Me (shadowninja2000): Hi everyone! So, this is my newest work, a collab story with the amazing...The Tiny Foxtail! Give her a round of applause for working with me!
Eveli: *claps* Yaaaay, Foxtail!
Me: Aiight, I know it's past Halloween, I don't care, I love Halloween and the themes associated with it! I dunno, I'm really weird and IT'S A CELTIC HOLIDAY! NOT OF THE DEVIL!
Hikorai: Start writing, woman!
Me: Right! *types away*
Eveli's POV
"Western Solid Script: Sword Slash!" A sword materialized in my hands in the shape of the word sword and I used the last of my strength to hurl it at my attacker. Luckily, it hit, right in the shoulder. The man laughed cruelly and yanked it out, throwing it to the ground. I felt pain wrack through my body and I collapsed to my knees.
"I-I'm just not strong enough..." I sobbed. The man grinned, showing teeth filed to sharp points and tipped with gold. I felt a shiver run up my spine, both from the cold and the glare he was giving me. He formed a ball of shadows and pure darkness in his palm.
"Say goodbye, little princess!" he snarled. Instead of goodbye, I opened my mouth and tilted my head to the sky to scream for the one person I knew would hear me this far away.
"RANTAAIIII!" I felt hot tears streaming down my face. I waited for the ball to hit me and end my life. I had no strength left to dodge and, through blurry eyes, I could see my still-sheathed sword yards away. The ball seemed to be going in slow motion when suddenly, a loud voice rang out across the icy mountaintop.
"Tattoo Magic: Chains!" I looked up, tears still coming in a hot rush from my eyes.
"R-Rantai..." I whispered. An arrowhead buried itself in the ground in front of me and another chain lashed out at the ball, smacking it far away from me.
"NOT WHILE I'M ALIVE!" I heard my friend's voice shout. A chain whipped across the tundra, hitting the assassin in the face and leaving a burning gash. The boy had sort of spikey hair, red with gray streaks. He wielded two chains with arrowheads on the tips like a pro. The last move the other one made was magic; he formed a ball of shadows, a small one, and threw it right past the redhead. It flew towards me and, before I could even think of dodging, it collided with my chest. I felt all air leave my body and all energy as well. I was completely numb and couldn't hear anything, feel anything, as I fell to the ground, my knees giving out.
I hit the ground on my side, almost blacking out from the pain. The redhead chained the other guy down with his magic and dashed over to my side, slipping on the ice once or twice. The last thing I saw was the redhead's concerned face inches above mine. His lips were moving frantically and his eyes stayed with mine, but I couldn't hear anything. He put his forehead against mine, closed his eyes and I swear I saw a tear fall from his tightly shut eyes before the scene went dark.
"Eveli? Eveli, come on, we know you're in there!" I opened my eyes blearily. I was sitting in a bar chair and the master, not the boy, was right in my face. I smiled halfway. I felt wet on my face and lifted my hand to my temple. I felt the hair that I kept there to cover my scar; apparently, the fragile scar had split open again because my bangs were wet. My hand dropped to my side. I sat up, blinking several times to clear my head. They gave me a few minutes; even Wakaba put out his cigar so I could breathe.
"H-how long?" I choked out. Master turned back to look at me and he smiled.
"Only a few minutes this time, Eveli. They're getting shorter. But..." He and Wakaba exchanged a look. Kinana put her hand on my arm and I looked at her. She had a look of knowledge and understanding, but also a fear.
"Do you remember anything this time, Eveli-chan?" She asked sweetly. I started to shake my head then stopped. Tall. Red hair with gray streaks. Tattoo Magic: Chain.
"Yeah. Only bits and pieces...There was a boy. He was tall, easily clearing six feet. His hair was kinda spiky and it was red, natural red, with gray streaks. He had tattoos of chains running up both his arms and he could use that as his magic." My head started to pound and I shook my head, looking up at my guildmates. "I'm sorry...I can't remember anything else..." I trailed off sadly. Master shrugged then nodded.
"It's fine, Eveli. There's someone who wants to see you..." He looked behind him and a pink blur jetted past him, ruffling even his close cropped hair and mustache. The bundle of fur rammed her head into my chest and I lost all the breath in my lungs. I coughed and my Exceed, Hikorai, looked up at me with tears hidden behind a stern expression.
"Stop doing that, Eveli! You scare me when you do that!" She reprimanded. But she didn't let go of me; I tucked my knees to my chest so she was cradled in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her small, furry body.
"I'm fine now, Hikorai. That's all that matters, right?" I asked, holding her up and smiling. She sniffed, trying to hide it with a scoff.
