Kyandi: I'm back!
Rette: After giving some really bad advice at the end of the new chapter for the other time line.
Kyandi: I said I was sorry!
Rette: But children will never be able to unread it.
Kyandi: At least I'm not a role model!
Rette: What a poor experience that would be.
Kyandi: Hey! I know what you're doing.
Rette: And what would that be?
Kyandi: The same thing you and all of my OCs do...you're picking on me!
Rette: And it took you how long to figure that out?
Kyandi: Leave me alone, already. Everyone, please enjoy and review.
Rette: Kyandi-sama, thankfully, does not own Fairy Tail. Her slow stupidity would ruin it.
Kyandi: ARGH! STOP IT!
Chapter 11 Holding The Mantle
With the mind set that they had to set things right, everyone got to work. Makarov was going to handle the biggest issue first. An issue that constantly lead to the lack of funds on Rette's behalf. Taking Rette, Erza, and Mira with him, Makarov, a day or two later, went to see the master of Twilight Ogre, Banaboster.
"That's what I'm sayin', old man...as for right now, there's nothing to discuss here. Just pay us back the money we lent you, and everything will be fine." Banaboster told Makarov.
Makarov sat across a low coffee table from Banaboster, Rette standing right behind the couch he sat on, Mira to her right and Erza to her left.
"Even if you say that...you know very well, we have so little money, it's amazing we're able to get by." Makarov said.
"Money's not going to magically appear just because you are taunting us." Mira added.
"Are you tryin' to pick a fight with me!? That Rette girl of your's, has paid nearly every payment until now." Banaboster said.
Makarov, Mira, and Erza looked at Rette, who had her eyes fixed on Banaboster, ignoring their looks.
"And that was hard work to do. I had to bust my butt to make that money. I'm not a bank, you know." Rette said.
Makarov waved a hand, cutting in before Banaboster could say anything to Rette in return to her tart comment.
"Not at all! We'll pay you back the money we borrowed plus the proper interest...someday." Makarov told Banaboster.
"Are you listening!? I told you I want you to pay me right now, geezer!" Banaboster said, flying to his feet.
Watch it." Rette told him lowly.
If he made one wrong step, she would not stop before knocking him back in line. She had taken years of crap from Banaboster and his guild members. She had grown awfully tired of it.
"Come, come, now...first, why don't we go over those interest rates again." Makarov said.
"We've got five healthy young men here ready to cause some serious pain, damn it! Beating up your debtors won't make the money you're owed come back!" Banaboster roared.
"No, but it made me feel better." Rette muttered.
"This is a matter of your guild's reputation, damn it!" Banaboster went on.
"Huh? Didn't you come here today to talk about "money"? You wanna talk about that, too?" Makarov asked.
"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about, damn it!" Banaboster said, kicking aside the table between them.
"'Return whatever you borrow'. That's our guild's creed...that's what you're talking about, right?" Makarov asked.
"Seven years worth of damage to furniture in our guild from members rampaging." Erza said.
"Seven years worth of insult and injury to the our members. Playing around with what isn't yours." Rette added.
"We need to pay all of that back to you." Mira agreed.
"Seven years worth...of tears cried from the pain gelt by these children," Makarov said, growing in size until he was as big as Banaboster. "Hey, child. Here's what we owe to war."
Erza requipped in one of her darker armors with spikes along the shoulders, Rette transformed into her primary Satan Crystallite form, and Mira transformed in her She-Devil form. Between the three and Makarov, they wrecked the same havoc as what had been wrecked in their guild hall. Rette had to admit...it felt so good to finally be able to repay them for all the times they had come into her guild's building and had destroyed things and hurt people.
With that, one big issue with the guild, was handled.
In a rather off hand, violent way, but it was handled.
Rumors began to spread, from there. Rumor of the return of Fairy Tail's core members. Jason from Sorceror Weekly came by the guild to get the details. Every day became a party as people tried to make up for lost time. To the amusement of those who came back from Tenrou Island, they got to see babysitter Rette in action when Bisca and Alzack had to leave her with Rette during a job. Laxus couldn't even begin to describe how funny it was to watch Rette walk around the guild with a little five year old dressed up in a cowboy hat and boots, right on her heels.
At the same time, it just showed how much Rette had changed considering how little she had gotten along with children before they had vanished.
Things pretty much settled back into the flow of how they normally were, with Rette running around the guild hall working, and Natsu and his friends causing noise. Today found Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Erza listening to Romeo tell them about the guild that had become number one in Fiore.
"Sabertooth?" Natsu asked.
"A tiger with sabers for teeth...Sabertooth, get it?" Romeo asked.
Rette, who had been walking by, growled, snapping her teeth together hard enough for everyone to hear. Her friends looked at her and turned a questioning look on Romeo.
"Rette has history with their elite mages. It's not pretty." Romeo told them lowly.
"I wouldn't call it history. Minerva rubs me the wrong way and her higher-than-thou attitude really makes me want to wipe the pavement with that smug face of hers. And I almost got to." Rette retorted, flexing the fingers of one hand as she thought about her fight with Minerva and her teammates a few years back.
Natsu opened his mouth to say something but Romeo, Bisca, and Alzack all shook their heads fiercely. Natsu kept whatever comment he had been about to say, to himself.
"Blue Pegasus and Lamia even disregard them...they're currently the strongest mage guild in Fiore." Romeo told them.
"I've never heard of them." Gray said.
"They weren't anything special seven years ago." Alzack explained.
"You're saying they grew suddenly over these last seven years?" Gray asked.
"It started when their guild master recruited five very strange, but very capable mages." Max said from the next table over.
"Five people alone made that much of a difference?" Lucy asked.
"They tried to recruit Rette once, too." Warren told them.
Across the room, Rette huffed. Not liking the conversation at hand, she vanished into a back room, snapping the door shut behind her.
"As you can imagine, she turned them down. Ripped their leader a new one as far as insults and demeaning words go. She doesn't have a very high opinion of them." Max told them.
"So what rank does that leave our guild in now?" Wendy asked.
"You really wanna know?" Happy asked.
"You haven't heard yet?" Carla asked.
