Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, it belongs to Hiro Mashima and I, unfortunately, am not him. I do however own any OC characters that will appear later in the story. Relax and enjoy the story.
A/N: For those that are curious, Erza is wearing her armor most of the time when she is at the guild or on missions. But removes the armor when she in their home with Nova and Natsu.
People speaking "Hello Hello Hello"
People thinking 'Geronimo'
Magic Spells "Fire Dragon ROAR"
Creature/Dragon speaking "I am ALIVE"
Creature/Dragon thinking 'Come along'
Chapter 16
Galuna, the Cursed Island
It was a bright and calming morning in the Dragneel House. Natsu was in the kitchen cooking up a decent sized breakfast for the current residents while Erza was upstairs waking up Nova. Happy was floating around the dining table, setting down plates as the rose-haired wizard was finishing up. The two heard the sounds of footsteps walking down the stairs and turned around to Vanitas walking down the stairs before looking towards them.
"Wow, something smells pretty good." Vanitas commented as he moved to the table, "Good morning."
"Ah, morning Vanitas." Natsu greeted as Happy waved at the man, "How'd you sleep?"
"Great, one of the best I've had in years. Much better than what I had to deal with when I was under probation…" Vanitas replied before looking at the meal on the table, "This all looks pretty good. I have to admit I didn't think you would be someone who knew how to cook Natsu."
Natsu scratched the back of his head sheepishly before he placed some pancakes on one of the plates, "Yeah well I had to learning how to at least cook something, so I had a few people teach me how." Natsu smiled as he remembered asking Lisanna and Mirajane to teach him a bit. "I might be able to cook, but I'm nowhere near Mira's level."
"Don't be so modest Natsu." Erza's voice called out from the side, she walked into the kitchen with Nova in her arms, "You're a very good cook and a lot of people agree, even Mira."
"Hi Daddy…I'm hungry!" Nova exclaimed happily as she waved at her father, making him laugh a bit. She was definitely like him, focused only on food when they were hungry.
"Good morning Nova." Natsu replied as he walked over and pulled his daughter away from his wife's arms, "Breakfast is done so let's eat!" He said cheerfully as he motioned for everyone to the table where Happy was already sitting down and eating one of his fishes. Vanitas noticed that Erza was a little hesitant to sit down before lowering herself into her seat, flinching for a second before returning to normal.
Soon everyone was eating and enjoying their meals, Nova was sitting between Natsu and Erza as they helped her cut some of her food up. After everything was finished, Erza moved the dishes to the sink and started to wash them before putting them up to dry. Natsu, Nova, Happy and Vanitas were still as the table, talking about Vanitas' plans.
"So Vanitas, is there any specific kind of place you're looking for?" Natsu asked as he leaned against the table. "There are all kinds of places to live in Magnolia."
The Devil Slayer closed his eyes for a second, "Well I need a place with the essential like a bathroom, bedroom, cooking area…I never had to think about it that much since I was in a place that already provided that."
"What about when you were a part of Phantom? Didn't you have a home back then?" Happy questioned.
"Not really, I lived in the guild dorm that was nearby. But even then I never thought of anything beside finding a place that would shelter me from the weather and a bed to sleep… Does Fairy Tail have dorms for us to live?"
"Yes, but it's only for the female members." Erza answered as she finished putting plates away. "It's called Fairy Hills, and unfortunately no men are allowed there."
"That didn't stop Natsu from sneaking in to see you almost every night." Happy snickered before he was smacked away by Erza throwing a wet towel into his face…hard.
"But we did used to have a dorm for the guys, though I didn't live there myself." Natsu replied as he felt Erza move behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"So what happened to it?" Vanitas asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Well…."
Flashback
The male dorms stood proudly at the top of the hill a good distance away from the female dorms. The light from the full moon shined over the two dorms as everyone slept. The wind was calm, the area was silent and everything was peaceful-
*CRASH*
"GOD DAMN IT GILDARTS!"
Flashback End
"…Yeah, let's just focus on finding you a nice place." Natsu chuckled as he recalled all the chaos the drunken Gildarts had caused that night.
"Alright, I guess." Vanitas replied, wondering what had happened that night. Their conversation was put on hold when they heard a knock at the door. After Erza moved from the back of Natsu's seat and made her way to the door, the Devil Slayer turned to Natsu. "I've been meaning to ask Natsu, is Erza feeling okay?"
Natsu gave Vanitas a curious gaze, "She's fine, why do you ask?"
"Well…I noticed she seemed to be having a hard time sitting earlier, like she was in pain."
Natsu's face turned a little red as he realized what the other man was talking about. "I-It's nothing! Forget it about it!" Natsu said before turning to Nova, who was laughing at something Happy did.
"GRAY DID WHAT?!" Erza's voice was heard, making the rest of the residence turn their heads towards the entrance before Natsu rose from his seat and made his way to the front door with Happy, Nova and Vanitas walking behind him. At the front door in front of Erza was a distressed looking Mirajane.
"So what did that pervert do this time?" Natsu asked, making the women turn to look at him. "Did he walk into a church naked again?"
'Naked in a church…wait…AGAIN!?' Vanitas thought with a sweatdrop.
"No, something far worse…" Erza's eyes narrowed as she emitted a small amount of killer intent. "He stole an S-class request from the second floor."
Natsu's own eyes narrowed at that, "…You're kidding right? Gray wouldn't do something so stupid and insane." Seriously, that was something he would have probably done…if he was still not an S-class. "Did anyone see him take it?"
Mirajane look hesitant to answer. "…Laxus was there-"
"And he didn't even try to stop him!" Natsu yelled, scaring Nova a bit making her hide behind Erza's leg. She had never seen her dad so angry before. Natsu made his way past Mirajane and ran in the direction of the guild. "Damn it!"
"Wait for me Natsu!" Happy shouted as he flew after the dragonslayer.
