A/N: Okay- you guys would not believe the month I've had. I am sorry that this chapter has come so late, but here it is, please enjoy it, and be sure to check out the response video for your reviews (and private messages) on my YouTube channel.

Forecast shows for a filler chapter, chances of fluff, maybe a surprise, and a guaranteed mystery. Readers are advised to take it easy and enjoy themselves.

Rival Arc: Epilogue

What's Important

"You sure you don't mind?" Alzack asked as he watched his daughter, Asuka laughing and playing with Natsu, the pink-haired boy laughing along in a good-natured spirit. "I know that this is sort of last-minute."

"Nah, it's fine," Gorun said easily as he clapped his guild mate on the shoulder. "I wasn't planning on taking any jobs today, since Azura is moving into Fairy Hills." He had been approached by the gunslinger mage the previous evening about watching his daughter for a day while Alzack and Bisca went on a job a few miles outside of town.

"That's sweet of you to stay and help your cousin move," Bisca said as she came up to stand by her husband, a small bag on her back.

"Hah, are you kidding?" Gorun snickered. "I'm just staying in town to make sure that she doesn't blow the place up as soon as one of her new dorm mates' quirks makes her angry."

Bisca and Alzack's faces fell a little bit at that. "Yeah, I remember living in the girl's dorm back in the day," the green-haired gun mage muttered. "You wouldn't believe how loud Erza sn-"

"Hello, Bisca, Alzack," said a familiar red-haired requip wizard, causing the two parents to stiffen in alarm. They both turned around to see Erza smiling at them with a dangerous light in her eyes. "I was just passing by and couldn't help but overhear my name. Is there something that you need help with?"

"Actually, we were just going!" Alzack said nervously as he grabbed his wife by the hand and led her away. "Bye, Gorun! Thanks for watching Asuka!"

As he watched them go, Gorun said in an aside to Erza, "To be fair, she might have been about to say 'sneaks around'."

"You can't be too careful, especially when you have a reputation as an S-class wizard to uphold," Erza replied as she started walking toward a table where Lucy and Éclair were eating lunch together, Momon pecking at his partner's plate every now and again.

Shrugging to himself, the saiyan boy moved to go meet Natsu, who was sitting at the bar with Asuka. As he took a seat on the other side of the little girl, Mirajane came up with a smile and handed Asuka a drink with a heart-shaped straw sticking out of it. "There you go," she said with obvious delight as the child began gulping the juice down with gusto. Turning to Gorun, she said without any preamble, "Kinana's in the back, getting some supplies ready for the lunch rush. Can I get you anything in the meantime?"

"I'll take a root beer, yeah," Gorun nodded with a friendly smile of his own. "Thanks, Mira."

"Sure!" the eldest Strauss sibling replied as she moved to grab what he had asked for.

"Hey, Mister Gorun!" Asuka said as she put down her drink. "Where's the mean lady?"

"Mean la- oh, Azura?" Gorun asked with a chuckle. "She's moving into her new home today. Yukino is helping her out, and Kinana has to work the bar, so I'm watching you with Natsu so your parents can go to work."

"I thought you mighta been sticking around cos of that gang that's been robbing people lately," Macao said as he and Romeo passed them by. "Drop some of that Super Saiya-Man stuff you do on them."

Gorun blanched at the name that Macao had unintentionally used, but he managed to reply, "Super Saiyan, and no, I hadn't heard about that. I'm taking it easy after the whole phoenix fiasco."

"Don't you need to earn any money for stuff?" Natsu asked him while the father-son duo left to attend to their own affairs. "I've always gotta be paying for food since Happy eats so much!"

"Yeah right!" the blue cat objected as he popped up onto the bar. "I only ever eat fishies, and they're not that expensive! You're the one that eats everything like a buncha locusts, Natsu!"

"I wanna have some money!" Asuka exclaimed as she finished off her juice.

Her interjection caught everyone off-guard, so that Natsu and Happy forgot their argument, while Gorun looked down at the little girl with some surprise before asking, "Why's that, Asuka? Did you want to buy something?"

"Uh-huh!" she answered with a peppy nod. "Mommy and Daddy are always sayin' it's good to earn money for stuff you wanna buy, so I wanna go on a job and earn my own money!"

"But to do that, you'd need to be a-"

"Hey, Natsu, why don't you go play with Asuka for a few minutes?" Gorun said to interrupt Happy as he aimed a pointed glare at the exceed. "I'll find a job that Asuka can help us out with."

"Okay, sure!" Natsu said as he got up from the bar stool where he was seated, Asuka hopping down to follow him as he added, "C'mon, kiddo! What kinda game do you wanna play?"

Gorun lost her reply as he muttered to a frightened-looking Happy, "Jeez, do you want to kill her self-confidence? Little kids have fragile egos as it is."

