Sun and Moon:
AN: Okay, no more deleted scenes! Just an intro to some new characters and concepts for those who didn't read "Obsessed."
Farrah Lee-Dreyar: 13
Benedict Orlando: 13
Nashi Dragneel: 10
Storm Fullbuster: 10
Cato Dreyar: 10
Roman Fernandez: 9
Persephone and Koree Redfox: 9
Bianca Fullbuster: 8
Portia Orlando: 7
Lorelle Strauss: 7
Eva, Minette, and Von Fernandez: 6
Layla Dragneel: 6
Igneel Dragneel: 5
Meeko Fullbuster: 5
Vera Orlando: 2
Isla Conbolt: 1
July Dreyar: 7 months
Luna and Kyri Dragneel: Newborns
It was early dawn, the sun was just starting to rise. Natsu sat on the front porch of the cabin he and Lucy had rented for two weeks, way out in the middle of nowhere, far away from any prying eyes or eavesdropping ears. He stopped in his daily exercises, absentmindedly fiddling the giant rubber band he'd been given to further strengthen his legs after he'd been cleared to walk on his own, no wheelchairs, no braces, no crutches. Leaning back against on of the posts on the porch, he watched as the sky went from black, to purple, to blue, and finally the brilliant mix of reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows.
He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes as a cool breeze blew on his face, enjoying this quiet, peaceful moment to himself. He wouldn't get another one for a long time, but he wasn't complaining. Sometime that afternoon Nashi, Layla, and Igneel would be dropped off by Mest to meet their two new little sisters. He smiled a bit at the thought of seeing his oldest three again. Sure, he and Lucy only been here for five days but he already missed them. He knew he and Lucy needed to be alone for their plan to work, though. Of course they'd let their children know the truth once they were old enough to keep a secret. They'd thought about going ahead and telling Nashi that afternoon, but they weren't sure yet. Natsu figured they'd just have to play it by ear.
Well, first thing was first, he had to figure out where they were going to put the little stinkers for the next nine days. He let out a slightly nervous chuckle at the thought of all seven Dragneels in a tiny cabin all alone for nine days. That sounded a bit dangerous but his family needed it. The past year had been quite difficult, between him being crippled for months, the whole Elena Alteria incident, and tensions between Fairy Tail and Phoenix Grave getting worse and worse, he, his wife, and his children needed some time just to themselves to relax and reconnect so they could put these rather traumatic months behind them. And what better time to wipe the slate clean than with the arrival of two new lives?
Natsu stood up and slowly walked back into the cabin. He was back on his feet, yes, but walking was still a little stiff. He made it inside, though, and looked about. There was just the bedroom, the kitchen and dining area, the living room, and a bathroom. This cabin wasn't actually designed to house seven people, but somehow it was going to. He walked over to the sleeper couch and stared down at it. It looked big enough for Nashi and Layla to share. Simply enough, that just left the matter of where to put Igneel.
Natsu tapped his foot as he tried to think about where to put his son to sleep. Was there anyway to put all three kids in there? He lifted up the cushion with the intention of folding the bed out to see exactly how big it was. Maybe all three of the big kids could fit on there. To his surprise all the cushions came up at once.
"Huh?" Natsu thought as pulled the cushions closer to his face to examine. It turned out to just be one large cushion that was designed to look like three seperate ones.
"Well, how about that."
This was big enough to hold Igneel, though it was a bit thin. Natsu set it on the floor and pushed a hand onto it. Just as he though, he could feel the floor through it. He walked to a closet in the short hall between the livingroom and the hall and opened it. Digging around he found a rather thick comforter blanket. He brought it back to the livingroom and through it over the couch cushion. That made it soft enough for it to sleep on.
Problem solved! Natsu put the cushion back, folded the comforter and set it on the arm of the couch. He looked back out the window. The sky had now changed to it's normal blue. Morning had officially started, so what to do now?
His stomach growled. Hm, when was the last time he'd eaten something? Come to think of it when was the last time Lucy had eaten something? After the babies arrived they'd pretty much slept the rest of the day, only waking up to feed or change diapers.
Lucy needed to eat something, so Natsu decided to work on fixing breakfast. He flipped on a radio wave lacrima, a new invention that had become a popular household staple in the past two years. He made sure to keep the volume low as he looked through the fridge for ingredients to make a protein shake. He'd learned after Nashi's birth to try and keep Lucy on a liquid based diet much as possible after birth to make things easier down there.