Wendy gave them a confused look. While trying to raise the money to pay the back payments on her room at Fairy Tail's dorm, Fairy Hills, she had been staying with Rette in her house and Rette never talked about things like that. Rank, apparently, didn't mean anything to Rette.
"Absolute last place." Romeo said.
"A super tiny weak little guild." Alzack added.
"The weakest guild in Fiore." Bisca agreed.
"Ahh, I'm sorry for asking!" Wendy said, covering her ears.
"Like we've said...if it wasn't for Rette, we would have been plowed over and shut down a long time ago. She's leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us. Worked hard to grow stronger because she wanted to protect the guild until you guys came back." Alzack told them.
Natsu, all excited, stood in his chair and slammed a foot on top of the table.
"Kaaaahahahahahah! Heh sounds great! How interesting!" Natsu declared.
"Wha?" Gray asked.
"You get it, don't you? I'm looking forward to the chance to try and climb our way higher! How many opportunities like that do you get!? I'm getting all fired up now!" Natsu declared.
Romeo, Alzack, and Bisca, though, instantly glanced towards the door Rette had vanished through. If she had seen Natsu put his foot on the table like that...too late.
"I don't care if you're fired up...get your foot off the table."
Natsu hit the floor hard as Rette yanked his chair out from under him and gave his clothes a yank, throwing him to the floor. Hands on her hips, she leaned over Natsu and gave him a pointed, cold look.
"Do you know how much money I've spent replacing table after table after table in this guild hall? Break the table, Natsu, and I'll break you." Rette told him.
Natsu, instantly cowed by her, held up his hands, shrinking back against the floor like he did when Erza got onto him. Rette eyed him and when she was sure he got the picture, she turned around to return to her work.
"It's still so strange to see her so responsible and adult-like." Gray remarked.
"She's scarier than she use to be." Natsu remarked.
"Yeah, that's Rette now. You don't know the half of the scary part. No one wants to confront her on anything anymore, no matter what guild they come from. Most of Fiore saw her in the middle of losing her temper once and now everyone treads carefully around her. It was some scary stuff." Max told them, heaving a sigh.
Talking about who was stronger and weaker, as always, ended up in fight getting started. Everyone went outside and Max and Natsu faced off in a friendly spar. At first, it looked like Max just might win, shocking Natsu with how strong he had gotten in the last seven years. Natsu, refusing to lose to Max, decided to use a new trick he had learned on Tenrou Island before Acnologia had shown up. Rette, who had decided to take her paperwork outside so she could watch too, glanced up from her work in interest when Natsu mixed his Fire Dragon Slayer magic with Laxus' Lightning Dragon Slayer magic.
She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Mixing magic like that was her thing. She didn't know how to take it that Natsu did the same thing. Granted, Natsu probably only knew how to mix Dragon Slayer magic, leaving Rette's place as the Nexus Mage intact, but she still didn't like it. He was stepping on her toes a little too much.
The breath attack Natsu let loose barely missed Max, taking off a few strands of hair and making the man weak kneed. It did, however, destroy a long line of open land beyond Max.
"Damn it! It's not as powerful as it was." Natsu muttered.
"When did you steal this?!" Lucy asked.
"Just now." was Natsu's reply.
He was about to find out something Rette had known for the better part of a decade and a half...that an attack like that that mixed magic, drained a lot of magic.
"Natsu, don't laugh and boast. You're about to hit rock bottom." Rette called out to him.
"What do you mean? I'm still the strongest!" Natsu said, laughing.
A sweat broke out on his forehead then and he, as Rette had said, hit rock bottom. Or, in this case, rocky ground. Natsu fell face first onto the ground, his strength gone. Rette, flipping through paperwork, shook her head. Why didn't he ever listen?
"I told you. That kind of magic cost you a lot of magical energy. It's best you put in a lot more training first." Rette told him.
"Natsu...you'd better not fight with this in real combat." Happy added, agreeing with Rette.
"Well, Max is marvelous too." Wendy said.
"You are flattering me, Wendy." Max replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"You are strong enough to fight with the Orge's, why didn't you beat them and shut them up?" Carla asked.
"That was Macao's decision." Rette piped in.
"We owed them so much money." Warren added.
"It can't be solved by violence." Nab agreed.
"A little too late for that." Rette said.
All eyes turned to Rette who had the tiny beginnings of a smile on her face as she filled out paperwork.
"We are facing a really serious problem."
Everyone looked up, finding that Gray had joined them, sitting on an outcrop of stone above their heads.
"Apart from those monster-like powerful guys like Gildartz, Laxus, we are too weak in this world now." Gray said.
"You're right...even that Natsu got a hard victory in fighting with Max." Lucy said.
"Is there any shortcut to raise our magic power?" Happy asked.
With that comment, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Carla, and Wendy decided to go see Porlyusica about a possible potion or something that could increase their magic level. Rette, shaking her head at their silliness, returned to working in the guild hall. She had just finished a good portion of paperwork that Makarov had requested, which would report a change in masters, when Makarov returned to the guild hall. All that had to be done was writing down who the next master would be.
"Is it done, Rette?" Makarov asked, walking over to her.
"Yes, sir." Rette replied.
Makarov nodded and headed for the bar. He jumped up onto the bar and sat down, addressing the members of the guild that were currently in the guild hall.
"...my point is that I've decided to retire. And now I'd like to introduce the next master to you all. The fifth master of Fairy Tail is...Gildartz Clive!" Makarov gestured to the spot behind him where Gildartz had been when they returned to the guild hall.
Instead of Gildartz, Mira stood there with a smile on her face. She held out a letter to Makarov that Gildartz had left behind. Makarov opened it and read it aloud.
"'To Master, and all friends here, to be the master...sorry to say I'm not suitable.'" Makarov read, his jaw dropping.
Laughter rang out through the guild hall. Rette shook her head. Makarov really should have seen something like this coming. Gildartz wasn't really the type to be held down in a single place for long. He was like a leaf caught in the wind...just going wherever the wind took him.
