The bustling Lumiose City had many qualities to it, where some in fact have many of memories made by many people. Some in the parks, some in shops – such instances leading to a certain shop still open and as busy as ever, especially since a certain someone happened to be inside. The Lumiose Stone Emporium may not be so extravagant and cheap as other stores, but it's easier to find a Water Stone or Fire Stone here better than anywhere else. Of course for a certain someone, evolution stones were far from his mind.

The jeweler inside presented Nic with something in a black box. He calmly handed him the object with a smile. "I'm sorry for the wait." He said.

After hiding the box away underneath a black cloak he was wearing at the time, Nic gave the jeweler a smile of his own. "It's no trouble, really. How much was it again?"

"About 500,000."

For top quality material Nic wanted, it sure as hell wasn't cheap either. Asking Gajeel to help make it would be liable, and Jura perhaps would know a thing or two, but Fiore at the moment was still recovering from the war. He was better off tying his own laces rather than look to them to help tie them in his stead.

He paid the amount necessary, though it did leave him short some afterwards. It was worth it in the end as the jeweler accepted and blessed Nic with his way as he exited the Stone Emporium.

Standing outside the building, Nic took a deep breath, and then sighed outwards. He looked up towards the sky, seeing that the sun was still up in the west. Though waning some, it was easy for Nic to tell he had somewhere to be.

He felt his pocket beneath his black cloak. With that there, he lowered his head and looked down at the ground in a mournful manner. He had one objective accomplished on his to-do list. Now he had just one more. "Okay, time to bite this bullet…" He walked down the sidewalk, ignoring all the commentary and the nearby folk with phones taking snapshots and giving him bewildered looks. He made a sharp turn into and alley and made sure no one followed him. Once secluded, he lethargically kept walking on, opening another spatial portal without any means of effort.

With one footstep, he ventured inside, the portal spinning to a close behind him almost instantly.

Church bells rang, the sign that many in Magnolia took notice of. Those who knew the tune were looking towards the Cathedral, having many wondrous looks plastered on their faces. Those who weren't aware looked oblivious to the direction were bells rang. From the noise made, the usually merry sound it made was hollow. This day was far from joyful.

A few days had passed since the final conclusions of the war and the many battles waged, and while Magnolia was still in much needed repair, fellow citizens and members of other guilds felt obligated to take a break from their recovery and take part in the time of mourning. Many people wearing black walked into the now-repaired Kardia Cathedral, which took a whole day thanks to everyone pooling together and their magic helping repair. Many people walked into the doors, taking their seats as the soft organ music played by a paid musician. Everyone who was dear entered and took their seats, many of whom were Nic.

Nic walked past the many frowning faces, some who were having tissues already set out. He had his head down as he kept on walking. As he walked on, he still peeked every now and again to see who came and who didn't. For the most part, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus' Guild Master Goldmine, even Sabertooth attended. All frowned, and Master Bob was sniffling. Sting and Goldmine weren't in such high spirits either. As Nic kept walking, he took notice that some fellow Wizard Saints had come, like Cruzer, and Hyberion. Even Mr. Yajima attended, and he was frowning in mourn. It wasn't something he expected, but he just soldiered on through the cathedral until he made it to his fellow guildmates. Every single Fairy Tail member was present, and all of them adorned black and looked beyond morbid. He went down the row past Lucy and Team Natsu, making sure to not look them in the eye as he passed them.

Once sliding past Lucy, he took his spot between his sister and Erza. Erza had her hair down and kempt as always. The two women looked up at Nic as he sat down, settling into the bench and looking at them. As they all exchanged looks, they were set. No words were needed as they all had black cloaks and watched as the organ stopped.

They all looked forward, seeing many candles lit up around two frames of fallen members who gave their lives for the sake of the guild. The frames were painted in honor of Mavis Vermilion, and Makarov Dreyar, both crafted by Reedus respectively. The two frames sat right next to the other; two masters who overlooked their saddened children and comrades.

A pair of hands gripped the sides of the podium, the hands belonging to Laxus as he stood in a tux in respects for the others. If he was honest, he didn't want to be there due to it being so rough on him, but when he looked towards everyone else, he saw the saddened looks. The Thunder God Tribe was barely keeping themselves together. Whether he liked it or not, he won't let family be in vain.

Clearing his throat, he finally began to speak. "Thanks for coming, everyone. I know it's a much difficult time, but I think we can all nod and agree that even though we're suffering a few hiccups…it's best we remember why we're here before pressing on."

Many silently nodded, especially those in Fairy Tail.

Taking a deep sigh, he leaned on the podium. "The…old geezer, my old man…he did what nobody else could've. He was there when we needed him, and he was there when we didn't have a mediator. He sure was rowdy in his own way, I'll say that." He sourly chuckled at himself, but chose to go on. "He was a master to us. We were a bunch of brats who didn't have a home, and he took it upon the kindness in his heart to take us all in. He gave each of us a place to come home to. He showed us what a real family was meant to be about, not just by blood, but with what we've been through." He took a moment to collect himself and looked down at the podium, thinking about his choice of words. "I don't think any of us…would probably be who we are now if it wasn't for my Grandpa. He was…I guess a lot of things. But what I think he's more of than anything else, I guess…a real father."

Wendy sniffled as tears were shedding. Carla put a hand to her shoulder to comfort her.

"He set us straight, no matter how big of a pain in the ass we all were. We all made a couple mistakes, and he punished us like a father would. I can't begin to tell you the few ways he punished us." He silently thought back to the time he tried to forcefully take Fairy Tail for himself, and how he was expelled. Many understood what went inside his head, while others thought of the other "punishments" that Makarov dealt – some of which mortified them. "Even if we weren't the brightest in the beginning, we all eventually had ourselves settled in. We came together. We got our act together. We were divided, but he picked us up and taught us to stand up for what we believed in. We were selfish perhaps, and some of us didn't know what we had…until it was gone."

Many Fairy Tail members began to grow misty in the eyes from Laxus speaking. They lost their two masters that held them up, and yet what could they do at the time?

Once more, Laxus sighed. "The geezer made our worlds together. But what I think bound us together, I think it was really more than our sense of past doings. I think we all can thank our First Master for that: Mavis. She sure was…a very interesting character. Even so, she was the start of what was the biggest revelation in magic history. It's because of her we have something now that bounds us together. It's what she created – the very guild we all now represent – that we all call a home. She didn't just create some silly guild where we just go and mess with the council. It was our place. We had our guild hall reaffirmed nearly a thousand times now, but as much wood as we replace, as many pillars as we stand…" He quietly nodded to himself. "I think we all learned that material isn't the point to a home."

Levy was close to tearing up. With her head down, she silently whimpered as Gajeel draped an arm around her and held her close. Jet and Droy would've said something, but they let it slide due to much needed respect elsewhere.

Laxus softly smiled as he looked at the podium. "These two that we looked to for guidance, they guided us up to where they knew we could stand on our own. We're not silly kids anymore. We know forwards and back that what changes were made are the things we're going to stomach for the rest of our lives. We're sad, we were when the old man gave himself to saving us. We knew that, and Mavis did too. The First did her best to honor him, and though there is a fine line between soldiers and guildmates…we're not any of those." His eyes began to mist, his composure beginning to break. "We're family."

Mirajane wiped a tear from her eye, sniffling as she was feeling like she was about to cry. She didn't feel this bad since the time Lisanna "died". Elfman did his best to be a man and frowned on. Beside him, Evergreen knew he wanted to cry, too.

"These two…they were like a mother and father to us. We wouldn't trade the other for all the jewel in the world, because as much cash as you have, you can't earn love that way. We loved them, and they loved us. They were parents who took care of their children. They…" He closed his eyes, lowering his head to think of what to say next. It was hard, especially since he felt like choking. With what power he had inside of himself, he looked up, giving everyone a hollow half-grin. "…we can thank them for all we've been through. I wouldn't trade this experience with anyone but for those who came. You all, we all have a legacy, and even if it isn't reaching the heights and wisdom once shared, we all persevere in some way. Even if you mess up, as long as you find out you're wrong and have the power to change…do it…" Tears began to shed, droplets making small puddles on the podium. "Because even the smallest change can change the coldest of hearts." He lowered his head, quickly nodding. "Thank you First…thank you Grandpa…thank you…"

Porlyusica had tears running down her face, nodding as she accepted Makarov's grandson's words of wisdom.

The funeral in respect for Makarov and Mavis droned on. Many of the Fairy Tail members went up and spoke fondly of the two who brought them all together. Mirajane and the Strauss siblings spoke of Makarov and Mavis like they were beacons, and Gajeel looked like he was about to cry. The Iron Dragon Slayer was thanking Makarov for taking him in, even though he was nothing more than a punk like Laxus pointed out. He felt shame, but Levy accepted him with a guiding hand. Sophie took her time using her treasure trove of memories made and recalled events – some funny, some serious – but she outlined the best in what Makarov and Mavis had. Every now and again, someone from the back or another person from another guild would come up and speak of him. Master Bob would talk fondly of him, and Goldmine paid his respects. It took a lot of willpower and convincing from Lamia Scale and Jura to get Obaba to get up to the podium. Mest spoke in great honor of Makarov, and he also spoke dearly of Mavis, doing his best to keep his cool and not break down in regret.

After what felt like an eternity, finally it came down to Erza finishing her paid respects. Her head was down, and she had tears in her eyes as she was wrapping up on what she had to say.

"…the very people we looked up to, they were the purest of hearts. They brought us together. They gave us our independence and our dependence on one another. Our hearts are as one, and our lives are for the better…because they gave us a guiding hand to do our best." Clearing her throat, she looked up towards Nic, who deeply frowned at her. "We never would've met and had an impact with one another, if it wasn't for their kindness. They showed us what love can be, and we'll treasure that fact, for as long as we live on."

With her turn over, the redhead walked back to her seat, sliding past everyone and making her way to her spot next to Nic. Once down, she turned and looked towards him. It was now his turn.

Looking around, he saw many faces still crying. He knew he had to speak up. If Laxus and Gildarts had the guts to speak up about them, then what man would he be I he didn't? Finally, he got up and started making way towards the podium. As he slid past Lucy and the others of Team Natsu, Nic took notice of something as he went on, something that he caught note of with Natsu and Gray. Throughout the entire funeral, they said not one word. They only kept their heads down. He looked closer, seeing their fists balling in their laps. He could see it. He could feel it. Their frustration. Their regret. All he did was power on and walk up the isle and assert himself in front of the podium.

With his own sigh, he looked at the many faces looking up towards him. He could see that many were already breaking down, and some were ready to leave because the pain was too much to take. He will make it fast, so that they all could move on.

Quickly breathing out, he calmed and cleared his throat. "I…I'm not a fan of these kinds of events." He admitted. "Usually…people will do whatever it takes to avoid the pain, and the heartache. But, if you don't face it head on at some point, you won't ever have that pain go away. It'll sit there like poison. And to cure poison, you need a helping hand. Where I come from, you can heal poison in many ways, even through berries. But…when I ask myself that, how is a certain berry grown? Well…" He cleared his throat once more. "Turns out, the best berries are cared for by the caring of hands. People and these berries, they're all the same. We can be bitter. We can be sour. Dry sense of humor if we ever got it. But with what hands help us, it's got to have a solid hold on us, and care for us. That's how we end up being sweet. Those hands I speak of, they're Mavis and Makarov. They were the helping hands that rid of the poison we all carried. We may have been bitter at times, and we weren't the ripest bunch, but…they still cared for us. They loved us." He slowly shook his own head. "It's never too late to make yourself sweet for the hands that pluck you from the darkness."

Natsu and Gray looked up, their hands still balled. They gazed at Nic like he was some kid of psychic. What he spoke of, they felt it. They recalled when he extended himself and plucked them out of the darkness that was their own hearts.

"We all made mistakes, and we all hurt one another in some way. But that's family. We have our ups and downs, and we have our moments where we questioned the other's loyalty and trust. That's humanity, and it's okay. Everyone has secrets, and everyone reacts in their own way. Makarov taught us to accept the other, even if it wasn't at first. He gave each of us hope. He…showed us the way to turn our darkness into a quality we can appreciate and move on with. We all have something impure about us at some point in our lives, but what we have, is something we can use. Casting it aside like trash, it's like denying a part of you that refuses to change. If you don't embrace your facts, or if you don't accept reality…" He looked up once more, his attention averting towards Erza. The two locked eyes, brown and blue meeting with misty hearts. "…then you won't move forward." He swallowed, doing his best to hold himself together in humble humility. "Mavis had a darkness, and it contorted her. Was it evil? Was it love? Was it both that she couldn't seem to comprehend? I think that by the time she reached her final moments…she knew the answer. She knew then that her darkness all along, was really the very light that made her happy in the end. She didn't leave us knowing that she didn't had regrets. She loved a certain someone, and she trusted him; love is…a very complicated feeling. It's not something even I can really explain. You just…feel it. Words don't express how much you love someone. Even if you can't say it directly, you know from being around someone just how you feel."