"Right, sorry," Happy apologized as Mirajane came back with Gorun's drink.

"Thank, Mira," the saiyan-kai hybrid said as he grabbed the mug up and left a few small bills on the counter as a tip, which she gratefully accepted. Struck by a thought, Gorun clicked his tongue before asking the girl, "Say, you handle a lot of the job requests, right? You wouldn't happen to know of any jobs that'd be safe to bring a kid on, do you?"

"Yeah, we got a few repair job requests that came in today," the barmaid answered as Gorun took a drink of his beverage. "I heard Asuka saying that she wanted to earn some money- is that what you had in mind?"

"Yes," the young man nodded. "Though to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how much she wanted… Huh." Grabbing his mug off the counter again, he got up and said over his shoulder, "Hold that thought- I'm gonna go ask her how much she needs."

"Okay!" Mirajane nodded.

"In the meantime, I'll look at some jobs that we might be able to take her on," Happy volunteered as he took flight.

"Thanks, Happy," Gorun said appreciatively.

He found Natsu on all fours, with Asuka riding on his back, using his scarf like reins as she forced him to tromp through the guild hall as her 'horse'. Gorun looked down at his mug, then back up at the bizarre scene as Natsu began to make sounds that he guessed were meant to be reminiscent of a horse. "I did get root beer, right?" he muttered. "Or did Mira spike my drink?"

"Asuka challenged Natsu to a shoot-off," Lucy explained with a barely contained smile as she watched the unfolding scene. "If he lost, he had to do whatever she wanted."

"Despite all his power, your friend Salamander makes for a poor shot," Éclair commented as she watched the boy enduring his humiliation at the hands of the five-year-old. "Asuka, on the other hand, shows much talent with her weapon of choice. Her toy bullets all hit the bulls-eye on the target."

"Not surprising, given who her parents are," Gorun shrugged, now understanding the bizarre sight. Raising his voice, he said, "Hey, Asuka! Happy and Mira are looking for some jobs that we can do together, so you can earn the money you want."

"Yay!" the little girl chirped as she directed Natsu to stop in front of the saiyan boy. "Thank you, Mister Gorun!"

"Sure thing, kiddo," he smiled down at the little girl. "The only thing I need to know is how much money you needed to earn today?"

"Uh…" Asuka hesitated, then held up five fingers, saying, "This much!"

"Only five jewel?" Gorun laughed. "You don't need to do a job for that! I'll give you five jewel, Asuka."

"No!" she said as she shook her head vehemently. "More!"

"Uh…" Gorun looked over at Lucy, who seemed just as confused as he did. "More, Asuka?" he asked. "Do you mean fifty? Five hundred?"

"Um…" The little girl looked down and started counting with her fingers, whispering to herself for a few seconds before she looked up and declared, "It had a five, and then four 'zeroes' in front of that!"

Gorun's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Oh, you mean fifty thousand jewel…" he said, the girls both looking just as surprised as he felt. "Asuka, what do you need that much money for?"

"Mommy and Daddy are always buying me presents!" she said as she looked up at the tall youth with big, innocent eyes. "I wanna buy them something this time!"

Aw man, how can I say 'no' to something like that? He thought as he knelt down to be eye level with Asuka. "In that case, Natsu and I'll be happy to take you on some jobs," he told her, causing her little face to light up with joy.

"Uh, we are?" Natsu grunted as he looked up at Gorun balefully. "I dunno, man. This kid's a slave driver. Sure you wanna do this?"

"Come on, we'll be fine," the saiyan youth replied with a grin. "Just give Happy and me some time to put a few easy jobs together."

"Ooh, Mister Gorun?" Asuka asked shyly, another thought apparently coming to her attention. "Can I have some cake?"

"Sure, after you've put in a hard day's work," he said with another smile, making a mental note to pick up some cake during the day. "Cake tastes better after you've worked hard, you know?"

"Yay!" Asuka cheered. Then, pulling on Natsu's scarf again, she said, "Come on, Natsu! Run all the way to South Park!"

"Gah!" the pinkette squawked. "You're gonna make me do this in public?!"

"Yeah-huh!" the girl giggled. "Giddy-up, Natsu!"

"Aw, man…" he grumbled before putting on a brave face and galloping out of the guild hall.

"Lucy, go with him and make sure he doesn't end up running them both into a tree or something," Gorun said as soon as they were gone.

"Why me?!" the blond girl demanded.

"Do you really trust Natsu with the safety of a child?" her guildmate deadpanned.

"Dang it, Gorun!" Lucy shouted over her shoulder as she ran after the pair. "You owe me for this!"

"I thought you were supposed to be watching her with Natsu," Momon said from Eclair's arms. The girl raised an eyebrow as he held up one hand in surrender, the other still occupied by his drink.

