Chapter 2

Enter Alu Dragneel

About half an hour later, Alu was sitting on the seat in a train, looking sourly out the window at the landscape rushing by. Beside her was a little blue cat, better known as an Exceed. His name was Happy. At the moment, he was greedily eating a piece of fish.

He also had a rather smug expression on his face. Whether it was from the fish he was eating, or at the amusement that Alu had been caught; Alu couldn't tell which.

But if it was the latter, then that cat was going to be drop-kicked into the next city by her.

Natsu was sitting in the seat across from his daughter. Normally, he would've been hunched and clutching his stomach, moaning in discomfort. Being a Dragon Slayer, Natsu was particularly vulnerable to motion sickness. However, thanks to a special kind of pill he had just popped into his mouth before they had pulled out of the train station, he was sitting up and looking up his daughter with a serious face.

"Curse those Troia pills." Alu thought to herself, frowning. "I think I liked it better when he was keeled over and complaining about his tummy hating him. At least he wouldn't be lecturing me."

"Alu," Natsu said to his daughter in a low voice, "I think you know why I was in Hargeon, don't you?"

Alu didn't give a verbal answer. She just cast a brief glare at her father before looking back out the window.

"Alu, look at me." Natsu raised his voice a bit.

Grudgingly, Alu obeyed. Her irritated eyes looked directly into her father's stern ones. It almost felt like she was looking at an older and more masculine mirror image of herself.

"You know why I was really in Hargeon." Natsu repeated. That statement wasn't a question.

"Who blabbed?" Alu asked, a growl slipping in to her tone. "Was it Ur?"

"That's not important." Natsu narrowed his eyes.

"It was her, wasn't it?!" Alu snapped, punching her right fist into her right hand. "Next time I see her I'll knock her teeth in!"

"Geez," the little blue cat beside her drawled, "the way you and Ur fight, you'd think Natsu and Gray had swapped genders or something."

"Watch it, cat!" Alu snarled, scowling at the little blue cat next to her. "I'm close enough to knock you to the ground!"

"Alu!" Nastu raised his voice harshly. "Why did you go on a solo job?!"

Alu shut her mouth and glowered at father. She leaned back in her seat with discomfort. She still kept a fearless expression, but nervous sweat was beginning to form on her left temple. She could tell by the way her father fists were clenched that he was doing all he could to prevent himself from lashing out at her.

Catching his temper, Natsu took a deep breath to calm himself down. As frustrated as he was, he also knew that he would get nowhere with his daughter if he yelled at her. He would just get her more aggravated, and the two would just have an argument that would get them nowhere. Not to mention, he knew that he would also get caught up in the heat of the moment.

"Man, this was so much harder than arguing with Gray or Erza," he thought to himself.

He then looked back up at Alu.

"You know you're not allowed on solo missions yet," he simply stated.

"Or sure." Alu replied bitterly. "But everyone else my age is allowed."

"But I'm not talking about them, I'm talking about you." Natsu said. "Whenever you take a solo job, it's always a dangerous one. Did you even know that wizard you fought today used to be part of a Dark Guild?"

"No." Alu admitted with disdain. She sounded like she didn't care about the details. "But I was able to expose him as a fake, wasn't I? If it wasn't for me, he would've ruined your good name."

Natsu narrowed his eyes a bit. He knew what his daughter was trying to do.

"You're dodging the point, Alu," he said. "He could've killed you. And he probably would have if Happy and I didn't show up."

"Yeah," Happy said snobbishly, "if it wasn't for the two of us, you wouldn't even be here now."

"I don't recall seeing you jumping into the fray." Alu glared, staring the annoying Exceed down. "Dad was the one who did everything."

"But I was the one who found you!" Happy said indigently. "Tell her, Natsu! I flew you all over the city until we found her!"

Natsu didn't answer. Instead he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You really aren't going to talk to me, are you?" he asked his daughter.

Alu looked away and grimaced. That was enough to tell Natsu what her answer was. If he tried to force an answer out of her, she was just going to get even angrier. And the train really wasn't best place to start a fight.

Natsu let out a deep exhale and leaned back in his seat. He then turned his head to look out the window.

"I think you should know that your mom isn't too happy about your little stunt either," he warned. "When Happy and I left, she was fit to be tied. And of course, Erza was pretty mad, too. I'll bet she's going to give you an earful when we get back."

Alu shot an annoyed expression at her father and gritted her teeth.

"When is that pill's effects going wear off?" she asked spitefully.

"Not until after we get to Magnolia," Natsu answered, grinning. "You can thank Wendy for that."

Alu let out an irritated grunt and leaned back in her seat. She then turned her head to looked out the window again. By now, she was starting to get a bit of a headache from the rumbling of the train. Since she was only half-Dragon Slayer, she was a more immune to motion sickness than other Dragon Slayers. Still, it gave her a headache whenever she had to endure it for too long. She found that the best way to ease the discomfort was by just being quiet and looking out of a window.

