This is the epilogue for Warrior Watchers. We've gone on quite a journey and it all ends here. I hope you've enjoyed taking this journey with me. I'll see you at the end.

ETERNAL EPILOGUE

Several Years Later…

"Shut up, stupid raindrop," the young girl yelled into the phone. I pulled my head out of my workshop to watch as my nine-year old daughter chatted with her best friend/future boyfriend/kid I would burn alive someday. She was getting worked up, too, from her tone of voice. "Starburst is such a lame insult, puddle. It's a delicious candy!"

"Nashi, what did I say about screaming on the phone when daddy's in his workshop. He might blow up the house again, and then we'd have to deal with Ultear's ridiculous repair bill." And there would be Lucy.

Explanation time! You're probably just a little lost since the last thing I told you about my story was me and Lucy sharing a kiss on the beach. Since then, we'd gotten married (going on ten years now) and had a daughter who we, obviously, named Nashi. Lucy's writing career took off, too, and her books sold like hotcakes every year. In the meantime, I established my own business. I could no longer make fire, but I could still eat it, which meant that when I went into the fireworks business, I had no problem if an invention blew up in my face. Together with Frosty (who'd made an ice cream shop for year-round) it meant that we dominated any of Fiore's national holidays. As for what Lucy said…okay, I might've blown up the house once…or three times. Doesn't matter. Ultear offered a fully comprehensive repair service right from her wheelchair.

"Sorry, mom, but Plat's being wishy-washy, as usual," my daughter snarked. I love her so much. For the record, Platinum, or Plat for short, was Gray and Juvia's son. He and Nashi have the kind of relationship that Gray and I still have, which causes Lucy no end of grief. "Yes, I'm talking about you, storm drain, and yes, I'll make sure to bring it. No, you hang up first." I would guess that Plat hung up first because Nashi held the phone away from her ear. "That was easy."

Man, I can't wait for the day he starts putting the moves on my daughter so I can scare the crap out of him. At this moment, Lucy emerged from our bedroom looking as sexy as ever. Ten years and my blonde bombshell of a wife has still got it in all the right places. Seeing her all dressed up reminded me suddenly that we had somewhere to go.

"Natsu, Nashi, get your stuff, we have to go," she called, grabbing our car keys, as well as her celestial gate keys. I stepped out of my workshop and paled at the thought of entering that wicked contraption. Since Nashi had inherited my motion sickness, she did, too.

"Do we have to?" we asked simultaneously.

"Yes, we have to. This is a big day for Uncle Sting and Auntie Yukino," Lucy said, ruffling the top of Nashi's head. Nashi frowned before looking at me. I could do nothing but frown, myself, and shrug to indicate that all of this was out of my hands. Lucy could be more of a force than Erza when she wanted to be. "Now, come on, you two. Stop being a big baby."

That was the end of that argument. Dejected, the two of us followed my lovely wide out of our house and into the family car. It was a comforting sight every time I stepped outside to see the house that I had grown up in. Of course, thanks to Lucy's writings we also bought her family's old manor and used it as a summer home. Other than that, we really liked to live simply.

"I wish Auntie Wendy was here," Nashi complained as she strapped herself into the backseat. "She can at least make the stupid family motion sickness bearable."

"Well, Auntie Wendy will be there today and she'll be making sure you're on your best behavior," Lucy said with a look to the both of us. Sadly, I think she really did expect me to misbehave. Not surprised since I'd yet to confront Romeo about the article in the entertainment section of the paper last month.

Lucy pulled out of the driveway and I curled my legs against myself to stop the puke. The only way I was going to survive this was through thinking about something else. The familiar scenery of Magnolia transitioning over to New Magnolia helped in that immensely, bringing back memories of that final battle. The world had changed since then. With the eradication of the Balam Alliance, the world became far more peaceful. The Alliance broke apart, since there was no more need for it. Of course, public opinion of the wizards was still frayed at the edges. Some of the more fanatical individuals went on practical witch hunts. They seriously didn't know what they were getting into. For the most part, the world was pretty accepting of wizards and there was even a sudden influx of magic users that had concealed their powers. This made things crazy for a while.

