Warning: Probably way too much angst incoming.
Natsu and Wendy waited in silence as Brandish stood there staring, unblinking with glassy, lifeless eyes, at the small piles of ashes.
After a few moments, Wendy started to make her way towards the other girl.
"Brandish?", murmured Wendy.
Turning towards her, Brandish answered Wendy, "They're dead. There's nothing left of them but ashes. Why then, does it feel like I'm the one who died?"
Unsure of what to say, Wendy remained silent.
"My mother can't be gone. This has to be a nightmare" Said Brandish as the words seemed to pour out of her mouth. "I just want to wake up and see my mother alive and happy again."
Brandish's next question caused both Natsu and Wendy to flinch.
"Why can't I wake up?'
Her body now began to shake as silent sobs wracked through it. The sobs quickly transformed themselves into loud banshee like wails.
"Why can't I wake up?"
Quickly making his way to her, Natsu caused Brandish to stop her cries in surprise as he wrapped her up in his arms. Looking towards Wendy, he motioned for her to do the same.
Soon Brandish was enveloped int the arms of these two people, ones she had just only recently met, and she wasn't quite sure what to do or think.
Brandish: Moments Before
Her mother had just died in her arms leaving her alone with no idea of what to do. Then Natsu had told that it was her decision on how to deal with the two bandits that took her mother from her. The rage and pain inside of her rose up like a blazing fire. She wanted them to pay for what they had done, and the only acceptable payment was their lives.
However, standing there staring at two piles of ashes, Brandish didn't feel better, in fact she felt worse. The blazing fire inside that had been her rage dissipated and all that remained was the cold, iciness of pain and loneliness.
Brandish felt the icy chains attaching themselves to her, wanting to bind her and pull her down into the depths. She vaguely heard someone asking her a question and then somehow responding back. She didn't even know what was being said, her body was locked up and running of its own free will.
Now the icy chains had successfully begun to drag her down into the frigid abyss that was her mind. All she could do was scream out as she tried to fight against the chains and their hold on her. She flailed around and squirmed but with every movement, the chains seemed to bind her even tighter.
Brandish knew what was going to happen. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that she was going to fail. But then again, maybe it was for the best. After all, it was her fault her mother died wasn't it? Maybe it would be better for everyone if she just gave up and succumbed to the cold and darkness for what she had done.
Before she could fully submit, Brandish felt a blazingly, hot warmth break through the coldness around her and surround her almost like it was protecting her. As scorching as it was, the heat didn't bother her, in fact it felt warm and comforting.
Laying there, Brandish soon felt another warm presence join the first. It wasn't as large or fierce as the first, but it was no less comforting.
The icy chains she was in the grip of started to steam and melt as the two protecting presences prevented them from continuing to drag her down. Slowly the chains began to rescind from her body and make their way back to the shadowy corners of her mind. Brandish could tell they were still there but for the moment they were gone. With that she snapped back into reality. Brandish immediately noticed she was wrapped up in the arms of Natsu and Wendy and realized it must be due to them she was no longer trapped inside herself.
Looking up at Natsu, "Why"
Eyebrows furrowed and not understanding Natsu replied "What?"
"Why did you help me it was because of me that my mother died. Why didn't you leave me to suffer?"
Narrowing his eyes at her began to realize how bad her mental state truly had started to become.
"Stop, that's enough" Natsu sharply said.
Shocked at his change in demeanor all Brandish could do was stare up wide eyed at the young slayer.
"What happened wasn't your fault the blame only lies with those two poor excuses of humans and they have been dealt with. Why should you, the victim, have to suffer?"
"But if I was stronger, I could have stopped them, and my mother would still be alive I wouldn't be alone"
Brandish whispered the last part but not quite enough for the ears of the dragon slayers. Tightening his grip on Brandish, Natsu gestured to Wendy and himself. "But you aren't alone you have Wendy, me and that spirit your mother gave you. We won't be leaving you. I promised your mother I would look after and protect you and I don't plan on failing her. You're part of my pack now. I will not leave you and I know Wendy won't either. I know we can't replace what you lost, but we'll be here for you. We'll be around so much you'll probably want to get some space from us."
