Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution

by Iron117Prime

After seven years, Dante and the rest of Fairy Tail have returned from Tenrou Island. So much has changed since their absence; a guild called Sabertooth is now at the top spot, the forces of the Underworld are starting to become more active, and what's this new religious movement called the Order of the Sword? Times might have changed, but the insanity of Fairy Tail has not.

54. The Grand Banquet

Hi everyone, welcome back to Fairy May Cry. So yeah, the last chapter was an absolute blast, wasn't it? But finally, the action has come to an end. We only have three epilogue chapters left of the Grand Magic Games arc, and once that's done, I intend to take a small break from this story to recover because the GMG arc has been one of the most exhaustive story arcs I've written in my career as a fanfic writer, up there with Code Prime R2.

But now, without further delay, let the first breather chapter begin.

The Grand Banquet

Several days after the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games, as well as the invasion of dragons and destruction of the Eclipse Gate, the city of Crocus somehow appeared to still be standing. Despite being almost completely obliterated in a clash of wizards, dragons, and demons, every single building stood as if it was just recently constructed. It was almost like that battle hadn't occurred at all. Especially with the case being all of the people who lived and visited Crocus returning, such as several people who ate at the tables outside of a tavern.

"Get this, everyone's saying that the city was evacuated the other day because there were dragons attacking the city." One customer said.

"That's ridiculous, everybody knows those things are extinct. It was totally a demon attack." Another man replied.

"I don't know, a lot of people said they saw them." A third guy commented.

"It's true, there were dragons attacking the city." A waitress who was serving them some beer told them. "I caught a glimpse of them myself as we were evacuating. But I also saw all those guys from Fairy Tail charging in head-on."

"No kidding?" One man questioned.

"That's no surprise, those guys always jump into the fire." The second man said.

"Sure as hell glad they're on our side." The third man put in. "Can't say the same about those creeps in Sabertooth."

"Yeah, I can't believe I used to root for those guys. But the way they were in the Games…? What a bunch of assholes." The second man said.

"Regardless, I'm just glad everything turned out okay." The waitress said with a smile. "But I'm still wondering how they rebuilt the city so quickly."

Unbeknownst to all of the civilians, the independent guild known as Crime Sorciere were currently residing a top of a clocktower, observing it all. And they weren't alone as someone else was sitting around the corner beside them.

"Don't you think it's a bit risky for you guys to still be hanging around here?" Erik questioned.

"Same could be said of you." Sorano said to her former guildmate. "You didn't have to stay with us… The way you were acting, figured you'd either run off on your own or turn yourself in again."

"I was gonna do the last one, but that Doranbolt-guy was literally looking the other way and told me to go." Erik revealed. "Didn't want his trigger happy bosses getting his hands on a Dragon Slayer, I'm guessing."

"Still can't believe they almost used an Etherion on Crocus of all places." Sheeree said. "Even if there were dragons running wild… the king and princess of this country were still here! And they knew that!"

"The Magic Council has certainly become more dangerous these past seven years." Jellal said seriously. "And with their top agent Vergil now gone, I can only assume that they'll be even more desperate to recover their lost power."

"All the more reason for us to leave as soon as possible." Meredy stated. "I know you wanted to fix up the city with your magic, Ultear but…"

"I can't leave yet." The woman said. "There are people that I've wronged in this city that I need to face."

"The same could be said of me. I have some unfinished business here that I need to settle." Jellal added.

Meredy, Sheeree, and Sorano looked to the two of them with concern and understanding. Despite their situation, those two needed to do this, so they would support them. "Well, what about you, Erik? What are you gonna do?" Sorano asked.

Erik didn't quite answer right away. Looking out toward the city, he happened to think about Kinana and wondered what she would want for him to do. A part of him wanted to go see her… but that would only cause more trouble for her and the rest of her guild. But, he knew that if she were here, she would tell him to trust his gut and do what he felt was best. This world she lives in is pretty shitty. But if these guys here were on a mission to make it even a little bit better, the least he could do would be to lend them a hand.

The former criminal smirked as he gave his answer. "You guys got room for one more on your team?"

---

Meanwhile, within the newly reconstructed palace of Mercurius, which was mended with the rest of the city thanks to Ultear's Arc of Time, the king decided to hold a banquet for all of the wizards who bravely defended the city from the invasion of dragons as their reward for all their self-sacrifice. And after taking some time to rest and recover from such a hard-fought battle, it was now time to celebrate.

Yukino was in a provided dressing room with several other girls; notably Lucy, Trish, Lisanna, Mira, Wendy, and Lady as they got ready. But Yukino was already prepared as she wore a fancy green dress but looked more embarrassed than anything.

"Is it absolutely necessary that I wear this?"

"Yeah, cause it looks amazing on you!" Lucy winked.

"Seriously, you look beautiful!" Lisanna smiled.

"I… I don't usually wear attire this formal…" Yukino muttered.

"Same for me. I'm not a fancy dress type." Lady stepped out revealing she was in a white dress suit with a black flap, white pants and black heels. "This is a bit more my speed."

"Well, you certainly pull it off, Lady. Hoping to impress a certain Devil Hunter?" Mira teased.

"Since I'm in such a good mood, I'm gonna let that slide." Lady moaned.

"Hey… can someone help me out here?" Wendy asked, trying to reach to tie the dress at her back.

"I got ya, kiddo." Trish, who was in a golden dress skirt with her hair tied back in a pony tail came up and helped her.

But while everyone else was happy and getting in a celebratory mood, Lisanna happened to notice Yukino looking down. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you still feeling responsible for…"

"A little bit." Yukino admitted. "I know that I was tricked but, I still had a hand in the Eclipse Project. But I'm more upset about…" She didn't get a chance to finish as she looked to Lucy, who was probably feeling worse than her when it came to him. As much as she admired and looked up to him, and how hurt she was from his betrayal, he was Lucy's cousin, her family. She must be hurting way more. "Lucy… are you okay… about… Vergil…?"

Lucy's smile faded as she looked down. "To be honest… I'm still reeling a bit…" All her friends looked to her with concern, especially as Trish came up to her and put her hand on her shoulder for support. "But… I'm not thinking about that right now. We just prevented yet another apocalypse… I'd say it's time to celebrate not cry."

"Okay…" Trish accepted. "But you know we're here… right?"

"I know." Lucy smiled as she put her hand over Trish's. "I know."

---

After getting dressed up the group of seven ladies went into the great hall where everyone else was gathered together. The hall was filled to the brim with all sorts of fancy food and drinks, which everyone was partaking in. All of the guild wizards present were all dressed in either fancy suits or dresses and appeared to be enjoying themselves. There was even a small band playing classical music in the background.

Lisanna laughed joyously as Wendy stood by her side, starstruck by the sight of the banquet. "Oh wow!"

Trish gave an impressed whistle. "Not bad."

That's when they were noticed by a certain white-haired young man wearing a red tuxedo who was standing by all his guildmates and friends. "Hey, look who made it!" Dante waved them over.

"Dante!" Lucy and everyone else joined them. "That's a nice suit you're wearing. And as usual, you're going with red."

"Hey, I make this color look good." He pulled his jacket with pride as he looked at all the girls in front of him. "Welcome to the party ladies, way to go all out. Don't suppose any of you would treat this fine gentleman to a dance?" He offered his hand to Lady, who smirked playfully at him as she pushed his hand away.

"Pretty sure you'd crush my foot under your lead one." She snarked, causing Dante to laugh before Lady looked at him seriously. "But seriously, how you doing?"

Dante's smile was still present, but it faded slightly. "I'm not gonna giving him the satisfaction of even thinking about him right now. That jerk's off licking his wounds, and I'm gonna party with my family. Right guys?" He gestured to the rest of his guildmates behind him.

"Got that right. That's how a real man celebrates!" Elfman smirked.

"So enough of the mopping, let's party!" Gildarts lifted a bottle of wine in his hand and poured it all down.

Nero groaned in annoyance as he pulled on the collar of his dark blue tuxedo. "How the hell does anyone breathe in this monkey suit?"

"Don't fuss with it, Nero. You're gonna make it worse." Kyrie, who was dressed in a white dress similar to her previous Order of the Sword outfit, scolded somewhat as she straightened out his jacket.

Gray looked to a fancily dressed Gajeel next to him, who happened to have his own hair tied back. "That gettup's a little fancy for you."

"At least I'm wearing something." Gajeel scowled at Gray, who was only wearing a tie and his underpants, which queued Juvia to appear as she brought in a suit.

"Please get dressed Gray, we're in public." She told him with an embarrassing look on her face.

"The king is being quite generous with everyone." Panther-Lily noted as he and his fellow Exceeds came together.

"Aye! If this is the treatment we get for saving the world, then I can't wait for the next apocalypse!" Happy smiled.

"Be careful with what you wish for, Happy." Carla advised. "Aside from lives being put at risk, I'm certain the hooligans of this guild will more than test the limits of his majesty's good nature."

"Now be nice." Erza said as she stepped forward, dressed just as fancily as everyone else. "We need to get along with each other and our former competitors as well."

"Erza… are you sure you're okay…?" Lucy asked with concern, referring to the fact that she only had one arm, the stub of her left at her elbow was bandaged up.

The redhead noticed the look of concern on not only Lucy's face, but Dante's as well. Even though the two were trying to be positive with everything that happened, it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room. One of their closest friends just lost her own arm in a battle… against someone they held high hopes for. Even Happy was nearly brought to tears as he saw Erza's bandaged appendage.

Erza herself gave a sigh before she spoke seriously. "I lost an arm. It's something that I'll have to get used to. There's no denying it. But… I'm still here. I'm still standing. Still alive. I made the mistake of undervaluing my own life before and was even willing to throw it away, but that time is long gone. Right now, I'm just happy that I'm alive, as are the rest of you. And if I end up losing an arm for it, then I'd say it's a small price to pay."

Even though she said it with a content smile, it was still a difficult pill for the rest of her guildmates to swallow, particularly those that knew her the most. Gray in particular made a silent vow that if he ever saw Vergil again, he'd freeze him on the spot and beat him till he broke.

And that was especially the case for Makarov as he looked with an expression of seriousness that also mixed guilt. Seven years ago, he had offered Vergil a chance to join Fairy Tail, and even had the chance to apprehend him. Perhaps if he had caught him back then, this crisis wouldn't have unfolded the way that it did, and one of his children wouldn't have lost her limb. But the past was the past. He won't make that mistake again. The next time he sees Vergil, he will either take him in personally or take him down. But that was something to worry about for later. Regarding his children… even if Erza says she's fine with it, Makarov refused to let it end like that. Fortunately, he knew a couple of old friends that might be able to help.

"Come on, listen to the lady." Gildarts, who wore a typical black suit and tie with a brown cape, slung his arm over Erza. "Look at me! I lost an arm, a leg, and even got gutted, but I'm still kicking! Any battle that you can walk away alive from is a win in my book! So, all of ya kids quit mopping and start celebrating, cause we just saved the world, yet again!"

Cana laughed as she held to bottles of wine in her hands. "You heard the man! Time to start drinking!"

"Hey! We're in the royal palace, so you'd better behave!" Macao scolded as he pointed to Cana.

"Yeah, this is a party, not a funeral! Turn those frowns upside down and get a bite of all this free food!" Bruni approached the group, dressed in a tuxedo with a red tie with a flame pattern on it, with a platter of meat in his hands. "Bet the appetizers cost as much as a small house!"

"Bruni, you're here too!" Lisanna smiled as she saw him. "Thanks again for all you're help!"

"Hey, I'm a Wizard Saint. It's my job." Bruni smirked as he bit down on a mullet.

"Speaking of Wizard Saints…" Lucy approached him. "Do you know anything about that lady in the hood? The one who helped us before?"

"Hmmm? Oh, you mean Gandelina." Bruni said as he swallowed the meat in his mouth. "She usually keeps to herself for the most part, even to the rest the WS. Doubt she's even here."

"Oh." Lucy looked down in disappointment. "Well, I was hoping I'd get the chance to thank her. She saved our lives, and even helped me get back on my feet to keep fighting."

