Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 4:
Clover Town:
While his companions were likely having a good old time doing whatever the hell it was they were going to do while he was gone, Uzumaki Naruto was sadly all by himself. Well technically he was in a large banquet room full of conversing mages...but he was the youngest in attendance. It was both a boon and a curse; his age in a meeting of matured guild masters showed his skill (or recklessness) but also alienated him from the others. That's not to say the blond couldn't go out and be friendly to strangers, something he was quite good with, but after he was put through a whirlwind introduction to the different masters since first arriving in town and ultimately came upon that Bob fellow from Blue Pegasus...
Scary. Should have recruited him to go up against Madara and Obito. That would've turned the tide of war in an instant.
Naruto shuddered when the bald, fat little cross-dressing man floating slightly above the ground thanks to wing adornments on his back winked in his direction.
"Don't feel too bad," a rough, aged voice stated from Naruto's side, "Ol' Bob has a thing for what he calls 'cute boys'. None escape his interest."
"Oh really? Drat. Now I don't feel special anymore," the shinobi exclaimed sarcastically as he turned to the speaker. It was Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's leader and a person who was far more than he seemed. To the naked eye he was just a man. A rather short and wrinkly one who dressed in bright clothes and could have probably passed as a child, save for the white mustache and bald scalp ringed by what remained of his spiky silver hair. But his presence, his aura, spoke that the height-challenged wizard had earned his right as FT's current master.
Makarov chortled and reached up to grab another bottle of beer from the refreshments table where Naruto had sequestered himself. "So how does it feel to be in the presence of a fair portion of Fiore's guild masters?"
"To be honest...you're all pretty strong. It would make sense since you all lead your guilds. But..." The jinchuriki exhaled through his nose, trying to find proper words. "But I've faced stronger. No offense to anyone here. I guess anyone else in my position would be in awe, but this is just another day for me."
"...to speak like that, either you're incredibly cocky or you have been through quite a lot."
Naruto laughed. "I'm just speaking my mind like everyone else in a room full of bragging old people."
"True. You'll get used to it, or find another way to pass the time." Makarov wiggled the alcohol held in his hands. "Care to join me?"
"...I'm only seventeen."
"Bah! Mages are a bit lax when it comes to that law. I'm not driving anything, and neither are you, so the ride home will be fine. Besides, you've met Cana and she's only a year older than you. Dratted girl started breaking that law years ago despite everything we did to stop her and she's still not considered the proper age."
"Well that explains why every time she shows up in the lacrima she's got a beer with her."
"Yes. She and Mira have taken to speaking to Kage Beast a lot lately, haven't they?"
As Makarov sipped at his drink he looked up at Naruto from the corner of his eye. It was a suspicious gesture and accusing question but the smile spreading his mustache calmed any insinuation it sounded like he was making.
"Mirajane's just happy to have a guild so close, and Lucy likes calling because she's the only girl in ours. Cana is usually at the bar so when they start talking, she joins them."
The small man grunted and readjusted his odd striped hate. "It is rather nice to have a friendly guild one town over. All I ever hear though is how lucky you Beasts are to be stationed in Balsam."
"If any of you ever want to stop by, go ahead. We're finally starting to put the building together and finalize it, but so what? They're acting like we're a whole country over."
"I'll be sure to remind them of that," Makarov said as the lights suddenly dimmed slightly in warning, signaling the main event was finally about to start. Sighing and placing his now empty drink on the counter he turned and started walking away, "Huh. We're starting way earlier than usual...well, let's go see if anyone has an answer to your big question."
Nodding his head Naruto followed after, joining the sea of men and women as they moved off further inside to the auditorium. It had taken him a full day of riding the train to get here when it would normally only take him less than half of that, but pairing up with the elderly mage in Magnolia had slowed him down considerably. Comparatively though, using the railway was actually relaxing. The ride was smooth and you could buy snacks, and the seats were somewhat plush and cozy if you wanted to take a nap.
Once the two masters reached the mountainous area of Clover, they signed in to some inn that catered to the mages for such an occasion. It was there the blond met Bob (in all his scariness), Ooba Babasaama from Lamia Scale, and Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus. All three were varying levels of old...and surprisingly enough, at one point were teammates alongside Makarov in Fairy Tail. And now when he sat down with the rest of the group, it was those people who took the chairs near him and the diminutive Fairy.
Someone took the stage and began rattling off a list of things for the meeting to follow and already Naruto was feeling the drain of boredom. Damn that Gaara, and damn himself for wanting the position. But it made him feel...good. Important. Mature. A strange consequence for the kid who once made a naked woman into a devastating attack. It caused the ninja to believe it was similar to his goal of becoming the Hokage, and therefore in doing so he would try his best to pay attention. That, and the redhead would irritate him with his sand for nodding off.
Naruto really hoped someone had an idea towards who gave Dark Unicorn their violent motive. There was a small portion at the end where any new members (i.e. him) would get up and introduce himself and his guild to the rest of the gathering and it was there he would spread the word. He had a thing or two in mind to explain why picking on the new guys...wasn't a very good idea when there's someone like Uzumaki Naruto involved. Even though these were all light guilds, the word would be spread.
The Beasts were here, and they wouldn't take anyone's shit lying down.
Onibus Station:
"Let us check in at the Hotel Chili before we begin our search," said a beautiful red-haired woman as she and her two (and a half) comrades stepped off the train. Her strides were strong and powerful compared to the lazy slouch of Gray and the...woozy gait of Natsu. Erza Scarlet knew of Natsu's trouble with motion sickness. She'd known the pinkette since they were children and using moving vehicles literally knocked the dragon slayer on his ass. When she had 'acquired' the two male mages as well as Happy the talking cat for this mission, it was inevitable that a train would be used for their transport and that one of the group would be seconds from vomiting at any moment.
It was a passing problem though. There was something much bigger lurking in the shadows.
Originally Erza overheard talk of a magical flute named Lullaby while she was on her original return trip to Magnolia, spoken of by a group of loudmouthed bar patrons getting drunker and drunker by the minute. The concept of 'breaking a seal' they kept going on about was suspicious but ultimately not too important...but when the name Erigor came up the woman knew she could not turn a blind eye any longer. Returning to the guild she immediately gathered up her partners and then left again on a self-sanctioned job. Sadly Master Makarov had already left for his annual meeting but Mirajane promised to try and pass on their status when the chance arose.
Their destination was Onibus Station, the location of the pub where she originally heard about the problem. The ice mage and dragon slayer would act as her backup because, inevitably, they would be taking down an illegal dark guild still in circulation despite being banned years ago. A group of their alignment would not surrender quietly, so the tactic of getting some backing would be beneficial. Or at least that's what Erza hoped. She wasn't sure where Eisenwald was located but Onibus was their best lead.
As the group of Fairies settled into the inn and proceeded to start their search, a man with spiky black hair tied back in a ponytail settled into the seat formerly occupied by the lovely redhead in armor. He'd seen the light mages get on the train and nearly laughed in relief when they got off at Onibus. For a moment Kageyama thought he'd already been discovered, especially since Fairy Tail was widely known for attracting trouble and spreading it to whomever or whatever was around them. But their departure before Kunugi Station was a godsend. The man could only imagine what problems would appear if those do-gooders had remained on the train.
The entirety of Eisenwald was there waiting for the transport to arrive. In Kageyama's bag was the very item Erza and co. sought, with the magical seal broken and the flute ready to use at a moment's notice.
