Chapter 49: A World Turned Upside Down.
The next week was uneasy to say the least, murmurs filled the street, people looked over their shoulders constantly. Word had certainly spread fast about the tragedy that had occurred in Minstrel the week prior. When the dust literally, and figuratively died down rescue teams had been sent out to hopefully find survivors that couldn't outrun the attack. Only three survivors were found and rescued. Over a hundred others were discovered dead. It was a terrorist attack the likes of which Fiore had never seen. The Government was doing everything in their power to try and find whoever was the source of the tragedy to no avail as of yet.
Meanwhile in Magnolia the town was quiet. People were afraid to leave their houses. Schools were shut down, restaurants, shops. Everything was closed until the situation was resolved. People were enjoying the precious time they had with their loved ones, not sure if the person who attacked Minstrel would be coming to their city next. People poked their heads out of their windows anytime they heard something on the street by their houses. Only to find it was either an animal or an essential worker who was forced to work because their stores, or restaurant didn't close. Fairy Tail was one of those restaurants that stayed open, the normally bustling building was as empty as a ghost town lately. The occasional customer showed up every now and then, but they were spread few and far between. Mirajane let out a quiet, bored sigh as she finished washing the dishes….for the third time today. The other girls weren't in any better shape, Levy had taken to dusting shelves out of boredom. Cana decided that if nobody was coming in to order alcohol she might as well open up her own tab and loosen herself up. Lucy was sitting at the entry booth, having nobody to greet she decided to take the quiet time to work on her novel. Makarov sat quietly in his office taking a well earned mid-day nap.
"It's official….this is the most bored I think I have ever been." Levy sighed as she threw her duster onto the counter. A yawn escaped her lips, as Mirajane handed her a glass of cola. LEvy thanked the white-haired woman and started sipping on her drink.
"Gurlllll….telll me bout it hehe…" Cana slurred as she stumbled over to them.
"How much have you had Cana?" Mira sighed as she swiped the mug of beer Cana was holding and dumped it down the sink.
"HEY! I w-was drinking that…." Cana argued but sat down next to Levy and placed her head in her arms. Almost instantly a quiet snoring could be heard from the girl. Lucy chuckled quietly to herself, and continued writing. The novel had been a big help in her recovery process over the last week. The pain of her father's death still lingered, but between Natsu, her novel, the rest of their friends, and in a strange messed up way the tragedy of Minstrel she barely thought about it anymore, though the few instances she did let her mind wander over to it an overwhelming sadness overcame her, if only for a short period of time.
Another three hours would pass before people showed up, but it was just the normal gang. Natsu who just closed down the little store he worked at, Wendy, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Juvia and Elfman. The seven of them sat at the counter. Gajeel plopped himself next to Levy, something that Mira noticed with a sly look in her eye.
"Uh sis, why do you look so creepy?" Elfman questioned, Mira just laughed it off.
"Oh nothing Elfman…nothing at all." She glanced over at the pair one last time with a devious smirk.
"Hey Mira, could you turn the T.V. on?..." Gray asked, but she was just so caught up in her own world that Gray just reached behind the counter and grabbed the remote. He clicked the button and the little television set that hung up above the counter flashed on. Of course it was already set to the news station.
"Gray, could you turn it up?" Erza requested, Gray just nodded and cranked the volume up so they could hear clearly. It was at that moment Lucy walked over to them and sat herself besides Wendy, and Natsu.
"Local authorities have found two more survivors amidst the destruction in Minstrel today, the two of them have been taken to medical facilities, and are in critical condition currently. Once again we ask for thoughts and prayers for those affected by this tragic event.
"Sheesh, and people thought Natsu, and Laxus destroying Kardia Cathedral was bad…" Gray muttered.
"They are saying that there have been almost as many casualties as there were in that huge fire that destroyed the old town of Rosemary." Levy sighed. Of course she remembered all too well the story Gray's aunt had told her about the events surrounding that situation. With a glance at Gray she noticed his face darken, and instantly she regretted bringing it up. Instead she just focused her attention back at the television.
"Hey Lucy, can you come here for a second? I need your help with something." Mira asked, Lucy just softly nodded her head and scurried over to her as the two of them exited into the kitchen. Gray, Juvia, Elfman and Erza also peeled off, walking away from the counter to find an empty corner table. This left Wendy, Natsu, Gajeel, Levy, and an unconscious Cana at the counter. A yawn escaped Natsu's lips as he rested his head against his hand. Wendy glanced over to him with a frown on her face, she then peered over to the swinging doors that led to the kitchen that Lucy, and Mira had just walked through seconds prior.
"Hey Natsu?" She muttered, causing the older boy to look down at her.
"What's up Wendy?" He quirked an eyebrow at her. Wendy shifted awkwardly in her chair.
