A/N: Chapter Eight. Another long chapter this time, but I do have about seven days to cover here. They'll be returning to normal length soon! ~CS
Rise Up Once More
By CrimsonStarbird
Chapter Eight: Long in the Darkness of Night
The day after their happy ending, Makarov was summoned before the Magic Council.
The decision that Mira should go in his place was almost unanimous – in fact, the only person who opposed it was Mira herself, who doubted her own ability to stand up for Fairy Tail as Makarov would have done. Despite this, everyone else had faith in her, so since it was for the guild she gave in and accepted her role without complaint.
Technically, as the summons had addressed the Master of Fairy Tail, it should have been Laxus's job to deal with the Council. However, no one, not even Laxus himself, thought that announcing his new position to the Council at that moment in time was a good idea. Makarov had a long history with the Council – not all of it was good, of course, but they had still named him a Wizard Saint; even if they didn't fully trust him, they did at least acknowledge his ability and authority. They would not have such respect for his unruly grandson.
Besides, questions as to the reasons behind Makarov's abrupt retirement would have been difficult to answer without giving away the guild's vulnerability after the Changeling fiasco. Not to mention, Laxus's first act as Guild Master had been to engage in an illegal inter-guild war, severely damage Phantom Lord's property, and unleash a powerful destructive magic that almost wiped out a hundred people. It was probably best that Fairy Tail kept their new Master a secret for the time being.
Makarov was willing to go, of course, but that was out of the question. Even without the problem of explaining why he was in Mira's body without arousing the suspicions of the Council, he was still a long way short of full recovery. His periods of consciousness were longer, and his magic power was spiking less frequently, but even so, making the long journey to Era was just too great a risk.
So the task had fallen to Mirajane.
Before departure, Makarov had drilled her in the basics of dealing with the Council. It wasn't the most useful lecture she had ever been given – by the sounds of things, if she even managed to stay awake for the entire hearing she would be acting out of character for Makarov. On the other hand, though he was a maverick, he was also crafty; it was no coincidence that such a troublesome guild had thrived for so long under him, despite the best efforts of the Magic Council to shut them down. It was because of him that Mira could not only put names to all the faces she saw before her, but also had a good idea of how to deal most effectively with each one.
Not that they were about to let her get a word in. She was beginning to see why Makarov tended to doze off during his hearings – the Council members were perfectly happy arguing amongst themselves, paying her no attention at all.
"This situation is utterly unacceptable," Org was saying. The severe, elderly man was in theory the second most powerful person on the Council – most powerful, currently, as the Chairman was absent from the meeting. He was also Fairy Tail's most vocal opponent. "We have let Fairy Tail go too far too often, and this is the result. They must be forced to disband!"
"On the contrary," interjected a smooth voice. "Fairy Tail have broken no laws."
Org's face was a picture of outrage. "They went to war against a legal guild! Short of explicitly going Dark, there is no worse crime they could have committed!"
"Phantom Lord started the war. Jose Porla has already confessed."
"That does not excuse the actions of Fairy Tail-"
"Oh, but it does. Phantom Lord declared war on a legal guild – what is that, if not the action of a Dark Guild? You could even say that in taking up arms against them, Fairy Tail were acting to defend the Magic Council, and everything that we stand for."
Fairy Tail's unexpected ally on the Magic Council was none other than Siegrain. The handsome, blue-haired youth was utterly confident within himself; all throughout that exchange with his elder and superior, his smile hadn't slipped once. Mira should have been happy that there were people on the Council willing to argue on their behalf, but when their champion was Siegrain, she was not at all reassured. Charismatic, self-assured, and powerful – one of the youngest people ever to have been awarded the title of Wizard Saint, not to mention having been appointed to the Council at his age – on the surface, she couldn't have asked for a better ally, but she just could not bring herself to like him.
During her briefing earlier, Makarov had been able to tell her very little about Siegrain. What he did give her was a warning: don't trust him. But he had been unable to give her a solid reason why, and Mira, who got on with everyone, and always tried to see the best in people, had resolved to make her own judgement on the matter. It hadn't taken her long to reach the same conclusion Makarov had. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but he had certainly been far too eager to take her side.
Besides, Fairy Tail could speak for itself. She could speak for herself. If only they would stop arguing amongst themselves and give her the chance to defend her guild.
"Fairy Tail, acting in our interests? Preposterous! They have been a thorn in our side since the start!" Michello took up the baton against Siegrain. If Mira remembered correctly, he and Org had been the ones who had brought the charges against her – well, against Makarov – in the first place.
"If I can-" Mira spoke up hesitantly, but the Council members appeared not to notice.
"Have you already forgotten the Lullaby incident?" As smug as ever, Siegrain was completely undaunted by Michello's challenge. "Fairy Tail saved the lives of all the Guild Masters, not to mention the reputation of the Magic Council."
Org retorted, "Past actions cannot forgive current crimes-"
"Though, apparently, one can still be accused of them," Siegrain countered dryly.
"Quite so." The frosty response of one too accustomed to power.
"May I speak?" Mira interjected, but she might as well not have bothered.
Michello said, "Returning to the matter at hand, gentlemen – why has no one brought up the issue of Fairy Tail's conduct during the war? In particular, the use of the Great Fairy Magic, Fairy Law." A murmur ran around the assembled figures; all of them knew the name of Makarov's most powerful spell. "We cannot overlook such a rash and devastating act. The destruction wrought in such a heavily-populated urban area could have been immense. Makarov, you should have known better."
Mira blinked. She had a sudden urge to laugh. It wasn't even Makarov who had used the spell, let alone her. Still, they seemed to be actually waiting for a response from her – now, of all times! On the spot, her mind went blank. "Umm, I-"
"Fairy Law was used as it was supposed to be used: as a deterrent. It was the only thing that could guarantee an end to the war with no fatalities on either side. You must agree – in a war between mage guilds, that was no mean feat."