At his words, Erza's gaze softened. She, too, felt the same way. Lucy looked towards Natsu with a saddened expression, as she saw how he was so in shock. Juvia put a hand on Gray's fist, looking away from him in fear he might try and shrug her off. To her shock, she felt Gray hold her hand, like he was trying to find comfort.

Nic pressed on with his head high and keeping himself secured. "The moments they left us, they gave us – they showed us – their own way of expressing love. They loved us with every fiber of their beings. They loved us like children, and we loved them for how much they've done for us. They…" He swallowed once more, nodding to himself. "They knew in the end how to express their love and thanks. They may have not been the mother and father of our blood…but the hands and the care they gave us, that's what brought us to recognize and see the other in this cathedral as someone who isn't a monster, not an enemy, not a rival, but someone who we've made a connection to on this very day. Fairy Tail; Mavis; Makarov; they wanted a guild that reached its heart out, and poured out to everyone else around. We did that in their stead. To you all, in what respects we can pay to this day…" He nodded with a half-grin. "With all the light in our hearts that was cracked from the darkness of what shells are…you've made an extended family that we can savor forever. Thank you."

With that said, Nic walked away from the podium, finally having done speaking. As he looked up towards his seat, he saw Vanessa and Erza looking at him with nods. He smiled back.

Even then, Natsu and Gray didn't make eye contact, but the fists they made softened.

As Nic sat back down, he took a deep breath through his nose and out through his mouth. With his head forward, a warm hand intertwined its fingers with his own. He looked over, seeing that it was Erza, keeping him together, as if he was going to break apart. They both held onto the other tight, both grinning mournfully for what they said with silent appeal.

The gathering then after was at least a much livelier process compared to the funeral. With many flowers before two grand gravestones in the Kardia Cathedral cemetery, everyone bid their final farewells to the two before they all made back to a sanctioned domain where catering was offered, for those who cared to bring any for that matter.

Even though many still didn't have the stomach to eat much, they had to at least try. Some people got the nerve to speak up and reconnect at the reception. Crestfallen many were, they were beginning to cheer up and put smiles on their own faces after some conversation.

Laxus took a sip of fine wine and sighed. After a stressful day, he thought it felt deserving. Then again, he wasn't gonna have booze downing him like Cana. He was mellow that way.

A pat on the back came from Bickslow, who half-grinned in deep respect. "Hey bud, you did a great job up there."

"Thanks." Laxus answered, even if the answer was half-hearted, it was still meant from his heart.

"I say you did your very best." Evergreen said.

Freed stood in front of Laxus with a nod of approval. "I'm sure the master would've been very proud of the man that you've become."

Laxus meekly grinned as he rolled his eyes away. "Alright, I get it. You guys are making it sound like I lost a contest and you're playing kiss-ups on me."

The Thunder God Tribe shared a laugh with each other, much to Laxus' chagrin. The Lightning Dragon Slayer couldn't help but snicker as well. In retrospect, it was good that he had his friends. They were the world to him after all.

Jura approached from close by, holding a glass of wine in his hand. "Ah, Laxus. I was wondering where I might find you." He stood before him, getting his attention.

"You're Jura, been a while." He responded.

He nodded. "Indeed it has. You have my deepest regards and gratitude."

"Thanks."

"I must say, you have a very fine group gathered around you. I think we truly do have you to thank for bringing us into light of this union." The Wizard Saint turned around, smiling at the many faces of the many people of the guilds who attended. "We've all shared something today, but it wasn't possible without you opening our eyes for us. Wise words were never truly spoken before." He reached his glass of wine out to Laxus. "Let us toast."

A smile crossed Laxus' face as he held up his wine. The Thunder God Tribe held up their wine and all tapped their glasses in the center.

In another part of the reception hall, Erza and Vanessa were sitting next to each other on a round table. They didn't have much on their dinner plates, and that was the way they liked it. They weren't sad anymore, but perhaps discomforted would be a better word to describe them. The two girls fiddled with their mashed potatoes before they chose to make yet another conversation.

"I'm still surprised this many would come." Erza said, wearing a black dress that had a massive slit to show off much of her ample chest. "I was amazed Kardia Cathedral could house that much."

"Well the outside does seem limited, once you get inside, you'd be surprised." Vanessa exaggerated. "I know I was."

Erza turned towards her, oddly curious in her choice of words. "And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Vanessa smiled again. "Well, it's just like you. You seem secluded and all that on the outside, but once we all get a peek into you, you have a lot of wonder and your own sense of grace. Kind of like a castle; a fortress who only allows a certain few to see it's drapery and rightful queen."

Erza pondered about her words, but not very long. She smiled once more as she turned down towards her food. "I never thought of it that way. You're not wrong."

"Speaking of abode, how's the repairs going?"

Erza took a deep sigh of exasperation. "As well as you can imagine. Getting all that debris sorted out was a lot on our plate. We were fortunate Nic used Psychic to help lift it all off the establishment. I keep telling him to take it easy, but does he ever listen?" She pinched the bridge of her nose as she recalled how stubborn Nic was against her better judgement.

Vanessa snickered at her fiddling. Under normal circumstances, Erza would've questioned why, but she just ended up chuckling in retrospect.

"Well, Nic's stubborn ways aside, have you guys thought of what you were going to do next?" Vanessa asked.

"You mean for our house?" Erza cleared up. "Well, in truth, Nic and I haven't talked too much about it. Honestly we were so caught up in our clearing the other day that we haven't talked in depth about it. I think I heard Nic wanting to go smaller, like a cottage."

"And what do you think about that?"

"Well…" A soft smile crossed Erza's lips as she looked away. "A cottage does sound cozy. Though smaller, in truth I think the former house was a little too spacious."

"You could fit the entire guild inside even." Vanessa mused. "By the way, did you manage to save anything?"

Erza looked back to her. "The entire first floor was in shambles, but we managed to salvage some silverware and frames. Of course everything else has to be replaced. But the good news is that the basement is still in one piece, so whatever we had saved we moved down to storage."

The two went on about what was going and how the other was doing. It was nice to catch up since they've been apart for a few days. Vanessa was busy with Sophie trying to repair Magnolia from all the collateral damage of the battles waged. Of course the biggest collateral damage was in fact spread all over from Arbok and August's battle. Those Earthquake attacks did a massive number on everything. It was a miracle some buildings were still in one piece. It was going to take a while, but with everyone pooling their resources, another few months should do the trick. Vanessa even asked if Nic and Erza needed a place to stay, but the redhead declined, saying that Nic's transporting them to Vaniville Town to stay at their foster family, at least until they got the bedroom and bathroom fixed up.

Vanessa looked around, noticing their familiar topic being absent. "Huh, where did Nic go?"

"How strange. He hasn't been here since the reception began." Erza put a hand to her chin, thinking aloud. "I hope nothing's happened to him."

"I guess we shouldn't worry too much." Vanessa smiled. "Even though Nic may not be in his best condition right now, he's tough. Besides, you know him as well as I do. He doesn't stick around these sort of events too often." She did have a point. Nic was far from the festive type, as given when he skipped out completely on the grand banquet back in Mercurius.

Realizing Nic was off doing his own thing, Erza softly smiled. "I know…"

Elsewhere, Cana was sighing as she hiccupped. "Alright~." She slurred, slouching in the back of her seat, dangling a flask in her fingertips.

Sophie crossed her arms as she sat at the same table as Cana. "Tsme-a much (Thirsty much)?"

Cana harshly placed the glass on the tabletop, letting out a brief sigh. "It's been a rough day, alright."

"I get that. But must you really make such a-hmph!" Sophie was cut off when a bottle's open top was forcefully shoved into her mouth, the alcoholic beverage belonging to Cana as she still hiccupped.

"Come on, little Miss Hebrew Speller, why not just unwind?"

From nearby, seeing Sophie nearly choke on the beverage, Gildarts sweat-dropped. "Is that really necessary?"

"I still can't believe how many people showed." Lucy looked around, seeing many of people conversing and talking about subjects beyond her limited hearing.

"Aye. That's because this is important to those guys as it was to us." Happy pointed out.

"Right."

"Magnolia still needs a lot of work done, though. But I'm sure we can get it done in no time." Wendy stayed positive, showing a smile on her face.

"I'm sure it'll all be fine. We have the other and supplies incoming." Carla said.

Juvia nodded. "Yes, I'm sure we'll rebuild the guild hall once more as well." She looked over towards Gray, hoping he would have some input. However, he didn't over a single word. He was silent the entire time; funeral, reception; it was like he refused to speak. He frowned as he looked at his dinner plate, having barely touched his peas. "Gray?"

"Hm?" Snapping back to reality, Gray looked towards her. "Sorry, Juvia, did you say something?"

"You're acting strange. Are you really that upset?"

"What? No, this is just how I look." Gray feigned surprise to hope she would be diverted. It didn't given the look she gave him.

"Gray…"

Relenting, Gray looked back down at his dinner plate. "Sorry. I'm just not all that well."

He wasn't the only one who was feeling a little discouraged. At the same table, Happy looked up to Natsu. Normally, he'd be eating his face off with delight, but looking at his dinner plate, he hardly touched anything. He looked almost as contemplative as Gray, if not more.

"Hey, Natsu?" He called to him.

Natsu looked down towards him. "Yeah, Happy?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! Sorry, pal. Just a little thinking is all." He also tried to give Happy a fake smile, but Happy was no fool, nobody was. They could see he was playing a lie, but a white lie was far from it.

The gathered at the table looked towards the other, having a pretty good idea on what was bugging them both. The few incidents in the war involving a certain time they almost murdered someone dear still clung to them like an infection. Even after the words Nic spoke at the funeral, it didn't do much to lift the pain from their hearts. The most anyone could do in respects for how they feel was just stay quiet.

"Has anybody seen Nic?" Wendy asked Lucy.

The blonde looked around, seeing how the slayer of Acnologia was absent. "Good question. Where is he?"

"I would imagine he's somewhere nearby." Juvia suggested. "If I had an idea, maybe he's off doing his own thing."

"That's a good point. He wasn't there at the grand banquet. I know he isn't a party or event kind of person, but he still comprised to help clean up later." Wendy reminded the group.

"He'll be back. I'm sure." Lucy hoped.

As they talked on, Natsu and Gray looked at one another, giving the other blank faces.

The cool air made the atmosphere as placid as any other night, but on this night, the cool air blew with anticipation, or carrying various resemblance to what may be a passing of thoughts. The breeze went through the repairing Magnolia. The one blissful town was nothing more than shabby wooden beams and material possessions being fixed up, but everyone found solace in some way to sleep.

Within the distance, over the forest and hills over yonder, the evening became a dusk. The sky was a very dark navy blue starting east, waning to fading shades of light blue and yellow in the western horizon. Only one person was looking at it with such enamor, and he was leaning against the balcony of the reception hall, getting a good view of the waning day.

Nic frowned as he stared at the day's end. He didn't look sad, but he wasn't thrilled either. Each passing day meant the beginning of something else, but something still bugged him, and it was making his heart beat faster than ever.

A pair of heels tapped behind, showing a hand sitting on a wide hip. "I thought you'd somewhere in the open outside."

Hearing the voice, Nic snapped out of his thoughts and turned around. His heart nearly skipped a beat as he saw the object of his – many – thoughts having arms folded and leaning against the side of the entrance to the balcony. "You've always been the kind of guy to step out for open air rather than stay festive with everyone else."

"Erza." Nic said with slight surprise.

She began to walk towards him. "What's wrong? Did you need some more time?" She asked innocently.

Nic blinked before looking back at the dusk sunset. "No, you're fine. I could use a little company."

"And by 'little, I guess that just means me?" She clarified.

A smirk came across Nic's lips. "I'd be a bold-faced liar if I said I wasn't picky." Comical statements aside, her timing couldn't be any more perfect to him. He was glad that it was Erza who came to see him. She was always there, even if he couldn't admit it. But she knew that, too.

Taking her spot right beside Nic on the balcony, the two watched the dusk sunset fade. They stood in silence for what felt like the longest time, but they didn't exactly talk about anything at the time. They just took solace in the beautiful enigmatic rays of the last bit of sun fading from the sky, soon to be black.

"Were you watching this the whole reception?" Erza inquired.

Nic continued to look at the waning colors. "Daybreak and dusk; in all honesty, they're my favorite times of day."

Erza grinned as she looked at him. "I can feel the same way. The sun isn't there, but you know it'll come by soon or again. Those few colors in the distance do make for a nice horizon."

"It's a natural spectacle. I just appreciate that I could see this time once more."

Erza's smile widened towards him. "Me too." She moved her hand over the balcony to reach for Nic's. "And it's always nice to share these moments with someone."

Nic again smiled at her. As he looked into her eyes, he could feel that embrace. It was a bumpy road the both endured up until now, and it was a lot to take in. 'Yeah, it really is nice to have these moments with someone. Usually back in Kalos, my Pokémon and I, we'd just watch the waning moments before falling asleep. We wake up at daybreak and get training. It wasn't too often we appreciated these times of day until recently. All that training brought us to beating Acnologia. Now what?'

