Fairy Tail S

by ZenkaiPower

For two years after that fateful battle over Magnolia, the heroes of Earth resumed their daily lives as they await Gohan's return; while on Earthland, Fairy Tail and its allies struggled to survive against the greatest foes they will ever face. And with Gohan's training nearing it's end, forces both good and evil are preparing for the ultimate fate that awaits them. A Sequel to FTZ

13. Chapter 12

Chapter XII: The Storms that Follow

Meanwhile, in a forest SE of Magnolia Town…

Having walked the entire way from Akane in something of a panic, Gildarts Clive had cut through the woods in an attempt to save time, not putting any mind to the fact his magic would carve through anything that was unfortunate enough to be in his path; and as a result, the Crush Magic wizard left a rather obvious trail of trees and shrubs with semi-circular holes in them. By the time he neared the edge of the forest, however, there was a new feeling to overtake him. Considering the pressing concern for his friends and family, Gildarts tried to ignore the sensation that he was being watched; but as soon as he reached the edge of the woods, the creeping suspicion that he was being followed had become un-dismissible, especially once he noticed a large magic presence behind him.

"What the?" He wondered aloud as he stopped and spun around, "What kinda magic energy is this?"

Knowing right off the bat that this aura he felt was something sinister in nature, all thoughts of returning to the guild quickly vanished from his mind.

"Who's out there?" He called out, "Show yourself, or I'm gonna start cutting down trees until I find you."

"So impatient, this one." A young man's voice remarked, "But I suppose this place is as good any. Release me, Jacob."

Within the next second, Gildarts looked slightly to his right to be greeted by the sight of a seemingly young, blonde-haired man wearing a golden kasaya, black capris, and silver cross on his back.

"Well, this is a surprise." Fairy Tail's Ace remarked as he noticed the two tattoos on the man's left arm and the one white cross tattooed on his forehead, "I didn't think I'd run into one of Zeref's people so close to home. But that mark on your shoulder says otherwise, doesn't it?"

"How perceptive of you." The man replied with a calm amusement, "My father's sigil must be well-known amongst your guild, for you to recognize it so easily…"

"Your 'father' huh?" Gildarts made note of the word before moving on, "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't know what my guild knows. I've been too busy wiping out your buddies in the border regions to ever stop by."

"Yes, I am aware of the destruction you've left in your wake." The blonde confirmed while briefly making a one-handed gesture of silent prayer, "Hundreds in my father's armies have fallen at your hands."

"And now you've come to square the debt, haven't you?" Gildarts guessed, but to his surprise, the man simply shook his head.

"Not at all," He explained casually, "For one to fall in service to my father, it's the greatest honor one could receive."

"Ah, so you're one of those kinds a' crazy, huh?" The Fairy Tail wizard noted bluntly, "Well, if it isn't revenge you're after… I'm guessing there's something you want from me. If not, you and that invisible friend of yours would've attacked when you had the chance."

"Hm, perhaps I should retract what I said," The Spriggan Shield chuckled quietly, "About your perceptiveness, I mean. And here I had high hopes for Fairy Tail's Fifth Master…"

Suddenly suspecting what the man wanted from him, Gildarts had to quickly suppress his surprise at how well-informed this man was.

"So… that's what you're after." The Crush mage deduced easily, "Well, I hate to break it to ya, kid; but I'm afraid I can't help you here. And even if I could, I wouldn't."

"Is that so?" The blonde questioned him rhetorically, "Well… I admit, I'm not surprised. Your loyalty is admirable, albeit misplaced."

"Says the guy claiming Zeref is his 'father'." Gildarts quipped dismissively, keeping a calm façade while also preparing himself for a fight, "Did he tell you that lie, or did you just come up with that crazy ide-ah…"

Before he could finish his taunt, the Fairy Tail wizard was cut off by a strange sensation welling up from inside. His whole body was heating up uncontrollably, to the point that his whole body was weakening and slowly running out of breath. And judging by the sensations he was feeling, particularly in his crotch, this wasn't just pain he was feeling. Somehow, this man was hurting him with pleasure.

"Gah… what…" He panted as he went down to one knee, "What kinda… White… Magic…?"

"It's the holiest of magics," The Spriggan Shield informed him with a triumphant smirk, walking around Gildarts in a circle as he spoke, "One ordained to me by my father, the power to bring impure mortals like you to heel. My power… is that of desire."

Clutching at his chest with his right hand as he struggled for air, Gildarts could only listen as his assailant made his demands clear.

"Now tell me, human, where is Fairy Heart? Is it still with your guild, or has it been relocated?"

"I already… told you…" Gildarts almost choked on his words, "I don't… know… I haven't… seen… anyone… in… years…"

"Perhaps," His foe conceded, "But surely, you would know who does. Tell me, or else face an excruciating end."

"Heh…" He chuckled weakly, "You're not… the first… to… threaten… me… kid."

Feeling the painfully pleasant sensations intensify, Gildarts gasped again before his interrogator spoke again.

"I have lived for four hundred years, human; if anyone is a child here, it would be you. Now, tell me… Who else would know where the Lumen Histoire is hidden? Makarov would of course, but what of Titania, or Makarov's grandson? Laxus, was it? Surely he would know…"

"Again, I don't… know." Gildarts answered with the most force he could muster, "You're barking up… the wrong tree."

Once again the bizarre feelings intensified, to the point Gildarts would have fallen onto all fours if two of his limbs weren't prosthetic.

"Liken me to a dog again, and your situation will only get worse." The Shield scolded him, "Now, tell me something useful. Give me one target, and I won't have to target your whole guild instead."

"Heheh…Yeah, that would make things easy for you, wouldn't it?" Gildarts chuckled weakly, "Sorry, but if I gotta bet on either you or my entire guild… I'm bettin' on them, hundred percent of the time."

"Hm… Is that so?" His interrogator inquired casually, "You do realize it's your life that's being wagered, don't you? You pitiful creatures usually cling to it, no?"

"Quit trying to play me for a fool," Gildarts quipped, "You've gotta kill me, whether I talk or not. I'm an obstacle that you need to remove."

"Hmph, funny…" His attacker scoffed dismissively, "You're not much of an obstacle, from where I'm standing."

"Yeah?" Fairy Tail's Ace asked sarcastically, thinking it was time to stop fishing his rather chatty ambusher for information and to finally show his hand, "Well, how about this then?"

Watching his supposed prey activate their magic suddenly, the 'son' of Zeref was stunned to see the Crush Magic Wizard had somehow broken free of his power and quickly recovered. The only lingering sign he had been affected was the slightly red tinge to his face, and the only hint of what the man did was the sight of the small perimeter of the ground that had been completely erased around him in the blink of an eye.

"Huh. How intriguing…" The blonde observed aloud, "Clearly, my power affects you; but somehow, you've managed to purge it from your body… But with the nature of your magic, you could've destroyed whole parts of yourself in the process…"

"Honestly, I think I might've… a bit…" Gildarts chuckled with only the slightest hint of pain, "But I've suffered a lot worse than a little internal bleeding.

"Now come on, kid," He then added tauntingly as he readied himself for the fight, "Are we doing this, or what?"

Feigning a calm demeanor, the irritated Spriggan Shield also readied himself, placing both of his hands in a praying position before his chest as he replied.

"Very well… If this is the release your spirit desires, I shall grant it to you. But I feel it would be a waste, if I were not to attempt once more to recruit you. Fortunately for you, there's a recent vacancy in the seats of the Twelve; and I know my father would be pleased to see that I've replenished our count of Ishgarian turncoats."

"Someone killed one of the Spriggan Twelve?" Gildarts asked for clarification before quickly adding, "Who did it? Was it Acnologia, The Black Dragon?"

Seeming to quickly debate whether or not to answer as he turned slightly to his right, the vaguely intrigued Alvarez warrior ultimately spoke up; but he also continued preparing for a fight as he did, with one hand slowly reaching for the cross behind him while his other hand held his praying posture before him.

"Judging by that expression, I'd say you've met him before… Yes, it was he that released God Serena's spirit from this mortal plane. Both of him, actually."

"Both of him?" The Fairy Tail wizard was slightly caught off-guard by that fact, "There's two Acnologias?"

"Indeed." The blonde confirmed with a brief nod, "There's the one of this world, the one I assume being the creature that took those limbs of yours; and then there's the one of another world, a 'mirror world' of sorts…"

"You mean Edolas?" Gildarts deduced quickly, knowing he could only talk in quick sentences if he hoped to also maintain a constant defense against this opponent and his abilities, "So there are two of those dragon monsters now?"

"Not quite." The man shook his head with a faintly amused smirk, although the very mention of Edo-Acnologia was slowly starting to vex him, "The Edolan man has done what only few men could ever hope to: he became as a god, one with the power to control all that is dark; and he has lived long enough to unlock quite a bit of his true potential. It angers me to admit it, but even my father has… struggled… His plan to purify this world, to end its suffering, is in jeopardy; and as his favorite son, I must do everything in my power to ensure the safety and success of his desires…"

"Desperate times, desperate measures…" The Crush Wizard replied sympathetically, "I guess I can respect that at least, crazy as you are… But I will not be the one that loses here today. I'm a father myself, you see… And unlike your supposed 'father', kid, I've got way too much pride to let my child deal with my mistakes."

"You truly do wish to die, hm?" the blonde's fingers slowly tightened against the silver-laden cross as he once again concealed his annoyance,

"If you're that wary of The Black Dragon as I sense you are, you should be genuinely terrified of what you see before you. My father seemed certain that my power lies beyond that our Dragon King, and especially once we've acquired the power of the Lumen Histoire… We can defeat Acnologia, and alter the world to a state beyond the corruption of even the Edolan Dark God… Not even he has the power to corrupt Fairy Heart; and it was your comrades that proved it. If you have any form of access to a power of that nature, you do merit at least one moment of my attention; and better yet, a chance to earn my and my father's respect."

Giving the seemingly young man an appraising look, Gildarts purposefully made a considering expression before surprising him with a dismissive response.

"Hm, well I gotta admit, you made a great sale's pitch; but… I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pass on that. I doubt your 'father' would understand this, kid; but I actually care about my kid's well-being… So, if anyone is gonna get put in danger first, I would rather it be me, win, lose, or draw. Even if I fail, I can die happy knowing that I tried. You might've been around for four-hundred years or whatever, but you certainly don't act like it."

"You seek redemption then, or maybe just peace?" the man questioned him with a hint of venom, "Either way, I shall grant it to you, in its own purest form… I will defeat you now, reclaim your First Master's living corpse, and earn the true right to bear my father's name… I stake all my being into this singular cause, for I am the greatest creation my father ever designed, the greatest of his sons; I am Larcade Dragneel, and you should feel honored to fall by my hands."

Not planning to give his foe a chance to strike, both warriors quickly moved to strike each other, Gildarts using a fist while Larcade one-handed the cross; but before their blows could collide, another blonde man had entered the fray, with this one popping out of a radiant white portal to deliver one supercharged, luminescent kick to the very object that was targeting his ally.

Having enough agility to parry both opponents attacks and leap at least a dozen feet away, Larcade seemed to be only amused by this newcomer's appearance.

"Sorry for the wait, Gildarts, but I kinda wanted to know what he was going on about too." Sting Eucliffe greeted his ally with a strong show of bravado, "This new power I got is pretty handy though, so I reckon you and I could take him together, no problem.

"And you," He added as he turned to face their opponent, "It looks like you've given my friend here quite the welcome."

"My, my…" Larcade remarked with amused frustration as he returned the cross to his back, "Yet another fool stands before-"

Leaping forward and trying to punch the Shield with a right jab aimed for the chest, Sting was quickly blocked by Larcade, who had returned to his defensive, praying posture in the process. Despite being failing to land a good hit, Sting still couldn't contain a smirk, seeing as he at least managed to push the man back a few dozen feet; and he matched the amused expression the Alvarez warrior wore with likely a more genuine tone.

"Did you honestly expect that to hurt me?" Larcade taunted him quietly, and his smirk instantly widened as long, writhing white tendrils of his magic emerged from an aura around him and soon suddenly snaked their way towards the young Sabertooth Master.

"Careful, kid, that's-!" Gildarts began to warn him urgently until his voice quickly trailed off, seeing Sting protect himself by beginning to suck down Larcade's magic like he'd seen Natsu do to flames; and just like Natsu, his gut seemed to be bottomless, "Oh, right…"

"What is this?" Sting wondered aloud as he continued to eat the white magic energy flowing towards him, "It tastes weird. And… it feels kinda nice!"

Chuckling while their opponent stared at the young man with well-concealed interest, Gildarts allowed Sting to explain his own powers.

"White Magic has no effect on me." He revealed after gulping down the last of the light and starting to wipe his mouth with his left arm, "I am a White Dragon Slayer, after all."

Dropping his hand lazily the next second, however, Sting's whole demeanor instantly changed into a surprisingly dark and angry stance.

"Something about you ticks me off." The Dragon Slayer declared with intense aggression, "You smell just like Natsu."

"And they share the same last name too," Gildarts added helpfully, "Apparently…"

"Who are you, and why do you smell like Natsu?" Sting demanded information from their foe; and though the Shield of Spriggan seemed more than happy to reveal the answer, yet another person soon interfered. And this time, it came in the form of a voice that sent a creeping chill up both the guild wizards' spines.

"My, my, my… what have I stumbled upon here?" Edo's amused yet sinister tone emanated from all around in a sing-song rhythm, resonating from every inch of ground that was covered in the trees' shadows, "I can see only one of you, but I'm fairly certain I do… get the gist of this little… rendezvous…"

With what sounding similar to a swirling gust in storm, the natural darkness around them soon began to twist and contort until all of it rushed together in a dramatic fashion, culminating in the dark god himself slowly ascending from the rapidly amassing shadows.

"Tell me, Larcade… What's prompted you to commit such heresy against your new… loving… and caring… god? Surely it wouldn't be your maker? He's not so foolish as to order this, isn't he?"

Debating whether to answer or not, Larcade soon found his decision being made for him, as Edo merely lifted a hand, and the 'son' of Zeref instantly felt a strong burning sensation in his throat before feeling himself get yanked towards the dark immortal by that exact par of him as well.

"Just kidding, that was a trick question." Edo joked with faux giddiness as with that one hand, he caught the Spriggan Shield and began to choke him with a force the four-hundred year old being had never felt in his life, "I knew that a few of you little rats were gonna scurry off and nibble away at some schemes of your own; but unlike a number of your allies, you fools were too deluded to even grasp the reality of your situation… The early bird gets the worm, but the second rat gets the cheese…"

Bringing the poor being to earth like a ragdoll he intended to break, Edo slammed Larcade onto his back and into a fifteen-foot deep crater that was shaped just like his outline; and even Gildarts could not conceal his shock at the tremor and concussive force the impact created in the air and the ground below them. The only thing Larcade could do was gasp loudly in immensely shocked pain, as quite a few of his bones were shattered within just a fraction of a blink of an eye.

"Sorry, Larcade-y boy," Edo enjoyed taunting him to contain his mostly concealed anger, "I should be more grateful, I know… Even if you are a filthy little rat-traitor, you've acted almost completely according to my will. After all, I needed one of these rebels to serve as an example; and who better then the one who's boldest? The one who's the quickest to seize the initiative?