"I-is daddy okay?" Nova asked as she looked up at her mother. "He's really mad at Uncle Gray."
"No sweetie," Erza replied as she picked her daughter up. "You're father is just worried, S-class mission are very dangerous and many could die if the wizard taking it is not ready for it."
"Then why did Uncle Gray take one if they're so bad?" Nova tilted her head as she asked that.
Erza shook her head, "I don't know, but he's going to be in big trouble when he gets back." The scarlet-haired wizard turned to Mirajane and Vanitas, "We better go after them."
(A few minutes later)
"Gramps!" Natsu shouted as he burst through the doors before running up to the bar where Makarov was standing.
"Ah Natsu, I take it Mira told you what happened." Makarov replied with his arms behind his back.
Natsu nodded his head with a serious face, "Yeah, but is it true? Did Gray really take one of the S-Class missions?"
"Yup, and your little protégé went with him too." Laxus' voice called from the second floor making Natsu look up at him. "They broke an unprincipled rule! That means they'll get expelled as soon as they come back …" He then started to laugh. "…If they don't die from the mission anyways!"
"Laxus! If you knew about this, then why didn't you stop them?" Natsu yelled up at him, flames flowing off Natsu's shoulders. "You know that if we see anyone try to take an S-class mission we have to stop them!"
"Oh? Don't blame me…I didn't know that weakling would actually steal a mission…" Laxus replied, smirking. "Those it's laughable to think he can take on such a mission." Laxus leaned back into his chair as he looked down at Natsu, "But I did get to see something nostalgic…Such a scary face Mirajane used to make." He thought back to when Mirajane was glaring at him earlier.
"Gramps, what mission did they take?" Natsu asked as he turned to look at the master. "And do you know the reward they were offering?"
"The mission was to take place on the cursed island, Galuna." Makarov replied before closing his eyes as he tried to think, "And I believe the reward was 7 million jewels… Oh yes, and there was also an additional reward!"
Natsu sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Let me guess, it was a Gold Seirei Key."
"Hmm how did you figure that?" Makarov raised an eyebrow.
"Because Lucy wouldn't go on an S-class after just finding out about them, even if the jewel reward was so high."
"Aye, Lucy is almost obsessed with those things." Happy said, sitting on one of the stools.
Natsu cracked his knuckles before turning towards the door, picking up Happy as he started walking. As he made it halfway to the door entrance, Erza and the other entered the guild. Nova jumped out her mother's arms and ran to her father.
"Daddy, is Uncle Gray really in danger? And Lucy too?" Nova asked as she grabbed her father's leg, tears in her eyes.
Natsu smile down at her before patting her on the head, "Of course not, those two are coming back safe and sound."
"So I take it you're going then, Natsu?" Makarov questioned, already knowing the answer.
Natsu nodded his head, "Of course, both Gray and Lucy are playing a dangerous game and need to be stopped before they get killed."
"I say let them do the mission, if they screw up and die then it's their own fault for being weak." Laxus called out from the second floor, "If those two really are Fairy Tail wizards then they should be able to handle it themselves…or not." The earphone wearing wizard let out a chuckle.
Natsu just patted Nova on the head again before looking over to Erza and Vanitas, "Sorry to ditch you like this Vanitas."
The Devil Slayer shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll be able to find something on my own. You just focus on bringing those guys back, I know how dangerous S-class missions can be." He finished with a serious tone, making Natsu nod.
"Mira and I will still be here to help him out." Erza added with her arms crossed, looking at Natsu with a serious face. "…Will you be fine in bringing them back?"
"I'll bring them back kicking and screaming if I have to, you know me." Natsu answered with a smirk.
Erza let out a sigh, "That's what I mean, I do know you and I also know that there are times when you do something reckless things."
"Such confidence you have in me," Natsu gave a chuckle before holding a hand out. "Did you bring it?" His wife nodded her head before moving a hand in front of her and used her Kansō Mahō to summon his spare travel pack that he had her put in her pocket dimension incase he didn't have his with him. "Thanks Erza, prepared for anything like always." Natsu said as he grabbed the pack and strapped it to his back.
"Of course, one of us has to." She replied with a smile, "Good luck. And don't worry about Vanitas, Mira and I will help him out."
"…Yeah thanks," Natsu gave Erza a quick peck on the lips before looking down to Nova. "Don't worry Nova, I'll bring your Uncle Gray and Lucy back before you know it."
The little girl nodded her head, "I'm not worried!" She gave him a big grin, which was very familiar to many of the wizards, like father like daughter. "I'm a wizard's kid after all!"
"Right!" Natsu winked as the girl before continuing his way towards the door, stopping as he reached the door. "…Laxus, you're wrong about what you said earlier."
"Really, and how's that!?" He shouted back. The lightning wizard didn't get his answer as Natsu and Happy exited the building, making the annoyed man scoff before disappearing in a yellow flash of lightning.
Makarov closed his eyes as he let out a sigh, lowering his body into a sitting position with his legs crossed. 'To think those two used to be so close all those years ago…' The guild-master shook his head before taking his pipe out and lit it with a small burst of fire from his finger. 'The two of them are closer to this guild than anyone else in their generation, and both of them have different ideas on how the guild should be…'
"Are you okay grandpa?" Nova asked, cutting the man from his thoughts.
The old man smiled down at his granddaughter, "I'm fine Nova, just remembering some things from the past."
"You mean like stories!" The girl said excitedly, "Can you tell me some?"
Makarov stared down at Nova for a moment before reaching down with his giant hand and picked her up, placing her on one of the stools in front of him. "Of course my dear, I'll be happy to." The little girl excitedly hugged her stuffed dragon closely as her grandfather began to tell her of one of the adventures his old team had done so many years ago. Erza watched on with a smile as she sat down next to Cana, who noticed Erza was silently smiling to herself.
"Well someone's in a happy mood."