Taking notice of Nic's face wondering away, Erza grew curious. "Nic?"

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

Nic shook his head and smiled. "Sorry, was I spacing out there. I guess I was lost in what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" He looked back at the navy-blue sky turning black. "We beat Acnologia, didn't we? My Pokémon and I came a very long way from when we took down Lysandre back then. I'm still in shock, but…I can understand that it's happened. All these years we've spent training, it paid off in the end. Now, we can actually enjoy a sunrise and sunset without thinking of cons."

Erza's frown was matched with her confused look. The more she processed, the more she began to understand. A smile again appeared on her face. "You're right. You've had to endure all these hardships, and you only got stronger for others up until now. So what do you and your Pokémon think you're going to do?"

Nic closed his eyes and snickered. "As if I'd let you think we'd lose purpose." He looked at her like she was playing with him. "It's obvious what we're going to do. We're gonna continue to live, and get even stronger. We'll battle to our content until the day we all go up there."

Erza's hand pressed harder on his. "Living life dedicated to the thrill that you love. Of course. That's the motive of a true Pokémon Trainer I take it?"

"You know it."

Pokémon, Erza, family; all the same. They lived for each other, and depended on one another. Nic and Greninja and the others fighting Acnologia had the deepest connection, and that's how undying loyalty and trust erupted. Even back when they were still training in Kalos all those years ago, they were a little inexperienced still, and though some hiccups were created, it didn't stop Nic from making them turn into a family. A very weird family, but because of the choices Nic made, they were the seven who saved the universe twice. Not to mention gained Arceus' immeasurable respect.

When all that's said and done, silence came over and dusk finally receded into a full night. Nic's heart began to beat faster as he was thinking about the person who stood beside him. Her strawberry scent never wavered, and luscious, bountiful assets aside, Erza had her trademark long, red hair. It flowed the way he liked it. He prayed it stayed like that, even if they grew older.

He remained quiet as she began to turn away.

"It's getting a little nippy. I'll head inside, okay? Be sure to come inside when it's time to clean up."

"Actually…" He said it quite forcibly, much to Erza's shock. She turned around to see anxiousness on his face. "Actually, can we talk?"

"Sure, about what?"

"Not here. Some place less…open?"

Erza was interested in Nic's motives, but she chose to follow along. "Of course. You know I'd go anywhere with you." She deadpanned.

Nic flashed another smirk as he reached his hand out. "Then let's go on a little adventure then."

Erza smirked as she accepted his hand. "Fine, but let's be sure to be back by cleanup."

Time aside, Nic wasn't too concerned about it. He was really more concerned about what his own intentions were. He did his best to keep himself together as he took Erza and walked beside her, guiding her out of Magnolia and into the woods. There was an open path where there was a lush green grassy trail heading deeper into the woods. As they went ahead, they came to what was a lush clearing with thin trees, where one could see sunbeams from a possible sunrise if they wanted to.

Walking into the clearing, Erza took notice of the may flowers everywhere. Fireflies ignited the air as crickets chirped. It only made the scene all the more majestic.

"Nic, what is this place?"

Nic looked up at the sky, seeing the stars twinkle with the few fireflies over his head. "Does this place feel…familiar to you?"

Erza blinked as she looked left and right. "Familiar?" She tried to look at it in perspective, and yet al she did was walk around, slowly pacing and looking at many flowers. 'A clearing outside of Magnolia. Where you can have sun ray just at the edge of the-!' An epiphany began to awash her mind. "Wait, Nic. Is this…?"

Nic sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "So I guess you caught on then. Yeah, this is the same exact spot…the spot where we spent our first night together; the day we met."

Erza couldn't believe what a fool she was. She would've mentally cursed herself if she wasn't so in shock. She recognized by the small circumference it took up. It wasn't too big, but enough for a view of the sky. There was also the small flowers everywhere, not to mention what looked like trees shaped all around. She even recognized a few logs sitting around a small dirt spot in the distance.

"We didn't exactly keep it clean. The guys and I were training and I remembered this very place. We messed it up a little, but with the Meadow Form, I got it fixed in no time. Sorry if it's different from what you remember."

Erza snapped out of her shock and looked at Nic with surprise. "N-no, no worries at all." She felt guilty for not recalling the geography much sooner. "So Nic, why did you bring me out to this spot?"

Nic rubbed the back of his head as a slight blush came across his face. He looked down at the grass, making Erza more confused than she was before. 'What's with him? He's been acting very weird lately.' She approached him. "Nic, is something the matter?"

"…well…how should I put this?" He contemplated. "This place, even if it wasn't special, you can't deny that it started something, right?"

"Well…" Erza felt a light blush of embarrassment cross her own face. When she and Nic looked back at it, the way they met and that night they spent was rather "cheeky". She could scarcely bare the fact how silly she was and how easy it was for Nic to not be afraid of her. Maybe that's the connection back started. "You're…not wrong."

"Well, when I looked back at it, thinking about everything that's happened, we've been to so many places and shared many different memories, haven't we? Magnolia. Our house. Crocus. Edolas. Kalos. The isles. All those places we've been too, we've shared a lot of strife back then, didn't we? It's almost a shock to know how many of those memories started just from this spot."

Erza raised a brow in her own wonder. A smile crept into her face. "Yes. We really did hit it off in a way here."

Nic turned to look at her, his face still looking a little nervous. "That's why I chose here of all places. A journey for a Trainer means a lot, but what makes it worth it in the end, is how far they came from their point of beginning. When Trainers battle against the Kalos League, usually they go home, but unlike their beginning, they see their surroundings in a whole new perspective. It's like they were memories." He cleared his throat. "That's why…I want to make another memory here."

"Nic? What's going on? Why are you acting so weird? I know being here is memorable, but what is it really?"

Nic's face began to blush a little harder. His body was running cold as he felt like he was going to pass out. He stayed strong as he had to follow through. He began to reach into his pocket. "Do you remember when I told you and Vanessa about the errand I had to run before the funeral?"

"Yes, you said you had to pick up something important. I thought it was something for Makarov and Mavis, was it not?"

"Well, actually…" Nic mustered the strength to look up at Erza and into her eyes as he at last held up the little black box he got recently. The black box presented was small, and when Erza looked at it, she was feeling her heart stop.

Nic opened the box, and Erza's eyes widened. Gasping, her hands were up to her mouth. Inside the box, sitting on a soft cushion, was a ring. But the ring was very intricate, with a flowing band that had intricate, majestic and royal carvings flowing into the other like water. In the center of the band was the most bewildering feature of them all – a red diamond. The diamond wasn't clear – unlike most diamonds are supposed to be – in fact, it matched her hair color completely. She could even see her own reflection in the shiny ring. She could've sworn her heart gave out. "Nic…?"

"I really wanted to wait for a more appropriate time to do this. I wanted to wait until things settled down after Mavis and Makarov's passing, but looking at it now, we've been through too much to have time turn against us. Who knows if we have until tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. Mavis and Makarov, they both taught us to live life to the fullest, and that's what I want to do. But I want to live it with you. It took me forever to arrange everything for the jeweler at the Stone Emporium to piece together."

"So that's why you were disappearing a shirt while all this time." Erza should've known better. She mentally kicked herself for not seeing it sooner. It was no wonder why Nic was always eyeing the Stone Emporium back in Kalos whenever they passed it over their "vacation".

"Yes. So…" He used what calm he could and took a very deep breath. Without any help nor hindrance, he slowly got to a knee. He stared up into Erza's shaking eyes. She looked like she was seeing a ghost. Nic took took one last breath, breathing in deeply.

The fireflies around them flickered, and the crickets stopped chirping for a moment to allow Erza to take in the moment. Her eyes began to mist as the moment she didn't think would come finally arrived.

"Erza…will you marry me?"

He was frozen in place, unable to move. His heart was beating so fast that he was afraid he might even pass out. He didn't even have the strength to get up from his knee. Thankfully he didn't have to. Erza feel to her knees, her eyes misting up so bad as she gazed at the ring Nic presented her. She sniffled a few times, before she pounced on him.

"Oof!" With a huff, Nic found himself on the ground. His head was spinning just from the proposal, but now he was barely processing anything. His vision blinked in and out, looking up to find Erza mounting him with her eyes watering. Thankfully, they were tears of sheer joy.

She bent down, catching Nic's lips in a passionate kiss. The kiss was warm and prolonged. For the umpteenth time, Nic was lost in his own world. Was he dreaming? He doubted it.

Erza parted from him, her face still very close to his. Her smile was of joy as she cupped his face. Her red hair glistened as fireflies flickered. "Yes, a thousand more times over, yes."

Weeks Later

Erza breathed in and out, being sure to get her heart rate to lower. Several deep breaths were taken, but none helped the adrenaline she was getting pumped into her blood circuit. Nic felt no different. Both sides reached for their legs and bent the other, making sure to stretch the muscles in the backs of their legs. After thirty seconds, they switched to the other leg, and repeated. They moved their arms side to side; over their heads and flexing their waists.

Once both were set with their stretches, they stood a fine distance apart on the battlefield that was repaved in the front of their yard and the sun rising over the trees on the east had rays of sunshine glimmering through the dew-colored leaves. Once set, Nic pulled out a Poke Ball. "All set?"

Erza pulled out a Dive Ball. "Yes."

At the same time, both shouted "Go!". At the same time, Cloyster and Staraptor appeared on the battlefield, ready to start their morning battle practice. Staraptor wasted no time in flapping aboveground, covering Cloyster in a blue aura, via her Intimidate Ability lowering his Attack.

It's been a few rough weeks since Nic proposed, but such trivial matters aside, today was the first day in a long while that Nic and the others finally decided to get back into shape. They knew battling against Acnologia had to pour every bit of them into defeating him, but even when Arceus restored their bodies, they were still tired out. After long weeks of well-deserved time and relaxation, Nic and Erza at last chose to pick up and do some practice. They didn't want to get rusty after all. But that was all they did, Pokémon battles. The only powers Nic ever used within the many weeks was just Psychic, even then he didn't do much. He also knew to take it easy if he didn't want to strain his body again. There's only so much a body can take, and Nic and his team learned the hard way.

At the time, Nic was just wearing a simple gray V-neck over baggy jeans, so he wasn't in his trademark attire. Erza was also in a black shirt and white pants of her own. Both wasted no time getting their training started.

"Staraptor, Aerial Ace!" Nic's Staraptor flapped her wings and jolted backwards into the sky before folding her wings, diving at high speeds in a blur.

"Cloyster, Protect!" Erza countered. Her Cloyster stayed stationary and created a translucent turquoise shield, which rippled as Staraptor collided with it. With Protect still active, Staraptor made use and tapped her talon on it, back-flipping until she landed on her talons on the ground.

"Aerial Ace!" Nic followed.

Staraptor pressed her talons on the ground and went lunging at high-speeds. As Protect faded, Cloyster was wide open as Staraptor struck him, causing the heavy bivalve to slide backwards with a loud grunt. Once he stopped, he leered back at the versatile avian.

Erza swiped her arm to the side. "Let's see how you handle this! Razor Shell!"

Cloyster's inner shell layer glowed, jutting out into blue jagged razor-like energy knives. His shell closed, and he flipped off the ground and sent spinning sideways like a top towards Staraptor.

Both Nic and Staraptor stayed completely still as Cloyster came closer. When he was close enough, both of them spread their arms and wings apart.

"Use Steel Wing!"

Staraptor's wings shimmered in a metal-gray color and she raised it high over the incoming saucer that was Cloyster. With one fell chop of the wing, she deflected the Razor Shell by hitting the edge of the purple shell, making a harsh impact that bent the shell towards the ground, Razor Shell instead grinding into the battlefield.

Staraptor flapped her wings and used the opportunity to get back into the air, getting distance between her and Cloyster.

They both needed to be in condition. They weren't at their peaks, even though it was complicated to say. They had just finished a war and was getting back into the swing of things. Although, in Fairy Tail, new changes were still getting used to.

"Are you sure, Nic?" Gildarts questioned. "This guild needs someone to look up to. You sure you don't want to take the stand again?"

Nic rolled his eyes away. "Believe me, once is more than enough for me."

Cana put her hands to her hips. "How's about Miss Fiancée over here?"

Erza beamed with embarrassment. "While I can't deny you candor, Cana, I take my stand with Nic."

"Yeah! Besides, if they got the job, that'd be boring because they wouldn't go on any adventures with us!" Happy whined while floating.

The entire guild hall was again in shambles, primarily thanks to the raging battle Natsu had with Zeref. The battle of brothers at last over, that just left the guild to rebuild. This time around, they were using the same schematics, so no primary changes were going to be made. All around them, everyone was working hard in rebuilding their home. With a home meant someone to take charge, and since the guild was without a master, someone had to step up. Unfortunately, the poll was not so favorable.

