Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. .

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

"Natsu! Get a hold of yourself!

"Natsu! Wake up, you bastard!"

A vein mark started forming in Natsu's forehead due to all the shouting "What! Shut up! Huh?" when the dragon slayer looked around, he was faced with the sight of his nakamas from the guild right before his eyes. Before he could elaborate further he was tackled into the ground.

"NATSU!"

The dragon slayer studied the persons with detail, something about them seemed different: "What the hell happened? Why did you guys come?" and by the way…did you aged a bit! AND DROY IS FAT!"

"You haven't changed!" Jet, Droy and Max cried unable to contain themselves to see their friend alive and well after seven years of not seeing him (Droy mostly because the fat part, but still…).

Trying to make sense about everything, Natsu shook his head: "We got hit by Acnologia's attack…Wait! What about everyone else? Where's Lisanna?

"Over here"

Natsu and company looked up to see a small girl that was the definition of cuteness, with long wavy hair, beautiful eyes and…small wings on her ears, calling up to them.

"Huh? Who are you?"

The girl smiled as they looked at her "My name is Mavis. Fairy Tail's First Master, Mavis Vermillion.

Chapter 26: Seven Empty Years

Magnolia X791 / Fairy Tail's current guild:

We find ourselves in the small guild/tavern where a young boy, no older than 14, is currently reading about fire magic. He is Romeo Conbolt; son of Fairy Tail's 4th master, Macao Conbolt.

"Romeo…was it really a good idea for you not to go along?"

Romeo didn't look up from his book to meet his father's eyes: "Even if Tenrou Island is found…there's no telling whether everyone is alive, right?"

"Nonsense! We have to believe!" Even as Macao said those words he was also skeptical about the whole matter.

"There's been no word in over 7 years." Romeo countered, returning to his lecture.

Macao dropped the issue when the doors of the guild were kicked open. "OIII! There are a lot fewer people here today…"

Macao and the remaining mages focused on the entrance where members of Twilight Ogre came, yet again, to harass them and take whatever money they had. Some of them snickered at the Fairy mages:"Rather than a guild, what is this? Some sort of friendship club…? Buyahya!"

"Teebo! Payment's due next month, isn't it?" Wakaba, now advisor of the master, said to the group.

"Our master, well, you see…He said that simply won't do… It's a problem if payments are not made in schedule." Smiling at his own lies, the mage continued "If master said it, there's nothing I can do."

Romeo closed the book he was reading and slammed it down on the table "We don't have any money to pay you guys…"

"Romeo, stop it!" Macao said, but his words were ignored by the boy, besides, the damage was already done when the Ogre mage got pissed.

"What's with that attitude, you shitty brat…?"

"To have been tamed by punks like these…Father and everyone are cowards…" Romeo created a fire ball, ready to throw it at them "I'm going to fight! If things keep up, Fairy Tail's name will be worthless!"

With a simple blow, the leader of the gang dispelled Romeo's fire with ease. "The name became worthless a long time ago, no?" Reaching from his back he grabbed his club and positioned it ready to slam it on Romeo.

"STOP IT!"

"You guys will never be above us as long as we live!" As he prepared to hit Romeo, someone kicked him from behind, sending him flying through the air. The gang leader crashed hard on the far wall to later bounce on the floor completely knocked out. Romeo and the remaining Fairy Tail mages were stunned by the sudden arrival, while the remaining Twilight Ogre mage's started sweating when they realized they were outnumbered. Trying to put a tough façade they glared at the new arrivals, only to be kicked, frozen, punched, slashed and slammed by the returning mages.

Sporting a huge grin, Natsu, along with everyone else, greeted them.

"We're home!"

'Where back"

"Hmph"

"Everyone!"

"Yo."

"Wahh isn't it wonderful?"

"We've come back"

"Alcohol, Alcohol !"

"What's up with this tiny guild?"

Macao, as the rest, couldn't believe his eyes "you…you…you guys…"

"So young!" Laki, Nab and commented "They haven't changed at all since 7 years ago! What happened…?"

"Uhm…well, It's a long story" Lucy offered.

"We have time." Macao replied with tears threatening to escape his eyes. Romeo was transfixed on Natsu when the dragon slayer finally noticed him:

"Wow! You're all grown up, Romeo."

Unable to contain them any longer, the members of fairy tail cried their eyes out, happy to be reunited with their lost nakamas.

"Welcome back! Natsu-nii! Everyone!"

As the group rejoiced their reunion, Makarov took a seat on top of a table: "As Lucy said, it's a long story, let's begin from the start…"

"Before that:" Natsu and the others kicked the twilight ogre mages outside.

