Archive of Our Own

One year ago, Lucy had taken part in a massive war while still barely being out of her teens. The climactic result had been the death of three immortals: the Black Wizard Zeref Dragneel, the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse and Dragon King Acnologia, and the First Master of Fairy Tail Mavis Vermillion.

One week ago, Lucy had won an award for the novel she had been writing bit-by-bit for years, fulfilling a life-long dream. She had also noticed at the party celebrating this achievement was an aspiring author with the face of Zeref and an employee at a small publishing company with the face of Mavis. Yet, these two showed no recognition of each other upon meeting, and were apparently named Arius and Mio respectively.

Now, Lucy and her closest friends were on their next big adventure: the 100 Years Quest. It was a legendary and infamous job request that had gone unfulfilled for over a century. Their first step to potentially becoming the first team in history to complete it was to actually arrive at the client's location: a guildhall on the continent of Guiltina.

For a week, the team had been traveling across Fiore to reach the northern coast, where they would take off by boat to reach Guiltina. However, they currently were being held back, on account of one of Natsu and Gray's spats causing all their rations to fall into a river. Making a quick pit stop at the closest town, they set the two boys to fix their mistake while the rest of them relaxed - a calm before the storm, if the difficulty of their upcoming mission was anything to go by.

"How about a nice lunch to break up all the days eating rations?" Carla suggested. The girls and Happy were walking down the streets, exploring the town and occasionally stopping to admire something through a window. Given their current mission, it might not have been wise to buy anything luxurious and take it to Guiltina... But maybe they could stop by on the return trip?

"I think that's a fine idea," Erza agreed.

Predictably, Happy jumped up. "Ooh, let's find a place with fish!"

Carla sighed, but with a barely hidden smile. "The boys will surely pack you a lot of fish, Happy. And I'm sure there'll be lots of new fish for you to discover at Guiltina. Why not mix things up just once?"

"No way!" Happy shook his head. "I'll never get tired of fish!"

Shaking her own head out of amused exasperation, Lucy began scanning the area for any restaurants to try out. She spotted one with outdoor seating - prettily designed umbrellas offering shade on the tables, decent looking food (which seemed to include fish), an adorable fence serving as a border between the seating and the streets, and...

A smiling couple entering, looking young and in love. The girl had wavy pale-blonde hair that appeared barely brushed despite the occasion, also wearing a cute orange sundress and thin sandals. The boy had neatly combed black hair, surprisingly wearing a professional suit and tie despite the heat in the air - but was his sweat just due to that? What caught Lucy's attention the most was their striking resemblance to Mavis Vermillion and Zeref. After blinking away the possibility that she could be hallucinating, she recalled Mio and Arius. Just because they had arrived for the celebration party at Magnolia did not necessarily mean they lived there - in fact, if they were Magnolia residents, then anyone from Fairy Tail should've discovered their existence before that point. So, was this the actual town they lived in? Or was it merely a coincidence?

"Lucy?" Wendy tugged at her skirt with faint concern in her voice, breaking Lucy out of her dazed spell.

Her finger slowly lifted up to point out her discovery, asking, "It's them... Do you want to see how First Master and Zeref are doing in their new life?"

The other four caught up with what she was seeing, having their own brief moments of shock before remembering Mio and Arius.

"Would that really be appropriate?" Erza questioned.

"They're technically not the First Master and Zeref we know," Carla added. "They don't know us at all. We're strangers."

"But still..." Wendy started to sheepishly protest. She clearly wanted to spy, but couldn't think of a good enough justification for it. Really, Lucy couldn't think of one either. Erza and Carla had a point, yet...

"As long as we're just watching, it'll be fine, right?" Happy asked. Lucy tried to brush off the vibes of feeling like a stalker that the suggestion gave.

"It wouldn't be fair to get involved in their new lives, but..." Lucy started. "It's an open-seating place. Would it really hurt to get a table close enough? And just snoop this once? I... I wanna see if First Master and Zeref have finally gotten the happiness they couldn't before..."

Besides, the duo had snuck into the award party to get a glimpse of their author idol: Lucy Heartfilia. Internally, Lucy could justify it as getting even.

"Fine," Erza relented. With how her serious expression relaxed, she accidentally gave away her own curiosity - and her joy at having the others convince her to pursue it. "We'll just eat near them. No following beyond that."

They slinked past the gate that Mio and Arius just entered, unaware of how quickly they would break that vow later that same day...

