Hey guys!
First off, thanks for even looking at my story or reading it if you care to!
This is my first story so please feel free to review and leave comments!
I'll try to stay up to date with it, and, if you're willing to bear with it along with me, go ahead and favorite or follow this story!
*Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and all the characters*
*I own the OC*
Regardless, enjoy the story!
Some say that the world runs on power; the need to control and dominate ruling everything and everyone today. But others; they disagree. They say the world needs balance and democracy; that everyone should live and be equal. Then, there are those who simply let the wind guide them and they follow. The ones who live for a little power and mischief one day, yet long for balance and peace the next. It's these people who can either destroy the world in one swift motion or protect it for eternity. It's these people who could change the world forev—
"Shit."
A midnight blur sped through the dense forest, ever so often glancing at the crowd of spiteful men following close behind. The hooded figure dashed between thick trees, over mossy logs, and through rough shrubs, finding any way possible to lose the group in the maze.
"Tch. These damn dark guilds are going to be the death of me, I swear." The figure grumbled as they promptly turned around and extended their arms out in front of them. "Illusive Mist!" they hollered, as a dark purple seal appeared on the ground, releasing a thick, iridescent mist throughout the forest. "That should hold off those idiots long enough." The figure immediately turned back around and sprinted away.
With the sound of incessant coughing and vengeful shouting behind them, the hooded figure shook their head while looking at their red, blistering wrists. "Ugh. Why is it that you always get yourself into dangerous situations? Can't you just find some peaceful, remote forest and become an old hermit or something?" Their wrists began to glow a soft blue light, and, within seconds, the marks were gone and their skin looked like a blank canvas. "Of course, if I did that, there'd be no fun or excitement anymore," they noted with a smirk. "And heaven knows I can't live without excitement or adventure of some kind."
With one final glance at the confusion and anger seething through their mist, they chuckled to themselves and focused on their next destination. Although one adventure had seemingly closed behind them, a plethora awaited them in the lively town ahead. For their next destination was none other than Magnolia.
A multitude of shops, booths, and restaurants lined the streets of Magnolia, each one filling the town with a bubble of jovial energy. Residents and visitors alike wandered along the various pathways shopping, chatting, laughing, or enjoying themselves in general. Among the horde of people, a group of mages sauntered through, returning home after their previous job.
"Next time, we're walking. I don't think I can go on a train or car or anything anymore." The pink haired young man lurched over, covering his mouth with one hand while holding his stomach with the other. As he continued, his step waivered ever so slightly, trying to keep up with the rest of his team.
"If we do that, it'll take even longer. Plus, my feet would hurt, and taking the train is so much easier," whined the curvaceous blonde as she held her snowman-looking pet between her arms, tightening her grip at the thought of walking the entire distance.
"Yeah, flame breath." The shirtless man grumbled, crossing his arms. "Just suck it up and deal with it."
A blue cat with wings flew up beside the pink haired mage. "That's okay, Natsu! We'll fly there next time!" recommended the blue cat, as he hid his wings and began to walk beside the said mage.
"We're a team, thus we'll travel as a team. If riding on the train is an issue, I can always help with that, Natsu." Offered the scarlet haired mage, carting an immense pile of luggage.
The pink haired mage and blue cat exchanged a look of pure terror before quickening their pace. "No thanks, Erza! I'll be fine!"
"By the way Natsu, you didn't have to destroy the entire town. Now they're gonna have to rebuild everything. We could have just helped them negotiate and solved problems that way," huffed the blonde girl.
"Yeah, but Lucy, where's the fun in negotiating? Right, Happy?" Natsu, the pink haired mage, protested to Lucy, followed by a silly grin towards the blue cat.
"Aye sir! Plus, Gray and Erza helped too! It wasn't only Natsu's fault." Happy added while glancing over at Lucy, who was now pouting.
"Exactly! See Luce? Gray and Erza destroyed the town too," Natsu began as he rubbed the back of his head. "Why do you always blame me anyways? I don't destroy everythi—"
Without warning, Natsu snapped his head towards a grand commotion that was growing in the distance. With concern etched into his face, the rest of his team whipped their heads in the direction that Natsu was looking. Almost immediately afterward, a massive explosion and cloud of dust and debris appeared in that same direction, followed by an overabundance of shouting, swear words, and anger.
Natsu and the group began racing towards the site of the explosion, but stopped when they saw a cloaked figure hurdle between two fruit stands and rush past them. Their line of sight followed the character before changing back to an extensive group of vengeful men, bruises, cuts, and scars covering every inch of their bodies that weren't covered in dark fabric and chains and metal.
