Lucy and Lisanna had been sitting and pondering the prank they had pulled on Ember for about two hours. Neither one of them could figure out what was making them act out in such a way. Both of them were the friendly type, befriending close to everyone and everyone. Lucy had even befriended opponents she was supposed to be fighting against before, just because she could see that they were actually good people beyond their darkness. Lisanna normally didn't have a mean bone in her body. Even her transformation magic was cute and cuddly.
"Why are we acting like this Lisanna?" Lucy whimpered.
"I don't know Lucy. Even Natsu is mad at us. Erza was so mad she left." Lisanna sighed.
"Levy is mad at me! I can't believe it. I don't know what to do."
The two girls sighed heavily and sat in a cloud of their own gloom. Their dramatic and jealous actions were now driving their friends away. Lisanna's own sister was giving her the cold shoulder. Lucy and Lisanna both looked up as two people approached their table. For a split second they were about to smile, thinking it was Natsu and Gray coming over to make sure they were alright. But no such luck. It was Cana and Evergreen.
The two women looked down at Lisanna and Lucy with anger and a hint of revenge twinkling in their eyes. They had their hands on their hips and looked like moms ready to confront their children for skipping school.
"Nasty trick you two brats pulled." Evergreen sneered.
"W-We're sorry." Lisanna stammered.
"I don't think sorry is going to cut it this time." Cana smirked.
"Wh-what?" Lucy whined.
Cana and Evergreen looked as if they were standing in a cloud of darkness. Pure negative energy was consuming them. Their eyes looked nothing short of evil. Evergreen reached up and grabbed her glasses, lowering them down her nose. Lucy and Lisanna quickly looked away with a gasp, knowing that if they made eye contact with Evergreen when her glasses came down that they would turn into stone statues. A tarot card landed on the table in front of them, numbers ticking down to 1 from 3 like a bomb. Lucy and Lisanna jumped up from the table as the card exploded, turning the table into splinters and throwing them to the ground with it's force. Cana and Evergreen laughed so hard they had to hold their stomachs.
This caught the attention of everyone in the Guild Hall. Besides Cana and Evergreens laughter there was nothing but silence. Lucy and Lisanna's heavy breathing shook their ribs. They looked at each other and smiled. The cloud of negative energy had passed onto them, and they both stood up. Lisanna transformed herself into a cat-human hybrid and threw herself at Evergreen. She managed to scratch her with her claws, from one side of her face to the other. Lucy grabbed one of her keys and opened the Zodiac Gate of Cancer the Crab. The Crab Man lunged at Cana with his scissors and chopped off a large lock of her hair. Cana screeched in shock.
"What the fuck Lucy? Oh, you are done for!" Cana growled. She threw a card at Lucy's head that did the same exact thing to her, cut off a chunk of her hair. Lucy cried out in shock.
"No! AAAHHHH!" Lucy cried out.
"Bye bye Lisanna!" Evergreen snickered, shooting a flurry of kinetic exploding sparkles directly at her opponent. But Lisanna transformed herself to have wings like a bird, and she dodged the attack, flying towards the ceiling of the guild hall and laughing.
"Whoa now ladies! Calm down!" Macao called from his table.
"No need to wreck the guild hall. We can all get past this." Wakaba nodded.
All four girls turned and looked at the two older men. When their eyes met it was like something snapped in Macao and Wakaba. They both stood up, ready to battle. Macao sent purple sticky flames at Lisanna, knocking her to the ground. Wakaba sent a smoke bomb at Cana, knocking her off her feet.
"DON'T HIT MY SISTER! YOU'RE NO MAN!" A booming and raging voice shouted.
Macao and Wakaba looked behind them as the gigantic Elfman rushed at them, one of his arms a scaled and clawed Beast arm. He swiped at the both of them, knocking them both to the ground. Romeo stood up and shouted at Macao "Dad! Are you alright?". Macao nodded at his son and picked himself up off the floor. But Romeo focused his attention to Elfman, and sent a golden sulfur flame straight at Elfman's nose. Elfman stumbled back gagging and smacking at his own face.
"OOOOO IT SMELLS!" He shouted.
"Big brother!" Lisanna yelled from the floor. Rubbing her butt as it throbbed from hitting the ground so hard.
"Elfman!" Evergreen cried, and ran to him.
Levy jumped in front of Evergreen before she could get to Elfman, and smirked. Evergreen looked at her in confusion. "Really Levy?" she laughed.
