2. Dragon, Monkey, and Bull

Ever since my adoptive mother Layla Heartfilia passed away, my sister Lucy and I shared a dream. To leave our home and join a wizard guild. And after a chance meeting in Harjeon, that dream was finally being realized. We had been conned at first, a creepy guy named Bora was trying to kidnap Lucy and I under the guise of joining the greatest guild of all, Fairy Tail. But we learned the truth not too long after getting on his yacht. And the boy we had met earlier in the day, Natsu, came to our rescue once again. And as it turns out, Natsu was not only a Fairy Tail wizard...but a Dragon Slayer as well.

Just like me.

After grabbing our things from the hotel, we made the journey to Magnolia. Home of the FairyTail guildhall. Lucy had wanted to take the train, but at the mere mention of it, Natsu's motion sickness had taken over. It would only take us about a day to walk to our destination, including breaks. So that's what we did.

"I heard you, back at that ship," Natsu told me later that night when we finally stopped to camp out. Lucy and Happy had both fallen asleep. Natsu and I were the only ones still up. "You're a dragon slayer too, aren't you?" he asked, and I just nodded. "Do you know what happened to Igneel?"

"I don't know him" I shrugged. "I only knew my mother, Coventina. She taught me Dragon Slayer magic. But then she disappeared..."

"Seven years ago, right?"

"Yeah. How-?" I started but Natsu quickly cut me off.

"Igneel disappeared on the 7th day of the 7th month in the year x777," he told me.

I thought quietly for a moment. When was the last time I had seen my mother? Seven years ago, a few months before Layla died. But I couldn't remember the exact date... What were the chances that Coventina disappeared on the same day as Igneel?

"And you're looking for him right?" I asked softly as I hugged my knees to my chest, remembering why the boy had come to Harjeon in the first place. "Do you think you'll find him?"

Confidently, Natsu nodded. "I know it."

We talked in low voices for a little while longer. Mostly it was Natsu telling me all he knew about the dragon who raised him. As he spoke, I remembered Coventina. Her sleek body was ideal dor cutting through the seas and her scaly wings were strong and powerful. She didn't have arms or legs, but my mother had no need for them. I remembered, then, the security I felt when her body coiled around me like a snake. How protected I was when she would hold me.

I hoped that Natsu was right and that he would find Igneel someday. And maybe... maybe we could find Coventina too.

Morning came soon enough and before we knew it, we were on our way to Fairy Tail. Thankfully the rest of the walk was uneventful and we were making good time. It didn't take long at all to reach the town of Magnolia. And the Fairy Tail guildhall.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Happy smiled as we stood in front of the large wooden doors.

"Wow!" Lucy gasped. I had no clue what to say, so I just nodded in agreement. It was amazing!

Dropping his bag to the ground, Natsu kicked in the door. "We made it back alive!" he shouted.

Grabbing my sister's hand, the two of his followed after him. There were so many different people inside, enjoying drinks and food and each other company. Not too far away, sitting at a table with a mug of beer was a man who had made a comment about Harjeon. Instantly, Natsu kicked the man over.

"You lied to me about the Salamander!" the pink-haired dragon slayer shouted.

"Don't blame me!" defended the other man. "I only told you some rumors I happened to hear!"

It didn't take much for a fight to break out after that. At first, it was just Natsu, but soon enough the everyone in the guildhall was fighting each other.

"Wow, Selina" Lucy smiled, squeezing my hand. "We're finally here! Fairy Tail!"

"I know, isn't it amazing!" I laughed, bumping her shoulder with my own only for the two of us to blush when a half-naked guy popped up in front of us. "Aww jeez," I instantly snapped my eyes shut while Lucy backed away from the dark-haired wizard.

"It's time to settle things from the other day, Nastu!" he shouted into the fray of the fight.

"Gray. You're clothes" commented a girl from nearby. Looking over my shoulder, I recognized the woman as Cana Alberona. And according to Sorcerer magazine, she was Fairy Tails heaviest drinker. "This is why I can't stand the men here" she sighed and I was unsure if she was talking to us or herself. "They have no class at all." With wide eyes, I watched as she replaced her glass of wine with an entire barrel. Wow. I guess Sorcerer magazine was right.

Slowly, more and more wizards started to enter the fray. It was actually pretty entertaining. While Lucy watched in shock, I leaned against the bar beside Cana. There were so many people I recognized from my almost obsessive reading of that magazine. But there were even more that I didn't recognize. Like Natsu and the guy he had started the fight with, I'm sure there were even more members of Fairy Tail that weren't even here in the guildhall.

There was even a tall, tan-skinned, white-haired man who I had thought was going to break up the fight. But he squashed that thought when he all but shouted: "Real men speak with their fists!"

