Natsu's Story
Natsu wasn't known for thinking things through. He knew that. He considered it one of his greatest strengths. While everyone else was busy yapping away about 'plans' and 'consequences' Natsu got things done. Lucy always said it wasn't done well, but Lucy also didn't lock her windows and gave Mira a spare key to her apartment. So, in the end, what did Lucy know?
Still, he knew enough to leave a note when he'd left Magnolia. He didn't want the guild to think they had another Harry situation on their hands. He was going to go get stronger so they never would have another Harry situation on their hands. So that he could stop feeling personally responsible when his family was taken or died right in front of his eyes. He'd felt so incredibly useless every time it was important not to be useless over the last few months and dammit he was tired of it.
If the fights with Tartaros had taught him anything it was that he was still too weak. Igneel had died because Natsu was incapable of fighting alongside him. That was a burden Natsu would carry for the rest of his life. He'd been able to talk to Igneel briefly before his wounds had claimed his life, but it hadn't been nearly enough. Natsu had searched for Igneel for SO LONG! How was it fair that all he'd gotten were a few final words on Igneel's death bed? How was it fair that Igneel was stolen from him to moment that he'd made it back into the world?
He'd wanted to rage at the absolute unfairness of it all, but all he'd been able to do was kneel there in front of his father's corpse and weep. He'd never get to tell Igneel that he'd learned to read and write, or that he'd made so many friends. He didn't get to brag that he'd scored a solid hit on one of the most scary-powerful mages Natsu had ever met. He knew Igneel would have gotten a kick out of Harry having shrunk him immediately afterward too.
So many things to tell his father that now Natsu would never be able to share. So many accomplishments and milestones that he'd never be able to celebrate with the person who'd meant the most to him. The feeling was ineffable. He couldn't have put that sense of loss into words even if he'd been given several years and every dictionary Levy owned. So, instead he'd cried.
Meanwhile his guildmates had been out there saving the world and each other. Actually doing stuff and making a difference. In the end, when the smoke had cleared and the cold light of day washed the battlefield with its light, that had hurt nearly as bad as the loss of Igneel. He'd been ineffectual not only because he was weak, but because he'd left the fight before it was even over. He'd left before Acnologia was dealt with. He'd fled right before Zeref had apparently revealed himself to the group he had abandoned.
He'd run away partially to train, but also partially because he felt shame for failing his father's final wish. Shame for abandoning Harry and Gray with an unconscious Erza in the middle of a collapsing castle minutes before what could have been a horrific fight. Shame for knowing he could have done more, and hadn't.
Natsu wanted to be better, had to be better, before he could look them in the eye again. He'd gone so far as to avoid anyone other than Happy until his departure.
It was a strange thing then that he'd barely been gone from Fairy Tail a couple of months, training in the wild, and he managed to bumped into a Fairy Tail mage. The meeting with Gildarts was completely random and yet… somehow it seemed necessary.
Their first night together had been a lot of the usual. They ate, they laughed, Natsu challenged Gildarts to a fight which he lost badly, Natsu got eaten by a dinosaur. Well, maybe that last part had been a bit different than usual. Regardless, the amount of power Gildarts used to take the thing out had Natsu seriously doubting his own sanity for challenging the man to a duel every time they met. He'd literally cut the top off a mountain. It was insane.
The second day was more subdued than the first. Natsu spent most of it catching Gildarts up on everything that had happened to Fairy Tail since he'd gone off again. Gildarts had gotten incredibly tense and serious while Natsu was explaining about Harry's origins, but once Natsu explained that he was like definitely a good guy Gildarts did seem to relax a little.
When Natsu got to talking about the latest round of S class promotion trials Gildarts had absolutely lost his mind when he learned Cana had finally cleared them and become S class. When Natsu had clarified that Harry had technically won the tournament Gildarts had seem more confused than anything. Natsu had been a bit confused that night as well. Everyone had been expecting for Harry to be declared the sole winner. Natsu had never heard of the guild promoting two people to S class in the same trials, but he'd been bummed he hadn't been able to put up more of a fight before Harry shrank him, or even after. Maybe if he'd gotten a few more good hits in the old man would've promoted Natsu instead of Cana. Or hell, maybe he would've promoted all three of them!
Gildarts had asked a lot of questions, weirdly intent. Natsu had done his best to answer them, though he was confused about Gildarts' intensity which turned to a more normal level of curiosity as Natsu gave more details. By the end Gildarts just looked thoughtful. When Natsu asked, Gildarts said that Harry reminded him of someone he'd met before, several years ago, before the Tenrou Island incident.
The next morning Natsu and Happy continued on their way and Gildarts continued on his. Their paths split and Natsu was certain he wouldn't see the man for awhile. Well, he thought that until he went looking for his last apple and dumped out the contents of his bag to find some magazines with nude women on the covers and framed picture of Cana.
He and Happy just stared at the pile blankly. Gildarts arrived minutes later to throttle Natsu like it had somehow been his fault and Gildarts hadn't departed with his bag as well.
