Fairy Flame Dragon

by Oturan Namikaze

Natsu made a vow at Lisanna's grave to get stronger, so he could make sure that none of his friends and loved ones would fall to the same fate she did. But as he gets stronger, he discovers secrets from his past that will change his future forever. NatsuXErza.

22. The Girl Who Stopped Running

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.

People speaking "Now, I'm all fired up!"

People thinking 'Geronimo'

Magic Spells "Fire Dragon ROAR"

Creature/Dragon speaking "Fairy Tail is number one."

Creature/Dragon thinking 'You're not a real man!'

Chapter 22 - The Girl Who Stopped Running

"Fairy… Law…?" Jose narrowed his eyes as he watched Natsu take a step forward with his gold and crimson flames crackling off his shoulders and the tattoo on the Dragon Slayer's arm shining brightly. "Am I supposed to intimidated by that name? Is that one of your guild's little parlor tricks or something."

Natsu didn't respond immediately to the Phantom Lord Guildmaster taunt as he continued to walk, ignoring the dark skeleton-like specters that were created by Jose's magic. The light coming his arm shining so bright that it was vaporizing all the Shade Magic around Natsu, who finally came to a stop and raised his arm in front of him. "… Erza, move back."

"Natsu…Very well." Erza stared as her husband's back briefly before nodding her head and retreating back towards the giant hole behind her, one thought going through her mind as she moved. 'I didn't know that Natsu learned how to use Fairy Law. Did Master Makarov teach him?'

"Heh, don't tell me you think you can handle me on your own." Jose shook his head with an amused smirk, watching the scarlet-haired woman move back. "You may be an S-Class wizard, but that is still far below those who hold the Wizard Saints title like Makarov or myself. You don't stand a chance."

"I may not be on Gramps' level, but that doesn't mean that I can't beat someone like you." Natsu replied as he moved his hands in front of his chest, a small orb of light appearing between them, blinking as he lifted his gaze to stare at Jose, Natsu continued to speak. "I went a little too fast before so I'll say it one more time… You have until the count of three to surrender and kneel."

The smirk on Jose's face quickly shifted into a snarl as he gritted his teeth, "You want me to concede and give this victory to Fairy Tail? Are you kidding me?!"

"Not even close, especially after what you and your guild did to my friends." Natsu narrowed his eyes as he concentrated his magic into the orb floating between his hands. Images of Shadow Gear being pinned to a tree, Vanitas being buried under the playground rubble, the others that had gotten injured during the battles including Macao and Nab, Nova being taken prisoner and nearly killed by the MKII and Lucy's crying face after he saved her when she jumped from the prison tower. Each one fueled the fire in Natsu's stomach as the orb in his hand grew brighter, "The crimes you have committed and the destruction on our Guild Hall… If you don't accept defeat now, I won't hold anything back in this attack."

"Such confidence, just like Makarov six years ago." Raising both of his hands, Jose's Shade Magic cloaked them with a dark purple skull-like entity. "Back then, I didn't know how far Fairy Tail would grow. But now look at it, reduced to rubble."

"For a Guildmaster, you sure are stupid. A Guild is more than just some building, it's true form is all the people within it, my family!" Natsu exclaimed as his magical energy once again covered his body, "I am done talking… You are finished… One!"

The magic in Jose's hands grew as the man glared at Natsu, "Why would the Guildmaster of the greatest Guild in Fiore kneel to a brat like you? As if I would stoop so low! In a technical point of view I am Makarov's equal on the battlefield. No, the fact I can be heartless makes me stronger than him!"

"… Two!" Natsu clenched his fingers as the orb's mass grew slightly larger and he shifted his hands positions.

"A brat like you, someone who is most certainly below Makarov, should be kneeling in submission towards me! Now I am going to make you suffer and reduce your Guild to ashes, erasing you and the rest of Fairy Tail from the history books!" Jose shouted as he reared his arms back and fired a large concentrated skeleton blast at Natsu. "Prepare to die with the rest of your pathetic Guild, Salamander!"

"Three! Conditions met…" Clapping both of his hands together, the light around Natsu's hands shined so brightly that they covered his form and the area around him, destroying Jose's attack and several beams of ligh thatt blinded everyone in the room. A large golden magical circle with the Fairy Tail symbol appeared above Natsu's head before shooting upward into the sky, "I invoke, Fairy Law."

Raising a hand to block the bright light from blinding her, Erza could feel the surprisingly gentle light course around and through her body. The light continuing to spread throughout the room and covered everything that surrounded the three. "So, this is another of the Legendary Fairy Tail Spells."

(A Few Moments Earlier)

"Continue fighting! Don't give any of these things an inch!" Cana ordered as she threw another set of cards at several incoming Shades, the images on them glowing briefly before multiple bolts of lightning pierced through them and continued to strike down the other phantasms that were near them. The Shades that were attacked fazed away only for more to take their place, to which Ur summoned a shield to block them from attack her and Cana.

Wakaba gritted his teeth as he dodged one of the Shades that dove at him, summoning up a smoky fist from his pipe that punched a hole into the passing specter. But the hole quickly sealed up much to the man's dismay, making him let out a groan. "Damn it! Unlike Mira with her Take Over magic, we can't touch these things without losing energy. And all of our attacks aren't doing anything!"

"Quit whining, you're sounding like an old man!" Macao called out as he used his flames to incinerate an incoming Shade, his back facing his old friends as they looked up at the sky.

"Shut up! It's not like you're a spring chicken yourself!" Wakaba shouted as he turned his head lightly to look at Macao.

"Remind me to kick your ass later!" Macao replied with a twitch mark on his head.

Bisca took in a deep breath as she raised her rifle up, turning her head to look at Alzack as he reloaded his guns. "Hey Al, is it just me or are these things stronger than before?"

"I noticed it too," The male gun wizard nodded his head as he snapped his guns back into place. "It must be because they destroyed the Guild Hall, with that gone they are focusing all of their attention on us."

Looking off from the safety behind the trees, Nova watched worriedly as all the Fairy Tail wizards continued to fight off against Jose's ghost army. After watching the Guild Hall fall, Ur had taken Nova to the group of trees that were a good distance away from the battle where the young girl could not get hurt by the crossfire. Her tiny hands clenched tightly on the tree bark as she watched some of the wizards collapse from exhaustion while others continued to fight to the best of their abilities.

"Mommy, daddy, Aunt Mira, everyone…" Nova muttered to herself as she turned to glance at the destroyed giant robot before looking back at the rubble that had once been the Guild Hall. "I know you all with beat those meanies."

Unknown to the young Dragneel, who was focusing all her attention on the battle, three Shades were floating behind her and extended their arms out to grab her as they got closer. However, before one of the Shades could even lay a clawed finger on her, a bolt of lightning sailed through the air and struck the Shades, making Nova quickly turn around in time to see all of them get vaporized by the lightning. The young pinkette blinked several times in confusion before looking around to see where the lightning attack came from, as the only person she knew that used lightning was Cana… but the girl tilted her head in confusion after not seeing anyone else nearby. A male figure could be seen a good distance away from Nova, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. After a few seconds, he pushed off the tree and started walking away from the battlefield with a frown on his face.

'Pathetic. To think I bothered wasting my time coming here.' The man thought to himself as the sleeves of his black coat with gray fur trimming lifted from the wind blowing against him as he continued to walk away. After taking a few more steps, the man transformed into lightning as he teleported away… not noticing the fact that he was spotted just before he disappeared.

Meanwhile back on the battlefield, the Fairy Tail wizards were surprised as a bright explosion of golden light shined from the MKII's immobile body and a giant golden magical circle formed above its head. Every wizard that were facing the MKII's direction raised their arms to shield their eyes from the bright light and could feel the ground under their feet rumble from the magical power being used. Lucy, Sagittarius and Happy halted their movements as they turned to face the bright light with confusion, and this movement was copied by many of the others.

"What the hell? Why did it get so bright?" Ur questioned as she closed one eye with a grimace.

"This light… could it be?!" The still airborne Mirajane said as she turned her head towards one of the nearest Shades in time to see it disappear as the light seemed to overpower it.

