Hope you're enjoying the summer! As well as the filler arc in the anime and the Grand Magic Games Arc in the manga!
Second story ever.
The focus in here will be primarily Gray and Ultear.
The dimly-lit pub was exceptionally noisy and busier than ever, the bartender noted. Given the news that had erupted fresh from Magnolia hours before, it wasn't surprising in the least that mages, his most frequent customers, had flocked to his bar and engaged themselves in casual, serious, or joy-filled discussions regarding the discovery and return of the prominent members of Fairy Tail from Tenrou Island.
"What!?" Meredy exclaimed loudly, earning a slap on her head from the older woman sitting next to her.
"Keep your voice down, Meredy!" Ultear hissed, "The last thing we want is to be seen or heard now, of all times!"
"Ow…relax Ur, nobody can hear us anyway. There's too much noise." Meredy frowned, rubbing the hood of her cloak where Ultear had hit her.
"In any case," the blue-haired mage sitting with them spoke in quiet yet affirmative tone, bringing the attention of the two other women to him, "I believe that we'll be able to solve the mystery of the dark presence we feel at the Grand Magic Games. We should now focus on contacting Fairy Tail and coordinate our investigation with them."
Ultear suppressed her smile before speaking. "Right. No matter how we do this, I'm pretty sure the person we should feel the most safe contacting is Erza. We should speak to her, first."
"Y-you think so? I agree!" Jellal said excitedly before instantly lowering his head to hide his red blushes of realization as Ultear chuckled. "Seven years and still nothing's changed, huh?" Meredy said while giggling.
"Whenever you two are done," Jellal called out tiredly. Ultear and Meredy quieted down. "In all honesty, though, I agree with the initial idea you had, Jellal," Ultear said, "We should contact Fairy Tail. But we have to be careful about this at the same time."
"About what?" Meredy asked. Jellal lifted his head.
"About who we contact. We don't know if we could trust the entirety of the guild enough with our livelihoods, that they wouldn't hand us over to the Council. Fairy Tail has pretty much hit rock-bottom over the past years, so I'm pretty sure there are a few members who would like to restore its reputation and relevance in the magical world. What better way to do that than to capture three fugitive mages with heavy bounty on their heads?" He explained. "I'm pretty sure that we could trust a few people that come to mind, though," he said, nodding to Ultear.
"Yeah. As I said before, there isn't any doubt that Erza is one of the best options, if not the best." Ultear said. "We can trust her."
"There's one person. Anyone else?" Jellal said, looking at the two. He focused particularly on Ultear, who look conflicted.
"Juvia-san. She's trustworthy." Meredy offered. Jellal and Ultear looked at her skeptically.
"Juvia?" Jellal asked, looking at Ultear.
"I'm not so sure about her, but someone else does come to mind." Ultear said, remembering a certain Maker Mage.
"Gray…" Ultear mumbled. Thoughts of him came rushing back to her. How he had changed her for the better. How he had saved her from her darkness.
Ultear was furious at herself for being unable to be there for him, when he and his comrades stood against Hades. She was devastated after hearing that Tenrou Island had been destroyed by Acnologia. Unfortunately, the Magic Council had received reports from its navy fleet that Grimiore Heart's airship had been sighted flying away from Tenrou Island, and how an investigation for members had erupted in full force. Meredy and she were forced into hiding, though she would never forget Gray. She had even marked a grave for him near her mother's house in the snowy hills of Isvan.
After doing some investigating, Ultear found her mother's second pupil, Lyon Bastia. Due to her uncertainty on how Lyon would receive her, Ultear chose to avoid contact. She had always sworn to herself, however, that she would watch over him. She would not allow harm to come the person her own mother gave her life to protect, especially after she was unable to save one of her students.
"Ul." Meredy called out to her. Ultear broke out of her thoughts and looked at her two partners. Meredy's eyes were filled with concern, while Jellal showed a looked of understanding.
"I'm thinking we have all the people who fought alongside me against the Oracion Seis. They fought the soldiers who came to arrest me. Along with two others." Jellal said, sparing Ultear of any embarrassment, which she was grateful for.
"And they are?" Ultear asked. Jellal closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment.
"Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, and two flying cats." He said. Excitement gripped at Ultear, she would able to see Gray! "Sounds perfectly fine to me, Jellal," she said, smiling.
"What about Juvia?" Meredy said. "Listen, I know her better than you two do. I'm sure I told you how she taught me the strength and value of love. She is not someone who would betray anyone, even if it may be a former enemy." She pleaded. Jellal and Ultear simply looked at each other. Ultear was overcome with guilt, given how she had actually almost killed Juvia right in front of Meredy. She clearly owed her. "I agree with her, Jellal. Juvia should be included." Ultear said.
Jellal looked between the two, seeing the conviction in their faces. "Alright, Juvia is in too. So we have got about" he counted on his fingers "-eight people."
"Now, as to how we should contact them…" Ultear began.
"Hold on a second," Jellal said, looking around. The crowd in the bar had begun to slowly trickle out as the night grew later. The noise level had dropped noticeably, which forced people to talk even quieter to avoid being overheard. "I think we should discuss this elsewhere," he said. Ultear and Meredy looked around and agreed.
The three headed out into the night. As part of not drawing attention to themselves, they split up before converging at the entrance to a road leading out of town two hours later. After making sure they weren't followed, they began to trek back their hideout, a small cabin on the other side of the hill facing the town.
"What do you plan on telling Erza when you two meet?" Ultear asked as they walked.
"W-what? What makes you think I have something to tell her?" Jellal said nervously.
"Huh? I was talking about your memory, and how you got it back." Ultear said. A smile crossed her face. "Though I'm fine with hearing how you plan on wooing her, too." She said, while Meredy laughed.
"We need another guy in this guild," Jellal said, slightly annoyed. "I've had enough of your gossipy schoolgirl act, you know that?"
"Funny, coming from a guy who blushes like one." Ultear retorted.
Jellal cursed as he threw his hood up to hide his red-tainted cheeks as Meredy and Ultear laughed louder than ever.
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