Ok, I have something to say before the story, it's long, and I'm sure most of you will want to skip straight to the action (please feel free to do so) but I really feel I need to say this;
First of all, I am so amazingly, irretrievably sorry for my lack of activity over the summer. I just got so immersed in sailing and hiking and being back in France (so if my English seems stiff, I beg your pardon) that I completely forgot about all this and I wouldn't have remembered if it weren't for an email I received from a few days ago. It said that my story had two new reviews, so naturally I went to read them. Both were from a user named DijwahReklaw, his wonderful words touched me deeply and reminded me why I was writing this story. This is for you, for my wonderful, kind, loyal readers whose comments fill me with insurmountable joy. My summer was incredible and it kept me away from my computer, but now that I am back, I am reminded of the solace given to my by writing. I also read through my reviews and noticed a few names that recurred occasionally, along with that of a dear friend of mine, AnubisLoki (Please feel free to check out her stories! They're awesome!). I felt that I needed to give these loyal patrons my respect and my most sincere thanks.
So to ValinNight, sapphire dragon slayer alex, Steam Powered Crow, NoFocus, The Ginger Ninja (fucking awesome name by the way), and of course, DijwahReklaw, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope you will continue to give me your invaluable reviews.
Je vous souhaite tout le bonheur du monde!
Lisanna felt herself wake up from her dream, but refused to open her eyes. She hadn't thought of that day in a long time, it had by far been the most harrowing experience of her life; within a few moments she had lost everything she'd held most dear and then had to adapt to the new Fairy Tail, lying all along. Lisanna had cried for days when she realized that Edolas' Natsu barely knew her. That in that world, they were merely acquaintances, and that he was head over heels for Lucy. Now it was all over, she was home and everything had gone back to the way it was, to the way it should be. For now, she was happy to just lie there next to Natsu...
Wait... Natsu?
She bolted upright upon realizing that she was alone in the large bed.
"Natsu? Where are you?"
Lisanna was about to roll out when the door creaked open and her boyfriend backed into the room, wearing a bathrobe (tied around the waist with Igneel's scarf) and carrying a tray covered in food.
He turned to see her and grinned widely, "Good morning Lis, I woke up pretty early so I went down to the inn and got us some breakfast."
He sat on the side of the bed and set the tray on the nightstand, accepting a chaste kiss from his lover.
"You didn't have to Natsu," she then pouted slightly, "plus, you made me wake up all alone."
"Didn't get enough of me last night?" the cocky Dragon Slayer grinned, "Greedy girl..."
Lisanna laughed and gave him a playful slap, "You wish pervert, now grab me a robe and stop staring at my chest before you go blind."
Natsu stuck out his tongue and got up quickly, giving one of his girlfriend's breasts a quick squeeze before running into the bathroom and out of her reach. They then sat up in bed and devoured their breakfast, discussing ways to approach their mission.
"Gorians are known to sleep very long every day, so they probably won't be out until about midday." said Natsu, "I say we head there around that time so that we can ambush one and ask him where the merchandise is, that gives us a good two hours to prepare."
Lisanna nodded, but a heat deep within her gave her a different idea. She pulled her robe down off of her shoulders to expose her perky breasts, immediately catching Natsu's attention.
"Two hours is more than enough time," She rolled over and straddled Natsu, "why don't we take advantage of this big bed before checking out?"
The Salamander grinned and locked lips with his lustful Venus...
•••
An hour and a half later the couple walked into the lobby, giggling madly and still damp-haired from their shared shower. They turned in their key to a concierge who stated that he hoped they had enjoyed their stay, slipping in a sly wink. They then left the Ryokan and headed toward the forest.
"I was thinking..." Started Natsu
"You were?" Mocked Lisanna, "No offense sweetheart, but that doesn't really suit you."
The Salamander stuck out his tongue and continued his speech, "I was thinking, you haven't used Earthland magic in a very long time, have you?"
"Well..." Lisanna was about to tell Natsu about her training those past two years thanks to Mystogan's X-balls, but decided to surprise him.
"Not at all," she lied, "I'm afraid my level hasn't changed in two years."
Natsu furrowed his brows and looked down, worry etched in his face. For a few moments Lisanna felt guilty about lying to her love, but she had been itching to show someone, ANYONE, the fruits of her training for the past two years. Now the opportunity had arisen to show this power to none other but the one who had given her the means to use it.
