Chapter Four: Brawl of the Ages; Arrival at Fairy Tail!

It took over half an hour for officers of the Magic Council to arrive. A legion of Rune Knights came to apprehend the dark mages and drove off in old fashioned cars with prison carriages attached at the back.

It took even longer for them to send help to the passengers and get them to the nearest train station with a message of apology for the disruption and a promise from the conductor that they would receive free tickets to any location that could be reached by train.

Eventually, we were all loaded up in a strange transportation mechanism that seemed to hover over a large, blue magic circle. It was like a space ship straight out of Star Wars. The nearest station was in a place called Clover Town. From then, it took several more hours to make it to Magnolia Station.

All in all, when we finally arrived, the sun had already begun to set on the horizon. Hour after hour I had waited in trains and magical flying vehicles, preparing myself for what was to come. And I was still wearing a goddamn dress!

"Come along, Brian, we're almost there now." said Erza, dragging me along by my arm. At least she wasn't calling me 'Brianna,' though I swear I heard her mumble it once.

It was almost comical how everyone hurriedly moved as far away from Erza as possible as soon as they caught sight of her. The terror in their eyes made me wonder if Fairy Tail was actually helping the town more than harming it, but I soon dismissed the notion as unimportant.

Was Erza really so intimidating? My mind flashed back to the expression on her face when she'd presented the thrice-be-damned dress to me. It had been the only reason I'd actually put it on in the first place. Yes, I decided, she really was.

"Ah, here we are." she said with a sense of finality, gesturing towards the large guild hall in front of us.

I couldn't remember enough about the series to recognize the different guild halls, so I couldn't tell if this was post Phantom Lord or before the seven year gap. It was a sight to behold, though. It looked like a giant cathedral with a bell tower in its center and surrounded by a fenced wall. An orange banner with a white fairy insignia hung proudly, two floors above the door. We had to enter through a classy wrought iron gate just to get onto the property. Had Fairy Tail always had a guild so... fancy?

I kept my silence as Erza led me to the double doors before opening them with a push. They swung inwards with a slight creak. Then I had my first look at the inside of the guild. It was utter pandemonium. Complete bedlam. I have no other words to describe what it was like to witness before my very eyes.

This seems more like it, I thought, resisting the urge to grasp my forehead in my hand.

The inside was more like the bar I remembered Fairy Tail to be like, complete with trashed furniture and a smiling Mirajane serving drinks. Apparently, we had walked in during the middle of a brawl, though a quick glance at Erza confirmed that she was not even mildly concerned.

"Yo, Erza!" a cocky voice called out. "You're back! C'mere and fight me!"

"Shut up! I'm not done with you yet, you ash-brained piece of burning shit!"

"A-ah, Gray-san, please don't... um, your clothes are..."

"You shouldn't bother with people like these, Wendy. Honestly, it's no place for a young girl to be! You might pick up some of their bad habits."

"So... this is the nice, loving family you were talking about?" I said, turning towards Erza with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed it is." she replied, smiling ever so slightly.

"You didn't tell me that they were so... lively." I replied, not that I hadn't expected it at least to some degree, but this was a bit much. I had already dodged three bottles and a chair. Erza didn't bother to respond to me.

"Mirajane," she said, striding forwards until she was up against the bar.

"Oh, hello, Erza," said Mirajane with the kindest and mellowest demeanor I'd ever seen in a person. Certainly this couldn't be the she-devil? "Ara, what's this you've brought with you?"

"Someone I'm taking to see the master." said Erza. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Master Makarov is on the east side of the second floor now, doing some paperwork." said Mira. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much if you went to see him now."

"I see. Thank you, Mira." said Erza.

"Oh, and good luck, Little Miss." said Mira, waving at me with a beaming smile. I once again vowed retribution against Erza. Perhaps a spell that would embarrass her in front of everyone? Hmm... this bore further thinking.

It was much more peaceful on the second floor, what without the mass of highly volatile, dubiously sober brawlers. It was a nice change of scene. I much preferred peace and quiet to rowdiness. Now if only Erza would let go of my arm...

"Master?" said Erza, knocking on a small, wooden door. She opened it without waiting for an answer.

"Huh, wha– yes, what is it, Erza?" Makarov stumbled over his words, quickly throwing a magazine to the side. I caught a glimpse of a bikini clad woman on the cover. Right, paperwork...

"You've completed your mission, then?" he asked, sliding the magazine of dubious purpose under his desk with his foot. Erza appeared not to notice.

"Indeed. I'll be sure to send you the full report later." said Erza. "In the meantime I've brought this child here who claims not to have any parents, something which I am inclined to believe. I thought it might be best to bring the issue to you."