But a solid script of fire knocked right into Evergreen, knocking her to the floor and burning her clothes. Evergreen squealed in embarrassment, struggling to cover herself. Elfman ran to her and picked her up, shielding her from prying eyes with his huge muscled arms. Levy laughed but was knocked forward by a huge gust of wind. She turned around and saw Wendy standing there, her pigtails swirling in a vortex of her own sky magic.
"Wendy not you too!" Carla cried out.
"Carlaaaaaa!" Pantherlilly shouted as he flew at Carla with his sword drawn. She sprouted wings and dodged the sword before it could come down on top of her head.
"LILLYYYYY NOOOOOOO!" Happy cried.
"Now the exceeds are even fighting? What the hell is going on here?" Freed gasped from over at the bar.
"Oh my!" Mira snickered.
Bickslow lifted up his helmet, his eye glowing green. He turned to Laxus but Laxus was too fast, blasting him with a bolt of lightning before Bickslow could control his soul. Bickslow fell to the ground, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his babies crying out for him. Laxus just leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, listening to the chaos erupt around him.
"Juvia got you now love rival!" Juvia cackled, sending a funnel of water right at Lucy. Lucy jumped out of the way in time, just as Gray froze the funnel of water and it fell to the ground with a crash.
"Are you kidding me Juvia?" Gray freaked.
"Heads up ice cube!" Natsu snickered.
Gray looked up to see Natsu coming down on him with a fist of fire. He ice-maked a shield to block the attack. Natsu's fire melted the shield, but his attack didn't hit. He then turned his attention to Romeo, and a battle of flames broke out. Natsu accidentally ate Romeo's sulfur flame and fell to the ground gagging on the taste and smell. Gray turned and locked eyes with Freed. His arms turned into two ice swords and he charged.
"Yeah, right." Freed laughed.
Gray crossed a barrier of runes and fell to the ground, a force pressing down on him not allowing him to get back up. Juvia gasped and ran to Gray's aid, and the same thing happened to her. The two of them lay on the ground, pressed down by pounds of pressure.
"Goddammit Freed!" Gray growled.
"Gravity barrier!" Freed laughed.
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Ember walked into the guild hall and her jaw fell to the floor. She looked around as her guild mates all competed in a battle royale. She walked over to the bar where Mira sat watching the action. Laxus stood close by, his eyes still closed. They seemed to be the only two not participating.
"Mira, what the hell is going on?" Ember asked.
"Oh, this is normal." Mira giggled.
"A little more serious than normal, but yeah, this happens all the time. Idiots." Laxus scoffed.
"How come you two didn't get pulled into it?" Ember laughed.
"Oh, I never do." Mira smiled.
"I knocked out Bickslow with a lightning attack. He thought he was going to control my soul." Laxus smirked.
Ember nodded and sat down. She kept her back turned to the chaos that was happening around her. But she could feel the negative energy raising the hair on her arms. She began to shake. She couldn't let it get to her. She would not let herself get dragged into this. If she lost control she could possibly hurt someone, and she was not about to let that happen.
"What in the world?" Erza exclaimed as she entered the building.
She looked around in shock at all her friends shooting magic attacks at each other. Makarov's jaw dropped as he walked in behind her. So much damage! So so soooo much damage! Behind Makarov was Porlyusica. She shook her head and smacked Makarov in the back of the head.
"I thought you had it all under control Makarov?" She sneered.
"I...I...I do." The Master stammered.
"No, you don't. This negative energy is dangerous you old fool."
Ember turned around, sensing Porlyusica. She looked at the old woman, and the noticed that she had already been looking at Ember. She turned back around, her hands shaking. She could feel Erza, Makarov, and Porlyusica approaching her.
"Good afternoon Master! Erza! Porlyusica!' Mira beamed.
"What's up gramps?" Laxus said.
"Good afternoon kids. Laxus, I am glad to see you are not in the middle of this." Makarov sighed. Laxus just laughed.
"Eh, I already took out Bickslow." Laxus snickered.
"Oooooh you good for nothing grandson!" Makarov sighed.
"Ember, I think it's about time you told everyone the truth." Porlyusica said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Master?" Ember turned around shocked, looking down at the old man.
"Yes my child. It is time. This has gone on long enough." Makarov nodded.
"What the hell are you all talking about?" Laxus asked, pushing himself from the wall and coming closer.
