Last time in Goodbye
Makarov was able to save Kotone but ended up giving up his own life. Kanon wasn't spared either and Makarov used his magic converted self to heal everyone. After that, both Kanon and Makarov gave the rest of their magic converted selves to Kotone. Kotone then attacked Acnologia and for lack of a better word, kicked his butt. She then revealed that Acnologia has lost his immortality and the ritual was the only way to regain his immortality temporarily. Knowing that if she let him go, he would continue rounding up sacrifices so, in order to make sure history wouldn't repeat itself, she decided to end him. Just when she was about to give the finishing blow, a voice stopped her.
Her fist was shaking. Her eyes were glued to her enemy. She was so close to solving everything. Everything would end. Her life, Makarov's, and Kanon's…it would have all been worth it, they wouldn't die in vain.
"I see you child. Don't worry, we'll make sure he's taken care of," a calm, soothing voice said behind her. It flowed over her and she felt its loving heart tangle its slippery fingers into her muscles, relaxing them. Her fist relaxed and she felt all of her stored sound escape. The loose stones and pebble close to her rattled from the escaping sound and Acnologia was able to move his head under the suddenly weightless foot.
He saw who was working their magic on his daughter and his squirming started up again. Kotone almost lost her balance but was able to stay on until he realized he wouldn't be getting anywhere anytime soon.
Kotone's field of vision was small, due to her hair draped around her, blocking her from view. Kotone's hair unwound itself from around Acnologia's neck and swirled around Kotone until it was a protective bubble. The only visible part of her was her eyes that could only be seen through a gap in her shield of hair that could easily be covered in a moment's notice.
She turned to her intruders, knowing who they were. It still didn't stop her from shaking from head to toe. She prayed that her shield wasn't shaking like she was, so she could at least pretend like they couldn't tell how scared she was.
"NOT NOW," the voice who stopped her said. He wasn't mad or yelling, he just had a loud voice that carried.
Kotone saw he was referring to the other dragon slayers who were starting to walk towards them. Wendy was crying tears of joy while the other three were dumbstruck.
"What the heck are you doing? Stop hiding like that! Be a Woman dang it!" a gruff voice said.
"Metalicana! There's no need to yell at the poor girl. She's had a rough time, she doesn't need more roughness in her life," the kind dragon from earlier said.
"She needs to put on her big girl panties and man up! Don't baby her! She's not a little kid! She definitely is still a kid, but she's not little anymore!" Metalicana said.
"PLEASE STOP GROWLING. IT IS IRRITATING ME, UNDOUBTEDLY IT BOTHERS THE DEAR CHILD AS WELL."
"Thank you Igneel. Now dear," they turned their attention back to Kotone, "I see why you called us here."
Kotone quickly closed the gap, but made it thin enough that she could still see through it.
"Yes, we know it was you. Now why don't you come over here? Let us see your pretty face," the silky voice said.
After some hesitation, she reopened the gap so they could see her eyes.
"Well, that's a start…" Metalicana said.
"NAME GIRL?" Igneel asked.
Kotone's gap shrunk as she watched them carefully. Her heart was racing. She had sent them a letter, but she didn't think they would get it, or even come so fast. She thought they would at least look at it, seeing as someone knew where they were. But for all of them to show up, together?
"Igneel, I think your naturally loud voice intimidates her. She responds well to Rainada."
The water dragon nodded, "You do as well Grandeeney. It's is probably our elements that have an effect on her."
The air dragon agreed with her own nod. They glanced at Kotone, whose gap had shrunk during their conversation. Grandeeney nodded to Rainada, who gave a short nod back.
Rainada took a step forward, causing the gap to close again. Rainada saw this and a small smile played on her lips. She laid down the way a dragon does, like a horse resting their legs. She placed her head on her hands and waited.
Kotone, like a little kitten, slowly peeked through a tiny gap. Rainada waited until Kotone felt brave enough to open the gap to its original size. It didn't take long, for Kotone was indeed a child before the ancient creatures.
"Oh my…" Rainada's voice flowed to Kotone's ears. "You have gorgeous eyes. They are very uncommon amongst humans."
"Shrununs…" she mumbled.
"What was that?"
"They're dragon's…" she whispered, her magic carrying her message to her audience.
Rainada lifted her head, confusion written on her face. She looked back to her fellow dragons who had grim, knowing expressions. Rainada turned back to Kotone with a small smile which was obviously put on.
"My dear, will you tell me your name?" she asked softly.
Kotone's gap opened a little more, they could see part of her forehead now. She blinked and glanced at all the dragons before she looked back at Rainada. "Kotone…" she whispered softly.
"A beautiful name."
"…I hate it..."
"My name is Rainada, I'm Alice's mom."
"My Dad gave me my name, that's why I hate it…"
"Who gave you the name doesn't matter. It's what it represents that matters."
"It represents my element," Kotone said.
"Do you love your element?"
Kotone gave up on whispering, "It's useful."
"Do you love it?"
Kotone's hair opened even more. It showed her shoulders and she lifted a hand and placed it on her hair, showing her dragon claws. She picked out a golden lock and started played with it, fiddling with her hands. She glanced back up at Rainada, who was trying to hide her surprise.
"I love my brother. My brother loved me. So if he loved me and my element, then I love it too," she smiled.
Rainada cleared her throat and tried to speak. She opened her mouth a few times but nothing came out. She was at a loss for words, never having seen anything like her before. Rainada's disturbed composure made Kotone's hair unconsciously start closing the gap again, but the hair stopped moving when Grandeeney moved right behind Rainada.
"You must love your brother a lot," Grandeeney's voice caressed the air, creating a relaxed atmosphere.
Kotone's smile disappeared and she brought the golden lock to her face, watching carefully. She could tell they were using their magic, but she didn't think they would do anything too terrible in front of their kids. "Yes, I love my brother very much. He is the only person I considered closer than blood."
"Where is your brother now?" Rainada asked, having regained her composure.
The gap closed with a snap. She didn't want to talk about Makarov, especially with dragons.
"THIS ISN'T WORKING," Igneel boomed.
The gap opened slightly. The gap was so small that you couldn't fit five sheets of paper through it. "Igneel."
The fire dragon cocked his head and seemed amused. "YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME LITTLE ONE?" he asked.
"My brother told me that Natsu said you were a nice dragon."
He laughed and the stones on the floor moved with each blast of laughter. It eventually subsided, "YES, NATSU THINKS GREAT OF EVERYONE."
"But there is no such thing as a nice dragon."
The room became quiet. No one dared to even take a deep breath in this tense room. The dragons were stunned and Kotone was confused. Her bubble shrunk till she was surrounded by a layer of hair as thick as a brick wall and she sat in the fetal position, clutching her golden lock. Her hand shook as she searched for the second lock. She found it quickly and held both of them to her chest, shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.
Now I've done it. They're going to kill me now. I shouldn't have called them. I don't even know if they will do anything about Acnologia. They might even help him. Baka, baka, baka, baka…
Meanwhile, the dragon slayers only comprehended that Kotone and their parents were communicating. When Kotone said that there was no such thing as a nice dragon, they suddenly became aware of the situation.
Instead of feeling anger at the outrageous statement, they felt sympathy and sadness. To have lived a life without knowing a parent's love… They glanced at the dragons, watching as they exchanged glances amongst each other, understanding that they would never get her to open up to them.
"Are you questioning my judgment?" Natsu yelled.
