The Crimson Wolf
Summary: A story about Mitsu, a swordsman that looks exactly like Natsu, and his fight alongside and for Fairy Tail, as well as his journey to recover his lost memory. But not all memories are meant to be remembered...
The Crimson Wolf
Erza and Mitsu slowly made their way back toward town with very little conversation between them. Mitsu was troubled about his apparent lack of control, and by the resurgence of his old master's voice in his memories. For her part, Erza contemplated the implications of her discoveries. She was deeply troubled by Mitsu's complete ignorance of his power, and this unsettling feeling set itself in her gut, and would not leave. Of course, she did not fear Mitsu. He was a member of Fairy Tail, even if only for a day, and therefore her nakama. Erza trusted her nakama with her life. That much would never change. But still, she worried. If the power she sensed in that brief moment was no trick of the mind, then Mitsu was shockingly powerful. But he had no idea how to control the power, unlike Gildarts, who simply had difficulty doing so. Mitsu presented a real problem.
By the time the pair returned to the guild hall, the sun rested low in the sky, nearly ready to go beyond the horizon. As they opened the door, Mitsu and Erza noted how eerily quiet it was. Most everyone was still there, but they were talking in hushed tones. The atmosphere was tense enough to cut with a dull table knife, or snap with one more ounce of pressure. Natsu and Gray were still bickering, but it had not progressed to a fight, just hushed words. They glanced up toward where the master rested on the bar. Apparently, Makarov put the kibosh on any kind of fighting, based on how those two were acting. Lucy sat a few tables away from her male teammates, along with Wendy and the other blue-haired girl, Levy. The trio appeared a bit nervous, and sent brief glances toward Mitsu, despite trying not to stare. Mitsu also noticed Gajeel hovering near that table. The iron dragon slayer openly glared at Mitsu, anger burning in his eyes. When Makarov noted Erza and Mitsu had returned, he gestured with his finger for the two of them to come to him.
Before either could say a word, Makarov asked, "What happened?" Mitsu shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he tried to find something to say.
"We were sparring, and everything seemed normal until something happened to Mitsu. His eyes and sword glowed crimson, along with his body, which is, as you see, still glowing dimly, and he did something with his magic that completely voided my own," Erza explained. Mitsu admired her brevity. She summed up everything important in two sentences.
"We noticed the magic problem," Makarov grumbled, shooting a glare at Mitsu, though the swordsman saw no real anger in the master's eyes. "It appears that he shut down every wizard's magic in or around Magnolia." Mitsu and Erza sputtered as they tried to wrap their minds around that. Then Mitsu felt a flood of shame as he realized everything he had done. Disrupting Erza's magic was one thing. She was willing to take the risk when she took him out to fight. The rest of the guild had no such stance on having their magic suppressed. Makarov held his hand up to prevent any premature questions. "I sensed it coming in a wave, but not in time to cast any protective magic. I've already recovered the use of my magic. It seems that those farthest from the epicenter of the event will recover first, as I am not the only one, nor the first. It may be some time until you recover the use of your magic, Erza."
"I'm very sorry, Master Makarov," Mitsu apologized with a deep bow. He began to say more, but Makarov gestured for him to stop.
"Apology accepted. Come with me to my office. We'll discuss this event in detail there," Makarov ordered. "Of course, Erza, you should come as well." Mitsu felt every eye in the hall on his back as he followed the old man.
Once they were in the office, Makarov turned to the two mages. "You really frightened a lot of people, Mitsu. It took me quite a bit of time to convince the brats that we weren't being attacked," he said with a slow sigh. "If we elect to do any future experiments, you two must go farther from town." The old man rubbed his face tiredly. "Much farther."
"I realize that, sir, and I deeply regret my lack of control," the swordsman apologized again. "I understand if you want me to leave. I never wanted to scare anyone. I don't want any of them to fear or hate me for this, or either of you for letting me in Fairy Tail." Mitsu meant what he said, even though most of it was in fear of rejection. He sought a home, and he thought he found one at Fairy Tail. But he absolutely did not want to put the guild at risk, or make them fear him. Makarov stared at the man he dubbed "Bladesman Mitsu" for an achingly long time.
But before the guild master spoke up, Erza stepped forward and slapped him with her gauntlet clad hand. Mitsu held his own hand to his bleeding cheek, and looked at Erza questioningly. If she felt she needed to slap him for his offense, why wait until now? "You are a member of Fairy Tail. You did not cause purposeful harm to your nakama, and you will not insult them by suggesting they will reject you for an accident," the Titania said firmly, adding in a glare for good measure. Mitsu bowed his head as he understood Erza's reasoning.
"I will not be throwing you out, boy," Makarov said after letting Mitsu think for a moment. "As Erza said, you did not do this on purpose, and, other than a scare, you did no real harm. Nobody was physically harmed by this occurrence. Needless to say, I had to explain that you were responsible for this fiasco to calm everyone down. And there are some that do fear you, and some that are angry, but all that will fade with time. The angry will vent, forget, or forgive, just as the afraid will. You will learn this in time." The old man's words lifted Mitsu's spirits, and he nodded his head firmly. Erza smirked slightly, glad that her newfound sparring partner had lightened up.