"Leave us, peasants," Edo added with a vague glance towards where he assumed Sting and Gildarts were, "I'd certainly love to stay and explain all those burning questions I'm sure you have, but as you can see… It appears I've a little housecleaning to do."

Before either Gildarts or Sting could refuse or accept the dark god's command, a black portal engulfed the both of them from below; and before they could even blink, they were both crash landing face-first beside each other, right outside the doors of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall.

About two hours later, on Earth…

The commotion inside the second Son home had finally begun to lower as everyone around the dinner table had finally eaten to their hearts' fullest contents, and a few of the men currently present were too stuffed to properly speak.

"Ergh… So good…" Natsu warbled as he rubbed his comically-large, swollen gut, "It hurts, but it was so worth it…"

"Aye, sir…" Happy agreed, sitting slumped on the table corner beside the fire mage, "None of my training could've… could've prepared me… for this…"

"Yeah…" Goten added from his seat across the table, "You out did yourself this time, Mom."

"He's not kidding, Chi," Goku also remarked with a satisfied pat on his own gut, "This really might've been the best meal you've ever made."

"It really was wonderful, Chi-san." Wendy politely joined in as well, with Lucy nodding and humming in agreement from her seat beside Natsu, "And it was rather amazing, seeing you make all that food in so little time…"

"Well, you all can consider me flattered," the Son matriarch replied humbly as she already started to work on cleaning the dishes, "But I really didn't do anything special. I cooked everything exactly the same way I always do; and Videl was helping, too."

"Oh no, don't try and put this on me, Chi Chi," Videl shook her head honestly, "I barely did anything this time around."

"Then maybe it's just the environment," Goku suggested, "It's been a while since we've had this many people around the dinner table, after all."

"Pan's gonna be sorry she missed out on this one." Gohan thought aloud next from his seat beside his wife at the far end of the table, "We even had her favorite dessert, too."

"Miss her already, don't you?" His wife questioned him amusedly before leaning towards Wendy and adding, "Pan's his one weakness, you see. The sole reason we have Piccolo training her is because this guy spoils her way too much."

"Oh, I remember." The Sky Maiden giggled back, "Gohan really does have the air of a doting father sometimes, doesn't he?"

Scratching the back of his head bashfully, the dead demi-Saiyan could only chuckle in response.

"Well I can't really blame you, Gohan." Lucy spoke up in his defense, however, "That little girl is so cute, it'd be hard for anyone to refuse her."

"Aye…" Happy agreed weakly, "Hate to say it… cuter than me…"

"Well…" Natsu replied to his fattened feline friend, "At least you said it before I did…"

"Hey, that doesn't mean I wanted someone else to say it!" the blue cat whined humorously, "You traitor!"

At that, the whole group began to laugh, giggle or chuckle in their own unique fashions; and Happy soon forgot his grievance as he also enjoyed the humor of the moment.

"Don't worry, little buddy," Natsu consoled him with a brief pat on the head as the laughter died down, "You're still a pretty close runner-up."

Planning to speak up next, Goten ended up yawning before that instead; and he only spoke properly after reflexively starting to stretch in his seat.

"Mnmm… Man… after all that, I think I'm ready for a shower and a nap… Is the spare bed still set up, Mom?"

"Dunno," Chi Chi answered honestly, "I haven't gone into your room since you went off to train with Trunks and Natsu."

"It should be fine then." Her youngest son quickly recalled before telling the whole table goodnight and heading for his room to grab a clean set of clothes to sleep in.

"Aw, you're not following him to bed, Wendy?" Videl was quick to tease the air mage next, and she smirked as soon as her victim's face went bright red, "And here I was hoping I'd get another glimpse into this cute little thing you two've got going on…"

"Now, now, Videl." Chi Chi told her flatly, "If you tease her too much, you might just scare her off."

"Scare her? Nah, She's way tougher than that." Videl argued playfully, "And besides, you can't really blame me. I've always wanted an adorable little sister, and Wendy just fits the bill so well…"

"Sister?" Happy repeated the word with as much curiosity as he could currently muster, "Does that mean Wendy and Goten are getting married?"

"Of course they aren't, dum-dum," Lucy spared a steaming-red Wendy from answering his tactless question, "Videl's just being funny, and you're her unwitting accomplice."

"In all seriousness though, take this, Wendy." Videl added next as she withdrew and handed a Hoi Poi Capsule to the bluenette, "I had to eyeball it, but I think I managed to find a few of my clothes that should fit you; and I tossed in some soap and shampoo for you to use as well. No offense Chi Chi, but I doubt Wendy'd wanna smell like someone's grandma, amiright?"

Not wanting to be rude to Chi Chi, Wendy ended up awkwardly nodding an agreement before properly thanking Videl; and as soon as their exchange was finished, Natsu soon began to stretch and yawn as well.

"Ah, yeah, I think it's time I hit the hay, too. But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna hafta to be rolled outta here before that…"

"Better get to pushing, Lucy." Happy immediately volunteered her

"Me? No way, mister." The blonde was quick to deny the request, "And don't ask me to carry you either. I'm not the one that got carried away and over-ate; that was all you."

"Aw, you're too cruel, Lushi…" The feline whined with a sad and cutesy voice, prompting a few around him to chuckle or giggle before Natsu spoke up again.

"That's alright though, little buddy, we don't need her help anyway."

Slowly managing to carefully climb out of his chair and stand up, the fat-gut fire mage wobbled a bit before fully securing his center of balance. Once that was accomplished, he carefully activated his mage, creating a thin layer of intense heat as he literally burned off the calories; and almost within seconds, the Salamander was back to his regular self like it was nothing.

"See?" He said to Happy as he quickly cooled down, "Easy."

"Yeah, for you maybe." the tomcat casually argued, "But I'm so stuffed I can't even get my wings out."

"Heh," Natsu chuckled, "Don't worry, little buddy, I got you."

Carefully scooping an arm under the Exceed, the fire wizard was slightly surprised by his friend's weight as he picked him up.

"Man, you really did eat a ton." He observed as he set Happy onto his left shoulder, "You sure you're not gonna pop or somethin'?"

"I'll be okay," the feline nodded weakly as he leant against his friend's neck for support, "Just… move me gently."

"Sure thing, little buddy." Natsu assured him humorously while the others mostly contained their own amusement; and as soon as Happy was secure on his shoulder, he turned to Lucy next, "And what about you, Luce? You coming with?"

"Hm, I guess," She replied with a faux annoyed tone as she stood up to join them, "But I still think you should make him walk."

"Hmph," Happy grunted with as much defiance as he could muster, "Lushi just wants Natsu to carry her instead."

"Hey," Natsu replied thoughtlessly, "Who says I can't carry both of ya?"

"Now hang on," A blushing Lucy quickly halted him as he had actually begun to reach for her, stopping him within only just inches from reaching her, "I can walk perfectly fine on my own, thank you."

Telling Lucy to suit herself and giving up on the matter, Natsu shrugged dismissively and turned to the rest of the room and to say thanks for the food, which his two companions quickly said as well; and within a couple seconds later, Team Natsu was out the door.

"What a lively bunch, those three." Chi Chi remarked amusedly while Videl and Gohan smirked along with her.

"They've always been like that." Wendy informed her, "Especially Natsu. The guild hall's been much quieter without him around."

"And Natsu's been a bit quieter without those two around, as well." Gohan revealed to the air mage next.

"I heard." She replied with a brief explanation, "Goten had been kinda worried about it, apparently."

"I was too." The demi-Saiyan admitted honestly, "He put up a pretty convincing act, but you could tell he was getting homesick."

"But now it's all better." Videl drove their train of thought home, "Natsu's got his teammates back, and soon enough, they'll be heading back to Fairy Tail as well."

Wendy eagerly agreed with her before another brief silence gave Goku his chance to finally speak.

"Alright, I think that's enough sitting around for me." He announced casually as he began to stand up, "Dinner was so good, even I kinda pigged out tonight."

"Off to work off your meal before going to bed?" Videl guessed easily, to which her father-in-law nodded.

"Yeah, kinda." He said honestly, "But I was gonna check on Uub first, actually. I kinda wanna see what he's been up to without me around. Oh, and don't worry, Chi, it'll be just a quick sparring session or something; it won't even take an hour."

"Well, I wasn't worried, Goku," She replied with a quiet humor as she wrapped up the cleaning, "But I suppose that's good to know."

Chuckling at his wife's faux dismissiveness, the Saiyan soon turned to his son before speaking again.

"And what about you, Gohan? Feel like tagging along? Uub could definitely learn a thing or two from watching us spar."

"Sorry, Goku," Videl quickly cut in, grabbing her husband's hand affectionately as she did, "But your son's already gonna be plenty busy tonight."

"That's not surprising." Chi Chi remarked after Goku sighed sadly, "It's been a while since you two've had the house to yourselves, hasn't it?"

"That's exactly it, Chi Chi." Videl answered with enthusiastic honesty, "And trust me, I plan on enjoying every second of it."

Turning to Wendy and giving her a mischievous wink, Videl smirked as the Sky Maiden finally realized the whole conversation had been an innuendo, causing her to blush intensely once again; but fortunately for her, Goku was soon bringing the conversation to a close as he prepared to leave. Saying goodnight to everyone but his wife, he quickly promised her he would be back soon before using instant transmission the next second, leaving Gohan a chance to lead the conversation now too.

"Well, with everyone else heading out, I think we should probably do the same. You ready, Videl?"

"More than ready." She affirmed eagerly with a light squeeze of his hand; and after exchanging a brief smile, the couple took their turn to say goodnight before taking their exit as well.

Meanwhile…

Just as Goku started talking about leaving to see his pupil, Natsu and co. were starting to settle in at the Salamander's temporary home.

"Alright, now that the little guy's taken care of," the fire mage said as he hopped down from the loft to rejoin Lucy, planning to work out her sleeping arrangements next until she interrupted, "Let's-"

"Hang on, Natsu, are you really sure you'll be alright, sleeping up there on that wooden floor?"

"We'll be fine, Luce. And besides, I managed to find a tatami rolled up and tucked away in a corner up there; so it's all good. Right now, Happy's already curled up all comfy and half asleep."

"Really? That's good then." The blonde replied honestly, "But I still feel kinda bad, showing up unannounced and practically kicking you out of your bed like this…"

"Hehe," the pinkette chuckled in response, "You've kicked me outta bed plenty of times before, you know."

"Yeah, but that's usually out of my bed, or to wake you up for a job!" She argued while her face turned slightly pink, "And again, why do you gotta make everything sound so intimate?!"

"Did I?" He asked with genuine curiosity, "Wasn't trying to."

"Honestly, you are so-" Lucy began to make some sort of remark about him until a thought suddenly came to him, prompting him to interrupt her with it.

"Oh, I know! Hey, Luce, you're not really tired yet, are you?"

"I am a little tired," She admitted before wondering what was up, "But why? What are you up to now?"

"It's nothing bad, if you're worrying," He quickly explained, "I noticed the sun hadn't set yet, and I just thought there's something you might like to see."

"Okay, well," She replied with vague confusion, "Where is this something? And what does the sun have to do with anything?"

"It's very close by, you'll see." Natsu told her cryptically before moving around the hammock hanging between in order to approach her, "I think you'll actually like this a lot. But we're gonna have to hurry, or else we'll miss it."

Stepping back outside the next minute, the two walked briskly with Natsu leading Lucy by the wrist beyond the rear of the house and into a clear uphill trail that ran through the bamboo thickets; and though the celestial mage questioned him the entire way, their pace never slowed until they finally reached their destination a few minutes later, where Natsu soon released his hold on her so she could walk just ahead of him.

Turning right around a corner of the trail, the path ahead widened out into a clearing that Lucy instantly found to be undeniably picturesque. On the left, a few fruit-bearing trees sat atop gentle slopes of soft, fresh green grass that was dotted with the occasion flower; and on the right, a clear space in the bamboo trees gave a wonderful view of the setting red-orange sun clipping halfway over the horizon. But what really took Lucy's breath away was the large waterfall in the middle of the background.

From over the top of a cliff at least five stories up, water rained down into a small lake, flowed over into a small stream that lead through the western side of the clearing, and then eventually dipped out of sight just beyond the clearing that displayed the horizon so perfectly. The low roar of the water crashing down, the rustling of the leaves in the breeze, and the occasional call or chirp from the local wildlife all combined to create this serene and almost meditative atmosphere, which was something Lucy had not experienced in quite some time.

"Wow…" Was all she could say, "What a view…"

"See?" Natsu asked rhetorically, "I told ya you'd like it. But wait, it gets better. Come here."

Waving her closer to him, the fire mage quickly led her towards what looked to be an apple tree resting in the far left corner of the clearing; and as soon as they were standing under it, Lucy was once again surprised with another spectacular view. With the new angle, the waterfall was now situated so that the water pouring down obscured a small part of the sun, which now looked as if it was setting into the small river beyond; and the rays of light that shone through the spray and mist of the waterfall created a large shimmering rainbow that made Lucy gasp in awe.

"Oh… Natsu, this is…"

"Pretty neat, right?" He said with a grin before sitting down cross-legged beside the base of the tree.

"Ye-yeah, I'd say…" She stuttered as she quickly brought her attention back to him, soon sitting down beside him as she slightly changed the subject, "But… I gotta admit I'm surprised; I didn't think you had an eye for this sorta stuff."

"Hm? Whaddaya mean?" He asked innocently, "What kinda stuff?"

"W-well, you know…" She looked away as she found herself hesitating to spell it out for him, "Romantic… stuff…"

"What's so romantic about this?" He wondered aloud, "It's just a sunset, you know."

"I know, but still… I kinda… feel…" She began an attempt to explain her thoughts before quickly abandoning it, "Oh, never mind. It's gonna sound weird when say it aloud…"

"Weird? Why?" He questioned her curiously, "What were you thinking?"

"It's nothing." She tried to dismiss the topic, "I'm probably just overthinking things anyway. Just ignore me, alright?"

"O-okay… If that's what you want…" He replied hesitantly before looking back to the horizon and going quiet, an action that Lucy quickly followed as she internally scolded herself for possibly making things awkward; but after only a few seconds of silence, Natsu eventually spoke again, hoping to change the subject by talking about the first thing that came to mind.

"You know, now that I think about it, it's kinda hard to believe that Fairy Tail's really an entire universe away. But I guess that's just 'cause Iga's magic makes getting around so easy, ain't it?"

"No kidding," She readily agreed, "It's a bit scary, to be honest. And especially when you know that people like Edo have that kind of power too."

"…Yeah… it sure is…"

Noticing the clear apprehension in his response, Lucy's gaze softened as she began to watch him with some concern. It was very slight, but his whole body seemed to tense up the moment Edo was mentioned; and they way he spoke next only compounded that feeling of concern, as she rarely has ever seen Natsu this stressed or depressed.

"I must be a pretty terrible teammate." He scolded himself as he stared off into the horizon once again, "Always running off, breaking things, and causing trouble for the whole guild wherever I go… I really don't deserve partners like you and Happy."