Alice and Gajeel exchanged their own glance; he actually knew a word like judgment?
Kotone's shield trembled slightly, behind the shield her eyes were bugging out of her head and claws digging into her hands, gripping her locks tightly. She felt her mind start to go numb with panic and she started hyperventilating. Her nose twitched and her toes curled.
"Kotone, can you hear me? You said you've known us since we entered the guild, that I have a good nose when it comes to people!" he said confidently, a big goofy grin on his face.
Alice's hand made contact with her forehead, "Natsu, that doesn't even make sense!"
He puffed up, getting all defensive, "Yes it does! Right Kotone? Makes perfect sense!"
The trembling of her hair was still present. She was silent, her troubled breathing being the only sound in the room.
"Kotone?" Natsu called.
The dragon slayers felt their parents' watchful gaze and they hesitantly looked back before walking toward the ball of silver hair. They approached the black dragon, hesitant to go near it.
The black tail twitched, causing Wendy to practically jump out of her skin.
"Don't come near us," Acnologia rasped.
Kotone's shield's trembling turned into fierce shuddering and her breathing became even more labored. Hearing this, Natsu scrambled up to Kotone, dismissing Acnologia's warning. He reached the silver sphere, more like a silver blur, due to her shaking.
Wendy was the next one up, followed by Alice and Gajeel. They could hear the labored breathing clearly, being closer to the source. Hidden within the loud breathing were small, quiet whines, more like soft squeaks.
Wendy was the first to have the courage to approach the blur. She was confused though, remembering the first time she calmed the mighty dragon of sound. It was back in Edolas, when Kotone showed up and helped defeat the Dorma anim. She showed them her dragon form, hoping they would help her find Makarov. Wendy was the first to recognize the small girl they had been talking to moments before. She had placed her small hand on one of Kotone's dragon claws. The dragon had smiled sadly at Wendy. It was only now that Wendy realized why she smiled that way. Kotone knew she was scared, but she couldn't do anything to change that.
Wendy looked the wall of hair and gasped. The roles were reversed now. Kotone was scared and out of reach to Wendy. She couldn't do anything to help even if she wanted to.
I refuse to believe that, she thought. She placed her hand on the hair without any doubts or hesitation. The shuddering stopped, and then came back full force. Wendy's hand started moving from the sphere and she brought her other hand up to help her. She wiggled a finger through the hair, creating a small hole. She grabbed one side of the hole and pulled down while her other hand pulled up. The hair tried to pull the hole close, causing Wendy's hands to smack together, losing all of her progress. She tried pushing her hands apart but the hair was immovable. "Kotone!" she exclaimed. "Please, just let me in!"
Alice came over and glanced at Rainada, who nodded her approval. Alice nodded back and turned to Wendy. Alice slipped her hand into the wall of hair and pushed down. "You push up and I'll push down. Agreed?"
Wendy nodded and followed Alice's directions. The hair started moving and a gap the size of a pencil was formed.
"Kotone!" Alice grumbled under the strain. "This is ridiculous! Hiding won't accomplish anything!" With that, Alice had to catch herself from falling over from the sudden lack of pressure under her hands. Wendy was caught by Gajeel for she fell backwards. She thanked him and scurried back to Kotone. Alice moved out of the way for Natsu as Gajeel and Wendy joined them. Once they confirmed that Alice and Wendy were alright, they looked inside.
They froze as the scene in front of them would never be erased from their memories. Kotone sat, clutching the golden locks to her chest, the locks now slightly tinted red from the deep punctures on her palms that were a result of her claws. Her lower lip, bleeding, was caught between her new, dragon sharp teeth. Her eyes wide with fear, tears flowing from her like a never ending fountain of youth. Each tear that ran down her face just seemed to emphasize that fact that she was still just a little girl. Her huge capacity of wisdom seemed to let them forget the fact that she wasn't even a teenager yet.
Natsu's face showed masked surprise, or could it have been understanding? His eyes were wide but his mouth was set in that almost frown that he had.
He lifted his hand and Kotone flinched, bringing her shoulders up to her ears. Her eyes clamped shut and her quivering started up again. Natsu saw this and stopped his hand. It was about halfway to her and frozen in time. His eyes were no longer wide, instead his face showed his determination. His placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her toward him in one swift movement. He rested her forehead on the crook of his neck and wrapped his other arm around her. He held her there, her hands still clutching the reddish-gold locks to her chest.
"You're not alone," Natsu spoke softly. "Remember that. You won't be alone ever again."
Kotone opened her eyes and saw that she was being embraced, not about to be ripped to shreds. The shaking stopped and so did her tears. She wouldn't be alone. She lifted her hands and looked at the locks. Golden and red. Makarov and Kanon. They were gone. She would never see them again.
No. These locks were proof that they would always be with her.
She let go of the locks and gripped Natsu's vest, no longer bothering to hide her sobbing. She felt a small hand on her back and her hair fanned around her, forming spikes as a warning.
"It's just me Kotone," Wendy cooed. "Can I look at your hands?"
She lifted her head and glanced at Natsu's smiling face before turning her head to look at Wendy, who was also smiling warmly. Kotone slowly took one hand from Natsu's vest. She held it to her chest, slightly fisted. Wendy's patient smile grew as she saw Kotone inch her hand toward her. Wendy also slowly lifter her own hand and held it out, waiting for Kotone to come to her.
Kotone hesitated as her hand was hovering over Wendy's. It was as if she was meeting them all over again. She was the one lost in the foreign land and they were there to make sure she was okay. She didn't know how to behave or what was considered appropriate. She had never been held as if she was the small child. She had been the one holding the child when she met Makarov. She was the one who was taking care of everyone else.
She placed her clawed hand in Wendy's who gently turned it over. She saw the deep gashes in her hand and Wendy frowned. She placed her other hand on Kotone's and her hands glowed a soft blue.
"You'll probably need to wear gloves until you get used to the claws. You might accidentally cut yourself," Wendy commented. "Other hand please."
Kotone was much quicker with the second hand, not hesitating in the slightest. Natsu patted her on the head and Kotone looked up at him with confusion.
"Have you calmed down yet?" he said, the big goofy grin still in place.
She nodded, but she didn't look across the room at the dragons that started her panic attack. That would only put them back at step one. Instead she focused on her disappearing injuries.
"That should do it. Now I need to heal your lip, you bit it pretty hard," Wendy said.
Kotone nodded and watched as Wendy's hand hovered a few centimeters from her face. Wend pulled her hand away after a few seconds and used it to tuck a few strands of silver hair behind the girl's ear.
"I see why you don't cut your hair now. It's very resourceful," Alice commented.
Wendy nodded her agreement, "But it's a shame though, many girls will be jealous of your beautiful hair."
Kotone blushed, ducking her head.
"Now let's clean those pretty gold locks," Wendy murmured, licking her thumb. She picked up a gold lock and started rubbing the blood off of it. Wendy's eyes widened and her entire face light up. "Wow! Alice come and touch her hair!"
Alice gave her an 'are you stupid' look and even took a step back. Wendy dragged some of the hair with her as she ran after Alice who panicked and ran away. Wendy laughed as Alice shook her hand in the air, cursing Wendy for trying to make her do something so weird.
Gajeel burst out laughing at the scene and had to hold his sides. Natsu, as curious as ever, lifted a few strands and held it in his hand. "I don't see the big deal," he murmured.
