, and look at what it did to me." He held up his shirt to reveal the bandages that still lay there. "Most of the damage and exhaustion Wendy and Porlyusica had to treat me for was self-inflicted. I pushed my takeover spell too far, too fast. My body is barely getting used to Super Saiyan 2, and I went all the way to level three. I'm lucky I didn't obliterate myself."

"So… we won't be seeing that form again for a while?" Romeo guessed.

"I really hope not," Gorun said with a wry grin. "My body will emerge from this ordeal stronger than ever, but even so, I won't be trying for that transformation again any time soon."

"Even so, I'd say your second form puts you in the same league as Master Makarov and Laxus," Carla said as she finished a bracelet and held it out for Wendy to take.

"Master I could take on with Super Saiyan," Gorun nodded. "Laxus, on the other hand, would definitely need my second form to beat. He's a lot stronger than he lets on. I'd even put him on a similar playing field with Gildarts, though I think the old man still has him beat by a bit."

"No way!" Natsu shouted indignantly. "You're sayin' I gotta beat Gildarts, you, and Laxus again?!"

"Don't forget that you still have to get past me, Natsu," Erza said with a dangerous smirk. "We never did have our rematch."

"It'll be real soon, Erza!" Natsu shot back with a challenging grin. "You're goin' down!"

"Can I sell tickets?" Gorun chuckled.

Shortly before it was time to leave the area, Gorun approached the tree that Gray was standing under. "You okay?" he asked the ice wizard.

"Yeah, just doin' some thinking," he answered as he faced his friend. He face was serious, but he wore a smile as he greeted the other boy.

"Do you mind if I ask what about?" Gorun prompted him.

"Just what coulda happened if you hadn't come into our lives," Gray replied. "I mean, we definitely would've had a way harder time against the dragons. And before that, the games woulda been a whole other league of difficult. You've really helped us out around here, pal, and I don't care what your old boss says." He held out a fist toward his comrade and added, "I'm real glad you're Fairy Tail, Gorun."

"Me too," the other boy laughed as he bumped fists with the ice-make wizard. "Got any plans when we get back to Magnolia?"

"Gonna start taking on some jobs again," Gray replied. "Haven't done one since the magic ball, before the games."

"Sounds like a plan," Gorun nodded approvingly. "Me, I might take a couple of weeks off before my team and I become active."

"Why's that?" Gray asked curiously. "You really need that much more time to recover?"

"I'll be fine in a few days," Gorun said easily. "But that's not why I want to take a break from the action. I wanted… Well, I wanted to look at getting a house for myself."

Gray looked at him, eyes wide with surprise. "A house?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Gorun grinned. "I've been thinking a lot about my future, and I think it would be nice for me to have my own place instead of just renting out a pad, you know?"

"I thought you really liked your apartment," Gray said, confused. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It's not all that sudden," his friend shrugged. "My lease expires in a few weeks, so I figured that if I was going to look for a home, this would be a good time to do it."

"That's… really cool, actually," Gray said as he thought about what his comrade was saying. "If you need help finding a place, I know the Strauss siblings, Alzack's family, and Macao all own homes in the city. Everyone else lives at the guild hall or rents out a place."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Gorun replied, filing the information away for later use.

"You sure there isn't any other reason why you'd suddenly want a house?" Gray asked, prodding him with an elbow. "Come on, man, you can trust me to keep my mouth shut."

"You did keep my tail a secret pretty well," Gorun conceded. "All right, then… Look, this stays between you and me, got it? Not even Kinana knows about me looking for a house."

"How come?" Gray asked with a slightly cocked head. "I thought you guys did everything together."

"Well, I'd rather this be a surprise," Gorun said with a conspirator's smile. "See, a house isn't the only thing I'm shopping for." As he spoke, he held up his left hand and waggled his ring finger.

Gray's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and Gorun had to clamp his hand over his friend's mouth to prevent the involuntary shout from escaping. When he was certain that Gray had himself under control, he released his grip on the other boy's jaw.