"Please don't say that, Natsu. You have your flaws, sure; but so does everyone else. That's why guild wizards usually work in teams, remember?"

"I do, but still… Lately, I can't help wondering that maybe I'm more like Gildarts than I wanna be."

"And by that you mean…?"

"That I'm too dangerous to be around the guild. And that… maybe… when I do go back… I should start taking jobs on my own."

"W-wait, what?" She replied disbelievingly, with her face changing from one of concern to one of complete shock, "Natsu, you don't really mean that, do you?"

"Well, I mean… It's not like I wanna mean it," He found himself hesitating, "But I can't avoid the fact that everyone back home would be a lot safer if I wasn't around."

"Natsu, where is this coming from?" She demanded softly, "Does this have something to do with Zeref?"

"It does, actually…" He looked back at her with some surprise, "But how did you know that?"

"Lisanna said that you're the only one that can defeat Zeref, and that a part of Zeref even wants you to kill him for some reason." She briefly explained, "By kidnapping you, Edo forced Zeref to put his plans on hold."

"So then you understand, right? As long as I stay here, we're safe; but…" He confirmed gravely, "The moment I go back home, all of our friends will be in danger again. Honestly, I doubt I'll even get the chance to take another job, now that I think about it. I mean, there's quite a few people that already want me dead, whether they know it yet or not…"

"Natsu, what aren't you telling me?" She demanded once more, "It's not like you to sound so… afraid…"

"When Igneel died, I knew I was gonna have to grow up and start trying to be a bit more responsible." He said next, seemingly ignoring her question, "This is just me trying to follow through on that."

"By pushing me and Happy away? How is that gonna help?" She questioned him rhetorically as tears began to well up, "Happy'd never willingly leave your side, and you know it! And me, I… I'm nothing without you either! You… you mean everything to me, Natsu…"

Feeling his chest tighten at the sight of Lucy curling up and starting to cry, the fire mage was unable to respond before she could question him again.

"So please, can't you just tell me why?"

"Lucy, I…" He found himself stumbling over his words yet again, "Knowing the truth about me isn't gonna make you feel any better."

"And what makes you think you can just decide that?!" She snapped her gaze back to him, letting him see her reddened, puffy eyes in the process, "I came all this way to be with you, and to find out what had happened to you! I deserve answers, and I don't care how they'll make me feel! So just tell me, Natsu. What the hell is going on with you?!"

"Lucy, you really don't-"

"No, Natsu, I do. Tell me. Please…"

Not seeing any way to avoid this conversation without hurting her feelings even more, the Salamander knew that being honest was likely the best move; but he was still reluctant to come clean, nevertheless.

"Well, since I know you're not gonna give up, I'll tell you. Once we go back, and after Edo's outta the way, we'll have to face Zeref and Acnologia again. Wendy, Gajeel, and the other dragon slayers'll be able to handle Acnologia, I'm sure; but if we beat Zeref before that fight, they're gonna be winning that fight without me."

"Without you?" Lucy repeated, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that once Zeref is gone, I will be too."

Feeling absolutely dumbstruck, it took a solid minute for Lucy to process that statement.

"Wait… what does that mean? You're going to… die?"

Feeling the urge to escape her gaze, Natsu stood up and walked a few feet ahead of her before he began to explain it all.

"Because technically, I already have. And apparently, the only thing keeping me alive is this curse power that Zeref's got inside me. I know this because Edo showed me the memories… Hundreds of years ago, me and my real parents were killed by a dragon; and only my big brother was the one to survive. His name is Zeref Dragneel, and the whole reason he's cursed is because he tried to find out how to bring me back to life. In a way, I'm the reason that so many people have suffered and died, for so many generations…

"According to Edo, my real name is Etherious Natsu Dragneel, the ultimate demon from the Book of Zeref; and I am the only one that my brother considers a success. Edo captured me, stole my secret weapon by using the curse powers I have to control me, and then he tortured me mentally for nearly a year and a half, constantly reminding me of what I'm supposed to do, and what'll happen to me when it's done. And then there's the whole deal with Gray promising his dad he'd kill me, too…"

Reading his body language with immense scrutiny, the celestial wizard was starting to wonder if her partner was currently crying or not.

"I know I'm supposed to be brave and strong for everyone, like I've always tried to be but… just this once, I don't wanna be the hero, Lucy, and I don't wanna be E.N.D. either; I just wanna be me!"

"Natsu…"

"It's selfish, I know. It's not right to be off living all nice and comfy here while almost everyone back home is suffering because of my brother. Maybe this wouldn't have been as tough a' choice for me a year or two ago… but after all the time I've spent here, I've actually learned a lot about some things I never really thought about before; and now there's a lot of things I wanna do because of that… things I might not get the chance to do if we go back…"

"What do you mean, Natsu? Are you talking about some sort of bucket list or something?"

"Kinda, I guess." He answered cryptically before using his right arm to clean his face before turning back around and explaining, "There are definitely a few things I wanna do before I die… again… but then again, that's just me being selfish… Thanks to Iga's wife, Edo can't track me right now, and the right thing to do would be to go back home with everyone tomorrow; but-"

"N-No! It's fine! We can stay here!"

Blinking in surprise, it took Lucy a second to realize she had reflexively jumped to her feet and nearly shouted those words right at him; and judging by the similarly stunned expression on his face, Natsu was just as surprised by her outburst as well.

"W-what?"

"Y-you heard me," She slowly recovered from her surprise as she nodded and reaffirmed her exclamation, "I said that we should stay here, together."

"And by 'together', you mean…?"

"I… I dunno, I just meant you, me, and Happy, I guess… I didn't mean anything weird by it…"

"Weird?"

"You know, like… the kinda things Happy would tease me for..."

"Oh, you mean like lovey-dovey stuff…"

"Y-yeah, that…"

"But… what if that's what I wanted?"

"Huh?" Finding herself dumbstruck once more, "You want Happy to tease me?"

"No, silly, I was talking about what you said." He clarified as he stepped slightly closer to her, "After all we've been through together, I don't think it'd be weird if you meant it that way at all."

"Y-you don't?" Lucy could not believe what she was hearing, "A-and… do you really know what we're talking about here?"

"I really do, Luce." He smiled warmly as he nodded again, "Being here's really given me a new perspective on some things; and Goten and Trunks especially, they're the ones that helped me realize that I've never properly appreciated you. But the way Goten sees Wendy, and the way Trunks sees Lisanna… It's the same way I see you. The only difference between us and them is that I was way too dumb to ever figure it out on my own."

"Natsu, I… I don't know what to say…"

"But I do." He inched even closer to her and smirked slightly as he noticed a bright pink blush rising from her face, "See, Happy's my partner because me and Lisanna raised him from an egg. He'll always be my little buddy. But you… I might've brought you into Fairy Tail and all, but your feelings toward me go way beyond gratitude and friendship, don't ya think?"

Gulping nervously, Lucy could only stand there frozen as her mind raced with a hundred different thoughts at once. Of all the conversations she had prepared herself to have with him, this was certainly not one of them, with him accurately calling her out like this.

"Every chance that I could, I asked Lisanna to check on you." He confessed bluntly, "I even read a few Sorcerer Weekly issues about you and Happy, too. It kinda hurt my brain doing that, but it was worth getting to hear about all the hard work you two have done without me.

"And on top of that," He surprised her even more by leaning down to whisper into her left ear, "I got to learn a few things about you, too."

"A-a-about me?" She stuttered again, "W-what do you mean? What kinda things?"

"Well, let's see…" He said teasingly as he fought to keeps his hands off of her, "I found out that your favorite colors are pink and blue, and that you like guys that aren't afraid to say what they're thinking…"

By this point, Lucy's heart was pounding against her rib cage, and the sensation was making it a little hard for her to breathe.

"I know this is a little crazy, and a whole lot more selfish, considering I just said I'm probably gonna die and all…" He added thoughtfully as he slightly backed off, "But I know that before that happens, I need to make sure that you know how important you are to me."

"N-Natsu…" She uttered his name again as he worked up the courage to take one of her hands into his, "This is…"

"Romantic, right?" He finished her sentence with a playful gesture towards the horizon, "I might not be any kinda expert with this sorta stuff; but if it would mean making you happy, I'll go out of my way to learn just about anything."

Starting to cry for an entirely new reason now, Lucy wanted to draw him close and hold onto him for dear life; but she was still also very hesitant to do so. In a small corner of her nervous mind, a part of her was still wondering if this was some sort of prank, or possibly a dream; but her brain instantly shut down the moment she felt his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock again for a brief instant before instinct suddenly took over; and as she let Natsu use his free hand to grab her by the waist and pull her against him, a switch seemed to flip inside her. Before she knew it, Lucy was closing her eyes, wrapping her arms around him tightly, and kissing him back with intense passion; and though the moment only lasted for a few seconds, they both felt like an eternity had passed by the time they had stopped to catch their breath.

Staring deep into each other's eyes, the two seemed to have an entire conversation with just that silent exchange. Lucy gave him a curious look, so he nodded and smiled contently before using his right hand to carefully wipe the tears from her eyes; and as soon as he was done, Lucy nimbly grabbed that hand with her left and brought it back against her cheek. The touch of his hands had always been warm and comforting to her, but now that sensation had been amplified a hundredfold; and that simple motion now had her practically melting with heat and struggling to stand.

"Lucy, you should know," He breathed her name with an unintended seductiveness, "You mean everything to me, too; and I don't want you to ever forget that."

"I won't, Natsu, not ever." She swore with a similarly heavy tone, "And while we're here, I'll promise you this, too: We will find a way to save you, and I don't care what it'll cost me. When it's all said and done, we'll be going on adventures with Gray, Erza, and everyone else, just like old times; I'm sure of it. But, until then… I think that… maybe… we should stay here and… try to enjoy… this… while we can."

Meanwhile, on Earthland…

"Oh come on, Carla," Romeo Conbolt whined as he slightly rocked in his seat across from his currently humanoid Exceed companion, "After all the stuff you helped me do today, you really can't just sit there and say we aren't friends."

"I can, and I will." She replied coldly with her arms crossed defensively, "The simple fact that I'm cooperating with you doesn't mean you and I are friendly."

"You do know Wendy isn't here, right?" He quipped rhetorically, "C'mon, if you were ever gonna admit it, now would be the time."

Looking away from him and holding her defiant stance, she bluntly told him it wasn't going to happen; and though Romeo began to continue his argument undaunted, he did he end interrupting himself as soon as a familiar pink-haired young woman suddenly leapt onto the back of their wagon.

"Aha! I knew I recognized those voices!" Sherria Blendy exclaimed with excitement until she noticed there was one less person than she expected, "Only Carla and Romeo argue like that! But waitaminute… Where's Wendy?"

"Never mind Wendy," Carla questioned her instead, "What are you doing out on the road so late, Sherria?"

"I could ask you two the same thing, Carla." The pinkette retorted with a playful pointedness, planning to climb in and start asking them more questions when she was soon also interrupted.

"Now wait just a minute, Sherria," the three heard Lyon Vastia scolding her as he caught up and continued to power-walk behind her, "You can't be running off and doing whatever you please!"

"Yeah, yeah, tell me that when I actually get into trouble." She waved off his words of advice before quickly changing the subject, "Now come over here and say hi, Lyon! I was right when I said I recognized their voices."

"Two-thirds correct, at least." The ice wizard conceded as he soon followed her in climbing into the back of Romeo and Carla's ride, "Hello Carla, and Romeo; it feels like it's been ages since we last met."

"It's only been a month or so…" The fire mage mumbled awkwardly, but Carla was quick to lean towards him and bluntly explain the greeting as if the other two weren't there.

"He's playing nice and exaggerating because he intends to inquire about Juvia at some point."

"And you're still colder than my own magic, my dear friend…" Lyon quipped dejectedly before quickly changing his mood and the subject of the conversation along with it, "But I can't help but notice how you've attempted to evade Sherria's question; and I must admit I am curious myself… I was under the impression that you and Wendy were practically inseparable."

"Or you, lover-boy," Sherria added playfully while looking at Romeo, "You and Wendy were practically all over each other the last time we met."

"Now you're the one exaggerating!" He whined with honest embarrassment.

"And you're the one not answering our questions." She quipped with the same playful tone, "So, anyway, what's up with there only being the two of you?"

"W-well… Wendy took off to go and catch up with some old friends of ours." Romeo explained tentatively, feeling not entirely sure what he should tell them.

"She 'took off'?" Sherria repeated curiously, "To where? What friends?"

"She left to find Son Goten." Carla promptly revealed, knowing that being honest here was simply a matter of saving all four of them some time.

"Huh? You mean her ex?" the pinkette recalled in confusion, "But I thought he was dead!"

"So did we." Romeo sighed with a sad shrug; and after a quick scan of his face, realization soon dawned on the god slayer.

"But waitaminute… If you're over here," She said while pointing to Romeo, "And Wendy's over there, visiting him, then that would mean…"

"Exactly what you think it means." Romeo interrupted, knowing full-well what she was about to say but not really wanting to hear anyone else say it aloud anyway, "It's not official yet, but… Wendy and I broke up."

"Yeah, not to sound cold-hearted or anything," Sherria remarked honestly after giving him only one respectful second of silence, "But that's not too surprising, considering the situation. I'm guessing you let her make the choice, didn't ya?"

"Well, yeah, I wasn't really was my choice to make." He confirmed with a slightly surprised tone, "But… how did you know that?"

"I am similarly confused." Lyon added before his partner seemingly ignored him and continued to converse with Romeo.

"Well, I thought it was pretty obvious how I know, don't ya think?" She told the fire mage with her usual playfulness, "I mean, I've gotta assume you handled it like the perfect gentleman; otherwise, Carla woulda clawed your eyes out."

"…Actually, that's a really good point…" Romeo remarked after a moment of quiet reflection.

"With this one, I'm always considering it, to be honest." Carla admitted to Sherria flatly, causing Romeo to look aside and scratch his head nervously while Lyon once again attempted to jump into the conversation.

"Sorry to interject again, but I'm still rather lost in this whole conversation…"

"Shush, Lyon, I'll explain it all later, I promise." She quickly silenced him before returning to her discussion with the Fairy Tail wizards, "So, we know what's up with you and why Wendy ain't here; but now we gotta get to why you and Carla are on the road to Crocus as late as it is?

"If I didn't know any better," She added with a playfully suspicious look between the two of them, "I'd have guessed you two were flirting, given the way you were just arguing with each other."

"Flirting?" Carla repeated the word with clear disgust, "Don't be absurd."

"Yeah, and I'm not really into cat-people." Romeo chipped in, "No offense, though, Carla. I'm sure Happy and Lily find you attractive, at least..."

"Romeo," She grumbled his name irately, "If you say another word on the matter, this cat will get your tongue."

"Ha-hm, you two are as entertaining as ever." Sherria cut in with a giggle to spare Romeo from another dose of menacing glares, "But let's try not to stray too off topic, yeah? You still haven't said why you're currently nine-tenths of the way to Crocus."

"We're working on… something… for Wendy." The fire mage answered cryptically before explaining, "I planned on taking care of it myself, 'cause it was kind of meant to be a surprise for Carla too, but she ended up getting stuck here with me when Wendy left; so I talked her into helping me instead."

