Hey there, all faithful and first-time readers! Glad you chose to click on my little link, and I really hope you enjoy this fanfic. If you think it's good enough to deserve it (or bad enough!) feel free to review. Constructive criticism is welcome too :)
Just FYI: this story starts just before Phantom starts its attack on Fairy Tail. Hope that makes sense with the plot. It'll follow the more or less same plot as that section, possibly with a few deviations, but I just wanted to introduce my OC first before I throw her directly into the action.
Alright; enjoy!
Chapter 1: New recruit
Gray's POV
The best thing about taking all those dangerous requests, like Galuna with Deliora, is that all the other requests seem so easy now that we've done them.
Stretching to relax my muscles after a minimal amount of fighting on our last job, I walk back to Fairy Tail down the streets of Magnolia, as Lucy starts dividing out the eight thousand jewel reward between us. I ignore Natsu as his excitement for getting money makes him even louder and more obnoxious than usual (I didn't know that was possible). Erza trails a little behind with her humungous luggage cart. (Seriously, she Requips all her outfits and weapons, so what the hell else does she need to pack?)
In an attempt to drown out Natsu's annoyingly loud cheers and self-absorbed compliments that he had done all the work on this job, I start whistling to myself. As I just chose the first tune that came to my head, it's not until halfway through the piece that I realise it's TeviotBridge, one of my traditional childhood songs. Nostalgia washes through me as I remember the annual festival, where I first properly danced to this song…
"Hey, that's pretty, Gray," a voice interrupts my trip down memory lane. "What song is it?"
"Huh?" I look at Lucy who's smiling at me. "Oh, just a song I used to know."
"Come on, Lucy; share it out already!" I never thought there would be a time when I'd be grateful for Natsu's big mouth, but he distracts Lucy enough that she doesn't ask anymore. Happy, flying by Natsu in silence since we got off the train, helps to keep her distracted by cheekily asking about how much he's receiving. I hide my smirk from Lucy to prevent myself getting hit.
As we round a corner from the station and enter the main commercial part of Magnolia, the number of people seated at the tables outside the cafes this afternoon marks the start of the Spring season as the weather makes it comfortable to do so.
While I'm gazing around at these streets that have been my home for many years now, I catch sight of a girl about my age skipping out from behind Erza to overtake her on the other side of the street, her full-looking backpack indicating she has just arrived on a train herself. I glance over my shoulder in curiosity as to why she had to cross the street to do so before I smile slightly and roll my eyes at my scary friend; her luggage cart is taking up the entire sidewalk, leaving no room for overtakers.
"Hey, sweet-cheeks, want to meet up tonight for a good time?" I never realised there could be such pig-headed, perverted and down-right rude guys in the world.
We all stop to turn towards the table of half-drunk animals roaring their heads off with laughter, and I prepare myself for a good performance of their faces being intimately introduced to Erza's fist. But I start, and I can see the others doing the same when we realise the direction they're facing indicates they weren't talking to Erza, or even Lucy; they were shouting at the girl across the street. But if that surprises me, her reply is unbelievable. She doesn't even stop walking or glance in their direction while she says: "Call me when you've learnt basic hygiene."
I try to stop my reaction; I know if I respond to the foreign-sounding words that my friends heard – rather than the automatic mental translation that I performed – they would draw the conclusion that I could understand the different language the girl had used. And that would raise more questions about my past that they knew nothing of until recently.
My attempt fails though; two loud laughs escape me before the suppressed remainders rack through my body, shaking it so hard that I know I may as well let them out for all the hiding it does.
The girl starts at the sound, turning with a surprised expression to our group. The highly amused grin on my face probably gives away the fact that I was the one to laugh at her joke. Suddenly her expression morphs into teasingly accusatory, and she turns back across the road to stop in front of our group, arms folded. The first time since I noticed her, I get a good look at her, and, horrifying myself, the first thing to come to mind is "I can see where those animals are coming from." As the girl comes to a stop in front of us, her umber brown waves bounce just enough to add a certain cuteness to her look, without taking any of the "dangerous" vibe out. Creamy smooth skin covers her complexion, and her full lips are cracked open in a cute, amused and teasing smirk. Worn brown travelling clothes adorn her body with study-looking walking boots on her feet. But her eyes…wow. Just wow; the brilliant green of the trees in the East Forest shimmers out from those two orbs, almost stunning me. Trying to play it cool I place my hands into the pockets of my coat and wait, still smiling and eyebrows raised.