Erza just shook her head as she closed her eyes, "Not really, just content." Even with the situation involving Gray and Lucy, as well as Laxus' attitude, it was always pleasant to see her daughter happy and innocent. Erza wanted Nova, and any other child she had in the future, to have a good life, something she was close to never having because of her own past.
"Content, huh?" Cana smirked as she lifted her drink into the air, "I'll drink to that."
"You'll drink to anything." Macao said as he leaned against the table.
"Damn straight," The brunette replied as she giggled to herself. "It's one of the great pleasures in life."
Erza shook her head a bit before noticing Vanitas was at the next table over talking to Mirajane, Elfman and Levy about something, 'It looks like he's really opening up to everyone…I'm glad.' Erza turned her head back to Makarov and Nova, who was laughing at something the old man had said. The red-head suddenly felt a strange shiver go up her spine, 'For some reason, I have a feeling that Natsu will do something stupid…' Titania let out a sigh as she knew the feeling was going to be right.
NDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESN
"Now that we've finally arrived, time to find those idiots." Natsu muttered to himself after Happy descended towards one of the roofs of Hageon Town and deactivated his wings, landing on Natsu's shoulder.
The two had taken the train to Hargeon and as soon as the two stepped off the train, Natsu had Happy fly them over the town to see if Natsu could pick up a scent, but the smell of water and fish carried through-out the town. That was one of the downsides to
Happy turned his head to look at his best friend, "So any ideas on where to start looking." The blue cat said. "They might not even be in Hargeon anymore."
"This place is completely covered by the smell of the ocean and fish, I can't pick up their scents" The dragonslayer let out a grunt as he narrowed his eyes. A loud horn sound was heard coming from the port, making Natsu turn to the many boats resting in the waters. "…If those two are going to take that S-class mission to Galuna Island, then they're gonna need a ride there."
"Then let's go catch up to them," Happy responded, Natsu nodded his head before leaping across the rooftops towards the port.
"Those two are going to be in so much trouble when I find and drag them back to the guild." Natsu muttered as he landed on top of a chimney on one of the buildings. As they drew closer to the harbor Natsu noticed a large object of ice start to form the ocean, "…Speak of the devil…Lets go Happy."
"Aye sir!" Happy replied as Natsu grabbed onto one of his paws as the blue feline took off into the air. When Natsu and Happy were directly over the harbor, they could see Gray and Lucy standing near the water with Gray standing near his ice block. Natsu let go of Happy's leg and dove down to the harbor.
(A few seconds earlier)
"Galuna Island? Get out of here! I'm not going anywhere near that island."
"No way! I don't even want to hear that name."
"That island is taboo amongst the sailors in this town."
"There's a curse, it's just too fishy."
"I don't know what you guys plan on finding there, but no sailor wants to go there." A fisherman replied as he placed some equipment into his boat, "Not even pirates would go near it."
Lucy released a heavy sigh and sat down on the stone ledge. She and Gray have been searching for a ship that could take them to Galuna Island, unfortunately all their attempts all had the same results.
"Well I guess I'll just have to make our own ride there…" Gray said, making his way towards the water.
Lucy looked up from the water and had a surprised look, "You can do that?! Then why didn't you say so before?"
"I didn't want to use my magic so early." Placing a fist into his palm Gray began to channel his magic, a giant ice row boat began to form on top of the water. "Aisu Meiku: Bōto!"
"Magic?" The fisherman whispered, watching the ice wizard create a boat. "Are you two, wizards?" Gray and Lucy turned their heads to the man after he asked his question. "Are you here to stop the curse?"
"What else would we be going to Galuna for?" Gray replied as he finished creating the boat.
"Ignore that, but yes we are..." She told him, placing herself between Gray and the fisherman. "Although...it looks like it would be a pain in the ass with these two..." She made a side comment while making an irritated face.
"I see..." The fisherman spoke, shaking a bit. "...hop in."
"Really?" Lucy exclaimed in happiness.
"Alright!" Gray pounded his fist into his hand. "Thanks for-"
"Karyū no Enkyū!"A large ball of fire came from the sky and slammed into the ice boat, easily destroying it and cutting Gray off. "You two aren't going anywhere!" A voice was heard from above, Natsu landing behind the two with a deadly stare on his face, "…I found ya."
"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise, gaining a scared look when Natsu's gaze went to her for a second before looking back at Gray.
Gray kept his guard up as he stared back at Natsu, "You guys found out already, huh?"
"Of course we did, and I've been sent to bring you both back." Natsu replied as he walked closer to the two, Happy descending behind him. "What were you thinking? Stealing an S-class mission, do you want gramps to kick you out of the guild?"
"Kicked out?!" Lucy repeated, she didn't know that was one of the punishments.
Ignoring Lucy's outburst, Natsu continued. "If we go back now, I'm sure your punishment won't be as bad." The dragonslayer stopped right in front of Gray, looking at him directly in the eyes. "Unless…you want me to beat you into submission before dragging you by your feet all the way back to the guild."
Gray gritted his teeth before responding, "I can't go back yet…I am going to finish this mission and prove that I can handle anything you can." The ice user grabbed the collar of Natsu's jacket.
"…It doesn't matter if you can or can't Gray, or if you are more skilled than me, which you not." Natsu removed Gray's hand, never looking away from the wizard in front of him. "You lack something important that is necessary for a person to take S-class missions. This was proven when you stole a mission instead of just asking me or Erza to accept it."
"But-"
Natsu cut Gray off, "Did you even think about what you would do if another guild had taken the job, this kind of mission is posted at every guild." Natsu crossed his arms, "What if you met another guild that had accepted the mission, only to find out it was finished and the reward was given to a guild that didn't officially register it? Both Fairy Tail and gramps would get in big trouble with the council and I doubt we would get a slap on the wrist for it. We're going home, now." Natsu turned around and started to walk away, only for the fisherman to call out to him.