At the new speaker's entry into the fray, Mira felt a surge of hope. This was Yajima, Makarov's old and trusted friend; the one person on the Council she could comfortably rely on to have Fairy Tail's best interests at heart. Having said that, she didn't like the intense way he had been scrutinizing her. As someone who knew Makarov well, he would be the most likely person on the Council to spot that she wasn't who she was claiming to be – an issue that hadn't even occurred to her until Makarov had pointed it out earlier.
She could easily get away with pretending to be Makarov in front of Phantom Lord, and around her own guild there were no secrets; she didn't have to pretend at all. Yet if the Magic Council found out she was essentially impersonating the accused… well, that was a criminal offence. Add that to the pile of charges, which started with war and rose up to switching Guild Masters without informing the Council and then intentionally sending the wrong Master to a criminal hearing, and there was no way that Fairy Tail would escape. Her presence here was far more dangerous to her beloved guild than she had thought when she had agreed to go.
"So, Yajima, you place your loyalty to your former guild above your duties to the Council?" Org accused.
"Not at all." Yajima inclined his head respectfully. "I merely speak what I know to be the truth. Were it not for Fairy Tail's prompt resolution of the Phantom Lord matter, we might have had a full-scale conflict on our hands. As with the Lullaby affair, when Makarov acted, intentionally or otherwise, he saved the Council a lot of trouble."
"Can I-?" Mira tried. She was wasting her breath.
"We are never going to get a better chance to force Fairy Tail to disband than right now!" Org burst out. "We can't pass up this opportunity to finally rid ourselves of these pests!"
"Given the evidence, we have no legal reason to disband Fairy Tail," Siegrain pointed out mildly. "Doing so would make a mockery of our own laws."
Org could sense that support was slipping away from his side. If it came to a majority vote, he was doubtful he would win. Yajima would always vote on Fairy Tail's behalf. That arrogant brat Siegrain supported whichever side amused him the most, which was unquestionably the troublemakers Fairy Tail. Ultear, as usual, was utterly bored by the proceedings, and hardly paid them any attention at all – but in the short time that the two of them had been on the Council, he had never known her to vote any way other than with Siegrain.
As for the others… well, Siegrain's argument was a convincing one, especially to those who hadn't been on the Council for as long as he had, and didn't believe him when he tried to convince them of just how much of a threat Fairy Tail was. He was quickly losing support, and both he and Michello knew it.
"You mean to suggest we just let them get away with it?" Michello demanded.
"A nominal fine should suffice to remind Fairy Tail of our authority. More importantly, it will serve to demonstrate that we will be intolerant towards guilds like Phantom Lord which think of disobeying our laws," suggested Siegrain, with a broad smile.
The rest of the Council murmured their assent. Mira, however, froze. A fine? Under ordinary circumstances, she – and Fairy Tail – would have been relieved that the Magic Council had let them off so lightly, but a fine was the last thing they could deal with right now. As if it wasn't bad enough that they were going to have to pay immense sums of money for the extensive repairs that their guildhall needed, not to mention the hospital fees for their wounded, the guild's income had also been severely cut thanks to Changeling robbing their strongest team of its ability to go on any jobs. Well, they didn't have to contend with Natsu and Gray destroying the buildings they were sent out to protect any more, but without Erza's input, or Team Shadow Gear, or the other mages currently recovering in hospital, their financial worries were crippling ones.
Had Siegrain known that when he suggested it? It shouldn't have been possible, and yet Mira found herself suspecting him nonetheless. And if he hadn't known the full impact of his suggestion when he had made it, then he certainly did now; his sharp eyes had caught her reaction and shone even brighter in the darkness of the chamber.
Fairy Tail couldn't deal with this right now. It would suffer, because of her failure. She had let them all down, hadn't she? They had fought the battle and won, when she had only been able to watch from the sidelines; now it was her turn to do something for her guild, and this had happened.
Makarov had assured her that the trial was merely a formality. They would threaten Fairy Tail a little, make a point of showing them who was boss, and then let them go on – as they had done every time before. If it had been Makarov here, dealing with the Council as he always did, Fairy Tail wouldn't have been fined, she was sure of it.
"Wait a minute," she found herself saying. "You can't do this."
All attention immediately turned to her. "Can't do what, exactly?" Org dared her.
"Makarov!" Yajima warned.
Well, she wasn't Makarov, was she? "You can't fine us. We've done nothing wrong. We were attacked out of the blue by a rogue guild acting unlawfully; all we did was defend ourselves from an enemy of the state. On what grounds are you charging us? Which law gives you the right to take money from us like that?"
"We must-" Yajima tried to override her, but she had had enough of being ignored. She only wanted to protect her guild.
"If you must punish anyone, it ought to be Phantom Lord, for they were the ones who instigated this conflict and violated the ban on inter-guild warfare! That's what you should do, if you're going to insist on some meaningless display of power! They attacked us, we fought back, and we won. Phantom Lord were punished for their actions by our hand, acting on behalf of the Magic Council's laws, and that should be the end of it! There is no need for you to get involved other than for the sake of your own egos! This is just pathetic flaunting of your own power to make up for the fact that you did nothing to stop Phantom Lord until we'd already sorted everything out for you!"
There was utter silence in the room. Yajima stared at her with wide eyes. Siegrain couldn't conceal his excitement. Even Ultear seemed to be giving Mira her full attention. No one dared to breathe, waiting for Org to respond.
To their surprise, he smiled. "So, it's not enough that Fairy Tail think to flout our authority. Not content with taking the law into their own hands, they will not rest until they have made their own rules and forced them upon everyone else!"
He glanced around the circle of Council members. "My friends, can there be any doubt now that Fairy Tail is a threat to our authority? It seems they need to be reminded just who is in control here. I think the largest fine in our power to levy upon them will suffice, for the time being. Shall we say… fifty million jewels?"
"But-"
"I think you've said quite enough, Master Makarov."
"We can't possibly pay that much – our guildhall has been destroyed-"
"You ought to have thought about that before you questioned the wisdom and generosity of the Council. And, of course, if you can't pay the penalty within a week, we'll have no choice but to regretfully disband Fairy Tail for good."
"You-" Mira cried bleakly, but as always, it was hopeless.
