Keeping Secrets

We Go To War

Man, I'm starting to look like the boy who cried wolf, since I keep saying 'ok guys, I don't have anything written, probably no new chapter next week!'  Only to upload one anyway.

Nobody's gonna believe me when the hiatus comes lol

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter title taken from the Within Temptation song of the same name

KEEPING SECRETS CHP. 28- WE GO TO WAR

To say this past year had not been Makarov's year was an understatement.  All his work to protect those he held dear had amounted to nothing. 

War with the western continent was coming, and at its helm was none other than the black wizard Zeref himself. 

At least Fairy Tail was together again.  Makarov's despair had turned to joy in an instant when Mest had revealed the guild had reformed and came to Alvarez to rescue him. Finally, he had returned home, to see the bright, smiling faces of all his children, waiting for him.

Well, all but one.

"Thank you for raising Natsu for me. "

The black wizard's words, spoken with that unsettling smile, replayed endlessly in Makarov's mind.  He still couldn't make sense of what the black wizard meant.  Initially, he had dismissed it as a madman attempting to sow discord within his guild, by making him believe Zeref had some connection to Natsu.  It was ridiculous. 

Or so he had thought.

But during their journey back to Ishgar, Makarov had asked why Natsu wasn't there, with the rest of his team?  The reaction from Natsu's team made his heart sink.  The way the light dimmed in Lucy's eyes as she explained, "I've been able to track down and reunite everyone from the guild this past year... everyone but Natsu.  It's like... he's just vanished into the wind."

"Aye."  Happy added, his voice unusually subdued.  "He and I went to train after everything with Acnologia, and Tartaros... but I missed everyone, and I left him to come back to the guild.  Only to find there wasn't a guild anymore."  Sighing, Happy continued, "And then even worse, when I went back to where Natsu and I split up... there was no trace of him."

Zeref's words crept back into Makarov's thoughts.  He shook them off.  Natsu was never the best with timing.  He was likely deep in the wilderness somewhere, and as soon as the boy stumbled his way back to civilization, he'd hear about the guild's reunion and come bursting through the guildhall doors again with that infectious grin of his. 

That's what Makarov kept telling himself.

But as the days went by with no sign of Natsu, the dread in Makarov's heart crept back up.

Zeref wasn't just trying to sow discord... he knew something.   

Something about Natsu.   

And he's toying with them over it.

Makarov clenched his fists.  He needed to tell the others- though he feared how they might react.  The last thing they needed was Natsu's team to follow him down this rabbit hole and end up in Zeref's clutches as well.

Natsu's team was determined to find the wayward dragon slayer.  Every day during Makarov's first week back in Magnolia, they scoured the kingdom, in search of him. 

Saturday came, and the team had returned from another fruitless search.  However, this time they had something unusual to report.

Wendy swore she'd caught Natsu's scent, faint but unmistakable, only for it to vanish as quickly as it appeared.  Its trail had led them to the ruins of an old village where, beneath a sprawling old oak tree, the team had found three graves.