"'Well, anyway, selected as the fifth master, I'd like to do two things for you. The first is under suggestion of a very...adamant friend of our's. First is to acknowledge Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail.' Dare you...!" Makarov read, yelling the last bit in frustration.
Bixlow, Evergreen, and Freed lit up, and, all at once, jumped at Rette, snatching her off her bar stool and into a hug.
"Thank you, Rette!" they cried.
"What makes you think it was me that said something!?" Rette demanded.
When all they did was smile at her with happy grins on their faces, Rette's cheeks started turning the lightest shade of pink. She looked away from everyone, the three still hugging her tightly.
"I wasn't "adamant". It was merely a suggestion." Rette muttered lowly.
Laxus stared at Rette in surprise, actually feeling a little touched that she had even thought to say anything to Gildartz. Makarov stared at Rette in open mouth surprise at the fact that she had actually figured out, before hand, who he was going to chose as the fifth master. He hadn't told anyone. Then again, it was Rette and no matter how she acted, she was actually pretty smart.
"Uh...I will submit to the fifth master..." Makarov muttered.
Rette's eyes came up to meet Laxus' for a moment before she looked away again, trying for indifferent and aloof, but the light blush on her face, ruined the attempt.
"It doesn't mean anything. You're still annoying." Rette told him.
Laxus grinned, Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen laughing at her. No matter what she said, they knew she actually cared. Makarov continued reading the letter, the last part making him freeze like a statue in horror.
"'Second is to nominate Makarov Dreyar to be the sixth master of Fairy Tail.'. Me again...!?"
"Well everything returns to the way it was." Alzack remarked.
"As it should be. Now I'll be able to sleep at night." Rette retorted.
Whether that meant she was relieved that Makarov was master again, that Laxus was back in the guild, or both, none of them knew. And Rette didn't give them any hints, either.
"'I'll travel around for some time, and will come back someday. Take care, all of you. And Cana...sorry to leave you again. You can always pray to the card when you miss me and your feeling will reach to my card so that I will fly to you'." Makarov read on.
Mira gave Cana an envelope containing a card that she could use to call him if she ever needed him. With a smile, Cana ripped up the card.
"I don't need it! I told you that I like the life I have, damn father." Cana said.
"'Fairy Tail is my home. I will be back. Until the day I'm home, I hope that Fairy Tail would be the number one guild of Fiore again. But it's not my duty to do so, but yours, Master. This is your last job...to lead Fairy Tail to be the number one guild of Fiore'." Makarov read, finishing the letter.
For a moment, he stood there, arms crossed, barely containing his shaking. And then he exploded, jumping up and down on the spot.
"My last job? Dare you! Ok, then I will never retire again! I'll be the master for a lifetime! Wine! I need wine!" Makarov yelled.
Chatter began to fill the guild hall, Makarov downing wine faster than Rette could down water. She really hoped there never came a day when she had that kind of tolerance. She feared what that would mean for her poor liver. A line of conversation caught Rette's ears then.
"Gildartz said to be number one of Fiore." Warren said in disbelief.
"It's really too greedy, don't you think so?" Max asked.
"Nope. I think being positive is great." Erza said.
"It might be possible seven years ago." Warren told her.
"Now everything has changed." Max agreed.
"Besides Sabertooth..." Alzack remarked, trailing off.
"Lamia and Blue Pegasus have both grown to mighty guilds, so much stronger than seven years ago." Bisca finished, little Asuka adding in, "Large guilds" cheerfully.
"And look at us. Although our core members have come back." Bijiter said, sourly.
"Tenrou team has made no progress since seven years ago." Laki agreed.
"We have no way to fill up the vacant seven years. It's really difficult to be the number one of Fiore, in terms of either individual magic or the sum power of the guild...you get the point...it will take some time to regain what we had before." Erza said.
"But we can't and don't want to afford seven year as "some time"." Romeo said, jumping up onto a table.
"Romeo." Rette told him in warning, her eyes going to his feet on the table.
"I won't break it, promise." Romeo told her quickly.
Rette gave him a pointed look, but let it slide. Romeo grinned broadly at her and turned back to look at the others.
"There's only one way for us to become number one in a short time!" he declared.
Rette heave a sigh. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. Those who had lived out the seven years, freaked out as they, too, figured it out.
"No way! We have decided never to participate in that, haven't we!?" Macao said.
"What are you talking about, Fourth Master?" Makarov asked.
"Would you please stop calling me that, Sixth Master?" Macao asked.
Rette rubbed at one temple as Macao and Romeo got into an argument from there, the two fiercely at odds about what to do. During this argument, Natsu and his group came back.
"We've got to do it! Let's do it! Let's do it!" Romeo yelled.
"No way, no way, no way, no way! I absolutely disapprove of this! We decided we'd never participate in that again!" Macao yelled back.
Father like son, Rette supposed. It was definitely hard not to see how the two were related. Both bull headed and stubborn, and loud.
"You don't have any authority to decide anymore, Dad! You're not the master anymore!" Romeo yelled.
"I'm saying this as a member of the guild!" Macao said.
"Romeo, whether he is the master or not, he is your father and only cares about what is best for you. You shouldn't yell at him like that." Rette called from across the guild hall.
Romeo instantly swallowed whatever retort he had for his father. It always had made Macao feel a little bad to see that Rette could get his son to listen, but he couldn't. Then again, everyone who had lived with her the last seven years, had learned to fear angering Rette.
"What's the problem, now?" Gray asked.
"It looks like some father-son dispute." Carla replied.
The two were ignored as Macao called for all of those who didn't want to participate, to raise their hand. All of those who had lived out the seven years, save Romeo and Rette, raised their hands. Even Asuka followed her parents and raised her little hand in the air.
"But we've got the Tenrou guys here this time! And Rette! She was great the last time she participated! There's no way Fairy Tail can lose!" Romeo declared.
Rette chose not to say anything.
"Going? Not going? What are they talking about?" Natsu asked.
"While you were gone, an annual festival was created to decide the number one guild in Fiore, Natsu! All the guild of Fiore get together and compete with their magic power. It's called the Grand Magic Games!" Romeo told him.