Nodding, Makarov continued: "as you might know; Grimoire Heart attacked us during the S-class trials…"

The guild was in full celebration after the return of their missing comrades, after Makarov's short version of the events that transpired, each group was in different tables listening to the details of each encounter they had during the exam.

After telling Natsu how he learned from Totomaru, Romeo listened closely as Natsu retold his encounter with Zancrow "so, that guy was a god slayer?'

"Yup" Natsu recalled his encounter with the blond slayer with a bit of anger, a thing Romeo noticed, but Natsu quickly hid it. "After I grabbed Yamato, something happened"

Romeo was both fascinated and scared after Natsu finished his story. Apparently this Vergil guy possessed Natsu several times during the time at the island, while the dragon slayer could only see flashbacks of what he did after he regained consciousness.

"What happened then?"

"I lost the sword" Natsu slumped down on the table depressed, while Lisanna comforted him. At some point, during Acnologia's attack, the dragon slayer lost Yamato and with it the presence of Vergil inside his head. While Lisanna thought it was for the best, Natsu was still feeling down after losing it.

"That's a kickass story Natsu-nii, but I have one question:" Romeo pointed towards the girl currently latched to his arm "Why is Angel holding you like that?"

"That's easy; because I'm his girlfriend" Angel declared, causing Romeo to pop his eyes out and several others to spill their drink. Daring to take a glance towards Lisanna, Romeo could see that the Strauss sibling seemed ok with it, asides from a small vein mark on her forehead.

"L-Lisanna-nee…are you ok with this?"

"Of course." Lisanna said to Romeo "Everyone else knows about it, so it's fair you should know too"

Flashback:

Natsu was still sulking as their boat was getting farther and farther from Tenrou Island; normally he would be jumping in joy at being able to ride a boat without motion sickness (thanks to Wendy), but somewhere along the island he lost Yamato, and with it he also lost Vergil's presence. Hearing someone coming, Natsu saw Lisanna as she joined him.

Knowing what was bothering him she gave him a reassuring smile: "We'll come back one day and look for Yamato"

The dragon slayer wanted to look for his sword before leaving, but he knew everyone wished to return to Fairy Tail after the seven year revelation. "I know, but it still sucks"

Lisanna kissed him on the cheek before cuddled next to him, sighing in contempt at being able to survive Acnologia's attack. There was still the issue regarding Angel, but they would deal with it sooner or later, right now she was happy just to have him next to her.

"Lis-chan, are you mad because I marked Angel"

Shaking her head she raised her head to look at him "I already told you; I understand why you did it. You saved her life, what you did was a noble thing."

"But, are you ok with it?"

Lisanna kissed him passionately before answering him "Of course not" Lisanna said, making Natsu sweatdrop "What girl wants her boyfriend to have another girl in his life? But, sigh, as I said before, you did the right thing to save her. I'll need time to accept it, but at least I'm glad it's someone that loves you. Right, Angel?"

Revealing her presence, the celestial mage emerged from her hiding "How did you…Right, the sensing thing." Embarrassed to say the least, Angel looked from Natsu to Lisanna. "I'm sorry to eavesdrop on you"

"Don't. You have every right to be present on this conversation" Natsu said "Although, I was surprised to find out you had feelings for me" the slayer said as he scratched his head.

"Really? Even after all those hints?" Angel deadpanned "after that kiss we shared"

"Kiss?" Lisanna's aura darkened, making Natsu tremble a bit. Seeing what reaction she was getting from her boyfriend, Lisanna forced herself to relax knowing it was pointless to get mad now.

"A-Anyway…" Natsu began as he approached Angel "Even after all those times, I didn't had a clue. But, now I know." Looking directly to her eyes he spoke: "Angel, I can't say I feel for you like I feel for Lisanna"

Angel looked down, feeling sad after hearing him "I see…"

Angel gasped when Natsu grabbed her shoulders "But, with time, I can learn to love you like you love me."

"R-Really? You're not just saying this because of the bond, are you?"

Shaking his head, Natsu knew actions speak louder than words and kissed Angel. The celestial mage shed a few tears of joy, actually able to feel the love he had for her and returned the kiss with all of her heart.

Lisanna watched them with mixed feelings of sadness and happiness. A dark part of her mind told her there was still a way to get rid of Angel, the sword Yamato was once able to sever the bond she had with Natsu and could be used to do the same with Angel. But in the end she erased that thought; Lisanna could feel the genuine love Angel has for Natsu and found herself unable to do that to her.

"I guess time will tell…But, they've been at it for quite a while" Lisanna thought as she sent a dark look to the couple making out before her.

