Chapter 23
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are property of Hiro Masima.
Krimm-Sauce786: Thank you for the review, now I want to say that in this next arc I will be explaining a bit more as to why Laxus was completely demolished and maybe I will add a fight between the two in this arc as well, but more like a sparring match. I haven't really thought that much about how Kagura will change with Simon not being dead in this fic, but that is for the GMG arc, I will see how her character will change and how her interactions with everyone will be once I get there.
LilBoiaSenpai: First I agree completely with the dragon mate thing, and if Erza is included in the pairing she will be filling a role that I will create as the God Slayer equivalent to a Dragon's mate. Now, this is only if I decide to add her anyway. As for the women needing to love one another, that isn't necessarily a requirement and if I go with two women for Natsu I will do my utmost to give both attention. Thank you for the points you made, and I will be keeping it in mind when I finally decide on where I want to go.
Amanny: I added a little bit on how Laxus felt here in this chapter, and I will further explore it in this next arc.
Miurai-Kai: Thank you for the valid points you made here. Natsu supporting Erza's development will be a given in this fic since I really like the idea, the only thing that is still in the air is what sort of relationship they will have.
MamiDesu: Thank you for the review, and your comments on the Fairy Tail members killing is correct and I also want to add there that even in the anime Erza also kills Azuma o Tenrou. As for Freed stopping Natsu from killing Laxus, as you will see there was a hidden force at play as well because if it was only Freed, Natsu would have gone through with ending Laxus, but that is explained in this chapter.
ZhenieQT: Yeah, the decision right now is between Erza and Ultear or only Ultear for the pairing. Natsu will not be joining Fairy Tail in this fic, so there you are correct. Thanks for the review.
Just a general response: Thank you all for the reviews, I do read them all. If I don't reply to you here it's that either I feel like somewhere else I already answered the question or the reply won't be adding that much. I really appreciate all the kind reviews, and reading that you guys like the story, gives me even more motivation to continue :). One thing, would you guys want me to post the review I am responding to before my response to continue as I am now with just giving the response and adding the reviewer's name?
-The ruins of Kardia Cathedral-
Laxus was on his back staring up at the night sky. He was exhausted and terrified. Mere moments ago a monster nearly killed him but for some reason, it didn't and apparently it was because Freed spoke the truth when he told the monster that Fairy Law wouldn't have killed anyone. The worst part was that the monster then turned into a dark-clad man with pink hair as he walked out of the ruins of the cathedral.
'Magic looks into one's heart, you can't hide your true feelings from your magic,' these words played in Laxus' mind, a saying Makarov had taken to saying after an argument between the grandfather and grandson. Thinking about it Laxus started understanding what he meant.
"L-Laxus?" Freed asked hesitantly.
"I went at this the wrong way didn't I?" Laxus asked in a pained voice as he started to feel the impact of the injuries, now that all adrenalin had left his system.
"We all did. Honestly, we should have recognised that trying to take Fairy Tail by force wouldn't have worked since no one would have accepted it and a guild that is devised might as well not even exist," Freed said as he hobbled over to where Laxus laid.
"Oh, man I messed up big time, and the worst of all is that my grandpa might die today because of this," Laxus said as he covered his face with one hand as a tear formed in his eye. Freed could only look at the man he looked up to in shock and pity, unable to find any words that might help Laxus cope.
-With Natsu-
'After I help Makarov I have some questions for you,' Natsu thought.
'I will be happy to answer any of your questions to the best of my abilities if you help him,' a sweet feminine voice replied in his mind.
Natsu glanced at his surroundings while he made his way to the Fairy Tail guildhall. He could see multiple members of the Fairy Tail guild knocked out on the ground with scorch marks all around them. 'Seems like Ultear go some more help from Fairy Tail than I originally thought,' Natsu thought as he continued walking past more knocked out members.
Natsu could see the Fairy Tail guildhall on the horizon when he walked past Erza who was on the ground with her eyes closed, yet breathing steadily. 'Seems like Erza dealt with a lot of those lacrima. Once again I feel a slight debt to her,' Natsu thought with a small smile as he looked at the large scorch mark all around her.
