Chapter Text
Everyone made it back to the gazebo, finding Louis and Happy there sleeping once again. Natsu appeared first with Lucy trailing behind him.
"Come on, Lucy! It was a race, not follow the leader." Natsu teased.
"No far!" She panted. "You're way too fast! AND you had a head start!" Lucy sat down for a break and picked up the sleeping cat, when Gray and Erza made their way back from their search. When Erza saw Natsu, she walked over to him and gave him a "hug", which was basically grabbing his head and clanging it against her chest plate with affectionate love. "Natsu! You nearly scared us! I'm glad to see you're okay."
Gray, however, was not as nearly delighted to see Natsu. He stormed over to him, uppercutting him in the gut. Natsu bent over in pain. "Gah! What was that for, Droopy Eyes?"
"You made us worry sick! You better not tell me that you talked to your younger self!" Gray was infuriated, jabbing his finger into Natsu's chest.
"What the heck, man! I didn't do anything!" Natsu barked, holding up his hands in defense. "You think I'd be that stupid?"
Lucy face-palmed herself.Talking to your younger self was your original intention, so you basically just insulted yourself.
"Unsurprisingly, yes, I do think that."
"What did you say, Ice Princess?"
Gray was about to shoot back an insult, but Lucy held up a hand, stopping the argument from escalating into another pointless brawl. "He's right, Gray. I stopped him before he could get to his younger self. Can we go now?" She faked a yawn, hoping that would emphasize her boredom. Erza turned to Louis, nudging him to wake up. "Yes, you are right, Lucy. We should be heading back now."
Louis squinted his eyes, looking at everyone. "Back already? Alright, Let's prepare to leave." He pulled out the book and flipped back to July 20, x793, and ran his finger down the column that listed the morning hours. "What time did you all come to my house? Was it 11 am?" He earned a nod from Erza. "10:45, to be exact."
"Wonderful. Then I'll just use that time." He cleared his throat. "July 20th, x793, 11am." Warm light emitted from the book, lighting up the night sky. In a matter of seconds, the light consumed everything, transporting them 14 years into the future, which they knew as the present.
The light settled, revealing the prodigious mansion that stood before them. They were back in the present, but it was no longer a charred house in ruins- it was a lively place with gardeners and florists tending the landscape. Louis held a warm smile, his eyes glistening with tears. "I knew it! I knew I could trust in Fairy Tail to bring back my fortune!"
Lucy replicated his smile, staring at the scenery from where they stood. It looked exactly like how it did 14 years ago, except the windows were intact and the exterior itself seemed a bit renovated. "I'm so glad everything looks like it's going great! Thanks for the experience, Mr. Blackwood!" She spoke, soaking in her surroundings.
"Now, come indoors, I must award you once again for your help. Like I said, we will never be...."
Erza shook her head. "You are too kind, Mr. Blackwood, but we already got paid back in time. There is no need for the benefaction." Lucy slumped at Erza's words.She just loves declining awards, doesn't she?Just like his past self, Louis persisted, pleading to Erza that it was absolutely necessary for them to be awarded with another gift.
During their small dispute, Gray turned around, searching the group. His eyes grew stone cold. "Where's Natsu?"
Erza paused her discussion with Louis and looked around, noticing that there were only two Fairy Tail mages around her; not three. Her face hardened as she began to search the forest. "He better not have ran off again..."
Gray grabbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "Can that pyro ever stay put?"
He wouldn't have run off again... We are in the present, so it's not like he's going to look for his past self...Lucy thought. She looked at her arms, noticing that there was no sleeping cat resting within them. "Guys... Happy's not here either!"
Erza whipped her head towards Lucy, realizing what she had said. "That's it. Something is wrong. Happy wouldn't have left without telling us."
Gray clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I swear, once I find Natsu, I'll kill him..."
Lucy's eyes lit up in fear. "Don't tell me... did they not time travel with us back to the present?! Do you think they're still stuck in the past?!"
Gray and Erza looked at Lucy in fear, the importance of the situation dawning on them.
Louis shook his head, rubbing his chin. "That wouldn't be the cause... I made sure that everyone was in contact with each other before we traveled. Plus, the talking cat was in your hands, so it wouldn't make sense for him not to travel as well. It could just be that there was a small defect in the book that caused them to travel to another location instead. Try checking the last place they visited before you all arrived here, they could've accidentally been teleported there instead." He flipped to the front page. "According to the warning signs, it said that small defects are likely to occur during time traveling." He looked up to the mages, his sympathetic eyes looking into each of theirs. "Don't worry, I assure you'll find him."