If only those bastards in the light guilds knew what the ugly but unassuming instrument could do...but with a name like Lullaby it couldn't possibly be dangerous, could it?
Oshibana Station:
The takeover of Kunugi was disgustingly easy. The large force of dark mages forced everyone off the train and commandeered it for their own use with ease. Kageyama made it in without being discovered, as well as breaking the seal keeping their secret weapon out of commission. Erigor was quite pleased by their progress. Why, when the train drifted into the station at Oshibana he derailed the entire thing with a grin on his face.
Looking out a window, the self-proclaimed shinigami watched the mass of curious bystanders and railroad personnel hovering at a certain distance from the inner station. They'd cleared out everyone who wasn't in Eisenwald, either through force or threat, and it only made the show that much grander. They understood the threat was in here but none were brave enough to rebel. That, and civilian sheep were so stupid Erigor would bet easy money more than half of the crowd outside didn't realize the dangers they could invoke.
"So...this is how it's going to go down," Erigor began, twirling the gnarled body of Lullaby between his gloved fingers, "As far as the idiots out there know, a train went off the tracks. Either by terrorism or accident, but either way I don't give a shit. We just need to keep up the illusion for those goody-goody bastards."
Kageyama spoke up at that, "What about Fairy Tail?"
"What about 'em? They're a whole town over and have no idea what's going on. "
A short, rotund mage with green hair, large lips, no nose, and beady brow-less eyes snickered, feeling confident for once despite his usually timid personality. "The idiots have no idea we're even here."
"It's as Karacka says. And even if they somehow traveled to Oshibana, we'll be long gone by then," a tall man said with sharp features and an odd yellow and black jacket with a tight striped hood, "The world will once again know the power of Eisenwald after this!"
The edge of a large warped wooden scythe slashed across the male's—Rayule's—bit of exposed forehead. It left behind the faintest of scratches that drew a line of blood but the action caused him to immediately shut up out of fear. Erigor slipped the large weapon across his back before running a hand through his grey-white hair, which was long enough in the front to flip over and cover the left side of his face and one of the black markings under his eyes. He wore no shirt, showing the blue tattoos along his torso, with ripped hakama pants, straw sandals, a ripped scarf, and bandaged forearms. "Shut up. Fairy Tail can fuck this up for all of us. The preparations continue as planned but you lot have a secondary objective; remain here and act as bait. Keep the bastard Fairies busy on the off chance they catch wind of us, along with anyone else trying to get to Clover. I'll take care of our targets."
The group cheered as Erigor rose into the air without any assistance, the only visual to mark the magic being a hazy trail underneath his body. He rocketed out the back and high into the air, pausing a moment to revel in the true breeze touching his skin, before a demented grin overtook him. There were guild masters to kill and they'd gone and amassed themselves in one solitary place like fools. It was like a big ol' birthday present wrapped up for him with a nice big bow.
The thin man cackled and zoomed away, intent on getting to Clover Town as fast as he could.
Clover Town:
"-and next on the docket...er..." The man speaking at the podium paused and adjusted his glasses as a small bird with a witches hat flew in through the open window, a letter dangling from its tiny talons. It ignored everyone but Makarov, flittering right over to the aged elder without a second thought.
"Makarov-sama, Makarov-sama! I have a letter for you from Mirajane-sama!"
Blinking at the twittering transport he reached out and took the communication, opening it right then and there. There was a light film over the inside of the letter and the moment it unfolded, a small hologram of Mirajane's upper body appeared and began to speak. Each sentence was spoken vibrantly and with carefree body movements.
"Oh, master, thank you for attending the annual meeting! While you were gone something important happened and I really thought you needed to know! Erza came back and formed a team with Natsu and Gray! Amazing, isn't it? They have to be the strongest team ever in Fairy Tail!" The small image of the silvernette stopped in that moment before leaning forward with her hands clasped together sweetly in front of her body, head tilted to the side and eyes closed with a wide smile. "Tell Naruto I said hi as well! Ciao!"
And like that the animated letter ended. The energy powering it vanished and it once again became a normal piece of paper. However, by the time it did so it had already fallen to the floor as Makarov lost his grip. The poor old man had begun sweating nervously at the mention of Erza working with Natsu and Gray. When Mira claimed how 'wonderful' their team-up was he looked ready to faint. And faint he did, slipping boneless out of his chair and flopping to the ground with a slack jaw and wide, unstaring eyes.
He needed to go back home. Ah no, no matter how dangerous it was the meeting would end today and he could get back to Magnolia tomorrow. So please please please please pleasepleasepleasePLEASE don't do anything stupid, like destroy an entire town and drain more Jewels out of Fairy Tail's coffers!
Naruto found himself blushing as everyone's attention either rested on the downed Makarov or the boy that mega-idol Mirajane Strauss felt the need to greet. Reaching down he dragged the stout wizard back into his chair and made sure Makarov wouldn't drop again before clearing his throat. The speaker adjusted his glasses one more time before sighing and shaking his head. "So long as there are no more interruptions...I would like to welcome our newest guild master into the fold. Everyone give a round of applause for-" He looked at the memo before him. "Uzumaki Naruto of Kage Beast. The youngest of us all...and apparently someone who has garnered the lovely Mirajane's interest."
There were snickers from the peanut gallery as the blond rose and walked up to the front of the room. Everyone was watching him like a hawk and Bob gave a little wiggle of his fingers, sending another chill down Naruto's spine as he leaned towards the microphone. "Uh, yeah. Hi. Like they said, I'm Naruto from Kage Beast. We're a new guild. Only four so far, but I like to think we've got handle on things. Our newest member only joined recently but before that, my friends and I were given the low-end missions by the council."
"I've heard of ya," someone spoke up from the back, "You've burned through the backlog like it was nothing. And with only three members at the time? That's impressive."
The jinchuriki threw his arms behind his head as a pleased grin crawled over his lips. "Heh, well we do our best." The happiness drained away when Naruto opened his eyes, allowing the smile stretching his cheeks to fade away as he changed from pleased to serious. "But that's also a big reason why I'm glad I get to speak today in front of everyone. Our guild was attacked just recently by a low-level dark guild called Dark Unicorn. They were stopped pretty easily but the thing is...someone else ordered them to do it. There's some sort of seal keeping the members from spilling the beans as to why, so I was hoping maybe someone here might know something important. That, or maybe if you hear anything you could pass it our way." The ninja tilted forward and looked out among the group with sharp blue irises. "Whoever's in charge made a mistake. We're not some pushover rookies. Whatever reason they have, they chose the wrong guild to try making an example of."
"What will you do if you find these mysterious leaders?"
"Ah...kick their asses and make sure they don't try anything like that ever again." Naruto's face grew devious and his teeth glinted dangerously in the light. It was the tamest answer he could give without Gaara inevitably learning about it and showing why it was disagreeable. The other masters spoke among themselves but none asked him to elaborate. Good. Because he was going to do more than beat them up. Humiliate was a very high probability, and not in any humane way.
Just then the ceiling exploded and everything devolved into chaos.
Onibus:
A trail of people were left behind as Erza walked down the street, either clutching their bloody noses or wholly unconscious after the rapid-fire 'interrogations' by the buxom redhead. No one had the answers she sought and the more time wasted the less there was until Eisenwald and Erigor inevitably broke the mysterious seal. The swordswoman understood that many would either truly not know anything about the dark guild or were too nervous to even bring up such a topic...but for no one to reveal even a hint of her target? Preposterous!
