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Natsu crossed his arms as Jura mentioned the final guild joining their group. “Only one member? Just how tough is this guy?!” He heard Lucy shout before tuning out of the rest of the conversation.
He could sense, no, smell someone approaching. Someone familiar to the dragon slayer.
Natsu turned his attention toward the door when the smell came through, a lot closer now. His eyes grew wide at the sight of a little girl in a blue and yellow dress and navy blue long hair. His hands dropping to his sides when she trips and falls.
The girl stands up and brushes dirt off of her legs and dress, whining softly before finally meeting everyone’s stares. She brings her hands behind her back as she starts to speak, “I come from the Cait Shelter guild. My name’s Wendy Marvell. It’s nice to meet all of you!”
To Natsu’s left both Gray and Lyon mutter, ‘A girl?’ Followed by Lucy and Sherry’s ‘She’s a kid?!’
Their words made him roll his eyes as Ichiya and Erza say something, whatever it was, he didn’t care. What he did care was the Blue Pegasus trio’s words.
“Wendy?”
“Marvelous.”
“Cute.”
He blinks once at their words, glaring at them over his shoulder before turning his gaze back to the kid. He was about to step toward her when Jura spoke up.
“Now then, since all guilds are present, we can begin.” The wizard saint says, ignoring
“He’s not even fazed by this?!” Gray shouted in indignation.
Jura ignored him.
Chuckling, Lyon turns his head to look at Gray. “Obviously not.”
Sherry frowns, shaking her head. “What in the world is Cait Shelter thinking? Sending a little girl on this kind of mission? They must be really hurting for members if they sent her all on her own.”
Again, Natsu was about to speak up when he was interrupted again.
“She isn’t alone! You shouldn’t jump to conclusions gaudy women.”
Natsu leaned to peer behind Wendy, his eyes growing wide. A white cat resembling Happy walks in behind the young mage.
Almost immediately upon seeing the cat, Happy gasps. “Whoa…”
“She’s just like Happy!” Natsu blurts in surprise.
“She can talk too?” Lucy asks in a surprised tone, glare at something Sherry had muttered, something Natsu didn’t care to listen to.
“Oh Carla! You followed me here?” The kid asks, sounding bewildered but not unhappy. “Of course I did, you’re far too young to be traveling unaccompanied, child.”
Natsu watched with an amused grin as Happy seemed to be completely smitten by this other cat, only to be shot down immediately. His smile dropped a bit when his buddy went to Lucy instead of himself, but he bit down that complaint. Lucy would probably know more about all that love stuff than he did.
His attention goes back to Wendy when she speaks up, “Sorry, I’m probably not what you expected. I know I’m much smaller and younger than most of you,” Her eyes stop on him before looking away and continuing to speak, “And I may not be much of a fighter but I can use all kinds of support magic. So please, let me join the group, I’d be so embarrassed if you sent me home!”
The young mages words seem to shock everyone into silence. Everyone except Carla who instantly scolded Wendy.
“You’ll never gain their respect if you can’t show confidence, child.”
“I’m sorry Carla!” Wendy spoke, flustered.
The cat just continued. “I swear you’ll drive me to catnip.”
Wendy whined, “I can’t help it!”
The cat sighs.
Natsu turned his attention to Erza as she stepped up. “Forgive me, I was caught off guard, but rest assured no offense was meant. We’re glad to have you aboard Wendy.”
The requip mages words seem to make the younger one smile, her hands coming up to her cheeks, “Oh wow! You’re Erza right? I can’t believe it’s really you!”
“You’re not quite the monster I expected.” Carla said after Wendy’s declaration.
Natsu snickered as Wendy gushed over Erza, his gaze meeting Gray’s as the ice wizard smirked. He felt his insides grow warmer than usual at the smile, quickly looking away before a flush could rise to his cheeks.
His attention slowly drifted away from the rest of the conversation. Well, that was until he heard one of the three Blue Pegasus boys speak up. “That girl is gonna be gorgeous when she grows up.”
His good mood shattered, he felt the need to protect the young girl swell through him as they spoke of her. He wouldn’t be opposed to punching any of them if they tried something.
“Doesn’t look like Hibiki wants to wait.” The shortest one says, making Natsu turn back to Wendy, the third boy of the group now standing beside her.
“Would you please come with me lovely lady?” He asks the flustered child.
“Uhm, okay?”
He felt grateful when Lucy spoke up, his attention divided as he turned his ears toward Ichiya and Jura’s conversation.
“You sensed it too, that girls perfume is quite unique. She is no ordinary child.” Ichiya said.
“I sensed that about her right away, the magic she possesses is somehow different from our own. It seems like Lady Erza has noticed her power as well.”
“Impressive…”
Natsu frowns, different how? Could this clue him in as to why she felt so familiar to him?
He’s shaken out of his thoughts by Wendy’s voice, “What’s happening?”
“We’re pampering a princess!” Eve tells her.
“You’re the cutest girl I’ve seen all day.” Ren says after the blonde.
“Would you like to freshen up?” And there’s the third one, Hibiki.
Wendy seemed very flustered now, even asking Carla for help only to get shot down like Happy had.
Through all that observing, Natsu didn’t notice the ice mage stopping behind him, so close that if Natsu leaned back, he’d be in his arms.