Wakaba crossed his arms, a cigar in his mouth. "Well this bites, who's gonna lead this bunch then."

Macao adjusted his collar, clearing his throat. "Well, I'd be honored."

"Dad, you're pushing your luck again." Romeo groaned.

"Well we need someone." Nab pointed out as he passed by with a wooden pillar on his shoulders.

Sophie put a hand to her chin as she looked towards the distance. "We need someone who has patience with us, or could somehow corral us if we must." She shot a look at Gildarts. "Someone who's around all the time would really benefit."

Gildarts put his hands up in innocence. "Hey, c'mon! Don't be like that!"

Vanessa giggled as she passed by with a crate of bottled water. "Well, our lack of luster aside, I think if we narrow down the options, it's reasonable to know who's the best suited."

Gray raised a brow. "And who's that?"

Vanessa averted her eyes towards the other end of the guildhall. At the now-fixed bar, sitting the stool with his stature overlooking everyone, they all turned their heads and caught his attention. Laxus' head perked up from his fist as he was the object of attention.

When it caught onto him, he gasped.

"Wait…" Gray whipped towards Vanessa. "You serious?!"

"You want him to be our boss?!" Natsu berated.

Wendy clasped her hands together. "Wow, such a big step!" She smiled.

"Wait, what?!"

"I think it's an honor." Freed insisted. "I really do believe that Laxus is best fit for the position ahead of him."

Laxus went wide-eyed at the many who wanted him to be the next master of Fairy Tail. He couldn't possibly believe it. He knew he wanted to be the next master a long time ago, but back then he didn't know netter, and used brute force to seize the guild. Looking back at it, he was a real jerk. He still had dreams about it. It only made him frown. "I think you guys are jumping the gun on this one."

"Well you can't overlook what you did before, you made amends. That's what matters." Carla pointed out.

Lucy nodded in agreement.

"I say it's worth a shot at least. The big guy did get his act together." Gildarts mused.

Laxus only sighed in refusal. "Are you guys even listening? I can't just be the master like that."

Bickslow shrugged. "Well no one's stopping you this time."

"That's the point. I messed up before, and now you're saying I can just take my Grandpa's spot just like that?"

"Laxus." The Lightning Dragon Slayer turned his attention towards Nic. He stepped forward, looking him with a serious yet polite manner. Weakly, he shook his own head. "No one's forcing you to do anything. Yes, we all know what you did before was against principle, but look how far you've come? Look how far we've all come since then. We're not the same as we were before. This isn't the past. Yes, maybe Makarov would still be rolling in his grave knowing his grandson succeeded the throne, but in truth, since you've seen all the changes and experienced them, isn't here anything wrong with taking a chance?"

Laxus pondered about Nic's words as he looked down at the bar stool.

"I don't got a problem with it when I think about it." Max shrugged.

Warren smiled. "Yeah, after all, he's the one who rallied Mavis and all of us back that one time, right?"

"That's true." Kinana said.

Erza nodded in approval. "If you can stand before all of us, then there's no questioning this responsibility. Consider it a badge of pride."

Laxus wasn't exactly certain on what to say, but just by looking at their faces, he knew he was beat. He wanted to deny it, and frankly, no one blamed him. But at the same time, they all knew what he went through, so it was also with humility and understanding that he understood what true responsibility was.

Seeing even his subordinates grinning, he could see the act of desperation. "You guys really want this, don't you?"

"Don't worry one bit. We'll be at your side all the way." Freed assured.

"Hell yeah! We'll be the most rockin'est advisors ever!" Bickslow exclaimed.

"Advisors! Advisors!"

Evergreen adjusted her glasses. "Well, it wouldn't be a bad change of pace, I suppose." She smiled. "Still, we'll see you through with what you want, all the way."

Seeing his closest friends wanting him to be standing up, he saw how much he needed to stand for them as well. If we was down, they would feel down, so he knew what he had to do. With a snicker, he leaned back against the bar. "Hey, Mira."

Mirajane walked idly by behind the bar, with a fresh load of mugs on a platter. "Yes?"

"Can you get me your biggest mug? I'm gonna need it." He smirked. "Consider it your first official order as the Ninth Master."

Mirajane kept her perky smile. "Sure!"

Many people clapped for Laxus finally taking the stand. They all shared ceremonial applause as he sat in the barstool and looked at the many happy faces of the guildmates that held onto him even after he almost destroyed them. He owed them. He owed his grandfather.

"Now that's being a man!" Elfman flexed massively.

"Take it easy." Lisanna tried to calm her brother down.

"Yeah~!" Cana raised a mug into the air. "Now there's you putting on your big shoes!"

Laxus snickered once more. He was gonna have it rough, but he was humbled by it.

"I bet I can guess how the master would've reacted to this." Wendy said.

Natsu jumped onto a table. "Yeah! He'd be something like 'OH NO YOU DON'T! I'D SOONER DIVE IN A POOL OF WORM DUNG THAN SEE THAT DAY COME!'…or something like that."

Everyone laughed at Natsu's impression of Makarov. It may have been true, but recalling him was a little over a stretch per se. Laxus knew how high strung he was about him taking over, and he did as he promised and died while in term. As everyone made merry for themselves as the guild was repairing that day, Nic took notice of Natsu and Gray. When he looked at them, they seemed alright. However, after their laugh ended, their smiles once again faded. It made him most distressed.

"Hydro Pump!" Erza commanded thoroughly as Cloyster's Razor Shell receded. He twisted back up and faced Staraptor in the sky and made a mirror of water, which unleashed a large torrent that went beaming up towards her.

"Dodge it!" Nic commanded quite brash. Staraptor ascended, quickly maneuvering away from Hydro Pump. The Predator Pokémon kept climbing as Hydro Pump followed her around. She curved outwards as the blast of pressurized water climbed and went about.

Nic applied the next counter. "Double Team!"

Staraptor flashed briefly and multiple illusionary copies of herself appeared around her. They all cawed as they moved through the air, making Cloyster stop his Hydro Pump and looked all around. He couldn't find the right one.

Erza's eyes narrowed as she glared at the many birds above. "Don't think we're not prepared. Use Icicle Crash!"

Cloyster took a deep breath and opened his mouth, where blue sparkled inside. An icy blue breeze shot and expanded towards the sky. The wind made the temperature drop, and the sparkles and crystals solidified, becoming prolonged icicles. All around, icicles fell, spreading through the battlefield and shattering when meeting earth. Some struck the illusions, and some maneuvered around, still dodging. When it came down to a few left, an icicle came down from above, and Staraptor pivoted and barrel rolled out of its way, dodging it just by the skin of her teeth.

When she saw the swift reflex, Erza knew she found her. "1 o' clock! Hydro Pump!"

Target locked on, Cloyster unleashed another mirror of water that erupted into a pressurized blast of water. The Water-type move went zooming into Staraptor as she finished her barrel roll, her wings tucking forward as she leaned back. She was struck by Hydro Pump, sent flying skywards while teeth gritting.

As Nic looked on, he could tell he was getting rusty. He was on the defensive now, and he had to act now or never. But like before, his own mind was trailing off once more.

"Alright! Finally!" Macao shot up from his seat and hollered into the air.

Gajeel snickered. "I was wondering when this would happen."

"Alright, Erza!" Levy cheered loudly.

It was the day after the funeral, and while everyone was still recovering and beginning to push and pull supplies around like dogs, many stopped as Nic and Erza announced their engagement. It was finally happening, and everyone present had many different reactions to it. For most part, everyone was overjoyed, while others were crying tears of joy. This was the most shocking time to announce such a thing, but as far as that went, Cana did get a betting pool set up beforehand to see if Nic and Erza would in fact tie the know. With the money she won, it was no wonder the next morning she had the biggest hangover of her life.

"Congratulations!" Mirajane squealed with her sister.

Elfman wiped tears away with his burly arms. "That's a real man right there!" He cried out.

Gildarts smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "So those two are finally hitting it off, huh? Looks like they got a lot ahead of them."

As Nic and Erza looked around with sheepish blushes on their faces from announcing their union, the former couldn't help but interlock certain pairs of eyes. Once he passed the teary and joyful eyes of Lucy and Juvia, he drew towards Natsu and Gray. They both smirked, but that was all. Nothing else. Once again, Nic was met with crestfallen friends. Even though he kept a string smile, it was still making him feel prickly inside.

Nic swiped his arms in opposite swatting motions. "Steel Wing!"

Staraptor heard Nic, and she grunted as her wings before her were glistening with metal-gray once more. Using them, she let out a powerful cry as she swatted them in opposite direction, whipping up enough force to dissipate Hydro Pump.

"You're getting a little rusty." Erza teased.

Nic kept a confident grin on his face. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to pin us down." He reached out. "Steel Wing!" Staraptor once again swatted in opposite directions and used her fixed wings to glide down towards Cloyster.

Erza put a hand to her hip. "Cloyster, Protect!"

At her command, Cloyster created another turquoise shield before her. The shield stopped Staraptor as she twisted on in and slammed her wing downwards, making a shockwave that went towards the ground instead. Harsh winds and dust went everywhere, but neither Nic nor Erza were shaken as the battlefield was.

As Protect faded, Cloyster was seen popping out of his shell with a grin. However, Staraptor – though dead serious – had a hint of smirking as well. It caught Cloyster and Erza's attention.

Nic clutched a fist and held it up. "Close Combat!"

Erza gasped in deep shock. 'He used Steel Wing just to draw Staraptor into Cloyster when his defenses would be vulnerable!'

With Protect fading and his shell open, Cloyster was in deep revelation as Staraptor raised a talon and struck the black face. That one kick sent a shock so great that the ground depressed and Cloyster was suspended in midair. With him motionless, Staraptor with a merciless unleash of wing jabs, talon strikes, and many other combative strikes edging into Cloyster's shell. She chopped and kicked upwards, only to flip and axe kick and dive her wings downwards above his cast-iron horn.

With Cloyster in shock, Staraptor gave one last wing uppercut that sent Cloyster flying. The impact was so grand that the Water and Ice-type went twenty-feet into the air. He crashed down hard, smashing in front of Erza with a thud that made gusts go everywhere. When they faded, Erza uncovered, seeing her Cloyster with swirling eyes and groaning on his side.

Nic breathed heavily as he relaxed. "That was stressful."

Staraptor flapped towards the ground, looking ahead. "I agree. We're getting a little rough around the edges again."

Erza approached her defeated Cloyster and knelt to him. She held up a Revive that she had in her pocket and had it tap Cloyster's horn. His whole body was aligned in green ripples, and as the Revive faded, so did the green waves.

Cloyster came around, his eyes blinking. "Uuuh…I-!" He winced as something sprayed him on his shell. It stung quite a bit, but as the stinging proceeded, the pain he was feeling was fading away.

Uisng the last of her Hyper Potion, Erza stood up and smile. "Cloyster, are you well now?"

Getting back up, Cloyster turned towards his Trainer. "I let my guard down there."

"I know." She smiled. "Don't worry. We'll try again later. For now, let's give you a break." Erza held up his Dive Ball and Cloyster went back inside.

"Staraptor, get some rest." Nic pointed the Poke Ball towards his bird, to which she looked at him and understood. She went back inside, leaving both to walk closer and meet up in the middle of the battlefield.

"You want to call it in so soon?" Erza questioned.

Nic sighed in exhaustion. "Believe me, I'd want to battle more, but I have errands to run."

"Right, I remember now." Erza tilted her head, looking at her fiancé enigmatically. "If memory serves, you have to go to Kalos again."

"And you have your dress fitting today, right?"

Erza sighed. "Honestly, must we do all this so…traditionally?"

Nic raised a brow at her. "What's wrong with a wedding dress?"

"It's nothing. Nothing's wrong with the dress. It's just…I can basically requip, but Lucy and Mirajane insist we do this 'traditionally'." She huffed in exhaustion. "If you ask me, it's a big waste of time."

Nic snickered at his fiancée's huffing puffing. It was rare, but he was liking how it was so her to be making a big fuss over a dress. It was cute, her expression that is.

He turned away and smirked. "Well, while you go and throw a hissy fit, I'll be having my hands full getting all these invitations and notices to everyone." That was another thing Nic had to do. He had to be in charge of getting invitations to the wedding, while Erza handled her dress. It was going to be a lot of work, and honestly, it annoyed him as much as a dress fitting irritated Erza. Sadly, not everyone can transport between two worlds.

Erza crossed her arms and smirked at him back. "Now look who's irritated." She teased. "Are you going to be back for dinner?"

Nic looked off in the distance, thinking somewhat. It took a few seconds, but he knew what else he had to do. "…yeah, I should be back. That'll give me enough time to look into something else that's been on my mind."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, but I'm sure it'll blow over."

"If you're certain, I trust you."

Nic smiled at her. "Thank you. I mean it."

Erza smiled as she walked back towards their new house. Unlike before, it was a little smaller, but it fit like a glove. It was a large cottage of wood, but premium and lamented wood that took Nic nearly a week to find back in his home world. The lumber yard said it was resistant to attacks and elements. They made sure it had the same number of rooms and the same overall design, so nothing was really out of place, and that was just how they liked it.