It was left unsaid that the moment Erza asked (i.e. demanded) a resident about Eisenwald, she allowed them about barely one whole second for a response. If they failed to do so she headbutted them in the face and immediately moved off towards the next victim. Most got out the first syllable of 'huh' or 'what' before the pain began.
Ms. Scarlet just couldn't understand it.
"Errrrza!"
Brown eyes snapped up as a small blue cat dropped from the sky, held aloft by feathery wings protruding from its back. Natsu's best friend and partner Happy was a rather simple-minded and considerably weak member of Fairy Tail...but the feline was family. He and the dragon slayer went everywhere together, and while Happy could come across as annoying sometimes the entire guild loved him all the same.
"Yes? What is it?"
With a small swoop Happy dropped down and hovered in front of her face, wiggling his small paws around in a way which would have amused the warrior if not for her current state of annoyance. Still, her innate respectable nature caused Erza to respond to him in a polite manner.
"Something happened!"
"What?" she said tersely, standing straighter and causing the armor around her bulging chest to clink, "Is it Eisenwald?"
"Yes! Er- no!" Happy looked like he confused himself, floating listlessly with his mouth covered. Eventually he answered "yes" again while simultaneously shaking his head. The Scarlet would have sighed if not for the fact this was no time for comedic interludes.
Grabbing the blue-furred feline by the small cloth backpack positioned at the scruff of his neck, Erza brought him in dangerously close until Happy's tiny nose was millimeters away from her own. "Choose," the woman demanded with a glare and very succinct tone of voice.
Shuddering in her gauntleted hand Happy swallowed heavily and opened his mouth. "Natsu heard a rumor that a train at Kunugi Station was taken and then it fell over at Oshibana and supposedly it's terrorists but no one really knows and they haven't heard much else but Natsu thinks it's Eisenwald and I don't really know but he wanted me to tell you and Gray!"
That was all in one breath. Impressive for one with small lungs. And exactly the sort of response the Fairy required...although it could have been a bit more informative and perhaps shorter. Still, it was something to go off of. Here in Onibus was a bust. Oh sure...it's not like it was certain that the dark guild wasn't around, but there was finally some sort of lead. Not a very good one, but a lead nonetheless.
"Have you spoken with Gray yet?" A quick nod. "Where is he now?"
"Looking for some way to get to Kunugi quickly."
Erza nodded this time, approving of her teammate's quick thinking. But there was something else she was dreading, "And what of Natsu?"
"He already left."
This time the redhead did sigh. "Of course he did. Very well. Come along, Happy. We shall find Gray and catch up with Natsu."
They'd pick him up on the way. The Queen of the Fairies assumed Gray had gone to the town's magical vehicle rental building. She would meet up with him, get some speed, and nab the foolish fire mage on the way there.
It was much better than coming up empty-handed.
Clover Town:
Predictably, the guild masters reacted in a conventional manner when something struck their building with the force of a small concentrated storm. A few from the lesser associations dove for cover when the roof was sliced into but the rest were from guilds which saw plenty of battle. Magics activated on the dot, and even those inebriated in some way suddenly sharpened at the idea of a threat. They were some of the best after all, and while they might not look the part, they had experience.
Naruto was already outside by this time though, having felt the approaching negativity ever since he started his speech but didn't think too much of the feeling. It was nothing but bloodlust; thick and wanting and so strong it was physically disgusting. No one even realized he was gone moments before the attack happened, deflecting the blade which caused the damage but unable to realize there was something else added in. Damn the whole Ethernano concept. It was fundamentally different from chakra. Thus the blond and even his amazing powers sometimes had trouble noticing when someone else was about to use their ability if there wasn't a tell.
Still, all that happened was some sharp air cut holes in the roof before dissipating. Psh. The smirk on the floating guy's face showed bloody confidence but Naruto had both seen and used wind that was much more dangerous. The man whistled at how the ninja had stopped his oversized sickle along with doing so unflinchingly. And with a bare hand too...Naruto had only slapped the flat of the blade away but still, it happened during Erigor's vicious swing and that wasn't easy to do.
"Now that's surprising," the Shinigami appraise, causing blue eyes to narrow at the declaration, "I was hoping more a little more mayhem before the old coots got off their asses." Erigor's light-colored irises zeroed in on the other's whiskered face. "You here as an aide? Make sure none of them break their hips?"
Naruto's lips split into a measured grin/grimace while the cool steel of the scythe pressed into his extended hand. "Is there a reason you're interrupting? There's more food to be eaten and I haven't tried everything yet."
Erigor's face lost its smug look as he pulled back, putting some distance between them before the arrogance returned. As it were, the other masters were finally dragging themselves out of the building. He gave his weapon a twirl before shouldering it, his other hand dipping beneath the scarf he wore and retrieved some sort of oblong piece of wood.
The others were demanding to know who he was and what he was doing here as they yelled up at him. The hovering mage didn't deign to give a response, coming for a singular purpose and nothing was going to stop him when the deaths of a plethora of light guild mages were within reach. The tip of the skull-face flute was placed against his lips and without preamble he began to blow. The sound was strangely pleasant but held a horrendous after-screech somewhere in its chords, difficult to discern without focusing on the individual notes and not the entire melody.
Each and every master felt something lurch within their chests. It might have been a trick of the mind but shadowy tendrils seemed to be forming in the air as Erigor continued to play. Someone fired a burst of fire into the sky but the man simply flipped around it without breaking the beat. Idiots. He was a master of the wind.
Then suddenly the instrument was ripped from his grasp and pain blossomed along his body. One moment he was using his magic to fly and the next he was in a crater in the ground. Blood flew from Erigor's lips as the dark mage struggled to breathe, both side effects of the unexpectedly rough treatment. The cause of his new location?
The blond boy.
Naruto landed just at the lip of the new depression, joining the other mages gathering around while he held Lullaby in his hands. Erigor had thought he was far enough away; the dark mage had no idea how high a ninja could jump, or especially one taught by toads. Makarov was at his side again and was splitting his gaze between both the enemy and the Uzumaki, who was too engrossed in staring at Lullaby with a disgusted expression. There was something incredibly wrong with this instrument, making the shinobi grab both ends and snap it in two without a second thought.
Erigor snarled and tried to stand, but the elderly Dreyar used his Titan magic to cover him with an oversized hand and keep him tightly pinned.
Naruto tossed the shards away from everyone before calmly sliding down near the struggling Erigor. The jinchuriki had rattled him beforehand by kicking him back down to earth, to the point his anger made him not even think to try and use magic. "Do you know who I am?" Naruto asked, not to intimidate or sound cocky, but for any sort of confirmation. Erigor spit on his face and told him to go fuck himself.
Wiping the saliva off Naruto figured it must have been a 'no'. For one the guy didn't seem to have any recognition, not even when they were face to face. It never hurt to ask though. But it meant it was pointless inquiring about his problem. Makarov's fingers then closed and the prisoner was lifted out of the hole, "I don't believe he's here for you, son. I think I know who this is. Isn't that right...Erigor of Eisenwald?"
A few of the masters made noises of realization as said male stopped his struggling and glared at the lot of them. "Of course you know me. After all, you light bastards were the ones who ruined all my fun!"
Of to the side Naruto groaned. "Oh crap, it's one of those types..."
