Titania and The Hunter
Chapter 24: Thank You
Sorry I'm so late. Been very busy these last few weeks.
I was originally going to do something different for this chapter but I couldn't for the life of me think of a way to make it seem easy, natural, and flow normally. So I made this instead.
Probably a short chapter but that just means faster to cleaning up stories and posting new stuff.
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November X783
Koyuki was quietly and happily playing with a coloring book provided to her by the nice conductor of the train. She was blissfully using her time to crudely draw outside the lines of a cartoon train with wild tracks. The little four-year old giggled as she was happy about her little drawing and wanted to show it to everyone.
But little Koyuki knew she shouldn't ask anyone right now.
She sat on the train next to the nice old lady with pink hair she had met a few times before. But instead of the mean scowl she usually had plastered all over her face, she looked rather solemn instead. The little Senju girl's eyes wandered around the car and spotted the others that she had come with.
Sitting in the seat right across from them was Grampa Makky. Koyuki completely adored the funny, shrimpy old man that was in charge of everyone in the guild. He was always nice to her, giving her treats and always playing with her. Of course, everyone in the guild was nice to her but she still had a soft spot for the old guild master. She thought of him kind of like a grandfather that always looked out for her. And she was really upset because instead of the usual aloof smile on his face, he looked glum and somber.
Koyuki leaned over to look at the couple sitting across the aisle. Sitting there were two of the people she cherished most in the world, her Big Brother and Sister.
Koyuki loved her mother from the bottom of her heart. And when she came to visit the guild, they would spend the whole time together to make up for the lost days. But since she was always gone for work, Koyuki was mainly Naruto and Erza's responsibility. And when those two were off on a job, she would usually stay with the Strauss siblings or the other girls in Fairy Hills. But she was usually always with the two S-Class mages.
For as long as she could remember, Naruto and Erza had always been taking care of her.
They changed her diapers when she was a baby. They helped her walk and crawl when she was a toddler. She took showers with Erza and slept in her bed at Fairy Hills when they were together. And Naruto would feed her a bunch of tasty food and they'd fall asleep in the bed or couch. Lately, the three of them would spend all night over at Naruto's house and play together. She loved them.
So it also scared her that they looked rather distraught as they looked out at the passing scenery through the window.
Koyuki sheepishly looked up at the old woman she was not very familiar with. She got her attention by pulling softly on her sleeve, "U-um, Baa-chan, why is everyone sad? Did something bad happen?"
Porlyusica looked down at the little girl that quietly asked her the question in an attempt not to grab everyone else's attention. Why was she even coming along? Porlyusica didn't know much about this girl except that she was Hashirama's descendent and she stayed with the other two youngsters. Why was she even here? She was way too young to actually know what they were doing.
And why did she call her that? Seriously! Did Naruto just rub off on her like that! Porlyusica gave a stern look, "Hush child. And don't-" She wanted to scold the little girl on the unnecessary nickname she gave but her argument died when the little Senju girl looked up at her in fright with big wet eyes. Porlyusica struggled to continue her scolding before shaking her head and sighing, "Oh forget it. It never stops any of you anyway."
"Hehe, c'mon Porlyusica, don't be so hard on the kid. She was just asking a question." Makarov finally cracked a smile at his old friend's exhausted attitude before looking to the young child with a kind face, "It's all right Koyuki. None of us are mad..." He leaned forward and loudly whispered to her, "And Baa-chan always acts all mean and stuffy so don't be scared."
Koyuki took a moment to register what he said before nodding her head. She looked up at the woman and actually cowered a bit. Porlyusica face was completely covered in darkness, glaring at the short guild master across from her that so easily mocked her personality. Ohohoho...he was gonna pay for that later.
"You see we are all just a little...sad, I guess." He gave a weak smile towards the little girl.
She looked over to him in concern, "Why?"
"Well because..." Makarov struggled to find the right words before he looked over to the medical advisor.
She closed her eyes tiredly before looking down at the little girl, "We're going to give our regards to our friend."
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The train slowly came to a stop at the local station. The door slid open and all of the passengers started to flood out of it as the little group from Fairy Tail casually made their way through the crowd. Koyuki was tightly holding onto Makarov's hand as she quickly looked around at the new setting. She looked up and spotted a little wooden sign hanging overhead that spelled out...
Viola Central Station
She couldn't actually read very well because it was an old sign and the letters were all muffled up but she at least knew she wasn't in the same town she lived in.
Naruto looked around in confusion and rubbed the back of his head, "I always get lost in this town. It's filled with so many rich and snotty people you can't really ask them for directions."
Erza disagreed, "What are you talking about? We haven't even asked anyone yet." She started walking towards a group of people, "Give me a moment to ask around and I'll-"
"NO!" All the adults yelled as Naruto jumped forward and grabbed her shoulder to stop her from 'asking' anyone around.
She had a befuddled look on her face before looking over at him, "What is it?"
"Well-ah-it's just, you don't actually have to trouble yourself. I'm sure we can figure this out ourselves." Naruto tried to negotiate with a weak laugh as Makarov rapidly nodded his head in agreement behind them.
Erza thought for a moment before nodding her head and returning to their little group. They exhaled in relief at stopping Erza from asking any of the folks around for directions. Because when Erza asked people questions, more often than not that resulted in several people lying on the ground with bruised foreheads and mild concussions.
Porlyusica got their attention, "We don't have to bother with directions or asking around. Bob said he would send someone from his guild to come and show us around."
Makarov looked up at her, "Did he say who?"
"No. He just said we would realize who they were when we saw them."
"Well that's no help. How are we supposed to know who out of all these people are a part of his guild? Are we just supposed to know by heart?"
Immediately after Porlyusica complained about the unsatisfactory planning, Erza summoned a sword from her Requip and held it up defensively, looking around and ready to attack.
