Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail!
Well after all the encouragement I got yesterday, I just had to sit down and get another chapter out! I couldn't believe it, in less than 24 hours this story had gained over 100 favorites and follows with over 20 reviews! WHAT IS DIS?! I actually wrote something interesting?! Color me surprised! With my confidence in my writing skills in the sky at the moment, I hope I didn't get too cocky and screw up with this chapter, heh. Enjoy!
"Whoa…"
This was the only thing the blonde teen could mutter as his gaze was fixed on object he never thought he'd lay eyes on. Or rather an animal. A giant orange fox with nine tails to be exact. Its mouth was outlined with black along with the area around its eyes leading to its ears as the same color. It was just laying there snoozing without a care in the world. What in the hell was it doing in the guild's basement?
"That tends to be the reaction most have upon seeing the Fox for the first time."
The youth turned to see the second Master of Fairy Tail: Purehito. The man was now much older. He was now sporting a beard that went below his shirt. His hair has also grown longer and was now reaching just below his shoulders. He was now wearing a large black and white fur cloak with a large red Fairy Tail Insignia on the back. Under the cloak he was wearing a purple short sleeved shirt with khaki pants and a black leather belt. He also had a pair of brown boots mostly hidden under his pants. To complete his appearance was a long wooden staff, the tip of which had a decent sized Fairy Tail insignia carved out of wood.
"Uh… Master?"
"Hm?"
"Why the hell do we have a giant fox in our basement?" That had Purehito laughing loudly much to The blonde's confusion.
"Why, that's easy Makarov-kun." He gestured to the fox with his non-staff hand. "He's our guardian. He's watched over the guild since the day it was founded under the First."
Makarov Dreyar. A teenager with bright blonde hair that looked like it got blasted straight up with a wind spell and got stuck like that. His attire consisted of a white short sleeved shirt under an orange vest. He pants where a dark shade of blue along with a pair of plain brown shoes.
The now named Makarov widened his eyes. "He watches over us?" He looked at the Fox, then back to the Master, then back to the Fox, then back to the Master. "How can he do that if he's asleep?" The Second laughed once more.
"Simple, he instructed us that we are only to wake him if it's absolutely necessary." Makarov scoffed.
"Some guardian. Does that mean he's only gonna protect us when we've already lost a member or three?" Makarov said, his voice dripping with resentment. What good was a protector that waited until after they needed him to do his job?
The Seconds eyes hardened a bit, but he let out a small chuckle all the same. Oh teenagers.
"Of course not, do you not realize the meaning behind his words?" The older mage asked.
Makarov's brow furrowed at that. There was a hidden meaning? He wasn't seeing it.
"No, it just doesn't seem like the best way to protect us." He responded looking back at the older mage.
"True, it's not but answer me this." He paused. "Would someone that has to be protected constantly ever going to get stronger?" Makarov's eyes widened once more. Well when you put it that way…
"So… He… Wants us to have the ability to stand up for ourselves?" Ding! "He's there for only when we're truly not ready for a threat?" He looked at his master expectantly.
Purehito made a gun with his hand and pretended to fire a shot at him. "Got it in one." He smiled. "Though that's not all he does either." Makarov looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "He also seems to have unknowingly become the guild's very own psychologist."
"…Huh?" Was the incredibly intelligent response.
Purehito chuckled once more, much to Makarov's chagrin.
"You see, since he's in such a deep sleep it makes him the perfect listener." Seeing that Makarov was still having a hard time processing this he continued. "We've had guild members come down to him and talk to him about their troubles." He began to pace slowly. "You know some of our members have had pasts that they'd rather forget, but it's rather unhealthy to keep it all bottled up." He stopped pacing and looked back at Makarov. "Those very same members often came down here during their early days in the guild to tell him their stories." He started to slowly stroke his beard.
Damn, Makarov kinda really wanted an awesome beard too at that moment.