As Alu stared out over the dandelion-yellow drenched landscape rushing by, her expression changed from annoyed to a kind of hidden upset. She was really hoping that she could complete that job on her own. If she had returned to the guild with this solo accomplishment, then maybe everyone at Fairy Tail would…

Oh, what did it matter? She was caught. And worse, she didn't complete the job. Instead, she was almost killed by the enemy, and she had to be rescued by her father…again.

Unfortunately, Alu's pride and frustration kept her from admitting all this out loud.

Either way, she was in trouble. She was in no hurry to get back to the Fairy Tail guild. She knew from past experience that a hurricane of a lecture was waiting for her when she got back.

And she had a feeling that this time it was going to be worse than the last one.

An hour later…

"What were you thinking, Alu?!" a blonde hair woman named Lucy scolded. "This is the fourth time this month! Why do you always pull these stunts?! Did you know that your father and I were worried sick about you?!"

"Your mother's right, Alu," another woman with red hair named Erza said strictly. "Why do you always insist on these little shenanigans of yours? What have you got to say for yourself?"

Alu just bit her lips, tensed her whole body, and glared down at the floor, trying to ignore the piercing feeling she was getting from the harsh eyes of her mother and Fairy Tail's Titania.

Natsu and Happy were standing just a few feet away, watching the whole situation and keeping quiet. Natsu knew from past experience that it was his wife's turn to lecture their daughter, and that he should stay out of it unless he was asked to help.

"Alu, look at me!" Lucy said harshly, grabbing Alu's chin and forcing her to lift her face. "This has got to stop! Your dad and I can't keep chasing after you like this!"

"I didn't ask for any help!" Alu snarled with irritation, pushing her mother's hand away. "And I don't see why I should be the only one who has to stay on team jobs! Everyone else gets to have solo jobs! I'm not a child anymore!"

"But you most certainly are behaving like one." Erza rebuked. "And even through the Master isn't here, this cannot go unpunished. You are absolutely forbidden to take a job of any kind for the next two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" Alu shrieked. "That's so not fair!"

"That's what you get for breaking rules." Erza narrowed her eyes.

"Why don't you just come out and say it, Erza?! You think I'm not good enough!" Alu accused, her voice just bursting with rage. "I know that's what everyone thinks! You think I'm too weak and useless to Fairy Tail! Admit it! You think I'm just some…some pathetic Weak Link!"

No one else noticed this, but the moment the last part escaped Alu's mouth, Natsu looked up at his daughter with alertness. It was now that he noticed something about her eyes. They were blazing with fury and...

Wait, what was forming in her eyes?

"That's enough, Alu!" Erza ordered, raising her voice. "Show some respect for your elders! I should warn you that if you should take any jobs during your restriction, then I will be forced to suspend you from the guild! Do you understand?!"

Alu's whole body was tense with a burning anger that she couldn't contain. Her scowl deepened and she gritted her teeth so hard that she felt like they were going to break.

Most people would've been afraid to talk back to the great and mighty Erza, the strongest female wizard in all of Fairy Tail. After all, she wasn't called Titania for nothing. Anyone who so much as yelled at her would soon regret it afterwards. She would have them face-down in the dirt in just one second.

However, Alu wasn't afraid of Erza. She had no problem talking back to anybody. Especially now that she was at her breaking point on her temper.

"FINE!" she screamed. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! I DON'T CARE AT ALL!"

Alu then turned and ran towards the entrance of the guild.

"Alu!" Natsu called out.

"Alu, you get back here right now and apologize!" Lucy ordered.

Alu ignored her parents and kept running. As the door opened, she bolted out. At that moment, Gray and his son, Ash, came walking in. Both of them stepped back as the girl nearly ran them over.

When the teenaged boy saw his pink-haired friend, a brief smile came across his face.

"Hey, Alu-"

Alu didn't stop. She didn't even notice Ash. She just rushed right past the boy and out into the city of Magnolia. For a moment, Gray and Ash stopped and looked out in the direction she headed.

"Whoa, what's up with her?" Gray asked.

"ALU!"

Gray and Ash turned back around to see Lucy running up to them. When she reached the entrance, she stopped and turned to Gray and with a look of ferocity in her eyes.

"Gray, why didn't you stop her?!" she shouted in his face.

"What are you yelling at me for?!" Gray shot back, stepping back a bit. "I only just got here!"

Before Lucy could reply, Ash quickly stepped in.

"Sorry, Lucy," he said calmly, "We didn't know Alu would be rushing out. Believe me, would've stopped her if we did. But she just zipped by us too fast."

Lucy only looked down at Ash for a brief moment before letting out exasperated sigh and bringing a hand up to her head. The frustration she had seconds ago seemed to slowly fade away. While she still had a hint of it left, she had at least managed to calm herself to think more clearly.

"I know, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "I didn't mean to snap. It's just…"

"Let me guess," Gray frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, "Alu took another solo job without permission."

"That's not really any of your business, Gray." Natsu replied with a stern glare as he walked up to the group with Happy following close behind him.