Natsu made his way to the entrance of the guildhall and once he opened the doors he saw Ur sitting alone at a table with a concerned look on her face.
"Where is Makarov?" Natsu asked as he approached her.
"He's in the infirmary with their guild's healer. I tried to keep him stable until she arrived. He didn't get worse but neither did he get any better," Ur said as she looked down at the mug in her hands.
"I'll go see that he recovers," Natsu said as he moved towards the infirmary. Once he entered he saw a pink-hired woman standing next to a bed that had Makarov in it. He looked more like a frail old man than a Guild Master and Wizard Saint.
"Step aside please, I will aid him by helping his magic to restore his health," Natsu said as he made his presence known 'This one is the same as Mystogan, interesting,' Natsu thought.
"Hmpf, you think you can do that. For that to work you will need control over his life force," the pink-haired woman huffed as she turned around to look at the newcomer.
"Who are you, and why does death follow you around?" she asked as Natsu made his way over to the bed.
"Most know me as 'Death Walker', now I will ask that you don't disturb me until I am done helping him. Natsu said as he pushed past her and hovered his hand over Makarov.
"What are you going to do?" the woman asked in a curious tone.
"I hear you are a healer, so you should be familiar with how a mage's magic can aid in repairing their body under certain conditions,' Natsu said as a purple and grey glow began to emanate from his hands.
"Of course I know of that theory, but it isn't a feasible healing method because as I said you require tapping into the mage's life force alongside their magic," the woman said in an annoyed tone.
"The allow me to show you something few will ever see," Natsu said as the purple and grey glow from his hands eliminated Makarov's body as a purple and grey mist surrounded him. "Death Dragon Embrace" Natsu whispered as the mist started swirling around Makarov.
The woman's eyes widened as she felt Makarov's life force and magic beginning to mix and colour began to return to his face.
"By the gods, just what are you?" the woman asked in surprise as she could literally see his strength returning to him.
"What I am is not of importance here, the reason I am here has a more selfish reason than doing good but preventing someone from passing on to the afterlife before their time is a positive," Natsu simply said as the mist disappeared and Makarov's eyes slowly opened.
"Is it over?" Makarov asked as his eyes fell on the stoic face of 'Death Walker'.
"Your grandson lies defeated in the ruins of the cathedral and no harm has befallen the civilians," Natsu replied.
"Laxus, is he…" Makarov started but was unable to finish the sentence as he started choking on his words.
"You can thank the spell he used, trying to wipe the entire town for him still being alive," Natsu said in an even tone.
"Thunder Palace?" Makarov asked confused, not sure how that spell could possibly help him.
"No, a spell named Fairy Law. Magic is able to look at one's soul and as I heard that spell only targets those the caster truly sees as an enemy," Natsu said, his steady gaze fixed on Makarov.
"That boy was able to cast that spell?" the woman asked in disbelief, however, her comment seemed to go unnoticed as the tension between Makarov and 'Death Walker' seemed to increase.
"What do you know of that spell?" Makarov asked as a frown formed on his forehead.
"Currently only what I have told you as well as the source of that magic," Natsu said evenly.
"How do you know this?" Makarov asked in a stern voice.
"The little about how the spell works you can thank the green-haired lackey, as for the source, that is none of your concern," Natsu said as he started walking towards the door that led back to the main hall.
"It does concern me greatly young man, now I will ask again. How do you know what the source of that spell is?" Makarov asked in an authoritative tone.
"You would be surprised once you hear of the knowledge I possess and calling me 'young man' is ironic," Natsu replied in a cold tone.
"What are you going on about, quit wasting my time with this drabble and tell me where you gained this knowledge," Makarov raised his voice as he began to get irritated by 'Death Walker's' dismissive attitude concerning one of the three Great Fairy Spells. 'Was it Ivan who told him? What is there to gain for him through it?' Makarov thought as he tried to put the puzzle together.