Org clapped his hands together. "If there are no objections-"
Mira glanced at Siegrain, who gave her a small shrug. Yajima wouldn't meet her gaze. No one raised any objections.
"-then the decision is final."
Yajima caught up with her as she traipsed out of the building. "Makarov!"
It was a moment or two before she realized the Council member was calling to her, and she stopped with great reluctance. Quite aside from the utter disaster in the hearing – leaving her unwilling to face anyone at that moment in time – she knew she would never be able to pass as Makarov with so much despair in her heart.
"Leaving so soon?" the old man inquired curiously. "Won't you join me for a drink, like usual? It seems the only time I ever see you these days is when you're called to Era for some trial or another."
Trying to sound gruff, Mira replied, "Thanks, but I need to get back to the guild. They'll get into all sorts of trouble without me."
"Some things never change," Yajima grinned, but when he saw Mira wasn't smiling, his own expression was replaced by one of worry. "Makarov, what's wrong?"
"Wrong?" Mira repeated, a little too quickly. "Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"
Yajima told her bluntly, "You're not acting like yourself."
"Sorry. I've… got a lot on my mind."
"It's more than that, isn't it? We've been friends for decades, Makarov; do you think I can't tell when something's up?" Mira said nothing. She didn't dare look at him. The old man heaved a sigh. "Then, what was all that about in there?"
"All what?"
He frowned, unable to tell if she was joking or not. "You know what I mean. Speaking out against the Magic Council like that. We've been doing this for a while now; I thought you knew better than that. Don't provoke them, just go along with what they decide, and they'll go easy on you like usual – why jeopardize that now?"
Mira asked, "How can you be on the Council, and yet say things like that? Don't you think that's an abhorrent way of doing things?"
Her words shocked Yajima into silence. Mira's hands were trembling. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, but she remembered the humiliation and the anger she had felt inside that room, and just hadn't been able to stop herself.
He said, carefully, "You know how I feel about this, Makarov. I accepted the appointment to the Magic Council in order to help change how they ran things from the inside, but these things take time. A fairer regime isn't going to happen overnight. I thought you understood that."
"Maybe I had a change of heart," Mira replied. "Now, I really do need to get back to Fairy Tail."
"Wait-"
"We can meet up again when all this is over," she interrupted him. "For now, I have to say farewell."
"…Goodbye, then," Yajima said. He frowned as he watched her walk off in the direction of the station. Though he said nothing more, his eyes never left her receding back until she had disappeared completely from his view.
Upon returning to the guild, Mira ran into Natsu, Gray and Lucy just outside what was already being called the construction zone. Someone health-and-safety-conscious had put up fences around what used to be their guildhall, warning passers-by of the building work going on within. The architect they had called in had taken one look at the old guildhall's ruins and laughed, so the remainder of the building had been completely demolished. It had taken no time at all to clear the site. Even without his magic, Natsu's talent for destroying things was uncanny. If only the reconstruction would be as easy.
The three of them were each straining under the weight of the piles of bricks they were carrying. Lucy appeared to be complaining loudly at the boys, both of whom took Mira's arrival as an excuse to put down their burdens and turn to greet her.
"Mira, welcome back!" Natsu greeted. "How'd it go with the Council?"
"Dreadfully," came the despondent reply. "Where's Laxus?"
"Uhh… he's gone a job, I think."
Mira blinked at him. "On his own?"
"That's not unusual," remarked Gray.
"I guess not." She gave a faint smile. "I think it just feels weird because the Master rarely went out on jobs… Well, I guess we can't really call him the Master now, can we?"
They all glanced away as the mood of the conversation took a nosedive. In an attempt to change the subject, Lucy inquired, "So, what happened with the Council? I see you're not in prison – that's a good sign, right?"
"Nah, these trials are all for show," Natsu breezed. "Like with Erza that one time. They'd never actually do anything to us."
"And if only you'd reacted so calmly that time…" Lucy muttered.
Mira heaved a sigh. "Actually, this time, it wasn't just for show. They've… they've decided to fine Fairy Tail for our part in the guild war. And it's a significant amount of money."
Natsu shrugged. "Big deal."
"Natsu!"
"From how you were acting, I thought it was going to be much worse." He gave one of his signature, irrepressible grins.
"It is bad, Natsu. We can't afford to pay them. Have you seen the state of the guildhall; of our finances? If we can't pay it in a week, they'll use it as an excuse to close us down for good! There's no way we can afford to pay the fine and the builders right now."
Natsu shrugged. "Cancel the builders."
"Then who's going to rebuild the guildhall?"
"We will," Gray interjected. Mira stared at him, so he clarified, "We've already got the plans from the architect, right? All we need to do is build it. How difficult can it be? We're a mage guild; if anyone can put a building together, it's us."
"But everyone is going to be too busy doing jobs to fit in construction work," she protested. "We've got to take on as many requests as we can to earn the money we need to pay for the building materials, and the fine."
"We'll do both," Lucy joined in. "We'll schedule helping out with the lifting and the building in between doing jobs. It won't be a problem."
"But, even if we can do that, the Fantasia Parade is supposed to begin in just over a week, and we've barely even started work on that-"
Gray shrugged. "Working on costumes and designing floats sounds like an excellent way of winding down in breaks between the manual labour. Besides, it'll be a great distraction for those too injured to go on jobs."
"But – everyone's still exhausted from the war. No one's going to want to work every hour of every day-"
"Hey, Mira," Natsu interrupted, crossly. "Have you already forgotten who you're talking to? We're Fairy Tail! It's the future of our guild at stake here! Everyone is going to want to help! We're all going to do our best for our guild, you'll see!"
Lucy added, "So, don't worry about the guildhall, or about paying that fine, Mira. Fairy Tail will pull through. We always do, right?"
Mira looked at the three earnest faces staring back at her, and smiled. Maybe she had been too hasty in giving up. Seeing their enthusiasm, it was possible to believe that everything would work out, after all.
And so the great effort to rebuild Fairy Tail began.