"If you stop hiding yourself, the negative energy will stop spreading like a disease. Keeping these types of things bottled up inside can cause major issues. Like what is happening right now." Porlyusica said.
"This is my fault?" Ember whined.
"Not directly. But yes. You are a child of darkness, and that darkness is a part of you. Because you have decided to struggle with it, it easily passes onto those that are close to you. I am sure you noticed a lot of people acting in negative ways. But if you come to accept it, and be open about it, the negative energy will not be so free flowing." Porlyusica explained.
"But, I don't think…..I'm ready. Or that anyone else is ready." Ember stammered.
"It doesn't matter." Porlyusica snapped.
"Ember, I don't know what's going on, but we already accept you. There is nothing you can tell us that will change that." Erza said with a reassuring smile.
Ember looked at Makarov, and he nodded. She let out a sigh and swallowed down the lump in her throat. She nodded her agreement.
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Makarov took his seat on top of the bar. Mira, Laxus, Erza, Ember, and Porlyusica stood or sat close by him. Porlyusica removed a vial of liquid from her satchel and shook it up. When she opened it a wispy pink smoke rose out of it and started to spread around the guild hall, a sweet and calming scent traveling with it. As it reached people's noses they all stopped fighting and quickly calmed down. The realization of what had happened hit everyone at once, and they all looked to the Master for answers.
"What exactly is going on Master?" Macao asked, rubbing his face.
"Yeah, this negative stuff has gotten really weird." Cana coughed, grabbing a random drink off of one of the tables.
"It all has an explanation. I know some of you have been acting out in ways that you don't feel is normal of yourselves. And as you are all aware it all started when Ember came to join us. She is going to explain it to you. Please pay attention, and do not act rashly. Questions are welcome, but before anyone jumps to any conclusions, hear her out first." Makarov explained.
The Fairy Tail members nodded their understanding and took their seats. All their attention was now on Ember. She didn't sense the judging and negative feelings that she had felt from them when they looked at her in the beginning, and this made her more comfortable. She was about to undo the cap on the bottle of her secrets. Who she was. What she was. And where she came from. Anxiety racked her body, but the scent of the potion Porlyusica had released was helping her push it away. She assumed that everyone elses calmness was due to this potion as well. She wondered if she could get her hands on a bottle.
"Ok everyone. This may take awhile. It's kind of a long story. And I will be glad to answer any questions anyone may have." Ember gulped. Mira grabbed Ember's hand and looked at her with a smile.
"I'm here for you. Don't worry." Mira said kindly. Ember smiled and nodded. And with a sigh, she started to tell her story.
"As you all already know, I have a brother. His name is Erik, but you all know him better as Cobra of the former Oracion Seis. Me and Cobra were not exactly born, we were more like created by our 'Father'. You all also know our father. And before I give you his name, I need you to know that me and my brother dislike him just as much as all of you do. My father is Zeref. He created me and Cobra in a similar way that he created his demons. The difference is that he created his demons when he was 'awake' and with no appreciation for life in this world. He created me and my brother in one of his moments of 'sleeping'. When he actually has the ability to comprehend life. And in fact cares for it, but in the end he cannot help but leech the life from everything around him. Cobra is older than me so I don't know the details of his birth, but I was born out of the ashes of an Elm tree. Zeref created us in his time of sleep in order to one day defeat him. That was our original purpose.
Cobra was implanted with a Lacryma of Poison Dragon Slayer magic. But he was born with his power of hearing. The power to hear thoughts, movements, everything. I was given my scythe, which is also my hellhound Nunu, and the power to summon his magic. A hellhound's magic is powerful, and quite different than a lot of other natural magic found in Earthland. That is why I am not quick to use it. Anyways, I don't know the exact ages we were, but Cobra was taken from us by the cult that was building the Tower of Heaven. The same place Jellal, and Erza know. Some of you have been there. I thought my brother was dead until just recently. I was not taken because Zeref grabbed me and we hid in the forest. I had to sit by as my brother was taken. I will never forget that day. And I will never forget that Zeref did nothing.
After Cobra was taken things changed quickly. Zeref left me, and i only saw him in my moments of weakness when I couldn't control my darkness. Porlyusica saw this in the woods the night she found me and brought me here to be healed after the battle me and Natsu had and a few of my ribs were broken. But Zeref didn't leave me alone. He left me with a dragon. He left me with…..Acnologia."