"Okay… so, what is this 'thing' you're working on?" the intrigued god slayer wondered aloud, "And why does it require a trip to the Flower Capitol, right now? You guys must've been on the road all day…"

"Because it's supposed to be a surprise, like he said." Carla pointed out helpfully, "We don't know how long Wendy will be staying over there with Goten, so we need to take care of this errand as quickly as we can."

"I'm still wondering how that leads you to Crocus…"

"Well… you see," Romeo began his best attempt to explain while maintaining some semblance of secrecy, "This surprise we're working on, it's kind of a really big surprise; and we're gonna need help from someone rich and powerful if we wanna make it happen."

"Technically we're committing a crime, too, you know." Carla reminded her human companion pointedly, "A guild wizard asking a client, current or former, for personal payment or favors beyond that of the original conditions of jobs accepted is highly illegal. That being said, even I'm curious as to the legality of our situation…"

"And that would be because…?"

"Because if we are committing a crime, we'd be the most transparent criminals in history." Romeo revealed next, "The former clients we plan on asking for help… they're King Toma and Princess Hisui."

"Huh." Sherria replied with some surprise, "You weren't kidding when you said this is a 'big surprise'. Consider me interested."

"Not to spoil the mood here," Lyon couldn't keep quiet any longer, "But I'm afraid you've picked a rather unfortunate time to be appealing to the monarchy."

"What do you mean?" Romeo asked in response, "What's happened?"

"Zeref's army happened." Sherria answered flatly, "A few of the Spriggan Twelve took over the Domus Flau, and they really did some renovating on the place…"

"Apparently they were accompanied by some bizarre form of shadow creatures," Lyon chipped in informatively, "There was supposedly a small army of them, but they were invisible to both Sherria and myself."

"I could hear them, though," the god slayer recalled with visible disgust, "The creepy little monsters…"

"Don't worry, I couldn't see them either." The fire wizard admitted while giving Sherria a sympathetic smile before explaining, "We fought those things at Akane Beach; but that's gotta be really bad news, right? Those monsters belong to Edo, so them being with Zeref's army…"

"It could only mean that Edo has now allied himself with The Black Wizard Zeref." Carla concluded for him, "But you've only mentioned them capturing the coliseum so far, have they not advanced towards anywhere else in the city?"

"Oddly enough, they haven't." Lyon answered next, "In all regards, they had the advantage against us, yet they immediately sued for peace the moment they secured control of the stadium."

"I dunno what that Zancrow guy is thinking." Sherria remarked with grim amusement, "A survivor claimed they saw and heard him giving the others orders; and I'm not just talking about the monsters, to be clear."

"They're all monsters in my book." Her guildmate added bitterly, "They killed nearly twenty innocent people, and for what?"

"The amusement of a dark god, most likely…" A genuinely nervous Carla answered his question knowing full-well it was rhetorical, "Ever since that evil man has appeared, I have not been able to see anything with my powers of premonition. Even things I could predict with logic alone have been impossible for me to sense. Honestly, it feels… It feels like Edo somehow broke time itself… and that nothing is going the way it was supposed to…"

The other guild wizards were all giving her similarly worried expressions by the time her voice trailed off, and she quickly apologized as soon as she realized it.

"I'm sorry, that was-"

"An appropriate amount of concern, given the extraordinary strength of our enemies." Lyon interrupted her with a kind yet curt tone.

"But you guys don't need to worry about all that just yet," Sherria smoothly changed the subject next, "You've got this 'thing' you need to put together, don't ya? Would you mind if I tag along? I haven't done any jobs for the royal family, so it wouldn't be illegal if I asked them for this favor, would it?"

"Now, Sherria…" Lyon butted in, "We don't have time to be doubling back…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sherria waved off his words dismissively, "We don't need both of us there to give the old lady her report.

"And besides," She added while looking over Romeo with clear fascination, "Right about now, this heartbroken, handsome young man here should, by all rights, be off drinking his sorrows away at the Fairy Tail bar. But instead, he's travelling through the night just to give a gift to the very same girl that just dumped him, ignoring even the possibility of being labelled a criminal… He's a true Romeo, through and through…"

Squirming and blushing awkwardly under her zealous gaze, the fire mage was immensely relieved when Lyon argued with her once more.

"You and your love obsession… Do you really want me to walk all the way back to Hargeon on my own?" He questioned her critically.

"What? You're a big and strong tough guy, ain't ya?" She quipped teasingly before taking a more serious stance on the issue, "But regardless of what you do, though, my mind's made up."

"Well, I do know one thing: I'd be pretty dumb to turn down the help right now." Romeo chimed in next, "Don't you think, Carla?"

"Indeed," The Exceed readily agreed with a soft smile, "And along the way, you can tell us more about what happened in Crocus."

Seeing that all three seemed dead-set on travelling together, Lyon could only sigh and roll his eyes.

"Oh, fine, have it your way, Sherria... The old lady'd make me spin anyway, if I told her we refused to help Wendy and Carla. Just make sure you head straight back to the guild once you've done you're part for them, alright?"

Eagerly promising her partner exactly that, Sherria joined her two new travelling companions in bidding Lyon farewell; and after a brief goodbye of his own, the ice mage had hopped out the wagon, preparing himself for the long and hopefully boring trek ahead.

"Tch," He whined to himself quietly, "I should've asked about Juvia first…"

Meanwhile, about twenty minutes ago, at Goku's House…

"Hey, Ten-kun, are you still awake?" Wendy asked him quietly as she walked back into his bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"Mn? Oh. Yeah," The half asleep demi-Saiyan was suddenly wide awake by the time he finished answering, "I'm up."

Sitting up and looking at her as he answered, Goten was immediately surprised to find himself struggling to maintain eye contact with her; and he ultimately couldn't keep himself from making one quick cursory glance.

Wearing only a set of small purple socks and a pair of black drawstring shorts, she was currently showing him more of her legs than he had ever seen; and the way Videl's dark green t-shirt hugged the top half of her torso only helped to accentuate the fact that they were both children no longer. And to top it all off, she was still drying her hair with a towel as she came in; so he was also seeing her with her hair down for the first time in years.

"You have fun talking with everyone?" He asked as casually as possible; and he was glad that she didn't seem to notice his inner turmoil as she answered him.

"I did." She said with a genuine smile as she moved to sit onto the bed between Goten's and the door, "That lunch at Bulma-san's was nice, and it kinda reminded me of being back at the guild; but sitting around a dinner table and eating with your family like that… I haven't experienced anything like that in an awfully long time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." He told her as she finished drying her hair before deftly tossing the towel into the hamper by the door, "Mom'll never admit it, but I could tell she wanted to impress you."

"Well she certainly accomplished that." She informed him with honest amusement, "I think I would I really love to see her and Mira in some kinda cooking contest."

"That would be an amazing idea," He agreed readily, "And especially if we got to be judges…"

Smiling and giggling in agreement, Wendy soon turned to properly climb into her bed and tuck herself in, continuing to talk to Goten all the while.

"I gotta say though, I think the real highlight of today was seeing Team Natsu together again."

"Hehe, yeah… It's a strong candidate, for sure." He chuckled agreeably before admitting honestly, "But in my book, nothing's gonna top the moment I realized it was you that saved me. The sight of you standing over me in the snow… that stunned me way more than any punch ever has; and I'm including that one I just took from Broly."

Fighting off the urge to reach for him, Wendy only replied by tightening her hold on the sheets, blushing, and looking away.

"Yeah… It really was a good day, wasn't it?" He spared her from forming a response to his flirting, "But we're gonna have an even better one tomorrow, I'm sure. There's a lotta people to meet, and a lotta places to see, though; so we should probably try and get to sleep now, if we wanna be ready to head back home with Trunks and Lisanna."

"Home?" She repeated the word with playful curiosity, "But aren't we already at your home, silly?"

"Kinda," He conceded before casually adding, "But my real home is wherever you are, silly. If you think Fairy Tail is your home, then that'll be my home as well."

"Ten-kun…" She mumbled his name bashfully, "I… I love you."

"And I love you even more." He smiled with a satisfied sigh, "Now here, lemme get the light."

Briefly using a tiny amount of yellow-colored ki, Goten deftly flicked the light switch by the door with one finger; and before Wendy could comment on him being a show-off, he wished her goodnight as he turned over and pulled the sheets over his shoulder.

"Goodnight, Ten-kun." Wendy said in response, but she ended up hesitating to imitate his actions. Having watched him as he turned away and tucked himself in, her eyes ended up lingering over him despite the fact that she couldn't see very much of him to begin with. She didn't know what triggered it exactly, but there was this oddly unsatisfied feeling now creeping in from the back of her mind. Quietly shaking her head and trying to remove the thought from her mind, Wendy finally turned over and tried to get comfortable like Goten seemingly had.

A few seconds passed before Wendy heard him sigh, and though she assumed the act meant he was finally comfortable, she was surprised to notice that the fact seemingly frustrated her. Silently scolding herself once again, the Sky Maiden shut her eyes and tried to force herself to sleep. Taking deep, calming breathes while reattempting to quiet her mind, she only ended up finding more struggles with her senses, which only became more active the less her mind did; and the more active her senses were, the more aware she was of her boyfriend's scent and sounds. The result was a brutal cycle between her active and passive mind taking their turns to deny her of her one objective: to temporarily ignore Goten and go straight to sleep.

About ten minutes of this silence went by before Wendy eventually sighed in quiet frustration.

"Ngh, it's no good…"

Slowly sitting up and looking to her boyfriend's back, she eventually succumbed to the urge to whisper a question in his direction.

"Hey, Ten-kun?"

"Yeah?" He replied promptly, slightly surprising her with how coherent he sounded.

"Oh! Um… can you not fall asleep either?"

"Seems like it." He affirmed before rolling over to face her and explain his dilemma, "I don't wanna sound creepy, but your scent, it's-"

"I know," She interrupted him in agreement, though she was blushing as she did, "It's the same here, with yours…"

"So then," He wondered aloud as he joined her in sitting up, "What do we do about it?"

"Well, maybe… if we acclimated ourselves to them, then… maybe it'd be easier for us to relax…"

Clearly reading the bashful expression his girlfriend was wearing, but also not feeling entirely sure he knew what the word 'acclimated' meant, it took Goten a few seconds before he could connect the dots.

"Oh… you mean we just gotta stay close to each other, don't you? That's no big deal."

"Maybe," She conceded before worrying aloud, "But what if we get too relaxed and end up sleeping together? Won't your mother be mad if she comes in here and finds us like that?"

"Eh, I don't think that'd make her mad," He shrugged honestly before recalling, "She just said not to do anything irresponsible. So, as long as we don't go too far, we'll be fine."

"Really?" She asked, sounding seemingly unconvinced, "If that's true, then why did we bother trying to sleep in separate beds in the first place?"

"I dunno; to say that we tried, I guess." He shrugged once more.

"Or maybe 'cause we forgot to take our super-human senses into account…" She speculated next.

"That's probably it," He nodded in agreement before adding, "But either way, we still gotta deal with this if wanna actually get some sleep."

"Yeah… I suppose you're right…" She agreed hesitantly, "S-So, should I come to you, or…"

"That'd probably work best for you, right?" He interrupted in an attempt to be helpful, "My bed smells like me too, so you'd probably get used to it quicker over here."

"I-I guess…" She said tentatively as she slowly started to get out of her bed, "But I'm kinda worried still…"

"I'm not gonna do anything you don't want me to," He reminded her matter-of-factly as he pulled the sheets back to offer her entry, "You know that, don't you?"

Not really thinking about it, Goten was unable to realize or notice that Wendy was currently taking her chance to sneak a few glances his way. Wearing a white t-shirt that was intentionally a size too big, the goofy manner his shirt hung off him did nothing to distract Wendy from the more than pleasant sight of the well-defined muscles that were visible; but when she happened to glance further down his body, she realized his pale blue boxers didn't do much to conceal the contour lines of his thigh and rear muscles. And then there was that bulge in the middle of the fabric, just under where a little white button was fastened… There was no denying it, her Ten-kun was definitely not a child anymore…

Suddenly realizing what she was currently focused on, the already pink-faced Sky Maiden was now steaming red; and before her boyfriend could even finish his two sentences, she knew she was going to need to stop and clear her head.

"Of course I do, Ten-kun." She reassured him before sighing with a strained tone, "But… it's not your behavior I'm worried about…"

"Oh." The demi-Saiyan replied with some surprise before quickly recovering his bearing, "Well, if that's the case, then you got nothing to worry about. If you can't control yourself, then I'll just have to use enough self-control for the both of us."

Laying back down and patting the empty space beside him as soon as his point was made, he once again invited her to join him, speaking with a playfully innocent tone as he did.

"So c'mon, Wendy, what're you waiting for? We gotta be up before sunrise, remember?"

"I know, I know." She assured him, "Just… gimme a second."

Watching her close her eyes and take a deep, calming breath, Goten smirked slightly until he realized his eyes had wandered down towards her chest and legs once again; and he was quietly relieved she was unable to see him use both hands to stealthily smack some sense back into himself. By the time Wendy reopened her eyes, her boyfriend had already returned to the patiently amused expression he was wearing before; but he was still secretly scolding himself for such an early slip-up, even as she had begun to speak again.

"Okay…" She announced cautiously, "I think I'm ready…"

Finally standing up and slowly crossing the gap between beds, she hadn't even taken two steps before she was having to re-explain her current actions to herself, though she didn't realize that, at some point, she had started to do so aloud.

"A-and yeah… it's like Ten-kun said, this isn't that big of a deal, anyway… We're all grown-up now, and dating… it's only natural we'd end up… sleeping… together… But still, if Carla were here, she'd-"

"If Carla was here, I'd be sleeping on Grampa Ox-King's chair in the living room." He interrupted her with a gentle and amused tone, causing her to jump slightly in surprised embarrassment, "Which now that I mention it, it would probably be easier on us both if I just did that instead…"

Starting to get up as he began setting his mind to that task exactly, he was almost instantly halted by his girlfriend, who almost reflexively put her hands on his shoulders to keep him from exiting his bed.

"N-no, w-wait! You don't have to do that, Ten-kun; I'd feel awful driving you out of your room like this! It's just… I… I've never…"

"I know you haven't, Wendy; and you know it's the same for me." He spared her from having to finish that sentence, "Now c'mere, you."

As he spoke, he reached nimbly reached for her with both arms, causing her to almost yelp in surprise as he wrapped his arms around her waist, turned her around, and pulled her right into his bed all in one motion. By the time she had fully realized what happened, the two were spooning beneath the sheets; and her boyfriend, who briefly wore a mischievous smirk at hearing her surprise, could only chuckle as he slightly wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and nuzzled his chin atop her shoulder.

"Hehe… you see? This isn't so bad, is it?"

"N-no, it's not…" She agreed, though she was still regaining her bearings as she did, "But honestly, how can you be so calm about this? Your heart's not racing nearly as much as mine is…"

"Because, to me," He whispered back, "This is where I belong. Being right here, beside you… It's all I've ever wanted."

Hearing that answer shouldn't have surprised her; but nevertheless, she was, and with that surprise came a brief pause in all her other thoughts, which finally gave her another chance to calm down and breathe.

