Chapter 31 - Goodbye Again?
Fairy Tail, 19 years ago
Mordred struggled to move as much as she did in the recent past. With her new condition, she thought she could just power through her pain and tough it out. Kind of like one of those tough aunts and grandmas from those stories where they gave birth like it was just a workout routine for them. Instead, Mordred could see how painful childbirth really is.
Although, that didn't stop her from mocking Morgan.
'Screw you, bitch. I hope I made it worse for you.' Mordred thought with a smirk.
Only to falter as she approached the bar area of the guild. Mordred would have collapsed had Sieg not caught her in time.
"Mordred, remember to move slowly." Sieg warned as he helped her to a seat.
"Thanks Sieg." Mordred said.
It wasn't too long ago that she mocked Sieg for being physically weak. The young man was a homunculus, he wasn't built to last long let alone have physical strength to match a competent warrior. It was all that magic he gained from Balmung that made him stronger and capable of keeping up with everyone else.
"Ask me three years ago if I ever needed your help and I would laugh at your face." Mordred said with a weak smile.
"And I would still help you. Even if you didn't want me to." Sieg said as he went behind the bar.
"I don't know if I should call that loyal or what." Mordred said with a sigh.
The transition from Mordred mocking Sieg to marrying him wasn't narrow and straightforward. It wasn't like they saved each other's lives or slowly realized they loved each other. It actually took a long time of them trying to understand each other before deciding on where to go on with their feelings. Perhaps a better way to describe their relationship is to say that the both of them had to learn how to be human.
Starting with Mordred having to open herself up just as she started getting used to Makarov and Porlyusica. Then to Sieg having a hard time understanding human emotion as he wasn't taught such things as a homunculus. It's not like either of them were believed to be allowed to have normal lives given what they were both made for.
"By the way, how is the child?" Sieg asked, seemingly sounding detached.
By this point, just about everyone was used to Sieg talking emotionlessly. He didn't sound monotone, but the use of words just showed that either he didn't understand certain things or still hasn't fixed his vocabulary. There were a few times Sieg was almost hit for calling his unborn child an "it" rather than them or him. Although in his defense, he just wasn't sure of the child's gender yet.
"You always ask. He's fine. I'm starting to wish he could grow on a tree or something." Mordred said as she grunted in pain.
"But that is nature. Even constructs like us are capable of adapting into this world, I suppose." Sieg said as he started cleaning glasses.
Mordred sighed as she thought about the irony in that. She could probably think about her life from being alone and unwanted to finding a family and growing it. Then she would become a philosopher but she didn't want that because most philosophers these days were people who have lived through disturbing things or developed weird ways of seeing reality.
Before Mordred could reply to her husband's statement. She heard some footsteps running towards her.
"Mama!" Laxus called out as he ran up to his mother's stool.
Mordred snickered as she saw her son climbing onto a stool. From there, she heard Laxus go on about his day with Makarov and the random things that he found interesting. Mordred couldn't but listen even when Laxus stumbled with his words or just didn't know how to describe certain things.
"And then what happened?" Mordred asked, hearing Laxus stumble more.
As they spoke, Sieg looked over at Makarov who was smiling at the scene before requesting a mug. As Sieg handed him a mug, the guild master leaned close and whispered into his ear.
"Sieg, how has Mordred been doing with her pregnancy?" Makarov asked.
"A few complaints, some wincing and some-"
Sieg suddenly stopped as he began to cough. He coughed loudly enough to get Mordred's attention. It took him a solid minute before stopping as Makarov patted his back to help him clear his airway.
"Sieg? Are you okay?" Mordred asked.
"Something was stuck in my airways. Don't worry." Sieg said, reassuring her.
Mordred nodded and looked back at Laxus who glared at Sieg for interrupting his story. She didn't notice Sieg was starting to act more frail as the days continued. It was something Makarov noticed but thought it was just Sieg's weak organs that were acting out.
"Anyways, the pains are relatively the same." Sieg continued. "But Master, if I may ask. How has security been since the previous month?"
Makarov's face turned serious, "I can tell you Porlyusica has been distracted lately and Gildarts isn't going on extended missions lately. Not that I can blame them when that woman came."
Sieg sighed as he gripped the bar, "Master, I'm grateful that you were there. I wish I was as active as all of you but even with Balmung. I can't always be there for Mordred or at least be the one she depends on."
Makarov scoffed, "Sieg, if you can fight for my daughter in her most fragile and remain standing even when you think you can't win. Then you're the most dependable person I know. You give yourself too little credit."
Sieg stared at Makarov before looking over at Mordred whose attention was still fixed on Laxus' ramblings. He wondered if he could be someone his unborn child could depend in the future.
Present Day
Laxus was hiding behind a rock as he acted uncharacteristically by pouting. He could see Naruto laying his head on Mordred's lap when he should be the one getting close. Despite being aware that his younger brother deserved to be close to their mother too. His mama's boy side told him he should be getting that kind of affection.
However, Laxus was grounded and could only stew in his anger.
'Stupid Naruto. Just because he's the baby, he gets to cuddle up with mom.' Laxus thought.
As Laxus continued to look bitter, Lucina was gently patting his head as if to comfort him. Which did nothing more than maintain his emotions as they already were. Which ironically earned the ire of Freed and Evergreen while Bickslow got thinking.
"At least Laxus didn't lose his touch with the ladies." Bickslow jokes before earning some glares. "Oh, too soon?"
Evergreen just sighed as she watched Freed trying to tell Bickslow to hold off on the jokes for now.
Meanwhile, everyone else was recovering from the battle and planning to return back to Magnolia and put today behind them. At the same time, while the S Class trials were a failure, it did test the guild as a whole and made them stronger in some ways. Perhaps not in power for some, but strong in mentality and will power for others. Regardless, after today, the guild will return to its usual self but the level of growth will have permanently changed.
Right now, this would probably look like the sweet ending of a chapter of a book but this story was far from over. Carla was one of the few who can definitely attest to that as she started having one of her visions.
"Hey Carla, are you okay?" Wendy asked.
Carla blinked a few times as she gazed in Naruto's direction. Her vision flickered a few times as she saw a scene change. For a brief moment, she could see Naruto standing in a field holding hands with two children. Both of whom had red and white colored hair as they faced the same direction as Naruto. Carla couldn't understand much of this vision she was able to foresee.
"Carla!" Wendy repeated.
Carla finally snapped out of her vision, "What? Is something the matter, child?"
"You were spacing out." Wendy said.
"Oh, um, I am just feeling exhausted. Today's shenanigans are much more than I could handle." Carla said, making up an excuse.
As Carla cleared her mind, she couldn't help but wonder why she pictured Naruto with two children. If anything, she would have expected to see Filo there. Perhaps she wasn't paying attention closely enough or maybe Wendy disrupted her concentration.
'I think I need some rest.' Carla thought.
At this point, Mordred decided to leave her son alone and decided to see how everyone else was doing. She could see Makarov was waiting for everyone to pack up and get ready to leave. Gildarts was just fishing at a nearby stream with Natsu and Happy. Leaving everyone else to just stand around and recover from their battles with the Seven Kin of Purgatory.
