✮ꜜ
❛ THE NUMBER ONE GUILD ! ❜
₊˚៹ . ❪ SEASON ONE, EPISODE 2 ❫˖ ₊˚.⋆
࿐┊CHAPTER THREE┊🔮🪄
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"WELCOME TO FAIRY TAIL" Happy says cheerfully.
Zara's smirk was subtle, barely noticeable, but Natsu saw it. The way that seeing Lucy's eyes lit up the way they currently were seemed to make her happy. It makes Natsu's shoulders relax, he wasn't sure what it was about Lucy, but she had captivated them all. It was almost like fate, like they were meant to be in Hargeon, not to find Igneel, but to find Lucy.
Zara didn't have a lot of close friends in the guild, but it seemed Lucy had managed to open a door, a door that could make that a possibility. She was quiet about it, but he could see clear as day she was happy.
Lucy gasped, eyes wide as saucers as she looked up at the tall building. It seemed to stretch up for miles and miles, but one thing was for certain. It was the guild, soon to be her guild.
She couldn't believe this was happening, she was actually joining the Fairy Tail guild.
Zara, who stood to the left of her was smiling fondly, slightly eager to introduce Lucy to everyone. On the train ride back from Hargeon the two teenage girls had managed to hit it off more than they'd initially anticipated. They had talked for most of the ride, Lucy had plenty of questions to ask. The only time they'd taken a break was when they'd slipped off into slumber.
Lucy had decidedly found a lifelong friend in Zara, she'd grown to adore her so quickly. The enamored feeling that bubbled inside of her every time the blonde mage so much as looked in her direction was a testament to how much of a good mark Zara had left on her.
Natsu kicks open the doors to the guild hall, the large panels swinging and slamming into the wall as lots of eyes flicker to the growing group.
"We made it back alive!" he declares.
"We're home!" Happy adds as they're met with blistering chatter from their guildmates. Zara's walking, and she's placed a reassuring hand on Lucy's shoulder, head nodding towards the inside as she ushers Lucy into the guild.
"So I heard you guys went all out in Hargeon. Had to go starting trouble-" Krov begins with a smirk as Natsu rears back and kicks him, hard. He goes flying, slamming into the tables and chairs, knocking them to the floor.
"Why did you do that?" Lucy pales as Zara exhales deeply.
Welcome to Fairy Tail.
"You lied about the Salamander!" Natsu shouts ignoring Lucy as Zara's head snaps to Krov at Natsu's words. He was right, that idiot had sent them on a wild goose chase.
"I was charm spelled by a creep because of your bad sources." she stomps towards the duo, heavy footsteps ringing as she grows angrier the closer she gets to them.
"I'm gonna kick your butt." Natsu cuts her off, and it earns him a glare. He could be such an attention hog.
"Don't get mad at me. I'm not to blame here. I'm just passing along a rumor I heard." Krov deflects.
"It was just a rumor?" Natsu asks in disbelief.
"You wanna fight?" Krov questions.
"Let's go," Natsu replies, and a brawl commences. Their fight has half of the guild flying in no time, Zara taking a step back to stay out of the death zone of the rumble.
"Now now, Natsu, I think you need to calm down-" Happy begins, only to be cut off as a bystander lands on his head, and he's sent zipping across the guild hall like a pinball.
"Happy!" Zara exclaims in disbelief. Her eyes fall to Mizaki who's sighing deeply.
"A new fight every day." she chirps as Zara nods in agreement.
"These idiots never learn." she mutters.
"So Natsu and Zara finally made it back, huh?" Zara tenses at the sight of her fellow guildmate and friend standing to his feet in nothing but his underwear. He didn't even have on shoes anymore.
( THIS IS GRAY FULLBUSTER. A VERY TALENTED WIZARD, BUT HE TENDS TO─ WELL HE HAS A BAD HABIT OF TAKING OFF HIS CLOTHES )
"It's time we settled things once and for all." he announces, and he begins to waddle towards the commotion.
"Gray, your clothes?" Cana speaks up from the bar, nursing a glass of wine in her hands.
"I don't have time for that!" Gray shouts back, waving off her words.
( THIS LOVELY LADY IS CANA ALBERONA. SHE HOLDS THE TITLE OF FAIRY TAIL'S HEAVIEST DRINKER. )
"You see? I don't date the men here because they have no class." Cana mutters with a sigh, before she grabs the full barrel of wine and begins to chug it.
"Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me." Zara mutters to herself. Cana snickers quietly. She takes another sip of her drink before setting it down, eyes on Zara fully.
"It's good to see you, Z. It's been a good, long while since we've seen your pretty face 'round the guild." she says and Zara's smile grows exponentially as the two girls hug loosely.
"It's good to be back." she replies as she smiles faintly. Her eyes flit to Lucy, "Uh, Cana." she mutters, as the brunette's eyebrows raise. "This is Lucy." she says, and she motions the other blonde over. Lucy's shy as she makes her way over, but that same sweet smile is on her face. "She's a new recruit, Natsu and I met her in Hargeon." she says, and pleasant introductions are passed about. Zara can't bask in it though, because her attention is drawn across the guild.
"Zara, get over here and fight me!" Gray demands. His eyes are directly on her, as he stomps across the expanse of the building. And truthfully, this was his own way of welcoming her back, admitting he missed her a lot without having to let the embarrassing words spill out.
"In your damn dreams, pervert! You're not wearing anything." she shouts back. As if taking her words as a challenge Gray begins to charge at her, eliciting a shriek as she begins to run throughout the guild hall to evade him. "Cut it out, I don't wanna fight." she whines.
Her words are ignored, she squeaks as a fist directly slams into her cheek. She can feel the way it throbs, growing almost double in size. It's enough to make her eyes sting. She blinks a few times, realizing the culprit of the action was none other than Natsu.
Everything in the guild stops for a second, Lucy's jaw is on the floor as Cana's head shakes from side to side. "Idiot." she mutters as Lucy's strangled cry goes ignored.
The guild hall is silent, everyone watched with bated breath as Zara slams to the ground. Her forehead knocks against the ground, and she winces. Natsu, who was punching wildly in the air had lost sight of his target. He'd gotten so caught up in the fight that he hadn't bothered to pay attention to where he was swinging. "Oh-" he exclaims. "Wait, Zar, I'm so sorry!"
"You idiot!" she screams, accentuating her words with a kick that sent Natsu flying up into the rafters of the guild. The rest of the hall is immediately thrown back into their fights, bodies, tables, and chairs flying in all directions. Gray is snickering, Zara turning her glare on him. "Is there something funny?" she hisses as all of the color drains from his face.
"No, ma'am." he reassures.
"That's what I thought." Zara starts to comment on his lack of clothing, when she's sent flying across the room. She smacks her head again, hissing briefly as she stares slack jawed at the culprit. When she sees that it was none other than Natsu she jumps up with a quiet grunt.
A fight you want? A fight you'll get.
By this point the rest of the guild had fallen into even more maddening chaos, more of the guild members getting sent flying as others joined into the rowdy commotion.
"I will destroy you!" Zara shouts, eyes slits as she stares him down. He's got a smug sort of look on his face as he motions for her to come at him.
"Bring it on!" Natsu challenges, Zara curls her fists, fighting stance ready as he runs right at her. He swings once, twice, three times, Zara dodging and ducking out of the way of every single wild blow he threw. She countered with a few hits of her own, leg swinging as she kicks him in the gut. It makes him fly back, feet sliding against the ground. It had been so long since they'd gotten to fight like this, with her being stuck in Era for so long, moments of childish joy were far and few in between.
In the midst of Zara and Natsu fighting, Gray intervenes, starting a three way battle of fists and feet. Elfman Strauss stomps towards them, voice and personality just as loud as the rest of him.
"It's only noon and you guys are already whining like spoiled babies." he notes crossing his arms as he looks down at them, unimpressed.
( THIS BRUTE OF A MAN IS ELFMAN. A MUSCLE BOUND WIZARD WHO BELIEVES THAT ALL YOU NEED TO SOLVE ANY PROBLEM ARE TWO STRONG FISTS. )
"I'm a real man, you want me to prove it to you?" he questions.
"I can't believe he's encouraging them." Lucy mutters, and she watches the way the guild falls into disarray. Sorcerer Weekly had it right. Fairy Tail really was the wildest guild around.
Without a second thought Zara, Natsu, and Gray swing at Elfman, sending him soaring across the Guild Hall as Lucy shrieks. "They knocked him out that easily?" she asks in disbelief.
"Jeez, it's so noisy around here, huh?" Lucy's attention is pulled behind her where Loke was juggling two pretty girls on his lap.
