Hello All! UmbraWatch here! This is just a little intro to my, hopefully, much larger work: Stormy Weather. This chapter takes place before the events of episode 1, when everyone was still fairly young and Laxus hadn't begun drifting from Makarov. It will be slash! That means M/M, boy love, gay men, im not sure how many more ways I can say it. If you are not a fan of LGBT couples, please keep your hateful comments to yourself or better yet, just go read a different fanfiction. Otherwise, please! Enjoy the fic! ^w^
The moon was full tonight, he noted. He closed his metallic eyes, letting the moonlight bathe his face as the wind blew his hair back. He opened them slowly, now mint green and slitted as he became aware of the presence approaching behind him.
"Aramis." The female voice purred behind him. The boy, Aramis, turned raising an eyebrow as he observed the woman approaching him.
"Sybaline." His voice was not amused. Sybaline was a tall, elegant woman with hair the color of The Calm Sea. Her limbs were long and lovely, if not for the animalistic hooves her shins ended in rather than feet. Atop her crown of cerulean hair sprouted two horns, curled backwards against her scalp and stopped just under her ear lobes.
Sybaline's torso was covered by a long light brown sweater with white feathers lining the collar and the sleeves. Where the neckline would have met above her cleavage was instead a deep v-neckline, dipping beneath her naval. Her breasts were voluptuous dark mounds, barely hidden beneath her top. The sweater had two long tails behind, tickling the backs of her knees.
Her lower half was similarly clad: a skirt small enough to stop above the middle of her thighs. Around her hips was a long silver chain, slanted on one side.
"Come now, darling. We're both friends~" the inhuman creature purred.
"I'd hardly call us friends." His voice cut her words harshly. Sybaline hmph'd, reclining on a nearby rock and crossing her legs one over the other.
"So cruel, my dear…" Movement behind him. He lurched to the side as a blade shot past his shoulder, a chain clinking merrily as its owner forced the blade's trajectory into an unnatural path. It curved back, arching like a scorpions tail before shooting forwards, aimed at his chest.
Aramis leapt directly up, watching as the blade smashed into the ground where he had been, sending dirt and rock flying from the force of it, before turning his eyes on the demoness before him.
"A new trick, Sybaline? I'm impressed, it appears old dogs can, in fact, learn new tricks." The boy commented, watching as the woman recalled her blade with a flick of her wrist.
"You wound me, Aramis. A dog?" She jested to the male as he slowly descended from the air, landing silently on the ground once more.
"My condolences on the loss of your hearing. But, such is old age." He sighed in mock sympathy.
"Hm." she scoffed. " Now then, care to tell me what you're doing all the way out here, boy? Alone, at that?"
"I would think one would find it obvious." He said, lips curling into a teasing smile. "I'm leaving Tartaros."
The ground exploded under him as Aramis was suddenly in the air again, smile full of teeth as Sybaline let another blade drop from her sleeve.
"Did you truly think The Commandments would allow one of their own to simply leave? You must have known we would pursue you." She asked, whipping both blades back in preparation.
"Actually, dear." He said as she leapt up, intent on taking the fight to him. "I planned on it!" He surged forward, a bubble of wind gathering around his hand as he reared it back. Blades and wind clashed.
The sun rose on the battle ground, revealing the splatters of blood staining the grass and trees. Keyes hummed in disinterest and instead approached the body lying in pieces nearby. The necromancer had to admit: Sybaline was a fine specimen, even chopped up like she was.
"It's a shame that the regeneration research is not yet complete." He lamented briefly, nudging the demoness's corpse with his staff. Her right arm, still attached to her torso, shot up, gripping it as she wheezed. Her eyes opened and she smiled up at Keyes, teeth bloody.
"It may not be complete… but… He will return..." She wheezed. Her left hand, discarded to the side unfolded shakily, drawing Keyes' attention. In it, sat a silver chain, coiled innocently in its palm.
"A...hex upon him… he will wan… to break it..." She murmured, going still. Keyes observed her for a moment more before moving to pick up the chain. The necromancer could feel the hex* attached to it, this was a Catalyst. He pocketed the chain, smoke-like body spreading over the area and collecting the body parts before returning to his full form.
"Lord Mard Geer will be displeased at this turn of events..." He rumbled before floating lazily in the direction he came. "We will need to begin searching for a proper replacement for Sybaline. Such a shame that no-one can replace Aramis, that boy was truly a marvel."