But then, Mordred noticed something peculiar amongst the Fairy Tail wizards. Rambunctious and diverse personalities aside, Mordred couldn't help but notice the way Cana was looking at Gildarts. The original Titania was confused by the sad look Cana had on her face which got her thinking as she approached Gildarts. Somehow, Mordred found herself thinking a whole lot as she approached Fairy Tail's Ace.
"Hey Gildarts, can I ask you something?" Mordred asked.
"If it's about the fish, I'm afraid Happy won't share." Gildarts joked.
"Yeah, I don't care how tough you are. I wouldn't share even if Erza threatened me." Happy added.
Mordred rolled her eyes, "I don't care about your stinky fish, Cat."
Happy frowned at Mordred before crossing his arms and looking away.
"Look, Gildarts, I just wanted to ask something personal and I don't think these two are mature enough to handle it." she told him.
"Oh? I guess we can catch up." Gildarts said as he excused himself.
The two then walked into the forest and walked for a couple minutes to get some privacy. Gildarts had his doubts that Natsu couldn't hear him as he was aware of the dragon slayer's sensitive hearing. However, he doubted Natsu would care enough to hear whatever sensitive topic Mordred had to mention.
"First, since I've been dead for a while. I wanted to ask about Cornelia." Mordred said, making him frown.
At that moment, Mordred could see that she hit a sore spot. She knew Gildarts was a good but very silly man who acted like the guild's uncle. Yet, Cornelia seemed to be a sensitive topic despite Gildarts being the type of guy to get with lots of women.
"I haven't seen her in years, Mordred. Even after you passed away, we talked less and less and it's been years since I even heard from her." Gildarts explained with a tired sigh.
"And you haven't tried looking for her?" Mordred asked in a curious tone.
"I did, believe me. I'm not exactly husband of the year, but I did love Cornelia. I just feel like things could have worked out differently." Gildarts said, showing genuine remorse.
Mordred could see that Gildarts was being honest despite being a womanizer in his youth. The man surprised everyone with the announcement of his marriage. She remembered a small ceremony where only a few people arrived, Mordred included. Albeit, Mordred and even Sieg hardly interacted with Cornelia more than a couple of times but the female knight remembered the woman being a fair skinned woman with long brown hair and purple eyes.
"Look Mo-chan, I know you're curious but why did you bring up my ex wife?" Gildarts asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"Gildarts, I'm just putting some pieces of a puzzle together." Mordred answered.
"What does a game of puzzles have to do with me?" Gildarts asked.
"Not a literal puzzle! I mean... augh! Look, have you noticed the way that girl in the bikini top looks at you?" Mordred asked, trying to hold back her frustration.
"Oh, you mean Cana? I didn't notice that, honestly she always acted anxious when I first met her. I remember her showing up to the guild one day as a little kid and acting nervous. I think Naruto helped her sort of get comfortable with the guild." Gildarts explained, sounding a bit happier.
Mordred raised a brow before asking him to elaborate. So Gildarts did and explained the few details he knew regarding Cana's early years. As Laxus was already a teenager and started going on quests and Gildarts was always taking long term quests. Naruto was essentially alone at the guild with Makarov who was usually busy with guild master work. So Gildarts assumed that Naruto worked his ass off to make friends with the only other child in the guild. Which often led to Naruto inviting Cana to hang around Gildarts whenever he came around.
The stories only proved Mordred's theories as Gildarts mentioned the details and moments. With Gildarts mentioning that he almost sees Cana as a daughter, but wondered if she wanted a drunk guy like him as such a figure.
"Gildarts, I'll be blunt. I think Cana's your daughter." Mordred said.
"Hehe, that's a sweet thought." Gildarts replied with a chuckle.
"No you idiot, Cana is Cornelia's daughter. Your wife had a kid and decided not to tell you for whatever dumb reason." Mordred said.
In actuality, Mordred can guess that if Cana is Gildarts' biological daughter. Cornelia probably thought she would burden him given his busy work schedule. That or she thought Gildarts wouldn't take responsibility or wouldn't be the most responsible person. However, seeing as how Cana is around and has been at the guild since a young age, it left Mordred wondering what happened to his friend's wife.
"No, that can't be right. I mean, maybe Cana does look like Cornelia a bit. But if that was the case, she would have told me, right?" Gildarts asked, trying to take in the facts.
Before Mordred could reply, they heard some footsteps and saw Naruto arrive. Before they could ask Naruto to wait until they are finished. They noticed that Naruto was carrying Cana over his shoulder as the card mage was trying to escape his hold.
"Naruto! Put me down! This is embarrassing!" Cana yelled as she hit her fists against his back.
"Cana, I'm done playing games." Naruto said before spanking her ass. "Also, that's your punishment."
"What for!?" Cana asked as her cheeks turned red.
"For putting Lucy in danger, we don't put friends in danger by leaving them alone and unconscious when dark mages are around." Naruto said before spanking her.
"Ouch! Okay, I'll apologize to her but don't leave me here!" Cana begged.
Naruto dropped Cana onto the ground then picked her up and made her face Gildarts.
"I think you and Cana need to have this one on one moment." Naruto said.
"Wait, so your mom was right!? Naruto, you knew!?" Gildarts asked, looking surprised.
"It wasn't my place to say anything." Naruto answered, making Gildarts sigh.
"I see. I guess I should be grateful to you, Naruto." Gildarts said, surprising him a bit. "At the end of the day, you were my daughter's first friend."
Cana looked away, not from embarrassment but something similar. Just as she was about to speak, Naruto delivered a light chop to her head. However, given how Naruto trained to improve his physique and Cana only trains her liver. The light chop made Cana feel like her head was hit with a hammer.
"OW! What was that for!?" Cana asked as she rubbed her head.
"You were about to say you're not worthy of being Gildarts' daughter because you deem yourself weak. Well guess what Cana, the trials were a test of mind and body. So even if you had the strength, you fail at both wisdom and intelligence." Naruto explained.
Gildarts suddenly grabbed Cana and rubbed her head as if he were a bear protecting its cub.
"Naruto, I take it back. You're a bad friend. Now apologize to Cana for hitting her and calling her dumb." he said.
Mordred snickered as she could see where this was going.
"I'll buy you both a beer each." Naruto replied.
"Make it seven." Gildarts said.
"Fine." Naruto said.
"Yes!" Cana cheered, forgetting her situation.
As Mordred predicted, the father and daughter would grow close.
"Anyways, like I said. Gildarts isn't going to care about strength and titles. I'm surprised you would think he has the same mindset as Laxus." Naruto continued, making Cana feel bad. "So now, I'm going to leave you two to sort this out. So don't think I don't understand because I have a daughter too and she's probably worried and wondering when I'm coming back."
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're a dad." Gildarts said as Naruto and Mordred began to walk away. "Naruto, meet up with me later. You, me, Macao and Wakaba can form a dad's club or something."
"No thanks." Naruto said before noticing a look on Mordred's face.
"Wait, bird or not. Did you really adopt a kid?" she asked.
"Well I wasn't going to just throw Filo away. She's still a child." Naruto answered.
Mordred sighed at the kind gesture but wasn't ready to be a grandma despite how long its been.
A while later
While Mordred went to check on Meredy who was still in a deep sleep. Naruto looked over the horizon again when he sensed Erza and Mira behind him.
"How are you two holding up?" Naruto asked.
"We're fine, Mira recovered from her injuries and I'm fully rested." Erza answered.