"I'll catch up to them with my instant transmission as soon as Happy and I put together enough jobs for her to meet her goal," he said defensively.

"I didn't take you as one to like children, Son Gorun," Éclair murmured.

"Eh, what can I say?" he chuckled. "She's a cute kid, and her parents helped me get my bearings when I first came to live in Magnolia. Plus, I've always found kids fascinating- it's cool to see how two different people can create someone so much like them, or a completely different person entirely."

"There is truth in that," the ancient youth nodded.

"Now, I gotta go put in a request for cake, and see where Happy's at with those job requests," he said before finishing his drink and leaving it on the nearest table. "Hopefully, he-"

"I heard you discussing getting a cake for little Asuka." Gorun let out a yelp of surprise as he turned around to find Erza with a strangely intense expression on her face, standing less than a foot away. She added, "I have already put our best wizards to work on this quest, such as it is. Wendy is preparing the cake, while Carla is making some fresh cream. All that remains is for me to fetch the proper strawberries."

"Somehow, I've been dragged into this," said Pantherlily, who Gorun could now see was being carried under Erza's right shoulder by the woman herself, and looking none too happy about it.

"I'll need you for the task ahead," Erza declared, then grabbed Éclair with her free hand. "Come now, Éclair! It's time for you to learn what being a wizard is all about!" With that, she began to drag a protesting former priestess away, Momon in her arms.

"Wait!" she was shouting. "I've only just begun learning magic! Let me go!"

Gorun was about to intervene, when he remembered Lucy saying something about how irrational the S-class Requip Mage was when it came to cakes. I think I'll stay away from that, he decided as he went over to find Happy.

They arrived in the park to find Asuka and Lucy talking while Natsu hid in some bushes, his clothes lying out on the branches around him, grumbling to himself the whole while. "What happened to him?" Gorun asked as he and Happy landed on the grass.

"Asuka thought it would be funny to make him jump in the fountain," Lucy answered with a shrug while Asuka laughed at the fire wizard. "He's drying off."

"Asuka," Gorun said with a disappointed expression as he knelt in front of the little girl, who stopped laughing. "That wasn't nice of you. Natsu has been playing with you for a while now, and you did something mean to him. You should say you're sorry."

"But…" the little girl sniffled. "He promised me… He'd do anything I wanted…"

"I know he did, but that's no excuse for being mean to him," the young man said with a note of mild reproach in his voice. "You need to say sorry when you've done something wrong, Asuka."

"Ah, it's fine," Natsu said as he stepped out of the bushes, his pants dried from the heat of his magic. As he set about drying his vest, he added, "She's just havin' a little fun, is all. It's no biggie."

Gorun rolled his eyes but said nothing as Asuka laughed happily and ran over to Natsu, hugging his leg tightly. That kid has him wrapped around her little finger, he thought with a wry grin as he watched the boy struggling to keep his balance. Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I'm not her dad.

Happy floated over to his partner now, saying, "Mirajane and I were able to find a buncha little jobs that we can do around town today! They should add up to what she needs."

"Cool!" Natsu grinned as he and Lucy began to look through the fliers. "If we split up, we can double-time it on these things!"

"No!" Asuka exclaimed, surprising all of them. "I wanna help on all of 'em, cos if I'm not helping, then it's not my money, and then it's not really my present to Mommy and Daddy!"

Huh, Gorun thought, now impressed by the child. You don't usually meet little kids with such a strong work ethic. Although he doubted that she would be able to provide much in the way of practical help, the thought was there.

"Okay, if we're gonna do all of these, we'd better get a move on," Lucy said as she held up the first flier. "Let's start with this one, yeah?"

"…I don't get it," Natsu said after reading the paper. "What do they want to happen?"

"They want a fountain repaired?" Gorun said after scanning it. "I know how to make repairs to time machines, but I don't know a thing about plumbing." When the others looked at him as though he'd grown another head, he asked, "What? Any standard Time Patrol member qualified for going out into the multiverse needs to know how to make repairs to their vehicle, should damage occur to it. To us, it's no different than knowing how to fix a magic-mobile."

"That is totally not the same thing!" Lucy told him.

"Guys, I picked this one because I know someone who can get the job done for an hour or so!" Happy interrupted, giving Lucy a pointed look.

The blond stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before paling and saying, "Oh man, why…?"

"Why am I here…?" Éclair grumbled as she and Erza stood atop one of the mountains bordering Magnolia. "I was supposed to be studying with Levy today." Momon jumped out of her arms and started looking around at the landscape, delighted by the chance to view the mountains surrounding their new home.

"There's no teacher better than experience!" Erza declared as she set down a very disgruntled Panther Lily. "Now, stay focused on the task at hand. We're here to harvest the legendary Maximum Sweet Strawberries! Supposedly they only grow once every ten thousand years, so our search will not be easy!"