"Please wait!" Natsu stopped and look back to the man, "I'm Bobo, a former resident to Galuna Island."
"What?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"Weird name..." Happy commented from his spot on Natsu's pack after he landed.
"...but I escaped from that cursed island." He continued, ignoring the side comment he heard. "But my father and fellow villagers are stuck there, suffering from that damn curse. If you can free them from the curse, please help them." Bobo bowed his head as he faced Natsu's back.
Natsu was quiet for a few seconds before looking back at the man, "Like I said, we didn't actually accept the mission, so there's not much we can do besides leave it to the guilds that do take it…" Bobo looked down at the ground with a sad expression, this caused Natsu to release a heavy sigh. "…I'm going to regret this…Happy, take out the lacrima."
"Aye," The blue cat reached into his bag and pulled out a crystal ball shaped lacrima with the Fairy Tail insignia on top of it. This was a Communication Lacrima Crystal, a method used by wizards to communicate with one another. Natsu grabbed the ball from Happy's paws and channeled some magic into it, the lacrima began to glow for a bit before an image started to form inside the orb.
Mirajane's surprised face came into view as the image cleared, 'Oh Natsu! Did you find them?!"
"Yeah, don't worry Mira, they're right here with me." Natsu gave the barmaid a small smile before returning to his serious look, "Could you get gramps on, please?"
Not soon after he said that, the old master's face was shown on the crystal, "So you located those two troublemakers, huh?" Makarov's head turned in Lucy and Gray's direction, the blonde girl flinch at the look he sent them. "WHAT WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING!? STEALING AN S-CLASS MISSION, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS!"
"Gramps, I need you to register that we've officially accepted the mission."
"And another thing-WHAT?!" Makarov shaped his head to look back at Natsu after he realized what he said, "You can't be serious Natsu!"
"…Unfortunately," Natsu replied, "Whether we like it or not, Gray and Lucy have chosen this mission, if we stopped midway it would look bad on Fairy Tail. Besides the requirement for a team to take an S-class mission is that an S-class wizard must be one of its members, so if I go then everything is fine."
Makarov was quiet for a few moments before releasing a deep sigh, "…Alright, I have a feeling you would continue on anyway. However, as one of the punishments for Lucy and Gray, there will no reward received after completing the mission."
"That's fine," Natsu replied, ignoring the looks the two were giving him. "But we'll be taking the secondary reward, is that alright?"
"Alright then…you know Erza is gonna punish you when you return."
"Ahahaha…I know…" Anime tears fell down Natsu's face as he imagine the horrors his wife was going to put him through when she got her hands on him. He knows she been holding onto a dominatrix outfit in her collection, and has been waiting for the perfect time to use it. He didn't know whether to be scared or turned on…he was leaning more towards scared. "We'll be back in a few days."
"Good luck you three, and come back safe." With those words, the lacrima powered down and Makarov's face disappeared.
Natsu handed the crystal back to Happy and turned back to the others, "Well, we got the approval. Let's go!"
Bobo smiled at the man, "Thank you!"
"Yeah Natsu," Lucy said to the rose-haired wizard, "Thanks for letting us finish this."
"Don't thank me yet." Natsu replied as he moved towards the boat, stopping next to Gray and Lucy, "Once we complete the mission and return to the guild, you both will still receive punishment."
"Eh?" The blonde blinked her eyes before a scared look came to her face, "W-What kind of p-punishment?"
Happy had a frightened look of his own as he stared up at Natsu, "Natsu, do you think the master will probably do that to them?!"
The S-class wizard nodded his head, "No doubt about it…I'm looking forward to it." Natsu smirked as he quickly grabbed Gray's collar as the ice wizard tried to run away. "Nice try brain-freeze, but you're not gonna escape."
"No, anything but that!" Gray called out as he tried to get out of Natsu's grip. "I still have nightmares from the last time that happened!"
"What's that?!" Lucy cried out as she watched Natsu toss Gray into the boat. She sadly didn't get an answer as he motioned for her to get in the boat, "Seriously, what is that?!"
(Later)
Nighttime soon came as the boat set sail toward Garuna Island. Happy happily sat on the front of the boat, hoping to be able to see the island coming into his view any second. Natsu was leaning against the railing of the boat with his eyes closed, his hands in the water as the boat moved towards the island. Gray rested against the edge of the boat, his hands behind his head and Lucy had her legs pressed to her chest and started shivering. Not from the cold, but from the anxiety she was feeling.
"I'm getting this creepy feeling..." Lucy stuttered, wrapping her arms around her legs, hoping it would stop the anxiety.
"You need to relax, Lucy." Natsu spoke out as he opened an eye and looking at her. "Panicking before a mission is not a good idea, especially after all you did to steal the mission."
"Gray was the one who took it, not me." Lucy said trying to defend herself.
"But you still agreed to go, which is a little disappointing that you even agreed when you heard from Mirajane about how dangerous these missions can be." Natsu countered, making Lucy look down to avoid Natsu's disappointed look. "You're lucky it was me that came to retrieve you and not Erza…just imagine what she would have done to you guys."
Both Gray and Lucy shivered at that, an image of an enraged Erza staring down at them with red eyes, "So you thought you could get away with stealing a mission, huh?!" Natsu watched in amusement as the two shook in fear, he was going to laugh his ass off when they returned.
"So what kind of curse was put on the island, Bobo?" Happy turned back to look at the fisherman, ignoring the funny reactions Lucy and Gray had. The fisherman seemed to be pondering something for a second as he checked the motor on his boat, before coming to a decision as he rose to his feet.
"Misfortune will befall on all those who dare go to the Cursed Island." He told them. "Can you guys really get rid of this curse...? This demonic curse..." He showed them his arm and they gasped at it, except for Natsu who narrowed his eyes at the arm's appearance. Lucy, Gray and Happy's eyes all widened in shock as they stared at the demonic looking arm.
"Hey...that arm..." Gray muttered in disbelief.