The next morning, the fingers of dawn had scarce begun to brush the sky when they assembled at the site of the new guildhall – Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, Erza, and everyone else they had managed to drag out of bed at this hour of the morning. As Natsu had predicted, everyone was eager to help their guild recover.
The Request Board, one of the few relics to have survived the utter destruction of the guildhall, had pride of place beside the entrance to the building site. Never before had the guild been so organized. Under the guidance of Erza and Mira, they arranged themselves into teams and distributed jobs based not on the size of the reward or what each group wanted to do, but on which team was best suited to deal with it quickly and efficiently. Likewise, anyone experienced in construction work, or whose magic lent itself well to organization or to a particular building task, was allocated to the appropriate area.
Erza seemed to have experience in organizing such task forces to maximize their efficiency – something that she clearly didn't seem happy to admit, as when Lucy commented on it in admiration, the warrior-turned-cat walked off without a word. But the Fairy Tail under her, motivated by their shared desire to rebuild their beloved guild, was as different from the usual chaotic Fairy Tail as it was possible to get. There were a handful of half-hearted complaints, but on the whole, they were drowned by the guild's enthusiasm.
Besides, once they began, there was no time for dissent. Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Happy teamed up again, and did no fewer than three jobs in that first day. They had all been relatively quick, local tasks that mostly just involved helping people out – jobs which posed low levels of danger, as despite Gray's insistence that he could handle anything on his own, their team was still heavily compromised by Changeling.
In between jobs, Lucy found herself and her Celestial Spirits carrying bricks about the place, helping to lay foundations, and discovering through trial and error the best way to mix mortar. She learnt more about construction work in one afternoon than she had during the entire rest of her life. She would never have imagined a few months ago, when she had first left her family estate, that she would have ended up doing something like this – and, even more surprisingly, she found that she didn't mind it at all. It was all for the guild that she loved; if this was what it would take to restore everything to normal, then this was what she would do.
That night, she returned to her apartment utterly worn out. So tired was she, in fact, that when she walked in through the door to find Natsu and Happy asleep on her bed, she didn't even have it in her to yell at them. Normally, the sight of the two of them completely out of it like that might have been cute; with Natsu currently being Loke and Happy being Erza, it tended more towards the bizarre end of the spectrum. Even so, the two of them looked just as content lying there as they did when they were themselves. And so, rather than kicking them out of her house, Lucy actually smiled. Then she curled up on the floor with a blanket and promptly fell into an exhausted sleep.
The second day, it was significantly more difficult to get up early. Lucy felt with groggy certainty that if she had been in her comfortable bed she could easily have slept for another half a day; it was only the hardness of the floor setting into her limbs that encouraged her to get up and dressed with the dawn once again. Once she was ready, she woke Natsu and Happy with some effort, and the three of them returned to Fairy Tail.
There were fewer people there that morning – most were understandably worn out from the previous day's activities. They slowly trickled in as the morning progressed, until by lunchtime they were running at full speed again, alternating jobs to earn money for the guild with establishing firm foundations for their new guildhall to be built on top of.
Lucy had barely finished hammering some metal poles into the ground when Natsu ran up to her, waving a request flier above his head. "Come on, Lucy! We've got a job!"
"You never run out of energy, do you?" she sighed, mopping sweat from her brow.
"Nah, I'm all fired up! This job's going to be the best one yet!"
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are we doing this time?"
"Catching a group of bandits!"
"…You sure you don't want to leave that one to, I don't know, one of the other groups?"
"Nope, this is the one, I know it! These other jobs are so dull, it feels like it's been ages since I got to properly fight someone!"
"Okay, three things," began Lucy. "First, it's been like two days since the war finished. Second, you still have no magic, so I'll have to do all the fighting anyway! And third – what kind of person stresses out because they haven't been able to get in a fight for a while?"
"A true Man!" Elfman yelled, running past with several planks of wood resting on his – well, Cana's – slim shoulders.
"Thanks for the input," Lucy grumbled.
"See, Elfman gets it! So, are you coming, Lucy? We're a team, aren't we? We're doing this for the guild!"
"Yes, yes," she sighed.
"Alright!" Natsu sprinted towards the exit, with Lucy trailing behind him reluctantly. He was forced to stop and wait for her to catch up, jogging on the spot next to one of the long tables that some of the other guild members had set up for rest breaks.
Macao was attempting to teach the others at the table how to sew sequins onto one of the costumes for the Parade, though his well-intended efforts seemed to be causing more harm than good to the outfit, and he was on the verge of giving up. Most of the fabric had been already abandoned by the others in favour of the less stressful task of drinking coffee and reading newspapers. They looked up at Natsu's approach, grateful for the distraction.
"Heading out again, Natsu?" Nab asked, with no small amount of admiration.
"Sure am! This is no time to be sitting around, when Fairy Tail needs me!"
Nab's face fell; both Macao and Wakaba laughed good-naturedly. The latter added, "Don't be too harsh on Nab. He did more jobs yesterday than he's done the entire time he's been in the guild."
"Hey! You know I've just been waiting for the right job to come along! Besides, it's not like you two can talk; you're not working either!"
Macao folded his arms. "Well, when you're as old as Wakaba, you just can't go at full tilt any more. He doesn't have the energy that he did when he was younger. It's up to the lively youths of today to pick up the slack-"
"Hey!" the other interrupted. "Are you calling me old?"
"I'm only saying it as it is."
"You looking for a fight?"
Lucy sighed, having at last caught up with Natsu. "Those two are as bad as you and Gray! Come on, Natsu, let's get out of here."
Macao and Wakaba broke off their argument to wave them off. "Good luck, Lucy, Natsu!"
"Thanks!" he yelled back. "Don't forget to do some work yourselves!"
"Sure, sure, in a minute!"
That night, Lucy was so exhausted that she completely forgot to check if there was a Natsu asleep in her bed before collapsing onto it, fully-clothed. Fortunately for her, there wasn't, and she immediately fell into a deep sleep.