"He's encouraging fighting after all..." Lucy sighed just as Natsu and the half-naked guy, Gray, sent him flying.

"Well that was quick" I chuckled.

"Ugh. How noisy" a male voice mused. Looking passed Cana, I saw a guy with short orange hair and two girls snuggled up under either arm. Loke. He was ranked pretty high on Sorcerer Weekly's 'most-desired-wizard-bachelor' list. I didn't see the attraction, to be honest. But still, there was something about him.

"He's off my list for sure" Lucy muttered as she made a large X over Loke's picture in the magazine she had with her. "But what's with this place?" she asked, turning to face me. "There isn't one normal person here!"

"Oh, are you two new here?" A soft voice spoke from behind us. Turning around, my jaw dropped. Mirajane freaking Strauss! She was practically the face of Fairy Tail in Sorcerer Weekly. She usually just ran the bar and stuff, but I head that she was actually a really strong wizard. I don't know how true it was though. No one has seen her use magic in a really long time.

"Sh-Shouldn't we stop them?" Lucy asked, pointing over to where the guys were all fighting.

But Mirajane simply giggled and waved them off. "They're always like this," she said good-naturedly. "We should just let them be. Besides-" but the white-haired woman was speared to the floor. "It's fun, don't you think?" she asked with a bright smile before she passed out.

Looking around the room, I couldn't help but smile. Everyone was yelling and throwing fists. But underneath that, they were smiling, they were laughing. Seeing that was all it took for me. Yea, I decided. It did look like fun. Fairy Tail was everything I had thought it would be. I knew that the wizard guild was the more rambunctious of all of them. From what I read, they were always getting into trouble.

After what had happened in Harjeon, I couldn't help but believe that was true.

With a wide smile, I stood beside Lucy once more. I had gone to say something to her but was instantly knocked to the ground by Gray. Who was completely naked! Letting out a small squeak, I snapped my eyes shut.

"My boxers!" he shouted, getting up off of me. "Miss. Could you lend me some underwear-?" he asked my sister, causing her to screech and back away from the naked man before kicking him away from her. When Loke lifted Lucy up into his arms, I jumped to my feet.

"Hey, man, let go of my sister!" I told him. Just as I was about to kick him in the shin, the white-haired man came up and gave Loke an uppercut. Instantly sending him flying before Natsu came and kicked the larger man away.

Shaking my head, I dusted off my skirt before going back over to the bar. "Ugh, how annoying" Cana mumbled, she had traded in her wine for a frosty mug of beer. "I can't even have a nice, relaxing drink," she said. Turning around, the dark-haired wizard pulled out what looked like a Tarot card. I had read about Cana in Wizard Weekly, she used holder magic like Lucy. Only instead of gate keys and celestial spirits, Cana used Card magic. "You guys had better knock it off!" A glowing magic circle forming in front of her card.

"Now I'm mad!" I heard Gray growl. Looking over at him, I saw that he had finally put his boxers on and his hands glowed his a magic circle.

I was honestly was expecting the wizards to start shooting off spells way before now. But before anyone could call forth any magic, a large, dark figure loomed over the guildhall.

"That's enough you fools!" the monstrous figure roared. That was all it took for the others to stop what they were doing, instantly freezing in place. The guildhall was silent.

"Oh, you're still here, Master?" Mirajanes' happy voice spoke up.

Wait that was the master of the guild?

"What a bunch of wimps!" Natsu laughed loudly as he stood in the center of the hall. "Looks like I win this-" he started but was instantly squashed under the foot of the monstrous master. At Lucy's squeal of fear, the monster looked to where we stood beside Mirajane.

"Well it seems we have some new recruits." his booming voice sounded.

"Y-Yes, sir" Lucy and I nodded.

We watched in dumbfounded shock as the dark figure started to shrink before our eyes. He didn't stop until he was finally in what I assumed to be his 'normal-form', a short old-man with an orange and blue hat on his head. "Nice to meetcha!" he said with a smile.

"Wait, he's your master...?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yep!" Mirajane smiled. "This is Mr. Makarov, Fairy Tail's master!"Without another word, Master Makarov turned from us and jumped up onto the banister of the second level. Missing only slightly and slamming his back on the wood before righting himself.

"You guys have gone and done it again!" he addressed the guild, holding up a stack of papers. "Just look at how much paperwork the council sent me this time!" he scolded. "And it's all complaints!" Makarov paused for a second, letting out a breath of aggravation. "All you guys ever do is get the council mad at me!"

