Fairy Tail:

The World in the Sky

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Haru Dragneel, Blue Fang, and other OCS are mine

Summary- During a terrible storm, one day, the Fairy Tail Guild has disappeared, and Haru wakes up to find... herself? And why is she dressed up like a punk rocker? And why is Natsu acting like a wimp?!

Ch. 1- Gildarts Returns

The rain pattered against the ground, soaking the road. The wind blew harshly, bringing with it the biting cold. No one dared to stay out in this kind of weather…

…except for two.

Natsu sat quietly, staring blankly at the tombstone before him. The rain slid and dripped off his skin, but he didn't care. He couldn't be bothered to care. Beside him, Happy whimpered as he clutched his best friend's vest, his ears drooping sadly as tears rolled down his furry cheeks and snot dripped from his nose, despite his hardest trying to sniff it back up.

Behind the two, there were Haru and Blue Fang, both of them watching quietly as they kept their distance while the former held an umbrella over her head. Haru bit her lip, watching her adoptive older brother with tears welling up in her eyes before she walked over to him. Soon, she dropped her umbrella, allowing the rain to begin to drench her, as well, before she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Natsu.

Before them… there was the grave of someone very dear to them.

Lisanna Strauss

X676-X782

Rest in Peace

"I'm so sorry, Natsu…" Haru whispered as her tears fell from her eyes and she buried her face in his scarf. "I'm so sorry…!"

Happy whimpered as he buried his face against Natsu's side while Blue Fang sat behind them, whining sadly. At that moment, Natsu finally spoke as tears began to well up in his own eyes, as well.

"I… I never got to tell her…" he whispered as he screwed his eyes shut. "I never got to tell Lisanna about…"

"I know…!" Haru whispered as she held her brother tightly, sobbing quietly.

XXX

Haru gasped as she sat in bed, the sun's rays shining through the window of her and Natsu's house. The moment she took in her surroundings, she heaved a sigh of relief as she ran a hand through her apple-green locks. As she looked to her left, she saw nothing but an empty space where her brother would normally lie on the bed. Not only that, but Happy was not laying in his spot on Blue Fang's back. Speaking of the silver wolf, he was lying at the foot of the futon like he always had been, blinking at Haru curiously, causing the Beast Wizard to smile at him.

"I guess we forgot that Natsu and Happy went to spend the night at Lucy's place, didn't we, Blue Fang?" Haru asked. "They sure have been going there a lot, huh?"

Blue Fang only tilted his head with a curious whine, causing Haru to giggle… but her smile soon fell as she thought about her dream. She sighed as she lay back down on her bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. Her mind wandered to the dream she had been having last night… and the funny thing was, it wasn't the first time this dream had happened. For the past few days, Haru had been having the same dream about her and Natsu being at the grave of the late Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane and Elfman's younger sister. She didn't know why, though, but she wished that she didn't have that particular dream.

'Lisanna… it's been 2 years, but I still miss you,' she thought. 'Natsu misses you, too, I'm sure… and so do Mira and Elfman and everyone else. Now that I think about it… in a few days, it'll be the anniversary of your death.'

Haru sighed as she soon got out of bed and went over to her wardrobe to get her outfit for the day, then went to get dressed.

'I know it's been a long time,' she thought, 'but even so… a part of me still has trouble believing that Lisanna's gone.'

Soon, Haru was all dressed up in her daytime clothes before she looked at Blue Fang, who sat behind her while wagging his tail patiently, causing her to smile at her wolf companion.

"Let's head to the guild, Blue Fang," she said.

XXX

It didn't take very long for Haru to reach the city limits while riding on Blue Fang's back. However, as they neared the streets, Haru noticed something: the buildings had all been split apart, creating a large path in the street leading directly leading to the Fairy Tail Guild. The Beast Wizard blinked, her eyes going wide as the realization suddenly hit her.

"Could it be…?" she whispered before she beamed in excitement. "Blue Fang! Speed it up!"