"I-I was just wondering….how has Lucy been lately? I haven't seen her that much." After hearing the question Natsu just sighed.
"Ya know, I really couldn't tell you to be honest….she acts fine, and puts on a strong front, but there are moments where she just gets lost in her own world….not that I blame her, between her dad passing, the Sabertooth incident, and now the whole Minstrel situation….it's been rough for everyone." Wendy looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. Taking a shaky breath she reached down into her bag that she had thrown onto the floor.
"That's what I thought….w-which is why I wanted to go to this, I figured it would be a nice gift for her…." She fished out a crumpled sheet of paper before handing it over to Natsu. This had caught Levy's attention, and unknown to them the bluenette had snuck up behind the two and grabbed the paper before Natsu could.
"No. WAY! Zekua Melon! Is coming to Shirotsume?! That's just a six hour trip by train!" Levy exclaimed in glee.
"What's this about melons?" Gajeel wandered over to look at the paper in Levy's hands. Wendy glanced at Natsu's face which had gone pale thinking about being on the train for six hours. She was hoping she would avoid telling him that part until they were already on the train.
"Zekua Melon! He is a super famous author! Lulu and I have read every single one of his books!"
"Boooring, count me out." Gajeel yawned and walked away from the other three as Levy glared daggers at his retreating form.
"I thought it would be a nice gift if we went there and got Lucy a signed book for her…it might cheer her up. Even if it's only a little bit I think it's worth it!" Wendy grinned hopefully, causing Natsu to flash a signature grin. He patted her on the head, and ruffled her hair.
"Sure thing kiddo! I think it's a great idea, when is it Lev?" Natsu spun around in his seat to face the short girl whose face fell at the question.
"Ummmm…..it's tomorrow morning….well sorry Wendy it was a good idea, but I don't know how-" Natsu stood up interrupting her.
"Tomorrow eh? Then it's settled, we will leave in a few hours! You said it yourself, it's just a train ride away. So let's go!" Natsu grinned brightly at Wendy who beamed back at him.
"You mean it? You really wanna go?" She asked him with her hands folded in front of her face. Natsu just nodded his head, before turning to Levy.
"Of course I'm sure, you're right I think this would be a nice present to cheer Lucy up.
What bout you? Are you gonna tag along?" Natsu replied as he turned to face Levy who stared back at him in disbelief.
"I-I mean…of course I would like to meet him, he is one of my favorite writers of all time….but like what about work? Besides, do we even know if this thing is still going on?! He could've canceled it with all the fear surrounding the situation of Minstrel….and with short notice too I would have to pack, and we would need a hotel most likely…and what about the train tickets…" Natsu rolled his eyes and flung his arms around the girl's shoulders causing her rambling to be cut short.
"Don't worry bout all that junk! Are you in or out!" Levy puffed.
"I wanna go…" She mumbled quietly. Luckily though due to Natsu's great hearing he was able to hear it.
"WOOHOO! Okay we'll meet at the train station in a few hours. I'll get our tickets! And we don't need to worry about a hotel, we can just make it a day trip! There and back!" Natsu chimed brightly looking forward to Lucy's reaction when they gave her the gift.
Just as planned the three of them met up at the Magnolia train station Natsu had made sure to double check whether or not the event was still going on which thankfully it was. Natsu stood with a bag that contained a change of clothes next to Wendy. Levy was the last to arrive, Gajeel's pickup truck pulled up next to them and Levy hopped out of the passenger seat holding a gigantic box set of books. All written by Zekua Melon of course.
"Hey Dragneel! No funny business got it!" Gajeel shouted out the truck window to which Natsu just chuckled.
"Hey no need to worry Gajeel, nothing's gonna happen. It's just a boring book signing." Levy shot Natsu a mean look at the last comment, but turned to Gajeel with a giant grin.
"Thanks for the ride you big lug, I'll see you when I get back." She gave him a sly wink which made the normally stoic iron dragon turn bright red.
"Y-yeah….s-see ya then…." He stuttered and drove off giving her a wave. Leaving Natsu and Wendy to stare at each other in disbelief at what they just witnessed. Levy stared at the retreading truck with a blush on her face before turning to the other two who gave her weird looks.
"What?" She snapped at them, the red tint from her face drained immediately. Wendy and Natsu snuck a look and started giggling.
"It's nothing…." Wendy mumbled.
"You're in loooove." Natsu taunted, and began laughing which got cut off when Levy elbowed him in the sides.
"Can it pinky, now let's get going! I'm so excited, so let's go!" Levy marched past the two dragons and straight to the onboarding ramp. Natsu's face went green as soon as he was on the train and they took their seats. Wendy stared at him in disbelief.