As luck would have it, Mirajane emerged from the decks below "Natsu, have you seen my…" Mirajane stops what she is saying and just stands there as Natsu and Angel unlatch from each other "…sister "

"Mira! There's a reasonable explanation to this!" Natsu starts saying not knowing how Mira will react.

"Mira-san, it's like this" Angel is about to say, but Mira raises a hand to silence them.

"How long have you cheated on my sister?" Mira's appearance slowly starts to change into her Satan form "HOW LONG!"

"Mira-nee, Natsu-kun is not cheating on me" Lisanna says before Mira did something she might regret.

"Huh?" Mira's eyes widened as she looks from Lisanna to Natsu and Angel.

Knowing explanations are in order, Natsu clears his throat: "I should start from the beginning"

"Got that right"

Natsu and his girls looked to the source of that voice to find Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Cana, in fact everyone was there "You have a lot to explain, flame breath"

End Flashback

"So, everyone knows"

"That's right" After they found out about he and Angel, Natsu told them about the dragon bond between them. Given the circumstances they understood the unique situation between the 3 of them. Some a bit more than normal like Gildarts and Makarov, who were shedding tears, proud of the dragon slayer for scoring two hot girls from the guild, ignorant of the dark glare they were receiving from Erza and the other girls.

"Dragon bond." Gajeel now knew what that technique was all about. Stealing a glance to his left he could see Levy talking to her lousy teammates from shadow gear. "Maybe one day"

From across their table, Cana watched Natsu and his small harem "Lisanna might be ok with it, but I would never share Gray like she does"

"Hey, did'ya know Cana here is my daughter!" A drunken Gildarts was currently hugging Cana in a way that made her uncomfortable.

"Hey! Watch the hands!" Cana tried to pry herself from his grasp without success, across from her she could see Gray laughing at her predicament.

Cana sent him an 'I'll get you later for this' look, but the ice mage was undeterred by it. Gray took a sip of his Ice tea when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"I've been told you and my daughter are seeing each other"

Gray almost chocked by the look Gildarts was giving him. Since he could remember, Gildarts had never scared him but the look he was giving him almost made him piss his pants.

"W-Well, t-the th-thing is like t-this."

"Relax, I just wanted to see if it was true" Gildarts dropped the serious look and laughed a bit, relaxing Gray a great deal.

"However"

The hand resting on his shoulder suddenly clutched it with a strong grip, making Gray fear for his life; one false move and Gildarts could spray his remains all around with his destruction magic.

"If you ever hurt her, well, let's just say there won't be a lot of you to fill a matchbox. Got that?"

"Yes sir!" Gray turned pale as Gildarts went to the bar. Satisfied by his answer, the Ace of Fairy Tail went to the counter for another beer. As he took a seat he admired his restored hand; it was a surprise when he found out that Mavis had restored his lost limbs and organs, Fairy Sphere was indeed an impressive magic.

Next to him, Makarov was talking to Kinana. "How have you been doing all this time?"

"Pretty good Master" The girl answered "although, there are times when I can hear a voice calling out to me. It seems familiar, but I can't remember from where."

The former master knew exactly who that voice was, but decided to keep that information to himself for now. There was no telling how Kinana would react if she knew about her past.

While talking to Reedus, the painting mage presented them with drawings of how he thought they would look after seven years. After Wendy cried for her current, let's say, lack of attributes. Happy wondered about the other Exceeds. Thankfully, Pantherlily explained that the Exceeds perceive time different than humans, so they were ok. Still, the blue Exceed made a note to visit that nice couple that helped him and Charle that other time. Erza was flabbergasted when Alzack told her he and Bisca got married, while Bisca confessed to her that she was the one that proposed to him.

As the Fairies chatted away, a group barged into their guild.

"Looks like it's turned into a noisy guild again" Lyon Bastila said as he and his team entered Fairy Tail and greeted everyone.

"You guys!"

"Lamia scale!"

Max decided to explain: "When we were searching for Tenrou Island, Pegasus and Lamia really helped us out"

"Looks like we owe you." Gray said.

"Forget about it" Lyon replied "Pegasus found you first, but we have much more power."

"Who Cares?" Gray deadpanned.

"In the last seven years, Lamia scale has grown to the number 2 spot" Sherry added "too bad for you, Lucy-san"

"So that means number one is Pegasus?" Lucy imagined the trimen and their gross leader as the strongest before Toby dispelled that image,

"Of course not! There's no way that could happen!"