They all looked at her strangely, "You all right Erza?"
"Y-yeah I'm fine. It's just...I felt like something was wrong...something was following us-"
"*Sniff*Sniff* Mmmmm~..."
A chill ran down Erza's spine when she felt something stumpy and warm smell her hair. She squirmed and cowered a little in fear when she realized who was following them.
"Erza-San, the fragrance of your Parfume is just as wonderful and intoxicating as ever." The stumpy, well-dressed Blue Pegasus Mage said in a breathy voice before he ran his hand through his hair. He pointed at the red-head and winked at her as little sparkles floated around him, "Oh how I've missed you."
"KYAA!" Erza let out a girly squeal before she jumped away and held her sword out like a nervous amateur. She didn't see them but she just knew that everyone was looking at her in disbelief and shock. She couldn't blame them. She had faced dozens of powerful mages and fought entire gangs off without even resorting to using her armors. But something about this man...
He just scared her.
"Come now Erza-San, let us enjoy our reunion together~."
"Stay back Ichiya! I-I'm warning you!" Erza said while she stepped back. Ichiya was weirdly strutting over to her before he felt a firm hand dig into his shoulder.
"Oiiiiii~, Ichiya~..." Naruto growled out in a deep, vicious tone as he was slightly miffed at the way the creepy Casanova was coming on to Erza. He had a dark look in his eyes as he looked down at the shorter man, "What the hell are you doing to Erza?"
"Ah~." He spun around a few times before pointing at the taller blond with a sparkly visage, "Naruto-kun~, it's been quite some time my old friend~. How are you?"
"Yeah, I'm great Ichiya." Naruto said as he leaned back a little from the strange man. They had all come back here exactly a year before so Naruto was reintroduced to the strange man that scared him years ago. Even after all these years and Naruto still didn't feel too comfortable around this guy. He couldn't look Ichiya in the eye with that weird piercing gaze, "Thanks for asking."
Ichiya looked behind him to see the wrinkly old man and the girl holding onto his hand. He spun around the tall blond before greeting the guild master, "Hello Master Makarov, it's a pleasure to see you again."
"Yeah. It's good to see you too lad."
Ichiya spotted the little girl trying to hide herself behind the little man that was just barely taller than her. He leaned down towards them, "And who is this lovely little lady behind you?"
Koyuki shyly hid behind the old Wizard Saint and tried to avoid the gaze of the strange Parfume Mage. Makarov just smiled, "This little lady is Koyuki. We're in charge of keeping her safe while her mother is away and she wanted to come along with us today." He gave a little bow, "Please help us along kindly."
"Of course." Ichiya looked down and noticed that he had caught the little girl's eyes for a moment. He decided to do what he always did when he locked eyes with a pretty little lady. He winked, pointed at her, let little sparkles fly around his face, and dreamily sang out, "~Meeeeeennnnnnnnnn~."
Koyuki shook in fear and hid further out of sight. She was too scared of this monster man.
Ichiya spun on his feet and pointed towards the town, "Come with me. I'll show you towards your destination. The rest of your party have already arrived and they've been waiting for you."
Erza coughed into her hand to try and gather some of her former semblance before addressing the flirtatious man, "Ichiya, you can show us to a flower shop before we arrive, correct? We need to grab something before we go."
"Of course, Erza-San~." He winked at her, "Anything for you, my dear scarlet flower~."
Erza felt like a bug was crawling up her back as she shivered a little at his heated look. Naruto patted her on the back, "There there, he can't actually do anything to you."
Erza sent him a disbelieving glare, "Speak for yourself."
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"Geez, they sure are taking their sweet time aren't they?" The tall man with the sunglasses and pointy hat said as he complained to his friends.
The short man sitting on the bench pulled out a watch and clicked his tongue, "Makky never really was one for punctuality. I guess he's passing that bad little trait to all of his new kids."
"Mouuuuuuu~, Makky-chan is really causing us a but of trouble, don't you think?" The round man with makeup in the fluffy white coat lightly complained. He delicately held his cheek to his face, "If he doesn't come soon, I'm gonna have to teach him a lesson about keeping a pretty lady waiting."
"Bobby, whenever you try to teach lessons to people, they usually end up with disheveled clothes and shattered pride. I'm fine as is."
The three former Fairy mages looked over to see the last of their little party arriving. Makarov, Porlyusica, Naruto, Erza with a bouquet of lilies, and finally an adorable little girl holding onto Makarov's hand. The tall blond turned around and waved thanks towards the well-dressed Parfume Mage for showing them the way before he strutted his way back to his guild.
Bob squealed and ran over to them, "Makky-chan! Por-chan! It's so good to see you two again!"
Makarov gave a mock salute and grinned while even Porlyusica showed a brief smile. She nodded to her old companion, "You too Bob. You...haven't changed a bit."
"Oh stop. You're gonna make me blush." The large man spotted the young couple behind the two and gasped with excitement brimming in his voice. He quickly made his way to the two young adults, "Naruto-chan! Erza-chan! Oh, it's so good to see you two again!"
Erza smiled and bowed in respect to the Blue Pegasus Guild Master, "You too, Master Bob. It's good to see you in fine health."
The large man tip-tied over to the tall blond and looked him over with an intrigued eye, "Ooooooh~, Naruto-chan~. You've grown into such a fine young man~." He said with a heated tone as he made Naruto sweat and lean away to save himself. He inquired, "Maybe if you aren't seeing anyone~..."
"U-um, thanks for the offer Bob-San, I think." He said, unsure of how to interpret what he was implying before he quickly stepped around the man and stood by Erza's side. He looked over to her for a moment and smiled, "But sorry, I'm still committed at the moment."
Bob snapped his fingers. That's right...