"Just what is this light?" Alzack said as he raised an arm to block the light.

Bisca was copying this action as "It's so bright…"

"Guys! Look at the Shades!"

"They're all disappearing! What's going on?"

"One after another… By why only them?"

Bisca watched as the phantoms near her and Alzack looked as if they were in pain before fading away. "This might sound strange, but I think this light is someone on our side!"

"It's so warm." Gray said as he and Elfman returned to the ground. They had met up after Gray had defeated the final member of the Element Four and continued their search for Lucy, only to see that both she and Happy were back with the others. Vanitas was a different story as they had no idea where the Devil Slayer had disappeared to. In the end, the Ice Wizard created another bridge to help both him and Elfman return to the battlefield, only for the bright flash of light to stretch out and cover the area.

"Calm yourselves!" A familiar voice called out making everyone snapped their heads around to see an equally familiar face walk towards them. Smiles appeared on their faces as Makarov continued to make his way towards the group with a serious look on his face, his gaze focused on the origin of the light. "What you are seeing is another one of Fairy Tail's spells, Fairy Law. It is a sacred light that targets anything or anyone that the caster sees as their enemy and deals inflicts massive damage to them."

"Fairy Law, I think I've heard of that spell… to think I would see one of the legendary spells." Ur said to herself as she slowly lowers her arm and sees all the Shades around them continue to disappear one by one. "But who is the caster?"

Makarov said nothing in response as he continued to stare at the light coming from the MKII, 'So you did cast it… Natsu.'

Flashback

"Gramps! I need your help!"

"Hmm?" Makarov lowered his beer mug to look over at Natsu, who was holding his mother's journal in one of his hands. Most of the Guild Hall was surprisingly empty since most of the wizards were either doing quests or taking the day off. The only people that were still in the building were Natsu, Makarov, Mirajane and a few others that were enjoying the peace and quiet."What is it? Need help with watching Nova again? I'm sure Mira would be happy to watch her for a while?"

"He's right about that. I love taking care of her." Mirajane said with a smile, though it quickly turned into a pout when Natsu shook his head.

"Erza is back home, getting Nova ready for her nap." Natsu held up the hand holding his mother's journal and opened it up before presenting its contents to Makarov, "I was hoping you could help me out with this."

Narrowing his eyes a bit as he started reading what was on the pages, Makarov placed his mug on the counter next to him. "… And why exactly do you want my help with this."

"Well I figured you would know more about this than anyone else in the Guild, I mean you're one of the smartest people I know." Natsu explained as he lowered the book before turning it to scan the page he was keeping open. "After learning how to use my mom's Fairy Light Magic when I am in my Fairy Flame Mode, I've been trying to use some of the spells she wrote down in here. But every time I try, they always blow up in my face."

"That's because your body is used to your Dragon Slayer Magic. Despite how some people can learn more than one style of magic, it is different when it comes to learning two or more styles of Lost Magic, which is what both of the magics fall under. Despite what people think, your mother's Fairy Light Magic and the spells she created fell under the Lost Magic category." Makarov explained with closed eyes before opening them to look at Natsu, who to his displeasure had a blank look on his face. "NATSU! Pay attention!"

"R-Right, sorry Gramps!" Natsu exclaimed as he snapped out of his daze. "So, does that mean it is impossible for me to learn it?"

"Not necessarily, you can learn some of her spells… But I think that it would be safer for you to only use it when you are using your Fairy Flame Mode since it is a perfect blend of the two different Lost Magics." Makarov replied with a serious look on his face, making Natsu nod his head in understanding. "As for the spells you wanted me to help you with… I'm afraid I can only help you with one of them."

"What? But why?!" Natsu questioned with a look of shock and mild anger, only for Makarov to raise a hand up to stop the Dragon Slayer so he could speak.

The Guildmaster let out a breath as he slightly tightened the grip he had on his staff, "The spells you want me to help you with are the other two Legendary Spells of Fairy Tail, Fairy Law and Fairy Sphere. While I do know the former one, there is no record of the latter. Only your mother knew that spell and how to use it." Makarov explained with a frown, "As for Fairy Law, that spell is too dangerous for you to use recklessly."

"Gramps, I-" Natsu started to say only for Makarov to shake his head.

"You already know how to use Fairy Glitter Natsu, and that is the strongest offensive magic of the three. I can teach some spells that you can incorporate into your Fairy Flame Magic, but Fairy Law is not something to take lightly." The old man's words made Natsu frown as the younger wizard looked down at the floor, "… Instead of learning new spells, focus on enhancing the abilities you do have. You've been an S-Class wizard for a year already."

"But I need to get stronger," Natsu muttered as he clenched his free hand into a fist. "There are so many people out there that are stronger than me, and while part of me is excited, another part is worried."

"… Come with me Natsu," Makarov said as he leaped off the counter, turning his head to look at Fairy Tail's barmaid. "Take care of everything out here Mira. Natsu and I will be in my office."

Mirajane nodded her head in understanding, "Of course Master."

Following after Makarov into his office, Natsu silently stared at the Guildmaster's back as he entered the room and made his way to his desk before hopping into his chair. The two were silent as Makarov stared Natsu for a few moments before speaking, "Natsu, do you know the consequences of using Fairy Law? Or what that spell truly is?"

"What it truly is?" Natsu repeated with a confused look.

"Fairy Sphere is a spell that is meant specifically for protection, hence why your mother used it to protect you all those years ago. Fairy Glitter, on the other hand, is a spell completely dedicated to offensive purposes… But Fairy Law is different," Makarov took in a deep breath before continuing. "While it is a powerful spell that is consider to be have a strong offense, Fairy Law is a deterrent Magic, meant to discourage further action from enemies… Not to mention the consequences of using it recklessly means that you-"

"Drains my lifespan, especially if I use it on more than one target." Natsu finished with a serious look on his face, much to Makarov's surprise as he watched the salmon-color haired man raise the book in his hand. "My mom wrote all about it, and how it was originally a spell called Law before she modified it to be safe for the caster… though she never said what were the original side effects."

'That's probably for the best.' Makarov thought to himself with a frown as he knew exactly why Mavis wouldn't include the truth about Law and the consequences of using it. "Natsu, if you truly know how dangerous the spell it, you also can understand why I am trying to deter you from learning it."

Natsu was silent as he processed Makarov words, before looking up at the old man with a determined expression, "… Sorry Gramps, but that won't stop me."

"Damn it Natsu! Don't act stupid and reckless!" Makarov shouted as he slammed a fist onto his desk, causing the room to shake lightly. "You have a wife and daughter now! You can't just rush into things like you used to and dismiss the consequences. Becoming a husband and father means that your life doesn't just belong to you anymore, there is more on the line if you died."

"I don't plan on dying. The reason I want to become stronger is because of Erza and Nova…. and I want to protect the guild too… Otherwise another Lisanna incident will happen again because I was too weak to stop it." To Makarov's shock, Natsu bent down onto his knees before leaning forward until his head and hands were pressed onto the ground. "Please Gramps! You're the only one I know that can help me with this!"

In all of the year that he had known the Dragon Slayer, he had never seen Natsu actually beg anyone for help… for the young man to put his pride on the line like this… Makarov's gaze drifted to several photos on the wall, each one holding precious memories of the people he cared for more than anyone, his gaze focused on an image of a slightly younger version of him surrounded by the younger generation, including a smirking teenage Laxus. Taking a deep breath, Makarov closed his eyes briefly before opening them. "Raise you head Natsu."

"…." Following the old man's orders, Natsu knew from experience that Makarov had made up his mind. Slowly getting back to his feet, Natsu looked away from the Guildmaster with a somber look and started walking out of the office.

"If I am going to teach you how to properly use Fairy Law, I have a few conditions that I want you to follow."

Natsu can to a halt at Makarov's words and spun around to face the man with a look of surprise. "You mean-"

"First, you must only use Fairy Law if there is no other way to win, that includes not using it recklessly." Makarov said firmly silencing the fire user, "Second, you must never use it out of rage or with intent to do unnecessary harm to others. And finally, use everything you learn to protect those precious to you and Fairy Tail." A grin formed on Makarov's face as he closed one of his eyes, "Do you accept these conditions?"