As she walked towards the porch, she spoke. "Just be sure to be back by dinner. And then afterwards, we can train some more."

He followed behind, a soft smile on his face. "That's speaking my language right there."

The two went inside and closed their solid premium door, back inside their warm, cozy home.

The tailor clapped his hands together, smiling wide. "And that looks like a wrap! You looked astounding, Ms. Erza." He praised.

"See? That wasn't so bad." Mirajane smiled.

"Yeah, you look great in that dress." Lucy complimented.

Vanessa nodded with a smile of her own.

A pair of bare feet were seen beneath a changing closet. Inside, the three companions could hear coat hangers clinging and clanging as Erza was changing. "Thank you." From inside, she sounded very confident in her friends' compliments. "But is it really necessary to do this?"

Mirajane giggled. "Aw~, someone's getting shy?"

"No, I meant to not requip."

"Why not? Erza, this is a very important day." Lucy reminded. "Do you just want to go and requip while you're on the alter with Nic rather than awash him from the runway?"

"Well…no, but-"

"Well then there you go. You shouldn't stress about it, besides, we're here for you."

The door unlocked and Erza exited in her Heart Kreuz Armor, leaving her wedding dress hanging on the rack. She looked back with a contemplative look on her face. "Are you sure that I can't just-"

"Nope. Erza~, no requipping." Mirajane insisted in a motherly tone.

The redhead gave a small huff, muttering irritably like some pouty little kid as she looked at Mirajane like she really was being scolded for something she didn't regret. Out of her own conscience, she knew they were right. "…fine." She grunted.

Mirajane clapped. "There's a good girl."

Erza pouted once more, making Lucy and Vanessa giggle at her antics. 'Who knew Erza could be making such a big fuss over this. She's so self-conscious, it's almost unlike her.' Lucy thought.

"Nic won't mind. Besides, I think it'd be best for everyone if we all just leave things as they are." Vanessa implied. "Do those armors and clothes even get washed in that space where your requips go?"

"Alright you three, I get it. Enough sugarcoating it." Erza exasperated. "By the way, Vanessa, shouldn't you be going on a job with Sophie sometime soon?"

"She said she needed to finish sending letters and invitations to Sabertooth. Her cousin promised to decode them for the guild and send to others like a pass-on." She explained.

"I see." Erza looked towards Mirajane and Lucy next, the barmaid becoming the main attraction. "Is Lisanna taking care of things at the guild today then?"

Mirajane smiled. "Things should be okay now, but I think she'll use a helping hand. It's gonna get busy since it's almost the lunch hour."

Erza nodded. "If that's the case, go on ahead. We'll catch up."

"Sure." Mirajane went for the doorway and opened it, but not before turning back and smiling to everyone. "We'll see you soon!" She waved as she exited the domain.

Erza turned towards Lucy. "So Lucy, have you decided to go on a job as well?" Her question fell short of inquiry as she saw something wrong with Lucy. It was like looking at her made her feel a little unnerved. "Lucy?"

Vanessa turned towards the blonde, her inquiry met with a surprising twist of fate. Lucy was looking down at the ground, looking sad. She looked like she was about to go sour or throw up. It wasn't a good sign.

She tried to speak up. "The thing is…there's something up with Natsu."

Erza and Vanessa looked at one another for a moment before turning back towards their discomforted friend.

"Ever since Nic came back from saving our worlds again, he's been spacing out. He hasn't been his loud self as usual. When we go out on jobs, he's hasn't been too active. He's been looking spacious, like he's more fixed on himself than the mission. I was sure it was nothing but him thinking, but he gets especially quiet when Gray and Nic are around. Ever since that time, Natsu and Gray haven't gotten into a single fight. Not one. It's so unlike them."

When the two other girls thought about it, it did pique them quite a bit. There wasn't any wrong with what happened over the past month, but it was also no wonder Fairy Tail was so quiet. Normally Natsu and Gray's rivalry would wreck quite a bit, but it's been tamed. And frankly, everyone's taken notice, but never said anything about it.

"Juvia has been worried about Gray, too." Lucy confessed. "Gray's just like Natsu. They can't meet the others eye, and neither can even look at Nic truthfully. I…I want to help, but I just don't know anymore. He won't let any of us in." Her fists began to ball, her boiling anguish beginning to grate her dearly. "If only I knew what went inside their heads."

Vanessa and Erza looked at her with upmost sympathy. They had a good idea of what was going on in their heads. They've been through it. It wasn't something they can speak of, but they just felt it. Guilt. Depression. Sadness. It's pain that only goes so far into the psyche.

"I think I might have an idea." Vanessa quietly said, making Lucy's eyes widen.

"You do?"

Vanessa nodded and looked towards her. She looked dead serious. "All this time, Natsu and Gray…I believe they're still uncomfortable with what they did to Nic back then."

Lucy's heart stopped when her mind flashed back to that battle Nic-Greninja translated. She didn't want to believe any of it back then, and she had immense hopes for Natsu, even when he was still sleeping afterwards. Still, what she saw afterwards still confirmed her fears were true. The fact Natsu and Gray's darkness were overshadowing them in the end and they almost killed Nic would leave bleeding scorn in her own heart if she did such a thing. She could never kill a friend, and Natsu wouldn't either.

Erza followed up. "We all know what Gray and Natsu did was wrong, but this isn't just something you can fix, Lucy. In truth, these wounds can't heal. They need to be mended by themselves."

"So what are you saying?" Lucy asked.

"This matter can only be solved by Nic and those two themselves. Nic's been trying to fix this, but even he has trouble getting Natsu and Gray in one place now. You're not the only one who's hurt in this matter." Vanessa explained. She looked at the blonde with a small but dear smile forming. "But you know, I think Nic knows that, and I think he'll do what he can to at least amend them. Just give them a little more time, okay?"

Lucy wiped a small tear from the corner of her eye, giving Vanessa a smile. Some of her confidence was restored, but she had to be sure. She knew what she had to do now. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, you guys."

"So what is it that you will do now?" Erza asked.

Lucy gave a confident grin as she had a fist pumped. "I'm gonna find Juvia. We'll make sure we see them both well again." Without any worries left, set to fix Natsu's confidence, she set out the same way Mirajane left. "Thank again!" She called out of earshot.

With Lucy having a new goal in mind, that just left Erza and Vanessa to themselves. The two women looked towards the other with half-grins.

"Do you think it was alright to relieve her like that?" Erza questioned.

"This isn't the time to be doubting yourself anymore." Vanessa countered. "We've all had a goal in life, and some of us still do. We can't just give up when something or someone stands in our way, but we can't just let them stand in our way forever. I think Natsu and Gray are at that stalemate where they don't know what to do. This is something personal, and it's up to Nic to fix this before the wedding."

Erza pondered about Vanessa's words, her soon-to-be sister-in-law making her doubts and questions vanish. "You're right. We'll keep believing in him. As we always have."

Vanessa smiled. "There's the Erza we all know."

Erza pulled Vanessa into an embrace, holding her dear with the upmost care. "Thank you, for being there for both of us. You truly are what family we have left to us both."

While surprised, the shock Vanessa felt faded. She smiled wide as she draped her arms around Erza. "Thank you, for giving my brother a sister-in-law as great as you."

The guild hall doors were wide open, but Nic came in with a dead serious expression. The outdoor lightning illuminated him, giving him a regal disposition.

"Yo! There's the man himself!" Warren cheered.

"Hey, Nic!" Max shouted. "Where's the lady?!"

Nic ignored his fellow friends as they continued to give catcalls and tease him. He was far from that mood, and eventually many caught on. The look he had meant business, and the teasing soon stopped as Nic passed them, heading towards a certain someone in mind. He was on a mission for people, and ti do that, he needed the information.

Sophie sat up in her seat, hunched forward with a loud grunt. "Phew. Well that took forever."

Cana sat on the tabletop with a barrel of booze right beside her. "Finally finished having sent all that mail?" She smirked.

"That took me hours. I'm just glad Rufus was able to get the date and time down for everyone to come." The blonde was more than a little exhausted with how many letters she had to send. She had very little breakfast because of how far long the job dragged on. At this point she could eat anything. "Maybe I'll ask Lisanna for a salad."

Cana, however, showed her a mug full of booze. "C'mon. A girl who's stressed as you needs to relish. Have a drink." She offered.

Sophie only served to shoot her close friend a look. "I value my brain cells, thank you very much."

A person stood before them, revealing it to be Nic himself. He had a frown as he stared down at them.

"Nic?" Cana blinked. "Say, you ready to get hitched?"

"What's with the long face?" Sophie questioned.

Nic, once again, ignored the commentary. "Cana, I need a favor from you."

The brunette raised a brow, surprised by Nic's arbitrary request. "Uh…sure, whatcha need?"

"Tell me…can you still use your fortunetelling?"

The door to the bathroom closed, and limping towards his bed was Nic. In just black baggy pants, he fell onto his mattress, the light bouncing causing Erza to look from the book she read towards him.

"Somebody looks tired." She said.

Facing the ceiling, Nic let out a hefty sigh as his body relaxed. His mind was facing so fast that he was ready to pass out. It was a hell of a day, and with everything that happened, he was ready to just use Rest, if not for the fact he was too drained to even use that.

Erza turned on her side, overlooking Nic with her chest brushed against his ribs. "What's wrong? Did training wear you out?"

"No. Not that." Nic's answer wasn't wrong, though battle training did push him to think like himself again. In fact, his Pokémon and his commands were in better sync than this morning. He and Erza even went as far as use Mega Houndoom against Mega Charizard. Their training and experience back in shape was one factor, but something more pressing was what wore Nic out. It was like lead fell off his chest.

Erza gave him a look of wonder. "Was your day stressful?"

Nic stayed quiet as he thought back to the prior hours.

"Hurry, Natsu! This way!" Lucy ran ahead.

"Yes, it was this way!" Juvia followed alongside her. "Gray, hurry!"

"Yeah, we're coming!" Natsu hurried as fast as he could, with a shirtless Gray right beside him.

"Geez, what's the big emergency all of a sudden anyway!" He exclaimed.

Lucy looked over her shoulder to look back at them. "Sorry, there's no time to explain! You'll just have to see when we get there, okay?"

While skeptical of the sudden blurt, Gray and Natsu went on with their heads held high, following their lovers into the woods just outside Magnolia. It wasn't too far from home, but at the same time it was getting a little deep within the afternoon forest sun rays shimmering down onto them. They had no idea what got into Lucy and Juvia. All they knew was that once they came around, they came to them about a sudden "emergency" that the two could handle. It was so important that they were almost dragged along.

The group went on for a few minutes before reaching a clearing up ahead. The four saw Happy in the center of the clearing, seeing him turn to face them.

"Happy?" Natsu said.

"Natsu! You're here!" Happy smiled. "Gray, too!"

"Yeah, yeah, where's the emergency already?" Natsu looked left and right, seeing nothing but trees and grass everywhere. "IS it hiding? Is it some wild animal threatening you?"

Happy shook his head innocently. "Nope…"

Gray crossed his arms and raised a brow. "Okay then, what's the big emerg-!" Gray fell short of his sentence when something was seen in the tress up ahead. Some figure that he recognized was overlooking them, and he didn't seem too pleased.

"Huh?" Natsu took notice of Gray's shocked face and looked where he was looking. "What's wro-!" His head turned upwards, his smell kicking in. His own eyes widened when he saw Nic sitting on a branch, overlooking them. "Nic?!"

"Nice job, Lucy. Thank you, Juvia." Nic jumped down from the tree branch, landing in a crouch and straightening back up.

Lucy nodded with a smile, as did Juvia. Happy glided right between them, giving a look of anticipation. Slowly, the other girls did the same.

Natsu and Gray looked at Nic with surprise. He stood only a few meters away, and yet he looked so calm. He frowned at them, yet to Natsu and Gray, it was like being stared at by a teacher or parent. They didn't like it. They tried to look away.

"So…what's the emergency?" Natsu asked hesitantly.

Gray gasped. "Wait a minute. Did you…!"

"I'm sorry for the circumstances, I really am. But I knew you wouldn't come if it wasn't for anything that wasn't an 'emergency'." Nic apologized.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You sure got that right."

Natsu raised a fist. "What's the big idea tricking us?!"

"Uh, Natsu?" Happy said. "No offense, but your pranks actually are something else."

"My pranks got nothing to do with this! It's about this guy over here, who's making us look him in the face when we just can't!"

Nic stayed silent. He knew it was a little cruel to trick his own friends, but then again, keeping them in the loop wasn't his style. He keeps people on their toes, that's his good quality nonetheless.

Gray grunted. "Sorry, but if it isn't an emergency then I'm-!" Once more, he was cut off by a tarot card glistening in the sunlight behind him. A figure was seen, to Gray and Natsu's surprise, it was Cana.

"Cana?" They both said.

