Natsu and Nashi approached the guildhall hand and hand. In the time it took for them to get back to Magnolia from their training spot, the sun had already set and stars were starting to make their appearance. Natsu shivered, he knew Lucy was going to be furious with him.

As they got closer to the building, the Dragneel's could see faint lights near the cliff edge behind the guildhall, the sounds of joy and laughter coming from that location. Instead of going through the hall itself, they went around the side of the building. Nashi let go of her father's hand and rushed towards the celebration. Natsu followed close behind her. When they made it to the backyard, they were taken by-

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY NASHI!" Everyone had dropped what they were doing once the birthday girl appeared around the corner. Excitement filled her at the sight of her friends and family. Lucy ran up to Nashi and Natsu and pulled them into a family hug.

"Happy Birthday sweetie," she said to Nashi. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Natsu and muttered so quietly that only he could hear, "You're late."

"Sorry, she wanted to try one more thing," he smiled shyly. Lucy smiled, letting go of her two favorite people. Once Nashi was released, she ran into the crowd of people, trying to search for her two best friends. Lucy stood beside her husband who was admiring the scenery. The whole backyard was a colorful display of streamers and torches had been lit off to the side, making the colors even more vibrant. In the center of the merriment was a large fire pit; it's warm flames adding to the atmosphere. Natsu snaked an arm around his wife's waist.

"And you thought you wouldn't be able to pull it off," he said smirking. Lucy blushed with embarrassment.

"I don't know why I ever doubted them."

"We might not be the most organized or planned people, but we do know how to throw a mean party," he stated proudly. Lucy giggled, kissing her husband on the cheek, "I grabbed your present to Nashi for you," she whispered.

Natsu beamed at her, "Great! I can't wait to see the look on her face when she opens it!"

"I know she'll love it." Lucy took Natsu's hand in hers and the two walked together toward the snack table.

Nashi squeezed her way passed her family members. Many people told her happy birthday and she politely thanked them. She scanned the picnic tables until her eyes landed on a green haired girl with pigtails wearing a yellow shirt and light blue shorts and a navy haired girl with a black jean vest and purple skirt.

"Mai! Gale!" The girls spun around and grinned as Nashi sprinted to their table. Mai shifted to the side so Nashi had somewhere to sit.

"Hi Nashi, Happy Birthday!" Mai exclaimed as Nashi took her seat.

"I'm glad you could make it Mai!" Since birth, Nashi and Mai had been good friends, having play dates and going to the same school and despite the fact that she wasn't a member of the guild, Gale welcomed her with open arms and the three became inseparable. Speaking of Gale, Nashi and Mai glanced at the navy haired girl who was doodling using her ranch dressing and carrots.

"Gale, are you okay?" Nashi asked. Gale looked at them before returning to her pictures. Mai sighed.

"She's sad because you were busy training with your dad instead of hanging with her before the party."

"It's not that," said Gale, putting her carrots back on the paper plate, "I wish I knew how to do magic like you is all."

"I thought you were training with your parents?" Nashi questioned.

"But we haven't had any progress. I can't do Dragon Slayer magic or Solid Script magic. Porlyusica said I might not ever be able to do magic all together." Gale folded her arms on the table and hid her face in them. While Nashi felt alone because of her magic, Gale felt alone because of her lack of it. She wanted so desperately to follow in her parent's footsteps, but how could she with no power? She lifted her head when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Nashi and Mai smiled at her.

"Gale, it doesn't matter if you never learn magic, you'll always be our friend."

Gale gaped at the two before grinning along with them. Mai hopped out of her seat and ran to the other side of Gale. Nashi and Mai wrapped their arms around her and she welcomed them gladly. When they pulled away, Mai gave them a cheeky grin, "Besides, I can't do magic either. Normal People 4 Life!" she cheered, jumping onto the tabletop. Nashi and Gale laughed until Mai's parents yelled at her to get off the table. Natsu watched the entire exchange from his seat. He smiled at the small group of friends. He knew nothing would tear them apart. Their bond was almost as strong as the entire guild combined.

He looked down into his lap where a small gift lay wrapped up in dragon print wrapping paper. It had taken him a while in order to make Nashi's present and he was very happy with the way it turned out. He couldn't wait to see the look on his daughter's face when she opened it.

"You look like an idiot staring at that gift Salamander," said a voice beside him. The space next to him sagged slightly when a new pressure was added to it. The same thing happened on the other of him, "Wait till I tell Lucy you love a piece of decorative paper more than your own wife Flame Brain."

Natsu groaned, "Don't you two have anything better to do than annoy me to death," he said, glaring at Gray then Gajeel. The two laughed at the pink haired man, ignoring his question. Gray turned his attention back to the gift in his lap.

