Yukino of Fairy Tail chapter 01: New Home
BW: I think I've fallen for Yukino. That's why I'm writing this story. This is just an AU, though, so don't expect me to follow the canon plot of Fairy Tail. I'm not planning to write everything else that happened in the Grand Magic Games arc. Just imagine everything that happened in the arc expect Yukino isn't in the Holy Knights, and doesn't return to Sabertooth. After all, this is a story about Yukino joining Fairy Tail, right?
(I don't own Fairy Tail)
"Take of everything." ordered Jiemma, the Guild Master of Sabertooth to Yukino.
"Yes, as you wish…" complied Yukino, who immediately begins to, slowly, and hesitantly, take of her clothes. All of them. Due to betting her life in just one match in the Grand Magic Games, and losing that match in the tournament, Master Jiemma is furious, mostly because she lost, which shamed the guild she is affiliated with. He clearly has low tolerance for failure and weakness, and wants his guild to be on top no matter what. Which means, no weaklings allowed in the guild.
Now, after taken everything off, right in front of her guild mates, she stands there, humiliated and frustrated. She felt some of their eyes on her bare back.
The eyes she's afraid of most are the master's eyes, as he coldly glares at the Sabertooth insignia on her left waist. Yukino had her eyes lowered for two reasons. One, so she didn't want to show disrespect for the master, and two, she was too scared to look him in the eye.
"Erase your guild emblem, and leave!" Jiemma ordered viciously. He held nothing back. His word as guild master is absolute. To be his guild, you must be strong. The weak have no business in Sabertooth.
Yukino visibly winched. She finally managed to gain acceptance into the Sabertooth Guild, has been in the guild for at least a year, and now she's being cruelly kicked out by the same man who accepted solely for her abilities, nothing more. Now, he has her naked, humiliated and embarrassed, and thrown out like trash.
"Y-Yes, sir…" Yukino weakly said. She began shivering, trying desperately to muster up the courage to say what she wanted to before leaving the guild. "I… may not have been here for very long, but I thank you for everything…"
"Shut up and get out of my sight, piece of trash!" Jiemma coldly dismissed, wanting her to get as soon as possible.
Yukino quickly got the message. She picked up her neatly folded clothes next to her, and walked away to erase her insignia, all while ashamed to look her former guild mates in the eye.
Now in her room, with her emblem now erased using her own magic, a casually dressed Yukino packs up her things, getting ready to leave and never return.
She tried to stay strong, as crying, even here is a weakness the Master of Sabertooth will not tolerate. No, she's not a Sabertooth wizard anymore. She's just a guild-less wizard now. Still, she refused to let the tears flow. If she really wants to be strong, she must not shed a single tear.
Well, since it has come to this, it's time to go see Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail, who happens to be a Celestial Mage just like Yukino, only Lucy has ten of the Zodiac Gate Keys, while Yukino has only Pieces and Libra, and the Thirteenth Gate Key. Yukino believes her spirits will be happier with Lucy, whom she believes to be far superior a Celestial Mage, since she loves all of her spirits and the spirit love her just as much. Plus, Lucy can upon the gate that could potentially change the entire world.
She was going to give them to her at the end of the tournament, but Yukino decided now should be the best time, since she no longer has a tournament to compete in, and she no longer belongs to a guild.
(-Later That Night-)
And so, Lucy refused to take her keys, saying that the bond and trust shared with a Zodiac spirit is sacred to the owner, and she couldn't, wouldn't break such a thing.
"Bond and trust… such an odd choice of words…" Yukino whispered, as she wondered aimlessly with her suitcase beside her. Nothing has gone as planned today. She lost her first match, and she was kicked out of her guild, both of which were humiliating enough. Well, at least Lucy refusing to accept her keys had a positive note on it. But still, the words "bond" and "trust" still lingered in her mind. She was never used to bonding with, or trusting in others, mainly because she found it difficult to find people she can really trust.
