Yuri Tale
Quest I
Pestilence
"Sting, calm down. Your head's about to pop like a melon at the beach." Natsu was slightly unsettled by the unnerving sight the Sabertooth guild master posed. After running into the gold, shouting for help, he nearly keeled over, looking like he had crossed the distance between the two guilds on foot and as fast as he could.
"The lady... she's..." Unable to form coherent words, he was relieved by someone else from his guild. A worried Yukino showed up, and as much as she had wanted to respond to Lucy's cheerful greeting in turn, she turned to Erza and the others that were rounded up near a collapsed Sting.
"He's come here on a vehicle." Yukino explained in a hurry.
"So it's just motion sickness!" Gray shouted at Sting. "Worrying us for nothing!"
About to belch again, Sting was laid down on the closest bench while the guild members surrounded Yukino, who was now in charge of telling them what was going on. "It's Lady Minerva. She and Sting were sparring early yesterday and during their match, she suddenly collapsed after emitting a burst of magic energy."
"That doesn't sound good. But why come to us? There must be plenty of doctors in your city." Erza didn't quite understand why they came to Fairy Tail. She would have understood going to Lamia Scale since the Sky God Slayer Cheria was there and she possessed healing magic. Even so, Cheria was currently on a job with Wendy.
"We did consult a doctor and he couldn't find anything physically wrong with the Lady." Yukino explained further and looked to the ground. "After that, we had a magic specialist from Blue Pegasus take a look and he said that demonic energy is slowly taking over and corrupting the Lady's body."
"Demonic energy?!" Lucy thought she had heard wrong.
Erza took a step forward and, unintentionally and unbeknownst to herself, glared at Yukino. "Are you absolutely sure? I thought she was completely free of that after the whole Tartarus ordeal! It's been over a year."
"We're sure. The Lady's been bedridden and unconscious since then but she's slowly changing." Yukino looked straight at Mirajane. "Sting remembered Miss Mirajane from the grand magic games so he went here. Rogue has gone to Blue Pegasus to approach-"
"I'm sorry to say this but my magic won't let me completely remove demonic influence from someone." Mira shook her head. "I could try to temporarily suppress it or reset the progression, but even if I do that continuously, it'll just repeat itself forever."
"It would give us time to figure out a permanent solution." Yukino's eyes were glued to Mira, filled with desperation.
"Mira." Erza didn't need to say anything but her name.
"Yes, Master." Mira exhaled and her expression changed. "I'll heed over there right away. I have never tried anything like this, so I don't know how much I can help, but I'll figure something out, no matter what."
"You have my thanks." Erza turned around and immediately pointed at Levy. "Levy, hit the books and find us any clue towards curing a demonic infestation. Laki, Elfman, Lisanna, Lucy, you're on standby to go and find whatever Levy will dig up and we could need. Warren." A moment of silence. "Is Warren not here?"
"He's down with a cold." Gray answered.
"Go get him. I need to contact Mermaid Heel."
Natsu's face turned to that of an imp as he spoke. "Erza's going to give her girlfriend a call."
Nobody was stupid enough to laugh or comment on that and so only Natsu earned the wrath of the seventh guild master. A sound beating and three blimps on Natsu's head later, Erza cursed the day she had slipped up and let Natsu catch her on a date with her little sister.
Of course Kagura wasn't her real little sister, and it wasn't a real date, but the illusion was what made it so interesting to Erza. She was a little into kinky stuff after all. With Jellal out and about and god knows where and not having seen him in way over a year, she had finally accepted the fact that they were not going to have any kind of relationship. And Kagura just seemed rightfor her somehow.
Kagura ended up in the middle of it before she knew any better, stuck calling Erza Nee-san and also kind of dating her.
Half an hour later, a sickly Warren was keeping a telepathic connection between Erza and Kagura open. Despite what the guild might have thought, Kagura was an extremely powerful wizard, much like Erza herself or Minerva, and had connections, which was precisely why Erza called her.
