#for the first time i was scared of natsus fire what if i died

[celestialulu]

bring me back

[beargyufairy]

Just My Thoughts Pt. 7

Natsu’s Growth

I’ve been disappointed a few times at how Hiro Mashima writes his characters and plot. But never have I ever been as disappointed as I was when I read this panel in the 100 YQ.

For reference, Natsu made a joke about disinfecting Lucy’s burns. It was not even a funny joke. I don’t think anyone laughed. Lucy was burned after trying to calm Natsu who consumed Ignia’s flames to battle against the water dragon god. While he did succeed in the fight, he lost control of himself and was stumped by the flames.

This is such a disappointing situation when it comes to Natsu and his development as a character. Everything he experienced in the original manga/anime is put to shame. It’s like his growth as a person disappeared into thin air. I mean come on!! Is Mashima being serious right now?! Because am I supposed to believe this is the same Natsu who wouldn’t let Gray use Ice Shell on more than one occasion?! Natsu knows the consequences of Ice Shell and refuses to let that happen to Gray no matter how dire the circumstances are. Even though Gray and Natsu would never admit it, their relationship is unique and filled with love. They may be rivals and opposite (considering the ice/fire, demon/devil slayer attributes) but their friendship has grown so much since the start of Fairy Tail. Doesn’t this show how considerate Natsu is?! How important the lives of his friends is to him?

If that isnt enough here’s another example. When Erza was sacrificing herself in the Tower of Heaven arc, Natsu refused to let her go and eventually saved her. Erza is important to him and Fairy Tail. He wants her to live on. Doesn’t this show how much Natsu cares about everyone?! Is he making a joke about Erza?! No he isn’t.

Okay fine those examples aren’t about Lucy right, so why does it matter?! Because Natsu would never joke about burning his friends, accident or not. And if it’s about Lucy, then most definitely not. Lucy is probably the member of Fairy Tail he cares about the most (aside from Happy). When Future Lucy died, Natsu almost went completely rogue (pun intended, if you know what I mean). He even stated that something precious was taken from him. Furthermore, when Lucy was “dead” during the Alverez arc, Natsu lost it. Literally, he became END, the demon everyone fears, the strongest creation of Zeref, the black wizard. Lucy’s life was so important to him that without it, there was nothing holding him back. He even stated that he can’t be stopped after having flashbacks about her supposed death.

Natsu couldn’t care less about the world ending. He wanted to fight the people that made Lucy cry. That’s what he was focused on. And so after all this, Mashima wants me to believe that Natsu would joke about burning Lucy?! Yeah, I don’t think so. After everything Natsu went through, he would’ve at least felt guilty. Considering that it was Lucy of all people he burned, he would’ve apologized over and over again. Why?! Because she’s so important to him. He literally became a demon when he thought she died!! Isn’t that proof enough?! I also think that he would feel so grateful to her. This isn’t the first time Lucy helped Natsu control himself. She’s always there for him. But Natsu has never lost control like this before. Did Natsu ever properly thank Lucy for saving by rewriting the book of END?! He’s literally only alive because of her. She tampered with a demonic force and black magic yet Lucy is so damn under appreciated that it pains me!!

If the goal was to lighten the situation considering the intensity of the battle against the water dragon god and Ignia’s involvement, a joke that doesn’t make Lucy’s burn seem pathetic would’ve been better. A joke about anything else would’ve been better. Seriously, Lucy knew the consequences of trying to stop Natsu, especially when noting that she was scared of his flames for the very first time. She did anyway because she cares about Natsu and knows that she can help him, even if it means she will get burned. I would also like to note that Lucy never actually saw Natsu as END. She arrived after he gained some sense of control. Considering everything, if Hiro Mashima doesn’t make up to me by having her fear of Natsu’s flame and her lack of experience with END play into the story I’m gonna be so mad. Since he already disappointed me with how he’s treating Lucy’s injury/burn, I really hope he plays the rest of the story properly.

I’m very disappointed in how not only Natsu’s character is being portrayed and downgraded, but also how Lucy is yet again the butt of the joke. She does so much for her team and friends but is always ignored (I’m still upset about Aquarius’ sacrifice that’s not talked about enough).

Thank you for listening.

[scarletbellatrix]

Untold Chapter Who will be there to mourn me?

tw: mentions of death, slavery

A funeral.

It was her first time attending a funeral. Erza didn't know what a funeral was until the guild master explained it to her. A good friend of his had died, and he had decided to bring her along. Apparently, it was a time where people grieved over their loved ones. The time when one commemorated them, remembering them before their death.

It was a solemn gathering.

Being enslaved by the Tower of Heaven, the young Erza had been desensitized to death. Living through that hell, a kid or two had always died everyday. And when they died, they were disposed like garbage. There was never a funeral. They had no time to dwell on the losses. They had been led to believe that there had been no need for it. They would all go to heaven for contributing to the great cost. They had to move on and do labor like nothing happened.

But now that she had gotten out, she had realized that they were wrong. They had been deprived of a funeral. None of those dead children had ever gotten the opportunity to be commemorated and mourned. They had no parents, no siblings, no friends, no family to grieve them.

It had the young redhead wondering how it would be if she died. She wouldn't be any different from them. She was part of a guild, but she doubted any of them would mourn for her. She wasn't great and spectacular like the guild master's friend.

The thought that she'd die without anyone mourning for her fueled her need to be strong. Added to the list of reason why she had to work harder to become a powerful mage.

I want to be great, or nothing.― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

The day after the funeral, Gray and Natsu had challenged her to a fight, starting a bet. Whoever was victorious would be able to ask the two losers whatever they wanted. Erza usually didn't entertain the brash and uncouth boys' caprices. Not because she was scared, but because she had always found them silly and nonsensical.

However, in a rare instance, she had taken them up on the challenge. She was determined to win against them, and she did. Gray and Natsu were incredulous and displeased by the results. They fought over who could have won second place.

Intervening in their bickering, she shushed them. ❝You two! Sit down!❞ She pointed at the two of them and glared. Both of them finally obeyed went silent afterwards. ❝Good, good. We made a bet, and now your lives are in my hands.❞ She lifted her fist, clenching and unclenching them, in a seizing motion.

❝You'll do whatever I want.❞ Towering over them, her hands on her hips and her arms akimbo.

Their eyes widened, seemingly nervous. ❝Yes ma'am!❞ Natsu and Gray said unison. It was probably the first time she had seen the two in sync.

❝What I want is for the two of you to mourn me when I die.❞

Their jaws dropped, clearly perplexed by her odd request. There was a look of confusion on their faces, followed by apprehension.

❝Are you dying, Erza?❞ the young fire mage asked dramatically, tearing up, which turned into a full sob shortly.

The young ice mage, on the other hand, looked shaken. ❝No, she's not. You're wrong, you idiot!❞ Gray gave Erza a questioning look. ❝Ask us something else. Not this.❞

She had always thought of them as foolish. But despite that, their response had stirred something inside her, growing a soft spot for them. ❝No, not yet.❞ She pulled the two of them for a hug, occupying each of her arms to accommodate them in her embrace. ❝I'll be here for a long time. I'll be the thorn in your sides, beating you in every duel.❞ Words were spoken softly despite how threatening they were.

She smiled fondly.

Maybe when the day of her demise came, she could count on the two of them to grieve her.

[heyitsyn]

Keeping Up With Seijoh Ep. 5

a/n: ong this is going to be a bit of a crack episode w a tiny dash of flirty manager

for more seijoh content, check this masterlist out!

anon:

-Watch the boys be all dramatic when yn misses a few days of school and suddenly show up with a broken arm😭✊🏻😔

- Dunno if this is a dream or not but i think you mentioned that yn is clumsy. Just imagine her carrying those cute band aids around for when she gets hurt. But what if she uses them on the boys when they get hurt

tumblr moot:

- She is looking down at the boy who is checking her scrap on her knee, when she smiles all cutely and shit "I fell for you" And cue the boy having a heart attack because she is way to cute

im totally not running out of seijoh gifs or anything

anyways!!

lets start!!

okay as mentioned before and as read above,,

you are quite clumsy

like there is a normal level of clumsy

but you are just on another level

like in manager part 2, your mom ltr was not shocked when you said you fell up the stairs like ‘oh okay. the weathers nice today’

lmao what

and youre also the type to not even know you got hurt like youd just be scratching your arm and youd find a bruise 

‘how did that get there?’

so it was common to find you with band-aids on you and bruises all over

like you entered the gym for practice and you were just doing your normal manager tingz when our meme bois saw you and zoomed towards you

‘y/n-chan!!! we missed you!!!!

makki screeched which scared you so you dropped the crate of bottles onto your feet

‘owie’

you mumbled, the pain settling in at an overwhelmingly quick pace so there were tiny tears in your eyes

the duo gasped and quickly kicked the crate to the side like they were angry at it for hurting you

uwu omg thats so cute

or the one time you were wiping the sweat from kyo’s forehead

he had a small soft smile that could only be seen by you as you got rid of the sweat 

but that smile turned into a frown when he got a glimpse at the discoloration on certain parts of your arms

‘y/n’

he whispered

you blinked up and he gently grabbed your arm, fingertips ghosting over the bruises

‘how could you do this to your beautiful skin’

he mumbles and you shrugged

‘hmm,,, i didnt even know they were there’

kyo shook his head with an amused chuckle and iwa, who was drinking water at the side, noticed you two

then he noticed more at your other arm and baby boi hurriedly ran over to you

next thing you know, you got best bois fussing over you always hurting yourself and kyo gently headbutts you to tell you off while iwa flicks your nose

‘honestly, we cant trust you by yourself’

you just giggled at them which caused them to stumble and fluster

THESE BOYS ARE SO SOFT LIKE PLEASE

its quite normal for you to look like you just fell down the stairs and be so surprised whenever the boys point it out

like youd have this confused pout  and tilt your head ‘hm? hello. how did you get here’

its kinda cute

and ofc you would naturally have your ointments for bruises or a first aid kit at all times bc you never really know when it happens and you need to treat it quickly

the boys always count on you for medical tape when their fingers bleed or whenever watari gets bruises all over his legs bc of too many flying dives

the bench was a common place for you to treat the others and our libero babie was sitting there at one practice

you were kneeled on the floor and gently applying ointment on the growing colors on his skin 

‘hmm,,, wata-san, be careful next time, okay? your skin is really soft and pretty. its a shame to ruin it’

he wanted to scoff at the irony and the hypocritical comment but your worried and concerned eyes made him softly smile and nod

‘mhm. i will’

even though it was uneeded on reddened places, you would dig in your bag and fish out a gudetama bandaid on it

it was like a doctor’s signature for you and it makes the boys ltr fall in love with you all over again

ororororor that one time where kindaichi accidentally got a papercut during your study sessions and he was tearing up slightly at the pain

LMAO YALL REALLY OUT HERE TOUGHING OUT PAPERCUTS LIKE ITS NOTHING BUT I ACT LIKE I GOT STABBED 10 TIMES 

you grinned at him to show that it was going to be okay and he let you sit on his lap so you could treat it

he still had a pout and you were giving him forehead kisses to calm him down

‘see? its going to be okay. nurse y/n-chan is the best out there and she’ll take care of you!’

he laughed slightly and you victoriously smiled

once it was all wrapped up, you placed a kiss on it

‘ya gotta kiss it to make it better’

not saying im doing a kindaichi route or anything but he may or may not tackled you with kisses with that comment

but sometimes, they would have to be the one to put that bandaid on you

like one day, you were walking down the stairs to go to the changing rooms for practice and humming softly when you caught sight of the tall volleyball player mattsun at the bottom of the stairs

he was just passing by and you noticed him, waving your hand and shouting his name

‘mattsun-san!’

you greeted and he turned and he smiled brightly at you

you excitedly increased your pace going down the stairs, not noticing that you stepped on the edge of the step and caused your foot to slip

unfortunately, mattsun was too far away for him to catch you so you tripped and scraped your knee

he flashnyoomed over to you and kneeled in front of you to examine it

ofc it hurt like hell but you put up a brave front

‘its okay, mattsun-san’

his adorable eyebrows scrunched in concern and he quickly shook his head and gently picked you up to sit 2 steps up

you watched silently as he grabbed ahold of the familiar blue first aid kit from your bag and he opened it to take out alcohol and other treatment things

his fingers worked to open the bottle and pour a little bit of alcohol before he gently reached out to grab your leg

but before that, our babie mattsun is a gentleman and looked up for a permission to help you

‘its okay, mattsun-san’

you giggled and you booped his nose

he was slowly cleaning the wound and you could still tell he was worried with how his brows were still furrowed

‘mattsun-san’

you called out and he looked up

you smiled cutely and looked down, flustered, then met his eyes again

‘i fell for you’

mattsun.exe stopped working

like deadass he blanked for a second then his brain processed what you said and when he did, he dropped the cotton ball and his face blew up red

this babie grimaced, eyes shutting tightly and head leaning on your thigh

you giggled at him and ran your hands through his hair

‘i swear, y/n, i swear’

he kept mumbling and his heartbeat quickened to the point he felt faint and he felt light-headed

you were just too cute

too damn cute for his heart

too damn cute for this world

just too cute

and thats not good

mattsun quickly regained his senses and hurriedly placed the ointment and the bandaid on to finish the job

you reached out with your hands for a hug and mattsun gladly leaned in and you clung to him like a koala which made him hold you tightly against his chest

‘hmm~~~~ thank you, mattsun-san’

you appreciated and gave him a kiss on his cheek in gratitude which made him hide his face in your neck

‘im going to get a heart attack, y/n. take responsibility’

he mumbled, nipping your neck 

you chuckled and played with the hair on his neck

‘hm~ okay~ i take responsibility~’

I SWEAR MY MATTSUN SIMP IS NOW PEAKING THROUGH

that was only one of the accidents the seijoh boys went through with you and i swear those boys have superior intelligence in medical care just because you get hurt so much

until that one faithful day

you werent there

you werent at school or at practice

ofc you texted the coaches and the team that you werent going to be at school for a while and they spammed you asking what happened or if you were okay

but you didnt want to worry them so you just said that you were okay and it was just something that happened

ONG OIKAWA ACTUALLY CAME TO YOUR HOUSE BUT YOU TOLD YOUR PARENTS AND NATSU TO TELL HIM TO GO AWAY BC IF HE FINDS OUT WHAT HAPPENED, THE CHILE WILL STORM INTO YOUR ROOM AND LECTURE YOU 

HE ONLY WENT AWAY WHEN YOUR DAD CAME OUT WITH A BROOM AND THREATENED TO HIT HIM IF HE CONTINUES TO BOTHER YOU

UKAI VIBES HONESTLY

IS UKAI YOUR FATHER?

CONSPIRACY THEORY?

BUZZFEED UNSOLVED COME SOLVE THIS

then you finally appeared

dear god 

kunimi saw you enter the classroom and he almost shot up to saturn when he saw your cast

‘y/n!’

he shouted and kindaichi heard it from his classroom beside yours and he also usain bolted towards your classroom to your desk

the boi texted the team you were here and they all raced to your classroom 

EVERYONE WAS HAVING A FIELD DAY WITH THE APPEARANCE OF THE BEAUTIFUL VOLLEYBALL TEAM LIKE THE BOYS + YOU?! GODSEND

oikawa screeched at the sight of your arm and everyone was firing questions at you but you couldnt focus on one so you just sat there sheepishly smiling

‘Y/N! WHAT DID-’

‘I SWEAR ITS LIKE WE HAVE TO-’

‘MY HEART ALMOST DIED!! I THOUGHT YOU DIED-’

thank god your professor entered the shooed them out with a large textbook but your teacher smiled at you

‘l/n, good to have you back’

at lunch, dear god there was a riot

kunimi strong man kunimi hoisted you in his arms and walked over to the hidden team stairwell where everyone was waiting

they all had narrowed eyes and crossed arms, with iwakyo tapping their foot

you did the 🥺👉👈 and their eyes softened at that sight alone

‘you see,,,, i had a,,, concert,,, in the shower,,, and slipped’

they blinked, confusion swirling over everyone’s head

‘excuse me? you said you slipped in the bath?’

‘for a concert?’