"The only bond I ever had was with my sister… the only people I can trust are my spirits… I don't even know if sister's alive or dead…" Yukino said to herself, coming to an abrupt stop. "Come to think of it, I don't think I ever made friends while I was in Sabertooth, did I?" she muttered, "What am I saying? I've never had a single person I can call a friend. All because I bring back luck to everyone around."
Sure enough, Yukino never did make friends in Sabertooth, and not just because she had difficulty to find any she could trust. The members of Sabertooth really cared about only themselves and staying the strongest. Making friends would be pointless if you want to be the strongest guild in the Fiore.
At least Sting and Rogue were trustworthy to an extent. She could feel it. Then again, she was never really close to them, so she can't know for sure. Rogue's Exceed companion, Frosch, had a liking to her, but never really spend time with her.
She had a feeling she can genuinely trust Lucy, and maybe even her friends in Fair Tail.
"Hey, wait up!" "Wait up!" two voice called to her. She turned and saw Natsu and his cat friend Happy running/flying up to her.
"Natsu-sama… Happy-sama…" Yukino whispered, somewhat surprised to see them.
After catching up to her, Natsu puts on a friendlier grin "Hey, sorry about earlier. You're not a bad person after all, huh?"
Yukino's eyes widen in shock.
"You see, Natsu thought you were one of the bad guys since you're with Sabertooth." explained Happy.
"That's why I'm here to apologize!" Natsu retorted to Happy. He wasn't happy with how his blue cat friend worded it.
"Apologize…?" Yukino repeats, still confused. Is he apologizing for his rudeness earlier when she spoke with Lucy? She didn't really mind, since Fairy Tail and Sabertooth are rivals, and he believed she was still with them. Naturally, he'd be suspicious of her every action. Why she wanted to see Lucy is no different. But, to hear him apologize about his earlier aggression. No one has ever done that before.
"Yeah, my bad." Natsu apologized with another one of his big grins.
"That's weak!" Happy yelled. Seconds later, he calms down. "Well, I guess you can say he's matured a little now."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Natsu retorts to Happy.
"You went to all the trouble to chase after me, just so you can apologized to me…?" Yukino asked Natsu, her voice low, and eyes shadowed by her bangs.
"Uh, well, you looked really gloomy, and I thought maybe I did or said something to make you feel bad." Natsu said, feeling awkward and lightly scratching his cheek.
"No. If anything, I should be the one saying sorry…" Yukino replied, with her voice starting to shake.
"Yeah no! You saying sorry is kinda putting me on the spot, ya know." Natsu chuckled nervously. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for Yukino suddenly bursting into tears.
She tried her best to hold it in, but after being shown such kindness, she couldn't do it anymore. She felt the tears fall from her watering eyes. She clamped them shut, and even, so still shed her tears.
"Crying just makes it worse!" Natsu yelled, instantly getting shocked about making a girl cry and he has no idea why.
"W-What's wrong?!" an equally shocked Happy asked.
"I… I just can't…" Yukino collapsed to her knees, "No one has ever this kind to me before…"
"Huh?"
"I've always wanted to join Sabertooth, and I finally joined up just last year…" Yukino sobbed, "Now I can't go back there anymore… I lost only once and they kicked me out!" she reveals, crying into her hands as she did.
Natsu froze all movement upon hearing this.
"I was forced to strip naked in front of everyone… and then, I was forced to remove my emblem… It was so embarrassing and frustrating! My pride and memories were shattered in an instant! Despite all of that, I don't have anywhere else I can go!"
Natsu and Happy found themselves listen intently on the sobbing girl's story. They couldn't fathom that kind of guild, who would humiliate and kick out their own members. Happy could only muster a sympathetic expression. Meanwhile, Natsu grew angry. No guild of wizards should ever treat their own like that, not even over a lose in the games.
"Sorry. I don't know how it works in other guilds…" Natsu said.