"I'll see what I can find out. I'm against helping that woman, and you know why, Nee-san, but if it's a request from you I can't say no."
"Holding a grudge is unhealthy, Kagura." Erza smiled to herself. "Thank you for helping. Contact me with the communication lacrima if you find anything." Closing the connection, much to Warren's relief, Erza looked at the few guild members that were still sticking close. "I'm going to see her myself. Are Wendy and Cheria still on their job?"
"They're not due to come back until the day after tomorrow." Lisanna explained, now having taken over Mira's position as barkeep and general manager of affairs.
"Warren, try to contact them and tell them to head right to Sabertooth's guild hall after they finish." And with those short and direct orders, Erza took off herself.
=== Yuri Tale ===
"This isn't good." Mira sat at Minerva's bedside and felt her forehead. Tiny horns were already growing out of the sides of her skull. "The demonic energy itself wouldn't be a problem, I can remove that with my Take Over, but there is dormant demonic tissue everywhere thorough her body." Mira had a lot of experience with demons although she excelled at lower ranking ones, not those from the books of Zeref.
"I don't understand." Sting didn't look too well, considering her had come back with Mirajane in the vehicle.
"Think of it like poison that is completed ingrained into her body. As long as they are fed magic energy, they can generate demonic energy, curses, and that will slowly turn her into a demon." Mira was taking a little leap of faith with her theory.
"Can't we remove those parts?"
"It would be like removing over half of her body, just to get to the parts on the inside. I don't know of any magic that could let her live through something like that." Mira shook her head. "We can only hope that Levy finds some kind of curse lifting spell or ritual to either kill or neutralize the demonic tissue."
"But you said you can at least temporarily make her better, right? Can you do it right now?"
Mira froze for a second and then averted her eyes. "I can. Take Over usually ends with me absorbing the entire organism and assimilating them into magic energy. I obviously cannot do that with Minerva, so it'll require a more... intense process."
Yukino, who had stood next to Sting the entire time, caught on to Mira's body language and blushed.
"I'm sure she won't mind. Just help her." Sting said and kept standing there, blissfully unaware to what Mira meant with intense.
"Do you think you could leave the room?" She wasn't going to do that in front of someone.
"Why? I can tell Rufus to not memorize your magic if that worries you."
"That's not it. How do I say this... it's a really intense process. And it requires me to undress Minerva."
"I've walked in on her in the bath before, so there really is nothing-" Sting was finally brought up to speed by Yukino who reluctantly whispered in his ear and Sting turned furiously red. "I'll wait outside." Walking away like a robot, Yukino also excused herself and left the room.
Taking a deep breath, Mira had feared that incredible denseness was an inherent trait of all male dragonslayers. Pulling back Minerva's covers, Mira proceeded to strip her of all clothing. I wish the door had a lock, Mira thought before she shed her own clothes and got on top of the naked Minerva.
Feeling the heat from the mage's hips, Mira felt undeniably excited from this. A few years back, when Erza and she had been teens, she had gained some experience in how to please a woman. "Take Over." Whispering the words, Mira moved her hands in expert fashion over Minerva's skin, from her calves to her hips, tiny portions of demonic energy seeping out of the woman's skin whenever she touched and slowly flowing into Mira.
Are her breasts even bigger than mine? She looks much more beautiful when asleep compared to when I saw her at the grand magic games. Those were just two of many rather erotic thoughts that raced through Mira's mind.
Pulling the covers up around her shoulders, Mira pushed down on Minerva, their breasts pressing against each other and the black haired woman letting out a moan despite her unconscious state. Extracting demonic energy like that was only really possible when both bodies were in a state of ecstasy.
Rubbing against Minerva with her whole body, Mira slowly but forcefully slid her hand alongside the woman's sides, past her breasts all the way up to her cheek. A lot of the energy is piled up here... it's too much for a touch. It just didn't feel right kissing an unconscious woman, but she had little choice.