"That's good, one less thing to keep Filo worried about." Naruto said before focusing on the ocean.
The two women looked at each other and nodded before mentally preparing themselves. Mira chose to speak up first as she was the one who had been bottling up her feelings for years.
"Naruto, Erza and I had a long talk about some things." Mira began to say.
Naruto looked over his shoulder and let them continue.
"In a way, the S-Class trials was a test for everyone. It wasn't just a contest to see who was the toughest or smartest. Because deep down, it felt like we took it again and it tested our fear." Mira continued.
"That's right, after today, we've fully realized our weakness and it wasn't just overcoming it. It was about learning how to become strong by knowing our weakness." Erza added.
Naruto took a moment to register what they were saying in order to understand them.
"That's basically what Gildarts tried to tell Natsu." he suddenly said. "You recognized your weakness and then learned how to become stronger from it. You weren't trying to repress it."
Mira and Erza were surprised by that response, but they were glad Naruto understood them. Now the only issue was getting their final message across to him.
"But there's more to it, isn't there?" Naruto asked.
They smiled and Erza let Mira go first. Mira then stepped up to Naruto and grabbed his hand and placed it against her chest. Naruto raised his senses to see what was going on in their heads.
"Naruto, I love you and that's something I'm not denying anymore." Mira said, no longer hiding her feelings.
It was one thing for Naruto to know the truth already. However, it felt something else hearing Mira admit it. Sure, she did basically admit that she had feelings for him just a few hours ago, but that felt like an admission. This was like a breath of fresh air to Mira and to Naruto, it felt like Mira was changing once again and becoming stronger in a new way.
"Don't think I'm just saying this because I think you're a nice guy. I don't want you saying I'm obsessed or love some aspect of you." Mira said as she turned slightly more serious.
Naruto just smiled as he hugged her.
"I know you're not lying. You're lots of things but not a liar." Naruto told her.
Mira smiled before pouting, "What do you mean by "lots of things"? You better mean nice things!"
"I mean lots of nice things." Naruto told her.
Naruto then broke the hug and turned to Erza who looked like she had something to say. So he kept his senses up and waited for Erza to begin speaking.
"Naruto, I know no excuse will justify my actions. For someone as proud as myself, it took me a while to realize that I should learn to listen before I speak." Erza said.
Naruto continued to listen to her silently.
"Naruto, with the recents months of your return. I feel like I've had the opportunity to listen and understand you. I mean, I knew you well, but only because I realized my perception of you was just my own fabrication." Erza continued.
Naruto felt like he shouldn't be surprised by that. He knew several of the guild members thought he was spoiled as a kid. However, he assumed Erza acted apologetic and civil because she had grown up. Instead, it made sense that she acted nice not just because of her maturity but because she had to start over with knowing someone she hurt and ignored.
"So before I go into a full speech and go on a long tangent. I just want to say that whether or not you have changed or stayed the same. I think I fully understand you now enough to know this truth." Erza said before taking a deep breath.
Unlike Mira's straightforward confession, Erza really wanted to explain how she felt without making it feel like she was forcing herself. She wanted her words to sound like they took a lot of thought but had also come from the heart.
"Naruto, I love you." she said.
It sounded straightforward, but to Erza, it felt like she was went through a trial of her own to understand this. To understand if this was just a thought or some illusion, but she had to grasp the reality of her feelings.
"I'm not infatuated with you or respect you to a high degree. I realize that I've developed feelings for you and I only failed in regards to never giving you a chance from the start." Erza explained.
Naruto did a double take and made sure he heard that. Like Mira, Erza sort of admitted that she had feelings for him. Although back then, Naruto thought Erza was in a bad state of mind as even she admitted that she wasn't sure if she loved him. Now, it looked like Erza finally made her choice.
As for Mira, she had a small tick mark despite having a bright smile on her face.
'Why couldn't you say that you like him too!? It was just a confession, not a speech!' Mira thought.
"I-I don't understand." Naruto said, feeling dumbfounded.
Likely more from the prospect of two girls liking him.
"Naruto, it's not that hard! We both have feelings for you!" Mira exclaimed, not wanting to make things go any slower.
"Mira, I'm just saying that-"
"Naruto, look. We're not going to make you feel like you have to choose one of us." Mira interrupted.
"That's right, Mira and I had a private chat. A bit heated, then emotional and one with a good resolution." Erza said.
"One that ended with me pinching Lisanna's cheeks until they turned red." Mira added.
Naruto looked in the distance and saw Wendy healing Lisanna's swollen cheeks.
"But really, Naruto we're not going to force you into anything." Erza said with a sigh.
"Yeah, we just wanted to tell you the truth and let you decide on how to go from that." Mira said before smiling at him again. "You probably deserve better than two girls who bullied you, but we've changed. We want to start over again, but we'll let you decide on how to go from there."
Naruto still looked dumbstruck, "I still have no idea what to say."
"You got plenty of time. For now, we should get home. I bet Filo is worried." Erza said.
"Wait, did you leave Filo alone?" Mira asked, looking worried.
"No, I left her with Aries. She's tough enough to handle the human realm for more than a day and Filo trusts her." Naruto answered, making Mira feel relieved.
"That's good, but remember what we said." Mira said before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Erza then gave him a hug afterwards, "Thank you for listening, Naruto. I hope we at least remain close afterwards."
Naruto nodded and hugged her back before letting the girls go. Leaving him alone to think about what just happened.
'Now I have two girls pursuing me? I know they said they respected whatever decision I made, but really? Two girls?' Naruto thought, trying to comprehend what was going on.
Then for a brief second, the image a certain green haired princess appeared at the back of his head.
'Make that three.' Naruto thought as he started looking tired.
By the time Naruto shook his head the thought of having girls going after his heart. A luxury his past self never had. He remembered another companion he had and immediately looked around.
'Crap! Where's Baldur!? I know he probably crashed that bird summon but where did he go!?' Naruto thought as he started running towards the woods.
"Sieg! Where are you going?" Mordred asked.
"I didn't come to this island alone! I'll be right back!" Naruto shouted back.
Mordred cursed, "Damn it, can we do another head count!? I don't want to stay on this dumb island! So everyone find your buddy or whatever you call them!"
"The same goes for anyone that wasn't supposed to be here in the first place!" Makarov added, looking at Laxus and Lucina.
Laxus sighed and went to regroup with his old teammates while keeping Lucina close. Everyone else went to look for their partner, leaving Wendy with her fellow dragon slayers and the exceeds.
"Where's Mest?" Wendy asked, gathering their attention.
"Yeah, where is that dirty spy?" Panther Lily asked, looking angry.
"Spy? What are you talking about?" Happy asked.
Panther Lily sighed and found himself having to explain the situation with Mest being a spy for the magic council.
A while later, in the woods
The island was big and it took several dozen clones for Naruto to use in order to scour the island. For someone trained by ninjas and being great at hunting down dark mages. The Azure Knight wasn't the greatest tracker and didn't exactly have any leads. Especially when a vast amount of the island already looked like a mess due to the series of fights all over the place.
It shouldn't be difficult to find a man who can't be killed. That is until Naruto was able to retrieve the memories of one of his clones.
"Impossible!" Naruto exclaimed.