The green haired boy panted harshly, pushing through the crowd as he clutched his shoulder tightly. His teeth clenched. After defeating Sybaline he had crawled away from the battlefield with barely enough magic to heal the worst of his wounds. He needed to find a way to bind his shoulder though, a deep gash, caked in blood and dirt was particularly stubborn and refused to heal. Whether that was from his lack of magic power or something of Sybaline's doing remained to be seen. After healng himself as much as he could he had made his way to this town. Magnolia, he thinks. There. A wizarding wares shop.
Pushing open the shop he immediately noticed the only other people in the store: a small group of three boys and a girl off to the side, talking among themselves. He made his way to the camping section, lifting his hand in a weak greeting to the cashier. Looking among the shelves he blinked once. Twice. His eyes fluttered as his vision darkened. He reached out, intent on catching himself on the shelf. Instead, the hand landed on a first aid kit and he fell to the floor with a thud and a clatter. His hearing was faint, but he could make out male voices. A female berating one. Someone picked him up. He went black.
When Aramis awoke, he was warm, he was fuzzy, and he was on edge. He opened his eyes and sat up, taking a cursory look around the room. Medical Ward. He didn't know where. He looked down to his shoulder, surprised to find it bound with pristine white gauze. Non-magical healers then. Not Tartaros. He ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a short breath of relief. His eyes snapped to the door as it opened, letting the excited chatter of the outside in as four people entered.
"Look all i'm saying is-" A boy with blue hair started.
"Shut up, Bickslow! Look, He's awake!"A girl with long brown hair exclaimed, prompting the three males around her to acknowledge the, indeed, woken boy in the bed.
"Oh! So you are awake!" the apparent leader of the small group smiled at him. Aramis took a moment to study him. His hair was blond and shaggy, tickling the lobes of his ears. Around his neck was a pair of headphones. He could faintly hear music playing from them. He wore a long sleeved black shirt under a tan shirt with short sleeves. Aramis noted with a slight flush to his cheeks that he was very handsome.
"I'm Laxus, Laxus Dreyar. You okay now?" He asked pulling a chair up to the bed.
"Laxus don't be rude now, boy!" an aged voice called from the door. Aramis moved his eyes from the blonde beside him to the small old man standing in the door.
"Hey, Gramps!" Laxus grinned as the others gave varying greetings of 'Master!' "I aint being rude!" He looked to the green haired boy for confirmation. "Am I?" A shake of the head from the greenette and he grinned triumphantly. "See?"
"Hmph. Rude or not, it is still not recommended for a group of people to crowd around a stranger who just woke up from a four day nap." His voice, while heavily amused, was chiding as he approached. The others gave sheepish laughs but moved to exit the room as 'Master/Gramps' hopped up into the chair Laxus had vacated.
"Nice to meet cha! I'm Makarov Dreyar, welcome to the Fairy Tail guild!" He greeted, smiling warmly at the teenager. 'He looks just about Laxus' age.'
Fairy Tail. He was in Fairy Tail. That was number twelve on Tartaros' watch list. He looked away from the kind elder.
"Thank you for helping me," He moved to get up. "but I really must be going now."
"And why is that? There's been no sighting of Tartaros within 200 miles of Magnolia." Makarov rumbled, sitting down.
Aramis froze, eyes wide as he stared at the elderly man. "H-how?..."
"When we healed your arm, we noticed a peculiar guild mark on your shoulder." He explained gently. "It didn't belong to any of the known legal guilds so we looked into the next logical thing. Now." His eyes hardened and Aramis met them without fliching. "Why are you here?"
"I'm running from Tartaros." He answered truthfully.
"Why are you running from Tartaros." It wasn't a question. It was a demand for information.
"They took everything from me, I only just found out." He explained softly, eyes turning to the windows to his left. "How could I not?"
His hands clenched in the sheets. Preparation. Whether it was for a fight or for an escape, neither party knew.
"And how far will you run?" Makarov's voice lost its hardness, much to Aramis' surprise. The question caught him off guard.
"I-I'm not...sure..." He mumbled, drawing his knees up. When Makarov looked at him he looked at a child, frightened for his future and well being. 'I really need to stop doing this...' He thought with a sigh.
"Well, why not stay a while? Join the guild?" He suggested, prompting a snort from the teen. "I'm serious!"
"So am I. You don't want me here. I'm a danger to everyone in this town." Aramis informed him, slinging his legs over the side of the bed. "It's better this way. If I leave, everyone will be safe."
"And what will change?"
Aramis looked at the small man incredulously. "I just told you! Everyone would be safe! Besides. You even saw it for yourself. I'm a member of Tartaros. Why would you want a criminal in your guild?"
