Time passed by quietly as Natsu and Kagura continued with their usual spars, experimenting their ideas against each other. During this period, they also took a few more jobs that were fortunately not that complex like their first quest.
Additionally, it was also a way to strengthen their teamwork for different scenarios. Well, and Kagura simply liked to be with the duo. Naturally, Natsu's destructive tendencies were still on full blast as he managed to wreck more landmarks courtesy of his improved flames.
This obviously resulted in him receiving very terrifying bonks from an angry woman.
It was another peaceful day within the streets of Magnolia, and the trio was just strolling around since they decided to relax instead of taking a job. But there was something a bit new from one of them.
"I didn't think you'd wear it the moment morning hits, Natsu. What happened to your favorite clothing?" Happy glanced at the dragon slayer with a raised eyebrow. There weren't many material things that could move someone like his partner.
"What's with that look? Is it really that surprising that I bought this? Its colors and design were right up my alley, you know?"
Natsu gave his Exceed the stink eye, a bit annoyed at the comment. He was currently wearing closed black collared jacket with orange linings, its right sleeve was gone to proudly display the Fairy Tail mark on his right shoulder, combined with the same scarf, pants and sandals he uses.
"Hm. It suits you very well, Natsu-san." Kagura lightly smiled at him as she ate a cone of ice cream. When she saw his outfit change after meeting up with the duo just a while ago, the woman had felt her face burn up due to the sudden raise in charm he excluded.
Kagura remembered the book she read that one time… When you're in love with someone, their appearances would be elevated in all aspects as your eyes would filter it. It seems she is drowning deeper and deeper into the concept of romance.
Any new discoveries must be thoroughly studied by her, and she will share it with Natsu-san in the near future.
"See? At least Kagura gets it! You rarely wear clothes anyway, so you don't get to say anything." Natsu scoffed proudly as he retorted against the mischievous cat.
"Eh. You have a point." Happy couldn't really deny it, since he was a literal talking cat. Then, he suddenly looked at Kagura with a teasing grin. "Oh, and Kagura understands your change in a different context, pupupu~!" He covered his mouth as he laughed.
"What?" Natsu gazed at Happy with confusion. "Its just clothes, buddy. Did you hit your head somewhere?" He was already used to his partner learning some things he didn't really understand, although he wasn't interested in knowing them.
"Well---!"
WHACK!
A scabbard hastily bonked the poor cat's head, knocking him out cold in the process. Natsu caught him as he carried the unconscious Exceed on his arms. He looked at the stoic yet flustered woman who was gritting her teeth in irritation.
He gulped. "Should I ask?"
"No." Kagura coughed as she composed herself instantly. "You need not worry about what he has to say, Natsu-san."
"Alright…"
They continued to hang out as they enjoyed the busy sights of the town. Natsu even bought a stuff toy for Kagura since she found it cute. Dragon senses were quite handy for simple stuff like this.
Kagura held the white rabbit plushie tightly, having a small smile on her face. Her steps were lighter, showcasing her mood afterwards. "Was I that obvious, Natsu-san? I'm pretty sure I stared at it for just a few seconds." Although she was still curious about how he found out.
The dragon slayer looked at her with his trademark smile. "I could just tell that you liked it." A pure and straightforward response.
"... Thank you, Natsu-san." Kagura softly chuckled, already planning to put this on display when she returns to Fairy Hills.
"Hehe! No problem! There's no need to be shy about what you want, we're a team, ya know?" Natsu brightly said.
While they were talking, Happy finally regained his bearings. The gloomy cat pouted as he complained that he's been receiving too many bonks recently. He called for equality in suffering and wanted to include Natsu in these mild punishments, which annoyed the one in question.
Kagura shook her head as she listened to their bickering, but the moment was interrupted by the sound of a sniff that she felt on her right leg.
"MEN~! What a nice parfum you have, my lady." She looked down to see a short man that had orange spiky hair and a rectangular face, wearing a fancy white suit. Even when he was noticed, he didn't stop his shamelessness at all.