Naruto dashed towards Baldur's location and found the man dead and rotting away. Naruto wasn't the best investigator but was able to form some theories on what happened. He looked at Baldur who didn't appear damaged but literally rotting away as to most corpses. Except in this case, his body started to decay more quickly than a normal human would.
"Damn it! How does an invincible man suddenly die?" Naruto asked, seeing some implications.
Given the fight with the rogue clone that thought he was the original Naruto Uzumaki. Baldur showed tolerance against someone who should be B or A class in terms of strength with immense durability against magic. Naruto couldn't even see what damaged Baldur but did sense this deathly aura that surrounded him.
Did Baldur inhale some kind of poison? Did his organs shut down? Was it some sort of mental attack? Maybe another type of internal attack? Naruto wasn't as concerned with Baldur as he would be with a civilian or someone he personally knew. He was concerned by what killed him and despite the lack of evidence, Naruto was sure it wasn't one of the Seven Kin even with one of the seven blades.
'Maybe I should get an autopsy done. Assuming there's anything left.' Naruto thought as he pulled out a stasis scroll.
Just as Naruto prepared to seal Baldur's remains away. He felt that deathly aura grow to the point it felt he was inhaling exhaust fumes. He steeled himself and took a deep breath as he continued, but not without noticing that Baldur dropped a book and some kind of charm.
'I'll have to investigate this later.' Naruto thought as he pocketed the book and charm before sealing Baldur away.
Once done, Naruto prepared to make his way back when he felt the winds pick up. He wondered if this was a sign of bad weather as it was very heavy. Naruto was no expert sailor, but he knew a bit about the sea and didn't see any immediate danger. So before considering branching out his knowledge on multiple subjects, Naruto packed up his scroll and ran back just as the wind picked up even more.
'What is this? Some kind of tropical storm that I couldn't foresee?' he wondered.
Back at camp
Just as everyone triple checked to see that no one was missing. Makarov prepared to lead everyone back to the ship when they felt the heavy winds pick up.
"We better hurry, there might be a storm coming." Gildarts said.
"But the sea looks so calm." Lisanna pointed out.
"Trust me, that's just nature's way of punking you." Gildarts said, having experienced bad weather before.
Just as everyone started walking, Mirajane looked back with worried eyes. She moved her head around as if she could try and see through the woods.
"Mira, what's wrong?" Lucy asked.
"I don't see Naruto." Mira answered.
"I guess he's taking his time." Lucy said, but saw it didn't lessen Mira's anxiety. "Look, the island is safe now. Besides, I'm sure he's coming back now and I we're not leaving him behind."
Mira believed Lucy and obviously knew she was right. However that didn't stop her from worrying as she continued to look. After her long talk with Erza and Naruto and nearly dying, Mira didn't want to be seperated from her crush again.
"Look, just go ahead. I'll wait for him." Mira said.
Lucy sighed and considered listening to her friend, but looked at her celestial spirit keys. She wondered if one of them had some sort of tracking skills to help locate Naruto. She almost considered the idea of summoning Aquarius and using her as a bloodhound by giving her some of Naruto's hair. As funny as that sounds, now wasn't a good time for jokes.
"Um, maybe I can summon... wait, what am I thinking? We have three people with strong noses." Lucy said, catching Mira's attention. "Mira, do you have anything belonging to Naruto? Did he drop any hair or a piece of his clothes?"
"No, but I do have this dumb doll that Lisanna gave me." Mira said, holding her Naruto shaped doll from the guild's store.
Lucy sighed and doubted that would help. She turned towards Natsu who was standing in place with his back turned to face her.
"Hey Natsu, do you think you have-"
"Lucy, not right now." Natsu interrupted as he held up his hand.
Lucy quietly watched as Natsu sniffed the air while also moving his head around. The celestial spirit mage watched on in confusion as her friend acted like something was nearby. She thought Natsu was looking for food or heard a weird animal. However, she would realize that Fairy Tail's respite had ended quickly as they heard a loud howl or roar.
"What the? What kind of animal makes that sounds?" Lucy asked, unaware of what was coming.
"That wasn't an animal. That was a dragon." Gajeel spoke up, revealing he was also sniffing and hearing.
"A dragon? Are you seriously on something?" Cana asked, being the most ignorant.
"No, that's definitely a dragon." Natsu said, not wanting to bother to argue.
Not because Natsu was one of the few who actually met a dragon. Nor because everyone would sooner believe that aliens deliver pizza over dragons existing. It was the fact that the dragon slayers were all aware that something horrific is coming.
"Natsu, I know we have all seen wild things but never have you, Wendy or Gajeel have ever proven that-"
And at that moment, everyone felt the entire beach shake as a massive lizard-like creature with wings landed. The creature released a loud roar that nearly blew them away.
"A dragon!?" Cana asked.
"I think everyone in the guild owes Natsu an apology." Lucy said as she looked terrified.
Unfortunately, there was no time for the guild to admit that they were wrong about dragons existing. Then again, someone did mention that wyverns are technically dragons too.
Even though they are much weaker.
However, no one realized that until they saw how powerful this black and blue dragon was as Makarov was the first to face it.
"Run! I'll hold it off!" Makarov shouted as he grew to his gigantic size.
In an instant, the large dragon began to charge but Makarov managed to grab it in a headlock. Like many foes who rely on sheer strength and size, the dragon was clumsy and got caught in a reverse headlock. Everyone immediately realized that Makarov was using every ounce of strength to push the dragon back.
"There's no way the old man can beat it." Gray said, looking terrified.
"Didn't you hear your guild master!? Get your asses on the ship!" Gildarts shouted, trying to snap everyone out of their shock.
"We can't leave the old man behind!" Natsu shouted as he continued to watch the struggle.
Erza's fists clenched tightly as she look away, "No, we have to listen. We can't defeat it."
Erza then began to run away with everyone who got the message. However, even someone as strong as Erza herself didn't want to leave the guild master behind. They couldn't abandon the man who was seen as a father/grandfather to everyone. Especially to those whom he watched grow up over the years.
No one took it any harder than Laxus and Mordred.
"Old man..." Laxus muttered.
Laxus had only just now returned and in his attempt to atone and grow as a person. He only now found himself possibly losing a grandfather just as he regained his mother. As he struggled with the idea of just running like a coward, Mordred grabbed Laxus and tossed him into Freed and Biscklow's arms.
"Mom!?" Laxus asked.
"Get him out of here!" Mordred shouted.
"What!?" the Thunder Tribe asked.
Mordred drew her sword and started running towards Makarov who's wounds were opening up. Mordred gritted her teeth as she felt more angry at the sight of her adoptive father being injured. Her rage rising as she watched the dragon knock Makarov down to the ground.
"Bastard!" Mordred yelled as she jumped as high into the air.
The dragon focused its attention towards Mordred and released a dragon's roar. One that several outclassed Natsu's own dragon's roar by over a hundred fold.
"Mordred! Don't you dare ignore your master's final orders!" Makarov yelled as he watched the blast approach Mordred.
"Final orders? You're not my master!" Mordred yelled as the blast hit her.
Upon impact, Mordred lost most of her left body but it didn't stop there. The woman snarled at the dragon as her sword dug itself into the dragon's snout after turning black.
"You're my father and I'm not letting you die!" Mordred yelled as her body grew back.