"I'm gonna hurl…" He mumbled as he rested his head against the window and held his stomach tightly. Levy cracked a smirk, rolled her eyes and then popped open one of her books all too used to Natsu's motion sickness.
"Geez Natsu, we haven't even started moving yet….I didn't realize you got this bad on vehicles…." Wendy grimaced as Natsu made a gurgling noise.
"He's been like this ever since we were kids…we've tried everything from patches, to medicine, to Erza straight up knocking him out…he's a lost cause." Levy muttered from behind her book. Wendy's face lit up.
"Wait, maybe not everything….Porlyusica showed me this one trick I could do with my powers….I haven't had the chance to see if it works yet…Natsu c'mere" Wendy grabbed Natsu's head the sudden jerking motion made Natsu's face puff up like he was about to hurl.
"Troyia…" Wendy muttered and her hands gave off a purple glow and within seconds Natsu's face returned to normal and his nausea ceased. Wendy backed away.
"How do you feel Natsu?" She asked quietly. Levy studied the situation from over her book.
"I feel amazing! WOW! THANKS WENDY! YOU'RE THE BEST!" Natsu leapt up in celebration, and sure enough once the train parted the station Natsu wasn't phased a bit.
The three companions traveled in silence for about an hour or two. Until Wendy glanced over at Natsu who was scrolling through his phone, more specifically his arm that was wrapped up in bandages.
"Hey Natsu, I hope that you don't mind me asking….but why is your arm always wrapped up? Now that I think about it I don't think I have actually seen you without it…do you have some kind of disfiguration? If so, Porlyusica might be able to heal it!" Natsu glanced over to her and then down to his arm. If he was completely honest with himself he had completely forgotten that his arm was wrapped up, it had basically become a part of him. Like a second skin. Placing his opposite hand on the wrapping he grimaced when he felt the huge surge of power flooding beneath the surface of his arm, waiting for the moment he broke the seal and unleashed it.
"Now that she mentions it, you never had that until recently….did something happen to your arm? Like did it get burnt when you were learning to control your powers?" Levy quirked her head to the side.
"Naw, nothing like that….in truth it's a little hard to explain hehe…" Natsu scratched the back of his head, when he saw the two girls staring at him obviously waiting for him to continue he took a deep breath, and tried to figure out the best way to explain it.
"So to start this off, I really don't fully understand how this whole thing works myself so I can't get too specific. But to summarize what knowledge I have, basically underneath this wrap is a marking that acts as a seal….that seal holds the last of my father's power….to be honest I have forgotten about it…..I didn't want it to be a crutch to rely on….in fact I don't think I ever want to use it…" When Wendy shot him a strange look he frowned and stared out the window at the fields they sped past.
"It might sound weird but it's comforting having it with me. It's like a warmth inside me, having a part of my father with me at all times puts me at ease…I'm actually scared of using this power, because it means I'll be losing the last part of him I have…." Natsu trailed off, he knew he would have to use it at some point. After all, the whole reason his dad gifted him the power was in the event he ever came across the man who killed Igneel…Acnologia. As he went quiet he felt a small hand place itself onto the wrapped arm. Turning he saw Wendy who wore a sad expression on her face.
"I-It doesn't sound weird….I understand exactly what you mean….if I'm being completely honest I'm jealous that you have something like that to remember your father….my mother Grandeeney, she died when I was just a baby and I got left with Porlyusica to raise me….the only thing I know about my mother is that we share powers…." She whispered sadly. Natsu listened to her carefully.
"Don't get me wrong I am extremely grateful for Porlyusica, but well…..you know how she can be. She's never been exactly warm to me. Let alone motherly, more like that cool aunt…..so I've never really had any family."
"I wouldn't say that exactly you got Fairy Tail! We are like one big happy family!" Natsu nudged the small girl but she just went silent. While it was true the guild acted like an expansive family that too never felt right either. She then looked up at the older boy sitting next to her. She remembered when they first met, and how he rushed into the guild hall that was falling apart to save her cat Carla. She remembered that despite his condition he was ready to beat up every guard in Nirvana to protect her, how on the ride back to Magnolia from Nirvana she fell asleep on his shoulder and felt instantly safer.
"And you got me too….I think of ya as a little sis I never had." Natsu admitted ruffling the small girl's hair as he always did. Wendy felt her eyes water and instead of saying anything she just scooted closer to Natsu and laid her head against his shoulder. Natsu smiled at the small girl, and unbeknownst to both of them Levy was silently smiling to herself watching the scene unfold.
