Hi everyone!
How's it going?
First of all,
MERRY (LATE) CHRISTMAS!
I hope you got what you wanted and that you ate as much food as humanly possible :-)
I ate a lot but didn't get any presents from Santa...how disappointing. OH WELL...WHO CARES?! :-)
*************FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T NOTICED, IT IS INDEED WINTER THE GIRL ON THE COVER FROM THE STORY SO IF YOU WERE WONDERING, YES, THAT IS WINTER.**************
Anyway, in this chapter, WINTER JOINS FAIRY TAIL YAY NOW EVERYONE'S HAPPY WITH LIFE...well everyone except her.
I hope you like this chapter and I apologize in advance for the typos and if Natsu is out of character... but honestly, I actually don't know how to write his character because he is fun and cool and dense and I just don't know how to write that type of behavior if ya know what I mean...? :-(
I was thinking on searching for a writer that could help me out with his side of the story...? If you're interested on helping me with Natsu's character, PM me. :-)
REVIEW FAVORITE FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS STORY OR ELSE ACNOLOGIA WILL EAT YOU IN YOUR SLEEP ;-)
BTW,
I CHANGED MY NAME AGAIN BECAUSE I CAN'T DECIDE ON WHAT NAME ON KEEPING SO YEAH...:-)
BYE, I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CHAPPY
TheIceBreathingDragon
Natsu's POV
I felt something cold softly touch my shoulder, shaking me roughly as I groaned myself awake.
"stu...atsu...Natsu!" I heard a voice yell as I groaned again.
"Five more minutes Igneel!" I grunted as I rested my head on something hard...really hard. And that's when I remembered that I was still in the forest. I'm so tired and I just wanna sleep some more before going back to Magnolia...wait a second! I totally forgot that Winter was going to join the guild today! I'm so tired but I have to get up.
I lazily opened my eyes to find none other than Winter who had a frown over her lips and crossed arms. I rubbed my eyes as I suddenly felt my stomach growl. Man am I hungry! I slowly stood up and a big yawn escaped my lips. I stretched a bit before finally standing straight. I tilted my head in confusion as Winter's frown has yet to disappear.
"What's wrong?" I asked. My voice is sorta raspy since I was still a bit sleepy. Winter only shook her head, her hair softly shaking as well. I frowned. Why is she always frowning? "You do know that if you're sad about something you can just...ask me...right?" I asked with slight anger. She's such a weirdo, I mean , she's always sad! I'l never understand girls! But even though she's a weirdo, I want to be able to make her smile because honestly...no one deserves to be sad. No matter what they did or what they went through, they should never be sad. Especially the girl in front of me.
I grinned at the glum looking girl but she only glared at me in response. Why is she always glaring at me? Did I do something wrong?
"C'mon Winter! We better get you into Fairy Tail!" I grinned, trying to lighten up the mood (her mood) and started running out of the forest. I heard soft footsteps following but by the sound of them, she wasn't running.
I glanced up at the sky, finding the sun placed directly above from me, blinding me for a few seconds by the sudden burst of light. I guess it's noon. Everyone must be worried of my whereabouts but I'm completely sure that Mira and Gramps know that I'm ok...oh and Warren! I stopped for a moment before looking over my shoulder, checking if Winter was still behind me. Just as I expected, Winter was slowly walking a little far behind, her head hanging low and arms behind her back. Her hair was covering her eyes, well...her right eye since it's the only eye I could actually see. I frowned. What is she so sad about? I groaned softly. It's going to be hard to actualy get some light into her life, but I have to do it. For some reason, I just feel like I have to make this girl happy. It's stupid, I know...but hey, she's a friend and I don't like to see my friends sad. I turned to face her and she looked up, her facade held no emotion whatsoever and I wondered; what is going on up in her head? It'd be fun to be able to hear what she's thinking. I crossed my arms as a smirk creeped up my lips. If I challenged her to a race, she'd probably lighten up. She narrowed her dull eyes at me. Now that I noticed...her eyes kinda remind me of Juvia, except Winter's are a paler type of blue.
"Let's have a race! Whoever reaches the entrance of Magnolia first is the winner!" I grinned as I cut to chase, not wasting another second. She groaned while shaking her head. I took that as a no. "Aw, c'mon! Don't be a baby!" I taunted her as I smirked mischievously.
"No." She flatly snapped before I groaned, rolling my eyes. She started walking and kept going without looking back at me as she brushed beside me. I sighed, giving up. This girl is hopeless. What?! No she isn't! She just needs a bit of...kindness...? Even though I don't know what to do to actually make her crack a smile, I can't give up.