Several weeks later saw Natsu on the western edge of Fiore. He'd fought through every forest he could find on his way trying to find any monster that would take his presence as a challenge. He'd fought a wyvern near a mountain and lost. He'd have to go back after finding more opponents and kick the thing's ass.
"Natsu, are we stopping somewhere to eat?" Happy pleaded.
"We ran outta money Happy. You know that."
"Yeah, but I'm hungry. I've been training all day."
Natsu stared at his friend. Happy's training consisted of resisting the urge to eat the fish in his backpack.
"Doesn't that mean you've got fish in your bag?"
Happy shifted guiltily. "It's still early in my training."
So, he'd eaten the fish already.
"We'll find some food buddy." Natsu said with a smile. "Bet we could find somewhere to stay over by Dawn City."
"Yeah! Maybe they'll have special kinda of fish!" Happy exclaimed excitedly, lagging just a bit behind Natsu in his daydreaming about fish. "Like maybe trout, or salmon, or hal-"
Three figures came barreling through the underbrush. Natsu barely had time to snatch Happy out of the way before he was trampled by their feet.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled angrily as the small group took a nose dive into the dirt. "You almost squished Happy!"
"My life flashed before my eyes." The cat said dramatically, hanging limply where Natsu was holding him forward. "Why haven't I eaten more fish?"
"Are you stupid!?" One of the guys had sprung back up and was turned part way toward Natsu, but also toward the forest they'd just exited. "You should be running from that thing!"
A bear took that moment to burst from the bushes and Natsu dropped his bag and Happy. He swung a flaming fist at the bear and it flew backward with a roar. It crashed into the underbrush, curshing the small saplings and bushes before it sprung back to its feet. Natsu was already winding up for another punch, this one with more force behind it. The bear charged, Natsu swung. The bear dropped and Natsu grinned at his work through the smoke coming off the singed fur.
"It wasn't a big… deal…"
The group was gone. So was his bag. And Happy.
Anger flared in Natsu's chest. Did they kidnap Happy? They were going to pay for that. Natsu started tracking their scent immediately. Had they really thought a simple bear could stop a Fairy Tail mage? Pathetic! He could take out a hundred bears!
It didn't take long to track them down. They probably thought the bear would take him longer. Of course Natsu took it out with just two hits. He might need training, but he wasn't a pushover like Gray or Gajeel!
"Couldn't you at least feed me?"
That was Happy's voice. He was okay. Natsu felt intense relief behind his anger. He didn't know what he'd do if someone hurt Happy.
"Why grab the cat? That thing's annoying."
"I don't know. It's a talking cat. Someone's definitely gonna pay good money for a talking cat, right?"
"Did that guy look familiar to anyone else?"
The three thieves were talking amongst themselves when Natsu burst into their camp.
"Natsu!" Happy called in obvious relief. He was wrapped in a length of rope and dangling from a lamp post.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that to hide from a dragon slayer." Natsu growled, eyes narrowing.
"Dragon slayer?"
"Wait! Wasn't he with that group outside of the Sun Village?!"
"Shit!"
"Natsu! It's those treasure hunters from the Sun Village!"
Natsu stared. Nope. They didn't look familiar to him. He had no idea what Happy was on about, or why it would even matter. He cracked his knuckles.
"You stole my friend and my stuff." He said, glaring. "I'm gonna kick your asses."
The fight that ensued was short lived, and honestly a bit pathetic. One guy tried to sneak off with a gun, likely to get a better position to fire from. Natsu picked him off first. Then the big guy with the weird weapon went down. The last guy left standing pleaded to be let go, but Natsu knocked him out with a swift punch to the face. They didn't get to kidnap his best friend and then plead for mercy. Natsu wasn't a sucker. He knew they weren't really sorry. People didn't learn their lessons that easily. Hell, Erza said he'd never learn anything and Natsu considered himself smart so what hope did these idiots have?
He released Happy and shifted the thieves bags until his own came into view. In the process he knocked one over and food spilled out. Bread and cheese and apples littered the ground. Natsu stared at them, then the men who they belonged to. With barely a pause Natsu snatched the bag up. He'd consider it payment for their actions.
He grabbed his own bag and upended the bag with food, intending to move it all into his own pack. Food poured out, and it just continued for a solid twenty seconds before Natsu finally snapped out of his surprise and turned the bag back over.
"It's like Harry's bag." Happy was staring at the mountain of food with wide eyes.
"Where the hell did they get something like this?" Natsu eyed the bag skeptically. It definitely wasn't Harry's. Natsu was pretty sure Harry's was a backpack and this was designed to go over a single shoulder. It also smelled nothing like Harry. It just reeked of sweat and the three men behind them. "Oh well, doesn't matter. It's ours now. Happy, help me get it all back in."
"Aye, sir!" Happy moved forward to help him start scraping the food back in. "Do you think it's got a bunch of fishies in it too?"
"Maybe." Natsu said with a grin. They'd get to show the bag off next time they saw Harry. He wouldn't be the only one with a cool endless backpack now.
With all the food back in place Natsu and Happy set off, leaving behind Natsu's old rucksack (full to the brim with food scraps and trash). If they'd bothered to examine the other bags in the collection they might have stumbled across a stash of cursed objects. Had they taken it with them they might have ended a months long journey for their guild mates sooner and more favorably.