Of course, Natsu and his team were instantly fired up for the idea. When Romeo mentioned that the winning guild got thirty million jewel as a reward, Makarov signed onto the idea as well.
"It's impossible! There's Blue Pegasus and Lamia." Droy said.
"And Sabertooth is gonna be there, too!" Warren added.
"And in the past, we've always taken last place!" Jet added.
"Last place?" Lucy asked.
"The only year we didn't take last place was because Rette carried our team. If it hadn't been for her, we would have lost completely again." Bisca said.
Natsu wasn't listening. He was yelling that he was all fired up, lost completely to his excitement. A loud smack drew all attention across the guild hall to where Rette was sitting at the bar. She had just slammed down her clip board and turned to everyone, crossing her arms.
"Everyone needs to slow down for a moment." Rette said, getting to her feet. "As they said, every year we have participated, we've come in dead last. The only year we didn't was because I went and won my challenges, and because I picked a team that worked well together."
"Rette...are you saying you won't do it?" Romeo asked.
"I'm saying that you need to stop and think. Among those of us in the guild who had to live out the seven years, I'm the only one who stood a chance against the top teams that take part in the Games. I'm sorry to say that no one else matches my level. Natsu almost lost to Max in a fight earlier today. If you have that difficult of a time with Max, Natsu, you don't stand a chance against me, and if you can't stand against me...then you'll be crushed in the Games." Rette said in a reasonable manner.
Everything she was saying was rational and true. Rette had stood at the top of the Fairy Tail guild for seven years with power higher than that of the guild's master, Macao. For seven years, she had been the pride and joy of Fairy Tail, the figure head, and the voice of reason and support.
"Compared to some of the other fighters that are going to be there, even I come up short. If you can't match me or go beyond me...then you will need some serious training. All I'm saying is that you need to think about the amount of training you'll need." Rette said.
"Then fight me!"
Rette blinked once at Natsu's sudden demand. Before their disappearance, Natsu had never really requested a fight against her. Rette had always assumed that he just knew he was stronger and therefore, didn't feel the need to fight her.
"Why?" Rette asked.
"Everyone keeps sayin' you're the strongest and you just said that if I can't beat ya then I don't stand a chance, right? I wanna find out for myself." Natsu said.
"Count me in, too." Gray agreed.
Now that was a definite surprise. Gray and Rette were an ill match to go head-to-head. As an Ice Dragon Slayer, putting an ice mage like Gray against Rette was suicide. Rette looked between the two. Heaving a sigh, she ran a hand through her short hair. She kind of brought it on herself.
"Alright, but you aren't going to like the outcome, I assure you." Rette told them as she shrugged off the coat she had gotten from Laxus.
She walked past them and out the doors of the guild hall. Natsu and Gray followed her. Those not part of the Tenrou team, exchanged worried looks before rushing after them.
"This is going to be bad." Max said, flying out the doors.
The others followed. Makarov looked at Max when they stopped outside the guild hall.
"Rette is, without a doubt, going to cream them." Max said confidently.
"She's never won a match against Natsu. Even with seven years of training, she can't possibly match him and Gray at the same time." Lucy remarked.
"That's where you're wrong. Rette's in a completely different league now." Wakaba said, blowing out smoke.
They watched as Rette lead Natsu and Gray a good distance from the guild hall before turning to face them. Even Laxus din't believe that Rette had grown that much in power and he knew Rette always held back in a fight against her guild mates. She would never take the fight seriously, let alone beat Natsu and Gray together.
Across the field, Rette's eyes shifted from Natsu to Gray. She knew that, despite how much they fought, Natsu and Gray could pull off some pretty good team work. Natsu was strong, Gray just behind him in power, and they were both tricky.
But she was trickier.
And they no longer knew her.
Rette saw the first attack before either moved. Both attacked from either side with a punch. Rette first dodged the flames of Natsu's punch, grabbing him by the forearm to hold him in place. She didn't bother dodging Gray's. He, just like Lyon, was an ill match for Rette. Rette, instead, kicked out a foot, landing the kick to Gray's chest with enough force to knock him off his feet.
Twisting, Rette, with a show of strength, yanked Natsu off his feet and sent him flying into Gray. The two tumbled together away from Rette, surprised by the increase in her physical strength. When they came to a stop, Gray shoved Natsu off him with a complaint. Instead of fighting with each other, though, they focused on Rette. Rette heaved a sigh when they charged in, head first. She couldn't think of a time when a straight on attack ever worked.
She readied herself and when they neared, she stomped her right foot on the ground. Crystals shot up out of the ground, spreading out around Rette in a wide circle, covering a vast amount of land around her. The crystals knocked Natsu and Gray off balance and made it hard for them to keep their feet on the slippery surface. Rette, though, climbed a out crop of crystal without slipping once, putting her over their heads. In a position high up in the center of her field of crystals, she was at the advantage.
"Oh, this is going to be real bad. You never want to face Rette in a field of crystals." Wakaba remarked.
"She's at the clear advantage now." Alzack agreed.
"I know she uses Crystallization magic, but she's already formed the field. How can she use it?" Erza asked.
"Rette has picked up a few new tricks over the years and she's really come into her own with her Dragon Slayer magic." Bisca replied.
"Rette's a Dragon Slayer?" Laxus asked.
"That's right. You weren't in the guild when we found out. Yeah, she was raised by two dragons and is the Crystal Dragon Slayer and the Ice Dragon Slayer." Max said.
"Just watch. If you thought Rette was hard to pin down before, she's grown even more so." Jet said.
They turned back as Natsu and Gray attacked again. Rette simply stepped off her perch and let herself fall to the crystal covered ground below. Instead of landing on the ground, right in Natsu and Gray's path...Rette sank into the crystal under her feet. Natsu and Gray, shocked, slammed into the crystal.
What the hell had happened!?
While they wondered that, Rette came out of a crystal boulder behind them and hit them hard from behind, slamming them into the ground. She jumped over them, sinking into another crystal boulder. Jaws dropped as they watched Rette disappear into one piece of crystal only to reappear from another.
"We told you. When Rette lays down field like that, she can come and go out of any crystal out there as she pleases. Good luck catching her." Droy said.
