Chapter 4: Recovery

2 Months Post-Tenrou

Mage after mage ran throughout the Fairy Tail guildhall, whether to take on another mission or grab a bite to eat and chat with friends. It had been two long months, but as the sadness and remorse slowly began to subside, the guild was finally starting to go back to how it had been. Members slowly started to take missions again, while others had resumed their previous jobs around the guild. If a new mage were to approach the guild, it would seem as if nothing had happened months ago.

But to the long-standing members of the guild, there was still a noticeable change. It was clear that while many of them were trying to go back to how things were, they couldn't stop the brief moments of sadness that would wash over the guild. The brawls weren't as lively, and there hadn't been any parties in the time since.

Although things have changed, and it might have been hard for them to continue pushing forward, everyone knew that Natsu would not want them to continue mourning. They had been sad a long time, and it was time for them move on. Natsu would forever hold a place in their hearts and would never be forgotten, but they couldn't dwell on what had happened forever. For the older members, it reminded them of the time they had lost Lisanna, and they knew that everyone just needed a slight push to get motivated once again.

So, the guild decided to turn things back around. Many of the teams were once again starting to take on missions, while other mages resumed their past positions in the guild. Mirajane could be seen working the bar with her younger sister Lisanna, along with the newly appointed Kinana. Gajeel had decided to stick around Levy for the time being and had accompanied Team Shadow Gear on the few missions they had gone on.

Team Natsu was the team that took the longest to start working again, but once they did, they were some of the most motivated and hardworking. After not working for so long, they turned their grief and sadness into determination. They completed mission after mission, seemingly never taking a break.

Erza, Gray, and Lucy had devoted much of their time to training and compared to a few months ago people were able to see a noticeable increase in their magic ability. Despite only having gone on a few missions so far, their reputation had grown immensely. None of their clients had ignored the lack of the energetic fire dragon slayer within their group. And word had spread quickly throughout Fiore of the famous Salamander having perished on Tenrou Island.

But there was one major change, and that was Wendy. While she had gone on the occasional mission with the team, much of the time she had chosen to stay behind by herself. No one had confronted the girl about her choice besides the team, but everyone expressed their concern over the younger girl. Wendy had unfortunately been one of the guild members most affected by the entire ordeal and it was clear that she wasn't the same little girl they had known.

After declining the teams request for her to join them on a mission, she would leave the guild with Happy and Charla. She hadn't told anyone where she goes or what she does during that time, but most thought it would be best to let her recover in the way she thought best. Many remembered the first time she had denied going on a mission with Team Natsu, where many had questioned her decision. After trying to ignore all the pestering, the girl had burst into angry tears before shouting at her interrogators and running out of the guildhall.

So, since that day no one had questioned her anymore. Everyone had been affected and had changed in some way, and whether she wanted to keep her reasons a secret or not wasn't up to them. During the times she was seen around the guild hall, she would be wearing her usual green dress with her sandals, but there was one key difference. Along with those, she had started wrapping Natsu's scarf around her neck. When the members first noticed it, she had received many sad looks, but once again chose to leave it alone.

Despite all of that, the guild members had noticed a slight change in Wendy's character. It seemed as if the small girl had become even quieter than she had been before. When she entered the guild, she would greet her fellow guildmates, but after that she would sit by herself quietly unless she was approached by someone else.

Today was one of the rare days she had chosen to sit in the guildhall. She was currently sitting at one of the empty tables in the corner of the guild reading a book. Happy and Charla sat off to her side, talking to each other. Every so often, a few of the members would sneak a quick glance towards the girl but would do nothing more. A while ago Mirajane had gone up and brought her a glass of juice while attempting to start up a conversation, but it was clear that the sky mage was in no mood to talk.

As many of the guild members had learned, most encounters with Wendy would end up like that. A member would approach her with a question or to start up a conversation with her, but they wouldn't receive much in return. Many wanted to help, but with the lack of response from the girl, no one was able to do anything about it.

But many of the guild members did not realize that there was only one member of the guild who knew exactly what was troubling the girl. Piercing grey eyes stared down at the hunched form of the girl from the second-floor balcony. The man let out a light grunt as he shifted around in his chair before raising his legs to rest them on top of the chair opposite of him.

Laxus Dreyar, the lightning dragon slayer, had been watching the sky dragon for these past months. He knew exactly what had changed the girl, and that nothing any of the guild members could offer would make any difference. That promise that Natsu had her make, it was affecting the girl in many ways, and seeing that he was the only other person to know about it, no one else was able to do anything.

Sighing to himself, the lightning mage ran a tired hand across his face. Two months ago, after the funeral, the master had approached him. When his grandfather had last spoken to Gildarts, the crash mage had requested one last wish from the guild master. That wish was to let him back into the guild.

His pride would never allow him to admit it, but he was grateful for the mage's wish. During his time away, he had learned a lot, and he would not blow it again. Fairy Tail was a family, and he was able to see that now more than ever before. No longer did he feel as if he was stuck under his grandfather's shadow. Natsu had been the one to help him realize all of this, and he would never forget the fire mage for it.

His gaze shifted back down towards the first floor when he heard some movement. His neutral expression slowly morphed into a frown as he watched the bluenette close her book before standing. She quietly brought her empty cup up to the counter and thanked the barmaids before making her way out of the guild with the two exceeds following close behind.

The frown remained on the lightning mage's face as he turned away once the doors closed. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and placed his hands behind his head. He wasn't entirely sure what the girl was planning, but he would be keeping a close eye on her. The girl may not know what she might be getting into, and he wouldn't let her get hurt if he could help it. Especially since it seemed that he would be the only one able to help her.