Neither of them thought to look through the other bags however. They both wandered on their way, food situation resolved and happy to be resuming their training journey.
Erza's Story
Erza had sort of expected it to be harder to find work without a guild to operate through. She was pleasantly surprised to find herself wrong. It was true that none of the jobs she was taking paid nearly as well as the S class jobs from Fairy Tail had, but it was more than sufficient to see her on her way from place to place. Besides, Erza had an obscene amount of money stashed away thanks to her years of consistent work. Erza might splurge on armor and cake, but she was typically very prudent with her money and she worked as often as she could. Which was typically every day unless she deliberately decided to take a break.
The small jobs she took paid for her travelling expenses: food, hotels, train fare. Erza didn't require much on most days so even a low paying job was enough. It was perhaps the simplicity of the jobs that she found most vexing. Erza yearned for the chance to fight a giant sea monster, or slay a beast plaguing a village again. That sort of work was contracted through guilds though. She was unlikely to find it just wandering around.
She meandered into a pub late in the wintery evening. She hoped to grab dinner and perhaps a room nearby. She had one ear perked for signs of trouble. Men in pubs liked to start brawls that were much less friendly than Fairy Tail's were. Tonight, everything seemed tame. In fact, everyone seemed to be muttering about some intimidating figure in town who'd been terrorizing their streets. Erza frowned and eavesdropped a bit longer. Maybe it would turn out to be a clue to finding the group she'd been tracking the last few weeks.
"Anything else for you, little lady?" the barkeep had wandered her way.
Erza fixed him with a determined look. He took a step back.
"This person everyone seems to be frightened of, who is it?"
He cautiously stepped forward again. "We're not sure, ma'am." He answered honestly, far more polite than he'd sounded a moment ago. An improvement Erza appreciated. "He wanders the back alleys and attacks anyone who wanders close. It's got most of the town jumping at shadows."
"I see." She said, downing the last of her drink and standing. "I will take care of this problem for you."
"I… what?!" the man seemed astounded. Yes, it was very magnanimous of Erza to offer her services for free, wasn't it? The reaction was appropriate. Erza nodded.
"I shall rid your streets of this scourge." She said. Her fist clenched excitedly in the air, anxious to close around a sword. "Come morning there shall be no more threat to your livelihoods."
Erza half expected a standing ovation. The patrons of the bar were staring, obviously impressed beyond words. Erza didn't wait for them to snap out of their daze. She headed for the door and pushed through into the midwinter night.
The cold was brisk against her skin as she carefully made her way up and down different alleys in the town trying to find the person in question. It was cold enough over the last few weeks that Erza was convinced that anyone hanging around outside this late every night must be up to no good. If Erza was quick enough in bringing this person to justice she would still have time to go and find a hotel room and get a good night's sleep before she hit the road tomorrow morning. She'd done all the odd jobs she could find in the area so it was about time she was moving on.
A trash can rattled in the distance. A woman screamed and it was immediately followed by the sound of a gruff voice shouting something back. Erza ran forward.
She could just see the shapes of a woman and a small child curled against the alley wall. A third figure was a few feet away, but Erza couldn't make out any details. It mattered little. She flew forward and landed a knee solidly in their back.
"Fear not! I'll take care of this. Return to your home."
The woman didn't need telling twice, which Erza appreciated. She took her child's hand and pulled them down the alley and away from Erza and the person she had pinned. A mane of black hair greeted Erza when she looked down.
"Ow, what the hell!?" that voice was familiar. "Erza!"
Erza hopped backward off the person she'd detained. "Gajeel?" Erza certainly hadn't been expecting this run in. She must have made a mistake. "Apologies. The town has been accosted by some dark figure at night and when the woman screamed I assumed I had found them."
Erza offered Gajeel a hand and he took it after a moment of glaring.
"I suppose we must resume the search. Perhaps I should have kept the woman around for questioning. She must have seen the person responsible before you stepped in."
"Hold it right there!" the town police force had made it to the scene.
"Ah, good." Erza smiled. "I was hoping to stumble into someone who could point me in the right direction."
"You're going to have to come with us, sir!" the man said, indicating he was talking to Gajeel. "We have reports that you've been attacking people at night."
"I AIN'T BEEN ATTACKIN' NO ONE!" Gajeel raged.
Erza's smile turned downward as she surveyed the officer in front of them. "I believe you have the wrong person." She reasoned. "He may look scary, but Gajeel is a good person. I do not believe he would have attacked an innocent citizen."
She looked back at the scowling dragon slayer and squinted.
"No offense ma'am, but we have dozens of complaints, and he matches the very… distinct description."
"I'm not out here attackin' people!" Gajeel fumed. "People take one look at my face in a dark alley and they start screamin' their heads off! How the hell's this my fault dammit!?"
Ah, so Gajeel was indeed the person she'd set out to find tonight. An interesting turn of events.
"Worry not." Erza said, stepping forward and clapping a hand onto the stranger's shoulder. "I shall remove him from your city by morning."
"I… what?"
"There is no need to thank me."