"Mordred!" Makarov said, shocked that his daughter survived.
Mordred grinned as her body started turning into a black metallic substance. Which seemed to increase her strength and affect her sword. So when she was free to move again, she climbed up to the dragon's head and stabbed it right on top of it's skull, making it growl.
"Aw, does that hurt?" Mordred said in a mocking tone.
"Mordred, don't tease it!" Makarov yelled as he got back up.
"Raging Bolt!" Laxus shouted, hitting the dragon on the side.
"What!? Not you too!" Makarov exclaimed as he saw Laxus arrive.
"You're not dying old man! I only just got my mom back!" Laxus shouted stubbornly.
Mordred snorted as she forgot that her son was as thick headed as her. That was when her senses picked up on another energy signature and saw started seeing a lot of chakra coming her way. She still didn't fully get how she could see it but she was glad that she could.
"That boy, I hope he's not always this tardy." Mordred said as she held on tightly.
Before the dragon could fight back, a massive purple figure bursted out of the forest.
"Susanoo!" Naruto cried out as he created a perfect Susanoo.
Catching the dragon off guard, Naruto delivered a heavy blow down the dragon's head. Naruto watched as it staggered slightly before slashing his Susanoo's sword across it's chest two times before punching it across the face. However, Naruto soon realized that the beast was a lot more durable than it let on as it swung its tail into his chest, nearly knocking him down.
"Damn! That thing's scales are too thick!" Naruto said before getting hit again.
Makarov charged in and punched the dragon in the head before kneeing it in the face. Only for it to recoil slightly as Mordred continued to slash its body with Laxus repeatedly blasting it with all the lightning magic he could produce.
"I think this thing is immune to magic or something!" Laxus shouted before avoiding a swipe.
Mordred cursed, "Damn, do either of you know any anything to ignore this kind of defense?"
And like that, the family was forced to brainstorm while fighting for their lives.
With everyone else
Everyone was approaching the boat but many stopped and looked back at the fight. The dragon slayers were already planning on disregarding Makarov's supposed final orders and helping.
"Hey Salamander, I know you get a lot of heat for wanting a fight, but now's a good time to want one." Gajeel said.
"I know that, Metal Head. Our dragons trained us to fight like them." Natsu said with a nod.
"You can't be serious!" Panther Lily exclaimed but was ignored.
Meanwhile, Carla looked at Wendy as if expecting some kind of solution.
"Wendy, surely you can communicate with that thing." Carla suggested.
Wendy shook her head, "I don't know any dragonic languages. Besides, Grandeeney said that all dragons are smart enough to understand humans."
"You know, if this was a dark mage. Naruto would say that civil conversation might not be a solution." Lisanna spoke up as if to lighten the mood.
It failed.
Ironically, if Naruto reverted to his old personality. He wouldn't be able to communicate with the dragon as it has next to no empathy for them. Then again, Naruto would mention that he can't talk down someone because they would need some sense of humanity.
Back to the topic, everyone was too hesitant to get on the ship while Makarov was still fighting. They only further chose to stay behind as Naruto and the others were still fighting the dragon with every bit of strength they had left.
"We can't leave them." Mirajane spoke up.
"Mira." Erza said.
"Erza, you know I'm right. The guild would never abandon anyone. Not even when things look hopeless. It's our duty to help each other." Mira said, half expecting Erza to make some excuse about protocol or something.
Of course, Erza was silent as she was arguing with herself about ignoring Makarov for once. She looked out the corner of her eye and could see the man she loved and his family fighting.
"If this were any other day. I would tell you to stop being selfish and to listen to me." Erza said as she closed her eyes. "But it would be more selfish to abandon those you call family."
Mira smiled as she saw Erza equip her Heaven's Wheel armor. This inspired everyone else who couldn't help but also want to help Makarov and the others.
"If Erza's ignoring the old man, then we really are desperate." Gray said as he subconsciously removed his shirt.
"If Gray-sama is disobeying the master, so is Juvia!" Juvia said, refusing to abandon Makarov as well.
"I'm definitely fired up now!" Natsu said as he surrounded himself in flames.
Lucy looked back and forth between her friends and the fight. Despite being terrified herself, she had to lend a hand in some way. But before she could do that, she realized that Meredy was still unconscious and wouldn't be able to defend herself. So she looked at Happy and his fellow exceeds.
"Happy, you and others should stay here and watch over Meredy." Lucy said.
"Aw! Guard duty?" Happy asked in a whiny tone.
"You wanna switch places?" Lucy asked rhetorically.
Happy turned as white as milk before saluting Lucy.
"No sir, you can count on me!" Happy said, earning a nod from Lucy who followed everyone else.
Happy then let out a sigh while Carla just frowned.
"You sure are brave." she said sarcastically.
Happy didn't want to say anything to his crush. Especially when the dragon was most definitely something they couldn't beat this time.
"I suppose someone should look over the girl anyways." Carla said, looking over at Meredy's unconscious body.
"Actually, I'm surprised she's still here. Naruto made it clear that he hates dark mages." Happy said, sounding surprised.
"I guess he makes exceptions for kids." Panther Lily commented.
In the guild
Filo was whimpering as she stood at the dock and looking around anxiously. Right by her side was Aries who also looked worried.
"Filo, we should get back inside. It's going to be dark soon." Aries said.
Filo shook her head, "We can't, papa still hasn't come back yet. That means Mama Erza and Mama Mira are still in danger."
Aries didn't like the sound of that and was also worried about her surrogate brother. Yet, she also had a duty to take care of Filo and keep her safe. The timid celestial spirit was already having a hard time trying to calm Filo's nerves as she was still so young.
But she wouldn't give up.
"Filo, I know you're scared. Sieg, your papa is super strong. He always finds a way to come back but it's going to take a while." Aries said as she met Filo at eye level.
"I can wait. I'm super patient. I'll be here past bedtime if I need to." Filo said, sounding stubborn.
Aries sighed as she took a minute to think about her next move.
"Filo, what does your papa tell you before he's gone?" Aries asked.
"To behave and listen." Filo answered.
"Okay, that's good. So when you listen, that means trust the people who take care of you right?" Aries asked.
Filo nodded.
"So can you trust me? I'm basically your aunt too, right?" Aries asked.
Filo nodded again despite not seeing Aries as often.
"Look Filo, before you were born. I was scared that something happened to your papa. He got really hurt one day and I couldn't see him because he couldn't summon me. But even though I was scared, I knew he would come back to me." Aries explained, hoping she could comfort Filo just a bit.
"But when is papa coming back? What if he's hurt?" Filo asked.
"Filo, it hurts me to say that your papa isn't invincible but he's super strong like I already said. He's just taking his time and making sure both of your mothers come back safely. Just trust me. Can you do that?" Aries asked.
Filo looked hesitant but saw Aries take her hands and smile.
"Look at me, I'm not super strong but I promise to be here with you. So when your parents return, they can tell you stories of how they beat all the dark mages." Aries said, trying to sound more cheerful.
Filo pouted and nodded slowly.
"Now, let's go back to the guild. It's almost dinner time and your papa is going to get mad if you skip dinner." Aries said as she stood up.
"Okay, Aunt Aries." Filo said as she took Aries' hand.
"Don't worry Filo, when they come back. You can spend all the time you want with your papa and make him take you on a mission afterwards." Aries said, making Filo smile.
