"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper." – T.S. Elliot
Chapter 2
Discoveries and Comrades
A warm, salty ocean breeze, gently swept into the window near the bed where Gildarts slept. The sun was just beginning to rise, streaking the sky amber and gold. The SS-class mage was deep in oblivion. His dreams replaying what had happened on Tenroujima, when…
"WAKE UP BRATS! LET'S GO HAVE SOME FUN!" the master's voice rang out like a thousand cymbols, entering the ears of a very annoyed Gildarts and a bewildered Natsu.
"But Gramps!" Natsu called out, even more bewildered now. "What about the dangerous mission? I wanna go beat up some monsters!"
His fists burst out in flames, as he proudly displayed his expertese in physical combat. In which he wound up scorching the wall, and burning Gildart's pillow.
"Whoops, sorry 'bout that, Gildarts." Natsu sheepishly laughed, as Makarov's eyes went as big as pie plates.
"Natsu…" Gildarts slowly averted his super deadly and very, very affective death glare at the salmon haired man. "Will you get me a new pillow please?" he asked; his death glare was replaced by a twinkle of humor in his blue eyes.
"S-sure." Natsu stuttered, opening up a cabinet, and grabbing a fresh pillow. He handed it to the crash mage. "H-here ya go."
"Thank you." Gildarts said, placing the pillow on his neatly made bed. Which looked even more neat because the blankets on Natsu's bed ended up somehow draped over the TV, and Makarov's bed sheets had all been scooched off.
"So, when are we going to go fight the dangerous monsters?" Natsu asked, as he starting displaying his physical combat skills, again.
"Natsu, there's something we need to tell you." Gildarts started reluctantly, when Natsu acidently lit his clothes on fire. "AHHH!"
Makarov frantically rushed into the bathroom, and filled a cup with water. He splashed the liquid onto Gildart's cloak, dousing out the flame.
"Natsu…" Gildarts growled, baring his teeth. This time, Natsu knew for sure that the crash mage wasn't joking around, he shrank away behind the master. "You'll pay…"
"EEP!" Makarov yelped. "Take the pink-haired one first! Take him first!" he dropped to his knees. "I'm begging you!"
"Oi!" Natsu shouted in annoyance, before the SS-class mage pounded him into a "piece of paper".
Gildart's fury cooled down a bit. "Wait, weren't you the one who made this excuse about going on a "dangerous" mission, so we could go on vacation?"
"Wait, were not going to beat up monsters?" Natsu asked from the ground. "Aww man!
"Maybe I should've brought Erza along." Makarov thought to himself, as an anrgy Gildarts loomed over him. "She would be very useful at the momment, perhaps."
"Achoo!" Erza sneezed. "Is someone talking about me?" she wondered. The scarlet haired mage looked around the guild, giving everyone a stern look. "Nope, their eyes don't show any signs of badmouthing me." She concluded to herself, a bit confused. "Could it have been someone else? Oh well, I hope the Master and Gildarts are doing fine…and apparently according to Lucy and Happy, Natsu is there too, so I hope he's safe doing some secret agent work for us."
For some strange reason, Gildarts got the brillantly smart idea to help Natsu retain his shape by having him suck in helium. The dragonslayer did so, for he was afraid the crash mage would do something to him again, and he wanted to see what would happened.
In the end, he did (surpsingly) retain his shape again, but he sounded like a mixture of Happy, helium, and a three-year-old girl.
"Darn it." He grumbled in his new squeaky tone.
After that was done, Natsu had to bandage up the master until he looked like a mummy with white hairs sticking out of the head bandages. He helped the old mage onto a wheel chair, as Makarov mumbled something to himself; they couldn't hear because his voice was muffled by all those bandages.
Gildarts finally got what he wanted, sleep! Fully dressed, he collpased on top of his pillows, and within a few seconds, was happily snoring away.
"Now I'm glad that at least I'm not bandaged up like you master!" Natsu chirped happily. "Although I don't like that fact I sound like a little girl, I can still move and speak to people. Though, I'm no so sure about you…" he trailed off, whislt inspecting the "mummy".
"Murrf muff meep puff! Natfu muff puff…huff! Gildarfs meh humph…" Makarov replied with as much strengh as he could muster.