"We can't just-"
"Come along, Gajeel." Erza latched onto the back of Gajeel's coat and dragged the irate dragon slayer back toward the inn she'd been considering staying in.
Morning dawned bright and Erza made sure that Gajeel was up as soon as she was. They had a long journey to Onibus from Shirotsume and it would all be on foot as the trains didn't run this far West. At first Gajeel complained, but after a while he seemed to settle into brooding silence. He didn't put up any arguments about not following her out of town though she noticed. He must have gotten the message loud and clear last night that he wasn't exactly welcome there. While Gajeel wasn't her favorite guild mate (or ex-guild mate she supposed) it was still upsetting to see people treat he the way those people had. Gajeel had gotten off on the wrong foot with Fairy Tail, but he was a dependable and trustworthy person to have at your back. He was hardly the type to harm an unarmed woman and child.
"What brought you out this way?" Erza asked once they were nearly equidistant between the town they'd left and the train they were seeking to board. They had just broken camp on their second day of walking. It was a long trip on foot and Erza had been content to let Gajeel brood behind her most of the way.
Gajeel grumbled some response under his breath, looking as sour as Erza expected. Gajeel had never been the most upbeat or polite of the guild's members. He was socially inept. Erza pondered the idea of teaching him some social mannerisms. He could do with being more direct with people. If he'd stated his intentions back in Shirotsume perhaps people wouldn't have assumed he was there to cause problems. Though, it wasn't entirely his fault. From what little he'd been willing to explain last night she'd gathered that the people he'd run into had jumped to an awful lot of conclusions.
"Is there a reason you were out so late at night?" Erza tried to spark another conversation. Gajeel turned his glare from the road they were walking on to Erza.
"We ain't all got money or a place to stay." He said bitterly.
Erza's steps faltered as she considered that statement. Gajeel had joined Fairy Tail after the fall of Phantom Lord. Makarov had told her that he'd found him sitting amongst the guild's ruins. The picture Gajeel painted wasn't a pretty one. He was a competent enough mage, but his personality had never won him many friends. His guild options were likely less prolific than most others from Fairy Tail.
"I ain't askin' for your pity." Gajeel's eyes, already set in a glare before, had narrowed even further.
"I'm not offering it." Erza replied, wholly honest. She simply hadn't considered how Fairy Tail's collapse might affect anyone besides herself and perhaps a few others whom she was close to.
"Good." Gajeel moved past her, hands shoved deep into his pockets. Erza could read tension in his shoulders, but she suspected it was awkwardness that made him tense. Makarov had always told her that Gajeel wasn't half as hard edged as he tried to make himself seem. Makarov had always made a point of referring to him as a kid and at just nineteen he certainly fit the picture of a sulking teenager in that moment.
Erza let Gajeel brood. She considered strong arming him into a more appropriate attitude. It was his demeanor that had likely landed him on the radar of Shirotsume's police force after all. She let it slide. She hadn't known Gajeel for particularly long and he was no longer under her supervision since Fairy Tail had disbanded. She didn't have duty of care to him any more as a superior at the guild. His bad attitude was his own problem, even if she desperately wanted to fix it.
They arrived in Onibus by midafternoon on the third day. It was a little town along the Eastern train line just North of Magnolia. Erza had been making her way back to Magnolia for a couple of weeks now after a trip out West. She'd followed a lead to try to track down a dark guild named Avatar, but the tip hadn't panned out. So, Erza had resulted to finding jobs in the towns she passed through on the way back to at least mitigate the cost of travel.
"You on your way back to Magnolia?" Gajeel spoke up after they'd made it to the town's border. Erza had considered just boarding the train, but she wanted to see if there was any interesting work in Onibus first. Magnolia wasn't going anywhere. Though she suspected Mira would be happy to see her again. Mira would probably be happy to see Gajeel too, she supposed. Mira had always made friends easier than Erza. Maybe the two had been close. Erza couldn't say. She'd certainly never asked.
"Eventually." Erza agreed. She spotted the small café off to the side she'd been looking for. Yes, she was absolutely here to find jobs. It had nothing to do with that ad she'd spotted for a special winter berry cake. This was just a bonus.
She marched forward and heard Gajeel's footsteps waver as he followed. He took the seat opposite of her on the brightly colored shop's patio, scowl deeply entrenched on his face. It was just warm enough this close to the coast that sitting outside wasn't completely uncomfortable even now in the dead of winter.
"So, where's Levy?" Erza asked as they waited for the waitress dealing with a couple on the other end of the shop to make her way over.
"WHAT'S THAT GOTTA DO WITH ANYTHING?!" Gajeel yelled. His face was flushing with color in a way that Erza hadn't really expected. She didn't even know Gajeel could blush. It was sort endearing. Gajeel's shouting apparently drew the attention of the waitress at the very least. She approached timidly, mouth open to likely give them a warning against disrupting business.
"We'll take two of your limited-edition winter cakes." Erza said, abruptly. "And some tea. Whatever goes best."
The woman nodded and squeaked out a compliant response before hustling away and looking relieved.
"The two of you were always close in the guild." Erza answered honestly. "I assumed that you would stick together once it disbanded. I must've misread the situation."
