S.R: Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter… My beta readers tore it and a few others to shreds and told me to rewrite them without the cliff hangers and the fifteen really corny jokes that were meant to reference a few other animes that I really like. Unfortunately that means that I had to combine a few chapters to get rid of the cliff hangers. I say this because that means this chapter took much longer than intended to get posted. You guys were supposed to have this by Friday the 8th and here it is Friday the 15h and I'm just now getting to upload it.
Wendy: Since you combined chapters does that mean I finally appear in this chapter?
S.R: You were going to appear in this chapter anyway but yes, yes you do finally appear. Now I think we should start the story so you can be introduced.
Wendy: Yep, yep, yep!
NATSU'S POV
The sun streaming through the curtains is what woke me up. As I woke up I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 7:15. Deciding to let Erza get the last 15 minutes of sleep before the alarm went off I just laid there staring at Erza's face. I was amazing at how quickly the time had passed, when I watched Erza wake up at the alarm. 'Huh… I didn't think it had been that long.' I thought as I smiled at my amazing wife. "Morning Erza" I spoke as she stretched and yawned. She replied in kind before kissing me. After that we went about business as usual getting up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, and taking the 10 minute walk to the guild hall. As we walked in Gramps told us to meet him in his office. Erza and I looked at each other wondering what he could want. Erza sighed, I shrugged, and then we made our way up to the master's office only to find Gray and Gajeel as well.
"I heard that you four were going to form a team that may eventually gain a few other members." Gramps said. Erza glared at me because she didn't know I had invited the two to join our team. I ignored the glare knowing I was going to regret it but I wanted to hear what Gramps had to say.
"So as guild master I request that your first mission as a team is to represent us in an alliance a few other guild masters and I decided to form to take down the dark guild known as Oracion Seis… You guys have 4 hours before you are to depart for the Blue Pegasus guild's safe house. There you will meet with representatives from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter. Master Bob of Blue Pegasus gave his guild members a plan to use but decided that if his plan fails the S-class wizards are to take leadership. That means you Natsu and Erza along with whomever else that is an S-class wizard that is sent to be a part of this alliance." Gramps spoke to us. We all nodded our heads in acceptance before Erza told Gajeel and Gray to meet us at the train station half an hour before we're supposed to leave.
After they walked away Erza grabbed me by the ear and pulled me outside into the back yard of the guild. "Not that I mind having them on the team, but why did you invite them to join us?" She asked me. In my head I let out a relieved sigh that she wasn't pissed about it. "Well they helped me gather and refine the white silver your wedding ring's band is made of, and we had a great time. Those two are my best guy friends and I figured it'd be easier for us to hang out this way. Plus I figured the more the merrier, and possibly we could take harder missions which would make things more fun." I nodded my head sagely as I explained my reasoning to Erza. She accepted my reasons and then we prepared to go on our first mission as a married couple (with our friends of course but which one is more exciting friends or having an adventure with your wife or husband?). (A/N: I'm not sure how to punctuate that. I mean the punctuation goes after parenthesis but it's a statement with a question inside the parenthesis so yeah…. Let's just punctuate both and see if someone can tell me in a review or pm)
TIME SKIP TO THE TRAIN RIDE (A/N: We don't need to read how they met up and got on the train considering that's quite literally all there is to it so don't ask why they're already on the train)
Erza and I were sitting on one bench in the coach room we had chosen for the four of us. Happy was curled up taking a nap on top of my head. Gray was leaning slightly on the window in a vain attempt to look cool and Gajeel had taken the other bench in the coach saying he was going to sleep so he didn't feel the motion sickness most dragon slayers have. I was laughing at him when he asked why I didn't do the same but in my head I thanked Erza for helping me overcome my motion sickness. Master had given Gray an envelope to give to Erza before he left the guild hall so we were reading it. The note inside had a list of the names of wizards chosen to join us in taking down Oracion Seis. Looking over the names I started growling when I saw that Blue Pegasus was sending all four of their womanizers. Thankfully Erza didn't notice my growl, but that was only because she noticed Ichiya's name on the list and starting shivering uncontrollably. I wrapped an arm around her to calm her down, pulled her closer and told Gray to wake us up when we got to our stop, before going to sleep.
A FEW HOURS LATER (I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. READ IT LIKE THE DAMN NARRATOR FROM SPONGEBOB!)
Gray had woken Erza, Gajeel and I up went we got to the stop and we started our hike to the Blue Pegasus safe house. I decided to let Happy sleep some more as we walked in Erza was treated like a queen by the Trimens while Gajeel, Gray and I were ignored, at least until Ichiya started flirting with Erza and made Hibiki, Eve, and Ren at least talk to us in an attempt to be friendly. I left Ichiya alone figuring Erza would tell him that we got married and he'd stop his annoying flirting but she was too scared of his weirdness to say anything. So I asked the guys to excuse me for a second. "Ichiya I'd appreciate it if you would stop flirting with my wife, who you've disturbed to the point she is shaking" I said before Erza recovered from her horror and showed him the ring, but I continued "besides Lamia Scale's mages are here." As I finished saying that the door opened revealing Jura Neekis and two other people I didn't know. However Gray recognized on of them "Lyon?! Is that you?" Receiving a nod as a reply the two of them moved off to the side to talk. The last member from Lamia scale introduced herself as Sherry.