"Yeesh, you sure you need more time to heal?" Gray muttered as he massaged a small bruise where Gorun had grabbed him. "You feel plenty strong to me."

"Sorry about that, but I didn't want to explain the yelling," the Saiyan hybrid replied with a wince. "I didn't think you would react so strongly. I mean, the legal age is sixteen in the country, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's just…" Gray hesitated unsure of how to respond. "It's not common at our age, is all. And I mean, you only started dating a few weeks ago, right?"

"Yeah, but in all honesty, we should have started sooner," Gorun shrugged. "Look, I'm not saying that I want to rush her off to the cathedral the minute we get back to Magnolia, but I do want this very much. My life has been so great since I came here, and she's a large part of that. It's because of her that I joined Fairy Tail, found a home here in this new world for me. She's been my best friend ever since I came here. All that aside, I love her. Should I need any more reasons than those?"

"I mean…" Gray hesitated, then fell silent for a moment. "I dunno, man," he said at length. "I obviously don't have much experience when it comes to romance, so you're asking the wrong guy. All I can say is that if you believe this is gonna make the both of you happy, then I'd better get an invite right after Erza does to your wedding."

"Why after Erza?" Gorun asked with a quizzical smile.

"Did'ja see her when she found out she missed Bisca and Alzack's wedding?" Gray snickered. "I thought she was gonna shake poor Max to death out of frustration."

"Got it, Erza gets the first invite." They shared a long bout of laughter after that before falling into a companionable silence.

"You really wanna marry her, huh?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, I really do," Gorun said with a contented smile.

"Then I got another question for you," the ice wizard said with a mischievous grin. "Who's gonna be your best man?"

"I'll let you and Natsu fight each other for it."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That's fair."

"Here you go, Miss Yukino!" Wendy said as she approached the silver-haired wizard. She held out her hands, which bore a white flower crown.

"This is for me?" the older girl asked in surprise. "But I can't take it! You worked so hard on it, and it would look a lot cuter on you-"

"I made it for you, though," Wendy said with an encouraging smile. "It's my welcome-to-the-guild gift! I know Erza always buys a cake for new members, so you'll get to have that when we get to Magnolia. I can't really afford something like that, but I always used to make these flower crowns with my mother, and she liked it when I gave her one. I couldn't really think of anything else I could make you, actually…" She flushed with embarrassment as she continued to hold out the offered gift. "I-If you don't like it, I-"

"No, it's lovely!" Yukino said swiftly, taking the crown gingerly from her younger comrade's hands and setting it on her head with a smile. "I'm just not used to receiving gifts from others is all. When I got into Sabertooth, it was as though that should have been a gift enough." Wendy's face lit up as she realized that Yukino genuinely enjoyed her present.

"Well, with Fairy Tail, I think that joining is a gift in it of itself," Lucy said with a bright smile at her new friend. "But the people here are also really glad that you joined us. Expect a lot in the way of attention and gift-giving over the next few days."

"Oh dear," Yukino said, her own face turning a few shades redder.

"You're gonna scare off my teammate," Kinana said with an easy grin toward Lucy. Then her eyes flicked up to where Gorun and Gray were approaching, both of them wearing big smiles. "What're you two up to?" she asked them suspiciously.

"You'll see," Gorun replied with a laugh as he bent down and kissed her brow. "I promise it won't be long."

"My birthday isn't for another four months, so what are you planning?" she asked, her suspicion growing.

"Trust me, it'll be worth the wait," Gray chuckled. And no matter how much the others tried to get them to spill, the only answer they received was their conspirators' smiles.

The welcome they received from Magnolia was a spectacle to behold. The entire city turned out to cheer them on, even the Twilight Ogre guild members. The streets were filled with people and confetti that showered down like snow.

"This is new," Gorun said as he looked around, waving his free hand at the gathered citizens. The other was currently occupied by his girlfriend's hand. "I don't think we've ever been so well-received before."