"I can't recall ever meeting you in person before." None of those in attendance really could. But that didn't stop the man going on a tirade of how it was their kind which destroyed Eisenwald, etc., so on and so forth. He even finally remembered his magical ability and whipped something up, only to stop when Fairy Tail's leader squeezed just a bit harder than necessary.
Erigor paused before sneering at the diminutive man. "You wouldn't kill me. Hell, you wouldn't even cripple me to stop anymore attacks. You're pussies, all of you! That's what makes light guilds so fucking pathetic!"
"You're ALL pathetic. I can't wait any longer, listening to this drivel."
Everyone froze as a heavy force filled the area. Dark, foul energy brushed against their skin and caused them all to shiver involuntarily as the three eyes of Lullaby's skull started to glow with pinpoints of violet light. Thick miasma billowed out from the broken instrument before creating a blackish cloud...which swiftly solidified into some kind of gray bark-skinned monster that was taller than the two-story meeting hall. It looked like a huge, expanded version of Lullaby.
Goldmine yelled something about it being a demon from the Book of Zeref. It was the true form of Lullaby, which was now revealed to be some sort of living magic. The creature's deep voice boomed back about eating their souls. The masters looked worried but otherwise stood their ground. And then there was Naruto, scratching his head as he stared up at the hulking beast. A demon? Really? Or was it another mislabeling like with what happened with the biju?
The blond shinobi had the feeling Lullaby's actions weren't being controlled by another though. This one was pure bad.
And then Erigor struck. Makarov's enlarged hand erupted in red as tightly spinning coils of wind whipped up around the Shinigami's entire body until he looked like a humanoid whirlwind. The small mage clutched his devastated limb and attempted to staunch the bleeding, his mind faintly noting that the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been. The force generated by the Eisenwald member's attack actually caused him to lose his grip on the other man by just enough before the magic hit...so the tornado didn't rip his entire hand apart.
He was already going to get an earful from his healer. He loathed to hear what she would have to say if he was missing a chunk of his body.
Naruto was at his side so quickly Makarov hadn't noticed until the teen's hand was touching his own, uncaring of the crimson spreading across his skin. And then it was done. The pain was still there but already starting to dull as the elder looked down in shock at the skin, healthy and whole. He was feeling quite spry in a way that...hadn't been felt in decades, with the side effect of his abnormal vigor being seen in a visible orangey-red aura which had overtaken his entire body to give him a second 'skin' of energy.
The blue-eyed maverick was already gone again as Makarov's old teammates gathered around him; their efforts of wanting to give aid were thoughtful but wholly redundant, and their confusion at his new look kept them just beyond the edge of his new shell. Nothing was wrong with him anymore. Just like magic...but no kind he'd ever experienced before. There was always something about healing spells. They took time, or larger amounts of magical power, and never exactly could fix the damage to 100% by themselves. But whatever Naruto did swiftly fixed everything in an instant with no evident problem on his part. A complete paradox.
It felt unnatural though. Nothing like magic or Ethernano, and the multiple wounds along his palm had hissed closed with a hint of steam. It made the old Dreyar feel itchy and his entire body had a minor case of pins and needles deep within the muscles. Thankfully whatever Naruto did to him dispelled soon after and let him breathe a sigh of relief. Especially since the situation had not taken a break while he was marveling over his own fortune. Erigor was still using his Storm Mail ability at full strength to the point it was visibly warping the air around him and sending great gusts of wind around that forced everyone but the demon to shield their faces until he shut it off.
"Lullaby! Help me kill these fools! Destroy them all! And then from there, the rest of this light-loving world!"
The man's entire body was about as large as the monster from the edge of the jaw to the bottom of its slightly open mouth. Lullaby's three glowing eyes stared at the human, its lower half only finished forming out of the thick smoke, and contemplated what Erigor said. Then it bared its fangs and its massive form seemed to grow a little larger and more imposing in the evening light, "Do not think to order me, gnat." And then it inhaled and everyone felt a caustic tug on their magic again.
But it was given no time to continue grandstanding like most villains seemed to demand of others. Naruto's foot slammed into its chin, crushing its mouth shut and jerking Lullaby's large head upward painfully. It gave it the momentum to see another Naruto falling from the sky with a blue orb held in his hand; though such a small attack would hardly injure one of Zeref's demons, it honestly had no idea just how wrong it was. The sphere expanded into the size of a house with little effort and fell upon the creature's rough skin as gravity continued its course.
Erigor was knocked away by a third copy of the ninja before the blast overtook Lullaby, hit hard enough to send him into sweet unconsciousness with a broken bone or three. He never even got to pull off Emera Baram and turn some of the fools into gory bits before the defeat. In the end it didn't matter one bit though, as a wide portion of land around the demon simply disintegrated underneath the onslaught of the powerful rasengan meant to completely obliterate Lullaby. What were they going to do with it? Contain it again? Let someone else find it one day and try to unleash it again?
Yeah right.
The masters were forced to cover their faces yet again as the monster and everything regarding it was annihilated by the spinning maelstrom of energy. It kicked up a whole bunch of dust and created yet another crater, much larger than the first, right on the outskirts of the meeting hall. The only sound to be heard was the disturbed wind starting to die down along with whatever loosened stones and debris clattering along the ground.
Naruto landed, brushed himself off, and turned back towards the rest of his peers who were staring at him in shock. "What? Like hell I'm going to let that thing do what it wants."
In the ensuing silence and thoughtful looks, someone laughed. It might've been Makarov. The approved clapping began and Naruto scratched his head, lightly abashed over the whole things. The last time a whole crowd acted like this around him was when he stopped Pein, and before that was the Chunin Exams. Such things didn't happen very often for the blond and he had actually matured a (little) bit from his childish ways...so even though it filled him with even more confidence, it was all still kind of embarrassing.
He loved it though.
"That was quite the takedown. Efficient. Powerful...though a bit showy, I believe."
"I had to make sure nothing of it remained," Naruto said to the short Fairy as they both collected the wounded Erigor, trussed him up, and awaited Clover's Rune Knights after someone called for them from the building's lacrima. Someone with earth magic filled the holes caused by the shinobi's endeavors and...it was a rather anticlimactic ending to an otherwise adrenaline-fueled lead up. Murderous villains. Demons. A flute brimming with death magic, actually created from living magic. A damaged meeting hall, but that was easy to blame on Eisenwald.
It was the most exciting gathering of guild masters since about ten years ago, when a member of Fairy Tail burst in on the proceedings and demanded to fight everyone there since 'they were all considered the strongest in their guilds' and so had to be the perfect training partners. Suffice to say it didn't go over too well, but at least it livened the place up a bit compared to the usual collection of drunken old people. And yet the fun wasn't over yet: something else was going on that was so troublesome, the Rune Knights were already en route to the house on Clover's outskirts to inquire the master's for their wisdom. It was magical in nature, and too powerful for normal mages to dispel.
A vortex of wind reaching into the sky, completely engulfing Oshibana's railroad station and injuring anyone who ventured too close to its damaging swell. The remaining force of the dark guild Eisenwald was said to still be inside since none had ever escaped once the train derailed and they forced everyone else out of the area. It appeared sometime during the Lullaby mess and no one knew what to do.
"We were hoping one of you might have an idea to fixing the problem," the lead guard asked hesitantly, "Nothing we've tried could pierce through the wind."
In the end Naruto declared he would take this one as well. Wind was his own nature, after all, and he could get to Oshibana in seconds. A few of the knights figured him to be showing off...but everyone would have their naysayers. Some just couldn't handle knowing that there was someone experienced and powerful, and oh so young. Jealous, even...but if only they knew why.