"If I run into her, I'll be sure to let her know." Bruni replied.

"Thanks." Lucy couldn't help but shake that one particular memory from her mind. She only caught a small glimpse of Gandelina's face underneath the hood. She might have had black hair, but one look into her face… into her eyes… it almost felt like she was staring at her mother's face again.

"Speaking of seeing people, where's Natsu?" Bruni asked, looking around. "Haven't seen him since this shindig started."

"Actually… I got no clue." Lucy admitted.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him either." Gray added.

"Wonder if he decided to skip the thing." Gajeel thought.

A mysterious smile crossed Dante's face before he spotted Yukino hanging off in the back of the pack, not really partaking in any of the events and appearing to be by herself.

"Hey, what are you doing all by your lonesome?" The Crimson Knight asked as he approached her. "Come on and party with us."

"Well… I'm not… used to this sort of thing." Yukino confessed. "That… and I'm sure you want to celebrate with your friends…"

"Exactly, so get over here." Dante said, causing the Celestial Wizard to look at him in surprise. "You and I just worked together to prevent the apocalypse, if that doesn't count as the start of a beautiful friendship, then I don't know what does. Besides, everyone in the guild's talking about ya and really wants to meet ya, so let's not keep em waiting."

As he offered her his hand, Yukino still couldn't shake her surprise. Did Dante really consider her a friend? Of course they worked together, but she just assumed that was something professional for them. Then again, both he and the rest of his guild were very open and caring for her, even after her expulsion with Sabertooth. Once again, Dante was showing just how warm and open he was, as opposed to the coldness that was shown from his twin brother. This was the same man who had convinced her that this world, for all of its flaws, was one that was worth fighting for. And if someone as amazing as him really considered her a friend… well… that really made her happy.

She smiled as she accepted his hand and was led to meet the rest of Fairy Tail, all of which greeted her with a friendly disposition as the rest of the guild met and partied together, which included Morrison, Macao, Wakaba, Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka; Laxus, Mira, Elfman, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen; Wendy, Romeo, Patty, Carla, and Modeus; Gajeel, Nero, Kyrie, Panther-Lily, Jet, and Droy; Cana, Lady, Trish, and Gildarts; and of course, Dante, Lucy, Lisanna, Yukino, Gray, Erza, Juvia, and Happy.

And it wasn't just Fairy Tail, every other guild wizard was enjoying the celebration.

"The palace is amazing. I can see myself living here, someday." Jenny said as she was dressed in a fancy kimono, celebrating alongside Blue Pegasus as her guildmates were dressed just as fancy; the Trimens wearing identical sailor suits, Ichiya wearing a white tuxedo with a blue captain's hat, and Nichiya wearing a purple tuxedo with a red captain's hat.

"As someone who was once a direct subordinate to royalty, I can personally say that this palace lives to the upmost of standards, Meow." Nichiya said as he posed dramatically.

"Truly a place of glimmering beauty!" Ichiya added as he too posed.

"Hip-hip hurray for King Ichiya!" Hibiki, Ren, and Eve all cheered simultaneously.

"Now men, let's take it from the top! Key of B flat!" Ichiya had a microphone in hand and pointed to the orchestra band, much to their confusion.

"Top of what?" One guy questioned.

"Do you know it?" Another one asked his fellow bandmate.

Cana happened to join with Quatro Puppy as she and Bacchus both sat on the table and clung their mugs together.

"Wanna go another round?" Bacchus asked challengingly.

"You're on. And I'm planning to win this time." Cana grinned.

"Just make sure that's all you're doing." Gildarts warned from behind.

"Ah relax." Wally assured the man. "Bacchus plays rough, but that dog's got some dandy manners."

"Let's get wild!" The other members of Quatro Puppy all hollered.

Kagura stood alongside all her guildmates in Mermaid Heel and all of them were dressed just as fancily, with even Lucia wearing a short red dress with red heels, but Kagura's purple dress was arguably fancier and more extravagant, much to her embarrassment.

"Awe, look at my little girl." Kurenai, who wore her usual outfit, teased her adoptive daughter as she patted her on the head. "So pretty."

"I look ridiculous." Kagura muttered.

"Don't beat yourself up, you look gorgeous!" Beth told her.

"The gown is quite stunning on you." Arana smiled.

"The only way it could look better is with a smile." Risley teased.

"Ugh, I don't understand how anyone can wear something this stuff!" Sapphire complained as she wore a long blue dress. She looked towards Lucia and her outfit. "How come you get something lighter!?"

"Because I purchased it." Lucia answered simply. "You would be wise to do the same, dear Sapphire."

"Uh, do you really see her dressing all fancy?" Amarilla came up to her, wearing a pink dress herself.

"Yes, our punch-happy Dragon Slayer who has no sense of style." Lucia cracked.

With a groan, Sapphire tore off the hem of her dress, revealing her legs underneath. "Ah, that's better." She happened to notice Milliana who didn't seem as celebratory as everyone else. "Okay, what's eating you up? Please tell me you're not thinking about that guy. You were just fine before."

"Trying to prevent the end of the world was a decent distraction." Milliana said before looking down. "But now that it's done… I can't help but think about him."

Sapphire looked with understanding before patting her on the back. "Let's go talk with Erza and all your friends about all that and get it out of the way. We'll get rid of the drama and start partying. Sound good?"

A small smile crossed Milliana's face at that. "That does sound nice… Thanks, Sapphy."

"Toby, you're gonna choke if you eat all that!" Sho tried to stop his guildmate from scarfing down a bowl of shrimp all at once.

"Are you kidding!? All this expensive food for free?!" Toby garbled as he continued to devour the contents of the bowl. "No way I'm gonna pass… Ugh!" He stopped when he suddenly began to choke.

"See? I told you!" Sho tried to give him the Heimlich maneuver to get him to hack it all out, only for Jura to quickly approach the pair and smack the palm of his hand on Toby's back to get him to hack it all out onto the floor.

"…I thought I was a goner…!" Toby said in-between breaths as he was on his hands and knees.

"Hey, can we get some napkins and water over here!" Sho called out as he was helping Toby.

Jura smiled with amusement before spotting a certain young man and his girlfriend with drinks at a nearby table before approaching them. "Nero." He and Kyrie both looked to see Jura coming toward them with a smile. "I heard how you stood your ground against Vergil during the battle. That is no small feat, well done."

"Thanks but… it wasn't just me. I had some help." Nero confessed. "If anyone deserves praise, it's her." He gestured to his girlfriend. "Kyrie helped take down that shitty Gate."

"I just provided support… Lucy and the others did all that." Kyrie admitted.

"Regardless, both of you contributed and performed well beyond what anyone could have expected from you." Jura acknowledged. "Kyrie, was it? Makarov told me how you wield the Arc of Seraph, a very rare and powerful form of lost magic. The fact that you were able to utilize it in such a way proves you know to use it, and I look forward to seeing you grow."

"Oh… thank you, sir." Kyrie was both humbled and awe-struck to be praised by a Wizard Saint, one of the strongest wizards on the continent. This caused butterflies in her stomach to form.

"And Nero, even if you did receive aid… even standing your ground against someone like Vergil is still worth praise." Jura told him specifically. "I am somewhat disappointed that we didn't get our rematch in the tournament. But if you would like, perhaps the two of us could spar at a later date, if you're interested."

"R-really?" Nero stuttered for a bit. "A Wizard Saint… wants to spar with me…?" A grin appeared on Nero's face. "Sure… why not? If you're that eager to get your ass handed to you."

"Nero!" Kyrie scolded as she lightly smacked his chest.

Jura laughed. "I look forward to it." He offered his hand to shake, which Nero accepted with a smile.

At the same time, Makarov sat at a table alongside his oldest friends, Bob, Goldmine, and Yajima as well as Ooba, and they enjoyed themselves to drinks and food.

"Never thought I'd see the king inviting me to a royal shindig." The former guildmaster of Fairy Tail smiled with content.

"Old age definitely has its perks." Yajima added.

"Don't get too comfy, Makarov." Ooba warned playfully. "You're guild won this year, but Lamia Scale will dethrone you next time around!"

"Not if Quatro Cerberus knocks you off your high horse, you old hag." Goldmine grinned.

"Don't you mean Quatro Puppy?" Bob teased, causing Goldmine to comically sulk as everyone shared a laugh.

---

Meanwhile, while the rest of her friends were celebrating in the ballroom, Levy sat alone in the hallway just outside, right in front of a window as she wrote in her personal journal with the moonlight shinning down on her.

"We put everything on the line that day, July 7th. We fought dragons and demons and protected this world's future. And no matter what comes our way next, I know that Fairy Tail will always rise to the challenge." She wrote that all down with a smile.

"Yo." A familiar voice said from behind.

"Oh, hey Gajeel." Levy greeted as she turned around to see him.

"So, skipping the party to do a little writing, huh?" He asked with an unsurprised smile.

"Yeah. Nerdy, right?" She replied.

"Nah, you're just a rebel. Like Dante's old man. I mean, he founded this lousy guild, didn't he?" Gajeel said.

Levy was momentarily surprised. Did Gajeel just compare her to Sparda? The Dark Knight? Never once, in a million years, did she ever consider comparing herself to such a legendary figure. But Gajeel of all people did just that and meant it as a genuine complement. A touched smile fell on her face with a small blush.

"I guess so… And you're lucky to be alive, ya know?" She said to him.

"Nothing's killed me so far." Gajeel replied.

"But taking on a dragon… even with back-up, is still probably the riskiest thing you've ever done." Levy said.

Gajeel looked away. "You're not gonna get stronger without taking a few risks. You shouldn't worry about me."

Levy's smile faded at that. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's not really an option."

"It's a big waste of time, and annoying." The Iron Dragon Slayer grumbled. But a few sniffles got his attention. Much to his surprise, he saw Levy smiling with emotional tears in her eyes. "The hell you crying for…?"

"Nothing…" She wiped her eyes. "I'm just glad that everything worked out…"

Gajeel shook his head somewhat. "By the way, where's Salamander? Haven't seen him all night."

"No idea…" Levy confessed as she stood up. "In fact, as far as I can tell, ever since that fight ended… he's been pretty quiet. Which is weird… especially for him."

As much as Gajeel wouldn't admit it aloud, he was a bit concerned for Natsu. He wasn't sure what went down with him and everyone else while they were in the castle trying to rescue Lucy and Yukino, and later confronting Vergil and that Legion-monster… but something pretty big must have happened to really rattle Natsu's cage hard if he was withdrawing like this.

---

Back at the party, Dante and Lucy were both close to one another, helping themselves to whatever food and drink that they could find when the former noticed out of the corner of his eye a certain green-haired royal approaching them.

"Heads up, incoming princess." He warned seriously, causing Lucy to quickly swallow her food quickly as they both turned to face Hisui.

"Hello Lucy, Sir Dante." She greeted in a friendly manner.

"Princess." Lucy nodded.

"You seem chipper." Dante noted in a somewhat cold tone, something Hisui took notice and understood the reason for it.

"Yes." Her smile dropped. "You see, I've been meaning to apologize for the way I've treated the two of you, and all of your friends. So much destruction and chaos as a result of my own foolishness, and all of that could have simply been avoided had I simply spoke with you. But I put too much trust in a stranger, did everything I could to make your mission more difficult than it needed to be, and I almost brought a world-ending disaster upon all of us. I was out of line and even abused my power. I offer no excuse." She bowed her head to the two of them. "But I am truly sorry."

The pair of cousins could tell that she was sincere about this, the two looking to each other with Lucy raising an eyebrow in Dante's direction with an expectant look on her face, leading to the young half-demon to sigh before he spoke to the princess.

"Yeah, you were a royal pain in the ass, no question, and pun totally intended." Dante smirked, only for Lucy to elbow him slightly. "But… you did do everything you could to try and fix things and you deserve credit for that much at least."

"Seriously, that Gottfried spell you taught us was amazing!" Lucy added. "Took a lot out of me but… I've never used a spell that powerful before. It was stronger than even Urano Metria and that's the strongest move I can do on my own."