The guild hall erupted into a cacophony of people talking at once. Raised voices, raised fists. Ember looked at the Master for reassurance, and he smiled at her. Mira was still holding her hand, and Laxus and Erza still stood close by. Porlyusica shook up another bottle of the calming pink potion and opened it's cap. The chattering turned to murmurs, then silence.
"Before I go any further, are there any questions?" Ember asked.
"Your father is really Zeref?" Gray shouted from the crowd.
"Yes. He created me. But he didn't raise me. Acnologia raised me. He is my dad."
"So that's why you have such an interest in dragons and dragon slayers?" Laxus asked.
"Yes. I will get more into that."
"You have a dragon for a dad too? Do you know where the other dragons are?" Natsu yelled excitedly.
"No, I do not know where Igneel, Metalicana, and Grandine are. I don't even know where Acnologia is at this time. You may have seen my dad, but I have not. Any more questions? No? Ok, I will continue.
I'm shocked that after hearing that I was raised by a dragon, that no one asked me if I was a dragon slayer. Well, the truth is, I am. I was raised by Acnologia to be a dragon slayer. I don't use my dragon slayer powers ever. And those of you who have met my dad, know why. The magic I was taught is destructive and chaotic. I will only ever use it if it is absolutely necessary. As you may know, Acnologia hates humans. He is a recluse and doesn't like his fellow dragons. At one time he was a human dragon slayer, but because of his disconnect from the lives of both lifeforms, Zeref aided in turning him into a dragon. Zeref brought me to Acnologia without knowing if the dragon would even kill me. And he just left me with him. Luckily, I was not harmed. I don't know why Acnologia raised me, or why he even cared for me. But he did. And I know he's horrible, and terrifying. But, he's my dad. And I want nothing more than to see him again. Once again, any questions?"
"You're really a dragon slayer?" Wendy shrieked.
"Yes Wendy." Ember laughed.
"Wait, so does that mean that when you insulted me and Natsu that first day you were being serious? DO I REALLY SMELL LIKE BLOOD?" Gajeel yelled.
"AND I SMELL LIKE FARTS? LIKE ROMEOS SULFUR FLAMES?" Natsu cried out.
"No! I only said the first thing that came to my head!" Ember laughed even harder.
"Then, what do I smell like? I'm curious." Gajeel smirked.
"Hmm well. Imagine sitting on a mountain. The smell of the rocks, the crispness in the thin air you find on top of mountains. That's what you smell like Gajeel." Ember smiled.
"That was poetic! And beautiful!" Levy swooned.
"Lame." Gajeel huffed.
"What about me?" Natsu shouted.
"Hah, you. Well Natsu. You smell like the aftermath of a forest fire. Burnt wood, fresh dark fertile Earth."
"That's AWESOME!" Natsu cheered.
"Are you curious Laxus?" Ember smirked.
"I would rather not participate in that. It's foolish." Laxus sighed.
"Okay well then. You know my past. And what I am. Now I will tell you why I came here. It's simple. I spent my life traveling on my own after Acnologia left me, just the way Zeref left me. No friends. No family. Fairy Tail is the guild talked about around the country. Your camaraderie and friendships reach the ears of even the smallest towns. I wanted that. I wanted a place to call home. People to call friends and family. So I finally came here. I told Master Makarov everything the day I arrived, and he chose to trust me. He gave me a chance despite my past. Much like he did with Gajeel and Juvia after they had been in Phantom Lord. The reason for all the weird negativity is because of my trying so hard to bottle up the darkness of my past, and who I really am. Doing that caused negative energy to radiate off of me and pass to other people. The reason Gajeel and Natsu disliked me at the beginning was not because of my scent. It was because of my disdain for myself. They sensed that and it rubbed off on them. Wendy had an opposite reaction, as did Laxus. They befriended me. I couldn't tell you why that is. And all of those of you that have had negative feelings that you can't explain. That's because you are hiding something from yourself. And, that's all. I hope you all can still trust me."
"Of course. Like you pointed out, me and Juvia had a dark past as well and we are just as much Fairy Tail as anyone else." Gajeel smirked.
"Exactly!" Levy chirped.
Ember couldn't contain her smile. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off her back. No more secrets. No more darkness. She finally had friends, a family, and a place to call home. She looked back at Mira and the Master, and they both smiled widely at her. Fairy Tail. She was home.
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"So that nasty thing we did to Ember really WASN'T us!" Lucy chirped.
