AN: Thanks to Yukine-ren, RabbitHaremLover24, Goku275, Kriim-Sauce786, and ShadowScythe666 for your reviews. This chapter is a little shorter than chapters 2-4, but I hope you like it anyways.
Natsu glanced down at his left hand. It was interlocked with another hand, which had a ring on one finger. The ring was a simple, silver band with a gemstone called a tiger's eye embedded in it. He got it for Millianna yesterday, after he proposed to her.
Natsu looked forward. Before him was Fairy Tail's guild hall. This place was his home, and its people his nakama. Now, he would tell them about the newest members of his family.
The two lovers (and Happy, who was to Natsu's right) stepped into the building. A few members looked over in confusion, wondering why Natsu was holding a pretty girl's hand. Especially baffled were those who remembered who the cat girl was. Natsu inhaled deeply.
"HEY, EVERYBODY!" shouted Natsu at the top of his lungs. "OVER HERE! I HAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO TELL ALL OF YOU!"
The entire guild hall went silent and turned their heads towards Natsu. Seeing that he had their full attention, the dragon slayer began his announcement.
"This girl here," he said less loudly, raising the hand that held his fiancée's. "Is my girlfriend Millianna! We've been dating for the past few months and I love her! We just got engaged, and you're all invited to the wedding!"
The entire world froze for the members of Fairy Tail present, along with somewhere full of fire and brimstone. NATSU, of all people, was about to get married!
Five minutes passed, everybody wearing dumbfounded expression.
"I didn't expect them to be this shocked," mumbled Millianna.
"I did," commented Happy. "It's Natsu, after all."
Before the fire mage could retort, everyone finally broke out of their stupor and into a congratulatory cacophony.
"Amazing!"
"Wonderful"
"Never thought I'd see the day!"
"Congrats!"
Natsu and Millianna basked in the overwhelming support of Fairy Tail's mages. Eventually, the cheering died down and several mages walked over, curious about the couple.
"So why haven't you brought this beauty around here before, Natsu?" asked Wakaba, a semi-perverted look on his and Macao's faces as they glanced over Millianna.
"Eh? Don't you remember?" asked Natsu, a confused look on his face. "She's Erza's old friend from the Tower of Heaven."
At these words, the nearby mages blanched. After a few seconds, Macao asked a question of his own. "Does Erza know?"
"Makarov agreed to let her know while they were away at the S-Class Trial," answered Natsu, a hint of fear in his eyes. "If I'm lucky, she'll let out all her anger on the others."
Another silence, followed by another question.
"So, what made you two decide to tie the knot?" inquired Bisca.
"Well…" trailed off Natsu, him and Millianna starting to blush. He looked at his fiancée, wondering if he should tell them. She shook her head, then began speaking herself.
"The truth is that we found out I'm pregnant," spoke Millianna.
With that, the second round of shock and celebration began.
Fairy Tail partied for several hour, until late in the afternoon. They would have continued longer, but some Rune Knights showed up, led by an unexpected person.
"Mest?" spoke Natsu. "What are you doing here?"
"Mest" wore an uncomfortable frown, which turned to a grimace at the sound of his name. His face tightening with resolve, the man spoke authoritatively.
"My name is not Mest. I am Doranbolt, a member of the Magic Council. I used my magic to alter your guild's memories and infiltrate your S-Class Trial to uncover any secrets held by Fairy Tail."
The mood, which was already tense, plummeted. But Mest… no… Doranbolt was not finished speaking, and the worst was yet to come.
"However, the trial's location, Tenrou Island, was attacked by the dark guild Grimoire Heart. The dark guild was looking for Zeref, and apparently one of their leads brought them to Tenrou. Fairy Tail was able to defeat Grimoire Heart's mages, but in the process, they drew the attention of Acnologia, the Black Dragon. Acnologia destroyed Tenrou Island, along with your guild's mages. I was unable to do anything but flee, and for that I am truly sorry."
When Doranbolt finished speaking, he bowed as deeply as possible. Everybody could only quietly stare at him with aghast expressions. Then, Natsu broke the silence.
"No… NO!" rejected the fire mage. "Erza, Gray, Lucy, Gramps, they can't be gone!"
"I'm sorry, but I saw it with my own eyes," replied Doranbolt. "If it's any consolation, nothing would have changed if you were there. They tried fighting back, but even with all their power combined, they couldn't make so much as a scratch on Acnologia's scales."
With that, Natsu broke down. Tears flowed from his face, and he punched a nearby table into splinters. Macao took over the conversation.