"There are things in this world that you do not need to know. If you continue pestering the sleeping beast don't be surprised when you cause the destruction of what you hold dear," Natsu said in a steely cold voice as he turned to Makarov and stared at him with glowing purple, draconic eyes.
Makarov was a bit surprised at this and for a minute the two were locked in an intense staredown. Makarov was the one to break the staring contest and lowered his gaze in defeat. Natsu turned around and started walking to the door once more.
"Are the other members all alive?" Makarov asked just as Natsu reached the door.
"Knocked out but alive, both the lackeys and the other guild members," Natsu replied before disappearing through the door leaving the woman and Makarov alone once again.
"What do you make of him Porlyusica?" Makarov asked the healer.
"That boy has a power I have never encountered, nor have I ever heard of it. And it also seems to me like he has knowledge one only gains from decades of experience, knowledge far above what one should have at his age," Porlyusica answered as she tried and form some form of explanation to what she just witnessed.
"I'm not exactly sure what the magic is that he possesses but it has power over death itself and it seems like there are some elements of Slayer magic there," Makarov said.
"Death Slayer magic, but how is one able to acquire such an element, I never even heard of it?" Porlyusica asked in shock.
"That is a question I do not have the answer for, but I can assure you that boy's history is something unique, something that no one has gone through for aeons if there ever even was someone with the same power as that which he wields. Combine that with his comment about me calling him 'young man' being ironic and we have an anomaly on our hands," Makarov said with a confused expression as Porlyusica could only nod in agreement.
-Fairy Tail main hall-
Ur was still sitting at the table but now she was looking at the infirmary door. Once Natsu came out she looked at him with a questioning gaze.
"He's fine Ur," Natsu said as he walked up to her.
"Thank goodness," Ur whispered as a relieved expression took her face.
"Want to talk about it?" Natsu asked as he embraced the woman who was trembling. As soon as Natsu embraced her Ur broke down and tears streamed out of her eyes.
"All I could see was her, back when she was a young child. I failed her back then I don't want anyone to look so small and frail ever again," Ur said through sobs. Natsu's heart winced at the despair in her voice.
"Shh, everything is going to be all right okay," Natsu soothed her as he rubbed her back until she calmed down.
"Thank you," Ur whispered as she continued to clutch to Natsu for comfort.
"Why don't we go and see where Ultear is?" Natsu asked softly, getting a timid nod from the woman in his embrace. The two slowly made their way out of the hall and Natsu followed Ultear's scent towards where she would be.
It didn't take long for them to reach the area where Ultear was sitting on a bench with a tired expression. A smile graced her face as she saw two of the most important people to her approaching her but it quickly turned to a concerned frown once she saw the dried tears on Ur's face.
"Mother is everything all right?" Ultear asked with worry dominating her tone as she quickly embraced Natsu and Ur.
"I'm fie Ultear, just got a little emotional when I saw something similar to when you were young and n pain," Ur replied with a smile, happy to see her daughter in good health.
"I'm right here Mom, and I won't be going anywhere," Ultear said as she tightened her embrace of Ur.
"Well I doubt the festival will be happening tonight so why don't we call it a night and tomorrow we can see what the situation will be like," Natsu suggested. After getting a nod in agreement the three went back to the rooms they had rented for the night.
Natsu was still awake by the time Ultear and Ur had fallen asleep. Standing on the balcony and looking over the town of Magnolia Natsu took a deep breath and enjoyed the cool night air.
'Funny how things can turn from chaotic to peaceful in only a few minutes,' a feminine voice sounded in Natsu's mind.
'Mavis,' Natsu greeted the voice.
'Thank you for helping Makarov recover, losing him at a time like this would have been devastating for the guild,' Mavis thanked Natsu.
'You are well aware that I didn't do it for the sake of your guild Mavis,' Natsu clarified.
'I know, and I know that you still want to know more about Fairy Law. I'm just grateful to see my guild still going strong and being the embodiment of what I wished to create when I founded the guild, even with some rebellious teen phases,' Mavis said with a giggle.
