Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Hey everybody! So I decided to go with a light little filler just to bridge the gap between arcs. I enjoyed writing it so hopefully you all are as entertained as I was. Enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 73

"There it is!" Gracie cried. She was sitting on top of Nikolias' head as he flew through the air. As soon as the familiar scenery met her gaze, her face lit up and she immediately shifted to her hands and knees and pointed straight ahead. "I can see Magnolia! We made it home!"

Everyone on Nikolias' back all cheered. It had been a long few days for everyone and they all couldn't wait to be back in Fairy Tail where they could relax and unwind.

Sky crawled on her hands and knees up Nikolias' neck to get a better view from atop his head. She stopped beside Gracie and her eyes widened upon seeing the town of Magnolia bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. "It's incredible," she breathed.

"Ain't it though?" Gracie giggled.

"Is your guild filled with weirdos, too?" Ash asked uncomfortably as she hugged her body. She was still a bit traumatized from when the group made a stop at the Blue Pegasus guild to return the Tears of the Phoenix they borrowed. As soon as they entered the guild, Sky and Ash were both approached by three tall and well-dressed young men and bombarded with strange comments which seemed to be vain attempts at flirtation. Sky was completely oblivious to what was going on and thus remained unfazed, but Ash understood what was going on and wanted nothing more than to light their hair on fire. And to make matters worse, a short orange haired man was sniffing her and commenting on her "parfum" which made her skin physically crawl.

"I know Ichiya is…a lot to take in," Erza said, "and Hibiki, Ren, and Eve can be a bit forward, but they really are harmless."

"Don't worry; you'll love everyone in Fairy Tail," Levy assured.

Ash groaned. "I guess I'll take your word for it."

"So Ash, why did you and your sister want to come with us?" Mira asked.

Ash blushed as she looked away. "You're gonna make me repeat myself? Geez. I already told you that you all seem really close. Like a real family. Sky and I never had that experience before. We've only had each other."

"What happened to your parents?" Lucy asked.

"They died in an accident when Sky and I were really young," Ash explained sadly. "We were homeless. We were hungry. We barely had anything to wear. Not only that, but people beat us. They were so cruel for no reason. We never did anything to them."

"So why'd you join up with Jarvan?" Natsu asked.

Tears began to fill the corners of her eyes. "When we were around 12 years old, someone tried to rape Sky."

"That's awful," Mira said as she put a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder.

"I did everything I could to stop him, but I was so weak," Ash rasped. "He was beating her badly and there was nothing either of us could do to stop him. But just before he could sexually assault her, Mas…I mean Jarvan showed up and killed the man. He saved Sky. Then he offered us a place to stay where we could sleep and eat and wear clean clothes. All we had to do was follow his orders. We were thankful to him and the deal was just too good to pass up. After a few years, he asked us to be part of an experiment he was working on. He said it was the perfect way to repay him for his hospitality. We owed him our lives so we went along with it."

"And that's how you got your abilities," Erza assumed.

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"Weren't you scared?" Levy asked.

Ash shook her head. "No. We both wanted strength and Jarvan gave us that strength, that power we so desperately wanted. We could finally protect ourselves and each other."

"That's quite the story," Gray said. "You guys sure went through a lot."

"But you don't have to worry anymore," Mira said with a smile. "You may have strength now, but you also will gain new friends at Fairy Tail who will look out for you."

Ash smiled. "Sky told me that Nikolias said we were both worth protecting. No one has ever said anything like that to us before."

"Niky speaks the truth you know," Gracie said as she winked over her shoulder at Ash. "You're gonna be part of the Fairy Tail family after all."

"Family," Sky breathed with a faint blush and a big smile.

Gracie threw her arms around Sky and giggled. "Yep!"

"Hang on, everybody," Nikolias called out. "I'm about to land near Fairy Tail, but I haven't done so yet at the new place so it may be a bit rough."

"'Kay!" Gracie sang. She cupped her hand over her face. "This is your captain speaking. Please keep all hands and feet inside of the dragon at all times as we begin our descent. Thank you."

Nikolias huffed as he angled his body downwards. "Who died and made you captain? And wait a second, I'm not a ship!"

Sky giggled. "Funny."

Nikolias flapped his powerful wings as he slowly landed on the ground. He then lowered his body as everyone hopped off.

"We made it home!" Lucy said happily.

