Gildarts

"Gildarts is back?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Damn, its been some time," Gray said.

"Three years I think," Erza said.

"Gildarts?" Wendy asked.

"I haven't met him, myself," Lucy said, "But from what I hear, he's the strongest mage in the entire guild." The two looked over the guild, who were all cheering excitedly at the word that he was coming back. What Lucy didn't notice was Cana sitting the background, staring at her alcohol.

"Wow, you'd think that someone just told the guild they won the lottery," Lucy said.

"This guild is simply outrageous," Carla said.

"Well, we all have good reason to be so excited," Mirajane explained, "It has been three years since we last saw him."

"Three years?" Lucy asked, "What has he been doing?"

"Well, obviously he's S-Class, so he goes on the like jobs," Mira further explained, "But he's also qualified for SS-Class jobs. Not even Erza, Mystogan, or myself were allowed to do those."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Wendy commented.

"I ain't finished, yet," Mira said with a sly grin, "Gildarts has been given a ten year job."

"A ten year job?" Lucy asked.

"A ten year job. No one's ever completed those," Mirajane said, "But that' not it. What he did was a hundred year job."

"A hundred year job!" Wendy and Lucy asked in surprise.

(in Magnolia)

"Prepare for Gildarts shift!" the town loudspeakers announced, "Prepare for Gildarts shift!"

The townspeople began to rapidly move around, as the town itself began to shift. Slowly but surely, the town seemed to be split straight in half.

(at Fairy Tail)

"They divided the entire town!" Lucy said.

"Well, Gildarts is rather absent minded," Mirajane said, "And he uses a magic that destroys everything he touches. If left to himself, he'll probably destroy more than a few houses."

"This is amazing!" Wendy said.

"Insofar as complete idiocy is amazing," Carla muttered. From the distance, appeared a guy in a black cloak strolling down towards the guild hall.

"There he is!" Natsu said.

A tall man with slicked back orange hair, some slight stubble about his face, wearing a black tattered cloak moseyed into the guild hall. He looked… tired.

"Gildarts! Fight me!" Natsu declared.

"You're about to become a dad, and that's the first thing you think about saying to him?" Elfman asked.

"Welcome home, Gildarts!" Mirajane said with her typical sweet grin. So this is the strongest man in Fairy Tail? Lucy thought. Gildarts glanced at Mirajane.

"Excuse me," he said, "I'm looking for a mage guild called Fairy Tail. Its supposed to be around here somewhere."

"You're standing in it!" Mirajane said, "Its me, Mirajane!"

"Mira?" Gildarts said cocking his head, "Mira?" He then smiled big as he looked around.

"You look so different! Everything looks different!" he said. Well this guy clearly has the mindset of a Fairy Tail mage.

"Gildarts! I said fight me!" Natsu declared as he charged Gildarts.

"Oh, hey Natsu!" Gildarts said as Natsu leapt up at him. With a flick of his wrist, Gildarts sent Natsu flying into the ceiling.

"I'm too tired to have a spar now, maybe later," Gildarts said casually.

"Natsu!" Lucy said. However Natsu just chucked.

"Strong as ever, eh?" he said.

"Don't know why he thought it would work this time," Gray said, "He can get as many power-ups as possible, but he won't ever beat Gildarts."

"He's a real man!" Elfman said. Gildarts looked over the hall.

"Well, this place sure has changed," he said with a smile, "Not that I"m complaining."

"Gildarts," Makarov called.

"Ah! Master! Great to see you!"

"So how did the mission go?" Makarov inquired seriously. Gildarts burst out laughing. Makarov sighed.

"Yeah, I couldn't do squat," Gildarts said. Everyone in the guild balked in surprise at that.

"Gildarts failed a quest?" Levy asked. Even the strongest mage in the guild couldn't do a quest like that? Lucy thought.

"That's a pity," Makarov said.

"Sorry about disappointing you."

"Don't be, I'm just thankful that you came back in one piece," Makarov said, "You're the first."

"Well, I'm heading back," Gildarts said, "I need to take a break." He then glanced up at Natsu, who was still trying to pry himself from the ceiling.

"Hey Natsu! Come over soon, I got something for you!" he said. Natsu smiled bright at that. With that, Gildarts headed out. Unfortunately, he decided to make his own exit by walking through the wall, much to the chagrin of everyone at the guild.

Eventually Natsu finally managed to drop to the ground, as Lucy came over to him.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm better than ever!" Natsu declared, smiling big.

(later, somewhere in Magnolia)

"I wonder what he has?" Natsu asked, "Maybe it some kind rare fire."

"Maybe its a new kind of fish!" Happy said.

"Tell me again why we had to come with you," Carla said, frowning, as she floated beside Wendy. The two of them and Lucy both came under Natsu's insistence.

"Because I wanted Gildarts to meet my girlfriend and my little sister!" Natsu said smiling.