"Of course!" Natsu replied with a grin of his own.

"Good," Makarov nodded his head. "Then be prepared because it will not be easy…."

Flashback End

"…" Makarov and the others continued to watch as Fairy Law's light continued to shine for a little while longer before it started to dim and fade away completely. As the spell came to an end, the only ones left on the battlefield were the Fairy Tail wizards. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Makarov started making his way to the MKII. "Mira, I want you to take command here and have everyone able assist the injured. I am going up there."

"Yes Master." Mirajane called back before descending to the ground level and turned to her comrades, "Alright everyone, you heard the Master. Go around and help anyone that needs it!"

"Right!" Almost everyone replied as they started getting to work.

"Alright!"

"We beat Phantom!"

Among them was Lucy and Happy, who were watching everyone happily move around. Some could be seen celebrating while others were tending to the injured, but even the wounded were celebrating happily at the fact that the war was finally over. The blue cat placed his hands on his hips as he watched everyone move around, "That powerful light just now had to be Natsu. Thank goodness this battle is over, right Lucy? Everyone seems so happy now."

"… Yeah."

"Lucy?" Turning his head up to look at the girl after hearing her reply, Happy saw that she had a melancholy smile on her face.

NDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESD

Inside the MKII, smoke could be seen circling the room as Fairy Law came to an end. Erza, who had returned to her default armor, lowered her arm to see Natsu lowering his arms while keeping his gaze focused on Jose, or rather, what was left. The attack had reduced the Guildmaster to a trembling, fear-stricken man, whose body wouldn't stop shaking as he remained in the same pose that had used in a pathetic attempt to block Fairy Law's light from hitting him. The light and fear had petrified him so much that his hair turned into a pale white and the color of his clothes had lightened immensely.

"This war is over… Victory belongs to Fairy Tail." Natsu stated before stumbling lightly as his Fairy Flame Mode suddenly dissipated, luckily Erza rushed to his side to stop him from falling over. Natsu closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, "The rest of Phantom Lords' headquarters have most likely been destroyed by Mystogan, who also gathered up all of Gramps' magic and returned it to him… None of your plans succeeded."

"Never cross paths with Fairy Tail ever again." Erza added before she and Natsu turned their backs on the broken man, who fell to his knees as he could no longer keep himself up.

"Hey Erza?" The scarlet haired woman turned her head slightly to look at her husband. "How much trouble do you think we are going to be with the Magic Council? After everything that's happened, I doubt they'll ignore it this time."

Looking forward once again, Erza could only shake her head. "I have no idea. Hopefully they will understand that we were only retaliating to Phantom Lords' attacks and defending ourselves. Though we did cause a lot of mayhem this time, not to mention you released Vanitas' seal and defeated Jose… it's truly up in the air…"

Unknown to the conversing couple, the wind started to pick up behind them and an injured Aria appeared with his hands stretched out and a large, psychotic smile on his face. 'How sad… Our master has fallen.' Aria remained quiet as he slowly hovered closer to the couple with two magic circles appearing over his hands, tears pouring out of his unusual eyes. 'Both Salamander and Titania have let down their guard and are wide open. This is my chance-!' Aria was unable to finish his thought as Makarov appeared next to him and landed a solid blow to his head which send him crashing into a stone slab. Natsu and Erza spun around quickly to see Makarov land with his stretched arm returning to normal.

"Gramps!" Natsu called out with a large smile.

"Master!" Erza has a tear build up as she happily smiled at seeing that the Fairy Tail Guildmaster was back on his feet.

"This war is now over," Makarov said as Aria's green hat fell to the ground, the man's focus on Aria as the larger man slid to the ground, unconscious. "We have no reason to keep fighting… But if you keep trying push me and attack my children again, I'll wipe out you all without any hesitation…" The seriousness on Makarov's face disappeared and was replaced by the grandfatherly persona that Natsu and Erza knew all too well. "Now you kids get out of here, and take Jose with you."

(A Little While Later)

"Hrgh! My body hurts so much… I can't believe Vanitas got so much stronger. Damn it." Gajeel grumbled to himself as he started to regain consciousness and was met with the view of the clear blue sky. "Huh? Wasn't I just buried under rubble?"

"Dunno, you were like this by the time I got here." A voice called out form the side. Gajeel didn't move his head to see who it was though, he could easily smell who the voice belonged to.

"What are you doing here, Salamander?" Gajeel called out as Natsu walked closer to the man until his was a few feet away from him with a blank look on his face. "You here to get revenge for kidnappin your kid?"

"I'm very tempted. You should know how protective Dragons are of their young," Natsu replied with narrow eyes. He had parted ways with Erza and Makarov as they started heading back towards the other, following Gajeel's scent until he found him laying out on a platform away from the rubble. "But the reason I'm here is because I want to ask you a question."

"A question?"

"… Tell me, where did you learn Dragon Slayer Magic?" Natsu asked making Gajeel averted his gaze to the side, though that didn't stop Natsu from continuing. "You're the first wizard I've met who uses the same magic as me, and not one of those Devil Slayers. Come on, you can at least tell me that much."

A look of surprise appeared on Gajeel's face before he turned his head with a huff, "Shut up…"

"Don't give me more reason to beat the crap out of you!" Natsu shouted with a twitch mark on the back of his head

"Metalicana..." Gajeel said in a low tone, halting Natsu's actions as his eyes widened. "That's who I learned it from. The Iron Dragon, Metalicana."

"I knew it! You were taught by a Dragon as well." Natsu replied as he fell into a sitting position with his legs crossed, meanwhile Gajeel gained enough strength to lift his body up in a sitting position as well. "I knew your movements seemed familiar."

"Why, were you?" Gajeel asked.

Natsu nodded his head, "Yeah, but it was by a Fire Dragon named Igneel. Where is Metalicana now?"

"Don't know..." Gajeel huffed, looking up at the sky.

"Tell me where he is!" Natsu shouted angrily, starting to get annoyed with Gajeel's attitude.

"I just told you I don't know!" Gajeel shouted, accidentally slamming his forehead against Natsu's making them both pulled back in pain. "Shit, I feel like my brain is gonna to turn to ash just talking to you."

"Hey, watch it. I defeated Jose, and I can still kick you ass." Natsu warned as he crossed his arms.

"He just vanished." Gajeel confessed to Natsu as he looked up at the sky. "I trained with Metalicana, but then one day he just left without a word. What a selfish bastard."

That comment made Natsu's eyes widen as he realized what Gajeel said, "Hold on! He didn't disappear on July 7th, seven years ago, did he?"

"Yeah, he did." Gajeel turned around to the other Slayer. "Wait, are you saying you know where Metalicana is?"

"Not a clue." Natsu answered while shaking his head, "But the last time I say Igneel was July 7th too, seven years ago."

"So, both dragons vanished seven years ago?" Gajeel asked, trying to find any clue in the date. "On the year 777. On the seventh day of the seventh month?"

"What's with all the sevens?!" Natsu asked, butting heads with Gajeel once again with an anime angry expression.

"How the hell should I know?!" Gajeel pushed back before they pulled away in pain, this time steam was pouring off their foreheads. The Iron Dragon Slayer shook his head before slowly getting up and placed his hands on his hips, his back facing Natsu. "Well whatever, I don't care what happened to him."

Natsu grumbled as he looked away from Gajeel, raising a hand to motioning the black-haired man to shoo. "Just get out of here already."

"You're on our turf!" Gajeel shouted as he snapped his head around to look at Natsu, "If anyone should leave, it's you!"

"You don't have to be rude about it." Natsu complained as he stood up, patting the dirt off his pants before stretching his arms over his head. "Well, let me know if you hear anything about Igneel, okay?"

"Why the hell would I do you any favors?" Gajeel questioned.

"Because the two of us are Dragon Slayers, aren't we?" Natsu asked with a smile, though it turned crooked as he slowly clenched one on his hands making the fingers crack. "Though if you really want some motivation, I can always beat it into you."