Kinana was outside hanging up sheets to dry. Upon hearing the sound of flapping wings and feeling the sudden strong wind, she whipped around with a large smile on her face. "You're all back! And you found Nikolias!"

Everyone inside of the guild poured out and immediately ran up to Nikolias to welcome him back.

"Yep! Mission accomplished!" Gracie said with a large smile.

Kinana noticed the two new faces hiding in the back close to Nikolias' shoulder. "Who are those two? New friends of yours?"

"Yeah!" Gracie said as she ran to Sky and Ash. She pushed the two girls forward slightly. "Everyone, meet Sky and Ash. They're our new guild members!"

Makarov and Macao walked to the front of the group. "New guild members, huh?" Macao said with a smile. "They're pretty cute."

"Watch it, perv!" Ash shouted as her face turned red.

Macao laughed. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. Are they sure they wanna join a fallen guild like ours?"

"Yes we're sure," Sky spoke up shyly. "Thanks to Gracie, we were given our freedom."

"I was just kidding," Macao said with a laugh as he extended his hand. "Name's Macao. I'm the fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail. It's nice to meet you, Sky and Ash. Glad to have you aboard." Sky and Ash shook his hand. "In time I'm sure you'll get to know everyone, but for now why not just come inside and relax?"

"Thank you," both girls said while bowing. Everyone started making their way inside. Gracie led the group excitedly like the leader of a marching band. Mira waited behind with Nikolias as shadows surrounded him. However, the twins were too nervous to move.

The shadows around Nikolias vanished as he returned to his human form. He put a hand on each girl's shoulder and smiled at them. "Come on, there's nothing to be scared of. Just be yourselves and you'll be fine."

"Be ourselves?" Sky said.

"Yeah! Just be the kind girls that I'm sure you are," Nikolias said as he began gently pushing them forward.

Sky and Ash were both blushing furiously. "You think we're kind?" Ash asked quietly.

"Of course I do!"

Sky twiddled her thumbs as her gaze fell to the ground. Her face was beet red. "I guess as long as you're there we'll be alright," she said softly. She then hurried into the guild hall with Ash close behind her.

"It looks like you have two new fans," Mira said with a giggle as she linked arms with him. "It makes sense, though. You showed them kindness with your words. You're so sweet."

Nikolias sighed. "I just hope they adjust quickly. It can be difficult with the kind of past they had."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

He smiled as he pulled Mira into an embrace. "Yeah I'm sure they will."

She buried her face in his warm chest, listening to the relaxing rhythm of his heartbeat. "I'm so glad you're safe. I missed you."

"I missed you, too." He backed up and scooped Mira into his arms bridal style and kissed her soft lips. "I missed that, too."

She moved her head close to his ear. "Well then maybe tonight we should have a private welcome home party," she whispered gently.

He blushed at the thought. "I think that sounds awesome."

"Good," she giggled as Nikolias carried her inside. As soon as they entered, Lisanna came skipping up.

"Sister! I almost forgot to tell you," Lisanna said. She was gripping a small piece of paper in her hand.

"What is it?" Mira asked as Nikolias put her down.

Lisanna held out the paper. "You got a message while you were away."

"Oh?" Mira said in surprise as she took the paper and read it over. Her eyes widened. "It's from Sorcerer's Weekly!"

"Sorcerer's Weekly?" Nikolias repeated as he looked over Mira's shoulder. "Isn't that the name of the magazine that you told me you model for?"

"Yes it is," Mira said. "This says they'd like me to come in for a shoot on the 16th. That's tomorrow!"

"Wow, crazy good timing," Nikolias said.

"This would be your first shoot since before the Tenrou incident," Lisanna said with a smile.

"Yes it would be!" Mira said excitedly.

"You plan on going?" Nikolias asked.

She nodded emphatically. "I do."

"Mind if I tag along?" he asked. "I'd love to see you in action."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You want to see me in action, huh? Are you sure you don't just want to see me wearing swimsuits while striking sexy poses?"

"Of course not. The thought never crossed my mind," he replied with a grin.

She giggled. "Of course you can come. It'll be fun!"

"Great! I look forward to it," he said.

Over at the bar, Makarov and Macao were sitting with Gracie, Sky, and Ash.

"You're more than welcome to live in the guild for as long as you'd like," Makarov said. "Make yourselves at home."

"Thank you very much," Ash said with a bow of her head.