"After their sessions with him, nine times out of ten their mood would improve drastically. Eventually the amount of times you'd see them come down would decrease until they would only visit once a month or every other month." Ok seriously, now you're just showing that damn thing off. "Even if he isn't technically protecting us every day, he's definitely protecting our hearts." He placed a hand on his chin and adopted fake thinking expression. "Why, I even believe that girl you've got the hots for has been down here a good amount times." He looked at his guild member with large grin.
Makarov sputtered. "I don't know who you're talking about!" He crossed his arms tightly and turned his face to hide the red tint.
If it was possible the Second's grin would have gotten larger. Oh, look, it did. "Oh you know, that young girl with the long pink hair?" Makarov's blush deepened. "What was her name? Oh right, it was Por-"
"OK! I get it!" Shouted indignantly, arms up in the air. "Can we please go back to the Fox now?"
Oh, look, the grin got wider again. How the hell are you not breaking your face old man?
"Oh right, the Fox, that's definitely a thing." He coughed into his hand then looked at Makarov with a serious expression. "Do you understand why he's here now, Makarov-kun?
Makarov's expression also went serious as he glanced at the fox then turned his attention back to the Second. "I do, Master." The Second had managed to change the blonde's opinion of the Fox quite easily with his explanation. 'This place really is just one big happy family, isn't it?' He thought. Something had been nagging at him though.
"Master?"
"What is it, Makarov-kun?"
Makarov gestured to the fox with a hand.
"Does he have a name, or is he just called 'Fox'?"
"He does have a name, yes, but it's not my place to tell you." A hand went up to his bearded chin as he closed his eyes in thought. "Although... " He opened his eyes and Makarov could've sworn he saw a gleam. "When he was awake, he tended to give nicknames to a lot of the members." He looked to his guild member. "A lot of those were intended to tease, so how about you come up with one for him?"
"Me?" The second nodded. Makarov turned to the Fox and stared at him for awhile, taking in his features. 'Well… He's orange. That's an odd fur color, but Orangey is a lame nickname.' He shook his head. The Second watch the blonde's internal conflict with amusement. 'He's also got nine tails, and that's about it for his features that stand out. Nine Tails seems like a boring name though. Ah, to hell with it, if anyone can come up with a better one, we'll switch to that.' He groaned slightly.
"Can't come up with anything?" Purehito asked.
"Nothing clever anyway." Makarov shrugged. "Why not just call him Nine Tails? Then he'll have a first name and a surname."
"Heh, that's a rather obvious choice for a name." He chuckled.
Makarov sighed this time. "I know, but if someone can come up with a better one then we'll switch to that. But, I think Nine Tails is pretty appropriate."
The Second nodded. "Indeed, it does fit quite well." He smiled. "Alright, we shall call him Nine-san until further notice. "
And so they did. For many years the name stuck quite well. The name never left the guild however; he was one of Fairy Tail's closely guarded secrets.
Heh. The guardian being guarded. Well that answers the question of 'but who guards the guardian?' quite well doesn't it. Back on track.
Whenever the guild was hosting townsfolk as it usually did, the name wouldn't be passed around. The members were afraid that if a non-member found out about Nine, they would report him to the Magic Council and all hell would break loose. It's also why new guild members were tested before receiving the Second had taken to called "The Initiation." The test was quite simple really, upon joining the guild a person was asked a simple question: "What do you think is the most important thing for a guild to have." The answer being bonds. A few answers would be accepted though; family and comrades to name a couple. Most of the time however, upon being asked the question a new members would almost always say power or strength. A good amount of the times weren't because they truly believed that to be the question however. Most thought it was some sort of trick question, or what the one asking the question wanted to hear.
When the question was incorrectly the one asking it would immediately act as if nothing had happened and continue on with what they were previously doing, leaving the one asked confused. They would be asked again in a week, though during that week subtle hints would be directed towards the new member. Things like a story or maybe an example of guild members showing the strength of their bonds with their fellow members through actions. Most would understand almost immediately and would get the question right and would get to be initiated into the guild. There were some cases that would take longer, of course, but they eventually understood and all was well.