"Screw you!" Gajeel shouted at the male pinkette, flipping him off as he gritted his teeth. "The next time I see you, I'll destroy you! You'll be begging for mercy!"

"And here I was, thinking about offering you a truce. I guess it's not happening when it comes to a brutal guy like you." Natsu complained before shrugging his shoulders and started walking away, raising a hand in a mock goodbye motion as he leaped off the platform. "I'll let you know if I hear anything about Metalicana."

"Hey, who are you callin brutal?! You guys are the ones who destroyed our guild!"

"After you guys attack ours first!" Natsu shouted back before resting his hand behind his head. "You know what, forget it. Making a truce with you is a stupid idea."

Watching the Salamander walk away from him until he left Gajeel's sight, the black-haired man turned back to looking towards the sky with his arms crossed. "… Damn it…"

(Meanwhile)

Juvia once again found herself opening her eyes to find herself on the shoulder of the MKII, but unlike last time where she was on her back staring up at the sky, this time she was propped against one of the walls. "H-Huh? What happened, why is Juvia…?!" The blunette's eyes widened as the memories of her battle against Gray flashed through her mind, as well as him saving her and the warm sensation she felt before passing out. "I remember now, Juvia lost…"

"Yeah, but I'm glad to see that you're safe." A voice spoke up next to her making her turn to see a shirtless Vanitas sitting next to her, smiling even with the roughed-up appearance he had. "I was actually starting to get a little worried that you wouldn't wake up anytime soon."

"V-Vanitas?!" Despite the shock that she felt, the happiness that Juvia felt from seeing her best friend easily overpowered those feelings and the water user reached out and wrapped her arms around Vanitas' neck. "Juvia is so happy to see you. I was worried that we wouldn't cross paths again, though I am glad we didn't have to fight each other!"

"Heh, me too." Vanitas said as he raised a hand to pat Juvia's back. After a few minutes passed, the two returned to their previous sitting positions and sat in silence as they looked up at the sky. "Did I tell you that you'd be able to see the sky one day?"

A soft smile formed on Juvia's face as she nodded her head, "Yes, though Juvia never thought that it would actually happen. I suppose it is thanks to you and the ice wizard I fought."

"So, you fought Gray, huh? It must've been an interesting battle." Vanitas said with a smile before it turned melancholy, bringing up one of his legs and resting his arm on it. "… I ended up having a rematch with Gajeel… It ended up being a bittersweet victory though."

"You and Gajeel were pretty close back then, even if the two of you denied it." Juvia giggled as closed her eyes and remembered the spars that her two allies used to have. "I can't imagine what was going through your minds as you fought."

"It couldn't be helped. You guys are a part of Phantom Lord and I became a wizard of Fairy Tail." Vanitas replied as he looked up at the sky, "Maybe that's a good thing, my eyes definitely opened a lot to all the stuff around me since I've joined. I actually made a lot of new friends as well."

"Friends," Juvia repeated before turning her gaze to the floor, bringing her hands together to fiddle her thumbs. "I suppose that makes sense, you are in a new Guild now, so you don't have to continue holding ties with us…"

Vanitas closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, "Not really, despite what I wanted to happen to me, I didn't want to forget the bonds I made with you and Gajeel. You both were my best friends even though I was a real jerk, even possessed by a demon."

"You weren't so bad…" Juvia paused as she saw Vanitas raise one of his eyebrows at her words, "Okay, maybe you could be a little cruel… maybe a more than a little."

"Hmph, you don't have to sugarcoat it. But its thanks to Natsu that I realized that I don't have to continue being that kind of person, and Fairy Tail really has opened my eyes to something that Phantom never had." Vanitas said making Juvia blink in confusion, "It's a lot warmer and friendlier than what Phantom could ever have. It's something that can't be put into words."

"Fairy Tail sounds like a wonderful place." Juvia said with a smile on her face, "Juvia is really happy you were able to find a place you can truly treasure."

"… You know, I think that it could be a place for you as well." Vanitas commented with a small smile.

"Huh?" A shocked look appeared on Juvia's face at what she just heard.

"Come on, think about it. That is something I actually wanted to talk anyways." Vanitas said as he stood up, turning his body slightly to face the wide eyed Juvia before holding out a hand to her. "If they accepted me, then Fairy Tail will have no trouble accepting you as well. What do you say Juvia?"

Staring at Vanitas' hand for a few moments, Juvia's gaze lifted up a little towards the Devil Slayer's face. "I-I don't know. Juvia isn't sure if Fairy Tail will be okay with someone like he-Ouch!" The Rain Woman was interrupted by Vanitas moving closer to her face and flicked her between her eyebrows, making her reach up to the sore spot. 'V-Vanitas, why did you do that?"

"Just wanted to stop you before you got depressed again and summon the rain back." Vanitas said as he placed his hands on his hips, "I seriously doubt they would reject you. But if you want more time to think about it, then I don't have a problem with that."

"Juvia really appreciates the offer and I'll definitely think about it… But, if Juvia does decide that she doesn't want to join Fairy Tail… Could you still be my friend?" Juvia asked as she slowly rose up to her feet as well.

"Of course." Vanitas said with a nod of his head, "No matter what you choose, we will always be friends, Juvia." Smiling at each other, the two continued to converse for a while before they noticed that the sun was starting to go down and they departed ways on a happier note, both glad that their reunion didn't end up a sour one. And even though Juvia was hesitant to join Fairy Tail immediately, Vanitas had a feeling that the buxom blunette would soon open to the idea after getting a good look at the Guild. 'I just hope she's not to act all stalker-like while doing so like those other times…'

Coming to a stop after having that thought, Vanitas let out a sigh and let his body slouch forward slightly.

(Outside Destroyed Guild Hall)

Staring at the rubble that was once their guild, Makarov let out a heavy sigh. It didn't look like a few repairs would be enough this time, "They did quite a number on us this time."

"Master," Lucy spoke up as she walked forward, causing everyone to turn their heads to look at the blonde, who was rubbing one of her arms in an awkward manner. "I'm…"

"It looks like you've been through a lot lately, child." Makarov said in a comforting voice, "But don't let it get you down."

"Yeah, don't look so down Lucy!"

Hearing the familiar voice coming from the side, Lucy quickly turned around and was shocked to see a bandaged-up Team Shadow Gear and an equally bandaged, hatless Reedus walking up to large group. "Levy!?"

"All of us managed to beat Phantom Lord together," Levy said with a warm smile despite the wrappings on her arms and the bandages on her face.

"Aunt Levy!" Nova cried out happily as she leaped out of Erza's arms and rushed over to the petite blunette, wrapping her tiny arms around her legs. "You're okay!"

"Of course, I'm sorry we worried you Nova." Levy replied as she rubbed the top of Nova's head, "I heard you went through a lot too."

"Mm-hmm, Aunt Mira saved me and kicked those creepy ghosts' butts!"

Taking a step forward with a crouch under his arm, Droy turned his head to look at the rubble in next to them. "Sure, they managed to destroy our guild hall..."

"But we're still around," Jet continued while placing a hand on his hip. "So, we can always rebuild it bigger and better."

"We're sorry for making you worry about us." Levy apologized said as she took a few steps forward until she was standing in front of Lucy, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Behind her, Nova had noticed Natsu and Vanitas walking towards the group and rushed over to her father's side. Seeing his daughter running towards him, Natsu bent down slightly to intercept her and hugged her tightly before pulling away to look over at Lucy and Levy.

"No, this was-" Lucy started to say, only for Levy to interrupt her with a comforting smile.

"We heard the whole story about your past," Levy said as the three men behind her nodded their heads. "But no one in the guild thinks you should be blamed for any of this."

"She's right." Reedus added as he scratched the side of his head, "In fact, I owe you an apology for being knocked out so quickly instead of being able to protect you and little Nova."

"But it is all my fault!" Lucy cried out as she backed away from Levy, "You all wouldn't have gotten hurt and the guild would still be standing if it weren't for me!"