"Did you just say that you love cookies and chocolate ice cream?" the salmon haired dragonslayer asked. "I'll go buy some! Hopefully I have enough jewels." He glanced over at the snoozing crash mage. "Do you want some too Gildarts? Huh? Huh?" a snort came from the dovet. "Oh well, I'll go get some any ways." And with that, he whizzed out the window, and somehow managed to stay afloat for a few seconds, before arubtly falling to the ground.
"WOW!" Makarov exclaimed in his mind. "I didn't know that helium, and a hyper Natsu, and a crave for sugar would enable you the ability to fly! I should jot that down!" he looked down at his bandaged body. "Oh right, I can't move…thanks to Gildarts." Makarov thought in his head as the memories came back to him…
" Please spare m-me please!" Makarov frantically pleaded the ever so powerful Gildarts who at the moment is very sleepy, and very powerful, and very tired and angry at the master since yesterday. Which, didn't created a very pretty formula.
"Crushing Evil, Spreading The Truth: Empyrean!" Gildarts roared out the magic he used to defeat BlueNote of Grimiore Heart.
"AHHH!"
"Yup…that's what happened. Boy oh boy did I make Gildarts mad! At least I'm still alive..and Natsu didn't seriously go buy some cookies and stuff did he?" Makarov thought in his head since he couldn't speak. "Oh well, I'll just let the young lad roam around for now." He put on a thoughtful look, though Gildart's was still asleep. "I wonder how people will react to his sqeaky voice…"
The girl paused before responding. "I am Phoenix, and you are?"
"Phoenix." Destiny echoed quietly to herself. "Oh yeah, I'm Destiny, the Blizzard Dragon Slayer.
Phoenix smiled. "Well, as long as were naming the magic we use, I'm the Time Dragon Slayer."
"Phoenix, the Time Dragon Slayer." Destiny replayed the information she had just learned. "Could it be? It can't be…"
"Though, I have a question." Phoenix said. "What are you doing here alone?"
Destiny stared at the ground sadly. "My parents were killed by some ephyroids...about 7 years ago."
"Really? That's so sad." The time dragonslayer said, her own past flashing across her ebony eyes.
"Yeah." Destiny murmured with the same depressed tone. "They were shot. Along with my friend Rosie's parents. So were my friend Daichi's."
Phoenix sat up a little straighter after hearing the two names. "Does your friend Rosie happen to be a brunette? And does she use Rose Magic?"
"Yep."
"And is your friend Daichi a dark green haired Earth magic user?"
"Right again."
"Destiny." the dark brown haired girl said, her eyes glowing with happiness. "It is me, your best friend, Phoenix."
"Hey Natsu, where did you get these cookies?" Gildarts asked, taking another delectable bite out of the sweet treat.
"I dunno, I forgot what the supermakret was called." The dragonslayer answered from in between bites.
"Uff wff yorff mouff cloffs!" Makarov scolded.
"What did you say?" Natsu asked.
"Any ways, what should we do now?" Gildarts asked. "Because, it turns out the, the dangerous mission was fake."
"Lffs goff tfff thff bchff!" the master replied.
"I think we should take off the bandage covering his mouth." Gildarts said, reaching his hand over to do just that.
"YOUCH!"
"Whoops, sorry about that." The crash mage apoligized. "Sometimes I forget my own strength." He tossed the bandage into a nearby wastebin. "So, where did you want to go?"
"The beach!"
The sun beat down on the soft white sand as the three mages made their way onto the beach. Cyan blue waters rolled up onto the shore, dotted with cream colored shells. Seagulls darted into the salty waves, poking their beaks into the water for something to eat. A warm ocean breeze gently grazed the emerald green palm fronds, of tall coconut trees, bringing the tangy scent of sea salt and passion fruit. Tug boats honked their ear-splitting horns, as seabirds let out a harsh cries in the cloudless sky.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Natsu yelped, skiddering across the blistering hot sand. "It burns!"
"Idiot! That is why you need to wear sandals!" Makarov shouted, slightly annoyed.
"Hey guys!" Natsu shouted, beckoning the two over to his spot in the shade of an avacado tree. "I found something!" There was something blue in his hands, gleaming in the sunlight.
Gildarts sprinted over, while Makarov half ran and half skipped over to the dragonslayer.