Kotone lifted a bundle of her hair and piled it on her lap. She grabbed Natsu's hand and ran it through his hair.
"Yeah, okay. My hair is nice…" he said. Kotone took his hand off his head and ran his fingers through her hair. His face lit up and he picked up a mound of her hair. "Yo Gajeel! Hold this for me!" He yelled, throwing the hair at his comrade.
Gajeel wasn't fast enough to catch it, still laughing at Alice, and the hair hit him in the face, knocking him over.
"What's the big idea Hothead?" he yelled.
"I don't know Metalface! You just got knocked over by hair!"
Gajeel grabbed the hair and threw it back at Natsu who grabbed it and tied it around his face. "Hey check it out! I got a beard and mustache now!"
Gajeel's eyes twitched, the little runt was making fun of him! He tackled Natsu and they rolled, getting tangled in the extremely smooth and soft hair.
Meanwhile, Alice was extremely tired from using two powerful attacks without having any water for a day. She and Wendy were doubling back, undoubtedly because Alice knew she still had more stamina than Wendy and climbing Acnologia would tire the air dragon slayer out. Alice, being as disoriented as she was, got her foot caught on the trail of hair that ran across the room. She tripped and fell into a hammock of hair that wasn't there before. Natsu and Gajeel were being held apart by two hands of hair and Wendy's hair that she was holding was snuggly wrapped around her feet.
"I'm the one being ridiculous? Look at all of you! Beating each other up over hair of all things! Wendy, there's no need to pester Alice when she's already wary of you from when you guys were with Kanon. Gajeel, for crying out loud there was no need to tackle Natsu! Even though Natsu shouldn't have been baiting you, he was only trying to be nice!" Kotone dictated.
All of them flushed with embarrassment and looked anywhere but at her. All of them, including Kotone jumped out of their skins when the room erupted in laughter. They slowly turned and looked over their shoulders, remembering that their parents were watching.
Rainada was on the ground, rolling. Grandeeney and Metalicana were leaning on each other since they couldn't stand on their own. Igneel was holding his belly, head thrown back. Their laughter was so loud that Kotone thought she wouldn't ever need to harvest sound again.
"We're sorry! Truly!" Grandeeney managed to say.
"Igneel, that rascal of yours is the spitting image of you!" Metalicana exclaimed.
Igneel wiped his eyes, "OH THE SAME COULD BE SAID OF THAT BOY OF YOURS!"
"Alice is nothing like you!" Grandeeney said, falling onto Rainada.
"Wendy is nicer than you! Who knew that could happen!" she replied.
"Well one thing's for sure!" Metalicana said, calming herself. "These kids are a perfect match for each other. Wendy here can heal our two bakas after they're done fighting. Then Kotone is there to chide them and try to prevent them from fighting, the child-mother. Then Alice over here is a little sour claw isn't she?"
"I thought that would be Gajeel! He's hardly talked since we got here," Rainada commented.
"Naw he just has too much pride to show his soft side!" Metalicana replied.
"Alice is probably a little tired and moody from exhaustion. I mean look at the floor. That must have taken a lot of water out of her small frame!" Grandeeney defended.
"No she is full of herself that one. She probably thinks she has her own fan group," Rainada said.
Alice puffed up, "I do have a fan group! I sign autographs all the time! I'm practically a legend!"
The dragons erupted in laughter yet again. Alice blushed a crimson red before hopping out of Kotone's hammock of hair and stomping away, arms crossed.
"Uhhhhhhh…."
The dragons stopped laughing and turned to the source of the voice. A blonde haired girl sat next to a half-naked boy, both wearing extremely shocked and confused expressions.
"KOTONE PLEASE TAKE CARE OF THEM."
Kotone hopped off the black dragon and landed quietly in the water, her hair trailing behind her braided together by itself as she fell. It still dragged in the water though, but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. As she walked, her dragon hands and feet slowly shifted until they regained their human shape. They were still huge, they were still clawed, and they were still covered in scales, but they didn't look too odd anymore.
Kotone crouched in front of Gray and Lucy, both watching her intently.
"Wait! Hold on a second! What are you going to do to us?" Lucy asked, waving her hands in front of her.
Kotone placed her scaly hands on their cheeks, "Don't worry kids, I'll make sure none of you will go through this ever again."
Gray cocked an eyebrow but stayed silent. Lucy's eyes widened, completely understanding, the clever girl she is.
Kotone hummed a note then black and white feather sprouted out of her arm in seconds. Lucy almost yelped but a claw on her lips silenced her. Kotone examined her arm to see what the itchy feeling on her arm was. She was startled for a moment before shrugging inside and smiling outside.
"I don't think either or you have seen my complete dragon form. Is that right?" Kotone asked.
Lucy and Gray nodded, knowing that she didn't want them to speak.
"Let's keep it that way," she murmured. She lifted her arm with the feathers and examined it. The black feathers were right where they needed to be, so she didn't have to worry about improvising. "Well," she said, "I was planning on using my usual method, but this idea just popped into my head. Since no matter what I do to try and suppress my magic will ever work now, some parts of me will remain dragon. So, I hope this works."
Her other hand became a blur as it raced up and down her new feathers, creating a sound similar to a mix between a piano and a violin.
"Wow, I could use this technique in dragon form too. My tail should be long enough for….." she said, but stopped. She glanced at the two teens to see them lying on the floor, completely passed out. "Powerful technique…."
"Well of course dear! This is why we came actually. We need to…" Grandeeney faded out, realizing that there was more rustling.
Lady Chiyoko was sitting up slowly, very slowly in her old age. Kotone slid over to her as fast as she could in the water and positioned herself so the Lord of the Shark Empress couldn't see the dragons. Kotone's hair wrapped itself over her shoulders until the pile of coils covered her nose, mouth, and neck. The rest of her braided hair hit her kneecap and she quickly put her hands under the water to blur their form.
"Chiyoko-chan…" she whispered, surprise and wonder reflected in her eyes.
"My…where am I? Child I can't see very well in this dark room and I seem to have a mean head ache," she murmured, leaning onto Kotone's shoulder. "I had the strangest dream, Dear. We were chasing Kotone-sama into a dark cave in order to save her. Then Acnologia was there!" She whispered the last sentence as if just mentioning his name would curse them. "He attacked us when we tried to save Kotone and that's when the dream ended. Horrifying nightmare it was. Kotone-sama looked like she was in so much pain. It must have been because those guild members came, claiming they knew Kotone." She sighed and her hand patted Kotone on the head in a motherly fashion. "Oh I can't tell in this light darling, who are you?"
Kotone lifted a hand out of the water and helped the old lady to lie down. Her other hand placed the old lady's hand back on her stomach. "Lady Chiyoko, I have a feeling that the dream of yours might mean something. But for now, I think sleeping will relieve your head ache."
"Oh thank you child. It's moments like these that make me feel so old."
Kotone played her feathers and Chiyoko was fast asleep. The old woman's face was full of peace and a small smile graced her lips as she breathed evenly through her nose. Kotone smiled in response and decided that she would personally thank the lady for helping her guild members.
She looked up and saw that other people were starting to moan and move. Her hand flew to her feathers and she started playing a lullaby that wasn't familiar to the dragon slayers. There was a chorus of sighs as people relaxed into their deep sleep. Kotone's melody faded as her hand slowed down, leaving the room in silence yet again.
"What a handy ability!" Rainada commented.