Natsu and Gray seemed to catch on to this and started destroying the crystals in their search for Rette. But even that didn't seem to worry Rette. She came flying out of a crystal, already mixing together a spell.
"Heavenly Body of the left and Crystallization of the right...Crystallized Heavens Trifold Magic Circle..." Rette chanted, holding out a hand as three, midnight blue arrays in descending size appeared. "Crux Hell Storm!"
The storm of star shaped crystals rained down on Natsu and Gray, shredding their clothes and cutting their skin. The stars rockets past, zipping one way then the other, forming a constant attack. It knocked the two away from Rette and gave her the space she needed for the next spell. Mixing her Light of Creation magic with her Heavenly Body make, she threw a hand into the air over her head.
"Heavenly Starlight, Trifold Magic Circle...Illuminating Heavens!"
Three more magic arrays, growing smaller as they went down, appeared in the sky above her, covering a vast amount of ground. The amount to magic required to cast such a large spell would have to be big. That Rette could cast it with so little effort spoke of how much she had grown in the last seven years. The whole area was suddenly lit up with a bright light as beams of light like that of shooting stars, fell from the magic arrays, crashing into the ground around her and expanded to cover a large area around her. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes and brace themselves as the resulting explosion kicked up a fierce wind.
When the light cleared, Rette stood proud in the middle of a field of destruction and Natsu and Gray, beaten and battered, were forcing themselves to their feet.
"I know you two are capable of more than that." Rette said, facing them.
Gray and Natsu pushed themselves to their knees, catching their breath as they looked at Rette. She had definitely increased her magical power. There was no denying that. And if Natsu wasn't mistaken, she had just mixed Heavenly Body magic with her own. That was Jellal's magic. Add in her newly acquired ability to use her crystals to move from one spot to the next, and Rette had become a difficult opponent. But Natsu liked difficult opponents.
"I'm waiting." Rette called.
Natsu and Gray attacked again. Rette switched back to hand-to-hand combat, avoiding their fists and kicks. Erza, who had been the one to start her combat training with swords and fists, was proud to see how far Rette had taken it. Natsu attacked Rette from the right then, drawing her attention to him. When he had one of her hands tied up, Gray came at her from the left, a hammer of ice in his hands. Rette swung around at the last second, stopping the hammer, and, to Gray's surprise, took three large bites out of the hammer. Natsu and Gray stared at her wide eyed as she swallowed the ice.
They had completely forgotten she was the Ice Dragon Slayer.
Rette took a deep breath, turning on Natsu then. He should have seen it coming, but Rette's Ice Dragon's Roar, hit him in the face, sending him flying. Only his own flames kept him from freezing over with the ice blast. Turning back to Gray, Rette switched dragons, and let loose a Crystal Dragon's Roar on Gray.
"Did we forget to add that Rette's come to accept using her Dragon Slayer magic?" Warren asked sheepishly.
"Is there anything she hasn't been able to accomplish in the last seven years!?" Levy asked.
"Dating. She's had several offers, but has blown them all off." Max said certainly.
"Though we do think there is a reason for that." Bisca added.
Her eyes darted to Laxus, who raised an eyebrow back at her. Was she suggesting that Rette had waited those seven years for him? That couldn't be. After all...Rette had turned him down too. All eyes were drawn back to the fight when there was a large explosion that rocked the very ground. Rette was growing more and more serious as the fight went on, determined to evaluate rather or not Natsu and Gray, as representatives of the Tenrou team, had what it took to take back supporting the guild. She wouldn't pass it back to them until she was sure.
The others winced as Rette, crystal coating her fist, punched Natsu in the face. Rette was going to demolish the two if she got anymore serious than she already was. Romeo figured that Natsu and Gray deserved to know what they were dealing with. Cupping his mouth, he called out to Natsu and Gray as Rette moved into her next spell.
"Natsu! Gray! Be careful! Rette's...Rette's an S-class mage, now!" Romeo yelled.
All of the Tenrou team, even Natsu and Gray, turned wide, shocked eyes on Romeo. Rette...was an S-class mage!? But Rette hated the idea of a title, of a rank. A looming, somewhat annoyed, presence fell on Natus and Gray, reminding them that they were currently in the middle of a fight.
"You should never turn away from an opponent." came Rette's low voice.
Natsu and Gray, wide eyed and suddenly painfully aware of the level difference between them and Rette, turned to look at her. Her eyes were narrowed as she stood over them, a magic array coloring her right hand a pale blue-purple color.
"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Diamond Shard Hail!"
The resulting blast bombarded the two with a storm of razor sharp, crystallized hail, sending the two tumbling end over end away from Rette.
"She's S-class now!?" Gajeel snapped out the question.
"Jura tested her, himself, and passed her a couple of years ago." Macao replied.
"But Rette hates the idea of being S-class. Or she use to." Lucy remarked.
"She still kind of does. She only undertook the evaluation in the first place because of us." Alzack told them.
"She did it so that she could take on the higher paying jobs that S-class mages pull in and support us financially." Bisca added.
"Rette...did that?" Makarov asked surprised.
While Rette had always been the type to do what she must for her guild, he had never thought she would take on so much responsibility in the guild. And here, he found that she had basically taken the whole guild onto her shoulders in an effort to support them through a tough time.
"Everything Rette's done in the last seven years, becoming S-class, accepting her Dragon Slayer magics, training day in and day out, taking on so many responsibilities...she did it all for us. She said that after losing all of you, she refused to allow any of us to suffer more than we had to. She's protected and provided for us for seven long years." Max remarked.
"Believe me, it's not lost on us how much we've imposed on her, how much she's taken care of us." Macao said.
Another exploding spell sent Natsu and Gray flying. Gray remained sitting on the ground, trying to catch his breath, but Natsu, never the one to give up a good fight, popped back to his feet. Rette though, looked like she had come to a conclusion and was done with the fight.
"That's enough. It's clear that the two of you aren't quite at my level. Not yet, anyway. This fight is over." Rette said.
"Not yet!" Natsu yelled, charging her.