"Oi, get back here you brat! You can run as much as you want, but we will get you again," barked the man leading the group. He continued by looking to the men on his left and right, jerking his head towards the hooded figure. As he focused ahead towards the figure, he noticed the dead end past them, a malicious grin growing on his face. "Well, well, well. Where are you gonna go now, hmm? Just be a good girl and come with us." He mused.
Meanwhile, Natsu and his team closely followed the hooded figure and the men. "What the hell do these bastards think they are doing?" snarled Natsu, as his fists lit on fire. But just as quickly as his fists were alight, they died out as he and everyone else in the area skidded to a stop. The hooded figure had abruptly frozen, frantically glancing at the various buildings surrounding them, while the men continually closed in on them. However, with a heavy sigh and a sharp turn, the figure interlocked their fingers and shouted, "Sphere of Delusion!" Instantaneously, a large bubble-like dome appeared around the area, as to only contain the figure and the dark mages, thus excluding the rest of the city and Natsu's team.
Tch. I thought that mist would have held them off longer, and now they've destroyed part of this town. Great. The hooded figure thought as she faced the men, giving them her best death glare. Well, I've got no other choice than to fight them now. God dammit. And just when I thought I'd be clear for a while.
With that thought, the figure immediately extended her arms in front of her, once again, and bellowed, "Illusive Mist", thus producing the same iridescent mist inside the bubble. She then bounded towards the men, careful to avoid the leader, simply taking them out one-by-one with various punches, kicks, and simple spells. In one precise and rapid flip, the figure stood back in her original spot, releasing a deep sigh that was held back.
At the same time, outside of the protective dome, Natsu and his team stood watching the encounter inside. Who the hell is that person? Their magic…that magic…why is it so familiar? What the hell is going on? Natsu thought as he clenched his fist, eager to fight and eager to figure out what was going on.
No later than a minute after the bubble dome and shimmering mist had appeared, the mist dissipated to reveal only two people standing: the hooded figure and the leader of the dark mages. The rest of the men lay scattered around the dome in multiple stages of disarray. Every onlooker's eyes widened at the scene that lay before them.
Did…did she take out ALL of them by herself? Lucy thought, hand shaking as she reached towards her keys for comfort and just in case anything else happened.
Amazing. Her skill and capabilities must be immense in order to knock that many mages unconscious in only a matter of seconds. Who is she exactly? Erza thought, squinting her eyes almost as to sharpen her analysis of the situation.
She did all that by herself. Just how strong is she? Gray thought, readying himself for a possible incoming battle.
"Tch. I see you won't go down without a fight, considering you took down all my men, brat. Good thing too. Cause I wasn't planning on staying still for long anyways." The leader proclaimed with a smirk growing on his face. "Let's see just how powerful you are, little missy."
In an instant, the leader pounced towards the hooded woman with a fist glowing green. "Acidic Blast!" The hooded figure flipped backward, skidding to a stop with their hand out to balance them. The floor and area in front of her flashed and splashed green as his acid impacted the floor.
"Light apparition," she exclaimed as she rotated her palms from facing each other to facing the leader. Instantaneously, a purple and silver mirror-like wall appeared, separating the figure and the leader.
Try using your magic now, asshole. I'm done fooling around. It's about time we end this. She thought as she jumped through the illusion.
The leader took a step back, his eyes widening as he gazed upon the large reflective wall. He readied himself, joining his hands together and shouted, "Acid Rain!" A flurry of steaming green pellets showered from the sky, sliding down the shimmering wall. Yet, once the rain ceased, the wall was still standing. What the hell kind of magic is this? What a nuisance. Tch. He thought as he cautiously approached the wall.
However, by this point, the hooded figure had already snuck behind the leader and with one last blow of her magic, he fell to his knees and fell unconscious. The bubble dome that protected the town slowly dissolved away, revealing the figure standing among the mass of unconscious dark guild members.
Natsu's team's eyes widened as they saw the results of the battle that had previously ensued. As if shaking his head of any remaining thoughts, Natsu set his gaze on the figure and swiftly ran towards her.
"Yo! Nice fighting! That was some cool magic, and you took down all those guys by yourself! What guild ar—"
"Look here, kid. If you don't want to end up like your little friends there, I'd suggest you go away. Got it? I'm not looking for any more trouble." The hooded figure sharply turned away from the group, towards the one exit of the area.
Pink hair…But that's impossible. After all these years…But what the hell is he doing here? And why the hell did he join a guild? A guild of all things! She thought, sighing heavily. Regardless, even if he is Natsu, I can't stick around. Especially if he's in a guild.
