Ice Dragon Slayer/Chapter 11: Omen in the Sky

----"Lisanna!" A young Natsu shouted as he ran through the fog covered forest. "Where are you!? This isn't funny anymore, so just say something!" He tripped over a short ledge and hit the ground.
"Ah!" A scream turned him around and he went wide eyed.
----"Lisanna!" Natsu woke up in a panic, fell out of his hammock, and found himself in his house. He'd be in Lucy's apartment right now, but he was just to tired to break in. "Just a dream..." He looked out the window and found it was still dark. "I need some air." He stood up and pushed open the window.
"That dream again." Natsu looked around and saw Drake on the ground. "You need to get some sleep dude."
"Shut up." Natsu closed the window and went back to bed.
"Lucky bastard..." The black-haired man complained as an owl landed right next to his ear. Every three minutes, it hooted in his ear as he tried to sleep. "God, why do you hate me?"
----Morning
Fairy Tail Guildhall
Lucy glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Wendy and Carla. "You two are looking right at home at Fairy Tail."
"I'm just glad that there's a girls only dorm." Carla said, sipping her tea.
"Hey, Lucy, how come you don't live there?" Wendy asked. "It's a really nice place."
"I didn't find out about until AFTER I got my apartment." Lucy groaned. "Plus, with a hundred thousand jewel rent, I'd never be able to pay it."
"Will you be quiet please?" Drake demanded. "I'm trying to sleep here. Stupid owl.." He fell between his arms before screaming in pain, a kunai in his head.
"Ha!" Gajeel chuckled, before getting tackled. This sparked a fight, and a battle of the insults between the two that only ended when the doors to the guild slammed open and Max and Warren ran in.
"Big news!" Both screamed as the town bell rang.
"What the?" Lucy asked.
"Is that a bell?" Wendy asked.
Natsu, looking out over the railing on top of the guild, had a smile on his face. "I know why they're ringing. Gildarts is coming home!" The whole guild erupted into cheers, sans the new member.
"Who's that?" 
"Don't look at me." The blonde said back. "I've been a fan of this place for years, and I've never heard of him."
"He's the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail." Mirajane answered, shocking the other two.
"I figured that honor would belong to Erza." 
"I'm flattered that you think that, but I don't even hold a candle to him." The red head answered.
"This guy must be the king of breaking stuff." Lucy mumbled. "So he's coming back? Why is everyone going nuts?"
"They all look so happy." Wendy said.
"I don't know about that, but they are certainly more out of control." Carla added.
"Its only natural." Mirajane explained. "It's been three years since we've all seen him."
"Where has he been this whole time?" Drake asked, curious now.
"It's work, what else?" Mirajane asked, matter of fact. "We have our regular jobs and S-class quests. But above those are SS-Class quests. And then there are jobs called 'Decade Quests'.
"Decade Quest?" Lucy asked in shock.
"They're jobs no has been able to complete in ten years." Erza explained. "That's were the name comes from. What Gildarts took was something even higher than that. A Century Quest."
The whole town was thrown into a panic as magic speakers started shouting about the 'Magnolia Gildarts shift.'
"Magnolia Gildarts what?"
"Go outside and see for yourself." Erza suggested. The new girls did just that as the whole town started shaking.
"Is it an earthquake?" Carla asked. Buildings started to move around and change height as a giant path was made in the middle of town.
"The town just split in half?!" Lucy asked in shock.
"Call it a precautionary measure." Erza explained. "It's to protect the town from Gildarts Crash magic."
"When he's not careful, he can destroy everything he touches." Mirajane added. "Its better for everyone if he stays away from their homes and businesses."
"He can just walk right through them!?" Lucy asked in horror. "So you modify the town because he's clumsy?"
"He sounds incredible." Wendy cheered.
"Incredibly stupid." Carla mumbled.
The whole guild stared at the doors in joy until he walked in, looking confused and tired. "Come on, old man. Let's throw down!" Natsu shouted.
"He just got home and that's the first thing you say to him!?" Elfman asked.