"This is great!" Gracie squealed as she thrust her drink in the air. "We're gonna be roommates!"

"Yay!" Sky cheered.

"You live in the guild, too, Gracie?" Ash asked.

"Yup. Been living in the guild ever since Niky and I joined," Gracie said. "Haven't found a place of my own yet."

"Have you even looked?" Macao sweatdropped.

"This'll be so much fun!" Gracie exclaimed, ignoring Macao's question. She leapt from her seat and stretched. "Well I am beyond beat. It's been such a long and exhausting few days so I'm gonna crash. I'll show you two to your room if you'd like."

"Okay," Sky said as she stood.

"I could sleep," Ash said as she stood as well. The three girls all made their way to the back where the spare bedrooms were set up.

"You think they'll be okay here?" Macao asked.

Makarov took a gulp of his beer. "Give them time. They'll feel right at home before you know it."

"We don't know much about them."

"We'll get a report from Erza later. She'll fill us in."

"Right." Macao looked around as the returning group mingled with everyone and smiled. "I'm glad everyone's home safe again."

"It certainly is a wonderful thing," Makarov agreed as he took another swig. "Let's just hope the peace lasts a little longer this time."


THE NEXT DAY

"Gooooood morning!" Gracie said with a salute.

Ash rubbed her sleepy eyes as she stared blankly at Gracie. She had been awoken by loud knocking and when she trudged her way to the door and opened it, Gracie was beaming at her. "Gracie? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"It's like 8:30, right?" Gracie said. "That means it's time to rise and start the day!"

"Ash, who is it?" Sky asked sleepily from the comfort of her sheets. She had yet to even open her eyes.

"It's Gracie," Ash answered.

"What does she want?"

"She wants us to wake up."

"Can she come back in 5 hours?"

Gracie huffed as she stomped her way into the room. She threw the sheets off of Sky. "I said GOOOOOOD MORNING!"

Sky groaned. "Noooooo."

Gracie chuckled softly as she cracked her knuckles. "Defy me, would you? Alright then. Prepare yourself!" She lunged at Sky's sides and tickled her mercilessly.

Sky burst out laughing as she writhed underneath Gracie's dancing fingers. "Stop!" she begged.

"Not until you wake up," Gracie said with a smile.

Tears were forming in her eyes as she flailed about. "I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"Are you sure?"

"Y…Yes!"

Gracie stopped her assault. "Then let's go!"

Sky slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "That was mean."

"Yet necessary," Gracie said as she made her way to Ash. She grinned evilly at her. "Are you wide awake and ready to start the day, Ash?"

Ash nodded vigorously. "Yes I am. I'm awake and ready to go. Just please don't tickle me."

Gracie giggled. "Glad to hear it. Get changed and we'll walk to the main room together, 'kay?"

"'Kay," both twins said monotonously as Gracie closed the door.

A few minutes later, the twins came out fully dressed. The three girls then made their way to the main room, Gracie easily being the most chipper of the group. Upon entering, they saw a fairly barren guild. Makarov, Macao, and Erza sat at the bar talking. Mira was manning the bar while Nikolias stood beside her. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Gray sat at a table eating breakfast.

"Everyone else gets to sleep," Ash complained.

"The people who are awake are the ones who don't wanna waste a single moment!" Gracie said. "That or they have to work."

Sky tugged on the back of Gracie's black tank top. "What should we do?"

"Do what feels natural!" Gracie said.

Sky held on tighter to Gracie's shirt. "I'll stick with you."

"If that's what you wanna do," Gracie shrugged. "I'm gonna go sit with Natsu, Lucy, and Gray."

The three girls made their way to the table. Lucy looked up from her food and waved at them. "Good morning! You're up early."

"I could say the same to you," Gracie said as she sat down. Sky and Ash sat on either side of her. "I'm surprised to see Natsu awake. Not as surprising as seeing Niky awake, but still surprising."

Natsu swallowed the large amount of food in his mouth and grinned. "That's because I'm excited!" he exclaimed.

"Excited for what?" Gracie asked.

"Natsu said he was going to take me on a picnic in South Gate Park underneath the Sola Tree around lunchtime," Lucy said with a blush.

"Oh, very romantic," Gracie giggled. "Kudos, Natsu."

"Thanks," Natsu said sheepishly while scratching his head.