Natsu stood suddenly paralyzed within the crowd of shoppers, nearly being bumped into a second time. Gray was yelling at him for this, but he was too distracted by the image still stuck in his head. A blur had just rushed past him, a firm yet gentle voice muttering apologies and excuses about running late. One that almost had a tinge of familiarity to it.

As the brief scene played over and over again in his mind, a face started popping out from the blur. But there was no possible way it could be right. His memory had to be messing with him. Yet the more he tried to shake off the initial judgement, the more it solidified. He could practically smell the rogue Dragon Slayer he encountered in the Rift in Space and Time. Except he also couldn't, because it was all so wrong, all layered in scents he'd never associate with the Dragon King.

Turning around, Natsu had to follow and be absolutely sure, Gray's shouts to stop and slow down be damned. It'd eat at him for the rest of their trip and kill his concentration for the 100 Years Quest. Because what could it mean that Acnologia was still alive?

A few minutes of winding through the crowds later, following the trail led Natsu to the local health center. He barely registered Gray gasping and scraping to a stop against the stone street behind him, more focused on the man that had just reached the entrance. This man was catching his own breath, but also seemed heavily relieved.

His skin was darker than most, but it lacked the muscles and tattoos that Natsu had grown accustomed to. His hair was the same dark blue, but the style was all different - the top was short and spiky, but closely trailing down his back was a long and slim ponytail of what faintly resembled the wild hair of Acnologia. On his body was the standard uniform of a healthcare professional, complete with a long white coat and simple slip-ons. That took Natsu off guard the most - the Acnologia he knew was not so clean and tidy, didn't even bother with shoes or a shirt. This was like an evil twin (good twin?) scenario.

"What the hell is your-" Just as Gray's complaints finally got through to Natsu, he pointed towards the man now entering the health center.

"It's him." Natsu still gave that far-off look, eyes not leaving the health center entrance even as the man disappeared into the building. Gray's anger was quelled by the shock of hearing the seriousness - and even faint grim fear - from Natsu's voice. "It's Acnologia."

"Huh?! But he-"

"It's him," Natsu insisted, finally facing Gray eye-to-eye. His eyes were wide, the color still fading back into his face. "It's his look. It's his voice. It's his scent. All of it is him. That's Acnologia."

It took a few moments longer for Gray to process, mainly due to the fact he'd only seen Acnologia as the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse - he hadn't been one of the “lucky” few to see the Dragon King in his true human form.

Once he started letting the possibility sink in - because there was no way Natsu would joke about this - he asked, "How? And why is everything still so normal and peaceful here?"

"I don't know," Natsu admitted. "But let's find out."

Lurking around the building, they found a side of it away from the street that had an open window. They sat underneath it, bodies pressed closely to the wall, and listened intently. With his draconic senses, Natsu had more success, so he'd occasionally relay to Gray what he was missing.

The window was connected to a room that must've only been open to the doctors and nurses of the center, since they overheard mainly casual conversation between the coworkers.

"Basil? You look like you just got back from a marathon."

"I did." That was him. That was the Acnologia guy. But he wasn't sounding angry or deranged or the least bit like a murder hobo? And he was being called "Basil"?

"Dude, take an ice pack, geez. And don't try running laps around town again."

"That's not what..." Basil sighed, apparently taking the advice on an ice pack, as the first exasperated sigh was followed by a second one full of deep relief. "That's not what happened. I was running late coming back. And the crowds were getting crazy."

"Look at the time. It's prime lunch and shopping hour for most folks."

"I know! That's why I tried to hurry to beat the worst of it!"

Somebody sighed. "C'mon, newbie, you can't be a talented nurse and a model employee. You only need to be one to keep the job."

"By the way, I thought your shift's lunch break was scheduled to avoid the rush hour in the first place? How'd you start running late?"

"Because I barely even got to eat..." Basil groaned. "I got sidetracked. A man fainted and then it took a bit to help wake him. And then keep him calm so he wouldn't faint again."

Although he sounded like he was complaining, Natsu couldn't detect any resentment or grievance in his voice. It was just an unlucky turn of events, but apparently something this Basil couldn't just ignore, even if it did mess up his own plans.

"Keep him calm?" somebody pressed.

"It wasn't the heat that made him faint. He has a date... right now, actually. So his anxiety was through the roof." Basil paused. "Although the heat could've still helped."

"And then by the time the guy was on his way... What? Did you have like, half the lunch break left? Or, don't tell me..."

Basil awkwardly laughed. "I tried to find somewhere that'd serve me quicker, but I basically had to settle for a light snack."

"You didn't even get to eat lunch?! After skipping breakfast, too?!"

"Hold on - Basil skipped breakfast this morning?!"