Just as swiftly as Erza, Laxus, and Gildartz use to, Rette waited until Natsu reached her and then slammed a fist down heavily on the top of his head, driving him into the ground.
"I said that's enough, Natsu. Don't annoy me." Rette told him firmly.
The others had winced when Natsu's head collided with the ground. Max had been punched by Rette before and knew it wasn't a pleasant experience. To have his head slammed into the ground, yet again...it was no wonder that Natsu did stupid things.
"I told you. The way the world is now, I'm just above average in strength. If you can't beat me...I can't, on good conscious, hand the guild back over to you. I can't leave it to you to protect and support them and I won't." Rette said firmly, looking from Gray to Natsu. "I've spent seven years protecting them and supporting them and until I'm sure you, all of you, can once again take up the mantle...I refuse to hand it over. After everything they've been through, they deserve to know it's going to be alright." Rette said, her voice carrying to the others.
"Rette..." Natsu voiced.
"You have a lot of training you have to do." Rette said, turning and walking away from him and Gray. Max stepped up to her side as she neared the guild hall.
"Rette-"
Rette held up a hand to cut him off. She was so tired. Being the only pillar of support for her whole guild, for seven years, had made her so tired. She had never realized just how much work it was. But, no matter how tired she was, she would continue to do it until she could, with a clear heart and mind, hand over the mantle to Natsu and the others.
"If we're going to enter the Grand Magic Games, I have a lot of paper work to finish and everyone has a lot of training to do. Let's get to it." Rette said, patting Max on the shoulder as she passed.
Everyone watched her as she heaved a sigh and headed back into the guild hall, reaching up to rub two fingers into the back of her neck. Rette retreated to her table at the back of the guild hall where she almost always had piles of paper work waiting for her. The others watched as she got to work on the papers. Rette had done so much for them all. The amount she had done for the guild in their absence, wasn't lost on the members of the Tenrou team.
"You know...her birthday is the day after tomorrow." Bisca said.
All eyes turned to her and she smiled. She pointed to her wrist then.
"We gave her a charm bracelet for her twentieth birthday and we give her a new charm every year." Alzack added.
Rette's friends looked at each other. Rette's birthday was in two days and they had three months to train. Perhaps they could give back a little to Rette for all she had done.
Let her know that she was appreciated.
-0-0-0-0-
As part of an idea for Rette's birthday present, her friends needed her bracelet, but to ask her for it would raise suspicion. When it came to tasking someone with the chore of getting their hands on her bracelet without her knowing, Laxus volunteered. The idea of sending Laxus to get Rette's bracelet wasn't exactly one her friends liked, but Laxus was sure he could get it without her being the wiser. His means for doing such a thing, though, he left to their imaginations.
And it wasn't pretty what their imaginations supplied.
Laxus ignored them and, instead, went to speak to Thyme while Rette was in the back office going through paperwork with Makarov. It was strange for the others to see Laxus with his head together with Thyme, but from the expression on the little cat's face, it wasn't anything bad. She smiled and nodded eagerly to whatever Laxus requested and hurried off down the bar to join Lily, Carla, and Happy. When the three asked her what Laxus had said, Thyme mimicked locking her lips and smiled brightly.
Wrapping up her work for the day, Rette came out to the bar to get Thyme. Thyme, smiling brighter than she normally did, climbed up onto Rette's shoulder. Rette gave her a questioning look but Thyme didn't reply. Shrugging her shoulders, Rette turned to Wendy and Carla.
"Are you two ready to head home?" Rette asked.
"Actually, we've finally got the last bit of money to pay off our back rent. We're going to move back into our place at Fairy Hills." Wendy told her.
"Oh? Alright. Good for you." Rette told her.
Truth be told, Rette had enjoyed having Wendy and Carla living with her and Thyme. After so many years of coming home to an empty house, she had enjoy the noise of several people in the house, coming and going. Wendy gave her a smile.
"Thank you for letting us stay there, Rette." Lucy told her.
"Not a problem." Rette told her.
Rette said her farewells and headed home. Laxus hung around the guild hall for a while before heading for Rette's house. Thyme had told him that Rette still lived in the same house on the cliff over looking their old guild hall. She had told him to wait until he saw the light of the room attached to the balcony turn off and then she would let him into the house after she was sure Rette was asleep. Laxus would then be able to snag the bracelet while Rette was asleep.
He waited outside, just below the balcony and watched the curtains pulled across the balcony doors. He could see Rette's shadow on the curtains as she walked across the room, removing and tossing clothes. She snagged something off a chair, pulled it over her head, before her shadow vanished from the curtains. A few moments later, the light went out. Laxus remained where he stood for about half an hour before the balcony door opened. That would be Thyme. Using his magic to help him get to the balcony, he met Thyme at the door. The little cat gave him a salute and trotted across the room and out the door.
The room was dark, but not too dark to see in. Rette left her bathroom door cracked open, the light inside, turned on. Laxus' crossed the room to the dresser but the only thing on top of it was pictures. He tried the vanity next. He figured out one thing about Rette as he looked over her vanity...she was OCD neat. Every brush, the minimal amount of make-up she had, everything was neatly in one place. There was a wooden chest on the vanity that looked like a jewelry box.
Laxus opened that. There were a few pairs of earrings, a ring or two, a few simple necklaces, and, though it didn't belong there, a small sewing kit. But no bracelet. That only left the night stand beside Rette's bed. Laxus turned, his eyes drawn to the bed and the person asleep in it. He walked over to the bed and looked down at Rette. Rette, dressed in a simple, but short, nightie, was laying on her right side, facing the balcony door, her blanket only pulled across her middle. Her short hair was fanned out over the pillow and now and then, her nose would wrinkle, as if she was having a nightmare.
From what Laxus had been told since coming back to the guild...she always had nightmares.
Laxus was tempted to reach out and wake her up, save her from the nightmare, but she would probably be more upset by him doing that than she would the nightmares. It didn't make him want to touch her, to swipe her hair out her face or to tuck her completely into bed, any less. He had to remind himself what he was there for and turned to the nightstand.