"I'm actually excited to meet him," Wendy said, "He seems really interested."

"I also can't wait to tell him that I'm about to be a dad!" Natsu said, as he wrapped one arm around Lucy's shoulder, and putting his free hand on her stomach. Lucy smiled back at him, putting her hand over his.

"I want him to meet you, Carla!" Happy said, as he fluttered over to the white cat, who just huffed. Eventually the group came up to Gildarts' place, as Natsu threw open the door.

"Yo, Gildarts!" he yelled.

"Thanks for inviting us!" Happy said.

"Natsu! Happy!" Gildarts said, "And you brought some girls." Lucy and Wendy both waved. Gildarts then looked again.

"Is that a girl Happy?" he asked in surprise.

"Hardly," Carla answered with a huff.

"This is Wendy, she's my little sister!" Natsu said, as he pulled Wendy close to him.

"Hello!" Wendy said as she briefly bowed.

"Little sister?" Gildarts asked, "You have a sister?"

"Its a long story," Wendy said, But after a lot happened, Natsu sort of adopted me."

"She's a Dragon Slayer too!" Natsu said proudly.

"Is that so?"

"She's the Sky Dragon Slayer!"

"Well, welcome to the family," Gildarts said with a smile.

"And this is Carla."

"Good day," Carla said with a brief nod.

"Another flying talking cat," Gildarts said, with a smile, "That's certainly a rarity."

"And this is Lucy," Natsu said, as he picked said blonde up bridal style, "She's my girlfriend!" Lucy waved and smiled.

"You've got a girlfriend?" Gildarts asked, before grinning, "So things didn't work out with Lisanna?" Natsu's smile disintegrated, as he set Lucy down.

"Lisanna died," he said, as he looked down. Gildarts recoiled back in surprise at that.

"She's dead?" he asked, "So that's why Mira was like that. I'm so sorry, I should've been here. Maybe then…"

"Its okay," Natsu said, as he continued to stare at the ground, "It wasn't anyone's fault." Lucy grasped Natsu's hand.

"Natsu," she whispered. Natsu smiled at her, and squeezed her hand. Gildarts noticed that, and chuckled lightly.

"I see this fine young woman is apparently expecting a little bundle of joy," he said, "Am I correct in assuming that you're the dad?" Natsu's smile came back bigger than ever.

"Yep!" he said proudly, "I'm going to be a dad!"

"Well, congratulations," Gildarts said, "I bet Igneel would be proud. And that's why I had you come here." He then took a breath.

"I met a dragon." The air turned completely still, as everyone stared at Gildarts.

"You met a dragon?" Natsu asked.

"I know what you're thinking," Gildarts said, "And it wasn't red."

"Was it white?" Wendy asked, "That was what the dragon who raised me, Grandeeney, looked like."

"It was black," Gildarts said, "I met it on Zonia Mountain. It was thanks to it that I'm here now." Natsu quickly turned and headed out the door.

"Natsu!" Lucy and Happy called.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gildarts asked.

"I'm going to go ask it about Igneel and Grandeeney!" Natsu said, "It should know where they are!"

"The dragon is probably long gone," Gildarts said, "Its probably flying all over the continent. Strike that, all over the world."

"But there might be something!"

"Natsu!" Gildarts said sternly. Natsu was suddenly quiet as Gildarts rose to his feet, and pulled open his cloak. Everyone stared in surprise. Half of Gildarts' body seemed to have been destroyed, including his arm and leg.

"The master was wrong when he said I came back in one piece, because I didn't," he explained, "One instant I was intact, the next I was minus my left leg, my left arm, and an entire organ. I don't know about Igneel or Grandeeney, but this dragon is no friend of humans. Dragon Slayer or not, no human can beat it."

"But…," Natsu said, "But I'm supposed to be able to kill dragons! I…."

"Natsu," Lucy said, as she took his face, and turned it to look at her, "You don't have anything to prove. Don't go running off into your death like that." Natsu touched Lucy's hand, as he clenched his teeth.

"Big brother," Wendy said, as she came up to him, "I don't think we should go. You're strong, but…" She didn't know what to say after that. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head. When Wendy looked up, she saw her adoptive brother smiling down on her.

"Well, I can't leave with you guys around me, can I?" he asked.

"Thanks Natsu!" Happy said as he hugged his partner's leg. Carla watched in silence at the group hug. Oh you fool she thought sadly, looking at Happy.

Note: I had to So now Gildarts is in the story. Next chapter should kick the Edolas arc off. I'm hoping to make it at least somewhat unique to canon. I've got some ideas, but I'm not so sure about some of them.

Of course considering Heartfillia's pregnancy by Dragneel, that will lead to some interesting dynamics between Dragion and Ashley. I'm looking for writing that, and I imagine you're looking forward to reading it. Something I'm doing is reading the manga as I'm writing this, while add the appropriate changes, but I always want more.

Be sure to review.