"Actually, we grew those all the time in my home village," Éclair informed them. "That was four hundred years ago."

"What?!" Erza shouted. "No, that can't be right! These are supposed to be the most legendary of all delicacies, chosen by fate to be picked only once every ten millennium!"

"Not so," Éclair shrugged. "They are delicious, but they're not that difficult to grow in the right conditions. Although, I suppose it would be hard to find those conditions in a climate as cold as Magnolia's mountain range."

"No…" Erza said in despair as she sank to her knees. "That can't be right…"

"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Momon.

"Would you know how to grow these strawberries, so we don't have to climb up here again in the future?" Lily asked dryly as Erza began sobbing in the fetal position.

"If I had the right climate and some seeds, it shouldn't be too difficult," Éclair answered. "As I understand it, one of Levy's friends is a plant mage, so I'm certain that he could assist the project. …I suppose it would be nice to have a reminder of home."

"Hold on…" Pantherlily said as he held up a paw, his keen ears twitching as he gazed back down the slope that they had come from. "We've got company."

"What kind?" Éclair asked cautiously.

"Not sure yet," the black exceed said as he assumed his muscular form, sword in hand. As he waited, tense with anticipation, the pair became aware of the sounds of stampede, growing louder by the second, and accompanied by a series of unintelligible grunts.

"Erza, get up," Éclair said in a tense voice. "We've got trouble approaching."

"My legendary strawberry…" the redhead groaned.

"I honestly think she's forgotten that we're supposed to be getting this for Asuka," Pantherlily grumbled. "Look alive. We've got Vulcans inbound." Sure enough, about a half-mile away from them, and closing in fast on their location, there was a horde of the green-furred beasts.

"Ew, those smelly ape monsters that possess people and steal women from their homes?" Momon asked as he flapped his way up to hover near Éclair.

"Wonderful," the brunette muttered. "One exceed with limited time on his battle form, and a girl who is just beginning to get a handle on using magic against a swarm of those things. Honestly, was this girl even thinking straight when she brought us along?"

"Strawberries…" Erza groaned amid the growing sound of the approaching monsters.

"You'd think she'd be happier, considering that Éclair said that she could make more," Momon commented.

"Worry about Titania later!" Éclair said tightly, her brow lining with sweat as she concentrated on conjuring one of the magic circles that she could remember. A purple-blue pattern flashed to life in front of her hand, as she muttered, "Rainbow Flame: Purple Rain."

"Man, what is it with blue-haired girls and being mean?" Gorun muttered as they walked away from a job that had seen Aquarius posing as an angry water fountain long enough for a man to propose to his girlfriend.

"Not all of them!" Lucy snapped at him. "Levy is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet!"

"Yeah, and Wendy's super-nice!" Natsu added.

"Okay, fine, but three out of five are crazy," Gorun asserted. "That's more than half."

"Where do you even get that num-?"

"Juvia, Aquarius, and of course, Azura," he interrupted Lucy. "There, that's how I got that statistic."

"He makes a good point," Happy said with a snicker. "People with blue hair do have a tendency to be crazy."

"Says the blue hairball," Lucy shot back.

"I have blue fur, not hair!" Happy protested.

"Yeah, like that's any different!"

So the day wore on- Gorun, Natsu, and Lucy all pitching in to complete a dozen odd jobs over the course of a few hours. By the time they were done, Asuka had the fifty thousand jewel that she needed to buy the item that she wanted.

So it was that the group found themselves walking out of a downtown pawn shop, Asuka smiling happily at a lachryma that she had purchased. "That's really pretty," Lucy commented as they started walking down the street. "It almost looks like a snow globe." Indeed, the magical item was orb-shaped, with multiple figures inside of it, among them being a snowman and a reindeer.

"This has my Mommy and Daddy's memories in it," Asuka chirped as she held it against her chest. "We were walking by the store last week, and they were talkin' about it! So I decided that I wanted to get it for them, so they could have their memories back."

"So all of this was to get something that meant a lot to your parents?" Lucy asked as she knelt in front of Asuka. "Aw, that's so sweet! C'mere, you little sweetheart!" The little girl laughed as Lucy enveloped her in a warm hug.

"I'm getting kinda misty-eyed over here," Happy sniffled.

"Not me, bro," Natsu replied.

"C'mon, that's pretty cute," Gorun told him. "Bisca and Alzack have a good kid."

"Eh," the pinkette shrugged.

"Hey, Lucy!" Asuka said as she pulled back from the blond. "When are you and Natsu finally gonna kiss each other?"

The question was so random, so out of the blue, that it took a solid ten seconds for everyone to process what the little girl had just asked. As soon as they had, Gorun and Happy started laughing so hard, they fell down on their backs, causing an already-blushing Lucy to flush positively scarlet while Natsu shifted uncomfortably where he stood.