All of the Fairy Tail wizards looked down in shame. I kinda felt bad for them, biting my lip and looking down in shame as well. I don't know why it wasn't like I did anything wrong. "However..." Makarov continued, the papers in his hand igniting into flames. "To hell with the council!" he cheered before tossing the flaming papers out over the crowd for Natsu to eat. "Listen up!" he shouted. "Power that surpasses reason is stillborn from reason. Magic is not a miraculous power. It is only realized when the flow of energy inside and the flow of energy in the natural world come into perfect sync! Magic comes from mental strength and focus-nay, it comes from your entire soul!" he told the room. "Worry about the eyes watching from high above and you will make no progress in the ways of magic! Don't let the fool on the council scare you! Follow the path you believe in! That's what Fairy Tail wizards do!"

The entire guild erupted with cheers at Master Makarovs words. He really was inspirational. Laughing, I looped my arms with Lucy and leaned on her shoulder a little. This place was amazing.

As things started to calm down and the guild members chatted amongst themselves, Mirajane disappeared. Only to come back a moment later with a large brown stamp that had the Fairy Tail emblem on it.

"You two wanted to join the guild right?" she asked. With a shared look, Lucy and I grew large smiles and nodded vigorously. "Well alright," the silver-haired beauty giggled, fiddling with the stamp. "Where would you like me to put your emblems, and what color?" she asked.

We both took a minute before Lucy took her right hand and placed it over her heart. Layla had been the one to tell us about the guilds, as she lay bedridden due to her illness, she had told us all about the most powerful guild in all of Fiore. Even before joining the guild became a reality, Fairy Tail held a large place in our hearts. So, Lucy had Mirajane stamp the back of her right hand in a pretty pink color, Layla's favorite. I watched the process almost nervously, barely wondering if it hurt. As Mirajane pressed the stamper on my sisters' skin, my fingers tapped against the exposed skin of my thigh.

When my turn finally came, I bit my lip and hopped up on a nearby stool, so that Mirajane didn't need to bend or squat. "How about right here?" I asked, pointing to the spot on my upper thigh. "And...is it possible to do a light blue, with a darker blue outlining it?" I asked.

"Oh of course!" Mirajane said happily as she fiddled with the stamper. "Like this?" she asked, showing me the colors. With a smile, I hiked my skirt up just a bit to give Mirajane a little bit more room. A second later, I was officially a member of the Fairy Tail guild.

"Thank you so much, Mirajane," I said, hopping down from the stool. Just as I did, Lucy grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where Natsu was standing.

"Natsu, he look!" she said excitedly, holding out her hand for Natsu to see. "Mirajane just put the official Fairy Tail mark on my hand!" she told him.

"Oh, yea, that's cool" Natsu muttered as he looked over the request board. "Welcome to the guild Loony," he said.

Instantly, I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Though Lucy still glared at me before shouting "The names Lucy!" at our new friend before stomping back towards the bar. With a chuckle, I joined her. Sitting back on the stool, I kept my back to the bar, as I looked over the guildhall. Many of the guild members had cleared out after the brawl, while others stayed for a drink.

Quietly, I watched as a little boy entered and walked over to Master Makarov. "How come my dad hasn't come back yet?" the little boy asked sadly.

"You're starting to work my nerves, Romeo," said the old man. Though I could hear the small shiver of worry in his voice thanks to my heightened senses. "You're a wizard's son, have faith in your father, and wait patiently for him."

"But sir," started the boy, Romeo, "He told me he would be back in three days. And he's been gone for over a week now!"

"If I remember correctly, he took the job on Mt Hakobe," the Guild Master told him.

"That's right!" Romeo exclaimed. "And it's not that far from here so why won't somebody go look for him!?"

"Listen, kid, your old mans a wizard!" Makarov said loudly. "And like every other wizard in this guild, he can take care of himself. Now go home, have some milk and cookies, and wait!"

Then the little boy did something I wasn't expecting. He decked the Guild Master, sending the old man flying from his perch on the bar. "Jerk!" the boy shouted before turning to run out of the guildhall. "I hate you all!"

As he left, we were all silent. I understood where the boy was coming from. He just wanted his parent back, and he was so young that he didn't know how to express his sadness and frustration with the only people who cared. I had been there, almost seven years ago when my mother vanished. I remember crying, a lot. I remember pushing Lucy, and even Layla, away to wallow in my adolescent depression. I just hope that Romeo doesn't take as long as I did to realize that he wasn't alone.

"That's gotta be rough," Lucy said solemnly, giving my hand a small squeeze. She remembered when I had been the same way when no one believed me about my mother.

"I know it sounds like the Master doesn't care" Mirajane spoke up from the other end of the bar. But he really is worried."

