till death did them part

HANDS IN HER LAP, legs swinging off the high stool, Amethyst sat by the bar, eyes trained onto the long wooden counter. Her soulmates watched her from afar, spotting the clothes Levy and Erza had bought on her body. A cute polka dot dress and a pair of brown slippers. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, courtesy of Mira. Fond smiles curled on each of their lips, watching as Amethyst's face lit up the moment Romeo entered the guild with his father trailing behind him.

"Romeo," she called brightly.

"Amethyst!"

The two ran to each other, meeting in the middle. Giggles resounded throughout the guild, and those that heard it couldn't help but replicate their smiles. Children were always a joy to be around—unless they were screaming and sobbing their heads off. Then, that was a fucking nuisance.

"Let's go play outside!"

They clasped their hands together.

"Don't go too far," Macao yelled over his shoulder, plopping into the seat beside his best friend, Wakaba. He thanked Mira as she waltzed over, handing him his usual drink.

"Okay!"

The duo was out the door in seconds, travelling to the forests blanketing the outskirts of Fairy Tail's guild.

"Kids these days," he laughed, shaking his head. His fingers encircled the mug's handle.

"Tell me about it," Wakaba mused, though even he couldn't hide the glee and fondness in his ageing eyes. "So wild and rowdy."

To emphasise their point, Gray and Natsu broke out into a heated battle behind them, hauling others in and spurring on the guild's usual, crowded fight.

"But Amethyst's become much livelier."

Macao hummed. "She has. Romeo, too. Being with someone their age seems to help."

"Plus, they're soulmates. That counts for something, right?"

"Yes!" Macao's eyes brightened, sparkles shining at the surface. "They're so cute together! I've never heard Romeo ramble so much about her and Wendy-chan."

"Well, don't you two look like a pair of gossiping mothers."

Their heads turned to the side, gazes landing on a grinning Cana, a barrel of wine settled comfortably in her arms. She sat at the end of their table, away from the catastrophe occurring in the middle of the guild.

"We're not mothers!" the two yelled in unison.

"He may be, but I'm not!" Wakaba added, jerking his thumb in Macao's direction.

"That's not true!"

"Says the one with a kid."

"You have a kid, too!"

And just like that, the two clashed against each other, threats spewing from their mouths and their fingers stretching to grasp and pull each other's hair out of their scalps. Cana bellowed a haughty laugh, slapping her thigh, drunk off her ass.

Mira simply sighed.

Her lips stretched into a smile.

This is home.

──────〔🦋〕──────

"Amethyst! Romeo!" The two children looked up from their spot on the ground. "Come have some lunch!" Lucy beckoned, waving her hand and motioning to return to the guild.

The two soulmates jumped up, dirt smudged on their tiny fingers and cute, chubby cheeks.

"Race you!" Romeo yelled, taking off.

"That's not fair!" called Amethyst, chasing after him. "You got a head start!"

Romeo only laughed,

A pout donned Amethyst's face.

Purple shadows entangled with her hair, something that Lucy caught sight of. The aura of destructive power picked up, and before the blonde knew it, her little soulmate was right in front of her, a smug grin plastered onto her face.

"Huh? How?!" Romeo cried out.

Amethyst simply stuck out her tongue. She entered the guild, dodging flying cups left and right. She skipped over to the bar happily, reaching up and pulling herself onto one of the high stools.

"Amethyst!" Erza exclaimed, brown eyes widening. "Your face is all dirty!" She grabbed a cloth, desperately wiping the dirt off her soulmate's face. Amethyst giggled at the tingling sensation, muted sparks lining up under her skin.

"Erzie!" she laughed, swiping the older female's hands. "It tickles!"

"Sit still, love," Mira said, walking over to the duo with two plates of food in her hands. "You'll get sand everywhere."

"Gomen," Amethyst replied, stretching out the vowels. Like the good, obedient girl she was, Amethyst day patiently in her seat, waiting for Erza to finish cleaning her face and then her fingers. Once she was done, Amethyst dove straight into her meal, happily munching on the potato fries. She swung her legs, purple shadows emitting off her body.

Makarov and Erza narrowed their eyes.

They could sense her magical presence.

It was faint, but it was significant.

They glanced to the side, meeting each other's eyes. They could foresee the danger that could happen if Amethyst were to lose control. They understood that her potential to be a great mage was immeasurable, bordering an infinite, universal spectrum.

"Hey, hey, my little butterfly!" Natsu greeted, wrapping his arms around Amethyst's small body. He pulled her close to his chest, inhaling her sweet, innocent scent that stirred his instincts to protect forevermore.

Amethyst tilted her head to the side.

"Butterfly?"

She gazed up at the pink-haired dragon slayer.

A callused finger gingerly traced over the mark etched onto her skin permanently, a reminder of a past horror and now, a reminder of everything beautiful about an evolving life.

"Your mark," he answered. "It's a butterfly."

"Oh!" Amethyst turned her head, trying desperately to peer over her shoulder. The dress she wore had her shoulder blades on display, the purple butterfly mark, or rather a tattoo, on display for all to see. "It's so pretty."

"Just like you," he teased, grinning brilliantly as Amethyst's cheeks flushed. "You're one hundred per cent adorable, you know that?"

Amethyst giggled. "Thanks!"

And oh, if that didn't melt Natsu's heart.

He couldn't help himself, tugging Amethyst closer and burrowing his face in the crook of her neck, right over her scent gland.

"Oi, Natsu-nii!" Romeo called. "Don't hog Amethyst!"

Natsu stuck out his tongue. "She's my soulmate!" he exclaimed. "I can do whatever I want!"

Jewelled eyes turned to Mira, who was cleaning a wooden mug behind the counter.

"What's a soulmate?" she asked.

Mira smiled tenderly. "A soulmate is your other half," she explained simply. "It's your destined partner, someone who's meant to be by your side through everything and anything."

"Oh!" Amethyst's eyes lit up. "Do I have a soulmate?!" A symphony of joy.

"Yes," Mira said. "We're your soulmates."

And she took the time to explain who was destined for the child and who the child was destined for. Fate took her time to piece together different pieces of an individual's soul with others, linking them as one.

Amethyst's soul was divided up into many, and now that she was here, she was whole.

"Sugoi!" But a question popped into her mind, and as innocent as ever, she asked, "But how do you know who's your soulmate?"

Mira's heart swelled up.

"When you meet your soulmate," she started, "it's like everything suddenly shifts to them." Memories of her and Laxus meeting surfaced, a moment in the past she would always cherish. "You're whole world begins to revolve around them. Sparks arise whenever you touch, and your mind clicks when you lock eyes with them."

Amethyst frowned. "How come I don't feel anything?" she questioned, reaching forward to touch Mira's hand. She couldn't feel anything.

Or rather, she couldn't understand it.

A laugh slipped past the white-haired mage's lips. "That's because you're still too young. One day, when you'll older, you'll know." Plump lips curled into a smile as Mira watched Amethyst turn to Romeo excitedly, relaying what she had learnt since the boy was too busy arguing with Natsu petulantly.

Her soulmates watched, unable to look at her with anything but love. The sound of her voice soothed their souls, the sound of her laughter lit up their days like the constellations of unique stars filling the sky.

Yet, Amethyst was never able to feel anything.

As excited as she was, a disastrous day overcame the world, and Fairy Tail's main members disappeared without a trace.

Their young soulmate was left alone.

And they never returned.

Days passed, followed by months, followed by years. Amethyst's soulmates never came back to her. Not after a year, not after two, not even after five.

Her heart broke.

She was left all alone. It was just her and the remaining members of her guild now.