Naruto-chan and Erza-chan were a couple now.
Actually, they were a couple even before Bob saw them a year ago. And it still looked like they were as strong as ever.
Bob remembered hearing the story from Makarov. Apparently, the two of them went out on a date one day and when they returned, they had confessed to each other and fallen in love. If they went into details, it was a beautiful love story that would make any person weak in the knees and all gooey inside. It was a beautiful tale...
But from what Makarov said, that wasn't how they all learned about it. Apparently, a nosy little barmaid made an accurate and embarrassing guess about their saucy 'first night' together and got the whole guild's attention set on the new couple.
Naruto and Erza were still a little miffed at Mira after all this time.
Bob saw the young couple intertwine their hands without even looking down and chuckled. He smiled, "Oh well, I guess some girls get all the luck."
The two young mages smiled at the girly man before turning to see their master and medical advisor talking to the other two men. The two men noticed the young couple approach and face them.
Naruto met with the short man in the orange outfit and cane. The shorter man looked up at the whiskered Mage and smiled, "Hello Naruto-kun. I see you are still in good health."
"Yes. That's right sir. And it's good to see you too Yajima-San." Naruto bowed respectfully to the old man he owed so much to for everything he's done for him in the last few years. Introducing him to ramen. His influence in the trial a few years ago. Naruto felt eternally grateful to the man who had helped save his life in Fairy Tail.
"How have you been my boy? Not getting into too much trouble again, are you?"
"Of course not sir. Well, I mean, as much trouble as Fairy Tail usually gets itself into." Naruto joked and he smiled and chuckled. He just shrugged his shoulders, "But don't worry. Erza is keeping me in check. She makes sure I'm behaving myself and I don't cause any more trouble then we're used to."
"But you're still causing some serious problems for Makky to take care of."
"Not my problem."
Yajima chuckled as he saw the bright smile on the young man's face. In comparison to the solemn and despairing look on his face two years earlier in courtroom, this was a vast improvement. He was glad to see the young blond look so lively again.
"Ahahaha, I'm serious kid, he talked about you a bunch after coming back from that job." Goldmine said with a smirk as he fixed his glasses, "He says that little tussle he had with you over a job was the most wild thing he's done in weeks. He's eager to fight you again."
Erza gave an empty look to the side, "Right...well I hope you can remind Bacchus that if we ever meet again, he should concentrate more on the job and less on sparring with me. And also not to run the town dry of all its booze in less than a day."
"Haha, yeah. That sounds like my kid."
"Hey." Erza looked over to see Naruto walking over to her side before he motioned towards the gate, "C'mon. We should probably pay our visit."
Erza nodded, "You're right." She looked over to the rest of the old former team, "Are the rest of you coming?"
Makarov waved them off, "Nah, we're gonna spend some time catchin' up. Don't worry, we'll get our part done in a minute. You two go on ahead."
Bob joined in the waving, "Yeah. Don't let us stop you."
The young couple just looked between each other before nodding and walking towards the gate. Until Naruto felt someone lightly tug on the end of his cloak. He turned around to see Koyuki gentle hold the end of the black cloth and look up at her brother and sister.
She looked up at Naruto, "O-Onii-chan. Can I-um-"
Naruto saw Koyuki struggle to ask the question before he smiled. He kneeled down to face her, "Do you wanna come with us?"
She nodded her head before she lifted her arms to show she wanted to be carried. Naruto didn't even argue as he lifted her up and let her hug his neck for safety before he and Erza made their way into the cemetery.
The old group of former Fairy mages watched the sight of the little pseudo-family make their way to their destination. Makarov smiled warmly as he watched them walk off before he laughed, "I never thought I would see those two would come so far from the little brats that knocked at my door."
Bob placed his hand against his cheek and watched them walk off with a dreamy expression, "Rob-chan was so proud. I bet he would have been happy to see them come say hello again."
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Koyuki silently watched as her big sister placed the collection of flowers down in front of the gravestone. She then watched as the red-headed woman kneeled down in front of the tombstone and placed her hands together before bowing her head in silence. Koyuki looked over from where Erza was silently praying to see Naruto with a solemn smile on his face.
Koyuki tugged on Naruto's collar, "Onii-chan, what's wrong?" She looked up at him with worry in her little eyes, "Why are you so sad?"
Naruto blinked in surprise before he tried to think of a suitable way to explain what they were doing to the little girl. He thought for a moment, "Well Koyuki, me and Erza are...well..." He had a sad look on his face before he masked it with a smile, "We came to visit someone who isn't with us anymore."
Koyuki titled her head, "Where'd they go?"
Naruto stumbled over his words, "Uhhh-"
"Here Koyuki." Naruto and Koyuki looked down to see Erza looking up at them and calling them over, "Let me tell you."
Naruto looked at her and silently asked if she was sure before the red-head just gave a confident nod. Naruto kneeled down and lowered Koyuki onto her feet before her short little legs ran over to her big sister. Erza positioned Koyuki in front of her before wrapping her arms around the little Senju girl protectively and looking at the gravestone, "Koyuki, this is someone who passed away last year. He was somebody that was very dear to me, to Naruto, to Master and many other people..."
Erza had far-off look in her eyes as she rested her chin on Koyuki's chestnut brown hair and stared at the gravestone, "I called him Rob-jisan."
Naruto looked at the burial of one of their oldest, closest, and most dear friends. Last year, him, Erza, Jiji, and Baa-chan all came out to the mountain range behind Viola to visit their ailing friend. But this was different from any other experience he had with someone passing away. He wasn't injured or attacked or killed...
It was just his time to go.
Naruto still remembered the smile on Rob's face when they came to see him with everybody else last year. He was resting in his bed and just waiting for his time to come. But when he saw Naruto and Erza walk through his door, the same warm smile and happy look came onto his face that he always showed when he was in front of his young charges.