On the morning of the third day, it was her turn to be woken by Natsu. His enthusiasm had been barely diminished by hard work and insufficient sleep; he shook her awake with far more energy than anyone ought to have possessed at that ungodly hour of the morning. Nor would he accept her half-awake protests, refusing to leave her alone until they and Happy were stood once more before the building site at the crack of dawn.
This time, there was no one else there. The long days and short nights were getting to everyone but Natsu, Lucy realized. Of course people would be cutting back to ordinary working hours. No one had the kind of superhuman endurance needed to keep this up – except for her teammate, of course. It was just her luck that she was the one landed with him.
"What? Where is everyone?" Natsu was saying.
"Yeah, Natsu, I'm going to go back and sleep for a couple more hours. I'll start when everyone else gets here."
"But Lucy, we've got the first pick of jobs!"
"You go do one, then," she yawned. "I'm going to go take a nap."
"Fine. Happy, let's go!"
"…Actually, I'm with Lucy on this one."
"Oh, come on!"
"Natsu," Lucy murmured. "How is it that you have so much energy?"
He thought for a moment. "Because it's just like training! Running about all over the place, carrying things around the building site, getting experience doing loads of different jobs – if I keep this up, I'll be the strongest in the guild in no time! Then Gramps will have no choice but to make me S-Class!"
"…Somehow, that fails to motivate me."
"Also, it's for Fairy Tail. The sooner we can pay back what we owe and get the new guildhall built, the sooner everything can go back to normal. It'll be happy again, just like before. Fairy Tail will be a good place to be again. I'm gonna make sure of it."
"Natsu…"
"We've just got to endure this for a little bit longer, okay, Lucy? Things are bad right now, but soon everything will be back the way it was. You know what they say: the darkest hour is just before the dawn."
"Who on earth says that?" she demanded.
"I dunno. Didn't I read it in one of your manuscripts?"
"I would never write something as cheesy as that! And- hey! I told you not to look at my manuscripts without permission!"
"You shouldn't leave them out on your desk, then!"
"You shouldn't just stroll into other people's houses!"
They glared at each other for a moment, and then simultaneously burst out laughing. "Fine," Lucy said, smiling. "Let's go on a job."
Just a little longer. How long did it take to build a guildhall anyway, with a guild full of mages combining their knowledge, talents and magic? And with all the requests that the guild had processed over the last two days, they had to be almost at the point of being able to pay off the Magic Council, surely. They could work hard for just a little longer, couldn't they?
But they had not yet reached the darkest hour. On the morning of the fourth day, Laxus returned to the guild.
He was not in the best of moods when he arrived, returning battered and bruised, if triumphant, from an S-Class Quest he had rushed through in order to get the reward money back to the guild as quickly as possible. When he saw the state of the guild, things only went from bad to worse.
No matter that he had succeed in completing the mission; limping back to the guild with wounds like that was humiliating for his pride. There was no room to affect his cool and confident attitude – there hadn't been since this entire ill-fated affair had begun. These injuries, this humiliation, it was all for the guild, for his guild. And then he had returned to find that other people – the ones who supposedly loved the guild more – weren't working. The revelation that he of all people had been working so hard, only to come back here and find that others weren't pulling their weight; were sitting around and chatting rather than working to raise money for the rebuilding effort, was not a pleasant one.
Natsu, Lucy and Gray had been out on a job when Laxus had arrived, and only heard the story second- or third- or fourth-hand in hushed whispers when they returned.
Five minutes back on Fairy Tail property and Laxus had already become embroiled in a bitter argument with the older members of the guild, who were on a break between shifts. Another couple of minutes later, and the air was thrumming with magic power; the group of them were almost at blows. Someone quick-thinking ran to fetch Mira, who did her best to intervene to keep the peace.
She told Laxus sincerely that they had all been working hard when he had been away, and that everyone needed a rest. The guildhall would be rebuilt, but it would take time. He had not been pacified, but a fight had been avoided – for the time being. Laxus had stormed off to god only knew where, leaving behind a tension that settled like frost over the entire guild.
How much of the story was true they didn't know, but its message was clear: stay away from Laxus. Don't do anything that might trigger one of his moods. If you see him, pretend to be busy. Natsu, being Natsu, and not intimidated by anyone, only laughed, but Lucy thought he was somewhat missing the point. Even if he wasn't afraid, other people were. And for anyone to be afraid of a fellow guild member – let alone their own Guild Master – was a terrible thing. Fear was the tool Dark Guilds used to keep their members in line. It didn't belong in Fairy Tail.
To make things worse, Makarov's condition had begun to deteriorate again. After his long periods of wakefulness towards the end of the war, Mira had been hopeful that his apparent progress would turn into something more stable, but fortune hadn't been on Fairy Tail's side for a while now. The mental struggle to contain his own turbulent magic power was taking its toll on his body. His periods of consciousness were few and far between, and even during those times he isolated himself from the rest of the guild, fully aware that he was as much a danger to them as to himself. Laxus didn't seem to care, even though it was his own grandfather suffering. In his absence, Mira had taken on the role of the doting child Makarov had never had, and was by the former Master's side almost every moment of the day and night.
She didn't tell him about the state of the guild, or the resentment caused by Laxus's return. It wouldn't have helped him right now. Even so, she thought he knew already. He considered himself a father to everyone in the guild; it was no coincidence his physical decline reflected the mood of despair in the guild. The optimism of the first day of recovery had broken beneath the blade of human limitations; harsh reality had crushed their spirit. Their magnitude of their undertaking had simply been too great. In the face of excessive hard work, up against the limit of human endurance with no weapon but their own willpower to turn against it, their enthusiasm had slowly faded. It was no one's fault; to blame anyone would have been to condemn them for simply being born human. They weren't indomitable, after all.
In a way, Makarov's deterioration was the final nail in the coffin. Everyone liked him; everyone trusted him. He was their powerful Master, who had protected every one of them since the moment they had first joined the guild. No matter how bad things seemed, there was always that unconditional faith that he would step in at the last minute to save them. He would interfere with the Council on their behalf and nullify the fine, or he would have a cure for Changeling hidden up his sleeve that he had been withholding in order to teach them some sort of life lesson, and now that they needed it the most he would whip it out and put everything right again…
But it wasn't to be. They were on their own.