"I'm surprised you thought of that," Gray said.

"Oh shut it, snowflake!" Natsu spat.

Gray slammed his hands on the table. "Why don't you make me?"

Gracie tugged on Gray's shirt and forced him to sit. "It's too early for this." She leaned on the table and smiled at Natsu. "Seems like quite the date. Mind if I tag along?"

Natsu looked at Lucy. "What do you think?"

"It's fine with me," Lucy said with a smile. "Happy was going to come along anyway, so it's not like we were going to be alone. Besides, it'll be fun! Sky and Ash, you two are more than welcome to come, too."

"Thank you," Sky said.

"I guess a picnic sounds okay," Ash said.

"I'm coming too," Gray said.

"Oh no you're not!" Natsu shouted.

"Relax, Natsu," Gracie said as she ruffled Gray's hair. "I'll keep stripper boy in check. It'll be fine."

"Watch it, Gracie," Gray growled.

"Fine," Natsu huffed.

"So a nice little picnic for seven," Lucy said. "I'll have to prepare more food than I thought."

"Bring extra fish, too!" Happy added.

Lucy sighed. "We don't need extra fish. There will be plenty so don't worry."

Gracie noticed out of the corner of her eye that Nikolias and Mira were heading for the door, Mira with a large bag on her shoulder. "Hey you two!" she called over with a wave. The two noticed her and walked over. "Feel like going on a picnic later?"

"Sorry Gracie, but we can't," Mira said apologetically. "I got called into work and Nikolias is coming with me to watch."

Gracie pouted. "Darn. Well alright, can't be helped. Behave yourself, Niky."

"Oh shut it," Nikolias said. "Enjoy your picnic, everyone." With that, the two left the guild.

Gracie leaned back. "Seven it is then."

"That's okay," Lucy said. "It's plenty of people."

Gracie stood. "Hey Lucy. Let's go back to your place and start making some food!"

Lucy giggled and stood. "That's a good idea. Let's go!"

Gracie pumped her fist. "Alright! Now I'm super excited!"


"So this is a photo shoot, huh?" Nikolias asked as he looked around. He and Mira were standing on Akane Beach where the message told them to go. Fancy and strange looking photography equipment was set up near a rock face at the back of the beach. People were scrambling about to get everything set up.

"You've never been to one before?" Mira asked.

"Uh uh," he replied while watching people run around. "Wow, they all look freaked out."

She giggled. "It can be a bit stressful at times. The photographer likes everything a certain way. Come on, let's go."

"Lead the way." Nikolias followed Mira while watching everyone run about. A few people who noticed them stopped and stared with wide eyes. Some of them even started to whisper amongst each other. Of course, with his dragon hearing he could pick up everything that was said.

"Is that the Mirajane?"

"Wow, she looks no different from seven years ago."

"She's still drop dead gorgeous!"

"I'm so jealous of her! If only I could look like her."

"Who's that guy with her?"

"Is that her boyfriend?"

"No way, he's gotta be a bodyguard or something."

"Who cares who he is? He is beyond hot!"

"Maybe he's a model, too?"

"If he is I wanna buy every spread he's ever been in."

Mira gently touched his chest, snapping him out of his focus on eavesdropping. "See that man over there? He's the photographer I work with."

Nikolias looked ahead and saw a man wearing khaki shorts and a festive red T-shirt. He had short, spiked bleach blonde hair and a short dirty blonde goatee. He was wearing sunglasses as he spoke with some people and adjusted some cameras. "I see."

"His name is Zee. Come on, I'll introduce you!" Mira said as she pulled him along by the hand. "Zee!"

Zee turned around and smiled. "Mirajane Strauss! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! My God, you haven't changed a bit!"

Mira stopped in front of him and gave him a quick hug. "It's been forever! I was so glad to receive your message."

"Well when I heard that you came back, I wanted to have you in front of my camera again! The new girls are great, but you're a fan favorite! So I pulled some strings and finally got you back in the circuit. Yes, I know I'm amazing."

Mira giggled. "You truly are."

Zee lowered his sunglasses down his face to look at Nikolias over his rims. "And who might this young stud be?"

Mira gestured to Nikolias. "This is Nikolias."

"Nikolias, eh?"

Nikolias held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Zee."

"Just Zee is fine," Zee replied while shaking his hand. "Mirajane, baby, don't tell me you're dating this guy. Please."