"But I'm right, aren't I, Natsu?" Gray narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Not that I'm surprised. After all, she is the spitting image her father. It's only expected that she also inherited his bad habits. The apple doesn't fall from the tree, huh?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Natsu snapped.

"Just what you think it does, Pyro Breath." Gray replied coolly.

"If you got something say to me, Freezer Burn, then say it to my face!"

Ash stepped back as his father and Alu's father began to look as if they were going to brawl again. This wasn't unusual for them, but Ash knew from the past that the scuffles between these two tended to get a little too out of control and violent.

Being the peace-keeper that Ash was, he stepped in again to break it up.

"Well," he said quickly, "I wouldn't say that taking solo missions is a bad habit. Alu just likes a challenge. You know, a chance to hone her skills."

That got Natsu and Gray's attention off of each other. They, along with Lucy, turned to the teenaged boy and looked at him with unconvinced expressions. Ash glanced away awkwardly, knowing that they saw right through his explanation. Not that he brought up a convincing argument in the first place.

Erza confirmed his theory when she walked up to the group and said, "There's challenge, and then there's putting yourself in needless danger. I'm sure you know that, Ash. Alu may have good intentions, but I'm afraid she lacks common sense. She simply isn't strong enough to take on solo jobs."

Natsu frowned when Erza said that and immediately dropped the tension in his shoulders.

"It's a shame though." Gray admitted, sounding sympathetically disappointed. "After all, not many wizards are born with two specific kinds of Magic. That must've taken a toll on her Magical strength."

"Well, Mom told us she was born with Water Magic." Ash pointed out. "And she's just as strong as you, Dad. I mean, she is an S-Class wizard like the rest of you."

"Well, yeah," Gray answered, "but Juvia was born with only one kind of Magic Power. Alu was born with Celestial Magic and Dragon Slayer Magic. And considering Dragon Slayer Magic is a Lost Magic…"

Gray's voice trailed off. He was unsure of how to finish that sentence. It kind of spoke for itself, with or without an ending.

"Yes," Erza nodded grimly, "that is true. I know Alu wants to become a strong wizard, and she does have a lot of ambition. But at this point…well, we must be honest: her Magic Deficiency puts her only at half-strength."

Natsu tightened his fists at that remark.

"Don't forget that's my daughter you're talking about," he said in a low tone.

Everyone turned to look at the Dragon Slayer wizard. Natsu looked back at everyone with unwavering belief in his eyes.

"I admit that Alu is too ambitious for her own good sometimes," he continued, "but I think I know why. She's convinced that we don't believe in her because she's only half-strong in both of her Magical skills. She wants to show everyone that she's a capable wizard. I know perfectly well what that feels like. And after what that poser said to her today, I wouldn't be surprised if she feels that determination even more. This might be just me, but I do think that she will succeed one day."

Lucy's face softened when she heard that. Natsu always had faith in their daughter. Even now, he was still showing that his belief that she would become strong one day was still very clear.

Still, she couldn't forget all the times Alu had gotten herself in trouble because of her desire to be a strong and powerful wizard, regardless of her Magic Deficiency.

"I know what you're saying, Natsu," Lucy said quietly. "But Alu keeps insisting on these unauthorized solo jobs. I wouldn't mind it so much if they were simple jobs, but she always chooses the dangerous ones. You know she can't keep getting away with that. She's our only child. I do believe in her, but at the same time, if anything were to happen to her…"

Lucy grimaced and looked away. Natsu sensed her concern and gently wrapped his right arm around her, rubbing her shoulder for comfort. Although he didn't say it verbally, he was feeling the exact same thing she was.

Erza lowered her head and let out a deep sigh.

"I understand where you two are coming from," she said with empathy. "And I'm sorry that things had to come to this. But for now, let's just deal with the situation at hand and we'll see how it goes from there."

"Best plan on the whole, in my opinion." Gray nodded.

"Why should your opinion matter?" Natsu glared at the black-haired man. "Alu's not your daughter."

"Yeah, but she's still just like another Fire Dragon Slayer I know," Gray said sarcastically. "As if one wasn't enough in this guild. Heh, and you thought having two Erzas was a nightmare back in Edolas."

"What was that?" Erza asked sharply.

"Nothing!" Natsu replied quickly, gritted his teeth.

Natsu let go of Lucy and stepped forward, ready to challenge Gray to another fight. The Ice Wizard responded to the nonverbal remark and began got prepare himself. But before the two could start their brawl, Lucy looked around and blinked when she noticed something.

"Hey, where'd Ash go?"

At the sound of that question, Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza all began to turn their heads in every possible direction. No matter where they looked, they couldn't see the young boy anywhere.

Ash was gone.

"I guess he must have slipped away when we were talking." Happy shrugged.

"But he didn't go inside the guild." Erza pointed out. "So where could he have gone?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Gray said casually. "He's responsible enough. I'm sure he just went into town for something."

Gray was partially right. Ash did run into the city of Magnolia, but his business had nothing to do with the town. He was heading towards the East Forest beyond the town.

He knew that would be the most likely place where he would find Alu.