He laughed and talked with them, listening to what they had done and congratulating them on the promotion to S-Class. He was happiest when he heard that they had finally started to date. He gathered the blond and red-head into a huge hug and squeezed them with strength they didn't think he could muster.
And then he demanded that they give him at least a dozen grandchildren.
Yeah...that was just awkward for everyone.
And then, a few hours after that, he asked them to wait outside as he passed away. They wanted to protest but they couldn't say no to the man that raised and protected them for most of their life.
Naruto still didn't know how to feel about it after all this time. He was glad that Rob-jichan got to pass away happily, with people that loved him and with a smile on his face. For the man that raised him, gave him magic, sacrificed his arm and taught him how to fight, it was the least he deserved to be sent off with.
But at the same time, it was a different set of circumstances than all the other people that had disappeared or vanished from his life.
Unlike everything else that had happened, there was nothing he could do to stop it. And that made him feel...incapable.
Koyuki looked at the gravestone in wonder, "Ojii-San?"
"That's right Koyuki. You know how when Mom comes back from work, we all go and visit Grandpa?" Koyuki remembered the similar stone they go and visit at the cathedral and nodded her head under Erza's chin, "Well this person was my grandpa. And for awhile, he was the only family I ever had."
Erza closed her eyes for a moment as memories of the kind old Mage flickered through her head. She gave a faint smile, "If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here right now. A lot of us...wouldn't be here right now."
Erza was silent for a moment until she spoke up, "You know, when he first told me about magic and what it could do, I was so amazed by it." Naruto perked up when he realized she was talking to him, "I kept asking him over and over if someday I could use magic, and he would always tell me that I could do anything. And back then that always gave me...hope. More than anything else."
Erza buried her face into Koyuki hair and said with a muffled tone, "I always used to promise him that when I did become a Mage, I would fly through the sky on a broom with him on the back. I thought it was the least I could do for someone like him." She laughed for a moment at the childish little dream she promised to keep, "But in the end, I couldn't give him that."
Koyuki felt upset because she knew her big sister was sad. She wanted to do something but then she felt another pair of arms wrap around her and Erza.
Erza felt Naruto wrap his arms around her and gently kiss the top of her head. He pulled back and smiled, "You know he wouldn't have held something like that as a regret. Ojii-chan was happy knowing we were happy. So don't be sad. That isn't what he would want."
Erza was silent for a moment as his words sunk in. She lifted her head off of Koyuki's and gave a small nod with a little smile, "Yeah. You're right."
Koyuki leaned back and smiled up at her older siblings before they all stayed there for a moment in silence. Giving a silent prayer for their departed friend to find peace.
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Naruto made his way up the mountain as his boots crunched through the fresh snow. He told Erza that he was going to take a walk while the rest of the group was giving their prayers, and now he was a few miles north of the Blue Pegasus guild. He didn't let the cold weather affect him as he looked around at the undisturbed beauty of the white forest. Until he finally reached his destination.
Naruto stood in the level field as he stared at the old wood cabin. He kept his eyes on the place he had called home for more than a year as his feet instinctively started pushing through the snow. He stood in front of the man-made house before he started circling around it. He reached an area that looked relatively different in comparison to the rest of the old wood before he lightly traced his fingers over it.
"This is torture! I can't believe you are making me do this Ojii-chan! It was an accident! I can't control this-this-thing!" A twelve-year old Naruto whined as he dropped a pile of large lumber down in the snow. He lightly glared at the old man that methodically hammered away at the new hole in his house.
The wrinkly old man took a nail out of his mouth before looking at the whiskered child, "Well it's your fault. You were just swinging your arm around all willy-nilly like that and you didn't think about what would happen if you hit something-"
"I didn't think I could break walls with this thing!" Naruto complained as he gestured to the new prosthetic casing around his possessed arm. He pouted, "It's not my fault. I was just excited because you said you would train me."
"And I will Naruto-kun. I promise." He reassured his young charge by grasping his shoulder. They both smiled at each other before Rob gently shook his shoulder, "Now stop stalling and help me fix the house."
"STOP BLAMING ME, DAMMIT!"
Naruto chuckled at the fond memory of their argument after he had accidentally destroyed a part of the cabin.
Naruto walked around the rest of the structure and spotted an empty little area to the side of it. He stared at it for a moment as he remembered the first training session they ever had.
Naruto looked up at the tall man in disbelief, "You want me...to hold eggs?"
"Yep." Rob gently juggled several eggs together with surprising skill until he caught all of them with his own prosthetic arm. He held them out, "That new arm of yours holds back all the power from where Kurama's energy was taking over. And, as we've witnessed with the wall..." He pointed at the cabin as Naruto deflated and looked to the side in embaressment, "You have a massive excess of power you don't know how to control. Which is why our first lesson will be on control."
Rob motioned for Naruto to hold out his left hand as he gently placed the egg in his palm. He smiled, "Okay, now gently squee-"
*Crack*
Both mages watched as the yoke spilled out from Natuto's fingers and melted into the snow. Naruto looked up at Rob with expectation for what to do next.
"Okay~." Rob realized that going straight for egg keeping with Naruto was probably not gonna lead anywhere. The old Mage looked around and spotted a large stone sticking out of the snow. He pulled it out of the ground before handing it to Naruto, "All right, now this time, gently squee-"
*Crack*
Once again, Naruto's new grip proved too powerful and completely reduced the stone to rubble and dust. They were silent for a moment before Naruto looked back up at Rob.
Rob scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know what I expected."
Naruto made his way up onto the porch and felt each footstep cause the wood to creak underneath him. He pushed open the front door and watched as the light brightened the empty cabin. The interior was covered with dust, something he had expected considering it hadn't been used in over a year.
