Vines covered every single building. Windows were broken as the vines grew through them and into the buildings. It absorbs every single plant that grow in the city. With each consumption, it grew larger and larger.
It was once a normal purple flower, but not it was a giant full-grown flower that covered half the city, with its vines occupying the other half. Every wizard within the town attacked the vines furiously, but it did not budge.
The flower was not targeting humans of this town, but only its enemy flowers. It was a isolated flower that was never meant to live with other flowers.
It was a sacred flower by tribe people. They protected other flowers from it, and the flower from other people.
But they failed.
Levy took one back home.
Nothing seemed to stop the flower.
Water and light attacks only made it grow. No weapon could pierce its tough shell.
It was immune to all of their attacks.
…
Sting paced in front of the large set of doors. Even though this was none of his business, he couldn't even leave the city in the first place. And this wasn't something to take easy. The flower could migrate to their capital city, consuming all types of plant life on its way.
He raised his head p once more and recounted everyone inside for the fifth time. Ever since this morning, all of them were there.
Except Laxus, Happy and Natsha.
All of the scouting groups came back, one by one, with Rogue returning with the rest of the Thunder Trio Tribe. Until then, none of them had any news to report other than dead ends.
Wendy, Erza and Carla found a rock formation with endless humming.
Gajeel, Pantherlilly and Levy found the flower that consumed their city.
Gray, Juvia, Sting and his cat found a war-ridden desert.
And the last group to arrive, Fro, Rogue and Mirajane found Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen.
And this was all that they found within the last month since Natsha's disappearance.
His fingers drummed against the wooden tabletop as he finally seated himself. Rogue was at the other side. For some odd reason, Fro was nowhere near the Shadow Dragon Slayer, but Sting did not say anything. He could already tell the fact was already bugging Rogue, since he kept glancing to the bar counter where Fro watched Mirajane's every move.
Much like Rogue, Sting was just as antsy. Rogue's party was their last hope on finding Natsha.
Sting's shoulders slumped as he leaned over the table. He bit the inside of his lip and tapped the ground with his foot. He thought traveling with the lovesick couple was bad, but this was worse.
All he could do was wait.
He was the one who was supposed to find Natsha. He was supposed to be her knight in shiny armor, carrying his princess home. Instead he ended up being a side character.
Why couldn't this be the Grand Magic Games?
Where all he needed to do was admit he was defeated and it was over. Sure, he did try to fight Natsha, but that big brute – whenever he was now- had to step between the two. He always did want to punch that guy in the face for stopping his battle with his belov-… With his role model. Totally a role model.
"Sting-san, you're stepping on my foot."
He raised his head to the voice and blinked.
It was Rogue's.
"Oh." He tucked his feet behind the legs of the chair and sucked in his lips.
"How long have you been like…this?" Rogue pointed up and down at Sting. He couldn't really put it into any words.
"You just pointed to all of me."
Rogue only blinked, nonchalantly.
"Well, who wouldn't be?"
"It's been a month. We can start to relax, you know." He gave a weak shrug and lay back in his seat.
In the same moment that Mirajane chose to go over to their table and serve them. She placed a cup in front of Sting, and Fro placed the other cup in front of Rogue, spilling some of it on the table. The cat didn't even seem to notice as he looked up at Rogue with huge eyes, full of excitement.
"Thank you, Mirajane-chan and Fro-kun." As soon as he said chan, Rogue's body tensed.
The girl didn't seem to notice at all and only smiled at him, wiping up the spilled liquid. "You're welcome, Rogue-san."
He nodded and lifted the cup to his lips. Strangely, instead of Fro following Mira back to the counter, he stayed there gazing at Rogue's cup. Rogue kept the lid on his lips when he saw the piece of fur floating on top.
"Is it good? Fro made it himself!"
Of course.
He took a small slip and smiled fondly down at his exceed. "It's wonderful. Did Mirajane-chan show you?"
Fro shook his head up and down. "Fro's learning!" he cheered.
Rogue gently patted Fro's head and the exceed grinned from one ear to the other, before he returned to the counter.
"Looks like someone stole Fro from you."
"I will have to learn to share."
Rogue's smile was spreading onto Sting's face. He tried to shake it away as he looked at his good old friend. "Even though it has only been like a month, you have actually grown a pair of balls-"
And that's when a foot slammed into Sting's thigh.
"HEY!"