"Because when asked why he was leaving, that criminal's first instinct was to make sure everyone else around him was safe."
Aramis' eyes went wide, mouth falling open just a smidgen.
"No matter what you've done, no matter who's after you. There is kindness and love in your heart." The guild master smiled up at him. "And that speaks volumes of your character."
The teen ducked his head, staring at his lap intently. "You legal guilds are quite odd." He noted to the old man.
"You have no idea m'boy!" He roared in laughter. Aramis smiled. It had been quite some time since he had heard such a carefree sound. As long as he could remember he had been trained to perform his duties for Tartaros. A guild of demons wasn't quite the leading example of happiness.
"Come now, why don't you see the guild for yourself. You might be convinced if you see who and what will be behind you should you join." Makarov said, hopping down from his perch and making his way towards the door.
"Be...behind me?" Aramis asked shyly.
"You dark guilds are quite odd." Makarov flashed a teasing grin over his shoulder, prompting a small bout of soft laughter from the guest. "A guild is a wizard's family, their bond. When one guild member is in pain, it becomes our pain. When a guild member does battle, it becomes our battle." He explained, turning to face him fully. The small elder locked eyes with the teen's wide orbs. "We will fight for you should the need arise."
Aramis was silent, staring at the man with wide-eyed stupor.
'Yes,' Aramis thought ruefully as he watched the guild dissolve into a full out brawl. 'These legal guilds are quite odd indeed.' It had been almost a full month since he agreed to stay at the Fairy Tail guild. On a trial period, Makarov had insisted.
Although Aramis was sure that was just to alleviate his mind instead of the guild master's.
That trial period had ended almost a week ago yet here he sat, watching with amusement as Bickslow, a strange young wizard who controlled souls through the use of Seide Magic, tossed a violently protesting Freed, the greenette from their first meeting who specialized in enchantments, over his shoulder, slamming them both onto a table which subsequently broke under the force. Laxus roared with laughter next to him, while Evergreen, seated on the other side of the lightning user, sniffed, snapping open her fan to cover her own amused grin.
"You know your grandfather's going to bust a blood vessel when he gets back today." he pointed out to the blonde.
"Which will make it all the more hilarious!" he insisted as his two friends approached, Freed now sporting both a scowl and a limp.
"I do hope you both got it out of your system." Evergreen sniffed regally. The young brunette had a very interesting magic which utilized a 'Fairy Dust' that she produced thanks to the magic.
"I didn't ask to be dragged into this!" Freed sputtered while Bickslow merely gave a deranged giggle.
"I've said it once, I'll say it many times over. You legal guilds are quite odd." Aramis hummed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.
"Is that a bad thing?" Evergreen countered with a raised eyebrow.
"Not at all. Actually, I've been rather claustrophobic cooped up with you all." he mused, standing and making his way over to the bar. "I think I'll be going on a mission soon enough."
That garnered the attention of all parties at their table.
"Wouldn't you have to be a permanent member of the guild for that? I thought you were on a trial run or somethin." Bickslow mumbled, blinking after him.
The greenette flashed a smile over his shoulder, winking at the group before uttering a simple "Yep." he popped the 'P', turning to continue his path to the bar where Mirajane was serving drinks.
"...WAIT WHAT!" They all cried out in astonishment as it finally clicked and they scrambled to follow their friend.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Laxus asked, beaming. Aramis gave a small chuckle, smiling at the group he had come to care as his friends.
"Ah, this place has grown on me." He shrugged, looking away with a small smile. "I figured I might as well stick around for awhile." He yelped as he was suddenly lifted into the air by Laxus and Bixslow, both roaring in triumph.
"HEY EVERYONE! ARAMIS IS STAYING!" The guild shook from the force of the cheers.
By the end of the day, once Makarov approved via a communication lacrima (M'boy, you were a member the minute you agreed to stay!), Aramis bore a light blue Fairy Tail emblem on his chest, just beneath his right shoulder
Thank you guys so much for reading the first chapter of Stormy Skies! This story will cover how Aramis joined Fairy Tail and his developing relationships with the cast along the way. Most of the actual action will come into play with the sequel, Stormy Weather. A bit of vocabulary if anyone was curious ^^ (I would also like to preface this by saying these are terms I have made up for the purpose of this fanfiction and to my knowledge don't exist within the canon.) A hex is a powerful, continuous effect placed upon a target(s). It is dark magic, as it was created with negative feelings instead of positive ones. A hex is too unstable to simply be cast on it's target. It must first be filtered through a Catalyst, to ensure the hex persists for a very, very long time. Hope that covers everything, thanks guys!
-Umbra