The little fireplace and stove that slowly cooked some of the best stew he had ever had. The small bed and the futon besides it that rested against the back wall. The table where he would rest his head after a long training session and laugh about stories Ojii-chan would tell him.
Naruto leaned against the door frame to relax before he closed his eyes once last time.
"I'm serious! Ever since they made a team, these two have done nothing but cause me trouble!" Makarov cried as he pointed at the couple sitting on the side of their grandpa's sickbed. He weeped, "They destroy buildings! Wreck streets! I can't keep up with all the paperwork! My wrinkles are getting wrinkles!"
All of his old friends just laughed at his misery.
"STOP LAUGHING! IT AIN'T FUNNY!"
Yajima stopped playing poker with Goldmine as his laughter tapered off, "C'mon Makky, there's no reason to be so uptight. So you get a few bills and notifications every week. So what."
Makarov growled in anger, "Yammy, you're the one who sends me that shit in the first place."
"And that's what makes it so funny." They all laughed at Makarov's misery as Erza bowed her head in shame.
"I'm sorry Master. I truly did try my hardest not to cause you any grief-"
"I didn't." Erza slapped Naruto's arm as he laughed lightly.
"Please forgive me Master."
Makarov kept his stern scowl on for a few moments before he sighed and shook his head, "Geez Erza, you make it really hard to stay mad at you when you're actually sorry." Makarov motioned to the blond, "This little asshole on the other hand-"
"Hey, Makky, watch the language!" Rob defended as he held Naruto's shoulder, "I'm sure Naruto-kun has a good reason for doing everything he's done." He looked at the young man, "Naruto-kun, is there a reason you've been causing Makky so much strife over the years?"
Naruto looked up in thought as he tried to think of the best answer. He nodded his head and looked at his old friend, "It's funny and I can't be bothered."
Rob nodded his head proudly, "That's my boy."
Everybody laughed as Makarov just resorted to pouting. They enjoyed the moment until-
"Ahahaha-h-GAK!" Rob laugh suddenly turned into a fit of violent coughing as his voice became gravely and rough. Everyone in the cabin realized something was wrong when Rob grabbed Naruto's shoulder for support because he couldn't hold himself up anymore. Porlyusica came running over to help him back onto his pillow as they surrounded him in a panic.
"Ojii-chan!"
"Rob-jisan!"
"Robby!"
"Rob-chan!"
Rob was placed back against the pillow as the coughs faded and some color disappeared from his face. He struggled, "I-I'm fine. That happens every now and then. Nothing you all need to worry about."
He rested quietly against the bed for a moment until he looked to the side, "Naruto-kun? Erza-chan?"
The young couple came to his side in a moment, "Yes, what is it Ojii-San?"
"What's wrong? Do you need something?"
"No no, I'm fine. Really." Rob smiled at them, "I just need you two to do me a little favor."
"Of course."
"Anything Ojii-chan."
He seemed conflicted for a moment before he gave them a sad smile, "I need you two to go down the mountain to town and get some of my medicine. It might take some time though...can you do that for me?"
Naruto and Erza looked at him for a moment until realization crossed their faces at what he was doing. Naruto looked at him sadly, "W-what? O-Ojii-chan, you can't be-"
"It's all right. You two won't have a problem." Rob gave a weak nod, "Please."
Naruto looked at him in disbelief before looking towards everyone else in the room. They all had sad and hesitant looks as Naruto looked to them for an argument to stay. Until he saw Makarov looking up at him and nodding once, silently telling him to follow Rob's last request without question.
Naruto swallowed his protest and reluctantly nodded his head. He grasped Erza's shoulder, "C'mon Erza, let's go."
But before he could lead them away, Erza walked forward and sat on the side of the bed. She placed her hands on top of Rob's and sat there silently as everyone watched. After a moment, her shoulders started to shake and her hands tensed up. The red-head looked up at the man that raised her since childhood and whimpered out with watery eyes...
"Please don't ask me to leave."
Rob's voice hitched when he saw the closest person to a daughter he ever had cry for him. He inhaled for a moment before holding the hand that rest atop of his. He squeezed it as a tear ran down his face...
"I could never ask you to stay."
Erza looked at him sadly before closing her eyes. She leaned in and pulled him into a hug she never wanted to end. She lowered her head for a moment as tears ran down her cheek and whispered, "I love you."
He returned the hug, "You will never know how proud you've made me. And I'm happy a crusty old man like me got to do something right with his life."
After a moment, they finally pulled back from each other and Erza kissed Rob's forehead before she stood back up. She lowered her eyes out of sight and walked out of the cabin before she lost herself. Naruto watched her leave before he turned back around and looked at the old man.
He bent down and hugged Rob for as long as he could before he knew it was time to say goodbye. He pulled back and watched Rob smile at him one last time before he followed Erza and walked out of the cabin.
When Naruto emerged, he saw Erza sitting on the edge of the hill, looking out at the forest and far-off town. She didn't react as Naruto walked over to her side and sat down besides her. And Naruto didn't say anything as she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her tear-ridden eyes.
And the two of them sat there for an hour until the rest of their group emerged from the cabin to tell them Rob was gone.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the sight of the old cabin once more. He pushed off the door and stood there for a moment to catch his bearings.
Until a powerful gust of wind started to grow stronger and stronger as the snow in the field started to blow away. Naruto turned around as he heard the sound of huge, mighty wings flapping through the air and talons digging into the ground beneath them.
Naruto stared at the massive adult Wyvern that had landed in the middle of the field. The scales over its massive body were pristine white and silver, blending into the snowy mountain terrain. Its wing span stretched further than 10 meters, covering everything in a massive shadow. But Naruto noticed one feature over everything else the massive flying lizard had shown.