Already halfway back across the mountains, the blond Uzumaki finally noticed the unnatural addition to the city's limits looming off in the distance. It was actually somewhat intimidating up close, as he knew for a fact what wind was capable of. Guards immediately surrounded him as he landed at the edge but the reveal of his guild stamp and declaration of coming from the nearby meeting at least got the sharp spears to stop pointing at him.
"Tell me everything," Naruto ordered, and the head guard stiffened slightly from authority by the look on the ninja's face.
"It was only recently we learned all the facts, but earlier today members of the dark guild Eisenwald derailed a train from Kunugi Station and promptly took over our own in the confusion. They repelled all attempts at entry. Not too long ago though, members of Fairy Tail were able to make their way inside. We meant to follow but this...barrier appeared and has kept everything both in an out."
Naruto hummed, and looked up and down the tall stretch of churning air. "I've heard good things about what Fairy Tail can do so the dark guild should be taken care of...but if not, have the soldiers ready to fight in case anything escapes. I'm gonna tear down this wall."
He then promptly walked towards the 'buzz saws', ignoring everyone who yelled for him to stand back. On the other side from where he stood there were feelings of anger and regret. Perhaps the Fairies? Either way, it was a good place to start. Clenching his fists, the entirety of Naruto's countenance changed. The Rune Knights were forced to cover their eyes as the sudden intrusion of light. It wasn't annoyingly bright, but the unexpected addition made them see stars for a moment.
Where a boy in orange and black once stood, there was now a boy in glowing gold. Everything from the tip of his (now) spikier hair down to his sandals was lit up like the sun, with the addition of a longer jacket and orange slit eyes. The coat flowing over his body split apart into a pair of large glowing arms which stretched forward and, even as the dangerous element began slicing into the thick energy limbs, remained whole. Yellow fingers pierced the first layer before slowly sinking further; Naruto crouched when the backlash traveled down into his main body, allowing for greater footing under the new duress.
By the time the hands pushed themselves up to the wrist, their owner grinned despite his entire figure now trembling from the powerful vibrations of him touching the wall of wind without being ripped to pieces.
He was in.
Chakra surged through the faux arms while the already large palms expanded further. With a wordless roar Naruto pulled and the obstruction resisted. But the wind chakra of the jinchuriki was far stronger than the wind magic of Erigor, especially since it was merely a trap meant to detain, without anyone or anything to sustain it beyond the initial charge. The spell refused to accept someone trying to disrupt its cyclical nature but in the end it was a goner. From top to bottom it split right down the middle as Naruto continued to drag the edges apart.
There was silence, for a moment, when before there was only noise.
The complete destabilization followed soon after with an explosive end. The wall lost its form and the captured wind was expelled, blowing out all windows in a wide radius and knocking everyone but a certain blond on their collective asses. It wasn't enough to truly injure but the shock was still apparent on everyone's face. The only one still standing was Naruto himself. His 'arms' retracted and melded back together, reforming the billowy jacket while its owner sighed with relief. This had worked out better than he hoped, once the ninja got a feel for how it was held together.
Today had been a pretty productive day. Saving lives, keeping bad guys from having their way...oh yeah, Uzumaki Naruto could not be stopped.
And yet when he looked up from brushing some debris from his radiant form Naruto froze in his spot, finding himself face-to-face with a set of startled violet eyes and hair a most vibrant and familiar red.
The last member of Eisenwald, a man who command the shadows, slammed into the wall with a hearty crack and a slight scorch mark on his chest where Natsu had punched him. From the moment the Fairies rushed into the train station after arriving to discover just what was going on, the dark mages had given them no time to think put up a fight. There was no showboating and the fighting was frantic...but with lots of innuendo directed at Erza. Especially when she used her requip magic to change armors and momentarily stripped herself down to the bare flesh.
"Ha! You bastards'll never come close to beating Fairy Tail!" the dragon slayer yelled with a massive grin, the flames around his fist dying out while he surveyed the moaning bodies. A few feet away, Gray relaxed his posture as a wave of frost around his feet vanished. Somewhere along the line the Ice Make wizard lost his shirt and jacket to reveal a muscular upper body, black stamp on his right chest, and a necklace shaped like a small sword.
"This was almost too easy...I don't like it."
"The hell are you talking about?" Natsu demanded, only for the last human of their group to walk back within the room with a deep frown marring her pretty face. Both men snapped their gaze towards Erza, as she tossed another unconscious body towards its brothers in the main area of the station. She looked rather angry, and an angry Erza was never a good time.
"We are trapped," she stated curtly. The two mages flinched at her tone, as cold as Gray's magic while the redhead herself occasionally suffered from a muscle spasm. "That one told me everything. They were merely a distraction. Another Eisenwald member has already traveled to the masters' meeting...we are too late to stop this Lullaby from being used."
Her armored gauntlets creaked, a sign of her mounting anger as she continued clenching her fists, and Erza felt the heaviness in her body after all the energy consumption she'd undergone that day. Driving the distance from Onibus to Oshibana in a magical four-wheeler was tiring enough without overworking the mechanisms...add on the drain from her own fighting style and the powerful woman was already feeling the effects. She possessed large reserves, but even so...
"Are you kidding? We can go now! Leave these guys for the Rune Knights!"
"Look outside, Natsu!" Erza barked, and the pink-haired male immediately complied, only for his eyes to widen in shock.
"Where the hell did that come from?!"
Because outside, instead of a clear view of the sky, was an opaque wall of buzzing wind tinged slightly green. The sound was muffled now that they realized there was indeed some sort of noise in the background but the moment the Fairies exited the building, the volume ratcheted up at a drastic level. "The moment we entered the building they released it to keep us in and everyone else out. It was a last minute addition by their missing member, Erigor. As far as I understand, there is no way out until it eventually dissipates."
"Screw that!" Natsu yelled, and immediately rushed the barrier, "I'm not just gonna wait around!"
The dragon slayer then promptly bounced back clutching his arm in pain. This happened a few more times until finally Gray couldn't take it anymore watching the idiot harm himself and created a wall of ice in front of him. "Obviously that's not working. The wind forms a dome so we can't fly out, and I don't know how deep underground the trap extends. Face it, we're stuck."
Natsu looked ready to explode at the dismissal of escaping, but the lone female was the one to do so first. Her metal fist struck the unstable area and she recoiled with barely a sound, teeth digging into her lip while the woman tried to dismiss the feelings of uselessness pervading her senses. Were the masters okay? What did Lullaby truly do? They were all obviously strong in their own right, but for a single man to think he could take them all on with the item did not bode well for anyone. Either he was drastically over thinking his own strength...or Lullaby was a bigger problem than anyone first thought.
"Dammit," Erza muttered quietly. The last time she'd failed this badly was...
The image of a crying young girl with short red hair, bleeding from an empty eye socket while she stood over the dying body of an elderly man appeared in her mind.
The picturesque beauty of the Scarlet's face twisted as she roared out in anger, fists pounding against the unbeatable wall. She would not lose Makarov or anyone else! Behind her Natsu, Happy, and Gray all watched her in blatant surprise. It would not be the first time Erza lost her temper over something but this was the first she'd ever seemed to lose all reason. This was not the nineteen year old teammate they'd grown up with since they were kids. They didn't know what to do.