There we exceptions of course.
Most of said exceptions were ones that truly didn't understand, not because it was their fault, but because of how they grew up. There had been rare cases during the years that had past where a child would find themselves at the guild and were accepted in with open arms. Normal such an occurrence wasn't cause for any type of alarm, but the ones being discussed now were ones that had horrible pasts. Children made into orphans thanks to bandits, or ones whose parents simply did not care about them are just some examples. These kids just didn't have the ability to comprehend what such things as bonds and friendship meant. Either the Second or a veteran member the child had gotten attached to would circumvent the test and take them to have a long session with Nine Tails. They wouldn't get it right away but with many more visits to Nine they would slowly begin to open their hearts the way they were supposed to.
But, while those exceptions existed, there was also a single one that was the opposite. This exception lead to Fairy Tail's first ever excommunication from its family. One day a man in his early twenties found his way to the guild seeking entrance. The man was cocky and arrogant, your regular 'ol jerk. Due to the guilds little known open door policy, he wasn't turned away. Maybe we can guide him back to the path of light, had been the general thought of those that attempted to do such. A good portion of the members at the time immediately disliked the man. He rubbed people the wrong way with how he handled situations and talked to people. After he had received his guild stamp, he was tested by the barmaid that had given him the stamp.
"Power, of course." He scoffed as if it was the most obvious answer.
Many members who had heard the answer narrowed their eyes, while the barmaid just nodded and went back to her duties. The man wandered a bit until he found the door to the basement. It had a sign marked 'Initiated members only.' Shrugging he began to walk towards it, assuming having gotten the guild stamp meant he was 'initiated' whatever that meant. He approached the door but was halted a strong hand. The man growled and turned to face the idiot that decided to get in his way, only to come face to face with the Second.
"I'm sorry, but only members that have been initiated are allowed in there." He said with an icy glare.
Scoffing once again, the man muttered, "Whatever." and spoke clearly, "And how do I get 'initiated'." Rolling his eyes.
The Second narrowed his in response. "You will know when the time comes, for now you are free to take quests as a member of Fairy Tail."
The man shrugged and yanked his arm away from the Second's grasp. Walking away another member heard the man mutter, "Damn old people." Under his breath.
"Oi-" The person began but stopped when they made contact with the Second and saw him shake his head slowly.
Such occurrences continued, but the man was getting increasing out of control. His second day he saw one of the younger male members simply walk through the door unhindered. 'The hell? Why is a brat 'initiated' when I'm not?' About an hour later the member came back out and headed for the exit of the guild but was stopped on his way by the man.
"Oi, brat, how can a shrimp like you be 'initated' and not me?"
The 'brat' backed away from him a bit. "I'm not supposed to tell you, man, you're supposed to figure it out on your own." He responding, hoping the guy would just leave it at that.
Of course he didn't.
"Oi oi oi…" He moved closer to the boy. "I don't like the way you said that." He cracked his knuckles. "How about I teach you to respect your betters?" He said walking towards the boy.
Oh boy.
The man was very brutally shown how well the wooden floor was made by a very pissed of Purehito. It was then that he announced to the arrogant man, "You are hereby excommunicated from Fairy Tail for intending to harm a fellow guild member simply because you couldn't handle not being trusted." His hand glowed purple as he used his magic to forcefully remove the guild's mark from the man's body. He was promptly removed from the premises and was forbidden from returning or risk getting the ever living hell beaten out of him once again. Needless to safe this caused a few precautions to be put into place, such as a magic lock with only 3 keys able to unlock it. While it meant that members could no longer visit Nine whenever they wanted, all had agreed after what had happened that it was necessary. So the Master would always carry one key while it was up to the Master to select two people that were more than willing to allow members in whenever they needed to. This usually meant the barmaids, but it wasn't limited to just them.
