Naruto x Fairy Tail: Fairy's Shadow

Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones

"Normal Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

[Year X791]

~ With Fairy Tail ~

Asuka Connell stood on a chair at the head of the main table, her small hands clasped together as the entire guild finished singing. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and she bounced slightly on her toes as the last notes of the birthday song faded away.

"Make a wish, sweetheart," Bisca said, her voice warm with motherly affection.

Asuka closed her eyes tight, her little face scrunched up in concentration. Everyone waited in expectant silence, smiles on their faces as they watched the five-year-old take her wish seriously. Birthday wishes were important business, after all.

But instead of keeping her wish silent, Asuka opened her eyes and announced it to the entire hall.

"I wish for Shishi-nii to come home already!"

Her wish caused the laughter to die as if someone had thrown a blanket over it. Bisca's smile wavered, her hand moving instinctively to cover her mouth. Alzack's expression crumpled slightly before he managed to control it. Around the room, guild members who had been celebrating just moments before now stared at the floor or found sudden interest in their drinks.

Romeo, who had been standing near the wall with his arms crossed, quietly whispered under his breath, "Me too."

No one said anything. No one wanted to shatter Asuka's innocence by explaining why her wish couldn't come true. The little girl looked around at the adults, confused by the sudden change in atmosphere but not understanding what she'd done wrong.

The silence stretched until it became unbearable. Finally, Macao cleared his throat and stepped forward with exaggerated theatrical flair.

"Well! Time for presents! I, as guild master, clearly go first!" He announced in disguised excitement.

The declaration had exactly the effect he'd intended. Bisca's head snapped toward him, her eyes flashing with mock outrage. "Excuse me?"

Several guild members chuckled despite themselves as Macao held up his hands in surrender. "Just kidding! Just kidding! Of course Mama goes first. I wouldn't dream of competing with Mama."

The tension broke like a dam releasing water as laughter rippled through the room again, though it was gentler now, tinged with gratitude for Macao's intervention. Even Bisca smiled, shaking her head at the guild master's antics.

"You better believe it." She said, reaching for a carefully wrapped package beside her chair.

Asuka clapped her hands together as her mother placed the gift in front of her. The wrapping was neat, tied with a ribbon that matched the decorations. With the focused intensity that only small children could muster, Asuka carefully untied the ribbon and peeled back the paper.

Inside was a small headband, crafted from dark blue cloth and metal. The Fairy Tail insignia was embroidered prominently in the center, but on each of it's sides were two smaller, distinct symbols - a stylized leaf on that left and a red and a fan that several guild members recognized immediately.

"It's a hitai-ate, like the one Shishi-nii used to wear. See? It has our guild mark, but also the symbols that he bears too." Bisca explained, her voice soft but clear. 

Asuka's eyes went wide as she lifted the headband from the box. "Really? Just like Shishi-nii's?!"

"Just like his," Bisca confirmed. "A shinobi's hitai-ate is very important. It shows who they are and where they belong."

The little girl immediately tried to put it on, struggling with the ties until her mother helped her adjust it properly. When it was secure, Asuka beamed with pride, touching the metal plate with reverent fingers.

"How do I look?"

"Like a proper shinobi," Alzack said, stepping forward with his own gift. The package was wrapped in simple brown paper, but its shape was unmistakable to anyone who'd spent time around Shisui.

Asuka recognized it instantly. She tore at the wrapping with less care this time, her excitement overriding her usual deliberate approach. When the paper fell away, she gasped.

In her hands was a wooden kunai, painted to match the ones Shisui had carried. The craftsmanship was exquisite. Alzack had spent a good fortune in getting a craftsman to craft it. He even spent time with the craftsman as he watched him carve and shape it, making sure every detail was perfect. The handle was wrapped in the same dark cloth, the blade painted to look like steel, even the small ring at the end polished to shine like metal.

"A shinobi is easily identified by their hitai-ate and their tools. That's what Shisui always said." Alzack said, his voice carrying a nostalgic tone. 

"It's perfect!" Asuka squealed, jumping down from her chair to hug both parents at once. "I'm a real shinobi now!"

The hug lasted longer than usual, with both parents holding their daughter close. When they finally separated, Asuka climbed up onto the table itself, striking dramatic poses with her new kunai. She held it in different positions, mimicking what she imagined Shisui must have looked like during his missions.

"I am Asuka the... the..." She paused, thinking hard.

"The Baby Ninja!" Romeo chimed in.

The entire guild burst into laughter as Asuka chased after Romeo across the guildhall with her new weapon. This time it was genuine, full-bodied laughter that came from the heart. Unable to catch Romeo, Asuka opted to continue her performance, adding increasingly elaborate poses and sound effects. She leaped from one end of the table to the other, her small feet careful to avoid the dishes and decorations.

"Watch out, bad guys!" she declared, pointing her wooden kunai at an imaginary enemy. "Surprise ninja attack!"

Even some of the older members were wiping tears from their eyes, though whether from laughter or deeper emotion was harder to tell. Warren, watching from his usual spot near the communication equipment, leaned over to Wakaba.

"I wish Shisui and the Tenrou Island group could've seen this," he said quietly.

Wakaba nodded, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "Yeah. They would've loved it."

For a while, everything felt okay. The celebration continued with genuine warmth, the kind of family gathering that reminded everyone why they'd chosen to make Fairy Tail their home. Stories were shared, jokes were told, and for the first time in months, the guild felt like itself again.

Asuka eventually tired herself out and curled up in Romeo's lap, still clutching her wooden kunai. The teenager held her carefully, his expression softer than anyone had seen it in weeks. For a moment, he looked like the child he should have been instead of the driven young man he'd become.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble.

It started as a subtle vibration, barely noticeable beneath the sounds of celebration. But it grew stronger, causing the dishes on the tables to rattle and the decorations to sway. Dust began to sift down from the rafters as the very foundation of the guildhall trembled.

~ End of Chapter 76 ~

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