"You must've." Gajeel agreed mulishly, blush fading back into his normal pallor. "And I ain't eatin' no damned cake."
Erza blinked. "I didn't order you cake."
The woman returned with the order and when she tried to set one of the slices down in front of Gajeel Erza slid it across the table to her side before taking a bite of the slice already in front of her. It was delectable. Truly it was finely made with some of the best ingredients. It wasn't as good as the ones she'd found at the café Mira worked at, but it was good and certainly a change up from her usual favorite of strawberry short cake. The little bit of mint thrown into the mix was cooling and brought out a feeling reminiscent of winter. Superb. She'd give it an 8 out of 10.
"Erza?"
Erza's eyes snapped open out of her cake related moment of bliss. A familiar head of pink hair was standing on the other side of the café's small fence.
"And Gajeel…" Kosmos was looking at them almost dispassionately, but Erza could see a bit of confusion and curiosity in her gaze. "What are you two doing here?"
Gajeel muttered something under his breath, but Erza grinned. "We just wandered into town looking for work actually." She said with a nod. Kosmos' eyes drifted to the cake on their table and then back to Erza's face. "What brings you to Onibus, Kosmos?"
"Are those Fairies I've spotted?" Warrod drifted up behind Kosmos and the girl straightened almost imperceptibly. Erza caught it though. "What are Fairy Tail members doing out in Onibus?"
"I told you the guild disbanded." Kosmos said, irritation leaking into her tone.
Warrod paused a moment. Then he laughed uproariously. "Just kidding, just kidding. Of course."
"I've started training under Warrod." Kosmos said. Her expression conveyed that maybe she wasn't as excited about that in practice as she might have been about it in theory. "What've you two been up to?"
"I've been taking jobs here and there." Erza shrugged. "Nothing special."
Gajeel muttered again when Kosmos turned inquisitive eyes his way.
"What was that?" Warrod leaned forward over the fence. "These old ears must be full of bark. I couldn't hear you."
"I said I ain't been doin' anything." He said louder, shoulders tensed.
"I found him in Shirotsume scaring the locals." Erza supplied, taking another bite of cake. Gajeel spluttered incoherently. Kosmos snorted as she tried to suppress a laugh.
"Yeah, I'm sure he was good at that." Kosmos smiled a bit.
"Been sleeping rough?" Warrod said almost seriously. Gajeel glared. "Maybe you should join the council's enforcement squad."
The old tree-man burst into laughter again. Erza gave him a bewildered look.
"Gajeel would never." She said, dead serious. She couldn't even picture a future in which Gajeel of all people worked for the magic council. That was like trying to imagine a future where Natsu worked for them. It just didn't fit. Gajeel looked caught somewhere between angry and offended. Erza agreed that the suggestion was indeed offensive. Warrod should have known better. He'd been a Fairy Tail member once. He knew how much the council always seemed to dog on them specifically.
"Well, we came into town for shopping." Kosmos said, seemingly amused with the situation.
Gajeel pushed himself up from the table. Erza glanced at the sudden motion. She still had a whole cake left to eat and she was planning to take a few slices to go as well, or perhaps she could come back by on her way out of town. She wasn't ready to go by any means.
Gajeel hunched his shoulders though and slunk away.
"I hope we didn't upset him." Kosmos was frowning after him.
"I'm not sure it's possible to upset Gajeel." Erza answered honestly. She'd seen him flustered now, and angry more times than she could count, but upset didn't seem like something she had to worry about with the emotionally reticent dragon slayer.
"We should be going." Warrod motioned toward the street. Erza nodded.
"Ah, you should swing by Magnolia when you have time Kosmos." Erza said, before the girl could walk off. Kosmos blinked, looking unsure. "Mira was trying to make contact with people last I heard."
Kosmos hesitated just a moment before nodding and returning to her shopping trip with Warrod.
Erza finished her cake, paid, and then started her search for jobs that needed doing in town. She didn't run into Gajeel again that day or that evening and she heard no reports of anyone lurking down alleys scaring people so she supposed he must have left town after the conversation outside the café. Erza returned to Magnolia the next day with a few interesting stories for Mira and enough cake to make Mira laugh when she saw her.
Mira's Story
Mira considered doing a lot of things once her friends started to drift away from Magnolia. She knew she was skilled at magic. She could have run off and joined any guild she wanted to if the desire had been there. It hadn't been though.
Mira had joined Fairy Tail for a place to call home, not for glory or any need to prove herself as a mage. She knew her siblings would follow her anywhere, but Mira was exhausted.
Taking in the demon Seilah had been exhausting on the day it happened and it was still exhausting now weeks later. She'd won the battle of wills, but only just barely and likely only because of her desperation to stop Kosmos from ending her own life.
She was still wracked with nightmares of the scene. Kosmos picking up the largest shard of glass near her and casually bringing it to her neck with a placid, almost serene look of compliance. It had been terrifying and it was exactly what Seilah had threatened Elfman with. Mira could just picture her brother in Kosmos' place, glass drawing a bright red line against the delicate tissue of his neck in a macabre imitation of a necklace.