"Natsu…" Happy looks up at his friend's face. He knew his Dragon Slayer friend well. He could tell right away that he's not in a good mood after hearing that story.
"Yes… I'm sorry, I just…" Yukino said, still letting her sorrowful tears out. She didn't mean to make Natsu listen to her pitiful sob story, but she wasn't able to hold them in. She didn't know what to do.
"I'm from another guild, but I'm wizard too, so I can understand." Natsu balls up his fists, "Being humiliated, and having to erase your guild insignia has to leave you bitter, huh! A guild who makes their own friends cry shouldn't be called a guild at all!" the Dragon Slayer declared.
Yukino looks up at Natsu's angered face, and the passion in his eyes. He's completely serious about what he said. "Friends…" she thought. Even though she was from a different guild, Natsu still feels sorry for her. And he's angry about how was treated. His anger is real. He means every word he says. Does he think of her as a friend now?
Moments later, Natsu storms off to the inn Sabertooth was lodging at to settle the score on Yukino's behalf.
(-The Next Morning-)
Yukino continued to wonder around Crocus aimlessly. True, she has nowhere she can return to. She has enough money to stay at an inn, but right now, she's trying to figure out what to do with her life now.
As she walked, she heard people talking about an attack on Sabertooth's inn. Some of them laugh about how stupid it was to tangle with them. Yukino, however, put several pieces together in her head. Natsu's angry reaction to what happened to her last night + the attack on Sabertooth.
"Natsu-sama…" Yukino mumbled, looking up toward the sky above. "He didn't do it for me, did he…?"
"Yes, he did." said an old man's voice.
Surprised by the voice, Yukino began looking around for the one who just called out to her.
"Down here." said the voice. Yukino looks down and sees the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Makarov. "Hi." he said simply.
"You're…"
"I am Makarov Dreyar, the current guild master of Fairy Tail. And you must be Miss Yukino Aguria, correct?" Makarov asked in a friendly tone.
"Y-Yes…" Yukino nodded respectfully to the elderly master.
"Yukino… I heard about your predicament from Natsu and his team." said Makarov with a serious tone, deciding now would be the best time to get down to business, "Words cannot express how sorry I am that you had to suffer such treatment. No one should have to endure that kind of treatment. Not even from their own guild. It's unforgivable."
"It's alright, Makarov-sama. You don't need to feel sorry for me." Yukino said, "I didn't mean for Natsu to attack Sabertooth last night. But, when I told him everything, he…"
"Don't worry. I know that boy well. He did what he thought was right. He told me you're a good person, and that's why he came to your defense. Although, I'm not really happy about what he did…" the calmness in his voice began to shake with anger, until he eventually explodes, "I mean, WHAT was that dunderhead thinking, attacking Sabertooth in the middle of the night?! He was lucky he didn't hurt any of the five members participating in the games, otherwise we'd disqualified! Why, I have half mind to tear his head off!" the Master yelled, throwing a childish tantrum all around the area.
The nearby townspeople noticed this, and walked away, trying to pretend they hadn't seen a thing.
"M-Makarov-sama…" Yukino sweat dropped.
"A-Anyway…" the master coughs, calming himself down before speaking, "He thinks very highly of you. That's likely why he did what he did. As does Lucy. They believe you are a good person. I believe so too."
"Thank you, Makarov-sama." Yukino gave a small smile.
Makarov smiled widely, chuckling, "So my dear, what will you do now that you're on the outs with Sabertooth?"
"I don't know. I'm still figuring that part out. I've always admired Sabertooth, and I managed to get in, but now I'm no longer welcome there. The only thing I'm good for is trouble and bad luck, and I've caused shame to Sabertooth for losing that match. I've shown weakness. I'm not strong, like you or Sabertooth…" tears began well up in Yukino's eyes again. This is the second time she had to admit her own feelings. She didn't know what it is with these Fairy Tail wizards, but something about them makes her want to tell them everything, her feelings, hardships, anxiety.