But as she reared back for another haymaker something changed. The wall of wind trembled in front of her, and then did it again, while a panting Erza stopped herself to watch warily. Something gold pushed its way through and she jumped back, using a bit of her remaining reserves to summon a sword. But the strange glowing pincers twitched and wiggled before suddenly growing. Then, miraculously, the now larger hand-like objects curling outward and pulled. There was a great ripping noise and then blissful silence as the twister was literally ripped from top to bottom before dispelling from the disruption.
They all were then forced to shield their faces as the remaining magic detonated and blew outwards, nearly knocking them all off their feet. Natsu grabbed his feline companion and hugged him to his chest before the small animal went flying. Then, after the pressure died down and things were finally quiet again, Erza swept from long crimson hair away from her face and found herself nearly right on top of another person. One who was glowing brightly like a lacrima lantern put on high.
They stared at each other, startled brown looking into distressed orange, before the golden energy vanished to reveal a young man with yellow hair and blue eyes. He also looked like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Mom?" he breathed quietly before viciously rubbing at his face with his palms. The moment his hands dropped away those sapphires of his stared at her sharply; the blond suddenly breathed out a lungful of air and Erza wasn't sure if it was a sigh of relief or disappointment. "Whoa...sorry about that. I saw your hair and..." He shook his head before standing up straighter and looking around. "Never mind. Are you with Fairy Tail?"
Because for a split second the female's deep red locks made him think of another. But no, it was not Kushina. That was just him hallucinating for a moment. How embarrassing.
For one thing her hair was darker than Uzumaki Kushina's and only fell down her back instead of reaching to her legs. They shared pale skin but her eyes were a darker brown instead of his mother's kindly purple. And this new girl was, *ahem*, rather shapely like Lucy and Mirajane, something he could tell even through the armored breastplate stamped with a golden cross on the front that she wore. She rounded it out blue pleated skirt, black short-heeled boots up to her knees, gauntlets, pauldrons, and a set of dangling earrings shaped like small spearheads.
Her companions were a man without a shirt with messy black hair and dark eyes, with baggy black pants, a wide belt with a chain, necklace, and heavy boots. The other had spiky rose-colored hair and brownish eyes who wore an open sleeveless vest and waist cape, both black with golden trim, white training pants tied underneath the knees, a long scarf with a scale pattern, and sandals. He had a red stamp on his right shoulder. And the last was a cat with upright posture and bright bluish fur, flitting about on angel wings.
Huh.
"I am," Erza agreed, confusion mounting from his sudden exclamation but there was simply no time to think on it, "And I thank you for freeing us but I cannot stay and talk. Eisenwald is inside the building, defeated. Please take care of it!" At that she turned to run for the vehicle left forgotten on the outskirts of the railroad but a shout from Naruto stopped the tired woman dead in her tracks.
"If you're freaking out over the meeting in Clover, don't worry about it! Everyone's fine!"
The man from Kage Beast immediately found himself hoisted up by his jacket and drawn inches from the flawless skin of the redhead's face. "This better not be a joke. The lives of all the masters are at stake!"
"I'm serious. No one's hurt though the building is a bit banged up. Erigor's been arrested and Lullaby put down. It wasn't hard at all."
"And who are you to know all these things?" Gray asked from somewhere off to the side, reminding the pair that there was more than just those two present. Feeling Erza's grip on his coat slacken slightly Naruto was able to pull himself free and straighten his favorite top.
"I was there. I'm Naruto-" He exposed the mark on his palm, "-the guild master of Kage Beast. Things were finished before the demon could hurt anyone."
"I'm sorry, what? Master?"
"DEMON?!"
That was from Natsu, who was jumping so much it looked like he was going to bounce himself silly. Sadly because his attention was drawn towards the pinkette now literally leaking flames, Naruto was too late in moving away before armored hands took hold of his jacket a second time. Although still firm the hold was thankfully gentler than before.
Erza Scarlet once again entered his personal space, right eye covered by her bangs, and essentially ordered him to speak. "Talk," she demanded evenly but with an undercurrent of force. The ninja was aptly reminded of Sakura and her pushiness...so he raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. As the blond had come to know, never mess with a woman who was both strong willed and short-tempered, and was demanding something that had no proper consequences if he gave in.
It usually meant a painful bump on the noggin for his troubles if he didn't.
So.
Powerful ninja or not, Naruto began to speak.
"I apologize Naruto-san! Please hit me!"
"I'm not hitting you! Sheesh!"
But Erza would not relent, having hounded the shinobi since the moment it was confirmed he was indeed both the leader of a magic guild as well as the defender of Clover's gathering. As the Rune Knights rounded up the rest of Erigor's goons and worked to restore order in the town, a lone guard had appeared in front of him with a shortwave portable communications lacrima and promptly handed it over after confirming Naruto's identity.
It was Makarov, using the large sphere in the guild hall to make the call.
"So did you take care of it, son?"
"Yup. Three members of your guild fixed things over here, and I got rid of the trap."
"Yes. We could see it vanish on the horizon. It must have taken a lot of skill to dispel such a large spell so easily."
"Well...y'know..." Buffing his nails on his sleeve, Naruto was promptly shoved out of the way by Erza as she fidgeted just outside the field of vision.
"Master! Are you well?"
"Oh ho, Erza-chan! I figured it was you! Yes, yes, we're all doing fine. You're looking a little haggard there, though."
The buxom redhead swallowed heavily before shaking her head. "It was no trouble at all. I am just...quite glad to know Lullaby was not unleashed upon everyone. Gray, Natsu, Happy and I did our best but..."
"Oh." The diminutive man rubbed the back of his head through the transparent connection. "Lullaby was actually released from its seal by that dark guild fellow, but Naruto beat them both up without much effort. Saved us all a load of trouble."
Erza looked over her shoulder at the orange-wearing boy, who was now focused on Happy as the blue cat did little loops in the air. "And it was all him?"
"You've not been around to be caught up on current events but recently we've started relations with Kage Beast, a new guild located in Balsam Village. Ask Mirajane when you can. She's spent the most time speaking with them through the guild lacrima. But to give you a few pointers...they're strong, they're only a town away from us, there's currently only four of them at the moment...and yes, Naruto really is the guild master."
"...I see."
"Now, Erza." Makarov's voice suddenly grew firm and she immediately stood a little taller. "I know what it's like when you're around Gray and Natsu. Have any of you broken anything?"
"A bit of Oshibana Station perhaps but that was during our fights."
"But no extensive property damage?! Injured bystanders?! Huge bills?!" He sounded almost frantic.
She shook her head slowly. "No. At most, we searched Onibus before discovering the disturbance and drove here. As far as I know, none of us had gotten out of hand during that time."
The short elder began to laugh, and it was crazy giggling. He vanished from the holographic screen and the young woman could hear the sounds of merriment in the background before the oldest Dreyar reappeared in the picture. "Go home right now, you hear me? You, Natsu, Gray, and Happy! Every single one! Don't stop anywhere, don't get in anymore fights, and especially DO NOT DESTROY ANYTHING!"
Erza leaned back at the added volume before nodding slowly. Makarov cheered before asking that Naruto be put back on. Without a word she handed the lacrima back to the blond and he shrugged at her quizzical look. "What's up Jiji?"
"You, my friend, are a godsend! Get your ass back here because we have a meeting to finish up! Then it's back to Magnolia where I'm throwing a celebration to honor our neighbors! It'll happen as soon as we return from our trip, so I'll call ahead so she can get started! Oh, and Erza! Make sure the rest of Kage Beast is notified of the party and know to head over to Magnolia as soon as possible, alright?!"