"Welcome home." Mirajane smiled as he walked over to her.
"This is Gildarts?" Lucy asked.
"Sorry to bother you miss, but I'm looking for a guild hall that used to be here." He said. "It's called Fairy Tail."
"This is it." Mira nodded before pointing to herself. "It's me, Mirajane."
He stared at her for a second before the white hair caught his attention. "Mira? Man, you sure have changed a lot! And did you do something to the guild?"
"Did he just now notice that?" Lucy asked.
"Great, really powerful and really stupid." Drake muttered.
"Gildarts!" Natsu shouted as he ran to the top of the stairs.
"Natsu! Now there's a face I'll always recognize." He said with a smile.
Natsu chuckled back before launching at him. "Good to see you! Now, let's party!"
Gildarts caught him, spun him around a few times and then tossed him at Drake. "What was that for?"
"I heard that 'stupid' comment, kid." Gildarts said before looking around the hall. "Man, you guys have been busy getting some new faces. This place sure has changed a lot."
"Gildarts." Makarov called out and the orange haired man walked over to the bar.
"Master, you're looking well." Gildarts said back.
"How did the job go?" Makarov asked.
Gildarts stared at him for a few seconds before breaking out in a laugh. "Sorry, it was too much for me."
The whole guild stared at him in disbelief: Gildarts had failed a job. Lucy stared at him as her mind traveled. 'The strongest mage in Fairy Tail couldn't do this Quest. I wonder if I could-'
"Don't think about it, Lucy." Erza interrupted her train of thought, scaring Lucy.
"I see, it was too tough even for you." Makarov mumbled.
"Forgive me for bringing shame to the guild." Gildarts said back.
"No, it's enough that you came back home in one piece." Makarov said. "I don't think anyone else has."
Gildarts smirked back. "Speaking of home, that's where I'm going. Need to rest my bones. Natsu..." The pinkette sat up at the mention of his name. "Come by later, I got something for ya." He reached the wall and his magic blasted it to pieces.
"We have a door!" Warren shouted.
Natsu chuckled in joy as he light his fist on fire. "Wonder what he got for me. I'm all fire up now!" He broke down another wall and walked through the hole. "Come on, Happy."
----Six Years Ago
Eastern Forest
"Lisanna!" Natsu shouted as he and a baby Happy looked around the fog covered forest. They spent the better part of the night looking for Igneel after Lisanna remembered seeing some big footprints. As the fog rolled in, the three got separated and the two were looking for Lisanna, for fear of what Erza and Mirajane might do to him.
Natsu tripped over a short ledge and fell on the ground. "Ow."
"Ah!" A scream turned him around and he went wide eyed. He found Lisanna alright; in the grasp of the same Forest Vulcan who tried to eat happy when he was an egg. "Let me go!"
"Long time no see, brat. You looking for her?" He waved Lisanna around in his fist. "Well, too bad. Finders keepers"
"She isn't yours to keep!" Natsu shouted back.
"Oh, I think she is." The monkey said back. "See, last time we meet you disrespected me, so I'm gonna keep her. But if you really wanna save her, then get down in you're knees and beg me to let her go." It squeezed its fist tighter around her.
Natsu growled in anger before doing what the beast said. "I'm sorry I was mean to you before. Please, let Lisanna go."
"Natsu..." Lisanna had tears in her eyes.
"I can't believe you fell for it!" The beast slammed its foot on Natsu, digging him into the ground. "That was the oldest trick in the book!"
It stopped slamming its foot on him as Natsu was under a few large pieces of stone. "That hurts..."
"I'm just getting started." The Vulcan said as it picked up a boulder with its free hand. "Time to crush the bug!"
It swung the boulder at him but just before impact, Gildarts stepped in between him and the rock. "You really are just a stupid monkey, aren't you?"
"Who are you calling stupid!?" The Vulcan asked as it pushed on the boulder.
"Let me take care of this." He activated his Crash magic and the boulder broke into a thousand pieces. "Now, here's how this is gonna work. You're gonna let the girl go, tuck your tail between your legs, and never come back."