"Do you have anything else to say, or can you leave us to grieve?"
Doranbolt frowned sadly, then spoke. "With the death of Makarov Dreyar, your guild will need a new master. Normally, you would have to choose within three days, but given… everything… you will have a week. Goodbye."
Their business completed, Doranbolt and the Rune Knights left.
Two days later, everybody in Fairy Tail met to discuss what Doranbolt told them.
"I don't know about the rest of you," said Natsu. "But there's no way that Gramps and the others died on Tenrou!"
His statement was met with a unanimous agreement and cheering.
"With that in mind," continued Natsu. "Me and Millianna aren't holding a wedding until they return. We got officially married at the town hall yesterday, but we won't have a proper ceremony until our entire nakama can be there!"
More cheers followed. Then Macao chimed in.
"I agree with Natsu," said the older man. "But until that day, we need somebody to fill the role of guild master. Without Master Makarov here to decided, we need to choose ourselves who should be the 4th guild master. Any suggestions?"
"What about Natsu?" suggested Romeo.
"He is the only S-Class candidate still around," commented Jet.
"With the Tenrou group gone, Natsu's the strongest mage in Fairy Tail," added Droy.
"But the guild master needs to be patient, what with all the complaints and paperwork they have to deal with," interjected Wakaba. He gestured to the table the dragon slayer had destroyed two days prior. "Natsu could never do all that. I recommend Macao, the only person here (other than me) who could handle all that without going crazy."
"Hey! I can be patient!"
"What are you nominating me for!? Nominate yourself asshole!"
"However," said Bisca, ignoring the outbursts of Natsu and Macao. "Fairy Tail does need a powerful mage in charge. No offense, Macao, but you're not too strong. Neither are you, Wakaba."
"But if Natsu's in charge, then who will handle the more difficult requests?" asked Alzack. "Without our S-Class mages, somebody needs to complete these jobs."
The conversation continued on for a while, becoming heated. Ultimately, the debate devolved into a standard Fairy Tail brawl, though Natsu found it less entertaining without Gray, Elfman, or any of the others who could actually give him a good fight. Afterwards, the discussion started again. This cycle repeated two more times before they came to a decision.
In the end, it was decided that Natsu Dragneel would become Fairy Tail's 4th guild master, but only as a figurehead. Macao Conbolt and Wakaba Mine, Natsu's new advisors, would handle most of the actual work while the dragon slayer completed jobs too challenging for anybody else. However, not every duty could just be… "delegated."
For the tasks that could only be performed by the guild master (such as approving new members and attending important meetings), Natsu would have Macao and Wakaba by his side… "strongly suggesting" certain courses of action.
Unfortunately, these duties would prevent Natsu from taking any particularly time-intensive jobs, such as jobs outside the country or the 100-year quest. But the guild would function, at least until Makarov and the Tenrou group eventually returned. Hopefully.
"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Natsu told Millianna and Happy as they walked home. "I get to do my first solo S-Class Job!"
"I'm happy for you, mya!" said Millianna, who was now a Fairy Tail mage. It had been her idea, a way to help keep the guild around for when Erza returned. "But please be careful. We just lost so many people, including Er-chan. I don't want to lose you too."
"S-Class Jobs are very dangerous," added Happy.
"Right," replied Natsu, calming down. "If I want help keep Fairy Tail afloat, I need to…"
Natsu trailed off as he began sniffing the air. Then, he shifted into a fighting stance.
"Come out! I know you're there!" yelled Natsu. "I can smell you!"
Happy and Millianna looked at Natsu in confusion, until a voice rang out.
"Impressive. I didn't expect the Salamander's nose to be so strong. I wonder, is it an effect of your magic or an innate skill?"
The owner of the voice walked out from behind a tree, along with another person. They were both women, though the quiet one was younger and short. The older woman continued talking.
"Calm down, I'm not here for a fight," she said to Natsu. "My name is Ultear, and my friend here is Meredy. We're former members of Grimoire Heart. During our attack on Tenrou Island, the members of your guild convinced us to leave the dark guild. We came here to give our condolences for their deaths."
"Nice to meet you," said Meredy, waving at the trio.
"If you were there," spoke Natsu, full of hostility. "Then how come you're here right now?"
"We left before we knew about Acnologia," responded Ultear, aware of what Natsu was implying. "Had we known what was coming, Meredy and I would have helped your guildmates to evacuate. But by the time we found out, our boat was too far away to help."
Natsu stared intently into Ultear's eyes, gauging her words. After a few seconds, he became convinced of her sincerity.