I slowly followed behind Winter as I noticed we were walking down a small hill and Magnolia was just up ahead. I grinned. Alright! I'm back home! I can't wait to see Happy and Lucy again! I'm so excited for Winter to join the guild! I want her to see how fun it is! I can't wait for her to be able to go on missions with Team Natsu! I bet her sadness will go away once she walks right into the guild and I can't help but feel joyful at the thought.
"Yo, Winter! Magnolia is just up ahead!" I grinned but she flinched. My grin vanished but instead of asking her what is wrong, I simply shrugged it aside and kept walking. With every step we took, we got closer and closer and after 3 minutes, we were finally in front of Magnolia's entrance as I flashed a smile. It's good to be back home! I wonder where Happy and Lucy are...? I bet they're waiting for me back at the guild! Sheesh, they just can't handle one day without me, huh? We'll just have to wait and see. I was now walking in Magnolia but when I looked back, Winter was still looking at the Magnolia entrance's sign with a blank look over her facade. I raised an eyebrow in both confusion and amusement as I walked over at the girl. I poked her arm as she quickly snapped out of her trance and jerked back a few feet. Man, when will she stop acting like this? Sheesh! I nudged my head forward, mentally telling her to follow me and she obliged with a slight glare. With a small sigh, I started walking. Magnolia was as quiet as ever, very few people were walking around and they all threw glances at Winter who was still behind me, staring down at the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw people looking at the girl beside me with wide eyes. Ok...now I'm confused. It's there something about Winter that I don't know? Well...I literally know nothing about her but...still. I glanced back at her but she was still staring down at the her feet. I decided that I should ask her her about her..."reputation" later. I kept walking when I felt the strong scent of food and my stomach grumbled.
"I'm hungry!" I groaned as I rubbed my belly. I need some food...now! I should ask Mira to cook something up for me, besides, she is an awesome cook! Just as I expected, Winter didn't make any noise possible but I shrugged it off. We kept walking in silence and I found it quite...uncomfortable but didn't say anything. I guess she doesn't want to talk. Step after step we got closer to the guild but was still nowhere in sight. All of the sudden, a wave of a strawberry type of scent washed over me and that's when I noticed Lucy's apartment near us. I grinned to myself as I thought of her forgetting her rent again. Also...I can't wait for her to meet Winter...again?! I bet she could help me on the task I have on making her happy! We were now away from Luce's apartment and that's when I saw the guild hall. I flashed a grin towards Winter who was frowning back at the building. Ugh... what now? She looked up at me...her eyes filled with fear. I stared for a second before grinning at her in a reassuring way and took her by the wrist. The contact of her freezing skin against mine always shocked me. She is literally freezing.
"Don't be afraid Winter! C'mon!" I yelled as I started to run in the direction of the guild hall, dragging her behind me since she struggled to keep up. I felt how she tried to free herself by using her other hand but my grip tighten. I heard a soft sigh as she finally gave up by running along with me. For a girl with long hair and an ankle-length dress, she runs fast. We were at least 15 feet away from the the guild doors when I freed her wrist from my hand to turn to look at her with a smirk. She was looking up at the Fairy Tail sign as I noticed how her eyes had regret in them. She had a deep frown on her lips and I scoffed. She snapped her head to look at me before I glared at her.
"Winter...c'mon, you can do this. I know you're afraid of meeting them but if you never get over it, you'll never be able to be happy." I half shouted. I knew from where we were standing everyone behind the doors would be able to hear us so I had to be careful with my tone of voice. Although I bet Wendy and that metal freak heard me. And Laxus too. They both piss me off. Winter's eyes turned blank. No emotion showing whatsoever. I gave her a small smile while scratching the back of my head. "Now c'mon! I want you to meet my family!" I grinned before turning around and walking up to the doors before kicking them open, Winter silently followed.
Winter's POV
Natsu's words rang in my head as he kicked open the large wooden doors; 'Winter c'mon you can do this.' He's right. I need to get over this silly fear about my secret being exposed. I should be happy...but I'm not. No matter how hard I try...I can't bring myself to smile. I slightly shook my head when I heard Natsu roar.
"I'M BACK!" He roared and I flinched as his loud voice. I lifted my gaze up from the ground but was found with pure chaos. Probably every single person in the guild broke out into a fit of cheers as some of them threw themselves on top of Natsu, asking him where he was and if he was ok. I sighed as I saw that nobody hadn't noticed me yet.