BAM!
Kagura shivered in disgust as she looked at the man who was now embedded into the ground. "What is this creature?"
"Oh? Old Man Ichiya, when did you arrive?" Natsu and Happy noticed her panic and glanced at Blue Pegasus' Ace with weird expressions.
"You two know him?" The swordswoman inquired while holding the plushie with one arm, because she had manifested her sword again on her other to poke the body mercilessly with her scabbard, surprised that they were acquainted with someone like this.
"Aye! He's a bit weird as you can see. So don't hold back if he startles you like that again." Happy gazed at him with pity, although Ichiya instantly recovered from the blow and posed like usual.
"What hurtful things to say, my comrades-in-arms. I considered myself as the epitome of handsomeness." Sparkles could be seen as he tried to do a flying kiss.
Kagura prepared for another swing, but the man himself sweat dropped as he waved his hands. "Wait, wait! I shall stop my advances for now." He was still dizzy from the previous strike.
Natsu tapped her shoulders to calm her down while looking at him. "If you're here, does that mean those three are with you too?" And as if right on cue, three men surrounded the stoic woman.
"You are very passionate, Miss. Would you like to be escorted by me?"
"A fierce personality is also a form of beauty, I'm charmed!"
"It's not like I want to get to know you more or anything…"
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Kagura wasted no time and smacked these flamboyant idiots to fuse with the earth. She panted with boiling anger at the ridiculous attempts of flirts, embarrassed that Natsu saw such a display.
"There they are… The three stooges." Happy picked up a stick out of nowhere and checked to see if they're alive. Natsu also did the same since he expected the inevitable result.
"Let me introduce ya to them, Kagura." The dragon slayer stood up as he nonchalantly threw the stick somewhere. "This is Old Man Ichiya and the Tri…? What was their group name again? Eh, too hard to remember." Natsu rubbed his chin in thought.
"I'm still quite young, Natsu-kun!"
"Yeah, and it's not that hard to say the Trimens, Natsu!"
"We're being reduced to nobodies… The horror!"
"I ain't annoyed, not annoyed at all."
The Trio of suave young men recovered very quickly, just like how their main man just did. They lined up orderly behind the short man who radiated with so much confidence that one might be blind to it.
"Alright, alright, my bad." Natsu ignored their futile attempts of protests and continued. "They are the ones who are helping us organize search parties for Tenrou Island alongside Lamia Scale. You didn't get to meet them when you joined since the previous gathering was at Hargeon last time." Natsu explained.
He followed up by assuring her afterwards. "So you can say they're great friends and allies. Even if they act like weirdos sometimes."
"Natsu-kun…"
"I wasn't aware that you saw us like that, I'm getting emotional."
"Compliments and an insult at the same time? I'll take it."
"Hmph! You'll get a pass for now, Natsu."
The four Blue Pegasus Wizards were in sync as they took out tissues and wiped their small tears. Kagura's stoic face twitched slightly at the humorous display that irritated her to no end.
"I see. Not many are willing to go that far for a rival guild according to my knowledge." She stated.
Kinana and the rest of the girls introduced to her the dynamics between factions, and they described the atmosphere as either serious or friendly competition.
Kagura may have heard about how genuine they were in assisting Fairy Tail after the news, but having Natsu to vouch for them raised her impression a little bit.
She clicked her tongue as she stared at them with sharp eyes. The group of fashionable men could only tremble under her frightening aura, not daring to try again.
"Ahem! It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kagura." Ichiya coughed as he spoke first, followed up by the Trimens greetings. "You have been a trending topic in Sorcerer's Magazine recently."
Natsu was startled after hearing that. "It already spread that fast?" He wasn't that interested about stuff that were released from the company, so he was in the dark most of the time.
"Aye! I know you won't bother with such things. But me and Kagura got to read some, and it was quite exaggerated on specific parts." Happy said while munching his fish.