"Thank you," Mitsu said. "I am still sorry about this, and I will do whatever I must to make amends, but thank you for easing my mind, sir."
"We'll have to figure something out about you. Both in terms of your magical control, and your damned politeness," Makarov said jokingly. "Anyway, I want more details from the pair of you, away from the extra ears." Erza looked at Mitsu for a moment, and gestured for him to begin.
"I suppose it has something to do with a few returning memories," Mitsu began. "I didn't remember much, and I doubt it was very important. What I remembered was my old master telling me several things. It was mostly philosophical stuff, but what triggered it was me remembering him telling me to trust the instincts I trained. When I released myself to instinct, I sheathed my sword in the middle of combat for a draw attack. In the next fraction of a second, I apparently sent out the wave of magic that zeroed everyone else's power."
"Hmm," Makarov said as he stroked his chin. "What did you see on your end, Erza?" The requip mage collected her thoughts before responding.
"There were several things that I found peculiar throughout our fight," Erza began. "Initially, I brushed them off as tricks of my mind, or him getting back in the flow of battle. But after reflecting on the fight during our trek home, and considering Mitsu's own experience as relayed to me, I believe my first impression was accurate. That is, the longer we fought, the faster and stronger Mitsu got." Mitsu turned to look at Erza, surprised that was the case. The entire time, until the final moments, he felt he was barely keeping up with Erza, but according to her he grew more capable as the fight progressed.
"Is that so?" Makarov asked, slightly concerned.
"Yes," Erza replied. "I believe that his magic was awakening in order to surpass me in combat. Mitsu had the edge on me, so I requipped to increase my mobility so I could outmaneuver him. Shortly after that, he began to increase in ability. Additionally, since some degree of his magic is released now, I believe this increase in ability should still remain, until the power vanishes."
"You think his magic amplified his abilities to counter your own increased proficiency?" Makarov clarified. Erza nodded her head to confirm her words. "That is rather," Makarov paused as he searched for the word he wanted, "curious."
"How do you think I feel?" Mitsu asked. "This is the first I've heard of it." Erza glanced at the swordsman for a moment, but did not say anything to him. Mitsu wondered about that. Was Erza trying to tell him something? Or was she thinking of saying something, but hesitating?
"Eventually, I think this power escalated enough to unlock whatever sealed his magic away, or at least unlocked some part of it," Erza continued. "Right before the wave itself wiped out the magic, I jumped at him to try and strike before he could use his draw attack." Erza shook her head as she remembered. "He wasn't even a blur. One moment, Mitsu was in front of me, ready to attack. The next, all of my magic power was nullified, and he had sliced my sword's blade from its handle."
"He cut the blade, and you noticed this before it vanished to your pocket dimension," Makarov mumbled. "It seems to me that Mitsu broke your blade before the pulse disrupted our magic." Did Makarov think that detail important? That appeared to be the case, since he mentioned it.
"In that instant, I felt a surge of magic power from him, where previously there was no indication of magic at all," Erza continued. "I have never felt a magic such as that."
"In what sense?" Mitsu asked, curious.
"I'm not entirely sure. There was tremendous power, but I've felt Etherion so I can't say I've never experienced anything like it before," Erza said.
"It was on par with Etherion?" Makarov asked loudly in his shock. Mitsu had no idea what Etherion was, but it sounded important and was likely powerful, based on the master's reaction.
"I didn't feel it for long," Erza said, "but it was not nearly that strong. I used Etherion as a reference to prove my prior experiences with magic power. That spell has a very unique feel to it. Anyway, I don't know the precise depth of Mitsu's magic nor the magnitude of its power, but it was impressive. What caught my attention was the aura of the magic. It felt strange. Foreign. It was different, right at the core, from almost any magic I've felt before."
"Almost?" Makarov questioned. "So it did remind you of something." Erza nodded slowly as she reflected.
"It reminded me of dragon slayer magic," she finally said. "It wasn't slayer magic, of course, but it had a similar feel. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel's magic feels different from our more modern magic. It's older, ancient even. Everything about the nature of dragon slayer magic is abnormal when compared to our spells. Mitsu's magic had the same feel of abnormality to it."
"It is a lost magic then?" Makarov said. "Dragon slayer magic is, indeed, hundreds of years old, and forgotten by all mankind. The recent slayers only know it from their dragons' teachings, just how legend suggests the original slayers learned it."
"I have no doubt that it is a lost magic," Erza agreed. "Even so, it was incredibly similar to dragon slayer magic. It has the same fundamental base, but it felt more sharply focused in nature. Forgive me, it is hard to describe properly. I only sensed it for a very small amount of time."