"...still no news on the baby Elena Alteria gave birth to yesterday," a reporter said. "Authorities have confirmed that she did indeed give birth, though, but they have not said what has happened to the child. We're on the communication lacrimas now to take opinions from you, our listeners, as to what you think about this situation. Hello, you are live, what do you have to say?"
Natsu poked his head up over the fridge as he listened intently.
"Well, I think the kid probably died on the spot," a nasally woman's voice said. "I mean, she was stolen out of a womb and put into Alteria's using dark magic! That kid was probably curse from the jump!"
Natsu grumbled as he ducked back into the fridge and pulled out milk and vanilla yogurt out of the fridge and closed it a little more roughly than needed behind him.
"She probably somehow smuggled it back to her guild. That kid's gonna come back and murder us all like the well trained assassin they'll raise it to be, just wait!"
"They probably went ahead and locked the kid up. I mean, someone doesn't start off life like that and turn out okay."
"They probably just put him or her in an orphanage anonymously to protect her from horrid people like the ones who just called you."
"Hmph," Natsu sniffed as he poured the milk and yogurt into a blender and began cutting up a banana. "At least there are still some reasonable people out there."
He opened a cabinet and pulled out some honey, oats, and cinnamon and added them into the blender before turning it on.
A few more people called in.
"Magic council's probably studying the kid in some lab."
"I don't think there ever was a baby! Alteria was just trying to win some sympathy."
"The kid probably turned out to be some deformed beast and has been-"
Natsu finally had enough and flipped the radio off, grumbling and cursing under his breath as he poured the blender's contents into a travel cup and screwed the top on to prevent spilling. Lucy wasn't normally a messy or clumsy eater, but after giving birth she tended to be a bit tired, shaky, and weak, which he completely understood! He would forever and always be thankful he was the man of the relationship!
He still fumed at the gossips talking over the radio as he headed to the bedroom. What did they know, calling a baby a monster or a curse? Nothing, at all, obviously because the baby was not in any of the places they'd listed: no dark guild, no jail cell, no lab, no orphanage. She was sound asleep in the middle of the bed next to Lucy.
Or at least, she had been.
"How long have you been awake, Luna?" Natsu smiled at the tiny blackheaded baby girl as she looked about at her surroundings, never making a peep, swaddled in a patchwork baby quilt Lucy had made for her. Looking at her sweet face, how helpless and innocent she was, only made his anger at those people increase. But it only confirmed to him that they had done the right thing. She would remain a mystery to the rest of the world, the stolen baby birthed by a killer who vanished without a trace. But to him and Lucy she was Luna Darcey Dragneel, their precious baby girl who was as much their daughter as the child Lucy had carried and given birth to who was currently laying on her side, one arm reach out around Luna as she slept.
Natsu smiled as he reached down and smoothed her soft, peach colored hair.
"Already taking care of your sister, aren't you Kyri?" he asked as he kissed her forehead before gently moving her tiny arm so he could pick Luna up.
Kyri and Luna. Their names meant Sun and Moon, and it was fitting in more ways than one. First, they'd been born on the day of an eclipse. Second, their names actually fit their personalities. Luna was quiet, shy, and calm, just like her namesake, while Kyri was energetic, cheerful, and playful like hers.
Natsu scooped Luna up with just one arm, immediately caught whiff of something foul.
"Ugh!" he cringed. "You know it's okay for you to let Daddy know if you need a diaper change, right?" he asked Luna who just stared up at him. He shook his head, placing the breakfast shake on a nightstand so he could go take care of Luna before waking Lucy. He'd never met a newborn that was so quiet! Most cried every hour or so. Luna had only cried three times since Mest had brought her to the cabin. Once when Natsu had first held her, no doubt terrified by all the changes she'd been through in her short time on earthland, and twice in the night when she'd been hungry.
Natsu finished changing the diaper, walked back into the bedroom, picked the shake up once again and walked over to Lucy's side of the bed and gently poking her in shoulder.
"Lucy?"
"Erg," she grumbled.
"Lucy?"
"Nashtu, I'm shleeping," she grumbled.
"It's morning," he answered.
"But I'm still tired," Lucy whined. "Lemmee sleep!"
"I will in a minute, just eat this," he held up the shake.
She cracked one eye open, then close it back and groaned.
"C'mon, Luce, you gotta eat something," Natsu insisted.