Kotone sharply turned her head to see the dragons, examining them. They stood or sat patiently, just like their children who were waiting for permission to approach. Kotone's gaze was wondering at first, but they changed to knowing when she saw how all of them were watching her.
She stood up and felt her arms start to itch again; knowing that the feathers had disappeared and her dragon hands replaced them. Her fingers twitched unconsciously as her bones moved and molded into the threatening nature of a dragon's. She heard a sickening pop sound as a digit fell into its socket.
Her mouth, hidden behind her scarf of braids, was set in a line as her eyes darted from dragon to dragon.
"I called you here to take care of Acnologia," she stated.
"YES. AND WE WILL DEAL WITH HIM," Igneel replied, nodding his head.
Kotone's eyebrows knit together as she continued to watch them. "All of you wouldn't have come just to deal with him. There is another reason. What do you want?"
Metalicana's face became twisted with anger, "Don't assume things you little brat! We are here to deal with Acnologia! Isn't that the reason you contacted us?"
Kotone glanced at Gajeel, who was calmly looking back and forth between Kotone and his mother. Alice, Natsu, and Wendy were fidgeting as they tried to follow the conversation.
"I didn't say you weren't here to deal with that monster. I said that there was another reason. He is just a side job and you have made that obvious," she stated, her hidden mouth forming a frown. She knew she was right, she knew. She had the urge to bite her tongue to suppress her anger, but remember at the last second that her teeth had recently become dragon teeth. One bite and she would have lost her tongue. She noted at the back of her head that she needed a new habit to suppress her anger.
"What makes you say that?" Grandeeney asked, holding a claw up to Metalicana, who was about to shoot her mouth off again.
Kotone pointed to the dragon slayers, "You could sense that they were here, but you came anyway. If you were really only here to take Acnologia, you wouldn't have wasted time calming me down and you would have taken him away by now. Also, you wanted everyone asleep so they couldn't hear our conversation. Not to mention the fact that all of you have had your eyes focused on me since you got here. So I'm going to repeat myself, what do you want?"
There was a moment of silence before Igneel smirked, "Well aren't you the clever one?"
"I don't like how your tone has changed either," Kotone snapped, hearing the fire dragon talk smoothly.
Igneel narrowed his eyes and was silent, knowing that they had taken a step forward and three steps back. Rainada cleared her throat, trying to work her calming magic into her voice again, "You are right, there is a second reason."
Rainada immediately stumbled backwards and was waving her head from side to side, as if trying to get away from an annoying bug.
"I don't want to listen to such obvious magic. Just tell me what you want and do what I asked you to do. That or leave," Kotone hissed, sending a high pitched screech at Rainada.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO RAINADA?" Alice yelled, charging at Kotone. She was stopped by Gajeel, but she was still kicking until Kotone waved her hand in Alice's direction. Alice's legs dangled, useless as Gajeel held her. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"
"I stopped all messages from your brain to your legs so you can't interfere. Now, spit it out already," Kotone snarled, never taking her eyes off the dragons.
Igneel's dragon face was conveying anger yet understanding as he said, "IF THAT IS WHAT YOU DESIRE, THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A CONSISTENT NUMBER OF DRAGONS, 7 TO BE EXACT. IF ACNOLOGIA IS TO BE CONDEMED BY DRAGON LAW, HE MUST BE REPLACED TO UPHOLD THE BALANCE."
Kotone listened, her eyes showing that she understood how grim her situation was.
"You are his child and you have already partially undertaken the ritual to change into a dragon, though obviously something must have gone wrong long ago. Which is why you have your humanoid appearance," Grandeeney inserted.
"My mother cracked the egg."
"That would be the cause then…" Grandeeney whispered.
Metalicana, tired of beating around the bush, said, "You are the only contender to replace the traitor."
Kotone sighed, her eyes still burning with a furious passion, "I thought it would come down to something like that. So you want me to do what exactly?"
"Come with us to the dragon council so you can live with us. We will raise you until you are old enough to fend for yourself in the council. Then you can come and go as you please. Normally, at your age you would be considered old enough to do as you please, but since you aren't fully a dragon, the council will probably raise the quota," Rainada said, recovering from the ear splitting sound.
Kotone turned on her heel and started walking out, "Find someone else."
The dragons looked at each other before starting to follow the young dragon, voicing their objections.
"Can it. I have a guild to take care of now." She spun around and glared at the dragons, "Don't ask me again unless you can figure out a way for me to stay with my guild. They are my number one priority now." She glanced at the dragon slayers, watching their reactions.
Natsu had a big goofy grin on his face again and Wendy was smiling, on the verge of leaping for joy. Gajeel smirked, like he knew it all along, and Alice hung in his arms, mouth a gaping hole.
Kotone nodded and walked down the corridors, dragging her claws along the wall, creating a loud, obnoxious noise as she left.
"Kotone! Where are you going?" Natsu yelled. "Wait up! I'm coming with you!" He jumped up and ran to the corridor, but was stopped by a scaly hand being placed on his chest, bringing him to an abrupt halt.
"You seem to be ignoring the elephant in the room Natsu, or should I say dragons?" she cocked her eyebrow at him. "Am I mistaken in remembering you relentlessly searching for Igneel ever since he left?"
Natsu shook his head, listening for once in his life.
Kotone's eyes smiled up at him as she said, "Then I think you should stay and talk with your Dad. I'm sure that's what you really want to do. Trust me, I'll be fine and I won't run away. I also don't need someone to come with me. I see the objection in your eyes. I'll be fine. If you're worried that I'm going to be alone, then you are mistaken. Kanon and Makarov are always going to be with me, not to mention I have an entire guild to support me now. You're the one who told me that I would never be alone again, so there's no need to worry."
Natsu finally relaxed and his goofy grin was back on his face, "You're right!"
"Of course I am. I'm always right. Remember that and your life will be a lot easier with me as master." She smiled and turned around and walked out, leaving huge gouges in the wall.
The room was silent once again, no one quite sure what to say. At the same time, no one was brave enough to break the fragile blanket of silence that cloaked the room. Time passed and hardly anyone had even budged under the suffocating silence.
Gajeel was the first to break the silence, "They aren't going to explain so let them take Acnologia and get out of here."
Metalicana puffed up and her face turned a crimson red. She glared at the boy as if setting him on fire wouldn't be enough. "How DARE you make such a statement! What have I been telling you? Assuming will get you killed!"
"He's right though," Rainada interjected her thoughts, yet again.
Gajeel huffed and didn't even bother looking at the dragons, "If they were going to say something, they would have said it already. Especially Metalicana, she hates beating around the bush."
That made the metal dragon shut her mouth, though she didn't stop glaring at Gajeel, who seemed used to it.
Gajeel grumbled under his breath, something about typical dragons… Wendy on the other hand, wanted to believe that there was a reason. A reason that would explain why she was abandoned, left behind to fend for herself.
It seemed Alice thought the same as Wendy, but had the louder voice. "I don't care if they don't tell us why! I just want to know if there even was a reason! Did we do something wrong? Did we? Did you want to leave?"
"Heavens no!" Rainada exclaimed.
"We even fought to stay!" Grandeeney insisted.
Metalicana marched over to Acnologia, placing her own foot on his neck, the same way Kotone did. "Wish we could meet under different circumstances though."
"WISH WE COULD STAY," Igneel said, grabbing the black dragon's limp wings.