Eventually, Doranbolt formed what he called the Magic Council with the help and dedication of Princess Hisui and the Colonel Arcadios (whose surprising impending nuptials were announced two years later). Makarov actually stepped down as principal of the Academy, along with Jura, to become a part of this Council. Their duties were pretty much unneeded, but it did stabilize a pretty chaotic world. Mostly, the Council dealt with finding children (or even adults) of magical talent and sending them to Magnolia Academy. This was to help them gain control over their powers and soothe the fears of the populace. This wasn't today magic was a bad thing all over; a lot of people found it handy in their daily lives.

Perhaps the biggest duty of the Council was keeping their eyes and ears on Zeref at all times. After all, before that battle with Grimoire Heart, he had lost his memories. Regaining them sucked for everyone. In any case, they were able to always note that there was no change in Zeref's memories. He had gone on to live a simple life as a philosophy professor at a university in Crocus. His course was about life and death, in favor of life. Ironic. I never saw him all those years, though. It was for the best.

"We're here," Lucy announced. I rolled out of the car and kissed the sweet ground before kissing my sweet daughter who was doing much the same.

"Natsu-san, you're here!" I looked up at the sound of Sting's voice and saw him grinning at me in front of the steps. My gaze went a little upwards to see the words "Dragon Watchers' Home for Orphans" on an arching plaque. It made me smile as I walked over and hugged Sting. He hugged me back and I felt his cool prosthetic arm, though it no longer looked fake thanks to advancement in technology.

"Wow, Auntie Yukino, your stomach can't get any bigger!" Nashi blurted out. She's definitely my daughter. "When's my cousin gonna be born?"

"A few weeks at most," Yukino commented, lightly hugging Lucy. For your information, Sting and Yukino had had an on and off relationship since high school. None of us were surprised when they finally tied the knot last year and now a kid was on the way. It was just another in my long line of nieces and nephews…sort of. Lucy and Nashi grabbed Yukino and helped her back inside the building.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Sting asked, that same old grin on his face. My brother hadn't changed. "Had a lot of help from Gajeel's corporation, and getting some permits was tricky, but it finally worked out."

"I gotta say, Sting," I started, slinging an arm around my brother's shoulder, "I'd have never thought of turning the old facility into a home for orphans. Good on you."

"Just seemed like the right thing to do," Sting chuckled out. "I mean, taking a place where we had bad memories as orphans and making it a place of joy for others was natural. And this way, we won't ever forget."

"That's true," I said. I would never forget that final battle or the cycle that had preceded it. That was part of the reason that I was scared when the seven-year mark rolled around again. When nothing changed, I breathed easier.

"Hey, let's get inside. Everyone but Wendy's already here," Sting said, leading the charge back into the orphanage. The sounds of kids playing could be heard and I smiled as Sting led us to a massive dining room where a food spread was laid out.

"Natsu, I'm glad you're here!" called Erza's voice and I felt my head smashed against a rather spiky set of armor. "I wanted to remind you about some firework regulations."

"Lay off him, Erza," Jellal sighed out with a glass of wine in his hand. When Erza looked ready to argue, he took his wife by the hand and steered her away. Jellal and Erza were currently the new chief of police and the head detective of Magnolia's Police Department. Doranbolt had set all of that up for him. Usually, I'd get tons of complaints about my fireworks, but the Fernandez family always made them go away…after a lengthy lecture from Erza.

"'Bout time you showed up, Flamesilocks," Gray snapped, coming over to fist bumped me. Juvia was busy scolding both Nashi and Plat for fighting again. It ended up involving Lucy when Plat, who took after his mother, tired to turn into water to escape before Nashi whacked him on the head. The argument ended with Lucy handing Nashi the key to summon Aquarius and the two ran off. We were all gonna die, because Nashi had inherited Lucy's magic.

"When has Salamander ever been on time," Gajeel said with a smirk.

"When did you start wearing suits to family gatherings?" I asked straight back.

"Since I had real business meetings," Gajeel answered. That was a typical response for Gajeel, who was now the very well known CEO of Metallicana Metalworks Inc. Levy was still, somehow, married to him and working as a part-time ambassador to the Magic Council. They'd already had three kids, and all but their youngest had taken after their mother.

"Gajeel, all of us are in business," Rogue commented, walking over quietly. "You're not the only one who rakes in the cash. We just haven't gone national."

"Your loss," Gajeel answered, popping a meatball, metal stake and all, into his mouth.

"Rogue, you only rake in the cash because Frosch is such an adorable mascot for a pet shop that no one ever says no to it," Gray noted. Rogue looked a little smug at that.