Rogue looked nonchalantly at his friend as he puck the piece of fur out of his drink and took a drink. "Yes?"
"Bastard," he muttered under his breath.
"Likewise."
On the other side of the guild, Bickslow was talking to two fellow guild members. He seemed the least fazed by the whole plant consuming city problem going on outside of the window. Instead, he leaned his chair back and stuck out his tongue. "Laxus boned Natsha. I'm callin' it."
Jet shook his head. "If that happened, then Natsha would never come back to the guild. She would be too ashamed too."
Elfman also denied Bickslow's idea as well, shaking his head with a blush. "Natsha is not that type of man!"
"Girl," Jet corrected for him.
"I'm just sayin'. Those could be makin' out behind the counter and we would have no clue."
"I can't see Natsha with that guy," Jet shook his head. "It's Natsha. She will probably punch him if he did anything. Though, he could force h-"
"Jet!" Elfman smacked the orange haired.
"Alright," Bickslow said between his roars of laughter, "what about this? I bet you two thousand jewel that when they come back, they are together."
"Eh…" Elfman uttered with doubt.
"One thousand if he gets beaten up by her."
The two of them turned and looked at Elfman, waiting for his side of the bet but the man only shook his head. Love and manliness did not go together.
Over by the corner of the guild was where Wendy seated herself. She was gazing out the window, where the vines hanged down from the edges.
Gray took the seat across from her. "The council is going to send some wizards from Lamia Scale or something."
"Hm," Wendy gave a weak nod. She barely acknowledged Gray's presence as she leaned on her wrist.
"Have you noticed it?"
She blinked and glanced over at the older boy. "What"
"The guild…it's strange."
Wendy gave another nod, returning to look at the sky. Everything in the guild just felt different. She hasn't noticed it before, when it was only her group and Gajeel's back, but now that most of them were there, she noticed something else was missing.
Gray gave a weak shrug, and gazed around the guild once more. Levy was in Master's room with Gajeel. Erza was scolding Lucy instead of him. Juvia was spying on him behind one of the poles.
There was no jerk on the second level. There was no asshole trying to fight everyone in her way. There was no cat trying to romance by offering stinky fish.
…
The two of them stood in the forest. The trains would not stop in this city for some odd reason that they could not discuss. Which was a good thing for their motion sickness, but also delayed them.
Laxus rested by leaning against one of the trees, looking at Natsha as she sniffed. "Mira and Rogue?" she wandered out loud. It was two smells that she never thought she would smell together, or even in a forest. But she also scents the other three.
"Hey Natsha," Laxus uttered nervously.
She glanced his way, but he avoided her gaze. "Yeah?"
He had a light blush over his cheeks. "Close your eyes."
Natsha's eyebrow rose in uncertainly but obeyed.
He stumbled closer to her, towering over the girl, and raised his finger to her forehead. She winced at his cold fingers, cautious on what he was going to do. He brushed her bangs back behind her head. She lifted one of her eyelids to try to get a peek at what he was going to do, and he glared down on her. She quickly blushed and closed them once more.
The blonde licked his lips and bended closer to her face; close enough that she could feel his breath against her skin.
Her lips were a tender pink that curled into a mischievous smile, one that he's been keen for. His hands touched her chin, raising her head up. His head moved in and their lips touched. Her soft lips were against his clapped lips. It only lasted for a second before Laxus moved away.
"Let's go back home." He started nonchalantly as he marched forward.
Natsha stood there a second, touching her lips and staring at Laxus' back.
Did that really happen?
She felt like she should be mad. She felt like she should have punched him in the gut. But, she didn't.
The ends of her lips curled into a smile and she followed him.
…
The petals were miles wide and yards long. They shaded most of the city, blooming above Levy's house where it all first began.
Natsha stood under it. She and Laxus looked up at the giant plant.
"What the hell happened here?"
"Plants vs. Zombies."
"But there are no zombies." If you didn't count Lisanna…
"Not yet."
Natsha held up her hand with smoke rising from it. There was one thing that she knew, fire always defeated grass; at least in Pokemon it was. She jumped into the sky, rising above the flower. By this point her whole body was covered in flames.
Laxus watched from the ground, and he was not disappointed.
'Oh? Those were panties? Natsha doesn-"
The furball was actually right about something.
He felt blood dripping from his nose already.