"What? Leaving already?" Natsu and Wendy exclaimed.
Grandeeney nodded as she grabbed Acnologia's legs, followed by Rainada grabbing his arms.
"We came for Acnologia and Kotone. That was decided at the council," Rainada commented. "Kotone has refused this offer, so we will report back to the council and await our new orders."
"So we'll see you again?" Alice asked, standing up and finally regaining control over her legs.
"Probably not. The council didn't think you would be here. So they will probably call Kotone to the council instead," Metalicana said bluntly. "Come on you softies. Say your goodbyes."
Suddenly the three dragons became stiff, realizing that it really was time to leave. They looked into the eyes of their children, seeing confusion, sadness, longing… Regret was in every cell of their bodies. They felt their hands tighten and the prickle of tears at the corners of their eyes. They bit their tongues, knowing that it would betray them if they opened their mouths. They looked away, not being able to bring themselves to look their children in the eye.
Betrayed. Hurt. Forgiving. The dragon slayers watched their parents go. The force of the dragon's wings caused their hair to fly and lift their clothes. So they watched the dragons go. Wendy grabbed Natsu's hand. She grabbed Gajeel's hand. She looked up at Grandeeney, who was looking up at the sky. Morning was coming.
Natsu grabbed Alice's hand who squeezed it return. Alice felt her cheeks itch and her hand felt her face. It came away wet. She looked up at Rainada, who didn't even bother to hide her tears. That's the thing about water dragons, once they start they can't stop until they are empty.
The dragons ascended and with three flaps of their wings, they were gone. Under them was air and under that was a forest, the same one Daniel and the others navigated through with the music box.
"You know that she won't leave. If she doesn't leave, then you will be forced to kill either me or her. As bad as I am, I'm actually a dragon, so she's more likely to be killed," Acnologia said, pleased at the outcome of his deduction.
Metalicana squeezed his neck, "I'll make sure you're the one to die. Those kids love her. I don't want to take away another parent from them."
"Look, Metalicana actually has a soft side. Who knew…" he was cut off by the sudden lack of oxygen.
Metalicana smiled, "I can tell he continued singing. That's a good boy of mine."
"Wendy is finally in a proper guild. Cat Shelter was nice but no one was real. This way she can create relationships that last," Grandeeney said, smiling.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that they are healthy and are well taken care of. We can finally relax," Rainada said, smiling through her tears.
"INDEED." Igneel said, finally raising his head, looking forward and directly ahead.
They watched as the dragons became a speck in the sunrise, tears in all of their eyes.
"I-is this…is this how Makarov felt when Kotone left him?" Wendy sniffed, letting go of Natsu's hand to wipe her tears. The tracks on her face smeared and she thought her nose was going to run.
"Undoubtedly," Alice said, wiping her own tears furiously. "Why did they do this to us a second time?"
"They didn't want to," Natsu said, still looking at the sunrise.
"Do you think it just runs in the dragon blood? Kotone left Makarov a second time," Gajeel said, watching as the sun peaked over the mountains in the distance.
Wendy pulled on Gajeel's hand, "Don't you dare say that! Kotone left to protect Makarov-sama! As bad as we are hurting, we don't have the right to say things like that!"
"Wendy's right," Natsu said, finally bringing up the hand Wendy let go to clean his face of salty tears. "We know our family is alive. Kotone doesn't have that privilege. I don't think she'll ever be able to forgive herself about what happened today. You saw how she was when our parents came. It was too much for her. She broke. Gajeel, if I ever hear you say something like that again, I will break you." He looked Gajeel in the eye, his face devoid of any doubt.
"I don't care! People who leave their loved ones behind are despicable!" Alice yelled. She stomped her feet in the water, creating a splash that soaked her legs. "IT'S JUST WRONG!"
Natsu slapped her on the back, a mad expression on his face. "Same goes to you Alice! If I hear you say anything like that again, I'll make sure you pay for it!"
Wendy came over and tried to console the girl as Natsu started marching off in the direction Kotone went. He got to the corridor and took two steps in before he froze.
There stood Kotone, back against the wall, head angled so a shadow was cast upon her eyes. Her single braid was wrapped over her shoulders like a scarf until all Natsu could see was her shaded eyes. Hidden in the shadows, Natsu knew her amber eyes were displaying a wide arrange of emotion. Her silver braid, although being wrapped over her shoulders, still reached her knees and her two golden locks made two small loops on the sides of her face before joining the rest of her hair in the braid. She was wearing huge black gloves to cover her dragon hands and on her feet were huge black boots to cover her dragon feet. Her long black pants partially covered her boots and on top she had a black halter top and black coat. All Natsu could see of her skin was the shaded eyes, but he was too nervous to investigate as to what hid in that shadow.
"Kotone…" he whispered.
Her hands slowly came up, almost robotic like, and revealed two shopping bags bursting at the seams with so much food packed into them.
"I thought you guys might be hungry. So I stopped at the market in the Shark Empress's village. I didn't steal it. I told them that lady Chiyoko would pay for it once she got back."
Natsu didn't move, he couldn't. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't apologize for what she heard. They both knew it wouldn't make a difference. And it seemed that if he took the groceries, she would leave, there being nothing left for her to do. He couldn't let her leave like that.
"Yo Natsu! What are you doing over there?" Gajeel called. They could hear the sloshing of feet coming toward them. Multiple pairs of feet. "Hothead answer me!"
They walked to the opening of the corridor and froze, just like Natsu. They saw the groceries and instantly felt terrible. Alice, Gajeel, and Wendy stood there like idiots as they realized what had just happened.
Kotone dropped the groceries, the splash creating a ripple effect that touched every one of them as they stood in the water covered floor.
"Alice, can you please get rid of all the water in here? Throw it over the side of the lair, it isn't drinkable anymore. Natsu, can you stay and create a fire when she is done? Your friends are going to be cold from the water. Wendy, Gajeel, come with me please." With that, she robotically turned and walked away like there was a pack of rapid animals in a cage behind her.
At first none of them moved, but then in a burst of speed, they hurried to do as what was asked of them. Alice scrambled to get over to the other side of the room. She dropped to her knees and thrust her hands into the water. She pulled them out and two streams of water followed. She threw her hands up, in the direction of the hole in the ceiling. The water followed the invisible path and continued to flow out of the lair. Alice kept her hands up, keeping the designated path open.
Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel followed Kotone, her quick pace causing them to jog every couple of steps.
"Natsu, why are you coming?" Wendy asked.
He smiled and said, "To keep a fire going, you need wood right?"
Wendy continued jogging, her face flushed at the obvious reason. But her face was crimson when she felt Gajeel's arm wrap around her waist and carry her as they speed walked down the corridors.
"I'm sorry I'm so slow," Wend said, covering her face with her hands, hoping to hide her blush.
Natsu ruffled her hair, "Well you are the shortest of all of us. It would only make sense if your smaller legs can't keep up! Just watch, trying to keep up with us at your age will make you twice as fast as us when you are as big as us!"
Wendy nodded her head, still slightly embarrassed.
Suddenly they stopped, shading their eyes. The sun was so bright, it was unbelievable. It was just so surprising, yet so uplifting. It was as if they were seeing it for the first time.
"It seems so odd to see that the world continued moving during last night. That's what you're thinking, right?" Kotone quietly said, almost a whisper. The Fairy Tail trio nodded, awed by the awesome light. "When one is as old as I am, not much surprises you. But if I am being honest with myself, I thought the world ended last night as well." She continued walking and they saw that she had created a dirt incline from the ground to the opening of the lair. It would be easy to climb and walk down.