Lucy felt a swelling sensation in her throat, causing her to find breathing difficult.Is this fear?The thought of a defect taking place in time traveling did not settle within her; especially if it caused one of her teammates to disappear.Natsu... you better be okay...
Erza placed a reassuring hand on Lucy's shoulder, pushing down the fearful thoughts that formed in her head. "Do not fear, Lucy. It's just as Louis had said; Natsu and Happy could've been teleported to the last place they were. Let's go and check the guild, okay?"
Lucy gave her a good-natured smile. "Yeah, you're right! They're probably just as confused as we are now!" She giggled, imagining Natsu and Happy poofing back into the guild hall, bewildering themselves and everyone around them. "Alright, let's go back!"
Gray turned to look at Louis waving good-bye. "Well, we'll be leaving now. Take care!"
"Oh yes, and before you go," Louis handed Lucy the four-leaf clover book. "I won't be needing this anymore, so I hope it would become of use to you."
Lucy smiled at his kind gesture, as she slid the book into her bag. "Thanks! That's very kind of you, Mr. Blackwood."
Louis returned a delighted wave as they turned and headed home. "Goodbye, Fairy Tail! And I hope you'll find your pink and blue companions!"
The journey back to Fairy Tail was a quiet one, especially without the presence of an obnoxious fire dragon slayer. Dreadful thoughts entered the mind of Lucy, but she refused them to get the best of her. She missed the presence of Natsu, even if they were going to meet him in the guild once they get back. It's been like what; 15 minutes since the last time she saw him? Even so, a part of her heart was missing, and that killed her. Her fingers twitched ever so often, yearning to be intertwined with his. Just the thought of him being nearby comforted her, but of course, she never realized this until he wasn't by her side.Why am I so madly in love?Lucy straightened up, her chin lifted high.I'll tell him.She reminded herself.When we get back.
The team approached Fairy Tail, the smell of beer, oak wood, and happiness in the air. Erza opened the doors, revealing the chattering people and live music accompanying the guild hall. Some heads turned to the door, greeting the team as they walked in.
"Erza! Gray! Lucy-sama! It looks like you're back from your mission! How was it?" A young dragon slayer approached them, holding a white cat in her tiny arms.
"Hey, Wendy! It was great! We were awarded big time!" Lucy giggled, the stacks of gold that she received flashing into her mind. She looked around, searching the guild. "By the way, do you know if Natsu showed up yet?"
The music stopped.
Everyone froze, their conversions coming to a halt. A glass fell, shattering onto the floor. Every head whipped towards Lucy, their faces drawn with fear. Wendy's skin was pale, with sweat dripping down her face. She was trembling. "W-wh-what did you say? Na-Natsu is coming?! Here?!"
And just like that, the guild erupted into chaos. People were running around screaming, Elfman fainted, and Juvia broke down into tears. Havoc sprung into the atmosphere, making everyone delirious with fear. Erza stood on a bench, her face infuriated. "EVERYONE BE QUIET!"
The guild silenced.
"Can anyone tell me what is going on? Why did an uproar occur when Lucy asked about Natsu?!"
Mirajane appeared from behind the bar counter, her eyes wide and frantic. "Have you three forgotten... who Natsu is?"
"Of course not." Gray responded. "He's an obnoxious pyromaniac."
"I wouldn't say obnoxious... more like loathsome... He is Fiore's darkest mage, after all..."
The three mages all froze, completely bewildered by that response. "Fiore's... darkest mage?! No, not our Natsu..." Lucy whispered, trembling from where she stood.This has to be a joke...
"You're kidding, right? How could Natsu be known as a dark mage, let alone the worst one?" Gray scoffed, refusing to believe a word she said.
Gajeel stood up and stormed to Gray. He jabbed a finger into Gray's chest, leaning towards him in fury. "You of all people should know how powerful the Salamander is. Remember when we were at war with the Dark Sparrows?! Natsu was the one who destroyed half of our guild,by himself!Did you forget that he is apart of their guild? He is the one who caused so much pain for us- most of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Porlyusica and Wendy. That monster... he is Dark Shadow's most dangerous weapon." Wendy shivered as she remembered that day, and Carla put a reassuring paw on her hand.
The three mage's jaws dropped, staring at Gajeel in complete shock. This was all too much to take in.Natsu would never cause harm to his nakama!Lucy thought. However, there was one thing that stood out most from what Gajeel said. "Natsu's... not a part of the guild anymore? He left Fairy Tail?!" Lucy cried.Natsu would never leave the guild, much less cause pain to his family...