"Lucy," Makarov called out, "Being in a guild means you don't have to bare everything alone. Everyone here shares those things to some extent, though we can't say that all of our feelings are shared completely." Even though Makarov never turned to look as Lucy as he spoke, but she still felt as if his gaze was focused on her. "If one person is happy then everyone is happy…if they're angry then so is everyone…and if one person sheds tears then everyone else will as well. You have no reason to be guilty for, nor should you feel any doubt. You must've felt the hearts of everyone here reach out to yours, and how much we all care about you."

The blonde wizard's body shook as she felt her eyes begin to water. Lucy could feel herself losing control, tear building up in her eyes but for some reason they wouldn't fall. Her actions were interrupted as she felt a small hand grab one of her legs. She looked down to see Nova looking up at her with sad, concerned eyes.

"…Nova…?" She muttered.

"… Miss Lucy," Nova began as she stared up at the older girl, everyone watched in silence. "Aunt Mira once told me…that the best place to cry was when I was in mommy or daddy's arms." Lucy watched as Nova looked at Natsu for a second before looking up at her, "Since your mommy and daddy aren't here…do you want to borrow my daddy?"

This time the tears did start to fall as Lucy stared at Nova in surprise, her mouth quivered as she slowly fell to her knees, bringing her hands to her mouth. A hand placed itself on her shoulder making her turn around to see Natsu looking at her with concern, the kind that she always wanted from her father.

"You're not alone Lucy," Natsu said as everyone around them nodded their heads in agreement, "We're all here for you, no matter what happens now or in the future. So, keep your head high. You're a member of Fairy Tail after all."

Lucy was quiet for a second before quickly moving her body towards Natsu's, burying her head into Natsu's chest as she bawled her eyes out. Natsu moved his hands to wrap her in a comforting hug, the kind a father gives to his crying child. Whether it was because of how they were positioned or because Natsu really was a father, but the image of Lucy seemed to have shifted to a younger version of her as Natsu held her crying form. The light from the sunset covered everyone as they watched the poor girl cry.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy cried out as her tears continued to fall, "I'm so sorry!" Natsu said nothing as he continued to hold the girl tightly. Nova moved closer and wrapped her tiny arms around Lucy as well, she was soon followed by Levy, who patted Lucy's head as the girl continued to cry. "WAAAAAAHH!"

Cana and Erza looked at each other with smiled on their faces. Mirajane moved a hand to her eye to wipe away a small tear building up. Elfman had his arms crossed as he cried out how manly the moment was as "manly" tears fell down his face while Gray and Ur looked on with a small smile. Members of the guild either cried as well or smiled at the touching moment. In the distance, standing on top of one of nearby buildings, Mystogan watched silently as his fellow guild members stood outside the destroyed guild hall before silently turning around and walked away.

Vanitas look on with a small grin came to his face as he closed his eyes as he watched everyone show their support and comfort the Celestial Wizard. '…The bonds within this Guild are truly one of its greatest qualities, and that's why Phantom Lord lost this war.'

Makarov could only smile as he listened to Lucy, 'It seems she's truly opened her heart to this guild at last… Seeing my children like this… I can definitely see a brighter future for them.' The old man thought to himself as he looked up at the sky, though his happy thoughts soon turned sour as something else came to mind, 'While I'm glad that we won, I'm sure the Magic Council will definitely be furious at us. We might even be looking at prison time...'

To everyone's shock, Makarov suddenly burst into tears as well. Looking at the Guildmaster with wide eyes, Erza called out to the old man. "M-Master, get a hold of yourself!"

"Oh my!" Mirajane said to herself.

NDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESD

It had taken the Fairy Tail Guild a week and a half to regain the calmness and allowed everyone the chance to rest before they started rebuilding the Guild Hall. There had been some ups and downs thanks to a few distractions, like when Laki was temporarily put in charge of making supplies with her Wood Magic, only for Macao to take charge instead after the crazy statues she had made involving two muscular men… Both Erza and Natsu had a tough time with trying to avoid Nova's innocent questions on why the two men where 'hugging' each other. Speaking of Nova, she had to deal with her parents being extra clingy for the first few days after the battle due to her being captured, though the four-year-old was happy that her parents were spending a lot more time with her instead of going on missions. While the rest of the Guild was working on rebuilding the Guild Hall, Mira and Nova oversaw supplying everyone with refreshments and food, with some assistance from Ur, who according to Porlyusica, had pushed herself a little too much after just getting her magic back.

One of the biggest problems that Fairy Tail had to deal with was the Rune Knights appearing because of the war with Phantom Lord. They had taken the guild to a military post for questioning that had gone on for almost a full week as they interrogated every one of the wizards from Fairy Tail. Natsu and Vanitas had gone through more interrogation than the others since Natsu not only fight against Jose and win, but the addition fact that Vanitas' seal had been unlocked for the Devil Slayer to fight at full strength. Though the Magic Council had decided to punishment Fairy Tail for what had happened, it was obvious that they were siding with Fairy Tail on the matter since they were postponing the punishment for a later date and had Phantom Lord disbanded almost immediately after the interrogations had finished up. All of the evidence and eyewitness testimonies all pointed at Phantom being the ones to make the first move while Fairy Tail was just defending themselves.

"Man, I can't believe those Phantom bastards destroyed it so badly… I'm sorry I couldn't protect it better, Mom." Natsu said to himself as he sat on one of the concrete blocks in front of the construction site where they were rebuilding the Guild Hall. It was currently night time in Magnolia Town, and Natsu had gone to the Fairy Tail construction site by himself to look at what used to be one of his mother's legacies. "At least Phantom Lord won't destroy the next one. Not that it's going to be the same though…"

"I'd say it was due for a remodel." A voice spoke up behind Natsu, "I'm actually surprised it lasted this long, though I did play a crucial role in its construction."

Snapping his head around with a surprised look, Natsu was shocked to see an elderly man standing a few feet behind him. He looked almost plant-like with the wrinkles and the man's head seemed to resemble a slightly gnarled tree trunk with his hair resembles a leafy treetop. He was wearing an outfit that seemed to be a yellow and green high-collared kimono tied with a belt, loose trousers, a coat, and a pair of boots. Startled at the fact that the man had snuck up on him so easily, Natsu leaped off the stone and got into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" Natsu questioned with narrow eyes, only for the man to let out a laugh while waving on of his hands in front of him.

"Don't worry. Don't worry. I'm not an enemy." The man said before walking towards Natsu, who tensed up as the man got closer to him, only to pass him. "I'm actually surprised, I didn't think anyone would be here this late."

"…" Lowering his arms slowly, Natsu lifted his gaze lightly to look at the construction site once again. "… I wasn't able to get any sleep, so I thought I would just go out for a walk."

"Oh? That must've been a long walk to just end up here. You must have a bad case of sleepwalking," The man said making Natsu lift an eyebrow at the comment, only for the elderly man to let out a laugh, "I'm joking. A joke."

"Who are you?" Natsu asked as he stared at the man's back for several seconds, crossing his arms as he felt the nagging feeling like he had met the man somewhere before. "Have we… met before?"

"Hohoho, in a way. I doubt you would remember it however, you were only a baby at the time." The elderly man replied before letting out another laugh, "It's been almost 90 years since then, but it looks like you've inherited your father's looks and your mother's heart."

"90 years ago…?!" Natsu repeated with his eyes slowly widening as he stared at the man's back, his thoughts going back to a photo that had been in his mother's journal. A picture of her in front of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall after it had finished being built, and the three men that had been standing with her… more importantly, the young man that had a similar head shape and hairstyle to the person standing in front of him. "You're one of the four founders, like my mom!?"

"That's right." The elderly man replied with a smile as he turned around to look at Natsu, lifting one of his sleeves to show the Fairy Tail emblem that was proudly attached into his arm. "I am Warrod Sequen, one of the first members to join Fairy Tail and an old friend of your mother's."

"An old friend of my mom's… I didn't think anyone besides Gramps would be from when she was still alive." Natsu said as he looked up from Warrod's arm to his face.

Warrod smiled as he lowered his sleeve again, "What can I say, plants and trees live for a long time if cared for properly."

"You're a tree?" Natsu exclaimed in shock.