Thankfully, she uses a language that the others can understand this time. "You know Carain." (Pronounced "car-AYN")
Her tone doesn't require an answer, so I shrug in acceptance.
"Which city are you from?"
My smile slips slightly at her question; this one demands a reply, and I'm also reluctant to tell her my origins. In the area I come from – the Cara, hence the name of the old language – Deliora only destroyed two of the eight cities in that space, missing the six in its progression by some sick chance. Although, I would never wish my past on anybody.
I opt to tell this stranger, but sincerely hope I won't receive pity. "Kria." (Pronounced "CREE-ah).
She gives a sad smile that I knew I wouldn't have been able to avoid, and I steel myself for the "condolences". But she surprises me yet again; she pulls a hand up and lays the fingertips on her breastbone. "Darli." (Pronounced "dar-LEE").
My eyes widen slightly as she names the other city that was destroyed. As a reaction to the swift guilt that comes over me, I open my mouth to say 'I'm sorry'. But I stop just before I voice the words; if I hadn't wanted to hear them, do I really expect this stranger to? It would be unfair to subject her to something that she has spared me. So I close my mouth awkwardly, embarrassment making me duck my head and look at her apologetically through my eyelashes. Her smile changes slightly, and I recognise the gratefulness in there.
Her eyes suddenly widen, not looking at me anymore, but focussed somewhere behind me. Her smile widens and excitement flares in her eyes, her fists gripped in front of her face in enthusiasm with the brown leather fingerless gloves stretching over her skin.
"You're from Fairy Tail?"
Turning around, I judge her gaze to be at Lucy's hand, where the Fairy Tail mark is printed. Lucy grins at the girl.
"Yep. We all are."
"Awesome! I'm heading there now; I hope that I'll get enrolled."
Natsu chuckles, holding his thumb up to her. "If you're any decent wizard, you'll be enrolled."
The teasing glint returns to her wonderful eyes. "Loads of people were saying the same about Phantom."
My hands curl into fists inside my pockets and Natsu loses his smile fast as the stranger mentions the evil guild. Her expression confuses me though; despite her supposed interest in Phantom, she seems to be winding us up in anticipation for a later expected reaction, rather than the malicious sizing up that Phantom members would do. I narrow my eyes at her, silently telling her to continue.
"They say Phantom breeds the best wizards with the largest amount of power," she tries to suppress a smile. I can feel both Happy and Natsu itching to intervene and defend our guild, but his curiosity keeps even him quiet.
Then: "I say it breeds the biggest assholes with the largest egos."
A second of silence. That's how long we last. The next, all of us, Erza included, are practically rolling on the floor in the middle of the street, laughter bursting from our bodies. I can feel tears of the best pain in the world running down my cheeks as the muscles in my sides burn from so much movement and as my lungs fail to take in enough oxygen. The rush of those "happy chemicals" magnifies the elated feeling. Man, I'd forgotten how great it was to laugh like this.
Finally, when we've all calmed down enough to remain stable on our feet, Natsu walks up to the girl, still chuckling, and puts an arm around her, winking at her.
"Oh yeah," he laughs. "You're definitely enrolled."
The girl giggles at her own joke and our reaction before Natsu releases her. "I'm Natsu." He gestures to his friend still in the sky. "That's Happy."
"Hi," the cat says.
The girl's expression shifts to surprise and then to adoration as she fawns over the talking cat, saying how he's "the cutest thing". Oh, trust me, mystery girl; spend half an hour with him and you won't love him anymore.
Seemingly unwilling to give up her name yet, she turns to the rest of us. Erza and Lucy introduce themselves in turn before her gaze reaches me. I probably imagine it, but I swear her eyes widen slightly and I hear her breath hitch. Yeah, probably my tired imagination.
"I'm Gray." Why do I have a weird inclination to either bow or kiss her hand when I say this?
Her mouth drops open, confusing me. She spends way too long just staring at me and not giving an explanation for her shock. I raise an eyebrow again, resisting the temptation to wave a hand in front of her eyes.
Finally she speaks: "Gray? Gray Fullbuster?"
I start as she uses my full name. How the hell does she know me? That damn annoying – yet cute – teasing look is back again as she re-folds her arms. "Think back to that Spring Festival held in Darli."