"Yessir!" The beast shouted as it put Lisanna down and ran away.
"Thanks a lot." Lisanna said, as Gildarts looked at her.
"Do I know you?" He asked.
"I'm Lisanna." She answered.
"Oh, right. Mirajane sister." He remembered before leading the three out of the forest.
"Man, this fog is really think." Natsu complained.
"Its like that this time of year." Gildarts explained.
"It's so magical, almost like we're walking into a new world." Lisanna said aloud.
"Ya think so?" Natsu asked.
"Earlier, it made me so happy to hear you calling out my name through the fog." She added, making Natsu groan. "Hey if I ever went missing like that again, you'd come looking for; You wouldn't just let me stay gone, right?"
"Course I would." Natsu answered.
"I'd knew you'd say yes." Lisanna smiled back.
----Present
Outside Gildarts House
"I wonder what he's got?" Natsu asked Happy as they went to the old man's house. "Maybe it's some kinda rare fire from another kingdom," They reached the house and Natsu pushed the door open. "Hey!"
"Natsu and Happy, good to see ya." Gildarts said as Natsu and Happy reminisced, looking around the house. "So tell me, how's your relationship with Lisanna, huh?" Natsu stared at him with a somber look. "Come on, don't act coy with me. I'll be honest, I didn't expect her to dye her hair. Maybe you rebelliousness has rubbed off on her."
"That's Brianna." Natsu said. "Lisanna has been dead for two years."
Gildarts gasped in shock. "You serious? So that's why Mira... My condolences, Natsu."
"If that's all you wanna talk about, I'm gone." Natsu turned and headed for the door.
"Natsu, on my job, I met a dragon." Gildarts spoke up, and Natsu stopped his walk. "It's not the one you're looking for. It was as black as a moonless night."
"Where is it?!" Natsu shouted.
"Last I saw it, it was flying over Zonia, the sacred mountain." The older man explained. "He's the real reason I failed my job." Natsu's turned back to the door. "So what are you going to do?"
"Obviously, I'm gonna go look for it." Natsu said. "Ill ask him if he knows where Igneel is."
"Bad idea, kid." Gildarts said back. "He's probably gone into the wild blue yander by now."
"I don't care!" The pinkette shouted back as Gildarts stood up. "If I put my mind to it, I can track him down!"
"Natsu, look at me." Gildarts undid his coat and opened, showing his body covered in bandages and two fake limbs. "It was over before I even knew what happened. It took an arm, a leg, and then an organ." He closed the cloak back up. "I don't know what kind of dragon Igneel is, but that black one is the enemy of man. No human can beat him."
"Dragon Slayer isn't just a title, ya know!?" Natsu shouted after getting over his shock. "This thing doesn't stand a chance against me!"
"If that's what you believe, I'm not going to stop you." Gildarts said as Natsu ran out the door. Happy tried to follow him when the Crash mage called out to him. "You back up Natsu, you hear me? A man might not be able to stop this thing, but maybe a dragon can. There's hope for Natsu."
----Fairy Tail Guildhall
Makarov stared out into the setting sun, deep in thought. "There are now four Dragon Slayers in this guild. It's like Porlysica said, fate has started to make its move."
----Next Day
"Keep it down you idiots!" Cana shouted at the drunk and dancing members. "It's like one after noon."
"That rich, coming from you." Macao joked. "Seriously, when haven't you spent time drinking?"
"I swear, your kidneys are made of iron or something." Wakaba added.
"I can hold my liquor." She reminded them. "Do you see me acting like a jackass?" She brought her mug to her lips and found it empty. "I'm out. Refill!"
"Do it yourself." Drake responded. 
"No way!" The drunkard asked. "You lost the game yesterday, now get me another barrel!"
"Fine." He said in defeat as he stood up. "I still think you cheated." 
He walked behind the bar and down into the cellar.
"July seventh, 777?" Lucy repeated Wendy's question. "Why are you asking about that day?"
"Because that's the day both Natsu's and my dragon left us." The girl explained. "I guess it's just always on my mind."