"I didn't skip breakfast!" Basil insisted, the exasperation clearly indicated this wasn't the first time he had to clarify. "I had cereal!"

"And...?" The same person that snitched spoke, in a goading and knowing tone.

"...I ate it in a small baggie on the way to work," Basil admitted.

"So you only had dry cereal in a bag?! And you call that breakfast?!"

There was a yelp from Basil, as someone apparently either shook him or ruffled his hair, going, "You're not a broke med school student anymore! Quit eating like one!!"

Voice wobbly from being manhandled, Basil responded, "It's just been a misfortunate turn of events today! I don't normally let myself get this hungry and tired!"

"Tired?! What the hell even happened this morning?!"

"Well, there was this girl-" There was a choir of snorted laughter. "Not like that!! She was passed out, too!" A beat. "Well, actually, I thought she was passed out when I spotted her from my window, but apparently she'd just fallen asleep while stargazing that night. And by the time I got back to my home, I was running late, hence the bag of cereal."

"Basil, how do you keep coming across unconscious people..."

"I don't know..."

By this point, the conversation dispersed, as Basil and his coworkers were summoned to their duties. Natsu caught someone calling out to Basil, a warning not to miss dinner as well, with exasperated noises coming from Basil in response. But nothing of the viciousness of Acnologia. Just to be extra sure, Natsu lifted up to take a peek, seeing that the voice of Basil was indeed coming from the man that resembled Acnologia. So why was he also... not Acnologia?!

"I know there's the similarities and all..." Gray began, once they were sure there was nothing left for them to eavesdrop - and no one around to eavesdrop on them . "But are you sure?"

"It's not a perfect match, but what does match is still too much to ignore." Natsu rubbed his head, feeling an ache coming on. "But it's still so confusing! Why is he... like this?!"

"Are we sure it's not just a coincidence? Or... Maybe an Edolas scenario?"

"No, we know the First Master and my brother reincarnated. Since Acnologia died in that time rift thingy, with power over time and reality... He could've reincarnated like them. He could've done it on purpose."

Natsu blinked, his train of thought leading him further. "Back in our final battle, he mentioned dragons destroying his home and killing his family. Maybe this is how he was like before that all happened. Zeref was also more like his old self when he reincarnated. And if Acnologia could cause it himself, maybe this is how he actually wanted to live. He... He seemed so at peace when I talked about my friends and needing nothing else. That's the last thing we talked about before he disappeared. So, it could've been the first thing on his mind, if he discovered he could reincarnate himself."

Gray stared at him as he said all that, continuing to gawk for a few more moments even after it was clear Natsu was done. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"You can actually logic all that out??" Shaking the shock away, he returned to the true topic at hand. "But still, what are the odds we find a third reincarnation of someone who died in that war? Does that mean everyone that died back then got a second chance? Everyone who's ever died before? You have a point that the time magic could help him reincarnate... but since it was a rift that wasn't supposed to exist, isn't it also possible he got swallowed up out of existence? That something like Ultear's situation happened to him?"

"If he didn't reincarnate, then who the hell is that guy?!"

"I don't know! A relative, maybe?! Blood relatives look the same all the time! Just look at Lucy and her family tree!"

"A relative? Did Acnologia even have those? He said his family got killed, that's why he became a Dragon Slayer, ice idiot!"

"That doesn't mean a distant relative couldn't have survived, burnt brain!" They briefly smashed foreheads, Gray pulling back as his own theory developed further. "Hell, he was 400 years old, wasn't he? And got his human body back? It's not impossible, you know..."

"What's not impossible?"

Gray fought the urge to facepalm. "That he got with people over the years. That he left kids behind."

Natsu continued to give him a blank expression, but admittedly for a different reason than Gray initially assumed. "Why would he do that? He was always destroying stuff and killing people, wasn't he?"

"We don't know everything he did for 400 years."

"Well, would he have kept doing that, if he started a new family?"

"He's immortal. He could've kept losing families."

Natsu's face scrunched up, still not buying it. "I just don't see him as the type. He barely seemed to register the value of people until I beat it into him. And he literally spelled it out that all he wanted was destruction."

"Well..." Gray bit his lip - his own faith in his descendant theory wavering, but his pride also kept him from admitting defeat to Natsu. "Erza and Wendy mentioned he, uh... he defiled Erza's mom's corpse, right?"

"... I don't think that's what they meant."

"Well I'm trying here, man! We don't exactly know much about his interactions with girls, besides Wendy, of course! Most of the people he fought were dudes!"