"Friends? We don't know them. Besides, they're in a dark guild. We're a part of Fairy Tail!" Natsu responded with a toothy grin, eventually pointing to himself and his teammates.
The figure continued to walk away, clenching both her jaw and her fists as her annoyance began to build up. "I don't care if you're a dark guild, an independent guild, or a real guild. All guilds are same; power hungry and a nuisance. And I'm sure your Fairy Tail is no different."
At this, Natsu froze, eyes wide before clenching them shut. "What did you say? Fairy Tail ain't like all those other guilds. Power? A nuisance? Fairy Tail cares about their friends and family and others, and I won't sit by and let you or anyone tarnish Fairy Tail's name." His fury appeared as the fire surrounding his closed fists.
The figure paused their step, sensing the pink haired mage's power rising. I see you've gotten stronger Natsu, but I don't have the time, patience, nor desire to fight you. Stop being so idiotic. "As I said before, I'm not looking for any trouble and I have no intentions of fighting you or your friends. Now, I've got things to do, so if you don't mind, I'll be on my way." She resumed her walking but quickly halted and dashed to the side as she heard the other mage launch towards her with his flaming magic.
"No one gets away with insulting Fairy Tail. We're nothing like those dark guilds." Natsu growled as he turned to punch the cloaked figure with his flaming fist again.
"Tch. I told you I don't want to fight, kid. Stop causing problems, will you? I don't care about your guild or whatever. I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. If you aren't like all the other guilds, then maybe you should also stay out of trouble, idiots." The figure snarled as she avoided his punches, completely taking the defense. Natsu, cut it out. I don't want to fight you, you idiot. Stop trying to pick a fight like always… She thought as she dodged his fire dragon wing slash. Tch. Fine. If that's how it's gonna be, then I'll play your game Natsu. Just don't blame me later.
The figure jumped back and blocked his next flame punch with a glimmering shield. Unexpectedly, three other dark figures surrounded her on her right, left, and back, in addition to the fire mage and the blue cat in front of her. And within thirty seconds, a whirlwind of magic was aimed at the figure; a blend of ice make, fire dragon slayer, celestial, and sword magic. As spell after spell were aimed at her, she swiped, blocked, and dodged each one, cautious of her surroundings and analyzing the various spikes in magic energy nearby.
The five of them exchanged blows for what seemed like an eternity until Natsu and his team dodged back together.
"She stronger than she's putting out. Everyone go with their strongest attack. Natsu, go in from the front. Gray, you and I will take the sides. Lucy, come from behind. If we're able to catch her off guard or even halt her for one minute, we could beat her." Erza advised as she locked eyes with each of her teammates. "Now!" With that cue, each of the mages jumped into action summoning a great deal of magic energy and each releasing four enormously strong attacks at the hooded woman. With one final jump back, the group anxiously waited for their attacks to hit their target.
Yet as the attacks all arched towards the cloaked figure, her voice rang out amid the chaos, "Mirage of Heavenly Protection!". To many, those words were drowned in the explosions and destruction that ensued. But to one, those words couldn't have been clearer.
As the dust settled back down around the area, the team's eyes widened at the sight before them. The figure stood strong, arms extended above her, creating a massive, iridescent, translucent sphere around her. As her put her arms back down by her side and the sphere faded away, they noticed that she had no injuries, no marks at all. She blocked all their attacks and emerged completely unharmed. They all gritted their teeth as they planned what to do next; all except one.
Im-Impossible. That magic…That spell…I-It's her… Natsu thought, frozen in his tracks, only staring wide-eyed at the woman before him. Memories, moments, and conversations flashed before his eyes as he watched the person in front of him, taking in her every movement, every breath, every heart beat. After all these years…I've finally found her…
Erza, Gray, Lucy and Happy all looked towards Natsu in shock as they saw the fire surrounding his fists extinguish. They watched him stand there with an equal look of shock plastered on his face, emotions racing a mile a minute.
The figure took this opportunity and turned away from the group. "That was fun and all, but now I've got some things to do. Stay out of trouble, Fairy Tail mages." With that, she began to walk away as if nothing had happened, though knowing full well that everything had just happened. I'm sorry Natsu, but even if you are the same Natsu I knew, I can't bring you into the mess that my life is now. Stay safe, kid.
Not thirty seconds later, the cloaked figure was stopped in her tracks as muscular arms wrapped around her torso and held her in place, as though the owner would die if they let go of her. A familiar soft voice rang in her ears as she felt the grip around her waist tighten.
"I finally found you…Aria."