Tensing up and tightening her grip on Wendy and Natsu, Brandish refused to let them go.
"No, you won't leave. I won't let you."
Now laughing, Natsu pat Brandish on the head. "It's ok, Brandi we're not going anywhere."
It was the day after the events leading up to meeting Brandish, and the three of them were traveling through the forest once again. Brandish was still dealing with the loss of her mother so subsequently they felt it was best to travel through the woods instead of along the road. This way she could have more time to grieve before interacting with other people they could potentially come across.
Before they had set out the pair of dragon slayers had told Brandish about their missing parents and the fact that they were dragons. She was skeptical at first but seemed to believe them after seeing how adamant that they were about the subject
She was more surprised that Natsu was considered royalty and that she had been brought under his protection when he accepted her into his pack. She had thought when he said they would be her new family that it was something said in the heat of the moment to calm her down. Thinking back on how fired up Natsu had gotten over her brought a slight blush to her cheeks
Suddenly Brandish was unceremoniously broken from her thoughts
"Hey Brandi", Brandish heard right in her ear as she felt the person's warm breath tickling the skin of her neck
"Kawaii!", she screamed as she miraculously leapt five feet into the air.
'Cute', both Wendy and Natsu thought seeing the actions of their traveling companion.
Having come back down to earth, Brandish was now sporting a crimson blush that seemed to encompass her whole face.
"Idiot!" Brandish said as she swatted Natsu on the shoulder. "You can't just sneak up on and try to take advantage of a young maiden like me."
Hearing this Natsu sweat dropped and looked towards Wendy who just shrugged seemingly as confused as he was.
"Oh, well I'll try to remember that for next time"
"Next time..." Brandish murmured now off in her own little world thinking about what possibly that could entail.
Wendy for some reason not liking the look on Brandish's face or the little bit of drool that had started to drip from her mouth decided to step up.
"Brandish there's a small river up ahead. You said to let you know when we came across water."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Brandish now had a slightly nervous look on her face
"Oh, yes, thank you."
"Why did you need to come to the river Brandish? Wendy asked quizzically.
"Erm well you see"
"The key your mom gave you is for a water-based spirit isn't it?" Natsu said making his way into the conversation.
Shaking herself out of her stupor Brandish grimaced and then nodded her head to Natsu's question
"Natsu is right, Aquarius requires water to be summoned."
"Aquarius, one of the Zodiac spirits?" Asked Natsu. "I bet they're super strong. Do you think they'll fight me if I ask? I wonder how I'd do against one of the 13?"
Looking shocked that Natsu knew about the Zodiac spirits since he had literally grown up in a cave, Brandish asked him about it.
"You know about celestial spirits?"
"Well only a little bit. Igneel said as a Prince I need to know about some of the other kingdoms out there" said Natsu with air quotes. "He said it would make him look bad if his son, was as he put it 'a dough headed idiot that only knew how to fight' he said shrugging.
"Well, there must still be a little dough in your head, There's only 12 Zodiac spirits not 13."
"Of course, that's what I meant 12 not 13 said Natsu smiling innocently.
Narrowing her eyes at the pink haired slayer, Brandish just shook her head and continued to talk.
"The thing is Aquarius doesn't really like me that much. According to her, I'm a little brat that won't ever get a boyfriend who will grow into a crazy cat lady."
Hearing this Wendy started to laugh. Seeing Brandish glaring at her she proceeded to cough into her hand.
With his trademarked fanged smile, Natsu walked up to Brandish and pat her on the head.
"Don't worry Brandi, I'll still be your friend even when you become a crazy cat lady. Just try Natsu have too many. Ok?"
A smile on her face as Natsu began to speak, it soon dropped as he continued. Falling to the ground crying anime tears with a dark cloud over head, Brandish ignored Wendy as she began to roll around on the ground crying with laughter.
Confused as to why his companions were acting odd, Natsu decided to just wait for them to return to normal.