"The curse...you mean..." Lucy muttered.
The fisherman nodded his head and then noticed an island in the distance. "There it is..." He told them and they turned their heads to where he was looking and saw the island. "Garuna Island."
Natsu's eyes narrowed as he noticed a small glow coming from the highest points, 'What's that light?'
"Whoa..." Lucy and Happy both looked in awe. "Hey, Oji-san..." Lucy turned around to ask her question, but he was gone. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "Eh? W-Where did he go?"
"Did he fall?" Gray panicked and looked down into the water. Happy jumped in and searched for the fisherman, but he was nowhere to be seen. Happy quickly made his way out and used his wings to rise into the boat.
"He's not there!" Happy told them. Gray and Lucy started to panic more.
"W-What the hell is going on?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Uh guys..." Lucy and Gray turned around to look at Natsu, who was pointing out. "I think we have a problem." Following Natsu's finger, the other's eyes widened in horror as a gigantic wave formed right next to the boat.
"KYAAAHHH! TIDAL WAVE!" Lucy screamed.
The water around the boat started to rise as the giant wave drew closer, "Shit! It's pulling us in!" Gray panicked.
"Happy! Quick! Lift this boat up and fly!" Lucy ordered the feline cat with wings.
"That's impossible!" He gawked at her.
"Shit!" Natsu cursed as he watched as the boat was about to flip over, just as the group was about to be devoured by the water Natsu reached into his pack and grabbed a long rope before quickly wrapping it around everyone. The four of them held onto the rope tightly as they were sucked in by the tidal wave.
(Magnolia Town/The next morning)
"You know master…Erza's going to chase after them as soon as you tell her." Macao said as he stared back at the older man.
"She's going to rip those guys apart when she finds them too." Wakaba added
Makarov tapped his fingers against the smoked pipe in his mouth, thinking about the mission Natsu and the others were going on and how he was going to tell Erza. She had left after Natsu and Happy departed and took Mirajane and Nova with her to help the Devil Slayer with finding a house for him to live. They would be coming back the next day to see if Natsu had returned with Gray and Lucy. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Erza would go after her husband and the others once she learned what happened, more than likely to bring them back to face punishment herself. Natsu would most likely receive something personal from her, whether Makarov pitied Natsu or envied him was another story.
"She'll be angry and go after them. But since I've approved the mission, they'll be safe until they return…" The master looked away with a sweatdrop as he brought a mug to his lips. "At least I hope so."
"If Gray and Lucy are real men, they'll take their punishment fully." Elfman stated as he crossed his arms.
"Lucy is a girl, and don't you mean Natsu?"Mirajane shook her head before giving Elfman a look, "I just hope everyone will be okay."
"Yeah, he'll probably get the worst of it since he's married to Erza." Loki smirked to himself as he adjusted his glasses. "But that idiot's been married to Erza for so long, I bet he's used to it."
"…Used to what exactly?" Everyone froze before turning to see Erza walking through the door with Nova in her arms and Vanitas standing behind her. She was oozing a dark aura and her eyes glowed red as she stared at her fellow guild members, "So tell me…what did my idiot of a husband do this time?"
NDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESN
Natsu's body shivered, he slowly opened his eyes to see a blue sky overhead. He turned his head a bit to see a forest with strange, colorful plants, turning his head in the other direction to see his friends lying near him. He raised his body to look around to see they were on a beach. "So this is Galuna Island, huh?" Natsu frowned as he dusted the sand off, "Doesn't look like a cursed island to me." Shaking his head a bit, the dragonslayer moved over to Lucy who was the closest of the three. "But I guess looks can be deceiving…"
"Hmm…" Lucy mumbled to herself, feeling her body being lifted up a bit.
"Hey...Lucy..." Natsu patted her cheeks a few times wake her up. She let out a moan, but didn't wake up. "Well, at least she's fine." He tried shaking her a little. "Lucy...wake up..." It didn't work. He felt slightly irritated. He placed a hand on her back and raised her body so that it looked like she was in a sitting position. He then put his hands on her shoulders and started shaking her violently. " …Wake the hell up!"
Lucy woke up to find herself being shaking and feeling dizzy, "Sssstttooooppp! I'mm uuuupp!" Hearing that, Natsu let go of her shoulders and let her fall to the sandy floor, "Everything shaking, where are we?"
"We're here on Garuna Island." Natsu answered her question, "The tidal wave seemed to take us to the shore."
"This is…Garuna Island...?" Lucy whispered. She looked around before setting her eyes on her body to see if anything changed. After seeing what happened to the fisherman, she wanted to make sure nothing like that happened to her. Luckily for her, nothing seemed to be out of place or altered. She sighed in relief and looked over at Natsu who moved over Happy, whose head was trapped in the sand, to wake the blue feline up.
"Glad to see you're awake now buddy!" Natsu said with a grin.
"Natsu...are we...dead...?" Happy weakly asked.
"…Unfortunately Happy..." The grin shifted on Natsu's face as he looked down at his feline friend with an evil look, flames dancing behind him. "...you're in Hell! Whahahaha!" Lucy sweat dropped as Happy screamed in horror. He then fell into another state of unconsciousness as foam formed from his mouth. Natsu chuckled at Happy's reaction before noticing that he wasn't moving. "Happy! Come on, I was only kidding! Wake up!" He started shaking the feline cat vigorously. Lucy couldn't take it anymore and decided to step in.
"Would you stop that?" She yelled and then hit Natsu over the head. She grabbed Happy and pulled his coma like state closer to her. "Come on...Happy...wake up..." She said nicely and the feline cat started opening his eyes. "Welcome back!" She grinned at him.
"AAAHH, WE REALLY ARE IN HELL!" Happy shouted in fear.
"WHY WOULD YOU ASSUME THAT AFTER SEEING ME!?" Lucy shouted back, glaring down at the cat. "We're still alive, dummy!"