"What is it anyway?" Natsu held it closer to him, "Like I'm going to tell you."

"Gihi, I bet he doesn't want to say because it's stupid." Natsu glared at the black haired man.

"It is not stupid! It's the best present here."

"Yeah right," Gray said, taking a sip of his lemonade, "Mines the best."

"Is that a challenge, Ice Princess?" Natsu demanded, putting the present on the table and smashing his forehead against Gray's. Gray fought back with equal power.

"I guess it is Flame Brain!"

"Mines probably better than both of yours," Gajeel muttered. Gray and Natsu broke apart, glaring at him.

"FAT CHANCE!" they both yelled. Pretty soon, all three of them were wrestling, knocking over the table and bumping into a few people. Most people ignored them, already accustomed to their rambunctious behavior, however when they ran into one person, they received a completely different reaction.

"Hey! Watch where you are going!" They didn't recognize the voice or the accent. They dropped what they were doing and looked at the person. In front of them was a teenage girl decked out with a colorful gymnastic outfit and a large amount of face paint. She was kneeling in front of a strange lacrima that had a funnel sticking out of it. Beside her was a strange liquid.

"Um, do we know you?" Gray asked, standing up. Two more people came up from behind her; they too were dressed like a couple of clowns.

"We are the entertainment for this evening!" one of the men exclaimed, Gray stared at his uvula piercing in disgust.

"What is that?" Natsu questioned, pointing to the lacrima. The girl on the floor glared at him, "It's none of your business old man."

"I'm not old!" Natsu yelled.

"Finola, silent!" the oldest of the group said. The girl pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Forgive her, she is young and new at this," the man gestured to him and his companions, "Our troupe is a traveling carnival act," he pointed to the lacrima on the floor, "That lacrima is a fog lacrima. It creates artificial fog that we use as part of our act."

"And the liquid?" Gajeel asked, making a grab for the strange flask, only for Finola to snatch it away, "It is the formula we use for the fog."

"I don't know how I feel about-"

"NATSU, GRAY, GAJEEL! What are you doing bothering tonight's entertainment?!" the three men cringed in fear. They glanced over their shoulders to find Erza standing there, glaring at the three.

"N-Nothing Erza!" they shouted in unison, looping their arms together and jumping happily. The three clowns watched the whole exchange in curiosity. Erza sighed.

"We don't have time for this, it's time for cake!" an uncharacteristic smile appeared on her face and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She turned around and started marching back to the party, leaving the three men alone with the circus group. As soon as she was gone, they let go of each other and started after her. Natsu glanced back at the troupe behind him. They watched his every movement like lions stalking a zebra. It was then that he recognized them as the group he and Nashi passed on the way to their training spot. Something wasn't right about them, but what? With nothing else to do, he walked back to the party.

Everyone was huddled around a picnic table where Nashi, Lucy and the cake were. Natsu pushed through the crowd to sit with his family. He bumped into a person on the way there, knocking a hat to the floor. Natsu bent down to pick it up, smiling; he could recognize that hat anywhere.

"Hey Asuka, Billy, how are you two?"

The teen sharp shooter smiled at Natsu, her brother right next to her. Her long green hair was tied in its regular braid and she wore a light pink shirt with the bottom tied. She also had on a tan skirt and brown cowgirl boots. Her brother was wearing his normal poncho and moccasins with a Native American feather tucked behind his ear. Natsu handed her the cowgirl hat that she happily placed back on her head.

"Thanks Natsu. We're okay." She said. Natsu glanced around the two.

"Hey, where are your parents?"

Asuka sighed, "They went on a mission. I've had to watch Billy in the meantime."

"It's a shame, they're missing out on all the fun!" he said. Asuka shrugged.

Natsu laughed, "Well, I'm going to meet up with my family. See you two." He waved at the Connells and pushed through the crowd to the picnic table. He could see the sheer joy in Nashi's brown orbs as she stared at the cake in front of her. Everyone started growing silent once Natsu appeared. Lighting one finger, he brought it up to the cake and lit the candles one by one. The people around him started singing.

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Nashi,

Happy Birthday to you!

Everyone laughed and clapped at the conclusion of the song. Natsu took a step back so his daughter had room to blow out the candles. Taking a deep breath like when she tried her Fire Dragon Roar, Nashi blew out all eight candles in one go. The guild members around her yelled and whooped for her. Natsu smiled at his wife, satisfied with how everything was going. Mirajane took a knife and started cutting through the cake, putting slices on paper plates and handing them out to everyone. Normally, Natsu wasn't a fan of sweets, but he had to say that Mira's cake was perfection. He sat at the main table, Nashi to his left and Lucy beside her, eating his cake and talking with his friends. As everyone finished their cake, Lucy stood and clapped her hands.