“Wow, thinking must be painful.”
Natsu while surprised by Gray’s presence behind him, he didn’t let it show, choosing to huff instead. “It’s so weird, I feel like I’ve heard that little girls name before, but I don’t know where.”
Gray gives Natsu a curious look, tilting his head further up at Natsu’s words, “Yeah?”
Natsu hums, getting lost in thought, only to be pulled back when Gray speaks up once more. “Would you give it a rest? It hurts just watching you.”
This gave Natsu the perfect opportunity to play dumb again, asking, “Hey can you remember her for me?”
“Say what?!” Gray shouts, not to loudly for the others to notice. His shoulders slumped.
Natsu turns his attention to the girl; her head perks up as if she could feel Natsu’s gaze on her, her own gaze locking onto his.
Wendy’s lips twitched as if she was about to smile at him before her body on its own, shifting her into a defensive stances. The boys around her quickly fell quiet. All eyes on her.
Natsu reacted the same, his body moving on instinct alone, his gaze narrowing at Wendy.
Gray’s brows furrowed at the familiar sight, this was like what happened between Gajeel and Natsu.
Erza didn’t recognize the scene like Gray did, instead marching her way over to Natsu in disapproval. “Natsu! Stop that this instance!” Reaching out to put her hand on his shoulder, she froze when the dragon slayer let out a low growl. Retracting her hand, she took a step back in shock.
The two continued to stare at each other, seemingly in their own little word before Natsu spoke one word in what sounded like an accent.
“Grandeeney?”
Gray frowns; this whole thing was confusing the hell out of him. Who’s Grandeeney? “Cut it out Natsu, we’ve got-“
He’s cut off by Wendy.
“Igneel?”
That name alone made all the Fairy Tail wizards grow quiet.
Almost instantly, Natsu demeanor seemed to brighten, a smile on his face as he moves closer to the kid. His hands were balled into fists as his words shifted into a different language.
“Igneel? You know who Igneel is? Do you know where he is?”
“I was going to ask you the same of Grandeeney! I don’t remember who Igneel is, that name just popped into my head!”
“The same happened with me.”
The two seemed to have shocked everyone into silence. They were speaking only to each other and no one could understand what they were saying, not even Happy and Carla.
Wendy had both hands pressed to the table between them as she kept talking, “Does that mean… your dragon’s gone too?”
Natsu’s features took a sad look and he nodded his head, “July 7th, year 777.”
Wendy covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide and filling with tears. “That’s the day Grandeeney disappeared…”
She dropped her hands just away from her mouth, just enough so her words could be heard as she sniffled softly. Her distress pushed Natsu forwards to take her into his arms, his hands rubbing her upper back in a soothing motion as her arms found home around his mid section.
The fire dragon slayers eyes were full of both sadness and warmth, “its okay… we’re going to find them, with Gajeel.”
Wendy looked up at Natsu and nods her head, letting him wipe her tears away. “You, me and big brother Gajeel, little sister.”
“Thank you big brother Natsu.”
Wendy smiled up at Natsu and he gave her a grin in return, messing with the top of her head, fluffing up her hair. Turning to the others, his arm remained around her shoulders.
The first person to break the silence was Erza. “Are you going to share with the rest of us, just what you were saying?”
Natsu and Wendy shared a look, “This is my little sister Wendy!” Natsu explained like it should have been an obvious fact. To be honest, Natsu didn’t realize who she was until Wendy’s scent clued him in, unlocking forgotten memories of him with Wendy and Gajeel. Geez he owed the iron dragon slayer an apology.
“Little sister?” Gray asks, confusion in his voice.
Natsu nods his head, “Yup! Our dragons let us hang out when they were teaching us!”
“How come you’ve never mentioned her before?” Lucy asked, making Natsu’s smile falter.
“I don’t know… I think I might’ve forgotten?” Natsu didn’t seem so sure himself. Lucy and Gray couldn’t hide their exasperation.
Wendy looks up at Natsu with a smile and then to the others, “He’s right though, we both forgot some things! But I think our scents jogged our memories! At least of us two.”
“And Gajee.”
“And Gajee!”
“Gajee..?” Gray asks slowly, shooting a quick look at Erza before turning his attention back to Wendy, choosing to ignore what the two had called Gajeel for now. “So I guess this means you’re a dragon slayer as well?”
Wendy smiles and nods, “I’m a Sky Dragon Slayer; my magic is more supportive than anything…”
“Well since we’ve been explained, we should start talking about our mission.” Jura spoke.
The two dragon slayers share a smile as the others quickly turned to pay attention to Jura, Hibiki and Ichiya.
Natsu then turned his head in time to see Gray staring at him. The faintest hints of an oddly warm smile on the ice mages face. When Gray saw Natsu staring back at him, his smile dropped back into his usual scowl and he looked away.
Natsu bites his smile away, and turns back to the three conversing. He can think about these weird feeling later.
As they finish, Natsu brings his right fist into the palm of his other hand, “Well, let’s get to it then!”
He flashes his signature smile and takes off out the doors, ignoring the shouts of his name from his friends and guild mates behind him.
Glancing behind him, he could see their enraged faces and he laughed, his smile growing with excitement. What’s the worst that could happen?