After about a minute Brandish had recovered enough to stand back up and send a glare to Wendy. She had decided it was time to do what they had come here for.
Taking a deep breath and pulling the golden key off of her necklace, Brandish knelt in front of the river and then preceded to stick said key into the water.
"Open gate of the Water Bearer Aquarius"
With a bell like sound a blue magic circle appeared from the key quickly turning into a large, rapidly spinning pillar of water.
The water soon gave way to the hovering form of a bikini clad mermaid who looked to be in her early 20's.
Crossing her arms, the blue haired spirit looked down at the kneeling form of Brandish.
"Tch brat"
Looking up into her eyes, Brandish's lips started to quiver and she started to tear up.
"A-Aquarius" Brandish sputtered out before letting out a wail. "I'm sorry"
Letting out an annoyed sigh, Aquarius huffed "Why are you apologizing to me?"
Wiping some of her tears away, Brandish croaked out, "Because of me, Mama died and now you're stuck with me I'm sorry"
SMACK
Brandish stopped crying as she seemed shocked at the at the quickly forming red mark on her cheek.
"Don't, just don't. Grammi's death is not your fault. The fault lies with those men that killed her, Natsu. Don't spit on your mother's sacrifice and dishonor her." raged Aquarius with a look of fury.
"But she died protecting me because my magic was too weak to do anything"
"You feel like you're too weak huh?"
Wordlessly Brandish nodded.
"What are you going to do about it than?"
Not knowing what she meant, Brandish remained silent.
If you really don't want to be weak anymore, train and get stronger. After all no contractor of mine is going to be some weak little brat" smirked Aquarius.
"You mean it? You'll actually form a contract with me, even though I'm not strong as Mama?" Brandish said with wonder.
She had been mentally preparing herself for Aquarius refusing to make a contract with her but now she couldn't be happier.
"Yes, after all it was your mother's wish plus who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into if I didn't watch over you." Aquarius said bringing her eyes to Wendy and Natsu
"I haven't gotten into any trouble Aquarius. This is Wendy and Natsu. They're the ones who saved me
Aquarius shook her head.
"Tch, another cat lady" Hearing this, Wendy started to cry anime tears. "And a pervert. The boy hasn't stopped staring at me since I got here."
"Hey, I'm not a pervert! Do I look like an overgrown gecko to you?" yelled Natsu with a tick mark forming over his eyebrow
"I… I don't know how to answer that. Where did you find these weirdos?" she said turning to Brandish.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself Natsu made his way towards the spirit. With a look more serious than either of his two traveling companions had seen before, "Can I ask you a something? Feel free to say no."
'Here it comes' Aquarius thought. Almost all of the males she had interacted with in the past had the same thing or rather things in mind. Her answer was always the same; no. She was well aware that her assets were quite large and the bikini she wore didn't help matters but she had hoped that the pink haired preteen would have been too young for that. She had also hoped that he wasn't a pervert for Brandish's sake. The girl seemed to really care about him for some reason.
"Can I touch your tail?"
Simultaneously all three females sweat dropped.
"Natsu, you can't just ask to touch someone" blushed Wendy
"Why not? Igneel let me touch his all the time. As a matter of fact he hit me with his all of the time."
"This is different, Aquarius is a girl" said a red-faced Brandish.
"Well duh, I know she's a girl. I mean just look at her." said a perplexed Natsu. 'Did they not know she was a girl? Geeze they can be so dumb."
"What's that supposed to mean you brat?" sneered Aquarius gnashing her teeth together.
"You're really pretty" said Natsu. "That's how I knew with Wendy and Brandi too. Igneel said girls are prettier than flowers or even the stars and you beat any flower I've ever seen."
Aquarius stared at Natsu, but she couldn't find any trace of deception's face just a dopey looking expression.
"Tch, fine you can touch my tail but only for a second and don't be thinking that this will be happening again."
Immediately Natsu shot forward startling Aquarius.
"So soft" whispered Natsu as he stroked her scales. "They're nothing like Igneel's."
