Chapter One
(X778)
When Makarov brought the small girl to the guild, he didn't know what to think of the child. He had found her on his way back from Porlyusica's house in the East Forest. She was standing next to a clear pond, clutching an old paintbrush in her small fingers, waving it again and again in the same spiral pattern as if she was trying to paint the air itself. The master watched her for a minute, intrigued yet concerned.
He approached her and asked her what she was doing. She looked at him, but gave no answer. He asked her what her name was, where her parents were, where home was, why she was out in the rain, but the girl just stared at him blankly. Then he asked if he could see her paintbrush. When she didn't object, he reached out to touch the strange brush, but the child suddenly leapt back, jerking the paint brush away and emitting a volley of words that Makarov didn't understand. He smiled apologetically, holding his hands up in surrender.
He took another look at the girl. She seemed younger than Lisanna who was probably around eleven years old. Her hair was a pale pink mess and her eyes were a deep, pure blue. She had red markings like tattoos on her face and a long, red bead necklace looped many around her neck. She wore a red and white sleeveless tunic over a dark blouse with hanging sleeves and thick black pants. There were no shoes on her tiny, dirty feet, and she was sopping wet from head to toe like she had just crawled out of the pond. The paintbrush in her hand was long, wooden, and obviously very old.
As they were standing next to a pond in the middle of the east forest miles away from civilization, Makarov had no explanation for who the foreign child was or how she had gotten there. He decided to take her back to his guild first to get her dry and warm and then try and figure out who she was later. It took some time and creativity for the guild master to convince the girl to come with him, but eventually she seemed to resign herself to something and somehow they finally made it back to the town of Magnolia.
He knew that as the Fairy Tail guild master, he had a responsibility to those who'd lost their way. But he hoped desperately that this one would be a peaceful, calm child unlike most of the other youngsters he had taken into his guild these past several years. Between Natsu, Gray, Mirajane, and Erza, he was surprised the guild hall was still standing. Maybe, just maybe, this foreign girl would be like sweet, little Lisanna! Yes, Makarov thought with a sigh, I don't think the guild could take it if another rambunctious child joined in the constant bickering. But the truth was he didn't know if this child was even a wizard or had any magical ability at all. He could not sense any magical energy coming from her, but in such a pitiful state that wasn't uncommon. She was certainly mysterious though...
When the pair finally reached the guild hall, Makarov stopped them. The girl gazed up at the building, taking it in with wide eyes. Makarov pointed to the guild mark on his shirt and then to the one on the building, saying "Welcome to Fairy Tail, young one." She merely gazed at him, then back at the building.
"Fa-er-I-ta-ru..." The girl breathed.
"Is that so..." Macao said, setting down his tankard.
"Indeed," the old guild master grunted. He just finished explaining to the younger wizard how he'd come across the child in the forest and brought her back to Fairy Tail.
The young girl had been given some of Lisanna's old clothes to wear since she was the closest to her size. However, she refused to remove her bead necklace or set down the old paintbrush. Now dry and with socks on her feet, she was hungrily gulping down a hot bowl of soup. To Makarov's great relief, Lisanna had not left the girl's side, and Erza was making absolutely certain that Natsu and Gray didn't get anywhere close to her, much to their frustration. Young Elfman was bringing a loaf of bread now and the child took it shyly, but was soon tucking into it gratefully.
"So where do you think the girl came from?" Wakaba asked, puffing on his pipe.
"Hm...," Makarov pondered from his seat on the bar top, "The only thing I know for sure is that she isn't from Fiore. I've never heard the language the girl was speaking."
"But how did she wind up in the middle of the East Forest?" He asked incredulously.
"That is another mystery... " Makarov grumbled, scratching his mustache.
"Maybe she used some kind of Transportation magic?" Wakaba mused distractedly.
"You idiot, she can't be more than nine years old," Macao retorted, his tone dry, "There's no way she could use magic that complicated. Plus, we don't even know if she is a wizard. She could just be a normal kid."
"Hey, I was just-"
But at that moment, there was a loud crash. Wakaba, Macao, and Makarov turned to see Elfman sprawled on the floor, the empty soup bowl he was apparently trying to take back to the kitchen laying in shattered bits across the floor. Lisanna jumped up and rushed to help her brother up. Clearly upset, poor Elfman with tears in his eyes began to pick up the broken shards of the glass bowl, while Lisanna helped him.
