Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 74
"You're absolutely certain of this, Lahar?" Gran Doma asked. He was standing upon his pedestal in the chamber of the Magic Council.
"Yes," Lahar said with a nod. He was being projected to the Magic Council Heads via lacrima. "I'm very sorry, sir, but despite our best efforts it appears that the church in the Akaza region burned to the ground yesterday morning."
Gran Doma sighed. "That makes over 30 incidents already. And yet despite all the chaos, the identity of the perpetrator still eludes you?"
"We're analyzing pieces of the building now, but we still have no solid leads to report," Lahar said.
Org stroked his beard in thought. "Other lands have taken notice of this as well. The only way for us to save face is to find and capture whoever is behind this quickly."
"At this rate, the reputation of the Custody Enforcement Unit will be ruined and the Council's right along with it," Gran Doma said. He narrowed his eyes at Lahar. "Do not fail, Lahar. Understood?"
Lahar bowed his head. "Understood, sir," he replied before cutting communications.
Gran Doma gripped his staff tighter. "What an awful time for this to be happening."
"Ready?" Natsu asked, a hoe raised above his shoulder and a large grin on his face.
Nikolias nodded while cocking back his dragon arms. He flexed his talons twice and chuckled. "You bet."
"On your mark! Get set! GO!" Happy cheered. As soon as he did, the two began digging through the dirt of the small farmland beside the guild, Natsu with his hoe and Nikolias with his claws.
"Geez, what are those two doing?" Elfman asked. His shirt was tied around his waist and a hoe was resting on his shoulder as he watched the two spew dirt about.
"They're having a race to see who can till the soil in their section faster," Happy explained while watching intently. "Go Natsu! You can win!"
"Thanks, buddy! I got this!" Natsu shouted as dirt flew into the air with each strike of the hoe.
"I'm not gonna be that easy to beat!" Nikolias shouted back as he swung his claws swiftly, raking the dirt deeply with each blow.
"Only they could turn this into a game," Lisanna said with a giggle.
"But it certainly makes the chore more fun," Mira added with a smile.
"This is a real man's work," Elfman said. "It shouldn't be fun. It's meant to make you tough!"
"Oh don't be like that," Mira said. "As long as the job gets done it's not hurting anybody."
"Done!" Nikolias cried as he reached the end of his section. He was covered in dirt as he smiled triumphantly over the perfectly cultivated piece of land.
"Aw man, no fair!" Natsu complained as he drove his hoe into the ground and leaned on the shaft. "You got to use your claws!"
"You didn't call 'no claws', so it's completely fair," Nikolias said.
Mira ran over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Congratulations on your victory! Of course now you're all filthy."
Nikolias shrugged. "Eh, a little dirt never killed anybody." He then smiled mischievously and leaned his forehead against hers. "If you'd like to help me wash up, you're more than welcome to."
Mira captured his lips. "Sounds like fun," she purred.
"Come on, Mira," Elfman called over. "We have to finish up quickly and head to the church."
Mira giggled. "Yeah I know."
"The church? What do you have to do there?" Nikolias asked.
"They want the final decision on what we're doing about Lisanna's grave," Elfman replied.
"Lisanna's WHAT?" Nikolias shouted as he took a step back.
"We never told you?" Mira asked.
Nikolias was staring at Lisanna with wide eyes. "Uh uh."
"We actually thought we lost Lisanna years ago," Mira explained. "It happened on a mission. We thought she died, but in reality she was taken to another world known as Edolas; a parallel world to ours. Long story short, Lisanna ended up returning to us."
Nikolias scratched his head. "I feel like there's a lot missing from that story, but it's okay. I still need to wrap my head around what I just heard."
"Anyway," Mira continued, "the church wants our decision because it's pretty pointless to have it up since Lisanna's still alive."
"Plus I'd rather not have to keep looking at it," Elfman huffed.
"There is always the option to leave it up as a monument to the day she came back home," Mira suggested. "Although changing it could be pretty pricey."
"Oh yeah! Speaking of the church, this is a special time for them isn't it?" Lisanna spoke up.