No, Mira needed a break. So, she'd gone looking for more ordinary work. She found a shop to waitress at and to her surprise both Lisanna and Elfman had stuck around to join her endeavors. They'd both gotten jobs at the café and the owner agreed that the place had never run more efficiently or drawn as many customers. He attributed it to Lisanna and Mira's looks. Mira suspected it had more to do with the improved food options. Erza swore by the cake here, but the rest of the food had been somewhat lacking.
Fortunately, cooking was one of Mira's specialties these days. She'd had years of practice at the guild to perfect her skills. Their lunch rushes were growing each day now, and coincidentally the owner had agreed if they could keep up the trend that he'd happily give them wage increases which meant that money wouldn't be an issue.
"I'll take the deliveries today." Lisanna offered. She gathered the few bags waiting to go out into an organized line as she puzzled out the best order to take them in. She'd been a huge help. With her take over forms Lisanna was able to fly over parts of Magnolia that would've taken Mira or Elfman twice as long to walk around. It was beneficial for sure. Mira didn't say anything, but she was certain the reason Lisanna kept offering to take the deliveries was to train. She'd never been able to do a full takeovers like Elfman or Mira. She always had some part of her remain human. Mira knew it bothered her sister, but just like with Elfman when he'd been stuck it was a matter of working through the mental block herself. It couldn't be rushed.
"Be careful on your way." Mira waved her sister out the door and gave Elfman a smile. "I suppose that means you have table duty."
Elfman gave her a sigh, but he moved to the front of the restaurant without any real complaint. Mira continued to make food and dish it out as orders came into the kitchen. The other two workers in back bustled around prepping ingredients and checking on cakes.
Mira was happy for the most part. She'd been okay with a more domestic life for awhile now. She'd lost her powers years ago and only gotten them back recently. It wasn't that hard of a transition for her to remove magic from her job again. No, it was the removal of all the people she'd grown to love in the guild that hurt.
Everything seemed too quiet without the near daily guild brawls. The absence of Gray and Natsu arguing was a near tangible thing. She'd gotten used to her early morning conversations with Harry. Her rivalry turned friendship with Erza, and the not so silent exasperation of Lucy were both sorely missed as well.
Mira tried not to let the loneliness of their newfound situation bother her, especially in front of her siblings. She never wanted Elfman and Lisanna to think they weren't enough. She never wanted them to think she loved them with any less than all of her heart, but… maybe… after all the new people she'd let into her life over their years in Fairy Tail… maybe it wasn't enough anymore after all.
"Sup?" Mira nearly dropped the bowl she'd been moving to the counter by the stove. Cana was leaning against the doorframe with an amused smile.
"Cana, good afternoon! How are you today?"
Cana scoffed. "Doin' great Mira." She said sarcastically. "Whole guild got blown sky high, but I'm peachy."
Mira set the bowl down, a concerned frown tugged her expression downward.
"Look I ain't got the energy to pretend this whole thing doesn't suck." Cana said, scratching her head almost aggressively. "And I know you're probably putting on a brave face for your sister and brother and all, but I know you're just as annoyed by this as I am."
Mira raised a brow.
"Gah…" Cana looked annoyed by her own inability to express whatever she'd come here to tell Mira. "My point is… I dunno… just… Fairy Tail was family… is family."
Mira felt the frown ease and a small twitch tilted her lips up momentarily. "We are." Mira agreed readily.
"We're not goin' down like this." Cana said, irritation and conviction both present in her statement. "I don't know how we're gonna do it, but Fairy Tail isn't done. Makarov doesn't get to make that call for all of us. It might be his guild too, but that doesn't mean he gets to say when it's done."
A more genuine smile lit Mira's face this time. She wondered if Cana would've been able to hold the same conviction in her voice a year ago. Cana had always been committed to the guild, but Mira wasn't sure she would've ever expected the girl to be this vocal about it. "Whatever you're thinking of doing. I want in."
Cana's irritated scowl faded and was replaced almost immediately by a pleased look. "Good to hear it." She said with a grin. "I've got a few things in mind."
Most of the Fairy Tail members had drifted out of Magnolia. Mira had a hard time putting together a network for communication the way that Cana had wanted her to. Bisca and Alzack had decided to keep Asuka in Magnolia. They'd argued that the dissolution of the guild couldn't be much worse than they'd had to put up with while the majority of the guild had been trapped on Tenrou Island. Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba had told her similar things.
So, Mira's first contacts had been with those who'd hung around Magnolia. She found Laki in Hargeon, Jet and Droy were way out in Clover Town, and Warren had somehow found work in Crocus. Mira spent months slowly threading together more and more locations and establishing communication lines with the ex-Fairy Tail members.
More months passed and Mira found more and more of their old friends in cities that drifted further and further from Magnolia. Juvia drifted through at one point, desperate for her help with some errand of love. Mira found out Lucy's location through an article that had her tagged in the byline. All through it though Mira couldn't find a single clue as to where Natsu and Happy, or Harry, Wendy, and Carla had gone. Both groups seemed to have dropped off the map.
