Poisoned Destiny

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Change

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Infirmary Room, 8:35 pm

The guild hall had emptied for the night, but soft whimpers were still heard from inside. Laying on a bed was Natsu Dragneel, dark bags under his eyes and sweating profusely. Standing above him was Porlyusica, shaking her head before turning around and walking out of the room.

"How is he?" Makarov asked as his old friend closed the door.

"Well, he'll live." She told him. "But he won't be able to move for at least a week. The antidote to the venom needs to run its course."

"I see." Makarov sighed. "He was so looking forward to participating in the S-Class trials this year."

"Makarov, what happened to him?" Porlyusica asked. "Normally this boy can burn off any poison. But this one, he couldn't. Why is that?"

"Come with me." Makarov turned and walked up the stairs, the healer following behind him. They walked up the stairs behind the bar to a small room. Sitting on the bed in the room, crying, was a twenty year old girl with purple hair.

"This is Kinana." Makarov told the healer. "I sensed a spell outside the guild one day, and when I walked out, I found a small snake. I undid the spell on it and it transformed into her. We've kept her here as a bar maid, and there's been no incidents, until today. Just before Natsu left for home, I saw Kinana's eyes change before she walked over and bit Natsu on the shoulder."

"And that's why he's sick?" Porlyusica asked, reviving a nod from the master. She walked over to the other girl and raised her chin so she could see Kinana's face. "Well, her eyes are normal now. Do you remember anything?"

"Y-yes." Kinana cried out. "I bit Natsu."

"Don't worry, he'll live." The healer told her before turning to Makarov. "But make sure he doesn't move for a week. That means no jobs, and no S-Class trail."

"I understand." Makarov told her as she left the guild hall. "We leave for Tenrou Island tomorrow. Kinana, I want you to watch over Natsu while we're gone."

"Me?" Kinana was shocked at the masters request. "Master, no. There has to be..."

"Relax." Makarov told her in a firm, yet gentle voice. "There's no one more qualified to watch him. Think of it as a way to make up to him. Besides, we'll only be gone a few days at most."

"I understand, master." Kinana said as she layed down on the bed and went to sleep.

The Next Day

Noon

"Uh..." Natsu groaned as he opened his eyes. "My head..."

"Hello, Natsu." The pinkette turned his head to see Kinana at the door. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Oh, hey, Kinana." Natsu said. "I slept fine last night. I just hope I can get better before the trails."

"Natsu, the trials are today." Kinana reminded him.

"I know." Natsu told her. "But I'm hoping that gramps will hold it off until I get better."

"Natsu, they already left." Kinana told him.

"What?" Natsu started to sit up. "Gah!"

"Natsu!" Kinana ran over and layed Natsu back down. "You can't move. Porlyusica said it'll take a week for the medicine to run its course."

"I worked so hard this year." Natsu complained to the purple haired girl. "I can't believe that they just left me. Wait, medicine for what?"

"Um..." Kinana began going over ideas in her head. "A rare breed of snake bit you two days ago and you've been ill ever since." She looked down and saw the depressed look on Natsu's face. "If it makes you feel any better, your spot didn't go to waste. Jet took your spot and brought Droy with him."

"That does make me feel a little better." Natsu chuckled. "I can just imagine those two fight Erza or Gildarts. Where's Happy? I wanna talk to him."

"Sorry, I think he left with Carla and Lily." Kinana told him. "I heard her say something about a vision." She stood up from the bed and brushed herself off. "Can I get you anything?"

"Maybe some water?" Natsu asked, and Kinana left to get his drink. 'Well, there's always next year. Wait, if Gray gets promoted before me, I'll never hear the end of it.'

One Week Later

"I'm back, baby!" Natsu shouted as he kicked down the door into the main hall. "Happy, we're going on..." He stopped talking when he noticed the tone of the room. Nobody was smiling, they were just sitting around tables with a tone of despair. "Whoa. Come on guys, who died?" His word sparked a storm of cries and tears.

"Natsu..." He turned to the bar to see Kinana standing behind the bar, slowly wiping a mug. "Everyone died... During the trials, Grimoire Hearts showed up and attacked. After they beat them, Acnologia showed up and destroyed the entire island! The only reason we know this is because the council had a spy in the guild!" She broke down and started crying into the mug she was cleaning.

Natsu's eyes went wide. Everyone was dead, even Gildarts and Gramps. But what really scared him was Acnologia. Igneel had told him about the black dragon and even though he was a little kid, he could tell Igneel was warning him not to face the creature. He looked around again and saw people crying harder.

Natsu marched over to the stage and jumped up onto it. "Knock it off!" He shouted, causing the entire guild to look up at him. "Do you really think this is what they want, moping around and crying!? No, they'd want us to get stronger so this would never happen again. I don't know about you, but that's what I plan to do, because I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!"

His words struck deep with the guild and hope began to stir within the members as they stared at Natsu.

"He's right!" Laki stood up from her chair. "We can't just sit around here! We have to show the world that we're still as strong as ever!"

"Yeah!" Bisca and Alzack both stood up at the same time.

"This really gets my old blood boiling." Wakaba said as he lit his pipe.

"Alright. We're back in action!" Macao stood up. "The first order of business is appointing a new master."

"I think we all know who it has to be." Max said as everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone looked to the stage at Natsu.

"Me?" Natsu asked. "No, no I can't. I'm not worthy."

"What are you talking about, Natsu?" Romeo spoke up from next to his dad. "You just inspired the whole guild when we'd given up hope. You're the heart the guild, and the strongest member here. No one's more qualified than you!" The whole guild started agreeing with the child.

"Well..." Natsu thought for a minute before flashing the guild his signature grin. "I guess I'll give my best shot." The whole guild started shouting in joy. "Now, WHO ARE WE?"

"WE'RE FAIRY TAIL!" The whole guild shouted back at the new master.

5 Months Later

Five months passed rapidly for the revitalized guild. Natsu was busier than ever with the new responsibilities as master, as well as his new training regimen. The members were busier than ever, going on jobs whenever they could. At the bar as always was Kinana, cleaning some beer mugs for Macao and Wakaba for a celebration of a successful job.

"What do you two have to drink about?" Natsu asked as he walked down the stairs from his office.

"A successful job, master." Macao answered as Kinana brought the two their glasses.

"I keep telling you, when I'm in the guild I'm just Natsu." Natsu reminded the two as they clicked their beer glasses together. He looked up at the stage to see Alzack and Bisca walking onto it.