As he thought, hanging from a necklace rack along side a locket with the Fairy Tail emblem on the front, was the bracelet. Five charms shined from it. The others had told him every charm they had given her so far. There was the Fairy Tail emblem for her twentieth birthday, a dragon for her twenty-first, a four point star for her twenty-second, a stack of books for her twenty-third, and a cat with wings for her twenty-fourth birthday.
Careful not to make any noise, he snagged the bracelet from it's spot. Curious about the locket though, he picked it up and opened it. A magic hologram picture of their whole guild before the Tenrou team had vanished, appeared. It even had Laxus, himself, among it. Rette had probably kept it close since she had gotten it. Though she would deny it, she seemed to be the sentimental type.
"Mmh...Laxus..."
Laxus froze when he heard Rette mutter his name. He glanced over at her, wondering if she had woken up, but she was still asleep. She had...spoken his name in her sleep? It made him really curious as to what she was dreaming about. He watched as her nose wrinkled and she shifted in her sleep.
"Laxus, you jerk...come home..."
Reaching out blindly in her sleep, Rette latched onto one of her spare pillows and dragged it to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around it. Was she...dreaming about him still being gone? Had he really worried her that much in the seven years they had been apart? Crouching down next to the bed, he reached out and carefully tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Rette muttered in her sleep and buried her nose further into her pillow.
"Sorry." Laxus said lowly.
He wouldn't say it to her face, couldn't say it to her face because she would then question why, but he really did mean it. He hadn't meant to worry her, especially not for that long, but that was how things had played out. He really needed to think of a great birthday present for her, to make it up to her, even just a little. He looked at her for just a moment longer before getting to his feet. He snagged the bracelet and retreated back out of her room. He made sure to close the doors behind him, hearing the lock automatically click back into place. Thyme would take care of any lingering bits of his scent, so even Rette's Dragon Slayer nose wouldn't pick up anything.
He dropped the bracelet off at the guild hall where the others would carry out their surprise for Rette, and left, wandering the streets of Magnolia as he tried to think of something to give Rette. It had to be special, but aside from their guild and their friends, there wasn't really much he could think of that was special to Rette. Of course, she loved to read and liked to make little outfits for Thyme. There were several things he could get her just knowing that, but he didn't want to get her something practical. He wanted to get her something that she would cherish as much as she had cherished the bracelet the others had gotten together to give her. Something she would use and that would mean something to her.
Then Laxus remembered a conversation he had had with her once.
A grin curled his lips as he recalled what she had said and an idea popped into his head. Picking up his pace, he headed into town. He wasn't sure if the reason behind the idea still stood true for Rette, but at least he had put considerable thought into it.
That had to mean something.
-0-0-0-0-
She couldn't believe this!
Rette's eyes scanned the street as she walked, snagging on everything that lay on the ground. One hand was wrapped around the wrist of the other, her panic level starting to inch up bit by bit. She could have sworn she made it home with her charm bracelet the night before, but when she had woken up that morning, she couldn't find the bracelet anywhere. Thyme had already headed to the guild hall, so Rette couldn't ask her if she had seen it. Now, as Rette headed for the guild hall, she could feel panic setting in.
That bracelet had meant a lot to her. The others had bought it special for her and had had the charms made special every year. How was she going to face her friends and tell them that she had lost the bracelet? Yeah, it was just a bracelet, a material possession that could be replaced, but that wasn't the point. In a time when money had been tight, her friends had pooled their money to pay for one special thing to celebrate the day of Rette's birth.
The feelings behind the bracelet meant more to her than anything else.
Rette was feeling about as big as a grain of sand and guilty as hell when she walked into the guild hall. Once again, as she had been five years before when her friends had planned a surprised party for her birthday, Rette jolted when there was a loud cheer of "Happy Birthday, Rette!". Staring wide eyed at the guild hall before her, she pressed a hand to her pounding heart.
Staring back at her, grins on their faces, was every member of her guild, minus Gildartz. Floating orbs of brightly colors lights, streamers of various colors, and a large banner declaring, "Happy 25th Birthday, Rette", decorated the guild hall. A large cake about eight layers tall, sat on one table, the table next to it over flowing with brightly wrapped presents. Music was playing in the background and several of the tables had been moved to clear the middle of the guild hall floor.
Rette had completely forgotten that it was her birthday...again.
"Wha-"
Before Rette could even get that word out of her mouth, Natsu grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forward. Rette almost tripped over her feet as she followed him. Next thing she knew, she was sat in a chair and Levy had put one of the silly little birthday hats on her head.
"Surprised?" Levy asked.
"I...um...yes." Rette replied.
"You forgot it was your birthday, again, didn't you?" Max asked.
Rette reached up to scratch at one cheek, her eyes darting off to one side.
"How do you forget your own birthday!?" Gajeel asked.
"I've had a lot on my mind recently, alright." Rette retorted.
"Rette always forgets her birthday." Laki teased.
"I believe I've already given you an answer for that." Rette said, though she sounded like she was only putting a little effort into her retorts.
"Is something wrong, Rette?" Wendy asked.
Rette looked down at the floor and, to their surprise, her shoulders slumped. Rette's head went down and she started rubbing at her wrist.
"I appreciate everything, but...I...I lost my charm bracelet." Rette said.
"No, you didn't." Max assured her. "We took it."
"Thanks for try...wait...you what!?"
Rette's head snapped up, her sharp eyes landing on Max. Max knew that look. He instantly flinched back.
"But I put it on my night stand last night when I went to bed. How'd you get it?" Rette demanded.
Max instantly turned a pointing finger on Laxus who was sitting at the bar.
"Technically, Laxus took it!" Max said.
Laxus gave Max a sharp glare of his own, but he was forced to focus on Rette as she flew to her feet and rounded on him, her eyes blazing.
"You took it? Wait...you were in my room...WHILE I WAS ASLEEP!?"