So, it was to her immense surprise to find Harry in her shop one afternoon when she arrived for her shift. He was sitting in a booth calmly sipping tea and looking a bit out of place, all things told. He had his travel bag on the booth seat beside him as well as a second bag that was a bit smaller. He looked tanner than she could ever recall him being. Most shockingly though he had forgone his usual upscale attire in favor of a pair of black shorts and a red t-shirt. Both looked a little rough, like he'd been sparring in them, but both also showed far more skin than his usual clothes and Mira was shocked to see muscle building there. He didn't look like the scrawny boy Gray had pulled out of the building ruins what felt like an eternity ago.
"Harry?" she said his name quietly, half afraid that he'd disappear if more people perceived him. Like maybe he was a mirage or she was hallucinating. He didn't disappear though. He glanced up and she met familiar green eyes.
"Ah, Mira." He said with a smile. "I was hoping I'd catch you."
She wasn't sure how to respond to that, and her heart absolutely DID NOT skip any beats. "I was hoping to find you too." She slid back into her familiar pleasantry. It had been a few months now, but her years of practice made it easier to put a professional amount of distance between herself and the man sitting there. "I'm afraid I wasn't expecting you so suddenly though. I wonder if you'd be willing to stick around so I can get you one of Cana's cards."
He gave her a curious tilt to his head, but nodded. "Wendy and Carla are taking some individual training time and quite honestly, I thought a trip to Magnolia would be a good way to relax. How've things been?"
Mira glanced back toward the kitchen.
"I might've paid off your previous shift's cook to stay for the evening." He said, taking another sip of his tea and fixing her with a look that made Mira shift in embarrassment. "So, you don't need to worry about being late."
Mira opened her mouth and then closed it, unsure what to say.
"I believe I gave him the impression that we were dating, though." He said, expression softening a bit. "Sorry."
Something she couldn't identify squeezed uncomfortably in her chest at those words. "It's fine." She got out, pleasant smile sliding into place. "Though it might hurt my sales figures for Sorcerer's Weekly if they thought I was dating someone."
He laughed lightly. "Maybe you could threaten your cook friend then." He said, smile turning playful. "A sort of 'don't let it slip on penalty of death' sort of thing. You've definitely got the right aura for it when you want to."
Mira laughed with him that time. Her smile was a bit more genuine when she glanced back up. "Do you want to walk and talk?" Sitting in the café she worked at while not working felt a little odd. This was amplified by the fact that the front-end staff were clearly trying to eavesdrop. She'd spotted one drifting closer and closer over the last couple of minutes with a teapot in hand to look busy. Mira was certain she caught Harry wrinkle his nose in distaste the way he'd always done when Mira put food in front of him when he wasn't hungry. She opened her mouth to say it wasn't necessary but he was already moving to stand. He offered her a hand up and Mira took it, feeling a small frown tug at her lips. She wasn't a damsel in distress. She wasn't sure why he'd bothered. A second later he had to stoop back over his own side of the booth to grab his bags. He gave her a grimace.
"My whole life has been walking for the last few months." He said and then he huffed out a laugh. "I guess a leisurely stroll around Magnolia isn't quite the same thing though."
"We don't have to leave…" Mira started and Harry waved it away with a smile.
"Who would turn down the chance to escort the top model for Sorcerer's Weekly?" he said with a wink as he took the lead out the door and held it open for her. Mira was sure her face was on fire. She heard a snicker from somewhere behind her, but she ignored it and forced herself to hasten her steps to move through the door so he wasn't standing there holding it awkwardly. As soon as she'd caught up he gave her a considering look and let the door swing shut. She wondered what he saw. "So, Cana is giving out calling cards?"
"Huh?" Mira nearly missed a step. Oh, right, she'd mentioned that in the café. "Yes, we're trying to get all the guild members who are interested back in touch…"
Mira had a nervous second to wonder if he was still interested before she heard him give a low laugh.
"So, Fairy Tail is trying to make a comeback." He said and when he glanced back her way he was smiling. "With people like you in the guild I suppose I shouldn't be surprised? You always struck me as the industrious type."
This time Mira did miss a step. She would have faceplanted on the stone walkway if Harry hadn't caught her arm. She righted herself immediately, deeply embarrassed but hiding it behind one of her normal smiles. "That's kind to say. It was Cana who had the idea, though."
Harry shook his head and she watched his eyebrows tug together. "You sell yourself short Mira." He said. "Everyone is important to Fairy Tail in different ways, but there are a few people who sort of hold everything together. You're definitely one of them. Cana approached you to find everyone and reach out to them, right? I'm certain she had a reason for doing it that way."
Mira hadn't thought about it that way. She'd just assumed Cana didn't want to put in the leg work required to find everyone. She was certain she wasn't entirely wrong, but she also knew that an appeal to return to Fairy Tail from Cana might not work for the guild members who didn't know the girl well. Cana came off as distant and, at best, unpleasant to most people. Erza certainly would have been an option, but the others likely would've felt pressured to accept any invitation she offered. The same thought extended to Natsu and Gray if Cana even could have found them. And unfortunately, Harry had been with the guild too short a time to inspire loyalty in their more distant members. Somehow Mira really was the best option and the thought was sort of staggering.