"May I have your attention everyone?" Alzack asked and the whole guild quiet down. "I wanna share an important moment in our lives." He turned to Bisca and grabbed her hands. "Bisca, we've known each other for years. And even though we've only just started officially dating, I don't wanna waste another second." He dropped to his knees and pulled out a small red box. "Bisca Mulan, will you marry me?" He opened the box, revealing a golden ring.

Bisca had tears in her eyes as she brought her hands to her mouth. "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!" She jumped him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The whole guild cheered for the newly engaged couple. Alzack was about to put the ring on Bisca's finger when the guild doors slammed open.

Standing in the door way was a twelve year old boy with spiky blonde hair and a scar on the top right of his face. He was wearing a white shirt underneath an orange vest, blue shorts and sneakers. Behind him was a red Exceed in an open blue vest.

The boy walked in confident and the cat walked close behind him. "Excuse me, where is the Salamander?"

"Yo." Natsu shot his hand up at the mention of his nickname. "Can this wait a bit, kid? We're celebrating an engagement."

"My name's not kid. It's Sting." The now named Sting pointed to the cat behind him. "And this is Lector. I'm a dragon slayer."

The entire guild hall stared at the young boy's declaration. Another dragon slayer, just like Natsu. Speaking of Natsu, he walked forward so the two slayers could look at each other.

"So, you're a dragon slayer too, huh?" Natsu asked as he kneeled down to look Sting in the eye.

"Not just A dragon slayer!" Lector spoke up for the first time. "He's a true dragon slayer. He was trained by a dragon AND had a dragon lacrima infused in him. Plus, he killed his dragon!"

The guild hall was shocked at the revelation, but Natsu was taking it worse than the others. "You killed your parent?" He asked with his head lowered, letting his hair block his eyes.

"That's right." Sting said. "And I promised Lector I'd beat the strongest dragon slayer in Fiore. So, what do you say, Salamander?"

Everyone waited for Natsus answer, hoping he'd outgrown his headstrong personality as master. "I accept." Natsu looked up at the young boy. "On one condition." The whole building was still with confusion. "If I win, I get to ask you one question."

"I accept." Sting declared. "So is there a place we can fight?"

"Out back, by the beach." Natsu suggested as he rose up and started to walk to the back.

"Natsu, are you sure about this?" Kinana grabbed his arm as he walked past the bar. "I mean, he said he killed a dragon."

"Trust me, Kinana. I'll be fine." He told her as she let go of his arm. The entire guild followed the two slayers to behind the cliffs the guild was built on.

"Come on, Sting!" Lector cheered. "You can do it!"

"That little fellow is quite fond of you." Natsu said as his mind flashed with images of Happy before he turned to Sting. "I expect you to go all out."

"You got it." Sting closed his eyes before slowly opening them. "White Drive." His whole body became cloaked in an aura of light before dropping into a fighting stance. "Here I come, Salamander. Dragon Slayer Secret Art..." He began to gather a large amount of light in front of his fist before rushing forward. "...Heavens Judgement: Holy Nova!" He swung his fist creating a massive explosion of light.

Everyone on the sidelines covered their eyes from the explosion. The light soon faded, revealing Natsu holding Stings hand. "My turn." Natsu grinned as he cocked his other fist back. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" With that one attack, he launched Sting back into a tree, defeated.

"Sting!" Lector grew his wings and flew over to his friend. "I don't understand! You killed a dragon. How could you get beat by this guy!?" He cried as he landed beside the blonde.

"Cause he didn't really kill his dragon, did you Sting?" Natsu asked as he walked over to the two.

"Right." Sting confessed to everyone. "Weisslogia let me kill him. I don't even think I could beat him at full power." He looked down at Lector. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Lector. I don't deserve to be your friend."

"Don't be stupid." Both looked up to see Natsu standing above them. "Who cares if you killed a dragon or not? That has no effect on your friendship. As long as you care for each other, you'll be friends." He kneeled down and put his hand on Stings shoulder. "And you're not weak. Your real strength comes from your friends and you just proved how strong you are to me." He stood up and offered Sting a hand up. "Join Fairy Tail, and you'll be stronger than you could ever hope to be."

Sting had tears in his eyes as he took Natsus hand. "Thank you, master." He cried as Natsu pulled him up.

"Alright, we've got ourselves a double party!" Natsu shouted. "One for the two new members, and one for the future of Bisca and Alzack. Let's get to it!"

The members cheered as they ran back to the guild hall to celebrate.

Five Years Later

(Everyone in their post-time skip outfits, unless I say so.)

Five years had passed for the guild and it was better than ever. First of all, Alzack and Bisca were married within a month of the engagement and had a child, little Asuka. She wasn't the only new member of the guild. Romeo had followed in his father's footsteps and joined the guild.

The guild hall had been redone and was now three stories tall. In the basement was the storage area and a magic training room, complete with a sparring ring and a firing range. The first floor held the bar, the stage, infirmary, and the games from downstairs. On the walls were the normal and S-class jobs, the latter of which could only be taken with one of the four S-Class mages; Laki, Alzack, Max, and Sting. The second floor held Natsu's office and his living quarters, where he spent his time improving the guild in any way he could. The final floor was Natsu's favorite. It was an indoor garden with a view of the ocean. Engraved on the walls were the names of the fallen members.

The guild doors swung open and Lahar walked over to the bar. "Excuse me, where is Master Dragneel?"

Kinana looked up from underneath the bar. "I think he's downstairs training. Wait right here." She walked out from behind the bar and down the basement. She looked over the railing to find Natsu and Sting sparring in the ring, with Lector on the sidelines. "Master, the council is here."

Both combatants stopped and started walking over to the stairs. "Are you coming with us, Kinana?" Natsu asked as they passed each other on the stairs.

"No, I gotta restock some supplies for the bar." Kinana said. "But I'll be right back up soon."

Natsu and Sting walked up the stairs and stood across Lahar. "Good to see you, Lahar. What brings you here?"

"The council has decided that a certain prisoner is ready to renter society." Lahar explained to the master. "They want your guild to be the one to keep an eye on him." He raised his hand and guards left to bring in the prisoner. "I believe you may know him." The doors reopened, and the guards walked in with a chained and ragged Cobra.

"Salamander..." Cobra gritted out.

"Cobra." Natsu responded before looking back at Lahar. "He'll be in good hands." The council worker nodded before turning around and walking out of the guild hall. The whole guild stared in silence before Natsu walked over and smashed the cuffs holding Cobra. "Welcome to the guild, Cobra."

