(Edited 15/02/24)

(Edited 14/03/24)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

The Tenrou Team Returns

***POTD***

Natsu slowly opened his eyes, finding himself within a strange room. Within the room, there were two doors colored white, and black, with a purple pillar of light situated in-between them.

"Where … am I," Natsu asked slowly, as he struggled to stand.

"We are within your consciousness, Natsu," a familiar voice chimed in, as Mavis appeared next to him.

"Mavis … why are we here? And … why is my body so … heavy?"

"Do you remember how you cast Fairy Sphere, Natsu? Your Magic Container is about to be completely empty. In front of you is a choice which all casters of the spell must choose. Either you continue to keep the spell active, at the cost of your own life force? Or, cancel the spell?"

"Oh … Is Achnologia gone?"

"I don't know? We are still within the pocket dimension, and it has been quite some time too," Mavis replied with a shrug. "So, it's highly likely that Achnologia is no longer there."

"So, if I release the spell … we end up back where we were before? Will everyone be okay?"

"They may be disoriented, but other than that, they will be fine. I am here to make sure you know what your choices are, and help you choose the right one."

"Well, how long has it been exactly since I cast the spell?"

"Like I said, it's been a long time. Perhaps a few years, maybe more?"

"Well then, releasing the spell would be a good idea then, right," Natsu said as he slowly rose to his feet.

"If you don't want to die, then I'd say so," Mavis replied with a warm smile. "Then by all means, release Fairy Sphere."

"Which door is the one that cancels the spell," Natsu asked, as he looked between the two.

"The one on the right," Mavis answered, as Natsu went to open the door, only to stop him. "Before you do any of this, please keep in mind that whilst time has flowed normally outside of Fairy Sphere, your friends will have retained the exact same as they were prior to the Sphere's activation.

"And what about me? Wouldn't I have stayed the same age too?"

"Unfortunately, using these great spells come with some sort of consequence. In this case, being the caster of the spell, you unfortunately had to take the long road to get here…"

"So, I aged?"

"That's correct," Mavis replied as she eyed his body. "You can definitely tell that you've grown into your prime Natsu."

"Really? How so?"

"Oh, I don't know… You've grown quite handsome, plus you've gained quite a bit of height on you. I know you can't really tell but I'm being honest with you!"

"Well, I'm sure this will be something the whole Guild will enjoy," Natsu smirks, as he walked toward the right door. "This is the one to end the spell, right?"

"Correct."

"Well, here goes," Natsu sighed, placing his hand on the nob as he heard Mavis call out to him.

"I just wanted to wish you luck for the future Natsu! It was nice getting to talk to someone for once," Mavis said, idly twirling her hair.

"See you around, Mavis," Natsu smiled, as he slowly opened the door and walked through.

***POTD***

Far out into the ocean, a strange Magical anomaly had begun to occur over the course of the last several weeks. From strange flashes of light, bright sparks rippling across the water, and even strange apparitions manifesting above the water's surface.

All of these strange acts were merely the culmination of what was ultimately to come, as the entire area began to experience sudden, and violent, earthquake activity, before there was a bright flash upon the horizon.

And then, just like that, Tenrou Island reappeared.

Upon the island itself, it was like the war against Grimoire Heart had never occurred. The entire island had seemingly repaired itself, as those who had survived the Tenrou Island incident began manifesting, all of them laying down on the ground around the camp.

As one, all the Mages awoke, feeling drowsy, and unsure of what had occurred. Out of all of them, Erza was the first to speak, as she shakily rose to her feet.

"Ngh… What happened," the S Class Mage muttered, scratching her head, her mind rather foggy, as she looked to her right. "What the-!?"

Erza was floored as she looked upon the woman who had risen to her feet next to her. She was definitely someone she knew, only for some reason, she appeared older? Before Erza could even ask the woman any questions, her own eyes widened, as she barged past Erza, taking off toward the Tenrou Tree.

"Oh my goodness," Mira gasped, pointing to the tree, as everyone noticed someone was suspended high above the tree's tallest branches, before suddenly beginning to rapidly fall at high speeds.

They all watched as the familiar woman casually leapt a good fifty feet in the air, catching him with ease, landing back down on the ground and dropping to one knee, gently laying the figure down on the ground.

Everyone from the camp managed to catch up, not a single one of them capable of forming a coherent sentence at what they were seeing, as the woman looked up toward them, a confused look on her face.

"I take it none of you guys have any clue about why he looks like that?"

"Never mind him," Gajeel scoffed. "The heck happened to you!?"

"Me?

"It seems something strange has occurred," Makarov muttered, as he pondered this strange situation. "Elise, you truly can't sense anything different about yourself?"

"No Master," the War God Slayer replied slowly. "Why?"

In response, Erza summoned a mirror from her Requip Space, handing it to the War God Slayer, who nearly dropped it in shock, gasping at her appearance.

"What… The… HELL!?"

Elise stood at an intimidating ten feet tall now, her once modest black hair was now extremely long, reaching down to her tailbone, whilst her fringe had naturally swept itself to the right side. Her hair had also seemingly retained its appearance from her War God's Champion form, black, with white mixed into it in an even manner.

Her body had filled out to accommodate her height increase as well. Her muscles were even more defined than before, her breasts had grown slightly larger from what she could feel, as had her rear. Her ears had also retained the pointy appearance from her War God Champion's form as well…

All in all, Elise was completely blown away by her appearance.

Looking down at the man she had just caught however, it seemed that something similar had occurred to him as well. The man she had caught… being Natsu.

His hair, much like Elise's, was grown out to a similar length to her own, though his fringe merely went where it pleased, a trait from his naturally shaggy hair.

His height had grown by almost three inches, placing him at a startling eleven and a half feet tall. His body was mostly exposed, showing off his heavily scarred, yet surprisingly healed form. His muscle mass had solidified even more, with his body having beefed up slightly to match his heightened frame.