‘you sing?’

the team facepalmed at the reason you came in with a broken arm and you pouted at them

‘sorry, captain, everyone. i didnt mean to’

you mumbled but the others couldnt blame you so they pulled you to a group hug

‘i swear, y/n-chan, you will get yourself killed one day’

‘sorry’

you apologized again but oikawa flicked your nose

‘no dont apologize. we’ll just have to be there for you constantly to look out for you’

and he stuck to that word

like oikawa came over to your house early in the morning to pick you up from school and your dad thought it was just him bothering again

so he sighed, placed his newspaper down, took a sip of tea, then stood up to go to the closet for his broom

this mans took a deep breath before opening his door and shouting and waving his broom around maniacally

‘SHUT UP!!! YOURE DISTURBING THE NEIGHBORS!! I WILL BEAT YOUR LOUD CRUSTY DUSTY-’

that woke up everyone in the house and you bolted down the stairs, terrified yet chuckling at the sight

then something happened for everyone in the neighborhood-or Japan- to wake up

yanno the drill ladies and gents

oikawa screamed

a/n: sorry i disappeared for a HOT SEC but im back!! and we finally going back to the groove!!! and uwu thanks for sticking by and waiting for another update and the next one might be my first not-seijoh work in a LONG WHILE so look forward to that!!! 

[ignitedbynatsu]

Apple Juice or Beer?

A/N: @pro-crastinator14 I hope you like it!! Thank you so much again for requesting! On another note, did I start writing this as soon as I got it to procrastinate on the Freed version of HMYFI? Pssht, no.... I have kind of the idea of what I want to write, but I can’t find the right way to start it yet 🤔 Anyway I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately so I don’t know when it will be up, sorry 😟

Warnings: accidental under aged drinking, fighting

Genre: a bit of fluff and a bit of angst

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

"(Y/N)" Natsu whined as you were braiding your child's hair, finishing it off with a red ribbon at the end.

"What is it, love?" You hummed as you opened a bobby pin with your teeth to pull some stray hairs from the little girl's face.

"Can you help me train? I've been trying to get my punch to become more powerful but no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to work" he stuck his bottom lip out as he hugged you from behind.

"I can't, who will look after Nala if I'm busy with you?" You denied his request, turning in his embrace to give him a quick peck on his lips. You could see the gears in his mind spinning, but stopped him before he could speak "No, I'm not gonna let her stay with Cana. I love the girl, but I don't want her to accidentally switch Nala's apple juice with beer again"

"It was one time!" Cana called out from a few tables further.

"That's one time too much!" you stuck your tongue out at her in a playful manner.

"Well, then why don't we take the little devil with us? We'll make it like a sort of family trip" Natsu suggested as he picked up his child and tickled her side, resulting in a fit of giggles coming from the little girl.

You smiled at the little interaction in front of you "alright"

The three of you and Happy left shortly after. Nala was placed in Natsu's shoulder. Eyes wide open as she kept pointing at random stuff "I want that, mommy can I have that?"

"Aye sir- wait" you giggled at the Exceed that was being held by you, ruffling his head in the process.

"No, you can't have the bunny." Nala pouted at you dismissing her request "Besides, we already have Happy"

"We're here" Natsu announced, eyes growing wide with excitement as he took in the wide open space in front of him.

He placed Nalu down and ran around to scan the area.

"You think it's big enough?" You called out to him as you took a blanket out of your bag where Nala and Happy could be seated while you and Natsu trained.

"Definitely" he replied as he waited for you to get in your fighting stance.

Once you were sure your child and Happy had everything they needed, you positioned yourself a couple of feet away from your husband.

"Ready?" You asked as a smirk was playfully playing on your lips. You missed the adrenaline rush you felt when you were fighting delinquents. The way the blood rushed through your cheeks while your heart was beating against your rib cage at a higher speed than what one would call normal. Don't get me wrong, nothing could beat the happiness your child brought you. It was just an old passion that you couldn't practice as often as you once did.

"I'm all fired up" he mimicked your smirk before charging at you.

You blocked his flow with a sand wall, which he used as a stepping stone as he hurled himself at you. You rolled away right before his fire ignited fist could make contact with you.

You took the opportunity once Natsu's fist connected with the ground to lock him in place, sand wrapping around his limb to prevent him from moving.

You jumped up, ready to hit him with the heel of your foot, but he was quicker. He broke himself free from your sand prison and used that memento to hit you. You felt the warmth of his flames lick your soft skin as he missed you by just a hair.

"Daddy! Daddy! Stop! Don't hurt mommy!" You could hear your child cry as she got up from her place underneath a tree to run towards the place you and Natsu were standing, breathing heavily.

Nalu had finally made it to the two of you and tugged at her father's pants in an attempt to stop him "don't hurt mommy"

As you heard the soft sniffles of your daughter, both you and Natsu's head snapped in her direction, alerted at the sound of her crying.

It was difficult to hear what the upset child was saying through her hiccups as tears kept spilling out her eyes, but you heard it just fine.

You picked her up, and as soon as you placed her on your hip, she clung to you like you could disappear any second if she were to let go. Her soft wailing breaking both Natsu and your heart as you did your best to comfort your daughter "baby what's wrong?"

"Daddy nearly burned you" she managed to get out in between sobs. Your eyes flicker to Natsu, worry written all over your face "I don't want you to get hurt, mommy"

The loud sobs had died down and had been replaced by soft sniffs. Her tear-stained cheeks were still damp, but no new tears were falling.

"I'm fine, baby." you reassured Nalu as you tried to get her to lift her head, so she could look at you "mommy is completely fine. Daddy would never do anything to hurt mommy. I promise you"

"We were just training, princess. I would never hurt your mommy" Natsu said as he gently stroked your daughter's hair before making a small flame appears in his hand "look, I have complete control over my fire"

Nalu instinctively flinched away at the sight of the flame so close to her. The frown on Natsu's face deepened as he noticed the small movement of his daughter. Was she scared of him?

"Nalu, baby, what's wrong?" Natsu asked as he crouched down a little, so he was now on eye-level with his child.

"I see you and uncle Gray breaking stuff in the Guild when you fight. I just don't want mommy to get hurt like you hurt uncle Gray when you fight" she mumbled as her head was laying against your chest while looking at Natsu, her hands still grasping you tightly.

"I would never treat mommy the way I treat uncle Gray. I love your mommy very much, and I promise to not fight her with my fire again, will that make you happy?" Natsu suggested to which she nodded her head as she sucked on her thumb.

Her grip finally started to lose as you felt her get heavier too. The intensity of the situation had drained her of her energy. Natsu's reassuring words put her mind at ease, resulting in her letting sleep take over her body.

You carefully gave Nalu to Natsu as you picked up the blanket. "Let's go home, I think we could all use a nap"

"She's scared of my fire" Natsu mumbled, a heavy sadness lingering in his voice as he looked down at his daughter that was cuddled in his arms.

You hugged him from behind as you gave a kiss on his left shoulder blade "she'll come around. Once she fully understands the concept of magic, she'll see there is nothing to worry about. Maybe go a bit easier on Gray next time or at least have your brawls when she's not around."

"I was planning on doing so, but I can't make promises for that bastard" he stated as the two of you walked back to the guild. "Anyway, do you now agree that my first option was the best?"

"I will not let my daughter drink beer again!"

[k-laconia-bug1]

Celestial Wind

Posted on Ao3

Luz had screamed herself awake that morning. The entire owl house had heard her rushing in thinking she was being attacked.

Truth was it was a memory of hers

Her big sister Lucy had been murdered infront of her, the future version of sister was killed by future Rouge she doesn't remember ever being so angry and sad at the same time.

She remembers looking at Nastu she's never seen him like that either so scared for lucy future if she didn't already know that he loved that would have solidified it.

Eda was also concerned for along with King and Hooty with how many times she was screaming or crying herself awake. They had made her stay in bed for breakfast it wasnt until after bed she was aloud to get out.

Which was perfect timing as she was supposed to meet with Hunter today

When she had arrived in their usual meet up spot Hunter was already there

With a quirked eyebrow Hunter turned towards Luz "What took you so long your never late?" Luz blushed embarrassed "Eda made me stay in bed until after lunch i-uh had a bad dream.. I woke up screaming" Hunters eyes shine in concern "want to talk about it" Luz pauses for a few moments seeming to think about it 'Could she trust Hunter about Fairytail? About her real life? Well he hadn't sold her out to BBelios he seems to really care about her'

Luz smiled softly with a hint of sadness in her eyes "yeah I'd like that Hunter"

Hunter eyes had widen not expecting her to say yes but happy at the trust shown to him, he really cared for Luz. He patted the spot next to him when Luz sat down in the grass and waited for her to talk.

"It was less of a nightmare well It was but it was a memory" Hunter nodded showing he was listening

Luz scrunched her eyebrows

"One thing you should know I guess is well how do I put this? ... I don't come from the human realm? No wait I do.. just a different universe of it.." She spoke softly

Luz had turned towards Hunter to watch his expression

His eyes had shot up in surprise at the confession "Wait really I didn't even know something like that was possible!"

Luz smiled a bit brighter at Hunter "yeah it was called EarthLand there was magic there too but it was different.. Guilds were formed to protect those who couldn't protect themselfs"

Hunters looked curious but urged to her to get to what her nightmare was about

Luz looked down eyes filled with pain

"I had watched the future version of my older sister get killed infront of me"

Hunter eyes widen at the thought of Luz seeing something so brutal he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her

Luz smiles gratefully "it didn't help that there was a huge battle going on during it... Mavis... I miss my guild" Luz looks down at her right hand taking off the fingerless glove she wore

Hunter eyes followed her movement

"You have a tattoo?" Luz eyes widen

"What no it's my guild mark it was applied with a magic stamp by Mirajane! Lucy would kill me!!" Hunter was surprised at such a reaction from Luz

"Oh so like was proved your from a coven? And I assume Lucy is you sister?"

Luz blushed "yeah that's right"

"Is magic different there?" Hunter questions curious

Luz looked up in surprise

"Huh yeah it is quite a bit when I think about it!.... one key difference is that if you use the last bit of your magic you'll Crack like your glass and turned into seeable magic... Oh! And we don't have a magic sack attached to the heart with have containers within us 'Luz suddenly pales' and when someone with time typ magic.. she can open a second container with out training 10 out of 10 do not recommend that fudging hurt" By the end of her sentence she was glaring at the ground if looks could kill that flower would be dead

"How bad does it hurt?" Hunter asked nervous Luz stared him dead in the eye

"I'd rather do over 100 missions in one day nothing could ever hurt more my pain tolerance went screw you gramps for choosing me to compete at GMG!!"

Luz blushed hard in embarrassment

"Ahh sorry I guess I should tell you... I do have magic as you could guess after all I work at a magic guild!" By the end of her sentence she was smiling brightly

Hunter again surprised and intrigued asked "if there a certain kind of magic you spealize in?" Luz eyes brighten she jumped up "Yes! Infact..!" Luz closed her eyes and stretched her hand out and a key appeared in her hand she twisted as if opening a door "Open gate of Madien Virgo" suddenly a doorbell sound was heard and in a golden flash there was a women with short pink hair in a maid outfit infront of them "Punishment time princess?" The pink haired girl asked bowing Luz face turned a bright red "VIRGO" Luz let out a miserable sigh "no Virgo how man times do I have to say I'm never going to hurt you?" Virgo pouted and turned towards hunter her head tilts to the sized at Hunters jaw dropped expression "Princess? Who is this.. Virgo gained a smug smile Is he your Lover? Aquarius and Hime would be proud!" She finishes off with cheerful smile

Both Luz and Hunters Faces were red as Erza hair "F-Force closher!" Luz stuttered out after Virgo dissappear along with her key in her and her sister shared space pocket as much as she was grateful for the Celestial King blessing the Heartfilia siblings to share Celestial contracts it could get a bit tiring sometimes ..

Luz turned towards Hunter both of there faces still red "I shouldn't have summoned Virgo first but she's better then Loki or Taurus ehh then again like half our spirits are pervs " Luz face breaks out into a smile "oh I can show you Plue! And I show you star dress an a form of Celestial magic only known by the Heartfilia's!" Hunters blush had died down "star dress?.. Wait what do you mean by half your spirits are pervs!?"

Luz who purposely ignores him summons plue "pun punn puun pun!" Hunter stares at the snowman like thing that's shaking "oh really plue fairytail rebanded!!" Luz nearly yells in surprised but happy the snowman like creature shakes it head "oh right" Luz says as she remembers she needed to show him stardress "w-wait a minute" Luz cheeks flame up "what gate key do I use?"

"Luz why does it look like a snowman?"

Luz sweat drops "it's a dog.. now back to where I was.. oh right" she pulled out another key out of thin air expect she didn't turn the keys and summons a spirit like the past 2 times. "Star dress leo!" A flash of gold surrounded Luz and when it died down Luz was in formal attire wearing a fancy Black and gold strapless dress that had a slit all the way to her hip she wore grayish black thights underneath it a black ruffled choker and small black high heels and hair in a tight bun with a pink rose along with a tattoo mark appeared on her chest

Hunter was blushing at how beautiful Luz looked "uhh what does it do exactly"

Luz smiled devilishly "watch!" She walked towards the tree "star dressing allows me to Fight beside my spirits better! It gives me the ability to use there magic" Luz got in a fighting stance with a deep breath she yelled out "Reglus Impact!" As her fist made contact with the tree Hunters eyes widen as the tree expoled "your spirits are only as powerful as your magic! So the stronger you get the stronger they get!" Luz smiled "Leo or Loki as I said his name before is the leader of the Zodiac Spirits there golden gate keys his a fist to fist fighter"

Hunter still in shock "your world's magic is so different then ours" Luz blinks

"You don't think this is the only magic right on my world?" Hunter jaw drops

"There's more?!"

Luz giggles "yeah Me and my sister mainly use Celestial magic with Minor use of Requip magic" Hunter eyes gleam with awe "can you tell me more

Luz happy to have some one to talk to about her family agrees

"Let's see There's Nastu he has Fire dragon slayers magic he can replenish his magic stores by eating fire! He super strong to! He's also inlove with Lucy my sister

There Erza she has the most advanced forms of requip magic! You should see her!! She can bring out so many swords in under a second

Oh and Gray he has Ice make magic anything he has touched he can create with ice! And works just as well as what he touched! But he has a seriously bad stripping habit! He asked me for my underwear once! Lucy beat the crap out of him that day 'she grins' the boys say she was scarier the Erza that day

Of There's wendy to! She a sky dragon slayer! Her Element is good in both fighting and Healing! Truth be told Healing Magic been dieing out!

Oh and there's the exceeds to! There talking flying cats Happy and Carla they drag around their dragon slayer parent because a side affect of dragon slayer magic is motion sickness! And of course my older sister Lucy anything I can do she can do to! All of us together make team Natsu! The strongest team in fairytail!" Luz says proudly hugging plue close to her chest "punn pun" plue exclaimed

Hunter was in awe at the magic they have Luz had looked down at plue in thought before a giddy smile overtook her "Your right Plue he does have the Potential for Ethernanos Magic! Or right that's what we call our worlds Magic"

Hunter eyes turned hopeful and ready to cry he voice breaks as he speaks "re-ally?" Luz nods "yeah but be prepared it's tuff to gain access to it and you don't exactly chose your main magic"

Hunter giddy at thought of not having to rely on his staff "please teach me!"