'The Fairy Law spell, it draws from one's own life force I a way similar to my magic, yet different as it expends your life force where I only expend my magic, mind filling me in on how you came to learn such a spell?' Natsu asked the first Master of Fairy Tail.
'It shouldn't be a surprise that you know where the spell draws power from yet it's still unreal,' Mavis giggled.
''The requirements to use my magic is unreal, yet through a set of actions performed by others, here I am,' Natsu countered as a black, grey and purple aura surrounded his hand.
'Fairy Law comes from the Dark Magic spell Law, I modified it and removed the negative side effects of Law, sadly I only found out about the side effects after I used it to save a friend,' Mavis said in a nostalgic tone as she went silent for a few seconds.
'Anyway, I learned the spell from a wandering mage. He helped me and my friends with learning magic so that we could deal with a dark guild. I wasn't able to learn any new magic in addition to the illusion magic I had until this mage taught me Black Magic when I begged him. Long story short, I learned the Black magic, used an unfinished spell and suffered the consequences, thought through it I discovered the use of a great spell like the Law spell and modified it to spare whoever follows in my footsteps from the consequences,' Mavis explained.
'Impressive, for one to redesign a spell and keep its original effects but altering the consequences, you have a great deal of knowledge when it comes to magic,' Natsu said.
'If you don't mind me asking, what are your plans going forward?" Mavis asked.
'I told Haru I would help him with his training so for now, that is all I have planned apart from what I normally would do. The only other thing I still need to do here though is to deal with that guy who controls souls,' Natsu answered as grim look came to his face.
'Bickslow, what do you plan on doing with him?' Mavis asked in a defensive tone, not wanting harm to befall anyone from her beloved guild.
'As with all wrongful acts, punishment must be given,' Natsu simply stated as he made his way to his bed to turn in for the night.
'Please don't take it too far, he's just a little bit misguided,' Mavis thought to herself with a sigh as she materialised on the balcony. She has a child-like build with very long, wavy pastel yellow-blond hair that reaches her bare feet and a small ahoge. She has large green eyes with no pupils and wears a frilly pink layered robe with a red ribbon tied in a bow around her neck. Around her chest, there are blue diamond patterns with two blue triangles above, all of them outlined with hot pink. Around her ears, she wears wing-like adornments and small hoop earrings.
Mavis looked out over Magnolia and couldn't help but smile fondly as her eyes fell on the Fairy Tail guildhall. With one last look at the surrounding area, she vanished.
-Early the next morning-
Natsu was taking a stroll through the town. Natsu looked around the town and saw many people starting to pick up thinks that fell over due to the battles between Fairy Tail mages the day before or starting to clear away some of the rubble that filled the streets. The one place Natsu didn't see anyone working or clearing things out was the ruins of the cathedral where he and Laxus had clashed.
Natsu saw four people standing under a large tree having a heated conversation. Recognising who they were Natsu started making his way over to them, sending out a pulse of his power as he approached he alerted them of his presence.
Immediately three of the four spun around and took up a defensive position only two of them to recoil in shock and fear. The fourth person, however, merely stood there with a frown.
"W-What do you want? Know that we are Laxus' p-personal guard and we will not allow you to harm him," Freed said in a shaky voice and stammering as memories of what he felt the day before came rushing back.
"I only have unfinished business with the one who controls soul, the rest of you can leave or stay but do not interfere," Natsu said as he walked toward the group and came to a halt in front of Bickslow. Freed and Evergreen quickly stepped in front of Bickslow while Laxus started making his way around the group that had formed in front of him.
"We will not let you harm one of our comrades," Freed said with more confidence than before.
"Yeah, we are the Thunder Legion and there is no way you will hurt one of us and get away with it," Evergreen said. They were trying to put up a brave show, but their injuries form the battles the day before were still far from being healed.
"This is a matter that is beyond you, so I will ask you one this one time, get out of the way by your own free will or I will move you by force," Natsu said as he allowed some of his magic to leak out and a purple, grey and black aura began surrounding him.