"Of course, I am second to none after all." said Aquarius folding her arms across her chest inadvertently making her already substantial bust even larger
Suddenly Natsu stopped his caressing of her tail.
"Well now that that's done I think it's time we…" was all Aquarius could get out before being stunned into silence.
Natsu had wrapped her tail up in a large warm hug.
"what what are you doing?"
Wendy and Brandish were shocked to see that there was a blush on the spirit's face. Both of them angry but unsure of why, pried Natsu off of Aquarius.
Sad to feel the comforting warmth leave her, Aquarius soon regained her cool composure.
"Whatever, as I was saying I think it's time for us to leave."
"Wait, what do you mean us? "asked Brandish.
"You wanted to get stronger didn't you? We will start by having you keep me here in this world for as long as you can. This will cause your magic reserves to grow. Plus, I can't leave you two alone with this one." looking pointedly at Natsu
Wendy and Brandish sported matching blushes while Natsu just looked confused.
"How would having you here cause Brandish to get stronger? asked Wendy curiously.
"Everyone that can use magic has what is called a magic container" informed Aquarius. "Think of it as a muscle, to get bigger and stronger you work it over and over until you're sore. The same concept applies to magic but we'll stop before she runs out completely so she doesn't hurt herself too badly. Brandish needs to increase her magical capabilities as she draws upon it to call upon and keep me here."
"That sounds like it's going to be tough" frowned Brandish.
"Oh, don't worry, that's just the start. It gets even better from there." said Aquarius giving her a shark like smile
Brandish couldn't help with shiver at the smile that promised pain for her.
"As she is now Brandish can only summon me for a few minutes and that's without using any other type of magic. By the time I'm done with her she should be able to have me around without her feeling the drain on her magic as her magic will regenerate faster than the drain on it. That won't be for a long time though."
"She's so cool and sounds super strong." said Natsu with stars in his eyes.
Aquarius couldn't help but preen a little under the praise of the boy.
"Uh miss Aquarius" Wendy timidly spoke up "How are you gonna travel with us? Do you want us to travel along the river so you can swim?"
'Are you are you calling me a fish you little brat?" growled Aquarius giving the stink eye to Wendy.
Unsure of what to say, as technically she did have a fish tail, Wendy thought the wisest, and safest course of action was to say nothing.
"Tch"
Suddenly there was a bright flash of golden light.
Where moments before Aquarius had been floating, she now stood on a pair of legs. Her tail had been replaced with a royal blue sarong that covered a pair of long muscular legs.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" and with that Natsu took off before anyone had the chance to reply.
"Hold on Natsu wait for us" cried out his two young companions as they ran after him.
Aquarius shook her head she was glad to see that Brandish had made two new friends. She wished it had been under better circumstances, but who knows what would have happened to her if they hadn't been there to help her when they did.
She was soon shaken from her thoughts when a warm hand grabbed onto hers.
"Come on Aquarius! What are you waiting for? We're going on an adventure." said a smiling Natsu.
Allowing herself to be pulled along by the young dragon slayer, she couldn't help but think with a blush on her face that maybe Brandish wasn't the only one he would be good for.
A few more days had passed and their group was still as Natsu put it on an adventure. The girls however weren't as pleased with their situation as he was. The novelty of sleeping on the ground every night and being subjected to Natsu's cooking had quickly worn off after the first few times. His idea of cooking was engulfing it in flames until it was burnt black, that way he knew it was cooked properly. Neither Wendy or Brandish wanted to crush his spirit and tell him that it tasted like charcoal.
Brandish continued her training with Aquarius as they had progressed on their journey to the unknown. She tried to summon the spirit twice a day if they happened to be lucky enough to be around water once in the morning and at night. During the nighttime visits Aquarius would tell them stories of her previous key holders and other adventures. Natsu was more interested in hearing about their battles compared to anything else but like the girls, he was happy to hear about all the far off places Aquarius had been to over the years.
Summoning Aquarius for as long as she could drained Brandish rather quickly. She had now managed to keep her there for a few minutes longer than originally. But they all knew it would be a while until she'd be able to hold it for extended periods of time let alone also used her other magic at the same time.