On the fifth day, the situation finally came to a head.
This time, Natsu, Happy and Lucy walked right into the middle of it. They arrived at the guild to find a crowd gathered around Laxus, one that Natsu promptly elbowed his way through until they were standing at the front with Mira.
"These things are important too!" Cana was saying. She, Elfman and many of the guild's older members were stood at the centre of the crowd, where they had been working on the decorations for one of the floats for the Parade as a break between jobs before Laxus had come along. "There's more to this guild than just doing jobs and being strong; there always has been! And nothing says that more than the Fantasia Parade!"
Her pleas only made Laxus's eyes narrow. "It's a waste of time and resources that we can't afford to spare. The guild has more important things to be doing right now."
"If we lose the Parade, we lose a part of what makes Fairy Tail unique!"
"A strong guild has no need of such wasteful frivolity. From now on, the Fantasia Parade is cancelled."
For a moment, no one could hear anything over the deafening roar of outrage from the assembled crowd. "You can't do that!" Elfman protested hotly.
"Oh, look. I just did."
"But Fantasia doesn't just belong to Fairy Tail," argued Wakaba. "It's the biggest event of the year in Magnolia, not to mention the people who come from all over the kingdom to see the parade. What are we going to say to the families who have travelled for miles to join in?"
"That's their problem, not mine. I have no obligation to them or to this city. It is simply where the guildhall happens to be."
There was much unhappy muttering at this. The relationship between guild and community was a vital one – that was what Makarov had always said. But Makarov wasn't in charge any more, was he?
"But what about us?" Cana demanded. "It's the one thing we have to look forward to! After the past few days, we need things like this to keep the guild together."
"Fairy Tail can't afford to put on the Fantasia Parade this year. Ergo, it's not happening." Laxus's cold expression became scornful as he regarded the people ranged against him. "If you were working harder to restore the guild then it wouldn't be a problem, would it?"
"We've worked hard!" Macao exclaimed. He spoke out on behalf of all the friends gathered around him, since they would not dare. "This is our guild, and we're doing our best for it!"
"It's not enough," stated Laxus.
"It's all we can do!" the older mage protested. "Not everyone is like you! We're taking on the jobs we're capable of and helping out where we can – we can't physically do any more than that! What you're asking is unreasonable – no, it's impossible!"
Laxus put his hands in his pockets. "Then leave."
Someone gave a nervous laugh, but anyone who could read the situation knew that he wasn't joking. "Don't be stupid. Fairy Tail is our home."
"Then act like it."
"We are! Can't you see that?" Macao sighed. The presence of the others at his side gave him courage. "Look. We've all been working so hard that we've been getting through jobs far faster than people are bringing them to us. We can't get people to pay us for nothing! We've done all the low-level jobs, and the only ones left are so difficult that for most people to attempt them would be suicide. We're happy to help out around the place and do the work we can, but demanding that we do several hours of physical labour and then immediately go out on a job so far above our level is crazy!"
"Fairy Tail has no need of the weak!"
"You don't understand Fairy Tail's strength."
It took a moment for anyone to realize that the new speaker was the blue cat stood defiantly on the ground between Laxus and Macao: Erza. While Laxus was taken aback, she seized the chance to continue. "The true power of Fairy Tail lies in its teamwork; its bonds. No good will come from threatening that."
"Teamwork? Bonds?" Laxus simply laughed. "Teamwork didn't save Fairy Tail. I did. You can go on about unity all you like, but when it came down to it, it was my power that defeated Phantom Lord." He swept an arm round to indicate the construction site. It was still a total mess; there was nothing that even resembled a solid structure, let alone a guildhall. "And this is the best that your teamwork could produce in five days?"
Erza said, "If it wasn't for Changeling-"
"Relying on such excuses is pathetic! And I had thought better of you, Erza. No, Fairy Tail has no need for those too weak to keep up. Either they must get stronger, or they will leave the guild. Which will it be?"
Erza had lapsed into silence; perhaps in some way no one else could quite fathom, his words had hit home. Macao was forced to respond instead. "Don't be ridiculous. You can't throw anyone out of the guild on those grounds. You have no right!"
A bolt of lightning smashed into the ground just inches away from where the group was standing. "I have every right!" Laxus yelled. "This is my guild, and I'll run it however I choose!"
"You're no Master of ours!" someone shouted, a cry that was echoed by many of the others in the circle.
"You don't understand what it means to be a Guild Master!"
"We won't accept you!"
A dozen bolts of lightning danced through the air, each one passing too close to the crowd for comfort. Not one of them touched the guild members, but it was only a matter of time before Laxus lost control. Nor was he the only one – the ambient feeling of magic in the air increased tenfold as the mages, consciously or otherwise, began to ready themselves for a confrontation.
Laxus hissed, "Then leave!"
"You're the one who should leave! You don't belong here!"
Filled with alarm, Lucy turned to Mira. "This has gone too far. Someone has to stop them!"
"But who?" Mira stared worriedly back at her. "The only person who can stand up to Laxus is Mystogan, and he hasn't been seen for several days… and with the Mast- I mean, with Makarov in the condition he is, he can't do anything to help."
"But we've got to do something. Natsu, help me think of- huh?" For when Lucy had turned to ask Natsu for help, she had found he was no longer at her side. "Natsu? Where did he go?"
"Laxus!" A triumphant voice declared.
"…You have got to be kidding me," Lucy sighed.
"Laxus, fight me!" Natsu challenged.
"That was his plan?" Lucy demanded of Mira, and got a resigned smile in return. Natsu was always Natsu, after all.
Laxus stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm serious!"
"As you are now? Don't waste my time." Even Laxus wasn't keen on fighting an opponent who had no magic at all.
"Heh. Never underestimate a Dragon Slayer! I can beat you, and when I do, you have to un-cancel Fantasia and leave everyone in Fairy Tail alone to help in their own way! And if you win, then you can do what you want with the guild!"