Natsu leaned back and groaned, a bit too loudly. "If only we could read his dragon expressions. We could've seen if he was into Cana or Mira back on Tenrou."

"Yeah, or if something like with the Jade Dragon happened to Lucy-"

They were cut off from their debate by a bunch of loud, desperate choking. It started from down the street, but soon a girl dragging the choker reached the health center and burst through the front doors. Even from the open window, they could overhear her dramatic entrance.

"SOMEBODY HELP HIM! HE CAN'T BREATHE!"

Fully into their nosy sides now, the duo slunk back towards the front of the health center to get a better look at this new scene. The doors were wide open due to the girl, who was struggling to bring the boy taller than her fully inside, especially as his condition worsened. However, what caught Natsu and Gray off the most was who this couple was - Mavis and Zeref. Or, as they recalled, the reincarnated Mio and Arius.

"Natsu?! Gray?!"

The second twist came in the form of the rest of their teammates jogging up (or, in the case of the Exceeds, floating up) the street.

"It's-" Natsu began, but Lucy cut him off.

"We know! We've been following them!"

Sitting one table over, the girls and Happy watched Arius and Mio's... frankly awkward date unfold.

"I like coming to this place," Mio said, as they both looked through their menus. "The wind blowing through your hair while you eat is nice. And the sun on you, and the fresh air in general... They offer a lot of variety, too."

Arius was staring more intently at his, clearly reading over it with more thought. When Mio put hers down, he took note and spoke up.

"Is there anything you'd recommend?" He tried to laugh off his addition of, "This is admittedly my first time coming here, despite walking by so many times..."

"There's this one salad option that looks really pretty! It's the only salad I really eat, because they dress it up so nicely."

"Really?"

Mio helped Arius flip through the pages to the salad she was talking about. When the Fairy Tail wizards searched through to figure out what they were seeing, they figured she was pointing out the salad with large magenta leaves interspersed with the usual lettuce. Also notable about it were colorful and sparkly herbs dotting it like sprinkles, making the salad bring to mind cakes and desserts.

"I see. I should check for-" Suddenly, Arius stopped, staring at the side of Mio's head. Since she'd gotten close to help him out, something had gotten his attention out of the corner of his eye.

"What is it?" Mio looked back at him.

"There's something in your hair?"

"Hm? But I didn't wear my-" As she patted her head, devoid of the wing ornaments that were exactly like Mavis', she soon realized something. "Oh no! I forgot to brush my hair this morning! And after I remembered the shoes this time, too!"

Arius let out a soft snort, his hand reaching to pluck something from her hair. It turned out to be some clumps of grass.

"Now how did that get there?"

"Oh my!" Mio's hands were over her mouth and cheeks. Sheepishly, she let out a muffled explanation. "I was stargazing last night... But I got so into looking for constellations, I kept going even after I started feeling tired, and then fell asleep... If it weren't for that nice man noticing me, I would've overslept. But I guess in my panic to not be late, I missed some steps..."

"A nice man helped you?"

"I think he was a doctor. He seemed to know his stuff, and the way he warned me about exhausting myself reminded me of my doctor. He thought I passed out from the heat."

"O-oh..." Arius was shrinking in on himself, covering up the sight with his menu from Mio, yet not getting past the inquisitive eyes of Lucy. Was he insecure about her getting help from another man? Or was it the way she talked pleasantly about him? It was an odd thing to feel insecure about, but Lucy knew it could happen.

That was when the waiter showed up, preparing to take their orders. A different waiter came around the same time for the Fairy Tail table, so they missed out on the couple's full order. However, they were at least fully confident they'd be seeing two plates of that pretty salad be delivered later.

Mio and Arius were back to talking by the time the much larger Fairy Tail table finished ordering. Fortunately, they tuned back into the conversation at the right time.

"By the way, what was it you were going to check?" Mio suddenly asked.

"Hm?"

"You said you were going to check something after I pointed out the salad."

"Oh!" His eyes went wide, in roughly the same fashion as Mio's earlier. Because basically the same thing happened. "I forgot to check for Etheria!"

"Etheria?" Mio asked it, but some of the wizards found themselves echoing it under their breath involuntarily.

Calming down some, Arius explained, "It's a type of herb. I'm actually extremely allergic to it. If I eat just the slightest bit, my throat closes up and I can't breathe."

"Oh no! And you forgot to check the menu for it?!"

Despite the gravity of what he just said, Arius started laughing. "I'm just cautious. It's so rare of a herb, especially in meals, that I barely come across it, anyway. It took a long time for me to even discover this allergy, all because of how uncommon it is in cooking. Don't worry about it. If I can eat at other places in town without ever finding it, I'm sure this place is no exception."