"Special time?" Natsu repeated.
"The archbishop's coming to town," Elfman said.
"That is a big deal!" Happy said. "Doesn't he only show up every few years to perform some kind of big, important ritual?"
"Essentially," Mira said. "People make pilgrimages from all over the world, traveling miles and miles just to catch a glimpse of him."
"Really? For one guy?" Natsu asked incredulously.
"Geez Natsu. You really don't know anything," Happy laughed.
"Can it!" Natsu shouted.
Nikolias hummed. "An archbishop, huh? First I've heard of him, too. But if what you say is true, he really must be a big deal."
The sound of the bell at Kardia Cathedral rang through the air of Magnolia. A young girl with long, wavy, dark blonde hair strolled down the streets. She was wearing a pink, old-fashioned dress with a white sash around the waist and a pink frilly bonnet was tied on top of her head. Clutched tightly in her hands was a long brown case. She walked in silence, blue eyes focused on the road ahead.
"My God. There was another bombing?" Lucy said aloud as she read the newspaper. She was currently reading an article highlighting another church bombing. "What the hell is going on?"
Wendy, Carla, Gracie, and Happy sat with her as they ate their food.
Gracie looked over her shoulder. "Church bombings, huh? Sounds pointless if you ask me. I mean why bomb churches?"
Kinana walked over with another bowl of fish for Happy. "Did something bad happen?" she asked.
"Someone's been setting fire to churches," Wendy explained.
"A truly sadistic hobby," Carla noted.
Lucy was still reading the article when a particular face in the paper caught her eye. "Hey look! I know him! That's Lahar!"
"How do you know him?" Gracie asked.
"He works for the Council," she replied.
Gracie crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Damn Council."
"You still haven't forgiven them, have you?" Wendy asked.
"Nope and I never will," Gracie said. "I mean really. They almost took Niky from us!"
Happy looked at the picture. "Even after all this time he's still frowning. Hey Natsu, look!"
However, Natsu was fast asleep on the floor, snoring loudly.
Romeo was squatting beside him and chuckled. "He's really dead to the world, isn't he?"
Lucy sweatdropped. "He tends to be pretty oblivious."
"It's not his fault," Happy said. "He exhausted himself racing Nikolias at farming."
"How do you race someone at farming?" Lucy asked.
"They were seeing who could till soil faster."
Gracie giggled. "Sounds like fun!" She stood up and looked over at Nikolias, who was sitting at the bar that Mira was manning with Sky and Ash. "Hey Niky! Did you win?"
Nikolias turned his head to look at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about but sure. I won." Suddenly, a scent hit his nose. He froze as he sniffed the air. "This scent…I recognize it, but how?" he muttered to himself.
"Everything okay?" Ash asked, noticing Nikolias' behavior.
"Not sure," he replied.
"I can't believe people would set fire to churches," Happy said. "Times really have changed."
Wendy rested her chin on her hands. "It's been some time now, but I'm still having trouble catching up with everything."
"I know what you mean," Gracie said. "It feels like forever because of the Dragon Feast incident and then the clash with Jarvan, but in reality it's really only been a few weeks since we got back from Tenrou. I feel like I'm lagging behind everybody else."
Carla sighed. "The seven years we were asleep absolutely destroyed my clairvoyance. All I can see are fuzzy pictures if I ever try to use it."
"Wow. That's not good," Wendy said.
"Yes, it truly is quite annoying," Carla agreed.
Suddenly, Natsu snapped awake as he sniffed the air. He sat upright. "Huh. That's a weird smell."
"Hey! Sleeping Beauty has awoken!" Happy mocked.
"Hey Lucy!" Romeo called out. "You have a visitor!"
Everyone looked towards the door. Standing in the doorway was a young girl with long, wavy, dark blonde hair. She was wearing a pink, old-fashioned dress with a white sash around the waist and a pink frilly bonnet was tied on top of her head. Clutched tightly in her hands was a long brown case. Her dark blue eyes scanned the guild and she had a small smile on her face. Lucy blinked a few times as she looked at the girl, wondering who this visitor was and why they were looking for her.