There was no response from Minerva so the kiss felt lonely and plain. With a gasp, Minerva finally opened her mouth and a black mist surged forth, out of it and into Mira's mouth. To the take over specialist, this level of demonic energy was no more than a single cup of beer was for Cana. A single drop in a desert.
And right after, Minerva opened her eyes, regaining consciousness. Too weak, from the sudden change inside her body, Minerva couldn't shake the naked woman she didn't recognize but was laying on top of her. Her voice didn't obey her either. It was as if something had worked her vocal cords with sandpaper.
"I'm Mirajane, from Fairy Tail. Sting came to ask us for help after you collapsed. You have Demon Pestilence. It's not contagious but while I cannot cure you, I can take the symptoms away and reset the progression of the disease to zero, for about a day." Mira blushed a little and rolled off Minerva, whose eyes followed Mira. "And this situation... is because it takes some very intense and intimate contact to take the demonic energy from you without taking over your entire body."
Seeing as Minerva still couldn't speak, Mira assumed that the slowing breathing and relaxed breathing meant that Minerva understood the situation. "I am really sorry but this method is all I can use."
Minerva closed her eyes for three long seconds before opening them again. She couldn't voice her thoughts but at least she could think in peace now. This beats turning into a demon again and going back off the rails. At least the woman taking care of me is not Erza. I would not live on with the shame.
Mira resumed her cleansing and move her hands over Minerva's body, who was getting visibly excited, sweating and breathing harder. "I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable for you, but it is the only way to prevent you from getting worse. My friends are looking for a cure right now."
Minerva gasped when she felt Mira's hand squeeze her breasts. She had never been intimate with anyone, and while it was kind of erotic, Mira was being very professional about it, at least Minerva got that impression. I hope this does not turn into something unseemly.
Just seconds after that thought had passed, the door flew open and Erza came marching in. Having just arrived she insisted so strongly to check how Mira and Minerva were doing without knowing what they were doing.
The commotion she was causing had lead to most of the high ranking Sabertooth members being collected around the entrance to the room. And since Minerva's bed was right in the center of her rather spacious lodging, everyone had a good view of two piles of clothes and two women with bare shoulders in bed.
Erza however was completely unimpressed by this and marched up to the bed. A single glare towards the door caused at the very least all the men to suddenly remember all sorts of important activities they should be doing, coincidentally very far away from the Lady's room.
"So?"
"I'm... taking care of it." Mira was very uncomfortable being naked in bed with Minerva while Erza watched. But she couldn't just grab the covers and cover up because that would leave Minerva completely naked.
"Very good." Erza looked at Minerva, who was seemingly dying of shame. "There is nothing to fret about, Mira is a specialist in demonic energy."
That isn't the problem here, you oaf!, Minerva cursed at Erza and wished her magics included telepathic communication.
"Erza, do you think you could... let me work in private?" Mira was well aware that Erza could sometimes be just as dense as Natsu.
Luckily, on this occasion, that was not the case and Erza simply nodded and walked off and finally turned around at the door. "Levy has found an ancient text that cleanses a body of all unnatural elements. It will rob her of all magic for eight days but it will also completely remove the demonic influence. She is still translating the instructions and ingredients needed, however." Erza paused and made sure that at least none of the men were listening. "I need you to take care of Minerva until we've gathered everything. It shouldn't be long." With those words, the doors closed and Fairy Tail's seventh guild master left the room.
"I... apologize for this." Mira felt a bit of guilt. "Perhaps you should invest in a lock."
I usually just seal the door with magic when I need to be left alone. Minerva very much hoped that she would get her voice back soon. And just as she thought about it, she tried to use it. "Tell me... Is this really... necessary?" They were rusty but working, her vocal cords.
"Any artificial material gets in the way of the energy flow that I need to synchronize between you and me. Bodies also need to be in an extreme situation to properly open the magic flood gates. This is the only such situation that can be used without causing magic strain at the same time, making it all pointless." Mira viewed Minerva a bit like a patient, which made her explain things with extra care.
