A/N: I wanted to take a jab at a Fairy Tail fic. I hope you enjoy, and please review!
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not of my possession, it is Hiro Mashima's. Most of the real information used was taken from the Fairy Tail anime and the wiki.
一
A young Jude Heartfilia raced down the worn dirt path of his town. Shirotsume was his fortress; he was born and raised here. Several townspeople chuckled.
As a quiet mountain community, Shirotsume had a quaint feel to it. Its buildings were similar in construction to the ones in Magnolia, with several large mansions that housed the feudal lord and other majorities of the region.
"That Jude's a fast one," one said.
"He's the Heartfilia's winner," stated another.
The speedy Heartfilia, a decade old, had his arms wrapped around a bundle of groceries. Insistently, he had negotiated with his father, the owner of a successful bookstore, magic shop, and apothecary all in one, to get the bag of various vegetables for the day's supply. Equipped with directions to bring the bag to his mother, ten-year-old Jude located the townhouse that was his mother's work.
His mother had inherited the large building, with a beautiful façade and spacious rooms, when her parents were taken captive by a terminal illness. She had resided in the house until she met the charming Rocco Heartfilia, whom she married. Rocco's parents favored the young bride, and they bought a lakeside residence that became Jude's humble abode. Lianne Heartfilia's inheritance was now being used as living quarters, and she was the landlady in charge.
Six clients total, each with their own private bathroom and kitchenette. Jude waited patiently in the reception foyer for his mother, who was doing some upkeep and collecting the monthly rent: 45,000 Jewel. He sat down in a comfortable chair that faced the elegant staircase that led up to the tenant quarters.
"Mama! Where are you?" Impatient after a mere five minutes, Jude had begun to pace.
A sweet voice reached the boy's ears. "You're here already? Oh, wait! I'll be down shortly! Miyuki-obaa-san is paying me!"
Jude was about to storm out of the house when his mother came bounding down the stairs, documents in hand. With deft motions, she planted a kiss on her son, took the bag of leafy greens out of his arms, and retreated upstairs, saying, "Go back to your father's shop, honey. I'll be there in time for lunch."
The prospect of working in his father's shop always excited him. There he made friends, both old and young, and at the young age of ten, he could run the shop when his father was elsewhere or ill. The only skill he had not acquired was managing the money and the business.
Nonetheless, he pushed open the heavy doors of the townhouse and skipped down the path to his father's business. It was a Wednesday, a weekday, so it was considerably less busy than other days. He had just greeted his father when a man came in to look at the magic supplies. The man was rather short, and had a mountain of yellow hair.
"You have somethin' to heal a mage up?" The man's clothes were tattered, and he looked exhausted.
Rocco rummaged through his mage supplies. "What kind of injuries?"
Sighing, the customer described the condition of his team. His team was on the way back to Magnolia after a long mission, and currently they were camping outside of Shirotsume. The mission involved securing a Dark Guild's headquarters for the Magic Council. The guild possessed powerful magic, including Nullifying Magic and Rapture Magic. After days of fighting, the four-man squad conquered the guild, but they were left with injuries. One member was also suffering from Magic Deprivation. The team had made it to the outskirts of the town, where the strongest member was sent to look for medication.
Impulsively, Jude blurted out, "What guild are you from? You must be really really strong to beat the Dark Guild! Ooo, it must be cool to be in a guild!"
"Son," his father reprimanded, "do not speak out of turn, and especially in front of a guest!"
The man laughed. "Aha, don't worry 'bout it, sonny. Me, I'm Makarov. Makarov Dreyar, from Fairy Tail."
Staring in shock, the father and son looked at Makarov, who just stared back. Jude was the first to speak.
"THE Fairy Tail? The strongest guild in Fiore?"
Dreyar grinned. "Yep, that's us. And, um, medicine?"
"Jude-kun! Rocco-kun!" Lianne Heartfilia came swiftly to the shop. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Makarov. Giving her husband a questioning look, she began to file through her clients' paperwork.
"Honey, this man is Makarov Dreyar from Fairy Tail. He and his team are badly injured, and as the most able, he came to town to seek medical attention. Jude, find something for Magic Deprivation in the apothecary book."
"They're really strong, Mama!" Jude sat down at a desk, and flipped open the heavy tome.