Romeo stood behind the young girl and pointed at Lucy. "The blonde with the pigtails sitting over there is her."
"Thank you for the help, young man," the young girl said.
Natsu stood from the floor and crossed his arms, a confused look on his face. "Who's that girl?"
"No idea," Lucy replied.
"That's quite the fashion statement she's got going on," Gracie noted.
The young girl strolled into the guild and stopped in front of Lucy's table. "Excuse me, but are you Lucy Heartfilia?" she asked.
Lucy stood from her seat. "Yes ma'am, I'm a Heartfilia, but…who are you?"
"Who am…I?" the girl asked as her lip began to quiver. Tears began to fill her eyes and her brow furrowed. "H…How…," she stammered. She then burst into tears. "How could you forget your dear Michelle Lobster, you meanie?"
"What?" Lucy asked, taken aback by the girl's remark and how quickly she had started crying.
"Oh nice one, Lucy. You made poor Michelle Lobster cry," Gracie said.
"I didn't mean to!" Lucy snapped at her.
"Way to be a jerk, Lucy," Natsu said.
"Watch it!" she shot back at him.
"Wow, she's really crying," Wendy said in awe.
Michelle wiped her eyes and smiled again. "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have expected you to remember me. It's been such a long time after all."
Elfman walked over to Lucy and nudged her in the arm, a light blush on his face. "How could you forget a looker like that?"
Lucy glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. "Elfman, I hate you."
Nikolias, Mira, Sky, and Ash walked over as well. "What's going on over here?" Nikolias asked. He looked at the young visitor. 'This is definitely the scent I was picking up. Why do I know this smell? Where do I know it from? This is irritating.'
"Do you know this girl, Lucy?" Sky asked.
"I'm really not sure," Lucy said.
"Allow me to start over," Michelle said with a small giggle. "My name is Michelle Lobster of the Lobster family. It's good to see you again, big sister Lucy!"
"Hang on…," Lucy said.
"SISTER?!" everyone shouted simultaneously.
Nikolias smacked his forehead. "So that's where I knew the scent! It was a bit like Lucy's scent! Finally! Man that was gonna bug me all day if I didn't figure that out."
"I guess Lucy's dad was sewing wild oats on all of his business trips!" Happy exclaimed.
Michelle waved her hand. "Oh no, it's nothing like that. The Heartfilias and Lobsters are related, but Lucy and I aren't really sisters."
Nikolias narrowed his eyes. 'Not really sisters? Then…why is Lucy's scent mixed in with hers?'
"I see. So that makes you a distant relative of hers," Carla said.
"That makes more sense," Kinana said.
"Yeah they do seem different," Wendy noted.
Elfman's eyes scanned Michelle's gorgeous figure before resting on her large breasts. "Not entirely different," he muttered as his blush intensified.
"You're a perv," Ash said flatly.
Gracie sprang up and took Michelle's hand. "You're adorable! Hi there! I'm Gracie! Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Michelle said with a smile.
Natsu walked forward. "Huh. So first Gildarts and Cana are related and now Lucy has a shellfish for a daughter? What's going on?"
"Where did you get that idea?" Lucy shouted at him.
"Easy, I was kidding!" Natsu defended. "It was a joke, Luce. Don't freak out!"
Lucy sighed. "Honestly, Natsu…"
"Let's give these two time to talk," Mira said. Everyone nodded their agreement. Kinana went off to wait tables, Mira went back behind the bar, Wendy and Carla sat at a table, and Natsu, Happy, Elfman, Nikolias, Gracie, Sky, and Ash sat on the bar stools beside Lisanna watching Lucy and Michelle.
"So why do you call me big sister if we're not actually sisters?" Lucy asked.
"Because you're older than me, silly goose!" Michelle said with a giggle.
"I'm pretty sure that only explains the 'big' part and not the 'sister' part," Nikolias said.
Mira giggled. "That's true."
"Wait, I'm older?" Lucy asked. "I thought that you'd be older for sure."