"Yes… Gottfried is powerful, up to the point where it is meant to be a method of last resort, which is why I hadn't suggested it until all our methods to destroy the Gate had failed." Hisui said. "And I do apologize… for both my actions… as well as what happened with Vergil." That caused Dante and Lucy to both look with seriousness. "I was aware of you being his twin brother, Dante. But I had no idea that you were his cousin, Lucy."

"Yeah, both our mothers were sisters." Lucy said.

"Family had to keep that a secret, for obvious reasons." Dante added.

"I actually met your mother once, Lucy." Hisui revealed, much to the blonde's own surprise as well as that of her cousin.

"Wait, seriously?" Lucy questioned.

"When I was very young, yes." Hisui nodded.

"What about my folks? You've met either of them?" Dante asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. My father may have met Sparda once, but I never did. A shame." Hisui said. "But I did know Vergil when he worked for my father. I figured it would be close enough. But apparently, I was wrong." She looked down at that.

Deciding to change the subject, Dante spoke. "So, you're a Celestial Wizard too, huh?"

"Yeah… and you said you had jade keys." Lucy said, her curiosity peaking. "I always thought that Celestial keys were either gold or silver, I never even heard of a third type."

"The Jade Keys of the Four Symbols." Hisui reached into her dress to pull out a ring with four separate keys made from jade. "They are Celestial Spirits that hail from the Kingdom of the Sun, my mother's homeland. You could say they are the eastern counterparts to the Twelve Zodiac from here."

"Kingdom of the Sun…? I've heard of it, but I've never been there." Lucy muttered.

"So, those from your mom, too?" Dante asked, referring to the keys.

"They are." Hisui confirmed. "She left them to me when she passed away."

"Oh… sorry to hear that." Dante said sincerely.

"Yeah… I lost my mom when I was young too." Lucy added.

"Thank you, but that was a long time ago. I've moved on." Hisui said as she put her keys away. "By the way, I've also come to warn you. It seems that during the chaos of the dragon attack, Raven Tail had escaped our custody."

"Does that include that lowlife, Sid?" Dante questioned.

"Yes, him as well." Hisui confirmed.

"Makarov and Laxus won't be happy about that." Lucy commented.

"And… Minerva from Sabertooth has as well." Hisui revealed, which really caught the cousins' attention. "After the tournament ended, and my father begun to rally the guilds to face the coming crisis, several healing mages in the Royal Army tried to heal Minerva, hopping that she would lend her aid as well. But once she was recovered… she killed those attending to her and fled just before the attack came." She said seriously.

Lucy looked rather worried at that, with Dante looking away with a scowl. "Well, that's one more pain in the ass up in the air. Thanks for letting us know."

"Yeah." Lucy got serious. "If she ever tries to mess with us again, we'll be waiting for her."

Hisui nodded. "By the way, I haven't seen your Dragon Slayer friend, Natsu. I was hoping I would apologize and thank him as well."

While Dante, once again, did his best to hide a slight grin, it was quick to fade when he noticed Lucy looking down somewhat. "I think I might know why he's not here…"

She instantly remembered when her future self had died in Natsu's arms… right after kissing him on the lips and saying that she loved him. Lucy could not deny her own feelings for Natsu, but she never wanted him to find out like that. It wouldn't surprise her at all if that was on his mind, and maybe he wasn't in the celebratory mood. Her thoughts were interrupted as Dante put a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging smile.

"I'm sure we'll see him here. No way that glutton is gonna miss out on all this free food." Dante cracked, and despite the joke, Lucy could tell that her cousin was being honest and trying to cheer him up, which caused her to smile too.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She said. Though she probably would have to talk to Natsu personally regarding that whole confession from her future self, that drama could wait. If she ran into him at this party, they would celebrate. After all, they had earned it.

Meanwhile, after getting properly dressed, Gray was helping himself to food with Juvia right beside him. "See? You look nice with clothes on." She told him.

"I don't know whether that was a complement or an insult." The man groaned.

"Seriously, you really should fix that stripping habit of yours. As much as I love seeing your hot body, I imagine it's also quite embarrassing in public." Juvia said.

"Blame my old teacher for that habit." Gray groaned even further before sighing, remembering what Erza told him a few days ago.

"You know exactly how she feels about you, it's not like she hides it, and she deserves a straight answer."

Truth be told, Gray did think Juvia was more than a little impressive, especially with her performance during the games. There was no question that she was an exceptional fighter. She was also incredibly loyal to everyone in the guild, especially him, and reliable as a person. But he never really considered the idea of being in a serious relationship, not that he was against anything like that, the idea just didn't really occur to him. But he would be a fool to dismiss her own thoughts and feelings. Like Erza said, she deserved a straight and honest answer, and since the world wasn't at stake currently, now would be the best time to say something.

"Juvia, listen." Gray got her attention as he looked to her and spoke seriously. "I know how you feel about me. I mean, you haven't exactly tried to hide it so… pretty much everybody knows. But…" He rubbed the back of his neck. God, why was this so hard? "Look, it's not that I don't like you or anything, I think you're a great person. I just… never really considered dating you… mostly because I haven't really considered dating period. I've never been in a relationship before. Ever."

That last part especially took Juvia by surprise. "Really? You haven't even gone out with the girls in your guild? Erza? Cana? Mira?"

"I grew up with most of them, so they kinda feel more like family than anything." Gray answered.

"What about Lucy?" Juvia asked.

"Heh, she's cool, but not my type." Gray shrugged. "Like I said, I've never really thought about this sorta thing. But… maybe I can at least… give it a shot and see how it goes before I make any decisions."

"Wait…" Juvia was speechless for a few seconds, making sure she was processing what she was being told and that she didn't misunderstand. "Are… are you… asking me… out…?" She stuttered with a sense of hope forming inside.

"I guess so." Gray admitted. "I mean, we literally risk our lives all the time, this can't be that much harder, right?" He saw the overjoyed smile on her face as it looked like she was about to scream in happiness. "But…" He briefly stopped her. "If this doesn't work out… it won't… hurt or anything… right?"

A part of Juvia's happiness did die down from that comment, not completely thought. It sounded like Gray was preparing for the worst-case scenario, though he always was the pragmatic type, so it wasn't exactly out of character for him. But he was actually willing to give her a chance at this! A real chance! That alone would be worthy any possibility for a heartbreak.

"Gray… above all else, I cherish you and your happiness." Juvia said with a sincere smile. "If this doesn't work out… it may sting but… If you're not happy in the long run, then I won't force it. But you're still willing to give it a try, right?"

"That's what I said, yeah. So…" He offered her his hand, which caused Juvia's hope and joy to spike up exponentially as she leapt at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she snuggled her cheek against his.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise to do everything I can to make you happy!" She comically cried as she hugged him in even tighter, much to his dismay.

'Please don't make me regret this!' He thought to himself.

The exchanged happened to be noticed by Lyon, with Yuka right by his side. "You're not gonna try and step in?" The latter questioned.

"I do love Juvia, it is clear she doesn't feel the same way about me." Lyon admitted, looking away. "If this is what she wants, then I support her choice."

Yuka smiled. "Huh, that's really mature of you. Way to go, Lyon."

"Of course, should Gray break her heart, I will seek retribution in Juvia's name. And be there to sweep her off her feet." Lyon declared dramatically, much to Yuka's annoyance.

"I take it all back." He muttered.

"By the way, you seen Natsu at all?" Gray asked Juvia as she backed away.

"No, I'm afraid not." She shook her head.

Gray looked more annoyed than anything. "Why does he get to skip this?"

"Natsu hasn't shown up yet?" Bickslow questioned as he, his teammates, along with Elfman and Mira, were rather curious themselves.

"That explains why things are relatively peaceful." Evergreen commented.

"Hey, he wants to miss out on all this manly food, it's his loss." Elfman said as he had his mouth stuffed with meat.

"Chew with your mouth closed! You're embarrassing me!" Evergreen chastised.

"I'm sure he'll show up sooner or later." Laxus said, but was soon surrounded by several women. "Can I help you?" All the women began to grab at his arms.

"Oh… he's so strong…"

"Such manly muscles…"

"Girls!" Freed pointed to them. "Get your hands off him, right now!"

Suddenly, a dark aura filled the area, all surrounding Mira as she still bore a sweet smile, which contradicted the darkness that continued to grow around her. That same aura caused the girls to back away in fright, to Laxus' relief.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She smiled as her dark aura vanished and was replaced with glowing sparkles.

Meanwhile, Wendy was with Modeus, who was wearing a black tuxedo with a dark grey undershirt and a white tie, with his hair combed back; along with Patty, Romeo, and Carla as they seemed to be enjoying themselves before Sherria ran up to them with Sherry right behind her.

"Wendy! Wendy!" The younger Blendy cousin called to her as she carried several plates of food via black wind in the palms of her hands. "You have to try this!"

"Sherria…" Wendy and everyone else accepted the dishes as it seems Sherria brought one for everyone. They all carried the same kind of desert, which looked like a small piece of golden gelatin with chocolate and candy inside. "Wow! It's so sparkly! It looks like a jewel!"

"Yeah, it's beautiful!" Patty agreed.

"It looks like fancy gelatin." Romeo commented.

"Wanna give it a try?" Sherria asked eagerly.

Seeing no reason to question it, Wendy and her two friends took a bite of each of their respective deserts before a strong sensation of sweetness went through their mouths. "So good…!"

"It's nice to see Wendy making friends." Modeus said with a smile as he stood alongside Carla, with Sherry joining them.

"All of the hooligans in Fairy Tail have been exceptional for her, but it would also do well for her to make friends who are her own age." Carla added with a smile of her own.

"Well, I'm glad my little cousin is reaching out too." Sherry added.

"Sherry, was it?" Modeus inquired. "I have been meaning to ask… how exactly did she learn God Slayer magic? I've been around for a long time, so…"

"You're worried cause it's so powerful and deadly? Especially since it's got that little power cap to keep her from overusing it so that it won't rip her body apart?" Sherry finished unexpectedly, surprising Modeus and Carla.

"Y-yes. That's exactly it." The white Exceed confirmed. "That… and we've battled one particular God Slayer from Grimoire Heart who misused his power in most unethical way possible. I do not mean to pry but…"

"It's okay, I get it." Sherry assured, which also drew the attention of Wendy and the others as they began to listen in. "You're in the same guild as Gray, so I'm guessing you know about Deliora?"

"A demon created by Zeref that ravaged the countryside until it was frozen for many years. Yes, we know the story." Modeus answered.

"As well as Lyon who attempted to free the demon so that he may slay it himself." Carla added.

"Yeah, well, one of the towns it rampaged through happened to be where my family and I lived." Sherry continued. "My parents were killed… the only survivors being me and my aunt, who was pregnant at the time. With our town destroyed, and nowhere else to go, the two of us ended up traveling to some nearby mountains. We were quickly running low on food… and my aunt got sick. Really sick." She looked down, recalling the memories of uncertainty and fear at that time. "I even thought that we wouldn't make it… until we were taken in by a group of lady monks who lived in those mountains. These monks said they were followers of the goddess Hera."

"The goddess of love and sky." Modeus knew the name.

"Yep. But by the time they found us, my aunt was so sick… that no traditional medicine could help." Sherry went on. "The monks performed a special kind of ritual, one that would use the healing magic from Hera herself. But they could only use it once every few years or so, and given how my aunt was… being sick and pregnant… the monks would only be able to save her life or the life of the baby. My aunt… she wanted her child to be born more than anything. So… that's what they did."

Modeus and Carla both looked in sympathy at that. "I'm sorry." The white Exceed said with a sorrowful expression.

Wendy, Patty, and Romeo looked to Sherria with the same expression. "Yeah… we're sorry…" Romeo added.

Patty even held a certain locket around her neck. "I never knew my mom… she left me when I was only a baby."

"Oh Patty, I'm so sorry." Sherria apologized.

"Me? What about you?" Patty looked to her in surprise. "Your mom…"

"Is gone. I know." Sherria admitted, looking down briefly. "I may never know her but… the fact she did that… proved that she loved me." She held her own heart with a smile. "My mother gave her life for me… if that doesn't count as love, then I don't know what does."