"Anyway..." Arius cleared his throat, but struggled to speak for a few moments, in search of a new topic. For some reason, he went with, "About this... summer, I guess? Since I've heard more than once now, the concept of people passing out in the heat."

With some reluctance, Mio dropped the Etheria subject. "I can sometimes forget that's an issue. I hardly ever feel a difference in the temperature."

"Me too. Although, I guess I must on some subconscious level, since I prefer summer over any other season." Lucy could barely contain a smile at that, sure there was a different subconscious reason. Peeking at her teammates, she found it obvious from their faces that they had the same idea.

They switched to small talk about writing and publishing, Lucy feeling some embarrassment whenever her own name was brought up in starstruck praise. A few times, Happy teased her about it - and once she nearly gave them away when reprimanding him. They also talked about living in this town and the amazing coincidence that they both lived here and yet only met each other when out of town. Lucy had to wonder a bit about that. Plus, it was odd that their past lives had only died a year ago, yet they seemed to have established lives as if they always existed. 

Did they? Did they always exist, even when their past lives were still alive? Did their existences retroactively happen during the time that Mavis and Zeref would've been alive? Were they just plopped into existence with the memories of everyone around them being altered? Did they come to possess the lives of people who already existed, overwriting their traits with their own? She had accepted the reincarnations at face value, but the situation was still a bit confusing. If she had come across them decades in the future or seen them as babies right now, then it'd make more sense to her.

If it turned out they both were just Edolas stowaways, or very coincidental doppelgangers... That'd be very embarrassing!!

Soon, the meal for the couple arrived, with the Fairy Tail table's meal taking a bit longer due to the larger size of the course. By the time that the wizards got to start eating a few minutes later, something was occurring at the other table. Arius looked off. Despite his earlier claim that he barely felt the heat, he was sweating like crazy - and it definitely wasn't from nerves, as it came with no warning and no clear trigger. He pulled at his suit collar, but it soon came apparent it was because something was wrong with his neck itself.

Peeling back one of the magenta leaves, he held up in his other hand an unassuming speck of a herb. But once he spotted it, his eyes widened.

"Etheria...!" He could barely get just that one word out. Lucy - having decided to get the salad herself - checked her own dish and found that this herb seemed to be specifically placed under the magenta leaves. Just by looking at the picture in the menu or the plate in front, it was reasonable for Arius to have missed it. Plus, he had been distracted by trying to impress Mio.

Mio herself was in more of a panic than Arius, who was slowly slipping into his allergic reaction. Knocking her chair back in her rush to get up, she grabbed Arius by the hand.

"We have to get you to a doctor!"

As she dragged him towards the gate, the Fairy Tail table was suddenly shocked out of the daze they'd been in watching this unfold. Wendy tripped while trying to get on her feet, vainly trying to reach out her hand towards the direction the couple went.

"Wait! I'm a-!"

However, Erza reached down to cover Wendy's mouth, keeping Mio from hearing the rest before the couple were gone. "Hold on a second! This is indeed an emergency, but not yet an unsalvageable date!"

"What do you mean?! His life is in danger!" Lucy shouted, eyes bulging towards her. Wasn't she usually the most responsible one of their group? Well, now that she thought about it...

"We will continue our observation, in case things get too serious for them to handle. But we should first allow Mio the opportunity to prove her own ability to save her beloved."

There it was. The little bit of eccentricity even Erza Scarlet possessed. Everyone else blinked at her and her logic.

"Come on! We'll lose track of them if we don't hurry!"

While the others scrambled to keep up with the couple - and now the charging Erza - Lucy was held back by one of the employees. Right - this was still a restaurant, and now there were two tables of people leaving before paying. A few minutes of calculating later, Lucy had not only paid off their food, but generously paid for the couple's table as well.

With the help of Virgo, Lucy caught up with her team, right before they ran right up to Natsu and Gray. The duo were right in front of the health center, staying close to the wall in an admittedly suspicious manner. It didn't take long for them to catch each other up - on the date between Mio and Arius, and the discovery of the possible reincarnation of Acnologia. By the time they did, Mio and Arius had been taken deeper into the health center.

Too into the drama now, the wizards lapped around the building until they found yet another, slightly less ajar window for their eavesdropping. Well, Lucy had the sinking suspicion that Natsu had used his fire to strong-arm a window into opening, but she'd overlook it for now. Erza seemed to be overlooking it, so that was fine, right?