"I wonder what happened, because Natsu said that's the day Gajeel's left him." Lucy mumbled. "I also heard that Drake's dragon disappeared on that day as well."
"So all four dragons left on the same day?" Lucy asked aloud. "Maybe they all went on a dragon picnic?"
"Well, I've always been afraid that they just decided to abandon us." Wendy said. "But if that's the case, where did they all go?"
"Carla!" All looked over as Happy jumped on the table, holding a fish above his head. "Isn't this the tastiest fish you've ever seen? I caught it just for you."
"No thanks." Carla huffed. "I don't care for fish."
"Oh..." Happy dropped his head in shame for a second. "Well, tell me what you like and I'll go get it for you."
"Get away from me!" The white cat shouted, shocking the whole table. "I don't have time to waste on someone like you." She jumped off the table and headed for the door.
"Carla!" Wendy shouted, but the cat ignored her.
"What's your problem?" Wendy shouted. "Why are you so mean to Happy?"
'I hate that name.' Carla thought. 'What does have to be happy about?'
"Carla, please, talk to me!" Happy jumped down off the table and raced after her.
"She seems to treat Happy the worst out of everyone here." Lucy observed. "Do you have any idea why?"
"I wish I knew." Wendy mumbled.
Drake returned from the basement with a barrel of alcohol. 
"Here." He slammed the barrel down on the table. "I have no idea how you can drink this."
He started walking back towards the cellar after hearing a noise down there.
Outside
"Wait up!" Happy shouted, making Carla stop.
"What part of leave me alone don't you understand?" She asked. "Why are you following me?"
"I just... want to know what I've done wrong." He mumbled.
"It's nothing of the sort." She answered, making him wimper. "You can't save Natsu, you know?" She said, confusing him. Black clouds rolled over the sun as her paw tightened. "But I will save Wendy, no matter what."
"I can too save Natsu!" Happy shouted as he filled her. "We've saved each other a bunch of times."
"You cannot." Carla said back. "A cat who doesn't know about himself won't be able to."
He stared at her fading form, confused by her words. 'Don't know about myself? But I'm Happy, right?' The cat glanced over to find Gajeel, his face covered in scratches.
The rainfall started as Carla still marched through the town. "Carla!" The white cat looked down up as Wendy was calling for her. "I've found you."
"Wendy..." The cat shook her head in disbelief. "You'll catch a cold without an umbrella."
"The same to you." Wendy knelt down and stared at Carla. "Carla, we just joined the guild, so I think you should be more friendly to everyone."
"No need." Carla turned around in a huff. "I'm fine as long you're with me. The rest are just complications."
"Stop saying stuff like that." Wendy told her. Footsteps caught their attention as Mystogan walked through the rain.
"Who is this?" Carla asked as he stopped in front of them.
"Hello, Wendy." The masked man said in a familiar voice.
"That voice..." Wendy mumbled as Carla went wide eyed.
"I never thought that you'd join this guild." He pulled off his bandana and showed off his face.
"Jellal, its you!" Wendy shouted as lightning filled the sky.
"What's going on? You were arrested, I saw it myself!" Carla shouted.
"The man arrested there wasn't me." He told her.
"Then explain your uncanny resemblance!" Carla demanded.
"I am the Fairy Tail wizard Mystogan." He told them. "When we first met seven years ago, I had no idea of the rules of this word. I told you my name was Jellal."
Bith let out a small gasp of shock. 'This world?' Carla asked in her head.
"That... means.." Wendy mumbled as tears filled her eyes. "You're my Jellal. I was afraid you had forgotten about me. I can't believe your here. I missed you. I should have disobeyed and followed you!"
"And I wish I'd let you follow me..." He mumbled. "Though there's no time for a celebration." The girls looked confused at him. "Listen to me. You must leave town as soon as possible." He dropped to his knee in exhaustion.
"Jellal!" Wendy shouted as she ran over to him.
"I failed my mission..." Mystogan mumbled, looking up at the sky. "The Anima has become too big. I can't control it anymore. Very soon, Magnolia will cease to exist."