"It's a joke. A joke." Warrod answered with a laugh making Natsu sweatdrop at the bad joke. "But I will say that it's thanks to my magic and the way I've lived that's allowed me to live this long."

Shaking his head slightly, the Dragon Slayer rubbed the back of his head before speaking. "So, what brings you here around this time of night?"

"… I thought it would be best to pay my respects after hearing about the battle between you all and Phantom Lord. The rivalry between the two Guilds have gone on for a long time, but I didn't think it would come to such an impactful conclusion." Warrod replied turning his head back to look at the construction that had been done so far before looking back at Natsu. "Another reason why is because I actually wanted to see you."

"Me? But why?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow, watching as the tree-like man walked over to the concrete block and sat down.

"To be honest. I wanted to meet you for a long time now. Ever since I heard about you and your victories over those two Demons using Fairy Glitter and that Fairy Flame Mode of yours." Patting the open spot next to him, Natsu took that as an invitation to sit next to him. "You might not know this Natsu, but many of us were heartbroken when Mavis told us her plan to protect you from those Zeref worshippers and after when we saw how torn apart she was after she carried out her plan. I remember she locked herself away in her office for almost two months, crying herself to sleep and constantly apologizing for sending you away."

"She did?" Natsu looked down at the ground with a solemn look at the thought of how broken his mother had been after using Fairy Sphere on him.

"Oh yes, it was especially hard after seeing how happy she was for bringing you into this world." Warrod explained before closing his eyes with a frown from remembering the sorrowful memory, "But going back to what I was saying earlier. I was very happy and relieved to hear that not only you were alive, but a member of Fairy Tail as well, I suppose fate is a funny thing…"

"It was thanks to Igneel finding me and raising me until he suddenly disappeared. After that I met Gramps and he brought me to the Guild," Natsu grinned as he remembered the excitement he felt walking through those doors and meeting everybody… well, Gray was a maybe… The grin softened a bit as Natsu continued to speak, "Back then I never thought about my birth parents or even cared about them really, Igneel was the only person I needed to call my dad. But when I found out about my mom and dad and how much they loved me, I could help but feel… happy."

"… I'm sure Mavis and Nero would be very happy to hear that." Warrod smiled as he looked up at the construction site and imagined the Guild Hall when it was finished all those years ago. "I'm sure Mavis would also be happy to know that you learned how to use two of her Legendary Spells and her Magic. Fairy Law and Fairy Glitter aren't easy spells to learn and use."

"You don't have to tell me twice" Natsu replied as he remembered how much training he had gone through to harness the power of his Fire Drive and the Fairy Flame Mode. "The fact that I managed to become an S-Class Wizard was incredible."

Warrod let out a laugh as he patted Natsu on the shoulder, "With the rate you're going, you might become one of the Wizard Saints when you get older like Makarov and I."

"You're a Wizard Saint too?" Natsu blinked in surprise making Warrod nod his head with a small smirk, only for it to fall when Natsu gave him a look of disbelief. "This isn't another one of your jokes, is it?"

"It wasn't a joke…" Warrod replied with a sweatdrop, the tree-like top of his head slouching forward a little. "I am really one of the Wizard Saints, in fact, I'm actually ranked fourth strongest."

"That strong?!" Natsu said before scooting a few inches away from the elderly man, 'He's not just older than Gramps, but he's stronger than him too!'

"Hohoho, that certainly caught your attention…" The tree-like man chuckled before he rose up from his seat, "Well I should be heading off, I only came here for a quick visit."

Natsu looked up at the man in surprise before standing up as well, "You're leaving already? But there are so many questions that I wanted to ask you."

"There will be plenty of time for that in the future. It's not as if I am planning on disappearing after one meeting." Warrod said as he turned and started walking away, "After all, I want a chance to meet Mavis' grandchild as well, Nova, right?"

"Yeah… I'll be sure to introduce you next time." Natsu said as he walked Warrod walk away, the old man smiling as he lifted a hand to say goodbye. The pinkette tilted his head back to look at the destroyed Guild Hall with a smile before turning around and started to walk away, heading home with the smile never leaving his face.

Warrod had a small smile on his face as well as he continued walking towards the train station, 'It is a relief to see that your son is living such a wonderful life like you wanted, with a family of his very own… Haha, I still remember the argument Precht, Yuri and I had on who would be Natsu's godfather…'

(The Next Day)

"Okay… Here we go!" Natsu grunted as he gathered six beams of wood together before summoning his fire to wrap around them several times, holding all of them together before he lifted the bundle of wood and hefted it over his shoulder, making Nova cheer at her father's actions.

"You shouldn't try show off like that, stupid. It's a waste of energy." Gray commented as he walked by carrying one piece of wood on his shoulder.

A large twitch mark appeared on Natsu's forehead as he dropped the wood and glared at the ice user, "What did you call me, wimp?!"

"Who are you calling a wimp?" Gray replied as he let go of the beam of wood in his shoulder to glare back at Natsu, slamming his forehead against the Dragon Slayer. "You stupid idiot."

"Shut up, you perverted stripper!" Natsu said as flames surrounded him while an icy mist covered Gray.

Vanitas couldn't help but sweatdrop as he watched the two continue to argue, turning his head to look at Mirajane and Happy, who were standing off to the side with the white-haired wizard passing out drinks to everyone. "Are those two always like this?"

"Aye! Almost every day." Happy replied while lifting a paw.

Meanwhile, behind a wall of bricks that was a good distance away from the group, Juvia was seen swooning at the sight of Gray working without a shirt. 'Oh Gray, I wish you would carry me as well!'

Gray and Natsu's argument had halted as a beam of wood slammed down on both of their heads at the same time and sent the two deep into the ground until just their heads were sticking out. "That's enough of you two working your mouths, do that with your bodies instead." Erza ordered as she lifted the beam over her shoulder, wearing a construction outfit with a helmet that had the Fairy Tail symbol on it. "We still have a lot to do to finished rebuilding the Guild Hall."

"Aye... Sir," Both Natsu and Gray said weakly as steam came off the large lumps that formed on top of their heads.

"There's no way I would work for Erza." Droy whispered to Jet as they watched the scene from the sidelines, still too injured to help with any of the major work. "She's really enthusiastic today."

"Did she Requip into that outfit?" Jet asked before he noticed Nova hurrying passed them with a large tray in hand with several cups of water on it. She was wearing a mini construction's outfit looked very similar to Erza's except she had a worker's helmet that looked a size too big for her since it was tilted on one side and had regular shoes instead of boots like Erza. Jet blinked a few times before speaking up again, "Even Nova is dressing the part."

"Hey Grandpa! Do you want some water?" Nova called out as she looked up at the Guildmaster, who was currently in his giant form and pounding a large piece of wood into place.

The old man let out a hum as he looked down at the young Dragneel, smiling down at her before he shook his head. "No thank you Nova, I'm good for now."

"Even Master Makarov is hard at work." Levy commented as she and her teammates stared at the giant man, who was also dressed like a construction worker.

"In a big way!" Droy and Jet said with large sweatdrops.

"Hey, Boss, were do you want me to put this lumber?" Erza called out as Nova rushed passed her towards another group where Elfman was stationed.

"Oh, just put them over there." The Guildmaster pointed to the side as he used his other arm to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"And now she's calling him boss?" Jet asked.

"Owwww..." Natsu and Gray groaned as they pulled themselves out of the ground. "That really hurt, Erza~!

"Are we playing whack-a-mole?" Happy asked innocently as he watched the two exit the holes they were in.

"… Is it just me…" Macao started to say as he and Wakaba looked up at the progress done so far.

"It seems bigger than what we had before." Wakaba finished.

"We figured we might as well expand the place since we're rebuilding it." Mirajane explained from behind before holding up a piece of paper. "Look, I've got the plans right here."

"Oh, yeah?" Macao raised an eyebrow as he turned around to face the barmaid.

"This I've got to see." Wakaba said.

"I'm kinda curious too." Vanitas added as he moved closer to the group.