But what confused everyone present, was why his Guild Mark had changed to a golden coloration? And why did he have a tattoo below it that linked up perfectly with the bottom of the Guild Mark itself.

As everyone began to theorize what had happened to the two Slayers, a gentle clearing of the throat cut through the crowd like a knife. Makarov froze, having heard that many a time in his youth. Slowly looking upward, his jaw dropped upon seeing his own Godmother floating before them.

"Before you all start theorizing, may I please say something?"

"First Master Mavis," Makarov whispered, almost reverently, as the rest of the Guild immediately bowed before her.

"I don't have much time to explain all of this, so please try not to interrupt me," the First Master asked kindly, as she lowered herself to stand next to Natsu's unconscious form. "In order to save you all, I granted Natsu the ability to utilize one of the three sacred spells of Fairy Tail, Fairy Sphere. Though he was successful in saving you all, the penalty is that his form was forced to endure the standard ravages of time."

"So, there truly is a punishment for wielding all three spells then," Makarov hummed with a stiff nod. "But First Master, why weren't the rest of us affected? Elise here appears to have also been affected by this strange phenomenon?"

"Ah yes, you are a God Slayer that has actually trained under a God, right?"

"Yes Ma'am," Elise nodded stiffly, her voice nearly a one to one of Eliza's now.

"That would be why. The God's Aura would have interfered with Fairy Sphere, and you would have also merely existed within its area of effect without actually being frozen in Time…"

"I see… Well, at least I didn't die," Elise smiled, eliciting a giggle from the First Master.

"Indeed. Now then, I thank you all for your understanding of the situation. You've all been through a harrowing ordeal, and now it is time for you all to meet the dawn once more," Mavis replied dramatically, as her body began to fade. "Take care of one another, Fairy Tail!"

"We will First Master, and thank you for ensuring our safety," Makarov replied sincerely, as the translucent form of Mavis faded away entirely, right as Natsu woke up.

"Shit… my head hurts," Natsu grumbled, as he looked around, the memories quickly flooding back. "We all survived…"

"That we did Natsu," Makarov smiled, as Gildarts offered the nearly naked Natsu his cloak, which the Dragon Slayer eagerly took. "Come, let's get back to the camp to discuss everything that has happened."

***POTD***

After a lengthy walk back to the camp, which had also been restored, the tired Fairy Tail Mages plopped themselves down, many of them idly pondering their narrow brush with death.

To some, they thought back to the Grimoire Invasion, and how the Dark Mages had nearly wiped their Guild out. Others however could only think about the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, Achnologia, a threat so great they had felt hopeless just looking upon his form.

Natsu meanwhile was more focused on adjusting to his body. He felt rather strange, though not in a bad way. His injuries had healed, and his Magic was already recovering at a steady rate, though he was somewhat confused as to why it still felt nearly empty, even after several hours.

Shaking his head, the Dragon Slayer decided not to worry about it, as he began to massage his sore calves, which still hadn't adjusted yet. As he did, Erza sat down next to him, a worried look on her face.

"What?"

"Are you…okay?"

"Well…I mean…"

Erza was clearly struggling with how to voice her concern, which didn't really surprise him in the slightest. After all, there were many instances where asking if he was okay would have been valid.

"I'm fine Erza, just a bit disoriented because of my body being seven years older."

"And you're okay mentally with that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just lost seven years of your life Natsu," Erza replied bluntly, placing a hand on his shoulder in a gentle and comforting manner. "Are you really okay with that?"

"I lost seven years, that's true. But the alternative is that everyone dies," Natsu replied with a slight frown. "Seven years of my life to save everyone else doesn't seem like a bad trade, does it?"

Erza tried to respond, her mouth opening, yet no sound coming forth. There was absolutely no statement that she could use to refute his own, not even if she sat for days to ponder an argument. The only arguments that would actually hold water were selfish, and not something she could ever imagine the man before her opting for.

"You're right," the Requip Mage whispered. "But that doesn't mean that it is right."

"That's the thing about reality Erza," Natsu chuckled softly as he looked up to the sky. "Often times, nothing is fair, but it just is. Besides, despite all we endured, we have no members of Fairy Tail who actually died during the whole thing. Life may not always be fair, but sometimes it throws you a bone in the worst of times, doesn't it?"

"That's … But what about Wendy though," Erza countered, though it was clear that even to her, the conversation wasn't a comfortable one.

"She's badly hurt, but she'll live Erza. When she wakes, she will hurt, but we'll all be there for her, just like she would for us. And, once she heals up, we can help her grow stronger…"

"She's going to have some rather bad scarring across her body," Erza replied grimly. "Especially her arms and stomach."

"Its fortunate that you were there for her before the bastard that did that could go any further. When she's grievously injured, Wendy's body subconsciously uses her own Healing Magic on itself to repair internal injuries and certain external ones. She'll probably be awake in about a day or so."

"That's a relief. I have no idea how we're supposed to get off this island, since there aren't any boats around," Erza replied with a nod. "If she needed serious medical attention, I don't know how we'd get it for her…"

"Well, Laxus managed to get here without a boat, so I'm sure he'd be able to get back to the mainland and get one over here," Natsu suggested, right as the blonde in question approached them.

"Actually, I could only get here because there was a thunderstorm, and I was able to ride the electrical currents here. Until we get another storm, I'm going nowhere," Laxus chimed in, as he sat down next to them.

"Hey Laxus," Natsu said, a more serious look overcoming his features. "I know we've had our differences in the past, but I want to thank you for what you did up on that airship. Precht was one of the toughest bastards I've ever fought, and you backed me up and helped me with everything you had. Thanks man…"

"That asshole was asking for it," Laxus replied, avoiding Natsu's gaze. "Besides, I was in the area anyway. Me aside though, you doing okay after eating all that lightning? I remember when you were a kid and ate a little bit of it, you were in the infirmary for days?"