They had reached a clearing alongside of a road when Natsu stopped them. There in front of them sitting on a tree trunk was a short, elderly man wearing a long white coat with some weird symbol on the back. He hadn't seemed to notice him as his attention was on the magazine in his hands. Natsu didn't know what it was about but it seemed to have a lot of pictures of people in it. Based on the amount of drool leaking from the old man's mouth, Natsu assumed that the magazine must be pretty interesting. Naturally he did the only thing that made sense.
Makarov Dreyar was on his way back from, in his opinion a pointless meeting of the Wizard Saints, when he decided it was time for a little break. After leaving Era, he had been window shopping in the capital when something had caught his eye. It was a rare edition of Wizard Girls Gone Wild. The magazine had cost him quite a bit of money, even now thinking back on the money made him tear up. He was sure though that it was a sound investment. Feeling that it would be a shame if he didn't enjoy the magazine a few times before Gildarts got his grubby hands on it, Makarov thought this was as good a place as any to stop. Sure it was right by the road but he hadn't seen any other travelers for a while. Besides what are the chances someone would walk up now.
"Hey, can I look at that after you're done?" asked Natsu as he tapped Makarov on the shoulder.
Waving him off, "Hold your horses, you'll get your turn. This is a collector's item you know. You can't just go all gung-ho on it. You have to take your time and work up to it."
Not having the slightest clue what he was talking about, Natsu just nodded and took a closer look at the old man's magazine.
seeing the contents of the magazine of up close he was disappointed.
"You're just a perverted old man aren't you?"
"I am not a pervert" he said as he turned to face the person who insulted him, "I prefer connoisseur of the fine arts."
Now facing Natsu, Makarov came to two realizations; that he had been talking to someone without realizing it and that said person was a pink haired boy.
'Oh Mavis'. He had just fully recovered from the 'talking to' the mother of a boy he'd let borrow a magazine, of questionable material, had given him.
'I'm too old for all these beatings' as tears dropped down his face.
Brandish, Wendy! Look this old pervert is crying." said Natsu as he pointed at Makarov.
"Natsu it's not nice to call people perverts" chided Wendy as she and Brandished made their way to join Natsu.
Brandish noticing the magazine in his hand was of a different opinion
"Pervert"
A metaphorical dagger stabbed Makarov through the heart.
'How could even this girl call me a pervert' thought Makarov as a dark cloud formed over his head, 'I mean granted a cute girl, give her a few years and she'll be a real looker.' Licking his lips as a perverted look came over his face.
"Oi!"
Natsu flicked Makarov in the face. "Stop thinking perverted thoughts pervert."
Suddenly crouching down to be eye level with the man who still sat on the stump, eyes blazing, unconsciously raising the temperature of the surrounding area, Natsu began to growl.
"If you even think of touching my pack you will burn."
Wendy and Brandish shivered. Natsu's voice was scary, demonic even but it was also so full of power that it sent tingles down their bodies.
Makarov shivered for a different reason. When he had stopped to look at his magazine, he did not foresee something like this happening. He was no stranger to power, he himself was quite powerful. Him being a part of the Wizard Saints was a testament to that. This boy was something else, he seemed to be almost subconsciously tapping into something deep inside of him. Waves of power rolled off him and were almost oppressive as they seemed to demand respect.
Looming over the boy was both a fearful and awe-inspiring sight. The image of a giant, red dragon stood with its teeth barred and a snarl on its lips. What was next to it though froze the blood in Makarov's veins. Standing alongside the great red beast was a black, shadowy horned being loosely wrapped in chains. The power coming off of the monster was on par with the dragon's, if not slightly higher. It was much darker and colder compared to the oppressive heat the dragon gave off. The two red eyes of the shadow covered monster seemed to burn through him and pierce his soul. Makarov had to believe this is what looking at the Grim Reaper was like.
"Do you understand?"
Shaking, all Makarov could do was nod.
In an instant all the overwhelming pressure was gone.