"And Minerva's a shrewd and natural-born saleswoman." Don't ask me about those two, because none of us are quite sure what Rogue and Minerva have ever become other than boss and employee.

"Fro thinks so too!"

"Frosch, come play with us!" All of our eyes were drawn to the pair of kids that were tugging on Frosch while dragging Lector. It was so popular that even the kids wanted to play with it. Lily was the more intelligent, hanging in midair above the children before they managed to pull Frosch away.

"Rogue…" I froze, and so did the others, before we turned to see Mira smiling sweetly behind him. She was sweet on the outside, but pure demon on the inside. "Just what is your relationship with Minerva?"

"Um…I…"

"They went on a date last week, but are still unsure whether they actually want to date," Erik answered, still invading our privacy. He was also on the police force with the rest of the Oración Seis.

"All right, Mira, that's enough. Let's go," Laxus said, grabbing his own wife and steering her away with a look that told us to leave. That was a good plan. And yes, Laxus was now the headmaster of Magnolia Academy. The door to the front suddenly opened and I tore my eyes away from Laxus, Mira and the Thunder Legion's new conversation.

"Hey guys, we're here!" called Wendy's voice from the foyer. "Sorry we're late, but Flare was sick and we had to drop off Chelia and Meredy. Traffic was a nightmare. Oh, thanks Romeo."

"Romeo…" I growled, my own voice matching with those of my brothers as Wendy and Romeo both came into view. Romeo looked ready to wet his pants. "Is there a reason we found out about your engagement through the tabloids and not directly."

"Busy schedule?" That answer wasn't good enough and we started cracking our knuckles. Then we saw Wendy's face and the death glare she was sending us. We stopped.

"We had an incredibly busy tour in Bosco. There wasn't much time to breathe, much less write. I still don't know how Chelia persuaded me to do all this."

Wendy, now a full grown adult again, was part of an unflappable idol duo with Chelia known as "The Sky Sisters". Romeo served along with some other former Alliance members as agent and manager. Meredy and Flare had also joined the team as visual effects producers. In the last few years, they had gained immense popularity amongst teenagers, particularly at Magnolia Academy, which is why the new of Wendy getting engaged to Romeo was hardly a surprise.

"Aye, maybe she bribed you with fish."

"Oh, Happy, you're the only one who dreams of fish…but I guess it can't be helped."

"Hey, Happy, no greeting for your best buddy. I haven't seen you for months since you've been on tour with Wendy and Carla." Happy turned away from Carla.

"Oh, yeah, hi, Natsu." That was cold, but not unexpected. Happy and Carla, the mascots of the Sky Sisters, had become just as popular, which meant their relationship was all over the papers, too. Even if Carla didn't want to admit that it was one. "I'm gonna go see Nashi. Bye, bro!"

I would have retorted, but Sting was currently clinking a glass. "Hey, everyone. I'd like to thank you all for joining me and my wife on the grand opening of the Dragon Watchers' Home for Orphans. Also, I'd like to propose a toast to friends and family far and wide…and, in memory of Fried Justine. Without his sacrifice, we might not have been here today. That's why, I'm dedicating this building to him, on the anniversary of his death. For Fried."

"For Fried," we all concurred and then we drank. The room then descended into chatter. I took part in a few conversations but eventually had to use the bathroom. When I was returning, I caught sight of Nashi playing with a bunch of kids from the orphanage. I smiled at it, remembering my times with Igneel. My reverie was quickly interrupted by Lucy.

"Feeling okay?" she asked.

"Never better," I told her. "Just reminiscing, actually."

"You miss him? Igneel?" It was the same question she'd asked on our wedding day.

"Not as much. Honestly, right now, you and Nashi are all that matter…and that includes the fact that Plat is too close to her. Gray, I'm going to kill your son before he and my daughter get any closer!" Like always, that sent the place into chaos. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I had seen a dragon all those years ago, all right. But for the first time, at that moment, I didn't regret a single moment since.

THE END

Author's Note: Well, we've reached the end at long last. This took a really long time…Anyway, now that we've reached the end I have to ask what you think and, how I did on my characterizations the whole story over. really, I have to ask why so many people dropped this story. What was it about it that made them do so? I will have to consider things for the future. Anyhoo, be on the lookout in the future for my one shot and Musical Notes. Also, for my FMA series fans, expect TO STOP A KILLER soon considering I have four chapters written. Anyway, until we meet again, please leave a Review, and, for now and forever,

Dare to Be Silly,

Epicocity