"Oh that's alright," Michelle said.
Lisanna looked over at Natsu who was analyzing Michelle intensely. "What's the matter, Natsu? You look a little confused."
"I get it," Natsu said. "That girl is from the future! That's how Lucy's older!"
Lisanna laughed. "Not sure you actually get it."
"Yeah Natsu," Happy said. "Don't forget that we spent seven years on Tenrou Island!"
"Think about it like this," Gracie said as she lifted a finger. "Even though Lucy hasn't physically aged, the number of years she's been alive hasn't changed so she's technically older. Remember how I told Uncle Cliff that I was 24 but technically 31? It's like that." She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "I'm so smart."
Natsu's face froze as he tried to process all of that information.
Lisanna giggled as she patted his shoulder. "His poor brain can't handle all that, Gracie."
"That's our Natsu!" Mira said with a smile.
"He's not alone," Ash said as she crossed her arms. "I don't understand what you're saying at all."
"I'm very confused, too," Sky said.
"We'll explain another time," Lisanna promised.
Nikolias looked over at Elfman to see him still drooling over Michelle. He slapped his stomach. "How much longer do you plan on leering at the poor girl?"
"I'm not leering!" Elfman shouted as his entire face went red.
"Sure big guy," Nikolias said.
"Pervert," Sky breathed.
"I am not!" Elfman cried.
Michelle's eyes began to fill with tears again and her shoulders trembled. "At long last, I finally found you."
"Come on, don't cry!" Lucy begged. "Here, I'll take your case for you and you can relax after your trip."
Michelle sniffed. "Oh that's right. With all of my happiness in being reunited with you I almost forgot. I'm supposed to give this to you." She lunged at Lucy for a hug. "You're so thoughtful, Lucy!" However, she had dropped the case to hug her and it fell on her foot, causing her to cry out in pain. She fell to the ground as she rubbed her sore toe. "The whole point of my journey was to find you so that I could deliver that. Now if you don't mind…can I have some ice?"
Lucy stared at the case and started to pick it up. She grabbed the handle and pulled, but was surprised at how heavy it was. She could barely get it off the ground. "Holy shit! How have you been carrying this so easily?"
Elfman came running over as soon as he saw the incident. "A real man wouldn't have let such a heavy case fall on her foot!"
"Then you should have done something!" Lucy shouted at him.
Gracie laughed over at the bar. "Elfman has a crush on Michelle!" she sang.
"Shut up!" Elfman roared.
"Pervert," Sky breathed.
"Would you cut that out?" Elfman asked.
Wendy and Kinana walked over to help Lucy lift the case. "Wow you weren't kidding, Lucy. This thing is heavy!" Kinana said.
"Yeah, is it full of cement or something?" Wendy asked.
Natsu leaned forward on his seat. "Are they really related?"
"They're both blonde, busty, and have their own personal brand of crazy," Happy said. "Sounds like family to me."
The three girls managed to lift the case high enough to rest it on a table top. "Okay. So what's in this thing?" Lucy asked.
"I don't actually know," Michelle said as she stood back up and walked over. She looked sadly at the case. "The only thing I know is that your father wanted you to have it."
Lucy took a step back. "What?"
"I was his assistant until just a short while ago," Michelle explained. "This is the last errand I was to run for him. He passed this case on to me when he was on his deathbed." She looked up at Lucy. "So here we are. My last assignment from Mr. Jude has come to an end."
"His final moments," Lucy said softly, "and you were right there with him."
"He never stopped worrying about you after you went missing all those years ago," Michelle said, "but he was sure you were alive somewhere. It's because he held on to that hope that he asked me to find you and give you this memento. He went peacefully as if falling asleep and ever since then I've been searching for you. Finding you has been my sole purpose." She wiped away some stray tears. "And now it's all done." She smiled. "I think Mr. Jude will finally be able to rest in peace."
Gracie sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "That wasn't a sad story at all. Not one bit," she said with a shaky voice.
Elfman was crying rivers. "What are you talking about? That was so sad!"
Lucy looked back at the case. "So what's in it?"