"What makes you think I'm gonna stay here, Salamander?" Cobra asked as he moved his wrists.

"Cause if you don't, you're gonna go back to prison." Natsu stated as he heard footsteps coming up from behind the bar. "Kinana, we got new member. Get the stamp out."

"Sure thing Natsu..." Kinana started before looking at Cobra. She dropped her box of glasses and dropped to the ground, shaking.

"Kinana, what's wrong?" Natsu ran over to the barmaid, only to be shoved into the wall by the girl as she stood up.

There was a dark aura roaring off the girl as she opened her eyes, revealing reptilian slits. She walked to the bar and grabbed a pencil before walking to the second-generation dragon slayer. Cobra was confused as the barmaid walked passed him and started writing on the wall. "Is this a normal thing her to do?"

"I haven't seen this." Sting stated as Kinana dropped the pencil before falling backwards, unconscious. Cobra, on instinct, caught her, and his mind was flooded with images of his time with the Oración Sies, but the weird thing about was that he could see himself.

'What the?' Cobra thought to himself before looking at what Kinana wrote on the wall, and his eyes went wide.

"What the heck did she write?" Laki asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"I don't know." Natsu said as he walked over to the wall. "I've seen a lot of writing styles in my studies, but this is totally new to me."

"It's Nirvit." Everyone looked to Cobra, still holding Kinana. "The language the Nirvits used when they still lived. Brain forced us to memerize it when we were looking for Nirvana. How does she know it?"

"She has a name." Natsu growled at the lack of respect shown to his friend. "It's Kinana."

"So, what does it say?" Lector asked.

"It's just the same thing over and over." Cobra told them. "Worth Woodsea. That's where we had our little war, Salamander."

"The name is Natsu, master to the rest of the world." Natsu told the maroon haired slayer. "Well, the council never caught Brain. Maybe he's up to his old tricks again." He turned around to face the guild. "Alright, first thing tomorrow, me, Sting, and Cobra are gonna head there and try to figure this thing out."

"Why me?" Cobra asked.

"Consider it your first mission in Fairy Tail." Natsu walked over to him and took Kinana from his arms. "Plus, if you're involved in this anyway, you won't be able to hurt anyone here. Macao, give Cobra his mark and then some decent clothes." He walked into the infirmary and shut the door. He laid the girl on a bed and pulled up a chair. 'You stayed by my side. Now, I'll stay by yours.'

The Next Day

Kinana groaned as she woke up. 'My head is killing me.' She looked around and noticed she was in the infirmary. 'Why am I in the infirmary?' She looked over to the side and saw Natsu sleeping in a chair next to her. She chuckled at the irony of the situation. Five years ago, she stood by his because she caused him harm and now, he's staying by hers because she's his friend.

Natsu began to stir in the chair and Kinana realized just how close she was to him. "Huh... Oh. Morning, Kinana."

"Morning, Natsu." She said, quickly pulling herself back. "What happened yesterday? The last thing I remember was seeing some man, and then everything went black."

"You entered some kinda trance and wrote something on the wall." Natsu told her. "The man, Cobra, is our newest member. He was a dark wizard from the Oración Sies during the Nirvana incident. He realized that it was the language of the people who made Nirvana. It translated to Worth Woodsea, so that's where, Sting, Cobra, and I are headed." He got up to pack when Kinana grabbed his sleeve.

"Please, let me come with you." Kinana begged. "This might be the only thing that will help me with my amnesia. Let me help you."

"I can't convince you to stay, can I?" Natsu asked before receiving a nod from the bar maid. "Alright, let's get packed, then."

"Kay." Kinana stood up and followed Natsu out the infirmary.

"Laki, I need you to watch the bar." Natsu told the maker mage. Nobody needed to ask why. They knew Kinana would demand Natsu to take her with him if there was a chance to regain her memories.

The two walked up the stairs and began packing for the trip. Once finished, they walked down the stairs to find Sting, with Lector on his shoulder, and Cobra waiting by door.

Cobra had discarded the rags the council had him wear for a new look. He wore a red sleeved cloak with a light grey trim and a blue sash for a belt. Underneath it was a pair black pants and dark grey boots. "Why is she coming with us?" He asked eyeing Kinana.

"She's got amnesia." Natsu explained to the new member. "So, she wants to know why she knew how to write in Nirvit. Is that a problem?"

"Just make sure she can take care of herself, 'master'." Cobra sneered the last word out. "I don't want her to hold us back." He slung his bag over shoulder and began walking down the stairs.

"Ugh." Sting groaned as he walked along side Natsu and Kinana. "Why did you let him into the guild, master?"

"Something Makarov told me once." Natsu told the third gen dragon slayer. "Yesterday's enemies are tomorrow's friends. Plus, if we left him to the council, he'd never gotten out."

"Do you really think they would do that?" Kinana asked.

"Yes, they would!" Cobra shouted. "I can hear you, remember? So quit dragging your feet and let's go!" The other three rolled their eyes as the group walked to the train station. Once at the station, they ordered their tickets and boarded the train and once the train started moving, Natsu and Sting were trying to keep their breakfast down. "What's wrong with them?" Cobra asked.

"Motion sickness." Kinana said as she and Lector rubbed Natsu and Sting, respectively. "How come you aren't affected?"

"Don't know." Cobra said shrugging his shoulders. "Never really had that trouble. Always had Cubelious with me to ride."

"Cubelious?" Kinana raised an eyebrow. "Was she an Excced?"

"No, she wasn't a damn cat." Cobra growled out. "She was the only friend I ever had. After Nirvana fell to ruins, she just disappeared. Haven't seen her since." He looked out the window as the scenery rolled by. "She's out there somewhere, I know it."

Kinana smiled softly when an imaged flashed into her head. A young boy was staring at her, but the angle was upward and behind him was stone structures and wooden support beams. 'What was that?'

The train stopped at the destination of the group and Kinana dragged Natsu off the train while Lector did the same with Sting.

"Ahh, sweet solid ground!" Natsu shouted to the sky.

"No matter how strong we get, this is still our greatest weakness." Sting muttered as he pulled himself up to his feet. "Come on, let's go."

The group was about to walk to the carriage stand when Kinana dropped her bags, catching the others off guard. "Kinana, what's wrong?" Natsu put his hand on her shoulder and the girl looked, revealing reptilian pupils before turning around and sprinted into the woods. "After her!"

The others ran after the bar maid turned renegade runner into the Worth Woodsea, jumping over roots and smashing through branches until they caught up the girl. "Kinana..." Natsu panted as the group stopped at the edge of a ditch.