"Would you mind telling me what your unfinished business is with him?" Laxus asked as he stepped around the group and came to a halt in front of Natsu in as passive of a posture he could muster to show he wasn't intent on fighting.
"Since you seem to have your head on your shoulder right now compared to yesterday and the fact that you seem to be the only one here who knows where they stand in strength, the unfinished business is that I still have to ensure that he knows what comes with the, let's say gift, I presented him as well as reprimand him for attempting to take what was not his to take in the first place," Natsu calmly stated as he indicated towards Bickslow while also stopping his power from leaking out.
"Yeah well, that beating you gave me yesterday knocked some sense into me. Would you be willing to elaborate on your business with Bickslow?" Laxus asked while scratching the back of his neck. The Thunder Legion was stunned by the apologetic and respectful demeanour Laxus was showing toward 'Death Walker' since recently he never showed any respect to anyone.
"I'm sure you are aware of his ability to claim the souls of others. Well, he attempted to do so with me, his mistake was not realising who I was, but that isn't a surprise really since I am very secretive in general. Anyway as I was saying, he attempted to claim my soul, which would never have worked. The gift I gave him is between me and him, but I will be taking his ability to claim the souls of other away," Natsu said as his expression darkened at his last statement.
"What do you mean by 'taking his ability away' exactly?" Laxus asked cautiously, not wanting to aggravate the man who could easily kill all of them judging by the ease that this man had defeated him yesterday.
"Exactly what I said, I will be eliminating his ability to claim the souls of others," Natsu stated with a serious expression. The Thunder Legion was shocked, to say the least. For someone to be able to take a single ability away is unfathomable.
"You can't do that, what right do you have to take an ability away from someone, if you are even able to do so," Evergreen said with a disgusted look.
"I agree with Ever, to take even an ability from someone is akin to taking their very being, are you so hypocritical to do something you are reprimanding Bickslow for?" Freed asked as he stood in front of Bickslow.
In the blink of an eye, Natsu had his hand wrapped around Freed's throat with an angered expression on his face. The Thunder Legion and Laxus were surprised by the immense speed 'Death Walker' displayed while Freed had a look of terror as he felt the lack of air flowing into his lungs and the lack of solid ground under his feet as 'Death Walker' lifted him up by his throat.
Freed's terror only increased when he saw the purple, black and grey aura the surrounded 'Death Walker' and the glowing violent purple eyes that bore into the deepest parts of his soul.
"If you ever imply that I might misuse the souls or beings of others for my own gain like your friend here would I will personally hunt you down and strip you of everything that makes you a living being before sending the husk that you will become the fiery pits of hell to rot for all eternity. I was granted rule over the afterlife under my father and all souls fall under his rule. Do not spew falsehoods over things you know nothing about," Natsu whispered before dropping Freed on the ground.
Laxus and Evergreen could only watch in horror as 'Death Walker' nearly killed Freed while Bickslow was busy thinking about what 'Death Walker' said regarding his ability to control other's souls. Bickslow stood up straight and walked towards 'Death Walker'.
"Will I still be able to use my magic?" Bickslow asked as his five tiki totems appeared behind him but stayed silent.
"The only thing that you will lose is the ability to claim another's soul, the gift I have granted you will not be affected and neither will your other abilities," Natsu replied, understanding what Bickslow really wanted to ask.
"Then I will accept the punishment for what I did, not that I really understand it. But I can only guess the alternative is worse," Bickslow said before whispering the last part under his breath, though Natsu heard it and had a gentle smile on his face for a split second before he regained his serious expression.
What happened next played out in slow motion for Bickslow. He saw 'Death Walker's' hand light up in a black and purple aura as he said "Death God Forbidden Sacred Art: Decaying Erosion: Precision Erosion". 'Death Walker's' hand slowly neared his face as he stood still with a brave face.
"No, you can' do it," Evergreen shouted as she began reaching towards Bickslow.
"I won't allow this to happen," Freed shouted as he snapped out of his terror and his wish to protect his friends made his call out "Dark Écriture: Darkness" as a dark armour began forming around him.
