Chapter 65

Seven Long Years

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

X791

Hargeon Harbor

A young boy stared out at the sea with an unchanging face. "You gonna keep staring at the sea all day?" Bisca asked from behind Romeo.

"The job is done, we can head home now." Alzack added. "You're dad is going to start worrying if we don't get back soon."

"He sent us to take care of you, after all." His wife added. "I know how you feel but..."

"Bisca..." Alzack mumbled before shaking his head. Romeo continued to stare at the sea before turning around and following the couple.

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guildhall

The once proud guild had been reduced to working out of what was little more than a hut. "Why the hell isn't Romeo back!?" Macao the fourth master asked, slamming his mug on the table. "Did Alzack and Bisca leave him behind so they could make out!?"

"Will you calm down already, Macao?" Wakaba asked. "The kids not a kid anymore. Let him have some freedom."

"I told you to call me master!" Macao shouted.

"Like hell that's gonna happen!" The smoker replied. "You need to earn some respect before I call you that."

Away from them, Max just stared at the empty guildhall. "Am I going crazy, or are we down to just a few members?"

"That's what happens when your reputation sinks like ours." Warren added. "Hell, look at how many jobs we have right now."

"Come on, it's not so bad." Nab said in front the nearly barren job board. "At least we have a few requests left."

"It doesn't do you any good if you don't take any." Warren replied.

Vijitter shouted something about a dance behind Max, only pissing him off. "I swear, I'm going to throw him through a wall..."

"Kinana, another chicken." Droy called out from a table.

"Seriously dude?" Jet asked. "You're like the size of a house now. Hell, even Reedus has slimmed down. Everyone has matured in someway, but you just got fat."

"I have to eat to keep up my magic power!" Droy replied.

"If Levy could see you now..." Jet mumbled shaking his head.

"Well she can't!" Droy shouted, shocking the guild into silence.

Droy instantly regretted his words before the guild doors opened. "This is just pathetic." An afroed man said as he lead four others into the guild. "No matter the time I come here it always looks so puny. Guess no one wants to do buisness here anymore."

"Teebo..." Wakaba mumbled.

"What do you want?" Macao asked.

"Hey, show some respect to the guild that represents Magnolia." Teebo said. "Twilight Ogre is the best in the city, so you better be careful about what you say. You used to be so tough, but now you're a bunch of farmers. Compared to our guild hall, this is a dump."

"A guild hall doesn't make you a better guild." Max said back.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night." Teebo chuckled. "But let's get down to buisness. We want this months rent, now."

"You didn't pay them yet, Macao?" Wakaba shouted.

"It's master!" Macao shouted back. "And we don't have the money because you keep screening our jobs! We'll pay you back next month."

"Hey, watch you mouth!" The shortest Ogre member declared. "If it wasn't for us, you wouldn't have this hall. "

"And if we knew how much you would have taken in rent we wouldn't have agreed to it." Jet mumbled.

"Jet, stop it." Macao ordered. "We'll pay you next month. I promise." Teebo merely chuckled and kicked him to the ground before the group began destroying the guild and harassing Kinana.

"You'd better not forget to pay us." Teebo chuckled as the group wwlked out of the hall.

The whole guild was in shambles as Reedus sketch book was knocked open. Paintings and sketches of all the missing members spilled out, stirring up the emotions of every member into tears. "Its been seven long years..." Wakaba mumbled.

"The guild just isn't the same without them." Max mumbled.

"We searched the seas for months, but couldn't find anything." Jet mumbled. "I can't believe that Acnologia destroyed it all."

"Well believe it!" Warren shouted, holding up a dragon book. "Its said to have destroyed an entire nation by itself!"

"Why'd it have to come after us?" Nab asked.

Wakaba glanced over and saw Macao hanging his head. "Something wrong?"

"I'm pathetic..." The fourth master mumbled. "I'm a sorry excuse for a guildmaster. Ever since they were lost, Romeo hasn't smileed once..."

Rumbling filled the guild hall and the members raced out to see an airship fly overhead. "The Blue Pegasus ship?" Max asked before someone jumped right off and face dived into the ground.

"You know you could have just waited for us right?" The guild looked up to see the Trimen floating down. The second after they touched the ground, they began flirting with Kinana.

"Snap out of it, fools!" Ichiya said standing up. "We came here on buisness!"

"Something has been picked up by Christinas advanced systems." Hibiki said. "We found a large amount of Ethernano reading over the ocean."

"What we're saying is, Tenrou island may still exist." Ichiya declared, shocking the group.

Ocean

Bisca stared out at the ocean looking for some sign of life. "You sure this is the place?" She asked her husband.

"I know, there's nothing here." He replied.