The multitude of scars over what used to be its left eye. From where a young, inexperienced Mage stabbed a broken sword into it in retaliation for mutilating his arm.
Naruto instinctively gripped his left arm and felt the cold sensation the metal had gained from being in the cold climate.
He lowered his arm and took a step forward as he faced the great creature, "You remember me, right? The kid in the snow you felt threatened of?"
The large Wyvern let out a low growl as the blond slowly walked forward.
"I'm gonna take that as a yes." Naruto scratched his head, "Y'know, the old man from the cabin..." He threw a motion towards the old structure, "He told me last year that during the time he was looking after me, he was also watching out for you. Apparently, you were the measly little runt of the litter that was tossed out of the nest and into the cold." Naruto chuckled, "I gotta say, I was surprised when Ojii-chan told me that but when he told me about the litter thing...I laughed."
The Wyvern growled even louder.
"I bet you would like to take some anger out on me for the eye, right?" Naruto pulled his arm out of the cloak to show the beast his prosthetic, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little resentment for my arm." He stopped in front of the Wyvern's lowered head and tensed his arms, "If you and I fought, I doubt there would be much argument considering our history."
Though the two adversaries were tense for a moment, the Wyvern lowered its wings and Naruto relaxed his arms. He shook his head with a faint smile, "Yeah...I can't bring myself to do it anymore either. I guess some scars really can fade with just time."
Naruto looked at the beast with a thoughtful glance towards the cabin, "He passed away last year. I know you probably didn't even need to be taken care of for awhile now but...could you watch over this place? Keep it open for wandering little runts to pass through and find shelter. Consider it a favor from one unwanted misfit to the next."
The Wyvern looked at the blond man for a moment before lowering its head to about his level. Naruto took this as a chance to reconcile their last difference and rubbed his nose gently. He smiled as the wind picked up and rustled the trees around them.
Rob would have been proud to see him make peace with a longtime enemy. Or at least a mutual agreement not to destroy each other.
########Hunter########
"NOW, LET'S PARTY AND CELEBRATE UNTIL WE GET KNEE-WOOBLY, SHIT-FACED DRUNK! BANZAI!"
"BANZAI!" Everyone in the Fairy Tail Guild cheered as they welcomed the small party of old folks accompanying their master to the guild hall. After they had paid their respects to Rob, everyone came back to Fairy Tail for a good old-fashioned party.
Except Porlyusica. She didn't want to be bothered with their childish noise. Even Koyuki's adorable puppy eyes and pouting had no effect. And that was when they truly realized she was impervious to anything fun.
Of course they also had to drop Koyuki off at Naruto's house so she could get her rest. She had a long day and she had traveled on a train from Magnolia to Viola and back. She deserved her rest.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! G-geez, you two grew up tons since I last saw ya!" Goldmine laughed as he drank with the two older mages of the guild.
Macao laughed, "Yeah! I remember when I first started out in this place and you came here to visit Master. God, that seems like ages ago!"
"Keep talking like that Macao. Make us feel even older than we are." Wakaba jabbed as he knocked the ash out of his pipe and looked at the Quatro Cerberus Master, "What about you Master Goldmine? How've ya been these last few years?"
"Ah, you know. It's hard trying to control a guild when every single one of my guys believes in doing everything with a wild spirit."
"A MAN DOES WHAT HE CAN WITH ALL HIS HEART!"
Macao and Wakaba knew there couldn't have been a better time for Elfman to scream that out as they nodded their heads, "Yep."
"We think we get ya."
"But all this time with them has seriously got me thinking about how precious and fleeting life can be sometimes. And how we have to enjoy it as much as we can because you never know when it might go." He raised his cup to the younger men, "Don't forget that boys. Live your lives as best you can before you start getting tied down."
He thought that was a bit of kind and thoughtful wisdom to give these men he had known from the guild for quite some time. But he started to regret it when he saw the empty and despairing looks on their faces.
Wakaba took a puffed his pipe, "I'm married with a daughter."
Macao looked at his drink, "I'm divorced with a son."
Goldmine was silent for a moment as he looked between the two of them. He placed his mug down, "Next round on me?"
"Yes please."
Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Loke were all sitting around the blond as he answered the questions they all had for him. Natsu continued, "You seriously know all of Jii-chan's friends?"
"Most of them yeah." Naruto joked, "They apparently all used to be a part of the same team in the guild."
The three men looked over at all the old people celebrating and drinking with their friends before looking at the blond. Gray asked, "So they're-what-alumni?"
"Basically, yeah."
"All of these guys?"
"Actually there was another member of their group that passed away a year ago, and also Porlyusica-baachan from the forest."
Loke scoffed, "S-seriously, that mean old lady that yells at the Master?"
"Yep."
"That mean old lady that yells at anybody that comes near her treehouse?"
"Yep."
"That mean old lady that waves her broom at me and calls me 'the annoying little rat with wings'?"
They all looked at Happy for a moment because they couldn't discern if that was Prolyusica or just any normal person that saw Happy fly around. Naruto shrugged, "Um, I think so."
"She's so silly. I'm not an annoying rat with wings! I'm an annoying CAT with wings!"
Natsu patted Happy's head, "That's right Happy, stand proud of your annoying cat qualities!"
"Aye sir!"
The rest of the table decided to ignore the dumbass duo as Gray looked at Naruto, "So how do you know all these guys anyway?"
"Oh, me and Erza were raised by one of them since we were kids. He always used to tell us stories about his old team and that's how we found out about Fairy Tail."
Although they were interested by his story, they were far more surprised by the backstory he glossed over so quickly. Natsu leaned forward, "YOU'VE KNOWN ERZA SINCE YOU WERE KIDS?!"
Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Not much older than Romeo and Koyuki."
Loke was impressed, "Really?"
"Yeah. What's so weird about that?"