"Jeez, I've been a real dummy, haven't I?" She soon sighed, suddenly feeling much more relaxed now. His presence was so warm and comforting, and the scent that was previously keeping her awake now seemed to have an almost hypnotic effect that wiped away all other impulses save the one that recommended she stay resting exactly where she was. Combining this with the sensation of their breathing and heartrate finally synchronizing, Wendy couldn't help but enjoy the even warmer feeling of love, care, and contentment that was swelling inside her. Turning over just enough to see his face, the bluenette brought her left hand up to touch it; and as soon as she made contact, she pulled him in for a deep and meaningful kiss.

"Mm…But I promise… I'll get better, Ten-kun." She finished her statement as soon as their lips parted a few seconds later, "You'll see."

"I know I will, Wendy," He admitted while running a finger along her cheek and staring into her eyes, "'Cause I'll be there for all of it. We can learn together."

Not fully able to stop himself, Goten leant back down and kissed her once more; but he was at least able to keep it to a quick peck on the lips before letting her speak again.

"Hm," She sighed pleasantly as he pulled back, "I love you, Ten-kun…"

"And I love you, Wendy Marvell." he replied with a warm smile before gently nudging her and getting her to turn back over as he added, "Now, how 'bout we try and get some sleep, alright?"

Smiling and nodding quietly in agreement, she leaned back, closed her eyes, and snuggled against him just as he returned to holding her with both arms around her lower torso.

"Goodnight, Ten-kun."

"Yeah…" He replied, sounding half-asleep already, "Goodnight, Wendy…"

Meanwhile, in the house next door…

"Ngh, hang on a minute, Videl…"

Gohan grunted as his wife, who was currently straddling him atop the living couch, had started nibbling and sucking on the left side of his neck. With one hand in his hair, and the other wandering wherever it pleased, Videl then used her grip on the back of his head to force his lips against hers, hoping to deprive him of his ability to speak; and the technique partially worked, as her husband was all too happy to return the kiss. But as soon as her lips left his, he was once again trying to halt her passionate assault.

"Sweetheart, please…" He pleaded while gently using both arms to try and maintain some semblance of distance, "I want this too, but we can't start taking off our clothes just yet…"

"Rgh… I know," she whined honestly while absentmindedly massaging the back of his head, "But can't Shenron wait just a little longer? You know how much he likes his sleep…"

"Come on, Videl," He reminded her patiently while reaching back and taking her hand into his, "The sun's set, so it's time to use the Dragon Balls like we planned. Alright?"

Staring into each other's eyes, the married couple seemed to have some sort of staring contest until Videl suddenly looked away.

"Oh, whatever." She pouted with playful frustration as she climbed off him and sat down to his left with her arms crossed defiantly, "You win this round, Son Gohan."

Chuckling amusedly, her husband leaned in and quickly kissed her on the cheek before moving to stand up.

"Thank you, dear." He said gratefully as he moved, eventually grabbing the Hoi Poi Capsule that was resting between two barely-touched cups of tea on the coffee table; after that, he turned back to her and asked, "You wanna come along and wish your husband back to life?"

"Heh," She chuckled next, "Well, when you phrase it so romantically like that, how could I refuse?"

Offering her a hand and helping her stand with it, Gohan walked hand-in-hand with her to the front door until they moved to put their shoes back on and stepped outside. After that, he led his wife a few paces further onto their front lawn before he clicked the Hoi Poi Capsule active and tossed it onto the ground. Once the capsule burst open and the smoke cleared, all seven Dragon Balls were revealed to be sitting in a neat little pile on the grass, repeatedly humming and glowing all the while.

"So," the dead Saiyan asked his wife again, "Do you wanna do the honors?"

"Eh, I suppose." She answered with a shrug before double-checking, "And just to make sure, we've only got the two wishes in mind, right?"

"That's right." He confirmed with a nod, "And you remember the wording on the second one, don't you?"

"Sure do." She affirmed with a nod of her own before taking a few steps closer to the Dragon Balls and preparing to summon Shenron.

A little under three minutes later, the dark clouds blotting out the starry night sky were quick to disperse as soon as Shenron vanished and the Dragon Balls had shot off in their own random directions, leaving the second Son couple a wonderful view of the silver moonlight breaking through the black-green clouds; but to Videl, the spectacle above her front lawn was nowhere near as interesting as what her and husband had started earlier in their living room.

"So whaddaya think?" A new-resurrected Gohan inquired playfully as he took one of her hands into his, "Do you think I look better with or without the halo?"

"Definitely without it." She answered instantly, causing him to smirk in response, "As interesting as it looked, that damn thing was like a night-light we couldn't switch off.

"Now, come along, honey," She quickly added with an impatient tug of his arm, "We don't want our tea to get any colder than it already is, do we?"

"Tea, huh?" Her husband repeated the word knowingly as he began to follow her back inside, "Well, you don't have to worry about it getting cold, Videl, I guarantee…"

Surprising her by suddenly pulling her away from the door and flush against him, he deliberately held off on explaining himself, prompting her to say exactly what he wanted to hear.

"G-Gohan?" She briefly stuttered his name, "What are you-?"

"Getting some payback." He said cryptically before he started to run his mouth over the left side of her neck, giving her the exact she treatment she gave him earlier. Working from the base of her neck and only stopping after giving her earlobe a playful nip, he smirked when she gasped his name again, prompting him to tease her a little bit more before whispering into her ear, "And like I said, you're not the only one that's wanted this…"

"Y-yeah, I know," She weakly protested while putting her hands on the forearms he had locked around her, "But we can't do this out here…"

"Why not?" He inquired seductively, "You already told everyone we'd be doing this…"

"Mnm… Yeah, but…" She groaned pleasantly as he returned to teasing her neck again, "What you're suggesting is… something… Ngh, very different… from talking about it…"

"Maybe, but you brought this on yourself…" He quietly asserted before quickly turning her around and backing her against the door all in one smooth motion, "What with all that talk… You didn't expect me to play cute and innocent the whole day, did you?"

About to say his name again, she was swiftly interrupted as her lover next moved his hands to her rear, pressed his body against hers, and kissed her with some ferocity. Feeling his hands sneak under the hem of her black dress' skirt, Videl was unable to contain the moan she let out into his mouth; and she failed to contain the second moan either, as the stiff crotch of his orange keikogi brushed against the center of the black, skin-tight training shorts she was currently using for underwear. Knowing exactly what drew these delightful sounds out of her, her husband occasionally ground against her as he prolonged their kiss for as long as he could manage; and their lips only finally parted after Gohan was sure his wife had been left completely breathless.

"So," He asked devilishly as his red-faced wife huffed and panted under him, "Did I win this round, too?"

"Gods, yes, you did…" She didn't hesitate to concede defeat, despite the clear lack of air she was struggling with.

"Good." He said with more confidence, "Because now that I'm alive again, I was hoping you'd help me feel it…"

"Hm, so corny… I love it." She chuckled before slowly taking a hand off him and reaching for the doorknob, "We're not even gonna make it to the couch, are we?"

Shaking his head with an eager grin and lustful stare, Gohan was more than happy to let an equally wanton Videl pull him inside their house the next second, once again kissing and groping each other as soon as the door behind them had closed.

Meanwhile, on Earthland…

Inside the large receiving room of the palace Mercurius, Sting Eucliffe gracelessly flopped onto the nearest seat he could find; and he sighed with quite a few tired emotions as soon as he felt some semblance of comfort. Having dismissed most of his allies awhile earlier, the last hour or so consisted mainly of Sting having to play catch-up with the guildmates he brought along. Although Yukino only had a few questions about running the guild in his stead, Lady Minerva had wanted a clearer and detailed explanation of his and Rogue's current training; and naturally, Orga wanted to test their current progress, despite the fact that the Twin Dragons both pointed out they had only just begun training under Iga. Not long after that conversation, Rogue had left to speak with Magic Council officials; and Sting had tried to escort the three others home with the immortal's magic, only for many more of his guildmates to practically rush the portal in an attempt to speak with him. The only relief for him was that Yukino had been beside him, and together they were able to properly entertain, scold, or instruct his subordinates before finally getting the chance to grab Yukino and escape back through the portal they had come from.

Feeling slightly surprised he had brought her back with him, it took the celestial mage a minute to speak after she watched her guild master pick out a gilded, red-cushioned chair and plop down.

"Maste- I mean… Sting?" She wondered aloud, "Shouldn't I be back there, with the guild?"

"Eh? What do ya mean?" He asked curiously, "You're Sabertooth's second in command. Shouldn't you be here when I meet with the king, too?"

"Hm, I suppose that's a good point." She agreed after a moment's thought, "And I was kind of worried about your meeting him unattended anyway. No offense, but you aren't the most eloquent of speakers…"

"Hehe, as expected of my second, you know all my flaws." He chuckled honestly before patting the chair to his left and adding, "Come on and grab a seat, you look as tired as I feel."

"Do I really?" She asked with a hint of embarrassment, "I guess all the craziness of late must've taken more out of me than I expected…"

Accepting his invitation as she spoke, Yukino was already in her seat by the time Sting had replied.

"Yeah," He sighed sympathetically, "A lot's happened between now and last night, huh?"

"Sure has." She agreed quietly, briefly pausing to think of something else to say when he suddenly spoke again.

"You still look good though." He told her before reading her surprised expression and realizing his error, "N-not that I meant it like that, I was just…"

Figuring he was probably about to dig himself further into trouble, Sting let his voice trail off for while they both took a moment to look away from each other and calm down.

"Hah…" He then sighed dejectedly, "And there I go, putting my foot in my damn mouth again…"

"It's fine, Sting, I knew what you meant." She reassured him before meeting his gaze again and smiling, "That's why I'm your second, isn't it? To put words to your thoughts?"

"The heart and brain of the Sabertooth…" He mulled the words over playfully.

"And Lady Minerva's the claws." She added with a giggle, which was soon joined by a chuckle from him; but before they could carry the conversation further, the one of the massive doors at the room's entrance slowly swung open to reveal three familiar faces.

"Sherria?" Yukino spotted the Sky God Slayer first, "You came back?"

"Sure did." She said with a smile and a nod as she led her two companions across the room, "Me and Lyon had just left the city when we ran into these two."

"H-hello, Miss Yukino," Romeo greeted them politely, particularly because he was suddenly feeling a bit shy about being around one of his idols, "A-and, Master Sting…"

"Hey, kid." The White Dragon Slayer returned the greeting without bothering to stand, unlike his guildmate politely had, "And Carla. What brings you two all the way here?"

"Are Wendy and Lyon waiting outside for some reason?" Yukino asked after Sting's rhetorical question.

"Nah," Sherria answered as she stopped before the two, "Someone still had to head home and explain things to our Master, and Lyon absolutely refused to make her wait any longer than she had."

"If he was thinking that, then he shoulda taken me up on my offer to send him there." Sting grumbled, more to himself than her, "Damn stubborn fool…"

"Hehe, well," The god slayer giggled honestly, "He certainly is stubborn, but I think he plans on reaching Magnolia by the morning, probably just to bother Gray and Juvia; and as you know, love makes a fool outta anyone."

Trying and failing not to be visibly disgusted by her trailing remark, Sting looked away and quietly sighed with a roll of his eyes while Yukino had to keep herself from also giggling at his response.

"And which brings us to here." Sherria added since the brief silence gave her the chance, "You see, this gallant and dashing lover-boy here is working on some big, super-secret surprise for his number one teammate; and, since that teammate just so happens to be my greatest B.F.F. in the whole wide world, a love-goddess like myself simply couldn't refuse lending him a hand."

"I'm here too, you know." Carla pointed out irritably, but Sherria simply ignored her while giving Romeo an adoring look that made him blush; and soon Carla also found herself looking away and rolling her eyes in disgust.

"Yeah…" Sting sighed with confused disinterest, "I got no idea what she's goin' on about."

"I think I get the gist of what she's saying," Yukino admitted to him aside, "But I'm fairly sure she's being vague on purpose."

"Listen," the sky wizard added with a playful tone, "All you need to know is what you'll hear when we're speaking with the king. And speaking of that, have you guys really been waiting on him this whole time?"

"Sure have." Sting affirmed with a nod, "Been here so long we had time to entertain our whole guild in the process."

"That new magic of yours is pretty handy, ain't it?" The pinkette questioned him amusedly.

"That's Iga's magic, right? The guy that saved us yesterday?" Romeo chimed in, clearly interested in learning of the dragon slayer's potential power-up.

"Uh-hm," Sherria hummed affirmatively, "But he's not just borrowing the magic like I mentioned, that god Iga is officially Sting and Rogue's new sensei."

"So… you'll be able to use his magic like he does?" Romeo asked next, looking towards the dragon slayer as he did, "Instead of using one of those lacrima's like Lisanna had?"

"That's right." Sting informed him with a vaguely smug expression, "But since you're Natsu's little bro, I'll let you in on a secret: that god's magic is already pretty similar to my own, and eating just a little bit of its light has already given quite the power-boost."

"It has?" The fire mage replied with even more curiosity, "So did you get some new kinda Dragon Force, or are you just a lot stronger now?"

"Heh, well…" Sting chuckled with proud amusement, about to explain just a bit more until the two large doors at the far end of the room were opened by two armed knights in blue and gold-trimmed heavy chainmail coats, with them stopping to hold the door for two more poleaxe-wielding knights and a throng of well-dressed noblemen, women, and other city officials that followed. Upon seeing this procession's entrance, the White Dragon Slayer finally leapt out his chair, turning to his fellow guild wizards the next instant.

"Well it's about damn time… C'mon you guys, I'm sure the king could use some good news, especially after dealing with that rabble."

Nodding in agreement with him, Romeo led Carla and Sherria in following Sting while Yukino walked beside him, quietly giving a quick reminder to watch his language before the royalty. By the time he reluctantly agreed to be careful, all five of the wizards had passed beyond the finely armored knights; and within seconds of them crossing the threshold, the doors behind them were promptly sealed, ending with an echoing thud was almost as loud as the court minister announcing their arrival.

Almost four hours later, inside Igneel's Sanctuary…

Vesta Flaremane woke with a start, bolting almost halfway out of bed in a cold sweat and gasping for air. Looking around quickly, it took a second for her to realize that her husband was right beside her, resting a hand on her leg and watching her with immense concern. It looked like he was debating whether or not to ask an obvious question; so as she wiped the sweat from her brow, his wife decided to speak first, attempting to dismiss the incident with a brief explanation.

"Sorry. Bad dream…"

"No kidding," He replied, clearly still worried, "You were talking in your sleep, you know…"

"Pfft, so?" She laughed it off, "You and I like to talk so much, we probably do that all the time."

Giving her a sideways look, Igneel didn't plan on forcing the subject; but given the things he had heard coming from her subconscious, he was finding it difficult not to worry.

"Ves…" He tried to press the subject further; but he was swiftly cut off by her, as she grabbed the hand on her leg and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Seriously, Igneel, I'm alright."

Obviously unconvinced, the redheaded god simply grabbed her hand back before trying one more time to get her to talk.

"This is what you warned me about, isn't it? The effects of Chronas' magic?"