"Don't remind me of my idiotic younger self. Let's all just be grateful that I've gained a whole two IQ since then," Natsu joked, before looking toward Laxus once again. "Speaking of idiotic selves, you gonna join the Guild again Laxus?"

"Huh!? The Hell are you talking about? As if I have any right to come back…"

"I wouldn't be so certain of that," Natsu replied with an amused smile, noticing Makarov listening in on their conversation. "You don't seem like you were back when you got kicked out. Plus, you were vital in stopping Precht, and you came to help when you weren't even a member. In a way, you saved everyone's asses just as much as I did."

"While that may be true, it isn't my decision. I do miss the Guild, and I especially miss the Thunder Legion… But I did some seriously messed up stuff, and the old geezer had every right to kick me out."

"Oh? So you think you can speak for me now boy," Makarov asked, eliciting a wince from Laxus, who slowly got to his feet.

"Fine, I'm going old man, I know I'm not supposed to be here-."

"Just sit down and shut up Laxus and let me say my piece," Makarov huffed, cutting off the blonde who begrudgingly sat back down. "Now, is it true that you helped Natsu fight Precht, that you came because you thought the Guild was in trouble?"

"I guess," Laxus mumbled, not wanting to say it aloud for everyone to hear.

"I'll be honest, I'm taking a bit of a risk here, but I'm going to extend an olive branch to you Laxus," Makarov continued, as he stepped toward the Dragon Slayer. "For assisting in the defeat of Precht, and coming to aide us in a dire hour, I'm officially rescinding your banishment."

"What…? Hold up, are you fucking serious!?"

"You've learned your lesson, I can tell just by looking at you," Makarov replied with a curt nod. "The fact that you and Natsu are speaking amicably and worked together, is all the proof I need."

"Old man," Laxus muttered, opening his mouth to speak before the loud roar of engines broke through the tender moment, as an airship darted over the island.

"The Hell is that," Gajeel grunted. "We under attack again!?"

"No," Natsu replied with a shake of his head. "That Airship belongs to Master Bob of Blue Pegasus, right gramps?"

"Indeed it does," Makarov smiled, nodding in response. "It seems that we've found our ride home…"

***POTD***

The airship had taken a few hours to reach Magnolia, but finally arrived sometime just after lunch.

The group were confused as the Airship flew past Magnolia, touching down outside a run down farmhouse. It didn't take the veteran Mages long to figure out what had happened, with Makarov looking extremely disappointed.

"So, this is our Guild Hall now," Natsu asked aloud, as he looked back to the other Tenrou survivors. "The Hell happened these last seven years?"

"I don't know Natsu, but we'd better find out," Erza replied, carrying Wendy's unconscious form with her, as Natsu advanced toward the front door, still only wearing the tattered remains of his pants and nothing else.

Once he was within a few meters of the entrance, ten men exited the run-down place, shouting about debts. One of the men bumped into Natsu, knocking the man flat on his back. The rest of the men were clearly unhappy by this, immediately surrounding him upon noticing his Guild Mark.

"OI!? Watch where you're going, Fairy scum," the man he knocked over barked, scrambling to his feet. "That's gonna cost your shitty Guild at least another million Jewel!"

"What," Natsu muttered, immediately catching on to what these men were trying to pull.

"Come on man, just take a look at this guy, eh!? Poor fucker doesn't even have any pants he's so dirt poor," another joked, as Natsu quickly identified that these men were from a Guild, noticing a repeated mark on all of them.

"True… Well boys, we all know what happens to poor Fairies who can't pay their debts, now don't we-!?"

The man who had been knocked over threw a punch at Natsu, striking him square in the jaw. There was a tense moment where no one moved, followed by an audible crack as the man recoiled, screaming.

"AAARGH!?"

"Bro!?"

"What the fuck-!?"

"MY HAND! THIS PIECE OF SHIT JUST BROKE MY FUCKING HAND-URGH!?"

The man struggled in vain, as Natsu's hand shot out, wrapping around his neck as he slowly lifted the thug upward. The more he looked at the man, the more annoyed Natsu seemed to get, as the veins on his hand and lower arm began to visibly pop, coinciding with the man's face turning a deep shade of purple.

"I'll tell you bastards exactly what you're gonna do," the Dragon Slayer snarled, exhaling a slight bout of steam from his nose. "You're gonna hand over every last Jewel you took from everyone in there. Then, you're all gonna turn around and apologize to them…"

Throwing the man he was holding, everyone present was shocked as Natsu casually lobbed him a good forty meters into a tree, knocking him unconscious. For the briefest moment, even Natsu was surprised, but immediately shrugged it off, continuing his threat.

"Once you've done all that, you're gonna then run along and pray to whatever God you believe in… Because, once I'm settled back in, I'm gonna find out how much you lot have taken… and break your thieving little hands!"

"The thugs seemed utterly mortified, panicking as they started just firing any spell that they could get off at him, drawing the attention of the rest of the Tenrou survivors.

"Not even back a minute and he's already started a fight," Makarov sighed, before realizing Natsu wasn't playing around. "Why is he so riled up…?"

In a matter of moments, he had crushed seven of them with basic punches. The second last Mage attempted to flee, but received a knee to the face as a reward for his cowardice, as Natsu effortlessly speed blitzed him.

Vanishing again, he reappeared in front of the last Mage, kicking him in the chest hard enough to send him flying through the doors to the Guild Hall, startling everyone inside. Making his way inside, he grabbed the thug and tossed him back outside, before looking over his shoulder and grinning to those present.

"Sorry about that! Once I figured out these bastards were taking your money, I figured I'd get it back for you," the Dragon Slayer grinned, as an older version of Macao slowly stepped forward, rubbing his eyes as he looked between Natsu, and the rest of the Tenrou group that had arrived at the doors.