"Laxus just stood there with a solemn expression. He had heard what Bickslow said and accepted that this was the best option, especially now when all four of them were injured and 'Death Walker' was still fresh.
Bickslow had a small smile on his face as 'Death Walker's' glowing hand covered his face. A blast of purple and black magical aura sent Evergreen and Freed to the edges of the park as soon as Natsu's hand made contact with Bickslow's face, only leaving them and Laxus where they stood.
As Natsu removed his hand and the purple and black aura around him receded before vanishing, Bickslow turned around to look at his tiki totems, housing the souls of his siblings. A confused look formed on his face.
"I thought you said you would remove my ability to take control of someone's soul, which is part of my eyes, but I can still see the souls of all those around me?" Bickslow asked, wondering if 'Death Walker' changed his mind or didn't have the ability to do as he said.
"Even though you can still see souls, doesn't mean you are able to claim them. Seeing souls is quite different from claiming, or even influencing them," Natsu said as he turned around and started walking away. Bickslow embraced his totems while Freed, who never fully transformed into his armoured form, and Evergreen quickly returned to their teammate's side. Laxus was looking at the retreating figure of 'Death Walker' with one question on his mind, 'how can someone even become so strong when he is probably around my age?'
-With Ultear-
Ultear opened her eyes as the morning sun shone through the windows. She shuffled around in the bed, hoping to find Natsu and asking him to close the blinds. After a few moments, she slightly opened her eyes only to see that she was alone on the bed and Ur was still fast asleep in her bed.
Sitting up Ultear scanned the room only to find no sign of Natsu. As the sounds from the streets below reached Ultear she could hear that people were busy moving things and calling orders.
"I'm surprised by how quickly the townspeople can repair damages done to the town along with the guild members, even though most of them were out of commission yesterday," Natsu's voice sounded from behind Ultear. Ultear let out a yelp and quickly spun around only to be met by Natsu's smirking face.
"You ass," Ultear said as she lightly swatted Natsu's shoulder before turning around and leaning back on his chest while he was sitting on the bed.
"According to the townspeople the Fantasia parade will be happening tonight," Natsu said as he rested his chin on Ultear's head.
"It's amazing how quickly the town's citizens are able to fix the mess that was left after yesterday's fights," Ultear commented.
"The only thing I heard that wasn't going to be fixed by tonight is the cathedral, though you can't fault them, the place is in ruins right now," Natsu replied.
"Did you happen to see any good spots to watch the parade from while you were out?" Ultear asked.
"I heard of a wonderful spot where we can watch the parade from, and no one will be there since most people who come here for the parade wants front row seats," Natsu said with a soft smile.
"And where might this spot be?" Ultear asked as she shifted in Natsu's lap so that she could look at him. Natsu merely smirked but didn't answer.
"Since you don't want to tell me that, how about I ask you what you are planning on doing after the parade is done because I was thinking I would want to train my Ice-Make magic with my mother," Ultear said.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea Ultear," Ur said, having been awake for a bit but deciding to stay in the comfortable bed until something interesting happened.
"Well since you will need to train to use your magic again and me wanting to learn more about Ice-Make magic, I thought it could be a fun bonding exercise as well," Ultear smiled at her mother.
"That makes my plans even easier. I promised Haru I would train him, so we can all train for a while, though I don't think it would be the best option to train together," Natsu said.
"I agree. If I'm not mistaken he is a fire user, so I believe taking that into account the areas where all of us will be able to train the most effectively, won't even be remotely near one another," Ur agreed.
"Do you have a place in mind Mother?" Ultear asked.
"If nothing changed drastically in the last ten years, then yes, I have a place in mind," Ur said with a smirk which gave Ultear a slightly worried expression.
"So we all have plans for after this, but how about we go around town and get breakfast and see where the day takes us until the parade starts?" Natsu suggested. The two women quickly agreed and both blushed as a growl could be heard coming from their stomachs.