"Alright, as long as we have an understanding "said Natsu with a large fanged grin.
Confused at the boy's quick turn around and still shellshocked from the killing intent he had given off, Makarov couldn't do much but stare.
"…I…wha..." Makarov tried to form the words he wanted to say but nothing seemed to come out.
"Hey guys look! One of Brandi's old lady cats has Gramps' tongue."
Laughing at the shade of dark red Brandish's face became, Wendy wiped a tear from her eye.
"I can't wait to tell Aquarius that one, she's gonna die."
Fuming, Brandish grabbed the girl by the shoulders and started to shake her. "You're not going to tell her anything windbag."
Pushing the green haired girl off of her, Wendy snarled back. "Who's going to stop me? You? What are you gonna do, shrink me? Oh, I'm an inch shorter, so scary."
"I don't need to shrink you. I mean look, you're already part of the itty-bitty titty committee." Gesturing to her friend's chest.
"You bitch!"
Seeing literal sparks flying off the girls. Makarov knew a catfight was quickly about to take place. Normally he would have been excited by the prospect, but they were just children. Plus, glancing at Natsu he knew he would steer clear of them in the future when they were older.
Growing annoyed at the two girls, Natsu walked over and gave a quick chop to the top of their heads.
Rubbing their heads, the girls looked at Natsu with tears in their eyes.
"Oh, stop it, I know that didn't hurt."
Almost as if planned, both Brandish and Wendy's lips started to quiver as their tears threatened to pour out.
Sighing and looking defeated, Natsu wordlessly opened his arms.
Seeing this, the tears immediately disappeared. Huge smiles shown on the girl's faces as they glomped Natsu.
Locking eyes with each other, Brandish and Wendy silently vowed to themselves that they would crush the other so that only they would receive Natsu's warm hugs.
Finally finding the ability to speak coherent words again, Makarov spoke up.
"Not to break up this touching moment but would you children mind introducing yourselves to me?"
Pulling away from each other the group looked at Makarov.
"Sure, thing Grampa Pervert!" said Natsu excitedly.
Makarov's eye started to twitch hearing this but decided to let that one go as the boy technically wasn't wrong.
"My name is Natsu Dragneel and this is my pack, Brandi and Wendy."
The second half of his statement intrigued Makarov and he cocked an eyebrow curious about what the boy meant but decided to leave it for now.
"My name is Brandish Myu"
"And I am Wendy Marvell"
Nodding at the children, "My name is Makarov Dreyar Guild Master of Fairy Tail."
Natsu sent a confused look his way.
Finding it somewhat odd that a child his age wouldn't know what a guild was, Makarov went on to explain.
"A guild is a group made up of wizards who take on jobs that people post for money, however I'd like to believe that Fairy Tail is much more than that. We're a family and we all look out and care for each other."
"Excuse me, Master Makarov?" said Brandish. "That coat", pointing to his white furred coat, "it is a Wizard Saint's isn't it?"
"Why yes, my dear it is, I just so happen to be one" he said puffing his chest out slightly.
"So, what? You go to church or something, they give you a coat for that?" questioned Natsu.
Now really starting to question the sheltered life Natsu must have led, Makarov shook his head. "No, it actually has nothing to do with the Church. The Wizard Saints are a group of some of the strongest wizards in Fiore."
Natsu excitedly started to jump around. "So, you must be pretty strong, Gramps fight me! I want to see how I do against your magic."
Ignoring the offer of a fight, Makarov turned to the girls. "I know that Natsu here possesses magic but do either of you girls as well?"
Wendy nodded "I use Sky Dragon Slayer magic."
'This group of children just get more and more interesting. Whatever that was with Natsu before and now a dragon slayer' Thought Makarov.
"Dragon Slayer magic, a lost art. Very rare. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get a lacrima from?"
Natsu and Wendy's expressions darkened and Makarov thought he could see fangs poking out of their mouths.
"I would never use one of those cursed soul traps" growled Wendy. "I'm not some fake slayer that stole a dragon's soul."