Luz smiles softly "I will but not today we'll make a schedule ill consult capricorn for the best way to train you"

Luz breaking out in a yawn looks at Hunter "we should head back see as scheduled? I'll have everything ready by then" Hunter excited nods "same time" he confirms that night he could barley sleep

Over the course of next few weeks he was trained hard and he required alot of meditation but by the 2nd month he showed signs wind magic he was happy because Luz had told him that wind magic users had the potential for healing spells but only if they were strong enough that could also perform enchanting magic

By the 5th month mark Luz had told his progress at 2 years worth even though he just trained for 5 months she gave him braclet from Celestial spirit realm

When he hit 7 months Luz told the he was going if he ever met Wendy she wound most likely share healing spells that aren't connected directly to her sky dragon magic that had made his month he was really happy at the thought of being able to heal others

At 8 months Luz said he should just focus on expanding his magic storage which meant take it easy but not to easy she had said she would start to train with him after a week and if he thought

capricorn trained him hard he doesn't know what to call Luz's training he wanted to ask but he didn't

At month 10 he finally asked her why capricorn trained her so hard she told him it was because of the Heartfilia family Duty to the Celestial Realm the Heartfilia bloodline was practically royalty to the Celestial Realm that being the reason they were Givin the title of princess, Hime, etc Heartfilia were the Gaurdains of the Celestial Realm and its not a stretch to call them the princesses of the realm if a Celestial Spirit was ever being mistreated by there summoner it was the Heartfilia's duty to take care of it. She had also made the comment of him making 5 years worth of progress no doubt that was due to capricorn being a drill Sargent

It was a full year before Luz sat him down to tell him what his power level was capable of here that technically he was stronger then his Uncle now that when he was just at month 2 his magic pressure could have defeated belios that team Nastu was quite famous for being destructive during missions people thought it was because of them not watching where there spells go but it was actually of there mp and that through Virgo her sister asked Wendy for some low level healing spells that he could learn she had also Givin him a bracelet that if he sent magic to jewel in it that it would notify her that he's in trouble

It was 5 months after that she sat him down again and gave the ins and outs of magic it was a week after that they had confessed there feelings for each other

At a year and half Luz told Hunter that if he wants he could become a fairytail member she told him stories of fairytail

She told him how one person tears were everyone's tears and how no one cares about members past just who they are now. That month she told him everything about the Heartfilia horizon about her father about being frozen in time for 7 years about the eclipse gate and what happened to the Celestial Realm right after about the Anima.. she told him everything she also told him about one magic.. and how it was only accessible through certain circumstances she told him one magic was basically the purest form of love the knowledge and power of one magic was to Heartfilia line

She also said her sister could use it because of Natsu and that Luz herself can use it Because of him basically she just gave him the biggest I love you ever and that made him feel so loved to know that

When it came time to finish the portal to back home to earthland she had told everyone of her real origin with hunter by her side

And with the help of the Celestial Spirit King who by the scares the crap out Hunter Luz how can you call that man Stache face? To his face! Created a portal in the use of jewelry Givin to everyone Luz and hunter cares for

[movedyoakkemae]

my thoughts on the en.deavour redemption arc (chs 164 - 302). DO NOT REBLOG.

DO NOT REBLOG !!

the endeavour redemption arc is a rather controversial arc in the manga, and, tl;dr: i think it started eh, continued badly, turned better, then ended like shit.

note: if you are anime only, this will contain spoilers ! trigger warnings: child abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, and murder.

here are the things we know: endeavour physically abused shōto, tōya, and rei. he ignored natsuo and fuyumi, and he discarded tōya once he realised that tōya got burnt through using his quirk. he also mentally and emotionally abused all of them. separated shōto from the rest of his siblings. not to mention the fact that he married rei on purpose in order to create the perfect tool that would become the number one hero in his stead. he thinks of his children as objects, as extensions of himself.

however, endeavour, not out of his own power but because of all might's lack of strength, ends up reaching the number one spot as a hero by himself. this kickstarts endeavour's "redemption" arc, particularly in chapter 164 when endeavour asks all might:

endeavour: you hear about this? how the crime rate this past month... is up 3% compared to past years? i... i'm the guy who resolved more incidents than anyone, now more than ever... but i can hear it. the thing you've built that cannot be seen... is crumbling down. so, #1 hero... what's it mean to be the symbol of peace? (ch 164)

in a lot of ways, this question is surprising to hear. as we can tell even in the question itself, endeavour's main area of focus has been about the amount of incidents that he has stopped, the amount of villains that he has defeated, but recognising that there was something missing, something that all might had built up, certainly shows an awareness that endeavour seemed to lack earlier.

in the next chapter, the conversation continues:

endeavour: i gave shōto everything. by age 20, i'd already climbed to the #2 position. it was because i made that climb that i understood... unless i reached the summit, it was all for nothing. if all i cared about were titles, i could've worn a smile like you... and played the part of the lovable fool. but i wanted to be the strongest! [...] all might: endeavor. the position you've been put in... i know what people are saying. a lot of people compare us. but you and i are different. the symbol i strove to be... that isn't the path for you to follow. take your time to figure out... ...the way you ought to do things. (ch 165)

again, we still see that hint of same sort of "all he cares about strength". being number one was all about being stronger than all might, which is why when he found it impossible for him, he went on to try to create something that could end up being stronger than both him and all might. that would be, after he beat it into shape.

also, the fact that he says "i gave shōto everything". (yeah, you gave the poor kid trauma if that's what you mean by "everything".) that's something some abusers routinely say about their children -- that they gave them everything, that they should be grateful.

at the end of the chapter, we see shōto warmly giving a little girl a small fire to put her hands next to when she was chilly, a smile on his face, and endeavour has a weird look as all might says:

all might: what purpose does our strength serve? endeavour... the answer is a simple one. (ch 165)

this is what sets the tone for endeavour's part of his conversation with shōto in the next chapter.

endeavour: i'm proud of you, son. on that note... i'm hoping to become a hero you can be proud of. as your father and the #1 hero... i want to be deserving of those titles. shōto: [clearly aggravated and tense] good luck with that... (ch 165)

inasa sees endeavour talking to shōto and notices how his eyes have changed from being cold and not looking at anyone around him to actually focusing on shōto. as such, the readers are basically hinted to see that endeavour has changed, even just a little, already. he's no longer just looking at all might as the summit he needs to climb; he's actually seeing the people around him.

now, this kickstarts endeavour's arc of thoughts that being a better #1 hero would mean that he would be a better father. this we especially see in the endeavour v. nomu arc.

i think the first interesting conversation we have about the endeavour's redemption arc is in chapter 187 with natsuo and fuyumi visiting rei in the hospital. natsuo says,

natsuo: about him... they made him number one yesterday. it's official. the world still doesn't know the truth about you [rei]. about our siblings... about how he's always treated his family. for one, he doesn't do the talk show circuit. i can barely remember most of it, really. thinking back, he was like a perfect stranger. but... what he did to you, to shōto, and to... [tōya/dabi] well, i can't let anyone pretend it all never happened. it's been almost ten years, and he still hasn't come to apologise to you. his past, his family... it's like he wants to leave it all behind. [...] rei: apparently he's [endeavour] come many times. though... we haven't met. i'm a bit scared though... and my doctor says it's not a good idea. of course, i can't say what he's thinking. it might be external pressures. but... he's not leaving anything behind. not his past. not his family. i know he's trying to make sense of it all. (ch 187)

he's also apparently been leaving rei flowers, flowers that she told him that were her favourite once when they met for the first time.

i actually think in this aspect, it's good that he hasn't actually seen rei or pushed himself onto seeing her. he's letting her take control of her own recovery (although, i will say it's pretty fucking telling that even after a decade, she's still scared of him). i'd argue that the flowers might be crossing the line, but it seems that rei thinks of them as a nice gesture, so i'm not going to argue about how that could be perceived negatively.

the battle between endeavour and the nomu gets serious, and endeavour nearly dies (which is broadcasted on TV for shōto to see, ofc).

in chapter 189, we see three different characters' thoughts on endeavour never giving up (some of it in particular directed towards his fight towards surpassing all might and being number one via strength alone).

natsuo: he knows better than anyone... that he'll never be the next all might! that's why he gave up so quickly... and basically went insane... abandoning the kids he didn't care for... and driving mom to the breaking point... [...] fuyumi: he never gave up. in fact, giving up is what he's worst at. [...] hawks: i was watching you this whole time. i get it. there was nobody else out there... really trying to surpass him [all might]. only you! you were the one working to surpass him. [manga showing endeavour building a small bridge over the chasm that metaphorically separates all might from the rest of the heroes] (ch 189).

i actually agree with fuyumi here more than anyone. endeavour marrying rei and creating his children wasn't because he was giving up (for one, he thinks of his children as extensions of himself...) but part of his way of trying to surpass all might. he also continued to work and get stronger himself, which he wouldn't have been doing if he had just given up.

that being said, i do agree with natsuo's description of their childhood, just not about it being because endeavour gave up.

also, from a narrative perspective, the shift of endeavour's obsession with surpassing all might being thought of as negative (from shōto's statements of it in the sports festival arc) to positive (you're the only one who actually tried!) through hawks point of view is... interesting. horikoshi is re-contextualising endeavour's obsession as a good thing, and that, in point, is done to soften endeavour's actions overall.

after all, if it's a good thing that endeavour was trying to surpass all might, then doesn't his actions against his family make a little bit more sense? doesn't that mean that he had good intentions, even if he did something bad?

(nope. not in my book.)

so, the next part of this arc happens in 192, where endeavour comes home from the hospital and after defeating the nomu with a huge scar on his face (the exact same side as shōto's!), and we get that beautifully passive aggressive "nasty scar you got there" from shōto while he's slurping up soba noodles.

and then natsuo tries to leave and this conversation starts:

endeavour: natsuo... if you got something to say, then say it. natsuo: say it...? that's rich, coming from a guy who's never even looked me in the eye. listen to this... i didn't know shōto loved soba until today. why? because you never let him play with us failed experiments. i get the feeling that mom and sis here want to forgive you, but all i see is the same maniac who, all of a sudden, is getting rave reviews. you might look like a changed man, but you're not. you abandoned us as failures, left us to hear mom's screams, shōto's cries. and big bro tōya too... you being the top hero and beating some big baddie can't erase any of that. did you decide to have a change of heart?! think we can just hug things out and make up?! it's sickening! don't you freaking get that?! endeavour: i'm trying to make amends, going forward. natsuo: is that so?! [leaves] (ch 192)

for one, god fucking bless natsuo. i think he fully encapsulates my issue with this part of the endeavour redemption arc, which is solidified by shōto's own speech:

shōto: as a hero, this endeavour guy... is pretty darn amazing. but it's like natsu said. i'm not ready to forgive you... for abusing mom. so, heroics aside, what sort of dad are you going to be? that's what i want to find out. sure, the perfect turning point can actually change someone. i know it's possible. (ch 192)

endeavour doesn't need to be a perfect hero to earn redemption from his family. hell, even when shōto hated endeavour the most, he could admit that endeavour was a great hero. maybe his reasons for being a hero was off, but he saved people, he stopped the bad guys. i think it's even canon that he's technically saved more people than all might.

the problem was never with "endeavour", it was with "todoroki enji". todoroki enji was a shit father who didn't give a shit about his kids aside from what he could use them for. he was too obsessed with defeating all might that he lost sight of his family -- which endeavour finally seems to realise after this little speech.

endeavour's thoughts: [having a flashback to all might saying "what purpose does our strength serve?"] power... a reason to dominate... when he told me that, it came to me in a flash. an ordinary, simple thought. "i have to safeguard the future for them." that's the job for whoever's on top! and yet... what about the futures i cut short? [image of rei in the midst of a mental breakdown] just demanding forgiveness isn't enough. it's too late for that. at this point, i need to atone... there's no other route. endeavour out loud: fuyumi, i'm sorry for everything. that was the wrong thing to say to natsuo. (ch 192)

we see actual growth in his character, him actually starting to learn what he should be focusing on rather than what he was focusing on. he still slips up, like with him trying to demand shōto's attention through texting with contact information that he only got because FUYUMI gave to him (ch 203), which i have my own issues with. as in, fuyumi better have asked shōto permission before giving endeavour his contact information because, if not, then holy fucking shit, that's so gross.

in the next part of the endeavour redemption arc, we have shōto in chapter 242 invite izuku and katsuki to join him with training at endeavour's hero agency.

we still see hints of endeavour only really thinking of shōto as an extension of his will and his beliefs when he asks izuku and katsuki in chapter 247 what they're working on and what they want to achieve. he starts to move in without even asking shōto, which shōto objects to in his own way.

endeavour: let's get to it -- shōto: [clears throat] and me? endeavour: you're here to master flashfire, shōto! shōto: all the quirk training you beat into me as a kid... i've put it into practise with my right side. thinking back, it's no wonder i couldn't escape my own hatred of you. then i got into u.a. competing alongside these two [izuku and katsuki]... and everyone else... really opened my eyes. endeavour... in the end... i'm going to do exactly what you always wanted. but please understand... the man i admire... is the one mom and i watched on the tv back then. [all might]. as a fledgling hero... in order to become a man worthy of the title... i came here of my own free will! you're a rotten number one*. you were just in the right place at the right time -- that's all. sorry this isn't going the way you want it to, number one. so let's stop that father-son crap in front of my friends. endeavour's thoughts: since he was willing to come here, i thought the boy's heart was open and ready to accept me... what a fool i was! i had it all wrong! endeavour out loud: right. i'll be evaluating you three as heroes. (ch 247) *the translation isn't quite accurate, but i don't have access to the original japanese right now to translate myself. i just remember that this translation isn't the best.

once again, we do see that endeavour is learning. shōto expresses his feelings and endeavour tries to move on from there in the way that shōto wants him to -- and he does ! he stops acting like he's close to shōto as a dad in front of the others and acts only like a hero training an apprentice (without the abuse that happened all throughout shōto's childhood).

i think this and what happens in the next part of this internship arc, is probably the best written bits of the endeavour redemption arc.

by that, in chapter 249, we open with this inner dialogue from endeavour:

endeavour: i'm trying to make amends... going forward. it might be too late... but i fall asleep every night thinking about... what i can do for my family. lately, it's been the same dream. the wife and kids, looking happy... at the dinner table. but i'm... never there with them. (ch 249)

this kickstarts his decision that he gives to natsuo later, but before we get there, we get this awkward todoroki family dinner with izuku and katsuki. izuku finally finds out that katsuki overheard them during the sports festival, and fuyumi and shōto talk when they think they're alone.

fuyumi: it's not like i don't share some of natsu's feelings... but... it feels like we've been given another chance now... how do you feel about dad? shōto: this burn... i think of it as something our old man gave me. [cue horrific flashback of the aftermath of rei pouring boiling water on shōto's face and immediately apologising] mom endured and endured... until she couldn't anymore. so, i can't just decide to forgive the guy who wore her down... but... mom is trying to get past all that now. honestly... i don't know... how i should feel about him. i still... haven't seen anything. [...] izuku: todoroki, i think... you're getting yourself ready to be able to forgive him. just say "i'll never forgive him" if you really hate the guy. because you're so caring yourself... it's like you're waiting... or at least that's how it seems. (ch 249)

i think each of the siblings (including tōya / dabi!) really showcases a lot of the different reactions children can have towards abuse. fuyumi is the type who fully embraces the abuser back because they want to become a family again. shōto is the type who isn't quite sure but doesn't want to just kick the abuser down if he's actually trying to change. natsuo is the type who just does not want to be around the abuser at all and doesn't think the abuser can change. tōya / dabi is the vengeful one who literally wants the abuser dead or feeling how he caused them to feel.

i also have an issue with how izuku words this to shōto -- does that mean that natsuo is not caring? should he not be upset with endeavour for all of the abuse, and, in natsuo's thoughts, for causing tōya to die? he cares too much, and that's really it, and i think endeavour (funnily enough) encapsulates my thoughts on that completely.

for context, natsuo gets kidnapped and held hostage by a villain who wants endeavour to kill him. the villain is threatening to kill natsuo if endeavour doesn't kill him. endeavour chokes on the save aside from catching katsuki and natsuo after the boys implement their plans to rescue natsuo, stop the villain, and save the civilians. then, endeavour has this to say:

endeavour: i'm sorry! in that moment... i couldn't help but think... about how if i saved you... then going forward... you might feel... like you couldn't stand up to me... natsuo, believe it or not... i was never trying... to neglect any of you. but... all i could do was blame others and dodge responsibility. with tōya too... i might as well have killed him myself. natsuo: didn't neglect us? so what...? tōya has always told me everything. it'll be a cold day in hell... before i forgive you. 'cause i'm not as caring as shōto. endeavour: even so... even so... you keep showing up for fuyumi, right? and for your mom's sake? your sister loves the idea of being a big happy family... because... that's exactly what i ruined. she wants that back... she's so eager to fix everything. and that's why you're trying. because you care about how she feels, right..? because you are caring. so... you don't have to forgive me. i'm not looking for forgiveness. just atonement. natsuo: [starts crying] wow. you got a real way with words all of a sudden! i know how happy it makes sis, having us all together! but... when i see your face... those memories come rushing back. why do i gotta be the one to come around? atonement? how're you gonna make that happen? endeavour: i have an idea, actually. (ch 252).

endeavour saying "i wasn't trying to neglect any of you" is such a fucking backslide, but he somewhat saves it with explaining why. at the same time, the explanation doesn't really matter -- he did neglect natsuo and fuyumi. however, the next bit of it, when he says that natsuo does care, and that it's okay for natsuo to never forgive him -- that was real fucking character growth, and we see it come to a beautiful place at the end of the chapter where endeavour talks with fuyumi and natsuo.