"Uh… what?" Lucy asked Asuka while holding her at arm's length.

"Mommy and Daddy are doing it all the time!" the little girl replied excitedly.

"Yeah, well, we're not your mom and dad, kid!" Lucy protested.

Undeterred, Asuka looked up at Natsu and said, "Give her a smooch, Natsu! Right on the lips!"

"No way!" the celestial mage snapped.

Asuka looked down at her snow globe and whined, "But he promised to do what I asked him to do…"

Happy and Gorun were now hanging on to each other, tears streaming from their eyes as they howled with laughter. "Shaddup!" Lucy shouted at them. "Gorun, isn't this about the part where you start getting in the middle of things?!"

"Normally yeah, but the last time I interfered when I shouldn't have, our resident rain lady threatened to drown me in my sleep," he snickered in response. "Plus, Kinana's been getting on me about keeping my foot out of my mouth, so you're on your own!"

"What's the big deal?" Natsu asked as he stepped toward the blond girl "It's not like it'll kill us."

"Hey, that's true," Lucy nodded as she stood up, then froze. "Wait a sec!" she protested. "It's not my health I'm worried about!" As she was speaking, Natsu moved a couple of paces closer to her, causing her to back against a wall. "Wait, are you serious?" she squeaked as she cast her eyes about for something, anything to prevent what was about to occur.

Meanwhile, Gorun and Happy were still laughing, though more quietly as their attention was all on the scene playing out in front of them. Asuka was looking on with bright eyes and a wide smile as she realized that her wish was about to come true. The fire wizard took one more step to close the distance between him and his teammate.

"Na- mph!" Lucy was cut off as Natsu put his mouth on hers', effectively silencing her.

He quickly stepped back to break off the kiss in less than a second, his face neutral as he turned to Asuka and asked, "There, ya happy now?" Happy looked dumbstruck, as if he hadn't actually expected his best friend to kiss the girl, while Gorun was now quieter, though a strange smile remained on his face.

"Uh-huh!" the little girl giggled. "Good job, Natsu!"

"What the hell, Natsu?!" Lucy shouted, her face redder than a tomato. "That was my first kiss, you jerk!"

"Hey, that was mine too, so we're even!" he protested.

"No we're not!"

"We totally are!"

"Gorun, build me a time machine so I can go back and undo that!" Lucy rounded on the saiyan boy, who held up his hands defensively.

"I said I can repair them, not build one from scratch," he replied in a mild tone. "Besides, even if I could, I'm not gonna risk my grandmother coming here with a destroyer because we went back to change something so minor."

"Well, it's a major deal to me!" Lucy thundered.

Fwoosh!

"What the-?!" Gorun blinked in surprise as something swooped in between the five of them, taking Asuka's lachryma with it. The sound of harsh laughter soon followed, drawing the startled group's eyes upwards.

"Now this'll fetch for a pretty coin up in Hargeon!" a man guffawed as he flew away on some sort of gliding contraption, followed by three other men similarly equipped.

"Oh, bandits," Gorun said calmly. "Great."

"Didn't Macao say something about these guys?" Natsu growled as he glared up at the retreating men.

"Give that back!" Asuka wailed as she pulled out her toy gun and started shooting pellets at the thugs. Her bullets hit their targets every time, but since they would do nothing more than lightly sting them, there was no sign of the bandits stopping. "Stop! That has Mommy and Daddy's memories! They need them!" the little girl bawled, tears streaming down her eyes. "Come back…!"

Natsu moved swiftly and pushed Asuka's hat down over her eyes, ignoring her protests, his eyes moving swiftly as he looked up at the retreating bandits.

"Hey, what are-?"

"Shh!" he hissed at Lucy, causing her to stop in surprise. Then in a lower voice, he said to Asuka, "Okay, kiddo. Fire off four in a row!"

The little girl complied, shooting up at the thieves, Natsu spitting out a small fireball with each pellet that flew to strike their targets with pinpoint precision. A series of explosions wrecked the gliders and sent the flyers crashing to the street.

As they started getting up painfully, Gorun walked over and scooped up the lachryma, which had managed to avoid damage. "Here," he said as he tossed it over his shoulder to Natsu, who caught it and handed it to Asuka, who was positively ecstatic at the return of her treasure. Grinning briefly at the little girl, he added, "Nice shooting, kid." While she gave him a salute with her gun, he and Natsu shared a conspirator's smile.

I thought that was weird, him losing out to a little kid, he thought as he turned back to face the bandits, who were now finally on their feet, nursing burns and bruises. Now, as for these guys…

"Gentlemen, I've been trying to teach this kid the value of being polite to others, and you trying to rob from her? That's not helping." The last three words were delivered with an air of unmistakable menace as a golden magic circle appeared over his head.

