Chapter 5: Lost Orchid, Rising Sun
"Gildarts...this sucks! I feel like an idiot!" Natsu whined, but he continued to practice punching, rolling and kicking the air. Gildarts sat a little away, observing the boy practicing skilled fighting than just charging into battle. The middle aged man took it upon himself to train the boy in skilled fighting than simply charging into battle.
'It is high time he realized that he is not a dragon, at least in body..and cannot simply take hits before landing one.' The man thought as he observed whether Natsu was following the steps he told him properly. 'He's gifted, but loud.' Although the boy complained throughout the exercise, he didn't skip a single thing shown by Gildarts. He chuckled lightly which was ignored by the grumpy dragon slayer.
"Natsu, never allow anger and brute strength be the only strategy to depend on a fight. Always be alert and unpredictable for your opponent." The experienced member spoke out to the small boy, who stopped and looked at him.
"But Igneel never used any form of unpredictable move!" he complained as he swung his leg straight up.
Sighing tiredly, the Crash mage spoke. "Natsu, if this Igneel you are referring to is a dragon, he doesn't need any form of fighting skills as no other being is capable of challenging its sheer might alone. But you Natsu are a human. You need to know how to fight; otherwise your enemies will use your skills weakness to their maximum, much like what I did." Natsu grumbled, but nodded and continued his training.
"How's he coming along?" Ur came from the back and stood observing the boy.
"Ah..if we get past his grumpiness in telling him the fact that he is not a dragon. He is a prodigy." Gildarts sat down on the small raised patch of grass.
Ur sighed "Well children do imagine themselves as someone or something else and he is still a child.." she stood next to him as they observed the child.
"Well that maybe, but he's also a dragon slayer and has some spunk in him. Besides, if some dark guild manages to knock him out and use him..it won't help him nor us.." Ur nodded at Gildarts statement.
"Well..when you put it that way.." Ur stared in wonder as Natsu continued to shadow fight. Gildarts upon seeing the distracted Ur, tried to get a feel, but inches from her butt, he crouched down as he felt his gentiles get frozen.
Unknown to the three in the clearing, a hidden fourth party was in the bushes. More specifically, a brown haired little girl, who with tears ran back, 'I need to become strong..'
A few weeks passed, and once again Gildarts and Natsu disappeared, the latter for a few days while the former for God knows how many years.
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Years passed on and the young generation of Fairy Tail grew into handsome young men and beautiful young women. Especially Natsu, who disappeared every now and then, was now a 5'11 lean muscular young man who wore an open waist coat and his father's gift which remained all these year. Happy, who also grew, was now able to carry his partner around for missions, but more than that, Natsu didn't get sick when he was in Happy's arms.
The women, especially Mirajane and Erza, turned into what one can say as women with assets and shapely curved bodies, but Erza still wore her armour even though that didn't affect her beauty. And as their beauty grew, their powers and magic increased along, and as their magic increased, so did their rivalry, and as their rivalry increased, so did their want for Natsu, which bothered the simple and carefree dragon slayer who still did not understand the feelings shown by the Demon and Titania, although he never complained as he still lived using Erza's advice of being nice to women.
"Natsu, let us go to the cake store."
"Yeah! Let her get fat! So we can dump her and go somewhere 'private'."
"Shut it gorilla! Your thighs weight more than my entire body."
"Unlike you lady, I don't eat a tonne of sweets, especially that wrecked strawberry cheesecake."
"Leave my strawberry cheesecake out of this!"
"Oh please, you sound as if it is some sort of divine food when it is the thing that is making you fat and I am sure you are wearing that armour most of the time because you have a huge tummy. Although how you are holding it inside now is a mystery to me."
"I am not fat! Natsu! Do you think I am fat?" And the dragon slayer shook his head no. Now everyone might have seen mothers having their children in their arms, and Natsu was in a similar situation. His hands were between the two sets of assets Erza and Mirajane prided themselves which squished between them, and so his legs were a little away from the ground.
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"You going on a S-class quest! That's so not fair!" Natsu whined at his long time friend Lisanna as she followed her elder siblings. This was her first S-class missions albeit not being an S-class mage. The reason why Mirajane didn't vouch to take Natsu with them was because of anger.
Flashback
Erza sighed contently as she sat on the soft green grass under the tree near Natsu's house while the latter stood a few feet in front of her enjoying the warm rays of the setting sun. The latter was quite accustomed to this sort of companionship, alone or together from both the women after all who can complain as the Knight's fair maidens only got to see him for one or two days in a week.
Throughout her childhood, Erza has endured pain beyond a girls imagination, the proof was her right eye. 'I think, this is it..he has the right to know my past..' Fixing her mind she stood up.
"Natsu.."
"Hn?" The dragon slayer didn't turn around to face Titania.