"I'm sure they are, sweetheart." She patted her son's hair down and pointed at a listing in the contents. "There. Page 434. I have to go now." She turned to her husband and the client. "Mind if I invite the Fairy Tail team to our house? They could get some rest there, some food, shelter, just for a few nights. The inn's full, too. It's filled with travelers and mages, and Miriam-san is too-" she broke off as her husband gave her a hard look. She was rambling again.
Makarov pondered the offer. "I would love to decline, but we're too beat up to go any farther. So yeah. I hope you don't mind it."
Lianne grinned. "Not at all. Please, come and find your comrades-"
A scraggly group of three other people, two supporting the third, a woman, stopped in front of Makarov, who exploded.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? I TOLD YOU TO STAY WHERE YOU WERE AND LET PORLYUSCIA REST!"
A tall man answered. "Makarov, she was complaining that she couldn't do anything. Our only healer, wiped out. Yajima-san wanted to find you."
The other member, Yajima piped up. "Yes, what Rob-san says is true. We need to do something for Porlyuscia quickly."
The Heartfilias interjected. "I've just made an offer to let the team stay at our house. My husband's going there now. Right, honey?"
"Uh, ah, yes?! Do you need help with anything along the way?"
"No. We should be fine until we reach your house." Rob said, checking on the pink-haired woman.
Rocco began to lead the tattered group to his residence, which caused many strange looks from the crowd. Passersby were not uncommon, but to be as beat-up as this, it was rare.
Jude piped up from his place of study. "Mama! I found it!"
Turning from the departing group, Lianne leaned over her son's shoulder. "Ah, good job, honey. That's the one. Now, can you memorize the names of the herbs? Then we can make it without having to keep going back and forth."
With the titles of herbs and its needed quantities, the mother and son prepared to make the medicine.
"Now, tear these leaves up."
"Why, Mama? Can't she just eat them?"
"Aha, no she cannot. She'll choke on the herbs. That's why I'm having you tear up the leaves."
"To make tea?"
"Right on. She can drink the tea, so it's more effective."
With a basketful of dried herbs in hand, the duo walked down the busy street, where the marketplace was humming with action. A few greetings was all that was needed for an easy passage.
Turning down an alleyway, the shortcut led directly to the lakeside path, where the Heartfilia's house was located. At a leisurely speed fit for a ten-year old, they reached the house in under ten minutes.
Lianne found the house to be under control. Rocco had given them some spare clothes to change into, and he was serving some of his wife's red bean soup. Young Jude was given the task of entertaining the guests and making them feel welcome.
Soon Porlyuscia was in bed after the administration of the herbal tea. Makarov, Rob, and Yajima were free to own devices, which included taking Jude down to the river and exploring. Dinner was served as soon as the sun had set, and Rocco had bought some beer to welcome the Fairy Tail team.
"Aha! Wonderful hospitality!" Makarov split the jug into four equal portions.
Yajima raised his cup. "With battered bodies and clear minds, thank you, Rocco!" The four cups clashed together, and laughter erupted.
It continued long into the night, with Lianne hearing the ruckus while tending to Porlyuscia upstairs, and Jude unable to sleep, for Makarov had given him a taste of the bitter liquid, and the effects were kicking in. He was woozy and dizzy, but unable to sleep. The bitter liquid threatened to come up, but after a restless hour Jude finally tamed his stomach and fell asleep, tired.
Groggy, the boy awoke automatically at first light. The effects of the golden liquid burned off as he became active. Changing and following his morning routine, Jude prepared to head downstairs, where he heard movement.
The spectacle he saw was puzzling. Four men, sprawled out in his living room, smelling of the familiar liquid, occupied Jude's sight. His mother was already downstairs, cleaning up the dining table and brewing tea for Porlyuscia.
"Good morning, Mama," Jude eyed the heap of men on the floor.
"Morning, honey." She handed him a tray with a steaming teapot and matching cups. "Take this to Porlyuscia, please. I'll handle this downstairs. Don't forget to knock!"
"One cup, Mama?"
"Yes. Pour it for her and greet her. She knows what to do. She's a healer too."
"Okay!" Jude carefully ascended the stairs to Porlyuscia's room, set down the tray and knocked gently.
A voice came from the inside. "Come in!"
The door opened to find the pink-haired woman upright in her bed. As instructed, Jude prepared a cup of the tea, greeted her, and left her to her own devices.