"I see. You have a sound reason. However... You seem familiar with this." She didn't want to seem ungrateful but it piqued her curiosity.
"W-Well, I had some experience in my younger years." Mira didn't want to stick it to her face that said experience had been with Erza. "I'll continue if that's okay. There is still a lot to do."
=== Yuri Tale ===
Several hours later, Erza got sick of waiting and went to Minerva's room again to check on her. Yukino was found standing guard outside, informing Erza that Mirajane had fallen asleep by Minerva's side and that the Lady, too, was asleep and it would be bad manners to wake them.
Asking Yukino to not let anyone in, Erza spend the remainder of the day talking to other Sabertooth members about how Minerva was doing. It did look like she had turned over a new leaf.
It was already dark and the city had gone to rest, along with many of the guild members, when the communication lacrima lit up and a worn out Levy reported back to her master. "What did you find?"
"Hours and hours of archaic ancient Riyurian texts detailing the procedure and ingredients. If this was a job it would be more than a super S rank request." Rubbing her eyes and emptying the last cup of coffee she had, Levy knew she had to talk to Erza again in the morning. "There are five ingredients we need, all of which are going to be a real problem to get."
"Tell me. I doubt there is anything our guild cannot reach."
"First, we need the ash from a burned champion's torch from the Gladiator tournament in Kenfia. That nation is incredibly strict about who can enter the country, much less who can enter their tournament. It's a tiny country about three hundred kilometers to the north east of Fiore and you have to pass a swordsmanship exam to even enter the country, and another to enter the tournament. And then of course we need the Champion's torch, meaning that we have to win the tournament."
Erza frowned. "That is incredibly specific. But it should pose no challenge if I go."
"The tournaments is for teams of two. And if whoever goes with you fails the test, you too will be barred from entering the country or tournament for eight years."
Erza paused a moment. "What else do we need?"
"A pulverized marriage charm from a marriage between giants." Levy felt a yawn coming on and excused herself for a second. Erza wondered how many of the others were even still awake at this hour. "We know about the giant village where the eternal flame is, so at least we don't have to look for one. But giants live hundreds of years, which means-"
"A marriage between giants only happens every few decades or so." Erza saw this as a much bigger problem than the tournament. "In any case, Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Wendy went there. Send them."
"The third ingredient is water from a special lake that is surrounded by a magical mountain range that doesn't allow anyone to enter that have seen more than thirty fairy solstices. I had to look up what a fairy solstice is. It's the seasonal equivalent of the change between the long summer days and the short winter days of a southern island. Essentially, it means fifteen years. Anyone older than that won't be able to enter."
"We only have Wendy, Romeo and Asuka that fit that restriction. We'll send Wendy there and have Romeo-"
"That won't work." Levy interrupted the knight. "The lake and it's shores are populated by dryads, nymphs basically, and they're an all-female race. They react with intense aggression to males which is why no males ever enter, although they could."
"Sending Wendy alone seems too risky, especially since none of us can go to back her up in case something happens."
"I've had Warren ask Wendy and Cheria is just barely under the age restriction for now. Those two can go."
"I don't know how I feel about getting people from other guilds involved in this." Erza was fully aware of how close Wendy and Cheria were, those two having lived together for close to a year when Fairy Tail had been disbanded. If anyone could go with Wendy, it was Cheria.
"There are no real alternatives. The next ingredients is not so much restrictive as it is dangerous. We need the canine of a Thunder God Tiger, a peaceful but incredibly powerful beast that lives in the Lightning Plains far to the south-east. We have nobody but Laxus and his team to send there."
"The part about it being a peaceful beast worries me. Laxus is not exactly a paragon of patience."