"No way… Natsu, is that you!?"

"Hey Macao," Natsu replied with an amused smirk. "Long time no see, huh?"

"I don't fucking believe it," the older man replied shakily. "You're back… All of you, you're all back!?"

The rest of the Guild burst into an uproar, as the Tenrou survivors entered and a modest party broke out, celebrating their survival, as well as their subsequent return. As the majority of the Guild celebrated, Natsu, Makarov, Gildarts and Macao, decided to sit to one corner of the room.

"Macao, what the fuck happened," Natsu asked, crossing his arms. "I know the Guild was stacked before we vanished, I helped Mira with the records one time and saw we had over twenty million Jewel in the bank?"

"Yes, I'm quite curious about that too," Makarov hummed, also looking toward the older man curiously. "You took control as Fourth Master, so please, tell us what happened?"

"Well, it wasn't an immediate decline," Macao sighed sadly. "We were doing alright in the beginning, but we just didn't have the Mages to take so many high-level jobs at once like we used to. Without that extra income, we were hemorrhaging Jewel…"

"Can you give us a bit more detail than that," Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, the only ones from the Guild who returned were Gray, Juvia, Elfman and Ur, who also had those two girls with her. My first act as Guild Master was to immediately promote Ur to S Class…"

"A wise choice," Makarov nodded, with both Natsu and Gildarts nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Ur was easily S Class material seven years ago, let alone what she'd be now," Gildarts nodded, as Macao continued.

"Ur took every last job from the S Class Job Board, at least any that weren't Century Quests, and vanished," Macao sighed, shocking the trio. "We haven't seen her back here since she left, but we know she's definitely still alive. Every now and then, we get confirmation that some of those jobs were completed. Hell, she finished four Decade Quests by herself just last month alone!"

"Damn," Gildarts muttered, whistling lowly. "She must be a damn monster now…"

"You don't even know the half of what she's done," Macao replied with a shake of his head. "You'll probably find the rest out later, but I'll move onto the others. Gray and Juvia have been clearing out almost every other job request the Guild gets. But even with those three doing all they can, we still couldn't afford the upkeep on the old Guild Hall…"

"Because of those thugs, right," Natsu chimed in, surprising Macao, as Makarov's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Twilight Ogre," Macao scowled, clenching his fists. "They're the worst sort of scum!"

"I figured they were a Guild," Natsu sighed, shaking his head. "Tell us about them?"

"They set up shop in Magnolia about half a year after the Tenrou Incident, almost immediately extorting us for the right to operate in the city! Naturally, we refused in the beginning. Gray and Juvia crushed all five of their S Class Mages when they showed up to extort us… but they got smart."

"What happened?"

"They quickly caught onto the fact that Gray and Juvia were the main powerhouses we had left. They changed up their strategy, sending their goons over once they knew Gray and Juvia were out of Magnolia."

"That's despicable," Makarov growled, though Natsu could tell there was something much bigger coming, seeing the grit teeth and clenched fists of the Fire Mage.

"What have they done Macao?"

"You know Alzack and Bisca?"

"Yeah…"

"They got married a few years ago, had a Daughter named Asuka," Macao began, as all three men shared a look, hoping that this wasn't going where they thought it was going to go. "It happened two months ago… My Son Romeo had taken her to this ice cream place down by the park, looking after her while her parents were off on a job, y'know?"

"…"

"Romeo was found in one of the bushes by one of the civilians," Macao croaked, tears beginning to spill from his eyes. "Some of their thugs saw him with Asuka, and decided to take her! He tried to stop them, but Romeo is only a teen himself-!"

Every single window in the entire building shattered, as Natsu started walking toward the front doors, visibly frowning. Gildarts didn't even make a move to stop him, with Makarov chasing after him after momentarily debating with himself if he even wanted to.

Stepping outside, Makarov came out after him, followed by Erza, Elise and Mira, all three sporting frowns of their own after having heard what Macao had said.

"Natsu! Natsu wait-!"

"Why?"

"We don't know the status of our Wizard Saint positions," the old man replied quickly. "We should-!?"

"Don't care," Natsu huffed in response. "Go back in there and find out where Alzack and Bisca live, and go tell them to meet us wherever this Twilight Ogre Guild Hall is located."

"Natsu," Makarov muttered, wanting to retort, but finding himself supportive of the Dragon Slayer's actions. "Fine…"

Makarov went back inside without another word, as Natsu's gaze shifted toward the three girls.

"You all in?"

"We'll follow your lead Natsu," Erza nodded firmly. "It sounds like this Twilight Ogre Guild need to be taught a lesson…"

"Yeah," Elise agreed, examining her nails. "Extorting the Guild through intimidation and violence was one thing… but kidnapping a child and hospitalizing another is just straight up unforgivable."

"I'm sure it won't take us long to find them," Mira added, as the quartet marched down the dirt road that led toward Magnolia. "And when we do…"

"No mercy," Natsu snarled through grit teeth as he exhaled another bout of steam through his nose, furious as to what had happened in his absence.

***POTD***

The quartet arrived in Magnolia twenty minutes later, and immediately began asking around for the location of the Twilight Ogre Guild Hall. It didn't take long to get an answer, since it seemed like many of the citizens of Magnolia didn't like them either, happily giving away their address to the furious group of Mages.

Approaching a rather lavish looking building, Natsu knocked on the front door, as a short looking Mage eyed him up and down with narrowed eyes.

"The Hell do you want!?"

"We're from Fairy Tail, and we're here to talk to your Guild Master about our debt," Natsu said in a monotonous tone of voice.

The man closed the door, disappearing for several minutes, before returning with an amused grin on his face.

"Boss says he'll see ya now, Fairy," the man smirked, opening the door to admit the group, and leading them into the main hall, where two couches had been placed on either side of a table.