Upon reaching the ground level, Lianne Heartfilia had cleaned up most of the previous night's mess, with the exception of the four men.
Innocently, Jude raised a question. "What made Papa and the Fairy Tail men like that?"
"Alcohol," Mama said scornfully. "Beer and the like. It should only be used for medicinal purposes, but the party's no fun without it."
"Is it bitter?"
Lianne looked at her son suspiciously. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Because Makarov gave me some yesterday, and it didn't taste very good. I don't know how they can drink it."
Lianne sighed in defeat. "Let's open up your father's shop, and I'll deal with the imbecile later."
"What's an imbecile?"
"Don't worry about that, honey, we need to open the shop."
The cool October air chilled the town and shrouded it in a light fog. At its regular time, seven o' clock, Heartfilia's Books, Magic Supplies, and Apothecary opened its doors to the public.
Nearby, in Shirotsume's town square, farmers and merchants were setting up shop for the day. Lianne sent her son to buy the day's food, with guests in mind and 2500 Jewel in hand.
Armed with various cabbages, carrots, potatoes, beets, tomatoes, fresh-caught fish, butchered chicken, and much more, Jude returned to his mother triumphantly.
"Perfect," his mother praised. "Now there'll be quite the feast tonight."
The business day was on the slow side, with only the usual clients who exchanged their books for new ones. When the time for the midday meal rolled around, and Lianne was about to depart and buy their lunch, a strange figure walked up to the store.
"Urgh…ah….Honey…" The voice was garbled, but somewhat familiar and the figure smelled suspiciously of alcohol. When the sun hit the shadow's face, a misshapen Rocco Heartfilia, hunched over, was standing there. He was being pursued by the three Fairy Tail men, who were holding their stomachs and trying not to make too much of a scene.
His wife arched an eyebrow. "What good is beer? Now you've all got stomach upset. Where'd you get the booze?"
Coughing, the answer was, "The Island Bar."
"Jude. Find a solution from the medicinal book, and brew a tea from the ingredients. I'll go get lunch, and talk with Emilia-obaa-chan from the bar."
Emilia-obaa-chan was the compassionate granny who took daily strolls by the lake, and the proud owner of the busiest bar in town, the Island Bar. She loved Jude too much, since most of the other boys his age went to the academy in Magnolia. With a profound love for the feline species, she was also that one cat lady.
When Lianne had returned with two bento boxes and four cups of soup, she was glad to see that the correct medicine had been administered to the four men. She praised her son and closed the shop for lunch. Slowly, the group of six made their way to a nearby park, and broke out their lunches.
"Itadakimasu!" The cheer was half-hearted, mostly because of the hung-over men, who tried their best to keep the light miso soup down. Lianne and Jude, however, had bento boxes filled with seasoned grilled beef, steamed rice, and a serving of vegetables.
When lunch was finished, Lianne returned to manage the shop, while Jude had the task of escorting the men back home, and more importantly, check on Porlyuscia.
With the burden of groceries in hand, Jude had trouble seeing and communicating.
"Sorry about the thing earlier," Yajima apologized.
The reply was accompanied by the rustle of the basket. "It's no big deal. Mama and Papa are training me to know lots about medicine. Are you feeling better?"
Compared to their earlier state, the four men were walking easier and looked more like regular people.
"Yes. We are doing fine now," Rob said in appreciation.
"I'm glad you taught that son of yours," commented Makarov.
Rocco laughed. "Aha, yes I'm glad I did too. When he gets a little older I'm thinking for him to work in a merchant's guild, like Love and Lucky in Acalypha."
The person in question piped up. "Really? What about the shop, Papa?"
"Hold your horses, there, son. We're almost home. The shop? You'll come back and take it over, of course. It's the family business."
Jude opened up the door to find Porlyuscia brewing her own tea. "Porlyuscia-san! Are you feeling better? I can help if you're not!"
Fairy Tail's medicinal advisor smiled. "I'm doing fine. Besides, you're a little full yourself." Her face turned sour. "And where have you been lately?"
"Eh..." Yajima looked at his yellow-haired companion.
"Well, ya see," Makarov started.
Rob whispered something into Makarov's ear as Rocco shut the door, assisted his son in putting the groceries away, and avoided conversation.