You're one to talk, Levy thought to herself. "And the last ingredient is the one that worries me the most by far. There is a tiny, tiny island nation to the south west of Fiore. The texts were a little vague on it so I went and looked through the library for more information." Levy took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Anyone who enters that island has their gender reversed while they are there and another day for twelve hours they stay there. The ingredient we need is called Dew of Unnatural Love and I couldn't find anything about it in any of the books. Even the instruction texts only mention that the people who procure the ingredient adamantly refuse to ever talk about their experiences on that island."
"Can anyone go there?"
"There are requirements to enter. First, only unmarried individuals, of either gender, can enter. Second, to pass the entrance gate you have to bring someone of the opposite gender and someone of your opposite personality each. That means, you need at least two people whose personalities are opposites and of the same gender and two more people whose personalities are opposites and of the same gender but the other gender from the first two."
"That sounds like a pain. How does anyone go there at all?"
"If you sign up to stay forever, your gender will be reversed permanently, even if you leave somehow, but you can enter alone. I don't think that is really an option for us though."
"I can think of four people that fit the bill but I am getting nightmares just thinking about it."
"The entire island is covered by a magic dampener, so even if they wanted to, they can't wreck much havoc."
"That too would give me nightmares, but just imagining them in reversed genders is giving me shivers." Erza just had trouble with this idea and mission. "Is there any other way to-"
"No. The texts lamented that issue too, saying that the other tasks felt almost mundane in comparison. This is why I said it's a series of super S rank quests."
"Let me think about how to distribute the teams." Erza rubbed her temple. Usually, she'd pick people rather easily but the harsh restrictions everywhere made this a pretty big problem.
"Talk to you tomorrow." Levy closed the connection and fell right asleep at the table she had been sitting.
=== Yuri Tale ===
Erza's instructions had been clear. And as much as everyone had moaned and bitched about it, they were following her orders. Except the last team that had to go to Shuffle Island. Two of it's members adamantly refused to go, even if it killed them.
"Okay, I'll tell Erza that she has to come all the way back to the guild, leave Mira alone and postpone her own mission to talk some sense into you." Levy knew how to push their buttons.
Natsu and Gray both imagined the same horrifying scene of an immeasurably pissed off Erza beating sense into them. "O-On second thought, how bad could it be, right Gray?"
"Y-Yeah, what's the harm in being a woman for a day or so, right?"
As strong as they had become, Erza was still up and above them, not to mention that she was the master to boot. The remaining two members were a bit calmer about it but still not comfortable with the idea. "As long as I can drink I don't think I'll care too much." Cana tried to cheer herself up.
"Between this and being imprisoned naked at Tartarus, I don't know what is worse." Lisanna was not happy either.
The four left, in a hurry, before Levy got through to Erza. The leader of team shadow gear looked at the rather empty guild hall and felt a bit lonely.
Erza was going to Mermaid Heel to pick up Kagura, the only other sword user of comparable skill to herself. The two of them were heading towards Kenfia, the holy land of swordsmanship, to win the tournament and obtain the champion's torch.
Lucy, Juvia and Laki were heading towards the giant's village the guild had saved over a year ago. Seeing Flare again put both a happy smile on Lucy's face and hope in her mind that she could somehow talk the giants into giving them what they needed.
Wendy and Cheria had finished their job in a hurry and were heading straight to the Lake of the Elder Tree to obtain the water from the lake.
Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen and Elfman were heading towards the Lightning Plains to collect a canine from a legendary beast, the Thunder God Tiger.
Natsu, Gray, Cana and Lisanna were heading, via ship, much to Natsu's misfortune, to Shuffle Island, to obtain the Dew of Unnatural Love.
During the time their missions were going on, Levy was to handle official business at the guild and communications between teams.
Mirajane was staying at the Sabertooth guild with Minerva, who was, for the time being, unable to use her magic without causing a drastic acceleration of the Demon Pestilence.
Spread out across the entire continent and beyond, Fairy Tail was hunting for a cure for an old enemy. All things considered, nothing too unusual for that rather unorthodox guild.
=== To be Continued Maybe ===