The man motioned for them to sit, as Natsu took his place at the center of the couch. Erza and Mira sat either side of him, leaning into him, with Elise opting to remain standing behind the couch, a hand on his shoulder.

"So, you're one of those Fairies, eh? The one who did in my boys no less…"

Natsu didn't immediately respond, as a rather portly man wearing a yellow pinstriped suit entered. He had a rather strange looking plated jaw, and wore a pair of orange tinted sunglasses.

The man strolled in with a swagger, indicating that he felt that he was in full control, and that he was the most important man in the room. Lightning a cigar, the man plopped himself down on the seat opposite Natsu, an amused smirk on his face.

"You don't look like much to me," the man sniffed, taking a drag from his cigar. "But I can't deny that you did me boys in. Not only that, but you actually came to talk business, knowing you were clearly in the wrong…"

"Oh, I'm definitely here to talk business," Natsu replied neutrally. "My first question is though, who are you?"

"Eh? You mean to tell me you don't know who I am," the man huffed, shaking his head. "I'm the Master of this here Guild, the head honcho! Magnolia is my city, my territory!"

An Extremely Arrogant Individual

Head Of The Most Powerful Guild In Magnolia

Guild Master Of Twilight Ogre

Banaboster

"So, you're the main man in charge huh," Natsu hummed in response. "Good. Now we can get straight to the point as to why we've come here…"

"Well I'll be damned, a Fairy that isn't here to whinge and whine," Banaboster smirked in response. "I had a feeling you'd be a reasonable feller! So, that being the case, I've got a great deal for you and your Guild! You'll give us ninety five percent of you Guild's total earnings, plus an extra two percent to cover the cost of my boy's medical bills, and we'll call it even…"

"Ninety five percent huh," Natsu hummed in reply, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Here's the thing. Before I'm even willing to accept any terms, there's another matter outside of this that needs to be settled?"

"Oh? And what exactly would that be?"

"We know you took the Daughter of Alzack and Bisca," Natsu replied darkly, eliciting a momentary look of surprise on the face of the Guild Master, before he chuckled.

"You mean that little brat who was going around shooting my boys with that toy gun of hers," Banaboster replied, leaning forward in his seat. "That little brat needs to learn some actual discipline-!"

"You had best not be telling me you've harmed a young child," Natsu replied coldly, his gaze sending chills up the spine of the Guild Master.

"N-No! We haven't actually done anything to her, we're just holding her here until her parents pay up-!"

"Disgraceful."

"Huh!?"

"You actually have the balls to sit here before me, calling yourselves a Legal Guild," Natsu hissed, as everyone began to feel a sudden shift in the pressure within the main hall. "Extortion. Kidnapping for ransom. Assault on minors…"

"W-What are you trying to say!?"

"You said that we had to pay a minimum of ninety five percent back," Natsu continued, ignoring the man. "The only way I see this going, is that you return every last Jewel you've taken from Fairy Tail since you arrived in Magnolia, as well as covering the costs of everything your Guild have destroyed of ours…"

"HUH!? what the hell do you think this is," Banaboster sneered in response. "You ain't the one calling the shots here Fairy! I've given you a pretty reasonable deal, and you go and try to pull a stunt like that!? No fucking way, no fucking how! Besides, you ain't even offered the alternative if we say no! You already know what ours will be, but let's hear yours!?"

As Banaboster finished his sentence, hundreds of Twilight Ogre Guild Members filed into the hall, most armed with Magic Weapons, eliciting a tired sigh from Natsu, who appeared almost bored by the situation.

"Well, we tried to be fair, but you just had to be like this… Alright, I'll tell you the alternative offer, since it's obvious you're rejecting our original pitch. You give us every last bit of Jewel you own, and we don't plaster you and your thug's faces along the streets of Magnolia. Sound good big man?"

"Yeah, see, as tempting as that is, I'm gonna have to decline both options," Banaboster smirked in reply, raising his right arm. "Guess now we've gotta teach you lot a lesson, eh!? The girls will go nicely out in the streets, but I'll see that smart mouth jaw of yours broken boy! All of you, ATTACK!"

Just as all the Twilight Ogre Guild Members moved to attack, they froze in fear, as the darkness in the room seemed to overtake them, pinning them in place.

"Well now, another candidate destined for the Gate of Greed? Nice and portly too," a familiar voice purred, as all eyes locked onto Mira's form, now Halphas, as she remained leaning against Natsu's side. "Best pack it in little mortals…"

"N-No way are we just gonna surrender," Banaboster stuttered, only for another powerful presence to make itself known, as Elise manifested behind him, whilst still remaining in her original position for several more seconds. "AH-!?"

"In a war, its always good to remain at least three steps ahead of one's enemy," Elise purred, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she poked Banaboster with the tip of her sword. "Against a smooth brain like you, we can start victory celebrations before the opening shots are even fired…"

"You Fairies… This is all just a trick," Banaboster stuttered, only for a cold black mace to crush the desk between them, as Erza rose up from her place at Natsu's side, now in her Purgatory Armor.

"We will not stand by and allow you to harass and steal from our Guild any further. You will order your Guild to surrender, or we will destroy it, just like all those who have dared cross our path in the past!"

"Ngh-! This can't be," Banaboster sneered. "Boys, use the kid as insurance-!"

Banaboster's words died in his throat, as a gargantuan Magical Presence erupted in the room. Even Erza, Elise and Halphas were shocked, their eyes darting toward Natsu, who remained seated, a slightly curled lip showing his disgust for the man before them.

"What the Hell was that," Erza muttered, almost in shock, with Halphas seeming more excited than shocked. Elise meanwhile seemed to have some idea, though she chose not to showcase it, opting to keep her blade trained on Banaboster himself.