"W-We stole it, fair and square!" the leader said nervously. "Y-You can't just go and steal it back! That's against the rules!"

There was a flash of light as Gorun ascended, his brow bent downward as he gazed at the men with contempt while Asuka laughed at them in the background. "You guys are in big trouble now!" she said as she pointed at them. "Mister Gorun is super strong!"

"Wait, Gorun, as in the guy from the Grand Magic-"

"The next time you wanna pick on a little girl, you better make sure I don't hear about it!" he bellowed before punting the man all the way out to sea, cracking the pavement with the force of his movements. Glaring at the other three brigands, all them visibly flinching, he growled, "You can either surrender or run, but I promise that you won't get very far."

There wasn't a single one of them who didn't believe him.

While Gorun went and fished the half-dead bandit out of the ocean, Natsu and Happy took his accomplices to the local jail house, where the Saiyan youth teleported once he had recaptured his quarry. "Where's Lucy and Asuka?" he asked once the sheriff took the four defeated men off their hands.

"They went back to the guild hall to see if Asuka's cake was ready yet," Happy answered.

"Cool," Gorun nodded as they walked out of the building. Glancing at Natsu, the boy then added "Hey, Happy? Mind flying on ahead of us? I need to talk to Natsu about something in private."

For once, the blue exceed heeded the request without making any sort of back sass comments, only saying, "Sure. See ya back at the guild hall!" Then he sprouted his wings and took off.

"What's up?" Natsu asked as they started walking up the street, Happy safely out of earshot.

"There's something I've been needing to tell you for a while now, really," Gorun admitted. "I just never… The time never seemed right."

Natsu looked at him in aside, then asked, "Did'ja need help on a job or something?"

"No, nothing like that," Gorun chuckled. "It's just kind of a… sensitive subject."

"Is it about Igneel?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Do you know where he might be?"

"Er, no," his friend answered, causing the pinkette to sag with disappointment. "But it is about Lucy- rather, the Lucy from the future." This caught Natsu's interest, he saw. "She gave me a message for you, right before we had to part ways."

"What'd she say?" Natsu asked eagerly.

"Well…" Gorun hesitated awkwardly, then took the plunge. "She told me… She said, 'Tell Natsu that I love him. And that I'm sorry it took him dying for me to realize that. I hope that this time, I realize it without something so horrible happening first.'"

Natsu stopped walking in place, his face blank. Gorun stopped in front of him, turning to look his friend in the eyes with concern. "Sorry, should I not have said anything?" he asked worriedly. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was buying a house, then Éclair and Azura came along, and… Sorry."

"Nah, it's okay, man," Natsu shrugged. "I mean… It's not like I didn't know."

Gorun blinked at him a few times, not sure that he had heard the dragon slayer correctly. "Come again?" he asked in disbelief.

"I know Lucy loves me, just like she loves everybody in Fairy Tail," Natsu shrugged.

"I don't think that-"

"But I also know that there's no other friend that I would fight harder for than her," the boy continued as he started walking again, a confused Gorun in tow. "Lucy is a one-of-a-kind, I know. She's been there for me so many times that I don't even know how I'd repay her. But I keep trying, you know?"

"Yeah," the quarter-kai youth murmured. "I do know how that feels. It's how I feel about Kinana."

"I kinda figured," Natsu replied with a faint smile. "And now you're sayin' that Lucy feels the same way about me, right?"

"Yeah," Gorun nodded, glad to realize that Natsu wasn't as dense as he seemed sometimes. "Again, I'm sorry that I didn't say anything sooner."

"Don't worry about it," the fire wizard grinned. "Honestly, it doesn't really change anything between Lucy and me."

"It doesn't?" Gorun asked, once again confused.

"Nah," Natsu shrugged. "Truth is, ever since the whole thing with the Eclipse and losing Lucy to the Time Patrol, I've known how I feel about her. Igneel never taught me much about love and all that, at least not with words. But the way that he took care of me, the way that he protected me… I know that's what love looks like. Lucy and I have that, but it doesn't mean that we have to change how we see each other." Looking at Gorun with a large grin, he added, "We're friends, and that's what matters. If she ever figures out that she feels the same way as she did in the future, I'll be here. And if she doesn't, that's okay, too."

When all Gorun did was stare at him blankly, Natsu laughed and said, "C'mon, man! Isn't that what love is supposed to look like? Bein' there for that person, no matter what? That's what I think is important, anyway."

"You're… Actually, you're completely right," Gorun nodded, surprised by his friend's insight. "That's pretty mature of you, Natsu."

"Heh, I've got my moments," the other boy chuckled.