"Ok then!" exclaimed Natsu, his customary grin back in place, "Here's the plan; when we find the merchandise the Gorians will probably still be there, so I'll put on a big fight and get their attention towards me. Meanwhile, you'll slip into bird form and fly the cargo out, one piece at a time for discretion. The employer said that there were eight crates, so if you take a minute for each we should be in and out in no time!"
Lisanna recognized it to be a sound strategy... But it was too sound. She knew that Natsu's usual M.O. would be to charge in headlong and work together to crush all enemies. He had carefully planned this so that she would avoid any combat. She frowned and Natsu's grin faded away.
"What's wrong Lis?" He asked uneasily.
"Do you really think so little of me?" Demanded Lisanna, deeply wounded by Natsu's lack of faith, "Is this how missions are going to be?"
He looked away from her, refusing to look her in the eyes, "Lisa..."
"You playing the martyr so I don't have to risk getting hurt?"
"Lisanna please..."
"Because if that's the case, I can work fine with another team! Just because I got hurt once doesn't mean I need you to protect me..."
"STOP IT!" Natsu span back to lock eyes with her, warm droplets flew through the air and struck her face. Lisanna's anger dissolved in moments, she had never seen Natsu like this in seven years of knowing him. His cheeks were damp and his eyes were wide and red, full of pain. He grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes.
"You have no right to be this selfish! You knew we were alive, you knew it all along. But I mourned, for two damn years, I went to your grave every day I could, I spoke to thin air as if you were still there to hear. You have no idea how hard it's been for me, I love you more than I've ever loved anything else in the world. Losing you was the most agonizing experience in my life, I never want to feel that way again. I never want to lose you..."
He would have continued, but his throat tightened and he just sobbed. He felt her arms circle around his waist pull him close, her ivory hair pressed against his chest.
"You're wrong..." She said softly, "I know how painful it was, I knew that you were alive, yes, but that just made it worst. Waiting endlessly for a way back, praying to every god I could imagine to see you again. I get it though... I'm so sorry baby, I'll go with the plan."
Lisanna's pride stung at those words, but feeling Natsu relax in her arms made it worthwhile. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head.
"I... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten angry." Mumbled Natsu
"It's ok, let's just move on." She pulled away and grinned, "I just had an idea to get us to the merchant's cart quickly."
•••
Lisanna dropped Natsu on top of a tree a few hundred meters south of the rocky cliff that was said to inhabit the forest's Gorians. She then flashed back into human form and landed lightly on another tree next to Natsu's. From here they could see a troupe of Gorians in front of their cave, but they were too far away to see anything clearly.
"Alright," said Natsu, "I'll sneak up and see if they've brought the merchandise to their cave, and then-"
Lisanna put a finger to her lips and grinned, "Watch this," she closed her eyes and put a finger on each eyelid, "ANIMAL SOUL: FALCON"
When she opened her eyes, they were jet black, and the skin around them was yellow. Natsu almost fell off his tree after seeing his lover's big blue eyes turn into those beady black orbs.
"Lis-Lisanna," He stammered, "are those..."
She nodded proudly, "Falcon eyes, let me take a look."
These eyes were one of Lisanna's favorite tricks, with them she could easily see the flies flitting to and fro around the Gorians. And inside the cave, she saw the crates full of silver that had been smashed open so the oversized monkeys could enjoy the sight of their sparklies.
"Yep, Mr. Chikoro's silver is there, but it's in a very well guarded cave and the crates are smashed, I won't be able to fly it out, we'll have to load it onto a cart to get it out, which means taking the Gorians out of the picture first."
Natsu nodded slowly, trying to think of an excuse to keep Lisanna out of the fray.
"Ok, I'll take out the monkeys and you turn into a bird and warn me if any of their buddies start coming our way, ok?"
Lisanna felt like disagreeing, but just nodded, remembering her earlier promise to go with the plan. She flashed into bird mode again and flew up, circling overhead as Natsu charged headfirst into the group of beasts, easily dispatching three of them right off the bat with his Roar of the Fire Dragon. The Gorians tried overwhelming him with numbers by attacking him from all sides at once, so he wreathed his hands in fire and smashed them together.
"BRILLIANT FLAME OF THE FIRE DRAGON!"