"He better take me. I'm gonna get mad if he doesn't." Filo said, making Aries giggle.
Aries started to feel more optimistic and less worried. Her connection to Naruto via the contract helped as well as it told her that he was still healthy. It's not like any celestial spirit could be aware of what was going on with their summoner at all times, but Aries was happy to know he was alive.
However, Aries still felt anxious despite knowing Naruto's status.
'Why do I feel numb every couple of minutes?' Aries wondered as she clutched her heart.
Back to the fight
The intense battle for Team Tenrou's survival continued with Naruto and Makarov seemingly getting an upper hand. With a combination of Susanoo and Titan magic, the two were able to knock the dragon onto it's back and hold it there.
"Amaterasu!" Naruto shouted, firing a giant stream of black fire onto the dragon.
Only to watch as it did nothing but just annoy the dragon who swiped at them.
"It's no use! No fancy eye magic is going to weaken this thing!" Makarov shouted.
"Damn and I'm already too exhausted to use a domain expansion!" Naruto cursed as his Susanoo started to flicker.
But before the Susanoo could collapse, Laxus and Mordred started running up the dragon's arm.
"Hey mom, take this!" Laxus said as he handed her the True Clarent.
Mordred grinned at the sight of her old friend. This whole time, the version of Clarent she had was good but felt like a cheap imitation. With respect to her younger son for lending it to her, Mordred traded her borrowed sword for her normal weapon.
"Thanks son, now let's figure out how we can hurt this thing!" Mordred said as Laxus nodded.
Unfortunately, the bond of family wasn't enough as Mordred and Laxus were only able to mildly graze the dragon. With the dragon breaking Naruto's Susanoo and causing him to fall the moment his defense broke.
"Naruto!" Makarov shouted before catching his grandson.
A moment later, Mira appeared in Satan Soul form and grabbed Naruto before he could fall.
"Mira?" Naruto asked.
"Yes it's me, you owe me a date after this!" Mira said, sounding aggressive.
Naruto was glad to hear Mira despite the circumstances, even if she did sound like her old self.
"Wait, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, realizing the new circumstance.
"Saving your ass, obviously!" Mira exclaimed.
Before Naruto could ask any other questions, he saw a massive explosion of attacks colliding with the dragon. Even though all it did was stagger the dragon slightly, the combined attacks were a sight to behold from a distance.
"What are you all doing!? Are you ignoring my final orders!?" Makarov asked.
Mordred just snickered as she landed beside her adoptive father.
"They're here for the same reason as us. To save our family and kick ass." Mordred said.
Makarov really wished that this was the day that his guild decided to be okay with abandoning him. However, it looked like camaraderie and loyalty will always come before the orders of a superior. So he just had to live with it.
"Then let's teach this dragon to never mess with Fairy Tail!" Makarov shouted as he took a moment to catch his breath.
Everyone charged at the dragon and used everything they could use to try and harm it. From the Dragon Slayers using their respective magics to stagger it to Mordred trying to find a weak spot with her armament magic and everyone else trying to hit until it felt pain.
"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Iron Dragon's Sword!"
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
"Ice Make: Arrows!"
"Solid Script: Fire!"
"Heaven's Wheel!"
As everyone was distracting it, Naruto bent his knees and slammed his hand on the ground before wincing.
"Naruto?" Mira asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine." Naruto lied.
Naruto started realizing that his body was taking too much of a toll at this point. He was already getting exhausted when he fought Hades and this dragon was too relentless. He had the power of the God of Shinobi and the potential to surpass old self, but he didn't know what to do. For once, Naruto could only resort to hitting things hard.
"Naruto, maybe you should-"
"Animal Path!" Naruto shouted as a giant panda suddenly appeared.
"What the!? Naruto, this isn't a good time for jokes!" Elfman shouted before hearing the panda roar.
The giant panda ran towards the dragon and hardened it's body before extending its arms towards the dragon. It then latched onto the dragon while ignoring the scratches at its body. The panda then proceeded to squeeze the dragon with all its strength and did its best to ignore the dragon biting down on its shoulder.
"Okay, that's intense." Elfman said.
"Now would be a good time to hit it with everything." Naruto said.
Elfman, Mira and Freed nodded with Mira flying directly towards the dragon. Elfman and Freed followed suit after entering their respective transformations to charge at it.
Leaving Naruto behind who started to feel exhausted to the point he would have fallen. If not for Lucina who caught him when she saw him from a distance.
"Hang on old friend." she said as she helped him stand up
Unknown to anyone aside from maybe Laxus, this wasn't the first time Naruto met Lucina. Although now things feel awkward as they didn't have the chance to catch up. Let alone have time for Naruto to reveal to Lucina that he was Mordred's son as he never brought it up to their first meetings.
"I keep forgetting you're here. That reminds, I didn't greet you, now did I?" Naruto asked, sounding tired.
"I don't mind, but you need rest." Lucina said but Naruto shook his head.
"If I'm still conscious, I can still fight." Naruto said stubbornly.
"You can barely move. I don't know how strong you've become but you still have a limit." Lucina said, hoping to reason with him.
Naruto winced but not from any aching pains, but from the voice.
"I can fight."
Naruto's hands curled into fists, "Maybe I have a limit. Maybe I should pass the baton. Except nothing's stopping me from helping in any way I can."
Naruto gently brushed Lucina aside as he approached the dragon. He watched as even the combined brute strength of Mira and the boys wasn't enough. He watched as not even the dragon slayers were able to put the dragon down. Mordred was literally incapable of slowing down or getting tired but it was like watching an unstoppable force trying to push an immovable object. The Ace of Fairy Tail himself, Gildarts, proved he wasn't invincible either. Everyone would fight to exhaustion and it just hurt.
Maybe it was survivors guilt or some kind of hero complex Naruto had. He didn't know what to call it other than a duty to save the guild he now returned to. Naruto took a few deep breaths and reached into his pocket and pulled out a chakra pill.
'It won't do much at this point, but hopefully keep my body alive for what I'm about to do.' he thought.
With Mordred
Mordred was sent crashing down to the beach with Erza and Mira landing near her.
"Damn! We have to keep hitting it!" Mordred shouted as she got back up.
However, she stopped when she saw Erza and Mira were nearing their limit. Mordred then looked at herself and saw the only damage she had was few a scratches and minor cracks on her armor while she herself was fine. She cursed her ignorance, realizing that she was forgetting that not everyone was invincible like her.
"Never mind, you two take five! I'm going alone!" Mordred shouted.
"No! We can fight!" Erza said stubbornly as she changed armors.
"That's right!" Mira said, sounding equally stubborn.
"I can't tell if I'm underestimating you both or if you're both suicidal." Mordred said.
Before they could charge again, Lucina ran up to them and cried out for their attention.
"Big sister! Siegfried is pushing himself too hard!" she shouted.
Mordred rolled her eyes, "Lucina, I don't have time for this. Even my kids are stubborn."
"I know that, but I think he's going to do something insane." Lucina said.
"You're not really building a good case." Mordred said, not making much of her concern.
Lucina sighed and tried to think of what to say. Only to suddenly feel the beach shake as the air was filled with a deadly aura. Everyone stood their ground as a deadly wave started to hit them.
"What is that?" Mordred asked as she turned her head.