endeavour: fuyumi. i've already talked about this with shōto and natsuo. you've been doing your best to create a safe and sound household for your mother to come home to. i've let you shoulder all of that... and i stood by while you worked hard... but it's all okay now. [thoughts: it's always the same dream. my whole family's there, but not me.] because i'm building a new house for you all. one that makes sense for your commutes. and one where you can give your mother a warm welcome back. fuyumi: what about you, dad...? endeavour: [thoughts: if i really care about how they feel...] i'll remain here. (ch 252)

this is where i fucking cheered. this is where i really thought horikoshi was going to save this arc. abusers forcing their presence on the family is absolutely the wrong way to do it. endeavour trying to be the "best hero" is absolutely the wrong way to do it. endeavour stepping back, making sure that they're all comfortable, but (most likely) being there when they want to reach out on their terms in the way that they want to -- that's beautiful. that's actual growth. that's literally the best decision any abuser can make ever; leaving it in the hands of the people he abused.

in this part, in this moment, i could have accepted the endeavour redemption arc. i might not have agreed when shōto decided that he could see endeavour as a father (depending on when it would happen in canon and what would cause it), but in this regard, i could actually see redemption.

and then we get the fucking shitshow that is dabi reveal arc and the dabi backstory arc, and then i just want to throw away the whole fucking redemption arc.

in chapter 290, we get the dabi is todoroki tōya reveal (surprise, surprise /j). tōya, being the dramatic bitch that he is, washes off the probably water-soluble black dye off of his white hair and tells endeavour and shōto that he's tōya and that he's been waiting for years to take endeavour down and that he's sending out a broadcast to every TV station live detailing about endeavour's abuse of his family.

dabi: when, at long last, you could stare your kids in the eye... didja finally start to feel the warm and fuzzy bonds of family?! you must've thought, "as long as i can face the future, i can be better!" i can tell you're at a loss for words, so here's the answer! the past never dies! get it, yet?! you reap what you sow! so let's tango, you and me -- todoroki enji! a dance with your son, here in hell!! (ch 290).

in chapter 291, we continue the dabi reveal (including a 99.9% match between his DNA and endeavour's DNA as proof of their relation! hint: that's not actually fucking possible, but i'm pretty sure that's either a translation error or a wording issue) in the public eye. we get this fun little monologue from endeavour in the beginning of the chapter:

endeavour's thoughts: i thought it could be you [tōya]. you could have been the one... to reach my eternal goal. my frustration... my envy... the ugliness in my heart... you could have been the one... to smash it all to dust.

again, we get that whole "using child as an object/extension of endeavour" thing that has characterised endeavour for a long time. tōya shouldn't have been created to fix his frustration about not becoming number one himself.

regardless, endeavour stays in shock for the rest of the battle, unable to even move despite the fact that shōto managed to pull himself together in order to try to save everyone on the battlefield despite dabi trying to kill him.

we then go to chapter 300, where endeavour wakes up in his hospital room and ruminates on everything that he had done. he cries and expresses guilt, especially on how things played out with tōya when he was a child, and he declares that "i might get to live on... but endeavour died back there. my son's a mass murderer, yet... i can't fight him." (ch 300).

then, shōto, natsuo, and fuyumi enter the room while endeavour continues to cry.

endeavour: sorry... i'm... so sorry. i'm sorry... i didn't realise until now... these regrets... this guilt... it's too late to matter! my heart... it's... rei: [walking into the room] yes? what about your heart? those regrets and guilt... the rest of us have borne that burden... much more than you have. endeavour: rei?! why are you here?! rei: i'm here to talk about our family. and about our son, tōya. (ch 300).

this jumpstarts into a flashback of what caused tōya's "death", and i think in some truly horrific scenes that i think horikoshi writes in a way that we're supposed to feel some level of sympathy for endeavour. reading all of that makes me feel even -infinity sympathy for endeavour.

in chapter 301, we start the flashback into the past, where tōya wants to continue quirk training but endeavour begins to discard him, saying that it was for tōya's own good (because he burns himself when he uses too much fire). unfortunately, tōya doesn't care about his own burns, he just wants his dad's approval and wants to surpass all might himself.

endeavour, meanwhile, is still focused mostly on creating a child that would surpass all might, as we see in this conversation between endeavour and rei:

rei: no... that would be too much! it's too cruel! especially now that tōya knows what you're hoping to achieve through the children! endeavour: no matter what i say... he comes home with fresh burns every day. he inherited that pigheaded stubbornness from me! that's the only way to make him give up! since he'll never be the one to surpass... [all might] (ch 301)

(sure, that's your motivation. you say that while you literally have the same eyes as when you think about all might being better than you).

endeavour's eyes when thinking about all might being better.

endeavour's eyes when thinking of "stopping tōya" through the birth of more children.

we see that shōto is born, and that tōya doesn't stop training on his own, which causes endeavour to snap at tōya:

endeavour: no! why won't you stop?! you're covered in burns... and you still don't get it?! why?! tōya! you have to... look beyond all this. play with natsuo and fuyumi! make some friends at school! there's a whole other world besides the hero stuff... i know you understand that! take my advice, and this'll all be a distant memory soon. tōya: the kids at school all say they wanna be heroes. i can't understand that. because i've got you as a father. you lit this fire in me, dad, and it's not going out! i can't just pretend it's not there! [uses his fire] look at me, endeavour! look... at me!! [goes to attack baby!shōto] (ch 301)

all tōya wanted was not to be discarded, and he could see just as well as anyone that endeavour didn't seem to care about the others as much -- that's why tōya went for shōto, not for any of the other siblings.

endeavour had no real idea how to talk to tōya, or even knew how to reach out and get some help, and that was probably (mainly) because what he was doing with rei and creating his children was illegal, as we hear from a doctor earlier.

and before anyone blames tōya, he's young ass kid who knows he's being discarded by his father, and he wants attention. just any sort of attention. yes, he's going to lash out. yes, he's going to keep on doing what originally got him his father's attention (aka training). yes, he's going to try to attack endeavour's "perfect child" for "taking his place". i don't blame tōya for that -- i blame endeavour.

rei: [in the present] you don't get to claim you're hurting more than anyone. and you're not the only one who didn't really see him. (ch 301)

this next chapter, the next part of the flashback, chapter 302, is particularly rough, and it's in part with what's hinted in rei's last part of this comment. (i agree with the first part! endeavour doesn't get to claim that he's hurting more than anyone else. it's the second in context with chapter 302).

we return back to the flashback where endeavour is talking to rei about separating shōto from the rest of his siblings.

endeavour: i'm too busy with work to look after him [shōto] 24-y... which is why i've hired help. but you -- don't you take your eyes off of tōya. rei: he just wants you to look at him. to notice him. that's all. endeavour: all i can show anyone... is the world of heroes. rei: heroes? aren't you just running away? (ch 302)

interestingly enough, endeavour's face in this conversation is covered by shadows. all we really see are the whites of his eyes and the side of his face where sweatdrops of stress are running down. rei's face, too, is practically covered aside from a close-up on her stressed eye. a lot of rei's downward spiral focuses on rei's eyes over anything, so i think this is where we kind of see -- well, not the start of that (we do see that focus in ch 301), but the continuation of her stress that leads eventually to her mental breakdown.

then, we continue on (with an interesting conversation between tōya and rei, but we're focusing on endeavour unfortunately, so alas) with tōya talking to endeavour.

tōya: listen, dad. next time you get a day off... you gotta come up to sekoto peak with me. endeavour: [grabs tōya's shirt violently and lifts it up. his thoughts: new burns! where he can keep them hidden! he's been training that way on purpose!] damn it! again?! tōya: no, wait! what i can do now is really cool! you gotta come see! i might be as awesome as shōto sooner or later! maybe i'll be even better than all might someday! then you've gotta give me some respect, dad! you'll be glad you created me! i just know it! (ch 302)

the next scene is a very clear domestic abuse scene (even if it cuts away from the actual hitting).

endeavour: why didn't you stop him?! huh, rei?! damn it, that's all i asked you to do!! shōto: [crying and stepping in front of rei, trying to defend her] don't bully mommy! stop it! don't be mean to her! endeavour: get out, shōto! it's none of your business! natsuo & fuyumi: [cowering, crying, and covering their ears] rei: i... can't stop him. (ch 302).

skip the next scan if the narrative hint of domestic abuse happening might upset you. 

now, i'm putting in the scan to showcase that we essentially get to explicitly see this all go down. endeavour is a shadowy figure in the bedroom, we see nothing of rei's face except for her eye (crying, and again, that same focus where we see her slow descent into her mental break), and we see all of the children cry except for tōya because he's out training on his own again.

the fact that endeavour decides to berate, and most likely hit, rei instead of going after his son -- well, he'd come to regret it later when tōya supposedly dies because "all he [endeavour] taught me... was how to turn up the heat." (ch 302). tōya burns himself to death because endeavour decided that because his quirk wasn't good enough to beat all might that he rather not train him at all anymore. that -- ugh.

and then we get out of the flashback and back into the hospital room in some of the most abhorrent lines of the present moments of this arc.

endeavour: if only i'd given it all up that day... but having killed tōya... i felt there was no turning back, so i poured all my energy into shōto... at the expense of everything else. rei: once tōya was gone, you grew worse and worse, until i couldn't stand the sight of you. it got so bad, i even started seeing hints of you in the children's faces. fuyumi: i knew our family was broken, but i was too scared to interfere. all i could do was try to fix things just to keep up appearances. natsuo: it was you who started all of this. you're the root cause, but... maybe, if i'd just slugged you in the face and made you have a few serious talks with him... "dabi" never would've come about, and i would've been enjoying some good soba with shōto all these years. rei: you're not the only one who's responsible, and now we all have to take responsibility for what comes next. (ch 302).

ignoring the next part for now, holy fucking shit. horikoshi makes the decision to spread the blame of tōya's death to the rest of the todoroki family, never mind that rei was also abused by endeavour and that fuyumi and natsuo were twelve and eight respectively.

endeavour showed no signs of listening to ANYONE. rei told him flat out that he just needed to give tōya attention, and he didn't listen. the fact that fuyumi felt burdened on trying to keep up appearances and felt like she didn't try to fix things at the age of twelve -- horrific. the fact that natsuo blames himself for not trying to talk some sense into endeavour at the age of eight -- horrific.

this is the moment where i threw the endeavour redemption arc into the garbage -- the rest of the family taking blame onto themselves that they shouldn't blame just so that endeavour can just right back up and be a hero.

endeavour was not going to change, not for anyone. hell, even with tōya's death, and endeavour admits it himself, it made him even more stubborn in his ways because one of his extensions of his will sacrificed himself, so he best make sure that shōto becomes the best extension of his will he can be.

this is genuinely so disgusting that i can't even put into words just how terrible this is. the fact that horikoshi made this decision -- i lost all respect for horikoshi as an author and in the endeavour redemption arc.

this chapter ends with shōto being proclaimed as the family hero and that endeavour needs to come back as a hero and fight dabi and by this point, i already hate everything, so throw the bitch out.

i think if the endeavour redemption arc had stopped in chapter 252, i think it would have been great. i think if they had played off the dabi reveal in any other way, without the family blaming themselves to partially absolve endeavour of his guilt, i think it could have been fine. but the way that this played out, the way that the victims are blaming themselves in part to make the abuser feel better -- no. just, fucking no.

is that a thing that happens in real life? do abuse victims internalise the abuse and then think that the abuser was just trying to do their best? oh yeah. however, with how the rest of the arc seems to be going with endeavour (endeavour showing up in the newest chapter still going around as a hero -- the number one hero, even), horikoshi is condoning that instead of writing it as unhealthy as it should be written.

thus, nope. throw the whole fucking thing away. no thank you.

[whereisthefood123]

With all my love, a letter for me and a gift for you

Pairing: Gajevy - Fairy Tail

Word count: 2.8k

A03//Ffnet

Gajevy week 2020 day 1 prompt: Letters

A/N: This is set during the GMG arc but has some time-skips to the past. Should be clear enough though. Everything between two hyphen (-) and italics is a letter. Things in italics are thoughts.

Welcome to gajevy week 2020! This is for the first day prompt: Letters! As usual, thanks so much to @ranunculusfox for beta my fic and being the best person I could ever wish to have as a friend ❤ Enjoy!

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Why did I do that?!

Levy's hand tangled in her unruly blue hair while the other one held for dear life to the doorknob of her room. As soon as the door clicked shut, she started pacing around the small space between her bed and bounced around her head while her heart pounded its way out of her chest.

I'm just making a big deal out of this. Nothing else. It's just silly. I'm being silly.

Right?

She stopped as she eyed the leftover red ribbon that sat on top of her desk. Earlier that morning, she had been so sure, so confident while preparing her special gift. Her cheeks were still sore from how widely she had been smiling just picturing the scene, the words her mouth would utter, the cheeky grin with a sharp fang that would surely be thrown her way after opening the package. And now…

"Ugh! How could I be so stupid?!" she flopped down onto her bed on her back, rubbing her palms over her eyes and down her face, trying to erase the memory, erase the flick of red eyes meeting hers, erase the lack of a grin, erase the echo of heavy footsteps getting farther away from her and leaving her hollow in a lonesome hallway.

She huffed defeatedly. Nothing she did was helping her feel any better. It only helped to make her feel worse. Levy looked back to the desk and next to the annoying little reminder of her impromptu gift, sat a blank piece of paper and an ink pen. She frowned but still got up from her bed. She sat down heavily on the desk, pushing away the red ribbon and getting a firm grab on her pen.

She started writing.

-Dear Levy,

What did you expect?! You knew this could happen! So stop sulking around like a schoolgirl with a crush!-

"I'm not sulking," she said out loud while puffing her cheeks.

Okay, yes, I'm sulking.

And though the reader might think that our lovely bookworm has officially lost her mind, this is not the case. No, Levy is just using one of Lucy's tricks when the celestial mage can't wrap her head around something in particular: she writes letters. To whom? Well, it varies from time to time. Sometimes, Lucy writes letters to her late parents, sometimes to her guildmates, and sometimes even to herself. Whether she ever keeps her letters or burns them, depends entirely on the timely visit of a particular hyperactive fire dragon-slayer.

But let's not get sidetracked, shall we?

Lucy's advice had come in handy for Levy as she had written several letters in the past year (not considering Tenrou's time skip) and it had proven to be a healing process for the solid-script mage. Maybe due to the nature of her magic, Levy's thoughts would always clear out once written on paper. No matter how turbulent her emotions were, she always found an answer on what to think or how to act after reading over her newest letter, tracing each scrip with ink-stained fingers, sometimes marvelling at how accurate her letters were able to give a physical form to her feelings and thoughts.

Her first letter had been written right after two new members had joined Fairy Tail. Same two mages who had waged a war against the same guild they were being welcomed to.

-Why would Master Makarov let them join Fairy Tail?! I mean, I'm not doubting Master, but… why? He knows what they did to us, what he did to me, Jet and Droy… so why?

And…

Why did he jump in front of Laxus lightning? To protect me? It couldn't be… he could have… pushed me aside for that.

But he was also holding back from Jet and Droy's attacks. What was all that about? What is he trying to accomplish?

Can he be… different? From the monster in the alley from back then?

No, that's just silly, right? Levy, you're being silly… There's no way Gajeel Redfox, iron dragon-slayer had a sudden change of heart, right?

Right…?

Then, why did he save me from Laxus...?-

Another one had been written after the announcement of the participants for the S-class trials.

-You go girl!

I'm so excited I got chosen to be on the s-class trials this year! Yay!

And even Cana and Lucy are going to be there! This is going to be amazing!

If I'm honest, I'm pretty nervous hehe. I don't know how well I'll be able to fight my way through the trials… I'm small and my magic is not... the strongest…

…

…

But it doesn't matter!

With Gajeel as my partner, I'm sure we'll do great! Well, that's what he said. He'll make me big, so I cannot give up without a fight!

Though it's pretty weird he volunteered to be my partner… It's probably just because he still holds a rivalry with Natsu. Such a dummy… but well, if he can help me get to S-class, I won't complain of him picking a fight with anyone else in Tenrou Island!

This time, I'll prove I can be strong as well!-

All of Levy's letters shared two characteristics. One, they were always addressed to herself. And two, she only wrote one when a certain iron dragon-slayer was involved. Though at the start Levy was oblivious to this last characteristic, she became aware that all her letters included him in some way or another, much to her embarrassment. And today was no different.