Again, the dragon slayers felt guilty about saying those things back in the lair. Natsu nudged Gajeel, who grumbled, but understood. He didn't need to be reminded for he already knew what he should do.
He coughed gently, not sure how to start. His free hand scratched the back of his head and he wasn't quite sure where to look, so he decided to look at the sunrise, "Kotone, what you heard back there…I just want you to know that I'm sorry and that I didn't mean it."
"I know," she whispered, finally looking at them, her eyes sad. "But that doesn't mean hearing them didn't hurt. I better get used to it though. I will hear it until your generation is gone. Maybe even after your generation." She looked back at the sunrise and sighed, "I bet you a hundred laps around Fiore that the dragon council is planning on killing me since I didn't accept."
Natsu balked at the idea, "Why would they kill you?"
Kotone was quiet again. She looked at the bridge of dirt she had made and continued walking down, no longer speed walking. "They said there must always be a balance amongst the dragons. There can only be seven dragons at a time and one of those dragons is the dragon king. They came to me because I am considered to be a dragon now. This means there are 8 dragons in existence."
"Then why don't they kill Acnologia? He's going to die soon anyways right?" Gajeel asked, following.
Kotone nodded her head before quietly saying, "I thought about that too, but Acnologia is a true dragon and I'm only partially. Dragons stick to tradition, which is probably why your parents were taken away when the dragon king found out they were raising humans. Hold on for one moment please."
She stopped and pulled her scarf of braids down, looking up at the trees ahead. The trio felt their ears itch as a group of five rough looking guys fell from the trees Kotone was looking at. The trio's ears stopped itching, a sign that Kotone stopped whatever magic she was using. Kotone started muttering about not being able to bite her tongue and whipped around to face the dragon slayers.
"Natsu, this would be a good place to collect firewood, would it not?" Kotone asked, her voice had an undertone to it that caused the hair of the back of their necks to stand. She brought Natsu's attention away from the men, who lied there, unmoving. He nodded and wandered off, leaving Wendy and Gajeel with an angry Kotone. "Look my guildlings…it seems I just got us more help. Master will have a word with our newest recruits…"
Kotone walked over to the closest man and whispered a few commands before all five of them stood up and waited for further instructions. She looked back at Gajeel and Wendy, who was now walking on her own, and beckoned for them to follow. Surprised, they looked at each other and shrugged before following Kotone and her five henchmen.
"Bakas, how long did you think you could tail me, as noisy as you are, before I found out?" Kotone asked the one that was rigidly walking next to her.
"We are known as the sneakiest bandits of Fiore and are wanted by the Wizard Council, how did you know we were following you?" he growled at her, obviously not moving of his own free will.
Kotone sighed and stretched out her arms, popping joints that needed some tension released. She glanced back at Wendy and Gajeel, who were majorly confused and didn't bother hiding it.
"I don't know about you guys," she began, looking at the dragon slayers, "but I'm starting to think that more things have happened this morning than last night."
They nodded, extremely confused at how fast things were happening.
"Well baka bandit, I don't think you are in the position to be asking questions. I might actually let you go if you answer mine. I want to know why you were helping Acnologia," she said casually.
Everyone jumped at that statement, even the henchmen. "How did you know about that?"
"I'm asking the questions and I don't feel like repeating myself," she said, exiting the forest and walking towards a familiar looking lake. They walked around Alice's training ground as Kotone waited patiently for the bandits to answer. When they had passed the lake, she spoke up again, "I'm not in the best of moods and I prefer to keep my pawns in one piece while they are still useful. Understand?"
He grimly nodded and his teeth grinding could be heard a meter away.
"Good. Then answer my questions as I ask them," she said, memorizing his face as they walked. "So, back to my question, why were you helping Acnologia?"
"He caught one of our friends and he said he would let her go if we helped him."
Kotone nodded her head. "That would make sense."
Wendy tapped Kotone on the shoulder, eyeing the stiff bandits around them, "Kotone, how did you know that Acnologia was getting help?"
Kotone sighed, knowing that it was going to be a very, very long day. "Natsu told me about 'the room with the levers' and a dragon wouldn't use new technology to do a job. If you take that and add the fact that I was followed coming and leaving the lair, it's very obvious that they are helping the monster. I just wanted to hear their sorry excuse as to why. To be honest Chandra came across as an independent girl, so I was mildly surprised when they didn't 'surprise attack' me. When they didn't attack, I knew that it either wasn't their job, or they didn't want to. Acnologia wouldn't care if they attacked so that meant they didn't want to attack. Since they didn't want to attack that means it was to their advantage to not attack or that they were good people. I purposefully created situations during my last trip that would have made attacking me to their advantage. So that just left the fact that they were good people. Since they were good, they wouldn't willingly help Acnologia which means they had something to gain for helping him. So I thought about…what is it now?" Kotone asked, slightly irritated that she was interrupted mid-rant.
"I'm confused," Wendy stated, on the verge of falling over, her head spinning so much.
"I think it would be easier if you just believe what I say in these situations then," Kotone said, stopping to steady the girl.
"How did you know it was Chandra?" the bandit asked.
"I'm asking the questions, remember? Also, didn't I just say it would be easier if you just accept my words as fact in these kinds of situations?"
"Yes and yes, but you make it sound like we will be seeing more of each other," he said cautiously.
"Undoubtedly. Now, I want to ask how you are related to Chandra," Kotone said, continuing her course through the woods.
"Are you her mother?"
"No, and you aren't her father, so why are you being so defensive?"
"You…I don't know if I should be impressed by how witty you are or insulted."
"Both, now please answer."
"She travels alone, we travel together. Our paths cross occasionally and we work together sometimes."
"I see, so you are not close friends. What is your name?"
"You ask personal questions."
"There is very little I don't know about you at this point so please answer my little questions to amuse me."
"Very well, it's John Smith."
"You mean Zachary Gresson. Zach for short."
"If you knew, why did you ask?"
"I wanted to see what you would say. Your fake name is so obviously fake though. I should be able to help you with that."
"Help?"
"Like I said, I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other, Zach of the Crooked Knights, wanted by the Wizard Council for ruining the lives of many nobles that so righteously should have been executed for their ways." She glanced at his red face, smiling at how easily he fell into her little trap. His short black hair and his black eyes are common, part of the reason he has managed to stay alive so long. The only distinguishing feature he has is the black mark behind his right ear. It's a little tattoo of a star, which he got when someone he loved left, probably died. He is around the age of 19. Lived under the rule of one of the nobles he toppled which is how he started the Crooked Knights. Over all a good person and extremely loyal to those he considers deserving. Kotone finished her assessment of the boy, getting all of that from their brief exchange. "Now Zach, I want to offer my assistance in return for the favor you are about to grant me."
"And what favor is that?"
"I want you to help carry blankets and food back to the lair," she said, smiling with her eyes to the bandit. At that moment they walked out of the woods and into the village with the shop keepers piling blankets and filling bags with food. They were running around, waking up the neighbors to see if they would be willing to help carry things.
"Oh my!" Kotone exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention in the village. "This is wonderful! Thank you very much!"
The villagers beamed and all of them rushed to say that they would do anything to help the Shark Empress. Kotone thanked all of them and directed Wendy and Gajeel to grab all that they could, watching them run off and help the villagers.