Cana held the tarot card up. "You boys really wanna just walk away?" She insinuated. "If you do, I'll just trap you in these cards and we can repeat this all day long."

Natsu and Gray found themselves cornered good. They didn't want to face Nic like this, but their friends were saying otherwise. A little rough to their liking, but they just couldn't do it. It was calculated and planned out, sort of speak.

"Natsu, Gray, please listen to what we have to say." Lucy implored.

The duo could only look away from them.

"You must overcome this. We know what you did was wrong, and perhaps it could've been resolved another way, but this isn't just hurting you. It's hurting all of us." Juvia added on. She looked at Gray like she was about to give up on a precious family memento. "Darling, look at me, please."

Gray relented, but he did as told soon enough. Shooting a small peek at Juvia, he showed a stone-cold face full of guilt. Whenever he looked at Juvia, he only saw the woman that he thought died, and that very thought fueled his anguish to kill the darkness for himself.

"How did Nic talk you guys into this?" He asked.

"That's a question for me to answer." Nic said. Everyone turned towards him, allowing him to have full attention. "This wasn't something on a whim you know. I didn't think this could be solved personally, so I had Cana use her fortunetelling and foretell when Juvia and Lucy would be at the guild. Once I explained it all, we had to find you, another one of Cana's fortunetelling skills were enacted. And that left Lucy and Juvia to get you here so we can settle this."

Natsu gave Nic what could have been the most serious look he's ever given. "What's the big idea?"

"Natsu." Lucy pleaded.

Natsu looked at her, but then looked back at the ground, his fists balling. "Damnit…of all the times."

"This has gone on long enough. Just talk it out so we can get on with our lives already." Cana snorted. "Believe me, I should know. How did you think I felt when I had to wait all these years to tell Gildarts he was my Dad? Let me tell you, it wasn't a good feeling." Her frown was heavy, and she looked rather empathetic. "And I'd rather not see anymore of my friends suffer like that."

"But…"

"No buts." Lucy snapped. "C'mon you guys. Just hear the other out. Okay?" In spite of her plea, she knew their position and had to respect it. She's be at a crossroad as well if she was in the predicament as them.

Natsu and Gray looked at the three girls and cat who urged them desperately. They looked back at Nic, seeing his own frown of mourn. He knew of his fault, and he wanted to make it right. He wanted to have a slate cleaned before moving on. Should they think this was the way to do it?

Both turned towards him and gave exasperated huffs. They looked tired, but no one could blame them. Still, some words were better said than none.

Nic put his hands in his pockets, looking sad. "You guys still have some hate for me, do you?" He sounded like he already knew the answer, but he let Gray and Natsu have their say in the matter.

Gray looked down. "It's…it's complicated."

Natsu stayed quiet. That was all Nic needed to hear to confirm his worries.

"I see…so then you guys wouldn't be okay if I ended up marrying Erza then because of your spite?"

Gray shook his head. "No. Not really. I wouldn't let something like that stop Erza from making her own choices. She wants to marry you, and we don't got a problem with it. But I guess…" He stopped for a moment, trying to contemplate about his own feelings. "But why does she have to get with someone who fell to darkness?"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "So then you're still stuck on what happened back then? Gray, it's okay. Really."

Gray looked at him with shock. "Really?...Really?" He began to show irritation. "You call what we did okay?!"

"Nic." All attention this time went to Natsu. "Show us."

Nic showed confusion. "Show what?"

"C'mon. Just show us already."

"Natsu, what do you want?"

"Show us what we did to you, damnit!" He snapped. This was completely unlike Natsu. It was the anguish he had kept inside, his anger building up partially released. The group could've sworn his breath had some steam to it.

A long silence fell as everyone looked ahead with anticipation. They didn't want to think or say anything. They allowed actions to befall instead. Even Happy was silent as he watched Natsu blurt out his demand.

Seeing how he didn't have a choice, Nic closed his eyes and didn't hesitate. Slowly, he lifted his shirt, the gray once shielding his toned upper body being stripped. Slowly, everyone went wide-eyed as they gazed at Nic's bare upper body. They saw not just the scar Lysandre left on his right side, but they also saw the several other massive scars on his body: The one on his back that he and Greninja shared back in the Council War, the one his corrupted Uncle Vince left on his left waist, as large as Lysandre's, and then there were the two fresh wounds that healed. Where Gray sliced into his shoulder, there was a scar, and a hole-like scar was where Natsu punctured him at that same point in time.

Happy quivered in place. "W-whoa…"

"All those marks…" Lucy hushed.

Juvia had hands to her mouth. "He really suffered that much?"

Cana narrowed her eyes. She offered no input as she looked at the many deep scars Nic had on his body; the one on his left waist made her hold onto her guild mark.

Seeing the damage that was done, Natsu and Gray looked away in shame.

Nic looked at them bluntly. "You guys…"

"Is it too late?" Natsu asked.

Nic stayed quiet.

"Is it too late? Can't those fade by Wendy's magic or something? She could've healed you."

"Well then if that's the case, why didn't you get rid of that scar on your right cheek?" Nic countered. His statement made Natsu look at his own cheek, seeing scar his deceased brother gave to him. "It's nothing I'm ashamed of. Are you asking because you don't want me to bear any pain or guilt? Or is it to lift your own doubts?"

Gray looked down at his own scar, the fresh one he got from when he stabbed himself to save Juvia. Unconsciously, Juvia held her scar beneath her clothing as well.

"Just…why are you acting so calm when those marks were made by us?" Natsu continued. "We were your friends, and yet we almost killed you! And you're brushing off our anger because it was nothing to you?! You can't be serious, Nic! How could you possibly try to reach out for us, when we both don't even deserve such a place in your heart?!"

"Natsu." Lucy wanted to say something, but had no place in the conversation.

As Natsu and Gray shuddered, both were looking in deep anguish. It was Gray's turn to feel his own words sting his heart. "How could I have been so weak? I didn't understand. I still don't! How could you live through that kind of darkness? How did you keep your sanity? Just…"

"How are you that stronger than us? Than all of us?" Natsu blurted out. His eyes began to mist as he looked down in deep shame. "Even when my Dad talked to me after E.N.D was killed, even after I beat my brother, even after I knew Acnologia wasn't my fight. Why do I feel so…guilty?"

Nic knew what they were going through. Such pain. Such grief. Such despair. It was heartbreaking. He knew the answer, and he had to put it in simple words for all of them to understand.

Nic put his shirt on and walked closer until he stood in front of their heads. They were both crestfallen, and yet they couldn't bear to look at him still. It was this guilt that made them regret not saying anything at Makarov and Mavis' funeral. Jealousy and guilt were powerful forces, but only a few remedies were strong enough to clear them away.

In a sudden move, Nic reached past them. His hands went to the backs of their heads and he pulled them into a group hug. A loud wind blew as Natsu and Gray were dead silent as Nic held his friends close.

"I'm sorry for what had to be done. I'm not really sure what I can do to make it so that you guys can move forward without regret. But all I can say is just depend on the other. That's how I made it this far."

Natsu and Gray looked over Nic's shoulders, staring at the other in surprise.

"Yes, I know you guys were consumed in your hate for one another. Believe of it was you or not. You guys still knew what happened, but why let it hold you back? I may have gotten your darkness destroyed, but it was so I could see the friends that always scuffled and kept pushing for the guild, not to see them drowning in their insecurities. Besides, I didn't stop Acnologia alone. This wasn't just my score to settle. All this hate and despair, I've dealt with it all my life. You can hate me for as long as you want, but you mustn't forget that we all came this far and got stronger because of the faith and bonds we had, just like myself and my Pokémon had with each other. We're all alike in this hell. We've made mistakes. We've hurt others close to us. We've seen perils, but taking all of that alone won't prove anything. You'd only burden those around you more than yourself. How did you think I feel when I kept reaching out to you guys and you only pushed away?"

Gray and Natsu frowned heavily as they thought back to the adventures they had as they were still resting their chins on Nic's shoulders – the very ones they hurt. It was warm rather than cold. They allowed the person who was stronger and more willing to embrace darkness.

"Do you remember what I said back in Makarov and Mavis' funeral? Yes, I know you can be sour, but that's okay. You can love and hate, and accepting what you did and making the best out of it would be what Makarov would want. We're all a family, so even if you distance yourselves from me, even if you think I'm someone you can never measure up to, that's all up to you. But to me…you're my friends to the bitter end. All of you. So don't second guess that again."

At last, Nic pulled away, allowing Natsu and Gray to process what he said and step back. They both blinked, looking rather distraught for a few moments before the reality sunk in. Gray managed to meekly grin. "So you really like scars, huh?" He mused coldly.

Nic smirked as he shrugged. "Call me a scar magnet if you'd like."

"So then…even if we hate ourselves for what we did, you still think we're friends?" Natsu clarified.

Nic looked towards him and smiled. "Not think, we are."

The duo that used to fight had been biting their own necks constantly. They were guilty and hated themselves for the pain they went through. In Natsu's case, it was not only his recklessness and the fact he allowed his hate and jealousy of strength to get the best of him; he once thought it was his destiny to beat Acnologia, but realized then thanks to his father's words that it was best to allow not just Nic to handle, but for Pokémon in general to handle. For Gray, it was a long road of demons that damned his family, and he got clouded thinking Nic was a monster for being shrouded in darkness and being okay with it. They got the best of their darkness, but from this experience they learned that even darkness can be good.

Though concepts of light and dark were a debate these days, they knew their hearts were in the wrong all this time. Finally, the two were able to feel better about themselves. They looked at Nic with sincere smiles.

Gray reached his hand out to Nic, surprising him. "Hm?"

"Thanks Nic, for opening our eyes." He thanked.

He blinked, but Nic recovered and smiled. At last, Gray saw the light. He took his hand and shook it, the slate cleaning.

"Just one thing…" Gray added. "Just, maybe sometime…could you show us what happened when you took on the Impure Underworld? I wanna learn more about this darkness that you overcame, so that it won't take me in again."

Nic nodded at Gray's condition. "Sure." He looked towards Natsu next. "Natsu?"

Natsu had hands to his hips as he smiled, though not with his usual enthusiasm. "…alright. I admit it. Pokmon are better than dragons. You're stronger and the better man than me." He laughed uproariously, even though it was fake. Everyone should tell it was, but it felt like a weight fell off of Natsu's chest finally admitting what he thought and denied for so long. "But yeah, I know I messed up bad, but thanks for setting me straight. I may not be stronger than you, but I sure as hell was strong enough to handle my own bro!"

Nic smirked. "There's the Natsu we all know."

"Just one more thing." He added.

"Okay, what is it?"

"How do you feel about Erza?"

Nic went wide-eyed and nearly floored. The question threw him for a loop. "B-beg your pardon?"

"Erza. What do you feel about her? I wanna know what you think about our friend we look up to."

Nic blushed as he sheepishly looked away. "Well…i-it's kind of complicated to say."

"Come on, lover boy. Don't be shy." Cana insisted. "I'm curious how deep you think of our Titania."

Lucy leaned in, smiling. "Don't be shy, we wanna know."

"Aye!" Happy insisted.

Nic groaned as he the one know who was to confess how he felt about someone dear to him. "Well…" He looked back at his friends, his face growing serious once more. It was like his split-second nervousness was gone. "Erza…she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She has this…quality and strength that I wanted to get to know more of. At first when we met, I wasn't sure exactly how I was supposed to feel about her. I honestly thought she was some damsel in armor that gave off some serious demeanor. I was honestly challenged by it, but I wasn't afraid. I guess that's where we began to see through the other. I was honestly scared and surprised with how quickly we connected, but I think all relationships have ups and downs like that."

Lucy and Juvia giggled at Nic's knowing. They knew that all too well, especially with the rejuvenated men in their lives right before their eyes.

"She usually means one thing, but says another. She can be a little awkward, but I think we all have some quirks we can live with. Her red hair grew with her personality. It was a lot to her, and to me, it was like a burning blaze that I kept going. We love to battle, and we love to battle each other whenever we can. We connect as deeply in the battlefield as we do outside of it. I guess that's kind of how we respected and turned our love into strength. It's…kind of tough to explain, but I'm able to tell what she thinks most of the time, but when she doesn't, she keeps me wondering what she wants. I think I learned that was to keep me for herself. I…felt the same way. The only thing we can do now after what we went through is stick by the other to survive."

Everyone looked at him and smiled in sincerity. They never heard anyone sound so confident about Erza before. They knew he really did love her.

He had his hand gestured over his heart. "I really do love her. I can't imagine anything without her now. She's that important to me. When I'm around her, I get fuzzy, and I get empty in the head sometimes. When I hear her voice, my ears tickle a little."

Gray snickered. He went on over and gave Nic a pat on the back. "Well bud, guess you've found yourself a very lucky girl."

Nic smiled sheepishly towards the ground. "Honestly, I think I'm the lucky one here."

"Well I sure can't wait to see a wedding like that!" Natsu beamed. "This'll be a blast!"