This morning, Levy had been eager to meet up with the iron dragon-slayer. She had managed to steal a moment with him right after the rambunctious dinner the guild had at the local bar.

It was day 3 of the Grand Magic Games and Levy had gathered the courage to approach Gajeel right before he headed back to his room. She stood straight meeting ruby eyes but soon she fidgeted under such strong gaze. She would have wrung her hands if they weren't occupied by the small gift that she hid behind her back.

"Ehm… Gajeel… uhm…"

"Oi, what is it, Shrimp?" His strong voice made her snap back to action and she shoved her gift forward.

"This is for you." She felt the blush form on her cheeks and heat up her entire body but she refused to flee. Still, this was too much for her and averted her eyes from his.

She felt the roughness of his fingertips when he grabbed the package, an involuntary shiver travelled down her spine. After some rustling of paper, she heard a sharp breath intake.

Are you surprised? Do you like it?

"Uhm…" Levy's voice returned to her but she kept her eyes fixed on her shoes. Her hands played with the edge of her sleeves now that they were free from the intense weight of the surprisingly light package. "I noticed that your hair kept falling on your eyes...d-during the race... So maybe this can help you. It's something small but I-" the words died on her mouth as she finally looked up.

Gajeel was looking at her with wide eyes and an unreadable expression settled on his face. His shoulders were tense as if he had been given an incredible burden he couldn't seem to wrap his head around, the headband Levy had just given him rested on his hand in a gentle grasp. The air around him crackled with anxiety. His eyes were piercing through her, observing her every move, every breath she took, as if he was gauging the moment with intense scrutiny. He looked like a cornered beast, instincts flaring to decide whether to run or fight. The presence of his breath was almost entirely concealed and the absence of his words was too loud to take any longer.

"Uhm… Gajeel, a-are you o-?"

"Ah." He averted his eyes for a second and when he looked back at her, there was a sudden firmness to his eyes. Cold as steel and impenetrable to any question that rested on Levy's tongue. An iron wall had been raised between them both, as high as the sky and as wide as the length of Earthland itself. And the foundation of the new impenetrable barrier was the silly headband that Levy had gifted him.

A gift that was supposed to bound his hair out of his face had severed the thread of their rare friendship instead. A gift that was soft and light had been the sharpest weapon that pulled them apart. Not the night terrors, not the remorse… a simple headband had been enough.

For all that Levy is a solid-script mage, she couldn't find her mind or mouth to form any words.

After another silent second, Gajeel nodded, all firm and distant. He turned around and resumed his walk back to his room, leaving Levy confused and, for some reason, cold in the empty hallway.

Yearning twisted her heart with every step he took until she couldn't take it anymore. But as much as her soul cried to follow him, to ask him what was wrong, to apologize if she had done something wrong, her feet refused to do so. Her entire body was all too aware of the iron wall that kept them at a distance. And no matter how bad it hurt, she tore her eyes from his retreating back. Step by step, she moved down the opposite side of the hallway until she found herself running in a mad sprint until she reached her room. Confusion and dejection muddled her mind and a gaping hole expanded in her chest where her heart used to be. Nothing made sense.

Absolutely nothing.

Did I fuck up somehow? It was a friendly gift, wasn't it? Did I offend him somehow?

Nothing of that interaction made sense, and if she knew Gajeel any less, she would have said that he looked… a little bit… scared.

But why?

Hence, Levy sat down at her desk to write herself a letter. To try to stitch back together the ravelling edges of her heart.

-Dear Levy,

What did you expect?! You knew this could happen! So stop sulking around like a schoolgirl with a crush! Not that you have one on him, right?

He's weird. And you know that. Better than anyone. Well, maybe not better than Juvia but you definitely know he's a bit weird and awkward.

But this? This is just… I don't know. I didn't expect this. I thought he would make fun of me, or maybe just give back the gift (wow that would have hurt more, huh?) or maybe say 'Thank you' (yeah, right, Gajeel Redfox saying 'thank you', don't think so).

Then, why does it hurt so much? Why does it hurt that he just… left and didn't say anything?

It was just a gift. As a friend! It didn't mean anything else… right?

Then, why do I feel like this? Could it be… Were you… Was I… expecting something else?

Why does everything always get so complicated when it's about Gajeel Redfox?! Why do I feel this way?!

Why?!-

Levy's pen lifted from its canvas just when the first tear threatened to spill from the mage's eye, but she refused to acknowledge it. She gritted her teeth and held her pen in a death-grip, close to crushing pressure.

"I- I…" she choked on a stubborn sob that escaped her lips. "I-" she tried again, growling in frustration at how her voice cracked. "He's an idiot and teases me nonstop. He's always looking for a fight and a big big dummy!"

"But I-," she heaved a breath, "I…" Her pen resumed her place on the parchment of paper.

-I love him.-

And somehow, those three words grounded her and made her soar to the higher skies. They felt so heavy she thought her tongue incapable of pronouncing them, yet she felt lighter reading them over and over again. Butterflies fluttered in her chest, filling the gaping hole that had formed in a hallway. New colours painted each memory with Gajeel and though she could still see the iron wall that separated them, built new not even an hour ago, she now had the strength and the courage to carve three words into the cool metal.

I love you.

As a solid-script mage, Levy knew how three words could transform into a powerful spell. But not these. Never these. Because she would never wield them to inflict harm, never use them to destroy the barrier in her way. No, Levy knew the carving of three words will not bring the wall between them down or even make it thinner. And she was fine with that. She was fine with the carving only existing on her side. Because, even if it was a one-sided love, for the first time in so long, Levy felt that everything was right. This love she held for him, so strong and sturdy, yet gentle and warm, filled her with peace.

I love you.

Her muddled thoughts and feelings finally cleared out. The ends of her heart pulled back together with stronger threads that mesh together with the absolute peace offered only by a love declaration letter.

She was in love with Gajeel Redfox. And she had been for some time now. That's why she always sought him out at the guild. Why she felt so at ease during the S-class trials with him as her partner. Why she worried each time he came back with a new set of scars.

He was the reason why she often wrote herself a new letter.

"I love him," she uttered in the quiet of the night and the loneliness of her room. The tears had finally fallen down her cheeks like thin slivers of a new-born creak.

A gentle smile spread over her face as Levy put her pen down. With a flick of her hands and a small script spell, her letter was stored with the rest of her letters, safely tucked away from prying eyes. She made her way to her bed and got under the covers. With another flick of her hand, the lights in the room switched off.

As she closed her eyes, only one thought crossed her mind.

She was in love with Gajeel Redfox. She was in love with a stupid big lug dragon-slayer, who always picks a fight with Natsu and acts so silly with Lily, who teases Levy non-stop about her height and then says she's amazing for decyphering some runes. This love, so strong yet so well-concealed behind a rare friendship, made her feel at ease for once in so long.

And though he might not feel the same way for her as he had no obligation to reciprocate her love, Levy decided that she could live with that. She could live with a one-sided love carved in metal. Because somehow, some way, this feeling, loving him, felt so right. As if her heart had been waiting so long to beat at the rhythm of those words. So, she will not stop. She will not run away from her own feelings anymore. She will face them head-on. She will welcome the pace her heart had set for herself, with all the bumps and hardships that it might bring. She will embrace it with open arms and paint the grey of the iron wall with the colours his presence has brought to her life.

Levy's breath evened out and she finally allowed sleep to take over her, the gentle smile never easing from her lips.

What she didn't expect but the avid reader must have guessed by now, is that the next night, Levy would be grabbing her ink pen again along with a new sheet of paper. Because on the morning of day 4 of the Grand Magic Games, Levy had been fully prepared to deal with her one-sided love, with the taste of bitter rejection in her mouth. But she had no strategy on how to think, feel or act when Gajeel Redfox came into the battle arena wearing the same headband she had given him the night before.

Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, deafening every sound around her. Electricity coursed through her veins at the meaning behind this scene. Her mind ran a mile a minute while her tongue rested unmoving in her drying mouth.

And right before the battle started, Levy's entire being froze when red eyes locked onto her hazel ones. Where coldness and harshness had been present the night before, the ruby of his eyes now held a new warmth and determination. An acknowledgement was settled in those eyes, a recognition of the meaning behind a simple piece of cloth, and, strangely, an apology entwined with a promise of something else, a promise that had nothing to do with the current battle, but everything to do with the future.

And well, let's just say that Levy's newest letter will not be too long as it would hold the exact length of three words.

-Could it be?-

Cracks had formed in the iron wall, letting a bright light shine through.

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A/N: Hope you enjoy the story! Leave your comments :) I'm also on twitter (@wtf123) and on the gajevy discord :) Happy gajevy week 2020 to everyone!

[aki-natsuko]

Hey Aki! How about "I know I can change" for Gratsu and maybe also for Sarumi if you feel up to it!

"I know I can change" – Gratsu

Natsu was laid up in the infirmary…again.

   Gray’s worry assuaged by Wendy and Porlyusica’s reassurances that the Dragon-slayer would be back on his feet in a day or so and that he was out of any danger, was rapidly morphing into something darker. Because this was happening far too often. It was always Natsu who was there in the thick of things, pulling off a miracle when things got really dire, regardless of what it cost the Dragon-slayer to turn the tide of the battle. To the point where the entire guild, Gray included, always knew things were about to change when Natsu got serious. That was half of the problem, because they had started to expect it, to trust at that moment, in Natsu, and the Dragon-slayer knew that and threw himself into each fight with more determination than the last without the slightest hint of hesitation.

   Worse, he knew exactly why Natsu was willing to go so far, even before they had come to believe in him to this extent, and despite his best efforts, he didn’t know how to fix it. But he had to do something, because one of these days Natsu determination and faith in the guild wasn’t going to be enough, and it wouldn’t be the infirmary that Gray was visiting but a grave, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

   He slipped into the room, relieved to find that it was empty as he was reasonably sure this wasn’t a conversation that Natsu was going to enjoy with just the two of them, let alone if there had been an audience. The Dragon-slayer was awake though, propped up against the pillows, and no longer blending in with them as he had when he’d first been hauled back to the guild, and he grinned as he saw the Ice Mage. At least until Gray got closer, and Natsu saw his frown, his grin instantly dimming as his shoulders came up in a defensive hunch. It was almost enough to make Gray hesitate and delay the conversation. Almost. Because at the same time, Natsu had winced as the motion had pulled on his still-healing injuries. One hand moving to press against the bandages that ran across his chest and up and around his right shoulder.

“Leave that alone,” Gray chided, as he settled into the chair beside the Dragon-slayer’s bed, and Natsu immediately dropped it with the look of a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar. “How are you feeling?” He asked, not wanting to start the conversation on the wrong foot and wanting to make sure that Natsu was up to this.

“Fine…”

  Gray sighed at the somewhat sullen reply, before deciding that he might as well get on with it if Natsu wasn’t going to cooperate, although it didn’t stop him from reaching out to grasp Natsu’s hand. Needing the contact and hoping that it would keep him calm. “This has got to stop, Natsu,” he began mildly enough. “You can’t keep throwing yourself into the path of danger like this, not even for me or the guild.”

“But…”

“Natsu,” Gray interrupted him. “You nearly died. You keep nearly dying, and I can’t… I won’t lose you.” He’d meant to say ‘I don’t want to lose you’, but it had come out stronger than he’d intended, and Natsu flinched, staring at him wide-eyed, and Gray knew even before the Dragon-slayer spoke that he had misunderstood.

“…I’m sorry,” Natsu whispered, not looking at him. “I thought… I can change, I know I can change…I…”

“I don’t want you to change,” Gray cut across the desperate words, squeezing the hand he was holding and waiting until Natsu’s eyes flickered towards him. “I want you to realise that you’re worth more than your ability to fight. That the guild… that I, won’t walk away if you don’t win or if you can’t protect us.”

   It wasn’t something they had ever properly discussed, but Gray had known Natsu a long time, had watched him grow from the child desperately searching for any sign of Igneel, to a teen who’d built a life and a family all of his own…and was scared that it would disappear too one day. He might not show it most of the time, but Igneel’s disappearance without a word had left scars on Natsu’s heart, that were only visible when he thought that he might lose someone, that he might be left behind again. It was why he fought so hard, why he was willing to risk so much to keep them together, and why their faith in him and his ability to bring about a miracle was a double-edged blade because it meant a lot to the Dragon-slayer, but it also gave him more to lose.

“I know,” Natsu protested, but there was a lack of conviction in his words, and he still wouldn’t look at Gray who sighed, before reaching out and put a finger under the Dragon-slayer’s chin, tilting his head up and around until their eyes met.

“I don’t think you do,” he countered with a sad smile. “Not really, but we can work on that. For now, just promise me that you will be more careful.” It wasn’t enough, but it was all he could ask for right now, and he could see the relief in Natsu’s eyes as he nodded a quick agreement and he bit back a sigh,

One day Natsu, you’ll believe that we’re not going to disappear on you too...

  "I know I can change" – Sarumi

    Yata wasn’t sure when the feeling of betrayal, the rage – fuelled more by hurt than anything else – had started to recede after Fushimi had left HOMRA. It felt as though it should have taken a lifetime, after all, he had walked away from everything they’d believed in, everything they’d fought for. He’d walked away from him. Yet, it hadn’t lasted as long as he’d wanted. Despite his attempts to hold onto it, to keep the fires burning by forcing himself to remember Fushimi’s smirk as he’d dragged burning fingers across his HOMRA mark, and by reminding himself that it was Fushimi who had chosen to walk away and join SCEPTER 4.

But was it?

   He wasn’t one for self-reflection that often, he preferred to live in the now and not look back. But Saruhiko had always been the one to make him look at things differently, to try and think things through, and he supposed it was right that this wasn’t any different. Unfortunately, that meant that his feelings of anger and betrayal had started to shift and change into something new, but just as raw. And they didn’t disappear completely. There were still moments when he hated him or thought that he did, and wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face and wipe that smirk off his face. But there were more and more moments when he would find himself looking to the side, expecting Saruhiko to be there and having to ask himself why he wasn’t there anymore.

And, was it really Saru who had changed…?

   He wanted to believe that it was, but he wasn’t. He knew Saru, and even though he’d tried to tell himself he obviously didn’t after Saru’s ‘betrayal’ he was beginning to realise that wasn’t true. Hell, Fushimi had tried to tell him why he was doing this, in his own stubborn, roundabout way that made no sense to anyone but him, and if Yata was honest with himself, the reasons and the actions that had followed hadn’t been out of character. He just hadn’t been looking for them, and therein lay the problem.

He hadn’t been looking.

   When had he stopped seeing Saruhiko? Was it when they had first met Mikoto, and he had been entranced and terrified by the sight of that burning bottle? Was it when he had taken the Red King’s hand to join the clan? Or was it all the moments since, when HOMRA had become his everything, and Fushimi…

Saruhiko had been left behind.

   Not intentionally, Yata could never imagine a time when he would have it deliberately, even now when part of him wanted to hate the former-red, but at some point, he had stopped watching, stopped listening. He hadn’t pushed Saru away, but he hadn’t given him a reason to stay either, and that realisation was like a punch to the gut. I was the one that changed, and I didn’t even realise. He hadn’t realised that he’d shouted his epiphany aloud in the middle of the bar, or that he’d left behind a confused group as he’d all but bolted out of HOMRA because he needed to… he wasn’t sure if he could fix this, but he had to at least say something. He had changed once, without noticing, surely he could change again now that he knew what to look for, and it might not be enough, and he doubted that it would bring Saru back to HOMRA, but he had to try and now before he could second guess himself or back out.

Saru, I’m not looking away again…

[nellaesarts]

Fairy Tail & The Paragande Kingdom - Chapter 1

NEXT CHAPTER

X795 - Not far from Magnolia, Kingdom of Fiore

“Pog… Slow down, Pog, I can’t follow your rythm anymore…”

Pog turned and looked at the woman who called out to him. The creature took a few steps back to join her with a worried look. She was looking definitely out of any energy. She was leaning against a tree near by, out of view thanks to the bushes around.

“*Alex… Don’t give up, please… There are only a few kilometers left before we reach a town… I can feel it from here*.” He said with a concerned voice.

The called Alex layed here eyes on her Chosen. A smooth smile appeared on her lips. 

“I’m sorry… I can’t make it, my dear. But you… Fly, my friend. You still have enough energy to run away. So, fly. They will be satisfied with me.”