They were just in time to overhear the next twist in the situation.

"I... I've never been trained for such a rare allergy..." From the fact this voice was unrecognizable to any of them, they figured it was the head doctor of the center. "Our usual medicine for reactions isn't working..."

"He says it was caused by Etheria," Mio said. "But, he never got to say how he deals with it, when it strikes."

"Without that knowledge, I'm afraid the only option is magic, but we don't-"

Suddenly, someone else burst into the room, declaring, "This is a case involving Etheria, yes?! I know how to treat him!"

"It's the Basil guy!" Gray shout-whispered, to the benefit of the others.

"You do?!" the doctor asked. There were some following sounds of shuffling and items being moved, suggesting that Basil was already in the throes of doing whatever needed to be done.

"Yes, Etheria actually grew near my home village." As Basil spoke, his voice would occasionally move around the room, further cementing he was talking as he worked. "The allergy is actually a bit more common than people think, it's merely that most people with it rarely ever get exposed to the herb."

"Arius mentioned something like that," Mio added.

"In that case, I leave this to you, Basil." A second later, the door shut. 

Nobody spoke, the only sound the wizards picked up on being Arius' haggard breaths. If they were properly sitting, they'd be on the edge of their seats. Instead, all they could do was antsily bounce from one foot to the other. There was a real fear that, with how quiet the room on the other side of the window was, just trying to whisper amongst themselves briefly might give them away. So, they kept their thoughts to themselves, Lucy just dying to see what was going on in there but being too nervous to poke her head up. Just as she started debating lifting Happy - who might be small enough to go unnoticed - a change occurred in what they were hearing.

Arius' breathing was back to normal, with a duo of relieved sighs coming from Mio and Basil. The wizards ducked closer to the ground as the window was opened just a bit more, to bring fresh air into the room. Nothing beyond gratitude for Basil and concern for Arius' recovery was said for a few minutes, until Mio suddenly said:

"By the way, I knew you had to be a doctor!"

"Huh?" It caught both Basil and Arius off guard, with how abrupt it was and unconnected to anything else.

"Oh, I meant, because of how you talked this morning."

Erza preemptively covered Natsu and Happy's mouths, keeping them from involuntarily shouting out the thought striking all their minds: She already knows him?!

"This morn- Oh!" Basil finally caught her meaning. "You were the stargazing girl!"

"Oh, so this is the 'nice man'?" Arius asked.

"E-eh?"

"Then what a coincidence it is, that he helped us both today." Then, Arius nervously laughed. "Well, I guess for me, it's now twice."

"Twice?" Mio asked.

"Oh, wait..." This time, Basil's recognition came with a hint of sadness. "You were the guy heading for a date..."

"Yeah. Even after helping me from the panic attack, things still went south..."

Mio gasped. "Wait, what's this about a panic attack?!"

More nervous laughter from Arius. "I didn't want you to know, but I guess it's too late to act cool..."

Door opening, their conversation started to grow distant, as they exited the room and went into the hall.

"Dang it!" Happy yelped. Well, first he yelped in frustration, then in pain when Erza swatted him over the head.

"They must be discharging, now that the medical emergency is over," Carla theorized.

"Then that should mean they're heading back to the front, right?" Gray asked.

"Let's check!" Lucy declared, the wizards already scrambling back to their feet.

At the front of the building, it took several agonizing minutes - time where Natsu had to be held back from just barging into the health center - before the front entrance opened. The wizards jumped back to hide around the corner, heads poking out to watch as Basil held the door for the couple. He still stood against the door as Mio's eyes widened.

"Oh! Since I guess none of us got a full lunch, there's always dinner!" Taking Arius' hand, she had them both face Basil. "And since he was so helpful all day, we should get the nice nurse some dinner when his shift is done."

"First Master, what are you doing?!" Erza was the one to hiss, obviously going unheard. Happy swatted her back.

"I guess their date didn't get salvaged after all..." Wendy sighed.

Yet, the way Arius seemed to squirm reminded Lucy of back when he was at the table with Mio. "Since we're the reason he's going hungry in the first place..."

"Oh, no, that's al-"

"I don't mean that in a-" Arius verbally stumbled. "I insist, actually!"

"What is he doing?" Now it was Gray asking.

"I was under the impression Basil was becoming the love rival for Mio's affection..." Erza murmured, as if this were one of the plays she liked. "But is it actually Arius that's getting charmed?"

"No, he had to get healed by the guy twice now," Natsu said. "He must be embarrassed!"

"Or embarrassment from the date getting ruined!"