"This is how it used to be, before the Tenrou team was taken from us," Kinana reminded him. "And now that we're number one again, you can get used to this kind of reception." The couple shared in a smile, glad to be a part of their guild.

Amid the cheering and noise, Natsu paused at one point to reach into his backpack. "Hang on, you guys!" he shouted. "I got a souvenir to remind everyone who the number one guild is!" Out of the pack, he pulled-

"Is that the king's friggin' crown?!" Wakaba shouted while everyone else stared at the dragon slayer, dumbstruck. There, in his hands, was the symbol of office for the King of Fiore.

"They're gonna throw you in the dungeon, Natsu!" Wendy shouted worriedly.

"Whoops!" the pinkette laughed nervously as he stuffed the item back into his pack. "Sorry, you all weren't supposed to see that…"

"Shouldn't you take that and teleport it back to Crocus?" Kinana suggested, but Gorun shook his head in the negative.

"Nah," he said with a smirk. "I'm still kinda mad about the Eclipse Gate. They earned that one."

"Here it is!" Natsu crowed, holding the Grand Magic Games winner's trophy high over his head. "A really shiny cup!" Magnolia redoubled its cheering for the group of wizards as Natsu had Romeo grab the cup and sit high on his shoulders.

"This is a wonderful reception," Yukino said as she smiled shyly at the cheering crowd. "Is Magnolia always so lively?"

"It's home to our guild, so it's gotta be," Lucy grinned at her friend. "You'll get used to it, don't worry."

"Well done, Fairy Tail!" the master of Twilight Ogre said as he stepped up to the head of their column. His appearance gave some of their members pause, but they were put somewhat at ease by his friendly smile, and the fact that he was accompanied by someone that looked very official to them. "The mayor of Magnolia has a few words he'd like to share with all of you!" the man said as he bowed out, moving into a portion of the crowd where several of his grunts were standing.

"For years, your guild was a symbol of pride for this great city," the mayor began, once the crowd had settled down a little. "Though you faced a great hardship, you persevered and rose to become the number one guild in our country again. And to that end, we as a city have prepared a gift for you."

"Good mayor, you're far too kind," Makarov said as he approached the man with a subdued smile.

"Observe- your gift is to my right," the small official said as he gave a courtly sweep with his right arm to indicate the direction they should aim their attention.

What they saw made many of them burst into cheers and tears of joy. There, standing more magnificently than ever before, was the original Fairy Tail guild hall. Makarov was actually sobbing with sheer joy as he fell to his knees, giving thanks to the mayor and his citizens.

"We get our old hall back?!" Gajeel shouted with surprise, his eyes alight with a genuine delight that was rare to see on his face.

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed.

"We had it reconstructed and restored so that it's even better than before!" Twilight Ogre's master said proudly. "You've done us all proud, and this is our way of sayin' thanks!"

"I love Magnolia with all my heart!" Makarov cried as he wiped his eyes.

"This is awesome!" Natsu cheered.

"All right!" Gray shouted exuberantly, clapping Gorun on the shoulder as he laughed with excitement. "We finally got our old guild hall back!"

"This is amazing," Gorun said with a small smile. "You know, I've never actually been in this place before?"

"Then it's time you did," Kinana said, squeezing his hand gently. "Welcome home, Son Gorun."

"Home," he repeated under his breath, liking the feel of it in his mouth, and the sense of belonging that it filled his heart with.

For that is what Fairy Tail was, now more than ever. He now knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would never have to return to the Time Patrol, and for the first time in his life, he felt glad that he could call the place before him 'home'.

"It's good to be here."

The following weeks passed by quickly for most people in the revived guild. New members came pouring in to help with the new onslaught of job requests that were flooding the request board, though the members that had stayed through with the seven-year trial were often granted first tabs on the more lucrative jobs- provided they could handle it, of course.

