Fairy Tail: Natsu's Little Sister

Chapter 18: My Resolve

Natsu asks Gajeel whom he learned his Dragon Slayer Magic from, and discovers that Gajeel learnt his Magic from Metalicana, the Iron Dragon. Gajeel then discloses the topic by saying that Metalicana left one day which Natsu, remembering from his own experience with Igneel, figures out the right time, which is seven years ago on the seventh day of the seventh month.

Gajeel is hopeful that Natsu knows his whereabouts, but in fact, Igneel, the Dragon who raised Natsu, left on the same day. They wonder why there was such a coincidence with the sevens, but have no answer. Natsu is annoyed when Gajeel states that he does not care about Metalicana anymore. The two bicker and conclude that they have to fight again one day.

"Still think you want to be apart of the guild Aika?" Gageel asked

"Aika?" Natsu asked, he then realized that he still never found her, he was thinking about Lucy

"Whatever" Aika said coming out from her hiding place

"You were here the entire time?" Natsu asked, Aika just looked away.

The guild is in ruins, but everyone is confident that they can rebuild it. Lucy keeps feeling culpable, but Makarov's words of love make her cry. Makarov thinks of the punishment from the Magic Council and is reduced to tears as well, but for very different reasons.

One week from the war, the guild is slowly rebuilding. The Rune Knights came and investigated, and found Fairy Tail “almost” innocent and Phantom Lord guilty. Lucy is telling these things to her mother in a letter and wonders if it was really her father’s doing. She fears her father might do it again, a thought she cannot bear, but decides that she wouldn't let it happen.

The work is going on slowly, but everyone is having fun with it. Juvia has stayed behind, and made Gray a lunch box, which gets eaten by Erza and Natsu, much to her displeasure. Loke then comes with Lucy’s Gate Keys and wants Gray or Natsu to give them to her, since he is hesitant to hand them over to her himself. He is shown to have an antipathy for Celestial Spirit Mages, or rather, a fear of them.

Aika kept at home. She said she didn't want to help rebuild the guild, she didn't feel well. Natsu just told her to rest and to feel better. He didn't think about anything else.

Gray, Natsu, Happy and Erza decide to visit Lucy at her apartment, but she is not there. Erza finds a note, while Happy finds the letters she wrote to her mom. They haven’t been sent. Erza then reads the note, which says that she went home. They wonder why and decided to go after her.

Natsu ran home and grabbed his back, Aika sat on the couch reading a book "Natsu-"

"No time, i gotta go" Natsu said quickly leaving

Aika stared at the closed door "but Natsu..."

On a train, Lucy remembers an experience she had with her father. She made him a rice ball, but he threw it on the ground and screamed at her. It was her birthday that time, though her father did not remember.

When Lucy arrives at the Heartfilia Mansion, the servants are happy to see her. One of the girls tell her that her father is asking for her presence in his room. She dresses up like she used to, when she lived at this house, and goes to confront her father. Lucy tells him that she is sorry for leaving without saying a word, causing him to think of this as her return. He begins to tell her about his plans, stating that he has arranged her marriage with a rich manand expects her to give birth to a baby boy.

Lucy cuts him short, stating that she came here to make things clear with him. She further says that she will search for her happiness in her own way, and also threatens him to stay away from Fairy Tail, or he will be considered an enemy. She confesses that she doesn't want dresses, or fortunes, or anything. She renounces her identity as Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, and proclaims that her new family knows her as just Lucy.

She tells her father that it will be hard to leave the house which holds the memories of her mother, and also her friends, the servants, but she states that if her mom were still alive, she would want her to do what she feels is right. She leaves the mansion and stops by her mother’s memorial before heading back to the Guild.

On her way out, the group catches up with her, with everyone glad to see her and Happy and Natsu crying. She explains to them why she went home, much to the shock of Natsu and Gray. On their way back, Erza compliments the village, but Lucy says it was her family’s garden, up until a nearby mountain. This sends everyone into a state of sycophancy.

Lucy says that Fairy Tail is already a part of her, and she can't live without them. Together, Team Natsu returns home

"Goodbye, Natsu" a tear slipped from her eye as Aika stepped out of her childhood home with her bag on her shoulder and started her journey into the unknown.