Natsu raised an eyebrow as he moved up to Mirajane to get a good look at the plans. "So, we really are gonna change it…"

"What's it gonna look like now?" Gray asked as the five looked at the paper in Mirajane's hands… only for confused, stunned expressions to appear on their faces when they saw that it looked like a child's drawing instead of actual plans.

"What the...?" Macao could finish his sentence as he tried to figure out what he was looking at.

"That's something else." Wakaba added weakly as he looked away awkwardly.

"… Is that supposed to be a swimming pool?" Vanitas questioned as he noticed the box with people inside it.

"I don't get it…" Natsu tilted his head a little while trying to understand some of the doodles on the paper… was the pink cat supposed to be Happy?

"These are the worst plans ever." Gray said, blatantly as he leaned closer to look at the plans. "It looks like Nova drew up the plans… but I don't think I've ever seen her do something this bad… Who came up with this, anyway?"

The warm smile on Mirajane's face instantly disappeared as the buxom woman burst into tears, making Gray realize just who was it that really drew up the plans. "I-I worked really hard on it."

"Oh Mira. I didn't know it was you, I swear!" Gray tried to console the crying barmaid as he waved his hands in front of him.

"You made her cry again..." The other men in the group said at the same time.

"That's Gray for you." Happy stated as he looked away from the scene.

'My dearest Gray is so cold to other women, and yet so nice to me.' Juvia thought to herself as she watched the scene with starry eyes.

"N-No, that's not how I a-OUCH!" Gray was cut off as a stone cup flew at the back of his head, causing a lump to form and his head to be drenched in water.

The others turned to see a frowning Nova staring at Gray with an arm stretched out, revealing that she was the one who threw the cup. "Stop being a meanie to Aunt Mira, Uncle Gray!" Her comment only made everyone laugh while Gray just let his head droop with a sigh.

(A Few Hours Later)

Natsu let out a grunt as he stretched his arms over his head, "Man, I'm starving. Is it lunch time yet?"

"It should be around now, right?" Gray asked as he sat down with a sigh while Vanitas copied his action and sat down on a barrel next to Gray. Not even a few seconds later, a large stream of water went passed them and completely soaked Natsu and Happy while Gray and Vanitas were dry. "What the heck was that?"

"Why am I soaked?!" Natsu complained before using his flames to instantly dry himself off.

"Hey look, lunch boxes!" Happy pointed out as he stared at Gray and Vanitas' laps, the former's being much larger than the Devil Slayer's.

"Where'd it come from?" Gray opened the box in curiosity, only to grimace when he saw it was a visage of his face made out of food with the word LOVE next to it, while Vanitas opened his to reveal a normal variation of food.

"Whoa, that looks really tasty." Natsu drooled at all the food in the boxes, while Gray remained flabbergasted.

"I recognize this," Happy said as he pointed at Gray's lunch box. "This is one of those character lunches."

Vanitas couldn't help but sweatdrop as he looked between his lunch and then towards Gray's, instantly figuring out who made them. 'Yeah~… not creepy at all, Juvia…'

"There's no way I can eat this!" Gray nearly exclaimed as he stared at his 'face' with a creeped-out look. "It's just too weird. And something is oozing out of the bottom."

'This is heartbreaking.' Juvia thought to herself after hearing Gray's words, biting her dress to keep from crying. 'Juvia spent three days putting that together for him.'

"Hey, it's not so bad." Vanitas said as he took a bite of the vegetables on the side using the fork that was taped to the side, letting out a pleased hum as he enjoyed the flavor. "Give it a shot before you turn it down."

"He's right about that. I mean, someone went through a lot of work to make you that lunch, right?" Natsu added as he could smell all the delicious spices coming from the lunch box, snatching some of the seafood portions for him and Happy.

"I guess…" Gray replied as he looked back down at food. He had to admit that the food did look good, and he was hungry.

"Who said you could take a lunch break?!" Erza asked angrily as she and Nova walked up to the group before looking at the lunch box in Gray's hands.

Nova blinked a few times as she stood on her tippy-toes to look at the strange lunchbox. "Is that supposed to be your face Uncle Gray? Why is it made out of food?"

"This is called a character lunch, Nova. It's when a person organizes the food to resemble a face or other subjects to make them more appealing." Erza explained she grabbed the fork tapped to the top of the box and stabbed the face, just below one of the eyes, scaring Gray at seeing that looked like him getting stabbed by Erza. Erza lifted the piece that she stabbed and brought it to her mouther before chomping down, taking a few bites and swallowing the meal with a pleased smile. "Not bad, this is actually pretty good."

"Really? Guess I should give it a try." Gray said before taking the fork from Erza and started eating it himself. Vanitas glanced over to the side and sweatdropped when he saw Juvia giggle to herself and wiggle around like she was imagining something, most likely involving Gray.

"Erza, Gray, Natsu." The guild wizards looked over to see who called out to them and saw a pale, sickly looking Loke holding a key ring with the Fairy Tail emblem on it. "I was walking around town and I found Lucy's keys. Could you give'em back to her?"

"Hey man, I was wondering where you went. So that's what you were up to." Gray said as he and Natsu walked up to the sunglasses-wearing man.

"You were looking for her keys this whole time?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

"Are you okay?" A concerned look appeared on Happy's face as he flew closer to Loke, "You look even paler than usual."

"I'm fine." Loke said with a weak smile as he adjusted his glasses, "Just beat a bit. Being a gentleman is pretty draining."

"We haven't seen her around lately." Happy confessed as he took the key ring from Loke, "She's probably too sore to be able to move around and help out around here."

Natsu took a step forward while placing his hands on his hips, "We should go check up on her then. You should come with us Loke."

"Nah... I'll pass." Loke shook his head as he turned around and started walking away. "You know I'm no good around Celestial wizards."

"Really, but this is Lucy were talking about." Natsu said as he moved his hands behind his head as he watched Loke walk away.

"Let him go, Natsu." Erza said as she placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Leave him alone for now."

It didn't take them long to get to Lucy's apartment, though Vanitas stayed behind to continue working on the Guild Hall with everyone else. Once they had gotten there however, each of them used different methods to get inside of her place. Natsu and Happy entered through the window while Gray crawled out of the fireplace… only to find Erza and Nova sitting at the table, drinking tea and juice respectively. After all of them managed to make it inside the apartment, they were surprised to find nobody around,

"That's weird. Normally, she be screaming for us to get out." Happy said as he crossed his arms as he imagined Lucy shouting at them by now.

"I wonder where she could be?" Erza wondered, Requiping back into her default armor.

"Maybe the bathroom?" Gray suggested as he made his way over to the bathroom, already having the feeling he was walking into a cliché. Letting out a sigh before pulling the curtain aside, Gray stuck his head into the bathroom. "Sorry about this."

"Miss Lucy's not here." Nova said while sitting in the empty bathtub, out of the child construction outfit and wearing a lavender, checkered dress underneath, a gift from Cana who said it resembled her old outfit when she was Nova's age and made her look just as cute. She was currently sitting in Natsu's lap as they stared back at Gray.

"How did you both get in here so fast?" Gray exclaimed in shock as his eyes bulged a little. "Get out of the bathtub!"

"Looks like she's not here." Erza said, Gray turning around to see that the woman had a towel wrapped around her body and hair

"Thanks for the obvious fact." Gray sarcastically said back before his eyebrow twitched. "And just what are you in here for?"

Getting out of the bathroom, the group reentered the main room with disappointed looks on Erza and Natsu's faces. "It's just not the same without her."

"All the drama she brings is totally thrown off and replaced with such lackluster." Erza said in agreement.

"Well, sorry for being lackluster. But it's not like my impersonation was that bad," Gray said in a depressed voice from the criticism he got for his performance.

"Lucy?" Happy called out as he looked around the room with a confused look before he noticed that one of the drawers was open, and his eyes widened in shock.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at Happy's actions before walking up behind him, "Happy, why are you looking in a draw-AHH?!"

"Why are you two looking at in there?" Gray questioned before he gained a shock look as well when he caught a glimpse inside the drawer. Erza silently walked over to the others and joined in on their shock as she saw what was inside, before she noticed Nova trying to sneak a peek and quickly covered the little girl's eyes.