"So you're saying that you were taught by a real dragon?" Makarov skeptically asked.
"Yes, my mother Grandeeney taught me."
"I apologize for accusing you of possessing a lacrima. It's just a little hard to believe that you were taught by a dragon. The dragons haven't been seen for around 400 years."
Alarmed looks on their faces, the two slayers were stupefied.
"That's not possible" said Natsu. "Are you trying to tell me that Igneel was fake?"
"I'm not familiar with this Igneel"
"He's my dad, The Fire Dragon King. He's the one that taught me my magic." Looking downcast, he continued. "Except he disappeared and so did Grandeeney, so we're trying to find them."
Makarov waited for Natsu to go on but he seemed to want to leave it at that.
"I can't say for sure that all of the dragons are gone" he said slowly. "But no one, besides you two claim to have seen any."
Turning to the third and final person, Makarov decided to move on since he didn't know what else to say to the distraught slayers.
"How about you, Brandish was it?" he said offering up a smile. "Are you a dragon slayer as well?"
Frowning Brandish shook her head. "I can use magic but it's not as strong as Natsu's or Wendy's."
Not wanting to see the child become discouraged, Makarov was about to speak up when someone else beat him to it.
"Stop that Brandi, we've already talked about this. Just because Wendy and I are stronger than you now, it doesn't mean that will always be the case. You have to remember that we've been training for years. You just started. It wouldn't be fair to compare yourself to us, at least not quite yet" said Natsu to his green haired friend.
"Well I guess but…" Brandish said before she was interrupted but this time by Wendy.
"Brandish you just started training with Aquarius and you already improving, just imagine what you could do when you're older. You could make yourself as big as a house or someone as small as a bug in just a second and then squish them. That's not to mention having Aquarius either. You really think she'd let you be weak and not be able to take care of yourself? Your magic isn't weaker than ours, it's just about experience and you just haven't had enough time yet." Wendy bringing Brandish into a hug.
"Yes, my dear your friends are right. No one magic is ever truly better than another. It is all in how it is used" Makarov said. "I might be able to help you with getting that experience you need."
Questioning him the group looked on in silence.
Taking this as permission to continue, Makarov went on. "Come join Fairy Tail, you'll get plenty of experience by going on jobs and by being around other wizards."
Looking between her companions Brandish shook her head smiling slightly. "Thank you but my place is with Natsu and Wendy. We're a pack and they need to keep searching for the parents."
"Brandi if this is what you want to do, then don't let us hold you back" said Natsu. "We'll still be a pack; you won't be able to get rid of us that easily. We'll come and see you all the time."
"We'd feel horrible if you felt like we were forcing you to stay with us" said Wendy.
"My invitation was actually for all three of you" said Makarov. "I know that you want to find your parents, and this might be able to help you. When you're not out on jobs you can have a place to rest and call home. Then you are out on jobs you can look for your dragons. Not to mention you'll have the guild to help look for you too I'm sure. You all would be a part of our family. We look out for each other."
The three preteens huddled together and whispered amongst themselves coming to agreement after a few minutes of discussion. The three broke apart letting Natsu step forward.
"A few questions first" said Natsu. "Would we be able to check out the guild first to make sure it's a good fit? Also is the guild full of a bunch of old perverts like you?"
Hearing the boy's comment once again about his age and activities Makarov took a breath to calm himself.
"Yes, it would be acceptable for you all to visit the guild first before making a final decision. Luckily, I'm on my way back now and the guild has a wide range of members. There are a few even around your age. It's not all old perverts as you would say" giving Natsu a pointed glare.
Not seeming to care about Makarov's annoyance, Natsu nodded his head to the answers.
"One more question and this is the most important one; will there be lunch?"
All three children looked towards Makarov for his answer.