"I was once a slave.." The reaction was immediate, the dragon slayer spun around, his face filled with shock and disbelief but didn't say a word although a million question jumped in his mind.
"..I was captured by the slavers..after the killed my parents..and everyone else in my village..they took me and many others and sold us to a cult who wanted to revive a Dark mage.." Her eyes were downcast and her breathing was laboured as the foul memories that were sealed in the darkest corner of her mind were reawakened.
"..we tried to escape the place..but we got captured every time..they beat us to death..some died too..and I lost my right eye before we managed to make a riot..grandpa Rob..he was there for me always..he was the one that introduced Fairy Tail's name to me and about guilds..he sacrificed himself so that I won't die..so..I can understand that..if you don't want to be with me..I mean.." Her throat was dry as she saw the unmoving and expressionless dragon slayer who stood there staring at her.
'I guess this was meant to-' her train of thoughts were cut of as she felt her body being pulled into a warm one.
"You are such a silly person, Erza, you know that?" The hug and the words caught her off guard and as a result her face lit up bright red, matching her hair.
"I don't get where you get all this strange thoughts of me not wanting to be with you because of your past! I know that I can't say I understand the pain you were subjected to, but to a certain extent I can about your past, and you know what's so great about the past?" Natsu asked with a small smile to which the scarlet beauty shook her head.
"It's in the past and you cannot let those memories corner you and if you ever need help, I will always be there for you!" Erza buried her face into his chest, not being able to hold the embarrassment, but smiled.
"..uh well if I am around that is..I mean I will be on missions you know? I mean I will be there-" Natsu's eyes widened as he felt his head being pulled and Erza's lips touched softly but firmly into his own. Too shocked was the dragon slayer to make any sort of motion other than enjoy the feel of the soft flesh that stuck on to his lips.
Recovering, although a bit confused, he felt Erza's tongue licking his lips and her arms tightening around his head as her fingers dug into his pink locks. Natsu parted his mouth a little and that was all the Fairy Queen needed as she slipped her tongue in swiftly and started exploring his cavern.
Not knowing what else to do Natsu used his own appendage to fend off the invader back to her own turf, and in a few seconds, he started to enjoy the game as her sweet strawberry taste filled his taste buds. Unknown to them, and because the wind was blowing in the other direction, both failed to notice a lady walking away from the bush she his herself.
Flashback End
"Ah..come on. I am sure it won't be long before you will go on it too." Lisanna tried to cheer her friend who still had a pout.
"Oh yeah? When?" Natsu said pouting.
With a laugh the teenage girl replied. "I don't know when, but whenever it happens, I will be there to support you, right now we need you to keep things safe back at Fairy Tail."
Not wanting to show her emotions in front of them, Mirajane called out to her sister while striding forward. "Hurry up Lisanna, or we are leaving you behind!"
"Bring us back a souvenir!" Happy waved at his surrogate mother while Natsu looked down on the ground angrily.
"Natsu!" Lisanna's voice caught him to look up and he saw her raising her hand up and showing the Fairy Tail symbol. Natsu smiled and showed it from his own. Unknown to the dragon slayer or any at that, this will be the last time he will be seeing her.
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"I'm back! Gray you bastard! Prepare for getting beaten to oblivion!" Natsu kicked open the guild door and strode towards the ice mage, dry and looking normal as ever, not at all affected by the heavy rain outside, but failed to notice the said mage and the guild being silent.
When Natsu stood in front of Gray, he knew something was wrong. The ice mage sat leaned over and his head downcast with no counter insult leaving him. Then it hit him, salt, the scent of salt hit him from all corners, even from Gray. Did he make Gray cry? Then that will be a great achievement, but why was everyone else in tears.
Happy, who Natsu left with Ur latched on to his chest, crying up a flood. The master himself was looking downcast. "W-what i-is w-wrong you guys?" That's when his eyes fell on two figures, both severely injured and in bandages and a sibling missing. No scent or anything of Lisanna came as he sniffed for her.
Mirajane leaned on her brother's chest as both cried, Erza stood a few feet away, no tears came as she took it upon herself to be strong for everyone. "Mira? Elfman? What happened you guys? Is Lisanna in the infirmary? Is she okay?" The dragon slayer didn't want to ask where his childhood friend was, he was afraid of the answer he might get.
"Natsu.." The voice was not someone he thought would sound like that, all sympathetic and emotional. "..Lisanna..died." Gray's throat ran dry as he saw the stiffening of the dragon slayer's shoulder.
"W-what! Do you all think this is funny?" The dragon slayer angrily asked.
"Natsu.. Lisanna died.." This time the words came from the eldest Strauss sibling, who had her arm in bandages and several cuts and wounds on her face with her forehead tied. Happy detached himself and with his tear stained face nodded.