"So do you want to help?" Kotone asked the bandits.
"Do we have a choice?" Zach asked, still amazed at how the entire village was pitching in.
Kotone frowned, "Of course you do, but you're going back to the lair anyways, so why not carry a few things?"
"This is true, but can we move?"
"What are you talking about? You've been moving on your own since I got stopped mid-rant."
Zach blinked a few times and lifted his hand to his face, bending each finger. He fisted his hand and looked back at the little silver haired girl, who watched him curiously.
"Well I'll be…aren't you just a little sly fox?" He patted her on the head and flashed a goofy grin, "I like little foxes." He turned around and called his men over to go help everyone else.
Kotone felt a blush crawl over her cheeks and was extremely grateful that her hair covered most of her face. A fox? Ignorant fool, does he even know what a fox symbolizes? She thrust the thought out of her head as she saw Wendy struggling to put a blanket on the top of the pile.
"Wendy dear, just start a new pile," she said, helping the girl regain her balance.
Wendy nodded in agreement and placed the blanket next to the others. She regained her breath and sat down heavily, "Kotone what are the blankets for?"
"Everyone back at the lair is wet from lying in the water so they are going to be cold. It's why I'm having Natsu create a fire and why we are getting blankets. I don't think anyone really had dinner so they are…"
"Hey Foxy!"
Kotone stopped midsentence and nearly jumped out of her skin at the new nick name. "What did you just call me?"
"Foxy!" Zach said, bounding up to them. "They got most of this stuff done before we got here. At this point they have a system to get it done and we are just getting in the way. So I had my guys grab what they could and start heading back."
"Yes I can hear them walking in the forest," she said tartly, not amused by the nick name.
"Can you really hear them that far away?"
"I can hear Alice complaining her arms hurt back at the lair. Is that all you wanted to tell me?"
"You're bluffing."
"You're not very bright are you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you even know what a fox symbolizes?"
"Uh…cunning?"
"Yes but not only that! In many legends in many cultures the fox is known as a witty seductress! A fox is known for its wisdom, charisma, longevity, and prosperity. But it is also known for its trickery, seducing, and not to mention that it is commonly the symbol for the afterlife! So basically you are calling me a witty seducing grim reaper!"
Wendy watched them bicker for a while, starting to feel like the third wheel. "B-but Kotone, minus all the bad things, you really are like a fox. You're going to live a long time and you're going to prosper in Fairy Tail. You are extremely charismatic when it comes to deducting an answer and you are extremely wise. Not to mention you can actually be very, very cunning and in a way you are a symbol of the afterlife. Because when I'm going to be long dead, you will still be here."
Kotone froze, feeling another blush creep its way onto her face. She turned away from them and quickly grabbed a couple bags of food, "Thanks Wendy. I'm sorry, but it might take a while before I get used to being complimented."
Suddenly Kotone dropped the bags as she felt something ram into her back. She fell to the ground, a weight on her back. Wendy giggled as she hugged Kotone, making her blush even more. "Don't worry Kotone, you're really cute when you blush!"
Kotone's entire face was beat red as Gajeel walked up, carrying seven bags of food on each arm. He stopped, stared, shook his head back and forth, looked back, and decided to ignore the scene of a red Kotone, giggling Wendy, and confused Zach.
Alice fell to the ground, letting her arms drop. She moaned and looked over at Natsu who dropped the last couple of pieces of wood onto a massive pile. Natsu quickly set the pile on fire and watched as the room brightened till it wasn't the dark, gloomy place it appeared to be.
Both of them jumped to attention when four strange men walked in though. When they saw the food, they were still cautious until the guys said they were with Kotone. Then Gajeel came, carrying almost twice as much as the four guys did.
"Slacking are we?" he taunted.
Since the challenge was issued, the four guys ran off, Gajeel close behind. Natsu soon followed, wanting to participate in the challenge.
Kotone, Zach, and Wendy came next, Zach and Wendy taking turns making Kotone blush. They secretly were trying to see who could make her turn the red-est shade of blush there possibly was.
Soon after Kotone, the rest of the village came and were about to head back, until Kotone stopped them. She said that her bumbling idiots would take care of the rest. Almost as if on cue, Natsu, Gajeel, and Zach's four guys came in carrying piles that could have passed as buildings and caused Kotone to shake her head in dismay.
That's when she realized that her bumbling idiots would be able to surprise her when she really needed it.
Soon the guild members and Shark Empress were starting to wake up. They were given a blanket and food before being told to sit by the fire. Kotone purposefully woke up Lucy and Gray, dragging them outside to tell them to not mention that the dragons came. Kotone also was the one who was there When Chiyoko woke up, handing her the blanket and food. Kotone escorted her to the fire and sat down with her for a while, letting the old lady talk about how she dreamed of meeting her since she was a little girl. Kotone couldn't linger for long, but she promised that she would come back and visit.
So Kotone helped the villagers get everyone up and ready, Lucy cried when she saw Levy sit up and look around. Wendy cried when Erza sat up. Erza patted Daniel on the back when he sat up seconds after her. Alice cried when Anzu sat up. Zach and his four guys started crying when Chandra sat up. Makarov didn't lie, he really did heal everyone. By the end of it all, everyone was crying except for Kotone.
Everyone went home. Zach and his group followed Kotone who said she had a plan for them.
The next day Kotone held a memorial for Makarov and Kanon. She walked to a place that was high up on a hill, with her guild following her. She stood at the top and began the sad day, saying that she was over joyed at how many people had come. "This," she said, "just proves how much his guild loves him. I do know that I originally held this for Makarov, but I also want to add one more person as well. Most of you know her as well as you know me, but a few of you knew her as well as you knew Makarov. A girl named Kanon also died that night and I just wanted to recognize that fact here, with everyone."
She looked over the crowds of people, some already crying, and saw Wendy standing with Lucy and Erza. Kotone felt a light go on inside her and this idea she hatched would become a tradition of all the masters to come after her. She lifted the end of her braid and saw the two golden locks flow past the sliver. She lifted the end of her braid to her mouth and kissed it. She slowly moved the braid away from her face and pointed at a spot well above the end of her hair. The wind picked up and within a second her hair exploded off her shoulders as if someone had set off a bomb in her hair. It billowed and flowed all around her before the wind died down, letting her hair settle on the ground behind her like an extremely long veil.
"I was told that people will be jealous of my hair that Makarov loved so much. So I give this," she held up the end of her braid, the part she had cut off with her magic, "to the wind so it can carry it to our loved ones and bless them all with Makarov's love." She released her hair and watched as it flew up over her head, into a blue sky that once watched over two amazing people she had loved.
Kotone's hair re-braided itself as she walked down from the top of the hill, letting others share their fond memories of the old master. Everyone cried, except Kotone.
The next day they held a party for Kotone, celebrating the arrival of a new master of Fairy Tail. Everybody was laughing and goofing off, basically the Fairy Tail way. Kotone stood awkwardly on the bar, the same way Makarov always did when the guild was having a good time. Kotone was small enough to stand on the bar and still have people be taller than her. She was happy to see that there were only one or two people taller than her while she was on the bar. But Wendy was taller than her when they walked side by side.
Zach strolled over and sat in one of the chairs at the bar, smiling at Kotone who had decided to sit down on the bar.
"So what did you have planned for me again? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with the Wizard Council so close." He laughed at her expression of annoyance. He had asked her several times already that day.