"No," Makarov said, "you've done well Erza. No need to apologize." Mitsu agreed, but did not say anything. He was shocked that Erza managed to wean all that from that brief moment of exposure. Makarov slowly stroked his chin and moustache as he remained deep in thought. There was a lot of information to sort through in his head.
"So," Mitsu began, breaking the silence, "what does that mean, my magic being lost?"
"It means, more than likely, that your magic is incredibly old, and previously forgotten by the majority of mankind," Erza explained.
"Is there something else besides it being old?" Mitsu asked, slightly frustrated. He brushed one of his bangs from his face as he breathed out slowly.
"I'm afraid not," Makarov said with a frown on his face. "Lost magic is diverse. There is, supposedly, a surprising amount of forgotten magical practices. Regardless of scholarly suspicion, there is enough magic recorded in history but lost in practice to know that the spectrum of this lost magic ranges from destructive dragon slayer magic to subtle dispelling magic, such as the Moon Drip spell. So we can't just assume something solely based on it being lost, other than it being old." The scowl Mitsu did not know he had deepened as Makarov's words registered in his head.
"Well then, what should I do in the meanwhile?" Mitsu demanded. Makarov sighed. Mitsu had every right to be frustrated, but his emotions affected his magic in its uncontrolled state, and flared its effects.
"Before we try to discover anything else about your magic, you need to somehow learn how to control it, or restore whatever barrier was once in place that prevented your magic from bleeding out," Makarov said instantly. "If you don't manage that, nobody around you will be able to use their magic. I have recovered from your earlier pulse, but I am unable to use my magic without tremendous effort with you around." Mitsu blinked several times blankly. He had completely forgotten about his rampant magic, but was surprised to find it projected a nullifying aura in the immediate area.
"Oh, of course," Mitsu said, shaking his head. "What should I do? I have no idea where to begin." Mitsu noticed Erza turn to look at the master. She, apparently, was also clueless as to how to solve this problem.
"Different things work for different people," Makarov began. "Many mages never encounter this problem, but it can be solved easily, in most cases, by the rapid expenditure of their magic power. This can be risky, as it can result in magical exhaustion. However, that is not even a option with you." Mitsu understood exactly why that was the case. After all, he had no idea how to use his magic consciously, so how could he expend it at all, much less rapidly? To top it off, if he did that, it would likely result in everyone being without their magic for who knows how long.
"So what else is there?" Mitsu asked the guild master. Makarov paced back and forth as he thought.
"Well, with that first option being impossible, I would immediately suggest some magical aid in suppressing the magic. Of course, that won't work on you either. Why must you be so difficult?" Makarov joked, bringing a small smirk to Mitsu and Erza's faces. Erza always respected how well Makarov managed the guild's members. "Anyway, some other off base and wild ideas being cast aside, I would suggest you attempt meditation."
"Meditation, huh?" Mitsu asked. Makarov nodded his head.
"Yes, meditation," the old man said. "Attempt to enter a meditative state where you block out your surroundings. Once within this state, attempt to feel for your magic within yourself. Should you find it, try and pull it back within your body. Do not try to do anything else in town, or anywhere near town for that matter. Having enough control to keep magic within yourself is one thing. Having the control to prevent your magic from having unintended consequences is another entirely. So if you manage to restrain your power, don't attempt anything else. Tell me if you have any trouble, whether it be finding your power, or restraining it."
"I understand, master," Mitsu said, bowing slightly. Makarov grunted, slightly annoyed by the bow.
"Where did this suggestion come from, master?" Erza asked, tilting her head slightly. "I have heard of meditation to help increase magic power, though most everyone I have heard of that attempted it found it fruitless. But I have never heard of meditation applied to control magic." Makarov turned his head to look at the mages with a knowing smile on his face.
"Not all mages are blessed with great power alongside the ability to control it with ease, such as yourself, my dear. These mages often keep this to themselves, though never understood why," Makarov said. "One such mage is our dear Gildarts. He, to my knowledge, pioneered many aspects of this practice to control his power enough to be around people. Of course, he has yet to fully master this application of meditation himself, to my knowledge, but it has clearly proved its merits." Erza nodded her head, seeming to accept this explanation as legitimate. But Mitsu had no idea what that signified.
"Who is this Gildarts guy?" Mitsu asked. "Both of you have mentioned him before, but I haven't seen him around the guild." Erza smirked slightly and shook her head as Makarov prepared to answer.
"Gildarts is considered to be the most powerful, and definitely the most destructive, of our mages," Makarov explained.
"His power dwarfs my own," Erza added. She did not seem to begrudge this fact anymore than she would wish the sky to be green. It was as if this was a fact of life.
"Gildarts has been on a SSS class mission, often called a hundred-year quest," Makarov said. "That is why you haven't seen him. He has not stepped foot in the guild in years. Even before leaving on that job, Gildarts still was hardly around, always on jobs."
"A hundred-year quest?" Mitsu asked. Erza nodded her head.