Looking away to debate whether to confirm his guess or not, Vesta eventually nodded with some reluctance.

"Yeah, it is. And there's a good chance it's going to happen to you too, real soon. Anyone that defies her gets plagued with nightmares like that. Visions of other realities, timelines where grim fates await her foes, or sometimes just barrages of information… over time, she'll try and cram your head with all of it. And now that Casus is gone, I'm sure we've finally warranted her attention."

"Gone?" Igneel repeated curiously, "What do you mean, 'gone'? Like gone, gone?"

"Gohan erased him completely." She explained after nodding grimly, "I don't think I'll ever be sure what Casus was, but I do know for sure that it was quite the crazy bastard. It wanted Gohan to kill him, to begin the final stage…"

"So now Casus' power has returned to its master, then?"

"In a way, yes… But mine and Casus' seals, they're minor compared to the ones inside Chronas or Cosmos… With their powers keeping him locked out of time and space, he won't be able to hear or see anything anyway."

"And the other two?"

"They deny him access to a body, living or dead. Although, he won't really need it to fight us, either."

"So wait," He noted with interest, "You're saying The Seventh can live without a body?"

"He's the ultimate being." She stated after a grim nod, "And there may be seven seals, but only two matter enough to break the seventh. The seals of Chronas and Cosmos are an over-lapping lock, you see… If one fails, the other prevents their power from returning to The Seventh; but if both were to fail, The Seventh could simply manipulate time and space to undo all the other seals on his own."

"Ves…" Igneel was now sounding more concerned than ever, "Are you trying to tell me… that if Chronas and Cosmos both die like Casus did, then you're gonna die with them?"

There was a long silence following that question, and it lasted much too long for the god's liking.

"There's no outcome where I don't…" She explained as gently as she could, "There is a way to defeat The Seventh, but you've got to undo Chronas and Cosmos' seals to do it; and in all honesty, there is no reality where Chronas will simply let us beat her and live in peace, she's just that petty… Until relatively recent, all things have played out according to her design, which she calls 'the natural order', or 'the way things were supposed to be', more like… But when Edo brought Gohan across universes, he set off a chain of events that severely altered the course of history. The borders that once divided the universes are crumbling, and the grand scheme of their master is once again in jeopardy.

"And thanks to that wish Videl just made, these Saiyans finally have the means to truly defy the Keepers, magical beings that not even the angels could challenge alone; and when its all said and done, the choice between realities will only be decided between two people. Will our champion succeed, and grant us the chance to continue this new reality we've developed? Or will Chronas' Master succeed, damning us back to the reality we've diverged from?"

"But either way…" Igneel thought aloud, "You'll have to die again for it to happen, huh?"

"And likely you too." His wife revealed with a grim nod, "When The Seventh arrives, only one will survive it."

"Our champion?" He guessed easily before wondering, "But who would that be? One of the Saiyans?"

"Does it really need be said?" She countered rhetorically, "It's quite obvious, in my opinion…"

Taking a moment to ponder everything he'd been told, the redhaired god widened his eyes in shock a few seconds later, thinking aloud again as he did.

"Wait, you're talking about him aren't you?"

"I am." She nodded once more, "And for as long as we're still around, we must do everything in our power to see him reach his full potential."

"So that's it then?" Igneel questioned her with a hint of frustration, "We defeat the Keepers, unleash The Seventh, and then die? Only one of us will survive it? Then… why did we ever attempt this?"

"Because there's a small chance we'll be brought back." She explained honestly, "It will take time, but he'll eventually learn how to restore us."

"How, Ves?" He demanded gently, "Is it something we can teach him?"

Deciding she suddenly needed something to eat, as she often did when she was nervous, Vesta climbed out of bed with her husband following her and strode for the door, walking and talking as they did.

"Well… yes, we can; but no, we shouldn't. Think about it, Igneel, if we tell him that the only way to win is to watch everyone else die, he'll back down. He's too kind-hearted to make that sorta sacrifice."

"But if we don't tell him-"

"Then he may never learn how to bring us back, I know. But think about this too: when The Seventh arrives, we won't just be dead, this entire reality will be erased, 'cept for that one hero of ours. If he hasn't realized his true nature by now, that will be the moment when he does. If he wins, he'll have all the time in the world to learn what he can do; and once he finds that way to bring us back, it'll be like nothing ever happened for us."

"Even if that's the case, that's still such a heavy burden; he'll remember it all…"

"Hence why I never try to play the hero. You used to understand that yourself, remember?" Vesta remarked pointedly as they finally reached the kitchen, "I gotta admit though, that's a bit ironic in itself, isn't it?"

"Whaddaya mean?" Igneel asked as he watched his wife start digging into their freshly restocked fridge.

"I mean that despite my selfish outlook, and my extreme desire to stay living… It's not gonna do me any good, when it's all said and done."

Going quiet as he failed to decide how he should respond, the god could only watch as she finished rooting through the fridge.

"D'ya want something too?" She offered in a politely nonchalant manner, "I can cook something up if you'd like."

Silently debating whether or not to humor her attempt to change the subject, Igneel eventually decided to meet her halfway.

"Well, if you're cooking, how could I refuse?" He said with an honest smile that drew one from her as well, "What're ya thinkin' of makin'?"

"Oh, I dunno," She replied playfully, "I was feeling a bit nostalgic though, so I was thinking that maybe I'd make the same meal I made ages ago: the one that I made for you, when we first met…"

"Breakfast at one A.M., huh?" He matched her playfulness, although inside his heart was wracked with equal amounts of love and pain, "I can dig it."

Leaning over the counter divider, the two quickly kissed before Vesta made her husband sit by the counter and watch her work.

Almost seven hours later, on Earth…

Having felt cold all by his lonesome in the loft of the first Son home, Happy was the first member of Team Natsu to wake; and he did so with an uncomfortable yawn and stretch, which was quickly followed by the immediate question: where the heck was Natsu?

Standing up and scratching his head in thought before quickly shaking it in a nearly-failed attempt to wake himself up, the half-asleep feline soon trudged to the edge of the wooden floor and looked towards the hammock, only to be a bit surprised by what he saw.

Doing a double take just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, Happy soon popped his wings out and began to hover over the hammock, hoping to reexamine the sight before him from every angle possible.

"Hrm, that traitor…" He whined to himself, "Picking Lushi over me…"

Looking down at the other two members of his team, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of how content and comfy they looked, sleeping in each other's arms. Eventually that jealousy faded though, along with his surprise; and after a briefly amused shake of his head, the magic cat soon decided to join them, gently landing on Natsu's chest, just beside the top of Lucy's head.

About a half-hour later, Happy found himself waking up once again, this time feeling a lot better as he found himself being woken by a yawning and stretching Salamander.

"Mn, good mornin', Happy." He said quietly as he finished his yawn.

"I'm sure it is." His wingman agreed suggestively, "Especially for you two, I'd imagine…"

"Whaddaya mean?" The fire mage feigned ignorance.

"You know what I mean." Happy countered with quite some confidence; but before either of them could continue the argument, they were both interrupted by the sound of Lucy waking up as well.

Making a cute little noise that sounded somewhere between a yawn and a pleasant sigh, the celestial mage blinked a few times before fully coming to; and the first thing she laid eyes on was the smiling face of a certain pink-haired wizard.

"Natsu," She breathed his name as if she was in a trance, and without any thought regarding their witness, she leaned up and kissed his lips the next moment, "Good morning…"

Readily accepting the kiss, Natsu could only give Happy an apologetic shrug while the feline's jaw slightly dropped.

"It really is." the fire mage replied to her warmly while also briefly giving his Exceed companion an amused expression.

"What're you guys talking about?" She asked after a moment of exchanging smiles with him.

"Nothing really," He lied innocently, "We were just arguin' over what's for breakfast, as usual."

"Mhm, well…" She grunted as she rubbed her eyes clear of sleep, "I'll make whatever you want, Natsu, you just have to ask."

"Even though we don't have a kitchen?" Happy questioned her pointedly.

"Eh," Natsu shrugged as he spoke in her defense, "I'm sure Videl would let us borrow her and Gohan's."

"And they'd be up by now?" The tomcat asked curiously, to which Natsu nodded.

"Gohan's almost always up early, either to train or work on his research," He explained casually, "And Videl usually wakes up to eat with him before he gets to it. Also, she's tried teaching me how to cook a few times while I've been here; so I'm pretty sure she'd trust Lucy with the kitchen, considerin' she's a way better cook and all…"

"Oh, you…" The blonde purred pleasingly, and the look Natsu gave her in response was enough to make Happy almost gag.

"Okay, there's clearly something I missed last night." The feline could not contain his curiosity anymore, "And why are you both in your underwear?"

"It's not what you're thinking, ya little perv." Lucy answered him teasingly, though she also wanted to point out that wasn't totally true, as she had only taken off her boots and her shorts, given that her current dress was more like a fancy blue bra than anything, "It was just uncomfortable sleeping this close with so many clothes on, and especially with those baggy pants of his…"

"Uh huh," Happy replied skeptically, "And the flirting, or the kissing? Care to explain that?"

"Are you really that surprised, little buddy?" Natsu quipped amusedly, "I mean, you were the one that was always teasing us."

"Well, yeah," His friend conceded, "But I thought I was only teasing Lushi…"

"Hehe, no, little buddy…" He clarified with a shake of his head, "It was always both of us; I was just too dumb to be bothered by it."

"Dense, Natsu, not dumb." Lucy kindly corrected him, "You're smart when you want to be."

"Blech," Happy groaned, "This is gonna get old, real fast…"

"Hmhm," She giggled back, "You're just mad your jokes won't bother me anymore."

"Oh, sure," He argued back, "Just wait 'till we're back at the guild; I doubt you'll be as upfront about it then."

"Hm, you're right," She chuckled to herself before adding, "But that's 'cause we aren't telling the guild about this."

"And we're not going back yet either, little buddy." Natsu added while Happy sat quietly surprised, "We're gonna stay here for a little while, so I can try to finish my training."

"Training?" the tomcat repeated curiously, "Is it to work on that new power you mentioned?"

"That's right," his friend nodded before changing the subject, "There's some other stuff we can worry about later, but how about we get something to eat before we go over all this?"

Following Natsu's cue, Lucy smirked when he groaned from her using him as stable ground for climbing out the hammock; and she continued to listen to him as she moved to pick up her clothes, during which Natsu caught himself having to look away as soon as she bent over, incidentally placing the rear of her plain pink panties almost right in front of his reddening face.

"A-anyway… Thanks to that training in that Time Room or whatever they call it, it's actually been three years since I've had Lucy's cooking; so I'm kinda lookin' forward to this."

"Well, I guess that means I'll have to pull out all the stops, huh?" The celestial wizard replied with a wide range of happy emotions before she started thinking to herself aloud, "Now let's see if this still works…"

Finding her belt, pulling off the pouch currently attached to it before standing up straight, pulling out her keys next, and then picking out The Clock among them, she pointed the key towards an empty space in the room before swiftly channeling her magic and turning the key, summoning Horologium by name as she did.

"Good morning, Miss Lucy," The spirit promptly greeted her, "How may I be of service?"

"Awesome, it did work!" She observed happily, "Hi, Horologium. I just need a change of clothes, if you wouldn't mind."

"Why certainly," The talking clock obeyed, swinging open the glass door in his center the next second, "Please, step inside whenever you're ready."

By the time Lucy came out wearing a blue and white strapless dress and a similarly-colored short skirt, Natsu was already back in his most of his usual outfit and waiting for her; but there was one article of clothing he still wanted to put on.

"Lookin' good, Luce," He remarked honestly, making her blush slightly before he strode towards the only dresser in the house, "Now, lemme just grab this, and we're good to go…"

Seeing the garment her partner retrieved from the dresser, Lucy felt her heart clench as Natsu stopped to study the magical white cloth he was currently unfolding.

"Igneel's scarf…" the blonde observed with nervous nostalgia, "I had wondered if Edo stole it, since you weren't wearing it when we showed up…"

"Nah, not really… I mean, he did; but then he gave it back too, before he dumped me here." the fire mage explained as he finished carefully unfolding the scarf and turned back around, "But really, I just felt I shouldn't wear it… Igneel had so many expectations for me; and so far, I've failed to meet almost all of 'em… After me and Goten got our butts kicked by his dad, I decided not to wear it until I was strong enough to deserve it.

"But now that you two are here," He quickly changed gears, noticing they were both now visibly concerned, "I feel strong enough to wear this again, even if I still don't really deserve to."

"No. Don't ever say that, Natsu." Lucy stepped forward just as he started to put the scarf around his neck, stopping him from doing so by placing her hands atop his holding the white cloth between them, "I'm glad you feel that way about us, but you're wrong to say you don't deserve this. Igneel didn't give this to you like it was some sort of award or prize to be earned…"

Taking the scarf out his hands and wrapping it around his neck for him, she continued to speak.

"He gave this to you because he loved you, and wanted to protect you; like we do. He's your father, and we're your partners. Failed expectations or not, how all three of us feel about you… that's never gonna change. Understand?"

Seeing Happy nod fervently in agreement, Natsu gave them a weak smile as Lucy finished her task and rested her hands on his shoulders, staring into his eyes the next second.

"There." She declared with smile, "You look a lot better now, don't ya think?"

"Yeah… I do." He agreed, briefly feeling at a complete loss for words until he reached up with his right hand and grabbed the hand resting atop his left shoulder, "Thanks, Lucy."

Letting him hold her hand for few seconds, she eventually pulled away from him with a quick transition in conversation.

"Okay. Now that that's settled…" She declared happily while turning around and heading for the door, "Let's go make some breakfast."

"Aye, sir!" Happy eagerly obeyed, making Natsu smirk amusedly as they both followed her outside.

Meanwhile, at The Fairy Tail Guild Hall…

Mirajane Strauss had spent the early hours of the morning struggling to get comfortable once she had woken up, as a there was a certain dream that haunted her on a rare occasion, aside from a few regular nightmares or two. She supposed this other dream was a nightmare too, but it would be more accurate to have called it a memory; or at least, her now idealized version of that memory that could leave he feeling confused and heartbroken, if she dwelled on it. But refusing to give into the negativity, the eldest Strauss sibling simply decided to do what she always did when she needed to preoccupy herself… She went to work. Only this time, she was not planning to get a head-start on opening the guild, this time, she was hoping to take this time alone to unwind, and maybe process some of her more bothersome thoughts and concerns as well.

Making it to the guild well before anyone else, she yawned as she unlocked the front doors and let herself in, about to make a sad sigh until she noticed Laxus seemed to be passed out by the bar, with his face leaning onto one arm while the other still held onto a half-full bottle of liquor.

"Oh my," She giggled to herself before beginning to approach him, "It seems someone's broken into our liquor cabinet, again…"

"Nmm… don't worry, Mirajane," She heard him mutter with quiet and clear exhaustion, "I'll pay for it all, no problem…"

"I'm not worried, Laxus," She readily assured him, "I know you're a man of your word. Even if you have made some mistakes in the past."

"You're never gonna let me live all that down, will ya?" He asked, mostly with dismissive intent, but it was the takeover mage's response that actually made him curious.

