Ok, here it comes, the part you've been waiting for, it's Fairy Tail arriving at Draconem Heart!
They, meaning Gajeel, Natsu, Romeo, Mira, Cana, Lucy, Levy, Erza, Gray, and Juvia, had just landed from Magnolia a few yards from the castle, and now Gajeel and Natsu were practically in a fist fight over something beyond the Fairy Tail mages.
"When did that happen?" Lucy questioned Levy.
"Dunno, why do you think they're yelling?" Levy shot back.
Erza wanted to break them up with her intimidation factor, as was her nature, but she knew she could not use that on these slayers anymore.
"You do it, flame brain! You've known'em longer!"
"Exactly why I shouldn't do it!"
After a solid ten minutes of watching the two of them brawling, an unexpected figure emerged from the forests.
"You two..."
Gajeel and Natsu froze at the approaching voice.
Layla crossed her arms and glared at them.
"What the heck is wrong with your heads?" She demanded.
"I won't do the invite!"
"Well I certainly ain't doing it!"
Layla groaned.
"Fine, than I'll do it."
Layla stalked forward than bowed from the waist.
"I formally invite you to visit my guild hall. There, that isn't so difficult now is it, you two?"
Gajeel and Natsu, just happy it was over with, led the way back toward the now visible cobbled path.
Lucy felt a flutter in her chest as she realized she was about to yet again see the castle that had drifted through her dreams the past six months after her brief visit so long ago. She recalled the feeling of family, of bonds so powerful nothing could shatter them. It saddened her to think that Fairy Tail, the guild she set foot in every single day, used to feel like that, felt like that when Natsu had door kicked and screamed his greeting to the place that, all that time ago, had held his very heart.
"Welcome..." Natsu began, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of impressing the others with his hall.
Gajeel was equally eager, glancing smugly back at Levy every few moments.
"...to the Draconem Heart guild." Natsu gestured up grandly as they broke through the foliage and were instantly basked in the shadow of the storybook castle atop the grassy hill.
"Holy..." Cana's jaw went slack as Levy shook her head dumbly.
"It's a freaking castle." Gray murmured.
"This is incredible..." Mira agreed.
Erza felt the breath leave her chest for a moment, seeing the gorgeous, times old fortress that had survived many battles, seen many warriors fall, and many more rise up against odds that seemed unmatchable.
Despite knowing in the back of her mind that this place hated her and held a powerful band of wizards numbers in the hundreds that were all itching for a war on Fairy Tail, she felt strangely at peace, this place had pulled through so many battles, it seemed that even a dragon attack could not penetrate the thick stone walls. Erza was snapped from her stupor by the sound of her companions and guild mates voices.
"This is a castle." Cana repeated.
Gajeel, Layla, and Natsu eyed each other, they knew what was coming.
"Is your castle the guild hall?" Juvia questioned.
"Yes." All of the three said as one.
"All of the..." Romeo began to speak.
"YES. All of the castle is our guild hall, the entire castle is used. We use all of it. It's full. Occupied. Inhabited. At capacity. Not half of it, all of it." Layla clarified.
Why was it that no one could understand that the whole castle was the guild hall? Was is that difficult to wrap your head around?
"So...let's go." Natsu marched smartly up the cobbled path toward the drawbridge, which was currently lowered to the ground.
"Ok."
Everyone, with a less than enthusiastic Gray and Erza in tow, headed up toward the drawbridge.
"Sup! We made it back alive!"
Natsu screamed as he door kicked.
Lucy smiled in spite of herself, there was that same shout, that same way of slamming the doors open and announcing the fire dragonslayers presence, loud and clear.
"You didn't burn down anything, did you?" Several people in the crowded hall asked in unison.
"Nope." Natsu replied, scowling,
"You guys think I screw up everything, don't you!?"
"Yes."
"Do you have any faith in me at all when it comes to not breaking things?"
"No."
"But your totally fine with sending me when our reputations are on the line, just because I'm good at breaking stuff?"
