CH10: Second Chances
Zancrow couldn't believe what was happening. He had defeated all of the present Fairy Tail members and was about to complete his revenge. And now, due to a swift punch to the nuts, it was all slipping away. Erza grabbed Zancrow by his blonde hair and threw him into the air. She pounced from her location and swung her sword straight at the God Slayer. Much to Zancrow's dismay, it was a direct hit. He soared through the air crashing into a nearby building. His nuts were not the only things hurting anymore.
'I think she fractured my ribs.' He thought. He saw Erza flying straight at him and decided he was not about to go down without a fight. "Flame God, Explosive Flame!" Black flames shot and expanded form the God Slayer's hand straight toward the female wizard, only to have the attack split in half with her massive sword. Zancrow's eyes widened in shock.
(BAM)
Another direct hit. The collision with her sword sent Zancrow through multiple stories of the building he landed on from her first attack. Zancrow was face up, his vision was disoriented, and he was not sure if he would survive the encounter with Titania. "This can't be. Am I really this vulnerable due to one punch to the nuts?"
(Crash)
Erza landed in front of him. "That was for manhandling me. And this, is for messing with Fairy Tail." She raised her sword up to land the final devastating blow. Zancrow shut his eyes and grit his teeth, disappointed to have come so far. All of his struggles, waiting, and planning, only to be toppled by the female wizard.
(Crack)
The hilt collided with the God Slayer, knocking him out.
…
"A lot seems to have happened in the seven years we were gone Macao." Makarov stated plainly. Master was back on his feet recovering from the blow he had previously received from the God Slayer. "We come back to our home only to find out Fairy Tail has been bullied by Twilight Ogre, that we are no longer the top guild in Fiore, and that a former dark guild member has become one of us."
"Master, we had no idea he was part of Grimoire Heart. Laki was the first to encounter him and when she told us he had saved her from those numbskulls in Twilight Ogre, we had to at least consider him joining our ranks. He said he was a traveling wizard with the dream of joining Fiore's strongest guild one day."
"You didn't think he was at least a little bit shifty?" Natsu asked sarcastically. The Dragon Slayer was wrapped in bandages to the point where he looked like a mummy with pink hair. Wendy had healed him as best she could, but some of the burns were severe. Only time would mend them eventually.
"We didn't think anything of it." Wakaba said. "As soon as we extended our hospitality to him, he seemed to drop his tough guy act. He hit it off with Laki for a bit and got to know her and the rest of our guild really well. We eventually heard the news of Tenrou Island being obliterated. It was a hard time for us. But the fact was we needed a new master and we also needed to start recruiting more wizards. We started with Zancrow."
"You were never replaced master. We simply didn't think you or any of your children on that island survived. I mean, it has been seven years." Macao said.
"Your actions are justified. If more than half my guild went missing overnight I would start recruiting too. But the good news is we survived and we have the first master Mavis to thank for that. Now on to more important matters. What do we do with Zancrow?"
It was dead silent in the guildhall for a couple minutes. Natsu was not the only one in bandages. Erza had her stomach wrapped tightly due to the bruised ribs the God Slayer had given her. Wendy and Lucy were recovering from shock. And the rest of the guild looked like they had been thrown into a fire pit. Their clothes were scorched and their skin suffered minor injuries. Of course, those were the ONLY minor injuries. Anyone who fought Zancrow head on suffered more than just a couple of bruises.
"Master, you must understand that until today, Zancrow was actually almost like family. He got along with everybody here. He dated Laki for a couple months, beat up Kinana's first ex-boyfriend after he broke her heart, and has been defending us from Twilight Ogre when he wasn't away on missions. When he came back and saw you guys standing in the guildhall today, it was almost as if something snapped. Dark guild member or otherwise, Zancrow has gone out of his way to make Fairy Tail better in your absence." Wakaba explained.
"I'm not denying that he isn't dangerous. Especially after today. But if he was a member of Grimoire Heart, I'd say that the past seven years have changed him. Even after seeing him take out most of Fairy Tail, he never really hurt anyone except for Natsu who he seems to hate for some reason." Macao said.
Makarov and Natsu looked at each other with concern remembering the fight they had with the God Slayer back on Tenrou Island.
"Me and Macao both made the call to take him into Fairy Tail, but we will stand by your decision Makarov. Whatever you decide to do with Zancrow, we'll back you up one hundred percent." Wakaba said uneasily.
Makarov looked around the guildhall eying all his children. "I know some of you, mostly the ones who were left here after our disappearance have actually taken a liking to the God Slayer. It sounds as if he has changed since me and Natsu faced him back on the island. But anyone who comes to harm any of my children is not welcome in this guild. Zancrow belonged to the dark guild known as Grimoire Heart. They waged war on us back on Tenrou Island and almost destroyed us had it not been for the impeccable timing of certain guild members coming back to aid us." Makarov said looking at Gildarts, Laxus who had come for a visit, and the thunder legion. "If we allow Zancrow to stay, there is no guarantee that he will not betray us, nor that he won't try to pick us off one at a time from within our own walls. I know some of you will be disappointed with my decision, but Zancrow cannot stay with us. I will turn him over to the magic council and he will be given a fair trial."
"Seriously gramps? That's the best solution you can come up with?" Laxus asked.
"Laxus?" Makarov looked stunned to see his grandson defending the God Slayer.
"Did you forget that I betrayed our guild and even held all of Magnolia hostage not too long ago? Why didn't you send me off to the council after that? Could it be because I'm your grandson? So instead you exile me from the guild but you never actually did anything that would impact my life such as sending me to prison."
"My boy, this is different. This hooligan tried to kill my entire family."
"Gramps, I actually tried to use Fairy Law to obliterate Natsu, and his pals. I'm as much an attempted murderer as Zancrow. I heard about the fight when I was in downtown Magnolia with Mira, and according to Macao the only person he really tried to do in was Natsu. The rest he either knocked out or incapacitated them.
At this remark Lucy shuddered remembering the God Slayer's hands around her throat squeezing the life out of her.
"What are you saying Laxus? Do you want Zancrow to remain in Fairy Tail? Do you think I should provide him with a second chance as I did you? What if he tries to hurt Natsu again? Or Erza, or Wendy? Surely he has a bloodlust against them especially after Erza took him down."
"Don't sweat it gramps. I'll keep him in check. If he gives you any trouble at all holler at me and I'll stop by and teach that punk some manners. Plus you got Erza already here for the muscle as well as Mira. Both should be enough to keep Zancrow in check.
Makarov stroked his beard in thought debating what to do. As a part of Fairy Tail, Zancrow was technically his child. He shuddered at that thought. What should he do? Should he grant Zancrow a chance to prove himself, or will he merely make him the magic council's problem?
"I agree with Laxus." It was dead silent in the room after Erza uttered those words and all eyes were on her. "If we merely shrug him off and hand him over to the magic council, who's to say he will receive a fair trial. I can't say my own experiences with their decision making have been pleasant ones, but regardless, we cannot subject a member of our guild to outside judgement. We should put him on probation. At the First hint of trouble from him I will kick his ass myself and deliver him to the council's doorstep. We have more than enough firepower to keep him in check. Today he just caught us off guard, but once we start training again, he won't stand a chance against all of us."
Makarov sighed. After massaging his temples and much contemplation the old man made his final decision. "It is decided then." 'I'm going to regret this.' He thought. "Zancrow will remain as a part of our guild. He will be however on probation. If he does anything to harm the reputation or the children of my guild, he will not have to worry about Erza. I will destroy him myself."