She didn't need to tell me that. I didn't know anyone here except for my sister, but I could literally hear every single heart in this guildhall break for that little boy. And hearts weren't the only thing being broken as the sound of someone hitting the request board reverberated throughout the guildhall. The loud noise causing me to jump out of my seat in shock as it all but attacked my sensitive hearing. Looking over, I saw Natsu stalk out of the hall with his bag in hand and Happy at his side.

"This doesn't look good, Master," said the wizard who had been staring at the request board a few moments ago. "You know how he can be. I bet he's going up to Mt Hakobe to save Macao."

"When is that kid ever going to grow up?" asked the buck-toothed wizard Natsu had attacked when we first arrived at the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"Who knows," the first man responded. "Going after Macao isn't going to do anything except hurt his pride."

"Remember, Nab," Master Makarov spoke calmly. "We can't choose another's path, just leave him be."

"Why did Natsu get so upset?" my sisters asked, her chocolate brown eyes saddened by our friends' disappearance.

"Probably because he and Romeo have a lot in common" Mirajane answered, though she kept her back to us. "I think he sees himself in a way. Just because we're members of Fairy Tail, it doesn't mean we don't have our own personal issues. We've all had our fair share of suffering and loss."

This fact was true for Lucy and me as well. I lost my mother seven years ago. From what I could remember, Coventina was all I had. And then she was just...gone. I don't even know how long I had wandered around Fiore after that. Just that I had found my self far away from the northern continent where I lived with my dragon mother. Layla had found me a few weeks later, and when I told her that I couldn't remember my name, she had given me one. Naming me after the long lost little sister of one of her ancestors. Selina.

Though I had been accepted into their home, I had still kept Layla and Lucy at arm's length. Until Layla had gotten sick, magic deficiency. I have clear memories from that time. Of Lucy, Layla and I cuddling in bed together while Layla read us 'Key of the Starry Heavens'. I wasn't fond of the book, but Lucy was and she was my sister.

When Layla finally passed, all Lucy had was me. And all I had was her.

"Many years ago Natsu's father left and never came back," Mirajane told us. "Well...technically it wasn't his real father," said the silver-haired woman. "But he was the one who raised him. He was actually a dragon."

I had been told the night before about Natsu's father, Igneel. I knew, first hand, what Natsu was going through.

"He was a what!?" Lucy said loudly. "Natsu was really raised by a dragon?" she asked. "Just like..." she trailed off before her eyes drifted to me. I simply shook my head, now was not the time.

"When he was a little boy, a dragon found him wandering the forest. He took him in and taught him all about language, culture, and magic" Mirajane paused for a moment, and her words sunk in. Sure Natsu and I had talked briefly about our dragons, but I didn't realize just how similar we were. "But one day, the dragon disappeared and never returned."

"So...that dragon must have been Igneel" Lucy realized. I had forgotten that Lucy had been asleep while Natsu and I talked.

"That's right" Mirajane nodded. "Natsu lives for the day when he will finally see Igneel again. Its kinda cute, dontcha think?" the model giggled sweetly.

It took us less than a minute to decide to go after Natsu. Normally, I would have stayed behind and consoled little Romeo, but Lucy had never been to a place like Mt. Hakobe before and my protective instincts told me that I would be better off going with her and Natsu.

I wasn't fond of traveling by carriage, or magic mobile, or anything like that. Though my motion sickness wasn't as bad as Natsu's, it was still bad enough that if I didn't get out of this carriage soon then I was going to hurl.

"Ugh" Natsu groaned, trying to keep the contents of his stomach down. "Why'd you two come with us?" he asked.

I just groaned in response while Lucy answered. "We thought we could help," she said. "Wow, you really do get as motion sick as Selina," Lucy told him. Cracking one eye open, I saw that Natsu was still sprawled out over the opposing bench. Completely incapacitated. "Just another reason I feel sorry for you," my sister said almost offhandedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu and I asked at the same time, paired with dual groans.

And then suddenly, the cart stopped moving. Instantly, Natsu and I stood and rushed to our feet. "Alright, we've stopped moving!" Natsu shouted, a stream of fire shooting from his mouth.

"Oh, sweet stillness!" I chuckled, reaching my arms over my head to give them a little stretch.

"I'm sorry, but this is as far as I can get you," our driver told us. Lucy looked at him in shock before we all piled out into the snow.

Seeing the fluffy white powder, I let out a small squeal of happiness. I loved the snow, unlike other dragon slayer elements, I could consume water in any of its forms and replenish my magic energy.

Jumping out of the carriage and into the snowstorm, I spun in a small circle before stopping to tilt my head up to the sky. Sticking my tongue out, I pulled in as many snowflakes as I could. Relishing in the icy coldness of the melted snow as it touched my tongue.