The magic being launched a desperate look to his Linked One, who quickly sank into unconsciousness. The panic started to reach Pog’s mind. And now ? What should he do ? They were still far from the following town and their pursuers were maybe just a few miles away at most. The little creature curled up against her friend while he started to shake. He might be endowed with some powers, they were particularly useless in this kind of situation… He was unable to give her energy and could do nothing to substitute to a good sleep… So, he could only wait, and hope that Alexandria recharge her batteries before they arrived. He squeezed himself tighter against the girl, enlarging his senses, hoping for being able to feel anyone arriving near them before they could see her. He could maybe protect her at this moment. Eh, if he wasn’t so small. If he wasn’t so weak. But so far away from their original land, in this absolutely unknown country, the future seemed suddenly so dark… The creature ended by letting himself go, simply enlarging his hearing and his perception as far as he can to pick up any presence. He found himself thinking that maybe the future presence could be a helping one, who knows ? 

*****

“Lucyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ! I’m hungryyyyyyyyyyyy why didn’t you want to stop to catch some of these shiny fishes ? They looked soooooooo tastyyyyyyyyy !”

Lucy immediately made a sound between a sigh and a rale at the plaintive voice of the blue Exceed. She turned herself to the flying cat with a slightly bored look.

“I told you we miss time, Happy, she says with an impatient tone. We have to be back at the Guild tonight. 

– But Lucy, I’m hungry too… We really can’t stop ? Insisted Natsu, like he was at the death’s door, launching a begging look to his friend.

The Celestial mage rolled her eyes and accelerate her walk with a sulky appearance, liking better to ignore her mates. Erza, who was walking lightly behind the trio with Carla and Wendy, called out to the salamander and his friend with her usual strict way.

– Shut up, you two ! Lucy already told you that we don’t have the time to stop. We have to come back the faster we can.

– Aye Erzaaaaaaaaaa” answering both Natsu and Happy in the same voice, resigned.

Wendy and Clara maded some amused smiles. These two definitely couldn’t opposing themselves to the Knight Mage, whatever she said.

The team came back from a mission in Bosco’s Country which was a real success. The town where the mission happened was not destroyed this time and they get all the reward back. In fact, that was not new nor an exception, but since some months, the small team really needed this kind of little victories to keep their chin up. Because the absence of one of them was a bit too heavy for them, from now on. By the way, the happiness of the group quickly faded away after the little argument and everyone seemed to sink into their own thoughts.

They continued their walk in silence during some long minutes on this forest road, until Happy’s little voice’s broke this heavy calm :

“Hey… Do you think Gray will be going on a new mission with us soon ?”

The company immediately stopped and all looked at each other with serious eyes. What could they answer to such a question ? Finally, Erza was the one who chose to respond to the Exceed.

“We can’t know when he’ll come back, Happy. The mourning is different for each of us and Juvia’s lost affected him more than anyone else, you know. He could come back tomorrow as in a few months or in some years. Who knows when he’ll feel better about that ?

– Yah I know, but still, that happened many months ago already… 

– STOP !

Natsu’s loud voice suddenly freezes all the group, who turned to him instantly.  

– What’s happening, Natsu ? asked Lucy with a troubled voice. Are you smelling something ?

– Yeah, and I don’t know what it is. That seems like magic, but… That’s a smelI I never smelt before. And that seems to head right to us ! Be careful !”

At his words, the entire group put themselves in fight mode ; Erza’s swords appears in her sides, Lucy brandish Taurus’ key, ready to open his door if needed, Wendy and Natsu raised their fists and the Exceeds chose to go up to check if they could see where the danger could come from. All were ready to fight. During some long seconds, there was absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. Until some little sounds came from the bushes. The group’s members turned themselves to the sounds, and the time seems to go like an eternity. They were all under pressure, waiting to know what was going to happened...What was behind these bushes ? 

The answer had… An unexpected form. Under their astonished eyes, a tiny creature had got out of the bushes. That was a mix between a red panda and a fox, ornamented by some magical symbols on its fur. A strange aura was emanating from it. All the team had put down their weapons at this view, because this creature definitively doesn’t look aggressive at all. 

“Huh… What kind of creature is it ? asked Wendy while she was approaching him. It looks like a magical… Fox ?

– I dunno, but he’s cute as hell ! said Lucy with a bright look. Hello, cutie ! Where do you come from like that ? she continues, while squatting to approach the creature too. 

– Be careful, Lucy, Erza interverned. We don’t know what it is. 

– *I am a Chosen. Are you mages ?*

The group froze. Where does that voice was coming from ? That was like it had resonated directly inside their minds… The first person who asked the question that all have in their minds was Carla.

– What. Was. That ? 

– I don’t know, answered Wendy, that was so strange !

– It looked like it was one of my own thought, but with another voice than mine… added Natsu.

– *Even if the fact that you can hear me is answering my question, I will repeat it anyway, as you seem slow on the uptake : Are you Fiore’s mages ?* pick the voice up again, more insistently. 

Lucy, who seemed to have a moment of clarity, looked at the magical creature, who was looking at the group with an air of defiance. She slowly smiled at him.

– That’s you who talk to us, isn’t it little buddy ? Telepathically ? 

The little creature nodded his head to approve. 

– *That’s it. So ?*

– WAAAAAAAAAH A SPEAKING FOX ! shouted Natsu who looks totally panicked.

– … Come ooooon, Natsu,  reacted Lucy looking at him. We’ve already seen a thousand of unusual or strange things in our life, that’s not a fox who speak to us telepathically which will trouble us, anyway ! That said, she turned herself back to the little ginger and black being. To answer your question, yes, we are mages from this country. We are members of the Fairy Tail Guild and my name’s Lucy. 

– *Once again, I’m not a fox, but a Chosen. That’s absolutely not the same type of creatures, but I have not the time to explain the difference right now. I am happy to have found people who know magic. I’ll not beat around the bush : Mages of Fairy Tail, I need your help as quickly as possible.* 

To this worlds, the Chosen leaned over in front of the group. At this moment, they all notice how exhausted he seems. He was shivering and breathless. 

– But… We are in a hurry and… started Carla. 

– *PLEASE ! I beg you, it’s a matter of life and death !* he insisted, leaned over lower. 

Erza came closer to the Chosen too. 

– Asked like that, that’s OK, little buddy. We will help you. 

Her decision was irrevocable. Lucy launched to Erza a blazing smile, obviously reassured. 

– What can we do for you, lil’ buddy ? If that’s about fighting, I’m all fired up ! said Natsu with an enthusiastic voice. 

– *Well, to start by the beginning, my name’s Pog, and that’s not about fighting, but about helping someone. I’ll lead you to her and we must hurry. We are chased and our pursuers must not be very far.*

– ARE YOU SOME KIND OF CRIMINALS ? shouted Erza who immediately pointed a sword to Pog. He stepped back for a few steps, his ears back. 

– *HELL NO !* he shouted too. *We are fugitives. We fled our country because our king hunt the mages there to take off their magic until they died. The person I asked you to go to help is a powerful mage of our country and I suppose you understand now why we ran away from our land. We came in Fiore to find refuge. Anyway, I have not the time to say more about it now. Alex is in high danger, unconscious and vulnerable. If you don’t believe me and if you don’t want to help me, whatever, I’ll do it on my own, even if that’d be a failure !*”

Pog ended his sentence and was beginning to run away from the group. This scarlet-haired mage had scared him and no, he definitely had no time to lose. Alex’s life was depending on it. He was a little bit disappointed after all. But he knew that revealing where they came from and who they were could cause this kind of reaction. 

“POG, WAIT !”

He was already around tens meters away from the mages when the voice made him stop and turn back to it. He recognized the blond girl who had talked gently to him, Lucy. She catch up to him a few seconds later. 

“Whatever Erza think about it., I believe you. I will help you, if you agree. 

– *Lucy… Thank you so much. With your help, Alex may have a chance to get by.* say the Chosen with a lot of gratitude in his look.

– And where Lucy goes, I go too ! exclaimed Natsu who appeared on the young woman’s side, closely followed by Happy who agreed with a head nod. 

Some moments later, they were joined by the last three members of the team. Erza knelt down to be closer to Pog. 

– I apologize to have react like that, Pog. I feel your distress and I believe you too. So, where’s your friend ? Hurry, lead us to her, I thought that was an emergency, isn’t it ?”

The magical creature made a relieved smile and nodded his head. He signals to the team to follow him and set off in Alex’s direction. His instinct wasn’t wrong, after all, his magic leaded him to some amazing mages, obviously.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WELL WELL WELL.

I have finally made the decision to publish my fiction here too !

Well, I hope you’ll enjoy it, and please excuse my english, as this is not my native language, I have certainly do a lot of errors in the text. I just hope that will not ruin the reading !

See you soon for the next chapter ! :D

[phoenix-before-the-flame]

Haha! It was me all along @phoneboxfairy !

Are you beshooketh?😏😏😏😏

I sure hope you are, and i sure hope that this was worth the wait (im sorry!)

Please enjoy!

Lucy grumbled quietly to herself, the bark digging sharply under her fingertips as she hoisted herself higher up the tree. Her foot almost slipped on a whorled knot that she guessed used to be a branch, snapped by time and sealed shut like an old wound that wouldn't allow her to step on it. 

She did it either way though. Lucy steadied herself with a heart pounding eep! her foot finding purchase on the same spot, stilling in her journey to regain her breath and to keep her heart from climbing any further after the scare. She glanced up amidst the tangles of branches and thick vines reaching down towards her, and clouds of grayed leaves stretching further and further than she could possibly measure. A second sky. The thought made her lips almost quirk, taking note of the scattered slivers of silvered moonlight breaking through.

The bark cracked beneath her palms and her fingers sunk even further in for a hold as the broken pieces trickled away into the still air. She squinted, the moment of reverence gone and she grumbled again, reaching out for the nearest handhold.

Why was she even up here again?

Not too far above a branch shook wildly as something leapt towards Lucy, sending down a shower of leaves to nestle themselves in her hair. Alongside the rest of the leaves she'd gathered along the way. With a light grunt he landed with ease on a thick branch a bit closer to where she was, peering at Lucy owlishly through the gloom from his odd choice of position. He hung by the backs of his knees like it was nothing, barely even swaying in his upsided downedness. The green of his eyes were almost eerie in the darkness as they ran over her unblinkingly. His arms were crossed, head tilted in a silent question of 'you good?'

Right, Natsu asked her too.

It was well after the fire died down yet sleep had failed to claim her, staring blankly up at the  paled clouds of leaves with a blankness on her mind that she couldn't quite place. Which was odd really, her mind felt so full but full of just, nothingness. Lucy's eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion at her thoughts, her attention shifting to the almost empty sleeping bag near her housed by a lone exceed who took it all in tow, sprawled out in content slumber in its center. 

Weariness should've been on her, and it was- a weak thrum in her bones that was all too familiar but it didn't bring with it the calming lull of rest. Something that was happening all too frequently in the recent days. Sad now that she was getting used to it.

She didn't bat an eye when her partner dropped silently down in front of her, already used to his night time wanderings through the trees. It was something he always did during missions, getting a feel of each place and maybe snag a souvenir or two. He'd given her a blank look, though Lucy thought it speckled with concern as he silently pointed above. A second later he was already on the lowest branch, staring down expectantly for her to follow. And she knew he wouldn't budge unless she did.

Lucy fixed him with a slight nod that she was fine but his eyes narrowed disbelievingly, pointedly eyeing the freshly broken branch above her head. 

"Do you need some help getting up Lucy?" His voice bounced around the air, sounding louder in her ears than it should be. "It's kinda a long ways up."

"I can manage just fine Natsu." Lucy responded. She sucked in a deep enough breath and hoisted herself higher, feeling his eyes upon her back as she continued her ascent. Silly as it may be she still remembered his relentless teasing on a mission a few months ago when she needed his help to get down 'cause a bandit left her stuck in a tree. And he still liked to bring it up with an all too gleeful grin. 

So no, she'd make this climb up the tree to see whatever he wanted to show her without help thank you very much. No need to give him more ammunition for future teasings.

Lucy progressed smoothly without any mishaps, the repetitive motions almost calming as they started to come naturally, the crunch of bark under her palms a welcome sound. Natsu hung close from nearby branches, oddly quiet save for the few huffs and grunts between each jump.

He was being so cryptic, it almost had her worried at his silence and pinched brows. What was it he wanted to show her? He'd left the question relatively unanswered, giving her just another silent point to the sky then hopped along.

Treetops. Lucy silently corrected herself. The trees stretched on forever upwards and the forest they traversed through almost endless. She hadn't seen the sky in forever it felt like, only tasting its presence when it broke through the treetops.

Absently Lucy grasped for another handhold, fingers curling tightly on a thick branch that left her hold before she could even pull herself up properly. The arm that snuck itself around her middle was a familiar one, and Natsu snickered at her surprised squeak. "You made it up this far just fine. Lemme take care of the rest of the journey for ya."

Lucy opened her mouth for a quick retort but he cut her off as he easily clambered up the tree effortlessly even with an arm around her, wrapping a vine around his wrist to swing up and higher. They were moving faster than she could on her own and her hands cried out in relief at no longer having to grab at roughened bark. But she still wore a soft pout. He better not use this as fresh teasing ammunition.

A chill rushed over Lucy and she realized with a startled blink that they almost neared the top, the night breeze playfully nipping at her skin. She hadn't felt that in a while. The air on the ground was so still and dead. And as Natsu broke the pair through the treetops, stuffy. Lucy greedily gulped in a lungful.

It was cold, colder than she expected and from below it was a sky but now as her partner helped her up, she saw how far it stretched. The second sky now a sea of trees that seemed to curl into waves the further out it went. 

It was beautiful.

Natsu slipped from her side and she cursed at his warmth leaving her so swiftly. Lucy took a step to follow behind him but almost tumbled face first into the leaves. Then the thought struck her. They were hundreds, maybe even closer to thousands of feet in the air. One wrong step could send her careening wildly to the forest floor. She quickly plopped herself down. Best stay put.

Better instead to watch her partner, better trusting of the trees and bounding across their tops, searching the skies intently for, something up there. Lucy's eyes flitted up. Cignus, Big dipper, Aquila, Orion. Everyone was out tonight with not a cloud in sight for them to shy away.

"There!" Natsu exclaimed, pulling her out of her thoughts with a jolt. He pointed excitedly at a cluster of stars, 14 to be exact that Lucy knew all too well.

"That's it isn't it?" He asked quickly. "Your favourite one right? Cephus?"

"Cepheus, and yeah." Lucy corrected, slightly confused. "What about him?" She stared at him rather blankly and the air turned somewhat awkward. Natsu's eyes roamed her face, finding only blank confusion that made his hand and shoulders fall. He pulled at his scarf.

"Nothing." Natsu said, the nonchalance in his voice painfully obvious. "I just thought it was cool is all." Lucy fixed him with a look, a well honed skeptical one that made him look away sheepishly to the night sky.

"C'mon Natsu, I know you didn't make me climb a tree just to see the sky." Lucy joked, picking at the leaves she was comfortably seated on. "There's always something more with you." Natsu's fingers ran through the tassles on his scarf, a habit he tended to do when he was mulling things over. He gnawed on his lip slightly, brows brought low in thought.

"Not….not this time i guess." He said simply, glancing back at her. A silence floated between his words before he spoke again, pacing atop the treetop. "We've been walking through these woods for days now trying to get to the next town and it feels like forever, and that we're walking in circles and i feel like it's kinda my fault since i made us miss the train and all and well-"

His mouth snapped shut with a sharp click! of his teeth and he shook his head hard to get rid of the rambling thoughts and he sat down.Natsu turned his head to her with fingers still tangled in the tassles and a heaviness in his voice.

" I just felt bad y'know?" He continued quietly. He kept a steady gaze with her but they shook, like his eyes desperately wanted to dart away. "Having ya stuck in these dark woods, and worse you're not sleeping much. It wasn't sitting right with me. And i know that this isn't a fix it to the problem, but if you're gonna be up all night then i made sense to me to at least let you see the stuff you love about it so much?"

Natsu's lips thinned, a tinge of darkness soaking into his cheeks when the last words left his tongue. He finally took the chance to look away, his eyes ducking low. "It sounds kinda stupid now that i said it out loud……" he mumbled.