"There will be no terms of surrender I'm willing to accept from you now," Natsu said, his eyes locked onto the Guild Master across from him. "How dare you even consider using Asuka as insurance… I've decided that your Guild doesn't deserve to exist anymore."

"W-What do you mean-!?"

"Remember Banaboster," Natsu muttered darkly. "You had a choice…"

"No… NO… NOOOOOO," Banaboster screamed, as the quartet went to work, determined to utterly demolish Twilight Ogre in its entirety.

***POTD***

An hour later, the group stood outside the now collapsed Twilight Ogre Guild Hall, as Natsu wiped some blood off his hands onto his torn pants.

Nearby, Mira was entertaining Asuka, a cute young girl who was really excited by all the fake butterflies the Take Over Mage was conjuring from thin air. Smiling, he turned back to face the ruins of Twilight Ogre, picking up a massive sack of stuff they'd looted from the place before destroying it.

"That should be the last of it Natsu," Elise chimed in, reappearing next to him with another wallet, tipping its contents into the sack before tossing the wallet into the ruins. "What now? We can't exactly haul around this much cash out in the open, can we?"

"Your house has that vault in it doesn't it," Mira chimed in, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Elise.

"What vault?"

"Oh yeah, we never told you about that, did we," Natsu chuckled. "Come on, let's go home so we can show you Elise. We can keep the money in there no problem."

"Fine, but can we get something to eat on the way, I'm starving," Elise asked with a desperate look, clutching her stomach dramatically.

"Afterwards we can. We're carrying a lot of Jewel, so we need to put it away as soon as possible."

"Aww… But I'm huuungry," she whined in response, as Erza gave her a pat on the back.

"It's okay Elise, we'll all go out and get something to eat as soon as the money is dropped off, I promise. I'm also quite hungry too."

"That makes three of us," Mira added with a grin, eliciting an amused roll of the eyes from Natsu.

"Alright, you all win, I'm obviously hungry too… The question is though, where are we eating after putting away the money?"

"How about that restaurant that your friend owns Natsu," Erza asked in response, eliciting an audible squeal from Mira.

"Oh my goodness! Chef Shrikke's cooking would be a Godsend!"

"Heh. Yeah, that actually does sound like it would hit the spot right about now," Natsu chuckled in response, as they all made their way over to the Manor.

Arriving ten minutes later, Natsu was surprised to see that the house was in just as good a condition as it had been prior to their disappearance. Humming in surprise, the group walked up to the front door.

Natsu was leading the group, idly chatting with the girls about food as he opened the front door, only to receive a knee to the face. Everyone was shocked, save for Natsu, who didn't even show signs that he'd felt the knee at all, merely standing there processing what had happened.

"Who are you, and why are you here," a familiar voice asked, as Natsu removed the knee from his face.

Standing before them was a five-foot seven young woman with long flowing pink hair, dressed only in a pair of maroon pajamas. She had a sizeable bust, pink eyes, and was wearing a set of earmuffs around her neck.

"You smell familiar… But it can't be you, since you look so … grown up?"

"You'd better start talking before I get my friend over here to finish the job buddy," the figure continued, as Natsu put two and two together.

"That friend wouldn't happen to be Ultear by any chance, would it," Natsu asked, as the girl looked at him in shock.

"How do you know that!?"

"Well for one, her scent is all over the place. And two, I think I remember you, but you were short and had no tits."

The girl looked thoroughly embarrassed; her face flushed red as she stamped her foot on the front doorstep.

"Look Sir, the owner of this house isn't here right now, so you don't have any business here!"

"Yeah, the owner of the house is here, and he wants to go inside," Natsu replied dryly, as the girl seemed to finally recognize him.

"Oh my God, it's you," she almost screamed, as Natsu heard a second pair of footsteps making their way downstairs.

"Meredy, what's taking you so long? It's probably just another-!?"

The second, older woman, dropped everything she was holding in her hands and was immediately in Natsu's face, poking him. Natsu's eye twitched, as he looked back to the girls.

"Uh guys… A little help," Natsu asked, as Erza, Mira and Elise just began laughing at his expense.

"You can't be here… It defies all logic that you survived!? And somehow you look so…so…?"

"Handsome," Erza suggested, as the woman's cheeks were tinged pink for the briefest of moments in response.

"Well, I was going to say dashing but- OH MY GOD YOU'RE ALL HERE!?"

"Can we come inside now," Natsu asked, as she nodded quickly, the group making their way inside. "Thank you, Ultear Milkovitch."

"I need a moment," the Time Mage muttered, slowly moving to a nearby lounge chair, eliciting an amused chuckle from Natsu.

"Right. Well, whilst Ultear has her moment, let's head down to the vault."

"There's a vault in this house," Meredy asked, clearly shocked, as everyone started filing into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm curious about that too, and I own part of this house," Elise huffed, feeling put out no one told her about it.

Once everyone was in the kitchen, Natsu held out his hand. Suddenly, there was a loud whoosh sound, as one of the kitchen walls disappeared, revealing a stairway that went downward.

"This was here the whole time," Meredy asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it was, but I'm trusting you not to tell anyone, okay," Natsu replied, as Meredy nodded slowly. "Good. Now then, let's drop this money off."

After walking for a few minutes, the group hit a large vault door, and Natsu pulled out a key and unlocked it. The large vault door began to make all sorts of strange clicking noises, until it swung open slightly, and a bright light began to shine out.

With one hand, Natsu opened the vault door completely, revealing his entire fortune.

"Huh. I guess it got bigger in seven years," Natsu said idly, as Elise and Meredy looked at him in shock.

"You have a cave… A cave that full to the brim with treasure," Ultear muttered from behind them. "I should have brought the damn chair…"

"This is where my Saints pay ends up. Erza and I agreed not to touch it, just to see how much we could get in here, and it's looking pretty good! Hey Erza, we could build you an Armor made entirely out of Jewel now!"