"Ahh now that's the stuff" I smiled, turning back to face my sister and Natsu, who were still inside the carriage.

"Where the heck are we Natsu?" Lucy asked over the whipping wind. "It's a frozen wasteland!"

"I'm assuming this is Mt. Hakobe, dear sister," I told her.

I hadn't been walking for very long. But I could tell that my sister was absolutely frigid as she tromped through the snow beside me. I could even hear her teeth chattering over the whipping wind. Even my heightened vision was blinded by the white-out conditions of the blizzard. Numerous times I had tried to reach out to take my sister's hand, but she was just out of reach every time. I knew she was close by, though, so I wasn't too worried.

"Why is it so cold?" Lucy whimpered. "I know we're on a mountain, but it's summer right now! There shouldn't be a blizzard like this anywhere!"

"That's what you get for wearing light clothing" was Natsu's response, causing me to roll my eyes. He was showing just as much skin as me and Lucy. The difference was, Natsu was a Fire Dragon Slayer, so he could stay warm no matter what. Thanks to my own magic, I could too. Poor Lucy, on the other hand...

As Lucy tried to pull the blanket off of Natu's pack, I caught a faint scent on the wind. But before I could try to figure out what it was, it was gone. Not even a minute later, Lucy was pulling a silver key from the smallholder on her belt. "Open Gate of the Clock Constellation: Horologium!"Over the whipping wind, I could hear the faint 'ding dong' of the spirits gate being opened. Well, that was one way to beat the cold I guess.

The only downside, I suppose, was that we couldn't hear a word my sister said. Though the clock, Horologium, could hear her and narrated her words for us.

"Then why'd you come along?" Natsu asked.

"'What kind of crazy job would force Macao to come to a place like this?' she inquires" translated the large clock spirit.

"You should have asked that before you and Selina came with us" Natsu told her before continuing. "He came to slay a Vulcan, it's a big monster" he explained. At that Natsu, Happy and I continued walking, while Lucy and the clock stayed put.

We all continued to walk, Natsu, Happy, and I using our noses to the best of our abilities. But there wasn't any scent to follow. The whipping snow had all but washed any trace of the elder Fairy Tail member away. Suddenly, the crunch of footsteps approached before a large black and white creature attacked us. I couldn't help the groan of pain as my head hit a cold rock hidden beneath the snow.

"So I take it that's a Vulcan?" I asked Natsu as my vision swam and my head pounded.

"Yea a big one!" Happy responded.

The creature groaned and produced a wicked grin before his arm snapped forward and he grabbed me tightly. Before I could react, the Vulcan raced off towards where Lucy and Horologium were. The clock, obviously, was not a fighter, so there wasn't much he could do to protect my sister from the monster.

"Me like human womans" said the Vulcan as he Horologium and I under each arm and ran away without paying Natsu any mind.

Over the pounding in my head and the roaring wind, I could hear Horologium call out to Natsu for Lucy. Telling him to hurry up and save us. I couldn't help but agree. Right now my head was pounding and my stomach was turning worse than my motion sickness ever got. Plus my arms were trapped in the vice-like grip of the Vulcan so there was no way I'd be able to summon my magic right now.

I don't know how long the Vulcan had run for, but when he finally stopped it was inside of a barren cave at the summit of the mountain. Where he dropped Horologium and I on the cold, icy, ground just to stare lustfully at Lucy and me.

Gross. Actually it reminded me of a Zodiac key Lucy had recently made a contract with.

Suddenly, the only thing protecting Lucy, and keeping me upright, disappeared as Horologium went back to the spirit world. With a groan, I slumped against Lucy, while the Vulcan came closer, hoping to get his grubby monster hands on us.

"Where'd you go Horologium, don't you disappear on me!" Lucy screamed.

"I'm sorry but my time is up" came Horologium's voice as his magic faded back into the spirit world.

After screaming for an extension, she looked at me. "Selina, can you do anything?" she asked with tears in her eyes, her loud voice causing me to wince.

"Sorry Lu, but I'm pretty sure I have a pretty bad concussion" I told her, rubbing my palms against my eyes. "Give me a few minutes and I should be good to go."

"I don't think we have a few minutes" whimpered my sister.

She was right of course. There was no way this creature was going to wait for me to be able to fight back. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait as a moment later, I could hear footsteps. Followed by Natsu asking where Macao was.

Only to stumble and slide across the ice. Way to go, dude. Thanks. You rock. Thankfully, the Vulcan was distracted by Natsu long enough for Lucy and I to run over to our fire breathing friend without worrying for our safety.