Wendy gently reached out to clasp Sherria's hand with her own, looking to her with empathy, compassion, and joy. No words needed to be spoken between the two, Sherria understood. She smiled emotionally herself before pulling Wendy into a hug.

Sherry gave a happy sigh, happy with the fact that her little cousin had friends to support her, before resuming her story. "That order of monks raised us for a couple years, but we soon learned that Sherria was gifted with very powerful magic, probably because she was touched by a literal god while in her mother's womb. The monks didn't have the means to properly teach her, so they brought us to a nearby town that hosted an academy that could teach her how to control her incredible magic. It was rather expensive though…" She rubbed the back of her head with a slight wince.

"So, you joined Lamia Scale as a means to pay for it all." Carla figured out.

"Bingo." Sherry confirmed.

"That academy was a lot of fun." Sherria said to her friends. "Everyone there called me a prodigy, I even skipped a grade. Headmaster Doma even gave me a book of lost magics. So I learned about God Slayer magic, taught myself, and bing-bang-boom, here I am!"

"You skipped a grade in school?!" Romeo exclaimed in shock.

"You learned God Slayer magic just from reading?!" Patty was incredibly baffled herself.

Sherria giggled. "You guys should see your faces…! Those are the same looks everyone at school gave me when I showed them my magic!"

"That's incredible." Modeus noted. "To learn such an advanced magic and at such a young age…"

"She was touched by a goddess after all." Carla said. "I can assume that since this was a goddess of sky and love, it would explain why you and your cousin are so love-crazy." She said to Sherry in a teasing manner.

Sherry gave a teasing look of her own. "You should learn a some of that yourself, cat. Might make you a bit more approachable." That earned an irritated scowl from Carla.

"Being touched by a god is one thing… but that doesn't grant you the means to master your magic overnight." Modeus said as he approached the children. "Sherria, you are incredible. And if it's alright with you, perhaps we can learn more about some of your techniques."

"Hey, yeah!" Wendy beamed. "Sherria, this is Modeus. He's that teacher I told you about. He's taught me so much of what I know! I even have some notes from the dragon who taught me how to use my magic! Maybe we can compare and learn new things together!"

Sherria smiled. "Sure, sounds like a lot of fun." She briefly looked at Modeus and remembered what Wendy just said about him being her teacher, and what she had said after their match during the tournament. "So… this is the guy you said is like your dad?"

That took everyone by surprise, with Wendy blushing with embarrassment as she rapidly looked between Sherria and the surprised Modeus. "Well… yeah, he's my teacher… and I did say that… I mean… I never really had a dad before… so I wouldn't know… but he… I…"

Her stuttering was interrupted as she felt a hand placed on top of her head. Wendy looked up to see that the hand belonged to Modeus, who smiled down at her.

"If that's truly how you feel… then I couldn't be prouder… to have such an exceptional daughter." Modeus told her sincerely.

Wendy looked up to him with widened eyes… did he just consider her his daughter? She was quickly overflowing with a strong emotion… one she hadn't felt since she was in the presence of Grandeeney, her surrogate mother. She never did have a father before… or at least someone close. But… this demon… this kind and noble demon… considered her his child. Before she knew it, she smiled widely as she hugged Modeus, the man returning the embrace herself.

Carla couldn't help but shed tears at that, with Sherria doing the same as Sherry came up to her and put both her hands on her younger cousin's shoulder, with Sherria putting her own hands on top of hers. Romeo smiled too, truly happy for Wendy.

Patty however, while she was indeed happy for Wendy, she also felt something else. Wendy lost her mother just like Patty did, but she ended up finding a father-figure, something that she didn't seem to have. Not only that, Wendy had made a new friend with this incredible magic power, one that would allow her to fight alongside them. That wasn't fair. Why didn't Patty have magic to? Why couldn't she have some kind of special magic that would allow her to fight beside her friends? She loved Fairy Tail and everyone in it. They all felt like family to her. But all she did was hold them back. When the moment really counted, and they were in a life-or-death situation… all Patty ever did was get in the way… or get sent away so that wouldn't happen. She understood why. She didn't have any kind of special magic… and that made her furious with herself.

'No. No. Don't think any bad thoughts.' She mentally chastised herself. 'Don't make them worry about you. Everyone's happy and celebrating. You should help them do that. Don't be a burden to them. Don't get in their way.'

"Hey Sherria." Patty put on a smile as she got the girl's attention. "Since you're such a love expert, got any advice for Romeo here?"

"Uh, Patty… what are you…?" The boy looked confused, only for the girl to come up and whisper to Sherria.

"He won't say it out loud, but he's got a huge crush on Wendy."

Sherria gasped as she pulled Patty in close to whisper to her back. "Tell me everything and don't spare a single detail!"

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?!" Romeo tried to get closer, only for Patty to push him back.

"Girl-talk! Boys stay out of it!" She stated as she and Sherria continued to huddle and converse, much to Romeo's frustrations.

"Um… Modeus…?" Wendy didn't know why her teacher and surrogate father was covering her ears, to keep her enhanced senses from picking up anything of what Patty and Sherria were saying.

"Best to keep that conversation private." He said while Sherry snickered mischievously and Carla looked unamused, knowing exactly what they were talking about.

"Ugh." Romeo groaned. "Seriously, where's Natsu? I haven't seen him since this whole thing started."

"I don't know. I haven't really seen much of him since the fight ended." Wendy answered.

"Yes, this is concerning. You'd think a glutton like him would jump at the chance for some free food." Carla added.

"I'm sure we'll see him soon." Modeus said, though he was also a bit concerned in the fact that Natsu was nowhere to be seen. As he looked around, he happened to notice Erza heading in a certain direction, which appeared to be intersecting with the path of Kurenai, Kagura, Sapphire, and Milliana of Mermaid Heel, with Sho and Wally about to join up with them. "Please excuse me." He said to the group he was with before moving in that same direction herself.

"Hey, Erza! Over here!" Sapphire waved over, getting Titania's attention as the all met in the middle.

"Hello everyone. I hope you're enjoying yourselves." Erza said to them all. "On the mend, Kagura?" She asked her specifically.

"Yes… but what about you…?" She asked somewhat hesitantly.

Erza, once more, looked to her missing appendage. "It will take some getting used to… but I'll recover."

"Erzy…" Milliana was almost brought to tears as she saw that. When she first heard how Erza lost her arm, she cried her eyes out. Sho and Wally were just as gut wrenched themselves to learn what had befallen their closest friend. First she lost an eye as a child in the Tower of Heaven, now this?

"Is there anything we can do?" Wally asked.

"If anything comes up, I'll let you know." Erza promised.

Sho looked away with a scowl. "Vergil… Can't believe him…"

"Sho, please don't." Erza requested, much to his surprise.

"What?! Erza, you can't be serious! Jellal is one thing, but if you're actually trying to excuse Vergil…"

"I will never excuse what he did." Erza stated firmly. "My arm aside, his actions endangered so many innocent lives. He could have ended our whole world. And worse… he broke Lucy's heart. That alone is unforgivable." She took a moment to calm herself down. "But I won't let anger and hate consume me. I won't give him the satisfaction of obsessing over him. If anything, our battle has shown me how much stronger I need to become. Not for the sole sake of defeating him, but protecting those I care for from his dark ambitions. I won't let him get inside my head, and neither should any of you. So please… I know it's hard… but find a way to get past this. We've all had more than enough vengeful thoughts to last a lifetime." She said sincerely.

"She's right." Kurenai told everyone. "What he did was horrific, but in the end, we still won. Albeit with a cost… but it's thanks to everyone's efforts that the rest of the world will continue to go on, that families can stay together and sleep soundly in the night. If you wish to seek to become stronger than him, then do it. But I agree with Erza… there's been enough revenge in all our hearts."

"Yeah, let's not give that bastard the time of day. He ain't worth it." Sapphire added.

That caused Erza's old friends to look away somewhat, Sho and Milliana especially trying their hardest to keep it tight. "Alright… but… I don't think it's gonna be easy." Sho said.

"You even trying to do so is enough." Erza put her only arm on Sho's shoulder and gave him a proud smile. That caused Sho to smile to as he felt some relief.

But that could not be said for Kagura, who listened to everything Erza and her mother had said… which honestly made her feel worse than she already did, with all of that coming to the surface the second she saw Erza's missing limb.

"Erza…" She shakily walked towards her.

"Kagura, you shouldn't…"

"I'm so sorry!" She was immediately on her hands and knees, bowing her head onto the ground before the utterly shocked Erza, with Sapphire, Wally, Milliana, and Sho being more than a little surprised themselves, but Kurenai looked to her adoptive daughter in sympathy. Even Modeus, who had joined them, had a similar look himself. "Your arm… that was my fault…"

"Kagura… what are you talking about…?" Milliana tried. "Vergil was…"

"Her arm ended up the way it did because she was trying to stop me!" Kagura continued, her voice cracking as she kept her head bowed. "Because I couldn't let go of my anger… because I let my hatred fester… I lost control…! I went on a rampage…! I almost took her life… the life of an innocent person! I swore to become a warrior for justice… Like Mother… Like Sparda… but I disgraced them and my brother with my actions, and Erza paid the price!" She was sobbing hard as she shakily held out Archenemy. "Please… take it as recompense…" As if Erza and the others weren't surprised enough.

"But Kagura… that's your sword…" Sho tried.

"Mother granted me this Devil Arm… so that I could use it to protect the weak… but I became the very thing I swore to fight in my hubris…" The sobbing Kagura continued. "I do not deserve it… it should belong to a warrior with a righteous heart… and that isn't me…! Mine is too clouded by rage…! I can't trust what happened with me before won't happen again…! Please… take it… and while I know I can't be forgiven for what I did… I am truly sorry…!"

"Kagura… I…" Erza did not expect this from her in the slightest, so much so that she didn't know what to say.

"Excuse me." Modeus stepped forward. "I realize that I may be intruding, but may I say something? Perhaps it can help." He said mostly to Kurenai.

The Mother of Oceans smiled warmly. "Please, Modeus." She accepted.

Modeus then looked down at the woman. "Kagura, was it? We've never been formally introduced. My name is Modeus, I was the apprentice to Sparda. I've known your mother for a long time." She slowly looked up to him. "I also understand the pain and guilt that you're going through. I too, lost a brother. And he died by my hand."

Kagura gave a surprised gasp as she looked up to Modeus in shock, with everyone else around him having the same expression, save for Erza and Kurenai who looked to him in sympathy.

"Baul was… driven. Consumed with a desire for strength, similar yet different from Vergil." Modeus said. "But never once did I believe he would strike an innocent person. Until he attacked Dante and those in Fairy Tail. I feared he would take a life… so I acted." He closed his eyes. "That will stay with me forever. A day doesn't go by where I wish I could have done something sooner, something that could have changed his fate… and perhaps the two of us would be a part of Fairy Tail together, or he would found some manner of peace and acceptance. But what's done is done. We can't reverse our actions, or that blood that has been shed from it. What we can do is find a way to move forward."

"H-how…?" Kagura looked up to him, listening to every word.

Modeus smiled. "By allowing those around us who care to help pick ourselves back up. Fairy Tail accepted me, and I them. Nobody could replace my brother, but I found a family…even someone I consider a daughter. And you have that too. You have your guild, a mother, and those who love you and will help you to move past your pain, to move forward and mend your heart. And if it's alright with you… I can offer that too, as a friend who knows and understands that pain." He offered his hand to her.

Kagura briefly looked to his hand and then up towards Modeus' face, the smile and look in his eyes not only told her that he meant every word, but he really did understand her. This was a truly kind man who understood her pain… and was willing to help her stand again and move forward. With a shaky hand, she grasped his and was helped back to her feet. But as she stood up, she looked with uncertainty towards Archenemy again.

"My daughter…" Kurenai got her attention. "Perhaps you did allow your hate to fester, and you let your anger get the best of you. There's no way around it. And you're right to be worried of being overwhelmed by your weapon again. But, despite that… I'm proud of you."

Kagura, once again, was shocked as she stared at her mother with a stupefied expression. "P-proud…?"