The buzz of chatter in the hall resumed, and the three men turned back to their conversation as Erza began barking out orders, "Be careful with the glass you too! Gray, go get them a broom! Elfman, you need to be more careful in the future!"
But something caught Makarov's eye. He turned back again to see that the young girl was out of her seat and was walking over to Lisanna and Elfman. Curious, he watched her tap Lissana on the shoulder. Lisanna turned to the young girl.
"Hey, don't worry. Elfman and I can handle this, it's no big deal," she said, smiling reassuringly.
The young girl just shook her head, carefully taking the pieces of glass from Lisanna's hands and putting them back on the floor with the rest of the debris. She did the same with the glass in Elfman's hands. Highly perplexed, the two glanced at each other and then back at the girl. Once it was all back in a pile on the floor, she gestured for the Strauss siblings to step back. They obeyed, gazing curiously at the girl as she gripped the paintbrush in her right hand. The whole guild had gone silent again, watching to see just what this strange, new child was doing.
She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Then, she stood up straight, eyes flashing, and raised the old paintbrush over the shattered bowl. It was then that Makarov finally recognized the magic power flowing out from the girl as it suddenly swelled. It was like no magic he had ever come across before, and he watched in rapt curiosity. She began painting the air like he had seen her doing in the forest, but the motion was different, Makarov noted. She seemed to be trying to paint a solid circle in the space above the debris.
And also unlike before, this time she succeeded.
A silvery, sparkling substance that looked like concentrated starlight came off the tip of her brush. It hung in the air above the bowl as the girl painted, much like one of the magical light pens that allows the user to write in midair. As the girl finished with the painted circle, a magic circle appeared at her feet. In a quiet, but certain voice, she prayed, "Wakagaeri." The painted starlight circle descended onto the pile of broken glass and transfigured into a bright, golden light which engulfed the shards.
The magic circle disappeared and as the golden light dimmed, the child bent down. When she rose, she held the bowl in her hands. It was completely whole with not a scratch to be seen on its surface. She held it out to Elfman, a huge smile on her face. Elfman took the bowl in his hands, "Oh, uh...Thank you," he said, still flustered.
"Hey, I didn't know you were a wizard too!" Lisanna exclaimed excitedly, taking the girl's hands in her own. The girl blinked, not understanding a word, but still smiling, extremely proud of herself.
"Ah well, I'll show you then!" Lisanna backed up and performed her takeover magic, Animal Soul, as she transformed herself into a large, colorful bird. At first the girl was shocked, but then she understood and, if possible, her smile grew even larger. She clapped her hands together in excitement, nodding fervently.
The guildhall soon descended into chaos as the other kids clambered to demonstrate their magic to the beaming little girl who finally discovered that she had found people just like herself. Suddenly dumped in a foreign land, incapable of returning back the way she had come, unable to speak to anyone, she had been utterly lost and alone. That day, she was very, very fortunate. She was found by one of the most deep-hearted wizards and taken to one of the greatest guilds in the whole land of Fiore. They had clothed her, fed her, and shown her great kindness. And best of all, they could use magic just like her!
After the excitement finally died down, the girl sat at a table with Lisanna, Elfman, and Cana. Natsu and Gray were currently unconscious, having been smacked down by Erza after starting another brawl during the chaos. Erza and Mirajane had then taken a dispute outside, so it was just the four of them left. Lisanna was trying to speak to the girl.
"My name is Lisanna," she gestured to herself and then at the girl, "What is your name?"
But the girl just blinked and smiled some more. Determined, Lisanna tried again. She put a hand on her own chest and said, "Lisanna." She reached over and touched her brother and said, "Elfman." Then she did the same with Cana. Finally she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and looked questioningly at her. Understanding dawned on her face, and the pink haired girl cried out happily, "Okami Amaterasu! Watashi wa Okami Amaterasu desu!"
(End of Chapter One)
A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you liked it and think I should continue this story. Or if you didn't like it and think I should just stop, I'm cool with that too. Just give me some feedback, Kay? Thanks again! - NightWing97