"Spill it, monkey, where is my friend?" Natsu asked as he stood up. "You understand me right? He's a human man, now tell me where he is!"

While the Vulcan seemed to think, I looked around for some loose ice or snow. Anything to give my magic power a little boost, because I could already tell that this was going to end in a fight. But there was nothing except a small white bundle not too far away from where we stood. It wasn't food, in fact...it was alive. The...whatever it was, was shivering and I could smell the fear radiating off of it. Without thinking, I slowly made my way over to the little white creature. I just hoped whatever it was wouldn't bite me.

"Hey little guy, you okay?" I asked, my hand shaking as I went to touch the fluffball.

"Is the scary monster gone?" came a small, sniffly voice.

"Almost" I reassured the creature. "My friend is taking care of it." Looking over to where Natsu and the Vulcan were, I saw the Vulcan lead the fire dragon slayer towards an opening in the cave. And was barely surprised when the Vulcan threw Natsu off of the mountain. "Dammit" I hissed as I watched the perverted Vulcan dance around happily. "This is bad." I muttered. "Alright, little guy, you're coming with me" I said, not even waiting for a reply from the little white cat as I scooped him into my arms and rushed over to my sister.

I could feel my magic energy building back up, but the concussion still caused my head to swim and my stomach to turn. "This is bad news" I told Lucy as we looked out of the opening Natsu had been thrown out of. "I don't know if I can take this guy on" I added truthfully.

"He can't survive out there" Lucy whispered. "Natsu!" she called out.

Behind us, I could hear the Vulcan chanting "Womans, womans, womans" over and over again.

"Hey buddy, think you can just hang out right here for a minute?" I asked the little white cat in my arms. When he nodded, I placed him beside Lucy's discarded blanket. Allowing him to snuggle into the warmth my sister left behind. "By the way," I turned to Lucy "I got a cat."

Lucy simply gaped at me before rolling her eyes in acceptance. As she pulled out her gate keys, I silently prayed that she would call Aquarius. Though I knew that it would be almost impossible. There was barely any water around here, and I doubt Lucy could use the ice to open the Water Bearers gate.

"Alright you pervy monkey, you're going down," I said as I slammed my fists together to draw my magic circle. "Water Dragon:Roar!" My attack was weaker than usual because of the concussion, but it still knocked the Vulcan back and gave Lucy enough time to open Taurus's gate. Guess it's perv versus perv.

"Cow?" muttered the Vulcan in confusion.

"I should warn you, monkey boy, Taurus is the most powerful celestial spirit that I have a contract with," Lucy said confidently. Honestly, I think Aquarius was stronger magic wise. Though I was probably being biased, considering the water spirit provided me with the best water around.

"Oh wow, miss Lucy" started the large bovine. "I almost forgot what nice figures you and your sister have" he commented. "Why don't you two come and give me a smoooch?" asked Taurus with hearts in his eyes.

"Yea and he's a big perv too" I grumbled. "At least he doesn't give off a rapey vibe."

"No touch my womans" glared the perverted Vulcan.

"Your women?" asked Taurus with a glare of his own. "Them's fighting words, Moooo-nkey!" At Lucy's command for attack, Taurus sprung into action, pulling the large double-headed ax off of his back. As he did, I readied myself. I had just enough strength right now to send another Roar at the Vulcan. So, when Taurus slammed down his mighty ax and used his rampage attack, sending an earthquake towards the Vulcan.

As his Rampage grew closer, I drew my magic circle. "Water Dragon: Roar!" The power of our attacks would have been enough to send the Vulcan flying but we weren't expecting him to be as fast as he was. When the Vulcan began to run back towards us, I quickly moved so that I was out of the line of fire while Taurus simply readied himself for the attack. Something I knew Lucy probably didn't like. My sister was adamant about her Spirits not being shields and always hated when they got hurt.

What was surprising, however, was the fact that it wasn't the Vulcan who had landed a hit on Taurus. In fact, it was Natsu who had managed to find his way back up the mountain.

"Natsu!" gasped Lucy as Taurus and his ax, Labrys, flew backward.

"Looks like this is the end for me" mumbled the large bull spirit.

"Epic fail" I groaned, picking the little white cat I had fond up in my arms.

"Hey" Natsu spoke up. "So how come there are more monsters now than when I left?" he asked, pointing towards an equally confused Vulcan.

"He's a friend, dummy!" shouted my sister.

Sighing, I ran a hand over my face. "That was Taurus, one of Lucy's spirits." And when Natsu pointed towards the Vulcan, I groaned loudly. "Not him, the bull!" I all but shouted, channeling my sister for a moment.

"Wait a minute" Lucy intervened. "How were you able to survive out there?" she asked.