"What is that thing?" Gildarts asked, eyeing the saphire in the dragonslayer's hands."
"It is a dreamvisitor."
Destiny's black eyes widened in realization. "This really is Phoenix!" She smiled thoughtfully. "And how could it possibly not be? Who can forget her dark brown hair, black eyes, and the formal way she talks?"
"I knew it!" the blue haired mage cheered, hugging Phoenix. "But, what's up with that door?" she asked, glancing at the door her friend had fixed.
"It is called resurection." The time dragon slayer explained. "Mages who use magic related to time are enabled to have this ability."
"Wow."
"I wonder how Rosie and Daichi are doing."
"I hope they're still alive."
"What makes you think they're…dead?"
"Last time I saw Rosie she wasn't really…that strong, ya know?"
"It's been a year and a half, she's probably around the S-class range by now."
"Aha, I keep fogetting."
"So, have you ever encontured them again on a run from ephryoids?"
"No." Her eyes didn't meet Phoenix's any more. "I even went back to my house." Her voice started to crack. "The last place we saw them."
"I went back too." Phoenix said. "No wonder why I picked up your scent there."
The tension filled silence made Destiny sob even more. Tears streamed out of her eyes, trickling of her face, red from the heat of the desert, in silver rivulets. She wiped away her tears, and reached into the tattered bag, and carefully pulled out the box.
"Buried in the sand, I found this." She sniffed, gesturing to the box. "It was wrapped up in shiny blue wrapping paper, and adressed to me." A few more tears slid out of her eyes. "From my parents."
"What is in it?" Phoenix asked.
"I don't know." Destiny replied. "I haven't opened it yet."
"Why don't you open it n-." the time dragonslayer's suggestion was cut off by a loud BOOM signaling an explosion. Rubbish flew every where, pleting the two mage's necks, as smoke quickly took over the already hard to breath scorching hot air.
"Come join the ephyroids." A robotic voice sliced through the musty air. "Or be persecuted."
Destiny's breath caught in her throat, as her body froze. Her swollen eyes widened in realization, and then flashed with white fury. "It's the ephryoids." She growled, clenching her fingers into a fist.
"Come join the ephyroids."
The blizzard dragonslayer's eyes were now red orbs. "NEVER!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! I PROMISED I WOULD ADVENGE THEM!"
"Persecute her!"
An icy blue magic circle appeared, and a swirling mass of snow and ice shards blast out of it. "ICE TYPHOON!" The spell was followed by another one, from Phoenix. "Luminous Minutes!" The orbs and snow seemed to merge together, without the user's intention, and hit the ephryoids at the same time, causing an explosion of ice, snow, and light.
After the debrie cleared away, the bodies of dying ephyoids came into view. Crimson blood trickled pooled in their hair, and trickled onto their pale waxy, skin. The remaining ones transformed their arms into guns, and began to fire rapidly. Destiny dodged them all, using a series of backflips and leaps. She let out a yelp of terror when one nearly missed her ehad.
She whipped her head to the side, and saw Phoenix was had taken down a few ephyroids with physical combat, and was no using a spell that reversed the firing of their guns, puzzling the ephyroids.
"Destiny!" Phoenix shouted, as she punched the an ephryoid unconsious. "Try to break the back wall! We can escape from there!"
"After I kill all of them!" the blue haired mage shrieked, kicking one of the ephyroids that had encircled her in the stomach.
"Destiny! This is our only chance to escape! If we don't act now, we'll be killed for sure!"
"If I have to die, I want to die knowing all the ephryoids are dead!" she launched another attack."Blizzard Dragon's Hailstorm!"
A shower of razor ice shards rained from the sky, killing the already badly injured ephyroids. But there was about hundred still standing, and she was beginning to feel tired.
"Oh crap, I can smell more of them coming." She thought, as she caught of wiff of their revolting stench of murder and blood. "It's either run, or die. But what should I do? I swore that I would avenge my parents."
She snuck a glance to the back wall, it wasn't there. It had been completely destroyed. The stone roof screamed for help, as chips of rock began to rain down.
"I have to run, so I can live, for my parents sake." She told herself. "And if I die now, I wouldn't have kept my promise of killing off every single ephyroid."