"Okay everyone, it's time for presents!" Everyone cheered from his or her seats, Lucy sitting down once again. Elfman came running passed tables, carrying a large load of presents. He placed them in front of Nashi then ran back to his seat with his wife and son.

"Nashi, open mine!" yelled Mai from her seat beside her parents. Nashi nodded and looked through the presents until she found one with Mai's name on it. Placing it in front of her, Nashi tore through the wrapping paper. She gasped in shock and held the gift up for everyone to see.

"Guild Wars, Fairy Tail Edition! Thanks Mai!" she called, hugging the playing cards to her chest. She put the cards in a separate pile and looked for another one that said "From: Erza". She unwrapped the gift and started at it quizzically, her parents doing the same.

"Do you like it Nashi?" Erza asked smiling, sticking another piece of cake in her mouth.

"Um, thanks for the sword Auntie Erza," she said, holding up the small sword for all to see. Natsu glanced at Lucy who had a look of discomfort on her face much like him. They prayed she wouldn't hurt herself with that. Nashi put the sword off to the side next to the cards. She pulled out another gift and peeled off the paper. She grinned from ear to ear. She held up the object in her hands so all could see. Everyone "ooed" and "awed" at the ice dragon in her hands.

"Thanks Uncle Gray!"

"I made it with my Ice Devil magic, so it won't break or melt. Can you top that Slanted Eyes?" he yelled at Nashi's father. Natsu was tempted to jump from his seat and smash Gray's face into the cake, but his wife kept him down. Nashi grabbed the next present, labeled, "From: The Redfox's."

"Wow," she said, pulling away the wrapping paper. It was a picture of a dragon, carved into a sheet of metal and framed.

"Hey Salamander, that took three days to carve! Why does your daughter have to be so obsessed with a difficult creature to make?" Gajeel yelled, earning some laughs from the crowd. Levy elbowed him in the ribs, un-amused.

Nashi blazed through the remainder of the presents, marveling at them and thanking everyone for being so thoughtful. Pretty soon, all that was left were the presents from her mom and dad. Lucy understood the importance of Natsu's present, so she allowed Nashi to open hers first. Nashi unwrapped the gift to find a stuffed, red dragon. Natsu recognized it from the alternate future. He won that same dragon plushy for her at the amusement park.

"Thanks Mommy! I'm going to name him Igneel!" While everyone admired her gift, Lucy leaned close to Natsu.

"Thanks for the idea," she whispered. Natsu winked in response, preparing to give Nashi his present.

"Okay! I've been patient, now I want to see what Flame Brain got her," Gray said hitting his hands on the table. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Nashi placed Igneel in her in the pile of other presents, looking up at her father expectantly. Natsu smiled tenderly as he placed his package in front of her. She took extra care in unwrapping this present because it was super important to her dad. When she finished ripping off the final piece, she gasped.

It was scarf. It was exactly identical to that of her fathers, except since it was brand new it was cleaner. She fingered the soft fabric for a moment when she felt something odd on one end. She lifted up the fabric to find that her name in pink letters had been stitched into the scarf. She lifted it up higher so everyone could see it. She had an unreadable expression on her face as she started at the cloth in her hands.

Natsu watched with anticipation for her response. He could hear Gajeel and Gray grumbling about how "It was a pretty good present" compared to theirs. He looked at the child sitting beside him.

"Do you like it?" he asked, confused as to why she had yet to say anything. Nashi unfolded the whole scarf and wrapped it around her neck. After seeing how well it looked on her, she looked at her father, a thankful smile on her face and her eyes watering with unshed tears.

"T-Thank you, Daddy. I love it." She couldn't express the sheer joy she was feeling for receiving such an amazing gift. It made her truly feel like the daughter of Natsu and Lucy Dragneel. It was the best present ever.

Natsu pulled the girl into a hug as the rest of the guild members cheered. Lucy joined in the family hug and they welcomed her gladly. They reluctantly pulled away, remembering that the party had not ended with the gifts. Everyone turned their attention to the center of the backyard where the fire pit was. Lucy and Natsu wrapped their arms around their daughter as the entertainers prepared for their show.

Finola activated the fog lacrima and glowing mist soon covered the entire field. They all had to admit the machine was indeed impressive. The performers did amazing tricks compared to their earlier attempts to persuade Lucy to let them perform. Their movements were so smooth and graceful. People clapped when they did difficult feats or showed off strange techniques. They were all in perfect sink with each other as they walked around the different tables.