"Huh?" The purple haired girl turned around and looked at the group in front of her. "Why are you guys so tired?"

"You... took off... into the... woods, so... we... ran... after you." Sting panted out as Lector flew up to the group.

"I did?" Kinana asked. "I don't remember doing that..."

"How could you not remember that!?" Cobra asked enraged as he walked over. "Look, girlie. I don't know what's in that head of yours, but..." He stopped when he looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Lector asked as they over the edge, finding a place all too familiar to Cobra.

"This was our base when we were looking for Nirvana." Cobra stated. "Only members of the Oración Sies can get here. How do you know about this?"

"I... I don't know..." Kinana responded.

"We'll figure it out later." Natsu told them as he walked over to the edge and looked down. "Right now, we need to get down there. Lector, can you carry Kinana down there?"

"You got it, Master." Lector grew his wings and carried Kinana down to the bottom while the three dragon slayers jumped down.

"There's nothing here." Cobra stated. "I'm pretty sure the council would have picked this place clean."

"You sure about that?" Natsu asked as he stood up. "These prints look pretty fresh to me. They lead this way." He lead the group over to a cave all too familiar to Cobra. "Isn't this were you guys where hiding during the war?"

"Yeah..." Cobra nodded as he looked around at the dead candles strewn across the room. "Some of these look like they were lit last night." He said as he picked up the nearest candle.

A rumbling noise caught everyone's attention as the cave shook. Before anyone could say anything, the ground beneath them vanished and the group fell through the floor.

"Lector!" Natsu shouted as he fell next to Sting and Cobra. "Grab Kinana!" The Excced did just that and flew Kinana to the ground. "Sting! Remember the trick I showed you?"

The blonde nodded as he swung his arm and a whip of light wrapped around a stalactite. His decent slowed as he created a second one that grabbed Cobra. Natsu did the same thing with fire and the two extended their respective whips until they reached the ground.

The second Sting reached the ground, Cobra punched him in the face. "If that ever happens again, grab me first! Got it!?"

"Why would I do that!?" Sting shouted back. "You're the one who let us fall into this place! Hell, I bet this all a part of your plan! You lead us somewhere far away, and then you kill us and run away!"

"Do you really think I would go to all this trouble just to kill you!?" Cobra asked as he slammed his head into Stings like Natsu and Gray use to do. "If I wanted you all dead, I would have killed you by now!"

"Well, then how do you explain this!?" Sting asked as he pushed back. "We fell into this hole when you picked up that candle!"

"ENOUGH!" Both looked over to Natsu, who had an angry look on his face. "Now is not the time for arguing amongst ourselves." He walked over to the two and looked over to Cobra. "Look, Sting isn't wrong to be suspicious of you considering your past,..."

"Ha!" Sting pointed at Cobra.

"...but Sting, you have to be more trusting of him." Natsu continued. "The past is the past, and we have to look forward. He's a member of our guild now so you have to treat him like anyone else, that means putting his life above yours."

Cobra looked at Natsu with a confused face. "Why the hell would he do that?"

"Because that's what guild mates do for each other." Natsu said as he put his hand on the second gen dragon slayers shoulder. "We would gladly give our lives for our friends, no matter what."

"Yeah, well..." Cobra shoved Natsu's hand off. "That's not how my old guild worked..." He looked down as he thought back to Brain blasting him in the back. "So, where are we?"

"Beats me." Natsu looked around. "But I'm pretty sure those aren't natural." He pointed to the stairs wrapping around the wall. "Someone made those stairs and I bet if we wait, we'll find out who."

"Um, master..." The slayers looked over to Lector on the ground. "Where's Kinana?"

"What are you talking about, Lector?" Sting asked. "She's right next to..." He looked up, expecting to find the girl next to his friend, but only found air.

"Where is she?" Natsu asked as the three looked around.

"She went that way." Cobra caught their attention and pointed to then doorway next to the bottom of the stairs. "I can hear her footsteps."

"Let's go." Natsu said as he ran after the barmaid. The others followed him through the twisting path until they reached the purple haired girl. "Kinana!" Natsu shouted as he reached the bar maid.

"Natsu?" The girl turned around to face the slayers. "Did it happen again?"

"Yeah..." Sting said as he looked around. All around them where the ruins of an old town that had been buried underground.

"Brain never told us about this." Cobra said as he stood in awe.

"That's because you weren't privy to that information." All looked forward to see Brain standing on a cliff ahead of them. Behind him was some kinda of alter. "Nice to see you again, Cobra."

"Brain..." Cobra looked up at the man who tried to kill him.

"So, this is where you've hiding out all these years." Natsu said to the former dark guild master.

"Is that what you think I've doing, Salamander?" Brain raised an eyebrow. "Hiding? No, I've been biding my time, doing research. And wouldn't you know, I've found what I've been looking for. A new way to rule this world."

"How so?" Natsu asked.

"A power more destructive Nirvana." Brain said. "And unlike that failure, all I needs to do is sacrifice someone I know and I will be able to control it." He looked over to Cobra with wicked intent.

"Forget it, Brain!" Cobra shouted at his former master. "After what you did to me, I'd rather die than help you."

"I wasn't talking about you." Brain sneered as he looked over to Kinana. "Perfect, seems you've returned to your true form."

"What are you talking about?" Kinana asked the dark skin wizard. "I don't know you!"

"That's where you're wrong." Brain chuckled out. "See, when I took Cobra and the others out of that god forsaken tower, he had a little snake with him. I sensed a spell on it, but I thought it would be useful not to undo it." He looked back at Cobra, whose eyes were wide as he figured out what Brain was saying. "Looks like someone undid it for you. At last, you can hear you beloved Cubelious."

Natsu and Cobra looked at the girl in shock. For Natsu, it was due to the fact that the snake that bit Erza and nearly ate Happy was working for the guild the whole time. For Cobra, it was because he didn't recognize his own friend.

Kinana dropped her knees and held her head as the memories flooded back to her: the tower, killing wizards alongside Cobra, biting Erza, fighting Natsu and Happy, slithering away after Nirvana fell, being found by Makarov. She gasped in horror at her own past. "It... It can't be true..."

"I'm afraid that it is." Brain told the girl. "And now, you're going to help me again." He held up Klodoa and the same energy hand that grabbed Wendy grabbed Kinana by the leg and pulled her towards the dark wizard.

'Is this it?' Kinana asked herself as she tried to punch the hand. 'I finally learn about my past, and now I'm going to die because of it?'