"Named so because they are said to take one hundred years to complete. Of course, very few of these requests are ever taken due to their extreme difficulty," the redhead explained. Mitsu squinted slightly as he thought. Obviously, the quest could not actually take a century to complete. That was just an intimidating name. Even though Mitsu had no gauge, due to his lack of experience, he still knew this quest would be nigh impossible. He had the sneaking suspicion Gildarts was not the first mage to attempt it.
"How do you know Gildarts will make it back?" Mitsu asked carefully. Erza looked out the window suddenly, and Makarov stared at the floor, answering his question with his silence. Nobody would say it, but they were afraid Gildarts was not going to return, and might already be dead. Mitsu thought he should apologize, but decided against it in favor of dropping the subject.
The room remained silent for several minutes as the mages' endured the heavy atmosphere Mitsu's question produced. Mitsu decided to break the quiet, and cleared his throat. "Master?"
"Yes?" Makarov asked, glad to have been broken from his somber thoughts.
"May I stay in the guild hall tonight so I can meditate?" Mitsu asked. "Truthfully, I think rain is coming tonight anyway, and I'm nearly positive Natsu's roof is not watertight." Makarov chuckled.
"It isn't," Erza clarified for Mitsu. "But Natsu doesn't really care." All three mages laughed at Natsu's unwitting expense.
"I plan on setting up a camp, and eventually building a house, out in the east woods where Erza and I sparred earlier," Mitsu said after his laughter died. "It was nice out there, and I can do some level of experimenting with my magic if I'm that far removed from town. But until then, I would like to stay here. It won't be for long. I can get things together for a campsite tomorrow."
"Sure," Makarov said, still chuckling slightly, "you have my permission to stay in the guild for the time being. Feel free to take a bed in the infirmary. If you need help selecting a good spot for your camp, don't hesitate to ask someone here for help. In fact, someone may be willing and able to help you build your house, when the time for that comes. We're pretty accommodating, as I'm sure you've noticed by now."
"Thank you, master," Mitsu said with a pleasant smile on his face. Makarov inclined his head toward the bladesman.
"It is not policy to allow members to stay the night in most cases, unless they are badly drunk and it is dangerous for them to leave," Makarov said. "But who cares about policy anyway?" Mitsu chuckled at the master's attitude. Makarov was definitely easygoing, provided the situation was not too serious. He had already treated Mitsu far better than the bladesman thought he deserved.
"Cana certainly spends the night here often enough," Erza quipped with a smirk. "And then there are the really wild parties. I'm amazed that the people who go home after those events can walk at all, much less make it home." Mitsu had yet to experience such a celebration, but he had the feeling that he would before long.
"Is there anything else we need to discuss, Master Makarov?" Mitsu asked eventually. Makarov shook his head.
"Nothing that I can think of," he said. "You both can return to the hall, in fact I'll come too. I need a drink anyway. " With that, all three of the mages left the office and walked back to the main hall, Makarov heading straight for his place on the bar.
Mitsu was pleased to see that, during the course of their discussion, the guild had lightened up. It seemed quite a few more of the mages had regained the use of their power, spreading relief throughout the hall as everyone began to truly believe their magic would return soon, if it had not already.
"Good," Erza muttered, "they've nearly returned to normal." Right after she finished speaking, Natsu and Gray, who were already arguing, began to pound each other, dragging several people into the brawl.
"Their fine," Makarov grumbled. "Damn brats. I suppose I should thank Natsu." Fire roared, nearly singing Makarov's moustache, causing the master to sigh. "Or maybe not." Mitsu chuckled at Natsu's typical explosive attitude as he casts his gaze across the great hall. Most everything seemed back to normal, though Gajeel was still glaring at him.
Mitsu soon spied an empty table some distance away from the others, and turned to Makarov and Erza. "I'm going to go on ahead and try to meditate. Hopefully, I won't cause any more issues," he said. Erza nodded her head, before heading off toward a table of her own.
"Best of luck, lad," Makarov said. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, eventually. Just keep patient, no matter what. You won't get anything done if you allow yourself to get frustrated." Mitsu nodded his head, muttering a thank you.
As he made his way slowly to the abandoned table, he felt several of his guildmates' eyes on his back, but the few gazes he caught did not seem malicious or afraid, but curious. He sighed in relief. Mitsu still had problems believing, for whatever reason, that his nakama would forgive him so easily. Of course, he still noticed some were openly glaring at or shying away from him.
Mitsu shook his head as he climbed on top of the table. The swordsman crossed his legs and brought them close to his body. Within another moment, his long coat sat crumpled up next to him on the table, revealing his well muscled arms and sleeveless shirt. If someone were to look closely enough, they would notice his equally sculpted chest through the well-fitted shirt. After rolling his shoulders a few times to loosen them up, Mitsu set his forearms against his knees, his hands hanging in thin air. Taking a deep, calming breath, Mitsu closed his eyes. He continued to breathe deeply, but did not know if he should be doing something else.