Blue Fang barked as he soon broke into a full gallop, going as fast as his paws would allow, and it didn't him very long to reach the guildhall. As soon as they arrived, Haru jumped off her wolf's back and proceeded to push the door open, and the moment she did, that's when she saw him. A tall, muscular man wearing a black, tattered cloak. He had slicked-back auburn hair that was spiked at the back and a stubbly beard and mustache on his chin and upper lip.

He just stood in the middle of the celebrating guild members, laughing as if he had just won some kind of battle… and judging by how Natsu was currently imprinted into the ceiling, that didn't seem very farfetched. Then again, Haru wasn't very surprised, either. She just ran past a shell-shocked Lucy and Wendy with her arms open.

"Gildarts!" Haru called out, prompting the man to turn around with a puzzled look before a broad smile appeared on his face.

"Hey, Haru!" Gildarts exclaimed as the Beast Wizard soon jumped into his arms, causing him to laugh. "Well, look at you! You haven't changed a bit!"

"You, neither!" Haru replied as she held onto him.

Gildarts Clive was one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards. It is said that he is actually the strongest in the guild, with magic power so strong that it was said that he could crush mountains. He had been gone for quite some time now and he rarely ever comes home, taking on very difficult jobs that could take 10 years or even 100 years. In fact, that was the very reason why he was gone.

Gildarts had taken on the infamous 100-Years Quest, a job that had not been completed for an entire century.

"Hey, where's that cute little doggy of yours, huh?" Gildarts asked as he gently put Haru down on the floor.

"Here he is!" Haru said as she gestured to Blue Fang, who panted as he sat beside her, causing Gildarts to balk as his eyes went wide in surprise.

"Uh… are you sure this is the same little dog you brought home, three years ago?" asked Gildarts.

"First of all, Blue Fang's a wolf, not a dog," Haru pointed out, "and second, of course, he's a lot bigger after three years! What, did you think he'd be a puppy forever?"

Blue Fang barked as if in agreement with his best friend, which caused Gildarts to laugh.

"You got a point," he said as he gently pat the silver wolf on his head, which prompted the friendly lupine to jump up and lick his face. "Hahaha! All right, all right! Down, Blue Fang! I'm happy to see you, too."

For some reason, Cana was sitting by herself with a frown on her face as she watched from the bar, but she quietly sighed as she turned away.

"Oh, I meant to ask!" Haru exclaimed. "Gildarts, since you're back, does that mean you completed the 100-Years Quest?"

"Nope," Makarov spoke up as he sat on a stool while Elektra stood beside him. "He just got through saying he couldn't do it."

"Wait, really?!" Haru asked in surprise as she looked at Gildarts. "No way!"

"Hehe!" Gildarts chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "What can I say? I guess I just didn't have what it took."

"It doesn't matter," Elektra said. "He's home, now. That's what counts in the end."

"Yeah, you're right, Elektra," said Haru, just as Gildarts gave a yawn.

"Well, all this excitement's got me tired," he said before he turned to leave. "I'm gonna head home and take a rest."

"You do remember where your house is, right, Gildarts?" asked Elektra.

"Of course, I do!" Gildarts replied. "Come on, I'm not that disoriented!" He then looked up at Natsu, who was still stuck in the ceiling. "Oh, and Natsu? Why don't you come by my place, later? I got somethin' for ya!"

"Really?" Natsu asked with a beaming smile.

"Uh… why is my doofus of an older brother stuck in the ceiling?" asked Haru as she finally noticed him.

"Why do you think?" Gray asked. "He tried to land a surprise attack on Gildarts and lost, as usual."

"Ugh, again?" Haru groaned.

"Well, I'm outta here," Gildarts said before he walked right through the wall, leaving a sizeable hole, much to everyone's shock.

"Gildarts!" Warren shouted. "You're supposed to use the door to get out!"

"Don't bother telling him," Elektra said in exasperation. "We can always just put some plaster over it."

"Lucy," Erza suddenly spoke up, "you're not even remotely ready for the 100-Years Quest. Just give it up while you're ahead."