At her question, Natsu turned and faced the two of us with a smirked. "Happy came to save me." Looking up, I saw that Happy was quietly floating above us. Catching sight of the blue cat, the white puffball in my arms wiggled free. Spouting wings of his own, he flew into the air to join his new friend.

"So you can't handle other modes of transportation, but flying with Happy's okay?" Lucy asked.

Lucy's question earned her a sharp scoff from the pink-haired dragon slayer. "What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked indignantly. "Happy isn't a mode of transportation. He's my friend. I mean, duh."

"You're right, it was totally wrong of me to compare the two" came Lucy's response. Yea, Lu, you walked right into that one. Looking back up at the two flying cats, I couldn't help but smile. If I wasn't already planning on keeping the white ball of fur...

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the sound of an angry Vulcan. "My womans!" the monster yelled, swinging to bring down his mighty fist. Attempting to squish Natsu for being so close to me and Lucy. I was almost surprised that Natsu was able to black the hit. Honestly, I was more surprised that the pressure caused the icy ground beneath their feet to shatter.

"You listen up" Natsu growled. "I consider everyone in the Fairy Tail guild my friend." I didn't know who hit who, all I knew was that they both went flying in opposite directions. If I could guess, then I would assume that the Vulcan kicked Natsu. But was blocked and went flying backward. "Whether it's Gramps and Mira. Or even those annoying jerks Gray and Elfman." Lucy gasped as Natsu's speech went on. My eyes lit up when I saw him draw his magic circle. If I was lucky, then his fire would melt some of this ice and I could get some magic energy back. "Happy, Lucy, Selina, and even that white cat I've never even seen before. They're all my friends is why..." Natsu started, fire glowing around his feet. "I'm not leaving without Macao!"

"Natsu!" I called out after he kicked the Vulcan to the far side of the cavern. "Quick, I need some water!" I said as I ran over to him.

"Um. I'm a fire dragon slayer" the boy pointed out.

I really should have seen that one coming. "Melt the ice, dumbass," I told him. Natsu muttered a quick 'oh' before nodding slightly in understanding. Neither of us taking our eyes off of the temporarily knocked out monster, I picked up a chunk of ice. Without saying a word, Natsu lit a flame in his hand and held it over the ice. Allowing it to melt into my cupped hands. The resulting water was cool to the touch and as soon as I gulped it down I could feel my magic energy growing to the point where the headache from my concussion was all but a distant memory.

Finally ready to throw every bit of dragon slayer magic I had in me at the Vulcan "Now that's the stuff" I smirked. Watching as the monster rose with a roar. A second later, the creature sent a barrage of large icicles at us. I was able to jump out of the way in time, while Natsu simply melting the ice to water as it came at him.

"Your ice attack has no effect on fire!" Natsu shouted.

When the rubble cleared, my eyes went wide. Apparently, Taurus hadn't gone back to the Spirit World. And now...now the Vulcan had Labrys in his hands. "That's not good," I said, sharing a look with both Lucy and Natsu.

"He's got Taurus's ax!" Lucy gasped.

"Please be careful, Miss Lucy" groaned the concussed Spirit.

Quickly, the overlarge monkey began to swing Labrys wildly at Natsu and me. And honestly, I was barely able to dodge every time. Only to be taken out by Natsu slipping on the ice and crashing into me. Shaking my head, my eyes snapped open when the Vulcan went to slam the blade of Labrys into us. Breath catching in my throat when Natsu managed to grab the mighty ax between his hands.

Taking this as my chance, I quickly drew my magic circle. "Water Dragon: Roar!" I shouted, letting out an extreme torrent of frigid water. Blasting the monster backward and relieving Natsu. However, the reprieve didn't last long as I had hoped and unfortunately the Vulcan was back. Once more trying to slam the ax down on Natsu. Fortunately, the Fire Dragon Slayer was ready and as soon as he caught the blade between his palms, the metal of the blade began to melt. The molten steel falling into Natsu's open mouth.

"Oh yea, now I got a fire in my belly," he said through a mouthful of what was essentially sold fire. And as he spit the bits of metal back at the Vulcan at rapid speed, I couldn't help but chuckle. And as he drew his magic circle, I waited. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" shouted Natsu as he hit the monstrous monkey with a fist of fire.

The second his attack hit I drew a shimmery blue circle of my own, water instantly viciously surrounding my legs. "Water Dragon: Rapids Kick!" I shouted, launching my leg forward in a roundhouse like motion. As I did, the whirlpool coating my legs lashed outwards like a bullet. Sending the Vulcan crashing into the icy rock wall of the cavern.

"We beat him!" cheered Happy once we were sure that the Vulcan was completely down for the count.