"Settle down" Yuuka said to his teammate "No, it's not Pegasus…"

"Well, enough about that" Jura said, closing that topic "What's important is that everyone is ok"

Just then, Lyon looked past Gray seeing Juvia for the first time. The resident water mage looked as Lyon blushed a bit when their eyes landed on each other. In an instant, Lyon crossed the gap and grabbed hold of Juvia

"Could this be what they call love at first sight?"

"Eh?"

"Wahh…He didn't waste a second" Lucy said as Gray looked on.

"You got to be kidding me?"

Meanwhile, Juvia didn't know what to make of this: "H-hold on…Wait, I can't…"

Defying laws of reality, a complex image of the current love interests of everyone materialized on top of Juvia: "PANDEMONIUM!"

Lucy and Gray observed the image with interest: "What an imagination"

"Give me a break…" Gray thought "And why the heck is there an arrow pointing from me to Lyon!"

"Cheer up" Cana said as she leaned on Gray "This saves us from breaking the truth to Juvia."

While Gray knew Cana had a point, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as Lyon continued to speak to a nervous Juvia.

The clamor never stopped. To us it seemed like only a week had passed. But for everyone back home…it was seven long years. A bitter, sorrowful seven years. With pain in our hearts…

Lucy headed home with Plue wondering what the future held for them, but when she reached her apartment she met her landlord who informed her about her rent.

"5,800,000 jewels!" Lucy had no choice but to sit outside while she thought what to do. No doubt everyone else was on the same boat as her, thinking about them she recalled about how everyone was surprised to learn Gildarts was Cana's father.

"Father, I guess I can go see him. It's funny; it's the first time I actually want to see him. But not to ask him for money!"

Plue looked at her with his expressionless face, not understanding what she meant by that. Reaching for her Keys, Lucy grabbed the lion's key wondering about Loke. She wanted to summon her spirits to know how they were, but each time she chickened out. If she summoned her spirits, then she would definitely have to summon Loke, but she was not ready to face him after their last talk.

As night started falling over Magnolia, each mage went their separate way. Erza was heading towards Fairy Hills when Bisca called her.

"Erza-san… I wanted to talk to you about Jellal…"

"Hold on Bisca" Alzack said to his wife while Erza stopped in her tracks. For the first time since returning she wondered about him.

"The traditional gathering of wizard saints is drawing near, Makarov" Makarov turned to Jura as he spoke: "Before that, I'd like for you to hear about a certain guild"

Gray and Lyon were resting on top of the guild when the Lamia scale mage broke the silence:

"You know about Ultear and Meredy, don't you?"

Gray had actually wanted to know about Ultear, but was afraid to ask him. It was a good thing Lyon started talking about her and Meredy: "What about them?"

"NOT HERE! IT'S NOT HERE!"

"NATSU, LOOK HARDER!"

Sometime, during the celebration, Natsu and Happy separated from Lisanna and Angel to go check their house. Lisanna had done the same with her siblings, while Angel went to her old room in Fairy hills.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW!"

For the last hour, both Natsu and Happy had turned their home upside down, searching for their savings. But after a thorough search they had come empty handed.

Happy slumped down in tears "All that fish lost"

What he failed to realize was that in seven years all that fish would be bones and dust by now. Slumping down next to his partner, Natsu was as lost as Happy when he remembered something. Jumping back up, Natsu flipped the bed and started looking for something while Happy looked on.

"Natsu, what are you doing?"

"I remembered something" the dragon slayer replied as he lifted some planks. Natsu grinned when he found what he was looking for. "It's still here!"

Curious, Happy sprouted his wings and looked over Natsu's shoulders before gasping: "Natsu! Is that…"

Erza got sad after listening to Bisca, Gray was stunned to hear about Ultear and Makarov couldn't believe what they had just been told.

"He's alive, isn't he? Zeref"

At first hour of dawn, Natsu headed towards the guild feeling Angel there. As he arrives he is met with the sight of the celestial mage getting ready to leave.

"You're going?"

"Yes, but only for a few days. I want to see my former teammates. We might not have been the best of friends, but I still want to check on them."

'I'll come with you." Natsu declares "Just give me a few minutes to go get my gear"

Angel gives him a tender smile before shaking her head: "It's better if I go alone. This way you will have time with Lisanna without me interfering."

"Angel…"

"That doesn't mean I don't want something in return" The celestial mage adds "When I come back I want you to take me on a date."

"It's a deal!" Natsu grins while Angel finds herself smiling at his antics. Sharing a small kiss that quickly turns more passionately, a reluctant Angel and Natsu separate or else she'll miss her train.

"See you in a few days, my love"

As Natsu watched her form vanish into the morning mist, he smiles to himself. With each day that passes Natsu feels his love for her growing more and more.