"Let her go!" She looked up at the three slayers charging their respective magics.

"White Dragon Holy Ray!" Sting crafted a ball of light that burst into hundreds of light arrows that flew towards Brain. "Lector, grab Kinana!"

"Right!" Lector ran over and started pulling Kinana's arm.

"I'm not gonna lose my only friend after I just found her! Poison Dragon Scales!" Cobra swung his arm and flung dozens of scale shaped poison masses at his former master.

"She's a member of our guild, regardless of her past. We're not gonna let her die! Fire Dragon Ember Shot!" Natsu ignited his fists before repeatedly punching the air, launching fireball after fireball at the enemy.

Brain merely smirked as the attacks drew closer and closer. "Now!"

"Dadasu Turn!" A voice shouted before a large figure landed in front of Brain and kicked the attacks back at the wizards. Sting was bombarded by the deflected flames, Cobra by the light, and Natsu by the poison. The figure stood up, revealing a large blue skinned man with a little doll on the cross straps on his chest.

"Excellent work, Kain." Brain complemented the man as he looked down at Lector. "Now, crush that pathetic cat!"

"Yes sir, master, sir." Kain jumped down and rolled into a ball, ready to crush the cat. His body glowed before it was coated in iron.

"Lector!" Sting quickly ran over to his friend and prepared his attack. "White Dragon Iron Fist!" He punched Kain with spell similar to Natsu's and launched him away from Lector. "I've got this, master." Sting told Natsu before running back to Kain.

"Master?" Brain looked at Natsu. "That's right. Your friends died five years ago. Interestingly enough, Kain was there when your friends died."

"What?" Natsu growled in anger due to the disrespect towards his friends. Before he could continue, he dropped to his knee from the deflected poison.

"Brain!" Cobra reacted first and jumped towards his former master. "Poison Dragon Spiral Jaw!" He flipped upside down and began spinning with poison empowered feet.

"Golden Shield!" A new voice shouted and blocked Cobra's attack. "Now, come forth! Sacred Guardian Beast: Belcusas the Thunderclap!" A black mass rose above the figure and a large creature manifested, punching Cobra to the ground. The new man moved the shield, revealing silver pompadour hair and a pair of sunglasses.

"Cobra, meet Rustyrose." Brain said as Rustyrose adjusted his glasses. "Your superior from Grimoire Heart."

"I will kill you, Brain." Cobra growled out.

"Not likely, my little garter." Rusty jumped and wings materialized on his shoes. "I do hope you can put up more of a fight than that bumbling oaf from Tenrou Island."

"Bring it on, punk." Cobra stood up and his magic flared, destroying his sleeves and revealing not only dragon like arms, but his guild mark on his left shoulder in purple.

"Gahh!" Natsu coughed up saliva as dark bags appeared under his eyes. "Damn it, not again."

"What's wrong, Salamander?" Brain asked sarcastically. "Feeling sick? That makes this all the easier. Dark Capriccio!" He raised his other hand and fired a green and red stream of darkness.

Natsu mustered his strength and jumped out of the way as the stream tore up the ground where he was. "Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu unleashed a torrent of flames that meet the beam and a battle of power ensued.

"Lector, please!" Kinana begged the Exceed pulling on her arm.

"I'm trying, Kinana." Lector's feet were dragging in the dirt, but he was trying his best to pull her away from Brain's spell. He opened his eyes and saw something gleaming nearby. "Hang on, I'll be right back." He let go and ran over to a pile of dirt.

"Hurry!" Kinana pleaded as she grabbed a rock sticking out of the ground.

Lector reached the pile and began digging through it. 'Where is it? Where is it?!' Lector screamed in his head as he chucked a stone to the side. 'I just saw it!' Finally, he found a broken sword and pulled it out of the pile. "I'm coming, Kinana!" He shouted as he sprouted his wings.

The bar maid looked up at the Exceed with wide eyes. "I don't want my leg cut off!"

"What?" Lector looked confused. "No, I'm gonna try and cut the hand." He explained as he landed and started hacking at the arm.

"Hurry, I don't know how much longer I can hold this." Kinana told the hacking cat.

"White Dragon Claw!" Sting fired a ball of light at Kain, hoping to mark him with the stigma. However, the ball went through the man as Kain turned into mist and vanished from sight. "What the heck?"

"Dodoskoi!" Sting turned around and was met with an iron powered palm strike, sending him flying to the ceiling of the cave. "You can't beat me, blonde!"

"Wanna bet?" Sting flipped in the air and pushed against the roof, sending him back down. "White Dragon Solar Smash!" He pointed his feet at Kain and they glowed in a bright light. When Sting hit Kain, a massive explosion of light was created. As the dust settled, Kain was revealed to be coated in iron and holding Sting's leg.

"Nice try!" Kain said as he slammed Sting into the ground. "Like I said, you can't beat my Witchy Dolly Curse Magic."

"I'm not done yet." Sting pushed himself up and turned around. "White Dragon Talon!" He delivered a light powered enziguri to Kain's face, dazing him and allowed Sting to gather light around his mouth. "White Dragon Roar!" He unleashed his laser like roar, cutting through the iron covering Kain's skin.

"Gah!" Kain let go of Sting's foot and the iron dissipated from his skin. "Alright, no more mister nice guy."

"Nice?..." Sting asked as Kain started charging his magic.

"Strike him down, Belcusas!" Rusty ordered. The creature obeyed and brought his fist forward.

"Poison Dragon Fang Thrust!" Cobra created a red magic seal and a fang of poison jutted forward, catching the creature's fist. "How's that for a garter?" His over confidence got the better of him as Belcusas raised its leg and kicked him to the side. "What the hell? My poison should have weakened that thing!"

"I'm afraid that your poison will do nothing more than agitate him." Rusty said from above. "Belcusas is nothing more than the embodiment of my imagination. You can't beat him."

"Then I'll just beat you! Poison Dragon Roar!" Cobra unleashed a torrent of dark red poison from his mouth.

"Hmph." Rustyrose smirked as the poison approached. "Appear, Guardian Saint Beast, Belfast the Hurricane!" A large, black, wyvern creature appeared behind him. With a flap of its wings, it dispersed the poison approaching them before quickly it disappearing. "Do you understand now? My power is limited only by my imagination. You can't win!"

"Shut up!" Cobra shouted as he gathered poison around him. "Poison Dragon Twin Fang!" The poison turned into multiple snakes waves of poison that flew towards Rustyrose, only to have them dodged by the silver haired man. The wings on his feet let the man fly incredibly fast, so fast that even with Cobra's superior hearing, he couldn't keep up with him. "Where are you!?"