Natsha, unknown about Laxus and his perverted thoughts darted right into the middle of the flower. The effects were imminently. The fire spread through the petals, the vines, until there was nothing but ash left.
Was this why the Arabat tribe kept the flowers so close to a lava pit?
The world will never know.
The doors were slammed opened and two figures stood in the door way. Both of them were covered in ashes.
A girl with cherry blossomed hair raised her fist into the air. Her vest skirted against her chest, while her bandages remained in place around her chest. Her baggy shorts, covered in dirt, drifted in the wind. She had a few scratched on her arms, but looked completely uninjured. The only thing missing was her favorite scarf.
"I'm back, assholes!"
A man with a lighting scar across his face leaned against the side of the door. His orange eyes observed the inside of the guild, looking at the excited faces and those of the Thunder Tribe who had smirks planted across their faces. His body was covered in bandages, but most of it was invisible with his fur coat on top. His eyes finally stopped on the second floor, where Max decided to take a break from his job of cleaning tables.
"You're in my seat."
Master stood on the railing, looking at his two kids finally coming home. All of the guild members surrounded them, even those who weren't a part of the guild, and cheered.
The flower was defeated by their favorite Fire Dragon Slayer.
Erza stood in front of the pink haired. She punched her in the gut before groping her into a hug. "Next time inform us before you disappear."
Lisanna wrapped her hands on Natsha from behind, with her head on her shoulders. "We missed you so much!"
Rogue glanced out the window where the ash stained the streets. "Impressive."
Fro nodded from his place on Mirajane's shoulders. "Fro thinks wow."
"You always have to make a big friggin' scene, Pinky."
"That didn't last long," Gray uttered as he patted Natsha's back. So much for peace and quiet.
"Gray-sama…" Juvia slipped between the two. She was moments away from calling Natsha her Love Rival, but instead she gave the girl a quick hug.
Sting somehow ended up getting through the crowd and stood in front of Natsha. "You're finally back!" He leaped in for a hug, and started blushing as soon as he remembered what he was doing. He pulled away and gave her a smile.
"Natsha-san!" Wendy and Romeo ran up to the girl.
"Have I really been gone for that long?" She asked aloud.
Bickslow strolled behind Freed and Evergreen. Freed was practically crying at Laxus' feet, while Evergreen was rubbing her cheek against his hand. Bickslow slapped Laxus on his back and smirked. "Did ya do it?" He winked.
Jet went through the crowd, and landed in front of Laxus. "Did Natsha beat you up?"
"Men should not be gambling!" Elfman slapped Jet and Bickslow across the head.
Laxus blinked. Everyone was asking him questions, yet he could only say one thing. "Yup."
They all froze there. Yes to Natsha beating him up, or yes to doing it with Natsha. Or both.
Sting stood there with widen eyes. Did he really just hear that? His eyes switched from Natsha and back to Laxus, but neither of them looked like it was a lie. His vision started to slowly fade away before it was all blackness. Rogue, who was standing behind him, only narrowed his eyes and shook his head at his partner's reactions. "We'll be leaving now."
"We'll love to have you back, Rogue-kun, Sting-san," Mirajane gently smiled at the two as Rogue exited with their cats and Sting.
Natsha, oblivious to what was being say, only laughed. Her cheerful laugh echoed throughout the guild.
This was her home, but it wasn't her only home.
There were so many important people in her life. And some of them stood in this very room.
Igneel.
Master.
Laxus.
Her cheeks started to redden as she remembered.
Yeah, there were very important people in this room.
…
"And so Natsha and I had to sneak around this mansion. And it was so large, but everyone was creepy. And Natsha had to dress like a maid. She wouldn't talk to me for a week. She got me back a few weeks later when she made Laxus watch me. Oh, and did I tell you about Erza? She's like a big meanie to Natsha. And like, she had them runni-"
Igneel laid his head down and glared at the Sky Dragon. "I'm banishing you from my house."
Grandneey snickered. "Why, you do not like my little gift?" She blinked innocently. "I thought it was a nice little present to keep your mind off the girl."
Happy was sitting between the two giant dragons, yet he did not seem to be concerned. Instead he was sitting cross-legged and rattled on and on to the mighty beasts.
Igneel groaned and placed his arms over his arms.
This was going to be a very long day.
The End.