"Was Erza always so...weird? And...scary?" Gray asked nervously.
"Wha-No! Erza's never been..." Naruto stopped for a moment as he thought about what they meant before he shrugged, "Eh...kinda."
After they were silent for a moment, Loke added his piece, "I actually knew someone who advised me to come here too."
They all looked towards the playboy, "Really?"
"Yeah. I didn't have a place to go a few years back and he told me about this place. Said I won't find any place better in the world to feel at home."
All of them smiled and nodded their heads before Happy asked, "Who was it?"
"That would be me, boys~."
They all jumped back when the large man in the spaghetti string dress appeared behind the orange-haired man. Loke looked back at him calmly as the rest of them cowered, "Hello again Bob-San, how have you been lately?"
"Oh I'm just wonderful Loke-chan. Never been better. I'll admit, I was a little upset about the anniversary of Rob-chan's passing, but~..." His eye popped open and he looked towards the cowering group, "I'd bet a certain young man without a shirt could keep me company."
Natsu and Naruto simultaneously looked at Gray who had lost his shirt again as the Ice-Make wizard cursed his fate.
Before both of his guildmates could disappear, Gray grabbed Natsu's shoulder and pushed him forward, "Hear that Natsu! The man(?)'s asking for ya!"
"Not me dumbass! You're the one with his ass hanging out! I'm not naked! I've got a shirt on!" Natsu pulled on his shirt, "See!"
"Ice-Make: Freeze!"
Natsu's shirt froze in ice before it cracked and fell apart, leaving the Dragon-Slayer in nothing but his scarf and shorts. Gray looked at him smugly, "You sure bout that?"
"YOU BASTARD!"
Naruto just distanced himself as Natsu and Gray started brawling while Bob watched them with an interested eye. Naruto just chuckled as he started to walk and watch everyone party.
"He-(Burp) hey Naruto! C'mere!"
Naruto looked over to see Cana with several empty mugs around her, a drunken blush on her face and an unconscious Jet and Droy by her feet. There were several other members around the table, probably watching the show of the Card Mage drinking everyone under the table. Naruto walked over to her, "What's up Cana?"
"Wh-whatcha doin' just walkin' round like that, huh?" She slurred before waving her arm, "C-C'mon man, get a drink. Drink with me!"
Naruto looked over at Bisca and Alzack, "How much has she had?"
Bisca shook her head, "Enough to kill a horse."
"Hmmm." Naruto shook his head, "No thanks Cana, I'm not interested in getting drunk tonight."
"Awwww, drink a little. I-it won't kill ya."
"No thanks. I'm good." Naruto walked away, "See ya."
Cana pouted, "Geez, and there goes one of our S-Class mages. You bitch!"
Naruto froze in place when he heard Cana's taunt. He waited a moment before sighing and shaking his head. And then he pulled off his cloak, turned around, and sat in front of Cana, "You done fucked up now. Let's see who the bitch is when I drink you under the table."
Cana chuckled and grabbed her mug, "Sure, I'd like to see you try!"
Naruto looked up at Alzack, "Alzack, bring me a mug."
Alzack and Bisca looked between each other in confusion, "Um, Naruto, I'm not a waiter or-"
"Do it."
"Yessir."
The night continued on as the party didn't die down in the least. Erza sat with Makarov, Yajima, and Mirajane as they talked together through the whole rave. Erza decided to take a moment to relax by dismissing her armor and enjoying her delicious strawberry cake while the rest of the table talked.
"I remember this little lady from all the damage reports I got from the council." Yajima joked as he nudged Makarov with his elbow, "This young lady caused you quite a bit of strife back in the day, didn't she?"
Makarov nodded, "You can say that again."
Mirajane felt like shrinking in embarrassment as her cheeks took on a light pink hue. She didn't like when people so easily mocked her for her erratic behavior years ago. She weakly nodded, "Y-yes, that's right. I was-um-a bit reckless when I was younger."
"I also hear you're a bit of a 'nosy nelly'. What with announcing to the whole guild Erza-kun and Naruto-kun's relationship before they even told anyone."
"Erza!" Mira cried to her red-head friend as she waved her arms rapidly in protest, "Stop telling everyone about that! It was an accident! I keep telling you that!" The white-haired barmaid looked at the Requip Mage, "Why do you kept telling everybody about what I did?"
"Oh come now Mirajane, it's not so bad. It's actually a funny story." Erza gave the Strauss girl a stagnant look as she cut up her cake, "Very funny. Hilarious. A 'HA-HA' kind of accident, don't you think?"
Mira leaned away from her, "E-Erza, are you still mad?"
Erza just spared Mirajane a little look before squeezing her fingers together to show she still was a little mad about it.
Mira hung her head in shame as Yajima and Makarov just laughed. The old Council member looked around at the partying guild hall and smiled, "I'm glad to see some things about the guild never change."
Mira and Erza looked at the old men as their intrigue was peaked by his comment. Mira asked, "What do you mean Yajima-San?"
"I mean it's good to see that even after all these years the guild is still just the same." Yajima smiled and nodded his head, "Constant drinking. Inebriated brawls. Wrecking havoc. The Council constantly managing the destruction-"
Makarov growled, "You hypocritical asshole."
"It's all just so nostalgic."
"Really?" Erza asked, in complete disbelief that the group of respectable old alumni used to do the same things they do now.
"Oh yeah!" Makarov chuckled before he nudged his old friend, "H-hey, remember that time Master Purehito was angry at us for accidentally destroying that church in the Vulcan relocation job, so he cut us off from taking any big jobs for a month-"
Yajima interrupted, "So in return we set up a magic paint patch that when he sat down it exploded and covered him in a pink paste for a month-"
"A-And everyone called him 'Pinky Pure'! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"O-oh my sides!"