Nikolias withdrew his hand. 'Ouch.'

Mira giggled as she linked her arm with Nikolias' arm. "Sorry to disappoint, but Nikolias is in fact my boyfriend."

Zee ran a hand through his hair. "I gotta say, Mirajane, you'll be making a lot of our readers upset when they find out."

"I know."

Nikolias huffed quietly. 'I'm not the least bit sorry, so there.'

Zee clapped his hands together. "Well enough chit chat. Let's get this show on the road! Change into your swimsuit quickly now."

Mira nodded. "Alright. I'll be a few minutes." She took off for a nearby changing room.

Zee stared at Nikolias intently. "So you're dating the legendary Mirajane Strauss, eh?"

"That's right," Nikolias said.

Zee hummed. "Well you're certainly attractive enough for it."

"Umm…thanks I guess?"

Zee walked around Nikolias. "Yes, you certainly have an interesting vibe going on."

"Vibe?"

"You scream sex appeal."

"What?"

"You ever modeled before?"

"Nope."

"You should."

"Nope."

"Oh come now. What's the harm?"

"I'm ready!" Mira called out.

Nikolias turned and his face immediately went red. Mira was wearing an orange frilly bikini top that barely contained her large breasts. The matching bottoms were very tight and hugged her shapely backside. He gulped. "Hot damn."

"You've still got it, Mirajane!" Zee cried. He clapped his hands. "Alright everybody! We're getting started!" Crew members sprinted to their stations upon command. He winked at Mira. "You know what to do, Mirajane."

Mira nodded and made her way to the center of the set. Nikolias stood off to the side where he could watch, his eyes glued to Mira the entire time.

"Take it away, Mirajane!"

Mira giggled as she started striking poses. Zee was snapping photos like a madman, the sounds of clicking and the bright flashes going off every second. Mira continued to strike various poses, displaying her glorious body with a smile and a sparkle in her eyes.

Nikolias watched in wonder. 'She looks so comfortable out there. A total natural. Wow.' He smiled warmly. 'I really am lucky.'

"Costume change! Bring out the dress, Mirajane," Zee said.

Mira nodded and ran to get her new outfit on. After a few minutes, she came out wearing a pale blue summer dress. The top had a low cut that showed off a lot of cleavage and hugged her breasts tightly. The bottom was very loose and blew in the sea air. She ran to the center of the set and continued to follow Zee's commands for what pose to take. Meanwhile, Nikolias still could not take his eyes off of his stunning girlfriend.

Roughly three minutes passed before Zee lowered his camera. "Okay, okay, we've got enough shots," he said as he turned and grinned at Nikolias. "You're up now, sport."

Nikolias blinked. "Say what?"

"I want some shots of you and Mirajane together," Zee explained. "You two are, like, the most attractive couple in the world! Men and women alike will love the spread if you two are in it together. God, I'm such a genius!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nikolias said as he stepped back. "I'm not a model. There's no way I'd be comfortable out there. Besides, I guarantee that I would just hold Mira back."

"Nonsense!" Zee said. "You'll be great!"

"Oh yes, please!" one of the female crew members said.

"Let us take pictures of you!" another cried.

"It'd be a waste to not photograph such a handsome man," a third added.

"I'm still against it," Nikolias refused.

Mira giggled as she ran up to Nikolias. She took his hand. "Don't worry about it. You'll have fun!"

"I highly doubt that."

"Just a few shots. Please? For me?" Mira said with a pouty lip.

"Oh come on. That's so unfair," Nikolias groaned. He couldn't say no to that face.

"So you'll do it?" she asked. She could tell by the look on his face that she had him.

"Yeah I'll do it," he relented.

"Yay! This will be so fun!" she exclaimed as she pulled him to the center of the set.

"So what exactly do I have to do?" Nikolias asked.

"We'll try three different poses," Zee said. "Whichever one I like best will go in the magazine. Let's start with you holding Mirajane in your arms bridal style."

Nikolias nodded. "Okay."

"Oh, and take off your shirt."

Nikolias froze. "Take off my what? You want me to strip?"

"Nikolias, people wanna see skin! Come on, show us what's underneath that black T-shirt!" Zee exclaimed while giving a thumbs up.

Nikolias looked at Mira. "He's serious, isn't he?"

Mira giggled. "As a heart attack."