"Yeah, feeling powerless suck," conceded Natsu. "I never want to feel that way again."
Ultear smiled at his words, then made a proposition.
"I may be able to help you with that. Recently, I accidentally discovered a way to improve a person's magical power with my Time Arc. I can evolve a person's reserve of magical energy to awaken their dormant potential. I have not fully figured out the mechanics behind this process, but it does work. The only concern is that the process is incredibly painful."
"Why are you offering this to us," asked Millianna dubiously. After Jellel and the Tower, she was cautious about dark mages. The fact that two self-admitted former enemies were offering such an amazing gift rose many red flags.
"I have committed many sins in my life," answered Ultear. "This is how I intend to begin repenting. After, I plan to eliminate the remnants of my former guild."
It was obvious that there was more to her story, to the point that Natsu, Happy, and Millianna all realized this, but what Ultear did tell them was enough for Millianna.
"Okay," said the cat girl. "I believe you. Good luck."
"Thank you/Thanks," replied Ultear and Meredy.
"Well then, let's do this! I'm all fired up!" shouted Natsu.
"Me too!" added Happy, which caused everybody to look over at him in confusion (except Natsu, who just grinned at the Exceed's determination). "If Natsu's getting a power-up then I should too! For Fairy Tail!"
"Yeah, me three!" went Millianna, inspired by Happy.
Ultear shrugged and responded. "Very well. I will awaken Natsu's and Happy's dormant magical power now. However, it is unwise to perform this spell on a pregnant woman. I have no idea what repercussions there could be."
"Then come back after I've given birth," countered Millianna. "Fairy Tail's my nakama now, and I want to be able to help out, mya!"
"Okay," agreed Ultear. "Natsu, Happy, let's begin."
The process was painful. Natsu and Happy regretted their decisions almost immediately, but the two persevered for the sake of their nakama. The next day, the remnants of Fairy Tail's Strongest Team left to complete their S-Class Job. With their Second Origins unlocked (though the term had not yet been coined), it would be far less life-threatening.
At the same time, Millianna visited the guild hall, searching for a job that she could perform. Even though her pregnancy ruled out any tasks that were too dangerous or physically demanding, the cat girl still wanted to help out.
Meanwhile, Ultear and Meredy left to hunt down the remains of Grimoire Heart, the next step of their atonement. Neither realized Millianna's connection to Jellel, nor did it occur to them to mention Ultear's role in Jellel's madness. In the future, they would regret this oversight.
Omake
"Master Ivan, it appears that Fairy Tail had appointed Natsu Dragneel as their 4th guild master," reported one of Raven Tail's mages.
"Tch. There's no way that foolish dragon slayer knows anything about Lumen Histoire," complained Ivan Dreyar, the son of Makarov and excommunicated member of Fairy Tail.
"Should we continue with our planned attack?" questioned Ivan's subordinate.
The plan he was referring to was Ivan's scheme to assault Fairy Tail immediately after Makarov and the others returned from S-Class Trial. Acnologia had thrown a wrench into that plot, leaving Raven Tail's members uncertain of whether their plan would continue forward.
"No," replied Ivan bluntly. "Without Lumen Histoire to acquire or Makarov to destroy, there's no point in attacking Fairy Tail."
"Besides," he continued. "I looked over our readings of what transpired at Tenrou Island and there was a spike in energy right before Acnologia's attack. Fairy Sphere was activated."
"What's Fairy Sphere?" asked the subordinate, more because he realized that Ivan wanted to explain it than out of actual curiosity.
"Fairy Sphere is one of the 'Three Great Fairy Magics' of Fairy Tail, an absolute defense," answered Ivan gleefully. "It may take years, but Makarov and the others will return. And when they do, I will destroy everything that doddering old man holds dear and force him to cough up Lumen Histoire to me! Mwahahahaha!"
AN: originally, I was going to have Natsu serve as a proper, albeit ineffective, guild master. He would have ended up failing often and getting overwhelmed with the work. However, the reviews by Kriim-Sauce786 asking for no GM Natsu made me think about this, and I realized that it was not in line with Natsu's character. Natsu is an adventurer, not a leader. Plus, it would be hard to explain how he is able to find the time to train while dealing with massive amounts of work.
However, despite Natsu being around and having his Second Origin open, Fairy Tail will decline. One powerful mage does not make a guild, especially since he cannot take on long-distance and long-term jobs. Even if he wasn't guild master, I can't imagine Natsu leaving behind his pregnant wife and unborn child for that long.
Next chapter will take place a few months later, beginning the second act of this story. Goodbye for now!