He heard some rustling, and something heavy being set on the table in front of him, so Mitsu cracked one eye open to see Cana, who was apparently getting some more barrels of booze to drink when he walked in the room. Mitsu did not know why, but she decided to sit on the table, facing him. She smiled when she realized she caught his attention, but reached for a drink rather than talking. Mitsu returned the smile and then closed his eye once more.
It seemed that Cana was not the slightest bit bothered by his epic screw up, which brought another gentle smile to his face. Mitsu cracked his right eye open once more. "Thank you," he said, hoping she would understand what he meant. The card mage smiled at him again, and offering him a thumbs up, took another drought of her beer. Mitsu's smile grew for a moment before he reminded himself to focus.
Mitsu was utterly lost on what to do, and every time he thought he was making some kind of progress some noise from another fight or loud laughter distracted him. Just as Mitsu's frustration was about to burst, Cana said, "Remember to keep your breathing deep, calm, and steady." Mitsu resists the urge to open his eye or thank her so he can focus on taking her advice. Air rushed in through his nose, and slipped out of his mouth, eventually settling into a rhythm. This rhythm soon synchronized with his heartbeat, and, slowly but surely, all the background noise faded away to nothing. The only thing Mitsu noticed was Cana as she set her heavy barrels down and offered soft-spoken advice and encouragement. Within another few moments, even the champion drinker faded from his senses, leaving Mitsu alone within himself.
The bladesman found himself adrift within the cavern of his mind for a moment, not feeling anything other than the constant presence of the table beneath him. Mitsu felt as though he were entirely disconnected from the world around him. Eventually, Mitsu even suppresses the feeling of the table.
Within a moment of his last worldly sensation fading, Mitsu is surrounded on all sides by a forest that felt ancient, with trees that dwarfed anything the swordsman had seen around Magnolia, or during his brief time traveling before he was attacked. He could smell the grass and trees, and feel the wind play with his long hair. For an instant, Mitsu thought he had fallen asleep, but before he tried to rouse himself he felt the still steady beat of his heart and vaguely heard Cana's breathing in the background, as if it were a part of his own rhythm.
Mitsu stared in wonder at the encompassing forest when he realized he was not dreaming. On a whim, he decides to try and step forward, without moving his physical body, and easily moves around in this massive forest. Mitsu felt this place was familiar to him, and something within himself told him this was his own mind. Knowledge flowed into Mitsu; information about this place and how to navigate it. This was his mindscape, and, though the gap in his memory as to its purpose remained unfilled, Mitsu was ecstatic at finding such success in his meditation.
Grasping some of his newfound knowledge, Mitsu willed his surroundings to change, and he soon found himself in an eerily empty guild hall. Truthfully, he half expected to see himself sitting on the table, but he was not there. Mitsu reminded himself that he was in his mind, and that nobody would be there. Or at least, nobody should be there.
Remembering his purpose, Mitsu tries to identify the source of his magic, hoping it would be in his mind. He physically walked all around his mindscape guild hall, but found nothing of note. Mitsu assumed he would know his power when he saw it, and doubted it was disguised as an abandoned mug on the counter. Taking another deep breath to restrain his frustration at his lack of success, Mitsu thought to drastically reduce his search area and willed his surroundings to vanish. When he opened his mind's eye, he saw nothing but white all around him. There was no floor beneath his feet, nor anything else around him for that matter. That included his magic. It was nowhere in sight. Mitsu battled his frustration and lost his focus on maintaining the white.
When Mitsu opened his mental eyes again, he found himself back in the forest. He sighed in disappointment and decided to pack his proverbial bags and quit. But right before he released his meditative state, he heard a small noise, a snapping twig, within his mind. Mitsu turned his head toward the origin of the noise, and spies a very large crimson furred wolf padding around one of the colossal trees. The wolf was easily as large as Mitsu, but he did not feel any fear. Mitsu tilted his head as the wolf slowly approached him, wondering what this was and why it was in his mind. As the wolf continued its steady approach, Mitsu realized this canine was a part of him. How could something that was a part of him possibly threaten him? Once this occurred to the bladesman, the wolf stopped its movement right in front of him, staring him dead in the eye, even though it sat on its haunches.
Shortly after that, the wolf bowed its head, as if it wished to be petted as a dog would be. Mitsu slowly brought his right hand up to the wolf's massive head. He felt himself shudder slightly in anticipation, though he did not know why. When his hand finally made contact with the wolf's coarse fur, Mitsu felt a rush of power surge through his body. The surrounding forest was flooded with red magic, though it appeared entirely benign. That is when Mitsu realized that this wolf was the mental or spiritual manifestation of his magic. Mitsu notices the wolf staring at him stoically. The beast's eyes held a startling amount of intelligence. The wolf continues to stare at him knowingly, as if expecting him to do something, but Mitsu does not know how to proceed.