"Wendy," Happy called out, resting one of his paws on her arm. The bluenette marked the page in her book before turning towards the blue cat. When the Exceed noticed that he had her attention, he removed his paw from her arm before asking his question. "Could you go back to my house with me? There are a few things I still want to get."

A small frown appeared across her face, but she quickly hid the bottom of her face behind the scarf that was wrapped around her neck. Going back to Natsu's house was one thing she didn't necessarily enjoy as it brought back many sad memories. But she couldn't deny the small cat, as it was clear that he was still as sad as she was. He had refused to go near the house for the first month after Tenrou.

Nodding towards Happy, she silently closed the book that rested on the table before tucking it under one arm and grabbing the empty glass with the other hand. Walking up to the bar she placed the glass on top and thanked Mirajane and Lisanna who both nodded and smiled slightly in return. Turning away, she made her way to the doors before making her way outside, closely followed by the two exceeds.

It didn't take them long to reach the house, and as they entered the living room, the first think Wendy noticed was the mess around the room. They had only been here once prior and that was only for Happy to grab a few things so that he could move in with her. Sighing to herself, she watched as Happy moved about with Charla by his side. He had a few things gathered within his paws, and she wasn't all too surprised when she noticed that more than a few items were fish related.

A gust of wind interrupted her thoughts. Shifting her gaze over to one of the doors inside of the house, she noticed the door opening and closing slightly with the wind. Curious as to where the door may lead she made her way over, making sure not to trip on any of the mess. Reaching out, she placed one hand on the door and as she pushed against it, the door emit a loud creaking. Only putting her head in the room, she noticed that one wall was full of different items. They ranged from random rocks, to flowers, and even books.

Taking a step into the room, she slowly made her way over to one of the tables. Her initial glance had been lackluster compared to what she was able to see now. Various items of all kinds were placed all over the place. She ran her hand lightly across a rather small, but shiny rock that was laying on one of the tables. And looking to her left, she noticed a maid's outfit, and she could only assume that it was the same one Lucy had told her about in one of her stories.

Tears started to build up within her eyes as she continued looking at the objects. All these different items from the missions Natsu had completed. She could even see a piece from one of the lacrima they had broken inside of Nirvana. It was a lot to take in, knowing that years of adventuring were now over for the fire mage.

Happy stood off to the side, with a sad look etched across his face. Charla stood beside him patting his back reassuringly. Happy himself had been there for many of the adventures, and she couldn't even begin to imagine how he must have been feeling these past few months. Charla had no clue what she would do if anything ever happened to Wendy. Her entire life had been devoted to making sure that Wendy grew up as best as possible.

Wendy continued through the room, passing memory after memory. She finally came to a stop in the corner of the room, where there was a small tarp covering something on the floor. Raising one hand to wipe the tears away from her eyes she couldn't help but reach out and remove the tarp. Laying the cloth off to the side, she saw a small, neatly carved box made entirely out of wood.

Slowly reaching down, she gingerly picked the box up and placed it on top of one of the tables within the room. Happy and Charla, who had both heard the box being placed on top of the table had joined the girl on the table. Happy's eyes widened as he reached forward to place his paws on top of the box. "Wendy…" he drawled out, his voice quivering. "This… This was Natsu's most prized treasure. He never let anyone get close to it, even I have never seen what is inside."

Wendy's eyes widened as she listened to Happy. Despite the despair that was churning within her, her curiosity had peaked. What could Natsu have kept that he wouldn't even have shown Happy? Not waiting another moment, she softly placed her hand on top of the latch that kept the box shut. Her gaze shifted towards the two cats and upon receiving two reassuring nods, she undid the latch.

The top of the box sprung open, revealing the item that had been hidden inside. Laying on top of a soft, purple cloth was a small, crimson gem. Bright red lines constantly flowed throughout the gem, lighting the crystal up. The red reflection of the gem shone in the groups eyes, and Charla had even covered her eyes for a moment.

Wendy was stunned. She had never seen such a beautiful gem before. Reaching down, she ran her fingers softly across the top of the crystal. As she touched the crystal, she was able to feel the heat that was radiating from within. It wasn't overbearing, but it was enough heat to make the girl feel uncomfortable.

"H-Happy," The girl murmured, not taking her eyes off the gem. "Are you sure you don't know what this is?" There was no response for a moment, but then Happy shook his head, "Aye, Natsu never told me what it was."

It was hard to describe, but it was as if Wendy could feel the gem pulling her closer to it. She felt connected to it in some way, but she just didn't know what it was. Removing her finger from the gem, she took a breath as she continued to stare at the gem. It was almost as if the gem was calling out to her, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't remember seeing anything like it before.

Shaking her head, she grabbed the lid of the box before closing it. Securing the latch, she picked up the box and put it back in the corner of the room. Once the tarp was neatly placed back on top of the box, she turned and made her way back towards the door. She would seek answers later, for now she had to work on cleaning up the house. A small smile appeared on her face. Even she couldn't deny that Natsu seemed to have a hard time keeping anything clean or tidy.

For now, she would leave that mystery alone, but even though she had locked the item away once again, it almost seemed as if she could still feel the item's pull. And she wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

Edited 8/27/18

Thanks to (Blazing sky dragon legends, SilentSniper05, jgkitarel, raynisia, OverLordRevan, Dragon Lord Draco, NinNinKakizaki2015, and Fairy Tail Shu Heller) for the reviews! And thanks to everyone for all the favs and follows!