Naruto x Fairy Tail: Fairy's Shadow

Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones

"Normal Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

[Year X791]

~ With Fairy Tail ~

A week had passed since the dark mages disguised as Twilight Ogre had attacked Fairy Tail. Seven days since the timely return of the Tenrou Island survivors had turned what should have been a massacre into a swift victory. On that first day, despite the miraculous reunion, the guild had chosen not to celebrate. The sight of Romeo and Jet lying broken in the medical wing had been too stark a reminder of what the attack had cost them.

It wasn't until the second day, when both of them had finally opened their eyes and managed weak smiles, that any sense of joy had returned to the guildhall. 

Now, in the medical wing, Romeo and Jet sat on adjacent beds while Porlyusica conducted her final examination. The old woman's hands moved efficiently, checking reflexes and testing range of motion. Her expression remained stern as always, but Romeo caught the slight nod of approval she gave when she thought no one was looking.

"Light activities only. No training. No missions. No fighting for at least a month. Your bodies need time to finish healing properly." Porlyusica announced as she stepped away from the beds.

Romeo's shoulders sagged slightly. A month felt like an eternity when the guild was finally back in one piece. Well, almost one piece. Beside him, Jet was already making mental plans to test what the limits of "light activities" would count as. Shadowgear was finally back and he was not one to waste a single moment of it.

Porlyusica turned toward the corner where Makarov had been standing throughout the entire examination. The Guild Master had insisted on being present, his paternal concern evident in every line of his face.

"Keep an eye on that boy. He has a tendency to push himself harder than he should. It wouldn't be the first time he ignores my instructions." Porlyusica said, nodding toward Romeo.

Romeo's face flushed with embarrassment and guilt. Having it laid bare like this, in front of Makarov no less, made his stomach twist with shame.

"I'll look after them. All of them. I'm back now, and I won't let anything happen to my children again." Makarov promised.

Porlyusica nodded curtly and walked toward the door. As she opened it, four figures tumbled through the entrance in a tangle of limbs and surprised exclamations.

Natsu, Happy, Levy, and Droy had clearly been pressed against the door with their ears to the wood, trying to eavesdrop on the medical consultation.

They froze like deer caught in headlights, staring up at Porlyusica's annoyed expression. The old woman simply looked down at them with the pointed glare she reserved for particularly troublesome patients, then stepped over them without a word.

"Subtle as always." Makarov said with a chuckle, gesturing for the four to enter properly. "Come in, since you're clearly so concerned about their condition."

Levy and Droy immediately rushed to Jet's bedside, their relief obvious to anyone looking. Levy took one of his hands in both of hers, checking his pulse as if the medical examination hadn't been thorough enough.

"Do you need anything? Water? Food? I could grow some healing herbs if you think they'd help." Droy asked anxiously.

"I'm fine, just tired of lying around. A month of this is going to drive me crazy." Jet insisted, though his smile was grateful.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy approached Romeo's bed with their usual casual confidence. Happy perched on the footboard while Natsu dropped into the chair beside the bed.

"I've heard about your most recent mission you took on. Something about a ballroom dance?" Romeo said, eager to change the subject from his own condition.

Natsu's expression immediately darkened. "Don't even joke about that. I am never, ever dancing again. Do you hear me? Never."

"That bad?" Romeo asked, unable to hide his amusement.

"Worse. But you know what the crazy part was? That guy we caught, Velbueno, he actually proposed to the client's daughter during the whole mess. And she said yes!" Natsu shook his head in disbelief. "Can you believe that? All that chaos, and they end up getting engaged."

"Natsu… the name is Velveno, not Velbueno." Makarov sighed.

"Him too!" Natsu replied.

Romeo chuckled, the sound lighter than anything he'd managed in days.

The laughter gradually faded, leaving a comfortable silence in its wake. Then Natsu's expression grew serious, and he placed a hand on Romeo's shoulder.

"What you did, standing up to those bastards, protecting everyone. That took real courage." Natsu said quietly.

A genuine smile spread across Romeo's face for the first time since the attack. "Thank you, Natsu. That... that means a lot."

Even as he spoke, Romeo's mind drifted to another figure.

Would Shisui feel the same way? Would his mentor be proud of him, or would he see only the failure? Romeo had tried so hard to protect the guild, to be the strength they needed, but in the end, he'd still needed to be saved.

Still hadn't been strong enough when it mattered most.

From his position near the door, Makarov caught the brief shadow that crossed Romeo's face. The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, recognizing the look of self-recrimination he'd seen on too many young faces over the years. He filed the observation away for later consideration.

"All right, everyone," Makarov announced, clapping his hands together. "These two need their rest. You can visit again tomorrow."

The group said their goodbyes and well-wishes, filing out of the medical wing with promises to return soon. When the door closed behind them, the room fell into a different kind of silence. Just Romeo and Jet, alone with their thoughts.

It was Jet who finally broke the quiet. "You know, Shisui wouldn't want us wallowing in self-pity."

Romeo's grip tightened on his blanket. "I know that."

"Do you? Because you've got that look again. The same one you had after every training session where you thought you hadn't done well enough. We failed, Romeo. We both did. But we tried our best." Jet's voice was gentle despite admitting their failures.

"I know…" Romeo repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know that. But every time I think I've gotten stronger, every time I believe I can actually protect people, something happens to remind me how weak I really am."

The confession hung between them as it remained unanswered. Jet was quiet for a long moment, staring at the ceiling while he gathered his thoughts.

"Shisui would say we were strong." Jet said finally. "You remember what he always told us? What he drilled into our heads during every single training session?"

This time, Romeo's voice was thick with emotion as he remembered the words his mentor used to tell them.

"One becomes truly strong when they have someone to protect."

"That's right. And no matter what happened, no matter how it ended, you protected Fairy Tail. You stood between them and harm, and you didn't back down. That's not weakness, Romeo. That's exactly what strength looks like."

The words broke something inside Romeo that had been holding back a week's worth of grief and frustration. Tears began to fall, dropping onto the bedsheet as his shoulders shook with quiet sobs. He pressed his face into his hands, finally allowing himself to feel the full weight of everything that had happened.

Jet watched his friend cry, his own eyes bright with unshed tears. He understood the guilt, the sense of inadequacy, the desperate wish to be stronger. But he also understood something else.

Sometimes the strongest thing you could do was admit you weren't strong enough, and choose to keep fighting anyway. To protect what matters. 

That was the heart of what it meant to be part of Fairy Tail.

~ End of Chapter 81 ~

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