Yukino had settled in nicely, being welcomed readily by all the members of the guild, save for Juvia, who barely spoke a word to the girl, other than the phrase, 'love rival'. Bisca and Lucy helped her to find a nice apartment to move in to, and Mirajane helped her get familiar with the layout of the guild hall so that she could find job requests and the other facilities without much trouble.

Kinana resumed her work as barmaid on the days when she wasn't taking job requests, and Romeo finished the wizarding exams set by Makarov to determine that he was ready for A-class jobs if he wanted to go solo.

However, the three of them and their leader had yet to go on a mission together. Gorun had claimed that he needed some time off from work, and was hardly in the guild with the others, though it was clear whenever he came in that he loved the foundational building of the guild that he had come to call his home. The rest of the time, he was rarely seen at all, except by Kinana, who still went on regular dates with him, though even she had no idea what was keeping him busy.

Natsu got the idea to try and follow him one day, but ended up meeting a dead end when Gorun used instant transmission to escape his radar.

"What's the point of forming a new team if we don't even go on any missions together?" Romeo muttered one day at dinner. He was sitting with Yukino, Gray, and Macao, the latter of which had just returned from a job and was grateful to be able to rest.

"Not every team goes together for every single job, ya know," Gray reminded him. "Me, Erza, Wendy, and Carla went on a job without Natsu, Lucy, and Happy just the other day."

"Yeah, but you all ended up working together to fight that giant mole thing," the young fire mage pointed out.

"If it's any consolation, Gorun said that he had something he wanted to show us this evening," Yukino told her comrade. "Said he was coming back for active duty tomorrow, too, so maybe we can start going on quests together like you wanted."

"About time!" the boy exclaimed. "When'd you hear that?"

"He was in this morning, talking to Kinana," the girl replied. "He seemed pretty excited about whatever it is he's been working on."

"Any idea what could have taken him three weeks to figure out?" Macao wondered aloud. "I know he's been healed up for at least two- saw him training out by the water when I was headed out of town one day."

"You know how he is," Gray shrugged. "He likes keeping certain things to himself. I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready."

"You're probably right," Yukino nodded. She went to drink some of her water, only to find that her cup was now bone dry. "Hmm?" she mumbled, confused. She was sure that it had been full just a moment ago…

"You okay?" Gray asked her.

"My water just vanished," the girl said with a slight frown. "I could have sworn it was mostly full just a second ago. Have I grabbed the wrong one?" They all checked their cups, but as everyone else had ordered something other than water, they shook their heads as they confirmed that they still had their drinks.

"Weird," Romeo muttered as he eyed the wooden mug suspiciously. "D'ya think someone put a draining spell on it as a joke?"

"Draining spell?" Gray repeated, his eyes narrowing. Standing up abruptly, he turned and shouted at a seemingly random pillar, "Juvia! Give her water back! Now!"

At first, the pillar remained unresponsive, but before too long, the rain woman crept out from behind the wooden support structure, her features sullen. "You're spending all of your time with her, when you and I haven't been together since we came home," she said sulkily as she glowered at Yukino. "Why are you being so cold to me, my love?"

"Because I'm not your love, and I will never be your love," Gray growled, irritated. "And who I spend my time with is none of your business. We aren't involved romantically, Juvia. In fact, if you keep this up, I doubt we'll even be involved as friends." Those words seemed to strike home with the obsessed rain woman, because she stepped away from Gray, a look of horror in her eyes at the thought of not being able to be a part of his life, romantic or otherwise.

"I…" she squeaked out, tears pooling in her eyes. Outside, it began to rain heavily.

"That was pretty harsh, bro, even for you," Romeo said quietly, a mild note of disapproval in his voice.

Gray shot him a look that warned him not to meddle, then turned back to Juvia, whose face was veiled by her hair. "Look, Juvia," he said, allowing a more sympathetic note to enter his voice. "I've tried telling you nicely, time and time again, that I don't like you that way. The problem is, you don't listen to me. You just take it as a challenge to try and win me over harder. But that will never happen- know why?"