"Thank goodness." Lisanna laughed.
Now that everything was out in the open everyone was already feeling more positive. But something seemed to be bothering Natsu. After Ember's story ended and the questions died down, he slipped into a slump. He sat with hunched shoulders and wasn't participating in anyones conversation.
"Natsuuu, why do you look sad?" Happy pouted.
"I'm not sad little buddy." Natsu said with a forced smile. He patted the top of Happy's head. He stood up and looked down at his friends. "I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I will see you guys later."
"You're not even going to eat dinner?" Lucy gasped.
Natsu just shrugged and left the guild hall, Happy flying behind him. Lucy and Lisanna looked at each other confused, but then just figured Natsu was probably just tired from all the current events and the burst of negative energy everyone was a victim of earlier. Levy and Lucy made up and started chattering like they usually did before all the negativity. Gajeel sat close enough to Levy that she could feel the warmth from his skin, and it made her feel even better. Erza walked up to the table, her sword clanking against her armor.
"Hi Erza!" Lucy and Levy chirped.
"Lucy. Levy." Erza nodded.
"So what did you think of Ember's story? I really want to see that dragon slayer magic of hers." Gray said.
"Me too actually. Now we have how many dragon slayers? Five? That's pretty impressive." Erza laughed.
"I bet she's stronger than fire breath." Gray chuckled.
"There's no way a dragon slayer who doesn't use their magic would be stronger than Natsu!" Lucy snapped, defending her friend.
"That's not true. But regardless, I doubt she's stronger than any of us." Gajeel nodded.
"Don't underestimate her. It could be a smack in the face." Gray smiled.
"Juvia thinks Gray likes Ember too much." Juvia sighed, a sad look taking over her face.
"What? You're being ridiculous again." Gray snapped.
"Anyways I came to say something to Lucy and Lisanna. You heard what was said. Your negativity was because of something you were hiding from yourselves. You might want to acknowledge what that thing is, and do something about it before it's too late." Erza said with a nod.
Lucy and Lisanna both looked at Erza in shock, but she just smiled at them. She turned and walked away making her way to the bar in Ember's direction. The two girls then looked at each other. They both knew exactly what Erza was talking about, and they knew she was right. They also knew that they had to take action. But which one of them would succeed in their action? If either of them succeeded at all?
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Cana had one arm around Ember's shoulders, and held a drink in her other hand. Mira stood behind the bar laughing and chatting with her friends. Bickslow was sitting next to Cana, but he was hanging his head because he couldn't stop thinking about when Laxus had shot him down. Freed sat next to Ember, drinking and laughing with the rest. Laxus had slipped out shortly after Ember's story without saying anything.
"Finally I get to be best friends with a dragon slayer! This. Is. Awesome!" Cana cheered.
"It is pretty cool!" Mira giggled.
"It's not that big of a deal guys." Ember laughed.
"It kind of is. I mean, I've always had Laxus, but it's kind of cool to have a female dragon slayer in our corner. Granted we have Wendy, but she can't sit and drink with us." Freed said and clanked mugs with Cana.
"Where's Evergreen?" Ember asked looking around.
"Oh her and Elfman left. She needed a change of clothes." Cana laughed.
"Poor Ever." Ember said with a sigh.
Freed nudged Ember's arm and tilted his head to signal to her to turn around. She turned around to see Erza approaching. She turned in her seat, causing Cana's arm to fall off her shoulders.
"Hello Erza." Ember smiled.
"Ember. I'm glad you are doing better, mentally. That was quite the story. You have a very interesting past." Erza smiled back.
"Uh, yeah I guess."
"I'm going to see what I can do about Cobra. Maybe Jellal can talk some sense into him. The truth may change things."
"I don't want to force anything."
"I said nothing about force. Anyways, I just had something to say. You might want to talk to Natsu. He left here earlier looking kind of upset."
"Why would he leave upset? I don't understand."
"Well, from what I gather you and him actually bonded on your last mission. And he just found out you were a dragon slayer. He's sensitive when it comes to dragon slayers. He is probably just upset that you didn't tell him."
"Oh. I never thought of that. I'll stop by his place on my way home."
"Sounds good."
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Night had fallen, and not many civilians were out on the streets of Magnolia anymore. The moon hung high in the sky it's light lighting up the walkway. The stars were out in high numbers. The sound of the crickets singing was relaxing as it orchestrated the blinking lights of the lightning bugs. Ember looked down at the directions Erza had written down for her to get to Natsu's house. She almost missed it because there was no light outside. A wooden sign was perched at the beginning of the walkway saying "Natsu and Happy" in handwritten letters. Ember walked up to the front door and knocked.