"Hmm, no parents, you say?" said Makarov. "You understand that Fairy Tail is not a foster care home. We are a mages guild. It would not be within protocol to let her stay here."

I twitched at the 'her.'

"Master, surely you're not suggesting to simply leave someone like this to be taken—"

"I said nothing of the sort, Erza. I'm merely telling you that it would be against protocol." said Makarov, rubbing his head tiredly. "I'm sure we could find someone within the guild who would be willing to adopt her. If not... We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"If you will permit me, Master, I would be willing to adopt the child." said Erza, placing a hand over her breastplate.

Makarov suddenly turned white as a sheet, sweat dripping down his head at her proclamation.

"Ehem, well, that's wonderful." Makarov coughed out. "However, it might be best to check around the guild first for any other candidates before making a decision."

"Yes, of course," said Erza, lowering her head. "please forgive my presumptuousness. You may hit me now."

"Err, that won't be necessary, Erza." said Makarov, looking as though he'd much rather be in any other place at the moment.

"I think you forgot to mention something, Miss Erza." I spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"I am a mage." I said, creating a small fireball above my hand. "So that means I can join a mages guild, right?"

"Oh, that does change things a bit." said Makarov, nodding sagely. "If you join, then you can legally be under the care of the guild at large."

"So, can I join?" I asked simply.

Makarov stared intently at me for a few seconds. I couldn't help but feel a bit of nervousness at his searching gaze.

"Alright, you can join!" he said cheerfully. "You look like you'll grow into a fine lass in a few years, ehehehe." Ah, the lecherous old pervert stereotype.

"Sorry to disrupt your sick, inappropriate fantasies, Master Makarov, but I'm actually a boy."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...eh?"

/

"Excuse me, Miss Mirajane," I said. "Master Makarov said that I could join the guild. Miss Erza said that I had to get a stamp...?"

"Oh, are you a mage?" she asked kindly. "That's wonderful. I'll go get the stamp."

Something about that silver haired mage just made it seem as though you could trust her with anything, like that really friendly kid in school that not even the bully can bring himself to make fun of. She simply oozed niceness in a way that just wasn't possible to fake. I knew immediately that I would want to become friends with her.

"Here we are." said Mira. "Where would you like to have to it?"

"Um, I suppose I'll have it... eh... I'll have it on my shoulder, the right one, please." I decided, showing the bare skin. Stupid sleeveless dress...

"Okay, then," she said, placing the stamp onto the side of my shoulder and pressing down lightly. A small flash of light glimmered on my skin and she removed it. There it was, a dark, purplish blue. It was official, then— I was a mage of Fairy Tail.

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard..." I murmured to myself. "Um, Miss Mirajane, do you know what I'm supposed to do now?"

"Well there isn't really any requirement left for you, if that's what you mean. I guess you can stay here for a while, if that's what you'd like." said Mira. "Or you could go back home to your parents whenever you need to. Oh, and you can just call me Mira, you know. It comes with being a part of the family."

"Thank you, Miss Mira," I said. "but that's going to be a problem. I don't have any parents. Or a place to stay, for that matter."

Mira gasped and covered her mouth as her eyes widened drastically. Was it honestly such a surprise? I was fairly certain that it described at least half of the members here. Wasn't this the basically super-powered orphan guild?

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know." she breathed out, and continued to apologize profusely.

"Hey, Mira, it's alright." I interrupted her. "You don't have to apologize. I'm just wondering what to do now."

"I... I guess you could always move into Fairy Hills. I'm sure the other girls wouldn't mind chipping in to pay your rent until you can start taking enough jobs to take care of yourself." said Mira, still gazing ar me pityingly.

"Um, I don't think that would be very appropriate, Miss Mira." I said. It wouldn't be too long until puberty started up again and unleashed hell on my psyche, after all.

"How do you mean? I'm sure the others wouldn't mind, so you don't have to worry about being a bother." said Mira. "Really, it's alright."

"I'm a boy, Miss Mira." I said, heaving a great sigh. "My name is Brian."

There was a slight widening of her eyes again and she blinked very rapidly for a few seconds. She seemed to recover after that, though. She'd certainly taken it much better than Makarov had.

"Oh, I see..." she trailed off uncertainly, eyeing the dress (the dress, not my dress) I was wearing.

"To make a long story short, I ended up burning my clothes to ashes and Erza said it was the only thing she had that would fit me." I explained. "Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more... suitable attire very soon."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." said Mira. "Maybe you could stay with one of the members that has their own house? I'll be sure to ask around for you. Until then, feel free to hang around here for a while. If you get hungry, just come to me and I'll fix you something up. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you very much, Miss Mira." I said, beaming up at her. She was just such a lovable person.