"Because of that alien boy that you've become friends with," she said bitterly, her fists shaking. "Ever since he came here, you've become distant from me!" Now some of the other guild members were staring, noticing the argument as it grew louder.

"The only thing Gorun has to do with this is the fact that he showed me that I need more backbone in how I handle this issue," Gray replied swiftly, his voice becoming stern again. "You're the only one making any distance between us, Juvia. Not him, you. The harder you've tried to come at me, the more I've wanted to keep you away altogether. I don't want you in my life as anything more than a comrade and a fellow guild mate. If you're looking for love, you need to find it somewhere else."

"B-But I can-"

"Nothing you do or say will change my mind on this," Gray said firmly, straightening his back as he tossed aside his shirt. "I hope that someday, you find what you're looking for in someone, but it's not gonna be me."

"I… I…" Juvia mumbled, heartbroken. "I only ever wanted you to love me back… everything I ever did, I did… for you… All I wanted…"

"That's too big of an ask," the ice wizard replied, his voice strong. "I love this guild, Juvia, and all the people in it- you included. But I am not in love with you, nor will I ever be."

"Never?" she asked him pitifully, and for a moment, seeing the deplorable state she was in, his heart broke for her. However, he did not allow this to sway his newfound resolve.

"Never," he replied with a note of finality. "I am sorry, Juvia."

Without another word, the blue-haired wizard dashed out of the hall and into the rain, tears streaming from her eyes.

"I'll go talk to her," Lucy said, walking up beside Gray and giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. The young man looked exhausted. "She made friends with Aquarius, so maybe they can help each other out. Hopefully they don't decide to drown us all…" Then she was running after their guild mate, calling out her name as she went.

The ice wizard slumped back into his seat, emotionally drained. "That was a lot harder than I thought it would be," he mumbled.

"As someone whose wife ditched them, let me tell you, kid," Macao said as he clapped his younger comrade on the shoulder. "It's better that it happens now instead of later, after you realize you've made a horrible mistake." Romeo thought about taking a dig at his father, but seeing the looks on his and Gray's faces made him realize that now was not the time for levity.

"Thanks, Macao," the half-naked young man said tiredly.

"At least she didn't flood the guild hall," Yukino commented hesitantly. "I suppose it could have been worse."

"Yeah," Gray replied numbly. "Look, guys, I think I need to go home and lie down for a bit. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he walked away, out of the guild hall, and into the pounding rain that seemed to be getting heavier by the minute.

Not two minutes later did Gorun pop into existence in front of their table with a large grin on his face, and the words, "I finally finished my…! my… Why does everyone look like the king just died?" The smile on his face faded as he spoke, looking at each of his guild mates' somber expressions in turn.

"You just missed the breakup of the decade," Romeo informed him. "Looks like Gray finally got through to Juvia."

"Oh…" Gorun said, paling slightly. "Is that why the rain…?"

"Yeah," Macao nodded. "You certainly left an impression on Gray, kid. I'd watch your back if I were you, unless you want Juvia to put a hole in it."

"No thanks, already been there," Gorun replied quickly. "Look, is Gray alright? I know that couldn't have been easy for him."

"He said he was going home to be alone for a little while," Yukino told him.

"I guess I'll check on him tomorrow if we don't hear from him by lunch," Gorun decided out loud. "We should give him his space, but I also don't want to leave him alone for too long after something like that…"

"What were you about to say when you first showed up?" Romeo asked, trying to break the awkward tension in the air. "You finished something?"

"I did, but I don't know if now is the right time to be showing it off, with everything that just happened," Gorun winced. "Well, the most important thing, anyway, is that I'm ready to come back to work as an active wizard. I was hoping our team could take its first job together tomorrow- I already had Mira set aside a task for us."