"Well, this is where the Pegasus guys told us where the Ethernano was messed up." Warren said, scaning the area with his telepathy.

"Just what is Ethernano anyway?" Max asked.

"Some kind of magic particle or something." The telepath replied. "Damn, I'm not picking up anything."

"Was it right to come out here without Romeo?" Bisca asked.

"No, we should have brought him along." Alzack replied.

"Bad idea. We don't even know if anyones still alive." Max said. Behind him, Jet and Droy were dancing in joy at the idea of seeing Levy again.

"Shut up!" Warren shouted. "Its been more than seven years since we've seen them. We might have to assume the worst case here."

Max stared out onto the ocean before gasping un shock. "The hell?" Everyone followed his eyes and stared in shock at a blonde haired girl standing on the water.

"That's a person!" Bisca shouted. "Who is it?"

The girl waved her arms up and pillars of lights shot out of the ocean. The ship began bobbing up and down as something rose out of the sea. "No way..." Max mumbled. "Tenrou Island!" The dome around the island faded and the girl walked inland. "She just pulled the island out of nowhere."

"Follow her!" Warren added. The ship docked and the party raced after the girl shouting for her to slow down.

"Just who is that?" Bisca asked.

"Not a clue." Alzack said. "But she helped us find Tenrou island, so for now we can trust her."

"Don't lose her, Jet!" Max shouted before the speedster raced forward.

'Hold on, I should have caught her by now.' He said to himself before coming to a stop in horror.

The others caught up to him and stared at the body on the ground. "Natsu..." Alzack mumbled as Jet and max began shaking him.

"Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" The pinkette shouted up before being tackled to the ground. "Get off me! What's going on, and why is Droy fat now?"

A mumbling caught everyones attention before Natsu recognized the sent. "Laki!" He dug into the ground and pulled his girlfriend free, only to have her pulled away by the group. "What is going on!? Last thing I remember was getting hit by Acnologias breath."

"Where is everyone else!?" Laki asked.

"Over here." The same blonde girl appeared and confused everyone else. "Don't worry, I'm no threat. My name is Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tails first master." Her statement shocked everyone as they.

She lead the group to the others and stood before the group. "The bond you all share was immensely powerful, so I turned it into magic power. I used it to create the ultimate defensive spell, Fairy Sphere. However, it took seven years for the magic to fade."

"So the first master saved us..." Makarov chuckled.

"I am nothing more that an spirit." The first master said shaking her head. "It was your bond that gave me the power to do so. Unwavering faith is what brings the strongest miracles. What a wonderful guild, third master."

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"You sure you wanted to skip going along?" Macao asked his son.

"What's the point?" The boy asked back. "Even if they do find Tenrou Island, its not anyones gonna be alive after seven years."

Macao hung his head in shame as the door opened. "Damn. Looks like even more people left this dump." Teebo said. "What a waste of space."

"I thought we said we'd pay you next month." Macao said.

"Yeah, we talked to our master about that." Teebo replied. "He said that's not gonna happen. He wants the money now, and he always gets what he wants."

Romeo closed his book and stood up. "Well then he won't this time." The son of Macao said walking forward. "Im sick and tired of you guys thinking you can boss around." Purple flames enveloped his hand and he clentched his fist. "I'm stopping you here and now. You won't sully the name of Fairy Tail!"

Teebo merely leaned forward and blew out the flames. "You can't sully whats already trash." He chuckled as he pulled his club free. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be anything more than trash!"

He moved to swing only for a kick to send him flying into the guild hall. The other four turned and were taken out by ice, spiked wooden logs, iron pillars, and swords. The dust settled and the members stared in shock at the Tenrou team before them. "What's up?" Natsu asked as Laki pushed up her glasses.

"Sorry for the wait." Happy said.

The entire guild begsn flocking around the members and began asking questions. "Well, what happened was..." Lucy mumbled before explaining everything.

Romeo really didn't hear any of it. He just stared at Natsu who smiled at him. "Man, you've grown a lot Romeo."

The pinkettes very face stirred up emotions and Romeo began crying. "Welcome home everyone." He said with a smile. That night they jammed seven years of drinks, dance and cheers into one night.

"Nice, you're using Fire Magic too, Romeo?" Natsu asked.

"Look out, its getting hot in here." Happy said.

"Yeah, I can even make cold fire too." Romeo said before waving the blue flames away. "Ive also got this purple one that sticks to anything it touches, and this one that smells like old cheese."

"How is that you already better than your old man?" Gajeel askee.

"Hang on, that seems familiar..." Natsu mumbled.

"Don't let my dad know, but Master Totomaru has been training me in fire magic." Romeo whispered.

"No way, i had no idea he was a teacher." Gajeel said.