She stood in the dark waiting for an answer, listening for any movement inside. She knew he was home, she could smell him. And she didn't hear him snoring so she knew he wasn't asleep. "Natsu, it's Ember. Please answer the door." She said quietly. It took a few minutes but the door eventually creaked open, Natsu's head poking out.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
"It was brought to my attention that you left the guild hall upset. If it has anything to do with me, I would like to know why."
Natsu stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. His eyes and pink hair were bright in the light of the moon. Brighter than even her eyes and her blue braids. He leaned against his door, looking towards the ground.
"What is it Natsu?"
"I just….why didn't you tell me you were a dragon slayer?"
"I didn't tell anyone. I'm sorry."
"But….us dragon slayers. We need to be there for each other."
"I've never had anyone there for me before, so I didn't understand. Again, I am sorry."
Ember caught the glimmer of a tear falling down Natsu's face. This caught her off guard and she took a step back. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She looked at him, her eyes wide. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what was going on.
"Natsu…."
"Igneel has been gone since I was a kid. It's been so many years now. I don't know where he is. But, I saw your dad."
"I know, and he almost killed you all. He was the reason you all got stuck in a time freeze for 7 years. I'm...sorry."
"If Acnologia is still alive, and around….that must mean...that Igneel…."
"Very likely."
"But why hasn't he shown himself to me?"
"Remember, none of us have seen our parents. You may have seen Acnologia, but I haven't seen my dad since I was a child either."
"It's not just that…"
"What else?"
"These feelings. I don't understand them."
He was looking at her now. Their eyes locked in a silent dance. She didn't know what he meant by feelings he didn't understand. Her only thought was that maybe he meant the negative feelings he had been having up until this day. And now that all the negative energy was gone, he was having a hard time adjusting.
"What feelings Natsu?"
"I feel connected to you in some way."
"It's just because we are both dragon slayers. Nothing more than that."
"But I didn't feel this with Gajeel, or Wendy. Not the same."
"It's because Wendy is a child. And Gajeel is another male. Naturally you are competitive with Gajeel, and protective of Wendy. But I'm a female close to your age. It's a different kind of closeness."
"Are you saying that I….LIKE YOU?"
"No no! Nothing like that. Besides, I think everyone knows that if you LIKE anyone, it definitely isn't me."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmm….a girl with pale hair comes to mind."
Natsu looked at Ember confused, and then it clicked in his head. He let out a long sigh and let go of her hand, wiping his face with the back of his hand. She smiled at him warmly, and he grabbed her into a hug. She hugged him back.
"Don't hide anything from me anymore, okay Ember? Family doesn't hide things from each other."
"Of course, Natsu."
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Ember thought about her conversation with Natsu her entire walk home. She thought it was so innocent, and rather cute, that Natsu mistook his feelings of closeness to another dragon slayer as a crush or other romantic feelings. Natsu didn't seem like the type to understand such feelings, and it was pretty clear that he wasn't. But that didn't mean he didn't have them, just that he didn't know how to put the pieces together to make sense of them. Ember hoped her little hint helped him. It was obvious that Natsu had such feelings, and that they very clearly were not for Ember. But it was up to him to figure out such a matter for himself. It was a part of growing up into a man that he would have to embrace eventually.
She was still in high spirits as she walked up the stairs to get to her room. Her landlady wasn't around tonight, which was good. She knew her rent was due tomorrow. Luckily she had it put away. The last thing she wanted was to be back in the woods. She loved her little home. She unlocked her door and went inside, leaning her scythe against the wall as she hung up her cloak and put her backpack on the breakfast table. She switched on the lights and noticed there was someone sitting at the breakfast table. She jumped into the air with a startled shriek. It was Laxus, sitting there with his coat hanging on the back of his chair and his arms crossed. How did she not smell him? She really needed to start paying attention.
"Laxus….WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?" Ember shouted.
"Calm down. Natsu does it to Lucy all the time." Laxus snickered.
"We are not Natsu and Lucy!" Ember snapped.
"No, clearly." He smiled.