"Um...yes sir."
With a final cheer the image winked out, leaving the teenagers to stare at the cloudy jewel held in Naruto's hand. And in that silence, the attention was then naturally drawn towards the powerful blond.
"You're really a master huh?...then that means you're strong! Fight me!"
"So that's why Mirajane and Cana have been spending time on the lacrima a lot lately...I've heard some things about Kage Beast, and I remember Mira making some sort of announcement about them awhile ago too."
The biggest expression however came from Erza, who bowed deeply from the waist right in front of Naruto before staring at him with a pleading expression. "I apologize for my rash actions! Please, hit me in recompense!"
And now it was full circle. Even now as the Fairies loaded up to head back to Onibus the girl continued to badger him over inflicting some sort of punishment. Was she some sort of masochist? He wasn't going to hit her unless he had good reason, like being in a fight. She was too pretty to slap around...but to each their own, he guessed. Naruto had to ward of Natsu from starting a brawl as well. What was up with these Fairies?
"I won't punch you. But if you really want to make it up to me for whatever, just be a friend to Kage Beast. We have one girl member and it wouldn't hurt for her to know more female mages too who've been at this for awhile."
Erza squinted at the blond before nodding resolutely, a small but pleased smile turning her lips. "Very well. I shall do so to make up for my rudeness. As we are neighbor guilds, fostering friendly interaction was now something I looked forward to doing. However I will make sure to pay extra attention to...what is her name?"
"Lucy Heartfilia."
She nodded again, pausing slightly as Lucy's family name sounded partly familiar to her. "The moment she steps foot within Fairy Tail I will make her feel welcome. Farewell, Naruto-san. We shall see you soon."
With Gray supplying the magic, the drive back to Onibus would not task her. She gave the blond a parting wave as the engine roared to life; almost immediately Natsu's stomach lurched and he keeled over in the back of the transport. His moans of pain were ignored as the four wheeler moved down the road and eventually out of sight.
Welp, that was one last problem solved. Things were wrapping up here and his presence was requested back with the others. Clapping his hands together he nodded towards a few of the Rune Knights still around before taking to the rooftops. Soon he would be back in Clover...and he'd see how things went from there.
Lucy was ready to pop as she, Gaara, and Bee walked up to the front of Magnolia's super famous (and only) guild on the final day Naruto was supposed to be away. She was so excited to finally set foot in the place; in fact the buxom mage was bouncing with every step, a sight those in the area readily noticed. It was a bit larger than Kage Beast's building, and there was so much more activity going on. People were coming and going at a continuous pace. Add in the fact the location was along a road right off the main street and that made it seem even more lively.
The blonde girl stared at the large wooden doors right in front of her but couldn't seem to find the courage to open them. Despite their inviting image, the whole situation was imposing to the young woman. She'd even prettied herself up (more so) in a tan miniskirt, sweater tied about her hips, and white dress shirt rolled up at the sleeves...and left unbuttoned somewhat with a secondary low-cut t-shirt to allow her chest some room. Along with her normal beauty routine, Lucy felt as though she'd really be turning some heads.
But this was Fairy Tail. Fiore's number one guild. The structure was a large two-story building of brick and stone shaped similar to a pagoda, encircled by a stone fence. It had a church bell at the top of the tower along with a large version of their trademark insignia along the front of the roof. There was no gate though, left wide open as an invite for anyone and everyone to come on in and visit. And it was still so much more incredible than Kage Beast's at the moment.
Her hand was extended towards one of the knobs on the arched double doors but Lucy's fingers just wouldn't close around it.
"Would you do it already?"
"This is a big moment for me, okay?!" she shrieked in annoyance. Both Gaara and Bee had been waiting for her to make a move over the last five minutes and honestly the two were getting impatient. Well actually, they were getting hungry, since it was going to be a party and naturally those would have refreshments, but Lucy's indecisiveness was messing that all up.
"By the time ya'll move, it'll be evening." And at that, Bee strode forward and opened the door. Lucy's wordless cry went unheeded as he and the Suna nin moved inside, leaving the poor girl all by her lonesome on the steps. She didn't know whether to act indignant, angry, or sad. But as Lucy took in deep and calming breaths the woman had to rationalize their behavior. They didn't understand. Their former ignorance over the awesomeness surrounding guilds, specifically this one, made the boys not really care about all the glam and glitz and honor that came from do, and they likely never would.
It made the Heartfilia feel as though she were the most mature out of all of Kage Beast though. Where were their manners? Or at least announce yourselves before going in. Her proper upbringing was showing again, although mostly it was common sense, people!
Slapping her cheeks a few times in succession, Lucy steadied herself and walked inside.
"There you are!" The buxom summoner quickly found herself pulled into a happy embrace as a curtain of silver filled her vision. Grinning at the warm welcome, the blonde returned the hug before Mirajane pulled back, eying the other made up and down with a focused gaze. The eldest Strauss was still as gorgeous as ever and Lucy was quickly ushered further inside once the other woman's inspection. "I'm glad to see you're looking well. I was worried you would feel too worn out from all your training to come visit."
"Ah, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."
The famous idol grinned merrily, and Lucy felt her heart beat quicker as her girl-crush on Mirajane reared its head again. This was almost too good to be true, actually knowing and being friends with someone like her. So pretty. So respectable. The type of girl you looked up to and even wanted to be.
Lucy really, really, really owed Naruto that hug.
Ahead of her the shapely barmaid slid and spun through the crowds of people like a seasoned pro; there was a motley assortment of individuals sitting, standing, and walking about the hall. Long benches and circular tables were placed about the area and other waitresses were taking and putting down orders at their respective locations. A few of the people stood out among Lucy's scrutiny as she followed the silvernette up to the bar, mages she knew about from hearsay and from reading Sorcerer's Weekly Magazine.
There was Mira of course. Oh, she remembered seeing that purple-haired girl with glasses from a few issues ago...what was her name- Laki! Yeah, it was Laki! And that was...oh. My. God. That was Loke, a handsome mage that subscribers voted on multiple times as very desirable boyfriend material. He had a woman on each arm though, speaking to one and then the other and then laughing in a constant fashion while they all reclined on a bench off in the corner.
Erg. Lucy's personal opinion of the man just went down if he was the playboy type.
And then there was...a barrel on top of the counter with (strangely enough) a rather nice set of legs—oops, scratch that, it was just Cana with a cask of alcohol in her lap. The brunette sent an easygoing grin towards the blonde before sliding the clearly empty container off to the side and leaning over to pat the stool beside her. "Hey there. Nice to finally see you without any lacrima static screwing up the picture."
"H-hi," Lucy answered, silently admonishing herself for thinking something so silly, "It's great to finally be here."
"Well the party's already started-" Cana gestured around, chest swaying about in her tight bikini top, before pointing off to a table set up against the wall. There were already people milling about up next to it. "-and there's a bunch of snacks and stuff waiting to be eaten. If you want something more filling though, just ask Mira or one of the other waitresses. Oh! And you've gotta have one of these before anything else."
Without a hint of hesitation, the brunette beauty leaned backwards and grabbed something from behind the bar while ignoring Mirajane's chastisement. She struggled for a moment with her tongue poking out from between her lips before the Alberona righted herself with four beers in hand. She handed one to a stunned Lucy and kept the rest for herself, as Bee and Gaara were currently mingling with the others instead of in range to be given the alcohol. Or more like they were being drawn into conversations from curious individuals.