"Oh…that's good."
"Looks like everyone's okay." Gray said as he stood up, "We lucked out on that wave."
"Yeah, but the boats destroyed…guess we'll have to get one from the islanders." Natsu commented before turning to Lucy, "Do you have the information on the people were supposed to help?"
"Uh yeah, hold on…" Lucy pulled out the mission request and started to skim through it before coming to one area. "It looks like the request was submitted by the village chief. The village itself should be further in."
"Good then we just need to find the village before we do anything else." Natsu adjusted his pack before grinning at his teammates, which they mirrored. "Let's get going!"
"Right/Yeah/Aye!" The three responded before following Natsu into the forest. It had quickly gotten dark before they came to a large wooden gate that had a sign that read 'Keep Out' on it. Natsu and the others stared up at the gate in wonder.
"Keep out, huh? And after we manage to find the village too…" Gray said as he crossed his arms.
"Excuse us! Can you please open the door?" Lucy shouted but got no response.
"This is actually a nicely built gate…" Natsu mused as he stared up as it in silence, before raising a fist. "I feel like breaking it down."
"No way!" Lucy whispered to him.
"I'm kidding." Natsu waved her off, taking notice to two figures at the top of the gate. "…Looks like someone's home."
Who's there?!" A voice above them spoke. The rest of the group looked up to see two men standing above them.
"We're from the Fairy Tail guild!" Lucy responded for the group. "We're here because of your request!"
"Fairy Tail?" One of the two men questioned. "We know nothing about you guys accepting our request."
"Well...ummm..." Lucy nervously responded.
"Well...it is understandable since Gray stole the job request..." Happy muttered.
"Shut it..." Gray hushed the cat.
"There must've been a mix-up somewhere!" Natsu called out to the guards, "The guys who accepted the mission didn't register it right so there will be a slight delay. The master of our guild sent it yesterday so it should reach you guys later tonight!"
"Show us your emblems! That way we'll know your telling the truth!" The second man ordered them. One by one the group showed their Fairy Tail marks. "…They look real..."
"They really accepted our request!" One of the guards whispered to the other. "Open the gate!"
"Get in! I'll go get the Mayor!" The first guard told them and the four watched as the gate started rising. Natsu and his group entered the village and were greeted by another guard. He had his face covered by his cloak and motioned the four to follow him.
"Thank you for coming here Fairy Tail wizards, my name is Moka." The Mayor said as he greeted Team Natsu. He too was covered by a large cloak as the group of villagers behind him wore similar garments. The Mayor walked forward. "I'm sorry if this startles you all of a sudden, but please take a look at this." He then turned to the group behind him. "Everyone! Take off your cloaks!" On his command, they all removed their cloaks, revealing the effects of the curse that plagued the island.
"Wow…" Natsu said as he and his team looked at everyone and their demonic limbs. "So everyone…"
"Yes, everyone on this island..." Mocha continued. "...even the dogs and birds...are affected by this curse."
"I'm not questioning you here or anything, but..." Gray started. "...how do you know this is a curse? It could be some sort of disease."
"I have shown this arm to many doctors and each one said they never saw such a disease." He answered. "Also...the moon's magic is a factor in this curse." Lucy blinked at him in confusion.
"The moon's magic?" The Mayor nodded his head at Lucy's words.
"Ever since ancient times, this island has accumulated moonlight. It made this island so beautiful that it shined like the moon." He explained. "However, a few years ago, the moonlight suddenly started to turn purple."
"A purple moon? I never heard of that!" Lucy said.
"People from the mainland all say that..." The Mayor sighed. "But in reality...the moon did turn purple on this island. After the purple moon showed up, our bodies started to change." As he finished, the clouds started to part and reveal the moon in the night sky.
"Ah! Look at the moon!" Happy exclaimed as everyone followed the cat's gaze upward, and sure enough there was an almost full purple moon. Lucy gasped and placed her hands over her mouth in shock.
"It's true! The moon is really purple..." Gray cringed at the moon's creepiness.
"That's creepy..." Natsu crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyes, thinking about the previous night. 'I know when I looked at the moon last night from the boat it was its normal color. What's going on here?'
"And what you're about to see is the curse of the moon's magic." Suddenly, the whole village yelled in pain as they're bodies started changing.
"Eh? W-What is going on?" Lucy asked turning her head from one villager to the other. Her question was answered when every one of them turned into monsters. Natsu stared at them in silence while his comrades all gawked in horror.
Soon the transformations came to an end and the entire village's appearances had change into monsters. "Sorry for scaring you...but this is what happens to our bodies when the moon comes out." Moka explained, taking a step forward. "Our bodies turn into demons."
"That's horrible." Lucy whispered as she looked at a few villagers and saw a few of them were in tears.
"If this isn't a curse, then what is it? Once it becomes morning, everyone turns back to their original form." Moka continued his explanation. "However, recently, there are those who don't change back and lose themselves. They lose their minds and become vicious monsters."
Natsu had a bad feeling when Moka said that, "So where are they? I doubt you kept them with the rest of the villagers." His team and Moka turned to Natsu, "Do you keep them lock somewhere until you break the curse?"
"…That was what we tried in the beginning, but every time we tried they would break out. So we created a rule for those people…" Moka began to tear up as he spoke. "We must kill them whoever becomes a mindless monster."
"…You're kidding, right?" Natsu whispered in disbelief before anger flashed in his eyes. "So you just kill them!? Even if there is a slight chance they could return to norma-" Natsu paused as he watched the chief clutching a photo in his hands with tears running down his cheeks.
"I know our law is sinful, but we have no other choice, it was either them or us. I've even had to kill my only son when he became a monster and lost himself!" Moka cried as he held the photo to mage's to see. A cold chill ran down the Fairy Tail mages as they recognized the photo, it was Bobo, the man who had sailed them to Galuna Island.