I frown, confused as to why she wants me to wade through the memories of my childhood, painful as they are. I may as well do as she says though, as a) the memories of the Spring Festival aren't so painful; they were so fun, and b) it doesn't seem like she's going to tell us her name until I do as she says. Dammit, since when do I follow orders? And yet, here I am, this stranger from the Cara making me perform tricks like some damn dog. I'll have to work on that.
Suddenly, a scene surfaces in my head; a sunny warm day just as the sun was setting, the torches and bonfires in the city already lit and music playing loudly…
ЖЖЖ
I was standing by the sidelines, out of the way while Mama and Papa were dancing together. I knew the song though, and so knew the dance was finishing soon. Papa would then come over and get one of those drinks that you feel like your insides were wearing those warm fuzzy winter coats, and he'd let me drink some if I didn't tell anyone.
I managed to pull myself onto a perch, and all I could do was stare open-mouthed at the amount of delicious looking food. The table was surely going to collapse under the weight of it all!
My feet suddenly left the floor, and I look up to find Papa standing behind me, his hands under my arms. His dark eyes glittered in the light as he smiled far brighter than all the fires put together.
"No seven-year-old can eat all that himself," he chuckled. "Not even you."
He pressed a kiss to my head as he set me down, and I turned to look at him with wide eyes.
"Can I have some more of that cool drink though?"
"Careful, Gray," he ruffles my hair. "You're becoming an alcoholic."
I tilted my head at him, confused. "What's one of those?"
Papa's eyes sparkled as he smiled more. "I'll tell you when you're older. I'll go and get one of those drinks."
I beamed at him, and went back to gazing longingly at the food on top of the table as Papa left. The floor behind me was getting ready for the next dance.
While I was straining for a leg of the chicken though, I heard something.
"Will you dance with me? Will you dance with me?"
I turn away from my conquest to search for the source of the noise. A small girl in a light-weight grass-green dress, with her wavy dark brown hair clipped on top of her head apart from one strand on either side of her face, was darting from one boy to the next, asking that question over and over as they each refused her. As she looks around for her next target – and doesn't see me because I'm higher up – her face becomes sad, scrunching up in that way I recognise from the girls at school. She began to cry, covering her face with her hands as her shoulders started to shake.
Herreactionconfusedme.I'dheardbiggerchildrentalkingaboutbeingheartbrokenbecausetheywererejected,butIthoughttheywerebeingselfishandtoo-action-y(Mywordasasmallchildfor "melodramatic" :P).Whywasthisgirl,whowasnoolderthanme,actinglikethat?
Annoyed that she was behaving like the bigger children, I jumped from my perch and walked up to her, folding my arms to make myself look like Papa when he was telling me off.
"Why are you crying?" I demanded.
The girl gasped and looked up at me, moving her hands to in front of her neck. My impressive "big-boy" pose was ruined when I saw her eyes; they matched her dress and were even more amazing in contrast to the redness in them from crying. I forced my mouth to close and my eyes to narrow to an ordinary size again, and pretended I had been waiting for an answer without that interruption.
The girl wiped her forearm across her eyes. "I've been practicing the dance for the next song, and I wanted this year to be my first dance. But nobody will dance with me."
I rolled my eyes and waited for her to stop her stupid sniffling – and trying to ignore the weird want to comfort her. "What song is it?"
"Teviot Bridge," shesays,hereyeswellingup. "Myfavourite."
I stood there, looking expectantly at her. She was too absorbed in feeling sorry for herself to notice so I sighed loudly.
"Well?" I asked sharply, and she looked back up at me. "Aren't you going to ask me?"
She gasped, then looked down, sad again. "I thought you were too annoyed at me. You seemed angry, so I thought you wouldn't want to dance with me."
"Well if you're going to keep snivelling about it," I frown, "I'll do it to shut you up." All in all, I thought my 'don't care that you're crying and that you're pretty' performance was pretty good.
Those stunning eyes brightened as I reached out, grabbed her hand and walked her over the paving slabs to the area cleared for the dance floor. As the other couples took to the floor as well, I stood in the line of boy partners, and girl stood in her line opposite me, smiling shyly but brightly at me. I couldn't help the smile I gave her in return; the fact that she was happy to be dancing with me gave me the same warm feeling that that drink gave me.