"I know you are anxious, but how many times do you plan on asking before you get tired?" she asked, trying to regain her good mood by watching Natsu try to outsmart Levy.
"However many times it's going to take before you answer me!" he exclaimed, holding his drink up in the air, as if he was saluting his efforts.
"I keep telling you that in due time you will find out the answer. Besides, I knew every single member of the Wizard Council and I have dirt on all of them, including their staff, from the personal secretaries to the janitors. You are safer here than anywhere else." She sighed, poor Natsu's face was practically glued to the inside of a book. He shouldn't have argued with Levy about facts referring to history….
"You say that but I doubt that it's true."
She glared at the boy, "Are you suggesting that I'm lying?"
"Well look at it from my point of view," he said, placing his mug back on the table, "I spend my life toppling rotten nobles and learning to only trust the poor. How am I supposed to believe a recently appointed master of a guild? Not to mention the fact that you are one of those legendary dragon slayers! I mean, you are one important person, practically a noble!"
She felt herself flinch at the term dragon slayer, confusion in every atom of her being, "Dragon slayer? You think I'm a dragon slayer?"
"Well you said Acnologia was your Dad and you use dragon style magic. What else could you be?"
Kotone felt the world around her blur as her mind raced. Connecting dots, calculating possible outcomes, eliminating unlikely possibilities…
"Yo…Kotone…earth to Kotone?" Zach asked, waving his hand back forth in front of her face, getting no reaction. But her fell out of his chair when she suddenly stood up, eye wide with the deduction she came up with.
"HEY!" her magic carried to every ear in the guild, stopping everything. She looked around and saw that Natsu was arguing with Gajeel and Wendy, Erza, and Lucy were trying to calm them down. Kotone pointed at them, "You three don't say anything! Understood?"
The trio nodded, confused and bewildered.
Kotone glanced at the rest of the guild, looking at their faces, their calm, peaceful, beautiful faces. "What am I? What do you classify me as?"
She was met with a chorus of, "Master!"
She shook her head, motioning for them to stop with her hands, "No! I meant magic wise! Like how Gray is an ice mage and Lucy is a Celestial mage! What would you classify me as?"
Sensing the distress in her voice, they were hesitant to answer, but Lisanna stood up when she saw no one would answer what they all thought. "Aren't you a dragon slayer?"
Kotone froze. Her deduction was true. She didn't want to believe it, but this proved. "No. No, I'm not a dragon slayer."
The guild was silent, but there was the faintest rustling as people shared glances, trying to figure out who knew what was going on.
"So you mean to tell me that you guys accepted me as master without knowing who I am?" she asked quietly, feeling her stomach drop.
The entire guild was still silent, all except for the sounds of realization from the trio. Wendy gasped and immediately covered her mouth, her eyes showing how scared she felt. She didn't want Kotone to leave.
Kotone slowly lifted her hands to the clip that held her cloak in place. With an audible click, the cloak fell to the ground, revealing her human shoulders covered with dragon scales. She didn't stop there. She pulled off a glove and carefully pulled off the second glove, not wanting to rip it with her dragon hands.
Then she looked at her boots and kicked them off, revealing her dragon feet. She dragged her finger around her knees, cleanly cutting her pants legs off. She then unwound her scarf of braided hair to reveal her scaly jaw. She sighed, opening her mouth to show her dragon teeth.
"I'm not a dragon slayer. I was originally human, but now I am mostly dragon. I have to constantly use magic to keep this humanoid appearance and not change back into my dragon form," she said, waiting for their reactions.
After a few seconds of nothing, the entire guild sighed in unison. Kotone, shocked, nearly fell off the bar table.
"Great," Jet said sarcastically, "yet another dragon to add to the collection. Let's hope Natsu and the others don't run around chasing you all day."
Everyone else nodded in agreement before picking up where they left off.
"Wait, hold on a second!" Kotone exclaimed. Everyone paused yet again, watching their new master cock her head to the side in confusion. "You aren't scared that I'm really a dragon?"
Elfman stood up, "Being a dragon is manly!"
Lisanna giggled and said, "You're no more scary than Wendy over there!"
Everyone laughed, except Kotone. Kotone cried.
A/N Hello my Loyal Royal Readers! One more chapter! There's only one more! And I'm sorry I got this to you so late, I made it extra-long to make up for the late update! I even created Zach and his group! Actually Zach's old name was Leopold, Leo for short, but then I realized the idiocracy of that because Loke is Leo the lion…..So I renamed Leo after my bro because I wanted him to have a nick name. Then, because he is my bro, I had him argue with my little protagonist! Kotone is my first lovely creation! My baby!
Kotone: I want to die after hearing you say that…
Miu: You're alive! Everyone was leaving me alone for a while!
Kotone: We got tired of talking to you.
Miu: (T.T) Ok…..
Also I need to tell you all something! Kotone is going to be in another FF! Not another of my own, but I'm seriously thinking about it. Kotone is going to be in HiImNewHere's FF! I'm so excited to see her in it!
Summer is here and I'm going to restart my FF for Detective School Q. I'm really happy that I get to start that one again and after that one I'm going to write one for Soul Eater because I promised I would do that to a couple of friends of mine.
What else? I want to thank all of my betas. I had a few for this chapter because a few of my friends found it on my computer and…yeah…they decided to "help" me…Don't worry! I listened to their ideas and suggestions and watched them make alterations to my FF…I was on the verge of tears…But thank god I back up all of my stories. Because of this my FF managed to survive their butchering.
Now for REVIEWS!
Alice Harkey My beautiful beta reader! I love your stories and I love how you don't butcher my chapters! I'm also sorry I gave you this monster of a chapter to beta! Gomenasai! But I love you all the more for putting up with it!
HiImNewHere At this point she is a dragon who can partially change into a human shape. Her hands, feet, skin, and eyes all remain dragon like on her human body. I hope that cleared it up. But it made me so happy to read how much you liked my story! I'm so proud of how my little Kotone has grown up! *sniff* Way too fast!
Edward the Pure The Athena of Fanfiction thanks you. *does a little happy dance* I'm glad I thoroughly shocked you! That just means that my plan worked! Mwa ha ha ha! You and HiImNewHere just keep predicting what I'm going to do next! I became worried that I was being too predictable! But referring to Makarov, SO FREAKING SAD. GOMENASAI MAKAROV! GOME! Makarov is one of my favorite characters so I was so upset when I killed him with the merciless strikes of my fingers to keyboard! Then as to Kotone's form, at this point she is a dragon who can partially change into a human shape. Her hands, feet, skin, and eyes all remain dragon like on her human body. I guess I didn't really clear that up last chapter…Sorry…
GoldenRoseLuceTanya Sorry for the late update! But seeing a new name in the reviews made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to review you wonderful person!
TheOrangeNeko Thank you so much! I always get a boost of confidence when I see I got a review but to be praised on top of it just makes me want to jump for joy and sing to the stars! Again, Sorry for the late update!
Tsuki. Raven Thank you so much you kind person! Again, I'm so very sorry for the late update!
Gajeel: This entire A/N is filled with you saying sorry and thank you! It's pathetic!
Miu: Why is it only the mean ones decided to talk to me?
Kotone: I'm not mean in the story!
Miu: But you're mean in the A/Ns! Anyways, until next time my Royal Loyal Readers!
Gajeel: This isn't an anime!