Lucy watched as he ran a nervous hand through his tousled hair, shaking free the last of the leaves that made home there. And her lips quirked at the sincerity of his words

No. It's not." Lucy mused. "It's really thoughtful of you." Cautiously she stood on shaky legs, not quite trusting the thicket of closely knitted leaves and stumbled closer to him. "It isn't your fault for any of this. And i've just had a lot of…..nothing on my mind to think about. But it's really sweet of you to do this for me."

Lucy plopped down next to him and shoved his shoulder playfully, a relieved smile already growing on his face as he dramatically fell to the side with a laugh. She leaned back on her elbows, gazing thoughtfully up at the clear night sky. The moon was nowhere to be seen and yet, everything was so bright, the stars countless in their neverending clusters and the familiar touch of their light on her skin. She really did miss them.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu piped up beside her. "If you can't sleep again tomorrow i'll carry you up here again. If you want."

"And you won't let me climb up halfway by myself first?" She teased.

"Hey i was gonna carry you up from the get go but i saw that look on your face  and knew you probably wouldn't let me even if i asked you on the ground." He smirked gleefully at her. "Am i wrong?"

Lucy stuck out her tongue at him. "Maybe. But i think i'd like that Natsu. I'd like that a lot."

[loveandlucky]

The Blue Hour

Word count: 832

Mood: Heartache, loss, grief

Ship: nalu (pov is 1st person, Lucy)

The blue hour. That’s what they call the period between dusk and night. The period between night and dawn. It’s a strange time. After the sun has set, after the golden hour, when the world is bathed in a sweet and nostalgic glow, it’s quiet. Somber. The blue sits heavy atop the remaining registers of orange and yellow. I keep waiting for the hour to end. I wait for the hour to move into the embrace of the stars. I wait for the sun to rise again. The hour has turned into days, days into weeks, weeks into months. I don’t think my sun is coming back.

My hands squeezed tighter around the soft fabric. I inhaled, letting the remaining hints of him travel through me. Fire itself doesn’t have an odor, as it turns out. His fire did, though. An oak fire in winter, sweet sandalwood under layers of charcoal, cedar sweeping through a summer breeze. If warmth and love and protection had a scent, this was it. I swallow the thick feeling in the bottom of my throat. I sit up, but gravity threatens to return me to the bitterness of my empty bed. Gravity wins often, but today they won’t. Today I have to return to his house. Today I have to clear it of our sentiments, our memories, our life. 

My window was left ajar, and for a moment my heart quickened as my bangs were swept to the side. Warm fingers have turned into empty breezes. My shoulders lost their posture, and a deep sigh escaped my nose. The blue is heavy.

Natsu is gone. Perhaps that is misleading. I see him in the children who play outside this lonely apartment, in the glint of light that reflects off the stream that passes by. I see him struggling to make coffee without evaporating the water by my little stove. I see him taking food from the fridge when it’s the middle of the night. I see his smile over and over and over. I see him change over the years, but that smile stays the same. These images cut me like a knife. 

My hand reaches for my lips. It’s a reflex that I cannot stop. The kind of reflex your knee has when they hit it at just the right angle at the doctor’s. You try to think so hard about not doing it because you want to believe you’re in control. But your leg kicks, all the same, every time. My fingers do not replace the sensitive brush of his lips. The same lips that told her how nice she was when they first met and told her again when she asked why she was on the team. The ones that asked her to join Fairy Tail, and asked her why she was so weird. 

I let out a strange sound, partially a sob, partially a laugh. 

“Lucy, are you okay?” 

I cleared my eyes within a second and turned to face the blue cat that had glided into the room. “I’m alright. Were you okay sleeping there for the last time?”

Happy set himself lightly upon her comforter. “I missed Natsu. But I missed you, too. I don’t want to sleep without you again,” he paused, turning away. “I got scared...that you...you would…” the words trailed off, and I felt my heart break.

I turned the cat around and pulled him into my chest, unable to stop the tears I desperately tried to hide before. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m still here.” My throat constricted as I choked out those few words. Happy relaxed slightly but continued to sob into my sweatshirt. 

I managed a smile. “Let’s go fishing today instead. It’s been…” since he died. “A while. I bet you’ll catch so many fish!” 

Happy immediately looked up, his eyes already showing a glint of starlight at the mention of his favorite snack. The cat then looked to the scarf next to my pillow. He looked back to me, the question wrapped in his expression.

“Of course we will.” I pulled on a pair of shorts, tying my hair up for the first time in days. I grabbed the bag of supplies, and a small paper fell from inside.

My eyes widened, and my hands shook as I picked it up. 

Hi Lucy. Remember an extra pair of underwear. You fall in every time and yet you’re never prepared. PS: I have a little job before I’ll join you and Happy, but save me some breakfast, ‘kay? If you eat it all, that’s ok too. Natsu

Happy peered over my shoulder at the handwritten note as I covered my quivering lips with a free hand. Happy laughed through his tears. “You do fall in every time!” 

I let out a giggle, and it spilled into a burst of sputtering laughter that nearly split my sides. 

My skin relaxed with the morning light’s touch. The brightness crossed the paper, sweeping over my fingers. 

Dawn.

[superfreakerz]

Lightning

Hello! This is for the Nalu Playlist event for @dabneelandheartfilibruh Basically we made something inspired by a song so that at the end, we’ll have a playlist that gives us nalu feels! :) Go check out everyone else’s too!

“Lightning”

Rated T

Summary: She was lightning, impossible to catch. But he only wanted her.

Inspired by Lightning by Alex Goot

Lightning

Over a year had passed since the battle with Alvarez. A much-welcomed peace settled over Fiore as the nation scrambled to pick up the pieces. Everyone in Fairy Tail was still trying to adjust to the calm state of the world, something that they weren't used to considering they were always caught up in some sort of trouble. Now that they weren't busy fighting for their lives and going through emotionally scarring events, they had all the time in the world to delve into things they didn't usually have the chance to.

Natsu gazed across the guild to the bar where Lucy sat. With her chin propped on the palm of her hand, she leaned forward as she chatted to Mira. She was adorned in a typical miniskirt and crop top combo, her golden hair tied into a high ponytail. His fingers itched to run through it, knowing each strand felt like silk.

Those who knew Natsu knew that he wasn't much of a man with words. He'd much rather fight some dark mages than sit down and have a real conversation about his feelings. It was awkward and put him in a state of vulnerability he wasn't comfortable with, which was why he never acted on his feelings towards Lucy.

He knew it. The guild knew it. Hell, even Lucy probably knew it deep down. The whole world knew how he felt about Lucy.

Natsu Dragneel was in love with Lucy Heartfilia.

He'd only said it once aloud when he had a heart-to-heart with Gildarts after he went on his training trip. Even then, he could barely get the words out. His throat tightened, his face was set ablaze, and he couldn't stop fidgeting.

Since then, Natsu had buried those feelings to the depths of his being, hoping that he would never have to act on them. He loved his friendship with Lucy; he wouldn't want to risk it. However, his feelings for the blonde hadn't gone away, even after being separated for a year. And after everything with Zeref and Acnologia, they were only stronger and harder to hold back.

Now, after nearly dying a few times in their last battle, Natsu was actually wishing for some change in his relationship with Lucy. After her party when she won an award for her novel, Natsu was sure that things were going to evolve between them. She had just woken up after a drunken night and made it seem like she was going to confess. He followed with what he thought was appropriate. He leaned in for a kiss.

Only to have her freak out.

After that blow to his esteem, Natsu changed route and they never brought it up again.

Lucy wasn't ready for that step. She was shy when it came to romance, only able to indulge in it when it was between fictional characters. When it came to herself, she became a blushing, sputtering mess who stepped back rather than dive in.

Natsu wanted to wait until she was ready to make a move.

And it was tearing him apart.

Natsu thought he had lost Lucy in their last fight. He had woken up to find blood smeared over her face and her heart still. That was a big slap in the face that he needed to act on his feelings before he lost her.

But how long was Lucy going to need?

"Just make a move already, flame brain," Gray said. In all honestly, Natsu forget he was there.

"You don't know what you're talkin' about," he replied, turning his gaze towards his frenemy.

The other boy rolled his eyes. "There's no point tryin' to hide it. Just go tell her."

Natsu gazed at Lucy while she chatted to Mira. He wished that she would turn her head and give him one of those bright grins that lit up the whole room, or to call his name with her angelic voice. But that wasn't how their relationship worked. They only looked at each other when the other wasn't looking. They were constantly dancing around their feelings.

With a heavy sigh, Natsu stood up from the table.

"I'm headin' home. See you later," he told Gray. He didn't even bother telling Lucy or Happy that he was leaving. With his head hanging lower than usual, he was out the door, sure that his absence went unnoticed.

Natsu plopped on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. There wasn't anything for him to do when Happy or Lucy weren't there. Still, he needed to get away. He was tired of drowning in his thoughts about Lucy, all the while ogling her from afar.

He considered taking a nap, about to head to the bedroom when he heard the front door creak open. Expecting it to be Happy, he lifted his head with an apology at the tip of his tongue for leaving without telling him. The words died in his throat as he took notice of who was standing at the doorway.

"Lucy?" he called out, jolting into a sitting position.

The girl smiled at him, making his heart soar. He wondered if she knew just how powerful her smile was. It was so calming, able to bring Fiore's rowdiest dragon slayer to his knees. He was wrapped around her finger, and she probably didn't even know it.

"Hey, Natsu," she replied, moving to sit next to him on the couch.

Natsu inhaled deeply, indulging in the girl's sweet aroma. He was grateful she stopped wearing those strong perfumes she wore when they first met. He loved her natural scent.

"What're you doin' here?" Natsu asked after snapping out of his trance.

"That's what I was going to ask you," Lucy replied, tilting her head to the side as she studied him. "You left the guild so suddenly, and you didn't even tell me you were leaving. I was worried."

Warmth flooded through the boy's body as he swallowed thickly. Being around Lucy was so hard when she said those kinds of things so naturally. His heart threatened to beat right out of his chest, his cheeks burning red.

"You noticed?" he asked.

Lucy arched a brow. "Of course I noticed. Are you okay, Natsu? You've been quiet all day, and you're usually never quiet." She scooted closer to him, their thighs flushed together as she gently pressed her hand to his cheek. "Your face is all red. Are you sick?"

Natsu stared into her eyes. They were filled with such concern. And her warm hand, so soft against his cheek; his mind felt like it was short-circuiting from the simple touch.

His hand moved on its own, sliding over hers and squeezing it gently. His keen ears took in the quiet inhale from the girl in front of him as he watched her eyes widen. Her cheeks turned pink. Using his other hand, he brushed a lock of her hair behind her face, his eyes drawn to her plump lips.

Nothing could compare to her. Not other girls, not fighting, not even magic. With her golden hair and her electric brown eyes, there wasn't a thing in the world that could hold a flame to his best friend. She was up in the atmosphere while everyone else was down on Earthland. She was lightning, impossible to catch.

But he only wanted her.

"N-Natsu?" Lucy choked out, her voice hushed.

A shiver ran through him as he watched her lips move as she said his name. He loved hearing her speak his name.

"You trust me, right?" he asked, meeting her gaze. Fire burned deep within his onyx orbs as he gave her hand another gentle squeeze.

Lucy only nodded in reply.

"You know I'd never do anything to hurt you," Natsu said, leaning slightly towards her. He knew he had to move slowly, lest he scare her off. She was like a deer, easily frightened when it came to stuff like this. He pressed his forehead against hers, her breath fanning his face. "I just need to try something."

He slowly leaned closer to her, his lips dangerously close to hers. He watched as Lucy's face was set ablaze and he could feel her fidgeting as he inched closer. Part of him told him to stop. The other part, the part that wanted all of her, told him to keep going.

He listened to the latter part of himself.

As his eyes slowly began to close, the last thing he saw was Lucy's mouth parting. His lips brushed against hers, a shiver running through his body. Her lips were soft, just as he pictured. Since she wasn't pushing him away or running off screaming, he ventured deeper, pushing his lips harder against hers and molding them together. She didn't move at first, but eventually, he could feel a slight pressure against his mouth.

Their movements were sloppy, both of them being inexperienced, but they soon got the hang of it. Natsu cupped the back of Lucy's head and pulled her closer to him. His body felt like it was on fire as he kissed her. He could actually feel her lips moving with his.

Lucy's arms snaked around his neck as she repositioned herself against him. Her legs wrapped around his torso as she sat on his lap. She tilted her head, allowing him access to venture deeper into her mouth. A low growl resonated in his throat as he lightly tugged on her lip with his teeth before he pushed his tongue inside her mouth. He could faintly hear a startled squeak from Lucy, but instead of pulling away, she relaxed into him. His tongue swept through her mouth before finding hers. He pushed his tongue against hers, both of them finding a rhythm they could agree on.

Eventually, they broke apart, both of them gasping for air as they caught their breath. Their faces were flushed with heat as they studied each other. Natsu took in the hazy look in her eyes before moving his gaze down to her lips. Pride swelled in him as he could make out a slight swell of her lower lip.

"W-What was that for?" Lucy asked. Her voice was airy and alluring, almost driving him in for another passionate kiss.

Natsu shrugged. "I guess I just couldn't wait anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Lucy, I've been chasing after you every day, tryin' to make it obvious how I feel. I think you and I both know we aren't just friends, and I don't wanna act like we are anymore. I want you, Lucy. I want all of you. And I know I said that we'd be together forever, but I can't wait for forever to come anymore. Watching you every day, it's tearin' me apart."

His heart felt like it was going to thrust out of his chest as he waited with suspense for Lucy's reply. He had no idea what she was going to say. Sure, they shared a kiss, but was that enough to get her to take the next step? Or would fear wrangle its way around her heart and keep her from diving in?

Finally, a smile broke out over Lucy's face.

"I'm tired of waiting too," she said. "I've wanted this for so long. But I thought after my party, you didn't want to take things further between us."

"I only backed off because you were freakin' out about it," Natsu replied with a smile. He took her hand in his. "I wanted to wait for you to be really ready. So, are you ready?"

Lucy nodded, the blush on her face deepening. "Yeah, I am. Are you?"

A chuckle slipped past his lips. "'Course I am, weirdo."

"So… It's official?"

"Yeah. It is," he answered, squeezing her hand. "Should we tell the guild?"

"Oh hell no. Not yet. Not until they suspect we're never going to happen so that none of them win from their stupid betting pool. They deserve it for making a bet around our lives!"

Natsu laughed, looping an arm around her shoulder. "Sounds good to me. Anyways, I'm starving. Wanna go back to the guild and get some food?"

"Sure!"

As Lucy moved to get up from the couch, he wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her towards him, crashing his lips against hers in a chaste kiss. He pulled away with a mischievous grin, proud at the blush he caused to spread across her cheeks and the hazy look in her eyes.

"Let's go!" he exclaimed, heading to the door as Lucy chased after him, smacking his arm once she caught up. It was then that he knew that their relationship wouldn't change. Sure, they'd share kisses when no-one was looking, but they'd goof off just the same.

Natsu slid his hand in Lucy's. Intertwining their fingers, a jolt shot through his body at the fact that he could now do that whenever he pleased. It was official. He had done the impossible.

He caught lightning.

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

Are you still taking requests in your inbox? If you are could you please do #29 “don’t ever do that again” for nalu I need some angst in my life lol

Hi! I hope the beginning is angsty enough for you! You know I can’t end on a sad note! I guess this is a kind of modern-ish FT City Hero sort of thing. I hope you like it! :)

Nalu: “Don’t Ever do that Again”

           “Lucy!!!!” How long had he been searching? He feltlike it had been hours, maybe even days, but he knew that the explosion hadgone off only minutes before. “LUCY!” The smoke and dust made it hard to see.The firemen had said that most everyone who was in the building probably wereburied under all the rubble. The way they had said it made Natsu nauseous. Theyhad said it without looking into his eyes. They had said it… like there was nochance they’d bring anyone back alive. But I’m not going to think like that!He knew Lucy wasn’t dead. She was fine. She was fine. She has to be…fine.

           Just on the other side of all the destruction, Natsu could make out volunteers andfirefighters carefully removing rubble. He had been searching, for any sign,that Lucy was alright, that there were survivors. Please. He paused,frozen, above a particularly large pile of bricks. There… He reacheddown and plucked out… her new hair clip. It was cracked now. He had just boughtit for her today—for their first anniversary. The design, the pearls and goldroses, were stained with blood.

           Natsu’s hands started shaking. N-no. No. He couldn’t breathe. Not… not Lucy!Not my Lucy! Tears welled up in his eyes. I should have stopped her! Shehad seen the fire from the street.