She wiggled the tension out of her shoulders and caught her breath. He had really startled her. He stood up from the table and walked over to her, getting so close that his electricity caused the hair on her arms and the back of her neck to stand on end. She could feel his body heat radiating through his clothes and through hers, hitting her skin. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. The way he looked at her was totally different than any way he had ever looked at her before. She could feel her blood rushing to her cheeks, turning them bright red. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"You see, Lucy is just a little girl with big boobs. And Natsu, he couldn't handle a solid and strong woman. Not like you anyways." He smirked.
"Well, I'm sorry my boobs aren't as impressive as Lucy's. I was created to be strong and capable of damage, not given a cute little body for perverts to oogle over." Ember sneered.
"You misunderstand me. Sure Lucy may be a hot little thing. But you…...I'm not complaining." Laxus smiled.
He grabbed her hips and pulled her close against him. She could feel his fingertips digging into her soft flesh. The air around them lit up with sparks. She felt as if a power surge was making it's way through her veins. She didn't know what do with her hands, so she rested them on Laxus's chest. She was too shy to continue eye contact, so she looked down.
"So Ember. What do I smell like?" He asked. His voice low, seductive.
"The build up of an oncoming thunder storm. The impending rain, the chaotic air. The electricity that burns through the clouds." Ember breathed.
"Seems fitting, for a woman that smells of the Earth after it rains." He said, leaning down close to her ear.
She could feel her body shaking. Every nerve ending lightning up like fire crackers. She felt one of his hands travel up her back and then resting on her face, cupping her chin in his large hand. He tilted her head up so she was looking at him. Without even thinking her hands traveled from his chest and arrived at the headphones over his ears. She grabbed them and threw them off his head. He held her against him and kissed her, his hand tangling itself in her long hair. She buried her hands in his hair and grabbed his shaggy long spikes, letting herself fall into him and the kiss. His power filled the room with hers. And it felt like they were standing in the center of a storm cloud.
He spun her around and tossed her onto the bed, hard. She landed on her back, breathing heavily. He stood at the side of the bed, smiling down at her. She propped herself up on her elbows. Unable to even piece together any coherent thoughts she just looked at him, not saying anything.
"Does the union of two dragon slayers scare you? The damage we may cause?" He said, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
"Not at all." Ember breathed, a fang toothed smirk appearing on her face.
00000000000000000000000000000000
"You broke the bed?" Cana shrieked.
"Dammit Cana keep your voice down!" Ember shushed.
"I'm more interested in how you guys blew all the fuses in the entire building." Mira laughed.
"Yeah my landlady was pretty confused. I told her someone broke in, so she is replacing the bed. But she didn't assume I had anything to do with the fuses, so that's good." Ember laughed.
"Wow. WOW. I need a man." Cana laughed.
"I'm here anytime Cana!" Bickslow butted in. His babies repeating "anytime anytime".
"Oh no, ew." Cana snorted, trying to hold in her laughter.
"I don't want to hear any of this! Nope!" Freed cried, covering his ears.
"Aww Freed. Such an awkward boy." Mira giggled.
"So where is your big tough dragon man now?" Cana winked.
"I don't know. Somewhere." Ember shrugged.
0000000000
Lisanna walked into the guild hall with a skip in her step. She had plans for the day, and she hoped from the bottom of her heart that they worked out the way she hoped they would. She scanned the room to see who was there until she spotted Natsu. She smiled brightly and ran over, plopping down in the seat next to him.
"Natsu, do you want to go to our old spot today? We can have a picnic! I made a ton of great food!" Lisanna chirped. Natsu looked at her, his eyes lighting up at the mention of food.
"Sure! When do you want to go?" He said.
"In a little bit. Let me go get everything and we can meet out there!" Lisanna squealed, excited for the day.
"Alright, sounds fun!" Natsu smiled.
Lisanna jumped up with the same perk in her step and left the guild hall. Natsu turned back to Lucy, who he had been having a conversation with before Lisanna popped up. Lucy looked totally distracted, like she had forgot her train of thought.
"Lucy, so what were you going to say?" Natsu asked.
"Uhm...uh...I totally lost my train of thought. Why don't I catch up with you later, after you get back from you and Lisanna's picnic." Lucy said with a heavy sigh. A hint of sadness in her voice.
"Oh, okay. See you here later then!"
Natsu and Happy got up and left, leaving Lucy and Juvia the only people at the table. Lucy sighed and hunched her shoulders. Juvia leaned close to her and put her head on her shoulder for comfort. Lucy smiled at her. Boys.