"Or..." Lucy was holding her chin, considering all that she had seen of Arius throughout the day. "Embarrassed because he swings both ways?"

"And if it's dinner," Arius continued, after Basil gave his reluctant acceptance of their offer. "Then we can see those stars that captivated Mio so much."

He'd been smiling as he said it, but right after it came out, he was covering his mouth and staring at the two. "Er, if that doesn't sound too weird... I guess dinner under the stars is a bit weird for a thank you, or going to see stars after dinner..."

"It's weird seeing him so awkward..." Natsu said, little brother nearly mirroring his reincarnated older brother's expression.

"He just turned his first date into a threeway hangout," Carla said. "Of course he'd be a bit awkward after that."

"Or he forgot he was supposed to flirt with his girlfriend, not the on-duty nurse," Happy agreed, a bit bemused. His own paw was barely hiding his smile.

"First Master might actually be getting her man stolen!" Erza hissed again.

Basil had laughed it off, only further inciting the wizards. And especially Erza.

"Were those flirty eyes he was giving off?!"

"No, he wasn't," Gray groaned at her. "Now you're just becoming Juvia at this point."

"For a second there, he looked like the old, arrogant Acnologia to me," Natsu said. He looked to Wendy for back-up, but she could only shrug.

Mio clapped her hands together. "I think that's a wonderful idea!"

"Poor girl, she's too oblivious..." Lucy shook her head.

"Oblivious to Arius' flirting attempts, or oblivious that her date got ruined?" Carla asked, mirroring Lucy.

"Maybe she knows something we don't?" Wendy suggested. She'd been the quietest of the observers, recognizing the need to just watch things play out - but mainly because she was too stumped to voice anything like the others had, up until now. With her next words, she mumbled them more softly and awkwardly. "It's not like we've exactly got a track record at dating..."

That shut all the wizards up, faces warming up and noticing their fellows' cheeks going pink in the corner of their eyes. None of them spoke up about that.

"So if we're going to stargaze," Mio continued to say. "I actually have a bit of a request... I think I discovered a new dragon constellation last night, but you can help me confirm it. And extra eyes on the skies means a better chance of finding a fairy constellation - that's what I've been searching for for weeks now!"

The wizards were distracted from their embarrassment, smiling at the memory of Mavis and her own love of fairies. She'd never gotten to see a real one in all her years of living. Even if it was just a constellation, it was a nice thought to think her second life might get that achievement.

"Of course we can help with that," Arius said, smiling back at her.

"I admit, now you've gotten me intrigued by that dragon constellation," Basil agreed.

Just as the wizards were prepared to continue their debate - and some nervous reactions to Basil's comment - there was a tapping on their shoulders from behind. They turned to see a man dressed similarly to Basil, with a stern look on his face.

"Are you in need of medical assistance?"

"Er, no..."

"Do you have business at the health center?"

"No..."

"Then stop sneaking around like thieves!" He pulled out a broom - the wizards already fled before contact could be made, the memory of Porlyusica fueling them.

"We're sorry!!" Lucy yelled back. They just barely avoided Mio and Arius as they rushed down the street.

Team Natsu had nearly reached the edge of town when they finally felt comfortable enough to stop.

"That was certainly a 'drama'," Carla remarked first. "Enough for me for one day. I'm starting to think we shouldn't have eavesdropped in the first place."

"C'mon, Carla, we still have dinner!" Happy said. With the way he smirked, the double meaning was obvious.

"No, maybe Carla has a point," Wendy said. "It was nice to think that First Master Mavis and Zeref had a happy ending back when we saw them at the party, but now that we've spied too far, it's gotten a bit confusing... And maybe a bit awkward..."

"I would've been happy being oblivious about Acnologia," Gray agreed, hands going into his pockets. "About him maybe still being around, and about him getting involved with them."

Natsu threw up his fisted hands, yelling, "But now I wanna see how this ends! Just-"

Erza grabbed hold of him, before he could bound off back the way they came. "No, the others are right."

In contrast to earlier, she was back to her calm and mature self. Just the way she spoke killed the buzz from Natsu and Happy, who knew there was no way to fight off against Titania.

"We still have a job to do," she continued, letting go of Natsu once she sensed his stillness. "We cannot put it off more than we already have. As well, it was irresponsible for us to stick our noses in their business in the first place."

Lucy thought she heard a bit of shakiness in Erza's voice during that last part. She decided to keep that as just a thought.

"Well, regardless of if we get to see it or not, I'm sure things will turn out well for my big bro." Natsu let out a big grin as he added, "After all, he managed to get Mavis to fall in love with him the first time."