"Of course, but you have to get this visionary stuff under control! We're going to be out on a job someday and that will hit you and then were will we be?" She exclaimed sourly. I chuckled with a smile and wrapped her in my arms, standing up. Kinana patted my arm comfortingly. I smiled at her and smoothed out the skirt on my waitress dress. I thought back to how I even joined this run-down, ramshackle old guild.
It was...about a year ago, now. I'd been part of Sabertooth, a new guild. I was one of their newest members, the sixth that no one ever heard about. Sting and Rogue, the twin Dragons, who murdered their own parents. Rufus Lore, the beautiful poet with no soul. Orga Nangear, the bodybuilder with a horrible voice and a conscious just as wrecked. Minerva Orlando, the sadistic daddy's girl. Then, there was me. Jiemma took no pity on me when accepting me into his guild; I was 10 then. It's been eight years since then. I had no magic, but quickly learned how to control the written word, and have now mastered up to eight formes of the Solid Script Magic, including English (Western Solid Script), my native Japanese (Easern Solid Script), and symbols as well (Oriental Solid Script). Sabertooth technically doesn't have a ranking system, as no weaklings are allowed. However, Rogue once confided to me that I was one of the strongest in the guild and that Jiemma would be sure to keep me close. He actually talked back then, Rogue did.
Anyways, I was shocked to learn that news and told him that my sole purpose to learn magic at all was so that I would be able to protect myself when I was alone. He told me I was more than capable of that, and that he and Sting would be honored to face me once I found a suitable partner. I took this into consideration and always watched them, wondering what a partner would really be. I got along with almost everyone in Saber because of my personality and my willingness to find the best in everyone, but I didn't have any really close friends. No one worthy of calling my partner. I suppose I should have expected the excommunication when I so foolishly went on a mission Minerva had claimed. I got it done but found I was no longer welcomed at Sabertooth when I got back. Thankfully, it was on that mission that I'd met and "adopted" Hikorai. I went inside and collected my few possessions, not noticing the sword that had been snuck into my things. Jiemma tried to force me to remove my mark with my own magic, having me strip down in front of everyone. However, when he inspected my body, he noticed I didn't have the guild mark. I had erased it already.
That only angered him more and he struck me across the face. He shouted at me and struck me more, and I'm proud to say that I kept my head held high and my eyes firmly set on his the entire time. The final strike came, not with his hand, as the rest, but with a knife. He slit across my forehead, drawing blood instantly. I endured it patiently, waiting till he was through, though the pain was blinding. He asked if I had anything to say to the rest of my guild before I left. I said I did, turned around, locked eyes with Rogue and said, "Once I find him, I'll be back." Both Dragons knew what I was talking about, but neither wanted to get me in any more trouble, so they kept silent. I turned back around to face Jiemma's "throne" and spat at his feet. Then, I gathered my clothes and walked out.
I'd heard that a guild was grieving the loss of 20 members. I decided to go to them, as I felt a pull. I'd had a vision about a salmon haired boy, with power more than equivalent to Sting and Rogue's. I saw him let loose a terrifying roar and knew he was a Fairy. I knew they'd help me find my partner, and then I could challenge Sting and Rogue. Then I could win. I found the sword about a day after I set out for Fairy Tail, when Hikorai was pawing through my things and found it. It was beautiful, a shining silver with swirls of darkness decorating the blade and the hilt. On the hilt was a single gem, a small star sapphire that glinted beautifully in the sunlight and positively shone in the darkness. With it came a note. For your defense. From, Your Dragons, Sting and Rogue. I sheathed the sword in a case I had and attached it to my belt. It has never been unsheathed for battle.
"Eveli! Alzack and Bisca will be back soon! Romeo too!" Kinana said from the kitchen. I smiled and set Hikorai down on the table. I took a deep breath, taking in my surroundings. When I'd finally made it to Fairy Tail and told my story, the Master couldn't wait to accept me into their guild; he was falling at my feet to join them. So, I was inducted. When I found out how Twilight Ogre was bullying them, I stood up for my new guildmates. I defeated one of the teams sent to collect single-handedly, only to have the Master tell me to not do that, as it wasn't an issue that could be solved by force. I relented to him, quickly taking the place of part waitress, part disciplinarian. The master and Wakaba told me on several occasions that I was a mixture of two girls, a Mirajane Strauss and an Erza Scarlet. I'd heard of both women before and felt honored to be compared to them: the demon Mirajane, who'd been so devastated by the loss of her little sister she'd lost almost all her magic power but regained it soon after the guild war with Phantom Lord. Era Scarlet, the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, the Wizard in Armor, and perhaps the most famous of all Fairy Tail's crew.
I was pulled out of my flashback by something shattering on the floor. I looked up from where I'd been staying at the floor to see a young man sprawled out across our guild floor, near the door with a very angry Romeo shooting fireballs at him. I rushed over, being closest, and grabbed Romeo by the shoulder, distracting him.