Laxus just shrugged. "What part about me being the Guild Master do you not understand? I don't need your permission to do what I want with the guild."
For a moment Natsu was silent, and when he spoke again, there was truly terrifying fire in his eyes. "You just don't get it, do you? What do you think Gramps would say if he could see you now?"
Laxus snapped. He roared, "Don't you dare talk to me about that old man!"
Anything else he might have wanted to say was drowned out by a crash of thunder as he sprung towards Natsu. He saw the attack coming and dived out of the way with battle-honed reflexes. The spectators hastily backed off to a safe distance.
Enraged beyond reason or tactics, Laxus lashed out at Natsu again, who somehow managed to duck under the blow in the nick of time. Without any magic to protect himself with, if a single attack connected, it would be devastating. Not that that had even occurred to Natsu, who acted purely on instinct, and a love of fighting strong opponents. He didn't hesitate for a second, taking the chance to lunge towards Laxus and attempt to tackle him to the ground – only to find that his entire body passed straight through the other as if he was a ghost.
The disappearance of Natsu's physical body only lasted for an instant, but the shock of it was the best weapon he could possibly have used against Laxus. "Alright!" he marvelled, spinning round and kicking Laxus from behind. "So this is Loke's magic, huh? Sure, I can work with this!"
Except he didn't get the chance to try. Laxus hadn't been intending to use his true strength against such a helpless opponent, but all that had ended when he had mistakenly allowed Natsu to land a hit on him. At his command, a single bolt of lightning lanced down from the grey skies above, driving Natsu to his knees and leaving him gasping in pain.
Laxus walked towards him slowly, electricity building up around his body once again. Natsu gave a wordless growl at his approach. It was his way of saying he wasn't going to give up.
"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed.
But it was Mira who moved, placing herself in between the two combatants. "Stop this!" she commanded.
If she had thought about it, she might have realized that the sight of his grandfather's body at that moment in time might have only provoked Laxus further. But she hadn't; she had simply done what she thought was right. Indeed, Laxus almost went ahead with his attack anyway. It was only when Mira didn't back down that he scowled and let the magic die away.
"What are you getting in the way for?" he snapped. "He asked for this."
Resolute, Mira countered, "How is fighting amongst ourselves going to solve any of our problems? We're all after the same thing here. We all want Fairy Tail to recover. Let's just keep doing all we can do to make this guild great again."
"You-"
She wasn't about to give him a chance to argue back. That was a technique she had learnt from watching the Magic Council in action. "Laxus, I know you're only doing what you think is best for the guild." She locked eyes with him; pretended she couldn't hear the mocking murmurings coming from behind her. "And I know that you're working harder than anyone to fix Fairy Tail's problems. But… we're not all like you. We have to use the resources and the people we have to the best of their abilities. These fights, these arguments – they're not helping anyone. So just back off, and let us rebuild the guild at our own pace."
The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. Mira held her ground.
"You too, huh, Mira?" Laxus remarked, bitterly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he turned around and strode off, leaving the rest of the guild in a stunned silence.
He muttered to himself as he walked. "This guild needs saving, alright. Saving from itself." And the breeze whipped around him, blowing back his long coat. That wind carried away all his uncertainty. He placed his hands in his pockets; he had made his decision. "How is fighting amongst ourselves going to solve anything, huh? I'll show you how, Mirajane. Oh, I'll show you all."
On the sixth and final morning, Natsu, Happy and Gray came by Lucy's house to pick her up. That in itself wasn't unusual; the fact that they didn't break in, but knocked sombrely on her door and then waited for her to get ready, was. While she was grateful that they were finally respecting her privacy, it was a little sad at the same time. She grabbed her celestial keys and went down to meet them.
"Is everything alright, Lucy?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, of course," she lied. And then: "Well, actually… I was just thinking. This is probably the only time since joining Fairy Tail that I've ever woken up in the morning not wanting to go to the guild."
Natsu and Gray exchanged glances. Happy murmured, "Lucy…"
Gray clapped his hands together. "I've got it. Let's go on a mission that'll take us away from the guild for a little while. There were quite a few on the Request Board yesterday – they haven't been popular because of the travelling involved. We could go on one together: you, me, Natsu, Happy, and Erza. It'll be just like old times again. And, with any luck, by the time we complete it and get back to the guild, everything will have calmed down. What do you say?"
"As if I'd want to go on a mission with you-" Natsu declared.
"I wasn't asking you!" Gray snapped back.
"I'd like that," Lucy interrupted, before the two of them could start a fight.
Gray gave a hesitant smile. "Then, let's do it!"
He had been right; there were several missions pinned to the board whose clients were in small towns of varying distances from Magnolia itself. Unsure of whether to choose a job based on the content or based on its suitability as a holiday destination, Lucy picked one down at random. "How about this one? It's at Akane Resort, which is quite a way away, but they'll put us up for free while we're helping out, and they've got an amusement park!"
"Not doing it," said Natsu immediately.
"What? Why not?"
Happy whispered to her, "Amusement parks are Natsu's worst enemy. So many different kinds of transportation, you see."
"Ah." Lucy nodded sagely, the two of them trying not to giggle.
"But how about this one?" Natsu suggested. "It's near Akane Resort, by the sounds of things, and it's from the Magic Council too: investigate the Tower of Heaven. Doesn't sound too tough… and whoa, look at the size of that reward! We've gotta do this one!"
"Umm, Natsu, that's an S-Class Mission."
"So? Erza will be with us! And besides, it's not like Laxus is gonna care about that sort of thing anyway!"
Lucy reasoned, "That's not the point. Only two out of the five of us can even use magic." She glanced at Gray. "And while I'm absolutely certain that the two of us can handle anything, I'd feel bad about dragging the three of you all the way out there just to have you stand around and do nothing. Let's pick something more suited to your level, Natsu."
"Hey-"
"This one's perfect." Gray snatched the flyer down from the board. "It's in Balsam Village, which is a spa town, so it's a great holiday destination. Apparently since Phantom Lord were disbanded, that Dragon Slayer Gajeel has been causing havoc there, and they want some mages to put an end to it." He cracked his knuckles eagerly. "I still owe that bastard one for kidnapping me."