"Indeed. I now understand your chargain about it." Kagura sighed, seeing her numerous so-called epithets.
She returned her gaze back to the four. "I suppose you have an update for Natsu-san regarding the search parties." Her intimidation never wavered, which made them shrink their presence more. Natsu and Happy held their laughter as they watched.
Ichiya nodded quickly and explained his purpose. "I apologize for the sudden arrival, Natsu-kun." He looked at the dragon slayer with a serious expression. "The Fourth Search Party will be formed today, so we're personally visiting Fairy Tail to inform the rest."
Natsu expression brightened up after that. "Really!? Finally! I was wonderin' when you were gonna call Macao, cause I didn't hear about any schedule for it."
Both Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus usually arranged preparations ahead of time, since it does take resources to ensure a smooth process.
There was no assistance from the council, which was a given. All three guilds had to use their own pockets for these trips.
Ichiya looked a little down. "We have our reasons for that. Lyon-kun and Miss Sherry are probably there by now, so we must gather everybody to clear potential misunderstandings."
"Let's go together then! We're also on our way back."
"Aye!"
"Men~! Yes, we shall accompany the three of you." Ichiya posed alongside the Trimens, who agreed through their actions.
Kagura closed her eyes as she muttered darkly. "They're allies. They're allies…" Trying to calm herself from whacking the stooges into oblivion.
…
Fairy Tail, Guild Hall.
Throughout the whole month of everyone in Fairy Tail adapting with their sudden loss, there had been three search parties in total. Although Natsu's speech reinvigorated them, a small whisper in their minds held hope.
Miracles can happen when you least expect it… At least that's how they see it.
Natsu wasn't an exception to this and participated on the second one. Unfortunately, such optimism can dwindle down after getting consecutive results of failures. There was not any hint of debris, pieces of clothing, and more importantly… magical signatures.
It's as if they simply vanished from the face of this world.
Everybody understood it was a hopeless cause after reaching this point. The fact that Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus offered their assistance was a surprise that they didn't account for.
Even though the alliance was only created due of the threat of Oracion Seis, the two guilds genuinely thought of them as friends and allies, which was comforting for the most part.
Budding friendships formed because of the preparations and communications among the three legal factions. The searches may yield no results, but it gave them developing bonds in return.
To live in the present and move on with painful acceptance. Every Fairy Tail Wizard reminded themselves of this, since it was still fresh. Maybe as time goes on, their yearning for a miracle will fade into obscurity.
But for now? Clinging to foolishness is also a type of grief.
Bam!
The poor entrance was pushed open with no remorse, showing Natsu and his two companions. Following after them was a group who slid in with style, much to the amusement of the other members currently in the guild.
"Hey guys! We've brought Blue Pegasus for the next search party!" The dragon slayer loudly announced his presence like usual.
"It's Ichiya and the Trimens! Good to see you again, you handsome bastards."
"Men~! The parfum of Fairy Tail is as rowdy as ever."
"Get these boys a table, everything will be on the house today."
"WOOOO!"
New visitors made the guild even livelier, starting a celebration like it was normal. Natsu, Kagura and Happy went towards their table after separating from the wizards in suits, sitting down while watching the unfolding chaos.
As much as the fiery young man wanted to start a brawl, he wasn't in the mood today because of the incoming search party. He was in a daze, not noticing that Kagura and Happy gazed at him with worry.
"Natsu!" A voice caught called out to him, prompting him to look at the source. He was a young man with pale blue-silver hair, wearing a white jacket with dark feathers around his neck and cuffs, combined with a dark purple tunic and gray pants.
"Yo, Lyon!" Natsu smiled as he fist-bumped him.
When the news was first announced, Lyon was one of the first people to quickly travel towards Fairy Tail for verification. He's already lost a lot, so losing Gray, the one who he deemed as a rival and brother, would bring about mental damage like never before.