"Your power is without question, but the true test of strength, is knowing when you fail and admitting it." Kurenai continued. "The unspoken lesson of humility. You not only owned your mistakes, but you are even willing to make amends with those you feel you've wronged. That one act is far greater than any feat one gains by slaying an enemy. Modeus is right, you're not alone in this. I gave you that weapon because I knew that you would grow into not only strong warrior, but a kind person who would defend those who need it. And your actions in the past five minutes have only cemented that. How could I not be proud?"

"M-mother…?" Kagura was getting emotional all over again.

"But if you truly fear what could happen if you lose yourself to Archenemy again, then I will help you. That's my job, as both a guildmaster and a mother. But only if you want it." Kurenai offered with a smile as she reached out to put her hand on daughter's cheek. "And no matter what may happen, no matter what you chose to do going forward… you are my child and I will always love you."

In that instant, Kagura leapt at her adoptive mother, burying her face into Kurenai's shoulder and crying. "I love you too…! So please… Please… Help me…! Help me get better…!"

Kurenai gently held her sobbing daughter as an emotional tear appeared in her eye. "Of course, my baby girl. Of course." She looked to the smiling Modeus and gave a nod, who nodded back in return.

Sho, Wally, and Milliana were all brought to tears and smiles themselves as they saw this, with Sapphire grinning. Erza smiled warmly as she approached the duo and gently touched Kagura's shoulder to get her attention.

"It looks I may have to decline your offer of Archenemy." She told her. "Kagura, I promise I hold no grudge. An arm is a small price to pay, if it means saving the soul of my dear friend's beloved sister. Simon would be truly proud of you."

Kagura smiled with tears still in her eyes as she let herself fall into her mother's embrace again as Kurenai looked towards her with a nod of approval.

Erza then looked to her old friends. "I realize this may bring down the mood, but I haven't forgotten about our deal during the Games. Jellal hasn't left the city, nor will he until you all get your chance to speak with him. Whenever you are ready, just say it, and we will meet."

The trio shared glances with each other before accepting it. "Sure… sounds good." Wally accepted.

"Thanks, Erza." Sho nodded. "I think it's time we finally put this whole thing behind us."

"See? Problem solved, eh Millie?" Sapphire threw her arm around Milliana's shoulder.

"Yeah… I guess…" Milliana had only a half-smile on her face.

"No full smile? Well, I got the solution for that." Sapphire grinned. "Hey, Amarilla!"

"Right here, Sapphy!" The yellow-furred Exceed walked onto the scene, with a certain trio of Exceeds right behind her. "And I got who you asked me to bring!"

"Happy? Carla? Lily?" Erza was surprised to see the Exceed trio of Fairy Tail.

"Amarilla said that you guys needed help with something." Happy said.

"It appears that we've walked onto a rather… emotional moment." Lily noted, looking towards Kagura, who was still in Kurenai's arms.

"Not quite sure how we could help with that though…" Carla began until a high-pitched squee filled the air.

"KITTIES!" Milliana immediately scooped up all four of them. "So many precious kitties! Meow!" She gushed as she held them tightly and nuzzled her cheeks against them, much to Erza's own surprise while Sapphire smiled cheekily.

"This is what you called us for…?!" Carla exclaimed in a wince.

"Yep!" Amarilla smiled just like her Dragon Slayer companion.

"We're not your stuffed animals you know…!" Lily groaned.

"Does she do this to you…?" Happy asked Amarilla in a moan.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it." The yellow-furred Exceed said plainly.

Erza couldn't help but chuckle at this. "That works, I suppose. Thank you, Sapphire."

"No problem. By the way, where the heck is Natsu?" She questioned. "First he skips out on the final round, now this?"

"I truly don't know..." Erza admitted. "Happy, do you know where he is…?"

"No… no clue…" Happy winced as Milliana continued to squeeze him and his fellow Exceeds.

"His absence is starting to worry me." Erza said, putting her hand on her chin. "I hope that nothing has happened."

However, Happy was actually fortunate in this situation. Being forcibly crushed made it easier to avoid making a snickering face, as he may actually know more than he's letting on.

"Alright, it's time to party!" A voice announced as a certain group entered the ballroom.

All eyes turned to the members of Sabertooth, which consisted of Sting, Lector, Rogue, Frosch, Rufus, Orga, and Dobengal, all of whom dressed fancily like everyone else.

"Let's get this celebration started!" Sting boasted. However, the very second that this group of wizards entered the room, it all became silent as everyone stared at them, surprising many in Sabertooth. "Uh…"

"Why are they here?" Risley questioned as most of Mermaid Heel looked at them with apprehension, with Milliana's body shaking as she let go of the four Exceeds in her arms, prompting Erza and all her friends to stand close to her somewhat protectively.

"It was Vergil who caused that whole mess to begin with." Ren muttered as Blue Pegasus looked irritated themselves.

"To be fair, the rest of Sabertooth wasn't involved in his plot." Hibiki commented.

"Doesn't excuse the rest of their guild for the way they acted." Eve held his own arm, remembering how Rufus put him in the hospital.

"They even went so far as to torture Lucy and kidnap Milliana." Lyon glared.

"Those were the actions of just one." Jura said with fairness.

"But it was that muscle-headed dirtbag that stabbed you in the back!" Yuka glared.

"They're just as mean as Raven Tail!" Toby howled.

"They even laughed at Lucy when she was being tortured." Jet commented.

"They also kicked out Yukino cause she lost a fight. Who the hell does that?" Droy added.

All the negativity quickly swept through the ballroom, and while most of it was in the form of whispers or spoken quietly, to the rest of Sabertooth, they might as well be shouting and screaming all of their scorn at them.

"It seems our presence here is unwanted. I can certainly do without this memory." Rufus said.

"Is that anyway to treat such a high ranked guild?" Dobengal questioned.

Orga spat. "The hell are even doing here anyway? This thing is a huge waste of time."

Rogue looked away with regret, something that caused Frosch to look at him concern. Even Sting hung his head down.

"Maybe we should just go…" He was about to walk away.

"No, wait! Hold on a second!" Lector quickly flew up, much to Sting's own surprise and got everyone's attention. "Listen up, all of you! I know we acted like real jerks, but we're sorry! Vergil might have been the one who started that mess, but it was just him! None of us were involved! Plus, Sting and Rogue both risked their lives to fight those dragons, just like everyone else here!"

"Lector…" Sting didn't expect him to stand up for him like this.

"Listen to the cat, everyone!" The Wizard Saint, Aurora, who wore her typical armor, stood in front of Sabertooth, much to everyone's surprise, even that of the guild. "These guys were assholes, yeah. You don't have to like them if you don't want to, but they fought through blood, sweat, and tears just as much as every single one of you, and have a right to be here! If you don't want to interact with them, fine. That's you're call. But the king invited all of the guilds to celebrate, Sabertooth included. The least we can do is respect his wishes."

Sabertooth was certainly surprised to see Aurora defending them, but were especially the other guilds. A Wizard Saint was acknowledging and defending them despite their past transgressions.

"Aurora is correct." Kurenai spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "Whatever tensions remain, set them aside for now. This is a night of celebration, not scorn. So let there be peace here."

With that, everything seemed to settle down with the music picking back up. The other guilds elected to ignore Sabertooth and just return to their previous conversations, though that was harder for many in some cases.

Aurora looked to Kurenai, the two female Wizard Saints exchanging nods and smiles before Rogue walked up to the former.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that." He said.

"I only spoke the truth. So, let's get some something to eat." She encouraged.

"Yay! I'm hungry!" Frosch smiled. This caused Rogue to smile as they and the rest of their guild into the party.

"Lector… thanks." Sting said to his Exceed companion as he touched back down on the ground.

"I wasn't gonna let my buddy get humiliated and yelled at." Lector replied.

"I'd deserve it. I was an asshole to everyone here." Sting said with remorse.

"Well… so was I." Lector admitted. "We both got some work we need to do, so why don't we do it together? Right?"

Sting was momentarily surprised with how Lector was still willing to stick by his side, even through this. Once again, he was reminded of how he took his best friend for granted. But now was going to be different. He was going to try and be better person for his sake.

"Right." The White Dragon Slayer smiled. "And I think I know where we can start."

As they went to join everyone else in the party, Dante happened to look towards Sting with a serious expression, as well as Rogue. He then walked towards Morrison, who was eating from a plate of fruit and meat. "Enjoying yourself?"

"If this is how the king treats people he likes, I may just end up being a broker for him." The man joked.

Dante cracked a half-grin before getting serious. "Speaking of, I need your help with something."

Morrison sighed as he put his plate down. "Can't take five minutes to celebrate, can you?"

"Morrison, I'm being serious." Dante said. "Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, all three of them lost their dragons on the exact same day. July seventh, X777. The same thing happened to those two and their dragons." He referred to Sting and Rogue. "And now, fourteen years later, on the exact same date, July seventh, the Eclipse Gate opened because of a lunar eclipse."

"And you think these things are connected…" Morrison saw where Dante was going with this. To be honest, this seemed too much of a coincidence to hear himself.

"Every instinct in me is saying that, yeah." The Son of Sparda confirmed.

"But didn't those two say their dragons died?" The broker questioned.

"Maybe, but this whole thing just feels too contrived…" Dante said. "I just can't shake this feeling in my gut."

Morrison knew that whenever Dante suspected something, his instincts were usually correct. He himself was starting to think the same thing too. "I'll look into it when the party's over and see what I can dig up."

"Thanks." Dante said as he walked away, heading in the direction where the Twin Dragons and their Exceeds were going.

Gajeel and Levy were both at a table, the former eating a drumstick as Sting came up to them with a bottle of wine and glasses in is hands. "Alright, I owe Natsu a drink!"

"It's good stuff, top shelf!" Lector put in.

Gajeel swallowed the meat in his mouth before speaking. "Salamander ain't here, pal."

"Ah man." Sting sulked. "After everything, I wanted to apologize and do something nice for a change."

"I guess the plan's a bust then." Lector sulked too.

"Well… it's the thought that counts." Levy said with a wincing smile. She tried to put on a good and open tone for the members of Sabertooth near them. After all, she was currently standing right next to the same guy who beat her and her team when their guilds went to war a while back, so she could at least give them a chance too. But that didn't make her any less nervous.

Gajeel then noticed Rogue. "Ryos." The Iron Dragon Slayer acknowledge.

"That was the name I used when training under Skiadrum." Rogue said. "I would prefer you call me Rogue, now. The name Ryos died when Skiadrum did."

Levy looked to him with sympathy. "I heard what happened to your dragon. I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Rogue nodded.

"You better watch yourself. You got some real nasty demons in, ya. Literally." Gajeel warned.

"Yes, perhaps the consumption of demonic power… was not the best idea." Rogue said, looking away.

"Well to be fair…" Dante walked up. "Who could really expect all that dark stuff to become sentient and take over your whole body and go on a genocidal rampage the become the next Demon Emperor? I'd recommend you go on a very strict diet going forward."

"Even if I were to quit cold turkey, that thing…Legion… is still inside me." Rogue looked at his own hands. "It's in there… waiting…"

"Rogue…" Frosch looked concerned for him, the same with Sting, Lector, Dante, Levy, and Gajeel.

"Look man, I know you wanna leave Sabertooth and I don't blame ya. But maybe you could stick around for a little bit." Sting offered. "If that Legion-thing goes out of control, we can help you. Maybe we can find a way to get it out of you."

"I appreciate the offer Sting, but I've made up my mind." Rogue insisted. "It may be better this way, for if that monster were to emerge, I would at least be at a reasonable distance as to not hurt anyone."

"Rogue…" Sting tried.

"I have to do this, Sting." Rogue said without a hint of hesitation. "I need to change as a person, but I can't do that in this guild. And besides… I won't be alone, right Frosch?" He asked his Exceed companion with a smile.

"Right." Frosch smiled widely. "I'll be right by your side forever, Rogue."

Sting then gave a reluctant smile, seeing his partner wasn't backing down. "Alright. I hope you find what you're looking for, buddy." He offered him his fist for a fist-bump, which Rogue accepted as he bumped his fist to Sting's.