Erza suddenly became pale and screamed, "No! NARUTO!"
(Fairy Tail OST - Demon Deliora)
"GRAAAAH!"
Everyone including the dragon, who managed to kill the giant panda, found themselves looking towards Naruto as a black and crimson wave. A second later, it turned into a streak and moved towards the dragon. Where the dark aura dissipated and revealed Nightmare who was riding a purple ethereal horse.
"Your nightmare has returned!" Nightmare shouted.
"What the hell is that!?" Gildarts asked.
"Naruto!" Erza cried out.
"Erza? Why are you screaming?" Mira asked.
"Mira, that's Naruto! That's the power of his sword! He's lost control again!" Erza shouted as she gripped her friend by the shoulders.
Mira immediately looked horrified as she couldn't believe what she saw. What scared her more is she could feel that dormant aura that she sensed in Naruto. It as so menacing and dark, but now that it was awake. It was terrifying to say the least. It felt a thousand times worse than when Elfman lost control and seemingly killed Lisanna.
"No... that can't... he couldn't let something so dark within him." Mira said.
Mira's mental image of the man she loved was replaced with him being the thrall of some dark entity. Yet all she could do was watch as it charged at the dragon.
As for Mordred, she gritted her teeth and ran behind her son.
"Sieg!" she screamed.
With Nightmare
Nightmare was once again thrilled to be released but while he wanted to go after Fairy Tail. He focused primarily on the dragon and felt like he was staring at Santa's bag. Only instead of toys, he was finding a big bag of souls. It was hard to describe what he sensed, but Nightmare didn't rely on logical thinking.
"Gift me your souls!" Nightmare shouted as he rode towards the dragon.
The dragon snarled and tried to blast him where he was. Only for Nightmare to maneuver away before jumping towards the dragon's face. Only for the dragon to slam him down with its claw but Nightmare countered by stabbing it in the paw with Soul Edge.
For once, the dragon felt true pain and let out a shriek that continued as Nightmare stabbed it a second time and generated a wave of purple fire.
"Thick flesh, but a bountiful soul." Nightmare said before getting up.
Nightmare slashed at the air, releasing waves of fire that hardly damaged the dragon. Instead, forcing Nightmare to try a more aggressive approach as it tried to pounce on him.
"Susanoo!" Nightmare shouted, creating a perfect Susanoo.
The Susanoo surprised the dragon who was then knocked down to the ground. The dragon was temporarily held down as Nightmare generated a sword with the susanoo and repeatedly tried to carve into the dragon's chest. Only to barely scratch it even with all the energy it put into it.
"Siegfried's magics are useless to me!" Nightmare roared as he continued trying to stab the dragon.
The dragon had enough and released a powerful roar that badly damaged the Susanoo but didn't damage it. Instead, only knocking it back and allowing the dragon to recover before swinging its tail at Nightmare hit the stumbled back.
"Give me your soul!" Nightmare yelled as he charged at the dragon one more time.
At the last second, Nightmare released the Susanoo just as the dragon tried to attack. Allowing him to dig Soul Edge into its shoulder and further harm it.
"HAHAHA!" Nightmare laughed as it released more hellfire.
Nightmare then climbed up the dragon's body and started stabbing it some more but was still far from killing it. However, before the demonic entity could continue its assault, a large red beam lit up the sky. Nightmare turned and saw Mordred charging up Clarent.
"Get the hell out of my son! You demonic shit!" Mordred yelled.
Nightmare snarled and was suddenly tackled by a pissed off Mirajane.
"You heard the lady! Get out of my boyfriend's body!" Mira roared as she started punching Nightmare.
Nightmare growled and gripped Mira's face with his more monstrous arm. Only to feel as Mira rammed him through multiple trees and a couple of boulders. Where they then crashed onto a beach where Erza awaited for them in her Purgatory armor where her mace was ready.
"I'm sorry Naruto, I'm not doing this to harm you!" Erza cried out as she slammed down her mace.
Only for Nightmare to block the mace with Soul Edge.
"All of you will be devoured!" Nightmare shouted.
Erza held back her tears and continued slamming her mace with Mira punching Nightmare in the torso to weaken him. At the same time, Mordred released her sword's power.
"Clarent Blood Arthur!" she shouted, hitting the dragon directly with her attack.
With the amount of firepower Mordred provided, the dragon was sent skidding back into the ocean but it was far from defeated. Instead, Mordred watched as the dragon flew high into the sky until it could no longer be seen.
"Finally, we won!" Lisanna cried out.
"Oh man, I'm so relieved." Cana said as she fell to her knees.
At the same time, Evergreen and Gajeel were digging up the sand and making homemade forts.
"Hey, knock it off you two. We won." Gray said.
"I'm not leaving until Naruto stops being crazy!" Gajeel shouted.
"Oh crap!" Gray cursed as Naruto was still possessed.
"GRAAAAH!" Nightmare screamed.
(End of Song)
Mordred started running towards her son when she gasped as her instincts went off.
"Everyone, that dragon didn't run away! it's coming back!" Mordred shouted.
"No way! It couldn't have!" Lucy shouted, also thinking they had already won.
"No, dragons are too proud. This guy is pissed that Naruto's mom hit him with a laser." Natsu said, understanding why its back.
Mordred shook her head and focused on her son. Namely by elbow dropping him as hard as she could.
"Snap out of it!" she yelled.
Nightmare had enough and released a stream of fire that sent them all flying back. Nightmare then punched the ground and caused almost everyone to lose their balance. Mordred managed to keep her balance and tackled down Nightmare before keeping a tight hold around him.
"Damn it Sieg, snap out of it. It's me! It's mama!" she cried out.
Before anyone said anything, they heard the roar of the dragon as it quickly began to approach.
"Damn it, we have two problems and no solutions." Gray said.
As everyone tried to formulate an idea on what to do. Cana looked at her cards and her wrist where the Fairy Glitter was. She cursed herself for being useless, she cursed herself for abandoning Lucy for selfish reasons and cursed herself that everything good happening today was gone. As Cana entered a new state of self loathing, she looked at her cards again and saw the one thing she was good at besides drinking.
So at the risk of looking useless, Cana ran towards Nightmare.
'Naruto, you were my first real friend. The first one to treat me as family and to keep my secret. You may have a had a weak body but you had a weak heart. Meanwhile I'm here thinking selfishly and when it's time to be serious, I can't do anything.' Cana thought as she drew a specific card.
Cana then approached and shivered as she felt the miasma from Nightmare. Cana could only push on as she came close, ignoring Erza's warning to stay back.
'Naruto, if we survive this. I owe you and Lucy more than a beer. Then again, if I screw up and still live, you're probably the only one willing to forgive me.' Cana thought with a weak smile.
"Mordred! Hang onto him! I'm going seal away him into my card!" Cana shouted, shocking everyone.
"Cana, you can't!" Erza shouted.
"It's the only way, I'm sorry!" Cana apologized.
"But Cana-"
"DO IT!" Mordred screamed.
Cana looked at Mordred who was holding Nightmare down. She could see the woman had tears falling down her eyes. This same woman who acted so strong, confident yet caring, revealed her weak side. This blindsided Cana even as she was well aware of how much Mordred cared for her son.
"Just seal me with him! I'll hold him as long as I can! So do it!"