"We had to get some medicine, ya see, and-"
He was cut off by Porlyuscia pulling a Heartfilia by the ear, who left his son to do the work of food storage himself.
Makarov continued. "And, uh, we got our medicine, so we're all better now."
"We also had lunch," Yajima added.
"Hmph." Porlyuscia, who still had two fingers pinched on Rocco's ear, looked at them scornfully. "I'll let you off the hook this time. But I have to say I enjoyed the quietness. You humans bother me."
"Ehhh..."
"Um…"
"Meh…?"
"Uh…"
"Porlyuscia-san, why don't you like humans? Aren't you a human?"
"Jude-kun, there are some things I can't understand either. I just find people to be annoying," she said, looking at Makarov.
Her comrade opened his mouth to retaliate, but was once again cut off by the opening of the door, through which Lianne Heartfilia entered the residence.
"Emilia-obaa-chan's causing a riot! When I told her about the bad booze, she went overboard!" Lianne weaved among the gathering to the kitchen. "She told me that her employee last night most likely purposely gave you the bad wine, so it might be something evil! She went crazy after I suggested that. We'd better go check!"
The scene in front of the Island Bar was almost hilarious to watch. Emilia-obaa-chan was wielding a broom, chasing the suspected worker around and whacking other people in painful places. The Fairy Tail group went in to catch the suspect, but only succeeded in getting a beating from a broom. Porlyuscia, the only sensible one, restrained the employee, which induced a bout of yelling from his boss.
"Why you selling the bad beer to my customers do you know what you did you made my establishment look bad now there won't be any more business you're fired!"
Much to everyone's surprise, the old granny then proceeded to strip the man down and leave him standing in his underwear for everyone to laugh at. Lianne then covered her son's eyes, and hurried home.
The Fairy Tail team's whereabouts were unknown, but they had arrived home just when dinner was ready. The Heartfilias had prepared an excellent meal, with varying vegetables, roasted meats, and wine.
As they ate, conversation commenced.
"So, while we were out and about, we decided that we would head back to Magnolia in the morning," Yajima stated.
"Why? I like you being here!"
"Jude, allow the guests to talk, please," his mother chided.
"We need to get back to the guild and get our money." Makarov shoved a juicy slice of duck into his mouth.
"And we've been gone too long. We mustn't worry Master," reminded Porlyuscia.
Rob spoke up. "But we did find something about the man from the Island Bar."
Leaning forward, Rocco looked intrigued. "What about him?"
"Well, in a well-hidden place, was the mark of the guild Phantom Lord, one of Fairy Tail's rivals."
"They may be up to no good again," Yajima said.
"But after he was laughed at, we chased him out, and he ran off with tail between legs when he found out we were from Fairy Tail. You should've seen the look on his face!" Makarov laughed heartily.
Porlyuscia sighed. "We did appreciate your hospitality in the time we were here."
"Aha, it's no big deal. Eat up, so you'll be full for the trip home."
"Mama, are you trying to make them fat?"
"Son!"
A clear autumn day greeted the travelers as they watched the sun rise over the lake with the Heartfilias. Jude was too busy sobbing to witness the sight.
"I don't wanna see them goooo," Jude managed to speak through heavy breaths.
"Jude, don't cry in front of guests," his mother chastised him.
Makarov laughed. "Aha, don't worry, my grandson's the same way."
As the majestic sun rose, the to-be travelers were laden with supplies—food, water, herbs, clothes, the like. The pink notes in the sky gradually faded, while white puffs still exited from the gathering's exhalations.
"Well, we've gotta go, bud." Makarov attempted to calm down the stubborn and still-sobbing child, but it was of no use.
Jude clung to the Fairy Tail group as they began their journey back to Magnolia. Rocco and his wife had to pry him off of Makarov, and with the help of Rob and Yajima, managed to pry the child off Makarov and bid farewell.
"Chances are, we won't be seeing you anytime soon," Porlyuscia commented.
Tears welled up as Lianne spoke. "Of course. But you will reside in our memories." Much to the pink-haired woman's surprise, she received a hug from the Heartfilia.
Rocco shook hands with the men, wishing them Godspeed. He awkwardly held his son while the group traversed past the bounds of Shirotsume.