Then the music started, and I stood still with the rest of my line as our girl partners perform their part at the start of the dance. She wasn't joking; she had been practicing. I didn't think even Mama could move so well, and this girl didn't miss a step. I was so focussed on her dancing that I almost missed the cue for me to start.
For the rest of the dance, we had to keep hold of one another most of the time. And I didn't mind at all. Before long, we were both laughing at the fun of the whole experience. Especially at the end; we both became so enthusiastic that the calm twirl we were supposed to do became a fast spin, causing us both to fly backwards. We couldn't stand up for a few minutes because we were laughing so much. It wasn't until we'd sat up and looked and smiled at each other again that we bothered to introduce ourselves…
ЖЖЖ
My flashback ends, and the shy little girl in the dress morphs into the strong independent-looking young woman in front of me. Inside, I'm surprised that I could ever forget knowing the owner of such wonderful eyes. She raises her eyebrows at me, smiling. I smile back.
"You don't look like you'd cry if you couldn't find a partner to dance with anymore, Kyani Dawnstar," I tease. (Pronouncedkee-AH-nee). "Although, to be perfectly honest with you, you don't look like you'd have trouble finding a partner in the first place."
Her wonderful eyes crinkle as she laughs – well, laughs in a half-successful attempt to mask the embarrassed giggle and pinking of her cheeks. I grin at her, trying to convey to her that I know the effect that flirt has on her. Yes, I know that I'm flirting with her. Sue me.
"Well, you're a lot more charming now that you were back then," she winks. Winks! Staycool,Gray.Staycalm.
"I wonder," she continues, "if your dancing skills have improved any."
Oh, she did not…. Giving fuel to the others, who don't know that I used to join in our traditional dancing, to tease me about is just cruel. And by the devilish smirk on her face right now – which is annoyingly similar to the one I had moments ago – she knows it.
"Huh?" Natsu cries, an evil glint in his eye. "Gray used to dance?"
"You llllllike her," Happy giggles.
"Oh, may the ground swallow me now," I groan out loud, hoping no one notices my lack of denial at Happy's comment.
"I can make that happen if you want," Kyani laughs.
Natsu loses his "malicious-planning" look to glance curiously at her, as do the others. I realise that this topic is the perfect distraction for Natsu's teasing, and I can't help but think; did she deliberately say it to save me from his mockery?
She holds her forefinger and middle finger up, making the "peace" sign, and winks again. "I'm an Earth Wizard. I can control the actual ground – like dirt and rocks and stuff – but I can manipulate plants too." She grins. "I love my magic."
"Give us a demo then," Natsu challenges, his eyes bright with the same excitement as hers.
"What do you want to see?" she smirks, obviously ready to show off.
"Anything."
Kyani looks around the street for inspiration, chewing the inside of her bottom lip as she contemplates her options. Then her stunning face brightens, and she turns to us with a sly smile.
"Want to see how I travel around towns?"
In response to the silent "yes" on all our faces, she closes her eyes gently in concentration and spreads her legs a little further apart. I can't help but tense slightly in anticipation; even though she's not attacking or showing any display of that kind but rather only showing her personal mode of transport, I'm excited to see the kind of power possessed by this grown-up and almost flipped version of that shy girl from my past.
After only a few seconds, Kyani opens her eyes again, raising her hand so it is stretched out in front of her, fingers open and palm facing upwards. I flick my gaze back to her eyes, and have to hold in a gasp; if her eyes were stunning before, it's nothing compared to when I can actually physically see the magic in them. She just smiles – a completely contented and elated smile.
Then she flicks her hand up, like she's beckoning the ground, and jumps.
Dust kicks up around her, billowing out towards us and making us cough and our eyes sting. As the slight breeze clears the obstruction, our eyes widen in time with our grins. In front of us – and slightly above us – Kyani hovers on a lump of stone and earth from the slabs. The jagged dip in the ground in front of us indicates its origin.
As we raise our heads back to Kyani, amazement clear on our faces, she giggles, and her platform moves slightly to our left and upwards, the smoothness of its movement startling me.
"I can control the movements of rocks and the ground itself," Kyani explains. "It didn't take me long to start wondering if I could be on a piece of ground that I moved. It took a while to get used to standing on something that could move like this, but I'm a pro at it now." She flashes a smile and spreads her arms out. "It's basically a different version of a car with an SE plug; it uses my magic, only a little, to move. The difference is –" she darts around us gracefully, up, down and any direction, before appearing in front of us again, "– I can go anywhere on this thing. And if I've got enough magic, there are wicked speeds on this."