"Yes."
"You all suck, you know that?"
Natsu grumbled as he plopped down into a chair.
"Natsu-nii!"
Kylie came skipping out of the crowd and pounced on Natsu's chest.
The pink haired slayer laughed and hugged her.
"You doing good, speedster?"
"Yep!" She sang happily.
That was when a muffled sneeze came from inside Cana's duffle bag.
"What the?" Cana said suspiciously as she dropped the bag to the ground.
Everyone quickly created a circle around the bag, eyes narrowing and hands fisting, all prepping themselves for battle.
Slowly, carefully, Cana crept forward, crouched low with her cards in one hand, she reached out and, in one swift, fluid motion, unzipped the bag and leapt back as if she'd just primed a bomb to explode.
There was some wriggling from within, than out popped a head of mussed up black hair with one of Cana's tops on it.
"Hey!" Cana seized the garment and ripped it off, revealing the stowaway.
Kylie raced forward.
"Asuka!" She cheered.
"Kylie!"
The two girls embraced each other, each were still wearing their lucky bracelets, made from Jenny's bikini top strap, and were overjoyed to see one another.
"Asuka what the heck are you doing in there!?" Levy demanded as she pulled the young girl from the bag.
"I wanted to see Natsu-nii really really bad! So I jumped in Cana's bag when she wasn't looking!"
Asuka exclaimed, puffing out her tiny chest pridefully as she fished around in the bag, eventually pulling out her gun belt, that had Natsu's final gift, a magic pistol, and it's ammo producing pouch on it, and her cowboy hat, which she placed on her head.
"Dear god, your parents are gonna freak!" Cana groaned, slapping herself in the forehead.
"How did I not notice how much heavier my bag was?" She scolded herself.
Erza shook her head, armor clanking with the motion.
"Whats done is done, we'll just have to take care of her." She sighed.
Asuka grinned, "I get to say!" She cried happily.
As the adults turned to each other in conversation, Asuka spotted Natsu sitting with a laid back expression, waving his arm and shouting at someone.
She dodged between the wizards's legs and dove at Natsu.
"Natsu-nii!" She hurled herself into his chest and clutched at his scarf.
"Asuka! You crazy cowgirl, what were you thinking, sneaking into Cana's bag?"
He laughed, "That sounds like something I'd do, not you!"
Natsu wrapped his muscled arms around the little girl and grinned widely when she stared up at him.
"Good to see you." He said happily.
Asuka sniffled slightly before a brilliant smile shone through.
"I missed you, Natsu-nii! I missed you!"
At the Sabertooth guild hall.
The door creaked open and five pairs of curious eyes glanced up from their books or each other. The five wizards went slack jawed when they realized who stood on their threshold.
Sting and Rogue stood there, side by side, worry creased their features and sorrow plagued their eyes.
"Sting...Rogue..." Minerva growled, making to stand when Yukino reached over and put a firm hand over the territory mages own.
"Don't." Was all the celestial mage said.
Rufus instantly felt a suffocating fear crushing down upon his chest.
Rogue, the man who'd saved his life only to then attempt to end it, the one he'd forgiven only to find himself beaten down, pain stricken on his knees yet again.
Yet, at the same time, he felt a sort of relief, he'd been concealing his worry for the shadow slayer, as much has he hated to admit it, the man had been one of his closest friends.
In his well honed, intelligent mind, the struggle resumed, to risk forgiving Rogue yet again despite what had happened last time, hold himself aloof behind his mask, or collapse beneath the terrifying, swelling, building, all consuming fear that was rising up in another attempt to break him.
No one could tell of this conflict, looking at Rufus, all they saw was him staring cooly out from behind his mask of indifference.
Sting took a breath, a step so that only one footfall more would carry him within the guild hall he'd once called his own, and spoke.
"You need to come with us, to Draconem Heart."
I tried to build that up as best I could, hopefully the aftermath of this will satisfy all of you! Please favorite, please follow, please review! Thanks!