"I am the king of the underworld. This arm cuts through everything with a deep black blade. Disappear to the edge of darkness!" Cobra quickly turned around to see Rustyrose charging some kind of spell as his arm glowed. "Jet Black Sword!" His arm transformed into a claw like sword and he punched Cobra into the air. Once airborne, Belcusas brought his fist down and forced Cobra to the ground.

"Get off me!" Cobra squirmed underneath the massive fist, trying to break free.

"It's no use." Rusty walked over to the trapped dragon slayer. "You can never defeat me or my magic. Those weaklings on Tenrou merely got lucky. I am invinci-"

"Poison Dragon Roar!" Cobra cut off the bragging man off, finally landing a hit on him. "Shut up, already."

"How dare you!" Rusty shouted as he raised his arm. Just before he could bring his bladed hand down, he dropped to his knee and Belcusas dissipated.

"All I need is one drop and you're done." Cobra said as he stood up and grabbed Rustys face. "Poison Dragon Grip Strike!" He blasted Rusty with a face full of poison, knocking him into an old building.

"Lector, hurry!" Kinana begged as she lost her grip on the rock.

"Oh, no you don't!" Lector flew ahead and down, slicing the tendril with the sword.

"Thanks, Lector." Kinana said as she stood up. "Natsu, I'm free. You don't have to hold back anymore!"

"I'm... not... holding back..." Natsu groaned out. "Gahh!" He dropped to his knees and the dark spell hit him.

"How pathetic." Brain said. "After all these years, you're still weak to poison." He held his staff high and a magic seal started appearing in front of Natsu. "I'm ending this now. Abyss Break!"

"Are you insane!?" Natsu asked as he struggled to stand. "You'll destroy us all!"

"That's where you're wrong, Salamander." Brain smirked as three quarters of the seal manifested. "I've channeled enough power to destroy just you! Looks like Fairy Tail is gonna need a new Master!"

"Natsu!" Sting started running over, but suddenly stopped. "What the hell? Why can't I move?"

"Heh-hee." Kain raised up his doll, showing short blonde hair attached to it. "I grabbed one of your bristles and put it on Mr. Cursey. Now, you're my puppet."

"Shit!" Sting cried out as the seal grew brighter.

"Sting..." Natsu groaned out as a beam of energy exited the seal. "I leave the rest to you..." Just as he finished, Cobra ran over and pushed him out of the way. "What are you doing, Cobra?"

"It's Erik." Cobra said as the beam hit him. "Gah! I'm saving my guild master... You said it yourself... We'd gladly... Give our lives for our guild mates... Consider this retribution... For keeping her safe..." He looked over to Kinana, who had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry... I didn't recognize you... But at least... I found you..." With a smile on his face, the spell disintegrated him, leaving nothing but the lacrima inside him.

Kinana ran over and clutched the lacrima off the ground. Her new friend, one she didn't even know she had, had died right in front of her.

"How pathetically sentimental." Brain mocked. "He threw his life away for a worthless pet."

"Shut up!" Natsu willed himself to his feet as his hands erupted into flames and a dark energy, shocking Brain. Natsu looked at his hand and recognized the energy as Erik's magic. "His legacy lives within me, and I'm gonna use it to stop you!"

"How is that possible!?" Brain was shocked that Natsu hadn't died from the poison in him.

"Igneel always told me that if I have enough strength, I could do anything." Natsu smirked as he jumped into the air. "Now I'm gonna use this power to take you down!" He swung his arms, only to have Brain block with his staff.

"Damn it!" Sting groaned. "I've got to help him."

"Too bad." Kain mocked as waved the doll in Sting's face. "As long as I've got Mister Cursey, you can't do anything unless I make you." He looked at Sting's face only to find a smile. "What are you smiling about?"

"Lector! Now!" Sting shouted as the cat flew up and grabbed the doll from Kain's hand.

"Sting, you're good!" The red Exceed shouted as he pulled Sting's hair off the doll.

"Let's go, tubby!" Sting said as his body erupted into an aura of light. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Heavens Judgement..." He launched forward as the light intensified onto his right arm. "Divine Blade!" He clotheslined Kain in the gut and the force launched Kain into a building, defeated. "Now, to help Natsu." Sting panted Lector picked him up and flew him towards Brain.

"Dark Delete!" Brain fired hundreds of green colored spheres of darkness at Sting before swing his staff at Natsu. "It's hopeless. No matter how hard you try, you can't beat me. Zero Slash!" He swung his staff and a whip of red and green energy grabbed Natsu and slung the master into the blonde, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Erik..." Kinana whispered out as she clutched the crystal to her chest. She looked over when she heard a crash and saw Natsu, Sting, and Lector on the ground. "Natsu!" She ran over to him, lacrima in hand and helped him up.

"Hand her over, now!" Brain ordered as darkness gathered around his staff.

"Please, just let him take me. I've done nothing but cause -" Kinana started.

"Don't ever say that!" Natsu snapped at her. "This isn't your fault. Do you think this is what he wanted!?" He stood up on his own feet, as did Sting. "He wouldn't give you up without a fight, and neither will I!" He roared as the poison and flames combined around him.

"Natsu..." Kinana whispered. She stood up and looked at the lacrima. "Please, let me help you."

"Are you sure?" Natsu asked as he walked over to her. "Once you do this, you can't undo it." Kinana nodded and Natsu started channeling magic into the crystal. The crystal started sinking into Kinana's chest before a flash of light blinded Natsu. The light faded, letting Natsu see Kinana again, this time with sharper canines and slit like eyes. "You okay?"

"I feel fine." Kinana said as Brain started laughing.

"Two dragon slayers or three, it makes no difference!" He pointed his staff at the group as a magic seal appeared before him. "Dark Rondo!" He fired a beam of condensed darkness at the three wizards and cat.

"You think you can handle a roar?" Natsu asked the new dragon slayer.

"I'll try." Kinana said back.

"Alright." Natsu pulled his head back as the new power rage around him. "Poisoned Fire Dragon..."

Kinana did the same as her master. "Poison Dragon..."

"White Dragon..." Sting joined in their combined attack.

"Roar!" All three unleashed their breath attacks at the oncoming dark energy. The mixture of flames, poison, and light tore through the attack and hit Brain, forcing him through the caves ceiling. The ceiling around him broke apart, revealing the inside of Master Bob's palace. Brain crashed into that ceiling before falling to the ground, defeated.