"Thank you, my friend."

"Well, if you don't mind some direction at least…" Levy spoke to Rogue. "I can tell you where to find the Library of Sorcery. It's got some pretty interesting information on ancient healing and cleansing spells. Maybe you can find something that can help get rid of Legion."

"Then I'll look there." Rogue accepted. "I appreciate the advice."

"Hey, Frosch." Gajeel addressed the Exceed as he gave a grin. "If that Legion-thing shows up again, you come to Fairy Tail and let me know. I'll knock the guy back to his senses. Alright?"

"Okie-dokie! Thanks, Gajeel!" Frosch waved both his hands in joy.

"Dante." Sting went up to him. "Natsu ain't here… but I wanted to say sorry to you too. Sorry… for being an asshole to you and your friends. The way we acted… was wrong. And you were right… I really am just a weak third-rate Dragon Slayer." He looked down with regret. "But I'm going to try to be better… to get stronger the right way… and to be a better person. So… Can we… start over maybe?"

Dante could tell that Sting was being sincere about it. Erza and the others told him how Minerva had kidnapped Lector to force Sting to participate fully in the Games. Of course that bitch would do something like that. But it was hard to forget how Sting laughed at his cousin being tortured by that same bitch. Still though, Fairy Tail taught him about the importance of second chances, so he should at least offer it to him.

"I guess." Dante shrugged, causing Sting to smile somewhat. "But three things. First, you should know that Minerva is MIA. So, you might wanna keep your eyes peeled."

"Sure, got it." Sting nodded.

"Second… if you or your buddies try anything with Lucy again… there will be hell to pay. Got it?" Dante warned with a stern glare, causing Sting to shiver slightly.

"Y-yeah! Get it! Totally got it!" He said in a partial panic.

"And third, if you owe anyone an apology, it's her." Dante gestured to Yukino. That especially caused Sting to wince, remembering what their late master did to her for her defeat in the tournament.

"There's no way she's gonna accept it." Sting said.

"Doesn't matter, you still gotta do it." Dante insisted. "If you're serious about changing, then you had better own up to all your shit. Even if she doesn't accept it, and I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't, you still owe her. So get your ass moving."

"R-right." Sting went towards Yukino, with Dante making sure to trail behind him to make sure that there was no trouble. Rogue, Lector, and Frosch all exchanged eye-contact as they also went in that same direction, with Gajeel and Levy looking that way too, paying close attention to what was about to unfold.

Yukino, Lucy, and Lisanna were all at a table, partaking in the food, and enjoying each other's company. "Hey… Yukino…" That enjoyment was ended as Sting came to the table with a nervous and repentant look on his face.

Lucy and Lisanna were both surprised to see him, but they quickly noticed Dante who simply gave a nod to tell them there wasn't going to be any trouble here, which they both accepted. But that did little to deter Yukino's nervousness. Seeing Sting again made her flashback to that awful humiliation she was put through. She didn't even say a word as she put her plate down and moved to walk away.

"Please… wait…" Sting spoke up, stopping Yukino, but she kept her back turned, even as Rogue, Lector, and Frosch came onto the scene. "What happened to you… I… it was… it was wrong. And… I'm sorry."

Lisanna and Lucy were both more than a little surprised to hear that. Did Sting, one of the most vocal jerks of Sabertooth, the one who arguably has been antagonizing their guild the most, just apologize? Lucy looked towards her cousin, who nodded once more, telling her that he was being serious about this.

It was silent for a few seconds before the white-haired Celestial Wizard spoke. "You're sorry…? Is… Is that all you have to say to me…?" Her back was still turned as her body shook, her hands clenching her own dress tightly.

"Well… I… uh…" Sting didn't even get a chance to speak a response as Yukino continued.

"Do you have any idea what you did to me…?" She still didn't face them as her form shook more and anger seeped into her face. "I worshiped Sabertooth since I was young… more than anything… I wanted to be part of it…. To be in the same guild as the people I saw as my heroes… but if I'd known what kind of people you really were… I would have stayed as far away from that possible…!"

"Look, I'm sorry…" Sting tried, only for Yukino to throw her plate to the wall, leading it to break and shatter, getting the attention of several on-lookers as Lucy, Lisanna, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch all gasped, but Dante remained serious, having a feeling that something like this would happen.

"Your guild took my self-worth and destroyed it!" Yukino practically screamed as she finally turned around with tears of frustration in her eyes and marched in a fury her towards Sting. "I gave everything to Sabertooth, everything! I shed blood for all of you! And you treated me like garbage, all just because I lost one fight! One fight!" Sting tried to back away, but found himself backing into a table as Yukino was directly over him. "The only ones who showed me any kind of respect were Rogue, Frosch, and even Vergil! And even after he betrayed everyone and almost unleashed a world-ending disaster, even he didn't consider Sabertooth worth his time, and perhaps he was right! But more than anything… He told me I had the potential to grow stronger…! Why was he the only one to see that, when the rest of you couldn't?! You think just by saying 'I'm sorry', it's going to erase the pain you caused me?!"

"N-no… I mean…" His eyes darted around rapidly as he was sweating up a storm. He looked to Dante, silently hoping for him to try and ease some of the pressure, but he simply shrugged. Sting needed to face this, and Yukino need to get her frustrations out. It might seem unfair, but with the way they treated her… this was more than deserved. "Y-you're right...! You're right!" Sting admitted. Yukino kept her glare up, but she still allowed him Sting to speak. "What happened to you… was awful. And I was too scared to stand up to the old man." He looked away with guilt. "I… I can't make it all go away… you're right to be mad but… I am sorry. Really. I am."

It became silent once again as everyone nearby paid close attention to this confrontation. No one dared to take their eyes off it or even step in to intervene, thinking that even the slightest step forward could ignite some kind of powder keg.

Yukino's anger was still there, but her expression did soften a bit. "Alright. I can acknowledge and respect your apology… but I no longer want anything to do with Sabertooth. If you want to make things right with me, then keep your distance."

"Alright…" Sting looked down. Yukino then turned around and proceeded to walk away.

"Yukino, where will you go now?" Rogue asked.

"I've already made up my mind on that." She answered. "I came to that choice after the end of the battle." She then looked towards Dante. "I remember you offering me to join your guild, Dante. Does that offer still stand?"

Dante smiled at that. "Yo, Master Gildarts!" He called to the active master of Fairy Tail, who was having a drink with his daughter. "Yukino here wants to join Fairy Tail! That cool with you?!"

"Sure! Welcome aboard!" Gildarts raised his mug.

"Another new member, huh? Sure. I'll drink to that." Cana chugged down another mug.

"Welp, there you have it." Dante said, smiling to Yukino, who was briefly taken aback.

"Just like that…?"

"Just like that." He confirmed. "Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Yukino smiled, but before she could speak…

"Hold it, right there!" All eyes turned to see a drunken Kagura, with most of her guildmates behind her. "Did everybody just forget that her life is in my hands?! Fairy Tail's already got too many heavy hitters! If she should join any guild, it should be Mermaid Heel!"

"What?!" Lucy, Lisanna, Sting, Rogue, Frosch, and Lector all exclaimed simultaneously with white circular eyes.

Yukino blinked for a few seconds before looking in total surprise. "HUH?!"

"Are you drunk or something?" Dante asked, stepping forward. "How many drinks did you have?"

"She only had one." Lucia revealed.

Dante's eyelids lowered, completely unimpressed. "Seriously?"

"Yes. She is a lightweight." Lucia confirmed.

"Ooh, looky at the high and mighty Son of Sparda." The drunken Kagura came over to him. "Think you're so tough, don't ya? She belongs to us, and you can't stop it!"

"Yukino may have indeed made that bet with you…" Rogue stepped up and stood protectively in front of her. "…But a life debt does not mean you own her. If she wishes to join Fairy Tail, then you should respect her choice!"

"Shut up, Mr. Shadowy Emo-Boy!" Kagura pointed him.

"'Shadowy Emo-Boy'?" He questioned in comical offense.

"That's quite enough!" Erza appeared on the scene with Gray, Juvia, Laxus, Elfman, Mira, and the Thunder Legion right beside her. "We won't stand by while you decide her fate!"

"She made her choice. Get over it." Gray stated.

"No way. A woman as beautiful as you…" Eve began as Blue Pegasus joined in.

"…Deserves nothing less than the most beautiful guild." Hibiki added.

"She should join us." Ren insisted.

"She has such an intoxicating parfume!" Ichiya proclaimed.

"A truly exotic and powerful aroma!" Nichiya added.

"We'd love to have you, Yukino." Jenny said, looking toward her.

"If she wants to be with the best guild, there's no question that she should become a part of Lamia Scale." Lyon declared.

"Let's not get involved with this." Jura said.

"Too late for that." Sho put his hand on his face, while Sherry sighed with an unsurprised smile.

"Get in our guild, now!" Toby yelled.

"Don't be rude!" Yuka told him.

"We've always been totally macho! But I think Quatro Cerberus could use a womanly touch!" Bacchus shouted.

"Hell yeah!" Wally added. "We might have lost the Grand Magic Games, but there ain't no way in hell we're gonna lose this battle!"

"Wild!" All of Quatro Puppy hollered once again.

"Um… what is happening here…?" Yukino questioned in emotional confusion.

"Yeah… you might wanna take a few steps back." Lisanna cautiously pulled Yukino away.

"I know where this is going." Lucy winced.

"How about she doesn't join any guild?" Bruni offered. "She could go for a solo-gig, like yours truly! I'd be happy to show her the ropes!"

"Then it wouldn't be a 'solo-gig'. Besides, she's too young for you." Aurora told him.

"Hey, come on! It ain't like that!" Bruni exclaimed in comic anger.

"Sorry, but the lady's spoken for." Makarov said with an eager grin.

"But if you guys wanna fight for it…" Gildarts cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, it's on!" Goldmine grinned himself.

"I'll spin you all!" Ooba warned.

"I might be willing to let you keep Yukino, Maky… but only if you're willing to trade that hot-blooded Dante." Bob teased.

"Oh, hell no!" Dante shouted.

"I don't know, it seems like a fair deal." Lady teased behind Dante, much to his comic shock.

"Whose side are you on?!"

"Now the masters and Wizard Saints are getting involved?" Wendy looked nervous. "This is crazy!"

"That's love for ya!" Sherria smiled.

"Ugh! Why does every nice place we go to have to get wrecked because we're starting a fight?!" Patty complained.

"Hey, they picked a fight with us first!" Romeo stated.

It didn't take long for a brawl to erupt in the banquet hall as nearly every guild wizard began to jump on and pound one another. Punches were thrown, hair and clothes were pulled and torn, like any other typical day in Fairy Tail.

"Come on!" Gray challenged.

"Manly battle!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Just give up!" Rufus declared.

"Not on your life!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"I'll fry and freeze your face at the same time!" Sapphire shouted.

"Try it!" Trish challenged.

"I'm gonna spin off your mustache, Makarov!" Ooba threatened.

"Don't you dare, old hag!" Makarov warned.

Fortunately, Kurenai had erected a barrier of water to protect a small group of people and wizards who didn't partake in the brawl, with Yukino, Lucy, Levy, Lisanna, Wendy, Hisui, and Patty being among those hiding inside.

"I apologize for my daughter. She's not much of a drinker." Kurenai smiled apologetically to Yukino.

However, the girl appeared to be crying as tears flowed down her face, something that those near her noticed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lisanna asked.

"N-nothing…" She turned around to reveal a happy and joyous smile. "It's just… I've never felt... this happy before… Not since… I saw my sister again…"

Lucy smiled as she put her hand on Yukino's. "I know the feeling. And hey, no matter what you chose, there will always be a place for you in Fairy Tail."

"Thank you…" She rubbed the tears from her eyes. "But I'm being serious… I want to be a part of your guild…"

"Sure thing." Lucy smiled brightly. "We'll make it official once we get back to Magnolia, but welcome to the family."