"When did I ever show that I was even interested in it?!" Lucy questioned.

"So… that's the Strongest Wizard in Fairy Tail," Wendy said, nervously.

"I must admit, I'm rather impressed… and maybe a bit nervous," said Carla, her cat companion.

As for Cana, she sighed as she soon got up and walked away, going unnoticed by the other guild members… except for Elektra, who spotted her within her peripheral eye, causing the Magnetism Wizard to sigh, softly.

"Oh, Cana…" she whispered.

XXX

Later that day, as the sky turned from blue to a vibrant orange with the setting sun, Haru and Blue Fang were walking through town together with Natsu and Happy, headed to Gildarts' house.

"Hehehe!" Natsu giggled. "I wonder what Gildarts has for me! Maybe some rare fire from another country overseas!"

"I doubt that, bro," Haru said as she walked alongside him. "Still, it must be something really nice if he thought you might like it!"

"Aye! I can't wait to see what it is!" Happy agreed.

Soon, the Dragneel Siblings, Happy, and Blue Fang arrived at Gildarts' house. However, as Haru reached up to knock on the door, Natsu, being his usual mannerless self, just kicked it open.

"Yo, Gildarts!" he greeted.

"What's up?" Happy greeted, as well, while Haru groaned in exasperation.

"Would it kill you two to knock?!" asked Haru before she looked at Gildarts. "Sorry about that, Gildarts.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Haru," Gildarts waved her off as he sat in his chair. "So, Natsu, I've been meaning to ask… how have you and LIsanna been doin'?"

Haru immediately tensed before she glanced at Natsu, who gave Gildarts a look of irritation.

"What?" he asked in a flat tone.

"Hahahaha!" Gildarts laughed. "Ah, come on, Natsu! Don't be so coy!"

However, he soon noticed that the young Salamander wasn't laughing while Haru and Happy both looked uneasy. Even Blue Fang whimpered as he shrunk back with ears drooped and tail tucked between his legs. That's when Gildarts' teasing grin soon disappeared.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Lisanna died in a freak accident, two years ago," Haru answered, sadly as she cast her eyes to the wall to her left and quietly gripped her arm. As for Gildarts, his eyes went wide before he glanced at Natsu, who looked away from him.

"Oh, Mavis… you're serious…!" Gildarts whispered in shock. "So that explains why Mira…" He then sighed and shook his head. "Natsu, I'm so sorry! I didn't know, I swear! God, it must have been terrible, considering that you had-"

"Forget it," Natsu interjected as he turned to leave. "If that's why you had me come here, I'm leavin'. C'mon, Happy, Haru, Blue Fang… let's go home."

"W-wait a minute, Natsu!" Happy cried.

"Natsu, Gildarts just said he's sorry!" Haru called.

"Natsu, hold on!" Gildarts called. "That's not the reason I called you here!"

However, Natsu was already halfway out the door when the S-Class wizard spoke these words…

"Natsu… while I was away, I met a dragon."

Natsu froze, his eyes wide in stunned shock while Haru and Happy gasped.

"A… a dragon?" Haru questioned. "Natsu, maybe it was-"

"Now hold on!" GIldarts interrupted. "Before you go jumping to any conclusions, it's not that big Fire Dragon that Natsu's looking. Kids… this dragon I saw… it was a huge, black dragon."

"W… where did you…?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at Gildarts.

"At Zonia, the Haunted Peak," Gildarts answered. "Elektra was there, too, on her way back from her own job."

"You mean Elektra also saw the dragon?!" asked Haru. "Why didn't she tell us about it?!"

"You mean she didn't tell you?" Gildarts asked. "That dragon was the very reason why I couldn't complete the job I took on… and the thing is, it had nothing to do with the 100-Years Quest. The moment it saw me and Elektra… it just went for the attack."

"No way…!" Haru whispered in horror.

As for Natsu, he growled before he turned and attempted to run out the door.

"Wait, Natsu!" Haru cried. "Where are you going?!"

"Where do ya think I'm goin'?!" Natsu asked. "I'm gonna find Igneel, that's what!"