'Huh, he just smiled.' Pantherlily thought from the table.

"That takes me back." Natsu chuckled. "I still gotta try the rest of his flames. Bring on the fire buffet!"

"Sorry, but he's pretty against that idea." Romeo said.

Over at the bar, Makarov put down his empty mug. "I gotta admit, I never saw you as the master type Macao."

"Hey, I was just hanging on to it for you." Macao replied. "I'm glad to hand it back over."

"Aw, and here i was thinking of letting you keep the title." Makarov teased, making the man think. Behind him, Wakaba and Makarov chuckled.

"M-married!?" Erza asked Bisca and Alzack. "W-when was this?"

"Six years ago." Alzack replied.

"Sure am sorry you missed it." The wife replied. "Poor fella nearly passed out when I proposed."

"Did you need to bring that up?" He asked back.

Erza snapped and nearly choked out Max as she shook him in disappointment. "Don't know if I can blame her." Mirajane said from afar. "I wish I could have seen them."

"Do you have any kids?" Lisanna asked.

"Just one, our little Asuka." Alzack answered.

Wendy shook in horror as she stared at a picture Reedus handed her. "Is this..."

"Oui, I tried to draw how I think you would look in seven years." The painter replied.

"My chest..." She mumbled, confusing Reedus.

"Well, this isn't right." Carla said, staring at a painting of the four Exceeds.

"I don't know, its not all bad." Rose said, eyeing the muscular Pantherlily.

"Hold on, aren't the Exceeds worried about us?" Happy asked.

"I don't think so." Pantherlily said. "Exceeds have a different sense of time than humans. To us seven years is just a blink."

"Looks like your okay, Kinana." Laki said to her fellow purplette.

"Thanks, but I did have to do some modeling jobs while you were all gone." The bar maid replied. "It was the least I could do for you all."

"Any changes in your memory?" The wood mage asked.

"No, but sometimes... I feel like i can hear someone calling to me." Kinana answered. "And the thing is, I feel like I know them."

Wendy continued to complain about the picture when the guild doors opened to show a squad of Lamia Scale wizards. "Hello, lovelies!" Sherry said with a smile as Toby let out a strange dog noise.

"Seems like you've been well." Jura stated.

"That's one way to describe not aging in seven years." Yuka said.

"You haven't even been back a week and you've returned to noisy mess." Lyon chuckled.

"Lamia Scale?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, while we searched for you Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus helped us out more than anyone." Max explained.

"Looks like we really owe you." Gray said.

"Don't worry about it." Lyon said to his fellow student. "After all, I'm not the kind of guy who takes advantage of children."

"The past seven years haven't been all bad." Sherry added. "Lamia Scale managed to rise up to the number two guild."

"Wait, does that mean that Blue Pegasus is number one now?" Lucy asked, angering Toby.

"We're just glad to have you back." Jura told Gray before noticing staring at Juvia.

He raced over and stared into her eyes. "Tell me, do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Oh no, not again!" Gray complained.

Juvia backed away in a panic. "Now, now the love has become a maze!"

"My head hurts." Gray mumbled.

"Why am I on the map and pointed at Gray?" Laki asked. "I'm with Natsu!"

Gildarts was bragging to Warren about being a father while Cana tried to pull free. "Here's my little Asuka!" Alzack bragged as he held up a picture.

The entire guild celebrated through out the night before Lucy decided to head home. She reached her apartment only to find her landlady staring at her.

"I heard you were back and I'm glad that your safe, but your rent is different story." The lady said. "Seven years of back rent is 5,880,000 jewels! And im not letting in you until you've paid every scent."

Lucy sat on the side of road in shame as she ran over her options. The guild was in debt, as were the girls who were living in Fairy Hills. "Seven years... you wouldn't think alot changed. Romeo grew up, Jet and Droy changed a lot, Alzack and Bisca finally got together. And everyone is still shocked about Gildarts and Cana."

The idea of fathers and daughters stuck with her. "He hasn't heard from me in seven years. He's probably worried abour me. Maybe i should go see him. N-not just for the money, of course."

Back at the guild hall, Erza was called over by Alzack & Bisca. "Theres something we need to tell you about Jellal." Bisca said.

At the bar, Jura leaned over to Makarov. "Don't forget, the meeting is going to happen soon."

"Before all of that, I want to know about one guild." Makarov said.

On the roof Gray and Lyon sat without their shirts off. "You know of Ultear and a girl named Meredy, right?"

"What about them?" Gray asked.

Natsu and Happy were at their home, tearing the place upside down looking for something.

The Next Day

Califa

"I'm never getting on a carriage again." Natsu groaned as he, Laki and Happy followed Lucy.

"Why are you guys even here?" Lucy asked.