They arrived at the guild hall to see Asuka enjoying some cake in the company of Kinana, Mirajane, Lucy, a banged-up-looking Éclair, Wendy, Carla, and Happy, all while Erza sat at a table, her face hidden by the wood that she had pressed her head against.

"What happened to you?" Gorun asked as he sat next to Éclair at the end of the bar.

"Erza decided to take her and Lily up to Mount Hakabe in order to interrogate some Vulcans about where to find the strawberries she was looking for," his girlfriend answered as she came over to stand in front of him with a welcoming smile. "Unfortunately, she had some kind of nervous breakdown, and wound up leaving poor Éclair and Pantherlily to fight the monsters."

"It wasn't a complete waste of time," Éclair sighed as she patted the satchel that she wore. "I got ahold of some seeds for that fruit so the next time we want some, we don't have to walk for half a day to get to them."

"Wait, why did Erza have a breakdown?" Gorun frowned. "That doesn't sound like her."

"Apparently the fact that these strawberries aren't quite as rare as she thought they were makes them less special to her," Mirajane answered. "And Erza pretty much lives for three things: Fairy Tail and strawberry shortcake made of the finest recipes."

"You only listed two things," Gorun pointed out, causing the girl with white hair to smile brightly at him and walk away. "Damn, now that's gonna drive me crazy," he complained.

"So how was your day?" Kinana asked with a light grin in an attempt to change the subject. "I saw that Asuka got what she wanted."

"And then some," Gorun chuckled lightly. "Plus, I got something out of the day, too."

"Oh? What was that?"

Standing up off his stool, Gorun kissed the girl lightly before answering, "I got a reminder on what's really important. And it came from a pretty surprising source." As he drew back, he jerked his chin over to indicate Natsu, who was laughing with Asuka.

"Really?" Kinana asked, surprised. "How'd that happen?"

"I'll tell you about it later," he said as he sat back down with a smile. "I don't know that Lucy's bruised ego could handle it right now."

"I heard that!"

"So, tomorrow at lunch?" Gorun asked Romeo as he got up to leave the table.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" his younger teammate replied. "See you tomorrow!"

Waving goodbye, Gorun headed out of the guild hall, intent on reaching his home so that he could have the place presentable for his dinner date with Kinana. He was thinking about what he should pick up from the grocery store when he collided with someone hard enough to send them falling on their rear with an audible grunt.

"Whoa, sorry!" he apologized as he dashed around to offer them a hand up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," said a young girl as she accepted his hand in getting up. When she locked eyes with him, hers' widened in surprise as she gasped, "You're Son Gorun, right?"

"That's my name," he said with a friendly smile as he briefly studied her. Judging from her height, she looked to be about twelve years old, with large eyes and a pretty face framed by black hair. "Sorry I knocked you down. I was a little preoccupied."

"No, no, that's totally fine!" she giggled, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "It's not often you get to meet a winner of the Grand Magic Games, so I'll take a little tumble if it gives me a chance to talk to you!"

"Oh yeah?" he laughed easily. "Well, if you want to say hello to some of the other winners, just go up the street and take the next left. From there, keep going straight until you hit a giant building on the waterfront that says 'Fairy Tail'. I think Erza, Gray, and Gajeel are still hanging around."

"I can just go right in?" the girl asked with wide eyes. "But I'm not a wizard!"

"That's all right," he said in a friendly tone as he scanned her for magic power on reflex, but finding none. "My guild isn't too big on ceremony. There's a bar with a really good cook working there right now if you're just wanting something to eat."

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "How're the prices?"

"Just tell 'em that Gorun sent you in, and that I'll cover your tab tomorrow," he answered.

"Aw, you can't go with me?" she asked disappointedly.

"Sorry, kid, but I've got a date to get ready for," he shrugged. Looking up at the descending sun, he added, "Speaking of which, I should get going. It was nice to meet you, uh…?" He paused, realizing that he had never asked for her name.

Letting out another little laugh, the girl said, "My name is Rachel. It was really nice to meet you too, Mister Gorun." She held out a hand, which he shook readily, a bit surprised by her firm grip.

"Just Gorun is fine," he said as he smiled again. "See you around, Rachel." With that, he let go of her hand and walked away, whistling a merry tune.

"See you around," the girl repeated softly, looking down at the hand that had shook his.

Saiki: What was that?

Mataras: What was what?

Gorun: You know what.

Azura: Hey, why didn't I get any screen time this chapter?!

Mataras: Okay, A- no, I don't know. And B- because you didn't need to have any. I'm not gonna shoehorn in a person that doesn't need to be here!

Saiki: There's arguments to be made against that, but I'm sure our readers will make them for me.

Mataras: Oei!

Gorun: Mysteries aside, how's that artwork coming along for the Mirajane and Lisanna fusion?

Mataras: Nearly done. If people follow me on instagram, they should be seeing the image coming up on my feed sometime in the next few days.