Cana held up a fist and gave a bashful smirk. "Alright! Who's up for a bachelor party then?!" She exclaimed.

"Eh~?!" Happy, Juvia, and Lucy exclaimed.

Nic, Gray, and Natsu all sweat-dropped at Cana's insistence. 'She just wants to alcohol us all, doesn't she?' They thought in unison.

"You're not even a guy." Lucy pointed out.

"True." She winked. "But bachelors need some entertainment before hitching, right?"

"NO!" Everyone denied, much to Cana's amusement.

Nic rolled over and looked at Erza. He saw her frowning and smile in comfort. When he looked at her, he got fuzzy in the stomach, but he didn't mind. He put his hand out towards her. "Actually, I think we all had a very good day." He smiled.

Erza smiled back. She accepted Nic's hand, their fingers interlocking as they laid on connected pillows in their wooden bedroom.

1 Week Later

"Man, just look at him."

"I know, he looks like he's gonna pass out."

"Can you blame him? Have you even seen his fiancée? I'd throw up if I married someone that hot, too."

"What a lucky man."

"More like a dead man. He's paling!"

It was the morning of the big day. It was a cool yet still pleasant autumn morning. The leaves started to change color, giving hues of auburn and red to the tips of green leaves. The trees were changing, and so was the time for Nic and Erza's to get wed.

Nic stood at the altar, standing in a relaxed posture – though he was anything but. He was in a black tuxedo with matching black pants and clean shoes. Beneath was a midnight purple vest with a matching tie tucked in. He never was a fan of wearing these things, and he probably never will be, but for the sake of such a day he was in it to win it. He was known for being relaxed and calm, but he looked like he was going to pass out. He was a nervous wreck, but he stayed strong…more or less.

His attention went to the audience, and honestly, it was far more than expected. Compared to Makarova and Mavis' funeral, the same people attended, as well as other guilds in full like Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Mermaid Heel. The same people that included Yajima and Porlyusica had also attended. There were even a few citizens and random people that attended, but Nic didn't mind too much. What shocked him more was the many others who he brought with him from Kalos. What he had to do was get back to Kalos just yesterday and get all the people that were invited and round them up in Lumiose City in front of the tower. There, the gathered were directed by Nic into the portal. It nearly took him half an hour to get nearly two-hundred accounted for. So many from his world partook in the wedding. That included Jake and Will, Professor Sycamore, and all of Kalos' Elite Four and Gym Leaders attended. Even Diantha made it on time. When he looked closer, sitting not too far away was Joanna and Michael with their son Tan sitting patiently and with smiles. Joanna was looking anxious, almost as much as Nic was. When he looked around, he saw that all his Pokémon stood beside him, as well as his Groomsmen: Comprised of Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Elfman, Alzack, Laxus, and Gildarts; the last barely on schedule. When Nic looked to the other front rows, Erza's Pokémon were present on the side, waiting with her Bridesmaids: Lucy, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, Wendy, Kagura, and Mirajane. Vanessa's Pokémon were out as well beside Erza's. Vanessa made double sure Krookodile stayed quiet, judging from the look like he was about to get muzzled.

"Are you ready?"

The question came from Greninja, the supposed "Best Man." Nic looked towards him, seeing his blank eyes showing calm. "As ready as I'll ever be." He lied.

Greninja chuckled meekly and stood with arms crossed. "Should you really have eaten breakfast."

"Thank you for being so helpful." Nic groaned with a straight face.

Charizard chuckled aloud. "Man, this is going to be something."

Kecleon tilted her head. "Hopping Bunnelby and flying Pidgey all around."

Aegislash adjusted her arms behind her. "Erza's really doing it today."

"About time of ya ask me." Houndoom barked.

"Everyone, quiet, it looks like it's about to start." Scizor instructed.

"Here we go." Mawile rolled her eyes and smiled.

Greninja stepped down as a priest came forth. He was relatively elderly man of average height. He had a large hat with a cross on it. His glasses were on his nose as his white cloak had golden embroidery on the sleeves. He stepped up, and many fell silent as he stepped at the altar.

He cleared his throat and presented his book. "Will all please rise for the bride." Instantly, everyone did as told and stood up, turning around to face the long red carpet present.

Nic turned towards the doorway as the piano piece started. To everyone's shock, it was Sophie who was playing the piano. Apparently acrobatic talent wasn't the only thing she practiced while her time in Sabertooth. She looked over her shoulder, giving everyone a fashionable smirk, while Nic swallowed a lump as the doors to the cathedral opened, revealing his soon-to-be-bride.

At the mere sight of Erza, Nic's heart literally stopped.

Erza was breathtaking in her gown. It was a white ball gown type with matching white gloves that covered her sleeves. It was all plain, without much of any embroidery or doilies anywhere. It also showed her ample bust and hugged her upper body quite well. She stood with eyes closed, grinning nervously as she held her bouquet tightly. Even from behind the veil, many could see her grace and uneasiness.

Standing behind her was the maid of honor, Vanessa. The soon-to-be sister-in-law smiled as she was adorned in a teal dress that hugged her body and curves. The slit was open to her left leg and left much room for her own buxom to blossom. Unlike Erza, she was very much relaxed. "Are you ready?" She asked.

Erza opened her eyes, seeing the long carpet ahead of her. "I am…I hope."

Vanessa chuckled at her expense.

The music went on, and coming from behind the seats was Asuka atop of Venusaur's head. Venusaur made way slowly down the red carpet as Asuka tossed red rose petals into the air, while Venusaur kept puffing out bursts of pink petals from his own flower. Both child and Pokémon acting as the flower girl and…actual flower strolled along as the pink and red petals were stepped on by Erza as she slowly made way down the road that led her to the altar.

'This really is happening.' Erza still couldn't pull herself together, but she was awash with nervousness and sheer joy. Nic was right up ahead, and she was in so much joy that she was scared. Never in a million years did she think she would get married. If somebody told her before that she was going to overcome her trauma and have magical creatures aiding her with another person from another world believing in her all the way, she would've called that superstition. But even as she pressed on, she looked at her Pokémon as they all saw Erza make way towards Nic.

She did her very best to hide her blushing from beneath her veil, but she was doing a poor job. Happy as she was, her nervousness still existed as compliments came from whispers of many. Jason and Viola constantly taking quality snapshots certainly did not help. She looked at Nic, and just like her – though joyful – he was also nervous.

Nic couldn't take her eyes off her. She was breathtaking in her dress, and the way her hair flowed straight as it always has was just as he imagined. It was just his own vision inside his head came to life. He breathed calmly, but he was gripping his own wrist so tight that it was starting to hurt.

After what felt like a thousand years, Erza had finally reached her point of destination. She stopped and looked up towards him with an endearing smile. She had her hand reached towards him, and Nic accepted. He helped her up the steps, where at last they stood before the other, turning towards the priest.

The priest bowed. "You may all be seated."

Everyone did as instructed and sat down. The piano wrapped up and Sophie took her seat next to Vanessa.

He looked towards Nic and Erza, ready to begin. "Dearly beloved. We are all gathered here today…" As he went on with holy matrimony, Nic and Erza stayed quiet as they began to sink into their own little worlds. Their own memories began to flash before their eyes.

For Erza, it was like being stuck in place by Lock-On and a Guillotine coming at her. She thought about the child hunts, and how she was tortured and suffered in the Tower of Heaven. Rob's death, Jellal's corruption, her eye lost; it was terrible. However, within darkness was light, and that light was Fairy Tail. As she aged, she recalled meeting all her friends and going on many jobs and experiencing so much. Then came the point where she didn't think it was even going to matter: Meeting Nic.

For Nic, it was perhaps its own chaos. He was abused and mercilessly treated like a slave and dog by his mother and father, while his younger sister was pampered, yet he endured it all for her. He recalled the anger, the rage, and those bloodthirsty looks at times, especially when the police finally came and fought them. He left his new home for years, but still hoped for his sister to be okay while he met all his friends and Pokémon. He recalled each individual meeting and capture he had with them. After training for years and being all around Kalos, then came the shocking twist of fate of Arceus bestowing a mission to him. That brought him to the beginning of what was a most intriguing story that changed his life forever.

From that point on, both recounted the first day they met. Looking back at it now, it wasn't so much romantic as it was a cheap damsel in distress turned knight. They recalled the missions they went on, Nic's sacrifice at the tower, his first date with her, his heartache after the Nirvana incident. Their reconnection, up to where they had a bumpy road until their confessions on the beach. The night Nic had the funeral for the future fallen and when Arceus was saved. To when they chose to be together forever. To the life-changing hell that was Impure Underworld.

Taking that moment into consideration, the revelations then made Nic nearly frown, as did Erza. Both recounted Nic's family history and how they had to suffer more damnation until they were at last freed. It was then they reconciled with Mark and Laura. Knowing them, they were smiling down from above, as well as Makarov, Rob, and to a slight extent, Erza's mother, Irene.

The vacation they took leading up to the war; it was the longest hell of demons and humans and dragons that could've killed them. After all of that consideration, the two were swallowing lump after lump.

'Do I honestly deserve all this? After what we've been through?' Nic thought.

'Do I truly deserve this much happiness, after everything that's happened?' Erza's thoughts were as gone as his.

Both took one more glance at each other, seeing the anxiousness in their eyes. However, they could also see their own insecurities; even deeper than that. They were seeing what the other was thinking. They saw the terror they went through, the loved ones they lost, the anguish, despair, and yet…they survived. They found love.

They glanced around, seeing many faces that were still alive to this day. Nic looked over and saw his younger sister smiling just a few feet away. Even she was caught in the hell that was their lives and yet she didn't trade it for anything. Even looking about, they saw their friends who stuck up for them; who they stuck up for. They even looked at Greninja, and Aegislash, and all the other Pokémon. When they got a deeper look at the cathedral, their eyes widening when they saw the many more people.

What Nic did – what Erza's been through – this wasn't just a union between them. It was a union between two worlds. People from Nic's world that were invited sat next to the eccentric Earth Land's population.

They looked back at each other once more, seeing the changes that they made were for the better. They lost their parent and parent figures, but they held onto each other to the end. Together, they smiled.

'Yes, we deserve this. We all do.'

'This is what I want. I deserve this, and this is how I can prove it.'

After what felt like an eternity, the priest wrapped up and raised his head. "Does thou have the rings?"

On cue, Romeo stood up and presented the two rings that were on a purple pillow with gold edging. He approached and presented them with their rings. Nic graciously took Erza's hand and slid the ring he gave her inwards. As for Erza, she gave Nic his ring, which was a small diamond, but the branding and silver it was on was from the most exquisite craftsman in Fiore. For the amount of jewel she had to fork up, she hoped for the jeweler's sake that it was.

As they drew closer, a few guests were beginning to mist in the eyes. Joanna and Michael especially were starting to tear up. Vanessa included. Those who were full-out bawling was Ichiya, although he was distraught his so-called 'Honey' was lost to his love rival. But he had nothing to fear, for the Tri-Mens patted his back in comfort.

Krookodile narrowed his eyes, keeping the tears shut. Mawile looked up and snickered, but for once, Krookodile overlooked her.

"If anyone objects to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

There were no words said, it looked like many agreed to this occasion. Unbeknownst the everyone, edged in the cathedral's veiling, there was a small orb with a glint in it. Shrouded in another location, looking through another orb halfway on the other side of Fiore, Crime Sorciere stopped for a break on their continuing journey of repent, but even they needed a break to enjoy such an occasion.

"What a ceremony." Sorano rolled her eyes in a not so subtle tone. Clearly she didn't have an opinion.

Richard sniffled with tears running down his face. "This is what bountiful love is all about! Oh yeah!"

"I must say, Erza does look good in that dress." Ultear smirked.

"Yeah, she's so pretty." Meredy smiled.

Erik crossed his arms and smirked at the crystal ball. "Well all said and done."

Macbeth nodded. Sawyer offered no input.

Watching the two, Jellal and Bellona stared in slight envy, but they did nothing to intrude. They looked down at the people they admired, but when they looked at the other, they didn't see any aching. They clearly moved on, and as they smiled, they looked at the crystal ball once more to see the ceremony concluded.

The priest smiled with pride. "Then by the power vested in me, I hereby announce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

The moment had finally come. Nic smiled as he faced Erza, lifting his hands without any shaking nor twitching. They were smooth and steady as Erza tilted her head down to allow him to lift her white veil to the back of her head. She lifted and opened her eyes to see Nic's blue ones interlock with her brown ones. With hands together, fingers interlocking, the two leaned in, turning ever so slightly as their lips locked. The kiss was passionate, and very deep. Not light, but deep. Their bodies radiated with a tingly feeling of warmth as they parted.

Together, guests clapped happily, and some whistled loudly as Nic and Erza turned towards them with bright smiles.

The nighttime air flourished in all of Magnolia. Lights of various colors were everywhere as the reception was as lively as it possibly could've gotten. There was music, dancing, food, and merry all around. Many guests gathered clapped happily as Nic and Erza cut their wedding cake, and Jason and Viola were taking hundreds of pics; though Viola was calmer of the two-man camera crew. With thanks and more whistling, the first two to the dance floor were none other than the newly weds.