"Huh, but that's impossible." Lucy whispered weakly, trembling at the photo in Moka's hand, "We saw-"
"Shhh!" Gray quickly cut the blonde off, his face in a cold sweat. "I get why that guy vanished before… He can't rest in peace with his home like this." He said low enough for her to hear.
'A ghost?' Lucy thought in shock.
Natsu mentally shook his head at Gray's words, that guy was definitely real. He turned his attention back to Moka, who was crying his eyes out as he stared at his son's photo. The dragonslayer couldn't imagine what the man was going through, killing his own child out of fear, something that Natsu thought to be too horrible to think about doing. An image of Nova's smiling face flashed through his mind, making Natsu grit his teeth.
"It's only a matter of time before everyone loses their minds and become demons." Moka bowed his head to the wizard team, "Please…save our island!"
"You don't have to worry about that." Natsu said, making everyone turn to him, "We'll put an end to this before anyone else has to suffer, we promise you that."
"Thank you." Moka smiled as he wiped away his tears, before a serious look came to his face, "We've realized that there is only one way to lift the curse off our island." The chief pointed upward to the purple orb above them. "And that is to destroy the moon."
The team stared at him with bewildered looks.
(Later that night)
"The longer I look, the creepier the moon really looks." Happy commented as he stared at the moon from the window.
"Happy, get away from the window." Lucy called out to the flying cat, unpacking her things and making sure everything was in order. "You know the chief said, the more exposed to the moonlight we are, the more of a chance we have of turning into demons." She shivered just thinking about it.
"We're very lucky the villager lent us this hut for the time we're staying here." Gray said as he relaxed in his chair.
Lucy looked around and noticed Natsu wasn't in the room, "Hey, where did Natsu go?"
"He said he was going to talk to the village chief about something." Happy replied as he closed the window and hopped off the box he was using as a standing base. "He should be back soon."
"How does that guy expect us to destroy the moon anyway?" Gray questioned, now shirtless. "It's impossible."
"It doesn't matter if it's impossible or not, removing the curse from the island is our mission." Natsu said as he entered through the door. "If we can't then it tarnishes Fairy Tail's name and rep."
"Yeah, but still…" Gray started before blinking, "Wait, where did you go?"
"I went to check to see if the registration notice went through, and it just arrived a little while ago so that means the mission is official." Natsu replied, though the others couldn't help but feel that he was holding back on something. "Anyway we need to think of our game plan for tomorrow."
Lucy nodded in agreement, "That's right, destroying the moon is only one solution, though an impossible one, and it's coming from the villager's perspectives." Lucy went into a thinking pose. "But maybe...just maybe there might be a different way to get rid of this curse."
"So we'll do some investigating around the island in the morning." Gray yawned and then collapsed onto his bed, "Today was exhausting, from the shipwreck to getting here."
"Alright, get lots of rest!" Natsu said as he collapsed on his bed as well. "We'll be waking up early tomorrow!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Yeah...we'll think about it tomorrow..." Lucy mumbled as she rubbed her eyes and moved to her bed, getting comfortable as she noticed the others were already falling asleep. 'Sleeping in a village where people are turning into monsters and in the same hut as a stripper, an annoying cat, and a fire-breathing powerhouse…yup, this is definitely a normal way to fall asleep…" Lucy grumbled to herself before letting sleep take her.
(The Next Morning)
Natsu walked out of the hut with a stretch, taking in the morning sunlight with a tired look. He cracked his neck a bit before noticing a wide awake Lucy smiling at him.
"Good morning Natsu." She said with a happy tone.
"Morning." The rose-haired man replied as he let out a yawn. "You're up early."
"I had a hard time sleeping so I just stayed up." Lucy said as she looked out to the forest, "Besides, we have a lot of ground to cover if we are still planning to investigate the island."
"It's crazy early in the morning." Gray groaned out as he dragged himself out of the hut.
"I'm tired." Happy floated behind the coal-haired ice wizard.
Natsu shook his head at the two, "You'll walk it off as we investigate. Now let's get going." He turned from the two to look at Lucy, "You ready Luc-" Natsu paused as he saw Lucy sitting inside of Horologium. "…Lucy, why the hell are you in there?"
"I don't know what's out there so I'm being cautious, she says." Horologium said for Lucy, making Natsu's eyebrow twitch before he turned around.
"Whatever, let's just go."
NDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESN
"I thought yesterday we decided that destroying the moon was impossible." Happy said as the four of them traveled through the jungle.
"It is impossible." Gray retorted, "And even if we could do it, there would be too many problems coming from it. The moon helps ocean currents and other things, if we take that out who knows what would happen."
"AH! My fish come from the ocean, they'd be in danger as well." Happy cried out, "I don't want to lose my fish!"
"That's why we're looking to see if there are any clues on the island on what is happening to them." Natsu explained, his eyes looking at different areas. "Once we know an alternative method to releasing the curse, the villagers will leave the moon alone."
"'Guys, try to keep your voices down. We never know what's surrounding us.'...she says." The clock said in it's usual monotone voice.
"I'll listen to you when you start walking on your own." Natsu replied.
"Are you sure you're allowed to use your spirits like that?" Gray added.
"Oh shut up! Dealing with something as intangible as a curse is creepy.'...she says." Horologium replied.
"Come on, we still have more to see!" Natsu shrugged as he continued to walk ahead.
"Yeah...I'll just freeze the curse so don't freak out." Gray tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working.
"'You're really dumb'...she says." Horologium stated, inside Lucy was a little frustrated from being ignored.
"I want to go in too!" Happy told her. She opened the door for him and he entered. Suddenly, both Natsu and Gray heard some rustling and a quiet growl.
"Hmm? What was that?" Gray asked. Natsu and his team turned around to see a giant rat staring down at them. Gray, Lucy and Happy gawked at the size of the rat. "It's freaking huge!"
"Meh, I've seen crazier." Natsu shrugged.