After the whole fiasco of Fairy Tail's first excommunication, the guild enjoyed a very long period of peace. The reputation of the guild continued to grow at a steady rate, it was considered to be a contender for the title of strongest guild. Not that it truly mattered to Fairy Tail, but if they were the top they would damn well be proud of it. The family continued to grow over the years of Purehito's tenure as Second Master. He was definitely a fine choice for the position; every member looked up to him as though he was their father or grandfather.
He wouldn't have had it any other way.
But as time went on he began growing restless. He had become quite powerful over the years and he was proud of his strength, there was no doubt about that. But he had a thirst for knowledge; he wished to know as much as he could about magic. This led him to his decision of embarking on a quest to discover the root of all magic. It was a difficult decision for him, one that had taken him many weeks to think over. But ultimately he decided that it was a quest that he simply must embark on. He had already decided on his successor, many years before in fact. The only question was: Would the bastard accept it quietly, or dispute it with all his might.
'Please be the former.' Purehito pleaded to himself.
Of course his successor hadn't made it easy.
…Damn.
When Makarov was asked by the Second to walk with him, he had no clue the bomb that was about to be dropped on him. Purehito hadn't discussed his intentions to anyone, not even with Nine. So when Makarov was told that he was to be Fairy Tail's Third Master, and soon at that, he simply couldn't accept it. Purehito should still be the Master! He should be the last choice to succeed him, he didn't deserve it! Of course, he was just being modest. Not a single person in the guild would say that Makarov wasn't devoted entirely to his family. Makarov was a fierce friend and would always put them before himself.
…It also helped that he had mastered his Titan Magic years ago, making him incredibly strong, but that's not the point!
Eventually Makarov came to accept Purehito's decision to pass the title of Master onto him. There wasn't a single person in the guild that disputed the decision the day it was announced. In fact, there was a round of cheers.
"Called it!"
"Couldn't have found a better choice for it!"
"The shrimp finally grew up! I'm so proud!"
Were just a few of the things that were called out after it was announced.
But then came time for Purehito to announce what the guild would consider the bad news. He was going on a solo journey that would probably take the rest of his life to complete and he didn't want any of his family to follow him. This is met with some resistance, of course. No one wanted to lose the father or grandfather figure most, if not all, had grown up with. Eventually after he explained his decision and why he felt that he had to go on this journey his family couldn't bring themselves to argue further. They decided to take a page out of Nine's book and believe in Purehito, believe that he could do this and return safely some day.
Within a month's time, it was time to say good-bye to the beloved Second Master of Fairy Tail. He was well prepared for the journey and as tradition for members that decided to leave the guild he was given Fairy Tail's Farewell Ceremony. Magical fireworks exploded in the night sky as he made his way out of Magnolia. The members of guild looking towards their Second with tears in their eyes as they watched him go.
"WE WILL NEVER FORGET YOU MASTER PUREHITO!" All of the members shouted into night sky.
The years flew by after Purehito had made his exit. Makarov had grown old and short, his balding head very easily showing off his age. Sometime during his tenure as the Third Master, he had been given the title of Wizard Saint. His family was so proud of him, thinking he was the first Fairy Tail member to do so. He knew otherwise, but he also knew it wasn't his story to tell. They would find out if the man decided to visit or his family somehow ran into them and he told them. He doubted that would happen anytime soon.
Speaking of family Makarov had started his own blood family. He had produced a son he had named Ivan. Ivan seemed to have not inherited his father's will and devotion to his family however. He always seemed to value power over the bonds with his family. But, that's not what the most troubling thing about Ivan was. The most troubling aspect of Ivan was his ability to hide his true emotions and desires. He had been shown Nine because of this, and was trusted with his secret.
Whether or not he would keep that secret… Well… Only time would tell.