Natsu yawned, wondering how much longer their performance was going to be. His eyes grew heavier as the act continued. He saw out of the corner of his eye that he wasn't the only one growing bored. Many others were suffering from the same issue; half the people were already asleep.

Nashi's head fell on his arm; sleep already overpowering her. Natsu rested his head on the picnic table. His eyes were winning in the battle to keep them open. Before long, Natsu too closed his eyes, welcoming sleep.

A couple minutes later, everyone in the guild had fallen victim to slumber. The three performs eyed the guild mates, each smirking in accomplishment.

"Cashel, turn off the lacrima," said the oldest of the group. The man with the uvula piercing, Cashel, did as he was ordered and ran to the lacrima, turning it off. Finola walked around from table to table, making sure everyone was positively asleep.

"He he, they fell real hard," she laughed, poking Cana in the cheek over and over again.

"Finola, stop it you annoying brat," said a voice from the shadows. From around the corner appeared the driver of the wagons. Through his cloak, he glared at the young woman, "Do you want them to wake up?"

"Of course not sir," she said, pulling away from the brunette. The cloaked man looked over the large group of mages. He nodded, "This will do just fine."

"Are you sure Krugger?" asked the older of the clowns, "You know how Mother Agnes feels when you bring such small groups."

Krugger smirked from under his hood, "It will be fine. I sense great magic coming from this group," his eyes wandered to the table where a blonde and two pink haired people sat, wrapped in each others arms," especially that one," he said, pointing to the little pink haired girl in the center. "Breccan, gather them up and throw them in the wagon, afterwards, contact Ward and tell him to set up his runes. Mother Agnes won't have a problem with such a small group."

"It's a shame really," said Finola, rubbing off her ridiculous makeup, "it's her birthday after all."

"You're so naïve Finny," said, Cashel, walking up behind her, "since you're new at this, I don't blame you."

"Just remember Finola," said Krugger, joining the two where they stood, smirking down at Nashi, "There is no sympathy in child slavery."

FAIRY TAIL

Natsu groaned, scrunching his eyes. It felt like he had slept on a rock. Prying his eyes open, he saw it was the wooden picnic table he had been snoozing on. He slowly lifted himself up, pain shooting through his back. He glanced over to see Lucy waking up as well. Everyone else was doing the same.

Did we all fall asleep?

"What happened?" questioned Happy, rubbing his large eyes. Carla lifted her head off the table, scratching her white fur, "I don't know."

"How long have we been asleep?" Wendy asked, looking up to the sky. It looked darker than it did when they remembered falling asleep.

"I'd say it's about midnight, maybe a little after," said Freed. Everyone looked around the backyard. The torch light had died down long ago and many of the streamers had fallen from their places due to the wind. Lucy looked around the bench before turning to her husband.

"Natsu, where's Nashi?" Natsu scrunched his eyebrows. He stood from his seat and started searching the area.

"Nashi?" he called out. He took a sniff from the air, his eyes widened in panic.

"Natsu?" his wife asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. She could feel him trembling.

"I-I don't smell her. I don't smell her a-anywhere." Lucy's eyes grew larger along with Natsu's. If he couldn't pick up her scent, then that had to mean she had been gone for quite some time.

"Nashi!" Lucy tried calling only to receive no response.

"Gale's gone too!" Levy yelled, staring at the seat her daughter was sitting at before they all fell asleep. Lucy and Natsu glanced at Mai's parents who were frantically looking around their picnic table, "So is Mai!" they yelled in fear.

"Asuka, Billy, and Otoko are missing too!" yelled Lisanna. Everyone in the guild searched everywhere for the six missing children: the kitchen, the infirmary, and the forest around the hall, even the second floor. Natsu grew increasingly more terrified of the idea that Nashi was missing and he knew Lucy was feeling the same way. He ran around the backyard like a mad man, trying to find any sign of his daughter.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw is wife kneeling at the cliff edge. Many others grew curious as well. He slowly approached her from behind. He could see her shaking and could smell the tears that had yet to fall.

"Luce?"

At the sound of her name, Lucy glanced at her husband over her shoulder. Natsu could see she was clutching something to her chest. He inched closer to his wife and kneeled beside her. When he was close enough, Lucy loosened her hold on the object so Natsu could see.

His breath stilled at the scarf in her hands, the name "Nashi" stitched on one end. Natsu took it from her hands and started at it. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be true. Natsu's hands began to tremble as he continued to clutch at the scarf. He felt as though he was going to break at any second. He heard footsteps approached the two from behind. From the smell of newly polished metal, he knew it was Gajeel. He didn't turn around to face him as the black haired man spoke.

"We searched everywhere. They're gone Salamander, all of them. And so are the performers."

Natsu's scream of anguish woke everyone in Magnolia that night.