"Guys ...go get him!...she says…Aye!...he says."
The giant rat started to rear its head back, its cheeks puffed out. Natsu quickly ran forward and leaped high into the air, doing a small cartwheel as he slammed his flame-covered leg on the rats head, "Karyū no Kagitsume!" The puffed cheeks deflated back into the rat's body as it came crashing down. Natsu landed on the knocked out rat's back, "That…was just pathetic."
"Sometimes its scary how strong Natsu is…she says" Horologium said, Lucy and Happy staring up at Natsu. "Way to go, Natsu!'...he says."
"…Whatever, I could've taken that thing myself." Gray grunted as he placed his hands in his pockets.
"Hmm?" Natsu looked to the side and saw what appeared to be ruins. "Hey guys, it looks like there are some ruins over there! Let's check them out!" He shouted, pointing his finger in the direction.
Lucy, Gray and Happy looked to where Natsu was pointing as Horologium dismissed himself. The group nodded their heads before they made their way to the ruins.
(Inside the Temple of Moon)
When they arrived at the ruins, they entered and were struck in awe of the place. There wasn't much about the place. It was a total mess with broken walls, moss growing everywhere and the usual rat or two that scampered away at their appearance.
"Wow...I wonder when this place was built?" Lucy commented.
"It's pretty big...I'll give it that." Natsu said, crossing his arms.
"This place looks pretty old." Gray commented as he looked around.
"Hey, look at those weird drawings up there." Natsu pointed up at the wall in front of them. "They look like moons."
"Well, this place was originally called Moon Island." Gray said, remembering what he had previously learned about the island.
"Hmm...A moon island, a moon curse and now moon emblems...something seems very fishy." Lucy muttered, placing her hand under her chin in a thinking pose.
Natsu walked away from the group and examined the floor. "With the age of this place, I wonder if this temple is even sturdy..." Natsu wondered and started to lightly stomp his foot on the ground. The floor cracked a little and Natsu momentarily paused as he felt something through the crack, something dark…shaking his head the dragonslayer continued to stomp on the ground, this time harder.
"Don't do that!" Lucy yelled at him. After a few more taps, the ground beneath them crumbled. All four of them gawked in shock as they fell through the hole.
"Damn it Natsu!" Gray shouted as they fell down the hole.
The group crashed onto the ground of a cave that was hidden underneath the ruins, the rubble falling with them. Natsu popped out of the rubble and looked around for his nakama. "Hey! Are you guys okay?"
"I would be better if I didn't just fall through a giant hole!" Lucy shouted as she glared at Natsu.
"Why do you break the flooring, you idiot!" Gray muttered, rubbing his head in pain.
"...Oh shut it" Natsu retorted as he focused on the feeling from before. Shaking his head a bit, Natsu silently quickly stood up and made his way down a pathway in front of them.
"Do you think you could get us out of here Happy?" Lucy asked as she and Happy looked up toward the top of the hole they fell in.
"Unfortunately no… Hey where are you going, Natsu?" The others turned after hearing Happy to see Natsu already disappearing from view.
"Hold on Natsu!" Gray shouted before running after him, Lucy and Happy behind him. The ice user lost sight of Natsu but continued down the path. 'He's a reckless monster full of unlimited energy.' Gray mentally groaned to himself before finally catching up to Natsu, or to be more precise Natsu had come to a stop. "…Natsu?"
Natsu silently glared upward, never taking his eyes away as he spoke. "I don't know what this thing is, but there's definitely something dark about it."
(Play Fairy Tail ost – Deliora theme)
"What are you talkin-" He didn't finish as his eyes widened in horror. Lucy and Happy both had their jaws dropped to the ground in shock. In front of Natsu was a gigantic block of ice, but what was inside it was the more unbelievable part…it was a giant demonic monster the size of Lullaby. "No…it can't be…"
Natsu finally turned to look a Gray and was surprised to see the horrified look on the man's face, "Gray…you okay?"
"Why..." Gray made out, ignoring Natsu as he walked closer to the block of ice. "WHY IS DELIORA HERE?!" Natsu stared at Gray and frowned, quickly guessing that this creature was extremely dangerous.
"G-Gray...? What's wrong?" Lucy asked as she tried to walk closer to Gray.
Gray just gritted his teeth in anger. He glared at the monster with so much hate and anger. "I-Impossible! I-It can't be here!" He continued yelling, ignoring Lucy's question. He continued to shake in anger and fear.
"Gray...calm down..." Lucy tried to comfort him, but it wasn't working as he continued to shake. Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder and Gray started to settle down. He unclenched his fists slowly and took a deep breath. Once he was calm, he looked up at Deliora.
This time Natsu was the one to speak, "Gray...what is that thing?" Natsu moved to stand next to Lucy and Gray as the ice wizard stared up at the giant demon.
"Deliora..." He told them with venom in his voice. "The demon of destruction…"
NDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDESNDE
A/N: Chapter Sixteen completed, I hope it was enjoyable for all you readers out there. Be sure to review and no flames. I will ignore them and they will be given to Natsu.
Translator:
Aisu Meiku: Bōto: Ice Make: Boat
Mūn Dorippu: Moon Drip (Omake)
Omake
A chibi Natsu and Happy stood in front of the mission board.
Natsu (Scratching head in frustration): Damn it, recently it feels like I'm a demon magnet or something!
Happy (Raising paw up): Aye! But it looks like this one is tied to Gray more than you.
Natsu (Arms crossed): I wonder why it's here though.
Happy (Tilting head to side): Yeah, Gray looked very shocked to see it.
Natsu (Thinking pose): I wonder if it has to do with all this moon business…
Happy (Waving arms): Now that I think about it, wasn't there something called Mūn Dorippu?
Natsu and Happy: Next time on The Fairy Flame Dragon…Chapter 17 – Reunion
Natsu: I don't know who the one responsible for this, but I plan on finding out!