The years went by and Ivan eventually had produced a son himself. Unlike his father, Laxus had taken more after his grandfather Makarov. In not only appearance but in his heart as well. Where Laxus had blonde hair and skin tone akin to Makarov, Ivan had black hair along with a darker skin tone. Laxus was a happy child and enjoyed spending time with his grandfather. The two would always be seen together during Laxus' childhood. Laxus looked up to Makarov, he wanted to be a strong mage like grandfather after all. One year Makarov decided to spend time with Laxus during a new Fairy Tail tradition: The Fantasia Parade.
"Gramps, aren't you participating this year?" A young Laxus asked.
"I'll be viewing from my seat."
"I wonder if I'll be able to find you."
"Don't worry about it." Makarov waved it off.
Laxus adopted a thinking pose and looked at the ground for a few moments. He then snapped his fingers.
"I got it! Ok then, during the parade I'll do this!" He shoved his right hand into the air giving Makarov a backwards L while he pumped his left hand.
Makarov just raised an eyebrow at his antics.
"The heck is that for?" Laxus smiled brightly.
"It's a message!" He began. "Even if I can't find you gramps, this is proof that I'll always be watching you!"
Makarov's eyes widened and he slowly adopted a smile.
"Laxus…"
Laxus closed his eyes and continued to smile at his grandfather.
"Watch, ok Gramps?"
Oh you cute little tyke, do you have any idea that you just started a new Fairy Tail tradition?
Nope.
In the months that followed, Ivan disappeared with Laxus for a full twenty four hours. Normally it would just be blown off as a father spending time with his son, but Makarov knew better. The last time he saw his son he had a look on his face that did not bode well at all. To find that the he had disappeared with his grandson only confirmed his suspicions. But he didn't want to believe that his son had ill intentions. He desperately wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't get rid of the knot in his stomach about the whole ordeal. When the two stepped through the guild doors the next day, they were instantly intercepted by Makarov.
"Ivan… Where were you?" He asked softly. He didn't want to startle Laxus after all.
"Oh, just making sure Laxus-chan grows up big and strong." Makarov did not like the sound of that. Not one bit.
Extending his senses Makarov gave a boy a thorough analysis. What he found did not please him at all. He had detected some sort of lacrima implanted into the boy. His clenched his jaw a bit harder than he should have.
In as soft a voice as he could muster at the moment he spoke to Laxus. "Laxus-kun, why don't you go play with the other children?"
Laxus eyes brightened as he looked to his grandfather. "Sure, Gramps!" He scampered off to go play with the other children, leaving the father and son to themselves. Makarov made sure no one was around to hear this conversation before glaring at his son.
"What. Did. You. Do. Ivan?" He asked through gritted teeth.
Ivan just smirked.
"Oh you know how weak the boy's body was, I merely just gave him a little boost."
"What kind of 'boost'?" Oh, he was this close.
The smirk turned into a grin.
"Of the Dragon-Slayer variety."
Oh.
"You know how dangerous that is to implant into a body, ESPECIALLY in one so young. How could you put him into that kind of situation Ivan?!" The father asked with a fierce glare.
Ivan just shrugged it off.
"He survived, didn't he?" He responded simply, as if that answered everything. He began walking out of guild, but not before he heard his father speak.
"You're walking a very thin wire, Ivan."
His son turned to look him. Was he really smirking once more?
"Oh, I know." With that he left the guild, leaving behind a father that was trembling with pure rage.
The year is now X772. During the last few years, much to no one's surprise, Ivan had been excommunicated. The details were never fully released as to why it had happened, but most had seen it coming. The Master and his son had been at each other's throats constantly leading up to the announcement. The only one that had spoken up was the Master's grandson, Laxus. The boy didn't want to believe his dad had deserved his punishment. Makarov had explained as best as he could why it had to happen, but Laxus wasn't having any of it. That had been a very hard day for Makarov, to have to banish his son and earn his grandson's ire because of it.
But the year X772 is special. It marks the start of the next generation that would change Fairy Tail forever. In the eyes of some, that wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.
But those old coots could shove it.