Angel sports a smile all the way to the train station, thanking the stars for finally having her love corresponded. As she nears the station she distinguishes a figure waiting for her.

"Erza"

"Mind if I join you"

Angel shakes her head and both walk side by side to the station. Erza had told Angel about Jellal before going to Tenrou Island, so it wasn't a mystery to Angel why Erza was also going to the council prison.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yeah" The scarlet girl replied "any information I can get about him will be enough for now."

Reaching their 'home', Natsu smiled seeing Lisanna was already there. The petite girl was admiring the small hut they had built all those years ago.

"It's a miracle it's still here" Lisanna said without turning to him "After all this time, to see it still standing."

Natsu stood by her side, allowing her to lean on him. Lisanna knew Natsu had something bothering him, something he had carried ever since awakening at Tenrou Island.

Fear

When Acnologia attacked the island, Natsu felt fear. Not the same fear he felt against Gildarts or Zancrow. No, it was fear of losing her. Hugging her closer to his body, Natsu relished the fact she was here next to him. She was alive and well. His Lisanna was alive.

Natsu turned to look at her: "Lisanna… I don't want to lose you again, now or ever."

"Natsu…"

"Lisanna, I love you." Dropping to one knee, Natsu presented her with a ring making her gasp "will you marry me?"

Lisanna couldn't believe her eyes; wiping the tears away she dropped to her knees and embraced him "Yes! Yes I'll marry you!"

Natsu smiled and slipped the gold band around her finger, this was the happiest day for the couple. Looking directly into their eyes, they confirmed their love in a passionate kiss. Only when the need of air was too much did they split apart, both with a matching smile.

"Natsu! Lisanna! Congratulations!" Happy emerged from behind a tree and joined them.

"Happy!" Lisanna was surprised to find him here when Natsu explained to her that the Exceed was one of the few that knew he was going to propose to her. Lisanna smiled softly at the pair before Happy turned to her.

"You Liiiiiiiiiiike him, Ms. Dragneel"

"Lisanna Dragneel…I like how it sounds" Lisanna blushed after hearing Natsu, but not as much as Natsu when she whispered into her ear:

"Now that we're engaged, we can…."

Natsu's blush intensified as she whispered the last words; carrying her bridal style the future Mr. and Ms. Dragneel decided to head home and consume their love.

"Natsu Dragneel"

Natsu froze after hearing his name. Looking at Lisanna and Happy, he confirmed the fact that they had also heard the voice, which means it wasn't only him.

"Natsu?" Lisanna asked as he put her down and stared at the fog. From it, a figure was slowly approaching them. Once he got closer, Natsu and Lisanna recognized it.

"It can't be!"

"We finally meet. In person" The figure smiled as he grabbed Yamato.

"Vergil"

A.N.

The story now takes an unexpected turn; With Vergil here how will Natsu and co. handle this situation? For the answer, stay tuned for the next chapter.

As most of you know: Fanfiction is deleting M rating stories that detail explicit sex scenes and violence. For this, I ask for you all to go my profile and go to the link to vote against this. As for the lemon scenes; as long as they don't erase my story, I will post them here. If they do decide to erase it, I will continue the story at adultfanfiction. If that comes to pass, I will inform you on my profile.

Also, I want your opinion on something: should I add Juvia to Gray's harem or pair her with Lyon? I'm willing to write either, but I want you to decide.

Now, onto some reviews:

Ryvius: Glad you liked the last chapter. I wanted to further expand the outcome of Natsu marking Angel, but I kind of rushed it. That's why I decided to add more of it on this chapter. Thanks for the review.

Hawner: You're right. They took it quite good, but I like to think it's due to the bond. As for what Mavis told Vergil, next chapter will have the answer to that. Thanks for the review.

Digital-man: Lisanna is and will be the main girl for Natsu. However, that doesn't mean he won't love Angel and Yukino any less. Actually, I was wondering if the harem route was for the best. But it's better this way. Besides, you got it covered with your story while I focus on a harem. Thanks for the review.

Xgensean: Thanks for the review. It's glad to see some people actually take time to leave a review instead of just adding it to favorites.

Shadow of the fire: Well, Laxus did got more human after his return. I didn't change that. As I said in PM, I like your ideas. Thanks for the review.

The Folklistener: Yeah, it will get harder for Natsu, but everything will work out fine. Thanks for the review.

Trinityblade13: Thanks for the review. As I said before, Lisanna will be the main pairing for Natsu. I actually toyed with the idea of a harem when I first started writing this story, and when Yukino made an appearance in the manga I decided to go ahead with it (If anyone's to blame for the harem, it's her! Hehe)

Until next chapter

Demonwithasoul