The fire engulfed Natsu and his surrounding assailants, clearing to reveal Natsu grinning in the middle of the charred and groaning monkeys. His broad smile faltered instantly, however, when he felt his knees buckle and his vision blur. Lisanna panicked as she watched from above, screaming out his name. She didn't know what to make of this, Natsu was famed for his tremendous store of magic power; it was unnatural that he should weaken simply from using a Roar and a Brilliant Flame. She had no choice; she was going to have to step in.
"FLAME SOUL: PHOENIX"
•••
Meanwhile, Natsu wondered why he was feeling so weak, until he heard his own words echoing back at him;
"I'll summon up more magic! I'll squeeze it out from tomorrow's!"
Natsu still hadn't recovered from his battle against King Faust's Droma Anim, using that much magic without resting properly afterwards must have had more of a toll on him than he had expected.
No! I can't let this beat me, not now, not with Lisanna watching!
He forced himself to his feet to face the rest of the Gorians, conjuring flames around his fist and running at them with a furious scream. But before he reached them, his fire sputtered out and he collapsed again, his head spinning and his ears ringing with his foe's laughter. He looked up to see a Gorian's massive flat foot over his head and raised his hand weakly. But right before it could move an inch, an ear shattering burst of sound came raging from the sky the monster was blasted out of the way by a blast of fire that came streaking from above at the speed of sound. The blast seemed to be a silhouette wreathed in furious flames. It flew back around for a second strike, smashing the oversized monkey through a nearby tree and into the rock cliff. The shape moved so fast Natsu's eyes had trouble keeping up with it, it flew in a circle around the weakened Mage, knocking down a good half dozen Gorians before slowing to a stop in front of the remaining monkeys.
Natsu's jaw gaped and his eyes were wide as he saw into the fire; the shape inside looked like a massive bird, but any features were indistinguishable while it was still wreathed in a swirling inferno. The only thing that could really be made out was the tail, it was at least four feet long and composed of brilliant crimson feathers streaked with gold. It was then, as Natsu admired the beautiful tail, that the bird beat its enormous wings and bathed the clearing in a blast of flames.
"DANCE OF THE PHOENIX!"
When the smoke cleared, the Gorians were piled up in a charred heap, Natsu stood up shakily and walked to the bird. He knew that voice, and that smell, but it couldn't be, she had never been this powerful before...
"Lisanna..." He managed to say, "How? What is this?"
In a swirl of fire, his lover reappeared, her skin smoking slightly. She ran to Natsu and hugged him, immensely relieved that he was safe and sound.
"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, I wanted to surprise you, but not like this."
Natsu hugged her back, kissing the top of her head softly.
"It's okay," he whispered, "I just never suspected you had this kind of magic. How did you learn it?"
Lisanna pulled away and ignited her hand, "I had a good teacher, I just took what you taught me about lighting my fist on fire and figured out how to apply it to my entire body. Then one day I went on a mission in Edolas, Royal Mage-Hunters ambushed me. I tried to hold them off with my weapon but they were too strong, so I decided to use magic. I instinctively did a bird takeover, but tried to use fire at the same time, so this form was the result."
Natsu grinned broadly, pride replacing the humiliation of having to be rescued.
"You are truly amazing baby," he laughed out, "now let's get that silver to the merchant and head home. And when we get there, you and I are having a duel."
Lisanna had expected this; Natsu never left anyone unchallenged, it was his way of judging their power. However she was not scared of facing Natsu, quite the contrary, she was excited.
•••
An hour later, Natsu and Lisanna faced one of the greatest dangers they were ever to encounter; Mr. Chikoro's grateful hugs. The old man was so relieved that all the silver had been returned-and in so little time-that he offered to raise the reward to 100,000 Jewels.
"No thank you sir!" Exclaimed Lisanna, "You'll need to sell all your stock just to turn a profit on this!"
But the little old man was determined to give them a bonus, so when Natsu and Lisanna left, it was with an additional 20,000 jewel added to the original thirty thousand.
"Goodbye my friends!" called out the tearful old man, "You will always be welcome here!"
The fiery duo waved goodbye happily and started heading toward the station. Once aboard the train, Natsu lay his head onto his sweetheart's lap as she sang to him, lulling him into a deep sleep. Once he was snoring peacefully, Lisanna leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her dragon's lips. She looked at her hand, and at the scintillating azure stone on her left ring finger. It was remarkable what such a small polished stone and a few grams of shiny metal could mean to her. In that stone she could see an old dream of hers; a dream of a happy couple laying in the grass on the mountainside.