"Oh… I dunno…" She said with a playful demeanor as she finished her walk towards her usual side of the bar, "Those mistakes really were so long ago now, and I have seen you do some rather incredible… and a little insane… things to redeem yourself. Someone with your talents could've gone anywhere and made a successful life, but you didn't. You came back, and tried to stay true to your promise: that you would make things right, no matter the cost."

Taking the bottle out of his hands the next second with one calm and precise maneuver, she added a couple trailing remarks.

"In the end, Laxus, all that matters is that you try, because that's really all any of us humans can do. No one's perfect. Now tell me, did you somehow break in here again, or did you just stay here all night?"

"The last one? Nah, maybe the first one..." The Lightning Dragon Slayer replied with a playful forgetfulness, "Either way, I was just kinda glad to get a moment to myself here…"

"Was I anywhere close?" She asked him curiously as she noticed the small skull-and-cross bones label on the certain highly-regulated, and rather expensive, magic alcohol, "Wondering what's bothering you?"

"…A little," He admitted with vague hesitation before meeting her gaze and adding, "But the stuff you said to me after everything with Tartaros, it meant a lot to me. Maybe even a bit more than hearing Gramps' saying he's proud of me again…"

"Oh my, you're awful candid all of a sudden." She giggled again before trying to tease him, "Don't tell me you're already at that drunken flirty phase some of you guys get into,.."

"Mhmm, I don't think I am." He coyly considered her jest before adding nonchalantly, "But if ya play your cards right, I just might get there."

Finding herself surprised to feel some heat rising to her face, Mirajane quickly looked away from his gaze in order to pull out two shot glasses and start pouring, much to Laxus' surprise.

"Ya know, I heard it's bad business to drink from your own supply, Miss Barkeep…"

"Now, don't you worry, Laxus, I make more than enough to afford some of this, thank you very much."

Smirking at her equally dismissive retort, his smile soon faded as he began to wonder what could have possibly been keeping her awake, along with that eventually leading towards his own grim thoughts as well.

"So," He began as she resealed the liquor bottle and set it aside, "You got somethin' keepin' you up, too?"

"Kinda, yeah…" She confessed with a reluctant sigh before she passed him one of the half-filled shot glasses, "But I'm worried your concerns are probably a lot less selfish than mine…"

"Whaddaya mean?" He inquired curiously, slightly sitting up as he accepted the glass from her, "You're one of the most considerate women I know, an' I know you're definitely the most dependable among all of them. What could you be worried about that would be selfish?"

Not entirely ready to answer yet, she silently signaled for him to tap her glass; and he naturally reciprocated the gesture, with both of them clinking their glasses together and soon raising them to their lips in one smooth motion.

"Oh god, that is so good…" She confessed honestly with a relieved sigh as she instantly felt a warming sensation welling from within; and Laxus grunted in quiet agreement, enjoying the pleasant sensations for a moment before Mirajane finally spoke again, "God, I feel so bad for drinking this so early, I don't know what I was thinking…"

"You said 'god' twice now," Laxus chuckled distractingly, "Must mean you really needed it, you being an avid church-goer and all…"

"…Not as of late." She admitted with a faintly somber sense, "I dunno, maybe it's because of all the stuff I learned about Gohan and his family, and all those other people, and… even… gods… apparently, just casually walking around with them, hanging out occasionally like it was nothing? I mean, the only reason I really went so often was to… well… you know… and then after, it was out of gratitude I suppose. Getting my little sister back was truly a miracle, and no one will ever convince me otherwise.

"But, in the end, I think…" She added, feeling surprised she was already spilling her guts, but also even more secretly surprised by how big of a light-weight she had become, "Gratitude can only extend so far, you know? Even if you owe someone everything, you still can't make every decision based on that fact… There's just somethings you gotta decide for yourself… am I right?"

"Well, yeah… I guess," Laxus agreed tentatively, "But you're still dodging my first question. What's been eatin' at ya, Mirajane? 'Cause as many of these conversations we've had, normally I don' think you've ever joined me in drinkin' for them…"

Not sure if it was either the booze or the way he said her name as he stared at her, or maybe it was the fact that it sounded as if he really cared and wanted to know, but either way, the takeover mage found herself heating up just a little bit more; and her will to evade his query was crumbling a lot quicker than she expected it to.

"Mm…. I dunno; it really is a 'me' problem… But maybe you should tell me about your problem first, considering you've already got the head-start on me."

Watching Mira slowly reach for the bottle again, she reopened while quietly considering another small dose, but she ultimately decided to postpone the decision as Laxus finally decided to entertain her curiosity.

"Well, I guess that's fair enough." He agreed amusedly before slightly slumping in his seat as he began to think aloud, "I'm sure I'm not the only one that's felt this way lately; but I really do hate how powerless I feel, especially when I hear about or see everything that's happened involving this Edo creep. As for why I'm doing this today, I guess it's just 'cause I noticed that almost everyone else was taking some kinda break as well… I can't really blame anyone that's taken a step back just to breathe, ya know?"

Not really finding a way to disagree with that, Mirajane simply remained silent as she glanced between him and the bottle in her hands.

"We barely did anything for the people in Crocus tonite," He listed annoyedly, "And I wasn't around to help anyone at Akane, and I barely protected my team during the fights with Zeref's goons… Hell, even Gildarts took some kinda beating apparently… Not all of that is my fault, sure, but it still frustrates me sometimes."

"That's because you're a good man, Laxus." Mira complimented him honestly, "It's people like Edo… or Zeref… that've figured out how to ignore that feeling… You're not like them, or your father."

Quietly appreciating her praise, Laxus seemed to debate whether or not to ask for another shot before Mirajane ultimately started to pour another half of one for herself.

"And yeah, seeing everyone 'take a step back' like you said," she explained as she poured and quietly offered him more, to which he silently accepted, "I think I'm gonna have Kinana cover for me this morning. There's so much to think about, and to worry about… I just wanna have at least a few hours where I can stop and smell the roses too…"

"Is that what this stuff smells like to you?" He asked her jokingly, gesturing to the glasses they held between them, "Like a fresh garden of roses?"

"Uh-uh." She giggled negatively before admitting, "Lately I've been craving some kuzumochi, so this tastes as sweet as honey right about now… And maybe a little bit like strawberry sometimes, too…"

"Really?" He questioned rhetorically, "Well, let's see if we'll think different a second time then, eh?"

Following his cue, she downed her half-shot with his; and within almost seconds, Mirajane knew she was officially drunk.

"Yeah… It tastes more like homebrewed ale to me." Laxus informed her with amused honesty as soon as his glass left his lips, "I know it's a bit outta season, but I'm enjoying a slight pumpkin taste that's in there as well…"

Looking at her guildmate, the takeover wizard couldn't help but recall the last time she spoke with someone like this, over a bottle so very similar to this one. She had seen it very rarely, but she was all too quickly realizing that Laxus could be charming when he wanted to be, in his own way…

"Hey, Laxus?" She asked as innocently as she could while she also made sure that liquor bottle was now safe and well out of her reach, "Oh, this is gonna sound like I'm some horny teenager, but… say if you liked some girl; and… you really liked her… like, like, liked her…"

"Whoa… where's all this going?" After recovering from the slight surprise of the very nature if the conversation, the lighting wizard questioned her with tentative curiosity, "Is there some guy you've got a thing for?"

"…Well, yeah…" She said hesitantly, glad that her already reddened face could barely get much redder, "And um, well… I did actually be honest with him, and I showed him how I felt…"

"Did he break your heart?" Laxus asked, originally planning to tease her when he soon discovered that he actually sounded a bit angered by the thought.

"He did, but not in the way that you think." She confirmed in some detail, looking down at the floor as she did, "He was actually very kind and sweet about it; and he's one of the bravest and most honest men I've ever known… I knew from day one that I couldn't have him; but selfish and silly as I am, I still tried to turn that fantasy into a reality…"

"So, what was this guy's deal?" Laxus asked her with genuine interest, "I've never seen you speak so highly of someone, not counting when you're putting on a show for the public, at least… Don't let everything I say go to your head here, but you're not just some horny teen, Mira… You're Mirajane Frickin' Strauss, an S-Class Wizard in Fairy Tail, the Demon, and arguably the number one pin-up model in the whole world… You might have some issues regarding that wild imagination of yours, but you're not the nympho you're worried you are. Otherwise, you would've probably hopped onto more guys than Cana likely doesn't remember doing herself.

"So, now that that's been said, I'll ask ya again…" He slurred, finally feeling the full effects of all the drinks he had consumed, "What happened?"

"He's married; and I knew that fact from day one, like I said." She revealed quietly, although she slightly raised her volume as she got a bit annoyed with herself, "But that still didn't stop me from trying. It didn't matter that I could've ruined a family… if he actually returned the favor, I mean… And I'm really glad he did turn me down, honestly… But I can't help but feel so frustrated about it, either.

"He was kinda like me, in a way…" She reflected aloud, "I could sense the two sides to him… the calm, collected, and loyal friend, and the other being his warrior's spirit, and his want to prove himself to everyone around him… And his fierce passion to protect the ones he loves… That was the one major way we're different… He's so much more capable than me, when it comes to his strength and ability… If I had the kind of power that he does, I'd have never lost Lisanna in the first place.

"And if he had been a demon, I'd have claimed his soul in a heartbeat," She confessed with a bizarre mix of emotions at the thought, "Risks of losing control be damned."

Laxus had easily understood how serious this conversation was becoming for her, and he was genuinely scared to make a misstep here; so he instantly tried to soften his tone, with it becoming much easier once the slightest of a stray tear splashed against the relatively smooth and well-polished surface of the bar, which instantly struck at an often unfamiliar chord within his heart. The copious amounts of magic alcohol he had consumed was quick to help him get over that feeling, however.

"You're not talking about who I think you are, are you?" He asked, being purposely vague, "You know-"

"L-L-Let's not say his name, okay?" She swiftly requested timidly, and Laxus was quick to agree to her terms.

"Y-Yeah, sure," He found himself feeling a bit nervous for some reason as well, "Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Mira."

"Thank you, Laxus…" She replied gratefully, but that was when suddenly her own mind automatically recalled some of the words she said minutes ago; and she was soon following a new, and rather bold, train of thought, having the spare time to come up with it due to the brief awkward silence that ended up hanging over them.

"Hey, Laxus?" She asked, this time putting in a concentrated effort not to boil over in embarrassment as she spoke, and it both helped and hindered when her friend replied with a quick little tease.

"Still here, Mira." He assured her cheekily while giving her a grin that almost distracted her from her fears.

"I-I know that!" She whined with quite amusement before carrying on, "I was just wondering something. When you said I was 'arguably the number one… model'… was that you just describing other people's opinions, or…?"

Taking a couple seconds to get where she was going as her voice trailed off, Laxus' eyes soon snapped open as he realized the potential implications of the question, especially after he did a quick read of her body language.

"Oh, well.. I… uh," He found himself stumbling for words, an action Mirajane couldn't help but find kind of cute, "I mean, it's not a bad thing… if… it was also my opinion? Is… it…?"

"Not at all," She assured him with another dose of her signature smile, though it soon quickly faded as she just as quickly returned her tentative suggestion, "I was just, actually, kinda hoping, maybe… that you would say something like that… Hearing it from a good man like you, and from one of my potential rivals, it actually means a lot to hear your praise, too…"

Finding himself once again bewilderingly afraid to speak, Laxus remained almost completely silent this time as he let Mirajane finish her thoughts aloud, having only the ability to utter her name under his breath before she did.

"Mi-Mira-"

"And um, actually… I know this is gonna sound weird, and a bit desperate, especially if you're not so into it… But… um… do you think you could, maybe… help me… with my… problem…?"

"Mira, are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"It would only be a one time thing! That is… unless, you want something more… Full transparency, you were right when you noted that I've never felt like the way that man made me feel, and that I've never tried to do anything like this either; but despite all that, I would still be absolutely using you as a rebound here… Whether it's a mistake or not, well… I'm willing to let sober us decide that later. That is… if you're okay with it, as well…"

Having given into his inhibitions long before she walked in the door, Laxus could only sit there stunned as he heard both the one thing he never expected, and one of his deepest, darkest desires coming to life at just the same moment. If he were sober, the gentleman in him would've said no and then asked her out instead; but that kind and cool-mannered façade he had polished over the last few years was quickly disintegrating as he got lost looking deep into those beautiful blue eyes of hers, which still had just the slightest extra glow in them, caused from the brief moment she almost began to cry before him. For some reason, that look in her eyes brought his calm will to fully collapse; and he was soon slowly sitting up again and leaning forward, not really realized he had done so even as he finally answered.

"Well… I guess I can try… and give you want you want... But I don't want you comparin' me to this supposed super-man the whole time during, alright? I have my own brand of charm, I'll have you know…"

"Oh, really?" The Demon whispered to him invitingly, unconsciously mirroring his motion as they both leaned over the bar, "Well then, I'll make sure to be extra quick, when we finally get to… that part… of the deal…"

Only hesitating just the slightest bit at the last second, the Fairy Tail pair both ended up going for broke at the exact same time, and they both briefly surprised each other with how forceful they were in bringing their lips together. Within seconds, she was tasting him just as he tasted her; and combined with the ideal mix of their currently-favored flavor of beverage, the sensation was purely intoxicating to them. After what felt like ages for the both of them, they split for air, only for Mirajane to soon find herself practically growling a command to him.

"Laxus, come. Here. Now."

Stepping out from behind the bar as she spoke, she grabbed him by the wrist and began to lead him away, just before Laxus began to question her.

"Aw, hell yes…" He celebrated, thinking he had done so internally before adding intentionally aloud, "Where do you want me, Mira?"

"Let's go by the pool," she suggested with only a second's thought, "I can lock all the doors to it, so we'll have time to hide if Kinana or some of the other staff come in…

"And besides, I might just like being under the water with you." She added seductively, "I kinda wanna see just how long you can hold your breath…"

Not needing anymore foreplay from her in order to be raring to go, the Dragon Slayer was already standing behind her and untying the back of her long and flowing, slim-fitting maroon dress; and he had to choke back a triumphant growl of his own as it gracefully fell off to reveal a matching set of black and crimson red bra and panties that ever so perfectly fit every curve of her fit, slender, and yet somehow busty, pale as snow figure. Upon closer inspection, both pieces of clothing seemed to be made of rather expensive fabric; and she grinned when she briefly noted the careful gesture he made in wanting to slowly remove those clothes from her, as opposed to how he treated her dress.

Staring at her with a mind to store every last hazy image of the woman he saw spinning on her heels to face him again, he could only gulp with delighted anticipation as she helped him finish what his drunken hands couldn't on their own; and he watched as her bra fell away, revealing her bare chest to him in all its glory.

Seizing not another moment to hesitate on his next impulse, Laxus stepped in and embraced her again, speaking with a very husky tone between quick breathes and even more kisses.

"Hey, don't… worry… about locking… the doors… I got this."

Deeping their next kiss and grinding against him just as he nimbly made a few motions with his right hand, Mirajane scoffed with a mix of pleasure, surprise, amazement, and a bit of admiration at sensing the magic barriers pop up before the only doors leading into their current room.