"Just because Elektra and I saw it at Zonia doesn't mean it's still there!" Gildarts shouted. "That dragon's probably long gone, flying all over the continent… or maybe even the entire world."

"Well, maybe it left some kinda clue!" Natsu yelled.

"Natsu, settle down!" Haru chastised. "Just rushing off isn't gonna help anything!"

"You better listen to your sister, Natsu," Gildarts said before he pulled off his cloak… revealing his bandaged and scarred torso. He also had multiple stitched-up scars on his chest, and not just that, but Gildarts' left arm and left leg were replaced with metal prosthetics. Natsu, Haru, Happy, and even Blue Fang all gaped in horror at the sight.

"Those… those weren't there before…!" Haru whispered. "Gildarts… did the dragon do that to you?!"

"Yeah," Gildarts answered with grim seriousness. "It happened in pretty much an instant. That monster took my left and my left leg. It even took out some of my guts."

"H… how are you even alive?!" Happy questioned.

"To think… even you couldn't defeat that thing…!" Haru said as she covered her mouth.

"Natsu," Gildarts said, "I don't know about this Igneel you keep looking for… but the black one is the enemy of all mankind." He narrowed his eyes. "It goes by only one name: Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse… and no man can defeat that monster."

"Acnologia…" Haru whispered in horror.

"So… if it's a dragon," Natsu began, "then… the only one who can take it down is a Dragon Slayer, right?! I mean… what's one black dragon against my magic?!"

"Did you not hear what Gildarts said?!" Haru questioned. "No man can defeat that thing!"

"Who says I can't?!" Natsu yelled. "Are you doubting me?!"

"No! I'm just saying you shouldn't rush out to go find the thing!" Haru yelled.

"Hey, if that's what Natsu wants to do, I won't stop him," Gildarts said, to Haru and Happy's surprise.

"Wait, what?!" Haru questioned. "But you just said-"

Suddenly, Natsu turned and ran out the door, nearly barreling into Blue Fang had the silver wolf not gotten out of his way.

"Wait! Natsu!" Haru shouted.

"Come back!" Happy called.

"Haru, Happy," Gildarts said, causing the two to turn and look at him as he gave them a smirk. "You two better be sure to back Natsu up, do you understand? A human can't beat that monster… but maybe, just maybe… a dragon can."

"Gildarts…" Happy whispered while Haru just stared quietly.

"And Natsu," Gildarts said. "Someday… he might…"

"He might what?" Haru asked.

"Ah, never mind," Gildarts shook his head. "Just go and find him."

Haru blinked in puzzlement before she furrowed her brow in seriousness and nodded her head, then turned and ran out the door to follow her brother with Blue Fang and Happy following after her.

"Natsu!" Haru called. "Natsu, where are you?!"

"Natsu!" Happy called out as he flew overhead, hoping to get a better view from the sky. As he looked down, he gasped as he soon spotted the Fire Dragon Slayer they were searching for, floating on the river. As Haru neared the riverbank, she gasped silently as she saw her adoptive older brother staring up at the sky… with tears falling from his eyes.

"Oh, Natsu," Haru said, sadly as she waded through the water and went to pull him out, then brought him back to the bank, where they both sat down.

"…I just wanna find my Dad," Natsu said. "I just wanna know if he's okay, that's all."

"I know," Haru answered as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I remember when you first told me about him a long time ago."

"…Haru?" Natsu asked. "Do you think I'll ever see him, again?"

"Of course, you will!" Haru replied. "And I'll help you! I know how much finding Igneel means to you, after all." She then smiled at him, lovingly. "You're my brother, Natsu… and I'd do anything for you."

"Thanks, sis," Natsu replied as he looked up at the crimson sky… where he saw a large cloud in the shape of a dragon soaring overhead. All Haru could do was reach over and hug her brother tightly while Happy and Blue Fang soon came and sat beside them, joining in the hug.

This has a bit of a sad start, and it's gonna get worse between the Dragneel Sibs in the next chapter.

For now, review, please!