Hearing that, Makarov took his first, real hard look at the children. Their clothes seemed to be in fairly good shape if not a bit muddy. For some reason, Wendy and Natsu seemed to not have shoes. The quality of their clothing or lack thereof, wasn't what bothered Makarov. It was how the clothes fit on them. The clothes were just a bit too loose, not enough to be alarming but enough to believe that they had skipped a few meals. If it took him feeding them a couple meals to help them decide to join Fairy Tail he would do it in a heartbeat he didn't feel right about leaving three young children out alone in the wild. Especially since he didn't believe that they had anywhere else to go. He knew that Wendy and Natsu didn't have anyone else as they were looking for their "parents", the dragons who trained them, but Brandish he wasn't so sure about. He didn't think that the answer would be positive based off of the fact that she had never mentioned her parents and when the other two had mentioned theirs she grew a sad look on her face.
"Yes, there will be food, in my opinion, the guild has some of the best around."
The three were practically salivating at the thought of all the hot fresh food they were going to eat. Or in the case of Natsu, he actually was and had to wipe the drool off his chin after Wendy pointed it out.
"As you all seem to be in agreement, let's head out to, hopefully what's going to be your new home."
As they began to walk, Makarov thought back to something that Natsu had said earlier.
"Natsu my boy, earlier you said your father was the Fire Dragon King correct?"
"Yep, Igneel would ever shut up about it."
"So, you would be a prince then correct? Since Igneel is your father?"
Natsu just sighed to that. "Look, Gramps I like you and I'm sure that the guild will be awesome too, but I don't want anyone to know. I don't like the attention that people would give me if they thought I was royalty. The title is more ceremonially than anything. It has to do with those of Draconic species and that's all I'm really allowed to say."
Makarov nodded. Natsu had given him a lot to think about, from whatever that presence he emitted earlier was and now this.
"Say gramps…are there any strong people I can fight when we get to the guild? It's been awhile since I've got into a good fight."
Suddenly Makarov thought it might not be for the best to bring Natsu back to the guild. Introducing him to some of the members could prove to be… volatile and expensive. Images of all the paperwork he would have to fill out and the stacks of bills to pay, flew through his mind. This proved to be too much for him as he began to cry.
"Hey guys look, Gramps is so excited thinking about all the awesome flights we're going to have, that he started to cry. He just can't wait."
Wendy and Brandish just smiled and shook their heads at their friend. He could be so serious at times but as soon as you mentioned fighting, he acted like a little child.
All the while, Makarov seemed to be mumbling something about stupid brats and money.
Hey, what's up guys? First off, an apology. I didn't realize it had been almost two whole months since I last updated. I feel bad since I know that I don't like when I'm left hanging. I'll fully admit that I just got lazy plus I'm a slow writer. I started working in a factory, and after spending all day in 140 degree heat, I didn't really feel like writing. I also found out High School DxD was a thing and then proceeded to binge the show and all the fan fics I could find. If you're familiar with the content or even if you're not, I suggest you all go read the Delinquent Dragon Emperor by Melkor's Mercy. It is a phenomenal read in my opinion and you don't even necessarily have to be familiar with the mythos of DxD to enjoy it.
That being said I definitely feel like DxD influenced me in some of the interactions you see with the girls here. You can already see that the girls are starting to get feelings for our favorite pink haired slayer even if they themselves don't know it quite yet. As for the harem, besides the girls seen already, I have plans for Ultear and Sayla. I'm on the fence for including Cana and maybe someone like Kagura or Minerva, but there are complications when it comes to them. With Cana the biggest thing would be when it comes to Tenrou and the other two, it would be that he doesn't have very much interaction with them in canon. If there is enough support for any of these girls or any others let me know, as it is still early enough that I could plan for them.
I was originally going to show them arriving at the guild but decided that I needed to just get something posted. On that note, would you guys prefer chapters of about this length or shorter, probably 2-3k, so I can post more frequently? Let me know in the comments or in a PM.
I had a little trouble with Brandish as I couldn't rationalize having a 12-year-old girl who had her mother die in her arms being perfectly fine. I know that the beginning part is highly image driven and may not be to everyone's taste but I tried to picture what I thought would look cool if I watched it in a show. That being said, there was quite a bit of angst in this chapter. That shouldn't be a frequent thing.
Word vomit over. Deuces my friends.