/

There were a few things that I noticed rather quickly after mingling among some of the guild members for a while. The first was the use of Japanese honorifics. I heard a 'san' or 'chan' or 'sama' (though only from a certain water mage) in every other sentence, it seemed, despite everyone speaking English. From what I could gather, using 'miss' or 'mister' was considered fancy-talk, like calling someone 'madame' or 'monsieur.'

The other thing I noticed was that from the large majority of the people, I was talked down to. It was very condescending and, as a sixteen (coming on seventeen now) year old, I did not appreciate it. It was one thing to sit next to a bunch of little kids and listen to stories for a while, it was another thing to have everyone pat you on the head with a 'don't worry your pretty little head about it' expression on their faces. This needed to end. Now.

"Alright, you dumb bastards!" I yelled out, amplifying my voice just a tad with magic. "You've got me all in a pissy mood now! So who wants get the shit kicked out of them first, huh?!"

"-just a little kid-"

"-wouldn't be manly-"

"-just let the brat get a cool head-"

"-after all, I don't fight little girls."

That last one was from a man with long, shaggy black hair and metal piercings in his everything. I vaguely recognized him as Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer.

"Looks like you're volunteering, Raditz Cosplay Boy!" I yelled, throwing the strongest bolt of lightning magic at him that I could muster without an incantation.

"Oh, fuck off, you bitchy five-year-old!" he roared. "That actually fucking hurt! And what the hell is a Raditz anyway?!"

"Come over here and make me!" I called back. "I'm gonna pound you into iron filings!"

"Bwahahahahaha!" roared Natsu. "You just got beat down by a little girl, Gajeel!"

"Can it, Pinky! You're next!" I said, pointing an accusatory finger at the offending dragon slayer.

"Iron Dragon Club!"

One quick jump to the left and I was out of harm's way, though the same could not be said for the floor. Now this was more like it!

"Wood Make: Rune Formation 7!" I called out, channeling the correct amount of magic to create the wood, and then channeling even more magic into the runes on the wood. "Barrier Seal!"

Now this was one of the more complicated spells in my arsenal. By setting up twenty one wooden poles with various runic arrays carved into them, it was possible to surround something with a space-time barrier that would not allow anything to pass through it, either in or out. You would not believe the amount of tries it took to create a decent runic array for it that wouldn't explode in a massive ball of fire. Damn, Alkashi Runes were volatile!

The major downfall of the barrier was that it couldn't pass through solid objects, other than the poles used to create it, and it also didn't cover the top and bottom, only forming an open cylinder. It wouldn't be too hard to dig under. With the roof, he could also just smash through it and escape from above.

But he didn't know that.

"Oi, what the hell is this?!" said Gajeel, his voice muffled almost entirely, as though he were standing in a tube of glass.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I said, smirking. He wouldn't be able to hear me. "Wood Make: Crushing Fist!"

A huge block of wood shaped vaguely like a hand crashed down from the ceiling directly above the iron dragon slayer. Unfortunately, though, he shredded the entire construct with an Iron Dragon Roar. Without any runic enhancement, it was just wood, after all.

And now that ceiling was open, Gajeel jumped straight through it and then came crashing down through the ceiling himself, a few feet closer to me. Shit.

"You're not half bad, Gaki, gihihi." said Gajeel, his arm already made into an iron blade. "But you shouldn't mess around with a dragon slayer.

"Demon Art: Grand Hell King Summoning Jutsu!" I cried out. Too bad it was a made-up spell, because that name was awe-inspiring, in a cliché, Naruto-ish kind of way.

To those around me, a huge magic circle appeared below my feet, colored an ominous scarlet. From it rose an enormous creature made of twisted red and black flesh, surrounded by a deep, crimson fire. Curled ram's horns protruded from its head and chipped, yellow fangs dripped with saliva. An oppressive aura seemed to echo in the room.

A combination of Illusion Magic and a bit of Pressure Magic. The 'Hell King' was completely harmless, but damn if it wasn't a sight to run away from, screaming. Unfortunately, Gajeel had balls of steel, and turned up to face the illusion, staring into its eyes. He hesitated for a few moments, however, and that was all I needed.

"Wood Make: Tendrils of the Binding Earth." I murmured, while everyone was distracted with the illusion-monster.

Thick tree roots burst up from the floors, still with a few leaves on them, and began tightly constricting everyone in sight, aside from a select few (including Erza Scarlet, Mirajane Strauss, Wendy Marvel, and the Exceeds). The 'Hell King' faded into the air.

Within thirty seconds, most everyone was encased in thick, knotted wood, only their heads showing. They were particularly thick around Natsu, as the pink haired idiot was burning through it at a rate that would see the wood reduced to ashes in a minute or two. For now, though, it seemed pretty obvious that I had won this.