"You're more important than I think you realize." He finished, smile kind and eyes glowing softly in that strange way his eyes did. She'd found it odd and slightly ominous when they'd first met. Now that she could read the emotions so clear in their depths she found it comforting. Even when Harry was trying to keep his emotions hidden she found she could still see the truth shining in his all too expressive eyes.
"You are too." The words left Mira's mouth before she was even consciously aware she was thinking them.
He blinked, seemingly a little startled. "I am, what?" he sounded thoroughly confused, which sort of irritated Mira, but weirdly she wasn't irritated at him. No, she'd seen time and again that he was incapable of spotting his own worth. Harry was scarily powerful, incredibly kind, and willing to do anything for the people he cared about. He was the best kind of person and yet somehow he was consistently convinced he wasn't worth anyone's effort.
"Both." She said, her pleasant public smile was gone. Instead, she fixed him with what she hoped was a very serious look. "You're more important than you realize, and you're one of the things that holds the guild together now."
He looked like he was going to argue.
"You may not have been around super long in the grand scheme of things, but you're important to everyone. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way." She finished her statement and looked back at him. He looked absolutely thrown for a loop. It took a solid minute for him to close his mouth.
Slowly his expression moved from one of shock to amused acceptance. "If you say so, Mira." He said sounding, if anything, like he didn't believe he deserved the praise but was willing to accept it on her behalf. It was infuriating, but Mira didn't push any further. She knew she couldn't undo whatever caused his reluctance to take praise in a single conversation.
"So, you said you came into Magnolia because of our promise to keep in touch." She said, resuming their walk. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to it?"
She startled a laugh out of him and it made something in her chest ease from the earlier tension.
"Busted, I guess." He said, laugh still rolling off his words. "Actually I did come here to ask you something."
"Okay." She replied glancing back to catch his expression but he was shifting his bags around. "Shoot."
"Well, you seem to have a wide knowledge base. I was wondering if you knew anywhere that was safe to store dangerous magical items."
Mira stopped and gave him an incredulous look. That was certainly not something she'd been expecting.
"We followed some coordinates to a location that had artifacts that were made… well, a long time ago. A lot of them are moderately dangerous. A few are definitely bad news. I don't really trust the council to protect them after everything that happened with Tartaros and the stories that I've heard about Jellal and how easily the council has been infiltrated in the past. So, I was hoping that you knew of some alternative."
Mira shook he head. "I'm sure Makarov would be able to help more, but he's been missing since the day he disbanded the guild."
Harry nodded, looking thoughtful.
"Could I ask a favor then?"
"Sure." Mira didn't even wait to hear what it was. She was certain that Harry wouldn't ask anything particularly bad.
Harry shifted a bag forward looking amused at her quick acceptance. "Will you take this and keep it somewhere safe? I'd be willing to put wards up to keep it from being noticed. It's just that bringing dangerous objects on the search for more dangerous objects feels like it's going to bite us in the ass at some point."
Mira nodded, amused at his choice of words. "Can I tell Lisanna and Elfman?" It only felt fair to let her siblings know what she was bringing into their new home. It had become a necessity with the lack of money coming from guild work. The dorms were pricey with just café work to support them.
They'd found a small three bedroom home on the outskirts of Magnolia to call their own. There weren't many houses on the side of Magnolia they'd chosen. In fact, the only house that could be seen from theirs was curiously empty, but when they'd asked they'd been told that the people who owned it still frequently visited the town.
"Of course, I trust them." Harry said swinging the bag back around and giving her a smile that made her knees feel a bit like jello.
Harry stuck around for almost two entire days. He said he was giving Carla and Wendy a chance to work on some type of training that they didn't necessarily want him around for. When he eventually departed it was because Mira was due back at work. She'd spent the last two days enjoying the company of her siblings and Harry. Now it was back to the grind of everyday life and her attempts to locate former Fairy Tail members. She'd sent off a letter to Lucy right before her shift started. Hopefully it would find her easily.
Her female coworkers all gossiped and asked who the guy she'd been with the other day had been. Lisanna kept giving Mira entirely too knowing of looks. Elfman just seemed confused by all the commotion. It was weeks before the topic started to die down.
Two more months passed by in a familiar blur. Harry showed up again to drop off more artifacts with her. Wendy and Carla were in tow this time as well, to Mira's delight. They only stayed briefly and Mira noted that Harry seemed more frazzled than the last time, but he'd been in too much of a rush to really stick around and explain why that was.
They were gone in just a couple of hours, to both her and her siblings dismay. They'd all sensed how tired the group had been. She wished she could have convinced them to take a break in Magnolia, but Wendy had mentioned that they were nearly done with their strange search before they'd departed so perhaps they'd take a break when they were done. Mira at least secured a promise that they'd return in the next few months from Harry before the group had left.
The months carried on after that, but Harry, Wendy, and Carla never showed back up.
Happy Holidays readers!
I'll be with family for the next week or so. If there's a lull and I have the inclination to write there may be another chapter, but if not this may be all until around New Years.
I can't believe this year is drawing to a close already. Crazy. I hope you're all happy and safe this holiday season. Take care!
~Kanathia