The guild suddenly felt the air inside getting hot, and the scent of wood burning invaded their nose which came from beneath the dragon slayer's foot. The feeling of imminent danger came over everyone as Natsu's face morphed into a more edgy one. "I-it was my fault Natsu, I-" Mirajane was cut of by a crying Elfman.
"No! I killed her! I killed my own sister! If it's anyone who you would want to kill, it's me! I was too weak to control the beast! I was too weak to protect my family! I was too-" Elfman was silenced by a slap, a hard slap, nothing dangerous but enough sting like a normal slap.
"I don't know what happened there..but that does not mean I would kill my comrade! And I know Lisanna wouldn't want me to either!" Natsu had tears flowing down his eyes as he ran out of the guild before his fire consumes him in a twister.
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That night, Elfman and Mirajane were made to sleep in the infirmary, albeit a bit forcefully as both wanted to go home and grieve but the Master wouldn't allow them as he was afraid for them at the present state of mind they had.
Elfman was able to sleep, or at least be unconscious, but the same cannot be said for Mirajane. Her eyes were red and puffy; no tears came as there was none left. The sound of the wooden board creaking jolted the Demon up. "Who's there?"
"It's just me Mira.." The voice of Fairy Tail's Salamander came, nothing above a whisper. The girl soon saw the boy's outline in the darkness as he approached her. He was holding something as he came to her bed and sat down next to her.
"Natsu..?" She choked.
"It will be alright..Lisanna wouldn't hold any grudge against you two..she cared for the two of you too much to do that.." The tears that were thought to be over came back as she sobbed into the dragon slayer's chest.
Hours passed as Natsu continued to hold Mirajane, who took comfort in the dragon slayer's natural warmth that spread through her. "Natsu.."
"Hmm?"
"I, Lisanna and Elfman used to live in a town far away from Magnolia..our parents died when we were very young.. I had to take care of them..we didn't get any work, until a demon attacked our town..and I somehow awakened my magic and took over the demon and saved the town..but the towns people considered me a demon..and in the process, my brother and sister were subjected to the harsh treatment," Mirajane paused as she breathed in the dragon slayer's scent.
"..that's when the Master told me I am not a demon but merely possess a type of magic and introduced us to Fairy Tail..but I thought Lisanna and Elfman will face the same treatment and tried to leave them here and get as far away as possible..but then they stopped me and showed me their magic..and I was afraid Natsu..afraid they might also be discriminated too.. I wowed that day to be always there to protect them..and now..if only I have taken you with me.."
"Mira..I don't know what to say about not taking me, but Lisanna gave me the job to take care of the guild before you left..it was her decision..she left a gaping hole in all our chests, which will remain until our last breath..but she will want for us to move forward, never letting the memory of her be a reminder of our failure but that we should be strong enough to protect our loved ones..and I..will always be there if you need..no matter where my body is.." And just like Erza, Mirajane too placed her lips onto his.
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The next day at the cathedral,
"When we all joined Fairy Tail, we all were curious of the name, do Fairies have tail, or do they exist, we joined so as to find out which made a new page into our life, a new adventure, Lisanna was one of them, one of us, she was the joy of Fairy Tail, everyone, we are gathered here today t-to pay our f-final respect to Fairy Tail's little Fairy…you might think why I-I s-said that, Lisanna was a great girl….who managed to cheer everyone in the darkest of times...today a fairy lost her wings…but we are here and always will be here to catch her when she falls…Fairy Tail will never be the same without her…but that doesn't mean we end here….o-our life is a j-journey which we can't stop…but we can change the path and..pace…" The Master couldn't take it anymore and let lose all the tears he was holding.
All the members except one were present, all dressed in black, the soft rain drenched them, but none bothered to have an umbrella over their head. Erza stood their rigid, her gaze was sad but no tears escaped. 'I have to stay strong for everyone..for Mira and Elfman...and Natsu..' Mirajane was crying in Elfman's arms, who himself was crying onto his elder sister's hair. That one person who didn't attend the funeral was the dragon slayer, but nobody except Titania noticed this, but she too, couldn't leave this funeral, she felt something touch her boot and upon looking what it was, a teary Happy was leaning on her boot. Bending down, she picked the cat up and petted him.
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"It's so beautiful..it would be nice if we could stay this way forever..don't you think?"
Lisanna's words echoed through his head, the words she spoke when they were kids and was enjoying the beautiful sunset. He placed a bouquet of wild orchids that Lisanna liked in front of the grave he built for her at the hut he and Lisanna made for Happy. He knew Lisanna liked to see the sunset from here.
Standing tall, he spoke. "I will miss you..Lisanna..I will bring you back..to Fairy Tail..I promise.." It was as if Nature herself felt his indisputable hope and faith as the rain froze and the clouds moved away to let out a few rays of the late morning sun which shone over the dragon slayer.
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