( THIS IS THE LADY KILLER, LOKE. RANKED HIGH ON THE MOST ELIGIBLE WIZARD BACHELOR'S LIST )
An object is sent flying from somewhere in the brawl, knocking him square in the forehead. It eventually pulls him into the mess as Lucy watches it all unravel in shock.
Zara was certainly giving Natsu and Gray the business, handling her fight with them without so much as breaking a sweat. In the midst of the fight Natsu manages to snatch Gray's underwear, swinging them around his head with a devious chuckle.
"Give me back my underwear, jerk!" Gray shouts, just as Zara punts Natsu like a football, the undergarments float up into the air now that Natsu's gone, and Zara is quick to catch them with a snicker of her own.
"Serves you right for being a perv." she taunts clicking her tongue as Lucy shrieks from behind Gray at his naked state.
Noticing her, Gray makes his way towards her. "Excuse me, Miss. Could I please borrow your underwear?" he asks placing a hand on his hip.
"As if." Lucy swats him away with a large beam she'd found littered in the remains of the cracking tables.
"Now you're getting into the swing of things, Lucy." Zara says with a firm smirk. "You're gonna fit in great around here." she adds.
"Isn't this all a little crazy though?" Lucy asks.
Zara can't respond as Natsu tackles her, causing her to land on the ground, a large knot on her head. "I'm gonna make you beg for mercy, Natsu! Just as soon as I get up." Zara promises as Natsu chuckles, clearly proud of himself.
"I'd like to see you try, dummy!" he shoots back as they fall into a squabble, bodies rolling on the ground as both of them try to get in the harder punch.
Elfman swings on Loke, who had been in the process of flirting with Lucy, holding the terrified blonde bridal style in his arms.
"I told you to butt out!" Natsu kicks Elfman away before focusing his attention back on Zara. "I'm gonna win this time!" he proclaims as she uppercuts him.
"No way!" she argues, wrestling him down to the ground, straddling his hips as she jerks his legs back in an awkward position earning a yelp of surprise from him. "Take it back!" she orders a squeak escaping her as a third party is sent flying towards her knocking her off Natsu's back.
"That's enough, you guys. I suggest that you knock it off." Cana warns holding up one of her cards menacingly.
"Oh, yeah? Says who?" Gray asks summoning a bit of his ice magic.
Elfman roars as he uses his take over magic, his arm shifting as rock covers it.
"You punks can be such a nuisance." Loke adds twisting his ring as a magic circle appears.
Dusting herself off, Zara's scythe appears in her hand, and she stomps on the ground, the floorboards rumbling as she sets her harsh stare on the growing group of fighting mages. "Why don't we stop talking and finish this once and for all!" she challenges.
"I'm ready for ya!" Natsu argues back, fire surrounding his fists.
"Would you fools stop bickering like children?" Master Makarov bellows, his foot stomping on the ground, sending Lucy into a terrified frenzy. The fighting guild members freeze in place, silence taking over the guild hall save for a member coughing as the dust clears.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still here, master." Mirajane says sweetly.
Makarov grunts as Lucy turns to Mirajane in shock. "Did you say master?" she asks in shock.
Natsu cackles boisterously, his hands falling to his hips. "Man, talk about a bunch of babies. Looks like I won this round, you guy-" Natsu begins, his words cutting off as Makarov stamps on him, Zara cackling.
"Idiot." she mutters as Lucy squeaks out a gasp.
"Well, seems we've a new recruit." Makarov's focus shifts to Lucy.
"Yes, sir!" Lucy says still shaking in fear as Makarov roars, returning to his normal height.
"Nice to meet ya!" he greets her, holding a hand up as he smiles.
"He's tiny." Lucy exclaims. "This little guy's really in charge here?" she questions as her eyes immediately jump between Zara and Mirajane. Zara nods in agreement, she was certain it was more for appearances, if he wanted he could stay bigger, but it was much more personable this way.
"Of course he is." Mira says in response.
Makarov notices Zara and smiles faintly, it seemed every time he looked at her he was reminded of just how quickly she was growing up. "It's good to see you made it back in one piece." he mutters and Zara smiles fondly.
"I always do." and it's the truth, she turns to Lucy with a beam. "Allow me to introduce the Fairy Tail Guild Master Makarov." she grins wider, "My grandpa." she adds as Lucy's jaw hits the floor.
"No way, you're the master's granddaughter?" she asks in shock.