Nikolias groaned. "This so sucks," he complained as he pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his toned upper body. The girls manning the equipment nearly fainted. He tossed his shirt off to the side and crossed his arms. "There, I'm half naked."

"You sure are a shy one," Zee commented, "but look at that body! You were born for this! Alright, pick her up and let's get shooting!"

Nikolias bent down and scooped Mira into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled at him. He smiled back, but he couldn't hide his discomfort at being photographed like this.

Mira kissed his cheek. "You'll be fine. Just relax and smile. Remember I'm here with you."

"I'll try."

"Good!" she said while resting her head on his left shoulder and smiling at the camera. Nikolias smiled at the camera as well.

"Beautiful!" Zee cried as he began taking pictures from various angles. "Just like my vision!" After about a minute, he stopped. "Okay, now I want to see Mirajane riding on your shoulders."

Nikolias put Mira down and knelt on the ground. Mira climbed up onto his shoulders and his body shuddered at feeling her smooth thighs on his neck. "Hold on tight," he said as he slowly stood up, his strong hands gently holding the top of her thighs.

"Fantastic! Now I want this to be more of a candid shot, so look at each other like you're having a fun day at the beach," Zee explained.

Nikolias looked up at Mira who was smiling sweetly at him. Without having to look at the camera, he felt much more at ease, especially since he was looking into Mira's sapphire blue eyes. He could feel his whole body loosen up. He returned the smile and the sounds of the camera clicked away.

"Magnificent! I can feel the love through the camera!" Zee exclaimed. "Mirajane, lean forward a little more…and Nikolias, flex those muscles…perfect! Okay, moving on!"

Nikolias knelt back down and Mira slid off. She took his hand and smiled at him. "You're doing great!"

"Only because I have you beside me," he replied softly.

"Final pose time!" Zee cried. "I want to truly capture the love you feel. We're going for an almost kiss!"

"An almost kiss?" Nikolias repeated.

"Yes! Bring your faces close to one another like you're about to kiss. However, I want you to hold it when you're just centimeters from closing the gap!" Zee explained.

"What kind of pose is that?" Nikolias asked.

"Just roll with it! Trust me; the readers will love it!" Zee said while pumping his fist.

Nikolias was about to refute that latest fact when he felt his face being pulled to the left. He was suddenly looking right at Mira, their faces inches from each other. She smiled at him. "Just look at me," she breathed.

He nodded. "Okay."

She leaned in slightly until her lips were almost brushing against his. "Hold right here. Think you can do it?"

He licked his dry lips and gulped as he wrapped his arms around the small of her back. "Not even a little."

She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm getting shivers!" Zee exclaimed as he began taking pictures.

Nikolias was doing everything he could to fight his urges. She was so close. All he had to do was move a little bit and he could capture those wonderful, sweet lips. 'This Zee person could have a future in torture. This is unbearable. God, is it almost over?'

Mira's breathing was heavy and her heart was almost beating out of her chest. 'I want to kiss him. He's so close. I want him to just kiss me already!'

After what felt like ages for the two Fairy Tail members, Zee let his camera fall to his side and he grinned. "All set! That's a wrap people!" Zee barely got the first syllable out before Nikolias pulled Mira to him to close the small gap between them, capturing her in a fiery and passionate kiss. She gasped and moaned at feeling his tongue dart into her mouth and glide over her tongue. Zee raised an eyebrow. "Impatient much?" He then lifted his camera and snapped a quick photo. "You just can't recreate this kind of passion. You two are my shining stars!"


"That was delicious," Sky sighed in satisfaction as she patted her stomach.

"I've seriously never eaten so much good food," Ash said as her eyes shone in absolute bliss.

"I'm so glad you liked it all," Lucy giggled. She was running her fingers through Natsu's hair as he lay with his head on her lap, satisfied and stuffed after eating so much. "Gracie worked really hard to make all of this with me."

Gracie winked. "I'm a natural in the kitchen!"

"Was that your first time cooking?" Happy asked as he munched on what was his eighth fish of the afternoon.

"No. I cooked with Niky when we were traveling together before we came here," Gracie said before bursting out laughing. "Niky may be able to do a lot of things well, but cooking is not one of them! The one time he tried cooking for us, he nearly blew up our campsite!"

"Wow, what was he trying to do?" Lucy asked.