Before Mitsu could even try anything, he sensed someone touching his physical body. He released his control over his breathing and opened his eyes to see Cana shaking his shoulder lightly. Her eyes looked at his expectantly, and he smiled at her. Cana returned the smile.
"It's dark outside now, and most of the guild has left," she said. "Mira told me to make sure you ate dinner."
"How long was I at it?" Mitsu asked, having had no sense of time while in his mindscape. Cana nodded her head with a knowing smirk and, if Mitsu was not mistaken, a small amount of pride on her face.
"Six, almost seven, hours," Cana said, impressed. Mitsu's eyes widened in disbelief, but then as more feeling returned to his body, he believed it. His limbs tingled slightly from having been completely still for so long and his joints were stiff.
"Wow," Mitsu said, "I didn't expect that. Um, did it work?" Cana arched a brow, then smirked.
"You mean suppressing your magic?" the card mage asked. "That happened about five hours ago." Mitsu had to catch his jaw before it hit the floor. "Yea, everyone that hadn't gotten their magic back by then, including Erza, had their power returned to them simultaneously. When that happened, your aura started glowing much brighter and pulsing rhythmically. I think the old man wanted to talk to you about it, but he already left for the night."
"Why would the old man, I mean, Master Makarov want to talk to me?" Mitsu asked. Frankly, he had already had more than his fill of long conversations with the guild master. And every one of them was tense, though that was not the master's fault.
"Because almost everyone could feel the magic power rolling off of you in waves," Cana said. "Before then, nobody felt any magic at all from you, even when you walked in like some kind of red light lacrima earlier today." Cana let that set in Mitsu's mind for a moment with a smirk on her face. "So, what did you do? I guess you found your magic? Did you remember any spells?" Cana fired off rapidly. Mitsu held his hand up to stop her from asking anything else as he tried to wrap his head around it. How long had he been touching the wolf? It felt like a few short moments, but, with what Cana just told him, it seemed like he had been in contact with it for hours. What happened during that time?
"Well, I don't really know where to start," Mitsu said as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'll go get some food first, I guess." Cana waved him toward Mira, then picked up her barrel to take another drink. Mitsu shook his head. The woman must have done something to her liver, probably with magic, to allow her to drink so much.
"Go ahead," Cana said with a burp. "I'll be right here when you figure it out." Mitsu chuckled a bit. He knew beyond any doubt that he wanted to tell Cana everything he could about his experience. He probably would not have managed it without her help; in fact, Mitsu was sure of it.
When he finally made it to the bar, Mirajane turned to him with a smile. "So you're finally done trying to light up the room for us?" she giggled. Mitsu felt his face burn slightly as she laughed at his expense.
"Was it really that bright?" Mitsu asked the takeover mage.
"Well, it wouldn't have been enough to read by at night, but anyone would have been able to navigate the guild hall by your light," Mira answered, still chuckling to herself. "I assume you want some food?" Mitsu nodded his head meekly in reply, making Mira's ever present smile grow slightly. "I've got some roast beef and potatoes over here for you, if that sounds good," she said.
"That sounds delicious," Mitsu said. Mira walked off for a moment, and returned with a plate of meat and potatoes. Mitsu's mouth began to water. He did not realize he was that hungry, but with such good looking food in front of him, his stomach begged to be filled. Mira handed him the food with a smile, saying he could pay after he finished his first job, as with the rest of his previous meals. "Thank you, Mira," Mitsu said, bowing his head slightly.
"Think nothing of it," the white-haired beauty replied. "Just don't let Cana convince you to try a drink. She spiked those barrels with some of her special liquor. That stuff will knock you flat on your back." Mitsu's eyes widened as he glanced to see Cana chugging away, then returned his gaze to Mira.
"Thanks for the warning," the bladesman said. Mirajane giggled again and gestured for him to go on ahead and eat. As Mitsu walked back to his table, he shook his head. That woman was so bubbly it nearly seemed fake, yet he sensed every mannerism Mirajane possessed was genuine. How could anyone stay so perpetually cheerful?
As Mitsu set his food down on the table, Cana stopped him from sitting on the actual chair. "Come on up here again," she said. "It's better to look in someone's eyes when you talk to them." Cana's eyes looked a little glazed, but she was still lucid enough and had yet to begin slurring her words.
"Alright, I suppose," Mitsu agreed quickly, climbing up to sit in his previous position across from Cana. He began to dig into his food when Cana stayed quiet, only drinking occasionally. Mitsu assumed she meant to let him eat first. That, or she was too occupied with her drink to bother talking yet. When he brought a piece of his roast beef to his mouth, Mitsu had to stop himself from moaning. The meat was succulent, to say the least, and he barely stopped himself from shoving the rest of the beef down his throat. The mashed potatoes were, unsurprisingly, good as well, but not nearly as delicious as the roast beef was. It was official, this was his favorite dish. He would order it every time he ate in the guild.