"Speaking of Armor, the armory seems to be full of Jewel now," Erza noted, as everyone looked over to one of the corners to see a whole heap of Erza's Requip Armors surrounding by money. "We'll have to work on shoveling it out later."

"There's so much money down here you could literally swim in it," Elise chimed in, completely gobsmacked.

"I guess its true what they say about Dragons and their hoards," Mira joked lightly.

"Alright, fill your pockets and then we're leaving," Natsu said, as everyone except Erza looked at him hopefully. "Yes, you all can too…"

He watched as everyone filled themselves to bursting point with his money, shaking his head as he turned around and left the vault, hearing Erza lock it up once the others got out. Once they were back in the kitchen, Ultear approached him.

"Thank you for letting us have some too Natsu," Ultear said sincerely, eliciting a warm smile from the man.

"You've been doing me a massive favor by taking care of my house while we were all gone, it's the least I could do," Natsu replied, genuinely grateful, before continuing to speak. "By the way, you're welcome to stay since we've got more spare rooms than Erza has Armor."

"Thanks Natsu, we'd love to stay," Ultear replied with a smile, before quickly reverting to a small frown. "But we should probably let you know about something we did during the seven years you were gone..."

"Okay…?"

"Well … We kind of broke Jellal out of prison …"

Erza looked shocked, whilst Natsu simply shook his head, not appearing overly concerned about breaking out one of his former enemies.

"As reckless as that is, I don't mind. Where is he at the moment?"

"Hiding in the attic," Ultear replied bluntly, which actually caught Natsu off guard.

Within seconds, Natsu was upstairs, pulling on the string to access the attic, as he called out for the man.

"Oi, Jellal," Natsu shouted, as the blue haired man appeared fearful for a moment, before Natsu sat down across from him. "There he is, Mister big time criminal! You're not gonna go attacking me again like the last two times we met, are you?"

Jellal didn't respond, simply gaping at his mere presence, eliciting a tired sigh from the Dragon Slayer.

"This is gonna get old really fast…"

"Well, it's just that … you're alive," the blue haired Mage blurted out, before managing to compose himself. "Ultear said that all of you were blasted by Achnologia, so I'd assumed-."

"Oh that. Yeah, so, I saved everyone, but it put us in an alternate dimension for seven years. So anyway, why are you living up in my attic?"

"Well, I am a wanted criminal you know, so it's not like I have a lot of places to go," Jellal replied, motioning toward a bounty for Jellal that was stuck on a nearby wall. "Right now, I've just stopped off to resupply before I go back out and continue my work."

"Your work? What type of work are you doing?"

"I've formed an Independent Guild called Crime Sorciere which exists to eradicate Dark Guilds from Fiore."

"Hey, that's actually not a bad idea," Natsu nodded in response. "How many people are in it?"

"Just myself, Ultear and Meredy for now. I suppose you could also call this Guild a Guild of redemption for those who have committed crimes against the people and are looking to atone."

"Well, I've got no problem with you using my house if that's what you're gonna do. But get out of my attic man and just use one of the many damn rooms in the house! There are heaps of them you could've picked instead of up here!"

"Alright Natsu, it is your house," Jellal smiled as the two men shook hands. "Just to clarify, you're saying we can use here as a base for Crime Sorciere?"

"Oh, of course man. I like the mission you guys have, plus you've taken great care of the place."

"Thank you Natsu," Jellal smiled, his eyes narrowing for a moment, before meeting his own. "I think I might have a way to repay you, but I can't give it to you straight away."

"No worries man, you do what you need to do," Natsu grinned, as the two men jumped back down to the third floor. "No rush."

The two men made their way back downstairs, noticing everyone waiting for them at the front door.

"Natsu… You promised we could go eat after we put the Jewel away! I'm starving," Elise whined, eliciting an amused shake of the head from the Dragon Slayer.

"Alright, we're going. You two need us to pick anything up while we're out?"

"Oh, we're coming too Natsu. Did you forget that I'm a master of disguise," Ultear replied with an amused smirk, as both she and Meredy turned into two average looking women.

"Guess you're the odd one out buddy," Natsu said, patting Jellal on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll bring you something back."

"…Can I have some soba please?"

"You got it man," Natsu chuckled, as the group left the manor, making their way toward Shrikke's restaurant just down the street.

As the group turned the corner, it became immediately apparent that something was seriously off. The place was all boarded up, along with all the buildings around it. Looking around, Natsu couldn't help but voice his confusion.

"There's no one here… Where did Shrikke go?"

"You won't find any service here Sir," an old man who was sitting on a bench next to the door chimed in, as Natsu looked at him in confusion.

"What happened to this place old timer?"

"Chef Shrikke had to leave due to some letter he received two years ago. The day he got it, he closed the business, and away he went. He did tell us before he let us go that there may be a pink haired man who might stop by one day, and should he ever appear to give him this," the old man replied, as he handed Natsu a letter.

Opening the letter, Natsu gaze hardened considerably.

Natsu,

If you've gotten back to Magnolia and I'm no longer here, then you know what's happened. I wish it weren't so, but it appears we must endure Fate's cruel hand once more…

I have left the letters intended for both yourself, as well as Gildarts, directly above where you'll most likely be reading this.

Please thank my staff if they've stuck around this long for me, for I do not deserve such loyalty.

Prends courage mon frere,

Shrikke Gondeu

Natsu immediately looked up, noticing two letters that had been left inside the neon sign for Shrikke's restaurant. Breaking the light, he grabbed both letters, immediately noticing the familiar seal on the back.

"No… Oh no, don't tell me…"

"Natsu? Natsu, what's wrong," Erza asked, only for all of them to nearly be bowled over, as the Dragon Slayer took off as fast as he could, clearing half of Magnolia in thirty seconds.

