March, X778
Another painting was added to the Guild's collection.
Reedus had outdone himself.
The canvas depicted Natsu riding a massive, ferocious blue dragon. The dragon looked majestic, breathing fire that merged with Natsu's own flames.
The only problem was the context.
Anyone who didn't know about the egg incident would genuinely think Fairy Tail was hiding a real dragon in the basement.
"I really don't have a dragon!" Natsu shouted to a curious tourist who pointed at the picture. "It's just Happy!"
"Aye!" Happy chirped from his shoulder.
One wall of the Guild had already been designated as the "Memory Wall," with sections allocated for paintings from each year.
It was a visual history of their chaotic family.
Within a day of hatching, Natsu and Happy developed an unbreakable bond.
It was that classic "I can't live without you" feeling.
Happy, despite being a newborn, was surprisingly bossy.
"Natsu, let's go fishing!"
"But I want to fight Gray!"
"Fish are tasty!"
"Okay!"
Although Natsu usually couldn't sit still for five minutes, for Happy's sake, he endured hours of waiting by the river.
One might say they were destined to be partners from the start.
Everyone was quite envious of Natsu's luck.
To find a talking, flying cat egg like that? It was unfair.
Although... as time went on, they realized this cat had a rather sarcastic, snarky personality.
Happy would occasionally trolled the guild members by saying they're heavy, they're in love or they're smells.
Wendy also adored Happy.
She would often chase him around while giggling.
Kagura, on the other hand was indifferent to Happy, she preferred her "little sister" Wendy.
Nowadays, the stoic swordswoman was thoroughly addicted to taking care of the blue-haired girl.
..
Raizel's House
After everyone gathered for a rare full day together to celebrate Happy's hatching, the guild returned to its usual rhythm.
Laxus and Cana went off on a job.
Mira took Elfman and Lisanna on a B-Class quest.
Raizel had originally mandated a strict "Three Month Training Camp" for Elfman, but given the significant progress of the "Manliness Reformation Plan," he felt it wasn't necessary to keep the boy locked up anymore.
Practical experience was just as important.
During lunch at Raizel's house, the atmosphere was relaxed.
After clearing the table, Raizel, Ultear, Erza, Kagura, and Wendy lounged on the sofas and floor rugs.
In the corner, Snowy (Cana's dog) and Oyen (Kagura's cat) were napping together.
When Ur brought Wendy over, she often brought the pets too, as she was the unofficial caretaker while their owners were away.
Raizel looked at the peaceful scene.
'Ur really has embarked on a point of no return,' Raizel mused.
She came to Fairy Tail as a warrior, and now she's raising kids, cats, and dogs.
If Bisca ever moves into Fairy Hills with her zoo, the dorm mother is going to have a breakdown.
Raizel stood up. "I'll be right back."
He went into the guest room.
Ultear and Erza exchanged puzzled looks.
Why is he going into the guest room?
A moment later, Raizel returned. He was holding something wrapped in a cloth.
He knelt on the floor and placed it on a folded blanket.
"Again?"
The collective question echoed through the living room.
If Happy hadn't arrived first, everyone would be confused.
But now, they recognized the aura.
It was another egg.
This one was white with intricate pink markings.
It radiated a faint, gentle magic, distinctly different from Happy's energetic vibe, but clearly the same species.
"Yeah," Raizel lied smoothly. "It fell into my yard this morning."
He wisely omitted the fact that he had found it days ago at Cait Shelter and kept it hidden in his closet.
"I'd like to entrust this egg to you all to raise," Raizel said, looking around the circle.
His gaze settled on the smallest member. "How about letting Wendy handle the hatching?"
He didn't say "leave everything to Wendy."
While Carla was Wendy's designated partner in the original timeline, here Wendy had plenty of big sisters.
She wasn't lonely. But she needed something of her own.
"Leave it to us!" Erza declared, patting her armored chest proudly. "We are experts now."
"Eh?" Ultear blinked. "It moved."
The egg, which had been perfectly still, tilted slightly.
It rolled an inch toward where Wendy was sitting.
To be fair, Wendy was sitting in Kagura's lap, so it could have been rolling toward either of them.
"Is it like Happy?" Ultear raised an eyebrow, hugging her knees. "Is it choosing its person?"
"Let's test it," Erza said, her eyes gleaming with scientific curiosity. "Wendy, move to the left. Kagura, stay there."
Wendy crawled off Kagura's lap and sat a few feet away.
Wobble.
Sure enough, the white egg tilted and rolled toward Wendy again.
"Incredible," Raizel muttered. 'Is there some kind of Dragon Slayer gravitational pull for Exceeds?'
"I see. It really does choose its person," Erza nodded, looking a little disappointed that the egg didn't roll to her. But she smiled.
"It seems destiny has spoken."
"Wendy, do you want it?" Kagura asked softly, stroking Wendy's hair.
"Yes!"
Wendy's voice pitched high with excitement. Her eyes shone like stars.
"I want it! I'll take care of it!"
She was happy.
Natsu had Happy.
Now she would have her own partner.
When Kagura and Erza went on dangerous missions, she wouldn't be alone. She would have someone to talk to who could actually talk back (unlike snowy and Oyen).
"Then it's settled."
Erza wrapped the egg snugly in the blanket and placed it gently in Wendy's arms.
Wendy was small.
The egg was almost half her size. But she held it with a tenderness that melted everyone's hearts.
"You can take it back to the dorm tonight," Raizel advised. "Though I suspect this egg won't hatch as quickly as Happy's did. Its magic fluctuations are much calmer."
When Happy's egg appeared, it was practically jumping off the table.
Raizel suspected Happy himself had bonked Natsu on the head to get his attention.
This egg felt more... dignified.
"Don't worry, Raizel-san," Wendy whispered, pressing her flushed cheek against the warm shell. "I'll take good care of her."
She already referred to it as "her."
Raizel smiled softly. He crouched down and patted Wendy's head.
"Mhm. Do your best."
There was no deep reason for his smile.
It was just that seeing Wendy take on such a serious responsibility at her age was incredibly adorable.
...
A week later.
Erza, Ultear, and Kagura had completed their training in the East Forest and departed on another mission.
Raizel returned to being a "lone wolf"—or at least, he tried to.
"HEY! RAIZEL! FOOD!"
Natsu and Gray kicked open his front door without knocking.
"We're here for lunch!" Happy cheered, flying in behind them.
Raizel sighed.
When they weren't on missions, these two idiots always treated his house like a free restaurant.
He didn't mind feeding them—he had plenty of money and ingredients—but he wished they had better table manners.
"I'll definitely finish faster than you!!!" Natsu shouted.
He slurped an impossibly long strand of noodles into his mouth like a vacuum cleaner.
Soup sprayed everywhere.
"No way I'm losing to you, Flame Brain!!!" Gray responded defiantly.
He twirled a massive clump of pasta around his chopsticks, shoving it into his mouth.
"Do you two ever stop competing?" Raizel asked, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.
"NEVER!" they shouted in unison, mouths full.
Raizel had long given up on trying to reform them with words.
He would just make them clean the kitchen later. After all, they were the ones splattering broth on his ceiling.
"If Erza were here, you wouldn't dare act like this," Raizel noted dryly.
The two froze mid-slurp.
They looked around fearfully, as if expecting her to materialize from the walls and smack them.
"She's... she's not here, right?" Gray whispered.
"Safe," Natsu exhaled, and immediately went back to eating like a barbarian.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in, munching on a fish. "They're scaredy-cats!"
Raizel shook his head.
'Peaceful days', he thought.
'I should enjoy them while it last.'
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