After the despairing confirmation, Lyon cried and cried until his tears ran out. During his grieving, he heard that Fairy Tail had planned to form search parties. So he pleaded to Guild Master Ooba to give them their support in terms of manpower and resources.
The old lady did not hesitate to agree, since Makarov was a long-time friend of hers. She also expressed her own way for grieving, but she was aware that Lyon was deeply affected. It was the least she could do for her wizard who was drowning himself in sorrow.
Lyon participated in all three search parties, also grasping upon that hope for a miracle. He re-acquainted with Natsu during the second expedition, and it was during this time that the dragon slayer was going full throttle in stabilizing Fairy Tail's current standing.
He genuinely respected Natsu's unbreakable determination in keeping the guild afloat from any type of obstacle that it would experience. Anyone could potentially crumble under such pressure, and they wouldn't be blamed for it.
Lyon asked when they saw each other again after the second search expedition. A question about what drives the dragon slayer to go above and beyond. And the answer he received was simple, yet carried endless weight.
The guild is my home, Lyon. There's nothing in this world that's more precious than the bonds I made here.
It was a response that with no grand ambition or anything, and it definitely resonated with him more than he realized. There were no more words that needed to be said, since they became friends afterwards.
"Where's Sherry by the way? Old Man Ichiya told us she was with you." Happy curiously scanned the ongoing chaos.
"Her? She's changed a bit ever since meeting Ren. So you can guess where she's at right now." Lyon pointed towards a specific direction, showing a woman who was humming happily with a tanned young man.
"That's surprising…" Happy's jaw dropped, then he looked back at him. "You have nothing to say about it?"
Lyon rolled his eyes as he sat down. "Do you see me as the jealous type, Happy? I only saw her as a friend in the first place. I'm quite happy for them and gave my blessings when I found out."
"They progressed that fast!? Kagura, look! A great refere---!"
"Happy…"
"Yes, ma'am. No more speaking."
Lyon stared at them with amusement, before introducing himself. "You must be Kagura Mikazuchi, yes? I'm Lyon, an Ice-Make wizard from Lamia Scale." He assessed her for a moment.
"You're strong." He stated with no hesitation. "I can tell that you've been a great addition for Fairy Tail."
His statements broke Natsu's stupor as he chuckled. "You betcha she is! Kagura is already a precious friend for everybody here!"
Kagura blushed from the dragon slayer's praise, regaining her composure as she nodded. "Nice to meet you, Lyon. I'm still adjusting to guild life, but the others helped a lot." Her stoic expression softened.
"Heh. The unity you guys develop between each other is one of a kind, but that's Fairy Tail for you." Lyon grinned.
He looked at Natsu afterwards, moving onto a more serious topic. "You're joining this time, right? Having someone with sharp senses on board will definitely make things smoother." Although the dragon slayer's motion sickness is still prevelant… It's a good thing the vast ocean is there to swallow the culmination of his sufferings.
"Yep! I'll make sure to put in more super-duper effort until I drop!" Natsu declared loudly, stepping on the table with sudden enthusiasm.
The three just smiled and were also influenced by his never-ending optimism.
Lyon told them that Ichiya will have an announcement regarding their cooperation, so they simply waited for the short man to finish his festivities. Well… Natsu was back to his usual self and immediately started a brawl, adding to the chaos even more.
Tables and chairs were flying everywhere, and even Lyon and the Trimens joined the fray. The swordswoman who was watching with an ice-cold expression instantly practiced her breathing exercises to calm her rising irritation. This was a special day, so she'll let it slide.
After a while, everyone was resting on places that were still intact. Macao could only groan in quiet agony, thankful that their funds didn't really plummet for the most part.
Currently, all gazes were focused on the visitors standing at the middle with Ichiya at the forefront. He looked slightly apologetic before he began to speak.
"Men~! My friends, we have disappointing news to share with you all." The atmosphere turned tense after hearing the shift in his tone. Perhaps this was the reason about why the representatives of both guilds were currently here.