She paused for a momment, still wondering if she should stay. Destiny grabbed the precious box, quickly slipped it into her bag, and bolted out the destroyed wall.
Phoenix was only a few behind her, and then manged to catch up. The blistering desert sun hindered her sprint, slowing her down. The ephryoids were gaining on them, when she had last saw them. Destiny tried to go faster, but her exahusted legs just wouldn't obey. Suddenly, a cold hand grasped her shoulder.
"Beginning persecution." The ephryoids said, wrapping it's arm around her neck, and pointing a gun at her head.
"Let…me…go…" she said, struggling for air.
The ephryoid ignored her and tightened it's grip, expelling the last breath she had in her lungs. With all the strength she could muster, she tried to pry it's arm off, but it's hold was too strong. Destiny wearily looked for Phoenix, the time dragon slayer was no where to be seen.
"I've just found her, can she really be dead already?" Destiny asked herself, as the ephryoid slowly began to pull the trigger. "I haven't even found Daichi or Rosie yet." She reminded herself. "And I broke my promise…"
"Rumbling Mount Fuji!"
There was an explosion of rock and light, as the ephyroid's grasp on her neck loosened, and it collapsed to the ground, dead. The rest of the ephryoids had been wiped out or either slowly bleeding to death.
She tried to make out her rescuer, but her eyes began to close from exhaustion and the lack of air. But she did manage to catch a glimpse of his dark green hair and saphire blue eyes.
"Daichi…"
A/N: Hi mina! This is warrior Husky and Warrior Phoenix! We don't really have any news for this chapter so...enjoy the bloopers!
Blooper 1:
Phoenix: Hi! I'm Phoenix! And you are...?
Destiny: Pasta...SNOW! Pasta...
Phoenix: Your name is Pasta Snow Pasta? Wait a sec, that's not in your lines!?
Daichi: What did Destiny say? Did she just say she wanted pasta with snow on top or somethin'?
Phoenix: No idiot! Anyways...you're not supposed to be on stage until the ephyroid is CHOKING Destiny, not when she's in her Italian lala land!
Daichi: What?! Destiny wants Italian pasta?
Phoenix: *facepalm* CUT! Technical difficulties! Warrior Husky/Destiny has a very weird craving for snow and Italian pasta right now!
Italy: PASTA!
Daichi: What's up with all the Italian food talk? And why is Italy from Hetallia here!?
Warrior Phoenix/Phoenix: GARY I SAID CUT!
Blooper 2:
Ephyroid 3: *wraps arm around Destiny's neck* beginning persecution *points gun at her head*
Destiny: Let...me...go...*struggles under it's grip*
Daichi: Let her go! *punches ephyroid 3 in the face*
Ephyroid 3: wagh! *crashes into wall and falls on ground* what was that for!?
Daichi: *ignores ephyroid* Destiny are you alright?!
Destiny: erm...this isn't part of the script...
Daichi: whoops...*grabs his script* Aha...I just..um, don't like it when...others are,ahem...er choking you?
Phoenix: Awww! Kawaii!
Destiny: *blushes* GARY TURN OFF THE CAMERA! What? You're not Gary? Steve? Well then...STEVE TURN THE CAMERA OFF!
Blooper 3:
Narrator A (Steve): Destiny tried to make out her rescuer, but her eyes began to close from exhaustion and the lack of air. But she did manage to catch a glimpse of his dark green hair and sapphire blue eyes.
Destiny: Daichi...*collapses on the ground*
Ichiyia: What beautiful sleeping parfum this young lady has! *starts sniffing Destiny*
Phoenix: O-oi...*shivers*
Daichi: DON'T YOU DARE SNIFF DESTINY! *kicks Ichyia through the set* Wow, I never thought it would come the time for me to say that. *sweatdrops*
Phoenix: Hey Destiny, you can get up now. We need to retake this scene. Destiny?
Epyroid 1: I think that Ichyia dude freaked her out so much she can't wake up...
Dachi: Shush! You're supposed to be dead. *turns attention back to Desiny* Somebody get a paramedic!
Destiny: Huh? Why?
Daichi: Yipe! *jumps back*
Destiny: Ha! Gotcha!
Daichi: Oh come on!
TeeHee! (^-^)