Wendy stared at him in shock of his word. "It can't just vanish... there has to be something we can do!"
"I'm sorry, but this city's destruction is unavoidable." Mystogan said. "You need to evacuate, now."
"What about everyone else in the guild!?" Wendy shouted. "What's gonna happen to them!?"
----Fairy Tail
"I wish the rain would stop." Lucy complained as she stared out the window.
"Same here." Cana drunkenly nodded.
"Please don't blame me for this." Juvia said.
"Trust us, we don't." Gray told her. "But that's not what's annoying us." He turned and glared at Natsu snoring.
"How much longer are you gonna sleep?" Elfman asked aloud.
"I think I just figured out how to pass the time." Gray chuckled, holding a marker.
----Magnolia
"I won't move until you tell me!" Wendy shouted.
"I'm sorry, but... they will all die." Mystogan said as thunder rumbled.
Instantly, Wendy turned and ran towards the guild. "Wendy!" Carla shouted.
"I have to warn them!" She told the cat,
"There's no time for that!" Mystogan told her. "You need to get to safety at once!"
"I would never abandon my friend!" Wendy said back. "I have a home again, and if it's going to vanish, then I'm going with it!" She turned around and continued her sprint.
Carla stared through the ran as Wendy headed to the guild. "So, are you going to stop her?" Mystogan asked.
"I honestly don't know." She told him before racing after Wendy.
----Fairy Tail
Gray chuckled as he pulled the marker back, showing Natsu with cat whiskers. "I thought you would do something more creative than that." Lucy nervously chuckled.
"If it's a fight you want..." Gray mumbled as he drew panda marks around Natsu's eyes.
"How did he sleep through that?" Lucy shouted, waking Natsu up.
"Who's ready to fight!?" He screamed, looking around.
"Natsu, look." Lucy held up a mirror and Natsu grabbed it in anger.
"Okay, whose dumb enough to draw on me?" He shouted.
"And his brain will get it in three, two, one..." Lucy counted down and on one, a light bulb went off in Natsu's head.
"Hope you're hungry for some knuckle sandwiches, Gray!" Natsu shouted.
"Hey, panda boy! If you weren't snoring, I wouldn't have done that!" Gray shouted back, sparking a fight.
"What a view..." Juvia sweetly said. "He's so gallant, like a knight of old fighting for his one true love."
Cana put down the barrel after gulping down a third of it. "Rainy days are best spent cuddling with your boyfriend."
"The one Drake set you up with?" Mira joked from behind.
Speaking of Drake, he was looking around the basement for what he heard earlier.
"I know you're around here somewhere." A scurrying turned him around, catching a glimpse of a furry tail. 
'What was that?' 
"Wait, you're actually gonna go out into that mess? Why?" The card user asked.
"Just paying a visit to the church..." Mira explained before turning around. "Elfman, let's go."
"Just a second." He told her as Jet and Droy hung their heads in shame. "These two need to be taught a lesson. They screwed up their last job and got knocked out, leaving Levy to clean up their mess."
Mira walked down the steps with a smile. "I think they're both doing fine." Her words brought smiles to the men's faces. "In their own way."
"Why would you add that?!" Both shouted.
"What for?" Lucy asked.
"The anniversary of Lisanna's death is coming up." Cana answered, popping up on the bar.
"Who?" Lucy questioned.
"That's the name of their little sister." Levy explained on the other side of Lucy. "They went on a job two years ago, and she didn't make it back. Since then, they always go to the church around the time of her death."
The blonde glanced over to find Natsu passed out after the fight with Gray. "Looks like Natsu had a close girl friend."
"You're doing it wrong." Gray told Juvia, looking at the food in her hands. "Can't you just hold it normally?"
"I've never done this before." Juvia complained as the syrup covered her hands.
'Don't they know what they sound like?' Bisca and Alzack asked themselves at the same time.
"This is how you eat a caramade frank." Gray told her before shoving it into his mouth. "You open your mouth as wide as you can, than take a big bite out of it."
"Like this?" Juvia asked as he copied him.
"Its not something you need grace to eat." He told her.