Mira and Erza were a little worried about their role-models childish antics before they just giggled and laughed along with them. Erza shook her head and smiled, "I'm glad some things never change in this place."
*THUD*THUD*
"UUUUWWWWOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH! CANA WINS BY THE SKIN OF THE ACCUMULATED SCAR TISSUE ALONG HER LIVER!"
"YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The four mages looked back to see a huge group of people surrounding and cheering around a table. Erza saw Levy on the edge of the crowd, standing on their table to get a better view. Erza tapped her leg to get her attention, "Levy, what's going on? Why's everyone gathering up?"
Levy looked down at her, "You didn't know? Cana and Naruto have been having a drinking match for the last half hour! And it was close too! Naruto only keeled over a few seconds before Cana did! I had no idea he could drink that much!" She was brimming with excitement, "We were taking bets! I won a thousand Jewel!"
Erza and Mira looked between each other in shock before they stood on the table to catch the view. Looking over the crowd, they saw Naruto face down on the table with multiple mugs surrounding him while Cana had fallen flat on her ass.
They sat down as Mira looked at Erza, "Wow, I didn't think Naruto drank. I've actually never seen him drink before."
Erza crossed her arms under her chest and smiled, "Well it looks like he found something he's pretty good at. Heh, maybe we found something he's actually got some talent for."
"Oh that's great!" Makarov said as he raised his mug, "I could always use another drinking partner."
While the group laughed, the crowd slowly started to part as a drunken blond slowly stumbled his way over. He weakly groaned out, "E-Erza..."
She noticed her name was being called, "Yes?"
"W-when?"
"When what?" Erza didn't understand her boyfriend's question and tried to turn around-
Only to suddenly be fondled and groped from behind as Naruto dived at her back.
He said with a happy look on his face, "When'd your boobies get so big?! Haha, they're all bouncy bouncy now, hehe-hyuck-hahahaha!"
Everyone in the guild froze in place as they watched a completely plastered Naruto started to grab Erza's breasts over her shirt. He cheered with a drunken slur as Erza's features darkened and she released a threatening aura. This wasn't the first time Naruto has done something like this but that was usually in private where they could be alone. Letting him do something like this in public, in front of everyone in the guild...
He needed to be punished.
Erza spun around with her fist outstretched to knock out Naruto. But he was gone before she could make the full spin.
"Mira! You're all cute and cuddly now! Awwww, I want to hug you and never let you go!" Naruto happily cheered as he hugged Mirajane and rubbed his cheek against hers, scaring her with his unusual closeness.
"N-Naruto, what's wrong with-"
"NARUTO!" Elfman roared as he barreled through the crowd and towards the drunken man rubbing against his sister. He had nothing but the utmost respect for the whiskered Mage but his sister's purity came first dammit! Naruto stood up with a goofy grin as Elfman attempted to punch his clock out.
But Naruto leaned back to an unnatural level before popping back up like a punching doll. Elfman continued to throw punches as Naruto's drunken instincts dodged each punch, "WHY! CAN'T! I! HIT! THIS! DRUNK! BASTARD!"
"Elfman, you're too stressed out buddy~. You need to relax~. Calm down~." Naruto ducked underneath one of Elfman's punches as he crouched down and grabbed the large man's legs, "You gotta fly~!"
"Wait! What are you-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"
Everyone looked up as Elfman was thrown up towards the ceiling and stayed there for a moment...
"-aaaaaaaaaAAAHHHHHHHHH-OUFH!" Elfman came falling back down and crushed several other members beneath him. Everybody watching hissed and moaned at the scene of pain.
Naruto stumbled weakly towards the table and stood over the drunk girl that started all this. He hiccuped, "Hey Cana~, wake up~, it's your turn~."
Naruto grabbed the back of her jeans before he started spinning around at an intense speed. This woke Cana out of her drunken stupor and caused her to scream in panic as everything started to blur. She kept screaming until the back of her jeans ripped off and she was sent flying into a small group of people. Naruto looked at the scrap of cloth in his hands and laughed, "O-oops, I broke her."
"What the hell is wrong with him?!"
"It's like he's not even Naruto anymore!"
"I-I kinda wanna keep watching this. This is hilarious."
"Naruto!" Makarov and Yajima stepped forward as they got the drunk blond's attention. They reprimanded him, "You need to stop! Right now! This is no way for an S-Class that isn't Gildarts to behave himself!"
"Awwwwww~! Jiji! Yajima-San! You guys just don't get it!" Naruto walked over and punched holes into two giant barrels of liquor before he pulled them up to his shoulders and laughed, "But I think I gotta way for you to do~."
The two old mages actually stepped back when they saw the look on his face. Yajima asked, "What are you gonna-"
Before he could finish, Naruto disappeared and reappeared behind them with his hands empty. He had shoved the two massive barrels of alcohol on their heads and made it impossible for them to escape without drinking the contents. The two old mages fumbled around and desperately drank their way to safety as everyone watched Naruto turn around and smile at them.
"Get him!"
"Hold him down! Don't let Naruto escape!"
"He's on the ceiling! Get him! Get him!"
And the entire guild spent the whole night trying to catch the magical drunk ninja as he bounced around and laughed at them. And the next morning, in the throws of the most annoying game of tag ever, the guild came to a unanimous decision...
Never let Naruto get drunk unsupervised.
########Hunter########
Done
I'm sorry this was so late. Tests. Work. Writer's block. Various other bullshit reasons for me being so late. And I'm sorry. But I just want you to know I'm gonna do my best to update Prince, Devil, and Knight this month before coming back to Hunter.
Also, this will be the official end of Part 2 of the story. I've decided to break this story up into different Parts, which will tell major sections of the story kind of like a big book. The next chapter will be the start of Part 3.
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