"Yeah, but don't say it like that... it makes it sound so snooty." she huffs. She turns back to Makarov. With a grunt Makarov bounds towards the banister of the second floor, hitting the ceiling in his haste. Once he's regained himself he stares down at the group of wizards he'd come to think of as his children. Clearing his throat he groans as the wizards below stare up at him.
"You've gone and done it again, you bunch of clods. Just take a look at how much paperwork the Magic Council sent me this time! This is the biggest pile of complaints yet. Have you lost your minds? All you kids are good for is getting the higher-ups mad at me!" Makarov reprimands, the Fairy Tail wizards murmuring in shame as they stare at the floor.
"However..." Makarov begins after grumbling for a few more moments.
"I say to heck with the Magic Council." He lit all the paperwork on fire, throwing it into the air as Natsu jumps up eating it without much thought before he landed back on the ground. "Now, listen up. Any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us, and the flow of energy in the natural world are in perfect synchronization." he says and Zara feels chills dancing across her arms. She had never looked at it that way.
Everyone back in Era based your worth off your power. The stronger your abilities the more you were seen as something worth it. To them work had nothing to do with it, some people were powerful, and others were weak, and no amount of practice would change that.
"To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It shall take over your being and pour over your soul! If all we do is worry about rules, then our power will never progress. Don't let those blow-hards on the council scare you. Follow the path you believe in! 'Cause that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild number one!" Makarov exclaims throwing his hand up in the air. He throws up the 'always watching' hand sign that had become accustom to the guild as the members below break out into cheers, holding the sign up in response.
Zara though, finds his words to be altering. Follow the path you believe in. Was it that simple? She could choose to follow her heart and things world work out? She lets his words ring in her head as the guild falls back into business as usual. "Hey, you alright?" Mirajane places a tender hand on Zara's shoulder, gentle smile immediately putting Zara at ease. "You looked a bit lost in thought there." the older wizard says as Zara forces a smile.
"I'm alright, Mira." she promises, "Just thinking about that trip back to Era." she chuckles. "Feels like I hardly get to enjoy moments like these anymore." she admits, and she didn't realize how sad that made her until she'd spoken it aloud.
Mirajane shoots her an understanding look. "Well, you heard the master." she begins. "Maybe there's a reason you came back when you did." Zara blinks in surprise. "I don't believe in coincidence, I think everything that happens, happens for a reason." she proceeds as Zara nods. "The magic council will understand if you need a little more time here with your family." she promises, "And if they can't... are those really the sort of people you want to give your all to?" Zara gasps quietly at the question. "We will understand if you have to go, that's what family does. Besides, even if you head back to Era, it's not like you'll be gone forever."
Mirajane seems unaware of the way her words were making Zara spiral. She giggles sweetly, squeezing Zara's shoulder slightly. "And even if that's where your heart leads you, being a guild is about much more than just being in the building." and she winks, heading off as she called for Lucy. Zara is left stuck in her place, Mirajane's words sobering her quickly.
Maybe it was that simple.
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"HEY, ZARA, NATSU LOOK!" LUCY EXCLAIMS, RUSHING OVER TO THE PAIR. Zara had finally had a brief conversation with Makarov, where she learned that he did in fact, know everything. Crawford Seam had been quick to send off a letter detailing how in a few month's time they'd be expecting a response from Zara regarding where she stood.
She'd have to make a decision, leaving behind Fairy Tail forever, and take her place among the other devoted workers in Era, or she'd say goodbye to a future on the council, and she'd be a guild wizard for the rest of her life.
She could see the confliction on her grandfather's face, but he hadn't said much. Nothing really, apart from him voicing his support of whatever decision she chose to make. He reminded her, much like Mirajane, that a guild was not a place, it was a people. And Fairy Tail, no matter what would always be her family. She'd sobbed like a baby inside his office.
She supposed her tears told Makarov everything he needed to know regarding her answer. Which meant the countdown to her last day in the guild was starting. By her eighteenth birthday, she'd be out of Magnolia forever, that was just the way things were meant to be.
Now all that was left was to tell Natsu.
Easier said than done, especially because it was like he knew she had something heavy weighing on her tongue with the way he kept changing the subject. So she'd decided to put a pin in it for the time being, which was why she was sitting near the Mission Request Board. She had a book in her hands, eyes skimming over the pages quickly, as Mizaki sits on her lap
Natsu's gaze was trained on all the available requests, trying to find a job suitable enough to quench his appetite ( literally )
"Mirajane just put the official Fairy Tail mark on my hand!" she says excitedly, showing it off as Zara looks up with knit brows. Lucy's emblem is right in the center of her hand in pink, perfect for her.