Lucy finally relented and sat up, though she cringed as she did so. Natsu, of course, had no experience with childbirth, but he imagined she was still quite sore from having brought Kyri into the world yesterday. He grabbed a pillow from off his side of the bed, being careful not to accidentally bump Kyri with it as he brought it over and tucked it behind Lucy to give her something to prop herself up on. He then gave her the shake and kissed her forehead. Lucy took a sip then smiled at Luna who was watching her from where she was safely tucked away in her Daddy's arms.
"Well, good morning," she beamed as she leaned down and kissed Luna's head. Luna finally made a noise, cooing softly.
"Oh, so you'll talk to Mommy, but not me?" Natsu grumbled, causing Lucy to giggle as she took another sip of the shake.
Kyri began to stir and cry. Lucy set the shake on the nightstand and reached over to pick Kyri up.
"What's the matter?" Lucy asked in a soft voice. Kyri cried some more and began smacking her lips.
"Are you hungry?" Lucy asked as she began unbuttoning her shirt. AS Kyri fed Lucy's stomach began to growl. She glanced longingly at the breakfast shake, but was unable to grab it because she had to use both arms to keep Kyri in place.
"Here," Natsu said as he picked the cup up and held it to Lucy's lips.
"Thanks," Lucy smiled as she took a sip.
They didn't say anything for a while. They just sat in content silence, Lucy feeding Kyri, Natsu feeding Lucy, and Luna just relaxing and snuggling in Natsu's arms as she looked at everything around her. Lucy smiled softly at Luna. She was quite attentive for a newborn. Curiously turning her head at every noise, every movement, every tiny little thing going on around her. She let out a tiny coo and reached both tiny hands up towards Natsu's face.
"Aw, what is it, sweetie?" Natsu asked as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She set a teensy hand on both sides of his face.
"You want some attention? Hm? Is that it? Oh, ow!" Natsu cringed as Luna grabbed onto his hair and tugged on it.
"Alright, let go, let go," he said as he set the shake down and gently pried Luna's hands from his hair and then rubbed at his sore head as Lucy giggled at him. Luna then began playing with her blanket, grasping at one particular, pink patch on the quilt.
"I think Luna's favorite color is pink," Lucy smiled.
"Hm, maybe so," Natsu answered as he stroked her cheek. Luna played with her blanket for a little while longer, then let out a wide yawn and began to snuggle closer against Natsu.
"Sleepy?" Natsu asked as he began rocking her back and forth, humming softly to her. "You are my sun-well, I guess you'd actually be moonlight, wouldn't you?"
Lucy chuckled at the quip as Natsu adjusted the song to fit the new nickname. Within seconds Luna had fallen asleep. About that time, Kyri had finished eating. Lucy fixed her shirt back as Natsu set Luna down in the bed and then reached out to take Kyri.
"I'll burp her, go back to sleep," he said.
Lucy didn't argue as she lied back down and pulled the blankets to her chin. She slipped one hand out from under the blanket to stroke Luna's jet black hair. The hair worried her. The res of Luna looked enough like her, Natsu, or even Jude that she could pass as her's and Natsu's biological child. The hair though? Of course Zeref had black hair so they could just say that's how she got it. There was really nothing she could do about it though, so she snuggled back under the blankets and closed her eyes.
She could hear Natsu humming to Kyri as he paced back and forth across the bedroom floor.
"Ay-yah!" Kyri called. Lucy giggled as she cracked one eye open.
"You singing back to me, baby?" Natsu asked a smile on his face. Kyri grinned back, waving her tiny limbs excitedly.
"You are my sunshine-"
"Ay-yah!" Kyri called again, causing both parents to laugh.
"Silly girl," Natsu said as he rubbed his nose against Kyri's, his bangs brushing against her brow, showing the contrast between their hair colors. While Natsu's hair was a rosy pink, Kyri's was a pale peachy color, mostly pink but with traces of gold throughout.
"You are my sun-"
"Ay-yah!"
Lucy giggled again as Natsu just shook his head.
"You're already a mess, aren't Kyri?" Natsu said, smiling ear to ear.
"Ay-yah-ma."
"A sweet, adorable, mess."
Lucy smiled as her eyes fluttered closed once again. Natsu's singing may not have put Kyri to sleep, but it soon lulled Lucy to sleep, a soft smile on her face.
After enough pacing back and forth, rocking, and baby talk Kyri went back to sleep. Natsu laid her down next to Luna and then laid down on his side of the bed. He wasn't tired, he just wanted to enjoy this quiet moment. Mavis knew there would be no silence to be had once the older three got there.