"Huh, Mommy? I can't see!" Nova cried out as she tried in vain to remove her mother's hand from her face.

"Where do you get underwear like this? I didn't even know that there was some like this." Happy said as an embarrassed look formed on all four of the adults' faces while Nova only pouted at not being able to see anything.

"This is underwear!?" Gray questioned.

"It's certainly out there." Erza admitted. "Where would you even wear it to?"

"… I don't know, but I don't think we need to keep looking in here," Natsu said as he slowly closed the drawer before he turned his head over to look at the others, his attention focusing on Erza as his thoughts drifted back to the underwear and his face turned red.

Erza noticed her husband's face turning red as he stared at her, and realized what was going through his mind before she smacked him in the side of the head. "Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"…I really don't want to know." Gray muttered to himself as he looked away from the couple, doing his best to ignore the drawer and the contents that had been inside it. Turning his head slightly as he noticed Happy flying towards a cupboard, the ice user spoke up. "Will you stop looking for her in strange places?"

"Lucy, where are you?" Happy ignored Gray's words as he opened the door, only for a stream of letters to pour out and almost bury him completely under them. 'Ouchie."

"So many letters..." Erza said as she watched Nova help Happy get out of the pile/

"And they're still sealed, that's weird." Gray noted before he saw Natsu pick up one of the letters and opened it up to read it.

"Dear Mom, today was a very special day because I joined the Fairy Tail guild," Natsu read out loud before he scanned down to read more, "I got to meet a woman named Erza, she is Natsu's wife and Nova's mother. She's really cool and very pretty. And she always is there to discipline Natsu and Gray whenever they get into a fight."

"Hey man, you shouldn't read someone's letter like that." Gray said as he bent down on the other side of the letters. Erza and Nova were watching the three males in the group look through the letters, with Erza looking away with a small blush after hearing what Lucy said about her… and the Requip wizard noticed a piece of paper on Lucy's desk. "Are all these letters for her mom?"

"Seems that way." Happy answered as he looked up from two of the envelops he was holding, both addressed to Lucy's mother and yet there was no name on them.

"That's weird. I know she didn't get along with her dad, but she could've mailed at least one if they were going to her mom." Natsu raised an eyebrow as he finished reading the letter, looking at Gray and Happy who also had confused looks on their faces.

"There's a note over here." They boys turned to see Erza standing in front of Lucy's desk with Nova hold up a small piece of paper up. "It looks like Lucy left it for us. It says she's going home."

"WHHAAAAAAAT?! No way!" The others shouted in disbelief.

(Heartfilia Estate)

The sun was already setting as Lucy looked up at an angel statue that stood over a grave… the grave where her mother, Layla Heartfilia, rested. She didn't know much about why her mother died except that she had gotten sick suddenly and there was no way to treat her. That day in the year, 777, was the hardest day of Lucy's life living in the Heartfilia Estate, mostly because that was when everything changed for her and she lost not only her mother, but her father as well. The man had become obsessed with his company and expanded their fortune, so much that he no longer had any time for Lucy and practically ignored her. Originally when Lucy had left the estate, she had no plans on returning, but that had changed when her father, Jude Heartfilia, had sent Phantom Lord after her and was responsible for the Guild War. So Lucy had made the decision to return to the estate to confront her father, something that she had been looking forward too for a long time, and thanks to all the people in Fairy Tail, Lucy had steeled her resolve and stated her intentions with staying with Fairy Tail and finding her own path to happiness. She had expressed all of her feeling on her father's 'plans' for her and even gave him a warning/threat to stay away from Fairy Tail or he would be an enemy, regardless of the fact that he was her father.

"Mom…" Lucy said with a soft smile as she looked up from the tombstone towards the angel. "I am walking down my own path, so please watch over me… I better go no-"

"LUCY!" The blonde turned around sharply to see Natsu, Erza, Gray running towards her while Happy was flying and carrying Nova. The blonde was shocked at seeing them all there and was caught by surprise when Happy and Nova jumped at her and hugged her as tightly as they could. Watching them from the mansion, all of the servants and even Jude, who was watching from his study's window, watched the group converse with Lucy about something. Only for Lucy to reply with a small smile on her face which made Natsu, Happy and Gray gap at her while Erza laughed into her hand. Nova, however, continued to hug Lucy as tightly as she could with tears falling down her smiling face, happy that Lucy wasn't going to leave them after all.

As the group was heading towards the train station after Lucy said her goodbyes to all of the Heartfilia servants, Lucy looked back at the mansion one last time before turning back to her friends. "I'm sorry for making you guys worry. I didn't think you would freak out like that.".

"There's no need to apologize." Erza said as she shook her head at Lucy's apology, "We're the ones at fault for jumping to conclusions."

"It looks like we were worrying for nothing." Gray said with a small smirk.

"I'm so happy that you're gonna stay with us Miss Lucy!" Nova smiled as she reached up and grabbed one of Lucy's hands, making the older girl smile back down at her as she curled her fingers around Nova's hand.

"I got to say, I'm kinda digging your home town." Gray admitted.

Erza nodded her head in agreement as she crossed her arms under her chest, "Yes, it's very nice and peaceful."

"Oh, it's not a town. This is actually part of our gardens." Lucy said making the group come to a sudden halt at her comment, though the Celestial Wizard didn't notice this as she pointed towards the highest mountain in the distance. "The Heartfilia estate goes all the way to those mountains…You guys okay?"

Both Gray and Natsu paled as freaked out expressions appeared on their faces. Gray was the first one to speak as he brought a hand up in a mock salute, "HOLY CRAP! SHE'S RICH!"

"AND SHE'S ACTING SO CASUAL ABOUT IT!"

"Erza, we need help! Two of our best fighters are down for the count," Happy shouted as the two men in the group started moving crazy. "Captain Erza, do you have anything to say?"

"This clear blue sky..." Erza whispered as she looked up at the sky, with a breeze gently blowing passed her. "It's so beautiful..."

"We need a medic! Captain Erza's got a screw loose!" Happy shouted in worry.

"Uppa!" Both Gray and Natsu shouted in response.

Lucy and Nova looked at each other for a few moments before they started laughing together, both of them rushing to catch up with the others. It was time that they return home, back to their Guild, back to Fairy Tail, back to their family… her family. For the first time since she had run away from home, Lucy had found a place she felt she truly belonged, and she didn't need to run anymore.

NDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESDNDESD

A/N: Chapter 22 is finished and the Phantom Lord Arc had come to a close. Lucy has confronted her father and next we focus on the next arc, though I am not sure if I should do the scenes with Loke or skip that and go straight to the Tower of Heaven Arc. 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. We'll see some old faces in the next chapter and some surprises down the way, so stay tune for the next chapter.

A/N 2: The next story for update will be Team RYBWN, and then Dhampir of Yokai Academy.

A/N 3: Lately I've been wanting to see what it would look if one of my stories was written with that Reading/Watching Genre that been getting very popular lately. I don't know who would be interested in doing it with one of mine, but I really hope someone could give it a try.

Omake

A chibi Lucy and Mirajane are standing in front of a mission board with a bunch of construction equipment surrounding them.

Lucy (Her arms behind her back): Wow. After all that fighting, I could use a break.

Mirajane (Resting a hand against her cheek): I know what you mean. I haven't fought like that in a long time.

Lucy (Blinks in surprise): That's right! You used to be an active S-Class wizard, right?

Mirajane (Nodding her head with a smile): That's right. Originally, I was one of the six S-Class wizards of Fairy Tail before I semi-retired.

Lucy (Crossing her arms): So, does that mean you're taking missions again or-

Cana (Running across the screen): Outta the way! I need to get ready!

Lucy (Looking where Cana ran with confusion: Wow. I've never seen Cana in a rush before.

Mirajane (Smiling): That's because a certain someone is coming to visit and Cana likes to prepare.

Lucy (Tilting her head slightly): A certain someone?

Cana, Lucy and Mirajane: Next time on the Fairy Flame Dragon: Chapter 23 – Next Generation

Mirajane: Perhaps it is time for me to consider taking jobs again. I wonder who I should take with me though.