Mira looked at Lucy, baffled. "Natsu? In Fairy Tail? Never!"
Gray was now genuinely confused. "We fought the Dark Sparrows? Aren't they just some weak dark guild?"
This ticked Gajeel off. "You..." He growled, grabbing the cuff of Gray's shirt. Levy came up and placed a hand on Gajeel, causing him to relax. She looked at Lucy, her eyes evident with worry. "Lu-chan, what's going on?"
Lucy was perplexed, and she was on the brink of tears. She couldn't seem to process anything that they were saying,especiallyabout Natsu being the worst mage in Fiore. And the fact that he was in the Dark Sparrows only troubled her further.What are they talking about? A battle with Dark Sparrows? That never happened."We never fought that guild before. What do you mean?"
Wendy's eyes shot to Lucy, shock evident on her face. "You mean you don't remember? That was one of Fairy Tail's hardest battles. We could've lost so many. We've always been rivals with their guild, and Natsu has always been an obstacle to beating them. Did something happen to you guys during your mission? It's as if you don't remember anything about the Salamander."
Erza looked at her teammates, her eyes holding a deathly stare. "Gray, Lucy, isn't it obvious to what had happened? When we went back in time, we changed something that caused the future to be like this."
Gray shoved off of Gajeel's grip, looking at Erza in confusion. "But how could this have happened? All we did was stop some thieves from Dark Sparrows from robbing that old man's mansion. Why did it cause them to become the worst dark guild in Fiore, and not to mention change Natsu into some fearsome dark mage?"
She rubbed her chin at the thought, trying to search for some reasonable explanation. "I don't know..."
Tears escaped Lucy's eyes as she clenched her fists. "We turned Natsu into a dark mage?!" She cried. Her heart ached; she refused to believe what they were saying.That's not true, Natsu would never do anything evil.Gray shot his eyes to Mirajane, refusing to believe their words either. "Where could we find him? I'll have to see this for myself."
Mira's eyes were wide open as she looked at Gray. "You'll want to go back to him? Are you insane? I know you're strong, but you can't simply beat Natsu! You're basically asking for a death wish!"
Wendy stepped up. "She's right! He's so powerful, he could easily beat one of the seven wizard saints!"
Erza's cold stone eyes faced at Mirajane, bearing into her soul. "We have to go. We need to talk to him."
Mirajane slumped, knowing that she couldn't beat Erza in an argument, and hesitantly walked back behind the counter and pulled out a request. "...We have been getting a lot of missions for Dark Sparrows, so I usually keep those under here for the higher level mages." She handed the paper to Erza. "The last place the Salamander was seen was in Solona village. The magic council has given a 1,000,000 jewel reward for whoever captures him,deador alive."
The three cringed when Mira said that, recognizing the malice that was in her voice.
"Thank you." Erza said, accepting the paper. She walked towards the door, with Gray and Lucy following her.
"Wait!"
The trio turned around, finding Wendy looking at them, her voice laced with concern. "Why are you all doing this? Why do you want to see the Salamander?"
Lucy gave the young girl a gentle smile. "Don't worry,"Natsu won't hurt us.
She wanted to say that, but with everything everyone was saying, doubts filled her mind.Would he?"We'll be back soon. Promise."
Wendy's concern didn't leave, but she seemed to relax. "Okay... just be safe!"
"You can count on that!"
The three left the building, with all eyes trained on them. Even after they left, conversations did not resume, because there was still tension in the atmosphere from the mention of Natsu's name.
Gray slammed the Guild doors shut, turning to look at Lucy and Erza. "Please don't tell me that you both believe this. That Natsu turned evil!?" Lucy didn't remove her gaze from the ground, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know know what to believe, honestly."
Gray stormed to Erza and pointed at her. "You see? Didn't I warn you all that this would happen? Look where we are now!" Lucy backed away.Oh no. He yelled at Erza.
Erza held a gaze that could alone kill ten thousand men. A deep fire of rage was blazing in her soul, and it burned right through Gray. He slowly backed away, his head hanging low. "Sorry."
"No, I'm sorry."
Gray looked up, surprised to see Erza apologizing.
"It was my fault that Natsu's like this, because I suggested for us to go on that mission, even after your warnings. But the only way to fix this is not to fight about it, but it is to do something. We are going to find what we did to cause Natsu to be like this, and then we will get him back." The fury in her eyes wasn't for Gray, but it was for vengeance. Revenge for Natsu's current state.
Lucy returned a hopeful smile, and Gray smirked. "Alright, then let's get Natsu back."