"Like I said, I don't know. I was only told to deliver it so I never opened it to see what was inside," Michelle said.
"Thanks, Michelle," Lucy said gently.
"Well let's open it up!" Natsu said as he walked over.
"What?" Lucy said as she looked over at him.
"Don't leave her hanging. Michelle worked hard to get this thing over here. It would be nice to at least show her what she was carrying, don't you think?" Natsu said. "Come on, open it up!"
"Okay," Lucy said with a slow nod. She reached out for the case and unfastened the buckles. She slowly lifted the lid. She, Natsu, and Michelle all leaned forward to get a good look at what was inside. However, upon seeing it, Lucy's face fell. "Can I close it up again?"
The case was lined with red velvet and resting inside the velvet was a strange object wrapped tightly in old strips of cloth.
"That thing smells strange," Natsu said while wrinkling his nose. "Hey Nikolias, take a whiff of this."
"No thanks, I'm good over here," Nikolias replied. He was waving his hand in front of his face, trying to blow the smell away from him.
Lucy picked up the object and looked it over. "It's probably the cloth you smell."
Natsu sniffed it again. "No that's not it. It's got some kind of magic on it, but whatever it is it smells really old."
Carla took a step back, her face full of fear. Wendy noticed her friend's reaction. "What is it, Carla?" she asked.
Carla shook her head. "Oh…no it's…it's nothing."
Lucy placed the object on the table and began to carefully unwrap it from the cloth. Once the last piece had been removed, Lucy could only stare. "Michelle, what is this exactly?"
The object was long and brown metal. One end was large and circular like a gear. The rest was like a thin and zigzagged handle.
"I can only assume that it was something that Mr. Jude was very fond of," Michelle said. "Does it look familiar to you?"
"Not really," Lucy said while shaking her head. "I don't remember seeing anything like this around the house."
Natsu snapped his fingers and picked up the object. "It's gotta be a weapon!"
"I highly doubt it," Lucy said quickly.
"Oh I just remembered!" Michelle said while clapping her hands.
"I was right. It's totally a weapon," Natsu said.
"No it's not," Michelle said with a giggle.
"But you know what it is," Lucy said hopefully.
"No, it's just that I remembered that I haven't eaten anything in three days," Michelle replied as her stomach growled loudly.
Everyone nearly face planted into the ground.
Mira giggled. "I can make you something if you'd like."
"That would be very kind of you," Michelle said as she walked over and took an open seat at the bar. "I'm okay with anything."
"Am I the only one here who found that extremely misleading?" Gracie asked.
"I thought she remembered what the object was," Sky remarked.
"Hey Michelle," Lucy said. "After you have something to eat, I'll show you to my place."
"Oh that sounds wonderful!" Michelle exclaimed.
"You would take her away from us so soon?" Elfman asked in disappointment.
"She needs to be taken as far away from you as possible," Ash said.
"Hey that's mean!" Elfman cried.
"It's for her own safety," Sky added.
Elfman fell to his knees and sobbed. "So cruel…"
Lucy led Michelle down the street and along the river on their way to Lucy's apartment. Lucy carried the case that Michelle had brought for her.
"That guild of yours seems very fun," Michelle said.
"What, Dad never told you about it?" Lucy asked. "Fairy Tail is the most important thing that ever happened to me. I've met so many incredible people and made so many amazing friends."
"Well I knew you were in a guild, but you had vanished," Michelle said sadly.
"Yeah it was pretty crazy," Lucy said with a small laugh.
"I'm surprised you remained here even after everything that happened."
"Really? I wouldn't give it up for the world. Like I said, Fairy Tail's my life. I mean sure there are some trouble makers, but who cares about that? Everyone's so passionate. They all love their magic just as much as I love my Celestial Spirits. That's even true for Nikolias and Sky and Ash who don't use magic. We would do anything for one another. We're like family."
Michelle stopped walking and smiled. "I think Mr. Jude would be very happy to know that you found a home."
Lucy stopped and turned around with a smile. "I'd like to think so, too. I'm glad you're here, Michelle."