"Sweet!" Romeo grinned, all gloominess banished from his bearing. "I've been waiting for this!"

"What kind of job is it?" Yukino asked, preferring this topic to the previous one. She secretly felt a little guilty about the scene of Juvia's heartbreak, since she and Gray were becoming closer companions these days. Of course, she wasn't at fault, but Yukino was a kind-hearted individual who felt responsible for bad things that happened around her.

"There's a big gang terrorizing the port town, Negura," Gorun informed them. "The mayor's asked for an S-class wizard to come deal with the situation, and since you're on my team, I can bring you two and Kinana with me. The payout's supposed to be big, but the catch is that we have to bring the mayor the gang boss, a wizard named Geese."

"Shouldn't be too hard with your instant transmission," Yukino commented. "Why not just go in, grab him, and get out?"

"I could do that, but then somebody else'd just take his place in the gang," Gorun replied with a shrug. "Then the town's in the same trouble it was before. No, I say we go in and show 'em what happens when you get on Fairy Tail's bad side. Although, let's try to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, yeah?"

"All right!" Romeo crowed. "Our first job as a team! I'm all fired up!"

"That's my line!" Natsu shouted from across the hall, but he gave Romeo a big grin and a thumbs-up. "Good luck, little buddy!"

"Thanks!" the younger fire mage grinned back.

"Are you certain you don't want to show us what you've been working on?" Yukino asked her team leader. "You've hardly been around the last few weeks, so it would be nice if we could see you for more than just a few minutes. You also seemed very eager to show us whatever it is that you have."

"I… Yeah, alright," Gorun relented. "Let me go find Kinana, then you'll all get to see the surprise."

"Wait, how many of us are going with you?" Yukino inquired.

"Golden Tail only," the Saiyan boy grinned as he walked away from the table. "Be right back!"

"Okay, everyone, we're here," Gorun said as he turned around to face the others. "You can open your eyes." They had arrived at the young man's secret project via instant transmission, though not before he'd instructed them all to keep their eyes closed until they got there.

The three members of his team all did as they were invited, then blinked to make sure they were seeing correctly. A comfortable-looking house lay in front of them, set up on a hill overlooking the ocean. It was set on the outskirts of town, far away enough that there was little of the city noises reaching them, but not so far away that it would be a great chore to walk to the guild.

The house itself was mainly white in color, with a blue roof and green trim on the windows. There was a verandah with a porch swing big enough for two people to sit on comfortably. The building looked big enough to hold a bedroom or two, plus a sizeable living room that they could all see through the front window.

"Welcome to my house, everyone," Gorun said with a bright smile, glad that he had been convinced to take them along after all.

"This is what you've been working on for the last few weeks?" Kinana asked, her eyes wide as he moved to hug her from the side.

"Yeah-huh," he nodded. "I bought it a few days after we came back to Magnolia. The rest of the time I've been painting it and moving my furniture over. Plus, I had to buy some new furniture for it since my stuff wouldn't stretch out to the whole thing."

"Awesome!" Romeo grinned.

"You did the paint job yourself?" Yukino asked, looking impressed. "I must say, Gorun, it looks quite nice from the outside."

"I can hardly believe you did all of this on your own," Kinana smiled up at him. "This is a lovely place."

"Well, since the outside meets your approval, would you all like to see the inside?" he asked, to which they all agreed that they would.

Once inside, they were impressed all over again. Polished wooden floors the color of honey greeted their feet, while the walls were white and decorated with various trinkets and mementos of jobs that Gorun had taken over the last year and a half. The living room was already furnished with a couple of couches and a lounge chair next to a lamp, which the others guessed would primarily be used for reading. There was even a fireplace to heat up the room in the colder months.

Off to one side, a short hallway led to a bathroom and guest bedroom. Around the corner in said hallway was the master bedroom, Gorun explained when they started to inspect the guest room, which held a twin-size bed and a chair, plus a shelf full of books. A window on the wall opposite the bed admitted a clear view of the ocean down below them, adding to the welcoming feel of the abode.