Arcadios appeared on a balcony that overlooked the entire banquet hall where the brawl was still ongoing. He immediately took out his sheathed sword. "Everyone stop, this instant!" He brought the end of his sheathed blade onto the ground to create a loud ring that drew everyone's attention and ended the brawl in a single second. "In honor of your performances during the Games, and for your bravery in facing the greatest danger this kingdom's ever known, his majesty would like to personally deliver this message to you, take heed."

"Hi, Mr. King!" Little Asuka called out, only for her mother to gently shush her while her father chuckled.

Happy held his paws over his mouth to keep himself from laughing, something Carla noticed. "And what do you find so amusing?"

"Nothing…!" He kept his laugh suppressed, looking to Dante who only had a mysterious grin on his own face.

The large doors on the balcony opened dramatically. Everyone paid attention as a figure began to step out. A figure clad completely in royal getup, including the sacred crown that has been passed down through the Fiore royal line for generations.

Lucy quickly blinked in surprise at who she saw.

"Royal subjects, shut up and listen!" Natsu Dragneel, who was the one dressed in royal attire and wearing the crown, declared with a laugh. All while the Games' mascot, Mato, really King Toma E. Fiore, rode atop Natsu's shoulders.

"I hope everyone's enjoying the banquet, pumpkin!" Mato said.

"HUH?!" Every single person down below… every member of Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and individual wizards like Bruni and Aurora, looked with white circular eyes and dropped jaws.

"All hail King Natsu and his sidekick Mato! New rulers of Fiore!" Natsu proclaimed with another laugh.

"F-father…?!" Hisui stuttered with hands on her red face. Kurenai was rather shocked herself, right before she giggled in amusement.

"Y-your majesty… please…!" Darton stumbled out of the doorway right behind them. "This is not appropriate…!"

"Wolf Knights… get him…!" Arcadios grumbled as the Wolf Knights themselves were also on the balcony, looking just as shocked as everyone else.

"Sorry… but this is just too much…" Kama spoke for his whole team.

"Nah, it's fine, pumpkin!" Mato flashed a peace-sign in assurance. "It's all in good fun."

Of course, everyone in Natsu's very own guild had their own mixed expressions. Modeus, Wendy, Patty, Levy, Jet, Droy, Macao, Romeo, Wakaba, Juvia, Gajeel, and Panther-Lily were too stunned for words, as was Makarov as he comically lost all of his hair in that instant. Gildarts, Cana, Bickslow, and Elfman laughed hard with even Mira giggling. Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, Carla, Lady, Erza, Trish, Gray, Lucy, and Lisanna looked more than a little embarrassed…

But they soon looked to see Dante and Happy both letting out loud laughs with the blue Exceed falling on his back in laughter while Dante held his stomach.

"Oh man… I couldn't keep it in any longer…!" Happy laughed.

"We'll work on your poker face later…!" Dante chuckled.

It didn't take long for their friends to figure it out. "You knew…?" Trish questioned. "You knew he was going to do this…?"

Dante stopped laughing but kept his smile as he explained. "Right after the fight ended and we were resting, little Short King came over to thank us for fighting off Legion. He also wanted to apologize to me since Vergil was my brother and all."

"He also cried too, feeling responsible." Happy added as he picked himself up. "He let the word 'pumpkin' slip out and we put two-and-two together."

"Well Natsu and I did... you always thought he was a real talking pumpkin." Dante cracked to the blue Exceed.

"Hey, it's not my fault that his disguise was so brilliant!" Happy stated.

"When he told us he wanted to put on a banquet, Natsu came up with this idea." Dante continued to explain. "Figured a good laugh would be a nice break from all the fighting and drama we've had, mostly for you, Lucy."

The blonde gasped at that. "For... me…?"

"Aye." Happy confirmed. "We know how hard you took it after what happened with Vergil… so Natsu thought it might be a good way to cheer you up."

"He… he did this… for me…?" To say Lucy was surprised would be an understatement.

"For everybody mostly, but you were at the top of his list." Dante said, winking to his cousin. "I didn't think it would work, mostly cause the furball down here can't keep a secret."

"I can keep a secret! I kept this one, didn't I?!" Happy argued, flying up to Dante's level.

"Barely." Dante snarked.

'He did this for me…' Lucy felt her own heart as she stared up at the laughing Natsu with the king in his mascot costume still riding on his shoulders.

"For the rest of today, I'm your king! So do what me and my sidekick, say!" The Salamander proclaimed again. "And I say it's time to party till you drop!"

"Well, you heard him! Let's party, pumpkin!" Mato went along with it as he and Natsu both laughed.

Lucy couldn't help but smile as tears formed in her eyes. While it was unsurprising to see Natsu pull such a ridiculous stunt, the fact that he did it for her sake was probably one of the most touching things she ever felt. She felt a clasp on her hand as Lisanna gently held her left hand with both of hers and smiled warmly with her. Trish even came up and put a hand on Lucy's right shoulder. She looked to her cousin with a smile as he stood beside Happy, Lady, Gray, and Erza as they all smiled.

---

Sometime later, after getting on some more causal yet formal clothes, which mostly consisted of a simple white dress shirt with a black jacket and pants, Natsu had joined everyone else as the celebration resumed.

Most of the tables had been cleared away to make room for the guests to dance with the waltz, which a majority of them did after finding appropriate partners. Lyon danced with Milliana, Gray with Juvia (much to her elation), Elfman with Evergreen, Mira with Laxus (much to the comic dismay of Freed), Gildarts with Cana, Alzack with Bisca, Risley with Eve, Hibiki with Jenny, Ren with Sherry, Erza with Kagura, Modeus with Trish, Happy with Carla, Ichiya with Nichiya, Jura with Kurenai, Gajeel with Levy, even Romeo danced with Wendy (much to his blushing joy).

Yukino was among those that chose not to dance, and she noticed Rogue standing nearby as he slowly approached her. "Yukino…" He greeted.

"Rogue." She nodded. "I heard you were leaving Sabertooth as well."

"I am. Frosch and I both." Rogue confirmed. "Aside from Legion, I need to figure some things out about myself."

"I can understand that to an extent." Yukino said. "I wish you the best on your journey."

"Thank you. And I am sorry for what you've endured." Rogue said, looking away. "I should have done something sooner…"

"You gave me a million Jewel as I left, and even told me that I was an exceptional member of Sabertooth." Yukino told him. "You and Frosch were the only ones that showed me respect even after I was disgraced. That's enough for me." She said with a smile.

Rogue looked in surprise. He had never seen a smile like that on Yukino's face. In the time that he's known her, she's always had this straight forward look that rarely showed emotion, other than some satisfaction whenever she finished a job. But this… this kind of smile… it was one of happiness. And… it honestly looked beautiful on her. It was clear that Fairy Tail had an affect on her, and that she would be fine with them.

"I…" He began, rubbing the back of his head. "I was wondering… would you… like to… dance…?"

Yukino looked to him in shock. Did he really just ask her to dance? He seemed kinda nervous about it too. She's never seen Rogue like this before, always so direct and determined to get the job done. This was quite an interesting change for him… and she kinda liked it.

"Do you know how to dance?" She asked.

"Not really… no." He looked away with disappointment.

Yukino smiled. "That's fine, I don't either. But I'd still like to." This led to Rogue looking at her in surprise once more. "So yes, I would love to dance."

"O-okay… Okay." He smiled as they both stood up straight and joined the others. He held both of her hands, blushing slightly as they tried to follow the lead of everyone around them. "Sorry… If I step on your toes…"

"Sorry if I step on yours…" She said with a slight giggle. Rogue smiled back with a blush. But looking past Yukino, he happened to see Gajeel grinning at him and giving him a thumbs up, which caused him to smile as he and Yukino danced together.

Meanwhile, Natsu was at a table, a mullet in each hand as he tore off the meat with his teeth and scarfed it down. Though he literally bit off more than he could chew and got some chunky meat stuck in his throat. He tried to pound his chest to help himself.

"Here you go." Lucy offered him a glass of water, which he gulped down in less than a second and cleared out his throat, much to his relief.

"Whew. Thanks."

"Did you forget to chew?" Lucy asked somewhat playfully.

"So Natsu, you're sure you're not in trouble with the king?" Lisanna asked.

"Nah, we're cool." Natsu waved off. "The king's actual a pretty cool guy."

"That's nice to hear." Lisanna smiled.

"Oh and… Natsu…" Lucy got his attention as she smiled at him emotionally. "What you did up there was very sweet."

"Hey, after a week of fighting and yelling and crying and crazy bad guys, we all needed a good laugh." Natsu said, which caused Lucy and Lisanna to giggle before Natsu got serious. "But hey, I'm really sorry that things didn't work out with Vergil. I knew that you wanted to make up with him."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, me too. But he made his choice, and I made mine. And whatever happens next, I know we'll face it together. And thanks for always having my back, Natsu." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheeks, awfully close to his lips, much to his own surprise. She smiled to him, just as Lisanna linked her own arm around Natsu's on the other side and gave him a similar smile. The Salamander then smiled to both of them.

"I still can't believe that idiot's got both of them." Lady muttered as she stood next to Dante, observing the scene.

"Hey, everyone's got their own thing." He shrugged.

"And you're okay with it? That is your cousin right there." Lady reminded.

"Yeah, I know. But if Lucy's happy, I'm happy." Dante said. "And Natsu's too single-minded to do anything that'll really break her heart anyway."

"I guess that's true." Lady admitted. However, she noticed a certain knight and royal official approaching said blonde. "Hey, look alive." Dante caught the warning as well as Arcadios and Darton appearing before Lucy, Natsu, and Lisanna, prompting the two of them to move closer just in case.

"Miss Lucy Heartfilia." Darton spoke to her directly. "I hope you can forgive me. Though I held the best interest of the kingdom at heart, I still imprisoned you even though you hadn't committed any crimes. I apologize."

"I do as well." Arcadios said. "For going to extreme lengths to try and involve you in the Eclipse Project, as well as dragging you and your guild into such a messy situation."

"It's alright, I understand." Lucy assured. "But next time, let's try talking things out first."

Darton and Arcadios both smiled. "Duly noted." The former said. This gave Dante and Lady some relief, knowing that they were able to mend some fences here. However, Natsu found himself looking towards Arcadios, or more specifically, the sword at his hilt.

"Hey." Natsu spoke to the knight. "Why does your sword smell like a dragon?" That got everyone's attention.

"Ah, I see you've noticed." Arcadios slowly pulled out his sword to reveal the jade-colored blade. "This is what is known as the Jade Dragon Sword."

"Jade Dragon…?" Lisanna then remembered something. "That one dragon we thought… Zirconis… he called himself the Jade Dragon."

"Indeed, I can only assume that it was his bones this sword was made from then, though we did not know the identity of the dragon in question, but I suppose we do now." Arcadios said.

"Hold on, back up. Did you just say bones?" Lady questioned.

"As in… the bones of all the dragons underground?" Natsu questioned very seriously.

"Indeed." Darton said before looking to Dante. "Being a Devil Hunter as well as Sparda's son, I trust you're familiar with Devil Arms."

"Yeah. Weapons made from the souls of demons when they're defeated, and imbued with their power." Dante summed up.

"You could say that this weapon was made with that idea in mind." Darton explained. "Many decades ago, the Kingdom of Fiore worked alongside the Bureau of Magical Development as a means to try and replicate the power of dragons. But being how they are near-extinct, the only thing we had to work with, were the bones of the dragons that you saw underground."

All of them looked in mixtures of shock and disgust, not that the royal official and knight could blame them.

"I know what you are thinking that it's a form of desecration, and you're not entirely wrong." Arcadios admitted.

"No kidding. Dragons ain't just things to take apart. They're living creatures." Natsu growled.

"Yes, but given how there was an active dragon on the loose, one that had the power to destroy everything we hold dear, and that the best thing to combat dragon is Dragon Slayer magic, or something close to it, one could argue that desperate times called for desperate measures." Arcadios said.

"Acnologia." Lisanna knew who they were talking about.

"Yes." Darton confirmed. "As said, due to dragons being near-extinct, we didn't exactly have the means to train Dragon Slayers like those from four hundred years ago. So, we hoped we could do the next best thing and create our own artificial slayers."