           “N-Natsu! That’s HQ! Oh my god! Everyone working today…!” She had run before he couldeven stop her. He had tried to go after her—tried to grab her—but the momentshe entered those doors the entire building rocked with an explosion, knockinghim off his feet.

           Seconds later, he was struggling to pull open the doors, blocked from the firstexplosion, when someone screamed. There had been another shuddering BANG, andthe entire building collapsed.

           Now,Natsu couldn’t contain himself, he collapsed to his knees, clutching the hairclip with both his hands. “LUCY!” Involuntary tears spilled over, rolling offhis eyelashes, and down his cheeks. “LUCY!” He was going to find out who didthis, find out who was responsible for this, and make them regret ever beingborn.

           “Natsu!” A familiar voice. Natsu glanced up. Gray was waving at him from the other sideof the site. “Natsu! We found them!”

***

           Natsu stayed with her. When they pulled Lucy’s battered body from the rubble. When theylifted her into the ambulance. When the rushed her out, into the hospital. Hestayed with her. Every breath he took was a prayer that somehow she would beokay, that somehow they would make it out of this together. He stayed with heruntil they took her away, to surgery. And even then, he didn’t dare leave thewaiting room. The whole time, clutching her new—now mangled—hair clip like itwas a good luck charm. A good luck charm. I should have given it to herbefore they took her away.

           What seemedlike hours later, he found himself sitting with her at last, clutching her bruisedhand, tears still stinging the corners of his eyes. “It’s gonna bealright, Lu. It’s gonna be alright.” But he didn’t know if she could hear himor not.

           “Natsu,” Erza was in the doorway. She looked exhausted—still in uniform. How long hadshe been helping the firefighters pull everyone else out?

           “Erza,” he frowned. “You look…”

           “Terrible, I know. So do you,” she paused, her eyes flicking over Lucy, “You should tryand get some rest.”

           “Youknow I can’t.” He shook his head.

           “Justtry and get some sleep, Natsu, okay?”

***

           Natsu woke to a familiar humming. He was sitting, his upper body draped across soft blankets.Someone was playing with his hair. He groaned, sitting up. He was sore all over,from what? Panicking yesterday? Lucy! He jumped, glancing over whereLucy was propped up in bed. She offered him a smile.

           “Goodmorning!”

           “G-goodmorning?!”

           “I’msorry, I woke you, didn’t I?”

           “Youalmost died!” She blinked, and then glanced down at the hairclip in her hand.Did she slip it out of my hand while I was sleeping.

           “I…know. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t leave the others in there…”

           “Whatwould I do without you?” He said, reaching out to touch her hairclip. “Ithought… I thought…”

           “Natsu,”Lucy smiled, leaning forward to clip the gold and pearls in his pink hair. “You’dbe you. Brave.”

           Hefelt his cheeks flush. “You were the one who was brave, Lu, you rushed into theburning building—not me.”

           “Iguess you’re right.” She smiled, poking his cheek. “You look cute.” Natsufrowned, and stood, leaning over to pull her into a tight hug.

           “Ow,careful, Natsu!”

           “Sorry…sorry… I just…” He pulled away, just barely, to look her in the eyes. “Don’tever do that again, okay?”

           Shesmiled a little, “Okay.” Then she burst into laughter, “I can’t take youseriously with that hair clip in your hair!”

           “Awcome on! Take it off. It’s yours not mine!”

           “Alright,alright.” Lucy gently unclipped it from his hair. “Hey, Natsu?”

           “Yeah?”

           “I’msorry I scared you. Do you forgive me?”

           “Youknow I love you too much to stay mad at you,” he grinned.

           Lucylaughed, resting back against her pillows, “I love you too, dragon.”

Thanks for reading!

Buy me a coffee? :)

[artinandwritin]

Fairy Tail Next Generation (my personal view)

Yesterday, I talked about my view on the next generation of How To Train Your Dragon. Today, I do the same, but with Fairy Tail.

Some names for the kids, like Storm, Reiki, Sylvia and others are from tumblr-user kkumri, so the rights for their names go to them! Next to that, Nashi is already sorta canon, so I’m not gonna argue with that.

The Dragneel Family (Natsu and Lucy):

Nashi Luna Dragneel is their first born child and oldest daughter, born in the year X797. She uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, is a mage of Fairy Tail and a member of Team Nashi. She is is more mature than her siblings, but also quite violent and doesn’t think things through. Looking more like her father, people are almost forced to call her “the Second Salamander”.

Lucas Igneel Dragneel is their first son and second child, born in X799. Although he uses Celestial Spirit Magic, he also has his fair share of Heat Resistance. He is a mage of Fairy Tail and a member of Team Star-Struck. He is rambunctious and a joker, often getting attention for one or more of his actions. He shares a close bond with Charlotte Conbolt, trusting each other above anything else.

Layla Ashley Dragneel, their third child and second daughter, is born in X801 and uses Sound Magic and Thought Protection. She is, like her siblings, part of Fairy Tail, and she is a member of Team Sound. She once was close with her older brother and the daughter of Wendy and Romeo, but after an accident involving the two they grew apart. She is more like her mother, although she doesn’t forgive others as easily.

The twins, Spirit Aquarius Dragneel and Igneel Jude Dragneel are born in X816, a long time after Layla’s birth. They were unexpected, but loved by all. Spirit uses Moon Dragon Slayer Magic, while Igneel uses Sun Dragon Slayer Magic.

The Fullbuster Family (Gray and Juvia):

Storm Silver Fullbuster is born in X796, a year before Nashi. The two are close, but fight a lot. Storm uses Ice Devil Slayer Magic and Water Magic and is a member of Team Nashi. He is quite the depressed thinker, often staring into the void - and the void stares back. However, he isn’t as emo as he thinks.

Sylvia Ur Fullbuster and her twin brother, Rin Yuki Fullbuster, are born in X799, in the same year as Lucas. Sylvia uses Water Devil Slayer Magic, Rin Archive Magic and Memory Control. Both are part of Team Sound. Rin and Lucas are best friends since birth, often telling each other their secrets or having a “men’s night off” (all they do is watching sappy movies and eating ice-cream). As his best friend, Lucas is the only one who knows about Rin’s crush on Rosemary Fernandes. Sylvia, however, shares too much information. She has the habit of stripping others - mainly males - and loves to write down love stories.

The Fernandes Family (Erza and Jellal):

Reiki Simon Fernandes is born in X795 and is a former member of Crime Sorcieré, now in Fairy Tail’s Team Nashi. He uses Heaven God Slayer Magic and is, like his mother, an S-Class Mage. He is the most mature, but also the most shy member of the next generation. He is seen as one of the most powerful people in Fairy Tail, often going on dangerous missions and taking risks.

Rosemary Strawberry Fernandes is born in X800 and Sylvia’s best friend. She uses Heavenly Body Magic and is a member of Team Sound. She is a warrior by heart, but often blunt and careless about the feelings of others, what makes her seem arrogant. However, she wishes best for her friends and family.

The Redfox Family (Gajeel and Levy):

Emma Ellie Redfox is born in X794 and is a long-time S-Class mage. She uses Iron Dragon Slayer Magic and is a part of the S-Class team, Team Strike of Lightning. She is a playful, but mature person who tries to help others with all her might. She is extremely close to Nova Dreyar and her foster brother, Kurai, and has trusted them both with her crush on Reiki.

Shutora Gale Redfox and Yajeh Metalicana Redfox are born in X799 and form Team Iron Destiny. Shutora uses Solid Script Magic, while her brother uses Sandstorm Magic. Yajeh is the more calm one, while his sister is more of an emo person, often joking about dark stuff. Both were close to Sylvia, but once the girl started crushing on Yajeh, the three grew apart.

The Dreyar Family (Laxus and Mirajane):

Nova Jane Dreyar is born in X794 and is part of S-Class team, Team Iron Destiny. She uses Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic and is very close with Emma and Kurai. She is strict, sometimes scary, but as she’s often on dangerous missions with her friends, it’s not often seen as something bad. Nova has a major thing for Kurai, but is too afraid to express it.

Rai Makarov Dreyar, born in X798, is a member of Team White Destiny and the greatest confidor of Fay Strauss, his cousin. He uses Take-Over Magic and Memory Make Magic, making him one of the strongest of the next generation. However, he is clumsy, shy and a real sweetheart - causing Layla to fall for him.

The Conbolt Family (Romeo and Wendy):

Charlotte Grandeeney Conbolt is born in X801, uses Sky Dragon Slayer Magic and is a member of Team Star-Struck. She is very close with Lucas, them having been friends since her birth. Both of them share a lot with each other, trusting the other with their deepest secrets. Charlotte is one of the sarcastic members of the next generation, but also easily scared and with zero confidence. Lucas refers to her as “his girl” more than often.

Aeros Peter Conbolt is the twin brother of Grandeeney Juliet Conbolt, who died quickly after their birth in X807. Aeros is scarred by this, often hearing his sister’s voice when it’s quiet. He uses Dark Magic and is not yet in a Guild. He is a little bit dark at times, but otherwise a normal kid.

Rowan Sky Conbolt is born in X813 and is about to use Rainbow Fire Magic like his father. He is a cheerful child, in contrast to his older siblings. He absolutely adores Lucas, and wants to play with him as soon as he walks into the house when he hangs out with Charlotte. Lucas, in return, loves his girl’s baby brother and acts like a big child around him.

Kurai’s Situation (Mavis/Mio and Zeref/Arius):

Kurai Hikaru Dragneel is born in X794, to Mio and Arius, aka the reïncarnations of Mavis and Zeref. However, issues happened, and Kurai was left by the door of Fairy Tail, with the only not being: “Please take care of our little Kurai”. He was adopted by Gajeel and Levy, raised alongside Emma. He turned out to love science, having a lab of his own. He is pretty cheerful and very good at observing and taking situaties into his own hands.

Happy and Carla’s Family:

Cappy and Ami are their only children, born in X808. Cappy is best friends with Nashi and almost exactly like his father, while Ami is on Team Star-Struck with Lucas and Charlotte and is more mature.

I have other couples’ kids listed, but it would take a very long time to write down all of them. So, here’s the list of the children I skipped over:

Otoko Strauss (Elfman and Evergreen) Fay Strauss (Elfman and Evergreen) Weiss Eucliffe (Sting and Yukino) Tora Eucliffe (Sting and Yukino) Kage Skiadrum Cheney (Rogue and Minerva) Zeri Erza Cheney (Rogue and Minerva) Cornelia Yosuko Alberona (Cana and Bacchus) Hebi Kya Suru (Erik/Cobra and Kinana) Amaru Ren Suru (Erik/Cobra and Kinana) Moran Shi Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna, deceased) April Saisho Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) David Banme Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Ebony San Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Ayame Yui Akachan (Bickslow and Lisanna) Chirasu “Chira” Justine (Freed) Isaac Connell (Alzack and Bisca) Lyre Ultear Vastia (Lyon and Meredy) Kai Gray Vastia (Lyon and Meredy) Sora Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Akio Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Miyako Tearm (Eve and Sherria) Amy Akatsuki (Ren and Sherry) Kenji Akatsuki (Ren and Sherry) Hiroki Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Kiyoko Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Michi Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Haru Lates (Hibiki and Jenny) Tsuki Mayonaka (Macbeth/Midnight and Sorano/Angel) Akeno Mayonaka (Macbeth/Midnight and Sorano/Angel) Catrin (Millianna and Shô) Felina (Millianna and Shô) Hayai (Jet, adopted) Atsui (Droy, adopted) Brannie Alors (Max) Koa Rocko (Laki and Warren) Nico Gryder (Mest and Katja) Lahar Gryder (Mest and Katja) Kioku Lore (Rufus) Safaia E. Fiore (Hisui and Arcadios) Delphinus (Aquarius and Scorpio) Carina (Aries and Leo/Loki) Lupus (Aries and Leo/Loki) Orion (Aries and Leo/Loki)

[wildest-dreams-at-midnight]

Safe

Summary: This is my idea of what should have happened in chapter 23 of 100 Year Quest. If you wanted a more emotional Nalu scene this is for you. Spoilers.

Playlist: Darkside-Alan Walker, Dark Side-Kelly Clarkson, Let Your Tears Fall-Kelly Clarkson, Squeeze-Fifth Harmony

As soon as the water dragon god was defeated Wendy had rushed to heal Lucy and Natsu. Lucy reluctantly let go of Natsu so Wendy could heal the burns on her face, arms, and chest. Natsu was still breathing hard and Lucy could imagine his expression: wide eyed, breathing hard, and in shock. His arms had gotten completely destroyed and that scared Lucy. Natsu wasn't supposed to get burns from fire. Especially burns that bad. She couldn't forget the fear that she felt when Natsu had taken Ignia's fire. When Erza and Gray had started cheering, Lucy felt caution and worry. This fire had felt more threatening. Natsu's fire was destructive. Obviously. But this had been different. She had never been worried about his power going out of control. Which was clearly what happened. There was no way Natsu would risk her getting hurt, or any of their friends really.

Wendy had moved to Natsu and was healing his arms. Natsu looked down and saw the skin start to knit together. He compared the feeling of being possessed to when he transformed into END, when he thought Lucy was dead during the fight with Alvarez. But he had been in control of his power. This had been overwhelming. This was the first time he had experienced being burned by fire and it was something he never wanted to experience again. His breath was leaving him in gasps and he was kneeling on the ground, staring at nothing in particular while he tried to get himself together. Once he was able to breathe regularly again, he felt something that he figured was heartbreak.

Igneel had had a son. And he never knew. Natsu was sure the dragon had his reasons for not telling him but some part of him felt betrayed. Then he wondered how that tied in to Zeref's plan for the four other dragon slayers, then he shook his head. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to let memories of Igneel be tainted by this feeling. He slowly got up and turned around. Lucy was smiling but she looked tired. The others all looked relieved and he sighed. He ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"You have nothing to apologize for Natsu," Erza comforted and Natsu just nodded.

He spent the rest of the day putting on the front of being carefree and unaffected. He didn't want to worry the others after what he already put them through. When the others were setting up camp, he slipped off with Happy and went to sit on the edge of a cliff overlooking the city that was celebrating and rebuilding. "I can't remember anything after I ate that fire," Natsu said. He was talking to Happy, but it didn't really seem directed to him. He was still staring straight ahead.

"it was awesome!" Happy replied. Natsu didn't agree. Feeling out of control but having no memory of what you did, especially when you hurt one of the people you swore would never get hurt again, was not awesome.

"Did I say anything weird?"

"Kind of, but you also said things you normally say." Natsu was quiet.

"I see." Then he got hit on the head.

"Don't just say 'I see'," Lucy yelled. He looked up at his best friend and felt guilt form a lead ball in his stomach.

"You burned me!" Natsu moved to lift her shirt off but she slapped his hand away. "It's fine now thanks to Wendy."

"Lucy was the one who stopped you," Happy said and Natsu sat up again. He vaguely remembered someone wrapping their arms around him. Of course, it was Lucy. That just made him feel worse. She had hurt herself trying to help him. He couldn't even control the element he had been trained to deal with. He clenched his fists and felt the same sort of self-loathing he had felt after Future Lucy and Igneel had died. How was he still not strong enough? He got down on his knees in front of Lucy.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. Lucy looked away.

"It's ok, really."

"It's not though! I hurt you!" He gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted to take that fire, but everyone had been telling him too and it was the only way to win that fight. Now he wondered if it was worth it. If he had known how this would have turned out things would have been different.

Lucy could tell he was upset, he knew that. She sat down on the grass next to him. "It's not your fault." Natsu turned around and stared at her. How? How could she say this wasn't his fault when he clearly couldn't control himself, or his power? Her faith in him was absolute and at this moment, he felt that it was misplaced. "You did what you had to do and you saved the town. That's all that matters."

"Not if I hurt the people I care about," he argued. Then he sat and faced forward again. Lucy grabbed his head so she could look him in the eyes.

"I don't blame you, so you shouldn't blame yourself." Natsu didn't say anything and Lucy placed a hand on his back for comfort. He turned to face her and dropped his head to rest below her chin. Her arms wrapped around him, providing the comfort that he desperately needed right now. Natsu felt tears well up in his eyes and he squeezed them shut, to stop the tears from falling. Lucy was murmuring words of reassurance that it wasn't his fault, that she wasn't angry. At some point he felt a weight drop on the back of his head. Happy joined in on the reassurance and Natsu gave a small smile. He was safe.

@loveandlucky​