"Buuut," Happy interjected, looking with pleading eyes towards Erza. "When we're done with the 100 Years Quest, we can stop by this place on the way back home? Right? Just for a peek?"

Just barely, Erza shook away a matching twinkle in her eye. "We'll see how things go - if we can survive the 100 Years Quest."

Natsu patted her on her armored shoulder. "Oh, don't be like that, Erza! Acnologia being shot into the body of a weak nurse is proof enough I can handle it!"

"Hey, don't take full credit for that!" Lucy shouted back. However, they all laughed, as they began their exit from the town, and this little side adventure...

Until... 

"Wait a second! Our rations!!"

One year ago, Lucy had embarked alongside her closest friends on the adventure of a lifetime - the infamous 100 Years Quest, a mission that no wizard had been able to complete in the over century it had existed. Several extremely powerful dragons either slain or otherwise "sealed" later - as well as some twists with other foes - the honor of being the victorious team had gone to them. Lives had nearly been lost, but just like always, a happy ending was had by the wizards of Fairy Tail.

On the way back to Magnolia, the triumphant team retraced their steps, stopping by a simple and unassuming town. As they walked down the street towards a hotel, however, they stopped in their tracks. They remembered this place - they remembered what was so important here. This remembrance came because of what they saw further down the road.

A dark blue-haired man in a white coat had his arms wrapped around both a man and a woman, the trio managing to maintain their walking despite their close snuggling.

"Oh, Arius, when are you going to share what your current manuscript is about?!" the woman - Mio - chirped up.

With the hand not interlocked with Mio's, Arius rubbed the back of his head. "I was going to wait until it was finished..."

"Nope! I'm too curious to wait that long!"

"That'd make two of us," Basil agreed, shooting Arius a sly grin that only made him blush on top of his nervous tics. "There's not much longer until we reach my work. You won't have to say much."

"It... It's actually about that..." Arius mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Not about your work, well, it's still medical stuff." His hand was waving around as he rambled on. "I just got inspired by the stuff you sometimes mutter at your desk. So I started jotting it down, and other medical stuff I'd come across, until I came up with a 'doctor-turned-serial-killer' character for an attempt at the thriller genre."

Laughing, Basil asked, "It went straight to being a serial killer story?"

"Well..." Mio squeezed his hand, encouraging him. "I was stuck at what to actually do with the doctor character, until that incident..."

"Incident?" Mio asked. She blinked a few times before coming up with, "Are you talking about when that author followed me home?"

"Yeah. The look Basil gave him stuck with me."

"Glad to know I make a good serial killer," Basil joked. It finally triggered Arius to wriggle under Basil's arm and shrink into himself.

"That's not what I-" He was cut off when Basil's chin rubbed into his hair.

"I know. You're just too easy to tease."

"Mm..."

That's when Mio cut in, a mischievous look in her eyes as she went, "And is Mr. Wannabe Vet gonna make it to lunch this time?"

The confidence Basil displayed popped, him leaning to join Arius in squirming and his grip loosening around Mio. "Yes..."

Mio's grin widened. "Good. Because next time, I'd want an apology puppy."

"Please... I've learned my lesson..."

He managed to get the opportunity to depart before he could be further embarrassed as they arrived at the health center. Retreating his arms, he rushed to the door and shouted back well-wishes for them to get to the publishing house safely. Both Mio and Arius giggled at him, interlocking by the elbows as they continued on.

At this point, the Fairy Tail wizards stopped their feet, which had been leading them to watch more and more of the scene. Their mouths had been fully agap the whole time, taking the conversation in without any murmuring between them. Now, the spell was broken.

"Hot damn, just when he seemed innocent enough!" Lucy was the first to shout, in reference to Basil. That'd been the impression she had on him the first time, still in disbelief he could be reincarnated from - in any way associated with - Acnologia. He'd seemed like such a kind healer, gentle in conversation! But apparently he was also a flirt - and maybe had some of the threatening presence of Acnologia after all, if Arius was to be believed?

"You know what they say about sexy nurses..." Happy commented with a smirk and a swaying.

Erza was still internally calculating something, her finger tracing a triangle in the air being the only outward indication of what it could be. And then she mumbled, "A... A throuple...?"

Carla sighed. "Yes, we really should have kept to ourselves..."

"Well, I guess this is also a happy ending?" Wendy asked, still clearly confused about romance and relationships. Her question sounded more like she was goading someone else to confirm it for her.

Leaping up with a hand in the air, Natsu gave that confirmation with, "Now my big bro's got double the happiness in his new life!"