Running as fast as he could, Natsu arrived at Gildarts' house, but ended up skidding straight through his front door. This had the added effect of startling the tired older man, who was on his feet within moments.

"Natsu, what the Hell do you think you're-!?"

Gildarts stopped speaking as soon as he saw the letters in Natsu's hand, and immediately helped him up.

"Where'd you find these," the older man practically whispered, as the Dragon Slayer shakily moved to sit down at his table.

"Shrikke's restaurant. The letters apparently came two years ago," Natsu replied slowly, as both men stared at their letters for several minutes.

"Together?"

"Together," Natsu agreed, as both men opened up their letters at the same time, surprised to find they weren't even encrypted.

Dearest Natsu,

As the design of the letter suggests, you know what this is. The war has escalated, and the Council is requesting all assets be returned to Scarlione immediately.

I'd heard that you and Gildarts were both attacked by that monster for a third time and your whereabouts are currently unknown, but I believe you both still live!

So, here I am, officially ordering you to return to the Scarlione Empire as soon as you have read these orders. I know I told you I wouldn't ask you to return, but my hands are tied on this matter.

A lot has occurred since we last spoke at the Embassy, none of it contains welcome news. I believe you deserve to hear the news in person, so I shall speak of it when next we meet face to face.

Please have a safe journey, and I pray for your swift arrival.

May the radiant leaves guide you down a greater path, my dearest Knight Commander.

Your Queen,

Illyandra Scarlione VII

"We're being recalled," Natsu said bluntly, as the older man met his gaze.

"We have to go immediately," Gildarts replied, getting to his feet as he immediately began packing his things, right as everyone else managed to catch up.

"Hold on, slow down a minute! Where are the two of you going," Erza asked, eliciting a tired sigh from the Dragon Slayer.

"The Queen of Scarlione has recalled us to fight in the war," Natsu replied, with the entire group being stunned into silence. "Shrikke was recalled two years ago, and we were also meant to go with him."

"So, you're leaving again," Erza whispered. "For how long?"

"I don't know," Natsu replied, as Erza crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.

"I'm going with you this time, no questions asked-."

"Erza, you'd be walking into a full-on war… You do realize that, right," Gildarts asked in response, as Elise piped up.

"Well that means I can come then right, since I'm a War God Slayer?"

Natsu just looked at the pair, shaking his head before sighing.

"There's one person you're all forgetting you know? Who's going to look after Wendy," Natsu countered in response, as Elise and Erza adopted both sheepish, and guilty looks.

"Actually Natsu, the kid woke up before you guys left. She was looking for you," Gildarts said as Natsu looked at him shocked.

"And you didn't think to say that earlier because…?"

"Well, this is a pretty important issue, and took precedence. Now listen, its obvious that Erza's not going to take no for an answer, and neither is Elise. So, we'll probably have to take Wendy with us too."

"Are you serious!?"

"I am," Gildarts replied firmly. "Go grab Wendy and meet us at the station in twenty."

Natsu was out the door in seconds as he raced to the Guild Hall outside of town, seeing the blue haired Dragon Slayer sitting outside by herself. Without warning, he appeared right in front of her, startling her.

"N-N-Natsu!? Where did you come from!?"

"Sorry … just running … really fast," Natsu panted out between breaths as he sat down.

"Why do you look so old?"

"Magic I used to save everyone… Now look here Wendy, I don't have time to explain all this, but I need to ask you something… Want come to Scarlione with me?"

"To Scarlione? That's the place you became really strong, isn't it," Wendy asked, as she traced a finger along the bandages lining her arms idly, as Natsu placed a gentle hand atop her head.

"I hope you don't feel bad about losing to that guy Wendy? From what Erza told me, it sounds like he even gave her a rough time. Besides, now you're like me with some sweet battle scars!"

"They won't go away, will they," Wendy asked, as she leaned on Natsu, as he shook his head.

"No, they won't. But the way I look at it, why would you want them to if they can serve as a reminder of previous mistakes, and how to do things better the next time around?"

"Is that how you look at all your scars?"

"Well, all of them except the one on my neck. That one is from my first lovers spat, but still… You get my point, right?"

"So, you still want me to come with you to Scarlione? What about Erza?"

"Erza's coming too. So are Gildarts and Elise. I was worried about leaving you here alone, since I thought you were still unconscious, and I didn't want you to wake up thinking I had abandoned you."

"I'll come to Scarlione then. But when are we going?"

"That's a very good question boy? When are you planning on going," Makarov asked, eliciting a tired sigh from the Dragon Slayer.

"Gramps, I'm in my late twenties now… I'm not a boy anymore you know?"

"You're forty years younger than me, so I'll call you boy all I want! Now, answer the question?"

"We have to leave right now. Erza and Elise want to come, and now Wendy's coming too."

"Well, I understand the politics of it, so I won't argue. But where is all the money you took from that Guild you four raided earlier?"

"Take this key and give it to Mira for me gramps," Natsu replied, passing the key to the old man. "She'll know where to go."

"All right, I'll take it to her," Makarov replied with a stiff nod. "Now, you lot better all come back safe."

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to them. Also, what do I do about the Council wanting to see us about our Wizard Saints positions?"

"I'll just tell them you've been called to Scarlione on a job, and that'll be the end of it until you get back."

"Fair enough. Thanks gramps," Natsu replied, as he picked up Wendy. "Alright Wendy, you know the drill!"

"Hold on tight," the younger Dragon Slayer replied, wrapping her arms around his head.

"That's right," Natsu grinned, as they shot off in the direction of the train station, leaving Makarov both figuratively, and literally, in the dust.

"Stay safe my children," Makarov muttered quietly, before turning on his heel, and walking back inside.

Having heard the stories of their first foray into Scarlione, the old man could do naught but pray, and hope that they returned to him safe and sound.