With that, a little girl with short brown hair a cute dress found her way into the guild hall. She looked like she had done nothing but cry for the past few days. Poor thing. She'll just have to have a visit with a cute fuzzy animal, won't she?
Ok, maybe he's not cute.
He's badass.
Alright, chapter 2 completed! I hope you like the direction I went with for this chapter. I really wanted to highlight that Purehito was a fantastic Master before going on the journey that somehow corrupted him. Sad day. :(
Let me try to clear a few things up as well as very good points were brought up:
Q: How is Lumen Histoire going to be handled? Are you making that Naruto?
A: No. We don't know enough about that as of yet for me to really do something with it. It's obvious that Mavis had either found or created it since she calls it 'Fairy Tail's Light'. But it's also safe for you to assume that Naruto knows exactly what it is. I can't really go into more detail than that as I don't know enough about it. :S
Q: Can you clarify how Eternano works in this story?
A: Certainly! From what we've been told about Eternano, what with the mage taking in the power from the environment around them and storing that in their bodies, what does that sound like to you? To me it sounds almost exactly like how one absorbs Nature Chakra/Energy. The difference being that Naruto doesn't have the capability to store it for later use like a mage does with their magic container. I'm using this as the explanation why he can't produce spells like the mages can, but honestly he has learned every possible ninjutsu that he could. But I figure, using the knowledge from his ninjutsu, he could reliably help someone theory craft a new spell, which is why I had him help Mavis produce the 3 Great Fairy Magics. Speaking of which, it's not specified who made the spells but I'm sure it's safe to assume that Mavis did since she gives Cana Fairy Glitter. It should go without saying, but Naruto cannot use either of the 3 spells. He can help add his power Nature Chakra to it, but he's not going to be the one to invoke any of them any time during this story. He doesn't need more power, he's already god-like. Not to mention Kurama and the Juubi, which leads me to my next question.
Q: Can you explain what you've done with Kurama and the Juubi? Are they separate?
A: Yes the two are separate entities sealed within Naruto. I will be the first to admit that I took the easy way out with this decision. I wanted Naruto be immortal but, to me, it's not the important part of this story. So I went with the whole Juubi + Naruto = immortal explanation. As to why Kurama is separate is simple. I have a big 'ol soft spot for the bastard. I couldn't bring myself to assimilate him, to make him not exist anymore. In later chapters I plan to have him awake and commenting on what's happening around Naruto. That won't happen for a long while though, if the story goes how I planned it.
Q: Pairings.
A: ;-;
Honestly, I sincerely doubt my ability to write a decent romantic relationship for Naruto. However, that doesn't mean I won't try if I get enough demand for it. But the opposite is true, if I get enough demand for there to be no pairings I won't do one and I will breathe a sigh of relief! If you do want a pairing, all I ask is that you explain why you want it to happen and how you think it could work in this story.
Some other things I want to address:
The name Nine Tails.
I know I threw the name '9-tails-san' around in the AN of last chapter. But even though in hindsight how I wrote the whole Nine Tails naming scene looks extremely like a cop-out, I feel like it fits sooooo well now. He's got a first name and surname! I'm sure I'll think of nicknames for characters to give them once he's awake and they can interact with him better, but until then his name will be Nine Tails. Or just simply Nine-san.
My limited use of Japanese words.
Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about this. I really feel that my use of Aniki and Imouto fits much better than big brother and little sister. I feel like the Japanese versions have more feeling to them than their English counter parts. Let me know how you feel about this as well, I'll see what I can do about changing how I do it if it's bothering a bunch of people.
I reply!
I've replied to every review that's asked me a question or has given me a suggestion in some form. You don't know how much it means to me that you guys are willing to help me make this story do well! It's stupid how well a review like that motivated me to pump this chapter out today. :D
With that, I would like thank everyone that's given this story a chance and everyone that's given me a review! If you want me to continue this story, that's all you gotta do!
Also, real quick, there's a way to edit a chapter without taking it down right? Do I just edit it from the doc manager and it'll update the chapter that way?