"Romeo! What happened?" I asked sternly. Romeo opened his mouth to respond but a short laugh came from the boy on the floor. He got up.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, milady." He gave me a two-fingered salute. "I'm afraid this would be my fault. I was asking around for Fairy Tail and I suppose that angered the lad in some way," The male chuckled and met my eyes. I raised an eyebrow at Romeo, who looked to be trying to contain tears. He looked at the ground, ignoring my stern glare at him.
"He was askin' about Mira, Eveli. Said he had a debt to pay, or somethin'." Romeo choked out. I mentally facepalmed; clearly, the male was not from Magnolia, as the disappearance of Mira, along with the rest of the Tenrou gang, was spread everywhere on the continent. The Master excused himself and the rest of the guild fell silent, except for some sobs coming from a back room. I let go of Romeo, my eyes glued to the ground. Mirajane...I looked up at the young man, subconsciously noting that he was a redhead, and smiled sadly.
"Well...You may want to sit down." He eyed me suspiciously but took a seat.
Well, you see, Mira, along with nineteen others, are supposedly dead. They've been gone for about seven years now," I said. His eyes widened.
"O-oh, uh...I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I...I didn't know," he said quietly. I touched his hand. He looked at me and gray met brown as our eyes met. I smiled and he dropped his gaze.
"Clearly, you're from out of town. It's fine, you didn't know. But...I'd leave it alone." I withdrew my hand and sat it in my lap. I was about to ask his name when Hikorai flew over.
"Eveli, is he hitting on you?" She asked with a glare at the redhead. She alighted on the table and placed herself between me and the redhead, crossing her arms and folding back her wings.
"Because you know I don't like males of this species talking to you alone," She spat, still glaring. The redhead leaned back, away from my angry Exceed. She eyed him warily with a scowl and his eyes flicked over to me, probably asking how to deal with her. Hikorai noticed and looked back at me. I bit my lip to suppress a grin. Hikorai screeched and pounced on the redhead, clawing at his face. He brought his hands up to protect his face and shouted. My hand flew to my mouth to stifle my scream.
"Hikorai, there's no need for that! He didn't do anything!" I said, grabbing her around the middle and hugged her to my chest.
"I am so sorry! She doesn't like guys, ever since Saber," I said quickly. I rapped on Hikorai's skull and have her a confused look.
"It's nothing, Eveli. Don't worry about it," Hikorai said, sheathing her claws back in her fluffy paws.
"It's not nothing when you start clawing someone's face!" I exclaimed, perhaps more harshly than I should have. Hikorai looked away with a huff and I set her down. My gaze returned to the redhead. His gaze flicked quickly away, which confused me. I put it aside.
"So, what's your name?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. He looked back at me.
"Rantai. And yours, little princess?" He asked. I smiled.
"My name's Eveli and this," I gestured to my pink Exceed, "is Hikorai. It's nice to meet you!" I said, smiling.
"You as well. If you don't mind me saying, Hikorai has quite the...overwhelming presence..." He trailed off, hand going to one of the scratch wounds on his face. I bit my lip.
"I'm sure I could fix that," I started. Just then, the door to the guild slammed open.
"WE'RE HOOOME!" In the doorway stood four Faeries; Diana Azure, Kira Eteré, Inazu Drayer, and our resident Dragon Slayer, Asui Metai. Said Dragon Slayer strode into the guild hall and, spotting me, grinned and walked over. He rested a hand on the wood table and gave me a goofy grin.
"Hi, Eveli! Have a vision today?" He asked, gesturing to my forehead. I gave him a confused look.
"Yeah, how did you-" I was cut off by a laugh from the white haired boy.
"I can smell the blood, remember?" He said, tapping my forehead. I brushed his hand off and he chucked again. He glanced over at Rantai, who looked vaguely uncomfortable.
"Oi, Diana, Kira, Inazu! Lookie!" He shouted, despite the guild being super small. Inazu looked over with disinterest and strode over to the job board. Diana looked surprised that there was someone in guild that she didn't know and Kira smiled shyly, walking over in Diana's shadow, her four keys jingling against her belt as she walked.
"Just travelling, I assume?" Diana asked, crossing her arms. Kit hid behind Diana and waved a little. Rantai nodded. He seemed to be making a conscientious effort to not run, by the way his breathing escalated and his leg bounced up and down rapidly. I recognized the symptoms of social anxiety; for a long time after Saber, I couldn't stand the presence of another human. Fairy Tail helped me over come that, and I swore to myself then and there that I would help Rantai get over his fear as well.
"Hey Rantai." He looked over at me.
"Would you go on a job with me?"
Me: WOO HOO! Finished! Now, Foxtail-sama, it's up to your expertise!
Eveli, Hikorai, Me: REVIEW!