"Now then… As we all know Cait Shelter is also part of this alliance… However I have been in contact with their guild master. He has informed me that he only has one available mage and that she is only to act in the roles of healer and our guide through the forest due to her knowing the area better than the rest of us. I didn't catch her name from him though" Jura stated as Gray and Lyon rejoined our small group. Erza, Jura, Ichiya (who had gotten serious after Jura's announcement) and I moved to another room saying we were going to create a backup plan just in case we needed one. After talking it over we decided that our back up plan would be to separate the members of Oracion Seis and overwhelm them. We even split everyone into groups based on what we knew about the magic the dark guild members used. The only thing we didn't all agree on was who would fight Brain. Jura felt that I was stronger than him and should at the very least fight alongside him against Brain but Erza and I felt that as a wizard saint Jura was strong enough to not need help. We had been arguing that for a few minutes when I stopped and said our Cait Shelter guide was here.
We walked back to the entrance hall to find the Trimens obsessing over Sherry while Gray, Gajeel, and Lyon were talking. We all looked at the door as it opened to reveal a small girl running in. She got roughly 6 steps in before she tripped and face planted. Behind her was a white cat that reminded me of Happy, who still sleeping was mumbling about fish. "Wendy you've got to be more careful" the white cat admonished as the girl got up. The girl brushed herself off, told the cat she was fine, and introduced herself saying "Hello I'm Wendy Marvell and this behind me is Carla. It's a pleasure to meet you all." It was really adorable especially since she looked so young but I could sense that she had a powerful magic and the potential to become at least as strong as I currently am. I noticed Jura, and Ichiya saw this as well. While the others questioned why Cait Shelter would send a little girl we S-class mages knew she was likely the only one they could offer that was even close to our level.
Finally after everyone had made their introduction to Wendy we all moved into the room where Ichiya and the Trimens would explain the plan master Bob had created. But before we could begin Ichiya ran to the restroom. Shortly thereafter he came back and they explained the plan. Once everyone was briefed we decided to find a spot where we could overlook the forest and get an idea of spots were Oracion Seis could have a hideout. Agreeing that we'd find that spot together and then split off in groups to search we set out from the safe house with Erza, Jura and I being the ones staying close to Wendy.
As we walked I noticed we had a follower so I kept my guard up and whispered to Erza we were being tracked but made sure Wendy couldn't hear or tell that I was still on guard because I didn't want her freaking out. Besides that Wendy seemed very interested in talking to me and Gajeel when he was around, at least more so interested in us than the others, besides that it would've been rude to ignore her. As Wendy and I talked she seemed to idolize Gajeel and I. On one hand I was proud to be a role model for her but on the other I wondered why Erza wasn't as inspiring as the two of us. Pushing it to the back of my mind when I sensed our follower and 5 other people converge behind the ledge we were on overlooking the forest. However I didn't need to point it out as everyone else noticed them to.
The six people just stood there before the one known as Brain spoke "So this is the hunting party they sent after us…. Racer eliminate them." I watched as one of them moved apart from the group. Our group formed a protective barrier around Wendy as the Trimens move forward to confront Racer. After watching how Racer fights I had to commend them for even lasting 3 minutes against the guy. Before we could blink however Racer was attacking Erza and Sherry. They faired a lot better than the Trimens. I watched Brain as his eyes rolled over our group before they stopped on Wendy. "Cobra swap out with Racer. Racers grab that girl. She's the sky sorceress and is now the key to our plan." Racer hopped back and over the man Brain called Cobra. Cobra grinned at the girls before launched a ferocious attack that knocked Sherry unconscious. He fought on par with Erza but everyone watching knew he wasn't completely serious. I turned away from the fight so I could defend Wendy from Racer only to see him slam Gray and Lyon into the ground after they got in his way. I made eye contact with Jura for a split second and then stepped forward to give him time to use his Iron Rock Wall to create a barrier around Wendy. Once Jura was done he stepped forward and joined me in attempting to keep Racer at bay. Gray and Lyon who had recovered by this point decided to layer their magic to make a stronger version of Gray's Ice Make: Shield around Jura's rock wall. Brain after watching this decided to order one more Oracion Seis member into the fray with the comment "Hoteye help Racer land the finishing hits he needs to dispel those barriers."
