"Hey Mira! Mind filling me up a bit more?" Cana waved her mug back and forth towards the smiling waitress. The way she slurred her words indicated she was slightly intoxicated, but that's nothing new.

"Just a second Cana!" Mira said as she finished her sentence with the Master. She calmly walked over to the alcoholic and topped off the rest of her mug.

"You're the best!" She tipped her mug up and chugged half of it in one sitting.

"Hey Mira?"

"Yes Cana?"

"Is it just me or does the guild seem rather...quiet."

Mira looked up from the dish she was cleaning and shrugged. The guild hall was about half full but it did seem quieter than normal. "I suppose it's because Natsu and the others are out on a mission. They took that big 100,000 jewel one that's been up for a while. It was the five of them plus Happy and Charle so they should have been able to handle it no problem."

Almost immediately, Happy and Charle flew in through the wooden doors, carrying the kids. They set the kids down as quickly as they could and then flew to a table a lay down.

"Mira I think you might have jinxed it." Mira shrugged her off and went over to them. They were absolutely exhausted and out of breath but from what she could see, completely unharmed.

"Are you all okay?" Mira kneeled next to the table they landed on.

Both cats didn't say anything for a few moments. As they caught their breath, Charle sat up first, paws on her dress in front of her.

"Yes...we're fine..." Charle somehow breathed that out.

"That's a relief. Where's everyone else? Didn't you all go out on the mission?" Mira paused after they didn't reply.

"Cana can you take Nashi and Silver to the infirmary? I think they're both tired." She nodded in response and carried the two away.

Charle and Happy hesitated to nod to Mira's question. Now everyone knew something was wrong.

The guild doors opened again, this time revealing Erza, Wendy, Gray, and Lucy. Everyone in the guild welcomed them with smiling faces, until they took note of their tear streaked faces. The four didn't dare make eye contact with anyone. Mira stood up with her mouth opened to say something.

"Where's Natsu?" Nobody answered.

If felt like hours till someone spoke up.

"He didn't make it back..." Lucy's voice was so quiet she was surprised anyone heard her. Her hair cast a shadow on her face and hid what little expression she did have.

"No-No way..." Cana spoke up, eyes wide. Several guild members spoke up about how that was even possible, or what she meant by not making it back.

"Natsu died protecting us! He went up against an enemy we didn't have a chance at defeating and fought bravely. He died...protecting his family." Erza lifted her head up and projected her voice across the room. Tears slid down her face again and her voice cracked when she said family.

Charle rose and went to comfort Wendy, who now kneeled on the stone pavement hiding her face. Gray noticed Juvia across the room sitting with her hands on her eyes. He walked over carefully, avoiding other members and wrapped his arms around her as they buried their faces into each others shoulders.

"Gray-sama...Juvia's sorry..." He didn't say anything, simply hugging her tighter was enough.

The guild was filled with the sounds of every member mourning over the family member they lost. Erza and Mira sat next to eachother, Gray and Juvia remained in their embrace as well as Charle and Wendy. Happy clung to Lucy's top and sobbed hysterically, but Lucy still remained silent.

"Where's Daddy?"

All heads turned to the small girl rubbing her eyes. Her pink hair was in a fuzzy mess as if she had just woken up from a short nap. Silver stood beside her and yawned before moving to his parents.

Lucy looked up for the first time since she walked in with the others. She wiped away the silent tears she was shedding with her arm.

"Come here sweet heart." She spoke softly and held her available arm open. Nashi eagerly ran into her mothers arm and hugged her. Lucy kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. Happy held on to her but now faced the other way.

"Let's go in here ok?" Nashi held her moms hand as she was led into the infirmary. Happy left as they got to the door and went to Wendy and Charle. The door shut behind the two and they sat on the bed. Lucy rocked Nashi back and forth in her lap, holding her tight.

"Nashi can I tell you a story?" She smiled and nodded excitedly. Lucy breathed deeply.

"Once upon a time, there was a dragon. He was a pink dragon who had a cat who went with him everywhere he went."

"Like Uncle Happy?!" Lucy nodded and continued.

"One day the dragon and his cat went into town and met a princess. It turns out the princess had ran away from home. The princess met a bad man who wanted her to go to a ball with him, and she said yes."

"Why did she say yes?"

"Because he promised her he could give her a new home and make her happy. But once the princess saw that he was lying and that the ball was another one of his traps, she tried to fight back but couldn't. That's when the dragon came through the ceiling to save the princess. The princess ran away with the dragon and went on many adventures after that."

"They defeated lots and lots of bad guys. They also made lots of friends. One of them was a man who could make anything he wanted out of ice. Another was the ruler of the skies and could control the wind. She had a cat too. And there was also the Queen of the Fairies. She had beautiful red hair and was one of the best fighters of them all. They were the princess's family now and she loved them all very much."

"I want friends like that someday."

Lucy played with her hair while still rocking her. "They went to another world and met people who looked just like them. They fought people who wanted to turn all the good people bad. They slept for seven years after fighting the biggest dragon of all. They competed against other guilds to find out who was the best! They even fought evil dragons and saved the kingdom!"

"As time went on, the princess and dragon started to see each other as more than best friends. They started to fall in love with each other. They got married and had a beautiful daughter who looks a lot like you. They loved her very much and still went on lots of adventures with her and their friends and their children. One day, they chose a mission where they are supposed to beat a big monster. When they go on the trip, the five come across a bad guy that they can't beat..."

Lucy took another deep breath, determined to withstand from crying.

"The dragon fought the bad guy and protected all his friends, even the princess. The dragon got hurt while making sure his family got away safely. He went to a place where he would be happy forever, as happy as he was with his family. Everyone was sad but they all knew the dragon was happy and would see him again one day..."

"Momma why are you crying?"

Lucy blinked. She had been crying and didn't even notice.

"Because daddy...he is in the same place as the dragon. I'm sad because we can't see him again until we go to that place." She wiped her eyes with her shirt.

"When can we go there?" Nashi asked, starting to get at what her mother was saying.

She shook her head. "Not for a very long time." Nashi shook her head as well.

"But I want to see him! I don't want you to be sad!" The small girl buried her face in the side of her moms chest. Lucy could feel her shirt begin to dampen. She held her close and rocked her back and forth making calming sounds.

"I know sweet heart. I do too. But..." Lucy pulled Nashi up so they could look each other in the eyes. Both were shiny with the new tears that had sprung. Nashi's cheeks and forehead had become red.

"Your daddy is happy right now. He is a hero and always will be. Ok?"

The small pinkette hesitated but nodded and then buried her face into her mother again. They remained like that for several minutes, maybe even half an hour until they got up and walked home to go to bed for the night.

Later that night when Nashi and Happy were both asleep, Lucy thought back to her story. The thought of Natsu as a pink dragon brought a slight smile to her lips but it quickly went away. She turned to her side and closed her eyes shut.

How else am I supposed to explain death to a four year old?