I think I've pretty much wrapped up every loose end, correct? Sorry if anything felt rushed. Natsha wasn't with Laxus for the most of the story, so there was only one-sided romance…which felt wrong.
Danizinhachan: Well, there wasn't a verbal confession, but I think Natsha understood. Remember, it's Natsha. To her, lapdances are her running around Laxus while dancing. Plus...there was a kiss...which i hope it wasn't written poorly. I...well...I NEEDED MORE BUILT UP FOR STING! I couldn't really do much with that plot point since Sting was pretty much separated from them until this chapter. And those flashbacks...well ya see...i have no more fluffy ideas for them... Thanks for reading this whole thing though! And yeah, I'm also the youngest of my year (my birthday is in august so I turned six after a few days of kindergarten, being the last few accepted into school). For the last year, I've found a lot of people younger than me...which is strange since usually everyone is older. Eh, we are all crazy at heart. I'm a weirdo. Everyone is a weirdo. Thanks for reviewing and reading my story, Danizinha-sempai!
darkhuntressxir: And I chose the last moment to have them actually be a couple. Eh, kinda. Natsha will just be dancing around Laxus, thinking that that's a lapdance... Thanks for reviewing every single chapter of mine (I have zero clue how you do it).
EclipseKuran: I just like experimenting with new names, and see which one fits. But thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind for my next story!
Thanks for everyone who followed and favorited! 1captain obvious, Aixonan, Akky-nee-chan, Animefreak1145, Asuka1920, AyameShirayuki, Black Eclipsed Soul, Blackroses42, BrawlerOfBeasts, ComicGeek, Danizinhachan, DarknessDragon78, DatBlackHairedGuy, DemonNatsu, Dixia, DraXXter, EclipseKuran, Empty Puppet, EnderHeart Enya, EpicAsianOrangeTiger26, Fortune's Choice, Ghostunderasheet, GothicOokami, HappyToDream, Hellion Prime, I am One with the Wind and Sky, Infection's Queen, I watched-I read-I played, Jazzy-Monster-5955, JerzaIn24, Junoan, Kouzui Chisei, Lucifer97, MenmaKurosaki, Noir Bianco, Nova-girl703, Nube2013, Prusyah, Purp-lex16754, PyroRocker, RomesElite, Scotland-Lassie, Shinigamidemidragonslayer99, Sword 0f Damocles, Terra1298, ThatDarkNinjaGuy, The Dark Crimson Blood, TheHarbringerofDeath, Wargetter, XxSirJewAlotxX, Yukihina Walker, ajanel, bloody-rose-love, bloodygoth23, burning135, dSolitude, darkhuntressxir, dianaemrys15, dimonyo-anghel, general yumi, goldenstripe, jennyPV2112, konekolomisa, lilybean10, madreader19, rinpup14, sicoen, staze7, videogamerfan144, xKala-chanx, xXNapkinNekoXx, xaraho, xtralsen, zazeazu, Aipom4, Aj neko, Darkrai842, EclipseKuran, GrayxxNatsu, LostBoysGirl1998, Moon D Luna, RyuNoRainbow, Sexta, Shadow Kitsune11, SpArKiE37, Squidgod812, ThatDarkNinjaGuy, TheLooseCannon, XFireDevil23, ciel-de-crystal, iwantsupernatural, kokotay, kuromi123, nico2883, phineashiccup, skytigeress, slytherinserpent23, tinkerkids
Thanks for those who reviewed whenever they could! Special thanks goes to my stalkers, Darkhuntressxir (who manages to find each one of my stories without problems), Danizinhachan (or in other words, my sempai!), rinpup14 (who reviewed more chapters than I could count), EpicAsianOrangeTiger26 (who disappears and reappears out of nowhere) and XFireDevil23 (who made sure I gotten a chapter out each week).
This is the finally chapter of Fallen Ashes, and I must say...I'm already missing it! So, be prepared if I decide to make extra chapters for this story. Right now, I'm writing King's Contract, a Fem!NatsuxSting/Laxus (where there's real jealousy instead of my poor excuse in this story). As for my next big project...I have zero clue. If you guys have any ideas that you want me to write, then send a message my way and I'll see what I'll do. Any suggestions are welcomed, my listeners!
It's been six months since I've began this story, and I couldn't have done this without you guys (I'm actually really surprise that people like Fem!NatsuxLaxus). Thanks for coming this far with me and I hope I'll talk to each one of you soon!