"Oh, my." Bob, who appeared to be staying there along with the Tri-men, looked in the hole. "Natsu, seems you've ruined my lovely floor. But I won't hold it against you. This will really add to my property value."

"Is that really all you can think about,..." Natsu started to ask before he collapsed from his new power.

"Natsu..." Kinana shouted before collapsing herself.

"Get down here!" Sting shouted at the people looking in. "Lector can't carry three people at once!"

Two Days Later

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Infirmary

Two days had passed since that fateful battle. The Rune Knights came and arrested Brain and his companions. The Blue Pegasus members helped Sting and Lector bring the downed master and bar maid back to Magnolia. Once at the proper guild hall, Sting kicked the doors off the hinges and rushed in with Lector close behind him. Everyone had questions, but the main issue was the Natsu's and Kinana's health.

Once word got to her, Porlyusica came in and determined that they had over exhausted their magic reserves. Of course, this news shocked the guild. The fact that Kinana had magic was completely new to them. They looked to Sting for answers, and he explained everything. Kinana's past, Brain's scheme, Cobra's sacrifice, all of it. The guild had been somber ever since the explanation, fearing that they would have to pick a new master already.

Kinana groaned as she rolled out of the bed. She looked up and saw Natsu lying in the bed next to her. 'First Erza, then Erik, and now Natsu... Everyone I get close to, I hurt.' She got up and walked out of the infirmary. She got behind the bar and pulled out a butcher knife. 'The guild would be better off without me.' She placed the knife over her heart and was about to thrust it into her when a blast of fire knocked it out of her hand.

"Don't even think about it." She looked over to see Natsu standing in the doorway to the infirmary.

"Please, just let me do this!" Kinana shouted as she ran over the knife.

"I won't let you!" Natsu ran after her and tackled her to the ground. "You can't just give up the life Erik gave you!"

"Why do you care!?" Kinana shouted from underneath him. "All I do is hurt people! First Erza, then Erik, then you!"

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked her.

"I'm the one who bit you five years ago!" Kinana confessed. "I'm the reason you couldn't help the others on Tenrou! I'm the reason all our friends are dead! So please, let me-" She was cut off when Natsu crashed his lips into hers.

Their tongues swirled around before they separated for air. "I don't care..." Natsu said as he looked into her green eyes. "I'm not gonna let a member of my guild, let alone the woman I love, die when I can prevent it."

"Love?..." Kinana asked with a blush before looking away. "Y-you're just saying that..."

"I'm not." Natsu said as he got off her and picked her up bridal style. "Let me prove it to you." He whispered in her ear as he carried her back to the infirmary. That night, the two dragon slayers shared a magical moment with each other.

Two Years Later

That one night of passion was all it took to save Kinana from her self-doubt and suicidal thoughts. Kinana woke up next to Natsu the next day and felt a joy she never had before. Her joy was soon gone as the guild held Erik's funeral. Once again, Kinana felt guilty, but this time she had Natsu with her.

Natsu made her an active wizard of the guild and he and Sting began her training as a dragon slayer. It didn't last, however as a month later Kinana discovered she was pregnant.

Natsu and Kinana were married to no one's surprise and four months later, there twins, Erik and Mamushi Dragneel, were born into the world. After that, Kinana resumed her training and Natsu was made a Wizard Saint. Kinana was happy with her new life, her family, everything.

Natsu was sitting at the bar with his kids next to him and the new bar maid behind the bar. Bisca was helping him with the kids, as Kinana was on a job. Little Asuka was on the bar, helping her mother, when a disturbing sound filled the air.

"Men..." Every woman in the guild shuddered as they walked outside to see the Christina Advance flying above the guildhall. Ichiya then jumped off the ship and crashed to the ground.

"Why'd you do that, sir?" Ren asked as he carried himself and the other two Tri-men to the ground.

"Ahh..." Ichiya pulled himself out of the ground and entered creep mode. "Bisca, my lovely-" He stopped talking when Alzack shot the ground beneath him.

"Say one more word..." Alzack growled out as Asuka stuck her tongue out.

"You'd think he'd learn after hitting on Master Natsu's wife." Eve chuckled as he shook his head.

"So, what brings you four here?" Natsu asked.

"Business." Hibiki said as he pulled up his Archive. "There are some weird magic particles hovering around where Tenrou Island was. Anything left from Acnologia's roar should have dissipated by now, so I don't have a clue as to what it is."

"In other words..." Ichiya recuperated and pointed to Natsu. "Tenrou Island may not have been destroyed."

Everyone at Fairy Tail was shocked at the revelation, but none more than Natsu. "Thank you for the information." He somberly said as the Pegasus wizards left the guild. "Let's go!" Natsu turned around and looked at the guild as the members nodded in agreement.

Middle of the Sea

"Where is it!?" Laki asked as she held the map to the sky. "Max, am I reading this right?"

"I think so..." Max answered as he rubbed the back of his head. "Master, what do you think?"

"I think I'm glad I got over my motion sickness." Natsu mumbled looking at the map. "As far as I can tell, you're reading it right. So, why can't we find it? Warren, you sense anyone?"

"No, nothing." Warren said, disappointed in himself.

"Bisca, can you see anything?" Alzack asked his wife looking through her binoculars.

"No, nothing..." She started as she turned her head. "Wait, what's that?"

Everyone looked over to where Bisca was looking and saw a little girl in a pink dress and long blonde hair, floating on the water.

"It's, a girl?" Natsu looked confused as the girl raised her hands above her head. As the sea trembled around them, Tenrou Island rose from the depths of the sea. "Tenrou Island... Let's go! Find a place to dock!" He ordered sat the ship sailed to the shore.

The group jumped off the ship and started walking along the beach when they saw the girl again. She turned around and started walking into the woods. "After her!" Natsu ordered as he sprinted after her with the group following him. He lost the girl in the woods but stopped when he saw someone he'd never thought to see again.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" Bisca asked as the group caught up to the master. They stopped when they saw what Natsu did. Lying on the ground in front of them was Happy.

"Happy?" Natsu walked over and shook the cat, hoping he wasn't dead. "Wake up, Happy. I've got some fish for you." The cat refused to wake, making everyone think the worst. "No..." The master dropped his head in grief.

"Hmm..." Natsu looked up as the blue Exceeds eyes slowly opened. "Mackerel..."

"Happy..." Natsu wiped the tears from his face and hugged the cat awake. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Gahh!" Happy cried out. "Natsu, I thought you were sick. What are you doing here?"