"And I want to have a proper rematch with another Dragon Slayer!"
"I quite like the sound of it being a spa town," Lucy added innocently.
"Then it's settled!" Happy cheered. "Natsu, let's go and tell Erza!"
No sooner had the two of them run off to inform her than someone else stepped out from behind the Request Board, startling Lucy and Gray. "Lucy?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Huh? Loke?" It was unusual enough for him to be around her without running away, let alone to talk to her. That hadn't changed when he had become Natsu, which only added to the mystery. Smiling, Lucy tried to be as friendly as possible. "I haven't seen you around the guild for a while."
"I guess." He glanced away, suddenly shy. Gray was watching him suspiciously. Loke took a deep breath. "Lucy, can I come with you?"
"Of course," she replied, surprised. "The more the merrier. I guess everyone wants to be away from Fairy Tail right now, don't they?"
"Y-Yeah…" Loke still wasn't looking at her.
Frowning, Lucy was about to ask him something else when raised voices caught her attention. Natsu and Happy were returning with Erza, though the latter seemed to be having doubts about the mission they had chosen. "…I'm really not sure about this."
"What is there not to be sure about? We get to fight a Dragon Slayer! It's going to be awesome!"
Lucy sighed. "Natsu, you're useless. Erza: the town we're going to is famous for its hot springs."
Erza's eyes lit up. "Hot springs!"
"So, you're in, right? Great! Oh, and Loke's coming too, so we're a team of six." Lucy surveyed them happily, hands on hips. "If that's all settled, then let's go! To the hot springs!"
Gray looked at her in despair. "You mean, to work."
"Yes, yes. Let's go!"
And so, leaving the troubles of the discontented guild behind them, the six of them embarked upon their hot spring adventure.
Without them, the sixth day of reconstruction came to an end without incident.
Night had fallen across Magnolia. A blanket of grey mist hid the light of the stars and smothered the sounds upon the earth. Everyone had long since given up for the day and gone home; there was no one around to watch Laxus as he left the guild grounds and made his way through the darkened streets. He moved with great purpose. The resolute clack of his footsteps against the cobbled stones stopped for nothing but his destination: Kardia Cathedral.
The great place of worship, like most public buildings in the city, was empty at this time of night. Not a single candle offered a glimmer of illumination in its windows, nor were the lanterns at its gate alight. When the sun went down the white stone building whole-heartedly embraced the shadows. It was in these shadows that three figures awaited him.
So, they had arrived there before him. That was the Raijinshuu for you. They weren't sloppy or unreliable, like the rest of Fairy Tail. Laxus had trained them himself, after all.
Having said that, the sleek, refined image of Laxus's team evaporated the instant they laid eyes upon him. "Lax-us-!" Evergreen sang, dashing towards him enthusiastically. She might have thrown her arms around him if Freed hadn't got there first – and if Laxus hadn't neatly sidestepped both of them.
"Good grief," he muttered, but he was fighting to suppress a smile. It was probably the first time he had felt genuinely happy since his return to Magnolia, and he wasn't about to let them know that.
"Long time no see, Laxus," Bickslow greeted coolly, from a respectable distance. "Been back long?"
"About a week, as it happens."
"I heard a rumour that Fairy Tail went to war with another guild," Freed mentioned.
"Yeah. It was nothing I couldn't handle."
"That's our Laxus," he grinned.
Laxus just sighed exasperatedly. Rather than giving a suitable retort, though, he placed his hands in his pockets and addressed them with a sudden authority in his tone. "I trust that you've made the necessary preparations."
"Who do you take us for?" Evergreen demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "We're ready when you are."
"Just give the word," Freed added. "We'll show all of Fairy Tail just how powerful the Raijinshuu are!"
"Good," said Laxus shortly. "Though, there are a couple of things I ought to mention before we start."
"Hmm?"
He hesitated. "The guildhall has been completely demolished…"
Freed shrugged. "Then we'll move our base to the cathedral, as originally planned-"
"…and also, I'm now Fairy Tail's Guild Master."
The three of them immediately stopped trying to interrupt, staring at him with increasing astonishment as it became clear that he wasn't joking. Laxus muttered, "Well, you don't have to look so surprised…"
"Laxus, that's wonderful!" Evergreen exclaimed.
Bickslow added, "It's about time! I thought the old man was going to cling on to that position until the day he died!"
And Freed said, "That means there's no reason for us to go ahead with this after all, right?"
All three of them looked anxiously towards Laxus, awaiting his response. He was always their friend, but right now, he was also their leader. He glanced out towards the horizon with dark eyes. "No. We're still doing it."
"Why?" Not a challenge, but a genuine query. After all, the whole point of their plan in the first place had been to secure that position for Laxus.
"Because this guild is even worse than I thought. As it is now, Fairy Tail will never recover. It has become soft. It's desperate. It must change if it ever wants to rise again. I will teach them the meaning of true power, no matter what the cost. I will rid Fairy Tail of all those who drag it down; I will free it from those who are holding it back. I will save my guild… even if that means first destroying it."
Silence followed this proclamation. At the lack of any response, Laxus added, "Unless anyone has any objections…"
"Heh." Bickslow gave a crazy grin. "So, we will get to find out who's the strongest in Fairy Tail after all."
"No way am I going to lose," Evergreen declared.
Satisfied, Laxus glanced at Freed. He thought for a long moment, arms folded, and then he smiled in acquiescence. "I'm with you, Laxus. When do we begin?"
A/N: This chapter was really tough to write. Well, actually, that's a lie. Siegrain was a lot of fun to do. This is the only introduction he gets before the Tower of Heaven so that whole scene was mostly just me having fun writing him being blatantly evil. But that aside, building up the tension between the guild and its new Master was difficult, though I think I pulled it off okay. After all, nothing says tension like a fanservice epi- I mean, a group holiday to the hot springs. Right? Right?! ~CS