I actually snorted when I heard that because I reinforced both Jura's rock wall and the Icy shield with my Earth Dragon's Enduring Guard spell which when used to enhance a barrier makes it so the barrier will not break or disappear unless the spell caster wills it to. I quickly and subtly used my earth dragon's magic to write a message inside the barriers for Wendy so she wouldn't panic. I finished and looked around to see what I missed only to have Racer's knee slam into my face. But before I could hit the ground I had been kicked in the ribs four times, and kicked sideways into a boulder that was nearby. I bounced off the rock only to be axel kicked into the ground. Knowing Wendy was safe and that they hadn't killed any of us yet I fell unconscious hopping that when I regained my senses we'd be able to regroup and adjust the backup plan according to what we learned from this skirmish.
A FEW HOURS LATER (DAMMIT I SAID READ IN A SPONGEBOB NARRATOR VOICE!)
I awoke to see Ichiya waving a vial of smelling salts under my nose. I thanked him before I sat up and saw that Gray, Lyon, and the Trimens were still out cold. I noticed Jura had taken down his rock wall and Wendy was okay other than being a little cold, but I told her once Gray and Lyon were awake I would fix that for her she nodded and asked Ichiya to use the smelling salts on them before the Trimens. Ichiya did exactly that and not even five minutes after they were up I had created a small fire for Wendy to warm up with. It was pretty late though so we all resolved to head back to the safe house and start again tomorrow. Looking down at Wendy I saw how tired she was and noticed she was still shaking a little bit from the cold. I bent over and picked her up saying "Hold on tight Wendy I'll warm you up as I carry you back okay?" Wendy yawned as she nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck as she laid her head on my shoulder. I stood back up and saw that everyone was looking at me like they wanted to tell me how cute of a picture it would make.
As I carried her back she fell asleep on me so once we got back I asked Hibiki if he'd lead me to the room they'd prepared for her. He did and Erza followed with me, so that we could head to our room together. Hibiki pointed the room next to Erza's (which we agreed would be ours since we were married and trying to put me in the same room as Gray while we sleep wouldn't be the best of ideas). Erza opened the door and noted it had a door connecting it to her room as well. She unlocked it and I laid Wendy down in her bed. I tried to lean up again but Wendy wouldn't let go and in her sleep she mumbled out "No don't go daddy… Don't leave me again." Even though it was mumbled I heard it clear as day and it sounded as if her heart was breaking. I sighed before whispering to Erza that I was going to stay here with Wendy for a bit before joining her in our room. But my whispering woke Wendy up. She yawned for the second time of the night before letting go of me and apologizing for not letting go.
"Wendy it's not a problem I don't mind…. But I do have a question for you. Who and where are your parents?" Wendy's face fell instantly and tears came to her eyes. I was about to apologize for asking when she spoke "I don't remember my birth parents at all. I was found and raised by my adopted mother Grandeeney…. But 3 years ago the around a month after my birthday Grandeeney disappeared." Wendy's tears started falling once she finished speaking. I pulled her into a hug and told her about Igneel disappearing 3 years ago to, and mention Gajeel's father Metalicana doing the same thing. Wendy slowly stopped crying but she was sniffling as she told me "I know that. Igneel and Metalicana are dragons just like Grandeeney. I'm a dragon slayer to. I look up to you two because I heard that you guys were also dragon slayers." I sat there still hugging her as I processed what she told me.
"Wendy how much did Grandeeney teach you about your magic?" I asked feeling curious as to why she was left alone as a 4 year old. "The only attack I know is my roar. She taught me how to heal, and use a few support spells but that's it" Wendy answered me. I offered to teach her how to make her own sky dragon variants on a few my attack spells and she burst into tears of joy as she thanked me repeatedly. After she finished drying her eyes I promised her that I'd look out for her and always be there if she needed me to. I think tucked her into bed and wished her a good night's sleep. As I walked out I heard her tell me "Thank you daddy- I mean Natsu." I smiled to myself actually feeling really happy that she thinks of me like a fatherly figure even though I'm only old enough to be her older brother. Erza caught my smile and asked me if it was because I like the idea of being a dad. Without missing a beat I told her she had hit the head on the nail, before I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her sideways with me onto the bed. We just curled up and laid there until we fell asleep.
S.R: Yes this chapter is long. But as i said at the start i had to combine a few chapters to take out the cliff hangers that you would've had. The first one was literaly right after Wendy introduced herself. The second one was right after she in her sleep called Natsu daddy and told him not to go.
Wendy: Why did both of those cliff hanger spots have to do with me?
S.R: Well for one the first one would've been your stereotypical spot if this was how the show went instead. the second one was going to be a dramatic cliff hanger because no one wouldn't seen Natsu's reaction until the next chapter. Also i wanted to.
Wendy: Okay.
S.R: For those of you that noticed, yes Natsu will become wrapped around Wendy's finger (figuratively speaking of course), and yes Wendy will be more of a Daddy's Girl after Natsu and Erza adopt her. The reason for that is just look at how they get along. She dreams to be like Ezra but looks up to Natsu for just about everything else. OH and be prepared because the next chapter will pick up right where this one left off (gotta establish a momma Erza mode somehow). Anyhow read, review, eat healthy, and take care. Till we meet again!