Before he knew it, Mitsu found himself satisfied, but still looking at the empty plate mournfully. He was full, but would gladly accept more of that meat. He set the plate to the side, and collected his thoughts as he waited for Cana to indicate she was ready to listen. The now solidly drunk woman set her booze down, and smiled at the swordsman.
"Alright," she said, surprisingly without slurring her words, "tell me what happened. And don't say nothing, because I can tell if you lie." Even though Cana still had power over her tongue, Mitsu could tell the alcohol was affecting her thoughts slightly. He doubted she could tell he was lying sober, not that he would lie to her.
"As you saw, it took me a bit of time to figure out the meditation thing," Mitsu began. Cana nodded her head and took another swig of her beer. "Well, once I finally managed to block out my surroundings, I found myself wandering within my mind. I was in a forest at first."
"Wait, you were in a forest?" Cana asked. "You said that right? I don't think I'm that drunk... yet."
"Yes, that's what I said," Mitsu replied. Cana's eyes widened slightly.
"A mindscape," she muttered. "I've heard of it, but I've never known anyone who could attain it. Never even got close to it myself." Cana's face twisted as she thought about it. Then she shook her head and took a long drink. "The only way that should be possible is if you used to meditate a lot. Like, a whole lot. We're talking years here. Mindscapes take crazy amounts of time, effort, and practice to develop. You must have subconsciously remembered how to access it as you meditated." Mitsu stroked his slightly stubbly chin as he thought about that. It was possible, he supposed. After all, he still had very little memory, and therefore no idea what he did before he woke up in captivity. And he did feel confident he could return to that mind state much easier now, but that could just be wishful thinking.
"Well, I didn't know that was so important," Mitsu said. Cana nodded her head, but kept her other thoughts on the matter to herself for the moment. She would tell Gramps when she saw him. Cana knew that a mindscape took more than a few years to develop. She remembered reading that it took decades to accomplish. Men meditated all their lives, striving to attain this mastery over their mind. And Mitsu could not be more than eighteen or nineteen years old. Frankly, it made no sense whatsoever.
"It is," Cana assured him, taking another drink before continuing. "So what did you see there?" Mitsu reflected for a moment.
"Well, as I said, the first thing I saw was this forest. It seemed incredibly old. The trees dwarfed anything around here," Mitsu said. Cana immediately thought of the Tenrou Tree, wondering how these trees compared to that titan among foliage. "I wandered around there for a little while before I realized I was within my mind, rather than dreaming. Then I wished for the scene to change, and I found myself in an empty guild hall. That was somewhat spooky," he commented. "Imagine this whole building, but with no noise or people in it at all." Cana tried to imagine it, but was too drunk to bother trying hard at it. Nevertheless, the idea seemed disconcerting to her. "That was when I remembered why I wanted to meditate in the first place, and I looked everywhere I could think of for my magic. I didn't find it in the guild hall, so I tried to imagine myself surrounded by nothing, hoping the magic would be easier to find if there was nothing there."
"And that worked," Cana said with her head in a barrel of booze. Mitsu shook his head, even though Cana could not see the motion.
"No, it didn't," Mitsu said. "I got frustrated and lost my concentration on maintaining that scene. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the forest from before." Mitsu paused for a moment as he tried to put words to what he saw. "I was about to give up then, but I heard something, which sounds so weird because there was no actual sound. It was only in my head. Still, it felt real enough." Mitsu realized he was rambling. "Anyway, I turned to see where the sound came from, and saw a wolf that was as large as or larger than I was in my mindscape. It had crimson fur and was glowing slightly. It wasn't hostile at all, and I didn't feel scared in the slightest, even though it would have been able to tear me to pieces if it were real."
"A wolf within your mind?" Cana said. "I wonder if that has some kind of meaning." Mitsu shook his head, and Cana shrugged before taking a drink and gesturing for him to continue.
"It was significant, but I don't think it had any special meaning," Mitsu said. "Something told me, I guess my memories, or the wolf itself, that it was a part of me. The thing padded over to me and sat in front of me. Even sitting, its eyes were level with my own. I felt it wanted me to touch it, so I did. When my hand touched its head, red magic burst from both of us and flowed all around the surrounding forest." Cana put her hand out, asking for Mitsu to stop for a moment. She took a drink.
"About how long do you think you wandered in the forest the first time, and looked around the guild for your magic?" the brunette asked. Mitsu thought, but he had no real idea how long.
"I thought it took a long time, but not the six or seven hours you say I was out," Mitsu said with a shrug. "I don't really know for sure." Cana rolled her eyes.
"I bet you looked for it for a little less than two hours, and encountered the wolf around five hours ago," she said. Mitsu smiled when she reached the same conclusion he had.
"I was touching the wolf for hours," Mitsu said, stating aloud the conclusion both of them had reached. "I didn't realize it until you told me how long I had been meditating. The odd thing is, I thought I only touched his head for thirty seconds, at the most."
"Well with the glowing red magic around you, we knew something was going on in that thick skull of yours," Cana laughed. "You surprised the old man, by the way."