"Ah, did you just cast a Jutsu Shiki, on the other side of the doors?" She observed aloud as soon as their lips parted again, "Even in your current condition?"

"I did just that, Mirajane," he said her name slowly, almost teasingly as he replied, and his right hand slowly snuck down over the upper ridge of her panties until she suddenly stopped him.

"Uh, uh, uh…" She toyed with him as she grabbed his hand and pulled it onto her bare waist for a brief instant, "We're not getting there just yet, I'm afraid. It's my turn to hold the reins…"

Finding that this was one of the very few times where he completely enjoyed doing as he was told, he obediently back off a bit, settling for resting his hands on her body for a second before she forcefully, yet gracefully, dragged him down to lay under her beside the pool; and after having mounted him in one swift motion, she was soon helping him out of his black jacket and yellow, turtlenecked muscle shirt; and once he was completely shirtless, she soon began to place exploratory kisses all over his well-sculpted, rippling torso. Stopping to give and extra suck or nibble at anywhere that caused him to flinch, groan, or gasp under her ministrations, the She-Devil wasted no time in stealthily undoing his black leather belt and opening the fly similarly jet-black pants, almost entirely unleashing that certain beast she had felt straining underneath her, just begging to be freed from within that thin white fabric of his boxers as his pants were slightly pulled off.

"Tell me you love me, Laxus," She suddenly burst out, feeling just the slightest bit of hesitation as she finally realized just how far they had gone, "Even if it's not really true, at all, just say it for me."

"I do, Mirajane, really." He told her, widening his own eyes in shock as soon as he heard himself say it so quickly, "I… I probably won't have enough liquid courage to say that aloud for another decade or so... But, I… I think… I always did… kinda… have a thing for you… When you started modeling, I even remember a little phase where I would actually get jealous, hearing guys talk about you around town and all, like they actually knew you… I think part of that is why I was so cold to you, way back when… Because when it came to you and Gramps, I had to act tougher in front of you two… and in front of my Thunder Tribe as well, of course…"

"Well, that lie's certainly a bit more elaborate than the one I had in mind." She quipped jokingly, "But I'll take it, for what it's worth."

Bending down and kissing him again, she failed to keep herself from grinding against him a few more times before they moaned into each other's mouths and breathed for air once again.

"So whaddaya say, La-xus-kun?" She hummed erotically as she helped him kick his shoes and pants off, making sure to let her 'assets' jiggle a bit in his face as she eagerly planted both hands on his rock hard abdomen, "Do ya wanna go for a swim, with me?"

Meanwhile, in a Realm Between Nothing…

"Welcome home, Cosmos," a black outline of a possibly-human woman spoke, with many voices resonating from within her as she spoke, all saying the same words together, "I must admit, even I was surprised that to discover that this time is the one that's unfolding… You're defeat at the hands on one mere Saiyan? How pitiable, I must say… The odds of this timeline proceeding were rather astro-"

"I do not need your patronization, Chronas," the big man replied with poorly hidden annoyance, "And you can spare me your false platitudes as well. All I care about is getting my chance to prove my strength once more, once they finally come here to kill us all for good. You might think you've got these mortals all mapped out; but I have seen, in person, just how incalculable the wealth of their potential can be. I'm willing to wager that there's even one of them who's already like the Seventh, even if he doesn't know it.

"And when he comes here to battle you, time witch," He added with a self-refreshing sense of honesty, "I'm going to accept my death with pride as a warrior, knowing I have lived many more lives than I had ever deserved. You, however, you'll only do that once you've burned all of existence down with you first, won't you? That's just the type of parasite you are, living off of our Master's power under the pretense that all this was actually planned for you!

"It wasn't, I declare!" He almost shouted angrily, flexing one of his fists tightly instead just to contain himself, "We only did what we could to save our one true Master in his most urgent time of crisis, a moment in time in which, we all failed, if you recall. We allowed our magics to go to our heads, and this damned immortality has given it eons to slowly infect us all, warping our very perceptions of our reality… These powers only covered up our weaknesses, not eliminated them. Even you Chronas, you were never smart enough to-"

Freezing up the very next instant, Cosmos was halted perfectly in that solid, defiant posture of his, one hand raised at her accusingly, while the other remained a clenched fist by his side; and he could do nothing as Chronas strode up to him, chiding him as she did.

"Thank you, Cosmos, your simple-minded honesty is as helpful as always… Tell me, Cerberus, do you know why my form is as it looks right now?"

"It's because of the Seventh's time magic, Mistress. To buy time and protect yourself, you've spread yourself across realities, and in doing so, you're the only one of us who's become the closest to being a real, true, god… Even now, your ever-morphing physical appearance reflects the millions of potential Chronas's we could actually be speaking with… In a sense, you could be anyone…"

"Precisely. And the speed it changes works in a manner akin to an hourglass." Chronas confirmed gratefully, "The more solid my physical form becomes, the more certain my past, present, and future becomes; and the slower, less often my body changes form… Right now, I may have this overlapping, nigh intangible form; but once my true form reveals itself, meaning our final hour has finally come… Only then will I show some concern.

"Immune to our powers or not, I will personally eliminate these Saiyans, and I will ensure our vision for the future shall live on, as it always has. And even if I can't, if our fates truly are decided… I will at least do everything I can to ensure our master's success.

"But as for you, Cosmos…" She added with the faintest hint of annoyance, "Your fate had been sealed the moment you were first defeated. Your sense of honor is the strongest, and therefor… you were never going to aid us beyond that point. The 'you' that you are now… it never would have submitted to my will."

Without making even one motion, Chronas activated her magic again; and before either Cerberus or Chaos could react, they watched as the man that was Cosmos just suddenly blink from existence; but even more to their surprise, they all suddenly watched and felt as Chronas next raised a hand, which immediately drew Cosmos' lingering, invisible magic energy towards her and promptly absorbed it into herself.

"From here on, Keepers, if you wish to survive, you will worship me." Chronas' multi-tonal voice informed them as casually as her amorphous, vibrational humanoid figure slowly turned back around, smirking slightly despite knowing none could see it, "For I… am your God."

Meanwhile, in West City…

Waking up feeling warm and cozy for the first time in years, Trunks Briefs felt quite spoiled waking up in Lisanna Strauss' arms once again, despite the fact he had been quite a dense and inattentive boyfriend as of late.

Sighing contently and already grinning like an idiot, the demi-Saiyan turned over onto his back and broadened his smile after feeling his girlfriend unconsciously readjust her hold on him to a more comfortable angle before gently nuzzling her chin just against the top his left shoulder. He could hear and feel as her breath lightly tickled his skin. Combining all those sensations with the sight of her cute, smiling face, along with the sight of his old white t-shirt barely covering anything but the top half of her torso, it was all more than enough to 'wake him up' in every sense of the phrase; but as badly as he wanted to wake her up and show her all the emotions she was making him feel, he ended up reining himself in, deciding that he didn't want to stop enjoying this moment either. Empty mindedly, he ever-so-gently ran his right hand down the side if her waist before using only his index finger to trace the center of her soft, slender abdominal muscles, stopping and pulling his hand away just above her belly button; and he slightly scolded himself for not noticing it sooner, but there really was just the slightest bump to her stomach now. If he even focused on her with his more supernatural senses, he could sense just the tiniest extra trace of life coming from inside her.

"I'm gonna be a father…" He muttered to himself in bewilderment, not realizing he had said it aloud.

Over the span of one afternoon, his whole world view had changed drastically; and to a small degree, he was a bit angry that it took one rather long and awkward conversation with his father to realize just how necessary that change would be. Why Lisanna was so quick to forgive him for his ignorance, he'd never know, but the one thing he did know was just how hard he planned on trying to show his gratitude for it. For some reason, his mind briefly drifted back to the first moment their relationship truly began, the moment that he realized she no longer saw him as that little kid that first met her.

She jokingly tells him the moment happened because she had seen him coming out of a shower wearing nothing but a towel barely a half-hour before that; but Trunks knew she didn't start flirting with him because of that, he knew that it was actually something he said while they were eating breakfast. It was an ordinary conversation, like plenty others they had during their routine of training under Igneel; but something about they way he spoke to her, and the ways he thought about things in general, that was what suddenly prompted her to make a slightly awkward joke about their little run-in outside the bathroom door. But as awkward as her teasing may have been for him, the following conversation resulted in what was likely the most enjoyable breakfast he ever had; and know that he thought about it, almost all of his favorites now revolved around interactions he had with her. He might've had a crush on her from day one, but he never really expected just how important she would become to him. And now, as far as he was concerned, her, and that little trace of life growing inside her, they were his whole world now.

After one final thought, one which was something he'd actually been entertaining for quite a while already, he was suddenly draw back out from his thoughts by the sounds of his lover stirring out of her sleep; and she finally greeted him after blinking a few times and making eye contact with him.

"Mhm…" She sighed quickly, fighting off the urge to yawn, "Good morning."

"Yeah," Trunks agreed breathlessly, leaning in and quickly kissing her before finishing his statement, "It sure is."

Sharing a smile with him in response, Lisanna kept her right arm under him while she moved her left hand to rest it atop his chest, which she lovingly rubbed a few times before running her hand all the way up until she had his jaw in her hand, from which angle she used to pull him to her again, kissing him a bit more hungrily this time; and once they separated again, after a few seconds of swapping spit, Trunks grunted with pleasure before saying the first thought that crossed his mind.

"Mnn… gods, you taste so good…" He sighed appreciatively, making her blush slightly as his husky tone slightly turned her on; but she ultimately found it amusing as well, prompting her to giggle a bit in response.

"Hmhm, yeah, well, just give it a few minutes," She half-joked with an honest smile, "That'll change pretty quick once I start trying to fight off the morning sickness."

Feeling a tinge of guilt strike him, Trunks hesitated to chuckle for just the briefest of instances, but it was long enough for her to notice.

"Still beating yourself up, huh?" She guessed aloud, with her smile changing to take the same softer tone as her voice once she saw him nod in response, "You know, I didn't say that to guilt trip you…"

Kissing him again to reassure him, she spoke with a more quiet and seductive tone as their lips lingered barely an inch apart.

"I said it to tell you how much time you've got, until I'm not gonna be in the mood, I mean…"

"Oh, well, in that case…" Trunks replied with playful surprise, "I guess I should probably make this quick then…"

Thinking he was about to lean in and kiss her again, she reached back up for his face, which she still did; but she quickly halted her move to meet him halfway when she realized he wasn't.

"Hey, Lisanna?" He said her name questioningly.

"What is it, Trunks?" She replied with a similar tone.

"Will you marry me?"

Blinking a few times in surprise, the takeover mage just had to make sure she heard him right.

"Wuh-What?" She stuttered as she turned over to sit up halfway, hoping to point of disbelief that she had heard him correctly, "Did you just-?"

"I did," He nodded resolutely, taking his free hand and caressing the side of her neck with it as he reiterated his statement, "I said I wanna know if you'll marry me."

"You, you mean like… in a hypothetical way?"

"No, but… if the idea scares you tha-"

"N-No! That's not what I meant at all! I really do wanna be your wife, but I didn't think you'd come out and just ask it like that, either!"

Not realizing everything she said, given how quickly she leapt into a full sitting posture and nervously rambled all her words out, it took both her and Trunks a second to notice she had already given him her answer.

"So… wait," He said numbly as he joined her in sitting up, "Is that a 'yes'?"

"Of course it is," She confirmed with an eager nod and smile, unable to avoid teasing him after hearing and seeing the cute tone and look her just gave her, "It might be a silly last name, 'Briefs', but I'll happily accept it, all the same."

Fighting off the tears of joy welling up nearly uncontrollably, Lisanna quickly kissed him again to assist in this endeavor; and judging by how desperately he kissed her back, he was also dealing with his own debilitating sense of joyous relief.

"I know we've got some decisions to make, stuff to work out, and all…" He spoke again as soon as they parted for air, "But I want you to know: wherever you think home is, that's where my home will be, too, as long as you want me around. Whether we're here on Earth, in the Sanctuary, or back on Earthland with Fairy Tail, I will do everything I can to support and protect you. And by you, I mean both you and our child. I love you both so, so much; and I can't even begin to imagine starting a family with anyone else."

Getting lost in his cool blue eyes, which were currently brimming with emotion, Lisanna finally gave into letting her tears fall; but she only did so as her priorities switched, wanting at first to keep her composure, but now wanting more to just show him how happy he was making her feel.

"…Trunks, I… I love you too!" She half exclaimed before hugging him tightly, not even thinking about the possibility that she was squeezing the life out of him; but she was quick enough to release him before the feeling could actually make him uncomfortable, speaking again as she did, "I know I said it already last night, but I just hafta say it again: you're gonna be a wonderful father, Trunks, and I'm willing to bet you're gonna make for a wonderful husband as well…

"Now… take me, Trunks Briefs," She added with her seductive tone returning as she pulled back slightly from their hug, "Show me just how badly you want me."

Kissing him greedily the next second, Trunks was the only one to hesitate, though he only did so verbally, and between breathes.

"Mmm… are you… sure that's… what you…? But… what… about…?"

"I'm not gonna get sick, not today." She answered him willfully, "This is gonna be one of the happiest days of my life, and I'm not letting anything put a stop to that, symptoms of pregnancy be damned."

Sucking and kissing on a certain spot just under his jaw, a place she knew was sensitive for him, she grinned when he almost growled under her touch in response; and she let him see her devilish smirk as she provoked him further.

"Pretty soon, I'll be feeling too fat to move like this for quite some time… but until then, I kinda wanna enjoy getting to do this… while I can."

Needing not one moment's more of any prodding or cues, Trunks kissed her fervently; and he slowly moved with her as he let her lay him down and climb atop him, exploring every inch of her mouth and tongue as they moved. While his tongue played with hers, the rest of their bodies had soon reached their destinations, leaving their hands idle, albeit not for very long.

Having done something similar like this last night and passed out immediately after, Trunks was already naked under the sheets, but Lisanna had evidently not remained undressed, however; and since that was the case, changing that fact became the first impulse his idle hands acted on. As for her, she simply ran her hands wherever she wanted on him, until eventually planting them on his abs for support, realizing she was going to need it soon as his hands grabbed the bottom of her shirt and the crotch of her shorts brushed against the underside his morning wood.

"Gh, Lis-anna…" He grunted her name as he watched her let his old shirt off her, "I can't wait any longer…"

Moving his hands to the top of her shorts, he was surprised briefly when she suddenly grabbed his hands and forced him to rip her shorts wide open; but after a quick glance to her eyes and seeing that hungry look he only saw so often, his surprise just as quickly melted away, being quickly replaced by the infectious aura her and her sweet, delicious scent was giving off.

"Good." She said matter-of-factly, "Because I lost my patience the moment you proposed…"

Before he could even vocalize or describe to her exactly how he was feeling, Lisanna had slightly lifted herself up only to roll her hips back down the next instant; and with a clearly audible gasp of immense pleasure and surprise, her lover found himself already inside her.

"Now, listen… it'll be your turn to take over in a few minutes," She whispered against his lips after she fully sunk down onto him, shifting herself slightly at one point just to feel him squirm under and inside her, "But for right now, I want you to just lay back… and enjoy every second… of what I'm about to do."