Jude was sent upstairs to do his schoolwork. Unable to think, he stepped out of his room. The house had been scrubbed clean of the visitors, it seemed. He so badly wanted to start weeping, but remembered his mother saying that crying wouldn't get him anywhere. Personally, Jude thought that it got him pity that was enough to make him feel better. Stealthily, he crept down the stairs into the quaint space. No smell of alcohol lingered, just the scent of the aromatic candles his mother always lit.
It was as if there were never any guests there. It was so normalised that Jude was tempted to think that it was only a dream.
Shaking off his recurring memories, he opened the front door to find himself bathed in morning light.
He made his way to the shop, assuming his parents were already there. Upon arrival, Jude found that his parents were nowhere to be seen. Utterly perplexed, Jude opened shop and conducted the daily workings. He bought his own foodstuffs for the day, not knowing wether or not his caretakers would be back.
As the ten-year old was on his way back to the house from a satisfying bowl of ramen at a local noodle bar, he happened to run into a pair of exhausted Heartfilias.
"Mom! Dad! Where've you been? I gotta get you back home! You look so tired!" The trio began making its way to their house.
"Aha, son. Don't worry a bit," Rocco assured his son.
"We've been out and about. We couldn't leave a note for you since it was such a short notice. Did you open the shop? Did we run out of anything? Herbs? Pens? Books? Money?! Did you take any money?"
"I was fine the whole day, Mother," Jude insisted.
"I'm sure you were, son. Did you eat yet?"
Jude nodded and told them where and what. He found out that his parents were travelling around to find a working type guild for a certain young Heartfilia to stay for a few years in the near future. The reason for the short notice was a memo from nearby guild masters saying that it was the day to give tours of their guilds for visitors and potential members, since all its members were given a day off and the buildings were empty. Lianne said that it was a perfect opportunity for them to be looking into the future.
And those visits did occur. Over the span of the next three years, Jude often awoke at least twice a week to find his parents missing on another tour of a guild. Lianne and Rocco had made arrangements with Emilia-obaa-chan to allow their son's stay if they were not home by night, as they were oftentimes.
During those hard three years Jude learned to be resilient and hardworking, both and expert in money and business. He also hit the dreaded growth years, where he became lanky and tall, even at thirteen years of age. Certainly, he was a well-rounded young man, ready for the world. But how ready was the question on his parents' minds.
"Jude? Honey, your bags!"
"Yes, Mother, they're upstairs! I'm eatingf-" his words were muffled by bread stuffed hastily in his mouth.
"The train leaves in half an hour! Should we hurry? It's all the way across town, and you should say your goodbyes and buy things for the train ride and-"
"Mom! We have plenty of time!" Jude managed to get back between bites of bread.
Lianne Heartfilia descended from the wooden stairs with three bags containing her son's possessions. "Are you sure you're ready for the guild? You could wait if you wanted to, learn some more things, help Emilia-obaa-chan, help the tenants in the big house. But, you're guaranteed a spot nonetheless. We talked to the guild master, and he's such a nice man, and you'll fit in fine-"
"Mom. You're rambling again. And yeah, I'm ready. I want to see something different other than what we have here. Besides, what use would your searching be if I didn't go?"
Rocco sighed. "He's got a point, sweetheart. And this guild was your favourite, remember? Love and Lucky."
"Aha, yes, it is. Shall we?"
A small group was gathered on the loading deck of the train that was bound for Acalypha. Close to tears, they wished the youth a safe journey and best wishes. In return were assurances of letters and thoughts of those left behind. Lianne herself had tears streaming down her face as the train loaded with son and possession chugged out of sight into the unknown.
"Sweetheart, don't worry. We'll take a trip down there ourselves one day or another."
A reply was managed in between sniffs. "Are you sure? I'm afraid that we'll be too busy."
Conversation ensued on the platform and in the train as the last puffs of smoke faded off into oblivion, taking with it precious cargo and a fated encounter that would change the whole world.
Jude was silent; he watched the tiny specks of his parents and friends get smaller and smaller until they were ants. He stuck his head out of the open window. Up ahead, there were mountains that loomed over the setting sun. He never saw them from home; they were always too small, too insignificant.
A/N: Well, I finally got to finishing up this chapter that I wrote almost a year ago (the file history says 16 January 2015 O.o) but this is just the beginning guys! I don't remember what I was going to do with the ending, but we'll see how it goes. Please please please read and leave a review on any thoughts about this first chapter, as well as any suggestions and constructive criticism!