Zara remembered the day she'd finally got the pretty yellow orange mark stamped on her upper arm, it had been so special.
"Welcome to the Guild, Lu! You're officially a Fairy Tail wizard." Zara mutters with a wide grin.
"We're matching!" Mizaki's excitement outranks Zara's completely, the small child scrambling off Zara's lap to race over to Lucy, tugging on her shirt to show off the baby pink mark on her left shoulder blade.
"Look at us, we're kind of like twins, huh?" she asks as Mizaki shrieks in delight, head nodding wildly. Zara smiles fondly at the exchange, Mizaki had really taken to Lucy. That didn't usually happen. Apart from Natsu, Happy, Makarov, and of course, Ryuuji, Mizaki didn't spend much time with anyone else in the guild.
"Yeah, that's cool. Welcome aboard, Loony." Natsu replies dryly never once looking back at her.
"The name's Lucy!" she corrects angrily.
( THIS IS THE REQUEST BOARD. THE WIZARDS CAN PICK FROM ANY OF THE JOBS LISTED ON THE BOARD. EACH PRESENTS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE AND A DIFFERENT PAY RATE )
"Make sure you pick one with a big reward Natsu!" Happy instructs, both boys seemingly ignoring the excited new girl.
"Whoa, 160,000 jewel to get rid of some thieves?" he exclaims.
"Sounds good to me." Happy adds in agreement.
Natsu turns to Zara, waving his hand to garner her attention. She looks up curiously, head tipping to the side. "You gonna come with us?" he asks as she shakes her head.
"Nah, but you two enjoy!" she mumbles quietly, earning Natsu's attention.
"But we're partners." he says and Zara tenses up instantly. "You're supposed to go on missions with us, we're supposed to do stuff together. It's in our contract." he reminds her.
"It was just a stupid thing from when we were kids, Natsu. Why are you acting like it's such a big deal if I wanna do things on my own for once? Just get off my back!" she snaps at him, annoyance making its appearance on her face.
She doesn't mean to be harsh. Truthfully, she felt that sometimes she took the Partner's Contract too seriously. But it was just like Yuuta had said, she had to grow up eventually. They both did. They couldn't get lost in their own world anymore, she had to be an adult.
Natsu flinches slightly, and the action is enough to make her soften. "Wait, Natsu━ I'm sorry." she feels guilty, she always did when it came to him. Especially because he never made her feel like she was obligated to be attached to his hip. All he wanted was for her to go on jobs with him, why was that so hard? She didn't really know, maybe she was guilty, because she didn't have the balls to tell him she was leaving, or at the very least that she was thinking about it.
She thinks about Happy's words back in Hargeon and sighs, he missed her. This was his way of letting her know that he wanted her around more, and here she was, blowing him off again.
"Geez." she stands to her feet, taking the three short steps from her chair to Natsu. He's got furrowed brows, a concoction of many different emotions swimming in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that ━" she insists, and he looks less than convinced.
"I love hanging out with you and Happy." and it's the truth. She adored Happy like he was her own ( she supposed in a way he technically way ) , and Natsu━ in her mind, he was the most important guy in the whole world. He always would be.
"It's just... we're getting older now, you'll be eighteen in five days." she pokes at him and he swats her hand away, clearly unamused. "I'll be eighteen in two months... I just don't want you to feel like you have to do things with me." she admits and Natsu scoffs.
"That's stupid." he deadpans. "Don't you think I know that? We're partners." he emphasizes the word. "Which means I want to do stuff with you." he crosses his arms, looking away awkwardly.
"Sexy stuff, Natsu?" Happy asks, paws covering his mouth as he snickered.
Zara and Natsu both tense in unison, eyes meeting for a brief second before they looked away quickly. "Shut up, Happy!" they shout in unison.
Natsu recovers first, pouting childishly. "Why are you being so weird about it?" he demands, and Zara doesn't know how to answer. Everything that happened in Hargeon had her thrown a bit. Okay maybe "a bit" was under selling it.
"I just don't want you to feel like you're stuck with me without a choice." she shrugs coyly.
Natsu blinks, and then gives her a once over. Was she an idiot? Didn't she know him well enough to know if he didn't want her around she wouldn't be around? He picked her to be his partner because he knew he was never going to get tired of her. They'd known one another for almost seven years at this point. He would know if he was sick of being around her, if he was sick of being her partner. But it seemed the older he got the more the contract mattered, the more he needed her to care about it as much as he did.