"Guys! Meet Winter!" I could literally hears his grin as I stared at my feet. The room fell silent, the only sound was probably of my heart dropping. I bet they're going to throw me out. I haven't even got the chance to look around and they are already kicking me out? My thoughts were all interrupted, and most importantly, incorrect as the guild started to cheer (again) and whistle. A few of them threw themselves on top of me and I felt like I couldn't breathe although they were like...five of them. To me, it felt like I was surrounded by people. They were all smiling and asking different questions. Some other people that were still seated were shouting their names but I couldn't even hear it from the cheers. I started to panic as they kept shouting. I forgot to mention, I may or may not be a little claustrophobic. I mean...can you blame me? My breathing picked up it's pace as I tried desperately to keep the cheers away from me by covering my ears with my hands. This is starting to give me a major headache and I feel dizzy too. I snapped my eyes shut while I started to back away even though the doors were right behind me. Wait a second...the doors! I opened my eyes, took one last glance at the overly excited people, and turned away, running out of there for dear life.
I knew they meant no harm, but they were just too loud! I bet they're never like this even though Natsu told me they were loud and rowdy almost all the time. So why were they so excited?
I ran and ran without looking back, I knew if I did, I would probably get distracted and fall. I carefully ran, trying not to get tangled up with my hair or step on the hem of my dress. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the Magnolia library and I took a sharp turn before running towards it. Maybe I could read for a while? Besides, it's not like any of them will bother to come look for me or anything...right? Well even if they do go searching for me, I don't think they'll search the library. The library it is! I'll just read for the rest of the day and when night time comes, I'll go back to the forest and make a run for it. Wait a second...I haven't eaten anything since I woke up! But the thing is...I'm not hungry. I'll just read for a while and go hunting at the woods later. I ran for at least 5 more minutes until I was finally at the entrance of the beautiful library. I pushed the gigantic door quickly before slamming it shut behind me, taking a huge breath and heaving an overly dramatic sigh. I looked around. It looks just like I remembered it from two days ago. Giant shelves with all types of books were lined up against the wall in a cute way. I sighed before walking towards an elevator. I decided on reading some romance again since it is my favorite genre. You would think I hate it since I'm an emotionless person (to you) but the truth is, I like it. A lot. I walked up to one of the shelves, searching for a book that I haven't already read. The last time I came here I read 2 and a half books because I never finished the third book thanks to a certain someone. I don't know what was going through my mind when I accepted to join the stupid guild. I truly regret it. They didn't reject me, on the contrary, they were very friendly. Way too friendly for my liking. Plus, they were being loud. I've decided that I was best not to join the guild because I just found out it's nothing like me. They're loud; I'm quiet. They're cheerful; I'm gloomy. They're friendly; I'm rude. They're nothing alike me. But I gotta admit, I kinda liked Natsu's company. It's the only thing I actually liked so far. I don't know what's wrong with me...I should have stayed back at the guild to at least get to know them but something in me demanded to leave and I guess I obeyed that demand. But what am I supposed to do now? Just head back Winter! You're such a coward! I growled at myself. I know I should go back and introduce myself properly, but...why am I holding back? Why? Why? Why? I threw the book I was holding at the wall and grabbed a fistful of my hair in frustration. What do I do? Natsu's right. If I don't get over my silly fears, I will never be happy. I have to go back, even if I don't want to. I have to go!
Completely forgetting about the book on the floor, I sprinted towards the stair and flew over them. I reached at the door knob and threw open the door, running at full speed back in the direction of the guild. This is my only chance of making friends and I really hope I haven't blew it yet. I have to say sorry for running off like that. But what would I say if they asked why? Sheesh! Making friends is complicated! I was running like crazy and I almost tripped thanks to my hair. When the guild hall finally came into view, I started to doubt my actions. I furiously shook my head. No Winter! You have to do this if you want them to like you! Natsu's rght! You are coward! I sighed at the thought but kept running. Two seconds later, I was standing right in front of the doors and I stopped. I looked at them with wide eyes, as if they were a two headed beast. I shook my head again before taking a deep breath and pushing the doors open.
"...and that's why we have to go find her!" I heard the very familiar pink haired dragon slayer's voice. I was suddenly filled with confusion when I saw every single guild member huddled up in a circle with Natsu in the middle. My breathing stopped when they all turned to look at me but I narrowed my eyes at them. I was so not going to lose my ground right here and now. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my gaze to a random place.
"I'm sorry." I blurted out quite the corner of my eyes I saw Natsu smirking...proudly? I almost growled at him but held it in. I heard tiny little footsteps approach me and I dropped my gaze to find a very small, old man who kinda looked wise. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"No. We're sorry." His raspy voice kinda startled me but I didn't quite show it. "I'm sorry my children acted the way they did and I hoped you haven't changed your mind about joining us." He asked meeting my gaze with a raised eyebrow. Wait a second...he isn't forcing me to join or anything. Should I really join? Or should I leave and never come back? I glanced at Natsu to find his lips on a thin line and his eyes filled with hope...? I seriously want to ask him why he wants me to join so badly. I seriously don't know what to say. Wait a minute... what happened to what I told myself back at the library? I came back because I decided that I wanted to join and now I'm doubting? Besides, if anything happens, I could always quit the guild! Yeah! That's it!