Killer Bee was speaking to a man his equal in size, who reminded the blonde girl of her stunning model friend. The man had spiky whitish hair and tanned skin in a blue school-like uniform, with a line of stitches running from his right eye all the way down his cheek. The two seemed to be getting along rather well. Probably, in Lucy's opinion, because they now had someone large they could relate with.
Gaara was sitting at a table with three other men. The first was middle-aged, with navy hair, dark eyes, and scruff on his face. He had on a long white jacket with the sleeves rolled up and blue inner lining, a black undershirt, dark brown pants, boots, and a silver chain with a large stylized 'S' hanging from it. The second had light brown hair combed into a pompadour and clean shaven, with squinted eyes and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He wore a long-sleeved green shirt with darker flower patterns, pants ending below the knee, and striped sandals. The last seemed to be talking animatedly to the dispassionate redhead, a small tornado of sand buzzing above his palm as he gestured towards it. The young man had a beige bowl cut split and framing his face with narrow dark eyes, a blue dress shirt, loose ragged pants, and shoes.
If any were put off by Gaara's quiet nature they didn't show it.
By the time Lucy turned back around from her quick search and made to join in with Mirajane by gently scolding the scantily-clad brunette for just taking the bottles, as well as for providing them to youths not yet of age, she noticed that Cana's face had become nervous. There was a new presence behind Lucy now too; a heavy hand clapped itself upon her delicate shoulder and the summoner yelped from both the surprise and twinge of pain and nearly dropped her unopened beer.
"Full-figured, plenty of exposed skin, and yellow hair with a ribbon. You must be Lucy."
Twisting around, said blonde's brown eyes widened at the sight of Fairy Tail's strongest female mage standing there with perfect posture and a smile upon her face. She knew of Erza Scarlet because, who hasn't, but her reputation was almost like myth to those who had never met her before. But to see the gorgeous redhead right here, in person...
Wow.
"Y-yes, I'm—wait. How did you know my name?" The Heartfilia blinked before looking over at the other two women who both shook their heads. Erza chuckled, a small but hearty tone that didn't seem right coming from such a looker, and retracted her arm.
"Your guildmaster. I owed him a debt of honor for some...rash actions, and he asked that in turn I extend to you a hand in friendship." Gesturing towards the barmaid with two fingers, the Requip Mage then took the open seat next to the gradually blushing Lucy. "It was said you are the only female within Kage Beast. While I am not familiar with that concept, I do understand the anxiety from joining a guild full of strangers. I now know that you speak with Mirajane and Cana on a regular basis; feel free to contact me as well should any trouble arise. I will do my best to answer so long as I am not busy."
Two plates of delicious looking cake were then placed in front of Erza, who proceeded to slide the second slice over to the red-faced girl. Telling Lucy to join her in one of her favorite meals (though it sounded more like an order) Erza began eating the dessert with restrained gusto. It looked rather sugary...but the Beast did not allow the gift to be ignored after handing the drink in her hands back to an amused Cana.
"Thank you."
But before Lucy could even stick her fork in the cake the chesty brunette had raised said bottle in the air and gave an amused cry. "And there they are!"
Her cheer was taken up by others and Erza and Lucy were forced to spin around in their seats, following everyone's field of vision to the front doors. A squat little man had entered with his arms raised, yelling something that was clearly pumping up the crowd, followed by the man of the hour himself: Uzumaki Naruto.
He was bombarded by curious Fairies asking him all kinds of questions. Who he actually was, his magic skill, was he the reason for the party, and so on. Those who actually knew something about the blond simply thanked him for whatever he did for their guild. And, as Lucy noticed, Naruto seemed to be glowing with contentment. He was positively grinning from ear to ear over lavish attention. And then when a pink-haired boy leapt at her guild master with a fist covered in flame, she found herself laughing along with the rest as the diminutive other man slapped Pinky out of the air with a giant hand. It happened so quickly, and was just so comical...
"I hope our guild can be this lively one day."
"You simply have to keep working for it," Erza stated, though she had a look of disapproval on her face towards who Lucy would later learn to be named Natsu, "After all, Fairy Tail started out the same way. So long as the effort is put forth, nothing is impossible."
"True," the pretty blonde said while looking away with a small smile. But as she looked back up, there was a second of seeing Naruto with the first two fingers of each hand pushed inside his mouth before he blew. Hard. A shrill whistle blasted out from between his lips that sent most of the crowd covering their ears. Even Naruto looked surprised for a moment as silence descended upon the building.
"Hey, it actually worked." Blue eyes blinked before the astonishment vanished and he grinned, raising an arm high in the air. "Alright, Kage Beast! Form up!"
"Er-" The remaining three members of the foreign guild eventually joined their leader; Lucy could feel every eye on her as she walked up to the front of the guild.
"Okay everyone, listen up! For those who don't know, my name's Naruto and I'm the master of Kage Beast over in Balsam! And these are Bee, Lucy, and Gaara! Makarov was nice enough to throw this party for us, so let's not waste anymore time!"
"If you want the details as to why, just ask later! For now let's show our neighbor guild the Fairy Tail way!" Makarov added before waddling his way into the crowd and making straight for the bar. The rest of the members quickly devolved into a mess of noise, bodies, and the occasional wide-range fistfight. Apparently it was just like any other day here in Magnolia but with the added benefit of a celebration to lower their inhibitions. But damn, did it seem like they knew how to have a good time.
As the Balsam guild was swiftly absorbed into the throng of mages, Naruto suddenly felt a soft body with softer attachments press up against him. Lucy had her arms around his neck and was firmly hugging her fellow fair-haired teen, eliciting a shocked expression from the shinobi. She pulled away just a bit but continued to stay in close contact with the boy after doing the deed. "Once again, I have to say thanks," she began before Naruto could stutter out a word, "I mean, look at this. I'm in a legitimate guild, friends with people like Mirajane, and Erza Scarlet is willing to look out for me. All because of you in some way. And then you do something else to let us all party with Fiore's best guild; hugging you was the least I could do to show how grateful I am."
Naruto scratched his head as a bit of color rose in his cheeks before the ninja eventually nodded. After she (unfortunately) let go, he caught Lucy's eye and grinned again. "Well if you ever feel like hugging me again then go right ahead, I won't mind. Now let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
"So I've been dying to know...what did you do that made Makarov fellow so happy anyways?"
"He claimed it was because I stopped Erza and them from breaking anything but..." Naruto began as the two teenagers moved deeper into the building, his partner paying rapt attention. From there the festivities stretched on the entire night with good times had by everyone.
But there were storm clouds on the horizon that any had yet to see. Danger was approaching, that would soon be upon Balsam Village. Angry individuals were on the hunt and the only name that kept coming up regarding a prior certain incident was...
Kage Beast.
Not much to say. Been busy with life. Feeling burned out. So many ideas, not enough time.
But the plot here is a-happenin'.
ALSO MKX! If only I had a PS4!
It might be weird having System of a Down as the mood music while Mortal Kombat characters slap each other around but it was damn exciting. Over-hyped or not, I still can't wait to play it.
...
...on another note, I have a question to any Fairy Tail aficionados out there. I can't exactly remember, but there is only one of each type of golden key right? I know silver has many copies but gold seems to be slipping my mind.