"That's very impressive," Erza admits, speaking up for the first time. "But it leaves damage behind. The path is now destroyed."
Natsu nudges me, then puts a fist proudly to his chest, smirking and winking. "The mark of a true Fairy Tail wizard."
In a rare moment of companionship and general agreement, I laugh and copy his stance, my left fist against the Fairy Tail mark on my right pec through my clothes.
"Still causing trouble, Fullbuster?" It's really unfair that Kyani's using her current height to increase her condescension with her hands on her hips. She turns back to Erza before I can respond.
"There's no need to worry about the damage. Watch…" She looks down at the pothole, spreading her arms down towards it. A magic circle appears around it, as green as Kyani's eyes and the pattern made out of interlocking vines and flowers. Clicking sounds around us direct our attention elsewhere and I watch in amazement as small rocks on the street start gathering in the hole, effectively filling it up. With one last gesture from Kyani, the rocks are compressed together until they merge to become part of the street, as if it had always been so.
Natsu scuffs his shoe across the invisible boundary. "No difference in the level. That's incredible."
Kyani moves her foot nearer the edge of her platform, and suddenly it tilts into her hand and she's dropping from her previous height. On impact with the ground, she merely bends her knees slightly, and doesn't even stagger with the weight of a large lump of solid concrete and earth clutched under her arm.
Man, has she changed!
After propping her platform up against the side of the nearby cafe – it's hilarious; she acts like it's a normal thing to do, and that someone else might want to use it! – Kyani turns back to us.
"Can we go to Fairy Tail then?"
"Yeah," Lucy smiles one of her – I'll admit – fairly cute 'really happy' smiles. "Let's go home."
I smile in agreement at her choice of words, and nod my head once.
"Yes!" Natsu fist-pumps the air, his excitement almost tangible. "We have to see who will fight you first."
"Um…" Poor Kyani, unused to all that is Natsu, looks confused and uneasy. Natsu doesn't notice though as he just reaches for her wrist and takes off at a run, dragging Kyani behind him. She yelps at the sudden movement before she laughs at the Dragon Slayer's enthusiasm.
"Uh, Natsu…" Lucy calls out, seeming slightly embarrassed and worried about her friend's actions.
"We must follow him," Erza insists, her face as determined as ever. "He may assign Kyani to a fight she has no intention of competing in."
"Yeah," I agree, starting to run toward the guild with the others. "I doubt she'd appreciate that kind of welcome into Fairy Tail."
Luckily we catch up to them just outside of Fairy Tail, where Kyani is looking up at the guild in wonder, her expression highly impressed by the architecture. I can see the tension in her shoulders though as she stares at the wooden doors to the guild; she's nervous. I walk up beside and manage to resist taking her elbow gently in comfort.
"You'll be fine," I promise her.
She smiles at me gratefully before gasping quietly and telling me to shush. Her face turns up slightly and her eyes close lightly as she puts her hands on her hips. More memories start coming back to me; the time in that field we found together, where she told me what that stance meant she was doing.
"What are you listening to?" I murmur, not wanting to disturb whatever is giving her that peaceful smile.
"The stones," she answers, her lips turning up slightly more, before she sighs happily and nods, opening her eyes again and dropping her arms. "Yep; I've come to the right place."
"Did you say you were listening to the stones?" Lucy asks, a confused look on her face.
Kyani nods. "Over time, the earth in a certain place, or the stone in the walls of a certain building, absorbs memories and emotions et cetera, and echo them. An Earth Wizard like me can get in tune with them and listen to the mood of the building. These stones speak of loyalty and friendship, but also of a hell of a lot of fun." She turns back to us and grins happily. "It seems like just the right place for me."
We all smile at her in agreement, and Erza breaks the silence. "Come on; let's introduce her to Fairy Tail."
Ta-da! The wonderful first chapter is finished. I know, I know; Gray's a little OOC, sorry about that. It'll probably be like that for a lot of the fanfic, but I'll try to keep as close to his character as possible: I'll make him argue with Natsu hopefully in every chapter ;) And he's going to strip in the next chapter lol. Anyway, my thanks to the wonderful boy who introduced me to Fairy Tail in the first place. Hope you all like this fanfic, and I apologise in advance if I don't update for ages.
Fly on,
NitnatRide