"Nonsense, child! The master of that guild is misguide! Strength alone does not make a guild. It's family!" Makarov declared, his friendly smile disappearing instantly. He remained calm and stoic in the face of the crying girl in front of him.
"Family?" Yukino asked, looking surprised by the word itself.
"Yes. The stronger the bonds and trust between us are, the stronger the guild is as a whole. We stand by each other, we support each other, we laugh and cry together. That's what makes Fairy Tail a family."
"Family…"
"And if you want, you can join our family." Makarov offered with another smile, "Join us in Fairy Tail."
"M-Me? Join Fairy Tail?" Yukino gasped, "I-I can't! I was with Sabertooth, I'm basically an enemy to your guild!"
"Not anymore. Remember, you were expelled from Sabertooth, right? Plus, Natsu and Lucy both personally vouched for you. You have nothing to fear." Makarov assures.
"But… I bring bad luck with me everywhere I go. I bring misfortune to other people. If I were to join your guild, I would surely be more trouble for you…" Yukino's tears started to fall again.
"That's not a problem. Everyone makes a mistake or two. It won't bother anyone. Besides…" Makarov paused. A gloomy cloud hovers over his head. "Fairy Tail has a tendency to bring trouble wherever it goes too… so you'll fit right in."
Yukino didn't know what to say. No has ever offered her the chance to join another guild. She certainly never expected the Guild Master of Fairy Tail to come up to her and ask her to join said guild. And he's doing it so kindly. She stood there, silently letting more of her tears fall.
"Of course it's your own choice. I won't try to force you." said Makarov.
"No. I would very much like to join your guild, Master Makarov." Yukino said immediately, no hesitation in sight. Fairy Tail doesn't sound so bad now. A guild that's so warm and friendly sounds like the kind of family she's searched for.
"Are you sure? If I recall, you always wanted to join Sabertooth, correct?"
"Yes. I wanted to join Sabertooth, and I finally did. But, after my stunning failure, I can't go back there now. I might as well join a guild who can look passed my failures. Besides…" Yukino paused to wipe her tears away, "I want to repay the kindness Natsu-sama and Lucy-sama have shown me."
Makarov remained stoic for about five seconds before his stoic expression melted away. Touched by the girl's words, he grew puppy eyed, "Those two kids were right. You are a nice person!"
"But, I don't want to join just yet. I'll wait until after the tournament is finished, and then I'll join up." said Yukino.
"It's up to you, my dear." Makarov smiled, "I'd like it if you can come cheer for Natsu and the others. I'm sure they'd like that too."
"Yes. I would be more than glad too." Yukino nodded. Before she even knew it, Makarov had grabbed her hand, and pulled her along with him.
"Then what're we waiting for?! Let's go see what's happening at the tournament arena!" Makarov yelled while dashing off, with Yukino in toe.
"W-Wait, Master Makarov!" Yukino protests would be ignored, since Makarov was more eager to get back to the games than to wait around town. He is most definitely different from Master Jiemma. Makarov openly displays kindness, even to a stranger, while Jiemma only shows aggression. Makarov may get angry with his wizards' antics, but Jiemma is angry all the time, and was always hard on Yukino when she didn't meet his expectations. That match yesterday proved no different. She bet her life on the match, which was pointless, ended losing said match, angered the master of Sabertooth, and in the end, was kicked out of the Sabertooth guild.
Makarov doesn't seem to care if someone from his guild loses a match, or show any form of weakness. No, he doesn't in the slightest. He's wise and just master. He treats his guild like family, and his wizards love him much like a father. Yukino found it impossible to think otherwise about join Fairy Tail. This is a decision she knew wouldn't regret. She's well on her way to becoming a Fairy Tail wizard, and she wouldn't regret it for the world. She found herself smiling with joy. She found a new home. She's already looking for to it.
BW: That ends chapter 01. Chapter 02 is on its way very shortly.