"But what about clothes?" She asked, point at his lack of shirt.
The gunners stared at the two, thinking about each other. They glanced over at each other and started random small talk to not sound awkward.
"You two are certainly getting along." Both turned around in a panic as Erza walked up behind them. "Treasure these moments while you can. They won't last forever." The two stared at her confused as the master called her over.
"Man, I am so bored." Lucy complained.
----With Wendy
The young girl tripped over some slippery stone and fell to the ground. The puddle showed a strange blue ball filling put the eye of the storm before lightning started to shot out of it. Wendy raced to the guild in front of her as building started getting absorbed by a strange force. "Everyone! It's terrible! The sky is-"
The Guildhall started to swirl around as it was sucked up as well. A blast wave pushed her back as a torrent swallowed the town. In an instant, the whole town was turned into white powder and sucked into the storm before it died down. Wendy pushed herself to her knees and stared at the white landscape. Fairy Tail was just gone.
"H-how can a city vanish!? Hello! Is anyone there!?" The girl called out, but no one answered, making her drop to her knees in misery. "They're gone... I'm all alone. Why am I always alone? Is there some law of the world that says I can't be happy?" A bit of the powder started moving, scaring her.
Drake had dug himself out of the powder with something in his hands.
"Gotcha!" He pulled with both hands and yanked the tail out, showing the owner: a brown cat in a mauve tank-top and blue pants.
"Let me go!" The feline shouted as he dangled around like crazy.
"I don't think so. What were you doing in the guild's cellar?"
He shook the cat around and all manner of small weapons fell out, as well as a wanted poster of him and Sarah. "You're a bounty hunter?"
"So what?" The cat asked back. "I've taken down way tougher crooks than you."
"You clearly haven't heard. I was cleared of those charges several weeks ago."
"I'm not alone... I'm not alone!" Wendy cried as she tackled the black-haired teen to the ground.
"Where the hell did everyone go?" Drake asked, looking around. Another mass of the powder started pushing up and then Natsu popped up.
"Is this a dream?" The pinkette asked before looking around. "Bubbles, where are we?"
"Do either have any idea what happened?" The girl asked as she got off of Drake.
"No. I was down in the cellar." Drake said standing up and shaking the cat again, making a buster sword fall out. "Where were you keeping that!?"
"And I was sleeping." Natsu answered.
"This is where the guild hall was..." Wendy mumbled.
"Say what!?" Both men shouted at the same time.
"A giant hole opened in the sky and sucked the guild hall, the town, everyone!" Wendy shouted. "I haven't seen anyone other than you two!"
"Hey, did you hit your head or something?" Natsu asked, studying her head.
"I'm not crazy!" She shouted before stepping back. "Wait, why weren't we taken? Is it because we're Dragon Slayers?"
"That's exactly why." The three turned to find Carla floating over to them, glaring at the cat in Drake's hand. "Wonderful, another tomcat."
"I have a name!" The brown cat shouted. "It's Harrison!"
"Carla!" Wendy cheered. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"In fact, the three of you are lucky you're dragon Slayers, otherwise you'd suffer the same fate as the others." Carla said in a huff. "Not that I care about them. All that matters is that you're safe."
"Wait, that story you told me was true?" Natsu asked making Wendy nod. "Can anyone here me!?"
"Don't bother." Carla said. "They've been taken by the Anima, and therefor no longer exist."
"Anima?" Wendy asked.
"That hole in the sky was a portal." Carla explained. "And on the other side is Edolas."
"Quit talking nonsense, and tell us what happened to our friends!" Natsu shouted, making Wendy hold both men back.
"Excuse me?" All looked towards Harrison still dangling from Drake's fist. "Look, I know this isn't any of my business, but I got some questions. Like how do you know this, and why weren't we taken?"
"Natsu!" Happy screamed as he flew next to Carla. "Everything just went poof!"
"Happy!" Natsu cheered.
"The reason I know so much is because I'm from there." Carla said, shocking them all. "The same with the tomcats. And we're also to blame for the disappearance of this town."