"Two things!" I shouted, letting a light illusion surround me with a dark halo. "One: you don't get to call me 'little brat' until you can kick my ass, so shut the hell up, you condescending bastards! Two: I am a boy! B-O-Y, Boy! I don't care what the hell kind of clothes I'm wearing, but you damn well better remember it! So are there any other comments any of you would like to make?! Huh?!"

There was dead silence in the room. Mira was still smiling serenely behind the bar and Erza looked as though she approved of the situation. Well, go figure.

"That's what I thought." I said, snapping my fingers. The tendrils of wood retreated back into the ground, releasing the other Fairy Tail members.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS HOLY HAPPENED HERE!" yelled a furious voice. Behind me, I could see a colossal, humanoid figure. I would have been cowed, had I not dealt regularly with creatures of equal size and might. "FIRST I START HEARING A RUCKUS ALL THE WAY FROM MY OFFICE ON THE SECOND FLOOR, THEN THE ENTIRE BUILDING STARTS SHAKING LIKE A LEAF IN THE WIND, AND NOW WHEN I COME TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED, I FIND THE ENTIRE FIRST FLOOR SMASHED TO PIECES?! THIS IS GOING TO COST A FORTUNE! AND IT'S THE THIRD TIME THIS MONTH!"

"Oh, hello, Master," I said, casually picking at my finger nail. "I guess I went a bit overboard. Sorry about that."

/

"Stupid, under-grown troll of a Master," I muttered, sweeping a pile of debris into a large pile with a push broom. "making me clean the guild without magic..."

"Well, you did do a lot of damage to the guild hall, after all." said Mirajane, though she still sounded sympathetic.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "but it was all for a good cause. I wasn't even that angry with any of them. I just wanted to get a message across, that just because I'm a little kid doesn't mean I can't kick their collective asses from here to Sunday."

"Well, I think you've certainly succeeded there." said Mira, stifling a giggle. "I think I've heard Natsu and Happy calling you Mini-Erza. It was an impressive display of magic, especially for someone your age. I bet you could make S-class in a year or two. You'd be the youngest S-class mage in a century."

"Well, you might notice how I decided not to target the only two S-class mages that were in the room at the time." I said. "I don't think you and Erza would have too much trouble with those wood bindings. Besides, it's not like anyone there was really going all out; it was just a brawl."

"Don't sell yourself short, Brian." said Mira. "I don't think anyone here would've been able to do anything close to that powerful when they were your age, even among the S-class. Just think about how strong you'll be ten years from now."

"Ehehehe, thanks, Mira," I said, rubbing the back of my neck and blushing just a tad. "you really know what to say." Then a small smirk curled over my lips. "Of course, it's not as though I wasn't holding back as well."

"Really?" said Mira. "You must have put a lot of effort into learning magic. I've never even heard of a magic that allows you to summon monsters like you did. The closest I can think of is Celestial Spirit Magic."

"Oh, the Grand Hell King Summoning Jutsu?" I said. "That was just an illusion. Worked pretty well, I think."

"Hmm, that makes a bit more sense." she said, nodding her head. "As talented as you are, it would be completely impossible to learn two types of magic, but small magics like Illusion and Transformation aren't too hard to learn on the side."

"Right, that would be way too difficult, even for me." I said, sweating just a bit. Maybe it would be best to go into that reveal slowly. "On the bright side, I'm pretty sure Master Makarov can't forbid me from going on dangerous missions just because I'm young."

"Mm, I guess that's true." she agreed.

A comfortable silence settled between the two of us as I continued to sweep of pieces of broken furniture and other destroyed paraphernalia. It was peaceful in a way, with nobody else there. It reminded me a bit of the cool nights in the forest, sleeping among the trees.

"I think you can stop for now," Mira finally broke the silence. "The guild closes up in a few minutes and someone your age should've been in bed hours ago."

"Alright," I said, dropping the broom and letting it clatter to the floor.

"I'm sorry I didn't get much time to ask around, so you can stay at my place tonight." she said. "You'll get to meet my little brother, Elfman. I think he was a part of the brawl as well."

"Really?" I said, quickly brightening up. "Thank you so much, Mira!" I threw my arms around her in a tight embrace, though my head was only a bit above her waist, so I had to settle for her legs.

"Oh, it's no problem." said Mira, patting me on the head. "We can also find you some other clothes in the morning."

I suppose I'd rather forgotten what it was like to be around other people. There's nothing that can really compare. So for the first time in far, far too long, I was able to say 'I'm home,' without lying to myself.

"Fairy... Tail..."

And wasn't it just?