"Cause we got robbed!" Happy complianed. "And we thought your dad might know how to make some money fast."

"Why do you even need this?" Lucy asked. "I get Laki, but you two don't even pay rent!"

"We lost all of our food money!" Happy complained even more. "We can't eat!"

The group arrived at the merchant guild Love & Lucky. "Excuse me." The blonde said to the receptionist. "I was wondering if Mr. Heartfillia is in today?"

"Oh, uh... would you be his daughter by any chance?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, why?" Lucy asked back, making her turn away.

"Is something wrong?" Laki asked.

"Well..." The receptionist sighed before looking back at the four. "I guess I'll just have to say this. A month ago, Jude passed away. All of us were shocked by it."

The four walked away from the grave in silence as Lucy lead them. "Lucy..." Happy spoke up.

"Happy." Laki shook her head and the cat silenced himself.

The four continued to walk as they passed two girls complaining about their fathers. "Damnit! You over there!" Natsu shouted in anger. "Can't you two read the room?!"

The girls just walked away in confusion as Laki grabbed his shoulder. "Not now." Lucy spoke up. "I just... thanks for helping."

"You sure you're okay?" Laki asked.

"Yeah, it's just... caught off guard, that's all." The blonde replied. "I know a lot time has passed, but it feels like I just saw him a month ago. But even after everything thats happened, I don't understand. I'm sad but the tears just aren't flowing. Does that mean I hated him?"

"No way." Natsu replied. "I don't really know how to say this but whether you cry or not, I don't think it has anything to do with how you feel."

"Yeah, i guess I'm okay then." Lucy said.

Magnolia

Twilight Ogre Guildhall

"Look there's nothing to discuss." Banaboster, the master of the guild said to Makarov. "Pay us back the debt and well put this all behind us."

"I hear you, but you know that paying it back won't be easy with you taking all of our jobs." Makarov chuckled.

"We can't pay you back if we can't make money." Mirajane chuckled.

"The hell!? Are you trying to fight me!?" The master shouted.

"Now, now, don't overreact." Makarov chuckled. "We'll pay back every cent we owe you... one day."

"I don't want it someday! I want it now!" Banaboster shouted.

"Calm down." The short man said. "Let's start by going over those intrest rates."

"You're really starting to piss me back! First you rough up my men, and now you're making demands!?" He asked. "No matter what you do, you're still stuck with the debt!"

"I understand." Makarov replied. "After all we only came here to talk about money."

"Damnit, I'm sick of these games!" Banaboster shouted, kicking over a table.

"Remind me, isn't your motto 'repay what is owed'?" Makarov asked with a glare.

"So you owe us for seven years of destruction and buisness tampering." Erza declared, glowing red.

"And this is what you owe us." Mirajane added, glowing purple.

"The pain you put my children through will be repay, with intrest." Makarov added growing in size. "Do you understand me?" Mirajane and Erza turned back to the mob and the three began fighting the mob.

Outside, Macao and Wakaba were sweating up a storm. "Weren't they going to talk this over?" Macao asked.

"You really thought they could talk this over after what we told them?" Wakaba asked.

"Heh, almost reminds me of seven years ago." Macao said.

The two glanced over and Natsu, Laki and Happy walking over. "Crap, look we don't need anymore help here!" Wakaba said, only for the three to walk past the brawl. "What's wrong with them?"

Over in the park, Lucy sat against a tree before her landlady grabbed her leg and dragged her away. Minutes later, she was tossed into a room. "Wait, my room? Why's it so clean?"

"I've been cleaning it for seven years." The landlady explained. "Other than a few outfits here and there, I kept everything the same. But i did keep the bad outfits. And your mail is on the table." She closed her door and Lucy turned to see seven presents on her table. "They all came on the same day. Not one was ever late."

Lucy read one of the tags and noticed the birthday message. "He remembered..." A letter caught her attention and she opened it up. Seven years of emotions finally burst out of her and she started crying.

"What the heck!?" Natsu asked in shock as he, Happy and Laki stood outside. "What happened to you Lucy?"

"I'd leave her alone for now." The landlady said. "The letter she just got had seven years of rent inside it. What some parents will do for their children..."

"Wait, that means we're the only ones who don't have any money!?" Happy asked. "We gotta get to work! Now!"

"Lucy, we got a job!" Laki asked. "We'll bring you back a souvenir or something!"

Inside Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Wait up!" She said, running out of the house.

Seven years is a long time, I can't even image not seeing anyone I care about for that long.

As this is the only story from the three I'm doing right now that's getting the Infinity Clock treatment, I think I can tell you all; I'm skipping over the dance, the invisiblity potion, and especially... the butt jiggle idiots. I'm going right into the clock elements.

Beta read by JballinR12.