Wendy thought about all the challenges Natsu had faced and overcame, and throughout all of them remained the same caring boy she first met. Maybe they weren't related by blood, but that couldn't change the way she looked up to him like an older brother. Silently wishing that she could be as strong as he was, but was thankful to know that he would be there when she needed him. The two dragons soon fell into a slumber for the remaining stretch of the trip, it wasn't until the train came to a lurching stop that jolted them awake. With a yawn the trio stood up and stretched relieved that the ride was finally at an end. It was early morning so they had time to kill before the book signing started. The city itself was relatively small compared to Magnolia, there was a large building on the top of a hill that belonged to some rich duke. The weather was nice in Magnolia. It was usually pretty cold all year round, but they were south of Magnolia now so it was actually pretty warm. There were lots of cute townhouses and apartments. The city itself was surrounded by mountains to one side and large open fields that stretched for miles the other sides. After stopping for a bit of breakfast at a diner the trio then decided it was time to head over to the large library where the signing event was taking place. Levy was giddy to tell the others that this was one of the largest libraries in the world.
"Oh geez….look at this line! The event doesn't even start for two hours!" Wendy exclaimed, shocked as the line started at the library doors and stretched all the way down the road. Natsu sighed.
"Well guess we better get comfortable, it's gonna be a long day." He muttered as the three found a spot in line.
"I guess we shouldn't be shocked, he is one of…if not the most famous author in the world, people probably traveled from all over the world to meet their hero." Levy explained as she cracked open another one of the books she brought along. If Natsu had to guess she was now onto her fourth or fifth in just the last six hours. It made Natsu's head hurt imagining it.
It was another four hours until they were finally entering the library, the three of them walked up to the table where the old man with long hair tied up in a ponytail sat with a large grin on his face and a permanent marker in hand.
"Ah, hello young lady." Zekua greeted Levy who walked up to the table first and placed her box set in front of him to sign. She beamed from ear to ear.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Melon, I'm such a big fan I have read every one of your works the day they were released!" Levy ranted, causing the old man to laugh.
"Well that sure is great to hear who am I making this out to?" He asked scribbling words onto the box set.
"L-Levy McGarden sir! Thank you so much!" Levy giggled wildly as she got the books back from him and shook his hand. She stepped off to the side so Wendy could go up next with Natsu following behind her. The two had decided to get the same box set that Levy had for him to sign for Lucy. He went through the same motions he did with Levy, but when asked who he was making the signature out to they told him to sign it for Lucy.
"Wowowowowow! I can't believe I actually got to meet him!" Levy squealed, hugging the signed box set close to her chest causing Natsu to look at her like she was insane. The three decided to get lunch before they left back for Magnolia, Natsu despite Wendy's trick was not looking forward to getting back on the train anytime soon.
"I know! It's super cool! I hope Lucy likes her gift, right Natsu?!" Wendy responded excitedly. Natsu was about to agree with her, but something caught his attention. He sniffed the air a few times. The two girls looked at him, and then at each other.
"Natsu? Are you okay?" Levy asked. Natsu stared out the window their table was seated next to, his eyes widened.
"Something's wrong!" He bolted out of his seat and tackled the two girls to the ground at the exact moment a loud explosion echoed throughout the city and sent debris through the window causing glass to rocket throughout the restaurant. Natsu did his best to shield the two girls, his back getting slashed in the process. Screams could be heard as people were running all over the place. Debris from the explosion was shooting in every direction destroying other buildings in the process. Natsu got up and sprinted out of the restaurant to find that the source of the explosion had been the very library they were just at, except it was no longer there. All that was left was a large dust cloud. Without a second thought Natsu sprinted towards it hoping to find survivors, Levy and Wendy rushed out of the restaurant to see him running out of sight.
Natsu kept running forwards until he heard the sound of someone crying, he turned and saw a little girl that got trapped under a large plank of wood and was pinned down. He hurried over to her and attempted to move the large block of wood but it was too heavy.
"Shit, hey it's going to be okay! I promise. I'll get ya out of here!" He tried to calm the girl down, but she was too scared to say anything back. Natsu struggled more to get the heavy object off her, thankfully Levy and Wendy were soon there and jumped to his aid. With the three of them combined they were able to free the little girl. Just as they pulled her free another loud explosion and screams were heard. The ground shook, knocking all of them off of their feet.
"GET HER OUT OF HERE! I'M GOING TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON!" Natsu shouted at the two over the chaos, and without waiting for their response launched back up to his feet and was once again sprinting towards the source, nearly bumping into several people who were fleeing for their lives in the opposite direction. Natsu coughed from all the smoke he was inhaling, but kept pushing forward. That was until he saw a single figure through the smoke standing on the large pile of debris that used to be the library. Too many corpses littered the area, and it sent chills down Natsu's spine. Whoever caused this needed to pay, a maniacal laughter could be heard coming from the direction of the lone standing figure and it made Natsu's blood curdle. He knew he promised Lucy that he was done as Salamander, but he couldn't stand back. He couldn't let more innocent people die.
Chapter 50: I am The Salamander!