"Happy, that was seven years ago. We thought you all died." Natsu said as he held the cat away from him.

Happy's eyes went wide as he studied his friend. Natsu was wearing a single sleeved jacket with a red Fairy Tail emblem over his heart. He had white, knee length pants, his trademark scarf, sandals, an wristband on his left arm. He looked at Natsu's hands and noticed a small ring on his finger.

"Are you messing with me?" Happy asked.

"No, Happy. He's not." Alzack said as he and Bisca walked over hand in hand.

"What?!" Happy asked. "Seven years!? What happened!?"

"We'll explain once we find everyone else." Natsu said as he put the cat down. "Spread out. Cover as much area as possible." He told the other wizards who did just that.

"Hey, Natsu. What's that thing on your back?" Happy asked as he pointed to the back of the jacket.

"Oh, that's the Wizard Saint emblem." Natsu plainly said. "I was made one last year."

"You? How? Why?" Happy was shocked.

"Give me some credit, little buddy." Natsu said back as Happy flew onto his shoulders. "I've grown a lot in the last seven years."

The two friends walked into the woods and one by one, the Tenrou group was found. The really surprising thing was that Laxus was on the island. Before the search party could ask any questions, the girl from before materialized before them.

"My name is Mavis, Mavis Vermilion. I am the first guild master of Fairy Tail." The revelation shocked members of both group. "I took all the feelings of love and trust you had for each other and used it to power the Fairy Sphere. It is an ultimate defense spell that protected everyone on the island."

"I see." Makarov smiled at the spirit. "So the first master protected us."

"I'm so proud of how much it's turned into an amazing guild." Mavis said as her body started to fade. "Before I go, Natsu, thank you for keeping Fairy Tail safe." She faded away into a glitter of light with a smile on her face.

"Natsu, what did she mean by that?" Makarov turned and asked.

"Well, someone had to take the reigns as master." Natsu chuckled as he scratched his head.

"What!?" Makarov and Gray shouted in synch. "YOU'RE THE GUILD MASTER NOW!?"

"Who'd you expect to take the title, Macao?" Natsu asked. "Come on, let's go home. There are some people I really wanna introduce you to." He turned around and started walking back to the ship, letting the Tenrou group see the emblem on his back.

"Is that the wizard saint emblem?" Evergreen asked in shock.

"Aye." Happy answered. "Apparently, he was made one last year."

"How much have we missed?" Makarov asked as the Tenrou group started walking after the others.

Once at the ship, the Tenrou group boarded, but when Laxus tried to get on, Natsu stopped him. "Sorry, Fairy Tail wizards only." The Thunder Legion started begging him to let Laxus on, missing the smirk on Natsu's face. "I'm just messing with you guys. Get on here, Laxus." The blonde rolled his eyes and the ship sailed back to Magnolia.

Magnolia

"All this money... Natsu..." Makarov cried tears of joy as the Tenrou group stared at the massive guild hall in front of them.

"Well, that's what happens when you're the strongest guild in the kingdom." Alzack, holding Bisca's hand, said to the third master.

"So..." Mirajane's eyes twinkled as she approached the two. "When did you two get together?"

"About five months after you vanished." Bisca said. "You should have seen the wedding. It was beautiful."

"Wedding!?" Erza asked before grabbing Max and shaking him vigorously. "No, I can't have missed it."

"Let... me... go." Max begged before Laki pulled him out of Erza's grasp.

"Ahem." Natsu cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Thank you." He pushed open the doors, revealing dozens of banquet tables and hundreds of members.

"You're alive..." Macao stared at the doors before everyone else followed his eyes.

"YOU'RE ALIVE!" The entire guild shouted before cries wailed out and killed the mood.

"What the heck was that?" Gray asked as Natsu walked over to the bar.

"That would be these two little guys." Natsu turned around, showing two small children wrapped in blankets in his arms. In his right arm was a boy with spiky purple hair gurgling, and in his left was girl with long pink hair, sleeping soundly. "Guys, meet Erik and Mamushi Dragneel." He said raising each kid respectively.

"You have kids?" Lisanna asked a little jealous and disappointed.

"Adopted, right?" Gray asked and Natsu shock his head no. "Okay, that's it. You being guild master, I could see. Wizard saint, maybe. But now you're just lying. There is not a woman dumb enough on this planet who would wanna have your kids."

"You know, a woman could take offence to that, Gray." The tenrou group turned around to see a blonde, a red Exceed, and Kinana at the door. Kinana was wearing a short, sleeveless, green combat skirt with purple trimmings and straps that went over her shoulders, long purple socks that ended at the knees, combat boots, and her guild mark on her left thigh in purple. On her finger was ring identical to Natsu's.

"Hi, honey." Natsu said, shocking the Tenrou group.

"HONEY!?" They asked as Kinana walked through the group and kissed Natsu on the check.

"How are the kids?" She asked as she took Erik into her arms.

"Fine. Almost woke up from the shouts of joy, but they're asleep now." Natsu told his wife.

"NO!" Erza screamed as she grabbed Sting by the neck. "I can't have missed two weddings!"

"Aaaah!" Sting choked out. "Lady, please, can't breathe!"

"So, how was the job?" Natsu asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Job?" Mirajane asked. "Kinana, since when have known magic?"

Kinana looked down at her son with a somber smile. "Since two years ago..." Natsu, Sting and Kinana took turns recanting the tale, leaving the Tenrou group hanging on every word. When she was finished telling it, Kinana looked up to Erza. "Erza, I'm sorry for biting you all those years ago."

"Don't be." Erza told the second-gen slayer. "You had no choice."

"Still, it's pretty shocking that Cobra..." Lucy started before she corrected herself. "I mean, Erik, would do that. Guess he really did care for you."

"Yeah, seemed fitting that we name our son after him." Natsu said as he took Erik back into his arms. "Well, I'm gonna put these two to bed, and then we can celebrate your return." He walked up the stairs with Kinana following close behind him.

Once on his living floor, he maneuvered his way into the kids' room and put them into the crib. Kinana wrapped her arms around his waist and the two shared the same thought. Their family was whole again, and nothing would take them away. They turned around and with hand in hand, walked down to the party.

At over ten thousand words long, this is the longest thing I've ever done. Don't know where the idea for this came from why I choose to write this, but I'm glad I did. Mamushi is a species of Japanese snakes, seemed fitting to me. For those of you who need more details on Kinana's dress, think Weiss' dress from RWBY with the details I mentioned. This might be the last thing I post in 2015. If so, happy holidays. See you next year!

Beta read by digemsmack.