The kitchen itself was on the cozy side, but since it opened into the dining room (situated next to the living room) it didn't feel too cramped. The eating area had a wood round table and four chairs of the same material. In this room, there was another window that showed the outside world, this side displaying the woods that bordered the town.

"So…?" Gorun asked with an eager grin on his face. "What do you all think?"

"This is such a wonderful place, Gorun," Kinana said, delighted. "But… how on earthland did you afford it?"

"This place couldn't have been cheap, even if you can take S-class jobs," Romeo pointed out, though he too seemed impressed by the house.

"I have Master Macao to thank for this," Gorun admitted with a sheepish grin. "I used to put in extra money toward helping the guild get out of debt, remember? Well, I guess your dad was keeping tabs on how much I gave to Fairy Tail, because the day after we got back, he came up to me with the old man and handed me a note saying that… a certain amount… had been transferred to my bank from the guild's funds. Master Makarov said that it was my cut of the festival winnings, but I figured out what they were doing."

"How much did you get back from them?" Romeo asked curiously.

"Enough to pay for all this without hurting my own savings too much," Gorun chuckled. "My original plan was to take out a loan and pay it off over the next few years, but I was able to just pay for it all immediately."

"That's amazing, Gorun," Yukino said with a smile. "You have a home to call your own."

"Fairy Tail is my home," he replied with a smile of his own. "But this is a place for our team to call its own, too. Anytime you guys need help from me, my door is open to you. Whether you just need a place to crash for the night, or a friend to talk to, I want this to be the place where we can do that."

"You don't want to share this place with anyone else in the guild?" Kinana asked, a little surprised. "Not even Gray or Natsu?"

"They're great, but I bought this place for us," Gorun replied, looking at Kinana straight in the eye. "I may have them over from time to time for a meal or something to that effect; they're Fairy Tail, but there's only four Golden Tail members. I'm proud to have you three as my teammates, and that's why I want to share this home with you."

"Thank you, Gorun," Yukino said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "This is a beautiful house, made even more so by your offer to turn it into our team's home."

"I'm proud to be Fairy Tail, and I'm just as proud to be on your team," Romeo said as he bumped fists with the older wizard.

"You never cease to amaze me," Kinana said before she kissed Gorun on the cheek. "First you bring new life into our guild, then you raise us back up to our old glory and save the world on the same day. Now that we're ready to go out into the world again, you've made sure that we have a place to come back to, no matter what. Thank you, Gorun, so much." Then she kissed him on the mouth, which he reciprocated happily.

"Do they have to…?" Romeo groaned, causing the others to laugh, and the couple to break up their kiss.

"Okay, okay," Gorun chuckled. Turning to face them all, he said, "I know you all just had dinner, but how does a desert sound? I picked up a cake from the bakery as a housewarming gift to us." The others all expressed their delight in the idea, and before long, the beautiful house was filled with the sound of their little family enjoying their first evening together at home.

Elsewhere, in a land many miles to the north of Fiore, there was a vast desert where hardly anything grew, and fewer things lived. It was here that there was a brilliant flash of light, followed by a sound of thunder that heralded the arrival of a powerful figure from within the energy storm.

They were slim of build with tanned skin, and their shoulder-length hair was azure in color, matched perfectly by a set of narrow eyes. Their clothing consisted of a blue gi that reflected their hair color, with the kanji symbol for 'turtle' on the back of their uniform.

Their right fist clenched tightly as they growled, "So you really are here… Kaidon…"

Gorun: Who was that?

Mataras: Not saying.

Gorun: It better not be who I think it is.

Mataras: It probably is.

Gorun: NO, ZENO! No, Zeno, please no! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!

Saiki: What on earth has him so upset?

Mataras: You're a psychic, figure it out.

Saiki: ...Ah. I can see why he would be so upset.

Gorun: I DID NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS!