Her demand sounded like a plea and Cana didn't hesitate.
Cana threw the card towards Mordred and Nightmare, trapping them both in a flash of light. For once, Cana did a good thing and it wasn't a matter of debate on whether it was right or wrong. In the end, Cana picked up the card and winced as she felt like she was touching a burning stove.
It didn't take too long for Erza to step in.
"Cana, please give me the card." she said, surprising Cana. "I have gloves, you won't have to worry about Nightmare burning you."
Cana nodded weakly before turning to Mira who powered down and looked sad.
"Mira, I'm sorry but I thought I could-"
"Don't Cana. You didn't save Naruto, but at least you had a temporary solution. We just have to think of how to help Naruto later." Mira said, giving her a weak smile.
Cana started feeling better about sealing away her friend. She didn't want to lock him away, but didn't know what to do as the dragon started approaching.
"By the way, how many of these types of cards do you have? Maybe we can somehow get away from the island on them." Erza asked.
Cana dug through her bag and cursed.
"I'm sorry Erza, only one left. I can only squeeze one, two maybe three if they're small enough." Cana said, earning a sad nod.
"That's fine." Mira spoke up as she took the card. "Just in case, maybe we can do something with this."
Cana nodded before regrouping with everyone and grabbing Meredy's unconscious body.
Everyone quickly tried to form a last minute plan and settled on the idea of Freed using rune magic to save them. He deemed it impossible, but everyone believed that they could pour their magic in together to allow Freed to make a defensive spell without runes or spells. It was technically correct and that was their plan but there was one thing left. Erza and Mira looked at each other and at the card and then towards their friends before nodding.
"We will return, that much is true." Erza said as everyone smiled.
But just as everyone was about to join hands, Erza grabbed Wendy and threw her towards Meredy's body. Mira then threw the card next to Wendy and watched as it flashed. Everyone looked at the two in confusion and concern.
Wendy looked at the girls in confusion and fear.
"Wendy." Mira began to say as tears welled up in her eyes. "Please take care of my daughter."
(Ayaka - Why)
Wendy reached out towards everyone and struggled to ask what they were doing. All Wendy saw next was a downward spiral that she was pulled into. For a split second, she saw the looks of regret from Erza and Mira. The looks of concern from her friends, the shocked look from Happy and Panther Lily and finally, the look of desperation from Carla who tried to run towards her side.
"No! Don't send me away!" Wendy pleaded before it all turned black.
Unknown period of time later
Wendy felt like a whole second passed by but it was a painful one. She felt like she was drowning but was quickly pulled out like a fish. However, her equivalent of dry land was port that was used for when she left to Tenrou Island.
"Where am I?" Wendy asked weakly.
"Home, kiddo."
Wendy turned and saw Mordred giving her a sympathetic look. Right behind her, Naruto sat against a wooden poll while holding his head and looking sad. Wendy didn't need to be a sensor to know that Naruto wasn't happy right now.
"Wait, did everyone make it?" Wendy asked with hope in her voice.
Mordred sighed, "I'm sorry kiddo, it's just us. With any luck, we can regroup at the guild and maybe scrounge up some cash for another boat."
Wendy looked down sadly before getting up, only to notice Meredy was stirring in her sleep.
"Wait, isn't she-"
"She's coming with us." Mordred interrupted as she picked up Meredy in her arms.
Wendy didn't question it and walked up to Naruto who she could hear holding back from crying.
"I risked so much and I still couldn't save everyone." Naruto said, trying not to cry.
"Naruto." Wendy said weakly.
Naruto didn't look at her and it worried Wendy. After a moment of silence, Wendy grabbed his free hand and held it up.
"Naruto, you're not weak. You're the strongest guy besides papa. In fact, we're going to get papa and uncle Shukaku and whoever else we can get to help us get back to the island." Wendy said optimistically.
Naruto stayed silent for a while and it only worried Wendy some more as well as Mordred. It took a bit of waiting, but Naruto stood up and wiped his tears away.
"Right Wendy, let's go get Kurama and the others." Naruto said, trying to sound strong.
Wendy smiled before grabbing his hand.
Mordred smiled before leading the way back to the guild.
"Hey Sieg, the way back home is still the same right? The guild isn't blocked by a toll booth, is it?" Mordred asked.
Naruto sighed before smiling at his mother, "No, but you won't recognize it. Grandfather redecorated the guild after a battle with Phantom."
"Phantom!? Those idiots!?" Mordred asked, clearly not a fan of the Phantom Lord guild either.
"Who's Phantom?" Wendy asked.
"That's a long story, I'll tell you on the way home." Naruto said as they continued walking.
As they made their way home, Naruto looked up at the sky. He knew Erza and Mira weren't gone. It would just be a little while before he would see them again.
He just had to be patient.
THE END…
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…OF CHAPTER 31
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 32
QA With Xiaomei
Xiaomei: Oh my, that story sure took a while to release. In fact, I was caught off guard by the author's audacity by the end there. Please tell me, were you tricked as well? Be honest. No? Just me? Oh well, now then. Let's get to the questions. Seeing as Siegfried is in need of a vacation and time alone with what's left of his family. I will answer all questions to the best of my ability.
Question #1 (Spellbat): In the last chapter you said that we will see a dark mage lemonade... Did you decide against it because you realised that he was not all himself when he was doing most of the things that he did? Don't get me wrong, I do see why you killed him. I just noticed that you did not torture him.
Xiaomei: I suppose it could come to either the author having the memory of a goldfish, censorship issues or there wasn't much left to make lemonade out of. Don't worry, Ivan will be in the next arc so hopefully nothing stops him from being turned into lemonade.
Question #2: Does anyone in the guild in the guild like apple fritters? If so, how does that reflect on their political stance on insert controversial political controversy here?
Xiaomei: The answer is, if you don't like someone's opinion. Don't ask a question that will lead to extreme answers.
Question #3: Since no one is going to ask this and people probably still believe Jellal is somehow alive. Is Jellal trapped somewhere in the multiverse and trying to look for a way back.
Xiaomei: Absolutely not, also we do not speak of the multiverse without proper authorization. Unless you want to see some Crisis on Infinite Worlds type of situation. Now then, due to little to no questions. Let's look at the polls.
Hisui: Yes, I have to know if my lovely subjects will let me steal, I mean. Let me comfort Sir Siegfried now that's all alone.
*Xiaomei smiles to hide how uncomfortable she feels*
Xiaomei: Now, the results are here and its a landslide victory for Princess Hisui in a vote of 18 to 3. Congratulations Princess, you will have more prominent roles in the near future.
Hisui: Why thank you, Xiaomei. I would like to also thank all of you readers, my kind subjects who-
Xiaomei: Oops, so sorry Princess. We are out of time, it's time for the Kingdom of Fiore Secret!
Hisui: But-
Secret: As a member of Blue Pegasus, Astolfo is respected by Ichiya and the Tremins, however they don't welcome him as an honorary member. Despite some of them having mixed feelings about his style, Ichiya says that Astolfo's "parfume" radiates to a level rivaling Jenny Realight's. He's still welcomed to be serviced by them.
Xiaomei: I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves and I thank you for your patience. Everyone including the author himself hope for great things and great change in this new year. Next time, Chapter 32: The Strongest Weapon!
END OF QA