The two continued walking a bit farther down the road before Lucy stopped and turned to a building. "Ta da! Welcome to my humble abode!"
"Oh my!" Michelle said with a large smile.
"You know, it's because of Dad that I can still call this place my home," Lucy said. "Come on. Let's go inside!" She unlocked the door and the two went up the stairs to Lucy's room. Michelle immediately began to explore while Lucy placed the case on a table and went to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home. I'll make us some tea."
"Oh, you shouldn't trouble yourself," Michelle said.
"It's no trouble at all! Trust me. I can't tell you how happy I am."
Michelle smiled as she continued to look around. She saw a picture of Layla Heartfilia, Lucy's late mother. She saw a picture of Jude Heartfilia. She was glad to see both of their faces again. Her attention was then brought to a stack of papers sitting on Lucy's desk. Curious, she picked them up and began to read them.
"I was so little when Mom passed away and then I lost Dad in the blink of an eye," Lucy continued. "It's been pretty rough lately, so finding out I have a relative is pretty awesome! So are there any other Lobsters nearby? I'd love to meet them sometime. Do you get to see them often?" There was no reply, but she could hear the sound of faint crying. "Oh don't mind me. I just ramble sometimes when I'm excited."
"Keep your chin up, Iris!" Michelle cried as she clutched the papers tightly, waterfalls pouring from her eyes. "You'll get through it somehow!"
"HEY!" Lucy exclaimed in embarrassment. "That's my novel! Don't read things without permission! Geez, I don't even let Natsu read it."
"Sorry," Michelle said as she put the papers down and wiped her eyes. "Natsu…he was the one with the pink hair, right? Does he come over often?"
Lucy went back to making tea and preparing some food. "Yeah, of course he does. He's my boyfriend after all." She giggled. "Although even before we were dating he would always sneak in."
"I didn't know you had a boyfriend!" Michelle said excitedly. "You'll have to properly introduce him later!"
"Sure."
After the tea and snacks were prepared, the two sat down and ate and drank. Once she was done, Lucy quickly changed into her apartment clothes which consisted of a white shirt and pink shorts and she let her hair fall loosely down her back. As she made her way back to Michelle, she paused at the table where she had placed the case.
Michelle hadn't stopped eating for a second. "So how long have you wanted to be a writer, big sister?" she asked with her mouth full of pastry.
Lucy sweatdropped. "You and Natsu are so alike. Chew or talk. Pick one. It's not hard." She opened the case again and stared at the object, which was once again wrapped in the cloth. "I wish I knew what this thing was. There's no inscription or anything."
"You're so cool. I'm jealous," Michelle said.
"What? Really?"
Michelle nodded. "You've achieved one dream and now you're pursuing another. You have friends and someone you love." She looked at Lucy with a smile. "You're really living a fulfilled, charmed life aren't you?"
"You think so?" Lucy laughed while sheepishly scratching her head.
"I do." Michelle looked away sadly. "It must be nice to have a dream. A dream that's all your own."
It was silent for a while before Lucy spoke up again. "So where are you going from here?"
Michelle looked at her briefly before looking at the floor and beginning to fidget uncomfortably.
Lucy then smiled. "Why don't you stay with me for a bit?" She knelt down and took Michelle's hands. "I promise it's no trouble."
Michelle looked away. "Oh no. I don't want to be a bother. Besides, if Natsu stays with you then it would be crowded."
"Don't be silly! I'd love to have you as a roommate. And don't worry about Natsu at all," Lucy said with a warm, sincere smile.
Michelle began to cry. "Thank you. I promise you won't regret it, big sister! I'll find a job real quick so don't worry about rent. I'll be on time I promise!"
"Please stop crying," Lucy laughed nervously. "Hey, why don't you just get a job at the guild hall?"
"Me?" Michelle asked incredulously. "I could work at Fairy Tail?"
"Yep!"
Michelle hugged Lucy. "Oh thank you, big sister!"
The two were so distracted with their conversation that no one noticed the gift from Lucy's father was beginning to glow beneath the old cloth.