"Is the monster really gone?" asked the little white cat as he flew back down into my arms.

"Yea" Lucy smiled at him. "But" she added, looking sternly at me and Natsu. "Wasn't this monkey supposed to tell us where your friend is?" she asked.

"I forgot about that" Natsu chuckled.

Laughing, I gave the talking cat in my arms a light squeeze. "We might have overdone it a little" I giggled nervously. "I don't think he's gonna do much talking" I added as Lucy looked over the unconscious monkey. Jumping back in shock when the creature began to glow.

Im pretty sure Vulcans don't glow. Or turn in to men, for that matter. But this Vulcan was doing both. "Macao?" Natsu gasped once the dust cleared and we could get a good look at the dark-haired older man that the Vulcan had turned into.

"Wait, are you telling me that big perverted monkey was actually your friend this whole time?!" Lucy asked in shock. I was just as shocked as my sister. This wasn't something you see every day.

From in the air beside Lucy, Happy nodded. "Yea," he said. "He must have been taken over by that Vulcan."

"And by 'taken over' you mean...?" trailed my question. Unsure of what the little blue cat was saying. I don't have any memories of dealing with magic like this.

"It must have used a possession spell on him" Happy answered. "You see, Vulcans survive by stealing people's bodies and taking them over. They're evil body snatchers."

Quickly we set to work. Even without the added damage from me and Natsu's attacks, Macao looked really really hurt. So I ran and grabbed the blanket Lucy and the white cat had been using and laid it out on the ice while Lucy grabbed the first aid kit from Natsu's bag. Patching the elder wizard up the best we could. "It looks like he put up a good fight before that Vulcan finally got into him, though" I commented as I tied off the last bandage.

Quietly, I watched as Natsu pleaded with Macao. Begging him not to die. Telling the unconscious man that his son was waiting for him back at the guildhall. And mentioning Romeo seemed to do the trick as Macaos eyes began to open. "Natsu?"

I couldn't help my sigh of relief. "You're okay!" I laughed. Though I had ever me the man before, I knew that he meant a lot to my friend and I was glad that he was relatively okay.

"I'm so pathetic" the man sniffed. "I defeat 19 of those brutes" Macao told us. My mouth dropped in shock. Nineteen of the crazy-ass Vulcan monsters? I was impressed, I could barely take out one. "But the 20th" Macaos sighed. "That's the one that got me, I'm so angry with myself," he said. "I'm embarrassed to go home and face Romeo."

"Don't be like that. Come on, man" Natsu shook his head.

"Yea" I nodded. "You were able to beat 19 monsters when two dragons slayers were barely able to beat one. I call that a win."

At my words, Natsu put out his hand and looked at Macao with a goofy grin. Giving in, Macao gripped Natsu's hand tightly. "Now let's go home. Your little boys been waiting for you."

We made our way back down the mountain after that. Both Natsu and I trying to deny going inside the carriage once more. But despite our motion sickness, we knew that Macao was in no condition to travel by foot, or even by flying cat.

I had decided the second I found him that I was going to take the little cat home with me. And I already had a name picked out, after making sure he hadn't named himself first. Lucy seemed to like the little white cat, whom I had named Wren, a lot more than Happy. Which kind of made sense, considering Wren didn't tease my sister at every chance. Instead, he curled up to nap in between the two of us.

The sun was setting, turning the sky beautiful shades of yellows, pinks, and oranges. Slowly the four of us walked towards the guildhall. Where we found the young Romeo sulking on the steps. Worried about his father.

"Hey, Romeo!" Natsu called out, Macao's arm slung over his shoulder. The little boy looked up and wiped the tears from his face before his eyes went wide with shock. In the blink of an eye, the little boy screeched and tackled his father. The two of them falling to the cobblestone street in a mess of laughter and tears.

Wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I turned away with my sister. Letting the father and son have their moment and laughing when I heard Macao repeat what I had said up on Mount Hakobe. Stating that he had beat 19 monsters all by himself when two dragon slayers couldn't even beat one.

"Natsu! Happy! Thanks for your help!" Romeo yelled.

"No prob kiddo" Natsu chuckled, waving a hand while Happy gave a quick 'Aye!'

"Lucy! Selina! Thanks for helping to bring my daddy back to me!"

Happily, Lucy and I turned around and waved at the boy. "Anytime Romeo!" I told him.

It had been such a crazy day. First joining the guild of my dreams, followed by a crazy adventure. Lucy always likes to point out that I had powerful magic. But I rarely got to use it back home at the Heartfilia mansion. Just all but forbade it. So being able to fight that Vulcan today was amazing.

If every day was like today; Then I couldn't wait for the rest of my life.