"That sounds a lot like Dragon Slayer lacrima, like what Laxus, Sapphire, and Cobra got inside of them." Lady commented. 'Or that Devil Slayer thing I got inside me.'

"Yes, but our intent was to create weapons that can be used on the outside, not to be implanted inside. We called this the Dragon Arm project." Arcadios said. "Not that we ever could. The process was long and difficult, filled with failure and frustration. In fact, after years of studying and experimentation, we were only able to produce this single sword."

"Just one?" Lucy was surprised to hear that.

"Probably because those bones came from dragons that had been dead for centuries." Dante assumed. "Devil Arms usually pop up immediately."

"The project was deemed a failure, primarily because of all the finances poured in for a lack of results." Darton said. "The king took ownership of the only success, the Jade Dragon Sword, and gave it to Arcadios."

"I understand why you may feel uncomfortable with the idea, but I intend to use this sword to protect the kingdom and it's people." Arcadios said seriously.

"Huh… that kinda makes you a Dragon Slayer…" Natsu commented. "What Generation would that be?" He asked Lady.

"The hell should I know?!" She questioned.

"Hmmm, I suppose you could say I'm a Fourth Generation Dragon Slayer." Arcadios said. "But I'm not so sure I would count as one, given how weapons are unable to push themselves and grow stronger the way people do with their magic. And that I'm the only one to use a Dragon Arm. At least as far as I know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy questioned.

"If you're not already aware of this, the former leader of the Oracion Seis dark guild Brain, was once the head of Bureau of Magical Development." Darton revealed, much to their surprise.

"I get it. You're worried he might have leaked some juicy secrets on the underground." Dante said.

"Well, nobody in Grimoire Heart or the Neo Oracion Seis had any of those weapons." Lisanna said. "And the Order of the Sword seemed more focused on Devil Arms, not Dragon Arms."

"These guys had a hard time making just one weapon. Maybe the bad guys would have a hard time too." Natsu guessed.

"That… actually makes sense." Lady commented in minor surprise.

"Still, people on the dark side have pulled off the impossible before…" Dante said seriously.

"We'll be sure tell our friends and to keep an eye out for any Dragon Arms if we find them." Lucy said to the two royal officials.

"Thank you, we appreciate that." Arcadios nodded.

Their conversation happened to be overheard by Laxus. The idea of artificially recreating dragon power reminded him of lacrima that his deadbeat dad had put into him. But that also led to him recalling how the dragon he fought said that his power was similar to Elexion, the Thunder Dragon King that emerged from the Eclipse Gate. He happened to look in the direction of Kurenai with a serious expression. Maybe he'd talk to her about all this once the party was over.

"Father."

All the dancing and festivities stopped as everyone set their eyes on the princess, who was confronted by her father, with a quartet of guards by his side for his protection.

"Hisui." He looked at her with a very serious expression.

"I beg your forgiveness." She bowed to him apologetically. "My actions endangered countless innocent people and brought shame upon the kingdom. I take full responsibility and will accept whatever punishment you deem fit."

"Princess…" Lucy looked to her in sympathy, but Dante put a firm hand on her shoulder and shook her head. This was something that had to be done.

"If we're talking about responsibility, that is something I share too." King Toma said aloud before stepping up to address everyone at the party. "For those of you who are not aware, Vergil, despite being a member of the Sabertooth guild, was also acting as a spy for the Magic Council." That took many people, excluding those in Fairy Tail, and especially those from Sabertooth, by surprise. "But in truth, that itself was only a cover, for I employed Vergil personally to spy on the Council for the kingdom."

Now that was a bombshell that none of them were expecting, with Dante and Lucy looking to one another as they remembered Vergil telling them that just before the battle broke out.

"I was growing concerned with the more aggressive actions of the Magic Council these past seven years, so I sought out Vergil whom I felt could keep an eye on them, to ensure that the Council didn't step out of line." Toma continued. "However, in doing so, I may have incidentally gave him the means to discover the Eclipse Gate and use it to his advantage, which led to this crisis." Toma then bowed his head. "I apologize… to all those who were harmed by his actions, especially those within Fairy Tail and Sabertooth."

Everyone in the aforementioned guilds looked with their own expressions of concern, sympathy, or seriousness.

"I also apologize to everyone here, Fairy Tail especially." Hisui bowed her head. "Even though my intentions were good, this crisis happened because of me."

"But princess, you were tricked! Manipulated by Vergil and that time traveler!" Arcadios told her.

"That time traveler only came through because I commissioned the Gate to be rebuilt when it shouldn't have happened." Hisui insisted. "I should have listened to those around me and considered the consequences." Kurenai and Darton in particular looked with seriousness to that comment. "And when those same people tried to stop me, tried to reason with words and talk things over peacefully, I responded with violence and endangered their lives, which made the crisis all the more possible." She turned to her father once more. "I deserve whatever punishment you think is due, Father."

"There is punishment due, yes. But credit, as well." Toma said, much to Hisui's surprise, especially as her father smiled. "Once you realized you were deceived, you did everything you could to resolve the crisis, risking your own life even. You destroyed the Eclipse Gate…"

"That wasn't just me. I had help." Hisui looked to Lucy and Yukino.

"Still, you realized your mistake and tried to set things right. For that, I am proud of you." Toma smiled, causing Hisui to smile back. "Now, for your punishment." Toma's smile faded as he closed his eyes. "Princess Hisui… starting tomorrow, you will be banished from the city of Crocus for one year. Your authority and status as a princess will be temporarily nullified during that time. You may keep your Celestial Keys, use them to defend yourself if you need to, but any and all political power will be out of your reach."

Hisui took that with a heavy heart. She was being kicked out of her home for a year. Though she was certain she'd be given enough finances to provide for herself… it was still hard. But she did deserve it, so she would accept it.

"I understand."

"She's really being kicked out for home…" Lisanna muttered.

"Hey, it's only temporary." Lady said. "And she does have it coming. Royal pain in the ass."

"She was that, but she did help us, so like her pop said, credit where credit was due." Dante commented.

"I don't see the problem with it." Natsu said. "A whole year to traveling and exploring sounds pretty awesome if you ask me." He grinned.

"That's one optimistic way to look at it." Lucy smiled herself.

"Alright, so I take it that's it with all the heavy stuff, your royal shortness?" Dante asked in a joking blunt fashion to the king, in a manner that comically shocked Arcadios, Darton, and several of his friends.

But Toma chuckled at the comment. "Yes, Sir Dante, that is it. The festivities could resume."

"In that case, I got a bit of a treat for ya." Dante grinned before speaking out to everyone. "Yo! Someone get me a guitar!" One was thrown to him, which he caught.

"Knock em dead, Redgrave!" Gajeel told him.

With that, Dante leapt up to the balcony where Natsu and the king were previously on, getting everyone's attention. "Ladies, gentlemen, allow yours truly to liven things up with some epic music! Here, we go!"

Dante strummed the guitar and began to play a catchy tune. Right away, people began to bop their heads and tap their feet to the catch guitar tune before the man began to sign.

"Livin' easy, lovin' free. Season ticket on a one-way ride!" Those in Fairy Tail were already signing and moving along with the tune, with a few other guild wizards following suit. "Askin' nothin'. Leave me be. Takin' everythin' in my stride! Don't need reason. Don't need rhyme. Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do! Goin' down! Party time! My friends are gonna be there too!"

He strummed his guitar louder, which led to everyone below cheering and dancing with the song. Even Natsu unleashed a blast of fire straight up from his mouth, right on que with the lyrics.

"I'm on the highway to hell! On the highway to hell! Highway to hell! I'm on the highway to hell!" Everyone below was dancing as if they were at a rock concert, and who could blame them? They not only survived, but even one the against a pack of dragons and two dangerous individuals. Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and even some people from Sabertooth, were dancing either together or individually. Those who didn't dance, such as Kurenai, Jura, Toma, Hisui, Arcadios, Darton, and a few soldiers, ended up simply tapping their feet and bopping to their heads.

"No stop signs! Speed limit! Nobody's gonna slow me down! Like a wheel! Gonna spin it! Nobody's gonna mess me around! Hey, Satan! Pay my dues! Playin' in a rockin' band! Hey Momma! Look at me! I'm on the way to the promised land!" As Dante continued to sign and play, he looked down and saw how all of his friends were enjoying themselves and having fun. Everyone in Fairy Tail, including the newly recruited Yukino as she found herself dancing alongside Rogue and even Frosch, both enjoying themselves a great deal. He also saw his beloved cousin, Lucy, dancing with all of their friends and family, with a wide and happy smile on her face. And that was enough for him.

Happy then flew Natsu up and above Dante as they nodded to him and he nodded back before stringing hard on his guitar again. "I'm on the highway to hell!" As he sung that, flames escaped from Natsu's back to create wings of blazing fire to go with the song. "Highway to hell! Highway to hell! I'm on the highway to hell!"

Done.

Well that was quite the breather chapter, wouldn't you think? No big fighting, aside from a comic brawl with the usual antics of Fairy Tail, and a bit of serious drama, but what was necessary. All-and-all, people are starting to move forward with some fences being mended, though there is still some clear tension in the air.

Sabertooth isn't exactly getting off easy like they did in canon. Their taking the heat from not just Vergil's actions, but Minerva's actions during the games, as well as their own. Rogue and Frosch are leaving as they planned for not only some self-discovery but looking for a possible way to rid Legion from Rogue's body.

But the biggest change from canon, is Yukino not going back from Sabertooth. Yeah, a lot of you were probably hoping that she didn't here, and I am right there with you. After what they did to her, did they really expect things to become better right away? Hell, no! Instead, Yukino is going to join Fairy Tail. This will not only give her some time away from Sabertooth, but also help with her own self-esteem and self-worth as she makes genuine connections with those around her and grow as a person.

Regarding what's going to happen to Sabertooth now, with their master dead, and all the tensions surrounding the guild… you will have to see. I've got plans for them that I'm sure you'll like.

(Oh, and Sting is going to apologize to Natsu later. It'll happen in the next chapter)

Speaking of drama… we had quite an emotional scene with Kagura as she is wrecked with guilt for her own actions and letting her hate consume her. But with some helpful words of encouragement from Modeus, she finds the means to pick herself back up and accept the much-needed help from her mother and the guildmates that are her sisters. And of course, Kagura, Sho, Wally, and Milliana will finally have a face-to-face with Jellal in the next chapter, it's something that they all need if they're going to move forward.

And yes, Erik is going to be sticking around with Crime Sorciere as opposed to going back to prison.

We also got some insight as to how Sherria is able to use Sky God Slayer magic. Since there really isn't that much of a story outside Sherria attending a magic academy, I decided to add a little bit to it with the context Sparda provided regarding magics that use godly powers. She was touched by Hera, the goddess of sky and love in a ritual to save her life while still in her dying mother's womb, which has gifted her with incredible power. The order of lady monks that worship the goddess of sky and love are the main reason why Sherry and Sherria talk about love all the time. (LOL).

And yes, I'm aware that in Greek Mythology, Hera is the goddess of sky and marriage, not love, while Aphrodite is the goddess of love. But I changed it a bit to better fix the context.

And we also learned about Arcadios' weapon, the Jade Dragon Sword, a Dragon Arm made from the bones of Zirconis to utilize his power. Credit to Squeegeman who came up with the concept. Though Arcadios doesn't wield any internal magic like most wizards, he is what Squeegeman and I refer to as a Fourth Generation Dragon Slayer, someone who utilizes weapons with dragon powers, as opposed to anything internal like Dragon Slayer lacrima. (Yes, I'm aware of canon Fourth Gen Dragon Slayer robots that were used in Dragon Cry, but this is more interesting. I've got plans for those too, by the way). And while that sword is the only successful Dragon Arm developed by the Kingdom of Fiore, keep in mind that Brain was the head of the Bureau of Magical Development who helped to create it. I'll let you put the rest together.

And last but not least, Hisui getting a proper punishment this time around, and that is temporary exile from the capital city and stripped of her royal status for a year. I'd say that's more fitting than just wearing a mascot costume for a week.

That's one breather chapter down, two to go. The next one is bound to be quite dramatic itself, as well as fun as I've got a few surprises there too.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.