"How so?" Mitsu asked. He doubted he could possibly hold any more surprises for Makarov, or that anything he did would shock the master at this point.
"I think he suggested the meditation in hopes that you calm your mind and body a bit. He probably thought that controlling your body would bring your magic under control. And there is no way he expected the results you got," Cana said. "Normal people can't do that, and if they can, it takes them years, like I said." She still withheld the details concerning mindscapes and hoped Mitsu would not ask. Cana did not know how well she could keep her tongue silent as she got more drunk. She took another drought anyway.
"By the way, how do you know so much about meditation?" Mitsu asked his friend. Cana tapped her chin several times as she tried to remember in her drunken state.
"Believe it or not," she finally said, "I used to meditate a lot. It can help develop magic power if you concentrate on doing so. Didn't help me too much. Of course, it's also calming." Mitsu arched an eyebrow at her comment. He could sense that Cana was fairly strong. Not on par with Erza and Natsu, but still quite strong. Still, Mitsu could tell she was telling the truth about the meditation not increasing her strength very much. Which begged the question, why did Cana really meditate? Her knowledge on the subject was greater than that of someone who gave it a shot to increase their strength. He decided against asking her though.
"Really?" Mitsu asked. "And I thought you calmed yourself through drinking," he joked. Cana shook her head with a smile on her face.
"Booze is good for the thirsty," Cana said. "And it does nothing to calm me down." Mitsu felt uncomfortable when he saw Cana licking her lips while eyeballing him. He finally turned his gaze elsewhere, causing Cana to laugh. When Mitsu turned back toward her, she was chugging her barrel of beer. He stared at her for a while, thinking that Cana was definitely beautiful, if lacking in manners. Cana set her now empty barrel down, and caught Mitsu looking at her.
"Hey, quit staring and make a move already," she said with a devious, drunken smirk. Mitsu's eyes nearly shot out of his head and he fell right off the table as he scrambled away sputtering out excuses and apologies.
"Ow," he groaned in pain, and then he heard Cana giggle. "Wait, Cana giggled?" Mitsu thought to himself. He pulled himself back on to the table. "I was not doing or thinking anything," Mitsu stated firmly. Cana outright laughed in his face.
"Oh really?" she asked. "It looked like you were ogling me. But I'm sure I was just mistaken." The card mage chuckled again, her face slightly red, though from her booze or something else, Mitsu did not know. Mitsu scratched the back of his head and tried to look anywhere but at Cana.
"Yea, really," Mitsu said. "I was just thinking." Cana smirked again, and Mitsu dreaded her comeback. The chick got witty when she was drunk.
"And you just said you weren't thinking," she mused. "Anyway, I'm going home. Goodnight, Mitsu." Mitsu fought the urge to sigh in relief. This woman was driving him nuts.
"Goodnight, Cana," the bladesman responded. Cana stumbled slightly as she got off the table, and Mitsu wondered if she could even make it back home. But she soon recovered and managed to avoid bumping into anything on her way out the door, so he figured Cana would be fine.
Mitsu remained on the table as he reflected briefly on his experience. With everything that happened, along with Cana stating he was apparently skilled at meditation made him wonder once again who he was. He was a superb swordsman and meditator, and probably a powerful mage as well. How did he accomplish that in so short a lifetime? He knew he was young, probably less than twenty. And why would his magic take the form of a wolf within his mind?
Mitsu realized he would find no answers sitting on that table, and resolved to speak with Master Makarov about this in the morning, if the master was available. With that in mind, Mitsu wandered his way into the infirmary and crawled into bed after taking his boots off. Sleep eluded him for a while until he decided to try and use some meditative techniques to fall asleep. The irony of using meditation to forget meditation so he could sleep was not lost on Mitsu. He decided to ignore it though. Soon, his mind drifted into the land of dreams.
AN: Hey all! Before I ask you your thoughts on the chapter, I have a more important question. I may put a poll up for it, but I doubt it. You all know the members of Fairy Tail very well, I'm sure. And I've done my level best to develop Mitsu well, and make it so you know him. To that end, I wondered if my dear readers would appreciate a character profile for Mitsu in the next chapter. I can put it together fairly easily if you want it. It would provide all the information you currently know (not everything I know) about Mitsu, including descriptions, character traits, personality, and magic. Of course, as I reveal more about Mitsu, I will update this profile, though I may not post the most recent profile until there is a significant enough change. So, are you interested? If so, PM me, or review. Either way is fine.
Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Not much action, but that is for the next two chapters. Tell me if you spy anything that seems wrong (spelling, grammar, OOCness), and I will try and fix it. Not that for OOC issues, it may be intentional, in which case I won't change it. Also, any thoughts on the title change? I felt it needed to be done. Be sure to check out the small additions I made to the beginning and end of the first chapter if you haven't already seen them. Don't worry about finding them, they are in italics and centered. Please tell me what you think about that as well.
Thanks for reading! (Both the story, and the extra long AN) :D