To Erza's shock, Nic was very light on his feet. It was no doubt from all that battling he does and shifting his feet up and about. They took their dance nice and slow, a soothing melody played as Nic held Erza close to him, both taking comfort in the embrace of the other as music went on. He had Joanna, Michael, and Vanessa to thank for the few dance lessons.

Eventually, more couple got onto the dance floor. Lucy dragged Natsu, even if he did end up stepping on her a couple times. She didn't mind. She was just glad she and her could spend this time together. To Juvia's immense shock, Gray – though still embarrassed – looked away as he asked for Juvia's hand to dance. She nearly had a heart attack but took it, allowing Gray to whisk her into dreamland. Other parties entered the dance floor, such as Professor Sycamore with Diantha, and Ramos and Porlyusica. Siebold supplied the catering and the five-star meals, all prepped beforehand; with Yajima and him exchanging some recipes at that. Wendy and Mest shared a dance before having one with Romeo. Carla was surprisingly acquiescent to sharing just one dance to an ecstatic Happy. Gajeel was dragged and forced by Levy, much to Jet and Droy's dismay. Asuka and Tan danced and played like children while their parents talked and danced on the floor. Vanessa got to dance with her brother before she and Erza had Nic in a triad dance. Yukino got a nervous Sting to get on the dance floor thanks to a little push from Lector. Rogue asked Minerva, and she obliged like a queen. Even the Pokémon had dances of their own. Greninja got a dance in with Diantha's Gardevoir, Goodra – though slimy – got a dance with Grant's Tyrantrum, even Kecleon frolicked and danced with Vanessa's Krookodile. It was a festive ball all around.

Jake and Will were hovering over the massive buffet, their faces stuffed with various mush that was stuck in their mouths from previous filling. "Oh man, dude. Have you tried this quiche?" Will asked his best pal, who was trying another dish.

"No, how's it taste?" He asked, looking up from his plate.

"Mmm…" He rolled his eyes around to get a feeling of the taste. "It's a little cheesy, but jut the right pitch."

"Man, this world sure has it going. And not just the food either." Jake leered over his shoulder, seeing a random lady walk by. He took notice in the curvy stature Earth Land has for its feminine inhabitants.

Will cocked his brow. "Eye candy's everywhere."

Professor Sycamore came walking up behind them, waving them. "Ah, good evening you two." His sudden greet nearly made Jake and Will choke on the food they were eating; and not just from the fact they were looking at people who were hanging back like Cana nearby. Swallowing and barely missing choking, the two whipped to face the calm man in his 40's.

"Oh, Professor Sycamore!" They snapped in unison.

"I see you're both enjoying yourselves. Are you finding everything okay?" He smiled.

"Yeah! Yeah, we're just having a blast." Will said, though it came out rather hastily.

Professor Sycamore laughed off the humor. "Ah, youth. What days."

"I…guess…?" Jake raised a brow and rubbed the back of his head. "So, enjoying this yourself?"

"Ah, oui! Best reception yet! It's a festival of merry!" He enthused. "The many of people here who I talked to are very interested in us, as well as Pokémon. Nic and Vanessa really did open their eyes to what we have to offer." An epiphany came to his mind as he looked back at them. "Say, I have something to say as well."

"You do?" Will asked in deep confusion.

"Of course."

Coming from nearby was Diantha. She grinned as she stood beside Professor Sycamore as they looked down at the two. "We were very pleased that it was you who made that live video. If it wasn't for you two, we may not have made it in time. We thank you for being there when we couldn't to warn the world."

Will blushed at the deep attention he was getting. "Oh stop. You're gonna make me blush…but go on."

Diantha and Professor Sycamore laughed at his behavior, finding him amusing.

"But since that is but the past, I want to talk about a potential future for you two specifically." The professor proposed.

Jake and Will's praise was put on hold as they were intrigued by what Augustine had to offer. "A job only we can do?" Jake repeated.

Professor Sycamore nodded. "Of course. Ever since the battle with Acnologia, many people have taken a great liking and wonder to the confines of time and space. After we go home to Kalos, I want to offer you two a very important task."

Jake raised a brow. "I'm listening."

"With time and space the subject, a lot of researchers are heading to Sinnoh, since that's where the roots of time and space are that can link anything space and time-related. If you can spare any time in your 'busy' schedules as Trainers, would you like to take the offer and head to Sinnoh to collect data for that purpose? I'm willing to have everything including the voyage itself paid for."

It was a deep shock to them, but to Jake and Will, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Both of their eyes widened and they looked at each other like they haven't seen the other in forever.

"Dude, you hear that just now?!" Will exclaimed.

"I know. A trip to Sinnoh, and it's all expense paid!"

"All right!" Both high-fived.

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore smiled. "We'll discuss this more when we get back home. For now, let's enjoy the festive air, shall we?"

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Will instantly turn away. "C'mon bud! Let's get your swing on with a few chicks before we hit the big time!" He strolled along, with his pal in tow. Of course both knew as well that where there was Sinnoh, there was Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia. To them, it was a paradise.

Vanessa and Sophie were talking to each other as they stood nearby the food table with cups of lemonade, the sweet and sour making Vanessa relish in the night. As the two best friends were going on with a conversation about the job they took last week, they glanced over to see two faces walk on over.

Jake and Will stood before the two, their smiles wide, but Will was more hesitant of the two just from looking at them.

Vanessa smiled upon seeing her friends once more. "Jake. Will. It's so good to see you."

Sophie raised a brow and smirked. "Oh~? So you're the friends we saw from before. How've you both been?"

Will rolled his eyes modestly. "Oh, you know, saving the world. Enjoying meals. All that taxing stuff."

The two girls giggled at his antics. It only made him blush more at his foolishness.

"Anyway, we would like to know something." Jake asked.

"Shoot." Sophie insisted.

"So, before we head off to Sinnoh, would you care for just a dance?" Jake graciously held his hand out to the busty blonde. "Would it be okay if we, well…" He struggled a bit, trying to look cool but was quickly cracking under pressure. "I-if we…maybe just once…or a couple…"

Will narrowed his eyes at his pal hesitating. Apparently he felt challenged. "Not so fast, pal! I can do better than that!" He turned towards Vanessa and took a deep breath. But when he got the nerve, he almost snapped, his nervousness flaring. "So, uh, Vanessa. I, eh…know you may have a busy schedule and maybe have a hundred guys already asking to dance with you…but…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, looking away as he couldn't look at her. "Would it be swell enough, i-if we just…y'know…maybe once…b-but I know you have others to dance with, so it's cool if-"

A dainty hand grabbed his wrist, making Will stop and freeze up. His hand and arm lowered, and holding his hand was a gracious Vanessa. He looked back at her, seeing her smile. "Sure. Let's make sure your time here before you go to Sinnoh a memorable one, shall we?" Without delay, Vanessa followed a startled but still able-bodied Will as he guided his friend to the dance floor.

As he looked back at Jake, he gave a cheeky smile. It only made him pout.

"That doesn't count! We know her!" He pointed out.

"Still counts!" Will yelled out of earshot with a mocking laughter.

Jake growled beneath his breath before a sudden slip of a dainty hand tickled his own. His senses crawling, he looked back and saw Sophie giving him a look like no one gave him before. A nonchalant smirk. Fitted in a red dress which outlined her curves, as well as her assets, she began to make Jake's eyes twitch.

"Well, I prefer to not lose this little competition of who dances more with whom." She looked back at Jake, shooting him a wink. "Come on, be a good boy and follow along." She dragged Jake, giving him almost no room to rethink what he was doing. He just had a perplexed look on his face as he was still overlooking Sophie's body. His nervousness only served to make him paralyzed.

"Help me." He wheezed.

"HAHA!" Will pointed and laughed at him, before he was swung around by a nonchalant Vanessa. He, too, was unfortunately in for a world of havoc. So much for studs.

As the night went on, it eventually led to the many couples getting exhausted, and yet still on the dance floor alone after a few hours, Nic and Erza were at last holding the other, the music slowing down at last into a slow song that had a gentle guitar to it with some deep, soothing, melodic whistle.

Slender arms around a neck and sleeves and hands behind a supple waist, holding onto long, silky red threads, Nic and Erza shifted left and right, resting their chins on the other's shoulders, smiling as they held the other like they were the world to them.

As they continued, they leaned into the other more closely. "We really did it." Erza whispered.

"Yeah. We did."

"I didn't know this was even possible."

Nic smirked on her shoulder. "You know anything's possible."

Now it was Erza's turn to flash a smirk. "You're too cheesy there."

Nic smiled wider, but all Erza did was chuckle as they kept shifting.

Sitting at a table, Michael was watching the two dance, smiling with merry. "Look at them. They grow up so fast."

Joanna put her hand on his, smiling with misty eyes at the couple. "Yeah." She looked towards Tan, who was sitting behind them and half-asleep. "Our little man's gonna have a lot to talk about when he gets older."

Greninja looked on from afar, smiling at Nic and nodding. He was too proud for words. Everyone was. While they were still fatigued, the party was on its last dance, and the couple was having floor to themselves. All that partying and they were still holding the other with smiles. It was too good to be true.

Charizard leaned against a cement wall, crossing arms and looking pleased with the full stomach he had. Nearby, Delphox came along, getting his attention. She leaned in, getting him to listen to something in a whisper. When it was spoken, the two looked at the other and nodded.

Charizard craned his head up and roared loudly, catching everyone's eyes and ears. The tired guests looked as he opened his mouth, shooting a Flamethrower into the sky. Delphox's eyes glowed blue and she pointed her wand at the Flamethrower. With enough flames in the sky for all to see, she used her Psychic to sculp the words JUST MARRIED in the nighttime air. Many were in awe as they saw the vibrant fire, it even made Natsu smirk.

Erza's Houndoom smirked as he stepped up. Opening his mouth, he created a Shadow Ball. He fired it skywards, meeting the flaming words and creating flashy fireworks of purple and red that ignited the sky above the lovebirds. As purple and red sparkles rained down like snow, Nic and Erza pulled apart, looking at the other one more time.

Around them, red and purple sparkled. It was like a dream. If it was, they sure didn't want to wake up, but they knew it was real, and they had everyone to thank for that.

"I really love you, Nic." Erza smiled truthfully.

"I love you, too."

Once more, the two pulled into another kiss, the many people clapping and smiling as red and purple rained; some of which continued to twinkle in the sky like stars. Two colors of which became one this very night. From now and forevermore.

And that's a wrap folks! I hereby conclude the sequel! Wooooooh! Once again, I can't thank you all enough for your immeasurable support along this massive road I paved. It wasn't easy, and I know some hiccups flourished about, but I stuck through to the end, just like I did with The Fairy Contender. And now I molded it all to this very point. At last, I made Nic and Erza's relationship peak at marriage. I hope it worked out to your liking!

So since I promised this chapter would be the finale to the sequel, I had to make the funeral for Makarov and Mavis and the marriage of Nic and Erza in the same one, with a little bit of friendship drama sandwiched in between. As you can imagine, I made Laxus the new master, and I finally made Natsu and Gray move on, and had Lucy, Juvia, Happy, and Cana contribute to some degree. At least now their friendship has been restored, and everyone finally moved on from their pasts and into the future.

Final Fun Fact: This sequel has a higher word count than the prequel, and short by not even 1 chapter! And was done in less time at that!

Now I know MANY of you would be emotionally shattered if I stopped here, but before you go and cry out of joy or shock, I'll alleviate your emotions by this announcement: I am making a 3rd/final installment to NicxErza! That's right, it's going to be one more story of Nic and Erza after they get married, but it's still in the thought stages. Now I've heard rumors that Hiro Mashima is making a new generation of Fairy Tail children, but since Fairy Tail just ended a few months ago and this rumor may or not be confirmed, I have no material to go off of. So I've have this idea for a very long time, and it's not going to be about their children…at least not yet of course. It's all ideas, but because of that, I am going to take about 4-6 months before I can finally get the final installment set up. I still have my goal to finish One's Road to Remembrance and Kalos Vacation Training, and I will at least finish one of those before moving forward any further. And plus, after one of those stories are complete, I also want to do a Bakugan fanfic, so expect that once One's Road to Remembrance is finished!

It's going to take A LOT of innovation, but I hope you guys really and truly enjoyed this story from start to finish! I want to thank all my fans and reviewers for helping me and getting me through the manga and supporting to the end! I'll pay you back with what I said above. I will need a lot of time and months to think of a lot of original ideas since I will be going beyond the manga now, I'm going to think out of the box. That means dig into stuff that Hiro Mashima didn't go deep with, like Yukino and Sorano, Richard and Wally, what happened to Alvarez afterwards, etc.

Once more, I can't thank you guys enough, and I hope to hear what you have to say of Nic and Erza and everything that I have given you! You guys rock!

Insane Dominator, out! :)