Mataras: Eh, he'll get over it... Sometime in the next few weeks, I hope.

Saiki: I do have one question, though...

Mataras: Yes?

Saiki: Who is this 'Kaidon' person?

Mataras: Isn't that obvious?

Saiki: No, and you're blocking my mind-reading, so I appear unable to get an answer out of you through my normal methods.

Gorun: I'M GOING BACK TO THE TIME PATROL AND ERASING YOU FROM EXISTENCE!

Mataras: Pretty sure Chronoa might kill you if you did that. Also, I don't feel like being picked on right now.

Saiki: What happened to you?

Mataras: I had what was supposed to be a minimally invasive surgery go horribly wrong... I could barely walk for about a week. Then other things happened, that, while inconsequential enough on their, compounded to make the last couple of weeks rather... insufferable.

Saiki: Didn't you have a birthday recently?

Mataras: Only highlight of the last few weeks, pal. Well, that and Jump Force.

Gorun: And you deserve every minute of it!

Mataras: Okay, I think we'll move on now. Thanks to our readers for taking the time to view this chapter, I hope to see your comments in the review section, and don't forget to vote for which fusion you wish to see come to life during the Tartaros arc.

Saiki: Next time on Saiyan Tail- Eclair.

Gorun: Be sure to come back and watch me turn the Red Swordsman into pulp!

Mataras: Hey come on, I- OW!

Next time on Saiyan Tail...

It had been a couple of minutes when Romeo noticed that everything around them was too quiet. There were no children playing in the streets, no women moving about the marketplace, seeking goods for their homes. There wasn't even any sounds coming from the homes themselves.

"Anyone else think it's too quiet around here?" he asked with a frown.

"Nah," Gorun smirked. "That's just the sound of a bunch of thugs thinking that they've got a good ambush going."

"Eh?!" Romeo and Yukino yelped.

"We've been sensing them hiding inside the houses for the last couple of blocks," Kinana informed them. "We're waiting for them to make a move first."

"Any second now…" Gorun said he held up a hand for the others to stop where they were. No sooner than they had did several dozen criminals burst out of the buildings surrounding them, all of them armed and grinning evilly as they cat-called and taunted the group of wizards.

"I suggest not going above two," Gorun muttered to Kinana, who nodded as she understood his meaning. They both used an amplification spell called the Kaioken, which made their energy more difficult to use with precision the more they pushed it. Since they wanted to avoid damaging the town excessively, they would have to limit its use.

In a louder tone, Gorun said, "Oh no, they caught us… what ever will we do?"

"You got a smart mouth, kid," one of the bigger men said as he stepped forward, wielding a large sword. "Let's see if you're so smart when I cut out your tongue!" Raising his sword high, he brought it back down with great force, aiming to split Gorun down the middle.

However, as soon as the blade made contact with him, the boy willed his energy to flare up sharply so that the blade merely shattered against his forehead. The thief stared at his broken weapon, then at Gorun, dumbstruck.

"I accept your surrender," he said with a cheery smile, right before he slapped his attacker in the gut. The bigger man groaned as the air emptied from his lungs and he collapsed in the cobbled stones of the street. Looking up from him, Gorun noticed that all of the other bandits looked decidedly nervous. Maybe we can get this done without a fight, he thought briefly.

"Attention, sewer rats," he announced loudly, making sure that all of them could hear him. "I am Son Gorun of Fairy Tail. You probably saw me compete in the Grand Magic Games, or at least heard about how I bested Jura Neekos, the Wizard Saint. These here are my teammates, come to collect the bounty on your boss' head. Fight us if you want, but do so at the risk of your own health. Turn him over, and I promise that you'll be well-treated by your jailers."

"Like hell we're goin' to jail!" another man shouted, aiming a magic rifle at the boy.

"Hard way it is," Gorun smirked as he took a fighting stance, his comrades doing the same behind him. "Good. Makes this way more fun. Let 'em have it, guys!"