He wanted her to be around him. He wanted to matter to her the way she mattered to him. But it was impossible to explain that so he doesn't. He mushes her head, hard enough to elicit a reaction. "Don't be silly." he instructs sternly. "We're stuck with each other." he grins boisterously, and Zara relaxes, head nodding slightly.
"Alright, Nats. We're stuck with each other." and it's cheesy, the way Natsu always knew exactly what to say, but for now she's content.
The sound of Romeo's voice slices the moment in half. He's talking to Makarov, distress evident as day in his tone. "How come my dad hasn't come back, yet?" he questions, her heart falling immediately as she takes note of his words.
"You're starting to work my nerves, Romeo. You're a wizard, son. Have faith in your father and wait patiently for him." Makarov exclaims.
"But sir, he told me that he'd be back in three days. And he's been gone for over a week now!" Romeo rebuttals, his voice laced with worry.
"If I remember correctly, he took the job on Mount Hakobe." Makarov murmurs as Romeo balls his hands up into tiny fists.
"That's right, and it's not that far from here!" Romeo exclaims. "So why won't somebody go look for him?" he questions as Zara grimaces.
She felt for him, and if push ever came to shove she'd run up to that mountain by herself if it meant Romeo didn't wind up parentless. She didn't have either parent around to be there for her. She knew the pain of that, a lot of them did.
"Listen, kid, your old man's a wizard. And like every other wizard in this guild, he can take care of himself." Makarov snaps, trying his best to remain stoic. "Now go home, have some milk and cookies, and wait!" he orders.
Zara grits her teeth as her own hand balls up into a fist in frustration. She watches as Romeo rears back and punches Makarov in the face, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Jerk! I hate you all!" With that Romeo runs off as Natsu's eyes fall back on the request board and Zara simply glares at the floor.
"Damn-" her thoughts are accompanied by Natsu ramming his fist into the request board shocking Nab. He turns and begins to walk out of the guild, Happy trailing behind him.
"What do you think you're doing? You almost broke the board, Natsu." he scolds.
"It's not like you were gonna pick a job anyway." Zara mutters shaking her head.
"Oh, Natsu." she breathes his name out, a frown etched onto her face as she watches him go. Mira was wiping down glasses at the bar, Lucy was seated between Mizaki and Elfman, watching the pinkette storm off with worried eyes. She looks over at Zara who groans under her breath.
Damn it, she wasn't just gonna let him go by himself.
"Natsu!" she calls across the guild, and he stops, turning around to offer a pointed stare in her direction. She doesn't say anything else, completely disregarding her book. She grabs her luggage, slinging it over her shoulder and bounds across the guild.
"Grandpa!" she looks to him, before nodding at Mizaki. "You'll look after her, won't you?" she questions and he offers her a nod. She sighs in relief, before she runs to catch up to Natsu.
He looks surprised that she's with him, especially after her previous stance, but he's grateful. "Let's go." she whispers, and he nods.
At the bar Nab had approached the master, leaning against the bar with a shake of his head. "This doesn't look good, Master. You know how they can be. I bet they're going up to Mount Hakobe to save Macao." he murmurs as the trio exit the guild.
"When are those two ever gonna grow up?" Krov questions.
"Who knows? Going after Macao isn't gonna do anything except hurt their pride." Nab replies as Makarov sighs deeply.
"Remember, Nab, we can't choose another's path, just leave them be." he instructs sternly, crossing his arms over his chest as he closes his eyes.
"Why did Natsu get so upset just now?" Lucy asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared after the retreating mages.
"Probably because he and Romeo have a lot in common." Mirajane replies as Lucy turns to her with a gasp. "I think Natsu sees himself in Romeo." Mirajane explains before sighing.
"And Zara?" Lucy pries, heart hurting for her friend.
"Though she tries her hand at playing tough, Zara has a habit of following Natsu into any and every situation." Mirajane says with a giggle. "But she knows a thing or two about loss of family, so in a way, I suppose she sees herself in Romeo too." Mira explains,
"What do you mean?" Lucy chances, turning back to Mirajane. Mira doesn't say anything for a while, but the look she wore was enough to let Lucy know whatever she said next would not be pleasant.
wrd. 5.4k
→| author's note
──➤ i don't have much to say, i just know i had a lot of fun rewriting this chapter. i hope you all are able to enjoy it xx