Rette's voice was almost dripping venom in its intensity. It was half angry, half scandalized. As if she was more upset with the fact that he had been in her room while she was sleeping, than the fact that he had taken her beloved bracelet. Something he had never heard from her before. Laxus was sure she going to try to maim him now. But before Rette could so much as take a step, Thyme flew up in front of her and started waving her paws, carrying on a quick, silent conversation with Rette. Rette eyed her, almost as if she was about to doubt whatever it was that Thyme was telling her, but then Rette heaved a sigh and the thick tension around her faded away.
"Fine." Rette said. "But you should have told me from the beginning that it was you who took the bracelet out of my room."
Thyme smiled at Rette. Laxus knew Thyme had lied to Rette if she had told the girl that she had gotten the bracelet out of Rette's room, but he didn't say anything. Rette was more likely to let Thyme get away with it than him. And to think that there use to be a time when Thyme would hiss upon seeing him. Rette turned to the others, now suspicious.
"Why did you need my bracelet?" Rette asked.
"I'll explain that."
Rette turned to where Makarov was standing on a table. She frowned, her eyes going to his feet, but she didn't say anything. He was the master after all.
"The others told us about your birthday and the gift that they added to each year." Makarov told her, as Mira handed him a box wrapped in gold wrapping with Fairy Tail's emblem on the ribbon. "So, as a thank you for all you've done for the guild the last seven years, we decided to do this."
Makarov handed Rette the box. Curious, her eyebrow furrowed together, Rette took the box. She looked from the box to Makarov and back before untying the bow. When she pulled the lid off the box, she froze. Resting among a bed of fluffy, white cotton, was her charm bracelet, but instead of just the five charms her friends had already gifted her...the whole bracelet was now filled in with charms. Rette lifted it free of the box and sat the box aside to run her fingers over the charms.
Each new charm came from a different person and there was a charm to represent every member of the guild. A sword for Erza, a lone flame for Natsu, a key for Lucy, a snowflake for Gray, a cloud for Wendy, cards for Cana, a flower just like those on Mira's bracelet for Mira, a lightning bolt for Laxus, and so on. Rette stared at them, gently running fingers over each charm.
"I take it that you like them?" Mira asked.
"Like them? I love them. Thank you." Rette said, her eyes raising to look everyone over.
Everyone stared at the first true smile they had ever seen on Rette's face, curled her lips. It softened her expression, lighting her face up and make her prettier than usual. There was no denying that she loved the present.
"We should be the one thanking you. Macao and the others told me of everything you've done for the guild." Makarov told her.
"I only did what anyone else would have done to keep the guild going." Rette assured him.
"That aside, you deserve this day. So let's celebrate!" Makarov declared.
Loud cheers filled the guild hall. Mira helped Rette put on her improved charm bracelet. With it secure around her wrist, Rette was run through a long line of gifts. Most of it was practical use kind of things: books, trinkets, a dagger from Erza with a blue crystal melted into the very blade-which caused Rette's eyes to light up-and other small things. The last present that sat before her was a thin box about eight inches long. Rette opened it to find a thin, silver chain from which hung a simple charm. The charm was a yellow gem about the size of the end of Rette's thumb, and if Rette looked close enough, she could see magic symbols written on the gem itself.
The charm was warm to the touch, instantly warming her whole hand, the heat spreading to the rest of her arm, when she touched it. The magic that came off of it, was a little strange too. It was a mix of Freed, Laxus, and a mage she didn't know. Probably the person who had crafted the necklace in the first place.
"It's a gem that uses magic to light an area and warm your body at the same time."
Rette looked up to find Laxus dropping to sit in the chair next to her. His expression was cautious, as if he was trying not to hope for her approval of the gift. Rette looked back down at the necklace in her hands and then back at him, confusion in her eyes. Laxus looked away from her, reaching up to scratch his cheek, like she did when she felt awkward or embarrassed.
"You told me once that you dislike the cold and the dark. So...there you go. As long as you wear it, your magic energy will replenish it, so you'll never be cold or completely in the dark." Laxus told her.
Rette thought hard and finally remembered the one time she had told him about her dislike of the cold and dark. It had been when they had accidentally met up while Rette was on a job. It had been a passing comment. One she hadn't really expected him to remember. But remember he had and he had even gone out of his way to get a special gift just for that.
"Laxus..."
Laxus glanced at her, and froze. Rette's eyes had softened in a way he had never seen before. Not directed at him, at least. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of the expression. While he had been hoping for a favorable reaction to his gift, he hadn't expected her to make a face like that. That expression...that look...it would slay his heart.
"You big lug...you choose the strangest things to remember." Rette told him.
Laxus hadn't lived with her through the last seven years, but he knew her enough to know that that was Rette Talk for "I love it". She held out the necklace to him then.
"You have to put it on me." she told him.
Laxus gladly took the chain of the necklace. Rette turned in her chair to present her back to him. Reaching around her, Laxus looped the necklace around her neck and secured it in place. When it was safely in place, Rette turned back around, looking down at the necklace as she touched it with light finger tips. The moment it had been secured in place, the gem had started to warm her whole body. The usual, cold feeling she always had now since she had taken up training her Dragon Slayer magic again, was pushed away by the spreading warmth. Rette felt warm for the first time in a couple of years.
She looked up, scanning the rowdy guild hall, looking at all of her friends, before her eyes landed back on Laxus. She couldn't even begin to tell all of them just how much she had missed them and how much it meant to her to have them back.
"Thanks, Laxus. And...welcome home."
Laxus stared at her, ignoring the flash of a camera, his eyes locking on hers. While her expression was indifferent as always, her eyes, the eyes he thought of all the time, showed him just how much it meant to her and just how happy she was that things were back to normal.
"But Laxus..."
Laxus raised an eyebrow at her and he could have sworn he saw one corner of her mouth twitch a little as if she was fighting back laughter.
"You're still annoying."
Maybe a little too normal.
END
Kyandi: By the end of this time line's story, "You're annoying" is going to be your way of saying, "I love you".
Rette: I never said I even liked him.
Kyandi: Uh-huh...blow that smoke up someone else's butt.
Rette: Are you calling me a liar?
Kyandi: With her pants on fire.
Rette: Whatever.
Kyandi: Hehe! Well, I have to get to work on the next chapters, so, everyone enjoy and review.
Rette: We'll return soon.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!