"The last month of us getting to know each other better was a wonderful experience, and I'm grateful for that. Our three-way cooperation benefited everyone in more ways than one, gaining new friendships that will broaden connections in the long run."
Ichiya paused as he clenched his fists, sighing in resignation.
"But… great things must come to an end. Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus have decided to put their participation into an indefinite hold . But please don't get the wrong idea! It's not like we dislike giving our support, a guild is still essentially a workplace of operations. This means that it runs based on the quality and quantity of the wizards themselves."
He braced for the various reactions that he expected, but there was no trace of any anger and complaints. Ichiya looked at the dragon slayer who had the biggest probability to oppose it with passion. But Natsu simply raised an eyebrow, urging for him to continue.
Blue Pegasus' Ace was confused and resumed with uncertainty. "I'm sure most of you already understood what I'm getting at. Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus still need to allocate their funds for their own usage, and as their wizards, we must maintain its performance to continue existing."
Ichiya and rest definitely had complicated feelings about such a choice. Guild Master Bob and Ooba thought long and hard about what this could result in for future endeavors. They wished it wouldn't destroy the relationship that was built during this short period.
"We are sorry if we let you all down." Ichiya solemnly bowed.
"Please forgive us!" The Trimens followed suit.
"I'm still against it. But Old Lady Ooba allowed it to last this long…" Lyon scratched his head in annoyance and personal protest.
"Yes, I also feel the same. I do not like this form of love." Sherry remarked in sadness as she genuinely enjoyed her visits each time.
They patiently waited for the appropriate responses, accepting whatever that may come at them. They waited and waited… And nothing happened. What they heard instead was---!
"Oh? That's a relief. I was starting to worry that it will burden you guys for the most part. It seems I'm on the same wavelength as my fellow guild masters, eh?" Macao chuckled as he grinned proudly.
"As if! Your intelligence is on the same level as most of us here. Don't flatter yourself, Mister Fourth Master." Wakaba instantly shot down the purple fire wizard's attempt at self-praise.
"He ain't wrong, Macao. We all arrived at the same conclusion when Ichiya specified it, so don't strut on your high horse there." Max teased, which made the others laugh.
"Boo! There's no room for slick remarks like that!"
"Nice try, Macao."
"... You're embarrassing, dad."
"Guh!" Macao mentally took damage when Romeo joined in the fun. It was impossible to seriously act like a cool leader when these idiots would gleefully take any chance to deny it.
"Bah! I order you guys to shut the hell up!"
"Hahahaha!"
Ichiya and the others glanced at each other, the surprise in their eyes were evident. All of them were prepared to receive some type of backlash, but the members of Fairy Tail were still their usual selves.
"What's with those looks on your faces?" Natsu's voice got their attention. "Being this formal ain't our cup of tea when hanging out with friends." He smiled as assured the representatives.
"Natsu's right, don't overthink it too much. We are the ones who are extremely grateful for your help, since you guys aren't asking for anything in return." Macao agreed with the dragon slayer and stood up.
Once he arrived in front of the group, he bowed slightly. "As Fairy Tail's Fourth Master, I thank you for everything up until now. The bonds we created will give rise to future collaborations, and our guild's wizards will always have your back." Macao gazed at them afterwards.
"That's a promise!" Natsu followed up with a loud proclamation as he chuckled.
"YEEAAHHHH!" The wizards of Fiore's most infamous guild cheered with vigor.
Ichiya and the rest could only smile at that. Indeed, they were taking things a bit too seriously.
"MEEN~! Everyone… I'm sorry for acting so rigid." The short man was currently emotional.
"The boss is sensational for showing his tears!" Although the Trimens were also on the same page.
"Great. Now I just feel embarrassed." Lyon remarked as he scratched his cheek.
"Fairy Tail is incredible for generating his much energy." Sherry covered her mouth as she giggled.
The Fourth Search Expedition shall commence, and it will be the last for the present moment. But the friendship between the three guilds is definitely something to be cherished for years to come.