I sighed before nodding softly. Cheers could be heard through out the hall and I glanced back at a certain person to find him sitting fire from his mouth, burning a black haired guy's underwear on fire. Wait...why is he in his underwear? I quickly looked away and walked back to the tiny man.
"You may go over to Mirajane. She will give you your insignia." He said while chugging down a mug of beer. He took the mug off his dry lips and he gave me a cheeky smile. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Winter!" He cheered with a light blush on his cheeks. I narrowed my eyes at the old man before looking around. Who even is Mirajane? My questions were answered when a lilac haired girl approached me with a friendly smile.
"Hello, my name is Mirajane, but you can call me Mira!" She cheerfully said as I raised an eyebrow. "Come on, I'll stamp the insignia on you." She waved happily for me to follow and I did as I was told. She searched in some drawers for a second before pulling out what seemed like a stamp. She looked at me and smiled.
"What color do you want it?" She asked and I didn't even think twice.
"Pale blue." I coldly spoke as she nodded softly before gently pushing the stamp on the color that I indicated before walking back towards me.
"Where do you want it?" She asked nicely and I thought for a moment. Where do I want it? I don't want it on my shoulder since almost everyone in the guild has it there. My wrist? Nope. My ankle? Nope. My armpit? HAHA, no. Wait! I got it! It's not the best place but it's the only place I actually liked.
"Beside my right ear, above my neck." I mumbled and she nodded. I turned slightly and took my hair away, exposing my neck. I felt something odd shaped touch my skin closely to my ear.
"Alright! It's done! Welcome to Fairy Tail!" She congratulated by laughing slightly but I only nodded in response before turning to look around the guild hall. My hair now covered my ear once again, covering my new guild mark as well. The guild hall was big and roomy. The walls were made out of stone bricks and the tables along with the chairs were made out of wood. The bar was made out of wood as well and their were a few bar stools lined up against the counter. I got to admit, the guild hall is pretty cool. Now that I have officially joined the stupid guild I can go back to the library and finished the book that I threw against the wall.
I started to walk towards the exit until a female voice that I already recognized, interrupted me.
"Hey, Winter!" The blonde girl from the library, Lucy, yelled while approaching me with a warm smile. You were the one who made me cry the other day. You're lucky that I don't hate you...how could I? You're pretty and nice and friendly. I turned around and met her gaze. "It's nice to see you again! Do we live in a small world or what?" She chuckled as she finally reached me. I nodded in agreement but crossed my arms in impatience. "Where are you going?" She asked confused and I rolled my eyes.
"Library." I responded bluntly but was surprised when her eyes lit up.
"Really?!" She screeched and the whole guild fell silent. "Oops...sorry." She mumbled sheepishly as everyone returned to whatever they were doing. "Can I go with you? She pleaded with big puppy dog eyes and a pout across her lips. How come we just met and she's already treating me like we've known each other for years? I sighed. I wanted to go to the library to spend some time alone. I guess I'm gonna have to accept. I slowly nodded and she cheered. I rolled my eyes before turning around and starting to walk out of the guild.
"Yo Winter!" The familiar fire dragon slayer's voice called for me and I silently groaned. I turned to look at none other than Natsu as he had a gigantic grin plastered all over his face. "Welcome to the guild!" He said, still grinning. I rolled my eyes. Lucy was still beside me but a blue haired girl was now talking with her.
"Thanks." I mumbled and he smirked.
"Where are you going?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Library."
"Alone?"
I jabbed a thumb to the blonde girl and he grinned.
"It's nice that you're getting along with the rest of the guild. Especially with Lucy, she's literally in love with books." He whispered low enough for me to hear but not Lucy. I nodded in response and turned over to Lucy.
"Hey, are you coming or not?" I asked impatiently. She turned back to me before shaking her head slightly with a shy smile.
"Sorry Winter! Maybe some other time? I gotta help my friend Levy with something. Speaking of which...I'll introduce her to you, Levy!" She waved and the blue haired girl from earlier turned towards us. Natsu ran off to who knows where and I was currently stuck with two overly cheerful girls. The blue haired girl smiled warmly at me.
"Hi! You must be the new member! I'm Levy!" She smiled and I nodded.
"Winter." I told her my name nonchalantly and she smiled again. "Anyways, I'll be going." I stated before turning around walking out of the guild without a response from the two fellow bookworms.
My stomach rumbled and I rubbed it roughly. I'm hungry! I should go hunting! I breathed in deeply and started to run towards the direction of the exit of Magnolia. After 15 minutes, I finally reached the exit and quickly ran out and into the forest.
Well...let's get this over with.