Azura: Wait, wasn't there another-?

Mataras: Hey! HEY! Shut up! They don't need to know about that yet!

Gorun: Know about what?

Mataras: And I'm out, before anymore gets spoiled!

Saiki: Next time- Settling Down

Azura: Wasn't that what this chapter was about?

Mataras: Shut it!

Next time on Saiyan Tail...

"You sure you wanna do this?" Romeo asked Gorun nervously. "I mean, what if she tells someone and ruins the surprise?"

"Much as I dislike the fact a lot of the time, we are family," Gorun sighed as he drummed his fingers on the table at the diner they were currently eating at. "And… During the fight against the phoenix, I felt as though, even for just a moment, we were able to set aside our differences and act as family members should. I would like it if we didn't hate each other so much, you know? Maybe this will be another step toward bringing us together."

"It's your call, but she still kind of scares me," Romeo admitted.

"Well, I invited Yukino to join us, too, so at least one person will be excited about it," Gorun sighed.

"Wait, won't Kinana think it's weird if we all meet up without her?" his younger comrade asked.

"Normally, yeah," the Saiyan boy nodded. "But she's busy training Éclair this afternoon, so we're good there."

"Éclair is learning ki magic?" Romeo asked, surprised.

"No, she's learning how to control her developing powers with more finesse," Gorun answered. "Apparently fire magic is a little harder to control as opposed to other elemental powers. Actually, Lucy was hoping you would show her a few pointers since you seem to have a knack for it."

"S-Sure!" the boy stammered. "I'm just surprised Natsu isn't helping out with that."

"Can you imagine Natsu as a teacher?" Gorun chuckled, leading Romeo to laugh as well.

"I guess that makes sense," the fire mage grinned. "How come she didn't go with them, though? She did join Team Natsu, didn't she?"

"Yeah, but seeing as one of the most powerful wizards in the world asked for their help, it didn't really seem prudent to bring along a rookie," Gorun shrugged.

"Who's a rookie?" The boys turned to look up at Yukino, who was smiling at the two of them while Azura stood behind them with a slight scowl on her face. The white-haired girl was dressed in a light yellow sweater and black sweatpants that befitted the cooler afternoon weather.

"Er…" Gorun muttered, surprised when he noticed Azura's attire. "What'd you do with my cousin? I've never seen her outside of a martial arts uniform."

"Shut up," the girl muttered through gritted teeth. She was wearing a black crop top with a sleeveless denim jacket over it. The sleeves were pieces on their own, and skintight. Flowing blue pants went down to a pair of black shoes that completed the outfit. "It wasn't my first choice to wear this, but Yukino and Lucy bought it for me, so I figured I would show a little gratitude…"

"I think you need to work on your definition of the word 'gratitude'," Gorun snorted, barely holding in his laughter.

"Rrrgh…" the girl growled threateningly.

"W-Why don't we all sit down so Gorun can tell us why he called us over?" Romeo suggested nervously.

"I am curious about that," Yukino said as she sat down in the booth across from the boys. "When will Kinana be joining us?" Azura sat next to her without another word, a sullen look on her face.

"She won't be," Gorun asserted, and was pleased to finally see a slight look of surprise on Azura's face.

Saiyan Tail Profile
Subject: Eclair

Wizard Name: The Phoenix Priestess

Current Age: 418 yrs

Author's Commentary:

Okay, so I'm sure some people that have seen the movie are wondering, 'Why save Eclair?' Simple answer, really, one that is a staple for me whenever I write a fanfiction in general. I saw wasted potential, and I wanted to do something about it.
Granted, she was a movie character, and so couldn't actually make much of an impact on the original story, if at all. However, having the creative freedom that I do on this website, I decided that she should not be passed off as a side note/ minor plot device, and thought about how to make her a permanent part of the FT cast and crew. Clearly, she does not have the personality to be a front-liner like most of Team Natsu, but she will definitely be able to hold her own on a battlefield, though she is more likely to stick to a support role with her fire magic (Natsu will be quite excited about this), plus her keen intellect and centuries-long wisdom will no doubt be of great help to the wizards of Fairy Tail.

Known Techniques:

-Rainbow Flame (fire-make magic)

Stats:

-Power: 1/7
-Speed: 1/7
-Technique: 3/7
-Intelligence: 7/7
-Cooperativeness: 4/7

Fun Facts:

-Her companion, Momon, was brought to life after the phoenix stone animated a stuffed doll that she had made

-Though she considered trying to learn magic similar to Carla's Clairvoyance, she ultimately went with fire-make magic to remind herself of her roots in Fire Village four hundred years ago

-Her golden Fairy Tail emblem is stamped on the back of her left hand (opposite to Lucy's)

-Momon's emblem is on his back (similar to the exceeds), and magenta in color