For the rest of the day, the three sent their time wandering around town and listening to the idle chatter of the citizens of Magnolia. There were talks about the parade and what the people were looking forward to. Some people mentioned Gray and impressive ice sculptures while others chimed in that Juvia's water magic would blend in nicely with the resident Ice-Make wizard of Fairy Tail.
Others were more focused on the two Strauss siblings and their transformation abilities, with some mentioning that they saw Mira in her Satan Soul form which in turn sparked even more conversation about Mira and her magic that hadn't been seen in the past two years.
Natsu noticed that the people who were talking about Mira's magic were actively avoiding talking about exactly what happened two years ago, only mentioning the timeframe but no events.
Natsu saw a certain red-headed Dragon Slayer roaming the town and excused himself. Walking over to the Fire Dragon Slayer Natsu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"How can I help, Oh Na… Hey," Haru started before realising who it was and stumbling over his words.
"Hey there, at the end of the week meet me at the main entrance of Magnolia from there we will be going to a place where I will train you in advancing your Dragon Slayer skills," Natsu said with a small amused smile as he looked at the range of emotions that Haru was showing on his face.
First was confusion, then realisation, followed by surprise and finally ending in excitement.
"Seriously, that's amazing, thank you so much," Haru exclaimed getting the attention from the nearby people before they all just smile once they saw it was the excitable Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail and continuing with what they were doing.
"See you," Natsu said as he walked back to Ultear and Ur.
'I will pull you into his mindscape once your raining trip starts to discuss a few things,' Igneel's voice sounded in Natsu's head as he disappeared from Haru's view.
The rest of the day went by without anything of note happening for Natsu, Ultear and Ur. As the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon Natsu was leading Ultear and Ur up a hill on the outskirts of town.
"Here we are. From here we will be able to see the main road where the parade will be held," Natsu said as they reached the top of the hill and he pointed to the direct view of the large main road that went through Magnolia.
"This place looks wonderful," Ultear smiled as she opened the blanket they bought while Ur poured all of them a drink.
"To fruitful training, after this is over," Ur toasted after she gave Ultear and Natsu their glasses. The three toasted and turned their attention to the main road of Magnolia.
Fireworks lit up the night sky as floats of various sizes and shaped rolled down the road. Notable floats that got loud cheers from the crowd were one that looked like a small stage with three girls, being Levy, Lucy and Bisca, twirling flags and doing something akin to a cheerleader act, a float that portrayed the image of a beast keeping a princess locked up in a high tower curtesy of the two Strauss siblings, an icy palace with beautiful waterworks circling it with Gray and Juvia portraying as the king and queen, a stage where none other than Titania was performing a dance with multiple blades elegantly flowing around her as she swapped between armours, a fiery fairy flapping its wings with Haru in the centre of it and finally, a float with Makarov standing in a fancy cat-like outfit while doing a silly dance.
All at once, the guild members of Fairy Tail raised their right hands, with their index fingers pointing upward and their thumbs pointing outwards while the rest of their fingers were folder into their palm. The three on top of the hill knew there was some sort of significance to this action and smiled at the unison the guild showed, even after the infighting of the previous day.
Ultear leaned onto Natsu and rested her head on his shoulder while he wrapped one arm around her waist. The two looked at one another and shared a loving smile and a quick kiss before looking back at the festival.
Ur watched this go down with a warm smile, happy for the happiness her daughter found after the terrible childhood she had.
Hey there everyone. So here is the end of the Battle for Fairy Tail arc and the setup for my own little training arc I have planned. I wanted to show a bit of remorse from Laxus here and I have a plan on including him in the next arc for a little bit of explanation on things, but for that, you will just have to wait and see. Mavis will be featured quite a bit in this upcoming arc and the relationship between her and Natsu will be developed. As for the pairings, the two options between keeping it Natear and adding Erza are neck in neck and I haven't quite decided on what I want to do, so you can still give feedback on that, one thing I will add here is that no matter what Natsu and Erza will form a close relationship, be it as lovers or something along the lines of siblings (or something like that). Please leave a review with your thoughts and I will see you all next time.