Gracie was crying from laughter as she remembered the incident. "He was trying to cook raw meat over a fire and it just went BOOM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She rolled on the ground while holding her stomach. "I can't breathe!"

Lucy laughed nervously. "Sounds an awful lot like Natsu during any fight. Somehow something always explodes."

Gray shoveled the last of his pie into his mouth. "They were both just born for destruction."

Gracie sat up and glared at him. "Like you can talk!" She then noticed a small bit of whipped cream on his cheek. She ran her finger along his skin and scooped it up before placing it in her mouth. She hummed in delight. "Damn Lucy, you sure can make an awesome whipped cream. It's so light!"

Gray blushed. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Gracie looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "What? It's not my fault you don't know how to get food into your mouth without getting it on your face."

"You could have just told me to wipe it off!" he exclaimed.

"What's the big deal?" Gracie asked. "You're not gonna die. Or maybe you would have preferred I lick it off?"

Gray's entire face went red. "What the…no way!"

"Then I don't see the problem."

Gray crossed his arms. "That's not the point," he grumbled.

"Well then make sure to let me know when you figured out your point," Gracie said.

Natsu sat up and pumped his fist. "That was good eating! Now I'm ready to let off some steam!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered with another fish in his paw.

Lucy sighed. "I should have figured. It had been too peaceful for too long."

Natsu smiled at her. "Sorry Luce, but I can smell that Nikolias and Mira are coming back! Maybe Nikolias will fight me!"

"Why would you want to fight Nikolias?" Sky asked. "He's so nice."

"Here in Fairy Tail, we like to spar for fun," Gracie said. "It keeps us sharp. You may even want to spar with someone at some point."

"Oh," Sky said. "I don't really get it, but as long as Natsu's not being mean to Nikolias."

Gracie giggled. "You kidding? Those two are practically brothers."

After a few moments, Nikolias and Mira appeared, walking down the road hand in hand. Natsu leapt to his feet. "HEY NIKOLIAS!"

Nikolias and Mira stopped and looked to see Natsu frantically waving his arms. Mira giggled. "I bet I know what that's about."

"Yeah, I bet I know, too," Nikolias said as the two made their way over to the group's picnic spot.

"Hey Niky! Hey Mira! How was the photo shoot?" Gracie asked.

"It was a lot of fun!" Mira said. "It was great to be back."

"Glad to hear it," Lucy said. "You two are more than welcome to stay and have something to eat."

"Thank you, Lucy," Mira said as she had a seat. "Everything looks delicious."

"Before that, let's have a fight, Nikolias!" Natsu shouted as he lit his hands on fire.

"No way," Nikolias said as he sat down beside Mira.

Natsu's hands went out. "But why not?"

"I'm beyond exhausted and I'm starving," Nikolias said as he wolfed down a sandwich. "Maybe another time, alright?"

Natsu sat down and pouted. "Man, I was really itching for a fight."

"Just relax," Lucy said. "So tell us what happened on the set today."

Mira began telling the group everything that happened on set. Gracie laughed when she heard that Nikolias was pulled on set, which made Nikolias grumble in annoyance. Once she finished her story, the group finished up the rest of the food before heading back to the guild.

Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand and kissed his cheek as they walked. "Thank you for today, Natsu. It was a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you liked it," Natsu said with his signature grin. "I was hoping you would enjoy a quiet day like that."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It was very thoughtful." She sighed happily. "Finally some peace."


There was a church, bathed in red hot flames that illuminated the night sky. Members of the church stood outside in fear as they watched their beloved sanctuary burn to the ground.

"It's close!" a strange, altered voice exclaimed. The voice was coming from an odd figure wearing a large bear mask. It had robotic arms and an odd lever attached to its torso. "So very close! Time ticks forward on toward inevitable chaos! HAHAHA!" The strange figure laughed maniacally as the flames danced around, burning everything in their path.


An old man woke up with a start as he sat up in his bed. His eyes were wild and he was panting heavily as he sweated profusely. Even with the dim light from the four candles in his bed chambers, the fear was evident in his eyes. "That dream," he rasped. "Not again." He gripped his head and leaned forward. "Time ticks forward on toward inevitable chaos!"


So this officially marks the beginning of the Starry Sky arc! Sorry to anyone who wanted me to skip this arc. It just fits in to my plans for the story. I'll try to make it enjoyable!

See you next time when the Key of the Starry Sky arc gets into full swing!